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Keegan was riding to pass the time till the sun set. By all accounts of the Coyotes, he was patrolling the borders of their main camp area, but he needed to put some distance between him and them for the day.
He'd return when he was needed. But the dust of the steppes that were kicked up by Whisper, his mare, was enough to obscure his view of the Sly Basin, a known thieves town, and where the Coyotes operated out of, connections to the many thieves guilds in the cities across the Elaithian Kingdom. As they gallop across the dry steppes, they come across a broken down carriage. The Coyotes don't hunt during the day, and poor farmers aren't usually on the menu anyway. The farmers of this region, if they're traveling, are doing so with food, or just the clothes on their backs heading to Blisspoint. He walks up mostly unannounced, reins in hand and Whisper following behind, the crunch of his boots on the gravel. But these people don't know that he hasn't come looking for a fight, and the man brandishes a gun, something Keegan had never seen before joining the Coyotes.
"We ain't looking for no trouble. You be on your way and we won't tell the nearest Sheriff where to send his dogs sniffing for ya." The man's voice is harsh, but the slight tremble of his hand and the tightness of his voice betrays his feeling.
"I'm not looking for any trouble myself, but it seems you've run into some, no matter how much we weren't looking," Keegan tries to placate the man raising his hands in a gesture to show he isn't armed.
"We know exactly what you are, Smoke Rider," The use of his wanted name was not something he was expecting from some random farmer passing through. The man shouted something in a language Keegan didn't know, and behind him he saw a woman gather two kids onto their horse and take off.
The man still held him at gunpoint, as the other three ran off, obscured by some of the rock formations they passed behind as the fled.
"Now i really am just trying to see what happened to yer cart. I remember-" He tried to get the man to listen to what he was saying, before they were both cut off by a crumbling noise and a shrieking sound.
"Fires!" Keegan cursed as he used the distraction to mount Whisper and take off the way they had run, the man shouting in the distance. A few gunshots rang out, but Keegan didn't feel the bite of a bullet so he kept on.
He followed their trail to the edge of the the canyon, cursing as he realized some of it was freshly disturbed. He left Whisper by some of the taller rock formations, in the shaded area. The wind picked up and he cursed under his breath as he carefully crawled toward the edge, trying to keep his weight even as he got nearer the edge.
The Shimmering Bluffs, the canyons that border the steppes and lead down to the Thundering Rivers, got their name from the shale that catches the sunlight, but they're incredibly fragile and crumble when too much weight is put on them near their edges. Anyone who lives or travels through the Arid Steppes knows to stay away.
But these people were likely headed to Blisspoint, a city of second chances and fresh starts.
Keegan finally found himself peering over the edge, down at two small children who were on a small outcrop, hold each other as they shook. Keegan found himself looking further down, hoping to see at least their mother on a lower one, but, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find her.
"Now, I'm gonna send Cyndis down to you, you need to let him bring you to me!" He shouted down to them, voice nearly stolen by the wind.
His wildfire spirit sprang to life from his outstretched arm, the flames soothing him as the bird spiraled down to the children, it came to a hover just next to them, and the older of the two children hugged their sibling closer and tried to shuffle away from the bird.
"No! Please! I'm just trying to help you!" He shouted, his voice still having to claw through the winds that stung his eyes. These kids were barely younger than his twin brothers would be, and his heart hurt for the first time in a few years, longing for home.
Cyndis tried to hover closer but the older one again pulled their sibling close, and they huddled closer to the cliff face. The younger one buried their face in their older siblings chest, and the older one shook their head.
"I can't help you up from there if you aren't willing! Please! He won't hurt you!" He pleaded with the children as Cyndis hovered closer again, but this time, the older one tried to kick away from him, and the outcrop crumbled as their foot slipped. Cyndis dove after them, but no matter how scared they were, they still wouldn't go with the wildfire spirit.
Keegan didn't move until he could no longer see them, and Cyndis lighted onto his shoulder, a warm weight there.
For the first time in 3 years, Keegan cried. He sat silently as the tears streamed down his face until the sound of boots crunching on the dusty stone behind him shook him from his stupor.
The cold metal of the man's gun pressed against his neck.
"What did you do," The man's voice hissed, emotions constricting the words as he spoke.
"I failed." Keegan could only stare blankly ahead. "They were too afraid of me and Cyndis... I couldn't save them."
Though the cold bite of the gun leaves his neck, he doesn't feel relief, he hears the man stumble back and sob behind him. Keegan gets up and walks carefully from the edge, headed to Whisper.
He grabs the man by his shoulder, and hauls him towards the horse.
"What-" The man starts
"Get on."
Whether its the hollowness in his voice or the shock of the situation, Keegan doesn't know or care, but the man keeps his gun stowed and complies.
They walk back to the damaged cart, Keegan leading Whisper by the reins. When they arrive, the man goes to get down, but Keegan stops him with a hand.
"Stay."
Keegan goes to the cart, and gathers the man's belongings, and fashions him a saddlebag of his own. When he's finished, he unfastens his saddlebag from the saddle and replaces it with the mans.
"Her name is Whisper. She's a real spitfire, and she'll run the show if you let her." He hands the man her reins. "When you get to Blisspoint, you'll be able to use her to cut cows, she was born for ranching."
The man just stares down at him with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing.
"If you start now, you'll be out of coyote county by sundown." Keegan is still struggling to hold back tears. "Whisper loves sugar cubes. She can smell them before you even get to her stall."
Keegan makes his way to the Mares head, and with a hand motion and some whispered words, her voice comes into focus.
"What are you doing Smoky?" Her voice is soft.
"What I should have done before I met you." He says as he rubs her forehead and plays with her forelock.
"You're leaving." She says with a note of bitterness.
"I'm leaving, yes. But this man has just lost everything, he needs a strong girl like you to keep him in line." He mutters quietly. The man doesn't say anything, Keegans words meaning nothing to him in the strange language of animals. "You were there to help me pick up the pieces of my life, now he needs you more than I ever did."
Whisper gives him a great sigh, and bobs her head. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." His eyes are still watering when he steps away from her face.
"What are you doing there," The man seems to have found his voice.
Keegan turns to look at him, eyes rimmed red with the strain of tears.
"I was saying goodbye. You're going to want to get moving quick." Keegan turns and begins walking the other direction
"Where are you going?" The man calls out to him.
Keegan calls back, though not to the man. "Take him to Blisspoint! You know the way."
He hears Whispers whinny of agreement and the man's shout as the horse begins trotting away, heedless of the man's confusion. And then he says aloud to himself, "I'm headed home."