# [Mature]Werewolf: The Forsaken - Preludes



## Tokiwong (Nov 19, 2006)

*Camera*

_Hillside Heights, Denver Suburb

Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

The community is lily white, not so much in the color of the homes but its residents, comfortable middle upper middle class Americans.  Camera arrived the day before just after Thanksgiving.  His older brother finished college, the only one to do so, and was doing a decent job of supporting his mother and by extension Camera.

Of course she, his mother, was not too pleased that his brother had married a white woman, but she felt she could overlook that in light of the fact that Jamil was doing so well in life.  The Expedition and the Mustang in the garage spoke to that fact.

Camera could hear his mother downstairs cooking, although they never had much money growing up, mother could always cook a delicious meal.  Jamil and his wife, Samantha chatted in the kitchen.  Everything was different here, no crowded projects, violence, or even loud music.

It is quiet here.

The sun was setting, and the sky was a sickly purple-pink.  A jogger passes by the home along the neatly maintained sidewalk.  The lawn conforms to the will of its peers; the homes were stylish yet identical.  Perhaps this was both heaven and hell?

*Faith*

_Hillside Heights, Denver Suburb

Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

Esther’s house was just like Faith’s home, or maybe it was just a mirror of her home?  Her brother sits downstairs playing video games with his friends.  He was three years younger then faith and had one of those cute goofy crushes on her.  He had the awkward build of a young man, long arms and legs, devoid of much muscle with curly dark hair and freckles.

Esther’s room was done in black, with posters of alternative gothic bands on the walls and the motif of night.  Esther sat on her bed, her dyed black hair pulled back into pigtails, wearing shorts with a white t-shirt.  Despite looking like your typical disaffected youth, she got good grades was popular, and had a boyfriend or two.  One of which was in college.

Dark alternative music plays from her iPod connected to her stereo; Esther busies herself with a magazine.  She speaks aloud, “I am bored, and Chad’s party won’t be for another few hours, what do you want to do in the meanwhile?”

*Drake*

_Downtown Denver, The Mile High Bar

Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

Early evening, the sky is a sickeningly beautiful purple pink.  The bar smells of smoke and cheap liquor.  Drake a had a set for later in the evening, the place was a dive, well not totally it maintained a semi-sense of respectability and the lax standards of the owner made it a hot spot for young people in High School and College to congregate and party.

But that was all just background noise to the young man.  A woman sitting in a booth by herself drew much of his attention.  She had long blonde hair, and pale skin.  She wore a heavy leather jacket over a dark shirt and body hugging jeans tucked into black boots.

A scar worked its way across her beautiful face, from the left eye, across her perfect nose, ending just under the right eye.

*Piotr*

_Downtown Denver, Piotr’s Gun Store

Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

Another week of sales, nothing spectacular but enough to pay the bills and make a profit.  The world was a dangerous place and that meant profit for the foreign born proprietor.  This part of town was not exactly rough, but it wasn’t exactly a family neighborhood either.  Liquor stores, bars, and even a strip club were all neighbors to the cozy little shop.

Thankfully the blanket of white snow, gave this part of time a soft feel to it.  But that did little to change the actual mood of the denizens of this section of town.  The city was awash with lights, snow, and grime.  All three were constant, and all three vied for prominence.

*Ariella*

_Downtown Denver outside The Mile High Bar

Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

This part of town was not exactly rough, but not exactly safe either.  It was definitely a place where something could happen.  Ariella sits in the patrol car with her partner, an older member of the force, Officer Richards; a thickly built black male with a wife and two kids.  He grunts while eating a hamburger, “Keep your eyes open rookie, this won’t be a quiet night.  I can feel it.”

The random chatter and buzz of the radio filled her ears ever few moments.  It chirped like a squawking bird, spitting out random facts and requests at random intervals.  A disheveled vagrant paces by the car slowly, clutching a paper bag clad bottle close to his bosom.

Then a random squawk from the radio sounds, but the voice is that of a child, “Help me…”


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## Shayuri (Nov 19, 2006)

Ari manages to stifle down a yawn at Richards' warning. It wasn't that she was gonna tell him he was wrong...she just didn't feel it, and in fact was a little bored. She was about to get out the radar gun...hey, they were stopped anyway, right?...when she heard on the radio a child's voice pleading for help.

She paused at that, staring hard at the radio. After a moment's hesitation, she picked up the mic and clicked on, speaking into it, "This is a police only frequency. Who just asked for help?"

Realizing that Richards may  not have heard it over the munching of his burger, she looked over at him and said, "I heard some kid on the radio saying help me."


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## Graf (Nov 19, 2006)

_Or does the place match the people?_

*Camera* perched on the top of the back of the toilet staring out the high little window. There were bigger windows but, to his mind, this  tiny one offered the best view. The shapes of the neighborhood were clearest here. The little driveway (_their_ little driveway?) slipped out of sight, but othersmeandered in. He absent- mindedly sketched the lines, hedges, pavement, trees, houses.
He imagined the houses as little men and women, hunched over their lawns. The telephone poles were their canes, they soaked their feet in the pools, in their back yards. Did they demandobedience of the little creatures that lived within them. Prodding them into fitting into the little jigsaw.

The drawing was finished.

*Camera* eased himself down. He had a half an hour before ma finished cooking. He wanted to duck out, and wander a bit. He'd draw the streets better once he'd had the pavement under his feet.


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## Tokiwong (Nov 19, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> She paused at that, staring hard at the radio. After a moment's hesitation, she picked up the mic and clicked on, speaking into it, "This is a police only frequency. Who just asked for help?"



“What was that?” the dispatcher replies, “this is central Dispatch Operator, come again?”


			
				Shayuri said:
			
		

> Realizing that Richards may  not have heard it over the munching of his burger, she looked over at him and said, "I heard some kid on the radio saying help me."



Officer Richards nearly spits his food up, “What, you heard what?  I didn’t hear anything, Jesus, don’t spooky weird on me this early in the night.”

Ariella notices that the radio is has a thin sheen of blood which ahs stained her palm red.

*Camera*

The interior of Jamil’s home was immaculate, expensive, and pretty much devoid of any real personality or soul.  The interior of the home is almost sterile, oh it is a beautiful home, but one never really feels at home, or even inspired to feel anything at all.  But the smell of mom’s home cooked food from the kitchen definitely lends a sense of warmth and familiarity.

She was frying pork chops, baking corn bread, and making collard greens; she never really used recipes but the food was perfect every time.  A far cry from the more sensible and healthy meal Jamil’s wife prepared last night.  It would be much tastier at least.

Jamil pay’s camera no mind as he steps outside into the brisk air, the neat manicured lawn covered in a layer of snow and frost.  The sidewalk was clear, the roads salted, and the neighborhood silent.  

An SUV passes by along the quiet street, pulling into a home down the street.  The driver, a woman gets out carrying a shopping bag.  She walks almost zombie like into her home, the large suburban predator swallowing her as she enters.

Outside he could feel the homes glare at him, this was a place he did not belong…


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## Graf (Nov 20, 2006)

*Camera* frowns as he makes his way back to dinner. As he moves he half-instinctively seek shadows and regrets all these well maintained and brightly street lights keeping him from slipping from the sight of the houses. 
The run-down development where he spent most of his life feels poignantly nostalgic.


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## Shayuri (Nov 20, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> “What was that?” the dispatcher replies, “this is central Dispatch Operator, come again?”
> 
> Officer Richards nearly spits his food up, “What, you heard what?  I didn’t hear anything, Jesus, don’t spooky weird on me this early in the night.”
> 
> Ariella notices that the radio is has a thin sheen of blood which ahs stained her palm red.




"Probably just some kid goofing around on a HAM radio or some..." Ari trails off when she notices the red on her hand. On realizing what it is, she snatches her hand away from the radio with a startled yelp.

"Gah! There's..." she quickly examines her hand to make sure it's not cut. "The damn radio's got blood all over it! What the hell?!"


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## Tokiwong (Nov 20, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> "Probably just some kid goofing around on a HAM radio or some..." Ari trails off when she notices the red on her hand. On realizing what it is, she snatches her hand away from the radio with a startled yelp.
> 
> "Gah! There's..." she quickly examines her hand to make sure it's not cut. "The damn radio's got blood all over it! What the hell?!"



 Her hand is tinged with the crimson of blood; the coppery smell fills her nose.  Officer Richard looks at her strangely, “What?”

The blood slowly forms into designs in her palm, a spiraling pattern.  Her grizzled partner puts his sandwich down, “What in the hell are you talking about,” he inspects the radio, “What blood?”

*Camera*

Camera hears something shuffling in the snow behind him.  Then a low growl, a canine’s growl fill's his alert ears.  The growl is feral, not the tamed growl of a neighbor’s dog, this had the spirit of the wild, the snow, and the hunt behind it.


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## Festy_Dog (Nov 20, 2006)

Piotr turned the page in his magazine and wondered if it was worth shutting up shop at this point in the day. It felt like a particularly noneventful afternoon, but when wasn't it like that here? On a day like this people would probably be making themselves cozy in their homes right now, not making last minute gun purchases. Piotr turned the page; an article on ideal loads for deer hunting. He rolled his eyes and stood up, putting the magazine down on the counter. He never was much for hunting, despite owning a license.

Piotr walked over to the store entrance and looked outside. Perhaps he should get a drink? The street lights were going to stutter to life sooner or later, and throw their own shade of colour in with the various neon signs that lined the street. A cocktail of light. It had it's own kind of charm but couldn't much compare to a night sky far from habitation. His eyes were naturally drawn to the tracks left in the dirty snow, and the shadows distributed along the street. There was a pang of desire to go hiking, but Piotr hadn't gone out as frequently lately. He did the rounds, locking this, checking that, before heading to the front door. Maybe a drink was in order after all.


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## Shalimar (Nov 20, 2006)

_Hillside Heights, Denver Suburb
Friday evening, December 1st, 2006_

Faith had come over to Esther's right from school, a pretty common occurance for the teen, she was always somewhere with someone after school, though often it was a school activity of some sort, volley ball or soccer, she was even considering cheerleadng, one of the girls on the varsity squad had asked her to consider it, she definitely got along well with them.  The pink-haired teen was flopped out on the carpet in a pair of khaki pants and a green silk top, the heels of her sandals tapping her bottom.

"Hey I got this thing at that old bookstore uptown.  Take a look at it, I want to use it for my book of shadows, what do you think, cool huh?"   Faith asks, taking a big leather bound book out of her backpack.  The volume had an ornate looking brass latch sealing it and a weird but probably meaningless design on the cover.  "I thought we could like come up with a ceremony or craft names or something.  Or we could hang around with your brother and his friends, its not too long til the party, and its soo cute how he gets tongue tied sometimes."


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## Shayuri (Nov 20, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Her hand is tinged with the crimson of blood; the coppery smell fills her nose.  Officer Richard looks at her strangely, “What?”
> 
> The blood slowly forms into designs in her palm, a spiraling pattern.  Her grizzled partner puts his sandwich down, “What in the hell are you talking about,” he inspects the radio, “What blood?”




"Whaddya mean what blood? Look!" She holds her palm out to him. "Whaddya call that?"


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## DrZombie (Nov 20, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Drake*
> 
> _Downtown Denver, The Mile High Bar
> 
> ...




_Mmmmh. Lovely girl in a place like this? Yeah right. Where's the catch?_ 

Drake motions tha bartender closer.
"What's with scarface over there? She here often?"


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## Graf (Nov 20, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Camera*
> 
> Camera hears something shuffling in the snow behind him.  Then a low growl, a canine’s growl fill's his alert ears.  The growl is feral, not the tamed growl of a neighbor’s dog, this had the spirit of the wild, the snow, and the hunt behind it.




*Camera* swallows, and shifts glancing behind him.
Anxious, he hunches his huge form over even more and picks up the pace.
He's keeping himself on the sidewalk and wishing that one of these people parked their damn cars out on the street like normal folks so he'd have a better place to hide.


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## Tokiwong (Nov 21, 2006)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> _Mmmmh. Lovely girl in a place like this? Yeah right. Where's the catch?_
> 
> Drake motions tha bartender closer.
> "What's with scarface over there? She here often?"



The bartender shrugs, “Never seen her before, got a nice body, that scar just don’t go with that face.”  The grizzled old man shrugs, “A man could do worse I suppose.”

*Camera*

He turns and he sees nothing but paw prints in the snow.  But the feeling persists that something is watching him, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.  An old man in a heavy coat walks his dog, a small slip of a dog, and gives a gulp as he walks by Camera, a flustered look on his face.

A stray cat watches him pass, and begins to follow the large black man.

*Ariella*

Officer Richards looks at her palms, “So what am I looking at here?”

Even Ariella has to second guess herself, there is no blood on her palms or the radio…

*Piotr*

Outside the chilly evening air moves over his exposed skin.  The street is lined with vehicles and the strip club next door is already doing brisk business.  One of the dancer’s is standing outside having a smoke, dressed in casual clothes before her shift starts.

She had those eyes that made men melt, and a body that had seen the gym more times in a week then most people may see in a year.  She had pale skin and blonde hair, her cigarette was like a beacon, and she always smiled at Piotr when they had their chance encounters which consisted usually of her smoking and him closing up shop.

*Faith*

Esther shrugs, “It looks cool,” she takes the book and flips through it, “I guess we can hang out around here, as lame as that sounds.”

“You really don’t think any of this spell ceremony stuff is like going to work right?  I mean it looks cool, but let’s face it, if this stuff were real I would be summoning up Heath Ledger and a really nice car,” Esther says shaking her head.

She sets the book down, “I am so bored.”


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## Shayuri (Nov 21, 2006)

_Oh good one. That's gonna do me a lot of good around the force. Ari, the new girl...oh, and did you know she's crazy?_

She quickly rubs her hands together and shakes her head. "Nothing...sorry. Just messing with you a little. Hey, mind if I get out for a second? Stretch and get some fresh air? I think I'm just getting a little stir crazy in here." She unlocks her door and starts to open it, hoping Richards won't mind.


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## Graf (Nov 21, 2006)

"Jumping at nothing now," *Camera* mutters to himself.
He follows behind the cat for a bit. Animals sometimes have fun places to hide.
If it doesn't do anything interesting he'll head home.


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## DrZombie (Nov 21, 2006)

*Drake* 

Drake grins at the bartender. "Well, guess I'll do a soundcheck now, before we're too busy. Just make sure she gets something to drink from me while I play, 'kay?"

He walks up to the sound technician to arrange matters, then goes to grab his guitar and walks onto the stage, plugs in his guitar and starts to play a cover of Tom Waits, Blue Valentines (a slow, melancholic song), as allways singing and playing as if the world has ceased to exist.


_She sends me blue valentines
All the way from Philadelphia
To mark the anniversary
Of someone that I used to be
And it feels just like theres
A warrant out for my arrest
Got me checkin in my rearview mirror
And I'm always on the run
Thats why I changed my name
And I didn't think you'd ever find me here

To send me blue valentines
Like half forgotten dreams
Like a pebble in my shoe
As I walk these streets
And the ghost of your memory
Is the thistle in the kiss
And the burgler that can break a roses neck
It's the tatooed broken promise
That I hide beneath my sleeve
And I see you every time I turn my back

She sends me blue valentines
Though I try to remain at large
They're insisting that our love
Must have a eulogy
Why do I save all of this madness
In the nightstand drawer
There to haunt upon my shoulders
Baby I know
I'd be luckier to walk around everywhere I go
With a blind and broken heart
That sleeps beneath my lapel

She sends me my blue valentines
To remind me of my cardinal sin
I can never wash the guilt
Or get these bloodstains off my hands
And it takes a lot of whiskey
To take this nightmares go away
And I cut my bleedin heart out every nite
And I die a little more on each St. Valentines day
Remember that I promised I would
Write you...
These blue valentines
blue valentines
blue valentines_


(OOC performance guitar 11/10/8/7/5/3/2/2  reroll 10 : 6
Performance singing : 10/10/8/7/6/5/5/3)








			
				Tokiwong said:
			
		

> The bartender shrugs, “Never seen her before, got a nice body, that scar just don’t go with that face.”  The grizzled old man shrugs, “A man could do worse I suppose.”


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## Festy_Dog (Nov 21, 2006)

Piotr smiled in return, perhaps he should take a moment and strike up a conversation with her? Why not? It was about time he made a friend, if he could call them that, that wasn't a customer. After taking a couple of steps he paused, then hopped back to finish locking the front entrance to the store. Pretending as though he hadn't made the mistake he walked over.

"Smoking's bad for you, you know," he said, not quite serious.

He pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit up one of the remaining few. He had promised himself it would be the last pack he'd smoke, although admittedly if he was serious he'd have thrown the pack out.


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## Shalimar (Nov 21, 2006)

Faith picks the book up and smiles at Esther, "I don't think spells really work like that, not for real, not the stupid stuff anyway, a spell is suppoused to be like a prayer to anyone else, from what I read.  I don't think everyone's prayers come true either though, so its all just really how people pray right?  Some people do it in a church, others in a mosque, and I get to do it naked in the woods."  Faith says grinning and sticking out her tongue, not at all serious.

"Well, we can get dressed and then do whatever it takes to make you unbored, how is that?  What do you want to do?"  the pink haired teen asks as she slips her book back into her backpack and grabs her other bag, the one she had brought over the other day with all her party clothes.  Her mom and dad knew she went to parties, even they weren't that oblivious, but she definitely didn't let them see her party clothes, she always dressed at a friends house.  "You can help me pick what to wear, and then we can get out of here."  The girl said, pulling a few skirts and tops out of the bag, they were all neatly folded.  The first oufit she held up was a pink tube top with the words "Smart is Sexy" with a black skirt halfway to her knees and thigh-high black velvet boots.  The next outfit replaced the skirt with a pair of leather pants, but kept the boots on top of the skin tight pants.  Another possible top was in a vaguely oriental cut, a red silk sleeveless shirt with gold bands at the collar, waist, and where the sleeves ended at the shoulder, as well as a band going diagonally from the collar to the waist.

"Which one do you think?" Faith asks as she starts to undress down to her panties and bra, she had taken a shower last period in Gym so she didn't need another one, she'd just need to do her make up before they left.


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## Tokiwong (Nov 30, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Faith picks the book up and smiles at Esther, "I don't think spells really work like that, not for real, not the stupid stuff anyway, a spell is suppoused to be like a prayer to anyone else, from what I read.  I don't think everyone's prayers come true either though, so its all just really how people pray right?  Some people do it in a church, others in a mosque, and I get to do it naked in the woods."  Faith says grinning and sticking out her tongue, not at all serious.



“Prayers are for uneducated people who really don’t understand how the world works.  I mean why have spells if they don’t have any real power to get what you want,” she shrugs.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Well, we can get dressed and then do whatever it takes to make you unbored, how is that?  What do you want to do?"  the pink haired teen asks as she slips her book back into her backpack and grabs her other bag, the one she had brought over the other day with all her party clothes.  Her mom and dad knew she went to parties, even they weren't that oblivious, but she definitely didn't let them see her party clothes, she always dressed at a friends house.  "You can help me pick what to wear, and then we can get out of here."  The girl said, pulling a few skirts and tops out of the bag, they were all neatly folded.  The first oufit she held up was a pink tube top with the words "Smart is Sexy" with a black skirt halfway to her knees and thigh-high black velvet boots.  The next outfit replaced the skirt with a pair of leather pants, but kept the boots on top of the skin tight pants.  Another possible top was in a vaguely oriental cut, a red silk sleeveless shirt with gold bands at the collar, waist, and where the sleeves ended at the shoulder, as well as a band going diagonally from the collar to the waist.



Esther nods walking to her closet.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Which one do you think?" Faith asks as she starts to undress down to her panties and bra, she had taken a shower last period in Gym so she didn't need another one, she'd just need to do her make up before they left.



“Well,” she says her back still turned…

Faith can see herself in Esther’s full length mirror, but the image that looks back at her is disturbing.  It is her body but with long scars that bleed, rending her flesh.  One hand is drenched in blood and a beating heart occupies it.

The other hand holds Esther’s severed head, the eyes glazed over with fear…

*Piotr*

The stripper smiles, “Cute accent, where is that from?”  She inquires cocking her head taking a deep drag.  The bright ember of her cigarette glows like a miniature sun.  She continues to smile seductively, but her demeanor seems very approachable.

*Drake*

_Won’t have to worry about dice rolls just yet, but thank you, and I will try and do the ones that matter doing combat and such, did you use a sight to get the numbers generated?  Just curious._

The bartender nods, “Sure thing.”

The sound check goes off without a hitch; at the end the woman claps slowly.  And then tips her now filled glass towards Drake.  She takes a hearty draught and then stands.  She brushes the hair back from her scarred face, she does not smile but she does look at Drake with a focused gaze.

*Camera*

The cat, brown in color stares at Camera for a long moment before turning and walking away from the large black man. The stray cat pauses looking over its shoulder; in many ways this cat is the most cat-like cat he has ever seen.  As strange as that sounds, it oozes the aloof and detached manner of cats, but seems to have a savvy way with the street and urban life.

Or at least Suburban life.

The cat meanders into an empty lot of trees, away from the sidewalk across the built up snow.

*Ariella*

Her partner relaxes slightly, “Alright well take your time, and don’t get stressed out too early.  We got a whole shift to work through, once I finish eating we can patrol some more.  You sure you okay?”

Outside she sees what looks like an exotic dancer talking to another man, probably setting up an after shift rendezvous.  That wasn’t uncommon in this part of town, or at least she had been told.


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## Shalimar (Nov 30, 2006)

"Your talking to the wrong girl Esther, my parents did name me Faith after all."   the teen tells her friend smirking at the joke.  She holds up the pants and pink shirt against her skin to see how they would look on her in the mirror.  The girl drops the clothes in shock when she sees herself covered in blood.  Gazing raptly at the disturbing blood-soaked image she moved closer to the mirror with her eyes widening in horror.

Faith began looking back and forth from the hand holding the bloody heart to thematchig handbreathing rapidly, not wanting to look at the other hand in the mirror, to see what it held.  This...this wasn't right, it wasn't possible...was it?  She reached out to touch the mirror, her eyes wide as saucers.  "Wha...whats wrong with this mirror?"  she asks her voice low and husky.


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## Tokiwong (Nov 30, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Faith began looking back and forth from the hand holding the bloody heart to thematchig handbreathing rapidly, not wanting to look at the other hand in the mirror, to see what it held.  This...this wasn't right, it wasn't possible...was it?  She reached out to touch the mirror, her eyes wide as saucers.  "Wha...whats wrong with this mirror?"  she asks her voice low and husky.



She touches the mirror and her double in the mirror does not move.  She stands breathing hard, behind her on the floor is the body of her friend Esther, torn apart as if by some wild beast.  Ripped to shreds…

Then the mirror shatters, jagged pieces of glasses flying into her skin…

She hears the words, “Your sins weigh upon you, wolf-bitch; MURDER is your birthright.  YOU WILL DIE!”  The voice is like a thousand insects chittering at once; mixed with the screams of a young child.


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## Shalimar (Nov 30, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> She touches the mirror and her double in the mirror does not move.  She stands breathing hard, behind her on the floor is the body of her friend Esther, torn apart as if by some wild beast.  Ripped to shreds…
> 
> Then the mirror shatters, jagged pieces of glasses flying into her skin…
> 
> She hears the words, “Your sins weigh upon you, wolf-bitch; MURDER is your birthright.  YOU WILL DIE!”  The voice is like a thousand insects chittering at once; mixed with the screams of a young child.




"This isn't real, it can't be, reflections in mirrors do what you do, so this can't be real, I'm just seeing things."  the pink haired girl tells herself starring wide eyed into the reflection, into the demonic picture that showed her friends corpse.  Faith screamed as the shards of glass exploded at her touch slashing away at her hands and bare arms.

The lithe teenager leaps away from the mirror to bury her face in the cover's of Esther's bed, wanting to blind her eyes and block out the horrible sight as well as the horrid chittering sound of the hateful voice.


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## Festy_Dog (Nov 30, 2006)

"Northwest Russia," Piotr replied, a little distracted as his attention was drawn to the cigarette's ember.

He focused on it for a moment and memories niggled at the back of his mind. More than once had he seen buildings burnt to skeletal shells, blackened car wreckages smouldering in the street. He tore his gaze away from the ember and dragged heavily on his own cigarette. He felt his eyes being tugged towards it still. Did he want to revisit old memories? He honestly didn't know. Anyway, things like that were best saved for times when a bottle was well within arm's reach.

"There wasn't much for me in the little village I came from. I don't have the knack for farming my siblings had, but I find ways to get by," he talked to distract himself.


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## Graf (Nov 30, 2006)

Camera stops for a minute. He idly schetches the grove of trees the cat went into. His mind wanders, drawing out imaginative scenes of what might be in the trees.

Then he heads home, stomach rumbling.


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## DrZombie (Nov 30, 2006)

*drake*

As the lst note fades away Drake sighs, then unplugs his guitar. He walks over to the counter, orders another beer and lights a cigarette. He nods at the blonde, lifts his glass in a salute and turns his back on her , idly chatting with the bartender as he waits for his show to start. 

_Mustn't apprear to eager now, must we. And there's allways uni students, they're easier._ 

OOC : www.invisiblecastle.com. You can click the numbers in my last post, that'll get you to the actual roll.


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## Shayuri (Nov 30, 2006)

Ari gives him a reassuring smile. "Yeah. Lemme just stretch my legs for a sec and I'll be good to go."

She stands right beside the car, lifting one leg, then the other, getting the cobwebs out. Each breath of frigid air is welcome; it seems to pour clarity back into her rattled mind. She'd heard a bit of static, seen her hand in that red light from the neon sign...jumped to some crazy conclusions. Almost embarrassed herself majorly in front of her partner. Man, she -had- to get a grip on that imagination. Think...what's his face...that guy from Dragnet. Stoic. Solid.

_Friday._

Yeah! Friday. Just the facts. Perfect.

A little embarrassed, but also morbidly curious, Ari lets her head turn sideways so she can watch the 'transaction' between the customer and stripper from the corner of her eyes. Bustable? Probably not. Not unless she SAW the money changing hands, and they tailed them to a motel or something, and then actually witnessed...somehow...a sexual act taking place...and...blah blah. What a mess. But then again, was it anyone's business what two adults did? As long as a bleeding body wasn't left behind...probably not.

Almost by instinct, Ari scans the two interlopers for identifiable physical marks or clothes, just in case she saw them again sometime...then got back in the car, looking much more confident.

"Whenever you're ready," she says, giving Richards a quick nod.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 1, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "This isn't real, it can't be, reflections in mirrors do what you do, so this can't be real, I'm just seeing things."  the pink haired girl tells herself starring wide eyed into the reflection, into the demonic picture that showed her friends corpse.  Faith screamed as the shards of glass exploded at her touch slashing away at her hands and bare arms.
> 
> The lithe teenager leaps away from the mirror to bury her face in the cover's of Esther's bed, wanting to blind her eyes and block out the horrible sight as well as the horrid chittering sound of the hateful voice.



Faith feels and hears Esther comforting her, “Faith… Faith!  What is it, what are you crying about?  Are you okay?  Are you high?  You… you’re scaring me!”

*Ariella*

Richards smirks, “Got us a domestic, low-rent apartment complex, a man beating up his old lady.  Gutter trash, beating up more gutter trash.  Ready to get some real work in rookie?”

*Drake*

The bartender pours another beer; and then heads off to work another customer.  

It is only then that Drake hears it, “Drake… Drake… we hear you… and we will not fear you…” the voice is haunting, seductive, and nary above a whisper.  Like the sound of a waterfall… but mixed with the sounds of the forest.

He smells the scent of pine needles.

*Camera*

Camera returns home and momma smiles broadly, her large frame filling the hallway as she puts a plate of food on the table.  She shakes her head, “Boy, you best not be off gallivanting all over this neighborhood.  These white folks around here don’t know how to act, and I be damned if I have to raise a mess up in here.   Now go on and wash your hands and get some food in you.”

His brother shakes his head, “The neighbors are fine, you don’t have to worry mom; this place is perfectly fine.”  His wife just smiles and helps to set the table.

*Piotr*

“Northwest Russia,” she looks surprised, “and why would you come to Denver of all places.  I can’t stand this city, born and raised and all I ever wanted to do is leave.  I really like the accent.”

The burning ember glows brightly at the end of her cigarette; wisps of smoke arcing into the cold air.  A man walks into the strip club behind the woman, middle aged with dark hair that was going bald in the back.  He was in modest shape; but the most remarkable thing about him is that it looked like he had an ebony snake with glowing green eyes coiled around his neck, whispering into his ears…

Or maybe that was just a scarf.


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## Shalimar (Dec 2, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Faith*
> Faith feels and hears Esther comforting her, “Faith… Faith!  What is it, what are you crying about?  Are you okay?  Are you high?  You… you’re scaring me!”




Faith peels her face away from the pillow, peeking over the edge up at Esther when her friends voice breaks through her sobs and her rapid thuding heartbeat.  Seeing her friend, she releases her deathgrp on the covers and rises to a sitting position.   "It...it wasn't real?"  she asks hesitantly.  "I was looking in the mirror...it was all scary, I saw me and you but I was all cut up and bleeding and you were like without your head...it was super freaky."  the pink haired girl explains, trying to catch her breath and slow the pounding of her heart in her ears.

"I didn't take anything I swear, not since that party...does Ex make you hallucinate, like a week later?  Maybe I just watched too many Romero movies last month, those were like super creepy.  Look, lets just forget it, it was probaly just a day dream..." or maybe a vision from the Lord and Lady though she didn't bother adding that aloud, she wasn't terribly serious about wicca, and she didn't really know much of things.  If it was a wicca related, how cool was that?  but ugh, the subject matter she could definitely do without.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 2, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Faith peels her face away from the pillow, peeking over the edge up at Esther when her friends voice breaks through her sobs and her rapid thuding heartbeat.  Seeing her friend, she releases her deathgrp on the covers and rises to a sitting position.   "It...it wasn't real?"  she asks hesitantly.  "I was looking in the mirror...it was all scary, I saw me and you but I was all cut up and bleeding and you were like without your head...it was super freaky."  the pink haired girl explains, trying to catch her breath and slow the pounding of her heart in her ears.



"Whoa..." Esther replies.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I didn't take anything I swear, not since that party...does Ex make you hallucinate, like a week later?  Maybe I just watched too many Romero movies last month, those were like super creepy.  Look, lets just forget it, it was probaly just a day dream..." or maybe a vision from the Lord and Lady though she didn't bother adding that aloud, she wasn't terribly serious about wicca, and she didn't really know much of things.  If it was a wicca related, how cool was that?  but ugh, the subject matter she could definitely do without.



“Okay, okay, calm down,” Esther says brushing Faith’s hair back and holding her close, “just relax.”

The door swings open, her brother Cody looks in with his round freckled face, “Hey is everything okay, I thought I heard you guys screaming?  Uhh…” he looks around wide eyed.

“GET OUT CODY!” Esther shrieks.

Cody rolls his eyes, “I take that as a yes…” but he does not leave.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 2, 2006)

Piotr's attention was torn away from the woman for a moment. A snake? He wasn't able to get a better look since the man had already entered the club, but surely it wouldn't have been a snake, right? He must have been playing tricks on himself, was he that nervous meeting someone new that he had to cause himself difficulty? The weather was far too cold for snakes, it must have been a scarf. The woman's words finally registered in Piotr's head and he turned back around to face her.

"Erm, thankyou," he said, appreciating the compliment, "The cold helps me feel at home. I'm kinda settled with my store, but I understand you wanting to leave. This seems to be the most interesting part of town. The suburbs creep me out."

He glances back towards the strip club's entrance, the man with the snake -scarf, rather- around his neck was still bothering him. Was it really a scarf? How often did scarves have bright green eyes?

"Do you work here?" Piotr asked, nodding his head towards the entrance. Perhaps the conversation could go in the direction of snake-wearing patrons.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 2, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "Do you work here?" Piotr asked, nodding his head towards the entrance. Perhaps the conversation could go in the direction of snake-wearing patrons.



The woman laughs, “Do I work here?  I see you all the time, when you are closing up, and trust me I don’t just stand out here for the good conversation.  This is the only thing keeping me sane,” she waves her cigarette.

“By the way my name is Cheri- I mean, Samantha,” she says taking another drag of her cigarette.


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## Shalimar (Dec 2, 2006)

> “Okay, okay, calm down,” Esther says brushing Faith’s hair back and holding her close, “just relax.”
> 
> The door swings open, her brother Cody looks in with his round freckled face, “Hey is everything okay, I thought I heard you guys screaming? Uhh…” he looks around wide eyed.
> 
> ...




Faith sighs and and relishes the feel of being held close to Esther, it was the proof that it had all been just a nightmare, Esther was warm and very much alive, and that was more then enough for now, the question of whether she was seeing things and going nuts could wait for later.  The pink haired girl hugged back against her friends middle before letting go to sit up on the bed looking fairly bewildered by the entire process.

At Esther's brother's sudden entrance the girls pulse quickened until she saw who it was and then let out a breath.  "I..I thought I saw something Cody, I was just seeing stuff...do you think you could leave so I can get dressed?"  she asks moving off the bed so she could lift a sheet to cover herself from Cody's eyes.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 2, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> At Esther's brother's sudden entrance the girls pulse quickened until she saw who it was and then let out a breath.  "I..I thought I saw something Cody, I was just seeing stuff...do you think you could leave so I can get dressed?"  she asks moving off the bed so she could lift a sheet to cover herself from Cody's eyes.



“Oh… oh… OHHHHHH…” Cody replies blushing vibrantly.

The door closes and Esther relaxes and gets back to getting dressed, “Just relax Faith, everything is okay.  Alright?”  The girl looks over her wardrobe and sighs trying to decide what to wear.

The time passes with little incident and downstairs the boys are playing games on the widescreen HDTV, pantomiming their actions with the new Nintendo system.  Playing a baseball game and having a great time by the sounds of the ruckus.  

Everything sounded so clear so in focus.  She could hear Cody’s heart beating, the other boy breathing.  The sounds of Esther’s clothes against her body; it was almost deafening, or perhaps it was.  She could smell that Cody’s friend needed a shower, which Cody was wearing some cheap Axe body spray, and that outside the dog had done his business.

Cody gulps, “Uh, you guys want to play?”


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 2, 2006)

Piotr smiled and extended a hand to shake. Samantha seemed like a really nice woman.

"My name is Piotr. Samantha, would it help you to stay sane if I offered to buy you a drink?" he asked, finishing his cigarette, "If you have the time, I'd like to chat some more."

For the moment he felt willing to brush off the man wearing a snake as some kind of trick of the eye, but then again his eyes were something he trusted more than anything else, so it felt a little as though he was lying to himself.


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## Shalimar (Dec 2, 2006)

Faith blushes at the sounds the Cody makes, and her cheeks go pink with white spots when he starts to blush.  She gives a greatful exhalationwhen he finally leaves and closes the door.  The girl slips into her pants and tank top as quickly as she can, followed by her boots, finding comfort in the feel of the leather hugging her tightly.  Putting on clothes was a way of putting a barrier between you and the world after all.  "Does he come in here all the time or what?"  Faith asked trying to get her mind off of what she had seen by making chatter.  Looking into the mirror timidly, the teen quickly put on her make-up and a few drops of perfume at wrists and neck.

"How do I look?" she asks twirling around to give Esther a lopsided grin asif nothing had happened.  "Do I look ready to go out to a party?"  she asks, ruffling her eyebrow quizically at how loud Esther's clothes were, how loud Cody's heart was beatng, the axe spray he was wearing and at the dog's rather fragrant business.  "Ugh, did your brother drown himself in that spray?  His friend needs a shower too, I can smell him from here."

"Uh...no thanks Cody, we're gonna be going out soon.  Just play with your wii and we'll watch til we have to go."  Faith told the boys wiping absently at her nose to block out some of the strong scents, she wondered if more perfume would cover all the scents.


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## Graf (Dec 2, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Camera*
> 
> Camera returns home and momma smiles broadly, her large frame filling the hallway as she puts a plate of food on the table.  She shakes her head, “Boy, you best not be off gallivanting all over this neighborhood.  These white folks around here don’t know how to act, and I be damned if I have to raise a mess up in here.   Now go on and wash your hands and get some food in you.”
> 
> His brother shakes his head, “The neighbors are fine, you don’t have to worry mom; this place is perfectly fine.”  His wife just smiles and helps to set the table.



Camera nods mutely to his mother and goes to wash his hands.
"It's not the people." he tells his reflection in the bathroom before heading back down to eat.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 2, 2006)

Ari grimaces and fastens her seatbelt. 

"Wifebeater, huh? Yeah, lets go." She scowls at the radio, realizing she'd missed the call, didn't know what the code was. Oh well, she could ask later. Or check the night's log.

"So what do we do with domestics? Does one of them have to press charges, or can we take him back with us?"


----------



## DrZombie (Dec 2, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Drake*
> 
> The bartender pours another beer; and then heads off to work another customer.
> 
> ...





Drake stiffens as he hears the sounds, then looks around to see if he can find the source. He sniffs the air tentively, trying to find it's source.

_Chill, it's just one of the uni students playing pranks with an air-refreshener, probably jealous over that girl I snogged two weeks ago, Ari or Erri or what was her name again?_

"Yeah, yeah" he mutters. "I can hear you too and I don't fear you either. Now piss off, I've got a show in a few hours. Go back to  your alpha-gamma-pi-tau whatever frathouse and play some playstation"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 2, 2006)

Graf said:
			
		

> "It's not the people." he tells his reflection in the bathroom before heading back down to eat.



Momma continues getting the meal ready, while Jamil and Samantha set the table.  There is a knock at the door.  Jamil pauses and then walks to the door, “Must be one of the neighbors?”

When he opens the door there is a long pause.  Jamil speaks, “Can I help you sir?”

Camera hears the stranger a deep male voice, “I am looking for your momma boy.”

Jamil pauses, “Excuse me?”

In the kitchen, Camera can hear dishes hitting the floor.

*Drake*

A college student, a tall male with already too much to drink in him looks at Drake, “Hey you talking to me dick head?  You got a problem with me… because I could have sworn you just said something about my frat brothers…”

The two men with him turn on Drake.

*Ariella*

“It all depends half the time, we spend calming them down and trying to get a straight story out of them, probably one if not both were drinking.  On top of that we got the neighbors, if they have been particularly theatrical,” her partner replies.

The two officers pull into the low-rent complex.  Ariella can already hear  a women shrieking already.

*Faith*

Esther shrugs, “Yeah you definitely need a shower,” she directs to Cody’s friend.  It sounds like Esther is shouting though right into Faith’s ears.

Cody shrugs, “Sure.”  The young man goes back to playing the game.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 2, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> Piotr smiled and extended a hand to shake. Samantha seemed like a really nice woman.
> 
> "My name is Piotr. Samantha, would it help you to stay sane if I offered to buy you a drink?" he asked, finishing his cigarette, "If you have the time, I'd like to chat some more."
> 
> For the moment he felt willing to brush off the man wearing a snake as some kind of trick of the eye, but then again his eyes were something he trusted more than anything else, so it felt a little as though he was lying to himself.



“Oh you are sweet,” she pulls out her phone, “but I have to get ready to get on stage.  Maybe another time, or you can always come in for a dance, twenty dollars a pop,” she jokes.

She finishes and turns walking into the entrance reserved for the dancers/entertainers.  She waves with a smile.


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## Shalimar (Dec 3, 2006)

> Faith
> 
> Esther shrugs, “Yeah you definitely need a shower,” she directs to Cody’s friend. It sounds like Esther is shouting though right into Faith’s ears.
> 
> Cody shrugs, “Sure.” The young man goes back to playing the game.




"Whats with the shouting eesh?"  Faith says rubbing at her ears, wincing away from Esther.

"So, are there any good games for the Wii out?  I still can't believe that they named it that, its just such good joke fodder."  the girl says smirking, before turning to Esther, "Do your parents care when we get back tonight?  It is Friday night, will they be all strichtand everything?"


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## Shayuri (Dec 3, 2006)

Ari can't help but chuckle at the sound of the screaming. The nervous, slightly embarrassed chuckle of someone who was hearing something that probably should be private. "Holy hell...listen to her. She must be keeping the whole block up. No wonder we got a call."


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 3, 2006)

Piotr waved back, smiling, as he decided what to do with the rest of his evening. He remembered that he had actually intended to go buy a few drinks before calling it a night. He moved along to The Mile High Bar, wondering if it was there that he remembered something about live music happening, or maybe that was another night? By now he might be too late, but the central purpose of a bar wasn't music anyway.


----------



## Graf (Dec 3, 2006)

Camera instinctively slips to his feet. He moves up against the wall and looks around the doorway into the front hall.


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## DrZombie (Dec 3, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Drake*
> 
> A college student, a tall male with already too much to drink in him looks at Drake, “Hey you talking to me dick head?  You got a problem with me… because I could have sworn you just said something about my frat brothers…”
> 
> The two men with him turn on Drake.




"Now boys, mets not get too hasty here." Drake says, the anger that's been building up inside him for the last couple of days aching to be released.

"I've got a show in a few minutes, so I gotta save my knuckles a bit, but how about this : 
You guys go home and play with yourselves for a bit, and you can come back later to get your asses kicked, after my show. How do you feel about that?"

While talking his right hand slipped behind him to grab the heavy ceramic ashtray, getting ready to crush it on the head of the first bozo trying to make a move


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## Tokiwong (Dec 4, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ari can't help but chuckle at the sound of the screaming. The nervous, slightly embarrassed chuckle of someone who was hearing something that probably should be private. "Holy hell...listen to her. She must be keeping the whole block up. No wonder we got a call."



 “I know,” Richards replies with a sigh.  He gets out of the car and heads up the stairs.  He says over his shoulder, “You handle the woman, and I will try and keep the husband under control.”

A few neighbors stand on the walkway and see the woman screaming and the man sits on the stairs, bleeding from a head wound.  He looks up as you get close, “Thank you god you are here.”

He is Hispanic and the woman looks to be a mix of ethnic backgrounds, but she is screaming loudly in Spanish and English.

Richards starts in to take control of the situation, already making a call for more backup.

*Faith*

Esther shrugs, “Who cares.”

The boys keep playing their game answering questions and making small talk before the girls leave and head to the party.  The party is just getting underway, and the teens have the music going, the booze is flowing, and the popularity race well in full swing.

Esther smiles, “This is going to be a killer party.”

*Piotr & Drake*

Piotr enters the bar just as two young men get ready to square off.

Drake grabs something hard behind him and seeing the man getting ready to shove him, he shatters the ashtray over the man’s head with a resounding crash.  The man collapses to the ground in a heap; one of his buddies grabs the collapsing youth while the other slugs Drake right across the face sending him stumbling back.

The bartender tries to get some order, but it looks like chaos is about to ensue.  Drake can feel a well of rage growing in his breast… and a haze of red setting into his vision.

*Camera*

Camera looks and sees a large black man standing in the door.  The man glares down at Jamil and speaks, “I came to speak with your brother, Jamil.”

“Excuse me sir, do I know you?” Jamil replies.

The man replies, “I am your father, and I need to speak with your brother.  I won’t say it again.”  There is power in those words and Jamil steps aside as the man walks in.

Momma steps into the hallway, “I knew… I knew you would come here.  Will you stay for dinner?”

Father replies with a nod and then speaks, “Come out boy, I can smell you.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 4, 2006)

> The party is just getting underway, and the teens have the music going, the booze is flowing, and the popularity race well in full swing.
> 
> Esther smiles, “This is going to be a killer party.”




"This is going to be soo hot."  Faith agrees.  The pink haired girl moves through the party saying hi and putting appearances as she moves over the drinks and gets herself a big cup of she didn't even know what.  Faith wasn't straight edge or anything like that, she loved to have fun and be the center of attention.  With her cup in hand she started to move to the music, shaking her body in time with the music, getting lost in it.

OOC:  Not sure if there is a roll involved in the socializing  but Socialize 3 + Presence 3 + Striking Looks 2 = 8 dice


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## Shayuri (Dec 4, 2006)

Ari quickly follows the sound of the woman's voice to where she is. She doesn't try to physically control her yet, trying to defuse the situation first. She stands between the woman and the husband, and tries to make eye contact.

"Ma'am, please! Calm down. The police are here, everything's going to be all right. Just...stop shouting and calm down. You're safe now."


----------



## DrZombie (Dec 4, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Piotr & Drake*
> 
> Piotr enters the bar just as two young men get ready to square off.
> 
> ...





Drake ignores the weight of the blade hanging behind his back, though it calls to him with the sweet sound of retribution. He wipes the blood from his face and grinns.

"C'mon frat boys, three of you against me, that's just more arse for me to kick".

And with a roar, he launches himself into the guy that just punched him, using his fists, ellbows, knees and forehead to hit every part of his opponent that looks as if it might hurt, hoping to take him out of the fight as soon as possible.


----------



## Graf (Dec 4, 2006)

Camera moves out into view. He's hunched over low to the ground though, head turned sideways so he can keep the man in view.

Lacking a father was hardly an uncommon thing; Camera had never felt a pressing need for one. But it was something new. And Camera was nothing if not curious. He found himself eyeing the big man from the soles of his shoes to the top of his head.


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 4, 2006)

Piotr emits an entertained grunt as he enters just in time to see the fight. He liked his music but fights were a special treat indeed. With a single movement the guy with the accent had removed two guys from the immediate fight, leaving a one-on-one scenario. The other guy looked kinda young, maybe a student? Piotr had his money on the smart fighter with the accent, the way he fought gave him the impression the stranger was someone he could respect. Where was the accent from? He thought he had heard it somewhere before...

"Irishman! Win and your drinks are on me!" he yells, and laughs. This was shaping up to be an interesting evening.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 4, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "Irishman! Win and your drinks are on me!" he yells, and laughs. This was shaping up to be an interesting evening.



Piotr watches as the man launches himself onto the last frat boy standing.  Knocking him down and savagely beating the man with his fists like an animal.  The first few blows incapacitate the youth, but by the tenth punch people are trying to pull the man off the youth, whose face looks more like a ripe beaten tomato then a human face.

Drake you lose control.  The fury consuming you is focused on this prissy, college boy.  You want to shatter his beautiful face, and by the time you hear the satisfying crunch of bone and the fleshy sound of pummeled skin you realize that blood covers your hands, your knuckles are split and the boy is out, his face covered in cuts, bruises, and healthy amounts of blood.

The Drake feels himself being pulled back forcefully and even submitting when the scarred woman growls at him, “Stop!”  Drake tumbles to the ground and the bar is going crazy.  The woman speaks again, “Get out of here!”

*Camera*

The man was Camera’s height, this man that claimed to be his father.  He wore a heavy black leather trench coat that hung down to his ankles.  Thick combat boots, freshly shined with dark beaten jeans.  His shirt was a thick gray turtleneck, which clung tightly to the man’s muscled frame.  He was massive not only in size but in presence as well.  His eyes were green and his skin was dark and weathered.  His head is bald, and it looks the man is sizing Camera up as well.

He speaks, “You are my son.”

*Ariella*

The woman screams at Ariella, “I ain’t going to prison!  I ain’t going to prison! Dos Mio, my kids, I can’t go to prison!”  She follows that with a string curses at her husband before turning to Ariella, “he was cheating on me, what would you do!”

*Faith*

Faith wakes up lying face first in the snow.  Her clothes are shredded and there is a coppery taste in her mouth.  The snow around her is stained red, she can’t recall what happened but she is alone, and it looks like she is in the midst of the local jogging park.

Then the pain hits her and there is a six inch barb stuck in her shoulder…


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## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

Wet. Cold and wet.  Faith stirred slowly at the uncomfortable sensations on her skin in places that should have been covered by her pants, by her boots, and by her shirt.  Blinking herself awake the girl spits out the snow that had made its into her mouth and wiped at the ice crystals that had stuck to her eyebrows and lashes and caked on her cheeks.  Sitting up slowly the pink haired girl looked around trying to understand what was going on, still groggy enough that panic had not set in.

Shifting her weight to her arm, Faith screamed in pain as the arm gave out and dumped her in the bloody snow.  Coughing in pain panic starts to set in as the shifts around to see the barb, it was like one of those really silly coyote cartoons, he would run off a cliff and then not fall until he looked down, the girl thought.  Gritting her teeth, the girl ran her other hand along the spine and wound until she gripped it tightly, and tried to pull it out, screaming in pain as she tried to shift the barb.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Gritting her teeth, the girl ran her other hand along the spine and wound until she gripped it tightly, and tried to pull it out, screaming in pain as she tried to shift the barb.



The jagged barb rips out of her flesh, it is slick with blood and an oily viscous fluid.  Flesh comes free with the barb.  The pain burns her flesh, but soon that pain is replaced by a dull sensation… an odd sensation.

It is only then that she hears the growling from the darkness…


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 5, 2006)

The woman screams at Ariella, “I ain’t going to prison! I ain’t going to prison! Dos Mio, my kids, I can’t go to prison!” She follows that with a string curses at her husband before turning to Ariella, “he was cheating on me, what would you do!”

--

"If I didn't want to go to jail, I'd start by doing what the cops are telling me to," Ari comes back. "Now just settle down! Look at me, take a couple of breaths, and just calm down. No, don't look at him. Me. When you feel like you can talk without shouting, I want you to tell me what happened."

She glances over at Richards. "You okay over there?"


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## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

Faith screamed in agony as the barb pulled free from her shoulder, and losing the flesh wasn't any picnic either.  She squeezed the wound, putting pressure on it with her good arm as she shrinks down into a feral ball of agony, fear, and miserableness.  "Whats going on with me?  What the F$%K is happening to me?"  the pink haired girl moaned.

"High Lady, help me...please."  she muttered helplessly as the growling started to sound in the darkness, outside of her field of vision.  She cringed in fear, but not pain, her arm and shoulder were going numb and whatever that thing in her shoulder had had some kind of goop in it, she hoped it wasn't poisonouos or something.  Her mouth felt metally, and tasted like blood as she struggled up to her feet panting and keeping her bad arm held tight to her chest.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "High Lady, help me...please."  she muttered helplessly as the growling started to sound in the darkness, outside of her field of vision.  She cringed in fear, but not pain, her arm and shoulder were going numb and whatever that thing in her shoulder had had some kind of goop in it, she hoped it wasn't poisonouos or something.  Her mouth felt metally, and tasted like blood as she struggled up to her feet panting and keeping her bad arm held tight to her chest.



The growl continues… and then the attack begins… the beast is on her, it tears at her arm as she tries to protect herself from harm.  Then it is gone.  She is laying there bleeding from a tear in her arm, but the pain in her shoulder subsided.  The pain in her arm takes precedence…

“Get up,” a woman says gruffly, “get up you stupid bitch stop crying… whatever lady you are praying to won’t help you, unless you are trying to call a favor in from momma.  Trust me she don’t listen to any of us any more… but what can you expect when we tore down the Father.”

The woman has brown hair, worn short around a plain face of a woman in her thirties.  She wears jeans with a thick coat, and a blue eyes with dark skin of a Native American, in one hand she holds a sword about the length of her arm, and the moon gives her eyes a sinister glow.

The woman kicks the barb away and says aloud, “Azlu… you are lucky to be alive, little one.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> "If I didn't want to go to jail, I'd start by doing what the cops are telling me to," Ari comes back. "Now just settle down! Look at me, take a couple of breaths, and just calm down. No, don't look at him. Me. When you feel like you can talk without shouting, I want you to tell me what happened."
> 
> She glances over at Richards. "You okay over there?"



The woman calms down and looks at Ariella, “Okay…” and then trails off.

Officer Richards nods, “Yeah,” he already has the husband in cuffs, “just for his and my own safety.”

Ariella sees a figure, or something standing in the open doorway to there apartment, too tall or perhaps large to be a child.  And the fact that she hears some kind of foul snickering does not help either.

She hears a hissing, “SMELL. YOU. FORSAKEN… bitch…” in a language she has never heard but understands as if perhaps she has always known it… or perhaps she understands the intent of the word.

**BANG!**

Officer Richards drops like a rock, and in the doorway is standing the boy, their son perhaps.  The gun goes off again and the irate husband pitches forward, as the neighbors start screaming…

The boy then turns the gun on Ariella…


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 5, 2006)

From the sound of the gun, time seemed to slow down. Not in a way that still let her act though, not in a cool Matrix-style cavalcade of special effects. No, this was more like a nightmare. 

Ari was throwing herself sideways, trying to get out of the shooter's line of fire. She felt as if she was drifting as lazily as a feather; an easy shot. Her right hand was dropping in slow motion towards the holster on her hip. It would be hours before she had her gun out though.

In the meantime, Richards was falling...she didn't dare think about it; didn't dare allow that into her mind. 

_This was just a domestic...it was routine. How could things have come to this?_

(trying to get some kind of cover and ready weapon!)


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> From the sound of the gun, time seemed to slow down. Not in a way that still let her act though, not in a cool Matrix-style cavalcade of special effects. No, this was more like a nightmare.
> 
> Ari was throwing herself sideways, trying to get out of the shooter's line of fire. She felt as if she was drifting as lazily as a feather; an easy shot. Her right hand was dropping in slow motion towards the holster on her hip. It would be hours before she had her gun out though.
> 
> ...



A nightmare.

That was exactly what this is, a nightmare.  The gun blares to life a third time, Ariella’s own weapon comes to life, after many agonizing moments; perhaps hours.  The haze of red and pain shatters her vision and she comes to rest on the ground but instinctively she is moving, she feels the blood the pain but it is not even registering.

Instincts.

By the time the fog of war has cleared and there is a brief moment of silence Ariella can see the results of the carnage.  The boy is dead, Officer Richards is down and not moving, and the father is dead.

She sees the thing that she saw briefly retreating from the boy, with the same snickering…

_Later…_

Ariella is sitting with a paramedic, he looks puzzled, “Are you sure you got shot?  Maybe you just got grazed or you just thought you did?  Because I see blood but I am not seeing an entry or exit wound here?”

He looks puzzled and checks her a third time, “You are damn lucky.”

A detective walks towards Ariella, “What the hell happened, we got one officer dead, and two civilians, and one of them is a kid for crying out loud, not even ten year’s old.  How did this fall apart so fast?”


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

"Wha...Ahhhh!" Faith screams as she is bowled over by the wild animal.  She tries to fight it off but its gone before she can do much more then flail out with her good arm.  Trying to get up in case the thing came at her again.  It was too fast for her to tell what it was, but she definitely felt the wound it caused, she felt burning pain drowning out the icy numbness of the shoulder wound.

"I was praying to the Lord and Lady."  Faith retorts defensively before she pauses to wonder what the hell the woman was talking about, she was still in the defensive stage of her new faith.  "What the F*&%ing Hell are you talking about, I don't know you and my mother and father are just fine."  she says sounding offended.

"I don't even know where the heck we are, I was at a party and then I just woke up like this here.  What the hell is happening to me?  You seem to know stuff, so you can tell me right?  And what is in Azlu?"


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 5, 2006)

Piotr became somewhat subdued as the fight came to its conclusion. Not what he expected. He looks around warily as he overheard a woman yelling at the Irishman. As Piotr had yelled in support of the guy he decided he didn't want to hang around if the guy also started said fight. Probably best to wait a few days until things had been forgotten until he made his way back. Piotr took his leave shortly thereafter, following the loud woman's advice even if it was not intended for him.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I was praying to the Lord and Lady."  Faith retorts defensively before she pauses to wonder what the hell the woman was talking about, she was still in the defensive stage of her new faith.  "What the F*&%ing Hell are you talking about, I don't know you and my mother and father are just fine."  she says sounding offended.



The woman kneels down, “Trust me you don’t know $#!%, but I am sure you won’t listen to me.  Right now you are bleeding on my territory.  Personally if I didn’t know your condition I would be kicking your ass from one side of this hunting ground to the other.  But I got bigger things to worry about, like the Host.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I don't even know where the heck we are, I was at a party and then I just woke up like this here.  What the hell is happening to me?  You seem to know stuff, so you can tell me right?  And what is in Azlu?"



“Well there we go,” she replies spitting into the snow, “you are still changing, you are not fully through the looking glass girl.  I can see that look in our eyes, you are probably still worried about your arm and your shoulder, and you got lucky the barb isn’t poisoned.  By now your injuries you thought you might die from, they should be just a dull pain.  Just a cool reminder that something tried to rip you apart.”

“The Azlu is a monster girl, oh yeah that thing you were afraid of when you were kid, that monster in the closet or under your bed… yeah some of those monsters are real.  And an Azlu the kind that left that barb in you, is one of the meanest… probably twice your height with skin as hard as steel and claws that cut normal men in two with ease.  And they are immortal, or damn near close,” the woman replies.

“You smoke?” she pulls out a pack.

*Piotr*

The bar starts to empty quickly mostly because of the fight, but the woman.  She is like a feral predator, she exudes power and fear, and he isn’t so certain if people are leaving because of the savage beating or because the woman looks like she could do worse…

Outside Piotr sees two men sitting on choppers, a large man well over six feet with a large thick torso and a bright red bear with an American flag bandanna over his head and a lean built man with a scarred face and what looks to be only one good eye.  Both have that smell to them… the smell that says danger.


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> The woman kneels down, “Trust me you don’t know $#!%, but I am sure you won’t listen to me.  Right now you are bleeding on my territory.  Personally if I didn’t know your condition I would be kicking your ass from one side of this hunting ground to the other.  But I got bigger things to worry about, like the Host.”




Faith shrinks back from the woman a little at the threat, or almost threat, or whatever it was.  "Why...why would you beat me up?  I...I haven't done anything to your....territory.  I swear, just point me back to town and I'll get out of your way."  Faith isn't a very big girl, and she looks rather diminished at the moment, something she is trying to emphasize, she didn't want to look like she was being disrespectful or giving any kind of problems.



> “Well there we go,” she replies spitting into the snow, “you are still changing, you are not fully through the looking glass girl.  I can see that look in our eyes, you are probably still worried about your arm and your shoulder, and you got lucky the barb isn’t poisoned.  By now your injuries you thought you might die from, they should be just a dull pain.  Just a cool reminder that something tried to rip you apart.”




"Changing?  Changing into what?  Am I gonna change into something?  Is that why everything was soo funky tonight?  Like my senses going onto overdrive?  Is that what your talking about?"  Faith asks in rapid succession, happy to have someone tell her what is actually going on.  When she is told her wounds shouldn't even be hurting at this point she looks at the wounds in wonder, surprised that they are as the woman said.  "They don't hurt, at least not like they did, not bad...is more stuff going to happen to me?  What is going on?"



> “The Azlu is a monster girl, oh yeah that thing you were afraid of when you were kid, that monster in the closet or under your bed… yeah some of those monsters are real.  And an Azlu the kind that left that barb in you, is one of the meanest… probably twice your height with skin as hard as steel and claws that cut normal men in two with ease.  And they are immortal, or damn near close,” the woman replies.
> 
> “You smoke?” she pulls out a pack.




"Your joking...right?  Monsters?"  the pink haired girl asks nervously, looking down at the barb again grimacing.  "Why did it come after me?  I heard a voice it called me wolfbitch...it was chittering and sounded like it was really mad at me, was that this Azlu thing?  Do you know it called me wolf?  and isn't going to like come after me again and again like those really stupid monster movies til it dies?" she asks, scowling at the thought.  She waves away the offered smokes.

"If its such a bad ass how come I'm not dead and its missing a claw?"


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 5, 2006)

Ari shakes her head numbly at the detective's question. She still feels like she's been packed in ice...a stark contrast to the raging heat of the conflict she'd just been through.

"I don't know...it was so totally senseless. I had just gotten the wife to calm down. I was going to get a statement. See if she was going to press charges, or what. Richards, he..."

Her voice chokes off for a second, and she swallows. "He had the father in cuffs...everything was under control. And then...there was a shot from the door. I saw Richards start going down, and I turned...it wasn't the kid. I mean, he looked like he was ten feet tall, man. And...he said something. He said he could smell a forsaken, or the forsaken...I don't know. It was all going so fast. Then he shot the husband while I was going for my gun, going for cover."

She takes a deep shuddering breath. "I could swear he shot me. I felt pain...felt blood coming out of me. Maybe I just imagined it." She scrubs her eyes on the back of her hand. 

"I need a second, guys. There a bathroom around here?"


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Faith shrinks back from the woman a little at the threat, or almost threat, or whatever it was.  "Why...why would you beat me up?  I...I haven't done anything to your....territory.  I swear, just point me back to town and I'll get out of your way."  Faith isn't a very big girl, and she looks rather diminished at the moment, something she is trying to emphasize, she didn't want to look like she was being disrespectful or giving any kind of problems.



The woman glares at Faith, “Just be thankful I am not here to beat your ass.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Changing?  Changing into what?  Am I gonna change into something?  Is that why everything was soo funky tonight?  Like my senses going onto overdrive?  Is that what your talking about?"  Faith asks in rapid succession, happy to have someone tell her what is actually going on.  When she is told her wounds shouldn't even be hurting at this point she looks at the wounds in wonder, surprised that they are as the woman said.  "They don't hurt, at least not like they did, not bad...is more stuff going to happen to me?  What is going on?"



Faith feels much better as the woman continues speaking, “You are changing into one of the uratha… a werewolf.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Your joking...right?  Monsters?"  the pink haired girl asks nervously, looking down at the barb again grimacing.  "Why did it come after me?  I heard a voice it called me wolfbitch...it was chittering and sounded like it was really mad at me, was that this Azlu thing?  Do you know it called me wolf?  and isn't going to like come after me again and again like those really stupid monster movies til it dies?" she asks, scowling at the thought.  She waves away the offered smokes.
> 
> "If its such a bad ass how come I'm not dead and its missing a claw?"



“Trust me, maybe you got lucky, maybe it wasn’t even after you… there are too many questions to answer of why.  Chances are you didn’t kill it, so don’t go patting yourself on the back.  But you definitely made it think twice before it goes hunting again.  Or maybe you just got lucky,” the woman replies.

“You got a name, little cub?” she finishes.

*Ariella*

The detective grumbles, “Yeah get yourself cleaned up, we got a long night against us.”

Ariella finds a bathroom, and enters seeing a bloody hole in her shirt, but no scar or even the nuance of injury.  She was shot… but she has nothing to show for it besides the bloody shirt.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 5, 2006)

Ari stares at herself in the mirror as she runs some cold water. After a moment she pokes a finger through the hole in her navy blue uniform blouse. Not far from the shield pinned to its breast. Not far from her heart. She shivers, then frantically unbuttons it, her fingers slipping on the buttons but finally getting it open.

She shrugs out of the blouse and examines the revealed skin, even pulling a bra strap aside a little to make sure the hole wasn't somehow hiding underneath.

Her short, sandy blonde hair hung in haggard, sweaty strands around her face. Her eyes glittered from behind, like little beads behind a curtain.

She looked savage. Feral. A jungle native glaring out of the mirror.

With effort, Ari tore her gaze off herself and thrust her hands into the water. Splashed it over her face. Almost immediately the coldness refreshed her, seemed to wash away a layer of grit or blood she couldn't see, but had subconciously felt. When she looked back up, she'd pushed her hair back, and the face she saw was just her own. The wild jungle girl had left.

But she still was one bullet wound short. Not that she -wanted- it...but...

_Riddle me this, Batwoman,_ Frank Gorshin's high pitched giggle sneered in her head. _What gets shot, but doesn't get shot!_

Ariella put her blouse back on and buttoned it back up before going back out to meet the detective again. All she could think was, _What the hell is going on?_


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## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

> The woman glares at Faith, “Just be thankful I am not here to beat your ass.”




"I am greatful...very greatful, I like my ass in its current only slightly beat condition."  Faith says solemnly, meaning it very very sincerely, the woman visibly frightened her, and being on her badside was something she desperately wanted to avoid.  "Can I ask why you would beat me up?  I don't want to cause any offense without knowing." 



> Faith feels much better as the woman continues speaking, “You are changing into one of the uratha… a werewolf.”




Faith's mouth drops open and then closes and her eyes widen.  "Werewolf?  Werewolves are real?  It did call me a wolf...but I wasn't bitten by a wolf or anything...Are all those stories true?  I mean the healing one has to be since I am, but...how about the silver?  Is that sword silver?  Am I going to go like all super big and hairy with the claws and the teeth?  Is that why all my clothes are all torn up?  Did I turn into a werewolf is that why I'm not dead and the Azlu is hurt?"

"Is that the thing your trying to kill?  If its going to come after me again, maybe I can help you or something?"  she asked, it was fairly obvious she didn't want to be alone in the dark with monsters like this Azlu thing right at that moment.

"Faith, my name is Faith, although I sort of like cub."  Faith says with a shrug.


----------



## DrZombie (Dec 5, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Piotr watches as the man launches himself onto the last frat boy standing.  Knocking him down and savagely beating the man with his fists like an animal.  The first few blows incapacitate the youth, but by the tenth punch people are trying to pull the man off the youth, whose face looks more like a ripe beaten tomato then a human face.
> 
> Drake you lose control.  The fury consuming you is focused on this prissy, college boy.  You want to shatter his beautiful face, and by the time you hear the satisfying crunch of bone and the fleshy sound of pummeled skin you realize that blood covers your hands, your knuckles are split and the boy is out, his face covered in cuts, bruises, and healthy amounts of blood.
> 
> The Drake feels himself being pulled back forcefully and even submitting when the scarred woman growls at him, “Stop!”  Drake tumbles to the ground and the bar is going crazy.  The woman speaks again, “Get out of here!”





Drake looks around at the people, all staring at him. He can't help but smile at the battered and bruised face of the fratboy, more a predatory grin then something vaguely connected with a sense of humor.
He grabs his guitar case and his backpack and heads outside for a fresh breath of air, or so he tells himself. 

_Feck. Feck feck feck feck feck.  What the hell was I thinking. Gotta keep in control. Feck. There goes my gig. Feck. Guess it'll be a while before another girl looks at him. He should've known better then to pick a fight with a pissed off Irishman on his night out though. Feck. Hope the coppers gonna let this one slip by._

Outside he looks around for another pub or resto, someplace to wash the blood off his knuckles and wash his face.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 5, 2006)

Piotr was pretty content to have made it out of the bar hidden among the small throng. This was one of the most eventful evenings he had had for a very long time. He wasn't going to get the drinks he wanted at the end of a long day's work but the presence of the bikers, and the aura they exuded, suggested whatever was happening wasn't over yet. Piotr wasn't going to miss out.

He muttered something to himself in Russian and chuckled, then waited out of the way, watching the bikers. Were these bikers friends of the loud woman inside? It was possible.


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## Graf (Dec 5, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Camera*
> 
> The man was Camera’s height, this man that claimed to be his father.  He wore a heavy black leather trench coat that hung down to his ankles.  Thick combat boots, freshly shined with dark beaten jeans.  His shirt was a thick gray turtleneck, which clung tightly to the man’s muscled frame.  He was massive not only in size but in presence as well.  His eyes were green and his skin was dark and weathered.  His head is bald, and it looks the man is sizing Camera up as well.
> 
> He speaks, “You are my son.”




Camera absently scratches his scalp, pulling on his tangled mass of hair. He’s crouched down resting on the balls of his feet.

“Nice to meet you,” he says quietly.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Graf said:
			
		

> Camera absently scratches his scalp, pulling on his tangled mass of hair. He’s crouched down resting on the balls of his feet.
> 
> “Nice to meet you,” he says quietly.



The man responds with a grunt, “Boy its time you learned what your family is really about.  Your momma done right by you, but now it’s my time.  You got much to learn and we don’t have much time to teach you.”

He walks to the table and takes a seat, “We eat first, and then we get down to the family tree.”

*Faith*

“In Time Faith you will understand, as your wolf instincts become stronger.  But for now we need to get you out of here, my pack has a safe house close by, and the rest can answers your questions.  Luckily you didn’t run, not that you would get far, I have the taste of your blood and could find you,” she scrunches her nose, “let alone all that garish perfume.”

The woman starts walking, sheathing the blade.

*Ariella*

The detective is waiting for her when she gets outside the bathroom, a semi-clean public restroom connected to the housing office.  He grimaces looking over his notes and then speaks, “So tell me once again about this shooter, was it the boy or not the boy, and if it wasn’t the boy why did you shoot him?”

*Drake & Piotr*

Drake is stopped by one of the bikers, the bandanna wearing red bearded brute.  The man grunts, “Where you going fresh meat?”

The woman strides out wearing a dusty and worn cowboy hat, her features hidden by the brow.  She walks up to Drake, “You riding with us tonight, meat.”

The third biker glares at Piotr, but the woman speaks, “Curious?”


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## DrZombie (Dec 5, 2006)

*Drake*

Drake puts his guitarcase up and lets one end stand against his chest, pretending to lean on it with his left arm. 

" You want tomatohead back there." he points back to the bar. "He's got enough scars now to join your wee little band of merry scoundrels. And he looked as if he was in the kinky stuff too." He says with a big smile plastered on his face.

Meanwhile his right hand slips behind his back to grab his knife, unseen he hopes.

_Feck. I'm gonna get my arse fecking kicked. I'm gonna die. Feck._


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## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> Drake puts his guitarcase up and lets one end stand against his chest, pretending to lean on it with his left arm.
> 
> " You want tomatohead back there." he points back to the bar. "He's got enough scars now to join your wee little band of merry scoundrels. And he looked as if he was in the kinky stuff too." He says with a big smile plastered on his face.



“Funny,” she replies.  The woman gets astride her chopper, while the large red bearded brute glares at Drake.  He moves forward but a sideward glance from the woman stays his hand.

The thinner biker follows suiting getting astride his custom chopper.  He spits on the sidewalk, leaving a stain of chew on the ground.  The woman looks at Drake, “You hurt that boy pretty bad.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 5, 2006)

My nose was on overdrive and my friend's kid brother and his crew were stinking up the place, it was self-defense trying not to smell them."  Faith says defensively at the shot about her perfume.  "Besides this isn't garish its Hilfiger and a hundred dollars a bottle."  she adds following along behind the woman who she was assuming was a werewolf too.

"So this place you are taking me too, is it a place where werewolves hang out together?  Are there a lot of werewolves around?  I wouldn't think so or people would notice, but I guess out here in the wilderness its probably easy to be overlooked.  How about back in the city?  You talked about territory...are there city werewolves too?  I mean  I wouldn't want to step on people's toes when I get at home right?" she asked before trudging in silence for a while.

"Well, you know my name is Faith, so whats your name?"


----------



## Graf (Dec 5, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> He walks to the table and takes a seat, “We eat first, and then we get down to the family tree.”




His mind awhirl Camera lapses into silence as he returns to the table.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "My nose was on overdrive and my friend's kid brother and his crew were stinking up the place, it was self-defense trying not to smell them."  Faith says defensively at the shot about her perfume.  "Besides this isn't garish its Hilfiger and a hundred dollars a bottle."  she adds following along behind the woman who she was assuming was a werewolf too.



The woman does not reply.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "So this place you are taking me too, is it a place where werewolves hang out together?  Are there a lot of werewolves around?  I wouldn't think so or people would notice, but I guess out here in the wilderness its probably easy to be overlooked.  How about back in the city?  You talked about territory...are there city werewolves too?  I mean  I wouldn't want to step on people's toes when I get at home right?" she asked before trudging in silence for a while.
> 
> "Well, you know my name is Faith, so whats your name?"



“Are there many of us uratha?  It depends on who you talk to,” she says walking along the street in this lower income neighborhood suburb.  She growls, “Listen Faith, don’t worry about my name… and we are here.”

She pauses in front of a normal looking home on a block of normal looking homes.  She opens the door and walks in calling out, “We got a guest, a new cub.  Hey anyone here?”

A man calls back, “Oh crap, what the hell you bring in now?  How did you find her?”

“I found her lying in the snow, she got into a tussle with an Azlu…” she replies.

“Holy $#!@, she what?  Did she kill it?” the man finally shows himself, he is thin in build with a tribal tattoo covering his upper right shoulder, wearing jeans no shoes and not shirt.  He has dirty blonde hair with a scruff on his chin, “Well the rest are out on hunting, are you leaving her here with me.”

“Well grab me a beer,” she says and walks into the living room.  The guy shrugs and heads to the kitchen, “Hey you want anything from the fridge, beer?”

“Before you go blabbing any of this stuff Faith, you have to know, the apes can never know what you really are.  Do you understand what that means?” the woman replies.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 5, 2006)

Graf said:
			
		

> His mind awhirl Camera lapses into silence as he returns to the table.



The meal is quick and somewhat uncomfortable, but after the meal Camera finds himself outside in the backyard with the old man.  His _father_ begins, “Camera, I don’t know much about you; tell me about your visions of late.”


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## Shayuri (Dec 5, 2006)

Feeling a bit more coherent after her little wash, despite her discovery, Ariella takes a breath and answers the question more completely.

"Alright, by the time I was looking at the door, I was already jumping off to one side...kind of diving for cover. So I didn't get a good look. All I really saw was this shadow in the doorway. Now it -looked- pretty big to me...but I'll be honest, that was not one of my clearest moments. It could have just been the kid. The whole thing was like a nightmare. I wouldn't be surprised if I thought I saw Dracula over there."

She hugs herself and tucks her hands under her arms.

"All I know is that whoever was in that doorway was shooting, so I returned fire. Honestly, with the way I was diving, and with things as dark as they were out there, I'm surprised I even hit anything."

_Not anything. Anyone. He was ten._

Ari chews her bottom lip unhappily, then looks up at the detective and asks, "Why did he do it? I mean...neither of us had our guns out. The screaming had stopped. Why would he shoot at us like that?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 6, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Drake is stopped by one of the bikers, the bandanna wearing red bearded brute. The man grunts, “Where you going fresh meat?”
> 
> The woman strides out wearing a dusty and worn cowboy hat, her features hidden by the brow. She walks up to Drake, “You riding with us tonight, meat.”
> 
> The third biker glares at Piotr, but the woman speaks, “Curious?”




"Been a while since I've seen anything interesting taking place here, so yes, I'm curious," Piotr admits.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 6, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> She hugs herself and tucks her hands under her arms.
> 
> "All I know is that whoever was in that doorway was shooting, so I returned fire. Honestly, with the way I was diving, and with things as dark as they were out there, I'm surprised I even hit anything."
> 
> ...



The detective scowls, “That is what I am trying to figure out, right now I got one hell of a story on my hands and public outcry isn’t exactly going to go easy on you.  Some of the witnesses say you shot at the kid first.  The boy, Enrique, was a smart boy and did well in school.  He was well liked by these people, his neighbors, friends, and family.  I have to say I am trying to piece this altogether and this mystery man with a guy isn’t making much sense.”

“I am trying to make sense of this and not much of this makes sense.  I believe the boy shot first, I believe you fired in self defense, but the lack of your own injuries and the fact that you admit that there was another person here that no one else can describe,” the detective finishes.

*Piotr*

The woman nods, “Interesting?  I am not sure if you are ready for this kind of interesting, stranger.”  She speaks in a soft measured tone, contrasting with her rough look.


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## Shalimar (Dec 6, 2006)

"Umm...ok,"  Faith says, quirking her eyebrow at the refusal to give a name, it wasn't very polite, and it definitely made her more curious about the older Urathra, she thought the woman was kinda cool, and the sword definitely made her a badass.  The pink haired teen in her shredded clothes followed along behind her mysterious savior as they moved into the low rent suburbs.  Faith sniffed at the house before entering behind the woman, she wasn't exactly sure she liked being broadcast as a new cub, but she really didn't wantto make it an issue.

"Hi, I'm Faith, nice to meet you."  Faith says to the new Uratha offering him her hand and a smile, trying to win him over, more then the woman at least.  "Uhh...not sure about bear, I had a drink tonight at a party and I woke up with my clothes shreded out in afield with a barb through my shoulder...not sure I'm up for another one.  Do you have anything non-alcoholic?  Does alcohol do different things to Uratha is that why things got all funky?  Or was my drink drugged maybe?"

"Uhh sure, I guess so, I take it that apes refers to humans?"  Faith asks at her finder's warning.  "I get why they shouldn't know, but how can you be totally sure that I am a werewolf?  Its not even the full moon yet is it?  and if I turned into a wolf shouldn't my clothes be torn up even worse?  human shapes aren't very close to wolves after all."


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 6, 2006)

Ariella rubs her temples and sighs. 

"Yeah, but...it was a stressful moment, is what I'm saying. I was half-panicked. And even then all I saw was a shadow in the doorway. There's no way I'd be able to testify under oath that there was definitely someone else there. I don't know what I saw...if anything."

She looks up at him and spreads her hands. 

"What do I do? They didn't exactly cover this sort of thing at the Academy, you know."


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 6, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Hi, I'm Faith, nice to meet you."  Faith says to the new Uratha offering him her hand and a smile, trying to win him over, more then the woman at least.  "Uhh...not sure about bear, I had a drink tonight at a party and I woke up with my clothes shreded out in afield with a barb through my shoulder...not sure I'm up for another one.  Do you have anything non-alcoholic?  Does alcohol do different things to Uratha is that why things got all funky?  Or was my drink drugged maybe?"



The young man grins, “Hey Faith, call me Duncan… Duncan Blood Eye… but everyone just calls me Eyes.  I see you met our pack beta, Candace.  Don’t let her personality fool you, she is a sweet girl… sometimes.”

Candace growls, “Shut up Eyes, just get my beer.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let the doom and gloom scare you Faith, realizing what you are… one of us kicks ass.  Your body heals back fast, you will be super healthy,” Eyes calls back, “but take my words with a grain of salt I was in your shoes about six months ago.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Uhh sure, I guess so, I take it that apes refers to humans?"  Faith asks at her finder's warning.  "I get why they shouldn't know, but how can you be totally sure that I am a werewolf?  Its not even the full moon yet is it?  and if I turned into a wolf shouldn't my clothes be torn up even worse?  human shapes aren't very close to wolves after all."



“I know… I can smell you.  Plus I tasted your blood when I attacked you.  You are one of us, you are uratha; that is our word for the people for us.  You can doubt it, you can go home and cry about how your life is over or whine about how you will never get a date for prom I really don’t care.  But that won’t change that you are one of Father Wolf’s children.”

Eyes brings the beer and a glass of water for Faith.  Candace adds, “Your old life is over, you can try and live within it if you wish, but it will never work.”

*Ariella*

The detective nods, “Now you go home and get some rest, tomorrow will be a full day.”  He starts walking away, “I have work to do.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 6, 2006)

"Hi Duncan, its nice to meet you.  You too Candace, thank you for finding me out there and leading me back."  she says thanking the woman now that she knew her name.  When Duncan mentioned a beta her eyebrow quirked up and her nose scrunched cutely, obviously begging for an elaboration.  "What's a beta?  and what do packs do?  I mean, howl at the moon together?"  she asks Duncan sensing that she'd probably get much more out of him then she would out of Candace, guys were like jello around her, women not so much.  Her best bet at finding out what was really going on was probably Duncan regardless though.

"So how did you get the name Duncan Blood Eye, it sounds cool.  Do Uratha all have special names for each other?"  she asks before the Candace gets bitchy and sends him away for drinks.

"Why would I cry that my life is over?  Tonight was freaky, but I'm fine now, I mean my parents aren't even expecting me home before tomorrow so it'll all work out.  I'm not even hurt, not that the fact that I am not hurt after being stabbed and bit, thanks for that, is even remotely good, but it beats the emergency room or dead, right?"  Faith says looking back and forth between the Uratha.

"Wait...you bit me, is that why I'm a werewolf?  No, can't be, that screechy chittering voice was calling me wolf before the party, and then I lost all that time and the clothes and the blood in my mouth, and the whole being miles and miles away, couldn't have been you."  the pink haired teen says sounding puzzled.  "So how does one become a werewolf if not a bite, and who is this father wolf guy, and did you say we did something to him?  And who is the we and how does this all work?  You were talking about territoy and beating me up for being in it...how do I know where not to be and everything?"


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## Graf (Dec 6, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> The meal is quick and somewhat uncomfortable, but after the meal Camera finds himself outside in the backyard with the old man.  His _father_ begins, “Camera, I don’t know much about you; tell me about your visions of late.”



Camera is profoundly confused. People usually don’t want to hear his “nonsense”.

He spends a minute or so staring at his toes. Then he runs back into the house and up the stairs. A few minutes later he returns carrying his notebook.
Wordlessly he shows this-person-who-is-his-father some recent sketches.

Stupefied looking people walk unto the gaping maws of house-monsters. 
A man cuts out his own heart and places it on a grill in a back yard; his face is superimposed by a mask Camera saw in a book about Mayans, his steak knife a stone blade, the barbeque a roughly hewn altar.
The streets around the house are mapped out in meticulous detail, but odd features are included that aren’t on any map.


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## DrZombie (Dec 6, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> “Funny,” she replies.  The woman gets astride her chopper, while the large red bearded brute glares at Drake.  He moves forward but a sideward glance from the woman stays his hand.
> 
> The thinner biker follows suiting getting astride his custom chopper.  He spits on the sidewalk, leaving a stain of chew on the ground.  The woman looks at Drake, “You hurt that boy pretty bad.”





"Yeah" He says, smile gone now. "I get a bit mental now and then."
He looks the women in the eye. "Like when three moterbikers think I'm fresh meat and they try to take me someplace without explanation."
His smile returns, but with a manic edge.
"Then I go completely bananas."
He casts a dubious look at the bikes.
"Besides, how the hell are we gonna take my guitar along?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 6, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> The woman nods, “Interesting? I am not sure if you are ready for this kind of interesting, stranger.” She speaks in a soft measured tone, contrasting with her rough look.




Piotr smiled, two fascinating women in one evening.

"For a biker you're not very rude," he said bluntly, then waited as the Irishman said his piece, "I like many kinds of interesting. You don't know me, so I don't think you can say what I'm ready for."


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2006)

"Right," Ari said, more to herself than the retreating detective. "Home."

The word didn't have the comfort it used to. How safe was home against giant phantoms that changed into ten year old children? How safe was home when the fear and doubt was directed inside, not out?

She drove the patrol car back to the station. It felt weird, sitting in the spot Richards had been in. As she drove past that strip joint, she remembered the weirdness with the radio and the blood. She'd never thought that would be the -least- weird, the least worrying incidents of the night.

From the station, she drove her own little subcompact home.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 12, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> "Right," Ari said, more to herself than the retreating detective. "Home."
> 
> The word didn't have the comfort it used to. How safe was home against giant phantoms that changed into ten year old children? How safe was home when the fear and doubt was directed inside, not out?
> 
> ...



Home seemed cold and sterile.  Maybe it was the weird events of the night maybe it was the  look of the boy before he pulled the trigger, so serene so at peace, yet so ruthless and brutal all at once.  But it was home and there was some comfort in that.

If only mild comfort.

But at least one could dream…

Ariella isn’t sure when she fell asleep, or maybe she isn’t sleeping.  But she finds herself lying in the sand.  A powerful silence raging all around her, yet she feels not a bit of heat against her skin.  A shadow looms over her, when she turns Ariella finds a wolf of massive size at least as large an elephant.  Its fur is white with flecks of gray and black in it; but the eyes are piercing and blue.  This wolf walks alone. 

The massive wolf speaks although no English she understands it nonetheless, *“You have questions?”* The voice is feminine and powerful, *“I know because I have questions, and I have answers.  You are like me.  Will you run with me?”*

*Piotr and Drake*

“Why thank you,” the woman replies, she cocks her head slowly as if something else has gotten her notice.  The men follow her look to an approaching group of young people.  Lead by a young man, with long slick back hair shades, at night, and a swagger that says he owns this joint… or at least is trying to give that impression.

She looks at Drake, and then turns to the young man, “Friends of yours?” she directs the question back to Drake.

*Camera*

Camera’s father listens and looks at the sketches.  He then speaks after looking at the pictures in silence, “You need to listen to me boy, what you see here… you see something that your mother, your brothers, and most people can never experience.  Oh they feel it, but you… you are like me… although you have not fully come to grips with what you are.  You ain’t human… you need to know that now.  You are remembering what you were… your body is remembering the wolf within.”

*Faith*

Candace scowls, “We don’t have time to bring you up to speed at this very moment, so some of these questions need to wait.  I am the Beta, which means what I say goes unless the Alpha is here, I make sure things run smooth in the pack… and you ain’t my pack so I don’t owe you anything.”

Duncan shrugs, “The beta has spoken… so what we doing boss?” he adds in a dopy tone.

Candace growls, and Duncan’s look melts.  He gulps visibly as Candace drinks down her beer, “I ain’t watching a new cub, and I will be damned if we have to care for her.  We got too much going on already and if we got an azlu on the lose, our jobs just got harder.”

“So the plan is?” Duncan questions.

Candace pauses, “Quiet… someone is outside…”


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## Graf (Dec 12, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Camera’s father listens and looks at the sketches.  He then speaks after looking at the pictures in silence, “You need to listen to me boy, what you see here… you see something that your mother, your brothers, and most people can never experience.  Oh they feel it, but you… you are like me… although you have not fully come to grips with what you are.  You ain’t human… you need to know that now.  You are remembering what you were… your body is remembering the wolf within.”




Camera stares at his father for a long minute. Then he nods. “Sure”
And he smiles a great big smile.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 12, 2006)

*Camera*

"You want to hear a story boy?"  A story about your legacy... our legacy, and who we are?" his father replies.


----------



## Graf (Dec 12, 2006)

Camera nods. He his chest feels tight. And his head light.


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 12, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Candace growls, and Duncan’s look melts.  He gulps visibly as Candace drinks down her beer, “I ain’t watching a new cub, and I will be damned if we have to care for her.  We got too much going on already and if we got an azlu on the lose, our jobs just got harder.”
> 
> “So the plan is?” Duncan questions.
> 
> Candace pauses, “Quiet… someone is outside…”




"Oh...ok, you've done more then enough for me, finding me and bringing me back here.  You don't owe me anything."  Faith agreed, not wanting to get Candace mad at her.  If Candace's pack didn't really want anything to do with her then she could find another with how easily Candace found her they'd be more likely to find her though.  She wasn't even sure that she even would need a pack.  Especially if that meant she had to do what Candace said, she was scary, very scary, and the way Duncan did whatever she said made her even more so, faith could generally get guys to do what she wanted but it was for a whole different reason.

"I can just call a cab and be out of your hair."  the pink haired girl offered hopefully.  She breaks off when Candace calls for quiet.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 12, 2006)

Instinctively shielding her face with an arm, Ari stands up, squinting as she stares up at the gargantuan wolf that towers over her. She knows it's a dream, no matter how realistic it is, no matter how powerfully her senses seem to be working, no matter how vivid it is. 

She isn't screaming in terror. That's how she knows.

"Yeah," she says to it...no, to her. "I have questions. Will you give me answers?" She pauses, then offers up an answer of her own, just to show she's not all me-me-me.

"I'll run with you if you do."

The offer slips out her lips without checking in with her brain, and immediately she's consumed with fear...but also with exhileration. Anticipation. Definitely a dream.


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 12, 2006)

Piotr can't help a smirk at the fact that the guy is wearing sunglasses at night. It detracted significantly from any qualities that would have made him intimidating in the first place, if there were any qualities that did so. He held his toungue, despite wanting to say something to the guy. The arrogance combined with the ridiculous appearance certainly begged for it.


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## DrZombie (Dec 12, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *Piotr and Drake*
> 
> “Why thank you,” the woman replies, she cocks her head slowly as if something else has gotten her notice.  The men follow her look to an approaching group of young people.  Lead by a young man, with long slick back hair shades, at night, and a swagger that says he owns this joint… or at least is trying to give that impression.
> 
> She looks at Drake, and then turns to the young man, “Friends of yours?” she directs the question back to Drake.




"Friends? Nah, most people are put off by my charming personality, my eloquent compliments, and my peace-loving gentle character. Don't have any."
He continues in a bit louder tone, pitching it to be just audable to the approaching group.
"But if I did, it fecking wouldn't include a dumb fecker stupid enough to think it's fecking cool to wear fecking shades in the middle of the fecking night."
He turns around, trying to avoid being caught between two groups, still fingering but not drawing the knife hidden behind his back.


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 12, 2006)

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Piotr remarked to the Irishman with a chuckle.

The comment restored his faith somewhat in the violent Irish stranger, and with someone else present who thought along the same lines about sunglasses at night it seemed perhaps Piotr could be more confident in offering not entirely constructive criticism.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 12, 2006)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> He continues in a bit louder tone, pitching it to be just audable to the approaching group.
> "But if I did, it fecking wouldn't include a dumb fecker stupid enough to think it's fecking cool to wear fecking shades in the middle of the fecking night."
> He turns around, trying to avoid being caught between two groups, still fingering but not drawing the knife hidden behind his back.



The woman pauses, “Interesting,” she punctuates this by starting her chopper, it roars to life with the throbbing sound of American muscle, “but we have run out of time for tonight.”

She nods and the others follow her as she pulls into traffic nearly causing an accident her friends follow making just as much noise.

The man wearing shades, well a youth probably no more then eighteen in great shape.  He spits and glares at Drake, “What the hell you looking at pussy?  You must not know who I am, and you definitely smell like a little pussy to me.  Here I am hearing that I got trouble on my turf and find you two stirring up the crap.  So who the hell are you two?”

A woman, you can tell from her body and voice, her head shaved clean like cue ball speaks, “Simmer down Moriarty, these guys don’t know anything, hell chances are they don’t even know the score yet… but yeah… oh yeah… they got the touch.”  Her mood is manic and she grins awkwardly, with her unsettling gaze.

“Jesus Buzz, you mean these two dicks, are the ones…” he turns back to Drake and Piotr,  “you guys got the whole area lit up like Christmas… but who were the other three?”

Buzz grins, “The Pure…”

“What the…” Moriarty curses loudly howling, “And you are just telling me now… we got to hunt them down!”

Buzz covers her eyes, “We got better things to do, lets take them to see the head Bitch.”

Moriarty growls, “This is going to be a long night.”

*Ariella*

*“Take your wolf skin, you will need its speed to follow.  We run tonight and we hunt.  You may ask me four questions, no more.  Now take your wolf skin Ariella,”* the great she wolf communicates through body language growls and even smells.

_Feel free to describe her wolf-shape._

*Faith*

Silence.

Candace eases that blade from its sheath.  Her body visibly grows larger, more feral, hair growing on her arms and face, and her eyes becoming more predatory.  She easily gained at least a foot in height and perhaps a hundred pounds in muscle mass.  If she was scary before, she looks absolutely terrifying now.

The door shatters, and standing in the doorway is something that perhaps was once human, but now stands easily at seven feet in height and an extra set of razor sharp limbs have spouted from its shoulders.  Where the legs should be, are several sets more of spider like appendages.  It is horrifying and the chittering voice is unsettling, “I thought I smelled rabid dog…” it gutters forth in English.

Candace growls, “Duncan… go, get Faith out of here!”

Duncan balks, “You can’t handle…”

“GO!”

Duncan looks at Faith grabbing her hand, “Time to go,” his voice cracking.

*Camera*

His father nods, “You are one of the people, the uratha.  We have existed since the time of Pangaea.  It was the hunter’s paradise, man, animal, spirit… they all knew their place in this world.  The greatest hunter of all, was Father Wolf.  He was our father, the first among the Great Pack.  He was the Alpha, the master, and it was his duty to maintain the balance.”

Father pauses, “He was the consort of Luna, the slayer of the Spinner-Hag, the Plague-King, and many ancient evils of that scourged Pangaea.  We were created in his image and carried part of his spirit, in many ways we are both the children of the Moon, Luna and Father Wolf.  But even a spirit as great and as powerful as Father Wolf grew old, and the hunt became harder for the great spirit.  It was a hard choice but we slew our father for he was weak, we tore him down… it may seem cruel or even heartless, but the pack grows weaker as the Alpha descends into weakness, if one will not step down willingly then they must be forced.  The pack must stay strong.”

The large man sighs, “For this act we are Forsaken.  We have continued the Hunt, but know that we have blood on our hands.  It is the original sin of our people.  Our legacy begins in blood and will end in blood.”


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 13, 2006)

As the blade slides free of the sheathe, Faith's eyes widen and she stumbles back away from Candace, her fear of the woman once again hiking up a notch.  Thats when things got ugly, the woman hulked out, that was the only way that Faith could describe it, Candace grew a whole foot, til she was a towering mass of muscles, causing Faith to drop to the floor landing on her not very well padded bottom.

Then the door shatters and in walks an even scarier hulking brute, and Faith began to understand the whole 'your life as you know it is over' thing, cause she really can't think of anything being normal after seeing Canadace and this thing.  Was it the Azlu thing that Candace had talked to her about?  Maybe something worse, either way she had no clue.  She quickly scrambles to her feet and grabs Duncan's pulling him towards the back of the house as soon as Candace says go.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 13, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Then the door shatters and in walks an even scarier hulking brute, and Faith began to understand the whole 'your life as you know it is over' thing, cause she really can't think of anything being normal after seeing Canadace and this thing.  Was it the Azlu thing that Candace had talked to her about?  Maybe something worse, either way she had no clue.  She quickly scrambles to her feet and grabs Duncan's pulling him towards the back of the house as soon as Candace says go.



Faith and Duncan scramble towards the back, the door flying open as Duncan opens the door with his shoulder.  Inside behind them, they hear a fierce melee underway, furniture shattering, glass breaking, and the sounds of what can only be described as disgusting.

Duncan breathes, “Jesus we have to find Isaac… holy crap I have never seen an azlu like that… up close and everything.”

There is a terrible clamor as the sliding glass door leading to the patio where both Duncan and Faith are at currently shatters.  Candace’s body lands in a roll covered in terrible slashes.  She rolls to her feet… blade still in hand as the azlu steps through the glass terrible gashes across its fleshy chitin-like body.  It hisses, “You will suffer a thousand agonies forsaken.”

Candace  leaps into the air and shoves the blade into the beast’s belly.   But it throws her aside slamming her into and through the fence…  Duncan growls as the azlu moves with such speed that it is already…

Faith feels pain.  She sees blood.  *SHE FEELS THE RAGE.*

Faith feels the slick feeling of entrails between her moist hands.  An acrid taste in her mouth of flesh and the crunch of spider limbs.  Around her are pieces of what was the azlu. 

She then feels a hand on her shoulder and Candace speaking, though it seems fairly difficult for her to articulate words, or say anything recognizable as words.  When Faith looks up she sees that Candace’s jaw is shattered the left side of her face is horribly mangled.

Duncan speaks, his body covered in bruises and cuts, “Well you are definitely one of us… you distracted it enough to give Candace a chance to finish it off.  By the way you got little spiders crawling out of your mouth…”

Faith is nearly naked now, only scraps of clothes and the viscera of the creature covering her body… the cold stings against her skin.


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## Shalimar (Dec 13, 2006)

Faith follows Duncan out onto the patio with her pulse pounding a mile a minute.This wasn't right, not at all, her life had become some sick nightmare overnight, and it wasn't even a normal nightmare either.  Werewolves were suppoused to be the bad asses in all the monster stories, nothing picked on them, they were the unkillable monsters that made people run screaming, it shouldn't be the other way around, she thought her feet pumping frantically along the hard stone of the Patio as the house exploded in violence behind the werewolves fleeing with their tails betweens their legs.  The pink haired girl wanted to scream in fright and in anger, or howl she suppoused being a wolf.

The patio glass door explodes and then things happened to fast for Faith to think, to fast for her to remember.  Heat, a burning heat full of pain....full of anger everything became a red haze accompanied by the slimey feel of wet entrails in her hands and burning tang in her mouth.  Spitting, spluttering, and coughing out spiders she turns at the pressure on her shoulder to see Candace though she can't really make out what she is saying very well.

Feeling a biting cold, the girl rubs at her limbs, bringing the realization that she is almost completely naked as she feels goosebumps start to crawl on her delicate skin.  She looks at Duncan dully as she tries to make out what he is saying, get the spiders out of her mouth and cover herself from his eyes at the same time.  It wasn't very rational, as her clothes had been mostly ruined even before he had seen her for the first time, but she was a mostly good girl, and good girls didn't stand nearly nude over corpses in front of strange boys, leaving aside the fact that good girls weren't were wolves.  Good girls also didn't eat out the inside of people's  or monsters, and that thought did faith in, releaving her of the contents of her stomach, and leaving her crouched on all fours next to the dead beast.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 13, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Feeling a biting cold, the girl rubs at her limbs, bringing the realization that she is almost completely naked as she feels goosebumps start to crawl on her delicate skin.  She looks at Duncan dully as she tries to make out what he is saying, get the spiders out of her mouth and cover herself from his eyes at the same time.  It wasn't very rational, as her clothes had been mostly ruined even before he had seen her for the first time, but she was a mostly good girl, and good girls didn't stand nearly nude over corpses in front of strange boys, leaving aside the fact that good girls weren't were wolves.  Good girls also didn't eat out the inside of people's  or monsters, and that thought did faith in, releaving her of the contents of her stomach, and leaving her crouched on all fours next to the dead beast.



Duncan looks away turning his back, “Uhh yeah…”

Candace waits for Faith to spill her guts before she speaks, able to make out somewhat intelligible sentences now, “I guess you do have something of the warrior spirit in you, the wolf is strong in you Faith…”  Candace spits up blood and starts cleaning her blade, “I am a rahu, a warrior of luna while Duncan is an irraka, a trickster or some crap like that.  Mostly he is a pain in my ass.”

Duncan shrugs, “I like to use my head.”

Candace scowls, “I do what I have to do to defend my pack.  Faith I think it is time that we get you somewhere safe.  Duncan clean up, and let Isaac know I took Faith to see the Silver Syndicate.  To see Max Roman.”

Duncan nods, “On it boss…”

_An hour later… Max Roman’s estate._

Faith got some fresh clothes, old sweat pants a shirt, and a chance to modestly clean her face but not much before she arrived.  But she was given a chance to grab a shower in a luxurious bath room after she arrived, in fact everything about this estate was about luxury and style, with a rustic western motif.  Waiting in the bedroom standing was the man himself, or at least she believed so.  This man was a werewolf, he was ruggedly handsome with long hair down to his shoulders going slightly gray at the temple.  His build was muscular and she could feel his charismatic aura.

Max speaks, “Faith, can I call you Faith?  My name is Max Roman, but you can call me Max.  I understand you had an eventful evening, and I apologize if I am understating the obvious.  You obviously have some questions of me.  The most obvious being, what does it mean to be a werewolf yes?”


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## Shalimar (Dec 13, 2006)

"I...ugh...I  totally was seeing red, that thing was pissing me off, and then the next thing I know its all over...did I turn into a werewolf? Is that why that thing is in my mouth and my clothes are totalled?" Faith asks still coughing out bits of chitin and guts, and trying to not gag as she gets it out.

"If the Rahu are the warrior werewolves and the Irr...Irakka are the tricky ones, then what am I?  And how..." Faith asks, first stumbling over the unfamiliar names and then trailing off remembering what Candace had said about not owing her answers, besides, she wasn't really feeling talkative right then.  She didn't even ask who Max Roman and the Silver Syndicate were, though she did thank Candace greatfully for the 'new' clothes.

------------------------

After her shower Faith felt human again, rather ironic for not being human at all.  Her skin had been scrubbed raw, leaving it with that healthy pink new-skin glow.  She emerged from the luxurious bathroom with the t-shirts sleeves rolled under themselves to leave her arms bare and the mid-drift rolled up looking like exactly what she was, a confused all american teen who'd be at home on a football team with pom poms.

"Thank you for the shower, that was really really gross.  I feel human again,"  she says smiling at her host charmingly, though it turns into a sigh at the last part of what she said.  "Yea, sure, call me Faith."  she agrees, giving Max a tired smile.

"Its been a real nightmare...did Candace tell you everything that happened?  Is it always going to be like that?  Losing time, waking up hurt with nasty tastes in my mouth?"  she asks with a sigh.  "Umm...Candace did say that werewolves have territory and that they beat up other werewolves in their territory...is that really true?  I don't want to have any problems with anyone.  And what is the Rahu and Irakka stuff, which am I?"


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## Shayuri (Dec 13, 2006)

_Take my wolf skin? And how do I do that?_

She has her mouth open to ask...then stops. Four questions. No more. Four.

_It's a dream, Ari. Just DO it._

So she closes her eyes, and imagines it...and almost immediately is shocked by a rush of what can only be described as energy, flooding into her. Not electricity, or fire, or comic book 'gamma rays'...but the raw, muscular energy that made her feel she could outrun a horse, and finish the Boston marathon while doing it. There was a physical sensation too, a sort of prickling numbness over her skin and limbs. She felt her center of gravity shifting forward...

...and landed on her forepaws. It had happened. Ari was a wolf.

She had no idea how big wolves got, but she felt big...mastiff-sized, perhaps. Broad and tall at the shoulders with long legs made for loping with endurance. Grey-white fur grew thick around her shoulders and neck; thick and bristley, thinning slightly and growing shorter towards her hindquarters. A bushy tail. TAIL. Her tongue felt absurdedly heavy; her control of it a bit more limited than she was used to. It tended to dangle if she let it out. Feeling around with it, Ari realized her teeth were...big. And there were a lot of them.

Ultimately, though nothing like the size of the she-wolf that was even now turning to bound away, Ari figured her "wolf skin" was a plenty scary pile of dogmeat.

She burst into a long, leaping stride after the other wolf, feeling a savage joy at the use of her strength and speed. It took minutes...? Time was hard to judge. Moments. Moments before she remembered the promised questions.

_What killed my partner, and tried to kill me?_

Ari couldn't help but say "what," not "who." It, not him. Her wolf communication was more honest than anything human...she wasn't capable of lying with her scent, even to herself.

In her heart of hearts, she knew it hadn't been human.


----------



## DrZombie (Dec 13, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> The man wearing shades, well a youth probably no more then eighteen in great shape.  He spits and glares at Drake, “What the hell you looking at pussy?  You must not know who I am, and you definitely smell like a little pussy to me.  Here I am hearing that I got trouble on my turf and find you two stirring up the crap.  So who the hell are you two?”
> 
> A woman, you can tell from her body and voice, her head shaved clean like cue ball speaks, “Simmer down Moriarty, these guys don’t know anything, hell chances are they don’t even know the score yet… but yeah… oh yeah… they got the touch.”  Her mood is manic and she grins awkwardly, with her unsettling gaze.
> 
> ...




Drake grins wider and wider, obviously amused at the discomfort of Moriarty. The mad gleam shines brightly in his eyes as he smilingly adresses the supposedly leader of the gang, the tone of his voice friendly and polite, attempting a fake oxford accent.

'Pleased to meet you old chap. Allow me to introduce my friend of old times, Dr Watson." He points at Piotr, "and myself, Sherlock Holmes, at your service. However, I must regrettably inform you that the pussy you smell is that of the two pretty eighteen year old girls that, understandably, turned you down because of your body odour, general unpleasentness and sheer dickheadedness, and instead spent the evening, night, morning and afternoon in my bed. Now if you'd just give me the adress of this bitch you want us to see, we'll get there on our own, giving you the opportunity to get your arse thoroughly spanked by mrs scar and her trained apes on the motorbikes."

He keeps smiling while he's speaking, keeping his tone pleasant, while watching the sunglassed idiot like a hawk, getting ready to lash out with his knife if moriarty tries something funny.

(OOC : the knife in with the two dots in klaive, that is    )


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 13, 2006)

Piotr was having a ball now, and tapped a cigarette from his pack and into his hand. He took a moment to carefully light it while Sherlock gave Moriarty the spiel.

"Eighteen?" Piotr asks offhand, and rolled his eyes, "That's nearly half my age now. God I feel fckin' old."

He looks Moriarty and Buzz up and down.

"Young lady you look very odd without hair," he said, "Short hair on a woman can be alright, but shaving your head? Is that some kind of rebellion thing? The message is lost on me."


----------



## Graf (Dec 13, 2006)

Camera nods slowly.
"I had dreams like that. Like I was in a crew. A crew like me. It wasn't like this though." he gestures around the yard, "We were fighting and chasing... stuff."

He pauses for a moment "We were hunting."


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 14, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> _What killed my partner, and tried to kill me?_
> 
> Ari couldn't help but say "what," not "who." It, not him. Her wolf communication was more honest than anything human...she wasn't capable of lying with her scent, even to herself.
> 
> In her heart of hearts, she knew it hadn't been human.



*“That is your first question.  That being that wicked creature was a spirit, one shaped by the fury and  pain of mankind.  It is Silence before Death; that is the name it has taken.  It is old, from a time when man worshipped the spirits, an older time just after the fall of Pangaea.  It killed your partner through the boy,”* the giant she-wolf replies.

She bounds quickly over the rough terrain and brings down a buck with ease feasting on it.  She pauses and looks at Ariella, *“Eat, you will need your strength.”*

*Camera*

“Yeah the hunt is everything,” the large man replies.  He nods, “Do you want to know more boy?  Oh and call me Isaac, I don’t expect you to call me dad.”

*Piotr & Drake*

Buzz uncovers her eyes and looks deathly serious, “You got the touch you think I am crazy?  You think I don’t see that I know who you work for… oh yeah bald is beautiful but your pretty words, they almost make me want to retch.  Besides the city is a dangerous place for you two now…”

Moriarty looks at Drake, “You want to piss me off?  Because you are really starting to do a good job, now I am not above beating the piss out of some nuzusul; besides there is one of you and my pack behind me.  You don’t stand a prayer, chump.”

*Faith*

“We have the spirit of Father Wolf, the greatest hunter, the greatest wolf, and the wisest warrior of us all.  But being his children we inherited the wolf instincts of territory of the pack, and the need to hunt.  Packs have fought for territory since the time of the First Pack.  It is our people’s greatest weakness, we fight our many enemies just as often as we fight each other, all in the name of the pack and territory.  It is a sad state of affairs,” Max replies.

“And no you will remember all the horrible and violent things you have done in time, take it as a blessing that you have yet to see just how savage you truly are.  You have the soul of a hunter within you, you will kill, and you will hurt those that are close to you.  I do not say this to scare but to prepare you.  You are uratha, a savage and brutal creature of flesh and spirit; you exist in both worlds.  You must remember these things Faith,” the genteel werewolf smiles.

“As to your place among us, we will figure that out together,” he finishes.


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 14, 2006)

Faith's face fell as Max answered her questions, explaining just how much of a monster werewolves were, how much of a monster she was.  The young teen swept her pink lockes behind her ears and wiped at her eyes, showing the begininng of tears at how messed up her world had become in the course of a single night.  It wasn't fair, she didn't have anything to do with Luna or any of this wolf nonsense.  "Its not even a full moon or anything, how could I have changed into a werewolf, or anyone for that matter?  Are any of the stories true I mean aren't werewolves only werewolves during the full moon?"  the girl asks with a defeated sigh.

"How am I going to figure out what to do?  Everyone seems to know what they are doing but me, I don't have a pack or know how to find one...can I be part of your pack?  You can teach me all about this stuff, and I can be your packmate.  How would that be?"  Faith asks, trying to appeal to Max's masculinity, presenting herself exactly as she was, a confused girl in need of protection and tutoring.


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 14, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Its not even a full moon or anything, how could I have changed into a werewolf, or anyone for that matter?  Are any of the stories true I mean aren't werewolves only werewolves during the full moon?"  the girl asks with a defeated sigh.



“No,” Max replies, “In fact we can change pretty much at will.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "How am I going to figure out what to do?  Everyone seems to know what they are doing but me, I don't have a pack or know how to find one...can I be part of your pack?  You can teach me all about this stuff, and I can be your packmate.  How would that be?"  Faith asks, trying to appeal to Max's masculinity, presenting herself exactly as she was, a confused girl in need of protection and tutoring.



“That isn’t the plan,” the older wolf says, “we will teach you what you need to know, but you can’t be apart of my pack.  But take your time to adjust to this news, I know it is terrifying to you now.  But you will have to come to grips with these changes.  Your life is not over, in fact it has just begun.”


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 14, 2006)

"You don't want me to be part of your pack, and Candace didn't want me to be part of her pack either, am I a bad werewolf or something?  No one wants me do they, I'm just a monster and even other monsters don't want me."  she sighs, looking dejected.

"How did I become a werewolf?  I mean I wasn't bitten, from what you and Candace said, we are all related or something, but does that mean that my parents are Uratha too?  should I be in their pack?  I totally can't see either of them being werewolves though, I mean they are both just so normal.  Dads a banker and mom is in computers, not really very werewolfy stuff."

"And how will we figure out what kind of a werewolf I am?  Is there a career aptitude test to tell you?  Candace said she was a Rahu warrior, and Duncan was an Irakka trickster, so what are you...if I can ask that, and what about me?  What makes one different from another?  Peersonality?"


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## Graf (Dec 14, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> *
> Camera
> “Yeah the hunt is everything,” the large man replies.  He nods, “Do you want to know more boy?  Oh and call me Isaac, I don’t expect you to call me dad.”
> *



*

"Yes Issac. I want to know more..." Camera pauses, "What's wrong with the houses here?"*


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 14, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Buzz uncovers her eyes and looks deathly serious, “You got the touch you think I am crazy? You think I don’t see that I know who you work for… oh yeah bald is beautiful but your pretty words, they almost make me want to retch. Besides the city is a dangerous place for you two now…”




"Retch?" Piotr takes a moment to remember what the word means, "Mmm, yes, I have that effect on people sometimes. Young lady, what does it mean to 'have the touch'? And who do I work for? I am self-employed you see, so that makes about as much sense as the touched comment."


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## DrZombie (Dec 14, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> [b*Piotr & Drake*
> 
> 
> Moriarty looks at Drake, “You want to piss me off?  Because you are really starting to do a good job, now I am not above beating the piss out of some nuzusul; besides there is one of you and my pack behind me.  You don’t stand a prayer, chump.”




"I stopped praying a fecking long time ago, boy. As for beating the piss out of me, you're free to fecking try. One one hand, there's more of ya, but on the other I don't give a feck wether I live or die, so that makes us even. The first fecker to touch me gets a knife up the arse, and I'f I don't make it I'll go to fecking Beelzebub with a big fecking grin on my face knowing I've taken some of you feckheads with me.
Now I don't give a feck 'bout miss scar and her apes, or about you and that crazy skinhead broad and all yer friends, or that fecking bitch you're talking about.
I'm not fecking intimidated by noone, and if I were I wouldn't fecking admit it anyway. You fecking want me to talk to someone, you fecking _ask_ and explain, or just piss off and stop bothering me and Dr Watson there."


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## Shayuri (Dec 14, 2006)

No stranger to Wild Kingdom, Ari wasn't squeamish. Nevertheless, the human part of her mind shied away from the brutality of the kill, and the liquid spurting mess of the feeding. The wolf felt only hunger, and a weird reluctance to get too close while the other wolf was eating, despite the invitation.

_Just a dream,_ the human mind murmured to itself, relaxing a bit.

As a wolf, Ari...head down and watching the other wolf intently for signs she might rebuke her...skulked in towards the gazelle's shoulders, where her guide was not currently ripping meat from. Quick as lightning, she lunged in, clamping her jaws on thin-furred skin and hard muscle. Her teeth sank in, her mouth filled with coppery blood that wiped away hesitation. 

She was _hungry_.

It was several mouthfuls eaten...and eaten in the wolfish way, ripping the meat free with her jaws, then tearing it into swallowable chunks by dropping it and holding it down with her forepaws as she savaged it...before Ari's mind could resurface from the red haze of feeding. 

Then she recalled her first answer. It didn't seem to make any sense. A ghost? From the distant past? But those were wastes of questions. She had three left. She had to focus on the things she couldn't try to find her own answers to, later.

Why did it attack? Well, if it was borne of humanity's rage and pain, that seemed obvious. And it fit the facts...the kid had attacked pretty indiscriminately. How had it found her? Maybe she'd just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. _C'mon, Ari...what do you really want to know?_

_It shot me too. I didn't move fast enough. Why haven't I got a bullet hole in me?_


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## Tokiwong (Dec 17, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Why did it attack? Well, if it was borne of humanity's rage and pain, that seemed obvious. And it fit the facts...the kid had attacked pretty indiscriminately. How had it found her? Maybe she'd just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. _C'mon, Ari...what do you really want to know?_
> 
> _It shot me too. I didn't move fast enough. Why haven't I got a bullet hole in me?_



*“You are uratha, you are Father Wolf’s get,”* the massive she-wolf replies once again on the move.  Ariella feels the wind on her fur and can see that they are traveling up, perhaps up a mountain now.  The she-wolf pauses as if searching for something pacing back and forth, *“you have the savage strength of our father coursing through your blood, it will sustain you, return you from grievous harm, and allow you to fight your many enemies.”*

*“But you can and will die, young one,”* the she-wolf finishes.

*Piotr & Drake*

Moriarty smirks, removing his aviators, “Alright tough guy, take your knife and take your best shot, just me and you right now… right here on this street.  You take me down, you send me to hell you and your butt buddy can walk out of here and do whatever the hell you want to do.  I take you down, you come with us.”

Moriarty puts his arms wide, “So go for it?”

Buzz cocks her head, “You are weird.”

*Camera*

Isaac shrugs, “Ain’t nothing really wrong with them, just their spirits are greedy.  These houses are like weeds they want to spread everywhere, and gobble the people up inside.  Make them just like everyone else; but there is nothing wrong with them, you just see some of the spirit underneath boy… you are sensitive even more so then most uratha.”

*Faith*

“There is nothing wrong with you, we will find a place for you soon enough Faith.  But you have to understand every pack is like a family, they are closer then family, closer then friends.  It is a delicate balance cultivated over time, you simply don’t just start throwing uratha into packs and expect them to function.  Any good pack takes time to form,” Max replies.

“I have not rejected you because you are worthless, but because I know that your path and your pack are different then mine.  Your kin, your father and mother are mostly likely just carrier of the genes that transmit the uratha bloodline.  They are for all intents and purposes normal people, and being such they can never know what you are,” he adds softly.

“And to answer your question I am an elodoth, I walk the middle path… the path of both worlds.  Auspice is determined by what sign Luna has gifted you with, often tied to your personality but not always.  It is your role in our society and more importantly within your pack.  Irraka are often the scouts and those that must walk alone.  Rahu are the warriors of luna, they fight for the purity and honor of our people.  Cahalith are the singers and the voice of luna, they keep our ways alive and are gifted with the sight.  And finally the ithaeur are the seers and the wise men of our people, they alone truly understand the ways of the shadow.  I know that may mean little to you now, but that is about as short and sweet as I can put it.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 17, 2006)

Faith sighs at the explination of packs and why it wasn't a put down that the others didn't want her to join theirs.  "OK...I can accept that I guess,it does hrt a little, but I can see why you wouldn't want just anyone to join your pack if its like a really close family.  If I can't join someone's pack what am I suppoused to do?  Should I make a new pack?  Is that what new werewolves do?  Can you help me find other werewolves that are looking for a pack?"  the young Uratha asks, not sounding very hopeful, like she is still slightly hurt by the rejection of the only 2 packs she knows of, afterall she only knows 3 werewolves.

"I live with my parents, I don't really know they'll miss me turning furry once a month, or however often it is.  They give me a lot space when my grades are good, but I don't think they'd fail to notice something like this."  Faith says dubiously.

"Ohh, Cahalith sounds nice, I'm not really big on fighting, and being alone isn't fun at all.  Ithauer sounds kinda cool though too, do you get to choose what you are going to be?  You said Luna gifts us with a sign, but how do we know our sign...whats my sign?  If I'm gonna be a werewolf, I am going to be the best werewolf I can be."


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 17, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Faith sighs at the explination of packs and why it wasn't a put down that the others didn't want her to join theirs.  "OK...I can accept that I guess,it does hrt a little, but I can see why you wouldn't want just anyone to join your pack if its like a really close family.  If I can't join someone's pack what am I suppoused to do?  Should I make a new pack?  Is that what new werewolves do?  Can you help me find other werewolves that are looking for a pack?"  the young Uratha asks, not sounding very hopeful, like she is still slightly hurt by the rejection of the only 2 packs she knows of, afterall she only knows 3 werewolves.



Max smiles, “We will find you a pack, as it is I believe that…”

A woman walks into the room; she looks to be of Faith’s mother age, perhaps a little younger.  She stands a little taller then Faith and hr build is much thicker and womanly.  Curly dark hair frames her face which is focused and intense and fairly pale.  Her brown eyes take in the room and she speaks with authority, “Max, I believe that there are others that need guidance as well.”

Max raises a brow, “Really?” he fully turns to the woman.

“Yes after speaking with Andrea, I think that she may be one of the ones in her vision, if this is true then there are others we should look out for.  Andrea left with Candace to find Isaac, perhaps I should speak with the uratha before us?” the woman replies.

Max nods, “Alright Subtle Storm; Faith you are in good hands alright?”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I live with my parents, I don't really know they'll miss me turning furry once a month, or however often it is.  They give me a lot space when my grades are good, but I don't think they'd fail to notice something like this."  Faith says dubiously.



“You can do what you can, but your old life is over,” Subtle Storm interjects.

Max nods and then turns to leave.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Ohh, Cahalith sounds nice, I'm not really big on fighting, and being alone isn't fun at all.  Ithauer sounds kinda cool though too, do you get to choose what you are going to be?  You said Luna gifts us with a sign, but how do we know our sign...whats my sign?  If I'm gonna be a werewolf, I am going to be the best werewolf I can be."



“Luna chooses your path, she makes the final decision and for you she has decided on the path of the pregnant moon, the gibbous… that of the cahalith.  Those that see with the vision of Luna; although the role is set the ramifications are broad.  You will call your pack to war, relate the tales of our people, and create new ideas.  You will also sharpen your claws against the enemy and understand the feeling of blood against your skin,” the woman says in a matter of fact tone.

"Are you scared yet?"


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 17, 2006)

Ariella dashes after the other wolf as she ponders that answer. As answers went, it was pretty damn cryptic. What the hell was a "uratha?" It sounded vaguely anatomical. And what kind of weird dream metaphor accused her of being bulletproof because she "had the strength of father wolf flowing through her?"

Maybe it was time to consider the source.

_Who are you?_


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 17, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Maybe it was time to consider the source.
> 
> _Who are you?_



*"I am Kamduis Ur, daughter of Father Wolf… I am the Death Wolf,"* the massive she-wolf replies.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 17, 2006)

Hence the emphasis on her dying. Beautiful.

But she WAS kind of beautiful, really. In a lupine sort of way.

Annoyed, Ari shakes her head. Focus. Concentrate. One question left, just one question, and she had no idea where to go from here. Of course...well, that was a legit question wasn't it?

_What should I do next?_

Kind of a cop-out, maybe...but hey, she was a cop. And no one said she had to do as it said...she just wanted to know what it thought was important.


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 17, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Moriarty smirks, removing his aviators, “Alright tough guy, take your knife and take your best shot, just me and you right now… right here on this street. You take me down, you send me to hell you and your butt buddy can walk out of here and do whatever the hell you want to do. I take you down, you come with us.”
> 
> Moriarty puts his arms wide, “So go for it?”
> 
> Buzz cocks her head, “You are weird.”




Piotr scratched his head, "Ah, I was never smart. You've lost me, young lady."

He turned to cast an appraising eye on Sherlock, then shook his head.

"Not pretty enough," he replied to Moriarty, laughing. 

"Sherlock, I don't want to be chased around for being involved in a murder if you win. How about we humour them and go along anyway? I have no plans," Piotr takes a long drag on his cigarette, "You can worry about removing his manhood later if things turn sour. Hell, I'll help you."


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## Shalimar (Dec 17, 2006)

"Thanks Max..."  Faith says hugging the middle-aged man tightly.  "I don't know why your helping me with all of this, I doubt that everyone would, but thank you for all of this."  the teen says smiling before another woman walked into the room, an older woman at least compared to Faith, with a lusher more mature figure.  At the woman's news Faith looked back and forth between the two older Uratha.  "More...more like me, new Uratha?  Are we going to be a pack?  Are we all the same age?"  Faith asks excitedly.

"So...a Cahalith?  That sounds pretty cool,"  she smiles at Max as he tells her she is in good hands and makes to leave.  "Thanks Max...do you think it'd be ok if I came to you for advice if I have problems adjusting?"  the pink haired girl asks before her host can leave.

"Your name's subtle storm?  Cool... how did you get it?  Your the second were-wolf I have met with a name like that...do all werewolves get them eventually?"


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## DrZombie (Dec 17, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "Sherlock, I don't want to be chased around for being involved in a murder if you win. How about we humour them and go along anyway? I have no plans," Piotr takes a long drag on his cigarette, "You can worry about removing his manhood later if things turn sour. Hell, I'll help you."





"Looks like somebody allready did. 's true, though, I'll have enough trouble with the cops after fecking up tomatohead in there. If you really wanna see what he's gotta show, fine. Lead the way, Moriarty, me and Watson will follow.".


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> "Looks like somebody allready did. 's true, though, I'll have enough trouble with the cops after fecking up tomatohead in there. If you really wanna see what he's gotta show, fine. Lead the way, Moriarty, me and Watson will follow.".



Moriarty replaces his aviators, “I hate dealing with you guys, always got to be hard headed…”

Buzz grins, “Well at least we avoided some violence.  Pity though, I was hoping that someone would get cut up real good, I always enjoy the sight of blood.  It makes me feel human in a way… but then again some people I am crazy.”

_A little later…_

Both Piotr and Drake are brought to an old warehouse.  The gang with Moriarty stands outside just Moriarty escorts them inside.  Waiting is a woman with a mixture of native American and Hispanic features.  She has an intense beauty, short dark hair and olive complexion skin give her an exotic look.  She stands alone shaking her head, “Took you long enough Moriarty.”

“They were not exactly forthcoming,” he replies sheepishly.

She looks less then amused, “You can leave now,” she says dismissing Moriarty with an order and focuses on Drake and Piotr, “I am Rachel Snow alpha of the Echoes of Thunder; you two have caused a great deal of trouble.  Oh and don’t mind Moriarty, he is an idiot, but a useful idiot.”

“Although from what I gather about you,” she gestures to Drake, “you are not much better.”

*Faith*

Max pauses at the door, “I help because I know that we can only succeed together, as a people.  Remember that Faith and I will provide what guidance I can.”  The venerable wolf leaves.

Subtle Storm takes a moment to think before replying, “I don’t know how old they will be, they may be the same age they may be older, basically they will be like you, young in the ways of the uratha.  You will be defined by your actions now, not your human age.”

The woman pauses, “They can but not all uratha take deed names, but the act is quite common among our people.  Some are earned, some are coined by the individual wolf.  Mine was given to me during my rite of passage, it recognizes my tribe, the Storm Lords and my abilities.”

*Ariella*

Ariella sees the she-wolf pause for a moment before turning away from her.  Death Wolf speaks, *“You must find others like yourself and become a pack; defend them as if they are your kin, for in time they will be.  You must learn, but first you must swear yourself to always pay each spirit in kind.  Swear to this.”*


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 18, 2006)

Ariella stares at the larger wolf, agape. Dimly she becomes aware that her tongue lolls out of her mouth when she leave it open like that, and hastily closes it.

_Pay each spirit in kind? I don't even know what that means. I know I've had my four questions, but how can I swear to do something I don't even understand?_


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ariella stares at the larger wolf, agape. Dimly she becomes aware that her tongue lolls out of her mouth when she leave it open like that, and hastily closes it.
> 
> _Pay each spirit in kind? I don't even know what that means. I know I've had my four questions, but how can I swear to do something I don't even understand?_



*“I have answered your four questions.  Now swear or leave my presence,”* Death Wolf replies.


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 18, 2006)

"I'll remember it Max, I promise."  Faith tells him as he leaves, and she honestly meant it, Max was the nicest werewolf that she had met to date and she did want to keep on his goodside, but in truth she was a people person, or a people wolf, or whatever was appropriate for what she was now.  She felt more alive around people, and being alone frightened her, self-contained the pin haired teen was not.  From what she had heard, the Cahalith truly was right sign for her, and for that she was thankful to the Lord and Lady, who she was trying to readjust in her mind into Father Wolf and Mother Luna.

"Ok, so if we are going to all be new to being Uratha, will there be people to teach us what we need to know?  And how do we know that all of the new werewolves will be able to get along enough to form a pack?  If we are suppoused to be as close as Max said..." Faith asked the matronly stormlord trailing off since she didn't want offend her.

The pink haired teen's brow furrows in confusion at the inclusion of tribes in this whole Uratha thing.  "I understand about Auspice I guess, but what are these tribes?  Storm Lords sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean, and what are the tribes?"


----------



## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Ok, so if we are going to all be new to being Uratha, will there be people to teach us what we need to know?  And how do we know that all of the new werewolves will be able to get along enough to form a pack?  If we are suppoused to be as close as Max said..." Faith asked the matronly stormlord trailing off since she didn't want offend her.



“Yes, there will be those that will aid you as a pack,” she replies, "But I cannot say if you will all get along... but I pray that you will."


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> The pink haired teen's brow furrows in confusion at the inclusion of tribes in this whole Uratha thing.  "I understand about Auspice I guess, but what are these tribes?  Storm Lords sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean, and what are the tribes?"



“We are impressive, there are five tribes of the Forsaken;  each tribe serves a mighty wolf totem.  This is much to take in all at once so I won’t get into too much detail but the tribes you will hear about are the Blood Talons, Bone Shadows, Hunters in Darkness, Iron Masters, and the Storm Lords.  There are also Ghost Wolves, those that run without a tribe but they are the exception to the rule… and the Pure Tribes,” Subtle Storm adds.

“As far as what it means, it is an affiliation… a group that you belong to, a larger entity of support.  But I can’t into much more then that at this point,” she adds.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 18, 2006)

Ariella thought for a moment...but really, did it sound so bad? Paying in kind...that was just plain honorable, wasn't it? Give a little, get a little. That's how she believed things ought to be anyway. Fair. And just because they were talking _spirits_ didn't change the basic philosophy of the thing.

Get a favor, do a favor. Get an insult, return the insult. Fair.

_I swear to pay each spirit in kind,_ she 'said' in that odd voiceless comunication. The words closed around her like a close-knit sweater, a slight pressure on her fur and skin. They could become a trap, she realized...but they were not uncomfortable. Not yet.


----------



## Shalimar (Dec 18, 2006)

> “Yes, there will be those that will aid you as a pack,” she replies, "But I cannot say if you will all get along... but I pray that you will."




"I really hope so too, it would be horrible to be around people all the time that you can't get along with, families really shouldn't be like that, though I can't really imagine being family with strangers."  Faith admitted, "Can we at least decide for ourselves if we want to be a pack or are people like you and Max and Candace going to decide it for us?"  she asks, eyes wide as saucers, waiting intently for word to be handed down as if from on high.  She was taking everything and everyone at face value being a fairly open and honest girl, and the severe shock of everything that had happened left her wanting a lot of explinations.

"Thank you for explaining all of this stuff to me, I know babysitting isn't fun and you probably have better things to be doing, so thank you."  Thinking for a moment, her eyes widen..."what time is it?  I mean, my parents weren't really expecting me since I was gonna stay over Esther's, but she has to be flipping out by now, she might call them and Max said to keep this stuff secret...where are we?  Would it be ok if I called her?  Or can I go home and then maybe come back or something?"


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## Graf (Dec 18, 2006)

*Camera* frowns.
"They still bother me. The greedy spirits I mean."

Alone in his own world he pages through his book, he has a picture, from when first got to the house, of the houses growing like crabgrass accross the landscape.

After a minute he returns to look at Issac. "What do you do?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 18, 2006)

"Congratulations Sherlock, she called you useful," Piotr said with a joker's smile.

"Ms. Snow, ma'am," Piotr's tone changes a little, while he didn't understand exactly what an alpha was supposed to be he realised it was a position of authority, and he therefore shows some respect, "Sherlock and I would like to know why we have been brought here."


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## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "Congratulations Sherlock, she called you useful," Piotr said with a joker's smile.
> 
> "Ms. Snow, ma'am," Piotr's tone changes a little, while he didn't understand exactly what an alpha was supposed to be he realised it was a position of authority, and he therefore shows some respect, "Sherlock and I would like to know why we have been brought here."



 She shoots a look of daggers at Piotr, “This is serious, nuzusul you may think this is some fancy game but unlike Moriarty I have little patience and the means to rip you both apart.  But yes you do deserve to know why you are here; each of you are nuzusul.”

“That means you are pre-change werewolves, uratha.  It also means you are dangerous beacons for the spirits, and you are stirring them up into a feeding frenzy.  You may laugh Sherlock and Watson, but your very presence is making our jobs much more difficult,” she finishes icily.

*Camera*

Isaac nods, “They may be unsettling but they exist, and even those spirits of negative emotions fulfill a role in the world.  The balance is all that matters.  We only intervene when that balance is broken, even so-called positive emotion spirits can wreak havoc if left unchecked.”

He is about to speak again when his cell phone rings.  He pulls out his phone and takes the call, a short curt affair that he ends quickly.  “W have things to do Camera, com on I need you to meet another young wolf.”

He walks back inside and then to the front door and out to his classic baby blue Deville.

*Faith*

Subtle Storm pauses, “You can call them, and yes you should keep anything uratha related secret it is part of the Oath of the Moon, and to betray that oath can lead to a loss of harmony between your wolf soul and your human soul.  But I would like for you to stay a little longer you may even get a chance to meet another like you.”

Candace walks in, “Isaac should be on his way, how is Faith doing?”

Subtle Storm replies, “She seems to be better.”

*Ariella*

Death Wolf nods and then bounds off into the mist, and is gone.  She wanders for some time before she lopes into what looks like a suburb.  She is not sure how much time has passed, it is still night though and the ground is covered in snow.   The world is filled with powerful scents, but one stands out in particular… she sees a man who smells of the wolf is the best way she can understand it.  

He is walking towards a blue vehicle, an older model car several decades removed.  Ariella is unsure if she is still dreaming or not… but the air is cool, although her fur keeps her warm and she can hear a multitude of sounds, to the point of near information overload.


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## Shalimar (Dec 18, 2006)

> Subtle Storm pauses, “You can call them, and yes you should keep anything uratha related secret it is part of the Oath of the Moon, and to betray that oath can lead to a loss of harmony between your wolf soul and your human soul. But I would like for you to stay a little longer you may even get a chance to meet another like you.”
> 
> Candace walks in, “Isaac should be on his way, how is Faith doing?”
> 
> Subtle Storm replies, “She seems to be better.”




"What is the Oath of the Moon?"  Faith asks, capitalizing the name out of respect since it seemed important to Subtle Storm.  The older Uratha certainly did make it sound important though, but two souls?  That couldn't possibly be right.  "Wait...you said I have 2 souls?  I have a wolf soul?  Is that like werewolf instincts and stuff?  Is that part of why I felt so angry with that Azlu thingy?  I got so mad that I just saw red and then I had its blood in my mouth and its intestines...ugh."  just saying it again made her skin crawl enough to almost vomit and reawakened the acrid taste in her mouth.

"Umm...I guess I can wait, they aren't going to be home til tomorrow night, so as long as I get home by then it can be ok...who is it that you wanted to meet?  Another new werewolf?  Have they changed yet?"


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## Graf (Dec 18, 2006)

Camera follows his new-found father out to the car in a daze.

As he passes his brother and mother he smiles somewhat feircely.

Clutching his notebooks like a totem (or a security blanket?) he squeezes himself into the car.
As the car drives away he watches the houses around him. Idly sketching pictures of the houses kneeling like servants before some unseen master.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "What is the Oath of the Moon?"  Faith asks, capitalizing the name out of respect since it seemed important to Subtle Storm.  The older Uratha certainly did make it sound important though, but two souls?  That couldn't possibly be right.  "Wait...you said I have 2 souls?  I have a wolf soul?  Is that like werewolf instincts and stuff?  Is that part of why I felt so angry with that Azlu thingy?  I got so mad that I just saw red and then I had its blood in my mouth and its intestines...ugh."  just saying it again made her skin crawl enough to almost vomit and reawakened the acrid taste in her mouth.



“The Oath of the Moon is your bond with Luna, she gives you the gift of your auspice, and you give hr the gift of your Oath.  It is much more to it hen that, but that is all you need to worry about at the moment,” Subtle Storm replies.

“Yeah I forgot to warn you, she asks a ton of questions,” Candace quips.

“I don’t mind, she is curious about who she is, she should have questions,” Subtle Storm adds.

“Sure whatever, but yeah Faith you got your normal instinct and your wolf instinct now, but both are rules by your mind.  You are in control of yourself, giving into either instinct too much is foolish.  But your rage is a weapon learn how to use it, and you will go far,” Candace adds.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Umm...I guess I can wait, they aren't going to be home til tomorrow night, so as long as I get home by then it can be ok...who is it that you wanted to meet?  Another new werewolf?  Have they changed yet?"



“I assume this is another nuzusul,” Subtle Storm adds.

Candace nods, “Yeah Isaac is bringing his son, I am actually a little eager to see what the seed of my fearless leader looks like.  So I am definitely sticking around for that.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 18, 2006)

Graf said:
			
		

> Camera follows his new-found father out to the car in a daze.
> 
> As he passes his brother and mother he smiles somewhat feircely.



Isaac pauses outside the vehicle staring down a rather large dog… or is that a wolf.  He turns to Camera, “Don’t be alarmed son, and do not run…”

_The wolf is Ariella…_


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## Shalimar (Dec 19, 2006)

"I don't mean to offend you guys, I just want to know everything thats happening to me.  If there is someone else...like a cub tutor...I don't want to annoy you."  Faith says defensively at the byplay between Candace and Subtle Storm.  "I don't mean to be a pain for you Candace, asking questions is just part of who I am."  she says offering a self-depreciating smile.



> “Sure whatever, but yeah Faith you got your normal instinct and your wolf instinct now, but both are rules by your mind. You are in control of yourself, giving into either instinct too much is foolish. But your rage is a weapon learn how to use it, and you will go far,” Candace adds.




"I guess that makes sense, is there really going to be a lot of fighting?  I'm not a very violent person...well I wasn't.  Are there going to be a lot of things like that Azlu coming after me?  Is that why werewolves are suppoused to leave everything behind?  To protect the people that they care about?  Besides their pack I mean?"



> “I assume this is another nuzusul,” Subtle Storm adds.
> 
> Candace nods, “Yeah Isaac is bringing his son, I am actually a little eager to see what the seed of my fearless leader looks like. So I am definitely sticking around for that.”




"Is that what I am? A nuzusal?  Does that mean a cub?  Werewlves can have children?  I mean I guess so or there wouldn't be little werewolves, but aren't we suppoused to leave everything?  Do werewolves have children with other werewolves?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 19, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I don't mean to offend you guys, I just want to know everything thats happening to me.  If there is someone else...like a cub tutor...I don't want to annoy you."  Faith says defensively at the byplay between Candace and Subtle Storm.  "I don't mean to be a pain for you Candace, asking questions is just part of who I am."  she says offering a self-depreciating smile.



“Don’t be so prissy,” Candace counters, “I just hate everyone, so stop crying.  You are fine, you don’t know so you should ask, I am just not a people person, I talk with my hands, and usually when I am talking, things are dying.”

“Spoken like a true Blood Talon,” Subtle Storm sighs.

Candace fingers the hilt of her blade, “Life is a battle, and I don’t have time for the pretty things.”


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I guess that makes sense, is there really going to be a lot of fighting?  I'm not a very violent person...well I wasn't.  Are there going to be a lot of things like that Azlu coming after me?  Is that why werewolves are suppoused to leave everything behind?  To protect the people that they care about?  Besides their pack I mean?"



Both Candace and Subtle Storm exchange looks.  Subtle Storm speaks, “Yes our lives are filled with violence.  We are the children of Father Wolf, and his role was that of a hunter, and it is our place to hunt.  To hunt something usually means it must die or be forcibly brought down with tooth and claw.  I am not saying we are warmongers, or blood crazed lunatics…”

“Speak for yourself,” Candace says coldly.

“But we have to fight.  We share not our knowledge with the herd because they are not meant to know and they cannot understand our world.  Sure it protects them, but it is mostly for your protection, Faith.  Humanity is dangerous,” Subtle Storm warns.

“I don’t give a $#!+ about family, but then again my father’s idea of family was drinking, beating me, and waking me up late at night smelling like whiskey.  But yeah the apes don’t understand what we do, and most will think you are a monster anyway, even your kinfolk, if they don’t have a strong background with our people can be problematic,” Candace adds.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Is that what I am? A nuzusal?  Does that mean a cub?  Werewlves can have children?  I mean I guess so or there wouldn't be little werewolves, but aren't we suppoused to leave everything?  Do werewolves have children with other werewolves?"



“Nuzusul is a word in the First Tongue, a rough translation means one who has yet to change, but feels the spirit of the wolf.  But again that is a rough translation.  It just means that you are young uratha, and technically you are not nuzusul anymore.  You could probably change now at will with a lot of concentration,” Subtle Storm adds.

_Faith has a Primal Urge of 1 now._

Candace nods, “Yeah you got the killer instinct in you.  And yeah we can breed just fine with humanity, not wolves and you WILL not breed with another uratha.  That is a sin against the Oath of the Moon, and the consequences will weigh deeply on your soul.”

Subtle Storm nods, “She is right, we can breed with humanity, and even the wolf-blooded; like I suspect your parents are, but we cannot breed with other uratha; you can but you shouldn’t because it is a horrible sin in the eyes of Luna.”

Candace, “Yeah it’s like sleeping with your brother, father, or mother.  You understand?”


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## Shalimar (Dec 19, 2006)

"I'm not prissy, I'm a people person. I don't like it when people are fighting, well not literally fighting, I always end up playing peacemaker, its part of my nature I guess."  Faith tells Candace, not sounding apologetic since the Blood Talon disliked it, simply stating informing.  "Its what I do." the pink haired girl says unapologetically.  Faith does back away slightly at Candace's comments about killing, but she forces herself to make it only a flinch instead of a step, she didn't understand how the woman could be so...happy to fight and kill.  At least Subtle Storm agreed with her sentiment, and it certainly made the girl wary of the Blood Talon tribe if Candace was a representative.

"I'm only 16 I'm not going to be breeding with anyone, not for a long time, maybe not ever now...I wouldn't want to be responsible for a baby not if it could be hurt because everything is soo crazy.  Either way, I'm not even close to ready."

"I understand why we can't tell people, I'm fine with that, if tonight is an indication then Uratha have very violent lives and people would try and lock us up or kill us.  That violence would spread to those around us too, so we shouldn't be around people that we care about... should I run away?  I don't want my parents to get hurt."  she asks the older women wide eyed now that she had started to think about the ramifications of everything.  She didn't want to leave, she loved her parents, but she would just die if her parents got hurt because of her.  "Will spirits and stuff try to hurt them?  What should I do?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 19, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> She shoots a look of daggers at Piotr, “This is serious, nuzusul you may think this is some fancy game but unlike Moriarty I have little patience and the means to rip you both apart. But yes you do deserve to know why you are here; each of you are nuzusul.”
> 
> “That means you are pre-change werewolves, uratha. It also means you are dangerous beacons for the spirits, and you are stirring them up into a feeding frenzy. You may laugh Sherlock and Watson, but your very presence is making our jobs much more difficult,” she finishes icily.




Piotr looks confused, he opens his mouth, then shuts it, then looks at Sherlock, then back at Rachel.

"Ms. Snow, I thought this was some kind of gang related matter, but werewolves?" he remains where he's standing however, for if there was some truth in the supernatural then there may be explanations for some of the things he's witnessed in his time.


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## Shayuri (Dec 19, 2006)

For a moment Ariella stands alertly, head high, ears perked forward. How strange it seemed to have the scent and the sight conflict! How curious it was! Already she was thinking of her eyes as merely an adjunct to her nose...a way to give smells shape. She can't maintain that posture long though...the din around her, all the unfettered noise of the city unfiltered by her human mind brought her head down, and flattened her ears against her skull.

She whined and shook her head, as if to shake flies off. Her skin was loose...when she shook, she could feel it continue to flop to and fro for a few seconds. So -weird!-

_Am I still dreaming? It feels different now...louder. More...real._

Cautiously, not sure how the man(wolf?) would react, she padded closer, sniffing the air as she came on. It was strange how she couldn't -hide- her feelings. She was a little scared, a little uncertain, and very curious...and she could feel every one of those emotions shaping her posture, her body, without consulting her brain at all on the way out.

Finally she stopped and sat in the snow...tail thwapping slowly. Not fast enough for a wag...just enough to show her intentions weren't hostile. Ari tried to speak, but all that came out was an eerie wailing barking noise...the noise of a wolf vocalizing.


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## Graf (Dec 19, 2006)

*Camera*, huge in his enveloping trenchcoat, squats down.

There is an instinctive shudder when he looks at the wolf. Something primal.

He rises on his toes as Ariella approaches, but fights an instinctive urge to run. Or does he want to fight. *Camera* isn’t sure and raising his eyes to Issac before bringing them back down.


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## DrZombie (Dec 19, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> Piotr looks confused, he opens his mouth, then shuts it, then looks at Sherlock, then back at Rachel.
> 
> "Ms. Snow, I thought this was some kind of gang related matter, but werewolves?" he remains where he's standing however, for if there was some truth in the supernatural then there may be explanations for some of the things he's witnessed in his time.





Drake softly sings:

"Off through the new day's mist I run
Out from the new day's mist I have come
I hunt
Therefore I am
Harvest the land
Taking the fallen lamb"

(metallica 'of wolf and man')

He looks at Piotr, and then at the lady.

"I admit, at times I'm a feckin' eejit. But this? We're feckin' werewolves, and the feckin' leprechauns are going nuts because of it?
I don't know what your game is, miss, but if I wanted to be part of a gang war I'd have stayed in feckin' Boston. Find some other feckin' fools.
I don't know about you, Watson, but I'm getting the feck out of here. I've gotten enough troubles with the feckin' cops as it is."
Drake slowly backs off, trying not to turn his back on anyone, hoping to get out in one piece.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 19, 2006)

Graf said:
			
		

> *Camera*, huge in his enveloping trenchcoat, squats down.
> 
> There is an instinctive shudder when he looks at the wolf. Something primal.
> 
> He rises on his toes as Ariella approaches, but fights an instinctive urge to run. Or does he want to fight. *Camera* isn’t sure and raising his eyes to Issac before bringing them back down.



Isaac puts a hand on Camera’s shoulder, “Don’t be afraid…”  He then turns to Ariella and kneels down.  He cocks his head slightly and then begins speaking his teeth have a far more feral appearance then should be possible and indeed Camera can’t understand a damn thing his father is saying.  It sounds like the yelps and whoops of a dog or wolf perhaps…

It is odd to hear the wolf speech without the scents and visual cues to back it up but Ariella understands this much, _“Don’t be afraid.  We are not enemy.  We are uratha.  Understand?”_

_Ariella has a Primal Urge of 1 now._

*Drake and Piotr*

“Well even if you don’t believe it, this is the truth.  I don’t really care if you try and run, you won’t get far.  You are dangerous right now, your body is on the verge of realizing the wolf-spirit within.  When that happens it will be bloody dangerous for everyone around you, you will probably fall into kuruth, the death rage.  And that will…” she pauses, and then both of you feel it as well…

Rachel howls her body growing larger and more feral, she still looks human, but her face is predator-like now, with hair growing up her muscular arms and on the sides of her face and she easily puts on another hundred pounds of pure muscle… in that same instance the thunder of the hogs roars through the  doors as the three bikers from earlier charge into the place.

From the darkness more figures descend, including Moriarty, who the two see burst into a huge man-wolf form and tackles one of the bikers the two skidding into the darkness, but it does not sound like the fight is over.  Rachel growls loudly, “THE PURE!”

The mystery woman leaps from her bike and her body flows into an elegant white-silver furred wolf and she charges Drake knocking him down, its teeth viciously ripping at his shoulder… Piotr loses himself to the fear and the anger and shock, and feels his body growing hot, tearing at itself and before he can recall his teeth… they must be his teeth are sinking into the flesh of the white wolf that attacked his newfound companion!

The silver-white she wolf growls loudly letting its fury build and in an instant is just as large Piotr and he feels himself flying… and the haze of fury sets in…

Piotr is lying on the ground, and feels his arm is broken, but when he looks he hears the strange pops and visceral sounds of the injury already mending itself.  He is nearly naked and covered in blood, the coppery taste filling his mouth.  

Drake comes to with a strange blade sticking from his stomach, and then Moriarty kicking him off it.  Moriarty spits, “Jesus dude, you lost it… tried to freaking kill me you son of a bitch… death rage is some scary $#@! man.”  Strangely although Drake is in pain, the injury is already dulling to a throb, and he can feel it knitting the flesh back together.

Rachel grumbles, covered in blood and injuries, “Looks like we are not the only ones looking for these nuzusul…” 

*Faith*

Candace does not smile, but Faith can tell that she is pleased that she intimidates the young wolf so much.  Candace speaks, “You have much to learn… this life is a war.  We are under siege at all times, I hope that you die peacefully in your sleep, but being Forsaken… I doubt that will happen.”

Subtle Storm sighs, “Don’t scare the poor girl.”

“If she is scared now, she will never make it,” Candace adds gruffly, “Relax, no one is asking you to breed.”

Subtle Storm smiles, “I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you that we are dangerous we have the rage of Father Wolf in us, and we can end up hurting those we love just as easily as any malicious spirit.  Many uratha break ties with their old lives, but those reasons are varied.”

Candace adds, “You want to save yourself some heartbreak princess?  Get the f%&# out of dodge, you love your parents I see that, but chances are they might get pissed at you for something trivial and if you lose control of that rage, being so young you could end up ripping them apart.  Trust me it happens more times then I care to count.  We have the soul of a savage hunter within us, and it wants to be free.  I ain’t saying you can’t live with them, but you have to be careful.”


----------



## Festy_Dog (Dec 19, 2006)

"I bit someone," Piotr is more than a little dumbfounded by the immediate past's events, "I can taste blood but it is not my own. I bit someone... and it felt good."

Piotr goes on to talk to himself in Russian. Those with a grasp for the language notice his attention has moved to his broken arm. He pokes it a couple of times, apparently looking surprised. Piotr shakes his head and looks at those around him.

"Anyone care to explain what happened? I'm not drunk or high, but this wound doesn't hurt as much as it should and I saw fictional monsters. That's not something someone who isn't hammered experiences," the Russian looks to the Rachel, "I guess I am no longer in any position to doubt you Ms. Snow."


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## Shalimar (Dec 19, 2006)

"I'll be careful, I promise, I'll keep my rage under control.  I just don't want to leave everything...I want to finish school if I can  I'm a junior and its only 1 more year, I can keep it undercontrol for a year, right?  Is that possible?  Are there other werewolves that are still trying to go to school too?  Maybe we could like compare notes and help each other,  Doing something hard is easier when you have people to talk to that are going through the same thing."

"I'm scared Candace because I'm not an idiot, that doesn't mean I can't handle it.  I just need to know what it is exactly.  Give me time to adjust and I will."  she says angrily snapping at the older wolf.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 19, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "I bit someone," Piotr is more than a little dumbfounded by the immediate past's events, "I can taste blood but it is not my own. I bit someone... and it felt good."
> 
> Piotr goes on to talk to himself in Russian. Those with a grasp for the language notice his attention has moved to his broken arm. He pokes it a couple of times, apparently looking surprised. Piotr shakes his head and looks at those around him.
> 
> "Anyone care to explain what happened? I'm not drunk or high, but this wound doesn't hurt as much as it should and I saw fictional monsters. That's not something someone who isn't hammered experiences," the stubbled Russian looks to the Rachel, "I guess I am no longer in any position to doubt you Ms. Snow."



 Rachel nods, “That was an attack by the Pure, and I think they were after you,” she gestures to Drake, “Which means everything just got a whole lot more complicated… time we take this up Roman, as much as I hate to admit it.  Moriarty get these two to Roman, the rest of us, we got Pure to hunt.”

Moriarty scowls, “Damn it, alright Rachel… I can handle that.”

*Faith*

Candace nods, “Good, this isn’t a time to be weak… you will need that anger probably sooner then you think.”

Subtle Storm sighs, “I know you will Faith, it just isn’t easy… and uratha… we are not the kind of people that like to compare notes just getting two packs together without them fighting is hard enough.  But things are changing at least here in Denver, but we are still very violent and territorial.  So don’t take it personally… we have the spirit of the wolf, and wolves don’t play well with other packs.”

Candace nods, “Yeah, I can agree there.”

“And are there uratha that try to lead normal lives, some try.  Many fail, some succeed.  It is a balancing act of life, because your normal life was a lie, your new life is the truth.  You walk two worlds now, that of the flesh and that of the spirit.  If you forsake one for the other you only weaken yourself.  You can’t cling too tight to your past, because that is not your future.  You are uratha now,” Subtle Storm adds.


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## Shalimar (Dec 19, 2006)

"I know a lot of people in this city, and it may sound conceited, but my looks do stand out a bit so it wouldn't take very long for people to find me if I did run away.  I don't think that would work, and I really don't think that running away to another city where I not only know nothing about the city I'd still know nothing about being a Uratha would work either.  I think I have to make it work here, at least for awhile, long enough tha I can be out on my own legally I think."  Faith tells the two women,coming up with a semi valid excuse for staying beside simply not wanting to leave her life behind, it was a major decision and just being told she'd probably have to leave wasn't really good enough reason for a teen, teens being as contrary as they are.

"Isn't running away from your past just forsaking your human side so that you can live more like a wolf then a person?  I don't think your really going to be able to convice me to leave, not before I at least try to stay.  How long did it take you guys to accept what you are?  For me its been less then 3 hours since everything happened, and I'm not really processing such a huge change yet."


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 19, 2006)

Piotr frowned, he hadn't received anything remotely in the form of an explanation. The Pure? That was just more questions by the sound of it.

"Roman?" he asked, "What about my broken arm and Sherlock's gut wound? Looked kinda bad, really."

Taking another look he realised their respective injuries were no longer on the level of severity he had originally perceived.

"Never mind, we seem alright. I am almost naked, and cold."


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## Shayuri (Dec 19, 2006)

_Urathra._ Hearing wolf-speech from the man made something happen inside Ariella, like a last bolt sliding into place...or maybe sliding aside to let a door open. This was real; not a dream. The Death Wolf...it might have been a dream, but she realized now that even if it HAD been a dream, it was still real in its own way. The realization was numbing...far more so than the cold.

She was an animal; a wolf. No more nice little apartment, or car, or job at the police. No more family reunions, or emails or cellphones. She would run in the forest and eat animals raw and eventually...what? Have puppies? The very thought set a dangerous growl thrumming in her chest and throat, and she held her head up higher.

_What's happened to me?!_ she demanded in the wolfspeech, which made it clearly visible to anyone who understood, that her apparent aggressiveness was born almost entirely of fear. _I was a human being! Am I trapped like this forever?!_


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## Tokiwong (Dec 19, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> _What's happened to me?!_ she demanded in the wolfspeech, which made it clearly visible to anyone who understood, that her apparent aggressiveness was born almost entirely of fear. _I was a human being! Am I trapped like this forever?!_



_“You are not stuck.  You can change.  Remember your shape.  Remember your face.  Then take it, and will the body.  No fear,”_ the man replies to Ariella removing his jacket.

_“Change,”_ he commands.

*Piotr & Drake*

Moriarty shrugs, “You will be fine stop bitching.  And yeah we need to get you some clothes.  We got a van out back I am sure we can find you something in there.  Just try not to change too much.”

*Faith*

Candace shrugs, “Do what you want.”

Subtle Storm smiles, “Yes you can look at it that way, and many do.  But your simple wisdom has merit, you should not forsake that old life, but balance it with what you are.  In the end only you can decide what you want to do, and I think you have decided so we shall leave it at that.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 19, 2006)

"Thank you for that Subtle Storm."  Faith says gratefully, feeling a greater kinship with her then with the blood thirsty Blood Talon Beta, she was actually starting to feel greatful that she wasn't going to be in the beta's pack, she was truly frightening.

"What you said about breeding...you said that we could do it with humans, but not Uratha or wolves, does that mean that we can change into more then just wolfmen, er wolfwomen...half wolf-hybrids?  What exactly can we change into?  I take it multiple things, and I did see Candace change into a really big not quite non-human, but not fully human form either.  Can I change into all of that?  How do we change, I don't want to change by accident, so I want to be able to control it."


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## Tokiwong (Dec 20, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "What you said about breeding...you said that we could do it with humans, but not Uratha or wolves, does that mean that we can change into more then just wolfmen, er wolfwomen...half wolf-hybrids?  What exactly can we change into?  I take it multiple things, and I did see Candace change into a really big not quite non-human, but not fully human form either.  Can I change into all of that?  How do we change, I don't want to change by accident, so I want to be able to control it."



“Yes the gauru is the war form, the shape of rage… and not to be used lightly.  Hishu is your current shape now, the human,” Subtle Storm replies.

“Oh yeah you are talking about the dalu, the near human shape… one of strength that still gives us some of the advantages of the man shape.  Urshul is the near-wolf form, it is strong, but also gives you speed… but no one would ever mistake you for simply just a wild beast… and then we have the wolf form, the urhan.  It is built for speed and to move unnoticed in the wilds,” Candace adds taking a seat and sharpening her blade.

“You will learn what form is best for what with experience, but you can change into them at will,” Subtle Storm replies, “by harnessing your internal primal will or simply expending some essence…”

“Oh god here comes the questions… a long story short princess, essence is the food of spirits.  We are part spirit as well and it fuels our gifts and many of our what some people would call _supernatural_ abilities.  Essence comes from the Shadow… either spirits or into the physical world at a locus a place of power,” Candace adds.

Subtle Storm looks at Candace with surprise, “That is surprisingly accurate.”


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 20, 2006)

"I liked those clothes," Piotr laments as he gets up, his arm more or less fine, "It's as though it was never broken.

"I always wondered if there was something... more to everything. Anyway, Nightshades, how far to your van? I don't want to spend to long trekking through snow in what's left of my boxers."


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## Shayuri (Dec 20, 2006)

Ariella seizes on his words, and tries to see herself as she has, countless times in the mirror. The change starts slowly...a crawling sensation...but speeds up as it goes. Finally it ends with Ari, as she was, crouching down.

She quickly stands up, looking at her arms, feeling her face.

"It worked!" she gasps. "I'm...I'm..."

Cold. And, she realized...naked.

Abruptly turning bright red, she folds her arms over herself and crouches down again.

"Uh...do one of you have a coat I can borrow?" she asks. "Please?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 20, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ariella seizes on his words, and tries to see herself as she has, countless times in the mirror. The change starts slowly...a crawling sensation...but speeds up as it goes. Finally it ends with Ari, as she was, crouching down.
> 
> She quickly stands up, looking at her arms, feeling her face.
> 
> ...



Isaac puts his long heavy coat around her.  He speaks normally now, “There well hello, my name is Isaac and this is my son Camera; we are like you.  Looks like the spirits have brought you here to us this evening.  You should come with us, I know this may all seem scary to you, but I mean you no harm.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 20, 2006)

"Enough calling me princess, I do have a name."  Faith growls flatly at Candace, her annoyance and anger overriding her fear of the woman.  "So we have 5 forms...ok, that makes sense, well none of this makes sense, but I understand the 5 shapes, Human, close to human, hybrid, near wolf, and wolf.  I have changed into the Gauru form, so I guess I have to turn into the other ones next.  I don't remember turning into the...Dalu was it?  On the way to going Gauru do we change through each one on our way from one to the next or is it all at once?" she asks Subtle Storm.

"Essence?  Spirit food?  So essence is spirit energy that we can use for our powers?  What powers do we have?  How would I go about learning how to use them?  and whats the shadow?  Is that some kind of spirit world where all the spirits hang out when they aren't picking on us cubs?"


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## Graf (Dec 20, 2006)

*Camera *stares.
He doesn't look away or even seem to understand the wolf-girls uncomfort at first when she shifts back.

Then he starts to grin, "It means something doesn't it. Everything I see. It really means something!"


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## Shayuri (Dec 20, 2006)

"May seem scary?" Ari demands, huddling in the coat. "I was -dreaming-! I thought... There's no way this is real! I was a WOLF just now! I...I must have been sleepwalking. Oh god...I'm really going crazy. I must have sleepwalked clear out here..."

She looks around, fixing on Camera when he talks.

"Mean something? What the hell are you talking about?"


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## DrZombie (Dec 20, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Isaac puts a hand on Camera’s shoulder, “Don’t be afraid…”  He then turns to Ariella and kneels down.  He cocks his head slightly and then begins speaking his teeth have a far more feral appearance then should be possible and indeed Camera can’t understand a damn thing his father is saying.  It sounds like the yelps and whoops of a dog or wolf perhaps…
> 
> It is odd to hear the wolf speech without the scents and visual cues to back it up but Ariella understands this much, _“Don’t be afraid.  We are not enemy.  We are uratha.  Understand?”_
> 
> ...




"Feck"

Drake looks at the blade sticking out of his stomach, then at Moriarty pulling it out.

"Feck"

He looks at the wound on his abdomen closing by itself.

"Feck"

He looks at Piotr, sees and hears him healing himself, and muttering in a strange tongue. He looks around at the carnage, the wounded, the damage, then at Moriarty.

"Feckin' hell, Moriarty. You feckin' stabbed me. " He laughs, a little ragged 'round the edges. "And that still didn't feckin' kill me. Guess I'll have to insult you a little more next time. Or maybe use some feckin' smaller words."

He slaps Moriarty on the back. "Feck me if I feckin' understand what just happened, but I feckin' feel like I feckin' owe you one. Thanks."


He looks back at rachel. "Why the feck is that scarred woman and her apes after me? Why are they pure? And who the feck is roman? And could I get a feckin' shower before I change? At least half an hour ago I knew whos blood was on me, now I have no idea."


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## Graf (Dec 20, 2006)

*Camera* suddenly goes quiet for a second.

"People think I'm strange," he says. "That's OK. But it's nice to know that what I see is..... real. Like this..."

Camera flips through his book and then holds up a picture. It's a normal scene of a bustling city street. Vendors sell goods, businessmen talk on their celephones, but they're not people. Instead the simple sketch drawning shows impossible entities doing odd things. A man with a dogs head is promenetly featured in a british bobby's outfit twirling a billy club and whistle.


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## Graf (Dec 20, 2006)

"See?" *Camera* points to the picture as if he were saying something obvious.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 20, 2006)

*Piotr & Drake*

Moriarty gives Drake an incredulous look, “Yeah… okay, so lets get to the van.”

Rachel pauses at the exit, “I don’t know why they were after you, but my best guess is that they wanted you to join the Pure.  And trust me you don’t want that, at least we are trying to be civil they would simply beat you into submission.  But I do intend to find out, in the meanwhile the safest place for you is away from here.”

Rachel leaves.

Moriarty chimes in, “I am going to take you to Roman, dude is a little weird but he knows his stuff.”  Assuming they follow him, he has some extra scruffy clothes in the van, to get changed and semi cleaned up.

*Camera & Ariella*

Isaac speaks, “Why don’t you get in the car and we can talk about it on the way to a friend’s place.  This ain’t the best place to be chatting about this kind of stuff.  You may not think so, but you are among friends here.”

*Faith*

Candace growls at the challenge, “You got a human name Faith… but you ain’t earned a deed name worth writing home about unless you want to be called Princess of Many Questions.  I kind of like that one.”  Candace focuses her eyes on Faith, and there is a barely held in check rage boiling in those dark eyes.  She is poised for action, loose but poised, almost as if she is anticipating Faith to act, or perhaps wanting her to.

Subtle Storm moves in between the two, “Calm down both of you… Candace she isn’t challenging you, she just wants to be treated with some respect.”

Candace snarls, “I will give her respect when she earns it, and she has a long way to go with me.”

Subtle Storm sighs, “She is just a child.”

“Yeah, I know.  Why I haven’t blooded her yet, I am giving her the benefit of the doubt,” she focuses on Faith, “Now don’t get confused, I don’t hate you, but as far as I am concerned we are not friends.  You helped me bring down an azlu hybrid, and that ain’t a small feat.  You earned some respect, but I have been hunting for over twelve years.  I came to Denver to help with destroying Gurdilag…”

Subtle Storm nods listening, “I had no idea.”

“I lost friends, much of my old pack, and worse; so if I don’t exactly come off as a nice person, then tough deal with it.  I come off as a bitch,” she growls, “then deal with it.  I respect the low according to the oath but that don’t mean I owe you $#!t.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 20, 2006)

"Did you ask less questions when you were a cub?  Ignorance is only a weakness if you don't try to learn.  I'm not very strong right now but thats only because I don't know what I'm capable of, what my limits are.  It'd be stupid of me to challenge you, I already know you'd beat me up, your much tougher then I am."  Faith says dropping her eyes to te floor and stepping back and away from Candace.  She swallows her anger, at least for the moment, though its evident that she is very much unhappy about doing it.

"My mistake, I thought you did like me, I wont make that assumption again.  Either way, don't call me princess.  My father called me it when I was little and it annoyed me to no end.  A princess is some silly little girl who waits for a big strong hero to save her and is useless without him, thats not me.  Calling me that right now is really going to set me off and like you said I'm not really in control of my rage, its not a challenge to you.  Its like those signs in the parks, don't feed the bears.  Please don't call me princess."


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## Tokiwong (Dec 20, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Did you ask less questions when you were a cub?  Ignorance is only a weakness if you don't try to learn.  I'm not very strong right now but thats only because I don't know what I'm capable of, what my limits are.  It'd be stupid of me to challenge you, I already know you'd beat me up, your much tougher then I am."  Faith says dropping her eyes to te floor and stepping back and away from Candace.  She swallows her anger, at least for the moment, though its evident that she is very much unhappy about doing it.



Candace listens.


			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "My mistake, I thought you did like me, I wont make that assumption again.  Either way, don't call me princess.  My father called me it when I was little and it annoyed me to no end.  A princess is some silly little girl who waits for a big strong hero to save her and is useless without him, thats not me.  Calling me that right now is really going to set me off and like you said I'm not really in control of my rage, its not a challenge to you.  Its like those signs in the parks, don't feed the bears.  Please don't call me princess."



The older wolf gives Faith a feral grin, “Good, Faith.  Good you have a strong heart and your curious manner will take you a long way.  The one thing that kills most uratha is that we forget to ask questions… we take things at face value and that ignorance ends up killing us.”

Subtle Storm just listens to the words of the elder rahu.

“I lied to you Faith, and it was a lie to test your strength.  You stood up to me, that is more then I can say for Duncan and other young uratha, I know I intimidate you but you have the strength to challenge me and stand up for what you believe is just.  I welcome you as a sister Faith… you would make a strong Blood Talon, we respect strength and we honor those strong enough to know what their limitations are and strive to overcome them.”

Candace extends her hand.


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## Shalimar (Dec 21, 2006)

Faith accepts Candace's hand and grins back at the older Rahu Talon.  "Thank you...sister." the pink haired teen says, trying out the unfamiliar word, unfamiliar to her at any rate.  "I do not know enough about the Blood Talons, or any other tribe to make a fair decision on something that will shape the rest of my life...I would like to know more first.  Does each tribe subscribe to some ideal of what a Uratha is to be?  Perhaps Many Questions is an appropriate name, as soon as I think one is answered, the answer creates a dozen more."  she says smiling.

"I don't know that what you said earlier was a lie Candace, I think if I hadn't stood up to you, if I had disappointed you, then you would have hated me for being weak.  I do know how to defend myself, I made dad enroll me in self-defense classes. I'm actually a black belt in Karate, so I'm not totally defenseless."


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## Shayuri (Dec 21, 2006)

Ari eyes Isaac warily, then Camera. Finally she reshuffles the coat and nods.

"Alright. Just...I'm, a police officer, so no funny ideas, all right?

Pulling her only garment tightly around herself, Ari gets into the blue car, shivering.

"Someone want to tell me what the hell's going on?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 21, 2006)

Piotr cleans himself up a little, changing into some of the old clothes in the back of the van.

"This looks like an oil stain," he says impassively as he sniffs at a section of the shirt he put on.

"Nightshades," he says, referring to Moriarty, "You have my thanks."


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## DrZombie (Dec 21, 2006)

"You should feckin' sack and sue your stylist, Moriarty. No wonder you look like a total feckin' dweep." Drake grumbles as he wades through the clothing.
"Aaah well, this 'll have to do" he says as he takes the most cleanish t-shirt and uses it, together with a bottle of spring water, to clean off most of the gore and blood. He then takes his spare set of clothing from his backpack, grins at Piotr and changes into his own, clean, comfortable clothes.
"Yeah Watson, be feckin' prepared, as they say at the feckin' boyscouts." Drake says, evidently pleased with himself.


He hops into the front of the van, next to Moriarty.
"Now, off to this Roman dude, right? No offense, but after seeing you, baldie over there and your alpha, whatever the feck that may be, we're going to feckin' see somebody _you lot_ thinks is feckin not right in the feckin' head? I just can't bloody feckin' wait. Any chainsaws or human feckin' leather masks involved?"


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## Graf (Dec 21, 2006)

*Camera* squeezes himself into the other side of the vehicle.
He seems practically wired with energy. And somewhat inept at stringing along sentences.

“He’s my dad.”
“We just met.”
“We’re special people.”

Then “People call me Cam. That’s short for Camera.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 25, 2006)

_Please ignore... technical difficulties._


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## Shalimar (Dec 25, 2006)

*Drake & Piotr*

Moriarty hisses as he starts the van up, “You know if you would shut up for a few seconds instead of trying to piss me off this would go much better.  I don’t want to be here anymore then you do, but if you keep being an ass then I will show you just how much of an alpha I am; and I will rip your face off and shot it you.”  Buzz sitting in the back reading a conspiracy theory novel, just smiles with that mad gleam in her eye.

Moriarty scowls, “This isn’t my idea of a good time, trust me and being uratha I am already a little pissed.  You keep pushing me, and you won’t even make it to Max Roman’s place.  Now just let me drive.”

He turns and focuses on driving.

*Camera & Ariella*

Isaac replies, “You are no dreaming, or losing your mind.  You are uratha like my son, like me, and like the people we are going to see.  You are what apes like to call a werewolf.  But unlike the movies we are not slavering cursed people who change uncontrollably at the break of the full moon.  We are not human, we are both spirit and flesh, and we are children of a bloody legacy.”

He pauses maneuvering the Cadillac towards a lonely road leading up to a lonely estate.  He pauses at the gate and speaks his name before the gates open and he heads inside.  Isaac continues, “I was once like you, scared of what I was, but in time that goes away.  Because who you were is not the truth, but what you are now is.  You are a proud daughter of Luna and Father Wolf.”

He parks the car, “There are others like you two, who are young in the ways of the wolf, which is why we are here.  If you want answers then you should follow me.”

*Faith*

“Good, and…” Candace pauses turning to the door.  Two large black men walk in with a shorter woman wearing just a long jacket with no shoes.  Subtle Storm nods a welcome to the older of the two black men.

_This is Ariella and Camera_

Candace nods, “Isaac, so this is your boy?  But who is the woman?”

“Yeah, the woman I just ran into her, Luna brought her to me, but she is uratha too,” Isaac responds, “so we got ourselves some young blood in numbers.  The spirits are definitely active tonight…”

Subtle Storm speaks, “Isaac Shadow Sage,” she says the name with reverence , “This is Faith, Faith this is Isaac Shadow Sage, he is the alpha of his pack and a respected ithauer, his wisdom far outstrips my own.”

Isaac nods, “Welcome Faith.”

Tokiwong was having posting issues so he passed the post to me for posting post haste.


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## Shalimar (Dec 25, 2006)

Faith smiles at the new arrivals,  she assumed that they were Isaac and his son, and that was confirmed for her by Candace, but she had no idea about who the Woman was.  She wasn't much much older thenfaith, maybe her earl twenties, and since she was naked except for the coat and because Max and Candace wanted her to meet other very new werewolves thats what the woman had to be right?

"Hi, I'm Faith, its nice to meet all of you.  I guess this has been as much of a crazy night for you as it has been for me Huh?"  Faith says empathically to the jacket clad woman, trying to let her know that she wasn't alone in the crazyness that was going on.  "My night has just been a total mess, I black out at a party to wake up hurt in the middle of the woods, and then I get found and then we get jumped by a spider monster."  the pink haired teen says.  "My clothes were jus as trashed as yours, it was lucky that Candace had extras...maybe Max might have extra clothes around for her?  If this is the place where new werewolves are taken to learn I mean he almost has to, right?"


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 25, 2006)

"Heh, boyscouts," Piotr says, and rolls his eyes.

He sorts through the various knick-knacks that he picked up after returning to his senses from his tussle with the Pure. He slips most of them into the pockets of the pair of pants borrowed from Moriarty.

Since Moriarty was in no mood to talk, Piotr looks to Buzz, "Moriarty said he was an uratha? Is that an extra angry type of werewolf?"

_Merry Christmas all! _


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## Tokiwong (Dec 25, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> Since Moriarty was in no mood to talk, Piotr looks to Buzz, "Moriarty said he was an uratha? Is that an extra angry type of werewolf?"



Buzz looks up from her novel, “You know the government is responsible for 9/11; but not for what you think.  It was to cover up their pacts with the Maeltinet… oh yeah President Bush is a pawn of the wound lords.”

She closes her eyes and then opens them focusing on Piotr, “Uratha is our word, the word for the people.  We are the uratha, cursed for our actions, but blessed to keep on the sacred mission of Father Wolf… but who knows if that is even true.  It is a First Tongue word, the language of the spirits.  We all feel the rage.  Just some of us are more pissed off then others.”


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 25, 2006)

"Thank you," Piotr thanks Buzz, "I am sure I will take more interest in your theory after I have learned what the 'Maeltinet' and 'Wound Lords' are.

"So we all have the rage... Have any advice for someone who's at the beginning?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 25, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "So we all have the rage... Have any advice for someone who's at the beginning?"



Buzz rubs her bald head, “Well, one good thing is to never push a rahu too far, Luna’s warriors tend to have short fuses and I have seen the results of that fuse blowing.  But for you I recommend just trying to take it one step at a time… and stop looking at me with those lover’s eyes.”

Buzz licks her lips, “As awesome as it would be, it is wrong and debased.”


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## Graf (Dec 26, 2006)

Camera squats back on his heels, his writing book clasped to his chest. Grinning and idly toying with his hair he’s positioned near the edge of the group. His eyes flick intently from face to face as various people speak and he nods during their conversation.


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## Shayuri (Dec 26, 2006)

Ari just stands and stares numbly as the conversations wind on.

Faith's verbose introduction does little to reassure her. In fact, it seems to unnerve her all the more. If it hadn't been for the 'dream' with the Death Wolf, she reflects distantly, it'd all be over about now. As it was, it was still all over, but in a different way. She'd been a wolf. Now a person again. If 'werewolf' -wasn't- the word for that, what was? 

With her eyes still a bit too wide, a bit blank, Ari turns to Faith and says, "Kid...uh...Faith. Sorry. Could you check around to see if anyone's got some pants or skirt or something I can borrow?"

Then she waves at Buzz to get her attention. "Hey! Could someone bottom-line this for me? I'm prepared to go along with the 'urathra werewolf whatever' thing, because short of someone slipping me some kind of souped up acid, I don't know how else to explain what I've seen tonight. But what's it MEAN? Like, did I just go tearing out of my apartment, ripping people open as I went and busting the door off? Or did I -actually- go where I -thought- I went...which is hunting gazelle with some 'death wolf' or something?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Then she waves at Buzz to get her attention. "Hey! Could someone bottom-line this for me? I'm prepared to go along with the 'urathra werewolf whatever' thing, because short of someone slipping me some kind of souped up acid, I don't know how else to explain what I've seen tonight. But what's it MEAN? Like, did I just go tearing out of my apartment, ripping people open as I went and busting the door off? Or did I -actually- go where I -thought- I went...which is hunting gazelle with some 'death wolf' or something?"



_I will assume you are directing the question to one of the NPCs in the room, Buzz is still on her way with Piotr and Drake._

Isaac turns to Ariella at the mention of _Death Wolf_, “Kamduis-Ur, the great she-wolf of Death… she roams far and wide, and you say that she came to you?  That is a great honor for any young uratha.  The great tribal totems rarely make their presences felt to those so young.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

*Ariella, Faith, & Camera*

Subtle Storm gasps, “So Death Wolf has given her blessing to a new daughter, and you are honored.”

Candace nods, “Just what the world needs… another Bone Shadow.”

Isaac focuses on Ariella, “Did she make you take the ban, to Pay each spirit in kind?”


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## Shayuri (Dec 27, 2006)

(oops! I misread. Yes...say I direct it at Subtle Storm then. )

Ariella nods, snapping a finger and pointing at Isaac.

"As a matter of fact, yeah! What was that all about anyway? I mean...except for the spirit part I guess it makes sense, but she wouldn't explain it. I'd already had my four questions and..."

She pauses, then shakes her head.

"It sounds like a Lewis Carroll story. Four questions. Pacts with spirits... I just want to know what it -means- for me." Another pause, then she glances at Candace.

"What's a Bone Shadow?"


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## Shalimar (Dec 27, 2006)

Faith smiles at Ariella and nods at her request to try and find some clothes, though she didn't know exactly whether or not there were extra clothes, but the pink haired teen figured it would be likely given the fact that new Uratha were brought here often and that they were in a bedroom.  She moves to a dresser and picks through the drawers looking for something for Ariella to wear.

"So what is a Death Wolf? Wait...Tribal Totems, are those spirits that are in charge of the tribes?  Do all tribes have totems I guess?  So there would be a Storm Lord totem and a Blood Talon totem?"  Faith asks over her shoulder examining all the dressers for anything that might fit the other new Uratha.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

*Max Roman's Estate*

“Gods rarely explain themselves,” Isaac replies.  “The same can be said of Kamduis-Ur, she is aloof and walks alone.  There are beings that understand the hisil as well as her.  She is the tribal totem of my tribe, the Bone Shadows.  We concern ourselves with the matters of the hisil and the spirits.”

“Bone Shadows,” Isaac continues, “the Hirfathra Hissu, seek out the mysteries of the spirits, the Shadow World.  We seek knowledge in the lost places, and always pay each spirit in kind; either with respect or justice.  Always respect your prey, and spirits more so.  They fear and hate us for the role we have taken, but just the same they respect our strength, and we must in turn respect them.”

“Death Wolf has given you her favor, that is enough for me,” Isaac finishes.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "So what is a Death Wolf? Wait...Tribal Totems, are those spirits that are in charge of the tribes?  Do all tribes have totems I guess?  So there would be a Storm Lord totem and a Blood Talon totem?"  Faith asks over her shoulder examining all the dressers for anything that might fit the other new Uratha.



“Yes all eight of the great tribes have a totem, one of the great wolves of Father Wolf’s get.  They are simply gods, more powerful then any of us can reckon yet their power is finite,” Subtle Storm adds, “We owe them respect; in turn they grant us favor in both the worlds of flesh and spirit.  But even so, very few uratha can claim to have spoken to one of the great totems directly.”

_Ariella and Faith, can find clothes._


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## Shalimar (Dec 27, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> “Yes all eight of the great tribes have a totem, one of the great wolves of Father Wolf’s get.  They are simply gods, more powerful then any of us can reckon yet their power is finite,” Subtle Storm adds, “We owe them respect; in turn they grant us favor in both the worlds of flesh and spirit.  But even so very uratha can claim to have spoken to one of the great totems directly.”
> 
> _Ariella and Faith, can find clothes._




"Wow, she got to meet a God?  How cool is that...I'm all jealuous now, especially since she like adopted you into her tribe...Cool, at least you know which tribe you get to be part of."  Faith congratulated the police officer.  "Lets see here...I think this should work for you."  Faith told Ariella pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from the drawer, it was very similiar to what had been scrounged for Faith by Candace.  The pink haired girl offers the clothes to the trench coated woman with a friendly smile.  "Tonight is my first night with all of this stuff too, I guess we are in the same boat." she offers in addition to the clothes.

"Candace, you and Max said that packs were all like families...that they don't really let people join them...how do new werewolves generally find packs?  Do all new werewolves get lumped together or are there generally a few packs that are umm...recruiting at a given time?  Oh, and since werewolves can be of all different tribes and Auspices are packs suppoused to all be one kind or something?  That could be kinda limiting and make it hard to find the right type of packs huh?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Candace, you and Max said that packs were all like families...that they don't really let people join them...how do new werewolves generally find packs?  Do all new werewolves get lumped together or are there generally a few packs that are umm...recruiting at a given time?  Oh, and since werewolves can be of all different tribes and Auspices are packs suppoused to all be one kind or something?  That could be kinda limiting and make it hard to find the right type of packs huh?"



Max Roman walks in with a smile, “Every pack forms differently.  Every pack is unique, some are single tribe, and some are not.  Others form from the remnants of other packs, and still others are a continuing legacy of generations.  But tonight I think a new pack will be formed from this young blood.”

Isaac nods, “I agree Max, we have the core for a new pack here, far too many for my own pack to assimilate.”

Candace agrees, “Yeah, Duncan Dumb-Ass is all the new blood we need.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

*Max Roman's Estate*

Max nods, “But they will need training, knowledge, and enough guidance to be a proper pack.  Two more young wolves are on their way with that upstart Moriarty.  Fives young wolves… tonight we see a new pack of Forsaken.”

Subtle Storm smiles, “Well we could certainly use all the new blood.”

Isaac adds, “My pack will aid in their training.”


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 27, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> Buzz rubs her bald head, “Well, one good thing is to never push a rahu too far, Luna’s warriors tend to have short fuses and I have seen the results of that fuse blowing. But for you I recommend just trying to take it one step at a time… and stop looking at me with those lover’s eyes.”
> 
> Buzz licks her lips, “As awesome as it would be, it is wrong and debased.”




Piotr was once more confused, not so much from Buzz claiming he was looking at her with lover's eyes but claiming it was wrong and debased. He thought he had already professed a dislike for shaved heads but perhaps Buzz found it easy to skip over that in her unbalanced state of mind.

"You sound like you greatly dislike sex outside of marriage," Piotr said, leaving it at that.

To spare further confusion he figured it was best to avoid asking her reasons.

"So who is this 'Roman'?" he asked, "Is it a nickname for someone from Rome or his actual name? I am guessing he would know what to do next?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "So who is this 'Roman'?" he asked, "Is it a nickname for someone from Rome or his actual name? I am guessing he would know what to do next?"



“Max Roman, he is the alpha of the Silver Syndicate, hell he found the ban for Gurdilag… and led the fight against the idigam.  The man is a living legend, and that is saying something for an Iron Master.  He got some weird ideas though about unity, and making some kind of uratha nation,” Buzz replies.

“It just ain’t natural, but he keeps trying,” Buzz adds with a wild smile.


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## Shalimar (Dec 27, 2006)

"I guess I can see why you didn't want me in your packs if you knew there were going to be so many of us all at once... does this happen a lot... five nuzu...five whatevers changing all at once?"  Faith asked Max, though she was looking back and forth from Ariella to Camera warmly, as reassuringly as she could muster.  If the three of them were all going to be part of the same pack then she definitely wanted to know about her packmates.  The pink haired teen especially wanted to know about the other 2 that were yet to arrive, she wanted to know if they were much older then she was since she definitely was feeling like she would probably be at the kiddie table or something since everyone else looked old enough to be out of college and she was just a junior in highschool.

"The two that are coming with this Moriarty guy, do you know anything about them?  How old they are and stuff?  If we are all going to be a pack we need to get to know each other I guess, but we also need to learn about the tribes and I guess what our auspices mean to each of us, and I guess we can do that together with all of the help that you guys are offering." Faith says gratefully smiling at Isaac, Candace, and Max. "I have the feeling that all Uratha are not going to be so nice to us as all of you are...are there signs for us to watch out for?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "The two that are coming with this Moriarty guy, do you know anything about them?  How old they are and stuff?  If we are all going to be a pack we need to get to know each other I guess, but we also need to learn about the tribes and I guess what our auspices mean to each of us, and I guess we can do that together with all of the help that you guys are offering." Faith says gratefully smiling at Isaac, Candace, and Max. "I have the feeling that all Uratha are not going to be so nice to us as all of you are...are there signs for us to watch out for?"



Isaac answers the first question, “For so many young wolves to feel the change is uncommon and speaks of something brewing in the spirit world.  The why of such things ain’t exactly known to us.  But we have to respect that something is happening.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 27, 2006)

*Max Roman's Estate*

“You will get to know each other,” Max responds, “But I don’t know anything about these other two uratha.  But you are correct in believing that not all of the people will welcome you with open arms.  As much as I would wish it, the old ways die hard.  In time you will learn that although you can rely on allied packs, you will have to stand on your own paws and find your own way.  But hopefully you will have the ample knowledge and training to survive.”


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## Shayuri (Dec 28, 2006)

Ariella busies herself dressing. The shirt's a bit tight, but it's no worse than a swimsuit would be. The sweatpants fit fine, and she even has to cinch the cord a little. She listens while she works, but the terms are foreign to her.

Urathra, she gets. The wolf...god?...had explained that much. It was a fancy-pants name for werewolves. Packs she -thought- she got, but wasn't completely sure how it related to -tribe-, which in her mind meant something very similar...but clearly not in this strange other culture. Auspices, she had no clue on, and it was making her head hurt.

And all that was just spice on a nice big cake of swollen head from meeting a god, mixed with a healthy dollop of concern about just what that god had wanted from her to appear in person. She'd read quite a bit of Torah, Koran, Bible, and other holy books. In none of them did a god's gift come free.

Not that she'd actually gotten a GIFT, per se. Answers to questions she could just as easily asked these people. Somehow, she doubted the Death Wolf would see it that way though.

Finally Ari straightens up and says, "Okay...lemme get this straight."

She points at Faith. "I'm in her pack."

At Isaac. "But in -your- tribe."

"There's something about an auspice-blahdy-blah that applies somehow. We're all werewolves. Spirits hate us, but we respect them. We fight each other too. And since we're not making the nine'o'clock news, I'm guessing we do NOT fight, or eat, or otherwise make ourselves known to ordinary non-urathratic humanity? How? I mean...it wasn't like I chose to change into a bigass wolf. What if that happens at, like, a company picnic? And don't say 'leave no witnesses' because that is NOT who I am."

She folds her arms over her chest and looks at each of the 'authority' figures.


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## Shalimar (Dec 28, 2006)

"I'm still trying to understand everything too, but if I understand it right, then your Auspice is your role in werewolf society.  I'm a Cahalith, and Cahaliths aresuppoused to be the sociable ones that teach and tell stories and things like that.  Your tribe is the giant group of like-minded Uratha that you are part of, there are five tribes and they each have some kind of shared ideal of what a werewolf should be.  And then there is the pack and your pack is suppoused to be as tightly knit as your family, they are the Uratha that are always around, that help and support you, that fight with you and for you... did I get all of that right?"  Faith asks looking to Max and Subtle Storm.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 28, 2006)

*Max Roman’s Estate*

Isaac replies, “No you are in my tribe, but she is apart of your pack… if you so choose.  There is no law that says that you have to leave here as her pack mate, but I believe that everything will be easier for you if you choose to go this pack.”

Max adds, “We respect our prey, not every spirit is worthy of respect, but you should respect your prey.  Spirits detest our presence because we keep them in check; we police them and keep them from running amok.”

Isaac continues, “It is part of the Oath of the Moon, but in short those that are not uratha must not know about us.  It endangers them, but it endangers us even more so.  If you fail to uphold this oath then you must fix it… using your best judgment.  We are not asking you to kill, and I believe it is not always needed, but you must protect the people.”


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## Tokiwong (Dec 28, 2006)

*Max Roman’s Estate*

Subtle Storm smiles, “That is a start Faith; auspices are broad, they are simply a role that Father Wolf fulfilled in the old days that Luna believes we can also fill.  Not all cahalith are sociable, but they all have the voice and sight of Luna.  All rahu can fight but it does not make all rahu berserker generals.  An auspice is an affinity in your soul for certain roles that Father Wolf once fulfilled.  No one uratha could possibly fulfill them all, but together as a pack… it is possible.”

Candace speaks, “And yeah your pack is your family, they will be closer then your family bound together in bonds of trust, friendship, and spirit.  A proper pack has a totem, a totem that reflects the spirit of the pack and their goals.  Our pack, Ashen Rebirth has bound the spirit Cleansing Fire of Hope to serve as our totem as we aid in rebuilding the damage done by Gurdilag.  Packs grow, they shrink… and many die.   But they are only as strong as the uratha that make up the pack.  In time you will learn all this and more, including the responsibility a pack has to its territory.”


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## Shalimar (Dec 28, 2006)

"I uh...I thought we got choose what tribe we wished to belong to...was I wrong about that?  Or is it because she got to see your tribes totem and promised to do whatever it was that a ban is?  And is a ban what it sounds like?  Something that a werewolf can't do, or must do?  Is there a ban for each tribe just like there is a totem for each tribe?"

"Hey...uh are there werewolves who just aren't part of any pack or tribe?  Like if they don't want to be and no one wants to be with them?  It doesn't sound safe if we always get attacked by spirits and stuff, but are there werewolves like that?"  Faith asks, sounding like she is slightly afraid of being one of the ones without a pack or tribe.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 29, 2006)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> “Max Roman, he is the alpha of the Silver Syndicate, hell he found the ban for Gurdilag… and led the fight against the idigam. The man is a living legend, and that is saying something for an Iron Master. He got some weird ideas though about unity, and making some kind of uratha nation,” Buzz replies.
> 
> “It just ain’t natural, but he keeps trying,” Buzz adds with a wild smile.




"Silver Syndicate... Gurdilag... Idigam... Iron Master... Those went over my head. What I understand is that werewolves -uratha I mean- are not unifed. So they fight each other? The carnage from earlier happens often?" Piotr asked.

He tugged his packet of cigarettes from a pocket of his borrowed pants, only to find he lost his last few cigarettes when they were flung somewhere during the fight.


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## Graf (Dec 29, 2006)

Camera perches happly on the side of the group. 
_Five new ones..._
_That's me...._
_I'm one of them..._
_I have my own crew now..._

He looks aprehensively at the two women.
_What if they don't like me?"_


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## DrZombie (Dec 29, 2006)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> "Silver Syndicate... Gurdilag... Idigam... Iron Master... Those went over my head. What I understand is that werewolves -uratha I mean- are not unifed. So they fight each other? The carnage from earlier happens often?" Piotr asked.
> 
> He tugged his packet of cigarettes from a pocket of his borrowed pants, only to find he lost his last few cigarettes when they were flung somewhere during the fight.




Drake takes his pack from his coat and offers them to Piotr. "Here you go, Watson. Have one of mine."
He takes his hip flask and takes a swallow, then hands it to Piotr as well. "And I think you could use a feckin' drink as well"

"Feck this feckin' mess."

He looks pensive for a while, not saying mutch.

"This feckin Roman better have some feckin' answers."


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## Tokiwong (Dec 29, 2006)

*Max Roman’s Estate*

Isaac replies to Faith, “The choice of tribe is a personal one, sometimes we choose for ourselves sometimes that choice is made for us.  Every situation is unique and there are those among the Forsaken that seek the less traveled path, that of the Ghost Wolf… one without a tribe.  I chose the Bone Shadows, but that does not mean that Camera must follow my path.  In some bloodlines this is so, but not mines.  In the end the tribe you choose, is a personal and spiritual choice.”

Max adds, “It is never safe to go alone, but some try… the path of the lone wolf is dangerous but not entirely impossible.”

Outside an old white utility van pulls up behind Isaac’s Cadillac.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 29, 2006)

*Black Moon Extreme’s Van*

Buzz shrugs, “You don’t got to understand it all right now dude.  You just need to understand that yeah we fight each other all the time.  We fight for respect, territory, and all kinds of $#!+ like that.  If someone has what you want, you either ask them for it, or you take it.  If they are too weak to hold it then they don’t deserve it.”

Moriarty brings the van to a halt, “We are here.”

Buzz opens the back door, and steps out, “Answers?” she looks at Drake, “You want answers, hell we all want answers.  Max Roman, the Silver Syndicate, they got a lot of answers but they don’t have all of them.  You want answers you go find Father Wolf… course he is just a corpse now, so that may be a little difficult.”

Outside is a baby blue Cadillac Deville in front of the van; both parked in front of rustic and large estate.  Buzz grins, “Come on follow me.”

_Drake and Piotr make their arrival with Buzz._


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 29, 2006)

Piotr gratefully accepted the cigarette and the swig of drink. It made accepting the unusual somewhat easier.

"I'm a slow learner Buzz, so I'm glad that I don't need to take it all in straight away," he admits.

Walking into the room with so many others present Piotr can't feel a little self-conscious about his appearance. Piotr is in his mid-thirties, but his eyes give him the look of an older man. His hair is an even mix of black and brown of about shoulder length hanging unkempt about his head, with a thick streak of grey for a fringe.

He is clean-shaven and a cigarette hangs from his mouth. His clothing is dirty and doesn't seem to be the correct size, and while one boot seems intact the scraps of the other are tied to his foot with the laces that must have once belonged to it. He notes the presence of the two young females whose clothing situations more or less resemble his own, but otherwise draws a blank on how he should behave at that moment.

Piotr defaults to his military training and stands at ease, waiting for someone to start explaining things to him.


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## Shalimar (Dec 29, 2006)

Faith listens intently to Max and Isaac's explination of wolves going their own way, it didn't sound at all like what she wanted to do, it made her even more certain that she wanted to belong in a pack, either in the new pack, or in Max's if the other pack didn't work out, or Candace's even.  "Do you want to be packmates?"  she asks Ariella, her eyes wide, and her face very anxious not wanting to be rejected and end up the only girl in a group of older guys.

When the next group of werewolves arrived Faith looked\d them over quickly, and couldn't exactly pick out who was a new werewolf and who wasn't, they were all a lot older then her, and they all looked rather scruffy, not that she was a princess or anything at the moment.  "Hi...I'm Faith, nice to meet you." says the youngest person in the room, the girl isn't close to being out of her teens.  The thing that really jumps out at people seeing her is her pink hair, it screams notice me almost as much as her looks do, beautiful now, the girl looks like she'll be a complete knock out in a few years after she matures a bit more.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 30, 2006)

Max Roman looks around at the gathered uratha.  He clears his throat and begins speaking, “Welcome, Faith already knows my name but for the others, m name is Max Roman, alpha of the Silver Syndicate pack.  These terms may seem alien to you but they are important terms that will you come to learn.”

“Each of you are uratha, the people, or in more common terms, werewolves.  This may seem scary, exciting, or even unnerving but this is the reality of your new lives.  Obviously, you are here because we can help you; it will be a difficult process for all of you but in the end it is my desire that we can create a new pack from the young uratha assembled here today.  I think it is the will of the Firstborn that we bring you all together.”

“You will not have to go this alone though, I have the word of Isaac Shadow Sage that he will do what he can to aid this young pack… but as with all packs you will have to learn to function on your own,” Max finishes.


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## Shayuri (Dec 30, 2006)

Ari shrugs at Faith's question and says, "Yeah, sure..." absently, though most of her attention is on the newcomers.

"Damn. Werewolves coming out of the woodwork tonight." Abruptly she holds up a hand and says, "Wait a second. Is this all related to me hearing little girls on the police radio and getting weird phantom bloodstains all over my hands?"


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## Tokiwong (Dec 30, 2006)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ari shrugs at Faith's question and says, "Yeah, sure..." absently, though most of her attention is on the newcomers.
> 
> "Damn. Werewolves coming out of the woodwork tonight." Abruptly she holds up a hand and says, "Wait a second. Is this all related to me hearing little girls on the police radio and getting weird phantom bloodstains all over my hands?"



 Isaac replies, "Yes that is very much linked."


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## Shalimar (Dec 30, 2006)

> "Damn. Werewolves coming out of the woodwork tonight." Abruptly she holds up a hand and says, "Wait a second. Is this all related to me hearing little girls on the police radio and getting weird phantom bloodstains all over my hands?"




Faith smiles at Ari as she talks.  "Maybe we can start with the five of us introducing ourselves?  I'm Faith Larson, I'm a junior at Thomas Jeffeerson Highschool.  I live with my parents in Hillside Heights."  the pink haired grl says, trying to start things off, before she smiles encouragingly over at the guy who had been keeping on the outskirts of the group, probably just shy she thought.  "Are you Isaac's son?  What's your name? We never actually were introduced, actually I don't know anyone's names."  she says indicating all of the new werewolves.

"You said the police scanner, are you a police officer?  Cool...I have this ticket and I was wondering?"  Faith asks Ari grinning impishly, "I'm kidding, I don't actually have my license yet."  As the youngest, Faith was thinking that it would be easier getting to know each other if she broke the ice because adults could be kind of stand offish and kids weren't expected to know better most of the time.  It was important to the pink haired girl that her pack get along the best it possibly could if they were going to have to rely on each other.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 30, 2006)

Piotr nods in understanding as Max explains the situation. When the youngest girl, Faith, starts introducing herself Piotr starts thinking about how he would introduce himself. Very pretty girl, but far too young for him.

"My name is Piotr Fensk," he begins in his thick Russian accent, "I own and operate the camping supplies store downtown."


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## Graf (Dec 30, 2006)

"Hi," Camera speaks awkwardly. Between his hunched posture and squatting he's smaller than usual but he still takes up quite a bit of space.

"Yeah, I think he's my dad." he gestures toward Issac. "I've been to college, and some other stuff, but mostly I live with my mom, and draw. And I think I've been seeing us, or this," he gestures around the room vaguely, "for a long time."


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## DrZombie (Dec 30, 2006)

"Aw bloody feckin' hell." One of the newcomers says in a boston-irish accent. He's in his early twenties, dressed in clean but used jeans, with long blond hair and bushy sideburns. He lugs a large guitar case around for one reason or another, and he's got a backpack slung over one shoulder.

"What's this? Werewolves anonymus? Hi, my name is Drake O' feckin' Connor, and this afternoon I pounded a uni student into pasty goo, nearly got kidnapped by the pure tribes, whatever that may be, got to know a complete retard who calls himself moriarty, and his charming friend baldy over here. Ah yes, and when we talked with another alpha the pure ones returned, next thing I know moriarty is removing a quite large blade from my stomach, Watson over there is spitting up pieces of whatever and evryone is anxious we've got to see this Roman guy, who probably is you. Pleased to feckin meet the lot of ya."
He says with some slight undertones of sarcasm.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 30, 2006)

Buzz hisses at Drake, “You watch your words jackass… Moriarty is my alpha not Snow, so much for the blessed vision of uratha unity.  Max we don’t owe you no favors so I am out of here…” she flips off Drake, “see you on the streets Irish Spring.”

Buzz storms out.

Max Roman watches the interplay and then replies to Drake, “Well Drake, I am sure that your charming personality takes you far on the streets but I would prefer some decorum while in my home, my territory.  I apologize if you think this is invasive but this is for your protection; you were lucky.”

Isaac adds, “The Pure could have gotten you, and I know that they would not be as forgiving or as helpful as we are.  Max it looks like we may have to alert the packs to a possible Pure incursion.”

Max pauses, “Possibly.”

Isaac lets the matter go and focuses on the young wolves.


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## Shayuri (Dec 31, 2006)

Ari gives Faith a lopsided smile and nods. "Yeah. I'm new on the force, but I'm on it. Assuming that the fallout from all this doesn't snowball and get me canned."

Whatever else she might have said is lost when the others enter.

"Quite a crew we have here," she says a little sarcastically when the drama's played itself out. "And yet another band of somethings that hate us. What's that make so far? Three? Spirits, ourselves, and now these...pure? What are they, werewolf skinheads?"

She chuckles at the thought. "Or would that be like...full body shaves?"

Wearily, Ariella plops into the nearest chair or sofa or similar implement of sitting.

"Sorry. I'm not really a bitch. I'm just feeling...stretched, trying to fit all this in. And I get the feeling there's a lot more we haven't even heard yet."


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## Shalimar (Dec 31, 2006)

Faith smiled at Drake before he opened his mouth, he looked well, cool.  The Irish Uratha's speach dropped the good impression down a notch, and the content sent it into free fall.  Insulting the people who had been helping her through the transition was not Faith's idea of a good move, especially since they could all undoubtedly break a cub over their knee, and regardless of age they were all cubs, it was weird to think of someone as old as Piotr as a cub, but there it was.  If they really were going to be in the same pack, Drake would really have to mind his mouth, cursing wasn't the big deal, well if someone as powerful as Max was didn't have a problem with it at any rate, but getting into fights with people who wanted to help was...bad.  Looking at it from his perspective he was probably scared about everything that had gone on and was pissing people off to try and feel like he was in control of something, a coping mechanism for dealing with all the weird , that or he was just nuts.  To calm him down I need to give him an out, one that isn't just backing down.

"Drake, a pack is suppoused to watch out for each other and protect each other, so as a prospective packmate please becareful of who you piss off.  You may have everything about being a Uratha figured out, but I surely don't, and I'm not as tough as you are.  I need help understanding everything and I can do that by getting help from people that know more, but there isn't anything that says they have to help me, especially if we make them angry."  the pink haired girl told her erstwhile packmate, hoping the deigning to help a teenage girl was a big enough salve to his ego.  Starting a fight with this many influential Uratha seemed like a really bad idea, so smoothing it over was very much a goal for Faith.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 31, 2006)

Skinheads? Piotr though to himself. If he remembered correctly that was a nickname for Nazis. His grandfather fought them. If the Pure were anything like them then Piotr's stance towards them would be an easy decision to make.

"And Sherlock," Piotr adds, placing a hand on Drake's shoulder, "I think my shop is in Moriarty's territory, so if we offend them they may take their anger out on it."

The other woman, probably not much older than Faith, was stunngingly attractive although still probably too young for Piotr. Everything reminded him that he wasn't young any more.

"So lady in sofa," he says, referring to Ariella, "What do you do?"


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## Graf (Dec 31, 2006)

Camera watches Drakes outburst. And "baldy's" responce.
_Contests for Dominance_
_Shows of Strength_
_Searching for Identity?_

Camera shakes off a funny urge to start howling and continues to watch.


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## Tokiwong (Dec 31, 2006)

Max and Isaac exchange looks and then the elder Iron Master turns to the gathered uratha, “I think it is best if we let you young cubs sort yourselves out for a moment while we discuss how we will handle your training.”

They both leave, while Subtle Storm takes a seat in a chair opposite Ariella.  A servant brings in a pitcher of water and several glasses with ice.  She leaves just as quietly as she entered.  The interior of the room has a Midwestern and rustic feel, everything is made of heavy oak, sturdy, and expensive.

Subtle Storm replies to Ariella with a winsome smile, “You are correct, the Pure, spirits, and even other Forsaken are all enemies you will have to look out for.  That does not even include the Hosts… the ridden… and other stranger things that lurk in the darkness.”

“The Pure as skinheads… hah… not exactly but they hate all Forsaken just the same.  I have never actually had an encounter with the Pure, but they are uratha but for some retarded reason they hate Luna and all things about us.  My guess is that they are just crazy,” she shrugs.

Candace stands near the window, partly listening to the conversation and watching out for external threats.


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## Shayuri (Dec 31, 2006)

Ari sighs at the news. "Lovely."

She then turns and looks over at Piotr. "Lady, huh?" she asks, grinning.

""Actually, I'm a cop." She pauses, then adds ruefully, "Or was, last I checked. Which reminds me...maybe I should take today off..."

Piotr realizes on closer inspection that Ari, despite her youthful-looking face, is probably at the very least in her late teens and is more likely early twentyish.


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## Festy_Dog (Dec 31, 2006)

"Police? That will help us," Piotr says, impressed, "I'll probably have to employ people to keep the store open if werewolf stuff takes up a lot of time."

Piotr's mistake, it seemed as though the cop, Drake and the artist were all around the same age. Early twenties, probably.

"I cannot take tomorrow off. I have a shipment of knives coming in and I'll need to sign for them," he laments.


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## Shayuri (Dec 31, 2006)

"Shipment of knives?" Ari shrugs. "Whatever. I mean...seriously though...we just find out, on pretty convincing authority, that _we're not human_ and you're going to let your...your...recieving schedule get in the way of working it out?" She grins and brushes a lock of hair out of her face.  "Business first, I guess."

"Anyway...not to play camp counselor here, but we should probably at least know each other's names if we're going to be a...a pack." Abruptly she has to stop as little burbles of laughter escape. She covers her mouth and shakes her head, gasping, "Sorry...sorry...it just sounds so... I dunno. Cards come in packs. Cigarettes come in packs. Animals." 

She's not smiling now, nor laughing. The hand she has over her mouth slides up to cover her eyes, and she rests her head in it. Without looking up she says in a much lower voice, "I'm Ari. I'm gonna need more time to really...get this."


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## Shalimar (Jan 1, 2007)

"Well, its nice to meet you Ari."  Faith says, plopping herself down on the couch next to the police woman.  The pink haired teen puts her arm around her new packmate and whispers to her.  "Are you going to be ok honey?  This is all kind of scary, but I think we can get through this together.  The two of us can show the boys how its done, what do you think?" she asks, trying to make the woman smile, or at least look on the bright side.

"Wow, you guys all make me feel so young, I guess we all know who the baby of this pack is going to be.  A police officer, a store owner, a college student...you guys have it all together."  Faith said, sounding encouraged.  "That is all kind of spread out though...Candace...How does territory work?  I mean I have school, and Ari has to patrol as a police officer and then Piotr has his store in the city..."


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## Tokiwong (Jan 1, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "That is all kind of spread out though...Candace...How does territory work?  I mean I have school, and Ari has to patrol as a police officer and then Piotr has his store in the city..."



Candace speaks while looking out the window, “Territory is everything Faith.  I can’t say how other packs will react, some may simply ignore your presence as long as you respect their claims, while others will do their damndest to force you out at their earliest convenience.”

She pauses, “In the end you will have to work with the packs that control those respective territories.  Some may be understanding, others may not… this is something you will have to sort out for yourselves.  We can help make that easier with what influence in the ape world we have… thankfully that arena is a specialty of the Silver Syndicate.”


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## Shayuri (Jan 1, 2007)

Ari manages a halfway convincing smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah...sorry about that. It's just a lot to take in. Just last night my partner was gunned down. I had to shoot a ten year old kid...now it turns out I'm a werewolf. I just feel like...I'm on this tightrope, and someone keeps shaking the damn rope. And every time it starts to settle down...bam..."

She takes a deep breath and abruptly asks of Candace, "Hey...do my parents KNOW about this? I mean, could they have warned me? Because there is one HELL of a big cellphone bill in my future if so."


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## Tokiwong (Jan 1, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> She takes a deep breath and abruptly asks of Candace, "Hey...do my parents KNOW about this? I mean, could they have warned me? Because there is one HELL of a big cellphone bill in my future if so."



“My honest guess is that your parents don’t know dick about what is happening, and are probably just as ignorant as any other ape,” Candace replies.  She pauses looking directly at Ariella with her predator eyes, “Chances are you need to tread carefully… the herd must not know, and that includes your parents.”

Candace turns back to the window, “Your family may have a uratha bloodline, and be simply ignorant of the fact.”


----------



## Festy_Dog (Jan 1, 2007)

"You shot a kid?" Piotr said, not accusingly but sympathetically, "It doesn't go away. I knew a guy who did that a long time ago. He... how do you say it? Ate his gun, I think."

The Russian scratched his head and appeared lost in thought for a second.

"The things that lurk in the dark, who do I talk to about them?" he asked.


----------



## Shayuri (Jan 1, 2007)

Ari gives Piotr an aggrived look and snarls, "Oh, that makes me feel a WHOLE lot better! Thanks! Oh, and want to know what makes it great? It wasn't even the kid's fault! Apparently some...like...spirit had possessed him, just to get to ME. So really, it's my fault all around, isn't it? And just to top it off, I killed the kid, but the SPIRIT got away. So don't even TALK to me about how hard it is, alright? Just...don't."

She pauses, then looks up at Candace, an odd look on her face.

"Can we find that spirit? And if we do...what can we do to it?"


----------



## Shalimar (Jan 1, 2007)

Faith rubbed her hand along Ari's back to show that she wasn't alone as the woman told her pack everything that had happened to her over the course of the long night.  The girls eyes did widen in shock when Ari said she had shot a kid, but she tried not to let it show beyond that since she wanted to give her packmate the benifit of the doubt, especially because of the way she had talked before about not wanting to take care of people that might find out about werewolves.  The pink haired Elodoth was not very happy with the way the conversation was going, especially with Piotr talking about eating a gun, Ari didn't need that idea in her head, not at all, though the way he said it did make her wonder what he had done in the past since that didn't sound like the type of thing a shopkeeper would talk about, at least not the way he was.

"Piotr, what did you do...before being a shopkeeper I mean...you sound like you know about a lot of stuff."  the girl says encouragingly, wwanting the oldest of the pack to open up a bit more and maybe change the subject for Ari, or maybe he could relate some experience that would make her feel better.

"I can understand that packs would react to us differently...can you tell us which pack's territories Hillside Heights is in, and which pack's territory Piotr's store is in?  Is it in this Moriarty's or these pure guys?  I want to know who we have to talk to so that we don't have any problems, at least while we are still learning whats going on."  Faith says to Candace.


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## Tokiwong (Jan 1, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> She pauses, then looks up at Candace, an odd look on her face.
> 
> "Can we find that spirit? And if we do...what can we do to it?"



Candace hisses, “Hithisu… it means spirit-urged in the First Tongue… the hisil is rife with many spirits, spirits of animals, to spirits of the elements, and even spirits of emotions.  They feed off the essence of the living world… rage spirits feeding off the anger and wrath of humanity… bear spirits feeding off the actions and icons of the animal that spawned them… and in your case Ariella the spirit you dealt with was most likely a spirit of malice or murder… drawing on the essence of the murder and pain it created.”

She looks right at Ariella, “You are a Bone Shadow… it is your ban to deal with every spirit in kind… this is the will of Death Wolf.  This errant spirit must be taught its place… and perhaps even be destroyed.  That is what we do… we continue Father Wolf’s legacy…”


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 1, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ari gives Piotr an aggrived look and snarls, "Oh, that makes me feel a WHOLE lot better! Thanks! Oh, and want to know what makes it great? It wasn't even the kid's fault! Apparently some...like...spirit had possessed him, just to get to ME. So really, it's my fault all around, isn't it? And just to top it off, I killed the kid, but the SPIRIT got away. So don't even TALK to me about how hard it is, alright? Just...don't."




Piotr's shoulders slumped as Ari lashed back. He had done it again. He wanted to show understanding but was never able to choose the right words.

"I'm sorry," he said, genuinely apologetic, "I am bad at choosing words."



			
				Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Piotr, what did you do...before being a shopkeeper I mean...you sound like you know about a lot of stuff." the girl says encouragingly, wwanting the oldest of the pack to open up a bit more and maybe change the subject for Ari, or maybe he could relate some experience that would make her feel better.




Piotr looks conflicted for a moment.

"I don't know much, really. I was never able to finish high school. Between then and owning a store I was in the military. Everything I know I learnt there," he looks uncertain about continuing, "I know some things that will help us when we have to fight."

He quiets down and seems to subconsciously take hold of an orienteering compass on a cord around his neck.


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## Tokiwong (Jan 1, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I can understand that packs would react to us differently...can you tell us which pack's territories Hillside Heights is in, and which pack's territory Piotr's store is in?  Is it in this Moriarty's or these pure guys?  I want to know who we have to talk to so that we don't have any problems, at least while we are still learning whats going on."  Faith says to Candace.



“Black Moon Extreme,” Candace replies, “That is their territory but it isn’t like they tend to it all that well.  Hell half the time they are running around trying to kill vampires… which only pisses them off and in turns starts more trouble then its worth.”

“And yeah Faith vampires exist… and I don’t know $#!+ about them… so don’t even ask.  You want my advice, don’t screw with them and they won’t screw with you… as far as Hillside Heights, my pack is the closest to it, but we don’t claim it… so you are more then welcome to it.”


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## Shayuri (Jan 1, 2007)

"Oh yeah," Ari mutters. "I most -definitely- intend to pay this spirit in kind. Holy hell yes. Just tell me how to find it."


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## Tokiwong (Jan 1, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> "Oh yeah," Ari mutters. "I most -definitely- intend to pay this spirit in kind. Holy hell yes. Just tell me how to find it."



 "You hunt it down..." Candace replies, "when you are done with learning who you are... you will know what to do."


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## Shalimar (Jan 1, 2007)

"Well, all we can do is try not to piss Black Moon...Vampires?"  Faith asks trailing off in the middle of the thought, blinking.  "I always thought vampires were kind of cool and romantic but if they're real then they probably do drink blood and kill people, huh?"  she says with a sigh.

"Well, if no one claims it I guess we can if thats the terriory we want.  I do think that would be a good place for us, it would be nice to be in a place where we wont be butting heads with another pack while we are learning, and Isaac did say your pack would help teach us."

"We will hunt it down Ari, all of us together."  Faith says firmly, it didn't matter whose territory that thing was in, just thinking a bout a spirit that liked to make little Children kill made her feel angry, made her want to find it and bite it, rip it, tear it.  That was wrong, it was evil and if werewolves were suppoused to deal with spirits like that, well, they would deal with this one.


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 1, 2007)

Hunting an evil spirit? Piotr was clueless as to what he and the handful of his colleagues had encountered years ago, but this was a start. If he could eventually find out what it was perhaps it could bring some closure to the memory. Perhaps killing it would be more effective.

"I will help," Piotr said.


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## Graf (Jan 2, 2007)

Camera has been following the conversation avidly.
_Spirits, murder, hunting _

He's now perched beside the couch.
"How do we find it? Is it near Hillside?"


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## DrZombie (Jan 2, 2007)

"Let's calm the feck down, 'right." He looks at the police woman. "If something made you kill a kid, we'll feckin' pay it back, no matter what."
He looks around. 
"So what now? We find us a territory, Hill Heights, right? Then we'll see about these vampire hunters for Watson's shop. But first we need to get feckin' sorted. How the hell do we feckin change to feckin' werewolves? How do we deal with spirits?"

He looks around at the rest.
"What? Don't look at me like that. If y'all gonna be in my feckin' pack, we'd better get things feckin' organised, right?"
He looks at the 'pack'.

"I mean, I'm not too fussed, I can get along on my own. But you." He points at the pink haired girl. "What are you gonna do when mom whines again about how pink hair isn't right for a girl your age. Change into a ten foot killing machine and tear her face off?"

"Not that I'm pickin' on you, but you know. We're not in feckin' kansas anymore that's feckin' sure."

He looks at Roman.
" What's this? Why the feck do I start caring what happens to a girl I don't know? Why does Watson over there feels like a mate I have known for all my life? I know him for twenty feckin minutes?"


----------



## Shalimar (Jan 2, 2007)

OOC: Roman is in a different room talking with Isaac about how the two packs are going to train us

IC:

Faith looks at Drake levelly with her anger at the spirit that the pack would be hunting still readily apparent on her face, and quite ready to be shifted into anger at Drake for going out of his way to single her out and to make things harder for all of them.  The pink haired girl does something she hasn't done before, she growls at the pushy singer.  "You are going to stop pissing people off, Roman asked you not to curse in his house, and you are not going to curse in his house if I have to wire your jaw shut, got it?  If you wish to be in OUR pack you will respect the requests of others if they are helping the pack and the request is reasonable, got it?"

"You seem to think that no one is trying to get organized, so you must have missed my questions about territory and the packs that we'll have to get used to dealing with to make sure Piotr doesn't have problems with his store.  I'd like to avoid getting into any fights while we are learning, so knowing whose toes we might step on and how to avoid that when neccessary is a very important part of getting organized."  The girl says seeming to loom much larger then her height of 5'4" should let her do as she looks Drake right in the face, a clear challenge.

"Candace, I would like to accept your offer to join the Blood Talons."  she says not looking away from Drake.


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## Tokiwong (Jan 3, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Candace, I would like to accept your offer to join the Blood Talons."  she says not looking away from Drake.



Candace nods, “Another soldier for Fenris-Ur, you had made a wise choice Faith.”  She brushes her hair back revealing runes carved into her neck leading down into her shirt.  She turns to the young uratha gathered, “You will learn all those things,” she relies to Drake, “and the bonds of the pack are instinct… just like the wolf, you seek others like you.  You seek order, either as the Alpha, Beta… or even the Omega.”

Candace growls, “I think you all understand that tonight something has changed for all of you, and %$#@ if I know how to best lay your fears aside, but this is happening.  You are uratha, you are blessed by Luna, and have the strength of Father Wolf.”

“This isn’t a time for egos… this is a time of accepting what you are… and learning, because once each of you has passed your rites of initiation then you will be fair game, and I don’t have to be nice anymore; and I hate being nice.”


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## Shayuri (Jan 3, 2007)

With her wry little half-smile, Ari asks Candace, "What's this initiation then, and when? Sooner the better, if you ask me."


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## Tokiwong (Jan 3, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> With her wry little half-smile, Ari asks Candace, "What's this initiation then, and when? Sooner the better, if you ask me."



 "I would hope within the month, you will need to learn how to control your rage, change your shape... and learn the Oath of the Moon... and choose your tribes... if you so choose... there is much to learn... but it will come quickly... trust me," Candace replies.


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## Shayuri (Jan 3, 2007)

At the mention of rage, Ari glances at Faith, then reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Easy there, girl," she says in a calm voice. "Lets stay away from wiring jaws and stuff tonight, alright? We can solve this like evolved bipeds..."

She glances over at Drake. "Right?"


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## Shalimar (Jan 3, 2007)

Faith feels Ari's hand on her shoulder and the girl relaxes a bit, "I don't want to fight, but I'm not going to let you make things harder on all of us because you have a chip on your shoulder and can't help but offend people.  We may or may not have a problem with that other pack because you made that woman mad at you but it can screw Piotr over.  We don't need to have a problem with Max's pack too, we don't need to create problems when werewolfs already have more then enough."  the pink haired girl says.

"If he can behave then I can too."  the teen says trying to damp down her rage.


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## DrZombie (Jan 3, 2007)

"A bit spunky now, aren't we." Drake smiles. "We're all our feckin' edge here, if you want to take it out on me, go right ahead, if it'll make ya feel better. We'd better go outside, 'cuz I think feckin up Roman's living room will piss him up harder then me being my foulmouthed self. Might be better to wait a few weeks 'till we know what we are doing, though. Wouldn't look so good if you bit off my arm by accident. Sure as hell would make playing the guitar a lot more difficult."

"As for screwing Watson over.... Moriarty is a feckin' problem waiting to feckin' happen, and we'll have to deal with it sooner or later. It ain't just Watson's shop, it's the feckin' nightclubs I'm worried about too. And the coppers patrol route. And all the other things."

"And the way I talk 's just the way I feckin' talk, allright. No disrespect intended. I feckin' grew up where I grew up. I can feckin' talk like a posh uni student if I need to, but that's not me, 'right?"


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## DrZombie (Jan 3, 2007)

He sighs again. "Look, why don't we just cool off a bit, 'kay? I don't know who's running the show here, my werewolf thing or my human thing. I just want to feckin' lash out at evryone and evrything."
He takes a deep breath.

"Drake O'Connor, traveller, singer, womaniser and allround troublemaker."

He sticks out his hand.


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## Shalimar (Jan 3, 2007)

Faith stares at Drake's offered hand for a moment before she takes it, but she doesn't release it.  "I'm not asking you to change who you are, all I'm asking is that you watch what you say to people since it affects all of us.  Can you do that, or do you need to look for another pack?  I'd love to have you in ours, but if all you do is stir up trouble we can't have that.  Its all up to you."  Faith says finally releasing his hand, sounding reasonably calm though there is still a trace of anger in her eyes.

"The first two are nice Drake, is just the second two that are...well you said it, trouble.  Lets just all play nice and things will work out, at least while the other packs are trying to help us."  the pink haired girl said offering the singer a smile.  Faith moved over to Candace to examine the runes that the woman had put on her neck, wondering how far down into her shirt they went.  "Do these runes represent the tribe?"


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## Shayuri (Jan 3, 2007)

"I don't know how much choice we have in all this," Ari points out to Faith. "I kinda get the feeling it may be a long time before any of us get another chance to join a 'pack,' or whatever. We may just have to deal with who and what we have here, you know? That's how life works sometimes."


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## Shalimar (Jan 3, 2007)

"I do want him to be part of the pack, but if he causes problems for the pack because he just can't watch what he says then he doesn't have to be part of the pack, he can be alone for all I care, I'm just not going to put up with any crap that he causes out of carelessness.  I'm not going to be the weak link in this pack.  I don't want to have to beat it into his head that he needs to watch out who he mouths off to, that goes for all of us though, not just him, it goes for me, and you, Mr. Artist, and Piotr.  Everything we do can affect the pack, making expectations clear in the beginning can save a lot of hassal later."  the pink haired teen says, looking like 10 feet of attitude compressed in a 5'4" package.  The girl was asserting her dominance, probably compensating a little for being the youngest in the group, also it was instinct, and a little of it was Rage, Rage at Drake for singling her out, Rage at the world for what was going on.  Even though she was pissed at Drake she did attempt to generalize things enough so that everyone knew they had to be careful and that she wasn't just dumping on Drake since this had been a hard night for everyone.


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## DrZombie (Jan 3, 2007)

Drake laughs, joyfull, not sarcastic.

"Hell yeah, girl. Say what's on your liver. You're full of spunk, aren't ya? And more then a little pissed off, I guess."

He sighs, rubs his head and stretches.

"Look, why don't we meet up tomorrow, when we've slept a little and maybe had a little time to get used to this. If we're still at each others throats then we can work it out; I'm not in the habbit of hitting women, but if we're in a pack together I'll think of you as my little sister and hapilly try to beat the feckin' crap out of you. You're about as old as she was anyway. Hell, I'll even bring my feckin' guitar and play the songs she liked to hear, so you can see me 'get in touch with my soft side' before you decide to wipe that irritating feckin' grin off my feckin' face with your fist."
Drake says merilly, and turns his back on her to grab something out of his backpack.


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 4, 2007)

"So any fighting will wait until we're outside of Roman's mansion? That's good, I don't want to feel responsible for breaking nice things," Piotr says, trying to gauge the values of items of furniture in between Faith and Drake.


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## DrZombie (Jan 4, 2007)

"Yeah, well, that is if we don't want to piss off this Roman guy." 
He takes something out of his backpack and sticks it in his jacket.
"We do agree on that, don't we, eeeuh, Faith, was it?"

He sits down in one of the chairs, relaxing a bit.

"So Watson, do you live at your shop, or do you live somewhere else? 'cuz if you live at your shop, well, mr sunglasses might give you a tad of truble. And that Pure woman with her two trained gorillas might be back. You need someone to watch your back? 's not like I've got any plans.... Aaargh feck. I've still got a show tonight."


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## Shalimar (Jan 4, 2007)

"Yea Piotr, we will take it outside.  It would be rather foolish of me to fight Drake because he is screwing us over with other packs and break Roman's toys while we did it."  She agrees.  Faith watches Drake put something inhis coat pocket warily, wondering if it was a weapon, its not like she knew him after all or had any reason to trust him.  The arse was going out of his way to screw the other 4 of us over and that was enough of a reason to make her doubt his character.

"Looks like you should leave if you want to catch your gig.  Who knows, maybe you'll mouth off to the wrong Uratha and get some sense pounded into you'd solve my problem for me."  the teen says unperturbed by the possibility.  She wasn't sure if she could beat him up even if her anger was running white hot, but it almost didn't matter, she hoped the Blood Talons could help her become strong quickly, strong enough to pound him into snail snot if he kept fraking up.

"Candace, is there some Uratha way to do this once we go outside, or do we just go at each other until one of us gives up?"  Faith asks tightly.  "The way he is talking surely sounds like he wants to be our Alpha, and thats happening over my dead body since thats what'll eventually happen with loudmouth getting us in over our heads."


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 4, 2007)

"That is a relief, Faith," Piotr says, and stops counting out notes from his wallet.

"Sherlock, I don't live at my store. I live a few blocks away from it, walking distance. I don't have guests often, but the sofa folds out and you are welcome to it," the only guest he could ever remember having at the apartment was his uncle from the west coast.

His uncle was an interesting character, and associated with people who frequently took part in less-than-legal activity. While Piotr invited him to visit a few years back in order to thank him he hadn't contacted him as much in recent times.


----------



## Graf (Jan 4, 2007)

Camera nods, "Who is going to attack Peter?" He continues on, words tumbling out of his mouth. "Why?"


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## DrZombie (Jan 4, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "Yea Piotr, we will take it outside.  It would be rather foolish of me to fight Drake because he is screwing us over with other packs and break Roman's toys while we did it."  She agrees.  Faith watches Drake put something inhis coat pocket warily, wondering if it was a weapon, its not like she knew him after all or had any reason to trust him.  The arse was going out of his way to screw the other 4 of us over and that was enough of a reason to make her doubt his character.
> 
> "Looks like you should leave if you want to catch your gig.  Who knows, maybe you'll mouth off to the wrong Uratha and get some sense pounded into you'd solve my problem for me."  the teen says unperturbed by the possibility.  She wasn't sure if she could beat him up even if her anger was running white hot, but it almost didn't matter, she hoped the Blood Talons could help her become strong quickly, strong enough to pound him into snail snot if he kept fraking up.
> 
> "Candace, is there some Uratha way to do this once we go outside, or do we just go at each other until one of us gives up?"  Faith asks tightly.  "The way he is talking surely sounds like he wants to be our Alpha, and thats happening over my dead body since thats what'll eventually happen with loudmouth getting us in over our heads."





"Listen, sunflower. Enough is enough, allright." Drake says. "We've all had our troubles tonight, and I ain't judging none of you by what I saw today. You could be the sweetest flower known to mankind, or you could be an arrogant feckin' bitch. I don't know, 'cause I know I sure as hell ain't reacting feckin' normal, and I suspect you ain't either.
I've offered peace, I feckin' suggest you feckin' take it and wait untill you've got your  together before you start mouthing off a pissed off Irishman a head taller and 60 lb heavier then you. For all you know I've got a feckin' blade the size of your forearm tucked behind my back and a string of girls ears around my neck. Your adrenalin is talking, not you."

With an effort he composes himself.

"Look, Faith. I offered you my hand. You took it. Leave it at that and stop pissing me off even more. We all have had a bad day, but you're only making it feckin' worse. Who the feck are you to feckin' judge me on a night like this. You don't feckin know me. Hell, _I_ don't feckin' know me after tonight. Part of me wants to pound you into little snotty bits, and part of me is horrified of even thinking about beating a sixteen year old girl, or whatever age you are. So stop feckin' pushing me."
The last sentence comes out as a snarl.


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 4, 2007)

Piotr responds to to Camera's query, "You remember the bald woman who came in when Drake and me did? The one who got angry and stormed off. Me and Drake weren't too nice to her and her friends and my shop is in their territory, so if we make them mad they might mess up my shop, if they find out it's mine."

He looks as though he's trying to remember something, then gives up.

"What's your name?"


----------



## Graf (Jan 4, 2007)

"It's Theodore, but most folks call me Camera, or just Cam."


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## Festy_Dog (Jan 4, 2007)

Piotr extends a hand.

"I get a good feeling from you Camera, it is good to meet you," he says.


----------



## Shalimar (Jan 4, 2007)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> "Listen, sunflower. Enough is enough, allright." Drake says. "We've all had our troubles tonight, and I ain't judging none of you by what I saw today. You could be the sweetest flower known to mankind, or you could be an arrogant feckin' bitch. I don't know, 'cause I know I sure as hell ain't reacting feckin' normal, and I suspect you ain't either.
> I've offered peace, I feckin' suggest you feckin' take it and wait untill you've got your  together before you start mouthing off a pissed off Irishman a head taller and 60 lb heavier then you. For all you know I've got a feckin' blade the size of your forearm tucked behind my back and a string of girls ears around my neck. Your adrenalin is talking, not you."
> 
> With an effort he composes himself.
> ...




"You just don't get it, its not about you, or your pride, or your feelings.  It isn't even about the fact that you are pissing me off royally by treating me like a little kid.  Its about the pack.  What a pack member does can affect all of us, can screw over all of us.  You screwed over Piotr with Buzz and this Moriarty.  Your in the process of screwing us all over with Roman by not fufilling his request, and it is a rather easy request, we did all hear you make a whole sentence without curses after all.  This is freaking all of us out, its not like I don't know that, its not like we shouldn't be freaking out a litte."  Faith replies standing her ground in the face of the snarling Drake.

"The difference between us is that I'm thinking about the rest of the pack, your just thinking about yourself.  Freak out all you want, just don't screw over the rest of us while you do it.  This is not something I am going to back down over.  Your treating it like its a joke, or your ignoring it, neither of those is acceptable.  Stop screwing all of us over and this is over, its as simple as that.  Its not an unreasonable request to make.  I don't want to fight you, but over this I feel like I have to."  the pink haired girl informs him and then smiles, "by the way, if you call me sunflower again I'm going to eat your face." she says sweetly.


----------



## Shayuri (Jan 4, 2007)

"This has got to be the most surreal thing I've ever seen," Ari mutters.

She gets tiredly to her feet and stands between Faith and Drake, though not with hands outstretched or any theatrics.

"First of all, Faith, there's a few things you need to factor into your plan here. First...and I know this sucks hard to hear, but you -are- a kid. That doesn't mean you don't deserve respect or anything like that, but you need to recognize that. Second, and believe me, I have some experience with this...beating someone up does -not- change who they are. Even if you do wolf out and mess Drake up, all that'll do is piss him off and make this whole thing worse. Basically, as things stand, you're sorta...'pack minded' and Drake isn't. That pisses you off. I get that. I think we all do. But he's not gonna magically turn into Prince Charming because you bit his neck open. People need time to change, and that's pretty much that."

She rubs her forehead. "And I wouldn't be so quick to assume that Max is holding all of us responsible for Drake's compulsion to flip off authority. Lets wait and see what he's got to say before we flip out and go mental, alright?"

Ari then looks over at Drake. "And I think we'd ALL appreciate it if you'd stop intentionally provoking her. She's had it rough, she's on edge, and no one's impressed by your willingness to scrap with a sixteen year old girl. Alright? We have a truce here?"


----------



## Festy_Dog (Jan 4, 2007)

Piotr watched Ari intervene. Defusing situations did seem to be part of a cop's job after all and she came across as doing it competently. He would say something but... he wasn't smart enough or glib enough to help cool the situation. Disgression being the better part of valour Piotr decided to keep his clumsy mouth shut.


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## DrZombie (Jan 4, 2007)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> Ari then looks over at Drake. "And I think we'd ALL appreciate it if you'd stop intentionally provoking her. She's had it rough, she's on edge, and no one's impressed by your willingness to scrap with a sixteen year old girl. Alright? We have a truce here?"





Drake looks at Ari and Faith dumbfounded. "Que?"

He scratches his head.

"I thought I just said I was sorry and offered to shake hands, then told her i really really didn't wanna fight her. Feckin' hell. This is one hell of a crowd."

"Let me make this clear, without any feckin' curses. 

I do not want to fight anyone, especially not a sixteen year old girl.
I do not want to get shouted at by anyone, especially not a sixteen year old girl.
Whatever happened between me, Watson and Moriarty is between me, Watson and Moriarty. Especially since it happened befor either me or Watson figured out that the lot of us were werewolves, or that I was part of a pack, 'same with Roman here, allright. "


----------



## Shalimar (Jan 4, 2007)

Faith shrugs when Ari moves between them.  "I already said that I don't particularly want to fight him, I told him what he has to do for us to get passed this.  He is the one behaving like a child, thinking only about himself not I.  What he does and says has consequences for the rest of us, I'm simply introducing some more immediate consequences.  If he has to fight everytime he mouths off then win or lose he might think about it a bit more beforehand."

"Not being able to change people, well when your humans you can just avoid people that cause problems, you don't have to see each other, as werewolfs that is going to be very very different since we are going to have to rely on each other completely.  If he wants to be in the pack, he just needs to acknowledge that.  This all goes away if he admits that what he does is going to affect all of us, and that he is going to think about what he says before he says it.  We're all going to be angry a lot I think, and we are going to do and say things, but I do want him, want all of us, to at least try."

"Ari, recognize that as of tonight we are all 1 day old as werewolves, thats it.  No one has been one of the Uratha any longer or any shorter then I have.  We are all cubs right now, and human age has little to do with age as an Uratha.  We all have about the same amount of experience with Uratha stuff, so remember to keep that in mind.  My opinions are no less intelligent then yours or anyone elses.  I am not going to be treated like I am inferior to anyone." Faith says, sounding calmer and more collected.


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## Shalimar (Jan 4, 2007)

"I didn't actually shout at you at all actually, that wouldn't have helped anything, but ok, if everything is calming down, then fine.  Like I said, I didn't want to fight, but I was willing to.  Thank you for respecting Roman's request since we are in his home, and it would be rude to disrespect his hospitality.  I don't hate you or anything, I just want you to watch your manners when bad manners can get us into fights, I don't want you to do it all the time, or change yourself, I just want  you to do it when its important."

"Your sort of missing the point though, you called Moriarty names in front of his packmate and she stormed off in a huff.  That is what I was talking about, not anything that happened before.  Just watch that stuf and we're cool.  Are you willing to do that?"  Faith asks sounding even calmer now that Drake had said he didn't want to fight.


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## DrZombie (Jan 4, 2007)

"yeah well, we're all missing the point here, I reckon.Like I feckin said, let's just wait with shouting and fighting untill we get to know each other a lot better. Like you getting pissed off at being called sunflower and me not even considering that you would be offended."

"Lets's just go out fer a few beers after Mr. Roman has told us a little more, or just come over to the feckin' show tonight." He looks at Faith. "Could try to get you in as my little sister wanting to have a peek at her big brother doing a live show, if I wasn't afraid you'd bite my nose off at the mere thought of it." His smile takes the sting out of the words.

He looks at Ari. "Ah yeah, and it would, offcourse, be a bit of an offence. Mmmh. Might not be the brightest idea of today."
He laughs.
"Yeah, bein' friends with a copper 's gonna be a feckin' adjustment."

"Is there, like a park or something where we can meet tomorrow? Late afternoon?"


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## Shalimar (Jan 5, 2007)

"I wasn't offended that you were calling me sunflower, I was offended that you were doing it to make light of the problem that I was pointing out.  Its over for now I guess since your making the effort, thank you."  Faith said, nodding his head in acknowledgement of the effort that Drake was making.  It was good enough for her.

"There is a park and a lake on the edge of the Hillside Heights development, actually its between Hillside Heights and another development.  If we want it I guess it would be a good placefor our pack to meet or whatever if we want to stay away from humans."

"I don't think going to your performance is such a good idea tonight Drake, you already said you beat some guy bloody, do you think it'd be wiser to stick around and find out all we can from Roman before getting into a situation.  Drinkinng might not be a good idea either...up to you though."


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## Graf (Jan 5, 2007)

Festy_Dog said:
			
		

> Piotr extends a hand.
> 
> "I get a good feeling from you Camera, it is good to meet you," he says.




"Yu- yeah," says Camera, offering a massive gaunt hand in return.

He looks like he might say more, but silences as the coversation between Drake and Faith rages on.


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## DrZombie (Jan 5, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> "I wasn't offended that you were calling me sunflower, I was offended that you were doing it to make light of the problem that I was pointing out.  Its over for now I guess since your making the effort, thank you."  Faith said, nodding his head in acknowledgement of the effort that Drake was making.  It was good enough for her.
> 
> "There is a park and a lake on the edge of the Hillside Heights development, actually its between Hillside Heights and another development.  If we want it I guess it would be a good placefor our pack to meet or whatever if we want to stay away from humans."
> 
> "I don't think going to your performance is such a good idea tonight Drake, you already said you beat some guy bloody, do you think it'd be wiser to stick around and find out all we can from Roman before getting into a situation.  Drinkinng might not be a good idea either...up to you though."





"Like I said, after we hear what Roman's gotta say. If i don't show up there will be more trouble. people ain't paying for an artist that doesn't show up. It is smack in the middle of Moriarties terittory, and then there's those pure that were looking for me."

He shrugs, rather unconcerned. "We'll see what happens. The guy I beat bloody should be the least of my problems. There were three of 'em looking for a fight, they just thought I was an easy victim."

"I only hope I get on stage before running out of clothes."


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## Tokiwong (Jan 5, 2007)

Outside there is a commotion of shouting between Roman, and a woman’s voice that most of the young uratha do not recognize besides Piotr and Drake.  The door swings open and an athletic woman of mixed Hispanic and Native American descent barges in shouting, “Unbelievable Max… I sent these two here to be safe from the Pure and you are trying to prop up another one of your multi-tribe sunshine parties?  You and this insanity with building an uratha nation… that is now what we are.. unity does not give us strength, we need conflict, conflict breeds strength and worthiness.”

Max follows with a growl, “Unity is what saved us from Gurdilag.. it can aid in beating the Pure… a unified uratha nation would give us solidarity and strength.  Clinging to old ways is pointless… the world is turning Rachel… adapt now while you still can.”

Rachel seethes, “Foolish… I am hunting the Pure, protecting my territory… my blood and kin and you are here trying to recruit more pups for your fool’s errand.  Only one can unite us, and he is dead… and trust me Max… you are not Father Wolf… far from it.”

Isaac speaks, “We ain’t got time to debate politics these young ones need to learn who and what they are.  My pack will handle that, if they so choose to be a pack then it will be there choice, not ours.  I think that is the best we can do, Rachel… Max.”

“And how do I know you are not working with Max?” Rachel growls.

Isaac turns to look at Rachel, “Control yourself Iminir; you have no quarrel with me, so do not doubt my Honor or Wisdom.”

Rachel pauses locking eyes with Isaac for a long moment and then storms out, “Fine… let them decide.”

Isaac turns to Max, “Then we are agreed?”

Max nods, “It will be their choice…”

Isaac looks at the gathered young uratha, “Take a day, sort things out, return to your old lives… reflect on what you learned here tonight.  If you want to learn more and see what you are truly capable… if not then so be it.”  He then gives the young uratha an address to meet at if they so choose to learn…

Candace shifts into a red furred wolf and bounds out of the room, Isaac following.  The young uratha are dismissed…

_This ends the Prelude… the next story will pick up about four weeks after this one… I am assuming the young uratha decide to take up Isaac’s offer if not, then let me know and we can work something else out._


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## DrZombie (Jan 6, 2007)

Tokiwong said:
			
		

> _This ends the Prelude… the next story will pick up about four weeks after this one… I am assuming the young uratha decide to take up Isaac’s offer if not, then let me know and we can work something else out._



OOC : aaah bugger mate, the story ain't over yet. We still gotta play the big reconciliation between Faith and Drake in the park the next day . And the confrontation with moriarty where Drake get's his head kicked in.... No, seriously, drake still has a rather important question, or two.

"Mr Roman, before we go our seperate ways."
He fumbles into his jacket, taking out a picture and showing it to Roman.
"You wouldn't happen to know who these people are or where this was taken, do you?"
(see char background)


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## Tokiwong (Jan 6, 2007)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> OOC : aaah bugger mate, the story ain't over yet. We still gotta play the big reconciliation between Faith and Drake in the park the next day . And the confrontation with moriarty where Drake get's his head kicked in.... No, seriously, drake still has a rather important question, or two.
> 
> "Mr Roman, before we go our seperate ways."
> He fumbles into his jacket, taking out a picture and showing it to Roman.
> ...



Max pauses to look at the picture, “I don’t recognize the woman… pretty though.  I recognize the man… in passing… a Storm Lord.  Rhys Storm-Blood.”

Isaac glances to Max, “Rhys Storm-Blood;  last I heard of him was back in Chicago… the man has a howl that will shake you to your bones.  Luna has blessed him with a silvery tongue… but h ain’t just a singer… he is a scrapper with the best.”

Max hand the picture back, “I don’t know much else about him.”

Isaac adds, “I saw him once, when we hunted a particularly subtle brood of rat hosts… but like Max I don’t know much more about him… we didn’t exactly swap recipes on the hunt.  But we parted on good terms…”


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## DrZombie (Jan 6, 2007)

"The women's my mother." Drake says. "The guy is someone she didn't want to talk about."

"Rhys Storm-Blood. Fancy that."

"Thanks, Roman, Isaac. I owe you one."

He shuts up, thinking for a bit.' "These Storm Lords wouldn't have anything to do with wolfcubs howling at a big dead wolf and then the oldest leading the others away, do they?"


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## Tokiwong (Jan 6, 2007)

DrZombie said:
			
		

> He shuts up, thinking for a bit.' "These Storm Lords wouldn't have anything to do with wolfcubs howling at a big dead wolf and then the oldest leading the others away, do they?"



Isaac listens and then follows Max, “The Storm Lords were involved with the death of Father Wolf… or as they tell it, they led the attack.  But I would suggest you get with Rachel Snow if you want more answers about the Iminir’s role in his death.”

_Now the story ends lol…_


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