"Ah have nevah known you to live in delusion, Vin."

"Ain't delusion, Ezra. It's jest up a ways is all."

"We have been ridin' in this godforsaken rock expanse for two hours. That is aftah four hours in scrub and dust."

"Won't be much longer."

"And how precisely do you know this? You said you had nevah ridden this far east of … "

"Jest know."

Ezra Standish kept his horse at a slow, careful pace. The rocky hills were precarious, for certain. And the sun was a relentless reminder that the need to reach water soon was well upon them. Weeks of persistent heat had convinced the gambler that, despite the assurances of the accomplished tracker, any water Vin Tanner expected to find in this unforgiving stretch had dried up long ago. He hoped he was wrong, but his instinct told him he was right. Then again, he learned some time ago, and often, that it was a sucker's bet to bet against Vin Tanner when it came to reading the landscape in the high desert surrounding Four Corners in every direction.

They rode a while longer. The gambler had quieted down, something that Vin was both somewhat grateful for and quite a bit disturbed by. The former buffalo hunter slowly but surely came to love this area of the country. The awe of the variety of terrain, the abundance of eagles and hawks soaring through the brilliant blue skies along with assorted other winged inhabitants, as well as other creatures at ground level that made this area their home, taught him to never be surprised by what he found. He would tell Ezra once they settled on a place to camp why he was so sure they would come upon a fresh source of water and a cool place to lay their blankets. The Southerner had learned much about signs to watch for in order to survive; today would be another lesson for his friend. Right now, though, the card sharp's silence was what concerned Vin.

"Ez, ya'll right?"

"Indeed."

"Why ya so quiet, then?"

Ezra snorted. "You have more than once requested mah silence on this sojourn, and when Ah ride quietly sans discourse, you wish an explanation."

"I didn't ask ya to be quiet," Vin answered, pretty sure of what his partner on this trip just said. "Makes me think there's somethin' wrong." Ezra sighed heavily. There was something wrong. "Ez?"

The poker player had remained a horse length ahead of the tracker this last while, taking his turn watching out for danger in their path along the ascending, rocky terrain. As they approached the small section of level land before the rocky mount took another steep incline, Chaucer stopped under Ezra's guidance, allowing Peso and his rider to catch up.

Ezra lowered his chin to his chest as Vin joined him, and then he looked over to his friend.

"Aw, hell, Ezra. What's wrong?"

"Ah do not know for certain."

Vin jumped down from his horse and looked up to his friend. "Come on, get down."

"You said that we are not far from where we shall camp. Ah would prefer … "

"Don't care. This a nose bleed?"

"Yes." Ezra remained in his saddle. The sun was scorching as they stayed in place. The warm air as they kept moving was better. 'Why did Vin insist on stopping?'

"Got a headache?"

Ezra rolled his eyes, but recognized his complete lack of wisdom in the action as he felt himself grow dizzy. He held tighter to the horn of his saddle. He closed his eyes, breathed in and out several times. The nausea came on embarrassingly fast. He quickly threw his leg over his saddle, jumped from his seat and crashed to his knees. The bile followed instantly, and then the reappearance of his regurgitated apple from not too long ago as well as remnants of his breakfast now splashed on the rocks and his pants as he remained on hands and knees, dry heaves, both a blessing and a curse, all that remained.

"Why didn't ya say somethin', Ezra?" Vin asked with a hint of anger and a whole lot of concern. He took out his canteen, wetted his bandana down and placed it on Ezra's neck, which was way hotter than Vin liked.

"Ah was … " the sick man started, needing to take a breath before continuing, "hopin' to avoid this," he said as he sat up, reaching for the larger boulder to their left but finding Vin's presence there far more reassuring. Ezra leaned slightly into his friend. "Ah thought with rest that Ah could avoid … this," he added as he waved the hand not holding on to Vin's arm, toward the foul puddle.

"How long you been feelin' bad?" Vin asked as he helped his fellow lawman up and set him on the big rock a stride or two to their right. He saw the two substantial slits in the knees of Ezra's fancy pants and shook his head. Ezra couldn't see what was happening, having closed his eyes to the swirling landscape, but he knew something further had upset the tracker just by the hushed mews of discontent coming from the soft-spoken Texan. His suspicion was confirmed when he felt hands rip the cloth further to check for any damage.

"Mah head began to ache somewhat over an hour ago. Blood began a wretchedly steady stream from mah nose not long after that." That much was clear. Ezra dropped the blood-soaked handkerchief as he dropped to the ground to be sick. His face wore a large amount of dried and not quite dried blood. Vin knew that his friend would be appalled by how he looked right now, but he was more worried about whether Ezra would make it to the oasis that he was certain wasn't much farther. He had a high amount of confidence that a well-moving stream was just over the rise, but just over the rise would still be a haul for Ezra. Now.

Vin took the nearly-dry cloth from Ezra's neck, wet it again and took the card sharp's hand and placed the wet bandana in it. "Wipe yer face," he said. Ezra opened his eyes, took the scarf and placed it across his face, letting it sit there a moment as he tried to cool himself down.

"Thank you, Vin," he said, his voice muffled by the cloth.

"You think you 'kin get back up on Chaucer and ride fer a bit more?" Ezra wiped his face with the cloth and then began to work on his bloody fingers. He looked tired, his eyes squinting in the sun despite the deep brim of his hat.

"Ah have no choice."

"Not really. Can't stay here."

"Then Ah guess we should go." Vin helped Ezra to stand and remained beside him as he walked less-than-steadily to his horse. The tracker assisted the poker player with a leg up and both men were on their way once more.

MAG7 MAG7 MAG7 MAG7 MAG7

"Ez. Ez. Ezra." The forcefulness of the proper calling of his first name had the gambler awake, startled. Vin placed his hand on Ezra's chest. "'s'all right. 's jest me."

"Ah apologize … "

"Don't. How ya feelin'?" Ezra closed his eyes, silently, and obviously from what Vin observed, taking a measure in order to answer the question.

"Bettah."

"Fer real?"

"Yes. Not what Ah would call completely well, but Ah do not feel sick and Ah am significantly cooler."

Vin nodded his head, satisfied with the response. "Ya hungry?"

"Good lord, no."

Vin smirked. "Drink this."

"What is it?"

"Water." Ezra sat up and pushed back up against his saddle. He took a sip from the mug.

"This is water?" Ezra took another drink, more substantial this time. "'This' is water?"

"Good, ain't it?"

"Nectar of the gods."

"Seems this stream is fed from a deep spring. Ain't tasted anything like this since I was a little feller."

"Ah was certain there was no water that tasted like this anywhere in this area of the country," Ezra agreed.

"Maybe Colorado, in the mountains."

"Possibly." The Southerner finished his mug of water and settled back against his saddle. It was still light out and Ezra looked about the lush green of their campsite. "You were correct." Vin cocked his head, knowing he was but not feeling the need to bring attention to it. "How did you know?"

"Could tell by the vegetation." Vegetation. Not a word Vin would have used to describe the plant life when they'd first met three years ago.

Ezra stared at his friend, stared long enough that he made Vin uncomfortable. That was not his intent. The tracker looked away. "Vin?" The long-haired man turned back. "Ah apologize. Ah was simply wonderin' how … what it was that you … how on Earth you could have determined anything from the endless rock, scrub, dust and … more rock that we had traversed? There was nothing succulent about anything that we saw, not even the succulents."

Vin laughed, more hearty this time. "Everything out here needs some water to grow. The yellow grasses, the green pine bushes, the succulents as you call 'em. Can't ya jest call 'em cactus?"

"When they are cactus Ah will call them cactus." Now it was Vin's turn to just stare at the con man. "As Ah was sayin', we had ridden for hours and nothing looked different. What was it that you saw that Ah could not that made you so certain that this oasis awaited us?"

"It weren't real obvious."

"Of course it was not obvious or Ah would have seen it." Ezra frowned at what just came out of his mouth, but the frown added to the pain that still lingered from his headache. He stopped that and said, "That was not exactly what Ah intended to say."

"Wouldn't think so. Did ya see the grasses?"

"Few and far between. Where Ah come from, if it is not green, then it is not grass, late season reeds and rushes in the marsh notwithstanding."

"There's yer problem."

Ezra stared at Vin some more, but the effort to follow what the man was trying to say was aggravating Ezra's nearly soothed head. "Vin … "

"Ya said the grasses were yellow."

"They were." Vin took a bite of the rabbit he'd caught while Ezra slept. "Mistah Tann … "

"Ya kept seein' the same thing," Vin said as he enjoyed his supper. "The rocks, the scrub, the pine shrubs. Ya missed that lots of the grasses weren't gold but green-gold. That all those bushes had more green under 'em 'stead o' dirt."

"Ah … "

"'Course, by then ya probably had other stuff on yer mind." They each remained quiet at that conclusion. Vin continued, "Ya seem better. This wasn't one of them sick headaches, was it?"

Ezra sighed as he watched the sun set. The day might have been hell on earth hot, but the evening had cooled pleasantly, and the sky shown such brilliant colors against the rocky landscape that Ezra wondered how he would live without such beauty when he finally said goodbye to this place. He stayed longer than he ever thought that he would. Home was a concept he never understood until he made Four Corners his home, until he called his six compatriots brothers.

"No."

"You know what it was all about?"

"Mistah Jackson has said that the sick headaches could have caused other … difficulties."

Vin stared at his friend. "We need ta get ya ta Denver, or St. Louis, or somewhere. Might be Nate can't help ya but a real doctor can."

Ezra smiled. There really was nothing like being cared about. "Our fine healer and Ah are in negotiations about it."

"Ya tryin' ta find the right date?"

"He is. Ah feel the journey and the effort will be wasted. This has only happened twice before."

"Twice?"

"Yes."

"But yer still gettin' the bad headaches." Vin knew this was true.

"Vin, Ah wish to enjoy the evenin', if we might. Ah am feelin' bettah. The sky is beautiful, the air smells fresh and mercifully free of the aromas that so often distinguish our fair burg. And despite mah flask bein' mostly full, Ah would prefer another cup of the ambrosia from this spring you discovered."

"Ezra … "

"Ah give you permission to try your best to encourage me to Nathan's way of thinkin' … tomorrow. Is that agreeable to you?"

Vin was screaming inside, but he wouldn't let Ezra see that, though he knew Ezra well enough to realize that the observant poker player saw it in the tracker's worried blue eyes. They would have a good five hour ride to Four Corners tomorrow. That would be a nice long time for him to make his argument. And he always had the rest of the boys to help him out if he wasn't successful. No, they wouldn't discuss it any further tonight. He hoped Ezra was ready for this discussion. Tomorrow.

"Sher." Vin took the short walk to re-fill both his and Ezra's cups with the refreshing tonic.

"Very well."

"Ya best get a good night's sleep, Ez."

"That is mah hope."

"Ya hungry yet?"

"Ah believe Ah could eat somethin'."

"Good sleep, good food. That's good, 'cause yer gonna need all yer strength ta fight me on this thing."

"Oh, good lord. Ah believe mah headache has returned."

The End.