Honor Bound | (On-going)

Investigations

Lynda rolled her eyes and snorted. She sat down on the ground with a soft leafy plop, with her back pressed up against a thin sapling. Of all the others in the pack, Lynda was the most vocal opponent to his father's rule.

"Right..." she sighed, "and I bet the village is full of 'dirty natives' too. Anyone want to bet on it?"

The others refrained from speaking their minds so freely, out of respect for the father-son bond between Jan and Roland. However, Lynda was a "no holds barred" type of personality, and told it as she saw it. Only once, when the pack was first scrapped together by the Elder Council, did this blatant disrespect ever come to blows. After which, he asked the Council for two weeks to settle things. They obliged, and he took her out into the deep woods, hunting. Since then, she pushed a little less then she used, and he listened without reproach.

However, the racist remark was too much. Roland locked eyes with her. She held the gaze and glared back at him. The look said 'deny it, go ahead'. Silent communication passed between them, with a raised eyebrow here and a deeper scowl there. After another few minutes, she looked away.

He turned to Amber, "So... you say you know these people?"

"Yeah, my folks bring supplies this way. I was always in the back of the truck, so I couldn't see the route too well." Amber said, a little more animatedly, "Plus, they normally left town by the access road, went to the main road, and took another access road back up."

She motioned to where they came from, "Never directly from town."

Lynda snorted in dark amusement, "I wonder why..."

"Enough, Lynda," Mark growled. "Your passive-aggressive activist is showing."

With one swift motion she got up and punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ouch, damnit woman I was joking." Mark said between gritted teeth.

"Now, my aggressive activist is showing," she snarled at him.

"Enough." Roland stated flatly. Then he turned to Amber, "What do you suggest then? Should we just go in there and say hi?"

Amber shook her head 'no'. "Nah, not a good idea. No offense Roland, but most of them in there hate your da - and you by association."

Roland frowned, then simply nodded his head once. "I see..."

Lynda's face softened some. There was a touch of pity in her eyes. Mark looked down at his feet and stayed silent. For a moment, the heavy silence left an awkward weight in the air.

"Can I go instead? Just me?" Amber asked hesitantly.

"It's not a good idea," Roland answered calmly, "Rogues are attacking us from this side of our territory."

He looked up at Lynda and then Amber, "If they hate my father so much..."

"Aw heck naw, you are not daring to suggest..." Lynda started.

Roland held up a placating hand, "Think about it..."

"No... I... understand." Amber stuttered, "and... and I can see how that m... might work. But the village are n... not outcastes. They follow Ulf'el laws and traditions. To harbor Rogues... No, they wouldn't do that."

Roland wasn't convinced. Again he frowned, but this time he closed his eyes. Lynda turned her attention back towards the town, brooding in her silence. Mark looked back out at the town, and then his gaze flitted between Amber and Roland.

"Let her go, man." Mark said softly. "We don't have enough intel. If she can verify her information, and get back to us, maybe there'll be a clue."