"GYOW!!"

Tak, had he actually been walking, would have jumped at least a full foot in the air as the shout shattered the mid-morning calm. Luckily, being a faerie, he seldom walked. So instead, he simply bobbed sharply in the air. Tiny heart pounding, he shot back to where his friend was standing.

"Geez, Trev! Whaddaya tryin' ta do, gimme a frickin' heart attack?" he berated his companion irately. "What the hell's the matter?"

Trev merely spared a withering glance at the tiny winged person hovering less than three feet from his face, ignoring the shock of deep red hair that fell before equally deep red eyes. Wincing, the young centaur carefully lifted his left hind leg, balancing precariously on the other three. Cautiously feeling the bottom of his hoof with one hand, he growled, "Dammit, I think I stepped on a stone or somethin'!"

Tak stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "That's it? You scared th' livin' daylights outta me over nothin' but a pebble?"

Hopping a bit on his other hind leg to keep his balance, Trev shot his friend an indignant look. "Hey, when's the last time you stepped on anything, huh? Do you have any idea how much this hurts?!"

Finally stifling his laughter, Tak flew down a little closer. A smirk still lingering on his face, he asked, "Well, do ya want me ta take a look?"

Trev considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, go for it." He readjusted his grip on his leg so as to hold it a little more steady for his friend.

With the nervous energy inherent in a faerie, Tak zoomed a little closer for a better view. Then, he paused within arm's reach and looked up at the ruddy centaur suspiciously. "Ya ain't gonna let go and squish me, are ya? 'Cuz I ain't gettin' any closer if you ain't got a good grip!"

Trev rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna let go, okay? I got it!"

Somehow, Tak didn't find that very reassuring. He eyed up the hoof warily. "'Cuz, ya know, that thing's practically bigger than I am, and if you let go-"

"I'm not gonna-"

"I'd be squished like a bug! There'd be nothin' left!" Tak continued, ignoring Trev.

"Tak, I got it already!"

"And I ain't ready ta die at th' hands of my best friend, ya know!"

Trev stifled a growl as his friend went on about being killed and so on. The centaur's right hind leg was beginning to ache under all the weight, and he was quickly losing patience. Finally, he simply burst out, "Oh, for cryin' out loud, Tak, I've no intention of killing you... unless you keep rambling on about it! I'm not made to stand on three legs, ya know! Now, you gonna look or not?"

Tak was speechless for a moment, then backed away with a huff. "Well, when ya put it like that, definitely not! At least, not while yer standin' like that. Why don'cha lie down or somethin'?"

After glaring at his tiny companion for a moment, Trev turned and started hobbling toward the side of the road, muttering, "Obviously, because that would be the sensible thing to do!" With a strained groan, he lowered his considerable mass down onto the soft, slightly damp grass. Tucking his other three legs under him, he stared at Tak expectantly. "There; better?"

"Much!" Tak affirmed, zipping over to land next to the hoof in question. Gripping the sides with his tiny hands, he began the inspection. "Okay, let's see what's buggin' th' big guy so much!"

The problem was immediately apparent. A small, sharp rock shard had managed to wedge itself into the sole of his hoof, looking like it may have punctured right through. Tak turned to his friend and nodded.

"Yep, ya somehow managed ta get a rock jammed in there, buddy!" A slightly sadistic grin on his face, he asked, "Want me ta try an' get it out?"

Trev eyed him critically. That had sounded like just a tad bit too cheerful an offer. Finally, though, he merely sighed and nodded. "Somethin' tells me I'm gonna regret this, but go ahead."

"All right! Just relax, buddy; Healer Tak's here to make it alllll better!" Tak exclaimed enthusiastically.

Healer Tak? Trev thought skeptically. Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited for the pain to begin. God, what have I gotten myself into?

"Okay, I'll just grab onto it, like so... and let's see how hard it is ta get this baby out!" Tak somehow got his hands around the shard, then braced one foot against Trev's hoof and began to pull, wings fluttering wildly. Instantly, a dart of stabbing pain shot up Trev's leg. He gritted his teeth against it, holding his breath.

And then, with on last sudden jolt, the pain was gone. Trev opened his eyes to see Tak sprawled on the ground a few inches away. The faerie sat up with a grin, showing off a rock shard as big as his entire foot. He shook his head at Trev in a mockingly chiding fashion.

"You were all upset over this lil' thing?" he tsk-ed. "Yeesh, centaurs are fragile!"

"Centaurs are fragile?!" Trev replied skeptically. He climbed to his feet and tested the hoof carefully. The pain was completely gone. "And this comin' from a guy the size of my hoof!"

"Hey, faeries happen ta be very durable, ya know!" Tak countered quickly, buzzing not far from Trev's ear. He crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'll have ya know, faeries are actually pretty darn tough! Tougher than any centaur!"

Trev gave an incredulous laugh as he started walking again. "Yeah, sure, Tak. And when was the last time any centaur had to worry about being stepped on, huh?"

Back and forth, back and forth, the playful banter went on as the duo continued on their way, leaving the pebble and all thoughts of it far behind.