The Cat Strikes Back
By Brate
Vin Tanner cautiously entered the Saloon, eyes peeled for danger. As a wanted man, he had to be aware of everything at all times, not allowing anyone to sneak up on him, permitting himself no surprises. And there was one man the sharpshooter had to be concerned with at this time: Chris Larabee.
Last time he was in town he'd managed to get the best of Larabee, and he knew the gunslinger would be itchin' for revenge. But he'd rather face the threat head on.
He saw the rest of his friends around the large table near the bar, with an empty seat directly across from the gunslinger. He recalled Ezra had been in the Saloon the day Chris had landed on the ground, and most likely been kind enough to share his sighting with the rest of the group. They, in turn, had surely been more than happy to be on site for Chris' reprisal.
The sharpshooter took a deep breath and dived in; no sense waiting for the punishment. He ambled over to the bar, leaned against it, and signaled Inez for a beer.
"Hey, Pard!" cried Buck. "Nice to have you back."
The tracker tipped his hat at the scoundrel. "Bucklin."
Each of his friends called out their hellos, but Vin remained at the bar watching his best friend. Larabee glanced over the cards in his hand to see the intense look being sent his way.
"You're making me nervous, Tanner. Sit."
Maybe it won't be so bad, Vin thought as he pulled out the available chair and sat down. His descent did not stop as the tampered chair fell apart, sprawling him out on the floor beneath the poker table. Laughter emanated from the bar's patrons, but never rose so loud as to drown out the laughter of his comrades.
"Sucks, don't it, Cowboy?" the blond smirked as he leaned over the table to view his friend upon the floor. After the laughter had died down, six of the seven realized their friend still remained on the ground.
Nathan was instantly concerned. "What's wrong, Vin?" he asked, from his position next to the tracker.
A pained gasp followed from beneath the slouch hat. "I think I hurt m'back."
"Oh shit!" cursed Chris, as he and the rest of the regulators surrounded their fallen friend. The healer was already down checking Tanner out. "Sorry, Pard. It was just a joke," the gunslinger worried.
Vin looked up at his friends' concerned faces and his grimace of pain quickly transformed to a grin. He jumped up and leaned against the counter to watch his friends' reactions.
"Y'all are jest too easy!"
