Disclaimer: I'd like to point out that I do not and I never will own Big Time Rush, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Carlos Pena, Jr., and James Maslow. I do own, however, Catalina "Cat" Aragon, Michael and Andres, and Junior Detective Keller. I semi-own Detective Spencer.
Author's Note: Please enjoy my first official Big Time Rush Fan-fiction. It was originally going to be 84. Out Cold of the 100 themes challenge I'm doing for Big Time Rush, but it expanded to something much more than that.
First, don't ask me how they got in the tree. I may or may not explain that later.
Second...DUDE!
This chapter is dedicated to the oh-so-wonderful and talented and amazing CheekyBrunette. Read her stories, they are brilliant!
Downhill From Here
Chapter 4
Mikkal
Logan cried out when he stumbled over a tree root and his injured arm swung out instinctively to catch himself. He stopped for a moment, breathing harshly through his nose.
"Sorry Logie," Carlos murmured.
He shook his head gently. "It's…not…your…fa-fault."
But he felt like it was, for some reason. "We're almost to the fork, I can see the little light for the sign."
Logan didn't say anything, but Carlos couldn't really blame him. Instead, they just started walking again in silence. There was no need to keep the pale teen talking, walking was enough to keep him awake.
Soon enough they came upon a wooden sign with IA carved into it, an arrow pointed the way they just came, A was carved and another arrow pointing farther up the other trail, and an arrow for the way back to the stable—that was helpful.
"IA?...A?" Logan lifted his head slightly to squint at the sign. "That…doesn't…s-sound right…The trail…was su-suppose…to be…B2."
"What?" Carlos exclaimed. The wrong trail? So Logan was right earlier, they were on the wrong trail. He was always right, how come they didn't listen to him more?
Logan pointed a trembling finger down the tail. "That's…th-the way…to the…sta-stables."
"Then that's the way we're gonna go," Carlos said in relief. "I gotta do it." He warned. Logan bit his lip and nodded before the Latino shifted the older boy higher so he's have a better grip, but that warning didn't keep it from hurting. "Sorry."
"Just...walk," he snapped...well, in the way Logan could snap. He wasn't really the snapping type. That must mean the pain was getting worse if he even snapped a little bit.
"Gotcha." He took a couple halting steps forward until they fell into their usual rhythm. There was a moment of silence before an idea dawned. "Hey, Logan," he said suddenly. "How good is your Spanish?"
Logan blinked owlishly at the question. "Uh…mucho…no." It was a lot harder than he remembered to think of the words. "Mu-Muy…bien…ma-mas o…menos."
"Bueno, bueno." Carlos chuckled. And with that he began quizzing Logan on the language, to pass the time and distract him from the pain. They were easy questions, Spanish I worthy.
Time passed and the older teen's answers were getting stronger and stronger, the distraction was working. Everything was good until a haunting howl broke through, another followed making the boys freeze in their tracks.
"Los...lobos?" Logan whispered, still in the Spanish funk.
Carlos nodded fearfully… "We're good, as long as they're not right—" A pair of yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows. "—In front of us," he finished lamely.
"Logan!" James yelled, he fell silent for a moment but there was no answer. "Carlos!" Again, nothing.
"They have to be out here," Kendall said. He was choking on his worry, but he forewent breathing in favor of swinging his light into the shadows.
Cat pushed some branches away. "They shouldn't be far, don't worry."
"Too late," the blonde muttered. "Logan! Carlos!"
A howl cut through the darkness, making them all break out in a cold sweat.
"That's...That's not what I think it is...is it?" James asked shakily.
Another howl followed, almost answering his question for him. It wasn't a very good answer, so not the one he wanted.
Kendall swore something in English and Cat swore something in Spanish and James swore something in his head. Both he and Logan hardly swore, they left that to Carlos and Kendall.
"I told Animal Control about this!" Cat hissed. "And what do they do? Nada! They don't even put trackers on them!"
"Animal Control handles stuff like this?" Kendall asked weakly. He didn't really want to know, it was just a question. What he did want know was: where were his friends?
James ran his hand trough his hair, fluffing it up in a nervous habit. "Here's a question: Are we going towards the wolves...or away?"
"And I've got an answer," Cat said. "We're going towards. If the wolves are out here then Logan and Carlos are going to be near by."
Kendall nodded. "Let's go. I'm getting worried."
"'Getting?'" James raised an eyebrow. "Man, you've been worried. We all have."
He winced. "I know, I know."
There was a loud, piercing scream that sounded all too familiar. James and Kendall were stuck in place before they took off as fast as the cold, ice making its way into their hearts.
That scream was Logan's.
Carlos gripped Logan around the chest as tightly and as gently as he could, staring down, wide eyed, at the wolves prowling down on the ground.
"They're…hungry," Logan said in amazement, not all there. "They're s-so…skinny."
The younger boy pulled him closer. "But everything's gonna be okay as long as we stay up here until some one comes." Hopefully Kendall and James. "Or until the sun rises." He hoped it didn't come to that, he didn't think he could stay in this tree until then and he also didn't think Logan would be able to handle it.
One of the wolves, the leader probably, jumped up and snapped at Carlos' dangling foot. He quickly whipped it out of the animal's reach, tucking it awkwardly against the trunk.
"We'll…be…o-okay." The pale teen's breathing was short and gasped, getting worse as time went on and now that he could unwillingly focus on the pain. "They'll…gi-give…up."
But Carlos was doubtful, they looked really hungry. "Okay, if you say so."
The leader glared at them and barked viciously. He backed up a few feet before taking a charging leap against the sturdy (maybe not as sturdy as they thought) tree, the branches shook dangerously from the force.
Logan's face went an ashen gray. "Car…los," he gasped in pain.
He felt the older boy slipping, but he didn't feel it fast enough. Logan was in no shape to catch himself so he went tumbling off the apparently flimsy branch. The Latino boy lunged for his friend and caught him by the hand.
Logan emitted a piercing shriek and his free hand clawed Carlos' saving arm, tears pouring from his glazed eyes. That's when he realized he grabbed he wrong arm, he had grabbed Logan's injured arm.
If it wasn't dislocated before then it was now.
Carlos would've frozen in shock and guilt if it weren't for the pathetic whimpers his friend was making. It hurt to look down and see him crying, eyes blown wide in fear and pain, a long red line of blood trailing from his lips to down his neck.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, even though he knew it wasn't going to fix anything.
Logan didn't—couldn't—answer, mind blank in a white flash of fire. He just kept on whimpering like a scared child and tried to feebly pry Carlos' fingers from around his wrist.
Carlos squeezed his eyes shut and pulled with all of his strength, earning another scream from his best friend. He grabbed his other arm and eased him on to the branch, setting him against the trunk.
Chocolate brown eyes were half lidded and stared into space at nothing, his head rolled limply to the side. Logan was so close to passing out cold, but the same pain he wanted to escape from wouldn't let him go.
The younger teen cupped his too pale cheeks and brought his head up so the were eye to eye. "Don't you dare pass out," he order. "I'm not kidding."
Logan let out a half-sigh, half-whimper, but nodded ever so slightly in agreement, widening his eyes so they wouldn't close so easily.
Carlos looked down and was happy to see the wolves were no longer there. They had scattered at Logan's first scream then completely ran the second time, scared of the loud noises.