"Nah. I don't wanna race today. Told you that four times now.", Longtail says, semi-irritably to Sunrises. "Too hot to race." The cougar cub looks lazily down one branch to where the 'coon is perched, munching on apples.
Longtail hehs. "I got a better idea. Why don't we send Pathwalker to the stream for water or something, and then hide on him?"
Sunrises considers that for a few moments, biting into another apple. "Did that two days ago," she reminds him.
Longtail hmms. "True. True. Got a better idea?"
Longtail flickers an ear, yawning. "I'm boooored."
Sunrises's nosepad twitches as gears turn in her head. There has to be something to do to pass the time.
Longtail looks down, idly dangling his tail in the air like some furry snake. "Think we should ask Pathwalker? There's a novel idea."
Sunrises idly swings a paw at the dangling tail. "Pathwalker?.. Have an idea?" She conceals a chuckle behind a soft sneeze.
Pathwalker partly raises up from his crouch and rests his elbow on his leg and rubs his chin, looking at the riot of boot tracks by the river.
Longtail chuckles softly. "He may be big, but he's got brains up there." He taps the side of his head. "Don't let him know I said that."
Longtail flicks his tailtip, then sits up, cupping his hands to his muzzle. "HEY! PATHWALKER!"
Pathwalker starts and hisses at Longtail not to make so much noise, trying to wave him off with his paws.
Longtail cranes his neck, barely able to see the tall cougar down by the river. "WHATCHA DOIN?"
Sunrises winces slightly, covering her ears as Longtail bellows above her.
Longtail waves at Pathwalker waving back.
Pathwalker puts a finger to his lips for silence and pads towards his foolish half wit and half brother.
Longtail hmms. "What's he going on about?" He turns his back and starts climbing down.
Pathwalker gets close enough and whispurrs, "It looks like a stampede of boot wearing easterners went by the river. I'd rather not have them come back with guns cause they've heard your shouting."
Sunrises frowns slightly as Longtail begins to climb down the tree. She carefully follows him, once he's reached the ground.
Longtail drops to the ground. "Oh. Well, how was I supposed to know?"
Pathwalker closes his eyes and tries to calm himself. When he remembers the proper herbs to give Longtail green fur, he almost smiles. Once again in control he purrs, "Well, try not to shout so much. I wonder what they were up to, and how far they are from here?"
Longtail says, "Asides, they're probably long gone. We've been here a couple of hours.""
Longtail grins at Sunrises. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Sunrises looks up at Longtail, still working on interpreting that last exchange. "What.. are you thinking?"
Longtail chuckles. "I say we go Easterner hunting. Thanks for the idea, big brother."
Longtail puts his hand to his chest. 'And with the greatest scout this side of the River That Runs From The South Sea To The Large Brother Lakes, we're sure to find them."
Pathwalker nods, "We do need to know what they are doing this close to our camp. But can you two keep quiet and out of sight?"
Longtail chuckles. "Oh, let me guess. You're going to try and do this on your own?"
Longtail pats Sunrises on the shoulder. 'Nobody's faster than her."
Pathwalker purrs, "A bullet is much faster."
Longtail thinks. "They wouldn't shoot us. We're kids."
Sunrises looks from Longtail to Pathwalker and back again. "They.. not see me." Struggling to find words, she adds, "Won't shoot, if." And besides. They wouldn't shoot her anyway.
Sunrises nods at Longtail.
Pathwalker purrs, "Maybe not, but they could try and capture us. I'd prefer to do this on my own, but I know both of you would follow me and get us caught. So try and keep quiet and out of sight?"
Longtail smiles. "No problem. I bet they see you first, eh?"
Sunrises grins at Longtail. "We will.. stay quiet. Behind." And she looks to Longtail for assent.
Pathwalker sighs and thinks he's probably right, mainly due to Longtail doing everything he can, albeit on accident, to point him out. He sighs and turns around to start following the trail.
Longtail hangs back, falling into step behind Sunrises, knowing the best way to not be trailable is to stay in single file. Besides, it lets him whisper.
Longtail whispers to Sunrises, "Besides. I know you aren't as slow as he thinks you are. I think you know how to talk to the Easterners, and we may need to eavesdrop on them."
Pathwalker shakes his head. Only the fools from the east make less sense than his brother. Look at the boots stomped all over. They don't walk from place to place, they stumble like a drunken dream dancer to them.
The trail is absurdly easy to follow. Even One-eye StumbleFur, the old hunter, could follow this one, and StumbleFur can't even get back to his tent in the dark anymore.
Sunrises makes her way after Pathwalker, remaining far enough behind to keep Pathwalker from complaining. With a little grin, she murmurs back to Longtail.
Longtail voices what Pathwalker already figured out. "Looks like they were looking for something.
Sunrises frowns slightly, looking about. "What they look for here?"
Pathwalker nods without looking back to the pair, "Yes, and stumbling everywhere in their search for it. As to what, who knows. But maybe we can find it where they can't."
Longtail says, "Weren't washing clothes, either. No soap.""
Longtail wades out into the stream a little. "It's only a foot or so deep."
Sunrises shakes her head slightly. "Not for food. Fish-catching. Not see.." she frowns slightly, searching for the right words. "Not see fish-traps." Even she knows it's a bad explanation, but..
Longtail hmms. "This IS Mackerel's favorite fishing spot."
Pathwalker crouches to exam some tracks, and smell what he can, "Well, with all this trampling, it won't be a good spot for a day or two."
Longtail says, "Probably why she's not here.""
Sunrises nods slowly, peering about.
Pathwalker sniffs and notes along with boot leather he picks up the scent of blackrock and blackslime. Why the easterners like that odd soft rock, or the smelly, sticky black ooze he doesn't know. He does know they do nasty things to get them.
Longtail resists the temptation to shove Pathwalker from behind and get him muddy. Barely.
Pathwalker's claws flex as he notes Longtail's shadow creep up for behind. He's glad his brother decided to be smart. He sighs, "Let's move on, see where these fools have gone to now."
Sunrises carefully makes her way along, straining to pick up the scents and cues that the others seem to notice so much more easily.
Longtail gets impatient quite quickly, with Pathwalker leading the way at his slow, careful, and meticulous pace.
Longtail thinks . o O { I'm a better tracker than he is.. }
Longtail grins. "Hey, big brother, I got an idea. Why don't I range out in front and to the left, sorta scout ahead?"
Pathwalker flicks an ear and hmms, "It may help. Do you think you can keep quiet?"
Longtail says, "'Course. Quiet as a mouse.""
Longtail says, "Which means Sunrises can take the right.""
Pathwalker has a feeling this is a bad idea, but notes the two do need the practice. With a bit of reluctance, he nods.
Pathwalker hmmms as he points to some parallel tracks, "They had a wagon here for a while, and came back for it. Listen for the squeaking sounds from the wheels."
Sunrises looks between the two brothers, then nods hesitantly, and begins to move ahead, to the right. She strains to keep her senses sharp, but still knows that she's far less perceptive than the others.. And as she muses over this, forgetting to look where she's going, she accidentally stumbles over something laying in the grass.
Longtail hmms. "Right." He bounds off into a area of taller grass.
Pathwalker continues his dogged, methodical tracking, not that it's very hard following wagon trails. Though the tracks are not deep, and as the number of boot prints has dropped, it was probably carrying people."
Longtail pokes his head up from the tall grass. "Coming, or going?"
Pathwalker shrugs and points, "Going that way."
Sunrises turns about and reaches down into the grass, hefting up a shovel. "Found.. something." She peers at it for a moment, her mind racing to match it with the right word. "Shovel," she adds, as she remembers.
Longtail disappears into the grass again with a flick of his tail.
The shovel is literally caked with still somewhat soggy mud from handle to blade. Looks like someone was digging in the river with it.
Pathwalker nods, "Digging for their smelly blackrock again. Leave it, we can get it on the way back. The metal is valuable."
Sunrises nods at Pathwalker, setting the shovel in a tuft of grasses. Then, turning, she returns to her scouting duties..
Uphill, the tracks get deeper; looks like the wagon had trouble getting back up the hill. Abruptly, a whole bunch of tracks appear, as if everyone got out and pushed.
Sunrises pauses as her eye is caught by a patch of clover. She peers at it for a moment, as though trying to remember something, then kneels down to take a closer look.
Pathwalker chortles softly, "Their wagons travel so poorly."
Pathwalker looks amused at the skid marks, which lead (after a couple of rocks were used as braces) to the top of the rise. Longtail is WAY ahead, down on the opposite side of the bowl, and climbing the other side.
Pathwalker decides that he has enough of the story, and moves up over the rise and looks down the hill.
Sunrises is somewhat behind, counting the leaves of clovers at random. Somehow it's begun to feel important that she find one with four leaves, but she can't quite remember why...
Pathwalker decides to check for his companions. He guesses that Longtail has probably raced ahead.
Longtail crests the top of the next rise. Ahah-- a road...
Sunrises abruptly brightens as she comes across two four-leafed clovers. She carefully plucks one, leaving the other to grow, and calls ahead to Pathwalker.
Longtail turns around and sees how far behind Pathwalker is. Slowpoke.
Longtail'll have the road checked out in no time by the time he catches up! He hops down the short descent towards the road.
Pathwalker looks at Longtail far ahead, and Sunrises far behind. He shrugs and trots down the road.
Sunrises bounds after Pathwalker, her quick strides quickly closing the gap between them. Grinning, she shows the clover to Pathwalker.
Pathwalker tries to hide his smile, but fails. "Very pretty Sunrises. Now let's catch up to Longtail."
Longtail is marching determinedly down the road by the time the other two reach it, head bent low, following something, clearly enough.
Sunrises shakes her head slightly, trying to explain. "Four leaves. It is.. good fortune." She looks up at Pathwalker, smiling a bit, rather pleased with her find.
Pathwalker has a feeling that they are going to need the luck. He nods and then turns and jogs towards Longtail, still watching the tracks.
Pathwalker suddenly stops and curses, "Some chief he'll make. The tracks are leading the other way than he's going."
Longtail duly starts dropping out of sight as he goes over a short hill.
Sunrises slips the clover into her hair, over one of her ears. She then bounds easily after Pathwalker, keeping pace with him.
Pathwalker sighs, then starts racing after Longtail before he gets too far off track.
Too late? There's a sharp report, not unlike a rifle.
Sunrises jerks at the sudden noise, and looks to Pathwalker for guidance. She never knows exactly what to do in these situations.
Pathwalker's ears flatten, and he motions for Sunrises to hide as he races ahead, eyes, ears and nose alert.
There's another shot, and then another.
From somehwere far off, there's the distant sound of thunder.
Sunrises shudders. She almost goes to follow Pathwalker, then relents and ducks into the high grasses as more shots fire.
Pathwalker crests the rise just in time to see a single Easterner, standing near the side of the road, firing another shot at Longtail; the little cougar youth yelps and falls down, dropping his knife.
Sunrises slowly moves forward, though, making her way after Pathwalker through the concealing grasses..
Sunrises looks up to the skies. There's not a cloud to be seen.. where did the thunder come from? As her fur begins to stand on end, she hazards a peek over the top of the grasses, to see how far ahead Pathwalker is from her.
The Easterner yells something angrily, and sets the rifle butt down to reload.
Sunrises loudly hisses, "Pathwalker!" And hopes he can hear her. "What's happening?"
Longtail sits up and tries to drag himself behind that tree he was running for.
Pathwalker growls and races towards his halfwit halfbrother. He knows why there were so many shots. Luckily his brother was too far away to be easily shot. He figures to get his brother behind the tree, and for the easterner to get close enough, he'll get in range of his bow.
Sunrises pauses a moment, then calls again, daring to raise her voice. "Pathwalker! Something.. coming!"
Pathwalker blinks as he starts to feel the rumble and pales, and shouts one word to Sunrises, "Stampede!"
The Easterner sees a MUCH more menacing looking Injun racing for him, and starts reloading faster.
Pathwalker reaches his brother and grabs his arm and drags him to the tree as quickly as he can, more afraid of what is coming than the easterners rifle.
Sunrises peers out at the rising dust on the road, coming up from behind Pathwalker and Longtail. Then back to Pathwalker, numb for several moments. She can't really see Longtail from her perch near the top of the ridge, and worries... and tries to convince herself either to go down and try to help, or to run to someplace safer, but succeeds only in sticking herself in place.
Longtail winces in pain. "Owww.. this hurts..."
Pathwalker purrs, "It's nothing compared to being trampled to death by a sea of hooves."
Pathwalker mutters about wishing that the tree were larger as he moves his brother and himself behind it.
Sunrises finally tears her gaze away from the road, and begins to run back the way the three had come, searching for some safe cover, should the stampede turn her direction...
On Sunrises's side of the hill, a single wagon filled with furs comes racing down the road, its horses foaming at the mouth in full gallop. It's NOT far ahead of a whole stampede of buffalo at all.... one of them points out Sunrises. "My gods! A girl! QUICK! Swerve left!"
Sunrises yelps as she makes out the buffalo, and runs through the tall grasses, away from the road, as fast as her legs will take her.
The Easterner with the rifle knows what to do when there's a stampede coming. He runs off, diagonally away, heading for high ground.
Longtail cants his ears. "Buffalo. Lots of 'em... help me up!"
Pathwalker gahs, wishing he could do the same, but his foolish brother couldn't outrun his mother right now. "And do what? Limp away from them? You can't even walk, we'll have to pray that the spirits and this tree will protect us."
The wagon overtakes the racing raccoon, not handily; the next thing Sunrises knows, a pair of strong hands grab her from behind, hauling her up into the wagon. "Hang on, missy!"
Longtail growls. "Idiot! Climb UP the tree!"
Pathwalker hmmfs, "Now he suddenly gets some sense." and helps his brother up to the nearest branch."
Sunrises yelps in surprise as she's grabbed, and peers up at the other furs, rather uncertain of whether she's now in more or less danger than she had been before.
Longtail winces in pain as he gets vaulted up onto the lowest branch, and chins himself up onto the next higher one. "Where's Sunrises... never mind."
Pathwalker growls as he climbs up higher and reaches down to his brother, "Had you stayed closer together, we'd have Sunrises with us."
The cart comes over the rise, heading roughly in the same direction the first Easterner went; the raccoon is clearly visible among the rough-clad furs. The buffalo are practically on top of them, a few of them actually parallel to the wagon.
Longtail just hugs the tree trunk and shuts his eyes.
Sunrises's gaze searches for her friends, hoping they found shelter..
Pathwalker sighs as he watches the wagon, "I wish it could go faster."
In the wagon, Sunrises hears the other furs. "There're two more in the tree. "They'll be fine-- we can't stop!" 'Someone, fire a couple of shots- mebbe they'll scatter!"
A couple of shots are fired to no avail; the buffalo stampede about the tree, shaking the branches worse than any earthquake.
Pathwalker uses his legs and one arm to cling to the branch, and uses his free arm to hold tight to his brother.
A buffalo hits the wagon from the side, smashing into it; the horses panic, and unbelievably, manage to find an extra burst of speed.
Sunrises peers back at Pathwalker and Longtail, yelping again as the wagon jostles sharply. She peers up at the furs in the wagon, pleadingly.
Eventually, the wagon and buffalo part company, nearly a mile distant; the horses stop, exhausted.
One of the furs, smelling like he's had way too much garlic, a wolfhound by the looks of him, eyes their passenger. "Hey, she's dressed in Injun clothes. Missy, ken ye understand me?"
Sunrises leaps to her feet as the wagon comes to a stop, and moves to clamber out of the vehicle. "Yes," she says, distractedly, her english tinted by her native tongue and her extended experience to the Indian language..
One of the other furs, a bulldog, grabs a hold of the young raccoon. "Hold on. We wanna talk to you."
'Hey!', a tall fox exclaims. "If the Injuns got her, mebbe they got my son, too!" It's about this time Sunrises notices the muddy shovels in the bottom of the wagon..
Sunrises looks up at the bulldog, and urgently gestures back the way they came. "They.. could be hurt!"
The bulldog hops off the back of the wagon, taking a rifle with him. "I'll check it out... but you're coming with us."