Life's Back Roads

National Petrified Forest

"You know, when you said petrified forest I was imagining looming, grey trees with no leaves."

"You know, rookie, this is still the Arizona desert."

Lightning pouted, Doc smirked, and they made their way down a sandy hill.

"How much longer?"

"It's been ten minutes."

"You said road trip, not hike."

"It's one mile, whose the old one here?"

Lightning smirked, and they continued on. Really, it was all still a very pretty sight. The red desert sand was littered with stumps and logs of petrified wood, leaving them full of pigmentation ranging from red all through the warm colours to green. The sun was nearing to set, and it gave the air a hazy yet stifling feel. Lightning appreciated it, and Doc knew it, so northern took offence.

It would have been perfect if not for the camping gear Lightning was carrying on his back. Granted, Doc was doing the same, but it didn't make it any better for Lightning. A tent, inflatable mattress, a few books and some pots were actually rather heavy, and Lightning felt like he was a teenager in school again lugging around textbooks and homework.

"How in the hell do you carry all this stuff, old man?"

"Believe it or not Rookie not all of me is old."

Lightning gave a soft smile, because yeah, Doc was right, but apparently parts of you can still be young and that won't be enough to save you. He shook his head, and glanced over at Doc again, he had to think positive. Like, how beautiful it was around him, and that doc was willing to do this for him...

And Doc was breathing to hard and really should be taking a break right now.

Lightning sighed, stopped heading forward and faced Doc. He didn't even have to speak.

"I'm fine kid."

Except he wasn't, because that alone got him coughing, if only briefly. Still, it confirmed Lightning's thoughts, that they needed a break.

"And my back isn't crying out in pain. We're as stubborn as the other, and right now, I think I've got the advantage. Sit down, break time."

Doc glowered, before complying and finding a stump on the trail to sit on. Lightning sat on the ground, and took it upon himself to lean against Doc, head resting on his side. It wasn't that he was weak muscle wise, his lungs just couldn't take the bulk of the work required.

Doc hated it.

He would never admit, but he didn't have to, for it was moments like these, where he refused to rest in favour of his own health that gave away that despicableness.

As Doc brooded, Lightning desperately searched for some distraction, from the ache of his back, the heavy breathing, the weight of the unknown thoughts of Doc's. When he found distraction, he swept it right up and held it close to observe.

It was a beautiful little bug, slightly elongated compared to the Lady bug, and black based with a painted collage of orange spots and white highlights. Lightning recognised it immediately from a bug collection Lizzie had back in Radiator springs, wife of the late town mayor and founder.

"Look Doc, a fire bug!"

Doc leaned away from lightning as if he had been petting a skunk, brows quirked and disturbed. Lightning grunted as he subsequently slid down Doc's side from where he was leaning, chipping the skin of his jaw on the wooden stump. He sat up, shook his head and grinned, reaching down to pet the bug as it crawled up his arm.