Devil's Tower

Who: Wolf and Libby
Where: ...?
When: Late afternoon
What: Getting caught in the rain
Rating: TBD
Status: Saving

...

Who: Wolf and Libby
Where: The white house
When: Late afternoon to evening?
What: The heat isn't helping her broodiness; she snaps
Rating: PG-13?
Status: Closed/In the process of being written up

...

Who: Wolf and Gem
Where: Gem's new shop
When: Monday
Why: Wolf wants to see how things are going and lament over Libby and him.

Surprisingly, Wolf had not made it to Gemini's shop since it'd opened. He knew the exact building she'd been talking about that morning when she'd asked to open her shop and so on Monday morning he found his way there relatively easily. He'd went on foot so that he could see and contemplate more of the city than he usually saw from the back of his horse. Come to think of it, he hadn't seem much of Gem at all since the opening of her shop and since the whole Peri incident.

When he arrived he could tell just by looking at the outside that she'd done a lot of work to the place already. He was about to simply walk in the front door, but he wasn't sure that it worked that way, considering that Gem not only worked there but lived there now. So, he knocked on the front door and took a step back to look up at the building again.

Who: Nova and Wolf
When: Week 22, Tuesday Afternoon
Where: Twin Feather Territory
What: Family visit and escape
Rating: TBD
Status: In Progress and open


( Waddle Waddle Waddle )

Who: Wolf and Libby
Where: The White House
When: Wednesday Morning
Why: Libby stayed the night and now it's time for awkward morning fun! :D

Wolf had purposefully returned to the White House rather late. In the hope that Libby had taken him up on his offer and decided to stay, he had wanted to give her some space. The White House had been their home after all. It was where Libby had all of her things, and the first place where she'd stayed put since the end of the virus- and that counted for something. When he had arrived he'd quietly crept up the stairs and peaked into her room. He stood in the threshold for a moment, just watching her restful form in the dark and listening to her breathing. It made him smile softly as he remembered what an incredible comfort if had been just to have her sleeping in his bed beside him. The moment didn't last long before it was twisted with a pang of sadness and regret that caused him to close the door and return downstairs. He laid awake for a long time that night, thinking about everything.

Despite the few hours of sleep he had, he was up before Libby and in the kitchen making breakfast by nine the next morning. Since the Jackals had generously halved the trade value for the electricity there had been a lot more food to go around and the breakfast Wolf was making was rather extravagant. Not that he was trying to impress Libby or anything, but he wanted to make sure she actually ate something while she had the chance. He couldn't imagine that hot meals were ever easily served at the library.

Who: Libby and Wolf
Where: The white house
When: Early afternoon
What: It's about time to have a run-in
Rating: R (Wolf is dropping some F-bombs)
Status: Complete

( Oh, this is a bad idea. No, no, you can do this. No, I think I should just go back... )

who. Dahlia & Wolf.
what. Dahlia has something to ask her leader.
when. Mid-afternoon.
where. Wolf's place.
rating. PG-13, just to be safe. (For possible adult references)
status. Incomplete // Closed.

( Oh, fearless leader! )

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: Gem, Libby, Saint, and Wolf?
What: Arguments about Gem's shop.
When: Tuesday mid-morning, breakfast time.
Where: The White House
Rating: PG. Mayhap some yelling, cussing, and foot stomping?
Status: In Progress

Gem woke slowly, feeling relieved and elated for a change. The past few days had been damn near pleasant. There was tension of course. It wasn't easy to have a "Lion" in the midst of the Wolves. Saint hadn't been in contact with too many people yet. Gem wasn't even sure Wolf wanted it to be common knowledge that he was here. But Gem was the happiest she'd been in a really long time. Her sister was safe, so was her man, and the house was beginning to take on the appearance of a home again. Not having much else to do, Gem had been cleaning as much as she could, repairing what could be repaired and tossing out what couldn't be salvaged. A lot of the house had been torn to shreds, as if someone was looking for something in every pillow and behind every picture frame. But with some glue and thread, Gem had managed to pull things together for the most part. She'd mad a run to the farm, with an escort of course, to get supplies that had been looted from the house. Thank goodness they'd gotten food on that supply run. She was in the mood to make breakfast.

Stretching cat-like in her bed, Gem sat up and straightened the long white t-shirt she'd slept in. Nova's- Her room (she was beginning to feel as is she belonged there) had been left relatively unharmed and most of her clothes had been with her at the farm, thank goodness. And her favorite pair of knee-high socks had been left in the top drawer of the dresser. The soft grey wool had been woven into the shape of socks by her mother and she had kept careful track of them through all her travels. After slipping them on and up over her knees, Gem crawled out of bed and leaned over Callum, pattin his head until he roused.

"Come on, you big lug. Let's go make breakfast." He followed her as she tiptoed down the stairs, his nails clicking lightly on the scarred hardwood floor. The kitchen was empty, sort of bare but clean at least. And they'd managed to get some spare dishes and cookware from the farm. Enough, at least, for Gem to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. She got to work, humming an old Scottish hymn under her breath as she mixed dough together on the counter and let bacon sizzle in it's pan. As Callum settled in under the table, scents wafted through the house with her bell-toned song. People would be waking up soon. Hopefully breakfast would make them a bit more willing to listen to her plea. It was about time she set up her shop.

Who: Peri, Wolf and eventually Libby
When: Thursday Morning at 2 AM
Where: Wolves Headquarters in Wolf's Bedroom
What: Peri comes to say goodbye, and doesn't care about the consequences
Rating: R, for language and for sexual stuff


It had been a couple of weeks since the war that had taken over Sundance had ended. Those weeks had been tense ones as there was nothing but questions left within these city limits. After having heard a good description of the Jackals leader known as Jax, Peri was fairly sure that he was in fact the person she had met out by the Winter Camp. She had not told anyone in her tribe, but she knew very well that she had said nothing that would compromise her beloved brethren. In fact it seemed as if they were going to be taken care of, though Peri had warned that things that looked too good were.

The River Runners were not a trusting tribe though, so they were already making alternate arrangements... just in case things didn't work out of course. She felt content in the fact that the Runners would be fine and she had left a letter at Jed's boat explaining her whereabouts. She didn't doubt that Jed wasn't going to like it, but she also knew that he wouldn't look for her because there was no point. Peri had one of the lightest house boats and it generally was quick on the water, so with a head start she would be out of reach by the time he got it in the morning.

The letter had told Jed what Peri had known was coming for quite some time, and that was that she needed a change of pace, and new faces. Life in Sundance had become something routine rather than exciting, and that had started to make her feel dead inside. Something that she likely was. She needed to feel like she was free again and that she needed to do things in order to survive. Something to make her heart race and her entire life seem worthwhile. As it had been a long time since Peri had feared death, the idea of going in over her head didn't scare her. In fact it excited her in a way that she had not felt in quite some time.

There was only one person that she needed to say goodbye to face to face, and she had no doubts that he was not going to like any of it. In fact she was prepared for quite a fight on several levels. After all they were not really friends in the first place, and even through that she didn't think he was going to be okay with her venturing out on her own in the end. It didn't matter though, because it had been along time since she really cared what he wanted and her mind was set on a new life.

So in the middle of the night after the meeting between the leaders of the tribes had occurred, and on the only night she knew that Libby would not be with Wolf in his bed, she docked her boat for the last time on the pier nearest to the Wolves Headquarters and strayed onto the docks in one of her usual ethereal outfits that made her look more like nymph than human. In an outfit that was so Peri but still retained Allison with it's white lace bodice and floating translucent cotton wisps of white floating out from it, she had come to bid the only love of Allison's life a firwell.

There was no doubt that she stood out even this late at night, but she knew her way around the compound well and quickly enough she found herself past the person who was suppose to be guarding the door. He had been sound asleep, so her lithe form had merely slid in through the front door rather than having to obtain entry through one of the windows that she had one previous occasions made sure she could open from either side.

Slipping down the darken hallways she closed her eyes and let her memories guide her up the stairs and around the corners until she was at the door she had so many memories of standing before or leaving from. Good and bad what was between Peri and Wolf, as well as what had been between Allison and Brent, was what it was never ending... at least in Peri's mind. He was everything to her, but she would never be with him and that was just where she had always stood since the virus had taken away everything from her including Allison and with it any ability to see Brent as anything but a past that was dead.

Catching her breath, she opened the door, fully expecting to see him jump up and scream at her to get out, though she wasn't going to obey him no mattered what he wanted. Not that she really ever had, but tonight she had her peace to make and her farewell to give and she was going to do it whether Wolf liked that or not. She was happily surprised to find him asleep in bed when her eyes finally caught sight of him. Walking over, she sat down beside him waiting a moment to wake him as she let the last part of Allison in her caress what was left of Brent in front her her with her eyes.

After the moment had gone, she leaned down and spoke in to his ear, "Time to get up now Brent..." Sitting up, she awaited his reaction, acknowledging that this might not be pretty at all and fully expecting a war, though she held hope that this might just be easy and quick and painless for the both of them. That was not a likely story though

Who: Jax and invited leaders/associates (Wolf, Grey, Jed, Sensei, Hawk and Kestral)
Where: Waffle House on Highway 14 at the intersection of Wolf and TF territory
When: Sunset
Why: Because deception is fun!

It had been difficult to decide on a location for the meeting. Jax wanted something that was at once neutral for everyone, but at the same time, compromising on his part. He wanted to show the other tribes that he was not afraid to be around them with no weapons. It was a demonstration in sincerity, even though in truth there was not an ounce of sincerity about the whole thing. In the end he chose the Waffle House on the highway because it was in a kind of no-man's land, but also sandwiched right between Wolf and Twin Feather turf.

In his letter he'd specified that each leader only bring one companion and that everyone came without weapons. The first specification he'd honored by choosing to only bring Lawliss along with him. Lawliss was always good at keeping Jax in check and he was the best person to have on your side should the need for close hand to hand combat arise. However, when it came to the second specification Jax broke his own rules. He always had his switch blade with him no matter what and so even as he sat on the bar of the Waffle House awaiting the other leaders, it was tucked safely inside his boot.

Thankfully enough of the lightbulbs still worked in the restaurant for them to see by. It was only a matter of time before the first leader would arrive. Jax wasn't nervous, he was trained extensively for this sort of thing. "Lawliss, my friend, are you ready?"


((OOC: Tag to Lawliss first, and then anyone can jump in as they see fit!))

Identical letters delivered to all the tribe leaders on Sunday by the same messenger who delivered the first letters.

( Dear Friend... )

Who: Wolf and Sensei
Where: The South Side Hospital area
When: Thursday afternoon
Why: A meeting between Sensei and Wolf to decide the relationship between the Wolves and the Carrion


With the true nature of Jax and his gang still hidden to Wolf, he figured that now was as good a time as any to confirm what alliances the Wolves had. Almost as soon as the Wolves had retreated from the city they'd been joined at the farm by the Carrion. Wolf and Grey had gladly taken in the newly revealed tribe. Even though the Carrion was mostly composed of younger kids, there was always more strength in numbers and it wasn't like they could leave them vulnerable to the Mountain Lions. The mystery of the city's south side had finally been revealed. Wolf had found Sensei a very agreeable person, and he had respect for him as a tribe leader.

Now that the war was over it was time for the Carrion and the Wolves to make clear to each other the exact boundaries of their relationship. Wolf knew that they had struggled with food and other things in the past, and he was willing to create an alliance with them that helped them with such things but still allowed them to remain as an independent tribe. Most of the Carrion had returned to the south side of the city to repair their home, and so that was where Wolf went in search of Sensei.

After his meeting with Grey he rode his horse straight to the hospital. Some of the younger Carrion that he'd met over the last month waved to him and one came up to pet and hold the reins of his horse when he got off. He roughed up the kid's hair and asked, "Is Sensei here?" The kid nodded and yelled for someone else to go and get Sensei.

Who: Wolf and Grey
Where: The Farm
When: Thursday morning
Why: A meeting concerning Jax's letter

As much as Wolf wanted to just stay at Libby's side, locked up in the white house, he still had leadership durites that he could not ignore. There were ungodly amounts of work that still needed to be done at the farmand in the city. Not only were the Wolves working to repair their old territory, but now they were working to help their new friends the Carrion rebuild the southern half of the city. Wolf was more or less busy from dusk until dawn and hadn't had much of a chance other than through short letters and messages, to communicate with Grey other than letting him know that Libby was back and sharing the information that she had with him. When he received the letter from Jax he decided that he had to share it with Grey as soon as possible.

He had planned to meet Sensei later in the day and so he rode to the farm first thing in the morning. Things were much better with Grey in him, in fact he was sure that they'd never been better. Somehow this second war had really brought them together, and now they had a kind of understanding with each other that they'd never really had before. It was a relief, and that tribe was much stronger for it. Wolf tethered his horse near the barn and sat down on the steps of the front porch to wait for Grey. The farm was buzzing with people trying to clean things up and rebuild. Wolf took Jax's letter from his pocket and re-read it while he waited for Grey.

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

Who: Wolf, Libby (Saint and Gemini want to join a little bit in??)
Where: The white house
When: Sunday late afternoon
Why: Libby returns... with a Lion!

The last six weeks had been unimaginably worse than the first conflict between the Wolves and the Lions three years earlier. Many more people had died and the Wolves had ended up trapped at the farm for weeks. Once Wolf had gotten over the initial shame of having lost the city, and smoothed over the problems between Grey and himself, everything had become all about mere survival: survival of the tribe. He'd tried leaving several times to go after Libby on his own but each time he'd been held back by others that told him he had to stay and lead the tribe.

They had been right, losing either one of the two leaders would have been a crippling blow to the tribes. The first rescue group had only been able to get to the northern border of the city before they were discovered and killed. As the weeks passed and things grew worse, the Wolves couldn't afford to risk sending anyone else on such a long and dangerous journey. When it came down to the end they could only sit at the farm and wait it out, hoping that the Lions and their army would retreat in hunger.

Something had made the Lions retreat, but Wolf wasn't quite sure what had happened. Wolf spies had returned to the farm with the news that the city had been deserted and that someone was occupying the Mountain Lion Lodge, but that it wasn't the Lions. After a long deliberation the Wolves finally decided to return to the city with a small group to clean things up and see if they could figure things out. It seemed almost too good to be true that they could take the city back so easily. Wolf knew that the drifters that the Lions had recruited had long since become unimpressed and had mostly deserted, but everything seemed sudden, and oddly quiet.

Wolf's team stayed Friday and Saturday night in town, keeping a low profile, and when Sunday came they brought more of the city members back into the town to start picking things up. The town wasn't in too bad of shape, but mostly everything had been looted, especially if it was something edible. When Wolf and his group finally made it to the apartments and the white house it was clear that the Mountain Lions' army had made their home there. Things were filthy, but still functional and mostly in one peice.

On Saturday Wolf had made a promise to himself that if things stayed quiet in town that he would go to find Libby on Sunday evening. He didn't care what the others had to say, he had to know if she was all right. He couldn't bare not knowing what had happened to her- and he feared the worst.

( On Sunday... )

Letters delivered to three tribe leaders on Monday around noon. The letters are delivered by three unfamiliar messengers who refuse to answer questions; they simply drop off the letters and then leave.

( Letter addressed to Wolf )

( Letter addressed to Jed )

( Letter addressed to Hawk and Kestral )

***OOC: Although Jax did not write to the Carrion, once Wolf makes the deal with them that they can remain autonomous, Wolf will certainly share the letter with Sensei and bring Sensei to any future leader meetings, etc. Also, Wolf will take the letter to Grey and see what he thinks.

Bad Experiences Stay with You...
Who: Gemini (open to Libby or anyone who hears Gem's screams, otherwise a Narrative)
What: Seeing all the men at the St. Patty's party triggered nightmares.
When: Saturday, late at night
Where: Gemini's Room at the white house.
Rating: R (Violence)

Gemini could hear the rough laughter of the men running behind her, hear each of the eight or ten feet that pounded through the shadow of Jacobs Hill. Legs burning, pain branching through her side, she pushed frantically forward through the dark trying in vain to put some distance between herself and her pursuers. But she could feel them gaining ground- could feel one man's breath almost on the back of her neck and her fingers grappling for the tendrils of her hair that the wind flew out behind her. Each time those large, fat fingers gained purchase, the wrenched her head forward, avoiding capture for a few blessed seconds. But she was losing speed. She had been running for what seemed like ages at the fastest pace and longest stride she could muster from her tired and under-nourished limbs. She cried out as her boot caught an unseen root- stumbling and faltering- just long enough for those vile hands to fist in her tangled and dirty hair and wrench her backwards, seemingly separating her scalp from her skull.

With a thud and a shriek, Gemini landed on her back in the wet leaves, her eyes blurring with tears, clouding the stars out of the dark, night sky. Her screams were not likely to be heard, not with that huge, brutal-looking man crushing his hand over her throat, closing it off just enough to make her gasp and whimper instead of cry out. She could feel the vibrations of his laughter as he called to his friends and seven shadows blocked out the light of the moon above her.

"Please-" The hand closed a little tighter, cutting off her breath as cold metal cut through the fabric of her jeans. Writhing and twisting, clawing at the hands that were trying to restrain her, Gemini fought against the brutes with pure animal instinct, forgetting all of the things her father had taught her as she panicked. She felt bile rise in her parched throat as hands grabbed at her, bruising and battering in their search for demented pleasure. She had to get them off, had to get away. Where was Callum? Where was her rucksack? Her knives? She couldn't reach the leather braid at her wrist, couldn't untie it and bring it around any throats. She couldn't do anything but scream as the hand left her throat to wrench apart her legs-

With a scream that echoed through the dark of the house, Gemini shot forward off of her sweat drenched pillow, stumbling out of her bed and throwing herself to the cool floor in the corner of the room. She clutched her knees to her chest, pulling her whites sleep-shirt over her legs to cover as much of her skin as possible as she sobbed into her folded arms. She hadn't been raped, had managed to escape that night in Colorado, but the nightmare had brought back ever detail, the smell of those filthy men, the cool air of the night as it chilled her sweating skin, the absence of Callum at her side...

In the back corner of her mind, Gemini registered that large lupine body edging closer to her, knowing that she needed him but that she would scream if anyone or anything touched her at the moment. She was panicking again, remembering every man that had every tried to gain favors for food or supplies over those wandering years. Remembering the face of each man that had been at the trading post earlier that night. She would have to learn to control her fear of men...Especially since she would be interacting with so many in this town... But for now, she let the panic take over and the sobs wrench from her chest.

Who: Libby and Gemini (and Wolf gets dragged in later on once more :-P )
What: Time for some bonding
When: Morning
Where: House kitchen
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete

Libby rolled over in bed, fighting to go back asleep. A light rain pattered against her window. She flipped again, this time bringing her pillow over to cover her head as some kind of shield against the world. Oh, evil, vile, spiteful morning, she snarled to herself. Resistance was futile. Her brain was already alert, active, and could have cared less what her body preferred to do. She released a heavy sigh, tinged with a growl, into her pillow before tossing it aside. She would pick it up later.

Her feet slid off the bed, and the rest of her body followed suit until she stood, wobbling beside her bed. She trudged to her shut bedroom door in her bright orange socks, not bothering to fix her wild mess of a mane. She had not taken it out of a pony-tail before she had gone to sleep, so it was sure to look like an odd, poofy mess. Glancing down at her baggy gray t-shirt and Easter egg blue pajama pants, Libby decided she appeared decent enough and continued on to the kitchen.

She plopped down into a chair at the table and stared at the bowl of apples at the center. Libby was not much of a breakfast eater; her stomach just never seemed all that awake and ready to receive food in the morning. But she took an apple from the bowl anyway and began nibbling at it absentmindedly as she stared out the kitchen window at the raindrops falling from the fresh leaves on the trees.

Who: Wolf and Libby
What: Wolf gets the rest of the story.
When: Monday
Where: Libby's bedroom in the white house.

Wolf had been surprised when Libby came home on Saturday with her half-sister. He knew bits and pieces of her familial past, but family had always been a touchy subject with Libby. He’d shared with her pretty much everything about his parents and the life he used to have and the life he probably would have had if the virus hadn’t reared it’s ugly head. Yet Wolf was not ignorant, he knew that he’d had a more privileged and well-adjusted childhood than most people and that was why he didn’t mind talking about the past, there was nothing painful or tangled in the way of his family history.

He’d left everything well enough alone on Sunday, and when Monday morning came around he was still waiting for Libby to come to him. He’d checked in on Gemini once but for the most part he’d avoided her. It wasn’t that he had anything against the girl, but she reminded him so much of Nova; she was staying in Nova’s room even. The pain of that loss, or rather shift in relationships, was something that was still all too fresh in his mind.

He rolled out of bed a little after dawn, having slept in later than usual from the sun being buried behind storm clouds. He opened his curtains to see that the rain was coming down even harder and the wind had picked up. The swings in the backyard below were struggling against their chains. He slipped on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt to take some of the morning chill off. As he walked down the hall he peaked quietly into Libby’s room and didn’t see her move, only heard the soft shallow breath of sleep. He padded down the stairs and into the kitchen to make some tea. He didn’t really like the stuff but he knew Libby did.

When he was done there he walked cautiously back up the stairs with the steaming cups and nudged Libby’s door open with his foot, before doing the same thing to close it behind him. He sat both cups on the nightstand and laid down behind Libby to brush the hair from her face and kiss her temples. “Hey, good morning…”

Who: Wolf and Jace
What: Wolf offers Jace and Bishop a permanent place to stay.
When: Wednesday morning
Where: Wolf territory

The unrest within Wolf’s tribe was never far from his mind. It wasn’t like he didn’t hear the rumors that were being spread concerning his relationship with Grey. Their fight at the farm hadn’t exactly been a silent affair and for all Wolf know that Dusty guy probably hadn’t kept his mouth shut. The food supply/ labor trade had not slowed between the farm and the city but things were tense and those Wolves from the farm avoided Wolf while the city Wolves avoided Grey.

With everything going on in his life Wolf was looking for anything stable to count on. It had been months since he’d agreed to shelter the two drifters from the wrath of the Mountain Lions and thus far there had been no negative consequences for his actions. Yet, he wasn’t so stupid as to think that the Lions would so easily give up on the drifters who’d offended them. The Lions did not forgive, they always remembered and they let their grudges build up and up until there was nothing to stand in there way. Wolf had been well aware of such facts upon letting Jace and Bishop stay with his people, but he wasn’t going to let the Lions intimidate him into cowering away from his duty to uphold justice.

Despite everything that had been going on in his personal and tribal life, he’d kept a fairly close eye on the drifters. Jace seemed to have fallen nicely into his role as a guard and any other physical task they had asked him to help with. From what he’d heard Bishop had been willing to help when asked as well. These facts and his reasonably decent mood brought him to Jace and Bishop’s apartment door on Wednesday morning. He knocked and awaited an answer.

Who: Gemini, Callum and NPC
What: Directions to the Library
When: Mid-morning
Where: Sundance, Wolf Territory
Status: Beginning
Rating: PG
Gemini was tired. Callum was a constant support under her palm, his long, four-legged gait steady every time she faltered, but she was glad that she had reached the city today. Another night on the road, with the idea of her half-sister so close, was almost unbearable. It had taken Gemini a day and a half to make it to Sundance and the weary buildings and roads that greeted her at the south-side of town were a blessed sight. Now, her step faltered again at the thought, she had to find the library. Mark, the man from the woods, had said Libby was the Sundance Librarian. So Gemini assumed that the library was the only sure way to find it. But quite honestly, she didn't have the strength to wander the streets looking for it. Wearily, she sat down on the nearest curb and patted the ground at her side. Callum sat. Eying the people walking the streets, Gemini looked for a face that looked sure of where it was going. She found it on a short, sandy-haired man crossing the street with a paper bag in his hands. Standing, rather unsteadily, she called out to him."Sir?"The man turned slowly, wary of the dirty, road worn traveler and her beast of a dog."Sir, I'm looking for the library. All i need are the quickest and easiest directions to the Sundance Library. Please?" Gemini stood perfectly still as the man pondered her request. Then he nodded and took a pencil from behind his ear and a torn piece of paper from his bag. With them, he scrawled a quick map to the library at the the center of the city. He handed it quickly to her and then scurried off, glancing back warily at Callum as if worried the dog would attack him. As she looked at the hastily drawn map, Gemini allowed herself her first real chuckle in ages."You see what you do to people, Callum? You frighten the living daylights out of them." Laughing, Gemini started walking in the right direction, her left hand holding the map, her right hand buried in Callum's fur. It took her a good thirty minutes to find the Library, but onse she was inside the cool, dim, spotless building a sense of relief set deep into her bones. Taking a deep breath, she called out into the high-ceilinged rooms, "Libby?! Libby Spencer?! If you're here, please answer me!" Then she collapsed onto the floor to lean against Callum's bulk.

Who: Libby and Wolf
What: Libby's finally confronting Wolf about their odd relationship
When: Noon
Where: Wolf's room
Rating: strongish PG-13 (for Wolf's half-naked-ness :-P )
Status: Complete!

The last couple of months had been awkward for Libby. When she first returned to Sundance, she feared Wolf would not accept her, for who would want or trust a deserter? But he had; he welcomed her with open arms. It seemed as if things could get back to normal, or at least as normals as things could be given the circumstances. But then she let her emotions get the best of her and kissed him. But that wasn't wrong, was it? They had talked and Wolf was fine with the idea. Or at least he seemed like it. Since then, there had been a few more kisses shared, but the two now seemed to have a lack in communication. Wolf was always away on tribe business or Libby was busy with something at the library. And for the last couple of days, Wolf had not spoken a word, which scared her. Even in his darkest moments, Wolf had turned to Libby, if not for advice then to just vent.

She had not seen him all yesterday and did not know if he was even in the house or not when she went to bed. Try as she might, Libby could not fall asleep. The weight and confusion of it all buzzed around in her head. Where was he? Was he safe? Was he alive? Why was she so stupid? Why did she kiss him? Would it have killed her to have a little self-control? Had he only agreed to their odd relationship because he feared she would run off again?

She mentally lashed herself to her bed, not wanting to spring up out of it in the still early hours of the morning to attack him with her many questions. She stayed there, trying to calm herself and organize her thoughts so she would know what to say when she finally confronted him. She would be composed and reasonable. Communication was key, and a relationship is nothing without proper communication.

When noon finally rolled around, Libby slid out of bed and plodded down the hallway in her black and green striped sock feet, fluffy navy pajama pants, and a baggy grey t-shirt. She did not bother to knock on Wolf's bedroom door when she entered, as she expected he was already out and about doing leader-y things. But there he was, and she had no choice now but to say what she had planned and rehearsed.

"We need to talk," she stated simply.

Who: Wolf and Grey
Where: The farm
When: Thursday mid to late morning
Why: Wolf can’t wait any longer to tell Grey exactly how he feels…

Wolf had waited long enough to visit the farm this season. It wasn’t like him to wait so long to visit, as during the right season he was there every few days to work and speak with Grey. Grey and Wolf… those that knew them wouldn’t have neccesarily called them friends. They maintained a more business like relationship, each doing what the other didn’t want to in an effort to maintain what was important to them both. For Grey, it was the farm and the life he’d always known there, and for Wolf it was to protect Libby and Nova, to give them a chance at a better future. Their relationship had been on stable ground until their personal lives had violently colided through Nova and Grey’s relationship. Now Wolf hated the man that he once had so much trust in, and it was time to let him know it.

Wolf got up at dawn, before most of the city Wolves were awake. He saddled his horse and rode south of the city to the open fields east of the farm. He ran his horse until it was drenched and panting beneath him, and he felt that at least part of his own temper was in check. He plodded slowly to the farm dismounting as he came into the first cultivated field. People smiled and waved at him, calling greetings and joking with him. He tried to offer him what smile he could muster, but his heart was set on letting Grey have a piece of his mind. He caught Jan, a younger stable hand by the arm as he was leaving the barn.

“Oh, hi Wolf, wow your horse looks tired…”

“Yeah, I know, listen. Could you go get Grey and tell him to come to the barn?” Wolf smiled at the boy.

“Sure. I’ll go find him.” Jan smiled and ran off towards the house.

Wolf smiled back, feeling his stomach turn at the thought of seeing Grey after so long. He left his horse outside the back of the barn and walked inside. The barn was an older one and so sunlight streamed in in duty beams from the slats in the roof. Wolf crossed his arms over his chest and waited in the closed barn for Grey.

Who: Nova and Wolf.
What: A reunion! And news.
When: Saturday afternoon.
Where: The House.

She'd been dreading this day for weeks. Ever since she'd found out she was going to have a baby, she'd been making excuses not to go into town and tell her brother. First it had been too cold, then it had been too wet, then she'd had other things that needed to be taken care of. Hawk had caught on to her heel dragging however, and had finally volunteered to go on his own to tell Wolf if he had to. That had nearly sent her into a full scale panic attack (which had the side benefit of giving her a few more days to put off the trip). Eventually, she agreed to go on his own. If he was there, the chances of Wolf trying to choke him to death were way too high. Nova had a very good idea of how her brother was going to react, especially giving just how things had gone during their last meeting. He'd been so mad, leaving her there with Grey. And then she'd left Grey. Following that train fo thought, how was Otter going to take the news?

At least the weather wasn't too bad for walking. Hawk hadn't wanted her to make the trip on her own. Whatever. She was pregnant, not crippled. Walking wasn't going to hurt her. Nova had left fairly early in the morning, wearing a jacket to ward off the chill and to hide her growing stomach. A general lack of good nutrition made it fairly obvious what was going on with her, if you knew what to look for. Luckily, her morning sickness had gotten better. It wouldn't have been much fun to be puking the whole way there, espeically giventhe state that her nerves were in. She already felt kind of naseous, without the added benefit of a human being growing inside of her.

There were a few people out and about once she crossed in to town. Nova was easily recognizable, with her wild hair and brightly colored clothes. People waved and called out greeting before going on their way. With winter finally gone, there was lots to do. Everybody had a job to do. Sighing, she followed the familiar route back to her house. Wolf's house. It wasn't really her house anymore. She'd been gone for months. For all she knew, Wolf wasn't even there anymore. Okay, so that was kind of dramatic, but she was allowed to induldge in a few dramatics. Mood swings and all that.

Shuffling up the front walk, she debated knocking. That felt weird, even thinking about it. Just like walking right in felt really weird. Apparently, there wasn't anything about this confrontation that wasn't going to be awkward. Squaring her shoulders, she ran a hand over her bump before pushing open the door. Nova cleared her throat and glanced around once before calling out. "Brent?"

Who: Wolf and Gypsy
What: A meeting of thanks and favors
Where: The white house
When: Friday mid-morning

With the end of the holidays, several things seemed to be falling into place for Wolf. He still had his problems of course, Nova, the drifters, and the every day things that came with the position of being a leader in such a world. Still, he felt at least mildly happier. He wasn’t sure where Libby and him stood, but the direction they were headed felt good, and right.

The house and the apartments were still a mess from the parties of the last two weeks. Wolf was fairly clean and organized person so the clutter was kind of getting to him. He half-heartedly picked up some of the bits of newspaper (used as wrapping paper) and dirty glasses and made his way into the kitchen. He’d checked the food supplies last night and although he thought the party was going to hurt them supplies wise he was pleasantly surprised to see that they had more than enough for the next couple of months.

He nudged a few more things out of his way as he made his way from the kitchen to the living room and sat down on the couch to finish his book. A knock on the door drew his attention and with a furrowed brow he sat down his book and went to the door. “It’s Fox, I’ve got Gypsy here.” The voice was muffled from behind the door but he could hear it well enough. Wolf tilted his head in surprise before opening the door. The rush of cold air chilled him and he shivered slightly. “Come in, it’s freezing.”

Who: Wolf Christmas party - all Wolves welcome!
What: The Wolves throw a Christmas party!
Where: The white house and the Sundance Apartment common room
When: Thursday morning - late Thursday night

Libby was one of the people that Wolf was the most comfortable around, but for the past couple of days they’d been avoiding each other when they could. The times that they had been together had been awkward, almost scripted, to the point where the other tribe members were noticing. The wiser of the tribe knew that something was up, and that it was not necessarily a bad thing. Although Libby was not he official second in command of the Wolves, it was the position that she more or less held in the city and other members knew her and respected her. Especially since she’d returned from her trip in uncannily high spirits.

The living room of the house and the common room in the apartment building had both been decked to the hilt in Christmas decorations, lights, streamers, anything that Wolf, Libby and the others had been able to find. Wolf had been in a particularly sour mood, more so than he had been in the weeks that immediately followed Nova’s departure. It was due to a combination of his current awkwardness with Libby and the fact that Nova was still gone, that she hadn’t even returned for Christmas. He’d meant to send Nova note to the farm but in the flurry of activity he hadn’t managed to grab someone willing to run there for him.

Wolf slept in on Christmas for the first time in his life. For thirteen years his little sister had woken him up every Christmas at the crack of dawn, or even up to an hour before. Now there was no one to wake him up, and those that thought of doing it thought it best to leave their moody leader asleep. Amazingly he didn’t wake up until noon, well into the party. He finally drug himself out of bed, and managed to get dressed in time to be down by one o’clock. He nodded with a smile to those that he passed as he came down the stairs and made his way into the living room. On holidays they opened up the house as well as the apartment commons for the parties so people were scattered everywhere and coming in and out of the house.

Wolf dodged two of the kids who went running past him with their “new” toy trucks. They tried to find gifts for everyone, especially the kids, but it was difficult. Wolf made his way to the crowded kitchen for a drink amidst more holiday greetings, pats on the back and name-calling such as “sleepy-head”. He knew he was expected to say something so as he left the kitchen, warm drink in hand, he motioned and called for people to follow him. Someone ran out of the house and over the apartments to get people to come out from there.

Wolf stood in the street and waited for the majority of his tribe to gather around. “Good morning- Well, afternoon…” He laughed and was then silent for a moment as he looked around at all the faces of his tribe, most of them happy, and content, at least for now. It was a good feeling, seeing them like that and one that made him feel a little less heart sick over Nova. The tribe was his family as well after all, and he’d forgotten that in the last month or so. “It’s almost been another year, and we haven’t done too bad. We’ve actively taken steps to improve the world we live in. Every day, because of every one of you, we’re getting closer to the kind of world that we want. The kind of world where no one in need is turned away, and everyone has a chance to celebrate, like we are today. I hope you all enjoy yourselves today and be sure to welcome our guests in today’s festivities.” He eyed the crowd for the drifters but if they were there he didn’t see them. “Merry Christmas everyone.” He held his glass in the air as the tribe murmured the same greeting back before everyone dispersed to return to their activities. The children fell back into their snow ball fights and others mingled, or played games with their friends, including a rather tense poker game that was taking place at the kitchen table in the white house.

Wolf remained in the street for a moment, turning his back on his tribe and looking up at the sky, the snow gently falling. He wondered where Nova was, and what she was doing on their first Christmas apart.

Who: Wolf and Libby
What Searching for Christmas decorations ;)
Where: “Attic” above the stage in a local middle school.
When: Monday afternoon


“There might be something up here!” Wolf called over his shoulder as he threw his weight against the door he’d just found. It had props written across it in faded white script and as far as Wolf could tell it lead to a storage area above the stage. Wolf didn’t often visit the unused buildings in his territory. He liked to keep the past rather distant from himself in an effort to focus on whatever task was at hand. Places like this reminded him too much of the way things used to be, the way things could never be now.

He hadn’t said anything when they first walked into the school’s auditorium. As he had stood there looking at the stage his mind was taken back to all the times he’d been on stage. The theater had a large influence on his previous life, his life as Brent Richardson. Now, as Wolf Skyhorse, the stage meant something different. The stage was now a place to give speeches from, instruction and life or death announcements, not a place for play. There didn’t seem to be a place in this world for such frivolity. Even the party they were planning, like the ones they’d had before, seemed almost masochistic to him. They continued to dwell on the way things used to be instead of moving forward and creating their own world.

The door eventually gave way to Wolf’s strength and he stepped through the threshold and onto the first step. He ran his hands along the walls until he found the light switch. Thankfully the bulb still worked, at least the one above the stairway did. Wolf climbed the stairs, listening for Libby’s footsteps behind him. There was no door at the top of the stairs, only darkness striped by the occasional light that managed to get through the moth-eaten curtains. Wolf stood there for a moment, letting his eyes adjust before he stepped into the room. He could barely make out the shape of boxes, racks of costumes, blankets, and various props. Surprisingly, he was able to make his way across the room to the curtains and pull them open. He worked along the length of the room, stirring up a good amount of dust as he did so. The room was now fully lit, though clouded with dust.

Who: Libby and Wolf
What: Wollibby-ness ^_^
When: Late Friday evening into early Saturday morning
Where: Sundance Apartments Main House living room
Rating: PG for now (due to Wolf wearing only boxers)
Status: Incomplete

Libby could only guess how long sleep had evaded her tonight. She had crawled into bed earlier with an Anne Bishop novel, intent on reading until her eyes fell out (or at least until slumber tugged her eyelids down). To her dismay, this never occurred. So, after pulling her soft, black house slippers over her fuzzy and obnoxiously striped pink, white, and neon green socks, she shuffled into the living room with her thick purple comforter wrapped around her body and plopped herself down on the couch. When she first entered, the fireplace had a decent blaze burning, but by this point, only a few tongues of flame still licked at the blackened embers. Safe to say, she had been staring blankly at the red glow for quite a few hours.

She tried everything she knew of to coax her body into feeling drowsy. Libby breathed deeply to the beat of her pulse, a technique her middle school speech teacher had taught her to overcome stage fright: inhale for eight counts and then exhale for eight counts. She even counted the imaginary sheep leaping from the fireplace and over the couch before they disappeared into the flickering shadows beyond. "Where do you suppose they got the idea for counting sheep to induce sleep?" she mused to herself. "Perhaps it was because of some shepherds and their habit to fall asleep on the job?" But that could not be it. Such shepherds would be put out of business fairly quick for their carelessness.

With an exasperated sigh, Libby finally resorted to an old yoga "exercise" her mother made her do whenever she just needed to relax and detox from a stressful day. Stretching out on the couch from her curled up position, she laid flat on her back with her feet about shoulder width apart and her hands slightly away from her sides. She focused on relaxing each little part of her body, right down to imagining her brain melting into mush and resting on the back of her skill. Her mother had admitted that the purpose of the cheesy imagining was to stop her mind from thinking so vigorously about whatever had happened that day.

Perhaps that is why she could not sleep. Nothing had happened that day. The snow had kept her indoors and away from her library for the entire week. But it was not being away from the library that bothered her. She had cleaned it up last week to her satisfaction, and Libby had plenty of books in her room to read. No, what bugged her was the fact that Wolf had spent most of the week holed up in his room. Was it wrong to want his company? Sure, she could talk to the two knew drifters staying in Nova's old room, but she hardly knew them. She wanted a friend to talk to. And the only other person she knew of was staying out at the farm.

Huffing, Libby sat back up on the couch. Yoga never really took with her anyway. She scooted to the end of the couch to recline against the armrest and readjusted the blanket so it surrounded her completely. For the moment, she would just have to be content with staring at the eggshell blue wall until the sun finally rose.

Who: Jace, Bishop, and Wolf
What: Meeting the man in charge
When: Tuesday morning
Where: Wolf's house

When Jace first woke up, he didn't know where he was. His eyes snapped open and for a moment everything around him was completely unfamiliar - the cozy room, the morning light flooding through the cheerful fabric curtains, the real honest-to-god bed he was laying on, the lingering aching pain in his chest. Then gradually the events of the day before came flooding back into his mind. It hadn't been a nightmare. He and Bishop really had nearly been killed by one tribe and run off to get help from another. And now they were in the house of the mysterious leader of this pack of Wolves. So there was that. Jace guessed that this wasn't going to work out to be a nice quiet day either.

He turned on his side so he could see Bishop, still sleeping peacefully beside him. A small smile crossed his face. So not everything was completely unfamiliar. He'd never admit it out loud, but it startled him just how attached to Bishop he'd gotten, how much he needed her. If things had gone differently, if the knife wound had been just a little deeper, if he'd returned to the shed a half-hour later, he really didn't know what he would have done if he'd lost her yesterday, but he knew that he wouldn't be standing here now. He'd probably be dead, but he imagined he would have taken a few Mountain Lions with him.

They'd both made it through the day though, despite knives and bullets and freezing cold. Good or bad, they were in this together now, which somehow made things seem a little more bearable. More complicated as well, but they'd get by. Jace slid out of the bed, careful not to disturb Bishop. He pulled on the borrowed t-shirt he'd left draped over a chair, then wandered off into the bathroom. There were yet more unfamiliar, but by no means unwelcome, things. Electricity and running water, wonders of the modern world.