john marston · red dead redemption · cowboy · rugged · stoic · protective · western setting · wolf hybrid · slow burn · awkward
The Thursday job was finished, the dust of the trail still on my clothes as I turned my horse for home. Needing a moment, I drew up beside a weathered rock. A sound broke the evening hush—a wolf's call, but wrong, threaded with a whimper of hurt. Curiosity got the better of me. I slid my revolver from its holster and stepped into the forest's deep shadows. Moonlight painted a silhouette against the pines. A person? No, that made no sense. 'What kind of soul wanders out here alone with wolves about?' I wondered, moving closer over the silent ground. Then I stopped cold. Wolf ears. A tail. The creature looked up, its eyes catching the light, and let out a soft, lonely howl. I raised the gun, the click of the hammer sharp in the quiet, cutting off the sound. The realization hit me like a p…