Good Old West

Asa pulled out a brown hair tie after a bit.

"Just this. And well I still don't like either of them... Though I suppose yer right, Conor's less annoying." He said with a hum as he tied his hair back. Still with no shirt on.

He thought about what came next, about tomorrow, sitting on the haybale. He watched Oscar, who had settled down to read his new book. Was it really that interesting?.

" I was talking to Anthony today" Said Asa, somewhat restless.

"He likes books you know, maybe you could... Dunno. Talk to him about smart book stuff." He said, putting his shirt on next. Maybe he ought to buy a union suit, like many wore under their actual clothes.

Truth be told, he was really nervous about the following day. The possibilities were endless, they could run into the cougar again, his saddle could not be there, they might find... Zefir's rotting remains. And those were just a few. He sighed, missing something. He barely remembered sometimes, his mother would read to him when he was little. It'd help him calm down. But that was such a long time ago.
 
"Oh?" Oscar said, looking up from his books for a moment. He didn't know that Anthony shared a similar interest with him, and was surprised that Asa had managed to find out - though the two of them had been spending quite a bit of time together lately, so perhaps it wasn't that surprising for them to delve into those more personal topics. "I didn't know that. I might go talk to him about it, maybe borrow a few books if he'd let me. Thanks for letting me know," he added, giving a small smile to Asa, grateful that his friend had thought of him.

A silence fell upon them for the next few minutes, as Asa dressed and Oscar continued idly flipping through the pages of his book, though today he was rereading the lines more than usual, spacing out before catching himself having skipped entire pages. Despite his best efforts, he just wasn't in the headspace to read right now. Finally giving up on making any progress with the new chapter, Oscar sighed softly and looked up from his book, finding Asa in a similar, somber silence.

For a moment he wondered what could be troubling his friend so, and then it dawned upon him what they were going to do tomorrow. Of course - how could he have forgotten? It's barely been a few days since he'd lost Zefir, and going back to retrieve their stuff, not knowing what they might find on the way... Oscar put his book aside, sitting up straight on his hay bale.

"Hey," he said, startling Asa out of his thoughts. "I know tomorrow we're going to be going back to the campsite. Are you - up for it? You don't have to force yourself to go."
 
Asa would be forever thankful to his friend for breaking the silence, and for noticing something was wrong. He didn't know how Oscar had known... But it didn't matter.

"Well, I... What am I supposed to do if I don't go?“ He said, really giving it some thought. It was a silly question, he could stay back working. But he didn't want to. He couldn't just not go. Three were better than one, and the McGrath weren't going.

"Sorry, don't answer that. I... I have to go Oscar" He said, not able to say why. He sat on his haybale, with his blanket put around himself now.

"I-I'm just worried I guess. About... What we will, or.. Won't find there." He said with a sigh. Just like Oscar was with him the night before starting their work, Asa wanted to be sincere. So he tried again.

"But I have to go." He started, giving himself a pause. And then he stood up and walked over to Oscar's haybale. Just standing next to it with the blanket around his shoulders. He was clutching its edges like it'd be taken from him if he didn't.

"I have to go, because... If i don't, and you don't come back, thats not something I can live with" He ended up saying, no, admitting. That it wasn't something he would ever forgive himself. Because Oscar was all he had right now from their old lives, because they were friends, and... Family at this point. And he hated how scared he sounded. But he was terrified.
 
"Hey." Oscar pulled Asa to sit next to him on the hay bale, putting a gentle hand around his shoulder. "Breathe. Take a deep breath and calm yourself." It was something his mother used to do for him as a child, when he'd been pushed around by fellow children and adults alike. Like many other more tender gestures, it's been a long time since Oscar had to do this for anyone.

"I understand how you feel." Those weren't empty words of platitude - Asa was the only tether Oscar had to any semblance of their old lives. He'd already lost everything he had once, years ago before he joined the gang, and the unique kind of despair that came with losing everything that you identified with was one he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies. The fear of losing Asa now was almost an unthinkable one, one which outweighed even death itself. A warm feeling settled in his chest at the idea that Asa thought the same of him as he himself did Asa, would die for him the same way he would for the other, but that warmth was outweighed by his friend's turmoil.

"I know," he continued, hand still around Asa. "And I'm sorry that this is such a difficult situation. But I understand. Just promise me one thing, yeah? If we do end up seeing somethin' we're better off not seeing tomorrow... you tell me about it after the run. No bottlin' it up and pretending it doesn't bother you, alright?" They hadn't talked about Zefir, not their gang, nor the platitude of things that they probably should've resolved when it came up, and Oscar figured that it was high time that they started. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."
 
Maybe it was the night, or the blanket around his shoulders, or the fact that it was only the two of them alone that let Asa be so vulnerable. It was probably all of it combined.

He let himself be comforted and calmed by Oscar's words. He leaned into his calming touch, the arm around his shoulders. He listened to him carefully and nodded by the end of it.
"Okay, I promise" He said, smiling weakly at the other man.

"We could... Talk about everything, tomorrow night." He tried suggesting. "But I need at least a drink or two. You still have your juice, right?“ He asked, not moving an inch from where he was sitting. It was comforting and comfortable. He didn't want to move.

" It's going to sound weird, but... Like, ugh. I know I ain't a reader or anything. And I can tell you wanna just read, or it seemed like it when you came in." He was rambling.

"But do you think we could, er... Read out loud?. I can go back to my, heh, bed."He was making this so much worse.

" Please?, you don't have to start from the beginning or anythin'. Helps me sleep, is all"He said, embarrassed beyond the usual. He really was out to make a fool of himself tonight, it seemed.
 
Oscar grabbed his satchel and dug for the bottle of juice he'd stowed away from two nights before. It was still more than half full, and he passed it over to Asa. "You can have all of it, if you want. I don't mind."

He couldn't help the soft laughter that overcame him when Asa made his request - not out of a mocking spirit, but merely endeared by the way Asa was getting so flustered over wanted to be read to. It was... cute. "I ain't laughing at you," he clarified. "Just surprised you'd wanna hear it from me, is all. I ain't that good at reading out loud, but I'll try. Give me a moment, stay here." He brought the lamp that had been left at the foot of one of the hay hales up, resting the handle on one of the nails on the wall of the barn opposite them. The light of the lamp spread out and illuminated the scene, flickering in an irregular but comforting rhythm. It was bright enough for Oscar to see the pages of the book, but only to the extent that the light was soothing enough to fall asleep to. Returning to the bale, Oscar drew up his own blanket and draped it over himself, sitting down beside Asa and reaching for his book.

"I'm just going to start from where I stopped, if you don't mind," he'd already dropped his voice to a low, even timber. He had vague memories of his parents doing the same for him up until he was a bit more grown, and as such this scene felt vaguely familiar, a familial nostalgia he hadn't felt in many years creeping back into his consciousness - not the kind that stung either, but like reliving better times.

"Next morning all were early awake, and the children sprang about the tree..." he began, a little monotonously at first, but picking up a rhythm after the first few pages.
 
He hadn't meant that he wanted it for tonight. Thought Asa when he was given the bottle of juice. But Oscar seemed too content with just handing it over that he kept it. His laughter made him blush for a moment, even if he knew it wasn't... Well, he wasn't being ridiculed.

"Thanks" He said quietly, when he wasn't asked to explain himself or nothing.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him, when Oscar started reading. He had a nice voice, good for this kinda thing, thought Asa. He scooted a little bit closer to his friend, so he didn't have to force his voice too much. This was painfully familiar, comforting to no end, and he fell asleep like that.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, his head resting on Oscar's shoulder after a bit. His hands fell on his lap and he let go of the blanket, that clung to him none the less.
 
Oscar continued reading into the wee hours of the night, until his eyelids were too heavy to keep open. Asa had been fast asleep for a while by then, leaning on Oscar's shoulder and snoring away. Carefully freeing his arm and shifting Asa to lie down on the hay bale, Oscar adjusted the blanket that had been hanging off Asa's shoulders to cover him. Walking to extinguish the lamp on the wall, Oscar made his way back to his bale, settled down, and was soon asleep as well.

He woke first, despite having slept later that night, to the sound of the rooster's screeching. It had barely been a few days since they moved here, but Oscar was already starting to resent that sound. After folding his blanket up and stuffing his book back into his satchel for safekeeping, Oscar went to check on Asa. It was almost definitely going to be an emotionally challenging day ahead for the both of them, and Oscar wanted to make sure that Asa was feeling up for it. However, the scene that greeted him stopped him in his tracks. In spite of the rooster's unholy sounds, Asa was still somehow asleep, sprawled across the hay bale with both the blanket and half his body hanging off the side. Oscar bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing aloud, but eventually gave in and allowed himself a moment to silently laugh into his fist, shoulders shaking from his mirth. Straightening his face, he reached out to poke Asa's side.

"Rise and shine, Asa," he called in a sing-song voice, shaking his friend a little more. "C'mon, wake up, we have to go meet Anthony later."
 
Asa grunted and whined, not very willing to come out of the realm of dreams just yet. He told Oscar to "Fguff off" A couple of times before actually opening his eyes. Before him stood a very amused Oscar, barely holding back his laughter as he rolled off of the haybale completely and sat up on the floor.

He raised an eyebrow at the other man, and smiled. He must've been tired last night if Oscar got up before he did. But well... They got up, pulled the hay strands out of their hair, Asa had plenty, and left their barn to meet with Anthony and everyone's breakfast.

The McGrath were there, and while Adam hurried to finish up so he could leave as soon as possible, Conor chatted with them for a bit. Asa brought up how both Oliver and Anthony enjoyed a good book, which gave them yet another conversation topic to busy themselves with. Conor left not much later, probably to tend to whatever tasks he had to do.

"Well, boys. Are you ready for our trip today?." Asked Anthony, making his way to a part of the stables where a few work horses were waiting for them. Nearby, Houyi and Red were also hitched, the latter without a saddle.

"I guess... But I really advise that we take weapons with us. I ain't about to lose anythin' else to that damn... Overgrown cat." Said Asa with a growl, thinking about Zefir and the chaos that night ended up being. But he wasn't as nervous as he was the night before, and he had Oscar to thank for that.
 
Breakfast with the other stable hands was nice, despite everything that's been going on for the past few days. Conor seemed to have taken Oscar's threat to heart, barely batting an eye when he saw the two of them approach, even going as far as to greet the two of them with his mouth stuffed full of cereal. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all, Oscar mused, watching idly as Asa chatted with Anthony and Conor, occasionally interjecting with his own inputs as well. Adam didn't seem to be in the mood to mingle, however, leaving in a hurry only a short while after they sat down. Good riddance, honestly.

As they walked towards the stables, Anthony asked about how they were feeling about the trip, and Oscar briefly felt a tinge of worry, both for Asa and for the entire group because of what they might find on the way. For Asa, it was seeing Zefir again, in whatever state she might be in, and for themselves, well... the cougar was still at large. With a jawfull of bullets, sure, but no less deadly and possibly holding some sort of grudge against its attackers.

"I agree," he said, as Asa voiced his thoughts on carrying weapons. "We managed to put a few rounds into it the last time, but it wasn't enough. That thing's powerful, we can't afford to be careless." He walked up to Houyi, giving him a hearty pat, since it's been a few days since he last saw his horse. In response, Houyi nudged his powerful head into Oscar's pockets, trying to hunt for treats. Still a bastard, Oscar thought affectionately, making sure that the revolvers and shotgun that he stowed on the saddle had ample rounds. After securing a full waterskin on Houyi's back and making sure the rest of the equipment was in order, Oscar unhitched his horse and mounted it swiftly. Anthony was riding in the lead on a handsome roan stallion, and soon with the work horses trailing behind them they left the stables.
 
If it was a long ride, a few hours at least, Asa was going to regret riding on his mare's bare back. But it wasn't like he had many other options.

He stayed at the back, with Anthony leading, Oscar riding at the same pace as the work horses, and Asa just behind them to make sure none of them strayed away.

"We left early, so I'd say we go find yohr things after we deliver the horses." Said Anthony.

Asa wished they could go earlier, but if they got attacked or if their camp had attracted unwanted attention...

"Sounds good to me. Can't have a cougar after us right now, with all this company." He said, referring to the horses. He patted Red's neck, and clicked his tongue at her to stop her from trying and biting another one of the horses. Maybe she was just in a bad mood in general, but her sturdy build made Asa feel safer anyway. Hopefully, if the god damned cat showed its ugly face, she'd kick its skull in.

On they went, passing several people on their way to the ranch. One of which must be from Strawberry, because he knew Anthony by name and asked after Genoveva.

At some point, Asa started humming and half singing at times, some old songs he remembered. Rob used to sing them at camp, and they seemed oddly appropiate now.
 
The sound of Asa's singing carried over to Oscar, riding a few feet away, and soon enough they'd started to chant the lyrics to the songs together, even getting Anthony to join in at times. Oscar wasn't much of a singer, often misremembering the lyrics and going hilariously off-tune, resulting in no small amount of back and forth ribbing as they rode down to Mr Hagenson's farm. It almost felt therapeutic even, this simple act of singing together, evocating the same sort of camaraderie that the gang had before everything went to shit.

They arrived at Mr Hagenson's farm sometime around midday, spirits still high from their journey. Although it was around noon, the clouds had not disappated, remaining stubbornly overcast even as the sun dimly shone through the clouds overhead. Oscar cast a slightly worried look at the weather, unsure of whether this was a sign that it would rain later.

Mr Hagenson welcomed them, a middle-aged man that was starting to grey around his temples.

"Been a while since I last saw you, Mr Sheen," he said to Anthony, as stable hands appeared to guide the work horses they'd been leading to the stables. "I see you've brought some new friends as well."

"They're the new stable hands, just arrived in town a few days ago," said Anthony. "That's David Asher, and the one over there is Oliver Lee." Oscar inclined his head at Mr Hagenson as a courtesy.

"Well, glad to meet y'all, Mr Asher, Mr Lee." Mr Hagenson nodded at the two of them before turning to Anthony. "You boys want to stay for lunch? Gonna be a long way back from here, can't have ya goin' back to Fern hungry." He chuckled a little at his own joke. "We got some extra slops if you'd be wanting to stay for a while."

"Sure," said Anthony, casting a look over at Asa and Oscar. "Suppose we could stay for lunch, then we'll head up into the valley later. What d'yall think?"

"I don't mind," Oscar said, shrugging. He was beginning to feel hungry, and a little rest wouldn't hurt before they went to collect what they could salvage from their campsite.
 
The ride was much more enjoyable than Asa had expected it to be. The singing and chatting brought his mood up to the clouds. He avoided thinking about later, and about the clouds on the horizon that threatened with darkening their day. Maybe the rain had been invoked by Oscar's terrible singing. Not that Asa's was much better. Oscar was handsome, smart, resourceful and kind. But his singing needed practice.

Mr Hagenson turned out to be an alright fellow. They had lunch with him, his wife and two of their ranch hands. Asa looked around with interest, they had so much! Animals everywhere, people... If they had a few more cabins, this could be a small town neighboring Strawberry itself.

The other two hands were nice, one of them was pretty quiet though. He looked a bit uncomfortable to be there, too, but he was polite. He was Mr. Smith, and the other man went by Mr. Doe. Apparently, neither if them were permanent workers there, only passing by.

Asa tried to not to stare at Mr. Smith too obviously, and focused on his plate and on Mr. Hagenson's words. He had a lot to say, it seemed, and he asked plenty of questions, thankfully, none of them exceedengly personal.

When asked what they'd do next, Anthony answered with total sincerity. It made Asa nervous, it came with being an outlaw for so long. The mixed feelings he had now, both of about being a liar, and of sitting at a table with friends like a regular person. The majority of his life he had spent either on horseback, or around a campfire. People like Oscar and himself didn't get this. Didn't sit at tables with ranch owners, didn't get friends like Anthony. It was so domestic... He fell quiet, uncomfortable, and continued eating until they heard the crackle of thunder in the distance.

Startled like a spooked horse, he gave Oscar and Anthony a Look. They had to go get their stuff.

"I'll come with you to help. We've seen smoke from the area you say you were camping at." Somehow it was still a question, Mr. Smith was staring at them like they'd ever deny the help of a mountain of a man. He could probably wrestle the cougar and win, thought Asa.
 
"Smoke?" Oscar frowned a little at Mr. Smith's words. Seeing smoke from the area they were camping at meant either new travellers passing through the area or a forest fire, neither which bode well for their supplies. And now, with the oncoming storm, they were running out of time. He threw a look at Asa, then stood up from his chair, pushing it back into place. "We have to go now, we don't have long before it starts raining." He nodded at Mr. Hagenson apologetically. "Sorry to cut our lunch short."

"Ain't no thing to worry about," Mr. Hagenson waved a hand. "Take Charles with you and go find your stuff. Charles, you take care of them, yeah?" Mr. Smith - Charles - nodded silently as the group of four departed to the stables to fetch their horses. He certainly was a stoic one, thought Oscar, as they rode out to the valley. The clouds were rapidly darkening above, thunder crackling in the distance, blanketing the landscape in a grey veil. Oscar couldn't help but feel nervous, periodically throwing glances towards Asa to check on how he was doing. He seemed to be fine, at least for the moment, but as soon as they reach the valley... Oscar quickly nipped that train of thought in the bud, shaking his head a little and urging Houyi on. Thinking too much on bad scenarios would only confer further bad luck.

By the time they reached the lake, the storm clouds were hovering dangerously low, the sky a grey so dark it felt more like late evening than midday. Oscar was no weatherman, but this was bad news - it was shaping up to be a big storm, and getting caught in a downpour of this magnitude with no shelter was nothing to laugh about.

"We have to hurry," he called out to the rest of the group. "It shouldn't be much further from here." A drop of wetness hit his nose, and the alarms immediately sounded in his head. "Shit!" He cursed, as the others seemed to have come to the same conclusion, spurring Houyi into a sprint and falling in step with the others as they nagivated the perimeter of the lake towards the stream.
 
White, was the color of his knuckles as he held on to the rains as tight as he could. Under him, his dark bay mare was uneasy, sensing her rider's nervousness and perhaps even fear.

Still, he kept his head on his shoulders. They couldn't afford to just... Lose it, not now. And he had to keep his cool.

"We were camping at the base of the mountains. Upstream." He said out loud, watching the clouds with burning hatred for their very existance. His saddle would be fine, but other things like provisions and bedrolls might not. Weapons, too, could get wet and then be worth a little more than nothing.

" There has been someone there, definitely, for a couple of days." Said Charles then, and Asa's heart sank to his stomach.

Cursing their luck, he spurred Red to pick up the pace. As fast as they could go once they reached the stream and started ascending. The way was filled with trees, a deer here and there... Obstacles, obstacles everywhere. Asa didn't know if what bubbled in his stomach was anger, or worry. Because being so close to their route into the country, what if it was someone they knew?. What if it was James Rook himself?.

He wished he could enjoy the storm, thunder and lightning always made for a beautiful landscape. But well on their way to the camp, quiet except for the horses' hoofsteps on the wet ground, they started hearing both shots and roars.

"... Lets dismount before approaching" Said Charles, everyone following his instructions, weapons in hand.
 
Oscar jumped off Houyi, shotgun in hand, as the group followed Charles deeper into the forest. Everyone was on high alert, the occasional fat raindrops that hit them hard like hail pellets doing nothing to ease their growing tension. Oscar, especially, was on edge - the raindrops spelled disaster for their provisions, especially his book, if it even was still there. The canvas bedrolls were waterproof to a certain extent, but they certainly were not made to withstand a storm. He had half a mind to bolt ahead of the group to retrieve his stuff, damn the cougar and damn caution, but he held himself back nonetheless, stalking through the trees carefully with Charles in the lead.

The commotion seemed to be growing closer, and as they cleared the overgrowth of bushes in front of them Oscar had to stop himself from gasping - a small group of three people, dressed in what looks like hunters' garb, and the very same cougar that he and Asa had met a week ago, old bullet wounds still apparent on its face with a few new additions dripping blood, circling the group and waiting for its next opportunity to pounce.

Oscar felt Asa tense up next to him, he himself frozen to the spot as sudden fear pulsed through his veins. Even as the two of them hesitated, Charles wasted no time springing into action, lining up his shot and taking aim at the cougar. One shot, two, three rang out, landing close to the jugular on the cougar's neck. The piercing sound of the gunshots jerked Oscar from his momentary inertia, loading up his shotgun as well.

The cougar roared in pain, swinging around wildly to find the source of its attacker, while the three hunters jumped to look at them, finally having been alerted to their presence.

"Spread out," Charles said in an urgent whisper, eyes never once leaving the target, which had now switched its attention over to their group. "Go, now."
 
Was tense, keeping himself close to Oscar. Anthony staying close to them botg in turn before they were told to spread out.

He only had his repeater, the same one he had the first night. He grabbed Oscar by the arm, wanting him to follow, and then let go, moving around the cougar and the campsite. Not yet coming out of the cover that the trees and vegetation provided. All things considered, though, they weren't really safe.

It was them, and the cougar, and the hunters. He was scared and nervous, and the hunters... They didn't know them. He wasn't about to lose time worrying about some bastards he didn't know. So he aimed at the cougar and pulled the trigger, one, two, three times, until he was out of bullets and then reloaded.

The unholy beast roared in pain, its body shot from different sides. A man also screamed in pain, his leg pierced by a traw bullet. Asa didn't care, it was raining. It was raining hard, his heart was beating at least equally as hard. Damn everything, the cougar was dying tonight. With, or without collateral damage.
 
Oscar followed Asa, his heart pounding to the same relentless rhythm that the rain beat down upon them. His heart sunk at the thought that their campsite probably could not be saved now, but he had no time to air his grievances about that, not when the cougar was still in front of them, trapped in by the gaggle of people but still dangerous enough to seriously maul one or more of them to death. With his hands shaking, Oscar crept closer with the shotgun, as close to the beast as he could bear to make himself go, crouched, and took aim for the cougar's neck.

He emptied the shots, gasping for breath as he steadied himself and reloaded, keeping his eyes on the cougar all the while. The shots seemed to have taken effect, as the movements of the cougar became lethargic and unsteady, struggling to keep itself upright. He wasn't the best shot by a long mile, and while the pellets didn't seem to all connect, the spread of the bullets stuck in the cougar's pelt meant that it would be dying soon enough from blood loss, if not finished off sooner. Before Oscar could raise his gun for a second time, however, Charles stepped forward and shot the beast between its ears cleanly, and the cougar slumped to the ground, its heaving chest stilling after a moment of struggle.

The group seemed to hold its collective breath as the cougar fell, as though afraid it would somehow rise with a vengeance. The spell, however, broke quickly, as one of the hunters that'd been shot previously started whimpering in pain. Anthony immediately rushed towards the small group of hunters, bending down to check the wound of the other man.

"Quick," he turned to the rest of his own group. "I'll stay behind to help. Charles, you follow David and Oliver up to their campsite to retrieve their supplies. It shouldn't be too far from here."
 
Asa's hands trembled, shit. Everything had passed to far and in too much of a timeless blurr to actually register through his brain. Not yet anyway. Maybe later, when they had time.

He whistled for their horses to follow as they walked upstream, the dirt wet and muddy. Their boots got stuck in it as they walked, it was amazing how fast the terrain could change. They navigated the area with some difficulty, with leaves sticking to their wet clothes and hair.

Charles couldn't help but wonder why these men had camped so far from the road. The spot was as hidden as it could be, it wa suspicious. But now wasn't the time for questioning their motives.

"Its here!" Shouted Asa, finally arriving to the spot they had chosen. It looked untouched except for the first night's trouble, and now the rain. The hunters had apparently camped very close, but not in the same spot.
He thanked god for that.
The saddle was still on the stump where he'd left it, wet, but it was good leather. The bedrolls were dirty and torn, perhaps by animals?. And Oscar's book rested on the muddy ground.
He bent down to pick it up, wet as it was, perhaps they could dry and salvage it?. It was dripping.

They hadn't found Zefir's corpse like he had feared. It was probably discarded somewhere else in the forest, half eaten and rotting. He had to do something in her memory.

Asa stood with Oscar's dripping book in hand, getting soaked by the rain.
Behind him, the horses caught up to them.
 
"Oh," was the only thing Oscar could say as he took the soggy pile of paper from Asa. Though the general structure of the book seemed to be intact and it didn't seem to be falling apart just yet, he feared the worst for the damage that had been done to the pages. There was a high likelihood that the ink had already ran or that the pages had already been turned into indistinct mush by the soaking. A feeling of resignation came over him - all the tension that he'd been harbouring within him seemed to have all bled out of him in a split instant. Swallowing his disappointment, he managed a tight smile and a small "thanks" thrown at Asa, hugging the ruined tome to his chest.

"Leave the bedrolls, they're too torn up to be of any use now," he said, sweeping the place with a quick glance, looking for any other supplies they might have left behind. They didn't fully set up camp here on their first day, so there wasn't too much to look for to begin with. After ascertaining that there was nothing else of value that they could take back, Oscar sighed and returned to Houyi, waiting a few feet away in the more sheltered areas under the trees, tucking his book away into the satchel that he strapped on Houyi's back. He watched as Charles and Asa saddled Red, the dark bay mare clearly unhappy at being wet and having an extra weight on her.

"There ain't much else that we can take," he said. "Let's head back and meet up with Anthony." This time he took the lead, walking Houyi through the muddied forest. He didn't normally like to walk in the front, but this time he needed some distance from the others. Oscar didn't know why he felt so irritated - the incessant pounding of the rain and having to wade through viscous mud certainly did nothing to help clear his mind. If they suspected something wrong, Charles and Asa mercifully didn't comment on it - Oscar wasn't sure he could stop himself from snapping at them, had they asked. The torn-up feeling didn't subside even as they met with Anthony and the group of hunters.
 
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