Sun Shines Brightly

Brian

I lay in the dust under the beating sun and ponder how in the hell my life has come to this. My side throbs where the bullet has gone in and the mere act of thinking about moving causes waves of pain to pound through me.

I don't think it hit anything important in there, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm lying in the desert slowly bleeding to death. I did manage to get my extra shirt out of my saddle bag and make a compress, but I can feel more blood soaking through by the minute.

My horse dances around me as if she really wants to help, but since sliding off of her an hour ago, I can't seem to will my body to get back on. Fuck, I can't even pull myself into a sitting position at this point. She has stuck close, though, which says a lot about her loyalty and friendship.

That's more than I can say about those assholes Gold and Thomas though. Really, they're the reason I'm in this mess. I knew better than to take up with the pair, and let them plan the job. I usually work alone, but they talked me into it one night when I'd had too much whiskey and we'd all ended up naked in my room at Madame Debbie's.

Unfortunately, willing men and whiskey are my two great weaknesses. Whiskey I can get in abundance and generally tolerate very well, but willing men are a bit harder to come by in these parts. I'm ashamed to say that finding two willing men at once made me abandon my common sense and the self preservation I have worked so hard for. What can I say? It had been way too fucking long since I'd had a decent fuck.

I figured what the hell? Three guns are better than one, and they seemed to know a lot about the stage line, and what, and who, the coach would be carrying. Fucking idiots. Sure the money from the bank was there, and the hapless banker, plus his vapid wife and daughter were the only passengers. What they didn't know, and obviously didn't bother to find out, was the line had hired a new fucking sharpshooter to ride shotgun this time.

Fucker got me before I even saw he was there. I was able to run with Kip and Ethan, but my injury soon got the better of me and when those two assholes saw I couldn't keep up they ditched me. Fucking ditched me, bleeding to death in the desert. If I ever see them again they are dead men. Painfully, tortuously dead men.

Doesn't look like that will probably be an issue though, seeing as how I'm going to die here. I uncork the whiskey bottle at my side and manage to raise my head for another drink. Yes, I did manage to hang onto that as I slid from Ginger's back into the hot, gritty dust. The liquid burns in my throat and my senses dull further as I feel my eyelids droop heavily. I don't believe in regrets, but I can't help but think of my son, Gus, who is still just a babe. I wish I could have seen him grow up.

Ginger whinnies and stamps her feet a bit as if she is alarmed. I hear what sounds like another horse and I will my eyes to open. The sun is impairing my vision, but I can see the outline of a figure on a horse. They dismount and move to Ginger, speaking to her gently in a language I don't understand. I cannot tell if it is a man or a woman, but I can see they are wearing Indian garb and I am immediately tense, not knowing if they are friendly or if my scalp will soon be part of their collection.

When my horse is calm, the figure kneels close to me and I am shocked to see a pair of bright blue eyes peering down at me. A very odd eye color for a savage. Upon further examination I can see he is definitely a man, a most beautiful man. And even more shocking is the blond hair that he wears neatly bound into two long braids.

I am intrigued by the thought of a blond haired, blue eyed Indian and entertain the thought that perhaps I am hallucinating, or maybe dead already.

The man is asking me something, but before I can figure out who he is or what he is saying I feel myself sliding into blackness and then I am aware of nothing.

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Sun Shines Brightly/ Justin

The warm breeze skims my face and bare chest as my horse and I ride closer to home. The sun has set seven times since I have seen my family. I have missed my wife, Night Song, dearly. She has been my best friend since I was taken into the tribe after my family's tragic death and we have been seldom parted.

I also miss our little girl, Morning Willow, with her short, wavy blonde hair, dark blue eyes and her mother's beautiful dark skin. I have never been away from her this long. I smile and wonder if she has started walking yet.

Instantly I am drawn out of my thoughts when I sense a change in the winds around me, and I am suddenly reminded why I have been gone. Eagle Whisper, the shaman of our tribe, took me under his wing when I was a mere child. He gave me the name Sun Shines Brightly. When I was older I asked why he gave me the name. He told me that my spirit was bright and full of light, like the sun. He also said my body held a natural heat that only healers are blessed with. He told me that one day I would take his place as Shaman of the Tribe.

When he told me this, I knew that he meant. I would someday lose my friend and father figure. When he passed I took it so hard. I began withdrawing from the tribe and my obligations. Eagle Whisper came to me one night, his spirit reflecting from the campfire. He began to walk and I followed him to the river.

He looked at me with sorrow in his eyes "Sun Shines Brightly, you are lost, my son. I am always with you in spirit, but I need you to be here for our tribe. Every single person here is a part of you, maybe not by blood but by spirit. We have been connected through many lives and many lives to come. There are change's ahead in your life, big changes that you need to be prepared for."

I knew I should listen to him and when he told me I needed to leave to find my path I knew he was right. I could feel my spirit drifting from me. The life that once shined so brightly was fading and I was finding it hard to even breathe.

During my time away, I saw a vision that scared me. I know it was of events to come and things that seemed to be unnatural. Eagle Whisper assured me that all of these visions were true, but what scared me the most is when he told me my soul mate, and equal, was not my wife. That there was another.

Night Song has always been a part of me. Yet if I reach deep enough I can feel something is not right with us. I love her, but when we make love it has never seemed right. I felt like I was lost, or that maybe I was doing something wrong. When Eagle Whisper showed me a vision of a tall man with chestnut hair and hazel eyes I felt a lump form in my throat, and my manhood hardened just by the intensity of his orbs.

The night I saw the vision my campfire instantly blew out and the earth around me grew cold. I could feel a heavy layer of unwanted sadness around me and I instantly knew it was the life force of the man from my vision. I could hear a heart beating loudly and this overwhelming desire to feel free, and loved. I could sense his spirit call out to me. I drew my life force into his and all I felt was emptiness and it broke my heart. I could see him with two other men in an intimate way but he did not seem happy. There was a sadness in his soul.

I am drawn from my thoughts again as I feel my horse, Chasing Feather, come to a halt. He huffs out a breath, then shakes his head and turns around away from the Tribe's encampment. I try to steer him back in the right direction but he has a mind of his own and that is when I feel the presence of the man from my visions. My heart aches, I feel a sharp pain throbbing through my side and I know he is hurt. I become frightened when I feel his spirit fading, and I know he does not have much time. I do not have to verbally encourage Chasing Feather to run faster, because he already knows. We have a telepathic connection.

We come to a stop, I climb off his back, and instantly see that the other man's horse is in distress. I can feel she is worried about her human, and afraid I will hurt him further. I carefully walk to her and gently pat her nose, speaking to her in my native tongue, letting her know that I am not here to harm, but to help.

When I move close to the man my breath hitches. He is more beautiful than he was in my visions. I kneel down beside him and his sadness and pain flow through me. I speak to him and I am surprised to hear the language of my mother and father coming from my lips. I have not spoken it since I was a small child. "Sir, I need you to stay awake. You are bleeding." My words come too late, though, and he soon drifts into blackness. But for a split moment, when I looked into his eyes, I could feel our spirits merge.

I am glad to see he has something pressed tightly against his wound. I try to lift him, but he is so weak and quite a bit taller than I am.

I am surprised when I hear another horse drawing closer, and I look up into the dark brown eyes of my wife, Night Song. She kneels down beside me and touches the man's face, and then speaks to me in our native tongue. "I heard the whispers upon the wind and knew you needed me. We have to get him to our camp. He does not have much time." I can see tears misting in her eyes and she smiles sadly at me when she lays her hand upon mine. I look down and am surprised to see that I was unconsciously holding the other man's hand.

She does not question me, but I can feel her heart breaking, and she swallows hard, then kisses me upon the lips, whispering. "Let's go."

Together, we are swiftly able to get him onto my horse. I climb up behind him, holding his weak body steady. Night Song gathers the other horse and we ride back to our camp.

On the ride home the dark haired man starts coming to, but seems to be drifting in and out of reality. When we reach camp, Night Song helps me take the tall man to our tepee. I sigh a breath of relief when I see my cousin, Serpent Moon, preparing the herbs and oils for our stranger's wounds.