Snow Covered Reflection - RDR Winter Exchange

A/N: Hey Hey Hey! Here’s my Winter exchange gift for @saucemanboyardee ! I hope that you enjoy this little Sean introspective! I had a fun time writing this, as I’ve never really written for him before! 

Thanks to @rdrevents for putting together this fun event! 

They buried Davy far from camp. 

Dutch figured it was the best option since the ground was too frozen to break the surface. Sean and the rest were inclined to agree. While wolves and other beasts were less likely to approach a larger group, no one was willing to take the chance. They were already in a fragile position; on the run, stuck in the snow covered mountains of Colter with barely any food, meager clothes to keep themselves warm, and little protection from the elements. 

The trek to the mountains hadn’t been easy on anyone. Everyone had no choice to but to leave everything behind other than a few minor things they had remembered amidst the hustle. Sean had been lucky enough to grab the photo of his father, but not much else. He had been more concerned with assisting Tilly and Abigail load supplies into one of the wagons. And little Jack wasn’t much help. 

Davy’s death; that had been something else. Being an outlaw, one was always aware that death lurked behind every corner and was poised to pounce at any turn. But seeing Davy die like that had been difficult. The entire makeshift camp was already covered in an invisible layer of fragility, and watching the slow and blood decline of a highly valued, able-bodied gunslingers utterly broke everyone’s spirit. Sean supposed the only thing keeping them together at this point was Dutch’s sincere faith they would make it out of the frozen wasteland and find somewhere warm and safe. For now they could only take it one day at a time. 

Sean exhaled deeply, watching his breath manifest as a wispy cloud and disappear into the morning air. He had drawn guard duty the previous day and relieved Charles some time ago. Already the frigid air was biting through his jacket and his fingers were stiff from the cold. He flexed the digits to try and loosen them up. 

Despite the cold, the landscape around the abandoned town was beautiful. When the snow chose to cease its torrential falls, the rising sun wreathed the mountainside in a splendor of pinks, oranges, and yellows. It almost looked like a roaring fire. If he closed his eyes, Sean could almost feel the warmth. 

Trudging through the deep snow, Sean made his way to the back of the dilapidated barn. He wondered who was in with the hostage. He made his own visit earlier in the week. The O’Driscoll, whatever his name, was as pathetic as he had imagined; a big blubbering, crying mess. He doubted the man knew much of anything, but once again, Dutch had faith that if they pried hard enough, he’d eventually reveal something worth while. 

He remembered the night Arthur brought him to camp. It had been right after their ambush on an O’ Driscoll camp elsewhere in the mountains. Pure coincidence. 

They were a regular thorn in the gang’s side as of late. Sean knew there was a rivalry and Dutch had a rich history with Colm, the leader, but as to the extent of the history, he wasn’t exactly sure. What he did know was they had decimated a good portion of Colm’s men. 

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he reminisced on the attack. It had been invigorating. The adrenaline coursing through his body, each shot ringing in his ears, the weight of the gun in his hands. Even now his fingers itched to pull the trigger on something. Anything really. A small rabbit or even a squirrel would suffice. If they weren’t confined to the tundra, he’d be out there robbing some poor sap or pickpocketing an unsuspecting passerby. But, until then. he would sullenly resign himself to whatever kept him moving. If he was moving, he was making small steps, and eventually that would lead to leaving this place. 

His nasty-ness had bothered more people than he would have liked to admit. So far, Sean had been reprimanded by both Hosea and Miss Grimshaw. MaryBeth had snapped at him too, and she rarely raised her voice. It was clear despite their victory. tensions still ran high. 

“Been out here long?” 

Sean angled his body away from the perimeter to see Lenny picking his way through the snow; a steaming tin cup clutched in his hands. Wordlessly he extended the cup out to him. Sean nodded his thanks and took a small sip. The heat of the coffee burned his tongue, but he welcomed the heat. 

“You’re a real lifesaver, you know that?” Sean said, shooting his friend a toothy grin. “Another minute and I’d have been frozen to the ground! You know me. I plan on causing quite the boom when I go. None of this freezing shit.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it happen.” Lenny replied, chuckling.

Sean chuckled himself, before they lapsed into a comfortable silence. It was easy for that to happen. Sean regarded Lenny as one of the good ones. He was always down for a laugh, even if he didn’t always agree with his antics and typically lended an ear whenever he was in a piss poor mood. Of course he tried his best to return the favor, but sometimes Lenny’s problems were too sophisticated for his liking. He had a particular habit of using big words Sean couldn’t understand. Sometimes it wore at his self-esteem. But it was comforting that Lenny never expressed that to him, and, if Lenny believed in him, maybe he could believe in himself. 

“You know, I’m pretty sure Pearson’s finished making something out of the deer Arthur and Charles brought back. Want to go check it out?”

Sean glanced over at him. “I don’t know. Hosea might get after me again if I leave my post.” 

“Come on, Sean.” Lenny reasoned. “Javier’s going to relieve you any minute, right? Let’s just go get him now.” 

Gently clapping him on the back, Lenny turned and began to retrace his steps to the main cabins. Sean took a moment, glanced once more at the perimeter, before following. 

“Oi! Wait up!” He called, jogging after him. “You better save some of the stew for me!”