The sun blazed overhead as Cody's black stallion, a muscular beast built for power, thundered across the arid plains. Cody kept his posture firm in the saddle, the reins tightly gripped in his calloused hands. He squinted against the sun's glare, his brow furrowed in concentration. Behind him, the faint sound of hooves was constant, but the rhythm was unnervingly controlled.
Cody turned his head, expecting to see Jose at a fair distance, but his eyes widened. Jose wasn't where he'd last seen him. The horizon behind was empty.
"W—what? Where did he—?" Cody muttered under his breath.
"Looking for me?"
The low, taunting voice came from behind, closer than Cody expected. His muscles tensed as he twisted in his saddle to see Jose riding to his right, slightly behind him but matching pace effortlessly. Cody's face hardened.
"Damn it, Jose," Cody growled. "You're like a bad itch I can't scratch."
Jose's smirk widened, his head tilted slightly, exuding a casual confidence that set Cody's nerves on edge. "I get that a lot."
Cody's stallion began to huff, its flanks heaving from the relentless pace. Jose, on his chestnut mare, seemed unnervingly at ease. He noticed every detail of Cody's horse—the way its breath came out ragged, its stride faltering ever so slightly.
"Hey, Cody," Jose called out, his voice feigning concern but laced with mockery. "Might want to slow down before your poor horse gives out. Hate to see him collapse under that ego of yours."
Cody shot him a glare, his eyes narrowing as he spat out, "Mind your own damn business. I know my horse."
Jose chuckled, the sound low and predatory. "Sure you do. Just like you know how to handle this chase." He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper that still carried over the galloping hooves. "But I see the signs. He's slowing down. Breathing hard. You've been pushing him too long, and now he's showing cracks."
"Shut it," Cody snapped, his tone sharp as a whip.
Jose shrugged, still grinning. "Just thought I'd point out the obvious. You've got him running on fumes, Sheriff."
Cody gritted his teeth and focused on the terrain ahead. The flatlands gave way to a slight incline, and as his horse climbed, its pace faltered further. Cody cursed under his breath but didn't slow down. He could feel Jose's eyes on him, watching every move, every misstep.
Jose finally broke the silence again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know, Cody, chasing the holy crystal like this isn't gonna win you any prizes. It's a long ride. Gotta pace yourself. But then again, patience has never been your strong suit, has it?"
Cody's hands tightened on the reins. "I'm not losing to you, Jose."
"Lose?" Jose said with a mock gasp, his smirk widening. "I didn't realize this was a competition. But since you brought it up, I guess it's fair to warn you—you're already losing."
Cody pulled his stallion alongside a narrow path bordered by dry, brittle grass. He tried to focus, tuning out Jose's taunts, but the sound of that steady chestnut mare behind him was a constant reminder of his opponent's unnerving composure.
"You're reckless, Cody," Jose added, his tone shifting to something colder, more cutting. "You push too hard, act without thinking. That's why you're always behind."
Cody snapped his head back toward Jose, his jaw clenched. "You talk too much."
Jose laughed, a low, throaty sound. "And you're predictable. Look at you—gripping those reins like you can will your way to victory. Newsflash: your horse is flesh and blood, not some magic machine. You're running him into the ground, just like you do everything else."
The incline finally crested, and Cody's horse stumbled slightly before regaining its footing. Cody cursed again, his frustration mounting. Jose, meanwhile, allowed his mare to catch her breath, her pace steady and deliberate.
"You know," Jose said, his voice now laced with a dangerous calm, "this whole chase says a lot about you. You're desperate. Afraid I'll get to the crystal first. You know you can't outsmart me, so you're banking on outrunning me. But here's the thing—"
"Save your lectures, Jose," Cody barked, his eyes locked on the horizon.
Jose's smirk vanished, replaced with a predatory glint in his eyes. His voice dropped an octave, low and almost menacing. "You can't win a race you've already lost."
Cody didn't respond, his mind racing as he urged his horse onward, but he couldn't shake the weight of Jose's words.
Jose eased his mare slightly ahead now, his movements calculated and fluid. He turned to Cody with a faint, knowing smile. "Catch me if you can, Sheriff."
And with that, Jose urged his horse into a faster stride, leaving Cody behind on the struggling stallion. The sound of hooves pounding against dry earth faded into the wind, and Cody clenched his fists, anger boiling under the surface.
"Damn you, Jose," he muttered, pulling up slightly to give his horse a moment's respite. "This isn't over."
The intensity in the air grew palpable as Cody, riding hard on his exhausted stallion, reached for the revolver holstered at his hip. With precision born from years of experience, he spun the chamber, a faint hum building as the bullets inside began to glow with an otherworldly charge.
"Let's see how you handle this, you smug bastard," Cody muttered, narrowing his eyes as he took aim.
With a deafening crack, Cody fired four bullets in quick succession. The charged projectiles whistled through the air, each one glowing faintly as they curved unnaturally toward their target, guided by Cody's will.
Jose, who had been leaning forward on his mare, sensed the attack. With an almost inhuman grace, he kicked off the saddle, flipping backward through the air. His movements were eerily fluid, his coat flaring as he landed lightly on the ground, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust.
Cody pulled his horse to a halt, his mouth slightly agape. "The hell?"
Jose stood up slowly, his head tilted unnaturally to the side. For a moment, his body language was calm, almost playful. Then, in a movement too quick to follow, he twisted his head sharply, the crack of vertebrae audible as his neck rotated far beyond what was humanly possible.
Cody's stomach churned as he watched Jose's face change. Both of his eyes shifted into the predatory, glowing shape of a wolf's, while his sharp teeth extended into fangs that gleamed menacingly in the harsh sunlight. Jose's hair grew longer, wild and unkempt, framing a face that was both animalistic and human. Behind him, a tail burst forth, twitching with agitation.
Jose's low growl reverberated through the open plain. "So, you wish to die, Cody?" His voice was guttural, a mix of man and beast, dripping with predatory intent.
Cody, still on his horse, tightened his grip on the reins, his revolver trained on Jose. "What the fuck are you, Jose?" His voice was steady, but his mind raced to process the impossible sight before him.
Jose crouched slightly, his fingers curling like claws. "Does it matter? You're just prey now."
Before Cody could react, Jose charged. His speed was blinding, a blur of motion that closed the distance between them in seconds. Cody's instincts kicked in. He fired again, summoning the energy-charged bullets back toward Jose with a flick of his wrist.
The bullets streaked through the air like guided missiles, but Jose's movements were impossibly quick. He ducked, sidestepped, and twisted through the onslaught with an almost casual elegance. Each dodge seemed calculated, like a predator toying with its prey.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that, Sheriff!" Jose snarled, his voice echoing with unnatural ferocity.
Cody gritted his teeth, spurring his horse into motion as Jose lunged for him. The beast-like man swiped at Cody's saddle, narrowly missing as the sheriff leaned to the side.
Jose's wolfish grin widened. "Run all you want, Cody. It only makes the hunt more fun."
Cody cursed under his breath, his mind working frantically. "A damn monster," he muttered. Summoning his bullets again, he sent them spiraling toward Jose from multiple angles, hoping to catch him off-guard.
Jose spun mid-run, leaping into the air as two bullets zipped past his sides. Another grazed his arm, but it only seemed to fuel his aggression. "You'll have to do better than that," he growled.
Landing gracefully, Jose locked eyes with Cody, his feral gaze piercing. "You're not the hunter anymore, Sheriff," he said, his voice low and taunting. "You're my prey now."
Cody swallowed hard, his gun trembling slightly in his grip. The weight of the moment settled on him as he realized the line he'd crossed. Whatever Jose had become, it wasn't human anymore—and Cody was in way over his head.
Cody steadied his aim, but before he could fire again, Jose lunged forward with blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, his clawed hand slashed through the air, catching Cody across the chest. The force of the strike sent Cody flying off his horse, landing with a painful thud in the dirt several feet away.
Cody coughed, his hat knocked off and dust clinging to his clothes. Blood seeped through his shirt where Jose's claws had raked him. He groaned in pain, struggling to push himself up as Jose approached, his movements deliberate and predatory.
"You thought you could beat me, Cody?" Jose's voice was cold, tinged with mockery. He stood tall, his wolf-like tail swishing behind him as he sneered. "You thought wrong. I'm fifty times faster than any human in this damn world. You're nothing more than a sluggish, arrogant fool playing at being a predator."
Cody glared up at him, wiping blood from his lip. "You talk a lot for someone so desperate to prove himself."
Jose's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, then returned, sharper than before. "Call it what you want, Sheriff. But the difference between us is I know my worth. And right now, your worth is about as much as the dirt you're lying on."
Jose's sharp eyes darted to Cody's horse, now skittish and stamping its hooves nervously. With calculated ease, he strode toward the animal, placing a firm hand on its reins to calm it. His gaze flicked to the saddlebag, and a sly grin spread across his face.
"Well, what do we have here?" he murmured, pulling out the rolled-up map tucked inside. He unfurled it with a practiced flick of his wrist, scanning its contents quickly. His expression grew intense, and then—suddenly—confused.
"Texas?" Jose said, his voice sharp with disbelief. "No, no, no... what the hell is this?" He held the map closer, his golden, wolf-like eye narrowing as he traced the mark on it with a clawed finger. His frustration bubbled to the surface, his sharp teeth bared in an agitated snarl.
"It was just in Mexico!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the open plain. "Mexico! My beautiful, perfect place! The heat, the open skies, the way everything felt like it belonged to me!" His tone grew more frantic, his tail flicking angrily behind him. "How the hell did it move? What kind of sick game is this?! TEXAS?!"
Jose crumpled the map slightly in his fist, his frustration boiling over into a guttural roar. "WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKK!"
The sound was feral, vibrating through the air as he tilted his head back, his wild hair framing his face like a mane. His sharp teeth gleamed as he exhaled heavily, the animalistic snarl slowly fading into a cold, calculating silence.
The map fluttered in his hands as he stared at it, his mind racing. Jose's cunning nature refused to let his anger blind him for too long. His thoughts shifted, dissecting the new development. If the mark had moved, there had to be a reason—a challenge, a trap, or perhaps an opportunity.
He let out a bitter chuckle, folding the map back up and tucking it into his pocket. "Fine," he muttered to himself, his voice steady now but dripping with venom. "If the game wants to change the rules, I'll adapt. Texas it is."