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Archer finished brushing down Akeri and put the saddle blanket and saddle on her back. His tokota huffed as he tightened the girth around her belly, but remained still as Archer picked stray pieces of fur from underneath the leather. Today was his designated day to travel into town and pick up supplies, which he did every two to three weeks, depending on how good the hunting was. Most of the food he and his tokotas caught went towards feeding the huge creatures with little left over for himself, so it was practically a full time job catching the prey, processing the carcasses, and getting the pelts ready for sale. Archer put the latest batch of hides onto Akeri’s back, making sure they were secured before climbing up onto her back and riding out of the stable. He had chosen the land he lived on to be away from the city so he and his tokotas would have space to roam, fish, and hunt, but close enough to the city so it wouldn’t be an obscenely long ride to get supplies. Archer and Akeri made good time as they rode over the winding dirt and paved roads, moving quickly down the winding roads. Archer noted that there didn’t seem to be too much traffic at the beginning of the journey, which wasn’t unheard of since he was so far away from the city, but as he neared the main roads he grew nervous when he still hadn’t seen any cars. Now concerned, Archer slowed Akeri’s pace so they were loping down one of the roads that led into the suburbs before going straight into Anchorage. There were no sounds of engines from the highway, or any cars or vehicles at all. As Archer entered the suburbs, he saw a few figures seemingly wandering around aimlessly. He guided Akeri towards one of them, thinking that one of the people that lived here could give him a heads up as to what was going on, but as he neared a person, he quickly saw that something was amiss. This person, and the people around him, appeared to be diseased, moaning quietly and shuffling along the street in disheveled, stained clothing. Both he and the other individuals in the area seemed interested in Archer and Akeri, but not in a good way, shuffling determinedly towards them. Akeri whined, shifting uncomfortably beneath him as she backed slowly away from the gradually approaching… things. Thoroughly uncomfortable and freaked out, Archer spun Akeri around in order to make a quick getaway, and urged her forward. As they rounded a street corner, they saw a small dog dart across the street in front of them and into the swinging arms of one of the creatures, who immediately grabbed and bit into it. The creature was joined by many others and they feasted on the carcass of the small dog, and Archer gritted his teeth, spurring Akeri forwards and away from the disturbing scene that he had just encountered. He tried to rationalize what he had seen as Akeri thundered over the abandoned roads in a flat out run, but all he was able to come up with zombies. Racking his mind, he tried to think of which of his tribe mates would be unaffected and quickly settled on Sky, one of his friends who was located off the grid like he was. Thankfully, she lived only twenty or so miles away from Archer’s house, and with Akeri moving at a quick pace he would be able to reach her place very soon.

Sky was sitting in the house, cleaning Nano’s tack, when suddenly she heard someone knocking on the door. Confused, she looked up. She hadn’t expected any visitors today. When she got up earlier, the girl had planned to keep things calm today. No explorations or hunts, just a bit of peaceful cleaning and tidying everywhere.
Slowly she stood up and walked over to the door. Living a bit away from the main parts of the city, she was always cautious with opening the door.
“Who’s there?”, she asked. “I haven’t been expecting anyone today.”
She took a step to the side and looked through one of the windows, hoping she would be able to catch a glimpse of the person in front of the door. When she recognised her tribe mate, she was surprised.
“Oh! Archer!” She opened the door quickly and invited him in. “Has something happened?”

Archer nodded and greeted Sky with a hello before pausing, trying to figure out the best way to explain what he had just seen to her. “I think so.” He said, starting his story. “Today I went into town to go trade furs for supplies. I thought something was odd on my way in since there were no cars on the street or even the highway. When I started to head through the suburbs with Akeri we came across groups of wandering people who seemed ill. I tried to approach them, but they didn’t respond to me, only shambled closer. Akeri started acting up, and I was definitely put off by the situation, so I turned her around and headed back, though on my way over here I did see a group of them catch and eat a small dog. They just tore it to shreds and ate it raw.” He said, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “It’s almost like they were zombies or something, moving towards Akeri and I because we were making noise. What do you think?” He asked, looking at Sky and hoping that she wouldn’t think he was crazy, mad, or deranged. “Erm, sorry for dropping in on you like this, but you were the only tribe member that I knew of that lived far away from town, like I do.” He said.

Sky quietly listened to what Archer told her. She became more and more worried as he spoke, but did not interrupt him until he was finished. When he turned silent, she thought for a moment. She took a deep breath and finally answered: “It hasn’t been too long since I last went into town… Do you think it has already spread over the whole city? Maybe… maybe it was just that part of the town that was infected!” There was some trembling in her voice, maybe caused by hope, maybe by fear. The girl knew her tribe mate. With his expression, she had to believe what he said.
Shaking her head, she raised her voice once again.
“What shall we do know? If there were no cars it’s likely that others already know of that… illness. Don’t you think so?” She thought about her Tokota. He was not the fastest, but he could keep a steady pace for quite some time. Maybe they would be able to contact someone and if not… well, Sky wasn’t sure about what to do if not.

Archer remained silent for a few moments, composing his thoughts before speaking. “If it’s in the suburbs then chances are it’s already spread through the city where people live closer together. We didn’t learn about it until now since we’re so far away from others, and that’s also kept us safe.” He said, before lapsing into silence again as he pondered their predicament. “Our problem right now is food. We can scavenge and hunt, but the main problem will be feeding our tokotas. While we’re able to hunt and fish, we won’t have any access to gas or any processed foods or electricity, and the winters up here will be extremely harsh. We might be able to survive here during the summer it will be hard to find enough food for us and our tokotas during the winter.” He said with a sigh. Moving south would allow them to survive the winter and feed their tokotas, especially if they found a herd of cattle that they could feed off. The only problem would be finding supplies and bringing them with the group down south. “We have some time to prepare, and we don’t have to make any decisions right now, but you might want to keep a tokota and a firearm with you at all times.” Archer said, looking towards Akeri and wondering how his other tokotas were doing at the house.

So the whole city was probably infected? Sky was getting a little anxious. But she was glad she hadn’t been infected by whatever it was and that another tribe member was also still healthy so she wasn’t alone. Normally she didn’t care too much about being alone, since she was used to everything, but with the situation changing like this… and of course it would be safer to stick together.
“You’re right. I think we will be safe for a bit longer. Maybe it would be good to stay at our homes and collect food or prepare things? I mean the summer has just begun and I don’t think those… people from the city will be moving out there soon, they should have enough food in there for a while…” Thinking about all the innocent people in the town, she shivered. Then she whistled to call Nano and a few moments later the big tawny came through the door. He was making huffing sounds and she called him over and petted his head. “You’re going to have to stay closer to me for a while, boy”, she murmured to him.

Archer remained silent for a moment before speaking up. “It might be a good idea for us to stay in contact or maybe think about living a bit closer together, or at least have regular communications with each other to make sure we’re safe.” Archer said, not knowing how many people were still left around, and wanted to stay in contact with her and anyone else he found still alive. “I’ll start hunting more to build up a supply of meat, but we’ll have to eventually venture into town for supplies, or at least some folks homes to get what we need.” Archer said, beginning to pace in a small circle. “Would a few of radio calls at...0800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 work for you? That way we can check in on each other and make sure we’re both safe and keep each other informed of any events.” He suggested, knowing that using their radios would be instrumental to their ability to talk to each other while working separately to work and get supplies together.

“I’m okay with the calls”, Sky said. She looked at her watch and tried to remember the times. She would probably have to make a note later on to not forget any call.
“I think I’ll concentrate on fishing, since Nano is quite skilled at that and we can keep the fish for later on, when the fresh meat runs out.”
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and looked at Archer, who was walking around.
“Maybe I can also manage to sneak into some houses near my place, I’m pretty sure there are lots of useful things.

Archer nodded. “That’s a good idea. I think I’ll take Akeri and Jackdaw and hunt some big game, with the two of them working together it shouldn’t be too hard to bring down some deer or moose if we can find them.” He said, mind already thinking to where they would be able to find the deer and moose during this time of year. “Give me a heads up if anything happens or if you’d like me to come over.” He said, before bidding Sky goodbye and walking back out the door towards Akeri. He whistled, and she came trotting up to him, and Archer climbed up on her back before turning to Sky and waving goodbye before urging Akeri into a quick lope towards his house.

When her Tribe Mate was gone, Sky began to prepare the stuff she needed for fishing. It took her a while to get everything together, but once she was finished she went outside and began grooming her Tokota. Nano lowered his head and enjoyed the brush of his fur. Sky patted him on the neck and then she went to get his tack so the two of them could start their fishing trip. The girl was confident she should catch at least a few fishes today. Putting on her coat, she mounted the large animal and rode in the general direction of a lake she liked.

Akeri and Archer moved quickly over the landscape, with Archer watching for movement in the trees. They made it back to their house, and Archer slid off of Akeri’s back, rushing into his house to find his firearm. He grabbed his rifle from beside the door and instantly felt better. Archer walked back out the door, shouldering the rifle as he approached Akeri. He leaned on her shoulder, looking out over the grassland and forest for any signs of movement as he tried to plan out his next move. Obviously the first thing he had to do was go hunt, but he also had to think about defending himself and his tokotas from whatever those things were. They obviously ate meat, and Archer doubted that they would be able to differentiate between him and the small dog this morning. His concern was how whatever had happened had spread between people- was it viral or was it only through physical contact? Archer didn’t particularly want to find out, but he knew that they would be safer with that information so he and Sky knew what to avoid. He decided to focus on hunting until he brought down and processed a large carcass before trying to go into town again to hopefully learn more about what they were up against.

When the girl and her Tokota reached the lake, Sky pulled the reins. For a moment she paused, watching her surroundings carefully. She also paid attention to her Tokota, since he’d be able to spot any predator earlier than herself with his better senses. When she decided it was safe, she dismounted and took her fishing gear off Nano’s saddle. Carefully she also removed his tack, so it wouldn’t get wet should the big animal decide to dive into the water and help his handler with fishing. For the moment, Sky suppressed the thought of whatever Archer had seen in town, she decided she’d find out about it soon enough and it wouldn’t change anything at the moment. It seemed weird to think of something as horrible as a whole city of infected people, when she was out on her own, at the beautiful partly frozen lake. Sky sighed and she could see her breath. She put a blanket on the ground and sat down near the water, only turning away when Nano would jump in and make the water splash. In her mind she prepared for a long day of fishing.

Archer sighed, pulling himself from his thoughts and climbed up onto Akeri. She would be better able to spot movement and find prey as they approached the grassland than he could from up here on the ridge- they were simply too far away for his eyes to do any good. He knew that there would be prey in the grasses, it was just a matter of finding something substantial to feed himself and his tokotas. As Archer and Akeri approached the grasses, Akeri began to get interested in the wind, picking up her head and sniffing the air. Archer spotted a set of antlers in the grasses ahead of them, and he quickly hopped off of Akeri, not wanting to be in the saddle when she fought the moose ahead. Akeri leaped off into the grasses, growling as the undergrowth exploded with noise. Hooves thundered over the dirt as the moose tried to run, but it was over with a large thump as it collapsed to the ground. Archer whistled, and Akeri yipped, allowing him to push his way through the brush and found her sitting next to the downed moose, wagging her tail slowly. Archer praised her for the catch, and began to process the animal, cutting out the abdominal cavity of all the unnecessary material before loading part of the meat into Akeri’s saddlebags. Archer climbed back onto her back and instructed Akeri to pick up and carry the remains of the moose. He clucked his tongue at her, and Akeri moved off at a fast pace back towards their house, holding her head high as she dragged the moose through the grasses.

Later, when the sun was already setting, Sky got up and started putting her catch into Nano’s saddlebags. They had been quite successful and brought home a good amount of fish. Sky wanted to spend the next day with preparing the fish so it’d last longer. Maybe she’d also send Nano off to catch some smaller animals near her house, so the day wouldn’t be lost. On their way home, she watched as the sun set and was looking forward to going to bed soon.
When she arrived at home, she tried to call Archer, since it was time for one of that.

Archer had spent the afternoon and evening butchering the moose carcass, carefully separating the hide from the meat and preparing it for tanning. He was working on cutting up the remaining strips of meat when his radio crackled. Archer’s head shot up, looking at the radio for a few seconds before wiping his hands on a bloody dish rag before walking over to the radio and picking it up. “Hey Sky, everything is going well over here, Akeri and I managed to find and take down a moose so I have a fair bit of meat. How was your day? Did fishing go well?” He asked, taking his finger off of the button and listening for her response.

She felt relieved when Archer answered her call. Sky hadn’t noticed she’d been worried, but now she was glad nothing had happened to her tribe mate.
“Nano and I went to the lake not too far from my house and we caught a good amount of fish. Other than that nothing happened, everything’s silent over here. Do you already have new information about what’s happening in the town?”

Archer pressed the button on the radio to continue their conversation. “No new information right now, but I’m planning on heading back down into town tomorrow to get some more information about what we’re facing. I think I’ll just look around and see how… they behave and if we can figure out any way to protect ourselves from them. I’m going to bring Akeri and my rifle with me, so I should be safe.” He said, feeling confident that Akeri would be able to outrun any pursuers.

“You’re heading back alone?”, she asked, immediately worried again. “But yeah, you’re right, you’ll probably be safe with Akeri and your rifle. Maybe you can also get your hands on some food or things that might be useful. If we wait too long, the food they still have might already be rotten. But don’t dare too much, don’t try if it’s too dangerous to get something.”

Nodding, Archer responded to Sky. “Don’t worry, I’ll be safe. Is there anything in particular you’d like me to look for while I’m in town? It might be a while before we have to go back in that direction, so we might as well stock up on supplies while we’re at it.” He said, removing his finger from the call button. Archer knew that he had enough supplies for the winter, but the only problem would be gas- it would eventually go bad and foul the engines of his chainsaw and snow machine, rendering them useless. While he wasn’t worried about transportation- he had five strong tokotas to carry himself and to use as pack animals, it would require an enormous amount of effort from himself to prepare the amount of wood he needed for winter. If he was lucky, he would be able to find some leftover or already stockpiled wood for the upcoming winter while he was in town and go back for it later.

Sky pondered for a moment, then she responded: “I don’t particularly need anything special, but I don’t know if the tools I have will break when I have to use them for a longer time. So basically anything that could work as a replacement would be great!”
She thought about it for a moment and then added: “And maybe, if you find some spices or anything useful for food, could you bring it? It probably won’t last for too long, but it’d be nice to have some more than the things I have at my house. My supplies are nearly used up, I had planned to head to the city in the next week if that illness hadn’t spread.”
Then she waited for Archer to answer once again.

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for tools and spices, I was only thinking about getting the meat, not preparing it.” He said with a laugh. While he wouldn’t particularly enjoy going through other people’s houses, it would be exciting to see what he could find while he was in town. “I think I’m going to finish butchering up the moose and then head to bed, but I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning before leaving for town, how does that sound?” Archer asked, glancing at the moose carcass. While he still had a fair bit to do, it should only take him an hour or so to finish up and then another half hour or so to get himself cleaned up and in bed. He thought about which places to visit in town, before realizing that most houses wouldn’t have much in terms of the concentrated resources they were looking for. There was a small supermarket in town that stocked various canned foods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, though it was likely that the uncanned fruits and vegetables would be long rotted.

Sky wasn’t too surprised by the fact Archer hadn’t thought about spices. She giggled a little and then answered him when he stopped to talk.
“Sounds good to me, hopefully the night will be peaceful. I think I’m going to bed soon as well.”
She yawned.
“See? I guess I’ll go to bed right now, good night!”

“Good night.” Archer said before putting the radio back down. He felt strangely disconnected, and realized how much he was yearning for contact with others in light of the recent events. He sighed heavily, earning a look from Akeri before returning to cutting up the moose. He tossed her a few scraps, which she happily snapped up. Archer finished up with the moose, storing the meat safely from any predators who might wander by before retreating into his house to wash off. His forearms were covered in the moose’s blood, so he rinsed them off in the sink before changing out of his old clothes and into a set of pjammys. Archer climbed into his bed, sighing heavily before rolling on his side and trying to clear his mind of thoughts before falling asleep.

After she had finished the call, Sky whistled for Nano. The Tokota had already dozed off, but raised his head now. She smiled at him and called him over, because she’d feel more comfortable when the big animal was near. “Come here boy, fine, good boy”, she murmured to him and petted his head. Then she prepared herself for bed and changed her clothes. When she lay down, she softly beat the mattress next to her to encourage her ‘pet’ to lay next to her and make her feel more safe.

The night passed with no incidents, and Archer woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the upcoming day. He moved quickly, getting his gear and supplies ready for his trip into town. Archer checked and double checked that his hunting rifle was loaded before swinging it over his shoulder and carrying the saddle bags partially filled with tools, extra ammunition, and lunch. He wanted to leave a considerable amount of room for any supplies that he could find, so he could haul them out of the town and back to the cabin. Archer walked out to the barn, clicking his tongue as he entered the barn. Akeri perked up and leaped towards the stall door, poking her head through as her tail thumped against the wall. “You all set to go into town again Akeri?” He asked, walking up to the tokota and rubbing her nose. A quick glance at his watch told him it was time to call Sky, so he reached into his pocket and grabbed the radio. He pressed the button to talk, and spoke. “Sky, you there?” He asked.

It had been a bit warm with Nano besides her, but other than that the night had been silent and nice. Sky only woke up when she heard the sound of her radio that she kept besides her bed over night. She looked at her watch and realized she had slept longer than she actually wanted to, but since she couldn’t do anything about it anymore, she just shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes, I’m here!”, she answered while suppressing a yawn.
“How was your night? Are you already heading to town?” She released the button and waited for an answer, trying not to fall asleep again.

Archer waited for her response anxiously, breathing a sigh of relief as Sky’s voice crackled over the radio. “My night was fine, no problems and I slept well. I’m just getting Akeri ready for our trip into town today.” He said, releasing the button and putting the radio down on a shelf while he led Akeri out of the stall and brought her into the center of the barn. Archer brushed her down, humming to himself and eliciting a yip or two from Akeri every now and then as she tried to sing along while he waited for Sky’s response.

“Ahh, okay. Be careful, maybe their behavior changed during the last few days.”
She somehow had a bad feeling, but maybe she was just being too anxious. He had his Tokota and a rifle, it was very unlikely for those infected to do serious harm. Sky petted her Tokota’s head and tried to calm herself.
“And don’t forget to look for anything that could be useful”, she added, before waiting for a reply once again.

As the radio crackled with Sky’s voice, Archer walked back over to it, pressing the call button. “Don’t worry, I have Akeri with me and my rifle, we’ll be fine. I tossed together a makeshift grocery list if that helps any.” He said with a laugh, before realizing that the local grocery store might have a good stock of goods that could hold for a while, such as packaged dried fruits, or canned food. “I’ll be sure to look for spices, food, and tools, though I just realized that the grocery store would be one of the best places to look since it has canned foods and stuff that can last a while.” He said, before putting the radio down once again to get Akeri’s saddle blanket, saddle, and halter from the other room.

It was a good idea to be looking for supplies in the stores, Sky thought. She wondered why they hadn’t thought of that earlier. Then, with a tired sigh, she got up and made her bed and pushed the sleeping Tokota off the mattress. Then she replied to Archer: “I think visiting some of the stores is a good idea! Hopefully you’ll be successful”
She walked over to the bathroom and started brushing her teeth and also sprinkled some water into her face. But then she stopped and wondered why the water faucet was still working, when there were no humans to keep them in order. She shrugged and then went on into her hall, where she had stored the fish so she could prepare them today.

Archer clicked the radio call button twice to indicate he’d heard, before pocketing the small radio and returning to Akeri. He finished saddling her and lead her out the barn door, making sure to lock it behind him. Archer climbed up onto her back, settling himself into the saddle before tapping her sides. Akeri loped off down the hill at a good pace, and Archer guided her towards town with gentle pressure on her halter. They moved quickly at first, but as they drew closer to the town, Archer and Akeri started to notice more and more of the creatures, many more than their first visit. They ambled slowly towards Akeri and Archer, but they were able to easily speed up and stay away from them. They reached the grocery store without a problem, which was thankfully boarded up. Archer and Akeri rode around to the back, and were able to find a door that wasn’t boarded up. Archer climbed off of Akeri and tried it, but the door was locked. “Here Akeri.” He said, tapping the door and backing away. Akeri lunged at the door, using her paws to shove it open. Archer cautiously entered the door with Akeri trailing behind.

Sky went towards her shed, with Nano following closely behind her. He seemed to be a little unhappy outside, though she didn’t know the reason. Sky tried to calm her Toko and patted his neck when they reached the shed behind her house, then she opened the door and put the fish in the room. The girl set down and thought about her task. Which kind of fish would she do first? While she was wondering, she looked around in the familiar, dark room. The walls were made of wood as was the ground and there was only one window, which was rather small and covered by a curtain. On a little shelf lay the tools she needed for processing meat, rawhides and fish. Sky grabbed what she needed and started her work, when she heard something just outside the shed.
“What was that?”, she whispered to her companion. She didn’t know exactly why she was whispering, but it just felt safer and she didn’t want to attract the attention of whatever was outside. She looked at Nano, he was silently growling and seemed to sense something outside the shed. Sky's first thought was that it might be a bear or some other animal, so she grabbed her gun and commanded Nano to follow her. The well-trained Toko did as she asked, he was the perfect guard "dog", just that he was no dog. When Sky left the shed and looked around to find out what had caused the sounds, she spotted a human. Well, at least it looked like one, but it moved strangely and slow while making some sounds.
“So that’s one of those infected humans Archer was talking about…”

Archer and Akeri continued further into the dark storefront, and Archer clicked a flashlight on as they explored the back rooms. They came across a employee lounge with a few vending machines, which Archer ignored. The snacks would be good for quick calories, but he didn’t want to waste precious space in his saddle bags on junk food. Archer and Akeri entered the main part of the store, though thankfully a few windows let weak light into the building. He clicked off the flashlight and walked through the store carefully, looking for any signs of infected people. Akeri stayed quiet and didn’t seem concerned by anything, so Archer made a beeline towards the food, holding a hand over his nose. The air stank of rotting fruits and vegetables, so he skipped over that section in favor of the canned fruits and vegetables. He filled the saddlebags with cans of fruit and vegetables, knowing that it would be important to make sure he ate his greens, knowing that it would be hard to have a balanced diet just by hunting. Archer finished filling the bags, and tied the tops of them down, securing them so that none of the cans would bounce out if they had to run. Archer headed to the door, and paused at the back entrance, wondering how he would be able to keep it closed from the creatures. After a few minutes of thought, he walked back into the store, found a length of rope, and on his way out he passed the spices. Remembering his conversation with Sky earlier, he grabbed a handful, stuffing them into his pockets to bring back with him. Archer walked back out the door, and secured the handle with a rope to a nearby tree, ensuring that it wouldn’t swing open unless someone untied the door.

For a moment Sky didn’t know how to react, as the infected human crept closer. Then, when she didn’t react, Nano growled louder and leapt towards the enemy, snarling and barking at them. The ‘thing’ seemed startled and turned away, stumbling into the forest at a faster pace than it seemed to be capable of. Sky called after her Tokota, as she didn’t want to kill them, even if they were barely human anymore. Maybe there was a way to cure those people. As she held Nano, the person blended in with the darkness under the trees and was gone.
The girl shivered. She would have to talk to Archer as soon as he returned. But first she needed to get the fish ready, so she returned to the shed and worked as quickly as possible, always keeping an eye on Nano to make sure that ‘thing’ wasn’t returning.

Archer set off on Akeri towards home, though paused as he remembered his earlier curiosity about the creatures and their behaviour. He made his way to the edge of town on Akeri, halting at the top of a hill with a group of creatures milling about at the bottom of it. Archer picked up a stone from the side of the road and chucked it down the hill, sending it clattering off the side of a building. The group of creatures turned and moved towards the sound, confirming his earlier suspicion that they were drawn to sound. While he was curious as to how the disease spread, he didn’t want to find out how it was spread by using himself as a test subject. A quick check of his watch told him that it was about time to give Sky a call, so he hopped back on Akeri and steered her in the direction of home before clicking on the radio. “Hey Sky, it’s Archer, I’m heading back to my place now. I got cans of fruits and vegetables, and I remembered to get the spices. No tools this time though, how’s your day going?” He asked.