Log:Wildfire - Jack and Gabe

Wildfire - Jack and Gabe
Participants Gabriel Grayson, Jack Fry	18 May, 2018 A wildfire has started up northwest of Tamarack Falls, not too far from Gabriel's cabin. Gabriel's moving over to help, and finds Jack already there working on it together with a crew. Gabriel certainly knows a few good tricks to fight a fire - and Jack's getting to see some amazing things.
Location
=====-< << Wilderness - Mill Road - Chickadee Hollow >> >-====== A more peaceful place than its near neighbour to the east, the little dell known as Chickadee Hollow is home to a number of small businesses which rent out cabins on the mountain from May through October, when the threat of frozen pipes is gone, though some few do rent out year 'round. The forest here has been allowed to grow back with a bit of creative license, non-native trees snuck in for ornamental purposes along the slopes. Some thrive better than others, but it's the apples and the mountain ash which blanket the little valley with sweet petals in the spring. While Mill Road curves down toward the south, a bridle path is maintained to the west, leading farther up the main slope of Salvation. The fire started sometime early afternoon, at first just an ember that sparked off from a careless tourist, or a local burning debris after winter. By early evening, it has spread into a larger area of dry bushes and some trees. The chance of rain is there, but the ground and dry leaves don't care about this; they blaze and spread fast. Thankfully, the wind is not heavy - basically no movement in the air, so the fire is spreading slowly. One of the rangers caught the smoke, called it in and now the local firefighters are making their way here with everything they got to battle it with. They can drive up near it thankfully - the fire threatens some of the small little touristy businesses here and people are getting evactuated. Jack is here - he's geared up in protective gear, helping the local firefighters with his expertise of the area. He leaves Goblin in the car - this is not the place for a dog, it's hot and smoky as the fire licks trees and bushes and sends sparks up. Jack is moving off into the direction of some cabins further up, to make sure nobody is in there - the fire is too close for comfort. Gabriel had roots on in these mountains, in more ways than one. There were the figurative roots, his familiarity with the area, what it should smell like, what the sky should look like. There were more literal roots as well, the roots of the plants around him that he could learn what was happening in the land around him. Then there were the spirits, and those fiery motes that might certainly be drawn to the growing fire setting the local earthly spirits into a fretful state. A forest fire, even just a budding one, wouldn't grow long before it crossed his radar this near his own home and haven. He wasn't intentially meeting up with those more offial sorts that had shown up when he rode in on that old black horse - nothing more than a bridle on him. That much was coincidence. He spotted the vehicles as he approached the smoke and edged the horse around them, skirting the view of most, but when he spotted the familiar Jack among them, he pulled Mud to a stop with a low grunted, "Whoa boy-" And there was the quandry. He could certainly do his own work far easier alone, but fires were dangerous and Jack was so very mortal, and Card would have Gabe's hide if something happened to him that Gabe might have thwarted. It took a few moments of deliberation with himself, but he eventually turned Mud to lope through the woodline towards the gathering personel, no Boss in sight. Not having discovered Gabriel yet, off to the side of the main work - but close enough so he can run to safety and call for help if needed - Jack's up on a little hill with some cabins, often rented out to tourists, making sure nobody's in there still. Although they'd have to be sleeping quite heavily or be very drunk not to have noticed the fire that is literally less ten yards away from one of the houses. Jack coughs and then bangs on the first cabin door. He peers into the little window, but can't see anyone. He's jogging for the next one when he spots Gabriel out of the corner if his eye, the helmet he's got on making it a bit harder to see; he's donned up in the orange/green/yellow gear of a firefighter, a bit of a hodge-podge getup. The fire fighting crew here doesn't have the latest 'crew' fashion, but it's gear that works just fine. "Gabe!" he shouts, waving him over. "Help me out!" He sprints to the next house, though his motions are a bit clumsy with those heavy boots. Gabe wasn't sporting much of protective gear beyond a bandana over his nose and mouth, making him all the easier to spot beyond the distinctive horse he nudged into gear again to catch up with Jack midway between one cabin and the next. When he got there, he pulled back to Jack's clunking pace with a glance spared towards the approaching flames. "Any idea how many folks are 'round out in th'wood?" he asks once he was in earshot. "Where are they puttin' up th'breaks?" Banging on the second door, peering inside quickly - Jack's relieved to see there's nobody in there either. "They're going to move around to where it started. They're already doing a controlled burn further down in the fire's direction, to take away any fuel for it. And they're moving the firetruck around to the back of the fire to start watering it down. But it's an annoying as fuck fire - it's spread out in a long line along the ridge here and moving towards some houses. Thankful there's barely any wind, or we'd be screwed," Jack admits grimly. His face is already sooty, suggesting he's been out here for awhile. "I'm heading up there," he says and points to the west where the line of the fire can be seen, "to see if can stop the fire spreading that way. If I remember right it's a lot of bushes and old trees that way and that'll be bad if the fire gets there. I'm going to drive up as far as I can get, I need to bring some gear - you able to help me out with this?" He talks fast and furiously, not wanting to waste a second. "We're short on people." Gabe glanced up the way Jack had pointed out, mulling over the description related. It sounded familiar, the stretch of old growth without a great deal of easy access that kept the wilderness from being too spoiled. "Think I know where you're aimin' at," he returned with a short nod. He took a tighter hold on the reins when he started to turn the horse - not all together happy with his situation but remarkably steady despite it, all things considered - towards the destination in mind. "I'll look for ya there," added as the horse responded to a press of heel to lunge ahead. He spared a few more glances skyward, considering the clouds and the likelihood of that rain. No weather forecasts for him to know the percentage chance, but clouds enough that it shouldn't be too hard...Hopefully... "Careful up there!" Jack calls after the man, and then he runs back to his SUV and jumps inside. He calls into his walkie talkie to confirm where he's going, and then he drives up the barely driveable road. Only his experience with driving up what is literally a 'cow' path keeps him from just getting stuck, the vehicle thankfully built for this purpose. So, he manages to get within decent walking distance to the line of fire. Up there, the flames are easily 30 feet high at some places, and the trees are like giant torches. It is moving along the higher area and is indeed going for that more foresty, busy part of land Jack talked about. He jumps out, leaves a window open but orders Goblin to stay in there for now. He is grabbing a shovel, a rake, and an axe and lugs it all along in a jog up after Gabriel. Gabe raised a hand, a sort of over the shoulder wave, to acknowledge the warning. He pushed the horse to cover ground faster, to turn it up muddy beneath his hooves however dry it might have been but with any luck no one would notice that soon. He was counting on Jack not being too far behind him, even if he had to get back to his vehicle first. When he reached the old growth, he pulled Mud up short again to swing down from his back. Another glance was turned around, peering through the woods for any sign of people before Gabriel exhaled a long breath and looked up to the sky, narrowing his focus and drawing on the wyrd, twisting it around. A proper storm wouldn't do, not with the winds - and a storm out of no where, that might register as more than a little odd. But the clouds do seem to be starting to gather and darken into a sluggish gray carpet overhead. Soon, in just a few minutes time, heavy fat drops of rain would start to splatter across the earth, slow at first, a sprinkling here and there and building into a respectable downpour. Burdened with the gear that he's got over a shoulder, and moving heavily in the protective gear, Jack spots Gabriel up there and squints at him. And then, he looks up - he's never seen clouds gather that fast before, blinking at them. "What the..." he breathes. A drop hits him on his eyelid. A big fat rain drop. Then another. And before he's reached Gabriel, it's literally pouring down. "Yes!" he shouts out, relieved and stunned with surprise. Gabriel looked up towards the sky as he finished the contract, watching the sky anxiously, waiting to feel those first drops on his face before he exhaled another of those breaths. This one he hadn't entirely noticed himself holding. He didn't spend long celebrating in it though. It wasn't a surprise to him, and there was plenty more to do. Returning to Mud, he unclipped the reins and rumbled quietly to him, "Head on home if it gets ugly. Otherwise - stay here," as he wrapped the reins around his arm to knot off and just let hang over his shoulder as he stepped away. Jack would spot the horse of course, as some sign of where Gabe started to venture into the brush. This was the slower, tedious work and he wouldn't get far before Jack arrived - but he started with the first copse of old trees he came across, the ones that had managed to stand longest and were the occasional spiritual anchor, touching his fingers to them as he guided them back, encouraging their roots to migrate through the earth. Slowly. Hopefully to go unnoticed with the rather pressing distraction of the fire. The rain does its immediate work - already it's smothering some of the smaller flames at the edge of the wildfire. The blaze up on the ridge is holding on though, it needs to rain for a long time - and it will - for it to die out entirely. Jack doesn't know this, so he doesn't wait. He's moving up, climbing over rocks and moving through old bushes, peering over at Gabriel further away. "What the hell is he doing," he breathes, but he's trusting the other man to know what he IS doing - so he focuses on starting to make a fire ditch at the best location he can find. There's a path, and less trees on the right side towards the fire. So, he starts hacking away bushes and dragging them to the side, away from the fire. Giving it much less fuel. As Jack said, the fire line is long - but not very broad. As of now it's only about 20 yards and it's quite possible he can finish a decent line before the fire moves, especially since it's now raining so heavily the ground is getting muddy and slick. Gabriel was just moving away from one grouping of trees to find another, moving quickly through the brush. It didn't seem to be slowing him down in the slightest, even where it was thick and thorny, racing towards his next goal when he heard the hacking and skidded to a stop to glance back. This is where things got problematic. Gabriel didn't think to bring an axe with him when he hurried away from the house. He didn't expect to be putting himself up to mortal-sitting when he left either to have a reason to pack extra weight. He glanced up the ridge, back towards Jack, and after a couple of panted breaths, darted off towards the next group of trees, opting to keep an eye on Jack from a distance while he was working on the line away from the fire. Whatever Jack thought Gabe was up to, running around in the woods like that, was the furthest thing from Gabe's mind. Yeah, Jack IS wondering - he's keeping an eye on Gabriel for the same reason Gabriel is watching out for him; he's here to protect people. And Gabriel is almost a relative and he counts him as a friend, despite only having met him once. So, his gaze darts around to search for the other man often enough to realise Gabriel is doing something he has no idea about. The Ranger is sweating, water is pouring in under his protective gear but he keeps it on. The works is heavy but he's managed to clear away quite a lot of the bush along a line with boulders on the side making the path easier - the fire will struggle to move past this part. It is sweaty work, but far less sweaty when one hasn't bothered to don heavy gear. The rain-soaked bandana was beginning to feel like self-imposed waterboarding though. Gabriel tugged it down off his face and hoped the rain would clear up the air a little sooner rather than later as he started to dart for another tree when he catches a keening cry on an ephemeral wavelength to stops him in his tracks, has him doubling back the way he came. He didn't quite get to the stretch of brush he had in his sights when he slowed to a stop, looking back towards Jack, mulling over his options. He could get so very much more done without a witness. He spares a look to the fire, then back towards Jack, before making a rare rise of his voice to hollar back Jack's way, "Looks like it might be tryin' to circle 'round th'south, keep an eye out that way, yea?" There wasn't anything to the south of course, to include changelings doing things that shouldn't be possible in the eyes of mortals. Jack's hair at the back of his neck goes up as he looks up at Gabriel, straightening up; he's quite the sight in that gear, with soot stained face that now the rain is making long lines on, so he looks like an oddly striped animal himself. If it's one thing Jack is talented at? It's realising when something is off. The rain, combined with Gabriel's attempts to avoid detection and the fact he's trying to deflect his attention? Jack got a nose for this... "Don't pull my leg, Gabe," he calls back, dragging bushes aside and showing a hint of anger. "I know you're doing... something. Around here, it ain't even that odd - but I'm gonna stay right here, do my job, and if that's gonna stop you from doing yours, then just - bugger off. Or come get this shovel and start digging. I just expect you to do what you do best." Unseen ears swiveled back with an equally unheard grunt when he's called out, then another when he seems to have an idea that there was something Odd going on. It'd never sit well with him, the potential for being exposed to anyone outside of the Lost really, but he was pragmatic enough to squash it down and continue on his way. He didn't rightly know what he was coming up on until he got there to find a weak rabbit spirit residing in a burrow in the thick of the brush along with several kits. Rather than take the time to discern just which the spirit was tethered to, Gabe worked his way out of his flannel and knotted the sleaves and neck, fashioning a quick sack to sweep them into one by one. No sign of a mother around unfortunately. Maggie would have some new friends. With his sack of bunnies in tow, Gabe was soon approaching Jack again, resolved to make quicker work of what Jack was laboring at. In truth, Jack doesn't care if Gabriel is another one of the 'weird' ones of Tamarack Falls. He is one himself. There's more of them than not, in the village. So, he gives Gabriel a curt nod and a wave, lets the man go on with what he's doing - approving of saving animals after all - and continues the arduous, near hopeless work of clearing away anything that can burn. Up higher, the rain has slowly started to eat away at the flames of the trees; they're not nearly as high any longer. And where there's no trees, the fire is mostly dying out. The rain combined with the heat is making it even smokier however, and a mist of condensation is going up, mingling with it. To top it off, it's starting to get dark; it's the flames nearby that give visibility more than anything else, oddly enough aiding Jack in his work at the moment. "Here," he says, tossing the shovel Gabe's way. "Dig up dirt and throw it along the side, and if you see anything flaring up, smother it... Though I guess you know this." He grins slightly. Gabriel reached out his empty hand to catch the shovel tossed his way, though he paused long enough to tether the flannel sack to his belt before he took the shovel in hand proper. It'd still be useful, for those things that were already dead in the ground, for tossing the earth where there weren't deeply rooted trees. He surveyed the line Jack had started for a moment, then Jack himself, before grunting, "This falls under th'headin' of doors best not t'open," even if Odd was the norm here, and Jack had already tipped knowing about Odd Things. Just what 'this' was wasn't mentioned though as he started walking up the line. Even taking his time, it was comparatively quick to trying to hack and slash the brush by hand; roots twisted and churned up the ground to either side of the path while trees and bushes started their slow, slow march away from the fire to widen the divide by several meters, leaving muddy ruts in their path. Every few steps Gabe pauses to sink the shovel into the increasingly damp earth to heave it up into a proper earthen barrier. Oooh boy. Jack, though his vision is obscued by smoke, mist and bad visibility - he squints as he sees bushes literally /moving to the side/. He almost regrets putting his foot down here. He stands up and just stares for a lingering moment, then he does a little salute to Gabriel and takes a deep breath; he'll keep his mouth shut. And right now, what matters is containing this fire. So, rather than try to hack away bushes (although he still throws dead branches away far from the fire), he starts aiding Gabriel's work by using the rake instead. He rakes dirt into smoothness, pushes it over embers if there are any, moving after the other 'super ranger'.