Devil's Tower

Who: Wren, Windchaser, Cat and whoever else
Where: By the river
When: Sunset
Why: Because Wren's birthday requires celebration

Windchaser had decided at fairly short notice that some event was needed to clear the air after the war, and to keep her busy. She needed to do something other than wallow and the best was she’d ever distracted herself was to focus on other people. Wren’s birthday was a perfect reason for both.

Too short notice and probably too personal to take place at the trading post, a quick parlez with Wren’s new ‘he’s not my boyfriend, honestly’ had secured some relatively safe space on the river bank and by bartering and networking like crazy people Windchaser and Black Cat had managed to gather enough stuff and drop enough ‘bring your own bottle and a gift if possible and DO NOT tell Wren’ type hints, to drum up what looked like it might well turn out to be a decent surprise party. It was officially an open to all invite, though if any of the Jackals turned up, they might not prove so welcome. Now it was just a case of hoping no one had blabbed and figuring out how to get Wren down there without her suspecting.

Windchaser really hoped that Wren would like the ornate Chinese kite Windchaser had received while she was still a drifter for treating a broken leg. She loved it and had carried it around with her, but Wren was definitely the best person to hand it on to.

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.

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

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.

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

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 )

***OOC: Be sure to label the subject line of every post with either "Open" or the names of the chars that are involved in a particular thread! This will help eliminate confusion and let you know what threads are up for grabs!***
Who: Anyone and everyone who’s in Sundance at the time!
What: St. Patrick’s Day/Spring party!
Where: The Trading Post
When: Saturday
Why: Because it’s fun!

In the warmer months the Trading Post is almost always busy, full of drifters and members from every tribe who come there to barter, socialize, and a whole host of other things. It’s generally a peaceful place since it exists in neutral territory and everyone who comes there seems to have an understanding of an unspoken truce. The Trading Post is a large park the sits on the banks of the Belle Fourche river. There are picnic tables, a delapidated swingset and monkey bars, old grills, and of course trader stands. There’s also a dock there, but it is understood to belong to the River Runners, as it’s where they are docked most of the year and those wishing to use it usually have to give the RR a token of some kind, or at least ask nicely.

The St. Patrick’s Day/ Spring party was not planned or hosted by any tribe. The whole things seemed to have come about on its own, first as a rumor and then with complete strangers and tribe members alike planning for it. Saturday morning the place was busy with people decorating in any way that they could. The place was strung with streamers of all different colors, some torn and ratty. There were candles, and lanterns strung about and a few different musicians set up throughout the park. By the time the sun set the park was teaming with people, more people than it had seen in years. Between the boos and the open admission there was no telling what the night would hold.

[OOC- sorry about this she’s just reeeeeealy awake tonight- I cannot deny my babies]

 

Who: Windchaser and Ryder
When: Thursday Morning
Where: Wolf stables
What: Ryder and Windchaser- The Rematch.

 

Windchaser had livened up since the few days before, and was taking her responsibility to Cabello as seriously as she always had before entering the Wolf Tribe, before she’d known someone else would stop him from starving, as seriously as he deserved her to take it. She’d organised her personal space, so that everything she’d made in her furious keeping busy session of the previous week, but after everything was labelled and stacked, Windchaser realised that she was out of almost everything that formed the basics of her trade.

 

She’d been down to see Cabello every day, but now she actually needed to take him out to look for materials so she needed to worry about his loose shoe, and she had no desire to ask Ryder to be the one to fix it, but she also didn’t want Cabello to be uncomfortable just because she couldn’t face rejection. She was stronger than that, she always had been, and that feeling at her core had never changed. She was stronger than people wanted her to be, always had been, always would be.

 

That was why she’d bitten the bullet and written the note asking him to meet her down here, determined that she didn’t actually care for any other reason than for him to fix Cabello’s busted shoe, which was, of course, why she’d been in the stables since the early morning, brushing, mucking out, checking over, and mostly talking stuff over with her horse, as she had done since she’d traded him for her services, years ago.  To her mind she’d traded her services for a real friend.

 

Windchaser had eventually sunk onto a hay bale against the back of the stable, hugging the horses grey muzzle to her as he nosed at her, as if he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her and make it better, as he had often done in the past. She stroked his beautiful, velvety nose, feeling better just having him near. She shut her eyes and leaned back against the wall of the stable, humming an old motown tune that had been a favourite of her parents.

 

She’d battled for these last few awful days to shut out every aspect of her past, as talking about it had brought it all roaring back, sights and smells forcing there way up from the past, horrific nightmares waking her and driving her to the stables to seek comfort from Cabello’s huge horsey presence. She had fallen asleep down there more than once, and snuck back to her room after being woken by the dawn, picking bits of straw out of her dark, dishevelled hair. One night she was sure she’d been woken by the cry of a coyote.

Who: Windchaser and anyone who’s around

When: Tuesday Afternoon
Where: The kitchens of Wolf territory
What: Looking for company to dig herself out of the mood she’s been in for a few days

 

Windchaser knew she hadn’t been any fun for the last few days. After everything with Ryder, she tried to force herself to think of him as Ryder, as a different person, someone who would walk away from her. She ached inside and out, she just hadn’t wanted to see anyone, and had pretty much barricaded herself into the room she’d been given while she dealt with how she felt. She had come close, so close, to turning and running, but these people had been good to take her in, and they needed a medic. She knew she was better than that, and running only ever led to trouble. She didn’t dare go back to the pastures, so when she was simply out of energy to work, she slept.

She also felt guilty, she’d barely eaten and not even bothered to speak to Wren, sneaking out just before dawn to fulfil the minimum of her responsibilities to Cabello. She knew it was wrong of her, that she owed it to herself and to them to get out there. She’d made the decision to stay in Sundance, so now she had to build a life there, pretend she was OK, and let him choose to come to her…If he didn’t, so be it.

Windchaser was starving, she’d tried to keep herself busy making treatments that she knew could be stored and were used most often, but hadn’t really bothered to eat, simply worked and slept, trying to prove her worth, at least partly to herself, and when the time was right, to the Wolves.

Now was the time, standing in that kitchen, to connect with these people who had chosen her and who she had decided to stay with. It was time to accept that and start making this place feel like home.

She wanted to make sure she caught up with Wren soon, the younger woman had made a lot of effort with her the previous week, and she still owed the ghost story in return for her new hair, which she still loved. She ran her fingers through the purple streak and sighed as she grabbed a piece of fruit and plonked onto a stool, beginning to think over her story and making a note to herself that she ought to find a way to catch up with Peri soon too.

She had promises to keep, and she wanted to be known here, as she always had everywhere else, as a person who could be relied on to keep her promises, pull her weight and be there when people needed her.

 

When: Week Twelve
Where: On the plain, taking Cabello for a run
What: Windchaser meets a blast from the past
Rating: TBD
Status: Complete

Windchaser rode out, letting Cabello run. It was an excuse really, Cabello was too lazy to really want to run, but she felt guilty leaving him stable bound and wanted him to stretch out. She wanted them both to experience the true joy of being able to gallop without being chased. Things with her and her horse were different now, they'd changed as soon as she entered the Wolf tribe and seen him stabled, but determination on her part and adoration on his had kept their bond strong and she had no desire to lose that. She loved the daft old horse as much as she hoped he loved her, and keeping that was important to her.

She looked out across the grassland, the wind ruffling her newly funked up hair, smiling softly as she brushed her new purple streak out of her dark eyes. Windchaser spotted an old tree, and chose that as her destination to dismount. She urged Cabello back into a gallop, letting out a ringing, joyful laugh as he picked up speed. She was enjoying settling back into being with people full time, but this stirred her blood, made her happy. She just hoped she hadn't got Wren into trouble by sneaking off so soon and only telling her new friend.

If she had, she would tell them she was looking for medicinal herbs. She might even be lucky and actually find some of the more common ones. She didn't want to leave and had yet to get bored, but she had been a Drifter for a very long time, and she didn't want to leave all of those habits behind, they had saved her life often enough for her to value them.

She dismounted and let a disgruntled Cabello crop the grass, turning to look out over the ground they'd just crossed, and letting out a slightly discomforted sound as she spotted a mounted figure in the distance, hoping that it wasn't a member of the Wolves coming to find her just yet.

 

Who: Windchaser and open (but probably Wren)

When: Tuesday morning
Where: Floating around the outskirts of the farm
What: Windchaser feels lost and looks for someone to show her around
Rating: TBD

Windchaser had accepted her transition into the Wolves as a way to maintain her safety. She couldn’t stay with the Twin Feathers, there was no space for her there, they had their medic, but seeing a truly stable tribal life had made her jones for it. She had agreed to stay, but knew always where Cabello, her horse was. That way she could leave whenever she wanted or needed to.

However, the fact remained that she had promised to be the Wolves medic, and while ever they needed her she would stay, even if she tried to kid herself she was still free. Windchaser had decided the second she had opted to stay that if she ever did feel the need to leave again, she’d just find a replacement. Another stumper, as properly qualified medical staff were like hens teeth, and she was too dedicated to what she did to just leave, if they still seemed to need her, and larger communities always needed medics.

Windchaser liked the farm, and what she’d seen of the Wolves. It was busy and noisy and pretty close to civilisation. The air was clearer than the cities and the risks of city centric diseases, which often proved difficult to deal with as they were linked to habits and environment seemed low, which would make her life easier. She could actually settle here, have a workspace and storage, if they let her, but she felt too new to ask for it. She hadn’t proved she was worth such luxuries to them. Trust her to land up somewhere where she hadn’t actually been asked to stay. She wasn’t afraid to rely on her skills, or to work hard to gain the respect she would probably need to get by here, but she still felt more than a little adrift. She had become, by nature, a hardened traveller even before the Virus, and while she welcomed company and a break from crippling saddle sore, she still wasn’t sure how she would cope with so many people, or the familiarity that staying anywhere for long.

So she settled for kidding herself, there was plenty of nearby space for her and Cabello to run if they needed to, and she could go any time she wanted. Really.

There was something else too, that kept her here, not only with the tribe, but in Sundance itself, maybe it was the smell of horses on the wind and the rush of memories that brought, maybe it was the safety of not being alone anymore, maybe it was just plain hope that perhaps she could find herself somewhere to call home again after so long without. Who knew? But for now here she was, and it didn’t look as if she was leaving any time soon, so she’d do well to find out where everything was, and to meet a few people. As soon as she worked up the balls to actually walk into the farm proper, which she would, real soon. Honest.

[Edit: wrong day]

Who: Windchaser and open
What: Trying to find the Twin Feathers
When: Thursday Evening
Where: Following the river
Rating: TBD

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Windchaser was following the river, following the river as Peri had suggested. The air was heavy and she could tell that dusk was near. Cabello plodded along, and she was convinced she was able to hear him grumbling under his breath. She valued the bond she had with this beautiful animal more than anything else she had in her life now. Not only was he with her constantly, he also tied her to another time and place, where things had been different.

 

Windchaser gazed out across the terrain. The light would be dropping away within the next hour or so and she’d still seen no one. She had no vast issue with sleeping outdoors. She did it often and had grown used to never sleeping all that deeply. Such was the lot of a drifter. Particularly a female one perceived to be travelling completely alone. However, Windchaser knew better. She trusted her horse as her early warning system, her protector, who she in turn protected.

 

“It shouldn’t be long now boy…Peri said that they would find us, so they will.” She spoke softly, knowing it was more to reassure herself than her mount, and she imagined that somehow the horse knew too. Cabello snorted, and Windchaser silently agreed. There was no one out here. No herbalist, no tribe, no anything. She’d have been better shrugging off Sundance as soon as she’d heard of a tribal feud. No sense in looking for trouble. Particularly as her reputation, which generally gave her some degree of safety and respect, had apparently not preceded her this far. She gave quiet thanks to the fact that at least the route they’d been given left them close to that most precious resource, water.

 

However, without her herbs she had nothing to trade other than her body and she would rather die than resort to that. Literally. So, she needed to keep going, to find the herbalist and offer them something worthwhile. They could have what they liked so long as they didn’t ask for her horse. If they were actually out here.

Who: Peri and Windchaser
What: Peri's first visit to the trading post
Where: On the River outside the Trading Post
Rating: G right now, will increase if necessary

It had been a very long winter for Peri, but it hadn’t been one any more remarkable than any other she had gone through since the Ans Virus had taken everything away from her. Peri looked slight on a normal day when she was well fed, but after the winter where the tribe had lost a good portion of their food to the elements she was hardly more than skin and bones, and even her abnormally large chest seemed merely normal within her overly thin frame. The winter still plagued her farther than her frame showed though as a slight case of pneumonia had struck her during the winter months. Having known her own infectiousness, she had isolated herself from many and to most she was already done for. Anyone who knew Peri, however, knew she was far heartier than most among their ranks. Thus few were surprised when she came back into the fold of the tribe, slightly wheezy, but no worse for ware than any other. Working in front of her kiln had been her saviour, as it not only kept her warm, but had also provided her with what she would need to recover.

That was what had brought her to the trading post that first morning after the Rivers had finally released their crafts enough to make it freely around the River. Having worked in front of her kiln all winter and having rarely parted with anything meant that she had a stockpile or earthenware to sell and the first thing that she would be trading for was food. It was not only for herself, but also for all those in her tribe and the loss of their storage had made twigs of them all.

It had seemed like hours since she had left the Winter Camp, but the sun was barely past the 9th hour when she spotted the familiar dock awaiting her. As she placed her pole on the deck, she felt the muscles in her arms more than she thought she could ever remember having. Again this was not true, but after the long winter she was sure she was totally unfit, though not many would have been foolish enough to take on the wily girl. She may have been small, but she knew how to get herself out of trouble, a quality that had meant her survival before tribe life had brought more security to her life. Reaching out to the familiar T-Head on the dock, she tied her line efficiently to it and then stepped of the boat onto the dock. Her step showed nothing of having been on the water, as there was nothing to show. Instead it was one of ease and confident as she walked to where the dock met the land.

Looking around she found that not many were around, but she knew that come noon there would be more. It was never a quiet time when the River Runners came back to the Trading Post. She wasn’t sure how many would come today, but she had left ahead of most because she wanted the time to sort through her wares and place them out for display properly. Smiling and nodding at a face she knew although the name that matched the face escaped her, she turned on her heel and walked back to her small boat. Stepping back on deck she felt an enthusiasm build within her. It had been some time since she had interacted with any that were not Runners and she wondered quietly how many new faces there would be this year and how many old ones would be gone.