[center]Cypher?[/center]
It was a soft voice, barely audible above the noise of the hustle and bustle that was Cypher's home. If he hadn't taken the time to catch a break he probably would have missed it altogether. He'd paused wiping sweat from his brow and turned to meet Kaiden's gaze, watching as an unusually large smile spread across his lips. The man was one of the newest members to the family. Cypher and a few others had found him and his mother accompanied by two from their previous group wandering the waste. They all exchanged quick words and It didn't take long for Cypher to accept them into his group. Their gifts were shared openly to Cypher's surprise and of course there was always room for a skilled cook. Sure they had the food but so few in the waste had the wisdom to take an ingredient and turn it into a meal... a real meal. Thanks to Kaiden's mother, who'd just recently been promoted to head the kitchen, the entire camp enjoyed fresh made dinners every few days.

Kaiden himself had a peculiar gift. Almost immediately after their meeting, he'd shared with Cypher his ability to communicate with different animals with varying success. The oddity piqued Cypher's interest right away as the applications for such a skill quickly became apparent. The most obvious task for someone with such an ability was scouting. A bird could cover twice as much ground and pick up more information from a single search than any normal man could. Patrols were a normal part of everyday life at Cypher's camp and Kaiden was one of the few who stood out among the rest of his soldiers. His reports to the triplets were always on time, extremely informative and of course accurate. If there was anything that needed to be found or searched for in the areas around the camp, Kaiden was his go to man. In fact, it was because of him that they'd found the group responsible for their recent theft and the murder of Crystal.

Even now the man never failed to impress him. He'd only been with Cypher for a short time but he was one of the hardest working. "How can I help?" Were the four words that came from his mouth. Nothing else. 

Cypher returned the smile with one of his own as he placed himself in a stray chair. He patted a dirty cloth against his head picking off the last few beads of moister and finished catching his breath. All around the both of them, people continued to work, chat, prepare for the festivities to come. Kids continued to play, mother's continued to scream and father's continued their chores. The sun up above was beginning to set. It hadn't quite kissed the horizon but the shadows it cast were long and dark and warned for the approaching night. The fun was about to begin and Cypher wanted everyone to enjoy themselves... knowing full well they weren't going to find any enjoyment in the days to come.

[b]"Thank you... as always Kaiden. Always the hard worker... going to put me to shame one day."[/b] He let a deep laugh tumble from his mouth. His eyes were smiling now showing the sincerity in his words. [b]"I saw you making rounds earlier... I think you'll be needing a break. You and Akasha."[/b] He motioned toward the bird, the animal Kaiden had the deepest connection with after having nursed it from birth. [b]"Have you found yourself a date for tonight?"[/b] He threw Kaiden a wink. It was friendly gesture meant to poke fun at the fact that he hadn't seen the man with a girl since they'd met. He was sure there was some woman in the camp who had his fancy though as he'd caught him staring at someone during his speech. [b]"If you do, better get to it son... Small breeding pool this place and before you know it, the woman you want will be the woman of another man."[/b] He paused letting the laugh turn into a soft chuckle. [b]"Not only that, it'll be dark soon and I'm sure your mother's nearly finished with the food. I know she'll want you eating with the rest so don't worry about the help. We're almost done her and you've done more than enough. Take the extra time to get ready for tonight. You'll be up till dawn with the rest of us."[/b]

He was going to say more but his attention was stripped by the arrival of Geoffrey and Eliza. The both of them were also new members to the family. Only a few days ago they'd been rescued from the edges of the waste where'd they'd washed ashore after having survived off of literally nothing. Their story was incredible and their presence in the camp was just as interesting as their past. Word about Geoffrey's altercation with another fairly new member of the camp had spread like wildfire and reached Cypher's ear long before the pair had returned. He'd already had his words in with Ray... perhaps more. Of course, there were two sides to every conflict and the stick burning at both ends needed to be extinguished twice. Such was Cypher's duty as leader among many others. A house of sticks... that was his home and if a stick had been charred from a burning, it needed to be replaced lest it break and threaten the integrity of his home.

Cypher was on his feet again as Eliza began their reintroduction. He remembered them both as he did with everyone. He had a good memory for faces and names. He nodded a smile to both and shook their hands, noticing the slightly stronger grip from Geoffrey and the way the air around him felt heavy. [b]"I remember you both and as always I'm glad to have you two as a part of my family. As far as help goes..."[/b] He turned to look at Kaiden. [b]"As I just finished telling Kaiden here, most of the preparations are already done. Really all that's left is to get ready for the party."[/b] He paused for a moment, looking at them both before continuing. [b]"I know you've only been here for a so long but everyone is welcome including the both of you... However..."[/b] This time he focused solely on Geoffrey. [b]"I heard about what happened earlier between you and Ray. I do not tolerate fighting within my camp. Personal matters are either resolved quickly and in private or taken to me if a resolution cannot be found. I understand this was simply a misunderstanding of interests... perhaps a misunderstanding of attitudes but a fight nearly broke out regardless and a fire is a fire. I don't want anyone setting fire to my home. Firestarters make for very poor guests and quick exits... Don't start any fires Geoffrey and I promise you won't be burned."[/b] He paused yet again, letting his words sink in. [b]"Besides, I'm still extinguishing the other..."[/b] He smiled.

[b]"Funny thing too... how that all ended wasn't it?"[/b] He turned to look at Eliza. [b]"The two of you an inch away from each other's throats ready to slice the other and suddenly you're both okay... something about an odd odor."[/b] The small smile he'd been holding widened a little as he caught Eliza's gaze. [b]"Whoever was responsible for stopping the both you and Ray from setting fire to my home has my gratitude. Not sure who it was... all just speculation at this point but I'll found out."[/b]

[center][b]---[/b][/center]
"Fuck this bullshit."

Ray pushed the edge of his shovel into the warm pile of manure and chucked it into the cart. The string of expletives that left his mouth like a stream was the only way he could block out the constant crying of the horses around him. This was to be his new and... permanent job.