~*~

Light Arrow nodded and patted Black Hawk's shoulder. Seeing Severus' conflicted expression, Light Arrow said, "You are needed here, Severus. Black Hawk will take care of Harry." Severus knew that the old man was right, but that didn't stop the feeling of guilt coming up. Again, he wasn't able to take care of Harry. He had to decide who needed him more, or more importantly, whom he could take care of best at the moment, and that was Draco. Draco was distressed and he needed a person he felt totally safe with. That could only be Harry or him, and Harry had his own problems right now. Severus knew Black Hawk well, and he was sure that Black Hawk would take good care of Harry. He couldn't have gone far. The next town was too far away, and there were no dangerous animals around during the day. Severus was sure that Harry was in no serious danger, only in emotional misery, and Black Hawk would handle that well. With this thought in mind, he drew Draco closer. "It's okay, Draco. He will come back. You will both be okay. Just calm down, I won't leave you."

Draco nodded into Severus' chest. He felt safe with Severus, and Rose's calming magic that was flowing into him through the hand that she had rested on the back of his head was calming him even more. Nothing could hurt him at the moment and he knew that they would get Harry back as well.

Draco hadn't realized that there were more people in his room than Rose and Severus, and he didn't notice when Light Arrow and Doc Martens left the room. Crying Horse had made sure that the other kids didn't disturb the scene and had ushered them down for breakfast. When Black Hawk passed the little group in the kitchen, he just said, "You have to take over my duties today, Crying Horse. I don't know when I will be back."

"Sure. Take care," Crying Horse said and then tried his best to cheer up the worried looking teens.

~*~

Harry panicked when he heard the rumble of the engine of the old pickup behind him. He blinked through the tears that were still in his eyes. He wanted to be back at the camp with Severus and Light Arrow and a cup of White Cloud's hot chocolate. He wanted to hug Draco and tell him that they would never part. He wanted to believe that they were there for him, that he could feel safe and not alone like he felt now. He knew that he would be in big trouble now for running away, so he started to run after he had thrown one glance backwards to the cause of noise. He could see the old, blue pickup, but it was only a blur.

Harry wiped the tears from his eyes while he ran. In his panic, he even threw his backpack down to be faster. Harry's head hurt badly and his chest hurt, not only from the bad feeling, but also from the constant sobbing. The pickup came closer and closer, and Harry's heart felt as if it was jumping out of his chest. When the pickup passed him and came to an abrupt halt in front of him, Harry almost fainted. A quick turn and Harry ran in the opposite direction. Was it the way back to the farm? Harry didn't know and didn't care because all that was important at the moment was the sound of steps behind him coming closer and closer. Harry didn't dare to look backwards. The constant running was taking its toll on Harry, and he felt his legs going soft. The sobs were taking his breath, and Harry didn't understand why he wasn't able to stop sobbing. It was slowing him down and his chance to escape was already very low.

You're making it hard on yourself, Harry, Black Hawk thought while he closed the gap between himself and the desperate boy. He could hear Harry's sobs and his painful attempts to draw more air into his lungs. If he doesn't give up soon, he will collapse. Stupid kid.

Harry panicked and stumbled sideways when he felt Black Hawk brush his side. The moment he hit the ground, the fine sand layered his sweaty face. It was an awful feeling, and Harry didn't dare to breathe deeply; his lungs wanted the air, but he was afraid that he would breathe dust into his lungs. So, he just covered his head, waiting for the blows of anger to come.

"Calm down, Harry. I won't touch you." Black Hawk knelt beside Harry.

Fearfully, Harry glanced through his fingers. "Leave me alone," Harry shouted miserably as he started to cough.

"No, I won't. Here, take your hat or you will get sunstroke." Black Hawk passed Harry the Stetson he had brought with him. "I have water in the pickup."

"I won't go back," Harry sobbed, but he grabbed the offered hat.

"Then we won't go back," Black Hawk said dryly and stood up. "Come on, let's get some water into you or you will get sick soon." He offered Harry his hand while eying him closely.

Harry was surprised by Black Hawk's behavior. He had expected anger, accusations, a show of power by dragging him back to the camp for everyone to shout at him about how complicated and stubborn he was, but not this. Black Hawk stood patiently over him with his hand still held out for Harry to take.

"I won't bite, and I won't drag you into the pickup if that is what you fear. I just want you to calm down and get some liquid into you. You've gotten yourself into quite a state already, and if you don't plan to go back to the camp, we need to fix your condition a bit."

"You are lying," Harry said, slowly calming down, but still suppressing his sobs.

"Oh, come on, Harry. In your time here have I ever lied to you? Have I ever forced you physically to do anything? Do you really think I will grab you and throw you in the pickup?" Black Hawk looked down at Harry, his hand still stretched out for Harry to take.

"Swear!" Oh, fantastic, how childish was that? Harry thought and coughed because now the dust was in his lungs.

"I swear! Come on, Harry. We need to clean you up and get you something to drink." He leaned closer and almost touched Harry's hand.

Eventually, Harry grabbed the offered hand and let Black Hawk pull him up. Stiffly, he waited for the older man to drag him to the pickup, but Black Hawk let go of Harry's hand and started to brush of the dust of Harry's clothes as gently as possible. The closeness of Black Hawk made Harry want to bury his face in the Native American's broad chest, but he resisted the urge.

"Much better!" He took the hat out of Harry's hands and placed it on the boy's head. "Let's go to the pickup to get something to drink." Black Hawk gently let his hand rest on Harry's neck and guided him in the direction of the pickup.

The hand on Harry's neck didn't feel bad. For Harry, it took away the awful feeling of loneliness. There was no force behind the hand, and Harry wished it would never leave his neck again. The closer they got to the truck, the more nervous Harry became. He had stopped crying and sobbing, and he was very exhausted, but seeing the pickup made him fear what would await him at the camp.

Around twenty feet away from the pickup, Black Hawk let go of Harry's neck and went on without Harry, who had stopped. Black Hawk fumbled in the cabin and came out with a water bottle. "I would like to wash your face, but since I don't know how long you plan to stay away from the farm, I would prefer to have as much water with us as possible."

"Us?" Harry asked while slowly closing the gap between him and Black Hawk. The older man was so relaxed that Harry felt safe around him. Nothing indicated that Black Hawk planned to break his promise.

"Of course, us. Do you think I would let you run around out here alone? You have no clue how to survive out here."

Harry grabbed the bottle and took a cautious step backwards. He didn't want to risk anything. The water was fresh and cold and it felt wonderful to have it run down his throat. He wished he could clean his face. His eyes stung from the dust, and he wiped the sweat away with his shirt. He glanced at the still almost full bottle and then at Black Hawk.

Black Hawk shook his head. "When the bottle is empty, we have to drive back to the camp. If you want to wash your face, we could drive to the river. It's not far from here."

Harry immediately took a step backwards and gave Black Hawk a shocked look.

Black Hawk shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist, we can walk, but that will make us more thirsty and this bottle will be empty quicker."

Harry glanced at the bottle. He knew he couldn't survive without water out here. "But you said you won't force me to go back. What happens when the bottle is empty and I still don't want to go back?"

"Then I will wait until you collapse or you see reason and come with me freely. I have one more bottle in the car, and so I will still be able to make sure you are safe, even if you pass out. Our water will suffice for today and if we are careful, it will last until tomorrow morning. So there is plenty of time to think about how to go on. Right now, the question is do you want to clean yourself, and if yes, which transportation will we use to reach the river. So?"

"You promise not to drive to the farm." It was more of a request than a question.

"Yes, I promise." With that, Black Hawk climbed into the cabin of the pickup without a backward glance.

Harry rounded the pickup and cautiously sat down, clinging to his bottle of water as if his life depended on it. Harry was so nervous that he didn't notice when Black Hawk glanced at his hurt hand and the bloodied handkerchief. As Harry was still disoriented, he didn't know whether Black Hawk was driving back towards the farm or was keeping his promise. Only when the vegetation became more crowded did he breath out, relieved. They had reached the river after only driving five minutes.

"Stay where you are, Harry," Black Hawk said as he climbed out of the pickup and fumbled behind his seat for something.

Harry gulped nervously, but nevertheless obeyed.

"I will come around. So, no stupid moves before I've taken care of your hand, Harry."

Harry looked down at his unprofessionally wrapped hand and saw that the blood had soaked the handkerchief. Before he could say anything or even move, Black Hawk opened the door at Harry's side. "Sit sideways so that I can reach you better." Black Hawk patted Harry's leg until he obeyed and faced the man. "Okay, let's have a look at this." He took Harry's hand and unwrapped the handkerchief. "It doesn't look as if it should be stitched, but I'm no doctor. Sure you don't want to go back so that someone more competent than me can have a look at that? Light Arrow and White Cloud could heal it easily, I think."

Harry shook his head frantically. "You promised."

"Yeah, I promised," Black Hawk said teasingly and rolled his eyes. He eyed the wound closely and then said, "I will clean it with alcohol and than bandage it. When you go bathing, you will need to carry a plastic bag around it."

"Can't you just heal it with magic?" Harry asked nervously while watching Black Hawk pull a bottle and a cloth out of the first aid box.

"No."

"No?"

"No, now let me clean it." The moment Black Hawk went to hold Harry's hand tighter, Harry drew it backwards.

"But why not? It would be much more... painless if you healed it with magic, and I wouldn't need to wear a plastic bag while bathing. Ehm... You are a wizard, right?"

"Yes, I am, and now give me your hand, Harry. It won't hurt... much," Black Hawk said uncomfortably, remembering Light Arrow's constant advice to never to lie to the kids. They should always know what to expect, even it it was something they would dislike or fear.

"Yes, it will. Why can't you-"

Black Hawk sighed. "I just can't, Harry, please. I'm not capable of wandless magic, and I'm not even sure if I could do any magic even if I had a wand. I hate magic, and I love living without it, okay? I have Light Arrow and White Cloud if I'm in need of magic and that is almost never. I can live without it very well. This will sting, but it won't kill you and it won't last forever, Harry. If I don't clean it, it will get infected and then we are both in trouble. You have already seen that I can get in even more trouble than you with light Arrow, so please spare me another tongue-lashing and yourself a lot of pain. Let's get it over with, and then we will bathe and look for something to eat in the old man's survival kit. I don't know about you, but I'm damn hungry after all this running."

"You haven't run much," Harry said cheekily and held his hand out to Black Hawk.

"Brat!" Black Hawk grinned and then positioned Harry's hand so he could see the full wound perfectly. "Brace yourself, Harry."

Harry moaned when he felt the pain in his hand. It brought fresh tears of pain to his eyes. Only Black Hawk's iron grip prevented Harry from pulling his hand back. "Done," the Native said when he had wrapped Harry's hand in a fresh bandage and pulled the plastic bag onto it. Rubber bands made the construction waterproof. "Now, out of your clothes into the river with you." Black Hawk patted Harry's leg and then stepped backwards to give Harry room to come out of the pickup.

Black Hawk already had stripped down to his shorts while Harry still was struggling with his jeans. The shirt had been no problem, but the belt was. The plastic bag was hindering him.

"Need some help?" Black Hawk asked and waited for Harry's reply.

"Ehm... the belt. I can't open it with the bag around my hand," Harry said and blushed.

"No problem." Black Hawk quickly opened the belt and the first button of Harry's jeans and stepped back. "Sure you can manage the rest?"

Harry nodded, still blushing. "Yeah, I think so." When Harry had his jeans halfway down, Black Hawk ran into the river and dived down. Shortly after him, Harry followed. It was awkward to bathe with the bag, and Harry wished Black Hawk had noticed his wound after the bath and not before.

Black Hawk used both his hands to splash Harry with water. "Hey, that's not fair. I only have one hand."

"Not my problem." Black Hawk laughed and splashed another fountain at Harry. For a short while Harry could forget why he was here in the river with Black Hawk and what was waiting for him at the camp.

"Come over here, Harry. Let's see if the bag is still secure." Black Hawk waved Harry over to him.

"It's still water proof," Harry said but nevertheless came over to Black Hawk and let the man check it for himself. "Yes, it's still working but we shouldn't push our luck. Let's clean you and then we'll get out of the water." Before Harry could protest, Black Hawk started to wash his healthy arm. "There is no way you can do it yourself, so stop looking so shocked. I will only wash your arm and your face. Everything else I will gladly leave for you." Black Hawk grinned when Harry pulled a face at him.

"Eww... I feel like a baby." Harry spluttered while Black Hawk washed his face carefully.

"You have dirt everywhere. Sand bathing is for horses, not humans, Harry."

"Very funny. Argh, Black Hawk!" Harry protested when the man pulled his head sideways to wash behind his ears.

"Stop pouting and dive. Your hair is full of dust and sand. Rub it with your good hand under the water while I hold your hurt hand up." Ten minutes later they went over to their clothes. "Here!" Black Hawk threw his own shirt at Harry. "Put this on while wash your shirt. The sun will dry it soon."

"And you?" Harry asked confused.

"My skin is used to the sun, and we can stay in the shadows. Or do you plan to go for a run again?" Black Hawk asked teasingly.

'Hmpf' was all Harry said and then he pulled the shirt over his head. He looked uncertainly at his shorts. Was he supposed to pull his jeans over the wet shorts? He decided to just wait and see what Black Hawk would do.

"Lie down for a bit on the fallen tree there. The sun will dry your shorts quickly. I will wash your shirt during that time." Black Hawk answered Harry's unasked question and went over to the river again.

Black Hawk was right. Harry's shorts dried quickly, and when he turned to let his backside dry as well, he saw Black Hawk carrying a big crate over to him. "Let's see what we have in our survival box."