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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2672312" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 149, "Chimera", Friday, January 20, 1882: </strong> </p><p></p><p>Kate, Nanuet, Riley and Sonoma watch as the three-headed winged chimera rises out from the trees. It flies high up in the air but southward towards the mountain peak while letting out a loud roar from the lion’s head followed by a screech from the dragon’s head. </p><p></p><p>Both groups of hunters begin to move quickly in that direction. Those up at the cave mouth hear the sound of horses galloping at a fast pace. The hunter yells something in a language that Chester and Ruby do not understand and the bugbears and giants stop. The six cowboys are heading in a path that will take them fifty feet to Chester and Ruby’s right. Chester debates standing up but Ruby reaches out to stop him. </p><p></p><p>Much to Ruby’s dissatisfaction Chester stands and yells out to Comstock. They stop and look in his direction, very surprised to see him. They ride over to Chester. Ruby decides to stand up. Chester exclaims “Hi Bill!” The hunter and ogre yell something to their creatures upon seeing Ruby and Chester and the monsters begin to move back over in that direction. </p><p></p><p>“What are you doing?” Comstock asks. Chester replies, “I’m hunting the creature. What are you guys doing?” Comstock says, “The same, why did you stop us? It sounds like it’s right up there,” and he gestures towards the mountaintop. “Can’t you hear it?” Mitzer asks. Chester says, “I thought that we could join forces.” “You don’t even have a horse!” Mitzer says. “Oh yeah,” is Chester’s answer. The creature lets off another roar. </p><p></p><p>Chester says, “I found out something about that thing. I got pretty close to it.” “What do you know?” Comstock asks. Chester replies, “That thing has got three heads. It’s a real freak.” “Three heads? What is it?” Elisha Whittemore exclaims. “I don’t know,” Chester answers. Comstock says, “And the two of you are out in the woods by yourself trying to hunt it with those revolvers?” Ruby says, “He’s trying to hunt it. I’m trying to convince him that we should go home. That thing breathes fire.” </p><p></p><p>Whittemore says, “Miss, I think that’s a good idea. I think you two should go home.” She says, “I think you should go home too. It’s been coming this way and flying back that way every once in a while.” She points in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the hunter and ogress have joined up with the bugbears and giants and the five are moving north in the direction of the dragon roars. </p><p></p><p>Kate listens carefully to the screech sound so that she might be able to later recreate it with a spell. The creature is still a long distance off, high in the air, and continues to roar. The creature is now flying even higher and roaring, it’s heads intertwined together. </p><p></p><p>Chester gestures to the hunters and asks, “So Bill, what do you know about that mob over there? I tried to get into the Silver Dollar the other night and they wouldn’t let me in.” Comstock says, “The guy is a hunter of big game in Africa. I don’t know what those creatures are.” “Friendly sort?” Chester asks. “No,” Comstock replies, “But Barnum contacted him so he’s here working for him.” “Barnum set this all up?” Chester comments. “Whittemore replies “Yes, he wants to display the creature in his museum.” Chester says, “Great, it’s got three heads. You should get triple the price.” </p><p></p><p>“How are you going to capture a thing like that?” Chester asks. Comstock gestures to the other hunting party and says, “I don’t know, but they’re going to catch it first if we don’t catch up.” “Oh, alright,” Chester comments, “I think you’re right. We’re out of our league on this one.” This six ride off to the north and Ruby says to Chester “So that was your brilliant idea?” Ruby and Chester run after the riders but are left far behind. </p><p></p><p>Kate, Nanuet, Riley and Sonoma see the cloud of dust from the trees again and hear the sound of hooves. The creature notices this too because it now starts to fly lower and in the direction of the cave mouth. As it nears the quartet guarding the cave. Sonoma exclaims “Get Riley on the damned gun!” Riley picks up the hand cannon, more due to fear than bravery. </p><p></p><p>Sonoma tells Kate “Enlarge Riley, I think he’s going to have to shoot this thing.” Kate moves up into position. Sonoma begins a chant. Kate casts the spell, which makes Riley larger, stronger and eight times as heavy, giving him the size and power to effectively use the weapon. The now giant Riley, twice his previous height, points the weapon upward towards the rapidly closing giant chimera. </p><p></p><p>The monster is 80 feet away when the shot fires out, the recoil knocking him back. He was aiming for the head but is slightly low as the projectile strikes the creature’s chest. A vast explosion follows leaving a gaping wound in the monster and showing those below with several dozen dragon scales. </p><p></p><p>The creature was clearly not expecting such an attack and lets out a huge roar simultaneous to the six horsemen exiting the trees. It continues to fly but changes direction and attempts to gain altitude. The second hunting party exits the trees and watches the creature. </p><p></p><p>Riley figures out how to get the prior shell ejected and the other shell to slide into place. He fires the shot, which misses wildly, flying well to the right and exploding against a ledge on another section of the mountain. The wounded creature flies over the top of the mountain and then drops in altitude to use the mountain itself as cover. </p><p></p><p>The spell wears off as Comstock and his friends ride closer to the ledge. Sonoma slips back behind the tarp and into the cave. Nanuet remains under cover behind the rocks above the cave. The other hunter and his party return to the forest and disappear from sight back into the trees. The spell wears off and Riley returns to his normal size. Kate remembers this group from when they were at the Lone Star. As Comstock and his friends reach the ledge Ruby and Chester emerge from the threes and continue to climb. </p><p></p><p>Kate acts as spokesperson, explaining that she and Riley are with Ruby and Chester. Comstock asks, “What are you doing?” Whittemore exclaims, “What just happened here?” Kate says, “We brought a really big gun.” “A big gun?” Comstock asks. She replies “Yeah. What did you bring?” “Just our buffalo rifles,” Comstock replies. She asks, “Those little guns? Did you see the creature? Do you really think those rifles will be effective against it?” </p><p></p><p>They exchange glances and Mizner says, “Maybe we should ride back to the town of Dos Cabezas and see if we can find something that will be more effective against that thing.” Kate says, “We’re finding that really big guns are very useful.” Comstock says, “But you hit it with that and it still flew away.” “It didn’t like it though,” Kate comments. </p><p></p><p>Kate then says, “We didn’t think it would take only one shot.” She then points to their rifles and says, “Imagine how many shots from those you’d need to use.” Comstock says, “I think we’d better go down to Dos Cabezas.” Kate replies, “I say that’s a pretty good idea. You might want to spread that word onto the others. You might want to get some really big guns.” </p><p></p><p>They head away, waving to Chester and Ruby as they ride by. They soon join the others. Riley tells Chester how the gun works. “Did you hit it?” Chester asks. Riley replies, “Yeah, the gun packs quite a wallop.” Chester says, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about the recoil.” “So you hit it and it still flew away?” Chester asks. Kate says, “Yes, but it looked in pretty bad shape where he hit.” Kate says, “And it is leaving a blood tail for the hunters to follow.” </p><p></p><p>Sonoma says, “All we have to do is keep Mama and Baby quiet and let them go after Daddy instead.” They realize that the other groups may have heard the creature roaring or seen it flying overhead, but even if they had missed that they would have heard both hand cannon shots firing and echoing through the valley. “We may have some company,” Kate comments. </p><p></p><p>Ruby says, “We can tell them it went away but why would they believe us?” Sonoma replies, “Because we shot it and we have the gun.” Ruby says, “But then why would we stay here if we were hunting it?” She says, “Because it is big and angry and this is a place for us to hide if we have to. Wounded creatures are dangerous, hunters will understand that.” Kate says, “Well two groups know about it already and another group are our friends. That just leaves the ogre group and Buffalo Bill’s.</p><p></p><p>Billy Comstock and his allies ride out of sight and down the mountain, heading southeast in the direction of the town of Dos Cabezas, approximately three miles away, to try to obtain more powerful weapons. </p><p></p><p>Chester, Kate, Nanuet, Riley, Ruby and Sonoma remain on the ledge on the northern face of Luzena Mountain, watching out in all directions while guarding the mouth of the cave. Fifteen minutes later they spot the second group of hunters exiting from the tree line approximately one-third of a mile west. This group begins to climb higher up the mountain but does not appear to making any attempt to move towards the cave. They continue to climb straight until they pass the elevation of the cave. They then change the direction of the climb more eastward while still keeping a quarter-mile distance from the cave. </p><p></p><p>Chester reloads the hand-cannon. He and Sonoma climb up above the top of the cave mouth, using some large rocks for cover, while they continue to observe this group. Sonoma breathes a sigh of relief once the bugbears find the location where the monster named Ihuaivulu had bled onto the rocks below. </p><p></p><p>Chester anxiously picks some gunpowder residue from the hand cannon. "This thing really packs a punch. So, Miss Sonoma, do you think we'll have any problems from the other hunting groups? Hopefully the Chimera will draw them away from here? I don't fancy seeing that thing again, especially since it knows we can hurt it." </p><p></p><p>They watch as the bugbears, giants, orgress and human big game hunter that comprise this party continue to climb higher in the direction that Ihuaivulu had flown off to, bringing them away from the cave where they are protecting Kinepeikwa and her offspring.</p><p></p><p>Ruby relaxes as she sees the hunting group following the injured chimera away from where they are. After looking around and feeling safe for a moment she steps inside the cave. The adrenaline rush had worn off and she was hit was a wave of sleepiness from staying up all night. She got out some of Dorita’s tea that was supposed to help them stay awake. As she prepares it she glances at the dragon carefully watching over her young. She shakes her head. Jake will never believe this. Heck, she was here and still didn’t believe it. She still felt like they had no plan and just got lucky. Splitting up the party was the worse thing they could have done. As she drinks the tea she notices the dragon watching her. She slowly approaches but doesn’t get too close. “So,” she says hesitantly, “Where will you go after you leave here? What will you do?”</p><p></p><p>She replies, "Away from where the humans have moved into. I was thinking of heading up along the northwestern coast of what you know as the Pacific Ocean. Humans have shown little interest in the region and I believe that the elves of the Harda, Kwakiutil, Tlingit and Tsimeshein tribes would be good companions for myself and my child until it is old enough to fend for itself in South America." </p><p></p><p>Ruby looks at the little monster and laughs to herself. As far as she was concerned all babies were little monsters. "Well, I guess you know what you are doing. We have injured the other spirit and hope it cannot return. We also hope the other hunters will follow it but I suppose we can't count on being that lucky. I still don't know why you chose us to do this but hopefully we can succeed."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet manages to find a spot with some relatively soft dirt. He lays the quiver with his arrows nearby then kneels down close to the earth. He takes the vial that was given to him by the druid from a small leather pouch and whispers a prayer as he opens it. He pours the dark liquid on the ground and stands back to observe. Nanuet sees that the liquid mixes with the sand below into a type of paste and the color changes from dark blackish-maroon to more of a maroonish-red. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet hesitantly takes an arrow out and dips it into the muddy mix. He then lays out a rag and places the arrow on it gently. One at a time he coats about a dozen of the arrowheads with the dark red mixture and places them on the cloth. He then wraps the cloth around the arrows being very cautious to avoid the dangerous arrowheads, remembering what the druidess told him. </p><p></p><p>About half of the liquid still remains, so he covers it over with brush to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping in it. He climbs to the top of the cave and finds an area where he can hide while still viewing the mountainside leading up to the cave. He takes out his rifle and lays that next to him as well as his shortbow and the coated arrows. He unfurls the cloth so that the arrows are readily available should they be needed. As he is doing this he repeats the chants of several of his shaman prayers to himself, preparing them if the need arises.</p><p></p><p>Katherine was sitting cross-legged in the back of the cave, her slim spellbook in her lap. It was the first time she had dared to remove it from her room at the El Parador, but they were to be here for several days. Without it she would be no help at all. </p><p></p><p>The other spell she had learned that morning was mage armor, but it would be more important to enlarge Chester so he could use the cannon than to protect her. After a little while she felt she had successfully committed what she needed to memory and closed the book. Kate took a deep breath and walked over to where Storm stood near the Earth Spirit. "I hope you know how much I hated to....To leave you there. No matter how I try, I cannot think what we could have done differently. I'm sorry."</p><p></p><p>Sonoma looks to Chester "I have no idea if we will see any other groups but I assume that we might after all we were seeing some of the more practiced hunters we still have no idea where Buffalo Bill Cody's group is and they aren't really good hunters so they will likely follow the pre-laid trail that brought the rest here only slower." Chester replies, "And with his large group, we'll probably see or hear them before they notice us." </p><p></p><p>Sonoma says, "A lot will depend on how well those hunters do tracking the monster in the meantime we need to keep an eye out and try to keep her and the baby safe hopefully they will be able to get away soon." Chester comments, " That's true. But even if we keep the hunters away from Kinepeikwa and the baby, eventually the Chimera will try again. So we might have to kill him. But, I guess first things first. Do you want to stand guard with Nanuet? I think I have things under control here." </p><p></p><p>"So," Ruby continues as she walks closer to the dragon. "What's it like being a spirit? I mean, having to protect a whole continent, or whatever it is you do..." The more time goes by the less hesitant Ruby becomes as she walks closer to the dragon. "And I'm curious, what's it like being a, um, dragon..." Ruby is standing right next to the dragon at this point and starts stretching out her hand. </p><p></p><p>Storm only nodded, her eyes serene. Kate wanted to ask about speaking with the dead, but she kept looking at the bullet hole in the centaur's forehead. Could she stand to see Tom like that? A wound in his back where Morgan Earp's knife plunged in? </p><p></p><p>Kajika had said Storm was still here because her purpose had been unfulfilled. Katherine couldn't think of a purpose for which Tom would have needed to hang on. They had spent the better part of year preparing for his death together, and said their good byes on the train platform when he left Boston. That the death had come after they thought the risk was gone, that it had come in a different manner shouldn't matter. Kate turned slowly and went back to her place on the cave floor. She pulled out the strips she had ripped for bandages and began to neatly roll them, hoping she wouldn't have need of them. </p><p></p><p>Kate watched as Ruby stretched out her hand and touched the dragon. It watched her, but didn't stop her. But it was an old creature. Perhaps it understood wonder. Kate watched the small Chimera. It's eyes followed Ruby as she moved. Whatever answer the dragon gave to Ruby's question, Kate couldn't hear it. </p><p></p><p>She didn't mind. Silence was comforting. This time, even before a fight could start, Kate had found that calm place. What would happen, would happen. She found herself fighting off the urge to sleep and got up to stretch her legs. She peeked out from behind the canvas and saw a puff of dust down the mountain. She let the canvas fall shut again. </p><p></p><p>"Ruby, there's more people coming up the mountain," she said quietly. A half-mile down the mountain comes the sound of horses and a cloud of dust is seen rising up from beneath the trees. The direction is different from the way that Comstock and his friends had ridden off.</p><p></p><p>Ruby has a hard time breaking away from the stare of the dragon. She finally pulls herself away and makes her way out of the cave. She climbs up to above the cave mouth and rechecks all the guns she has with her, then waits.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet directs his attentions to the new group heading up the mountain. He asks Chester and Sonoma to keep an eye out elsewhere in case there was more than one group coming. Nanuet checks that the rifle is loaded and repositions the arrows so that they are easily within reach. He risks standing up to get a better look at the approaching group, but will not risk his cover for long if he doesn't get a better view right away. The cloud gets closer as do the sound of the mounts. In another minute they will break through the tree line.</p><p></p><p>Kate pulled out Tom's pistol and took a deep breath. She stayed behind the canvas for now, watching through a small crack between the canvas and the cave mouth. She carefully slid the barrel into the crack, being careful not to jar the fabric and cause it to ripple.</p><p></p><p>Chester comments, "I see them. They're probably a group we haven't seen yet." Chester takes a long look to his left and right. Once he is satisfied that no one else is coming, he'll prepare the hand cannon and his Spencer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 2672312, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 149, "Chimera", Friday, January 20, 1882: [/B] Kate, Nanuet, Riley and Sonoma watch as the three-headed winged chimera rises out from the trees. It flies high up in the air but southward towards the mountain peak while letting out a loud roar from the lion’s head followed by a screech from the dragon’s head. Both groups of hunters begin to move quickly in that direction. Those up at the cave mouth hear the sound of horses galloping at a fast pace. The hunter yells something in a language that Chester and Ruby do not understand and the bugbears and giants stop. The six cowboys are heading in a path that will take them fifty feet to Chester and Ruby’s right. Chester debates standing up but Ruby reaches out to stop him. Much to Ruby’s dissatisfaction Chester stands and yells out to Comstock. They stop and look in his direction, very surprised to see him. They ride over to Chester. Ruby decides to stand up. Chester exclaims “Hi Bill!” The hunter and ogre yell something to their creatures upon seeing Ruby and Chester and the monsters begin to move back over in that direction. “What are you doing?” Comstock asks. Chester replies, “I’m hunting the creature. What are you guys doing?” Comstock says, “The same, why did you stop us? It sounds like it’s right up there,” and he gestures towards the mountaintop. “Can’t you hear it?” Mitzer asks. Chester says, “I thought that we could join forces.” “You don’t even have a horse!” Mitzer says. “Oh yeah,” is Chester’s answer. The creature lets off another roar. Chester says, “I found out something about that thing. I got pretty close to it.” “What do you know?” Comstock asks. Chester replies, “That thing has got three heads. It’s a real freak.” “Three heads? What is it?” Elisha Whittemore exclaims. “I don’t know,” Chester answers. Comstock says, “And the two of you are out in the woods by yourself trying to hunt it with those revolvers?” Ruby says, “He’s trying to hunt it. I’m trying to convince him that we should go home. That thing breathes fire.” Whittemore says, “Miss, I think that’s a good idea. I think you two should go home.” She says, “I think you should go home too. It’s been coming this way and flying back that way every once in a while.” She points in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the hunter and ogress have joined up with the bugbears and giants and the five are moving north in the direction of the dragon roars. Kate listens carefully to the screech sound so that she might be able to later recreate it with a spell. The creature is still a long distance off, high in the air, and continues to roar. The creature is now flying even higher and roaring, it’s heads intertwined together. Chester gestures to the hunters and asks, “So Bill, what do you know about that mob over there? I tried to get into the Silver Dollar the other night and they wouldn’t let me in.” Comstock says, “The guy is a hunter of big game in Africa. I don’t know what those creatures are.” “Friendly sort?” Chester asks. “No,” Comstock replies, “But Barnum contacted him so he’s here working for him.” “Barnum set this all up?” Chester comments. “Whittemore replies “Yes, he wants to display the creature in his museum.” Chester says, “Great, it’s got three heads. You should get triple the price.” “How are you going to capture a thing like that?” Chester asks. Comstock gestures to the other hunting party and says, “I don’t know, but they’re going to catch it first if we don’t catch up.” “Oh, alright,” Chester comments, “I think you’re right. We’re out of our league on this one.” This six ride off to the north and Ruby says to Chester “So that was your brilliant idea?” Ruby and Chester run after the riders but are left far behind. Kate, Nanuet, Riley and Sonoma see the cloud of dust from the trees again and hear the sound of hooves. The creature notices this too because it now starts to fly lower and in the direction of the cave mouth. As it nears the quartet guarding the cave. Sonoma exclaims “Get Riley on the damned gun!” Riley picks up the hand cannon, more due to fear than bravery. Sonoma tells Kate “Enlarge Riley, I think he’s going to have to shoot this thing.” Kate moves up into position. Sonoma begins a chant. Kate casts the spell, which makes Riley larger, stronger and eight times as heavy, giving him the size and power to effectively use the weapon. The now giant Riley, twice his previous height, points the weapon upward towards the rapidly closing giant chimera. The monster is 80 feet away when the shot fires out, the recoil knocking him back. He was aiming for the head but is slightly low as the projectile strikes the creature’s chest. A vast explosion follows leaving a gaping wound in the monster and showing those below with several dozen dragon scales. The creature was clearly not expecting such an attack and lets out a huge roar simultaneous to the six horsemen exiting the trees. It continues to fly but changes direction and attempts to gain altitude. The second hunting party exits the trees and watches the creature. Riley figures out how to get the prior shell ejected and the other shell to slide into place. He fires the shot, which misses wildly, flying well to the right and exploding against a ledge on another section of the mountain. The wounded creature flies over the top of the mountain and then drops in altitude to use the mountain itself as cover. The spell wears off as Comstock and his friends ride closer to the ledge. Sonoma slips back behind the tarp and into the cave. Nanuet remains under cover behind the rocks above the cave. The other hunter and his party return to the forest and disappear from sight back into the trees. The spell wears off and Riley returns to his normal size. Kate remembers this group from when they were at the Lone Star. As Comstock and his friends reach the ledge Ruby and Chester emerge from the threes and continue to climb. Kate acts as spokesperson, explaining that she and Riley are with Ruby and Chester. Comstock asks, “What are you doing?” Whittemore exclaims, “What just happened here?” Kate says, “We brought a really big gun.” “A big gun?” Comstock asks. She replies “Yeah. What did you bring?” “Just our buffalo rifles,” Comstock replies. She asks, “Those little guns? Did you see the creature? Do you really think those rifles will be effective against it?” They exchange glances and Mizner says, “Maybe we should ride back to the town of Dos Cabezas and see if we can find something that will be more effective against that thing.” Kate says, “We’re finding that really big guns are very useful.” Comstock says, “But you hit it with that and it still flew away.” “It didn’t like it though,” Kate comments. Kate then says, “We didn’t think it would take only one shot.” She then points to their rifles and says, “Imagine how many shots from those you’d need to use.” Comstock says, “I think we’d better go down to Dos Cabezas.” Kate replies, “I say that’s a pretty good idea. You might want to spread that word onto the others. You might want to get some really big guns.” They head away, waving to Chester and Ruby as they ride by. They soon join the others. Riley tells Chester how the gun works. “Did you hit it?” Chester asks. Riley replies, “Yeah, the gun packs quite a wallop.” Chester says, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about the recoil.” “So you hit it and it still flew away?” Chester asks. Kate says, “Yes, but it looked in pretty bad shape where he hit.” Kate says, “And it is leaving a blood tail for the hunters to follow.” Sonoma says, “All we have to do is keep Mama and Baby quiet and let them go after Daddy instead.” They realize that the other groups may have heard the creature roaring or seen it flying overhead, but even if they had missed that they would have heard both hand cannon shots firing and echoing through the valley. “We may have some company,” Kate comments. Ruby says, “We can tell them it went away but why would they believe us?” Sonoma replies, “Because we shot it and we have the gun.” Ruby says, “But then why would we stay here if we were hunting it?” She says, “Because it is big and angry and this is a place for us to hide if we have to. Wounded creatures are dangerous, hunters will understand that.” Kate says, “Well two groups know about it already and another group are our friends. That just leaves the ogre group and Buffalo Bill’s. Billy Comstock and his allies ride out of sight and down the mountain, heading southeast in the direction of the town of Dos Cabezas, approximately three miles away, to try to obtain more powerful weapons. Chester, Kate, Nanuet, Riley, Ruby and Sonoma remain on the ledge on the northern face of Luzena Mountain, watching out in all directions while guarding the mouth of the cave. Fifteen minutes later they spot the second group of hunters exiting from the tree line approximately one-third of a mile west. This group begins to climb higher up the mountain but does not appear to making any attempt to move towards the cave. They continue to climb straight until they pass the elevation of the cave. They then change the direction of the climb more eastward while still keeping a quarter-mile distance from the cave. Chester reloads the hand-cannon. He and Sonoma climb up above the top of the cave mouth, using some large rocks for cover, while they continue to observe this group. Sonoma breathes a sigh of relief once the bugbears find the location where the monster named Ihuaivulu had bled onto the rocks below. Chester anxiously picks some gunpowder residue from the hand cannon. "This thing really packs a punch. So, Miss Sonoma, do you think we'll have any problems from the other hunting groups? Hopefully the Chimera will draw them away from here? I don't fancy seeing that thing again, especially since it knows we can hurt it." They watch as the bugbears, giants, orgress and human big game hunter that comprise this party continue to climb higher in the direction that Ihuaivulu had flown off to, bringing them away from the cave where they are protecting Kinepeikwa and her offspring. Ruby relaxes as she sees the hunting group following the injured chimera away from where they are. After looking around and feeling safe for a moment she steps inside the cave. The adrenaline rush had worn off and she was hit was a wave of sleepiness from staying up all night. She got out some of Dorita’s tea that was supposed to help them stay awake. As she prepares it she glances at the dragon carefully watching over her young. She shakes her head. Jake will never believe this. Heck, she was here and still didn’t believe it. She still felt like they had no plan and just got lucky. Splitting up the party was the worse thing they could have done. As she drinks the tea she notices the dragon watching her. She slowly approaches but doesn’t get too close. “So,” she says hesitantly, “Where will you go after you leave here? What will you do?” She replies, "Away from where the humans have moved into. I was thinking of heading up along the northwestern coast of what you know as the Pacific Ocean. Humans have shown little interest in the region and I believe that the elves of the Harda, Kwakiutil, Tlingit and Tsimeshein tribes would be good companions for myself and my child until it is old enough to fend for itself in South America." Ruby looks at the little monster and laughs to herself. As far as she was concerned all babies were little monsters. "Well, I guess you know what you are doing. We have injured the other spirit and hope it cannot return. We also hope the other hunters will follow it but I suppose we can't count on being that lucky. I still don't know why you chose us to do this but hopefully we can succeed." Nanuet manages to find a spot with some relatively soft dirt. He lays the quiver with his arrows nearby then kneels down close to the earth. He takes the vial that was given to him by the druid from a small leather pouch and whispers a prayer as he opens it. He pours the dark liquid on the ground and stands back to observe. Nanuet sees that the liquid mixes with the sand below into a type of paste and the color changes from dark blackish-maroon to more of a maroonish-red. Nanuet hesitantly takes an arrow out and dips it into the muddy mix. He then lays out a rag and places the arrow on it gently. One at a time he coats about a dozen of the arrowheads with the dark red mixture and places them on the cloth. He then wraps the cloth around the arrows being very cautious to avoid the dangerous arrowheads, remembering what the druidess told him. About half of the liquid still remains, so he covers it over with brush to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping in it. He climbs to the top of the cave and finds an area where he can hide while still viewing the mountainside leading up to the cave. He takes out his rifle and lays that next to him as well as his shortbow and the coated arrows. He unfurls the cloth so that the arrows are readily available should they be needed. As he is doing this he repeats the chants of several of his shaman prayers to himself, preparing them if the need arises. Katherine was sitting cross-legged in the back of the cave, her slim spellbook in her lap. It was the first time she had dared to remove it from her room at the El Parador, but they were to be here for several days. Without it she would be no help at all. The other spell she had learned that morning was mage armor, but it would be more important to enlarge Chester so he could use the cannon than to protect her. After a little while she felt she had successfully committed what she needed to memory and closed the book. Kate took a deep breath and walked over to where Storm stood near the Earth Spirit. "I hope you know how much I hated to....To leave you there. No matter how I try, I cannot think what we could have done differently. I'm sorry." Sonoma looks to Chester "I have no idea if we will see any other groups but I assume that we might after all we were seeing some of the more practiced hunters we still have no idea where Buffalo Bill Cody's group is and they aren't really good hunters so they will likely follow the pre-laid trail that brought the rest here only slower." Chester replies, "And with his large group, we'll probably see or hear them before they notice us." Sonoma says, "A lot will depend on how well those hunters do tracking the monster in the meantime we need to keep an eye out and try to keep her and the baby safe hopefully they will be able to get away soon." Chester comments, " That's true. But even if we keep the hunters away from Kinepeikwa and the baby, eventually the Chimera will try again. So we might have to kill him. But, I guess first things first. Do you want to stand guard with Nanuet? I think I have things under control here." "So," Ruby continues as she walks closer to the dragon. "What's it like being a spirit? I mean, having to protect a whole continent, or whatever it is you do..." The more time goes by the less hesitant Ruby becomes as she walks closer to the dragon. "And I'm curious, what's it like being a, um, dragon..." Ruby is standing right next to the dragon at this point and starts stretching out her hand. Storm only nodded, her eyes serene. Kate wanted to ask about speaking with the dead, but she kept looking at the bullet hole in the centaur's forehead. Could she stand to see Tom like that? A wound in his back where Morgan Earp's knife plunged in? Kajika had said Storm was still here because her purpose had been unfulfilled. Katherine couldn't think of a purpose for which Tom would have needed to hang on. They had spent the better part of year preparing for his death together, and said their good byes on the train platform when he left Boston. That the death had come after they thought the risk was gone, that it had come in a different manner shouldn't matter. Kate turned slowly and went back to her place on the cave floor. She pulled out the strips she had ripped for bandages and began to neatly roll them, hoping she wouldn't have need of them. Kate watched as Ruby stretched out her hand and touched the dragon. It watched her, but didn't stop her. But it was an old creature. Perhaps it understood wonder. Kate watched the small Chimera. It's eyes followed Ruby as she moved. Whatever answer the dragon gave to Ruby's question, Kate couldn't hear it. She didn't mind. Silence was comforting. This time, even before a fight could start, Kate had found that calm place. What would happen, would happen. She found herself fighting off the urge to sleep and got up to stretch her legs. She peeked out from behind the canvas and saw a puff of dust down the mountain. She let the canvas fall shut again. "Ruby, there's more people coming up the mountain," she said quietly. A half-mile down the mountain comes the sound of horses and a cloud of dust is seen rising up from beneath the trees. The direction is different from the way that Comstock and his friends had ridden off. Ruby has a hard time breaking away from the stare of the dragon. She finally pulls herself away and makes her way out of the cave. She climbs up to above the cave mouth and rechecks all the guns she has with her, then waits. Nanuet directs his attentions to the new group heading up the mountain. He asks Chester and Sonoma to keep an eye out elsewhere in case there was more than one group coming. Nanuet checks that the rifle is loaded and repositions the arrows so that they are easily within reach. He risks standing up to get a better look at the approaching group, but will not risk his cover for long if he doesn't get a better view right away. The cloud gets closer as do the sound of the mounts. In another minute they will break through the tree line. Kate pulled out Tom's pistol and took a deep breath. She stayed behind the canvas for now, watching through a small crack between the canvas and the cave mouth. She carefully slid the barrel into the crack, being careful not to jar the fabric and cause it to ripple. Chester comments, "I see them. They're probably a group we haven't seen yet." Chester takes a long look to his left and right. Once he is satisfied that no one else is coming, he'll prepare the hand cannon and his Spencer. [/QUOTE]
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