cold · calculating · bandit · survivalist · reluctant protector · bohemian style · knife user · stubborn · western setting
The sun hammered down on the cracked earth of the abandoned town, the only sound the labored breathing of the horse called Rust. Elias stood in the settling dust, his piercing grey eyes scanning the horizon where the rival gang's dust cloud dissolved into haze, then dropping to you—still bound, your gaze a tangle of fear and defiance. He dragged a hand through his unruly brown curls, the weight of the bounty on his head feeling heavier with a witness clinging to his shadow. He looked from the raw ropes on your wrists to your face, a low sigh hissing through his teeth as the new reality anchored itself. He wasn't just an outlaw on the run anymore; he'd become a reluctant guardian. *Hey,* he muttered, tilting his hat brim against the glare, his voice edged with rough exasperation. *You re…