In the Swirling Wind
Jacinta sits crosslegged on this cloudy evening. The temperature in the caern is much more mild than up in the foothills and despite the wind that plays with the loose strands of her hair, the Wendigo doesn't seem at all cold. Her eyes are closed and her hands rest easily on her knees. There is an air of calm about her, though that is perhaps only on the surface, as the moon is still quite full and bright.
Fledgling approaches the caern in the appropriate way, nose to the ground as she tracks her elder. Her tail waves at mid-height, and she trots along at an easy pace. When she catches the elder's scent, she completes her circle, then lopes up to the Ahroun. Elder! she chuffs, bellying down in front of Jacinta and inching her way towards the other.
Jacinta's eyes open and she reaches out a hand to cover the cub's muzzle briefly. "Waqaa," she says easily, gaze slowly finding focus. "Cangacit Ingtaq?"
Fledgling stops her wiggling and lays flat. I have met ~Get of Fenris~, she announces, licking her chops. The cub and an elder. And a kinfolk with white hair. She bunts Jacinta's thigh. I stayed in the woods, she adds as an afterthought.
Jacinta offers a slow nod and then says, "Ii. And, have you found the chorus of Honor, Glory, and Wisdom? Can you recite the creeds?"
Fledgling chuffs. I have. I learned them, she says. I can. And so she does, giving each the respect they deserve. She even uses a claw to scratch a glyph or two along the ground, based on what she's worked out on her own. Was that right, elder? she asks when she finishes.
Jacinta listens intently, watching closely as the cub begins to draw. "Here, not here," she corrects mildly of the glyph construction. At the end, she nods. "Ii. Now. Tell me what it means. What is each, and why is it important?"
Fledgling starts with what she knows, rising to four paws to speak more clearly. Honor is how a Garou follows the Laws, and knows the Laws. It is how they speak and keep to their word. Honor is important, because without honor we do not know who to trust and how much. We need to know who obeys and does not obey the Ways, and who follows the Laws the best so they can see if others follow the Laws as well. She pricks her ears and waits to see if this is acceptable.
Jacinta again nods, accepting the cub's answer. "And in the times of history, what did the Three Brothers learn?"
Fledgling bares her teeth, just a bit. That the Wyrmcomers honor is not our honor. They do not hold the same Ways, and they follow the Laws a different way, she says, obviously remembering the story from the moot.
"They follow the laws in a different way, but honor is honor," the Ahroun says tightly. "When they took from us, when they failed to keep their word, they showed they had no Honor. Some have learned honor. Some have not. Some individuals may hold to the Creed of Honor, despite their Tribe. But they must earn our trust, we do not expect honor from these. Ii?"
Fledgling puzzles over this, finally scratching a paw to indicate her understanding. Yes, elder.
Jacinta nods then. "Assirtuq. Go on."
Fledgling chuffs, then her tail waves. Glory is from battle, and from strength. It is from being strong enough to fight the Wyrm, and to defend Grandmother's Sacred Places. It is important because it makes us want to do more and more, to fight harder and to be stronger than what we are. Wendigo are glorious. Younger Brother. Her tail twitches high for a moment, then drops. It is being proud.
Once again the Ahroun nods and asks, "And in the times of history, what did the Three Brothers learn?"
Fledgling takes her time to think on this. The Wyrmcomers did not believe in the glory of the Brothers, she finally says. They stole the battles and the sacred places, and did stupid things to try to prove they were braver and stronger.
Jacinta seems satisfied with this answer. "Ii. Go on."
Wisdom, the cub begins, the falters. She's apparently left the weakest one for last. Wisdom is knowing things, but not just knowing things. It is knowing the Ways, like Honor is knowing the Laws. It is following the Ways of living on the Land. She whines again. Wisdom is...is teaching. And learning, and knowing when you are learning. Wisdom is important because we must remember the Ways to keep Grandmother happy and safe. It is important because...if we don't remember what has happened, it could happen again.
Jacinta's not quite as satisfied with this answer and her eyes narrow. She says nothing, just waits, watching.
Fledgling stops, watching the elder's reaction. When there's no followup question, she ducks her head. Wisdom, she tries again, is following the Ways. It is thinking before you speak, considering your actions. It is also knowledge. It is important, because without wise ones, we would be angry at each other all of the time. No one would think before they did things, and our honor would be lost. Wisdom teaches us how and when to fight, and how to keep the Ways.
"Ii," Jacinta says at last. "Calm. Prudence. Mercy. Justice. In the time of history, what did the Three Brothers learn?"
Fledgling's tail sweeps, just once. The Wyrmcomers did not know how to treat Grandmother right when they came, and they did not think the Pure Ones did either. They wanted too much, and all for themselves. They did not want the Brothers to have any. They did not think that the Brothers knew anything of the land, and they still say that is the way it was, today.
Jacinta considers quietly without response for a while. Finally she nods. "Ii. They did not listen. The Wyrmcomers did not act with calm, or prudence. The Three Brothers did not feel mercy, and we still have not gotten Justice." Slowly she rises and gestures across the caern. "Follow the seasons. Go to Autum. Your final test awaits."
Fledgling gets up and walks the seasons, as she's been instructed to do so many times. She takes her time at this, sniffing here and there as though she's trying to memorize the place. When she has finished, she goes to autumn and waits, her body language betraying her nervousness.
Jacinta waits until the cub is there, on the slab of rock which acts as almost as a stage for the caern, then she begins to move. Slowly at first, then in a run, smoothly shifting into crinos, dropping to four limbs and sliding into hispo to charge at the cub.
Fledgling's ears plaster against her head, and she yelps. Her paws scramble against the rock, her tail tucking between her hind legs. The claws catch, and she tries to dodge to the side with a high-pitched bark of shock.
Pierces Ice goes easy on the cub in her first attack, allowing the dodge to succeed. ~Test, Fledgling. Fight,~ the Hispo rumbles out, even as she turns to attack again.
Fledgling snaps her teeth at the elder, whining again as she's charged at. She lets rage fuel her Change, joining the elder in Hispo, then makes a hesitant feint at Pierces Ice's side. This is certainly an improvement on her normal flinching and trying to run.
Pierces Ice sidesteps and whips her head around to snap at the cub. She's probably still going easy, but this time her jaws do connect, and blood spills from the cub's rump. It's not a vicious blow, more of a pinch than a deep wound, but it does smart.
Fledgling squeals, then whips around. Huge claws dig into the soil, and she lunges for Pierces Ice. There is still some hesistance in her attack, but she's still trying to Do Her Best. She hurtles at the elder, great jaws snapping at the other's foreleg.
Pierces Ice lets the cub have her leg, but maneuvers so that as Fledgling bites down on the leg, the Ahroun gets a good grip on her neck. ~Good. Now submit.~
Fledgling goes still, but she seems reluctant to relinquish the leg. She rumbles for a moment, her muscles quivering, the form she's in demanding more than the elder's hold to force a surrender. Then the human brain kicks in. The cub releases the elder's leg and turns her head as much as she's allowed, baring her throat to the elder.
Pierces Ice harruffs, releasing her hold and backing away. She shifts downward into homid, grabbing her arm where it bleeds. "Ii. Assirtuq!" she says with beaming pride.
Fledgling's nostrils flare a moment, then she slowly makes the shift to her birthform. "I should've done that faster," is the first thing out of her mouth as she checks the tear in the back of her pants. "Ow," she adds as an afterthought.
"Ii," agrees the Elder. "And next time you will. But for now, it is enough. You have passed my tests. You are free to wander the places you know. Do not go further than the farmhouse to the west or north, no farther east than the area we hunt near the lake, and for now, no further south than you have come to seek the caern. Every morning, I expect you to run with me. That means you must know where I am. But the days and nights are your own, unless I tell you otherwise. Make use of this time, learn what you can and practice what you learn. There are but few lessons left before your Rite of Passage comes." She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through her nose. "Do you understand? Do you have questions?"
The cub looks a little shocked by this, but happiness shows as well. "Are there any I should not speak to, or should stay away from? Any Garou who disrespect the Pure Ones, or who would try to trick me?" Veronica wraps her arms around herself as she waits for the response.
Jacinta considers this question, and a small hint of a smile crosses her face when it is asked. "On the bawn, you should be safe from such problems. Be respectful of all, even the Urrah cubs. Show them that we are better, that we can keep Honor and Wisdom, even while we are known for our Glory. If you meet one you did not scent or see at Moot, excuse yourself to find me, or another of my pack or our Tribe. If you scent danger, immediately leave to seek one of us, and if we cannot be found, go to the nearer of the Longhouse or the Farmhouse. Ii?"
Veronica smiles. "I will do what you've said. I will try not to insult anyone, or get into any fights." She stops speaking for a moment, a question still in her eyes. Then she blinks and shuffles her feet a bit. "Um...elder...should I keep...my father's name? I think he made it up. It doesn't seem right with the Ways."
Jacinta's eyes narrow. "Do you know your mother's name? Before she married?"
Veronica takes a stronger stance, thinking back to what seems like an entire lifetime ago. "I don't know. They didn't want us to go back, so we never saw any of the old papers or anything."
Jacinta nods at this, considering. After a moment she asks, "How many brothers?"
"Two. Keith and Bobby," Veronica says automatically, her eyes only dropping away for a moment. "No sisters. I was the only girl."
Jacinta again nods, again silent for a while. "If you could only pick one, to trust, which would you choose?"
Again, Veronica's answer comes quickly. "Bobby. Keith always wanted to be like dad," she says, watching the elder with mixed curiousity and apprehension.
Jacinta may be teaching the creed of Wisdom with the measured pace of her reply. "Then this is what we will do. You will write another letter, to Bobby alone. You will tell him that you remain fine, but that you need answers about your herritage. We will give him a place to which to respond, different again than the last. If he is willing to do this for you, then we may find the answers we seek, and we may know if he, and your other sibling, may come to learn the truth of who you are. In the meantime - Keep your father's name if you desire, or leave it behind you. It is unnecessary, here."
Veronica listens as carefully as the elder speaks. "I will keep my first name, but not the last name," she says after some contemplation. "And I will have the letter ready, to be sent tomorrow, only to ask my mother's old name." She thinks, trying to dredge up any further questions. "I think I am ready," she says softly, once she's certain there are no more.
Jacinta studies Veronica carefully, quiet and stern. Then she gives a sudden, sharp nod and says, "Ii. You are. Fly free, Ingtaq Cetaaq." This last is said with a bit of a smirk.
Veronica's chin lifts when the elder says those words. "Quyana, elder. I will see you in the morning, to run," she replies, drawing herself up with reflected pride.
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