Wanted

#3 | A Change of Heart

"I tend to avoid other Outlaws when I can," Curtis said, finishing his food. "Hard to trust other c rooks."

"Right! So, I come along with you, making sure to lay low so as not to associate my image with you, and I turn in other bad guys that might give you trouble. We could split the bounties, of course. Then, after a few arrests, I'm out of your hair and get to return to my high status in the Big City! What do you say?"

"Dumbest idea I've ever heard," Mabel said. Curtis smacked the back of her head lightly. Mabel groaned.

"Eat your damn food, child," Curtis scolded. "You're lucky I'm even sharin' with ya." He turned his focus back to Sly. "It would be rather risky, though. People would probably recognize at least one of us as soon as we picked a fight with another Outlaw. How would you explain it other officers if they saw us in cahoots?"

"I'm not too sure," Sly admitted. "That's why I have a back up plan. Instead of getting my life back in the Big City, I could make a new name for myself as an Outlaw. I understand it's a tough life, but I'm sure I could still make it big!"

Curtis chuckled. "You do realize you don't get paid for bein' an Outlaw, right?"

"Of course not!" Sly laughed. "But if we go after other Outlaws with bounties like yours, we'd be in business. Ten gold is a lot of money."

Mabel choked on her food. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Ten gold!?" Curtis rolled his eyes. "Yer bounty is 10 gold? That's more money than I've ever seen in my life—than I'll ever see! Only the government deals in gold; what'd you do to git such a target on yer back?"

"We're not talkin' about this right now," Curtis asserted.

"Not to brag or anything," Sly said, "but I used to live in a house worth 100 times that in the Big City." Mabel's eyes looked as though they would pop from their sockets. Such funds were completely unimaginable in her mind.

"What the hell, Sly?" Curtis groaned. "What did you do to lose all that?"

Sly retreated into his meal. "I...don't really want to talk about it."
"Fair enough," Curtis sighed. The three sat silently for a little while as Mabel and Sly finished their suppers. Mabel was still visibly dumbfounded by the wealth surrounding her. As Curtis wrapped up the dinnerware and rinsed them with some water he boiled while they ate, his steed approached the group and huffed. Curtis stood and rubbed its neck and whispered to it. Mabel giggled.

"I wonder if 'e heard yer comment about bein' alone earlier," she teased. "He's been by yer side for a while, if I had to guess."

"What's his name?" Sly wondered aloud.

"It doesn't have a name," Curtis said, still gently petting the horse.

"What?" Sly said, shaking his head. "You never named your horse? That's cruel."

"Oh, oh, can we name it now?" Mabel wished. "Is it a he or a she?"

Curtis thought for a moment. "I don't really know, I guess," he said.

"Well, it's not hard to find out," Sly chuckled. "Let's take a peek."

"I know how to tell a boy from a girl," Curtis replied, annoyed. "I know what to look for." He moved his hand down the horses back and continued petting. "You know about it, though, Sly. This ain't an ordinary horse."

"I haven't forgotten," Sly said. "You might as well show it to us since we'll be traveling together." Curtis exhaled calmly and began undoing the horse's garments. The horse's silvery exterior glistened in the firelight; it huffed the cool desert air. Sly stared with a stern curiosity while Mabel's gaze was one of astonishment. Curtis rubbed the horse's cheeks and nose. The horse continued huffing into his hand and shook its head playfully.