AN: So I was reading through my fics and I realized something. I have really tiny chapters. And I just cringed when I realized that, so I decided to kinda stretch things out a little more from now on. Hence, it'll take alot longer for me to update, but there'll be a lot of it.
Also, Kudos if anyone figured out what the willowbark tea is known as in the present day and why it helped Duo without making him loopy. Willowbark tea makes acetic acid, also known as... aspirin! Hence the stomach ache that Duo got afterwards. But yeah, willowbark's been used for years till it was made in the friendly pill form we all know of today. :) I work in the Chem room after school, so I'm kinda a chem geek. You'll get used to it.
Also, updates may take a little longer because I'm making a webcomic with my buddy Angela/LarndeSolen. I'm writing and doing the Photoshop, she's drawing. I'll put the link up later. Anyhoo, enjoy!
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Jay's skin was like old leather, thick and dark nut brown. His hands were covered in calluses from years of working the range. He was one of the first men to settle in the area, the offspring of poor fishermen who'd saved enough to buy a horse and rode away from the coast to find his fate.
No one was exactly sure how he had managed to live out in the wilderness for so many years alone, but when more and more people began to settle, he was a welcome anchor. Every dip in the soil, every mountain and field, he knew the land like it was a part of him.
The years hadn't been kind to him. He'd lost an eye after a horse threw him into a pile of brush. One of his legs had healed wrong so he could only walk with the aid of a cane. Granted, it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't died yet, given the amount of yearlings he'd 'broken' to ride, but his injuries meant he couldn't ride the range anymore. The town had helped him sell his land and cattle and built him a house beside the general store. Everyone had thought that Jay would wither away in the new environment but he proved them all wrong.
In fact, the townsfolk hadn't prospered like they were in ages. Jay was the key to it all, the man who knew the answer to every question put in front of him. He knew which mare to breed to what stallion, where the best place to build a house was and where someone could find a blooming bearwort. From his perch on the general store porch, Jay was the stability the settlers longed for.
When Heero deducted that he needed supplies for fixing the fences, he decided to bring his idol something from the range, settling on a hunk of smoked venison. He'd packed the paper wrapped meat carefully into a saddlebag and eased Win down the muddy trail towards town.
Winter had just broken and the melting snow was filling the small streams. The ground had the consistency of soup but the abundance of water and sunlight encouraged a carpet of green up from the soil. It was the season for the crocus and even in the mountains, life was slipping upwards from the rocks.
It was also the season for work. The most important job in winter was making sure your stock stayed alive and when you weren't doing that, there was little else. But in spring the cows began to calve, the fences that had been broken by winter's crush were visible and all hell broke loose. Springtime was hard enough when two people were working the ranch, so Heero had no idea how he was going to manage on his own.
His hopes hinged on the fact that Jay would know.
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The sun had just risen to it's apex when Heero entered town. He made a sorry sight, both him and his horse covered in mud from their thighs down. Win's rider had been forced to dismount her in some areas and walk along side her so that she'd be able to get over the mud. She was a wonderful horse, sane and sound, but she wasn't the most sure footed of horses in bad terrain.
Despite her difficulties she had plugged on and gotten Heero to town, a fact that convinced Heero to pay a little bit more and get shoes put on her, which'd give her some more dig in the ground. He left her with the blacksmith, Win happily munching on a bale of hay while the smith began to file her hooves down.
The slats of wood, which made the boardwalk between porches, were filthy. Mud had stained everything and it was a good thing that none of the prima donnas who lived in the big cities lived out in the country or else they'd have died ages ago. Heero's boots were sturdy so the mud wasn't a problem for him.
Jay was on his rocking chair and he nodded a greeting to Heero. "Figured you'd be coming down here, once the ice broke."
The paper around the venison crackled, the only response. But the old man grinned toothily at the meat, wrapping it back up and placing it carefully into his coat pocket. He then sat back and looked at Heero expectantly.
"Sir, I was thinking it might be good if I sold off some of my land and some of the cattle. With Pa gone, I can't take care of everything." Heero said solemnly, the boards creaking a bit when he pulled a stool over. "Ah' was wondering if ye knew who was buyin' right now."
"Ye' should buy Clellan's meadow beside Snake River. Keaep all yer cattle and land, yer Pappy worked long and hard getting' those fer ye'." Jay said gruffly.
Heero sighed mentally. Was Jay going deaf? "I have too much to begin with sir, I can't keep an eye on the River meadow too. Besides, what would I pay Clellan with? Cattle prices ain't been good lately."
Jay's face light up and he leaned forward with a grin like a smug calico cat. "A feller' came into town a couple of days ago. Plans on tamin' the wild horses on Smith's land and he needs a place to keep 'em."
"Why doesn't Smith train 'em himself?" Heero asked dryly, then mentally swore to himself. He shouldn't have distracted the old man, he wanted to know mighty badly why Jay thought he should buy that land.
"Have you seen those 'stangs? They're wild as a wet cat and just as liable tae' bite ye'. Smith's got better things tae' do, the 'stangs are just wasting his grazing lands in his eyes. Nah, he's pleased as punch ta' get rid of 'em." Jay leaned back in his chair. "This new man, his herd'll be the right size to go inter yer' cattle's summer pasture. And as fer the money, he's willin' ta pay $40 to pay fer the board, and Clellan's sellin' fer $30."
"He'll only be a few months though, that ain't givin' me a lot of time with a second worker around."
Jay grinned around the wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth, "No, but it buys ye' time ta get yerself a wife. Besides, ye' need ta be around someone who yer own age. Yer Pappy did what he could to raise you by himself, but he jest couldn't do much fer lettin' ye be around other youngsters. This'll be a learnin' experience fer ye."
He did have a point. Pa'd needed him to be around the ranch so Heero'd never been to school, which was how all the other kids knew him. It was awkward and when Heero met other folks his age he felt like a calf who'd been raised by own of their mares.
The cow had rejected the baby and the mare's foal had died so Pa had rubbed the calf in the mares afterbirth. The mare'd happily raised the baby and neither of them had been the wiser till it was time for the calf to go back in with the cattle. All the horse rules the calf'd learned made him shunned by the other calves and he'd just sit on the outskirts of the herd and not know what to do with himself.
"What's the man like? Is the money good?" he asked hesitantly.
"Money's good. I 'spect he's a cavalry man and that's what's left of his pay. Doc's accepted it and he'd know if it were fake. Sides that, I like 'im. Name's Zechs and 'e's a good rider. Has a demon of a three year old gelding, but he handles it like it was a babe's pony. He's got a hell of a seat too." Jay spat out a thick wad of chewing tobacco into the spit bucket. "Won't be a job at'all to have to live with him, specially if you buy Clellan's meadow."
Heero scratched at the stubble on his jawline, noting to himself that he'd just shaved this morning and to sharpen his razor when he got home. First… "Why's Clellan selling the meadow? I remember Pa always wanted to buy it, but he never got the chance."
"'s great land, but it's too far out of the way 'fer him. Especially since he bought another field closer to his own homestead. I don't think he should sell it, it's too good. That's moose country and the bears're too scared ta come down there, they know bull moose 'kin kill 'em. Same with the cougars. Ain't lost a beast there since I kin remember."
"Ah'll finish shopping, then I'll tell you my answer. Need some time to think 'bout this." He waited till Jay nodded before moving the stool to the side and walking next door to the store.
He needed flour, grease, nails, a new hammer, a new whetstone to sharpen his tools and kerosene. And anything else that he saw and would need in the store. That ended up including a thick ream of wool cloth, a few needles, thread and a small bag of rock candy. Foster came into the store also and Heero managed to buy a bag of last years corn from him and paid for three more bags when the crop came in. Foster grew the best corn in this side of the Rockies, and his grain was always in demand.
The goods were finally bought and tightly wrapped in thick paper for their journey back up the mountain to the homestead. And Heero had made his decision. Jay showed no surprised, only told him where Zechs was staying and told him congratulations on his new meadow.
The bank in town may have been a meager small one but Doc still did well in owning it. His house was by far the nicest in town, with planks on the side versus rough hewn logs and was even painted a light green. Doc came from the East Coast however, so the farmers put up with his wasteful behavior.
He rapped his knuckles on the doorway and waited patiently till the woman of the house opened the door, her face plump and sweet. "Yes? You're the Yuy boy, right?"
He took off his hat respectfully while nodding, being painfully polite because this was a lady, "Yes'm. I'm here about yer' boarder."
"Oh, about Zechs! Well of course darling, come on in, just do take your spurs off won't you? Otherwise my floors'll be marked something dreadful." She chirped, ushering him in with the joy of someone who hasn't seen visitors in far too long. Heero was shooed into what was the receiving room, something he'd only heard his Pa talk about. Even if Ma had lived through smallpox their little cabin wouldn't have had been big enough for separate rooms, much less one to only receive company.
"Now you just have a seat and I'll have Zechs come on down. Make yourself at home dear, I'll only be a minute." She said happily, bustling out of the room. Heero, considering his dirty jeans, chose to sit in a stiff wooden chair rather than the plush cloth ones. Chairs like that cost more'n a man's soul out here, and he'd feel mighty bad if he was to dirty one.
The lady of the house was true to her word and in the shake of a lamb's tail she came back into the room with the prettiest man Heero'd ever seen.
He wanted to groan, to cry, to yell. He'd wanted a worker out of this man and instead he was goin' to get some city boy who'd gotten a hankering for the frontier life. The man had long blonde hair, for the love of Pete, hair that was finer than any woman in the area. His shoes were even shined. He probably wouldn't even survive the trail up to the homestead.
"Well Mr. Yuy, this is Zechs! I'm sure he's simply thrilled to get out of town and get to work on those lovely horses of his." Said the missus, "I'll leave you two to get aquainted and to work out the details and such. If you need me I'll be in the kitchen!" At that she flitted out, leaving behind an awkward silence.
The tall blonde man sat down slowly, his body uncomfortable. He motioned towards the kitchen, "She's a sweet woman. She knows quite well that I've got a gelding who's certainly not a 'lovely' horse. I'll be glad to get off of her hands though."
Heero nodded. Zechs was babbling and trying to break the silence. That was fine if he wanted to do that, but Heero frankly didn't know how to respond to that.
"My horse Goose is good with cattle. I'd be glad if you'd let me practice with him and my other horses with your herd. I'm grateful for just getting land to train my horses on though. Are we going to head up to your stead tonight?"
"Have ye' ever set your horse on cattle in timberline? It ain't like herdin' in the plains. Folks up here are liable to loose a limb if they ain't prepared." Heero said, eyes trained on the newcomer.
"I haven't had a chance to herd in timberline yet. Mind, when I do, I will be careful. I am no stranger to rough situations, good sir." Zechs replied, ice lancing from his tongue.
Heero was impressed. It was a rare few people who would even meet his eyes when he spoke like that, let alone snap back at him. Granted, he wasn't quite finished yet.
"A rough situation anywhere else is a good day on the mountains. If the cougars don't get you first, the grizzlies or the weather will get you after that. It ain't for anyone who don't know it."
Zechs met his challenge. "Then I guess I'll just have to get to learn about them. Now do you want my money or not?"
"Fine. But if you decide to go back to the city, I'm keeping the money." Heero held out his hand. "Deal?"
His hand was strong and firm and Heero got his first bit of respect for this man when his voice rang out with a determined, "Deal."
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Quatre worried Heero.
He was capable as hell. He rode damned well and he knew enough about cattle. He also knew the tribes in the area and could calm them down and allow the herd to pass undisturbed. But Quatre was an Indian.
Heero didn't have anything against Indians personally. Frankly, he could care less as long as his herd was left alone. The problem lay with Zechs.
Zechs'd kept his past to himself, especially about the military. Heero knew that Zechs had been in the cavalry, only a cavalry soldier would have the gear that the blonde had and only a cavalry steed like Goose could be owned by a soldier. Everything was plain but Zechs wouldn't say whether his guess was true or not. He simply wouldn't acknowledge the question.
Heero also knew what the cavalry did. They pushed the Indians off of their land so that the white settlers could put a stead there. And even though he thought that it was unjust and unfair, the 're settlement' efforts made it possible to replace people who'd harm and steal his herd with a family who wouldn't.
Quatre would obviously think quite differently.
Whole tribes, men, women and children, had been wiped out by the cavalry. They were constantly beaten down into submission and pushed out of their ancestral lands. The native people of America had been slammed into the dirt and they deserved to be resentful and mad and angry.
But not at Zechs. That was the man Heero was loyal to, and Quatre could go after the blonde all he wanted but Heero would defend him.
Their first two years on the mountain had been hell, fighting off the weather and predators till they were both run ragged. But Zechs had proven himself to be more than a pampered city boy. He'd struggled alongside Heero when the barn's roof was on the edge of collapse and they needed to replace an old repair on a support. The winter storm had raged through the cracks in the barn and the growing snow on the roof had threatened both of their safety, but together they'd fixed the cracked reinforement.
See, when Heero fell for something or someone, he fell completely. No matter what Zechs had done, Heero would be there beside him through hell or high water. And because Quatre would undoubtedly hurt Zechs if he knew, Heero would simply not let Quatre find out.
Zechs chose that moment to stir underneath the blankets and pull them towards him, causing the sheets to be pulled taut. Heero rolled over to ease the bedroll's tension and groaned. The small locks of hair on Zech's brow were dark with sweat and his face was pulled into a frown. The nightmares had come back.
He ran his hand across Zechs' forehead and watched as the creases on his forehead eased out. The light from the half moon spilled across his face and his pale hair seemed even more erethral in the quiet light. Zechs slid into a deeper sleep quickly, but Heero continued to stroke his face for a while longer.
Yes, he would protect this man and his secret. What Quatre knew would not hurt him. He kissed his cohort on his forehead before falling back to sleep himself.