Chapter 24
Tuesday, April 11th
The sun broke over the mountains to the east.
The air warm and still, the sky clear. The dogs whining at the door to go out. Tom opened the door and the dogs raced out checking the wagon, the barn and the grounds. The entire pack, tails out, ruffs bristling.
Alex stoked the wood stove and then he and Sam went out to join Tom in checking the wagon and grounds. They found nothing amiss anywhere with in the grounds, however looking east, into the untended fields the grounds were torn up. Unlike last week, when the evidence was some scratches and a partial hole in the wall of the building, this showed signs of a struggle. Yet the dogs ignored that in favor of the grounds around the building.
Sam: “Cover me, I am going to check what made all that mess.” Tom and Alex brought their carbines to ready and Sam crossed the road to the fields. Crouching down in the early spring grass, he began to check the tracks. Several tracks of the omitaa-dainah, those cursed dog-men seemed to be out in pack strength. They seemed to be in some sort of struggle with a few of something else, large & heavy the footprints were wider and larger and clawed. If not for the claws and size they would almost pass for human. Then there was the last set, they were bear, he knew bear tracks. But this beast put even grizzlies to shame. Had to weigh in at over a ton from the depth of the tracks. Shaking his head Sam headed back to the house. “Lets go in and get some breakfast the ladies need to know this too.”
The men entered the house and each got a plate of oatmeal with a hunk of hard tack and some coffee.
Sam: “We were blessed last night. There were at least three types of creatures out in the field across the road fighting. One huge bear, several of the omitaa-dainah and something that has almost human feet but half again as big and claws on the toes.”
Jessica: “I would like to see these tracks before we leave.”
Nessa: “I would also, please.”
Alex: “We will be glad to go with you.”
The group cleaned the house and dishes, closed the flue on the stove and headed out across the road. They spent close to an hour searching the field, seeing where the creatures had postured and where they had fought. They found some hair and a bit of discolored ground that something likely had bled upon. The big find being a tooth, really a fang, that had broken off during the fighting. The tracks showed that other than the bear everything had been on two feet. The beer likely outweighed the humanoid by at least twice and they had outweighed the omitaa-dainah by at lest twice. When compared to the tracks they were leaving it was unbelievable. Bull, at 290 lbs. was just over half the weight of the omitaa-dainah while Sam’s 230 was less then half the weight. Clearly this new world had far larger and more dangerous critters than the puma and grizzlies they were used to.
They hitched the team to the wagon, mounted up and headed out to the meeting point. The entire way they kept a close eye on the area, looking for sign of any of the critters they knew to have been out.
Alex: “Sam, do you think it would be safe for me to make a quick run into Corvallis while we wait for the folks?”
Sam: “Not sure how welcome we will be there Alex.”
Alex: “I’ll be quick and quiet.”
Sam: “What are you searching for?”
Alex: “Just a quick personal shopping trip.”
Sam: “How you planning to get in quick and quiet in that wagon?”
Alex: “Guess I could walk, maybe someone will loan me a ride?”
Tair turned his head towards the wagon and began to high step.
Sam patting Tair on the shoulder, “You volunteering.
boy?” Tair tossed his head up and down. “Planning on getting yourself a new rider Tair?” Tair turned his muzzle in a side to side motion. Sam looked at a bemused looking Alex. “Guess I am being outvoted, sure don’t want a sulky mount on this trip.” Tair gave a huff. The men looked at each other shaking their heads.
Alex: “Did we just see that?”
Sam: “See what?”
Alex: “Yeah, nothing to see.”
They came to the meeting place and unhitched the horses from the wagon, the horses turned out to graze. Alex while this was distracting everyone mounted Tair and rode off.
Nessa: “Where is Mr Chalmers off to now?”
Sam: “just a quick run to check how Corvallis is holding up.”
Jessica: “Truly? Would it not be better to have more than one go into town?”
Sam: “He can get in and out quicker and quieter alone.”
Nessa: “Jessica, for now let it be. No harm is being offered.”
Alex and Tair headed in a circle to the west so they would not come in from the direction the town was sending people to meet with Sam. They moved at a gallop and covered the ground fairly quickly. Reaching Willow Creek they turned and followed it into Corvallis. Alex was surprised as he came into town that many of the shops were closed and many buildings both homes and stores were boarded up. There were several that he found on the outskirts that showed signs of having fallen to or having repelled attacks. Still he was on a mission for Miss Jessica, she may not know it but he would press on.
He arrived at Gregory’s Gold and Jewels, only to find it among the buildings which had been boarded up. Alex went around back to Gregory’s apartment and found the building equally boarded up all around. Alex looked at the window which held a lose board, he thought for a few seconds, Gregory was likely not among the living, but, he may have those he left behind. He could leave the price of the ring, if he knew what the price was. Still, even if no one else except himself know, did he want to start his life with Miss Jessica that way? No better to promise his heart than give her that which was not his to give. Alex mounted Tair and began to backtrack to the meeting point.
The group at the meeting point had settled the horses and were keeping a watch. They had checked the fields on the way and once they got here but there were no signs of anything like the battle which had occurred outside the cabin. Maybe, no, the location of the battle just had to be a coincidence.
They had not been waiting long when they saw what seemed to be a mini wagon train. Counting as they approached there were 7 wagons with 4 horse teams, a herd of about 20 to 25 longhorns and multiple outriders. Looked to be four with the cattle and another 10 with the wagons. Tom started to hitch the horses to their wagon to be ready to join the group. Sam headed out to meet them.
Sam: “Capt. Serrano, what a pleasant surprise.”
Marco: “Good to see you, Sgt.”
Sam: “Will you be joining us?”
Marco: “If you will have me.”
Sam: “We would welcome your presence in Refuge. Are you hoping to join my unit or planning on something else?”
Marco: “We made a good team over-there Sgt. Think we could do it again?”
Sam: “Can we move a bit off into the fields?”
Marco: “Lead the way Sgt.”
The two men rode 20 feet to the east while the wagons and animals continued past them.
Sam: “Capt. Serrano, I have one space left in my Lance, I am not able to guarantee that I can offer it to you. If you want to offer to join, I need you to think before you answer what I will ask, so just listen. My unit will be thirty-five people strong. We will be myself and my team of five men. We will be mounted, but often fight as dragoons. Each of us will have a five-person unit for support. This structure, this unit was assigned to me to create and command. If you join you will be taking a demotion. Each of my dragoons are Sergeants, the ones under them are troops. I will be the OIC (officer in charge). I need you to think if you can work under me instead of as my commander. Please think on this until we get to Each Ranch.”
Marco: “Are you sure about this Sgt.?”
Sam: “I can tell you more later, but for now, if you would give it some thought while we travel.”
Marco: “Thank you for being upfront about what you expect Sgt. I will think on it. What rank will our OIC being using?”
Sam: “Always hunting for information Capt. Always wanting more. This time you need to wait until the right time. Will there be any others joining us from town?”
Marco: “No, this is everyone from town, at the second crossroads there is a group of colored loggers going to meet up with us.”
The two men turned and began riding towards the group. Sam: “The more the merrier, Capt. The more the marrier.” Sam rode quickly to beat the wagons to the meeting spot. Once there he switched with Tom, giving him back his horse and taking over the wagon until Alex caught up. The group moved out slowly as the wagons caught up, then speeding up to match speeds. Tom, having called the dogs in, moved ahead 20 yards to have himself and the dogs as early warning. About 20 minutes later Alex galloped up and dismounted onto his wagon, Sam stayed on to let Tair walk beside to rest a bit.
About five minutes later, Tom fell back to let them know about two wagons on the side road up ahead. Sam let him know they were most likely the loggers that were supposed to meet them there and for Tom to go let them know to fall in at the end of the train. Tom rode on ahead to make contact.
A voice was heard from the field to the east, “You can stop there and state your business.”
“Thomas Shultz with Samuel Maclachlan from Each Ranch, would you be the loggers Capt. Serrano told us to expect?” Tom then whistled and called the dogs back as they headed into the fields.
“Thank you, hate to have a misunderstanding over dogs, but things have gotten rough back in the woods.”
Tom: “May want to come join me on the road and we can go join your wagons before those behind me think we have trouble and not friends.”
A very dark-skinned man, a few inches under six foot but with broad shoulders and well defined muscles came out of the fields carrying a Winchester 94 lever-action. Tom dismounted and the two walked up to the wagons.
Tom: “The wagons should be along in a moment, if you would fall in at the rear of the group, please. I am Tom Shultz, I will be with you until Sam Maclachlan can come back to talk with you.”
“Mr. Shultz, I ramrod this group of hard-heads, Benjaman Washington, sir.”
Tom: “Nice to meet you Mr. Washington, your man here said things were getting rough back in the woods?”
Ben: “We had a cabin flattened, something hit it with a couple of small boulders. Whatever they were made off with a couple of my men, just three days ago now. Last night something was at the main cabin, left the front door all scratched and beat on.”
Tom: “Anyone here hurt, need some first aid? We do have a healer.”
Ben: “One of our ladies has some healing, glad to hear others not to scared of magic.”
Tom: “We have some Faith abilities, not what would be called magic. But our allies use some magic.”
Ben: “Allies huh? Sounds like you folks have a story to tell.”
The wagons had caught up and were passing the crossroads, Sam swung down off the moving wagon and Tair followed him over.
Tom: “Sam this is Benjaman Washington, Mr. Washington this is Samuel MacLachlan.”
Sam: “Thank you Tom, head back up to scout to scout, if you would.”
Tom: “On it.” As Tom headed back to point Sam spent some time getting the story of what had happened at the logging camp and informed the loggers what had been going on between here and Each Ranch. He did find that the attackers who flattened the smaller cabin had been about 8 to 9 foot tall and had smelled like a skunk that had a disagreement with an outhouse. The two wagons with the six loggers and 3 women joined the end of the wagon train. By Sam’s count they now had 51 more souls of various ages.
Sam made the rounds to all the wagons to tell them of the washed out bridge and to make sure all the riders knew there were predators in the woods near there.
