Devil's Tower

Who: Danni and Jax
What: We'll see
Where: Mountain Lion Jackal Lodge
When: Friday night, very late
Rating: We'll see
Status: Incomplete, closed

Danni had been eating very rarely in the house lately, though she had kept herself drinking water and taking in the necessities. She was not as strong as she'd been months previous to now and she knew that could end up being a problem, especially when she finally managed to escape from the Jackal territory. She had new tactics up her sleeve, but those she would play secretly and as different situations came up. She had planned for just about everything.

But right now, she was hungry. The water wasn't enough currently, so she wanted to grab some of the soup that was leftover in the fridge. She put on her slippers and quietly left her bedroom in her pajamas and went to the kitchen down the hall. The room was dark as she made her way in, which was relatively abnormal for the house. There was ALWAYS someone around every corner. She stopped for a moment, facing the fridge, listening. She knew this house even in the darkest of nights. Something was abnormal about this room.

"Who's there?" she asked steadily, curious beyond all else.

Who: Narrative - Danni
What: Destroying what is left of the ML property
Where: Her room
When: Sunday Evening before sleeping
Status: Complete

( Crawling In My Skin )

Who: Jax and Danni
Where: The Lodge
When: Late afternoon
Why: Jax likes to mess with his play things mwauha

Jax couldn't care less if Danni starved herself to death, but he wanted to keep her around a little longer. He made up a plate of flat bread and some vegetables to take to her. For what he'd heard, she hadn't been eating lately. He was somewhat certain that there were things about the Lion territory that she could tell him; things that he would certainly find out on his own - it would just take longer.

Aside from her lack of appetite, he'd been surprised at how well she'd taken to being under house arrest. She hadn't attempted an escape, there hadn't even been a scuffle with the guards after they'd let her have her freedom in the house. He'd perhaps been cruel to murder her dearest friends right before her eyes, but that was just the way the world worked in Jax's mind. Kill or be killed.

With the plate in one hand he knocked on her bedroom door, but he didn't wait for her to say he could enter. He turned the knob and stepped right in. "Danni, I brought this is for you."

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

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

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

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

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

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

***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.

Who: Ace and Danni
Where: The Lodge
When: Saturday Night, after the cage fight
Why: Danni is upset about something. Ace doesn't know what, but he's about to find out.

Ace had enjoyed the fight. Of course, he'd been one of the driving forces behind starting the events again. They were fun, profitable for the tribe, and a good way of reinforcing control. There was nothing like a nice rowdy fight or party to pull the fangs out of any unrest before it had time to fester.

From his preferred spot, the slightly elevated seats set up in the spot with the best view of both the cage and the crowd, Ace had watched over the fight and the people like he was the lord of the manor. That seemed appropriate to him, it was his mine and his buildings, technically.

Danni hadn't joined him. She never did. It was no secret that she didn't approve of the fights, but if Ace refrained from doing everything that Danni disapproved of he wouldn't do anything. He knew she'd be off somewhere, trying to keep things as calm as possible.

After the evening's entertainment was over, he'd gone to look for her. He hadn't spoken to her much this week, after their awkward conversation and what had happened with Ryder. Even so he wanted to talk to her now, to see how things had gone tonight from her vantage point. And he just... wanted to talk to her. She wasn't in any of her usual spots though. She wasn't anywhere to be found.

He asked around and one of the other people Danni had recruited to help her keep an eye on things reported that Danni had gotten into an argument with someone and left before the first fight was even over. Ace didn't like the sound of that at all.

He rushed back to the Lodge. He was relieved to see light spilling out from the crack at the bottom of her door, but when he tried the handle it was locked. He knocked, politely, restraining himself from actually banging on her door. "Danni? Danni, are you okay?"

Who: Anyone who attends the cage fight (all are invited!)
Where: Mountain Lion Territory, largest warehouse on the Vance Copper Mine property.
When: Saturday from dusk till late into the night
Why: Because gambling and bloodshed is fun!
(((OOC: This post is simply a starter for those of you who want to attend the cage fight. Please post all cage fight related threads here. If your character would like to be one of the fighters please post and wait at least one RL day for an opponent before posting your fight with an NPC. Only two characters are allowed to fight so it will be on a first come first serve basis. :))))

The Mountain Lions had sent runners all over town and the outskirts for the last week to announce the cage fight and someone from the tribe had even made camp at the trading post to recruit drifters for the fighting. Despite the violent and fruesome history of the Vance Copper Mine, the event always drew an enormous crowd.

In the center of the fluorescent lit building was an enormous chain-link cage. It’s a square cage of simple construction, complete with a roof to keep competitors from climbing out should things get too intense for them. The Mountain Lions have announced only two rules: There are no weapons allowed and the first person to be knocked out cold loses. The prospect of gambling, even if it is only for minor supplies, drew even more of a crowd than last time, leaving the warehouse almost full. The warm weather and the reputation of the event had drawn people from all over, many whom the tribes had never seen and who didn’t appear to be drifters.

A few hours before dusk people started to arrive by walking, or the Mountain Lions’ own horse caravan. When the sun finally set there was quite a crowd and the warehouse had become noisy with anticipation. No one had volunteered to fight yet, but in the shadows behind the cage peopl could see a veritable herd of shirtless drifters waiting to fight and be fed afterward. Betting was encouraged by all those who showed up. However they were required to register any bets with a Mountain Lion at the door. A Mountain Lion Bouncer circulated the crowd to keep tabs on the bets. The Mountain Lion presence was stronger than ever as they had several more guards there than before, could they possibly be keeping an eye out for the drifters who offended them months ago?

One of the Mountain Lions came over a loudspeaker they had managed to rig up. He explained the two rules, encouraged betting and welcomed everyone that had showed up. Then he opened the floor for two volunteers to be the first fighters.

Who: Danni and whoever
What: Pondering life
Where: Outside on the porch
When: Night, Late

Danni hadn't taken much time lately to just sit and try to relax. Today she was feeling particularly tense. The week had been hard ever since she received her letter from Ryder. Even stranger was that she and Ace really hadn't spoken since.

When crossing paths with someone in the house, she kept her eyes low or in another direction, not wanting anyone to see that she was upset. Surely, they could tell. They seemed to all be keeping their distance, at least that's how she saw it.

It was times like these that she really missed her parents, specifically her dad. It was obvious to her entire family that she was a Daddy's Girl, ever since she was born. Her mother hadn't minded at all. Grabbing a glass of homemade juice from the fridge along with a blanket, she made her way outside onto the porch.

The night was clear and she felt as though she needed to reunite herself with the stars. It had been such a long time since she'd just sat outside and named off the constellations. She wrapped the blanket around herself and sat down on the loveseat. Figuring she was a bit rusty, she started with the easier ones first. "Ursa Major..." she whispered, sipping her juice. "Orion's Belt..."

Who: Danni and Ace
What: Danni reads her letter from Ryder
Where: At the lodge
Rating: Probably PG-13 for language

Danni thanked the drifter who gave her the letter and gave him a small bowl of soup. After he left the lodge, she walked back to her room. Leaving the door open a crack to let in some fresh air, she sat down on the edge of her bed and opened up the letter.

She hadn't spoken to Ryder in a long time. It seemed as though he'd just gone and decided she wasn't worth it, not good enough or whatever it was. Now, sitting on the edge of her bed, having read the letter, her heart sunk. She had been right. He didn't want her anymore. For whatever unknown reason, she wasn't good enough. She tried desperately to read what had been messily scribbled out, but she couldn't. He'd probably found someone else, someone willing to give him everything he'd tried to get when they were at his place snowed in.

A silent tear fell down her cheek and onto the letter, smudging the word beautiful. She sat there, staring at the letter for what seemed like hours, but really were just a couple of minutes.

At least she felt a little closure, knowing that he was safe. But really, it only convinced her she wasn't good enough for anyone. Not that she wanted Ryder anymore because she had given up on him weeks ago, but it still hurt. A lot.

( Letter from Ryder to Danni delivered by a drifter on Monday morning. )

Who: Danni and Ace
What: Danni moping
Where: In her room and then elsewhere
When: New Years Day
Rating: PG-13, for possible language.

Because she hadn't had any alcohol the night before during the party, she remembered everything. Every sordid detail. The sadness she felt. The thick smell of drugs and alcohol in the air. Ace and Jack leaving the party together. The sick feeling in her stomach afterwards.
She also remembered laying in bed that night, her eyes squished tight trying not to picture what Ace and Jack were doing. The thought stuck with her, though. She knew precisely what they were doing and how incredibly explicit their acts were. There was no love involved. Maybe thats what bothered her most, the fact that they weren't in love. To her, sex was a sacred act that should only be shared between people you love. That is why she couldn't have sex with Ryder. She wasn't in love with him.
But she had the chance and turned him down. Bloody turned him down for what? It wasn't as though any one of the Mountain Lions desired her, let alone could be someone she was in love with.
And Ace. Having sex and god knows what else with Jack. It wasn't abnormal for Ace to have someone in his room, but for some reason now it was bothering her. She tried to find a reason and dug for a while, then settled for the fact that she didn't agree with her morals. Obviously there wasn't any other reason it bothered her so much.
With that decision out of the way, she got out of bed and began getting dressed. Bundling up in many layers and topping it off with one of Ace's sweatshirts that she had stolen from him a while back, she walked out onto the porch and cleared a space on the loveseat swing. Momentarily, she thought about how nice it would be to share that with someone, but then realized how naive her thoughts really were. It wouldn't happen. She was just Danni and her morals were far too high for others to even consider something real with her.
Swinging back and forth, she watched the sun rise and eventually fill the sky with light. Closing her eyes, she leaned back and let the sunlight cover her as she attempted to clear her head. An epicly failed attempt.

Who: Jack and [OPEN to the Mountain Lions]
What: New Year's shindig.
When: Starts around sundown, goes alllll niiiiight.
Where: The Lodge.
Rating: You saw the X-mas party, right? Like that, only potentially worse...

Jack was having a weird week. It had all started with waking up on the day after Christmas, sprawled across her bed with ther shoes still on. At first, she'd just wondered why she'd left her shoes on, since she didn't recall being quite that stoned. Then she remembered that she hadn't even fallen asleep in her bedroom, which made her questioning just how in the hell she'd gotten there. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she must have sleep-walked upstairs. That didn't seem entirely logical, but neither did any of the other explinations that she'd come up with.

After a few days, she'd caught on to yet another quirk in her life. Slick seemed to be watching her a lot more closely. Jack had started doing everything in her power to avoid running in to the other woman, afraid that somehow she'd managed to piss her off. There was a chance that she had, and now all Slick was doing was waiting for a chance to pounce. Since living with Slick for a number of years hadn't dampened Jack's fear of her, she figured it was just best to stay away.

Everything else was normal enough, though. People spent the day or so after Christmas recovering from a little too much indulgence. Then, they started looking forward to New Year's. Even the people who didn't care too much for the holiday's were kind of psyched about this party. Again, there wasn't any real reason to celebrate, since it wasn't like there was anybody keeping a calender, but it did give them another opportunity to forget about how much things sucked. Jack was a big fan of that. It wasn't like things weren't going to suck just as much tomorrow, so escaping for a few hours was just dandy.

In that spirit, she'd been helping out all day with the preparations. They'd uncovered some old party stuff, horns and other noise makers mostly. Though there wasn't anybody in the tribe that was big on decorating for that sort of thing, they'd strung up a few streamers. Most of the focus went to the entertainment. They'd blazed through a lot of their recreational supplies. Luckily, they were on excellent terms with the River Runners, who were more than happy to trade for more. Jack went with a small group to bring back as much as they could get from Moe. It just wasn't a Mountain Lion party without plenty of once illegal substances.

When the sun finally started to set, Jack was already in the common room. Unlike Christmas, she'd actually worn a dress. A short one, too. Of course, she'd worn it over a pair of jeans, with her favorite old Chucks, which kind of ruined any image of glamour. Not that she cared in the least. She was sprawled over one half of one of the couches, and unlit joint between her fingers. It was on that joint that most of her attention was focused. She knew that it was kind of early, everybody wasn't even there yet, and that if she started smoking now, she'd pass out quick. Still, there wasn't any reason not to, if she paced herself better later. Decisions, decisions. Though the temptation was fairly strong, she listened to the good angel. At least, for the moment.

Who: OPEN to all Mountain Lions
What: Christmas festivities!
When: Christmas Day, from mid-morning to night.
Where: The main room of the Lodge.
Rating: We've got it all, man - language, sexual references, very heavy drug use...

Azrael sat in an armchair by the fire in the main room of the Lodge, looking out at the people milling around the room. His people - all of them. There seemed to be more of them than he remembered, when they were all together in one room, but nobody was out of place. He remembered each one, and the circumstances under which they had come to be a part of the tribe. Not all of them lived in the Lodge, though, and those who lived elsewhere he saw even less often than those who lived at home base.

They had all gathered together today to observe that most wretched of archaic holidays. If Az had his way, Christmas would've died out with the adults. He had hated this time of year when he was growing up, because it meant that everybody who was anybody felt compelled to throw ridiculous and redundant parties, which he in turn was compelled to attend. His family never spent any more time with each other than was absolutely necessary, even at Christmas, but they went through the motions of tradition for show, and there were a good eighteen years of picturesque greeting cards of the attractive and perfect Fraser family out there to prove it. Azrael had thus spent every Christmas he could remember since his family bought the Lodge in this building, with too much brandy and eggnog and forgettable girls who managed to corner him under the mistletoe. He'd spent each one of those parties preoccupied with plotting as quick and inconspicuous an escape as possible.

Now that he was in charge, Az could've just decided that Christmas would not be celebrated in the Lodge. However, he had to accept the fact that the holiday was an element of the old world that wouldn't be easily forgotten. Those with happy memories of the day liked to carry on their family's traditions, or take the time to reminisce. Those who were like Az - those who didn't like to remember, for whatever reason - tended to appreciate the opportunity to drink as much as possible. Surveying his tribe, Azrael had to admit that even though he thought the holiday itself was useless and outdated, it did put most people in better spirits than normal. There was a Christmas tree, decked out in the decorations preserved in the basement of the Lodge, and holly and garlands and mistletoe, and food, drink and alcohol enough for the entire tribe to have an all-day party.

People had been wandering in and out of the Lodge as they pleased, but as lunchtime approached, they had pretty much full attendance. Several had said hello to him so far, and most who took notice of him seemed to be waiting for him to do something. It was understandable; most of his tribe only saw him when he had something to tell them. Really, Azrael just thought that he should make an appearance, and wasn't really planning on saying anything. He would've been perfectly fine just sitting with his drink - which may have been intended to be eggnog, but it tasted kind of funny, and then he'd added a generous shot of moonshine and after that he couldn't taste much of anything - but what was one more Christmas toast? He'd only had to make one every year since he was about fourteen, after all.

Azrael heaved a quiet sigh, and then stood up. The people nearby grew quiet, looking at him expectantly, and the hush spread gradually throughout the room. It always amused him when he didn't actually have to do anything, and he held back a smile.  "To the Mountain Lions," Az toasted, raising his glass to his audience. "Merry Christmas." He knocked back the remainder of his drink as the words were echoed throughout the room. It wasn't exactly a profound oration, but it was short and sweet and very Azrael.

Who: Ryder, Danni and Ace
What: Ace comes to get Danni.
When:Morning to noon on Tuesday
Where: Ryder’s cabin
Rating: tba

The last week so many things had happened that he thought never would. It was surprising enough that Danni had agreed to see him again. Then the blizzard had forced her to stay with him for a week. He was sure that her tribe would have come looking for her by now if it hadn’t been for the storm and then what would have happened to them? Would they have gone back to the way they were, not speaking and her avoiding him? He hoped that what they had shared the last week was more than just a case of cabin fever. He hoped that he was more to her than just a warm body in a lonely blizzard.

There were thin fingers of guilt tugging at his heart since Saturday night. Danni had almost given herself to him, and he was no stranger to how big of a deal that was to her. He’d been with Moe once before, after Danni and him had kissed, and then he almost slept with her again the day before he saw Danni at the cage fight. He hadn’t told Danni about any of this. Part of him believed that it was no big deal, it wasn’t like Danni and him had made any sort of official plans, she’d ran off after all and he’d more or less had to force her to even speak to him. Still, he felt as if he’d done something wrong and he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. He was determined to be what Danni wanted him to be. He just had to find out just what that was.

Ryder awoke to the silence of falling snow and breathing that was not his own. He rolled over, towards the warmth that was next to him. Danni lay sleeping beside him, her features relaxed and beautiful. He propped himself up on one elbow to look down at her. It was nice to see her comfortable and safe. He leaned into her side and draped an arm over her, his fingers reaching up to bury themselves in her hair. He leaned down and kissed her forehead with a smile, as he watched her thoughtfully.

Who: Ryder and Danni
What Danni comes over for dinner and gets snowed in with him. ;)
Where: Twin Feather's territory -- Ryder's cabin
When: Tuesday evening just before dark to Saturday
Rating: G to R--maybe?


All that Ryder had thought about for the last two days was the dinner date he had planned with Danni. Winter was fast approaching and as far as Ryder could tell it would be upon them at any moment. The horses were getting restless, fattening up and putting on their winter coats. The first thing he checked when he woke up Tuesday morning was the sky. It was cloudy and the wind was raging outside. He hoped that she would still be able to make it that evening.

The Mountain Lion lodge was at least a couple of miles from his place. It crossed his mind that he should give her a horse of her own, but he didn't know how well that would go over with either leaders of their tribes. He really didn't need to attract any more attention to the fact that he'd been hanging out with, even kissed, one of the top four Mountain Lions. Ace or Az would probably have his head, or worse. Yet despite his reservations concerning tribe-leader approval of their relationship he wanted to see her, to spend time with her; even if she did just want to be friends. He could deal with just being friends, after all he liked her as a person and not just for superficial reasons.

He'd spent the whole day getting ready for her visit and finishing the last few things he had to get done before the big snows came. Behind Ryder's cabin was a sort of shed that had a door leading into the house and a door leading outside. It was helpful in the winter because even if he got snowed in, which he usually did, he could still have access to a plentiful supply of wood. The cabin was not hooked up to the Mountain Lion power grid but instead Ryder relied on a mix of Moe's own version of kerosene and a small solar set up for lights and a shower. With the cloudy skies the solar power had been kind of sketchy so by the time night fell he resorted to turning on the old fashioned kerosene lamps he had around the house.

He had just enough time to take a shower, clean the house up and make dinner before it was time for Danni to arrive. Of course time was a pretty irrelevant thing anymore that was mostly only referred to as morning, noon and night. He wished that he'd been able to cook her a real meal like the kind his nana used to but resources were kind of short these days so he did the best he could. When he'd finished he stood with his back to the door surveying the spread. He felt pretty proud of himself.

Who: Anyone who attends the cage fight (all are invited!)
Where: Mountain Lion Territory, largest warehouse on the Vance Copper Mine property.
When: Saturday from dusk till late into the night, remember there are snow flurries so dress warm!
Why: Because gambling and bloodshed is fun!
(((OOC: This post is simply a starter for those of you who want to attend the cage fight. Please post all cage fight related threads here. If your character would like to be one of the fighters please post and wait at least one RL day for an opponent before posting your fight with an NPC. Only two characters are allowed to fight so it will be on a first come first serve basis. :))))

The week had been long and uncertain for the citizens of Sundance, Wyoming, especially for the Mountain Lions. When the power restored itself yesterday morning there was much rejoicing within the Mountain Lion tribe. The thought of losing their main source of sway over the peoples of Sundance had haunted them terribly the past few days. Though of course they’d done their best to maintain their usual airs as if they had everything under control.

The moment the power came on word spread throughout the city that the Saturday cage fight was still on. The fight was scheduled to take place in the same place as before. The largest warehouse at the Vance Copper Mine.

In the center of the fluorescent lit building was an enormous chain-link cage. It’s a square cage of simple construction, complete with a roof to keep competitors from climbing out should things get too intense for them. The Mountain Lions have announced only two rules: There are no weapons allowed and the first person to be knocked out cold loses. The prospect of gambling, even if it is only for minor supplies, drew even more of a crowd than last time, leaving the warehouse almost full as people huddled inside to keep out of the snow. There were a lot of drifters there and faces unknown to many of the tribes.

A few hours before dusk people started to arrive by walking, the River Runners, or the Mountain Lions’ own horse caravan. When the sun finally set there was quite a crowd and the warehouse had become noisy with anticipation. Betting was encouraged by all those who showed up. However they were required to register any bets with a Mountain Lion at the door. A Mountain Lion Bouncer circulated the crowd to keep tabs on the bets.

One of the Mountain Lions came over a loudspeaker they had managed to rig up. He explained the two rules, encouraged betting and welcomed everyone that had showed up. Then he opened the floor for two volunteers to be the first fighters.

Who: Anyone who attends the cage fight (all are invited!)
Where: Mountain Lion Territory, largest warehouse on the Vance Copper Mine property.
When: Saturday from dusk till late into the night
Why: Because gambling and bloodshed is fun!
(((OOC: This post is simply a starter for those of you who want to attend the cage fight. Please post all cage fight related threads here. J)))

Northeast of Sundance lies the open pit Vance Copper Mine. Before the virus it was a busy area. The price of copper had skyrocketed in the last fifteen years and by the time the virus struck the mine was so profitable that it was in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. After the virus the mine had become a place of death and fear. The open pit was now nothing more than a yawning coffin, its stepped sides like rows of teeth grinning up at those that dared walk to close to its edge.

The mine warehouse was abuzz with life in a way that it hadn’t been for the past two years. In the center of the fluorescent lit building was an enormous chain-link cage. It’s a square cage of simple construction, complete with a roof to keep competitors from climbing out should things get too intense for them. The Mountain Lions have announced only two rules: There are no weapons allowed and the first person to be knocked out cold loses. The prospect of gambling, even if it is only for minor supplies, drew quite a crowd. There were a lot of drifters there and faces unknown to many of the tribes.

Since a few hours before dusk people have been arriving steadily by walking, the River Runners, or the Mountain Lions’ own horse caravan. When the sun finally sets there is quite a crowd and the warehouse has become noisy with anticipation. The rumor going around was that two drifters the Mountain Lions had personally trained were going to fight first, then things would work on a voluntary basis. Betting was encouraged by all those involved.

One of the Mountain Lions came over a loudspeaker they had managed to rig up and told everyone to be quiet. He explained the two rules, encouraged betting and welcomed everyone that had showed up. The two drifters were finally brought out from the tents that were set up just outside the warehouse. They were naked from the waste up and only one of them had a pair of cotton, fingerless gloves on their hands.

The two boys, who couldn’t have been older than 18 were then let into the cage and the gate locked behind them. At the Mountain Lion announcer’s whim he called on the fight to start and the whole warehouse seemed to erupt with sound as people placed their bets and called to the fighters who began to circle each other nervously.

Who: Ryder and Danni
What: Riding and dance lessons; then some star gazing
Where: his territory
When: Sunday - Week 3
Rating: TBA

Danni could barely get over how beautiful the weather was. The sun was shining and there were so few clouds in the sky. After going through her closet quite a few times and trying on various outfits, she settled on a simple pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. As much as she wanted to look nice, she realized that they would be riding horses, and nice wasn't always what was practical in that case. Having danced for as long as she had, the jeans didn't bother her. In fact, she found very little difference in dancing in jeans and dancing in a leotard in tights, besides enjoying the idea of being covered up more.

She wrote Ace a quick note and left it on his bed letting him know that she had gone to see Ryder again. She assured him that she was only going to the edge of the Mountain Lion territory and that he was going to meet him there. She let him know they were going to the ranch in case he needed her. Signing it, she said she'd be back late that night and drew a small heart at the bottom. After she folded the note and leaving it in his room, she walked into the kitchen and spent a little time throwing together a quick soup for the Lions to eat for dinner.

Checking the time, she realized it was getting late, so she grabbed a bottle and filled it with water, then left. She hummed to herself most of the time, looking around at the beautiful scenery around her. It was hard to believe that just the past week they were having awful storms and now everything was near perfect. Perhaps winter would be a very warm one this year. She came to the edge of her territory and saw the familiar gas station there. For the past two years, it had been vacant, simply a playground for the younger children.

Leaning against one of the gas pumps, she waited for Ryder to show. She hoped that he still remembered that they were meeting. Then a thought crossed her mind - what if he had changed his mind and didn't want to see her again? She bit her lip and tried to brush the idea away.

Who: Danni and Ace
Where: The back porch off of the Mountain Lion Lodge
When: Week One - Friday, after dinner
Why: TBD

Danni had spent her afternoon at the Lodge. She'd had enough nature for the week and just wanted to be indoor reading and cooking. The latter proved to be constantly difficult, but Danni loved to be challenged, especially when it came to something she was good at. She went through the kitchens, rounding up different ingredients, and discovered she had everything she needed for a hearty soup. She hadn't bothered to measure anything out, it was all by eye sight with her.

She had spent the time she wasn't dancing or studying with her mother in the kitchen, helping her make different dishes. They'd even come up with some strange concoctions that tasted incredible in the end but looked absolutely horrendous on a plate. Danni's dad was often the lab rat for most of these experiments, but he was typically more than happy to oblige.

The soup turned out to be wonderful. She had even spared a few potatoes on the side and sliced them very thin to make her own version of potato chips. After eating her fill, she left a note on the front door of the lodge letting anyone who came in to help themselves to her food. After cleaning off her dish, she changed into a pair of flannel pants and the sweatshirt she had borrowed from Ace only a few days previous and sat on the back porch on one of the lounge chairs. Laying back, she looked up at the sky and began to recite the constellations, something she had been doing since she was very small.

"Ursa Major..." she whispered to herself, curling up in Ace's sweatshirt with the hood on her head.

Who: Ryder and Danni
Where: South of the Twin Feather’s garden near the river
When: Noon on Tuesday
Why: Ryder is trying his rather unsuccessful hand at fishing when a pretty Mountain Lion comes along

Ryder loved to sleep, and if he didn’t somehow managed to get at least eight hours he was not his usual self. It wasn’t that he was grumpy he was just a little silly and slow. Last night he had not been fortunate enough to get eight hours. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have slept in if he’d wanted to, but Rose had other plans. At almost the crack of dawn she was running all about his cabin, snuffling at the doors and windows, simply making an all out racket. He tossed and turned, cursing her in his native tongue, for about thirty minutes until he finally gave in to her demands.

Rose was of course free to go about her own business. She was not tethered or corralled. That was something that Ryder had to get used to when he took on the responsibility of the horses for the Twin Feathers. He was used to barns, corrals, and lead ropes, not horses running about as they pleased. However, it didn’t take him too terribly long to get used to their freedom. In fact he rather enjoyed it. There was a certain level of trust that you had to build with free-roaming horses that simply was not there with stabled ones.

Rose was completely dedicated to Ryder and she assumed that he owed her in the same way. Therefore she’d developed endearing, if not sometimes annoying, habits. Almost every morning Ryder would take her out for a long run down to the river. Sometimes she would let him sleep in and skip the ride, but this morning was not one of those mornings. So Ryder finally pulled himself out of bed and managed to get ready before she was able to break down the door.

He threw his army green satchel and makeshift fishing pole (on a string) over his shoulder, bridled Rose and climbed onto her bare back. He checked on the herd that was grazing nearby before taking her on her run. She was rather zealous that morning and his satchel got a right beating against his thigh. Luckily he’d remembered to secure the latches on it so he didn’t lose anything that was tucked away inside.

Eventually he turned her east and rode along the river bank until he was nearly at the Trading Post. He found what looked like a cozy spot on the bank and dismounted. He unbridled Rose and let her wander off nearby to graze. Ryder was a horrible fisherman, but he still gave it a try every few weeks. He swore that if he had better bait he would catch fish, but what could you do when you couldn’t run to the nearest bait and tackle shop? Of course he could have dug up worms or caught bugs to use but he was squeamish in that sense and preferred not to have an insects guts all over his hands. So instead of practical bait he used whatever he could find, which happened to be some nearly dried out corn kernels from the night before.

He shivered and eyed the clouds as he settled down on the bank, casting his fishing pole into the water. The string blew in the light breeze carrying his cast to the left. It looked like it was going to storm soon, but he wasn’t quite ready to get back to the cabin.

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 )