Devil's Tower

Who: Shepherd, the RR that joined him, and Open to Twin Feathers
When: Week 12: Around 10 in the morning on Friday
Where: Just entering Twin Feather territory
What: Looking for Gypsy
Rating: TBD
Status: In Progress


Shepherd had gathered those going with him and they had floated down river till they reached Twin feather territory or specifically where the River crossed Cabin Creek road. From all he had heard it was the easiest way into the Twin Feather territory. Once he had packed up his new bag with a few things he thought he might need they had headed out. This excursion was good for him to learn the area better. He knew Sundance well due to his brother having lived here but things were different and that was before the virus. Bright blue eyes scanned the area taking in landmarks and being perspective of his surroundings. You learned early as a drifter that you had no friends which meant anyone would beat you over the head for something. He had heard the Twin Feathers were a peaceful sort but that wouldn't stop them from protecting what was theirs.

The weather out was nice. Shepherd had learned to appreciate weather long ago when he didn't need to be bundled up and wondering if he would loose a finger. Though the thought of fingers caused two of his own to twitch in the ties the kept them straight so they could properly heal from their broken state. Though they ached a good deal at times it was well worth the outcome.

His simple worn T-shirt fit to his lean torso rather well and his jeans, while belted, were a size too big but thankfully were long enough. Finding clothes that didn't make you look ridiculous in times like this were usually pretty hard not to mention clothes that would stand up to wear and tare. He pulled his glasses from the top of his nose and cleaned them up on the bottom hem of his shirt before depositing them back on his face and continued to walk on.

Who: Peri and Shepard
When: Early Tuesday Morning ((Before the Meeting))
Where: Peri's boat
What: Peri decides to get rid of Shepard with interesting results
Rating: PG-13 (language)

Everything was changing; Peri was in the middle of it and trying to get back to what she knew. Since Saturday her world had been turned upside down. Gypsy was gone and Shepard was here in bed with her. She felt like nothing made sense anymore. Yes, he had saved her life, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why she had let him stay so long. It was four days now, three more than anyone had managed in a row. And then there was Gypsy... her best friend... really her only true friend. The one that saw what she was and took her for it, the one that never judged her and only tried to help her. She was gone. Peri had spent the last day searching for her, truly to find something of her, something that would explain to Peri what had happened, but there was nothing.

She had lied in bed awake all night, trying to think of where the other might be and what might have happened and why there was a man just sleeping next to her. Everything was blurry and uncoordinated. By morning though she had decided that she needed to get rid of Shepard so that she could focus on Gypsy. It was as simple as that in her mind and there wasn't anything that she could think of to dissuade her.

She had gotten up early and had packed the few things she had into sacks,leaving out a pair of clothes considering as was tradition in Peri's bed, he was lacking in them at the moment. After she had everything ready she stood over the bed and with a nudge with her foot she said, "Okay Shepard, you have to get going. I have places to go and people to see... and you are slowing me down." It was a well rehearsed line.

Who: Jed and all River Runners
When: Week Twelve
Where: Land surrounding Jed's boat
Why: Jed organises a search party and tries to quell panic.

There was no way Jed could lie to himself anymore.  At first he figured she'd just wandered off on her own for a few hours and would return, and when hours turned into a full day he figured maybe she needed a big time out, Gypsy was mad at him afterall for practically banishing her best friend.  But by the time Tuesday rolled around the panic in his body sank in fully and his nerves were on edge.  She was missing and he was partly responsible.

Although he never let people know it there was nobody Jed respected more than Gypsy, and lying to her about him and Silver had ebbed at his concious with each day that passed, there were whispers in the camp that there should be relief felt on Jed's part now she was no longer breathing down his throat.  Relief wasn't an emotion he could feel when his whole sytem was abosrbed with panic and dispair.  Gypsy had been his saviour, he'd been hers, they'd been friends and lovers for a brief time.  Now she was gone and he didn't know where.  It was like the twilight zone when he'd barrelled into her boat, everything perfectly in tact as if she'd simply stepped out for some air, no signs of a struggle to signal someone had taken her, no note to say she was leaving.  She simply walked out and vanished into thin air.  This wasn't a trick anymore, this was fucking weird.

Silver hadn't spoken to him since, he'd heard her sniffling in her sisters room as she asked for a moment to think by herself, and he'd hid the angry tears that brimmed and clouded his eyes.  She'd never done something like this before, though he had to try hard to reassure everyone that this wasn't as big a crisis as it actually was.  This was made harder by the fact that few people actually respected Jed as a leader and without Gypsy there to scold them he was swimming in a sea filled with what seemed like dozens of doubting faces.  For the first time in his life Jed had no plan, no thoughts, nothing coherent, and no guidance.  He was completely alone and missed his friend, he missed every part of her and wasn't going to give up until she was looking at him in the face and laughing at him for even bothering the tribe in the first place.

Jed had sent word out to the tribe that there was a metting to be held at his at eleven, outside his boat.  He daren't hold it outside Gypsies.  He stood on the dock facing the floor feeling it swirl and sway beneath him, making him feel queasy.  There was so much to do and so little time to do it in, every second was a second she could be in more danger, there was no way they could afford to waste time anymore.  It was time for Jed to stand in and be the man Gypsy always told him he could be.  He'd always doubted her.

"As you know Gypsy is gone," he started off slowly but confidently, throwing his voice so it flew over everyone's heads, "We can't afford to stay put any longer, there'll be a search party dispatched and I need volunteers," he frowned, "We need to find her,"

Who: Peri and Shepherd
What: Peri almost dies and then finds herself with a tenant
When: Saturday
Where: The Marketplace
Rating: R... for sexual content

It had been a very long week, she had risen everyday at 7am and had gone to sleep well past midnight. The mission of the week had almost been accomplished though and that was what really mattered. The wares she had produced all winter were almost gone and they had been replaced with food and a few other thing she an her tribe had needed. To be honest, Peri had actually sold faster than she had anticipated and for a better price. She always left those who wished to trade with her determine the price they wanted to pay and then she bartered until she thought it fair. This year the price they had given was high and she had rarely had to barter for a higher bid. It had been wonderful in fact. Apparently a lot of the dishes had been broken or had just become too brittle over the winter months.

Her evenings had been spent rejoicing with her tribe, who had also seemed to have the same fortune. It had been apparent to her than that the stores that the other tribes had made for the winter had been more plentiful than any had let on. It was likely why they had been able to receive help from the Wolves when their store had been diminished, and it was definitely why their own store of preserved food was now almost full. She figured she had one dya of the marketplace before she could rest. It wasn't as if Peri had to sell everything she had made, but when she set a goal for herself, even if she did better than she thought she would she always pushed through and finished it.

Walking out of her house onto the deck she disengaged her boat from the rest of the Runners. Generally they pooled together at night not only for their own convenience put for safety's sake as well. Together they were a tribe you did not mess with, even separately they were strong, but during sleep anyone was weak. Pushing down with her pole she pushed away from the fleet and then replaced the pole into its appointed slot. The kiln was used to warm her boat because even with it on the deck in made her house warm. Placing a few new logs in it, the small flames from the large embers left from the night began to lick at their new home.

Soon enough she had arrived at the marketplace and docked in her usual spot. It was a slow morning to start with but as mid day came the market filling and the noise level was immense. It didn't take Peri long to start trading leaning off the side of her boat with a twinkle in her eye always help and it never seemed to matter with whom she was trying to converse she had a way about her that seemed to reel them in.

There seemed to be a few new faces in the crowd that day and when one of them boarded her ship, she thought nothing of it. Peri was never one to keep anything of too much value to her out in the open and she always had a knife somewhere near. In all likeliness she had become too self assured. She had begun trading with him for some bowls she had; thick earthenware that was expensive because it was very durable. When she turned to grab a bowl, unlocking the earthenware section of her storage unit, she let her guard down and it that second all she felt was a sharp pain than nothing. The sound of him hitting her with a rock the he had been hiding was almost unheard over the noise of the crowd. As quickly as it had happened though Peri was falling off the side of her craft having been knocked unconscious. It didn't take long for the thief to grab most of the earthenware and run off into the crowd without most knowing what had happened, or really caring.