1 Tumble Weeds

He felt the coat of warm dust settle on his deep brown lashes causing him to crack open one eye at the blazing heat swirling through the light, seeping in between the wood boards of the make shift storage shed. Damn bison was last night he murmured in his mind as the rumbling in his stomach creeped in. Heat didnt bother him, so why hell should hunger? Sitting up on that thought, he stretched his long muscular legs out in front him, thankful for atleast room enough to do that, he decided he needed to make the couple steps towards town and find something to quell this ranging storm of hunger. It would be prime time this early in the morning, having Ms. Beatrice and Betsy being early to rise and getting the Inn prepared for the comings and goings of local or just passing by folk. For that, he was again grateful.

Stepping out through the wavering weathered doors, the heavy sun crowned his dirty blond, thick to fine long strands as he patted the desert out of his hair creating tiny dust clouds seeking to reach the heavens. Glancing at his hand, yup, the scar still there, curled around his pinky in a spiral darting midway into his open palm. Nope still nothing, no emotion, no memory, nothing. At that he slapped his hands on cheap leather dusters, adjusted the collar on his long black hide coat, did a little tap of his left studded boot and headed for the Inn. The heat has no effect on him but the wide brimmed cowboy hat given to him by Ms. Beatrice gave him something to focus on when his mind started to waver, and a nice shade for his piercing sunset colored eyes.

Glancing at the small town down the hill from him he smirked. His thin slightly upturned lips held that cocky, attractiveness on the outside, but behind it was just the knowledge that he'd recognized the town for a couple of days now and was bound to run into something exciting. It would be a good distraction and a chance to get around to questioning Ms. Beatrice and Betsy for more answers as to who, what, and why he was here. He owed them alot and for the past 4 days he helped corral some of the local wild life, or passerbiers looking for trouble. He didnt find himself so intimidating but his eyes, kissed by a desert eve tended stop some in their tracks as to an obviousness of him not being local, let alone possibly not of this world. Though his motor functions, common sensibilities and knowledge seem intact, the place and people he came from were forgotten. No body likes to tangle with a pissed off tiger on a leash. When found, his muscle structure flowed like a raging river, and that too, can leave them with impression 'Avoid at all costs'.

All he needed was food, drink and work to keep his thoughts rolling. Why he felt this place must have a purpose regarding his crashing like rocks in a down ward cascade off a cliff to dead center of this little town, was beyond him, but the gut feeling still remained. So in exchange for his outward abilities, he got 3 meals a day and a bath when he was willing to allow Betsy in to make her 'oohhh my' comments between her purring and playful antics with soap bubbles as he bathed. The first 2 days of talking to the four legged cat resembling a small long haired cow had not really fazed him but once the comments would come during a bath, he'd wish his hearing was gone rather then his memory. Ms. Beatrice was Betsy's owner, and as kind as lady you will ever meet, but the moment you start trouble in her Inn, she becomes a beast like no other, in the literal sense and like a mama bear protecting her cub, she has no problem eating you, again literally. To him though, she acted like a mother, clothed him, took him in off the desert concrete and nursed him to health. Providing him with shelter outside of town after the realization that her temper scared him, she promised to help his memory return and allowed him to use the old shack on the outskirts they stored rice and barley in that was imported. In return it would help keep food poachers away. Thinking about this as the sun pushed down harder on him he shook his head in disbelief. This raising another question as he trekked down the short sandy rock hill, what is he, and why does a four legged critter chatting with him and a country bar owner turned raging shebeast cause no alarm in his mind. With that his sandy brows furrowed and he glanced up to see the dust devils playing in the distance and caravans of new commers headed in the direction of the town.

This was common, daily, as supplies were bought in or goods stored for transfer at the Inn till traders satisfies their thirst and moved on. Ms. Beatrice only charged a small storage fee and when goods were left behind or the owners happen to go missing, she benefited more in that regard. She and Besty were the only 2 non humans he'd come across and when asked about more regarding that, she would smile that wide thick toothed smile and say " Give it time, the're plenty of humans around that act like animals, so we should concern ourselves with straightening them out first". Aloof answers is what he would get so instead he focused on grilling her for details on his crash landing in the middle of desert nowhere.

Still gazing at the town as he got closer he started to notice the fancy drapery, the curves and straight lines of the buildings. In his mind he sensed that this place was a mixture of old and new but but never completely one or the other. There were massive sized buildings here and there and other small shops and homes, but they all lined the one desert road reaching the beginning and ending of town. It seems there should have been more, expansion, but this was it. Like a somber painting that turned cheerful and cluttered, then just stopped. Plenty of horses lined make shift stalls and troughs. People scurrying from here to there like a nervous dance. The place was surrounded on all 4 sides by miles of desert, death, and the occasional cactus holding on for dear life. Occasional hills highlighted areas to break up the monotony of it till they hit more desert and on the edge where possibly the world ended, you could see the hazy back drop of tiny mountain peaks giving off the impression that when standing next to them, they reached the heavens. "No desire to go seeking answers through all that" he chuckled to himself.

He could see the Inn entrance, at its rightful place, in the middle of the town. With is pastel yellows and pinks painted on weathered wood terrace and the cherry red INN sign hung above the double blue powdered doors, he felt relief, he recognized it.

Getting closer, he heard it. The high pitched wail and growl combination, Besty's bell in a frantic twinkle, something was happening this early?

Goody, he thought, he needed something to get his blood pumping. Approaching at a quicker pace he got to the Inn just in time to see 2 men rolling through those powdered doors like tumble weeds kicking up dust and spit before they hit Old man Stone's place across the way. Oh this is getting good he thought. Ms.Beatrice stepped out very lady like wearing her thick toothed smile, dressed in a carmel chiffon gown, silver and black curls dangling around her pleasantly plump cheeks. And slippers. It is her Inn after all.

Mr Stone flew through his doors in boxers, socks up to knees clutching a broom, knuckles white. Stifling a chuckle, I walked tward Betsy who was frantically circling Ms. Beatrice, and scooped her up to receive a reassuring purr. "What's going down today?" my words for her ears only. "Traders rather anxious I gather, goods aren't brought out yet, and they seem to want to retrieve them personally. You know madames rule, only one getting anything out once in is her. Pushy lot they are". Besty's southern yet something other tone reached my ears. I smiled. It took me less then a day to understand that Ms.Beatrice does not play the slap and tickle game with traders. When it comes to pushing her, well tumble weeds come to mind.

Just what I needed, and maybe after clean up, i can barter for answers as to why I can only remember the last 4 days and how the hell I ended up in the middle of the desert with nothing but what I had on the day I was born. Not that these 2 fine gents would know, but fun is fun I suppose. (**Future edit and chapters comming)