#aimijiart

“Hey, hey! You!” 

Sky heard the soft voice shouting across the camp at someone, he just figured the previous O’Driscoll was trying to call for Arthur or someone, not him. He continued to carve on the stick in his hand, worn and ready to be made into another arrow for his bow. A shadow blocked out the warm summer sun as it loomed over him. Sky tilted his head back to see the nervous face of Kieran looking down at him. Bright green eyes meeting his black orbs and trying to convey something. He held a bamboo fishing pole in one hand and his satchel bag in the other.

“Sky! Why are you ignorin’ me?” Kieran pouted, bottom lip sticking out like a child. 

“Oh. I didn’t- I’m sorry, chickadee. I didn’t realize you were calling for me.” Sky shifted his body to face him, knife twirling in his fingers making Kieran even more nervous as his eyes caught the movement.

“You… you wanna go fishin’ with me?” 

“Fishin?”

“Yeah, fishin’. You know, cast a line and get a fish?” Kieran waved his bag around as he went into it. Sky’s eyes narrowed. 

“No, no, I do know what fishing is, I’ve been fishin’ with you before.” Sky snorted as he tried to explain the act to him. Kieran’s cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment as he tried to backpedal.

“I mean, yeah, of course, a feller like you would know how to fish. I bet you’re good at it too, like everything else you do-” he stuttered, cheeks bright red. 

“I dunno, Kier. You've seen me fish. You remember what happened last time, yeah?” Sky made a concerned face, hands up and moved with his words, the sharp stick and knife waved in his hand. 

Kieran’s smile broke out into a grin, cheeks reddening. “Oh yeah, I do.”

The last time the two had gone fishing, Kieran ended up catching one of the legendary sized Salmon, and Sky ended up in the lake, drenched to the bone, only with a small perch as his catch for the day, which a crow promptly stole from him. The ride back to camp was dreadful while soaked to the bone. He ended up chafed all to Hell in his thighs from friction of the saddle and wet denim. 

“Fine, okay, don’t pout . I’ll go fishin’ with you, chickadee.” Sky smiled up at the man. 

He put up his knife and stood up brushing the shavings off of his trousers. It’d been a minute since he’d gone fishing, so why not? He liked Kieran enough, but he didn’t know if Dutch would trust him with leaving the camp with the ‘prisoner’. “I should ask Dutch first, so he doesn’t have a fit when he notices we’re not here.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get ready, and meet you at the horses?” Kieran babbled. He was excited and practically prancing in place. Sky chuckled to himself as he watched Kieran run off to get Branwen ready to ride. 

“Hey Dutch?” Sky called out into a tent, knowing better than to go barreling into them lest he wanted to see something he really didn’t want to see. 

“Come in, kid” Dutch’s voice called back, and Sky moved up the flap on the tent to walk in. 

Dutch was leaning over his desk, writing something to himself, glasses on his nose. He could see Hosea laying in a cot reading a book. He swore something was going on between those two, but if they could keep Sky out of their mouths, Sky would do the same. 

“What do you want, kid?” Dutch asked, exasperated not even gazing up from his notebook. 

“Well, Kieran wants to go fishin’ with me, so I want permission to take him out of the camp.” Sky crossed his arms over his chest, stood tall. That statement made Dutch turn his head so quickly, eyes narrowed.

“Why right now?”

“What?”

“Why- right- now?”

“I mean why not? He wants to go, plus we can bring back food for the camp.” Sky shrugged at that. Why was he being so strange about them going? Dutch stood up from his stool and moved to loom over the shorter man. 

“You aren’t going to be letting him run off now, you hear?” 

“I hear. I mean I can just shoot him in the knee if he runs.” Sky stated sarcastically.

“Smartass.” Dutch whispered, “Understand that it’s your head on the block if you do not bring that O’Driscoll home.” Dutch threatened, eyes not leaving Sky’s face.

“I understand. Also he’s not an O’Driscoll.” Sky repeated what Kieran always said, but it only made Dutch sneer.

“ Of course he isn’t,” His voice was thick with venom, “And I’m not an man on the run.” 

“Sure. Whatever you say, Dutch.” Sky mumbled it too loud and got a glare in return.

“You’ve got a big mouth on you, boy. Charles isn’t here to watch your ass at the moment. So keep your words inside the little brain of yours.” Dutch tapped Sky’s cheek with the backside of his hand lightly. 

“Dutch. Keep your hands to yourself.” They both heard as Hosea’s voice finally interjected. “Sky, here, is being a good host to our newest member of the gang and the more we let him grow, the more likely we’ll learn more. Honey and flies, not vinegar.” 

Dutch grumbled at Hosea’s words, and waved Sky off to leave.

He cursed Dutch as soon as he was out of earshot. “Motherfucker. Asshole. Con man”

___________________________________________________________

The ride out to the spot Kieran swore was good didn’t take too long. About half an hour or so. They rode in silence for the most part. Horses occasionally rode shoulder to shoulder, which the two riders would have to steer them off of each other so their legs wouldn’t be crushed together. 

“Thanks.” Sky tipped his hat to Hosea before leaving the tent back into the summer sun.

“I think they’re fond of each other.” Sky said softly. He pat Clover’s mane and ran his fingers through a few tangles. Kieran took care of the horses for everyone, and Sky picked up on how Clover was often so pretty and spotless. White hair shone in the sunlight and the brown patches gleamed. Her mane and tail were usually in braids with bows tied on the ends. 

The two riders also soon noticed how much the two horses played and laid together. Clover’s abdomen looked a little more full lately too. When Sky brought it up to Kieran, he was ecstatic at the thought of their horses having a foal together.

The lake was nice and clear on this summer day. The breeze blew through the grasses and shook the trees. A perfect day for fishing.

Kieran set up the horses a bit aways and got them settled on the shoreline. Sky baited his bamboo pole, and tossed it out. Kieran soon joined him in tossing out his line. 

A nice silence filled the area. Only the sounds of fish splashing and the birds singing came through. 

It wasn’t long before Kieran saw Sky sit down, knees up, on the shore, while he waited for a bite. He peered down occasionally and within the hour, Sky was passed out. Head in his hand, with his elbow resting on his knee. His hat blocked out all the offending sun’s rays. 

“Of course he did” Kieran snorted and moved Sky’s fishing pole to stick into the dirt and hold itself up. 

Sky only slept for an hour or two just as the sun was setting and the night had come. Fireflies flitted across the surface of the lake, leaving little trails behind them, their own show to watch as they fished. 

Sky laid back in the grass, giving up on fishing and eyes on the sky. Finger up to trace the constellations above them looking down. He smiled as he noticed Kieran too gave up after a few fish caught, and laid next to him. 

They spent the evening under the stars talking about their lives. Heritage, and back onto the little family their horses might have made. Which brought about conversations of families of their own and whether it was a feasible future. 

“You think Charles wants kids?” Kieran asked Sky softly. Sky shrugged back, eyes not moving from the galaxies above their heads. Black eyes mirroring back the stars he was mesmerized by.

“I dunno. Maybe? He wants to move on. To Canada, I think? Away from all this violence and death. I don’t blame him. It’s not the life he expected to live. Not one I for sure thought I’d be involved in.” 

“Ah, yeah, you’re not an outlaw like the rest of the gang.”, Kieran stated as a matter of fact. 

“I'm not. Not to say I haven’t done things since joining y'all, but it’s not the label I want to keep.”

“I think you two would have a cute family.” Kieran broke the pause.

Sky glanced over at him, neck turned sharply cracking it. 

“Fuck! Ow!” He groaned, rubbing the offending bones. Kieran reached over to help him rub the spot. “You really think so?”

“Oh yeah. I know so. Cute little native babies!” Kieran teased. Sky’s face flushed a deep red in the darkness of the night at the thought of the kids the two could have. 

“Shut up” Sky huffed and crossed his arms. “Do you want kids?”

Kieran pondered it, “I guess. I mean it’s only natural right? That’s what they say we’re meant for, ya know? Marriage and children?”

Sky scoffed at that. “Meant for. I don’t think there’s one answer as to what we’re meant to be and do, chickadee” 

The two were quiet. Uncertainty of their futures swirling in the air. Who were they and who would they be after this?