Stacey's Fostern Pack

7/8/2007

04:59 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waning Half Moon phase (47% full).
It is currently 01:59 Pacific Time on Sun Jul 8 2007.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is partially cloudy. The temperature is 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). The wind is calm today. The barometric pressure reading is 30.12 and steady, and the relative humidity is 67 percent. The dewpoint is 48 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius.)

Thunder Cave(#1410RA)
Once you enter this cave, you see it is much larger than you originally thought. From the small opening it widens and takes a sharp turn, providing a natural windbreak. Looking around, you see a spacious chamber, long ago carved from the limestone by running water. Quartz veins scintillate in the light. In the center of the room, a small fire burns, more for light than heat, as the room is quite well insulated. Looking up, you see the smoke drawn through small cracks and holes that allow for more than adequate ventilation. This cave used to be the home of Distant Thunder, a Shadow Lord Galliard, and some say that his spirit still lingers here, protecting this spot.
You can leave the cave by crawling out the cave entrance to the south that leads down to the clearing below. A passageway leads deeper into the cave. No one is sure how deep it goes.
Contents:
Walks-Middle
Obvious exits:
Clearing  

The scent of Far-Cry travels up in a myriad of trails leading to and fro from one central headquarters. The mouth of Thunder Cave looms dark in the night with the half moon watching in lidded fashion. Canting his ears this way and that, the Shadow Lord philodox lies at the base of the mouth, just keeping himself relaxed. One might even think it was a sort of meditative pose.

A faint rustling within the surrounding woods would likely be what first indicates another wolf's approach. Although cautious in how she approaches the place, once within sight, Walks-Middle makes little attempt to keep Far-Cry from noticing her. The gray wolf chuffs a soft greeting as she draws near, barely picking out the other wolf's black form in the darkness.

Far-Cry lies like a guardian sphinx before his self-appointed piece of territory. It is at the rustling that his ears snap forward towards the sound and he comes alert. Golden eyes shine a reflective green as they turn, and the halfmoon tests the air. Walks-Middle recognized, he rises to his feet at her approach. Far-Cry licks his muzzle, wuffing a return greeting. It is late. Your cubs should be sleeping.

Walks-Middle steps over to stand near the Shadow Lord, her head turning to look back toward the bawn at his comment. Yes, they sleep. They are in good care. Her gaze returns to Far-Cry, and she lifts a foot and sets it back down in a thoughtful manner before adding. Much was revealed at Moot. It is not too late to talk?

Far-Cry likewise looks in the direction of the bawn, though not the caern. For a split moment, the halfmoon looks decidedly conflicted before he reverts to his breed form. The Shadow Lord ends up sitting, and drawing a knee up to his chest. A breath sucks in, and lets go as if in preparation. "There sure was," he finally remarks. Though there is no actual agreement to talk, there he is waiting for the conversation.

Walks-Middle likewise returns to her birth form, lowering to a cross-legged position. The fact that Kenneth shifts and waits is enough of an agreement for Stace. She also takes in a deep breath before she peers over at the boy. "I'd like you to be the Philodox that accompanies me for my challenge, if you're willing," she begins, getting straight to, well, one of her reasons for being there.

Kenneth lets the statement hang in the air, gazing at the ahroun with an even more neutral mask than before in his black furred form. "You ask anyone else first?" queries the halfmoon, his head tilting ever so slightly to a side. "Any other philodox, that is."

Stacey lifts her brows at that response. "No. I knew I'd rather you by my side in this than any of the others as soon as I'd heard the terms. I know and trust you. I'm confident in your ability and how we'd work together. If you're willing to help me, then there's no reason for me to consider the others."

Kenneth shifts his gaze away, back out to the darkened forest and clearing. "Jesus Stace... slow down a bit will ya? You sound like you're 20 instead of 14. Or one of my teachers from school." And still, no rejection or acceptance yet. The Shadow Lord's expression is predictably masked. It's one common to him while he's thinking.

Confusion crosses Stacey's expression before her shoulder's slump slightly, more a relaxing action than anything, as if the poorer posture would make her seem to be more her age. "I usually have to be older. So much goin' on, feels like I don't have time to be fourteen. Or I don't really think of it much." Another thought brightens the Child's look, but that one remains unvoiced.

Kenneth turns his eyes back to look at the ahroun, brows lifting. "You got cubs to take care of, a tribe to run. A Nation of Garou to unite. Of course you don't have time." The wry statement comes with a very thin smirk, followed by its fading. In dead seriousness, he adds, "I didn't get you anything."

Stacey chuckles at his response. "I'm surprised I manage to fit sleep in there somewhere. Gotta say, much as I miss bein' in a pack and all, this'd all be a lot harder if I were still a permanent Guardian. I'd comment on all things seemin' to have a purpose, but I'd end up soundin' old or too much of a Child again." At his last words, she just smiles. "I don't need anything. Nice that you remembered."

"You need me in your pack, though, right?" Kenneth is quick to press, like a chess player who deliberately maneuvered his pieces this way and sees the opening. "So if I say yes to helping you out with this challenge of yours, you can consider it my gift and we'll call it square. How's that?" Again, that serious smirk appears.

"Yes," answers Stacey after the first question. "It'd certainly be more difficult without you." At his continuation, her smile widens, and she nods. "I think that sounds fair. Aid in this challenge as the gift. Suppose you'll want to know who else I'm askin', huh?"

Deliberating on the latter question, Kenneth looks down to his lap and the ground below. "Birthday gifts don't usually come with some tag that tells you what conditions must be met." He lets the enigmatic statement stay there, adding to it. "I leave that part up to you to decide who to tell what. That's what leaders do."

Stacey smiles at that response, then adds, "True, but you Philodox often have a perceptive insight into matters. I've asked Kaz to be the Galliard, and she's accepted. The others I'm considering are Aja as the Ragabash and that Silver Fang, Jonathan, as the Theurge. I believe he's still in the area. If not... I may consider Alesia."

"The Fury Guardian who spoke at moot?" asks Kenneth, pinpointing Alesia's identity. "She might not leave the bawn for the sake of a rank challenge." Reaching up to scratch the bottom ofhis chin, the Shadow Lord continues to ponder aloud, "Those all sound like good choices, but I've not really known Jonathan well enough. Either way, you get the ones who will work best under you. That's what J... what my elders used to say. Want some water?" His hand moves up to rub at his neck before he pushes up from the ground and glances into the cave. "You want to keep talking inside? Or do you have to get back to your cubs soon?"

Stacey nods. "That's the one. And yeah, which is why she's not my first choice. Think I might talk to her about what she said at moot. She's got some, well, she's an idealist. Which isn't bad, she just has to take things one step at a time." She stands up, glancing toward him briefly at the mention of his elder. "Water would be great. I'm in no hurry. The cub's are fine."

Nodding, Kenneth gets up again and gestures for the ahroun to follow him in. As they travel down further into the darkness, the visibility drops to nothing for a time. Only their footsteps echoing off the walls of the cave's hidden tunnel acts as a sounding board to let them know where they are - relatively. Then there's a flickering light, indicating they've come close to where the Grand Cavern stands. "I met one of the ones from the moot, recently. The philodox. Demands-Answers, she's been called." Kenneth crosses to a rock formation, picking out a canteen from it and offering it over.

The darkness doesn't worry Stacey at all, and she follows the sound of Kenneth's steps, as well as that feeling of him being near, until that light is spotted ahead. "Oh? The cub?" she asks, her glance curious as she reaches to accept the canteen. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Kenneth replies while waiting about for the ahroun to have her fill. "Was on my way to the farmhouse when I spotted her. Didn't see the other cub though." A beat skips before he adds in a softer, yet bitter tone, "Didn't see any of the elders around either."

Stacey takes a small drink, then passes the canteen back. "Thanks." To his words, she gives a faint shrug. "Lotta places folks can be nowadays. She seem promising?" After a brief pause, glancing away almost in acknowledgement of that bitter tone. "Speakin' of, Moon Otter... He'd be a good one to seek out. I know where he's likely stayin'. Which might be where the other cub's at. I mean, when he first arrived, he asked be 'bout the forest a bit to the west there, sorta near the Farm, but not on the bawn. Asked if anyone had claimed it, said he might use it."

Kenneth takes back the canteen, sneaking a quick drink of it before slipping it back to the rock it's stashed in. There he lingers, though, not looking at the Gaian elder as she mentions Moon Otter. "Then he's staying out there. And I'm staying out here. May be better that way."

Stacey gives a shrug of her shoulder at his answer. "Maybe. But... I get a better feeling about him than I do most the others. Not that he isn't a Shadow Lord, but like..." She pauses, trying to figure out what words to give her thoughts. "He's competent. Could be a good ally." She leaves the 'or could be trouble' unspoken.

"He's the new tribal elder, Stace." Kenneth looks up and over then, his brows creased. "And you know I don't have a great reputation of relationships with my tribal elders."

"I realize," answers Stacey, shrugging. "But ya never know, when a new one comes along..." She offers a slight smile. "I'm jus' a bit more optimistic about this one. Or maybe I'm jus' curious, what he's gonna do."

Kenneth runs a hand through his longer hair, brushing it back and out of his face. The philodox sighs heavily, moving to be closer to the banked fire. "What's he like then? I mean, I saw him at moot. But that's gotta be a front for when he's out there with all those Garou around. You met him one on one, yeah?"

While Kenneth moves closer to the fire, Stacey takes it a step further and finds herself a place to sit. "Yeah, I did. He's impressive, that I'll say. Got some good breeding. But that's obvious," she adds with a wave of her hand. "He's rather perceptive. And ya get this feeling he's assessin' ya as ya talk. He commented on my name, the one ya gave me. An' we talked 'bout the Sept an' then 'bout our times as Guardian. Oh, an' he seems a lupus. Not sure if he is one, but he's very wolf-minded."

"Didn't seem to like being upright, so I'm guessin' the same," Kenneth muses, eyes half-lidding as he looks to the small flames. "And you think he's going to take one look at me and go I'm ok?" The question is skeptical, no doubt.

To that, Stacey gives what could be considered a sly smile. "If ya want him to. If ya make him see ya as okay." She waves a hand as she elaborates. "There're many sides to ya, aren't there? So just show him a side that'd impress him. I doubt he's heard much about you with all that's gone on. And even if he has, a first meeting carries more import than rumors. Getting his attention, some acknowledgement, would likely start the others thinking twice. And then if his challenge is successful... Even better for you if you do get on his better side."

Kenneth glances up from staring at the fire to instead, stare at the ahroun. "You can't be serious?" he queries in a wry manner. Wry, yet... "Because that's just real... political of you to say, Stace."

Stacey takes in a deep breath. "Kenneth... I'm Elder of a tribe that's tryin' to get all the other tribes to work together. Think I'd be doomed to fail if I didn't have somethin' of a political eye. An' I know your tribe's real political. So."

"There you go, actin' twenty 'stead of fourteen," Kenneth replies with a bit more dramatic of an eye roll. Kenneth's brand of humor. Still, the halfmoon rubs a back of his hand against his cheek, thinking aloud. "Wonder what he'd expect. If he's a lupus and all, then I guess I'll tell him about how I've stuck it out, out here by Wolf Woods."

Stacey chuckles. "It's those cubs. Makin' me age before my time with their questions." She then nods. "It'd definitely be a place to start." Then, in almost a complete tangent, she adds, "Ruth passed her Rite. Now called Cracks-the-Nut-of-Truth."

Kenneth's minor thoughtful reverie pulls away towards the other tangent, and he lifts his brows. "She did? Well, 'grats to her. Cracks-the-Nut-of-Truth. Interesting name. But, wait, didn't you have another out there too? What happened to her?"

Stacey nods, giving a proud look, which fades some at his question. "Kristin failed. We'll be giving her further instruction and then allowin' her to try again. She's just not ready."

Shaking his head, Kenneth even gives a sigh at the note of Kristin's failure. It's not disappointment in her though - at least, not readily. "Sounds like she had more fears than just pain, then." The thought lingers only for another second and it gets pushed aside for similar subjects. "How about that Greenpeace's Biggest Fan? She still fairin' ok I figure. Didn't say too much during the moot, but her intro wasn't bad."

Stacey lets out a faint sigh and nods. "She's not the first cub to have to try again. She just needs more time." At the mention of her other cubs, her smile returns. "Cori's doing good. Real good. Actually, all three of my new cubs are. Each tryin' hard in their own ways."

"Time is not a luxury we have much of," Kenneth notes both warningly and thoughtfully. "But where one fails, three more rise. If only we had those numbers all the time, then this war would be over wouldn't it."

Stacey nods with a faint shrug. "True, but there's no helpin' her spending another month or two learning before trying again." She then smiles. "There have been more cubs for many of the tribes. It's a blessing - and a handful. The trouble will be gettin' them all to a competent point while fending off these Spirals," she adds dryly. Which leads her to peer over at the boy. "Any further thoughts about packing?"

Kenneth's face goes back to a cold neutral at the very mention of the Dancers, and though he looks back at the ahroun, it's not directly at her. "The sept," begins the philodox slowly, "needs more warriors. Not cubs. Defenders. Defenders that... stand together." The halfmoon lets that hang in the air for a little bit, mingling with the crackle of the fire. "If we could get the job done with them, then all the better. Doesn't mean I have to like them."

Stacey turns her gaze to the fire at those words, unable to help but agree with them. "Let's hope we're on the road to that as well," she says in response. Silence greets Kenneth's last words before she looks back in his direction, admitting, "I'm not sure I'm set on that path."

Kenneth turns his gaze back to the ahroun more directly, blinking at her and her words. "You mean you're not sure if this is how you want things to be," he sidenotes. There's a little bit of surprise to it, but it's quickly dispersed. "Well..." he stalls, then continues, "don't decide on a whim. I know last time, it wasn't sunshine and flowers and unicorns prancing." Pardon the biting remark. "But if there's /any/ doubt, then better you find out now than later. Doesn't work if the pack comes together, divided."

Stacey takes in a breath. "It could just be because I've been pulled in so many directions lately. And I have been spending most of my time with the cubs, instead of getting to know all of them. But there is a lot to consider in all of this. I think I also need more time to decide before agreeing or not." She nods to his last words, but doesn't add anything further.

"Stace," Kenneth says after a little moment on silence, "There's only one direction you should be gettin' pulled in right now." He lifts his eyes, looking directly at them in a challenging fashion. "You step up and go get your fostern rank. That's the direction. Your cubs, you get your tribemates off their asses and get them taking care of them. Hell, put Ruth to it too." The Shadow Lord holds up a hand to stave things off. "But don't take it like I'm tellin' you to ditch 'em. I'm just saying, take some /me/ time."

Stacey looks over at the Philodox at his words, seriously considering them, and then she nods. "I see what you're saying, and I think you're right. It will do the cubs good to learn from more than just me, and I need to finish this challenge. It'll help no one if I don't." She smiles. "Think I'll take your advice, Kenneth. Give myself some space to breathe."

Kenneth nods slowly, giving the ahroun time to consider. "This bunch you're gathering, it's as much a pack as you can get. And hell, if everything works out maybe it's what'll become yours to lead in the future, under a totem."

Stacey nods to that, her gaze moving over to the mural that's barely visible in the flickering light. "There's always a possibility of that. At the very least, I'll prove that I can lead a pack. Successfully." No room for failure. "If one or more ends up a future packmate because of this, all the better."

Kenneth smirks along that line of thought, leaning back for a stretch. "It would certainly be better that way," he concedes, eventually lying back with his back against the stone and dirt floor. "Stace. If you get this... you know what it's gonna mean."

"What?" asks Stacey, seeming to think Kenneth has a good idea, as she also lies back, staring up at the darkness above. "What'll it mean? I mean, I know what it means, but which meanin' are ya meaning?"

"Means I'm gonna be comin' for ya." The statement is simple as that from the Shadow Lord. Kenneth hooks his hands behind his head, but tilts to try and eye the ahroun out of a corner. "First Dillen, now you..."

Stacey tilts her head to the side to peer over at Kenneth, smiling. "And then you. You could try soon. Especially if this stuff and pack stuff works out well. And if you needed help with your challenge, like I do, I'd help ya."

By the time she looks at him, Kenneth isn't smiling so much as looking quite serious about it. "I just might," he muses aloud. "I just might. I'll let you know, Peacemaker."

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