Help a Brother Out

He felt like utter shit. His body ached. His muscles protested at every slight movement he made. Callahan slowly blinked open his eyes to a bright view, the golden rays of the rising sun sending streaks in every direction. "Ugh, I wanna die." He groaned as he sat up, wincing as his bones popped with the movement. The man leaned his head up to stretch his aching neck. Cal could almost hear Rena laughing and calling him an old man, though he was only a year older. God, he missed her. But now was not the time to reminisce.

Callahan rose to his paws, carefully raking his gaze over the open fields. It almost looked like home. Almost. The gang was gone. Holt was missing, and so was Mack and Wess. Everyone was gone. His family, his purpose. Just gone.

God was playing a game, pulling him from the gang when he was needed the most. Threw him into this place without a chance to say goodbye. It was a goddamn game they were playing, and he wanted no part of it. He just wanted to go home. Back to his brothers and father. Back to his life.

"No use cryin' like a kid." He muttered as he started to meander closer to the tree line. His nares twitched at a familiar aroma that brought a slim smile to his lips. Deer. Now that the scent had reached him, his stomach howled with hunger. "Might as well get somethin' to eat." Cal murmured as he started to trail the mouthwatering scent. The telltale grunts and snorts led him straight to a lone buck, his small spread indicating his youth. Despite his earlier pains, Callahan easily fell into a crouch, his body immediately falling into autopilot. This was familiar, natural.

Cal remained just behind the oblivious ungulate, the muscles in his thighs tensing as he prepared to launch himself at the buck. With a soft exhale, the man burst out of the brush and made a motion to latch onto the buck's shoulder. "Goddamn!" A muffled shout left the man as he scrambled to keep his hold on the buck. His canines kept their hold on the shoulder as his nails clawed at its abdomen. The buck managed to shake him off and attempted to sprint off into the trees. A frustrated growl left Cal as he pursued, his shoulder shrieking in protest. The damned buck scraped him.

Callahan kept close, jaws snapping at the buck's legs and thighs in an attempt to slow it down. Finally latching onto a hindleg, Cal dragged the buck into a seated position before lunging for its throat. "Give up, dammit!" He grumbled as the buck persisted in writhing in his hold. When the buck finally stilled, Cal released his grip on its throat. A proud smile spread his lips as he moved towards its abdomen. "About damn time." He grumbled as he began to tear into the warm carcass. And it seemed the victorious man didn't quite check his surroundings.

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Fortitude woke with a start beneath a great oak tree. He chuffed, letting his eyes adjust to the surroundings for him, and more so— what woke him up. The sun could be the only perpetrator as it was blinding directly into his eyes... but there was something else. A stir in the air that caused a fraction of mayhem.

A cry of a buck.

Curious, not that he is often, he stood to his feet to track down the sound. Not like it was hard for him. He was a tracker, a keen hunter. He had no other choice but to rely on those senses of his. He'd hunt down the one who was being hunted. There was a voice, too, deep and an accent similar to his. Puzzled, Fortitude knew now that he had to get a closer look. There hadn't been many like him.

What he saw was a buck being overtaken by a man similar to his own size. A coat drenched in russet hues, messy, stoic nature about him. The buck came down after a slight struggle on this stranger's part. He didn't even bother to take a look at his surroundings. Rookie mistake. Fortitude began to close in, too, from the backside of this man. He cried out in victory once the buck fell, only leading for an opportunity for Fort to add his ten cents.

"Good kill."

---

testing out his colors

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Just as the cowboy decided to tear into his breakfast, a gruff voice called out from behind him. A groan left Cal's lips as he rose to face the intruder. He was still recovering from his awakening and the prior hunt, and his body craved rest. Each muscle cried as he turned and stood to his full height, quickly putting on a confident mask when all he wanted to do was lie down.

"Thanks..." He murmured, verdant gaze scanning the man. Cal's voice fell silent as he gauged the other man, almost trying to see what angle he was coming at him from. But Cal felt nothing from the dark man. He didn't have that odd feeling he got from bad men. Men like himself.

"Say, you look like a good feller. Come and share in this kill with me. Might as well rest some, too." His maw split with a smile of good faith as he stepped to the side. Cal was typically wary of strangers, but he had no gang to protect. No woman, no family. Nothing. And if Callahan knew somethin' 'bout being alone, it was always better to have friends than enemies.

Callahan plopped himself beside the down buck, his verdant gaze on the other. He was half-expecting the man to leave or pick a fight, and he was prepared for both. He had fought hard to get his meal, and he'd be damned if some god-awful bastard took it from him. "Name's Callahan. What's yours, partner?"

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Fortitude judged the man to be kind enough. Just the right amount that he'd allow himself the pleasure of marching towards his side looking down at the fresh kill at their feet. Fortitude had been shocked, of course, wondering why the hell he was being so nice to him in the first place. He could count on his paw alone the amount of times a stranger had offered him up a free meal.

"Free meal."

"Y'ain't do nothin' to it, did'ya?" Fortitude would ask with what almost appeared to be...a slight grin. He had watched the man, Callahan he introduced himself as, take down the animal without more than the tooth and claw he'd been born with.

Fortitude knew his vernacular was similar. The informality of 'partner' rolled easily from his tongue. Like a natural.

"Name's Fortitude. Pleasure is mine." Fortitude settled himself near Callahan, patiently waiting for him to take the first bite. "Go on first, it's 'yer kill after all."

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