Jake, leaning out the window with his device, doesn't fare any better at getting a clean shot at the thing.

((OOC: 09:41, Today: Jake McGraw rolled 2,0 using d10-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,2.  Weird Science.

The unstable penalty strikes again!

Card: 7S))

Cooper’s shot goes just wide, slamming into a nearby pine tree, shattering a significant portion of the trunk and showering the lone wolf with splinters. Likewise, McGraw’s shot is off the mark, by virtue of the rattling stage, but the device’s unseen force tears a small crater in the soil inches ahead of the beast’s paws.

Startled by the force directed against it, and aware that it now faces its formidable prey alone, the surviving wolf turns tail and dashes for the cover of the nearby trees, quickly vanishing into the dense shadows of the forest.

OOC: Combat over.

"Well that was fun.  Anyone dead, speak up!"

Kate knelt next to the weird semi-headless cadaver to help throw the nasty thing out and poked it with her gloved finger as she wiped its dry viscera off on its mostly furless hide, trying to spare a good knife from having to be put away dirty.  "Damn, that is one sorry ass mangy looking critter.  The hell it's been eating, cowpies, toadstools and the Devil's weed?"

She called up top.  "Nice job there Slick, great shortcut.  I can't wait to ride again."

But the truth was she was actually glad it had happened.  It vindicated her own biases and prejudices about stagecoach travel.

"Ain't dead, but they sure are.  Were.  Or are again, I guess."  Jacinta chuckled as she pulled a few bullets from her belt and reloaded her rifle.  She stuck her head out of the window and yelled up at the two on top.  "Y'all hurt up there?  Wolf getcha?"   

Jake scowled. "I don't think killin' 'em again is gonna stop 'em." He nudges the remains with his boot. "Look. There ain't enough o' the thing left. This ain't a complete corpse. Whatever witchery animated them needed only the idea of a body...the spell filled in the rest. I heard a voice on the wind, right before the reinforcements arrived. I reckon that was whoever was controllin' these things whistlin' up more on the spot." He rubbed his jaw. "I've seen deaders afore. A couple o' the railroads play around with forces that'd curl yer hair. This don't look like Bayou Vermilion work, though...their deaders are whole corpses animated by some kind o' elixir. This reminds me more o' the sort o' thing you'd see Black River pull off..."

He stopped and looked around the stage, suddenly aware that he was surrounded by people who likely hadn't been in the thick of the Rail Wars like he'd been. "I'm...not sure that made a whole lot o' sense to y'all."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:53, Fri 16 Feb 2018.

Having been in the thick of the Rail Wars, Albert nodded knowingly. "That tracks purty well with what I seen. Course it'd help if anyone saw the person what commanded these puppies. I was purty sure it came from off the right side, back in the trees. But I couldn't see who dunnit. Anyone get a good look?"

As they explained, Kate began to realize everyone was right.  She frowned.

It was dead.  She had seen this before, in the hellscape of her dreams.

Sometimes, it was just the whole world but her who was dead, but still moving around in a twisted mockery of life.  Sometimes, she was the dead one, still wandering the long blighted earth after countless hundreds of years, forced to duel any wandering gunslinger she could find, sometimes losing but never dying...  She knew she would be seeing this creature again in the night, during her agonized cries and cold sweats.

When Black River was mentioned, all the joviality and mirth that had entered her disposition faded instantly and she was back to being sour again.  With a grunt, she grabbed and hoisted the nasty thing not waiting for help.

There were times when she felt like that damned witch's mark on the back of her hand glowed like molten iron in a forge and that absolutely everyone could see it, despite two layers of obfuscation.

While waiting to hear if anyone saw the person that commanded the wolves, Albert took to reloading his revolver. After the second one slid in, he furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then looked toward the other two whose immediate reaction had been to shoot the things that sought to make him walk home. Or worse. "Double Kay, Jay Lo - y'all both did a nice job shootin' them critters. I don't like the thought of walkin' ta Lincoln, so thanks fer that. And in case we meet any more of 'em, or similar, I might be able ta doctor one of yer bullets ta, mmmm, make 'em fly better and put a little more ooomph into it when they hit."

He looked back and forth at both KK and Jacinta. "If yer interested, pass me one of yer bullets. See if I can't purty it up."

Kate had no idea what he had in mind but Kate couldn't help but be a little bit pedantic.

"I don't carry loose bullets.  Now if you mean a cartridge... here, go bananas."  She slid one off of her rig.

“The Ranger here kept me from gettin’ bit, ma’am. Doesn’t look like they ever got close to hurting him.” Murdock called back. He shook his head regretfully. ”Poor Gabe didn’t fare so well.” Glancing over at Lee, he added, ”I’m gonna have to ride back out here in a day or so with some of his family. See if we can’t find him. Bring him back for a proper burial.”
This message was last edited by the player at 20:25, Fri 16 Feb 2018.

Garrett reloaded his rifle, but kept it out of its scabbard, leaning the weapon against his left shoulder. Peering back out the window, he said, ”That voice out there. It was speaking Comanche. It was urging the wolves to attack us. Something about giving our blood to the mountain.” He shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the passing terrain. ”I couldn’t make all of it out, in the fighting. But that was the general idea.”

"Well now you know to bring a lotta gun hands. Maybe a good knife man up here too. Have a couple ride up top and take it slow and you should manage to run a pack that size off. Maybe I'll come out with you if my duties allow - no man deserves to be left out like that," he said. He clapped the man on the shoulder and swung back down into the body of the stagecoach.

"Fine shooting, ladies and gentleman. Murdock and I managed to deal with the ones that got up top, though sadly not in time for Mr. Ramirez, though he was avenged. Strange to have Comanche out here this far west. Once upon a time, these were borderlands of old Comancheria. Maybe they're of a mind to move back in. I'll send word to Austin about this."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 09:18, Sat 17 Feb 2018.

"Comanche?" Jacinta spit.  "Never met one I liked.  Think we should go back and find that one?  I'd love to put a bullet in his head."

Removing another bullet from her belt, she offered it to Albert.  "Ya gonna bless 'em or what?  I seen a superstitious gunslinger file crosses in all his forty-fours once."

"Reckon we ought to go back for poor Gabe anyhow...if we find him in time, maybe we can still do somethin' for him." Jake says. Not that he really believed they could help the man...but miracles did happen. "And at least we can keep this mysterious Comanche from doin' anythin' untoward with his body, even if we can't help him nor find our troublemaker." He leans back. "I ain't in an all-fired hurry to get to town. Not if we can catch the bastard while his tracks are still fresh and his wolves are pushin' daisies, temporary as that might be."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:19, Sat 17 Feb 2018.

"Well, if we went for him, supposing he's still breathing, I could probably figure something out. But it's just as likely he's been torn up by the wolf pack or drawn and quartered by the Comanche."

Tamsin wants to get the herbs she needs and get home, but at the same time...

"...and for our deliverance, oh Lord, we humbly thank Thee. Amen."

Earnest tucks his testament back into his pocket over his heart.

"I favor going back to find the man's mortal remains. He deserves a Christian burial in hallowed ground."

"Wait, is he alive or is he dead?  Because those are two very different scenarios with very different degrees of urgency."  Kate pointed out.  "I collected th' feller bought the farm."

"You'd be surprised at what you can live through." Jake says. "If there's even a chance the fella made it, we oughta at least give it a look. Wolf packs and Comanche be damned. And we still ain't got a clear idea o' what we're dealin' with. Givin' thins a look while it's still fresh and there's still light might give us some clues."

Albert smirked and kept his retort unvoiced as Kate passed him a bullet. He nodded at Jacinta as she did the same. "Bless them? Mmmmmm....somethin' like that. Sure." Albert looked down at the pair he had collected and retrieved a sharp, metal tool that looked like it could be used for engraving.

Before he could begin, conversation turned to returning for the fallen. "I'm all for helpin' a fella what needs it. If Gabe can be saved, ain't no point wastin' time yappin' 'bout it. Course if he can't, well, that's a fool's errand."

”I saw what happened to Gabe real clear,” Murdock called down, ”That wolf took his throat out. I reckon he was gone before he hit the ground,”

The driver paused, looking up at the darkening clouds. ”Right now, my priority was outrunning that rain that’s coming. Getting you folks safely in to Lincoln and having that horse seen to. But if you really want me to stop and go back now, I will. If we keep going, I’m sure some of the Montaño family will come back with me to find him just as soon as the storm passes.”

Kate weighed in.

"This infernal coach is this man's livelihood.  If the road gets rained out, he's liable to get it stuck out here for a spell and lose his situation an' fer what, so a bunch of ramblers feel better about not leavin' a coffin stuffer behind?  Th' feller got dealt a raw hand, an' we can't help him none no more."

Albert nodded at Kate's pronouncement. When it came down to business, his opinion rarely differed from hers - now was no different. "She's got it right, folks. On ta Lincoln ahead of that storm. Ain't worth the risk."

"It don't feel right, leavin' a man behind." Jake frowns. He looks over at Byran. "What do you say, Ranger? Go take a look now, or come back after the storm?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Murdock has the right of it. I don't like leaving a man out there any more than anyone else, but it won't do him much good to go back now and we could face more adversity if we stay out here in this weather. I think it best we get ourselves to town, and head back out here for Ramirez when the weather clears," he said.

"May he rest in peace, sheltered in the bosom of his loving Creator," intones Allgood, fervently.