Dakota
Fuck, it was hot.
A hand moved to sweep back sweaty quills of tawny blond hair, tucking the pigment up and away from his already sand blown eyes. He smelled like he’d been walking for a week in his heavy leather attire, and that wasn’t a total untruth; really, there got to be a time when Dakota wasn’t really sure just how long he’d been traveling, and that implied it had been long enough to be ‘too long’. Under the beating sun and through a dry and arid desert, the male had shuffled and dragged his ass forward until he could feel grains of sand in his teeth – which he’d subconsciously been grinding – and tasted salt. His own overheated marinade rising from in his duster to perfume the air was nauseating to say the least, but not because he couldn’t stomach how grimy he was. It was more due to how little he’d had to drink in the past day and a half, and with dehydration came the stomach cramps and dry mouth.
This wasn’t the vacation Dakota had been hoping for, that was sure.
Still, a hazy shape on the horizon beckoned the traveler, and with it came a surge of overwhelming need; there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the town ahead was his only real hope for survival in an otherwise inhospitable landscape. Blinking furiously as a stagnant gust of hot air swept over the area, his steps drove him forward, inch by inch in the direction of the collected settlement – and for what seemed like hours, he was as silent as the godforsaken sand pit he had initially stumbled upon. But to be honest, he was here for a reason. One didn’t simply choose to venture into the barren wasteland without reasons. Dakota was looking for someone, though who, he wasn’t sure. How could he be? A hunter for hire rarely was given enough information to hint at true motive or meaning behind why they were getting paid, but this usually meant other details were lacking. The who in this case was Dakota’s main concern, but even he knew better than to fret over a trivial issue like that.
He’d know just who when he saw them. The description had been enough for the male to create a rather accurate mental image of the target, and it wasn’t like he’d been born yesterday – he could find them with his training. If only this terrible desert wasn’t in the way, and each step reminded him how miserable his past few days had been. But so close… He was literally within a mile or so of whatever terrible settlement he’s stumbled upon, and his body was shaking violently. Dammit, just a tad further – just gotta get within eyeshot and someone will help out. Only, it was then his knees buckled violently beneath him and his weathered form crashed into the sand. Fuckin’ hell. Barking a growl from parched throat, his vocals came out strangled and in the defeat he found on the ground, Dakota writhed piteously. A list of things he should have done all swam through muddled thoughts, supplies he should have splurged on and places he should have checked first, but it was in vain. Really, he seemed to have dug his own grave this time.
“Stupid fuckin’ planet…” He mumbled softly while rolling onto his back, fatigue catching up like fire to his coat tails, and cobalt hues flickered open to stare vacantly upwards. There was a feeling of emasculating realization that struck the cowboy and in that, a set of digits moved to tip the brim of his Stetson lower on his visage, hiding it from the beating warmth of the sun above. At least if this was the end of his story, he’d go out with his boots on and a smile plastered to grizzly features – an act that seemed to spit in the face of whatever cruel creator had stuck him in the middle of nowhere without an escape rope to rely on. And that fucking town! It was so close and he couldn’t muster the energy to drag his happy ass up and start again; he could sprint that distance and die happy in the company of civilization… If only he had the strength.
“Wasted time…” Dakota croaked softly to no one in particular, content to berate himself in what he thought to be his final moments. “An’ I got nothin’ to show fer it.” Maybe he was right in a way, because no matter how much he had accomplished in his days, there was always more to strive for, and he wanted that opportunity. Jesus save his wretched soul, he had pride and dying like this was a real bruiser for it. Sneering, the man billowed and gave a snort then once more rolled over to heave himself back into a shaky stance. Wiping sand from his unshaken face, his body began the tedious trek towards the awaiting town, crunching audibly with each rigid step. This was it, that one last try to make it to help, and he’d be damned if he didn’t at least make a go of it.
Now the likelihood Dakota would be found wasn’t all that improbable considering he’d stuck as close to the ‘main road’ as was allowed without being easy pickings for bandits and thugs. Still, truth was the man didn’t assume anything when it came to the generosity of strangers. How could he? If he’d been a little less law abiding and a bit more adventurous, he’d have made a wonderful pirate of sorts; and it fit well with his usual kill or be killed outlook on most things. That is, so long as the intended wasn’t female. Dakota could not, nay, would not ever strike a woman, let alone introduce her to the end of his gun – though he wasn’t above empty threats. Trudging sleepily along the arid dust trail had lost any sort of nostalgic value the cowboy may have associated with his upbringing, stripping it of sentimental value after that first tumble he’d taken. Now a bit more bruised and something close to dead, he could swear he heard someone talking… Shouting even.
That was definitely a shout in his direction.
Careful not to spin around too quickly in case his lightheadedness got the better of him, his sand swept visage slowly glanced back to the voices, and in such, realized there were quite a few of them – whoever these people were. Swallowing remnants of saliva to try and quench his thirst, Dakota swiveled a bit and focused on the male who’d addressed him as the band of individuals came closer; seemed familiar somehow. Maybe a case of déjà vu as it was. All the same, this was just what Dakota had hoped to come across shy of a town proper and in such, a smile peeled over chapped lips towards the approaching strangers. “Ya caught me at a bad time I s’pose. Don’t look all that well off, do I?” A rhetorical question in response to maybe ease the tension. It was obvious by the wrinkles in the fabric of his clothes and the dirt that seemed to encase his knees that the cowboy had seen better days.
But for what attention he could afford to allot Micah, it was short lived by the closing in of the seemingly alien female. Dark hair, pale skin – things that triggered a small snort from the male as she came to a stop near him. As a whole, the group didn’t strike Dakota as trouble; at least not in the sense they were looking to cause him harm. Still, there was unease to be felt when it came to the overbearing presence of the ghostly woman and Dakota heeded the warning by backing up a few steps. Might have seemed rude, may have been considered cautious – it didn’t matter so long as they didn’t find it threatening. “I am in fact alive. Are you?” With the sun beating down as it was, Dakota quickly dropped the thoughts plaguing his subconscious concerning the woman’s race since he’d yet to come across a Vampire who traipsed about in the daylight.
But the galaxy was a rather large place, and the universe even larger.
Looking away hesitantly, he found his cobalt hues resting on his worn out jeans and the mess on their front, which was quickly swept over by equally dirty hands. It’d been a rough couple of days and now was something of an opportunity for Dakota, much unlike the lonesome hiking he’d done on his own for the past however long. It wasn’t as if Dakota saw himself as a loner, but in recent time (which would be the months after Chance made her mark on his life) Dakota had taken to doing things on his own. If you couldn’t trust one attractive woman, could he trust another? Maybe. She seemed rather stoic in her observation of the cowboy so whatever she was thinking would remain hidden behind a lovely mask of unimpressed features. Not entirely comfortable with how unreadable she was, Dakota figured continuing his story would break the ice.
“Came out this way to make some cash but I didn’ figure this place to be so…” Grasping for words and coming up blank, he simply added, “Big.” Truthfully a walk as long as his had probably been an indicator that Dakota should turn back, but as stubborn as a mule when his work ethic was involved, he hadn’t. Instead he found himself being evaluated and sized up by some strange band of travelers while his mind struggled to cling to consciousness. He was tired. He smelled like something dead, which far be it from him to make comparisons in his state, but was not always the case. Actually, they’d caught him at one of the lowest points he could remember aside from maybe one evening he ended up face down on the floor of a bar with a broken jaw. Never hit on a married woman, especially when her husband was twice your size and willing to make a mess of you.
Dakota had learned quite a bit in his youth.
Now he was older, a bit worn from wear and tear, but still competent enough to swallow his pride briefly to get to the point. “You folks headin’ anywhere in particular? I could use the company and I’m curious what all is going on with you lot.” He didn’t know what they had just been through, couldn’t fathom the internal struggles the crew faced nor did he come from the direction where destruction and chaos was all that remained of a town. No, he’d missed quite the adventure it seemed, but now he was hoping to get a piece of the action – if only for a few hours. They had to be close to civilization, he could see the buildings jutting into the backdrop of clear sky, but it was iffy whether or not he’d make it alone.
“That is of course if you don’t mind an ol’ dog like me taggin’ along with you.”
BDRP Admin. Writer. Villain. Personal Blog.
I tried running from the memory and the mourning.
I tried running from the memory and the mourning.
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