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Re: High Moon Tales. Tales of the Wicked West.
¿ªÔÆÌåÓý?(Charity) As the sun set, from the caves, mines, and dark spaces throughout the foothills bats set forth, spreading their leathery wings into the night. They clustered near their prey, the swarms of tiny scavengers haunting the dead of Bendo. The flapping of their wings as they twirled and spun in a feeding frenzy, alone with their high pitched voices, merged into a barely audible hum. More importantly, to Charity, was their 'sight' of the landscape. As she danced and spun she listened to their voices drifting to her on the winds. It was not so much what was reflecting their tiny calls back to them, prey and obstacles, but what was not. Slightly over a mile from Millers Crossing, along the Bendo coach road, was a spherical void in the bat's perception of the night. It appeared to Charity that the skeletal remains of Bendo would reach that void some time between midnight and dawn. "Found you," she whispered. "My only regret is that you will be downwind of your demise and you will smell it approaching. Sleep well!" Charity laughed. (Chase) His senses were keen, animal like.? In truth of all of his senses he hated his sense of smell most of all.? He could tell when he needed a bath and others too.? But he was able to also sense minute scents, sex, arousal, fear, he couldn¡¯t since anger probably because he was angry most of the time so he could never tell if it was someone else or him.? But some emotions or activities gave off certain scents¡.including death.? The problem with that was sometimes dead things didn¡¯t stay dead!? Something he was first hand acquainted with.? He heard Flynn and turned to him, hearing his words and his own senses confirmed it.? It moved on the air, something about what the homoculi said that still had him focused on the fact that all of them were needed¡so all of them had to die! ? He knew they needed to get to Miller¡¯s Crossing to stop it, but that was going to be difficult if they couldn¡¯t get there!? He had scavenged enough bullets, but he also had a sword in his pack that the woman Etienne might find handy if she was less apt to use a gun.? It might be safe for all, if she wasn¡¯t firearm adept.? He was not sure they were going to be good here.? They needed to be on the move but their protective shield in the form of Flynn needed a recharge.? Chase wasn¡¯t at all sure if he was protecting them he had enough juice to move them just yet either. ? ¡®This is definitely not how I wanted to meet my maker.¡¯? He smirked to himself and moved to his horse, he grabbed the extra shells and loaded his rifle and guns.? All of those that he had before pulling out his knife that was more akin to a short sword for someone smaller.? He thought about what was possibly about to happen, head shots for the walking dead, knees for a few others.? He was thinking they might have to take off in a hurry and might just have to slow them down in order for the troops to get away.? But whatever solace they were to have would be found in the crossing. ¡°Then all you have to do is wait then?¡±? Chase responded to his new comrade loud enough for him to hear and no one else since they were particularly close to one another. He listened to the woman then her ex and shook his head.? She was right as was he.? But he didn¡¯t exactly have all of his things or he would just give them all some jerky and call it good.? Starting a fire right now was the least of their troubles as the scent increased and he started to become nauseated which meant more than one thing of the deceased coming their way¡several more. (Callie Carson) "No fire," Callie said calmly. She tossed some rations to Etienne and settled down to wait. It was night and Callie sat on a boulder, sharpening her knife, keeping an eye on Etienne to make sure she didn't run, and that neither Chase nor Sicilian bothered her. She also had to concentrate hard to make sure she didn't look at the protective circle Flynn was projecting around them. She could only imagine how hard this was for him to maintain. She hoped it held, or they might find themselves lost, wandering in the desert. As she sat and busied herself, she suddenly noticed a foul stench, wafting into the campsite from the direction of Bendo. She ignored it at first, but as time passed she realized the smell was growing stronger. Then a grim realization came over her. Flynn had foretold this. Trouble, he'd said, coming their way. The only stench she knew that was like this was the dead, when they walked the earth. She sheathed her blade and picked up her rifle before walking toward Flynn, who sat on the ground, deep in concentration. She knelt beside him and leaned in close to his ear. "Luv," she whispered. "The dead approach. Will this keep them out?" (Flynn) The pookah didn't open his eyes.? He didn't need to.? The dead were like a toxic shadow in the dreaming, impossible to miss. ? "No, luv," he murmured, his half-asleep features looking sad.? "It keeps them from... seeing us... but that is all....? If they keep walking this way... they'll pass right through it."? He was quiet for a long moment, thinking.? Finally he murmured "One chance... move me... east... 'bout two hundred yards... everyone stayin' close.... I'll try'n keep the spell up." "But if'n that don' work... gotta fight..." he mumbled finally, each word seeming to cost him effort.? "Fight for your lives... axes're good... fire's best... sorry, luv..."? He then fell silent. [Sicilien] "No fire it is," the bounty hunter echoed, stowing the flint and steel back inside his coat pocket.? He stood straight up, raising his arms as he popped a few joints as he stretched out.? When Chase spoke to him quietly though, he didn't answer.? He only shrugged at the dark man, turning to look at him and then changing his gaze to something else in the distance.? His feet took him to the edge of the circle where he peered over the landscape.? It was quiet, almost too quiet.? Maybe a coyote bark somewhere off in the distance, but the insects and all the other creepy crawlies seemed to be gone and that was besides the fact that Flynn's magic circle kept them out.? And like the others, the stench too hit his nostrils like a run-away train.? There was no stopping it.? Whether it was nature or that damn manikin that was causing the air to waft their way, it smelled a feast of maggots upon a freshly rotten slab of meat. "Right then, doesn't look like any of us'll be getting that much needed beauty sleep," Sicilien called out, glancing in Etienne's direction.? Turning around, he headed towards her, enjoying how she flinched every time he came near her, but just as he got within 5 strides of her, he switched his bearing towards Callie instead and crouched down at her and Flynn's side just as he heard the tail end of this conversation. "Sounds like we need to get your boy toy the hell outta dodge, eh?" he said, gently patting her on the shoulder.? He turned to look back, trying to discern how far away the walking dead were, but there was just too much in the air.? The stench was just too strong.? Reaching out to Flynn, he grabbed hold of the man and pulled him onto his back, standing up bent over as he curled his arms around the legs and moved to wrap them around his waist.? Looking back to Callie, "make sure he's good and set on me, yeah?? Don't want him falling off, and don't think I can trust the horse to canter softly enough not to shake him awake, or drop him.? Someone'll have to pull 'em along.? Shall we move him 200 yards east?? You can tell me if that'll help later." - Etienne - Etienne wasn¡¯t really paying that much attention to Sicilien and his games right now. She wanted to live. And unfortunately despite what she could do there was nothing that she could no. So that meant she had to think. As she stood staring at the edge of the horizon she said. ¡°Moving him won¡¯t help us. By the strength of the stench, there are too many to fight. Moving him 200 yards won¡¯t stop them from finding us. We need to leave the area...completely.¡± Turning to them she said. ¡°And the fastest and best way to do that are the horse. The bubble he created for us is big enough for our horses. There are five of us and four house. We strapped him to the lead horse. And then we strap our horse together in a diamond. That will keep them close. Sicilien you take point Callie you take the rear and the Big guy and I will flank the sides. And we head southeast. ¡° she said pointing to a mountain range. ¡°That can provide cover.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that Something is trying to keep us from where we are trying to go. So we have to make it think it won. Once we are in the mountains we can get a decent nights sleep, something to eat and come up with a game plan. It¡¯s either that or we split up because I¡¯m not keen on dying for a bunch of strangers.¡± Tag:? Chase, Callie, Flynn, Sicilien, Etienne, Charity (jumping in periodically) _.
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