Chapter Text
“And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked, and behold a pale horse
And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him”
Somewhere in Arizona, 1867
The Arizona sun is unforgiving, he can feel his brain rattle inside his skull, his vision blurring as the impact of the back of his partner's Colt .45 forces his body to the ground with a harsh thud. A buzzing noise plagues his ears, the beads of sweat dripping down the back of his neck as it fails to cling to his unkempt golden curls. He sits up, reclining his elbows on the rough sand, trying to adjust his vision against the bright rays of sunlight shining down on the desert. The silhouette of Peter Pettigrew holding a gun to his head stands threateningly above him.
“Nothing personal Moony, just good old cash” Peter stares pitifully at him, while their bounty, Lucius Malfoy, stands smugly behind him with his hands still tied behind his back “I know you planned to have this as your last job but, as you’ve probably guessed, higher bid was made to take Lucius East”
Remus holds his tongue and just continues to glare at Peter, who doesn't hesitate to keep talking.
“You know, I really did like working with you all these years. And you're sure as hell one of the best bounty hunters out there. If I wasn't your friend, I never would've dared to cross you like this.” Peter cocks his gun “I'm sorry it had to be like this Moony”
But while his mind scrambles to find an escape plan, someone nearby has already made those plans for him.
From the corner of his vision, he sees a pair of black eyes glisten, hidden among the bushes. He tries to hold in a smirk as he finally responds to the man above him, “It's okay Wormy,” emphasizing the nickname he knows the man hates. “Eye for an eye, right?”
Confusion only gets to appear on Peter's face for a fraction of a second before a black, mangy dog jumps out of the shrubbery and tackles him. Remus takes his chance and reaches for his gun, by the time he stands up and turns to face the traitor, Peter has managed to free himself from the dog's strong jaws and is quickly running away with Lucius in tow.
“Just good old cash.” He says out loud as he pulls the trigger, hitting Lucius in the back of the head, his body falling like a sack of coal to the ground.
“Fuck!” Peter screams in fear as he realizes Lucius has been shot, but his pace doesnt falter, he turns back his head, eyes seething with rage “Fuck you Lupin!”
Remus aims, he knows Peter is too far away by now, but he shoots anyway. The bullet doesn't do anything other than blast Peter's hat off his head, earning him a terrified squawk from the man in question. He clicks his tongue and he lowers his gun; “M’not really into blonds,” he sighs, mockingly responding to Peter's words. “You?” He turns to his loyal companion Padfoot, she lowers her head and opens her mouth, dropping a single finger down on the ground and barks up at Remus. He chuckles and pets her head, “Good girl.”
With Lucius dead and Peter gone, he finds himself standing in the vast emptiness of the Arizona desert. Attempting to regain his composure as best as he can after staring down the barrel of a gun, he begins to walk back to the main road. Still on high alert, he walks for what feels like hours in the blazing heat until he reaches his horse, a white and brown speckled beauty named Moonshine.
“Hello sweetheart” He lovingly whispers to his horse as he lets his fingers brush through Moonshine's course mane. “I'm sorry I took so long.” The sun is beginning to move through the sky and start its course down the west. He hurriedly gets on Moonshine and gallops along the road, praying that there's a small town nearby where he can avoid the deadly chill of the desert night.
The quietness is devastating; it all seems to dawn on him quite quickly as the adrenaline rush fades away. Peter Pettigrew, his partner–no–his friend. They've been working together for more than 3 years now, while they didn't take every single job together, they shared enough bounties over the years to trust that they had each other's backs. Or at least that's what Remus thought. They had shared with each other their pasts, and their hopeful futures, even their impossible dreams. He shudders at the thought of how he slept so many nights next to someone who he now knows wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.
He chastises himself for being too trusting, hes a bounty hunter for fucks sake. This was supposed to be his last job, it was supposed to finally be all over after this, Malfoy's bounty set by the New Mexico Marshal was high enough that Peter and him could split it evenly and still have plenty to spare. It was just enough for him to be able to walk away from the dangers of the wild west; The problem was, Lucius was wanted alive, and now Malfoy's corpse was sitting miles behind him, likely beginning to stiffen, left to rot where no one would find him. All that cash gone with him.
His thoughts continue to punish him until he eventually reaches an unknown town named Prescott. He's too tired and worn out to care if his reputation and infamy as a bounty hunter will be a topic of discussion in this town, so for the time being, he just assumes that as long as it's not Tombstone, he won't be recognized.
Upon arrival, he lets Moonshine drink some water and ties her to a nearby stable. With the sun long gone, the cold evening air starts to break the heat in his body from the exertion. The quick temperature change on his sweaty skin brings chills to his body, so he rushes towards the closest inn.
Spurs clinking in the quietness of the inn, he’s received by a young man with short dark hair and a mean, unwelcoming, bored expression. A small cigarette dangling from his fingers, ashes threatening to fall onto the wooden table he sits behind.
Remus clears his throat and addresses the man, “I need a room for one tonight.” Padfoot sitting obediently beside him
The man moves his eyes slowly, analyzing him from the top of his hat to the sole of his boots until he finally speaks, “You're not from around these parts, are you?”
“Just passin’ through”
A seemingly mocking smirk flashes across the young man's face. “Of course,” He gets up from his seat and steps closer. “The room for the dog or for you big fella?” Full grin now on display
“She stays with me” Remus snaps back impulsively. The innkeeper had quite an ability to get under his skin within the span of a few minutes, maybe even seconds. The young man's face shifts again, but as soon as he opens his lips, another voice speaks from the door, older, rougher.
“Barty, I got you here to work, you either shut up and do what I tell you, or you're done.” A much older man stood at the door, with the same dark hair and full eyebrows as the young man in front of him.
The younger man –Barty– retreats like an animal facing its predator. “But the dog-” He doesn't get to finish his sentence before the man at the door reaches him in two quick strides and grabs his wrist roughly.
“Listen here boy, how many times do I have to tell you, you take orders from me. I dont give a shit about no goddamn dog” He leans closer to Bartys ear and whispers lowly, but still, Remus can hear him clearly when he says “You dont tell no fucking bounty hunter what to do son” His voice drops “Especially not the wolf” Bartys eyes widen
So much for anonymity, he thinks to himself. The older man addresses him directly, but not before shoving Barty’s wrist back aggressively. “I'm sorry about that sir, my son is quite a handful. We got a nice room for you and your dog upstairs, follow me.”
Remus starts walking, but not before turning to smirk at Barty, watching him avert his eyes.
Remus is escorted to a small room on the second floor of the building, the man blabbering on as he nervously fiddles with the key and opens the door.
“We don't get that many visitors at this time of night sir, but I certainly hope the place is up to your liking, my-“
“Thank you sir, that would be all.” Remus interrupts him as he walks through the door with Padfoot close behind him and takes the keys from the man's hand.
The man attempts to respond, but by the time he starts to speak, Remus has already shut the door.
He's usually not this rude; hell, his mother would’ve probably pulled his ear and reprimanded him if she saw how he was acting. But he's had one hell of a day, so he allows himself to hide further behind the false image of the big, bad bounty hunter he's built for himself over the years. He’s been hiding behind that shield for god knows how long. At some point, the lines have blurred between who he really is and how the world sees him, what they want from him, and who they want him to be. He’s not sure if he knows how to be kind and gentle anymore.
He takes his hat off, along with his old boots, his vest, and his shirt. Before he takes his holster off, he takes his gun out, reloads the two bullets he shot, and puts the gun under his pillow. He gets into bed and feels Padfoot lie down by his feet, ready for another restless night filled with childhood nightmares. He never screams, he never groans, he never even moves; he lies there immobile while his mind torments him with images of flesh and blood.
He's woken up the next day by a snout pushing and probing his face. The harsh rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains, the heat already beginning to permeate the room.
“Down girl, we’ll be out in a minute.” He pats Padfoot's head twice before standing up. He washes himself as best as he can with the basin and rag he's been provided with, shaving his face, carefully going around his bushy mustache. By now, Padfoot has grown restless, aimlessly walking around the small room, so he speeds up and gets dressed before she decides to use the bed as her personal toilet.
Once he leaves his room, he finds the reception area is empty, neither Barty nor his father appear to be anywhere, so he walks off.
The town is now bustling with life, a harsh contrast with the quietness he encountered yesterday. People are out and about, women walking hurriedly with their children, men smoking on their balconies, horses trotting up and down the streets. The world keeps moving, so he does the same.
As he walks through the town, he feels the stares of people around him; they whisper and look away as he passes by. At some point, he bumps into Barty, standing outside the undertaker's door, whispering hurriedly with a blonde boy who smacks him in the shoulder harshly when he makes eye contact with Remus when he passes by, the other boy tensing up and spinning around, eyes widening as he sees Remus approach.
“Where’s the nearest saloon?” Barty stands unmoving, the boy next to him answers for him, “Go straight down and turn left from the well, Red’s saloon is that way, you can't miss it.” Remus tips his hat in a thank-you motion and begins walking
A faded red building stands before him, loud chattering can be heard from the inside, but it all fades away as he walks in. If people stared discreetly outside, the people in here have no regard for discretion. He pays them no mind and walks to the bar, where a woman with freckled skin and fiery red hair greets him.
“Howdy cowboy, what can I get ya?” The woman's open friendliness eases his nerves as she doesn't seem to pay any special attention to him, unlike the rest of the people inside, who seem to be slowly getting back to their chatting.
“You got any food?”
“You're just in luck cowboy, we got beef stew today, but we also got some beans, dried beef, and some hardtack.” The woman replies cheerfully, “We got some water for the dog too if you'd like?”
Padfoot wags her tail from behind him, as if she understood the conversation, earning a giggle from the woman
“I'll do the beef stew, and some water would be nice, for me and the dog.”
The woman nods and walks through a door, coming back seconds later with a plate and a jug of water, filling up a cup for Remus, and then walking out of the bar to fill up a small bowl and placing it down next to Padfoot, who prods at her hand with her snout. The woman wastes no time and scratches behind Padfoot's ears, cooing at her and blowing kisses. He immediately takes a liking to the mysterious redhead.
“She likes you,” Remus tells the woman. “She's a very picky girl.”
“Well then, I’m honored.” She smiles and gives Padfoot one last pat before standing up. “My name's Lily, how do you do?” She extends her hand in greeting. He meets her hand and is pleasantly surprised by her firm and confident grip.
“Nice to meet you Lily.” A small smile on his lips
Once she walks back to the bar, she addresses Remus again, "Don't mind the folks, it's not every day we see a bounty hunter around these parts.” Her eyes glimmer knowingly.
“What gave it away?” He asks her with a smirk
“Well, for one, you didn’t tell me your name,” She laughs. “Also, that gun you carry around your hip. Not a lot of people in Prescott are allowed to carry guns, only the Blacks and some of us mortals have special permission.”
“Who are the Blacks?” Remus questions as he takes a sip of water, feeling his curiosity rise.
“They’re the ones that run this town. Orion Black’s the mayor; he was a preacher back in the day, but then he and his family struck gold back in '48, and they've got more money than you could even imagine. His wife runs the church in Prescott, big on religion, those Blacks.” Lily explains while cleaning down the bar with a rag. “They’re probably scared shitless right now if they know a bounty hunter like you is here in town” She chuckles
“They got big bounties on their heads?” Remus wastes no time asking, after all, he's desperate for a job after yesterday's events.
“Not by the government, but a lot of people out there probably want to see them dead soon, I'll tell you that much.” She hesitates, “They're not exactly the nicest people, even if they go to church every day, those folks are no good. Especially with the way they treat their poor kids. One of them has apparently gone missing in the last couple of days.”
“Bummer they don't have an official bounty over their heads, or one for their missin’ kid, despite what you may think, I don't like killing folks for no reason, or for no money.” He looks back at Lily, “How come you didn't look at me like I'm a cold-blooded killer when I walked in here?”
Lily chuckles before responding, “I don't like judging based on appearance or rumors, after all, how many women bartenders do you know?”
Feeling oddly at ease talking to Lily, he allows himself to smile at her, “Yeah, I guess you're right, my bad.”
“Don't get confused, though, Mr. Bounty hunter, I might be a classy lady, but I'm also wickedly good with a gun, you don't get to be where I am without scaring some people off, but I guess you’d know all about that too huh?” She warmly smiles back, “You and your dog are the same, you both try to look big and scary, but your eyes give you away, a girl knows these things.”
He lets out a chuckle and continues eating his stew. After a few moments of comfortable silence, he speaks up, “It’s Remus by the way.”
Lily looks up in confusion, “Pardon?”
“My name, it’s Remus” he says again
Lily wastes no time smiling, then mimes locking her lips and throwing the key away. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
After finishing his plate, he stands up, ready to go back. “I'll be off now, thank you Lily. I’m not used to people not being dead scared of me, it’s nice to be able to talk to someone that way.” He drops more coins than necessary on the bar
“Anytime, cowboy, I'll see you around, okay? Don't be a stranger.” She waves her hand as he walks off
As soon as he walks off the saloon, he's stopped by a pale man, his short black hair combed elegantly under an expensive-looking hat, he's wearing a pristine suit, a gold cross dangling from his rosary glimmering against the sun. And he's extending his hand towards Remus.
“Good afternoon sir. My name’s Orion Black, I’m the mayor of Prescott, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Remus hums in response, extends his hand and shakes it, his grip is weak, his hands soft and blemish-free, not a day's worth of physical labor reflected in his palms.
“How are you finding your stay?” Orion asks with a perfectly crafted smile.
Remus has encountered many men like Orion due to his line of work. Powerful men who wave around their money to get what they want, but they cower immediately with violence, using thieves and criminals to do the dirty work for them, their hands staying baby smooth. But fear makes them crumble. Makes them weak.
He's killed quite a handful by now. They always beg, always barter, all empty promises of course, you let them go and they'll just hire somebody else to kill you. They go out crying, on their knees, they beg for their families whom they neglect behind closed doors, their eyes tormented by nothing but fear as they die.
“It’s fine” He bluntly responds, allowing no room for conversation. Still, Orion persists. He eyes Remus' gun warily.
“You see, Mr….” He trails off, expecting Remus to give him his name, but he stays quiet. “Right,” Orion clears his throat and continues, “We folks at Prescott have very strict laws regarding guns, we're a very catholic town. I'm a former preacher, you see, my wife runs the town church, of course, you're welcome to attend our daily services, but that's besides the point.” He hesitates, “We don't condone any violence around here, we like to keep things peaceful-”
He's cut off my Remus. “I'm not turnin’ my gun in, sir.”
Orion, obviously not used to being defied, sputters and tries to form a coherent sentence, “Sir, I must insist, we are followers of God, we don't want any trouble-” But he's interrupted again
“I don't believe in your God. And a law written by God means nothin’ to a man that follows no God.” He stands up straight, using his height to stand over Orion threateningly, behind him, Padfoot growls lowly.
Orion takes a step back, and there he sees it, the fear. The mask of false power falls for just one split second, letting the man see the weak animal hidden inside. Remus relishes in that power.
“I leave tomorrow evening, I’ll be off your hair soon, I’m not here for trouble either, just passin’ through.” He walks past Orion, who stands there speechless, purposefully hitting him with his shoulder as he walks off.
As he walks back to check on his horse, he feels a pair of eyes following him. It’s different from the stares he received from the residents of Prescott. Bounty hunting has forced him to be alert at all times, his instincts usually tell him what's happening before his eyes see it. He turns, expecting to see Orion watching him, but the man is already walking away, and yet the feeling of being watched persists. He fears the worst: someone else is doing the hunting, this time for his head.
He marches quickly towards the stable Moonshine is tied to, escorting her to drink water, and sneakily giving her a piece of hardtack he kept in his pocket without letting Padfoot notice. She's a jealous dog. He gently uses his fingers to untangle Moonshine's mane, whispering terms of endearment. He’s no good with humans, but he’s always soft with the animals, just like his mother taught him.
Still on high alert, he walks back to the inn, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as he continues to feel the presence of someone observing him. He places his hand on his gun, ready to pull it out in a second if necessary. He uses the keys to unlock his door and goes inside quickly, Padfoot immediately jumping on the bed. He releases a grateful sigh. There, he's safe now, he's hidden from view, and he can sneakily look through the window to find whoever's spying on him.
But then he hears it, the creaking of the old wooden floorboards, behind him, he wastes no time and pulls out his gun, finger hovering over the trigger.
A man with long black hair stands behind the barrel of his gun, half his body behind one of the curtains. His grey eyes wide open, his pale hands filled with silver rings, trembling in surrender.
“Please don't shoot” The man whispers, his voice trembling.
“Who the fuck are you?” Remus responds, his low gravely voice making the man gulp and suck in a harsh breath. “Answer me!” He spits harshly. Padfoot is growling from her spot on the bed, ready to attack upon Remus’ command.
“My name's Sirius, I'm not here to hurt you, please, I want to hire you!” His lips trembling as he gets the words out, his eyes moving nervously between Remus and his dog.
Without lowering his gun, Remus addresses the man once again, “How did you get in here?”
“I stole the keys from Barty, I heard him talking about some big shot bounty hunter they call the wolf staying at the inn.” He responds hurriedly, “Please, I swear I'm not gonna try anything, please just hear me out.”
Upon closer inspection, he sees the man's face has traces of faded bruises on his left eye and cheek, a bloody scab on his lip, and another one on the bridge of his nose. He’s dressed in a dirty white undershirt with a black ribbon tied around the collar, a black vest, grey canvas pants, and black boots. His clothes don't seem old and worn, simply distressed and dirty, as if he hadn't changed in a few days. A shining silver rosary is tied around his wrist.
“You got any weapons with you?”
The man gulps in fear and nods slowly, “I got a small knife in the waistband of my pants.”
“Get it out and throw it on the ground, try anythin’ funny and Padfoot will rip your hand off” Remus orders him, his voice demanding.
The mysterious man nods his head and does as Remus tells him, reaching behind his back and pulling out a small silver knife, its shine indicating both its value and lack of use; he throws it carefully at Remus' feet.
“Good boy.” He sees the man's eyebrow twitch in annoyance at the nickname, but stays quiet, “Padfoot down.” She obeys and lies down on the bed, ceasing her growling, the man letting out a brief sigh of relief, the barrel of the gun still directed straight at his head.
“Turn around and put your hands behind your back,” Remus orders
The man scoffs, “Is this really necessary? I told you I don't have any weapons.”
“You think someone like me hasn't had a bounty on his head before? How do you think I made it this far?” Remus challenges the man until he relents, turns around, and puts his hands behind his back.
Still pointing his gun, he secures both the man's wrists in a firm grip with one of his own, putting the gun back in his holster and using his now free hand to pat him down, checking the man's pockets, chest, arms, and legs for any hidden weapons. He finds nothing.
Still holding the man's wrists, he stands up to his full height and leans over to the man's ear threateningly, “I'm gonna release your hands now, okay? Try anythin’ and you get a bullet between the eyes, alright? The man tenses up but nods his head hurriedly. Remus steps back and releases his hands.
The man rubs his wrists and winces “Killer grip you got, goddamn”
“Why are you here?” Remus wastes no time continuing his questioning
“I need you to help me, please, I need someone to escort me, I’m running away from someone who wants to hurt me, I need to get to my uncle's house, I can pay you, please, I just need to get out of here without being seen”. He begins to plead, his hands moving to a praying motion.
Remus considers the offer; he was already planning on leaving Prescott the day after, and a quick job like this never hurt his pockets. “How far is your uncle's house?” He asks
The man mutters his answer, but Remus isn't able to hear him. “Come again?”
He shifts his gaze to the ground, “California.”
A laugh bubbles out of Remus' chest in disbelief, “California? Are you crazy? Do you know where the hell we are? We are in the middle of buttfuck Arizona! It's a two-week trip at the least.” He shakes his head, still laughing.
The man glares at him, “You didn't get to hear my offer.” He grumbles
Catching his breath, Remus answers smugly, “I don't think whatever you're offerin’ is enough to even cover the food we eat for two weeks darlin', I’m sorry but no can do.”
“I'll pay you $1500.” The man responds, confidence in his silver eyes, faint traces of a blush covering the apex of his cheekbones.
Remus feels his breath hitch. $1500 is more than double Lucius' bounty. With $1500, he would have more than enough to finally retire. His eyebrows furrowed. He didn't want to get too ahead of himself, he needed proof.
“How are you gonna get $1500?” Remus challenged
“There's a bag right behind the curtain where I was hiding, I can show you, I have the money, I even have some food we can take.”
Remus squints his eyes suspiciously. “Padfoot,” He calls out to his dog, and points towards the ground under the curtain. “Fetch,” he instructs, before Padfoot obediently trots and noses along the edge of the curtain, carefully pulling out a brown canvas bag with her teeth and bringing it to Remus. The man's eyes widen gleefully at the dog's intelligence and obedience, a smile tugging at his lips. “Well I’ll be damned” He whispers to himself.
Remus opens the bag, and his breath stutters once again. Inside the bag, he finds multiple wads of cash, along with some old photographs and what appear to be letters. There are also bags of dried jerky, a couple of cookies, and sweets. He sighs; his mind already made up.
“You runnin’ away from some supposed bad people and all you brought is some candy?” He exhales and throws the bag on the mattress.
“Listen, I didn’t have a lot of time to pack.” A small smile pulling at the scab on the man's lips.
“What was your name again?” Remus asks
“My name’s Sirius, like the star.” He answers
A small smile tugs at Remus' lips. “Well, Sirius, it seems you just got yourself an escort to California.”