Wild Souls

1. Jail

A/N: lmaoo I hate authors notes but i feel the need to point out that my grammar and maybe a bit of spelling is not the best in the world as english isnt my first language, but I hope this is at least readable.

Perhaps it was the call of the adrenaline rush that leads people to become thieves and raiders, or maybe it was the power strip you got from rebelling against established society. Whichever it may be, it had led me to that life full speed ahead once I decided I hated the growing responsibility of adulthood.

Being an outlaw teaches you to be a manipulative, lying little shit and of course I exercised this skill religiously. Today was no different as I threw a pity party for myself in jail, fake crying and making up some story on how the drunk guy from last night falsely accused me of stealing.

"I swear sir, I ain't got any of his belongings on me. He's just a nasty bastard bein' rude to a lady," I forced another tear to emphasize it. I hated playing as the vulnerable, weak little girl but unfortunately living in a mans world requires you to be desperate and in need of a good excuse.

The poor sheriff having heard my angry sobs for the millionth time this past hour sighed as his chair creaked when he stood, jangling the keys to the cell door. He had been skeptical this entire time and I couldn't blame him. Perhaps I had been acting a little too suspicious during my crying sessions but at least it had annoyed him enough to work.
"If I let you go, I better not hear another complaint about you. Understood?" he sounded like a disappointed father talking to his difficult child.

My nod and sniffle was a good enough answer for him, the click of the key turning sending a spark of excitement through my limbs. Freedom was sure delicious after spending the night in a cold cell.

I cautiously stepped out past him once the iron door squealed open. The other prisoner looked like he had witnessed some absolute bullshit, he was there from last night as well but thankfully didn't snitch.

♧♧♧♧♧

Stepping outside and taking a breath of fresh air was almost enough to improve my mood after being trapped in a cell. The faint smell of whiskey and food rekindled last night's memories of a pickpocket attempt gone wrong.

It had been a dumbass move on my part: my hand getting stuck in the mans coat for a bit too long and he had felt the tug of it around his money. Everything went south. I got yelled at and thrown in jail, and he continued enjoying the rest of his night. Asshole.

Crater, my horse, was still in the same place I left him, watching me walk up to him with a curious and slightly confused look. If a horse could look disgusted he definitely held the expression. Probably from the scent of my whiskey and mud stained clothes, and the rust and rot of the jail. Too bad he'd have to deal with it until I found somewhere to stay and clean up a bit. 

The town was soon left behind as I mounted and made my way through, eventually finding a trail and just allowing Crater to choose where we go.

♧♧♧♧♧♧

Nightfall was upon us when I had snapped back to reality and realized we hit a forest like area. We didn't go too far from town, but far enough so that nobody was going to cause us trouble.
The trickle of a small stream was welcome. Something to drink and a small wash would help greatly.

I dismounted and grabbed my bed roll, flopping it down in a random spot before reaching in and grabbing the last clean clothes that I have. Every item of clothing I owned did not last long, always falling victim to my almost daily accidents of getting cut or caught on something, or getting absolutely filthy. Laundry was never my favorite thing to do and so anything that I deemed useless was usually tossed.

The chill air hitting my skin was welcomed as I peeled off the grimy shirt I had been stuck in jail with. Rust and god knows what stained my pants from sitting on the floor.
Those were kept since they weren't badly beat up from last night's incident. My shirt was tossed somewhere near the bank before I crouched down and began scrubbing my face.

My reflection in the moonlight was ignored. I didn't consider myself attractive and I certainly didn't make myself look presentable for any man or public space. I was what I was and I figured if anyone found me pretty then well... that was their opinion. I didn't have much human interaction outside of stealing shit and going to jail so honestly I don't think I'd know how to react. 

Once I was finished I put on my clean clothes and got comfortable on the bed roll, not planning to sleep but to get lost in my thoughts and zone out. I learned how to live with a lack of sleep. It was nice to pass out for hours on end but being one who lives this kind of life teaches you that it's a luxury and not something you can always enjoy. 

I talk as if I'm some majorly chased bad guy but in reality I'm a small scale thief. While it is nice to pretend I'm #1 on someone's wanted list, the reality is I'm more of a pest than a predator so to speak. I look up to those higher up than me because they're badass but I chose to play in the minor leagues of avoiding the law. Less drama and less irritation. Still, the same rules apply to anyone who chooses to shit on the law: many things civilians can enjoy are considered luxuries, and we have to be careful no matter what our specialties are. 

My thoughts raced as I gazed up at the stars. My eyes were slightly blurry and out of focus since I wasn't staring at any one specific star or object, and even though I hated sleeping in vulnerable areas the thought of it still was appealing to my tired self. 

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A/N: yes I'm well aware this was short and boring as fuck but I havent written since like...August 2020 so yeah just take the crumb of content. Ch 2 is in the works and will probably be uploaded sometime later this week