Devil's Tower

Who: Bear and Ruby
What: Bear just returned from hunting.
When: Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-ish
Where: the Canopy.
Rating: TBD

Bear huffed as he carried his prize back to the Canopy. The sun was out and the wind had died. Bear's t'shirt actually clung to his skin, damp from the sweat of his exertion of carrying the buck over his shoulder. His long hair flicked from side to side as he walked, for once simply laying down his back, no wind to lift strands about his face. Wishing his hands were free to strum the string of his bow like an instrument, Bear let a low chant, the simple words growling out of his throat and voicing the joy that came with this war being over. Of course, the aftermath would include the Feathers in a way that was more unpleasant than the tree-dwellers would like. They hadn't chosen a side during the battles, hadn't made a move against the Jackals... but they couldn't stay tucked up in the branches forever. Bear knew that his services as a negotiator would be in high demand soon. The leaders would be at each others throats if they did all of the talking directly to each other and Bear did have a tendency to think before he spoke. He wasn't terribly excited about meeting these Jackal people and their Leader, but he supposed someone had to set up contact.

The buck thudded to the ground at the base of Bear's tree, it's rack almost cracking as the full force of its weight hit the earth. It was a beautiful work of nature, something the Great Spirit must have been proud to create. But this morning had been the first time in a week and a half that Bear had found the time to go out and hunt- the Feathers needed the meat and the buck had been a great prize indeed. Pulling the creature behind his tree, where no one would see the blood coming from it, Bear took out his knife and began skinning and gutting the animal, letting the blood wash over his hands as he thanked the Great spirit for his gift. Bear's low, rough voice carried slightly through the light air, the Cheyenne words almost mystical in the golden light of the morning.

Who: Hazard and Hollywood
Where: a room in a hospital
When: afternoon
What: hanging out

What a week. Lots of hard work, swings, confessions... it was enough to cause his head to ache for a few days. Hazard needed a break from physical labor and there was no better way to relax than to hang out with his good friend Hollywood. He went to their usual spot in the hospital, a room on the upper floor, as they had promised to meet up when they were done with everything. Lying on the bed, he hung upside down and pulled a rubber ball out of his pocket to start tossing it in the air. It bounced off the ceiling and he caught it with ease.

It was not long before he heard the door open and tossed the ball to what had to be Hollywood coming in through the door. "Hey," he said. "I have things to show you." He could not believe his luck today and he hadn't been doing much, just doing the normal rounds. This amount of treasure was incredible. Hazard got to his feet to head over to the corner, pulling a small box towards the center of the room. "See, I was patrolling down the street and a pile of rubble that looked a little weird caught my attention. So I went over, started to dig and found this! It must have been from a store and no one thought about looking underneath a bunch of stones for a really long time."

A grin appeared on his face. "Haven't opened the box yet cause I thought you'd want to see for the first time too. And you get first dibs on stuff." It was one of the many benefits of being Hazard's friend and chances were there were things they both could use for traps, etc. He sat on the floor next to the box and opened it, catching his breath without realizing it. Little surprises like this were still important and even better when shared with a friend. After they browsed and plotted over things, Hazard had a question for Hollywood... a somewhat serious and important one.

Who: Hazard and Sensei
Where: the hospital
When: morning
What: repair work

Work was neverending, but Hazard found it satisfactory to be doing something with a visual result and helped the Carrion. Sensei had decided to repair the walls in part of the hospital and recruited some members to assist him. To no one's surprise, Hazard immediately volunteered and set to work, determined not to stop for many breaks. The sooner he completed the walls with the others, the safer everyone would feel. With a small and once-secretive tribe such as the Carrion, morale was important.

Hazard picked up a bunch of wood they had gathered as well as some other tools and headed towards the area where Sensei was working, placing the materials next to him. "Hey," he said and withdrew a hammer from his toolbelt to start his work. "Are we making good progress?" He wanted to do his best despite his not knowing how to do this so well, though he thought he was getting better as time passed. The plank of wood in his hand started to slip and he readjusted it to nail it in place. This might be harder than he expected, though he wanted to save face in some way.

At least they were working together. Things would be easier that way.

Who: Pan and Tennessee
Where: A southwestish part of the river
When: Saturday early evening
Why: Trying to cheer himself up

After Pan's talk with Cricket he'd started to feel a little more like his old self again. He was still heart broken over Gypsy, Moe, Shadow, and everyone else he'd lost in the war and otherwise; but he knew that none of his friends would have wanted to see him wasting his life moping away. After all, someone had to bring the tribe's morale back and Pan had always been the one to try the hardest as keeping things light amongst the tribe.

On Saturday morning he caught almost a dozen fish. It was an incredibly successful effort on his part and so to celebrate he ventured to his favorite swimming hole in the evening. He hummed along the path, a sack slung over his shoulder, bobbing against his back. He was wearing a vest, a pair of shorts and a plain black headband tied around his forehead that had long tails that hung part way down his back. The weather had been so nice and he wanted to take advantage of it now, and in doing so try to remember the good things about his wonderful friends. He missed them all so much, and cherished their memories. He only wished that he'd been able to tell them all how he felt before they'd passed on. Now, all he could do to make up for it was go back to living his life in the fullest.

He was already barefoot, so when he reached the bank of the best swimming spot all he had to do was removed his vest, bag and headband before running and jumping into the chilled water of the Belle Fourche. He surfaced and roughed up his hair. The sun was lower in the sky and just beyond the bank of the river there were lots of wild flowers. He sighed contentedly and tried to relax for the first time in weeks. Of course, the best way to relax was to sing and so Pan struck up a tune as he swam about lazily, "Drawing a line, a ship in a harbor. Yes I will go, I'll be going there soon!"

( Folded dirty piece of paper found attatched to one of Hazard's usual trap spots near the Junk yard. )

WHO: Sensei and Blaze
WHAT: Some long overdue time together
WHERE: The Hospital - the stairs near the main entrance
WHEN: Late Thursday Night
RATING: TBD
STAUS: Incomplete // Closed

( Distance makes the heart grow fonder, at least that's what they say )

Who: Nori and Hollywood
What: She's finally getting back to the farm
Where: The Farm
When: Late Friday morning
Rating: PG
Status: Incomplete and Closed

( She'd been gone for far too long )

Who: Peri and Gent
What: Catching up
When: Wednesday Morning
Where: Gen't Boat
Rating: TBD... Probably up there given the personalities of these two...

Gent was enjoying the early morning sun on the top deck of Le Couer. It was nice to just sit and relax with Odile in his lap, his tattered shorts hanging a litle loose on his recently slighted frame and the sun warm accross his bare chest. The past few weeks had been rough. He hadn't had much time to catch up with any of his aquaintances of the River Runners. Things had ben so tense that he just hadn't cared to talk to people much. But now that an awkward peace had been reached, he was ready to see some of his old friends. He had come back to land to see people hadn't he? He was tired of being trapped in his own head and he hadn't flirted with a pretty girl in ages. He needed to flirt.

So, when a pretty little blonde sparked his memory from the deck of a house boat a few over, Gent couldn't help but crack a smile. Oh, he remembered her. He could never forget such pretty baby blues. He stood, sliding a disgruntled Odile onto his shoulders as he shaded his eyes and called out.

"Well, I'll be! If it isn't little Miss Periwinkle! Still sweet to look at ma'am!" Gent let his smooth cajun accent float over the rows of boats towards that pretty little piece of woman.

OOC: Any idea for what the rating might be?

Who: Ryder and Windchaser
Where: His cabin
When: Thursday afternoon
Why: Time for some truth

Ryder had spent the war relaying messages for the Wolves. Even though the Twin Feathers did their best to remain neutral in the whole affair, it was pretty clear where their limited loyalties fell. They'd taken in the children of the Wolves, and that newly discovered tribe the Carrion, and he'd done everything that he'd been able to do except for fight himself. Of course, all of the Feathers' help stemmed partly from the connection that Nova had to both of the tribes. Ryder was glad for that connection, because he would have had a lot of difficulty if it had been the Mountain Lions that they'd supported. He hadn't wanted anything to happen to Danni, but he had nothing but distaste for the rest of the Mountain Lions. He had wondered about Danni, how she was fairing and what she thought of Ace's violent side.

In his runs between the farm and various people and places he had seen Windchaser only a few times. She'd always been busy helping the wounded or something else. He hadn't been able to speak with her since the St. Patrick's Day Party. He was surprised when he received a letter from her, but the contents of the letter had been the most surprising part.
Some of the things she'd said had hurt, and all of it had brought up things from the past that he'd been trying so long to ignore. Events that had faded to blurry black and white over the years were now full color in his mind, and in his heart.

Like most people, the war had changed something in him and he felt like he had to be honest with Ellie. He didn't know if she was going to stay in Sundance for sure, and he knew he had a lot of things to tell her.

Thankfully he'd been able to finish re-building his cabin before the war started. It actually turned out a little nicer than the one he'd had before. However, the walls and contents of the new cabin were a lot more sparse as he'd lost more or less everything in the fire. He had spent the morning checking up on all of the horses , brushing them, etc. The new foal had been taking up most of his time, but the mare and colt were doing just fine.

WHO: Sumi and Jax
WHAT: She's doing what she normally does (namely not much) and he comes across her
WHERE: The Lodge
WHEN: Late afternoon
RATING: PG, perhaps?
STATUS: Incomplete // Closed

Saturdays for Sumi were exactly the same as every other day. The same as Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc. Mainly because she didn't do much like the others in the tribe. Having been raised like she was, she really hadn't ever done an actual honest day's work. Cooking, cleaning and sewing didn't count. She'd thought that once she became a part of the Jackals that work would be entirely inevitable. And yet, for some reason, Jax didn't make her work. She didn't quite understand it, but she was entirely grateful for it. Goodness knows that she wouldn't be entirely useful at all. So, even amongst the Jackals, Sumi was still the princess that she had always been. Nothing different than normal, save for the fact that she was no longer among the family that had sheltered her and brought her up since her birth. Although, there was no doubting that the Jackals had just as much capacity to do horrible things as the Naotaka family ever had.

That morning she'd done the exact same thing as normal. She kept some semblance of a routine that she'd had before the virus. Of course, now things were a bit more limited than they had been in the past. So, Sumi spent most of her time that morning reading a book. Something that she'd taken from her father's library when she was a little girl. Oddly enough, it was a book about the family that her entire family had been descended from. Valiant and loyal samurai of an emperor of Japan. Hence the symbol that her family had always been known by. The kanji for the word 'samurai'. Every member of the Naotaka family had it tattooed on them and Sumi was no exception.

Sitting by one of the large windows of the lodge, Sumi was curled up on the windowsill and intently reading her book. She caught the scowls that some of the others gave her as they passed and it made her smirk to herself. Not all of them could possibly be treated like a princess.

( Letter for Windchaser left pinned to the door of Cabello's stall. )

Who: Pan and open
Where: The river bank west of the Trading Post
When: Wednesday afternoon
Why: Spring flowers and memories

Pan was happy to be back with his tribe, but he hadn't expected things to feel so...different. It wasn't just the war that had changed things. No, for Pan it was the loss of Gypsy that had changed the face of the River Runners. Things would never feel the same again. Gypsy had been the one person who he'd really taken to. Mostly becuase he felt that she was the only person who'd truly understood him and accepted him for alll of his quirks. He had loved her deeply, as a best friend, and her lost was staggering to him.

The war had mostly gone by unnoticed by Pan. He had no problem with Jed being the leader. They'd been able to make peace enough just before the war started. Now that Gypsy was gone, some things mattered more than they had before. Things like keeping the tribe together, and making sure everyone was safe and fed. Of course, before the war he'd always put in more than his fair share to keep the tribe afloat, but it was all that he focused on anymore.

He'd spent the last few nights at the Outskirts, soliciting himself in exchange for supplies to bring back to his tribe. His bag was pretty full of food and other random things that people had offered. Pan was tired and he felt dirty, so on his way back he stripped and bathed himself in the river. When he had finished, he dressed himself and laid back on the long green grass of the river bank. He hummed softly to himself in a subconcious effort to make himself feel better. It was a lovely Spring day, but he still felt cold under the sun's rays.

Who: English and Open! (Probably Grey or Yeates or both)
When: Friday evening, Week 14
Where: Farm
What: English being a self loathing cripple
Rating: PG-13 for her mouth
Status: In Progress and Open


No one was happy that English was injured. English was not a happy woman to begin with and stack on that injury and pain and her not being able to do her job and she was making life a living hell for everyone involved. She wasn't supposed to be out of bed but she couldn't deal with it much longer. She had one of the kids hold the door heading out of the kitchen for her as she hobbled out of the main farm house on crutches. Her injury had scared everyone.

Calliope had been shot and went down on top of English. The massive white horse had died and everyone had thought English had went with her. It had taken hours for the battle to clear and for the others to come collect the dead. It had been then that night in the pouring down rain that had almost killed her. She had overcome the fever and everything else but it still remained she had a damn near shattered leg and might not ever walk normal again if at all.

Having your legs damaged was always a fear for a dancer and this was just another large hammer strike to bust English's already shattered dreams. She made her way into the back of the yard and began circling around the house looking at all the progress the cleaning had done. She wished she could help do something. She hated feeling useless and that was exactly what she had become. She was just dead weight to an already struggling system.

Who: Windchaser and whoever
When: Week fourteen- Tuesday
Where: The Farm
What: Resting and coping

Windchaser found herself outdoors, sitting under a tree, and dozing slightly. Even with the war over, people still needed her and now she wasn’t just the jobbing spare medic her work was never really done. There was so much damage still to deal with, and she knew there was more to heal than just the outward wounds. Her own trauma ran deep, but she kept it down, other people came first, as always, and the closest she had come to crying had been sending the letter yesterday, and in reading Wolf’s letter to her that had come earlier in the day. Thank you meant so much.

She was exhausted, for the past several weeks she had almost literally slept on her feet and when she had slept she’d been plagued by nightmares, old and new. Since she’d had time to sleep she tended to sleep in the stable with Cabello or to let herself drop outside.

Now, propped up against a tree she hoped that someone would need help, just to stop her sleeping, because she knew waking up screaming under a tree wouldn’t do much for her newfound healer rep.

Who: Wolf and Sensei
Where: The South Side Hospital area
When: Thursday afternoon
Why: A meeting between Sensei and Wolf to decide the relationship between the Wolves and the Carrion


With the true nature of Jax and his gang still hidden to Wolf, he figured that now was as good a time as any to confirm what alliances the Wolves had. Almost as soon as the Wolves had retreated from the city they'd been joined at the farm by the Carrion. Wolf and Grey had gladly taken in the newly revealed tribe. Even though the Carrion was mostly composed of younger kids, there was always more strength in numbers and it wasn't like they could leave them vulnerable to the Mountain Lions. The mystery of the city's south side had finally been revealed. Wolf had found Sensei a very agreeable person, and he had respect for him as a tribe leader.

Now that the war was over it was time for the Carrion and the Wolves to make clear to each other the exact boundaries of their relationship. Wolf knew that they had struggled with food and other things in the past, and he was willing to create an alliance with them that helped them with such things but still allowed them to remain as an independent tribe. Most of the Carrion had returned to the south side of the city to repair their home, and so that was where Wolf went in search of Sensei.

After his meeting with Grey he rode his horse straight to the hospital. Some of the younger Carrion that he'd met over the last month waved to him and one came up to pet and hold the reins of his horse when he got off. He roughed up the kid's hair and asked, "Is Sensei here?" The kid nodded and yelled for someone else to go and get Sensei.

Who: Wolf and Grey
Where: The Farm
When: Thursday morning
Why: A meeting concerning Jax's letter

As much as Wolf wanted to just stay at Libby's side, locked up in the white house, he still had leadership durites that he could not ignore. There were ungodly amounts of work that still needed to be done at the farmand in the city. Not only were the Wolves working to repair their old territory, but now they were working to help their new friends the Carrion rebuild the southern half of the city. Wolf was more or less busy from dusk until dawn and hadn't had much of a chance other than through short letters and messages, to communicate with Grey other than letting him know that Libby was back and sharing the information that she had with him. When he received the letter from Jax he decided that he had to share it with Grey as soon as possible.

He had planned to meet Sensei later in the day and so he rode to the farm first thing in the morning. Things were much better with Grey in him, in fact he was sure that they'd never been better. Somehow this second war had really brought them together, and now they had a kind of understanding with each other that they'd never really had before. It was a relief, and that tribe was much stronger for it. Wolf tethered his horse near the barn and sat down on the steps of the front porch to wait for Grey. The farm was buzzing with people trying to clean things up and rebuild. Wolf took Jax's letter from his pocket and re-read it while he waited for Grey.

( Letter delivered to Windchaser from Wolf by a younger tribe member. )

Who: Blaze and Hazard
Where: The roof of the hospital
When: Thursday late afternoon
Why: Blaze and Hazard do some catching up after the war

Blaze was exhausted to the core. The last month had been like hell on earth, with the war...and especially with the death of Tootles. It wasn't like he was particularly close to the kid, but that didn't make anything easier; in fact, in some respects it made things that much harder. During the war he'd taken any mission that the Wolves would give him, anything to take his mind off of the things that he'd seen in that alleyway.

Over the last few weeks he felt like he'd lost touch with himself, and most importantly with the people that he cared about the most - his brother and Sensei. Sensei and his relationship had become distanced, distracted and almost void of the exciting warmth that new relationships always had. He'd let so many things come in the way of him and the people that he still had. The truth was that the whole Tootles incident had left him in a cold shock. The past few years he'd managed to move past the trauma of the virus and burying his friends and family, but that day in the alley was too clear a reminder of the fragility of the life that they had in Sundance.

Since the mysterious retreat of the Mountain Lions, the Wolves had begun their work to rebuild the city. Blaze had spent every second of his waking hours repairing things, moving debris, bodies, anything that needed to be done to return some semblance of normality to their town.

It wasn't until late Thursday afternoon that he felt he couldn't go on anymore without some kind of break. He climbed to the top of the hospital that they'd called home for the last three years. When he reached the roof he laid down on the hot cement and stared up at the clouds. Eventually his vision became blurry with the tears that had built up in his eyes.

Who: Jed and Jax
When: Wednesday morning
Where: River Runner camp
Why: The men meet

The news that Gypsy was dead did not shock most, but for Jed it had been like a shot to the heart, never once had she ever seemed vulnerable but after hearing about what happened, he realised how wrong he had been.  To think of her in that trap, alone, starving, sad, confused and knowing she was going to die was enough to make Jed's eyes spring with fresh tears, tears he daren't shed in public.  Not even Silver had seen him cry though she knew he would, him and Gypsy had been through too much together for him to not feel one inch the quivering wreck he was afraid he might become.  And now with her gone he had become leader of a tribe he sometimes resented.  Sure he was all for free living but it hadn't been his idea, it had been hers, it didn't seem right to take over what she had built when he had been so laxed in helping.  But here he was the new runner leader, receiving messages from a strange new boss man taking up residence in the ML territory...one more spoilt kids ass for him to kiss, just what he needed.

What he really wanted to do was hole up with his girlfriend, hold her as tight to him as he could and thank god that she was still around.  In a way he was glad Gypsy hadn't tried to leave, that would have told him that she was unhappy, and even if no one knew it all Jed wanted to do was make Gypsy happy, afterall he owed his freedom to her, his life even.  He was eternally in her debt even long after she was gone.  Alongside his sadness lay his guilt, why hadn;'t he realised sooner, why hadn't he figured out she would never leave without her sister, why hadn't he done more?!  Why was she dead, why was she gone!  It looked like they hated one another but there was no one Jed had ever loved more.

So now he walked by the river, having abandoned his deck long ago and leaving Silver sound asleep in bed, his head still clouded full of all the million things he had to do and all the things he had to discuss with this Jax guy the thought of going back to sleep was tempting.

Who: Grey & Yeates
Where: The Farm
When: Wednesday Afternoon
Why: Cleaning up and trying to keep his mind off things he shouldn't think about

Libby had come back to the tribe more than a few days ago and she had come with an unlikely partner in Saint. Saint was someone that Grey had never liked the look of and now that he was being hailed a hero in their tribe, Grey couldn't quite look him in the eye and thank him. Luckily Wolf had been more than obliging on that count and so Grey had not had to. That combined with the information they had received on this Jax character had left Grey reeling once again. This time, however, Grey had decided to ignore it all. He had decided that there was nothing he could do and so what was the point of brewing over it.

Some might have said it was Grey turning over a new leaf, but the truth was he was just tired. The war had been a living hell especially considering that it had started when there was so much emotional turmoil between he and Wolf. Oddly enough the two were now closer than they really ever had been. It honestly was the only good thing that had come out of the war in Grey's opinion. There had been so many lost, and for what? The Mountain Lions were now no more, but it hadn't even been their doing and now there was someone new that they would have to deal with. And Grey didn't have high hopes that this guy wasn't as bad and Saint and Libby were making him out to be.

Looking over the fields Grey sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to think about it and he was determined not to. What he was determined to do was to start cleaning up what the war had left, which was mountains of debris all over the farm and the city. Looking around it looked like an unsurmountable task, but it had to be done. They had kept most of the fields clean of debris throughout the war, hell they had even managed to get in their crops. Mostly because they knew if they didn't than this war would have been for nothing at all. However the Pastures and the roads were another story. Makeshift barricades littered them, and with each barricade there was blood sweat and tears, which was in truth what made them so hard to take down.

So many good people had been lost in this war and Grey was still trying to figure out why. In truth all Grey wanted to do was sit back and say fuck it to everything political in nature. He would be more than happy to live with his makeshift and ever expanding and contracting family and just run the farm. That wasn't exactly reality though, at least it wasn't at this junction. No right now he had to be strong and clean up everything to show that they were going to get past this and that it was worth something in the end. Too bad he couldn't convince himself.

Who: Danni and ?
What: We'll see.
Where: The porch near Danni's room at the Lodge.
When: Wednesday Evening
Rating: n/a

Danni had been keeping track of the days she was spending in her room. Locked in her room was more correct, as she hadn't wanted to be near anyone, especially Jax. Every time she saw him she felt the anger boiling up, the anger and the tears. Those were the worst, she didn't want him to see her cry. He had murdered her best friends. And Ace. Her stomach rolled at the through and her eyes welled up again. She kept replaying that day in her head over and over. Ace had sought her out before he left to fight to tell her that he was leaving but would be back. She had begged him to let her go, but he said she was needed at the camp to keep everything in order. There was fear on his face and that alone told Danni things were not alright. He was trying to protect her again, but this time she wouldn't fight him. Instead, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you." she had said to him in a shaking voice. He had pulled back from her and simply put his hands on her face to look at her. Without thinking, she moved forward and kissed him fiercely. After what felt like mere seconds, he was gone. The next time she saw him was in the hands of Jax. She still had bruises on her arms from the people who held her back as she tried to stop Jax from murdering him.

These images replayed over and over in her mind. She knew she was dehydrated from all of the crying she had done, but she didn't care anymore. She'd rather dehydrate and die than spend any more time here. But she had nowhere to go. True, she could go find Ryder. But she was unsure of the safest path there. She also didn't know if he would want her. Then again, he probably thought she was dead. Word of the dead Mountain Lion leaders would surely have gotten out by now. A large part of her wished she had been killed right along with them. Sure, it was a power move and Danni was not the strongest of the four, but she knew more about the camp than the rest of them. She knew where the secret stores of food were, she knew how to fix the power supply when it went out, she was the one to fix most of the wounds the Mountain Lions had received, and the list went on. She had been the mom of the camp, the rational voice. Maybe if she had begged and pleaded with Ace, he would have stayed with her and wouldn't be dead now.

She shook her head trying to make the thoughts disappear. She needed to stop thinking that way or it would drive her crazy. She looked at her armchair and saw the things she had managed to grab from Ace's room to save of him before Jax got to it; she had some of his warmest sweatshirts, shirts that still smelled like him, pictures he had hung up in his room, and so much more. She even had his blanket from his bed on hers now.

She suddenly felt claustrophobic and needed to get out of that room fast. She put on a pair of shorts, a tank top and one of Ace's button down shirts and listened through her bedroom door. Things sounded quiet. It was possible everyone had fallen asleep. She opened her door and then locked it behind her. She made her way onto the porch and sat on the loveseat swing and looked up at the sky. She had spent so many nights out here before everything happened. This was her first time in a long time. She closed her eyes for a minute, remembering the last time she had sat out here, her head on Ace's shoulder as she started calling off the constellations. She opened her eyes and brought her knees up to her chin as the tightness began again in her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

The pain she felt was almost unbareable, but she knew this was only the beginning of her mourning and the pain she would soon feel.

Who: Peri & Jax
Where: The Winter Camp
When: Tuesday Morning
Why: Peri goes to mourn a friend, Jax goes to decide how much the Camp is worth

Walking back into the camp where she had spent more than a few winters since the virus was bittersweet. This was her and her tribe's winter home after all and though they were not the wealthiest tribe, they certainly were the tribe that enjoyed their time the most no matter where they were and how tough things got. There were many memories that could make her laugh until she cried, but now there was a lurking unseen memory haunting the Winter Camp and she knew she needed to make her peace with it.

When Gypsy had gone missing, Peri knew she was dead. It was cut and dry because if Gypsy had wanted to leave she would have taken Silver, and if she had been captured there would have been word... demands. She had been able to accept that Gypsy was dead, it had hurt, but what Peri had not taken into consideration was how Gypsy might have died. It had been the worst case scenario of how she could have; slowly, painfully, and alone. Nothing could change it, or make it right, but that hadn't helped Peri.

During the war many things had changed, least of all Shepard had left. It had been a sad departure, but one that likely had gone far better than it could have; it had been clean and simple with a quiet sadness, but nothing more. Since then Peri had been trying to find not only her own footing, but her tribes'. They had lost Moe, but thankfully a younger member had picked up the business and was keeping them in a good trading position. They had gained as new leader, who so far was doing well, but would be tested with the new Lions... or Jackals now technically having the Winter Camp. That hadn't stopped Peri from 'trespassing' this morning, but then again Peri was never worried about her own safety and now no one was around to worry for her.

Taking a deep breath she walked into the forest. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and her eyes were watering at the mere idea of where she was headed. She knew where the bear trap was, she always had as she had helped set it on many occasions.

Week Fourteen -- Monday
Who: Windchaser
Where: In the hands of a Drifter
When: Monday morning
Why: Because it needs to be said

Windchaser closed her eyes and watched the boy move out, looking for the Twin Feathers, Windchaser couldn’t bring herself to carry it to its addressee herself, but now she’d decided to stay it was something that needed to be said, even if the answer might yet break her heart.
She stood trying not to cry, she hadn’t cried in so long, been through so much and kept it in, but the war had changed her outlook, things were awful, but the bonds she had built through it had made her decide to stick with the Wolves and tribal life as a whole. She belonged here now, but she felt she owed Ryder the truth of how she had always felt.

( Letter to Ryder )

Who: Gemini and Hazard
When: midday
Where: the farm
What: fun!
OOC: Sorry for the delay!

Hazard left the Carrion and headed to the farm, which was going to take a while although he tolerated the journey every time. Spending time with Gemini was always good and this time he had a present for her. What started as a way to pass the time grew and he realized it was better to have someone in mind while making someone. It made crafting easier and while it was better if his present had a practical purpose, he figured an aesthetic gift was a nice change of pace. Hazard was serious and practical most of the time as the situation called for it, but his youth was passing before his eyes. Only five years to be a teenager remained and he hadn't goofed off like most teens... if they lived in better times.

After a while, he arrived and chose a safe path through the couple of traps he set up to the door and knocked on it. The present was behind his back because he wanted it to be a surprise. She wasn't allowed to peek! When the door finally opened, he gave her a smile. "Hey," he said. "I hope you have no plans. Today is all about fun and living it up before we get grey hair and wrinkles." Or succumb to the virus when they reached a certain age. He wanted to show her what he had made and start the couple of activities planned, but it was better not to rush things."First things first," added Hazard. "I have a present for you, but I don't know if you will like it." Girls liked flowers, right?

Who: Jax and Junk
Where: The Jackal Mountain Lion Lodge
When: Monday morning
Why: Because he has to start somewhere!

He couldn't believe that he'd been stupid enough to trust Straight and Saint with the task of killing Libby. Normally, he preferred to do his dirty work himself, but he thought that the task would be a good way to test how far the two ex-ML's would be willing to go for him. He shouldn't have trusted them so much, and had more of his men overseeing the situation. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing that the disloyalty had managed to get Straight killed. He'd had Straight's body thrown in the same place that all of the MLs and other take-over casualties had been: the open pit of the Vance Copper Mine. From what Jax knew of the area, the mine had already been used as a mass grave for virus victims and the occasional drifter that got in the way of the Mountain Lions.

He knew that if he had any chance of convincing the other tribes that he’d done them all a favor by wiping out the Mountain Lions that he’d have to be more careful. His original plan had been to kill Libby and for Jax himself to carry her body to Wolf, claiming that the Mountain Lions had gotten to her before he could save her. Of course, now that Libby and Saint were gone, that idea was out of the question. He sat down at Azrael’s desk and found some paper and a pen. It was time to send some kind of word to the leaders of the other tribes.

As much as he wanted to simply go in and finish the job that the Mountain Lions had started, his forces were not strong enough. The incident in New Haven had really given his resources a blow that would take months, at the very least, to recover. He was lucky to have Reina around to help him hold back his irrational urges. So as he sat there writing the letters he did his best to sound what his comrades would call, civil.

( “....” )

He folded the letters and stacked them at the corner of the desk, then leaned back in the chair to look around. Azrael had had things pretty good around here, he thought. The difference between himself and Azrael, Jax thought, was that he wasn’t so easily weakened by a grudge - and he always followed through on his threats.

He sighed and let his eyes close for a moment. The preparations for the take-over and the actual take over of the tribe had gone as smoothly as possible. Yet, the amount of work that they did and still had to do to restore the Mountain Lion property and power plant was a daunting task. The worst part about it was how little of his original followers he had with him. It would take lots of time to build up the force that he’d once had, and until he had more people like them, he felt like he had to be everywhere at once. Sitting there in the office was the first moment he’d had alone since they entered Sundance to take over.

Who: Wolf, Libby (Saint and Gemini want to join a little bit in??)
Where: The white house
When: Sunday late afternoon
Why: Libby returns... with a Lion!

The last six weeks had been unimaginably worse than the first conflict between the Wolves and the Lions three years earlier. Many more people had died and the Wolves had ended up trapped at the farm for weeks. Once Wolf had gotten over the initial shame of having lost the city, and smoothed over the problems between Grey and himself, everything had become all about mere survival: survival of the tribe. He'd tried leaving several times to go after Libby on his own but each time he'd been held back by others that told him he had to stay and lead the tribe.

They had been right, losing either one of the two leaders would have been a crippling blow to the tribes. The first rescue group had only been able to get to the northern border of the city before they were discovered and killed. As the weeks passed and things grew worse, the Wolves couldn't afford to risk sending anyone else on such a long and dangerous journey. When it came down to the end they could only sit at the farm and wait it out, hoping that the Lions and their army would retreat in hunger.

Something had made the Lions retreat, but Wolf wasn't quite sure what had happened. Wolf spies had returned to the farm with the news that the city had been deserted and that someone was occupying the Mountain Lion Lodge, but that it wasn't the Lions. After a long deliberation the Wolves finally decided to return to the city with a small group to clean things up and see if they could figure things out. It seemed almost too good to be true that they could take the city back so easily. Wolf knew that the drifters that the Lions had recruited had long since become unimpressed and had mostly deserted, but everything seemed sudden, and oddly quiet.

Wolf's team stayed Friday and Saturday night in town, keeping a low profile, and when Sunday came they brought more of the city members back into the town to start picking things up. The town wasn't in too bad of shape, but mostly everything had been looted, especially if it was something edible. When Wolf and his group finally made it to the apartments and the white house it was clear that the Mountain Lions' army had made their home there. Things were filthy, but still functional and mostly in one peice.

On Saturday Wolf had made a promise to himself that if things stayed quiet in town that he would go to find Libby on Sunday evening. He didn't care what the others had to say, he had to know if she was all right. He couldn't bare not knowing what had happened to her- and he feared the worst.

( On Sunday... )

Letters delivered to three tribe leaders on Monday around noon. The letters are delivered by three unfamiliar messengers who refuse to answer questions; they simply drop off the letters and then leave.

( Letter addressed to Wolf )

( Letter addressed to Jed )

( Letter addressed to Hawk and Kestral )

***OOC: Although Jax did not write to the Carrion, once Wolf makes the deal with them that they can remain autonomous, Wolf will certainly share the letter with Sensei and bring Sensei to any future leader meetings, etc. Also, Wolf will take the letter to Grey and see what he thinks.

Time Skip and Week Fourteen-- Sunday to Saturday

***OOC: Please note that all of the posts written during this week change are taking place after a six week long war. If you would like to write out an event that took place during the six weeks of the war, please post it in the history community. Please re-read the time-skip/war info and the Week Events carefully so that you know what is going on and when it is going on. Contact a mod with any questions!***

( A handy list of important events that have already happened: )

Time Skip: Fourth week in March to the last week in April.
Year: 2021

Six Week Time Skip:

In the Mountain Lions' quest for vengeance towards the Wolves and the two drifters, Libby of the Wolves is kidnapped. The Wolves are weak at the time because of the rift between the two leaders: Wolf and Grey. The Mountain Lions attack the city with their newly formed army of drifters and refuse to return Libby. The Wolves lose control over the city, under Wolf's crumbling leadership, and the survivors retreat to the farm.

Grey and Wolf are able to reconnect under the weight of the situation, and they form a strong front at the farm. Meanwhile, the Mountain Lions have taken over the city and are systematically claiming what they can. The Mountain Lion presence in the city forces the Carrion to leave the city and seek out the Wolves at the farm. Though their tribe was previously unknown, they reveal themselves in an effort to save themselves. The Wolves need all of the allies they can get and agree to take in the other tribe, but don't guarantee them any kind of autonomy — as that is something that Sensei, Wolf and Grey have to work out after the war.

The Twin Feathers are laying low and not taking sides, though their sympathies do lie with the Wolves. The River Runners have refused to join the fight, and stick mostly to their boats, though they do count a few heavy losses both in and out of the war.

As the weeks go by, there are several skirmishes resulting in losses on both sides. The Wolves turn the farm into a formidable stronghold and are virtually untouchable there. As time passes the Mountain Lions' grip on the city begins to falter. Their army had consisted mostly of food-for-hire drifters, and once the food started running out they easily turned their backs on the Mountain Lions and simply left town. The Wolves' forces were able to whittle down the remaining Mountain Lions to a rather small group but couldn't risk going too far from the farm, so they had to rely on hearsay and fighting close to the farm. They were unaware that only a handful of the Mountain Lions were left, including Azrael and his closest followers. The shortage of Mountain Lions causes the power to be out all over Sundance for weeks.

It is when the Mountain Lions are at their weakest that jaxjackal and his gang appear. Jax was the former dictator of a town called New Haven, north of Sundance. When things went wrong for him there, he was injured and had to leave the city with his handful of remaining followers. For months he has been living in the woods, gathering followers and spying on Sundance. Although he had many eyes in Sundance, the ones closest to him were Reina's. She informed him of anything and everything she could and had her girls help her with the task.

Jax was not surprised by the war between the Mountain Lions and the Wolves and knew that it would ultimately give him the opportunity to move in. Jax and his men manage to kill the guards and break into the Mountain Lion lodge. In front of the remaining Mountain Lions, Jax kills Azrael and Ace, to establish himself as the new leader of the Mountain Lions. He tells the remaining members that they must either join him or suffer the same fate as their comrades. A few people are killed because of this, some choose to remain, and a couple of others escape.


Month: First Week in May, Sunday to Saturday
Year: 2021

Week Fourteen - Current Game:

Jax quickly gains control of the Mountain Lion assets and has the electricity restored to the area. Although he's even more of a tyrant than Azrael ever was, after killing the ML leaders and establishing his control over the tribe, he presents himself as a peacemaker — for now. The majority of the people living in Sundance know nothing about him. It is also currently unknown to everyone that Reina is his right-hand lady in the whole thing.

With the city having been quiet for awhile, the Wolves send people in to clean things up and hopefully take back what was once theirs. Libby returns to the Wolves with the help of Saint, and they report what has happened to the Mountain Lion leaders and the rest of the tribe. Rumors fly, but all is quiet from the North of Sundance...

Until Monday brings unfamiliar messengers, men that Jax brought with him to town, who deliver individual messages to the leader(s) of each tribe.

And so the story continues....


Week Events:


Sunday: The power comes back on as stable as it was before the war and Libby returns to the Wolves with Saint.

Monday: Members of the Jackals deliver personal notes from Jax to each of the tribe leaders.

Wednesday: The Wolves are finally able to bury those that were lost in the war and they hold a service in a southern field on the farm property.

Thursday: The Carrion finalize their deal with the Wolves and help in the effort to rebuild the city.

All Week: The tribes are just starting to breathe again now that the war is over, but with a new tribe in town negotiations have to be made and people are still on edge. This week people will be burying the dead and re-building what was lost.


Citizen Birthdays:

None

Week Weather:

Sunday : Overcast High: 69 Low: 45
Monday: Scattered clouds and a light breeze: 69 F Low: 43 F
Tuesday: Clear and windy High: 71 F Low: 58 F
Wednesday: Clear and breezy High: 70 Low: 51 F
Thursday: Clear and calm High: 70 F Low: 56 F
Friday: Clear High: 68 F Low: 55 F
Saturday: Scattered clouds, mostly sunny High: 69 Low: 57

Week Thirteen
Who: Reina (Open to anyone)
What: Pleasure reading and enjoying nature
When: Sunday around noon
Where: Along the Belle Fourche
Rating: TBD

Sundays were free days for all of the girls at the Palace. Whatever they wanted to do with their time was their business, and Reina enjoyed the time to get out herself for some time away from all the estrogen. Today she had slept in until 11, got up, hopped in the shower, and slipped into a cotton dress. She strolled down to the kitchen and packed a small lunch. She slipped the food along with her favorite novel into her purse and set out for a secluded little nook on the river. She went there almost every Sunday for a little quiet. As much as she loved talking and hanging out with her girls, she needed a little time to herself.

She stepped out of the door and set off down the street. It was about a 30 minute walk to the river, and another 5 to scramble through the brush to her perfect hideaway. She walked down the street contentedly breathing in the free air. She got to the river and set off through the brush to get to her spot. After scrambling through, she settled down against a large rock and opened her bag. She took out a sandwich and the book, Her Montana Man, a romance novel. She leaned her back against the rock, opened the book and bit into the sandwich as she began immersing herself in the book. How she loved her cowboys…

Bad Experiences Stay with You...
Who: Gemini (open to Libby or anyone who hears Gem's screams, otherwise a Narrative)
What: Seeing all the men at the St. Patty's party triggered nightmares.
When: Saturday, late at night
Where: Gemini's Room at the white house.
Rating: R (Violence)

Gemini could hear the rough laughter of the men running behind her, hear each of the eight or ten feet that pounded through the shadow of Jacobs Hill. Legs burning, pain branching through her side, she pushed frantically forward through the dark trying in vain to put some distance between herself and her pursuers. But she could feel them gaining ground- could feel one man's breath almost on the back of her neck and her fingers grappling for the tendrils of her hair that the wind flew out behind her. Each time those large, fat fingers gained purchase, the wrenched her head forward, avoiding capture for a few blessed seconds. But she was losing speed. She had been running for what seemed like ages at the fastest pace and longest stride she could muster from her tired and under-nourished limbs. She cried out as her boot caught an unseen root- stumbling and faltering- just long enough for those vile hands to fist in her tangled and dirty hair and wrench her backwards, seemingly separating her scalp from her skull.

With a thud and a shriek, Gemini landed on her back in the wet leaves, her eyes blurring with tears, clouding the stars out of the dark, night sky. Her screams were not likely to be heard, not with that huge, brutal-looking man crushing his hand over her throat, closing it off just enough to make her gasp and whimper instead of cry out. She could feel the vibrations of his laughter as he called to his friends and seven shadows blocked out the light of the moon above her.

"Please-" The hand closed a little tighter, cutting off her breath as cold metal cut through the fabric of her jeans. Writhing and twisting, clawing at the hands that were trying to restrain her, Gemini fought against the brutes with pure animal instinct, forgetting all of the things her father had taught her as she panicked. She felt bile rise in her parched throat as hands grabbed at her, bruising and battering in their search for demented pleasure. She had to get them off, had to get away. Where was Callum? Where was her rucksack? Her knives? She couldn't reach the leather braid at her wrist, couldn't untie it and bring it around any throats. She couldn't do anything but scream as the hand left her throat to wrench apart her legs-

With a scream that echoed through the dark of the house, Gemini shot forward off of her sweat drenched pillow, stumbling out of her bed and throwing herself to the cool floor in the corner of the room. She clutched her knees to her chest, pulling her whites sleep-shirt over her legs to cover as much of her skin as possible as she sobbed into her folded arms. She hadn't been raped, had managed to escape that night in Colorado, but the nightmare had brought back ever detail, the smell of those filthy men, the cool air of the night as it chilled her sweating skin, the absence of Callum at her side...

In the back corner of her mind, Gemini registered that large lupine body edging closer to her, knowing that she needed him but that she would scream if anyone or anything touched her at the moment. She was panicking again, remembering every man that had every tried to gain favors for food or supplies over those wandering years. Remembering the face of each man that had been at the trading post earlier that night. She would have to learn to control her fear of men...Especially since she would be interacting with so many in this town... But for now, she let the panic take over and the sobs wrench from her chest.