Dear Angelica.....

Dear Sis,

How're things going with you? Things in Steelhead City have been fluctuating at best. I don't see why you prefer living in the big city, when Steelhead is THE perfect place to be.


You remember meeting Darien Mason? I told you how he was possessed by a demon and all. You said that nothing good will come out of it. Well, you were right, but before the demon could do anything evil, the man within took over and manage to drive away the demon. So, demon gone, Doctor back. He's currently in Caledon recovering from his ordeal, but he will be back in Steelhead, resuming his medical practice.


I spoke with Miss Katt, the other night. It's a rarity, mind you. She usually stays in her house on Lighthouse Island. She's very shy and quiet, but she's been getting out more often and talking with everyone. She thanked me for all that I've done in Steelhead City. Matter of fact, she thanked me several times for all I've done, but you know me, if I'm expected to do something for someone, I try to give a hundred and ten percent. I did tell her about you, and how you're as musically gifted as I was (Ok, I said that you were more gifted than me). Perhaps, when your schedule permits, you can come to town and give a performance one night. I know that the citizens will enjoy it immensely.


The Griefer Gang has been showing up in Steelhead more and more. I swear, the more the town changes for the better, the bigger of a target we become. But, hey, your brother managed to take care of them. Couple of times, when I was out of town on business for Katt, TotalLunar and Tensai had dealt with them. This town's in good hands.


I know that you were shocked over our SWAT Team that we have.....I mean, Nuns With Guns, it's a scary thought (but, hey, I'm Methodist, so what the heck), well I just recently deputized someone to protect the harbor. Sushi the Whale. You shouldn't be shocked, I mean, we come from a family of werewolves, werecats, wereboars, wererats.......a whale being deputized should be no surprise.


I have to cut this letter short, Gerami Fizz, the gunsmith, has returned to Steelhead and opened up a shop, I need to make sure some of the citizens don't hurt themselves with guns they buy.


Give Patrick my best. Love always,
Fuzz


PS. Did you get a letter from Papa? Grandma's still farting.......I'm so glad we're not still living in the old country.

"Resume Once More, The Form Of Man"

Rarity, but I slept in my office last night. It was in the wee hours of the morning that I felt the tremor.


"Earthquake?" I thought, remembering the flood that destroyed the town that stood on this land before Steelhead, "Or is Tensai experimenting again?"


Then the scream. The blood curdling scream echoed throughout the entire city. I jumped up and rushed out of my office. There was a wicked smell in the air. I think, due to my heightened senses, I was the only one who smelled it. Finnian Fitzgerald came running up to me, apparently in an all night poker game.


"Fuzz," he asked, "the hell was that?"


The scream sounded again, I perked my ears trying to determine the exact location. I was then able to determine the exact location where it all originated, Darien's. I left Finn where he stood and ran towards House Bloodwing, I fought the urge to fully transform into the wolf, hoping that it wasn't necessary. I arrived at the home of Darien Mason to find Darien laying face down on the ground. It was then that I noticed, the hair was different, the horns were gone, his skin looked.....human? It had been a long time since I last saw Darien as a human. Darien slowly stirred, then started to get up.


"Easy, Doc." I said, "Take it slow."


"Doc..." he whispered, then he looked at me, "Yes, that's right. Doctor Darien Mason."


I smiled and nodded. "Welcome back."


Tears ran down his cheeks and he looked up to the sky, "Thank you, God" he said, "I'm free! I'm finally free!"


He got up and dusted himself off. "Fuzz," he said, "you will excuse me for a bit."


"Sure, Doc, I'll be here if you need me."


"As Cappers always are." He replied with a smile, he then turned and walked into his home, closing the door behind him. I then went into my home


A couple of hours later, I walked out of my house and saw Darien standing at his postal box. Looking up, I noticed a figure at the clock tower peering over at him, a quick whiff and I recognized Emilly's scent. I then walked over to Darien. He saw me approaching and smiled, he then proceeded to explain what had happened.


The incubus, which had been residing in his body, was finally banished from this mortal realm. It was never to return for seven generations. Darien, Doctor Darien Mason, the man that I knew during the war, had finally been able to free himself from the demon that was becoming uncontrollable. Even the SWAT Team had started to grow concerned.


"That's great," I said, "this city needs a doctor, and you are a skilled surgeon."


"Yes," he replied, "in due time. For now, I......need to do some travelling."


"But, you've already seen the world."


"No, the demon saw the world." he replied, then pointed at his human eyes, "I'd like to see the world through these eyes."


Later, MeQal Anna and I stood at the train station. Darien sat in the car, looked out the window at us, and tipped his hat. The train pulled out and the changeling turned and looked at me.


"How long is seven generations?" he asked


"The way your family goes at it, seven generations will be this Friday." I replied.


"Change is good." MeQal said as he walked off the platform, heading back to his store.


"Yea," I whispered, as I looked at the tunnel where the train had disappeared into, "sometimes it's for the better."

Steelhead Has Some Bad Habits

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Steelhead's SWAT Team. Sister Mary Katherine, Sister Ignatius, Sister Alma, Sister Christian, and Mother Superior. Everyone in Steelhead is resting easy knowing that I've got these ladies helping uphold the law.

Now, I have to pull the sheets off the bed. Toga Night in the Steelhead City Grand Ballroom.....or is it Grande Ballroom? I can never remember........

Town Meeting, Turkey Woes, War, and Dark Visions Of The Future

Well, here's how it goes down......

We had our weekly town meeting tonight in Steelhead. Part of my duties as Sheriff of Steelhead City is to lead the meeting. Currently, part of the city is going through some major renovations. What was nice was my new office and jail. Unfortunately, Mr. Eclipse, one of the people who manage the city for the land's owner, Kattrynn Severine, forgot to give me the key to the cell.

After the meeting, I went on my night patrol through Steelhead City. Meant to ask Darien about his recent kidnapping. He had left the realm before I could ask him, he's a demon, he does these things. However, if I had known, I would have mounted a rescue attempt.

All was peaceful in Steelhead tonight

There has been a recent crisis regarding Steelhead's turkeys. Seems someone has been....how shall I put this....well, molesting the fowl. However, I have a very strong lead on who the culprit is, I will soon be traveling to the mainland to follow that lead, and hopefully, apprehend the sick individual.

News of war between the country of Neualtenburg and the Independent State of Caledon has reached Steelhead City. We have been friends with Caledon for some time, and we pray for this war to be over quickly, with very little casualties. Sir Edward Pearse, owner of the Pearsed and Cuts shops, has designed Caledon's uniforms. They look very nice, Edward is a remarkable tailor, although I'm partial to the clothing from Silver Rose Designs, myself.

I have also heard stories of an evil version of Darien's steampowered android daughter, Qlippothic Project. Supposedly, she's a version of Qli from the future, who goes by the name of Qlippothic Steel. This sort of makes me nervous, and I figured with all the time travelling some of the people in Steelhead and Caledon were doing, something like this would happen.

Can we stop a dark future from happening? Or is it pretty much set in stone? More to the point, can Qlippothic Steel succeed in altering history to speed up her dark future?

Always more questions than answers.......

Wolves And Angels.....

I suppose that the word is already out. Yes, I am a werewolf. Not bitten, but hereditary. Lycanthropcy runs in the Ortega family. Not just werewolves, the LycanGene seems to have a mind of it's own and different were-animals are born in the family. Great Aunt Doris was a werecat, panther to be precise. Uncle Albert was a wereboar (quite fitting, to tell you the truth). Cousin Templeton is a wererat (if the shoe fits....). Uncle Gene became Aunt Jean, but that has nothing to do with the LycanGene and we don't talk about it that much.



Not every member of the family is born with the gene. My sister, Angelica, as far as I know, has shown no signs of being born with lycanthropcy. Probably taking after Mama's side of the family, a noble group of people. I often joked that I was named Fuzzball because I was a werewolf, Angelica was given an angelic name because the neighbors had already named their daughter Demonica......Sis always hit me after I said that.


Ah, Angelica, I did finally find her, but first, a flashback: Growing up, despite my werewolf advantage, Angelica was always beating me up. I would tell my parents and they would say the same thing every time, "Fuzz, leave your sister alone". I didn't deserve the beating.......some of the time. Ok, I did use her dolls for target practice.....and there was the time that I shaved her cat......I did put pink dye in her shampoo, but she DID look good with pink hair. But, despite all that, she was my sister, and she was someone I cared for very much.


She had left home to see the world. She had written to Mama and Papa on a regular basis. One day, the letters stopped coming. I took it upon myself to find her and to make sure she was ok. You know some of what had happened in my quest, army, fifth queen, Steelhead City, Sheriff.


The full story will be told in the "Weird Wild West Tales", but I was finally reunited with my dear sister, now going by the name Angelica Trescothick and married to one Patrick Aderdeen. Finding her involved an adventure of griefers, gunfights, federal marshalls, tightrope walking, rock climbing, and Angelica beating someone other than me up. Just know that we've been reunited, our parents are happy, and the cat's fur did grow back........and it was Angelica, when we were kids, who put the snake in the nanny's purse. Boy, did that old lady scream.

And If Everyone Else Jumped Off A Bridge.....

After reading the other aether journals of my friends from Steelhead City and The Independent State of Caledon, I've decided to start a journal of my own. This is actually one of two chronicles that I'm writing. The second set of chronicles, entitled "Weird Wild West Tales", is currently being worked on and should be available soon. But first....

An Introduction

I left the old country some years ago, searching for my sister, Angelica. After arriving in this country, I enlisted in the army. I became a member of the Capper Brigade, quickly gaining rank of Captain. We were considered the most mentally unstable soldiers in the entire army.....or any army, for that matter. After my tenure was up, I resumed my quest in the search for my sister.

Some months later, while I was participating in a poker game in Ford City, I received a telegram from a fellow Capper, Darien Mason (an incubus and estranged son of Hades, himself), to join him in Oregon territory. The telegram couldn't have come at a better time. The other players in the game seemed to have gotten upset over me in regards to the queen that I had in my hand, and I was unable to convince them that every card deck had five queens.

I arrived in Oregon, beautiful territory, btw, to Steelhead City. There, Darien, who at the time was sheriff of Steelhead, showed me the town. I decided that Steelhead was to be my home, although I still tried to search for Angelica.

Through events that I don't wish to delve into, the job of sheriff passed from Darien to me. Steelhead had gone through some changes of it's own. No longer a quiet place, it had become quite popular, and thus, was a target for the outlaw group known as "Griefers". Needless to say, my new position kept me quite busy.

Eventually, I did find my sister, and the town discovered a secret that I had kept from them, although it was revealed in other aether journals. But all that, is best kept for another time.