Prey (teaser)

The badger found the building he had been searching for. A large sign which read 'Sheriff' in bold letters hung over the porch of a brown building. The place looked too nice at first glance; like the paint was no more than a week old and the wooden rails had hardly been used.

Marching up to the building, the badger pushed open the door and looked around. The spacious interior housed two empty jail cells on one wall, a large desk across from the holdings, and a small round table in the middle of the room. A young hyena sat with his boots on the table, leaning back in his chair and spinning his pistol around on a furry finger. A shimmering deputy's badge sat pinned to his denim blue shirt. He eyed up the short, burly badger who stood in the doorway.

"Hoo boy, what have we 'ere? A real gunslinger in our peaceful town. Looks like he's got some meat on dem bones too!" The spotted hyena chuckled to himself.

The badger sneered at the heckler. "I ain't got time fer your jokes boy. Where's the sheriff?"

"'Boy?' Who do you—"

"Now, now, James," a silky baritone voice spoke up. "That is no way of welcoming a guest to our fair town."

A tall bobcat stepped forward. His whiskers were well groomed and waxed into curls, the fur between his ears slicked back, and he wore a pressed, tight brown suit. He stood a good head above the short badger, paws curled around the lapels of his jacket as he smiled down at the hunter.

"E. M. Giles, my good man!" He extended a paw adorned with golden rings. "Pray tell, what brings you here?"

The badger stared at the paw before tilting his head back and looking up. "The one from the plaque? So this here's your town?"

"That it is, that it is." The mayor's ears folded back as he drew his paw back to his side, but his muzzle remained stuck in a smile. "Though I must say, there's many a nicer spot to visit in my city than this here Sheriff's office. God forbid something dire has brought you here."

"Been trackin' a rabbit; seems he made 'is way here." The hunter pulled out the wanted poster and offered it to the bobcat. "Came t' see if the sheriff knew anythin'."

"Oh my," Giles exclaimed taking the crumpled paper and looking it over. "Well I do hope this rabbit problem is taken care of with haste." He walked back to the large, mahogany desk and laid the poster down. "I will entrust this in your hands, Sheriff."

The badger looked past the mayor to see a stern eagle. A large, ten-gallon hat rested on the desk and the bird wore a brown leather vest with a shiny, golden badge pinned to it.

The bobcat's ears rotated forward and he leaned in. "I would hate to have more tragedy befoul my town."

"Of course, Mister Mayor," the eagle picked up the poster. "I'm sure this will be dealt with quickly."

"Excellent! By all means, I expect you gentlemen to come to a solution with this incident." The mayor brushed his paws off and turned back to the hunter, a large grin still carved on his muzzle. "I would love to stay longer and make your acquaintance, but there are preparations for a dinner party tonight that require my attention, so I must take my leave. I do hope you will have time to enjoy the hospitality of my fair town, good sir." Giles nodded and headed out.

The hyena stood up and watched the mayor leave. Once he assured the bobcat was out of earshot he spoke up. "A bounty hunter? We don't need nunnuya kind 'round 'ere just lookin' fer another dolla'. We got our own way 'a makin' criminals pay 'ere. Don' need no outside help."

"That'll be enough, James! He's just looking for information." The sheriff's voice boomed. "Please excuse my deputy. He's doesn't have much tact when it comes to new comers in our town."

"If it's alright with you, I don't plan on staying long. Just here to finish a job and move t' the next." The badger pointed to the poster in front of the bird. "Traced 'is trail here, hoping you might've seen him come or go."

"Sadly, sir, I can't say I've seen this rabbit before. If he was in my town causing a ruckus, I would have known. Otherwise, he ain't been breaking any laws here."

"Don't got anything better than that, Sheriff?"

"Maybe he went missin' wit' the rest of 'em. Good riddance!" the joking hyena interrupted.

"Don't you know when to shut your mouth, boy?" the eagle snapped at his subordinate.

"Missin' people?" inquired the hunter.

The bird pushed the poster back to the badger with a sigh. He paused to rub his temple before speaking.

"Don't let any 'a this get out now, ya hear? We've been having people going missing now and then without a trace. The mayor's asked us to keep it under wraps while we look into it. Don't need people running off scared 'cause someone disappeared in the middle of the night. Either way," The sheriff opened a desk drawer and pulled out a thick stack of papers. "We've been collecting these reports from people and it's getting a little high. I still think these forest and mountain folk are coming out here to the desert thinking it's the same place as home. They don't realize the dangers of the desert here. It looks like you've seen your share of trouble out amongst the plains there, stranger. I don't need to tell you how easy it is for someone to not come home. Dangers lurk everywhere out here. All it takes is someone to head out of the town limits alone."

"So you just sit here and let 'em vanish without a care?"

"Hell, I'd love to do something, but most 'a the times they disappear without a trace. No real evidence to look into. They probably got drunk and stumbled into the desert, dead before they could even find another town. Left for scavengers to pick at their roasted remains. It's as if they never existed. So for now, I'm busy spending my best resources on solving crimes I can close."

"What a worthless piece 'a—"

"Look, bounty hunter, you want t' do my job, then go collect that reward. Go find your missing rabbit. That's why you're here right? So why don't you leave me t' do my job while you do yours?"

"Fine by me then, Sheriff." the badger growled, baring his large canines. "You have a good day now."

As the badger reached for the handle, the hyena cocked his head back and jeered, "Good luck huntin'!" He broke out laughing as the badger stepped out, slamming the door behind him.