Take A Shortcut: Walk To The Nearest Town And Try To Find A Ride

(Originally by Cheese111)

April had no time to waste. Whatever Roxxie had in mind for the sheriff couldn't be good. There was a nearby farm that could lend her a horse, but before she left the building she spotted something unusual in the living room. Laid out on a table was a tattered map of the area.

"What in the world..." She hummed to herself. It wasn't like Roxxie to keep a map. Maybe someone else is involved in this. The thought sent a shiver of fear down her spine. That vile kangaroo on her own was already a nightmare to deal with. If she had help the odds would not be in April's favor. The deputy studied the map closely, talking to herself.

"So that's where you're taking her... or is it?" The longer she stared at the aged paper the more worried she got. In the hills one of the old gold mines was marked. If Roxxie had taken Texas into the hills, that's where the roo bandit would be. But a similar circle was drawn around Silver Lakes. There was nothing there but misery. Everyone had long abandoned it except for Molly, one of the weasel's fiercest rivals. A corpulent rat unlike any other with a cruel streak a mile long and a burning hatred for the weasel. Her disdain stretched out to anyone who dared set foot in her town, disturbing the vast network of rat warrens beneath. Even the bandits in the region knew better than to go there. What could Roxxie possibly have planned for the sheriff?

April snatched the map off the table and took off, racing for the nearby farm. After a short round of negotiations she had gotten herself a horse and she was ready to save Texas. But a new dilemma presented itself. Where had Roxxie taken the sheriff? The helmet suggested the gold mine, but the map added Silver Lakes as a second option. April's gut told her the mine was the right answer, but she was doubting her judgment. The odds were good she would run into Molly if she went to the abandoned town. The deputy shivered at the thought. But she couldn't let her fears stand in her way. If Texas was in Molly's hands, she had to intervene fast. The monstrously fat rat proudly kept a tally tattooed on her butt of all the sheriffs and deputies that met their demise at her hands. The young fox woman would not let Texas become another notch in that grim score.