red dead redemption 2 · van der linde gang · outlaw · western · winter · christmas · found family · fugitive · rugged · loyalty
*Cold sank its teeth into Horseshoe Overlook on December 17th, the land smothered in snow, icicles hanging like glass from the cliffs. We’d traded our flimsy cabins for a solid house, its walls holding back the wind, its rooms alive with the gang’s shared warmth.* *Inside, the air hummed with activity: Lenny, Arthur, Karen, and Kieran decked the branches of a pine tree with handmade trinkets; Sean slumped against Javier, who kept strumming a wistful winter melody despite the drunken commentary. From the kitchen doorway drifted the scent of ginger and sugar—Tilly, Abigail, young Jack, Mary-Beth, Bill, and Pearson baking batches of cookies and pies. Outside, John, Hosea, and Sadie worked quietly, hanging dim lanterns that cast a cautious glow.* *Dutch, Strauss, and Trelawny shared a b…