Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:44 pm

Mae

Harvey Bolt was angry. The Location for this rendezvous had been compromised last minute and he felt pressed for time.

It wasn't long after the hunting party had returned to their trucks that Harvey Bolt had been informed of a police car heading up the road with other vehicles in tow. The hunt had to be covered up, and Bolt had to manage a confrontation with the Police Officer in order to do so.

Thomas Clerk was familiar with Harvey's brash nature, so it came as no surprise to him that upon engaging the situation, Harvey would follow a harsh critization of Mildred McGordner with his vehement desire to prove that her hunting party had been attacked by bears. Thomas could not condone trespassing for any cause however, and Harvey was angry, but he was able to convince Thomas that the hunting group had no more than arrived a few moments before the officer. Therefore Harvey's team were ordered off the land with no further inspection.

But Harvey Bolt was expected to return to Town Hall to resolve matters with his neighbors regardless, a task that Thomas felt necessary, but was not looking forward to. Harvey knew that if he left town it would be noticed, and he cursed Mildred McGordner for it, so he chose a location not far from town, but rather secluded in of itself.

So it was that the hunting party was found parked out in a field, many miles from the Chandler Ranch, where every member of the party awaited the arrival of Harvey's client with varying degrees of uneasiness. Harvey owned the old abandoned garage whereat the vehicles were parked, but the sun had set, and each hunter seemed aware of the fact that they were out of water, figuratively speaking.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:45 pm

Mae

[Meanwhile in the Town of Reknab Bend]

Jen Peters, with a paper cup in one hand, was sitting in the library, worn from the day's affairs at the clinic and quite prepared for a good long night. Alas, however! Her schedule provided her scarce time to study, and her current assignment was overdue, so it was either to be done in these drowsy off-hours of hers or else not at all, and Jen felt she could not afford to fall behind.

So, there was Jen Peters, having set herself up at a comfortable, quiet table, in the most sleep-condusive building that ever existed, only a few hours before its scheduled closing time. She might have cursed the silence, but such was fate, and as it happened that evening, Jen's most decided nature was to find herself involved in conversations where she was most unwanted.

When one is bored, and tired, and looking for anyway not to be bored or tired, they are apt to try some pretty unconventional means to dodge the inevitable. But as for Miss Peters, she was an expert, and she did what came as easily to her as swimming came to a fish: - She began listening to the other quiet conversations in the room.

It never took Jen long to be interested in anything anyone else was saying, and at that moment a most intriguing topic was brought up by a pair of voices quite unfamiliar to Jen's listening ears... something to do about meeting people by chance... At any rate, all of the aforementioned facts inevitably foretold one, simple thing - that Jen was about to get involved in yet another interrupted conversation.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:45 pm

Deseree

Logan only made a brief stop at the pack dens - just long enough to observe the eerie emptiness that had settled about, and grab a red flannel shirt from her room to keep the cold off her shoulders - before making her way to the ranch.

It wouldn't take any of them long to realize that something was very amiss. With every intention of finding out who was and wasn't about the ranch grounds, Logan entered from the unused pasture in the north east corner and moved in a roundabout way through the cattle pastures, then the orchard and back up the road to the farm house. Where the ranch had earlier wafted with the smell of those both new and familiar, there was nothing but the usual scents and sights of a predictable and honest homestead.

Jackie had been left behind in anger and Ulric had been quietly spoken of with strangers, and now both were gone and Logan was left marching to and fro in front of the cabin in a quick and increasingly anxious pattern. With her brows knit tightly and her hands tucked into the pockets of her jeans, she only paused every so often to cast a glance over the fields of blue and silver in hopes of obtaining some clue as to the whereabouts of the pack.

----

"But I don't think a Chapman needs a chance."

It was true in more ways than one.

"I knew it."

Once clouds of doubt had been pushed aside, the conversing proceeded. Bianca found a little table by the window, off to a sort of corner in the library. Between breaks in their conversation, history books and newspaper articles were piled about, shifting from one place to another as the evening went on. The text book on her side of the table became filled, and when it was too full, she began to add post its along the sides of various pages.

"How are you doing?"... "You are the one that.." .... "I don't remember if you met her." .... "Where is he now?" ..."He plans to retire once.." ... "He was going to tell her."

Bianca's voice, while staying at a reasonable level for the environment, rise and fell with the ebb and flow of the conversation. She giggled at some points, and at others her words were choked with tears. There were times when she would lean in close and speak quietly so that you might only know she was talking by the movements of her lips, and those words which seemed to carry more weight than the others would reach only their recipient.

It could be gathered that she and this lad were not well acquainted, but they had common ground, and were familiar with each other nevertheless.

When the conversation had slowed to mentions of dinner and being caught in the articles spread before her, Bianca at last leaned back in her chair and her blue eyes drew towards the clock with which she had become familiar, then waywardly fell upon a woman who reminded Bianca of herself during test nights.. After examining the other for longer than might be welcome, in a sort of half pondering, half summarizing the other in her own head sort of way, the blonde turned her gaze back on Zander.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:45 pm

Cat

Toby hobbled along rather pathetically behind his friends. His wounds were protesting his long trek out this far into the woods, and he was so very wretched being out in public in his pajamas. After a little while of trying to keep pace with Theo, Toby decided to stop taxing himself and just slow down. He knew the way back to the cabins if it turned out that Theo didn't want to wait for him.

The woman Logan had vanished from view, so Toby felt safe removing his winter cap and letting it drop to the forest floor. He had left the matching big woolly jacket out there by the tree, figuring he could go back for it some other time. The cool air brushed against his sweaty forehead and instantly relieved him of the hat's heat. He was no ignorant of the accursed gunshot wound in his ear, but with a bandage over it, it wasn't as embarrassing right now.

Suddenly, Toby overheard Theo speak to him.
Hm? Town?... Yes. I know just about everyone. he replied.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:46 pm

Mae

Paul Reginald was one of the men who sat in the trucks, which by exterior design were white commercial vehicles.

Reginald's eyes were on Harvey Bolt and the other three he saw in his left rear-view mirror, but every once in awhile his gaze would stray to the dimly lit western horizon. The sun had set behind Reknab Bend now and the pale blue sky was deepening every minute. Faded stars had already begun to appear in the east.

'Routine' was not the word on Paul's mind to describe the current situation, though he seemed casual enough with one arm rested out the driver's window as the night winds began to pick up, and the other against the steering wheel...

*******

Jen was not short on courage when it came to introducing herself to strangers, and therefore she never had need to eavesdrop on a conversation long. But it happened that someone visiting the library that day, who Jen recognized, had stopped for a moment to say hi - by which was intended only a brief greeting, but which unavoidably turned into a conversation of its own.

Jen never forgot about the strangers while she carried on with this other acquaintance, and every once in awhile she caught a partial fragment of what the two were saying between themselves. With a casual glance she would notice a hand gesture or an expression, but otherwise her attention was happily engaged elsewhere.

When at last a pleasant goodnight was exchanged, and no sooner had the other woman walked out of the library, when Jen caught the gaze of the young lady who was at that moment staring at her...
Well, to Jen, that seemed a good enough invitation as any, and she promptly accepted.

"Hi! I've never seen you two around here before, you must be new. My name is Jenn Peters, I work up at the emergency clinic here in Reknab Bend." Jen's smile was bright and friendly, her voice brisk and pep, her eyes never moving to inspect, neither did her mind reflect on any suspicion in the least. "Are you two here visiting relatives?"

*****

Timothy's socks were covered in mud from the mountains. Under the soles of his feet he felt the rigid gravel as he walked along the back road toward the ranch. When he arrived at Zeit's cottage, there were one or two things that he immediately noticed; One was that Logan was pacing anxiously, and the other was that there was a faint trace on the air about the homestead that spoke strongly of unfamiliarity.

Timothy came up slowly and soundlessly to the front porch, where he stopped and narrowed his eyes toward Logan.

"What are you doing?" Timothy's tone was quite accusatory, and there was something clearly unpleasant about his countenance.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:47 pm

Indy

For every few sentences Bianca spoke, Zander only offered a handful of words in return. Yet it was clear he was an attentive listener; when confused on a matter, he would ask Bianca to clarify, and when the conversation became heavy, Zander would murmur concise but genuine sympathies. His own news was few and far between. Direct questions, though politely considered, were generally met with clever redirects. Or perhaps when these failed, he would mumble something about how he'd forgotten or he didn't know. He only showed Bianca a single page from his journal once -- a simple diagram to answer a matter she'd been confused on -- but otherwise he seemed content to observe her progress.

Such a tactic would not last long, but it seemed for now Bianca had enough to digest in the articles and books that his own lack of information was not too much a curiosity. Still on a few occasions he'd mention a few passing details of his life to Bianca when it seemed the conversation had slowed. Sometimes he'd talk about his impressions of the town, that his family was doing well, or else offer a quick opinion on some of the articles she had spread out. When Bianca became too engrossed in her work, Zander would read a small book he'd found propped near the entryway of the library and wait for her to speak again.

Just as he had settled himself into his book again, someone had spoken up abruptly. So abruptly, in fact, Zander visibly flinched as his eyes settled on the stranger. Unlike Bianca, he had only just noticed the woman as she'd spoken and those few seconds afforded him little time to form much of an opinion of her. Other than, perhaps, she was a touch louder and nosier than he would have preferred.

"No, just research," he replied promptly.

For half a second he thought this might soften the woman's interest in them; that is until he realized he might just have to explain what exactly they were researching. He stared at the articles spread out all over the table, bemused. He really hoped Bianca's Chapman blood was good for more than just chance encounters...

---

Logan seemed to be in an awful rush to get back to the ranch; however Theo was not. He slowed his pace somewhat after a few moments and waited to see if she'd react. When he found no response on her end, he slackened his pace even more until it was a simple leisurely stroll. He heard someone speak behind him. Turning around to locate the source, he saw Toby only a few paces behind.

He clutched the backpack on his shoulders and swung it around on one shoulder, uncertain with what exactly he wanted to ask. Or perhaps, how he should ask it; he'd had a good idea on what he wanted to ask Toby since he'd asked him out for a walk that afternoon, before then even, but hadn't known how he wanted to phrase it.

He still didn't know. His face was starting to turn pinker than Toby's.

"I uh don't know if you I remember... I mean last moon was kinda... but there was, I th--

Theo exhaled harshly and as he inhaled, there settled a new clarity in his voice.

"There's someone I want to thank from last month's hunt. I don't know who she was, just that she had dark hair and... she really saved my hide," he glanced almost sheepishly to the ground before he began to rummage thoughtfully in his bag,"I know I couldn't ever say thank you, not exactly, but I thought maybe... this could be close enough?"

At that moment, he brought to light the object Toby had seen much earlier in the day -- a small beaded necklace with a hand-carved pendant at the end of a white-wolf and a few white feathers on the ends where it tied together. It was by no means a masterpiece, but certainly there was something attractive in the obvious effort and time it had taken to create.

"And I guess I was just wondering... I mean, if it's not too much of a bother... and obviously when you're better, not right now or anything... but maybe if you could... help me get it to her?"
---

Miss Melinda Channing arrived in the town's local inn mid-afternoon in an unassuming, grey SUV. She was dressed in a crisp grey skirt, freshly ironed white blouse, and baby-blue scarf knotted at her neck. Her nude pumps made a pleasant clack on the pavement. She was a visitor from out-of-town ; not far, she explained to staff at the inn, she'd only just come from the town over in Middlecrest. When asked the nature of her visit, however, she curtly intoned 'ËœJust business' before becoming increasingly preoccupied with the nature of her room or when her luggage might be delivered. Any questions more prying than the weather outside were met by a similar fate.

She would have preferred to come earlier in the day, as to avoid the interest of the overly-curious townsfolk, but Melinda knew she lived in the unfortunate reality where things did not go to plan. There had been an unexpected backlash in paperwork she'd needed to process back in Middlecrest which couldn't wait for a convenient time. Late afternoon had been the earliest possible time she could leave Middlecrest behind... For the next few hours the crisp businesswoman contented herself with paperwork and ordered room-service for a small dinner.

Melinda became more animated as the afternoon pressed into the evening. It seemed some unknown checkpoint had been reached, and now the real work would begin. She left the inn around dusk, though not before first consulting on directions, and began driving down a long, winding road leading towards the Chandler residence. Yet it seemed Melinda was not so much interested in the destination, for every few moments she would glance around the road as though looking for something.

Once a quarter through her journey, she spotted headlights approaching from the opposite direction. It was growing too dark to make out for certain, so the exact number was difficult to tell, but it appeared like a good group of vehicles.

How peculiar, she thought with a wry smile. She pulled over by the side of the car with her hazard-lights on. She grabbed her light-grey blazer before exiting the vehicle and positioned herself so the group of cars wouldn't hit her if they chose to pass but also would find it a challenge to miss her. After a few moments, when this effort didn't seem good enough, she began to vehemently wave her light-grey blazer like a flag.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:48 pm

Deseree

While Zander seemed dismissive right off the bat, Bianca took no time in setting her work down and standing, offering the woman a warm smile and extending her hand. "Nice to meet you Jen! My name is Bianca Chapman, and that's my friend Zander." she chimed in happily.

"Oh? That's great! My mother and grandmother both worked at the emergency clinic in Middlecrest. My grandmother is retired now, but she thought about transferring here a few times." she spoke calmly but with an unfaltering and genuine friendly tone. Then turning just so, she gestured at the table. "So, right, yeah - I'm here on a school project gone kind of everywhere - initially it was supposed to more focused on how neighboring towns affect Middlecrest, economy wise and such, but it's been a learning experience in more ways than that. I'm kind of just studying everything right now. This is sort of an interesting place isn't it?" she furrowed her brows but laughed anyway. "I mean, it's so different compared to Middlecrest. Have you lived here your whole life?"

---

Content to pace herself a ditch, it would have taken nothing short of Timothy's sharp tone to break Logan out of her cycle. And so she did, her figure was brought to a halt and straightened as she looked to meet the eyes of her pack mate.

"I am thinking, and I am waiting.." she responded evenly and honestly enough, taking a moment to look over the boy and gather what she could. "What of you? There is a reason you asked me this, so tell me plainly what it is." her jaw was raised just so as she waited for his response.

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:50 pm

Mae

Logan was of a far greater stature than Timothy, but if he were afraid to confront her now, he did not show it, and he knew already that the Alpha was not to be found on the ranch that evening...

Timothy had not confronted Logan since that dreaded night seemingly so long ago when he had appeared alongside the Alpha's company on the forest path. His eyes had been bent on Logan with one purpose then, a purpose that had rooted itself in him the day he saw her leave the dens and realized that she had been the one who had wounded Jackie. It had been that realization, unknown to Sabrina, that had given Timothy full control over his forms, but the purpose could not maintain after Logan had declared her allegiance to the pack, thus it had ended.

"You've spoken with someone who does not belong here," Timothy said, his dark gaze did not relent as he spoke. Though he of yet did not advance, it was clear that something was dangerously amiss. "He belongs to another pack. Why did you let him leave?"
******

Jenn Peters was very receptive to Bianca's friendliness, and immediately found a common topic on which to engage.

"Oh yeah, Reknab Bend is a great town! I've been to Middlecrest a few times, you guys have a wonderful mall, and I just love visiting that cute little diner off main!" Jenn's face bounced with a brighter smile, and she took Bianca's hand with a soft and genuine shake. "I grew up in Reknab, my family moved here when I was about three, and I've known I wanted to be a nurse since probably even before then. Sounds like it runs in your family! Yeah, I come here every afternoon to get my work done."

At this point Jen gestured to her own table cluttered with books, and she flashed an exhausted expression before returning her attention to Zander and Bianca and gave another smile. "So, why did your grandmother never choose to come out here? And are you considering keeping up with the family career?"

Jen made herself comfortable with a smile that never faded as she placed one hand on the back-rest of a nearby chair and leaned on it while her other elbow rested casually on her hip.

"I wouldn't know about economy or anything, but we have had a lot of people coming and going at the farms, especially more recently. Many of the local farmers and ranchers hire from out of town, so we get our share of visitors." Jenn continued along with the conversation briskly, "A lot of them are just really quiet, you know? I guess down on their luck and taking what they can find, I don't know if they post ads outside of town or, like, what."
Jen shrugged. "But it just seems like we get a lot of social strays. I've seen maybe one or two pass through, and some of them seem quite friendly, but they never stop to say hi at any of the town meetings or anything. Don't get me wrong though, Reknab Bend is a really great place! We've got a really close community here and just good, friendly people. But I have no doubt we'll be seeing some great opportunities open up here in the next few years as things expand."

*****

Daniel Whiles felt restless. He stood directly behind Paul's truck with his right boot rested on the bumper as he spoke in low casual tones with Jon Dugstan, who was seated nearby.

Jon was just inside the open door of the driver's side of his truck, which had been parked closely but indirectly behind Paul to the west, so that though both vehicles faced the same direction, Jon and Daniel did not have a view of the south-east road from their position.

"I'll reckon we'll have us a good storm here soon." Daniel muttered, looking up at the greying skies.

"Nah, it's too early in the month, sky's just putting on a face. Don't look like we'll be see'n a moon tonight though." It was Bevis Weston who replied to Daniel, as she was seated next to Jon Dugstan on the passenger's side, but her attention was toward Jon's door whereat she could see Harvey, Hal, Alfred, and Mary standing off in the field directly to the east. Ahead of her, Bevis had a view of Paul in his right rear-view mirror, but as Paul's gaze was more often fastened to his left-hand side, the two didn't meet eye.

Daniel put down his boot off the back of Paul's truck impatiently and stepped forward slightly to Jon's door. "What's taking so long?"

The answer came quicker than anticipated when Jon made a gesture out toward Harvey and nodded his head. "Looks like something's up now."

And so something was, for Harvey and those that stood with him had noticed the little vehicle parking up the road someways and had all now turned to face that direction out of Daniel and Jon's view. They all wondered if it was in fact the client they were waiting for, but none voiced the thought except Alfred Nickers.

"S'pose that's her then?" Alfred asked, clicking his tongue and spitting on the ground.

Harvey narrowed his eyes, he could see another vehicle heading down the road from the opposite direction, and now the parked vehicle was flashing hazard lights.

"We'll see, Al." Harvey replied irritably, and he just barely noticed the parked driver step out and wave something in the air. It was too dark now and too far off for him to see any of the features of the vehicle or person, but he waited to see how the passing vehicle might treat the situation...

Quote from Adriana on August 24, 2018, 5:50 pm

Deseree

Violet eyes dared to examine Timothy as well as she could against the darkening sky. In spite of his smaller statue, his demeanor was foreboding, and in his eyes lingered a familiar calculating coldness. Although she perceived these things, her memory of the previous encounter with Timothy was but a muddled recollection, and perhaps she was too naive to the nature of the current situation.

"There is a matter that I need to discuss with Kratos, but because you have asked.."

She reached into a pocket and withdrew the photograph, approaching Timothy slowly and holding it out before her, only an arms reach from the boy.

"You are young, and I am not surprised if you do not understand it, but I will ask you this; has your judgement before been clouded by thoughts of someone you love?"

Now her gaze was set on his face and she examined his features briefly, taking note of the scar stretching across his eye and the color of his iris'. It was then that something within her stirred and became alert to the danger, taking on the defensive, though she did notice it beyond a change of her heart pace.