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?
It was absolute CHAOS for Gemma at work today. The amount of people trying to get ahold of anyone with ‘any information’ on what happened after the majority of that search party went home. It was pure dumb luck that only a few people stayed to look through the woods and follow whatever leads they had before running into those beasts. She didn’t get much from Waylon before he was on the phone in his office and shut the door.
Instead, she was sent to take statements from the people in the group that were at the Urgent Care. Not her favorite place to be, but she had a job to do. And Gemma wasn’t one to shirk out of her work. So, she was given a list of contacts to reach out to and take statements from while they were at the UC.
It didn’t take the woman long to get into her square car and go up the road to the Sweetwater Urgent Care. Thankfully she’d already contacted someone about having access to one of the offices for privacy while taking statement. Gemma’s blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she was in her typical work uniform.
Taking a deep breath, she headed inside the main entrance of the UC and pulled out her phone to place a call for the first person on the list. Ferris Felwinter. It wasn’t a long conversation, just asking him to stop by the office on the first floor where the nurses got her set up. It wasn’t a large space, but it comfortably houses a desk, some filing cabinets, three chairs and a few standing plants. Gemma settled into the seat on the far side other side of the desk and got her notepad and pen ready.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Mar 25, 2024 1:18:21 GMT
The Fire Chief had a lot of his plate, personally and professionally. Some of that was talking to his friends. Some of that was calling the sheriff and getting a busy line. He left a message. He called the fire station to check in with Ethan and the others to make sure nothing else had happened. He didn't and couldn't supply an answer yet as to what happened.
While he was waiting for Elijah to see his son, he answered a call from Gemma. He agreed to meet her shortly, but he wasn't sure what he planned to say to the man whose son was hurt, let alone to the deputy. He knew what he saw. Darcy did. And so do Giacomo and Mikey but he wasn't sure any of them would say what really happened. They hadn't had a lot of time to talk about it.
Ferris asked to use a bathroom to clean up first, and stood staring at the mirror for a long moment before halfheartedly scrubbing his hands clean of blood. The jacket and shirt weren't going to get any better. He ran a damp hand through his messy hair and stepped back into the hallway, glancing at door signs as he walked until he saw the number for the office Gemma told him. He pushed open the door and closed it behind him. He looked across as Gemma, actually relieved for once to see the woman (they worked together and talked at the bar, but she was always a bit too peppy for him). "Deputy," he greeted a lot stiffer and more formal than usual. "How's the sheriff?" Ferris looked over at the chairs and hesitated to sit. He wasn't ready to relax yet.
Gemma glanced up as the door opened, offering a half hearted smile as Ferris walked in. The smile fell when the scent of blood and something burnt lingering on the man’s clothes hit her nose. Of course, she couldn’t show that the scent bothered her, instead letting her concerned gaze taking in his attire and giving a soft exhale.
“Fire Chief Felwinter,” She gave a slight nod as she shrugged. “He’s been shut in his office taking calls ever since he got back to the station.” Gemma admitted with a sigh. He scarcely took the time to recount much to her before those first calls were being made. All he’d managed to tell her before being shut away on calls was that some beasts had been the cause of the fire. And from the details she could get from the nurses on Price’s condition and details of his injury… a beast sounded about right. Whatever this was, she’d need to relay her information to Alec, her Pack’s Alpha.
She didn’t want to think about the pack though, considering she’d received a text as a ‘heads up’ that Harland had been injured and admitted. That man was rough as nails, so if he was letting himself be seen and treated, something had definitely gone down in those woods today. “I appreciate you taking the time to stop by for a chat. I’m just trying to collect statements while everything is fresh in people’s minds. Where ever you’re comfortable starting, feel free and I’ll ask more questions as I feel is necessary.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Mar 25, 2024 20:18:34 GMT
Ferris surveyed the small office, absently wondering if Valkyrie had a similar space. Maybe a bit bigger if she was the head nurse? Did nurses have offices? They should. It was a bit larger than his own office, but he preferred it that way. Not to mention the Fire Chief office wasn't really for interviews or other conversations. Plus it encouraged him to get out of the space and he preferred that.
He pulled his gaze from the chairs to look down at his watch, not sure he believed how little time had passed. He nodded, barely paying attention as Gemma said the sheriff was taking calls. As long as he was physically able to get himself back to the police station, the Fire Chief had others to worry about.
"I preface this by saying I wasn't part of the meeting, but I don't condone sending civilians into danger like that," he said. The Sheriff could have asked the rangers, the few other officers, maybe the volunteer fire fighters to help man a search. At the very least, even if Wayland hadn't called him directly, he should have put the fire station on standby with one of the vehicles. Maybe they couldn't spare the town ambulance if something were to happen elsewhere, but still. He shook his head. "I found half the group exploring some trails, most of them went home, but Ranger Vance, Shaw, Vanderson and I joined the other group with the Sheriff, Mikey and uh...Ettore? A couple of them went home, but not everyone was convinced. We followed a trail from were that last attack happened. Smelled smoke and moved that way until we were attacked by two...large dogs?" Even he wasn't really sure what to say. His grey eyes met the deputy's gaze. Ferris narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to figure out how to say *hellhound* without sounding like he knew anything. Because he didn't. He didn't want Gemma to panic or think he was crazy.
Post by Gemma Tramell on Mar 25, 2024 21:26:03 GMT
Try as she might to relax in the seat, part of her body would remain tense just because she was sitting in an office in the Urgent Care. She barely knew how to relax in this place. So, she tried to force her attention to stay focused on Ferris. She quirked brow as her started, but nodded. “Can’t help but say I agree with you there…” even if she wasn’t a werewolf, who knew about certain goings on in the town, she would have thought it better to limit this search party to emergency responders, rangers and officers. But sometimes, hindsight was twenty-twenty. Nothing could be done to fix things now.
Thankfully as he spoke, Gemma could busy herself with taking down her statement. She had gotten a call when a good number of rod the group returned. But the nine-one-one call Waylon made requesting an ambulance due to an injured young man, that had been immediately reacted to. Gemma herself even staying over past her end of shift to help take care of things. Like taking statements.
“Two large dogs… about how large? And you’re sure they were dogs and not wolves?” Perhaps it was a touch wrong of her to ask such a baited question, not that Ferris would understand, at least, not that she was aware of. Though… he did smell an awful lot like that other alpha, Darcy. Perhaps the two were just friends. She had plenty of friends who didn’t know she was a werewolf herself, after all.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Mar 25, 2024 22:13:12 GMT
Ferris grimaced, folding his arms over his chest and then unfolding them and placing his hands in his pockets. He wasn't trying to hide anything from Gemma, not intentionally. Except for a lot of things. But regardless, it wasn't malicious. "Like...maybe wolf-sized? Bigger?" he allowed once she used the word. That wasn't right though. "Maybe I should use the word canines? They didn't...look normal. Like a retriever or a grey wolf or anything. They weren't someone's pet." He struggled a bit more internally but he knowing what he did about the other oddities of the town, with Penny going missing and that strange illness...even if she thought he was crazy (he'd once told Darcy she could have taken advantage of his mental state to pretend he was seeing things) he had to say it. "Their heads were like fiery skulls, Gemma. I...don't know how to explain it," Ferris said, shaking his head.
"One of them grabbed Mikey. Drug him by his boot until he got it off. The other grabbed Price around the leg." Which explained half of his injuries. Honestly, if not for the burns preventing him from bleeding even more...he might not still have a leg. The Sheriff, Shaw and Vance went after him. Ettore and I went after the one dragging Mikey."
Post by Gemma Tramell on Mar 25, 2024 22:45:47 GMT
Trying hard not to take note of any changes in his heart rate as he spoke, Gemma took down his words carefully and then frowned a little. Canine, but not like a wolf or someone’s pet? What the hell could that be? She tried not to look impatient, but she had so many more questions and she wasn’t trying to overwhelm him, or not give him the opportunity to respond or clarify things himself.
“Fiery skulls…” She trailed off, certainly full or more questions than answers at the picture his words were painting. Her jaw twitching as she seemed to recall something, turning her gaze to her notepad as she continued writing and tried not to look like she had any ideas. Sometimes, it was difficult knowing about and being a supernatural creature, it made it hard to keep a poker face up all the time.
“And they just, left you all alone after you managed to get Mikey and Price say from them?” If they were what she thought it could be, it definitely didn’t track for them for just let their prey go.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Mar 27, 2024 1:16:16 GMT
The Fire Chief might not know what words he wanted to use, but he was nothing if not calm. Collected perhaps not so much at the moment, but he knew how these things worked, answering questions while his shirt was still a little bit blood stained didn't bother him. Though he did sort of wish he had something to change into, rather than talk to Elijah with his son's blood on his shirt. Not a pleasant reminder.
He'd had a long time to stare back at one of those hellhounds and while he was no artist with images or words, that was the shortest description. He could go into more detail about how the smoke curled from their jaws and nostrils, how their saliva and the depths of their throat was like molten lava, how the fur on their bodies became mangy and faded to muscle and then to bone up their neck, how their growls had sounded otherworldly, how their eyes weren't simply soulless, but they seemed to have no eyes at all. But as Gemma repeated his words, he nodded. "Sounds very Ghostrider. Probably less dramatic than that," he said with a shrug but felt no need to explain further.
"Mikey and Ettore got away from the one and I distracted it. We shoved it in a creek and it just..." he looked down at his hand and the small flecks of burns on his hand from the beast barking and growling and where he touched it. He flexed his fingers. "It...dissolved. Shaw managed to do the same with the other, but it got a bit close." Ferris couldn't imagine trying to go one on one with a normal wolf that was determined to taste him, let alone one of these. Harland had to be superhuman. Or supernatural.
"We didn't see signs of more than the two, but I want to take some of my crew, some extinguishers and see if the rangers might be willing to help canvas the area." He would probably end up asking one ranger in particular, see if she knew some others who were capable and maybe didn't need to ask questions. Ferris had a feeling fire extinguishers wouldn't be as effective as water, but they were much easier to carry and would hopefully temporarily put out the beasts' inner flames enough to corral them into a stream or the lake.
Try as she might to refrain from chuckling at the comparison, she couldn’t help it. Ghostrider was a decent comparison, considering he was also associated with hell. And based off the description, they sounded like they could have been some form of hellhounds. Which didn’t quite make sense. Why now? She’d never heard anything about hellhounds in Sweetwater before this.
She returned back down to writing his words down and then nodded, looking impressed and curious. Water, of course. “That’s good to know, should we encounter anymore… did you need anything for those?” She gestured with her pen to his hands. They were probably minor him, considering he was a firefighter and likely had dealt with worse, but she felt it necessary to at least ask.
Gemma straightened in the chair and considered his words. It made sense, and it would likely go more smoothly if handled by the rangers and fire fighters. Though, the idea of sending anyone out again to potentially run into any hellhounds was unsettling. She supposed if Ranger Vance was involved it wouldn’t be too risky… though she didn’t like trusting town safety to anyone in the other wolf pack. “I think if you can get the rangers and some of your men involved, it would be safer than what took place today. Especially knowing what you do about those beasts,”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Mar 27, 2024 3:36:41 GMT
He was a bit surprised she didn't ask him anything else. Didn't accuse him of being crazy, or even just confirm that he was sur he saw what he saw. On the one hand, it was validating to have someone trust his word. On the other...he'd just told the deputy that there were what amounted to fire breathing wolves in the forest. Even Ferris would have asked himself if he was sure that was what happened, even if he'd seen the injuries on any of the attack victims.
He nodded, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. If he could get a hose all the way out to the forest, he'd go that route. But it wasn't realistic. "For...oh," he pulled his hands in front of his face and looked down at them again. "Thanks, but I'm alright." He'd stopped paying attention to himself a lot earlier today.
Once again, she spoke as if everything in the world made perfect sense. Not that he expected the town deputy to fly off the handle or fail to keep her cool, he respected that she was, but it was a bit suspicious. Of course, He felt like he was walking on pins and needles. Probably everything was suspicious to him right now and he wasn't sure he should trust himself. "Uh, yeah, Gemma. I'll keep you and the sheriff updated," he said slowly. "You need anything else?"
Post by Gemma Tramell on Apr 11, 2024 20:43:30 GMT
So perhaps she should have played dumb or acted shocked and surprised. But honestly, Gemma didn’t have it in her. It was one of her most endearing qualities; she was a terrible liar and an even worse actress. It was a wonder she managed to keep any secrets at all. Though, she didn’t view protecting her pack and their secrets as being her ‘lying’ so much as merely an omission of the truth. She was loyal to them first.
Always.
“Y’know, I’ve been a local my whole life. And it seems like the crazy sounding tales always have some truth to them.” She tried to offer a slight smile, but couldn’t help but feel a touch uneasy. If they were indeed hellhounds, she would need to tell Alec. As Alpha and member of the town council, he would deserve to know about something like this. It felt like that sickness and that girl going missing all over again. And she didn’t like it.
“Off the top of my head, no. But you know the drill, if you remember anything else just swing by the station or give me a call. If I think of anything else I might need to know, I’ll do the same.” Gemma gave a nod, making a few other scribbles on the notepad before pulling one of her cards out of her wallet and handing it to him. “If I don’t answer, the machine should let you leave a message. But, that typically only happens when I’m out of for the day… thanks for making the time to chat, I appreciate it.” she said as she stood and offered her right hand.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Apr 11, 2024 21:13:12 GMT
And still, she didn't refer him to a therapist. He studied her for a moment, but while they had worked together, he only knew her to be a very sincere woman. If she'd thought he needed it, she'd have suggested he get help. But if she believed what he was saying, there was no point to say that. Still, that she took the fairy tale so easily was strange.
Ferris nodded as Gemma tried to reassure him with some bullshit about crazy stories being true. Still, he reminded himself to take a breath and calm down. Everyone was just trying to help. This was her home too, and any danger, no matter how strange it sounded, was a serious one.
"Of course, Gemma," he said, a bit more relaxed. He stepped closer to the desk and took her card, gave it a quick glance on both sides and then slipped it into his pocket. He nodded again. "I expect you'll be busy. Let me know if you need anything, eh?" He said, though this last bit he meant more personally. Ferris reached out and shook her hand farewell.