This Ain't Texas
#1
WC: 917
OOC: Approaching the Halcyon Mountain range, near Salsola and Drifter bay, just passed the Pictou River. The plains haven't opened up yet as they are still in the forest. I think they might settle in the Drifter Bay area, so some association with both Salsola and Inferni would be good.

The sun was no longer warming their backs like usual. Instead the temperature was steadily dropping, causing both of the canines to wrinkle their noses in discomfort. The little fluffy white female shook herself and dropped the reins onto her horse’s neck, letting him walk on the trail without guidance. Turning in her saddle, she popped open one of the saddle packs and pulled out a large cloak. The inside was lined with mule deer fur and the outside was water proofed deer skin. Shaking it loose, she let all the dust from their travels fly free before swinging it around her shoulders. There was a tie around the chest, which she knotted immediately. The hood piece, an addition made after they started riding into the cooler areas, was made of a few armadillo shells, and lined with rabbit fur. It was supremely warm and kept the heat from escaping her head.

Duke snorted and bobbed his head wildly, ears pinning back as Wayne’s mare nipped at his flanks. Dixie heard her companion growl softly and pat the large mare’s neck, trying to calm her down. The horses were not used to this terrain or the shifting weather, nor the flora and fauna that they were now experiencing. A few times there had been spooks and panics, causing the large creatures to freak out and throw fits. This was possibly a warning towards another episode, so the little woman nudged Duke’s flanks with her feet and encouraged him to speed up a little, get away from the mare that constantly annoyed him. It worked for a while, the only sounds coming from the breathing and hoof beats sounding off the tall trees surrounding the trail. And then all hell broke loose when a blood curdling scream ripped through the forest.

Wayne yelled out for Dixie to run and she heard him coming up fast, the sounds of Gypsy’s big hooves thundering up the path. She growled and kicked Duke into action, leaning forward to encourage her stallion to run faster. No matter how fast they were going, it wasn’t enough. Not thirty feet down the trail a huge cat flew out of a tree and partly landed on Duke’s backside. Its big claws from one paw ripped through his tough skin, tearing open wide cuts, causing the horse to scream in pain and rear up. The cat roared again and swiped at his legs, trying to knock the big beast over. Dixie had fallen off, landing in a pile of leaves and sticks, pulling both of her knives from the cloak wrapped around her body. Growling heavily, she ran towards the cat, ready to slice its guts out.

The girl yelped when she felt two large arms wrap around her middle and pull her body back against a hard chest, holding her tight while she struggled to get free. Wayne nipped at her ear roughly and growled for her to sit still and watch. To her amazement, Gypsy was helping Duke in turning the attack around on the mountain lion. Both horses kicked and stomped at the feline, their eyes rolling with fear and hatred, nostrils flaring wildly. It didn’t take many minutes for the horses to stomp the cat into a bloody pulp. One of Gypsy’s huge back hooves caught it in the head and Dixie winced back into Wayne’s chest when she heard the loud crunch. Blood poured from the cat’s eyes and ears and its body fell limp, totally lifeless. The male nuzzled her head and sighed, ”See what they can do when the other is bein’ threatened? No matter how much they may annoy each other, they are a herd, and herd mates take care of one another; just like I will always take care of you, sweetheart.”

Dixie smiled and turned, hugging Wayne tight before breaking away and running over to Duke. She caught his reins and pulled until the stallion followed her off to the side of the trail. Taking her flask of water off the saddle, she poured all the liquid over the cuts on his backside, rinsing the blood away. ”Wayne…I need you to hold him for me while I sew this up. He ain’t gonna like this very much.” She sighed and tossed the reins to her friend and took out some thread and a needle. Hopping up onto his back, the girl leaned over, almost laying down over the saddle and got ready. With the first push of the needle through the ripped flesh, Duke whinnied and shifted nervously, his hips twitching with the urge to throw his rider. She made soft noises and rubbed the spot above his tail gently.

After a while he calmed down and allowed her to sew up all four rips, pulling the skin together tightly. When she was done doing that, she hopped down and put the remaining thread and needle away. ”If you put your packs on Duke and the cat on Gypsy…we can walk for a while. They deserve a break.” Wayne frowned and looked at the horses and the dead feline for a while before nodding and pulling Gypsy over to Duke. While Dixie transferred the rather light packs to her horse, the male grunted and growled as he lifted the cougar up onto the paint mare’s back. She snorted and stomped her hooves in displeasure, but allowed him to strap the feline to the saddle. Dixie smiled at Wayne and nodded towards the trail, starting their walk again.
#2
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OOC: Sorry for the wait and the overall icky post. Gotta settle into these two. <3
Word Count: 361



The peace and tranquility of this place was swiftly interrupted by a scream and the sounds of horses and some sort of feline. It completely caught Reed and Francois off guard, but they weren't close enough to get over to the commotion before the mountain lion was stomped dead. By the time the two males with their bags got there, they spotted a lightly colored female hopping off her horse that apparently got hurt by the dead cat on the ground. Reed hoisted his messenger back over his head to the opposite shoulder and approached the pair and their huge beasts curiously, mainly interested in that adorable little girl.


"Hey, you guys all right?" The black male glanced to the crushed cougar being hoisted up onto the paint's back before wincing and turning his attention back to Dixie while Francois silently scoped out the situation. The two Optime seemed just fine, it was just the one horse was a little worse for wear. Not as bad as that poor mountain lion though. He hated that it had to die, but it had to have attacked out or pure desperation or something.


After a moment Fran let out a soft, friendly chuckle. "A couple days here and the wildlife attacks someone close to us. How nice." Reed frowned when he realized they were close enough that the cougar could have found them instead of the tantalizing sight of two horses instead. That would not have been pretty. "Well I'm glad you weren't hurt," Reed said looking at Dixie and giving a charming smile, but he meant it for the both of them. Too bad the horse had to get hurt, but they could take care of themselves better than such a tiny young lady, even with her huge bodyguard.


Then he looked between both of the strangers. "I'm Reed, and this is Francois," he said gesturing toward his lanky, furry friend who gave a casual wave to them both. "We're both new here-- and I was wondering if you've seen a friend of mine? He resembles Francois. It's his brother, but we got separated."


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#3
OOC: Dood. You are using my table. Effing awesome. Big Grin Crap post, but meh.
WC: 580


By the time Dixie heard the voice, she had Duke's reins and was pulling him down the trail again. The large chestnut stud was limping heavily, favoring his scratched up flank as if he'd been been crushed by a tree. She smiled and patted his nose gently, muttering something about him being a big baby and trying to make things seem worse than they really were. Her head snapped up and she took in the sight of the two unknown men, a growl rising up in her throat that she had to press back. Wayne walked up to her side with Gypsy and waved to the other males, giving them a slightly feral and unfriendly grin. He still wasn't too sure about the people in this place, if they would be nice and hospitable or murdering psychos. His first and top priority was to care for and protect his little Dixie-May, and he'd kill anyone who tried to hurt her.

The little female looked them over for a few moments before deciding that they were pretty harmless. She took her cloak off and draped it over Duke's neck, then walked closer. "We're alright, just a few scratches and spooks, nothin' we cain't handle." Her voice was soft and smooth with a lilting southern twang. When she got close enough, she took a deep breath of their scents and thought for a moment, deciding that she had never crossed any of their paths before, they were totally new strangers. Grinning, she stuck her hand out and grasped first the blue eyed male's, then the other, taller man's hand, shaking slowly. "I'm Dixie-May, and that big grump back there is Wayne. The horses are Duke and Gypsy...I wouldn't get to close to the beasts. They can be evil little shits."

She smiled again and wiggled her fingers back at Wayne, telling him that it was perfectly fine to get closer to the strangers. He sighed and walked up with both horses in tow, reaching out to shake both men's hands as well. "Pleasure. Where ya'll headin'?" His voice was deep and gravely, totally matching his sharp dark eyes, hidden by the cowboy hat, and his squared off Labrador resembling face. His free arm, after dropping the shakes, snaked over Dixie's shoulders and tugged her gently into his side. Protective and slightly possessive of the small woman. She knew what he was doing and just rolled her eyes at the other males before shaking her head slowly. "We ain't really seen no one 'round here yet. Ya'll are some 'a the first in this here territory." She shrugged a bit and frowned, sad for them and their missing friend, knowing how hard it was to leave a loved one behind.

Dixie turned slightly and tilted her head upwards, giving Wayne big puppy eyes and a soft whimper. He growled lightly deep in his throat and rolled his eyes, patting her shoulder, "What you want, now Little Miss May?" A smirk passed over his expression when she huffed at the nickname, it wasn't one that she particularly enjoyed. Pouting, the girl poked him in the chest and then placed her hands on her hips. "Mr. Reed and Mr. Francois get to set up camp with us tonight, whether you like it or not, Mister." Huffing again, she turned away from the large tan male's smirking grin, back towards the strangers. "Ya'll can stay with us tonight? Maybe we can travel together for a bit."
#4
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OOC: I. Love. These Tables. Also not crap, I LOVE Dixie, seriously. And Wayne. He's gonna be the perfect teasing victim for Reed until he gets punched in the face. xD
Word Count: 532



The first thing that struck him was that accent of hers. It was adorable and quaint. The second thing he noticed was that that large fellow was extremely protective of her and showed it obviously. The perfect person to try and befriend. And then mess with, but he wasn't sure he wouldn't get mauled for it. He wasn't going to let some grumpy-butt lab keep him from flirting with a pretty girl, though, so he wasn't deterred at all and didn't appear to be intimidated. He trusted that Dixie would keep him in line and he wouldn't dare lay a hand on a woman in the first place. Not in a bad way at least.


He gave a nod toward their names, as did Francois, and both friendlily shook hands with the kindly female. "Pleasure to meet you both," Reed said with a little smirk angled toward Wayne. He apparently didn't value his physical safety enough not to tease that big guy, but Fran picked up on it and gently elbowed his brave friend in the side. He did cast a wary glare to the equines. He was already somewhat nervous and being told not to go near them cause they were bastards didn't put him at ease. "Every time I'm near horses I hear about how mean they are," Francois said with a laugh. He wanted to like horses, but it appeared the majority were mean fucks.


Reed adjusted his posture and glanced back to see Wayne come forward and then put an arm over her shoulders. Wow, he really was protective, wasn't he? He couldn't decide whether to taunt the big guy(in a friendly, harmless manner, of course, he wanted to keep his nose intact and his gorgeous face unswollen) or just leave it be until he got to know him better. It would probably be wise to just be cool and not push some stranger's buttons, especially since he was acting so terse and protective. "Ah, well thanks anyways. We'll probably find him soon." They had a place to meet up, so maybe within the next few days Markus will show up, fashionably late as always.


Both of the newcomers were surprised by Dixie inviting them to stay so soon. They literally just met, and Wayne didn't seem to like them one bit, and she was allowing them to stay. She was so sweet, and Reed was already one-hundred-percent won-over by her. "Well, Miss Dixie-May, we'd be honored. But we have to swing by our stashed supplies before we can go anywhere. We have some instruments and food and stuff just over there," he said gesturing back the way they came. Reed wished they had a couple horses to carry their supplies, that would've been really handy. But they didn't get paid in horses, just supplies. "Francois and I can swing back that way and meet back with you if you don't mind waiting here for a few minutes?" he asked with a tilt of his head and a happy smile on his angular face.


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#5
OOC: I'm so glad you like her! I'm totally in love with her as well. xD You might like my other character, Tawny...but she is more of the shy type. Totally opposite of Dixie. So far are you pretty much able to understand the dialogue?
WC: 517


After Reed explained about their stuff being stashed not too far away, Dixie shrugged and took Duke's reins, giving them a small tug. There was no reason that they couldn't follow and help the strangers move their things to a suitable place for a night camp. The stallion snorted and threw his head a few times, not wanting to go anywhere with all the packs strapped to his back. "Oh shut it, you big baby. Those bags weigh less than I do." One hand lifted and she flicked a finger against his nose, rolling her eyes when he squealed and stomped in response. A little teasing grin lifted her mouth when she thought about the slightly weary looks on the strangers faces, obviously they weren't too sure about the horses. Turning back to the men, she smiled and tilted her head to the side, "You just gotta be firm with the big guys, not mean and not afraid. Eventually they will treat you like one of their own...which is not too gentle, for most, but it ain't kickin' an' stompin', eh?"

Reaching over, she slipped her free hand into Wayne's and squeezed, hoping that the large male wasn't put off with her inviting the strangers to stay with them for the night. He sighed and squeezed back in response, intertwining their fingers and rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand gently as they walked. Dixie looked up and gestured to Reed and Francois, tilting her head towards the path to indicate that they should start leading the way. "No sense in ya'll goin' ta get ya things and comin' back when we can jus' follow and help. Maybe some better clearin's on up ahead in the rockier areas." Her voice was a bit louder this time and carried through the threes towards her new friends, making sure that they knew what was going on and why they were being tailed.

As the group walked, Dixie relaxed and simply took in her surroundings. She was really starting to like the mountains and forests, despite the harsh cold and huge ass cats. Of course the girl missed her home in the south desperately, and knew that she would try to go back someday, but this place was as good a substitute for home as any would be. She didn't really like to think about too far into the future though, so she shut those thoughts down, knowing that anything could happen and all things happened for a reason, however small it may be. Just like with these strangers. She didn't like to turn down opportunities to meet new people because she could possibly learn something and make new friends! Wayne didn't really see things the same way, but she just took him in stride after having lived with him since she was a youngster. He would have much rather avoided contact with the other males altogether, wanting to keep his Dixie all to himself. He loved her even when she was a pain in the ass, which was pretty often, and he'd have it no other way.


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