Welcome, Cash!

travis - steppenwoives - jack greystone

StartFragment

No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.

Adversity seemed to be the word that best described Cash Winston. Born to Ulysses Winston, an immigrant in search of fame and fortune, and his wife Anna, a Cherokee woman he'd met during his travels and fell hopelessly in love with. They both shared many similarities but were completely different just the same. was during a time when the Industrial Revolution had just begun to reach its conclusion. Ulysses was but one of thousands that filtered into New York Harbor by way of Ellis Island. After months spent in poverty, he made the decision to move further south. Eventually coming to settle in the mountains of Kentucky. Where the land was abundant and untouched.

Using his knowledge in metalworking, he made his living as a blacksmith, selling his wares to the local townsfolk. So was the life Cash was born into; a legacy of fire and steel. It didn't earn much, but it allowed them to live in relative comfort. Although, his father kept a dark secret. Ulysses was a werewolf from the deepest, darkest parts of the Old World. Where superstition was integral to the day-to-day living. But he wasn't the only one in their blossoming family. For Anna, his wife, had been bitten by Ulysses. To spare her a miserable death from consumption. It was a secret they both kept hidden from the locals, as well as their children. It was no secret that humans in large feared what they couldn't understand. But they managed by keeping to themselves mostly.

Over the years, Cash watched as his siblings were brought screaming into this world. They were so small and helpless. He made a promise then and there to always be their keeper. To watch over and keep them safe. Unbeknownst to him, he'd have the opportunity to do just that sooner rather than later.

Rumor of a group of men claiming to be Pinkerton Agents circulated around the small town they lived but a short ways from. Ulysses knew better. These were no ordinary Pinkerton Agents, no, they were hunters cleverly disguised to appear as such so as not to arouse suspicion. Although, that had already happened with the reports of mutilated livestock owned by the Union Army.

It wasn't until by chance that they discovered the family of werewolves housing themselves on the mountain. Being that they were hunters, they were naturally paranoid and suspicious of everyone. Including those who keep to themselves on a regular basis. With hardly any contact from the outside world. Other than occasionally to sell their wares and make money to further their bohemian lifestyle.

Earlier that morning, Cash had gone out deer hunting. It was in those early hours, when there wasn't a sound from miles, the mountain dew still clinging to each blade of grass, and that morning fog had settled heavily over the forest like impenetrable miasma. The forest was still asleep. Silent. That's when he heard several gunshots ring out. When he arrived to their cabin, he was met by a sight that still haunts to this day. His mother lay motionless by where she would always hang clothes on the clothes line. Her head had been severed and left to find in her laundry basket.

The fire had been lit, turning the sky black with smoke. Already the roof had begun to fall in after substantial structural damage had been sustained to their cabin. He tried running inside in his desperate attempt to find his father. It wasn't until he ran around back that he found a trail of blood and vegetation disturbed to form a path. Naturally, he followed it to the stream that ran several yards behind their home. Ulysses was found mortally wounded, protecting his two smallest children. A black substance oozed from Ulysses' mouth; a telltale sign that poison had been administered. Cash felt incredibly scared and confused. To which his father offered the bite. So that he may be strong for his siblings. An offer he gladly accepted, but with more in mind than just protecting his siblings. Cash had revenge in his sights. A revenge he would carry out throughout the years that followed.

Fast-forward to the modern day, he had taken great care in placing his siblings somewhere no one could find them. Moving them around every decade or so. In order to keep their lineage and identity a secret. Cash, himself, had bestowed upon them the same bite their father had him so many decades ago. That tradition of moving from place to place had been what kept them alive for this long.

It wasn't until he met Rayna that he found his counterpoint in another. He had taken notice of her just as she had begun to blossom into a vivacious young woman. From the first moment he first laid eyes on her, he was smitten. Her Cherokee ancestry reminded him of his mother and just how alive he remembered her being. Rayna made him feel alive. For the first time since he could remember. She was a cool breeze on a humid southern day. Even though he was a great deal older than her, that didn't seem to bother him. He would have her; one way or another. And so, he asked her to be his wife. To run off with him and never look back. Which she did. Cash even went as far as make her like him, offering her the bite. Again, she agreed. They blasted to Southern California. Stopping off in Mexico for their honeymoon. But paradise was not to last.

Recently his past has started to catch up with him. Another group of hunters forced him to leave without a word to explain where he'd gone. For fear that his siblings were in danger, but so as not to endanger Rayna either. He felt that until the heat died down, he couldn't rightfully put her life in jeopardy. Cash simply wouldn't allow it. However, he would soon learn about the deaths of her parents in the coming months. A fact that alarmed him greatly. He wondered if they were taken from her the same way his parents were taken from him. Not wishing to find out the way, he stashed his siblings in yet another hiding place. Then made his return to Kentucky.

Where he reconnected with his lady by way of a hotly contested romp that left much of his hotel room in complete disarray. After explaining his actions and the reason for his secrecy, he convinced her to liquidate all of her assets and go with him to Denver. Where he had heard whispers claiming an influx of werewolves. Surrounded by their own kind, it was the safest course of action. With their destination decided. They were off.

EndFragment