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Fire and Rain

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I've seen fire and I've seen rain,
I've seen sunny days and I thought they'd never end.
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.
But I always thought I'd see you again.
-James Taylor


"Buck." The mouse across from him spoke. A black furred mouse of equal brawniness and nicked ears sat in the other chair, hands clasped around his own mug. "You've not said anything.
"Ain't nothing need to be said." Buck growled, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
"Buck, it's going to happen and you can't stop it."
"Doesn't mean I still don't want it to happen." Buck muttered darkly.
"Buck, I'm dying."
"Don't TALK like that!" Buck gritted his teeth and look across the table at him.
"We've rode together for years, we fought side by side in the war, we've taken shots for each other, backed each other up in more fights than I care to count. And now you tell me this."
"Would you rather I not tell you at all?" The other mouse said in a slightly firmer voice.
Buck grumbled something and looked away.
"Buck, I know this news is hard, this is one thing you can't fight off for me, and I've seen every physician from her to Pheonix. I ain't got much time left, and I couldn't ride on by without telling you."
Buck sighed out long and looked up at him.
"It's consumption." His friend sighed. "The same that killed Millie."
"Bless her." Buck muttered. "I remember that women."
"She never knew her time was ending until it did, never had a chance to set her affairs in order. I'm trying to make things right before I go."
"I wish you'd quit talking like that, dammit." Buck set him mug down with a loud clunk. "I don't want to think about you dyin' on me."
"Buck Thorn, you think I want to die on you??" The black mouse said with narrowed eyes.
"I'm sorry Garret, but I hate it, I watched good friends die all around me, but I always thought we'd be better off after the fighting stopped."
"We had a good run." Garret sighed. "But there's a worry in my gut that keeps me tossing and turning at night. I can't go on not knowing about what will happen to Jared when I'm gone."
"The boy?" Buck said, arching a brow.
"Buck, he's fifteen. He's got no Ma, and soon he'll have no Pa. Millie's family written us off since we eloped and my brothers all work in the railroad, and I sure as hell ain't sending my boy to work on no railroad."
Buck nodded solemnly. "Garret, he's my godson, I'd never let anything like that happen. If it'll be alright with you, Alice and I can take him in, he can live here and work for us."
Garret seemed to let out a huge sigh of relief then coughed, clapped a handkerchief over his mouth and coughed until he could breathe easier again. "God bless you, Buck."
"I ain't blessed; you would do the same for my boys. I'll look out for him." He muttered.
"I know he can be a bit curt, likes to shoot his mouth off sometimes." Garret said. "I tried to raise my boy right, but maybe you'll be able to right my wrongs."
"You ain't done anything wrong by that boy, Garret, shut up." Buck grumbled.
Garret grinned at him. "Same old Buck, grouchy as a rattler with a head cold.


From The New Hands: Final Part [link]

Buck and his long time friend Garret sit in the kitchen talking when Garret reveals the true reason behind his visit. He's dying from tuberculosis (consumption). Before he died he wanted to say goodbye to his friend Buck and set his affairs in order, including finding his 15 year-old son, Jared, a place to live and work.
Buck takes the news pretty hard. Garret is his best friend, and one of the last living friends he's got.

Some art I've been working on practically all day, just fiddling around :)
Garret looks like an older, nicer Jared ;P Thought his fancy marks are darker and his eyes are blue :)

Pfffft I stole Ethan's/:icontheuniphotoghrpher:honey jar and put it in the picture >:3
My friend Ethan's got this honey jar just like that at his house. ;P

Skytown is Copyright 2011 to Christine Ridgway
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JackofAllAss's avatar
You've yet to cease amazing me.
So much emotion and steadfastness in the characters.