Bill followed closely behind Saito as they walked away from the bloody camp site. He quickened his pace and caught up to him. He outstretched his arm and grabbed Saito by the shoulder, spinning him around so they were face to face. With his other arm he raised his fist, with his index finger pointed not one inch from Saito's nose.
"Listen here you little prick. Don't you ever talk to me that way in front of people again. Is that how you were taught to speak to your betters? Learn some respect, do you understand me?"
Bill relaxed and took a breath. "Don't embarrass me like that. I always thought you were a reliable young man." Bill frowned. He hadn't been this frustrated since the last time he was out in the woods, looking for Tim with Luke and Brady.

***
Walking next to Cookie, Bill explained the geography of the area. "Colton and his crew come across the Mississippi on a small ferry north, well, northeast along the bank. If they're not there when we arrive, we'll look for them along the trade route. They've gotta be camped out someplace, we'll pick up the trail. We were given two days, remember? Now I'm fixin to be back as soon as possible but this is imperative, Cookie."

Cookie rolled her eyes, pausing just long enough to swing a hip and then laser beam Bill with the GLARE of DEATH, and growled at him, low in tone, keeping it private. "Two days of walking, minimum....  With undead, cannibals, raiders, and all a dat.  No wonder youse been gettin' picked off like Macy's clearance racks on Black Friday.  Lead on.  Let's get da moveable feast movin'."     Nothing was going to cheer her up with this much walking to do and no shopping !  She resisted heaving a sigh, and got back to business, smoothing out her expression into the 'welcome to Hooters, give me a big tip smile.' "Tell me more about the path there.  Any places you think might be good to set traps, bottlenecks, blind turns, geography problems ?" 

In reply to Dominic Dubreton (msg # 77):

Isabelle tried not to chuckle at Dominic's first comment, joining him in finding the entire situation absurd. The world truly had descended into madness in a short span of time. Now they were out in the woods, hunting for people most of the raiders had not met, with seemingly dangerous survivors all around them amongst arguably more dangerous biters. Once again there was little she could say in response, instead nonverbally saying it all.
When there was mention of scouting ahead she refrained from directly volunteering, not trying to be self serving, because she would go if asked, but ultimately she wanted to stay with the group, perhaps specifically certain members of the group.

Brushing a loose bang from her eyes she considered his question, her gaze drifting to the others ahead of them before coming back. "Hm.. It seems odd, even to our guides. I'm starting to wonder if anyone has even seen these supposed bandits, or if they even exist. That camp back there.. There's so many survivors heading south, how do we know its even related. Lots of people hunt with bows.. I've yet to meet any cannibals." She wasn't altogether confident in the raid, it was clear, but she had her own private reasons for coming on raid, and fulfilling the Caravan's debt to the Fort when they staggered out of St. Louis.
"I just don't know.. These days, all anyone has is their word. Everythings a risk. Even not going on raid."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Mon 11 Aug 2014.

The dog scampered on with the group, keeping light on its feet, more or less hovering around Ricky but still trotting ahead of the raiding group to sniff this or that. The equipment carrying mutt would pause and lend a floppy ear to the air to get the drop on whatever was out in the woods, before it got a drop on them. It still held its supplies of bandages, a couple pill bottles, ammunition clips, some packs of dry food and that communication device.

In reply to Bill (msg # 78):

The Asian guide stared coldly back at Bill as the man spun him and verbally accosted him, spewing recriminations he might or might not have deserved. He did grasp the essence, that they were looking weak to the Caravan people that outnumbered them, and would have to tighten up and remember they were on the same side. A bead of sweat ran down Saito's temple, betraying his solid portrayal. When Bill mentioned he'd thought fondly of him, he finally blinked, becoming a bit more tenable in his body language.

"Alright alright." He muttered to Bill before the older man broke off to talk to Cookie. Adjusting his cap so he was securely shading his eyes he turned to lead the group on point once again, glad to know where he stood with Bill. Overall his mood on the raid was hard to read, there was a sense he hadn't chosen to go, or been on the decision making side of who was really suited for this expedition, yet he understood what the goals were, in their basic sense. Get the natives to bring the supplies from the farming colony of survivors, trade the goods that Toby's group bring back from their own raid; the Fort has food for the colder and/or more desolate months. And kill anyone who gets in the way..

Ricky kept near the front of the group, closely watching the dog but giving Saito ample space. If he had any semblance of closeness with either side, his little outburst just may have further served to distance him. *Never thought it would be this hard to make new friends.* The isolation he felt now was distinctly different from the loneliness he felt in the previous months before meeting the caravan. It was strange feeling alienated by people who were almost in your exact position. He stretched a little and let out a shushed sigh. Trusting people and, more importantly, getting people to trust you was not something he was used to yet. He knew it would take time but he found the slow progress of the days ticking past to be maddening and he couldn't help but wonder exactly how different their experiences as survivors really were. He never really ran into bandits so he never formed trust issues; an experience, he could tell without asking, the caravaners did not share.

Cookie considered, as she drifted here and there within the group, always behind someone or having them block her body with their own, and also watched the dog.  It was someone's dog, and that someone had been whistling in the woods, no doubt to communicate something unpleasant for the travelers.  So she watched, quietly, and observed the dog, the people she was with, the horizon and its various features, and walked along.  Never knew when she'd might have to return this way at speed, either, so she memorized features of the surroundings too.  No much else to do; she'd set up a sulky whine to make them think she wasn't planning something.  Being a girl had its uses.

The group continued at a surprisingly good pace, with Saito and Bill leading together or alternatively, seemingly having buried the hatchet since earlier, when Saito had thrown the older man under the bus. There were few animal sounds as they all walked together, mainly the scurrying of what would turn out to be small land animals disturbed from rest or the sporadic call of a robin or crow. They moved in relative silence, with the undead refraining from disturbing them as well, oddly enough.

"Almost to our old meeting place with Black-Rabbit." Saito would mention as they walked, a degree of relief to his words that he could confirm something to the skeptical party of survivors. Their path through the bush began to develop a worn quality, like it had begun to show the signs of being frequently traversed.

Isabelle walked with Dominic, shooting Cookie a momentary glare when the woman fell back and effectively used the group as cover. Isabelle understood, though, as she had always tended to let the group go its way, with her following carefully from the back. But she was tired, they were all tired. She let it go. And on they went...

--

The dog continued to follow along, enjoying the long travel, but showing signs of thirst as it followed after Ricky, sniffing at the man's canteen. It would keep at the behavior until someone assisted, though it never showed signs of taking off from the group to find who its owner actually was. Perhaps it wanted to be with them, perhaps it knew its chances were better in a group, somehow.

That was, until the hound stopped dead in its tracks for a moment, ears perking. One front leg raised as it were trying to point, before quickly charging off through the ranks of the column and into the forest ahead of them. It stopped only briefly to look back at the Caravan before running forward again in a rush. There had been no apparent sound that drew it, but something obviously had.

Soon they heard the yelling, like the delayed sound of a far off explosion finally reaching out to them. People. Yelling. It clear there was distress, and it was on their path of advancement, at that, literally in the way.

Saito looked back to the group behind him, not saying anything, his fatigued but determined expression conveying that they were going forward, come what may. The day was ongoing, and he this was the path he knew, and would be damned if he would strike lost into the bushes to avoid someone they would likely get the drop on anyway.

Barking joined the yelling ahead.

Reaching the source took some time as they moved forward with a careful precision, not even Saito willing to risk rushing forward like the dog.They came on the source of the sound quietly through the shadows of trees.

It was a pit. A round, eight to ten foot circular pit. A woman was calling for help, stuck at the bottom, muddied and frantic, attempting to pull on roots to get out, but not able to make a go of it. The Dog waited at the precipice, barking, tail wagging, looking down at the woman then back at the group.

"Ricky! Shut that mutt up before I do it myself." Saito stated curtly but quietly, looking to the others to gauge their reactions before moving beyond the treeline. They hadn't been detected by the apparent trapped woman yet, so far only the dog had revealed itself, but hadn't succeeded in calming the victim.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:13, Mon 18 Aug 2014.

Ricky noticed the dog sniffing around his canteen and was about to give it some water when it ran off. He was a little confused and worried, until he heard the yelling. His first instinct was to run towards the noise but one look back at the group and he knew he would be alone for that mission. Ricky might be a bit naive, but he was no fool. He kept pace with the group until they came upon the source of the noise. He scanned the area from the treeline when Saito spoke up about the dog. He looked back at him, turned to the dog once more, and sighed as he readied himself. He pulled up his rifle and kept low to the ground as he approached the dog, calling it with a shushed voice. "C'mon boy, that's enough. Shush. Be quiet already." There was an unfamiliar urgentness in his voice with a hint of worry as he tried to quiet the dog. He kept scanning his surrounding with an almost paranoid swiftness, expecting something to jump out at him any second now. He gripped his rifle closer now for comfort as he neared the precipice, getting close enough for a somewhat quiet conversation but not close enough to actually see who was inside. "Are you hurt down there?"

"Oui...our guides do seem to be as clueless as we are, though I doubt we're on a wild goose chase after all something’s stopping those caravans...I just hope its not going to turn out like the last raid I went on" Dominic said keeping his voice low, though why the fort would want to kidnap their non-combatants was beyond him, as far as he could see it Toby just wanted a bunch of merc’s to do his dirty work for him.
Dominic moved quietly through the trees beside an equally quiet Isabelle scanning the his surroundings whenever he heard another one of those bird calls coming from out of the trees; still unsure as to whether they belonged to birds or were the hunting calls of the feared “cannibal bowmen” cool it Dom they're just birds you're getting paranoid he silently scolded himself feeling all the more foolish for having Isabelle there to witness him getting jumpy over nothing.
It was not long after Saito announced that they were almost at the meeting point that the dog broke free of Ricky’s grasp and made a run for it; Dominic raising his rifle and taking aim only to lower it with a muttered curse. The damn rifle shot would attract more attention than the dog would besides which he wasn't that good of a shot to guarantee hitting the running animal. Shouting quickly followed the dogs escape along with the dogs own barking as it neared what appeared to be a pit dug into the earth.
Moving over to a nearby tree he drops down to one knee and rests the rifle on a low branch; his eyes scanning the area surrounding the pit for any signs of trouble "Hold up a minute Izzy, best make sure there’s no one lurking nearby before we get any closer" he said feeling only a little guilty about using Ricky to flush out any potential ambush lurking within the undergrowth. Perhaps it was only paranoia again but once again the whole set up felt like some kind of elaborate trap "Why does everything about this place feel like a damn trap!"

In reply to Ricky Robes (msg # 86):

The dog barked in its alerting way once or twice more before Ricky's more urgent tone drew its attention. Stubbornly it ruffed a couple low, sustained half-barks. Obediently or perhaps finally understanding, it became silent, but still displayed some excitement, tail wagging aggressively, ears and canine features drawn taut because the action.

Moving forward to the pit as Ricky spoke to the inhabitant, Dog inspected the pit citizen with curiosity but some needed caution, its movement towards the mouth of the hole kicking a few clumps of dirt down inside.

"Shaddap, dog," Cookie hissed at it, then "Shaddap, girl, you'll attract THEM". A lush for a guide and a hothead for a guard, pretty much looked like the Fort was asking for trouble in its trading...unless the trade goods were her and her companions, in which case things were going to get mighty ugly mighty soon.  She didn't move from the middle of the group - one thing that would do is keep her from falling into another drop pit, as well as shielding her from unfriendly fire.  And the trap - another way to slow them down ?  She didn't bring rope.  She looked over at the nearest patch of woods and considered how likely a big long tree branch might help, but this smelled like another time delay and/or trap.  Then she looked over at Bill, the supposed guide, to see what he'd do next, before another all-round whip scan of the area. "Go get a fallen tree or something, so she can get herself outta there, we're burning daylight." she suggested to Bill, in an undertone.

In reply to Dominic Dubreton (msg # 87):

Isabelle stopped short when Dominic spoke up, though she hadn't been eager to step into the clearing. She was as concerned as any other human being for other survivors but she had also see so many died and had been disappointed again and again and she wasn't about to get her hopes up for a positive outcome.

She didn't touch upon Ricky going out to essentially be the feeler for the rest of the group, but shared a look with Dominic conveying her own disappointment with herself to let the guy expose himself. Ricky was a good man, from what she had seen, and had put up well despite losing his friend Doug in St. Louis. Doug had been set upon by the walkers like a pack of hungry wolves to a wounded stag. His sacrifice might have saved them.

"Its the woods.. We're being as careful as we can I think. Just can't crack or we're screwed. " She replied quietly, her gaze drifting from the pit to the surrounding forest canopy, seeing nothing suspect.

At first.

"Walkers." She stated with a slightly more audible voice so the group could hear her.

"Other side of the pit, hundred yards out. At least four or five. Woman's yelling must ahve drawn them. I don't think they see us yet."

The captured survivor at the bottom of the pit was relieved that someone was up top with the dog, that she hadn't just been discovered by some animal that would helplessly watch her flounder.
She was young, maybe mid to late teens. Despite her yells, she now quieted with potential help finally with her.

Hearing a man's voice she replied, some anxiousness in her voice but newfound hope as well. "I'm alright. I hit the bottom hard but I'll be okay. Please help me out of here." She pleaded, urgency in her voice, aware of the situation she was in. Hearing Cookie's voice, she grew impatient, but was placated by what sounded like an order to help her escape.

"Thank you thank you thank you so much."

"Glad to know you're not hurt. Don't worry, we'll get you out of there in no time." Ricky gave a quick sigh of relief before fumbling with his bag. He was too far from the group to really hear what they were saying but he could only assume they were either planning what to do if this was a trap or how to help out the girl in the pit. "I know I got some rope in here somewhere." he muttered under his breath. "Got it!" he looked up from his bag, a decent length of rope in hand and a slight smile on his face, only to see several walkers approaching from the opposite treeline. He moved with a newfound quickness in his step as he rushed to secure the rope around his waist before tossing the other end into the pit. "I don't mean to rush you, but we got some company. We'll be fine just keep quiet, secure the rope around your waist, and give me a tug when you're ready. They haven't noticed us yet." He backed away from the pit's edge a little bit before digging in his heels and preparing himself to pull.

"Yeah...that must be it" Dominic replied absently to Isabelle's suggestion that it was the trees that were making him and everyone else jumpy. It was just as he was beginning to think that yet again there was no trap; after all Ricky hadn't been met by a hail or arrows or disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke, when Isabelle pointed out the walkers, Dom’s eyes automatically snapping over to there location. They hadn't seen them, not yet at least but with all the noise the girl and the dog was making it would probably be only a matter a time until they did "Keep watch Izzy, I am going to go help Ricky pull her out...if they start coming this way I want to hear your girlyist, horror movie scream" he said teasing the woman beside him remembering how she'd previously stated that she wasn't one of those girls.
Dashing out from cover, Dominic makes a bee line straight for Ricky "Hey mon ami need a hand?" he asks quietly; wrapping a length of rope about his forearm as he does so "OK Ricky...I am ready when you are"

Cookie decided to let the boy heroes save the damsel in distress and swiveled all around again to see what was coming.  "Hell," she muttered, sighting the zombies.  She hissed at the heroes, "Company - undead," as a warning, and looked for a way to run.  This whole trip was a trap, and these guys wanted to waste time on the Girl in the Hole Trap....but what can you do.  She played the hand she was dealt, squared up her bat, and waited, always watching, seeing what was coming up on all sides.  "We're moving fast once you get her up ! " was the next hiss.

In reply to Ricky Robes (msg # 92):

Cass did not need much cajoling to cooperate with Ricky. Quickly she brought the rope around her waist, tieing it around her form as tight as possible before giving a tug of confirmation. "Good to go!" She added, just in case.

Isabelle gave Dominic a look like he was insane when he asked her to give a girly, fearful shriek if the undead came too close. For the moment it seemed like they were in the clear. The walkers were coming around their way, but did not have confirmation of sight. Always relying most on what was left of their sense of smell, of hearing, they groped about the landscape, rattling bushes, getting caught against branches, as the collection of corpses trudged onwards at an even pace.

Sliding her hatchet from its loop on her belt, she watched with the some worry as Dominic joined Ricky to bring the pit-person out of captivity. She didn't like him getting into such a position, but she wasn't keen to leave the girl alone as she might yell and cry, which would lend a helping hand to those that would eat them all.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Mon 08 Sept 2014.

The dog moved around the group as the worked, keeping out of the way and keeping silent, yet panting heavily, thriving in the action. Its tail swung side to side and it planted itself next to Cookie, its ears perking as the undead made more noise amongst the trees some space out from the space of the pit. Sharp, slightly blood stained teeth revealed themselves as the dog let out of a low rumble of a growl, lips quivering up to reveal its fangs.

The radio on the dog's vest crackled, a voice attempting to break through the static interference, but coming up short of anything intelligible. It ceased for a moment before continuing, causing the walkers in the forest ahead to pivot as they heard the sound carry through the bushes and woody setting.

"I always appreciate a helping hand." Ricky said with a friendly smile as Dominic wrapped some rope around his arm. He took on a more serious look as he once again focused on the task at hand. "Okay. We pull on three." He took a deep breath and readied himself before hearing the radio static to life and alert the walkers ahead of them. His eyes widened as their heads turned towards their direction. He gave Dominic a quick glance. "Three!" He pulled as hard as he could, really digging his heels in.

Cookie surveyed the approaching threat, knowing that the soft-hearted Ricky would prefer to rescue someone, and the damned dog was definitely not helping them.  She caught the attention of the others, hissing in a whisper, "We got company coming."  The dog might cut and run with the arrival of the undead - but by then, the undead would be seeing Meals on Feets, aka the travelers.

It took a moment for the pit-girl to dig her feet into the walls of the pit to help the process of climbing up and out. Despite her reassurances she had banged herself up pretty well in her fall inside the insidious dugout. Dominic's assistance of Ricky ensured the work was made quick. No doubt the hearty breakfast food of the Fort facilitated their efforts.

The undead were closing in then, but there was time to fight or take flight. They knew something living was close, they could smell it in the air. Groans, dreadful raspy sounds filled the air as the collection of former human being's descended towards the pitted area.

Saito checked his weaponry as they awaited the ambush of undead as well as the possible screw up of a rescue at the pit. He would normally have shirked off such an effort, but he could use some information from the girl, whether she wanted to or not. It was imperative that they found the Tribe soon, or they would be in a bad spot. Already the fabric of the raiding party was tenuous. Saito didn't trust the redneck and Ricky had obstructed him back at the massacre-site.

"Come on we have time." he spoke out in a hushed, urgent tone, beckoning Dom and Ricky to haul the girl with them if necessary back to the tree line .

"Shut that dogs fucking radio off." The heavily armed Fort dweller added harshly, turning the sites of his silenced automatic weapon on the mutt that had led them this way.

Eyes widening in shock Dominic glances first at the dog and then at the approaching Zed's before hauling on the rope; digging his heels in deep into the ground silently cursing the dog as he does so. Although the two of them made quick work of pulling her out it felt like an age to the Frenchman as he watched the Zed's shambling towards them, meaning that no sooner was the girl out of the pit that Dom had looped an arm under one of her shoulders "Grab her other arm Ricky, we need to get out of here!" he said to the other man, deciding that they could find out whether she could walk or not once they away from here.
As soon as either the other man had helped him pick her up or the girl started moving under her own power, Dominic would head back in Isabelle's direction where she could cover their retreat if necessary. It was time they were out of here.