i loved that last chapter. it was so beautiful.


Mustang swung her feet over the side of the bed and considered for a minute before getting up. She carefully picked up the small leather horse Chris had given her, and that Dutchy had returned to her. Cradling it carefully, she walked over to the window. She saw Dunder sleeping, the white in his coat glowing in the moonlight. She placed her leather horse on the window sill and lined it up with him. Was taking him in betraying Cowgirl? It hadn't even been a full day after she died that she'd found him. With her gone, it seemed more and more of her past was slipping away. "Alas my love, you do me wrong to cast me out discurtously," she whispered. Her voice seemed so weak, without his to support it. "For I have loved you well and long, delighting in your company."

"Greensleeves was all my joy, Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, who but my lady Greensleeves." Suddenly that strong voice was there with hers. She snapped around, somehow fully expecting to see Chris standing there. Instead, it was Kid Blink standing in her doorway. She lowered her head and he walked over to her.

"What is it about that song? You sang it when Cowgirl died, and you were singing it yesterday morning, and just now." She nodded.

"My mother taught it to us when we were little, but it was my brother who always sang it. Whenever I was scared, or sad, or lonely. He had such an amazing voice. I know I'm a terrible singer, but when we were singing together, it just sounded so perfect. When I heard you singing, Blink, I could've sworn you were him." She looked away from him. "Why are you down here anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep," he said as he sat down on her bed. "I couldn't last night either." Mustang walked over and sat next to him.

"Nightmares?" He nodded. It felt foolish, but the memory of that first view of Cowgirl, her red coat delicately accented in blood, he just couldn't get it out of his mind. "Me too. When I was little, Chris told me that nightmares weren't as scary if you told someone about them. You want to share first?"

"Sure. It's not even a dream as much as flashes of memory. When you found Cowgirl. I told you how much it scared me, how scared I was that you were going to just completely lose it." She nodded. "I think the thing that scared me the most was how calm you were. I thought you'd gone inta shock or somethin. And dat sound." He lowered his head into his hands. "I don't think I'll ever ta be able ta forget dat sound. Da sound of da..." He couldn't make himself say it.

"I know," Mustang whispered. The gunshot. She couldn't forget it either. "Guess it's my turn now, huh." Blink sat back up and nodded. "It's a dream I've had more than once. I used to have it more, this is the first time in awhile. It's the memory of the night my parents were killed. The last night I heard anyone but me sing that song. The last night I had with my brother. He left me after that. We started on our way to New York. I was riding Cowgirl, and there was a snakethat scared her. She reared up, and then took off. I was trying so hard to stay on, and I was small, I couldn't stop her for like ten minutes. And then I couldn't find him. I just did what he told me to, I went to New York. I just wish I could find him."

"Someday." Blink hugged her. "For now, just remember, you're not alone." She nodded. She wasn't alone, she had him, and Dutchy, and Jack. Wait.

"Where's Jack?"

"I dunno. Haven't seen him since this morning. Why?" Mustang was looking out the window at Dunder. "Mustang?" She grabbed her hat and ran out.

"Stay here. I need to find him. I'm afraid I may have done something very bad." He sat back down. Out the window, he saw Mustang put Dunder's bridle on and trot him a bit. When she was sure he wasn't limping any more, she swung onto his back, opened the gate, and dissapeared. Blink reached out and picked up a small leather horse from the window sill. As he turned it over in his hands, he noticed faint lines on one side of it. He removed his eye patch and squinted at it under the light. Andi then a small heart Chris. The words were messy and faded with age.

Mustang adjusted to Dunder's pace and let him cater for awhile, enjoying the feeling that only came from horse back riding. Then she slowed him to a walk and scanned the moonlit streets. Where would he have gone? She started to feel worse and worse about what she'd said to him. Suddenly, she heard something from a dark alley. It sounded like humming. As she listened, the tune became familiar, but softer. It sounded like whoever was humming was falling asleep, or otherwise losing conciousness. Her hands were trembling as she dismounted and crept toward the alley. The only sound she could hear now were footsteps, slowly fading. The person who had been humming hadn't been falling asleep, they had been walking away. She tried to yell, but couldn't find her voice. She just turned back to Dunder, remounted and continued on her way.
As she walked down an alley covered in western posters, she heard someone moving. She got down again and looked behind a wall. There was Jack. He had a black eye.

"I'm sorry," she said, sitting down in front of him.

"It's alright. I deserved it. If you hadn't found him, he would have died. I never even thought-"

"Stop. I know. I heard you when you said it yesterday. I just got bad, cause I've seen bad things happen. Come on. The guys are worried, or they will be in the morning." She stood and helped him up. They started the walk back, Mustang leading Dunder. He was still underweight and she didn't want two people riding him. She probably shouldnt even yet.

"But how am I supposed ta explain ta dem dat a girl did this ta me?" he asked, looking up at her. She almost hit him, then saw he was smiling.

"Yer on your own fer dat one." They both laughed. Neither spoke the rst of the way back, but Mustang slowed down a bit as they passed the alley where she'd heard someone earlier. When they got back, Blink was still waiting. He looked so confused. Here was Jack, looking worse for wear, smiling. And Mustang, right beside him, doing the exact same thing.

"Yeh know, I'm not even gonna ask," he said, and went back upstairs. Jack laughed and followed him.

"Night Mustang."

"Night." She walked back into her room. Out her window was Dunder, rolling in the field. Her smile faded. Where was the leather horse? She knew she put it on the window sill. "Kid Blink," she whispered. "I am not mad, I am not mad, I am not slightly angry," she repeated to herself, running up the stairs. She climbed up Racetrack's bunk, careful not to step on him. Blink just about jumped off the bed when she crawled onto his bed.

"Sheesh, yeh wanna warn me or somethin? Just about gave me a heart attack!"

"Where is it? The little leather horse that was sitting on my window sill."

"Oh. Gosh, I'm sorry, I forgot I had it." He pulled it from his pocket and placed it in her hand, which he noticed had a scar across it. "Yeh mind if I ask who Andi is?" Her head snapped up. She'd forgotten that Chris had written her name on it.

"I am. It's short for Cassandra." He nodded. She began to climb down, but came back up. "Don't ever call me it. Ever." She left without another word.


tee hee, moreminiscule details for you to try to catch on to. Anybody at all remember in the beginning of I Know I Know You when whoever it was told Jack that Mustang's name was Cassandra? Bet not. If anybody at all asks me what the song mustang heard somebody humming was, im going to be very angry. figure that one out