Werewolf: Appalachian Moonrise, Ch 1

[LadyTevar]

In the Beginning, there was nothing.

Then the Wyld appeared, ever changing, ever creating, randomly ejaculating raw shapeless forms that whirled and morphed as wildly as their creator. Also came the Weaver, taking the shapeless forms and binding them into pattern and form, giving them a permanence, creating her own helpers to help spread Order. Last was the Wyrm, who would balance the excess between random creation and patterned order by destroying it and returning the primal essence to the Wyld to reform again.

These are the Triat, the most powerful spirits in the Garou cosmology, and the Balance between them built the Universe. Lesser spirits, still powerful, were birthed in this time; Helios the Sun warming the many planets rotating about him: Mercury, Venus, Gaia called Earth and her sister Luna the Moon, etc. Gaia, with the help of her Celestine siblings, gave birth to more spirits who became the Guardians of Gaia and Totems to the animals and humans that rose on Gaia's face. These Incarna birthed their own spirits, on down to the weakest. In this time before Time, Spirit and Matter were one, with no walls or differences between. Animal, human, spirit, they were siblings and equals, and often shifted shape for merely the joy of it.

Then, something happened to the Weaver and she started spinning her pattern webs madly, as if trying to capture and place the whole Universe in Perfect Ordered Stasis. She could not capture the Wyld, for it changed as fast as the Weaver wove and slipped free.

The Wyrm, however, was less lucky. In his efforts to right the Balance and destroy the overflowing Stasis Web, the Weaver caught him and bound him fast. The majority of the Garou nation believe this is what caused the Weaver's madness, as the Wyrm destroyed too many of her creations. A pitiful few, and some of the other shapeshifters believe the Wyrm is merely a victim.

The Wyrm struggled so hard against his bindings that he split off parts of himself into a second triat -- the three-headed Wyrm of Corruption, which tries to destroy everything around it, not just the excess. Most Garou believe the Wyrm forever lost to madness. Other Shifters and some more theological Garou think if the True Wyrm became unbound the corrupted triat would be destroyed in his righteous rage as he rights the Balance again.

In her Madness, the Weaver threw up a wall between Spirit and Matter, a spiderweb Gauntlet that grew stronger and stronger as her webs got thicker, until only with great effort could spirit cross to matter and vice versa.

Gaia became one of the Triat's battlefields, and the Wyrm and Weaver are slowly weakening her with their attacks. Gaia created warriors, the Garou and other shapeshifters, to protect Her from the minions of Wyrm and Weaver, although each year it seems they lose more ground.

One of the remaining battlegrounds is the great Appalachian Mountain Range. Once a well-spring of magic and a haven to all manner of Wyld creatures, these ancient mountains are now locked in an inescapable war to preserve a way of life that has become targeted for extinction. Where once Gaia's loving presence manifested itself in wild profusion, the progress of Weaver and the corruption of Wyrm have begun to leech the land of its spiritual power -- a power desperately needed by those who are Gaia's protectors.

Just as the agents of Wyrm and Weaver affect everything they touch, so too do the Garou of Appalachia and their allies channel their powers to thwart the designs of their enemies. Nowhere is this strange and eerie conflict more perplexing than in the SouthEastern portion, where a dying culture takes desperate measures to survive, and a tormented earth cries out for aid and vengeance.

The Garou hold out against the imminent destruction facing their homes. The modern world intrudes harshly into their sacred sites, building roads over spirit paths, cutting down and destroying the wild beauty of the Appalachians. The Wyrm burrows into the hearts of their Kinfolk, and the Old Ways are being forgotten.


When will you Rage?


++++++++++++++

Kentucky Moonshine

The modern world calls it Kentucky, one of the states in the United States of America. In the eastern edge of Kentucky is the Daniel Boone National Forest, where the great Cumberland River flows along the path it cut into the surrounding mountains in ages past. At one spot is one of the largest falls in the US, the Cumberland Falls. Called Kentucky's greatest natural wonder, these 120ft long falls sends water plunging 75ft. The force of the waterfall creates a perpetual mist around it, and on clear nights when the moon is full, this ethereal curtain reflects moonlight as easily as it does sunlight, forming a perfect 'moonbow' -- a rainbow in the dark. Only one other place on Gaia creates this conjunction of darkness, light, and water.

Is it any wonder there is a Caern of great power here? The Sept of the Moon's Blessing protects the Cumberland Falls, aided by the Caern's totem, the Woodpecker. The caern itself is at the head of the falls, reachable only by Garou in lupus, while the bawn encompasses the entire Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.

The Sept has a number of packs operating out of it, but the Sept itself is ran by Hattie Thunderwife, an Ahroun of the Children of Gaia. The Warder, and Hattie's second-in-command is the SilverFang Ahroun Josiah Windford. Gayle "Leafbright" MacMullain, a Fianna Philodox, is the Keeper of the Land, while the Fianna Theurge Lugh Light-on-the-Water is Master of the Rite. The Stargazer Ragabash Galileo Crosses-the-Stars has been Master of the Challenge for the past two years, and the young Black Fury Galliard Maya Wordweaver is the Gatekeeper.

The Sept of the Moon's Blessing is an Open one, where any who wish to may join as long as they aid in protecting the Caern. Several Fosterlings have been welcomed recently, and Hattie is hoping they might form a new pack. Time will tell ... however the coming of a ShadowLord youth is a fearful omen.

[rhoenix]

The moon high above wore most of her brightened face, smiling down on her revelers, her artists; her Galliards. The soft breezes, carried by transparent spirits laughing and playing in the light of the Galliard's moon played about the area. They were greeted by a young progeny of Luna and Gaia, his dark greyish fur speckled with fine, star-like spots of white, howling gently to them all in greeting and reverence. The spirits of the Wind greeted their cousin, knowing him as of a Tribe that loved and revered the Winds as their own kin.

The young wolf seemed to smile, standing on the rocks near the narrow path up to the great Cairn - above the place where water rushed down with fervor to greet Gaia, and tell her secret stories that only the water knew.

Leaping lightly and sure-pawed up the narrow path, the young wolf finished his ascent, walking toward his brothers and sisters of the Garou. As he reached them, he sat on the ground, inhaling and exhaling slowly; with care.

As a wolf still, he howled his greeting softly to them in the old tongue of the Garou. "Sees-Faces-In-Stars greets you. Winds, stars, Gaia, Luna bless us."

[General Havoc]

The map called it "Cumberland Falls", and even a city-born, city-bred Metis like Sophie would have instantly picked it out as the location of a Caern, just from the description in the electronic brochure. Not that she had any first-hand experience in where other tribes liked to congregate, but it just felt right for this sort of thing.

Now, standing here, she wasn't so sure.

She was in Lupus form at present, always slightly unnatural to her Homid uncles, but second nature to her as were all her various transformations. Her laptop had a tablet setting specially designed to let her interface even with four paws, and she was as fluent in Garou as she was in English, or in PERL, but she still didn't feel quite right here. Sixteen different kinds of evidence, from the replies she'd gotten to posts on one of her messageboards, to the markings that even she knew how to read ringing the entire National Forest, all pointed to this being an open, welcome place for any member of the Nation who hadn't blotted their copy-book too spectacularly, and she was hardly the sort to hang shyly in the background usually, even among other tribes. There was nothing to fear from Gaians and Silverfangs, after all, and she wasn't afraid, not exactly. She just felt... out of place.

She wished she could see a single skyscraper.

Even she knew that was a weird thing for a werewolf to want, especially here, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't just homesickness, home was always a click and a call away, and any city would do for this. It was just a sense of being somewhere with rules that she didn't know. She didn't have to be able to talk to the spirits that thronged this place to know that they were there, so many, and so different than the ones she was used to: the spirits of computers, cars, buses, and buildings, spirits that ran through electrical wiring and fiber-optic cables, the ones her uncles knew and used and had introduced her to. These spirits she couldn't speak to weren't hostile, she knew that, indeed they were almost welcoming, or as welcoming as they could be for a young Metis whose home forest was made of glass and steel, but they were different... strange... alien...

Or maybe she was.

She shook her head, a most Homid gesture for a Lupus form. It wasn't worth worrying about. Chicago wasn't at risk of vanishing, but this place was. There was not enough to do back home, and she had been sent down here to see about finding a pack, gaining some real-world experience, learning how the rest of the Nation lived. Her uncles (most of them) hadn't wanted her to go, but she had, and so had the elders of the local organization. Chicago would always be there if she needed it, and meanwhile the code down here just might need a little cleaning up, as it were. Besides, she had brought a few bits of home with her, her PDA, her black box, and, of course, her gold-circuited laptop computer. She neither knew nor cared if the local authorities would frown on those things. She was here as a proud Glass Walker, not as some little girl come to learn the 'true' ways from her betters. As long as she didn't start stringing CAT-5 cable from the trees, what business was it of anyone's if she wanted to uplink every now and again?

She took one more deep breath, tasting the crisp night air on her wolf's tongue, and sprang up the path carefully, taking care not to slip and plunge into the waterfall below. Up ahead was a flat, open area, and she made for it, aware even without seeing that she was being watched, and she kept her head held high and her ears perked. Before her sat another wolf, who howled a greeting to unseen companions ahead, one she could understand in a vague sense at least, and before him were others, elders most likely, watching him and watching her. She approached slowly and carefully, resisting the urge to glance around her lest it be interpreted as some kind of hesitation or fear, and dredged up the lupine sounds that represented the greeting she had thought through ahead of time.

"Blessings and greetings," she carefully, a term her uncles had suggested for her. "I am Sophia Aran, of the Glass Walkers of Chicago." The name translated poorly into Garou, but she had no other to use. "I ask your permission to... er... arrive." She had nearly said 'connect', but that was a term that these tech-shy Gaians would probably not know how to interpret. She winced a bit, hoping that she'd gotten the idea across.

[Cynical Cat]

Stormwalker ascended the slope. After a week of looking he found a local Garou and been told to come here. Undoubtedly news of his arrival had preceded him.

In Crinos form he was just over ten feet tall with fur as black as night herself. He was powerfully built, but it was the sword slung over his back that would attract the most attention. Even the least sensitive of Garou would recognize it for what it was. His father's last treasure, the one his rivals could not steal from him. Some here might want to take it from him. The only thing they would get would be the business end in their guts.

He could just make out the top of the falls through the trees. For a moment his thoughts drifted away from practical matters. It was beautiful here. Freer than the city. He inhaled the clean, crisp air. He had picked the Appalachians because Shadowlords weren't present and it was easy to reach in strength, but the shear natural beauty was an unexpected treasure. One worth defending.

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds was sitting at the top of the waterfall in his true form. The nearly ten foot tall monstrocity sat cross-legged and eyes closed, obviously paying little attention to what was going on around him. The bison-like horns which protruded from his head gave the Garou away for what he was, a Metis.

Taking another deep breath, Breathes-the-Winds held the air in his lungs for an almost impossibly long time before he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. The others were here now, and it was his duty to meet them. The elders were watching, as they always were, and they would judge him harshly if he failed their expectations. Perhaps this time would be the time they decide to end his existence.

Breathes-the-Winds got to his feet and turned away from the waterfall and stepped towards the two who had come. The giant did not say a word however.

[LadyTevar]

In the Umbra, eyes were watching as the young Garou began to gather. "I ain't likin' this," stated an auburn-haired woman, peeking out of the Spirit World to watch the new arrivals. She was 'sturdy-built' as the local saying went, wide-hipped and wide-shouldered like all the women in her family. "Sendin' these youn'uns ta Berea ta fetch it?"

Her companion was a younger man with a serene visage, his hair black with hints of red highlights. His almond-shaped eyes, set in a face marked by Oriental, White, and Native American heritage, also peeked out of the Umbra to watch the cubs gather. "They're here, and they'd probably like to get out of the Bawn for a while," he answered, watching his newest protege carefully to see how he would greet the others. "One can only clean the Caern and patrol the park for so long before wishing to get away from their Elders for a time," he added with a chuckle.

"Hmph," snorted the woman, eyes flicking briefly over him. "Tain't one o' yer jokes now is it, New Moon."

"No joke, Hattie. They are here and they are available. It is a short drive to pick up the item, and it may start them on the path to joining as a pack."

The woman, Hattie Thunderwife, shook her head. "Iffen you say so," she replied, before her voice lowered. "What o' the ShadowLord? I ain't likin' how he jus' showed up outta nowheres, Galileo."

"That one is a puzzle, indeed," the man answered thoughtfully. "He is very young to carry such a powerful fetish, and to come so far from his tribe. There is much under the surface there." He looked over to Hattie. "I still believe it is best to let him run with the other cubs."

That drew another snort, but Hattie let it rest there. "I'll be sure ta have the jeep waitin' fer 'em tomorrow, then, iffen yer so set on them fetchin' it."

"I will have them go first thing in the morning," Galileo replied as his sept leader vanished off into the Umbral woods around them. He peeked back out into the real world, again watching the young Garou. "Yet I feel we shall have Interesting Times ahead."

[Cynical Cat]

The Shadowlord broke out from the cover of the trees. Before him was a Metis breed, the horns he wore making his status obvious. He addressed the Metis. "I am Stormwalker, Shadowlord Ahroun. I come in peace to this caern as a servant of Gaia."

[Charon]

The Metis turned his head to look at the Shadowlord. He was of one of the Wyrmbringers, and a trickster above that. Already he was testing what he could get away with, and acting superior to the lowly Metis. Breathes-the-Winds was tempted to throw him off the waterfall.

"We have known that you are coming, Shadowlord, and you are welcome here." Breathes-the-Winds turned to look at the rest. "As all of you are welcome here. I am Breathes-the-Winds, Uktena Songkeeper." The Metis bowed his head to the other Garou and smiled to himself. The masters were watching, they always were. But this should appease them, at least for now.

[Cynical Cat]

The Metis's words were friendly, but did he really mean them? Stormwalker couldn't tell. He needed to get better at this game. No, not game. This was a form of battle, one where he had already suffered a devastating defeat. He had to treat it seriously or further defeats were inevitable.

"I thank you Breathes-the-Winds. May the spirits smile upon you." He meant that sincerely. He had not come all this way to gain new enemies.

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds was quiet for awhile, too long really. What was the Shadowlords game? What secrets was he trying to pry from him? Perhaps he knew? No, how could that be. He had just arrived. Unless...

Breathes-the-Winds finally responded, carefully. "My thanks to you Stormwalker, may the spirits watch over you."

[Cynical Cat]

Stormwalker inclined his head respectfully and walked passed the Metis to meet and great the other Garou.

[General Havoc]

Though she didn't know it, Sophie's thoughts were in line with the Shadowlord (he could only be a Shadowlord, looking like that). The words between the Shadowlord and the one that might be a Uktena or a Wendigo for all she knew (and she fervently hoped it was the former) were not friendly, they were some kind of pitched political battle, the likes of which Sophie knew herself to be ill-equipped to wage. Her uncles' home had been the scene of many pitched battles and arguments, but not politics. She was not accustomed to veiling what she thought behind layers of false rhetoric, nor to decoding it. Like the Shadowlord, she was no good at this sort of game.

Unlike the Shadowlord, she did not have the slightest intention of playing it. She had not come all this way to say things she didn't mean for the sake of some kind of mutating influence game, and her background was that when you were presented with a game you didn't want to play, the best thing to do was to change the rules. She had seen werewolves of other tribes before, but never really met any, and therefore had no idea how any of this was supposed to work, if there were to be rituals or obeisances, but she refused to let it concern her at all. If anyone had a problem with who she was, or how she greeted people, she would prefer to have it out in the open, not concealed behind masks of false civility. If that cost her "points", then what purpose was there to assembling them?

She stepped forward as the Uktena identified himself as such. That at least was something of a relief (the stories she'd been told of what Wendigo commonly did to lone Glass Walkers were not pleasant ones). As she saw him around the Shadowlord, she noticed his horns, as instantly apparent as if they were glowing. She hesitated despite herself. Another Metis? Most of the other Glasswalkers back in Chicago had suggested she was likely to be the only Metis present, unless perhaps the Gaians sent one.

Thinking about that brought back all of their advice in a flash flood, and she shook her head and clenched her lupine teeth, and shifted forms before she let her doubts and hesitations talk her out of it. All the way from Lupus to Homid she shifted, and when she was done, where there had been a speckled grey wolf with black points (some natural, some dyed), there now stood a young woman, Caucasian, dressed in freshly store-bought hiking gear, a bluetooth earpiece held loosely over one ear, a pair of rimless glasses on her face, her blond hair fastened back in a ponytail beneath a navy blue Chicago Cubs baseball cap. A small evergreen backpack was on her back, lightly packed at best, and around her hips was fastened a belt with a holster and a small handgun. And as though this all were not enough to identify her as a Glasswalker, slung over one shoulder and held under the opposite arm, she carried a black case suitable in size only for a laptop computer. Normally of course she kept both computer, earpiece, and gun packed securely in her backpack... but right now she wanted to make an impression.

And having shifted into this new form, Sophie smiled, took a few steps towards the two towering Crinoses, and threw every one of her cards face-up on the table.

"Hello," she said as calmly as she could, trying to conceal the fact that her heart was racing at the prospect of what these two might be about to do. "My name is Sophia Aran." Her eyes darted to the horned Metis Uktena as she spoke the next line. "I'm a Metis, of the Glass Walker tribe," she said without the slightest hint of shame or doubt, only then adding a more traditional greeting form, that sounded a bit stilted compared to what she had just said.

"May the spirits watch over you."

[Charon]

What the fuck was that? What the hell did that mean? What was his game? A thousand questions raced through Breathes-the-Winds mind as the Shadowlord passed by him. When the Lupus that was coming closer shifted to a human form, Winds was almost impressed. But deep within his own mind he began to question as well what this woman may know, what such a shift would indicate about her intentions towards him.

When the second words out of her lips were 'I'm a Metis', Breathes-the-Winds had to try very hard to keep his jaw from hitting the ground. That she would openly state her heritage like that. But then, being in the presence of another Metis was comforting for him, and must be comforting for her as well. The towering Crinos looked Sophia in the eye for a few moments and was quiet. "Welcome." it growled in the human tongue. That was all the Crinos could achieve in that tongue, but it continued in the tongue of the garou. "The Sept of the Moon's Blessing is glad to accept you here tonight, may you learn much." Did she know he was unable to change away from his Crinos form tonight? She was a Glasswalker, and who knew what they knew. This could be another test, he would have to be wary.

[rhoenix]

Still sitting and watching, motionless, Sees-Faces-In-Stars watched the others with interest; using all his senses to learn about these newcomers to this place where Gaia's true self is made manifest.

Watching the young Shadowlord, Stormwalker, who revered a tooth of Gaia meet the Uktena, Breathes-The-Wind was tense, but cordial. More interesting still was the meeting between the Glasswalker, Sophia Aran (the syllables still felt strange to him), and Breathes-The-Wind.

Sees-Faces-In-Stars already liked Breathes-The-Wind, if his name meant what he thought. That the Winds sustain the breath the Garou use to talk as much as Gaia and Luna, and should be revered.

Getting up slowly, and with grace, Sees-Faces-In-Stars walked toward Breathes-The-Wind and Sophia Aran, sitting near both of them to create a circle. He greeted them both in the Garou tongue, speaking in a calm voice. "May your paths be blessed by all listening spirits. I am Sees-Faces-In-Stars - may we howl together."

[Devonie]

Arianne shifts to Homid form as the comes closer to the small group.
Her green eyes flash as she takes in the other Garou. She shakes her straight red hair back over her shoulders and announces herself as she enters the clearing. "Arianne. You may call me Heart-of-Steel, if you prefer. May the Sprits guide us."

She meets the eyes of each in turn as she speaks and nods in welcome.

As she comes closer, the others can see her; she looks like a red-haired, green-eyed lara croft, down to the shoulder holster with pistol and leg-sheathed knife.

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds looked to the Lupus as he came forward and nodded slowly. "Greetings Sees-Faces-in-Stars, we may howl together some time soon." The Lupus had been watching him, watching the Shadowlord as well. What was his part in all this? Was he an ally to the Shadowlord? An enemy?

Then the giant turned to face the other Homid who was coming close. Breathes-the-Winds was rather put off that both the Glasswalker and this new arrival had chosen to remain in their Homid forms, but there was nothing for that now. The Crinos spoke in the tongue of the Garou "Greetings to you Heart-of-Steel, and welcome to this place. I am Breathes-the-Winds, Uktena Songkeeper."

[rhoenix]

As Breathes-The-Winds greeted the newcomer, Sees-Faces-In-Stars gave his greeting to her as well, in the Garou tongue. "Blessings for your journey, Heart-of-Steel. May we howl together."

The winds of fate seemed to be still blowing this joyous moon. Sees-Faces-In-Stars felt pleased. He would greet the Shadowlord newcomer next.

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds was quiet as Sees-Faces-In-Stars moved away towards the others. His eyes darted around nervously now. He was an initiate himself, no higher in rank than these others. Where the fuck was Galileo?! This was his job damnit, why was he leaving it to him? He must be waiting in the Umbra. Just watching to see when Breathes-the-Winds would screw up so he could arrive in time to disgrace the Metis and make himself seem superior.

Unconsciously, the Metis turned his body and started looking around himself, watching for signs of either enemies or the elders.

[General Havoc]

If Sophie didn't know any better, she might have thought the other Metis, Breathes-the-Winds, had just had a heart attack. That worried her a bit. She knew that it was uncommon for Metises to advertise their status among other tribes (Hell, it was rare enough within the Glass Walkers), but that he, a Metis, was astonished to see her do so was a bad sign.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. There was no going back now. Indeed she had said it precisely so that there would be no going back. Not every werewolf abhorred Metises as some kind of betrayal of Gaia. She would soon find out who among the ones here did.

Another werewolf in homid form, another woman, dressed similarly to Sophie but with far less technical paraphernalia about her, and a gun prominent in a shoulder harness. No Glass Walker this, Sophie decided, an instant before she identified herself as Arianne/Heart-of-Steel. Sophie herself had no specific Garou name. Her uncles had suggested a dozen or so in jest, but none had stuck. It had not occurred to her that she was expected to have one.

Was she expected to have one?

... screw it.

Sees-Faces-In-Stars was probably Lupus. He had that weird tempo to his Garou-speach that came (so she had been told) from growing up as a wolf. Stormwalker, she wasn't so sure of. She doubted he was a Metis, but whatever he was, a Shadowlord was something she had been warned to keep a close eye on. Breathes-the-Winds looked nervous as all hell, as if he anticipated something about to jump them. As the others did not, she chalked it up to mere nerves. This was probably the first time any of them had met large numbers of other Garou, especially for the other Metis. Arianne on the other hand looked alert and confident. Ahroun, was Sophie's guess. Probably already trying to figure out how to become Pack Alpha.

She glanced back at the Shadowlord again. Good luck to her...

"I've never done this before," said Sophie, in English but the tone was that of a statement, not an apology. Only belatedly did she realize that everyone else was speaking Garou. Did all the others know english? Some of them might not be American...

As always, when considering shifting into her natural form, she took a second to think through the decision. Without the Veil to protect her, her uncles had hammered caution into her as soon as she had started shifting forms. Buy now it was second-nature. She might be standing in the center of a Caern, invisible to every human eye... but she still ran the situation through her mind before shifting.

A moment later, Sophie was a seven foot, six inch werewolf, her glasses still perched over her canine snout.

"Like I said, I don't know how this works," she said, this time in Garou. "Is there something we're all supposed to do?"

[rhoenix]

Sitting back on his haunches, Sees-Faces-In-Stars' eyes twinkled at seeing Sophie change into her Between form, and be honest with the others in the old tongue. "Yes. Sniff noses, revel in being Garou!"

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds closed his eyes and took a few deep breathes. They weren't out to get him. There was no one in the shadows waiting for his guard to drop. The Black Spiral Dancers weren't back. The Garou cleared his mind in a half a minute and when he opened his eyes again he smiled. "I know a few stories of bravery that I can weave for you all."

[Devonie]

Arianne gives the other Garou a slow smile, stretches and transforms to Lupus. She is now a solid black wolf, the size of an Irish Wolfhound - though the same green eyes flash in the darkness. "So we understand one another better," she says.

"I presume that you were called here to meet tonight, yes?" Without waiting for an answer she continues, "Then we wait for He Who Called Us."

She settles herself on the ground, paws crossed, head alert. She inclines her head to the Uktena. "I think your stories may pass the time well, Breathes-the-Winds. Please indulge us."

[Charon]

Breathes-the-Winds snorted, not in derision but amusement. This one was certain of where she belonged in a pack, that was for certain. She probably felt entitled to it. Like it was her birthright, being born not a Metis. Regardless of his personal heritage or hers, he was not going to sit idly and let a foreigner take charge. This was his sept damnit and he would not let her disgrace the name of the Uktena.

"It is a night of celebration Heart-of-Steel! We would do a great disservice to the Garou and to our great mother if we spent it laying in the dirt while we enjoy the night!" Breathes-the-Winds carefully left out that in all likelyhood they were being watched by an elder right now.

The Metis grinned as he moved away from the group for a few moments, then came back with an old looking hide drum. The Garou smirked as he stood at his full height across from Heart-of-Steel and began a soft and steady drumbeat. "I am Breathes-the-Winds. I serve great Uktena with my tribe, and I was born under the great auspice of the Songkeeper, nearly the full face of luna shining down upon me." Breathes-the-Winds was in his element now, his cares and his worries always melted away when he performed. Somehow it was more comforting to be able to see that everyone's eyes were on him, instead of simply knowing everyone was watching him. "And I was taken in by my family, and taught the ways of the mighty Garou." The Metis had slipped into a musical lilt as he continued. A surge of pride and glory filling the air. It did not have the true power of the words of a Songkeeper, words that could encourage even the frailest and most cowardly of kinfolk into the heat of battle, but Breathes-the-Winds was certainly no hack.

"And I learned of Gaia, and all she has given us. And I learned of the golden times, when the Triat worked as one!" Suddenly the beat changed and Breathes-the-Winds deep voice changed pitch to be far more ominous and sad. "And then the shattering of harmony began. And chaos reigned as the Wyrm and the Weaver went mad. And how Gaia created the mighty race of the Garou, to protect her and serve her unto Apocolypse, where the Garou shall face their grand enemies one last time!" Breathes-the-Winds was shouting now as much as singing, his feet were moving on their own as the Garou made small circles, not yet extending to be near each of the others but it was a start.

"I am Breathes-the-Winds. And these are the legends I learned. For I was born of these lands, and the blood of the Appalachians flows in my veins. Blood that I will gladly one day give back to our mother."

Breathes-the-Winds tempo on the drum had sped up considerably as he had spoken but now that he was done the beat had changed to a steady soft drumming as he looked over at Sees-Faces-In-Stars, then across at each of the collected Garou. The horned Crinos was grinning. "And who is it you are my brothers?" Breathes-the-Winds the slowly adding small and simple rhythms into his beat as he waited for the next to add to the tale that was being woven.

[rhoenix]

Hearing the Uktena Songkeeper rise into his soul-song, Sees-Faces-In-Stars listened to the song carefully, and heard the others be captivated, one by one. As Breathes-The-Winds finished, and looked around for one to sing the second verse, Sees-Faces-In-Stars stood on all fours, looking at the others gathered. "Singing my story is for us. Not me, and not you." he said simply.

He stood with eyes closed for a moment as he stood on all fours, the breeze lightly moving his wolf's fur as he felt the beat of the drum. Suddenly, he howled loudly and straight up to Luna above, with a tone of pure savage joy of being alive. He then sang in the Garou tongue, with perfect rhythm.

"I was born of wolves who already knew Luna's face
I ran with the pack, feeling the heartbeat of Gaia
I hunted with the pack, breathing the winds
Wind, Gaia, Luna - all awoke in one wolf who could see ghosts.

I ran with the Winds, learned to listen to their tales
I sat with Gaia, heard her stories of life
I sang with Luna, listened to her hopes
I awoke again as Garou.

All Gaia's children, with form and without
Tell of their tales, speak of their troubles
scream of their woes, and sing of their joys
I listen to all of them.

I am Sees-Faces-In-Stars, of the Tribe of Winds and Stars, and I am Theurge!"

[LadyTevar]

Galileo smiled from the Umbra, watching the cubs. He was not yet ready to show himself, wishing to give them time to introduce each other. The Uktena's solution was wise... he would mention it to the other Elders.

Yet there was still the ShadowLord youth, holding himself apart. He seemed to be searching the top of the falls for signs of other Garou, and most likely of Galileo himself. The Ragabash elder shook his head, for he had asked all to avoid this section so he could judge the young ones on their actions while 'alone'.

A few more minutes, he decided. He would see if any of the others, especially the ShadowLord, would join in the song. Then Galileo would join the song himself. A wicked grin flashed over his face. Poor Cubs. Hoped they didn't have sensetive ears when he did.