One For the Shiny

[darugith]

One For the Shiny

His glass spanned far and wide, one eye closed in an effort to block out unwanted rays. He concentrated and moved the glass ever so slightly back then forth, leaning his head back further as he viewed the hillside. His gaze progressed up the hillside, catching a glimpse of some deer moving down the hill. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, then back to where the deer had been. Something spooked them. Got it! The ranger looked to the horizon and saw the two move over the hill and disappear down the opposite face of the Great Horn. He beamed with pride and spurred his horse forward. At the base of the hill he crossed a small stream and stopped long enough to see the soft boot prints still seeping with the stream’s waters. Didn’t they know he was chasing them? Had they no idea who he was and the bounty they carried? He knew the country, he knew their habits…they would camp…thinking they were safe, and he would bring in their heads.

He topped the hill at sunset. The wind was in his favor and the soft breeze cooled his face. His long hair was graying, but he was still strong, in the prime of his career. He climbed out of the saddle and looked into the valley below. The last glimmers of the sun hit the top of his chain mail under his chin and glinted in the fading light. He stood there as the shadows fell and his patience was rewarded. First small, then a bit larger, he saw a campfire. He nodded to himself in silent exaltation and walked his horse slowly down the hill.

The campfire lay in a grove of trees a half mile from the base of the hill. He walked his horse along at a slow pace, calming it with his hand. He stopped. Now the camp was a quarter mile away and he could hear singing. He hobbled his horse and set it free in some tall grass. Slowly he moved towards the singing. The song was so beautiful he couldn’t believe it came from the voice of one of the criminals. Stealth was his friend, he would walk right in and that would be that. His vision became clear a bowshot away.

One of the women appeared to be propped against a tree holding an instrument, her back half to the ranger. The other lay motionless beside her, apparently seduced by the serenade and sleeping peacefully. His confidence grew and he swept wide to the left, making no noise and came in right behind the singer…50 feet…now 30. He moved in now, short swords at the ready, this would be easy coin…what did they want with these girls? They were young he thought as he came to the singers back and hesitated… and then he stepped and thrust his short sword though.

Rags!…he thought as he connected with the flesh turned stuffing. Rags!…he raged as he realized the one on the ground rolled behind him and chopped behind both legs with a pair of kukris. He dropped immediately to his knees and as the singing stopped he looked straight up into the branches to the singer. He saw the bow and the flash of feathers as she buried her arrow down though his neck and lung. He gasped. She laughed. “Nice song.”, said the girl on the ground. “I wrote that myself.” spoke the other. “I call it, One For the Shiny.”

[MaskedIllusion]

Very nice.