"By the Campfire" - RDR2 Oneshots

The Warmth that Guides Us

Warnings: Spoilers up to Epilogue, Major Character Death, Angst

Characters: Arthur Morgan, Charles Smith (at the end)

Pairings: None

Concepts: Reincarnation, Time Travel

~~

As Arthur takes his last breath upon that mountain side, he tries not to think. Even though his oxygen starved brain is beginning to roam back, trying to make sense of what is happening to his body, Arthur tries not to let himself think. Instead he lets himself feel.

He feels the cold wind against his face one last time.

And he feels his last tears slide down his face and drop onto his blood soaked shirt.

He feels the glass in his lungs scraping against his chest, and he relishes it.

As he exhales his last breath of mountain air - of life - he understands a presence, comforting and warm. When his last breath finally escapes, the warmth swallows him hole and he is home.

~~~

When he opens his eyes he's met with bright green grass tickling the end of his nose. He sniffs it and grabs a bunch with his teeth and eats it. As he does this, he raises his head to look around the clearing he's in. He knows this place. He knows the wild green grass and the rocks and the large log and the pond.

The pond is crystal clear, and he's drawn to the crispness of it. He takes a delicate step forward, then another, and another - until he's standing at the edge of the pond. He looks down, ready to drink, and his reflection catches his eye.

He stares at his beetle black eyes, and his large antlers, and his big black nose. As someone he knows comes to drink beside him, the water swirls and his image is distorted into something else. It's only a glimpse, but he catches sight of a long dark mane and a bush-like something on a fat fleshy face. Then it's gone.

And so his day goes on.

And so does his life.

It's not a long one. The last thing he remembers before a strange familiar warmth sets in is being chased by a two legged creature with a loud stick. Then extreme firey pain.

Luckily he's comforted by a presence, and he lets his eyes close.

~~~

He opens his eyes again to see a dark, but starlit sky. It's just enough to tell that he's alone. It lets his mind wander, and he realizes something isn't quite the same. He isn't a he. He's a she. She has no antlers. But it's not just that.

A surge of pain flashes through her and she understands. She's with child, but not for much longer. Another surge of pain and she screams. She pushes. And pushes.

Until she hears a soft whine.

She lays there for a moment, dazed, before shakily getting up to look at her newborn baby. He's a small little thing, with knobby joints and ears that look a bit too large. He looks at her, and she feels something spread through her, something she doesn't know how to describe.

Her son looks up at her with wide eyes, and she cleans him up.

And raises him.

And teaches him all he'll ever need to know.

Until one day she collapses. Her legs are too weak to carry her anymore. Her breaths are labored and she calls out to her son, who now has a family of his own.

He comes, and he understands. He lays beside her as she slowly closes her eyes and takes her last breath. Again there is a presence she knows, and she lets the warmth consume her.

~~~

She opens her eyes once again to the pure white of snow. The air is cold and she can hear a stream not too far away. She takes a bite of the grass she just dug out of the snow, then looks up.

She knows this place.

She knows this white. These trees. This stream. She knows it, but she knows she isn't supposed to. She's never been here before. This is her first winter. But she has been here. She has. But how?

Before she can comprehend anymore there is a rustling of leaves and a crunching of snow and she looks around. There's a man there. With a fat face and a wild mane of hair and a dark beard. His eyes are bright blue, staring at her. She stares back. There is a whizzing sound of something flying towards her.

And suddenly she knows who he is.

~~~

Arthur opens his eyes wide as breath rushes into his chest. He looks around. Snow, trees, water. And a deer with an arrow in its neck. He feels a pang of something he can't explain as he lowers the bow.

"Good job, Arthur," a voice he thinks he recognizes says. He doesn't say anything, but nods. Then he walks over to the deer on the ground. Her eyes are beetle black and they're staring right up at him. He suddenly feels the weight of unexplained guilt settle in his chest and he kneels down in front of her to take the arrow out. Before he does, he presses his gloved hand to her head just behind her eye and rubs her fur.

"Thank you," he whispers. Then he takes the arrow out and hauls the deer over his shoulder to take back to Colter.

~~

This is an idea that I've had in my head for a while now. At night I've been dreaming about Arthur being reincarnated as three deer and living their lives, before going back to his own, right before one of the most important turning points of his life.

I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! I might make it into a fullblown story at somepoint this year (if my schedule allows. I'm starting my first creative writing class this semester and I have no idea what it will entail). If you liked this, please leave a vote and comment!