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Chapter 4 Pt.III

"Just a Scratch"

(Enter, Pursued by a Memory)

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The beasts of the snow howled in the distance.

"You head for the horses, me and her'll keep John's friends off until you're clear." Arthur pulled out the shotgun Javier gave him, and John was going to be escorted.

"Alright, John, come on. Let's get you on that horse." John grunted as he was carried on the shoulder by his friend, bits of his blood stained the snow and Arthur's jacket. Javier lifted his injured friend up on the saddle, he had to carefully lift his wounded leg over the saddle. Tulip glanced at John, it's a good thing he didn't get any frostbite.

Tulip and he were prepared to pick off the wolves that didn't waste another minute, they dashed with fearsome hunger for blood. Both trudged through the deep, fresh snow, towards the animals. "Hey! Over here, ya damn dogs!" Arthur was the first to fire, the weapon boomed with a thundering roar. "On your right!"

She pulled the trigger immediately as a swarm of them came down the blinding white slopes. The gunshots rang into the air, and bullets flew through the animal's skull. One of the wolves lunged from her side, in quick reflex, she drew her revolver out!

*BANG!*

As the wolf opened its snarling maw, Tulip gasped, the adrenaline fueling her like fire within her frozen veins. "Urgh!" The blood splattered on her gray fur coat, and the fallen beast tackled her to the slushy, frigid ground.

She pushed the wolf off her, "Tulip! Ya alright?" Grabbing Arthur's lending hand, they didn't wait for more of them to come.

She nodded. "Mm-hm." Then holstered her sidearm.

Both ran to their horses, galloping in an instant to catch up with Javier and John, the horses were agitated and riddled with fear from the carnivorous wolves chasing them. "Okay, let's get going, before any more of these bastards show up."

Tulip patted Sunny as she gently kicked the sides to pick up speed. The obscuring icy winds began to pick up once again, but this time, it only seemed to become much more punishing and ever-lasting than the previous.

They all gritted their teeth from the punishing weather, Marston having the worst. "I don't feel too good..." His breath was ragged and voice scratchier than normal.

Trotting across the frozen landscape, Javier spoke. "You'll be fine. It's just like a... a dog bite."

John was leaning on one side, trying to hold on. "I knew a feller." He uttered. "Got bit by a dog. Died an hour later."

Tulip could only shake her head, what an encouraging response in his situation.

"You ain't gonna die." Javier reassured. "Not yet." They rode down further off the desolate mountains, the winds only blowing harder and becoming dangerously blinding.

Tulip was guarding them on the front, so she was the first to spot the figures from afar to their right, she didn't hesitate to fire at the rapidly approaching peril. "Up there, Arthur! More of 'em!" Javier called out.

"Stay back!"

John bellowed at the wolves trailing not too far behind, "Get outta here!"

Arthur and Tulip easily disposed of them, they both reloaded their shotgun and rifle. The horses brayed loudly, frightened by the sudden sound of gunshots followed by hungry howling. Having difficulty spotting ahead, Tulip narrowly avoided a tree. She silently cursed to herself.

"On the right!" Lead pellets and bullets rained on the oncoming predators, then, the amount of them multiplied. "More on the left!" The pack of those bloodthirsty dogs were soon beginning to overwhelm all of them.

"Get the Hell out!" John glared at the animal running alongside Boaz, he didn't have anything to defend himself with.

Tulip was going to go in for the kill, but Arthur blew its head off. "You get 'em from the distance, I'll take care of 'em when they come in close!"

She obeyed and agreed without saying a single word, "You see anymore, of them?"

Tulip shook her head, Arthur having the same answer. "No, don't think so."

"Jesus..."

Arthur glanced at him, "You still with us, Marston?"

Tulip gave a worried look also, but she kept her eyes glued forward and looked at what's ahead of the lot. "Just...about." He groaned weakly.

"You're gonna be okay. We have some shelter now." Javier replied as they all slapped the reins, galloping faster.

"Thanks for comin' for me."

"Of course. That bullet in Blackwater, now this? You had a hell of a time."

John managed to chuckle, at least that's what Tulip would've guessed. The storm picking up made it difficult to catch it, "And Arthur always says, I'm lucky." She didn't quite see how this circumstance was fortunate whatsoever, other than clinging onto dear life, really.

"None of us are lucky right now." They followed the rapids of the frosty river. "We should ride in the water for a bit, try to lose the scent. Don't want to lead the trail back to camp."

As the bitter gale became stronger, Tulip shivered. There was no doubt, a lot of time has passed, and a blizzard is upon them. "You know, we're gonna need to come up with a better story for that scar." Arthur mused.

John smirked. "So..." He began. "Freezing, bleeding, starving... Damn near getting eaten to death... Ain't good enough for you?" Tulip chuckled, knowing the gang, if they had to vote what kind of story it'd be for the scars, it'd either be something too hilarious or downright impossibly stupid. Or both.

"Yeah, c'mon. Let's push hard and get back."

"See those buildings up ahead, John? That's where we're camped. Nearly there."

They passed by the covered wagons, which were frozen over and completely swallowed by the snow. The forest trees swayed to and fro by the wind.

"Come on! Someone help John off this horse." Javier bellowed at the cabins. "Can we get some help here?"

The others don't seem to be coming out. Tulip pulled out her instrument and whistled, "We need some help here!" Arthur yelled.

Willow was the first to open and exit the cabin, then Abigail rushed past, "You're alive!" She shouted, relieved. "Oh, you're alive!" John couldn't help but smile at his wife, her eyes were teary.

They helped him slowly get off, John grunting in pain. "Ay, careful idiotas! It's his leg." Bill and Charles lead him back inside.

Soon, the others emerged out of their own respective cabins.

Tulip hitched Sunny on the post and greeted Willow, who was clattering her teeth, "How's y-ya trip? Chilly?" Tulip chuckled, it was definitely freezing. She intentionally messed up her hair, "Oh, darn ya Tulip!" Playfully, Willow lightly punched her arm.

"Come on, let's get you warm." Abigail spoke. "Thank you, thank you!" Soon enough though, she began in a scolding tone as they set Marston on the bed. "This is a new low for you, even by your standards!"

"Ya know, I think gettin' an earful from her would top all the terrible things he had to go through just now." Tulip snickered, Arthur and Javier were grinning at Willow's remark.

Two men of the gang approached them, one was a German with glasses. He oversaw the money and debts in this gang, the other who was with him was Hosea.

"Ya got any other lost maidens need savin'?"

They laughed. "Not today."

Javier tipped his hat and went off.

"Have you and Dutch talked about... gettin' outta this mess?" Arthur asked.

"Tulip, you should head inside, get yourself warm, dear. And thank you for helping them get John back."

She flashed a smile with a modest shyness, both Willow and she look up to Hosea. Arthur and Hosea continued their conversation as the two girls entered the cabin. "We may have to head East..."

As everyone got ready to rest for the night, Tulip, being the one up and watchful, of course, grabbed her journal. Since Willow wanted to know what happened while she was gone, Tulip could write and draw something about it.

"Our Camp in Colter - West Grizzlies, Ambarino"

"Went on a scavenger hunt to get John back with Javier and Arthur. I ain't very surprised that Arthur wasn't devoted or too happy on rescuing him. Saying things like "Maybe he went North and never looked back". Truth be told, I ain't too held up by John disappearing on us for a while.

But for him to leave us?
Leave the gang?
His own wife and son?

John... he wouldn't do that. No man or woman should do that. It shouldn't have been like that for me and an old friend, but he's...become something else."

Tulip bit her lip. She paused, reminiscing of unpleasant times. As much as she tried to avoid thinking of it, it just always comes back. But she quickly snapped herself out of her reverie.

"We had to climb to the very peak of the mountains up the river, the cold was darn unbearable. How the Hell did John not get frostbitten? We had to go through and slip out of rocky, thin ledges. I ain't gonna lie, the view when the snow cleared a tad bit was mighty breathtaking."

She drew the image of the landscape and the sky from her mind, trying her best to illustrate it on the page for Willow to see and imagine. 

"Feel a bit sorry for the horse that John rode from Blackwater. That became a meal for the wolves and another dead carcass to be buried by Winter. Speaking to Hosea when we returned... I couldn't help think about the older days when the gang was small, it was for a short while when it was somewhat a small gang. You know, being a bunch of outlaws and killers and all - it doesn't change the fact that they has some kind of innocence. We ain't cold-blooded, we're just trying to be free."

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A/N : **Added journal page in CH2**

**ADDED JOURNAL PAGE HERE**

Darn! That was long for 1 mission that's not even the big ones. But then again, taking things slow in the game and not focusing to rush everything like a Gold Medal achievement maniac, this should be 'round 30 min? This mission?

But that ain't important, Willow sits out of this mission. When Tulip goes out, it's up to Willow to help defend the camp and take her position while she's gone. I've been thinking very carefully on my OCs, I've actually got some backstory and reasons why Tulip's a deadly shooter (not because she's inspired by a good shooter Annie Oakley).

Since this was a mission in-game, the dialogues ain't nothin' new. So interactions with my OCs and new dialogues for same ol' MCs ain't too big here. Once we basically get past the mission to unlock the open world, ooohhhhh, here we go! Right? Welp, anyway, Outlaws for life! Yeehaw!

Fanfiction website folks, intentionally left the mistakes on the journal entry, anyway, thanks for the follows and the favorites!

Edited : Dec. 7, 2018

Fixed and changed words.