[o] Tomorrow, I'll be stronger

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

The day was winding into evening as Colt and her steed, Beans, plodded through the massive trees, their Rodeo notice posted. "Whoa," she said quietly, almost unneeded as her heels pulled away from his sides and he jerked to an attentive halt. "Let's camp here for the night buddy," she said with a groan as she swung around and slid from the saddle. Beans immediately shuffled away from her, his eyes on some delicious foliage sprouting around the massive tree trunks. Although he deserved a reprimand, Colt didn't have it in her after all the walking he'd been doing, he needed to catch his food on the go and fill up when they rested, so she just gave his passing butt a series of affectionate pats.

"Alright, alright, just wait a second and it'll be easier to eat, silly beast," she murmured to him as she walked back to his head. In a quick motion she slid the bridle off and slung it over her shoulders, making a face as she plucked spit-slathered weeds from the bit. Next she tugged on the girth to loosen it and slid the saddle off into her chest. His sweat was a dark sheen against his coat, and she reminded herself they should bathe sooner than later tonight.

The saddle slid to her hip and Colt carried it towards a flatter portion of ground near a large tree. It offered a nub along it's trunk that she fitted the bridle on, and against it she set the saddle down on it's horn. She adjusted the pad along the top of it, letting the wet underside air out. Beneath it, she riffled with some buckles for her own bedroll and supplies, a meager assortment of food and a canteen. Maybe she could grab a fish while they bathed.

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone

Maea

What you're given, what you live in
Darling, it finds a way to live in you

Fish was also on the mind of a resident of the woodland realm this evening. Hunger rumbled in the pale white belly of a molten tiger where she followed the meandering stream, and her misty eyes trailed along the glittering surface in the hopes of seeing dark shapes beneath. Dawn and dusk were optimal times of the day, when the light changed and the fish struggled to adjust. As the river grew shallow near a ford and rocks piled up to offer shadowy hiding spots, it seemed as good a place as any to try her luck.

A faint jingle of tack registered with a twitch of a blue-rimmed ear. Pausing for a moment, Maea caught the scent of sweat, and horse, and something not as easy to place on the wind. Perhaps if she hadn't already been set on finding a meal, she would have gone to investigate. But as she couldn't see the travelers, she pushed their presence to the back of her mind and began to pick her way down to the water's edge. Wet sand hissed under the kiss of her superheated paws, molten metal turning sand to glass and slag as the tigress crouched down to wait, and watch – unconcerned about the reek of something burning that spread across the area. The fish wouldn't notice, after all.

And your heart, love, has such darkness
I feel it in the corners of the room

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

Flicking her bedroll out near the saddle with a wave of her hands, she pat it down and pulled stray twigs and leaves away from it. She much preferred sleeping in open plains where she had the stars to admire, but this forest is thick and she didn't trust they'd break out of it before both her and Beans got too tired to carry on, so here's to hoping a spider doesn't drop down from the boughs and crawl into her mouth tonight.

Grimacing at that idea, Colt leaned back up to her feet and kicked off her boots, spurs tinkling as they landed near the bed roll. Her hat joined the pile, and her belt soon thereafter, large buckle glittering in the glow of twilight. She shimmied out of her jeans, shirt, and undergarments, tossing each unceremoniously on the bed. "Alright, let's go, we'll feel better after a dip, then you can keep eating" she promised the horse as she slipped the loop of her lariat around the base of his head and guided him towards the water, unaware of the predator lurking along such a similar edge. She got a handful of cheese curled up in her other hand, and a bit of twine and metal. Not the best fishing rod, but it might catch something if she was patient. 

She picked her steps carefully towards the bank, barefeet avoiding anything slick or sharp. She deposited the fishing gear on a nearby rock, gasping as a splash of water freckled her back as Beans coasted into it with practiced ease. He groaned excessively as he plunged his head in deeper than necessary to drink, and she laughed at him as she slipped in alongside him, the rope coiled in hand and fisted through a bit of his mane in case he went too deep for her to stand. [sat]"Attaboy," she murmured fondly, splashing water across his back where the saddlemarks and sweat built up in pale streaks of foam. She scrubbed at the edges, working out the grime while he did his best impersonation of a hippo.

She might have enjoyed this, might have been content for the night and talked to Beans until they both passed out, but then the tang of something burning hit her nose, and gave Colt pause. Stilling her movements, Colt glanced around, sniffing, 'brow pinched in concern. They must be upwind from it, because it's subtle, and she can't see any smoke yet, but it's definitely there. "C'mon," she clucks to Beans, tugging on the rope to hoist his head from the water. "Something's wrong," she murmurs to him, and as he crashes his giant head back to the surface, he seems to catch wind of it too and shivers with the worry. His head lifts high, rope spinning like sand through her hand, as his ears stand on end, white's edging his dark eyes. Colt begins to back up, feet reaching for the comfort of solid ground.

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone

Maea

What you're given, what you live in
Darling, it finds a way to live in you

Tendrils of smoke got snatched up on a subtle breeze and flowed downstream along the river's path. To the tiger it was an ordinary thing, simply the result of holding still for long enough that her stripes began to overheat. Her attention was on a heavy form that sat in the shadow beneath that rock over there. Fat and plenty even for a big cat like her, it drew her in, lips twitching as she slowly eased closer, butt wiggling and tail lashing...

When her paw hit the water it was in an explosion of steam and boiling liquid. Missing her mark by a hair, the trout flipped through the air, then shot off downstream while the tigress tore after it, sending cascades of glittering water spraying into the air.
Too late she realized that she didn't have the river to herself. Though her paws skidded along the riverbed in an attempt to stop in time, she still tumbled towards the anxious horse and its owner at breakneck speed, threatening to crash into them. Which would be unfortunate for her, and potentially catastrophic for them.

And your heart, love, has such darkness
I feel it in the corners of the room

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

Beans is a blur of movement before Colt can even register what sends him skittering. He whirls with athletic ease, weight sat on his haunches as he shoves off with his front legs springs towards the bank in a flurry of water and mud. Colt scrambles to get out of his way—there's no training in hell that'd keep the terrified beast under her command now. She releases the rope before it peels her palms to the bone, and Beans is a dart through the forest, each hoof a thunder of survival as he streaks away.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuck," Colt chants under her breath as she sways, toes splaying to catch her weight against the breeze of the frenzied horse nearly catching her. She spares a glance back as the sound of splintering water promises to show her what exactly Beans determined to be scarier than her.

Wreathed in steam and sunlit-caught droplets, the molten tiger trounces through the water, and Colt's eyes widen in understanding and fear. No fucking way she can outrun that. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck," Colt breaths as she clambers back up the slope and runs towards the brush.

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

The horse bolted, a naked lady scrambled away up the bank in hot pursuit, and Maea came to a bouncing halt in a spray of steam and splashing water without crashing into either. For a second her attention tried to go three ways at once - after the fish, after horse, after the woman - and with the hunger clawing at her senses, for a blinding instance all seemed equally tempting.

Then she caught up with her own impulses, firmly reigning them in. The fish was gone, and an acrid stench of fear lingered in the wake of both horse and rider that the tiger enjoyed but which told her that she'd fucked up again. Should she leave them be? Try to help resolve the situation she'd caused? Astaroth flashed past her inner vision and doubt whispered about consequences, her inability to mend anything – what could a child of chaos achieve other than more chaos? – but... it didn't sit right, this doing nothing.

Starting to follow the woman, she realized that the tiger likely wouldn't help anything and promptly shifted form. Lifting into the air as a gore crow instead, she ascended to fly over the treetops, watching and listening for the panicked horse. Maybe if she found it, kept it safe from other denizens of the forest, maybe brought it back... maybe she could still fix this.

Maea

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

Damp, muddy, and nude, Colt presses herself against a tree hollow, willing her heart to regain its pace and working on steadying her breaths as she breaths in through her nose, holds it, and slowly lets it unwind out her mouth. She has to think. She's no good rattled, and while she's certain the molten tiger could track her here, she's hoping the flash of Bean's retreating hooves make a more interesting target. He'll be faster, he'll be ok.

Colt waits, gradually calming, hoping to catch the noise of the tiger drifting by to tell her it'll be safe to leave. There's just silence though. How long has it been? Dusk has turned to night, only deepening her problem, but it tells her that it's been a minute.

Grimacing, Colt creeps from the hollow, every sense on high alert for the tiger as she sneaks back to her campsite. Beans isn't there, which isn't saying much, but she might have had a glimmer of hope just dashed. Fuck. She brushes herself off and pulls her clothes back on fast as she can, head on a swivel, eying her bow and arrows on the saddle and wondering how fast she can get to them and fire, successfully, at a lunging cat. Probably not at all, but hell at least she'd go out swinging.

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone

Maea

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved

The trail wasn't hard to follow, but boy could that horse run. Straight as a dart in the opposite direction of where the monster tiger had been it had gone, and Maea had to pick up a great deal of speed in order to catch up. When she did, it was only because the dangling lead rope had gotten stuck in the branches of a fallen log, so firmly that no amount of pulling and thrashing managed to dislodge it.

Landing on a branch in a tree above the horse's head, she assessed the situation. Given the panicked state of the beast both human and crow would have a hard time getting close. The tiger was of course out of the question, as what she really needed was to soothe the animal. Offer comfort, and calm... it would be a gamble, seeing as her gentlest shift also came with a bit of flame, but she could only hope that it wouldn't be as offensive as that of the molten tiger.

Sliding off the branch, she drifted on soft wings to the forest floor, and shifted once again. Growing into the shape of a slender doe, her presence exuded a calm serenity as she gazed upon the frightened horse with soft eyes. The flames that licked her antlers were of a still and steady kind, not unllike the light of a campfire - something the horse should be familiar with, and perhaps connect with his rider. For a while, Maea simply waited, watching to see how her presence would be received. Only if she saw the animal quiet would she try to approach, to untangle the rope. If it didn't work... then at least she could keep watch until the woman found them.

In secret, between the shadow and the soul

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

It's quiet. Not too quiet, actually. As Colt stands tense, bow and arrow at the ready, head cocked to listen, she does notice something. Bird noise has returned. Squirrels chitter in the distance. Everything small that falls into a hush when a threat is present has revived, and with the recognition of it Colt does too. She exhales heavily, straightened up. She grabs the bridle and swings the quiver and bow on more properly. Takes a minute to pull her boots and socks off to get the mud free this time, since before she'd been in such a rush she hadn't fucking cared. She'd need another bath because of her first bath, though the idea of getting naked and jumping into any water around here any time soon is not on the list.

Alright, time to find out if Beans is still alive.

She is not a hunter, so her tracking skills are limited to what she's practiced when hunting down other loose horses or cattle. Normally then she has a team with her, a mount under her, dogs, and light. Still, she starts with the path she last saw him down, and traces each crescent carved mark of dirk and disturbed or broken plant. She pauses, every so often, to check on the birds and the critters, pressing on until she eventually finds the damn horse there with the doe, with elegant horns ablaze. Colt stiffens, surprised to see the creature. First the tiger, now this. These woods are fucked up with wildlife she wants no part of.

She edges near the trees, trying to approach on the opposite side of beans, where the doe will have all the room of the woods to flee into and not be startled into defensive posturing by the sight of her.

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone

Maea

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved

The doe did not startle. As she looked up to gaze calmly at the flustered woman, the rope she had been detangling dangled neatly from soft lips. Approaching Colt with slow graceful steps that held neither hesitation or unease, she extended her neck and plopped the lead rope into her hand. A gust of warm air scented by subtle smoke and feirw musk lingered as she faced the two - and bowed, head lowering as a knee bent her to the ground in apology.

It felt best to leave it at that. Lingering only risked adding to the problems she had inadvertently caused, and so Maea left without looking back. Before the feirw disappeared into the woods, she shimmered and shrank away, shifting into a white-feathered gore crow that winged its way off amid the trees.

---

Maea out <3

In secret, between the shadow and the soul

COLT

Cowboys ain't easy to love
And they're harder to hold

Colt freezes as the doe approaches, rope in hand, too intelligent and calm to be what she seemed. "Wait," she asks, disbelief and a tinge of frustration running along the edge of her voice. "Are you just a shifter?" she asks, rope placed in her hand like a gift, like an apology. Colt tilts her head, mouth slightly ajar with disbelief. Had she been running and hiding in terror this whole time, for no reason?

Well, maybe not no reason, but not the best reason?

Seems she won't get an answer, not exactly anyway, as the pale creature turns away and fades, shimmering into something new in the distance. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO!?" Colt calls after it, uncertain if she's heard. She stares after the vanishing point for a moment before rounding on the horse with a thin lip of annoyance. "The fucking woods never fail to be weird," she mutters as she takes Beans steadily back towards camp, fully intending to pack the fuck up and leave, even if it means traveling all night. She wants out.

[FIN]

They'll never stay home
And they're always alone