Wonderful Jie ( Unfinished)

         Ira dug his heels into his horse's side, driving it to furious speed as it raced across the broad stretches of green pastureland. He had just had another terrible argument with Father! Father just didn't understand. Ira didn't want to go to the Social with Clarissa Edgemann.
She was pretty enough, sure, and every other eligible bachelor in the valley was sniffing around after her. And he had been her escort at the Edgemann's annual spring gala a few weeks ago. His father and hers had some big plans for the two of them, he knew that- he just didn't agree. Clarissa didn't do anything for him. He wanted something else, he just wasn't sure what exactly.
         A sudden, ear splitting crack sounded almost underneath them as they raced up a long,low treeless rise. It stopped the horse in its tracks and with a terrified scream it reared and bucked. Ira struggled to stay in the saddle but the animal was too strong. He flew out of the saddle and hit the ground with a jarring, painful crunch. He struggled to a sitting position just in time to watch Shooter, his fathers prize stallion race back across the pasture, vanishing into the wavering green horizon. Ira watched in miserable silence for a minute. He'd taken off on the animal out of anger at his father, not caring at the time how furious father would be. Now it was all he could think of. Would father even bother to come looking when the stallion returned without him?
         Hurting, Ira climbed to his feet and turned to face the top of the rise, a wave of anger sweeping over him. Limping slightly he cradled his aching left arm with his right and started toward where he thought the shot had come from. He expected who ever was cowardly and idiotic enough to fire a gun that close was likely to have taken off running by now. If not, though, he was going to make sure they knew just how intolerable what they had done was.
         When he reached the top of the rise he found a tall, wiry boy just rising from the ground. In one hand he held a rifle and from the other, dangling by one hind leg each, were two limp rabbits. Sensing Ira's presence the boy spun slowly on one heel to face him. Ira felt his breath catch in his throat and every word he meant to say flew from his mind.
         The boy had an exotic, wild face and thick dark hair that hung to his shoulders. At first Ira thought 'chinaman' but he was far bigger than any chinaman Ira had ever come across. He didn't look alot like any red indian, either, and there were no reservations around here anyhow.
         "You almost killed me," Ira said, trying to get some control of himself. He knew his voice sounded winded and weak, though. The other boy just gave a loose limbed shrug.
"Sorry," he said in clear English with a soft accent, "I was concentrating on the rabbit. I didn't know anyone else was around until the damned rabbit bolted. I barely got it." His tone had turned slightly accusatory and Ira frowned as he glanced at the rabbits in the boy's hand.
         "This is my father's land, you know. It's illegal to hunt here unless you have a permit from father." The dark haired boy shrugged in that loose way again. Ira felt his stomach tighten and his confusion grew as he watched the stranger.
         "Is it," the boy said in response, not sounding worried, "Are you going to tell him and maybe get me jailed, just for two rabbits?" There was no menace in the boys voice but Ira couldn't help but glance at the rifle in the boys hand. After a moment Ira shrugged himself and shook his head. There was no way on this earth he was going to turn anyone in to his father, not even if he turned out to be a cattle rustler or even a horse thief.
         "I don't care about the damned rabbits," Ira said, daring to use the same word the other boy had used, language his father had worked at beating out of him, "But the horse threw me and took off." Ira scowled at the memory, his arm beggining to really throb. The dark boy stepped forward and, startled, Ira stiffened and almost took a step back, until he saw the concern in the boys dark eyes. He saw something else, too. Something that startled him both by its presence and the echoing response that lurched into his belly, and by what he didn't feel. The sensation was pleasant instead of shocking or repulsive.
         "You're hurt," the boy said. He looked over Ira's shoulder for a long moment then he looked him full in the eyes again.
         "It'll be dark before too long and your place is too far to walk the way you are now. Besides, it's going to storm this evening. You should come with me to my place. It's not far from here."
         Ira nodded. He didn't even wonder how the boy knew it was going to come up a storm. His arm was really hurting now and he had no idea how far he'd ridden from home. His leg had begun to hurt, too. The boy had told the truth, too. Only ten or fifteen minutes walking and they came to a small cabin by a creek. It was little more than a squatters hut but it was shelter from animals and better than being out in whatever storm the other boy thought was going to come.
         "It isn't much, but it was enough for Hudson and me," the boy said, "Come on." He lead Ira toward the cabin.
         "The out house is back there," he paused briefly before they entered the cabin and waved toward the back of the cabin. Leaning the rifle against the cabin beside the cabin door he unlooped a leangth of leather that held the door closed and pushed it open.
         "Make yourself comfortable," he said eith a faint smile,"I have to take care of these then I'll be in."
         Ira nodded his thanks and edged past the other boy into the dark cabin. He was more than ready to sit down - anywhere. Inside the cabin seemed even tinyer. The floor was bare earth, the walls hand hewn logs with questionable chinking. A wooden legged bed took up almost one entire wall opposite the fire place, a trunk taking up the rest of the space. A small table with two stools was against the wall across from the door and another bench sat beside the door under a couple of pegs. Two wooden shelves beside the fireplace held a few items. That was the extent of the cabins furnishings and they made the place seem crowded.
         Ira limped into the cabin and dropped onto the bench, leaning his head back against the rough wall. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, breating in the scent of earth and wood smoke, leather and must and unwashed human. Under it all was another smell, one Ira tried to identify. Then it came to him. It was the smell of the boy. The smell that had tickled his nose when the boy had stepped so close to him out there in the pasture. Altogether it wasn't completely unpleasant but to Ira it was foreign and difficult to get used to. He focused on that underlying musky scent that made his stomach tighten in such and odd way, and made his breath quicken and his gain speed.
         Ira supposed it took awhile to clean game like rabbits - he'd never done it himself, of course - but is seemed like the boy came back more quickly than Ira had expected. Maybe he'd fallen asleep? The cool air that ruffled through the door roused him to awareness. The boy carried a bundle to the small table before returning to the open door with two buckets he'd taken from the wall.
         "I'm going to go get some water. The creek is only about fourty feet down from the cabin so I'll be back in a few minutes."
         True to his word he returned shortly with two full buckets of water which he sat next to the table then came back to close the door.
         "You should have used the bed," the boy said as he shoved the door closed and looped a piece of leather around another hook near the top of the door then picked up a thick wooden bar and dropped it into brackets on the back of the door.
         "Keeps the bears out," the boy said with a faint smile. "I'll get you a drink of water then I'll take alook at your arm. Hud was better at that healing stuff but I picked up a little."
         Ira watched while the boy took a dutch oven that sat next to the fireplace, filled it with water and emptied whatever was in the bundle on the table into the water before bringing the rest of the water in the bucket over to where Ira sat.
         "Who is Hudson?" Ira asked, inanely he supposed, but he wondered how another person would fit in this tiny place. There hardly seemed enough room for one person. It was a silly thing but the first thing that came to mind.
         "Hudson?" the boy said, his voice soft as he went back to the shelf and lifted a tin dipper down. He brought the dipper back and dipped it into the water without speaking and Ira figured the boy was going to tell him to mind his own damed business when he did finally speak. Instead the boy lifted the dipper to Ira's mouth and while Ira took a long, welcome drink of the cool water the boy met his eyes and smiled a sad smile.
         "I was traveling with Hudson. He was my...friend. He died last fall." That was all he said. Ira flushed.
         "Sorry," he muttered, "I din't mean..."
         The boy waved him to silence. "Hudson would be annoyed if he knew I still grieved for him. He was a matter of fact fellow. So, don't worry about it. I am Jie, since you have not yet asked. Jie-Taishan Laurent." He reached for Ira's arm and taking care moved it out so he could better look at it.