Tapestries: Pablo - Saturday, September 16, 2006, 10:51 PM

Tonight, you have been told, is a fairly important night. Tonight the Sept will be holding a moot, which is a monthy ceremony where all of the Garou of the sept gather at the caern's heart to renew themselves, and renew the caern itself in an important ritual. For the most part, you're expected to attend, but not interrupt the ceremony.

The gathering is held, perhaps sensibly enough, at the Assembly area. It's a natural amphitheatre, carved out of the earth by retreating glaciers eons ago. Every single one of the 34 Garou of the sept have gathered here, and while you have met most of them before, it's quite another thing to see all of them together at once, when you realize that this mish-mosh collection of people and wolves are really some sort of elite fighting force.

Most of the Garou gathered here hang in loose groups, with the rest of their packs, though it seems that the packless (Cursor, Crystal and Kelly) have found their way to settle near the group of six cubs on the edge of the Assembly area. Stepping to the center once most everyone is present is the Wendigo Galliard Mary Night-Talker. She shifts up into the Crinos form, and calls out: ~Let all Garou gathered join in the howl to open the moot!~ She arches her neck and begins to howl out, quickly joined by the rest of the werewolves, echoing in a eerie chorus. Before she joins them, Kelly Whisper indicates the cubs are to join in as well.

Shay pauses a moment. That is just so weird. Weird and haunting and yet so ... right? Regardless, he stretches, takes a deep breath, and gives it an effort. While still in human form, at least. He howls, the sound a little high and uneven, as he gives it a testing try. 

Anthony feels the same as Shay in this respect. He feels so awkward letting loose a howl into the night. Still, he certainly isn't going to be left out. And once he tilts his head up and joins his voice into the chorus, he can't help but feel exhilarated, even as his head throbs with the vibrations in the air.
As the howl dies down, the Garou gathered seem to have focused their attention fully on the center of the caern, a certain energy in the air, more so than usual. There's an excitement. Something big, something important is happening. Stepping from the sidelines, near his pack, is the rat-tailed metis new moon Get of Fenris called Fink. Night-Talker glances at him, nods, and then speaks, calling out the Litany. As each rule is spoken, Fink attempts to refute them, usually by questioning the bravery or wisdom of those who would follow such silly rules. He is roundly sounded down by the rest of the sept, even his own pack, though, after the last law, and the Ragabash slinks back to his pack, they all slap him on the back and murmur about doing a good job.

Night-Talker, as well, steps back, as this portion of the moot ends. She joins her pack with a large, exhilarated grin on her muzzle. As she leaves, the sept alpha, Night-Spirit, steps forward. ~There are many among you,~ he speaks, the tone and timbre of his voice, immediately demanding attention, ~who have spent their entire time at the Winter Night with no one but myself or Whispers-with-Spirits opening the Inner Sky. It is time, we have decided, for another, younger paw, to speak with the spirits of our caern. As you all know, without this ritual, a caern will die.~ His large head turns to a group at the opposite side of the caern, none of which you have met, though each and every one of them carry themselves as if they were royalty, and you find yourselves quite inclined to believe it. ~Watches-Shadows,~ Night-Spirit says, ~Come forward and perform the Rite.~ A bit nervously, a slight woman steps forward, sliding up to reveal herself as a striking silvery-furred crinos. She moves to the center and
She moves to the center and, with a grumble of a cleared throat, begins to speak.

Tremulous at first, the young Garou's voice begins to call out to the totems of the sept's packs, first: ~Mighty Bison, hear our call! Crafy Hrafn, hear our call! Noble Falcon, hear our call! Strong Bull, hear our call! Wise Stag, hear our call! We, your children, the Garou of Winter Night, beseech you to lend us your aid! Guide your children in their fight!~ As she speaks the name of each spirit, a ghostly apparition appears around her ... Bison, Bull and Stag stomping and raring to fight, Falcon and Hrafn (the Raven) circling around her head, calling out their war calls. ~And, mighty wise and ancient Mammoth, defender and guardian of the Winter Night since the days of the Great Ice...~ a loud noise, a trumpeting can be heard at his name, as the other spirits fade and Mammoth himself appears, the giant hairy elephant spirit's trunk up, his head tossing, his long tusks swinging back and forth, ~we beseech you to continue to grant us your wisdom of the ages and your strength against the Wyrm.~ You swear
You swear that, just for a moment, Mammoth is looking right at all of you.

Shay is rather amazed. It's impressive that the totems can materialize. At least, partially. Since Chickadee could only give him a general impression from the Umbra. It'd be interesting to see what the Totems looked like in the Umbra. And yet, he's also left wondering what his pack's totem would be. And how the packs get said totem.

Anthony's jaw is slack, his expression as blank and utterly shocked as he's ever been in his life. These are spirits, the real spirits, right there. He's looking at them, he can hear them and feel their presence. Like seeing drawings in a book come to life, even the sight of his friends turning into wolf-beasts cannot compare to this. Not anywhere close to seeing a Mammoth. THE Mammoth. It should be dead and gone... it IS. But there he is. Words fail him.

The excitement, the energy has only grown at this stage and you can each feel refreshed, reconnected, energized, as if Gaia Herself had touched you. Obviously pleased by the results of her first attempt at this Rite, Watches-Shadows ducks her head when she has finished and steps back to join her packmates. Next to the center is the large form of Crystal Shakes-The-Earth, her massive crinos form doing much as her deed name would suggest. She carries with her the femur of some animal, a deer perhaps, or cow, and stalks to the middle of the open space. ~Now,~ she growls, ~is the Cracking of the Bone,~ and she splits the femur in two, holding each half in one hand. ~Who amongst you has business to bring before the sept?~ Though it's your first moot, you can probably tell that the amount of business conducted is not very much. There are a couple questions, some minor disputes. Crystal hands half of the bone to each Garou who wishes to speak, one at a time, and only who has the bone is allowed to speak. Thes
These matters are quickly resolved, and when none others have spoken, the sept alpha indicates he has something to say. Night-Spirit takes the bone-half and says, in a firm voice: ~I have had another vision.~

Any stray voices stop, all attention focused on the alpha. ~You all have, of course, noticed that the sept has been gifted with an unprecedented number of new cubs ... a number not seen in many years at one time. My visions lead me to believe that this is not without purpose. These five cubs,~ and here, with the bone, he indicated Bits, Shay, Tony, Yiska and Hope, ~shall journey, together, on their Rite of Passage, as a pack. They will journey to Pangaea,~ and here the gathered werewolves break into murmurs of shock and surprise, and Night-Spirit has to speak a bit louder. ~Yes, to Pangaea, and seek the ancient Sage of that Realm, bring her chiminage, and ask a question.~ The sept has erupted in voices now, and you can hear such things as ~Cubs to Pangaea?!~ and ~What sort of question?~ and, least encouragingly, ~They'll never make it! Why would we throw five cubs away?!~

Anthony sits up straighter when the bone is pointed at him and the others. He turns his head to share looks of surprise with his friends. "Pangaea? The super-continent?" he voices in confusion. "That makes no sense," he murmurs to himself.

It all seems Greek to Shay. While it's clear that the sept is very alarmed over this, he's not going to worry about it. At least, not yet. Night-Spirit is either going to answer all the questions, or he's going to be one of those cryptic guys who won't say much. Though, that seems a little harsh for a rite of passage - going on a far trip somewhere dangerous.

Earth-Shaker tries, at first, to quiet the crowd with words, but when that doesn't work, she turns it up a notch and ROARS. That seems to get everyone's attention. Angrily, she growls: ~Night-Spirit holds the bone. No other shall speak!~ The alpha dips his head in thanks, and now that everyone else has shut up, he speaks. ~I am well aware of the danger this may pose. But the visions tell me this is the path. We will do everything in our power to make sure the trip is a test, yet not overwhelming to the cubs. As for the question to be asked ... that I do not know. Perhaps future visions will show me. Perhaps future events will show us all.~

With that, Night-Spirit hands the bone back to Crystal and returns to his place with his pack. There are a few more murmurs, but a glare from Crystal quiets them. She asks if there is anything other business to conduct, but there seems to be none. She then declares the cracking of the bone to be over, and she moves out of the center. The next to speak is one of the Guardians, an adren Get of Fenris Galliard named Edwin Shares-the-Glory. He tells the rousing tale of a long ago Garou hero's great battle and victory over a mighty draconian servant of the Wyrm, which is greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm by the crowd. Once the tale is over, he then directs his attention towards the cubs, and to the Stag's Burning Hooves pack, speaking to all. ~I believe that the young Wendigo Tale-Singer has some glory to share of his own, a tale of a few nights past, rather than one of a few millenia.~

Yiska comes forward from where he's been perched near Bits, a bit nervous from the prying eyes of the great number of Garou, so many wearing the human form. He eloquently howls out his story, the sound a thing of beauty to the ears: 'Six minus one rode in the weaver-beast. / Four cubs brought along to watch and learn. / Quiet rides breed nervous jitters and the cubs were told to settle afar. / Watching from the trees our eyes saw fire, the rape of nature brought forth from shadow./ The great Umbra birthed fury in the form of Stag's Burning Hooves. / Vengence was had and blood returned to the earth. / Victory was delayed as one cub strayed, another joined and followed. / Caught was she and enraged was he, the vampire's death soon followed. / Blood and gore, the shock of battle - a haze of red lifted to find friends. / A quick cleansing and return - to the weaver-van as the human-noise blared. / Six minus one and 4 cubs return home. / Triumphant and scared.'

Shay is not certain how to respond to Yiska's tale. He saw it, and yet it sounds way more impressive in poetic script. However, is he supposed to clap? Or howl? Or what? He's used to melting into the background and finding a way to mimic those around him until he has to do something individually.  

Tony watches Yiska steps forward and tells the story he was there to see. It's strange to hear events retold in song, even stranger to realize he was one of the four being spoken. The cub finds himself smiling broadly and with great pride for Yiska. He really tore that Vamp a new one. And he sings so beautifully, too. "Woo!" he shouts aloud when the cub finishes singing, hands pumped into the air.

There are a couple Garou who give Tony a strange look, but most of the other cubs and the pack which brought them to the fight in question are quite pleased with the story. There are howls and cries of approval at the cub's tale and the victory it represents. As that dies down, Stands-Firm takes center stage. Her chest puffed, her bearing proud from the tale about her pack's bravery, she howls out: ~I am Wyrm Foe for tonight. Revelers, follow me!~ Kelly approaches the cubs, however, and says, softly: "This part is not for you. However, Mammoth would like to speak to you in the Umbra, while the others revel."

No revelry? Aw. Here he was wondering what would constitute revelry among the Garou. However, Shay's all ready shuffling up to his feet, glancing around for a mirror. 

Kelly seems to understand what Shay's doing, and she notes, "Any reflection will do, Shay. Or you could just walk to the heart of the caern, where there is no Gauntlet."

Tony stands as well, watching the other Garou move off with a hint of jealousy. He'd like to see what the others do to revel amongst themselves. Crinos football? No... No, Crinos would definitely be more Rugby. "No gauntlet?" he asks in surprise. "Well, that'd definitely be easier. But what does Mammoth want with us?"

That question just makes Kelly smile. "You'll have to ask him. If you'll excuse me," she murmurs, "I have bad guys to kill." An odd thing for such a quiet voice and warm person to say, perhaps, but she is Garou too. Hope and Bits follow the two male homids' lead. Bits being her usual stealthy self, and Hope being quietly overwhelmed. Yiska's coming too, his often sulking demeanor replaced by a bit of pride at the praise from his song.

Shay leads the way straight into the heart of the Caern. Kelly said that the gauntlet was not there, so it has to work like a mirror, right? He steps into where he thinks is good enough, and tries to focus. Hard. He pictures the Umbra as a bubble, easily walked through, and he pushes against it, forcing his way. 
Tony stands by Shay, looking around the big bowl that the gathering place makes. This is around where Mammoth appeared, he thinks. Closing his eyes, he pictures himself stepping through a glass wall, into a mirror, through to the other side of this place.

It's even easier than you thought it would be. You think about it and *pop*, there you are, standing in the Umbral reflection of the caern. Though, at first, it's hard to tell, since the place is almost identical. Luna's light is quite bright, though, brighter perhaps than in the Realm. Tiny spirits flit all over the place, some identifiable as reflections of animals, others less concrete in shape. Then, in the middle of it all, is Mammoth. Seemingly more real than real can be, he's a good twelve feet high at the shoulders, is covered in long, brown fur, and has long, curved tusks that any African elephant bull would envy. Hope just stands there, slack jawed, and little Bits says: "Wow!". Mammoth's trunk reaches out and touches each of you, before his strong, proud voice echoes in your head. *Welcome, my children. I am pleased to meet you at last. It is always good to see the next generation of Gaia's warriors emerge.*

His trunk continues to check each of you out, one at a time, *It is good that all of you have come, together. These are dark times, darker than I have ever seen. This place, this sacred spot, is where many of Gaia's memories have been gathered. And it is very important that you not forget the lessons of the past, as they shape yourselves, your allies and your enemies, and it is this knowledge that will guide you to understand the present, and anticipate the future.*

At first, Shay isn't sure how to react. Then he smiles, and does his best bow. It's a little silly, even for him, but it seems that's the best gesture to show acknowledgement and respect that he can - a salute just doesn't cover it. Then his tone is solemn. "We will do what we can, Mammoth." 

Tony stares up at Mammoth, feeling dwarfed, but not insignificant. It's an amazing thing to stand before a creature this large and not feel any real fear other than intense respect. His hand lifts, then stops, as the trunk touches him. Are you allowed to touch Mammoth himself? Nodding after Shay's words. "Were you around during the Ice age?" he asks in a rather childishly curious manner, like a kid asking how old Grandma is. But just the same, he is as genuinely curious as that kid.

Mammoth's trunk imitates the movement of Anthony's hand, and then lays out, welcoming the touch. He answers Shay first, though, *I am sure you will. And I am always here, to help however I can. From a simple question, to help finding an answer that has been forgotten, please come to me.* Without moving his head, he answers Anthony, too. *I have been since before there were Garou or humans in this land. I have seen the Great Ice move across this land many times. I have guarded this sacred spot since the First Ones called me here, soon after the last Great Ice left.*

Shay merely lowers his head in acknowledgement, before looking out over the Caern again. Then he glances back to Mammoth. "Not to step on Night-Spirit's toes or anything, but, what's the significance of Pangaea? Why is the sept up in arms about the cubs journeying there?" 

Tony feels the thick fur and unmeasureably strong muscles hidden below it of the trunk. Utterly amazing. He smiles back at Mammoth, feeling like he could stay right here for days and just listen to his ageless wisdom. "Yes, what is Pangaea? I only know it was the huge continent that all the land mass on earth used to make."

Mammoth answers both questions at once. *Pangaea is one of the Near Realms in the Umbra. It is a reflection of the long time that Earth spent in a primordial state, filled with massive, untouched, pristine wilderness. It is a place where all species that have ever lived flourish. And it is also, I am told, a very dangerous place for any mortal. As for the why you would be sent there ... that I do not know, for I am not the one sending the visions to Night-Spirit. My way is far more ... straight-forward. I do not speak in riddles or circles, like many spirits do.*

Shay nods. "Cool." He pauses. "I mean, uh, good. Thanks." A vague appreciative hand gesture, before he smiles. Then pauses. "Um. How do we get there? Is it just floating out in the middle of the ocean and we just walk into a mirror over it? Or do we have to sail in a ship in the Umbra?"

Tony is still a little vague on the difference between Near Realms and Outer Realms. He nods slowly to Mammoth, inwardly excited about the prospect of seeing Earth in such a state. Old plant life, and maybe more Mammoths, old bison. The geography and climate... Will it be the same area as here? At what point in the past is this Pangaea? Or is it more of an idea of a time? Questions, questions! But Shay is the only one asking them out loud.

Mammoth seems surprised by Shay's question. *Why, Garou travel via Moon Paths through the Umbra. I am sure that you will be shown how to use them soon enough. The Near Realms circle about this Realm in much the same way as Luna circles the Earth.* There's a little snort of laughter from the spirit's trunk. *I would advise against trying to travel along the paths before you are ready, however! Lunes can be mischevious at best.*

The response from Shay is just a sheepish smile. He thought the idea of Moon Paths was neat, but didn't realize it would work to travel all over the world so easily. He thought it was more like a bridge. "What is the danger there? Are there dinosaurs and stuff that would be trouble for us? Or are there things like vampires there?"

Tony strokes along his chin and the fine puff of a beard starting to grow there. How ironic that his facial hair would start growing in so much thicker after he learned just how hairy he really is. He realizes what Mammoth means about the Near Realms, visualizing it easier now. "What other Realms are there, then?" he asks after Shay.

Once again, the spirit seems pleased to answer the questions as best he is able. *No, it is not a place where the Wyrm is strong. It is a place where the Wyld is strong. So there are, yes, many creatures that no longer walk the earth which are larger and fiercer than the strongest Garou in Pangaea.* To Tony, he says, *There are, I believe, 13 large Near Realms. Pangaea is the one which I am most familiar. But there are, I believe, a realm each that is pure Weaver, Wyld and Wyrm, and a realm of combat, a realm of the air, a realm of legends ... and more.*

Shay tilts his head, looking very intent. A realm of Legends? That sounds... well, interesting. He smiles a touch. "Thank you, Mammoth." Off the top of his head, he hasn't anything to really say. A glance to Tony, to see if he has any other questions to add. 

Tony can't imagine what a Realm completely for the Weaver would be like. A solid block of webbing? It's hard to conceive. He can't imagine a Garou would be welcome there anyway. "Thank you," he says, echoing Shay. "Us cubs, we'll all pass our Rite and do this quest for everyone."