X-Men Fan Fiction ❯ The Camping Trip ❯ Ch 10 ( Chapter 10 )

See disclaimers in ch 1

Words between ~ ~ are thoughts or mental speak

Ch 10

Distant thunder.

The sound of it woke Gambit from his deep slumber.  If there was one thing that had come out of this trip from hell, it was the fact that Remy had not once had a nightmare.  In fact, he hadn't dreamt at all, his body being too bruised and exhausted to allow his subconscious to wander.  He struggled to lift himself, noting that his body was having more difficulty responding.  The fatigue was catching up. 

Logan's eyes fluttered open as he felt Remy move beside him.  Without thinking, he turned his head towards the boy and spoke.  "Hey."  It took him a moment to realize the significance of that.

With wide eyes, Remy looked back.  "Cher, you moved your head.  And you spoke!"  He sat up quickly, wincing at the pain that caused, and leaned down over the older man's face.  Smiling, he leaned down further and touched his forehead to Logan's.  "You know what dis means?  De drug be wearing off.  Won't be long you be able to move your whole body!"

"I didn't think I'd ever get my voice back."  He closed his eyes in concentration for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh.  "Damn, still can't move my legs and arms.  How many days we been here anyway?"

"Gon' on t'ree days now I t'ink.  Kinda lost track of time, cher."  Remy replied with a shrug.  He glanced down to Logan's bound leg and back up with a look of concern.  "How's de leg?"

Logan followed Remy's gaze to look down on his thigh as best he could for someone who couldn't lift his shoulders.  Laying his head back down and staring up at the ceiling, he sighed again.  "It's letting me know it's there, but it's bearable.  Why did ya draw the pain into yourself, Rems?"

"You know I can't stand for someone to be in pain, cher.  'specially not someone I care 'bout."  Remy dismissed Logan's glare with a wave of his hand as he stood and swayed for a moment before regaining his balance.  "Mais, I need to get us some more water and maybe try to hunt us down somet'ing to eat."

Logan burst out laughing, reveling in the ability to do so.  "YOU are gonna try to HUNT us something to EAT?" 

Remy looked nonplussed as he answered.  "Gonna try, cher.  You don' t'ink I can?  Don' have faith in me, Logan?"

Logan stopped laughing at that, all the humor gone out of the situation.  "Got all the faith in the world in ya Remy.  It's just…" he paused, swallowing hard.  "It's just that I don't really want ya to leave."  There, he said it.  It was hard for him, but it needed doing.

The boy kneeled down and cupped Logan's face. "I love you too, cher" he said seriously, the tenderness in his voice sending chills in the older man's flesh.  Smiling as he rose, Remy told Logan he would return as quickly as possible given the impending storm and made his way to the entrance of the cave.  Glancing back, he locked eyes with his feral lover and blew a kiss before heading out.

The sky was a dark overcast and the wind blew cold, an ominous and foreboding sign of the looming front.   Remy paused a moment to look up at the gray clouds moving swiftly overhead.  The storm was approaching fast and was threatening to be quite strong.  He needed to find them something to eat soon so he wouldn't be caught in it.  Gathering quite a few stones, Remy made his way to the trees and started searching.  His area would be relatively small since the territory was unfamiliar.  To move further away from the path he regularly took to the river could prove fatal to him and his incapacitated lover. 

He had been moving slowly and quietly through the bushes when he stopped short, spotting a rabbit about ten yards to his left.  With a silence not usually associated to humans, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a stone, never taking his eyes off the quarry.  He charged and threw the stone, hitting directly in front of the animal as it exploded.  The concussive force was enough to throw the hare backwards, instantly killing it. 

Gambit had mixed emotions.  Part of him wanted to pump his fist in the air and beat his chest at the success of his hunt.  The other part of him felt bad for the little creature.  He kneeled down to the little body and stroked the fur, closing his eyes.  "T'ank you for giving your life so dat me and Logan might live anot'er day."  He grabbed up the body, using his knife to clean it.  Remy setout again to try and find one more just in case the storm lasted longer than a few hours. 

After another couple of hours, the wind was blowing harder and the thunder coming in a steadier rhythm.  Remy had found another rabbit, successfully killing and gutting it.  Taking the shoelaces he had pulled from Logan's boots, he tied the carcasses to his belt and stood.  He was making his way to the river to clean his knife and hands when he froze in mid-step, staring in horror at the thing in front of him.  A twinge of fear engulfed him as his eyes darted around looking for an escape.  He didn't move as the little black fur ball with a large white stripe on its back edged closer to his person. 

"Pardon.  Please don' mind me, I'll just be headin' back de way I came" he said as his leg moved gingerly behind him in preparation to turn and run.  Just as he was about to make a mad dash, a noise in the bushes behind him caused his blood to run cold.  Another skunk was looking at him with its quivering tail raised high.  Both polecats were turning their bodies around, setting up to shoot their foul-smelling chemical arsenal at the perceived threat.

"Fuck dis!" Remy cried as he leapt forward towards the nearest tree, scrambling up to the lower limbs faster than any primate.  Panting heavily while hanging on for dear life, he stared down at the little critters that struck terror in his heart and gave a snort.  "Just great.  I face down Sabretoot', Magneto, de FOH, and even M. Essex.  And what makes me run away like a coward?  M'sier Pepe LePew and his bride."  He didn't even want to start thinking Looney Tunes with two dead rabbits hanging off his belt.  It was just too depressing.

He sat on the limb for awhile as the two evil creatures below danced around each other.  It was worse than watching a nature special.  "Ah, amour" Remy mused with a wry grin while he waited for the animal porn show to conclude below him. 

~Where's Jack Hanna when you need him~ Remy thought to himself.  Eventually, Bonnie and Clyde, as Remy had nicknamed them, separated and went on their merry way and he started considering the best way down from his perch.  He crouched on the limb and reached overhead to grasp the branch above in order to steady himself, only to discover it wasn't a branch.

"AAAGGHHHH!" he screamed as he flung the tree snake away from him.  The momentary panic attack caused him to lose his precious balance and he fell backwards off the limb, landing sideways on the ground with a thud.  The fact that he didn't land gracefully on his feet, as he normally would, was testament to his exhausted state. 

Instant pain so severe it made his eyes water.  He gasped for air and rolled over to his right side grabbing at his left arm.  He knew, just knew, that his arm had popped out of socket.  He groaned at the intensity of the ache as he struggled to his knees and, finally, his feet.  He slowly staggered towards the path leading to the river.  The muscles in the damaged shoulder began to spasm, sending sharp shooting waves of hurt through his entire body.  And, his fingers were beginning to numb.  He needed to get the ball of his upper arm back into the joint socket before more damage to his ligaments occurred. 

He braced his right arm against a tree and took a steadying breath.  Remy slammed his left shoulder into the trunk, crying out at the pain.  Not hard enough.  He backed up and rammed himself into the tree again, feeling the joint slip back into place.  Almost instantly the severe pain abated. 

"I hate de woods."  Remy choked out as he buried his face into the forearm of his right side as it propped against the trunk, struggling not to collapse to his knees.  He wasn't sure if he would be able to get back up should he fall.

The wind had picked up and there were sprinkles beginning to fall.  Remy pushed himself off the tree and made his way wearily to the river.  With great effort, he filled the canteen and attempted to clean his knife and gloves.  As he stood to make his way back to the cave, the heavens opened up.

The onslaught of rain was sudden and sharp, the wind whipping around him to keep him nearly sightless on his trek back to the cave.  It took Remy twice as long to make the trip than normal as the rain pounded into him and darkness descended.  The thunder overhead cracked violently, followed immediately by brilliant flashes of light.   The lightening was a blessing and a curse.  The momentary flashes would blind him, but also provide a quick illumination of his path.  The canopy of water pouring down, coupled with the aches in his body, stole his breath. 

He reached the slope to the cave and began clawing at the loosened mud.  Slipping and sliding, gaining a foot, losing a foot.  He finally managed to make it to the entrance, stumbling inside and falling on all fours, wheezing and gasping for air.

"REMY!" came Logan's startled cry as his head turned towards his lover in horror at the sight.  He felt so helpless to aid the kid as he watched Gambit struggle to crawl over to him.  Almost immediately he noticed the boy favoring his left arm. 

Remy barely made it over to the fire before finally collapsing in a crumpled heap.  "J-J-Just give me ……a m-m-m-moment…….Need t-t-to………….c-c-catch my breath." he stuttered quietly before succumbing to unconsciousness.