They're through the doors before Ace can say anything. He hears the shouted warning from behind him and has just enough time to think dizzily that it's all over before it's even begun. This is where it ends, he realizes, ends with the jailhouse and the noose or just a bullet in his back when he tries to run. He turns slowly, not wanting to see what he knows will be waiting for him, the law and the guns and the end of the line.
"Holy Mary mother of God."
There's a bear. There's a bear, just wandering down the street. It's huge. Ace has seen bears before but nothing like this. The sheer size of it is mind-boggling and it's just calmly walking forwards as though it hasn't got a care in the world, like it's just out for a stroll, each enormous paw setting down easy in the dirt. Paws which could take his head off without even trying, he thinks distantly and fights the hysterical laugh that wants to bubble up in his throat, feet frozen to the ground in terror.
It's Arrow who finally gets him moving again. He hears the scramble of ironshod hooves and a high screaming neigh as she catches the scent of the massive predator. He turns without even thinking, instincts taking over as he darts to her side and grabs for her reins, but it's as he's dodging panicked hooves and trying to soothe her that he realizes what's going on.
A blessing in disguise. When it comes down between bank robbers and bear it's the bear they're all looking at, and it could just give them an escape. Salty and Beaut aren't panicking the way Arrow is (stupid mare, damn fool mare, he curses her in his head) and although the other two mounts are shifting uneasily and pulling at their ties they don't look like they're about to try and take off. They can still get out of this.
He's in the saddle in moments. Arrow rears but he presses himself onto her neck, sticks close, and when she comes down she bolts like she's been shot. It's all he can do to wheel her around so they're headed in the right direction and he has barely a moment to look for Kate -- still standing but she'll get going, he knows -- before they're off.
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"Holy Mary mother of God."
There's a bear. There's a bear, just wandering down the street. It's huge. Ace has seen bears before but nothing like this. The sheer size of it is mind-boggling and it's just calmly walking forwards as though it hasn't got a care in the world, like it's just out for a stroll, each enormous paw setting down easy in the dirt. Paws which could take his head off without even trying, he thinks distantly and fights the hysterical laugh that wants to bubble up in his throat, feet frozen to the ground in terror.
It's Arrow who finally gets him moving again. He hears the scramble of ironshod hooves and a high screaming neigh as she catches the scent of the massive predator. He turns without even thinking, instincts taking over as he darts to her side and grabs for her reins, but it's as he's dodging panicked hooves and trying to soothe her that he realizes what's going on.
A blessing in disguise. When it comes down between bank robbers and bear it's the bear they're all looking at, and it could just give them an escape. Salty and Beaut aren't panicking the way Arrow is (stupid mare, damn fool mare, he curses her in his head) and although the other two mounts are shifting uneasily and pulling at their ties they don't look like they're about to try and take off. They can still get out of this.
He's in the saddle in moments. Arrow rears but he presses himself onto her neck, sticks close, and when she comes down she bolts like she's been shot. It's all he can do to wheel her around so they're headed in the right direction and he has barely a moment to look for Kate -- still standing but she'll get going, he knows -- before they're off.