Soulcatcher pads up the path from the familiar direction of his mate's house. Seeing the Gnawer, he barks out a quick greeting as he crests the bluff. The Wendigo's coat is tangled with new spring nettles and forest debris.

Turning her head at the bark, Yi waves to the Wendigo. "Hello Soulcatcher-rhya," she greets with a wan smile. The Gnawer herself looks a bit cold, but she makes no effort to build a fire. She couldn't if she wanted to, but she doesn't seem to want a coat of fur about her either. "I..wanted to ask some things of you."

Soulcatcher circles the Gnawer, noting the shivering skin. He sniffs at her like an eager pup and seems about to ask after the fire, but her statement brings him up short. His ears prick. Ask, he says, settling down.

Yi wets her dry lips, seeming to start multiple times, but stop in midthought. Finally, she runs a hand through her hair frustratedly. "I was hoping to ask if you... or.. if you knew.. someone who could ask the spirits to make talens." Her forehead knots together and she shakes her head as if to contradict the statement she just said. "No.. I mean, I.. I hoped you could teach me something more about the spirits." She looks back up to the wolf, the thoughts zinging through her head far to fast for her tongue.

Soulcatcher's eyes glitter with concern as Yi seems awkardly stuck for words. He figets a little, until she finally speaks up. Hearing the request, his head turns in the classical curious way. I can teach, he says, adding, You want to learn how to bind a spirit?

Yi tilts her own head this time, then blinks some. "Well... uhm.. it would be useful to learn, but no.. I was not asking to learn how to bind them." The Gnawer does indeed seem to be lost for words. "I wanted to know more about them, is all. You are a seer, and are more in touch with the spirits than I am." She settles her weight back a moment. "You know how I have been helping in the fight to take back the sewers. Maybe it is awkward to ask about the wild and spirits to help fight against city spirits..." She shakes her head again, digressions becoming distracting. "I wanted to ask one who could bind spirits.. to make talens which would allow a Garou to see in the dark." Her dark eyes seem to clear a little, and she nods. "Talens to see in the dark. Too often, we go into the sewers and we are lost because we cannot see. We cannot expect what is coming for us... and it seems our regular lights don't work. We only managed to put up 5 lights, but that was all when we were attacked." She grits her teeth. "I'm not sure what to do. I thought coming up here to clear my mind would help me think."

Soulcatcher considers everything the Gnawer says, thoughtfully, including her hesitation and awkwardness. He gets to his feet, nosing her gently. Come, he says, moving in the direction of their pack's territory.

Rainbow Lake(#2713RJ)
Long and narrow, the lake stretches a mile to the north and south, right at the heart of the woodland. Tall, silver beech trunks mix with the even taller evergreens and dominate the mountain valley. Where the canopy has been broken by a fallen tree, a riot of brambles and nettles have erupted, clinging to anything and everything and fighting for light among the thick forest. Underfoot there is a deep bed of mulch and last year's leaves, muffling any footfall.
Other plants have found a foothold where the beeches make way for the line of water. The edges of the lake are overhung by a wall of dark myrtle, their scent hanging sweet and heavy in the air, giving the place a dreamlike quality. The waters of the lake itself are a clear, unruffled indigo, dropping into bottomless darkness, with otherworldly reflections of the sky floating above the depths. Rainbow flashes of light play about the reeds and weeds that break the surface here and there, throwing colors into the air.
Part of the valley around the lakeside to the south is clear of trees, and often here in the brush and grass a small herd of three woods buffalo can be seen. Contents:
Soulcatcher
Obvious exits:
West SouthEast

Yi walks after the wolf, wondering what he has in mind. Her eyes take in the marvel of beauty around their pack's pristine territory, her lips curling at their edges into an appreciative smile before her attention shifts back to the wolf.

Soulcatcher pauses near the lake shore, waiting for the Gnawer to catch up. When she does, he pads two feet into the lake itself, waiting for the water to clear so his reflection is clear. The wolf then slips across the gauntlet in a smooth fade.

Yi blinks a few times, then nods slowly before kneeling at the water's edge. Her hands dip into the lakewater before she too waits for the wavery reflection to clear up enough so she can concentrate and step through to the Umbra.

On the other side, the Wendigo is already bounding through the shallows of the lake toward the buffalo. On this side, the big shaggies have a strange aura. They seem larger, their fur a tangled, almost living animal all its own. The mist coming from their nostrils, as well, like some living tangle of white silk.

Yi gets up as she finds herself in the darkly lit night of the Shadow realms. She turns as the Wendigo goes bounding along, the smile on her face creasing more. She follows the Wendigo's path, but more cautious in this frail form. Quite evidently, the Gnawer is not as home in the Umbra as in the Realm, even in this pristine part of Gaia.

Soulcatcher stops and stands like an alert statue somewhere to the east of the small herd. The bull has Yi's eyes, and he takes a step toward the Yi. He is impressive, intimidating, but somehow the quiet strength has a soothing effect on the Gnawer. With a snort, a great plume of mist comes from his nose again, drifting slowly on the wind. Two more steps, and the shag drags the ground. He appraoches closer.

Yi comes to a stop as the bull eyes her and snorts. Her body is tense as she watches the spirit creature step closer, her eyes wide to take in light but also with just pure awe that comes from one who is overwhelmed. Her scent mingles with a tinge of fear, but she remains where she is staunchly, facing the bull as calmly as she can muster herself to be.

Soulcatcher speaks, but it's not with a wolf's voice, or with a humans. He lays the seed of a thought in Yi's mind, using the connection Salmon gifts them with. -Do not be afraid.- he tells her. -He is powerful, but not wanting to harm you. Show him respect, and he will respect you.-

Yi lowers herself, slowly as one would move in front of any wild animal. In deference to the spirit bull, she goes onto one knee, then two as her culture has developed in her. Unsure of what to do, her gaze tilts ever so slightly downward, another cultured habit in show of respect to the greater station.

Soulcatcher settles to the ground, his light panting indicating his approval of the Gnawer. Amber gold eyes lick toward the bull. For his part, the great shagged head bows in time with the Gnawer. At first it might be seen as a threat, an aiming of those short but pointed ebony horns. But the low rumble is nonthreatening. In his own way, he bows to the kneeling Gnawer. Soulcatcher springs to his feet again and comes back toward Yi. -What do you see?- he asks.

Yi looks up with a blink as the rumble comes from the bull. When Soulcatcher's movement causes a brief diverting of her eyes to the wolf, she blinks again. Her eyes slide back to the bull, the buffalo's immense head many times large than her own. "Strength," she replies quietly after some thought. "Strength in power... and patience. Harmony, with himself...with his herd. Loyalty...in his horns that protect against enemies." She looks to the bull and his eyes, dark like her own. "Warmth, in fur and heart."

Soulcatcher again looks pleased. In his more natural language, he whines softly. You see, then, what is meant to be seen. A truth, of sorts. That is what spirit is.

Yi shifts her position slightly, the gaze of the bull's eye capturing her own. "Why then... does the city spirit not carry the feeling of truth?" She slips her eyes to the wolf. "A Garou, like me, born to the city, knows the Scab holds its own heartbeat. But it doesn't feel anything like this. No peace, really. Just a constant, unstopping urge to do something."

Soulcatcher settles to the ground. He has no answer for the other Garou. He says, I know very little of the stone and glass world you come from. What I have seen of it frightens me. But I have heard stories that talk of the Weaver's children having their own truth, and peace, and strength. Shadow Eyes knows them best, of those here.

Yi settles into a cross legged position, sitting upon the grass by the lakeside. "There is, somehow, a purpose to it. A truth. I suppose, because I am born to the world where the Weaver rules, I am biased. There -is- some reason though for it all. I doubt, though, that I would be able to find it, or if I did, understand it." She looks back to the bull, moving off to join the others. "I suppose I would have to ask Shadow Eyes what he felt about the city's spirits." She nods slowly, as if adding affirmation to the conviction. "Should have asked Uncle about the city... or even Sifu." Her straight lips curl slightly in remembrance. Then she asks, "What spirit would you ask, Soulcatcher-rhya... if you wanted to see in the dark?"

Soulcatcher's head cocks at the unfamiliar names, inviting Yi to explain if she wishes. To her statement, he says simply, I will gladly teach you of the Wild Shadow. But I am not one to look to for understanding that of the city. Licking his paw for a moment, he considers the final question. I think I would talk to Ming, the bat. He has no eyes, and yet he sees.

"A bat?" Yi cants her head, curious. "Uncle is the one who showed me my sept's Shadow. He is a crescent moon, like you, though he had the newmoon's laughter. Still he did not laugh so much when he showed me the Shadow. My homesept's Shadow... wrought with problems. Wyrm, Weaver, and worse..." She scratches a spot on her head, perhaps embarrassed by the admittance. "Sifu... he is a halfmoon. One of the tribe who watches the stars. He is the one who told me I should seek the inner balance. He came from the high mountains, to teach of the balance that Garou seem to lack. An inner balance of light and dark, city and wild, man and wolf."

Soulcatcher's hackles rise slightly at Yi's unmentioned 'problems', his imagination filling in the gaps. His tongue lolls and his eyes shine at the affection for her friends, though, and he chuffs out agreement about balance. To her question, he says, Yes. Bat. The night-flyer does not need light to see. He uses sound. If he was to lend you his talent, you would not need light, but could see everything.

Yi's eyes go wide with revelation. "Of course," she breathes, the answer smacking her like a train. Then she relaxes again, the intial reaction washing into a more thoughtful form of the idea. She chuckles softly, finding odd humour in something. She explains to Joseph, "In the church where the city Garou go, there are rafters. I practice there, learning physical balance, and agility on thin beams of wood. Often enough I hang there, like the bat." A smile creeps over her features. "How strange... that I didn't think of it before."

Pack> Yi gurfs quietly... that sounds so pretentious. It's not how it seems!!! Uhm.. just that the thought never occured to her. Yeah, that's what I meant.

Pack> Soulcatcher says "Sounds fine to me. what seems pretentious? :)"

Soulcatcher's tongue lolls as the Gnawer realizes what he means. It should be a simple thing to ask a favor of the featherless-winged-one. I could ask him, for you.

Pack> Yi says "The 'How strange I didn't think of it before.' I didn't think of it as pretentious but when I read it to myself I thought it sounded like she was saying it was her idea to talk with bat. "

Pack> Soulcatcher grins.

Yi smiles genuinely. "That would be a good idea." She cants her head again. "Do you think, I could come with you when you go?" The Gnawer looks eager, hungry for something. Then she bows her head. "Though I do not think the spirits understand me."

Soulcatcher would expect you to come, yes. It will help you learn more about the spirits. You may even talk with Ming yourself, if you wish. I would think you should.

Yi looks back up to the wolf, eyes bright with curiosity of talking to spirits. The gears in her head turn more, round and round with idea processing. "What would I offer, if I asked him a favor? It is strange, making offerings to spirits. I often do not know what they would like. How do you tell what a spirit likes and does not like?"

Soulcatcher thinks he will ask something of you. Best not to presume, when it comes to spirits. But, you could have something of a gift for him, to help lure him into answering our call. Do you know much about the night-flyers? What do they eat?

Yi licks her lip, eyes going distant to retrieve some inward memory. "Insects," she replies with some afterthought. "And fruit. I have heard of the kind that drinks blood like Spider or Mosquito, but I have not seen one of those before." She nods, signifying that's about all she knows about bats anyway. "I also heard they taste good, but I probably should not mention that." Her chuckle is an effort to relieve the tension of anticipation.

Soulcatcher's whine is amused. Probably not, he says to her comment about bat's taste. Insects, then. Gather some for him.

Yi considers the idea. Then she smiles at the Wendigo. "That will be an interesting challenge." Then, her thoughts come back to a more grounded state. "If I was to receive, though... I should know what to do after. Otherwise, Bat's favor would be wasted." She scratches her chin thoughtfully. A thought comes to her, out of the blue as she looks over her shoulder at the glistening lake. "Oh!" She turns back to the wolf. "There is a new Gnawer cub, in the city. Her name is Anneka." She smiles at the name, just the strange feel of it interesting to the Gnawer. "She is a halfmoon.. but I get off track. She wishes for a place to swim. She told me she often dreams of water, and likes swimming. I was thinking of bringing her here to see our lake. What do you think?" Her head tilts in curiosity to the Wendigo's opinion.

Soulcatcher's tail flicks and thumps the ground. I think it would please Hope to have cubs around again. And as long as she minds and respects the herd, I would welcome her. After he licks his muzzle, he asks, What did you mean about knowing what to do after?

Yi comes back to that issue. She's happy Anneka is allowed on the land, though the mood isn't dampened too much by the thoughts of the sewers. "What I meant by that... was knowing what to do afterwards. If Bat aids the Garou in seeing in the dark, I should have some plan of what to do with the ability. The sewers I know are filled with Wyrmstench, that much is true. How to clean it up given a new advantage...that is the puzzle. I don't want to ask a gift, only to not know what to do with it." She looks at the wolf to see if her words got across.

Soulcatcher chuffs. Well, bat will give you the ability tosee in the darkness. That is what you asked for. It will not be permanant, of course, so I think you would use it to fight and remove the wyrm there.

Yi quirks a lip up wryly. "That would only remove some of it. It is not only fighting the Wyrm back. It is holding the piece we gain back. I still don't know how we will keep the fishbait at bay once we push it back. We don't even know the full extent of its power beneath the surface. I have the feeling there is some nest down below in one part of the city. We need some way to pierce inside and kill it, but it is very well guarded." She slumps a little. "And, the sewers are tight. You were in there, in the Shadow part. There is hardly enough room to fight in full warforms. There must be some way to draw them out, someplace to make sure there is no Veil breach either."

Soulcatcher admits it is a difficult task. Daunting. I think only strength and persistance will win. It is likely a nest, or /something/ is feeding the wyrm there. In order to win the underground back, the source will need to be destroyed, yes.

Yi picks at a lace of her boot. "But the source, though underground, is a place where humans are all around. It is in the higher class section of the city, underneath a fountain. I had thought, perhaps, of somehow flooding the sewers and flushing it out. But this would only bring the taint to the river, and I don't want that either." She sighs, frustration showing like cactus needles.

Soulcatcher admits defeat, shaking out his ruff. Fighting in hat jungle is not my specialty.

Soulcatcher licks his muzzle in distaste, expression apologetic.

Yi reaches out and lays a gentle hand on the Wendigo's shoulder. "It's ok. Fighting was never meant to be easy. There will be some way I'm sure.. just have to be patient and strong. Like buffalo," she says with a quirk, looking over to the big beasts. "Even if buffalo don't fight in ant tunnels."

Soulcatcher leans into the hand, nuzzling wolf-like. He gives the beasts a thoughtful look, twitching an ear. Yes, he agrees. Perhaps Rat's children could help. As eyes. Ears. Scouts. Perhaps they could be called to swarm, instead of the river water.

Yi scratches the wolf, though the furrowed expression on her brow doesn't seem to leave easily. "I wonder about it too. I should speak with Shadow Eyes about it, maybe he can speak with the spirits to get an idea of how bad the damage is. You remember the rat you saw in the sewers, right? The spirit. Even though it was green, maybe it was not tainted." She looks slightly crestfallen. "I would hate to think the Wyrm has tainted the rats, using them against us as an early detection system." She looks to the Wendigo, suddenly curious. "How would you fight, if the Wyrm was here? Say, there was also a nest... and it was hard to reach. Maybe, it was inside a mountain, with only small caves leading to it."

Soulcatcher does not look pleased with the idea. He bares his teeth in response. With tooth and nail, in any way that needed. But I know the woods, the trees, the wind and the land.

Yi takes her hand away and bows her head apologetically. "I did not mean to place such bad ideas here." She shakes her head. "Some in my homesept often told me not to say things like that, for fear it might come true. But I only asked, to maybe get a strategy from you. The same way I ask, how to be stealthy in the woods, so I can improve myself on how to be stealthy in the city. There must be some way to relate it." She looks up at Soulcatcher. "I'm sorry."

Soulcatcher does not seem unsettled by the mere saying. He just doesn't seem to like the ideas put forward. To show the Gnawer he's reassured, he nuzzles into her hand some more.

Yi smiles softly and pets the Wendigo, though seeming a little more distant in her thoughts. "There must be a way. An answer. Something missing from the strategy." She scritches the wolf along an ear. "Otherwise, each Garou going into the sewers should learn how to fight in the dark, with a bane, one on one... or something." She slows the scratch into an idle petting. "Maybe we just have to burn them out."

Soulcatcher seems to lose himself in the the Gnawer's attentions, making soft grunting noises. At the suggestion, he manages a response, though it takes a while. Would that be possible, down there?

"There are hazards in using fire, yes..." Yi says while looking down amusedly at the grunting Wendigo. She turns some and goes into an all out scritchfest along his ears and ruff, working along his shoulders and down his back, then up again. "The things retreat into the muck beneath though... as all sewers have waste and trash. Burning it would take time, and air. Pipes underneath also carry gas that explode when they are too hot. But if it kills the Wyrm, then I would gladly burst a few pipes that could be fixed. What we don't want.. is destroying the city and making the humans miserable because of it. And, if we could gain use of the sewers, we would have a safe travel system, underground. Fast, and useful, where we could shift out of sight of the humans."

Soulcatcher's grunts turn to louder, longer growls--the sounds of a happy wolf. He rolls into the scritching, managing to push and rub against the Gnawer as much as he can. The subject, for the moment, seems lost on him. Yes, he answers, but not really paying too much attention anymore.

Yi laughs softly, giving the grunty wolf a Thorough Scritching. She moves her fingers along his furry body and fuzzles him between the ears. "How is Robin?" she asks from a surfacing thought.

Soulcatcher's body relaxes. The mention of the kin brings a sweetness to his eyes, an affection that runs deep enough to hurt. She is well, he says. And showing now.

Yi grins, slowing the scritching to some rubbing. Lupine massage... "That is good... a boy or a girl?" She queries like a child, despite her age.

Soulcatcher begins to return the favor of the scritching by grooming Yi's hand. Between this, he answers, We want a girl. We think it will be, but whatever Gaia gives, we will be grateful.

Yi giggles as the wolf tongue tickles the hair on her hand. "What will you name her?"

Soulcatcher's ears splay. No. We are thinking though. Do you have ideas?

Yi looks slightly taken aback. Her tongue sticks out slightly from the side of her mouth as she twists her face in an odd, exaggerated expression of thinking. "I never was good with names. You are Joseph or Black Rabbit, and Robin is Robin..." The Gnawer shrugs. "I would have to think about it." She smiles down at the wolf. "But it seems your tribe likes to call their kin and kind by names of animals."

Soulcatcher corrects, Her name is Light Feather. Light Feather Chases.

"Light Feather," Yi corrects herself with a nod. "These names are like.. Garou deed names. Except, they hold more character, na?"

Soulcatcher shakes his ruff again and then settles against the Gnawer, wolf-den style. I think they are very simular.

Yi gives the wolf another scritch along his back. "So... if you were to call me some name, what would I be?"

Oooh, the Wendigo looks at the Gnawer, intrigued. Names are serious, he says, but he looks eager and excited. Still, it's not a simple matter. He takes his time.

Yi continues scritching letting the Wendigo take his time. "Names are serious, yes," she says with a nod. "They define a being, but it depends on the name. There are some that are short-lived, or those that stick with someone for the rest of their life. That is often how I think of the rite to search out a person. Not so much knowing a name.. but knowing a name that the person defines their being by. Something underneath the label, na?"

Soulcatcher licks his muzzle, considering Yi carefully. He asks with a chuff, Your human name, does it have meaning in your land, like mine does in mine? Or is it more like those of the white men?

Yi looks puzzled for a bit, and then gets an idea. She stands up, hunts about for a stick of some sort but unfinding of one in the Umbra, she simply motions the wolf over to the bank of the lake. Here, she uses her finger to trace out the characters of her name. It's rather crude, and the glyphs are somewhat obscured by the sand. "My name, as all the names given to Chinese and their children, do carry meaning in their words."

Soulcatcher follows the Gnawer over to the sand. His ears twitch with open curiousity as she sketches the characters out. His tongue lolls with amused excitement as he begins to understand. sitting, he watches carefully and takes note of the lines. They scratch them, like the white men, then.

Yi points to the first glyph. "That one is Song." Pronounced with a flat tone. "It indicates my father's name. It tells of what region he is from. The root up top, three lines pointing up from a flat line, that is mountain. Underneath, the word means tall. There is a mountain, called Song Shan, and he is from there. I inherit the name from him." She swallows, remembering her parents, then shakes her head and continues on. "This one," she points to the middle, "Is Yi. The radical on the side is heart. The other side, is to pronounce it. Together, it means happy." She smiles slightly. "The last one, Ling.. means.. two things. If it is an object, it is spirit, or soul. If it describes, it means clever, or quick. Or, good, effective." She thinks some, and then scrawls carefully, a more complicated symbol beside the one she pointed out as Ling. "That is the same word, but it is the formal form. The simple one, is a hand over fire. The other, means sorcerors, praying for the rain." She kneels against the wet ground, looking over the glyphs and swallows dryly before looking up at the wolf. "That is my name."

Soulcatcher's eyes move over the lines. He takes his time, takes in what she says about each. His nostrils work, as if his nose could tell him more of the secrets the pictures keep. Finally, he looks back to Yi and licks her hand again. IT is a good name, but not a name I would choose. Usually, a name is not given, it is discovered. Like my Father's name. Two Eagles. He got this when two Eagles appeared overhead the day he was born.

Yi grins at remembering the story of Soulcatcher's father. "Well, it is the name which my mother and father gave me." She stoops quietly as she goes over the characters with her eyes. "She was a good woman, my mother. Worked hard... though my father gambled it away with games." She swallows again, then looks up at the wolf. "If it is not the name you would choose, then what would be the name you choose?" She smiles warmly, eyes invitingly curious.

Soulcatcher's pink tongue makes a brief appearance and licks his nose. His yellow eyes stare at the Gnawer some more. You have the dedication of beaver. The curiosity of otter, and the innocence of Sparrow. Which is strongest, if any? Maybe you should ask them. Names are not given. They're found. Maybe one of them is standing in your shadow, guiding your steps. Maybe all of them. Or maybe I am wrong. There is a way to find out.

Yi tilts her head at the Wendigo's reply. "Ask them?" She looks around in the Umbra for a moment, not seeing any of the afore mentioned animals in the current vicinity. But she returns her gaze to the golden eyes of the wolf and asks, "How do you find out?"

Soulcatcher chuffs. Yes, in a way, you ask them. My people cry for dream. That's what it's called when you seem to lose yourself and need guidance back to the proper path of one of Gaia's chosen.

Yi's eyes distance themselves in focus for a bit as she parses the answer. Then she comes back to reality, and with a blink queries, "Like going to the Silver River and coming back?"

Soulcatcher's ears splay with vague distress. Nothing so drastic, he says. but it is a ritual. A cleansing of sorts. First, a sweat. Like we did before the quest for Salmon. Then, the seeker goes to a sacred place. She spends three days in this place, without food or water, with only her blanket and her pipe, and her prayers. And she waits for a vision. She prays for one. she cries for one. If she is lucky, Gaia and Grandfather will grant her one.

Yi lifts a hand to scratch at the edge of her eyebrow, blinking thoughtfully. After a minute or so of pensive looks, she replies, "A meditation, for a vision from Gaia... and Grandfather?" She cants her head. "Three days." If anything.. it would seem like the Gnawer was considering it. "When Sifu.. when my mentor spoke of balancing the spirit, he also spoke about meditating. Often he would go to the temple and meditate, for days it seemed. Unmoving, unbothered by the noise of the city around him." Her eyes glitter with some admiration for the teacher of her past. "I don't know if he sought a vision though... but many of the humans who meditate at the temple do. They want to be pure, so in their next life they would reach higher enlightenment."

Soulcatcher's tail flicks lazily. Yes. The ritual has many faces, but they are all the same underneath. You should go.

Yi shifts her position slightly, still looking thoughtful. "Maybe I should," she answers with a musing tone. "But I think, we should step back across first." She looks around at the Umbral realm, and then the water before looking at the wolf. "Even the Umbra is pretty cold, na?" She smiles.

Soulcatcher's tongue lolls, and he gets to his feet to elad them back. You should come here more often, he suggests. You will learn just by being here. And come with me on my patrols.

Yi nods slowly, rising to her own feet. "I should. This place, is relaxing. I am glad you share it with me, as both friend and packmate."

Soulcatcher noses the Gnawer affectionately before slipping back across and disappearing from the tranquility of the shadow.