Birds chirp as they fly between treetops.
Orange, gold, brown, leaves sway with the blowing of the wind.
Hooves of a horse clap against the stonework of the road with a satisfying click as if a musical tune, echoing.
Wood snaps, crash of crates and boxes against the stone, horses neigh loudly. Birds cease their flight. The sound of the wind disappears under the swearing of a man,
“Y’ve gon’ and don’ it now Paulie, gon’ and don’ it ‘gain,” the larger, rotund man rose high from his pedestal at the front of the carriage. Straight up, unburdened by the reigns.
Calming the horses, holding the reigns tight, was that of the smaller man, lanky and dressed in last year’s clothes that belonged even then to the year before that. “I.. I,” he stammers as he focuses on calming the horses. Calling out to them, shushing them gently. It pained him to see them like this.
“I, I,” the larger man repeated back at him mockingly. “Y’ weren’t thinkin’ Paulie, that’s what y’ were doin’, not bloody watchin’ the road like y’ were supposed ta, and look’in what you gon’ and done now. Why I oughta tell the boss what y’ gon’ and done again.”
“I-it-weren’t me last t-time Jaune, y-you know-“Jaune turned violently to face, Paulie throwing him nearly backward off the wagon.
“What is it I know Paulie, what is it why don’ you tell me?”
Paulie let go of the reigns, held the side of the cart and pulled himself back atop it- “N-nothing Jaune, nothin’ I-I didn’ mean nothin’ by it, just that-“
“Just nothing, right?” Jaune said, crossing his large arms over his broad chest.
“R-right Jaune.. j-just nothin’,” Paulie resigned as he settled the horses further, saw to the reigns.
“Bloody right,” Jaune snorted, stepping back down off the wagon carefully, using the front wheel for support. Finding it a slow and arduous process on account of his massive size.
Leaves cracked underneath his boot, every step toward the rear of the wagon was announced with the pronounced sound of autumn. Groaning over the exertion Jaune lowered himself to check the cart. It was the back right wheel, it had cracked in two in a most uneven way because of the misplaced broken stones along the path.
“Wheel’s all bent outta shape,” he barked back toward the front, where Paulie yet remained.”Yer gonna have to go inta the forest, find us some sticks and wood, can ya do that Paulie? Can ya do at least that?”
Paulie came about from the back of the wagon, forcing Jaune onto his back foot from the fright, “Why you want me to go and do that Jaune? To fix the wagon?”
“No!” he shouted, temper leaking into his voice. Heart racing from Paulie’s suddenness. “For a fire Paulie, we ain’t gonna be risking movin’ this wagon out in the dark. Not like this. Cracks anymore and we’ll be stranded out on the side ‘f the road in the dark, and I don’t need tah tell you how bad that is, do I Paulie?”
“Well, then get to it!” Jaune barked.
With all haste Paulie quickly made his way off into the surrounding forest in search.
