Home at Last.

I refused to surrender my horse to the robbers, so I had to take them down with my last few rifle rounds and a sidearm. Then, after a tense encounter with a camper and a near-fatal cougar attack, I managed to skin the predator, and finally reached the safety of Pronghorn Ranch.

The robbers were kind enough to give me a choice, as they asked me to get off my horse so they could take it to market where I could surrender and let them take it without a fight. I wasn't about to give up my mount that easily.

I only had three bullets left in my rifle. I missed the first shot since I didn't use Dead Eye, but I made the last two count, taking down two of the three robbers before they could close the distance.

With the rifle empty, I had to switch to my handgun to finish off the final robber. It took a couple of quick shots, but the threat was neutralized.

After the smoke cleared, I got off my horse to loot the bodies. I scavenged everything I could find. Since they were outlaws, I made the law that their gear was legally mine now.

I continued toward Pronghorn and spotted another campfire. I stopped to try and have a friendly chat with a lonely traveler there, but he immediately threatened me and told me to get lost. I left him alone to avoid any more trouble.

As I was riding quietly, the screech of a cougar echoed through the trees. My horse spooked instantly, bucking me off his back and galloping away into the darkness.

Before I could even get my bearings on foot, the cougar attacked. It jumped right on me, and tried to pin me down before I even had a chance to raise my weapon.

I managed to throw the beast off me. As it tried to retreat into the brush, I grabbed the rifle I'd taken from the robbers earlier and shot it before it could vanish.

My special hat had fallen off during the struggle. I made sure to pick it up and put it back on quickly, cause I don't feel like myself without it.

I whistled for my horse to return and set to work skinning the cougar. Its pelt is valuable, and I planned to sell it as soon as I reach a town.

Riding through the final stretch of forest was eerie. I heard the scary noises of unseen animals and stopped for a moment to check my surroundings, but fortunately (for them, lol), nothing else attacked.

I thought Pronghorn Ranch was still miles away, but after just a bit more riding, the buildings came into view. My long and dangerous journey finally ended there.