Cobolymancs

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*In the lap of this ideal, this truly breathtaking utopia of the Earthmother, Sablepaw raises her head and howls her appreciation high into the sky. Indeed, the protection, or even maintenance of this place more than makes up for the rigid, creepy forest on the outside. Probably a way to keep this true treasure safe.
She walks over to the cubs now, greeting them joyfully, asking for their guidance. It seems they don't understand the lupine-tongue, but no worries, Sablepaw repeats her message in the spirit language.
To which, there is no reply either.
In fact... the pups don't even notice her. They don't look at her, they don't sniff towards her, they ignore her completely, as if...
As if she was only watching a daydream.
The realization shocks her with desperate fear. In fact, the very sky darkens, the sun's warm light is blocked by the sudden arrival of dark, menacing clouds. A loud, animalistic shriek can be heard behind her, somewhere in the forest, and swarms of birds ascend from the trees, flying away in terror. There are so many of them, they blot out what little remains of the sun.
Another horrible, equine screech shatters the ears of Sablepaw, followed by the trembling of the ground under a thousand hooves, as if an entire horde of... something was running towards her. The wolf-cubs raise their heads curiously, while the smell of burning wood accompanies the tremor. The braying of horses is joined by incomprehensible twoleg howls and cries. The cursed vermin...
She gets ready to fight, to defend this sanctuary, to kill every last intruder as instinct dictates. Tense minutes follow as the rumbling nears the clearing, the centre of this realm. The vegetation around her begins to wither away, green turns grey, the very colours around her become less vidid, more transparent, downright surreal. The wolf-cubs begin whining pathetically, calling for their mother to come to their aid.
And then, they burst forward. Horse after horse, springing out of the woods with great speed and little care, each mounted by a large, male twoleg wearing animal hides and curved wooden sticks. They keep yelling as others arrive behind them, some of them carrying large nets and ropes, others torches. The forest burns behind them.
Sablepaw lunges at these damnable creatures with all her fury, only to simply fall to the ground, as if chasing ghosts. Whatever she touches turns out to be nothing more than thin air, despite the multiple sensations seeming all too real. This is madness...
Some of the wolf cubs are pierced by arrows, others speared through, yet others grabbed and taken away while crying desperately. There is nobody to hear them. Nobody to save them. The horde rumbles through... and only fire and death follow in their wake, though Sablepaw feels no heat. Soon... the thick smoke extinguishes all lingering light. Only darkness remains.
She does not know where, or even when she stands, how much time has passed and what in the name of Luna has just happened, but in the all-covering, flawlessly infinite darkness, suddenly, a pair of red eyes appear. Sablepaw is still too numb to sense any smells, but her ears quickly pick up a low, gradually-loudening lupine growl coming from the exact direction of the eyes.*

Ambience

[Sablepaw]

*I have no words to describe all this beauty. Spirit Land is Pure and beautiful. All my doubts about the Shifter-Wolf of this Territory vanish. He must be a honorable Protector worthy of all my respect to keep this side so astonishlingly well-kept. And all these wolves - his family for sure - Spirits? Or are they earthly wolves lead through the barriers to be kept in safety from Nofurs in some mysterious way? Letting the warm, golden rays of Sun caress my thick winter coat I roam about a bit to let the feelings of joy and purity hanging in the air embrace me and of course to meet a wolf - spirit or not. I have to know everything about their Protector.*

<I guess the haunting, eerie Earthly Lands look like that only to keep foes and enemies away. The skulls must be there to terrorize the trespassing Nofurs... to drive everyone away who is not meant to set an eye on these Pure, Ancient Spirit-Lands. If I've figured this out right... it means it's such a wise approach!>

*I let out three powerful howls on all three different tongues I know*

/Lup/ /Lup-Gar/ /Spi/ "Noble Leader! Whoever you are, wherever you are, you have all my respect!"

*And then I approach a wolf, a playful and seemingly friendy one.*

/Lup/"I'm Sablepaw, A Changer-Wolf, the chosen one of Griffin and apprentice of Old Wolf of the Woods, a destined protector of wolf-kin and of wolf-kind and of the Pure Spirits of the Wilderness. I'm here to meet the Leader Changer-Wolf who takes care of you. Can you help me find him? He might be waiting for me..."

*I'll repeat my request again if it's necessary using the Spirit Speech*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*There is indeed a small pond opposite to the cave entrance, half-frozen now. At least this isn't a particularly cold night, but regardless, as thirsty as she is, Sablepaw is not here to drink. She's here for the Other Side. And the veil between worlds is very, very thin here. Even with her inner tension, the young Garou can slip past relatively swiftly.
She opens her eyes and drops her jaws. The Umbra is completely different from her harsh, cold reality. It isn't winter, or even nighttime on the Other Side; the Sun shines gently through the healthy, green pine leaves, the song of countless birds echoes through the woods in a constant, beautiful concert, and near the tiny, romantic pond play half a dozen young, joyful wolf cubs, completely careless, well-fed and well-cared for. The large cliff behind is now a waterfall, with the running water of a fast stream blocking the cave entrance and flowing into the pond, only to leave it on the opposite side.
The scents are abudant as well, Sablepaw can pick up half a dozen different animals nearby right away, wolves being the only predators. And there are many wolves, for their cheerful howls cry out over and over again throughout the land.
The trees are ancient and gigantic, the flowers colourful and vibrant, the grass long and healthy; the spirits of these plants converse too in their whispering ways, praising the Sun, the water, and Gaia for providing it all.
Truly a paradise. But how is such a contrast possible? Could things get any more confusing? The scent of the wolf from the other side is nowhere to be found.*

[Sablepaw]

*My wolf-instincts tell me to stay away from this place but I won't challenge the will of Old Wolf of the Woods. Even though the scent-markers are clearly understandable - These are Wolf-Lands! Stay out or die - I have to prove myself. But everything about this place feels just... odd. When the flutter of the owl's wings disturb the eerie silence I almost jump out of my fur.*

<For being the chosen bird of the Spirits of Silence you can make quite a racket!>

*When I come upon the standing sticks topped with the skulls and the big skull pile, I can do nothing but stare at the remains with a puzzled and clueless gaze."*

<So he keeps the heads of Nofurs. He tears them off, feeds the soft parts to ants and maggots and he displays them. But what's the point? It makes sense to hide the bodies but why does he keep the skulls? And why, for Moon's sake does he put it on sticks? It's so much like... building... something. Is it for pleasing some weird spirits?>

*I keep on investigating the Territory, reading the omens and the tell-tale signs about the Dweller of these woods.*

<All the noisy animals are frozen in stillness while the bird of silence flies loud. Things work in a different way here. The Shifter-Wolf is probably gone for now - Thornclaw used to leave our Territory alone for some time so that must be a Garou thing. Maybe he is out hunting Nofurs for his skull collection. But why does he live here at all? There are no wolves with him, there's not even the faintest trace of any. So he has no family. Neither a wolf pack nor a Shifter-Wolf pack runs with him and yet he has a Territory. How could he possibly choose to live here alone? It's unnatural for wolves and shifter-wolves as well! It's NOT part of the ways of the Ancient Great Wolves! And this is certainly not a good and thriving Hunting Ground. That leaves only one thing.... he must guard something, like the Secret Place Behind The Waterfall we used to have in my old homelands. That must be it. The Secret Place Thornclaw guarded felt weird and unnatural for all of us regular wolves, with all the odd-looking plants and mushrooms growing nearby, with the currents flowing in strange directions and with the giant Ash Tree rooting deep in the cave...>

*...And here it is! Or something similar at least. The tall rock with the dark opening. Even though the scent-markers are stale I can't be sure there's nothing inside. And entering such a lair, seemingly easy to defend from inside without examining this place first would be a deadly mistake. Especially if it's a forbidden Secret Place.*

<Maybe the Leader With No Pack is walking with the Spirits now. And even if he isn't, the Spirits must know him. I can ask them.>

*Searhing for a puddle or pool or patch of ice to meet my reflection I focus on the closeness of the Other Side and I try to step sideways to investigate the Spirit Lands and its dwellers.*

Gnosis (6)

Dobás:

Eredeti dobás sorozat: 6d10 Rögzített 10-Sided Dice Results: 1, 6, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Total = 25)

_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*Sablepaw positions herself on top of a small hill. The howl has been given. The wind carries her greeting fast and far over this vast land. As far as the eye can see, there are only woods, like a frozen, green sea with the occasional ice topping.
She waits. But there is no answer. In fact, should she repeat it, her howl would still remain unanswered.
How is that possible? The scent marks were only half a day or so old. Could something have happened to the Shifter-Wolf here? Is he even a Shifter-Wolf? Does this cringeworthy atmosphere have anything to do with it? Could it be the Taint? So many questions unanswered. And only one way to find out.
Heading deeper into the territory.
It's Theurge now, the shaman-moon, Sablepaw's moon, which would normally be fortunate, but it reduces her sight drastically in such a dark, deep forest. Yet, she can navigate just fine, and gradually, she also begins picking up scents and spiritual impressions of various forest animals. Although scarce, there is one thing common in all these impulses, a thing every lone prey item feels, but a thing highly exaggerated here.
Fear.
Suddenly, a night owl rises from a branch near Sablepaw, the flapping of its wings causing an almost painful noise in the otherwise still forest. She freezes, her head snapping in that direction by instinct. It appears what the bird ascended from wasn't a branch after all. It's a long wooden pike standing tall and defiant in the ground, with about half a dozen twoleg skulls piled up onto it. From the nearby tree branches above, the small and weak bones of the same wretched creatures are seen hanging, making a very quiet, occasional clanking sound when colliding in the wind.
Thrusting deeper and deeper into the territory, Sablepaw comes across three more such pikes, and several other displays of similar nature. Something, or someone here really, really despises twolegs. After a few hours of moving through this haunting forest, she finally reaches a high cliff in the middle of the woods. It just stands there, like the throne of a giant, though not as tall as to reach the canopy. There's a lair inside, with no particular strong scents coming out right now, and finally, a small stream running through the forest nearby, out of sight, but clearly audible.
One thing is clear, and it's that the spirits are strong here. This place has significance. But for some reason, there are no tracks, or any signs of animal life, at least not here, outside. The only thing suggesting a wolf is the cliff being scent-marked - but what lies inside still remains a mystery.*

[Sablepaw]

*As the days pass by I carry on my journey into the unknown in a stern and fastened pace only stopping for finding shelter to get a few ours of disturbed sleep and for the occasional hunt to keep myself fit and strong enough. Knowing that as the Moon shrinks thinner and the nights grow darker I get closer to the destined place where I might become Cliath I grow more and more restless but the unpleasant and menacing changes of the atmosphere don't quite help my uneasiness.*

<How come that the closer I get to the Shifter-Wolf I seek the gloomier the Spirits become? Is that the silent threat of Blight or Taint whatever that disease is called hanging in the air? Or is it something else?>

*The omens speak of an ill-fate that either happened or is about to happen. The dry rattling of the wind ruffling the skeleton-like branhes of the slumbering trees; the aching crackling of ice; the soft moaning of Land, the wounded Mother; and finally, the birds and beasts all falling silent as if hiding from something... this is not what I was hoping for. But this must be the it. The Terrirory of the Other One.
I give my fur a few brisk licks to make sure I look healthy enough and I check for scents thoroughly. Finally, I settle at a promising spot where it's easy to attack or defend myself or flee if either is necessary. I rise my head towards the Moon studying her soft, silvery crescent for a few heartbeats and then I let out a howl; loud, sharp and as haunting as my voice can possibly be to fit the eerie mood of these lands. Although I've never called out for a Garou in this life before I know instinctively how I should sound. I just have to remember the ancient Great Wolves, the mightiest of Predators of old days and letting them speak through me, crying their savage anguish and proud ferocity into the bleakness of these dismal lands.*

/Lup-Gar/ "I, Sablepaw, chosen one of Griffin and apprentice of Old Wolf of the Woods have come to greet the Leader of this Territory! Come and meet me at your borderlands!"
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The pack isn't ungrateful; the dead body of the ferocious lynx reminds them not to be. The pack listens. The pack does not understand everything, but enough to know their place, enough to give Sablepaw the respect she deserves as a Shifter-Wolf.
A brief silence engulfs the clearing after she's done with her speech, one of gratitude and admiration. Then suddenly, the alpha wolf bursts into a loud, majestic howl, quickly followed by the rest. They sing their thanks and their farewells, assuring Sablepaw that her deeds and might will not be forgotten.
Their voices still linger as she continues her journey towards the setting sun, more determined than ever to embrace her destiny. To make the spirits and her ancestors proud.
Days pass.
Days pass, but the woods continue undisturbed, this truly is a gigantic forest. Sablepaw has crossed several streams and two hills, and the terrain is slowly becoming flatter and flatter now. The spirits of the land whisper to her as well, but their whispers are heavy in malice and gloom. Something is not right about these lands over the mountains. Something dark dwells here, something she never felt before. A danger not immediate, but all the more menacing; as if Gaia herself would quietly moan in agony here.
In the thirteenth night after the battle with the lynx, Sablepaw picks up the scent marks of another wolf. She's arrived to a clearly outlined territory, and the silence in the forest here is greater than anywhere before. Not even a critter can be seen crawling on the ground.
At any rate... it is time for the introductions.*

Ambience

[Sablepaw]

*I stand proudly as my slowly softening gaze wanders from wolf to wolf watching the hierarchy they follow. With all my unfamiliar and frightening powers I never thought they would honor me. At least I feel I've done something that matters. And I'm willing to do even more.*

<Strange stag... that must be that swift prey I've seen during my journey, an animal so dumb to let the Nofurs sit on its back... "horse" maybe, that's what Spirits called it.>

/Lup/ "I know you can't beat those bastards... for now. But I can slaughter many and many of them. I can drive them away from the forests of wolves. I can probably do even more. That's why I was given that great shape and the wisdom of the Spirits. It's a blessing from the Land and a blessing from the Moon but a somber burden as well. I'm the chosen one of a mighty Spirit, half bird of prey and half beast. I'll try my best to wipe those Blight-ridden Nofurs from the face of the Land and restore Her as She used to be and as She should be. The Pure Land of the Predators with Wolves as the greatest and mightiest of them all. It's a hard task but I must try even at the cost of my life. I was given my powers to protect all of you and make you the greatest Rulers of the Land. Those flat-faced mockeries of an animal are standing in the way... but I hope not for long."

*Of course the prophecies of my dreams foreshadow the most devastating defeat. But prophecies are warnings after all. Hopefully they can be avoided if we all do the right things, following the honor and wisdom of Old Wolf of the Woods and the savage ferocity of Griffin.*

/Lup/ "I wish I could stay with you to protect you, to hunt with you, to run with you and when my time is over, to die with you but I must carry on my quest. I still have a lot to learn to grow strong and wise enough to fulfill my duty."

*Letting out a sorrowful huff I try to approach the wolves one by one, cautiously enough not to seem too threatening. Mouthing their snouts playfully; pressing my flank against theirs; burying my muzzle into their furs; covering their faces with friendly licks as I remember my mother used to lick me when I was small and scared. Finally I touch noses with them. I want to give them comfort and I seek comfort myself... the comfort of the company of the wolf-kind before I carry on... alone*

/Lup/ "Farewell, Pack. Take a good care of them, Leader. Raise many pups, strong and healthy. I wish you days thriving with prey."

*I try to suppress the pitiful whine that wants to leave my mouth so bad and I set out for Sunset, following the will of my Ancestors and my Spirit guides and companions. "Less than a Moon" - but with no leader, no followers, no companion resembling my kin. But I still have the Spirits on the Other Side, like the funny Jay-Bird who taught me how to mimic the cry of prey to lure the Nofurs into traps. I have the Spirits of ice and snow, of trees and of flowers, of predators, of scavengers and even of prey-animals. Old Wolf was right. I shouldn't whine like a pup with my head carried low. I have all the Nature-Spirits as my friends. What wolf could ever ask for more?*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*When Sablepaw arrives back from the Other Side, she already finds the remaining four members of the local pack assembled. The cowards who ran from battle bear wounds from not only lynx claws, but wolf fangs too now. They are, however, integral in the continuation of the line. In the assertion of lupine dominance over this valley, as it used to be for thousands upon thousands of moons, and will continue to be for many more. The cubs will grow up, and now, with the tales of a hero, they will surpass their fathers and mothers in ferocity, persistence and bravery.
The four wolves silently gather around their Garou saviour, listening to everything she has to say. They look up to her as if she were their new, natural alpha, supporting her argument against the twoleg menace with hateful snarls.
Finally, only the alpha-wolf replies.*

-/Lup/ I have seen the creatures you speak of when I was still young. They wore skins of rock and rode on the backs of strange stags. From their hands came slim branches, fast as lightning and sharp as fangs, bringing pain and death to anything they touched from afar. Bear and lynx may come to take our lands and prey, and we will drive them out again and again, but these... these twolegs we cannot defeat.

*He pauses, while the others whine pathetically. Are these animals even more dangerous rivals than what has just ripped two of their pack apart? The beta of the pack silences them with an angry snarl and a mock-snap.*

-/Lup/ I will do what is best for my kind. I will keep them here, secluded in this valley and avoid the wretched twolegs. For now, thanks to you... uncontested.

*He keeps eyeing Sablepaw up and down.*

-/Lup/ You brought us victory, you gave us your kill, you changed forms, you talked to a ghost-wolf in a strange language. Who are you? You are no ordinary wolf... Sablepaw.

[Sablepaw]

<I'm going to be Cliath...>

*Even though I don't know what this word means, I can somehow feel its importance... it must mean becoming something more than I am now. I close my eyes and let the cold wind ruffle my fur.
I still have a long way to understand more about the days that have already gone and the days that are yet to arrive... born as a wolf and being a wolf at my heart, I need to express my joy or my grief right when I feel them as if this very instant was eternity...*

<I hope the time when we meet again will arrive soon... >

*After I returned to Earthly Lands and the last echo of my howl died away, I turn my proud but haggard gaze to the puzzled and mourning wolves and their slaughtered packmates... I feel sorry for them. I can feel the pain of this Pack as it was the grief of my own*

/Lup/ "Your loss is the loss of mine and all our kin and kind, noble Leader. I know I'm strange... something between you and Old Wolf of the Woods, the mighty Spirit you could see. But have no fear. I won't do you any harm. I won't take your prey. I'll leave in a moment letting you mourn your beloved ones peacefully. They are going to hunt in the Faraway Lands of the Other Side waiting for the time you may join them.
But before I go I need to... warn you."

*The eerie glow in my eyes my grow menacing and grim as the Bringers of Taint come into my mind*

/Lup/ "There are creatures that will bring nothing but suffering to the wolf-kind. I can't bring their scent to show you but they're hard to mistaken for other animals. Their scent is a bit like of shrews and hogs, covered by the strong stink of their own filth and mixed with the bitter reek of smoke, ash and fire and strange things I cannot explain. Standing tall, they're ugly, flat-faced and misshapen. They're almost hairless except some head-fur and some face-fur for some males so they wear strange-looking stolen pelts. They walk only on their hind legs, using their clawless front paws to grab things. They are weak and they look like easy prey. They once were prey and perhaps they still are but they carry a Taint undetected by most wolves' nose. They hunt us to steal our fur. They hunt us out of envy. They hunt us out of fear. And they're good at it. They are planning to destroy all of us, twisting the Land until nothing lefts but their hideous hives. If you ever see one setting its foot near your Territory, for the sake of Moon and Land, hide or even flee if you must! You can kill off one or two, whelps and females are easy, but they'll bring more and more of their kin until they outnumber you. And beware of their filthy, pitiful dogs. They are their loyal slaves, traitors to our kind, betraying us and leading these Nofurs to our dens, destroying our pups. Remember, Leader... remember and be alert."

*I'm about to turn away when the roe comes into my mind... but my apetite is gone.*

/Lup/ "One more thing. If you follow my scent back to the direction I arrived from as a Great Wolf just out of your Territory, you'll find the remains of a freshly killed roe-deer. The scavengers have surely taken their share by now but if you hurry, you can still have some juicy bits of its flesh before it gets cold and stiff. You need it more than I do."
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The rift between worlds is torn open, though slower than usual, and upon arriving on the Other Side, Sablepaw can still see the mighty Old Wolf walk away at the edge of visibility, cub in mouth, only to disappear again, heading north.
She howls her desperate howl, empties out her heart and says her farewells. In the Spirit Realm, every howl is louder, every pain is more hurtful, every impression is more sensual.
Soon enough, the slowly, symbolically blowing northern winds carry back one final, encouraging whisper.*

-/Spi/ Hold your head high, Sablepaw. We do not part forever. But to this journey, I cannot escort you. When next we meet... you will be Cliath...

[Sablepaw]

*The approving and powerful words of the Spirit rouse my pride but they also rise a deep-rooted anxiety in me... I have dark ang gloomy presentiments and when I finally understand what he wants, in instinctively lower my ears and tails, trying to fight the shivering that slowly overcomes me*

/Spi/ "I must carry on... alone? And who is the one I seek? How will I know I found the right one?"

*But my concerns are stressed on the word "alone"... As he begins to fade with the kit, I dart after him letting out a whine*

/Spi/ Wait! At least, let me say goodbye...!

*Deeply annoyed, I search for a surface holding the Moon and the Stars, a puddle of ice or something similar and leap there, keeping the shimmering in the corner of my eyes as I push myself through the barriers to the Spirit Lands*

Gnosis: (6), difficulty: 3(?)

Dobás:

Eredeti dobás sorozat: 6d10 Rögzített 10-Sided Dice Results: 7, 2, 10, 2, 2, 3 (Total = 26)

*I try to catch up with Old Wolf of the Woods. I want to press my muzzle against his flank and give a final lick to this face and nose once again... I want to express my gratitude so bad... but whether I can feel his final touch or not, my words still echo through the Forest of the Spirits.

/Spi/ I promise I'll never let you down. I won't stray from the Old Ways you and Thornclaw taught me about. I'll grow up to be a Shifter-Wolf... a "Garou" who will make both of you proud. And I'll teach the others all the wisdom you shared with me. I'll carry your sweet memory until the moment of my last heartbeat. Farewell, Old Wolf of the Woods! Let the Lands you're heading for thrive with the most nourising of prey, pure and untainted as the Land was ever meant to be...

*My long, mourning howl full of grief pierce through the dead of the night... and I keep on howling when I return to the Earthly Lands. Let the whole world know about the loneliest cub, the wanderer of Two Worlds carrying the greatest, yet ever honorable burden to preserve her kin and to drive them back to the Old Ways of the Predators...*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

Legutóbb Sablepaw szerkesztette (Csüt. Dec. 22, 2011 5:01 pm), összesen 2 alkalommal

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The only person here more surprised than the wolves is probably the dead-scared cub, when the jaws of death do not exterminate him. The tiny creature falls to the ground in front of Old Wolf of the Woods, having just enough bravery to turn around and look up at the great lupine spirit. He gazes back down, eyeing the lynx with his usual, undiscernable wisdom. Quite the contrast.
He then glances at Sablepaw.*

-/Spi/ You are only beginning to understand the infinite secrets the forest and the spirit world whisper to you, to them, to us all. But you are on the right path. In fact, you've never strayed from the right path.

*He holds out his right paw now, slowly touching the head of the orphaned cat. His eyes remain fixed on the wolf though.*

-/Spi/ You are of age now, my child. You are ready. Keep following the Setting Sun, and in less than a moon's time, you shall come across the lands of one of your own. Prove yourself to him, as you have done for me so many times, and he shall make you a full Garou. My guardianship over you ends...

*He leans down now, picking up the lynx cub, making him gradually fade from reality, becoming alike to Old Wolf of the Woods. Together, they turn more and more transparent, until nothing but a final, silent echo remains.*

-/Spi/ ...but our friendship lasts forever.

*As if woken from a spell, the two remaining wolves come alive, the beta whining quietly over the losses and the shock, the alpha silently walking over to the corpse of the female wolf.
Presumably his mate.
He lies down in the snow beside her, affectionately touching her nose with his, though fully aware she will not wake up anymore. After a long moment, he tilts his head towards Sablepaw, his gaze a mix of sadness, gratitude and respect.*

Ambience

[Sablepaw]

*I skid to a halt when I hear the voice of my sole companion through these Moons of travelling and I turn to face him, immediately lowering my body and dipping my head, showing my respect.
As I sense the confusion of the Pack Leader, I shake off the terryfing, primal shape of the Giant Wolf, becoming the usual me again.
I can clearly feel the sorrow of the noble Spirit. It's like he was carrying all of our kin's fate, all the struggles, all the deaths we face.*

/Spi/ "I cannot understand it... but I have no doubt you have your reasons for asking me to stop."

*My eyes widen in curiosity as he tells me about this... "pact"*

<At last, I can help him out!>

*Leaving the furious beast raging under my pelt behind for a while, I grab the kit's scruff gently and drop it unharmed right in front of the paws of the Spirit.*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The melee is swift, brutal and desperate. The odds utterly unequal, the outcome predictable. The lynx' devastating lightning attacks quickly exhaust on the thick hide of Sablepaw, who turns with surprising speed relative to her size. Her primeval jaws snap... and it's all over for the intruder. Sweet, delicious vengeance. Vindication for the blood of her kin she spilled this night. Every wolf in this land will know Sablepaw as a mighty and selfless guardian fighting and killing for other wolves and sharing her prey. A lupine hero generations will remember exactly as she remembers those before her.
Now, to finish the act. Coated by the blood of his mother, Sablepaw swipes towards the remainder of the cub's little den, exposing the creature now frozen in terror. And so, Nature takes her course...*

-/Spi/ Sablepaw...

*That voice again. That mighty, fearless, yet gentle spirit-voice. This time, it isn't coming from her head. This time... it comes from right behind her.
Old Wolf of the Woods, the mighty protector of wolfkind comes slowly walking into the clearing, sitting down not far from his Garou champion, in the plain sight of two dumbfounded wolves. The alpha and his packmate are so surprised, so terrified of his majesty, they simply stare at him with eyes wide open.
Old Wolf's spirit voice keeps talking, like a beneficial father; slowly and quietly, but commanding full and complete attention.*

-/Spi/ You have done your duty well, my child. You are a youngster no more. Your ancestors would be proud. But I ask you to stop now.

*He takes a pause, eyeing the tiny creature Sablepaw could simply devour in one snap.*

-/Spi/ Long ago, I made a pact. Bring that cub here to me, Sablepaw. I wish to settle an old debt with its aid.

*The ways of the spirits are mysterious. The ghostly form of Old Wolf of the Woods sits there like a gentle giant, while the alpha of the local pack sends confused gazes between him and his chosen she-wolf. He truly doesn't believe his eyes.*