Devil's Tower

Who: Jax and invited leaders/associates (Wolf, Grey, Jed, Sensei, Hawk and Kestral)
Where: Waffle House on Highway 14 at the intersection of Wolf and TF territory
When: Sunset
Why: Because deception is fun!

It had been difficult to decide on a location for the meeting. Jax wanted something that was at once neutral for everyone, but at the same time, compromising on his part. He wanted to show the other tribes that he was not afraid to be around them with no weapons. It was a demonstration in sincerity, even though in truth there was not an ounce of sincerity about the whole thing. In the end he chose the Waffle House on the highway because it was in a kind of no-man's land, but also sandwiched right between Wolf and Twin Feather turf.

In his letter he'd specified that each leader only bring one companion and that everyone came without weapons. The first specification he'd honored by choosing to only bring Lawliss along with him. Lawliss was always good at keeping Jax in check and he was the best person to have on your side should the need for close hand to hand combat arise. However, when it came to the second specification Jax broke his own rules. He always had his switch blade with him no matter what and so even as he sat on the bar of the Waffle House awaiting the other leaders, it was tucked safely inside his boot.

Thankfully enough of the lightbulbs still worked in the restaurant for them to see by. It was only a matter of time before the first leader would arrive. Jax wasn't nervous, he was trained extensively for this sort of thing. "Lawliss, my friend, are you ready?"


((OOC: Tag to Lawliss first, and then anyone can jump in as they see fit!))

Identical letters delivered to all the tribe leaders on Sunday by the same messenger who delivered the first letters.

( Dear Friend... )

WHO: Hawk and Ruby
WHAT: They run into each other around the gardens
WHERE: The Gardens
WHEN: Afternoon
RATING: PG for mention of stitches?
STATUS: Incomplete // Closed

( She was up in the clouds )

Who: Hawk and Bear
What: Hawk's freaking out about Nova's safety
When: Later afternoon
Where: Bear's place
Rating: PG-13 (Hawk and Bear are potty-mouths)
Status: In Progress

( Read more... )

Who: Hawk and Nova
What: Discussing names
When: Late morning/early noon
Where: In their love nest
Rating: PG
Status: In Progress

( Read more... )

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.

Who: Libby, Gemini, Nova, and Hawk
What: Just checking up on the preggers lady
When: Late afternoon-ish
Where: Hawk and Nova's tree house
Rating: PG-13 (Libby's mouth again; just minor threatening of Hawk's manhood though)
Status: closed

After bugging Marmie, Libby dragged Gemini along to check in on Nova. It had been incredibly too long since she had seen the girl. Nova had already left to live at the farm when Libby returned to Sundance, and somehow she had missed her again when Nova came to visit Wolf recently to tell him the news. Her body trembled with nervous energy; Nova was pretty much her sister as well, and Libby could hardly contain her excitement at getting to see her again. How much had the young woman changed in the four months they had been separated?

The horses were thankful that they had dropped of the text books and other supplies at the school house; it made their trip to the canopy much easier and smoother. They finally came to rest under the tall tree Hawk's house sat it, and proceeded up the latter after she got off the horse and secured it to a post.

"Pretty impressive, no?" she asked Gemini, signaling for her to follow.

When she reached the deck, Libby turned to give her sister a hand up and then knocked on the door of the tree house. "Hawk! Open the door!" She called without much ceremony. "You let us see the pregnant girl, and I'll let you keep your testicles in tact," she added with a sardonic grin. It was nice to slip into her old, femi-nazi ways from time to time.

Who: Hawk and Kestral
What: A long overdue heart-to-heart
When: Afternoon
Where: Twin Feather territory
Rating: PG?

It had been far too long since Hawk had a chance to talk with his sister. Especially after Nova discovered that she was pregnant. That girl had him hopping all over the place trying to keep her content and comfortable, which was near impossible thanks to her crazy mood swings. But today Hawk had managed to drag himself away temporarily to get a small taste of his old life. He wondered around the general area, breathing in the cool, spring air and enjoying the warm sun beaming down on him from between the tree limbs.

"Hey, Kes," he greeted warmly once he spotted his sister, though there was a touch of sheepishness to his voice. "I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot..." When it came to the leadership gig, Kestral was the brains of the outfit; Hawk was just the supporting brawn, so he never worried too much about trying to keep up with his "duties" as a co-leader. The Twin Feathers were a pretty relaxed group and needed very little leader intervention, for the most part. But he felt guilty for seemingly dumping all the responsibility on his sister for the last couple of months just because he accidentally got a girl knocked up.

Who: Nova and Hawk
What: Nova's told Wolf about the baby, and Hawk fears for his life
Where: Hawk's treehouse
When: Late afternoon?
Rating: PG-13 (again for Hawk's potty mouth)

Hawk paced the length of his house tensely, an activity that had taken up much of his time since Nova had left on Saturday. Pre-Nova Hawk would have been out and about on this fine spring day, probably helping out in the gardens or just lazing about by the Belle Fourche River generally not giving a damn. It was not that he was a selfish person; he just preferred to not let things get to him. Instead of freaking out, Hawk's natural response was to shrug his shoulders, say, "Whatever, dude," to the world, and trust that things would work themselves out.

Now, Hawk had Nova in his life, a reason to care, and it was not just because she was pregnant. He actually loved a human being aside from his sister, and who could say why? Maybe it was all of her quirky and adorable facial expressions, or the way she scrunched up her nose when she laughed. Or how her cute, petite form fit so perfectly against him, and the way her tussled hair fell over her eyes. Perhaps it was the way her lips twitch when she sleeps, or the way her blue eyes can sparkle with love one minute and then blaze with a fiery hatred the next. And he actually tolerated all of her mood swings; he did not walk out in frustration and leave her to fend for herself.

Hawk buried his face in his hands with a groan. That hormonal pregnant mess of a girl had him wrapped so tightly around her finger; he did anything he could to keep her content. Though a bit of that motivation came from the knowledge that her brother would probably have him star in the next Mountain Lion cage fight if Hawk did anything less than make Nova happy. Then again, Wolf just might kill him anyway.

Hawk and Nova had battled back and forth for a while over the issue of telling Wolf about the baby. They both agreed that he needed to know sooner or later, though Hawk was not too crazy about Nova facing her brother on her own. Shouldn't Hawk at least be with her for emotional support, and to show Wolf that he is going to take his new responsibility seriously? But Nova had insisted that she go alone, knowing that Hawk's presence would only further enrage Wolf and not help the situation at all.

So here he was, stuck in his own house feeling much like a caged animal and awaiting the final verdict.

Who: Hawk and [open!]
What: Twin Feathers Christmas Cookout
When: Afternoon
Where: Twin Feathers Pavilion
Rating: PG-13 for alcohol references
Status: Incomplete

Hawk had been rather psyched about the Christmas party. After much planning and running around, he had finally collected Nova's things from where she had been staying at the farm with the help of Libby and another tribe member. Her suitcase had been hidden in his closet, and he would present it to her later this evening once the activities had died down. It was a rather cheap present, but Hawk was awfully proud of himself, especially since he had managed to do it without Wolf knowing.

The week with Nova had been amazing in its own special way. As far as sleeping arrangements went, he had offered to give her the bed and he would sleep on his giant bean bag, but she would have none of it. It was entirely too cold to be sleeping a long, and besides, Hawk needed to be there to protect her from the spook-a-boos lurking under the bed. So she had been sleeping in his bed with him the entire time and not once had they done anything beyond cuddling. Though, there had been that one night when he just kind of kissed her good night on her cheek. It was not out of habit, just an impulse that he acted on without really thinking. What he thought as something simple turned into a big deal when she blushed so deeply at his action and tried to find excuses to get away. After reminding her about the cold weather, the scary monsters, and his general desire to not have to rescue her again, she calmed down.

To tell the truth, Hawk was beginning to lose his cool hold on things. Nova's situation resided outside his normal practice when it came to women. Usually, when they stayed the night in his bed, it really was not for the purpose of sleeping. But Nova had a certain innocence about her, and it made him feel just dirty thinking about forcing her to sleep with him. Which is why he was super excited about the Christmas party. Parties usually meant some form of alcohol, and hopefully Nova would consume some of this alcohol and loosen up, so it would only take a little persuasion. That and every one seemed more relaxed than they had been the last couple of days. Everyone was gathered together, laughing, having fun, and enjoying each other's company.

Most leaders would make some kind of speech, something about holiday cheer and keeping up the good work. But Hawk had never been the speech-making type, that and his stomach was rumbling, so he set out to grab food and something to drink. Crossing his arms over his chest, hugging his coat closer around him, he made his way around the pavilion, checking out the delicious home-grown, home-made food prepared.

Who: Nova and Hawk.
What: Wake-up call.
When: Early morning.
Where: Hawk's treehouse.
Rating: TBD!

She was warm. Most of the time that wasn't something that she noticed, but Nova seemed to recall having been very, very cold. It was a vauge sort of memory, one that didn't include a when or how or why. Just enough to make her vaugley surprised that she was warm. Not that she minded the warm, not even a little. With a small yawn, she snuggled deeper in to the blankets that were wrapped around her. Apparently, she'd been asleep as well. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep. Maybe it had all been a dream? Hmm. Yes, that must be it. A dream. And in that dream, she'd been surrounded by falling snow, lost in an endless field of white. She shivered, remembering. Winter had finally started to get to her, she supposed, if she were dreaming of the constant snowfall.

Not especially wanting to think about it, she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

That was when it hit her. Everything smelled....different. The blankets, and pillow. Everything. Not like Otter's bed, where she had been staying, and certainly not like her own room in Sundance. Nova took another deep breath. No, the scent was definately new. She didn't open her eyes, but her eyebrows creased together. Her tired brain couldn't put the pieces together. Not that she had a whole lot of pieces. Nova wasn't even sure what day it was.

Why couldn't she remember anything? Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to concentrate. What was the last thing she could remember? The snow. That was important. Maybe it wasn't a dream. But she couldn't think of any reason why it wouldn't be. The second that her fleeting thoughts brushed on Otter, there was a quick, painful jolt to her heart. He'd told her he didn't want to be with her, couldn't be with her. That quick shock of hurt and resentment made her dizzy, but it also served to wake her up. That memory was clear enough. It was after that that things started to go all fuzzy.

That was when something moved. Something that was very close by. Nova flipped over quickly, her eyes flying open. At first, she couldn't see anything at all. Pushing away a heavy curtain of hair, she frowned up at the ceiling. That definately wasn't her ceiling. Catching a glimpse of the top of her shirt, she realized that that wasn't hers either. Confused, and more than a little freaked out, she stretched out a hand toward a large lump in the blankets. And choked back a scream whenever she realized that it, too, was warm.

Who: Nova/Hawk
What: Getting lost…then getting found.
When: Afternoon.
Where: Somewhere outside Sundance. Nova got really lost.
Rating: PG-13 (Hawk has a potty mouth...)

She’d made a whole hell of a lot of bad decisions in her life, but this one topped it. No other choice had left her so very screwed. It had been nearly an hour since she’d passed a landmark that she recognized. Now, all she could see was a wide expanse of blinding white, the horizon made hazy by the light snow fall. Looking back, she could see the meandering trail of her footsteps, cutting through several feet of snow. She should have been to town by now. As it was, she wasn’t even sure that she was heading toward town.

It had been stupid of her to leave, but she couldn’t stay. Wouldn’t stay, not after that. Had he forgotten that she’d given up the only life she knew to be with him? Did it not matter to him everything that she’d done so that they could spend the winter months together? No, the only thing that Otter could think of now was how Wolf was going to take it. They couldn’t be together, he said, not if the tribe was going to suffer for it. They’d argued, bitterly, before Nova had stormed out. Probably not the most mature way to deal with it, but it had been all that she could think to do. Otter didn’t want her, and Wolf had told her never to come back. Where did that leave her?

In the middle of damn nowhere, that’s where it left her. Under several feet of snow, even the road, and the river, were reduced to an indistinguishable white mass. Something under that mass caught her foot, taking her to her knees. With little time to prepare for her departure, she wasn’t dressed for a long walk in that weather. Pushing herself to her feet, she thought about turning around. The snow had started to fall harder, though nowhere near as heavy as it had all week. Which meant that her trail was probably covered by now. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she stumbled forward a few more steps. She should have waited, yet she didn’t think she’d be able to stay in that house. Saying that he’d broken her heart sounded sort of dramatic, but she couldn’t help but think that it was true. Between what he’d said to her that morning, and the things her brother had told her when she left, Nova felt so shitty that she didn’t think she’d ever recover. Pushing through the snow, she blinked back even more tears. It didn’t feel like anybody cared what happened to her. Maybe it would be for the best if she just lost out here in the snow.

When she went down the next time, she couldn’t find the energy to push herself back to her feet. How long had she been wandering around? She peered blearily upward, but couldn’t see the sun through the clouds. There was a good chance that the sun was about to go down. Closing her eyes, she wondered briefly if she’d make it through the night, after the temperature started to drop even more.

[SUPER SHORT AND COMPLETE!]

Who: Hawk
What: Narrative
When: Friday Afternoon
Where: Twin Feather Territory

Living in a tree house had its perks. For the most part, a tree house resident was kept high off the ground away from potential predators. The altitude also proved to be useful during the summer, when the dwellers could enjoy a nice breeze that might otherwise have been muted on the forest floor. However, in the winter, those cool breezes became frigid gusts which caused the tree houses to sway. It was for this reason Hawk had retreated to the slightly less cold forest floor. Here, most of the rain and sleet had been blocked out by leaves or the houses higher up. The small awning Hawk had constructed into the side of the tree protected him from renegade precipitation. It was slightly more difficult to get a fire going as most of the twigs and small branches in the area were damp, but once the fire was started, the dry firewood the tribe had stored up kept it going.

So here he was, huddled under layers of blankets, away from the majority of his tribe congregated together in the houses above, and contemplating the events of the week - mostly the earthquake. True, it might have been warming in a room with a bunch a people rather than outside by himself, but he wanted (a possibly needed) some time to himself. The ground moving underneath one's own feet was enough to rattle even Hawk's cool nerves. And then there had been that sickening sound of hundreds of wood planks snapping like twigs as they plummeted to the ground, much like a bug smashing into the windshield of a speeding car... There were few things that could actually make Hawk care; the ground shaking and houses falling from the sky were a few of those things.

Once the shaking had subsided, a roll had been called to make sure everyone was alive and well. Luckily, no one had been in the tree house (or foolishly standing under it) when it had collapsed. It seemed that most of the tribe's damage was psychological, but there was little time for shock or pity parties. With the weather growing colder and possible rain to come, Hawk launched his tribe into a nice group project to replace the fallen tree house. It kept minds off of potential tragedy and brightened spirits with camaraderie. The Twin Feathers was a self-sufficient tribe, and Hawk would be damned before letting some earthquake stand in their way.

Who: Ruby and Hawk
What: Ruby's starting to head back from the gardens
Where: In between the gardens and the Feathers' main camp
When: Mid-afternoon
Rating: TBD

As the medic for the tribe, Ruby didn't always have a whole host of things to do. Sure, taking care of Tink did keep her busy, almost like a mother was busy taking care of her child. But other than that, she didn't have many other things to fill her day. She tried to help others in the Feathers out when they needed it, like watching the younger ones to helping to patch up old clothes using her mother's old sweing kit. And then there were just those days when she felt like going out to the gardens. If not to work, then just for a change of scenery from the inside of the treehouses. Today, incidentally, seemed to be one of those days. Tink was off with some of the younger members of the Feathers, so a walk to the gardens seemed perfectly in order.

Now, most of her clothes that she still had were clothes from her teen years that by some miracle still fit. Today, since most of the clothes she normally wore had yet to be cleaned, she was wearing a pair of slightly tight low rise jeans that were faded from the sun and a fitted white t-shirt with a red rose printed on the front. Though casual, anyone with a mind could tell the outfit had originally bought to play up her slender figure. That wasn't why she wore them nowadays, but for someone who didn't know her well, they could very well think otherwise.

It never seemed like a long walk to get to the gardens. Once there, though, it seemed that the people already there didn't need her help. Not wanting to be a bother, she just took to wandering around the gardens, giving a polite 'hello' to anyone she happened to pass. It was easy to spend the whole day doing so, but toward the middle of the afternoon it was starting to get warm. She expected that Tink would be back soon, so she started to head back towards the main camp.

Though, in her mind, she thought about how beautiful a day it was and partially wanted an excuse to linger outside before having to go back and deal with an overenergized nine year old.

Who: Ryder and Hawk
Where: Just outside the Twin Feathers' main camp
When: Saturday night till early Sunday morning
Why: Party!

Ryder had spent the day teaching Gypsy to ride. He’d had fun but by the time she left he was ready to just totally unwind. He was still horribly sore from the events of the past week, and he mentally cursed the day that it dared to rain again. Hopefully his little cabin was fortified enough after all he had done to repair it this time. Hawk and him had made plans to meet at their usual spot just outside the main camp of their territory.

Ryder walked to the main camp to enjoy the warm weather and give Rose a break. It was a decent walk from where he lived, perhaps 30 minutes at the most. He didn’t mind the exercise though, even if his satchel was weighed down with two bottle of fresh moonshine he’d traded for the other day. By the time he’d arrived in the main camp it was already dark and the campfires that dotted the area were lit. Ryder waved and passed polite words to some of the other Twin Feathers that greeted him as he walked by them.

He found the usual place that they hung out and sat the bottle of moonshine on the ground next to the log he would use as a seat. After that he busied himself in an attempt to start the fire, something he’d never been good at, while he waited for Hawk to show up.

Who: Wolf and everyone else that’s at the Halloween party
Where: The Trading Post
When: Halloween late afternoon and into the night
Why: The Wolves are hosting a Halloween party to boost morale

***OOC: Every post that has to do with the Halloween party is to be posted here as a comment to this post. Please put the recipient of your comment in the subject line of your comment. For example, if you’re writing to Zalen, comment on this post and put To Zalen in the subject of your comment. Your comment can also be labeled as Open. If you have questions please contact a mod or another mun that’s online. Also, since it is a party, feel free to jump into someone’s thread. Though you may want to contact the players involved in it first.***


Wolf spent the morning riding along the river in the Mustang’s territory. He often took day-long rides when something was on his mind. This morning that something was the death of a young drifter at the hands of the Mountain Lions. The entire incident had sent such shockwaves through the city that he’d considered cancelling the party. However, after much thought he’d decided to have it anyway. It would be the perfect opportunity for him to make a statement to the Mountain Lions, and the entire community. Of course the Mountain Lions were not invited but he was not stupid enough to believe that at least one of them, or someone working for them, would not be there. That was precisely the reason he was having the party on such neutral grounds to begin with.

He understood the point the Mountain Lions were trying to make by killing the boy. However, he did not agree with the Mountain Lions’ actions. He knew all too well that they could go to extremes, but something so brutal as burning someone alive was still shocking. He had to think of a way of letting them know, subtly, that the Wolves would not stand for such extreme forms of so called ‘justice’, and he had the perfect plan in mind.

In this new world it was every man for himself, whether that man was a tribe member or not. A tribe could be cohesive as humanly possible, but there would still be that underlying drive that brought all the members together in the first place. The selfish drive to stay alive, to do whatever it takes to keep yourself alive and yourself only. Wolf liked to think that he was above that base, animalistic and selfish instinct. Yet, like so many things Wolf tried not to be, even he could not escape that inalienable human-animal instinct.

( Continued )