Lone Wolf

The man with the violin case sat patiently in silence, his face blank except for a casual expression, and he didn't even look at the others who were looking at him understandably.

"Look at this. It's the Shadow Rider. This is the first time he's spent more time in our town than usual."

"He reportedly rescued a girl who had fallen into a deep hole. It's incredible; for someone who he prefers to work alone."

As the residents of the village stared in awe, Natan, also known as the Shadow Rider, held a bounty poster and scrolled it together, only to give Tim's buddies a dubious gaze.

"Sir, here's your meal." Natan thanked quietly, then stood up and walked away from the counter, only to be interrupted by Tim, who yelled with delight and raced to the front of his view.

"Aren't you the coolest person on the planet?! You seem to have spent a lot of time on this island, and given how cool you are, you should definitely join us on our journey across the sea!"

"Tim, you dingbat! What exactly are you up to?! Do you know how to approach someone in a less blunder-prone manner?" Karisa claimed and ran closer, then put her palm on Tim's cheek to shove him to the side with an annoyed expression.

"Sorry about this sudden commotion. Please don't hold it against him, he just overreacted." Tim continued to speak with his cheeks pushed together by her palm, his speech barely audible, while she remained still and embarrassed by his approach. "What are you doing?" Natan stepped to the side and proceeded on his way through town, hearing Tim's question, without giving them any response. "Where're you going?"

Tim then scratched his head, puzzled, and spoke nonsense. "I guess he didn't hear what I said. I suppose I should ask him again-"

He pushed forward but couldn't go very far before Karisa grabbed his arm and began tugging him back.

"Will you please quit being so dumb? Let him leave if he doesn't want to talk!"

"Absolutely not! I heard he's a musician, in addition to a gunner, and I'd like to hear some music!"

"How are you so persistent! You can always find another musician, just let him go!"

Tim continued to run on place, but he began to lose sight of him, and he became aware of Natan's disappearance into the woods, where he was swiftly let go by Karisa's grip.

The wind blew in unexpectedly, lifting Tim's hood over his head, which he calmly grabbed with a serious expression expressing his emotion. He fell silent for a few seconds, and furious at the prospect of losing Natan off the sight, he quickly changed his mind once steam began to run from his nose, in addition to yelling aloud.

"Come back! I need you on board!" Karisa was gripping her knees and breathing heavily as he sprinted through the town streets, following his tracks. "You can't be serious, can you? Tim, can you just leave him alone?!"

The remainder of the group remained calm and unconcerned, with Codey being the only one who kept his arms crossed.

"Karisa, forget about him. When he sets his mind to something, he won't give up until he succeeds. Let's give Ayuka a visit and check how she's doing."

Karisa moaned with displeasure, but accepted Codey's words and held the side of her face with her hand. "I suppose you're correct... Fine' let's go..."

Ayuka came through the doors with a shocked expression and instantly grinned with relief after a loud knock. With palms squeezed together and a loving emotion obvious in his eyes, Elliott shoved his way through the others.

"My love, I've found you! I nearly fell into depression as I couldn't see you, but now we're reunited, the sore beauty that you introduce yourself with."

Since Ayuka smacked him to the side, he couldn't finish his sentence.

"You're all in good shape. It's wonderful to see you all again, phew."

However, when she realized Tim was nowhere to be found, she became alarmed and inquired, at which point Hiro approached behind her with an intimidating expression, forcing Elliott and Nina to shudder on the spot, both terrified of him and gulping at the end.

"Oh, this is Hiro, right here. He was the one who welcomed me and explained some crucial facts that we all needed to know."

"I'm aware of him. He was the one who told everyone in town that we weren't a threat."

"That's him, but where has Tim gone? Is he still missing or has something happened to him?"

"Well, he was too stubborn to let Natan go in peace, so he pursued him like a fool to try and recruit him."

Hiro was startled and looked at them, as if he was concerned by something. "Natan was here in the town? I had heard he had rescued someone, but I hadn't expected him to stay in town for so long."

"He actually helped me when I got stuck in one of the holes. He took me to a doctor a few blocks away, who was also the guy who told us about where you lived."

"That's fantastic. You rarely see him. It's virtually a miracle that he stayed here for more than 10 minutes." Nina's eyes, shook as she gripped her ears and screamed in terror, while the rest of the group immediately prepared for war.

"H-Hey, what the hell is it, Nina?! Tell us?!"

As she screamed in the air with uplifted arms, her eyes began to cry up.

"I completely forgot to express my gratitude for everything he accomplished!" People and her companions gave her an unimpressed look as her words resonated across the woodland. "You scared the very daylights out of me. I was under the impression that something else happened, something bad."

"This *is* bad! Don't you see?! I'm going to hell because I didn't thank him when I got the opportunity! It's all done now, so make sure my death is not forgotten!" She slumped into her bottom and began gripping her knees while silently weeping quietly.

"Talk about over reaction..."

Tim screamed nonstop as he ran into the woods with a furious expression on his face.

"Where are you, Natan?!"

He came across three paths and hurried straight on without stopping to read the signs.

"Join my crew!"

As he raged and screamed his way through the woodland, he came to the same three-path region and sped past the path he had previously run.

"Which path did he take?! Darn it!"

He came racing from the same path through which he ran through first, and continued to run back to the town without realizing it, but instead of reaching there, he started drifting through the forest utterly randomly, without even knowing where he was going, while the dust from his speed was visible in the sky.

"This has gotta be the right direction!"

"Never mind, it has to be this one!"

"I swear I was here before!"

"Aha, found it!"

It had been a couple of hours since he ran past nearly every corner of the island, but he was still unable to locate Natan or find his way back to town, while it was also, getting cold.

Finally, exhausted, he came to a halt and took a breather through his nose before continuing on to the island's edge.

"How did I end up back here?! I was so sure I was on the right track!" He began groaning and walking slowly backward, but then he came to a complete stop and yawned.

"Nap time..." With a smirk on his face, he gently slid to the floor and began snoring on the floor. "This beef is excellent..." He drooled from his mouth as he dreamed.

With a violin case visible in the light, a black cloak flowed in the forest breeze. In the front, a castle was built, and finally, the bounty hunter known as Natan the Shadow Rider uncovered a likely hiding of Clawford, the nasty pirate who has been responsible for countless abductions in recent months.

Nobody could help Natan, and the most of our heroes were stranded in town, with Tim being the only one who was near to Natan but still asleep.

The struggle to stop Clawford would eventually take place, and the bounty would be easily awarded to whoever beat them. Clawford with a $28 million bounty on his head.

"Clawford, the 'Claw Hand' Pirate. Today, I believe, is our rendezvous. Allow me to demonstrate you the service of what it's like to listen to depressing melancholy music..." The bounty poster soared across the skies as it immediately flew from Natan's pockets.

He took a step forward in the hopes of finally defeating Clawford, who had been gazing with a menacing expression. Despite knowing that there would be a fuss, he looked to be aware of Natan's presence and remained calm.

To be continued...