Chapter Five
A/N:
First of all, massive amounts of hugs and prayers to those hit by the tidal wave or affected by it in any way. :( I only hope things get better over there.
I really hope you all have had a nice Christmas and a Happy New Year! :) I know I did. Three new Clint Eastwood movies for me to enjoy! (Not the new ones, bleeck, I'm talking about the older COWBOY movies! 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly', and 'High Plains Drifter'.) And my legs are hating me and my new DDR game, hahahaha! I was going to finish this chapter and post it just before Christmas (I really was!) however every other author on my Author Alert list seemed to have the same idea. So I spent the holidays reading. :) (Not complaining though!)
As for this chapter - I was very rushed while writing it. It's probably full of errors and plot holes. However at the moment, my muse (who keeps up with graphics, site layouts, writing, etc) keeps telling me "Go to Neopets! Make a UserLookup page! Yours is so BORING!". Sometimes I hate her. ::g:: There is one thing I would like to mention though, just for the random fact things! Grey Wolf is almost a year older than Frank. I don't know if I've mentioned it in the previous chapters (call me Dory if you will) but I've decided on this age range, haha.
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Grey Wolf waited, sitting in the bushes out of sight of the white men. The man on watch was slowly nodding off, every so often drinking from the whiskey flask by his side. It wouldn't be very long now before he either fell asleep or passed out - Grey Wolf was just preparing for that moment, when he could sneak Frank from the encampment. It hurt him in almost a physical sense, lying low, while his friend was in pain. Now and then Frank would shudder, releasing violent coughs against his arm. Grey Wolf could just see blood trickling from the corner of his friend's mouth. He was worried; Frank was obviously on the path to being very ill. Out here, illness could kill if not treated properly or caught just in time. Somehow he didn't think the men holding Blue Child cared if he got sick or not, if the injuries covering his pale friend was anything to go by.
Impatient by his side was Hidalgo. The horse was absolutely furious, seeing Frank in such a state. Grey Wolf suspected the animal could smell the blood from here - there was quite a lot of it. The bandages around Frank's neck were almost soaked through. It took everything in him to keep the horse calm. Of course, all Hidalgo wanted to do at that moment was burst through the camp and trample anyone who even thought of harming Frank. Gods help anyone who got in the beast's way.
The moment finally came when the watchman slowly tilted over, falling quietly in the damp earth. Grey Wolf gave him a moment to be sure the man was asleep. It wouldn't do very good for him nor Blue Child if the man were to wake up and begin shooting. When a snore ripped through the air signaling the man was dead to the world, the indian stealthily moved in, heading straight for his friend. He motioned for Hidalgo and White Wing to stay back and out of sight until he snuck Frank out. Hidalgo was unhappy to say the least, but complied and waited for Grey Wolf to return.
Kneeling down next to his friend, Grey Wolf gently shook the man awake, pressing his hand against Frank's lips to signal quiet. Frank's disorientation disappeared after a moment and he stared at Grey Wolf with something akin to relief. He remained tense, however, but the indian just wrote it off as the situation they were in.
"Blue Child," Grey Wolf whispered. "I'm getting you out of here, just stay quiet."
"No ..." Frank shook his head, pushing Grey Wolf's hands away. "No! I cannot leave. If I escape they'll surely think me guilty!"
"What are you talking about?" Grey Wolf studied his friend, alarm creeping into his voice.
"Those people that were murdered, back at that cabin." Frank bit down in a groan as his throat protested the talking. "They think I killed them. If I run now I'll prove them right!"
Brown eyes flashed back to the horrific scenes of blood in the cabin. He hadn't seen the bodies but the remaining stains on the floors and walls had given him enough of an image to know what had happened. To think these men accused his friend of this crime would be laughable, if not for the seriousness of the situation. Frank never hurt innocents, no matter how much the innocent ones were raised to hate him.
"I can't just leave you here, my friend. They'll surely kill you!" Grey Wolf shook his head. As a white man once said to him, 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'.
"If I escape they'll come back to the village with reinforcements and people will be needlessly hurt!" Frank looked at him with desperate eyes, willing him to understand. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if someone were killed on account of him.
"You're being needlessly hurt!" Grey Wolf sighed. "What do you wish me to do?"
"Find the one who killed them. Bring him to the white men, to prove my innocence. Hurry, though. I don't know how much longer I can hold out."
Grey Wolf frowned. "I wish there were some other answer to this mess."
"So do I." Frank nodded. "Where's Hidalgo?!" He suddenly looked up, worried.
"Hidden with White Wing. I'm going to leave Hidalgo to follow you and the white men, White Wing will be able to track Hidalgo no matter where he is."
"Okay. Just tell him to stay out of sight."
Grey Wolf nodded. He had to leave soon, he had tarried long enough and the white men were bound to wake up any minute now. "Be safe, Frank. I mean it."
"I will, as much as I can." Frank grinned. "I knew I could count on you."
"You can always count on me." Grey Wolf quickly embraced the man, then moved out of the camp as fast as he could. As the indian moved away from Frank, trying to ignore the guilt that even now ate away at his heart, he was reminded of a time that seemed not so long ago, when things were much simpler.
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Flashback
Eight year old Grey Wolf frowned, having lost his friend. Although as the Chief says, nothing is ever lost. Just temporarily misplaced. Though his young mind wondered how he could have lost his friend and contemplated on whether or not he had lost him or his friend had lost himself. After getting himself thoroughly confused with himself, he gave a disgusted grimace and moved out, looking for the 'misplaced' boy.
Moving beyond the borders of their tribe's camp, he entered the woods on the edges of a small field where most of the older boys liked to play in. Hearing a scuffle up ahead, he ran forward, somehow knowing his friend was in the thick of it. He found the older children crowded around in a circle, kicking and jeering at something between them. Grey Wolf edged closer, gasping. There lay Blue Child at their feet, bruised and bloody, curled in a shivering ball.
"Stop!" Grey Wolf shouted, shoving one of the kids aside.
"Oh yeah? What're you going to do, small one!" Another boy laughed.
"He's the son of the Chief's daughter! I do not think he would be very happy with any of you right now, especially with the trials coming up." Grey Wolf narrowed his small eyes threateningly.
The other's eyed the boy warily. "Oh yeah? And what makes you think you'll be able to tell the Chief?"
Grey Wolf snorted. "My father will kill the one who harms me and you know it! I suggest you all go on before the Chief finds out what you've been doing."
Glaring, the boys left, muttering curses at the small one and the half-breed. Grey Wolf ignored them, bending down to gently uncurl his slightly younger friend.
"Blue Child? They have gone." Grey Wolf whispered.
Blue Child looked up with saddened eyes, sighing. "Thank you, my friend. I wish they would leave me alone."
Grey Wolf shrugged. "They are just dense and cannot see beyond the outside appearance. Pay them no mind. Now come on, to your mother. She's going to have a fit."
Blue Child groaned, rolling his eyes. "Could you not have just left me with them? She's going to make a scene."
"Yes well you know how your mother is." Grey Wolf shrugged, helping Blue Child up.
"I knew I could count on you." Blue Child grinned, despite his busted lip.
"You can always count on me. Somebody has to keep you out of trouble!"
End Flashback
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Hidalgo stared restlessly at the camp, heeding Grey Wolf's advice to stay out of sight with a moderate amount of grumbling. Well, as much grumbling as a horse could do anyway. He huffed, wondering why they wouldn't allow him to just jump on the men hurting Frank a few times. He wouldn't kill them, just prance about on top of them for a few moments.
The men were now getting up, completely unaware that someone had been in their camp. Red was cursing Rick as far back as his ancestors for falling asleep, ("What if a damn injun' had come in the camp and scalped us all ya lazy ass of a man!"), while Bradley and Joseph packed up their tents and supplies. Every few moments, Bradley would look over and snicker at Rick, who alternated between blinking stupidly at Red and wincing as the newly appeared sun ripped through his hangover-ridden head.
For the most part, Frank was left forgotten on the muddy ground, while the others rushed around to put everything back on the horses. Hidalgo bared his teeth when Red finally walked over towards Frank, grabbing the man by his hair and yanking him up.
"Come on, time to leave." He attached Frank's rope to his saddle horn, mounting his horse. Giving a shrill whistle to the others to hurry up, he spurred the beast forward, giving no notice to Frank left to run behind him or be dragged along.
Promising to himself to use the men as doormats later, Hidalgo slowly followed behind them, careful to remain unseen.
As he made his way back to the river, Grey Wolf had the sinking suspicion he was being followed. He knew it wasn't someone from the camp - he was sure to cover his tracks there. Whoever was doing the following had just picked up his trail and was originally coming from the opposite way, as if they too had been tracking the group holding Frank. He rode into a crop of trees, just on the edge of the swollen bank, and waited. If luck was on his side, his pursuer would follow right behind him and he would catch a glimpse of the person's face.
It so happened that luck was not on his side, when too much time had passed for the person to have delayed this long. A branch snapping behind him alerted him to the fact that he had made a grave mistake in underestimating this person. Slowly turning, he found he was almost eye to eye with another of his kind. This man, however, held no warmth in his eyes. It was as if every good emotion had been sucked out of him, leaving a cold, empty shell. Automatically he knew this man was the killer he was looking for.
"You were with the white men." The other snarled accusingly.
"No, they have my friend. They think he was responsible for-"
"Lies! You lie, just like they do. You work for them don't you?" He brought his rifle up, sighting Grey Wolf. "You shall die, just as they will."
"Listen to me, do not-" Grey Wolf had perhaps a moment to brace himself before the shot was fired and agony tore through his side, sending him onto the ground. He heard White Wing neigh and shriek, chasing the other off, just as darkness closed in around him.
Frank gasped, trying to keep up with Red. The man set a brutal pace, one the half-indian was hard pressed to match. A good portion of the time he was sent into the mud when his feet wouldn't obey him correctly. Wondering where Hidalgo was, and how the horse was faring, Frank struggled to grasp the rope around his neck, trying to keep it from cutting deeper into his skin. His body was slowly but surely shutting down on him. The illness was getting worst by the minute; he constantly had to keep himself from going into a coughing fit.
Red stopped to track their position on the plain and Frank used the time to drop to his knees, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He caught Bradley sending worried looks behind Red's back, the younger man schooling his expression when his cousin glanced at him. The day was silent enough, only the occasional twirp of a bird. Frank looked around, not recognizing where they were. He had never been across the river - this land belonged to the other tribe and the white men. If he were found here by them, he could be killed. Although, if he didn't get away from these men, he would be killed.
A gunshot from behind them echoed loudly, causing all of them to twist around suddenly. Frank's stomach dropped. He knew, almost without a doubt, that Grey Wolf was now in trouble.
And he couldn't even untie himself from behind his captor's horse.
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Reviews -
Erindi - Hahahahaha! Well you should update too! :) And oh?? ::Curious glance:: How is it familiar?? LOL. (Good thing I'm not a cat! ::g::) Did you get ROTK EE? I did, and I've enjoyed every moment of it! Well, what I've seen thus far anyway, I've not yet watched all of the extra discs. I did see Viggo smooch Billy, oh god that was funny! :)
Kathira - Thank you! :) That's good to know, hehe, as I don't think I could manage over 2k per chapter. I've tried and failed, my muse refuses to do massive amounts of fanfiction! (I don't know why though, she sure liked doing 5k a night on my novel!)
Hiei-Rulez - They will ... all fall into a briar patch and end up sitting there for massive amounts of time while the horses laugh at them. (Kidding! Though that is a good idea. ::eg::) Connections? Oohhh, I had wondered where my little indian chief had run off to lately! Well it won't work! Uhm ... he can't ... er ... I'll make Hidalgo bite him. Hahaha! :)
huggeroftrees - I'm sure Frank has good days. I, however, just don't write about them. (Yet ... hehe ... I may write a cute sappy fic with Frank sometime in the future, if a plot bunny attacks me with enough strength.) You like Grey Wolf? I've tried very hard to write him as a good, non-Lary Stu character, and I've hoped to all who are listening (and ignoring, Lady Luck seems to love to smite me!) that he's come off okay. He has a big part in the story though, don't worry! :) (Of course his part could have just been tragically cut short ... ::ahem:: ... hehehehehe!)
Elfeh - MORE pain? MORE? I don't want to kill the poor sap! ... But okay, we can squeeze in more pain. ::veg:: Elladan! LMAO! I can suddenly see Elladan, Elrohir, and Elrond appearing and whisking away Frank muttering about 'wayward rangers', as Aragorn sits in the bushes and snickers. ::shakes head:: The NaNoWriMo novel actually wasn't a fic! :) An original novel idea that has been tumbling around in my head for yoinks ... I finally used NaNo as an excuse to get it started! 53k and it still isn't finished though. I'll have to work on it sometime when I get motivated enough. However it is fantasy, with a LotR/HP element to it. (Kind of - it also has a Robin Hood theme.)
leggylover03 - LMAO wench, of course Frank is so screwed! And his situation is only going downhill from here. Mwahahahahahahaha!
Mornflower - Wow, I'm honored that you are following it then! :) I've found that there are very few fandoms I can actually write in, this happens to be one of them, haha. But thank you so much! :D I hope you've liked this chapter also! ::g::
Lancey - LOL Sorry about the length. I'm afraid I am not very good at making long "Nili-sized chapters" (as my friend says). However evil things come in small packages. ::eg:: :)
Pegasusflight - Whoah! :) I'm glad these chapters warrant a rereading!! Hopefully I can find time to update faster than I do, though I doubt that, haha. I'm so glad you enjoy it though!! :)
Carrie S - I know the feeling. There are very few Hidalgo fics around. ::sigh:: I am hoping more people will get into the fandom though! :) Uhm ... me might get out of this one ... I'm not entirely sure. ::eg:: Blame my muse! Haha. Glad you like the fic!
fajn33 - People who love to 'visualize the abuse'?? .... Yay, you all sound like me then! Hahahahaha! Yes, a good struggle is what Frank needs. And a few life or death situations. As well as massive amounts of angst. Wow I feel evil! :) Glad you like it!
silver-sangre - Thank you and thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it! :)
theharshlightofday - You'll find that I can leave one hanging in many places. However I usually provide a ladder (before dropping you again). Hahahahaha. I'm glad you enjoy it. I've tried to stay true to Frank and Hidalgo, and I've made Grey Wolf into what is - I hope - a likeable character. Thank you though, glad you like it! :)
westernrider - Yeah, Bradley will be a key character later. (I think. Still deciding on a few things. Hehehehe.) On the edge of your seat? Ack! Don't fall off! LOL. Glad you like it though! :)
Youdidn't - Thanks so much! :) I've tried to make the flashbacks fit into the fic instead of just being thrown in as random fillers, haha. I hope it worked! :) Glad you enjoy it! :D
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I don't know when the next update will be. I've a feeling I'll be very, very busy in the coming days. (Perhaps getting a job tomorrow, I'm not sure! Wish me luck! :) )
Reviews welcome. :-)