Hunters of the West

A western story about a bounty hunter, a bandit, a vengeful son, and a determined father, with twists of irony, misunderstanding, and of course, a wild, wild, adventure.

Chapter 1:

The Phoenix, The Lightning, & The     Dagger

Phoenix didn’t slow down, in fact, he sped up. Crossing the vast desert under the midday sun, it burned his spirit, his eyes were fixed on the burning sand before him. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sped his horse up even more. He reached to the right of his saddle and grabbed one of his bags of water. He held it up high, and opened his mouth, but before he even managed to take a chug, a bullet sped past him and harshly hit the sand before him.  Some of the water spilled on Phoenix’s face. He set it aside, looked back and saw 4 horsemen with loaded guns aiming for him.

            “Well, if it isn’t the four horsemen of the apocalypse” said Phoenix casually as he grab-bed his own rifle, carefully made his aim, and gunned down the four horsemen before they even managed to make another shot. He squinted and saw that one of the four horse-men was still alive, so he turned his horse around and made his way towards the dying man.

            “Hey you, who sent you?” asked Phoenix to the dying man. The dying man refused to answer, he simply shook his head while gasping for breath and clutching his wound. Phoenix sighed. He dropped down from his horse, knelt beside the dying man, and lit a cigar. “Listen, if you choose to tell me now, i guarantee it will count as a good deed. I mean, you will certainly have helped a man in your dying breath if you choose to do so. Sounds like a one way ticket to heaven to me.” Said Phoenix calmly as he puffed his cigar. “I would have..to..betray my...b-b-boss..if..i..were...to do...that...huh.” choked the man.

            “What good can your boss do you now anyway...i bet he just hired you a couple days ago, he probably wouldn’t remember you for your failure, but me, not only will i pray by your side as you die, but i will also honor you for your good deed of having spoken the name of your boss if you choose to do so...well?” said Phoenix assuringly.

“L-Light...L-Light...ning.” choked the man with his final breath. “Thank you...rest in piece soldier.” Said Phoenix as he took off his hat and held it in front of his chest in a moment of silence. Afterwards, he climbed back onto his horse, turned around, and continued his journey across the desert. “This is no good, Pona, the only Lightning i know is a notorious mercenary/bounty hounter, which means...well, he’s under a contract, from yet another person on top of it all who wants me dead.” Said Phoenix to his horse as they trotted along the harsh desert sand.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, in a pub in the small town of San Renaldo...a man named Lightning had just finished his drink...

“Pablo” said Lightning as he wiped his mouth and tossed a coin towards the bartender. “Gracias” said the bartender as he caught the coin with one hand.

“Say uh....Lightning, words,uh... recently spread that you’re yet again on a mission to find someone. Pardon me for asking, heh, but...who is it this time?” asked Pablo the bartender as he wiped the glass that Lightning just used with a napkin. “A man...” said Lightning carefully as he lit up his pipe. Pablo’s expression tightened. “A man who killed his wife, deserted his son, and left on a quest all by himself...” Lightning paused for a moment in order to smoke his pipe. He looked at Pablo and smiled in amusement at his anticipating, and serious face. “To find treasure”

           

            Lightning smiled at the expression of Pablo, who is slowly backing away, smiling. “Oooh, hahahaha! Now, i know what you’re really up to! Hahahaha!” he laughed heartily as he continued to clean the glass he held in his hand. Lightning smiled vaguely and took another puff from his pipe. “I already sent some men to gather some information and chase him down if possible. If they don’t come back by tonight, i’m going in myself.” He explained.

            “But, i’m still curious, Lightning. Someone must’ve hired you or told you some information about this person, ha?” asked Pablo curiously. “Hm. Hired.” Said Lightning shortly and simply as he took another puff from his pipe. “By who?” asked Pablo as he moved his right ear closer to Lightning. “That amigo, i can’t tell. Not yet, at least.” Replied Lightning. “Ah. But uh, who is this guy you’re looking for anyway. Perhaps i could help with your search.” Insisted Pablo. Lightning smiled, stood up, grabbed his belt, and said with a smile, “Phoenix.”

            Before Pablo had a chance to reply, Lightning gave a salute with his hat, “Adios” he said as he left the pub. Outside, just as Lightning was about to mount his horse, a bandit suddenly appeared out of nowhere and held a small knife against Lightning’s throat.

“I heard you mention something about a Phoenix, and a treasure.” Said the Bandit hoarsely. “Calm down besides, if you kill me, you’ll never find out anything about that treasure i mentioned.” Said Lightning calmly. “It’s real. Right!?” asked the Bandit. “Yes. Let me go.” Said Lightning. And the moment the bandit loosened his grip, and pulled away the knife, Lightning drew his gun and fired. The bandit was dead before he knew it.

 “Lightning can strike you anytime, pal. Even in broad daylight like this. You should’ve known better.” Said Lightning to himself as he knelt down beside the body of the bandit and grabbed the knife from his hand. “This dagger..”  said Lightning as he carefully examined it.

Pablo rushed out of his pub to see what had happened, followed by some of his cus-tomers. “What happened here? Did you fire that gunshot, Lightning? Did you kill him? What happened?” He asked with a tone of panic in his voice. “This bandit tried to mug me. Turn him in to the authorities if you want. Who knows, he might be worth something.” Explained Lightning as he mounted his horse. “Anyways, as i was saying earlier, “Adiós amigo.” And with that, Lightning gave one final salute and rode off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, in another remote western town called San Ernola, a young man named Dagger was discussing something his friend Leonardo.

            “Look at this.” Said Dagger as he set down a letter on the table. “It’s a letter from Light-ning.” He explained. Leonardo grabbed the letter. It read:

Dear Dagger          

I had just found out that Phoenix is currently chasing after a certain treasure called the “Night Moon”. Also, i had been in San Renaldo  in which Phoenix was last spotted, but i was late. The folks said that Phoenix was last seen heading out to the desert, possibly heading to a town near the outskirts of the desert. I had sent my men to chase him down, and i plan to follow them soon after. By the time you are reading this, i’m probably already on my way.

Lightning.

            “Night Moon is the name of the jewel that my mother used to own. It was passed down from generation to generation of my family since 1603, and had been kept safe ever since, at least until a week before my mother died, when it was stolen. No matter, the most important thing now, is to  find the treasure before he does. Let’s go.” Explained Dagger as he grabbed his coat from the wall and hastily packed his things.

“But, why should we do anything? Lightning’s got it all handled, doesn’t he?” asked Leonardo.  “No, listen. Lightning’s job is to take care of Phoenix. When Phoenix is killed, you might think everything will be fine, cause all that’s left for Lightning to do is to find the treasure and recover it for us. However, that part about him recovering the treasure and giving it to us was not a part of our contract.” Explained Dagger hastily as he continued to pack his things. Leonardo however, still looked very confused.

“In other words, after killing Phoenix, his contract is complete, he already deserved his payment by that point, and now that he knows about the treasure, no doubt, he’s going to search for it himself, and when he does find it, he won’t give it to us, because nothing in our contract forced him to do so. In other words, the treasure will be his, and we most definitely can’t let that happen, now can we? No. So, while he’s busy chasing Phoenix down, we must get ahead of him in the case of the treasure. You understand now, don’t you?” said Dagger frantically.

He was finally glad to see that Leonardo’s expression finally showed that he understood. “But, how do we find it? Besides if Phoenix is chasing after the treasure, Lightning is chasing after Phoenix, and we’re chasing after the treasure, then wouldn’t that mean we’re all going the same direction? And if that’s the case, we’re far left behind in the chase.” Asked Leonardo, this time while helping packing.

“That, i’m still not sure. The most important thing now, is that we get moving. We shall catch up with them by going straight to the desert, this town is closer to the desert than San Renaldo, and we have a carriage, so hopefully we will be able to catch up with them. From there, we’ll plan our next move. But now...one last thing...” said Dagger as he opened his front door and called out “Shorty!”

At once, one of Dagger’s neighbors, a short man named Shorty walked towards him. “Yes, what is it señor?” asked Shorty. “Leonardo and i are going for a ride, if any letters come to this house, i need you to forward it to us Immediately, ok? We’ll keep you updated on where we are.” Explained Dagger as he hauled his large packed bag into his porch next to Shorty, with Leonardo following. “Understood, señor.” Said Shorty with a salute. “Thanks Shorty.” Said Dagger as he tossed a coin to him. And with that, Dagger and Leonardo loaded their supplies into their carriage, and rode off.

 

Chapter 2:

Black Eagle

 

 

In the remote town of Santa Fe, near the outskirts of the harsh desert, a man had just exited a saloon...

The man straightened his hair and adjusted his hat as he stared out into the desert just outside of town. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, and squinted, only to see a horseman riding towards him. The horseman was Phoenix.

The man licked his inner lips in curiosity as he stepped down the steps in front of the saloon, ready to greet the Phoenix. Phoenix slowed down as he entered the town and approached the saloon. “Howdy there, have you recently seen a tall, moustached man in black clothing with a sharp, piercing eye, carrying... something suspicious?” asked Phoenix carefully. “The name?” asked the man back in a dry voice as he scratched his chin.

“Well, that’s the problem. I don’t know.” Said Phoenix slowly as he gazed around at the quiet town.

“Hm...” said the man as he rubbed his fingers.  Phoenix sighed, reached into his pockets, and handed the man $5. The man smiled. “Black Eagle.” He said quietly. “Pardon?” said Phoenix in confusion. “Black Eagle. Three days ago a man named Black Eagle passed through here. Your descriptions fit him exactly. He was tall, had a moustache, and sported an all-black outfit. His expression was serious and he always spoke in this low and serious tone of voice. He said he was on the run. Oh, and he also had this mysterious brown bag, he drew his gun the second i tried to touch it. He threatened to kill me. Be careful, that man...he’s evil.” Explained the man in a serious and quiet tone.

“Hmm. I see. Anything else?” asked Phoenix as he prepared his horse to run. “Yes. He wasn’t alone, he had a gang of about 4 or 5 people. Also, he said he was going south. That’s all.” Said the man. “I see. But i’m curious, why did you choose to tell me all this information? I mean, that was a lot” asked Phoenix.

The man’s expression suddenly changed, almost as if he was hiding something. There was an expression of disturbance and sadness on his face. Then, without another word, he mounted his horse, squinted, and adjusted his hat. “When you kill him, tell him his brother will miss him.” Said the man as he gave Phoenix a wink. For the first time, Phoenix noticed that there was a scar across the man’s left eye. The man then smiled, and rode off.

Phoenix watched carefully as the man rode off into the sunset. “Speaking of brothers...” He thought to himself as he turned his horse around and rode off as well, down south.

Before crossing the harsh desert, Phoenix decided to stop by his brother’s home which was near the outskirts of Santa Fe. He slowed down as he approached his brother’s home. He had not seen him in nearly 30 years.

 

After lighting up a cigar, Phoenix gathered his courage, approached his brother’s home, climbed down his horse, and knocked on his brother’s front door. After a few moments of waiting, Phoenix’s brother opened the door.

Phoenix stayed quiet at the sight of his brother he had not seen in nearly 30 years, whereas his brother opened his mouth, but was unable to make up any words. “B-brother? Ph-Phoenix!?” He finally blurted out after a few seconds. Phoenix smiled, and after a moment of hestitation, finally hugged his brother. “AHAHA It really is you brother! I couldn’t believe it! After 30 years! You’ve changed so...Ah! Never-mind, let’s share our stories inside, HA!” said Phoenix’s brother as he led Phoenix to his home.

“Maria!” He called out. A young, beautiful woman stepped out into the living room. “Phoenix, meet my wife Maria. Maria, this is Phoenix my brother.” Said Phoenix’s brother as he introduced Phoenix to his wife.

“Muy bonito conocerte.” Said Maria as he shook Phoenix’s hand. “Mismo, a usted.” Replied Phoenix. “Haha, yes, she’s spanish.” Said Phoenix’s brother as both him and Phoenix sat down. “Now, where shall we start, eh, Phoenix, why don’t you start? How about your family? Your wife, your son?” asked Phoenix’s brother.

Phoenix didn’t answer, he simply lowered his head and puffed his cigar. “No, i...don’t feel comfortable talking about it now...” He said. “Hm. I understand, then how about this, what have you been up to lately huh? What brought you here?” asked Phoenix’s brother. “I’m chasing after someone by the name of Black Eagle.” Explained Phoenix. “Black Eagle!? He just visited the town only two days ago. He met with his brother here. Poor guy, his brother, White Eagle.” Said Phoenix’s brother with a tone of sympathy in his voice.

 

“What is it exactly, between those two...” asked Phoenix curiously. “Hm. From what i’ve heard, when they were both young, White always looked up to the Black, he thought of his brother as a hero. As kids they always did everything together, helping their sickly parents. However, one day, Black Eagle decided to become a bandit in order to get money. They were more desperate than ever, and their father had died, and their mother’s condition was getting worse and worse. However, White was disgusted by Black’s decision to leave their mother and become a bandit, and one day they had a serious fight. Black won, and ended up wounding White’s left eye. White was ever so devastated. He stayed by his mother’s side for another couple years, before she too, died. After that, White became a ranger and traveled from town to town to make his earnings.” Explained Phoenix’s brother as he lit a pipe for himself.  “A couple days ago they met here in Santa Fe, and from what i’ve heard they didn’t fight or anything. Who knows?” He added.

“I see...” said Phoenix. “Well, uh...i think is should be going now.” He added as he stood up. “What!?” said Phoenix’s brother in disbelief as he too, stood up, ready to stop Phoenix. “We haven’t seen each other in nearly 30 YEARS, and now that we’ve finally seen in each other, you’re gonna leave after only 30 minutes!?” He said in a very serious tone. “I know, i know, i really should stay for at least a day, but as i’ve said before brother, i’m chasing after Black. If i don’t hurry i might lose my trail.” Explained Phoenix.

“Hm...I see, why are you chasing after him brother?” asked Phoenix’s brother, calming down. “He stole something that means a lot to me, i’ll tell you about it more when i return.” Said Phoenix as he opened the door. “See you, brother.”  Said Phoenix as he mounted his horse. “You sure you don’t wanna stay brother? It’s getting late.” Asked Phoenix’s brother, trying to persuade him to stay.

 

“No. I must get going now, while i still know where he might be going. If i wait until tomorrow, i might be too late.” Explained Phoenix reassuringly. “Adios brother.” He bid farewell. “Si, Adios, brother.” Said his brother sadly as Phoenix rode off.  

As he was riding through the desert and the cool night desert wind blew on his face, Phoenix lit a cigar and thought about the fond memories he shared with his brother when they were children. In a way, he felt like his brother’s story about the Black and White Eagle resonated with the story of himself and his brother, and how he left his home 29 years ago, when his brother was only 12 years old.  Since then, they haven’t seen each other and only communicated through letters, and yet his brother recognized him the moment they saw each other.

Phoenix was touched, his eyes felt damp. He wiped them with his left thumb and smiled. “Please forgive me, brother.” He said quietly.

 

 

Chapter 3:

The Chaos in Santa Fe

 

The next day, Lightning arrived in Santa Fe. He decided to visit the saloon to get some information as well as a drink first.

“There boy.” Said Lightning as he stopped his horse in front of the local saloon. He dismounted his horse, tied him, and went inside. “A regular.” He said to the bartender as he tossed him a coin. He grabbed a seat in front of the counter, and looked around. The saloon was very quiet.

“Hey, where is everybody?” asked Lightning. “They all left just this morning, almost everyone here.” Said the bartender grimly as he set Lightning’s drink on the table. “Why?” asked Lightning curiously as he grabbed his drink. “The civil war, that’s why. Recently there have been reports that both union AND confederate troops are coming in from north, and south. That can’t be good, and this place is bound to fall victim to the conflict yet to come.” Explained the bartender.

“Hm. Why haven’t YOU left then, my good man?” asked Lightning as he took a chug from his drink. “Well, i’m going to. Very soon, in a matter of fact.” Said the bartender as he hastily moved around behind the counter, starting to pack. “And what about yourself? What could a man like you be doing in a town like this at such an unopportune moment, hm?” asked the bartender in an accusing tone.

“Well, i came here for a reason my friend. And the reason...” Lightning paused as he took another chug from his drink. “Is to find a man that goes by the name of Phoenix.” He continued as he set his glass down. The bartender immediately grabbed it, wiped it quickly with a napkin, and packed it. “Phoenix? Well i don’t know about him, but his brother lives in this town, near the outskirts. IF he hasn’t already left with everyone else that is.” Said the bartender as he continued to pack.  Hearing that, Lightning’s eyes widened , and dropped the match he was about to use to light his pipe.

“His brother!?” asked Lightning. “Yes.” Said the bartender reassuringly. His expression was that of confusion, he didn’t expect Lightning to be so surprised. “Well then, my good man, i’m off.” said Lightning as he dropped down from his seat and headed towards the door.

Outside, The sky was getting quite dim, and the wind was blowing hard. “That’s odd.” Exclaimed Lightning as he stepped down the front steps of the saloon and untied his horse. He grabbed another match from his pocket and lit his pipe before he mounted his horse, and rode off.

It wasn’t long until Lightning arrived in front of the home of Phoenix’s brother. He quickly dismounted his horse, tied it to the front fence, and knocked loudly on the door. Soon after, the door burst open, and Phoenix’s brother came out, wearing a long coat, a hat, and a worried expression on his face.

“Quickly now, Maria!” He shouted to his wife. It actually took a few moments until Phoenix’s brother actually noticed Lightning. “Ah, oh pardon me senor, what is it? Could you please get right to the point, i’m sort of in a hurry.” Said Phoenix’s brother as he helped his wife unload  many suitcases from inside into the front porch.

“Right to the point? Well then. Which way did your brother go?” said Lightning calmly as he puffed his pipe. The expression on Phoenix’s brother face suddenly changed. He stopped unloading at once. “Who are you? Why are you after my brother?” He asked in a very serious tone. “I’m his messenger.” Said Lightning assuringly. “I must warn him, there’s someone who wants him dead.”

Phoenix’s brother gulped. He was sweating bullets. “Who?” He asked, worried. Lightning pulled out the dagger he grabbed earlier, and stabbed it into the porch wall. “Dagger.” He replied simply.

“D-Dagger!?” asked Phoenix’s brother. As Lightning was about to open his mouth, he was interrupted by the sudden deafening sound of a cannonblast from afar. “Oh no! P-Phoenix, my brother headed south. He said he was chasing after someone by the name of Black Eagle. That’s all i know! I swear it” Said Phoenix’s brother as he grabbed all of his suitcases and tugged Maria’s hand in panic.

He stepped down the porch steps, and called for a carriage. As Lightning untied his horse from the porch fence, a carriage came to pick up Maria and Phoenix’s brother. They loaded their bags and suitcases, and rode off. Meanwhile, the confederate army was approaching town in a fast speed. “No good.” Said Lightning. He quickly mounted his horse, and rode off. He backtracked his way around town to avoid being seen by the confederate army.  An artillery bombardment soon took place.  Cannonballs after cannonballs were fired and the buildings crumbled one by one.

Not only that, but the Union army was moving in from the north as well. As they quickly approached town, they started an artillery bombardment as well. The confederates were crushing in from the south, and the unions were crushing in from the north. Before he knew it, Lightning was caught in the middle of a battlefield.

The buildings were an easy target. They crumbled one by one as both troops marched through town, destroying everything in sight. Lightning tried to slip away into the back alleys of town to escape unseen, but it was no use. He had to choose a side. The confederates were coming in from behind him, and he had Unions blocking his way from the north.

A cannonball struck only a few inches from Lightning. His horse collapsed, and he fell down hard. He tried to run away, but three more cannonballs followed. He shielded his eyes from the debris and from the smoke, trying to escape, but before he knew it...

He was caught. A union soldier grabbed him by the arm. Lightning still wasn’t able to see clearly due to the smoke and debris. He squinted, and slowly raised his hands, but used them to shield his ears from the deafening gunblasts instead of using them as  a sign of his surrender. “WHO ARE YOU WITH, SOLDIER!?” yelled the union soldier, right next to Lightning’s right ear. “I’M WITH YOU!” yelled Lightning back. “GOOD. CAUSE WE’RE LOW ON SOLDIERS!” Said the union soldier as he roughly threw Lightning aside. Lightning felt he hit something hard on his back, but he was disoriented. It turns out, he hit a carriage, and before he had time to react, another union soldier shoved a bayonet to his face.

“LOW ON SOLDIERS!? THEN...THAT MEANS...” Lightning yelled, but he was interrupted by yet another cannonblast. This time it missed him by only a few inches, or at least it seemed to him. He fell down hard, still clutching the bayonet.

“That means...I have chosen the wrong side.” Said Lightning to himself as he struggled to get up. It was a blur. It was complete chaos, the smoke, the debris, the deafening blasts, the buildings being obliterated by cannonfire, the men falling down on the battlefield.

Lightning didn’t know what to do, all he wanted to do was to just steal a horse, escape the battlefield, and chase after Phoenix down south, but before he had a chance to do it, his hat was blown off by a bullet. Lightning froze for a moment, he squinted and fixed his gaze on the confederate soldier who fired the shot. And then, in a just a mere fraction of a second, he raised his bayonet, and killed the soldier along with 4 other confederate soldiers near him with exact percission, even amidst the smoke and debris before him. The 5 soldiers died before they knew what had hit them. While the soldiers around them were left baffled, making them a soft spot for the other union soldiers.

 

 

 

Chapter 4:

Prison Camp

 

 

Lightning snickered as he bent down to grab his hat, nearly losing his head in the process as a cannonball soared right past it. Had he not bent bent down, he would have been killed. “Phew.” Said Lightning in a sigh of relief as he brushed his hat. The smoke, crushed wood, and debris grew more and more, blocking Lightning’s way and view. He carefully made his away around the battlefield, beginning his search for a horse. And just then, one rode right past him, mounted by a confederate soldier.

Lightning carefully made his aim, and fired. The confederate soldier crumpled beside the horse, which panicked. Lightning immediately ran towards it to calm it down. In the far distance, cries of soldiers can be heard vaguely along with the deafening blasts and crashes. “Yeah boy, take it easy now. Let’s get out of here.” Said Lightning, calming the horse. But before he could mount it, he heard cries of surrender from the union soldiers.

“Oh dang, that’s my side.” Said Lightning slowly. Within minutes, every remaining union soldier had been captured and had their weapons confiscated, Lightning included.  Soon after, the gun smoke subsided. Lightning could finally see everything clearly, and it wasn’t pleasant. What was once a peaceful and quite town only a couple hours back, had now been reduced to nothing but a mess of crushed, burnt, and obliterated wood, and the roads were decorated with bodies of soldiers as well as gunblast markings and dozens of piles of crushed wood.

“Hurrah!” Said the confederate captain, starting to celebrate. The remaining confederate soldiers continued the chant while the remaining union soldiers were being tied up. “What happened to OUR captain?” Whispered Lightning to the soldier being tied next to him. “Dead. That’s why we surrendered.” Said the soldier simply, yet grimly.

“Hm.” Said Lightning as he stared down at the ground. Before he could do anything or say anything else, the confederate soldier behind him finished tying him up and pushed him into the line of tied up union soldiers. Once all the remaining union soldiers had been tied up, the confederates marched them to the nearest train station. All the while, Lightning was already devising a plan to escape.

“Maybe...I should wait until we get to the prison camp, study it, and work my way from there.” He thought to himself as he marched on. After what felt like only 10 minutes to him, they arrived at the train station. “ALRIGHT, ALL OF YOU LISTEN UP!!!” Bellowed the confederate captain. He began to ramble on and on, but Lightning didn’t listen, he was carefully thinking his plan through and through, staring at his feet the whole time.

“If only i have my pipe now...it’ll be so much easier, thinking this through...” He thought to himself.

After about 30 minutes, the train arrived. “COME ON, THIS WAY!” Said the confederate captain as he opened the gate to the prisoner compartment. Lightning was pushed inside along with the other prisoners. Once all the prisoners were inside, the door closed. After a few moments, the train started to move.

There were four armed confederate soldiers guarding the compartment. And most of the other prisoners were sleeping. Lightning’s gaze jumped from the compartment door, then to the guards, then to the other prisoners, and back again. He studied their motions.

“Maybe...No. I shouldn’t escape now, that would be stupid. Besides, this train is taking me closer to my destination, south. And this train is going at speed much faster than a horse, and i won’t even find a horse if i jump out, so in a way, this situation, at the time being, is quite fortunate for me. I will wait until i get to the prison camp.” He thought to himself. After he had made that decision, he decided to sleep.

Lightning was awakened by a sudden shake, the train he was boarding had stopped. The door of the compartment suddenly opened, and the light of setting sun entered the compartment, the train had arrived at the prison camp. “Come on, out you go!” said one of the guards as he started pushing the prisoners out one by one, Lightning squinted as he stepped out the train, still tied up.

He looked around, “No good.” He thought as he gazed upon the large, jagged fences that surrounded the camp. He and the prisoners were led around it to the door.  There stood a tall confederate soldier, noting the name of every prisoner that passed through. “Hold it...” said the soldier as Lightning was just about to pass through the entrance of the camp, he did not look at Lightning as he was writing something on a piece of paper at the moment. 

“Wait...You’re not wearing a uniform, who are you..?” asked the soldier as he raised his head, having noticed Lightning’s attire.

“I’m...uh...i was a new recruit.” Answered Lightning uncertainly as he lowered his head. “Heh...New recruit eh...” Said the soldier supsiciously as he wrote something on his paper. “Go ahead.” He said as he motioned towards the door. He and Lightning exchanged glares before Lightning was forced through the door by another confederate.

After that, Lightning was forced to join the other prisoners in some tough manual labor. He grudgingly worked as he carefully scanned the area, planning a way to escape. The fences were about 16 feet tall, and they were decorated with spikes and barbed wires. “This...is gonna be hard.” He thought to himself. Just then a confederate soldier bashed his head. “WHAT’RE YOU DOIN’? STOP DAYDREAMIN’ AND CONTINUE WORKING!” yelled the soldier. That alarmed the other soldiers beside Lightning who were also scanning the areas and working lazily. They all jumped to their feet, and worked as hard as they could, Lightning included.

That night, as the other soldiers were led into their cabins to rest, Lightning was grabbed by someone, he turned around, and readied his fists, but it turns out, the man who grabbed him was just a confederate soldier. “Come! Don’t attempt to resist, it’s useless!” Said the soldier. Lightning just glared at the soldier and said nothing. Nevertheless, he gave in, and followed the soldier into the largest cabin in the camp, the captain’s cabin.

He was roughly pushed through the door by the confederate soldier, and the door closed immediately behind him. “Sit down, new recruit.” Ordered the confederate captain. Lightning did as he was asked and grabbed the chair in front of the captain. “Tell me the truth. Who are you really? Are you even a real union soldier.” Asked the captain. “Uh...No.” Answered Lightning simply.

“Hm.” Responded the captain as he pulled out a wine bottle, along with 2 glasses.

The captain poured some wine for himself, and one for Lightning. “May i smoke?” asked Lightning as he pulled out a spare pipe from his jacket. “Hm, go ahead.” Said the captain, even offering a match to Lightning. He gladly took it, and used it to light his pipe. The captain himself did the same thing, and pulled out his own pipe. “Now, back to the topic...Please explain everything you can about yourself and how you got into that war. I also heard from some of my men that you are an excellent sniper.” Said the captain as he lit his pipe.

Lightning smiled. “I...” Before he could finish his sentence, a loud gunblast was heard outside, followed by the sound of horses running, people yelling, confederate soldiers shouting, and guns being fired. An ominous red glowed flashed though the window of the cabin, and smoke from outside blocked the view. “We’ve been ambushed!” Said the captain.

 

Chapter 5:

An Unlikely Partnership

 

 

 

 

 

The captain immediately got to his feet, spat out his pipe, and grabbed a rifle. “If this place stays intact the whole way through, then stay here. There’s your gun in that box over there, just in case someone ‘uninvited’ comes in.” Told the captain as he prepared to open the door. “Sure.” Said Lightning as he gave a small salute. And with a nod, the captain opened the door, and stepped out into the battlefield.

            As soon as the captain left, Lightning headed on over to the box where his gun was kept. He opened it, grabbed his gun, and checked it. “Loaded.” He said with a smile, satisfied. Suddenly, a cannonblast was heard very close to the captain’s cabin, and the all the windows in the building broke into a million tiny pieces, and the doorknob shook.

            Lightning ducked into the left corner of the cabin, and slowly crawled under the window, very carefully as the broken glass injures his palms. As the door slammed open, an armed bandit burst through.

Lightning didn’t hestitate, in one fast motion, he shot the man’s arm, knocking the gun off his hand, and as the man screamed Lightning kicked the gun away, slammed the door behind him, grabbed the bandit by the neck, and held his gun to his head. All while still smoking his pipe.

“Who are you with? Who’s your boss?” Asked Lightning harshly. “B-Black...Black Eagle!” Shouted the man, stuttering. Lightning’s eyes widened, but he quickly came back to his senses and pushed the man towards the door. Just then, the door slammed open, and knocked the man completely out cold. The man who burst through the door this time, was Black Eagle.

Black didn’t even notice his unconcious henchman, and walked right past him. Lightning was about to ready his gun for Black, but changed his mind and quickly exited through the open door. He had his head pressed against the outer wall of the cabin, and slowly looked over his shoulder to see what Black was doing.

He was smashing the door of the cabinet inside the cabin with a large log of wood, trying to get it open. Lightning ignored the battle that was happening before him, and focused his attention solely on Black, but suddenly  he felt someone creeping behind his back. A gun clicked before his head, but Lightning wasn’t afraid, he turned around at lightning speed and shot the bandit who held a gun to his head.

As the bandit crumpled behind him, Black Eagle suddenly burst out the cabin, and walked right past Lightning. He was carrying a large, shiny box. “Confederate gold.” Thought Lightning. Black ran over to his horse, tied the large box behind the saddle, and mounted, but not before he shot the confederate captain who was preparing his gun to shoot him. The captain fell down, and Black laughed menacingly as he rode off with his remaining henchmen out the prison camp. “Four.” Thought Lightning as he observed Black Eagle ride off into the night with only three henchman remaining.

The camp was completely destroyed, the cabins were left in ruins, the flag was burnt,  and fiery fogs of gunsmoke rose to the sky. Most of the defenseless prisoners were dead, and the bodies of both Black’s bandits and confederate soldiers decorated the burnt and rough ground. The fences surrounding the prison had collapsed, and the few remaining union soldiers escaped. One of them gave a nod to Lightning as he followed his friends through the collapsed the fence.

The confederate captain was left lying on the ground, gasping for breath. He had not yet died. Lightning watched in sympathy for a few moments, then he had an idea. He went back inside the captain’s cabin (the only remaining cabin that had not been reduced to ruins), and grabbed the bottle of wine from the table, as well as the captain’s pipe that was on the floor.

He quickly ran over to the dying confederate captain, carrying the bottle and pipe, and knelt beside him.

The captain said nothing, he was still gasping for breath, but nonetheless, he smiled. “The cabin’s stayed intact captain, if you don’t mind a couple broken windows.” Said Lightning as he raised the bottle of wine. The captain smiled, and tears filled up his eyes. Lightning then raised the pipe to the captain’s mouth and lit it up.

Lightning’s right arm was cradling the captain’s head. The captain took 2 more puffs from his pipe, closed his eyes, and rolled over. The captain had died in comfort. The final expression that was marked on his face was that of peace.

Lightning gave a moment of silence, then stood up, and looked around. He was ever so happy that he found a living horse amidst the smoke. Lightning grabbed the wine bottle, and walked over the horse. He mounted it, and rode off down south, following the trail of Black Eagle.

It didn’t take that long for Lightning to catch up with Black and his gang. About half way through his track, Lightning spotted a campfire smoke coming from a spot in the small forest near the river, so he decided to follow the trail. “Quiet boy, slow down now.” He said to his horse as he slowed down. They took small steps slowly and hid behind the trees as often as they could, trying not to be noticed. Then, through the trees, Lightning saw him, Black Eagle, sleeping soundly next to a campfire, his horse behind him, with the box of confederate gold still tied to the saddle.

            Lightning slowly and quietly dismounted his horse, and tied it to a nearby tree. He then took small steps very carefully towards Black Eagle, and observed him from behind the closest tree trunk. He held his wine bottle in his left hand, and his right hand was above his gun, ready to draw. Lightning was sweating, his gaze jumped from tree to tree, and from bush to bush, scanning for Black’s henchman.

He calculated his surroundings, all the trees and bushes in front of him, he felt their presence...and then...at precisely the right moment, he drew his gun and fired. All 3 of his shots hit. All 3 of Black’s henchman crumpled, one fell from behind a tree, and his body slid down and splashed on the river. The other one was ducking behind the horse to protect the treasure, but he too was killed. His body crumpled beside the horse. The third henchman was on the far left, he managed to fire a shot before he died, but it missed Lightning by a few inches as it hit the tree he was hiding behind.

Black woke up immediately and grabbed his gun, but before he had a chance to draw it, Lightning pointed his at Black’s head, and clicked it, alarming him. “Grrr..Hh...Who are you!? You want the gold don’t you?” asked Black Eagle in a very angry tone. “If i want the gold, i would’ve already killed you by now. Don’t you think?” Said Lightning casually.

 

Lightning stepped out from behind the tree, bit the plug of his wine bottle, and drank some of it, all the while still staring and pointing his gun at Black. He then tossed the half-drunk bottle of wine to Black, who caught it and took a chug of it himself. Lightning approached the campfire as he wiped his mouth with his left arm. “No. I’m here, to offer you...a partnership.” He said as he sat down on the log in front of the campfire, directly facing Black Eagle.

After taking another chug of the wine, Black smirked. “Partnership?” He asked in amusement and curiosity. “Yes, you see...I’m after someone who is after...you.” Said Lightning as he took out his pipe and lit it. “Do tell me more...” Said Black, intrigued. “Hm. I’ve been hired by someone to kill a man named Phoenix, who i’ve found out is hunting after a man who stole a precious kind of jewel that belonged to his wife called the ‘Night Moon’.” Explained Lightning.

For a second, Black’s eyes widened with fear, but that expression quickly subsided. “Phoenix...so...does he know my name?” Asked Black in a low and serious tone. The fire before them crackled and cast an ominous red glow on Black’s face. “Yes. In fact, I knew about YOUR name from his brother. And, i also heard from his brother...” Lightning didn’t finish. “WHAT!? WHAT else did you from his brother?” Asked Black. “No, no...It’s not important.” Said Lightning, “What is important however, is your decision. So, what’s it gonna be? Is it a deal on the partnership? I will follow you, and when Phoenix comes, i’ll kill him. Hm?” Asked Lightning. “Hmmm...What do i have to give you in return? The treasure? This confederate gold?” Asked Black. “No need. It’s a free service.” Said Lightning calmly. “Odd, but... whatever, it’s a deal.” Said Black as he shook Lightning’s hand.

 

 

 

Chapter 6: Dagger’s Path

 

 

 

 

In a small town on the outskirts of the desert, Dagger was staying with Leonardo at an empty home deserted by its owner.

Leonardo was taking a nap on a chair with his legs on the table and his hat on his face. He suddenly woke up and nearly fell from his chair when Dagger burst through the door. He immediately ran towards the table and slammed a piece of paper on it. “Look at this. It’s a letter from Lightning.” He explained to Leonardo, who grabbed the letter and read it.

Dear Dagger

            Phoenix headed down south, turns out the treasure was carried by a man named “Black Eagle.” I’ve managed to track the man down, and i’m now with him, heading towards the same direction as Phoenix, Eagle’s hideout. He might already be there when we arrived since.. well it’s complicated, i’ll explain later.

Lightning

“Down south, i think i know what town they’re talking about, and we’re in luck Dagger, i know an indian friend who knows a shortcut, hopefully we’ll be able to catch up with them.” Exclaimed Leonardo . “You do, that’s great, remember, let’s just hope we’re not too late, i honestly don’t want any of them to have my mother’s treasure.” Said Dagger as he put on his poncho. “Come on, pack up.” He told Leonardo. Leonardo did as he was told, and soon as both of them were ready, they exited the door, climbed onto their carriage, and rode off.

“Quick, where is your indian friend?” Asked Dagger. “Not far from here, if we hurry we should be able to reach his village this afternoon.” Answered Leonardo. “That’s good news, finally.” Said Dagger happily. After about five hours following Leonardo’s directions, Dagger and Leonardo arrived in a small indian village. Leonardo waved his hands as they approached so that the indians wouldn’t be alarmed.

“It’s me Pico, Leonardo!” Shouted Leonardo from a distance, one of the indians, named Pico focused his gaze on the carriage approaching their village at a high speed. Some of the other indians went inside their tents and came out with bows and arrows. They prepared to shoot, but Pico raised his arm and lowered it to halt his fellow indians from shooting.

“By god, it really is Leonardo!” Said Pico happily, a large friendly smile decorated his face. He ran towards the approaching carriage, waving his arms in the air. The other indians were puzzled, but they set down their bows and arrows.

            Dagger stopped the carriage in front of the village, and they were greeted by Pico. Leonardo quickly jumped off the carriage, and he exchanged hugs with Pico. “Haha! I haven’t seen you in a long time, old friend!” Greeted Pico. “Same here, it’s really good to see you again. Now Pico, meet my friend, Dagger.” Said Leonardo, introducing Pico to Dagger.

“How do you do.” Said Pico gently as he shook hands with Dagger. “Fine, thank you very much.” Replied Dagger as he gave a gentle nod. “Pico, excuse me for a moment.” Said Leonardo as he directed Dagger away from Pico. “I better discuss this matter with Pico alone, he’s not comfortable discussing serious business in front of outsiders.” He explained to Dagger quietly. “I understand, i’ll wait in the carriage.” Replied Dagger. And with that, Dagger climed back onto his carriage, while Leonardo went inside the village with Pico.

The other indians eyed Leonardo cautiously as he entered the village, some of the indians were even sharpening the tip of their arrows when Leonardo walked in. He felt very uncomfortable. “Don’t mind them, you’re safe because they know you’re my friend, so as long as i act friendly to you, you’re safe.” Said Pico in an attempt to calm Leonardo. “But your friend out there, you better hope he doesn’t make any sudden and/or suspicious moves.” He added.

Pico opened a tent, and directed Leonardo inside. Pico whispered something to his wife, and she immediately left the tent. As she left the tent, both Leonardo and Pico sat down. “Okay now, haha, what’s the story?” Asked Pico. “Well, my friend and i are trying to get to San Helvano, you know the place right, it’s down south.” Explained Leonardo in a quiet voice. He tried not to sound too serious though, for he feared that might raise the awareness and caution of the indians outside. “Yeah, what about it? You’re in the right track, just continue down south and you should be able to arrive there in less than 4 days from here.” Responded Pico as he poured himself a drink from a jug to a cup. He then filled another cup and offered it to Leonardo. Leonardo accepted and took a sip before he continued, “Well, the problem is, we’re in a hurry.” Pico’s expression tightened, “Why...” He asked.  “We’re after someone who stole a jewel belonging to Dagger’s mother, and to put it simply, we must catch up with him before we lose his trail.” Explained Leonardo.

Outside, Dagger was anxious, and the stare of the armed indians as well as the burning heat of the sun didn’t help either, but after a few moments both Leonardo and Pico exited the tent, but they went different directions, Pico went to grab his own horse, while Leonardo approached the carriage.

“Good news, Pico had agreed to lead us to the shortcut. He told us to follow him.” Said Leonardo as he mounted the carriage. “Oh, and he also told us to stick close to him, because there’s a prison camp near where we’re going, and we wouldn’t wanna be caught.” He added. “What did you tell him?” Asked Dagger. “Not much, i only told him we were after a thief who stole something that belonged to your mother and we need to catch up with him before we lost his track.” Said Leonardo as he lit a cigar. Just then, Pico appeared before them on his horse, he gave them a quick nod, and rode off. Dagger’s carriage took off as well and they followed Pico and his horse.

The trip took about three hours, but after the long ride under the scorching sun, they arrived in a steep ravine. Pico stopped his horse and the carriage to stop as well. Pico raised a finger in front of his mouth, telling Leonardo and Dagger to be quiet. He signaled them to dismount their carriage and crawl their way over. And so, Leonardo and Dagger did as they were told. Pico himself quietly dismounted his horse and ducked into a crawling position, slowly all three of them approached the very edge of the ravine.

“See that there? That’s one of the many bases of the union army, right before the river.” Said Pico as he pointed to the army base below the ravine. Leonardo, Dagger, and Pico were all watching over the base carefully from the edge of the ravine. The base had four huge guard towers surrounding it, each guarded by a union soldier. Dagger felt uneasy, he felt like they could notice him any moment.

 

The main base itself was protected by a large wooden wall that concealed at least four cannons. Most of the union soldiers were busy preparing their firearms and cannons, but some of the soldiers were resting. Dagger was wondering why some of the soldiers were so busy when there were absolutely no signs of confederates, or anything that might trigger a war.

Just then, Pico seemed to have read his mind, “You can never be too ready for a surprise attack.” He said, catching Dagger off guard. “See that hill over on the other side of that river there? That’s where the confederates usually attack from, but none of the union soldiers actually knows where the nearest confederate base is. That’s why they must be ready at all times. Usually there will be at least 1 battle every day.” He explained. “At least once everyday!?” Asked Leonardo, dumbfounded.

 

“Anyway, the point is, a battle could erupt at any moment, and being caught in the middle of one would be absolute nightmare for you. Luckily, i know a shortcut that will lead you right past the union army, and i guarantee you won’t be noticed.” Said Pico as he slowly got up. “Where is it?” Asked Dagger. “Follow me, oh and don’t worry about the horses, the entrance is not far from here.” Answered Pico as he began walking away. Leonardo and Dagger quickly got up as well and followed him.

They walked away from the edge of the ravine and towards a steep, narrow path between two cliffs. Pico slowly made his way down the steep path, and both Dagger and Leonardo followed closely behind. There was a huge boulder blocking the way at the end of the steep path, but Pico easily moved it aside. Leonardo and Dagger quickly glanced at each other in amazement. Behind the boulder was the entrance of a cave.

 

“It’s through here you must go. Take this with you, you’ll understand its meaning once you’re inside the cave.” Said Pico as he gave a folded piece of paper to Dagger. “This is as far as i can lead you, farewell Leonardo, i wish you the best of luck for your quest.” He added as he once again exchanged hugs with Leonardo. Pico then gave a farewell nod, and climbed back up to the top of the steep path.

Dagger then unfolded the piece of paper Pico had given him, and read it.

Left, Left, Middle, Left, Right, Left

Dagger and Leonardo were both puzzled. “Well, he did say we wouldn’t understand til we enter the cave.” Reminded Leonardo. “You’re right, i guess we’re going in now.” Shrugged Dagger as he carefully stepped down into the entrance of the dark cave, followed by Leonardo.

 

 

 

Chapter 7:

The Final Showdown

 

 

 

As it turns out, the cave had many branching paths, and the piece of paper Pico gave them helped them decide which path to take. After a long, long journey in the dark caves, they came across a secret underground cave hideout. The hideout that they had come across had  many torches adorning the walls, a table, stashes of gold, and a large wooden board with the words BLACK EAGLE boarded up on the upper cavern wall.

But that wasn’t all, the hideout wasn’t empty, there were people in there...it’s only that they were all dead. Leonardo knelt beside one of the bodies and discovered a gunshot wound. “They’ve been killed.” He said. “But that doesn’t make sense, if they were all killed, why are the gold still here?” Said Dagger as he looked around. “There!” He said suddenly as he spotted a ladder leading up to a slightly higher platform. “Come on” He called to Leonardo, who was inspecting the bodies of some of the other dead bandits.

“We don’t have time to carefully inspect each and everyone of the bandits! We don’t have much time!” Yelled Dagger. He was growing impatient. “What about the gold? Don’t you wanna take some?” Asked Leonardo. “Right now i don’t care for that! We’ve still got an unfinished business! Maybe later if i change my mind, we would still know where to get it.” Replied Dagger as he climbed up the ladder. Leonardo looked disappointed, but nonetheless, he followed Dagger and climbed up the ladder. It led them out of the cave, and into a small deserted town.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of town, approaching on horses, were Black Eagle and Lightning.

Dagger and Leonardo quickly ran into an abandoned saloon in the middle of the town as the two horsemen were approaching. Lightning focused his gaze on the abandoned buildings as he entered the town.

“He’s here.” He said suddenly as he stopped his horse. “Who?” Asked Black Eagle as he did the same. “Who else? Your assasin.” Responded Lightning as he dismounted his horse. Black also did the same thing and walked ahead of Lightning. They were heading towards the middle of the town. Suddenly, from a building opposite the saloon Dagger was in, out comes Phoenix. Black grabbed his gun, but he didn’t get a chance to draw it as Phoenix was just as quick to grab his own gun.

They both snickered. Black slowly distanced himself away, slowly walking backwards to the opposite side of Lightning, with Phoenix in the middle. Lightning stayed quiet. They all shared glances before Phoenix asked, “It’s not in your hideout, my wife’s treasure. I’ve searched it thoroughly.” Black glared at him. “Of course not, it’s far too precious to leave there, besides, if haven’t been there since that very day i stole your wife’s treasure.” He replied harshly.

“So it’s with you then?” Asked Phoenix. Black only smiled menacingly. “And you, my son hired you to kill me didn’t he?” Asked Phoenix as he turned to face Lightning. Lightning simply nodded, and just then Dagger burst out of the saloon. “Hello dad.” He said as he joined in on the battlefield, he positioned himself in the middle also, directly facing his father. “It was a misunderstanding, i had to kill your mother. Please forgive me.” Said Phoenix. He lowered his head  and stared at the ground for a moment, then quickly raised it back again. Dagger said nothing, hatred and anger was building up inside him, he simply turned to Lightning and nodded. Lightning nodded back.

Phoenix sighed and turned to Black. “Your brother, the other day i met him, he said he’s going to miss you once you’re dead.” He said. Black simply smiled vaguely. For the first time, his expression was human and showed that he had feelings.

 

After that, the four men stared each other down, eye to eye, face to face. They all knew the capability and danger of each and everyone of their comrades. Buckets of sweat were dropped, the glares between the four men heated immensely, and their hearts were beating very fast, faster than a speeding horse. Finally....after a long period of suspense, each of them took one step back.

All four men prepared to draw, they moved their hands closer and closer to the guns on their belt. All the while their eyes locked on their adversaries. And then....at the exact same moment, all four of them drew their guns, but only 2 managed to fire a shot.

 

 

BANG!!!

Lightning had managed to shoot Phoenix, and Dagger shot Black Eagle. Both of them crumpled to the ground, and their guns fell right beside them. Lightning purposely directed his shot at Phoenix’s stomach, so that he would live long enough to talk to his son for one last time, whereas Black took a bullet in the chest, he died immediately.

“Done and done.” Said Lightning as he clicked his gun and sheathed it back. He nodded to Dagger, turned his back, and lit his pipe while Dagger walked over to his dying father. Meanwhile, inside the saloon, Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief that his friend survived the mexican standoff. He lit a cigar, grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the counter, and went out of the saloon. Outside, Lightning noticed him, and Leonardo simply raised the bottle and smiled, inviting Lightning to have a drink. Lightning accepted and followed Leonardo into the saloon.

 

Dagger knelt beside his father and cradled his head. “I had this coming son...and i forgive you.” Said Phoenix weakly. “What do you mean, YOU were the one who KILLED my mother! YOUR wife!” Yelled Dagger angrily. “You need to believe me son...i had to do it, she asked for it. I’ve written everything on this piece of paper here. It’s the whole story. I wrote it this morning, just in case this kind of thing happens. You need to know the truth son, you need to forgive me as well.” Said Phoenix as he took out a piece of paper and gave it to Dagger.

“Please...” Said Phoenix with his dying breath. “I....I...fine. I believe you dad, and i forgive you. I’ll read this later.” Said Dagger as he folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. “So do i...” Said Phoenix. “Hey...father, why didn’t take Black’s loot when you ambushed his hideout?” Asked Dagger, trying to comfort his dying father. Phoenix smiled, “Ah well, i figured, if i want it, i would still know where to get it.” He said.

Dagger smiled back, “Heh, you really are my father.” He said. “Now, one more thing, if just in case you know...if you’re tired of travelling and having many adventures, just know there is a home for you. My brother, find him. He’s a wonderful person...i’m sure he would be happy to have you. Give him this letter. He’ll accept you right away. Also, please tell him....i’m sorry i didn’t have a chance to...talk...to...him....a...lot after...30...years.” Said Phoenix as he took out another piece of paper and gave it to Dagger. After Dagger accepted the letter, Phoenix closed his eyes, and died peacefully.

Dagger gave his father a moment of silence, then walked towards the saloon. He sat on the front porch steps and thought about what he had done, and what his father had said. Even though he felt sorry for the death of his father, he was still not sure about his feelings, especially because he hasn’t read his father’s letter yet.

But still, he felt that forgiving him was the right thing to do since he felt a certain kind of sincerity in his father’s eyes when he asked for his son’s forgiveness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8:

The Parting of Ways

 

 

 

Dagger was still lost in his thoughts when the thought suddenly hit him. “The treasure!” He screamed as he dashed towards Black Eagle’s body. He crossed himself before he knelt down and searched the body. Dagger felt uncomfortable searching the body of a man he had killed, and especially because Black’s eyes were still wide open, as if he was staring at a void.

Dagger searched all of Black’s pockets, inside and out, but his mother’s treasure, the ‘Night Moon’ just wasn’t there. “Looking for this?” Asked Lightning as he suddenly stepped out of the saloon with Leonardo, holding a shiny black gem with golden edges adorned with ruby, sapphire, and emeralds.

“W-when did you get it?” Asked Dagger in a stuttery voice. “I snatched it from Black just last night actually, i don’t think he even realized it.” Answered Lightning as he approached Dagger and stared down at Black’s cold, dead eyes.

“You gotta remember Dagger, you paid me to kill your father, and i did my job. Now you owe me money.” Said Lightning casually as he puffed his pipe. Dagger panicked, he forgot to bring the money to pay Lightning. “Well?” Asked Lightning. Standing behind him was Leonardo, he silently mouthed the words ‘Black Eagle’s cave’ to Dagger as he described the cave with sign language using his hands. “Yes...follow me.” Said Dagger as he turned around and started to walk, but stopped as he heard a gun click. He carefully turned around and saw that Lightning was pointing a gun at his back. “No need to stop now.” He said calmly.

Dagger gulped, wiped his forehead, and continued to walk, followed closely by Lightning and Leonardo. After a short journey, they arrived at the entrance to Black Eagle’s secret hideout. Dagger turned to Lightning, and said “Wait here.” Lightning glared at him as he lowered himself down into the cave.

 

Inside, Dagger grabbed as many bags of gold as he could, and climbed back up. “Pardon me gents, but money’s not worth anything if you’re dead, trust me.” He said to the bodies of bandits on his way out.

Back at the entrance of the cave, Lightning was still waiting, he smiled as Dagger climbed back up, carrying the bags of gold. “Here! I hope that’s enough.” Said Dagger as he dropped four large bags of gold in front of Lightning. Lightning smiled, clicked his gun, and sheathed it back. As soon as he did that, Dagger drew his gun and pointed it at Lightning. “My mother’s treasure, give it to me now.” He said impatiently. Lightning stared at him for a few moments, then he reached into his pockets, and pulled out the gem. “Good. Pleasure doing business with you.” Said Dagger as he received his mother’s treasure.

And with that, Dagger, Lightning, and Leonardo walked together back to town as the sun was setting behind them.

Back at the old deserted town, Lightning decided to bid his farewell. “Well, that’s it then eh, Dagger. It sure was quite an adventure. To tell you the truth i was actually quite surprised when i saw you come out of that saloon. Have you been following me?” He asked as he mounted Black Eagle’s horse, with the box of confederate gold still tied to the saddle. “Well we’ve been following your directions. But we got here through a different route.” Said Dagger. “Heh, save the story pal, may our paths cross again in the future.” Said Lightning as he tipped his hat and turned his horse around.

“Amen to that.” Replied Dagger as he returned the tip.  With that, Lightning rode off into the sunset. “Well i guess i better be going too now.” Said Leonardo suddenly. “Huh? Where are you going?” Asked Dagger, curious. “Well, first i’m going to stop by at Pico’s village, then...i’ll return to my childhood home. This journey had reminded me that i still do have parents.” Leonardo explained.

“I haven’t seen them in nearly 10 years, so i figured...you know, i’ll stay with them for a while.” He added. “I understand.” Said Dagger as he reached out his arm to give Leonardo a handshake. Leonardo reached his arm out as well, but quickly grabbed Dagger’s and they exchanged hugs. “May our paths cross again.” Said Leonardo. “It will.” Replied Dagger.

Leonardo then went over to two of the remaining horses. “The lighter one is my father’s” Said Dagger as he pointed to a light brown horse. Leonardo nodded and approached the dark brown horse next to it. “What about you Dagger, where will you be going?” He asked as he mounted the dark horse. “I’m still not sure, i’ll probably travel around the country and jump from town to town, but my father told me, whenever i wanna go home, there is still a home for me. Out there, somewhere.” Replied Dagger. “I see...Well, i guess this is it. Adios, amigo.” Said Leonardo as he turned his horse around, tipped his hat, and rode off.

As Dagger watched his friend disappear into the horizon, the cool evening desert wind was blowing hard on his face. He decided to dig his father and Black Eagle simple graves to pay his respects before he left. He grabbed a shovel from a nearby abandoned building and began digging.

By the time he finished burying both his father and Black Eagle, it was nightfall. On Phoenix’s grave was written:

Here Lies Phoenix

1817-1865

And on written on Black’s Grave was:

Black Eagle

d. 1865

Their graves were located just outside the abandoned town, not too far from Black’s hideout. Dagger was exhausted, he decided to rest beside his father’s grave.

As the cool night desert wind made him relax, Dagger suddenly remembered that he had not yet read the letter his father had given him, so, he reached into his pocket, opened the letter, and read it:

Dear Dagger

            As you know, your mother had been sick for a long time, about a month before she died. What i didn’t tell you however, was that one day, when i took her to the doctor, the doctor said she only had about 3 weeks left to live. At first i didn’t want to believe it, but her condition got worse and worse, and she said the pain she felt was getting unbearable. That day, while i was at her bedside, she, in what seemed like her dying breath, confessed that she had been robbed the day before. I was ready to chase after the bandit, but before i left, she pleaded for me to kill her. She said that her pain was getting worse, and she wouldn’t want to burden her son-that’s you.

I offered to stay by her side, but she said she was going to die anyway, and for me to kill her quickly it would ease her pain. She made me promise to keep it a secret from you, and so, i had no choice, i had to do what she asked. I killed her, and i set off after the thief. Even i feel guilty to this very day, that i am writing this. Please forgive me

Your father, Phoenix

Dagger wasn’t very surprised, instead he felt glad that he was finally convinced in his heart that his father was innocent. He knelt beside his grave and gave a long moment of silence, so long in fact that he almost drifted away in his thoughts until the freezing gusts of the night desert wind blew him back to reality. He looked up and gazed upon the starry night before he lifted himself back up and walked away. He stared at the ground as he made his way towards his father’s horse. He sighed in relief upon reaching his father’s horse.

“I’ve forgiven him before he died, even though at the moment i was still unconvinced by his story. I nearly abandoned him as he was dying, and yet something in his eyes and voice just pushed me to do what i did, to forgive him, and now i’m glad i did that.” He thought to himself as he mounted his father’s horse. He looked up at the starry night once again, this time he was smiling. So, without another word, he turned his horse around, lit a cigar, and rode off into the desert.

He pulled out the cigar from his left pocket, and from his right,  he grabbed the other folded piece of paper his father had given him, the one Dagger should deliver to his uncle. Dagger only read the first sentence of the letter, and he knew exactly where to find his uncle.  He re-folded the letter and put it back in his right pocket, then he puffed his cigar, adjusted his hat, and sped his horse into an unknown direction through the desert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End

Author's Note

The very first story I ever wrote. Written originally in 2014, when I was 15 years old. Please pardon slight typos or errors within the paragraphs.