The burnt orange glow of the setting sun painted Rattlewater in hues of amber and crimson as Cassidy Mustang, the town's entrusted sheriff, patrolled the meandering pathways. Her keen blue eyes scanned her surroundings with a practiced gaze, taking note of the same familiar faces and structures that had become engraved in her memory.
Finish patrol round, get new horseshoes, read that new book by the fireside... The thought of her simple pleasures made her upper lips curl into a small smile.
Her routine contemplation was broken by an unfamiliar sight. A stranger walked into town, sauntering with a confidence that stood out in the otherwise serene evening.
"Hold it right there, partner," Cassidy called, shifting her weight and trotting towards the stranger, her white horse body rippling with tucked muscles beneath her. Her freckled, stern face held the authority earned from years of law enforcement. Her red hair, usually fiery in the sunlight, softened under the setting sun's glow.
"Welcome to Rattlewater." Cassidy's eyes bore into the stranger. "Who might you be, and what brings you to our humble town?"
