Dogs in God's Vineyard, Episode One: The Red Road

(Fixed the thing you asked for Magus)

As soon as Marcus went outside he took a handkerchief and brushed off some dirt of his boots. In vain did he clean his boots, for he was to once more step onto the dirty and sandy terrain of the West.

Moment of stupidity indeed he thought as he noticed the stupid action he had just taken.
After walking down the few steps at the entrance of the bar, he saw that there were 2 more Dogs where he was a little earlier.

“The party started and I missed it, great, I’m going to get an earful about this.” He exclaimed in a low tone while walking towards the group. Marcus arrived just as Dwight said his last sentence. Mix-mashed pack are we? Well that just makes it more interesting! Let us see were this journey ends.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, had use the head. Which of you 2 is Cain?” Marcus asked before walking up to his horse.

Cain and William

William grinned and lowered his hood. "Oh, I'm Cain. That black guy over here is my slave. Now, go get me some wine slave!"

Cain proceeded to give William a jesture unbecoming of a Dog, or what people would think was 'unbecoming'. "You know as well as I do William, that that joke's never been funny. Besides, too early to get drunk."

William did not look offended at all by Cain's rude jesture. Instead, the Dog laughed. "You may say that Cain, but I find your reactions more hilarious each time. Ah, how I do miss the good old days. I rather miss having you as a Pup, Cain. Boy, you were fun back then."

Cain gave a laugh of his own. "Ah yes, my days in the academy. Please, don't remind. I still can't believe I used to be that naive. You were a good instructor, though. At least, when you weren't as drunk as a miner coming back from an unsuccessful day's work. Which was about....all the time, wasn't it?"

"Now now, no need to give these young lads a bad impression of me, eh? Besides, we do have some serious business to do here." William said. His face took on a more grim expression. Cain nodded, likewise becoming more somber.

"Very well. You've all been briefed on the situation, yes? A young Dog named Elisabeth went missing three days ago. She and William here are stationed at Red Road for the time being, to help defend the town against Mountain Folk attacks should they ever strike, as well as keeping an eye on the tribe. William and the rest of the citizens here have turned the entire place upside down looking for her, but no trace of the girl. Not even a body, if she was murdered. To add to that trouble, wagons carrying goods across the Red Road Trail have been ambushed recently. No one knows who's conducting those raids, since they leave no survivors."

"Of course, we suspect the local Native tribe." William continued, "Though we could be wrong, it's highly unlikely. The Natives in this area are known for being especially violent folk. The only place we've yet to search is the area around the Tribe's camp, though it's extremely well guarded and they'd be likely to attack on sight. If we are wrong about the Natives though, I have no idea who could be behind these attacks and Elisabeth's kidnapping."

Cain waited for the rest of his Pack to absorb the information before he continued. "Now, this is why we've been called in. First thing's first, we must find out what happened to Elisabeth. If we find her alive, good. If she's dead, then we'll need to bring her murderer to justice. If possible we should also find out who's been raiding the supply wagons coming through the trail. It may be likely these two events are connected. Everyone understand?"

"Yes." Lara's voice was hard, her eyes dark when she turned around; her pack slung over a shoulder. Her gaze flcked over her companions breifly, before she turned it to Cain.

If the tribe is responsible for the Dog's dissappearance and the attacks, what was done to provoke them? We do not simply attack for no reason, as Ojiba are so happy to believe.

The woman ground her teeth, one hand dropping down to rest on the handle of her blade.

Had something disturbed? Someone killed? I will have to speak with them, see how they see. She swallowed hard. If they are responsible, these Dogs will kill them. And I must help.

"We should go. Longer we wait, the less chance there is of finding her alive."

If she has been missing so long, chances are she is dead. Enewa is not kind to ignorant Ojiba.

"I agree with, Lara was it? I'd like to search around town, though, just incase. In some of the towns I've been around, people were all too happy to have Natives or their own neighbors take the blame for their misdeeds," Patrick put it, all-business now.

"Did Elisabeth have anyone close to her? A husband or loved ones?" he asked the pack leader curiously.

Yeah, and I was the one making the assumptions. Marcus sighed deeply. He passed his hand over the horse’s head, caressing him softly.

“The Irish fellow seems to be bright. We need to find out the close people to our disappeared woman, but not only that, we’ll also need to know if she had enemies. And, have somebody around this town had done something to provoke the Natives? If it was them, which is yet uncertain, they must have had a reason as to why take such drastic measures.” Marcus added. They needed to get all the information possible in order to commit zero mistakes.

(Hey guys, not to be nit-picky or anything, but what the heck is up with the random sympathetic view towards the natives? That kind of came out of the left field, and seems sorta suspicious considering it popped up right after my post with Lara. Lara should be the most sympathetic towards them, since they are her people. Looking back historically, white men were biased against the natives and the natives were biased against the white men. That's just how things were. The Natives were savages, white men were disrespectful of nature and the like. I could understand having varying degrees of prejudice, but honestly, that was a little ridiculous right there.

Also, AI, Lara hasn’t introduced herself to anyone; in-fact she has only spoken five sentences to her pack-mates. So, Patrick shouldn’t know her name.)

(Well I tried to make the Natives my first target, but all chars were against it so I backed off. Lets wait till Magus comes to figure this out.)

((Nando, if I can clarify. Dwight wasn't againest attacking the natives(not that he reallys cares who gets shot in the end.) It was the fact that it seemed like Marcus was wanting to go running off without Cain, which would get them all in trouble. That's why Dwight was againest the idea. Just sorting that out.))

((I didn't think much of it before, but Shadow does have a point. Back then the white men were biased against the Natives and hated them. The same went for most of the Indians, no doubt. While some may have viewed the Natives with some sympathy, they were likely apart of a small minority. Since the Mountain Folk are one of the main antagonists for those who live in the West, it's no surprise they view the Natives with contempt. Consider just about all the main characters here were raised in the West, I would think they'd at least have some negative views and bias toward the Natives. On retrospect, aside from Lara, they all shouldn't be automatically coming to the Native's defense.))

Cain

"Hm, 'Beth had no enemies that I know of. William?" Cain asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The local Dog shook his head.

"No, Elisabeth was about the nicest girl in this town. Everyone loved her. She was my partner, which would make me the closest person to her, so I doubt her disappearance was an act of a vengeful lover. As you should know kid, relationships with those outside of the Dogs aren't permitted unless you plan to retire to marry them. I can't think of a soul who'd want to hurt her."

"We should probably still look around, though. I wouldn't be surprised if those barbarians are behind her disappearance. Ah, no offense...say, what was your name again?" Cain asked, glancing over at Lara.

"You wouldn't be able to say my actual name, so call me Lara."She turned her dark eyes on the Pack's leader. A small tick jumped in her cheek for a split second, before it was gone quick as it had come. Her fingers curled around the handle of her blade uncounciously, and she swallowed hard.

Behind her, Enapay had turned around, sensing his rider's change of mood. He huffed softly, nudging at her shoulder with his muzzle and lipping her cloak.

"I know, Enapay..I know." She sighed, releasing her blade and bringing her hand up to pat the side of his face. "Do not worry, old friend. I will not do anything to put us in danger. Even if these Ojiba are not worth the breath they draw."

(IMPORTANT NOTE: When she's speaking and its in italics, that means that she's speaking in her own language. Thusly, no one should understand what she is saying.)

"Everyone has enemies. Everyone." Dwight stared quietly at William, as if scrutinizing the older Dog. "To think other wise is to think like an idiot. The question is, how do we find enemies she wouldn't tell anyone about, not even her partner." He pulled a cigerette out of his jacket, before reaching into another pocket for a match. Striking it, he lit the cig and took a slow puff.

Shoulda watched her better, old timer. Hell, folks your age shouldn't be in the Dogs anymore. Wonder how fast you could get your gun out if I pulled mine.

His thoughts never showed on his face, as his smile spread wider. "Well, I think we could cover the most ground if we split up, but the call rests with you, Cain."

Why did you come out of retirement? That's a question that needs answered...

(OH. Sorry. I'll try to do better myself.)

"Well, personally, I find that people often wag their tongues over a cold drink," Patrick commented as he turned to face the Pack Leader, "Permission to go over to the saloon, sir? I promise not to drink everything."

Cain

At Dwight's mention that Elisabeth must have had an enemy, Cain thought that for a split second he saw something pass across the Steward's face--fear?--but it was gone before he knew it, like it had never existed. Strange...Cain filed that piece of information away for a later date, just in case.

"Well, if you all do spread out, please be careful. The sinners of this town don't like Dogs, and if it turns out that someone in Red Road kidnapped and/or murdered Elisabeth, they may try to do the same to you." Steward Hyrum cautioned.

"We'll keep that in mind, Hyrum. Ok, spliting up sounds like a fine idea to me. Hopefully we'll get somewhere with that. Permission granted, son. Hm, Patrick, was it? I've read your file. Quite the interesting young lad, you are. Anyway, you may go there. Anyone else want to accompany him there?" Cain asked.

"I may as well go with him." William said. "I could use a drink to calm my nerves."

"Very well. I think I'll head over to the Red Road Trail and investigate that side of our mission. Anyone want to go with me?" Cain asked, glancing around at his Packmates. His gaze hovered over Lara for a moment before passing by. No doubt the girl was a good Dog, but he'd have to keep an eye on her during this, just in case. He didn't doubt it one bit that Lara still had some strong ties toward her people. After all, so did he, in a way. While their weren't very many slaves out here in the West, Cain had devoted himself to freeing as many of them as possible, to give them a better life.

Lara probably thought her people were innocent, or at least had been provoked (if they were guilty). Of the latter, she could be right. Still, their was the chance the Mountain Folk may have no part in the ambushes or disappearance of 'Beth, so Cain might not have to worry about her. But if the Mountain Folk were, and Lara faced the choice of either helping them, or her Packmates...

Well, he'd have to cross that road when it came. Cain hoped it didn't. He didn't want to stain his hands with the murder of a fellow Packmate, after all.

There was a deep silence after Cain asked if somebody wanted to go with him. Marcus thought about it for a few seconds, and he decided. “I drank some water earlier, and I got nothing better to do, so yeah I’ll go with you Cain” The Dog said with a country accent camouflaged by that of the city’s accent.

As he moved towards Cain’s side Marcus asked curiously “How long is this Red Road?” The idea was to start a conversation and get to know his current leader.

"Well, see ya sir. I'm going to gather some information," the Irishman told Cain with a grin as he walked away from the book.

He smirked as he entered the tavern, approaching the bar and immediately ordering their most alcoholic drink. He'd tell his friends that not all Irish were drunks, but he sure was. It was one of his few guilty pleasures in life. That and smoking and fighting. Still, since he joined the Faith, he tried to limit himself.

"Hey, barkeep. A round of drinks on me," he told the bartender as he handed him a handful of money. Drinks often loosed tongues. Besides, it never hurt to have the public on your side.

Cain

After William and Patrick had left, Cain eyed Lara and Dwight. "Well, what are you two gonna do? And in an answer to your question Marcus, the Red Road Trail is quite long, but the raids have been centered around one area." Cain said.

William

William followed Patrick inside the tavern. For a moment, all activity inside the bar stopped as the patrons eyed the newcomers. Then it returned back to life, most of them choosing to ignore the Dogs.

"Very well." the, surprisingly very tall, bartender said. He grabbed the money Patrick handed him, not bothering to give back any change. He passed out another round of drinks, much to most of the patron's delight. The bartender went on to cleaning a glass.

"We don't often see your folk come inside here, Dog." the bartender commented.

"I know what you mean," Patrick said with a shrug, grinning as he saw William join him, "Quite a few of my comrades are uptight about drinking and gambling. I don't see in absolutes, though. I just live by the Faith according to its big picture."

He took a sip of his drink and grinned, "So, tell me about this little town of yours, my friend. What's the local gossip? Need to gather some information while I'm here or my superior will think I just came here to drink."

Lara's gaze shifted over to Dwight, before she flicked them back to Cain. "We should talk to some of the people out and about. See about the local rumors and gossip. Every rumor has a bit of truth behind it, if you dig deep enough."

She gave Enapay one last pat before letting her hand fall to her side. She looked over at Dwight once more. "Unless you think there is something else we should be doing, Ojiba."

((Sorry for my lateness. Work is tiresome.))

"Nah. Interogating the local folk sounds more like my style than chatting over drinks." Sparing a glance at Cain, he flashed a toothy grin. "Leave it to us, old man. In a few hours, we'll know about anyone who so much as sneezed in her general direction. Go catch yourself some thieves, and kill one for me, if you would be so kind."

Without waiting for a response from his superior, the Dog made a motion with his head for Lara to follow him. "We'll start at the Church, since that seems like the place she would spend most of her time."

Cain

Cain turned to Marcus as the last two remaining Dogs walked off. "So, you ready to go check out the Red Road Trail?"

Bartender, William

The Bartender scowled at Patrick. "We don't have anything to hide, son. There are no rumors here, in this town. If ya ask me, them Mountain Folks were the ones who took Elisabeth. They're a savage people, and I don't think kidnapping would be above them. If you really want progress, go storm their camping grounds and see if they have her."

The Bartender cast a glance at William before returning to cleaning the glass in his hands.

“You bet I’m” Marcus replied. As they both started to walk, Marcus took out a small box that had written “Habanos” in the front. He took one fat cigar and placed it under his nose to inhale its sweet and unique scent.

Marcus snapped out of his moment of passion with the cigar in hand, and noticed he was being rude by not offering one to Cain. “Well where are my manners for God’s sake. Cain, do you want one?” He raised the box with his left hand and pulled out the top of one cigar.

"The others should be questioning the natives. I simply hope it doesn't come to that," Patrick said with a shrug, nursing his drink, "As for me, I'd prefer not to if we don't have to. Don't want to provoke them. I trust myself not to, of course, but I don't know my packmates as well as I'd like. One or two could be stupid and assume they're 'devils in human form.' Personally, I prefer to settle things peacefully. Besides, the murderer is always one you'd least suspect and the Mountain Folk are assumed to be the killers, so it can't be them."

He laughed aloud, proud of his strangeness.

Cain

"No thanks. I don't smoke anymore." Cain said. The two continued to walk toward the Red Road Trail, arriving there after a short time. Across the section of the Trail the two Dogs were on, they could see the remains of the previous ambushes. Parts of wagons littered the sides of the trail, and up ahead a mostly intact wagon was still left, the victim of the raider's most recent attack.

"Well, we may as well look around to see if we can find anything useful. I hope whoever's been attacking the people crossing this trail left at least some clues to their identity. Thankfully, most of the bodies have been cleared away, so we won't have to worry about stumbling onto any corpses. How about you go search the wreckage over there, while I check out what remains of that wagon over there?" Cain suggested.

William, Bartender

The Bartender raised an eyebrow at the Dog's strange logic, but said nothing about it. The Bartender continued to clean the cup in his hands, sneaking a few glances at William while he did so.

"I'm going to talk to some of the people here, see if they know anything they haven't told me before." William volunteered. He stood up from his seat and walked over to a table of drunks playing a card game.

"Hey kid," the Bartender began, speaking once William was out of earshot, "Mind helping me in the back? I've got some stuff I need to move, and I could use some help."

Patrick finished his drink with one gulp and nodded at the bartender. He spoke, "Of course I will help. Just keep serving drinks, barkeep, and I'll be happy."

He waved at William and stood up, heading for the back room, his hand gripping his gun unconsciously.

Lara trailed after Dwight, following a few steps behind and slightly to the left of him. Her dark eyes flickered about, never missing the tiniest detail of her surroundings. She noticed quite a few suspicious and down right nasty looks sent her way, but she shrugged them off. She doubted any of the town-folk would be so bold as to attack her in the precsene of another Dog.

"Who of the Church are you intending to question first?" Her question came suddenly, her eyes swinging to lock on her fellow Dog's back.