It is currently 18:06 Pacific Time on Mon Jun 3 2002.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 68
degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in
from the southwest at 9 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.04 and
steady, and the relative humidity is 52 percent. The dewpoint is 50
degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius.)

Currently the moon is in the waning Half Moon phase (46% full).


Meadow by Lake Arthur

A large, open meadow spreads out before you, sloping down on one side to
the shore of a clear blue lake.  Scrawny field grasses sway slightly in a
gentle breeze; scattered clumps of trees stand like outposts for the
surrounding forest.  Deer tracks crisscross the meadow, forming a network
of lines through the grass.  The deep forest of the northwest spreads out
on three sides, balanced by the clarity of the crystalline lake.

To the west, the meadow slopes down to a rocky beach on the shore.  An
ill-kept dirt road enters the meadow from the north, marks a curving line
between grass and trees along the meadow's northeastern border, and veers
eastward.  A bumpy trail, scarred with the tracks of a dirtbike, forks
away from the main road and passes beneath the trees to the southeast.  
Several overgrown trails lead off into the deeper forests to the south and
southwest.


Robert continues building the bonfire, feeding it carefully. As people
show up, he gestures around the area, giving suggestions for placement and
settling.

Kaz, with a slight limp, wanders in from the general direction of Kent
Crossing.

Eamon finds the bonfire and the gathering, then heads over to Susan and
grins at her. "Hey there, 'sup?"

Luc arrives with Serf, looking none to pleased to be walking around on two
legs. He looks around the clearing and finds an out-of-the-way place to
sit.

Susan's expression is sober as she greets her tribemate. "It's not good,
I'll tell you that much."

Andrea has spread out a thick blanket not too far from the bondfire, where
she sits and watches Robert. Ruddy light dances on her sober face.

Eamon nods. "Yeah. Listen, after the meeting we'll talk about teaching
that gift, okay?"

Susan perks up and nods to Eamon. "That would be good. And very much
appreciated." She jerks her head towards her alpha, and says "Gonna go sit
with Andrea. Join us if you want?"

Seeker emerges from the woods and nods a greeting to the gathered garou,
then sits crosslegged by the fire, quietly.

Shadow-of-Blood approaches from the woods, but stays back /in/ the woods
for now, not approaching the gathering yet.

Owen makes his way in from the north, stopping once he figures he's within
the 'gathering space' here. He pauses for a few to survey who's here
already, then proceeds to move to stand by Luc.

Jamethon steps in from the woods and stays at the edge of the gathering,
just planning on listening in the meeting tonight.

A fair time after the noise of a car to the north, and its subsequent
silence, John, Rina, and Salem arrive at the same time, hiking in from
where the road goes unpaved. They all bear somewhat grim expressions, and
Salem is even wearing sunglasses, looking to be - subtly - in poorer shape
than the others.

Brittany joins with the rest, leading both Brigid, on her left, and
Kristine, on her right, in a small show of SIlver Solidarity. She mutters
something, quietly, to Kristine, then finds a spot fo rthe three to sit.

Serf turns his head toward Owen when the Get joins Luc and breathes out in
a chuffing noise.

Kristine glances up to Brittany, giving a simple nod, then waits for the
Elder to seat herself, before she moves to sit with Brigid.

Robert continues feeding the bonfire, stopping to point out where people
can pitch tenst if they've brought them, or throw sleeping bags if they'd
rather sleep under the stars in homid form. He looks up towards where the
slowly sinking sun hides behind some clouds, then nods to the latest
arrivals.

Andrea nods once to Eamon, from her seat on the spread blanket. The
theurge Gaian seems a little distant, but she waits patiently.

Brigid keeps a quiet ear to the other two Fangs, settling down after
Brittany sits and resting both hands loosely in her lap.

Luc grunts softly in greeting to Owen.

Sepdet jogs out of the lengthening shadows of the woods and slips into the
gathering, finding a spot somewhere near Andrea to settle.

Salem lurks close to John and Rina; apart from the sunglasses, the
Philodox is wearing a new trenchcoat rather than his usual black leather
duster, and the brim of his fedora's pulled down low. There's a definite
reluctance in his posture; hands are buried into jean pockets, and the set
of his shoulders is tense.

Moving almost lazily, Patrick threads his way through the crowd to take a
sitting position behind Andrea on her blanket. The Uktena ragabash nods
once to Sepdet as she settles nearby, then murmurs something to his alpha.

Rina, wrapped in a leather jacket with some suspicious bulges beneath her
arms, makes her way toward the fire. A black helmet hangs from one wrist.
with the fingers of gloves sticking out of it. The young woman searches
for the unfamiliar faces, and commits them to memory.

Brittany's hand casually moves to her hip, where an empty holster is
strapped. She then lets her eyes quietly roll to the Northeast, remaining
tense.

John follows the kin girl, with a blanket under one arm, and finds an
empty enough place for them to sit.

Jamethon carries with him, for those who look in his direction, a long
wooden javelin with intricate carvings on it, a large cloth bag, and two
spools of gold wiring.

As the trickle of incoming Garou slows, Robert stands up from poking at
the bonfire and dusts off his hands. "Walking coals is a common team
building exercise, " he calls to the gathered group, "but admittedly it's
not one for tonight. Everyone gather around. It's time to share
information and talk of plans."

Matt slips quietly into the back of the crowd as Robert speaks, sitting
next to no one in particular.

Kristine looks to the other two Fangs, before turning her attention on
Robert, her arms resting in her lap, remainin quiet. For the moment.

Susan glances up at Robert and flashes a faint smile for a moment.

Shadow-of-Blood moves a few steps clser, to more right on the edge of the
woods.

Jamethon gathers in a bit closer, bringing his things along.

Eamon snickers. "Or maybe we can play paintball."

Kristine tilts her head towards Eamon, and gives a small little chuckle,
but doesn't add to the comment.

Owen remains standing upright, arms crossed over his chest, fingers
drumming.

Brigid inches slightly closer to Kristine and gives her attention over to
things, mouth quirking in a small smile at Eamon.

Andrea's lips curve slightly, but she stays where she is, relatively close
to the flames. Serf wrinkles his nose in confusion, but the Stargazer
remains silent.

Trying not to be too conspicuous, a trio of cubs makes their way over
toward the gathering. Aubrey, Cameron, and Tobin make their way over to
sit/stand near Matt, through unspoken concensus.

Salem sits down heavily, steadying himself with a hand as he lowers
himself, crosslegged, onto the edge of the blanket. Subdued and silent, he
folds his arms across his chest; reflected firelight dances in dark
lenses.

Sepdet raise an eyebrow at Eamon. "Not just now." She leans forward,
clasping her arms around her knees. "News first." She looks around.
"Scouts, battles, visions, we have plenty to discuss."

Rina flips dark hair out of her eyes, and watches the man grimly. She
doesn't yet sit down, standing at the edge of the blanket.

Brittany opens a small pouch on her belt, pulling free both a pen and a
small notepad, folding her legs for use as a desk, otehrwise ready to
listen quietly.

Susan raises a hand to the cubs and Matt, but she makes no other move away
from her pack. Shifting uneasily, the no-moon glances towards Robert and
then back towards Andrea.

Kaz, who'd gone to answer a call of nature, wanders back to the
(significantly larger) group.

Jamethon sits in the spot he finds and once he has done so he pulls the
javelin across his lap and, pulling out a sharp looking tool for wood
carving, sets to adding to the intriate designs already on it. This is
basically what he will be doing for the rest of the night, keeping an ear
and eye out for important information.

Tobin stands quietly by the Fianna, nodding silently in greeting to those
of his tribe who are present.

The alpha gives Eamon a small smile and a slight nod befor continuing,
"We'll start at the beginning. I think everyone knows the how and
wherefores of how the caern fell by now. The most recent assault, I think,
has not had time for all the information to ge out yet. I, for one, am
somewhat curious. If someone could inform the rest of the sept about the
assault in the city?" Robert asks, looking towards John, then to Kaz.

Kaz looks at John. "You were there for more of it than I was. Mostly, I
just got shot by snipers."

Shadow-of-Blood barks sharply from just inside the woods as discussion
seems to start.

Matt gives the cubs a kind smile, and gestures to the grass next to him.
Make yourselves comfortable, the gesture says. He nods to Susan, and gives
his attention over to John.

Owen, on edge enough, darts a look towards the bark. In turn, he heads
over towards the source.

Eamon nods and stands. "Yeah, I got some news. Earlier this week Aburey,
Tobin and I talked to some spirits in the Harbor Park umbra and got an
idea of what's in the caern's shadow. There are balefire banes, crystal
banes and some kind of thing that looks like a black puddle with arms and
legs. The merlin spirit we talked to also saw another bane it couldn't
identify, plus numerous other smaller banes. The spirits haven't been able
to get near the caern recently, so I dunno what's gone in there since
then."

Kaz adds, "An' Tobin an' Aubrey an' Cam're kinda servin' as translator
types, an' intermediaries, for them's as needs it."

Sepdet rises to her feet, only half-listening. "They wouldn't dare," she
whispers under her breath, staring in the direction of Shadow-of-Blood.

Rina glances to the Strider, and then looks over her shoulder to Owen and
Shadow-of-Blood.

"I've done some research into those banes," Andrea speaks up quietly.
"Since Eamon brought me the news."

Aubrey sits down in the grass beside Matt, offering a silent smile as she
looks across to the others. As Eamon speaks, she looks up and pays close
attention. She shuffles her legs cross-legged as she simply nods.

Robert raises an eyebrow at Eamon, then nods to the ragabash. "In time,"
he says. "We need not to just start randomly. First, the assaults we've
seen. Then, the information we have gained from visions, scouting, and
asking. Finally, plans for the future." He looks over towards the woods,
then sighs before swallowing a few times. ~Right,~ he says haltingly.
~Translate for Talon, then.~ He grimaces for a minutes or so, swallowing
several more times. "Since he'll need someone to translate."

Kristine raises a hand, "I can also help fill in what happened at the
Walker Safe house, as I was there for most of it as well."

The alpha looks back to John. "Short and sweet, but covering the subject,
if you please, or delegate it to another."

John tilts his head up to speak. In homid, given that there will be
translation. "I only arrived after the chaos had started, but through
questioning of those who were there, I've got a pretty clear picture of
what happened. I don't know how, but I guess it was inevitable, given the
high concentration of Garou living in the safehouse... We got made. Banes
and Dancers seem to have infiltrated via the basement's connection to the
sewers, and perhaps through one of the apartments. All the Dancers and
banes were killed, though a sniper - using silver bullets - on the roof,
eluded me when I went to go clear the umbra and rooftop. A packmate of
mine - Roger Cohen, ~Howls-When-Dreaming~ - died; he killed the creature
with his dying breaths." The Walker Elder pauses a moment. "The safehouse
was rendered unlivable, and given a high volume of criminal evidence
within, and the fact that the Dancers were aware of it... it is fortunate
that a cocktail of dangerous chemicals in the basement resulted in its
destruction."

Sepdet's expression clears with relief. Sepdet, jumpy? Never. She
resettles herself, leaning back to ask something of Andrea and Patrick in
a whisper.

Rina drops to sit crosslegged, beside Salem--close to John's feet. She
turns her attention to the fire, as he speaks. Her expression tightens
visibly, a sharp grim look, almost a scowl.

Brittany chirps a short attention-getting whistle at Kaz, holding
something small in her right hand. "Souvenier," she says, simply, then
lobs a small shiny thing at the Gnawer.

Owen kneels down beside the Talon, shifting to lupus in the shadows so as
to translate for the Talon.

John adds quickly - low, but clear - "Those who fled to the Rialto, which
I requested we make a rally point for that night, should no longer live
there. High concentrations are risky, and we don't want to lose another
safe place."

Kaz catches somewhat reflexively. "Yeah, an' they got that made, too.
Also, the Junkyard. I gotta get that spread. So don' go there no more."

Robert nods at Kaz. "More information that fits into the puzzle later, but
it's important enough to mention now. Also, Andrea said she had something
to add about the aftermath of the safehouse assault?"

Brigid listens alertly, unable to stifle a shiver at the assertations of
once-safe places being grossly less so. Licking her lips, she leans over
and whispers briefly in Kristine's ear.

Luc tries to follow the various speakers talking at once, gives up
eventually, and lies down on the ground, looking up.

Andrea's voice likewise strains with the effort of speaking the Mother
Tongue in this form. ~Not the aftermath of the assault, but building on
information brought to me. The darkness bane was seen to disintergrate
spirits it touched. I've never seen its like before, nor have any of the
spirits I asked. I don't know what it would do to a Garou. The crystal
banes are likely corrupted glass elementals. Balefire, many of us have
experienced before. Only the Fianna's gift of resistance is any proof
against the green fire.~ She clears her throat, then goes on, ~Two nexus
crawlers came with them, but they were defeated by the wards and the
spirits. Fog is greviously injured, or was when the last of the spirits I
spoke to had fled.~

Rina straightens visibly, looking toward the Cild of Gaia--and then she
glances up to John, a hand tapping his arm.

John looks sideways - and down a little - to Rina, shooting her a
questioning glance.

Sepdet signs to Robert, a silent question, placing her hand on top of her
scalp and lifting it up about half a foot to what would be her glabro
height.

John winces faintly, and begins translating the Mother's Tongue for Rina -
softly, to her ear.

Kristine pulls her lips thin, listening to Andrea. Not good at all. She
takes a deep breath and glances down to the ground briefly before looking
up.

Robert raises an eyebrow. "And still information slips through here and
there. Interesting. Good to know the wards took down the nexus crawlers,
as well." He turns back to John, saying, "Thank you. I might add,
incidentally, that there will be a terrorist cell--the Scarlet Dawn?
Something like that, at least--calling the FBI soon, perhaps as soon as
tomorrow, to claim responsibility for the explosion. I have also been
assured," he continues, with another glance towards Andrea, "that the
remains found are human, and cannot be tied to the Garou."

Rina leans toward the Glasswalker, but her attention remains on the Garou
who speak.

Andrea just dips her head in a nod at that one, confirming the statement.

Brittany wordlessly jots in her pad.

Kaz exhales.

Salem appears to be intently studying the ground in front of him.

The alpha smiles grimly. "Some of us are not without resources. Have there
been any other assaults anyone knows about?" He looks over at Sepdet,
tilts his head, then nods slowly.

Eamon winces at that. "Are you sure about that, sir? I don't know about
having "terrorists" be responsible. We could have FBI crawling all over
the city again. It might be better to make it look like a meth lab blew
up, something minor like that that the local police can handle. Last time
the FBI were in town, we almost got found out."

Rina nods minutely, looking across to Eamon. Her expression is dark,
preoccupied.

John raises an eyebrow at the terrorist information. "Is this a bona fide
terrorist group you have... contact with, Rhya, or is this a fake-out of
ours?" Covering all bases, though he doesn't appear to have given the
former possibility much credibility, by his expression.

Touch Deer wanders towards the gathered Garou, making a line for his
packmates. He looks quietly around the small crowd as he moves, noting
some familiar faces and many more unfamiliar ones.

Sepdet settles into her favorite shape, which allows her to see over
people's shoulders without having to stretch quite so much.

Aubrey looks up and over to Kaz as she lightly signals the Gnawer's
attention. At least for a brief question, while she pays attention to the
rest of the conversation taking place.

From someplace generally north of the area, a familiar to some young man
strolls in the direction of the group. Likelyhood is Geoffrey was probably
just wandering about, as he doesn't seem to be in any sort of a hurry.
Just finishing a cigarette among his boots crunching in the dirt.

Kaz raises an eyebrow at Aubrey.

Andrea's sitting on a blanket with the other members of Ouroboros present.
She smiles briefly at Scab-Survivor in greetings as he joins them.

Robert raises an eyebrow. "If the chemicals were consistent with such a
lab, it would be given more credence. I was led to believe that such was
not true, between those who knew of the chemicals and the preliminary
police investigations. Additionally, if they seek terrorists, they are
less likely to investigate the owner of the building more closely. To
John, he answers, "They are contacts of friends of friends who owe me
favors, and are as legitimate as any other dozen people in the Middle East
calling themselves terrorists. I've been pulling strings all weekend
long."

Eamon sighs and shakes his head. "They already ruled out terrorism, why
stir shit up? We should just let it blow over."

John shakes his head slowly, looking down. "Because there's no link to
/us/ specifically, and our kin remain free of scrutiny. For now, anyway.
Why it was a target will be a good question to try answering."

Matt shrugs with Welsh fatalism. "Done is done, neh? FBI'll be at least as
mooch Barney for th' dancers as they will fer us."

Aubrey scoots across over towards Kaz as she crouches next to the metis.
The young Fianna leans across to the other woman as she whispers quietly,
seeming to have an expression of lightly concerned.

As the conversation goes on, a noiseless shadow flickers at the western
edge of the treeline. Sun-Stare crouches silently in the lowermost
branches of an old tree, hispo form camoflaged by foliage.

Robert narrows his eyes as he looks at Eamon. "Because I, as Alpha, do not
want the police investigating the comings and goings of those who lived
there and the one who owned the building. If you can be certain that no
one could identify, say, John as someone who was coming and going from the
building regularly and could possibly be identified as a potential drug
dealer and thus someone to more closely watch and investigate, and would
be willing to stake your own /life/ on that, then that is one thing. Until
then, act, don't just criticize and hope for the best."

Brittany notes, "John won't be in their database. We took care of that in
Seattle." She then shakes her head, adding, "The rest, however? I'd rather
not take the risk."

Rina nods a curt agreement. "Some of us don't want police attention," she
mutters, with a wry glance over to Salem.

Eamon nods. "All right, all right. It's my job to question, y'know? I just
hope this doesn't blow up in our faces."

John murmurs, "My ID's pretty limited. No real proof I exist. But there's
others to think of. Rina has a file with the FBI that's longer than my
arm."

Tobin listens attentively to all that is said, not missing the fact the
Eamon left something out and waiting for the right time to add it.

Wildfire growls at something recently said as he continues to translate
for the lone Talon.

Geoffrey sees all sorts of forms all over the place as he comes on scene
from the distance. So, to be the least intrusive he shifts down two four
legs and circles wide about the group. So, a black jackal approaches
toward his elder.

Kristine's head turns back and forth, as if she was watching a tennis
game. She's quite, otherwise.

Serf cocks his head, then shakes it in confusion. A mumbled growl rumbles
in his human throat.

Robert nods. "This should deflect attention to a small cell of
international terrorists. At the least, the authorities will be checking
rental records and plane manifests for a long time."He waits for a moment,
then asks again, "Are there any other assaults from the Spirals yet anyone
knows about?"

Sepdet says quietly, "Questioning is good, but not merely for the sake of
questioning, when so much else is at stake this night." Her eyes round in
faint shock at the jackal picking his way through the assortment of elders
to her place by Ouroboros. She points Tatiana towards him hurriedly.

Kaz thinks, then shakes her head. "Ain't heard of none."

Aubrey lets out a light sigh of relief, but she also give Kaz a second
glance. "Sometimes I wish I could be in two places at once." She sighs
again softly, "Hope things will be alright," she mutters lowly. Then she
gives the Gnawer a hearty pat on the shoulder before she retakes her place
next to Matt.

Andrea shakes her head. ~Not yet,~ she says, the short statement easier on
her throat.

Kristine just shakes her head in answer.

Robert then turns to Eamon. "You started to speak of the spirits earlier.
Do you have anything else to add about them beyond what you ad Andrea
reported?"

Eamon shakes his head. "That's pretty much it. Nothing other than what
Andrea expanded on. Tobin, you got anything to add that I might've
forgotten?"

John tilts his head up again to grunt, "When we got time, Rhya, I got a
question for Andrea-Rhya... and I think hearing the answers would probably
benefit us all."

Sun-Stare inches down along the trunk on the tree, vaguely simian as she
flexes claws deep into the treebark. The Hispo swings a glance towards
Sepdet across the clearing, chuffs lowly, and leaps to the ground. She
moves unobtrusively to the Strider elder's side, head held low in vage
respect.

Tobin steps forward, back straight and head up, and speaks for the first
time since coming here. "The only other thing of note, was of the spirit
that the merlin said it had never seen before. I asked for a description,
and the merlin said that it was very large, like a big pile of mud with
arms and legs, and it moved very slowly. The merlin didn't get close to
it, though, and said it didn't do anything unusual or significant." His
voice is clear and confident as he speaks, and he takes a step back into
place when he's done.

As more and more people begin chiming in and the slang starts to get out
of hand, Luc rolls up onto his feet and heads back toward the woods to sit
near a tree. Disgruntled, he shifts back into the wolf form.

The athro Gaian frowns slightly, then gives both Sepdet and Andrea
meaningful looks. "Thank you," he says, nodding to Tobin. To John, he
asks, "Does it have to do with her pack's scouting? That will be covered
in time. If something else, though, ask."

John shakes his head slowly. It's the scouting, alright.

Aubrey looks up for a moment as she was in thought. Then raises her hand
breifly, but she declines as she looks up at the elders.

Robert nods in response. "Soon, then. Are there any who were on the first
scouting on the eastern side of the bawn here currently?" he calls,
looking around. He looks at his watch, then suggests, "The Mother Tongue
would be completely safe soon, as the park closes. We should be the only
ones here."

Road-Rage does the Silent thing, and settles to a quick seat by Sepdet's
side. A very quiet chuff is offered up in greeting.

"H'rugglings," Andrea murmurs. "Possibly." She changes languages, as
request, but seems otherwise unbothered.

Robert looks around the gathered group. "None, then?" he asks.

Tobin nods to Robert as he takes his place by Cameron and Aubrey once
more. Clasping his hands behind his back he once again waits his turn.
It's going to be a while, but he's patient.

Rina wrinkles her nose, and leans over to John. "You get to whisper in my
ear," she murmurs quietly.

Serf grimly sticks to homid form after the alpha's admonishment, though
he's obviously unhappy with being the last of his pack in that form.

Wildfire grumbles to himself. Someone had to translate. He then barks out
that he is not routinely invited on scouting missions.

Kaz says, "It was Yi and Leonard and... a couple other people I forget.
Mitch, I think."

Sepdet raises a hand. "My pack was there. They found what appeared to be a
metis strung up with his bones melted, near the Lone Boulder. Retreated
quickly when they heard whipporwill cries."

Robert nods to Sepdet. "THank you. Also, if you could speak about the
visions?"

At the mention of the Visions, Kristine's eyes quickly snap to Sepdet, and
just waits..

Touch Deer looks to Kaz at the mention of Leonard.

John leans over and begins murmuring quietly to Rina, but not much.
Nothing's warranted it, yet.

Sepdet rises to her feet, dropping into a tongue she doesn't have to
fight. ~Many of the sept have dreamed, cubs to elders. Some see the totems
of Magpie leaving or Buffalo gored by his horns. Others have endured the
caern's suffering, death, and pain. Sometimes an Eye and a face seem to
watch us, other times it is Dancers, fomori. Sometimes I see a winged
white figure bleeding into the pool, the waters stained red, as when the
Wheel Renewed's heart was raped by ben Isaac's demons. And finally, a
great many have glimpsed a tower in a ruined land that rises forever,
climbed its spiral stair. Some of us rush the tower: Andrea, Eligio,
Cyllan, and mages that have allied with us before. A storm boils overhead,
demons dance in the clouds, stone gargoyles ring its top like a wall, and
a small white statue of a winged child lies at the heart. I see a circle
of signs far too ordered for the Wyrm's madness, that seem to speak of
some ritual, binding order, chaos, and perhaps the Triat themselves.
Words. A name: Marbuel.~ She folds her arms. ~A mage, Robert-rhya. Every
dream convinces me the more.~

Robert's watch starts beeping. "Okay," he says. "From here, we should be
safe, between the spirits that've been bound to the area for the night and
the rangers." At Sepdet's story, he frowns, then shifts up. ~THat could be
a problem. I know little of them.~

John's translation stops at the mention of mages. And his teeth grind.
Audibly.

Sun-Stare crouches soundlessly at Sepdet's side, but not before giving
Road-Rage a judicious sniff and bowling the smaller cub over with a
scarred shoulder. The Hispo lifts her single ear towards her elder, and
listens.

Andrea's lips tighten as she keeps her attention to Sepdet. With relief,
Serf drops back into lupus and heads for his pack.

Kaz mutters, "Down boy," at John.

Kristine turns to look at Brigid, and moves to whisper in her sister's ear
at the mention of Mages.

A cinnamon-colored cub perches on the edge of the meadow, rather
intimidated by the large gathering of...Garou? Four-Leaves sniffs the air.
Yes. And definitely many. She lopes further in, in time to hear Sepdet's
speech, canting her head and waiting till she finishes, then sidles up to
Kaz. Mama Ears, she says sheepishly, My apologies for my tardiness.
I...got lost.

Salem finally looks up, staring toward Sepdet with lips compressed into a
thin, tight, harried-looking grimace. His fingers dig into the sleeve of
his coat.

Kaz reaches out a hand and scritches Lyra's ears. "Dude, me too. Don'
worry 'bout it. Jus' be glad y'came t'th' party at all, y'know?"

Brittany mutters darkly under her breath, eyes aiming at her knees, lest
she give some thought away.

Rina sets a hand on John's wrist, and she leans toward him. "What?" she
whispers, almost inaudible.

Brigid's mouth curls faintly in a smile and she shakes her head at Kris's
words, murmuring back to her quickly, hands clasped very tightly in her
lap.

When Sepdet speaks of the visions, Tobin's posture changes every so
slightly, becoming more tense, more alert. He watches the Strider keenly.

Eamon blinks as Sepdet makes her announcement. "Hey, weird, I had a dream
like that. With Magpie. And Marbuel, wasn't that the demon who was with
ben Isaac?"

Sepdet grimaces. ~Some of us have had ill luck and fair with them. I was
thinking this was your friend Carter, John, but there are a few other
possibilities.~ Her eyes drift to Brigid. ~Which I'm trying to track
down.~

John murmurs back to Rina, without completing the rest of the translation.
A simple, short syllable, laden with loathing, and acid hate. "Mage." One
could imagine the Walker's hackles were rising, despite his form.

Kaz blinks at Eamon. "Say hey what? Expand on that, dude?"

Road-Rage resigns to lying down next to his elder, paying attention enough
to understand without getting creepy dreams jammed in his brain. Well, he
was going to until he was knocked on his ass. He gets back up and shakes
his fur out, followed by a snerf at the hispo. Again, he resigns to an
attentive seat.

Susan nods to Eamon. ~Magpie~ she says, pointing to herself.

Kristine gives Brigid that 'Oh hell no' look.

Aubrey shifts lightly uncomfortably as Sepdet speaks. The girl simply
folds her arms to the mention of the mage, although she looks around to
the rest of the party.

Garou speech or not, Rina catches something in the Strider's growl. Her
jaw tightens when John confirms it, and she swallows. Unobtrusively, she
strokes his arm, trying to soothe the edgy Ahroun.

Andrea's dark eyes turn to John. She regards the ahroun's seething
attitude almost absently.

Brittany glances to Kristine, and nods.

When Road-Rage goes head over heels...head over paws, whatever,
Four-Leaves peers at him in the darkness, then glances around at everyone,
before looking up at her elder. Why does this ~mage~ bother everyone so
much?

Eamon nods. "Back when ben Isaac was tryin' to take over the caern, there
was this demon with him, named Marbuel. Ben Isaac got killed, Marbuel got
away. No idea what it means, though."

Brigid directs a faint nod to Sepdet, tiny smile still stuck to her face
for the moment. Whether there's a genuinely happy/amused/pleasant emotion
behind it is hard to tell as she slips back into a blank expression.

Sepdet suddenly freezes and utters an extremely loud curse, taking an
involuntary step backwards and nearly tripping over her favorite elder.

Andrea startles back toward Sepdet as the small Strider nearly trips over
Andrea's outstretched legs. "Sepdet?"

Kaz says, with vague disgust, "It means we got random entities coming back
for revenge /again/." Just call her Jumps-To-Conclusions.

Sepdet grips her shoulder. ~The darkness bane,~ she says, keeping her
voice level with some effort. ~Little Bear just found it. He is running.~

Rina looks to Sepdet distractedly, a flash of worry in her eyes for the
Strider.

Brittany glances to Sepdet, warily, thumbs sliding back to her hood, then
draws it from her neck to cover her whole head and mouth. "He comes this
way?"

Sun-Stare snaps upright immediately, making a move to steady the elder
Strider with a long-fingered paw.

Kristine looks at Brittany, then looks at Brigid, then just rubs her
forehead in a helpless mometion. SHe glances up and blinks. She's on her
feet quickly at mention of the bane.

Andrea's eyes widen slightly as she waits for Sepdet to say more.

Road-Rage pulls a sort of doubletake as his elder breaks out the fun words
and nearly trips over someone. With little else he can do, he tries to
make sure no elder-tipping happens tonight.

Sepdet shakes her head. ~Not close.~ Her expression loosens as she
attempts to concentrate. ~Bawn. Umbra.~

Tobin's attention had wandered from Sepdet to others present as the
discussion went on, but his head snaps back around to her as she mentions
this news. Tensely he waits for more.

Four-Leaves' ears flicks. That didn't really make things much clearer for
the cub, but she settles on the ground, ears pricked towards Sepdet. And
look, everyone was antsy again. The red wolf sighs, lays her head on her
paws mournfully, not comprehending most of the conversation.

Touch Deer looks to Sepdet, lips pulled thin at the mention of his
tribesmate.

"Is he getting away?" Andrea asks calmly. "Or does he need
reinforcements?"

Brigid sits up a bit more alertly, her right hand straying to rest against
the side of Kris' leg in a gesture that's meant to steady both Fangs.

Peacekeeper growls lowly. ~Even if we'd be a bit late, if he needs help,
we can at least send a party in for him.~

John grunts sideways at Rina - still twitchy - "Leonard's in trouble. This
is feeling like superbowl over the radio," he rumbles, gruffly.

Kristine nods her agreement towards Robert, turning her head back towards
Sepdet. She'll volunteer, if it'll come down to it, but it's wise to wait
to see if it's needed first.

Brittany half-stands, an action which blocks Brigid's right and Kristine's
left from most eyes, as she asks, "How many do you need, Sepdet?"

Rina presses her lips together, and glances over at John. Her expression
is guarded.

Salem turns his head, just enough to look briefly over at John and Rina,
saying nothing.

Sepdet bares her teeth in annoyance. ~No, he seems to be getting free. And
coming /here/. Shall I tell him to keep the hell away?~

Road-Rage flicks an ear distantly at Four-Leaves in greeting. Gotta love
the cub-to-cub stick-togetherness. Right. Anyway he gets back to being
generally attentive of the gathering convo.

Peacekeeper snorts. ~Don't come directly, and romp through streams. We can
hear his reports tomorrow, if we need.~ With that, he turns to Ouroboros,
conveniently near Sepdet. ~More recntly, you went scouting last night.
Please tell the sept what you found?~

John tilts his head to one side, as he regards Sepdet. "If he lures it out
here, and there's twenty or more of us..." he muses, softly. His jaw's
still tight, and he trails into silence, looking to Peacekeeper,
expectantly.

Brittany sits back down, now, but doesn't remove her cowl, as of yet. She
touches Kristine's thigh for attention, whispering something to the Fang,

        Like a Greek statue come to life, the regal woman before you has a
cold, impassionate beauty about her. In her early thirties, her skin is
still smooth and pale, her eyes a faint blue, and her hair snow white,
giving her a washed-out look. Her classic features and perfect posture
lend to her elegance, with high, arching brows, slender lips, and chisled
features. Her neck is slender and swanlike, her body long and lean, like a
wineglass, and her fingers are the long, tapered digits of a musician. Her
hair is a perfect ivory in shade, in a soft and stylish bob that falls
midway between her shoulders and chin. Her voice is low, soft, and tinged
with an Old South accent.

        She's clad in a form-fitting black body stocking, complete with
gloves, boots and a removable (And currently removed) hood. It looks as if
she's some sort of bare-bones commando, but has none of the additional
goodies one would expect, save a single black belt, upon which dangles a
sheathed Klaive.

Sun-Stare hunkers down nearby her tiny elder, posture protective and gaze
alert.

Wildfire snarls a bit, stopping his translation to the Talon. He stands
up, shifting to the war-form, a rather large axe appearing in his hands.

Peacekeeper nods curtly at John. ~If it followed him this far, it would
give us good opportunity. I would say it does not leave the bawn.
Consolidate the holdings before expanding.~

Four-Leaves lifts her head at Road-Rage's greeting, a greeting bark rising
in her throat- and quickly suppressed into something like a low cough.
Hairball! She opts for an ear-swivelling hello instead, then catches sight
of large sharp objects just appearing in crinos' hands and rubs against
Kaz. Mama Ears? she asks tentatively. Is something- is a Dancer coming
here?

Sepdet stands rigid a few seconds more and then slumps, nodding tightly to
Peacekeeper. ~He's been told.~ Her clipped words have rather seething rage
bottled behind her teeth, obviously half born of worry.

Kaz tells Lyra, quietly, "Bane. Leonard was scouting and got found."

Kristine turns down to Brittany, gives a nod, then back up, looking still
at Sepdet. SHe lets her arms dangle at her sides, but she doesn't sit
down. She's just looking for any sign that her help's needed.

Andrea starts the story, once she finishes measuring Sepdet with her eyes.
She turns toward the group and shifts herself, so she's in a form that can
speak Garou more easily.

Road-Rage leans somewhat comfortingly against Sepdet. Yes, nothing like
having something four-legged and fuzzy leaning on you to make life suck
less. Or at least thats what he's going for. Who knows, maybe the ahroun
cub did get a hand on that whole rage control concept after all.

Brittany passes more information quietly, this time to Brigid.

Rina watches Sepdet, tightlipped, clearly picking up the Strider's worry.

Sun-Stare casts a quick glance at the exposed meadow, and borders of deep
forest. ~This place is a bottleneck,~ she ventures, raising her scarred
voice clearly. ~It's a place for ambush.~

Sepdet sits down so as not to block Andrea as she begins to speak,
obviously still somewhat distracted and tightlipped. She shakes her head
at her tribesmates, settling her hands one on each jackal's back. ~He'll
be fine,~ she mutters. Somehow it sounds like a threat.

Brigid nods tightly at Brittany, though it's quite obvious from her
expression that whatever was said does not necessarily make her very
happy.

Um, says Four-Leaves, rather shy of talking to this group, I...don't think
there's an ambush here. I came in just fine, didn't see anybody, even when
I was lost. Nobody's around. Having spoken, the cub tries to hide by
squishing against Kaz more.

Eamon rolls his eyes. "I must have words with him."

Kaz murmurs, "Nah, kiddo, /we/ could ambush /it/."

Sun-Stare shakes her head agitatedly, the stub of her lost ear twitching.
~No,~ she rasps. ~It's a place for /us/ to stage an ambush. Does the bane
follow?~ She glances back to her elder, at this.

        This is a strange composition of sand-colored fur and lanky
muscle: canine at first glance, yet the creature holds itself in a way
that suggests the ability to stand upright. Size brings to mind the
prehistoric canids of biology textbooks. Its face is equipped with direly
massive jaws, and a savage set of teeth to match; its limbs end in a
peculiar set of long-jointed claws.

        The observant might notice a few details, if given a chance to
look: one of the animal's pointed ears is nothing but a stub of scar
tissue, and what might have been atail-like appendage is now truncated.
Various other scars mark the tawny pelt, and the creature's wet-gold eyes
gleam with unmistakable sharpness.

Andrea says, ~While I was at Western Eye, I received aid in making
difficult talens. My packmate Patrick,~ She gestures at the Garou in
question. ~Can turn invisible, but the rest of us cannot. We approached
from the south. About halfway into the bawn, we could feel the change.
After some cautious looking, Tempered-Blade and Faces-Shadows were able to
determine it was a sniper stand. We got past the guard using the talens
and a gift. Further investigation showed he wore communications gear, had
equipment to see in the dark, and was himself not Garou, but a fomor. We
went further in. They have wounded the land, but not tainted it yet. Much
of the cover is cut or trampled, but their very destruction helped cover
our scent and what noise we could not muffle. About five minutes run
outside the caern, we began finding a maze of traps--tripwires and
deadfalls. Faces-Shadows flew on and saw they've also used fallen trees to
create a barricade around the caern itself. They are well-fortified.~

Kaz mutters, "There's a shock."

~I could still see into the Umbra,~ Andrea continues. ~Though I did not
see many of the banes that we've heard of from where we were. I saw one
patrol of banes, strong, but not bearing any particularly deadly charms.
We could also hear things--a chainsaw off and on and, most importantly,
before we retreated, we heard a conversation.~

Eamon chuckles. "They're using too much tech. That'll cost 'em."

John grunts back to Eamon, "Not if the Wyld spirits which despised the
tech are gone." John continues his translation to Rina.

Rina nods at Eamon's words, grimly. She leans a little toward John,
listening as he whispers to her. Interest sparks in her eyes as she
watches Andrea.

Kaz tells John, "Yah, but we got folks as can jam shit."

Sun-Stare snaps her jaws shut, deferring uncharacteristically to Andrea.
She lapses into listening again.

The named adren Uktena stands and adds, ~Actually, they've finished one
barricade and are working on a larger outer one. Near the middle was a big
bonfire, bigger than this one,~ he adds, pointing to the Garou's fire,
~and they are ... doing stuff around it. Like stuff to make some nasty
hentai shit seem pretty tame.~

Eamon nods at Kaz.

Kaz looks blank. "Hentai?"

John winces. And continues translating.

If cubs could blush...Four-Leaves covers her muzzle with one of her paws,
but doesn't quite become invisible the way she wished she could at the
moment. Cartoons. Animated, er, mm, sexual situations, explains the cub
sheepishly.

Road-Rage erfs quietly to himself, his ears flatting out against his head.
A sort of news he doesn't like to hear about. A long story nobody wants to
hear about, really. Alas he can't help a near laugh at the bad Hentai
reference.

Kristine reaches her hand up to smack her forehead at the Hentai comment.
Brother...

Patrick shifts back down to explain, "Japanese anime porn. These guys go
beyond tentacle sex."

Rina pales slightly, and murmurs something to John in Italian.

Brittany asks, simply, "And what of the burial grounds?"

Sepdet rubs Tatt's thin pelt silently, still taut as a branch bent to the
breaking point, but focussing on the conversation at hand. The
translation, when it comes, does not seem to help her mood at all.

Andrea continues patiently, seemingly unbothered by the multitude of eyes,
~We killed their Ritemaster in the initial assault. I think it was the
woman that I struck with gifts when Seeker fought her with claws, though
I'm not certain. They are uncertain of their current ritemaster. Though
they should be holding the ritual to desecrate our caern in a matter of
days, their ritemaster holds them to the time of our strength, to the full
moon. Their warleader is an adren and well-respected. He was the one that
ordered the assault on the Safehouse, and the speakers expected a sneak
attack on the Junkyard and the Rialto during the dark of the moon.~

Eamon looks disgusted at the mention of Dancers having sex. "Jesus fucking
Christ."

Sun-Stare blinks once, twice--losing the reference. The Strider is far too
agitated; her scarred hide bristles along the hispo's back as she begins
to pace tightly, tensely.

Kaz says, "Uh, yummy," to Patrick, and then settles into shutting up and
listening, again.

Tobin pales a notch or two at the varied accounts, but otherwise remains
stoic.

John shoots a look towards Peacekeeper, indicating he'd like to share at
some point. And murmurs to Rina, "Probably isn't. It's... not a rare
thing. With the Wyrm."

Salem lets his veiled gaze drop back to the ground, his shoulders hunched.

Rina nods curtly. "Still," she murmurs. The woman glances to Salem.

Wildfire plants the head of his axe upon the ground, resting his clawed
hands upon the butt-end of the weapon's shaft. He looks every bit the
executioner. ~Thank you, Bitter-Cup-rhya, for telling this in the Mother
Tongue.~ He's obviously making a point. ~Did you hear, however, where the
fuck they are getting the information about where we gather?~

Eamon nods at Owen. "Yeah, I'd like to find that out myself."

Brigid's cheeks turn an interesting shade of pink at some point during the
description, a shade that fades after a bit as she rubs the bridge of her
nose and refocuses her briefly distracted attention on the business at
hand.

~What we learned from this conversation was this.~ Andrea holds up one
finger. ~The planned attacks.~ Another. ~The ritual time. Much as they
attack us during ours, we could attack them when they are distracted and
bleeding themselves.~ And a third. ~A handful of names, including their
existing and former warleaders, and their new ritemaster.~ Turning to
Robert, she adds, ~When reporting to Kaz earlier, I realized something. We
know their names; they had no reason to be secret in their own stronghold.
We can call for the silver river to rise and wash them into the mouth of
Erebus.~

Eamon says "We can also set up an ambush for them when they hit the Rialto
and the Junkyard."

Andrea shakes her head at Wildfire. ~That, they did not say. They may have
spying spirits, or a scrying stone, or yet some other method. They did not
speak of any particular informer.~

Kaz says, dryly, to Eamon, "No shit. Junkyard's preferable, my Kin's doing
some work already on that front."

Rina nods at Eamon's words, her eyes brighter as she follows the
discussion.

Sepdet exhales as Andrea lets out that bombshell, emphasizing the point
more for morale's sake than redundancy: ~Flush them from the face of Gaia.
Painfully.~

Peacekeeper blinks, taken slightly aback. ~I ... didn't even consider
Erebus. If you have confidence this could be done, then I recommend making
the attempt. At best, it will cripple them further. At worst, if it
succeeds, it's one less Spiral.~

John frowns. ~Erebus? Someone explain this to me?~

Kristine winces, slightly, at the mention of Erebus, but doesn't say
anything. Not a pleasant thought.

Tobin clears his throat and steps forward again. "Ah, Rhyas? If I may.
What about Agatha-rhya? She had turned, I understand. And perhaps they had
taken what she knew before sending her back here, to perhaps test us?" He
hides his nervousness fairly well, but by no means completely.

Brittany shakes her head at John. "Get with me later."

Matt's eyes widen. Ooh. Silver river. Good one.

Andrea bows her head. ~It is a difficult ritual,~ she says. ~But they are
badly in need of Charyss's attentions. It is for such things that she
gifts us with that shard of her power.~

Shadow-of-Blood shudders at the mention of the Silver River. Purge them.
Send them to the suffering.

Kaz tells John, briefly, "Hell. You know. Expiation of sins? So basically,
Andrea's pack can stick 'em in there."

Four-Leaves nudges Kaz gently. Child-Holder and I met the Strider
kinwoman, the one with two pups of her own and is the equivalent of a
theurge. She has offered home, supplies- whatever is necessary. She was
looking for you, she too had a vision. She and Child-Holder discussed it.
The cub's ears flicker. And there is my shop, as well, should the rest of
the tribe need another safehouse.

John looks sideways towards Kaz, expression darkening - but with a
thoughtful bent. "We only have to know their names? I had no idea we could
send 'em there remotely."

Sepdet nods to Tobin, but presses the point home, gesturing towards
Brittany. ~No. /Everyone/ needs to understand what Andrea is saying. She
swam the silver river. She can call on its power. It is a force of Gaia,
which can cleanse the Wyrm from anything or anyone... with pure molten
silver. It is not something to call on lightly.~

Wildfire can't help but grin at the news of this rite, an expression that
doesn't come across as very appealing on the Get ahroun.

Kaz evidently heard Andrea's news earlier. She shakes her head again,
still somewhat awestricken, and then asks Lyra, quietly, "Yeah? When'd you
see her?"

Brittany shakes her head. "We can't do that." She ammends, quickly,
"Rather, we can't do that to their Alpha and the one above him."

Andrea turns to John. ~The ritual raises the silver river to fill the
Gauntlet for the one for whom it was called,~ she explains. ~It will not
take effect until they step across the Gauntlet. If it is called in poor
judgement, the Ritemaster will also be taken to again purify in the silver
waters.~

Touch Deer grimly looks down towards the ground as people discuss the Near
Realm he just recently returned from.

Rina raises both eyebrows, and gives John a wide-eyed look. "Jesus fuck,"
she whispers.

The cub thinks for a moment. Two days- three days ago? Four-Leaves
murmurs. Yes, yes, three days.

Andrea turns toward Brittany as she dissents.

John eyes Brittany. "Why's their Aplha immune?" Remembering himself, he
repeats the question in the Mother's Tongue.

Peacekeeper nods absently to Tobin. ~That is one working hypothesis,~ he
tells the cub. He looks back over at Andrea speculatively. ~These are the
perfect targets for that rite,~ he admits. ~On this, I defer to your
judgment. You know both the rite and Erebus.~

Brittany stands, here, looking between Andrea and Robert, before asking,
"If I may?"

Sun-Stare narrows those yellow-gold eyes, bares teeth at the mention of
Erebus, and continues to pace like a caged jaguar. ~And what if we lose
our first Ritemaster?~ The question is snarled, addressed to no one in
particular.

Sepdet looks towards Brittany incredulously. ~These may be the same
Dancers that have taken at least three caerns in the northwest. If this is
not the time, must we wait til Phoenix' last sign has fallen before us?~

Andrea's already looking at Brittany, though Sun-Stare's statement gets a
quick inquiring look.

Tobin steps back into place beside his packmates.

Peacekeeper looks at Brittany curiously, much like one might look at a
bug, trying to decide whether or not to step on it. ~You may /briefly/,
Sterling-the-Mostly-Pure.~

Wildfire grumbles lowly from where he stands at this turn in the
proceedings. He manages to keep his mouth shut, though.

Kaz says, "Huh," to Lyra. "I already got with her. Mebbe she had a new
one. I'll call her, later."

Tobin frowns as his Elder is insulted, but he keeps his eyes on the ground
and his thoughts to himself, though.

Brittany points to Sepdet. "Exactly why we cannot do it." From there, she
rolls her words, quickly, but clearly. "John and I both went through
Seattle's fall, and you well remember that Hanford and I were closely tied
as well. If anyone here wants them gone more than I, I will be impressed.
However..." She points to Andrea, noting, "The Silver Forge allows a
return. It can be overcome, it can be escaped. You do not leave without
change, but you *can* leave. This one is too cunning, too crafty, and too
dangerous to be left alive. He must die, convincingly, completely, and
beneath our claws, or we will never know if he will return to haunt
another. It is not our Caern, our sept, which is at risk, but all across
this region, and from here, who knows how far? I won't risk another Caern
for our own's safety." She finishes, to say, "Their leaders must be
killed."

Eamon grins at Brittany. "That's 'briefly'. B-R-I-E-F-L-Y."

Sepdet shakes her head. ~You don't understand the forge at all, Princess.~

Kaz says, "So explain it to her. And /us/, too."

Peacekeeper stands aside for others to answer, looking towards Ouroboros.

Rina purses her lips, her expression focused as she watches and listens.

John grunts lowly towards Brittany, "There is always redemption,
Jefferson."

Kristine goes back to looking like she's watching a game of tennis again,
her head turning to listen to Brittany, then to Sepdet, then back
again...she's going to have a stiff neck before the night's over.

Eamon says "Even if they could return, which is highly unlikely for garou
like them, the taint will be burnt out of them, right? They won't be a
problem anymore."

Wildfire drums one hand's fingers on the back of the other, still resting
on the axe's hilt.

Andrea says flatly, ~You do not leave Erebus until the last taint is
burned from your body and spirit. There is no tricking the Brood. There is
no deceiving the Mistress of the Silver Lake. You burn until all hatred,
all cowardice, all taint is burned from you.~ She takes a single step
toward Brittany. Her voice is even, measured, ~You scream, though no one
hears you. You see visions. Your soul is flayed open and found wanting.
Not until you are pure do you find the shore, no matter how much you may
wish it. No matter your power.~

Salem keeps his mouth shut; the grim set of his face hardly changes.

Sepdet turns towards Ouroboros as well, respect in her eyes.

Brigid simply curls her hand gradually into a grip on Kris' pants leg
which happens to be beneath it, holding her breath somewhat and listening
intently.

Sun-Stare listens intently to Brittany, though she continues to circle and
occasionally twitch. An irritated glance is thrown towards the moon's
face. ~Words are cheap and multiply like rabbits,~ she growls under her
breath.

Four-Leaves winces, not liking this murderous discussion at all. If there
is the chance they can be saved, we had best try for it, she says softly.
The worst that happens is that we must...kill them afterwards.

Kristine winces as she listens to Andrea's discription. "Remind me..not to
fall in," She murmurs to herself, though, Brigid could probably hear her
clearly. If she did, she'd probably be in there for a long, long time.

Brittany turns from Andrea, after a tense moment, to look to Robert. "You
are warleader, I will accept your commands. You gave me permission to say
what I did. Thank you." With that, she sits, right hand in her lap, left
wrapped tightly about the blade of her hip-bound Klaive. She's clearly
unhappy, but not about to resist.

Touch Deer folds his arms, exhaling slowly as Andrea finishes speaking to
Brittany.

Tobin looks like he's having trouble staying his homid. He's shut his eyes
tightly and gritted his teeth as he wavers back and forth from glabro to
homid. As Andrea finishes her rebuttal he calms down and takes a deep
breath, staying in homid now. Those near him can hear him murmur to
himself, "There, she explained. Happy now?"

Sepdet growls something under her breath.

Andrea smiles without humor. ~Believe me, Sterling. Death is far, far
kinder. And for one that has Danced, their suffering will be measured in
years, not months.~

Kaz adds, as if dredging it from memory, "Ain't the story that they
eventually die, but they get t'go home t'Gaia afterwards?"

When John murmurs to her, Rina answers, softly, "A-fucking-men."

Sun-Stare shakes out her fur violently, and snaps at the air. ~Enough,"
she snarls, stalking back towards her elder, eyes blazing. ~Which
direction are the scouts?~ There's a demanding edge in her posture, and
the Galliard's hackles are at full-mast.

Kristine shifts slightly in her position, frowning, and looking like she
very much wants to say something, but, is holding back.

John, by contrast to the Strider, seems to have calmed significantly. He
sits back, frowning, not bothering to translate half the growls and chuffs
that fly about.

Faces-Shadows answers Kaz, ~Perhaps they go to Gaia, and she sends them
back as changed Garou. I am certain they would not return in the body of a
Spiral. Regardless, in time, if they leave, they are cleansed.~

Andrea finally turns to Tobin. ~It may have been Agatha,~ she agrees, more
quietly. ~Or Biter, in his terror. Or others. Or it may have been spies
that watched for places where unusual things happened and investigated. It
is certain they know, however they have come by the knowledge.~

Peacekeeper looks around over the concolation. ~Is there other information
to be shared? John, you had a question of Andrea?~

John shakes his head slightly, jerked from the contemplation and easy
translation. ~No question, as much as information. Related to what the
Dancers have been doing.~

Sepdet's hands suddenly grip her knees in a spasm. Her expression smooths
out and goes almost completely blank.

Kristine blinks once or twice, watching Sepdet. "Um, Sepdet-rhya?" Yup,
she forgets the Mother-Tongue at the moment.

John frowns, eyeing Sepdet and Tatt. Then his eye strays to the woods.

Touch Deer looks at Sepdet, attentive.

Brigid relaxes her grip somewhat and looks up at Kris, following her gaze
to Sepdet, whereupon she frowns slightly and slowly shifts to sit on one
knee, the other raised to her chest.

Tobin blinks, realizing that he's being spoken to. Belatedly he nods at
Andrea.

Wildfire decides at this moment to heft the axe up, resting it against his
shoulder. He also look out into the trees. ~News, Hope-Star-rhya? I am in
need of seperating a head from its owner.~

Sepdet shakes her head at Kristine. ~My packmate may die of his folly.~
There is a note of quiet finality in her voice. ~He is too far away to
aid.~

Kaz blinks. "The fuck you mean, too far away." She stands up, abruptly.
"Hello, more fuckin' people die when we can help it? I don't think so.
Where the fuck is he?"

Sun-Stare bristles at the change in her elder's posture, digging her
talons into the earth. Almost choking on her own frustration, she releases
a full-throated, if broken roar at Sepdet. ~/Martyr/,~ she spits, the most
acidic of insults. ~TELL me where.~

Kristine takes a step forward, "I'm with Kaz on this one.." She glances
down to Brittany for a moment, then back to Sepdet, expecting an answer.

Brittany hisses something to the two Fangs at her sides, then fumbles
behind her back with her right hand.

Sepdet growls. ~Eastern mountains. And not answering again. Can you run
faster than me, Tatiana?~

Aubrey has remained very quiet, in fact her eyes do close as she listens
only to words. Occasionally when some of the words are harshly brought out
does she open her eyes to peer at the person who had spoken them. She does
seem to be tentive as the Fianna suddenly blinks towards Sepdet and shifts
uneasily. Finally she looks towards Tobin, lightly tugging at his arm.

Andrea tenses again as Sepdet speaks. Sun-Stare's canine roar gets a
baring of teeth, but Sepdet's words pull Andrea's attention back.

Peacekeeper hazards, ~North side of the bawn was where Chaser was talking
of going, last I heard. I need to stay, ancoring the bindings I made to
keep us secret, but others may certainly go.~

Wildfire spits. ~He should pass what he learned and die like a Garou
before letting himself be captured.~

Tobin has tensed up again, and he flinches slightly when Aubrey tugs on
his sleeve. He leans over close to her, a questioning look on his face.

Sun-Stare narrows her eyes down at the tiny Theurge. ~Maybe not,
sister-rhya. But I have enough gut in me to try.~ With that, the scarred
Galliard whips around and stretches into lupus even as she breaks into a
run.

Andrea turns to Eamon. ~You can find him, can you not?~ she asks. ~Even if
he does not answer?~

Aubrey arches her brow towards Tobin before she lightly gives a shrug of
her shoulders. She apparently doesn't say anything as she looks off again
towards Andrea, to which her attention has been now drawn towards.

John kisses Rina on the cheek, running a few fingers through her hair,
then rises slowly. Eyeing the others. "He's one of ours, and rather than
direct him to safety, we led him /away/ from us... Even if this is futile,
the Strider will most likely need help. If only to drag her away." He
shifts quickly, already starting off, after Sun-Stare.

Kaz growls, "Hail to the fuckin' chief, baybee, I ain't lettin' fuckheads
with no fuckin' pack jump off into the unknown with no fuckin' backup.
Lyra. Get home. Matt? C'mon." And she's shifting into lupus herself,
lighting out after Tatt.

Eamon nods. "Yeah, I can find him. Can I get there before he gets himself
killed is the question."

Andrea shrugs one shoulder. ~That part is not in our hands. We must run.
Come. We follow.~

Kristine walks over to Eamon, "Hey, c'mon, Smiley. It's at least worth a
shot, ya know. Be like old times, you'n me."

Rina looks over to John, and then stares about as the Garou rise to help
someone that far away. "This is insane," she mutters.

Sepdet shoots towards Eamon, ~He will live or die in the next few
minutes,~ as she rises to jog after her tribesmate.

Eamon shifts to lupus and heads off into the woods.

Brigid glances between Brittany and Kris a moment and stands, carefully,
arms held out slightly for balance. "Against my own better judgement, I
will stay here." the theurge says quietly, stiffly folding her arms across
her chest.

Brittany watches the rescue party go, nodding at Kristine, then draws a
black stretch of cloth from her belt pouch, wrapping it around her left
hand, calmly.

"Hey, wait up!" Kristine looks to Brigid, a small look, before shifting to
Lupus and following after Eamon and Sepdet.

Wildfire doesn't prepare to run just yet even though, sure as shit, others
are. Instead he looks to wards the current Alpha. ~Peacekeeper?~

Rina lets out a futile sigh, and gets to her feet, shrugging the jacket
into place on her shoulders.

Peacekeeper nods. ~We can finish later. Don't be stupid, but save him if
you can.~

Wildfire nods once, then is off with the rest.

Salem stirs himself, albeit sluggishly, as John moves, shifting downwards
to wolf form to follow the rest.

Brigid shifts her stance slightly, so that she's sort of hugging herself
instead of looking stiff. She looks after those going off into the forest
with a mixture of longing and frustration.

Tobin sighs, looking back at Aubrey. "No point in us going, really. We've
got another job to do."

The Icewalker pauses, as he senses his packmate moving to follow him. He
rounds immediately - now that others are on the chase - and snaps to the
Dark One, Stay put. Guard my mate, now and until I get back. That's an
order. Walks-Thin-Ice then turns again and follows the others.

Rina clenches her fists at her sides. "John," she snaps, followed by a
string of slightly terse Italian.

Aubrey nods towards Tobin, looking breifly to Cameron also. "You suppose
we should head somewhere and gather up our own plans?" she asks a bit
quietly.

Salem stops short at the Walker elder's order, and for a moment -- it's
obvious in his lupine posture, just before he snaps back to birth form --
he looks relieved. Rising back onto two legs, the half-moon removes his
sunglasses long enough to rub at his eyes.

Peacekeeper notes, a bit belatedly, "As things seem to have gotten
derailed, we'll finish tomorrow if possible. Enjoy some time together. Get
to know the rest of the sept. Your lives will depend on each other.~

Cameron hitches one shoulder in a slightly bewildered shrug. "Gotta admit,
I'm sunk for what to do right about now." He looks at the Athro, and tilts
his head sideways, consideringly. Almost to himself he murmurs, "Oh well."

Brittany glances to Peacekeeper, quiet, but with a mind obviously racing.

Tobin nods at Aubrey, then decides to seize an opportunity. He takes a few
steps closer to Peacekeeper and bows low. "Rhya, if I could ask a
question?"

Peacekeeper nods. ~Ask.~

Brigid half turns her head as Peacekeeper speaks again, snorts softly, and
returns to looking out at where all of the others raced off to. Her
posture is tense, almost harpstring-taut, and her eyes practically blaze
with her own thoughts on the situation.

Tobin straightens and speaks. "Cameron, Aubrey, and I are currently on our
Rite of Passage. As part of our task we have taken it upon ourselves to
see what kinds of spirits are gathered at what glens, to make it easier to
find them when the time for making talens comes. We expected to get input
on what was needed but obviously we've been interrupted. I was wondering,
Rhya, if you had any particular requests or needs for certain kinds of
talens, so that we might keep a watch for those spirits?"

Rina hangs back as Tobin speaks for the group-- though she does give
Cameron a taut, strained half-smile. She watches Robert, studying him.

Brittany ties her hand off, using her teeth until she manages to say, to
Brigid, "Keep an eye on the northeast. They'll be counter-scouting."

Cameron adds lowly, "And there's a time-limit, happily." He stands, and
starts to move over to Rina, now that her consort has left. He flumps down
next to her unceremoniously. "Hey."

Peacekeeper thinks for a moment, shifting back down before answering. "Do
you know the talen that Andrea carries, that was given by our allies at
Western Eye?" he asks, apropos of little.

Tobin shakes his head briefly. "I do not, Rhya," he says simply.

Salem replaces the dark glasses and shoves his hands into his coat
pockets. Glancing back, he gives Cameron a dour, weary grimace.

Aubrey gives a light shake of her head as she listens, although she thinks
that Tobin might know more about tha talen. The girl looks over her
shoulder towards Cameron for a moment before she turns her attention back
to Tobin and Robert.

Brigid gives a slight turn of her head to indicate that she heard
Brittany, and gradually alters her watchful stance to accomodate that.
Both hands clench her arms in a way that must be painful since her face
pales a couple of shades.

"It is a talen that frees bound spirits. Relying too much on talens could
be dangerous," the alpha says with a small smile. "Still, there are always
those who can be helpful. Trickster spirits, if they can be found, can be
excellent for various things. For a fight, most predator spirits, from a
wolf spirit to a flame to a hawk, will be appropriate. Turtle spirits are
excellent for adding armor. Andrea could give a more comprehensive list,
being a theurge, but that should be a good start, at least. Think of what
an animal /means/--not just literally, but symbolically. The Umbra is the
world of symbols."

Cameron eyes the Alpha thoughtfully. "Rhya... I was thinking earlier. I
remembered from the stories of other shifters, that the Raven shifters
were our allies and scouts. Would Raven /spirits/ be willing to perform
the same role?"

Tobin nods slowly at Robert and says hesitantly. "Respectfully, Rhya,
these things I know. I was wondering if /you/ in particular wanted
anything." His eyes remain on the ground.

Aubrey seems to be enlightened and gives a smile suddenly. Then she figets
as she looks across the meadow before looking back upon Tobin. "I think
what he means is that they need anything that is resouceful for the
cause." she says out-loud, rather suddenly.

Robert smiles at Aubrey. "Insightful," he comments. "At the moment, we
have little. If you /need/ to have specific instructions, of three of
that, four of this, then those will have to wait until after we can hammer
out future plans tomorrow night. I can tell you we will need talens of
stealth and talens of strength and talens of defense." Robert also nods to
Cameron. "Sometimes they are, or can be. We have been using some this way
already."

Tobin nods at Robert and bows low again. "Thank you, Rhya," he says
quietly, then backs away and turns back towards his packmates.

Rina walks toward Robert, purposefully, and offers a hand. "You'd be
Robert."

Aubrey smiles towards Robert, "Thank you, rhya." she replies.

Brigid stands stolidly in place, scanning her ordered direction, until
someone tells her to move or stand down otherwise.

Salem moves away from the bonfire's light. In the shadows, he lowers
himself to the grass, sitting crosslegged, head lowered.

Brittany stands, here, motioning to Tobin. "Care for a travelling
companion on the return?"

Robert looks the woman over, giving her a smile as he shakes the offered
hand. "And you'd hae a name up on me, though I think I heard John
referring to you a moment ago? Welcome to the sept."

Tobin walks over to stand by his tribemates for the first time. He eyes
Brittany warily. "Just as long as you keep your silver well away from me,
Rhya," he says and then quirks a smile.