Fresh Start

(Bounty doesn't care. Bounty doesn't give a crap.)

Silver let out a sigh before taking a few moments to dart across the water from above. He made it quick and did not look down until he was clearly across. He descended much like he did when ascending by lazily circling down until he landed not far from them.

Silver frowned and took a seat, waiting for them to catch up on the other side. He was fine with the distance he had from the water where he was.

Blazer disconnected himself from the cart and went to the river's edge. He put his hoof to a pouch around his neck and called out to Bounty "Hey! Are those things goin' to keep comin'?!"

"Shut up and swim. I don't know if they are! Just get away from them and get over to the other side. Don't try anything stupid!"

He was pulling the darn colt as he sobbed as he swims across. Bounty hated his life right now. He was cold, wet and he wasn't sure if Stonebacks could swim. He figured they couldn't on the fact they got stone bodies, meaning they would sink.

Silver grumbled as he watched them all make their way across. He made no attempt to get any closer or help. All he did was sit and wait.

Trail Blazer was standing on the river bank, nearly dancing on his hooves in nervousness. "I'm on the shore you idiot!"

"Well I'm not really looking at you was I?" He got out the water with the colt as he breathed and kissed the ground. Bounty rolled his eyes by how dramatic he was being about that. "Now how about someone see if the Stonebacks are still coming and let's go check for anypony shaken up or needs a doc. Or the very least a blanket."

Bounty wasn't really in the mood to complaint or be a sass. He wanted to make sure everyone was ok. Then he'll start a problem. His first will be with the 'leader' when all is said and done.

Silver still waited. He was a little over a hundred feet away from the others. That's as close as he felt comfortable right now. Any more and he knew his feelings would betray him. He pulled out his harmonica and started playing to distract himself.

While everypony else was near on the verge of panicking at seeing the stony creatures, Trail Blazer was too, though he at least managed to at least look calm. He and the rest of the ponies breathed a sigh of relief when the running stones turned back way from the water.

Bounty took off his hat and breathed out with relived looks. All's well that end's well I guess. He looked to the ponies all around and they seem like nopony was to hurt as he walked around doing some checks on folks. Bounty was hiding how he was really feeling. To be frank he was a whirlwind of upset and anger. It was all directed at Miss.Cuts. He couldn't even fathom how she got put in charge when it was clear she would more then likely freeze up like that. He wasn't gonna let something like that be forgotten either. Ponies could of got real hurt, which is a risk when travelling the unknown, but when you elect a leader they best be doing there job even as the snuff the fire out of you.

Once he was done he went at once to find Miss.Cuts.

Even from this distance, Silver could tell there was some tension going on. The way Bounty carried himself dropped him a hint. He could care less how stressed out the pony was right now, nor did he wish to close in on the waterside anymore. His harmonica kept playing.

Rough Cut hopped out of the cart and made her way up to the river and Trail Blazer. "Thank you... for saving me Mr. Blazer. I was just so... scared..."

"Don't worry yourself over it Miss Cut. We all have our own ways of panickin'."

She turned to look around at the group. "I suppose you're right... where is that pegasus that helped save me?"

Trail Blazer looked into the running water. "Oh I bet he's still in the sky doin' somethin'. Took off after he dropped you off."

Bounty walks right at Miss.Cuts with a very angry look. "Miiss CUts, best be needing to speak with you this very instant." He was trying to hold in how angry he was, but it was clear as day. His body language was telling the world he was very mad.

He looks over to Trail Blazer. "Could excuse us for a moment? I need to speak to Miss. Cuts and I'm certain that subject should be held to as few ears as possible." Bounty was in no mood or being kind about it or taking no or buts from anypony.

Silver sighed and watched the ponies from under the brim of his hat. He kept on waiting on the ground a bit over a hundred feet away as he played his harmonica. He knew they were recovering, but he was getting tired of waiting. He did not want to have to go over to them. And at the moment, he didn't have a need to.

Trail Blazer calmly put himself between Bounty and the mare. "Mr., I suggest you go have a sit down for a moment."

"Waiting around we make me more angry then I already am so I suggest you take your own advice. I have something important to discuss with Miss.Cuts and I don't have time to sit down and pretend to have calm down."

Bounty was trying his best to stay calm as he explained with a harsher then expected tone for you to leave. Blowing up in front of him will give them the right to stay around and it will make Miss.Cuts and himself look bad if Bounty yells on both of them. It will draw a crowd which is what Bounty would like to avoid. He didn't need ponies thinking bad of him before knowing him to well. Miss.Cuts was gonna answer to him about herself and he wasn't gonna let nopony stop him from speaking his mind about this to her.

Silver watched the scene unfolding. He could barely hear what they were talking about, but he could hear enough.

Silver was a pony that got only into business that was his own. Never getting in the affairs of others if it didn't benefit him. And right now he appeared to be betraying that as he began to take steps toward them.

He had calmed down enough that he felt he could get closer. He knew himself well enough that he knew when any closer might break his poker face. The pony simply trotted up to them, slowing down his step as he approached the upset bounty hunter. His hoof falls became heavier and his spurs rang with each step until finally he stopped about ten feet from them. His eye's regarded the three, sharpened by the sun. He glanced at Miss Cut and Blazer before looking full on at Bounty, letting his silence speak.

While Silver had little care for how things were run here, he knew one thing. That with the kind of character Rough Cut here was, he would probably have a better time 'negotiating' for things from her than a more 'suitable' leader here.

Blazer's resolve strengthened with Silver at his flank. He dipped into a defensive stance, keeping his voice low in pitch. "I think it's best you just walk away, friend." He knew his companion's intentions weren't golden, and from his current standpoint he couldn't immediately see anything Silver could possibly gain from this.

A squeak was heard behind the outlaw and 'former' outlaw as Rough Cut slowly backed away with her head lowered in meekness, very much afraid of Bounty's voice and posture. "I-I-I-I-I-I'm sorry if I o-o-o-offended you... um..... Bounty..."

Bounty eyed Silver as he walked up and he started to realized this was going to have some problems now. Nobody understands how to be civil about anything anymore. He could now peg theses two with a defined word: 'nosy neighbors, with pun intended. Bounty didn't want to make Miss. Cuts look like a fool in front of everypony. But no, theses colts had to be the vanguards to thrashing that idea. Looks like he has to put his hoof down on this bull before it gets anymore out of hand. Also it seems Miss.Cuts able to talk again, which was good for Bounty.

"Look here Trail Blazer." He tone was smooth and trying not to leak out angry though there was a tasteful amount in his words. "I don't know if your doing this because you got some assumption in your head that I'm gonna hit her or something. Maybe you got some kinda crush on her and your playing the knight or something along the lines, but your gonna make things much worst then they gotta be."

He looked back at Miss.Cuts as he speaks up. "I'm not gonna say I'm not steaming because that would be a lie, but I ain't gonna harm you none. I just need to speak to you without the others around. I'm trying to keep this a butterfly's wing flap instead of ruffling everypony up." Bounty was hoping that maybe, just maybe she made up for herself by at least fighting her own battles or maybe she has a serest diplomatic skills in dealing with others. Bounty was getting fed up talking to Trail. He gives him a shred of respect to him for looking him in the eye and standing his ground against him.

Silver kept on starting at Bounty like a pony sitting in a saloon would when a new pony showed up. Both of them seemed to get the impression that Silver was taking a side here. So far he did nothing but stand there and make his presence felt. He could care less on taking a side, but the situation developing here was not one that should happen easily. Plus if Rough Cut were afforded any more comfort with him being there, it was all the more he could use for his benefit when he wanted something in return.

Still, he was wary to make his side clear. Any more and it would start to feel political, and Silver didn't want to owe allegiance to any pony or idea. That part of his life had already come and gone.

With all this in mind, Silver wondered what he really wanted to say. Probably a pep talk or something. He seemed like the kind that would be a sucker enough to try that. Afterall, what use would there be in yelling at a pony for being scared? Was yelling at the ponies to run not enough common sense or did it really have to be from the mouth of the one in charge? Silver mentally smiled to himself. Some ponies just had hissy fits.

Blazer had had enough of this. The more time they spent, well the more time they'd spend here instead of traveling. This pony liked to talk a lot, hopefully he could talk him down without resorting to violence. "We both know you've got nothing civil to say lookin' how you do. Now I'm not goin' to tell you again you sorry airhead, git!" That was the extent of Blazer's knowledge of talking other ponies down he was less than cordial with.

Bounty smirked as he seem to be a lot more confident which he fueled with his anger. It seem this colt hadn't listen to a word he said to him sense he started speaking. It's like he was on automatic reply or the same letter sent back no matter what I send. How he wish he could clock this colt in the face.

"I'll leave if Miss.Cuts tells me too, if not you gotta leave and let me speak with her. Your not the boss and you best stop trying to act like you are." Bounty saw this as another good chance to make Miss.Cuts step up to be the leader. If he showed he was following orders it would look good for her and he could always catch her when those two were busy. Though he was gonna fight tooth and nail to speak with her right now.

Silver grumbled to himself. He could see what was coming. Now things were getting real messy. Things were going to get out of hoof real quick at this rate. Silver debated the uses of stepping in or waiting for a fight to start. Acting now was something he was not a fan of. Maybe a fight now would help them get it out of their systems. So long as no weapons were drawn.

"You colt's need to save it for the campfire. We are sitting ducks on this river bank..." He finally said. He offered little more than that. At this point if it got any worse then extreme measures were next.

This stubborn fool still wouldn't give up. That suited him just fine. He'd run out of words in his arsenal. Trail Blazer snorted and turned to walk away, however instead of walking away he bucked Bounty in the face, propelling him cartoonishly into the river.

Bounty didn't even see the buck coming which Bounty would never let go or let himself live down. He felt the force of the kick knock the wind out of him and felt the sharp cold of the water. Bounty choked water in and coughs it up trying to get himself some bearings as he panics in the water till he got to shore and his clothes hung to wet and he put his soaked hat back on with a the brim hiding his eyes. Bounty just smirked at the colt as his eyes locked to your with nothing, but a animal rage was consuming his eyes. He took a step at you, slowly as he came closer and closer.

The buck had drew all the ponies to watch what was happening. Bounty looked over to one of them which almost passed out from the look he gave him. He turns back to you and keeps walking really slowly towards you.