appeared. It was Angela who saw her brother first.
"Miles!" She roared in a near panic.
Moira caught her before she raced off in one of her bounding jumps. "Na runnin' off! They'll be gunnin' ya down. 'Sides Ah might be gettin' 'em from here." Moira drew one pistol and took careful aim, calculating wind, smoke and the chaos of things that spun around her. She squeezed the trigger, the pistol bucking in her hand.
Instantly, Johanssen jerked, bits of clothing erupting from his back right shoulder. Despite that, he kept running, though not as fast. Moira swore harshly. "He must be havin' somethin' under that shirt. It should'a been droppin' him. Though he won't be gettin' far winged like that."
"Moira ... Angela ..." Hunter croaked hoarsely. Slowly, once more, he hauled his pain-wracked body off the ground.
"Cap'n!" Moira started to run over but Hunter waved her away.
"They are making their way to the longskiffs. They want us to chase them through that mess. Better to cut them off. We'll go around."
Angela kept glancing in the direction her brother had vanished, then back to Hunter who looked very beaten and battered. Finally she rushed over and helped the captain to his feet. Once he was upright, she released her hold on him. Her paw-like hands came away bloody from his wounds. "You shouldn't go. You're really hurt."
"The girl's speakin' some sense. O'Fallon's back under one o' them Yeti healers agin', faith knows where William be at by now. Ah'm na keen on ya bleedin' all out."
Hunter scowled darkly. "Then pray tell, do not watch. That monster and his band of hobgoblins have been trying to kill these children from the start and blame the murder upon us. Now they have Miles, despite my best efforts to prevent such. My wounds hurt dearly, but had they been more serious I'd not have survived the beating I had taken after being shot. Now I'm going after him. You can join me or watch as I half-run and half-limp around that devil's trap to catch him hopefully unaware."
Moira deftly opened the cylinder on her pistol and reloaded. "Ya always did be givin' the prettiest speeches. The moment we be loose o' this trouble, yer goin' to Doc and yer doin' whate'er he says. Agreed?"
"As we've little time to argue, I agree."
"Well then, lets be runnin' this fox ta ground for a' change."
Chapter 17
C aptain Hunter and Moira ran, or limped in the captain's case, along the village paths. Angela, still in her werewolf form, bounded up and along a wall, then run off ahead. She would sniff the air, listen close, then return to report what she found.
The young girl stopped just ahead of Captain Hunter and Moira. "They 'ad laid a trap. I could 'ear several of 'em complainin' we 'adn't come along."
"Just like the man in thinking we'd bore straight after him. He has no tactical sense." Hunter growled, a hint of self-satisfaction in his tone. He then raised an eyebrow towards Angela, "Take deep breaths and mind your diction young lady. It's unbecoming."
"Yes, Sirrah." Angela's blush showed just slightly around her eyes from beneath her fur.
"Unbecomin'? Ah'd love ta be knowin' how?" Moira asked with a smirk.
Captain Hunter raised an eyebrow at her. "Not a word from you. You were harmed by too much time in the Americas."
Moira winked at Angela, then returned her attention to the matter at hand. "So Cap'n, how'd ya be knowin' about the trap? Ya never be sayin' ya met him afore." Moira asked.
"Correct, I have not. When you fight someone, you tend to learn a bit of their habits. Through that, a bit of themselves. He has no finesse. He's a rough brute at best. He may be a nobleman by birth, but by nature he's a base cad and a poor example of one at that." Hunter approached the corner of a building, glancing quickly around for any sign of ambush. Satisfied there was none, he motioned for the other two to follow. "This way is clear." Hunter paused with a sigh and turned. "Oh, pray tell, what is it Angela?"
Angela,
"Miles!" She roared in a near panic.
Moira caught her before she raced off in one of her bounding jumps. "Na runnin' off! They'll be gunnin' ya down. 'Sides Ah might be gettin' 'em from here." Moira drew one pistol and took careful aim, calculating wind, smoke and the chaos of things that spun around her. She squeezed the trigger, the pistol bucking in her hand.
Instantly, Johanssen jerked, bits of clothing erupting from his back right shoulder. Despite that, he kept running, though not as fast. Moira swore harshly. "He must be havin' somethin' under that shirt. It should'a been droppin' him. Though he won't be gettin' far winged like that."
"Moira ... Angela ..." Hunter croaked hoarsely. Slowly, once more, he hauled his pain-wracked body off the ground.
"Cap'n!" Moira started to run over but Hunter waved her away.
"They are making their way to the longskiffs. They want us to chase them through that mess. Better to cut them off. We'll go around."
Angela kept glancing in the direction her brother had vanished, then back to Hunter who looked very beaten and battered. Finally she rushed over and helped the captain to his feet. Once he was upright, she released her hold on him. Her paw-like hands came away bloody from his wounds. "You shouldn't go. You're really hurt."
"The girl's speakin' some sense. O'Fallon's back under one o' them Yeti healers agin', faith knows where William be at by now. Ah'm na keen on ya bleedin' all out."
Hunter scowled darkly. "Then pray tell, do not watch. That monster and his band of hobgoblins have been trying to kill these children from the start and blame the murder upon us. Now they have Miles, despite my best efforts to prevent such. My wounds hurt dearly, but had they been more serious I'd not have survived the beating I had taken after being shot. Now I'm going after him. You can join me or watch as I half-run and half-limp around that devil's trap to catch him hopefully unaware."
Moira deftly opened the cylinder on her pistol and reloaded. "Ya always did be givin' the prettiest speeches. The moment we be loose o' this trouble, yer goin' to Doc and yer doin' whate'er he says. Agreed?"
"As we've little time to argue, I agree."
"Well then, lets be runnin' this fox ta ground for a' change."
Chapter 17
C aptain Hunter and Moira ran, or limped in the captain's case, along the village paths. Angela, still in her werewolf form, bounded up and along a wall, then run off ahead. She would sniff the air, listen close, then return to report what she found.
The young girl stopped just ahead of Captain Hunter and Moira. "They 'ad laid a trap. I could 'ear several of 'em complainin' we 'adn't come along."
"Just like the man in thinking we'd bore straight after him. He has no tactical sense." Hunter growled, a hint of self-satisfaction in his tone. He then raised an eyebrow towards Angela, "Take deep breaths and mind your diction young lady. It's unbecoming."
"Yes, Sirrah." Angela's blush showed just slightly around her eyes from beneath her fur.
"Unbecomin'? Ah'd love ta be knowin' how?" Moira asked with a smirk.
Captain Hunter raised an eyebrow at her. "Not a word from you. You were harmed by too much time in the Americas."
Moira winked at Angela, then returned her attention to the matter at hand. "So Cap'n, how'd ya be knowin' about the trap? Ya never be sayin' ya met him afore." Moira asked.
"Correct, I have not. When you fight someone, you tend to learn a bit of their habits. Through that, a bit of themselves. He has no finesse. He's a rough brute at best. He may be a nobleman by birth, but by nature he's a base cad and a poor example of one at that." Hunter approached the corner of a building, glancing quickly around for any sign of ambush. Satisfied there was none, he motioned for the other two to follow. "This way is clear." Hunter paused with a sigh and turned. "Oh, pray tell, what is it Angela?"
Angela,
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