Drover
A/N: Hhngh. Future tense AU-ish Clay/Emma drabble based on- well, no, more like inspired by- Drover by Bill Callahan. I know. I know. I'm an awful person. XD But you all ain't reported me yet, so here's hoping I'm in the clear. This is because no matter how hard I tried, the Chuya oneshot wouldn't come out in time for Valentine's Day. So… you get this instead. Sorry. Enjoy!
The real people went away
But I'll find a better world, someday
Leaving only me and my dreams
My cattle and a resonator
Dusk. The elusive time between day and night when the sun was only half-set and the moon was only half-risen. Firelight made a young man's shadow dance on the earth beneath him as he walked back from doing a head count on the cattle. All present and accounted for, and all rounded up for the night. The man smiled to himself as he sat by the fire, leaning against a leafless tree. Normally, he'd tilt his hat over his eyes and get some shuteye, but tonight was a bit different. Across from him sat a young woman who could barely keep her eyes open, wearing an old flannel shirt, worn blue jeans and a jacket and boots that used to belong to his sister.
"Ah told ya you could keep watch second shift," he chuckled, watching her rub her eyes.
"Mmph. No way, cowboy. I said I could take first watch and I will. So you hit the hay and I'll watch the herd." The man shrugged and pulled his hat down. "Suit yerself." He peeked out from under the brim to watch her walk out to the edge of the encampment, just to make sure. Then, when he was sure she'd be fine, he let sleep overcome him.
I drove all the beasts down right under your nose
The lumbering footloose power
The bull and the rose
Don't touch them… don't try to hurt them
My cattle
It was a… test, of sorts. A mating ritual, almost. If a girl wanted to get hitched with a Bailey man, then she'd have to spend a full trip to the watering hole and back. The same applied to any Bailey girl about to get married. Clay's mother had done so with Clay's father, and the two had married promptly after. That had been a while ago, though, and now it was just if somebody wanted to date them. The watering hole itself wasn't the one they took cattle to on their daytime trips, but one farther away. If any cattle were lost, supposedly it didn't bode well for the couple's future. There was no proof to this, but the suspicion remained.
So, Emma was determined to do well. She sat at the edge of where the herd rested, eyes trained for any nighttime predators. However, her eyes were getting heavier and heavier with each passing minute. "Dangit," she muttered, rubbing at them. "Why couldn't my insomnia kick in tonight of all nights?" The night was pretty enough to be a distraction, though, so she gave herself the task of counting the stars. She named the few constellations she remembered as she found their guiding stars. "Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cassiopeia, Cephus. All the lovely circumpolars." Nope. Still sleepy.
She stood and hopped around a bit, rapping the lyrics to The Distance. (Cake, of course.) That helped a little, so she kept it up. What else had Clay said to do? Oh, yeah. Check around the herd, walk around the border of the camp and keep an eye out for coyotes. That would ward off sleepiness and help make sure the cows were safe. So, with another song in her head, she set off.
I drove them by the crops and thought the crops were lost
I consoled myself with rudimentary thoughts
And I set my watch against the city clock
It was way off
Emma paused when she was about halfway around the herd's perimeter. Turning her back to the sleeping cattle, she peered out into the desert darkness. This was one of the dangers of making the nighttime trip- predators. Desert foxes and wolves, coyotes to sneak up on you and owls to break your concentration. Rattlesnakes and sand vipers, scorpions and spiders. If you weren't careful, you could lose a limb or your life. And she swore she'd heard something.
So, Emma did the stupid thing. She went into the darkness to find this unknown thing and confront it. The most basic of mistakes in every horror movie, and she did it anyway. (This, kiddies, is why we always stay with our travel buddies!) Her boots sunk into the sand as she walked, slowing her pace and adding a ghostly feel to her tread. She hesitated, but continued to be dumb and walked on.
Yeah one thing about this wild, wild country
It takes a strong, strong
It breaks a strong, strong mind
Yeah one thing about this wild, wild country
It takes a strong, strong
It breaks a strong, strong mind
Then she did the next stupid thing. She made noise. "Hello?" Emma called, peering into the murk. Something skittered by behind her, and she whirled around, hands raised like a boxer. But nothing was there. Slowly, she lowered her hands and turned to go back to the camp. In the distance, she saw the glow of a fire, and began heading towards it. Once she was only a few yards away, she stopped again. That wasn't fire. Not normal fire, anyway, but in her years fighting magic, she had learned to see it. You don't see magic with your eyes- not entirely, at least- but with all your senses. The flames were silent; not hungrily snapping at the oxygen like normal fire. The air didn't carry the burn-and-crackle smell normal fire did. The air didn't taste of ash like normal fire did. But it did carry something else…
Her eyes widened, and she suddenly felt very, very awake. Fear met adrenaline when she realized what she was looking at. Then it turned around and looked at her. A transparent body, it's outlines faintly glowing. A heart made of white fire, sparks flying out and fizzling out inside the ghost-glass confines. Ghost being the operative word. Emma moved her mouth to speak, but nothing except a frightened silence was audible. The ghost looked like a hovering human ragdoll, arms and legs hanging limp from an eviscerated corpse. Though the cadaver was see-through, the only thing inside it's body seemed to be the fire heart.
And anything less, anything less
Makes me feel like I'm wasting my time
But the pain and frustration, is not mine
It belongs to the cattle, through the valley
"Don't. Move." Suddenly, she could breathe again. Clay appeared from nowhere, his hand steady on her shoulder, lending her strength and rationality. And lightning fast, she knew what it was, and by his behavior, he did too. A ghost, yes, but one that was closer to death than life. It's body had probably been the victim of graverobbers; bodies disturbed before they've been at rest for nine months tended to produce ghosts. Since it took nine months to get born, it took nine months to get dead. And during that time the body was still the keeper of the spirit, but the spirit was just settling. By the tenth month, the spirit would leave the body and move on.
This one, however, had obviously not had enough resting time. Emma's breath was still shallow and scared, but at least she could still inhale. Restless ghosts like this one also tended to exude what were called Death Auras. They stopped your heart and made your body uninhabitable. A simple magic fundamental: ghosts make ghosts. But with Clay near, the Aura was weakening. Emma took another deep breath and stared the ghost in it's dead, vorpal eyes.
And when my cattle turned on me
I was knocked back flat
I was knocked out cold for one clack of the train track
Then I rose a colossal hand buried, buried in sand
I rose like a drover
For I am in the end a drover
A drover by trade
When my cattle turns on me
I am a drover, double fold
"Go on," Clay whispered. Emma nodded. Getting the ghost back home needed the touch of magic, and elemental magic wouldn't cut it.
"You can go home now," Emma said, her voice stronger than she thought it would be. "It's okay. You're done here." The ghost stared back at her for what felt like eons, until frost crept into her ears and under her fingernails. Or so it felt. Finally, finally, the ghost floated away, up and farther from the two. Emma breathed a sigh of relief and leaned into Clay's shoulder as the ghost disappeared in a wink of light.
My cattle bears it all away for me and everyone
One, one, one, one, one, one ...
"You alright?" Clay's voice snapped Emma out of her reverie. She turned and smiled weakly at him. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you. Another few minutes and I would've… well, I'm glad you came. How'd you know I was in trouble, anyway?" she asked as he led her back to the real camp. He smiled and slung an arm around her shoulder, keeping her steady.
"Dunno. Ah just woke up an' felt like Ah had to find ya, an' fast. Maybe it's that bond thing we're s'posed to have," he added, grinning. Emma giggled and rubbed her eyes.
"Us, have a bond? Nonsense." They reached the fire and she sat against the tree, Clay looking over the herd. "I guess it's your shift now," she murmured somewhat apologetically. "Sorry."
"Hush, that wasn't yer fault." Clay's expression softened, and he knelt beside her, brushing some hair away from her forehead. "Ya just scared me a little is all. Ah don't wanna lose ya." Then he leaned over and kissed her forehead, making her blush.
"Well… thanks." Clay smiled and sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulder again. "Hey, isn't it your shift?"
"Yeah, but Ah got somethin' more important than th' herd to watch over." Emma went red again, but smiled. She nestled against him, smiling softly as they watched the embers from the fire sail upwards to join the ghost.
"Good to know." They slept well that night, guarded by a fire and a thankful ghost.
Yeah one thing about this wild, wild country
It takes a strong, strong
It breaks a strong, strong mind
And anything less, anything less
Makes me feel like I'm wasting my time
Ta-da! Some Valentine's fluff for you. XD Because I am sappy and, even though I abhor Valentine's Day and was aiming for Chuya (or at least Raikim,) this came out instead. Please please pleeeeaaaasssseee leave a review! Even just a little one! Though the rambly ones are fun to read too! Okay, I'm done now. Review!