Texas Investigates The Rumors About The Bounty Hunter

(Originally by Gentleman Jack)

Texas's job was hectic enough without the threat of a bounty hunter hanging over her head. She had a good track record with dealing with their kind, but one stray pot shot could spell then end for her while on the line of duty. The brave sheriff wasn't going to sit idly by and wait for them to make their move. She was going to seek out this would-be hitman and leave them beaten and hogtied outside of the mayor's office as a warning. With that goal in mind, she set off for the old coal mine.

Her nose crinkled as she approached the aged cavern, the familiar smell of dust and soot filling her lungs. She was certainly no stranger to this type of environment. Prior to becoming a sheriff, she cut her teeth working as a coal miner as a teenager. It didn't pay well and the hours were rough but there were very few alternatives for employment in such a small town. It was a chapter of the sheriff's life that she would much rather forget. The sweltering heat, the lack of clean air, the backbreaking labor; it was like being trapped in the back of Georgia's pants, except it didn't happen on rare occasion.

As she travelled down the deserted tunnels of the old mine, something caught her attention. Through the piercing silence her ears could easily pick up on any sudden disturbances. She could hear very faint footsteps steadily approaching her. Normally she would've assumed that it was just some worker who had come in early, but her intuition told her otherwise. These were not the footsteps of just some average joe. They were light, quick, and barely audible; the footsteps of a trained killer.

"Awright, that's far enough. Take one more step and ah'll open fire!" Texas threatened.

Her words did nothing to impede the approaching threat and as it drew closer the sheriff could vaguely make out its silhouette. It stood a good four or five feet over Texas' and it's rather bulky looking frame was obscured by a cloak of some kind. A growing tension filled the air as the figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself in full under the dim glow of the nearest lantern. Texas had hoped to get a good look at her killer, but its face was obscured by plain white mask. The sheriff quickly drew her gun, aiming dead center between the stranger's eyes.

"Ah said that's far enough--"

Texas' words died in her throat as the figure bolted towards her, moving with speed that should've been impossible for one so large. The sheriff's brain was given no time to process the oncoming threat, but her body reflexively responded by firing off two shots. The cloaked behemoth averted the bullets with ease as he jumped to the side and clung to the wall in a hunched over position. It bounced from the wall to the top of the ceiling and back onto the ground, inches away from Texas' face. Before she could fire another shot, the figure reached out and snatched the pistol out of her hand.

Texas watched in horror it crushed her gun in its massive gloved hand and tossed its crumpled remains to the side. Soon, fear gave way to anger fueled determination as she pounced on her attacker, her teeth gritted as she threw a fierce haymaker at its masked face. Like before, the figure managed to side step her attack with little effort, though Texas refused to let up as she threw punch after punch. Whomever this person was, they needed to pay for destroying her favorite handgun.

Eventually the cloaked figure had grown tired of dodging and decided to act as it delivered a swift jab to Texas' nose, sending the lawman flying back. Everything was a blur for the sheriff as she struggled to collect herself, though her attacker would give her no time to recuperate before it was on her again. A massive foot came down on Texas, with enough **** to pin her down without causing serious harm to her. With her hand clutched on her aching nose, she looked up at the imposing figure with wide eyes.

Whomever this person was, they were a cut above the usual thugs that Vivian set her way. She'd lost her fair share of fights, but very rarely did her opponent beat her with skill alone. Her typical foes tended to rely on brute **** and deception to get the better of her, so she wasn't quite prepared to deal with someone who could outdo her in a fair fight.

Huh... the mayor spared no expense this time around... she thought morosely.

The cloaked figure wasted no time as it removed its foot from her chest and flipped the sheriff over into a face down position. Texas couldn't see what it was doing, but she could feel her wrists and legs getting tied up. She began to speak out in defiance towards the mysterious figure, but a gag slipped over her mouth the moment she opened it. The bounty hunter then slung her over its massive shoulder and made its way out of the mine.

Texas shuddered at what was to come. She had been beaten handily and was being delivered to Mayor Vivian's doorstep. The irony of this situation wasn't lost on her, as she remembered having envisioned this scenario but in reverse. She could only imagine what sort of twisted games that sinister lynx had in store for her, but before she could even steel herself for the horrors that awaited her, things took an unexpected turn.

The cloaked figure walked right past the mayor's office. Texas raised a brow and glanced down at the bounty hunter in confusion. She tried to inquire as to wear it was taking her, but she could do little more than mumble with the gag in her mouth. She was carried away from Vivian's office and eventually out of Gold Springs altogether. Texas began to wonder if they'd ever reach their destination, though it wasn't long before the bounty hunter came to a sudden stop. The sheriff raised a brow and looked forward, her confusion only doubling at what she saw.

It was a trailer. A double wide, two story trailer parked out half a mile outside town. Judging by the size of the door, it was clearly intended for use by larger attendants, like her assailant. For someone physically imposing, she wasn't expecting this to be its base of operations.

The bounty hunter opened the door to pitch black, though it must've been used to the dark as it entered and shut the door behind it, leaving them in complete darkness. Texas yelped as her bound body fell to the floor with a light thump. She wanted to complain about the shoddy treatment, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. She was trapped, alone and in the dark with no way to defend herself. With Vivian she knew to expect the worse, but she had no idea what this stranger had in store for her.

She heard the click of a light switch and as the darkness dispersed the sheriff finally got good look at her surroundings. Once again, the sheriff was surprised by what she saw. Her trailer had a rather homey feel to it, with floral wall paper, potted plants, bookshelves, two sofas, a coffee table and several photos adorning the walls. It was just so... normal looking, not at all like she was expecting.

She was so absorbed in her environment that she didn't notice the figure reaching down until she felt its hands graze her neck slightly. She felt the gag slip out of her mouth, though the binds around her limbs remained. With her ability to speak given back to her, she decided to try and reason with this mysterious stranger.

"L-look, ah don't know what Vivian's payin' ya but--"

"Paying me?" the figure responded, its voice so light and feminine that Texas was completely struck silent. "No one's paying me, ya silly goose! I took this job for free!" it said before letting out a cute, snorting laugh. Texas stared up at her blankly. Today was just full of surprises for the sheriff.

"Hold on, let me get settled in a bit"

The bounty hunter undid her cloak and tossed it to the side, finally exposing herself to Texas. Her attire beneath the cloak consisted of a pair of denim jeans stretched their very limit by her thick hips and a tanktop that barely seemed up to the task of containing her massive breasts. How this woman managed to hide such features with little more than a cloak was a mystery to Texas. She then removed her mask, revealing a plump, youthful face with large buck teeth and a cute button nose.

"Much better! Now let's get you nice an' cozy" she said as she reached down and hoisted the sheriff up by the scruff of her neck and gently sitting her down onto a sofa. "Which doya prefer, tea or coffee? If ya got a hankerin' fer some hot chocolate, I got plenty of it!" she giggled as she stepped into her large walk-in kitchen. As she turned her back to the sheriff, Texas' could see the large flat beaver tail wagging behind her.

"C-coffee's fine..." Texas stammered as she fidgeted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what to make of this bizarre woman, but her overly friendly demeanor put her even more on edge. In her experience, the friendlier the criminal the more like it was that they had a screw loose in their heads. Still, the sheriff couldn't help but be curious by her eccentric behavior and was tempted to stay and see what she had in store for her.