You walk down the slope of the beach and into the icy water. The freezing temperature is arduous and exhilarating at once, and the lake itself astonishingly clear and cold.

Rock Promontory, East End of Arthur's Island
A rock promontory juts down from the raised, craggy island. Starting a good thirty feet off the water, over forty feet wide; it descends into the water, creating a narrowing ramp some one-hundred feet long. The dark granite soaks up the sunlight during the day, and slowly radiates it back out during the night, warming the nearby water.
You can climb the promontory onto the island, to the west. To the east, far across the water, lies an inviting rocky beach on the eastern shore of Lake Arthur.
Contents:
Wakshaani, Kaz, Sepdet
Obvious exits:
Back to the Mainland Up to the Cliffs

Sepdet circles the fire, making small hissing noises in the back of her throat, almost a challenge, her movements restless and animated like the flicker of the flames dancing. Sparks pop from the end of her makeshift torch as she twists it around herself in a slow dance, sketching signs in air.

From the torch itself is, soon, shaken free a small, airborn spirit. With a light giggle, it flits into the air, chasing about each glyph as it's spelled, until the afterimage dies, then moving to the next, playing a sort of tag.

Kaz soon crouches forward to grab a stick of her own, putting it firmly into the fire for a time, and then bringing it out abruptly, almost as a challenge -- except it's undirected, and it's soon moving into its own dance, following the spirit, from afar.

Firefly flits from side to side, chasing the torches gleefully.

Sepdet plays with it for a few moments, giving the spirit a little entertainment before getting down to business. She tries to spell out glyphs and signs too complicated for it to follow, playing a sort of visual Simon. Her attempt is somewhat hampered by the occasional spasm and lack of fine motor control, but then again, that makes the patterns all the more complicated. The light flickering off of Sepdet's pinched face reveals a ghost of a smile as she follows the little spirit with her eyes.

Three-Blades swims powerfully through the water, her head the only thing sticking out from the dark waters. With a bark, unusually loud for the normally quiet Gnawer, she finally touches ground underneath and sloshes out of the water. Finally. She looks back over the distance she swam, then shakes herself dry with great sprays of water though a bit too far away to affect any fires. Her light amber eyes catch the blaze's dance she pads closer, sniffing curiously. Sepdet-rhya?

Sepdet turns her face from the game at the whuff from the canine, stiffening, but she relaxes immediately upon seeing who it is. "Yi!" She waggles the torch in a sort of wave.

Kaz's got more than the ghost of a smile -- she's full out in minor bliss, as she at least attempts to mirror Sepdet -- but she's certainly not nearly as deft at dancing, nor as elegant, and she's soon dampened down to playing occasional games of tag with the spirit, before brandishing the torch to Yi in greeting.

Firefly flies between the fires with an etherial giggle, until the glyphs get just too complex. She returns to the bonfire for just a bit, then out again, rising like a pheonix before Sepdet's face as the last glyph fades away. *Thank you for the game,* she chirps, *I like to dance.* She smiles a bit at Sepdet's face, as tall as her own body, flame aura snapping and burning as she hovers.

Three-Blades pants wetly, still a little damp despite her brief bout of shaking. Her hispo head quirks to a side as she blinks in the firelight. ~Greetings, Sepdet-rhya, Kaz. I managed to find the island.~ Her whuff of laughter echoes in the quiet night. Ears flick forward as she regards the fading spirit. ~What is happening?~

Kaz explains, watching the spirit in fascination, "That's apparently an elemental. We're wantin' it t'give Sepdet th' ability t'use a Gift I'm teachin' her."

Sepdet smiles appraingly at the flaming little spirit, keeping half her attention on the creature that's almost too hot to look at. ~Sepdet is playing the student, tonight,~ she murmurs, putting thought behind her words such that the spirit will understand her as well as Yi can. ~I'm hoping the gift Kaz and this netcher here are teaching me will help me in my tending the Lake.~

Firefly grows bored quickly, it seems, as she flies over Kaz's head, exploring, then down to Three-Blades. One shudder of the wet wolf, however, sends the spirit jetting back to Sepdet, leaving a half-second's flame trail behind her. She ducks behind Sepdet's head, flames snapping dangerously near the Metis' hair, leaning out from behind long enough to say, *Water bad!*, then ducks back again.

~I see,~ replies Yi with a quiet rumble of curiosity. ~Teaching of a Gift? Which one?~ Her tongue licks over her wet nose a moment, before she grunts softly. ~Perhaps I can ask the spirit of the fire to warm this soaked pelt of mine.~ A light, good-natured whuffle of laughter is directed towards the spirit.

Kaz mutters, "Y'all look out," and a small gout of fire erupts from her hands, towards the fire itself. "Tell it, /that/ Gift, Sepdet."

Sepdet steels herself not to flinch as the spirit dances dangerously close to her wild mop of hair, and moves carefully to replace the branch back into the fire just as it poofs into smoke. She twitches in spite of herself as Kaz demonstrates. ~Yi can't help it, she was swimming,~ she tells the little one. ~But maybe we can help. Can you show me how to make fire like yours, little Netcher? I could make flames to dance with yours.~

Firefly flits all over, like a hyperactive bug, following Kaz's flame jet with a coo, frowning as it dies away, then back to Sepdet as she's adressed. *I like to share,* she says, *Moe friends to dance with!* This would seem to be an agreement. Then again, the Firefly is now finding a small twig of her own to chew on, leaving the tip less eaten than simply charred and blackened, as if it was stuck into a fire.

Sepdet looks helplessly at Kaz. ~Interesting I found,~ she whispers, ~but I wonder if this is going to work. We can try.~ She holds out her hands gamely to the little spirit, offering palms cupped upward to form a shell.

Three-Blades moves just a little closer to the fire, feeling the warmth given off before lowering to her haunches and sitting at a respectful distance. ~I don't understand what the spirit says, but... will she teach you?~ Her gaze flickers like the flames from Kaz to Sepdet.

Kaz sidles closer to the Strider. "It'll work," she says, as if she knows what she's talking about. "Just dance with her. She'll do right by you."

Firefly frowns at Three-Blades a bit, opening her mouth to puff a *large* fireball at the Gnawer. It vanishes as fast as it rolls, but strikes roughly with the heat of an oven, after the door is first opened. *Water stay away.* That done, she darts to a spare stick, and flutters a bit to garner Sepdet's attention. *Firefly makes friends like this.* She turns, hovering over the small pile, then spreads her wings. Small bursts of fire, like sparks from a campfire, rain down from her, spattering the twigs. And, sure enough, a smoldering starts.

((Firefly pages: No damage at all, BTW. :) ))

Sepdet tells Yi ruefully, ~It's showing me now. Maybe this wasn't such a safe moment for you to come by, but take a look at the Lake, anyway. Nice?~ She quiets down to observe the firefly's mini pyrotechnics with eyes narrowed, lips pursed, narrow focus in her gaze.

Three-Blades yipes and quickly ducks her head to one side at first sight of the fireball, nearly starting up and darting back into the water. The blast of heat does dry off a bit more of the water, leaving the hispo just barely damp, like clothes that have been in a dryer that doesn't quite get the job done. With a quick flick of her ear and a narrowly opened eye, she looks back up at the fire spirit. A quick lick of her jaws, and the canine whuffs again. ~Thanks,~ she laughs a bit to the spirit. Her furry head bobs once at Sepdet's query, before she glances too at the firefly's firey friends.

Kaz recoils slightly at the spirit's blast, but her metaphorical hackles go down once she sees Yi's just warmed by it. She crouches down, watching the fire the spirit is making as if she could somehow translate it into words, or action.

Firefly lets the fires grow, welcoming them with hugs, then moving again through the bonfire. *Like this,* she says again, a jet of flame from her mouth burning a single stick, quickly. *Like this,* she says again, soaring around and around a torch, her trail in a tightening spiral, before it,too, burns. *Like this,*, she says again, puffing a fireball at another, larger, pile of wood. *Many many friends!* She gigles a bit more, soaring back to the primary bonfire and Sepdet, as several small fires dance in her wake. Quite a few, really.

Kaz mutters, "Aw'n hell, Max's missin' this," as she watches avidly.

Sepdet growls out a command, *Play's fine, but don't burn the island!* Her eyes widen as the spirit ignites all the kindling she'd gathered and the pile of wood Robin brought her. She moves over to the pile of dirt she keeps by like any good camper to start shovelling it onto the new blaze.

Three-Blades flicks her ears a little worriedly, but nonetheless intriqued by the spirit's work. ~At least it is not on the main island,~ she rumbles softly. ~Beautiful, though.~ Her eyes reflect the dancing flames with a golden light.

Firefly pouts, watching the fires be put out. *Awwww...* She hovers inside the bonfire's circle, however, making no move to stop the Metis.

Kaz shakes her head, strongly. "Leave it be, for the moment. Till she's /gone/, yeah? I'll bring more wood later, 'kay?"

Sepdet eyes the spreading flames with an uneasy frown, glancing over towards the nearest bushes. ~But--~ she mutters, clearly a little distracted now. ~Let's play, but let's keep the fire -here-.~ She shifts tactics to move the newly-kindled faggots into her firepit, which had been only a small log or two and some coals. It takes off with a roar as she throws more fuel onto it. Kaz makes sure to sidle out further into the darker shadows, and starts dealing with the actual spreading flames. The less obvious ones.

Firefly flits out, after a short rest, circling Sepdet's head once, then leading her back to the fire. *Too cold here. Must finish before going home. Must thank you for the dance!* She swoops low over each wood piece is tossed in, welcoming the cloud of sparks each creates. *Hello! Hello! I will dance with you soon!*

Kaz, as she does firewatch duty, tosses the remains of flaming grass at the firefly, while Sepdet's not looking.

Three-Blades shifts a little, now dry for the most part, and gently snuffs a dying ember with a paw. ~Hyper, isn't she?~ comments the canine as the fires around are quickly put out discreetly.

Sepdet gets caught with a few bits of the grass herself; it's not exactly an airworthy projectile. But they flame out too fast to ignite her clothes or hair, and she only gives a soft yelp. ~Ow. Okay, let me try, netcher, let me try.~ She stares down at the coals and an unburned end of one log, focussing on the image of sparks flying out from it. Foom! It explodes nicely, as if it were nothing but sap.

Firefly hovers between Sepdet and the bonfire. Now that she's not jetting about, it's easy to see here eyes are half-lidded, her flames dimmed. This fire is, clearly, about burned out. *You must share yourself to make more. We give birth, by giving ourself.* She drops a bit, near Sepdet's right hand, closing both warm, but not sclading, hands about Sepdet's index figer. *One more thing. My sisters want to meet you.* She tugtugs Sepdet's hand towards the bonfire, flitting back towards the flames, very slowly. *Share their warmth? Please just once?*

Three-Blades blinks as her mind interprets the spirit's actions as she doesn't understand the firefly's words. ~She wants you to stick your hand in the fire?~ Yi rumbles questioningly.

Kaz says, a little dubiously, "We got worse on Thursday..."

Sepdet's jaw clenches at the beesting touch of the spirit's little paws, but swallows and does as she's told. It's hardly the first time she's put her hands in a fire deliberately. Dropping slowly to a crouch at the edge of the brand-new bonfire, she reaches out with one hand and pushes spread fingers into the flames and down.

The spirit itself flickers and wisps, looking soon to fade away. *Thank you for the dance,* she says, quietly. She tugs Sepdet's hand into the bonfire, holding it there for just a second, then releasing. *Our gift to you,* it says, quietly.

((Long distance to the room: Three-Blades aiees and thunks her head a little. Why do I keep imagining the little firefly spirit as something like a mini-winged pokemon? Aiee.
Sepdet pages to the room: Because Wakko's playing it. :)
From afar, to the room, Firefly is an ELfquest PRESERVER, if you please! Or Tinkerbell on Crack, if that helps.
From afar, to the room, Kaz was trying to think of Tinkerbell. Since I've never seen Poke.
From afar, to the room, Kaz loses to Wak.
From afar, to the room, Sepdet knew it was Petalwing.Ha. :) ))

Sepdet gasps as her fingertips blaze forth like a candelabra but holds her hand steady, will a rather frightening thing when she puts her mind to something. There's wonder in her face as well as pain.

Three-Blades growls a little, imagining the searing heat that Sepdet must be feeling as she lowers her hand into the flames. She blinks a few times, to make sure the spirit is not flickering and her eyes playing tricks on her, but indeed the little flame is gradually fading. ~Ouch.~

Kaz's eyes widen, as she crouches, and then she's moving closer, on her hands and knees, intently.

Firefly smiles at Sepdet, then hugs herself with a shiver. *Too cold. Must go now.* She looks to Sepdet for permission, hovering now in the very heart of the bonfire.

Sepdet's eyes water as she finally rips her hand out and backpedals, jamming it into the scattered dirt. She gives the spirit a shaky nod, managing a whispered, ~Thank you.~

Firefly doesn't so much as vanish, as just simply dispurse into the flames. She's there, and then she's not, leaving only the bonfire. Her last words hiss free as smoke, echoing, *You're welcome...* Then, she's gone.

Three-Blades gets up and pads over towards the fire, sniffing at a careful distance, then she snorts and lopes towards Sepdet. A whine of concern and half-flattened ears show the hispo's worry. ~Is your hand all right?~

Kaz rests a hand on Yi's back as she leans in closer herself, and then backs up slightly, as if not wanting to crowd.

Sepdet makes a strained whimper only after the spirit's completely gone, and rolls her somewhat blistered hand in the dirt, fingertips black and smoking. She gives Yi a lopsided grin and doesn't answer, telling Kaz, ~I think I got it. Back in a moment.~ She rises and heads down to the shoreline with controlled but urgent steps.

Kaz mutters, "I think that's a no, but don't tell /her/ that," to her tribemate.

Three-Blades whuffs softly, trying to gulp down her laughter. ~As the wise ones say.. play with fire, and you'll get burned.~ She grins briefly at her tribesister before looking after the Strider. ~I think the teaching was successful.~

Sepdet wades in up to her knees in the frigid water, the sound of splashing drifting up to them as she cools off. She takes a detour off towards the heart of the island, disappearing behind some manzanita bushes.

Kaz says, "I'd think so. I wanted t'do somethin' f'that spirit, f'sure. She was... Givin' her all."

((Sepdet pages to the room: Something that grows in the west, silly. Kinda prickly. Sepdet will be back in another pose or two, but she hasta go fetch her pot of aloe from her cave. ;) ))

Three-Blades rumbles softly, quirking her head in the direction Sepdet waded off in. ~I wish I could understand the spirit tongue. It would be easier to speak with them, but I'm not crescent.~ Her tongue washes over nose a few times. She turns to face the island, gazing at the darkish silouhette of the land jutting above the water with a quiet air. ~So this is Lake Arthur and its island.

Kaz quirks a very small smile, as she rises to stamp out a few stray fires. "I fuckin' hate not bein' able to /communicate/ with shit. Maybe I'll bug the bossman. I mean, he speaks with 'em with a snap." She rummages in a pocket, absently, watching where Sepdet left. Looking around, with a slight shake of the head, she nods. "Been here. Beat shit up. Wouldn't mind not beatin' shit up, here, for once."

Three-Blades lopes over towards Kaz as well, sniffing at embers and covering them in bits of dirt. ~Why is this place so popular then?~ Her query rumbles out through the two's activity. ~Is there some power inside this island that has not been discovered?~

Kaz, with a small jar in her hands, shrugs. "Have to ask Sepet. I just know the Gaians've hung out here for awhile and there was once a big ass Purity spirit, except the Dancers kilt it."

Sepdet returns with a rustle of bushes in time to hear that last, and her expression tightens. Then again, she's still in some pain. She moves back slowly to the fire, casting about for stray sparks. ~And Fangs. It first belonged to Thorn-rhya, an elder you would have liked very much, Yi. The Gaians have claimed it in more recent years, but three different packs have guarded this place, and even one or two mages. But they are all gone now.~ The sorrow is never very far from the surface, making her voice softer. ~I have many good memories of things that have happened here. I intend to see that beauty restored.~

Three-Blades lifts her head to look at the darkened trees in regard. ~And the spirits have not returned since,~ she growls lowly, fur near bristling in bitterness at the mere mention of Dancers. A harsh paw stamps into the dirt, tossing up a little cloud of wispy dust that settles back down. Her ears turn before her head at the rustle, and she listens to the Strider's words with interest and a little bit of sorrow. ~I hope the beauty is restored as well. This island feels as if it were like a stretch of Gaia's hand.~

Kaz pads over, done stamping fires, and crouches down to put the jar next to the Strider. "Some've your stuff I didn't use," she mutters, and scuttles a bit further away, to sit facing the fire.

Sepdet nods wistfully. ~You see it. It's not only my memories of things lost. So. I have been working steadily for many days. The Dancers had smeared the bodies and pieces of small animals and other filth about, hurt the trees and smaller plants, scrawled their glyphs all over the rocks and the cliffs and the cave. I've been cleaning and cleaning. We need to bring in new plants to replace those lost, bind the wounded ones, tend them, talk to them--~ she smiles sheepishly-- ~be on the lookout for scum floating on the water, which must be removed. That is the first stage.~

Three-Blades glances over at Kaz for a moment, ears flickering back and forth. Sepdet's mention of waterbits makes her a little nervous, and she lifts a paw to sniff and make sure nothing accompanied her out of her little dip in the lake. ~There's much to be done,~ the hispo agrees. ~I can see why you wanted a pack for the tasks.~

Kaz mutters, "Lamb's ear," and adds, as she watches cracklings, "Have to bring some stuff over. Other than," she adds, slightly repentently, "Firewood."

Sepdet grins wryly. ~Well, it didn't get out of control, so no harm done.~ She looks over at the fire, which has begun to settle down to something a little less alarming now. The Strider sits down and pulls the cork out of a clay jar with her teeth, gripping it one-handed. ~That's only stage one. Next part is to call the spirits back, and I think it may already be time for that. And -then-, once the Lake's back to its old self, our real work can begin.~

Three-Blades sits down on her furry haunches and quirks her head. ~What's the -real- work then, Sepdet-rhya?~ And for a moment there, she thought the job was easy.

Sepdet dabs blobs of translucent cream onto her scorched fingers, pausing between words so as not to let a wince show in her voice. ~Well,~ she says quietly, ~The first pack here, the one that Fang was alpha for, was a pack of many tribes under Raccoon. Crossing. They're the one who cleansed Harbor Park of a blight in the first place. They were based here, but they also went into the city to offer help wherever it was needed. Never claimed any territory there; just acted as free agents.~

Kaz listens to this quietly, fire in her eyes. Indeed, she seems to be listening fairly intently.

Sepdet observes ruefully, ~Before the Lady died, I had it in mind to make a pack like that anyway, under Raccoon. But now my task is more urgent. I have to carry on her work, and I think I need something with more honor, less mischief. And besides, it seems someone else has taken Raccoon now.~

Three-Blades swishes her tail once, ears forward and listening. ~I only know of three packs here. One under Wolverine, another under Raven, and Kaz's pack, under Rat. Who is the other?~

Kaz tears her gaze from the fire to ask, "Who?" She sounds... rather forlorn, really.

Sepdet's brows lift. ~Echen-rhya, the alpha, has one under Owl,~ she adds gently. She gives Kaz a querying glance, but doesn't press, answering Yi's question further. ~I heard a rumor that young Allie's pack has been caught by Raccoon. I think I envy them. Only a little, however.~

Kaz says, "Huh, with that Leda chick?"

Sepdet nods. ~I believe so.~

"Mmm." Shaking her head, the metis asks, a curious look in her eye, asks, "So you'd be wantin' to do kinda a unitin' pack, kinda thing."

Three-Blades rumbles softly, ~So many packs. Not many seem to be under any honor totems,~ she observes with a bit of interest. ~There are so many Garou at this Sept, it is hard to keep up with the news.~ She whuffles quietly in a lupine chuckle.

Sepdet nods urgently. ~That's my hope. I used to be a city pack, and then I served the Wyld. But the city needs more -work- than the Wyld. So I want to do both now. And besides, again, I am taking Chloe's example. She was a human, and of the city. But she came out here to the forest to commune with Gaia and its children. I would like to go the other way now, for balance.~

Kaz chews her tongue thoughtfully. "Huh. I'll talk t'some folks. I think there's a few people..."

~Well, if I would help with the city part, then I would be glad to,~ Yi rolls out under a yawn. ~The time I spent in the forest around here, really has given a greener look to the world I know. If the feeling could spread to the city, we'd be in luck.~

Sepdet jumps as she hits a particularly sensitive spot and decides that's enough for now, fumbling a bit to get the cork back into her jar. ~And you are of the city, Yi, and can be our wits and our eyes and ears, tell us . A few others have tried to make city/wyld packs lately. None of them seems to have thought to ask a Bone Gnawer into their number, and I'm betting you'll know things that even a Glass Walker might not. If and when we get this pack together, you must tell your people we're here, and willing to assist any battle that needs fighting.~

Kaz waves a finger. "Gotcher Galliard right here, boss. Me'n Yi, we c'n tell a lotta people a lotta shit."

Sepdet flashes a bright smile. ~This is going to work,~ she says fervently. ~I can feel it. Just a few more people to share the vision, and make it bloom.~

((Chaser pages to the room: Actually, hm. I think I'll be Chaser-ish and make an appearance out of nowhere.))

Three-Blades bobs her head in a human-like nod of agreement. ~We'll get word around the city quickly. I have been asked before, to join Megan's pack...Chiascuro, back when it was first forming. But at the time I was new, unsure of myself. And... there was Jay. We'd hoped for a pack under Raccoon as well, with Banecruncher as Alpha.~ She snorts softly and paws at the ground. ~Well, this pack has a cause Jay would be honored by. Once word spreads, I think the unpacked Garou here would be willing to consider the tasks.~

Kaz reaches out, silently, to ruffle Yi's ears gently.

Sepdet straightens and starts to put her burned hand into her mouth, face twisting into a puckered grimace at the taste of aloe. ~Whoops.~ She gives Yi a gentle nod. ~I don't want anyone with me who's conflicted; I did that to a friend once, and she never felt she was of my pack, but never felt she could let me down by saying no. That's wrong too. Choose your own path. But understand that you would be most welcome here.~

A skittering of moving rocks, and a momentary clatter of stone on stone, come from the steep shadows above--presaging the arrival of someone climbing down, evidently. Chaser reaches one of the last boulders, and jumps down to the slanting promontory shelf; she lands with a sharp sound of breath hissing through clenched teeth, watching them from the shadows beyond the reach of the fire, visible by moonlight rather than the red glow. "Saw your light," she says in her rough voice. "Thought I'd come on over."

Three-Blades nudges Kaz's hand with her muzzle, licking it once to show she's ok. ~We choose our paths, but it would seem our destinies are already decided to intertwine.~ Her eyes and ears go from the fire to the hiss. Bristling fur lowers back into their calm, flat state as the raggie recognizes Chaser. The skittering gets Kaz to her feet, but she lowers down again, slowly, once she hears the voice. "'Lo." She's not necessarily wary, around the Get. Just not loquacious.

Sepdet jerks to her feet at the sound of stone on stone, instantly falling into a wary bent stance as she scans the ledges above. She relaxes, barely, as the Get's rugged form appears in the edge of the firelight. ~For Gaia's sake, give a howl first,~ she pleads with a smile to soften the words.

The Get chuckles softly, hoarse dry sound of amusement; it brings a wince to her sharp features, but she ducks her head to hide that expression behind a shock of red hair. "You oughta have sharper ears, Strider," she chides, dark humor in her eyes as she looks across through the fall of spiky bangs. Her lips curve, and the smile is at once teasing and dangerous.

Sepdet pushes her hair out of her eyes with her good hand and sighs. ~I ought to have packmates. Real Striders never lead, they just delegate, right?~ The smile she offers is a somewhat pained one in return. ~So what's up, shadow-walker?~

Chaser lifts her head, tilting it a little as she regards the diminutive Strider. "Wanted t'talk to you about the sewers. Got a coupla questions 'bout your map."

Three-Blades lies down on her belly, ears flicking forward at the mention of the sewers. A low growl of distaste rumbles through her, but that quickly dies as she listens to the conversation.

Sepdet turns at the growl and glances down towards Yi, making a querying sort of whine in her throat that would make more sense in lupus. But she gives the Get a sober nod. ~Ah, right. Go ahead.~

Chaser's eyes narrow slightly; she leans one shoulder on the rock, casual, studying the Strider's face. "How long's it been since you were down there?"

Sepdet's shoulders sag. ~Only a few times in the last few years, and that closer to Harbor Park. The area by Osprey Fountain? Not since Thorn died. Spent months down there that season, but it may have changed some by now.~

Chaser nods curtly. "I'm thinkin' we might wanna go in from that way. Start with someplace easy. You think mosta the trouble in gonna be Umbraside?"

Kaz mutters, "I think it'll be everywhere, not that I'm relevant."

Chaser glances to Kaz, giving a curt nod of agreement.

~City's usually worse in the umbra than the solid world,~ the Strider observes grimly. ~But I'm not sure how many of the banes have oozed across into the realm.~ She drops to one knee by Yi and sets a light hand. ~Jay ran into trouble on the realm side, didn't he?~ she asks as gently as she can.

Three-Blades rumbles in affirmation of that. ~When... Jay and I were down there, we were only a few meters from the fountain. When one of them attacked and we fought, there were sounds of many more. That was the Realm. Who knows what is in the Shadow.~ Black-furred ears flatten in rememberance of the complete darkness. ~We could go back through the manhole Jay and I went through. It isn't too far from the fountain.~

Chaser's expression darkens. "Jay's that Gnawer kid that died, eh?" Her rough voice knows no tact, nor do the hard eyes--but at least there is something that softens about her, a quieting.

Kaz says "Yeah, the one Stonebreakers stuck out on a washline and left hangin'."

Three-Blades flicks her ears, looking into the dying embers of the bonfire and not at the Get. ~Yes.~ The reply, as short as it is, holds restraint of emotion.

Chaser glances to Kaz, eyes narrowed. "Owen's a fuckin' useless twit," she says.

Sepdet strokes Yi's back quietly. ~Not the only one,~ she sighs, ~but I'd rather not think about them here. Got more questions, Chaser-yuf?~

Chaser's jaw tightens a fraction. "Nah," she answers curtly. She crosses her arms with a creak of leather, and studies the Strider briefly. "You'll stay back, with the reserves. I don't want anyone scoutin' forward who doesn't have Blur." The sharp chin jerks up a fraction, and she straightens deliberately. "And don't go thinkin' you're the shit, or I'll throw down on ya right here. Even wounded, you /know/ I could kick your ass seven times over... so why waste the time an'energy on it?" She smiles thinly, a deadly expression without a trace of humor. "The moon's full, and we got important work t'do tomorra night. So don't. Fuck. With *me*."

Kaz mutters, "That was a question?"

Three-Blades quirks her head at the Get, wondering slightly if she seems threatened by the metis Strider for some reason. The curiosity fades though, as just barely a twitch of her lip rises and falls. Instead the hispo turns and snuffles around on the dirt before glancing up to the sky. ~One hopes there are no surprises down in those sewers,~ she rumbles quietly as she gazes to the stars. ~The last thing Nevada needs, is to lose another friend.~ Her growled words are more of a resolution towards herself than actual conversation. ~We're not going down there to fight, Chaser-rhya. Least, not yet. Who knows though...~

Sepdet blinks, taken offguard; Chaser's sharp words immediately cause the Strider to straighten and stand her ground. ~We were talking about your important work, you know,~ she says levelly, lowering her voice to a whisper. ~And I thought you came here to ask me some questions. If you'd rather fight, we can leave the island /now/.~

Still dangerously calm, Chaser shrugs out of the leather jacket she wears, tossing it up and catching it with fingers through the holes, without once taking her steely eyes from the Strider. "You were an innocent little /puppy/ when I got my first scars, /Hope/," she says in a soft voice. "You were a /cub/, learning at my packmate's knee. Now I respect what you done since then, but don't /dare/ think you stand above me. Stand the fuck down."

Kaz stands up, slowly. And just watches the Get, eyes definitely wary now.

Sepdet holds her gaze steady. ~I call you honored equal, Chaser,~ she says, still softly. ~That's was a title of respect, and not challenge. A few moons' difference between us dwindle behind the years we've -both- served this place. Years sometimes when you were gone, while I was bursting my heart teaching cubs, healing people, fighting the enemy, leading a tribe, and championing causes. I have no wish to fight you. I respect you and think of you as an old friend. But I am /not/ a cub anymore, have not been that puppy you recall in many years. Nor does this mule cringe and roll over for a kick from any bully.~

Three-Blades growls lowly, the tension making her rise to her paws with fur starting to bristle. ~Seems like the rage from this island still has not left,~ she rumbles through her teeth.

Chaser's jaw tightens. "I'm no bully, Sepdet," she says quietly. "And I had enough cringing from Thorn t'last me a lifetime."

Sepdet murmurs, ~Then accept what I have become.~ She stands with shoulders and arms oddly relaxed, merely keeping Chaser's gaze firmly with the quiet but steady regard of her tribe.

Three-Blades glances warily between the two, cautious nonetheless of their actions. Her jaws open and click together once as her tail lashes around behind her.

Kaz snorts. "Not a bully. Whatever," and slides down into a seat, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets.

Chaser's lip curls, baring a flash of teeth; a low growl comes from her throat, barely audible. One hand extends towards Kaz, sharply, palm-out, a stay-out gesture. Through clenched teeth, in a voice that barely passes for human, the Get whispers, "This is none'a your /fuckin'/ business." She is breathing through a snarl, now, her head bent slightly to carry through the staredown, the other hand clenched at her side. It's quite clear that the full moon above is taking its toll; the Get's Rage is palpable in the air around her, in the narrowed eyes and the soft, snarling growls that punctuate her harsh breathing.

Sepdet's eyes suddenly begin to water, and she is blinking and dropping her gaze before she even knows she's lost. She gives a faint sigh and takes a step backwards, holding up her hands in a submissive gesture. "Okay, okay. Fine."

Kaz, too, is taking a step backwards, though she's just looking down at her feet and growling slightly.

Chaser's other hand curls into a fist, and she grits her teeth; then she turns sharply and stalks to the lake, dropping to her knees in the water there and bending to duck her head into it.

Sepdet slumps as the Get stalks past and stares at her hands. But she's lupus-raised, and tosses the disappointment away with a rough shake of the head, turning back to the others with a sheepish expression.

Three-Blades lashes her tail a few times, her ears still plastered to the back of her furry head. ~Well, that must've been gratifying,~ her soft snarl rolls out from between clenched jaws. As Chaser takes a moment to literally cool off, she glances back to the Strider and flicks her tongue over her nose, in a sort of don't-worry-over-it expression.

Chaser straightens where she kneels, tossing her head back, throwing droplets of icy water to hiss on the coals. Her breathing, harsh and rapid, is audible even from that distance.

((Chaser pages to the room: Oh, it's a good thing Chas had her back turned for that one. Any more commentary I shouldn't see? :>))

Sepdet makes shushing movements with her hands at Yi, urgently. "Don't push 'er," the Strider whispers in a low voice. "She could rip alla us apart if it came down to claws alone."

((Long distance to the room: Three-Blades laughs. Ah the power of the ragabash.
Chaser pages to the room: Er... the moon /is/ full. I'd suggest not pissing off the almost-frenzied Fostern Get. :>
Sepdet pages to the room: It's the Get part ya gotta worry about here.
Long distance to the room: Three-Blades knows. ;) Yi might be witty, but she's not suicidal.
Chaser pages to the room: Oh good.))

Kaz settles down into a seat again, just shaking her head at Yi silently.

Three-Blades brings her ears back forward and whuffs with good intentions to the Strider. With a brief shake of her fur to loosen tightened muscles, she lowers back down to her haunches and watches the Get by the lakeside with a golden amber gaze of calm.

Chaser's jacket lies where she dropped it, with that violent gesture at Kaz: a heap of black leather marred by scars and rips and paint.

Sepdet settles down by the fire. ~Well,~ she mutters, ~Let's see if I can put all that fire to some good use here. -heyAAH!-~ Her voice lifts for the first time since the conversation turned to verbal chest-beating, rising in a clear bright note. There's a pop, and a tiny but extremely bright point of red light appears a few inches in front of her nose, flickering like a star.

There's another hissing of beath between teeth, as Chaser rises; she pauses for a moment, one hand going to her belly. Then she turns and comes toward them, her features almost devoid of expression, a faint flickering of pain behind the dark eyes. She glances to the Strider, and then away, as she leans down to retrieve her jacket; the hard features twist into an outright wince there. "Sorry," she mutters.

Sepdet's first modest attempt flickers out with a cascade of sparks that shoot in all directions, making her hop back a second time. She shoots Chaser a wary look, smiles, and then merely shakes her head. ~So, you got anything else you need to ask me?~ she says in a subtly more deferential tone, as if the preceding fifteen minutes hadn't just occurred.

Kaz mutters, half under her breath, "Gotta focus it more. Candle, not spark."

Kaz is muttering primarily because she's gone back to staring at the fire; perhaps thay way she won't stare at Chaser.

Sepdet nods faintly at Kaz's suggestion, filing it away.

Chaser's expression is tight, as she settles the jacket around her shoulders and shrugs into it. The green eyes register a residual tension, as they come to rest on the Strider. "Nah," she says hoarsely. "Think the bully better get the fuck off the playground. Law of the sandbox, and all that."

Three-Blades flicks her ears in a sort of symbolic flicking off tension from her mind, and curls her tail around her forepaws. ~When do we meet tomorrow, Chaser-rhya?~ her own question rings out with clipped ends. ~And where?~

Sepdet growls in exasperation. ~Oh, c'mon, Chas, I didn't roll over and lick your feet, 'n you had the kindness not to smear my guts all over the damn island. 'S a fair fight and a clean win.~

Kaz glances back at the Get, eyebrow raised under her hair; apparently, she agres with Sepdet.

Chaser lifts one shoulder a fraction, and glances to Yi, to answer in the same hoarse, soft voice. "Right around moonrise. Sig's prolly gonna lay some groundwork, in case you guys gotta jump in and save our asses. Contingency plan. Somethin'."

Sepdet inserts unpressingly, ~I talked to Elan about getting assistance from Mama Rat, but I don't know if he's had time to whip it together. You guys be careful.~

Chaser glances to Sepdet, and nods. "Yah. One a the reasons I'm not takin' anyone forward, unless they can stay unseen and unheard."

Three-Blades blinks, an ear splaying to one side. ~Who is doing the scouting then? As I understand, you will lead the packs to go down into the sewers?~ For a bit, she interprets Chaser's words as that she's staying up top with the backups.

Kaz says, cheerfully, "Sure the hell ain't me." Her eyebrow still hasn't gone down, although her gaze has drifted from Chaser, apparently.

Chaser nods curtly, glancing to Yi. "Me, Ethan, maybe Collin--I'll take any Ragabash who's got the Gift and can walk quiet. There's a Gnawer kid--Joey--who's gonna trail after the forward party, t'run back and pull in the fighters if we get in trouble."

Three-Blades pricks both ears forward to regard the fostern Get. ~Then I will accompany you as well. Unless, there is a second pack to scout in the Shadow which would need me.~

Chaser purses her lips. "Honestly, I'm not sure which way we oughta go in, Realm or Umbra. I'm thinkin' we might be better off goin' Umbraside... I might split the backup into two groups, though, one of 'em in the Realm, to take care of anything that comes in."

Sepdet listens to the planning with a faint frown, distancing herself from the talk somewhat. She walks a few paces away, trying again to focus herself on the lesson of the evening. Her success may be measured by the small flicker of flames that dances fitfully in the air a few feet in front of her, sputtering and smoking in the light wind.

Kaz's attention is mostly on talking sewer-runners, but she mutters, sliding her gaze to Sepdet, "Brighter."

Three-Blades gives her fur another shake, then falls back into a relaxed position. The flickering flames that briefly spark the night with their light draw her motion-sensitive eyes, but an ear remains trained on Chaser. Not before long she rises to her paws and swishes her tail slightly. ~The city calls,~ she growls softly. ~I should be on patrol. Look after Jay's apartment, and stuff.~ Her ears flick a few times, and she whuffs to Sepdet. ~I will be sure to return here, Sepdet-rhya. We can share our dreams of the pack to be again later.~ She glances at Kaz and Chaser, giving them bobs of her head, then heads towards the water's edge, a little slowly, reluctantly leaving the warmth that the flames provide for the icy waters of the lake.