Chapter Text
Ty thought he knew what death looked like.
He had seen it enough to know that there was no gracefulness to it, not like how authors put it. There was no beauty in the way his mother had succumb to sickness, no triumph in the way Schlatt's body had lost all it's warmth by the time he and Connor had found it. No honor in the way Connor's corpse laid in the collapsed mine, never given a proper funeral. Maybe for those more fortunate, that's how it was; to be able to die with elegance, tombs decorated with rows of flowers and goods. But not for him and his family. Instead, the world would keep spinning. One moment, then the next, and then the next. Life would go on, Fall would change to Winter and he would just have to sit down and take it.
But, as he turned the sign on Schlatt and Co. from open to close, it felt like he was killing it. Like he was snuffing out the final memories of Schlatt and Connor. It felt wrong. It made him want to run back inside the store and jump into their arms- to be comforted and told everything would be okay. He didn't. He was met with a blunt force to his neck, nuzzling and huffing impatiently, instead. Ty jumped slightly, before realizing who it was. "Everything is fine, Toby." He sighed, but couldn't hide the grin that tugged the corners of his mouth as he faced the old gelding. Ty reached into his satchel and rummaged around for a bit, finally fishing out half an oat cake and holding it out to Toby C. Once he finished up, Ty grabbed the horn and hoisted himself onto the saddle. Though the name etched on it- Beast de Cumme- had long faded out, Ty still hid it with his leg as he put his foot in the bootstrap.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder if this was it, as he rode down the path, nearing the edge of Blackwater. It felt easy- too easy to just leave his whole life behind. But as the shop slowly faded into the distance and became nothing more than a shadow in the night, he felt himself being drawn a little more to reality.
He isn't sure when the night turned into morning or when the morning turned into afternoon, only telling time by how Toby would huff and stomp to show how tired he was getting. "Almost there, boy. Easy, now." Ty attempted to sooth, scratching just beside his mane. The sight of Armadillo wasn't quite a welcome one, but Ty was happy to see civilization nonetheless. He wasn't sure how much longer he could've gone with having to stay awake on the dirt paths-- in fact, whenever Schlatt and him had taken a wagon to Armadillo, Ty had always fallen asleep. The memory makes him smile softly. Ty internally scolds himself, veering Toby right, reminding himself that he came here for Ted--
"Just admit you cheated and maybe, maybe we might let you off with a few light bruises!" Ty perks up, seeing 3 men cornering a lanky one on the porch of the bar. He narrows his gaze, trying to get a good look at the group when they begin to shake the taller violently. Usually, he would've cared less about some stranger being jumped, hell- maybe the guy deserves it. What makes his stomach turn, however, is the glint coming from one of the men's holster. A gun. He's seen how violent drunk people can get, having to drag Schlatt back home from the bar a handful of times in the past. When Connor had told him to go get Schlatt, Ty loathed it. Now, he wished the man was still alive to get too drunk to walk. He slides off Toby- not without struggling a bit- and scampers towards the men.
"Pa! Oh, pa!" Ty slips between the group, grabbing the lean man by the wrist- and fuck he is way taller in person. He reconsiders his actions, wondering if the man could've fended for himself. He brushes the thoughts off, however, and continues. "We've got to get back to the farm, quick! Ma needs your help!"
Everybody, besides Ty, seems bewildered. He can guess they're probably wondering who the hell he is- especially the brunette he's trying to help. He doesn't let their thoughts linger too long, though, beginning to drag the man onto the road. He quickens his pace once they step off of the wood floor, directing the man into an alley, then onto a dirt path, then onto another place the lanky man can't bother to note. Ty feels deja vu, faintly remembering how he would run away from the sisters at the orphanage. He wonders if it was torn down while he was in Blackwater, not recalling seeing it on when he arrived. He supposes it's for the better. He finally skids to a halt and lets the wheezing stranger catch his breath. It makes him chuckle; how the short run had seemed to tire the man out.
Once the man's breathing steadied, he turned to Ty. "I didn't need your help, Ty."
The younger snorts at that. "You seemed like a trapped, wounded animal back there," He pauses, brows furrowing. "How do you-" He finally gets a good look at the man, stumbling back a bit, accidentally hitting the wall of the building besides them.
"Wilbur?"
"I do believe that is my name, Ty, yes."