GSS The Search Begins /// So, What's The Plan?

   "He's not here!" Deja's ghastly voice echoed in Simile's barely conscious mind. "He's not here…" Simile mumbled, "Who's not here?" she said aloud. Simile vaguely recognized the voice swimming in her head as Deja's as she sat up in bed. She checked the time - 3 am. "Jack!" Deja whaled, "he's not here!". The air was chilly; she wrapped her blanket around her but it was too late, she was already cold. "What's the situation?" Simile thought, trying to get her groggy mind to reach Deja. A panicked, mourning sound replied - bits and pieces were unintelligible, but Simile picked up a few words. Deja didn't know what happened. Knowing Deja, she most likely blamed herself and believed Jack was gone forever. Simile became more concerned over her emotionally unstable friend then the disappearance of Jack, the stable's prized Nordanner stallion.

   The smell of hay and horses was a unwelcomed and beautiful. Barn lights flickered on; most of the residents had their heads poked out the stalls; all were alert and anxious. Making her way to Deja and Jack's stalls - they are adjacent to each other - Simile spotted Deja poking her sad head around the corner. She looked terrible. Heavy and defeated and weary. She stood quietly and waited for Sim to make her way to her. When she had made her way to the two stalls, she noted that Deja's was crudely opened; The door had taken damage and it looked as if Deja tore the lock off in a desperate and hasty, but apparently successful, attempt to get out. Jack's stall showed signs of nothing. It was completely unscathed. Normal except for it's emptiness.

   A note hung by the lock. It was stained with lipstick and read "Your stud's now mine! With love, E.T". Simile, intrigued, grabbed the note carefully and tucked it in her pocket.

   When she reached Deja, she wrapped her arms around her. The mare dwelled in the embrace. Sim stepped back, looked Deja in the eyes. "Deja," she said, "you've sulked enough. I need you to be strong now. We'll get him back. But I need you to be strong, for me". "But how do you know that," Deja whispered. A tear fell off Sim's chin and landed softly on the ground - it sounded so loud to them both.

 ---

   "So, what's the plan?", a bright eyed Kristen asked. The girls were sitting around the kitchen table, eating breakfast and looking at the ugly note on the table - all except for Simile, who sat anxiously in her chair. Erica swallowed a mouth full of pancakes and said, "Sending out a search party could work." Simile looked at her wearily. "With what leads? We have nothing to go on except a note saying Jack was stolen. What good will a search party do?" Erica shrugged. "We should still search the area. We can't have someone going out there with our horse and get him killed."

"Even so, there's only three of us. We're tied up as it is." Simile sighed and sunk a little lower in her chair, her adrenaline wearing off.

       The girls were tough, albeit out of practice and stressed, but they were tough. Simile was undoubtfully the leader, her cunning and precision getting them through the thick of things. Erica, her 2nd mate, was the brute of the bunch, weapons specialist, and spitfire. Last but not least, Kristen was the upbeat of the group, specializing in sticky situations and what would be considered illegal to off-islanders. They could all three be considered criminals to off-islanders, but at least Simile and Erica kept themselves limited to the island.

   Standing up, arms crossed behind her back, Simile put a straight face on and looked at her closest friends. "I'll search the Perimeter of the stables and trails, and if I don't find Jack, I'll head into the Wilds." Her gaze dropped to Erica before she could protest. "You're in charge. If I don't return then you're still in charge." Erica stood up with half a mind to protest anyway. "We all know what's out there, and you are not going alone." Her voice was thick with venom - arms crossed, she glared defiantly at Simile. Kristen stood up to join the fray. "Listen, as much as I enjoy a heroic mission, you cannot go alone - we barely made it out last time! I thought we agreed we wouldn't even try again unless we all went in blasting?" She glanced at Erica for agreement, but her gaze never wavered. Erica instead began walking to the armor room, but not before Simile grabbed her shoulder. Close to seething, she said "Erica, what are you doing? I said I'm going, and that's the end of it." Erica shoved Simile back, yelling, "That is not the end of it! You are so stressed out over this island that you can't even come up with a decent plan!" Simile caught herself from falling a poked a finger in Erica's direction, "That is a decent plan."

        Not seeing a friendly ending in the near future, Kristen took a risk and stepped between the two. "Not to break up our happy party over here," she pushed the two apart cautiously, "but maybe we should start over. Simile, forget the problems we're having with Micawber and the attacks on the walls. The only thing we're discussing here is Jack." She lowered her hands off the two. Sim nodded sadly and walked back to her chair. Clearing her throat, and her head, she looked back at Erica. "You're right, if the thief is still on-island, then we are losing time. You're still in charge." She switched her gaze to Kristen, "And I want you to go to the mainland and pick out a rough looking crowd to help guard the Perimeter. Remember, they have to know how to fight, and preferably, stay on a horse. I need you both to be on the lookout for some tough mounts that can hold their own out here; preferably Nordanners, and I see potential in Equus Ballators. I'll be searching the Perimeter, but I'll stay clear of the Wild - until we're better numbered. I'll contact you every hour. " Having said her final orders, and the crew in uneasy agreement, she spun on her heels and headed to the Armory to suit up; both herself and Deja.

The snow crunched under hooves and feet. Without a word, Simile mounted and the pair took off into the cold grey, on the search for the missing.

LACED CROWN IS MISSING

MUSTER THE ROHIRRIM