Charles Smith x Reader

Seven

Although the day had been warm and gentle, night came quicker than expected. Dark clouds gathered. Suddenly the sky was pitch black, all light was swallowed up by the night.

Yawning deeply, you lifted your chin to look out of the window. A fire crackled in the fireplace, warming your feet. Clearance, your old dog, was curled up on his blanket next to your armchair.

The crackling of the flames accompanied your thoughts while your attention was captivated by a book.

Snoring softly, Clarence turned onto his back and opened his mouth to yawn. With a shake of your head, you patted him on the stomach.

"Good boy.", you mumbled, lifting your cup of steaming tea to your lips.

The flavour of herbs and mint coated your tongue. Aponi had shown you where to find places in the forest where bushes and plants grew that could be made into tea.

On nights like this, a cup of tea was simply better for your bones and your health. That was one of the few things that the natives and the settlers alike were convinced of.

A flash of light illuminated the dark corners of your hut. Thunder shattered the silence.

Clarence raised his head in surprise. His muzzle twitched. Something awoke in his old eyes.

"Lie down again.", casually you put a hand on his head to scratch behind his ear.

He yawned tiredly, got up and walked round your armchair. But he stopped. He stared at the door.

"What's the matter, old boy?", you patted him on the bum. "Does it smell like rain? I can smell it too. Iron and damp."

You had to smile because it was a success you had to thank Aponi for teaching you.

But even after you patted him on the back again to make him lie down, Clarence remained upright. His ears moved. Then he took a few steps towards the door.

A bark caught in his throat. He knew you didn't like it when he barked. Only if there was a good reason for it. Apparently he wasn't sure himself how important it was to raise the alarm now.

So it couldn't be a direct threat. Maybe it was just the storm. Or he could smell the bison snuggling up with the cows in the barn.

With a sigh, you closed the book and got up from the armchair to reach for a jacket. As you put it on, Clarence rushed to your side. You gently pushed him aside with your foot.

"I'll be right back.", you scratched his ears. "I'll just check on the bison."

He whimpered. His tail wagged back and forth as he curled up next to the door. He would wait until you were back.

"Good boy.", smiling, you slipped out of the door and quickly closed it again so that the warmth of the fire would not be lost.

The first drops of rain were already falling outside. It wasn't long before the earth was dark with wetness. The smell of iron was in the air. With your head down to escape the wind, you wrapped your arms around your body and ran down the path from your house to the paddock.

From a distance, you could already see the outline of the bison moving in the disc. Apparently, wild animals didn't like cold weather any more than those that humans had turned into livestock.

A small flame flickered in an oil lamp that you always kept topped up for the animals. The cows slept better when they could see something.

Mooing, they raised their heads as they realised you were getting closer. Their ears moved. But something was different.

Normally the cows always came towards you when they recognised you. They usually expected a small snack like fresh wild berries or grasses that you took from the forest with Aponi's permission.

This time, however, they didn't move. And it wasn't the bison that interested them. There was something else.

Light flashed again, closely followed by thunder. The rain increased. By the time you finally made it to the barn, you were soaked.

Cursing, you wiped the rain from your face with your hands. Curious, the bison came closer as you shone the light of the oil lamp on it to get a better look.

Something lay at his hooves in the piled-up straw.

It flashed again. This time you were not startled by the thunder.

Instead, you noticed a thin trail of blood in the sudden light. You frowned in confusion.

No wolves or coyotes had appeared this year. All the smaller animals were still there, huddled close together. So it couldn't have been an attack.

Lightning flashed again. But this time someone groaned before the thunder could swallow the sound.

Now you were even more confused.

"Hello?", you carefully bent over the pile of hay in which something was moving.

Blood wetted your fingertips as you brushed the hay aside.

A blue shirt appeared. Then an arm, covered in blood.

Someone groaned again. It had to be a man, the voice was heavy and exhausted. A face turned to the side. Dark eyes looked at you, slim and heavy with pain.

A trembling breath escaped full lips. At first you thought it was a native lost on the hunt. But there was something else on the man's face.

You were not quite sure if he was a man of colour or if he belonged to the tribe of this land. After all, you were not allowed to enter the sacred land, so you didn't know all the members by face.

His lips moved and it seemed as if he wanted to ask for something. Your eyes travelled down his body. His whole chest was soaked in blood. Pressing a hand to his ribs, he forced himself to turn onto his back. Pain distorted his face.

"I...", taken by surprised, you looked at him. "I don't know what to do... Let me see. The bleeding is..."

Gently you tried to lift his fingers but he cursed with bated breath. You couldn't imagine his pain.