FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 4: Thanks Day at Hansen Ranch

Following the sound of a mighty screech Black Flag rode slowly up the canyon's floor. The sound matched the description she'd been given in town and if nothing else, the people of Sholow and the other nearby towns had a reputation for honesty, it was central to their Order. The wailing echoes of the beast seemed to come at fairly regular intervals inspiring her to ask, “Calvin, show me a read out of how long it's been between each sound."

A display slide out from between the saddle's front jockey and the gullet showing her the interval and an oscilloscope of each of the sounds. “Hmm, it doesn't match any monsters I've encountered before, and the timing, I wonder if the echoes are throwing it off. Well, we should prepare a variety of tools. Calvin, load one net and the electric lead grappler, heat up your oil dispenser, and… oh, might as well test out the machine pistol Mayor Larmarc gave me."

Black Flag leaned back as a panel on Calvin's flank opened. She took the dark wood handle in hand and pulled the ornate weapon from its hiding place. Pulling the silver plated magazine down from under the barrel she inspected the bullets. Alternating silver, gold, iron, and platinum this weapon was an expensive bullet hose, but like most of her tools it was versatile, allowing her to deal with a large variety of threats. Memorizing the firing order she holstered the weapon under her left arm and checked over her regular lightning pistols. Electricity was still Black Flag's tool of choice since it worked on so many types of enemies without being lethal to most of the people she was charged with protecting.

While checking her tools she also kept an eye on the oscilloscope, analyzing each repetition of the screech, ruling out many possible threats as she got closer and closer. Nearing the very end of the canyon she dismounted and hid behind a protruding slab of rock. Carefully peering around she could see a pile of fallen rocks covering the source of the sounds.

With a sigh of relief Black Flag holstered her lightning pistols and walked to the rocks. “Come on out, Calvin. It may be loud, but it's no threat. I'll need my tool kit."

Calvin emerged and lowered his body near the pile while Black Flag pushed the rocks aside. Another piercing wail forced Black Flag to hold her gloved hands over her ears until it stopped. “Uhhg, first thing is to turn off this broken voice box." She unscrewed a panel on the beast's throat and pulled a wire just before the next screech, stopping it before it could start.

She worked for an hour before it could finally stand up from amidst the rubble, hooking up the voice box again it gave a thankful 'mooo'. The gearcow started to walk up the cliff side again triggering minor rock slides like the ones that must have buried it the first time. Black Flag stepped up and unplugged the navigation matrix.

“Alright Calvin, now it's your turn." Plugging the matrix into Calvin he ran through its calculations while she tied a rope around the cow's neck.

It was late afternoon when they trotted up to Hansen Ranch atop the plateau, the property lined with tall pine trees. In a clearing sat a house made from the wood that once stood there. Two women emerged from the house in their floral dresses and bonnets. The older woman reached up and took Black Flags hand in her own, “Oh, thank you, thank you, Ma'am. Thank you for returning my Souki. She's the head of my herd and the others have been wandering aimlessly ever since she went missing."

Black Flag smiled and nodded, “Just doin my job, Ma'am. Found this Heffer Z-25, um, Souki, down in a canyon off that direction. She was causing quite a stir for your neighbors down that way."

The shorter woman looked to the older one, “Uh, that was probably the alarm call I gave her. Supposed to help us find her if she went missing. I guess it worked."

Black Flag handed them the rope and the cows navigation matrix just as a large man rode up the pine lined dirt road on his gearhorse drawn wagon. “Erna, Erna! It's Darin, they've taken Darin."

The older woman looked to the large man, “What? Brandon, no. What happened?"

The man took a deep breath and exhaled softly before starting again. “Darin and I went into town to gather a posse to look for Souki. Wayun didn't like how Darin was lookin at him, they've tied him up outside the salon. Wayun said he's gunna shave all his fur at sundown, then take him over to, … LaRena, hun, you should probably go inside. You don't want to hear this."

Calvin trotted sideways next to the wagon and Black Flag put a small hand on the large man's shoulder. “Brandon, was it? I'll take care of this."

Brandon looked over to her as the wind whipped her duskash cloak backwards dramatically, “Who are you?"

With a sage nod Black Flag slid her finger along the brim of her hat. “Name's Black Flag, and I'm here to help. Erna? Does anyone here own Darin?"

The three ranchers shifted uncomfortably at the question until the older woman finally noded. “Officially, I hold his papers of ownership."

Black Flag looked down to her and spoke calmly. “We don't have much time, and with a superstitious mob like Brandon here has described I have to ask of you a great trust if we want to keep them from skinning your friend by starlight. Sign his ownership over to me and I will get your friend back to you. Brandon, I'll need you to show me the fastest way to the saloon."

Erna and LaRena whispered between each other while Brandon spoke up. “Uh, he's at the salon, not the saloon. We don't drink alcohol here, it goes against our Order. And I'm not comfortable signing over my friend to a stranger, even if she is a Flagmen. We've known too many Flagmen who don't respect skylanders any more than Wayun."

Black Flag looked the large man in the eyes, “Brandon, I give you my word as a Flag, that I will do all in my power to return your friend to you. I get the sense that to you, Darin is like a brother, and that is more important than what species he is. But we must hurry. Erna? Have you made your decision?"

The older woman pulled a paper from a hidden pocket in the back of her dress, signed it, and handed it to Black Flag. “Please, bring him back to us, Black Flag. We don't have much of our family left up here."

Brandon directed Black Flag most of the way to the town and just as the sun was beginning to set they were still a few switchbacks above town. With time running out Calvin jumped off of the road and used his grappler to guide his descent down the cliffs. Dropping into town amid the screams of the gathered mob Black Flag yelled for everyone to stop.

She held up the papers and pointed to a tall man standing under the salon sign holding a large razor to the throat of a bound red-fox man. “Wayun, don't you cut a hair of my property!"

The man scanned his eyes across the crowd for any support, still holding the blade to Darin's throat. Finding only confusion in their eyes he finally blurted out. “He's not yours, everyone knows this skylander scum is a 'freeman.'" Wayun spat as though he couldn't stand the perversity of the word he'd just said. “He walks around here like he's one of us, but he ain't. He's a skylander, a heretic to the Church by his very being."

Black Flag laughed, “A heretic? Look who's talking. Your entire community is built on what many back East would call a heresy. I've got no problem with your Order, but I am a Flagmen, and that skylander is my property. I open the Hearing now for the case against Darin the fox. Does anyone have any evidence to present for why I, a woman of the law, should permit you to skin my property? No? Well I present to you exhibit A, my papers of ownership."

Calvin trotted up to the front of the salon and Black Flag held out the papers to Wayun. The ink of her signature was still fresh and sparkled like her cloak. Wayun's hand shook as he reached out to the paper, his eyes widening as they caught a glimpse of the ornate handle of the machine pistol under her arm. “Look's legit," he squeaked out. “Hey, uh, someone what can read come make sure." He gripped the giant razor with both hands, fear in his eyes while another villager read the papers.

“She's right, boss." The reader tapped the papers. “Say's right here, Erna Hansen sold Darin Mills to The Black Flag. Blimey, 'the' The Black Flag? Um, sir, if you don't want us all dead by sun up you'd best get that blade away from her property." Wayun appeared stunned, just looking into Black Flag's eyes, so the reader took the razor from him and cut the bindings holding up the fox man.

Seeing Brandon's wagon come in she directed the towns folk to place her skylander on the wagon and the three of them rode out of town. Her departing words to the populace were, “And be happy, people. Doesn't your Order have some holy night tonight? You're all still alive to enjoy it."

Back at Hansen Ranch, Erna tended to Darin's wounds and cleaned the blood from his fur, LaRena mapped a new geoscan to Souki's navigation matrix, and Brandon cooked a feast of Thanks. Black Flag rested her boots on an ottoman and took a flask from Calvin's flank. Seeing a disapproving look from her hosts she put it back. “Ok, I'll not drink in your house. Your Order of Lehi: People of The Book, may be an odd bunch, ya got a bunch of weird superstitions, like evil things being revealed by starlight, no drinking, no cursing, encouraging everyone to learn to read, that's a nice one, absolute honesty could go either way, praying toward the Brother's Landing, and this Thanks Day, but you're ok people by me. Not like I get along well with the Church back East either. Just wish more people could see skylanders as people instead of property, or abominations."

Brandon handed plates around for everyone, but no one ate. Finally Brandon stood before everyone. “The Brothers Tinker and Tanker, in remembrance of their great work we feast tonight. We are thankful that they delivered us out of the old empires to a new land. We are thankful to Hirem Lehi, who lead us out into these western wastes that we might find ourselves. We are thankful for the bounty of our crops and our herd, and we are thankful to be together. May this food nourish and strengthen our bodies. So let it be." Everyone but Black Flag repeated, “So let it be," and started to eat.

After a while of eating, Darin, with ears held low on his head, was the first to speak. “I'd like to thank you, Black Flag, for saving me. But, what is to come of me when you leave? I'd like to stay with my family, here, with Brandon and LaRena, but legally, I am your property."

Black Flag swallowed her food and noded slowly. “Yes, that is a problem, but bigger still is that Wayun doesn't respect Erna's claim to you. So, I formally loan Darin to you, Erna. If Wayun or anyone else has a problem with Darin then they have a problem with me. Now, let's not dwell on such heavy matters, I hear this Thanks Day has some traditional songs and games we play together."

LaRena set down her plate and asked her husband to hand her some paper and ink. Brandon gave it to her and she distributed the tools. “Our first activity is to write a letter of thanks to someone we haven't seen in awhile. Like Tinker's letter to his family in Edo."

Black Flag took the quill and ink in one gloved hand. “Like Tinker? Yes, I should write to him. It's been too long since I've responded." She hugged LaRena suddenly with a tear going down her eye before taking the paper and writing.

None of them noticed while they wrote, sang, and played that snow fell on the plateau that night for the first time in ten years. Some might call it a Thanks Day miracle, some that it was just a coincidence, but either way, it was a Happy Thanks Day night at Hansen Ranch.