Blaze: Chapter 22

Blaze is pacing the floor (in a very un-lady-like fashion!) fretting over the continued absence of Hazard. Its been five hours... WHERE IS THAT DAMN INJUN?! She frets and panics and panics and frets for a good three pages, trying decide if she should wait for Hazard on the porch, in a chair, or in bed (Ah Blaze... your life is just rife with hard decisions) when HAZARD COMES BACK! Blaze runs at him, clings "shamelessly" to him, covers him in kisses and doesn't say ONE THING about what a late hour it is. Hazard asks her if she wants to go to the summer hunt and Blaze says YES! Hazard asks if she wants to think about it and Balze basically says she doesn't think about things, she just knows when she wants to do something (that sound like its working out REALLY WELL...) and then does it. Hazard laughs at his little spit-fire of a woman and tells Blaze they are leaving now... right now. Get ready, cause HERE WE GO. Blaze notices the scratches on Hazard's hands and asks if the speed of there leaving has anything to do with what happened in town (Funny, I thought: WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! would have been the first thing out of Blaze's mouth, but I guess I've been wrong about her before...). Hazard says he might have killed Fancy Yancy (although I doubt it...) but he doesn't know, he left in SUCH A HURRY, and he just wants to go home... no real reason, (outside of the NUMEROUS people who want him very very dead) he just wants to go. Hazard starts to pack a travel bag and tells Blaze to get dressed... oh wait, you don't have any suitable riding clothes... hmm. Here, have these ELABORATELY DECORATED AND OBVIOUSLY VERY SPECIAL Indian lady dresses I have sitting on a shelf here, lovingly wrapped in a buckskin... I'm going to go outside now and tend to the horses and I'm not acting awkward at all, so don't look at me like that. Blaze looks at the dresses and realizes they used to belong to Hazard's dead wife. Blaze becomes angry at the idea of wearing that dead bitches clothes and tells Hazard (in a very stern voice, while stomping her feet) that I WON'T WEAR THEM I WON'T I WON'T I WON'T YOU'RE STUPID. Hazard is a little shocked at her behavior (REALLY?! SHOCKED?!) and reflects that it had taken a small piece of his soul to offer those dresses to Blaze. Hazard says he wouldn't have offered them if there was any other choice, but she can't ride long distances in cotton clothes and he really doesn't like it when she raises her voice. Blaze says she will wear a pair of Hazard's pants or she isn't going. Hazard says fine! Ride your butt raw for all I care! I just want to go! Blaze returns to the cabin, and comes back in pants (AND A SHIRT! THE GIRL IS FULLY CLOTHED!) and clambers onto her horse. As they leave Hazard goes into three paragraphs of history of the Native American and its bond with its horse flesh and the land and blah blah blah. They ride all night and all morning and finally stop when Hazard sees Blaze's jaw has been clenched in pain (NO WONDER SHE WAS SO QUIET). Hazard helps Blaze off her horse and lays her down on a bed of leaves and other plant life. Blaze is AMAZED Hazard hasn't said "I told you so" or anything of that nature and is SHOCKED at how kind he is being to her now after she was SUCH A CHILD. Blaze watches Hazard for awhile, musing over how pretty and nice and kind and smart and handsome he is (gag) when she asks "why do you still love your wife?" Hazard asks how her butt is feeling and Blaze says don't change the subject (cause ya know, its not painful or upsetting for you in anyway or anything like that...) Hazard says you can't love a dead person... but you can love their memory and the way they made you feel. Blaze asks how did she die. Hazard responds "By her own hand... no more questions." Blaze mulls this over for a bit when Hazard says its time for bed. Blaze attempts to get up and realizes her ass is in BURNING PAIN (Syphilis much?). Hazard carries her into the shelter he made and offers her salve he brought for her chapped ass (from riding in cotton and not buckskin... not from the syphilis. DAMN). Hazard says when they arrive at his camp they can have a whole buckskin wardrobe made up for Blaze... because she is HIS WOMAN.
In the morning Blaze's bottom is feeling much better... enough for her to want her morning quickie. Hazard says no (ooo! restraint!), gently dresses, feeds and carries her to his horse. Hazard rides with Blaze nestled in his lap, even though Blaze says she's totally cool to ride on her own. Isn't that cute? As they travel Hazard goes through page after page of musing over Blaze as HIS WOMAN and what that means and what Blaze's affections are and where can this go and what will he ever do without her and so on and so on. Right before they arrive at Hazard's tribe he dismounts and begins to put on all of his Indian chief accouterments, which include: wolf tails, beaded moccasins, falcon feathers, eagle feathers, blue and green shell earrings, fringed clothing, and a bear teeth necklace. His horse gets some shit to, but really, you get the idea. Dude is fucking DECKED OUT. He gives Blaze a few things (necklace, more beads) and brushes her hair (awwwwwwwwgag) before heading into the camp.