Arthur pulled his coat tighter against the storm, cursing under his breath as the freezing mountain wind tore at him. “D*mn blizzard,” he muttered, his words barely audible even to his own ears over the howl. His horse snorted, steam rising in thick clouds from its nostrils, the poor beast just as miserable as he was. He leaned forward, patting its neck through his glove. “Just a little further, boy. I ain’t too happy about it neither.”

His eyes scanned the white void ahead, squinting against the icy flakes that stung his face like needles. He wasn’t sure where the hell he was going, but he had to figure something out for the gang.

Then he saw it. A faint orange glow through the swirling snow, barely there but enough to catch his attention. A homestead. Smoke from the chimney, lights in the windows. Someone was there, warm and fed, while he was out freezing his ass off. He let out a sharp breath, shaking the thought away, and muttered, “Ain’t no time for envy.”

Arthur dismounted, the crunch of his boots in the snow the only sound besides the wind. He stopped at the door and knocked firmly before stepping back slightly. He didn’t want to look like trouble, so he kept his shoulders straight but not stiff, his face set in a mask of calm. Just a weary traveler, passing through. Nothing more.

“Don’t mean no harm,” he called out, his voice steady but low, pitched just loud enough to carry through the door. His jaw tightened as he listened for any movement inside. Nothing.

He sighed, his breath curling in the frozen air. “D*mn folks,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “Can’t tell if they’re hidin’ or just deaf.” He shifted his weight, tapping his fingers against the grip of his revolver hidden under his coat. He didn’t want to force his way in, but he wasn’t about to freeze to death on their doorstep neither.

His people needed food, needed meds. They’d be dead if he didn’t find something and get back to them soon. So if it had to be the hard way, it d*mn well would be.