Wild West

Her arse was sore, she felt like she had blisters on her blisters, there was blood running out of a shot wound and her horse probably felt the same like she did.
She looked at her hand that was sticky with blood. Her horse walked slowly, barely able to move one leg in front of the other. In the distance she could see smoke rising and she knew that there had to be a town nearby. Better yet, there had to be a town nearby. The horse would not make another five miles of walking without water. She looked down with a worried look in her eyes. “You’re gonna be ok my sweet.” She said to the horse, if only to comfort her. She cleared her throat and brushed the beast’s neck. “We will get some water, get you cleaned up and then we will be on our way again, you’ll see.” She said to the mare. The horses ears moved a little but the animal was too exhausted to give any reaction. The brown horse was having a hard time and so Louise got of the horse’s back and walked next to her. “We will be fine.” She said.
After a walk, that seemed to take like forever, they arrived at the town. Suddenly she felt very dirty, seeing all the people walking around. There was blood on her face and arms and she terribly hoped that people would not really notice anything.
Her wish was not granted.
A woman came her way and immediately began talking rapidly, that she needed to see a doctor, that her horse had to be taken care off. All of a sudden there was allot of chatting all around her and she could see her horse getting agitated. “I everyone could please piss of and go on with your own damn business!” she shouted only a few seconds later. That seemed to startle allot of people since that proved that she was not that fragile a woman as she appeared to be. Her horse stamped on the floor with a hoof and snorted. So some left and the woman took her to some place.
“Your horse will be taken care of I promise.” She said with a slight smile. Louise muttered a soft thank you and sat down.

what happened four hours earlier

“Faster Dilys!” she shouted at the horse as she heard shots fired behind her. The mare instantly shot forward like an arrow. The horse started to pant but Louise knew she could outrun the man behind her easily, if only they gave the mare the little space she needed to get away.
Slowly the space between the two groups widened and Louise shouted in joy. “YES! You go girl!” she shouted at the horse as the mare answered by going even faster. She could hear the man shouting behind her, calling her back, shouting at each other for a plan. Soon she did not hear them anymore and she pulled the mare back because she did not want her to get too exhausted. “Calm down girl, easy now.” She muttered softly as she moved her hand between the manes.
Suddenly there was a sound of breaking wood, because they were riding in a big forest now. Two man broke through the trees from either side and Dilys had to run again. Louise could hear the voices of the man closing in on her. “You worthless whore get back here!” one man shouted at her. There was a silence, a terrible silence, and then there was a shot. A split second after that pain erupted in her waist and she felt like all the air was hit out of her lungs. The tried to catch her breath as the horse ran. She saw everything fainting for a while as she was bent over the neck of the mare. The ears of the horse were going in every direction and softly Louise reassured to horse so she could concentrate and run even faster.

She did not know how much time had passed but she found herself hearing nothing around her. When she opened her eyes she could see a canyon around her and she took a deep breath. She felt her waist and saw the blood on her hand but somehow she did not panic, she felt numb. The horse had already stopped running, for the man had stopped when the mare had burst into the canyon to get away from them. They would sure think this was the end of the girl and her horse.

Aras
He left the office of sheriff O'Hara way later than he had hoped for. He should've expected it of course. O'Hara was the type of sheriff who made a big deal of Priorities with a capital P. "Surely," he had told Aras, "-you agree with me when I say that sentencing the criminals plagueing this town is more important than finding some beast that, until now, has only bothered your farm." Aras had clenched his jaw at that. It was something he heard way too often when he and his father had troubles concerning their farm. They were always told it was their own fault for establishing so far out of town. Just like any other time, it had taken Aras a lot of convincing until the sheriff finally had agreed to forming a small group of other farmers to hunt down the animal. 
He puffed out his breath as he walked down the wooden stairs to make his way towards Pippin, who was standing in front of Mrs Calhoun's saloon. She was known to be very fond of horses, and she and Pippin had been friends for a long time. Luckily, she didn't mind Aras' company all that much either. When he was close enough to recognise the people crowding in front of the small saloon, he saw Mrs Calhoun herself attending to one of the horses. Since Pippin was standing next to them, he decided it wouldn't hurt to see who was given the grand privilege of having Mrs Calhoun herself taking care of their horse. 
When he got closer, a frown appeared between his eyebrows. Even from here, he could see the horse was in a bad state. 'What has happened to this poor lad?' he asked when he was in earshot. Mrs Calhoun immediately threw him an accusing look. 'Girl,' she corrected him. 'It's a mare.' Aras threw her a quick apologetic smile. As he stopped next to his own horse, Pippin immediately stuffed his nose in his pockets, looking for a treat. He pushed him away with a small grin. 'It's a miracle you're not incredibly fat, Pip,' he muttered. When he had convinced him that he didn't have anything to feed him, he turned to the other mare. 'She just came into the town,' Mrs Calhoun responded to his earlier question. 'Her rider wasn't in a very good state either,' she added, brushing the neck of the exhausted mare. 'I believe she had been shot,' she added, just as Aras rubbed his thumb over a small drop of dried up blood on the mare's coat. 'Could you maybe check on her? I told her she needed to go see a doctor, but she looked just as exhausted as her horse,' Mrs Calhoun said. 'I'll give Pippin a snack for free,' she added with a smile. They both knew she'd probably give him a treat despite of what Aras decided to do. She had grown to fond of the horse not to. 'Sure,' Aras replied nonetheless. 'I'll be back in a sec,' he told his horse, and patted him on his neck before walking back the road. If the girl Mrs Calhoun had spoken off had just come into town, it was most likely she was somewhere close to the post office, since that was at the edge of town just close enough to the centre so people would've noticed her.
Just like he thought, he soon found a girl sitting on the wooden stairs leading to the entrance of the post office. He couldn't help but let out a soft whistle- a habit of his. 'And there was me thinking your horse looked bad,' he said, eyeing the woman. She looked as if she had ridden for hours, which probably was the case. The shirt she wore was dark red with blood around her waist. He understood why Mrs Calhoun had told her to see a doctor. 
'You need to get that checked out,' he told her, offering her a hand to get up. 'I was sent by Mrs Calhoun, the woman whose taking care of your horse,' he added before she could think he was some creeper trying to lure her to his home. 'Come on, I'll show you the way to Cyril's house. He has stitched up some wounds before,' he said.

The woman had told her to sit down. She seemed gentle enough and for some reason she seemed to care about her and Dilys. She felt sore all over her body and she gasped when she finally sat. There was pain she had not felt in a long time. She looked through the window and saw the stranger attending to her horse. She really did feel sorry for the mare, she had never wanted it to get this far out of hand. She just hoped that the mare would be ok. The woman nodded at her with a warm smile, seeming to guess her thoughts, trying t reassure her about the mare’s condition. She would be fine.
The let out a sigh and shut her eyes for a moment, just for a moment, she thought. Suddenly there were voices outside but the voices seemed so far away to her. She tried to open her eyes again but somehow she felt too tired to make it happen.

But it did happen really, quite fast actually when she heard a man’s voice near her. She heard a whistle and after that; ’And there was me thinking your horse looked bad,' the man said to her. She looked at him, eyes wide because of the sudden rush of energy. She took a deep breath, trying to control herself but instead of getting calmer she almost doubled because of the pain.
'You need to get that checked out,' he told her now, offering her a hand to get up. She looked at the hand for a second but instead of taking it and thanking him she snorted. “I don’t need to do anything.” She said stubborn. “And my horse does not look that bad. She just had a hard time.” She defended the mare, and in a way herself. 'I was sent by Mrs Calhoun, the woman whose taking care of your horse,' the stranger now said, followed by. 'Come on, I'll show you the way to Cyril's house. He has stitched up some wounds before,'

Louise looked like him as if he was crazy, which in her eyes he really was. “I am not going to leave my horse. Besides I am not doing that bad.” She said to him. She eyed him and shook her head. “no way I am going anywhere with you, it doesn’t matter who sent you.” She said to him. Her eyes dared him to speak against her, maybe she needed an argument. No way I am going, she thought to herself, though the pain did not go away. Stupid bullet, she thought, cursing the man that fired the shot.

Aras
The woman had her eyes closed when he first saw her, but as soon as he spoke her eyes flashed open, almost glaring at him. He saw her chest moving as she took in a deep breath, and although she was very good at hiding it, he still caught on a hint of the pain she felt.
Of course - because when did Aras ever have it easy? - she treated him as if he had told her he was planning on eating her horse for dinner, instead of offering help. As he held out his hand, she looked at it as if it was a dead rat. Fine. If she wanted to play it like that, Aras didn't mind playing with. She snorted at him, not even thinking about thanking him. 'I don't need to do anything,' she said. She almost sounded more stubborn than his father did when he didn't agree with his son - and that was something, because Mr. Marston was very likely the most stubborn man on earth. 'And my horse does not look that bad,' the woman continued. Aras couldn't help but arch his eyebrows at her. She couldn't be serious, could she? He hadn't seen a horse that tired for years. 'She just had a hard time.' Now it was Aras who snorted. 'Yeah, I figured that out,' he told her, his voice slowly changing from friendly to just as stubborn.
She still looked at him as if he wanted to eat her horse. No, as if he was already enjoying the feast. 'I am not going to leave my horse,' she said to him. Aras' eyebrows went even higher up, disappearing behind the line of dark curls of hair. 'Besides I am not doing that bad.' She shook her head. 'No way am I going anywhere with you, it doesn't matter who sent you.' Her eyes seemed like two small flames as she looked at him. Aras finally accepted the fact that she wouldn't go with him voluntarily, and he dropped his hand. 'If I may be so bold-,' he said, parodying her unfounded rudeness by sounding as polite as he could, '- your horse does, in fact, look that bad. And it is very obvious you're not doing that well either.' He crossed his arms and looked at her, letting his eyes drift up and down her body, as if he was thinking about what to do now. 'I'll forgive you, since you don't know anything about Mrs Calhoun. Believe me when I say that a man who disobeys one of her orders, is not a very happy man.' He pointed a finger at his own chest. 'Now, I already told you she asked me to take you to a doctor- and I'm guessing she meant Cyril with that, though he isn't really qualified for the title.' He brushed his hands with the stiff denim of his trousers, though it didn't really help that much with taking the dirt from his skin. It probably only made his hands dirtier, now he thought about it. 'So you see, there is no way I'm going to allow you to just sit here until you pass out from the obvious pain you're in. You're no use to your horse half dead, I think you'll agree with me on that.' He brushed his chin and sighed, as if the decision he was about to make already pained him. Then, before she could do anything about it, he took a step towards her and flung her over his shoulder in one swift move. 'We're going to Cyril,' he said cheerfully, after which he started walking back further into town. He quickly waved towards Mrs Calhoun, who looked at him with a deep frown, and made his way to Cyril's house.

There was a silence for a moment. Now he just seemed as stubborn as she was feeling. She crossed her arms and looked at him, daring him to continue his words.
'If I may be so bold-,' he said, trying for some stupid reason to be polite. She never got that. why be polite when the one you’re talking to does not want to be talked to and just wants to be left alone,
'- your horse does, in fact, look that bad. And it is very obvious you're not doing that well either.' He said, crossing his arms and now looking at her. She felt a little uncomfortable under his eyes but she found her tongue again and said “You are not in any position to judge my state of being”.
But he just continued talking, pretending like he did not hear her speak. 'I'll forgive you, since you don't know anything about Mrs Calhoun. Believe me when I say that a man who disobeys one of her orders, is not a very happy man.' He said. 'Now, I already told you she asked me to take you to a doctor- and I'm guessing she meant Cyril with that, though he isn't really qualified for the title.' He said, almost giving her a speech and she was not that keen on speeches. She took a deep breath in order to answer him but before she could spill out a word her already went on with the grand speech ting. 'So you see, there is no way I'm going to allow you to just sit here until you pass out from the obvious pain you're in. You're no use to your horse half dead, I think you'll agree with me on that.' He brushed his chin and sighed, as if the decision he was about to make already pained him. She did not like that look already. There was something going on, she knew that for certain. She was just not able to determine what his plan was, though she thought she would soon find it out. Before she could speak, or move, she felt his hands around her and then she was hanging over his shoulder like a sack, like dead weight. She let out a gasp of pain but recovered soon enough. Then he said, like it was the best thing that ever happened to him, that they would be going to that Cyril man now.

“You are a piece of shit! Let me go! Put me down or you will pay!” she said to him, hitting his back with her fist. Not that she hit him hard, she barely had any power in her arms as it was let again in this state of being. “You pretend to be polite but you are just like the rest of them. Rude, disgusting, unknowing, stupid and only good at drinking.” She said. Not that it all seemed to matter, he just walked on to wherever it was he was going. She sighed and saw those stupid black dots appear. She now felt a little nauseous and hit him again. “In a minute I am going to puke al over you so you’d better put me down.” She hinted.

Aras
"You are not in any position to judge my state of being," she said, still sounding as stubborn as his father. "I am," he contradicted. "Since I am to take you to a doctor." As he continued his speech, he was sure not to give her any chance of interrupting.
When he threw her over his shoulder, he heard her let out a soft gasp and he felt a small pang of guilt. It disappeared soon enough however, when she started yelling at him and banging her fists against his back. "You are a piece of shit!" she screamed at him, and even though she couldn't see his face, he still smirked. "You are not in any position to judge my state of being," he said, mimicking her voice perfectly.
"Let me go! Put me down or you will pay!" she warned him, though even she must be aware of the fact she wasn't really in a position to sound threatening. At all. In fact, it only made his smile widen. "Yes, I will," he agreed this time. 'For your treatment actually, because I'm guessing you don't have any money at hand," he said, still sounding as painfully cheery as before. "But don't worry, I'll think of something you can do in return," he added.
"You pretend to be polite, but you are just like the rest of them. Rude, disgusting, unknowing, stupid and only good at dirnking." "Well, I am kind of good at drinking."
He didn't allow her words to get to him, just let them bounce off his armor. "You know, at least I tried being polite for a short wile. Can't say the same about you,"he pointed out, and - mostly just to annoy her even more - started to whistle. She stayed silent for a short while, but just as Aras started to worry she might have passed out, he heard her speak again. "In a minute I am going to puke all over you so you'd better put me down," she warned him. "Not unless you promise to walk with me to Cyril," he countered. Right after that, he heard the echoing sound of hooves approaching. Fast. He spinned around on his heels, for a moment forgetting what that would do to the woman he was holding. He narrowed his eyes, watching as three men, all on horses, came closer to the town. Something about the way they held their upper body, or how they urged their horses to go faster made him believe they weren't just regular travellers. He breathed in sharp and took a step sideways, seeking cover in the shadows of the building next to them. "The one that shot you-," he said slowly, speaking in a hushed tone as if the men were already in earshot, "- they didn't happen to follow you here, did they?"
Now he did put her down, holding on to her shoulder in case she felt dizzy. He hoped she understood the message of his firm grip, or else that those men might look for her, and that she'd keep silent. The men didn't slow their horses down until they were almost in the centre of town. Aras caught the sunlight catching on the glistening metal of a pistol, and he stepped in front of the woman so she wouldn't be in direct sight of the men. "Back down slowly," he whispered without moving his lips. "They haven't looked this way yet. The building to your right is Cyril's. Go in, act like the damsel in distress he expects and he'll help you,' he said urgingly, hoping she wouldn't keep as stubborn as she did before. "I'll take care of your horse," he added.

He had just been mocking her ever since they’d left the house where her horse still stood.
"Not unless you promise to walk with me to Cyril," the man said to her, in the puke-case. She almost wanted to give in but then he turn around and she felt her head spinning because of that. “Was that really necessary?” she asked him, feeling the contents of her stomach coming up already. Then she heard the sound of hooves coming right at them. She could not see the men riding the horses but by the sound of it there were three of them. She swallowed and closed her eyes, catching herself on hoping that they would be so stupid that they had not seen her already. The stranger left the open and went into the shadow, because of some reason that was a very good idea to make way for them. "The one that shot you-," he said slowly, speaking in a hushed tone as if the men were already in earshot, "- they didn't happen to follow you here, did they?"
After he asked her that he put her down and she felt him holding her. Somehow it helped her a bit, knowing that if she would collapse at least there was someone with her. Her face was now white as a sheet and she could only think of the mare. What would happen when they found her? Maybe they had already found her and... she could not think about it, the thought and so she decided to answer him.
“No. At least they didn’t follow me through the canyon. We would be dead if that had been the case.” she said, almost unable to hear of one was not within reach, we meaning her and the horse. She noticed that she was shaking the slightest bit and for some reason she got a little closer to the stranger. Now the man stood in front of her, she knew why and she did not really agree. Not that she had any say in the matter since he had thrown her over his shoulder. She had also seen the gun and instantly felt the pain in her waist coming up again.
"Back down slowly," he whispered to her and she listened. She took a few steps back and could hear him say that she had to go inside the building to her right. She almost wanted to be her old stubborn self again. Trying to not care about anything and just come out of the shadows and try to kill those bastard. Then the man said "I'll take care of your horse,". She felt restless for a moment and looked at him. Her eyes worried and there was even some fear in it. With the worry and fear was ofcourse the stubbornness but she did as he asked and backed off slowly, following the riders every move cautiously. “You’d better take good care of her.” She had whispered to the stranger and then she disappeared.

She found the house. It was not that hard and she knocked in the door. When the man did not answer quickly enough she knocked again and again until he did. He took one look at her and then let her in, saying “You just sit down, i’ll get you something to drink.”
She knew why he said that. surely this was not her first bullet and so she had the idea that the man was fetching something like rum. At least she hoped it was rum. When he did she felt like she was in heaven and she took a few big gulps. “Now lay down and be silent.” The man commanded her and so she lay down on the table as she felt the iron thing going into the hole in her waist to get the bullet out. There was some pain, as was usual, but for her comfort she still had the rum.
In the end all the rum was gone, the bullet to and she had blacked out since the bullet had been further inside her body than she had thought.

Aras
There appeared a worried frown on his face as he saw the woman's face. He hadn't seen anyone that pale since- well, since he needed to help bury a man who had died of old age. Maybe it hadn't been his smartest move to carry her away like that. "No," she replied. "At least they didn't follow me through the canyon. We would be dead if that had been the case." Aras' frown grew a little deeper. She had come from the other side of the canyon? No wonder she looked so tired. 
Aras was sure to keep his eyes on the three strangers as he urged the woman to take another step backwards. He allowed himself a short moment of relief as she decided to listen to him. Fortunately she wasn't stubborn and stupid. There weren't many combinations of character traits worse than that. When he promised her he'd take care of her horse, she seemed to hesitate for a moment. "You'd better take good care of her," she said finally, before she disappeared to Cyril's  house.
Aras breathed out and let his shoulders relax. At least now she was out of sight. Just the problem with the horse to fix now. Aras walked back out of the shadows, making sure not to show any of the tension he felt, when one of the men noticed the horse. Mrs Calhoun was still brushing her, now and then pushing Pippin's head away when he tried to brag for treats. Aras took a quick deep breath and then walked towards the horses. "Where'd you find this horse, ma'm?" One of the men asked. He wore a black leather head, and the pistol in his belt shone brightly in the light of the sun. It was clear he took good care of the weapon. Before Mrs Calhoun could answer, Aras slipped in the man's eyesight and took off his hat. "Found 'er running in town, sir," he said, letting the accent - that had already been present - drool over his words, so they became one sluggish sentence. He had found wealthy looking men like these immediately drew the conclusion that men with such heavy accents must be slightly stupid. This wasn't the first time Aras made that his advantage. The man puffed and slid off his horse. "What about the rider?" He asked. Aras shrugged his shoulders. "The mare didn't carry no rider when she got 'ere, sir," he said. Mrs Calhoun nodded in agreement. "It wouldn't be the first time a traveller got dehydrated in this area," she said. "D'you know this horse, sir?" Aras asked. "'Cause I was thinking of buying her, sir. Y'see, I lost a horse not a few days ago. Broke its leg, so I had to shoot 'er." The man didn't look very entertained by his story, but Aras didn't mind. He hoped to bore the man enough to just give him the horse. It seemed to work, because he threw a hesitant glance towards the horse of the woman now. "I do know this mare," he admitted, though he didn't tell them how. 
Aras thought about it for a short moment, before he took out a small bag of coins. "Then let me buy 'er, sir. She ain't in no fit state for travel, and I need a new horse for the farm. We'd both be better off." The sound of his coins tinkling made the man's eyebrows go up. Aras opened the small bag, watching the face of the man from the corner of his eye. When he held out a hand full of coins, he asked: "This enough, sir?" The man looked at him a few seconds long, before taking the money. "Fine. Enjoy your new horse, sir." After those words he gestured to the other two men to follow him into the saloon. Aras breathed out and rubbed his forehead. "Well, that went nice enough," Mrs Calhoun said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Aras threw her one of his biggest smiles. "Thanks a lot," he told her. Mrs Calhoun waved his words away. "Just take the horse and woman out of this town, before we all get busted," she told him, before entering the saloon herself to serve the three men. Aras took both the reins of Pippin and the woman's horse and brought them to the back of Cyril's house. He knocked on the backdoor and waited until Cyril finally came and opened it. He wasn't a very fast walker, since he got shot many years ago and limped ever since. "You comin' for the girl?" He asked, already letting Aras in and showing him the way to the kitchen.
The woman lay flat on the table, an empty bottle of rum next to her. The wound in her waist was now covered with clean bandages. Aras breathed out. "Did she pass out from the alcohol or the pain?" He asked Cyril, throwing him a judging look. Cyril shrugged and grunted something about how it didn't really matter that much. "It does matter, since I need to take her back to the farm. How am I going to take an unconscious woman to the farm, Cyril?" He asked. Cyril shrugged again and Aras sighed. "Just help me get her up my horse, please."

There had been some relief when the bullet was plucked out of her body. For a moment she had felt really happy and somewhat joyful. Then everything had turned black.
She had not passed out because of the alcohol, well maybe a little, but mostly because of the sudden rush. She had always had that after a bullet had been taken from somewhere out of her body. She would feel a rush and then collapse, mostly because she always tried to old on as long as possible until she would go to a doctor of any kind. Now however she had not had the luxury of waiting a little while and try to pluck the thing out herself.

She did not notice how the stranger entered to doctors house and how the two of them got her on a horse. She did not knew that Dilys was looked at her with a worried look in her caring brown eyes. The mare did not leave her side the whole ride and she was passed out almost the whole ride. It was after some time that she opened her eyes again. She felt strange. Was she moving? She asked herself as she took a peek at her environment. Yes, she concluded, yes she was moving. She noticed someone sitting behind her, ofcourse in all her brilliance she had already noticed she was on a horse that was not Dilys because the mare was next to her.
It also had to be the mare who betrayed her being awake. The mare stopped walking and made some noise. She felt the strangers horse stop and she moved. She was now found out and so it had no use to pretend to be still unconscious. “What are you doing? Where are we going?” she demanded immediately. She had no calm inside her whatsoever. She felt trapped and misled and so she tried to break free from her tiny sort of prison. That did not work out for her since she forgot that open wounds hurt really bad and so she had to gasp for air when her waist toughed something. There goes the escape plan, she thought grumpily.
In the distance she saw a farm that seemed to rise out of the round when they got closer. “That is not your home is it? Cause if it is I find that very interesting and scary at the same time.” She said to him. Without moving she looked around a bit carefully. It was not that bad a place to live, she noted after some minutes of sightseeing. “How long have you been living here?” she asked the stranger. Then it got to her that she had forgotten something very very important...
“I don’t even know your name. I need a name.” She said, though she did not turn around because of obvious reasons.

Aras
Cyril had meant well, he was aware of that, but despite that the man wasn't very helpful with his limp and his old body. In the end, Aras had to drag the woman up his horse mostly by himself. It turned out to be another challenge to get on his horse without dropping the woman back on the floor. All of it didn't improve his mood. He had already spent most of the day doing hard labour, and his body didn't let him forget. Every muscle felt sore. 
"Thanks for the help, Cyril," Aras said when he finally sat in Pippin's saddle. "I'll pay you back when I have the money," he added, but Cyril waved his words away. "No, no. I'm always glad to be helpin' a lady, don't worry 'bout the money, kid," he said. Aras threw him a thankful smile. At least something went his way today. The mare next to him still seemed too tired to walk very fast, so he decided not to hurry. It was easier for him as well, since it turned out to be quite difficult to keep the woman in front of him on the saddle as Pippin cheerfully walked on. 
At first he kept throwing suspicious looks over his shoulder, thinking the men might have followed him, but that didn't happen so at last he gave himself the chance to relax a little. "At least one of us is happy, Pip," he muttered, as his horse pointed it's ears forward. The woman was unconscious for the largest part of the trip back to the farm. Aras already started to worry how on earth he'd get her out of the saddle again, when suddenly the mare stopped walking. He was just in time to make Pippin stop before he'd drag the mare along on her reins. "What's-," he started, when he noticed the woman in front of him had woken up.
"Well, good morning to you, too," he said, trying not too sound as tired and irritable as he felt. She'd probably already be freaked out by the fact he was taking her too some distant farm. She didn't greet him back, but he couldn't really blame her for that. "What are you doing? Where are we going?" she demanded. "I thought it would be obvious what I'm doing," he said dryly. "I'm rescueing you by taking you away from those men," he pointed out. A polite Thank You would improve his mood, but something told him she wasn't the kind to say Thanks a lot. She tried to move away, causing Pippin to nervously throw his head up. Aras reached around the woman to pat him on the neck. "You're not helping anyone right now," he noted. "That is not your home is it?" She suddenly asked. Aras looked at the farm in response. "Cause if it is I find that very interesting and scary at the same time." He frowned. "Interesting?" he repeated. "Why? What's so interesting about cows?"
Scary, he could understand. He was a stranger to her, so taking her to his place without an explanation could come over as a little creepy. "Before you start wondering if I'm planning on raping and murdering you here, I'm not," he said. "My father lives there as well, if that helps," he added.
"How long have you been living here?" The woman asked him. Aras couldn't help but smile a little, amused by the fact she chose to ask that as one of the first questions. He urged Pippin to start walking again, and now the mare followed again without any problems. "My whole life," he answered, a little late. When they reached the farm, he steered Pippin to the door of his stable before letting himself slide out of the saddle. "My great grandfather bought it, so it's kind of a family thing I guess," he said as he helped the woman down. "I don't even know your name. I need a name," she suddenly said. Aras grinned. "Now you're remembering your manners?" he asked, a little incredulous. He gestured for her to sit on the wobbly chair placed in the shadows of the stable. "My name's Aras," he said, and looked at her. "You didn't tell me your name either," he said. "Plus- ," he added, while he started to take off Pippin's saddle. "-you might want to tell me why the hell you got shot while I remove the saddle of your horse. Since you're in no fit state to do it yourself."

"Interesting?" he repeated. "Why? What's so interesting about cows?" he said to her after she had told him she was interested in the place. “I think it is interesting to live your whole life in the same place. I never had the chance myself so I can only imagine it. I think I find it interesting because I somehow hope that it is a peaceful carefree kind off life, you know what I mean?” she asked him after he told her about his place. His father lived there, so he still lived with his dad, he also told her something about his great grandfather buying the place, she did not really care about that point really.
They stopped and he got of his horse. She did not try to get of all by her lonesome because she know she would not be able to handle that properly. She allowed him to help her off his horse. A grim look had appeared on her face for only the shortest moment because of the pain she felt.
"Now you're remembering your manners?" he asked, after she had asked him his name. She shrugged and sat down on the chair he had gestured at. She took a look around and somehow felt pleased with all of this. She looked at her horse and smiled. He said his name was Aras and that attracted her attention again. She looked at him and tilted her head a little. “That is a very unusual name you’ve got there.” She said to him and she straightened herself again.
"You didn't tell me your name either," he said. "Plus you might want to tell me why the hell you got shot while I remove the saddle of your horse. Since you're in no fit state to do it yourself."
She opened her mouth to protest and then sighed. “Fine, fine I’ll tell you. I guess I owe you that much.” She said as she stroked her mare.

“Those men you saw in town? They have been chasing me and Dilys her for weeks.” She started as she shifted her weight a little bit in the chair. “They had found us while we were camping and so they took us with them, that happened some months ago. You can guess what happened, I only tell you that it was not pretty.
So after some weeks I took my chance and escaped. Unfortunately they found out to soon and so they had still time to follow me. They split up, found me in the woods and I let Dilys run for her life. I thought I’d lost them but then they were in front of me and came from either side of me. I had just a split second so I made my decision, the safest way for Dilys, and got passed them. One of them shot me from behind and I passed out. When I woke she had ran towards the canyon and we were already halfway.” She said to him. That was what had happened in short. Of course far more things had happened but she was not intending on sharing them with anyone, ever.
She looked at her feet for a moment and then remembered that she still had not given him her name. “O, sorry. I am Louise by the way.” She told him.

Aras
When he asked her what she found so interesting about his cows, she said something about never having the chance to grow up in one place. She told him she imagined it to be peaceful and he grinned. "Well, I can assure you living in a farm is not as romantic as most people believe," he said. "To give you an idea, a lot of cows produce a lot of feces. Guess who needs to clean all of it up." He made sure Pippin wouldn't walk away before dragging the saddle to the small roofed space next to the stable. "It isn't that carefree either," he muttered when he walked back to remove the saddle from the mare. There was a reason he and his dad owned one of the last farms in the village. There were a lot easier ways to make money. He removed some stuff from a table to make place for the second saddle. It wasn't an ideal place, but he'd think of something better later on. First he had to get the two horses in a stable. "That's a very unusual name you've got there," she reacted when he told her his name. He grimaced. "Kind of a family thing as well, I guess," he said. "My father's name is Hamza," he said to found his statement. When he told her she could tell him about why she got shot in the first place, she sighed. "fine, fine I'll tell you. I guess I owe you that much," she said. "You do," Aras agreed with a grin. "I had to pretend to buy your horse to keep those men from taking her with them," he told her.
As she sat down in the chair, he continued taking off the bridles. "Those men you saw in town? They have been chasing me and Dilys here for weeks," she started, and the chair squeeked a little as she shifted her weight. He guessed she meant the mare with Dilys. "They had found us while we were camping and so they took us with them, that happened some months ago. You can guess what happened, I only tell you that it was not pretty," she said. Aras' face grew a little darker. She was right- he could guess. 
"So after some weeks I took my chance and escaped. Unfortunately they found out too soon and so they had still time to follow me. They split up, found me in the woods and I let Dilys run for her life. I thought I'd lost them but then they were in front of me and came frpm either side of me. I had just a split second so I made my decision, the safest way for Dilys to get passed them. One of them shot me from behind and I passed out. When I woke she had ran towards the canyon and we were already halfway."
Aras stayed quiet for a while, not really knowing what to say to that. He pushed open the door of the stable, and had to grab Pippin's manes to keep him from walking inside. "Nuh-uh, ladies first, Pip," he said, and pushed him away from the door. He guided Dilys towards the stable and closed the door before Pippin could slip in. After that he leaned against the stable door and looked at Louise, feeling like he had to say something now. "Well," he started after a long pause. "You've got yourself one hell of a horse, then," was all he could come up with. 
"Oh, sorry. I am Louise by the way," she told him suddenly. Aras smiled a little. Before she had said something he hadn't even noticed she had forgotten to tell him her name. "Well, Louise, pleased to m-," he started, but didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Instead, Crow finally had seemed to hear them, since he came running out of nowhere, jumping up against Aras. The dog came so unexpected - stupid, he should've known by now that was the way the stupid animal always operated - he didn't have time to adjust his balance, and he fell to the ground. He grunted and cursed under his breath as Crow jumped on his chest, trying to lick his face. 'Goddammit, you are the most-," he started, but once again didn't finish his sentence, because at that point he felt Crow's rough tongue licking his face. The dog was too heavy for him to push away, so he had to wait until Crow decided his face was now covered enough in his saliva and jumped from his chest. "Louise, meet Crow," he said dryly, just as the dog noticed the unknown woman sitting in the chair. Instead of barking, like a sentient dog would do, his tail started moving even faster and he pushed his head into her leg, begging for her to pet him. 
"I'm sorry, he's a little enthusiastic," he said. "You're not scared of dogs, are you?" he added as he walked Pippin to one of the stables they used for the pregnant cows.

"You've got yourself one hell of a horse, then," he had told her after she had told him, real short and without any detail really, what had happened to her and Dilys. She had not told him everything for one obvious reason, she did not trust him yet. Of course he had bought Dilys for some reason and he had kept her safe but she was just a little wary when it regarded men.
"Well, Louise, pleased to m-," he started after she had mention her name, finally. She had totally forgotten that for no apparent reason. Still he did not finish his sentence because he stood absolutely no chance. There was this huge ass dog galloping into the stables, racing towards Aras, jumping and flooring him. She just looked at the whole scene before her and could not hide her smile. Instead of just keeping it a smile she started to laugh real hard as she saw the dog licking his owner’s face enthusiastically.
'Goddammit, you are the most-," she heard Aras saw but once again he had no chance against the beast as it started licking again and again. It was such a funny site that she almost died laughing, at least it felt like that. because of the lucking her waist contracted and so the pain started to come back again, almost taking her breath away.
When the dog finally had enough he got of off his owner’s chest and so the man had a short moment to stand again. There was saliva dripping from his chin and Louise smiled at the sight. It looked horrible really and she could only imagine how gross he would feel right now. "Louise, meet Crow," Aras said to her dryly. It was right after he had said that that the dog rushed her way because it seemed to want more attention. All attention is good attention, he seemed to think and so in a moment she felt the heavy head on her lap and she patted to beast’s head.
"I'm sorry, he's a little enthusiastic," Aras started. "You're not scared of dogs, are you?" he added.
Louise smiled and shook her head. “No problem and no not at all scared. I remember my father having a dog when I was small. The beast was so big I pretended that it was a pony.” She said to him.
She petted the dog and he made these small noises. She laughed and shook her head again. “I love dogs.” She murmured and she kept on petting.
“So, how many years had he been with you? He seems to be very fond of you.” She said to Aras and she stood from her chair. There was a small protest from the dog because his new pet buddy left but she did it anyway. “But if I may be so bold. What did you have in mind? I don’t have any money at the moment and I am in no condition yet to work for residence.” She said to him, her eyes had a serious glow in them. She hated to be depended and she always wanted to leave as fast as possible, repay her dept and be off again. “Maybe in a few days I can go and find a job and I will be able to pay you and your father back, especially since you kept Dilys safe for me.” She said.

Aras
Of course, Louise only found the assault very funny. As he made another futile attempt at pushing Crow away, she started laughing. The sound surprised him so much he flashed a smile himself- and immediately regretted it when he felt Crow's tongue scrape his teeth. He made a gagging sound and forced his hand between his mouth and Crow's face. When he was finally left alone he let out a deep breath and brushed away all the saliva. He threw Louise a judging look. "You could have rescued me, you know," he pointed out, though he didn't really believe she would have been able to pull Crow away. When the stupid dog acted this way, there wasn't much that could stop him. At least Louise seemed to like him, because she willingly petted him on the head when he pushed his nose against her leg.
"You're not scared of dogs, are you?" He asked her as he brought Pippin to one of the cow stables. When he looked over his shoulder he saw Louise shaking her head. "No problem, and no not at all scared," she answered his question. "I remember my father having a dog when I was small. The beast was so big I pretended that it was a pony," she told him, and he couldn't help but laugh when he pictured a little Louise sitting on a dog. "Well, I'm not sure if Crow could manage my weight, or yours for that matter," he said and opened a rusty old closet to search for a blanket he could use for Dilys. "I love dogs," he heard her murmur as he finally found the blanket and put it on Dilys. He stretched the muscles in his back and let out a tired sigh.
"So how many years has he been with you? He seems to be very fond of you," Louise said. He left the stable and made sure the door was properly closed. "Not that long, really. Crow just really likes people," he said with a crooked smile as he petted the dog on his back. "We've had him since he was a little puppy. I think that's about-," he frowned and tried to think of how long ago it had been when they'd got him, "- four years? I'm not sure, maybe dad'll know." 
He quickly stepped to the side when Crow tried to jump on him again, and let out a relieved sigh. He looked up when Louise started talking again. "But if I may be so old. What did you have in mind?" She asked. For a moment he wasn't sure he understood what she was talking about, but then she went on. "I don't have any money at the moment and I am in no condition yet to work for residence," she told him. Aras rubbed his chin, and then started carrying some hay to the stables where Dilys and Pippin were waiting- that last one was impatiently scraping his hoof over the floor. "I know, I already figured that," he said. "Maybe in a few days I can go and find a job and I will able to pay you and your father back, especially since you kept Dilys safe for me," she said, and he looked at her in surprisement. "You're planning on starting to work in a few days?" he asked her. "You've been shot and you have ridden for hours straight, and I'm guessing you didn't have that much too eat either," he said, as if she didn't know herself. "I don't think it would be wise to start working in just a few days time." He shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm very good at thinking of chores that other people can do for me," he promised her with an innocent smile. He filled a bucket with water for both horses and stretched again when he was finally finished with taking care of them. "Come on, I'll show you the house," he said, gesturing for her to follow him as he started walking again. Crow ran in circles around them, barking in an attempt to get Aras' attention so he'd throw a branch or something for him. "You can take a bath if you want," he said. "And I guess I can sacrifice my bed for you this one time, I'll sleep on the couch," he promised her. "I'll just have to pray Crow won't snog me to death."
He pushed open the small door, and watched Crow rush past him to get into the house. "Dad? I'm back!" he yelled as he held the door open for Louise to enter. He took off his boots and dumped them somewhere in the middle of the hallway. "Don't take off your shoes if you don't want to," he told Louise. "We're not that tidy anyway. You'll notice."
He walked to the kitchen, where his father still sat in one of the chairs, writing something down in one of his journals. It took him a moment before he finally looked, but then a confused frown appeared on his forehead. "Aras," he said slowly, while eyeing the woman that had came in with him. "I didn't know it was so hard to find yourself a woman you had to shoot here to get her to go with you," he said. Aras threw him a look that only annoyed sons could throw to their immature fathers and grunted. "Thanks a lot for that, dad," he muttered, throwing Louise an apologetic look.

"I know, I already figured that," he said. She could have already known ofcourse. She should have. Not that she had thought that he might let her sleep at his place for a few days for free, still... she just wanted to pay him back as soon as possible, she did not like to be indebted by someone.
When she had told him that she wanted to go to look for a job in a few days he looked at her with surprise written all over his face. "You're planning on starting to work in a few days?" he asked her. She nodded at that, she told him so just before. "You've been shot and you have ridden for hours straight, and I'm guessing you didn't have that much too eat either," he said, and she knew that was true so she looked down. Yes, she was starving. She had not eaten that good in days and the trip through the canyon had really pushed her through her limits. "I don't think it would be wise to start working in just a few days time." He said to her, shaking his head.
"Don't worry, I'm very good at thinking of chores that other people can do for me," he promised her with an innocent smile. She looked at him with her eyebrow lifted and then she shook her head, she should have known. “Okay, I’ll take you on your word then.” She said to Aras.
"Come on, I'll show you the house," he said after he was finished with the horses and so he gestured to his house. He already started walking right after he said that and so she had so quicken up her pace a little. "You can take a bath if you want," he said. "And I guess I can sacrifice my bed for you this one time, I'll sleep on the couch," he promised her. "I'll just have to pray Crow won't snog me to death." She looked at him, her eyes full of disbelief. “You don’t have to give your bed up for me, I can sleep on the couch just the same, no problem.” She said to him, trying to talk him over. “But a bath certainly sounds good.” She added.
She saw him push open a door, the dog got as quick as possible into the house. She could hear him shout to his father that he was back home. She saw him get out of his boots and she followed his example. “It’s fine.” She just muttered un answer to the tidy thing.
They walked to the kitchen, she not as graceful as she normally did but well enough. The house was kind off nice. She had no house to compare it to but it looked normal and liveable and just good. They got into the kitchen and on a chair there was a man. The man was just Aras but older and she stared at the two for a moment.
"Aras," he said slowly, Louise had stopped walking and was now looking at the floor. She felt a little uneasy and she heard him say "I didn't know it was so hard to find yourself a woman you had to shoot here to get her to go with you,". In some way it was funny and she laughed softly. She could hear Aras mutter and she grinned. “Don’t worry, the shooting had already happened when he came to my aid.” She said to the old man. “I am sorry for being here really. It was his idea though.” She said to the man as she pointed at Aras. “I’ll pay you back I promise.” She added real quick.
She did not really knew how to act and she looked sideways at Aras. She actually really wanted a bath, maybe she would feel a bit better afterwards. She knew she was getting uncomfortable and she moved from one leg to another. Crow was now besides her and she started to pet him as a distraction, the dog loved it.

Aras
When he told her she could sleep in his bed, she threw him a look of disbelief. "What?" he asked, confused. "You don't think Crow is able to snog someone to death?" 
"You don't have to give your bed up for me, I can sleep on the couch just the same, no problem," she said, but Aras immediately shook his head. "No, no," he said. "You seem to forget that you got shot and I didn't. I'll sleep on the couch, you need the rest," he told her stubbornly.
When they walked to his father sitting in the kitchen, for a moment he was afraid Louise would get mad about what the man had just said. Fortunately, she didn't. Instead he heard her laugh softly, and he threw her an incredulous look. "Don't encourage him," he warned her, which gave him a judging look from his father. Aras may have already reached his twenties some time ago, his dad could still treat him like a sixteen-year old. "Don't worry, the shooting had already happened when he came to my aid," Louise told his father. In response, he immediately frowned. "You got shot by who?" He asked and then focused his gaze on Aras. "You didn't just bring a criminal into my house, did you?" He asked in a low tone of voice. "No!" Aras responded, sounding indignant. After that he frowned and suddenly realised Louise never said she wasn't a criminal. His father seemed to be able to read his thoughts, because he scoffed and threw Aras a knowing look. "You know you can't keep on judging people by the way they treat their horses, son," he said. "I bet you there are enough criminals who treat their horses just as good as you do," he pointed out. Aras pursed his lips, not knowing how to defend himself, because- well, because his father was right. He hadn't done it on purpose, but when he had seen the worried look in Louise's eyes when she had looked how Mrs Calhoun was treating her horse, he had immediately concluded she couldn't be that bad of a person. "Louise is not a criminal," he said stubbornly. "Right?" He added after a short pause, looking at Louise.
"I am sorry for being here really. It was his idea though," she told his father. Aras threw up his hands. "You're all so very supportive of me," he said, shaking his head as if he felt disappointed in Louise. "I'll pay you back I promise," Louise added quickly to her earlier words. His father's eyes widened. "Pay you back for wh-," he started, but Aras quickly talked over him. "Let's show you the bathroom, shall we?" He said cheerfully, guiding Louise out of the kitchen. He shut the door behind him and breathed out. "I'll tell about buying your horse later," he muttered. "Let's just-," he started, but didn't really know how he wanted to finish that sentence. He looked her over quickly and frowned. "I'll try to find you some clean clothes," he said. "And something you can eat later," he added to his promise.

"You got shot by who?" the old man asked as he frowned and looked at Aras. She knew she had messed up, yet again. She knew what the old man would think of her and she probably knew what Aras would say and think. She tried not to look uncomfortable but she just sucked at that, she was an open book, always and for almost everyone.
And there the response came, the one she had expected. She felt her stomach contract."You didn't just bring a criminal into my house, did you?" He asked in a low tone of voice. "No!" Aras responded, to her own surprise. Still she now looked down. She was no criminal, not in the way he thought she was anyway. she was not the kind of criminal that stole property or killed people for money. Louise did things in her life she was not proud of but she was no criminal. The young woman looked at Aras and she saw him frowning to. What else could she have expected? She never told him and he never asked her so she had not thought of it anyway. his father spoke again, in some way loving to his son. "You know you can't keep on judging people by the way they treat their horses, son," he said. "I bet you there are enough criminals who treat their horses just as good as you do," he pointed out.
She felt like she was shrinking every second at least a centimetre. Louise didn’t see the look on Aras’ face because she looked down, making a fist to help her contain her not yet anger.
She always felt angry when someone assumed that she had to be a criminal because she was alone and wounded. They had no idea and mostly she just let the people believe what they wanted to believe, she did not care. Not that she really cared right now, it was more that she was sick of the thought that everyone saw her in that light, only because she often ended up wounded somewhere in some town.
"Louise is not a criminal," Aras said to her utmost surprise. That she had not expected. She lifted her head as she looked and him. He asked for conformation and she found she had no words for this. “No, I am not.” She then said softly, feeling terribly vulnerable at that very moment. She felt his eyes on her and looked down again. After her other to remarks she actually felt more sorry for Aras than for herself. She had put him in a difficult situation now that his father knew about her being indebted to Aras for him ‘buying’ her horse from one of the shooters. She was glad when he showed her to the bathroom, finally away from the eyes of the old man. She did not say a word until they reached the bathroom. “Thank you, again.”she muttered softly when he said that he would find her some clean clothes and food. “I don’t... I...” she started but she found that she couldn’t finish her thought. “I am sorry for all the trouble.” She whispered instead.
She opened the bathroom door and slipped inside after he had told her what to do. So she had some water, filled the bath, got undressed and let herself slip into the water. In a minute she felt all the stress leave her body and she could finally relax a little bit. She had discovered that her corset had something to do with her not losing too much blood on the way. It had put pressure on the wound and so it had not bled like it was meant to. If she had not worn that thing she would now have been lying dead in the canyon with Dilys over her body. She shivered at that thought and put it out of her mind. She took a deep breath and let it go after some time. She washed herself clean of the blood and dirt while she softly sang a song her mother used to sing for her when she was a child.

Aras
He didn't notice Louise's uneasiness when his father asked him if she was a criminal. He was too busy throwing his father an indignant look. Aras might've been a little reckless sometimes, but he wasn't stupid. Judging by the look of his father, though, he didn't fully agree with that. 
Aras did notice the look of surprise on her face, though, when he told his father she wasn't a criminal. When he asked her for a confirmation she didn't say anything at first, and for a moment he started doubting his own words. She had never explicitly said she wasn't a criminal. "No, I am not," she finally said, though her voice was so soft he wasn't sure his father had heard- he couldn't hear anything with his left ear, and now he was getting older his right one wasn't that great either. "See?" he said, raising his eyebrows at his father, who looked a little grumpy. "She's not." His father muttered some incomprehensible words, but apart from that he didn't say anything more about the subject.

"Thank you," Louise muttered when they reached the bathroom. "I don't.. I...," she started, and he looked at her a little surprised. He hadn't taken her for the kind to stutter, or show any sign of selfconsciousness for that matter. Of course, he didn't know her for that long.
"I am sorry for all the trouble," she said after a short pause. Aras threw her a reassuring grin. "Trouble?" He repeated, shaking his head. "It's obvious now you've never lived on a farm. Otherwise you'd be aware of how boring cows and chicken can be," he told her, wanting her to feel a little more at ease again. "No, don't worry about it, I'm glad you came around. I might've died of boredom otherwise. There's nothing in this town to attract any tourists, so I don't get the chance to meet new people that often."
He quickly explained her how to handle all the taps before he left her alone in the small bathroom. It didn't take long before he heard the water running, and he walked to his room to try and find some fresh clothes she could put on. Crow was happy to follow him, jumping on his bed as soon as they entered the room. "Crow, piss off. I don't want your hairs all over my sheets, thank you very much," he said to th dog and sighed as he opened his closet.
For the first time he regretted they'd given away his mother's clothes. It would've come in handy if they still had some dresses available. Now he just had to do his best to find his smallest pair of trousers. After some time he found a pair that hadn't fit him for a long time, hidden in the lowest corner of his closet. He grabbed his spare belt and a cotton blouse he hoped wouldn't be too big and walked back towards the bathroom, urging Crow to follow him again. He had only once made the huge mistake of leaving Crow alone in his bedroom. He had been barely eight years old, and his father had had to buy him a new pillow, since the old one had been shred to pieces. Crow trotted behind him, barking when he heard Louise's voice on the other side of the bathroom door. Aras scraped his throat and knocked on the door, suddenly feeling a little insecure. How was he supposed to hand her her clothes? Why hadn't he thought this through beforehand? "Louise?" he asked slowly. "Uhm, I've got clothes for you," he said, looking at the small pile in his hands. "Should I- um, can I open the door if I keep my eyes closed?" He asked her.

"Louise?" she heard Aras’ voice after some minutes. She had completely relax in that time. Feeling a little better after his words. She just hoped that his old man wouldn’t be like that the whole time she would be here. She was had just been thinking about what to do next. She was still doubting about what to do. Somehow she wanted to leave tonight, take Dilys, come back in a few weeks and give the money without them ever seeing her again. That was not the only option though, she knew that. if she would leave Aras’ father would assume he was right and Aras would not be that much better of than when he started.
"Uhm, I've got clothes for you," she now heard him say and she remembered that she didn’t have any clothes. "Should I- um, can I open the door if I keep my eyes closed?" He asked her. She thought about it for a moment. “Uhm..” she started, not really sure about what to say. “You could close your, eyes, open the door, throw them in and leave?” she proposed, not really sure about what he would do with that. she felt her stress level rise again and she looked around. No, there was no towel, her clothes looked like shit and she was not planning on being seen naked. Still, she found that the best solution of all. “You could do that?” she asked for conformation.
Soon she saw the door opening and she stayed on the bath, no one would be able to say any of her if she would stay like that. the clothes were lay down by a hand and when she door closed she let out her breath. Okay, no worries. She thought. She climbed out of the bath, dried herself fast and then walked towards the clothes.
There were trousers and a blouse. She looked at that and shook her head, she would have to go to the little town again today, so she could buy herself something to wear. She could sell the gun and that probably would earn her some silver to pay for clothing and tonight’s expenses. Louise quickly got dressed and she looked in the mirror. Her hair was still wet and she did not look at all like she had when she had seen Aras, she even looked younger and less ... well... she just looked friendlier somehow. “Would you come with me to town? I will sell my gun and that will buy me clothes and I could pay for at least two days of staying here.” She said to Aras as she walked out of the bathroom.

Aras
He didn't get an answer right away, and he started wondering if she hadn't heard him through the door. Just as he wanted to repeat himself, however, he heard the sound of movement on the other side of the door. "Uhm," Louise started, and Aras kept his ear pressed against the door, gesturing for Crow to not breathe so damn loud. Of course the dog didn't listen. He just kept wagging his tail, now even slamming it against the wall. "Crow, you are a hopeless piece of shit," Aras muttered, making sure not to speak so loud Louise could hear his words. He didn't think it'd leave a very good impression if she knew he called his dog a piece of shit. "You could close your eyes, open the door, throw them in and leave?" Louise proposed. "I guess, yeah," Aras replied. "You could do that?" He heard her ask. "Yeah, sure," he replied, already manoevering his body so that Crow wouldn't slip into the bathroom when he opened the door. He shut his eyes, opened the door and left the clothes on the floor like she had proposed. As soon as he closed the door again, he opened his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. Okay, that went well. 
He leaned against the wall as Crow jumped up to him again. He let out a soft laugh. "I think you need to go outside, again," he told him, petting his head. "I don't want anymore shredded pillows or blankets."
He waited next to the door, muttering to the dog and petting his head. When the door opened, he looked up, and then immediately looked away again. For some reason it felt wrong to see her in his clothes. The only women who had worn his clothes before were the ones he had- well, he didn't need to finish that sentence, did he? "Would you come with me to town?" Louise asked, and he forced himself to look at her now. "I will sell my gun and that will buy me clothes and I could pay for at least two days of staying here," she said. Crow landed back on his front paws and dribbled to Louise, rubbing his head against her leg. "Uhm," he started, thinking about her proposal. For some reason he hadn't really thought this through any further. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sure, but don't you want something to eat first?" He asked her. "And are you sure Dilys has rested enough to take you back to town?" he added, already walking towards the kitchen while he did his best not to trip over Crow running in front of his feet. 
"I'm sorry we don't have anything that'd fit you better, by the way," he said, throwing a quick look over his shoulder. "We used to have some dresses that belonged to my mother, but we gave them away like a year ago," he told her. When they reached the kitchen, his father was gone. He opened one of the cabinets, searching for something to eat for lunch. It turned out they didn't have very much left. "Do you like carrots?" he asked with a crooked grin. "There meant for Pippin, but we don't have much else," he admitted, still opening cabinets. "Oh, no wait, we have some eggs left. Do you like eggs?" He asked, rummaging through the different things that were standing on the shelf.

"Uhm," he started. She crossed her arms and waited for the answer. She was always the one who thought ahead. She wanted to be prepared for anything at any time, not that her strategy always worked. Nine out of ten worked but the rest always miserably failed. She did not want to rush him into telling her his answer but she just wanted to know if he would come, otherwise she would have to go all by herself, not that she would mind anyway.
It took him a while but he answered. "Yeah, sure, but don't you want something to eat first?" He asked her, and right after came "And are you sure Dilys has rested enough to take you back to town?" . he was already walking towards the kitchen, the big dog at his feet doing... well whatever. She had not really thought about Dilys at the moment but she shook her head. “No, I think I won’t be taking her, she needs rest. I am sure I can walk the way, shouldn’t be far i guess.” She said to him. She had already forgotten his proposal for food. Not that she did not like food, food was her life, but she was to busy thinking about other things such as paying Aras and his father back and finding a new place to live.
"I'm sorry we don't have anything that'd fit you better, by the way," he said, getting her out of her thoughts again. "We used to have some dresses that belonged to my mother, but we gave them away like a year ago," he told her. Her eyes widened and she did not really know what to say. She was raised without a mother, she had died giving birth, but others could have had a mother of course. “I am sorry for your loss.” She said to him and she looked at the big dog for a moment. “And the clothes are fine really, I don’t mind. I spent half my life in men clothes so it’s ok.” She added fast. They reached the kitchen and she saw that the old man had left. She wondered for a second if that would be her fault but she didn’t gave the thought time to make her worry, she had other things to do.
"Do you like carrots?" Aras asked her with a crooked grin and she looked at him like he was crazy. "There meant for Pippin, but we don't have much else," he admitted and she tried not to look to horrified. No, she did not like carrots at all. She detested them, that was one. "Oh, no wait, we have some eggs left. Do you like eggs?" He now asked and without a thought she nodded. “Yes, eggs I do like.” She said to him with a small smile around her lips.

After they were done eating she rose from her chair and stretched her limps. Fault number two because she had, again, forgotten about her waist. She stopped stretching and narrowed her eyes because of the pain. Note to self, she thought, do not stretch until waist is better. “But can we walk the way to the village or what? If you don’t want to come you can just give me directions and I can find it on my own. I am definitely not going to push Dilys into walking more after the whole canyon thing.” She said to Aras.

Aras
He saw her shake her head from the corner of his eye as he made his way to the kitchen. "No, I think I won't be taking her, she needs rest," Louise said and Aras nodded as he opened another cupboard. "Good," he muttered, glad she had drawn the same conclusion he had. "I am sure I can walk the way, shouldn't be far I guess," she added, and Aras narrowed his eyes a bit. "It's at least half an hour by foot," he told her, sounding a little skeptical about the idea she could walk the distance. She had seemed strong so far, but that didn't change the fact she just got shot, nor that she had ridden for probably at least a day long. "You should give yourself as much rest as you give your horse," he told her sternly. "If you want to recover as fast as possible, which I'm guessing you do, you shouldn't immediately do all those-," he made a vague fluttering gesture with his hand, not knowing how to put it in words exactly, "- stuff, things, I don't know."
When he said something about his mother she seemed a little surprised. "I am sorry for your loss," she said to him. When he threw a look over his shoulder, she was watching the dog. "Thanks," he said, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. "It's been six years already, so it's fine," he added, before she could feel guilty in some way for bringing it up. "And the clothes are fine really, I don't mind. I spent half my life in men clothes, so it's okay," she added. Aras grinned a little. "Really?" he asked her, surprised.
When he found some leftover carrots in one of the cupboards, he was guessing from her face she didn't much like them. "Okay, no carrots then," he muttered and put them back- then changed his mind and put two of the carrots in his pocket. He soon found the eggs and put them on the counter even before her answer. He hadn't ever met someone who didn't like eggs. "Yes, eggs I do like," she said, just as he'd expected. "Great," he said and started preparing the eggs.

When they were done eating, Louise was the first one to get up. He watched as she stretched her limps, and immediately gasped when she felt her waist. Aras threw her a judging look before collecting the dirty plates to put them on the counter. "See, that's what I mean. You really need to give yourself a rest, otherwise you'll never get better," he said.
"But can we walk the way to the village or what? If you don't want to come you can just give me directions and I can find it on my own. I am defenitely not going to push Dilys into walking more after the whole canyon thing," she said. Aras rubbed his chin, thinking. "I guess- you could sit on Pippin, and I'll walk next to you," he said. "Because I'm not sure if Pippin can carry us both again after such a long day of work and with this weather," he added. He ran a hand through his hair and looked down as Crow came running into the kitchen again. "I'll take Crow with us," he decided. "I'm not sure if anyone in this house will be able to sleep tonight if he doesn't burn some of his energy." He patted the dog on his head and grabbed his hat from a chair.

"See, that's what I mean. You really need to give yourself a rest, otherwise you'll never get better," he said to her when he saw her pain. She pulled a face and shrugged, she was not planning on resting longer than she had too. Besides, she was not in need of rest, she needed to find herself a job, to pay Aras back and to go away as fast as possible.
Still he answered her question, just not the way she wanted him to. Instead of just giving her what she wanted he was acting all concerned. She was doing fine, she would be fine too, she was sure of that. besides, the man knew her just some hours, he was unable to form a good image of her, so she decided that she would let him know.

“Aras, listen. We are not taking Pippin. He’s already worked hard enough today, I can’t do this to him again.” She started as she looked down at him.
“I can also say for myself that exercise will do me more good than sitting on a horse.” She said to him. Crow was now standing next to her and she petted his head softly and caring with her hand. “You don’t have to worry anyway! You barely even know me, why do you care?” she spat to him in a moment of frustration. She took a deep breath and stormed through the door, out of the house.
Why she had acted that way, she did not know. She just felt frustrated, misunderstood, somehow even alone while she was not.
She walked towards the stables, where Dylis was already eating some hay. She was looking much better already and it eased Louise a little bit. She opened the door fast and softly and sneaked inside the stable. The moment she entered the stables the horse fixed her attention on her. Louise put her arms around the horse and suddenly felt the tears falling onto her cheeks. She started to sob and she found it all but charming. She was annoyed by herself, by her situation, by Aras and well.. everything actually. She even felt hurt by that a total stranger had thought she was a thief and a liar.

Aras
"Aras, listen," Louise started. He must've said something wrong, because she didn't seem too happy. "We are not taking Pippin. He's already worked hard enough today, I can't do this to him again," she told him. Aras frowned. "Well, okay, fine, if you insist," he replied. "I can also say for myself that exercise will do me more good than sitting on a horse." She patted Crow on the head and Aras watched her. "You don't have to worry anyway!" she suddenly bursted out. "You barely even know me, why do you care?" Before Aras could reply, she stormed through the door, disappearing outside. Aras stayed in his chair, too surprised to do anything other than stare at the door. He looked aside when Crow nudged him against his leg. "Do you know what that was all about?" He asked the dog, patting him. He ran a hand through his hair and rose from his chair. Was he supposed to go after her now? He had no idea. He didn't even understand what caused her sudden outburst. 
After hesitating a few more minutes, he decided to go to her after all. If she still wanted to go into town, they needed to go soon - especially if they were going by foot.
He somehow already suspected she'd be with Dilys - of course, Dilys was the only one she knew here. "Louise?" He asked, sounding a little hesitant. "Are you... are you alright?"
He took in a sharp breath, cursing his own awkwardness. "Look, I- I'm not sure what I did wrong, but whatever it is, I'm sorry."