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Solo #1 In your Sights.


Skyler hummed a happy dream, safe and sound in his bed. "Mmm...no..no, Mr. Camel. This is my icecream. AHhhhhmmmmmnum." He opened his mouth wide and bit down.

Pablo walked in, the clicking of a dog's claws by his side, with a lit oil lamp. He cocked an eyebrow as he witnessed his son chewing on his blanket, eyes happily closed.
"Skyler." His voice was thick and deep and he gently prodded the boy's cheek.
"Hm?!" Skyler started awake, drooling on the blanket. He blushed and spat it out with a small giggle. "Woops!" He tittered, lifting the snug sheets and climbing out of bed. His hair was a mess and he wore a night dress. The moment his feet hit the cold floor, the burly black retriever hurried over and began to cover the boy's face in licks.
Skyler giggled madly at the dog's assault and tried to push him off of him, but to little avail! "Oh- Brutis you- I- get -!" he was more slobber than face now and Pablo gave one of his rare smiles, pulling the dog off by the collar.
"Let him breathe, Brutis. Skyler, go get your things ready. We're going to go sight some guns this morning.
Skyler pointed at himself. "REALLY!? I get to go too!?" His face lit up.
"Of course. You should learn the trade, too."
"Oh, thank you papa!" He hurried forwards and grabbed the older man by his legs, snuggling his face happily into them.
"Yeh yeh. Get dressed. Something outdoorsy."

Skyler hurried to his closet while Pablo started making breakfast, pulling it open and looking at...less than a wardrobe full of clothes. There was his usual dress, a t-shirt and some comfy night bloomers and some jeans. He pulled on the t-shirt with jeans, looking in the mirror...it was not very attractive on him. He grabbed his hair brush and began to stroke his long locks back into perfect place, licking his finger and curling the longest strand at the end.

Finally, he met his papa downstairs and shoveled down a piece of toast. Then, they both went out the door. Pablo took Skyler's hand, Brutis running ahead and barking wildly at some wild birds. Skyler was shown the shed where the bullets were kept and Pablo explained this is where he had been found. After another quick trip to the gun cellar, picking up the day's projects, Pablo placed Skyler in the wagon with the bullets and guns and began the long haul towards the target range.

Finally reaching it, Pablo showed Skyler all the different parts of the gun: how to load it, where the scope was mounted, how it locked and how to turn the safety off. Then, he began to set up the targets.

Finally, he showed Skyler that an unsighted gun would not shoot straight and taught him how to line it up with the target and reset the calibration. Skyler was very pleased with himself, shooting the guns his papa had made and making sure they were lined up. By the end of the morning, he had learned a lot about shooting guns!

On their way home, Pablo got a soft smile. He supposed it was almost time for Skyler to have a gun of his very own, now that he knew how to use them.

Word count: 559

Solo #3 Shots Fired

Skyler's lip quivered and he held the gun tightly in his hands, pointing it around in a circle at the older youths surrounding him. It wasn't loaded, per Pablo's wishes, but the bullies weren't convinced, held only at bay for fear of being shot. He had been caught on his way to the store to pick up some groceries for his papa. But their leader, a cold Seviper, loved the shiny look of that gun and had ordered its collection. Whatever the boss wanted, he got in exchange for letting his friends have his parent's alcohol or whatever kids wanted these days.

Skyler gulped, a bead of sweat curling down his cheek. He had gained a bit of a backbone in these last weeks and he wasn't going to just hand his gun over like he might have a while ago. He was almost a teen by this point.
"My father can make you one just like this." He hissed through his teeth, turning fast and making sure his finger was back on the hammer.
"I don't want to pay for a gun that nice. Looks awfully expensive."
"Its mine. Now back off or I'll shoot."

Suddenly, someone tapped Skyler on the shoulder and he turned. The group then jumped from side to side rapidly.
"Grab him!"
This was a common move they did, they were just waiting for the right moment to strike.
And they did grab him. They held him down and shoved his face into the mud, ripping the gun from his hand and the money from his pocket. The seviper opened the chamber and smirked. "Not even one bullet. Pathetic. Come on, boys. I have what I want."
And with that, they left for their treehouse fort to play with their stolen prize.

But skyler was far from done. He wanted to cry, but he wouldn't. His papa was tending the store...the adult thing would be to wait for him to get home or call him. But Skyler was seeing flashes of red, seething with an anger he had never felt in all his years of being bullied. That gun WAS his confidence. His hard work and his father's love spilled from it, too. And it was in the hands of an enemy.

Not for long. He grabbed his father's old gun off the mantle and hoped it would serve him well again. He ran out to the shed and got a box of bullets, loading the gun. Then, he marched to the club house. He knew they had no weaponry now and he was an ace with a shotgun.

Arriving, he fired twice into the air and the ruckus in their treehouse stopped. They weren't far from the main road, so Skyler would have to do this quick before it caught un-needed attention.
"GET OUT HERE OR I'LL COME UP THERE AND SHOOT YOU ALL!"
There was a bunch of mumbles and a face appeared in the window. Skyler fired again, just beside it, bursting a hole beside the window.

Slowly, the group descended with their hands up in the air.
"Ok man...Just be cool, okay?"
"Y-yeah, we didn't mean anything by it."
"You can have your gun back, okay Skyler?"
Their boss finally appeared and Skyler's gun was slid across the ground to him nice and easy.
"...One more thing." Skyler said, loving this. They couldn't surround him, knowing for sure this gun was loaded. "I want you all to drop your pants to your knickers and walk down the street singing 'I'm a little teapot."
One or two immediatly dropped their pants with red flooding to their faces, but the others protested.
Skyler glared and fired into the air again...
only he didn't.

There was a click. It was jammed! No! No, not now!
The seviper smirked and was the first to tackle him to the ground again, the gang following.
"You sick little ******** eyes went wide. He'd never heard anyone but adults swear. Tears filled his eyes as the older boy let two more grab Skyler by the arms and hoist him up, relinquishing his father's first gun. They tore his dress to make him finally let go of it, leaving him in nothing but his underclothes.
"Please, no! That's my father's gun!"
"Well, isn't that a shame. Daddy's gunna hear about how you ripped your pretty little dress and how you broke his gun because you're such a little wuss!"
Skyler broke down into tears as a sickening crack broke the air. Then another and another.
The beautiful gun was in pieces and so was Skyler. He was shaking all over as the bullies suddenly screamed and scattered in all directions, a fierce looking Scyther exiting his car and hurrying over, shooting into the air and taking pot shots at their scampering little feet.

What ensued after that was heinous. Much screaming and yelling? No. Spankings and no dinner for a week? No. There was deafening silence. Total 100% hatred and disappointment radiating from his father as he dragged him by the hand to the car, picking up the deposted derringer the bullies had dropped in the scramble. Pablo left Skyler in his room to clean himself up and throw away his ruined dress.
Skyler could have called his father. He could have waited for someone else's help. He could have tried to make peace. He had gone from no confidence to overconfidence. He didn't deserve the beautiful gun he had and the missing shotgun's presence was felt. Only two words were uttered all night.
"Grow up."

Word count: 929