Devil's Tower

Week Thirteen
WHO: Black Cat and whoever he runs into
WHAT: Exploring
WHERE: River Runners territory
WHEN: Friday
RATING: TBD
STATUS: Incomplete and Open

Black Cat roused slowly, the light creeping in through the window of the boat rousing him, but the rocking of the craft on the water keeping him lulled in relaxation. Not that he was ever particularly stressed. It was an unusual morning, by virtue of the fact he was sleeping alone, but he always got up early, normally paying scant regard to whoever it was who slept beside him. It wasn’t that he didn’t respect women, he really did, the memory of his sister and mother always staying close to the forefront of his generally restless mind. It’s just that it always seemed, just a little to easy, he’d pull all the wise old soul stuff that he always did, spin a yarn or two about the old country and that would be it. It wasn’t earned, so it meant less.
He wandered out onto the damp jetty beside his boat, agile feet gripping as he moved to sit looking up, to feel the rays of the see new sun hitting the skin of his bare chest and the coolness of the wood beneath his feet. He looked around at this place he found himself in. How odd, in the midst of what so many other people would have deemed chaos, to have found himself his first permanent home in years, or as permanent as he could let it be.
For all his front, for all the cheeky chappy, wise old sage, couldn’t care less attitude, he did care, or he wanted to, he wanted to be like his Da, and care more for one human being or one group of human beings than he did himself. He wanted his yarns to be the same as the real ones his parents would tell about dancing around each other doing ridiculously romantic things, just so they could spend time together. He wanted one very boring thing, to be normal again.
He sighed, he’d made himself an image to live by now, that of the post Virus rock star, and even though, now he’d grown up a bit it wasn’t really him any more, but he didn’t know how to leave that image behind.
He shrugged off the thoughts and got back on his boat, changing into daytime clothes and setting out to explore around the River Runners territory. He was new here and he hadn’t really met anyone yet, so it was time to get out there and do the meet and greet.

Who: Peri and Moe
When: Late Monday Night
Where: Moe's boat
What: Peri needs to get smashed
Rating: PG-13 (language)

The last week had been the longest week in Peri's life since the virus had taken her parents, her life away from her. She had meet Shepard just over a week ago, he had changed the way she lived her life, something Peri hadn't been ready for. Rather fortunately for her, she had broken his fingers in trying to kick him out and instead had let him stay. Unfortunately around the same time Shepard came into her life, her best friend Gypsy left it. Peri, the true pessimist by nature, didn't think she was coming back, nor did she think that she was alive. Someone would have told them by now if Gypsy was merely hurt, and if Gypsy had been trying to leave she would have taken Silver with her.

With so much changing in her personal life and having lost the person who truly knew who she was beneath the mask, she just felt alone. Completely and utterly isolated. Which was why before night feel she knew she couldn't say nothing any longer. Peri wasn't totally oblivious to the fact that she was not what others would typically consider a good person. She didn't care, but that was why she didn't tell many what was in her heart... they just didn't understand her. Gypsy had, and now she was hoping Moe would, or at least that she would just listen and not judge her. They had been friends since the tribe at been formed, just never as close as she and Gypsy has been.

Sitting up quietly in bed, she looked down at the man next to her. He wasn't Brent, like Gypsy had expected in the end it would be. No Brent and Allison belonged in the past, he couldn't let her just be who she was and she couldn't bare to remember life before the virus. Instead next to her was Shepard, a man that hadn't been mad at her for being... well a bitch, and who didn't seem to judge her on what he had heard... she knew by know he would have heard at least some of her downfalls. In truth she was happy to not be alone any longer, and more truthfully that it was Shepard sharing her bed with her. She wasn't quite ready to admit that yet though.

She had waited until he had fallen asleep, and checked that he was before slipping out from underneath the covers. The spring air still had a chill to it and so she slipped over to grab her jacket. It wasn't that she had and fear about telling him that she was going out and telling him where to stick it if he had a problem with that, no she just wasn't ready to tell him that she had lost her best friend at a time she really needed him. Sliding out the door, she walked to the bow of her boat and quickly jumped onto the next, making her way to Moe's. They had all been tied together at night for the last couple weeks and tonight was was happy that was the case.

Who: Jed [Open to any River runners]
What: Jed calls a tribe meeting
When: Saturday evening
Where: The living area of the winter shelter.

Jed had never been one for public speaking. He'd never been one to keep his opinions to himself but having to address the whole tribe about the new pressing issue and possible downfall of the tribe was making his heart beat rather erratic. It wasn't even the eratic excited heartbeat that he had whenever Silver was in the room, nope, it was due to pure fear of the uproar this news could cause...would cause.

He had discussed with Gypsy what needed to be done all of this morning and after she had retired to bed (Jed's idea surprisingly) he walked out and nervously asked everyone to gather all the tribe and meet in the living area. Various faces stared back at him, some with worry already on their faces, some with confusion and some with amusement...though he wasn't quite sure what the cause for the last one was, perhaps a joke he had not been in on. However now was no time for jokes. He stood in front of the old couches and cleared his throat, trying in vain to hush the loud chatters of 'his' tribe members.

"Guys," he spoke letting the lump in his throat fall from his lips and make him sound as if he was choking, "Guys!" he called louder this time, thankful that a hush seemed to fall over them the second time. "Okay I know you are all wondering why you're here," he took a breath....great way to start a speech, or course they were curious! "This morning Gypsy and I walked out to the barn attic where the supplies have been kept for the winter. As you know," he ran a shaky hand through his hair, "As you know the blizzard has been wiping out supplies of and places of refuge for tribes all around and last night it hit us-" he closed his eyes as murmurs broke out through the group, "I don't know how to say this so-" he scratched the back of his neck, "The grain we had left over from the harvest is gone, it's been frozen or blown away, we've got tinned food but it's not going to last us through the winter. We're in trouble but I need you to know that if we can pull together we can 'fix' this, we can make it through,"

The room was not quiet for much longer, people stood up, people panicked, some had so much worry on their face he was concerned the girls of the group were about to burst into tears. All this emotion filling the room was doing nothing for his own nerves. "We need people to branch out and talk to the surrounding tribes, see if we can't ask for their services," he called the words into the loud room feeling them settle in the air but not sink in over the existing noise.

"Guys!" he screeched achieving a lower level of noise than before. "We need to band together, I need volunteers to go to the Lions and try and arrange some sort of extra food supplies, I need people to approach the Twin Feathers and ask for their carpentry services. And I need to know if anybody has any other suggestions or wants to help," he held his breath waiting for people to shout at him, waiting for people to step up...waiting for help.