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trappers-cloak · 6 months

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The Buck and the Fox

Chapter 1 - The Shepard and the Angel

Chapter 1 of my ongoing fanfic, the Buck and the Fox.

Tags: Arthur Morgan x female oc, meet cute, introduction to my oc Diana Wegner.

word count: 2k

Diana Wegner

The sun was high enough - and hot enough - that Diana had ditched her coat. The great green thing hung over the rump of Althea, bouncing as the pair trotted along. Pluto let out a small bark below, nipping at the heels of a dozen sheep along the hillside. The wind billowing through the trees wasn’t nearly enough to stave off the heat, but it swept the sweat from her brow. The surrounding grass was a bright green, peppered with reds and pinks and oranges, all the herbs dotting the Heartlands. Diana could hear no sound besides sheep bleating. That sound was a welcome one, and she sent a silent thanks to God that no human voices polluted her ears.

A voracious reader as a child, Diana recalled poetry about hillsides like this. Emerson, Dickinson, even Shakespeare…she doubted they could imagine a moment this perfect. Something this devoid of a past.

The gunshot was, as one would guess, unwelcome.

All she had on hand was a repeater, a simple thing, slung across her shoulder. It would have to do as she took aim for the origin of the shot, somewhere up on the hill. Sure enough, two bandits rode above, aiming lower than she expected. She turned, and realized; they were here for the sheep.

With a blast, she narrowly missed the closer of the two, a large man on an even larger horse.

“Shit,” she muttered, reloading. What was the point of learning to shoot if she didn’t live long enough to use her skills?

She fired again. This time, the shot grazed the fat man’s arm, and he cried out in pain. His stallion shrieked and began bucking him off, with limited success.

Before Diana could load again, Althea stood and reared, kicking her front legs wildly. A gunshot sounded from the ground, and before she could blink, Diana was in the air. The impact of her back on the hill knocked the wind out of her, and before she could even collect herself, the other bandit was upon her.

It’s amazing how time slows down in the heat of the moment. Even with her death imminent, Diana could make out the green kerchief around his neck. Green eyes, a scraggly beard. She knew this man, or this type of man, anywhere.

The Irish accent gave him away. An O’Driscoll.

“Well, miss, think the boss man will reconsider-”

His words were cut off by a snarl as Pluto tackled him, barking and growling up a storm.

Good boy. Diana was free from the O’Driscoll’s grasp, but her gun was out of reach. She fumbled around for a revolver, to no success. Pluto was still laying into the skinny Irishman, but the big one had regained his senses and had started towards her again. She was outnumbered, and had no choice.

She took a deep breath, and screamed.

The sound of galloping filled the air. She was done for.

She screamed again.

“HELP ME!”

Two gunshots fired, calculated, separated. Pow! Pow! But the galloping didn’t stop. And the sound was getting closer by the millisecond. She began to scramble to her feet, pulling out her last resort - a small switchblade that Cripps had given her the day he taught her how to hunt. She flicked the blade open and readied her hand, turning to her assailant. She wondered who she’d face first - the big one or the skinny one.

It was neither.

“Woah… miss calm down, I ain’t gonna hurt’cha,” the man said, putting his hands up as he hopped down from his horse.

“Then drop your gun,” Diana said. It was all she could think of.

He tossed it to the side without a thought, and inched closer. She held out her lance knife, just the way Cripps taught her to. Her face was fixed in a snarl.

“Ma’am, I ain’t gonna-”

“Did you shoot them?”

“What?”

“Did you shoot them?”

“Well, yeah-”

“Why?”

“Well shit, I guess I was tryna save you, but if you’d rather be in a casket, who am I to judge?” he answered, slyly. He had a deep accent, a country one. She couldn’t place it.

Diana faltered for a moment, then said;

“You didn’t have to save me.”

“Well, it sure didn’t look like you were gonna do it yourself,” he countered.

She shot him a glare, readying a comeback, but instead? Instead she burst out laughing.

“Well, yes,” she said, between breaths, “I guess you’re right.” after a pause, she added,

“well? Is a lady going to have to help herself to her feet?”

The man started, and extended his hand down. She grabbed it, noting the sheer number and strength of the callouses coating it, and together the pair lifted Diana to her feet. For a very brief moment, Diana was chest to chest with the cowboy - well, head to chest, given that he stood nearly a head above her in height. Two parts of Diana burned - her cheeks with a blush, and her ring finger with shame and a grim reminder. The moment was over as soon as it began.

“Ahem…uh, thank you, sir,” she started, and sighed. “You saved my life. I owe you something for that at least.”

“Now, I don’t need anything, I was just bein-”

“Well at least a meal or a drink is in order!”

The man started again. “Ma’am, really, I-”

Diana sighed. “Please, mister, it's the least I can do. Plus,” she began, nodding over a few yards west, “I need your help. Those bandits must’ve gotten one of the sheep - look.'' Sure enough, a mound of white wool lay in the grass, the only sheep that had been lost in the raid.

“Help me get that poor soul back to Cripps, and you’ll be paid for your time.”

The man sighed, knowing he’d lost the exchange. “Fine,” he said, dejected. As the pair lifted the wayward sheep onto Althea, Diana spoke up once more.

“Thank you mister…”

“Morgan,” he paused. It looked like he was trying to remember what his name was. “Arthur Morgan.”

“Thank you, mister Morgan,” Diana said, and turned. “PLUTO!” she whistled. “ROUND ‘EM UP!”

Arthur Morgan

Dutch had told them in no uncertain terms to lie low. Besides making money, lying low was the top priority. So the O’Driscoll’s over on the hill should not have been his concern, and they weren’t until the bloodcurdling scream Arthur had heard from the middle of the herd of sheep. He may be trying to keep a low profile, but he wasn’t about to let some innocent shepard get herself killed. He imagined there would be some divine retribution for that, or some symbolism - something in his surrogate fathers’ books that would have damned him.

Now this same shepherd was leading him to some reward he felt he couldn’t accept. He had given his full name, his real name, to this woman, and he felt like he was 13 again. Breaking all the rules. He didn’t lie low, he didn’t mind his business, he didn’t keep himself a secret. And what would he have to show for it?

The smell of the stew pot hit him before he could see it.

“Sit down, mister Morgan, stay as long as you’d like,” the woman said, hanging her coat on a hook attached to a beautiful cherry tree. She had taken him behind what must be the trading post at Emerald Ranch - a small building bedecked with animal heads, hides and antlers. The camp spot was a cozy one, with the campfire and a great bronze stew pot as its centerpiece.

“Mr. Cripps is still working on the stew - the rest of the ranch hands are still tending to the sheep and the cows, but you can have first bowl once he’s done. He’ll be out any second.”

“Ma’am, I really don’t need any fo-” Arthur’s stomach growled mid sentence. He flushed, and the woman turned, and gave a slight chuckle.

“Riiight.”

“Well,” Arthur continued, taking a seat, “then thank you for your hospitality, Miss…”

She finished for him.

“Missus Diana Wegner. My husband owns this ranch. Forgive me for being blunt, Mister Morgan, but are you new around these parts?” She stuck out her hand, boldly. With purpose. A silver ring adorned it.

He took it, shook it, and responded.

“Yeah, well, my crew and I were workers in the north, and our factory got shut down, so we’re living in a camp near uh… Valentine?” he recited the story Hosea had told him. It was, to the old man’s credit, a great cover.

“I’m sorry to hear. Were you stuck up in the Grizzlies when that storm hit?”

Arthur chuckled, despite the memory being, at best, an unpleasant one. “Yeah, we just got out of it a few weeks ago. Lot of folk are still trying to get back on their feet,” he said.

“Well its a good thing you made it down here,” Diana replied. “I take it you’re doing the hunting then?” she gestured to the pelt on the back of Ares. “How much shot did that thing take?”

Arthur chuckled. “Not as much as you’d think. Damn thing nearly killed me. Apparently it’s some legendary bear - uncommon size.”

“You’ve got that right. Do you know how much that would be worth?”

Arthur shifted, uncomfortable. It would be just his luck to get robbed by the woman he saved.

“Not sure…”

“Well, me neither, but Mr. Cripps would have a field day tanning that thing. If you’d be interested in selling it here, I’m sure you could work out a deal.”

Arthur paused, wondering if this was a good chance to strike up some work - legitimate work, for once.

“If Mister…”

“Cripps,”

“Right. If Mr. Cripps buys this, would he buy other skins too, or…”

“Looking for employment, are we? And I thought men were all after something else!” Diana exclaimed. Arthur’s face felt hotter than hell itself. He could only imagine the shade of red it turned.

“Well, I- maybe,” he admitted. “I don’t know. As long as it pays.”

“That we do. In money, food, goods, or any combination.”

The backdoor of the store burst open, and an old man with a scraggly salt-and-pepper beard stepped out, holding a basket of herbs and corn.

“And we have the best of all three!” he exclaimed, sauntering over to the pair. “I couldn’t help but overhear the entire conversation, and your hunting skills would make an excellent contribution to Cripps-Wegner Trading Co!”

Diana sighed, and gestured towards the man. “Mister Cripps, Arthur Morgan. Arthur Morgan, Mister Cripps.” Before she could finish, Cripps was shaking Arthur’s hand with an enthusiasm he had only seen a few times before - and most of those times involved Sean and Karen, back before Sean got captured.

Before she could make any more introductions, a bell sounded, and Diana’s head whipped towards the big green house across the road.

“Shit,” she muttered. “That’s dinner bell.” she turned again to Arthur, and held out her hand. He took it, not knowing whether to shake it or not. Dutch had taught him to kiss a woman’s hand when they gave it this way, but the wedding ring gave him considerable pause.

“Thank you, Arthur, again. I owe you more than I can describe. Enjoy the stew, and let Cripps know if you have any availability.” as she spoke, she transformed - she did up her hair, tossed her hat aside, washed her hands and changed into ladies shoes seemingly before Arthur could blink. She went from a rancher to a society lady in less than a minute. He hoped she didn’t notice his stare.

“Come back to Emerald Ranch soon, mister Morgan. Our saloon is closed and it mostly smells of sheep shit, but I’m sure you’ll find something here to your liking.” she turned, and after a few steps, shouted over her shoulder. “Mister Cripps! Save that sheep hide. I have a plan for it.” And she was off.

There was a pregnant silence between her departure and the voice of Mr. Cripps.

“So, mister Morgan,” he began, “are you gonna continue to make googly eyes at Missus Wegner or are you going to have some mutton?”

#red dead oc #rdr2 arthur #rdr2 #rdr2 community #arthur morgan #rdr2 oc #the buck and the fox #diana wegner

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leirsulien-archive · 2 years

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—MY OCS—

‣ oc page (tba) • oc inspo blog • pinterest • spotify

⫸ CHOICE OF GAMES ⫷

ALEXIS 'ALEX' KINGSTON

➯ human with special abilities. she/her. bisexual. detective.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: adam du mortain + nate sewell [love triangle], maxine

ALTHEA 'THEA' SHEPARD

➯ human with special abilities. she/her. bisexual. detective.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: nate sewell

DEVIN 'DEV' ZHOU

➯ human with special abilities. they/he/she. demisexual lesbian. detective.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: farah hauville

EMERY COLE

➯ human with special abilities. she/her. questioning. detective.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: morgan

GWEN CARTER

➯ regene. she/her. bisexual. sidestep mastermind.

story: fallen hero

romance: julia ortega

MAXINE 'MAX'

➯ human. she/her. lesbian. firefighter.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: alexis kingston

OLIVIA 'LIV' GREENE

➯ human with special abilities. she/her. lesbian. detective.

story: the wayhaven chronicles

romance: ava du mortain

PHILEA KARRAS

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. gladiator.

story: heart of battle

romance: remi casales

WREN SEO

➯ werewolf. she/they. queer. alpha.

story: blood moon

romance: victoria jacons-smith

⫸ TEXT-BASED ⫷

ABIGAIL 'ABBY' CLARKSON

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. healer.

story: scout: an apocalypse story

romance: oliver shen

ALIYA TAYRAN

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. the crown.

story: a tale of crowns

romance: ashti mirza + xelara

BELLAMY VERNON

➯ human. she/they. bisexual. physics student.

story: body count

romance: charlie ngata, griffin wood

JOSEPHINE 'JO' ROYCE

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. hunter.

story: the midnight hours

romance: adair devereux + rylan villanueva

KOREY ESPEN

➯ human. he/they. lesbian. hunter.

story: the northern passage

romance: lea chen

RIVER 'RIV' LOWELL

➯ human. she/they. bisexual. hunter.

story: greenwarden

romance: marianna bautista

SLOAN VERES

➯ human. she/they/any. queer. speaker.

story: speaker

romance: liam cowles + sebastian wynric

VICTORIA 'TORY' SCOTT

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. linguistics student.

story: body count

romance: arthur campbell, nyra mistry

⫸ VISUAL NOVELS ⫷

ARIELLE 'ARI' GRAYSON

➯ human. she/her. bisexual demiromantic.

story: our life: beginnings & always

romance: cove holden

CLEMENTINE RIVIÈRE

➯ human. she/her. bisexual.

story: blooming panic

romance: quest

PANDORA PEG'ASI

➯ kitalphan. she/her. bisexual. princess.

story: andromeda six

romance: calderon lynch, juniper nyux, vexx serif

⫸ ORIGINAL ⫷

ATLAS SALVAGGI

➯ human. they/he/she. queer. bassist.

story: hollywoodverse

romance: juniper monroe

CASSIDY 'CASS' MARTIN

➯ human. she/her. lesbian. virologist.

story: apocverse

romance: francine guerrero

EDRIS NADERI

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. talent agent.

story: hollywoodverse

romance: tbd

FELICIA 'FELI' GUERRERO

➯ human. she/her. queer. history student.

story: apocverse

romance: tbd

FRANCINE 'FRANKIE' GUERRERO

➯ human. she/her. bisexual.

story: apocverse

romance: cassidy martin

JUNIPER 'JUNE' MONROE

➯ human. she/her. bisexual. singer.

story: hollywoodverse

romance: atlas salvaggi

ORIANA

➯ human. she/her. queer. dethroned princess.

story: ???

romance: sayida

SAYIDA

➯ ???. she/her. lesbian. failed chosen one, mercenary, royal bodyguard.

story: ???

romance: oriana

#i'm gonna make an oc page too but i can't decide what theme i wanna use :/ until then #pearl.ocs

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