At the center, Siegebreaker's curled up near the center of the caern.

Three-Blades' tongue lolls from open jaws as she lopes towards the center of the caern. Ears perked, she sniffs as a familiar scent reaches her. Cub? She trots towards the scent.

Lights-The-Dark wags his tail as he digs in the ground, following a strange scent. Probably nothing, but Rotem is bored.

At the center, Siegebreaker's ears swivel toward the activity, and one eye pops open. Soon after her head lifts up, peering through the ever-present low fog.

Three-Blades shakes her fur out and rolls a tired shoulder before chuffing at the cub. What are you doing way out here?

Lights-The-Dark lifts his head and looks to Yi. Had nothing to do. Finished the lights. So came here. Wanted to practice in other forms.

Jamethon comes into the caern from the southwest. Jamethon has arrived.

At the center, Siegebreaker yawns, her jaws opening wide, the rest of her pelage shook out. She comes to her feet with an easy quickness, tongue licking the sides of her muzzle. Her eyes come to bear on the steam vents.

Three-Blades licks the tip of her nose and sits slowly. Not much practice in clawing hard ground. She sniffs briefly, as another scent or two reaches her. She looks towards the center.

Lights-The-Dark sniffs around Yi, shoving his nose into her side and nudging her with his head.

Fights-For-Hope steps in up the valley, seeming to know the path well enough to negotiate it calmly. Announcing his presence with a soft chuff just loud enough to cover the caern he steps a bit closer to pick up who is already present.

At the center, Siegebreaker's ears cant forward, her posture and tail dominant. She takes a few steps toward the others, scenting as she moves.

Three-Blades growls and pushes the cub back before standing up and moving off a bit to sniff some more towards the center and Jame's way. She whuffs a greeting to both of the other Garou, her own ears perked and tail held mid position. She waits for the others to come out of the mist.

Lights-The-Dark doesn't understand what Yi is up to, so assumes she is playing. He moves over towards her and jumps onto her side. Trying to knock her over.

Fights-For-Hope steps a bit closer from the mist, held in a slightly dominant manner till he notices Siegebreaker and eases into a manner just slightly more submissive then her own with a dip of his head and a chuff in her direction.

At the center, Siegebreaker watches one wolf pounce the other, her gaze flickering toward Fights-For-Hope for a moment. Her posture and bearing does not change at all as she looks on. Placidly. For now.

Three-Blades yips with surprise as Rotem's paws try knocking her over. She dips down in a crouch and launches herself bodily at the Gnawer cub, aiming her shoulder blade at the underside of his ribcage. Knock it off!

Fights-For-Hope now turns his head towards Yi and her cub, feeling sorry for the effort it must take not to break the cub's legs and force him to stay in the homid form for a week. Get training you know.

Lights-The-Dark rolls over onto the ground, paws up and whimpers, making a wheezing-squeeking sound for a moment while catching his breath. Sorry.

At the center, Siegebreaker wanders a bit nearer from the quartz column.

Three-Blades stands over the cub a moment, before hopping off and trotting over to the new scent. Already noticing the Fury's dominant posture, she keeps her own stance submissive. This one is Three-Blades, no-moon of the Gnawers of Bone, packed under Salmon with Hope-Star-rhya. One of her ears tilts towards Jamethon in acknowledgement that he's there.

At the center, Siegebreaker's nose works again, her muzzle wrinkling faintly. You have the stink of the scab on you, Gnawer of Bone. Yet you run in Hope-Star's pack? Her body language shows surprise, maybe even skepticism.

Lights-The-Dark wanders up behind Yi after regaining his footing. He still wags his tail, before looking to the fury. Having already learned to assume everyone is a Get and out to kill him he also assumes a similar posture, imitating Yi. He chuffs softly, to let Siegebreaker know she is there. This one is Lights-The-Dark, full moon of the Bone Gnawers, Cub, and cause of Three-Blades' grey hair.

Three-Blades stands confident, as her pack was just deemed worthy of Salmon's watching. I am the first to ask the followers of the Icestorm for their teachings of the forests. I have run with Hope-Star and my packmates on many missions now, both wyld and Scab. I have helped summon the spirits back to the Gaian island, and scouted in the Scab's rank underground for the Wyrm both Realm and Shadow. I am part of the arc that bridges the pack. There is nothing in the laws that prevents me from doing so. So why not?

At the center, Siegebreaker looks at Three-Blades thoughtfully, then lifts her muzzle a fraction. I am called Siegebreaker, a crescent moon of the Black Furies. So your pack has earned Salmon's favor. Congratulations.

Fights-For-Hope simply nods his head to Yi, despite her not looking at him as he approaches. Once Three-Blades is done with her introduction he uses his posture to grab for Siegebreaker's attention. ~One is not sure we have met either. Fights-for-Hope, Theurge of the Get of Fenris and past child of Weasel and the Little Bear, Wolverine.~

Three-Blades dips her muzzle to Siegebreaker in thanks. Then she turns back to the cub behind her. You want practice in other forms? We won't disturb these two. Step sideways, Streak.

Lights-The-Dark steps aside, backing off from FFH rather quickly. Okay, what will we learn?

At the center, Siegebreaker looks faintly annoyed as the two Gnawers prepare to cross the Gauntlet. Her attention drifts back toward the Get, and she licks her muzzle again, a hard edge coming into her posture. She looks at him for a little, then flick an ear toward him.

Despite the Fury's distaste, the no-moon Gnawer gives her a polite chuff before taking the cub to the pool and passing through to the Shadowside.

As you head back around the Walk to the east, you feel a brief flash of steam, hotter than usual.

By the Waterfall
The edge of the valley forms a sheer rock face on this side of the Caern, perhaps 10 meters straight up, studded with outcroppings and lined with narrow cracks in a tracery of spidery fractures. Over the top lip of this natural wall streams a narrow, glass-like sheet of water that hurls itself into a small pool at its base, throwing up spray to soak the stones there, the rock behind it, and the surrounding earth. From this pool the water flows in a shallow bed toward the southwest before disappearing below the surface of the earth again in what must be an underground stream.
To the west, cool mist kicked up by the falls mingles with warmer steam from geothermal sources; these mists swirl around the caern to the north. The caern's center lies northwest of here. You can pick out what seems to be a hazardous trail over rock and up the wall, to the side of the waterfall.
Obvious exits:
Steam Vents Center Windy Spot Up the Trail

Lights-The-Dark's eyes stop on his reflection in the pool at the base of the waterfall.

Lights-The-Dark gazes into the pool at the base of the waterfall, and suddenly he vanishes.

You start to reach through the umbra.

Three-Blades's eyes stop on her reflection in the pool at the base of the waterfall.

The landscape shimmers in a myriad of colors, and you are through.

Three-Blades gazes into the pool at the base of the waterfall, and suddenly she vanishes.

Umbra: Center of the Caern
The expanse of grass up and down the valley becomes much thicker here, a circular plush carpet of deep green fibers. Lunes dance wildly in the air, especially around the perimeter of the circle, and water sprites leap from the cliff's edge to the southeast down to the valley floor, giggling the whole way. An omnipresent light mist fills the umbral caern, not fully obscuring vision but blurring more distant objects. In the center of the circle is a large white boulder, with crystals on it glimmering with reflected light of the lunes. Etched into the boulder is the wandering glyph of the Wyld.
The air here is charged, and seems to tingle. Even the least perceptive can feel the presence of this place, sense the strength here. Power reverberates through the Earth's shell like the sound of distant thunder, rumbling so deeply it must be felt rather than heard.
Contents:
Lights-The-Dark
Owen
Obvious exits:
South North West

Three-Blades steps sideways and sniffs, warily shifting up to hispo as she finishes crossing.

You have shifted to Hispo form.

Lights-The-Dark looks up from the water to Owen and nearly jumps out of his skin. He rises up from his crouched possition quickly, but then takes a breath and doesn't step back from

Owen, instead moving towards him. Greetings Rhya, The cub chuffs softly.

Three-Blades dips her muzzle to Owen, giving him a chuff. ~Evening, Lion's-Roar.~

Owen is resting, in lupus, at the edge of the protective circle, just inside the bounds of the umbral caern. He's bleeding, freshly, from wounds along his shoulders and forelegs. He doesn't immediately look towards the new arrivals, but does eventually. The cub gets only a short chuff while the other gets a long long. Do not call me that anymore.

Three-Blades tilts her head to the Get. ~Then what should I call you, Owen-rhya?~

Lights-The-Dark moves closer to Owen, carefully approaching and licking at Owen's wound, as if it might help. The cub looks to Yi before trotting off quickly back to the lake, not waiting for word from her as he returns realmside.

Owen just eyes the cub for a moment. That will work for now. Perhaps you should follow your cub. It isn't a question.

Fights-For-Hope appears quickly enough and glances around for what better be a near-death expirence occuring to one of his brothers.

Three-Blades flicks her tail, annoyedly. Still, she looks back to Owen. ~What should I call you, Owen-rhya?~ she asks again, ignoring the command to step back through.

Lights-The-Dark follows into the umbra from the pool, looking up from the water after several moments. He looks about for a moment and then heads over in the direction of Owen and Yi.

She wears a thoroughly sour expression as she cuts through the Gauntlet and into the Umbral heart of the caern. Siegebreaker wanders away from the boulder a little and glances around for the injured Get.

Three-Blades turns her head to gaze at the shimmering Garou coming through the Gauntlet. Then she eyes Rotem. ~Why'd you go and bring them?~

Lights-The-Dark looks to Three-Blades and shakes his head, confused. He hurt. Lights hurt, get heal. So he hurt, Lights get heal.

Owen gets to his feet as a small platoon of Garou show up. What you just called me will work for now, he answer Yi, otherwise he peers around at the others.

Fights-For-Hope steps up looking worried even as his manner holds annoyance. Soon enough he looks to Owen and then to the cub. I shouldn't have healed you before cub, you now think it is a right all own. More often then not my rhya here would rather me kill him then heal him unnessisarily. With this he shifts to the homid form to better speak his birth language.

Three-Blades flicks a large ear and dips her head to Owen and the others, partly in apology. Then to Rotem, ~First lesson tonight, unless Owen-rhya's about to die from his wounds, then don't disappear from your elder's eye. Second, is to let the higher ranked Garou handle themselves as they want.~ She turns to Siegebreaker, in particular. ~Sorry about that.~

Lights-The-Dark chuffs and shifts slowly to glabro, still staying on the ground. "I'm sorry." he sighs softly, "I just thought I was helping."

Siegebreaker snorts in distaste. Useless. She passes by the small group, making a slow arc trailing behind one of the remaining lunes.

Three-Blades bumps Rotem in the leg. ~Come on, Streak. Like I said, let's not ...bother these Garou.~ She begins to move off at a walk first.

Rotem follows behind Three-Blades, sighing as he walks off away from the others.

Jamethon glances off in the direction of the cub. He nods his head at Three-Blades as she moves off and all but ignores the cub. James soon enough turns to head towards Owen muttering something about shaping up or shipping out.

You walk through the woods down the path, eventually coming out in the middle of the Umbral representation of a small town in the real world.

Umbra: Kent Crossing(#2748RVh)
This is a typical small town as represented on this side of the Gauntlet, most likely Kent Crossing. The town itself is a small grouping of squat, dark buildings, covered in thin webbing. Inside each building burns an orangish light, likely from the spirits that inhabit each home. One of the larger buildings has a large mirror in it that reflects the hearthlight. On the north and east, it is surrounded by trees, most of which seem fairly grey in the twilight. Further east, in the distance, the trees seem to get taller. Westward, a darkness covers everything, and the webs covering things seem thicker. You can't see more than about ten yards past the edge of town. A wide roadway leads into the darkness. The road to the south, however, is the vilest thing here. In the Umbra, this road is covered in black ooze, spiderwebs careening across it at wild angles between dead trees. The sounds of chaos and carnage are heard from that direction.
A road leads west into the gloom, and a small, barely visible path leads eastward into the Umbral forest. The web-and-ooze-covered road leads southward out of the town.
Contents:
Roger(#4124PJc)
Obvious exits:
White Stag Garden of Roses Dojan Faint Path Western Road

As the two Gnawers walk the sound of a screech can be heard to fill the umbral sky. It is loud, but has a quality to it that shouldn't be there. The cause is not quite visible just yet, but soon enough you hear another small noise. This noise comes from a large beautiful brown rat spirit that appears to be in quite a hurry... until it notices the two Garou and it stops like a Deer in headlights, whiskers twitching violently. *MUST RUN! HIDE! OH DEAR! NO MORE! MORE! MORE! MORE!* It's screaming seems to be erratic and this all is happening very quickly as if accelerated by some umbral flux.

Rotem looks to Yi, wondering what the heck is going on. "Hey, isn't that Kaz's totem dude?" Rotem asks, seeming a little tense. "What's going on?"

Three-Blades comes to a halt as the rat spirit screeches to a halt. Seeing the spirit panicked, she glances around first at the surroundings, then rumbles to the rat. ~What's wrong, spirit-cousin?~

The rat spirit looks up and approaches quickly enough. *It is coming, bird of prey, wyrmspawn thing! It make rot! It rot too! It searching so I hide! I give you the cheese, you hide me no?*

You paged Roger with 'Is the spirit talking so I can understand it, or is it just, chattering away?'.

Rotem doesn't understand the chittering animal but does look upwards, wondering what the others are looking for. He remains silent, letting Yi handle matters.

Roger pages: I think you should be able to pick out the words... understanding a spirit is a broad concept. But you'll get highlights like 'bird' 'wyrmspawn' 'hide me'.

Three-Blades growls quietly, glancing up for a second time, before rumbling to Rotem. ~Wyrmspawn, above us. Keep a look out, I'll hide the rat.~ She slips up to crinos, the stoops with her claw held out for the rat to hitch a ride.

You have shifted to Crinos form.

The rat glances nervously at the sudden Crinos then as another screech is heard quite closly is jumps and quickly runs into Three-Blades' paws. *Yes! Hide! Safe!*

Rotem keeps his eyes up on the sky as he shifts up to crinos as well, looking upwards and raking his claws back and forth against each other in wait.

Three-Blades steals a glance up into the Umbral skies, and steals into the forest momentarily leaving the cub. She works her way around some dead trees and their webs, carefully holding the rat in one claw and peeling off webs with the other. Mostly, she's looking for a live tree, with a hole or something the rat can dart into.

Heard again before it is seen is probably the largest mother fucking Owl the cub has ever heard of swooping in from the darkness of the south. Not only large, but entirly green in color and without a single feather on it's body, giving the Owl a quite sickly and disgusting look. You don't even have to smell this one to detect the wyrm. Oh, and does it ever seem pissed off and quite hungry.

You paged the room with 'Given wingspan?'.

Rotem grins, he actually seems happy to see the owl. He runs off over towards it, leaving Yi behind as he growls and sprints off towards it. ~C'mere!~ He cries out, growling loudly.

Rotem pages to the room: Darnit Yi. Rotem was expecting tentacles. :P

Roger pages: About 6 feet. Without feathers.

Three-Blades searches amongst the brush, travelling a bit further from the Owl. She pauses briefly at the screech, flattening her ears against her skull. ~Great.~ She moves towards what looks like a living tree, circling around it momentarily for inspection of webbing. She, unlike the cub, maybe, noticed the suburb off in the distance. To the rat spirit, she growls quietly. ~You ok?~

Roger pages to the room: I warn you now, this is not an approved ONS though I will mention it to a Wiz next time I see an applicable one. Now, given the situation there is a possibility of injury to characters or death occuring. It's very unlikly of course unless your character does something REALLLLLY stupid like tripping and knocking himself out or something.

The rat as an answer leaps off of the Garou's hand and into the life of the tree. *Will repay!* it squeeks before hiding as deep as possible.

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: How high is the owl flying?

Roger pages to the room: Well, it's swooping down at an oddly slowed pace, I'd say it's about 15 feet and falling now.

Lights-The-Dark moves to where he judges is a little before the bottom of the owl's arc and waits, his claws and teeth bared. ~Come to papa~ The cub grins, waiting for it to get closer.

Three-Blades nods in satisfaction, once more checking the tree for webs and slashing and ripping off any of the spidery lengths despite them cutting into her palms a little. She turns and looks back towards the skies, thought it's harder to see through the Umbral treetops from where she is. ~Streaks! Where's the flying spawn?~ She starts making her way back towards the cub, but looks around her occassionally. Where there's one ant, there almost always seems to be another.

The wyrmbird notes the cub now and it's wings shift ever so slightly to point directly... above the cub as it accelerates suddenly with amazing speed, passing over the cub almost instantainiously. Rotem feels the pain before the attack occurs it seems as something like blood explodes from both of the cub's shoulders.

Lights-The-Dark falls over backwards onto his back, growling loudly and rising back up to his feet. ~You're going to pay for that~ He calls out, remaining still now, watching the bird, preparing to send his arms upwards should the bird start to dive again.

The bird flew behind the cub and seems to have all but disappeared from sight, it's wyrm stench remains though. It is close, but it could be anywhere around you. The darkness of the nearby wyrm damage makes it difficult to tell.

Three-Blades rounds a dead tree covered in webs, snorting softly in scorn but keeping her eyes on the fight. She sees the cub go down in a spray of blood and get back up. Here, she keeps close to the tree, ears up and flickering. Her eyes are on the skies, watching. Then, her own form shimmers as she calls upon her no-moon gift to make her harder to see and hit. ~Looked like an owl.~

Lights-The-Dark scans the skies for the bird, keeping his hands half raised while watching, waiting.

Long distance to Roger: Three-Blades uses Blur of the Milky Eye.

And as if in answer, the wind before the Cliath breaks as if a bullet is passing through it and what can only be describing as a mixture between an owl pellet and hydrochloric acid splashes awkwardly into the side of Three-Blade's chest, rocking her back slightly as she feels more pain then the attack did real damage. As this happens the bird is suddenly visible again and is flying at a normal speed towards Three-Blades from about ten feet away to follow up the attack seeming to be a bit off of target as the Cliath is not as visible now as she once was.

Three-Blades snarls as the bird catches her offguard, and lips lift blackly at the owl as she launches herself from the tree in a blur with her claws outstretched, really wanting to take a wing off or so.

Roger pages: The attack does no damage thanks to your high stamina.

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: How far away is Yi from Rotem?

Long distance to the room: Three-Blades is probably about 20 feet.

Roger pages to the room: Not very close, but the bird will pass directly in front of Rotem on it's way to attack Yi.

Long distance to the room: Three-Blades goes for the right wing. :> Die birdie die.

Lights-The-Dark moves in a blur of motion, leaping into the air as the very last moment , sending one claw up on either side of the bird, attempting to pull it down to the ground with him, or give it a hell of a 'haircut'.

The bird suddenly blazes forward again but the cub appears to be ready this time. However the cub didn't take into account that the wyrm bird has probably nearly the same mass as he does, and so the inertia continues forward, taking Lights-the-Dark along for a ride by his claws. This elicts a shreak from the WyrmOwl and it instantly attempts to climb in the sky. This almost nullifies Three-Blades' charge but the cliath manages to get some claw into the wyrm beast's underbelly with her rage sped attack. The cub is carried high into the air with the wyrmspawn flailing beneath it and unable to remove his claws as the creature makes unholy noises.

You paged the room with 'He's on the bird's back?'.

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: Thank you for flying Wyrm Airlines. In the event of an emergency landing you are all going to die. :P

Three-Blades skids to a halt as the owl lifts into the air. Now, she's gonna wish she had leap of the kangaroo. ~Go for its throat! Reach around and tear it out!~ She howls up to the cub, hoping he can hear her around the shrieking.

Roger pages to the room: More like hanging beneath it's wings.

Lights-The-Dark attempts to pull himself upwards, gripping into the neck of the owl with his sharp teeth and yanking his head back. He snarls loudly as he pulls.

Three-Blades also runs under the flying duo, a little off to the side and dodging obstacles as she goes. ~Damnit, I'm not coming to the Umbra on a crescent moon again...~

Roger pages to the room: Correction, he can try to let go... It seems to be difficult to unwedge both his claws thanks to gravity of perhaps some other force.

You paged Roger with 'It's a wyrmy owl, or a bane-ish owl-looking thing...?'.

Roger pages to the room: Very wyrmy great horned owl.

As the owl climbs higher and higher, the cub makes continuous attempts to get to the thing's throat. The unnatural wind generated by the wyrmspawn makes this very difficult however. Eventually Lights-The-Dark is able to free one paw and reaches up to get a better grip, which is when the Owl's claws start flailing around slashing violently at the cub's upper legs and stomach.

You paged the room with 'How high are they? >.<'.

Roger pages to the room: I'd say they are approaching what appears to be 35 feet and steadying out now that the cub is actually making a little progress.

Lights-The-Dark curls up his rear legs upwards, curling them back and then thrusting them into the underbelly of the owl, in front of the owl's own legs, hopefully imobilising them, and causing the owl more damage.

Three-Blades continues cursing, and still watching the cub. ~Drop, Lights! You're getting high enough to break something if you fall!~ Of course, if the cub does fall... well let's not think about that yet.

Roger pages to the room: Oh... interesting rolls, lets see how this pans out.

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: Ohh, dice?

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: Cool.

You paged the room with 'Some GMs like it.'.

Lights-The-Dark pages to the room: I sure do. I like an element of chance.

The Owl suddenly seems to dislike having the beast attatched to it more then anything else right now and does a full barrel roll in the air just as the Cub brings it's legs back for his attack. This just barly releases the cub and he drops for what seems like a second before one of the Owl's flailing claws snare the cub in it's left eye and hook on to the bone ridge, piercing the talon right though the liquid flesh of his iris. This has an odd unexpected effect on the bird. All the sudden weight on just one claw unbalances it's flight and both cub and Owl dropping like a brick towards the ground.

Lights-The-Dark howls out madly and flails his arms upwards, trying to remove... something, anything, from the bird.

Three-Blades just, oh shits. While running beneath the pair, and dodging blood, she's still a little behind the airlines flight on foot. But when the bird falters, she grits her teeth and calls out ~Get away from the bird if you can!~ If the bird is low to the ground enough, she tries to knock it sideways from its downward drop so the inertia won't be as hard.

Suddenly the cub is a blur of speed and manages with a single jerk of his arms to fly up over it and land on it's back, claws flying wildly into the wyrm flesh as blood neatly sprays in intervals from his ripped open eyesocket. The Owl has no defense and just falls straight down beneath the Garou's weight. As they near the ground Yi slams into the bird and knocks it neatly away into a tree, and the spirit does that weird thing spirits do when they 'die'. Unfortunatly as this does help slow Rotem, it only does so a little and the cub slams into the ground forearms first, followed closly by the rest of his body.

Three-Blades doesn't pause as the bird slams into the tree, but she's just around Rotem's vicinity as the cub crashes and burns into the ground. ~Lights, talk to me,~ she growls as she paces to the ahroun's side.

Hope-Star bolts from the east like a black shadow, but it takes precious time for her to find their scent. She breaks from cover and does a hasty scan for weaver or other spirits before darting towards her packmate and the prone cub.

Lights-The-Dark lays upon the ground, unconcious, his claws actually having dug into the ground from the fall, leaving him laying, face down, in a rather odd possition. And also attached to the ground rather tightly.

The cub lays on the ground, forearms broken and completly unconscious. A large pool of blood seems to be forming from his eyesocket which doesn't seem to be healing even as the bones in his arms begin to knot back together at a nearly unnoticably slow rate.

Three-Blades growls out a curse that usually only gets used when she's pissed, and this would be a time to be pissed. ~Bloody mess... hell...~ she rumbles as she attempts to right the bones. And what a time to be caught in the Umbra. ~Wake up, c'mon...~ Oh, where's those healers when you need 'em.

Hope-Star growls and glances around. On such a night. She shifts back to her own shape to assess the injuries, hands moving lightly over the cub to test a broken bone here, an open wound there.

Hope-Star contorts and blurs as she is transformed. Hope-Star shifts into Glabro form.

You paged the room with 'Speak o' the devil. :)'.

Lights-The-Dark lays on the ground, not moving, still face down. You'd think someone would try to turn him over seeing as he's bleeding profucely from his eyesocket.

Three-Blades turns the cub over, for Sepdet. Her lips peel back in a wince at the cub's eye, and she looks to her alpha. ~Is it salvagable?~

Sepdet sighs. ~Give me a hand.~ It's rare that the theurge admits her size is a handicap, but wrestling a crinos this much bigger than herself is one of those times. She digs into her pockets for a bandage, expression torn. ~If I heal this, Thursday's Summoning Rite may fail.~ But there's some things the theurge can't let be, and with a snarl, she sets to work.

Three-Blades's ears flatten back. ~I'm sorry,~ she says apologetically, whether it's to the cub or to Sepdet, or both. She assists as best she can to help the Strider. ~Bloody idiot, I am... bringing a cub this far on a crescent moon.~

Sepdet begins to sing in a low, soothing voice, the kind that makes the whole forest sit up and take notice. It sounds like a lullabye, like calling to water rolling back and forth across sand dunes. So sweet. How can she be so calm with spiders skittering on a road scant yards away, and the ominous thunder that so often shakes the moon-dark time of the month?

Three-Blades quietly growls, not exactly the most soothing tone from a crinos, but it's what she can do.

The bleeding under the Strider's hands stops; bones knit, skin closes. But not all of the wounds, not by a long shot, especially since she's concentrating almost exclusively on the eye. When she pulls her hand away with a gasp, it's whole again.

The cub's eye starts to flow together from the edges like a liquid spilling together but just as they are about to complete the trip to the center they stop and a little blood pools up from the pin prick hole in the center.

Three-Blades watches with some distant fascination of the healing, still having the crinos cub propped up some. Insert continuous stream of curses, indecipherable.

Roger pages to the room: Basically the way I'll handle it is that you can see with it but it is so out of focus and miscolored and such that it would be more of a hinderance to use it then to cover it up.

Sepdet sags next to Yi, propping her hands against the ground and peering at her handiwork. ~I don't know, Yi,~ she says softly. ~Don't know. Rotem?~ She touches his forehead gently with three fingers. ~Heya, cub, time to come back from the sleeping place.~

Slowly, surely... the cub awakens. The pain in his eye not as intense as before, but lingers on as his brain trys to make sense of the horrible pictures being sent to it by the tortured eye.

Three-Blades growls softly. ~You ok for being alive?~ she queries the cub, concern filtering through the self-berating.

Lights-The-Dark groans out loudly, trying to scurry backwards in near panic from the messages he gets from his brain.

Three-Blades is behind the cub, and scurrying doesn't get him anywhere. ~Calm down a tic,~ she orders, gruffly, firmly. ~Tell me, you ok to walk?~

Sepdet tempers her voice somewhere between stern and soothing. ~Rotem. Be still. Be strong. Gaia is beneath you. Elders are beside you. The foe is dead. Feel your body and your strength coming back to you.~

Lights-The-Dark refuses to calm down, straining against Yi, frantic. He tries to get away, to move, to make sence of what is going on.

Three-Blades growls, jerks the cub's head back by his cheekfur, places one claw over his eye and stares into the other, working one. ~Look. At. Me. Are. You. Ok. To. Walk?~

Lights-The-Dark groans deeply, then mutters ~yes~. Glaring up at Yi, a scared and uncontrolled look in his eyes... err.. eye.

Sepdet steps back and looks around again, sniffing the air for threats. ~All right. Let's move. Unless there's anything else that needs a theurge to yell /sit, stay/ at it?~

It appears the Corrupted Owl spirit was a one of a kind that allowed itself to be lured into Kent Crossing by some means and came out all the more wyrmy for it.

The squeaking of a rat can be heard nearby however.

Sepdet moves towards the squeak warily, taking no chances.

Three-Blades glances up at Sepdet, and then back down at the cub. ~I'm going to raise my claw. You are going to close your eye that I'm covering, and get up. Shift to hispo, and follow us back to the caern.~ She looks over at Sepdet. ~No. The owl was corrupted. And the rat...~ she replies, turning her ear, ~Owes Rotem.~ And then, she lifts her claw from his eye.

Lights-The-Dark keeps his eye closed, shifting down slightly to hispo. He lays rather odly on the ground, not making any attempt to get up or move, just laying there.

With this the large grey rodent can be seem running up right into the perimeter of the Garou's view to see that the menace to its survival was vanquished and seeing that this is so he chitters, does what appears to be urinating on the ground and speaks what seems to be directly to Sepdet. *Me not of wyrm. Thank flying wolf. Will give back when can. Yes?*

Sepdet drops to one knee, unphased by the rodent's rather coarse manners. ~Give what you can, little one, according to your size: no more. This is our duty. And I apologize,~ she tells the rat gently, her voice taking on the quiet thrum it does when she's projecting into a range that spirits can understand. ~Owl and rat are not friends at the best of times, but this was not one of mine.~

Three-Blades gazes down at the cub. ~Get up, Lights.~ Her order is curt. She'll have to apologize later. Right now, it's not time to go bawling. ~We have to get out of here,~ she rumbles to Sepdet as well as the cub, shifting to hispo. A brief examination of her fur where the acid pellet hit, finds herself ok. She nudges Rotem with a paw.

You have shifted to Hispo form.

Lights-The-Dark remains laying on the floor, just staring out at the ground with his good eye. He remains silent and makes no motion of having heard Yi.

The spirit just chitters again unintelligably and after he runs off from view it's voice is still heard once more. *Flying wolf meet me... near the buried ones on the next moon after this. I give... treat.*

Sepdet nods. ~We'll tell him.~ Then she turns and whirls. ~Cub, I did /not/ just interrupt an important conversation, and haul my ass halfway across the forest, and possibly jeapardize a rite I'm holding in 3 days time, for you to lie there feeling sorry for yourself until the /banes/ come to pick your bones. Get up. You're alive. You're still Gaia's servant. Gaia doesn't let us off the hook because we've lost a few pieces of ourselves to bad judgement. MOVE.~ There's no anger in her voice, but every word is carved of flat flint.

Three-Blades lowers her muzzle to clamp around the cub's nape and haul up. ~Up 'n paws,~ she growls from around the fur, snorting softly from the smell of blood.

Lights-The-Dark stumbles up onto his paws and walks off in whatever direction Yi had him facing, not really looking where he is going.

Three-Blades herds the cub back towards the caern, occassionally having to nip or push him in the right direction.

Sepdet immediately subsides once the desired effect is gained: or at least half of it. She monitors Rotem with vague concern. But most of her attention is occupied with monitoring the area around them, to see them safely back to the wards.

You head eastward into the woods, following the faint trail. The further east you go, the taller, brighter and healthier the trees look.

You walk through the spirit-woods for a while, eventually coming out into a clearing.

Umbra: Center of the Caern
The expanse of grass up and down the valley becomes much thicker here, a circular plush carpet of deep green fibers. Lunes dance wildly in the air, especially around the perimeter of the circle, and water sprites leap from the cliff's edge to the southeast down to the valley floor, giggling the whole way. An omnipresent light mist fills the umbral caern, not fully obscuring vision but blurring more distant objects. In the center of the circle is a large white boulder, with crystals on it glimmering with reflected light of the lunes. Etched into the boulder is the wandering glyph of the Wyld.
The air here is charged, and seems to tingle. Even the least perceptive can feel the presence of this place, sense the strength here. Power reverberates through the Earth's shell like the sound of distant thunder, rumbling so deeply it must be felt rather than heard.
Contents:
Sepdet
Obvious exits:
South North West

Three-Blades stops at the pool, and waits for the cub to step through first. ~Gaze through to the Realm.~ At this point, she's not sure if the cub will follow through.

Lights-The-Dark wanders along, almost walking into the water as Yi herds him towards it. He lays down with his head in the water.

Three-Blades snarls and shifts again to Crinos, hauling the hispo from the water. ~The bloody hell you think you're doin'?~

You have shifted to Crinos form.

Lights-The-Dark doesn't answer, staring at his reflection in the water with his good eye. Roger pages to the room: Oh and I can say with all honesty. I wish my first character who died as a cub only got a battlescar.

Three-Blades growls out a sigh, and then looks to Sepdet. ~Go. I'll take him across.~ She gazes to the Strider, in all earnest.

Sepdet says quietly, ~There was once a cub. Shattered-moon she was. Mad, some said. She spoke in many voices, and some were angry, sad. She had been abused, tortured, destroyed body and mind by her own family who had least cause to harm her, and thus had run away. She was like a piece of broken stained glass. But parts of her were good, beautiful, and though most Garou said she should be culled, a few tried to heal her. And she /returned their trust sevenfold/.~ These words hammer down. ~She tried to find a reason to live, who had been raped, scarred, broken, shattered in mind and soul. She tried. And day by day she grew a little more sane, a little more beautiful, and taught us to love the very shimmer of snow as it fell. And then one day she asked her elder: I think I am ready to fight wyrm now. I think I can do it. /Let/ me try.~

Lights-The-Dark growls softly at Sepdet, lifting his head to look at her. Go away, Owl.

Sepdet continues to speak in the same quiet voice as before, completely ignoring the growl. ~And the elder believed that cubs should be free to triumph, or to fall, and to learn by doing. That is a special form of trust which not all elders grant: the trust that says: I will not lock you down here. I will /not/ make you obey my every order, keep you supervised. I will give you freedom to win or lose. So Shattered-Moon went forth with her elders to hunt the Wyrm, hopes bright, passion eager. And she went too far, too fast, missed the command to retreat... and her elders were left to find her body, give her what burial they could. A bright soul lost who might stil be with us today. She died. Others have died too. But other cubs live, and get a second chance.~

Three-Blades fights back the urge to shake the cub again, listening to Sepdet's story as it is. Black lips peel back with a silent snarl before the nomoon gazes up to the skies in askance.

Lights-The-Dark lays his head back down on the ground, the story having little consoling effect on him. He laps at the water with his tongue idilly, ignoring the elders.

From afar, Sepdet | Yi gets a fleeting image of a scarred wolf cub black and silver, with bright, bright eyes, dancing and chasing her tail in a swirl of snow. Look! Look! The wind is answering! I hear them, mother! Whispers on the wind! Whispers on the wind! | And Sepdet's voice, gentle, a love and warmth so strong it's like a mother's to her own child's, "I hear them, daughter. I hear them."

Sepdet sinks down beside Rotem. ~What is your problem, cub?~ she asks conversationally. ~You are whole. Is there some reason why you cannot walk, besides laziness? Is there some reason why so many others have died or been maimed, broken in body, and you cannot shake off the terror of your first fight? Not particularly. You have just lost a bit of pride. I /know/, because i have healed many with wounds far worse than yours.~

Three-Blades narrows her eyes, quiet, seething maybe. But Sepdet is talking with the cub, and that's probably the best thing the nomoon can do.

Lights-The-Dark snarls up at Sepdet, resisting the urge to bite her. They if you healed wounds worse then mine, why couldn't you heal me?

Sepdet holds out her hand. ~Because I am imperfect? I did not say I healed them completely. But many are alive today, missing eye or hand or tooth, who would otherwise have died. But here. Feel. Bite it off, if it would make you feel better. Perhaps friends are the only foes you really feel worthy to hurt?~

Three-Blades echoes the snarl, but otherwise says nothing. Simply watching. The cub has to learn, and if he can't...

Lights-The-Dark stays laying on the ground, unmoving. Leave me alone. He glares at her without moving his head. Go heal someone worth the trouble.

Sepdet cocks her head. ~What is unworthy about you, besides your feeling sorry for yourself? You can bear children. You can fight. You can run. You can speak. You can even think, sometimes, making little lights or useful things. I see no particular problem with you beyond the arrogance of apathy.~

Lights-The-Dark growls at Sepdet and looks into the water, attempting to return to the realm, if simply to be rid of the chatty theurge.

Three-Blades growls quietly, ~You're a Bone Gnawer. An Ahroun at that. You're not gonna just die because a bird put out your eye, are you? You'll survive through it, Lights. Even if I gotta show you how to fight with no eyes.~ She watches the cub, carefully.

Sepdet rolls her shoulders. ~I'll see you later, cub. That spirit has a gift for you, by the way, when you're up and about again.~

By the Waterfall
The edge of the valley forms a sheer rock face on this side of the Caern, perhaps 10 meters straight up, studded with outcroppings and lined with narrow cracks in a tracery of spidery fractures. Over the top lip of this natural wall streams a narrow, glass-like sheet of water that hurls itself into a small pool at its base, throwing up spray to soak the stones there, the rock behind it, and the surrounding earth. From this pool the water flows in a shallow bed toward the southwest before disappearing below the surface of the earth again in what must be an underground stream.
To the west, cool mist kicked up by the falls mingles with warmer steam from geothermal sources; these mists swirl around the caern to the north. The caern's center lies northwest of here. You can pick out what seems to be a hazardous trail over rock and up the wall, to the side of the waterfall.
Contents:
Lights-The-Dark
Sepdet
Obvious exits:
Steam Vents Center Windy Spot Up the Trail

Three-Blades steps out of the Gauntlet and nods to Sepdet. ~Gaia watch you,~ she rumbles before turning back to the cub.

Lights-The-Dark shifts to lupus and paws off, not waiting for Yi, still limping slightly on one of his paws.

Sepdet gives a rueful chuckle. ~Salmon give you strength to put up with life's annoyances,~ she wishes Yi gently. ~Come back to the lake to rest, when you are done.~

Lights-The-Dark contorts and blurs as he is transformed. Lights-The-Dark shifts into Lupus form.

Three-Blades moves and steps in front of the cub. ~Hold up a tic,~ she rumbles. Maybe the cross over calmed her down. Maybe she's feeling at fault. In any case. ~Rotem, I'm sorry you got this put on your shoulders. Things like this happen. We can give you a lot of chances, but first you have to give yourself a chance. You listenin'?~

Lights-The-Dark looks to Yi for a moment, looking like he is about to just keep walking like before. He pauses for a long moment. I'm listening.

Three-Blades stoops down, so she's at the luping level. ~First... you need to realize this isn't the end of the world. Ok? You lost eyesight to one side, that sucks I know, but take a moment. Use this form you're in now. This is why Gaia's given us stronger forms than just human. In wolf, you can hear things, smell things, feel along your fur... far better than any human could feel. I've seen a lot of dogs, blind at birth or blinded by a fight, just like you, who end up far better at fightin' on their blind side than on their seeing side.~ She pauses. ~I can teach you. I can help you become right as rain water on a lake. But, /you/ have to believe that you can get through this. You have earned your Glory tonight, cub, by singlehandedly defeating a Wyrmspawn. Alone, in the Umbra, on a crescent moon. And you have a scar to prove it. You should be proud.~

Lights-The-Dark stares at Yi for a long moment. A blink of his eyelids before he 'speaks'. I'd be happy right now, fuck the eye, if I thought anything would change, or I would get any respect from the cliaths.

Three-Blades stares right back, confident in her words even if she's that tired. ~You will get respect. Your first battle with a spawn of the Wyrm, and you defeated it, alone without help from me, and you survived. We're Bone Gnawers. It's all about survival, Rotem. I wouldn't lie to you to say that the others of our tribe will look at you differently. You've just started to prove yourself, building lights for the sewers, and now killing off one of the many enemies we have. It might stretch a little, to expect respect from the Get, but I will say you'll get treated a little better. Just think of it this way. You know you can handle yourself now. You have /seen/ the battle now, and know what it is like. Now, you have to act like you know it. Not in a prideful way, beating others over the head with the fact you killed something. But with the knowledge that we live in a dangerous world, and it is your job to protect the good guys from the bad.~

Lights-The-Dark huffs softly and lays down. He watches Yi, thinking to himself. After a minute or two he simply states. Can you get Nev to drive me home? I don't feel like walking.

Three-Blades scratches between the cub's ears lightly. ~He'll come in the morning,~ she says with a low rumble. ~Sleep, in hispo, for now. Find a good spot to curl up. We're all tired, and you'll be a little better in the morning.~ She pauses. ~But don't forget what I said, ok? And don't forget Sepdet's story. She's got some wise words. Theurges always do.~ Her amber golden eyes continue to glitter in the wane moonlight at the cub.

Lights-The-Dark sighs and shifts back up to hispo, pawing off into the woods. Goodnight Blades. His tail for once isn't wagging, although not hanging between his legs either, carrying it high as he walks off.

Three-Blades calls after, ~Do not suffer others your scar, Flying-Wolf.~ Then, she turns and shifts to her own lupine form to trot away.