[Jayneh and Myself!] [Mature Content]

Annalee sat perched atop her black mustang stallion. His pace seemed to match the beat of her heart as she rode alongside her father. The hot sun beating down on her clothed back but bare arms. Wincing slightly as she shifted in the saddle. Her muscles ached and begged for relief. They had been riding since sun up. It was close now to sundown by the position of the sun. Her father had to bring her along on this search because of the recent death of her mother. She thus had no one to take care of her when he was away. It was actually not considered right for a woman of her age to be riding along side her father. She even had a gun. Which was definitely not proper in the society. Suddenly they came upon a big tree.The sky was striped in a pink, and orange pattern, much like the quilt she had at home. Her father eyed the tree before turning in that direction. She followed. Knowing he would probably choose to rest there for the night. Suddenly he stopped. Tilting his head to the side he quickly dismounted. Annalee followed gun drawn. Then she saw what he saw: a young man, hung by the neck across a sturdy branch. Swallowing she felt her breath catch. That's when she realized. He was breathing, or so it looked like. His chest moved slowly and rhythmically in and out as he hung there.

Annalee stepped forward when her father simply stood still. She heard him grumble something about this man deserving to be hung if he was hung now. She glared at her father before looking up at the man. Just about eye level with his crotch area she stepped back a bit before tilting her head. When her father snapped at her to go back to her horse she rebelled and stepped closer to the man again. Shooting her quite annoyed father an angry glare. The petite teenage girl bit her lip trying to decide a way to free the man from this most unwanted death. When she heard the small rasping plea for salvation she knew she had to do something. There was a tone in this man's small voice that made her knees tremble slightly. She was far too short to cut the rope herself. Simply, she would shoot him down. Yes that would work. Aiming her gun at the rope a couple feet above the man's head she squinted and held it steady with two hands. Before her father could disagree with this action a deafening shot filled the air. The rope frayed and broke, snapping and leaving the man on the ground. Annalee's father grunted and swore several times as he yanked her away from the injured civilian..

Peter - Annalee's father - looked down at the man. Eying him curiously he then moved closer and kicked the man's side with his boot. Annalee's eyes widened and she dropped down beside the young man. Gently sawing at the rope with her pocket knife. Her father pulled her arm gently and she brushed him away. "Just let me save one life father." She mumbled before continuing working to get the thick rope cut all the way through. Once she had succeeded she carefully slid it away from his neck and wiped the blood from his lip with her tiny delicate fingers. Biting her lip she heard her father as he paced back and forth muttering strings of curses as he did so. She was so headstrong, she didn't care if her father left her and went back home. There was something about this man, she had seen it in his eyes. He was decent, now if only he was alive. Gently she placed her small hand on his chest and felt the slow thumping of a heart. Letting out a small sigh of relief she used the hem of her skirt to slowly and quietly wipe the rest of the blood from his wounded face.

Annalee winced mentally when the man began coughing violently. Watching him with her ice blue eyes she brushed her hair out of her face. Gently she laid a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't even proper for her to be so close to this stranger. Never mind touching him. Swallowing her soft eyes scanned over his body to check for other injuries. Thankful she found none that we visible she sighed quietly. Her father mounted his horse and called to her telling her he was leaving if she didn't mount up and leave with him. It was getting too dark to care for a half dead man. Annalee sucked in a deep breath at her father's threatening words and stayed in her place. Not moving an inch. She wasn't leaving this helpless man alone. Not for one second...

The tiny teenage girl swallowed and looked down. She wasn't giving in. Her father was bitter and hardened. She knew he meant his words, but also knew he would come back. Eventually. When the man rolled over she watched him with curious, innocent eyes before pushing her cowboy hat back off her head so it hung off her neck by the little black strings. When the young man looked up at her and their eyes locked she saw a certain certainty in his eyes. They weren't hard, and rough like many of the other men she had seen. When she heard her father's horse gallop away she ran her tongue nervously over her lips and continued to look into the man's eyes. As if she could see into his very soul. Her eyes were so sharp it was as if they could cut into one's soul. "Hi," She finally whispered, slightly frightened for once in her life. But so sure of what she was doing, so positive this man was pure, and he wouldn't hurt her. There wasn't an ounce of fear in her of this man. Simply that if he did die, she would be completely and utterly alone...

Annalee watched him as he stared into her eyes for several moments. When his soft voice replied to hers she felt a small smile playing on her full lips. Eyes searching his for a moment more before he ripped his gaze away rather quickly. Sitting back on her heels feeling rather surprised she then waited as he stumbled about trying to stand up. "No don't move." She told him yanking on his arm gently as she stared up at him. Her eyes held a motherly, wife-like caring glint to them as she made him sit one more time. There was no way they could get all the way back to the village in the dark as it was getting darker by the second. Sighing quietly she brushed her mussed brown curls out of her face and closed her eyes for a moment. This was going to be a rough night. It was getting rather cold also. Like it often did in this terrain at night.

((What type of terrain is it? I forget? Like desert, mountainous, etc?))

Annalee eyed him for a moment. Her ice eyes sharp with knowledge. "No you will not be fine." She said in an almost sassy tone as she stood up and brushed her skirts off. "You sir, will die if I leave you alone. That is one thing, I know." With that she stepped over to him and peered up at him from her tiny height. "And I will not be leaving you alone any time soon." Glancing out at the darkening horizon she swallowed hard and tapped her foot, something she often did when nervous. It was getting too dark, by the time she was halfway to the town it would be pitch black. "Anyways, it takes too long to get back to the town. I'd never make it before dark." She quipped, voice quiet but knowing.

Annalee raised a brow at him and then rolled her eyes. "This is why I hate men." She told him honestly before snorting at her own comment. "You're so stubborn it's insane!" Sighing sarcastically she sat down at the base of the tree and leaned back on her hands. Closing her eyes in the process. In a way that sent the message of: I'm not going anywhere.
Because she wasn't going anywhere. Why would she. It didn't make any sense. The town was two hours away, even on horseback she wouldn't make it that far in time before dark. If only this crazy man would get it into his head that she knew he was a 'good' guy and she wasn't leaving him. She had in mind that she would wait until morning, provided he didn't turn out to be a 'bad' guy. Her judgement was sometimes wrong. If he was a bad guy, she wouldn't be here in the morning. Glancing back up at him she decided to be more optimistic like she normally was and assume he wasn't going to harm her in any way, shape or form. If he did, she had a gun. It didn't look like he did...

((Don't you just love her? ))

Annalee watched him without making it too obvious. But when she realized he was watching her she felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks. Running a hand through her hair she looked down before glancing back up. He was a quite attractive young man... biting her lip she stood up and nodded. He had to be at least six feet. It was slightly odd being so tiny. Most times she absolutely hated being so short. But she did have an advantage. She could get into the fair at a child's rate because she was so small. Sighing quietly she then stood up straighter, "I'm Annalee." She told him sticking her hand out in a completely unladylike manner. Women were never supposed to shake a man's hand. That was one thing. Well now, as she was alone she was going to break that rule of propriety.

((Me too. xD Oh and what does this guy look like? o.o))