Tapestries: Pablo - Sunday, February 11, 2007, 2:04 PM

When we last left our intrepid young Garou, they had just returned from their lengthy Rite of Passage in the realm of Pangaea, greeted by the Sept's Gatekeeper, Brother-of-the-Dawn, manning his post near the center of the Sept, when they realize suddenly that Bits is no longer with them. Large flakes of snow fall softly in the cold night, a marked difference from the steamy tropics they spent the past few weeks in.

Tony is glad for the cold air on his skin. The heat of that place was something he was really starting to hate. Persistant and sticky and depressing. He holds his hands towards the snow, grinning broadly as Brother of the Dawn greets everyone. But then he points out something Tony should have noticed immediately. "Bits...?" He twists around, looking at the other three. "Where the hell is Bits?"

Initially he's shocked with the cold, such a sudden polar opposite to what they were exposed to. Then he almost forgets about it. "What?! I know she was right behind me." Shay whirls around to look the way they had come, before starting to circle around. No foot prints. Which is a duh, but still... 

Yiska seems to be fairly overjoyed at being back home again, the wolf happily tromping through the snow and getting it all over his overly-warm body. He stops at once as the revelation of a missing Bits dawns on the pack and he too starts to look around for her, nose to the ground.

Hope, too, seems obviously concerned. She looks around, blinking, "I swear, she was right with us the whole time. She was /right here/ before we hit the caern." There's no sign, visual or olfactory, of the little Ragabash. Brother-of-the-Dawn grunts, standing up, brushing the snow off his shoulders, "She made it through Pangaea but not back here?" he asks, "She didn't step off the moon path, did she?" Regardless of the answer, he closes his eyes for a moment, then says: "The rest of Tanatka's Horns shall be here promptly, and Sneaks-in-Snow will find her trail."

Tony doesn't know what to make of this loss. It's so sudden and unexpected after such a journey. All those obstacles overcome, just to have Bits disappear for no apparent reason at the end? He assists in the brief search of the area, but like everyone else, can find no trail worth following. "This is nuts. She can't just have gone. Can you smell her at all?"

Shay begins to tug at his hair. "Okay, okay. There didn't seem to be any moon path to the trip back. *How* could she have gotten lost? And if so, is there any way to really get her back?"

Yiska shakes his head at Tony, 'No, I can't smell anything, no trace at all, she MUST have stepped off the path..' He huffs and turns about, padding towards the caern, 'We can't do anything about it right now..'

Hope, being the girl of action, refuses Yiska's conclusion, "Whaddya mean we can't do /anything/ right now? We can't just leave her lost out there somewhere. What about your trick with the rock and string?" She paces around in a circle, annoyed. It's only a few moments later when three more wolves arrive, full of excitement and concern, Night-Spirit, Long-Night-Talker and Sneaks-in-Snow. The albino metis more than deserves his name, as he's almost invisible against the snowy background. Night-Talker speaks first: 'You have returned! I knew you would!' He's quite heartened by this, 'But Dawn's-Brother says one is missing just now?' He does a quick scan of the group. 'The young Ragabash.' He turns to the metis new moon in his pack. 'Sneaks, can you find her trail?'

Tony has no idea what to do, even though he seems as anxious and annoyed as Hope. He walks around the area slowly, frowning and rubbing his palms together. The cold is refreshing, but after the heat and sweat, it has a way of eating into the skin and bone. He's going to have to get used to it again. "Bits is missing," he confirms for Night Talker then turns to the albino with a hopeful expression.

Shay steps to the side. There's nothing he feels he can really do here, and that sense of helplessness isn't frustrating, it's despairing. Wasn't the warning that they could be lost forever if they didn't stay on the path?

Yiska whines softly at Hope's words. He wants to find Bits just as much as everyone else, but he doubts he has the power to help.. his hopes rise a little as they're joined by the other wolves and he steps aside to watch or offer any assistance.

Sneaks-in-Snow nods, curtly. 'Yes, now we go, I can sense her trail.' And he lopes off into the snowy night, followed by Night-Talker and Night-Spirit, and the rest of you. The elders bring the group back into the Penumbra near the edge of the bawn, and continue quickly for another ten minutes at full speed, until you come across Bits, in homid form, talking to someone. Something is said, then the figure she is speaking to disappears.

Tony follows quickly with the rest of his pack, running along with the trust that Sneaks really can find her. And just when he's losing hope, there she is! Joy fills his chest, relief floating into his head with enough force to make him dizzy. But who is that person she's talking to? Another /vampire/, like the night at the club? "BITS!" he yells out.

Shay follows right behind the others. THough at the sight of Bits he pauses and looks to Night-Spirit. Something seems... off. Down right *wrong*, to his senses at least. Why would Bits just stop and chitchat? And moreover, why would whatever it was disappear upon seeing them? 

Yiska lopes along with the others, confusion setting in as he sees Bits with the stranger. How odd - it just doesn't match up, none of this seems right. He stays to the back however, not trusting this situation at all.

You whisper, "You can understand what the strange figure said. It was *You have to decide. We have visitors.* Then it disappeared." to Christin.

At the sound of Tony's voice, Bits looks surprised, and, then seeing the posse approach, her expression turns to embarrassment. She ducks her head and makes a little whine of a noise, "I'm sorry! I got ... waylayed ... " she says. "By a spirit." The elders move up to surround her, and Night-Spirit growls, 'I do not sense the Wyrm about her, or this place, but what manner of spirit was that, young new moon?' He seems relieved, but also skeptical. Bits looks likes she's about to pee her pants with the look she's getting from the sept's alpha. "I... I... can't say. I gave my word," she stammers. Perhaps surprisingly, this seems to satisfy the alpha. "Come back with us to the sept, then."

Tony is unimpressed with this. He dislikes secrets being kept from him, and especially by people he knows and trusts. But his relief is still stronger than his annoyance, and he gives Bits a bat at her shoulder. "You had us scared shitless," he chides, though he smiles faintly.

Shay shoots Bits a reassuring smile. But then the Theurge shares a rather pointed look to Night-Spirit; had he been in lupus, the cub would've folded his ears back.

Yiska pads up with the rest of his pack, though he doesn't offer a smile. This is something serious - not a time for childish games. He simply glares at Bits and doesn't say anything.

Bits most certainly is chided by the looks she gets and she whines again, her voice cracking. The other elders present seem to share the concern that you do over what has just happened. But Night-Spirit stands tall and confident, declaring: 'There is no danger here.' He looks over and gives a stern look at Bits, which makes the little Wendigo (oh yes, you have your tribes back now!) cower, then Night-Spirit resumes addressing the group. 'Just a young new moon who needs to make ... better decisions. Now is not the time for suspicion and distress. Now is a time for celebration, for five cubs, gone these many months, and by many thought lost, have returned to us, triumphant. Let us return to the caern and welcome these young ones, and so all may call them cliath!'

Tony figures he and the rest of the pack will talk to bits about it later. For now, he'll trust in Night Spirit that it's not the time to worry. "Celebration, huh?" he muses, never having had any fanfare from coming back from a trip before. There's something wrong with what he said, though. "Many months? Was it so long? Man, it seemed long, but still, it could have only been..." He looks to the pack for confirmation. "What, two weeks?"

"Roughly, yeah," says Shay. He glances back around. "So, back to the Caern then?" He asks. "This time hopefully we can all make it!"

Yiska bobs his head in agreement with Tony, 'It only seemed like a few weeks.. I wonder if time passes slower there?'

Shay declares, "First dibs on the bathroom!" Soap. Hot water. *Toilet paper.*

Night-Spirit says, 'Time can pass different in the Umbra than here. Which is one reason I still have hope for my sister.' He gives a friendly nose to Yiska, as if finally greeting the young Wendigo, a nudge to Bits and then he says in Shay's direction: 'If you wish to speak to me about something, we can, later, yes?' And with that, the group lopes off. Bits finds herself stuck in the middle, with everyone keeping a good eye on the slippery young ragabash, and a few minutes later, you all find yourselves there. And, it seems, word has spread quickly, because as you emerge in the clearing, you notice that almost all of the Garou of the sept have gathered to welcome you back. A howl of delight and joy echoes through the group. Shay gets a hug from Kelly, and likewise, Tony from Gabby, and Hope from Crystal. All the sept's Wendigo surround Yiska and Bits and indicate their pleasure at the two of their return. Many other Garou give congradulatory nudges or back slaps as the case may be. Night-Spirit howls loudly to quiet everyone down. 'The cubs have returned from their journey, and are cubs no longer. All the Garou of the Sept of Winter's Night, and all spirits and all Garou throughout the world, now call these five as cliath!' There's a long, loud, uniform howl in reply, and you all feel like you're standing a little taller, a little prouder than before.

Tony cannot keep the grin off his face, feeling both proud and embarrassed to have all these Garou out celebrating the return of the pack. He shares hugs and handshakes and calls of welcome. He wonders what he looks like, since he hasn't had a chance to see his reflection in a few weeks. He knows the others look roughed up but healthy, all in need of a bath, so probably he does, too. As Night Spirit announces their new places as cliaths, he ducks his head, cheeks flushed.

Shay is better trying to hide in the crowd. Sure, he enjoys praise, but it's so overwhelming. Being the center of enthusiastic attention is a little scary. Though at the new announcement of his rank, the cub shines. 

Yiska soaks up the praise, nudging back and wagging his tail, enjoying the moment of triumph and return. He grins wide at his other pack-mates, amazed to be back home and to be receiving such praise.

Bits, probably predictably given what's happened minutes before, is also ducking and being a bit bashful at the attention. Hope, however, is revelling it, feeling like she's just sunk a shot at the buzzer to win a game. She grins and looks full of pride and enthusiasm. Night-Spirit speaks once more, his attention focusing alternately on Tony and Yiska, 'We shall have to hear your story, at the next moot, but you must tell me, what did the Seer say about Wind-Cries?'

Tony glances at Yiska briefly, then turns to Night Spirit. "She said your sister still lives, and that to find her, you would have to search your homeland. The Seer said that she was seeking the Summer Country." He is fairly sure this will be good news for the alpha, and so he relays the news with a Merry-Christmas kind of smile. 

The alpha does seem pleased, though thoughtful, about this news. 'My homeland, indeed.' His tail moves back and forth after a moment, then says, 'It is good news for all, then.' There's another howl of delight that passes amongst the group of Garou, and more celebration and congratulations passed between them. After a short while, the party dies down and most of the Garou go back to what they were doing before, though an air of excitement lingers, along with a few stragglers. Kelly approaches your group, carrying a couple sacks of clothes, basically all of your things. She has a broad smile on her face, though her voice, as always, is a mere whisper. "I have your things that you could not bring with you." She looks between you and murmurs, "While you were gone, Blackbones reclaimed the house, or I would offer you  a hot meal to go with your clean clothes." This makes Gabby speak up, "Come over to our house, and you can all shower or something, and we'll get you some food, and, you know, some drink!"