He was a born and raised cattle rancher, created for bitter cold blizzards and dust storms from when the drought hit. When birthing season came he could no more stay home than host a dinner party, and even though calving was a messy, bloody business Heero had to be there 'just in case'.

The cows could care less that Heero was there to watch them. They just puffed and bellowed in pain and labored through their contractions. It didn't seem worth it, to go through all of that work and pain and end up with this little mewling creature writhing on the ground. But the mothers would clean their babies with the utmost of care and snuffle over them with all the thrill they could possess. And if something in the birth went wrong, Heero always knew how to fix it. He'd stick his hand up the cow (which was always when Zechs had to look away) and reposition the calf and sure enough out would come the baby, pissed that it was leaving the safety of it's momma, but wanting food immediately.

And though Zechs had been tempted to ask Heero about why he spent that much effort on what would end up as beef on someone's table, he never did ask and likely never would. It was answer enough to see the satisfaction on his face, even when he was up to his shoulder in blood from the placenta.

To make it short and to the point, Heero wasn't cut out for civilization. But at the moment, neither was Zechs so they could agree on that at least.

Now, Zechs wasn't cut out for birthing sheds and slaughterhouses. He wasn't at that level yet and would be the first to tell you that. What he could do was herd. His horses were the best trained in the area and he could know where a stray was going before the stray knew it. It wasn't that Zechs actually liked the cattle. (Beef yes, cattle no.) What he liked were his mounts.

Goose was his primary, a stocky gelding with a stubbourn streak akin to a mule but cow sense that made every battle worth it. Best was how steadfast he was though, you could light a stick of dynamite under him and Goose wouldn't flash an eye. Best damned cow pony in the area, hands down.

Ep was a little more controversial. He was a thoroughbred/mustang mutt from the old US cavalry lines and was stunning, with long limbs, a deep chest and an ego to match. What Ep lacked in cow sense, he made up for in sheer speed and meanness, and the cattle learned quick to not double guess him because Ep was liable to reach out and take a bite out of a cow moving too slow.

They were his mainstays and his income. Every ranch in the area worth their salt knew that if you wanted to move your cattle, Zechs was worth three men. And if you combined Zechs with the cattle raised Heero Yuy, 300 head of cattle could go anywhere.

Their current employer had agreed with that, but with one condition. Treize had added a cook to join them. On a normal trip that wasn't necessary, a pack horse could easily carry the extra supplies and it was easy enough to add water to beans and have those for dinner. But Treize needed to move 500 head of cattle to Omaha Nebraska from their winter fields in Colorado, and over that amount of space, a cook was necessary. And for all the bad cooks they could have, they managed to get Chang Wufei, a savvy planner, cook and had a great mule team for his chuck wagon.

200 head were waiting in Sterling, along with the other three hands for the drive. Zechs recognized two of the names, but didn't know the men personally. They were supposed to be decent riders and old hands at drives though, and the other was going to be both a hand and a guide through Indian country, so they seemed like they'd be workers, rather than dead weight.

Zechs still wished it was only Heero and him on the drive. Heero wasn't good company, he was as talkative as a tree, but he was good at driving and Zechs could understand him. If Heero said something it was because it was important and vital. He liked that. It made him feel worthy that he was the person Heero talked to.

And it had been a good drive from Fort Collins to Sterling. No losses and the lead steer led the cattle beautifully. Heero's horses, Win and Zilch held the back of the herd steady and kept them moving, while Zechs and Ep kept the strays in the herd. Wufei would cut ahead of them and had camp set up and dinner ready by the time they arrived, always right on time. It was as pleasant as a drive could be, and Zechs only hoped that was a good omen.

"Zechs, sorrel calf lookin' to head left near you."

He snapped back out of his reverie and let Ep after the calf, who quickly snapped the babe back into place. The calf bawled a little when the gelding's teeth scraped his hide but he was fine once he was back with the herd.

Ep threw his head in impatience when Zechs made him slow enough to slide up next to the chuck wagon. Wufei ran a tight ship, you couldn't deny it. The wagon was packed meticulously with everything in its place and a place for everything. His food wasn't the standard grub either, no matter the day where was something different and the food was balanced with vegetables they found on the trail or with dried fruit. Even his mules were well picked animals, with as good a confirmation as Zechs had seen in a pulling equine. And they were sure footed, to be sure. Even on when Zilch who was as agile as a goat was having trouble, the mules were plugging on like they were going along a paved street.

Wufei was good company too. He could remember directions like he had an internal compass and even better, he knew this route better than Zechs and Heero, who'd mostly driven locally. Even more impressive was the fact that Wufei owned his equipment. Even though he was a Chinese immigrant who started out in the country with no money, he'd apparently saved and scrimped to buy the wagon, and then his team. So Wufei chose for himself what jobs he accepted, a rare thing among cooks.

And Wufei had been working out of Sterling for two months, so he'd know best if they were getting close. So Zechs pulled the reluctant Ep to where Wufei was driving the wagon and asked loudly over the creaks of the cart, "How long till we reach Treize's summer pastures?"

"When we get over that bluff they should be in the valley. If we stay for two hours, we'll be right on schedule. Should give you enough time to organize the lead steers, correct?" Wufei asked, his half moon glasses dusty from the trail.

Zechs nodded and let Ep's reins relax. The gelding thankfully ducked his head down and broke into a canter, easily passing the herd and climbed the bluff. Zechs looked out at the herd spread out in the pasture and let it all sink in. His first cross country cattle drive had just come to the starting line.