Werewolf: Appalachian Moonrise, Ch 1

LadyTevar · Post by **LadyTevar** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:04 am

"Indeed, she would, Stormwalker," Galileo agreed, a wide smile on his face. "So, while your enthusiasm is appreciated, Heart of Steel, it would be most embarrassing to get there and have to break into her office to retrieve the bone."

In one smooth motion Galileo was on his feet. "The reason I am telling you this tonight, is I was wishing to give you youn'uns a chance to meet and talk beforehand. Sophie and Stormwalker have just arrived from the 'big city', after all." The Ragabash's grin was even wider at that jibe. "Breathes and Faces have been in the Sept for a week, while Heart of Steel has been visiting on weekends, so they all know the Caern and Bawn well. When you do decide to go to bed, they can show you to the cabins."

Lightly as a feather, Galileo hopped off the rock and onto the river itself, balancing on the rushing water as easily as if it was dry land. "Do not stay up too late -- you should be on the road by 8am if you want to get there by 9 when she gets to her office." With that and a jaunty wave, the Elder walked across the river and vanished into the trees on the other side.

Charon · Post by **Charon** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:30 am

Breathes-the-Winds was quiet as Galileo moved away, and didn't speak again until the elder had gone into the trees.

"I hate him sometimes..."

The Garou got to his feet again, still towering over the rest of those assembled here in his Crinos form. He wasn't certain what to do now. The Fianna and the Shadowlord had been given control, they would no doubt begin their assaults on him soon.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:11 pm

Stormwalker stretched and shifted again, becoming a tall broad shouldered man with thick black hair, probably around twenty years old. He wore dark slacks, a dark red t-shirt, and a black trench coat. He had a long scroll tube slung over his back. The sheathed broadsword went into the tube and he closed it up. "Shall we go?" he asked.

Devonie · Post by **Devonie** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:25 pm

Arianne sighed, more than a little aggravated at Galileo's high-handedness.

"The elder wants us to get to know one another." She says to the others. "Any ideas? We can stay here and chat, or retire to the cabins." She shrugs. "I have no preference, but I think we need munchies if we're gonna stay up late."

Charon · Post by **Charon** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:23 pm

Breathes-the-Winds licked his chops. "Mmm, I could go for a hunt now that you mention it." The Garou took a few steps and then looked back at the others. "I suppose we can first set up for the night before we get a good hunt in. Hmmm?"

The Metis grinned. This would be a perfect opportunity, one he could see what the others were capable of, two he could display some of his own skills, and three if any decided to try to kill him while they were out he could dispose of them and call it a hunting accident or a case of their cowardice.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:30 pm

Mention of food also got Sees-Faces-In-Stars' attention, his stomach growling as he got up onto all four of his paws. "Fresh meat is good. If we hunt together, I can learn more about the new us. If not, I will have deer. When do we go?"

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:57 am

"As you see fit," said Stormwalker. "I am not hungry." He began walking down toward the cabins.

General Havoc · Post by **General Havoc** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:28 pm

The Elder left them all to get to know one another, with instructions not to stay up too late. It was all Sophie could do not to roll her eyes. This sounded like the most basic of make-work tasks, drive for an hour to a nearby university to fetch a fetish from a researcher there? Precisely how did this task require the services of five werewolves? And all this patronizing crap about 'going to bed early' didn't help. They weren't yearling cubs for Gaia's sake! Sophie herself was nearly eleven!

Politics was not the game Sophie had come here to play, but even she could tell that Arianne had not just been asking for directions when she asked her to find the address. There was no hacking necessary to find it of course, indeed Sophie had the building's address, and directions to it, up on her screen almost before Arianne had finished asking. But she caught the subtle tone of command in her request, one that marked her as running the show, invited anyone who would challenge her rule to speak up now or regard it as a fait-accompli. A very thin smile crossed Sophie's face. Recognizing the game was not the same as playing it. They would have to do better than that if they wanted her to play along...

"Mmm, I could go for a hunt now that you mention it."

Sophie's smile died instantly and her head whipped around so fast that she nearly lost her glasses. "A... a what?" she asked before she could stop herself. A hunt? As in...

A single glance from Sees-Faces to Breathes-the-Winds confirmed that they had meant exactly what she was afraid they had meant.

She didn't say anything, but from the look on her face, it was clearly apparent that she hadn't the first idea what to do.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:45 pm

"They're going to kill something and eat it. Wolves do it all the time," said Stormwalker sardonically. "I, on the other hand, am not hungry. I'm heading to the cabins so I can get an early start on the make-work assignment and then get on with my life."

Charon · Post by **Charon** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:57 pm

Breathes-the-Wind's eyes followed Stormwalker as he walked away. The dark eyes narrowed and the Garou emitted a soft growl. The scum was looking down on him for reveling in his wolf. And clearly had no interest in working with the group.

"Fine, he can get the smallest share." The Metis spoke loudly enough that everyone could hear that comment. Then he looked over at Heart-of-Steel, then back to Sees-Faces. "So shall we go? The night will only get later if we wait." The Metis stalked in the opposite direction that Stormwalker had gone, keeping his ears open to hear if the others would follow.

Devonie · Post by **Devonie** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:06 pm

Arianne ignored Stormwalker. They'd been pretty much ordered to get to know one another, and he was missing his chance.

She turned and held her hand out to the Glasswalker. "It's ok," she said softly. "I didn't think I could do it the first time either. Shift to Lupus, then follow me. It's easier than you think," she smiled. "And when you return to the city, you can tell them about hunting in the wilds with the crazy rednecks."

She nodded encouragingly at Sophie and shifted to Lupus.

General Havoc · Post by **General Havoc** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:13 pm

Hardly one to race off at the drop of a hat to go frolicking in the trees, Sophie nevertheless nodded. She had come out here to learn after all...

A few moments later, she was in Lupus form once more, her computer and other equipment having shifted along with her. She sniffed the air, very different out here than in the city, and glanced around at the others. No doubt one of the million scents she could detect right now was deer, but she had no idea which one it was.

She tried not to think of just what she was about to do...

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:15 pm

Looking eager to go, Sees-Faces-In-Stars was up on all four paws. "If Stormwalker doesn't hunt with us, he doesn't eat what we catch. Sophie," he said with eyes twinkling good-naturedly, turning to the young Glasswalker, "hunt with us on all four paws. Revel in being Garou!"

General Havoc · Post by **General Havoc** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:24 pm

Sophie's idea of "revelling in being Garou" was clearly not the same as everyone else's here. Not that she didn't expect as much, but she never really understood why most werewolves thought "being Garou" meant "acting like something out of a Lon Cheney movie". Not every werewolf thought that the best thing in life was to run around tearing animals apart with their jaws.

Nevermind that now. She was no Homid, afraid to even switch to Lupus form. It too was second-nature to her. "I'll er... try..." she said, trying not to sound quite as insecure as she felt right now. She had only the vaguest idea how these hunts were supposed to work, and the thought of eating raw meat torn out of a living, breathing deer was enough to send her appetite to wherever Stormwalker's had gone. Still... when in Rome...

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 6:51 pm

It didn't take long for Stormwalker to find the right cabins. He went inside, closing the door behind him. He striped off his clothes and folded them neatly by the bed. The scroll case went to the side of the bed, up against the wall. That, and a little money, was all that was left of his father. They had stripped almost everything else away and most of what remained had gone to his family. God, Gaia, knew that they needed it more than he did. They couldn't take the Klaive though, not without a fight. Or another death.

He got under the covers and settled down to sleep. If the others wanted to fuck around, let them. They would undoubtedly put him at the bottom of the pecking order that they would establish, but that didn't mean anything unless he allowed it to mean something. He pulled the quilt up to his chest. It was comfy.

This really was a nice rustic little cabin. Reminded him of that place they had gone up state, when he was fifteen. Dad hadn't been angry at all the whole time they were there. It had been good while it lasted.

LadyTevar · Post by **LadyTevar** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:13 pm

The Gibbous moon was still shining brightly, gleaming on the rushing water of the Cumberland river as it spilled over the falls. It shone silver down upon the trees to either side of the river, frosting their crowns and leaving the passages underneath dim and mysterious.

This park was a refuge for deer and other wildlife, fleeing the crush of humanity. Sometimes state officials wondered why the deer population wasn't exploding as much as it did in other parks. But the other parks did not have a Caern of Garou taking advantage of Gaia's bounty.

Loping into the dark underbrush, away from the center of the Caern atop the falls, away from the cabins where the Sept would sleep, Breathes the Winds could find a deer trail easily. The whitetails would be finding beds for the night, using the mountain laurel thickets to hide.

Finding the canny whitetail deer would be easy. Catching the fleet forest-runners would take cooperation.

(( To hunt and kill a deer, each of you need to roll dice equal to your Perception + Primal Urge. Each of you need at least one success for the hunt to work.
If you can do this as a team, you will startle a buck from his sleep, chase it down, and bring it to bay. It will try to fight, but horn and hooves can't really harm you. Hurt like hell, maybe draw blood, but you'll heal it easily. You can either work out who kills it amongst yourselves, or simply say the one who rolled the best got the kill. To roll dice in LibArc type this, with the # being your total for Perception + Primal Urge. Number to beat/equal is 7.))

Code: Select all

 Invalid dice code!

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:16 pm

Knowing that Breathes-The-Winds was getting ready, Sees-Faces-In-Stars roused the buck from its slumber. The hunt was on.

Charon · Post by **Charon** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 10:35 pm

Breathes-the-Winds was quiet, well quiet for a 9 foot tall beast. As Sees-Faces-In-Stars startled a buck into running, Breathes-the-Winds nodded and smiled to see that the buck had been pushed towards him. He waited just a few more seconds to give Stars his run and then jumped out to push the buck towards the next hunter.

Dice Rolled: 6d10
Results: 3, 3, 5, 6, 8, 8 (Two successes)

Devonie · Post by **Devonie** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 1:00 am

Ari felt her blood pounding, could almost -hear- the blood rushing through her veins. She waited as Sees-Faces-In-Stars jumped the buck, rushed it toward Breathes-the-Winds. She tensed as Breathes turned it toward her, then it was her turn.

The hunt was on!

2 successes (as per Tev's post in OOC)

General Havoc · Post by **General Havoc** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 1:10 am

LadyTevar · Post by **LadyTevar** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:07 pm

In modern times, most deer have no natural predators save mankind during the yearly hunting seasons, and had forgotten their ancient wolven predators. In Cumberland Park, the deer still remembered.

The buck had seen two summers and was sporting his first set of velvety antlers, four inches tall and y-shaped, showing off his good health and diet with the 4-pointed crown. Moonlight dappled his tawny flanks as he leapt through the cluttered forest floor, zigging and zagging to attempt to avoid the fanged, furry more-than-wolves herding him.

They had him boxed. The young buck slewed around to face them, picking his last stand carefully. Two maple trees grew side by side, upper branches entangled, a fine protection for the buck's vulnerable rear. The youngling lowered his head, pointing the velvet-covered antlers at his pursuers, blowing and snorting in threat and challenge. He smelt of fear and desperation, knowing he was prey but finishing Gaia's cycle by making them work for their victory.

Nothing good was ever won without struggle. Prey did not simply lie down for the predator. There are as many days for the prey to escape as it is to be taken. The primal urges within the Garou told them this, even as it whispered how good it would be to sink their teeth into the buck's flesh and feast.

This prey would not escape.

((Rheonix has 5 successes, everyone else 2. If you agree, Sees Faces gets the killing blow and you can all feast. I will warn you on this first hunt only : Remember to thank the beast for its sacrifice. Hunters who forget this honoring of the prey find that spirits get very pissy.))

General Havoc · Post by **General Havoc** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:27 pm

Far more accustomed to chasing prey through cyberspace than a national park, Sophie was quickly thrust into a none-too-pleasant circumstance of having no idea what the hell she was doing. She was in Lupus form, semi-clumsily making her way through thickets of brambles and underbrush, towards a scent she was only guessing was that of the quarry they were chasing. It was therefore by pure chance that she burst out of the bushes straight into the path of the thing.

It was a lot bigger than she expected, in her surprise, appearing four times her size in Lupus form, though in reality it was scarcely half again larger. It froze on spotting her, as did she, so unexpected was the encounter. Only after she recovered her wits did she realize she had no idea whatsoever of what to do.

But the deer did.

It kicked and gored at her with its hooves and antlers, though Sophie managed to avoid the worst of it, and clumsily bit at the thing's throat, missing, and driving it to dart off through the forest away from her. Completely bewildered, she relied on instinct alone to give chase as best she could.

Next time, she'd order a hamburger...

Devonie · Post by **Devonie** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:02 pm

Arianne howls, her blood stirred up by the scent of the prey, the thrill of the chase. She sets off after the deer into the dark, knowing the others are flanking her. She chases after the deer, herding it toward the others.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:57 pm

As the deer dove and ran away from Arienne, Sees-Faces-In-Stars seemed to materialize from the underbrush, quickly ripping the buck's throat out.

As the buck frantically and futilely thrashed, Sees-Faces-In-Stars softly howled a dirge as the deer died.

"You were a good opponent, we honor you!"

As the deer gave a final shudder before lying still, Sees-Faces-In-Stars seemed to be following something moving around and above the buck's corpse, howling another verse as he did. It was direct, and heartfelt.

"You will feed us this night, we will remember you with admiration and gratitude. If we see you in the world through the reflection, we will give our respects."

With that done, he turned to the others. "It is done, let us feed."

Devonie · Post by **Devonie** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 10:14 pm

Arianne raises her head in a howl, echoing the words of praise from Sees-Faces-In-Stars.

"We give thanks to the spirits for a good hunt and a good feast!"

She turns her head, looking for the Glasswalker. Surely once she felt fresh blood on her muzzle she'd have a better understanding of a wolf's need for the hunt.

LibriumArcana.Games

Werewolf: Appalachian Moonrise, Ch 1

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