.
Blaine walked towards Isabella's tent, hoping to run into Kurt. Instead, he found himself being pulled towards the healers by Miriam.
"Um... what's going on?" He managed to get out as she pulled a couple of jars out of a basket and handed them to him.
"We have a horse in labor and I need a couple of hands." She didn't look up. "Just carry those and hand them to me if I need them, ok?" She pulled out a clean towel and bandages, along with what looked like some kind of string. "Joe!" Mira called out, "have someone from here check down at the pens in an hour. We may need more supplies, it's to early to tell. Barbra is healthy, and this could go smooth as silk, but who knows."
Joe handed them an empty basket to carry what they needed with a smile. "No problem. Be careful, I'll be praying for you."
Instead of a snide comment, Mira returned the quiet smile. "I appreciate that." She stood and placed the jars, bandages and string into the basket and handed it to Blaine. "Ok sweetie, time for a crash course in horse-birth. Are you squeamish, or will you faint at the sight of blood?"
Kurt had found Coach Beiste quickly, and brought her with him. Miriam met them at the horse pens, with a unsure-looking Blaine in tow. She walked to the horse laying on her side, and looked her over.
"It looks like her water's going to break and second." She wrapped the mares tail in the clean towel she'd brought with her, and settled down on the clean straw. "Shannon, if she begins kicking, I need you to keep her legs down. The last thing we need is for her to hurt herself. Blaine, are you ok with helping me down here?" The shorter boy nodded. "Kurt, you stay up near her head. When the contractions get stronger try to keep her calm... she loves your voice." A sudden gush of fluid interrupted her. "And here we go."
Blaine watched in fascination as the horse strained and began pushing. As a child he'd never been permitted near any of the cats while it was having a litter. This was strange... and surprising.
After about fifteen minutes, a pair of small hooves appeared out the birth canal, covered in a thin transparent sac. After that, nothing else came out. Mira cursed after waiting for another ten minutes, and there was still no sign of the head.
"Cac!" Miriam took a deep breath. "Blaine, pass me that red bottle and open the green jar for me." She opened the bottle and poured a clear liquid on the hands and arms. The heavy scent of medical alcohol filled the air. the green jar held another liquid, a oil of some kind that she proceeded to coat her arms up to above her elbows. " This is where things get interesting." She picked up another clean towel and wrapped it around the exposed hooves. One hand held the towel, and the other...
"Oh God..."
Blaine looked over to see Kurt petting the horses neck, and trying not to lose his stomach as Mira slid her hand up and into the mare. He suddenly felt his gut seize up as well.
"Stay with us boys!" Beiste commanded firmly. "There's nothing wrong with havin' to give nature a helping hand once in a while. MAN UP." She looked at Kurt, who still looked a little green. "Why don't you sing her something Pumpkin? God knows that can't be comfortable."
Kurt swallowed and quietly began.
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these broken wings and learn to fly,
All you life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see,
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these broken wings and learn to fly,
All you life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise...
"
Blaine didn't move, couldn't look away. Something... well, shifted, and it was as if the ugly fog that had filled his mind finally lifted. He was so focused on the voice coming from the boy he'd already come to care for that he almost missed the golden head and shoulders of the foal being pulled from the birth canal. Once they were out, Barbara began whinnying again, and Mira sat back. Birthing fluid covered her shirt and arms, but she smiled brightly.
"I think she'll be able to handle the rest."
"What happened?" Blaine asked. "I mean, what was that... thing you had to do?"
"Sometimes the foal will get stuck at their shoulders. Someone has to reach in and re-position them, then help them slide out." As she spoke, the foal's hips slid out and he lay on the straw next to his mother. Mira's eyes stayed on the pair even as she wiped off her arms and checked for the jar of iodine solution. "Let's let them rest for a little while, and then I'll treat the umbilical cord." She looked over. "Thanks Shannon, but I think we'll be ok."
"Any time Hon, as long as the two of them are ok." Beiste smiled and walked back towards the her tent.
Barbara stood and let Miriam treat the cord.
In less than an hour, the little horse found his feet and managed to stand next to his mother and nurse.
Blaine had never seen anything like it before. People made it sound like 'Oh thus-and-such had a baby' as if it wasn't a big deal. Seeing this... it was more than he'd considered.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Kurt's voice came from beside him. "First time I watched, I fainted."
Blaine laughed softly, and stretched his arms above his head. "Wow. That was just..." He waved his hands around. "I just... I have no words."
"It's late. We should probably head back." Kurt smiled and walked beside Blaine until they reached their tents. "My other friends should be back tomorrow. Would you like to meet them?"
Blaine smiled and nodded. Kurt felt a tidal-wave of joy at that simple movement. "Then I'll see you in the morning." He stepped closer, and gave Blaine a quick hug, allowing their cheeks to press together briefly before pulling back. "Goodnight."
.
Blaine walked into his tent in a daze. The innocent contact between the two of them had a stronger affect on him than the kiss he'd been given on his 16th birthday by a boy he'd cared about. He barely saw the large crate in the center of the room. A note was attached to the lid.
Blaine
You told me about the things that you'd left behind when you came to us. These seemed important to you, more than the other things you don't have with you.
I hope you like them, and that they make you happy.
Kurt
Blaine read the simple note five times, his eyes always coming back to rest on that one last part. they make you happy. He smiled, and tucked the note into his pocket before opening the crate. He stared at the contains, and fell to his knees to dig through it.
There was a beautiful guitar in a leather case, made of a warm golden-brown wood. But beneath that was something that stunned him.
Blank journals. Pens. Ink. Everything he needed to write his music.
.
In that moment, Blaine realized the impossible had happened. This boy with the color-changing eyes, that could have proven all the stories true, or make his existence a misery had done nothing but try to make him happy, and at ease, as though he mattered. And beyond that, he'd listened. A simple passing comment about missing writing music, and he'd done this.
Blaine fought tears as he knew what had happened.
He'd gone and lost his heart to a Plainsrider, to a 'Savage'.
He was falling for him.
He remembered the conversation he'd overheard, not so long ago... even if it felt like months.
"Do you know the best part of being the clan-leader's son?" Kurt had asked Chandler, who'd shook his head. "I always get what I want."
.
'Please,' Blaine desperately prayed to which-ever of the God's were listening, 'Please let him want me. Let him want me forever.'
A figure hidden in the shadows watched the interaction between the two boys. It was easy enough to see that the dark-haired boy was in one piece, and didn't seem to be suffering. At least, until he peaked into the tent. The boy they were being paid to rescue sat on a bed-roll, arms wrapped around himself, fighting tears.
Yes, the sooner they got him out of there the better. If he'd only been able to hide a horse close by he would bring him back that very night. The young man turned, and began the long run back to Westerville.
The sun was bright and warm the next day, the morning quiet... until the sound of far off hoof-falls cut though the air.
Blaine walked out of his tent, and was yanked back against the canvas almost immediately. He looked up to see horses running past, their riders hardly pay attention.
"Careful." Kurt's voice breathed in his ear. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be up this early after last night or I would have warned you. The riders are a little careless, so everyone just stays out of the way until they settle."
Blaine turned to the taller boy with a small smile. "Well, that might have been good. Getting trampled would put a real damper on the day."
Kurt flinched at the thought of Blaine being seriously hurt, and gave his arm a little squeeze. "Yeah, that would've been a problem. On the other hand, do you want to meet some of my friends?" He gestured towards the other horse pens. "They're nice... well, at least once you get to know them."
Blaine nodded, curious about these 'Riders'. He didn't feel afraid, he knew Kurt would only be friends with good people.
The Horses were being cleaned and corralled as the riders milled about. At the best it was organized chaos, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. If anything it seemed to be expected.
Blaine stayed close to Kurt as they made their way through the crowd, noticing a few glares sent towards the clan-leader's son. Kurt simply gave them one of those glares that could probably cow anyone. A sudden smile grabbed the pissed expression off his face.
"Noah!" Kurt waved to one of the more intimidating boys. A sleeveless vest showed off a pair of well-muscled arms, and his hair was cut away so there was only a single stripe of brown running up the center of his head.
The other boy scowled.
"How many times do I have to tell you Princess, it's PUCK." His face went from grumpy to grinning in a matter of seconds. "How's it going? And who's this guy?"
"I'll start calling you Puck when you stop calling me 'Princess'." Kurt countered. "Noah, this is Blaine, Blaine, this is Noah." He smirked.
"Call me Puck. NO ONE calls me Noah... except Princess here and Mr. H." Puck stuck out his hand and shook Blaine's firmly. "I've got to get to Westerville." He lowered his voice. "I'm gonna need a horse."
"What happened?" Kurt looked at him.
"Nothing... it's just... there's someone I want to see... and they live in Westerville." Puck didn't meet his eyes.
"Noah, if this is about another girl..." Kurt's voice took on a warning tone.
"It's not like that!" Puck raised his voice, and then quickly quieted. "She's special, ok? And she hates it there... she might, maybe come with me." His voice tapered off.
To Blaine's surprise, Kurt's eyes softened. "I'll talk to Mira, and see if she'll help. No promises!" He warned.
Puck bumped his closed fist against Kurt's and smiled. "Hey, that's all I ask man!" He turned away, but paused, "Good to meet you Blaine. You hurt Princess and I'll break your legs, got that?" He waved and walked away.
.
"NOAH!" Kurt yelled at his retreating form. "Sorry, he's decided he's my big brother. But he won't lay a hand on you, honestly."
.
Before Blaine could reply, a blond blur shot past him and body-tackled Kurt. A boy with brown eyes hugged the slightly taller boy, smiling and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
"Jeff, for God's sake! We've talked about this!"
.
A voice called out from behind Blaine, and he froze. He knew that voice. It had been a long time, but he knew it. He turned slowly, and his breath caught in his chest.
"Nick?"
.
A/N: Wow... I did not think this would take so long to write. But try researching horse-birthing when you have 12 people in the hose for Christmas! Oy. Also, belated Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Years to all!
Thank you for sticking with me this long, especially with the amount of time it's taken me to find my inspiration again. (Season 6 has been no help. SPOILER ALERT: My inner Klaine OTP'r is currently curled up in the fetal position cursing the writers and crying. OK? Ok, nuff said.) To the people that have reviewed: YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! AngellaCrickett: I will do my best to avoid breaking my new laptop... I don't like being gone!
DustQOTF: Thanks for following! I'm so glad people like this!
dearheart123: I'll do my best to get back to regular posting! K8Malloy: I think you put me into a mini-coma with your review. I'm so flattered that you're reading this! I'm a huge fan of "He's the Cheer Captain, I'm in the Bleachers" and I just couldn't believe that an Author like you was reading my fic. THANK YOU! Klaineangel: So... teaser of Niff. I know, I'm evil, but I can't help it! (Well, maybe I can, but I don't want to!) I Love my Klaine moments... Ionaadsila: AH yes... we must get back to the evil duo soon... or is it trio? StarWest45: Yeah... I spilled coffee on my old one, I'm sure it didn't help... lucky333123: I hope it didn't disappoint!