Chapter 6 - Reno

   The group's buffalo mounts were quite the spectacle as they paraded through town toward Reno's home. Still, the residents were kind and gracious as they gave Bradacus directions.
   When they reached the farm, Reno was hunched over tending to a crop of green tobacco.
   “Hail, you hoser!” Bradacus shouted across the tobacco field.
   Reno's head popped up, not believing his ears.
   “Bradacus!” he yelled squinting against the setting sun. “Friends! After all this time!” He dropped his hose and hastened toward his ushanka-ed friend. “What brings you all to my neck of the maple trees?”
   “You mind if we talk inside? Wilko's arm could use some attention.”

   Reno welcomed his friends into his home and sat them at a cozy table made from maple wood.
   “Aural?” he called to his wife. “Think you could stitch up Wilko's arm? He was mauled by a cougar, eh.”
   “I'll gather my things,” Aural said from another room, her voice rivaling Wilko's in sheer sex appeal. When she entered the room, she brought a needle, thread, cotton, and a bottle of alcohol. As usual, she was draped in a long cloth that covered her entire body including her face.
   That was the peculiar thing about Aural. No one in the Glue Crew had actually seen her. She was always concealed by her garments so that only her eyes showed.
   Hell, Brad wasn't sure if even Reno had seen Aural behind that sheet she called clothing. Her appearance was a total mystery.
   But when Aural spoke, all listened, for none could resist the silky caress that was her voice.
   Perhaps it was for this reason she chose to hide herself. If people caught sight of her, they might not be able to resist her captivating allure. As a public service, she hid her beauty, ensuring no one other than Reno could be completely enraptured by her.
   “Drink this,” she instructed Wilko, handing him a measure of the alcohol.
   Wilko grumbled. It was no cosmopolitan, but it would have to do.
   She dabbed the cotton to the bottle and began cleaning Wilko's arm. The friends all made small talk while Aural busily inserted stitches into Wilko's cuts.

   “As great as it is seeing you all again, I know you didn't drop by for a friendly visit,” Reno pronounced, getting down to business.
   Bradacus sat back in his chair and flashed him a wide grin.
   “Glue production, eh? What else would it be?” Reno stood up and paced about the kitchen. “I must tell you, I'm a farming man now,” he explained, motioning toward his acres of tobacco and assorted crops outside. “Very little interests me more than the fine tobacco I'm growing. I gotta keep it safe, you understand.”
   Pancake nodded knowingly.
   “Hell, I've even given up the gun.”
   “Given up the gun?” Brad asked incredulously.
   “Yup, just using throwing knives now.” He motioned to the full array of knives he wore on his body. He reached for a knife from his belt and threw it expertly at a photo mounted on the far wall. The blade went directly through the picture's eye.
   “I'm sorry you came all this way just for me to turn you down, but I've got a new livelihood.”
   Bradacus was prepared for this possibility. He knew Reno's answer might not be not no. But, he'd been friends with him a long time and knew precisely how to pique his interest.
   “You sure the sound of hundreds of horses being turned to liquid profits doesn't appeal to you?” he asked, just warming up.
   “'fraid that's the case.”
   “What about the squeals of said hundred horses as we extinguish their miserable lives?”
   “Not even that,” Reno replied, though his eyes glowed in reminiscent pleasure.
   Brad shifted in his chair. “Well, I guess I'll have to stop El Rota by myself then, seeing as he's the one guarding all those horses.”
   Reno stopped his pacing. “Pardon me, did you say Rota was guarding the horses?”
   “That's right. Rota and his Beast Rebels of the Hellscape have gone into protecting horses.”
   Reno snorted in contempt. “Protecting them? Those horse lovers!” he shouted. “I bet they fuck them too!”
   Bradacus smiled inwardly. Reno was in.
   “Oh, my Aural,” Reno turned to his wife. “I'll be leaving for a while. Take care and all that.”
   Leaking Pan raised an eyebrow. “That's how you say goodbye to your wife?”
   “She abandoned me for several weeks visiting the Galapagos Islands. She deserves it.”

   The matter settled, Reno gathered his things and together the Glue Crew departed on the three day journey to Chuparosa—but not before Zee managed to sneak a few shots of Aural's alcohol. Mmm, it had a refreshing maple finish.

Chapter 5 and 1/2 - It's Still Different Up North

   Leaking Pan's buffalo galloped at full speed to catch up to his party.
   “We're being followed!” he yelled once he reached Brad.
   “What? Who?” Brad asked startled.
   “That woman dressed in black back at the saloon. I don't know why she's following us, but she is. She fled when she saw me.”
   Bradacus considered what he'd been told. Should they try and track her? No, it would only delay their arrival and they needed to meet with Catalysts and Wikki Wald on time.
   “Keep a look out for her, but we need to continue to Reno's. We've got a schedule to keep.”
   Leaking Pan understood.
   “Nothing to do but press on, gentlemen. Be alert!”
   They rode on in silence, wary for her return.

Day 3

   Morning dawned and there was still no sign of the blue-haired ninja. Was she still following them? Had she left for good?

   As they rode, the treeline changed and Pancake suggested a lunch break.
   “See these?” he asked as he dismounted. “These are maple trees. Watch this.”
   Pancake removed his knife and fashioned an impromptu spigot from a branch. He hammered it into the base of a tree and a thick, brown liquid poured from the spigot and into Cake's outstretched cup.
   “How did you know that?” Burning Zee asked.
   “You kiddin' me?” Cake responded surprised. “Did you think a guy named Pancake wouldn't know a thing or two about maple syrup?”
 
   A vicious snarl erupted from the trees as a cougar sprung from hiding, knocking Pancake to the ground and leaving him unconscious. Wilko rushed to Pancake's aid but was batted away with massive paws and vicious nails.
   When the cougar spotted Bradacus, it was struck with overpowering desire. It turned, devoting all its attention to him, pouncing and leaping, hitting on him any way she could.
   Burning Zee was already up a tree. He jumped from its branches, landing squarely on the cougar's back. He rode the cougar like a wild man, getting swung to and fro, an enormous grin on his face as he tried to tame the pussy.
   Brad pulled his revolver from its holster, hoping to get a clear shot at the cougar while it leapt about with Zee on its back. Trying to shoot the cougar without hitting Zee was damn near impossible.
   Near impossible, he reminded himself as he ran his fingers across his ushanka for luck. 
   Looking down the sights, he pulled the trigger and sent a deadly bullet to whoever stood in its path.
   A horrible scream escaped Zee's mouth.
   “Why, Bradacus?” he shouted in pain as the cougar fell to the earth dead. “I was just about to conquer that beast!”
   Brad shook his head, the corner of his mouth cocked in a half grin. Burning Zee sure was one of a kind.

   Leaking Pan emerged from the forest, pulling up his zipper. “What did I miss?”
   Brad pointed.
   Pan looked at the cougar's corpse and blinked. Apparently he missed a lot in that short absence.
   Pancake came to and Wilko helped him to his feet.
   “Those cuts will need proper mending,” Pancake said to Wilko, noticing the large wounds the claws had made on his arm.
   Wilko looked at his bloody arm. “Bloody ripper!” he exclaimed. Because of his accent, no one could tell if he was swearing or shouting in excitement.
   “This horse glue will stop the bleeding temporarily, but you'll need stitches.” Cake applied a generous amount to Wilko's arm. “That oughta last until we find some.”
   “How much you think it'll cost?” Brad asked.
   “I'd say about tree fiddy.”

   By evening, the glue men arrived in the small, farming village Reno called home. Kanadia. As they rode through town, the villagers waved and smiled. Why were the people so friendly and inviting? It was strange and Brad didn't like it.

Chapter 5 - It's Different Up North

Day 1

   Brad squinted his eyes against the setting sun. They'd ridden all day, one day closer to reaching Reno in the north. He dismounted from his buffalo, as did his trusty companions, Leaking Pan, Wilko Nine Shot, Burning Zee, and Agitated Pancake, hastening to set up camp.

   Even though it had only been a day's ride, the air was noticeably cooler, the area quieter. It was a change from the heat and noise Brad had grown so accustomed to in Chuparosa. The difference immediately put him on edge.

   “Oi!” Wilko shouted, noticing a torn strap on his saddle. “I won't be getting far when this rips apart!”

   “I can fix that,” Pancake told him confidently, his brown fro bobbing up and down as he set to work. “Have it done in a jiffy.”

   Wilko watched as he worked. Cake was a handy man to have around.

   Zee started a fire and regaled his comrades with songs of love, loss, and horse slaying, while a pot of chili simmered on the fire.

   Bradacus smiled as he imagined the horses in Zee's song being ground to high quality glue.

   Leaking Pan was unusually quiet as he enjoyed his chili. He couldn't shake the feeling someone was following them, probably even watching them this very moment.

   “I've gotta take a leak,” he announced, walking away from the fire and into the woods. There were so many trees here. It would be easy to hide among them. He strained his eyes in the darkness, hoping to discover some shadowy figure hiding nearby.

   If there were someone, he couldn't see him, or her.

Day 2

   The group awoke and Brad set to making coffee. When it was ready, he sipped his steaming mug and sighed in pleasure. Aside from glue, coffee was truly the nectar of the gods.

   Without wasting time, the glue men broke down camp and continued their ride toward Reno. They still had two more days to go.

   “Brad, I'm gonna fall back for a bit. I'm afraid that chili isn't agreeing with me,” Leaking Pan lied, gingerly patting his stomach for dramatic effect. “I'll catch up in a bit.”

   Brad nodded his ushanka and continued riding with his crew as Pan fell back.

   Leaking rode his buffalo off the trail and into the thick forest. When he knew it was hidden from view, he tied it to a tree and double backed through the forest on foot, the better to stay hidden. He had to be sure no one was following them.

   Climbing up a large pine, he waited in the branches for someone to come down the trail.

   Sure enough, a lone rider dressed in all black came along shortly.

   When the figure rode just below him, Pan sprang from the tree and tackled the pursuer, knocking her off her horse.

   They rolled together in the dirt, struggling for position. Finally he overpowered her, the two of them breathing heavily on each other's faces as he held her pinned to the ground.

   “You!” Leaking Pan shouted, realizing this was the same ninja from the saloon. “Why are you following us?”

   The ninja squirmed, straining to break free of Pan's grasp, but his grip was too strong. All she managed to do was free her beautiful blue hair from her mask.

   “Answer me!” he shrieked. Her blue eyes complemented her hair perfectly, he noticed.

   The ninja took advantage of Pan's momentary distraction. Her knee crushed into his groin as she pulled him to the ground. In an instant, she rolled to her feet and leveled a long katana blade over his throat.

   “Make it quick,” Pan said simply, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.

   But instead of the sound of his death, he heard the patter of small footsteps running away. He opened his eyes to see the woman fleeing toward her horse. Without breaking stride, she leapt atop her mount, snapped the reins, and was gone.

   Pan scrambled to his feet and sprinted into the forest to retrieve his buffalo. Brad needed to know immediately.