The Cat

Sneaking up behind a skunk? Yeah, that was a bad idea. A colossally bad idea. The kind of bad idea that you regret for the rest of your life. Luckily, Texas was more sensible than that, and so when it came down to it, she made the right choice. In a swift maneuver, the sheriff stepped up and shoved her gun into the small of the cat’s back.

“Drop yer weapons an’ put yer hands up.” The weasel growled, causing both of the guards to freeze. The cat blinked in surprise, then looked back over her shoulder, seeing only the angry sheriff, and the door that Georgia had just left through.

“H-how the hell did you…”

“Doesn’t matter. I said drop them.” The weasel repeated, and the cat immediately drew her dual pistols and dropped them, where they clattered on the ground. Texas kicked them away, then looked to the skunk. “Ah don’t wanna have t’ hurt either of you if ah can avoid it, so just drop the rifle.”

“No.” The skunk growled, and Texas grit her teeth. Damnit. She didn’t want it to come to this. “Give me one good reason. I’ve got my gun trained on the hostages, and any minute now, Georgia’s gonna be coming back. You’ll be caught between a rock and a hard place, and, appropriately, flattened.” She said with a smirk, having everything figured out. Or at least, she thought she did.

“Georgia ain’t comin’ back.” Texas said, rolling her eyes. The skunk blinked in confusion, but the sheriff continued. “Let me guess. Y’all stripped all the valuables from these folks an’ their luggage, an’ Georgia told you to put it in the locomotive for safety, right?” She asked, only getting a glare from the skunk. “An’ now that things’ve turned sour, Georgia left you two here, while she went to ‘check on the locomotive’, right?” The weasel continued, not mentioning that she had overheard that last part through the door, but it was working. Texas could see the cogs turning in her head. “Yeah. Ah thought so. Which means in about two minutes, Georgia’s gonna finish unhitching the locomotive an’ make her escape with the valuables, leavin’ you in the dust. So here’s one good reason fer ya: If you don’t drop yer weapon, she makes a clean getaway with the loot, an’ you end up behind bars. If ya do, yer still gonna end up behind bars, but ah can promise you that Georgia will be right there along with ya, with mah boot print on her oversized ass.”

The skunk grit her teeth, then snorted and dropped her weapon, the rifle clattering to the ground. Texas nodded to her, then handcuffed the cat to a nearby railing, and picked up the rifle. She then walked up to the skunk, who held out her hands, allowing herself to be cuffed.

“You’re gonna get her, right sheriff?” She growled. “Cause if you don’t…” She paused, not really wanting to threaten the girl who was now handcuffing her, but leaving it hanging in the air.

“If ah don’t, then ah’ve got bigger problems than you.” Texas replied truthfully, then turned to the passengers “Alright folks! Yer safe now. Uhhh… You! Ah’m temporarily deputizin’ you.” She said, pointing to a large elephant girl, who gulped nervously. “Watch these two varmints, sit on ‘em if you have to, just make sure they stay. Got it?”

“Y-yes sheriff!”

“Good.” Texas threw her the rifle, then walked over to the carriage door, following after Georgia. “Stay safe. Ah’ll be seein’ y’all real soon.”

“Come on you stupid thing, come on!!” Georgia snarled. The mare was on her hands and knees in the doorway of the locomotive, trying to figure out the precise unlocking mechanism for the train cars, which thankfully had been more than a simple metal pin. “Just WORK! Once I get you loose, I’m home free!”

“Oh, yer goin’ home, Georgia. But ya ain’t gonna be free.” Texas said. The mare gasped and toppled backwards, looking up to see the sheriff leaning against the door of the other train car, gun in hand.

“Damnit Tex! Don’t you know when to give up! Why can’t you be a good little sheriff and be reduced to a stain on someone’s ass!?” Georgia barked back at her, getting to her feet and backing off into the locomotive a bit. Texas, not wanting to give Georgia the chance to slam the door and block her line of sight, pushed herself off her door frame and across the small gap, entering the black steel room of the locomotive, coal piled in one corner, and a huge furnace at the front.

“Guess mama never taught me when t’ quit.” Texas said with a half shrug, keeping her gun trained on Georgia, who backed up to the furnace.

“Oh yeah? Well too bad for you!” The mare suddenly grabbed something behind herself and swung it as hard as she could, a large, coal-covered shovel scything around and knocking the gun from the weasel’s hand, sending it skittering away for what must have been the third time today.

“Ah really don’t know why ah even own a gun.” The weasel sighed in annoyance, then yelped and side-stepped another powerful shovel blow from Georgia. The mare had her back to the wall now, knowing that either Tex went down or she did, and she was not pulling any punches. Again and again the shovel swung through the air with lethal speed, and without anything that could match the reach of a twelve-foot tall mare with a shovel, Texas was being **** back

“Just so you know, Tex. I’m gonna use my share of the loot to turn you into a pair of panties, which I’m going to wear every! Single! Day!” Georgia roared, punctuating the last three words with a shovel swing. The sheriff continued to retreat, but as she backed up to the pile of coal in the corner, she realised she had nowhere else to go. Except, maybe… Yes! Glancing up, Texas could see another trusty hatch in the roof, this one for loading coal. If she was fast enough, she might be able to pull herself up and through the hatch after Georgia’s next swing. But it would be risky. She could also probably duck Georgia’s next swing, but who knows where that would leave her…