Operation "Milk Run" - Day 2

Collie stays in the back, watching the group's rear like she was told while occasionally muttering something about how this is all a "waste of time" and how Monte is an "arrogant prick".
When they actually find the entrance to the canyon, her muttering stops immediately. Finally figuring out that Monte had been right all along, she slows down her horse some more to gain a bit more distance from the others. Embarrassed by her insistence on the wrong way, she stays quiet and just hopes everyone will eventually forget about it.

"Oh Monte was right." said almost to herself as she looked ahead.

She had her horse canter up ahead closer to the front of the group, "Good, getting there faster is good news."

When the group inspects the trail and notes its disrepair, "What do you make of it, Monte? Anybody been that way lately we need to worry 'bout?" He takes his too-clean hat off and wipes his brow, looking down the way the canyon is supposed to be as though he knows anything about reading the wilds, even though he doesn't.

Monte will examine the trail looking for signs of life,or in the case of robots, recent activity at least.

Monte repeats these observations to the group but leaves it up to them to make a decision on which way to go.

Collie stays quiet in the back and doesn't speak up, even though she definitely prefers to go through the canyon.

"Let's hit it then, eh? No need to change the plan, yet. Let's save the improvising for when the robots show up!" Doc laughs and pushes his horse toward the canyon, pausing to see if the others will follow.

"Yeah let's get this show on the road. If either road takes us there, may as well take the shorter. Ain't no rustbucket robot gonna get in our way anyways about it anyhow. And iffin they do! Ol' Oliver here will show them the one-two! Ain't that right buddy!" Oliver peeks it's head out and hops onto the ground running forward and gives a defiant 'meow-growl' as if understanding his newly appointed role as protector.

"HAHAHA you get back here you ole' ball of lint I was just kidding." Roland spurs his horse forward a moment giving a light hearted chase to the tabby cat companion while the others continue convening on their decision.

After a few moments of playful chasing, Oliver eventually runs over to Monte's side again. "Well ain't that something! he seems to have taken a shining to you woodsman. Fancy that." He gives a grin. "Careful, he's been known to melt a hard heart."

John watches the cat at play, remembering his own kitten that he had as a boy. His father had forbidden him to have the cat, but he took care of it behind the barn every day, feeding it milk and the occasional bit of meat that he managed to sneak away from the table. It was a loosely-kept secret that his mother figured out early on. She said nothing to his father, who would have been furious at being disobeyed, but she helped John sneak bits of food to the cat. It grew into a fine mouser, and lived to the ripe old age of 13. By that time, John's father had been killed in action and John himself was a strapping young man, looking to avenge his father's untimely death.

"Im surprised that the cogs didn't make use of the rails ? You would have thought they would use the material."

Vivian dismounts and tries to see if she can get a look under the bridge to see how structurally sound it is as well as any potential ambush.

Monte takes a long look at the canyon walls above him to see if he can find signs of being dropped in on.

Doc dismounts as well and joins Vivian, looking to see the integrity of the bridge.