Wyatt and Pacer had spent a second day and night with the cousins. Pacer was finally getting some energy back though he wasn’t eating all that much yet. Wyatt, had woken up early and took a walk around the area. He found himself walking along the ridge behind the camp.  

“Good morning, Wyatt!” Avery had spotted the blond teen on his approach long before Wyatt had noticed anyone was up there. As it was, Avery waited until Wyatt was closer to stand and greet him without shouting. 

“Morning.” Wyatt smiled in return. He came to a stop just beyond arms reach. 

“I didn’t realized there was three of you at first.” Avery eyes were locked in on the furry feline poking its head out from Wyatt’s front pocket. 

“Yeah, she doesn’t take up much space right now,” Wyatt gently pulled the kitten from the packet and held it in his cupped palms. 

“Actually, for a while there, yesterday, I thought she had wandered off! But she was just exploring the cabin, being all curious.” 

“When you asked if we saw a kitten around it was a surprise to us.”

“I’ve never taken care of anything or anyone before and suddenly I was caring for this little thing, and then him.” Wyatt nodded towards the cabin. 

Avery smiled and watched Wyatt for a moment. Wyatt felt the gaze and shyly returned it. 

“You have a generous heart.” Avery’s eyes locked in on his and Wyatt felt his cheeks flush instantly. Wyatt looked away and surveyed the coulee below, then he glanced around and decided to sit down, much like Avery had done. 

“Why, are you so nice to us?” Wyatt asked after a few minutes of breeze rustling the wild grasses behind them. “I mean, either one of us could pass along any number of strains to you or your cousins.”

It was an even longer pause before Avery responded. 

“I’ve been known to just go with my intuition and make decisions that seem inexplicable to others—at least in the moment. Usually, it works out in the end, even with a few surprises along the way. So when I say I simply looked at you and decided that I wanted to help you, that’s really what happened.”

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, Wyatt.” The warmth of those words astounded Wyatt.

The morning air flowed across the landscape around them. The wisps of low lying mist were receding and insects and birds were in the throes of their mourning routines. 

Suddenly Avery turned and face as Wyatt with both legs stretched out. Then they motioned for the cat. So Wyatt swung his legs around and mimicked the other forming a diamond shaped pen in the grass. He then leaned forward and set the furball down near the middle. Avery immediately reached effortlessly and tapped the ground and started to play with the little thing.

“The way you care. It’s important. This world we call home needs more of it.” 

Wyatt watched Avery, teasing and taunting the kitten playfully. Even though as they were facing each other the form reflected in front of him was much more limber and at ease. As the morning chill in the air lingered the sun, low on the horizon, cast warmly upon the more earth tone skin. 

“How old are you?” Wyatt blurted out the question randomly.

“I’ll be nineteen in the fall. Actually my birthday is supposed to be on the old holiday, Halloween.”

“Cool.” Wyatt didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t even know why he attempted small talk in the first place. 

“I’m glad Pacer is feeling better.” Avery commented. 

“Me too.”

“I think we can allow you to stay one more night here, but then you will have to leave.”

Wyatt’s heart sank. He knew this was inevitable but to suddenly hear it was a bit of a shock. It was quite nice here other than Pacer falling ill, quiet and calm. Everything he loved about spending time out of the city. With Pacer feeling better they two of them could continue on with the plan, though Wyatt was now second guessing his willingness to follow Pacer. 

“If I could be absolutely selfish, I’d want you to stay.” Avery admitted. 

“That sounds nice,” Wyatt met the other’s gaze hesitantly, “but I understand why we need to go.”

“The reason is mostly because in three days our patrol will end and all three of us will return home.  A couple of weeks after that we’ll be out on another patrol, not sure which one.”

“Ok,” Wyatt nodded, accepting fate as it was. 

“Do you have someone back home?” Avery probed further. 

“No. Well, I have housemates but… my best friend Chancey is the only one that really has been by my side.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“That I have no other friends?” Wyatt smirked, testing an opportunity to be funny. 

“No!” Avery laughed. It was a lighthearted chuckled that caused Wyatt to break out in a wide grin. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the two of them descended back into the coulee and walked towards the camp together, though distanced. 

“Pacer! You’re up?” Wyatt saw that his dark haired travelling companion was sitting hunched over near the fire where Jasper was heating up something in a large pot. 

“Yeah,” Pacer stiffly turned, cleared his throat, and glanced over at the two of them approaching. “My nurse up and left me so I decided to find the next best thing. A cook!”

Jasper scoffed wordlessly and watched Wyatt and Avery. 

“It’s a good sign to have your appetite back.” Avery stated.

Wyatt sat down beside Pacer and smiled, sharing a makeshift bench hewn from a fallen tree. 

“Want some.” Jasper offered up a serving of what looked to be a stew with some sort of bread. 

“Sure!” Wyatt was suddenly famished. 

They all had breakfast and idly chatted with each other. Wyatt caught Ulysses saying something to Avery while Pacer and Jasper were talking about trapping wild hares. Avery nodded and then glanced quickly and Pacer and then Wyatt. The look on Avery’s face was solemn. 

“What’s wrong, bud?” Pacer asked gently, eyes were searching Wyatt’s face for answers while the blond boy stared back wordlessly, unable to voice an answer. He simply shrugged and focused on finishing his meal. 

After everyone had eaten the cousins were discussing the days patrol, Ulysses being more vocal than he had been recently. The broad shouldered young man insisted. That someone should stay behind.

“Are you volunteering, then?” Avery suggested.

“We can leave today if it’ll be easier,” Wyatt blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him, with Pacer having the most quizzical look on his face. 

“I know we can’t stay here and everyday we do increases the risk. You’ve all helped us plenty and we’re grateful!”

“We’re not forcing you to go.” Jasper spoke up, to whom Ulysses shot a dark look. 

“I am feeling better, thanks to your hospitality. And, my bike is fully charged! If we head out today we’ll make good time. Today’s a beautiful day.” Pacer addressed their hosts, but he kept an eye on Wyatt as he spoke, sensing an underlying reason the younger boy spoke up. 

And like that, it was decided. Though, as they made their preparations Pacer waited until the others were a distance away before pressing Wyatt.

“So what’s the deal, bud?”

Wyatt shied away at first, trying to repack his bag and carefully stow away some of the supplies the cousins had offered. Avery had given him some food that he could give the kitten as well. 

“Sorry, I knew they were going to ask us to leave soon anyways. I wanted to bite the bullet so they don’t feel like kicking us out. Also, I don’t really know if I want to go with you. I might just head back and face whatever restrictions they have for me and maybe I’ll just have to finally make a decision with my life and do something other than scavenging for scraps like some loser.”

Pacer stepped back and sat down on the cot. He placed his hands on either side and remained quiet—right up until the kitten, which Wyatt had left to play on the cot, pounced upon his fingers as they gripped the blanket. 

“Ow!” He quickly reached over and grabbed the fuzzball by the back of the neck. It released its grip and dangled there a moment. Pacer then let the tiny thing settle in the crook of his arm and teased it with quick movements of his other hand. 

“Yeah, you’re right, I knew it was coming. I was just surprised you initiated it, that’s all. And you’re not a loser.”

Wyatt looked up from his bag, which he had closed up tightly, and face Pacer properly. He watched the older boy play with the kitten with an amused softness in his face. He was still playing when he continued speaking in a softer tone.

“You’re not a loser, because you’re a good guy. You care—and you show it. You’re no slouch when things go sideways. I’m sure Avery could use a lot more words than I can, but think I enjoy being around you.”

For that last part, Pacer looked up at Wyatt. He felt that he really needed to know that. 

“If you have to go back, I won’t stop you but I know I w—FUCK that hurts!” He froze with the kittens claw imbedded into his hand. 

“Shit!” Wyatt lunged forward and pried the kitten’s death claw out of Pacer’s skin. He dropped the creature down on the floor beside him and rummaged to pull out an ointment and a bandage. 

“That little demon!” Pacer hissed and probed tenderly at the wound. 

“Hey, don’t touch it. I have something for the scratch.”

“Scratch? The little minx attempted murder!” Pacer almost laughed but for the stinging wound.

“Here.” Wyatt shuffled closer. Pacer offered his hand, resting his arm on his thigh. Wyatt carefully applied a little dab of the ointment onto the scratch, which was producing droplets of blood already. The blond boy then pulled out a small adhesive bandage and placed it over the wound and firmly pressed it onto Pacer’s hand and held it in place firmly with both hands.

“I’m know I’m not easy to be around sometimes.” Wyatt looked up at Pacer when he started. “I can be stubborn and demanding. I know that you kinda like me, maybe not as much as Avery. But I tease you and I know that I shouldn’t. I’m older and I should act like the adult, but even though you’re younger, you’re not a kid either. I should treat you as an equal.”

“Stop,” Wyatt slipped the word in just when Pacer paused briefly.

“You don’t owe me anything, at least not now. So I shouldn’t have any expectations of you. I helped you, now you’ve helped me. We’re even.”

Wyatt started to laugh. He tried to hold back but when Pacer stopped talking and stared at him he knew he hadn’t suppressed it enough. 

“It’s just that Minx is a great name for her.” Wyatt giggled. 

Pacer looked over Wyatt’s shoulder and spied the kitten playing with a dangling zipper in the sunlight that was spilling in through the window. 

“Yeah, I think so too!” Pacer nodded and laughed. 

When they composed themselves, Wyatt let go of Pacer’s hand and stood up. “It’s an old bandage. Hopefully it holds long enough to heal.”

Pacer looked down at his hand for a moment. The scratch stung quite a bit still but the pressure Wyatt had applied somehow had helped. 

“I didn’t mean to gush all that mushy stuff. I just…”

“I’ll stay with you.” Wyatt’s voice was clear and steady. Pacer looked up and saw the serious look on his face and couldn’t help but to smile. He leapt up and tentatively clamped his hands down on Wyatt’s shoulders. When the smile started to creep onto the blonde face Pacer gave in and embraced Wyatt’s torso. 

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Note from the author : I am aware that new chapters have been targeted by commentors, especially those from new accounts, and that subsequent interaction with such accounts invariably leads to being asked to connect and discuss “ideas” on other platforms. I welcome all comments, HOWEVER, if you do so from an account with absolutely nothing to offer back to the community—even if it isn’t brand new—I will not engage. 

Thank you for reading!

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