Chapter 1

The town was filled with them, they had come moths ago but the took more and more with each day that passed. She wore some of their clothes to blend in but the whites and natives looked so different no one was fooled. The floral dress fit her well, her body more muscular than any of the woman she saw on the streets.

The iron horse blared loudly startling the whole town for only a moment. The dust flew over the town like the locust that had cursed them this last harvest. The spring air was humid and the sun beat down, the Texas air was miserable to say the least.

The bag she had was made of buffalo hide, the first one she had killed as a girl. The strap over her one shoulder was heavy as she carried everything she had in there. The train blew it's horn once again as it pulled away from the station not to return for another 6 days.

Mika could feel eyes on her, the judgemental woman, the cranky old men with the flash of lust. She had heard stories of them taking advantage of her kind. She moved into the saloon, which had also looked like a brothel, the smell of whisky and beer filling her nose. She looked around with slight disgust, the pale faced women wearing costumes that barely covering their skin.

This was the only place they sold food besides the bakery which had closed before she had arrived that evening. She sat at a table and the waitress walked up to her with a huff. She wasn't rude but she wasn't kind either. Mika pointed to a man's plate with chicken and potatoes with a few vegetables.

The woman understood the girl walking away while writing something down heading back into the kitchen. Her brown eyes scanned the room, she was glad she was being ignored for once. The woman was quickly back with her food and Mika handed her a few small copper coins, just enough to buy herself the meal.

Music filled her ears along with the drunken laugher of men and women with nothing better to do. She took her time eating, Mika finished her plate and left one last copper coin before walking out into the crisp night air.

The wind bit at her fingers and her nose as she made her way down the dirt rode to the barn where she had left Chief.

The horse was more excited to see her than the boy, Mika almost felt bad to the little guy since he was almost trampled. Her laugh was small but it was loud enough for the horse to hear. The black horse was decorated with white and teal paint making sure no one would mistake it for their tame horses.

The horse had a bitless bridle and that was it, no saddle or anything, Mika never liked saddles, and Chief had bucked her off every time she had tried to use one. They walked out to the main road the only light coming from the moon and lanterns that hung on the buildings.

The door to the saloon opened rather violently as the sheriff and deputy walked out. The deputy couldn't walk in a line while the sheriff looked mostly sober. "You there!" Mika was sure they were talking to her but she didn't pay them any mind.

She heard their footsteps as they stopped down the few stairs of the saloon. "Hey Redskin!" Mika put her hair up and tied it into a ponytail with a piece of leather she had on her wrist. She wouldn't go down without a fight, they didn't know who they were talking to.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and her bod spun around involuntarily. Mika practically growled at them as Chief paused and stomped his foot on the ground telling everyone he wasn't very pleased. Mika was less than an inch smaller then the man, he was probably only 6 feet tall, tall for a white man.

He looked down at her his blue eyes and platinum blond hair almost as light as his fair skin. "What do you think you are doing out here..." He stared at her with an icy glare. There was no mistaking his demeaning tone, he obviously didn't think much of the woman.

Mika played dumb looking around before pointing at herself. "Yes you!" She could tell he was just angry now. "State your business, we don't need anymore trouble from you trash." Mika clenched her fists.

"I think she can understand us.." The deputy slurred. The brunette had messy hair and blue eyes like the sheriff, but his were a bit darker along with his darker complexion.

"Shut up Louis...They aren't that smart" The sheriff barked at them

"Shut up Peter." The deputy mocked back "Just...."

The man didn't have time to finish his sentence before Chief reared on his hind legs making a loud whining noise. Mika had heard it too.

Horses.

And more than just a few.