Rika Bennet had returned to the Prairie Lands. She and Remington Blackstone had arrived in the hub town of Spokes.
Aptly named, Spokes was the main crossroads in the Prairie Lands with various roads branching out towards the other settlements.
Remmy and Rika parted ways there. He headed off to whatever business he had planned, and she figured she would make her way back to her home town, Wildflower.
That was the plan until she happened to run into her cousin Hawk, the Ranger.
The Rangers were roaming peacekeepers. Traveling the roads of the prairie and checking in on the towns they connected.
The larger ones had sheriffs, sure, but smaller ones often didn't. They were more comfortable knowing when there was a Ranger in the area.
Of course there was Hawk himself. They both grew up in Wildflower, and were decently closed, she supposed.
Close enough that he could ask her for help if she was around, anyway.
He wasn't big on conversation, but he enjoyed the road and helping the folks living out there.
But where Rika embraced the unknowns of the West, Hawk remained wary. He had been regaled with tales like Rika had when they were young.
Tales from Rika's grandfather Clayton, as well as Rika in later years. He had seen a thing or two himself, in his travels.
He knew there was danger, and that something could always wander Eastward and threaten the prairie towns.
As always, Rika’s horse Nightingale seemed to always show up when needed and the pair had set off for their destination.
“So where are we headed?” She asked
“Morely’s Drop.” Hawk said, “Although recently folks from there have been calling it Prairie Heart.”
“And that's a problem?”
“Probably not. However, I came across a wagon from there heading into Spokes and accompanied them.
They had quite the harvest from the looks of it. When we got to town, though, I overheard some people asking the farmers questions.”
“Like what?”
“Apparently news of good farming up there has spread, and folks have been making their way up there.
But apparently several haven't been heard from since they left. They've been asking the farmers about them.
I've spent the last day or two asking around about it, myself.”
“Could it be bandits?”
“It’s possible, I suppose. But I haven't seen any signs of bodies on the road to the town. Haven't heard of anything from my fellow Rangers either.”
“So you want some backup in case things get strange, that right?”
“That's right.” He nodded
The sun was just begging to lower in the sky when they reached the town, the pinks and oranges of the sky just barely beginning to appear.
There were numerous small farms around what seemed to be the town's center.
Farmers would notice them as they rode by, watching until they reached the town proper.
People were milling about before noticing the pair's presence and quietly moving on.
Rika looked around and noticed a recurring symbol around the town. Signs, banners, even a flag.
A yellow flower with four large petals and a red center. With a thin, red vine spiraling out from between each petal.
She looked at Hawk. He seemed to notice as well, lowering his brow a bit. Things like that always seemed suspicious.
“Well hello there.” said a voice from behind them
They turned to see an older looking man approaching, a friendly smile on his face.
“Haven't seen you folks around before.” he continued before noticing Hawk's Ranger badge, his smile twitching slightly, “Ah. What brings a Ranger around these parts?”
“I escorted one of your wagons to Spokes, thought I might take a look around with my deputy here.” Hawk said from his horse, gesturing at Rika who gave a quick nod
“I see. Well, I'm Waylon Barnes. I guess you could call me the Mayor of Prairie Heart, for lack of a better term. It's grown quite a bit since it started.”
“I thought this place was called “Morley's Drop”.” said Rika
His smile twitched again.
“I never liked that name. It felt mean-spirited, disrespectful.”
“How so?” Hawk asked
“I came out here to stake a claim with a small group including my old friend James Morely. Unfortunately,” he sighed, frowning
“while we were surveying the area, he stumbled into a sinkhole that gave way into some kind of cave. He didn't survive.”
“My condolences. That was nearby, you said?”
“Oh, yes” he gestured to an area in the distance with a ring of tall fencing around it, “We have people stay away of course, it's dangerous.
We've had a couple people lowered down in the past, there seems to be a cave system down there.
But, like I mentioned, it's too dangerous to be poking around down there. So it's off limits.
“Dangerous how?”
“Well sure, it's dark and you could easily get lost, I'm sure. Might even be unstable, considering poor Morley.”
“What's with the yellow flower all over?” Rika asked
“Oh that? Just a little symbol we adopted. There's a flower like it that grows around here from time to time.
We like to think of it as a symbol of good fortune. We were lucky to find such good farm land out here. It's been a real blessing.”
“A blessing, I see.” said Hawk, looking around the town again, “I’d imagine you must be getting a lot more people looking to settle here.”
“Oh certainly. Some stick around and join the community, but most tend to move on. Either to find their own land or weren't prepared for the work.” Waylon said with a shrug
“Well Mr. Barnes,” Hawk said, tipping his hat slightly “we're going to have ourselves a look around, if that's alright.”
“Of course, and should you need a place to stay tonight we've built an inn right over there.” he said, pointing to a nearby building
The pair rode on, they could feel peoples eyes on them as they moved down the road.
Hawk pulled out a list of names he took down from people back in Spokes.
Names of missing people. As Hawk started questioning the townsfolk, Rika spoke in her head.
“Rondo, you feeling anything here?”
“I am not sure.” Rondo's voice echoed in her mind, “I do not sense anything overt, at least not yet.”
“Right...”
The two moved through the town, Hawk questioning a citizen here and there about the town or the names on his list.
However, none of them seemed to remember any of the people he asked about. All the while Rika notices others watching.
Eventually, though, the Sun got low and they opted to head to the inn.
Hawk hitched up his horse outside while Rika gave Nightingale a few pats and watched her wander off into the night.
Hawk removed his repeater from his saddle and slung it over his shoulder before they headed inside.
Inside, the pair noticed an example of the town's symbol. Growing from a pot on the counter was a flower with a red center and four large, yellow petals.
Rika could have sworn she saw it turn towards them ever so slightly. The innkeeper met them at the desk and they rented a room.
He led them upstairs and showed them to a room. After fiddling with the door for a moment, he swung it open and they headed inside.
Once the door was shut and they were sure the innkeeper had left the hall, Rondo emerged from Rika’s shadow.
“Hey there Rondo,” said Hawk
“Hello Hawk, it is good to see you.” Rondo replied
“Still not picking anything up, partner?” Rika asked, sitting down on one of the rooms two beds
“I am afraid that if there is something in this town, it is difficult for me to perceive. However, something does seem amiss.”
“I'm inclined to agree.” Hawk said, leaning his repeater against the wall in the corner,
“Let's rest here a little bit, wait til it's well past dark. We'll keep quiet too.”
The three sat quietly in the dark for a time. They didn't mind it after a whole day of riding and asking questions.
That is until they heard the front door and muffled voices downstairs. Quietly they stood, and moved to the door.
Hawk grabbed the door knob and began to turn it slowly, only to find that he couldn't.
“Locked.” He whispered
“What? When did that happen?” Rika whispered back
“It must have been when he let us in. It must lock from the outside.”
“Well now what?”
“I will investigate and see if I can find a way to free you, quietly.” said Rondo
Rondo approached the door and lowered himself down. Rika and Hawk watched as he flattened his body down and slid out under the door.
Once out raised himself up again and silently made his way down the hall, blending seamlessly with its dark shadows and avoiding the moonlight streaming in through the windows.
The voices grew louder as he approached the stairs. Slowly, silently, he made his way down.
Peeking out from the safety of the shadowy stairwell, in the glow he saw the innkeeper behind the counter speaking with the mayor in barely hushed voices.
“Those are Rangers, Waylon. Rangers! More are definitely going to come looking if they disappear after coming here.” The innkeeper said with a nervous frustration
“What do you suggest we do, Herbert? They're already here poking around!” Waylon hissed, “They’ve been asking about missing people all over town.”
“Maybe they'll believe us. Maybe they'll just leave!”
“They’ll leave and come back with the damn Marshals, Herbert! And then everything will be for nothing.
Morely’s death would be for nothing! I'm not letting them take what we've built here.”
They were silent for a moment.
“Listen,” started Waylon, “We'll take care of this, okay? We'll say they wanted to check the cave and the ground gave way. Same as with James.
Then we'll send someone to Spokes with the news. Then, in the meantime, we'll come up with stories for all those other folks, okay?”
Herbert looked down in thought before nodding.
“Okay. Yes, okay.” Herbert said nodding
“Alright, now listen. I’m gonna head out to the root cellar, you just keep ‘em locked up. I’ll come back with some help in a little while and we’ll deal with them.”
“They have guns, Waylon.”
“We’ll deal with it, alright?”
Herbert nodded again and Waylon took his leave. The innkeeper sighed as he reached under the counter and pulled out a knife.
He pushed the tip of his finger to the knife's point, just enough to draw blood.
He stared at his finger, watched the blood bead on his finger tip before he walked over to the potted flower sitting on the counter.
As he approached, the flower slowly turned to face him.
He gently placed his finger to the flower's center as thin, red vines emerged from between each petal to wrap around his finger and hold it in place.
Rondo pressed down on one of the steps, letting it creak. Herbert jumped, looking towards the staircase.
“Hello?” he called out
He looked back at the flower, still holding on and suckling from his finger. He looked back at the staircase. He watched as Rondo slowly slinked out from the darkness.
The Umbral Hound stayed low, his limbs shifting to claws that dug into the floor. He gazed into the four wispy, white eyes that were locked onto him.
He looked back at the flower then back to Rondo, who crept ever closer with a low, echoing growl.
He looked back at the flower, lightly pulling away, trying to free his finger without harming it.
But it would not let go, it only seemed to hold tighter as his heart continued to beat faster and faster. Fast enough that he could feel it pounding in his head.
He turned back to Rondo.
Gone.
He glanced back to the flower as it unwrapped itself from his finger releasing him.
Heart still pounding, he turned back to the staircase and found himself inches from the shadowy creature. His legs gave out and he collapsed.
Hopping down off the counter, Rondo made his way to the key rack. His tail stretched into a shadowy ribbon and picked up the key to Rika and Hawk’s room.
The lock clicked and Hawk slowly opened the door and the pair saw Rondo sitting in the hall.
“The innkeeper is downstairs and unconscious. I suggest we secure him.” said Rondo
Together, Rika and Hawk carried the man up to the room and locked him in. As they came down the stairs, Rondo called them over.
“The yellow flower,” Rondo said, “I saw the innkeeper feeding it blood.”
“Blood?” Hawk asked
Rika walked over to the flower, grabbing it at the base of its stem and pulling.
She held it for a second or two, before suddenly dropping it to the counter.
They gathered closer. Cradled and permeated with roots, was a human heart from which the stem grew out.
They stared silently with grimacing faces before Rondo spoke again.
“The mayor mentioned going to a root cellar. I believe I can pick up enough from the flower to locate him.”
“Let's not waste time then.” Hawk said grabbing the lantern from the counter
The band made their way through the sleeping village, the moon's light making it easy enough to navigate.
Rondo stopped occasionally, looking around with his ears perked up, before continuing onwards.
Soon enough they found their way to a home near the edge of town, and behind it a door leading down to a root cellar.
Cautiously, they opened the door and headed down the stairs into the dark cellar. Hawk stepped in first, raising the lantern and scanning the room.
As he headed in further he saw an opening near the back of the cellar, leading to a pitch black tunnel.
Rika noticed and knelt down. Rondo moved behind her and began to flatten out.
He moved forward and slid up her back, spreading out and slipping over the top of her head to form a cowl.
His eyes appeared over hers and she was granted his sight for the darkness ahead.
Hawk turned back to them and jumped slightly.
“I forgot you could do that.” He muttered
They made their way through the dark passage. They walked for several minutes, moving carefully and occasionally stopping to listen.
Eventually, they could see light poking out from beyond a curve in the tunnel.
At the end of the curve, a lantern sat on the ground next to an opening to a large chamber.
The chamber was illuminated by a shaft of moonlight raining in from a large hole in the cave ceiling above.
Sitting in the middle of that light was a towering flower, a giant version of the one they saw at the inn.
At its base stood the Mayor staring up at it as it gently swayed. Hawk grabbed his repeater and began to step forward, only for Rika to grab his shoulder and stop him.
He looked at her arm and noticed a ribbon of shadow from Rondo wrapping around her arm. He nodded.
They watched as the flower slowly began to lower itself. It began to bob up and down and a large mass began moving up within the stem from its base.
The mayor stepped back several steps as the mass got closer and closer to the bulb. It stopped its bobbing as something slowly began to slide out from the flowers center.
It was large and covered in nectar as it fell to the cavern floor with a loud, wet thud. After several moments of silence, it began to stir.
Slowly, it began to stand, wobbling as it did so. I was shaped like a person, but much larger. It was muscular, powerfully built.
In the moonlight they could see that its skin was a mottled mess of pink and green. Leaf shaped tags of skin hung off of it here and there.
Its head was large and round, but its face wasn’t right. It was like an imitation of one, misaligned, like it only went for the bare essentials.
It looked down at Waylon and tilted its head slightly.
“Morley? James, are you in there?” he asked, “When you fell and died I…I found the seed. It was next to you and your broken body.
I don’t know why I did it. I just, I don’t know, I felt like I needed to plant it. You were right there, so I…” he trailed off
The creature slowly and gently put its hands on the sides of Waylon's head.
“Ever since the flower grew. Ever since it gave more. The harvests have been incredible. Its brought such prosperity to our town. The town we wanted to build together!”
A crunching pop echoed through the cavern and the Mayor’s body fell to the ground. The creature's face rippled as splits appeared on it.
The face unfurled into four petal shaped flaps of skin to reveal a featureless red head. Featureless, except for the wide maw of human-like teeth.
It brought its hands to its mouth and began to eat.
Rika and Hawk had seen enough. Weapons drawn and ready they entered the cave. The creature looked up and saw them approaching.
It let out a sharp roar and charged forward with alarming speed. The pair opened fire, hitting it in its broad chest.
The creature barely seemed to register the bullets as it pounced towards the duo, tumbling across the ground as they dashed away to either side of it.
It flailed about before quickly getting back up and dashing at Rika.
She fired a couple more shots, but to no avail. Shadowy ribbons spun themselves around her legs as the beast let out a shriek and lunged.
“Jump!” shouted Rondo
She did, and soared high over the beast as it missed its target and rolled across the ground once more.
Hawk fired again from his repeater. Nothing. The thing didn’t even seem to bleed.
Again it roared and charged and again Rika dodged with Rondo’s assistance.
“We need to think of something.” said Rondo, “We can not keep this up for long.”
“Rika!” Hawk called out
She turned in time to see him hurling their lantern over the creature. She took a deep breath and time slowed.
She fired, hitting the lantern and igniting its fuel in midair and raining down onto the beast. It began to thrash wildly, its back ignited in flame.
Shrieking, it ran towards another opening opposite of the one they entered in, disappearing into the darkness.
She began to follow, only to feel Hawk's hand grab her shoulder.
“Don’t.” He said
“It’s getting away!” she replied
“You have no idea what's down that tunnel. This is going to have to be a draw.”
She stared into the dark tunnel once more before nodding. They turned to the giant flower.
“What about that? Evidence for the Rangers?” she asked
“No. I’m calling in the damn Marshal’s.”
The flower lowered down again and released a large burst of nectar. They approached and found it to be filled with large seeds.
They were quiet for a moment before Hawk turned and went to the tunnel opening from which they entered.
He grabbed the mayor's lantern that sat there and brought it back over.
“You sure?” Rika asked
“Can’t leave this. Too risky.”
She nodded in agreement and he smashed the lantern against the plant's base. It wasn’t long until it was engulfed in flames, smoke billowing out the hole in the ceiling.
They tossed the remaining seeds in the fire, before turning and heading towards the tunnel leading out.
“Hang on to my shoulder or something, I’ll lead us out.” Rika said
“When we exit the cave, I will need to rest.” Rondo said
“You got it, partner.”
They headed back into the dark tunnel. They moved as quickly as they could. It was going to be a long ride to Spokes.
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