Devil's Tower

Who: Gem, Libby, Saint, and Wolf?
What: Arguments about Gem's shop.
When: Tuesday mid-morning, breakfast time.
Where: The White House
Rating: PG. Mayhap some yelling, cussing, and foot stomping?
Status: In Progress

Gem woke slowly, feeling relieved and elated for a change. The past few days had been damn near pleasant. There was tension of course. It wasn't easy to have a "Lion" in the midst of the Wolves. Saint hadn't been in contact with too many people yet. Gem wasn't even sure Wolf wanted it to be common knowledge that he was here. But Gem was the happiest she'd been in a really long time. Her sister was safe, so was her man, and the house was beginning to take on the appearance of a home again. Not having much else to do, Gem had been cleaning as much as she could, repairing what could be repaired and tossing out what couldn't be salvaged. A lot of the house had been torn to shreds, as if someone was looking for something in every pillow and behind every picture frame. But with some glue and thread, Gem had managed to pull things together for the most part. She'd mad a run to the farm, with an escort of course, to get supplies that had been looted from the house. Thank goodness they'd gotten food on that supply run. She was in the mood to make breakfast.

Stretching cat-like in her bed, Gem sat up and straightened the long white t-shirt she'd slept in. Nova's- Her room (she was beginning to feel as is she belonged there) had been left relatively unharmed and most of her clothes had been with her at the farm, thank goodness. And her favorite pair of knee-high socks had been left in the top drawer of the dresser. The soft grey wool had been woven into the shape of socks by her mother and she had kept careful track of them through all her travels. After slipping them on and up over her knees, Gem crawled out of bed and leaned over Callum, pattin his head until he roused.

"Come on, you big lug. Let's go make breakfast." He followed her as she tiptoed down the stairs, his nails clicking lightly on the scarred hardwood floor. The kitchen was empty, sort of bare but clean at least. And they'd managed to get some spare dishes and cookware from the farm. Enough, at least, for Gem to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. She got to work, humming an old Scottish hymn under her breath as she mixed dough together on the counter and let bacon sizzle in it's pan. As Callum settled in under the table, scents wafted through the house with her bell-toned song. People would be waking up soon. Hopefully breakfast would make them a bit more willing to listen to her plea. It was about time she set up her shop.

Who: Peri, Wolf and eventually Libby
When: Thursday Morning at 2 AM
Where: Wolves Headquarters in Wolf's Bedroom
What: Peri comes to say goodbye, and doesn't care about the consequences
Rating: Likely not PG will give a full rating later


It had been a couple of weeks since the war that had taken over Sundance had ended. Those weeks had been tense ones as there was nothing but questions left within these city limits. After having heard a good description of the Jackals leader known as Jax, Peri was fairly sure that he was in fact the person she had met out by the Winter Camp. She had not told anyone in her tribe, but she knew very well that she had said nothing that would compromise her beloved brethren. In fact it seemed as if they were going to be taken care of, though Peri had warned that things that looked too good were.

The River Runners were not a trusting tribe though, so they were already making alternate arrangements... just in case things didn't work out of course. She felt content in the fact that the Runners would be fine and she had left a letter at Jed's boat explaining her whereabouts. She didn't doubt that Jed wasn't going to like it, but she also knew that he wouldn't look for her because there was no point. Peri had one of the lightest house boats and it generally was quick on the water, so with a head start she would be out of reach by the time he got it in the morning.

The letter had told Jed what Peri had known was coming for quite some time, and that was that she needed a change of pace, and new faces. Life in Sundance had become something routine rather than exciting, and that had started to make her feel dead inside. Something that she likely was. She needed to feel like she was free again and that she needed to do things in order to survive. Something to make her heart race and her entire life seem worthwhile. As it had been a long time since Peri had feared death, the idea of going in over her head didn't scare her. In fact it excited her in a way that she had not felt in quite some time.

There was only one person that she needed to say goodbye to face to face, and she had no doubts that he was not going to like any of it. In fact she was prepared for quite a fight on several levels. After all they were not really friends in the first place, and even through that she didn't think he was going to be okay with her venturing out on her own in the end. It didn't matter though, because it had been along time since she really cared what he wanted and her mind was set on a new life.

So in the middle of the night after the meeting between the leaders of the tribes had occurred, and on the only night she knew that Libby would not be with Wolf in his bed, she docked her boat for the last time on the pier nearest to the Wolves Headquarters and strayed onto the docks in one of her usual ethereal outfits that made her look more like nymph than human. In an outfit that was so Peri but still retained Allison with it's white lace bodice and floating translucent cotton wisps of white floating out from it, she had come to bid the only love of Allison's life a firwell.

There was no doubt that she stood out even this late at night, but she knew her way around the compound well and quickly enough she found herself past the person who was suppose to be guarding the door. He had been sound asleep, so her lithe form had merely slid in through the front door rather than having to obtain entry through one of the windows that she had one previous occasions made sure she could open from either side.

Slipping down the darken hallways she closed her eyes and let her memories guide her up the stairs and around the corners until she was at the door she had so many memories of standing before or leaving from. Good and bad what was between Peri and Wolf, as well as what had been between Allison and Brent, was what it was never ending... at least in Peri's mind. He was everything to her, but she would never be with him and that was just where she had always stood since the virus had taken away everything from her including Allison and with it any ability to see Brent as anything but a past that was dead.

Catching her breath, she opened the door, fully expecting to see him jump up and scream at her to get out, though she wasn't going to obey him no mattered what he wanted. Not that she really ever had, but tonight she had her peace to make and her farewell to give and she was going to do it whether Wolf liked that or not. She was happily surprised to find him asleep in bed when her eyes finally caught sight of him. Walking over, she sat down beside him waiting a moment to wake him as she let the last part of Allison in her caress what was left of Brent in front her her with her eyes.

After the moment had gone, she leaned down and spoke in to his ear, "Time to get up now Brent..." Sitting up, she awaited his reaction, acknowledging that this might not be pretty at all and fully expecting a war, though she held hope that this might just be easy and quick and painless for the both of them. That was not a likely story though

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... )

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.

Who: Shadow and Libby
What: Chatting?
When: Thursday afternoon
Where: The Library

It was a cloudy day, but it was warm, and at least it wasn't raining. Since Shadow had decided to venture out again, she'd though it might. Somehow she just didn't have the best luck with the weather. It had been incredibly nice though and she'd enjoyed the short walk from the apartments to the library. She was starting to believe that maybe spring really was here at last, summer no longer a distant and elusive dream but a promise just on the horizon.

She had some time to spare so she was planning to spend a couple hours hunting through the library. Gradually she was hunting down and studying every medical book she could find, from the simplest first aid manuals to dense textbooks that she barely understood sometimes. The medical journals were often of the most practical use, so that's where she was going to start her search today. After that she might poke around for a good novel too. It had been too long since she last picked up anything new and fun to read.

Shadow had an ulterior motive for visiting the library as well. She was hoping to run into Libby. They didn't get to talk all that often, considering how close together they lived, but Shadow enjoyed spending time with Libby. After returning from her wanderings the librarian had a perspective on things that was very similar to Shadow's own, and they both seemed to understand the art of silence just as well as the art of conversation, not something that was all that common. Since meeting Libby's half-sister, Gemini, earlier in the week, she was interested to hear how that was going and to hear her side of things.

Entering the library, Shadow peered around, the same way she always did, amazed and grateful that this repository of knowledge was still standing. The farm and the power plant were great, but this might actually be the town's greatest treasure.

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: Libby, Gemini, and Marmie
What: Delivering school supplies
When: Afternoon
Where: Twin Feather territory
Rating: I really don't see this going beyond G (for once :-P )
Status: Incomplete

Wolf had opted to stay out of this little venture; Libby could not blame him much. After his fight with Grey last week, it was probably for the best that he stay away from the guy responsible for getting his younger sister pregnant. So she left Wolf to his duties and ventured out to the house he had converted into a stable to get two horses for the journey; she needed something to carry all the text books she was loaning to Marmie for the school, and Libby did not care to walk in the rain. Riding would make it a much fast trip.

After she and Gemini had stopped at the library to load the necessary supplies in the saddle bags, they set off at a canter for Twin Feather territory. Libby had pulled the drawstrings of her hood fairly tight to keep the wind from knocking it off. It had only been raining lightly that day, but she still would have preferred to stay as dry as possible.

When they finally entered Twin Feather territory, Libby had to ask what few people were out in the dreary weather for directions to the old storage cabin Marmie had transformed into a school house. Before long, the half-sisters were trotting up to the school. Libby dismounted and tied the horse to a post stuck in the ground before she walked up to the door a knocked.

"Marmie? It's me, Libby," she called through the door. "I brought a few things for you."

Who: Libby and Gemini (and Wolf gets dragged in later on once more :-P )
What: Time for some bonding
When: Morning
Where: House kitchen
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete

Libby rolled over in bed, fighting to go back asleep. A light rain pattered against her window. She flipped again, this time bringing her pillow over to cover her head as some kind of shield against the world. Oh, evil, vile, spiteful morning, she snarled to herself. Resistance was futile. Her brain was already alert, active, and could have cared less what her body preferred to do. She released a heavy sigh, tinged with a growl, into her pillow before tossing it aside. She would pick it up later.

Her feet slid off the bed, and the rest of her body followed suit until she stood, wobbling beside her bed. She trudged to her shut bedroom door in her bright orange socks, not bothering to fix her wild mess of a mane. She had not taken it out of a pony-tail before she had gone to sleep, so it was sure to look like an odd, poofy mess. Glancing down at her baggy gray t-shirt and Easter egg blue pajama pants, Libby decided she appeared decent enough and continued on to the kitchen.

She plopped down into a chair at the table and stared at the bowl of apples at the center. Libby was not much of a breakfast eater; her stomach just never seemed all that awake and ready to receive food in the morning. But she took an apple from the bowl anyway and began nibbling at it absentmindedly as she stared out the kitchen window at the raindrops falling from the fresh leaves on the trees.

Who: Wolf and Libby
What: Wolf gets the rest of the story.
When: Monday
Where: Libby's bedroom in the white house.

Wolf had been surprised when Libby came home on Saturday with her half-sister. He knew bits and pieces of her familial past, but family had always been a touchy subject with Libby. He’d shared with her pretty much everything about his parents and the life he used to have and the life he probably would have had if the virus hadn’t reared it’s ugly head. Yet Wolf was not ignorant, he knew that he’d had a more privileged and well-adjusted childhood than most people and that was why he didn’t mind talking about the past, there was nothing painful or tangled in the way of his family history.

He’d left everything well enough alone on Sunday, and when Monday morning came around he was still waiting for Libby to come to him. He’d checked in on Gemini once but for the most part he’d avoided her. It wasn’t that he had anything against the girl, but she reminded him so much of Nova; she was staying in Nova’s room even. The pain of that loss, or rather shift in relationships, was something that was still all too fresh in his mind.

He rolled out of bed a little after dawn, having slept in later than usual from the sun being buried behind storm clouds. He opened his curtains to see that the rain was coming down even harder and the wind had picked up. The swings in the backyard below were struggling against their chains. He slipped on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt to take some of the morning chill off. As he walked down the hall he peaked quietly into Libby’s room and didn’t see her move, only heard the soft shallow breath of sleep. He padded down the stairs and into the kitchen to make some tea. He didn’t really like the stuff but he knew Libby did.

When he was done there he walked cautiously back up the stairs with the steaming cups and nudged Libby’s door open with his foot, before doing the same thing to close it behind him. He sat both cups on the nightstand and laid down behind Libby to brush the hair from her face and kiss her temples. “Hey, good morning…”

Who: Gemini, Callum and NPC
What: Directions to the Library
When: Mid-morning
Where: Sundance, Wolf Territory
Status: Beginning
Rating: PG
Gemini was tired. Callum was a constant support under her palm, his long, four-legged gait steady every time she faltered, but she was glad that she had reached the city today. Another night on the road, with the idea of her half-sister so close, was almost unbearable. It had taken Gemini a day and a half to make it to Sundance and the weary buildings and roads that greeted her at the south-side of town were a blessed sight. Now, her step faltered again at the thought, she had to find the library. Mark, the man from the woods, had said Libby was the Sundance Librarian. So Gemini assumed that the library was the only sure way to find it. But quite honestly, she didn't have the strength to wander the streets looking for it. Wearily, she sat down on the nearest curb and patted the ground at her side. Callum sat. Eying the people walking the streets, Gemini looked for a face that looked sure of where it was going. She found it on a short, sandy-haired man crossing the street with a paper bag in his hands. Standing, rather unsteadily, she called out to him."Sir?"The man turned slowly, wary of the dirty, road worn traveler and her beast of a dog."Sir, I'm looking for the library. All i need are the quickest and easiest directions to the Sundance Library. Please?" Gemini stood perfectly still as the man pondered her request. Then he nodded and took a pencil from behind his ear and a torn piece of paper from his bag. With them, he scrawled a quick map to the library at the the center of the city. He handed it quickly to her and then scurried off, glancing back warily at Callum as if worried the dog would attack him. As she looked at the hastily drawn map, Gemini allowed herself her first real chuckle in ages."You see what you do to people, Callum? You frighten the living daylights out of them." Laughing, Gemini started walking in the right direction, her left hand holding the map, her right hand buried in Callum's fur. It took her a good thirty minutes to find the Library, but onse she was inside the cool, dim, spotless building a sense of relief set deep into her bones. Taking a deep breath, she called out into the high-ceilinged rooms, "Libby?! Libby Spencer?! If you're here, please answer me!" Then she collapsed onto the floor to lean against Callum's bulk.

Who: Libby and Wolf
What: Libby's finally confronting Wolf about their odd relationship
When: Noon
Where: Wolf's room
Rating: strongish PG-13 (for Wolf's half-naked-ness :-P )
Status: Complete!

The last couple of months had been awkward for Libby. When she first returned to Sundance, she feared Wolf would not accept her, for who would want or trust a deserter? But he had; he welcomed her with open arms. It seemed as if things could get back to normal, or at least as normals as things could be given the circumstances. But then she let her emotions get the best of her and kissed him. But that wasn't wrong, was it? They had talked and Wolf was fine with the idea. Or at least he seemed like it. Since then, there had been a few more kisses shared, but the two now seemed to have a lack in communication. Wolf was always away on tribe business or Libby was busy with something at the library. And for the last couple of days, Wolf had not spoken a word, which scared her. Even in his darkest moments, Wolf had turned to Libby, if not for advice then to just vent.

She had not seen him all yesterday and did not know if he was even in the house or not when she went to bed. Try as she might, Libby could not fall asleep. The weight and confusion of it all buzzed around in her head. Where was he? Was he safe? Was he alive? Why was she so stupid? Why did she kiss him? Would it have killed her to have a little self-control? Had he only agreed to their odd relationship because he feared she would run off again?

She mentally lashed herself to her bed, not wanting to spring up out of it in the still early hours of the morning to attack him with her many questions. She stayed there, trying to calm herself and organize her thoughts so she would know what to say when she finally confronted him. She would be composed and reasonable. Communication was key, and a relationship is nothing without proper communication.

When noon finally rolled around, Libby slid out of bed and plodded down the hallway in her black and green striped sock feet, fluffy navy pajama pants, and a baggy grey t-shirt. She did not bother to knock on Wolf's bedroom door when she entered, as she expected he was already out and about doing leader-y things. But there he was, and she had no choice now but to say what she had planned and rehearsed.

"We need to talk," she stated simply.

Who: Libby and Marmie
What: Just hanging out at the library and suffering from Wolf-related tension
When: Late afternoon?
Where: Sundance Library, Wolf Territory
Rating: G?
Status: Incomplete

Wolf. How dost thou irritate me? Let me count the ways...

Sitting in her cozy windowsill once more, Libby scribbled away in her journal. She had hoped to make some progress with Wolf at the Christmas party, but no dice. If anything, that seemed to complicate things. Apparently, he wanted to kiss her when they had gone searching for decorations, but for the past couple of months, he had been so distant. They had shared a few brief kisses, but their interactions remained, for the most part, strictly business. Which was fine; Libby did not want to hinder Wolf from his leadership roles, but it left are all confused about what they were. What was going on in that weird head of his. They had tried talking a few times about it, like at the Christmas party, but someone always interrupted, and they would get nowhere.

So here she was, hiding out in her library and journaling out her feelings in hopes of alleviating some of the craziness. She almost hoped that Wolf would come looking for her, but perhaps it was best if he didn't. She knew she would explode at him, but she wasn't sure if it would be a verbal attack, demanding that they figure what was going on between them, or if she would end up shoving him against one of these bookshelves and kissing him senseless. Yes, it was best that he was otherwise occupied. And better for her to just sit here until she got herself under control.

Men. Stupid, stupid men.

Who: Wolf Christmas party - all Wolves welcome!
What: The Wolves throw a Christmas party!
Where: The white house and the Sundance Apartment common room
When: Thursday morning - late Thursday night

Libby was one of the people that Wolf was the most comfortable around, but for the past couple of days they’d been avoiding each other when they could. The times that they had been together had been awkward, almost scripted, to the point where the other tribe members were noticing. The wiser of the tribe knew that something was up, and that it was not necessarily a bad thing. Although Libby was not he official second in command of the Wolves, it was the position that she more or less held in the city and other members knew her and respected her. Especially since she’d returned from her trip in uncannily high spirits.

The living room of the house and the common room in the apartment building had both been decked to the hilt in Christmas decorations, lights, streamers, anything that Wolf, Libby and the others had been able to find. Wolf had been in a particularly sour mood, more so than he had been in the weeks that immediately followed Nova’s departure. It was due to a combination of his current awkwardness with Libby and the fact that Nova was still gone, that she hadn’t even returned for Christmas. He’d meant to send Nova note to the farm but in the flurry of activity he hadn’t managed to grab someone willing to run there for him.

Wolf slept in on Christmas for the first time in his life. For thirteen years his little sister had woken him up every Christmas at the crack of dawn, or even up to an hour before. Now there was no one to wake him up, and those that thought of doing it thought it best to leave their moody leader asleep. Amazingly he didn’t wake up until noon, well into the party. He finally drug himself out of bed, and managed to get dressed in time to be down by one o’clock. He nodded with a smile to those that he passed as he came down the stairs and made his way into the living room. On holidays they opened up the house as well as the apartment commons for the parties so people were scattered everywhere and coming in and out of the house.

Wolf dodged two of the kids who went running past him with their “new” toy trucks. They tried to find gifts for everyone, especially the kids, but it was difficult. Wolf made his way to the crowded kitchen for a drink amidst more holiday greetings, pats on the back and name-calling such as “sleepy-head”. He knew he was expected to say something so as he left the kitchen, warm drink in hand, he motioned and called for people to follow him. Someone ran out of the house and over the apartments to get people to come out from there.

Wolf stood in the street and waited for the majority of his tribe to gather around. “Good morning- Well, afternoon…” He laughed and was then silent for a moment as he looked around at all the faces of his tribe, most of them happy, and content, at least for now. It was a good feeling, seeing them like that and one that made him feel a little less heart sick over Nova. The tribe was his family as well after all, and he’d forgotten that in the last month or so. “It’s almost been another year, and we haven’t done too bad. We’ve actively taken steps to improve the world we live in. Every day, because of every one of you, we’re getting closer to the kind of world that we want. The kind of world where no one in need is turned away, and everyone has a chance to celebrate, like we are today. I hope you all enjoy yourselves today and be sure to welcome our guests in today’s festivities.” He eyed the crowd for the drifters but if they were there he didn’t see them. “Merry Christmas everyone.” He held his glass in the air as the tribe murmured the same greeting back before everyone dispersed to return to their activities. The children fell back into their snow ball fights and others mingled, or played games with their friends, including a rather tense poker game that was taking place at the kitchen table in the white house.

Wolf remained in the street for a moment, turning his back on his tribe and looking up at the sky, the snow gently falling. He wondered where Nova was, and what she was doing on their first Christmas apart.

Who: Wolf and Libby
What Searching for Christmas decorations ;)
Where: “Attic” above the stage in a local middle school.
When: Monday afternoon


“There might be something up here!” Wolf called over his shoulder as he threw his weight against the door he’d just found. It had props written across it in faded white script and as far as Wolf could tell it lead to a storage area above the stage. Wolf didn’t often visit the unused buildings in his territory. He liked to keep the past rather distant from himself in an effort to focus on whatever task was at hand. Places like this reminded him too much of the way things used to be, the way things could never be now.

He hadn’t said anything when they first walked into the school’s auditorium. As he had stood there looking at the stage his mind was taken back to all the times he’d been on stage. The theater had a large influence on his previous life, his life as Brent Richardson. Now, as Wolf Skyhorse, the stage meant something different. The stage was now a place to give speeches from, instruction and life or death announcements, not a place for play. There didn’t seem to be a place in this world for such frivolity. Even the party they were planning, like the ones they’d had before, seemed almost masochistic to him. They continued to dwell on the way things used to be instead of moving forward and creating their own world.

The door eventually gave way to Wolf’s strength and he stepped through the threshold and onto the first step. He ran his hands along the walls until he found the light switch. Thankfully the bulb still worked, at least the one above the stairway did. Wolf climbed the stairs, listening for Libby’s footsteps behind him. There was no door at the top of the stairs, only darkness striped by the occasional light that managed to get through the moth-eaten curtains. Wolf stood there for a moment, letting his eyes adjust before he stepped into the room. He could barely make out the shape of boxes, racks of costumes, blankets, and various props. Surprisingly, he was able to make his way across the room to the curtains and pull them open. He worked along the length of the room, stirring up a good amount of dust as he did so. The room was now fully lit, though clouded with dust.

Who: Libby and Wolf
What: Wollibby-ness ^_^
When: Late Friday evening into early Saturday morning
Where: Sundance Apartments Main House living room
Rating: PG for now (due to Wolf wearing only boxers)
Status: Incomplete

Libby could only guess how long sleep had evaded her tonight. She had crawled into bed earlier with an Anne Bishop novel, intent on reading until her eyes fell out (or at least until slumber tugged her eyelids down). To her dismay, this never occurred. So, after pulling her soft, black house slippers over her fuzzy and obnoxiously striped pink, white, and neon green socks, she shuffled into the living room with her thick purple comforter wrapped around her body and plopped herself down on the couch. When she first entered, the fireplace had a decent blaze burning, but by this point, only a few tongues of flame still licked at the blackened embers. Safe to say, she had been staring blankly at the red glow for quite a few hours.

She tried everything she knew of to coax her body into feeling drowsy. Libby breathed deeply to the beat of her pulse, a technique her middle school speech teacher had taught her to overcome stage fright: inhale for eight counts and then exhale for eight counts. She even counted the imaginary sheep leaping from the fireplace and over the couch before they disappeared into the flickering shadows beyond. "Where do you suppose they got the idea for counting sheep to induce sleep?" she mused to herself. "Perhaps it was because of some shepherds and their habit to fall asleep on the job?" But that could not be it. Such shepherds would be put out of business fairly quick for their carelessness.

With an exasperated sigh, Libby finally resorted to an old yoga "exercise" her mother made her do whenever she just needed to relax and detox from a stressful day. Stretching out on the couch from her curled up position, she laid flat on her back with her feet about shoulder width apart and her hands slightly away from her sides. She focused on relaxing each little part of her body, right down to imagining her brain melting into mush and resting on the back of her skill. Her mother had admitted that the purpose of the cheesy imagining was to stop her mind from thinking so vigorously about whatever had happened that day.

Perhaps that is why she could not sleep. Nothing had happened that day. The snow had kept her indoors and away from her library for the entire week. But it was not being away from the library that bothered her. She had cleaned it up last week to her satisfaction, and Libby had plenty of books in her room to read. No, what bugged her was the fact that Wolf had spent most of the week holed up in his room. Was it wrong to want his company? Sure, she could talk to the two knew drifters staying in Nova's old room, but she hardly knew them. She wanted a friend to talk to. And the only other person she knew of was staying out at the farm.

Huffing, Libby sat back up on the couch. Yoga never really took with her anyway. She scooted to the end of the couch to recline against the armrest and readjusted the blanket so it surrounded her completely. For the moment, she would just have to be content with staring at the eggshell blue wall until the sun finally rose.

Who: Libby and anybody/everybody!
What: Library Winter Slumber Party
When: Early Tuesday Evening
Where: Sundance Library

The shelves looked nice enough to the untrained eye; everything had been righted and the books put back up somewhat close to where they belonged. with her arrival Saturday, Libby really did not have all that much time to set her beloveds in their proper order, but the fact that they were off the floor gave her some comfort. With that task out of the way, she had spent the day shoving desks and chairs against the walls to make enough room on the upper floor for everyone to congregate, or at least enough room for the attendees to establish little territories to keep some stability. To say Libby felt nervous would have been a great understatement. She was eager to bring all the tribes together, but knew such a thing would not happen easily. Who could guess what would happen that evening, or if anybody besides her own tribe would show up.

Though she had requested that everyone bring their own provisions and sleeping materials, Libby had gathered what extra blankets, pillows, and food she could get. With winter already upon them (and it wasn't looking too bright either), they had to be careful not to be too lenient with their rationing. Then again, how could she expect the other tribes to trust the Wolves if they were stingy with their own supplies? For their little world to remain safe, everyone would need to cooperate. It would only take one weak link to destroy everything they had built.

Rolling up the sleeves of her cream turtleneck sweater, she made a simple sign on a white piece of paper, which read, "All are welcome!" and stuck it to the glass of the front door to the library. Then, with an old shawl wrapped around her shoulders, Libby paced the rows of bookshelves, reorganizing the books into their proper order, and waited for her guests to arrive. "If tempers raged and a fight broke out, at least the activity would keep everybody warm should the heating fail," her queer sense of humor pointed out. That was a main point, after all: work together, keep warm.

Who: Libby and Wolf
What: Reunion Freak-Out Time!!!
Where: The Sundance Library
When: Early Afternoon

Brilliant, Libby. Just bloody brilliant. It was cold. No, not just cold. Freezing. She could not have waited for a better season to go off and wander on her own, could she? Libby hugged her coat closer to her body and held the hood firmly over her head. This was a perfectly wretched time to be out on one's own. The scarf around her head did what it could to protect her from the wind, but her breath was quickly making the fabric damp and the wind still stung her eyes. At least she was within the Wolves territory now. Though, she was not sure if this would prove to be a comfort or not.

She kept to the paved roads, not wanting to get her boots wet or stuck in the mud (thanks to the rain from the past couple of days). Coming down Interstate 90, Libby could see signs of the earthquake she had heard about from other travelers earlier on in the week. Buildings that had been long raided of anything useful looked to have been attacked all over again, but this time out of sport instead of necessity. The thought of other buildings that could have been destroyed added extra speed to her steps.

She sped right by the apartments, where she knew she probably should have gone to first just to be in a place with decent warmth. "Not the library..." she muttered repeatedly under her breath, like a mantra of sorts that her footfalls kept time to. Libby stopped outside of the building, catching her breath and assessing outside damage. "Oh good," she panted. Her beloved library was at least still standing. A gust of wind ushered her in doors, and Libby mentally prepared herself for what awaited her inside.

It was not necessarily warm enough to take her coat and other gear off, but at least there was no wind. But the scene of the interior of the library dashed whatever relief Libby had found from going indoors. The bookshelves had fallen on top of one another like dominoes and books lay scattered all over the floor. And that was just the children's room. With a heavy sigh, she trudged up the stairs to see if the adult collection was any different. Sure enough, it looked just as she had guessed. The shelves were toppled over one another like some malicious prankster had pushed them over, and the CD racks were resting on their sides as well with their contents splattered like guts around them.

"Might as well start somewhere," she huffed, pulling off her gloves and grabbing one of the upstairs book carts before getting started on straightening up the CDs (which were pretty much useless these days).

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 )