Devil's Tower

Who: Ryder and Windchaser
Where: At the farm first, then....
When: Very late afternoon
Why: A first date that's been years in the making!

To say that it had been difficult for Ryder to spend Sunday working on the barn and tending to the animals, rather than rushing down to the farm to see Wind, was a gross understatement. Several times throughout the day he'd found himself leaning against a fence rail daydreaming instead of finishing his work. Thankfully, it had only been one day and he'd survived.

On Monday morning he'd finished his chores early and spent the greater part of the afternoon killing some time. He didn't want to appear too anxious to her so he tried to keep himself busy until the sun had started to sink from its apex. He'd shaved and went to the canopy for a haircut, so he didn't look the part of a drifter anymore. As he rode towards the farm he took a deep breath, appreciating all of the sights around him. If he was to be honest with himself, this beautiful place had always felt like home and with Ellie there it actually felt complete.

He was riding a different horse to the farm today, in the belief that Rose needed a well deserved rest after what he'd put her through. This one was a young chestnut gelding simply named Red. He was only a year old when Ryder had found him, abandoned and malnourished shortly after he'd joined the Twin Feathers. He was lazy and just as gentle with Rose though he tended to be on the clingy side. When Ryder first took him in, Red would stand there and whinny without ceasing until Ryder came back within sight. Thankfully he'd rid the horse of that habit by now, but there was still a definite attachment there.

Ryder reached the farm within an hour of having set out. He'd stopped briefly along the way to pick some wildflowers for Wind. As he rode up the main dirt road into the Wolves' farm he was starting to feel a little anxious. He stopped in front of the main house and dismounted to look around for Wind.

Who: Ryder and Bear
Where: His cabin on Twin Feather turf
When: Late Saturday afternoon

He'd been away from Sundance for seven whole weeks. Most of his trip hadn't been what one would consider a vacation, but that wasn't the reason he'd left anyway. He'd turned his back on the place and the people that he called home, so that he could try and find a way to make peace with the ones that he'd left behind. It took him almost two weeks to make it to the ranch he'd once called home. He was lucky that he'd even managed to find the place at all. He thought it strange that aside from the girl he'd met near the Belle Fourche, he didn't see another person all the way from Sundance to the ranch. When he came nearer to his family's property and the town he'd once called home, he was shocked at what he saw. Sometime in the recent past there had been a massive fire. Ryder wasn't even sure how it could have ever stopped with how much it had consumed. He only knew where he was because of certain mountains and other physical signs that the fire had been unable to consume.

( He hesitated, but ultimately pushed on, into the black landscape. )

Who: Members of the Wolves, the Carrion, and their guests.
Where: Outside at Watershed Farm
When: Saturday afternoon and into the evening
Why: The Wolves and Carrion are having a picnic

((OOC: Please put your characters name and the other characters they are tagging into the subject line of your post. If your character's post is open or a narrative, put that in the subject instead.))

The partnership between the Wolves and the Carrion was really an coincidental one. During the second war of Sundance, the Mountain Lions had claimed the city and forced the Carrion out of their home. The tribe had no choice but to seek out the Wolves for protection. There was no way they would have been able to stand up to the Mountain Lions alone, and the Wolves were more than happy to take in the extra helping hands. Their victory had been slow, and mostly due to the Jackals having wiped out the Mountain Lion leadership; however, the Wolve and Carrion still had a lot to be proud of.

Since peace once again settled over Sundance, the two tribes had made an alliance to share resources, protection, and help one another rebuild the city. They'd come a long way and since Grey's birthday was coming up a picnic had somehow come together. It wasn't really clear whose idea it had been, but eventually it turned out to be quite the event. Tables had been set up in one of the greener fields nearest the farm house and every member of the two tribes had pitched in in one way or another. There was plenty of food set out, organized games, pony rides, face painting, and more. Pluse, there was even music provided by the Wolves's very own Dusty Rhodes.

The alliance between the Wolves and Carrion was perhaps more of an advantage to the Carrion than it was to the Wolves, but having a genuinely united city was a tremendous step in the direction that Wolf and the other leaders wanted to head in.

Who: Ryder and Bear
Where: Bear's place
When: Friday mid-morning
Why: Ryder is leaving town and needs to ask a favor

Of all the Twin Feathers that Ryder was close to, Bear was in the top three. He knew that he should probably be going to Hawk about leaving town, but he'd been distant from Hawk for awhile now and he figured the guy had enough to worry about with Nova and everything else. He thought about asking Dusty as well, but he didn't want to bother the guy. After all, he'd already found and returned the herd, and he was in another tribe now, it just didn't seem right to ask.

The main Feather camp was only a short distance so he didn't have to brave the wind and rain for very long. When he reached the camp it was pretty deserted, most people having stayed inside where it was warm and dry. He tethered Rose to the hitching post, which conveniently had a roof built over it so she wouldn't get too wet. He understood the benefits of the other Feathers living in the trees, but he'd never gotten used to the idea himself. He needed to feel grounded, literally.

He carefully climbed the wet ladder to Bear's rooms and steadied himself at the top. He knocked gently on the door, "Bear, it's Ryder, you home ese?"

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. )

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: Ryder and Dusty
What: Starting to re-build Ryder’s cabin
When: Saturday morning
Where: The ruins of Ryder’s cabin

Ryder had gotten most of the debris cleaned up and salvaged what he could from the ashes. Luckily the Twin Feather’s tendency towards architecture had built up a reserve of long pine logs that were ready and waiting. Ryder had decided a few days ago that the first thing he’d build would be a shelter for the horses and new corral. The Twin Feathers had never corralled their horses but after having lost them in the winter Ryder felt the need to have more control over them. They were after all a very precious resource. Besides, he’d discovered that one of the sorrel mares was now pregnant and he wanted to be able to keep a very close eye on her.

He’d spent the night on a friend’s floor in the canopy and awoke early the next morning to return to the site of his cabin. The cowboy who’d found his horses had offered to help him re-build his cabin, but Ryder hadn’t taken the offer too seriously. He didn’t even know the guy and besides, Dusty had already done Ryder a tremendous favor by finding and returning the remaining horses. So Ryder went to work that morning, first mapping out the holes for the posts of the corral and then beginning the arduous task of hand digging them all.

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: 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: Dusty and Ryder
What: Found some horses
When: Afternoonish
Where: Just south of Devils Tower
Rating: PG-13 (Dusty's got a bit of a potty mouth)
Status: Incomplete

It had been a hard winter for a lot of people this year, especially with the world having gone all crazy since the virus broke out. But who could blame anybody for their reactions? Everyone had lost at least one person they loved, and that would be enough to knock anyone off their rocker. Dusty had lost his mama, daddy, his two sisters, and his beautiful wife of two years thanks to that damn Ans Virus. Who would've thunk that a bunch of plastic phonies out on the West Coast would bring about the end of humanity? Well, half of it anyway.

( With no women or children to have to be polite around, Dusty spit at the ground. )

Who: Ryder and Ace
What: Ace shows Ryder what happens when someone hurts Danni
Where: The burnt ruins of Ryder’s cabin
When: Mid-morning Wednesday

Ryder hadn’t been back to his cabin since the night of the fire when he’d walked all the way to Grffin’s place in the main canopy. He hadn’t even looked for his horse yet and she hadn’t turned up at the main camp like she had other times when she dissappeared in the past. On Monday he’d gotten up enough gumption to write Danni a letter. He didn’t know how he really felt about anything at the moment. All he could think about, all he could feel, was an emptiness- deep and dark. It was probably one of the worst letters he’d ever written, but at least he felt somewhat accomplished- as if he’d successfully closed that chapter of his life.

It wasn’t until a Wednesday in early Spring that Ryder decided to return to his cabin. He figured his mopey figure was starting to get on Griffin’s nerves. He didn’t know if he even wanted to rebuild the cabin. It felt like everything he’d worked for in the last two years had been pulled out from under him in a firey blaze. He didn’t know what pieces to pick up or where to go next.

When he arrived at the cabin he sat his bag on the ground and stuck his hands in his pockets. The cabin had been reduced to a blackened carcass, picked clean by the elements and who knew- maybe a couple of drifters as well. He walked to the edge of the shiny black pile that was once his home. An image from two years ago flashed before his eyes. His incinerated ranchhouse; the burned remains of his crippled mother. God, how could anyone go on living after seeing those things- those horrible things that swept the earth at the height of the virus.

He knelt next to the cabin with a sigh and made the sign of the cross. The earth was cool and the layer of moisture buried just beneath the soil seeped through the knees of his jeans. He began a low prayer out loud, in Spanish. He prayed to the Virgen de Guadalupe for something to pull him out of the darkness that had taken all his joy away. He prayed for some reason, or some way to go on.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who: Ryder and Griffin
What: Ryder’s cabin burns down so he wanders into the main camp
Where: Ryder’s cabin and the canopy
When: Saturday night

What a long, boring week. Since the snow had subsided enough for him to convince Rose that riding around was a good idea he’d been out every day tracking the herd. It was strange, there were traces here and there and then they were gone. Ryder was no tracker but he knew the habits of horses, especially his horses. He’d been out for the last three days from dusk until dawn riding as far as he could in every direction but he hadn’t managed to find the herd.

Ryder was worried. There were a couple small canyons and decent ravines around that could have been covered with snow, where the herd could have… But no, the entire herd wouldn’t have fallen in one spot and died. Besides, he would have found something by now. He remembered the last winter when he’d had problems with the herd. One of the colts had fallen into a snow drift and it wasn’t until weeks later that Ryder had found him there, frozen or suffocated to death.

There was also the possibility of the herd having been stolen, but with the weather he thought it was unlikely. He’d had a horse stolen before, the first year that he was with the Twin Feathers. They’d found what was left of the carcass outside of town next to an empty camp site. Apparently some drifters thought the horse was more useful as food than anything else. That memory still made his blood curdle. Still, both of those things were incredibly unlikely, especially when it came to the fact that the whole herd was missing.

( Nowhere to call home. )

Who: Ryder and Moe
What: Ryder visits Moe to break things off and well….
When: Early afternoon
Where: Moe’s room at the RR winter camp
Rating: tba


Since Danni left his cabin Ryder had been going crazy. Things had finally come full circle with Danni and it seemed as if they were actually going somewhere. Was he happy about it? Of course he was. He cared a lot for Danni and appreciated the way that she’d finally started opening up to him. So why was Moe the only thing he could think about? He told himself that it was guilt that kept causing her image to slide onto the screen behind his eyes. If he was going to make things work with Danni then he would have to stop seeing Moe. Yet how could he do that and still be her customer?

Things were getting way too complicated for Ryder’s tastes and way too fast. He paced around the cabin for hours before getting as bundled up as he could and opening the front door to brave the weather. When Danni had left he’d managed to make a small path at the front door after clearing out the initial onslaught of snow that had built up there.

Although he’d spent a hand full of years in Montana before the virus and two years in Sundance he still hadn’t gotten used to the snow. Why couldn’t he have at least ended up somewhere warm when the world had ended? Oh well, at least he had ended up at all. If it hadn’t been for Hawk and the Feathers he would have died out there in the fields surrounding Devil’s Tower. There was a lot for him to be thankful for and most of the time he tried not to take it for granted.

The snow was so deep that even though he managed to get Rose out of her stall and ride her most of the way to Moe’s he eventually had to give up and walk in front of her to lead the way. To say the least Rose was not happy about being dragged out into the cold. When it snowed this hard there was always the danger of falling into deep snow drifts and he felt better leading her because of that. Even though Rose had a set of senses that far surpassed his own he wanted to take a fall himself instead of the both of them getting stuck.

There was a light breeze blowing and by the time he was half way to the winter camp it had started to snow again. The snow was light, but it still didn’t make things any easier. When he did manage to reach the camp he was frozen to the bone and soaking wet from wading through the snow. The Runner that met him at the door seemed more than shocked that he had managed to come all the way to the camp. They took his horse to the barn for him and let him inside. They mumbled something about him being a hardcore alcoholic to their friend as he walked down the hallway to Moe’s room. He locked lightly on the door and hugged himself to try and steady his shivers. Short and sweet was how he wanted this to be and he hoped that by doing so he would be able to get back to his place without freezing to death.

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: Moe and Ryder.
What: Testing her wares/doing some trade.
When: Afternoon.
Where: The River Runner's winter camp.
Rating: PG-13 for some drug references.

When it came to the winter camp, Moe was full of mixed feelings. On the one hand, there were all sorts of comforts that one didn’t get in a floating home. On the other, the privacy factor went way down. That wasn’t a huge problem, in the larger scheme of things, but when you had a house full of bored people with dubious morals, things could get interesting. Already, she’d caught one kid red handed, snooping through her space for some extra goodies. If he’d been a little sneakier, he might actually have gotten away with it. Now, he’d never even think to try it again. Moe wasn’t the most imposing person around. Heck, she wasn’t really imposing at all. Then, the wrath of Moe was pretty fierce. Not a whole lot of people knew how to handle it. He hadn’t been able to meet her eye during the last few days. Which served him right. There wasn’t anything more traumatizing then being chased down the hall by a pissed woman wearing nothing but a towel and swinging around a garden hoe.

From the corner of her space (which wasn’t quite enclosed enough to really be called a bedroom), her sad little moonshine distiller let out a forlorn wheeze. Moving hadn’t been any fun for it, and the reassembly left something to be desired. It was still working, it just wasn’t happy about it. Luckily, she didn’t have to produce as much during the winter. Most of the hardcore trading was over and done with, as the Sundance tribes horded everything they could for the hard times ahead. If she did produce too much, the majority of it would go to her own tribe. Most of them had a sad lack of self control, and she didn’t really feel like babysitting a whole mess of drunk River Runners for the next few months. That just wasn’t really her idea of a fun time. Speaking of fun times…Moe threw one leg over the side of her hammock, causing it to sway alarmingly. Moonshine wasn’t the only thing she had a pretty little surplus of. Normally, she tried not to dip into her own wares too much, but everyone was allowed to be weak every now and again, right?

Swinging herself all the way out of her hammock, Moe padded over to the decrepit bookshelf that she had filled with all sorts of boxes and cans. She sorted her pot according to all sorts of things, most of them known only to her. It wouldn’t do for other people to know her system. She wasn’t sure when she’d developed such a keen sense of secrecy, yet now she couldn’t get rid of it. It wasn’t that she liked to hide stuff from other people. She just did. Like a spastic little squirrel, moving it’s nuts every time someone else came sniffing around. That analogy made her frown at herself. It wasn’t a very nice comparison, especially not to make about oneself. Maybe she really did need a boost. Popping the top off of an old coffee can, she couldn’t help but grin. Oh yeah. That’s exactly what she needed. A few minutes later, she was puffing on an old carved pipe that she’d traded for nearly six months past. Rolling papers weren’t exactly easy to come by these days.

Kicking back in the one raggedy chair that she’d managed to secure, Moe let out a stream of smoke. Man, she really wanted ice cream. Better yet, and ice cream sandwich. Oh! Or one of those big cookie things with the ice cream in the middle. Yeah, that would be perfect. And also impossible, but that didn’t bother her too much at the moment. Instead, she let herself fall into a happy little daydream, where she was lounging on a faraway beach, surrounded by ice cream sandwiches. Never mind that she'd never been to a real beach. That just made the daydream more satisfying, if not entirely realistic.

Who: Silver, Ryder
Where: By the river
When: Mid-morning on Wednesday
Why: Someone needs to make sure everything gets patched up


Silver believed that if she had any less self control, she would have beaten her face on what was left of one of the docks after sending away a few of the people trying to "help" fix things up. They hadn't been hit too hard in regard to damages after the earthquake, seeing as most of everything they had was floating on the river, but a lot of the smaller boats had already been put away due to the impending winter season, though none of those had been damaged beyond repair, but handful of boats were lined up along the bank of the river so they could be fixed. And the few docks located at the center of their tribe's social congestion weren't doing much better. She knew it was probably a lost cause to expect everything to be fixed before things got too cold, but she figured they could at least get most of it done. Besides, it wasn't like the docks would actually be used until the following year, anyway, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

At least, that's what she had figured before half of her volunteers made it clear that they'd rather be stabbing themselves in the legs than out there doing work that had already been done. They'd already started to relax and get ready for living in the house for the winter so none of them had the motivation to get anything done. She couldn't really blame them, and knew she was some kind of freak because she was always jumpy during the winter when there wasn't much for her to do, but the other members of her tribe could be giving the cause half the effort she was and they could be done in a few days. Unfortunately, only a handful of them actually seemed to have the better interests of the tribe in mind and were actively working on the boats while Silver herself was on her hands and knees on the ground where one of the docks met land, trying to replace one of the supports in an attempt to salvage it. She was half drenched from walking in and out of the water and she was frustrated because she'd waited half a day before she even got started on the repairs. Only an hour ago, she'd sent away the two men that had been helping her after listening to them bitch and whine about what else they could be doing if Silver hadn't dragged them out of bed to slave away.

She sat back to look at her work and sighed, pausing only a moment before getting up again and wading out into the river. The water was already too cold to be working in, but she was determined to get at least this much done. She placed her hands on the end of the dock and pushed herself up, testing how well the structure held under her weight. She grinned when it didn't cave and mentally gave herself a pat on the back. She'd really just replaced a few supports, rebuilt the left side and patched up the underneath, but it looked like the quick fix would actually hold for a while. She lifted herself up and turned to sit on the end of the dock, looking down along the river at the few boats that were still out. Things were starting to get too cold to stay out in the boats and most of the tribe had already started moving inside.

She looked down at her hands, only then realizing how cold it was to be working in the water, but the thought was pushed away almost as soon as she saw a cut the palm of her right hand. The cold water must have numbed her hand to the point of masking the pain, but she also felt lucky that it probably helped to stop the bleeding, as well. She figured she should probably take a break, and didn't want to just sit around while others worked, so she turned her head to call down along the river for the other volunteers to go take a break, relax and get something to eat.

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

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

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

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

Who: 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: Ryder and Gypsy
Where: Ryder's cabin on Twin Feathers' turf
When: Saturday afternoon
Why: Gypsy and Ryder meet again, riding lessons maybe?

It had been an interesting week for Ryder to say the least. The rain hadn’t been kind to him, and for once he’d actually envied the tree-top houses of his tribe mates. On Monday his cabin flooded and he more or less had to wait out the rain on his bed unless he wanted to walk around in the four inches of water that decided to take over his floor. Luckily there wasn’t a lot of serious damage done. However, on Tuesday he spent the day attempting to clean up what had been damaged and the winds that day were incredibly strong and cold. By late Thursday his place was more or less back to normal and he couldn’t have been more thankful.

His stroke of bad luck wasn’t over for the week though. On Friday morning he found one of the younger horses stuck almost shoulder deep in mud in a swampy part of the river bank. It took him all day, the help of another Feather, and three horses to pull the young mare out of the mud. By the end of the day he was just as exhausted as the poor creature he’d worked so hard to free. He went to bed rather late and the next morning it was all he could do to heat up some water to clean himself up from yesterday’s escapades. He spent a few hours in the morning cleaning his mud covered clothes and his bedding.

By noon he was exhausted again and all of the muscles in his body ached from yesterday’s events. He climbed into the hammock that hung between the two trees closest to his cabin and almost immediately fell asleep. He was so thankful for the warmer weather. He hated fall and winter.

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 )