With the jagged edge of the mountains at his back and the sweltering plain ahead, the Hunter urged his powerful stallion into a faster canter. He pulled his cowboy hat over his eyes, shielding against the fading but still radiant sunset. A sleek black shadow bounded fifty feet to his left. With perserverance the wolfdog kept pace with Windrunner easily.

The Hunter pulled up on the reins. Looking out ahead, he spotted something that irritated him deeply. A campfire. He considered this region his territory. Usually, people stayed away out of the fear his name invoked. But it was not unknown for some ignorant settlers to wander in.

Those same ignorant settlers more than not ended up dead.

The Hunter loaded his pistol. He considered calling Wolf to the hunt. Deciding that he could take care of these fools alone, he urged Windrunner towards the campfire.

_________________

A kitten jumped into Annalett's lap, as she pulled an old black blanket around her dress. The nights were getting colder since it was nere Summer's end. The red head girl stroked the kitten's soft head, half asleep, and staring at the fire.

William loaded the gun, and set it in he lap. He started cooking some leftover stew. Universe lifted his head from grazing, and looked into the wood. He gave a shrill whinney and started prancing. Annalett put the kitten aside, and ran over to comfort the stallion...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

As he neared, the Hunter confirmed his surmise. Settlers. Pathetic. He discerned three figures in the semi-darkness. Two were human, the third equine. Closing in behind them, he leveled his pistol at the young man's back. If possible, he would kill the boy and let the girl go. How else could she tell her story of terror?

The Hunter fired.

_________________

((gona kill my characters before they even reach california?))

William had gotten up as he heard a shot, and it got him in the leg. He looked into the darkness, shot gun ready.
"git outta here, Ann!" he said.
Annalett ran to get the kitten, and put her on the saddle, she put out the fire with a bucket of water that had been fetched earlier. She then mounted and rode up to her brother.
"get on! you're hurtt!" She said, blue eyes stubborn. The boy swung himself in the saddle, landing hard on the pack, a little lip with his leg. Annalett turned the horse to get out of there, and looked back for a second...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

[that was just so they had a reason to get together. my char would hardly wants to be friends now, would he? but if you have another plot idea then stop me]

The Hunter urged Windrunner after them. He uttered a high pitched whistle, calling Wolf to the scene. In the corner of his eye he glimpsed the black wolfdog bounding his way to intercept the settlers' horse.

_________________

Annalett urged Universe as fast as she could. If she could find someone to help them, enyone. Her brother was hurtt, and hunter was after them. Then out of the corner of her eyes she saw a wolf. Annalett was afraid of those animals, she bit her lip from screaming, and turned the horse away from the wolf and urged him to go even faster. Her brother ducked behind her, and told her to do so, but before she could a branch hit her in the face, and she tumbled over her brother, and onto the ground. The wind was nocked out of her, and everything went black. She heard Universe's hoofbeats get farther and farther away until she couldn't here them.

The girl finally was able to sit up, shaking. It was dark now, and she had no idea were she was. She heard something to her right, and scrambled up a tree, breathing hard she hoped it wasn't a wolf, anything but a wolf...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

The Hunter drew level with the wolfdog in time to see him snarling at something in a tree. Looking up, the Hunter saw a red-haired young woman - the same one he'd seen at the campfire.

"Where's your rescuer?" he said conversationally, tossing his pistol from hand to hand.

_________________

William couldn't stop Universe. The gray stallion just wouldn't stop galloping. Finally he stopped, breathing hard, and sweating terrible. Will fell off the horse, crippling over with pain. When his eyes adgusted to the light, he noticed he was at the edge of a cliff...

~~~~~~~

Annalett was breathing hard, starring warely at the wolfdog.
"What do you want?" she said, trying to be brave. She would have been brave if that wolf wasn't there. The girl grabbed the branch she was sitting on tightly. Her face now had a few scrapes from the branch that had knocked her off her horse...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

((Will is about a mile away by now!))

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Annalett saw a girl un up, but didn't jump down from the tree she was in.
"Watch out for the wolf!" she called out to the girl...

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Where did the other girl come from? The Hunter wondered irritably, shooting vainly at the hawk. He fired off two shots before he realized the futility. Growling in frustration, he reached for his second pistol.

That was before he heard the thunder of many hoofbeats in the distance. He whirled Windrunner around to see a group of ten horsemen riding towards them, guns leveled.

_________________

Will stugled onto his horse, and turned Universe around and urged him into a gallop. He stopped yards away of the hunter, the wolf, and the two girls. He leveled his gun with the hunter's head while waiting for the group of riders to come closer...

_________________

(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08