When Butterflies Attack by mcat Disclaimer - This fic is written for entertainment purposes only. No profit being made. I make no claims upon the characters’ ownership. This is just a bit of silliness that needed to be written. It was a beautiful spring day. The kind of day that brought life to the world. Whether it was in the literal sense - the birth of young - human and animal alike - or in just the feelings spring evoked, like when laughter is heard echoing from the field where children played or when the sun’s rays glittered through stained glass windows. This was the kind of day Vin Tanner lived for. Out with his horse, enjoying nature’s bounties, he’d left the dusty town behind to answer Spring’s call. He splashed in the waters of the mountain stream and cleaned away the layers of dirt that had seemed to cling to him since the Winter’s cold beginnings. He gathered and tasted fresh fruit while lying in the warmth of the sun, letting the wanton breezes dry his naked body. His eyes glittered and danced as he watched the life around him, while words of prose formed in his mind, describing the colors and shapes and feelings of Spring. The tapestry around him, constantly in motion as the flowers swayed in the breeze and the butterflies flew in circles, dizzied him, drunkenly. This was his reason for living. This is why God gave him the gift of words, he suddenly realized, sitting up. With inspiration leading the way, Vin reached into his saddlebag for his pencil and writing tablet. Within minutes, the first page was full, the words flowing from Vin’s mind to the pencil, describing everything he saw, everything around him. He stood up, pencil and tablet in hand and walked toward the yellow, orange and black butterflies swarming above the wildflowers. He smiled as one landed on the end of his pencil and his thoughts flew to the paper once again. But then, what happened next, Vin would never forget, but would never be able to write about. The swarm of butterflies began to hover closer to him and then they moved higher. Soon they surrounded him at his waist. He thought it amusing and touching at first, but they kept moving higher and more and more of them began to surround him. Soon he was blinded by them. Blurred streaks of yellow, orange and black filled his vision and their wings flapped endlessly at his skin, tangled in his hair. He tried to bat them away, he tried to flee, but his fate was inescapable. + + + + + + + "Vin? Vin, can you hear me?" Vin opened his eyes up carefully, painfully. He winced as he shook his head, trying to clear his fogged mind. "You with me, Vin?" "Chris? That you?" "Yeah, Vin," he replied. "You okay? You look kinda pale." "Are they gone?" The sharpshooter looked around cautiously, opening his eyes even more. That was when he realized he was lying on his back, still in the middle of the field of wildflowers. "Are who gone?" Chris asked, confused. He’d gone out riding, hoping to get away from the hustle and bustle of spring cleaning fever that had suddenly hit Four Corners. He’d also hoped to spend some time with Vin. He’d found the tracker’s horse wandering near the stream and after a bit of looking, finally found his young friend asleep in the middle of a field of purple and yellow wildflowers. At least, until now, he’d thought he was just asleep. "You hurt?" he asked, seeing Vin wince as he tried to sit up. Vin paused mid-motion and assessed himself. "My head hurts some," he replied finally, rubbing the back of his head. Looking around the injured tracker, Chris found a medium sized rock where Vin’s head had been on the ground. "Looks like you might have tripped and fallen on this rock," he said, threading his fingers under Vin’s hair to feel his head for himself. "Got yourself a goose egg there. Who were you running from?" Vin had to stop and think then, not immediately remembering. Then the yellow, orange and black images flooded his memory. He looked at Chris then, fear in his eyes, and whispered, "The butterflies..." End