Away From The Sunset
GS: As always, this is a cliché fic I've taken and twisted for my own purposes. I think I've found a pattern to my stories huh? I just saw this pic and I had to use it! It's on my webpage by this story so go check it out.
"No!" an accented voice yelled as the man coughed in the mist of the kicked up dirt swirling around him. "St-stop you thieves!"
Loud laughter was the only thing that met the shopkeeper's ears. The two bandits tore down the streets, people gaping as their loot bounced slightly from its bound position on one of the thief's chest. The boy adjusted it a little as the other cackled madly. They quickly left the small scruffy town behind. Once they were out of sight, one of the boys slowed down and other quickly followed suit. They chose a deliberate walk as they slackened their reins. One of the boys pulled off his black hat and waved it in the air whooping as his long braid fell out. He pulled his face mask down, eyes sparkling and a huge grin on his face.
"We did it! The Dynamic Duo has done it again!" his bay mare sighed and glared at her ride, annoyed at being thumped in the belly. "Sorry Shi(1)!"
"I think I had something to do with the prize too," the boy's partner pulled off his own black hat and pulled the black face mask down. He patted his chestnut gelding softly. "It was Cha(2) that kicked that sheriff and my plan."
"But my dashing wit and charm more then got us the booty! How much did we get anyway?"
Now, with the town out of sight and in the clear, the two boys settled down to business, though the braided one still held a cheerful smile. After carefully making their way down the rocky terrain, they found their current camp, a small cave on the side of a steep rocky cliff. There was some dried grass nearby and a small shallow pond a ten minute ride north. It was an ideal hiding place. They dismounted near the hidden entrance to the shallow indent of the cave.
The braided boy fondly patted his mare's neck and pulled the heavy saddle from her sweaty back. He slipped the worn bridle off and she gave a huge yawn while the boy laughed.
The other boys stroked his gelding's nose and carefully slid his bare-thread saddle and saddle pad off his back. The chestnut sighed in appreciation and playfully nudged the boy with his nose. The boy smiled and took off the bridle.
The bay snorted and trotted off to the direction of the water hole. She turned back to her chestnut companion and whined annoyed. The gelding took off after her. The braided boy watched them go with a strange look on his face as he looked around.
"Hey Fei, where's Tian(3)?"
The other boy looked around worriedly then relaxed as he saw a small black figure off in the distance. He pointed. "Over there. She must have found some better grazing. I'll go get her. You count the money. And start a fire please, I can cook the rest of the sloop tonight and we will move on tomorrow to buy more. Duo," the boy glared at his companion. "Try to cook it yourself and I will kill you."
"Awe, but Fei..."
"My name is /WU/fei Maxwell," the Chinese youth glared with no affect. The boy just laughed as Wufei stalked off to the black horse. As he got into hearing range he put to fingers in his mouth and whistled.
The black mare lifted her head and started off towards him at an ambling pace. Eventually the mare made it right up to Wufei and nuzzled his hand affectionately. Wufei offered a rare smile and moved to place his hands on her swollen midsection.
"Still waiting Tian? I think we'll all feel a lot better once your little one is born. Come now, you must be hot, Cha and Shi are by the water hole, let's get you cooled off."
The mare blew softly on his back as his smiled broadened. He placed a hand on her long mane and led her back slowly. They approached the camp where Duo had just gotten the dry kindling to light. He was slowly blowing on it and adding larger pieces.
"Her baby still hanging in there Fei?"
"Yes Maxwell, she hasn't given birth yet," Wufei sighed and petted the mare's neck.
"This waiting will kill me," Duo sighed and leaned back as the larger piece caught. "I'll take her down to the water hole, get some water and bring Cha and Shi back while you get stuff ready. I haven't gotten around to the money yet."
Wufei nodded. He saw that Duo had changed from the long heavy black clothes they had worn on the raid to lighter cloths. He wore his black vest with deep red shirt underneath. The sleeves were cut so his tanned arms showed but a large white bandanna was tied around his neck to prevent his chest from burning. His ratty fingerless 'thief-like' gloves, at least to him, were on his dirty hands. He had shabby black boots and loose black pants. He was wise enough to wear his hat, one thing Wufei was glad he didn't have to remind him about. Duo waited expectantly.
"Alright Maxwell. But be careful, they might have people out for us and Tian can't move very fast right now-"
"I know Fei," Duo grinned as Wufei reluctantly stepped away from the pretty black mare. "Just cook, if anyone comes Shi and I can taken 'em!"
Wufei grunted as Duo left. He watched the pregnant walk slowly behind the black clad bandit. He had no worries that Duo would do less then an excellent job in watching the mare. He just worried. He let the fire grow bigger as he changed quickly from his own heavy clothes. A black top from his homeland was cool, even in his heat. He donned his Western jeans and black boots. He put his hat back on and knelt by the pack. He searched through one until he pulled out a wrapped piece of dried meat and a tin of vegetables. It was the last of their food but with the money sitting safely at the back of the cave they had enough to restock.
He put a large rock over the fire, balancing on two smaller ones so it didn't smother. He placed their one dented pot on top of the rock carefully and sat back to let it heat up. His dark eyes scanned the horizon below him. There was the dip to the southeast where Tian had been. To the northwest was a few shallow hills and over that the water hole. The town was at their backs to the west.
Wufei relaxed but his eyes and ears kept tracking. He glanced at the pot and saw that the bottom was already a hot red. Duo should be getting back with that water soon. He closed his eyes briefly, when he heard a laugh that gave away Duo's presence. He looked to one of the hills as Duo can over it sitting on Shi's back. He was resting his hands on her withers as Tian tickled his chin with her nose. He gave the black mare a tender caress and clucked to Shi to get her to speed up. Shi ignored him. Duo hopped off and walked over to Wufei and handed him the leather jerkin with the water. Wufei nodded and dumped the fresh water into the pot where it sizzled and steam poured quickly from the top.
Wufei gave the water a few minutes to start boiling before he added the jerky. Duo went in the shelter and brought out the sack of money. He settle dit on the dirt and sat cross-legged in front of it after removing his boots. Duo giggled and rubbed his hands together like a child.
"This may just be it! We may just have enough!"
"I doubt it Maxwell," Wufei said but with a touch of regret in his voice. "We still have a long way to go before we can afford that orphanage of yours."
"Ours Fei!" Duo said, optimistic as he dumped the gold and silver coin in the flat dirt. "You helped so it's have yours!"
"The joy," Wufei rolled his eyes. He deemed the slop ready to receive the canned vegetables. He took a small can opener and cut the top off of the food and poured the watery peas and carrots in. He idly stirred as he watched Duo start counting the gold and silver. His attention wandered as he thought about how he wished he could figure out this currency. There had never been time to learn. Eventually his nose told him that the food was ready and he used the ladle to lift the pot from the first and into the dirt to cool. Duo was half way through the money and didn't even look up.
Shi, Cha and Tian grazed nearby in the tired grass surrounding the temporary camp. Wufei glanced at his sleek gelding. Cha was a tall horse, his back well over Shi and Tian. He was fairly well-mannered most of the time but loud people annoyed him. He would attack if provoked, it made Wufei glad Cha was the horse he had picked from that raid. It was a blind decision made in the heat of escape but Cha had turned out to be very loyal to his new master.
Shi was another story. She was small, thin and wiry. Duo had rescued her a few years before he had met Wufei when she was being beaten in the streets. After Duo won her trust she was incredibly devoted to her young rider and constantly watched out for him. Wufei let himself smile slightly. It was rare to find a horse that willing to protect you.
Tian. The misfit of the group. She hadn't been stolen or rescued or led a hard life. Soft and pampered, she was a present for Wufei's wife when she was ten. The little foal Wufei had presented her with was the one thing that had in common. Merian had naturally like horses but Wufei had a deep love for them. He had raised Tian himself when Merian hadn't been around. When he was dishonoured by his family, he had left and had taken Tian with him. One careless innkeeper's mistake was the reason for the worry around camp. A mare with her first foal and barely five years old without any proper stables or animal doctor or shelter was not something people wanted when they were on the run. Wufei had estimated she had less then a month left.
Duo finished counted the money and cheerfully divided it. Some went back in the sack and the rest went into the rest of their savings.
"We are getting' closer Fei! Just watch, any day now!" Duo leaned back on the rock and propped his feet up on Wufei's knee. The Chinese youth wrinkled his nose at the holy socks and pushed them off.
"Maxwell, I do not need your feet assaulting my face. I believe supper has cooled enough to eat."
"Yes!" Duo dove for the tin bowls Wufei had dragged out of the sacks. He grabbed the ladle and scooped half of the slop into his bowl. Wufei took his share and the two settled quietly into eating. There was a comfortable silence between them as the sun set behind them. It was eerie really, having a black horizon while the rest of the sky glowed a deep orange and violet.
After the food was gone there was a short scrap about who was going to do the dishes but in the end Wufei had kicked Duo out of the cave. The boy grumbled but got on his mare bareback and asked her politely to take him to the waterhole. Shi complied and Cha went with them.
Wufei went to the dead tree just above the rocky alcove where the depression was. Tian tried to follow him but a quick shout from Wufei stopped her. She watched with brown eyes as he gathered the bigger pieces still there and rolled them down the hill. He piled them beside the fire and stroke it until it grew bigger. He was repacking some of their supplies when Duo returned, soaking wet.
"It wasn't my fault!" Duo claimed as soon as Wufei had raised an eyebrow. "Shi dumped me in! Honestly!"
Duo slipped from his mare's back, teeth chattering. Now that the sun was down, it was getting quite chilly. He shivered and rubbed his arms.
"Of course Maxwell," Wufei rolled his eyes. "I suppose you'd better get changed, you have first watch."
"What?!"
(1) Shi- Japanese for seven and death. This case it's death :)
(2) Cha- Chinese for tea, I was out of ideas!
(3)Tian- Chinese for a lot of things but I'm using sweet for this context.
GS: As always, this is a cliché fic I've taken and twisted for my own purposes. I think I've found a pattern to my stories huh? I just saw this pic and I had to use it! It's on my webpage by this story so go check it out.
"No!" an accented voice yelled as the man coughed in the mist of the kicked up dirt swirling around him. "St-stop you thieves!"
Loud laughter was the only thing that met the shopkeeper's ears. The two bandits tore down the streets, people gaping as their loot bounced slightly from its bound position on one of the thief's chest. The boy adjusted it a little as the other cackled madly. They quickly left the small scruffy town behind. Once they were out of sight, one of the boys slowed down and other quickly followed suit. They chose a deliberate walk as they slackened their reins. One of the boys pulled off his black hat and waved it in the air whooping as his long braid fell out. He pulled his face mask down, eyes sparkling and a huge grin on his face.
"We did it! The Dynamic Duo has done it again!" his bay mare sighed and glared at her ride, annoyed at being thumped in the belly. "Sorry Shi(1)!"
"I think I had something to do with the prize too," the boy's partner pulled off his own black hat and pulled the black face mask down. He patted his chestnut gelding softly. "It was Cha(2) that kicked that sheriff and my plan."
"But my dashing wit and charm more then got us the booty! How much did we get anyway?"
Now, with the town out of sight and in the clear, the two boys settled down to business, though the braided one still held a cheerful smile. After carefully making their way down the rocky terrain, they found their current camp, a small cave on the side of a steep rocky cliff. There was some dried grass nearby and a small shallow pond a ten minute ride north. It was an ideal hiding place. They dismounted near the hidden entrance to the shallow indent of the cave.
The braided boy fondly patted his mare's neck and pulled the heavy saddle from her sweaty back. He slipped the worn bridle off and she gave a huge yawn while the boy laughed.
The other boys stroked his gelding's nose and carefully slid his bare-thread saddle and saddle pad off his back. The chestnut sighed in appreciation and playfully nudged the boy with his nose. The boy smiled and took off the bridle.
The bay snorted and trotted off to the direction of the water hole. She turned back to her chestnut companion and whined annoyed. The gelding took off after her. The braided boy watched them go with a strange look on his face as he looked around.
"Hey Fei, where's Tian(3)?"
The other boy looked around worriedly then relaxed as he saw a small black figure off in the distance. He pointed. "Over there. She must have found some better grazing. I'll go get her. You count the money. And start a fire please, I can cook the rest of the sloop tonight and we will move on tomorrow to buy more. Duo," the boy glared at his companion. "Try to cook it yourself and I will kill you."
"Awe, but Fei..."
"My name is /WU/fei Maxwell," the Chinese youth glared with no affect. The boy just laughed as Wufei stalked off to the black horse. As he got into hearing range he put to fingers in his mouth and whistled.
The black mare lifted her head and started off towards him at an ambling pace. Eventually the mare made it right up to Wufei and nuzzled his hand affectionately. Wufei offered a rare smile and moved to place his hands on her swollen midsection.
"Still waiting Tian? I think we'll all feel a lot better once your little one is born. Come now, you must be hot, Cha and Shi are by the water hole, let's get you cooled off."
The mare blew softly on his back as his smiled broadened. He placed a hand on her long mane and led her back slowly. They approached the camp where Duo had just gotten the dry kindling to light. He was slowly blowing on it and adding larger pieces.
"Her baby still hanging in there Fei?"
"Yes Maxwell, she hasn't given birth yet," Wufei sighed and petted the mare's neck.
"This waiting will kill me," Duo sighed and leaned back as the larger piece caught. "I'll take her down to the water hole, get some water and bring Cha and Shi back while you get stuff ready. I haven't gotten around to the money yet."
Wufei nodded. He saw that Duo had changed from the long heavy black clothes they had worn on the raid to lighter cloths. He wore his black vest with deep red shirt underneath. The sleeves were cut so his tanned arms showed but a large white bandanna was tied around his neck to prevent his chest from burning. His ratty fingerless 'thief-like' gloves, at least to him, were on his dirty hands. He had shabby black boots and loose black pants. He was wise enough to wear his hat, one thing Wufei was glad he didn't have to remind him about. Duo waited expectantly.
"Alright Maxwell. But be careful, they might have people out for us and Tian can't move very fast right now-"
"I know Fei," Duo grinned as Wufei reluctantly stepped away from the pretty black mare. "Just cook, if anyone comes Shi and I can taken 'em!"
Wufei grunted as Duo left. He watched the pregnant walk slowly behind the black clad bandit. He had no worries that Duo would do less then an excellent job in watching the mare. He just worried. He let the fire grow bigger as he changed quickly from his own heavy clothes. A black top from his homeland was cool, even in his heat. He donned his Western jeans and black boots. He put his hat back on and knelt by the pack. He searched through one until he pulled out a wrapped piece of dried meat and a tin of vegetables. It was the last of their food but with the money sitting safely at the back of the cave they had enough to restock.
He put a large rock over the fire, balancing on two smaller ones so it didn't smother. He placed their one dented pot on top of the rock carefully and sat back to let it heat up. His dark eyes scanned the horizon below him. There was the dip to the southeast where Tian had been. To the northwest was a few shallow hills and over that the water hole. The town was at their backs to the west.
Wufei relaxed but his eyes and ears kept tracking. He glanced at the pot and saw that the bottom was already a hot red. Duo should be getting back with that water soon. He closed his eyes briefly, when he heard a laugh that gave away Duo's presence. He looked to one of the hills as Duo can over it sitting on Shi's back. He was resting his hands on her withers as Tian tickled his chin with her nose. He gave the black mare a tender caress and clucked to Shi to get her to speed up. Shi ignored him. Duo hopped off and walked over to Wufei and handed him the leather jerkin with the water. Wufei nodded and dumped the fresh water into the pot where it sizzled and steam poured quickly from the top.
Wufei gave the water a few minutes to start boiling before he added the jerky. Duo went in the shelter and brought out the sack of money. He settle dit on the dirt and sat cross-legged in front of it after removing his boots. Duo giggled and rubbed his hands together like a child.
"This may just be it! We may just have enough!"
"I doubt it Maxwell," Wufei said but with a touch of regret in his voice. "We still have a long way to go before we can afford that orphanage of yours."
"Ours Fei!" Duo said, optimistic as he dumped the gold and silver coin in the flat dirt. "You helped so it's have yours!"
"The joy," Wufei rolled his eyes. He deemed the slop ready to receive the canned vegetables. He took a small can opener and cut the top off of the food and poured the watery peas and carrots in. He idly stirred as he watched Duo start counting the gold and silver. His attention wandered as he thought about how he wished he could figure out this currency. There had never been time to learn. Eventually his nose told him that the food was ready and he used the ladle to lift the pot from the first and into the dirt to cool. Duo was half way through the money and didn't even look up.
Shi, Cha and Tian grazed nearby in the tired grass surrounding the temporary camp. Wufei glanced at his sleek gelding. Cha was a tall horse, his back well over Shi and Tian. He was fairly well-mannered most of the time but loud people annoyed him. He would attack if provoked, it made Wufei glad Cha was the horse he had picked from that raid. It was a blind decision made in the heat of escape but Cha had turned out to be very loyal to his new master.
Shi was another story. She was small, thin and wiry. Duo had rescued her a few years before he had met Wufei when she was being beaten in the streets. After Duo won her trust she was incredibly devoted to her young rider and constantly watched out for him. Wufei let himself smile slightly. It was rare to find a horse that willing to protect you.
Tian. The misfit of the group. She hadn't been stolen or rescued or led a hard life. Soft and pampered, she was a present for Wufei's wife when she was ten. The little foal Wufei had presented her with was the one thing that had in common. Merian had naturally like horses but Wufei had a deep love for them. He had raised Tian himself when Merian hadn't been around. When he was dishonoured by his family, he had left and had taken Tian with him. One careless innkeeper's mistake was the reason for the worry around camp. A mare with her first foal and barely five years old without any proper stables or animal doctor or shelter was not something people wanted when they were on the run. Wufei had estimated she had less then a month left.
Duo finished counted the money and cheerfully divided it. Some went back in the sack and the rest went into the rest of their savings.
"We are getting' closer Fei! Just watch, any day now!" Duo leaned back on the rock and propped his feet up on Wufei's knee. The Chinese youth wrinkled his nose at the holy socks and pushed them off.
"Maxwell, I do not need your feet assaulting my face. I believe supper has cooled enough to eat."
"Yes!" Duo dove for the tin bowls Wufei had dragged out of the sacks. He grabbed the ladle and scooped half of the slop into his bowl. Wufei took his share and the two settled quietly into eating. There was a comfortable silence between them as the sun set behind them. It was eerie really, having a black horizon while the rest of the sky glowed a deep orange and violet.
After the food was gone there was a short scrap about who was going to do the dishes but in the end Wufei had kicked Duo out of the cave. The boy grumbled but got on his mare bareback and asked her politely to take him to the waterhole. Shi complied and Cha went with them.
Wufei went to the dead tree just above the rocky alcove where the depression was. Tian tried to follow him but a quick shout from Wufei stopped her. She watched with brown eyes as he gathered the bigger pieces still there and rolled them down the hill. He piled them beside the fire and stroke it until it grew bigger. He was repacking some of their supplies when Duo returned, soaking wet.
"It wasn't my fault!" Duo claimed as soon as Wufei had raised an eyebrow. "Shi dumped me in! Honestly!"
Duo slipped from his mare's back, teeth chattering. Now that the sun was down, it was getting quite chilly. He shivered and rubbed his arms.
"Of course Maxwell," Wufei rolled his eyes. "I suppose you'd better get changed, you have first watch."
"What?!"
(1) Shi- Japanese for seven and death. This case it's death :)
(2) Cha- Chinese for tea, I was out of ideas!
(3)Tian- Chinese for a lot of things but I'm using sweet for this context.