12/01/2006
Rainbow Lake
Late morning finds Veronica in her wolf form, drinking from the lake's edge. Her tail waves in the air, giving some indication of her good mood. The rainfall doesn't seem to disturb her much at all. Nearby, there are scratchings in a small open patch of dirt. Some are words, while others are glyphs. A discarded stick lays next to them.
Touch Deer is on four legs as well, appearing not far at all by the time some of the noise of his passage reaches even sharp lupine ears. Scarred over 90% of his body, from tail to nose, Cries' lupus form looks as if it's been through repeated punishments but somehow, never quite gave up on life. He heads, arrow-like, straight for the younger wolf drinking at the lake's edge, tail straight up like an arrow.
Whatever once happened to this large timber wolf, it bears the scars in hideous memory. From the neck down, its body is only whole in patches, the vast majority of its frame being covered in scar-tissue; the sight is so gruesome as to almost invoke pity or loathing in the more sensitive people. It's paws are skeletal and blasted, with pink, black, and red tissue making its way up and around his grotesque body. It appears this wolf was once nearly burned to death, but managed barely to live.
Despite its horrible appearance, it seems able to move and think well overall. In fact, it retains the vast majority of its strength and dexterity from before the burning, with only the occasional twinge of pain from lost skin-flexibility betraying his injuries. Nose constantly twitching, eyes searching high and low, it does not appear to intend to miss anything going on around it. A very...peculiar necklace hangs from its neck (detail Necklace). It's eyes are a deep black. A predator born to the wilderness, this creature moves with a predatory grace, gliding like a ghost through the trees.
Veronica's usual semi-obliviousness is being trained out of her in this form. The first audible footfall brings her head up, ears pricked. Her tail drops from it's semi-erect position, and all of her body language slips from 'relaxed' to 'submissive'. She thinks a moment, then remembers how to ask her question. Who?
Touch Deer circles in from an angle, heading for the cub's flank, nose springing into action. He doesn't get all the way near, but quite close, when he rumbles that he is Cries-No-More, of the Wendigo Tribe, of the fullest moon. Alpha of the Sept, of the Fostern Rank.
Veronica's ears swivel back and forth as she tries to understand all of this information. What she does catch relaxes her a little. Wendigo cub, she says. Two-leg made. Cub. Cub. Cub. Then she tries to give her name, which comes out as "Ro-ro-ro-ro." The heavily scarred one is delicately sniffed at, but she doesn't get herself too close, waiting to see how he responds.
Cries-No-More now heads in closer, circling around deftly to the rear, sniffing Veronica's ass with his tail still high, reeking of confident dominance in every move. He finishes quickly, heading up the other side of the cub, then over her back his snout is placed, pressing over and down dominantly, a rumble echoing the message for her to show submission. There's no direct show of aggression or irritation, merely firm dominance.
Veronica obediently buckles under his chin, her tail tucking between her legs and her head lowering. Her ears flick back. Low, low, low, she says in a whine.
Cries-No-More moves off, heads for a spot a few feet away, and plops down on his rear, sniffing briefly at the glyphs, then looking back to Veronica, tail, thumping the ground briefly, amiably. There's a hard-to-miss air of energy, restleness, perhaps even irritation, coming off the Wendigo, directed nowhere. Just held somewhere in the way he sits and moves, explaining, this one knows of you, and has learned some of you. Welcome.
Veronica follows the elder to her 'practise' spot. She licks her chops as she works to understand what he says, then her tail waves again. Yes? Many questions. White fur elder show. This one talk-wolf. Scratch-talk learning. Her tail waves more, and she takes a more playful, but still submissive, stance.
Cries-No-More goes much slower, repeating himself often when he discerns the cub is not understanding, or trying to explain with alternate signs and vocalizations. It's good that you have questions, and good that you are learning to walk with four legs. Have the first two Laws been explained to you?
Veronica gives an affirmative chuff. Middle Brother, she starts, then whines. Middle-breed bad. No mate with brothers. Fight snake. Her tail waves as she looks for approval.
Cries-No-More licks his chips and whines affirmatively. And always look for the Horned Serpent, look for where It is hiding and kill it, always. Then, up he shifts, assuming his homid form and smiling, nodding, then sketches three more glyphs on the ground with the stick. This done, he returns ot the four-legged form and indicates the first of the newest marks. Respect the territory of other Garou.
Veronica blinks and pokes her nose at the glyphs. She fumbles to repeat his words, finally managing to restate the law to her satisfaction. Then her head cocks. Even not-Wendigo?
Cries-No-More affirms. Even other Tribes. Do not go onto claimed and marked lands unless allowed. Those that claim the land can be asked, in howl or in person as the situation allows. Usually, they will give permission. If they do not give permission, remain off their territory. When you are allowed on other's territory, behave. Be respectful of the host pack, Tribe, or Sept. Honor is kept alive in our world, unlike in the human world. Honor is important.
The cub eats up the language, unconsciously mimicking several of the elder's words as they're said. Her tail waves more, and she pokes her nose at the glyphs again. Respectful. Honor. Yes. Her paws patter on the ground. What is..., she begins, her lips twitching with frustration as she tries to get the word right. Sept? Many wolves?
Cries-No-More explains that yes, it is many. Many Garou. Garou keep the Grandmother's sacred sites safe, and strong. They are places of power, and the one of this land is protected by a large group of us. We call our group, and the place we protect, the Hidden Walk. There are nearly as may Garou in the Sept here as there are days in two moons.
Veronica's ears swivel as she counts. Many. Wendigo? Her expression brightens. Talk-wolves? White fur elder walk there with this one in small moon if this one respectful. She sits and hunches herself down so she's lower than the scarred Ahroun.
Cries-No-More paws the ground as he indicates a number, showing her how one says five. Five Wendigo. You make six. The rest are of many Tribes, are of many types. Most Septs are only a small number of Tribes, but this one is open to all, a rare thing. Jacinta will bring you there soon, and you will meet others, yes.
Veronica gives a happy whine, and her tongue lolls. This one good. Respectful. Low. She seems to like that new wolf-word, 'respectful', an awful lot. She cocks her head and paws the glyphs, one at a time, trying to remember them.
Cries-No-More, a bit gruffly, continues. Accept an Honorable Surrender. Surrender will be a show of throat, with words or action. If another Garou surrenders when you fight them, do not kill them.
Veronica's ears flick back and she lowers her head more. She tries out the word 'honorable', and when it fits, she asks a meek question. What not-honorable surrender? Her tail stills as she waits for the answer.
Cries-No-More continues, gruffly indicating the next glyph and explaining, Always Accept an Honorable Surrender. Surrender from another Garou, during combat, can be shown either with body or with words. If throat is shown, stand down.
Veronica drops her body to the ground. Yes. Show throat, no bite. She licks her chops again. No more fight. Honor.
Cries-No-More continues. It is important to remember this Law. Someday, you will match your claws against another, for honor, in a Challenge, maybe in anger. In any case, stand down if you are show surrender, and know that they are bound by our Law to do the same for you.
Good. Good wolf. No hurt when surrender. This one know. This one stop when surrender. Honor. Respectful. Veronica's ears flick up, then down. Cries-No-More looks like he might be an expert in the area of getting hurt, and hurting people, so she doesn't say more.
Cries-No-More seems at least satisfied, if not pleased. He proceeds to the next Glyph. Submission to those Higher. This one is of the second rank. After a short pause, he speaks, gutturally in a voclization not uttered by him until now. ~Fostern.~ That is how it is said in our own language, which you will soon learn. Hard to speak it well now, is easiest in our middle form, the wolf-man. ~Cliath~ is the first rank, under this one's. All Cliaths must submit to him for this reason. And, the Sept itself submits, for this one is also Alpha. All cubs submit to all Garou that are Rited, as they are still very young, and have no Rank, yet. This, you have learned, and well, this one sees.
Veronica's tail waves very slightly. White fur elder higher than this one, put chin on nose. Male cub higher than this one, no tall tail or fight, this one show throat. Hurt elder higher than this one, put chin on back. Cub, cub, cub. Submit. Aware that she's rambling, the female cub finally stops, unsure how this explanation will be received.
Cries-No-More finds this all appropriate, and says so. Also, pleased to see you met Walks-in-Circles. He is an old cub, who failed his first Rite of Passage, but has finally returned to try again. He is also the son of this one, with a bitch we called Cinder, many winters ago.
Veronica's tail waves more, and her ears prick. Male cub older, higher because longer as cub? she asks, working out the dominance chain.
Cries-No-More indicates this is, essentially, the case. He is stronger, more experienced, ready to Rite very soon. Whenever other cubs try to be dominant, you should decide if you feel they are stronger than you, or if you feel you are stronger than them. Be submissive if you think you are not the stronger one. When two Garou of the same Rank both wish the other to be submissive, then there is usually a Challenge, a contest to prove who is the stronger, who is the weaker. Cubs, however, do not usually challenge each other in this way, though they may fight over dominance when there are disagreements. The wolf in our hearts makes us do this, and it works.
Veronica cringes when Cries-No-More speaks of fighting and challenging. This one not fight. Submit. Not strong. Small female. Talk-wolf, not fight-wolf. Her tail stops wagging and curls inward again. Not strong cub.
Cries-No-More finds something about this last response unsettling, and shakes himself. Do not remain submissive when you are stronger, and know more. We make our cubs strong. You will learn much in the moons to come.
Veronica swallows. Want to be good Wendigo, she ventures. Not submit if other cub weaker. She whines, then continues. Never fight when two-leg, always... She fails as she tries to find the right words to express her thoughts, and whines. Female. No fight. Not strong like male cub and white fur elder. Not big like hurt elder.
Cries-No-More merely indicates, not as strong as us, yes.
Veronica's ears swivel back. But talk good. Learn talk, scratch-talk. Be good talk-wolf. Be stronger. She's obviously having some conflict between believing the elder and her past experience.
Cries-No-More has no problem with more learning, and he shifts again, scratches two more glyphs, then returns to lupus. The next glyph is pawed, and he explains, the First of the Kill to the Highest in Station.
Veronica chuffs. Submit. Elder better wolf, need better things. Her conflict is eased as they go back to learning. Elder know how to use. This makes perfect sense to the cub, whose ears cup forward again. She returns to nosing the glyphs, though she watches Cries-No-More's reaction to this very carefully.
Cries-No-More includes mere food from kills, even dried, stored foods. Let Elders eat first. Now, the next Law: Do not Eat Human Flesh.
Veronica's fur twitches, and she makes a choking noise. Wrong! Bad! Her body language practically screams how disgusting the thought of eating a human is. She whines with confusion, then asks, wolves eat two-legs so much there is Law?
Cries-No-More rolls his shoulders, showing no disgust, nothing much at all in the way of a reaction. A very, very long time ago, it was not uncommon. But the meat is tained, now. Eating it leads to corruption. That is why there is a law. Remember, some of our race are born on four legs, like my son, and do not see things from the eyes of a two-leg like us. It is needed, the Law.
Veronica whines, leading into a growl, which fades quickly. Wrong. Two-leg eating wrong. She settles herself again, her fur still rippling from the offensive implications of the law. Bad. No eat two-leg.
Cries-No-More sees no reason to linger, and proceeds with more Glyphs, more listings. Respect Those Beneath You. All are of Gaia.
Beneath cub? Veronica quickly questions. Not big, not strong. Cub. Low. Lowest. Law for elders?
Cries-No-More indicates the entire lake, the forest beyond, the sky. All things. Every living thing. And, someday, you will be higher than others you meet. In time, you will have to remember this Law.
Veronica licks her chops, her tail slowly starting to wave as the shock of 'Don't Eat People' continues to wear off. Spirits, she says knowingly. Big animal horns bigger than wolf. Respectful, yes? Spirits higher or lower?
Cries-No-More indicates all spirits that do not serve the Horned Serpent should be respected as well, yes. Most two-legs do not remember them, or believe in them, much less respect and honor them in the old ways. We do, always.
Veronica chuffs happily at that. Will learn. Will respect spirits always. Good. She wags her tail more. Respect like elders. She cocks her head, waiting for the next nugget of wisdom.
(Cries-No-More then had to go, for work-related reasons. IC, he probably had some Sept business to get down to. :) )
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