6/5/2006

04:27 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (62% full).
It is currently 16:15 Pacific Time on Mon Jun 5 2006.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is partly sunny. The temperature is 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius). The wind is calm today. The barometric pressure reading is 30.03 and falling, and the relative humidity is 56 percent. The dewpoint is 51 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius.)

Bawn: Western Forest(#3018RA)
Tall Sitka spruce and sequoia crowd around and above you. Many of the trees are old, their branches twisted into impossible shapes, trunks broad and draped with lichen, mosses and creepers. Tendrils of moss hand down from them like green spiderwebs, snaring the unwary with cold, ghostly fingers. The patches of younger growth are dense and pale, needles tinged with silver. Matted undergrowth huddles sullenly in the occasional small clearings, clutching with thorns and burrs at the legs of those who would pass. Deer seldom venture here, but the forest is full of rustlings, and tiny glints from wary, watchful eyes.
The forest spreads out to the east, bounded on the west by Sunrise Road. From farther to the west, one can occasionally hear the distant sounds of the town of Kent's Crossing.
Contents:
Stacey
Obvious exits:
Southwest  Highway 22  Overgrown Path  Sunrise Road  Farmhouse  Caern of the Hidden Walk  Creek  Central Bawn  Southern Bawn  Northern Bawn  

Walks-Middle once again heads back into the bawn, having been constantly on the move since last night. She doesn't look all that happy, tail and ears lowered as she walks, and then finally she just stops, flopping down on the ground for an impromtu rest.

Out of the north, a distant howl floats upon the wind, reaching the sharp ears of the Guardian. It is a querying call, searching out others of its kind. The wolfsong is familiar in its lowish pitch, and could only be the genuine voice of one. Far-Cry. The halfmoon has finally returned.

Walks-Middle's ears perk up at the howl, and then she bounds back up to her feet, all weariness forgotten, and takes off like mad in the halfmoon's direction. Far-Cry! she calls back with a short, sharp howl.

The Shadow Lord gives no return howl of acknowledgement, but once the wind pushes his scent, faint though it is at first, onto its back, it's further proof that he's here. The mad dash towards the halfmoon is more of a long-term sprint. He's fairly far from the farmhouse area, well away from the houses, buried somewhere in the woods. When the Child of Gaia gets visual contact, the halfmoon is in his black lupine form still, gazing eastward at first but soon facing the ahroun. Those yellow eyes look upon her running up, and though he remains still and in his place, his ears sweep back and the gaze travels off of her.

Walks-Middle flattens her ears as she draws near, and instead of pouncing him like she usually would, she draws up short, skidding to a halt within two feet of him and looking at him a bit uncertainly.

Dagger's-Edge too, looks a bit uncertain and confused himself, though he's hiding it well by maintaining the averted expression. A long silence is broken by a soft whine out of the halfmoon. Relief. He pulls up to his paws, shaking his fur once before looking back at the ahroun again. His ears remain backwards tilted, held submissive. I didn't think you would come.

Walks-Middle perks her ears forward, then her jaws part in a wolf-like smile, then half-whines, I missed you! You were gone. I'm sorry! With a wag of her tail, she hops across those last couple feet and tries to pounce him.

Huh? is all that gets out of the halfmoon, all before bowing down his front half as he is pounced by the ahroun. He's rather stiff in his movements, as it comes out that he's fatigued from it. Closer now, it's also detectable of a certain thinness about his already normally thinner build. The ahroun gets to control only the front half of him to an extent, as he puts up no resistance to her antics. At a point, he buries his nose into her fur and takes a deep sniff, as if to reacquaint himself with her scent.

Walks Middle finally steps away, letting the half-moon recover, and then blurs up into her homid form, crouching on the ground. "Whatever was said, I don't care. It's okay. I was so afraid you wouldn't come back."

Dagger's-Edge straightens himself back up, but keeps his own form in the wolf. At first, after the ahroun reverts, he looks down to the ground beneath him. At her words, though, he looks a bit hesitant in his reaction, like he's trying to remember exactly what was said.

Stace lets out a sigh, glancing away for a moment. "You won't believe all the stuff that happened while you were gone, Kenneth. Some good things, but many bad things. And... and there's a threat now, too. We're preparing to fight it by the week's end, Ridgeline is."

Slowly, he slips back through the shapes to his birthform. Kenneth's complexion is still the same, it seems, with a furrowed brow and evaluating darkeyed gaze, but a bit ragged around the edges from travel. "I..." he starts to say, and then pauses with the sound of his voice, "I haven't been gone that long."

Stace blinks at him, frowning. "I don't know about your definition of 'that long', Kenneth. You've been gone at least three months. Same with Clemency, Abraxas, Grey, Reggie..." She shakes her head. "Dillen and I've been real worried. He sent Fenris to find you before... A lot has changed, Kenneth."

Kenneth parts his lips to reply, but stops himself as he visibly frowns further. A hand lifts to his chest, rubbing there, before he looks back at the ahroun. "Months? It feels like it's only been a week or so," the halfmoon confesses. Then his expression changes out for one that seems more forcibly accepting of the events. "They all made it back?" he asks the Guardian, gaze returning to her.

Stace frowns, then nods. "Yeah, they're all back. You were the only one I hadn't heard of. I was real worried." She gives a faint smile. "I have cubs! Two. Kristin Fears-Pain and Ruth Trips-Over-Paws. You might like Ruth."

Kenneth widens his eyes at first, the mention of 'cubs' coming out of Stacey getting a flicker of surprise out of him. Then he makes a face at the cubnames. "Couldn't pick something more flattering?" He rolls his shoulder, half shrugging on the mention of Ruth. The halfmoon's voice drops to a lower volume as he contemplates aloud, "... months." Then, "What date is it?"

Stacey laughs. "They're cubs. They don't need anything flattering. Helen found Kris, while Grey and Laura found Ruth. It's June sixth. Gibbous moon." She hesitates. "Hey, Kenneth... There's been some bad stuff that's happened, that you should know about."

"Like?" The Shadow Lord doesn't venture on about the cubnames, instead focusing on the mentioned bad stuff. Kenneth shifts his gaze around to look through parts of the forest, scanning for watchers or listeners.

Stacey glances away before rushing into the news, grimacing, "At the last moot, Kevin confessed to charaching. With Basil. Caused a lot of problems. They were punished, mostly. And Yi and Masao were given Voice of the Jackal for supposedly helping them when they ran. Dillen... decided to disband the pack. After your totem told him where you were, he let him go. Kevin's in a pack with Basil now, and Kaz, under Raccoon. Dillen's looking to pack with Blackriver and some others."

Kenneth's reply is not immediate, and he paces a few steps away from the fullmoon. Seconds tick by without a word from the halfmoon, and when he does speak again, it is with obvious restraint. "I felt it." His eyes settle upon the trunk of a tree, and his words lay heavy in the air.

Stacey lowers her eyes, then nods, letting the silence continue for a moment, then she sighs. "Also, we're currently preparing to go fight Black Spiral Dancers. We discovered them to the north. That's the threat that my pack is preparing to face."

Kenneth turns around at that. "Just Ridgeline?" His eyes do a quick shift off around the trees again, and then come to rest back upon the ahroun. "They came to the Bawn?"

Stacey shakes her head. "Not just Ridgeline, but others that we are seeking out. My pack... is a bit picky. But we cannot afford to send everyone. This could be a trap, and if we send too many, they could... send in another force to take the Caern. Some will defend, some will fight. And they haven't come... but they have been catapulting human heads into the bawn."

"Maybe they're from last time," Kenneth notes with withheld opinions. "There was a campsite up north last time, and a bunch of people got slaughtered. The trees were carved up, and the whole area was..." He stops there, as if there need not be any further description. "Who's staying?"

Stacey nods. "That is what Cole was suspecting. As far as who is staying... I believe Jamethon-rhya, Horace, Gunnar, and Dillen. Perhaps others. As for me... Circle Keeper wants me to stay, but Jacinta wants me to fight."

"And what do you want to do?" Kenneth queries, not changing much by way of expression. His eyes are slightly more intense in their gaze, though, concern creeping in at its edges.

Stacey looks over at him and shrugs. "It's not what I want at this point. I will just follow orders and do what needs to be done. I vowed to give my life to protect this Caern if need be when I joined this pack." She takes in a deep breath. "And I have cubs. Cubs that know /nothing/ about fighting. If we don't succeed, they won't stand a chance."

Kenneth shakes his head. "That's not what I meant. If your alpha wants you to go, then you do. But if you've got issues with it, like you want to stay behind and defend instead..." he trails off there. "I've been gone a long time."

Stacey stands to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her legs, then looks over at him. "Kenneth... I don't have any issues with it. I'd happily help either way. I recognize the need for this to be dealt with /now/." She frowns and looks over at him, abruptly changing the subject. "I... want to talk to you about, well, I need a Philodox. And you need renown..."

Kenneth blinks a couple of times, watching the ahroun stand. "Renown? I'm already pretty infamous," he begins, before slipping back towards a more serious remark. "Something else wrong?"

Stacey gives a small smile at that, then shakes her head. "It's been on my mind, even when I thought you were not returning... I want you to be the main Philodox teacher for Ruth. She's a good cub. I think you could tolerate her, and I need a teacher I trust."

"Someone named Trips-Over-Paws, you think I'd get along with?" Kenneth asks dubiously, eyeing the ahroun a little. "And you still trust me, over all the other halfmoons around?" The question is exploratory, but cautious still.

Stacey looks at him like he's crazy, then nods. "Of course, Kenneth. I've never had a reason not to trust you. And... I'm not all that sure I care for the temperments of the others. Except perhaps Grey. If you refuse, I suppose I would ask Grey. And I just named her that because she tripped over herself when learning how to move in lupus, and it was funny."

Kenneth considers, his expression neutral at first. "Grey does know what he's doin'," he replies, "but if you want me to teach her, then." He looks off. "Where's she now?"

Stacey grins and nods. "I really do. You're my first choice for her teacher." She glances toward the direction of the Farm. "She's at the Farmhouse. I told her and Kristin to remain inside there until this threat is over. I doubt you'd like Kristin as much."

Kenneth looks over himself, then in the direction of the farmhouse. "I haven't gone back to that place in, well..." His eyes gradually travel back to the girl. "I should probably check in with ... the tribe, first."

Stacey wrinkles her nose. "I had to talk to Vera already today. We don't always see things eye to eye." She shrugs. "But yeah, probably should check in with people." She grins. "Dillen will be glad to know you're back. We... really missed ya. And worried."

"You'll go grey early if you worry too much," Kenneth mentions, massaging out a crick in his neck. Yet, he regards her out of the corner of his squinted eye, dodging any reaction that might seem too obviously pleased.

Stacey collapses back down to sit with a sigh, a bit of contentment mixed in with her worry. "I probably will, then. I still have others I need to find, but I've been running all over since last night. Need... a break." She then giggles. "Clemency broke the sliding back door to the Farmhouse."

Kenneth closes the gap between them and sits down upon the grass as well, not minding the dirt. "What, there's no Galliard around to help you with that?" His head cocks to a side at the latter. "You mean she broke the glass?"

Stacey giggles and nods. "She was too excited about some bad news, burst in without opening the door properly..." Then she raises a brow. "I'm in a pack that has three Ahrouns and a Ragabash... Not only that, but this is too important to simply trust to a Galliard. I have spoken with Morgan, though."

Kenneth narrows his eyes, turning them back in the direction of the farm. "And what bad news is that? The fact that there's Black Spiral Dancers throwing heads around like kids throwing rotten eggs?"

Stacey slumps then, all humor draining away, lowering her eyes. "Val had flown over where the spirals are again. She saw that they had a little girl strapped to the trebuchet... We're not prepared enough to move yet. And can't help her."

"Who says?" Kenneth snorts, lips pulling thin. "What, there's not a spirit out there who can't cause a little trouble at 'em?" The halfmoon shifts a little, almost looking like he's going to stand up again, and then settles again. "If they've got her, she's probably not gonna last long, anyway."

Stacey looks pained, and tired. "Kenneth, if we could move against them, I'd do it. But we're just... We don't have the strength or the plan to move yet. We will within days. We just discovered this threat yesterday, and we're doing all we can. Or maybe it's just an excuse. Maybe we've already waited too long."

Kenneth finally does stand, brushing himself off. "Maybes don't get jack done," he states eventually, turning his eyes back to the Coggie. "And after all this, you still haven't asked me to go with you to kick some real Wyrm-thing ass. I was in a warpack too, you know."

Stacey slowly stands as well, looking even more drained at his words. "I haven't asked because... Jacinta and Circle Keeper gave me rather specific instructions on who to invite for the initial fighting. Which... pains me, because there's no one I'd rather fight with than you. Especially now that I know you've returned." She gives a short, mirthless laugh. "There are times when I wonder if I am too different for this pack. Those I care most about, the others don't like. They're only asking a few others to go with them."

Kenneth swallows down a comment, soon after clearing his throat. Then he fixes Stacey with a small stare. "You shouldn't talk that way about yourself, or your pack. It'll bring bad karma." It seems like there's more he'd rather say, but the halfmoon refrains. "Just... trust 'em..." The words come haltingly, wrenched out of some place deep inside his throat, somewhere in the back. Then the Shadow Lord halfturns and considers much more loudly, "Wonder who I should go see next."

Stacey looks surprised by his words, then nods, chastised. "You're right. I'm sorry. Just... tired, stressed. I do trust them. And I know /why/ they're doing what they are. But... I just wish certain others could be there, too."

Kenneth half hitches his shoulder up, a tight shrug at best. "Who else'd they tell you to ask?" he questions quietly, not looking at the ahroun just yet. "Havoc still 'round? Considering they got Grey and Clemency back now."

Stacey nods. "It is," she says softly. "Among those we're asking: Laura, Clemency, Grey, Kaz, Blackriver, Cricket, Ethan, and Helen. Others are pretty much gonna be asked to guard either in the Caern, bawn, or Farmhouse. We believe this is a trap," she adds, with a shrug of her shoulder. "And so there might be another force waiting somewhere."

Kenneth furrows his brow at soem of the names. "Cricket? Ethan?" The Shadow Lord shakes his head a bit, showing his lack of recognition. "Anyone been lookin' on the other side of the bawn, then?"

Stacey glances toward the south. "I do not know. Might not be a bad idea to have Val check it out. Nothing unusual has been happening to the south, but it's obvious they are egging us on, forcing us to move against them. We have to be strong and alert in our fight... And we must have enough left behind to defend against the worst that might happen. Cricket is an Uktena Galliard, Ethan is a Fostern Get Ragabash. New Arrivals." She frowns and looks over at Kenneth. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to those explosives, would you?"

Kenneth glances up. "They're still buried by the old HQ for Requiem," he answers, "a couple hand grenades in a crate full of sawdust, pretty much." He pauses, gazing back at the Child a bit suspiciously.

Stacey gives a small grin at that, looking over at him. "Jamethon-rhya and I were thinking about using them as a distraction. If it is a trap, we want to disrupt it as much as possible, throw off whatever they have planned. We're also probably going to ask wolf spirits to seek out what Black Spirals are around, let us know where, which could give us warning if there is another force. And Jamethon wants us to take to other spirits about warning us if anyone gets past our defenses."

"Oh." Kenneth's eyes remain lowered, and then he closes them and stretches. At the end, he turns back to the ahroun, looking neutral in one respect. "If they want my help for anything," the halfmoon slowly speaks, "I'll be out east. There's... a cave out there, not too far and just on the inside of the bawn's edge by the mountains."

Stacey frowns and then nods. "I'll find you." She then tilts her head, gaze a bit distant, curious. "Does this cave... have drawings within it? Drawings that tell stories? About the Sept."

Kenneth's reaction is just too honest. "How do you know about th--..." He cuts himself off way too late, and with a bitten back growl at himself he eases back a few notches on the tightening muscles. "How'd you know?"

Stacey bites her lip, eyes widening. "I'm sorry, it was a guess! It was in the dream, the one that I had about you months ago. I just... wondered."

Kenneth thins his lips, staring at the young ahroun before closing his eyes and bowing his head. "Guess if anyone's gonna know about it, should be you. Someone... it can be trusted with." He flicks his gaze open and over then, composing himself back to a calmer state. "It's out there. I'll show it to you, some time. For real."

Stacey looks more solemn and nods. "I won't go talking about it," she says softly. "Seemed like an important place. I'd like to see it... Does it really have walls of quartz or was that just the dream making it look different?"

"Just go out there some time. You'll know when you see it," Kenneth answers with, reserving any descriptions. Then, looking up into the sky behind the branches of the trees, he says, "I should probably go see if Xia's around still. She'd... want to know I'm back."

Stacey widens her eyes and then nods. "Oh, yes, you should go let her know. I haven't seen her since you left, but she was real worried about you before. I... talked with her just after you and I last talked."

Kenneth turns his eyes back to the ahroun. "What'd she say?" he asks, pure curiosity leaking out of the query.

Stacey looks over at him for a while before smiling. "Well, she thinks a lot of you, Kenneth. And she doesn't want to see you hurt. We all want to see you succeed. But... Mostly I was telling her I was concerned, and that we'd said stuff." She shrugs, then gets a more solemn expression. "I... I want you to know, in case anything ever happens again, that no matter what, I consider you my friend."

Kenneth twitches a part of his lip up, ending it in a quirked quarter of a smile, and half of a smirk. "It's somehow... relieving to hear you say that," he replies lowly, addressing the ahroun's words in all. Then he turns to leave, but takes only one step away. "Stacey. Thank you."

Stacey grins in return, also taking a step back. "You're welcome, Kenneth. And thank you for finally comin' back." She chuckles, starts to turn away, but then stops and looks back. "Strangely, I'm not really worried about you anymore."

Kenneth doesn't reply to that, but he clearly has heard it. The Shadow Lord takes a few more steps away before he shifts back to his lupus form. The black fur sprouts out from his clothing, solidifying from its spiritual nature in a matter of seconds. The lupus-formed halfmoon looks back, golden eyed gaze peering in the direction of the fullmoon. And then, he sprints off into the forest, direction headed for the city of St. Claire.