Herdevine

Herdevine is where the congestion of the city starts to thin out into ranch style homes and working class attitude. While the demographic here is economically middle to lower class, ain't no one here feeling sorry for themselves. It's the neighborhood that celebrates life and all the blessings that come with it. Folks in Herdevine work hard and party harder.   Growing up in Herdevine, one is pulled in so many different directions. There's the white collar hustle of Kitbury and the rest of the inner city to the north. And then there's the blue collar work of the ranches and orchards that make up Solis Bay's south eastern border. All of this is done in the shadows of the ultra rich living in Baretta Hills and the La Armadura Mountains. It's enough to drive a kid crazy, but don't worry kiddo, the surf here will soothe the soul and ain't no tourists fuckin' with these beaches.   Regardless of one's path, if you're from Herdevine you know the grind, and ain't nobody going to stand in your way.  

Coyote Night

 

The story goes like this.

It was the olden days, and this area that we call Herdevine wasn't shit. I mean it ain't shit now, but it was just a little old western town. Like wagons and saloons and old prospector types, ya feel me?
One night this rancher says his kid had been snatched up by a coyote near one afternoon. Mangled his little boy. It was an only child, right? It was a big deal, I mean this dad, he probably thought that kid was going to inherit the homestead and all that kinda shit.

And now that dream was gone.

So now this rancher, he's fired up. Like this shit is getting handled to-night. He's hunting this coyote down, heading west towards the ocean. He's passing by neighbors and other townspeople, and they're like "Rancher, what's up? You look intense" And he's all like "My boy's dead. Coyote headed that way."

He didn't even ask for help he was focused on the hunt, you know?

But people loved this guy cuz he was a good dude. And also - like - they're thinking about their kids too, right? I'm sure. So they're like saddle up. "Get the posse" and all that shit.

And it's like, the further they go, the more folks they're adding to the crew until like the whole territory is marching with this rancher.

Next thing you know, it's sundown and they've got this coyote cornered at the peak of Cuchillo Del Oro overlooking the beach. Sun is a bloody dish on the horizon.

The coyote, I guess it knew it was fucked, right? Like "Ok, I ate the wrong human. This ain't working out for me." And the rancher he's steadying the rifle, about to get his revenge.

But before he can shoot, the coyote, it raises its head all proud like. Nose up in the air. That's what they say. And it's basically like "Hey fuckers you moved into my hood, not the other way around. Dog's gotta eat."
And then it takes a step back. Right off of the Cuchillo. It died on the rocks below, and waves carried it out to sea.

The rancher he was stunned and he rode off. Revenge blue balls, maybe. Or like, he was still sad his kid died, I mean that had just happened...

But everyone else they were like "oh shit, that Coyote had a crazy look in its eye." Like they knew what it was thinking. So they stayed up all night to make sure the ghost of that coyote didn't walk back on to the shore. Because it was olden times and they believed in some wild shit like coyote ghosts. Then it just became a yearly thing where folks showed up just to make sure that Coyote wasn't tryna make a comeback.

And that's how we got Coyote Night. Or that's what my mom told me.

Coyote Night is a neighborhood festival in Herdevine, held every June 9th. The community marches (or in a lot of cases drives) from the east side of the neighborhood all the way to Aspero Beach. Where a party rages on until sun up. Storytellers retell the original events, some with a little more dramatic flourish than others. Some people dress like coyotes and pretend to be chased down by children who beat them down with inflatable baseball bats.   Some say that the gangs in Herdevine call a truce on this night, and any crimes committed on this night are met with the harshest of punishments. Police have implied this is true, stating that majority of their responsibilities on Coyote Night are disorder conduct calls, due to overzealous party goers.

The Gear Monk Society

  The Gear Monk Society is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who've renounced world desires, focusing only on the art of motorcycle maintenance. These world renowned bikers live in a complex in north Herdevine and are visited by other hobbyists and mechanics to apprentice in their shops. The GMS is supported by community donations and gifts, and in turn Gear Monks work on bikes free of charge.
This has resulted in a large and knowledgeable biker community in Herdevine.
Every Sunday the Gear Monk Society roll through the neighborhood, proselytizing that peace and love are but the only two wheels necessary for us to ride into the future
 

Dog Street Studio

  Dog Street is a video game company started by twins Kimmy and Liam Bergdahl. The siblings began their company in the garage of their mother's house in Herdevine, making bootleg versions of popular games that they'd sell to students at school.
The duo made a splash when they uploaded their first major original title, a game called Red Alert Lactose, in which players have to process raw milk into a variety of dairy products. Through a series of dials and a mess of hoses, players try to ensure that the milk has a uniform consistency while maintaining flavor and nutrients. The mechanics of the game were considered ingenious and addictive, resulting in a slew of copy cat games.
After that game, the Bergdahl twins managed to grow their Dog Street Studio into a high profile video game developer, While they did raise more than enough to move out of their mother's garage, they never left Herdevine. According to the twins, Herdevine is partially responsible for their work ethic and resolve, and leaving the neighborhood would take the soul out of their games.