Rio Rojo Mission

[carabadgermum]

Okay so i got another idea for an RP this time it takes place hundreds of seasons after Redwall. After Explorers have crossed the great western sea and found a great content and colonized and now settlers are pushing even further west. This story would take place in the equivalent of 1830's Arizona. It's Redwall gone Wild West. So the woodlanders and vermin we've all come to love from Mossflower country are the settlers and the coyotes, javelinas, rattlesnakes, armadillos are the native tribes.
I can sort of see the map of the area in my head. Up to the north-west there are mountains were an outpost fort (Fort Blanedale) lies. A river (the Red River) flows down from the snow capped peaks through a green valley and then on to a system of canyons. To the south of the river stretches a great desert. A Spanish style mission was built on the site of a spring between the river and the desert and around the mission sprung up a town (San Martin Springs). The town has a Saloon, a sheriff's office, a general store, a bank, and a mortician.
There are homesteaders who have claimed land around the town and in the nearby valley, and a couple of prospectors who have mining claims up in the hills. I'd love for there to be a big Ranch too but as of yet I have no idea of what they would be ranching so that one's kind of at a standstill.
The greatest threat to the settlers could be the Chikacaw a tribe of fierce native carrion birds who's aerial war dances are supposedly barbarically beautiful to behold. Or it could be the outlaws who come in every shape size and species. There are two native species that are friendly to the settlers: the Coyotes (pronounced Ky-oats by the settlers) who are friends because of their mutual enemies and an old tribe of beavers who's size has dwindled greatly because of war and disease. There is also a neutral tribe of sparrows who have carved their dwellings into the sides of the cavern walls creating beautiful cities of stone.
I'd appreciate any ideas that anybody has. And if you think there would be enough interest in something like this I'll need help setting up a site for it *is tech illiterate* or we could just put together a nice little RP right here.

[carabadgermum]

Headed West

It was the agonized cry of a hawk the two badgers heard before they looked up into the sky and saw the commotion aways to the southwest across the wide prairie. Then they both saw the lone bird plummet while a group of others circled around above him cawing raucously.

“Hurr Wot bees a-goin' on oot thurr?” Came the deep bass voice from the wagon Sarah was lumbering along with. The mole's snout poked out from under the canvas cover to see for himself.

“Chikacaw,” Sarah answered him simply and then in her deep southern drawl she instructed, “Best cover those babes' eyes. This isn't somethin' you'll be wantin' them t'see.”

“My Rifle,” Bram the second badger called back to the occupants of the wagon he was pulling. He set it down carefully and extended a paw.

It took Jed, Tilly, and their oldest dibbun Jedidiah Jr. to hoist the weapon out to the badger and he thanked the harvest mice before taking aim at the circling carrion birds.

The report of the shot echoed over the open prairie and then for a moment there was silence before the Chikacaw realized that one of their number lay on the ground next to the hawk. Then they took up their cries again while scattering to the four winds.

“They'll be back,” Bram growled. “We'd best hurry. Paul?” he called over to the wagon Sarah had been pulling from which he could hear the little molemaids whimpering with fright.

“Yes, Zurr?” Paul poked his head out once again.

“I reckon we're gonna have some buryin' t'do. Will you come and help me?” Bram asked respectfully.

“Oi surpently will. Jus' give Oi a moment.”

Bram took the rifle to Sarah and placed it in her paws. “We won't be gone long. If that good bird is alive we'll bring him back with us. If he's dead we'll see him buried proper. I need you to watch the sky and bring down any that would give us trouble.”

“Of course,” Sarah answered, worry evident on her features.

“Oi bees ready, Zurr,” Paul stood in the entrance of the wagon. His missus, Cora close behind him. She was wondering again why her foolish husband wanted to make this trip. Of course she would have never let him go alone without she and the girls.

“Do you need me to come too?” Jed called from the other wagon. His wife and five little harvest mouse dibbuns were peering out around him.

“No, Jed. You stay here with the women folk and younguns. I'll need you to keep them safe while I'm gone.” Bram turned back to Paul, “Climb on my back we'll go faster if I run.”

This wasn't the mole's favorite way to travel but he complied given the urgency of the situation.

Sarah laid a paw on Bram's arm, “Just you be careful.”

He smiled at her reassuringly, “I'll be back as soon as I can.” And with that he and the mole were off across the prairie.

[Vrelt]

The echoing sound of a gunshot traveled great distances in these prairies. It could reach the ears of beasts from miles away. And the shot fired at the Chikacaw was no different....

Not far off from the first group of beasts making their way to the west, several other beasts were a few miles away, making the same journey. Jonathan Williams was the beast who was leading the second group. He was the driving force behind this voyage across the prairie, despite his quiet nature. Many beasts would wonder why a ferret from one to the big cities along the coast would travel to this harsh land. That was a question even he had trouble answering.

Jonathan was born and raised in the bustling city of Philtus. ((The Redwall equivalent of Philadelphia.)) The ferret enjoyed the all the benefits of being in a wealthy family throughout most of his life, and he was in line to inherit all of his familie's riches. But fate has a cruel way of doing things, and that wealth would never become Jonathan's. When his mother passed away when he was but twelve years old, his father immediately remarried, to a ferret much younger than him. Jonathan knew from day one that nothing good would come that marriage, and he was unfortunately correct. His father's new wife took advantage of all the wealth she could get her claws onto, and she quickly managed to con the ferret out of his money. Most of it she stole from him within the first and only year of their marriage, and the last year of Stephen Williams. It is still unknown who killed him, but the beast that did it was paid by his wife. Once that Jonathan's father was out of the way, she got the rest of his fortune and shoved the young ferret out of the house.

Jonathan knew his father met his death because of his new wife, but he had no way of proving it. And who would listen to a kid anyway? He had nothing but the clothes on his back and a pocket knife his father gave him when he was forced out. The young ferret refused to become a beggar or to stay poor, and like his father, he fought to gain that precious money. Jonathan worked as hard as possible at any job he could get, eventually making a name for himself in the business of law. And just how did a ferret who had nothing manage to work his way up? He always said, "Better to use your head than break your back." The ferret lived by that motto and outsmarted all his competition for the job of assistant to a lawyer in the city.

As he grew older, the ferret became wiser and better at that occupation until he managed to advance to the high position of lawyer. When he was eighteen, he took over for his employer as the old beast was no longer able to do his job proficiently. Jonathan made a small fortune for himself in this business once he took over, and he was quickly known as one of the most honest of lawyers in the city, generating many cases won for his side.

During his fateful eighteenth year, many things happened to him, including getting married. The ferret met his wife when he was walking along one of the busy streets in Philtus, their eyes met from across the street and Jonathan wasted no time in meeting the beautiful ferrermaid. They were married just a few months later, closing out his eighteenth year on a happy note.

Things changed for the worst after that. Everything was going great, his wife was close to having their first child and it he was on a role of winning these lawsuits. But his luck ended. Though his wife gave birth to a healthy child, she was weakened from it, and her body was unable to successfully overcome an infection she got in the hospital. That day marked the start of bad things in Jonathan's life. He was never able to move on with his life after her death, the sense of loss transformed who he was. The ferret focused on taking care of his son afterward, and he was extremely protective over him. Jonathan supported him with the best of his abilities, providing his son, Timothy, with everything he had as a child.

When Jonathan was twenty-four, he realized he had to get out of this city; he had to many bad memories here. It was time for him to start a new chapter in his life, and "Manifest Destiny" drew him west, just like many other beasts. He packed a wagon full of whatever belongings it would hold, along with his son and best friend, Jubilation. They hired a badger to haul the wagon along to the west, and they started off.

They were well into their journey when the shot rang out across the wide open prairie, and the badger stopped pulling the wagon. "There's somethin' going on up ahead. Beasts don't just start shootin' for no reason out here."

Jubilation nodded in agreement, the otter kept his sharp eyes in the direction the shot came from, trying to spot anything up ahead of them. "I can't spot anything. There's lot's of dust swirling up there, so somebeast most be moving a few wagons that way. They might have got ambushed by one of the native tribes."

Jonathan also agreed with the two other beasts, all though he had no real experience out here, he learned quickly from the badger and Jubilation just how to survive in the west. "Let's get moving. They might need some help." He checked the Colt .44 holstered on his hip as the wagon started moving again, the ferret felt eager to use this weapon out here, even though he had limited training with it, and it was always best to be prepared before rushing into something like this. Jonathan pulled back the canvas cover on the wagon to check on his son, and the five year ferret was still sleeping back there. He closed it back and focused on the distance where the gunshot came from as the badger pulled the wagon along at a quicker pace than before.

[carabadgermum]

((i wrote this ages ago i don't know why i never got around to posting it))

They came across the turkey vulture first, painted with plant dies, decorated in the feathers of other birds, with a necklace of scalps he had taken and the red bloom on his chest where Bram's shot had found it's mark. They skirted this body carefully with only a quiet mumble from the mole, “'Orible ain't it, Maister Bram Zurr?”

“That it is, Paul.” Bram continued at a fast pace until they found the hawk. It was immediately obvious that they couldn't do anything to save the poor beast. It was also obvious, to Bram at least, that he had been a military messenger. The bag that he had used to carry letters (mostly military in nature but with some civilian mail as well) was still strapped around his neck and over one wing. The letters it had contained however were strewn about in a wide circle from where the beast fell.

“Guess 'e bees needin' moi services after all,” Paul climbed down from Brams back and got right to digging. “no tiome to waist, Oi bees a thinkin'.”

“Yes, of course,” Bram answered distractedly. He carefully removed the messengers bag from around the bird's neck and began to gather what he could of the scattered papers. The bird reminded him quite a bit of the messenger who had brought him his own marching orders to report at Fort Blanedale at his earliest convenience.

He and Sarah had pushed up the date of their wedding as soon as he had gotten the news. They had both been so excited and had volunteered to let their trip coincide with that of two other families headed west. Leading the wagon train had seemed easy to begin with but now that they were reminded of the danger he wished he could send his young wife and the other innocent creatures back to the safely of the civilized eastern coast.

“Hurr, there bees yur hole Zurr. Should keep ee villians off'n 'im.” The moles voice brought Bram out of his revere.

“Yes, thank you, Paul.” Bram lifted the hawk carefully with as much dignity as if it were a true military funeral. He wondered what could have brought such a noble bird down so fast with such a small degree of injury other than what had occurred upon impact with the ground and then he saw that the pinion feathers had been plucked. He had heard of the Chikacaw diving onto a land beast to take a scalp but he had never known that they would wing another bird in flight. What a terrible way for a bird to die: suddenly incapable of staying in the air. He hoped the one he had brought down was the one who had done this.

He laid the noble bird in the hole Paul had dug and together they replaced the dirt over him. After Bram had said a few words appropriate to the situation he scanned the sky and motioned to Paul to climb up on his back so they could return to the others. It was getting late and they'd need to find a place to make camp. He thought it odd that the warriors had not come back to claim their own but hopefully the shot had rattled them enough to keep them away until their little group could get out of the area.

[carabadgermum]

((double posting haha i can do that cause it's my thread. But here we have something that actually takes place in the town of San Martin.))


Patience Clearwater looked up as the bell over the door signaled the entry of another customer into the dim little General Store where she worked with her father. “Afternoon. Be with you in just a minute,” she nodded politely at the weaselmother who was probably too busy herding her two little whelps into the store to notice. Then the ferretmaid turned her attention back to the female across the counter from her.

That in itself was a rarity. There weren't an overabundance of females in the territory. So even a saloon girl like the vixen she was assisting now was a welcome change from the predominantly male patronage of the establishment.

“Oh I just can't decide,” Stella the vixen laughed and ran a careful claw over the smooth surface of the bolt of red taffeta before turning and looking once again at the blue. “Which do you think suits me better, Pet?”

The weaselmother was obviously not as thrilled with the presence of the vixen. She steered her sons toward another part of the store.

Patience smiled. “I think the blue is very nice, Stella.”

The vixen considered for another moment and then nodded. “Yes, I think you're right. 5 yards of the blue, please. And can you tell me if you have any of them sweet smellin' soaps that you had that one time I was in?”

“I have a box of them in the back.” The ferretmaid nodded. “I'll pick it up when I go back to cut this fabric for you.”

“Thanks, Pet. You're such a doll.” Stella turned to face the rest of the store and leaning back against the counter. She noticed the two little weasels who were peering around their mother's skirts at her. “Oh ain't you the sweetest.” They had to be just a little younger than her own little Jack.

Jack was still back east with her sister. Some day she would make herself respectable and bring him out here to join her. For now, though, she had to make money to send back to support him. The vixen took a step toward the family but then noticed the mother backing further away from her. Stella frowned. Making herself respectable was going to be a challenge.

[Silas]

Meanwhile, near the back of the general store stood a fox, browsing through the items that lay on the shelf, idly pacing a little on the wooden floor. It became apparent what he was searching for when one glimpsed the repeating rifle slung upon his back. However the fox was looking for a few other things as well, his brown eyes roving the shelves a third time. He grumbled to himself a little as he heard the door open and cast a glance over his shoulder to the new arrivals.

"Huh... Can't go anywhere these days..." the scruffy fox muttered quietly under his breath, which was still rather dry despite the drink he had allowed himself down at the saloon. For what he had paid for it, it turned out to be less helpful than he predicted. His tongue was still dry as a stale biscuit, and he was rather irritable, especially at having to wake up earlier than usual...

He strode over to Patience, appearing calm under the hat he wore, which he tipped minutely in her direction before speaking, "Pardon, miss, but are you sure y'don't have any Durham grease?" He asked in a low voice, referring to a specific brand of gun grease that was best suited to the rifle on his back. And of course as everyone knew, in a desert enviroment you had to keep everything free of sand to work properly, and firearms were no exception. The fox kept his expression neutral as he awaited her response, in reality playing for time.

Where the heck IS that guy...

[carabadgermum]

Patience was just returning from the backroom with the yardage of fabric wrapped in brown paper and the box of soaps she had promised the vixen when the fox approached her. "Hmm . . ." she thought about his question and set the items down on the counter in front of Stella. "Now I believe we did have some. There wasn't any on the shelf? Then I'll have to go check in the back." Before she returned to the storeroom though she turned to Stella once again. "Will there be anything else or should I just put this on you bill?"

Stella waved at her with a paw but she didn't look at the ferretmaid. Nor did she look at the packages the other female had put before her. "On my bill would be fine." Her eyes were on the dog-fox and her mind was on work. She had to pay for those soaps somehow after all.

Patience rolled her eyes. "Sir, I'll be right back with your grease." She wasn't exactly sure about leaving the two foxes alone but she was fairly certain that Stella wouldn't do anything too outlandish in the company of family beasts like the weasels in the corner.

Stella had actually more or less forgotten about the twin whelps and their mother. She shrugged her already low cut dress a little lower on her shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, Pet. I'll keep 'im company till you get back."

[Silas]

The fox nodded again at Patience, speaking up now that he was noticed by the majority of the beasts in the store. "Thank ye, miss." He then saw fit to lean against the desk on his elbow, awaiting the item he had sought for. Coughing politely, the fox glanced around the room to see if anyone else came in. However there was no such luck. As he heard the latter half of Stella's sentence he glanced back to her out of curiosity, finding her eyes trained on him.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at the vixen, now actually surveying her features, intending to find out the reason as to why such an interest was expressed in him. Maybe it's your good looks He thought and smirked, both at the thought and the vixen. "Well if you are to keep me company, may I ask what your name is?" Inwardly he winced, now regretting that drink down at the saloon. But it couldn't really be helped now. Besides, it might be good to be friendly to otherbeasts for awhile, instead of ol' gloom-and-doom...

Meanwhile outside of the General store, a young squirrel could be seen out through the window, wearing a dark expression as the sun beat down on his unshaded features. He advanced calmly as best he could, but he was still shaking minutely as he reached the door. He took a deep breath and unclenched his paw before opening the door and walking in, averting his gaze from the counter and browsing the shelves at the far side of the room.

[Vrelt]

Daniel Scott Adams was the deputy sheriff in the small town of San Martin. He was nothing but a farmbeast from the more civilized areas of the country, back in the east. This orange cat didn't have much education, spending most of his time helping his mother and father on their farm, which was northwest of the bustling city of Philtus. But he was far different than most of the farmers, well, not just farmbeasts, but every other creature, he was extremely bright, philosophical even. It had always been his dream to be an inventor and writer, but his parents reliance on him kept him at home, unable to fulfill any of his plans.

Danny, as he was called, finally decided to make something of his life, instead of spending it living on a farm, like his parents. So, saying hasty goodbyes and offering little explanation to them, Danny packed his few belongings and went where all the other beasts seemed to be heading; out west.

It much, much harder than he had imagined it, for there was no demand for inventors, and there definitely wasn't any openings for an aspiring writer. Danny had to adapt fast to survive this dangerous place he had hastily moved to. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine himself as a law enforcement officer in the wild west, he couldn't picture himself carrying a revolver and a badge around. But that was the occupation he had to take, at least until his other plans started to pay off. That seemed so far away....

But Danny had always been swift on his paws, not to mention how he was extremely optimistic, and even a little naive. His almost constant bright attitude helped him keep focused on his future, and not the situation he was currently in. The twenty year old cat was fiercely determined to make his dreams a reality, one way or the other. It would only be a matter of time before he was finally successful.

Danny whistled a cheery little tune as he strolled through the town, his eyes locked on a single puffy cloud in the sky, and he thought about how his father always said that his son had his head in the clouds. He sighed as he walked along, not thinking about where he was going, daydreaming a bit until he stopped in front of the General store. Danny wondered why he instinctively stopped there, but he just decided go on in, for no particular reason. With a warm smile on his face, the cat walked in, glancing around at the various beasts in the store, and tipping his wide brimmed western style hat in the direction of the dog-fox, he made his way to the counter. His emerald green eyes searched around for Patience. The ferretmaid had always been friendly toward him, unlike many beasts that taunted him, with insults like "farmbeast." For the most part, Danny ignored this beasts that called him and his dreams foolish, that was why he liked talking to Patience. He guessed she was getting something for one of the beasts in the store, she would be back soon at least.

((I'll post something for Jonathan in my next post. I just had to add Danny in this. And I'm already planning how to bring in one more beast; Sawyer. I bet none of you know who Danny or Sawyer are. Just watch Cats Don't Dance, and you'll see their appearance and whatnot. So I'll have three main characters in Rio Rojo Mission; Jonathan, Danny, and Sawyer, and two side characters, Jonathan's son, Timothy, and Jonathan's best friend, Jubilation. I hope all that works out, Cara. lol))

[carabadgermum]

The vixen smirked right back at the dog-fox and raised one eyebrow slightly. "I'm Stella. What'd they call you?" She nodded at the law beast on the other side of him also while she was at it. Her profession may not have been particularly moral but she did want to assure Danny that what she was doing was completely within the law. Then she drew her full attention back to the fox.


Patience saw the cat and waved as she came out of the back room with the item her customer had requested. "Be with you in just a second, Danny." The ferretmaid placed the tin of grease on the counter next to Stella's items. "Here you are, sir. That'll be 60 cents. Is there anything else I can get for you?"


The weaselmother was beginning to regret the timing of her trip into town. A beast would think after all that time alone out on the farm with only the twins for company that being with other creatures would be a joy but Kate found herself shying away from the crowd. There had been no word from her husband in months and he was presumed dead. There was no telling if he'd had an accident or got hisself killed or just ran off. Kate had a feeling within her thought that it was the most sinister option. And maybe it was because of that that every beast she came across be came a potential murderer and enemy.

She kept her sons close to her now. As much as she hated taking them away from the homestead there were a few things that she was needing from the store and the trip couldn't be put off any longer. She was also starved for contact from her family back east. Maybe today finally a letter had come. She wouldn't be expecting a response from the letters she had send a few weeks ago but maybe there would be something.

------------------------------------------

Neither the badger nor the mole had the greatest eyesight and the light was failing as the day came to an end but Bram was certain he saw three wagons in the distance rather than just two they had left behind. He put on a burst of speed to get back to Sarah and the rest of the creatures he had taken responsibility for on this journey.

[Silas]

"Ah, no, that'd be all." Thom replied to the storekeeper, seeming all the more disembodied from his surroundings as he reached into his pocket and paid with two quarters and a dime. In fact he didn't even bother to complain that the price he paid for the grease was almost twice as much as compared to other stores he had visited. Coughing politely, he moved out of the way so that the officer could communicate more freely with the clerk, and likewise between him and this vixen. He turned back towards Stella, his handsomely scruffy features turning into a smile again as he informed her, "They call me Thom, miss..." Of course he had a few nicknames aside from that, but it was generally wise to not voice any of them in the presence of an officer of the law, no matter how threatening or non-threatening they looked. He knew he was a marked beast in a far off land, but he was also smart enough to keep himself calm as Danny went about whatever business he had here.

The squirrel paced up and down a row of items, scratching his wrist from time to time, as the long-sleeved working shirt he wore was starting to make him antsy. He sighed again and blinked his blue eyes as he went over the selection of lanterns, buckets and farm equipment for the third time. Moving back into another corner of the shop to examine a particular item, he nudged into the weaselmother by absentminded accident. It seemed to startle him, and as he spoke it became evident that his throat was dry, masking a youthful clear voice. "Er, sorry, ma'am..."