03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
The day kept Darcy relatively busy, if not with paperwork, than with phone calls about families planning cave tours. Everyone always waited until they were getting ready to end the season to try and book their tours. It was the same story every year, and it was exhausting. Thankfully, they had the help and time to arrange the tours. After the phone calls seemed to stop, Darcy was able to focus on emails and paperwork before she was able to step away and prep for the hike.
She had her pack on her desk, checking to make sure she had the necessary supplies, and even packed extra bandages just as a precaution. She didn’t think she’d need them, but better safe than sorry. Darcy closed the pack and gave a soft sigh. She usually did this trip solo and in wolf work so it went more quickly. But this time she thought it would be nice to have some company, and was glad that Ferris seemed agreeable to join her, despite their last experience hiking together.
She chuckles a little, shaking her head as she grabbed up her pack. She set it in the back bed of a her truck, along with a tote of non-perishable food items and supplies to restock the cabin. Darcy was dressed in her work uniform, curls much more tame today. She leaned against her truck waiting for Ferris to arrive.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 12, 2023 15:23:28 GMT
The Fire Chief surprisingly on time when it wasn't meeting at his own apartment. He parked next to her truck and stepped out of his Ford still in his riding boots and already with a cigarette and lighter in hand. He anxiously lit it and leaned against the driverside door, grumbling to himself something about hating kids. Why had being a riding instructor sounded like such a good idea before?
"Hey, Darcy," he greeted briefly, though he offered a genuine smile in Darcy's direction. He was wearing a rust orange half zip sweater with a dark gray vest hanging open despite the chill. He hated to admit it, but this was his eighth smoke of the day and he still wasn't feeling his usual self. "Riding lessons were...interesting," he said evasively. To say the least they had been about as stressful as being around horses was relaxing so everything had evened out.
"This a paid outing?" He asked, eyeing her uniform appreciatively.
She could hear the vehicle approaching before he pulled up, giving a slight wave as he parked. She was suddenly very glad that he was able to hear her heart rate change, otherwise she’d have been a bit embarrassed over how her heart fluttered when he directed a smile toward her. “I can imagine, you definitely have a more nicotine soaked scent today.” She teased with a cheeky grin and a wink, pushing off from leaning against her truck and shrugging a little. She resisted the urge to walk up and hug him because she felt that might seem a bit odd, though she’d been hugging him a lot lately. Instead she looked down at her work attire and shook her head.
Was it the most flattering outfit, no. Did she honestly care; not really. She didn’t see the point in driving home to change just to drive back and go. Especially when she had things she was able to take care of prior to his arrival. “I wish, I’m usually the one who volunteers for these checks. I just didn’t want to waste time going home when I was already here, and the lost and found had slim pickings.” her tone was pleasant and playful, it was clear Darcy was in a very good mood. She raised a brow to Ferris as she walked around her truck to the driver’s side.
“Whenever you’re ready, I got the basics in the back of the truck for the cabin. From there we’ll get to hike to the outpost tower.” She opened the door of her vehicle, grabbing her trail maps and pulling out the right one for the trip. Not that she’d need it, she knew these woods better than she knew the town.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 12, 2023 16:29:26 GMT
Ferris winced. He kept forgetting she could tell a lot more from her sense of smell than most people could with their eyes. It was a very interesting ability but when directed at him, he felt intensely transparent, especially coupled with her sense of hearing. She could hear his spacing heart beat and growling stomach which gave away his continued lack of interest in food. Could smell the number of cigarettes (obscene for his usual two or three) and the sweat and horses and hay lingering in his clothes.
"And what is my normal scent?" He asked curiously. Ferris watched Darcy consider her attire. So perhaps it wasn't flattering in the way most women wanted to be flattered. There was something 'normal' in a comforting way about her wearing it. "And you do that off the clock?" He made a light sound of disgusting in his throat. "Demand a raise," he suggested, taking a long breath of smoke. He looked down at his own clothes. "I get it. I have regular boots," he added. Definitely not interested in hiking in these. As she made it clear she was ready to do, he rounded his truck and opened the passenger to change out his boots, holding the cigarette in his mouth.
He also shrugged out of his vest to pull on his shoulder holster. He didn't want to risk something similar to that bear again. Bot that he expected he would fire it. He preferred to solve problems without a gun. Ferris tugged his vest back on and shoved a hat and gloves in his pockets as well as a granola bar he wouldn't eat. He finally put out his cigarette in the car and joined Darcy at hers with a waterborne in hand. "You usually do this solo?" He asked as he climbed in.
Her eyes looked back to his at the question, she set the trail map back on the seat as she took another inhale through her nose and smiled. “Don’t laugh… you smell like a mixture of rain, maple and smoke. Not just cigarette smoke though, like smoke from a bonfire.” The rosy shade creeping into her cheeks as she spoke made her look back inside her truck’s cap as she made sure her handgun under her seat was secured in place. She wasn’t used to being asked that, and it oddly felt very intimate. Her own scent was a blend of whiskey, jasmine and the occasional bits of ‘wet dog’, especially in the rainy season.
She laughed as his recommendation, he wasn’t wrong. She was definitely due for a raise. But she also liked the time spent in the woods. It put her wolf at peace and gave her the time to help plan out the best and safest areas for her pack to roam during the full moon. “Honestly, I’m unlikely to get a raise unless I’m putting in for Supervising rank, and that requires a lot more time behind a desk. I think that might drive me mad.”
She stepped into her seat, closing the door and firing up the older truck, always enjoying that sound. His question made her look over to him as he got situated in the seat. “Usually, some of the other rangers aren’t fond of being out that far in the woods after dusk. It doesn’t bother me.” Naturally, she thrived in the dark woods at night. She backed out of the parking space and pulled around the building to the left, a barely visible trail that was mostly just worn tire tracks in the grass.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 12, 2023 19:21:59 GMT
Had he said it that seriously? He hadn't meant it that seriously. Ferris raised an eyebrow as she took deep breath. Rain, maple and a bonfire. It sounded both ridiculous and...fitting. Ferris managed a small smile at the rosy tint to Darcy's cheeks. Was she embarrassed? Or was that something else. Whatever it was, it was cute. But he could think of a lot better times for this conversation so he left the unasked question in his back pocket. "Least the smoke makes sense," he said.
"Oh, I know all about that," he said with a chuckle. He wondered what she wanted out of life here if not career focused. Something with her pack he imagined. Their safety and comfort and way of life as their Alpha. Seemed she already had a supervising rank in her life.
He considered for a long moment. "Those wouldn't happen to be the non-werewolf rangers, would they?" He asked. He hadn't realized until just then that likely there were other rangers who were werewolves. The ones that had come to help with the bear. He wondered too if she normally did this on foot.
He was otherwise quiet on the drive, not very talkative until prompted, but not nearly so despondent as the other day. Ferris watched the brown and grey bare winter Forestdale roll by as the sun set and the trees grew denser.
Being able to pick up on specific scents for people was always an interesting thing to her, as it always seemed to just make sense in a way. She enjoyed Ferris’ scent a lot, to the point where she might just be a bit more sensitive to picking it up more than others. She smiled at his comment, nodding in agreement. “I completely agree, it suits you.”
“I like leading the tours and checking that all our sectioned off areas are still holding up properly. The reports are a necessary evil, but I do enjoy the time spent outdoors.” Darcy said with a softer smile. She dealt with pack politics enough that work politics would just make her start to hate her job. So far, she loved it.
His question made her chuckle, casting a sideways glance to him as she maneuvered through the trail with the truck with practiced ease. “Yes, they would actually.” While it was safe to say not every ranger was a werewolf, there were a few. Namely because it wouldn’t due to leave their Alpha without some pack presence around for protection should she need it. It was only mildly annoying.
“How did that extra training go last night with your crew?” She asked curiously, remembering him having mentioned that they would be running drills yesterday.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 12, 2023 21:05:38 GMT
Ferris nodded as she talked of what she enjoyed doing. He felt the same way about his job. As physically draining as it could be, being in the trenches, offering help to people, running into that burning building, that was what he did this for. More than the paycheck. "I'll second that necessary evil," he agreed with a soft chuckle. Considering her profession and how they had first really met, and knowing what he knew now of course, Ferris thought the outdoors suited her quite a lot.
While her driving was fine, the firefight still found himself bracing slightly against the windowsill as the truck dipped and turned and bounced. Not that he expected anything less of the faint trail, but it was a lot shakier being merely a passenger. "More rangers in your pack?" he guessed. It would make sense for some of them to stick together. And probably they didn't want to leave their leader alone.
He looked over at Darcy at her question, having gotten lost in the landscape for a moment. He watched her softer curls bounce, the sun catching some of her highlights. He reached up to massage his shoulder, turning his attention back to the sky. Hopefully it didn't rain. "Uh, fine. Was impressed they handled themselves really well. Not sure anyone enjoyed it, but doesn't hurt to brush up."
There wasn’t even a little bit of her that didn’t believe Ferris knew exactly what she was talking about. Especially about the paperwork. She smiled. “I have a feeling your works definitely handles more reports and paperwork than I do, so my sympathies there.” Plus, her work wasn’t in the middle of downtown. She was in the middle of the woods most of the time, so even doing paperwork was still peaceful, albeit quite boring.
She tried to make sure they weren’t taking the curves too quickly, especially because it wasn’t just her going for the ride today. But Ferris seemed to be a good sport about the rough trail. “Despite my insistence on wanting to have my work to myself, there are a few other wolves working as Rangers. And apparently that run in with the bear only made the elders more convinced that they were right to ignore my preferences there… and I mean, they aren’t wrong.” She begrudgingly admitted with a light shrug.
“Hey, better to go through the drills and prep and not have to implement the practices, than to run into black of training for a potential emergency. I’m sure it helps that you’re right there with them.” Darcy said with a nod, glad to finally see the outline of the cabin. A few more rough bumps in the road, but they made it well enough. She popped her seatbelt off and pocketed her keys, opening the door and slipping out with ease.
Darcy walked around to the back of her truck and lowered the tailgate, grabbing the tote of non-perishable food first.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 12, 2023 22:13:37 GMT
Besides the newspaper, the police station, and any students working on a Master's, Ferris was sure they dealt with the most report writing in town. Except maybe on a slow day but he would take that trade off. "Wouldn't be so bad if my Philosophy clas wasn't so report based." He wasn't sure he would ever finish a degree.
"They're just looking out for you," he said carefully. He understood the desire for distance but at the same time, having friends or family close was helpful too. "I work with my family too," he joked. Which reminded him. "Do you have any other family in Sweetwater?" Darcy had shared a decent amount with him already, he grandparents, her mother, that asshole. But he wasn't sure if she had siblings or anyone else.
Once they parked, he got out a d followed hee to the back. He leaned on the side for a moment, watching the sunlight through the trees. Then he grabbed some of the supplies and followed after Darcy toward the small cabin.
“I defintely don’t miss all the reports for classes… is it just the general fact of needing to sit and work on it, or the inability to to focus? I used to come out to one of the cabins or outposts so I could get pretty isolated and focus.” Darcy said with a slight shrug. She if she wasn’t out in the sounds of nature, she couldn’t sit still to do any reports.
She sighed a little, he was right. And she might have said as much if she wasn’t chuckling at his joke of working with his family too. He definitely did. His next question caused her to pause a moment to shake her head. “Biologically, I’ve just got the half brother I’ve never met, and I don’t know where he ended up. But if we wanna talk ‘made family’, I’ve got my pack and they’re pretty great.” a smile tugged across her lips as she kept walking toward the cabin door, holding the tote of her hip to twist open the handle.
“What about you? I know you’ve mentioned your sister, is she in Sweetwater?” Darcy asked as she set the tote on the ground in front of the pantry. The little cabin was mostly tidy, but trash in the bin indicated that it had been used fairly recently. A quick inhale told Darcy it had been about two days. She opened the pantry and began restocking some of the canned goods and some boxes of shells and cheese. She looked at Ferris over her shoulder and nodded to the little coffee table. “You can set that down on the table, I’m going to swap it out with the tote in the closet.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 13, 2023 2:09:28 GMT
Ferris knew she had shared a lot about her family, but he had never just asked her if there was another else. It was clearly important to her, having people around. "How many...pack members do you have? Is it like...you all live in the same neighborhood or...college frat style or..." he offered the probably ridiculous examples with an awkward smile, not sure how to ask about something like such a large extended family. It wasn't something Ferris could relate to.
He set the tote on the coffee table, taking in the space for a moment before moving to the kitchen, not really sure how else to help. "No, my sister, Mara, still lives in Vancouver. She's a single mom. I have two nephews and a goddaughter that is more into sports than both of them combined," he said, leaning on the doorway. And not a whole lot else, he decided not to add.
“When we’re traveling, it’s like a large modern day caravan. But since settling in town, we’ve been branching out. We like to get together a lot still, for community meals and celebrations. We crave it, the togetherness.” She shared in a softer voice. All wolves craved the pack lifestyle, even if they went off on their own. They were drawn to community. Darcy much preferred the care and community of her pack now, the one she was from had been a nightmare. Sometimes she wondered if her mother had lived, would she have kept her there? It didn’t do her any good to dwell on matters like that.
“oh man, I bet you miss them! I don’t have any nieces or nephews, but I like to help entertain the kids for pack members sometimes.” She might not feel comfortable admitting it out loud, but Darcy loves kids. She knew she wanted her own someday, but even that seemed a bit frightening… so many ‘what if’s’. She shook her head as she finished restocking the pantry and looked to Ferris leaning in the doorway. How did he manage to look so good doing something so casual? She bit her bit lip gently, before turning back to close the pantry and put the lid back on the tote.
“I just need to swap out the tote from the closet, and then we can get headed out for the outpost tower.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Dec 13, 2023 3:04:33 GMT
"Sounds loud. Like an extended family," he said, almost a little jealous. Not that he was much for crowds, strangers or not, but sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have at least some aspect of a functional family. Even the fire station crew was...an interesting bunch. Both functional and dysfunctional and Ferris was pretty sure he was one of the dysfunctional members.
He found himself nodding. "I do. Rory especially. Uh, my niece," he clarified. She was a lot like him at her age. "She's...way too much like me. Sports, testing all the boundaries, too mature for thirteen, told me about a tattoo sleeve she wants to get already that I am not allowed to tell her mother about," he said, more and more enthusiastic. He adored his niece and was clearly a very proud godfather. "I haven't visited in a few years but she calls me every weekend," he added, a bit sheepish. He didn't share shit like this with anyone and felt sort of weird for rambling about it.
Ferris remained casually in the doorway, even when it was clear Darcy was finished in the kitchen.
Darcy chuckled a little at his shared thoughts, namely because he wasn’t wrong. “Oh, extremely loud. But… fun. Back before we ended up in Sweetwater, I used to have a little pop-up camper that was my whole world.” She had only agreed to part with it because one of the teenagers in her pack wanted to travel before college and it was just sitting at that point. Now she actually had a cute little single-wide trailer that held much more than she was ever used to having.
The way he talked about his niece, she didn’t need to listen in on his heartbeat to tell he was speaking from both a place of love and pride. Why did it stir something inside her? She couldn’t help but smile, it was adorable to see him like this. “That’s so sweet, that you guys are that close.”
Darcy walked to where Ferris leaned in the doorway, eyebrow raised slightly as if silently questioning him. She let her hand run up his chest and stop to gently brush against his chin. “‘Proud Uncle’ looks good on you.”