One

 Dust swirled in the wind and the sun punished every living thing within its influence. Arthur watched the desert through eyes that felt as dry as the ancient irrigation pipes that once kept southern Alberta fertile. The young man carefully watched from his subtle campsite for threats from the small settlement about six kilometers away. No flags hung, and he hadn't seen any sign of life in that town since he started scouting the area the day before. Aside from the shifting dust and a lone crow circling the sky, the desert was still.

 Suspicion didn't allow Arthur to assume he was safe. He adjusted his grip on his rifle and looked through its scope at the gates of the town. Movement caught his attention and he steadied his gaze. The wooden gates swung open and four men walked outside the settlement's walls. They were dressed in a similar manner to most wastelanders in the west; wearing simple cotton garments and leather boots, all of them wore wide brimmed hats.

 Two of the men were tightly holding the arms of a third, who looked badly beaten and scarred. A fourth man (obviously some kind of leader, Arthur thought, judging by how he carries himself) stood in front of the beaten man and aimed a pistol at his chest. (definitely a leader, why else would he have a gun, a new looking gun at that?) A gunshot echoed through the desert. Their leader kept a solemn expression on his face while the other two grinned like idiots while they walked back into the settlement and shut the gate. A pool of blood spread around the fallen man.

 Arthur shrugged and started to plan his next move. Another movement caught his eye and Arthur realized the source was the man who had been shot. Watching him through the scope of his rifle, he was alarmed to see the pool of blood shrink. The man pushed himself onto his knees revealing his gunshot wound healing. A bullet gradually pushed its way from the man's chest, and after it had done so, the man from some mad children's story stood up, dusted himself off and walked off into the desert, heading north.

A Complete Transmutation

Transmutation: the action of changing or the state of being changed into another form.

As my few followers have no doubt noticed, this blog has seen very very little of me recently. In an effort to change this, and more importantly, keep my creative juices flowing, I've decided to change the very nature of this blog. Instead of the random ramblings that pour from my head, I'm instead going to be using this blog as a site for a story. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Keep fighting the good fight out there my dear readers.