The Hunters and the Hunted // RDR2 // DISCONTINUED

XXIV

It always gets worse before it gets better...

It's a shorter chapter than usual because I am not used to writing povs for Arthur and Charles... 😬

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•

Charles' POV

"We should've heard them out." I grumbled, banging my fist on the wooden table.

"They should've told us this a long time ago, Charles. This is their fault, not ours." Arthur argued, his head rested in his calloused hands. It had been three whole days since the girls and Kieran had been kicked out of the gang. Unlike Arthur, the guilt was beginning to tear me apart from the inside out. If I had just given Nyx a chance to explain, she might still be here with me, in my arms...

Arthur, in contrast, was completely blinded by pure rage. Just the mention of the two girls made him lash out. I too, had been blinded by anger and the feeling of betrayal when the information slipped from Nyx's mouth. Whether we liked to admit or not, we made a mistake. The rest of the gang was flooded with mixed feelings about the departure of our three members. John wouldn't speak to anyone but his wife and child, who were both beyond sad. Lenny had to restrain himself from tearing up the first day, upset that his new friends had been living double lives. And Sean... he was absolutely shattered. The only times I've seen him leave his tent were to get food or to take a piss in the forest. Hell, he was more upset than Arthur was!

"You gonna let it go, Charles." Bill groaned, overhearing our conversation as he was passing by. "They're goddamn traitors! They're lucky we didn't kill them right then and there." I grit my teeth, shoot a warning glare at the bearded man.

"Shut it, Williamson." I shot back in annoyance, my dark eyes narrowing. Bill raises his brows, a sly smirk forming on his face.

"Don't tell me you actually think they were on our side." He shook his head in disbelief. "Just because you were screwing one of them doesn't mean—" A brief pain shot through my knuckles as they connected with Bill's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards a few feet. His hand cupped his jaw, a shocked look flashed through his eyes before morphing in anger. "What the hell?!"

"You should've kept your mouth shut." I growled lowly. A quiet chuckle drew my attention back to Arthur, who was leaning against the table watching the two of us. "And you... how can you not feel even the slightest bit of guilt? How are you not beating yourself up? Standing up for our girls could've had such a different outcome. They were counting on us to hear them out and we drove them away! And we sit here, wondering why the hell they didn't tell us sooner but yet act like bastards when they did!" I yelled. Gang members looked at me in awe, some shaking their heads and others nodding in agreement. Even Sean poked his head out from his tent, listening to my rant. I spun in a slow circle, my vision flickering from face to face before muttering, "Unbelievable."

My boots hit the ground hard with every step as I stormed to my tent, collapsing onto the bed with a frustrated sigh. I allowed my head to naturally fall to the side, my dull eyes landing on the two photos that sat upon the bedside table. One was of Nyx and I, with her kissing my cheek lovingly. The other was the group photo Nyx had insisted on taking. I sighed, looking at the first picture with a longing expression. My heart ached as I studied the girl's features with the same admiration I always had. I grasped the picture and pressed a gentle kiss where Nyx's face was, a rogue tear trailing down my cheek. Setting the picture back down, I took off my shoes and lied down on the mattress, frowning at the lack of warmth. I had always enjoyed sharing a bed with the brunette because we would cuddle for warmth and to feel secure. My fingers gripped the blanket beside me, where she would've been sleeping soundly. The moon glimmered brightly in the sky above, and I gazed at it for a few moments as comfort washed over me. Wherever Nyx was, the same moon shone down on us both.

•

Arthur's POV

After listening to Charles' speech, my mind began to swarm with thoughts. I sat silently at the table, staring at the wood grain with an emotionless expression. My fingers drummed against my knee under the table and my right leg bobbed up and down in a rapid motion.

Harley betrayed me.

I clenched my jaw as the image of her face popped up in my head. Her beautiful blonde hair loosely held in a bun and the signature scar dragging down the left side of her face. My heart melted at the memory of our first kiss...

"You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you." I muttered, my gaze flickering down to her lips and back up to those gorgeous chocolate eyes. I could hear Harley's breath hitch softly, her bottom lip catching between her teeth nervously.

"Then do it." That was all it took for me to smash my lips against hers, kissing her more passionately than I ever did with Mary. It felt right...

I blinked, gulping quietly. The rest of the camp was sound asleep besides whoever was on guard for tonight. My chin rested against my palm as I desperately tried to shake the thoughts of Harley. Instead, I fell deeper.

"Where are you going?!" I shouted in frustration, watching as Harley packed Sterling's saddlebag and check her ammo count. The blonde whipped around angrily.

"To go get Nyx seeing as no one else is making an effort, well, except Charles." She state sternly.

"You can't just do that! You could get killed, you have no idea what we're up against!" I argued, grasping her wrist tightly before she could storm away.

"We're? Last time I checked you weren't coming." She retorted, ripping her wrist out of my grasp. Her words were like daggers stabbing my heart. "Do you even care what happens to Nyx? Do you?!" The girl snapped, clenching her fists in annoyance.

"I do! But the camp can't lose you too, I can't lose you!"

The memory pulled at my heart strings, sending waves of uncontrollable emotion through me. Tears pooled up around my eyes but I refused to let them fall, I refused to look weak. Hints of stress and anger still bubbled within me, but deep down... deep down I knew that I had to fix this. I have to find her.

I shot out of my seat and to Charles' tent, panting slightly. My hands latched onto his arm, shaking him vigorously.

"I'm up, I'm up!" He grunted, swatting me away before sitting up. "What do you want?"

"We're going to find them. Right now." I stated. "Pack a bag, we'll be gone a while." And with that, I set off to my tent and gathered essential supplies before heading to Alaska, petting her mane gently. The sound of footsteps made me turn around but, much to my surprise, it wasn't Charles.

"I'm coming with ye." I groaned, running my fingers through my hair.

"Alright, fine. Go pack a–"

"Already packed." The Irishman informed bluntly, twisting his body to show me his bag. He approached his horse and climbed into the saddle, awaiting departure. "If ye had just listened to me, they would still be here." Sean uttered under his breath. I glared at him briefly before mounting my own horse. Charles came jogging over, his bag in hand. We finally left the camp, telling Karen, who was standing guard, that we would be back in a couple of days. She asked no questions, just waved us off nonchalantly.

Don't worry, Harley. I'll be with you soon...