On the Run - prologue
by KatiKat
Although it was only mid-afternoon, the streets of the small port town were
dark and empty. Snow was falling heavily and bitter wind made the ice cold
ocean waves crash against the shore. All the townspeople were at home, hiding behind heavy shutters
and barricaded doors. The winter was unforgiving.
They´d been running for days now, always south through the mountains, the fresh
snow and sharp wind covering their tracks. Finally, they dared to approach
civilization, hoping that they left their pursuers behind. And because they
didn´t have any other choice.
Trowa was wading through the knee-high snow, bent forward against the wind,
nose and mouth covered with a dark shawl. He was carrying three back packs -
one his own and the other two belonging to his friends. He looked over his
shoulder to make sure that he didn´t lose them in the ice cold darkness. No,
there they were. One shape, darker than the background, stumbling through the
heavy snow.
Trowa frowned. They needed to find shelter soon. Around midday, Duo collapsed
from exhaustion and severe blood loss. It had been almost a week, but his
bleeding still didn´t stop. Even though the healer gave no outward sign, it
worried him a lot. That was highly unusual, even in such a situation as Duo´s.
A lifebearer in his state should be kept warm and made to drink a lot of herbal
teas that would help him replace the blood he was losing at an alarming rate
and not be running through the woods in such icy cold.
He saw Heero hoisting up the precious burden in his arms. The blue eyed man
didn´t show any signs of tiring, but Trowa knew that even the strong Enforcer
couldn´t keep on going like this much longer.
Trowa turned back to the port town ahead of them, squinted and blinked, trying
to clear his sight. Dartville. He had visited this town once or twice in the
past while going south. If he remembered it right, they had a really good inn
somewhere in the maze of narrow streets. Hopefully, he would be able to find it
soon for he really feared for Duo. It became impossible to rouse him in the
past hour. They had to get him somewhere warm immediately.
They stumbled through the empty streets, the wind crying louder and louder. The
mild snow storm was turning into a full blown blizzard. There! The squeaking
hanging sign with "Black Feather" painted on it. Thank the gods...
*-*-*-*-*
The bartender´s bald head shot up as the main door flew open, hitting the wall.
Wind and snow rushed into the warm room, making the candle flames dance. Two
snow caked figures stumbled in, one of them closing the door with a bang, then
leaning against it. For a moment the only thing breaking through the silence of
the empty room was the harsh panting of the new guests and the crackling of
wood in the large fireplace.
"May I help you?" asked the red faced bartender finally. The
newcomers turned to him and with a blink he realised that there were actually
three people, not two. One of the men was carrying someone else in his arms.
The figure was not moving.
The one leaning against the door straightened and pulled down the shawl,
revealing his face while he approached the bar. "Yes, we would like to
rent a room," he said, his voice rough from the cold.
The snow on the guests' cloaks was starting to melt in the heat of the room,
dripping to the ground and leaving small puddles of water on the wooden floor.
The bartender frowned, his gaze switching from the puddles to their plain
clothing. "Do you have the money to pay for it? Ain´t cheap here."
The man carrying another one in his arms frowned at him.
"Yes, we have the money," answered the green-eyed man at the bar,
fishing out a gold coin from the depts of his clothing. The bartender´s eyes
gleamed, seeing so much money at once. He reached out to grab it, but the owner
of this small fortune snatched it away. "The room."
The bald man nodded eagerly, his attitude changed in a matter of seconds.
"Of course, sir, of course. Would you like something to eat too and maybe
a hot bath for your friend?" He pointed at the unconscious figure, making
the carrier glare again.
"We would like that," answered the green eyed man politely, then
dropped the coin into the outstretched hand of the bald bartender.
The plump man grinned, shoving the money into a small pouch at his belt. "Follow
me, sirs."
*-*-*-*-*
The bartender, who said "call me Warrick" showed them to their
bedroom. The shutters on the two small windows were closed tight, leaving the
room in complete darkness. But that changed soon as the candles in the iron
candle holders on the walls and the fire in the fireplace were lit. It was a
nice spacious bedroom with two large beds, a fireplace, a table and three
chairs.
In a matter of moments, a large wooden bath tub was carried in by two panting young
men - by the sagging corners of their mouths, watery blue eyes and thinning
hair Trowa guessed that they were the bartender´s/owner´s sons - followed by
several buckets with hot, steaming water and a promise of a warm meal when they
were ready.
Finally alone, Heero allowed Trowa to unwind the heavy coat in which they bundled
up Duo, then let the lifebearer reluctantly out of his arms and laid him on the
bed. Quickly undressing themselves, the two young men returned to their friend
and started to pull the wet clothing off him. Trowa examined every inch of
revealed flesh, looking for frost bite and fortunately finding none. But Duo´s
complexion was alarmingly pale and when they finally reached for his trousers
and pulled them off, Heero couldn´t help but gasp. They were caked with blood.
TBC