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Chapter Text

Update 2024: Hello, primordially, this story was supposed to be just a simple little story with Rattlesnake Jake and a few little OCs, but now this story has been added to the Rango Project and will be part of the special series "Tales of Dirt". This series will include several stories of Rango and other characters (similar to a TV series). However, a few prequels still need to be added to this Rango Project (such as "The Legend of Rango" [not published yet], "Dirtdown" etc.) to complete the series. Likewise, changes to this story are still possible, as I am not yet sure what the prequels will contain exactly. On my profile you can read how the Rango Project and the chronological order of the stories will be structured. Take a look and "Tales of Dirt" is unfortunately still in the distant future. So the continuation of this story will be delayed a little longer. Until then, the work on this story will be stopped for the time being, until the writing work for the other previous stories is finished.

I hope you will enjoy reading the previous stories. :) Have a good time!

Usually, Rattlesnake Jake avoided the public. Today as well. But sometimes he was there there in secret. This usually happened at night, in the dark. That wasn't to say that Jake, the most dangerous gunslinger in the West, was afraid. But even a legendary killer wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet. Although someone couldn't really speak of peace at a funfair. Just sometimes, Jake wondered what it would be like to saunter carefree through the crowd without turning heads in horror at him. That was the price he paid for being a killer, but it could only be fine with him. Rattlesnakes have almost always been avoided by the general public. Whether by humans or animals.

Jake snorted at that train of thought. He was getting old, but he was still in the prime of his life, as he called it. Grumbling, he lifted a bottle which he'd secretly "borrowed" from a liquor stand with the tip of the cannon tail and drank it down in one gulp. For once, it wasn't cactus juice or whiskey. It was pure water. Something alcoholic would probably be more appropriate for tough guys, but in a densely populated town like this, he preferred to remain completely sober. Many security guards, so-called deputy sheriffs, patrolled here, taking care of the drunk spectators. He didn't want to run the risk of encountering one of them unprepared.

He let his gaze wander over the still brightly lit area. He was near a western town called Dusty Stone. Various stalls stood in the streets of the wooden houses. Whether for food and drink, or games. Jake had peeked in here and there in the shadows of the houses, amused by the carefree, sometimes naïve life of the city animals. Some lived so day to day that he got bored just looking at them. Ladies discussed the latest gossip, gentlemen fought for the outhouse, and children played with marbles or dolls and all sorts of odds and ends.

Jake yawned at the thought. Such a banal life would not be for him. Although his life was not without mortal danger, perhaps the life of a western hero would have been more respectable, but his looks, appearance and reputation had never allowed that. Especially not because he carried death in his mouth. No one wanted anything to do with a rattlesnake. And because of that it was a bitter fact that had shaped his way of life, he became what he was: a killer.

Jake retreated deeper into the dark alley as a drunk visitor staggered between the houses at the back. Eventually, the guy fell over and landed next to a garbage can.

Jake wrinkled his nose. "Dweeb," he muttered. Some people just didn't have the brain quality needed for a reasonably sane existence.

He left the alley and crawled almost silently, he crept past the drunk sleeping man, who didn't even notice the "death" crawling by. Jake could easily wolf him down, but he didn't feel like it. If he killed, he usually killed for money to make it worthwhile. This would only cause unnecessary fuss, but today he wasn't "working".

In the shadow of the houses and the night, he meandered towards the city limits. The desert was only sparsely lit by the moon, but it was cloudless and a tepid wind swept across the landscape. There were several gates for herds of peccaries and roadrunners. But today most of them had been moved to the most remote part because a traveling circus was not far away in this area. It wasn't a big one. It was just a collection of several small tents and booths, showing an artist or an attraction here and there. Jake paid little attention to this colorful hustle and bustle and the cheerful sounding music. He found some of it embarrassing. Standing in front of a crowd and playing the clown was, in his opinion, just demeaning. Nevertheless, before he wandered back into the deep west again, Jake wanted to take a peek inside to see what the desert animals were doing to waste their time.

The performances were given several times a day. Although, it was late in the evening, the evening performances seemed to attract most of the animals. Jake had to be extremely careful not to be spotted by a passer-by and stayed at a safe distance behind the tents and caravans. Between the booths, he spied juggling artists here and there and even a fire-eater.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" someone suddenly shouted through a megaphone. "Come closer and see our last shows. Meet the strong Alonzo, who could even lift a car. The brave tightrope walker Fiorela, who can even do a somersault without a net..."

Jake turned away, uninterested. It couldn't get any more ridiculous.

"... and Ramirez's dance with death," the announcer continued.

Jake twisted his mouth mockingly. Sounded like a cheap bag of tricks. If anyone did a "dance" with death, it was with him, usually he was setting the "beat".

"A dangerous show with real venomous snakes!"

Jake stopped when he heard this loud announcement. Was that just a figurative figure of speech, or was the screamer serious? Next he wondered what stupid snake would allow itself to be persuaded to take part in such a ridiculous performance.

The announcer had finished his announcement and went into one of the small tents. Jake thought about it. The longer he thought about it, the more curious he became. Finally, his front body muscles twitched. Why shouldn't he take a look? He had enough time. So he postponed his intended departure and crept along the tents. Since he couldn't read the event signs at the tent entrances, he just followed the smell. This was no problem for his forked tongue, and he soon caught the scent of other reptiles. His gaze wandered to one of the small tents. He glided towards it and very carefully, he pushed the tarpaulin up a bit from below. He got lucky. His place was directly behind a tiered row of benches, allowing him to peek between the legs of the lowest spectators. Inside the tent was a small arena. Spectators stood or sat around, chatting or chewing popcorn.

It didn't take long and African drum music started playing from a cassette recorder. The conversations fell silent. Then clouds of smoke rose in the tent. Shortly afterwards, a dark figure appeared in the dense fog.

Jake narrowed his eyes. The silhouette formed into a corpulent bobcat in ranger clothes and a hat covered in a faux tiger skin.

Jake's scales stood on end. This bobcat, who was probably this Ramirez, had a snooty demeanor that he loved to scare. Ramirez raised his arms majestically. Then, as if out of nowhere, four small rattlesnakes appeared. Closely followed by flashing headlights, giving everybody goosebumps.

Jake held his breath briefly. For a moment, he was impressed by the feelings that could be created with simple light effects and music.

The venomous creatures curled up their bodies and positioned themselves two by two at Ramirez's side. He had now pulled out a whip and snapped it skillfully in the air a few times. The little rattlesnakes ducked their heads. But they were nowhere near as big as Ramirez. From the length, Jake guessed they are as long as Rango or a little longer. They must still be extremely young.

Ramirez swung the whip again. The rattlesnakes stayed silently in place, necks arched, keeping their distance from their handler.

Nothing special happened for the first few minutes. Ramirez made the little snakes jump over bars and through hoops. Jake thought, he was getting bored when the snake tamer suddenly swung his whip and struck one of the snakes hard. It reacted and bit his arm.

The crowd screamed briefly. But Ramirez remained calm. He even rolled up his sleeves and threw his arms in the air.

Jake's mouth remained open. The bite didn't seem to have bothered this guy, even though rattlesnakes have deadly venom in their teeth from a young age. But Ramirez grabbed another rattlesnake by the neck, pressed its head to the rim of a glass that he'd conjured out of thin air, and squeezed the venom out of it. Then he drank the venom.

Jake watched everything with a stunned expression. Again Ramirez held his fists in the air. He neither wobbled nor fell over.

Still thinking, Jake left the tent. How could it be that a creature could withstand a venomous snake bite? Either this venomous snake tamer was wearing bite-resistant clothing, or he was... Jake shook his head. No, this couldn't be. Rattlesnakes' teeth were too long for that. It couldn't be because of the fur like mongooses. He could actually rule out immunity. Apart from king snakes, he didn't know of any animals that were resistant to poison. Unless...

Jake frowned. There had to be a deception behind it. He couldn't think of any other explanation. But he'd seen him squeezing the venom out of the glands... It had to be a trick. Some cheap magic trick that this Ramirez had cleverly threaded.

The only thing that really annoyed Jake was that these venomous beasts were also playing this dirty game. That was against all serpent dignity. He hated it when snakes were ridiculed. His eyes darkened as he thought again of Rango, who had defeated him fairly, but still made him look a bit stupid in front of the townsfolk when he catapulted him into the sky with that water fountain.

Jake snorted in disgust. Either way, he really wanted to get to the bottom of this. He grinned. Maybe this Ramirez would even be willing to give a performance with him, but this time, he would show this know-all who was really deadly venomous here.

The place emptied. All town people had left the circus square. The artists had cleared all the booths and retreated to their mobile dwellings.

Jake had retreated behind a small hill and made himself completely flat. No one could see him in the darkness. He carefully observed the surroundings, his gaze mostly focused on the tent with the snake stunt.

It took a while until finally there was a movement on the side of the tent. Shadows flitted out. Jake narrowed his eyes. Someone was shining a very small lantern into the darkness. Jake recognized Ramirez, who was holding something in his paws that he tugged on sometimes. The ground shifted beneath him. Jake recognized the small rattlesnakes around him, their heads were tied to some kind of leash.

Not very worker friendly, Jake thought. Since they were still children, it verged on child slavery. He could conclude that the little rattlesnakes did not voluntarily submit to the will of their employer.

Jake continued to watch as Ramirez occasionally pushed the little ones forward with his foot and the one who wasn't fast enough, he tugged it with the leash.

At least, this didn't last long. He stopped at a small trailer and dragged the venomous train inside with him.

He stayed in the trailer for quite a long time. Jake was getting impatient. Was he eating dinner there?

Finally, the trailer door opened and Ramirez stepped out—alone.

"I wish you a good night," he called into the trailer. Then he pulled the door shut and locked it. Then he went into the tent, laughing and humming.

When Jake was sure he wasn't coming back, he crawled up to the small trailer.

Cautiously, he peered through the window. It was covered with a cloth, but through a gap, he could catch a glimpse of the interior. It was dark inside. In the faint moonlight, Jake saw long streaks hanging down. His pupils narrowed. The little rattlesnakes were tied to hooks with ropes around their heads and mouths, and hung from the ceiling with their tails pointing downwards. Even their eyes were blindfolded. Also, their little rattles were tied to each other with ropes, so they didn't even have the ability of moving their bodies independently. Jake listened up when he heard a quiet whimper coming from the trailer. His muscles tensed, so he couldn't avoid making a short but audible rattle with his cannon.

"Who's there?!" suddenly a voice called from a short distance.

Quickly, Jake turned around and scurried away through the darkness.

When Jake thought, he was far enough from the spot of his observation and he was sure that no one was following him, he stopped and looked down from a hill on the town, where a few lights were still burning in the houses. His gaze drifted to the traveling circus, where the little rattlesnakes were trapped in their helpless situation.

Jake curled up his body and scowled down at the plain with a grim expression.

After a while, he turned away, but then he stopped. Again he looked back. Then he turned away, snorting. But then he stopped again.

With a loud growl, he slid sideways and found a niche in a rock. He decided to stay close for now and keep an eye on the little circus. He didn't know what to do next, but something prevented him from simply leaving the little ones to their fate. With that thought, he dozed off.

Chapter Text

Jake woke up from his sleep at the dawn when he realized activity in the paddocks. He watched as the traveling circus people packed up everything and stowed it in their wagons. Then they harnessed everything to their own peccaries and they were ready to depart, presumably to arrive at the next destination as early as possible.

As soon as the caravan started moving, Jake followed them at a safe distance, but just enough not to be seen. The trailer with the snakes went last. Jake noticed that the driver occasionally lost his way and the cart was shaken by the uneven ground. Jake's scales bristled at the thought of the little ones still hanging from the ceiling of the trailer. He suspected that the guy was driving over potholes on purpose, which in turn caused his venom glands to swell with anger. But he kept his anger in line and continued in pursuit, teeth clenched.

Coal Rock Town wasn't a pleasant place to rest. Jake knew that from personal experience. In the evenings, there were loud drunks hanging around. You could even think half of the town got drunk, although the area was pretty poor in women anyway. It was a remote cluster of wooden shacks that once stood near a mine. Now the mines were empty and the once hoped-for splendor of the mountain town was just fading away. Nevertheless, it was well attended.

After Jake was sure that the circus caravan was visiting this town, he retreated behind the mountain. He didn't want to venture too close during the day, but rather wait until evening. The circus would not move on until the next morning. He paused and kept his eyes on the sun. He was a little nervous. He didn't like this area. Not because he was worried about his safety, but because it could be dangerous for newcomers in the evenings. He would not be surprised if there were a riot at the circus performances. He decided to go straight to the first evening performance. As soon as the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, he crept under the cover of darkness near the tents that had already been set up. As expected, the first drunkards trundled between the booths. Jake was careful that no one met his path. After he had found the tent he was looking for, he peered under the tarpaulin again. This time the tent was mostly filled with middle-aged and older men. Not as mixed as in the last town.

Jake's attention was drawn towards the tent entrance when two skinny rats slammed the tent sides aside. They were drunk, without a doubt. Jake was surprised that such drunkards were even allowed in here. But with money, everyone got a free pass maybe. They sat down on a bench. Each of them held a glass bottle in their dirty paws.

Fog gathered in the tent. The show started again according to the pattern that Jake knew from the last time. At first, the spectators seemed impressed, but after a few minutes, the drunken rats became impatient.

When Ramirez let one of the rattlesnakes jump over a staff, the first drunkard jumped up and yelled, "Lame, hit it!"

Ramirez seemed to have expected this and brandished his whip. But that wasn't enough for the drunken rat. Instead, he threw his nearly empty bottle at one of the rattlesnakes. The little reptile hissed at him, quite upset. But that spurred the drunk on to provoke all the more. Jake thought, he wasn't seeing right when the drunkard jumped forward and kicked the little snake. The little snake hissed angrily at him and rattled its barely existent rattle. Ramirez swung the whip, forcing the rattlesnake to concentrate on the trick again. But as soon as it had turned around, the drunk kicked it in the back. Jake held his breath. The little snake spun around and bit the drunken rat's leg. The rat screamed and tried to shake off the snake. Ramirez immediately rushed forward and whipped the small snake so hard that it let go the leg in panic. But even as it slid away, he kept hitting it with the whip.

Jake was about to leave his hiding place when Ramirez finally stopped beating it. However, only when the other three snakes placed themselves protectively in front of the little one. This caused the angry tamer to turn to the bitten animal for a short time. The people around had jumped up in shock. But Ramirez just made a calming gesture. He took something out of his pocket and sprinkled something over the leg. He then made a mystical hand gesture and announced that the bitten rat was healed. Jake watched the bitten rat closely. He was still unsteady on his feet, but he didn't seem to feel anything else. Jake narrowed his eyes. Usually, bitten victims could hardly stand upright because of the sheer pain in the bite wound, but in this case, the drunk was either pain-free or nothing had happened to him.

The two drunks left the tent. Apparently, they had lost interest in the performance. Jake decided to follow them to make sure the drunk didn't drop dead. Before he left, he took another look into the tent, where Ramirez was dragging the guilty rattlesnake away behind the décor. Jake snorted. This performance had gone completely wrong.

Jake couldn't explain the whole thing. The bitten drunk staggered along the old houses with his buddy, but he remained standing on his two feet and even drank a bottle while walking. Normally, he should have been dead long ago. After half an hour of secret surveillance, Jake gave up spying and his thoughts wandered back to the tent. What kind of game was this Ramirez up to? Or had he hired these drunkards specifically to scam in front of an audience? Jake snorted. He couldn't fool him with the medicine man act. He would find out what was behind it.

He crawled back to the tent. But everything was empty there. The tent was closed to spectators, which worried Jake a little. He feared the worst. He stopped when he saw Ramirez walking between the booths. He didn't look relaxed. His furry face was wrinkled with anger, then he disappeared behind another tent.

Jake took advantage of Ramirez's absence and crawled behind the tent with the snake act. Once there, he listened and darted his tongue in and out tensely. His gaze wandered to the trailer. He hastily crawled towards it, but it was empty. The little ones must still be in the tent.

He crawled back quickly and looked under the tarpaulin every few meters. Finally, he reached a room in the tent, where he saw a cage in which the little rattlesnakes were sitting. Jake pulled back and peered through the tent crack. He didn't want to be discovered. He didn't know how the little ones would react when he appeared. He watched them scrutinizingly. They seemed very intimidated. Their bodies were lowered, but it wasn't a relaxed posture.

Jake winced as he felt footsteps approaching. A group of drunks staggered along the tent. Jake hastily backed away and left the crowded area. He paused in the lonely corner of the rock and looked back at the lit area. Because of the crowds, he couldn't go unnoticed. He had to wait until everyone had moved away from the tents. Reluctantly, he curled up and waited, but kept his eyes on the tent.

Chapter Text

Hello, before we go to the chapter, a word in advance against the rattlesnake slaughter, which unfortunately will start this month (2023) again. Against the opinion of the emotionally cold organizers that it would be not so bad to treat rattlesnakes in this way, it has to be said that rattlesnakes, like other animals, can feel pain and suffering. So maybe this chapter will be a little expression of condolences for the rattlesnakes that are going through horrible things in Sweetwater, Texas this black weekend. RIP.

It was deep in the night. Peace had returned to the circus square. In contrast to the houses in the city, where the drinking was beginning now more than ever. Jake could hear the roaring shouts of the drunks even to his hiding place. But he ignored the mindless life of the others. He just kept an eye on the tent. He was surprised that no one had come out yet like last night to go into the trailer. There was no sound from the tent either, which made Jake nervous.

What was going on in there? Should he check again?

As if on cue, a lamp lit up at the tent entrance suddenly. Jake pressed himself against the rock. Ramirez left the tent. He held a lantern and carried some kind of bundle on his shoulder. Jake couldn't see what it was. The lamplight and the moon were too weak for that. Ramirez walked away from the tent, but instead of walking toward the trailer, he walked away from the area.

Jake waited a while before he broke away from the rock and followed the trail with his sense of smell. So there was no danger of being discovered if Ramirez should return immediately. The trail led up the hill towards the old mines. Jake narrowed his eyes. What was this guy up to do in the middle of the night?

It was lonely near the old mine. In front of the next tunnel, there were dilapidated shacks of old wooden huts. Ramirez stopped next to one of them. He hung the lantern on a hook and turned it on full. Then he threw the bundle off his shoulders.

Jake, who had been following him so far, peered around a rock. The lantern light illuminated the area well. Now Jake could see what Ramirez had been carrying all along and throwing on the ground. The four little rattlesnakes were tied together like a bundle of straw. They struggled in the ropes, but they found no way to get free. Ramirez leaned down to them. A knife flashed in the light. Jake heard a muffled child's cry. Since he couldn't hear any clear calls, the snakes' mouths were probably tied again.

Ramirez cut one of them loose and dragged it behind him by the tail like a wet sack. The little rattlesnake wriggled like a worm in his grasp. Jake could only guess that it was the same snake that had bitten the drunk. When the little snake pushed its head at Ramirez, he gave it a hard kick. The snake cried out with muffled sounds, and it sounded almost like a whining beg. Despite its helplessness, it tried to brace its body against the ground, but Ramirez dragged it mercilessly behind him.

He stopped next to one of the huts, grabbed the snake by the scruff and hung it on a high fence like an old piece of laundry hanging out to dry.

Jake couldn't see much in the dark, but he felt confirmed in his suspicion that the little snake's mouth was tied with a robe again, by which it was now hanging in the air.

Then Ramirez took a few steps back, pulled out his whip and slapped the hanging snake a few times, which was followed by a series of whimpering screams. Jake's attention briefly wandered to the three tied together little snakes on the ground, making every attempt to wriggle out of the ropes. One of them called out something muffled through its gagged mouth, probably a plea for mercy.

But Ramirez just spat on the ground and rolled up the whip. But in the same second, he lashed out at the snake children lying on the ground with the whip. The painful blow made the little ones howl.

Ramirez spat on the ground again. "You could have been spared that," he began derogatory, "if your brother hadn't behaved so badly today." He whipped the whip again, but this time loudly in the air. Apparently to keep scaring them. "If the others find out that I removed your venom glands and you aren't venomous, then my act is over."

Jake raised his head attentively. So that was the "trick".

Ramirez pocketed the whip and pulled a pistol out of his jacket. "I guess, I'll have to teach you that way so you learn."

At first, there was absolute silence, but then one of the little rattlesnakes in the bundle rose and called out something muffled to Ramirez.

Ramirez clicked his tongue mockingly. "Too late for apologies." He reached into his pocket again and pulled out an oblong object. Jake's eyes widened as he screwed it onto the gun.

A silencer. No one should hear the shot. Wretched coward.

There were muffled screams as Ramirez aimed the gun at the bundle. He fired, but he only shot into the ground next to the little snakes. The three snake kids cried out, rolling over, afraid he would hit them with a bullet.

Ramirez laughed in amusement and fired again, missing again.

Jake could only hear the little ones crying muffledly. At least Ramirez showed no interest in the whining reptiles in front of him and playfully he turned the gun in his paw.

"Oh, you will be punished later. Now it's your brother's turn."

He turned away. But that caused one of the little snakes to raise its head and make loud wailing noises. But the tamer left it completely cold and turned to the still hanging rattlesnake. "Unfortunately, your performance today was awful," Ramirez growled at it. "Do you want to know how to teach manners to someone who is misbehaving? Especially not at a performance?" He held up the gun. "I'll be happy to show you." He aimed the gun at the hanging rattlesnake. "You made a great fool of me today." He stepped closer. "Fortunately, I'm good at putting on a show with just three tapeworms." The bullet hit the rattlesnake boy almost in the middle of his body. No shot was heard, but the snake flinched violently, closely followed by a stifled scream. Ramirez let a few seconds pass, letting the wounded snake wriggle in pain. Apparently, he was amused. Eventually, he punched the boy in the side, causing the hanging snake to buckle. Then he grabbed the tail and pressed the gun to his head.

At this sight, a switch clicked in Jake's brain, turning off everything around him. All he could see was a tunnel vision, controlled by a blind rage. He no longer felt himself sliding down the hill. Fast but almost noiseless.

In that one second, the tamer noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He fired the bullet into the snake boy's head, but this brief distraction had caused him to swivel the barrel of the gun slightly to the side. Ramirez turned to Jake, but he didn't get a chance to fire a shot at him. Like a wall, the Western Grim Reaper threw himself at Ramirez and grabbed him in his deadly chokehold. Loaded with anger, Jake squeezed hard. It was only a matter of seconds. Jake only felt a crack between his body's coils and how his victim's pulse abruptly stopped. Jake remained like this for a few more seconds, then he loosened his chokehold and Ramirez's body fell to the floor.

Dead silence ensued. As if the air all around had stopped breathing. Everything seemed dead.

Still shaking with anger, Jake stared at the dead body. A murder without pay. At least he hadn't had to waste venom or bullets for this garbage.

At some point, he turned away from the corpse and his gaze wandered to the little rattlesnake still hanging on the fence. Hesitantly, he approached it and felt the body. The boy had stopped moving, but Jake could still feel a faint pulse. He flicked his tongue. He smelled the blood oozing from the gunshot wounds. Gently, Jake wrapped a part of his body around the hanged snake boy and pulled him off the fence. He looked at him carefully. The eyes were closed and, as suspected, the snake's mouth was stuffed with a cloth and tied with ropes. The bullet had hit the head, but death had not yet occurred. Jake stared down at him in silence. Should he put the boy out of his misery? A headshot didn't necessarily mean he would die, but was it worth doing anything else?

Jake held the snake boy closer to the lantern light. With every movement he made on the boy, he felt the small body cramp slightly. Jake was torn. He was close to simply giving the boy the coup de grace, but eliminating his own species wasn't his style, especially under these circumstances.

Slowly, Jake felt a rush rising within him that made his pulse race. If he still wanted to do something, then he had to get away from here as soon as possible. The next doctor he knew wasn't around the corner, but the longer he waited, the more the boy's chances faded.

Jake looked up when he heard a rustling sound, not far away and he turned to the little, tied-up rattlesnakes. Jake caught their frightened glances. They were breathing heavily and their mouths were gagged in the same way as the boy who was shot.

With a sigh, Jake crawled towards them. Ramirez had tied them up really tightly. It was a miracle that the little ones could still breathe with their lungs, but untying the bonds would take some time for Jake, without hands and knife. And that's exactly what he didn't have.

Carefully, he pushed the tip of his tail forward and wrapped the bundle of snakes around it. The children's bodies were cramped, but at the same time thin and exhausted. They hardly had anything to eat in captivity. As soon as Jake had a firm grip on them, the little ones squirmed violently. They probably expected the same thing to happen to them as their former tormentor. Jake could imagine that his glowing eyes were demonic to the little ones, but there was nothing he could do about that now. However, he couldn't do much with wriggling snake children. He didn't want to take the risk of transporting them in his mouth and risking to injure them with his venomous fangs.

"Stop it!" Jake ordered. "I don't intend to hurt you, but if you keep acting like this, I might as well just leave you here. I can't waste any time because of you." His eyes wandered to the rattlesnake boy. "If he stays here any longer, he'll die." Jake couldn't say whether the boy had any chance of survival, but at least he still had a minimal chance. "So are you going to keep quiet now?"

At first, the snake children remained dead still. They looked distraught, which Jake didn't blame them for. Finally, one of them nodded with its head, which made Jake's voice more peaceful again. "There we go."

Deftly, he maneuvered the tied snakes onto his neck below his head. Jake could feel their violent heart beatings. He placed the wounded snake on his back. Because of his bullet belt, it couldn't slip away. After he was sure that the little ones couldn't fall off his neck, he started moving. He didn't even bother to get rid of Ramirez's dead body and left the area as fast as he could.

Chapter Text

Hello, I uploaded this chapter because of the rattlesnake roundups taking place again this weekend in the US. It may also be the last chapter for a while, as there are no OC's of the previous stories here yet. This story, as I described in Chapter 1, will be part of a book series. (See info at my profile: "Rango Project"). Perhaps Chapter 5 will be added next year, but I'm still not sure. Despite the sad reason, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

There weren't many doctors Jake trusted implicitly. One of those few was the university doctor Dr. Richard Goodwin, who had a small hospital in a western town. He was also familiar with the mechanism of Jake's gun, which is why Jake consulted him whenever he had problems with his weapon. Fortunately, he wasn't an amateur doctor, but an expert in his field. Therefore, Jake had no concerns about his ability to help. As long as there was anything left to save.

As soon as Jake reached the town, he slowed down and crawled along the outer edge. The hospital was at the far end, so he didn't have to crawl through the city center. It would be unthinkable if a passerby ran into him and raised the alarm.

Jake breathed a sigh of relief when he finally arrived at the hospital. It was a large, white wooden building with a large entrance at the front. Jake looked around carefully. Although it was late at night, the emergency service was still active, which Jake could see from the light in the building. He felt the three small tied rattlesnakes moving on his neck.

"Shhh," he hissed at them. Then he slithered to the hospital entrance, which consisted of two large doors. Jake peered through the small window in the door. In the large anteroom, an oil lamp burned on the ceiling, and a desk stood against the wall. Behind it sat the receptionist, a squirrel lady in a white shirt, tiredly leafing through a magazine. It would be an advantage if he could rush in now without risking her fainting. Without knocking, Jake pushed open the doors and crawled into the room. The squirrel lady was so startled at first that she stood bolt upright, trembling as she adjusted her glasses.

"Señjor Jake?" she managed to say.

Jake didn't answer at first, but swung the small, tied rattlesnakes from his neck, as they were slowly becoming restless again, and placed them on the table in front of the secretary, who stared at the little rattlesnakes in alarm.

"What…Good Lord," she gasped.

"Get the doctor, immediately!" Jake interrupted her stammering.

The squirrel hurriedly pressed a button. It only took a few seconds, and a side door opened. A plump honey badger with disheveled fur and a doctor's coat stepped out. Apparently, he had slept and he had jumped up shortly after the bell rang.

Dr. Goodwin adjusted his glasses and recognized Jake immediately. "Mr. Jake. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"Let's skip the big talk, Doctor," Jake interrupted. "This time it's not about me, it's about this." He arched his long, belt-clad back and put the wounded little rattlesnake on the ground.

For a second, the doctor was speechless. Then he hastily knelt down next to the little rattlesnake and examined the body. His attention first fell on the head. The mouth was half-open, and blood was caked on the gunshot wound to the head. He took out a little pocket lamp and shone it into the eyes, then he touched the body where he found the bullet had penetrated.

"I see two gunshot wounds," he commented, mostly to himself, before his gaze wandered back up to Jake. "Any other important clues?"

Jake shook his head. "As far as I can tell, there were only two shots."

"Will he survive, Señor Doctor?" the receptionist asked worriedly.

The doctor narrowed his eyes. "I can't say for sure until I've taken an X-ray." He put the little pocket lamp back in his jacket pocket. "In case there's anything else I can do." He didn't look at Jake, but turned to the receptionist. "Get the assistant. Tell her she should prepare for surgery and she should bring a trolley."

"And what about the others?"

"The others?"

The squirrel lady pointed to the three tightly bound little rattlesnake on the desk.

"They're fine so far," Jake chimed in. "Just focus on him."

The doctor thought it best not to ask questions and nodded.

"Bring Lizzy in."

The squirrel lady pressed another button, then she spoke into a speaking trumpet. "Hello, Lizzy. Yes, an emergency. Surgery, please come to the lobby with a stretcher."

It only took a minute for a vixen in white nurse's uniform to enter the room, pushing a small cart in front of her. The doctor carefully lifted the wounded rattlesnake and placed it on the cart.

"One more thing, Doctor," Jake said, pushing the doctor aside. "He probably doesn't have any venom glands anymore. Check that."

The doctor nodded and turned back to the assistant Lizzy. "Nurse. Take him to the X-ray room. And you..." he said to the receptionist, "take care of them." He pointed to the three tied-up snakes.

"Should I put them in one of the rooms for now?" the receptionist asked before Dr. Goodwin left the anteroom.

"That would probably be best."

She nodded. "All right. Come on, Señjor Jake."

The lady pointed to another corridor. When Jake turned back to the small rattlesnakes, he was glad they had been quiet so far. Only when he re-coiled them, they emitted murmuring, whimpering sounds. He held them up to his face and looked at them seriously, but also somehow reassuringly.

"It'll be over soon," he whispered to them. Then he placed them back on his neck and followed the receptionist into a room with a few beds. Jake gently pushed his large body through the doorway. At least the doors and rooms were large enough for the beds to fit easily through the doorways. Once there, Jake laid the three snakes down on one of the beds. Their muscles trembled and tensed.

The receptionist leaned over them and examined the ropes. "Well, unfortunately, scissors won't do anything. I'll have to use a knife. Or better a scalpel."

She walked away and returned a short time later with a scalpel. As she bent down over the little snakes with the knife, they became nervous.

Jake hissed loudly, then he pushed part of his body forward and covered their eyes. "Now you can do."

The receptionist nodded obediently, and when she finally cut the first rope, the little snakes audibly sucked air through their noses. Jake held them tightly as a precaution while the squirrel continued with the ropes and cloths that were stretched around their mouths. As soon as she had removed the bulky items from the first one, it spat a piece of cloth out of its mouth in disgust, gasping loudly.

Jake's body tensed. He was disgusted to see this and would have preferred to rid Ramirez's dead body with bullets.

Finally, the lady had freed the others from their gags. And as soon as she was finished, Jake loosened his grip. Immediately, the little snakes jumped up and scattered. The squirrel lady backed away in alarm, while the terrified rattlesnake children hid somewhere in the room. One snake hid under the bed, the other one into another bed under the covers, the third one disappeared behind a closet.

Jake looked around in surprise.

"Señjor Jake," the squirrel lady began hesitantly. "I suggest leaving them alone for a while. Would that be okay with you?"

Jake nodded. He also wanted to get out of the room as quickly as possible, afraid he'd smash everything in his anger.

But before they left, the squirrel lady was making sure the windows were securely closed so the snakes couldn't escape. Then she locked the room.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Señjor Jake?" she asked.

Jake's dark glare hit her hard. "Do you have a stiff drink the house?"