Character Sheet: Lara "Dreamhowler" McTigue
Appearance
Prelude

Journal Entries:

Thursday, June 1st, 1995
Friday, June 2nd, 1995
Saturday, June 3rd, 1995
Sunday, June 4th, 1995
Tuesday, June 6th, 1995
Wednesday, June 7th, 1995
Thursday, June 8th, 1995

Name: Lara "Dreamhowler" McTigue
Player: Dawn Deppe
Status: Resigned
Breed: Homid
Auspice: Galliard
Tribe: Fianna
Pack Name: Ancient Voices
Pack Totem: Redwood
Concept:

ATTRIBUTES:
Physical: Strength-1, Dexterity-3, Stamina-2
Social: Charisma-5, Manipulation-2, Appearance-3
Mental: Perception-3, Intelligence-2, Wits-3

ABILITIES
Talents: Alertness-3, Athletics-1, Brawl-1, Dodge-1, Empathy-3, Expression-3, Primal-Urge-1, Subterfuge-1
Skills: Animal Ken-2, Drive-1, Etiquette-2, Leadership-1, Performance-2, Stealth-2, Survival-2
Knowledge: Linguisitics (Spanish)-1, Rituals-2

ADVANTAGES:
Background: Fetish-2, Kinfolk-1, Resources-1, Totem-2
Gifts: Beast Speech, Mindspeak, Persuasion, Resist Toxin

RITES: ?

RENOWN RANK 0
Glory-2/0
Honor-3/0
Wisdom-1/0

Rage-4
Gnosis-1
Willpower-3

Appearance: Lara is 5'2", very slight of build, maybe 110 lbs. Shoulder length dark brown hair, almost brunette. With lots of sunlight exposure, she goes a sort of dirty blond color, and in daylight, you can detect reddish highlights. Her sea-green eyes are hidden by an ever present abundance of hair, since she prefers long hair. She doesn't sytle it any particular way, but she usually keeps it long in the back, short on the sides, and long bangs if she feels like it, and she's ready to go.
She's particularly sensitive about her eyes, which is why she keeps them hidden. When she performs, however, she lets everyone see her eyes, and therefore, some of her soul. Her skin tone is a bit light, which, combined with her dark hair, makes her look rather Celtic. She doesn't usually wear makeup, unless it's onstage. Dressed usually in jeans, black boots, a short-sleeve white t-shirt, and a black denim vest, she can look slightly intimidating. Sometimes a denim or leather jacket, and/or a backwards baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses to hide her eyes. However, her height and weight always give people a sense of ease around her, because how can someone as small as that hurt anyone? And she smiles easily, tells jokes and has a real way with people. No one ever knows until too late just how dangerous she can be. She almost never goes Crinos through anger, though.
Lara in Crinos form is definately more intimidating, 7'7" in height, weighing in at 240 lbs. She is still rather slight of build, looking like a skinny, scruffy but REALLY large Irish Wolfhound when she's on all fours. Her fur color remains dark brown, but around the ears its a bit stringy. Even in this form, her fur covers her eyes to some extent. Her tail is quite long and furry in relation to the rest of her body. Small for a werewolf, but big enough for her; she loves being small and lithe.

Prelude:

April 20, 1990- 7:15am PST

"Oww, my head! What in the name of the Goddess did I do to deserve this kind of headache?! Can't see, can't move... must've been some closing party." Lara tried to open her eyes, but they seemed to be stuck shut with industrial strength superglue. In fact, her entire body was stiff and sore, which made it even harder to sit up. Eventually, after several halfhearted tries, she managed to heave herself up from the ground... all they way to a kneeling position. "OK, now the eyes." Sensing that opening them too quickly would cause tremendous pain, Lara concluded, wisely, that covering her eyes would save her some grief. So, under the protection of her shaking hands... ."Fine, it's daylight. I can handle that. But I must've been really messed up to plop down on the ground to sleep like an animal." Hmmm... spark of memory here...
Lara didn't know it then, but at the tender age of 15, her carefree existence as an itinerant Renaissance Faire performer was about to take an unusual turn. Oh, she knew she was quite a bit different from most teens... and for very unusual reasons. Unlike most families, hers had actually encouraged her to run away and join the circus. Rebellious, headstrong, emotional... she was full of all those descriptive adjectives, with just a little bit of frustration thrown into the mix. While growing up in rural Pennsylvania, her hippie-sixties throwback parents tried to help and understand her. They wanted to help her with all the things their own parents had taken for granted. They hadn't bargained on her uncontrollable and sometimes dangerous rages, born of the frustration she felt.
Frustration, mostly because all of her artistic attempts didn't seem to express her deepest self. Writing, painting, music, even theater and dance couldn't manage to bring out what she wanted most.....which was to come in contact with that other, hidden part of her, her other self. She knew instinctually that she had one, sort of like a schizophrenic, or Jekyl and Hyde. Trouble was, she didn't feel whole... she felt it was imperative to discover and express that other self, and that it had to be done through the arts... but so far, only abysmal failure.
When her parents discovered her quest for artistic knowledge, they did their best to nurture that hunger, and they researched ways for her to express herself. Only when an old college friend of theirs showed up one day, did that door open.

October 2, 1989 State College, PA

He had called up out of the blue, some 20 years after they had last seen him. They invited him over that night, but they couldn't quite figure why Daniel wanted to be social with them, especially after all these years. As they recalled, he was quite a loner even then. He had always had a reputation as a hell raiser, but he was also a good friend when he was around.

October 2, 1989 7:20pm State College, PA

When he arrived, he seemed to be preoccupied with something, not really paying much attention to their polite and inane conversation. He looked around, inspecting all the doorways, expecting something. Suddenly... "Hey Mom, Dad." Lara was home from rehearsals for a production of "Dracula." She was making a beeline for her bedroom upstairs, antisocial as usual, but she stopped short on the first stair step. She turned around rapidly, wide eyed and speechless. Daniel was staring at her. Long, tense moments passed, the stale living room air charged with something more than electricity, a sort of wildness in it.
Finally, Daniel turned to Lara's parents, and quite calmly said, "I'd like to talk to Lara alone for a moment. We have something to discuss, and it's a life or death matter."
They came out of their stunned silence, knowing instinctively that they should do as he said. No idea why, it was crazy the way he came in here and immediately assumed that he could talk with Lara like he was one of the family. But they somehow took it in stride...
Alone in the living room, Lara eyed Daniel with more than a little suspicion. "Why do I know you?" Daniel eyed her, sizing her up... "Lara, I think I know what's been happening to you, what you need."
Lara continued to stare, not certain if he truly has something of worth to say, or if he was going to assault her. She stayed tense, and ready to move. Daniel continued, aware of her discomfort.
"Trust me, OK? I can help." He sat back, eyes still locked on her. "I knew your parents in college, and because of certain... .similarities... in our backgrounds, I knew what problems might occur with their offspring. I'm kinda psychic that way."
He suddenly grinned, immediately putting Lara at ease.
"I really can't explain much to you, just that your parents are not aware of their own background, so there's no way that you would ever know yourself. That's why I'm here. We both come from a very special background, and it's also a big secret."
He paused, obviously hesitant about his next words. Lara felt a great deal of excitement, like she was on the edge of an Epiphany.
She dropped her eyes, respectfully, and said "Go on. I think you may know how to help me more than anyone. I don't know why I feel that, it's irrational since I've only known you for 5 minutes. But I have a sort of... instinct about things, and I'm always trying to listen to what it tells me. Right now, it tells me I can trust you. So go on."
Daniel gave a heavy sigh of relief.
"Lara, listen very carefully... you are part of a very select group of creatures. You won't come to know it fully for possibly a year or two, but I need to prepare you for it. You'll go through some serious changes, very primal and animalistic. In fact, the changes are so severe, you actually change physically. It's pretty tough... but the good thing about all of this is... .you'll discover that lost self. You'll become whole. I know that's what you've been looking for, am I right?"
Lara started to grin. Someone actually KNEW what she was going through. He sympathized, even. Oh sure, her parents sympathized, too, but they only did it out of love, not from any real awareness of her true plight. But now... . Daniel broke her train of thought.
"Lara, if you'll trust me, I'd like to ask your parents to let you come with me. I'm a travelling musician, and I perform at Renaissance Faires around the country. There are several... people... like you and I out there, and you'll be protected when that change occurs, far better than if you stayed here in ignorance. Will you come?"
Lara stared at him levelly. Then she got up, and strode purposefully toward the front door.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked with some confusion.
"I'm ready to go now, how 'bout you?"
Daniel laughed, "Wait we have to break the news to your parents."
Lara smiled slowly, and came back to the couch to wait.
Daniel called for her parents. "Colin!!!!! Diana!!!!"
They appeared from the kitchen and their faces told Lara that they knew what was about to happen. Daniel told them that he knew of some of her performing talents, and that he could get her a job that would allow her to find the expression she needed. They looked at each other, and that same slow smile that Lara had spread across their faces.
"Yes, of course... if it will make Lara happy?"
Colin looked to her with sudden concern. Lara quickly nodded yes, still smiling.
"OK, it's settled then. C'mon Lara, are you all set to go?"
"Of course, are you kidding me? Lets rock!"
Diana stood up almost too quickly for her balance. "Wait, what about packing, and saying goodbye, and... "
She suddenly burst into tears. Colin just stood silently, staring at Lara, nodding all the while.
"Mom.....Dad... I don't have anything here that I need to take with me. I need to leave everything behind if I'm to make any progress. I love you both, and you'll probably hear from me now and again. That I promise. But I've been prepared to go since I was a small child, so goodbyes are senseless at this point. Just be happy for me, OK?"
Colin stopped nodding, and Diana stopped crying. Silently, they both said goodbye to their only daughter.
Thus began Lara's education and indoctrination into her new life, with Daniel as her mentor. A new life as a Renaissance Faire singer/dancer. The Werewolf growing in her was held at bay by Daniel, not wanting her to know her true nature until "the change" had occurred. Only then would he and his compatriots teach her what she needed to know.

April 20, 1990, 7:30am PST

Lara knew something unusual had happened. Both her body and her mind told her the story, and suddenly she realized that the "animalistic" change that Daniel had talked about might finally have happened. From the moment she started learning the Celtic dances and traditional music, her soul was in constant motion. The emotions she felt grew, and took shape and became almost uncontrollable. It even seemed that Daniel and the others were egging her on, trying to make her snap, but they were also very supportive of her. They also were watching her constantly, expecting. To her, it seemed like they were a clan of very stern, driving parents. But they also cared, which set them apart from most people she knew back home.
All winter, and early this spring, she worked with them in their southern California commune, dancing and singing, working the local Faire, emotions growing, out of control, until... Last night, they had their final fling. It was the last day of Faire, and everyone was in a mood to party. Even before the festivities began, her mood was euphoric, bordering on madness. Every sense was alive, and her dancing grew in intensity, becoming more reckless with each twirl. Daniel watched her intently, as did the others... the night passed, and near midnight, something happened. And she didn't remember it, damn it!! "OK, I gotta talk to Daniel... I gotta find out what happened." Forgetting most of her pain with a concerted effort, she heaved herself up on two feet, and went in search of her mentor.
He was waiting for her, sitting quietly by the tallest oak on site. All the grass had been beaten down by the Faire crowds, and there was not much more than dust there. He saw her, and beckoned with a silent gesture. Lara came to him, sat down, and silent, listened to him speak.
Daniel counselled her for several hours, telling her what had happened, what she had become, what her purpose was... .and he answered her questions as well. Over the next few months, and years, he and the Garou members of the Rennie group helped her understand what it meant to be a werewolf of the Clan Fianna, born under a Galliard moon. She learned, and she did understand. It was the most wonderful feeling, to finally be in touch with her "other" self. Lara knew much happiness then, but her exuberance abated somewhat when they told her the true nature of what was happening in the world today. Too many bad things were happening to Gaia, and the balance was upset. She didn't know what she could do about it, not by herself, but Daniel assured her, there was a way, and she would learn it, and help her pack. Lara became quiet, and spent many hours thinking about this.

July 27, 1995 8:30 pm PST Cowell Redwoods State park

You have read my beginnings, and I am now at an end. Where do I go from here? Daniel told me I have to find my own way now. Daniel was the last, and he walked off into the proverbial sunset, leaving me alone. Everyone else disappeared one by one, and I don't know what happened to them all. Daniel seemed to know, but he was as silent as ever... and he told me to leave as soon as I could. I wouldn't leave, not after I had spent my entire Garou life with them... .but now, no one was left. He forced me to come here, out in the wilds. He said I would meet others here, stronger, better able to teach me what was left to know. Then he left. Asshole!!
Now I sit, looking at the nearly dark Sky... and I wait.

Thursday June 1st, 1995 10:24 a.m.

Lara danced through the dense fern growth. Spying the bright yellow of a banana slug, she watched it for ages, as it trailed along patiently, oblivious to her potentially overpowering presence. Delighting in the abundance of life around her, Lara changed to glabro and ran up and into the large stand of giant redwoods. One of these had had its core burned out by lightening, though it had continued to live. Lara crawled inside it, cobwebs tickling her face. Changing back to homid, she scratched at the charcoal lining the inside of the hollow and listened carefully as the sounds of birds and rushing water made themselves known.
There was a crashing sound as something large ran past her hiding place. Peeking out, she could see a large deer bounding down the gully and up it's farther side, disappearing beyond the ferns into another stand of trees. There was the sound of a heavy panting and soon, a white wolf came into view. Sniffing, it picked up the buck's scent and bounded off after it. Sensing the chase, something burning came alive in Lara's blood. Howling, she changed back into glabro and ran off after the wolf and deer. By the time she reached the ferns, her crinos form was carrying her up the hillock. By the time she reached its top, she was hispo, leaping over to the other side. As she raced down the far side of the small hill, heading towards the river, it was with sleek lupine feet that she touched Gaia's sweet earth.
She was fresh and rested and she soon overtook the white wolf, whose surprised yelp called out after her. Running quickly, she jumped into the riverbed, slipping on the stones but righting herself quick enough to race ahead past pools of deep water and small cascades whose cold water bit her paws as she splashed along the shallows. To her left, the white wolf howled as it picked up speed, driving the deer toward Dreamhowler.
Dreamhowler ran up the steep bank, briefly crossing the distasteful cut of a little used human trail, and racing ahead, cut off the deer as he fled from the following white wolf. He saw Dreamhowler, but his speed was too great to change direction so quickly and she easily jumped him, locking her jaws on her throat. Choking blood and now carrying Dreamhowler's weight as well, the stag slowed to a staggering lope. The white wolf charged into view and leapt upon the deers rear, biting at its haunches. Together, twisting and pulling, they brought the stag down and, suffocating from the lock on its throat, it soon gave up the struggle and lay still as the two began to feed.
The white wolf was first. Tearing at the deer's stomach, she began to feast, blood colouring her face while Dreamhowler fell to eating alongside her, reveling in the glory of the hunt and the taste of her first kill.

Thursday June 1st 11:57 a.m.

Resting after their large meal, the two garou, having changed to homid form, washed themselves in one of the pools in the river. After that, they found sunny rocks upon which to dry their naked bodies, the heat laying down upon them like burning kisses. Lara knew the other garou only from having seen her before. Her name was Odvieg Baneshatter and she was a philodox, and the only Get of Fenris in the sept, having been outcast from others of her tribe for being to peaceful - for a Get. The Sept of Ancient Voices were known for giving haven to garou that other septs had cast out as unworthy or unwanted. Sarah Four-kills had a reputation for being a gentle and kind leader, who looked to find the best in all beings when possible, and not blame them for their weaknesses. It was this kind of courage that made her ridiculous in the eyes of some garou, but was the reason the garou of the Ancient Voices loved and respected her.
Odvieg looked over at Lara, who was sunning herself while staring ahead, obviously at nothing.
"What's the matter with you," Odvieg asked.
Lara didn't know this person, so she wasn't sure that she wanted to talk to her. But they had cooperated in bringing down the deer and had eaten together. Somehow, and Lara didn't know why, that made her feel bonded in some sort of way. There didn't seem anything to do but answer the question.
"I was thinking about the deer," Lara told her.
"What about it?" Odvieg asked, picking her teeth. "It was a great chase. I would have lost it if you hadn't of come along," she told Lara.
Lara grimaced. "I was just, uh, I sort of felt sorry for it," she confessed. She expected the Get to start making fun of her now, but Odvieg didn't. Instead, she turned over and straightened Lara's hair for her.
"Look, Lara, I know what you're feeling. I felt it after my first kill. But you have to understand that the beast we fed today is part of us. We fed its hunger so that it will sustain us in time of need. That is a gift Gaia has given us. And we did not relish in the stag's pain, but killed it swiftly, honouring it for its speed and grace. It was a worthy and beautiful prey," she surmised.
"Wouldn't it have been more beautiful alive?" Lara asked, her eyes becoming moist.
Odvieg hugged her, letting out a sympathetic doglike whimper.
"Look, Lara?" she asked, "didn't you enjoy chasing and bringing down that deer?"
Ashamed, Lara nodded.
"And didn't the taste of its blood, its heart, didn't these thrill you?"
Again, the nod.
"That's because we are hunters. Its part of what we do. We take animals from time to time, but in doing so, we keep herds down and we give our hunter souls what they need to keep strong and alert. Do you understand?"
Lara turned over and looked at Odvieg. "Thank you," she smiled, her eyes still moist. "I understand, but I just don't know how to deal with these feelings. I feel so conflicted," she said.
Odvieg nodded. "Come with me," she told Lara. "I have someone I want you to meet. - You think you feel conflicted"

Thursday June 1st 12:25 p.m.

Returning to lupus form, Dreamhowler followed Baneshatter as she ran through the forest. Travelling thus, they reached the bawn, the heart of the Sept, quickly. There, various garou engaged in discussions or played in physical games. In all these groups of garou, one stood out at once. He was an enormous black furred crinos with tall ears that made him seem even more gigantic. At first, he appeared to be ahroun, but when Dreamhowler came closer, she saw that he stooped slightly and that part of his face was misshapen to form a permanent scowl. There were also dark membranous folds in his skin under the arms. She stopped running and cringed back, growling.
"A Black Spiral Dancer!" she said, baring her fangs. "What is he doing here?"
Baneshatter, seeing that Dreamhowler had left her, ran back and whimpered, "Be quiet! I don't want you to hurt his feelings. His name is Klaivesmourn and he is a full member of the sept."
This news, though surprising, calmed Lara somewhat. Changing to hispo, she skulked with Odvieg at the fringe of the clearing and continued to watch the metis. Though he was greeted politely by all the groups he approached, there seemed to be a marked tension with his presence. As if sensing this, he didn't remain long with any group, but strode off to another, driven by some pack sociability. Finally, giving up, he brought out a flute and began to play a lively tune. The other garou perked up their ears, but did nothing more to notice the metis.
"His mother was a Black Fury," Odvieg explained, changing back to homid. "She was taken by a group of Black Spirals and forced repeatedly. Klaivesmourn was the result."
Lara grimaced with disgust.
Odvieg continued, whispering while Dreamhowler changed to crinos, then glabro. "Of course, had she lived, she would have killed the cub, but she didn't. The Dancers were going to sacrifice him when he was rescued by a raiding group of Uktena. They didn't know what to do with him so he was given to the Silver Fangs of another sept, and then another. It wasn't until Sarah found him that Klaivesmourn was given his true home, here at Ancient Voices. Still," she explained, "I think his presence tends to make others uncomfortable."
Lara could see why. Having finished the tune, the metis' tongue seemed to loll out of his mouth uncontrollably like a snake's. And like a reptile's, it was long and forked, blackly sinuous as if full of bile and wyrmtaint.
Just then, Odvieg called out to him, "Klaivesmourn, over here!"
"What are you doing?" Lara hissed, having returned to homid.
Odvieg didn't answer. Instead, she waved at the black furry Klaivesmourn, who looked more like the hellish mockery of a bear as he approached. His smile was disgusting, but it seemed genuine as he greeted Odvieg and Lara.
"Klaivesmourn, this is Lara." Klaivesmourn affected a mockery of a human curtsy, which made Odvieg, and then Lara laugh, despite herself. Klaivesmourn, his Ragabash nature revealed, joined in. His voice, when he spoke, was deep and sonorous, full of the rich beauty he lacked in his physical form.
"Greetings to you, sister Lara Dreamhowler. I have met the new Wendigo ahroun who has joined us. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you as yet. I see Gaia has saved the best and most rare for last," he nodded his head, which stood so far above Lara that he seemed to cast a shadow almost as large as one of the nearby redwoods.
"Uh, nice to meet you," Lara lied. Though she tried not to, she couldn't help but stare as the metis' forked tongue flopped around his face. She was sure it would break off and slither away on its own.
"Speaking of that Wendigo piece of scat, where is he now?" Odvieg asked, obvious disgust colouring her voice.
"Come now," Klaivesmourn chided, "if Sarah has accepted him, surely we can," Klaivesmourn replied. "Are we not all Gaia's children, here most assuredly? And jealousy does not become you, dear Odvieg."
"Keep your philosophy to yourself," Odvieg snarled. Lara thought she was at last acting like a Get. "I've never met such a skulking worthless piece of wyrm-kissed shit as that Wendigo. And to think that Sarah wants him groomed as a war leader!"
"Well, he is ahroun," Klaivesmourn pointed out. "And with the destruction of the Green Hills, and Stone-in-Fist injured, we need good war leaders."
Odvieg looked of a mind to continue the conversation, but just then, Lara was called away for her rite lesson with the Ritemaster, Diggs-a-lot. Walking toward Diggs' grove, she could hear Odvieg continue to argue with the Metis behind her.

Thursday June 1st 5:58 p.m.

Lara's dulling session with Diggs seemed to go on forever. The garou, who Lara thought was probably older than the surrounding redwoods, and not quite so interesting to listen to, pounded the litany of the sept's history into her, making her repeat over and over again about who begat who, and who killed what, and who achieved some ancient fossilized fame. Apparently, her disinterest showed as Diggs periodicaly pounded his fist on the stone bench to get her attention. She groaned. As a galliard, it would be her place to listen and learn all of this. But somehow, with the memory of the morning's chase and swim, and the sun shining outside, the last thing Lara wanted to do was sit in some stuffy glade, listening to Diggs rant on about garou long dead and dusted. They had been at it almost the whole afternoon, only taking a break when Diggs was called away to lecture some young garou who had broken some rules. Lara had whiled away the time, singing, and reading a book of poetry she found in the glade. But then, after what seemed at least three hours, Diggs had come back. The lesson resumed. Thankfully, it was soon interrupted by a visit from the ragabash, Owen Fishstealer. Lara learned that a group of glasswalkers had settled in the woods above the university.
Though these lands were outside Cowell Park, the Ancient Voices also laid claim to the upper third of the university land. Sarah, not wanting to antagonize possible allies, had let them stay for the time being.
Her policy had paid off for word came from these Glass Walkers that human Magi were planning to raid the cairn of the Ancient Voices. All able garou were being called to guard the cairn. As it happened, Lara, much to her discomfort, was paired with the metis, Klaivesmourn.
He, for his part, seemed glad to see Lara, and greeted her as an old friend, though they had only just met. Recounting what had happened, the metis prattled on like some old gossip, recounting that Odvieg and the Wendigo, Kwandu, had met not long after Lara's departure. They had almost come to blows, something forbidden in the bawn, and it had been to their lecture that Diggs-a-lot had been summoned. And for added punishment, Odvieg and this Kwandu had been paired together down near the boundary with the university. Klaivesmourn seemed to think it very amusing.

Thursday June 1st 7:49 p.m.

The long summer day just drawing to an end, Lara heard them before she saw them. Descending faster than a squirrel, Klaivesmourn skittled like a giant spider down the side of the redwood, perfectly at home, like some arboreal monster. His stated observations only confirmed what Lara could hear for herself, the obscene rumble of a number of motorbikes tearing into the evening quiet of the forest. Travelling with great speed, a number of bikers soon appeared in the scrub below them, their passage tearing up clods of dirt and making an obvious trail. Oblivious to the destruction they caused, the bikers were travelling incredibly fast toward the heart of the bawn. Lara's blood began to race, much as it had when she had hunted the deer. Before Klaivesmourn had stopped her, she had changed to lupus and was off after the bikers. She had tried to resist, but her will to fight the chase was too weak. Now, lost in the embrace of the hunt, she ran on, determined to bring down her prey once more.

Thursday June 1st 7:55pm

The drive for action was strong in her. Not thinking of the consequences, Dreamhowler ran fast, Garou blood pumping furiously through her body. It was a glorious feeling, the wind flying through her fur and all of Gaia singing out to her, giving her strength. She was so wrapped up in the moment, she completely forgot that she was not really a warlike Garou, not in her heart. Klaivesmourn, far behind her, probably would have advised caution this early in the encounter, but Dreamhowler wanted action. Oh, to feel her claws rip into something living, like the deer............Dreamhowler started to slow down just a little bit. The thought of the deer was sobering indeed. She shifted to Hispo, realizing that her natural Lupus instincts has set in, reigning in her urge to fight. All she ever wanted to do was experience the wonders that Gaia had to offer, and to tell Her story through song, dance, art, and stories. She wanted to revel in life, not destroy it. Now in Crinos form, and still running but on two legs now, Dreamhowler was nearing the area where the motorcycles were still roaring. She no longer wanted to kill as badly as she did before, but she knew it was her duty to her pack, to the Garou, and to Gaia. Dreamhowler had to be there to defend the cairn from the Magi...................but how, that was for her to decide.

Thursday June 1st 8:05pm

Now so close to the bikers that she could smell them, Lara kicked in what little stealth she had. That meant standing stock still behind a redwood. No longer crashing through the underbrush, she felt more in tune with her surroundings. She listened and observed, wondering what would happen next. Peering around the tree, she discovered to her surprise that there was only one person here, not the many she was expecting. Did they move away that quickly without her knowledge? Now Lara was beginning to doubt her senses, suddenly remembering with shame that she was still very young and inexperienced, having just made her first kill only hours ago. She shifted to Glabro, and tried to stay still, not wanting to alarm this unwary human until she knew it's purpose.
This young woman appeared to be uncomfortable, looking warily and expectingly around this small clearing. Very jumpy, this one, thought Lara. She made the final shift to Homid, and hit upon an idea.
Assuming her best scared and defenseless ingenue role, Lara took a deep breath, focused herself, and crashed into the clearing, screaming and wailing in fright. The effect on the lone biker was startling if not amusing. The large and formidable woman jumped high in the air, twisting around and she did so, and let out an ear piercing scream that stopped Lara in her tracks. She was so genuinely surprised that someone who looked so intimidating could emit such a girlish shriek, she completely forgot what she was going to do. In the split seconds while Lara was dealing with her surprise, the woman reached into her saddle bag and produced a................candle? The Garou lost it completely then, dropping to one knee and laughing so hard, her eyes began to water.
"What are you planning to do, light a candle and say a prayer over me?" the helplessly amused Lara asked. Now it was the biker's turn to be surprised. Staring at the candle in her hand, she started to grin, and smiled guardedly. "Well, if that will keep you from killing me, I guess that's what I'll do."
Lara became quite serious then, realizing what kind of danger they were both in. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but you need to tell me what you're doing here. This is no place for a................" Lara trailed off, remembering that she herself was a woman. The biker babe nodded, acknowledging the implicated nature of the word. "We both seem to be in a similar situation. What should we do about it? We don't know each other, but we're obviously not here in the remote wilderness for a midnight stroll, so there must be another explanation." Lara looked at her from beneath her longish locks of hair. Biker babe stared back. Nothing but a strained silence, so quiet it was almost deafening.
Lara began to hear Gaia's music in the wild around her, very softly, the breeze cooling the fire within her before she could actually hear it flow by her. She became calmer, quieter, and somehow more excited. Every living molecule around her was speaking to her, almost a distraction to the situation at hand. The biker seemed determined not to instigate a confrontation, so Lara made an instinctual decision.
Using her natural persuasive and endearing personality,"Bloodshed isn't cool, especially here and now, so............I'm Lara," she said, stepping forward and extending her hand out at the woman. The biker smiled and started to respond in a like manner, but the combined roar of motorcycles and howling wolves shocked the fear back into them.
Both wanted to run, run very far away. But the wolf in Lara knew that would be the most dangerous thing for both of them. Splitting up put them both at risk from their respective opposing forces, so she moved to within a few inches of the biker. Grabbing her shoulder's, Lara shoved the woman to a crouching position right beside the bike, looked around, and joined her on the ground. "If we stay together, maybe my friends won't hurt either of us." Panic suddenly struck Lara................both of them had screamed, quite loudly. Someone must've heard them, and that someone would almost definitely find them. She turned to the other woman, and by the look on her face, she had just thought the same thing.
Neither had time to think about it, for at that precise moment, Klaivesmourn exploded into the clearing, in Crinos form.

Thursday, June 1st, 1995 8:12 p.m.

The biker plastered herself to the ground. Lara could hear the woman's heart beat faster. It sounded to her like the chase of the deer hunt. Dreamhowler smelled the woman's fear and longed for it deeply. Lara shook her head, flinging away any such thoughts. Instead, she focused on the giant charging form of Klaivesmourn, who was bearing down on them at great speed.
"Oh, fuck!" the biker exhaled below Lara.
Lara saw it also as Klaivesmourn, running up a hill, jumped up and spreading out his arms, extending his flaps so that could glide silently down to them, like some enormous demon flying squirrel.
Landing beside the two of them, Klaivesmourn, seeing the prone woman, looked back from her to Lara and back to the woman. His tongue flopped out of his mouth, twisting every which way. Lara found herself wondering how he didn't manage to bite it when he spoke.
"Hmm. I see. Well, Dreamhowler, do you want to introduce me to your friend?" His voice seemed remarkably adept for a crinos in forming human words. He also offered what had probably been intended as a smile, but which, with the effect of all those exposed teeth, could hardly have been consoling to the young woman.
She reacted by shrieking and trying to bury her head in the layer of dried leaves below her. Lara pulled her to her feet.
"Perhaps if you shifted to homid," Lara suggested to Klaivesmourn.
The metis shrugged apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't," he told her. "This is my only form, except on very rare occasions, and then only with the help of a Dream Master."
Lara turned to the biker. "This is Klaivesmourn," she introduced the metis by shouting past the woman's building hysteria. "HE WON'T HURT YOU!"
The woman calmed a bit. There was even a bit of frightened anger in her eyes as she regarded Lara and the Metis.
"I'm Helen," the biker nodded, continuing "And I'm not glad to meet you," she said defiantly to Klaivesmourn.
Lara turned to her. The arrival of the metis had changed things. The biker was definitely frightened and angry, especially when looking at Klaivesmourn. She seemed to regard him as some kind of monster and couldn't hide the disgust that she held inside her.
"Look, we don't want to hurt you. We just need to know what you're doing here. This is our home. We have to defend it against intruders," Lara explained, trying to regain the trust she had thought she was winning when they first met.
Helen glared at Lara, as if still suspicious.
"I don't recall hearing of any deed that said this place belonged to the `furbacks.' As I recall, this place is a State Park, open to the use of all." The woman's voice was now hostile and defiant.
"Yes, this is a park, thanks to the efforts of the garou and kinfolk who made it so. And yes there is a deed, but like most garou deeds, it is written in song and blood. It is there, if you could but see or hear." Lara pointed at a moss covered rock. Helen looked to where she pointed, but shrugged.
"I see a rock," she said, sarcastically.
"Actually, I think what Dreamhowler is intending is a metaphor," Klaivesmourn tried to explain. "Though, of course, there is also an Umbral reality also to what she has inferred"
"Thank you, Klaivesmourn," Lara laid a hand on the metis' shoulder.
"Oh, uh, of course," Klaivesmourn nodded, letting Lara continue.
"Please, for your own sake, tell us what you're doing here. And don't give me any bull about State Parks. We all know that motorcycles aren't allowed here offroad."
The woman didn't answer. Instead she pulled a lighter out of her pocket and proceed to light the candle, which she had still managed to hold onto.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Klaivesmourn warned her.
"But then, I'm not you, am I, furback?" the biker retorted, lighting the candle.
With a move so quick that Lara, nor the biker she was sure, couldn't see, the candle was slashed out of the biker's hand and the young mage looked down to see her palm had been slashed open and was bleeding.
Klaivesmourn went to go stomp out the candle.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the biker warned him.
The metis looked over and then, thinking about it, grabbed the candle instead. Sniffing it, he wrinkled his nose in disgust and handed it back to Lara. Lara took it in her paws. It had a slippery oily feel, and it pulsed somewhat, as if alive.
"What is this thing?," Lara asked the biker.
The biker just smiled.

Thursday, June 1st 8:45 p.m.

"Is it much farther?" Helen, the biker, protested. Lara prodded her onward while Klaivesmourn continued to push the motorbike through the woods. It was a tough hike, for a human, and neither garou had volunteered to make it any easier for the woman, being uncooperative as she had been. Lara wished things hadn't turned out this way, but now that they had, she and Klaivesmourn decided it would be best to take Helen back where Sarah, Diggs and the others could question her.
Coming upon a fireroad, they decided to take a break and let the woman rest. Klaivesmourn, sniffing once more curiously at the motorbike, mounted it. It sagged down, its shocks stressed under his weight.
"Hey! Get off that! It's mine!" the biker got up and pointed at Klaivesmourn.
"I was just curious how it felt," the ragabash told her. "How do you start this thing?" He gave the starter a kick and the bike roared into life.
Before either Helen or Lara could protest, Klaivesmourn was puttering down the fireroad, his mouth open in glee. Sparks emitted from the undercarriage and gas tank as his weight pushed the bike down as far as it could go.
"O.K! I'll talk! Just make him stop!"
Lara looked over at Helen. She seemed sincere enough so Lara whistled for Klaivesmourn to stop. The metis either didn't hear her or ignored her.
"Klaivesmourn!"
At Lara's protest, the metis at last puttered up to them and got off.
"It was fun," he shrugged.
Lara wrinkled her nose. The gas fumes from the vehicle were definitely born of Weaver excess. Helen dropped down to examine the bike from underneath. It did seem to rest lower than it had before.
"I just painted this gas tank," she whined. "And you bent the frame!"
"Sorry," Klaivesmourn apologized.
Lara sighed. "Alright, do you talk or does my friend here go for another ride?"
Helen got up and dusted off her black leather riding pants. She nodded acquiescence, but glared, this time at Lara.
"What do you want to know?"
"What were you doing here?" Lara asked.
"Gathering Tass," Helen answered, seemingly annoyed as if the answer should have been obvious.
The answer had been obvious, but Lara had wanted it confirmed.
"Do you know what damage you're doing?" Lara asked her patiently.
Helen sneered. "To furbacks? There's an open season on you guys from every mage here on the coast. As far as I'm concerned, the world isn't safe for Ascension until everyone of you is either dead or a carpet on someone's floor." Lara could feel it. This woman hated werewolves.
Klaivesmourn chuckled. "I don't think I'd make a very good carpet. Too shaggy. How about a fur comforter?" he suggested.
"How many of you raided the park tonight?" Lara asked.
When Helen hesitated, Klaivesmourn began to push down on the bike's seat.
"Alright. There were three of us," she confessed.
"What Tradition are you?" Klaivesmourn asked. He seemed to have some knowledge of Magi.
"We're Hollows," Helen answered him. "Are you going to let me go now, or you just going to kill me?" she asked in return.
Klaivesmourn seemed shocked. "Oh, I'm not the killing type," he assured her. "At least, not usually. Bad karma." He tried smiling again with the same disastrous results as Helen backed down from his toothsome grimace, his black tongue writhing free in his open mouth.
"We won't kill you," Lara promised, feeling that with the reputation of the Ancient Voice Sept, it was a promise she could keep.
"But we will," a loud voice growled, startling all three of them.
Lara looked over and saw that two large garou, both crinos males, had emerged from the underbrush.
"I'm Ahmed Star-reaver of the Silver Fury Sept," the one who had spoken earlier introduced himself. He was broad and stocky. Lara guessed he was a Shadowlord. "This one," Star-reaver indicated his companion, "is Novalis Mosswood, and who is also a Fury." From the reddish brown hair of the other one, Lara guessed that he was a Fianna.
Klaivesmourn bowed his head. "Welcome to the Sept of Ancient Voices. I am"
"Quiet! We know of you and do not speak to you! This cub here will address us," Star-reaver growled, nodding toward Lara.
Lara was surprised at their treatment of Klaivesmourn, but, though it had been an offence that few Garou would have taken, Klaivesmourn quietly backed down to leave Lara to do the talking.
Angry at their treatment of her pack-mate, Lara interposed herself between the new garou and Helen.
"I am Lara Dreamhowler," she introduced herself. "Unlike my trusted friend, Klaivesmourn, I do not feel so generous. Tell me what you are doing here under our trees."
"The trees belong to all daughters and sons of Gaia," Mosswood interjected. "We come here to aid our brethren in Ancient Voices, fearing that by their peaceful delays, they would suffer the fate of the Green Hills Sept."
Star-reaver continued. "Yes, and after encountering two such as this one," the Shadowlord nodded to Helen, "we managed to overcome them by surprise. Seeking out any of their companions, we saw you capture this one. Imagine our surprise when we followed you to find that, not only did you not kill her, but you seemed bent on treating her with undeserved kindness and respect."
"Undeserved?" Lara was shocked.
"What did you do to my friends?" Helen asked, probably unable to understand the wolf speech of the crinos, but sensing something in Lara's words and their anger.
Star-reaver smiled a crinos smile at Helen. Used to Klaivesmourn's grin, the young magi did not flinch.
"We gutted them on their motor obscenities and ate their sweet livers." he hold Helen, mouthing the words with difficulty in his crinos mouth. "Now we will do the same to you."
Lara interrupted, hoping to distract the Furies. "How is it that you come here to tell us how to act to those we find here? We of the Ancient Voices have always been known for our peaceful ways."
"Stupid ways!" Mosswood snorted. "If it weren't for we ahroun on the summit, Ancient Voices would have been overrun long ago, being as it is, a hiding place for curs, outcasts and the feeble." Mosswood sniffed in Klaivesmourn's direction.
"Yes, and we grow tired of your talk talk talk," Star-reaver told Lara. "Stand aside while we attend to this one," he advanced upon Helen. "We'll show you how garou's work is truly done."
Lara interposed herself, shifting to glabro.
"She will be taken alive to Sarah Four-kills," Lara insisted. "We do not kill our prisoners here."
"That's why we're here," Star-reaver breathed in Lara's face, ignoring her shift to crinos. Lara could smell the blood of the other magi in his breath. Large and heavy, Star-reaver pushed Dreamhowler aside and reached out for Helen, who reacted by retreating behind her bike. Just as Star-reaver was about to slash at her, Klaivesmourn jumped in front of the bike, confronting the Shadowlord.
"I'm sorry, but I will not allow you to harm anyone else," Klaivesmourn's deep voice calmly informed Star-reaver. "We appreciate your help, but we have different ways here. You must respect our ways, just as we would respect yours."
"Get out of my way or I'll kill you, metis," Star-reaver's voice hissed out between his teeth.
"You'll have to kill me," Klaivesmourn told him, not backing down, "if you intend on harming anyone here."
"Star-reaver looked back at Mosswood and both smiled crinos smiles.
"I'll be very happy to kill you, wyrmson," Star-reaver growled. "You should have been culled long ago. You are truly an abomination and a blight upon Gaia."
"I would rather be that than be the stupid imbecile you are behaving like, Star-reaver," Klaivesmourn told him. "Are you sure you just wouldn't rather discuss this over some hot chocolate?"
Star-reaver yowled and swung out his claws, razor sharp as they pierced the air, aiming for Klaivesmourn's throat.
But the blow never got there as the Klaivesmourn blocked it with one arm, and blindingly fast, punched the Shadowlord's side with his free claw, ripping out a fistfull of fur, sinew and bone.
Shocked, the Shadowlord grabbed his injured side and staggered back.
Mosswood jumped into the fray, but was met by Dreamhowler, as she intercepted the Fianna and attempted to block his attack, but new to combat, Dreamhowler found herself grappled by her opponent. (Dodge and soak, unsuccessful, takes 4 hits leaving her wounded/-2).
Star-reaver clapped his hands and a sound erupted like thunder, piercing the air and stunning everyone. He then leapt back into the fray with Klaivesmourn, who took then a nasty swipe to his jaw. Dreamhowler tried to bite Mosswood, but stunned and wounded, she was easily immobilized by the Fianna.
"Why do you fight to save such scum, a metis and mage?" Mosswood growled in her ear while they wrestled.
Too engaged to answer, Dreamhowler merely grunted back.
While the garou were preoccupied in their fight, Helen had stepped back and lit her candle. It glowed eerily and a strange white luminescent smoke began to emerge from it. The smoke took on whispy phantom like shapes, like the shredded souls of dead humans and as they writhed around her, she inhaled, drawing in some of their essence. Then, gazing outward, as if in a dream, she pointed her finger at both the Shadowlord and the Fianna. The smoke phantoms drifted over to the two garou and began to twirl around them, and enter into them through their nostrils and open mouths. Both of the garou reacted by yowling in pain and fright. They began to tear out their own fur and bite at themselves, as if to get at some foe eating at their insides.
Released, Klaivesmourn and Lara staggered back to regard the two other garou. They were in obvious agony.
"Release them!" Lara shifted to glabro and then spoke to Helen, to be better understood.
"Why?!" Helen asked her. "They were going to kill me - and you!"
"We aren't killers, murderers here," Lara called out. "Is that what you want to be?"
Helen remained defiant and continued to glare at both Lara and the other garou. Lara saw wisps of ghostsmoke coming out of the candle for her. But then, unseen, Klaivesmourn appeared behind the mage and swiping the candle out of her hand, he extinguished the flame. There was a howling that ripped the air and then disappeared. The luminescent smoke vanished and everything was stillness and silence.
Helen snatched the candle out of Klaivesmourn's hand and running for her bike, pushed it downhill, starting it in motion.
"You haven't seen the last of me, furbacks!" she vowed.
Lara jumped up to catch her but Klaivesmourn shook his head. "Let her go. We can find her again if we need."
Turning back to the other garou, Lara and Klaivesmourn offered their help, but it was rudely rejected. Grabbing the badly wounded Star-reaver, Mosswood lifted the Shadowlord up and the two headed back north, back to their own sept.
"We'll be back," Mosswood promised.

Thursday, June 1st 9:45 p.m.

There had been a sense of great crisis upon returning to the bawn. Lara and Klaivesmourn learned that the new ahroun, Killer Wind Andu who had been guarding the boundary with U.C.S.C., had mistaken a group of human hari krishnas as magi and had attacked them savagely, killing three, including a young girl.
As Lara drifted off to sleep, her wounds being attended by a pack-mate, she heard that an assembly had been called to pass judgement upon the erring Wendigo. Word had been sent from kinfolk in the police that they had blamed the attack upon cougars and that they were already mistakenly hunting the great cats.

Friday, June 2nd, 1995 9:47 a.m.

Killer Wind sat alone in the circle, surrounded by the members of the Ancient Voices Sept, some in homid form, some in lupine, some, like the metis Klaivesmourn in Crinos. All eyes were upon him as Stone-in-Fist, huge and terrible war leader of the sept, continued to berate Kwandu as if he were little more than a cub, and not the full fledged warriour he was.
"You idiot! Do you know what you have done?!" Stone-in-Fist screamed at him.
Sarah Four-kills walked up, her homid hands seeming so small, disappearing into Stone-in-Fists enraged Crinos' fur. Yet, the touch was enough coming from Sarah, and Stone-in-Fist backed down, growling, but his Rage curtailed.
Sarah, her voice more sad than angry, continued.
"Kwandu, you have done a great wrong to Mother Gaia. Because of your actions, the humans will try to repeal the laws protecting cougars, thinking that this attack was by one of the great cats. The bastet have sent word that they blame us for this and hold all garou responsible. Though our kinfolk in the State Assembly will try to forestall a repeal on the ban to hunt the cats, this does not look promising."
There were snarls and cries coming from the assembly, but these quieted as Sarah raised her hand, seeing.that one, who called himself Pieter One-leg, desired to speak.
One-leg, standing, despite his name, on two good legs, addressed the assembly. "My brothers and sisters, I wish to point out that though the news service of the human herd calls these killings attacks by Mountain Lions, those among them who hunt the garou will know this attack for what it is, and they will be drawn here.
"Let them come!" someone's voice called out.
One-leg raised his hand. "No, even if they are killed, they will cause hurt, and maybe even death to those of our number. And we have the young Wendigo to thank for this." One-leg pointed an accusing finger at Killer Wind. A chorus of outrage followed this speech. It looked for a while like KWAndu would be torn apart on the spot. Looking at all the angry and hostile faces, Kwandu, for the first time, looked up at all the angry faces around him.
Just as the assembly's rage was rising, a clear, sharp whistled note cut through and above it all. Lara and Odvieg, seated together, looked at Klaivesmourn, who was playing his flute. Everyone at once grew silent.
Taking advantage of the lull, Sarah Four-kills at once rose up.
"My brothers and sisters," she called out, "We of the Ancient Voice Sept walk the road of peace and forgiveness. Here Gaia brings us a test, to see how we harken to her words of wisdom, and here we answer her song with Rage, when we should only listen. Klaivesmourn reminds us of our hearts or at least, where they should be."
Walking up behind Kwandu, Sarah put her hands on his shoulders.
"Kwandu's failing is our own failing, just as his victory would have been our victory. If we cannot forgive our own, how can we go out into the world to heal the hurts that ten thousand years of strife have left upon Gaia's face and bones. We must learn to walk the road of peace in our own hearts if we can ever hope to lead others on that path."
As her words fell away, a great silence came over the assembly.
One young Galliard got up to ask, "What shall we do, Sarah? Won't the Wendigo be punished?"
Sarah shook her head. "He is Kwandu, not the Wendigo. Call him by that name and call him your brother as well. As for his future, he shall be instructed, as would any of you be instructed. And to that, we must listen to Diggs-a-lot, the teacher of us all."
Diggs-a-lot, an ancient garou who would have been killed as too old in most other septs, got up to address the assembly.
"Let him be taken to the Cave of Dreams," Diggs called out. There was a silence, and then several murmurs, some of assent, some of confused anger.
"What is the Cave of Dreams?," Lara asked Odvieg.
"It is an ancient caern and a place of meditation and reflection. The Umbra touches the world in that place." Looking back at Kwandu, Odvieg remarked, "I tried to stop him. Stupid Wendigo. He let his Rage get the best of him."
Lara then noticed the scar on the side of Odvieg's face, staring out at her. It showed pink through Odvieg's white glabro fur.
Lara thought of young Kwandu and then of the other ahroun, Star-reaver and Mosswood, from the Silver Furys. What's the difference?, she thought, and looking at Kwandu, wondered if his punishment and humiliation were truly fair.

Saturday, June 3rd, 1995 3:01 p.m.

Lara, having finished for the day with her light duties and training, to see if she if getting a job as a Park Ranger in her homid form would suit her, now found that she was off for the afternoon. Still a little sore from her fight on Thursday night, she headed for the bawn, hoping to talk one of her pack-mates into giving her a massage. Once under the darkness of the trees, she was accosted by a large black clawed hand.
"Klaivesmourn!" she exclaimed, looking back to make sure that the human visitors to the park hadn't seen him. "What are you doing to near to the visitor's center?" Normally, unable to shift from crinos, Klaivesmourn wasn't allowed near to where humans might see him and suffer from delirium
"I was going to give you this," he offered her a small purse, such as she used once when human. "I found it inside the motor-thing of the mage."
Lara opened it up. Inside she found some money, credit cards and a driver's licence with the name, Helen Mariana on it. Helen, it appeared, lived at the Saint George Hotel on Pacific Avenue, in downtown Santa Cruz.
"Why didn't you take this to Stone-in-Fist or Sarah?" Lara asked him.
"I did," he explained. "They're satisfied she won't easily come back and told me to drop it in the mailbox after hours. I just thought you might want to see it first."
Lara shook her head and handed the purse back. "If you're thinking about taking an exploration, I think I should tell you, I don't know that it's a good idea. Besides, I don't share the ragabash obsession with general snoopiness."
"Ah, too bad. I was hoping you were more adventurous than that."
"I'll think about it," she told him. "Say, are you any good at giving massages?" she asked, disappearing with him into the darkness of the deep redwoods.
A hiker passing by thought he caught a glimpse of something big moving under the trees next to a young woman, but then blinking, saw that he had been daydreaming. Forgetting the incident, he walked on.

Saturday June 3, 1995 3:07 pm

Lara and Klaivesmourn continued to walk in companionable silence for a time, with Lara maintaining homid form until they got further from Felton and the visitors center. Both were wary and watchful for any humans in the area, especially since the metis couldn't shift to a less conspicuous form. Lara didn't want any veils being broken so close to her new job.
While they walked, Lara kept sneaking looks at Klaivesmourn, wondering about his probably very interesting history. It suddenly struck her that it might even make a good story or song for the pack. It would certainly be in keeping with her Galliard calling.
"Um.....Klaivesmourn?" said a timid Lara.
That wonderfully resonant voice sounded again, "Yes, Lara, what's on your mind?"
"We haven't known each other that long, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I'd like to know more about a packmate that so obviously has an intriguing history. Hell, I could even work it into a poem it it seemed appropriate. The Galliard moon has been calling to me lately."
He stopped, and turned his deformed face towards Lara...........she was certain he would balk at the idea, but to her surprise, he flashed that one of a kind grin of his and said "Lara, I would love to tell you about myself. Keep in mind, though, that not many Garou want to hear stories and songs about a metis, much less one who's part Spiral Dancer." He shifted his gaze off into the woods ahead. "I might suggest holding off for a while, on the poem anyway."
They resumed their walk, and the silence decended upon them again. Klaivesmourn appeared to be lost in thought, but Lara couldn't tell for sure. The realization hit her that interviewing him would be a time consuming process, not really difficult, but she wanted to avoid delving too deeply. So, she was going to have to take it slow for now.
She looked around her, seeing, feeling, hearing the trees, the wildlife, the other plants that they encountered during their walk. She started to bring her spirit closer to Gaia. It was easy with Gaia so close to her. Lara smiled, becoming more at ease as they travelled further from anything created by the Weaver. She shifted to Glabro, and put her rekindled confidence into her next utterings.
"Klaivesmourn, one question for now. When I first met you, I have to tell you that I was horrified. Your existence goes against everything I've learned. But I really like you, and I could tell also that the Wyrm had not touched you. How can that be, when you're born of a Black Spiral Dancer?"
Klaivesmourn continued to gaze ahead, and Lara realized that he was not being reticent as she had thought, only vigilant. He was trying to keep them both out of trouble.
"If you'd really like to know, Lara, then I'll tell you." And he began to tell a story.
"I suppose my story starts, not with me, but like us all, with my mother and father. My mother, though I never knew her, I did learn of her. Her name was Stoneswallow, though when she had to assume homid form, as she was loath to do being a lupus, she went by the name of Alice. She was a Philodox, I believe and belonged to a sept in Colorado called Mountainhome. I was told, upon inquiring of her, that Stoneswallow was a wanderer and that she liked to travel over mountain paths far from humankind. It was on one such journey that she discovered a strip mine. This open wound in Gaia had been there for over a hundred years and had filled with water and had turned into a stagnant lake. Though the uncaring men who'd created it had long died, this deep scar of greed still stung the land around it. It's waters full of dissolved metals leeched from tailings, trickled into the nearby streams, poisoning fish and animals and causing deformity in their young. Having killed a rabbit, Stoneswallow tasted of its contaminated flesh and left her meal uneaten. Though thirsty for water, she refused to drink from the waters of the man-made lake, preferring the agony of thirst to the taste of the Wyrm.
"As you might have guessed, this place had grown strong with the Wyrm. Perhaps it was one of the guises of the Wyrm that brought men there in the first place. While she gazed at the deep waters of the lake, Stoneswallow's thoughts reckoning upon its blight, she failed to notice deep stirrings within the waters. Fell creatures, among them a Pit of Black Spirals, who swam as easily in the poisoned water as might a sea serpent, gazed up at my mother and planned her destruction. In truth I believe, they rightly feared that she would bring the garou of Mountainhome back to this place, to heal Gaia's wound and thus destroy them and their home.
"My father was one of the Black Spirals. His name was Tzhak-tor, and he was an ahroun. I seem to have inherited a great size and strength uncommon for my type, which probably came from him as he was their finest warriour. Tracking my mother as she sped away from the cursed land, they came upon her at night. To her credit, she killed one and caused two more such grievous harm that they were slain by their kin as being too wounded to return quickly to the Pit. In their own twisted way, they gave my mother the chance to convert to their corruption by Dancing the Black Spiral, but she refused, fearing even her own resolve when faced with the Wyrm itself. For sport, the male Spirals all took my mother, not for mere lust, though they relished what they did. But it was more her degradation and anguish that pleased them the most. Tzhak-tor's powerful seed was the one that took hold inside her. One of their Philodoxen decided to keep her alive and use the fruit of her violation as a sacrifice to the powerful corruption of their godlike concept of the Wyrm."
"And that was you," Lara confirmed.
"Yes, but the ahroun of Mountainhome, led by a galliard scout, had come looking for their lost sister, gone for nearly a year. They found the Pit and slew every Spiral they could, stopping a Spiral Theurge just as he held up a metis cub, torn from a bloody womb, a silver knife to its throat. An ahroun named Killigrew Tallears took the blow himself and saved my life. It was only after they had killed most of the Spirals that they discovered their mistake. Thinking me the true child of Stoneswallow, they had saved me, but seeing me for what I was, they would have culled me had I not been so helpless before them. And no ahroun of Mountainhome could bring himself to harm even one such as I, if such could not defend themselves.
"Killigrew, wounded, took me and kept me alive for the journey to Mountainhome. I was named Klaivesborn, since I had been born by the use of one, but as my naming day approached, my name was changed to Klaivesmourn, to mark what those of Mountainhome considered the sad day for their people, my birth at the hand of a Spiral klaive. The garou there kept me with them as long as their honour demanded it, but when they could, they sent me off north to the land around the Great Bear Lake, in the Northern Territories. I travelled from sept to sept, trading song or work for food. This did not come easy and I was often forced to steal to survive. I had no honour then. And often, I was driven away, sometimes with force. One time, upon petitioning to enter the Sept of Gaia's Tears, in the Washington Cascades, I was set upon and badly beaten. I was dying, Lara, but a garou visiting the sept interceded and as a guest gift to her, I was allowed to live. This Child of Gaia tended me, drawing me back from the brink of death. I was afraid when she left me that they would kill me, but they begrudgingly tended to me, for her sake, until I was healed. I learned later that she had left them potent healing herbs to use for my sake, and when healed, I was surprised to see her once again. Sarah had come back for me, to bring me among her own people, here in California, and here I've been since.
Lara, touched by the metis' tale, drew closer to him. Shifting to glabro, she embraced his sizable girth and gave her arms strength so that Klaivesmourn could not help but feel the force of her caring.
"You do have a home here, Klaivesmourn, and I am so glad you're here with us," she told him. "This place would be so much less without you."
Now Lara understood why Klaivesmourn put up with indifference or apprehension his presence brought to others in the sept. As cool as it was, he at least found acceptance and in some part, a family, as much as he had ever known. Not knowing otherwise, Lara realized he probably even thought it generous for the others to tolerate him. Lara felt something wet trickle down her fur to touch the corner of her mouth. Reaching up to Klaivesmourn's face, she had just felt a touch of wet fur before the metis' face quickly turned away from her, as if embarrassed. Lara said nothing, but hugged him even tighter, with as much strength as she could muster.

Saturday June 3, 8:31pm

It was still light out, just barely, and Lara was searching for Sarah Four-Kills. She had an idea, and she wanted permission to act upon it. Where was she, this was important?
She immediately found Odvieg Baneshatter. "Sarah is out at the Cave of Dreams, checking up on Kwandu's progress. What's up?"
Lara looked long and hard at Odvieg, remembering that the garou in front of her had tried to stop Kwandu from making his drastic mistake. She figured that the facial wound must've been inflicted by the Wendigo, but she was still curious.
"Nothing much Odvieg. I'll find her later. But since you're right here, and you appear to be free, wanna give me a massage? I'm still pretty sore from my encounter with those two Silver Furies, and I could use some help."
The Get cast a scrutinizing eye towards Lara. "Yeah, I think a good rubdown will work wonders for you. C'mon, cub, let's get to work."
The two walked to an area covered with relatively soft groundcover, and Lara dropped down on her stomach, breathing a heavy sigh of fatigue.
"Ok, Baneshatter, do your stuff."
"Lara, do you want me to do this in Crinos?"
Lara thought for a moment, then shifted to Glabro. "No, give me some of that Glabro gentleness."
"You got it," Odvieg obliged.
Odvieg immediately dug her strong paws into Lara, and kneaded her the muscle in her back, shoulders, and legs quite thoroughly. It was admittedly painful for her, but it was a delicious pain to Lara. Odvieg worked in silence, while Lara was lost in the magic of the massage. She could feel her blood start to wake from it's sluggish journey, flowing faster with each moment that passed. With a start, she thought about Kwandu.
"Odvieg, what happened with Kwandu and the Krishna's, and what do you think about it?"
The other Garou stopped massaging almost too abruptly, causing Lara to wince.
"That stupid Wendigo!!! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. He never bothered to check who they were, he just assumed they were Magi, and then slaughtered them. Plain youthful, Wendigo stupidity, that's what I think about it. His punishment should involve excruciating pain for the trouble he may have plunged us into."
"Will the bastet want blood from us?" Lara asked her friend.
"I'm not sure, but that's the least of our problems. The Mages know we're here, and will try to wipe us out so they can destroy Gaia. Then we have wyrm ridden hunters, some of whom know of us, and they'll try to kill us for their own reasons. And then, wildlife in the area will suffer from inevitable human invasion, the human's out hunting the great cats, and Gaia will suffer. Finally, we have the anger of some of the various septs to deal with. One at a time I think I could stomach, but everything coming down on our heads all at once? What did we do to deserve this?" Odvieg slumped her head down, and Lara was forced to roll over and look up at her.
"Well, I have a couple of ideas, but I don't want to act alone,and I most certainly don't want to act without Sarah's knowledge." Lara stopped, waiting for Odvieg to reply before she continued with her crazy ideas. She couldn't take Baneshatter's disdain, not with her own emotionality.
"Lara, if you have any ideas, I think Sarah would love to consider them as long as they're non-violent ones." Odvieg sat down beside Lara from her kneeling position. "I sure don't want to fight anyone right at the moment. Those were innocents he killed down there, one of them a young girl. My natural killer instincts have hidden away in shame. So, if you need help, I'm willing to listen."
Lara breathed in relief. "Well, first, I'd like to contact the Mage I found. She's only a Hollow, probably self taught like other Hollows. If she's not being influenced by anyone else, maybe I could get some information from her, even talk some sense into her with my infinite charms." Lara smiled coquettishly.
Odvieg smirked. "Talk some sense into a Mage..........well, it may work, but it depends on the Mage you're dealing with. If She were a Verbena or a Dreamspeaker, I'd say the odds were better. Perhaps she'll be able to put you in touch one of those Traditions. It's worth a try. But, yes, talk with Sarah first, and if she says yes...........just remember to be careful. I myself don't trust mages further than I can spit 'em."
Lara thought about this for a moment, while Odvieg looked at her expectantly.
"Well, Lara? What about the Bastet problem? You seemed concerned about that earlier."
"Oh, yeah, right..........could we talk to them, explain what happened? It was a mistake by a single Garou, not an entire tribe."
Odvieg laughed out loud and picked herself up from the ground. "I think you'll have a better chance with the Magi. Those cats are a fickle bunch. Forget it, Lara." She looked around. It was dark now, and both Garou felt the night pulling them. "Hey, Dreamhowler, wanna go for a swim in the river?" Odvieg said with a grin.
Lara shifted into Crinos and started toward the river in answer to Baneshatter, who followed suit. As both made the changes to Hispo and finally Lupine, their wolf natures took over, and barks and yips filled the air as they went off to frolic in the water.

Saturday, June 3rd, 1995 11:25 p.m.

"Not much of a moon, is it? the galliard called Diana Broadpaw commented, while looking up at the theurge's crescent moon. Her reddish hair marked her as a Fianna and she guarded the entrance to the bawn in homid form this night, though she was a lupus and usually preferred to stay as such.
Word had come that human hunters were scouring the mountains for mountain lions, the repercussions from Kwandu's attack. They had been flown in by the score, Fish and Game Wardens, and Department of the Interior butchers, who were normally used to cull predators to protect the great ranch herds in other parts of the West. Their presence in the county meant that all the septs were in danger. It would be a miracle if not at least a few garou were brought to grief over this. Kinfolk and Garou rangers were positioned, ostensibly to join the hunt, but in reality to steer human hunters away from the cairns of the garou.
Seeing a human hunter approach wearing infrared goggles, Diana waved him away, staunchly positioning herself, her broad brimmed hat giving her authority. "We've checked this place out. You'd better head back to the river and up that way," she told the hunter.
"Any luck?" he asked.
Diane shook her head. The man, his face unseen, just nodded and trudged noisily back the way he'd come.
"Those guys give me the creeps," Lara shuddered. "They have the smell of blood and death."
"I couldn't agree more," Diana nodded. "What brings you here, sister?" she asked Lara. "I thought you were still healing. Shouldn't you be in the long house?"
"I'm really much better," Lara said. "I've come to help. Also, I was wondering if I could see Sarah?"
"Well, she's pretty busy right now." Diana looked Lara over, as if she might be just a little suspicious about Lara's intentions. "Alright, she's in the glade, under the large Sequoia by the rock."
"Thanks," Lara smiled. She ran off into the bawn, wanting to transform to a lupus for greater speed, she thought she had better remain homid while so many hunters were about.
Sarah Four-kills was where Diana had said she would be. Stone-in-Fist was there as well, along with a number of other garou, two of whom Lara didn't recognize. It looked like a general's camp, in time of war.
"We've word that a total of seven cats have been taken. Two were tranquilized, and will be transported away. But the other five were shot and killed. So far, none of our people have been taken. But who knows if any from the Green Hills still wander alone and unprotected." The garou speaking was thin and wiry and Lara had never seen him before. The other new garou - Lara gasped!. It was the Silver Fury she had fought before, Novalis Mosswood. What was he doing here? she wondered.
He had seen her as well, but other than a dark look in his eyes, he said nothing and didn't even acknowledge her presence.
"It is a sad day for Gaia," Sarah shook her head.
"Now it only remains to be seen what the Bastet will do in all this," a garou named Dryfellow, said.
Sarah, seeing Lara, motioned her over. "Yes child, what is it?"
"I'm sorry, Sarah," Lara said, feeling flushed as every garou eye present turned to her. "I've come at a bad time."
Sarah looked at her, as if searching. Then she smiled warmly. "No child, we are well here. It is just our vigilance that is required to make sure we stay that way." Turning to the others, she said, "I will rejoin you later."
Lara was very much surprised and somewhat flustered when Sarah came alongside Lara to walk beside her.
"You want something," Sarah said, not as a question but as a statement. Sarah led Lara away from the others.
"Yes, but it can wait," Lara said.
"No, tell me now. I might not be free to answer you later. There is much happening in the mountains these nights." Sarah stood poised and attentive, as if Lara's questions were all that mattered this night.
"It's nothing, really," Lara apologized. "I was just wondering if I might be allowed tothe magi Klaivesmourn and I encountered, I was wondering if we could be allowed to contact her again. I was thinking that maybe the time had come to heal our differences."
"It is not an easy thing. It has been tried before," Sarah told her. "But if in you heart, you feel you must try, you certainly have my blessings and good wishes. But child," Sarah's voice took on a dark serious tone, "the Magi hate us. They see us as evil incarnate and a threat to their need for power. They will not easily come to an understanding, and they will kill you before talking, if you allow them to. Do not think this is some easy quest."
Lara nodded.
"Well, I must be getting back to the others," Sarah said. "Go with Gaia, my daughter. And go with peace."
Sarah left and walked back to the assembly.

Sunday, June 4th, 1995 10:57 a.m.

Lara, alone and feeling somewhat exposed in the city of men, sat at a table outside a cafe, watching the traffic on Pacific Avenue. A familiar motorcycle parked next to the sidewalk let Lara know that the person she sought was there.
She didn't have to wait long before Helen came out of a shop across the street, likewise alone. Helen had seen Lara in homid form and Lara knew that she could not use her human seeming as a disguise. As Helen mounted her cycle, Lara pondered on what to do next. She decided to approach her, but as Lara got up, Helen kicked her bike into life and roared down the street, turning left onto Front. Lara cut through the Bookshop Santa Cruz, exiting on the Front Street side.
"Shit!" Lara exhaled, watching Helen tear off out of view.
"You followin her?" a man, apparently homeless asked, gazing up at her from his place in the shade, under the window of the bookstore.
"No, just thought I recognized her," Lara lied.
"Naw," he shook his head, "You knew her, alright. What's she done to you?"
Lara looked down at the man, scowling. "Nothing. It was a case of mistaken identity."
The man got up and stood in front of Lara, blocking her way into the bookstore. "I'm Skags," he announced, as if it should mean something.
"Get out of my way," Lara growled, adding a bit of edge to her voice. It worked easily as the man jumped back. Ignoring him, she started to walk back when she felt him tap her on the shoulder.
"What, are you just begging for trouble?!" she said, her voice mean and hard. "Leave me alone or I'll call the police."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just thought you might want some help."
Lara shook her head. "Help? You? And, I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude, but how could you possibly help me? You don't even know me."
"I know you want to see that biker again, ain't I right? Yep, I ken see it in yer eyes. Tell ya what, give me ten dollars, and I'll tell you where to find her again."
"Ten dollars? How do I know you just won't feed me some bull and take off?"
Skags looked as if what she had said had hurt his feelings. "Alright, five - five dollars!" he countered.
"No deal," she told him irritably, starting to walk off again. "I don't care if it's five cents. Just leave me alone."
But Skags jumped in front of her again. Before she could hit him, for that's what she looked like she was going to do, Skags said, "O.K! O.K! I can prove to you it ain't no bull."
"One last time - Get out of my way," Lara warned him.
"Her name is Helen, am I right?" Skags looked hopeful.
Lara neither hit him nor did she make any effort to move away. Instead, she paused and looked at him, as if trying to decide whether he was worth her time.
"Go on," she finally said.
"Her name is Helen, ah Marina or something like that. She's from Passaic, New Jersey and she came out to go to school here. But she got burnt out and dropped out. She's got five brothers and her mom's dead, but her dad is still alive and working as a engineer with Con-Edison."
Lara stared at him, incredulous. "How do you know all that?"
"We talk," Skags told her. "She gives me a buck every now and then on her way to get coffee."
"Where's that?" Lara asked.
"Uh, uh," Skags wagged his finger. "Ten bucks."
"I thought it was five," Lara countered.
"Price has gone up again," he told her.
Lara thought she could argue the point, but it wasn't worth the time. Opening her purse, she pulled out her wallet and handed him two fives.
"So?" she said, waiting.
Skags shrugged. "She's a goth. She'll be where any goth or punk would be, either hanging out at with the other freaks at Anubis Warpus or over at Klub Kulture. It's their place. If she ain't there now, she'll be there."
Lara nodded. Before she left, she had one more question to ask the sour smelling man before her. "If she's so nice to you, giving you money now and then, how come you just told a perfect stranger where to find her?"
Skags looked at Lara and rolled his eyes. "What, you think I should be her keeper or sumthin? How do I know you're not lookin to give her a million dollars from a dead aunt or sumthin? I could be doin her a favor." With that statement of logic, Skags walked off, heading toward Pacific, probably to find some cheap liquour or bum some more money.
Lara just watched him go and then headed down Front Street.

Sunday, June 4th 6:59 p.m.

Lara had hung around Anubis Warpus for about an hour before giving up on Helen going there. The place was on the lower end of Pacific, next to a liquour store on Laurel and across the street from a Taco Bell, which unusually for a fast food joint, was walled with brick and wrought iron and which had a wandering security guard. Though she didn't find Helen, Lara did find some unusual pieces of jewelry while wandering through the tapes and displays on tattoos and body piercing. There were several occult books there as well, with ominous sounding titles like, "Demonic Offerings" and "Wiccan Cantripy". Steering away from the silver offerings, Lara chose some dark looking pewter skulls and dagger earrings and then headed over to the thrift store on Front Street, which was almost next to Klub Kulture. Not having enough money for leather, not that there was anything good at the thrift, Lara settled on black tights and several layers of lace. That coupled with her jewelry gave Lara hopes that she might blend in and observe the goths in their own environment.
Lara wandered around downtown, getting several appreciative and some rather rude comments and suggestions which she either ignored or scowled at. Though she didn't like to use violence, she did use one rather well placed scratch to fend off one of the more forward punks who loitered around lower Pacific. It was quite a contrast on the same street, the higher end near Water was home to trendy shops and cafes while the lower end seemed to be host to indigent homeless and unemployed or unemployable groups of youths.
As evening rolled around, Lara, feeling very much alone and out of place, put on her best face and wandered over to the Klub. There was a gelato cafe in the front, frequented by a group wearing all the colours of the rainbow in their hair and hosting a respectable collection of studded leather clothes, all black. Walking past this group, she wandered into the back section, where the stage and dance pit were located. Several sturdy looking chairs and formica tables were pushed to the sides. A burly looking man with red fire tattoos and a shaved head, except for a black pony tail, was busy mopping the floor.
"Club's not open just yet," he told Lara.
Lara sniffed at the stain he was trying to get off the floor. Despite the bleach, she could smell a hint of dried blood. It seemed to have been quite a large stain, judging by the colour of the water in the man's bucket.
Lara smiled and looked around. "When's it open up?"
He looked at her. "When I say it does. But you can sit over there, if you like."
He motioned to one of the chairs next to a table and Lara obligingly sat down. When the man started to move the tables back, she got up and started to help. The man didn't offer any acknowledgement of her effort but when she sat back down again, he brought her a bottle of beer and uncapped it for her.
"Thanks," was all he said, as he put the beer down and went back to the bar. Lara looked at the bottle. It was called Black's Beer, and it had a skull and crossbones, only the skull's top was a brain. Several statements could be seen scrawled in red on the label, like "Once you drink black, you never go back," or "If you don't like the taste, you can shove it up yours," or "Nine inches full of wetness or 12 fluid ounces."
"Just what I like," Lara mumbled. "A beer with an attitude."
She took a swig. It wasn't great but it wouldn't kill her, she figured. Several groups of blackly clad men and women started to wander in at that point.
"Thanks," the man behind the bar barked sarcastically. "I had to get ready all by myself."
"Sorry, Pony," one of them answered. "It took us longer then we thought."
"How did you do?" the man asked.
"Lost Chick, but we capped one and got a big score." The young man speaking shut up when Pony nodded toward Lara. Instead, most of the group started to mill off back to the back and disappeared into through some doors. Meanwhile, more people were arriving until the place was starting to fill up.
Another young man wandered up to Lara and asked, "You seen Bitchy?"
Lara just shrugged and shook her head.
"Damn!" the young man snapped his fingers. "Well, when you see him, you tell him Suede is lookin." Not even waiting for an acknowledgement, the young man wandered off.
Then the world went crazy.
There was one scream and then everything went silent. A body was pitched into the room, blood flying everywhere. Judging by his size, it had been a man, but his face had been torn off. There were sounds of gunfire and then the screaming began in ernest. Several large furry forms burst into the room, slashing and snarling. Many people, obviously human, fainted or ran screaming out of the club through the side emergency exit. Others stood their ground, brandishing guns. As one reached to fire, he found his arm cut off at the wrist by a large klaive. Lara didn't recognize any of the garou pouring into the club, but they were large, and probably included many ahroun.
"IT'S A HIT!" "FURBACKS!!"
The announcement brought total Pandemonium as several suspiciously undelerious men and women retreated screaming. One of the garou, a strangely deformed combination of garou sinew and bionic and electronic interface presented a steel talon, as if ready to tear Lara's head off. She fought the Rage welling up inside her and stood ready to receive the blow as best she could. The Glasswalker regarded Lara with one red artificial eye and nodded. Then it turned and reentered the fight, helping to disembowel another mage.
At this point, one man came out of the back, carrying a backpack. He casually looked around and then reached into his pack. Before one garou could set upon him, he motioned and a light fixture fell from above and electrocuted the garou. Lara felt the Rage welling up in her again, (Three successes) but though she had never been known for strength of will, she managed to keep her feelings in control at this critical point. But something inside her called to her to aid in her brethren's fight. Presenting what looked like a hunk of green rock, the man who had emerged from in back clenched his fist onto it until it glowed. Several kegs of beer burst and a liquid pool sped out over the floor while another light fixture somehow fell down, trailing its wiring. Hitting the beer, it sparked with electric fire and several of the garou screamed in agony. The one half bionic Glasswalker seemed to almost explode as its circuitry overloaded. Grabbing their fallen and wounded, the garou retreated, snarling wolfen curses that the Magi couldn't have possibly have understood.
Then it was over.
"Fuckin Shit!" Pony exhaled, reappearing from behind the bar. "Good thing you did what you did, Bitchy."
The one who had presented the stone, which had disappeared it seemed, nodded, telling a woman behind him to go and turn off the circuit breaker. The lights went out and Pony started to light candles.
"Better clean this up," Bitchy told the barkeep.
Three obviously dead humans were dragged away, while several unconscious humans, who miraculously survived electrocution, were slapped awake and rudely thrown outside.
Lara was thinking about leaving when Bitchy, flanked by at least a dozen walked up to a young woman and grabbed her by the hair.
"You were followed," he told her angrily.
"No, Bitchy, we weren't. We couldn't have been."
"But you were," he insisted, throwing her off with disgust.
Another young man appeared, and hesitated, seeming to want to comfort the sobbing young woman. Instead, he confronted Bitchy. "Hey, we scored BIG! That Tass you used, it knocked them silly." The young man reached into Bitchy's sack and produced a large piece of dark green jade. It was a beautiful piece of stone.
"But now they know where we are," Bitchy snarled. "Fuck! You know they'll be back. No amount of Tass is worth that!"
Lara winced, thinking about the green rock. The magi had probably raided a garou cairn. The garou to whom the rock rightly belonged probably used it regularly, tending and guarding it, drawing power and inspiration from it but never destroying it the way the magi had. By breaking it off, these fools had destroyed the goose that laid the golden egg. Their greed had probably destroyed a cairn that had existed for millennia.
Lara looked up to see that Bitchy was regarding her. "They let you live," he said to Lara. "Why?"
"I don't know," she lied. "I guess they didn't see me as a threat?"
"Who are you?" another young woman, wearing an inverted cross asked.
"She showed up here early," Pony volunteered. "She hasn't said nuthin. Just sits there, as if waiting."
"Waiting, huh?" Bitchy nodded. Lara realized she was in some very serious trouble.
"Look, I think you've got the wrong idea. I sort of passed out after I heard the shooting and"
"Shut it!" Bitchy told her. "I saw one of those furbacks stand right over you, ready to take your head off. I remember because I was going to try and save you. But then he just backs off you. And get this, he nods to her," he announced to the assembled group, "like she's his fuckfriend or something."
"Maybe she is," Pony suggested.
They were all quiet, looking at Lara.
"You know, I'm sorry about what happened here. But you are all crazy!" Lara said, getting up. "And I'm getting out of here."
"Don't be in a hurry," a familiar voice said.
Lara looked up and appearing from the back of the group, she saw Helen Mariana again for the second time.
"Hello furback," Helen greeted her.
Bitchy just nodded and reaching from behind, he produced a silver knife. Other such utensils appeared.
"Time to party!" he announced to everyone.
But as they advanced, Helen interceded.
"WAIT!" she yelled. "This one's mine."
Helen took Bitchy's knife and advanced upon Lara, a strange look in her eyes. Lara, though she didn't know how, heard a voice in her head saying, "Don't panic. I won't hurt you. Just go along with it."

Sunday, June 4-8:35 PM

Lara knew that a lot was riding on the outcome of the next several moments. Her life perhaps depended on it, though she knew her skills were in areas other than combat. This fact comforted her, because talking was infinitely preferable to fighting. If these Mages still wanted to kill her, well........she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, though, she put all of her trust into Helen. She sent a silent acknowledgement to her via mindspeak.
While keeping a level gaze upon a motionless Lara, Helen called out, "Hey, Bitchy, is the back room clear? I need to use it for some.....personal.....business."
The apparent leader of this group scowled. "I don't think you should be alone with one of those animals. Just do her here, where we all can see."
Lara decided to speak up for herself. "Listen, before you go making up your mind that I'm a threat to you, will you hear me out? I do have something important to say." She turned slowly to face Bitchy. "Please........I didn't come her to fight, only to talk." She stared him fully in the eyes willing him to be agreeable. (Use persuasion, difficulty 6, Charisma+Subterfuge=6 dice, 3 successes. ((6, 5, 4, 2, 8, 6 Bitchy appeared to think about it for a moment, then nodded. "Okay.......you can speak your piece....but do it quick. I don't care for a lot of talk from a furback."
Lara took a deep breath for courage, and looked at Helen. "I actually came here to talk to Helen. I've met her before, but in circumstances which were reversed. We....helped each other then, if I recall. Even when we outnumbered her, we never considered killing or harming her in anyway. And when others came that wanted to kill all of us, she in turn helped us.........though, Helen, I wish you could have stayed a bit longer. I got a bit damaged in the fray." Lara managed a smile. "Now, I'm here to bring a proposal. Not another battle. As for those who attacked you tonight, they were not of my sept. I don't know them. They only spared me because they knew I was Garou. I WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN." Lara spoke the last words with extreme emphasis.
Silence, then Helen spoke. "Ok, I will grant that you didn't kill me, you even defended me. So my curiosity is aroused......why don't we go to that back room and you can tell me what you propose ......NOW!!!!" Helen motioned impatiently with her knife arm, eyes glittering. Lara turned and moved to the back room where she was told to go. She was fervently hoping that she didn't screw up Helen's plan to get her out of here, but she had done as instinct had told her.
As they made their way to the back, the silent goths glared at both of them so hard, the hostility was palpable. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the room that many club goers use for privacy. It was much smaller, with an appropriate sized bar in the corner. There was also a small stage set in the opposite corner, and two speakers hanging on either side of it. Three sets of tables and chairs were set up, and Helen promptly sat in the nearest one after she closed and locked the door.
"What the hell are you doing here, if you weren't part of the raid?" No friendly concern from Helen, just right to the point. Lara thought that surly would have been an accurate description. She considered the biker for a moment, then sat down.
"I really was looking for you. To return your purse, first of all." Lara handed her what she had been clutching unconsciously all evening. Helen looked at her with disbelief, then smiled and shook her head.
"Nah, that's not your only reason, but before you continue......." She leaned closer to Lara. "You need to say what you came to say, and then get out of here. They WILL kill you. I'll help you this once, but just the one time. Consider it payback for the park."
Lara blinked, gathered her thoughts, and proceeded to lay out her idea, in abbreviated form. "Helen, you're an intelligent woman, and you've got guts too. But you're a Mage, and what you and the others are doing is wrong. I don't understand why you wish to destroy so much. I'd like you to instruct me about your........discipline......so that maybe I can understand what you are trying to do." She paused for a moment, while Helen thought. "Go on," she said.
"Just think back to the Park.....you told me that all 'furbacks' need to be destroyed, otherwise it wouldn't be safe to for ascension. I'm not sure what all of that means, but that sure sounded like Hitler to me. He wanted everyone who was not of the Aryan race to be exterminated, then they would be able to live in a Utopian world. We all saw what happened then, and what crimes were committed against man and nature to further his cause. Do you want to be likened to a madman?"
"His was not a noble cause.....ours is a much higher calling........we..........I......" Helen couldn't think what to say.
Lara said, "Please think about what I have to say. Our kind are striving for a better world as well........but perhaps in a different way. Maybe if we knew more about each other, we can at least stop the bloodshed." Lara looked around, and stood up."Ok, I'll leave now.....is there a way out of here without being seen by your buddies out there?"
Helen glared up at her, then rose to her feet. "Yeah, there is a way. In a club like this, you don't have additional rooms without alternative exits." She nods towards the stage. "Over there......if you look up, there's a trap door that goes right to the outside. Use that." She paused, seemingly confused and angry. "You and I will finish this business later. I don't like being likened to Hitler." She frowned, which looked like a sneer to Lara. "Just don't come back here again, or you'll get us both killed. As it is, I have to think of an explanation for your escape. I certainly can't tell them what you told me." She laughed derisively.
"Ok, I'm gone....wait five more minutes, I'll be far away by then." She moved to open the trapdoor, then stopped and nodded at Helen. "For what it's worth.....thanks."
Helen met her eyes, then turned away. "Only this once, you hear? We're even now."
She stopped, turned her back on Lara, and folded her arms. It was a dismissal.
Lara shook her head, and managed to crawl up through the trapdoor with the aid of a chair. The stage was elevated by about 2 feet, which made it easier for her. Once on the roof, she closed the door, and cautiously but quickly made her way to the back edge of the building. Looking down, she saw that the drop was about 13 feet or so. Shifting to Glabro, then Crinos, she leaped to the street in the darkness. No one was around to see her. She quickly shifted back to Homid, and beat a swift retreat in the direction of Cowell Beach. Being in wolf form in the city was not a good idea. Sniffing the night air, she thought about her very close call tonight, and decided that if she ever came into the city again, she was gonna have some backup. Tonight however, she just wanted to go home.

Sunday June 4th, 1995 9:50 p.m.

Lara looked down at the funeral bier. Her fellow septmates filed past in unison, those that weren't on patrol with the Park kinfolk. Lara couldn't help thinking, seeing the torn homid form of the woman, that she looked a lot like herself and she couldn't help imagining herself in the poor woman's place.
"What was her name?" she asked Klaivesmourn beside her.
"Rand Shadewater. She was a Fianna too."
The theurge, Diggs, lit pots of dried herbs suspended in paraffin, scenting the air around the dead body. This was done while the galliard, Nikolayev Stonerider sang a song of sorrow, his voice joined by those who had known the woman best and who mourned her death with great sadness. Lara's mind followed the tune, which called to her galliard soul. She felt herself flowing into the sad melody, while gazing at a dead sister whom she'd never known. Her spirit seemed to fly up, gazing on the assembly below her. Lara felt she wasn't alone and a warmth of love touched her. Only Odvieg Baneshatter's abrupt words brought her back to the world.
"We might have to do this all to soon," Odvieg noted. "Both Armis Younghallow and Liam Wildglory were really badly hurt by the Magi. Sarah's looking after them herself."
"If only we'd found them sooner," Klaivesmourn shook his head.
Stonerider's song howled to the night, oblivious to the human hunter's who prowled the night. This was a garou dirge and woe to the human who unrightly came upon it. Even in the peaceful Sept of Ancient Voices, angry calls were raised, calling for vengeance, both to the humans and the Magi.
"It's starting to get ugly," Lara noted. "And I'm tired. I don't want to have to deal with all of this war bullshit anymore. I've had enough of hate and childishness for a day."
Suddenly, Odvieg snarled, her claw lashing out at Lara. Fortunately, Lara's reaction's seemed to preempt her thoughts and she lunged back just in time to miss the vicious sweep of the Get's clawed hand.
"ODVIEG!" Lara protested.
Odvieg continued to snarl, almost spitting her words. "Get a grip, Dreamhowler! Look at that! That's death! Your precious Magi did this! And you're tired?," Odvieg sneered. "Well, unless you wake up to it, that's the only rest you'll ever get in the end!"
Odvieg stalked off.
Lara stood, dumfounded.
Klaviesmourn tried to comfort her. "She's scared," he told Lara. "I don't think she realizes it herself and she doesn't want to face it. Don't worry, she'll apologize in the morning. I know she didn't mean it. You know how the Get are."
Lara ignored him, tears welling up inside her. The day was becoming too much to bear. In her mind, she saw the garou fried by the Hollows' Magik and all of the dead Hollows whom the garou had killed. And now her own septmate, dead. Was fighting the only answer that people could find in their hearts? she wondered.
Weeping, she brushed past Klaivesmourn and fled into the bawn. Turning to lupus, she ran on, only stopping as she collided with another garou, also in lupus form. They both flew backward, landing on the soft grass near the caern. It was the ahroun, Kwandu. He'd probably just come back from his stay in isolation.
"Oh, excuse me," he said. He seemed rather tired and worn.
Lara, stunned from her collision, just stared at him.
"What's going on?" he asked, looking at the distance flicker of the fires. They'd lit the bier.
"Funeral," Lara said.
"Who died?"
"Rand Shadewater. There was another magi raid. She was killed."
Kwandu bent his head down in shame. "I should have been there. I failed us all."
"It's alright," Lara told him, feeling sorry for him for all of the shame that had been heaped upon him. "It wouldn't have made any difference. It was just her bad luck."
"Well next time," Kwandu told Lara, "I'll be there. I show those magi what killing really is!" he vowed, puffing himself up proudly.
"Is that all anyone can think of?!" Lara growled. "Kill! Kill! Kill! I'm so sick of it!" Rolling back to her feet, Lara loped off, leaving the perplexed and dejected Wendigo behind her.

Sunday June 4th, 1995 10:29 p.m.

Restless, Lara loped around the forest, running in circles through fern glades and through dry oak scrub until her restless angry energy was burnt off. She reentered the bawn and found herself near to the longhouse. Looking inside, she saw three garou tending the wounded garou. One of them was Sarah Four-kills. Shifting to hispo, crinos, glabro and finally to homid, Lara shyly entered the longhouse.
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked one of other garou, her voice barely a whisper, so as to not disturb Sarah.
Sarah, who seemed possessed of very keen hearing, noticed her nonetheless and called Lara over.
Lara walked up and dropped down, her chin to her knees, looking like a shy little girl.
"I heard how your foray with the magi in town went," Sarah commented. "It was a very brave thing you did, Lara. I want to thank you."
Lara's eyes widened. "Wow, that's not what I thought you were going to say."
"Oh, and what did you think I was going to say?" Sarah asked, having finished changing a moss dressing and poultice, she turned to look at Lara.
"Well, I was a failure!" Lara said, embarrassed for having to state the obvious.
Sarah looked over at her. Rather than answer right away, she turned Lara to face from her and, while she was seated on the foot of the bed, Lara sitting on the ground before her, Sarah began to braid Lara's hair.
"Don't be hard on yourself," Sarah finally said. "We've been at war with the magi for a long time now. Don't just think that they - or us for that matter - can let go of so much hate and distrust overnight."
Lara nodded, believing this all too well.
Lara turned her head to look up at Sarah. "Sarah? What's going to happen?"
Sarah turned Lara's head to face back front and continued to braid Lara's hair. "I've just heard confirmation that the Verbena magi have summoned a very terrible spirit, hoping to command it to their bidding. They are being aided by those in the Silver Fury and they are not without support in the Three Waters."
"What kind of spirit?" Lara asked, feeling her muscles tense and the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.
"It is an old spirit, one that fought our totem Sequoia, even before we garou were born. It doesn't have a proper name, in either the voice of man or garou. For lack of a better word, I shall call it a Demon."
Lara swallowed but the lump didn't go down, instead lodging painfully in her throat.
"Our brothers and sisters of the higher mountains seek, with the Verbena magi, to control this spirit. I don't think they realize how hungry it is for blood, and I don't think It really cares whose blood it is."
"Are they mad?" Lara asked.
"No, just desperate," Sarah said. "There was a time they might have been able to control this - Thing. The people with whom your own ancestors lived, the Celts; when their world was young, they could call such spirits and using the proper rituals could command all of nature to their bidding. But Time has changed. The children of the Weaver have chained reality to their own concepts and such control as the Verbena seek is gone now forever."
Lara paused, thinking. Finally, she got up the courage to ask of her elder, "Why are you telling me all this? I'm not on the war council. I'm just a young cub."
Sarah hugged Lara from behind, much as a mother might her daughter. "Yes, and what a cub you are. You have brains to speak and a heart to think with. From both comes such courage as I have never seen."
Lara was sure Sarah had her confused with someone else.
"Don't think I don't know you, perhaps better than you even realize yourself yet," Sarah said, as if answering Lara's unspoken comment.
Lara turned back to face Sarah. "I want to help. Tell me what I can do."
Sarah stopped to think. She looked at Lara, a small thin smile forming at the edge of her mouth, as if proud of an ambitious child. "There are two things," Sarah told Lara. "Either, you may represent Ancient Voices at the moot that the Three Waters will call. You can tell them our mind on this and try to bring them to reason."
"I?!!! You want me?" Lara's mouth dropped.
Sarah merely nodded.
"Yes, of course. I trust you, Dreamhowler. You know that by now." Sarah paused to let all of this sink in. "As well, you might consider going back to the City of Men, to bring us a lasting peace with the Magi."
"Tall order," Lara exhaled.
Sarah nodded agreement. "And I'm not sure I would want you to do that last, but if your heart calls you, I would understand. Certainly, I don't want to loose another of our sept, as might surely happen."
"What's the last choice?" Lara asked, almost being afraid to know.
"Not so difficult, but very important. There are those of our kind, hurt and hungry in the forest. They are the survivors of Green Hills and if they are not taken in by other septs, they could go mad with vengeance or die at the hands of hunters."
"I wish I could do all three," Lara muttered. "I don't know."
"I'll leave you alone to think about it. Which ever task you decide on, you may take whoever you wish with you." Sarah kissed Lara on the forehead. "Now go and sleep on it child. You shall drop if you do not."
Lara did as she was told, hoping to find an answer by morning. In the night, her friends, Klaivesmourn and Odvieg came and snuggled up around her. Odvieg, her eyes moist with regret, promised the sleeping Lara that she would beg forgiveness in the morning. Klaivesmourn, himself tired, fell fast asleep while Lara's homid hands buried themselves in his thick black fur, smiling in her sleep.

Tuesday, June 6th, 8:30 pm

Lara awoke with a start, realizing as she did that she had allowed herself to sleep far longer than she wanted to, especially considering the rather dangerous circumstances that the Garou were now involved in. Vigilance was everyone's duty now, and she felt as if just by allowing her body to rest, she was betraying her kind.
At this particular time, though, she had nothing specific she had to be doing. Done with her duties and classes for the day she had taken refuge in the hollow of a tree to nap and think. Sarah Fourkills had given her much to think about, not to mention making some heavy choices. Lara grimaced as she looked out at the darkening sky. Sunset had occurred, and Lara had to go about taking her shift at watch soon. Unfolding her small frame from the tree, she peered out to make sure no one else was about, and made the short jump to the ground below.
Making her way back to the heart of the bawn, Lara cleared her head, trying to make a choice. It was apparent that Sarah wanted her to take part in some decisive and important matters. Lara just couldn't believe that their leader had that much faith in a newcomer as well as a cub. If her awful foray into the city had anything to do with it, Lara had only been following her heart. Was that what it was, strength of conviction and resolve? Hmmm......
Lara knew she wasn't a leader. She just didn't have it in her, at least not yet. She was too young, too stupid and untrained in Garou ways. Sure, the moot would be a wonderful training ground, as well as a place to prove her worth to other septs. But she did not feel ready for a task like that. What if she said or did something wrong, something that would endanger all Garou? She wasn't ready to take that kind of responsibility, but maybe some other time. Lara didn't want to let Sarah down.
As she walked into the bawn, she nodded quietly to her sept-mates. They all knew her by now, and was not usually challenged. Ok, she thought, a quick drink of water and she'd go stand her post. She made a quick turn on her heels to the stream that was nearby, exiting the bawn even before she entered it. Her thoughts returned to her choices.
Going back to the city was a possibility, but that would also have to wait. Things had to calm down just a little before she would risk that again. She shook her head with a smirk on her face. Yeah, she still had a lot to learn before attempting that again. However, the Green Hills septthe survivors needed to be found and brought in. Lara's heart tugged a little, thinking about all those Garou who were hurt and suffering. That was more her calling. As for taking someone with her, she dearly loved Klaivesmourn, but when greeting other septless Garou, she though it best if he stayed behind this time. Most werewolves got a bit uptight around a metis, however lovable he may be. Odvieg would be more suitable, if she would agree to help Lara. She was excitable, as Lara saw Sunday night. She only hoped the Baneshatter would be amenable to the idea.
Lara reached the stream just as she was shifting from her homid form to something more suitable for the night ahead. She put her muzzle to the water and took big gulping laps at the cool clear water. She knew now what she had to do. Dreamhowler would go help the survivors come into the her sept. Dreamhowler would again do as her heart commanded. Raising her head, she looked out into the deepening darkness and resolved to speak with Sarah when her watch was over. Water dripping form her jowls, she loped back up the hill to her post, a wolfish smile playing at her mouth.

Wednesday June 7th, 1995 8:17 a.m.

"So, how come you volunteered me for this?" Odvieg asked Lara.
"Why? Didn't you want to come?"
Odvieg shrugged.
Lara surveyed the fern covered creek bed before them. Somewhere below, unseen but not unheard, a thin summer trickle softly gurgled in the morning heat. It was going to be another hot day as there had been no morning fog.
Not wanting to trample the delicate ferns, Lara and Odvieg shifted effortlessly to lupus and then warily crossed. On the other side, Lara paused to sniff the wind. She didn't like what she smelled.
Odvieg nuzzled Lara, sensing her unease. She mumbled soft animal sounds that only another lupine could have understood.
"What is it?"
"Don't you smell it?" Lara asked. Odvieg lifted her nose. The dead warming air around them stirred briefly with a breeze and Lara saw that Odvieg had finally smelled it also. It was the smell of death, and it was not far off.
Lara loped off upwind, down a slope of scrub oak leading through stands of scratchy manzanita. There, in an open field, she saw three large furred bodies lying in the open, flies buzzing around them and as they approached, forming an angry black swarm that issued from the mouths of the dead cats. It looked like an execution. The feet of the pumas were tied with wire. They had been shot once through the head and in one of the bodies, Odvieg showed Lara the plastic feathers of a tranquilizer dart.
Lara couldn't believe what she was seeing. The hunters who had sought the cats had captured these three but instead of taking them back to be relocated somewhere else, had merely brought them here and killed them. Instinctively, Lara scratched at the weeds under her paws, exposing dry angry earth. She kicked the dirt over the cougars, desiring to bury their bodies, give them back to the comfort of Gaia, where their spirits could reincarnate.
There was a sound of something crushing brush farther down the hill. Growling Odvieg advanced in the direction of the sound and Lara was soon by her side. At first they thought it was a deer, but it was not. It was a man, naked, bleeding and obviously disorientated. His smooth brown skin showed deep red scratches upon his muscular form while his coarse straight black hair was matted with dried blood, dirt and sticker seeds forming a thick dried cake on one side of his head where he had been badly hurt. The man struggled to his feet, only to fall again.
"Look," Odvieg pointed. Lara saw it. Sticking to the raw cut it had created in the man's wrist was a piece of green wire that had been used to tie his hands. There was no such wire on his feet, but they could see the cut marks just the same.
They had come looking for their kin, but this was no werewolf.

Thursday June 8, 1995 1:15 am

Lara couldn't rest. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the man she and Odvieg had brought back to the bawn. Carried was more like it. The last time he had fallen, he was out cold, but not dead. Lara had sniffed at him, and could still smell life in him, however weak. She and Odvieg had both shifted to Crinos in order to carry him, switching off periodically on the way back in order to keep from tiring themselves. He had been surprisingly light, but then, Lara had never really carried anyone before.
Now, he was in the care of the Sept healers. As soon as they had made sure he was going to be taken care of, Lara sought out Klaivesmourn. After a quick conversation filling him in on what they had found, he agreed to join them on the return trip to where the dead cats were. In addition to scouting the area for clues about what had happened, which wasn't hard to deduce, the hunters obviously hadn't much cared what they left, the trio also wanted to look for other survivors. Lara and Odvieg had taken a cursury look at the area, but the wounded bastet.......they knew he was a shifter......took priority, and had made for home with all haste. However, upon their return to the dead clearing, no bodies were found. The only thing remaining was the smell of death, which pervaded the air so much Lara had to gag. She had no stomach for death, never having really faced it before, and the results nauseated her. The trip home was quiet and tense, with her sept mates equally edgy.
No one had any news for her when they had returned, but it was obvious that the entire bawn was disturbed by the events that had occurred. Sara Fourkills was with the healers, and they were with the wounded shifter. Nothing to do but try to rest until news came down about his condition and what had occurred out there. Klaivesmourn had gone to give the news about the puma bodies, while Odvieg Baneshatter just shook her head and walked away. She clearly needed to be alone.
And now, Lara was restless. The dead cats only meant more trouble, being a direct result of the young Ahroun's ill timed rage that had killed innocents. The bastet were sure to raise some hell now. If only they could stop the killing, perhaps the wounded one would provide some answers.
No matter, nothing anyone could do until later. She should rest. Instead, she got up, and went to seek out Klaivesmourn. Perhaps he would walk with her and help sort out all that had happened. Perhaps.

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