Tapestries: Pablo - Wednesday, August 09, 2006, 4:51 PM

You've been given a room upstairs that's your own, for now. Like most of the rest of this house, it's plain, but clean and comfortable. Whisper is down the hall, with her son, whom you've not met, and the room right next to yours is Bits's, and Gabby is staying in there for a couple nights, to help get you comfortable. No one makes you get up early, but if you've not gone downstairs already, by mid-morning, there's the smell of breakfast cooking that comes wafting up the stairs.

Tony finds himself surprisingly tired when he sits on the single bed, staring across the room. He definitely feels somewhat naked without his bookbag. He hadn't realized how attached he was to it. Despite the questions that run through his mind like wild animals, he kicks his shoes off, unbuttons his shirt, sets it aside, and lays back on the bed. "It smells good here," he murmurs aloud to himself. For as long as he can stay awake, he listens to muffled voices downstairs and the sound of night time creatures outside. Was that a wolf howling...?

It's ten o'clock in the morning when he finally decides to venture outside the door after a good long sleep. He's worried about several things; his father, though sometimes a little nuts, still is a good dad and he loves him dearly, and the thought of his father thinking Tony in some kind of mortal trouble makes him sick.  Sighing, he starts to button his shirt back up as he plunks down the stairs, hair unkempt and looking like he could use coffee.

When you reach the downstairs, your nose leads you into the kitchen. Inside there, with bright smiles when they see you, are Whisper, Gabby and Bits. The older woman says, "Good morning, Anthony. Would you like some sausage and eggs?"

Bits gets up from her chair and spontaneously gives you a big hug, as Gabby chuckles. "Good to see you, Tony. Glad that you didn't freak out overnight."

Tony returns Bits' hug with a grin, then nods eagerly to Whispers. "Oh, yes, please. I'm starved. Can I help you with anything?" he asks, resting a hand on the youngest one's shoulder. Seems he has found a friend already in this place, though it feels to him like he'll be making more. "I had the strangest dream, too. I went to a rock concert, and everyone was a monster of some kind. But the music was still good."

Whisper laughs, "No, but I might take you up on that offer to help later. How do you like your eggs? And milk, or juice?" She puts a pile of sausage links on the table and the girls greedily dive in. Taking a bite, Gabby says, "Remind me to come here to eat more often," with a chuckle. Bits asks between bites: "What kind of monsters? Sometimes dreams are important!"

Tony nods and takes a seat at the table, digging in himself. "Just scrambled, please," he requests, and has himself some milk. "Oh, well, Godzilla was on bass, and I think it was Frankenstein's monster singing. Some big, er, werewolf on drumbs," he says with an amused smile, "and a vampire on the keyboard. It was all pretty jumbled and hazy." 

All three women laugh, and Whisper serves up some eggs for you, then takes a couple plates, excuses herself, and heads back up the stairs. Bits looks between you, and then asks Gabby, in a hushed tone, "Have you ever seen one of them? A vampire?" Gabby shakes her head, "No, but Sam has, told us about 'em. We haven't done much questing in the city, y'know?"

Tony finishes off his portion of the meal quickly, like a young man should, and begins wiping off his mouth and washing it all down with the rest of his milk. He sits back in his chair, looking curiously at Bits, then to Gabby for her reply. At which point he leans forward himself, holding a finger out. "Wait a sec. You mean vampires are real, too? Oh man. What about dragons and unicorns?"

That sets both girls into a little fit of giggling. "Well," Gabby explains, "There are dragon /spirits/ and unicorn /spirits/. I think that means they used to exist in the physical world, but don't any more. You might want to ask a Galliard, they tend to know history and that sort of thing. But I'd suspect that dragons are of the Wyrm, just like vampires are. Unicorn is actually the tribal totem of the Children of Gaia."

Tony just shakes his head, chuckling now. He runs his hands through his hair, giving it some type of order. "So I know a few tribes now. Bits is Wendigo, right? And me and you are Uktena. Athena was Black Fury. Alex was Children of Gaia, Sam was a Bone Gnawer she said, right? And Stands and Caitlin, they're Fianna." He tries to dredge up what auspice they all named, but can only recall, "And Alex was a Philodox like me. So how many tribes are there? What's the difference? Are there some books I can read on it all?"

Gabby seems impressed. Bits nods when you identify her tribe, but otherwise just listens for now. "That's right!" Gabby says, grinning once more. "Yeah, there are twelve tribes of Garou who form the Concordiat, I think is the right word, and fight for Mother Gaia. Um, originally, each was from a different area of the world, you know? But it's all mixed up these days, just like the humans, we're all over the place. Our two tribes," she indicates herself and you, and then Bits, "We're the Native tribes to America. From all the way back when it was the Pure Lands, before the Wyrmcomer -- the European Garou came. We call the Wendigo 'Younger Brother.'" Then Bits pipes up, "And we call the Uktena 'Older Brother!'"

Anthony nods thoughtfully. "Strange. So there were werewolves here, and werewolves in Europe, that didn't know about each other until the Europeans actually came here? So that would mean that werewolves were around... Gosh, tens of thousands of years ago when the Asiatic people crossed over the Bering, right? No wonder the legends are so pervasive." He stands up, stretching out, and walks to the kitchen windows. "Hey, Bits. You've been here a few weeks, right? Have you done that..." At a loss for what to call it, he just gestures vaguely at Gabby. "That hairy dance thing, with the claws and stuff?"

Bits looks at you like you've lost your mind. "Hairy dance thing wha?"

Tony gestures again, chuckling. "Going all wolfy," he elaborates. "Being a werewolf."

Bits ooohs and nods. "Yeah, yeah. Like, the second day I was here." She grins with a mischevious smile, "Why? Ya itchin' to try it?"

He shakes his head, retaking his seat at the table. "No, not really. I was just wondering. It still seems like an impossible thing. But Gabby here showed me, and Stands made me shit my drawers," he says, smirking. "Anyway. Yeah, are there some books or tombs or something I can read?" he asks his cousin.

Bits erupts in giggle fits at the thought of you being that scared. Gabby says, "No, um, we do most stuff orally, not writing down, but..." she glances to Bits, "Does Whisper let you take notes still?" Bits nods, still giggling and Gabby turns back to you, saying: "You can take notes to study, but they're not allowed to leave the house here. You'll have to ask your auspice mentor what they think." Then she brightens, "Oh! Books, that reminds me." And she reaches behind her on the floor and pulls up your bookbag. Before she hands it over, though, she looks at you, earnestly. "Promise me you won't just take off, because that would be Very Bad. For both of us."

Tony brightens up considerably as his bag is produced. "Oh, sweet! I thought you guys left it on my doorstep." He reaches for the bag, then shakes his head at Gabby. "I won't take off. Athena already promised to wool me if I tried. Anyway, you guys have my full attention now. I promise, I won't run." He sounds sincere, keeping his eyes on hers so she knows he means it.

Gabby looks relieved, and Bits grins a bit, "I'm glad," she says, as your cousin hands you the backpack. "I think," Gabby considers, "That what we should start with, before we get into anything else is the Litany. The Litany are the rules. Kinda like the Ten Commandments, you know, for Garou. But they're very serious. Very important. Especially since you're a Philodox."

He opens his bookbag up and sets it on the table in front of Bits. "Check 'em out," he says, grinning. "I have a feeling these books will be on extended leave from the library." There's the first six books in the Harry Potter series, a book on Astronomy, another on Anatomy, and two books on European history. Also a few CDs of MP3s, too, along with the player itself and headphones. When Gabby speaks again, he gives her all his attention, seeming keen to learn this, given the way he sits up straighter and nods. "The Litany. Okay, go for it. Waitasec, though," he says, interrupting before she starts. "First tell me what Philodox implies? I mean, given how you said it was pretty important regarding my place here and all."

Gabby mentions, in kind of an off-handed sort of way, "You might want to keep that stuff here, 'cause some folks aren't crazy about technological things, especially close to the caern." A small smile before she continues, "Of course, another Philodox will be able to explain it better, but, um, a half-moon is kind of like a mediator, a lawyer, a judge, that sort of thing. It's the half-moon's job to, enforce the rules, and resolve disputes." She looks at you, "Does that make sense?"

Anthony considers the explanation, then nods. "Well, sure, it makes sense. But I don't see how I could take that kind of role among strangers. I don't feel much like a judge or anything," he says with a roll of his shoulders. "I guess it's something I'll learn as I go. Uhm, okay, go ahead with the Litany."

She nods, "It's not something you'll be expected to do until after your Rite of Passage, you know, and then probably only in your pack, to start." Gabby smiles, reassuringly, and then Bits sits up a little straighter as Gabby starts to recite the Litany. "First: Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou. That means pretty much what it says. We're not allowed to have sex with each other, because if we do, the kids, well, they're deformed. Those are called metis."

Leaning back in his seat, he listens actively, nodding. "No sex with other Garou. Okay. So, no massive wolf-beast sex? Easy enough to remember." He smiles a little, wondering inwardly if that's actually going to be a problem. What if he finds someone he really likes? How hard are these rules enforced? "Go on."
Bits grins a little bit at the way you put it. Gabby, on the other hand, just nods in response. She considers elaborating, but instead just moves on. "Second: Combat the Wyrm Wherever It Dwells and Whenever It Breeds. When it boils down to it, that's what we are, warriors for Gaia, fighting evil." She grins, "It's nice, being the good guys, at least."

Anthony nods again, though once more keeps his thoughts to himself. He imagines the Wyrm, whatever it is, considers itself to be the good guys, too. Maybe not, but probably. It's something he'll have to see for himself. "Combat the Wyrm. Got it."

Again, Gabby nods. Even with her easygoing demeanor, it's obvious she takes this part, at least, pretty seriously. "Respect the Territory of Another. Basically, that means you should introduce yourself... besides the way you already know how, we'll teach you the Howl of Introduction later."

"Respect the Territory of Another. Okay, simple enough. Basic courtesy," he says. These rules are pretty basic so far, but he imagines there are intricacies to learn. Especially about the Wyrm. From the way he's heard it so far, this Wyrm stuff sounds like it'll need a lot more explaining. "Rule four?"

Your cousin nods. There are many intricacies, but she's not really the one who could go through them with you anyway. "Accept an Honorable Surrender. This usually means in disputes between Garou. Nothing about the Wyrm is honorable. But we can get pretty ... violent ... and, you know, stubborn, too. So, it should be okay to surrender without losing reputation, you know? Next is Submission to Those of Higher Station. We're a lot like wolves, in that we've always got an alpha, and always got an omega, so you should basically do what your elders tell you."

Anthony interjects, "Easy enough, I know where the Alpha and omega go, but how do I know who's above who?" He likes the idea of honorable surrendering, but is somewhat put off by the idea of these people getting violent. After seeing that huge hulking form, he can't imagine a dispute between two of them ending in anything other than one of the two having a nice wolf-meat dinner.

Gabby nods, "That's a reasonable question. Well, first, we have the ranks: cub, cliath, fostern, adren, athro and elder. That's from lowest to highest. But within your ranks, well, it can be a little flexible, but it's surprisingly easy to tell, um, especially in the wolf forms. It's kind of almost instinctive." She thinks for a moment, "Next is The First Share of the Kill for the Greatest in Station." She scratches her head, "That's one of those things that comes from the wolf side, a lot. But, generally, those who are your elders, your superiors, get the choice of fetishes and talens."

Anthony nods again. "Simple enough, too. These are easy to remember so far." He stands up again, going to refill his glass with water from the tap. "And you're a cliath, right? Me and Bits are cubs. I think Whispers said she was adren."

Once again Gabby nods, and grins, "You've got such a great memory. I'm impressed. Okay, next is usually pretty easy. Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans." Both Gabby and Bits make disgusted faces, and Gabby continues: "Respect Those Beneath Ye -- All Are of Gaia. Again, that pretty much means treat those who are below you in station decently. Next, The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted. The Veil means that humans can't know that we exist. For their safety, and for our own. There aren't many of us, and even though we are powerful, if they turned against us... well, that would be very bad."

Anthony raises his eyebrows in real surprise at that one. "I'm surprised they need to make that distinction." He shares the look of disgust, then nods for her to continue. "The Veil, ah. That's what he meant. Alright. I imagine that one can get tricky to enforce," he muses. "But I can understand it. People and fears and all that."

Gabby leans forward, then, and follows with the some more of the Litany. "Do Not Suffer Thy People to Tend Thy Sickness. It takes a heck of a lot to hurt us, we heal from most wounds really quickly. But, if, for some reason, you can't heal from an injury. Well..." she looks sad, "I mean, that doesn't happen too often. But, we don't usually die of old age, either. I don't want to be grim, just, you know, realisitc. We're fighting a war." She sighs, but then continues: "The Leader May Be Challenged at Any Time During Peace and The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime. This is really kind of simple sense, you know, in the middle of a fight is not the time to question the alpha's tactics. That can get you killed." For some reason, she gives a look to Bits after that. Bits just grins and grins.

Anthony frowns at Gabby, looking equally sad. "From honorable to realistic in a flash. Interesting. I guess you guys don't subscribe to no man left behind, huh?" Obviously this particular rule nettles him and for good reason. It goes against what he believes. "Simple enough on the second one, except when it comes down to what's considered peace and wartime, right? You just said we're pretty much always at war." This young man keeps up with modern politics as well as historical ones, it seems.

Gabby brushes her hair from her face. "Yeah. Well, see, now you know why we need you half-moon types. It seems simple enough on the surface, but the rules aren't always easy to figure out. Anyway, last one, and probably the most important: Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to Be Violated. Like we said before, the caern's a sacred spot. They can't be lost. Can not."

Anthony nods again. Part of him is kind of excited at the prospect of being in the middle of such a debate. It's the sort of thing that makes him think logically and ethically. "Well, that one is a little more vague. What kind of action is considered violating to the Caern?"

Gabby ummms. She'd apparently never given that a whole lot of thought. "Anything that leads to a caern being lost to the Wyrm, or destroyed, I guess. You know, letting the bad guys know where we are. Or letting them sneak past you, if you're a Guardian. Or betraying the sept." She gives a shiver at the very thought.

Anthony gives a little humming noise. "Well, I'm sure it's one of those 'if you have to ask, the answer is don't do it' things," he surmises. "Well. That's all ten, right? I think I have them down, at least the simple parts. Where do we go from here? Oh, and is there any way we can contact my dad, let him know I'm okay?"

Gabby nods, slowly, as if parsing what you said. Then she smiles. "Sure, um, as long as you don't break the Veil, we can send a letter or something. As for next," she bites her lip, and apologizes: "You'll have to forgive me, you're the first cub I ever taught," she smiles, a little nervously. "But I guess we can talk tribal stuff." Bits pouts, "Does that mean I gotta go?" Gabby nods, "Sorry, kid. Later, okay?" Bits is all smiles again a moment later, "All right. See ya later, Tony!" she says as she stands, and makes for the back door.

Tony waves to Bits. "I'll see you later! We can play fetch or something," he says with a snicker. Once Bits is gone and the door is closed, he turns to face Gabby. "Before we get into tribal stuff, actually, I want to know how you knew to come for me. How did you know I was a werewolf? Hell, how do we know even now? I don't feel... different, I've never felt wolfy or felt like howling at the moon or anything growing up."

Once more, Gabby nods, "That's a reasonable question. Two actually." But before she answers, she looks at you, "Never had any dreams, running through the woods dreams? A lot of us do. I did." She shrugs, "Anyway, the way I knew is that, when you were very little, they performed a ritual on you, called the Baptism of Fire. What it does is get a little Uktena spirit to watch over you, and when you're ready for your Change, to find a Garou and let them know." She grins lopsidedly, "It found me. Probably because I'm the only Uktena this side of Chicago, as far as I know. And, the second question ... well, Alex can tell. He's got a gift that Philodox can learn that can tell if someone's a Garou or human, or what."

Tony looks up briefly, as if he could see the spirit. "So... wait. So, my mother knew? Knew what I would be? Was she a werewolf?" The idea of family history isn't one he ever thought much about. A strange pain in his chest makes him both eager and reluctant to ask. Does he really want to know? Know what could have been?

She ums again, and her face twists around, worrying on the answer. "I... I don't know, Tony, I mean, I was there. But I was only six years old, so no one told me anything. And my folks, and our grandparents ... they're all gone now."

He lowers his head with disappointment. "I see." He stares at the tabletop quietly, fingering at the ring about his neck with a frown. "Do I... or we, have any other relatives? Any other cousins or uncles or aunts or anything?"

Once more, Gabby shakes her head, "Not close. There are some distant relatives in Mexico. That's where I went to get my tribal training." She runs her hand through her hair. "We could go there, I guess, after your Rite. If you wanted."
Tony gives a snorting chuckle. "Mexico. Nice. Distant AND distant." He waves a hand, taking a breath. "Forget about it. Let's talk about something else. You mentioned a little spirit told you I was ready to change. Like... when?"

Gabby looks sympathetic at you, reaching her hands out, to the middle of the table. She doesn't get closer, though, not wanting to press on you. "When did it tell me, or when would you change?" She waves her hand, before you respond. "I'll answer both. It was just a couple days ago it found me. We set out as soon as we could. And it just means your change is near. Sometimes kinfetches, that's what they're called, sometimes they show up before, sometimes they come too late, sometimes they get distracted or lost." You can tell by the change in her demeanor that you've broached a subject she's much better at, and she leans forward, conspiratorially, saying, "They're not terribly bright little things. But they're also inconspicuous, so they won't attract the wrong kind of attention to a cub before his Change." She leans back, then, "But we can try, whenever you're ready."

Anthony leans back, pushing the budding emotions back down where they came from and moving on to new ones. "I see. Huh. I wonder if I ever saw it, or had any hint about it being there but never figured it out." Scratching briefly at the start of pubescent stuble on his chin, he considers the option. "Well... I don't know. I mean, no offense to you or anything, but I don't really... want to be a werewolf. Physically, I mean. I can't imagine being something different."

Gabby holds up her hand. "No offense taken, Tony. Don't worry." She smiles sympathetically, then looks up, behind you, as the kitchen door swings open, and Whisper returns. Apparently, she could hear you talking, because she responds, in her typical hushed voice: "It's not a choice you have, Anthony. Gaia has chosen you, for Her own reasons. And, if you don't learn to control the Rage that fuels your change, then it will control you. And that's the path to the Wyrm." She smiles, with just the smallest smile on her weary face. "And, yes, I am aware I sound like Yoda, if that is what you are thinking." The smile flits away, and in a more serious tone, she says, "Gabrielle has spoken to you of the Litany, yes? If so, I'd like you to meet my son."

Tony can't help but return the smile. A small amount of humour goes a long way in gaining his liking. "I wasn't thinking any such thing," he retorts with amusement. Getting to his feet, he considers briefly taking his pack, but figures no one here is going to take it. "Your son? Well, sure, I'd love to," he responds with a nod of his head. "Gabby told me the Litany, yes. It's pretty interesting stuff."

Gabby remains seated. Whisper turns around and speaks softly into the front room. "Peter, dear, come in here and introduce yourself." What appears through the door, its head bowed, its movements slow is probably /not/ what you expected. It's a werewolf, certainly, in what Gabby had called the 'war-form', though smaller than the others you'd seen, only about six feet in height, but what immediately draws your attention is the large, curved horn that juts out of the middle of his forehead. ~G... greetings,~ the creature says, in that gutteral growl that must be the Garou language. ~I am Peter Climbs-Oaks, ahroun cub of the Children of Gaia. It is a p... pleasure to meet you.~ Whisper turns back to you, speaking, her voice even, "Now you know my greatest joy, and my deep shame. I show you so none can accuse me of hiding it." There's just a fleeting hint of bitterness in her eyes, and the way she speaks makes it clear she's been burned before by just such an accusation.

Anthony turns to face the new person, fully expecting to see another human. Well, another werewolf. But certainly not this. The expression on his face does not turn to disgust or revolt as it might on Garou who know what such a deformity implies. Rather, he simply looks surprised, his heavy eyebrows lifting high. "Well, hey," he greets back, his smile returning after a moment. "I'm Anthony, philodox cub of Uktena," he replies, offering his hand out to this somewhat short looking wolf creature. He gives Whispers a briefly confused look, then goes 'oh'. And then again once the second level of understanding hits. "Oh! Right. Hey, I'm not one to pass judgement." He pauses again, looking at Gabby in alarm, recalling his 'role'. "Or am I? Shit. Uhm. Hell, I don't know. It's nice to meet you, in any case, Peter."

Peter ducks his head at the introduction. ~It is ... nice to meet you as well.~ His mother steps forward, then, and rests her hand on your shoulder. "It is not my place," she says, her words slow and carefully chosen, "to teach you either the ways of your auspice, or the ways of your tribe. But it is my opinion that the sins of the mother should not be visited upon the innocent child, who did not make the choice that led to his conception." Peter does not wince at any of these words, likely, he's heard it many times. Whisper continues, "Besides auspice and tribe, there is another way the differences among Garou can be shown: by one's breed. Most Garou these days are like you, and Gabrielle, and myself, homid: born of human parents. Then there are those like Peter: the cursed metis, those born of the forbidden union of two Garou, and finally, the rarest, those born of wolves, the lupus, like Gabrielle's alpha Stands-Firm-Against-the-Wyrm."

Anthony is a little unsure how to respond. Well, no, he's a LOT unsure. This is obviously touchy ground for these people. This must be akin to incest or some similar act. Waiting until Whispers has finished talking, the young man nods again, trying to catch Peter's eyes with his own. "Cursed? Hell, it's a horn. This one girl I went to school with had two tongues, I shit you not." Again he offers his hand to Peter, feeling inwardly rather proud of himself as he finds he actually cares rather little about the fact that this guy is a six foot wolf with a horn.

There is the smallest hint of a smile on Whisper's face. And the boy -- when you catch his eyes, you can see, despite his size and strength, there's just a little kid inside that body -- he reaches out and takes your hand in his paw and shakes it, a bit clumsily. He does attempt to explain, though, perhaps excuse the behavior or attitude of his race. ~Deformity... can be a s... sign of the Wyrm,~ he says, his vocalizations almost as soft as his mother's. You get this distinct feeling that he's deferring to you, acknowledging you as higher in station than he. Is it how he moves his ears, his body? You don't know, but you sure get that feeling.

Gabby's reaction, well, that's harder to tell. She's behind you, and not making any noise.

Tony shakes the big paw, marvelling over the feel of it in his hand. Shaking a paw. Certainly feels different than getting a handshake from the neighbor's dog. "Ooh, can it?" he asks curiously. "Well, I don't know much about the Wyrm yet," he admits as he lets go of Peter's hand. He quirks his jaw as he realizes what this guy is doing, giving him some kind of... how would he word it? Respect, or fear, or deferrence? "How old are you?" he asks then.

Whisper sits down as you speak with her son, next to Gabby. There are a few murmured words between them, but they otherwise let you talk to the boy by yourself. He answers your question simply, and straightforwardly. ~Six years,~ he rumbles. Whisper speaks up, then, as much as she ever speaks 'up': "Metis age faster than humans. But he is most likely four or six years away from his Change."

Again Tony is surprised. He hadn't realized he was quite so young. "My, your mother must be feeding you right," he says with a broad grin. "Definitely giving you the stuff that'll put hair your chest, as my dad says," he chuckles. "Well, Peter, it's nice to meet you, like I said. Gabby here was offering to help me try my own first change thing," he says, suddenly feeling emboldened to try after all.

Peter's tail wags, ever so slightly, kind of doggishly, really. ~May Luna watch over you,~ he says, apparently a wish of good luck. He looks over your head, towards his mother, who wordlessly communicates with him. He looks back to you. ~It was nice to meet ... meet you, too. Thank you.~ And with that, the horned wolf-child tromps back into the front room. "Thank you for being nice to my son," Whisper says, standing, "I will see you later, and we can speak more of what it means to be Garou."

Anthony nods to Whisper, giving a little bow of his head in a gesture of deferrence that he isn't even consciously aware of. "Sounds good to me," he murmurs, watching her leave. "That's cool. Well, I mean... not cool, cause he's deformed, but... I don't know," he blathers to his cousin. "It didn't seem so bad. I mean, you guys look like that when you want anyway, right?"

Gabby leans back and considers this, "Well. Some are worse than others. It's kind of freaky, though, especially when you're used to seeing normal Garou, to have one with a horn sticking out of his head. And, the bad guys, like he said, are often deformed. They're sterile, too, I dunno if I mentioned that or not. There are just so many reasons to avoid having them ... " She shakes her head. "But, personally, I try not to prejudge. It's hard. But, you know, if a mule is useful, then, you know, I'll treat 'em decent. Even if they're beneath you -- all are of Gaia. That's what the Litany says. Not everyone feels the same way, though."