No whistle or song heralds Yi's approach to the bluff this time around, but the newmoon nonetheless appears around the edges of the forest and comes meandering towards the usual firespot. Coffee colored eyes gaze around for her packmates and other things.

Leonard sits next to the firepit, ashes long grown cold, as he works on something in the lengthening shadows of the late afternoon sun. The something looks to be some kind of deerskin. He's poking holes in it carefully.

Crunch. Yi steps on a short dry twig in front of her to announce herself and steps on up the bluffside to Leonard. Then she stoops and peers over curiously. "How are you?" Her eyes flicker from working hands to the Wendigo's face.

Leonard glances up, a smile flashing across his face. "Good. Hey, I got your thing." He stands and moves towards the cave, draping the skin over a low-hanging tree limb as he ducks to enter the cave.

Yi sits down on the ground beside the firepit, her fingers reaching forward to almost touch the deerskin piece Leonard is working on but she draws back. No touchy. "Thing?" Her brow arches, until she remembers. Her lips draw around into a short 'oh'.

Leonard digs around, finally exiting the cave. He's got some cobwebs in his hair but cupped in his hands is the finished piece. "I finally just made a cord for it." He kneels down, showing you the little bear holding the flower. Its been painted white, and on one side of the bear has been carved the profile of a rabbit, while on the other a bright star has been painted in red. On the back an odd-looking snake coils up and over the head. The inside of the bear's mouth and some o the defining lines have been painted red.

Sepdet climbs up the hill from the direction of the lake, humming strands of memory into music.

Yi picks up the little bear carving and uses the tip of her finger to brush over the details on it. Her eyes go over all the details, even on the bottom of the bear, before glancing up to Leonard. "It's .. amazing. Such a small thing, but so detailed." She goes back over the rabbit, star and coils. "What do they mean? the rabbit.. and the star, and things?"

Leonard uses the tip of his own finger to roll it on its side, then glances u as he hears Sepdet's music, and offers her a smile as well.

Sepdet blinks owlishly at Yi's question as she approaches; the grin she gives Leonard is amused.

Yi turns her head as Sepdet comes over too, smiling softly at the Strider. "Hey," she greets and holds up the bear carving to the Strider. "Look at this... Little Bear made it. Nice workmanship, na?" She looks back to Leonard. "But he didn't tell me what the symbols all mean." Expectant eyes find the Wendigo's.

Leonard glances down at Sepdet's expression, and points at the rabbit. "Soulcatcher-rhya's name among the Sioux is Black Rabbit, so the rabbit is for him." He rolls it on the other side. "The star is for Hope-Star, Sepdet. There is a little road underneath the star, see?" He points at a pair of parallel lines that snake down and under the little figure, where they turn into the tail of the snake. "This is Uktena, the water spirit, and see, his tongue is a little flame. That is for Flamecaller."

Sepdet crouches carefully to investigate the wood carving at close range, sniffing to catch its scent. ~The whole of the river.~

Yi grins at all the explanations. "And the giant Little Bear that holds us would be right here in front of me." Her eyes peer around the carving for indications of Salmon or water. "And I'm a plant." She looks at the flower the bear is holding and chuckles softly before looking up at Leonard. "You said you made something else to hold it with?"

Leonard points under the chin of the bear, in the space between it and the blossom. There a stylized fish's head can be seen, painted on. "And there is En-tee-tee-ueh, hiding as always." He stands and fishes the cord made of sinew out of his pocket; its about two feet long. "Believe it or not, the thing that took the longest was drilling that hole." He grins as he threads said hole, which pierces the neck of the bear just about in the middle from just under one ear to the other.

~Someday,~ the Strider declares, ~I will find a way to fix my fingers, and then I will make you all scecrets you can hold in your hands.~ She smiles. ~It is a powerful charm you have made, Little Bear. You carry all of us.~

Leonard shrugs, embarrassed and pleased. "Well, Yi does now. I made it so she wouldn't forget us." He moves behind her to tie it around her neck.

Sepdet dips feathered lashes. ~Oh, of course....~

Yi smiles, the curl at the ends of her lips warm. "And like always you have to make sure I do," she quips as the Wendigo ties it around her. "I appreciate it. Almost like an older brother, though I think you're younger than I am." Her gaze turns to Sepdet. "You would reveal secrets to us? Isn't that .. un-Strider-like?" The newmoon chuckles.

Sepdet's eyes twinkle, although she is silent for a moment, honoring the gift-giving. ~They would be /your/ secrets. And I did not say I would explain them.~

Leonard grins, pulling the cord up and draping it over her ears. "You have a young soul. That means I'm your elder." He glances at Sepdet and shakes his head, amused. "I think we have too many spirit-talkers in this pack! I'll be too confused to know which way is up til you get back, Speetlum."

"The day I learn to understand Theurges..." Yi trails humouredly as she laughs at Leonard, though the light tone falters just barely. "When I get back..." Yi dips her head. "When I get back the Wendigo better have a new baby chasing after the buffalo." She grins.

Leonard ohs. "Speaking of which, that's my next project." He goes to retrieve his doeskin from the branch where it hangs. "She'll need a cradleboard. Should be done by the time the baby comes."

Sepdet looks up, wilfully misunderstanding Leonard's first statement but clapping her mouth together as he appends it. One opportunity for coyote teasing missed. ~I must start making songs for her. It is so hard, without knowing the name.~

Yi hms musingly. "Not even a hinting at a name? Well we know she's a she." The Gnawer licks at the inside ridge of her teeth. "So why not just come up with a .. combination of father and mother's names?" Her fingers come up to play with the bear carving. "Like.. Light Rabbit, or... Black Feather..."

Sepdet shakes her head. ~I think Robin wishes to follow custom of her people. The name comes after the child is born. And we must also let her choose the name. I have been trying my hardest not to let myself dream a name for the girl. It is enough to have seen her. And you are assuming that I have dreamed this child's face correctly.~ The Strider smiles.

Leonard nods. "Good, knowing that its a girl makes making the cradleboard easier." He continues poking careful holes into the doeskin.

"How do you dream a child's face?" Yi queries with an arch. Then she shrugs a little. "Then again, I'm not a crescent or anything." Her gaze strays to Leonard. "And.. ah.. did you find where you could get the money from, that you needed?" She inclines her head to the galliard.

Leonard shakes his head. "Turns out I didn't need it after all." He smiles a mysterious smile and keeps working.

Sepdet looks at Leonard sidelong and steers the conversation elsewhere. ~The last day of the Wheel Renewed, Yi, I dreamed of Joseph's daughter. Long, long ago. I have been waiting all this time to see her.~ There is a hope and yearning that makes the theurge's face years younger.

Yi quirks her lip to a side, trying to put that together. Spirit stuff never really registered with her. "So...you knew she was coming." Yi carefully skirts her curiosity in asking Leonard again what the money would've been for. "I suppose...that's what people call 'visions', na?" The newmoon takes a deep breath of the clear air and decides to lie back on the grass, gazing at the dimming sky before looking over at her packmates. "So.. I hear that Kaz's challenge is to get in touch with the kin in the city, and help do something that will benefit the city and Garou..." she notes idly. "And... the kin that I was sent here to look for, is here in St. Claire."

Leonard glances at Yi at the mention of kin. "You have kin in the city?"

Sepdet sits up, startled. ~About time! I was just wondering if you needed us to deliver that message for you.~

Yi tilts her head from side to side. "Turns out that John, one of the Walkers, knows him from his past as well." She doesn't delve into speculations there. "He said he would tell Xia to call me sometime." Her upper body raises to prop onto her elbows. "And of course we have kin in St. Claire, you silly Wendigo. You don't think we Garou can do everything on our own do you? The cab driver from that one time... that was our kin. Gnawer kin. His name is Marcus." She wets her lips at the thought of that. "I think he was ..caught." She chews on her lip. "And, the Walkers have kin, one of them is a lawyer... who is helping me get papers so I can travel more easily between here and Hong Kong." She glances at her packmates. "It's always good to keep in touch with them. They are our ways of getting closer to humans of the city. Asking their help is a regular thing."

Leonard huhs. He keeps his eyes on his work. "Well, you're far away from home. I thought maybe you had them all back there. This Xia, he your brother or something?"

Sepdet cocks her head, filing away the name.

Yi shakes her head. "I have no idea who he is. All I know now is, that he knows John, and was at Grey Sky before it fell. Xia Doh, if you want his full name that I know." She lies back down, uncaring about the grass in her hair. "At first feeling, I assume he is kin of the Glass Walkers." She shrugs, an odd gesture with the grass beneath her ruffling one way then the other. Then she glances at Sepdet. "Didn't you say you had a kin at the University? They're going to show that 'Bigfoot' skeleton tomorrow night." She sits back up. "I heard it on the radio. People are excited over seeing.. probably a Garou skeleton."

Leonard glances over at Yi, frowning. "Bigfoot?"

Sepdet purses her lips. ~I have not checked with the city Garou on that in some time,~ she says, anxiously. ~This I should have done. I will tell Sydney.~

Leonard glances at Sepdet, and nods, then turns his attention back to Yi. "So why were you looking for this guy?"

Nodding, the Gnawer pushes at a blade of grass. "The university researchers, went with a hunter who found a skeleton out in the woods. Unfortunately the same hunter I think, stole a claw off the skeleton and started telling everyone he found this monster that people call Bigfoot. Also named 'Sasquatch'." She gazes over at Leonard. "But what we think it is... is a metis' skeleton. Bernie has been working on a way to try and steal the bones if she could.. I think. And provide distractions so people won't get so interested." Her hand goes back to scruffle a spot on her head. "Why was I looking for Xia?" She shrugs. "Grandmother only told me to go say hi to him, catch up with him."

Leonard frowns a little at the news. "Huh. Best to leave Sasquatch alone." He pokes another hole in the skin, carefully.

Sepdet grimaces. ~The problem is that it may not be Bigfoot, but /us/. I suspect some Fomori is playing tricks on us.~

Leonard nods to Sepdet, frowning. "How come they didn't just take it when they found out?"

Sepdet shakes her head. ~Apparently it's being stored in a place that's difficult to break into without attracting a lot of attention, and also, it's a storehouse full of hundreds of pots, bones, coins, and other old things. It would be like trying to find one tree in a forest.~ She sighs. ~But the true answer is that it was given to Leda and her pack to take care of.~

"So far as I know, the skeleton has been put under research. The scientists...don't seem like fomor. They think it is a prehistoric bear of some sort." Yi shrugs, helplessly. "Since the outbreak of the tabloids in claiming we found Bigfoot, the skeleton was already put in high security. And none of the newmoons that I know have experience in scouting the university. But I have the feeling this is not Wyrm. It's just, a mistake and their lucky...or not so lucky...find."

Sepdet looks sharply at Yi. ~The Troublemakers should put their noses to this. I have never seen a group of Garou so adept at popping locks.~

Leonard looks from Yi to Sepdet, stopping his work. "Who are they?"

Sepdet's eyes crinkle. ~My name for the pack. I don't know what name they will take. Kaz is alpha, Max at her side as always, and some other youngsters. Matt, Bernie, Nevada, and Tim.~

Yi chuckles. "They are. Bernie is in the pack now." She thinks. "I wonder if they have a totem picked out..." Yi swivels her gaze to Leonard. "Most of them Gnawers. Kaz, Max, Bernie, Nevada, Little Tim and Matt. Matt's a Fianna though. Or...if you need their Garou names..." Yi taps a finger with her cheek. "Ears-to-the-Ground, Matchbox, Stomps-the-Wyrm-with-Steeltoed-boots, Hatchet, Toothbreaker, and Speaks-in-Circles."

Sepdet tells Yi, ~They requested my assistance in finding a totem spirit a few nights ago. Raccoon has accepted them.~

Leonard huhs. "Raccoon's a good match for them, then. If they're troublemakers." He quirks the corner of his mouth in a smile.

Yi perks up at the Strider. "Really? Does the spirit have a name like Silverscale?" She inclines her head with eyes twinkling in curiosity. And on a completely unrelated note... "I think I could open locks pretty well." Yi lifts a hand to examine her slight fingers.

Sepdet says thoughtfully, ~They called it Hood.~ There is a wistfulness in her expression. ~I knew it by another name.~ Yi's comment brings a smile back to her face. ~Why am I not surprised? Perhaps you could assist. It is something that needs taking care of, but I am afraid that, when there's already been a veil breach, I am /not/ one who should be anywhere near it. I have trouble handling humans myself.~

Yi shrugs slowly, a roll of her shoulders. "I think they could handle it," she replies softly. "Without another newmoon to bring her troubles on their heads, na?" She mind runs that into a file too. Hood. "So, what about us? You are our Alpha, after all Sepdet-rhya." She smiles. "What does our alpha do, with a pack behind her?"

Sepdet sits back. ~Your alpha needs to get back to the sewers,~ she says with a grimace. ~It is, after all, water that wants cleansing. Also: of a more minor moment. The bane at the University.~

Yi draws up her knees to her chest. "It seems there is so much to do... so many fleas to pick." She half-smiles, wryly. "And it doesn't help that the dog scratches itself with its own claws until it's bloody, does it." She fingers the short blades of grass again. "If I have to leave, before I can come again and give you news... I'll send Anneka, or one of them." She inclines her head at her alpha. "Think you can live without a newmoon for a short while?"

Sepdet holds out her hands to Yi. ~We can survive,~ she says seriously. ~There are other no-moons I can call on at need. But none are Yi, wise and knowing, with her nose in many pockets. You will be missed!~

Leonard nods to that,echoing, "You will be missed."

Yi glances down at the hands. Something she doesn't exactly ..understand. But she leans in between the hands, and gathers Sepdet in a tight hug. "You say it like I'm leaving forever or something," she murmurs quietly before releasing. It's kind of awkward for the newmoon to express affection in that sense. "Just think of it as... a vacation." She smiles faintly.

Sepdet holds Yi a little stiffly, her manners an odd mixture of formality and fondness. ~It is not only Striders who must travel to keep their spirits alive,~ she says gently, giving Yi's shoulder a light squeeze as they part. ~I did not mean it to sound so. But perhaps you speak of going into the city to find your kin, and not your longer journey across the sea? It was the latter I meant.~

Leonard listens with one ear as he works.

Yi nods with a short shrug. "I also meant the journey over great waters." She sits back and fingers the small carved pendant. "But like I said...just think of it as, a vacation." She grins smally. "Or maybe, a family reunion." She looks to Leonard. "I'll miss all of you, but I think there could be a way to write, or communicate. The bond amongst us.. as a pack, but even more so as friends... it's strong. I'll have to dedicate this piece to myself, na?" Her finger squeezes at the pendant.

Sepdet nods. ~You know how, yes? Or do you need assistance?~

Leonard glances from Sepdet to Yi. "I could do it. I'm better now. My clothes don't fall apart anymore." He grins, sheepishly.

Yi smiles. "It's ok, I know the rite. One of the more useful things that I know. But thank you both for the offer." She bats at the pendant, kitten like. "I should go back soon... there's some things I still have to take care of in the city." She stands, a graceful motion of her legs. "See you both in tomorrow, na?"

Leonard glances up, putting his work away now that the last ounce of sun is gone. "Yeah."

Sepdet dips her eyes. ~Go well, packmate. We will be here.~

Yi gives them both a couple of squeezes on the shoulders before taking off at a dead sprint down the bluff side. "YAOOOOOO!!!" Yes, that's her shouting into the darkness. Silly newmoons.

Sepdet cups her hands to her mouth and returns the howl with her own high shimmering cry. Silly coyote-tained Striders.