??
(New Callie Carson)
Callie kept focused on
her shadow as Flynn instructed. She'd never been magically transported
somewhere, so this was a first for even her. She hoped Etienne would fare just
as well, considering she was still in disbelief over many of things she'd seen
since the trouble in Bendo began.? She watched the shadow, letting the
horse carry them along. The beast seemed to be taking the trip in stride, so
whatever this magic was it must be perceived differently by the horses.
Time seemed to fly. She
noticed her shadow moving as the sun changed positions gradually behind her.
What should have taken hours seemed to pass in minutes...or were they hours?
Callie couldn't tell. She just waited for Flynn to let her know when it would
be over and hoped they'd be at Miller's Crossing when it was done...
(Flynn)
Flynn
was feeling the fatigue of maintaining the illusion spell that was keeping them
hidden.? He didn't want to stop, but neither did he want the spell to
collapse when they were getting close to Miller's Crossing.
"Have
to stop," the pookah murmured to Callie and the others, holding up a
hand.? "Camp here.? Rest." Sliding off of his horse, he
slowly uncinched the saddle and removed the bridle, his eyes closed as he
worked, keeping one foot in the dreaming.? He whispered some words in his
horse's ear, dropped the saddle and his gear on the ground and proceeded to lay
down next to them.
"Don't
go... outside the circle," he cautioned, sounding like a man talking in
his sleep.? "No matter what you see or hear. Not even to take a
piss... or a dump.? And don't let your horses out... neither. Nothin' out
there likes us... and somethin'... something's lookin' for us... lookin' real
hard.? And don' wake me up unless the prairie's on fire...? That'd
be... bad."
With
that, the pookah rolled onto his side and within seconds was in deeper sleep,
but still maintaining the greenish circle that surrounded them.? His horse
stayed close, idly munching on some grasses, but every now and then raising its
head and looking into the darkness and flicking an ear before resuming feeding.
?
(Charity)
?
Sated from consuming
the life force of the population of Bendo, the wendigo that called itself
Charity Pathmaker slept. Her 'husband' lay uneasily beside her, unable to sleep
himself. In Bendo, as a party of five travellers departed, the scavengers went
to work stripping the bones of the dead, preparing them to dance before their
new mistress.
?
Charity
slept on. Within several hours of it's demise, the first of the skeletons
arose. It's transformation was almost complete, but random gobbets of flesh and
tatters of fabric still clung to the bones. One by one the dead arose, and
gathered along the road to Millers Crossing.
?
By
midafternoon Charity awoke. She was unable to locate the five, the warrior,
maji, rogue, paladin and maiden were nowhere to be found. Charity summoned her
crows, sending them forth to locate the five, but none of the birds could
locate the party. Distressed, she drew out her drum and went to the town
square. As Charity drummed and danced she sang in an ancient tongue, calling
out to her new possessions in Bendo. "Come," she called out,
"come to me, my lovely bones. Come to me, and lay waste to any you
encounter along the way."
?
Back
in Bendo the stripped skeletons began to move, many dragging tatters of flesh
with them. They shuffled and shambled towards Millers Crossing following their
new mistress's summons. The insects, maggots, beetles, and such clung on,
working tirelessly. The other scavengers followed too, still pulling and
tearing at the mangled, meaty remains.
?
?
[Sicillien]
?
"I carry no
guilt.? That is the consequence that the town had to bare for hiding
traitors in their midst," Sicillien sourly answered.? The question
sound very pointed even though he knew Chase didn't mean it to be.?
"The worst part about it is that the orchestrator of that event is still
alive.? I know, it, I can feel it, and I won't rest until I can put a
bullet between his eyes and his family's."? They rode on for a while
in silence until Sicillien heavily sighed.? He knew that that was a very
generic response.? How many people wouldn't go mad when their family was
destroyed?? So he felt compelled to clear the air up.
?
"You could say it
was a whirlwind romance.? We separated and got together too many times to
count, unable to stay away from each other for too long.? Like two angry
tornadoes spinning about each other," he said, chuckling a bit at the
imagery.? "But we were going to start a family, Chase.? She with
child.? My child.? Now, I don't know if it's alive or dead, and if
it's dead, where it was buried.? What its name was.? I don't
know.? All I want to know is why, Chase.? Why did she disappear from
my life, and why is she pretending like we had doesn't exist?"
?
When they suddenly
stopped, Sicillien looked up to see Flynn sliding off his horse.? He
muttered something about needing to rest, which was fine.? As much as
bounty hunter enjoyed making fun of Flynn for being a medicine man, he
understood that maintaining a spell that hid them from the world required a lot
of power.? He gave Chase a look, like the conversation was over, and then
slid off the horse, leading to Flynn's and letting loose of its reins as it
joined the other beast in getting its fill of the grass.? He took his own
bags off, and shoving them a rock that jutted out nearby, then laid down and
placed his hands behind his head, resting it upon his palms.? Despite
being roped into this shitty twist of fate, Sicillien felt right at home.?
A bounty hunter didn't have any one place that they stayed at for too long, so
this was par due on course.
?
"You know, in
spite of all of this, the sky is still damn beautiful.? At least we get to
enjoy it a little bit while we wait." Sicillien said, reaching in for his
pack of cigarettes lit one up, placing his hands behind his head again, taking
a puff.? He hummed along a little song, not realizing that it was one that
Etienne would sing back when she was pregnant.? Then he suddenly stopped
for a second.? "I wouldn't let your guard down though.? Flynn
confirmed the feeling that I've had since we left Bendo.? Something is
coming, and I'm sure it's coming straight for us."? Then, like
nothing happened, he took on a happy demeanor again and continued humming the
song, pausing every now and then to take a drag of the cigarette.
?
?
Etienne.
?
Etienne was quiet as
the rode. Her body ramrod straight as she sat behind Callie. She knew he was
watching her and she dreaded stopping. She could only hope he would stay away
from her or that they would stop in Miller¡¯s Crossing then she could catch the
next train to San Antonio.
?
But it was as if the
universe was conspiring against her because Flynn announce her was tired and
promptly fell asleep. Great. She thought she would have to spend another night
with him. But then he laid down to sleep and she was thankful that they would
have no encounter tonight.?
?
And then he started to
hum a lullaby her mother taught her that she sang when...that was such a
bastard move...why would he...
?
But that was the fuel
she needed. His insensitivity gave her all the anger she needed to cocoon
herself against him.
?
?
(Chase)
Chase only listened and he had nothing to add right then.? He knew what it was like to have his family
taken from him.? Vampires were his enemy
his crux, which was why he easily accept the curse he could kill a couple of
vampires easily now.? He had trained and
he hated them.? Hunting them down was
second nature, for what they took from him he would gladly destroy them all but
it was so hard, they were like roaches!
He heard and listened to Sicilian, he then realized, they
probably were going to be and he settled with that.? Once children were involved it was hard to
change the direction of one¡¯s heart.
¡°Then you need to talk with her and get your questions
answered.? There is a spark there still,
you just have to fan it back into a flame¡if you still want too.? But I understand how those questions could
plague a man.? Keep in mind, sometimes it
is easier to pretend that the past didn¡¯t happen verses opening up the wounds and
the pain by recognizing that it did.? Be
aware that once you open that can again, you have to live with her answers and
her decisions.? Sometimes you can¡¯t
reclaim the past, you just have to enjoy the now.¡±? He said as they continued to ride.? He could feel the hurt in his tone, most
people thought men were stoic unfeeling and caring.? But every real man loved his children with a
hellfire love.? He was no different than
the Sicilian he missed his children too, but at least he got to know his for a
brief time.
Chase only listened to the lovely melody and let his own
beast to relax.? He too realized
something was coming.? He could smell it
on the air and it smelled foul¡it smelled dead!?
He honestly wasn¡¯t sure if it was just his imagination¡he was nervous to
think that death was on two legs and coming towards them¡literally.? He walked around as he checked on things, he
was determined to make sure they at least had a fighting chance with¡whatever.
?
Tag:? Chase,
Callie, Flynn, Sicilien, Etienne. Charity (jumping in periodically),?
?
