Once again you found yourself on the back of a horse.

But this time you didn't have an option to hold onto Arthur for dear life.

He had insisted on you sitting in the saddle while he kept everything in check in the back.

Now, you were sitting in the saddle, holding the reins, while he had his chest pressed to your back and his hands on your sides.

He had said that it wasn't enough to know how to handle a gun and you also had to learn how to ride.

"You sit like a sack of wet sand.", he chuckled. "Straighten up."

"I'm trying.", you mumbled.

You straightened your back as if a plank was tied to it.
It made him chuckle even more.

"You're as stiff as a bone, sweetheart.", he said and gave you a gentle punch against the shoulder. "Loosen up. Boadicea is a fine one. She won't eat ya."

With clenched teeth, you made the horse turn and walk towards the edge of the forest.

"Can we ride back now?", you asked as the sound of fresh running mountain water filled your ears.

"Not yet.", Arthur's had skipped on top of yours to take the lead, but not push you out of control. "We need supplies for the night."

You frowned.

"I wanted to spent the night home."

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible. Not after yesterday."

"Then I have to go get the boys."

"They will be fine. Dutch made sure of that. But you need to take care of your own safety."

Your eyes wandered through the uprising dark.

"Is that why I get shooting lessons now?", you tired to turn your head, but he grabbed it by the sides and pushed it back.

"See that?", he pointed downwards the river.

Squinting your eyes, you tried to see what he saw.

There was a huge shadow walking along the water.

It was all plump, with a small head and masses of fur.

"Is that a bear?", you asked.

Immediately, your fingers wrapped tighter around the reins.

Your legs twitched and the instinct to run away grew in the pit of your stomach.

Arthur slid off the horse and took the reins to guid it slowly towards a rock.

His eyes didn't leave the shadow.

"What a huge one.", he mumbled with a excited smirk on his face. "That's for dinner."

Your eyes jumped wide open.

"Are you insane?! It's going to kill us."

He pulled you off the horse.

"Only if ya miss the shot, sweetheart."

With nimble hands he fished a shotgun out of the side back that was strapped to the saddle and offered it to you with a smile and raised eyebrows.

You froze.

"What do you mean miss?", you managed to press out between clenched teeth. "I'm not going to attack that."

"Either you shoot it or go hungry the night."

"I want to go home."

"Sorry sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

He raised one eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth.

"Fine.", he lowered his eyes and squeezed the gun into your hand. "C'mon. I'll show ya how to hold the gun."

With horror wirrten all over your face, you tried to refuse and dug your heels into the ground.

But Arthur was a large fella with about as much strength as the bear that he wanted you to shoot.

As silent as the wind, he pulled you into the open, far enough away as to not scare the horse with the gun noise but also to give the both of you enough time to run for the hills in case something went wrong.

"You should have a good stand.", Arthur said and slipped behind you.

His hands ran over each of your shoulders, down your arms and to your elbows, where he applied gentle pressure to help you tilt them the right way.

A cold shiver crawled down your spine. At the same time goosebumps grew all over your arms.

With a shivering breath, you raised your chin and straightened your back.

Tour fingers wrapped around the handle of the shotgun.

"Now, careful.", Arthur said in his rough voice.

His head was Right next to your ear.

His voice sounded the exact same way how a good whiskey tasted. Rough, yet with a subtle hint of sweetness.

It could turn into something very enjoyable if you'd listen to it just for a little while longer.

Your gaze was glued to the bear.

It was such a beautiful creature, so full of power, almost as majestic as a mountain lion.

The fur was so dark, it seemed to be made of the rising night.

You didn't want to kill it. There was no need to kill it.

But at the same time, there also wasn't a need to learn how to kill. There was no need to want to kill someone.

But the townspeople didn't hold the same opinion.

They wanted to kill you.

So it was only fair to know how to kill them first.

The bear raised its head.

Pitch black eyes met yours.

All at once, the fake courage that you had talked into yourself faded.

Your fingers loosened, started to shiver.

"Shootin' animals isn't the same as people.", Arthur suddenly whispered into your ear. "People are a lot less precious. If you hesitate, people will shoot you first. But if you hesitate now, you'll go unharmed."

You had to swallow thickly.

"I don't know how.", you gasped, eyes still locked with the bear.

Arthur's hands slid down the sides to lay on yours.

His chest pressed into your back.

"Live or die.", he mumbled and put pressure onto your finger that was frozen on the trigger. "You'll die one day. But like this you can decide when."

The pressure on your finger faded.

But you remained unmoved.

You had to shoot this bear.

It would feed you for the night.

But there was no reason to kill it.

It seemed like a waste. Unnecessary violence.

"What if it would be him?", Arthur suddenly asked.

Immediately, the face of Karl's father lit up in front of your inner eye.

Without thinking about it, you pulled the trigger.