Sepdet trots into the Wheel in jackal-guise, teeth clamped around two polished mahogany sticks. Her ears and nose prick towards the west, and she warily circles around to investigate.
You make your way north, back to the hub of the Wheel.
Center of the Great Wheel
This circular clearing is about 40 yards in diameter and completely bounded by the Wheel of Nature inscribed in the ground. Soft green grasses cover much of the ground, but several paths have been worn to bare dirt over time. The only landmark within the Wheel is the low Table Stone at the center, but four important landmarks make up sections of the Wheel: the windy spot to the southwest, a small pool to the southeast, a firepit to the northeast, and a large mound of earth to the northwest.
Contents:
Table Stone
Obvious exits:
Windy Spot South Pool East Fire Pit North Earth Mound West
On the western curve, Alexander shrugs his shoulders helplessly. ~I got excited.~
On the western curve, Lost-Sky-Hunter grunts, setting him back on his feet and smoothing the trenchcoat with her taloned fingertips. ~I don't like finding my friends in pieces, Thunderclaws. It makes me kind of mad.~
Sepdet's ears slip backwards, but she doesn't approach too close. The twitch of her tail as she eyes Lost-Sky suggests she has a question for the winged woman, but the Strider keeps her silence.
On the western curve, Alexander punches the Crinos' shoulder in a friendly manner. "S'OK, I survived. Next time, I'll call in the cavalry."
You make your way along the pathway to the west, between two Wheel quarters.
Western Curve of the Wheel
You walk the pathway between earth and the winds, the rising swell of the earth mound behind and the wind-swept reaches of the circle forward. Between rise and swirl of air, a small, even path runs. The edges of the pathway are marked by small white stones, providing a division between the two areas. Westwards, the path loses its describing stones and leads back into the forest.
Contents:
Lost-Sky-Hunter
Rik
Alexander
Obvious exits:
Windy Spot Earth Mound Center of the Wheel West
Rik contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Rik shifts into Homid form.
Rik nods to Sepdet. "Evening, sir."
Alexander dips his head to Sepdet as she approaches.
Lost-Sky-Hunter slips back to her human form, smiling more widely as she notices Sepdet.
On the southern curve, Dylan comes in from the woodland to the south.
On the southern curve, Dylan pads in, hackles slightly raised, residual anger making his movements stiff.
Sepdet cocks her head to the side at Rik, one furry brow lifting, but she greets the small gathering with her usual simple nod. She drops her sticks carefully, and looks up at the other Mule. There is a Wendigo who sits alone, who needs his people's songs, and a drum. I wondered if you might know how to help.
Rik says "Um. Me?" He looks terribly nervous. "I don't know any Windygo songs."
You paged Dylan with 'That was towards Rik. Mispose.'.
Alexander nudges Rik. ~I think she meant Robin.~
Rik blinks. "Oh." He blushes. "That'd make sense."
Lost-Sky-Hunter frowns slightly. ~The drum, I can manage. There is a break between our peoples, though, and I do not know the songs to bridge it.~
Alexander grins at the Glass Walker. "How's the pack comin' along, Rik?"
Sepdet's ears flicker at Rik, but she doesn't explain. Her attention is now pensively on the Uktena; back to the Wheel, she does not notice the Stargazer's uncharacteristic fuming.
On the southern curve, Dylan prowls into the center of the circle, pacing restlessly, head lowered. Finally, he heads into the windy spot and crouches, not quite lying down, looking into the wind.
On the southern curve, Dylan heads into the center.
At the center, Dylan heads southwest, to the spot where the winds swirl.
Rik sighs. "It sucks, man. Fay went to Chicago to stay with my mom and some packers up there. And nobody on the horizon to join up. It sucks."
Sepdet's sides puff. This Wendigo seeks to build more bridges than some of his people can understand, which is why he is alone. I am not even of the three tribes, but I will listen to his songs. Your drum would honor us.
Alexander's attention is caught by Dylan as he moves through his field of vision. He looks quickly at him, then at Sepdet, but almost immediately looks to Rik as the latter responds. "Know how you feel. Took me ten months to form mine. Hang in there, huh?"
Rik nods. "Do me a favour? If you hear any word about Vette, let me know?"
Alexander nods. "Will do. Haven't heard from 'er in months, though."
Rik sighs and nods. "Me either."
Alexander frowns.
On the eastern curve, Joseph makes his way out of the woods to the east.
Lost-Sky-Hunter nods slowly. ~I will bring the drum, and I will bring my piece of the Sacred Dance. You are not of the three brothers, Groundskeeper, and there are many songs you cannot hear. I am sorry.~
Alexander tilts his head slightly and he glances at Lost-Sky-Hunter from the corners of his eyes, then chuckles and shakes his head. "Still going for Pegasus?"
Sepdet's shoulders ripple. I understand secrets. I will sit a while with you, and then I will go. It is good magic. Come.
Rik shrugs. "Damned if I know, guy. I'd like to, but not until Fay comes home."
Lost-Sky-Hunter's eyes move to Joseph, and she follows Sepdet.
Sepdet picks up her sticks in her jaws again, carefully, and turns back towards the east. She blinks and pads over towards Blackrabbit, tail twitching slightly. I was not as fast as I thought.
Lost-Sky-Hunter gives a silent wave to Alexander and Rik as she goes.
Alexander nods again. "You might wanna ask Revels-In-Blood. She's a Fury. Another Ahroun, but still. Good in a fight."
You head to the east, back to the center of the wheel.
Center of the Great Wheel
This circular clearing is about 40 yards in diameter and completely bounded by the Wheel of Nature inscribed in the ground. Soft green grasses cover much of the ground, but several paths have been worn to bare dirt over time. The only landmark within the Wheel is the low Table Stone at the center, but four important landmarks make up sections of the Wheel: the windy spot to the southwest, a small pool to the southeast, a firepit to the northeast, and a large mound of earth to the northwest.
Contents:
Table Stone
Obvious exits:
Windy Spot South Pool East Fire Pit North Earth Mound West
On the western curve, Lost-Sky-Hunter heads into the center.
Lost-Sky-Hunter has arrived.
On the western curve, Alexander returns the wave.
On the western curve, Rik nods. "Cool. I'll look her up. Thanks."
On the western curve, Alexander grins. "Sure."
On the western curve, Alexander turns finally toward the south. "What's with you?" he calls.
On the eastern curve, Joseph shakes his head, giving the Keeper a small reassuring look. "I' just restless tonight."
In the Windy Spot, The restless frustration slowly ebbs out of Dylan's body. He lifts his head questioningly at Alexander's words, not sure if they are addressed to him.
On the western curve, Alexander is looking straight at Dylan.
Sepdet jabs her muzzle over towards the firepit. I have beat-sticks. And Lost-Sky, drum. Maybe you have songs for a Wendigo-born caern to hear?
In the Windy Spot, Dylan says wonderingly, ~I got angry.~
On the eastern curve, Joseph looks down at himself for a moment, suddenly unsure. He none-the-less heads for the Center, and then the firepit.
On the eastern curve, Joseph heads into the center.
Joseph has arrived.
On the western curve, Alexander raises his eyebrows, amused. "Really? What was it like?"
Joseph looks at Lost-Sky-Hunter. "It would be good to sing, I think."
In the Windy Spot, Dylan gives the question real thought. ~Stimulating,~ he says, finally, ~but it caught me by surprise. I have not been angry in a very long time.~
Sepdet brushes against Joseph's leg, having a little trouble expressing herself around her burden. She glances eastward again questioningly, but now that he is here, she makes no more suggestions. After a moment, she trots over towards the oft-deserted firepit.
You make your way to the northeast, to the edge of the fire pit.
Around the Fire Pit
The small rock-shielded firepit just within the path of the Wheel contains a small, brightly burning fire. The ground is baked near it, and grasses grow in waves away from it, starting scraggly and getting greener near the inner groove of the Wheel. To the west is the earthen mound, and back to the south is the small pool.
Obvious exits:
Forward Back Center of the Wheel
At the center, Lost-Sky-Hunter heads northeast to the fire pit.
Lost-Sky-Hunter has arrived.
+shift glabro
Sepdet contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
You shift into Glabro form.
Cleared.
Cleared.
At the center, Joseph heads northeast to the fire pit.
Joseph has arrived.
On the western curve, Alexander nods slowly. "I do it all the time. S'fun, if you don't let it get outta hand. You should do it more often."
Lost-Sky-Hunter nods to the Wendigo as she sits. ~I am The Lost Sky Hunter Remembers The Dance, Full-Moon of the Uktena born to Secrets Revealed at Broken Water.~
Sepdet catches the sticks on the back of her hands and flips her fingers over to grasp them.
In the Windy Spot, Dylan thinks that will take care of itself, it is to happen. Most times, I am not assured of the usefulness. He pushes himself to his feet and shakes himself briskly, shedding the last of the unaccustomed emotion.
+weather
Currently on this gusty and crisp summer evening in the general St. Claire area, it is 57 degrees Fahrenheit (13.9 degrees Celsius). The wind is coming from the west-northwest at 15.6 mph. The ground is wet. Skies are clear with no chance of precipitation.
Joseph nods to the Uktena, and introduces himself. "Black Rabbit called He Catches the Soul, Cliath crescent moon of the Wendigo."
Sepdet tilts her head sideways to watch the two others come together by the fire. Taking both rhythm sticks in one hand, she reaches out to grasp a small log's end and nudge the coals, which are starting to be more than a symbol again now that the fall is coming close.
On the western curve, Alexander shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe so. Just don't try and hold it back all the time. Or else you might forget what it's like."
In the Windy Spot, Dylan pads toward the center, much more relaxed now. He pauses, tilts his head back toward Alexander. If it is a night for me to get angry, perhaps it is a night for you to sing? He tips his muzzle in the direction of the fire.
Lost-Sky-Hunter peels the tiny shape from her shoulder, and sets the slender drum between her legs when it becomes real.
On the western curve, Rik blinks. "Cool."
You paged Alexander, Lost-Sky-Hunter, and Dylan with 'And if mules had wings...'.
From afar, to Alexander, Sepdet, and Dylan, Lost-Sky-Hunter slaps Sepdet around for that.
Joseph looks around the firepit and then back at the Uktena, "That is an interesting drum." he remarks.
On the western curve, Alexander snickers. "You've never heard me sing, or you wouldn't be sayin' that."
On the western curve, Rik turns back to Alexander. "Huh?"
In the Windy Spot, Dylan thinks you are wrong. Come?
On the western curve, Alexander jerks his head toward Dylan. "Talkin' to him. Come along?"
Joseph still seems a little uneasy, as if missing something, and he soon hits on it. "I do not have my pipe, or my bag."
In the Windy Spot, Dylan contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
In the Windy Spot, Dylan shifts into Homid form.
Lost-Sky-Hunter flexes her wings as she beats a soft sound from the drum.
Sepdet strips off her vest, the most human of her garb--after carefully unclipping the dreamcatcher so she can lay it neatly over the garment-- and starts to reach for her feet. Looking down, she stops, shakes her head, and grins lopsidedly to herself before turning back to Joseph. ~Your rattle,~ she says softly. ~But it's not quite the same.~
In the Windy Spot, Dylan pads over to the fire.
In the Windy Spot, Dylan heads into the center.
At the center, Dylan heads northeast to the fire pit.
Dylan has arrived.
Joseph nods to Sepdet, taking the rattle froma pocket. "I wanted to pray, but we'll have to manage without the pipe."
Dylan studies the Lakota Wendigo for a moment, then reaches into his jerkin and produces a small wooden flute.
Lost-Sky-Hunter smiles up at Dylan as he approaches. ~You've gotten older, Stargazer, but prepared.~
Joseph sees the flute and smiles, his posture relaxing even more. He looks to Lost Sky with a nod, signaling her to begin a rhythm.
Dylan dips his head to Lost-Sky, eyes still on Joseph.
Lost-Sky-Hunter works a slow beat from the drum, quiet and relaxed as the gathered Garou settle.
On the western curve, Alexander waves to Rik. "Take care. Track down Revels-In-Blood. And let me know if you find someone who can help us, OK?"
On the western curve, Rik nods. "Right away. Thanks.
On the western curve, Alexander nods and turns toward the center.
On the western curve, Alexander heads into the center.
Sepdet looks up at Dylan a little wistfully, but holds her own voice in silence. Hesitantly, she watches the other woman's hands for some time before adding a cricket-like soft clinking pattern to follow the Uktena's lead.
On the western curve, Rik goes home.
Dylan listens intently, not joining in yet, as he gets the sense of the rhythm.
On the eastern curve, Deepsprings makes her way out of the woods to the east.
At the center, Alexander waves to Deepsprings.
On the eastern curve, Deepsprings licks blood off her muzzle and wanders into the center.
On the eastern curve, Deepsprings heads into the center.
At the center, Deepsprings wuffs a greeting.
Joseph joins the song, adding depth to the drum's rhythm with the rattle's soft rain. his body immediately picks up the song's heartbeat, a physical thing, seen, when looking at him. He has started to dance despite not moving yet. With three more beats, he begins the song.
From afar, Deepsprings has to go see her fellow ahroun first.
Dylan settles to the ground silently, crosslegged, flute ready, but still silent, waiting to understand the song itself.
At the center, Alexander reaches out to scratch Deepsprings' neck. ~How's it going?~
Sepdet's forehead is a spiderweb of thought-furrows as she concentrates with eyes half-closed, feeling her way a little clumsily. But the occasional stumbles, irregular as footsteps are never quite regular, don't distract the song's pull too much.
Joseph's chant is a soft whisper, compared to the music, married to the wind. The sticcato vowels emenate lyrically. If there are words in the chant, they are not easily discerned for those who dont know Lakota. His eyes close, and his body loosens further, stepping out and beginning a patterned foot dance.
At the center, Deepsprings' splay contentedly. I am not unwell today. You look like you are not quite well, though.
At the center, Alexander glances down at his wounds, and one corner of his mouth twists upward in a wry half-grin. ~Better than I was three nights ago. I can almost shift back to my human form again. Almost.~
Dylan puts the flute to his mouth, but at first it seems there is no sound. Gradually the tone swells, quiet, sweet-voiced, a single note that flutters with his breath, the flute becoming almost another drumbeat on the wind, curling around the edges of Joseph's chant.
Lost-Sky-Hunter varies her drumming slightly, matching the natural rhythm of the song. She watches Joseph's dance with unfocused eyes as the power in the music grows.
At the center, Deepsprings tilts her head to one side. You were on that hunt.
Sepdet's own accompaniment tapers off as the others' work goes stronger. A flicker of recognition at a few phrases only lights her eyes. The feel of the song echoes in restless movements of her hands, but the Lakota secrets keep themselves even while being shared. Suddenly without a thought the sticks she was holding are down, and she is up and spinning away, feet skittering across the ground like squirrels.
f
You make your way west, forward along the Wheel.
Northern Curve of the Wheel
Between the elements of fire and earth, the lines of the Wheel come into particular focus. About two yards apart, both defining grooves are composed of three quarter-inch thin lines, criss-crossing and weaving back and forth in a repeating pattern. Fire has scorched the edges of the path to an easily seen black. The small hill is forward on the Wheel, the firepit behind, and a path crosses to the middle of the clearing from outside.
Obvious exits:
Earth Mound Fire Pit Center of the Wheel North
You advance along the Wheel, west toward the earth mound.
Earth Mound
Like flesh slowly peeling back from a bone, a rise of grassy earth surrounds an emerging upcropping of white stone. The mound rises about six feet above the surrounding area of the Wheel, and the stone at its peak another three feet. Forward, you can see a clearing surrounded by rustling trees, while behind the fire pit is visible.
Obvious exits:
Forward Back Center of the Wheel
Near the Fire Pit, Dylan watches Sepdet's movement with a spark of joy in his eyes, and without thought his fingers play a short laughing rill of notes, and then subside again.
At the center, Alexander nods slowly. ~Yeah, I was on the hunt.~
At the center, Deepsprings' tail swishes in time with the music as she talks with Alexander, though she does not seem to take any other outward note of it.
At the center, Deepsprings is glad you are alive.
At the center, Alexander says, ~Anyway, how have you been? I haven't seen you much recently.~
Sepdet drives into the earthmound with a leap and a roll that takes her to the top. She is not locked in her own world, but fully aware of the drums she left behind and the speakers at the center--her glance freezes and sobers as she spins around towards them, crouches, slaps down the rutted mud smooth and firm with the flats of her hands, and moves on.
At the center, Deepsprings blinks. I have been wandering. I went out on a little hunt with your tribemate yesterday.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph is aware of almost nothing save the heartbeat expressed with his own steps. his breath one with the wind, his feet one with the earth, the song coalesces from all and comes alive as he sings, "Wankatanhan hotanin k'un le miye yelo."
At the center, Alexander says, ~Oh? Which one?~
You follow the rim of the Wheel south, forward toward the windy spot.
Western Curve of the Wheel
You walk the pathway between earth and the winds, the rising swell of the earth mound behind and the wind-swept reaches of the circle forward. Between rise and swirl of air, a small, even path runs. The edges of the pathway are marked by small white stones, providing a division between the two areas. Westwards, the path loses its describing stones and leads back into the forest.
Obvious exits:
Windy Spot Earth Mound Center of the Wheel West
At the center, Deepsprings wuffs. Stormcloud. He needed to direct his anger at something.
You round the southern curve of the Wheel, toward the windy spot.
Windy Spot
Something here serves to direct the air -- perhaps the stately trees rising around the rim of the clearing, perhaps the smooth slab of granite beneath your feet. But no matter the cause, a wind stirs unendingly here, swirling against your back like cool fingers. Behind you, an earth mound rises starkly from the ground. Forward, a glint of light off water catches your eye.
Obvious exits:
Forward Back Center of the Wheel
At the center, Alexander hmms softly. ~Did he find a target?~
At the center, Deepsprings chuffs. We did, two banes.
Near the Fire Pit, The flute's voice matches Joseph's song like an echo, like a shadow. Gently, it teases at the edges of the melody, but never overwhelms it. His eyes follow the dancers, first one, and then the other.
Sepdet's earthbeat dance changes as she spirals around, and now her focus is high above. Few fingers catch at the sky, cup the air and hold it for a breath, then drop as she whirls around to kick up dried needles and send them spinning back into the bushes.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph follows the rhythm in a slow pace, the pitch of his voice rising suddenly as do his arms, as if grasping at something, or pointing, "Wanmayanka yo."
Dylan pages to Joseph, Alexander, Lost-Sky-Hunter, Sepdet, and Deepsprings: His eyes. Gah. you can tell I need sleep.
At the center, Alexander grunts. ~Good. You obviously came out alright. Him?~
At the center, Deepsprings wuffs. He is alive also. He was even calm until your other tribemate was brought in dead.
You follow the rim of the Wheel east, toward the pool.
Southern Curve of the Wheel
A whisper of wind and a glimmer of light, one behind and the other ahead, bring a faint tingle to your senses. Ahead, light reflects somberly off a clear pool of water, while behind air swirls and stirs the leaves of trees. A pathway of soft dirt winds between the two and south, off the wheel.
Obvious exits:
Pool Windy Spot Center of the Wheel South
At the center, Alexander stiffens immediately. ~Who was brought in dead?~
Lost-Sky-Hunter pages to Joseph, Sepdet, and Dylan: Inspiration is a Gift intended for rallying one's pack in the middle of a fight. Nevertheless, it seems appropriate and natural in this situation. See? Ahrouns are more than blood and claws.
You head east, toward the sparkling pool of water and forward around the Wheel.
Around the Pool
The inscribed Wheel continues, running past a small pool of clear water just inside the outer line. The ground on the Wheel is rough, with uneven patches of grass sprouting here and there in defiance of the countless generations of feet that have trod this path. On to the north is the firepit, and back to the west is the windy spot.
Contents:
Quiet Pool
Obvious exits:
Forward Back Center of the Wheel
At the center, Deepsprings chuffs. Songstorm, the one who was tainted.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph's arms come back down as he spins, finishing the prayer within the rhythm of the song, "Iwaye cin wakan yelo."
At the center, Alexander asks, almost suspiciously, ~How did she die?~
Near the Fire Pit, Lost-Sky-Hunter's rhythm grows faster and more alive as the song nears climax. Her voice adds to Joseph's prayer, but in emotion rather than words.
You paged Joseph, Lost-Sky-Hunter, and Dylan with 'Moon, stars, and the gifts of our characters seem to come together just right tonight.'.
Dylan pages: Yes. Tonight is good.
At the center, Deepsprings wrinkles her muzzle. Thorn could not cleanse her, so he killed her.
At the center, Alexander blinks, then snarls, ~He did *WHAT*?~
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph makes his voice go silent, letting the drum sing, and push the rhythm into the hearts around it. His feet pick up and move him fluidly.
Near the Fire Pit, Dylan brings the flute's music to silence in the same moment that Joseph's song ends, so that it might almost have been the Wendigo's voice in the instrument.
Sepdet circles the water like the coils of a mother-snake, drawing in close with small ripple movements of her hands. A pain fleets across her face and she turns away from the center, abruptly scooping her arms into the water down to the elbows as such an angle that she barely makes a splash.
Near the Fire Pit, Dylan lowers the flute and closes his eyes, tilting his head back toward the stars, letting the drum beat wash through him, move him like a strong current in clear water.
Sepdet gathers the water up and flings it wide and wild, the small drops scattering in the damp earth and on leaves no more than a whisper behind the rest of the music.
From afar, Dylan grins around at the circle of artists, beaming with pleasure. We're so good...
At the center, Deepsprings blinks and looks up at Alexander. He killed her.
On the western curve, Second-Chance works her way free of the dense treeline to the west.
At the center, Alexander says, ~Because he couldn't Cleanse her? Just because he wasn't good enough? He couldn't let someone else try?~
At the center, Alexander's hands ball into fists and he glares down at Deepsprings, voice rising with each question.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph brings the rattle to a close, feet moving solely to the drum.
On the western curve, Second-Chance lopes in, making a beeline for her packmate.
On the western curve, Second-Chance heads into the center.
At the center, Deepsprings tilts her head up at Alexander. Who?
Near the Fire Pit, Lost-Sky-Hunter slows the drum, drawing out each beat of her hands against the instrument, sharpening both the sound and the silence until even the listener's blood seems to flow according to the drum's command.
Sepdet spirals back in to her starting point, skirting the fire, drums, and finally kneeling down to catch up a burning branch. Closing her eyes, she listens to the closing of the song, the flames now the only movement from her.
You make your way past the pool to the north and nearer the fire pit.
Eastern Curve of the Wheel
Between the firepit ahead and the clear pool behind, the path makes an almost contradictory change as it arcs along the east end of the Wheel. The sparse grasses near the pool diverge into two groups, dispersed between the deeply etched lines: some are dead and wilted, almost singed to death; and some are strong and a healthy green. A path leads east, away from the Wheel.
Obvious exits:
Fire Pit Pool Center of the Wheel East
You head north, forward along the path of the Wheel and toward the fire pit.
Around the Fire Pit
The small rock-shielded firepit just within the path of the Wheel contains a small, brightly burning fire. The ground is baked near it, and grasses grow in waves away from it, starting scraggly and getting greener near the inner groove of the Wheel. To the west is the earthen mound, and back to the south is the small pool.
Contents:
Dylan
Joseph
Lost-Sky-Hunter
Obvious exits:
Forward Back Center of the Wheel
From afar, Michael Powers mms and hugs right back. Wonderful OOC, intense IC, and beautiful at the wheel, too? Great!
At the center, Alexander says, ~Who? Thorn, of course. Isn't he the one that killed her?~
At the center, Second-Chance slows as she reaches Alexander's side, looking swiftly between him and the Child in assessment.
At the center, Deepsprings chuffs. Who could he have gotten that would have been better. He is first crescent.
Joseph's eyes open as a second rhythm, or mis-harmony joins the first. his eyes search for the felan, closing on the center of the Wheel. His feet stop.
Lost-Sky-Hunter intensifies and intensifies the rhythm, and stops cold for several long seconds. Then she beats again, but quieter, ever quieter, until her hands barely brush the skin of the drum.
At the center, Alexander says, ~Everyone fucks up sometimes! Rites can fail! I've seen it!~
Dylan tilts his head slowly down again. Even before his eyes open, his face is turned toward Joseph. When he does open his eyes, they are bright with pleasure and exhiliaration, but there is a faint overlay of concern.
Joseph remains silent an unmoving, part of him still in the Rhythm of the song, part of him focused on the wheel. He looks to Alexander intently.
Sepdet exhales a low deep breath and opens her eyes. Reluctantly, she sets her torch back down, straightens, and walks to the center, her body squarely between the fragile peace by the fire and the desperation in the middle. She tips back her head to regard Alexander silently.
Alexander reaches out one hand and buries it in his packmate's fur as he watches Deepsprings, eyes wide with bare-containted fury.
Second-Chance emits a barely audible whimper as the hand burrows in, but then goes silent, staying where she is to lend support to her packmate.
Deepsprings frowns. If it had been possible, I would have taken her to the homeland of my tribe and placed her in the well myself.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph moves toward the center with a single step, and then hesitates. After thought, his motion continues stepping in behind the Keeper.
Near the Fire Pit, Joseph heads into the center.
Joseph has arrived.
Alexander says, ~And you're so sure it wasn't, then?~
Sepdet's voice is still shaken from what she was just doing. ~Thorn-rhya. I. Goldeneyes. I am sorry. We all three did not 'fuck up'. I used the very stuff of the caern--rashly--trying to help cleanse her, and felt it beyond anything I have ever tried to heal.~ She shuts her eyes. ~I saw Thorn last night. And Rachel. When many nights and rites under the moon have failed, when all that is left is Wyrm and not the spirit of the friend you are fighting for, when the body is dying beyond healer's touch to repair already--that is when it is time to let go. Thorn-rhya finally let her go. And a piece of him went with her. I have never seen him so shaken. Perhaps you are right, in that someone in this world might have done better.~ She bows her head. ~For that: I can only offer apology, as Thorn-rhya did to Ilya. But apologies make no difference. Honor the fallen, and let her go.~
Near the Fire Pit, Dylan lowers his head to study the flute that his hands cradle loosely in his lap, the energy from the music slowly ebbing out of him, even as the anger did earlier, this time replaced only with a kind of calm sadness. After a moment he rises, tucking the flute back into its inner pocket, and goes to stand half a pace behind Sepdet, in silent support.
Deepsprings is not sure.
Near the Fire Pit, Dylan heads into the center.
Dylan has arrived.
Alexander turns to look at Sepdet, not interrupting until she's done. Then he says softly, ~If she was that far gone, she should have been returned to her tribe. *We* would have decided what to do with her, and if she had to be killed, *we* would have been the ones to do it. She could have died fighting the Wyrm. Instead she died alone. Without her tribe. Without honor. Without anything.~
Sepdet drops her gaze.
Joseph's chin lifts, something of Alexander's words biting into him. He nods slowly.
Alexander snarls suddenly and shifts into the warform. Fingernails grow into claws and his face thrusts outward. The black trenchcoat merges with his flesh and turns into the black fur which sprouts across his body.
Alexander contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Alexander shifts into Crinos form.
Sepdet's shoulders slump. ~You speak truth there, that it would have been better with her own people--though I cannot say she died with no honor. I say only that I fear nothing more could have been done. I am sorry.~
Deepsprings tilts her head. She was sick with an illness that could have made you all sick. Would it have been better for her to have returned...
Deepsprings ...and infected the whole pack? It is the way of the wolf.
Sepdet doesn't twitch as she is surrounded by yet more looming Garou.
Thunder's Claws lifts his muzzle to the sky and howls to the pale moon in the east, the howl of a mourning for a fallen Garou, a tribemate. If he heard Sepdet and Deepsprings, he makes no answer to them; he simply howls his grief and rage.
Second-Chance adds her howl a fraction later Thunder's Claws, discordant as is the wolf way, sharing the lament.
Sepdet drops back a step to give Alexander room, and then falls to a sudden crouch, as if kneeling at his feet. But her attention is to one side. She places her hands flat on the ground, gaze on the Tablestone's shifting surface, head slowly tipping back as if in silent howl. But all her voice is a small whisper only: ~Cougar give them strength. And vengeance swift and certain.~
Deepsprings tilts back her head and joins in the keen.
Joseph gazes at the Shadow Lord with sympathy, though he remains silent. Raising voice for one you did not know is impolite to the Wendigo.
Second-Chance pauses for breath, and leans, hard, against the legs of Thunder's Claws. Her nose lifts so she may look up at him.
Thunder's Claws's voice cuts off suddenly and he clenches his right fist. His left hand slashes at his other forearm, drawing blood from four parallel wounds. As the blood drips down his fur and into the ground he howls, ~By my blood and by my House, this bane has killed its last. It ends with Songstorm.~
Sepdet stands, dips her head towards the Shadow Lord, obviously without expecting a response. She touches the ankh at her throat as he finishes speaking, her fingers closing over the emblem like a seal, then faces east to stride slowly out of the caern.
Joseph eyes Thunder's Claws approvingly, and turns, slipping past the Wheel to the east.
Joseph heads east, away from the center of the Wheel.
Joseph has left.
e
You make your way along the pathway to the east, between two Wheel quarters.
Eastern Curve of the Wheel
Between the firepit ahead and the clear pool behind, the path makes an almost contradictory change as it arcs along the east end of the Wheel. The sparse grasses near the pool diverge into two groups, dispersed between the deeply etched lines: some are dead and wilted, almost singed to death; and some are strong and a healthy green. A path leads east, away from the Wheel.
Contents:
Joseph
Obvious exits:
Fire Pit Pool Center of the Wheel East
Joseph heads east, back into the forest and away from the Wheel.
Joseph has left.
Sepdet reaches for Joseph's arm as their paths converge out into the forest shadows.
<....>
You pick your way east up the mountain trail. The going is rough; it takes you a long time to make the ascent as the foothills give over into the cliffs of the mountain proper. After a period of careful climbing, you top a ledge and find yourself on...
High Promontory
A flat table of stone stretches away for ten or twenty feet in every direction, forming a smallish promontory that juts out of the ever-ascending mountainside to the east, hanging over the lowlands below. The view from up here is both astounding and humbling; to the west, the evergreen forests of the lower flatland stretch away towards the ocean, the treetops clouded in mist, the land cut through with blue streams that feed into the far-off river. Beyond the river, the lights of the city are just barely visible. At this height, the air is just beginning to thin, and the act of breathing becomes vaguely dizzying; the sky itself is an almost palpable force, vaulting high above and to either side. Near the center of the stone expanse, the rock has been blackened with what looks to be the soot of countless bonfires; sticks, twigs, and the remains of wooden poles can be seen lying here and there.
A fair-sized cave opening enters into the rock on the east side of the promontory; to the west, a makeshift trail heads back down the mountainside.
Contents:
Joseph
Obvious exits:
Trail Cave
Joseph pauses in his step, head drawn down to face hers.
Sepdet bows her head. ~That was good. I have not danced the Wheel in a year, and this dance was what made them give Keeping to a child not-yet-rited. But I think next time I will not suggest to you to come there, or share your music with others you did not choose.~ Less grimly, she ventures, ~but it worked--a little--didn't it? You danced too.~
Joseph takes a deep breath, the worry and tension on his face earlier is completely gone. The events in the Wheel following the song having no ill efect on him. He nods quietly, but vigorously.
After a pause, he says, "Pila miye."
Sepdet looks up at him full-eyed for a moment, before relaxing back into a smile. "Washte."
Joseph's smile is bright, eyes dancing. "washte, kola."
Sepdet brushes a finger against the back of Joseph's hand. ~Dream well. I will too. And maybe I will hear a little of your song.~ With that, and a satisfied, pleased nod, she takes her own way out to sleep in the forest.