Work Text:
“What made us go the way we went?”
By Denise Craig
“Heyes?”
The horses plodded on.
“Heyes?”
The sun beat down on their backs.
“HEYES?!”
Still no answer. They had been plodding along for what had seemed like hours. His partner ahead of him, slowly leading the way. The sun continued to beat down, the horses hooves creating little dust clouds with every step. It was HOT! The country they were traveling in had been in drought for months and the little rivulets they had come upon had dried up. They had two canteens each but the second was almost empty. They needed to find a town or water…and soon.
“Heyes,” tried his partner again. Kid was feeling contemplative and certain questions were gnawing at him.
“What made us go the way we went?”
It was a question he had thought about often. He had answered this question for himself, with all honesty, and didn't much like what he had come up with. He was hoping that Heyes had a different answer. An answer that would assuage his guilty conscious. He was pretty sure it wouldn't, but he wanted to give it a try. Also, his partner hadn't talked to him in a fair bit and it was worrying him. Heyes wasn't usually one to let a few miles go by without some kind of comment.
He rode up to his partner and looked at his face. His face was sweating. His brow furrowed. His eyes…closed. He was…ASLEEP! “Heyes!” Kid shook his partner who promptly fell out of his saddle. Kid grinned down at his surprised partner. “You okay?”
Heyes looked around him, not recognizing where he was. Kid dismounted and sat next to his partner offering his canteen. Heyes gratefully took a drink. As he passed the canteen back to Kid, blue eyes looked into his.
“Heyes, what made us go the way we went?” asked Kid, still mulling.
“It's all my fault,” Heyes said sadly.
This wasn't the answer Kid had been expecting. He waited for his friend to go on.
“I'm sorry Kid. This is all my fault. I…I fell asleep.”
Kid just looked at him and then burst out laughing. It felt good and lifted a little of the gloom from his heart.
“I don't think it's funny Kid. I could have fallen over a cliff. Then where would you be?”
Kid just laughed harder. It wasn't the answer he was looking for but it would do. For now…it would do.
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