Here, in the West, it's a lawless place with no one to keep the order, except for the Riders who try to keep the Outlaws in check. And lately in the town of Slitterfil, it seems that Outlaws have over run the town. But the mayor managed to get a message away to a near by Fort, begging for the help of the one Rider he knew could help. Link, the most lawless Rider out there. He never laid a hand on innocents, but Outlaws had better beware of stoking his tempter, because he plays by his own rules.

And when Link got to this town, he met a woman that would toss all that to the wind. This is their story.

Name: Link Stilton
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Occupation: Rider
Personality: Link isn't really all people think he is, he's actually childish and really bratty when he wants to be. There's an innocence in him that most don't notice, and he is ever kind and giving to those in need. His sense of justice is very strong, and he'd rather be known for killing the evil that could come back than driving them off and having them come back. So he's a good guy all the way around, but pigheaded and needs the love of a good woman, because that's the only way this man'll ever settle down. He'll find her one day, but for now, he's on his way to Slitterfil.

Name: Nia Philand
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Occupation: N/A
Personality: Nia is a spoiled little daddy's girl, with no regard for anyone but herself. She's finally reached marrying age and had her eyes set on Link, he became engaged to her through trickery of her own and now he's on the run. Using her daddy's money, she has hired female mercenaries to help bring him back. Though she may play at it, she is as far from innocent as a virgin could be. She had currently gotten ride of more than a few females who had given Link comfort along the way of his journey. She seems to always be ten steps behind him, until she gets wind of Slitterfil being attacked, and she knows that's where he'll be. She is going to get him this time.

Name: Hazel Otekah
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Occupation: Rancher/Homesteader
Personality: Hazel is the daughter of an white elementary school teacher and a Navajo rider. Both of them were killed by outlaws when she was seventeen. She now owns her own ranch here in Slitterfil. ( It's one of the smaller ones because she is female and half Native American.) Hazel is kind and quiet, with a strong and unspoken understanding of others' and their hardships. However, she generally does not speak up unless someone threatens those she cares for. She is gifted with horses, and spends most of her time outside riding. She has a couple of ranch hands that she "adopted" named Clarence and Gad. They are both young men and a couple of years younger than her.

Name: Jack Lee Vance
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Occupation: Outlaw
Personality: Jack goes by "Vance" rather than his first name. He is the head of a group of outlaws occupying Slitterfil, secretly hired by the wealthy Mr. Crawford to hustle cattle belonging to other ranchers. In this way, Mr. Crawford hopes to keep his ranch's earnings the highest in town. Vance is a crazy murderous bastard, a womanizer, and handsome like the devil. He has six cold-blooded killers working underneath him.

(Gomen, I thought it posted... Sigh now all over again!)

Link grinned playfully as he rode into the town of Slitterfil, atop his stallion, Spirit, the horse had a mind of its own and tended to act how it wanted. He just sighed and shook his head as he dismounted and hooked the horse to a post and asked it to wait, some people gave him a strange look, but he just shrugged it off. There was nothing wrong with him, nor Spirit, people just didn't understand them. He smiled as she knocked on the door and entered into the mayors office. The man wasn't in sight but he could hear his voice, he hoped that the man wasn't really foolish or selfish and cared about these people. He hated killing, but he hated evil more. He was going to make sure to rid this town of the evil that had taken root, after all. Wasn't the the Outlaw's Law in these parts, the specialist on cleaning up the trash and making sure that everyone was safe. No matter the number of people who found his methods deplorable, they couldn't deny that he got his job done as quick and clean as possible, else he wouldn't be who he was. The grin on his face shifted to cold and hard in an instant, remaining there without much change as he waited patiently for the mayor to make his appearance.

"I think I heard someone come inside," A quiet female voice said from the mayor's office.
"Oh! It's like I was telling you, Miss Otekah, I'm getting old. I can't hear things like I used to! And I forget things, like appointments! I wonder if that's Mr. Stilton? I was expecting him today."
A portly gentleman with a mustache and a gray suit appeared in the doorway. At the sight of the cowboy, his lips spread into an enormous, friendly grin. This was Mr. Harold Clancy, the mayor of Slitterfil. He'd inherited the position just as everything in town had gone to hell. Terrible luck, really, for a well-meaning man with a good heart. He had very little power in comparison to Mr. Cantrell with his pockets stuffed full of money.
"Good day, sir! Are you Mr. Link Stilton? Allow me to introduce myself--I'm Harold Clancy, but you can call me Harold. Everyone does."
The mayor glanced back into his office, laughing and gesturing wildly towards someone out of sight.
"Miss Otekah, why are you hiding in there? Come and say hello!" he insisted.
A moment later, a slight-framed woman of average height appeared at his side. She had an olive complexion and black wavy hair drawn back into a ponytail. A single, thin braid hung loose to the left of her face. A brown spotted feather was tied to the end of the braid by means of a few colored beads. The woman averted her grey eyes, clearing her throat shyly. "My name is Hazel," she said softly. "After the mayor fills you in, I'll show you around town. I'll be outside." She moved past the cowboy, dressed like a man herself--boots, trousers, and a buttoned-up blouse with the sleeves rolled to the elbows.
The mayor clapped his hands together. "Well, let's get down to business! Come in, please." He gestured to a chair opposite his desk, and then seated himself with some obvious effort. His joints were bothering him.

"I'll be out in a few Miss Hazel." he called after her. Then he turned to the mayor and took his hand and shook it before standing before his desk with an air of assurance about him but there was no malice or ill intent in his stance. Ge smiled openly and leaned against the desk with his hands. "I'm here because of your message, and am glad to help. My fee is cheap, and will be negotiated after all is said and done. If the town is rich the price will not be affected, the only affect of the price is how I view you Mr. Mayor and you seem like an upstanding guy, so it will remain low. Just tell me exactly what you want me to do." he said softly, with a reassuring smile, hoping that he didn't frighten the man, he was a small guy, only a little shorter than him. He reminded him of an old man who loved and helped everyone.

Mr. Clancy blinked a couple of times, clearly taken aback by the man's upfront attitude and confidence. However, despite behaving as haughtily self-assured as he did, the mayor did not find anything outright wrong with him. The man was fairly tall, and had an impressive physique for someone so young. Harold could see that Mr. Stilton could hold his own in a fight, and did not need to witness one to know. And, if his words were anything to go on, he had an incredibly strong sense of justice. That was important for his line of work, and even more important to the wronged citizens of Slitterfil.
"Please, sit," Mr. Clancy insisted, laughing. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly. "I marvel at your enthusiasm towards helping strangers with their troubles, but it comforts me greatly. I am glad that you answered my message, Mr. Stilton." The mayor rifled through a drawer in his desk, retrieving the preliminary contract he'd drawn up for the cowboy.
"Here you are," he said, sliding the small stack of papers across the desk towards Link. "It's all written there. In summary, we have a group of outlaws terrorizing the local ranchers. They are hustling cattle, and we can't seem to ID their leader. We know he hangs around town gathering information, but there are no real suspects. There are a lot of delinquents and rowdy men in Slitterfil. Lots of people pass through here. Or regulars. It could be anyone."
Mr. Clancy sighed deeply, clearly worn from it all. "Your job is to find their leader... Or figure how to chase the outlaws off. I tried contacting the state government to help, but..."
He shrugged. "We also think they may be working someone. Someone who lives here. Why else would they be so interested in the cattle? Anyway, if you'd sign here on the line...This guarantees compensation on completion of the job."
He reached into his front suit pocket and offered a pen.

"The state doesn't care so long as their railroads are built and their pockets filled. I don't mind helping out, but I would also like to add the right to deny any monies as compensation. I would also suggest a safe place for villagers to hole up together if things get too rough. And my will to help stems from a want to be helped, no one really helped me as a child, so I figured if I help others maybe I'll get a little in return." he smiled gently as he wrote his own clause onto the paper, and signed. "It was an honor to meet you Mr. Clancy," he said removing his hat. "I look forward to seeing you again."

He stepped out onto the porch and smiled at the slight woman standing there in man's clothing. "Hello Miss, you're my guide right?" he said softly, smiling and hanging his hat from his holster belt and trying to appear trust worthy, he didn't want to scare the woman in front of him, maybe because she looked so fragile.

The right to deny monetary compensation? Mayor Clancy marveled at the added clause. But if Mr. Stilton really ended up working for free, satisfied only with the knowledge that he'd helped others in need, then he was practically a saint. "Thank you so much, Mr. Stilton," he replied with awe, shaking the cowboy's hand and walking him out with a smile of his own. "Have a wonderful day! Hope to hear from you soon." Once he'd seen Stilton greet Otekah, the mayor returned to his office to begin the paperwork for the week.

Hazel hadn't bothered to sit down while waiting. When Link Stilton came onto the porch, he removed his hat and smiled warmly. Perhaps he wanted to seem gentlemanly or polite, and thus make an impression on the rancher. A smart move, considering his purpose in Slitterfil. It would do no good for them to hire a corrupt rider to pursue the outlaws. Then again, perhaps his intention had been to set her at ease. Men often assumed they intimidated women--especially if they lived nomadic, violent lives. But he didn't know Hazel, or what she was capable of.

"I am," she replied, maintaining a relatively stoic disposition. "You don't have to worry about what I think of you, Mr. Stilton. It's obvious enough what sort of man you are already." Something like a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but it disappeared rapidly. "Come along." The woman led him down the stairs and began pointing out buildings as she walked--things like the post office, local tavern, brothel, and general store. "Most everyone lives on the outskirts of Slitterfil and comes in to socialize, send mail, or buy supplies. I myself am a twenty minute ride west. The outlaws have been giving the townspeople hell here for three months so far." She stopped suddenly, turning to face the cowboy. "I'm one of the ranchers they've hustled cattle from." It seemed like a good idea to tell him.

"So is it a good idea to have you involved, both because you have a deep personal connection and because you might be made a target because of that connection." he said plain as day as he followed her looking at the buildings and the few people milling about, talking and shopping. It seemed peaceful enough and he was bit by this odd sense of remembrance, but he shook it off to pay attention to the woman guiding him.

"Is there a reason why you are my guide Ms. Otekah?" he asked, sauntering behind her, slightly amused by her, he wasn't sure why though.

"Mayor Clancy needed someone trustworthy to help you," Hazel said with a laugh. "You don't know the layout of the town or who anybody is. I said I'd be willing to help you out. Even if I have a personal connection, the same can be said of any permanent resident of Slitterfil." She shook her head solemnly, dropping her gaze and kicking at the floor with the tip of her boot. "The outlaws have affected everyone, you see, from the ranchers to the shopkeepers."

She stole a glance toward the tavern and the brothel, snorting comically. The more she spoke, the more her wit became apparent. "Of course, some businesses have been profiting from their presence. We always have newcomers or people who drift into town for a time. But we've had an excessive amount of men going to those places these past three months. There's no way to tell for sure which ones are the outlaws, but I figure if you do some snooping you can pick up something."

Miss Otekah began strolling along again, keeping her pace relatively leisurely so that Link Stilton did not fall behind. "In the meantime, are you hungry? Mayor Clancy told me to offer you lodging. The hotel would be expensive to stay in after a while." The Native American woman appeared to be making a bee line towards a tying post, at which a fine gray stallion stood swishing its tail to ward off flies.

"Are you sure it's safe to lodge as an unmarried woman with and unmarried man? Even if we don't do anything, your reputation might suffer." he said in a neutral voice, watching her as she approached the stallion, which obviously adored her as any male should. She was a gentle soul he could tell and he knew that instinctively, most of the men here had wanted her, and possibly not been so kind about it. They had possibly called her all sorts of names and tried to undermine her confidence, but this proud woman seemed to stand too tall to ever be brought down by the likes of them,

He liked that. He then was taken from his thoughts as the stallion shied away in slight nervousness of him, he had to go back and get Spirit which he'd left tied when he came to the Mayor's office. "We'll have to walk back for my stallion, Spirit." he said before she had a chance to respond to his minor warning.

Hazel freed the stallion from his post, rubbing the palm of her hand along his muzzle before returning her attention to the cowboy in her wake. Link expressed two sentiments--the most pressing one being that he needed to fetch his horse from the front of the Mayor's office. She nodded and led Neol, her stallion, by his bridle. "We can go back," Hazel replied. "It isn't that far away." Slitterfil was a small town, and they hadn't moved a great distance away from the Mayor during the rancher's tour. In fact, most of the main buildings were concentrated around the center of town. The Mayor's office remained within sight at all times. She assumed Mr. Stilton knew this, as he'd been paying close attention to their location.

The other sentiment the cowboy had expressed was one of concern for her and her reputation. Initially, Hazel had wanted to laugh about it. What did she care of everyone's opinion of her? Women were not considered competent ranchers, but she succeeded regardless of that. However, it might be a bit more effective to assure Mr. Stilton in a different manner. "I have two male ranch hands already," Hazel informed him as they walked. Neol's hooves clicked loudly behind them. "The damage has been done, if there's been any. No one will mind you lodging with me. Besides, I have several guests rooms that I've been known to rent out."

"If you say so miss, but don't say I didn't warn you, having ranch hands is different from a hired killer I assure you." he said softly with a bite to his voice, which was unintentional. When he drew up on Spirit, he noticed that the horse was drinking water, and instead of disturbing him, he waited patiently for the moody thing to finish. "You are a pain you know that?" he said softly with a laugh before mounting, Spirit tossing his hear to glare at his rider. Jack smiled and patted his neck as he waited for the woman to mount up too, he'd go into town for supplies later.

"Thank you for your kindness Miss Hazel." he said absently as he thought about how long he'd be staying with the beautiful Indian mix. She was a mystery to him just like all other women, possibly because he had no impure intentions towards them. He only knew how to treat females as family and with respect, no matter what or who they were. It was just in his nature. He shrugged and looked back at the slight woman.