Revisiting Rainbow Lake
2/18/2006
02:32 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous Moon phase (63% full).
It is currently 14:24 Pacific Time on Sat Feb 18 2006.
Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 12 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.32 and falling, and the relative humidity is 16 percent. The dewpoint is -2 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius.)
Rainbow Lake(#2713RJ)
Long and narrow, the lake stretches a mile to the north and south, right at the heart of the woodland. Tall, silver beech trunks mix with the even taller evergreens and dominate the mountain valley. Where the canopy has been broken by a fallen tree, a riot of brambles and nettles have erupted, clinging to anything and everything and fighting for light among the thick forest. Underfoot there is a deep bed of mulch and last year's leaves, muffling any footfall.
Other plants have found a foothold where the beeches make way for the line of water. The edges of the lake are overhung by a wall of dark myrtle, their scent hanging sweet and heavy in the air, giving the place a dreamlike quality. The waters of the lake itself are a clear, unruffled indigo, dropping into bottomless darkness, with otherworldly reflections of the sky floating above the depths. Rainbow flashes of light play about the reeds and weeds that break the surface here and there, throwing colors into the air.
Part of the valley around the lakeside to the south is clear of trees, and often here in the brush and grass a small herd of woods buffalo can be seen.
Contents:
Jordan
Maqii
Obvious exits:
Longhouse Two Eagle's Bluff Blue Mountains
[look Jordan]
Reaching a height of five foot two or thereabouts, Jordan is becoming quite a striking figure. Her tawny colored body is toned with taut muscles; however the once gangly girl seems to have grown into her frame, filling it out and giving her a rather curvy appearance touched with a bit of a wild look. Her glossy, black hair reaches until the low of her back in thick, straight layers. Her large, almond shaped eyes are so dark in color that they appear almost black, while thin, dark brows arch over them. Her face seems to be composed of angles, from her sharp cheekbones to her pointed chin. Her small and slightly broad nose has an inch-long, horizontal white scar on the bridge of it, bisecting it in half over her rather expressive, dark lips.
It seems the woman is starting to clean up as well, although there is still the occasional twig or leaf in her hair. Currently she is wearing her more traditional dress: a simple working Lakota dress that seems to be made from tanned deer hide. The dress hangs loosely off her frame, the sleeves nearly reaching her fingertips. Fringes and leather thongs hang down from the hem and sleeves of the dress; it's hardly extravagant and surprisingly plain. A leather belt wraps about her waist, cinching the dress in place. Her only other accessory is a bone-choker with a Cheyenne design on it, while her hair has been braided to keep it out of the way.
Okay, so she isn't the most traditional of kin, if traditional at all. Jordan crouches by the lake and starts to wash her hands clean of the blood that coats them. Her hand-made short bow is placed next to her while a series of arrows are collected by her feet. She grabs the dirty ones also coated in the red liquid, dipping them and washing them carefully as if each was a faberge egg. Finally she pulls out her large skinning knife and begins to wash it as well. There is no sign of the creature she had wounded or killed, and there is no sign of blood elsewhere on the girl. Glancing up to squint at the sky, Jordan mutters under her breath before shifting in her dress, feeling, and looking, rather awkward in it.
A long, high-pitch howl echoes from the east, not too far from the edge of the reeds. The buffalo herd, having moved to better grazing further away from the mountains and snow from it, snort in restless, wary nature. The call sounds like a coyote, but it's deeper than one. There's a couple of moments of waiting silence, and then it calls out again, noticeably closer.
Being used to the howls, Jordan ignores it at first before the second one seems to come in a lot closer. Blinking up, the kin quickly shoves the arrows into the back quiver before slinging it over her shoulder. Grabbing her bow and stuffing the knife away, Jordan once more glances around her, as if trying to decide where the howl is coming from. She remains silent however, but curiosity gets the best of her. Warily but quietly, Jordan starts to move in the direction she heard the howl, peering and trying to see if she can spot anything unusual, or perhaps to see if the wolf is familiar.
Once more, the howl sounds. With Jordan standing up abruptly, the call cuts off. The southwards blowing wind pushes the reeds aside, revealing a reddish coated, black ticked wolf that definitely isn't one of the usuals around here just by sight alone. Runner has already spotted the kin at this point, but she remains where she is, waiting. Her amber eyes peer out, over the lake, then back to the kinswoman. By all accounts, the Gnawer looks placid. Placid, and quite out of place.
Freezing in place, Jordan inhales sharply. No, that is definitely not the wolf she recognizes as Wendigo nor anyone close to her. Taking a step back and swallowing thickly, Jordan slowly reaches back and pulls out that knife again, her eyes fixed solidly on the wolf. "Oh my, Grandma...What big teeth you have." She continues to back away from the strange wolf, her eyes narrowing as she grits her teeth.
Runner flicks her ears forward to cup the woman's words into her direction, still staring towards her. Her tail lifts, giving a slow wag that isn't one. Its motion starts at the base only, with the end slipping in natural motion. Like she might understand, the fostern sits where she is and jawdrops in a calm smile. The sun catches on the chain looped around her neck, glinting like the lake waters.
Cries-No-More trots up from behind Runner, several yards to her right. Lupus senses wouldn't miss his approach, but he probably doesn't come into view of human eyes until he's nearly on top of the pair. His head swivels to regard both wolf and woman, then he shifts upwards. "Hey there. I heard Yi's calls to come onto the territory..." Yi receives a small nod and a small, easy smile, then he continues, "And I see you're the young woman whose tracks I see all over the place around here. Sorry we haven't met in so long, I'm Touch Deer, Wendigo, Fostern and born under the full moon."
Still staring at the strange wolf, Jordan takes a moment to blink at the chain looped around its neck. Opening her mouth to say something, Jordan instead jumps a mile high at the sight of the second wolf. She looks ready enough to panic until the wolf starts to shift upwards. "Aw hell..." It isn't until she starts to recognize that the shifting wolf is a Native American that she starts calm down a bit, although a wary look is given to both. It isn't until Touch Deer introduces himself does Jordan blink and stare at him momentarily before she finally murmurs; "I've heard about you...I mean, I'm Jordan Mankato Spears. You've been following my tracks?" She blinks curiously at Touch Deer before she stops short and snaps her eyes back towards Yi, "Permission? Yi?"
Runner looks behind her when Touch Deer approaches. Indeed, wolf senses on her are still sharp, and always wary of being approached from behind. She stands quickly to all fours, nose sniffing for scent. Only when Touch Deer shifts readily do her hackles lower back. The Gnawer's ears tilt back, but not full submission. At Jordan's words, she turns back to regard the kin and barks acknowledgingly. Yes, that's me, is what she says. Looking back to the Wendigo ahroun, the ragabash explains, I came to visit. Old memories have come back.
Touch Deer bows slightly, apologeticaly, towards both women. "Yi, why don't you shift up. Jordan is not one of us, she is a kin. She'll understand you better on two legs." Turning fully to Jordan, he explains, "Not following, but hard not to notice. You spend a lot of time with Keeps-the-Circle, and Horace. It's nice to finally meet you in person. Want to have some tea?" He gestures in the direction of the longhouse, nodding significantly to the Gnawer, as if to say, 'and you are invited, too.'"
Jordan jumps back a bit at Runner's bark, still tense and wary as ever. Lifting her eyes towards Touch Deer, the kin murmurs, "I-.." but she snaps her mouth shut and just watches him for a moment, the tension only growing in the girl for some reason; "You...noticed?" Inhaling sharply, Jordan's eyes sweep across the forest as if looking for something. Finding it not there she finally glances back towards the two before she finally nods, snapping out of it, "Tea..." She keeps sounding distracted but she nods towards Yi, licking her lips nervously; "Hello, Mr. Wolf. You scared me shitles-.." she trails off, snapping her eyes towards Touch Deer before clamping her mouth shut. Smirking quietly to herself, the girl glances towards the longhouse and begins to make her way there. "I'll start boiling the water."
Runner now clearly understands, and as if to accept, shifts up herself. It is with a fluid, easy motion, clothes appearing supernaturally out of her fur that changes color. She's very much not a 'mister', despite the very recently shaved head that is regrowing a bit of fuzz. Out comes a black bandanna, swiftly tied atop it. That done, she dips her head respectfully towards the other girl. "Yi is my name, yes, and I am sorry for scaring you... I am also called Runs-the-Gauntlet, or Runner. And, tea sounds wonderful." She looks back to the other fostern, but even now, the fostern looks distractedly back to the lake, scanning over the surface searchingly.
Touch Deer begins to head towards the longhouse, searching backwards with his eyes like the other two. "Are you two expecting someone else?"
Staring at Yi as she shift, Jordan winces as she realizes that Yi is female rather than male. "Sorry, about the mister." Clearing her throat and falling silent, Jordan lets out another distracted 'hmmm?' before she realizes what he was asking. A red flush creeps across Jordan's features as she focuses her eyes on the ground and quickens her steps towards the longhouse. Unfortunately since the girl is still not used to the dress, she stumbles a bit, feeling quite awkward. With a gruff growl of frustration, Jordan grabs the skirt and lifts it up a bit to free her movements as she answers in a quiet mutter, "I am only expecting death, the one sure thing we have after all."
Yi glances back to the pair after another moment of quiet, and tilts her head partly to a side, evaluating the girl before shaking her head at Touch Deer's question, and offering a warmer smile. "Death can never be expected," she muses aloud. "Because death is the greatest trickster. You never know when he comes to steal you away." The ragabash takes a few steps towards the longhouse after them. The house itself is peered at with curious interest.
Turning to glance at Yi as if seeing her for the first time, Jordan quirks her eyebrows before she finally murmurs; "But it is still a sure thing, isn't it?" She stops at the entrance to peer at Yi curiously as she crosses her arms, the bow slung over her shoulder along with the quiver. "You can still be expecting it without knowing when it'll be here? Do you embrace it?" She realizes she is being a bit bold, but that is nothing new when it comes to Jordan.
Circle Keeper arrives shortly after Touch Deer leaves, the Uktena moving at a good clip from where he was sleeping at the north end of the lake. He looks generally groggy from having just dragged himself back to wake, and the squat white wolf is heading right for the pair of women.
Yi looks back to the girl and shakes her head slowly. "I am not one to embrace death," she says rather firmly, with conviction. "But I respect it, as it is a balancer. Without it, we would grow even more sick. With too much of it, our minds would turn to things... that you do not want it to turn to." She swallows back anything more, clearing her throat loudly. "Should we go in? The water perhaps boils faster up here in the mountains."
Jordan studies Yi closely as she listens to the garou's response. "I can understand that. I suppose you have seen it far more than I have." She gives a quick nod and turns around, looking a bit helpless as she still isn't used to the traditional roles. As she turns, she notices a familiar white wolf making his way towards the two. Jordan inhales sharply before glancing up at Yi then where Touch Deer disappeared to. With that, Jordan ducks inside rather quickly, "Of course, come on in. You too Ciuraq," she calls out over her shoulder.
Bonegnawer! the Uktena barks, ears perked as he picks up his pace some. He doesn't look like he's ready to let her go inside without a fight. Why is Bone Gnawer in his sister's territory!? There's no mistaking that posture and tone. Someone's on edge and ready to scuffle.
Yi pauses still, remaining at a yard or so from the longhouse door. She turns to face the Uktena, but her hands remain out in the open and down loosely by her sides. "I howled," she states quite simply, "And Touch Deer invited me. I came to visit, as I was invited before to do. I came to remember, as this place too, was once where I ran with others of Wendigo, Uktena and even Owl's children."
Finding that none have followed her, Jordan pops her head back out before tensing at the sight of Circle Keeper barking rather aggressively at Yi. Taking a ste out, Jordan watches the two, falling silent as she realizes this isn't something she should interfere. At Yi's answer to Circle Keeper's unintelligable questions, Jordan quirks her eyebrows before murmuring, "Ciuraq..." more in a worried tone and not meant to attract his attention.
Touch Deer doesn't live in this territory. he growls back, hackles arching and tail elevating. Who invited Bone gnawer into this territory? he further demands.
Yi furrows her brow, finally matching the ahroun squarely face to face. "Jacinta," she answers plainly again. "And you should not growl so much in front of your sister alpha's kin. It will scare her."
Jordan's eyes are snapping between the two like a ping-pong match, tense as ever as if waiting for the first blood to be shed in any minute now. At Yi's words, Jordan snaps out of it and blinks at the Bone Gnawer but she remains silent this time.
Bone Gnawer will /not/ tell this one how to behave in his sleeping place. he snarls, taking an abrupt step forward. This is /not/ omega Tribe's home. The Uktena ploughs forward tail still high, to stop at the corner of the longhouse. He watches Yi, ears shoved high. Blue can water Three-Blades if Blue wants. he decides brusquely.
Not about to simply stand there and wait for a wolf to come flying at her, Yi sidesteps away from the longhouse. "And I thought the Guardians were supposed to eat, sleep and piss all on the Bawn," she comments quietly, though audibly enough to be heard by both human and wolf ears. "You are right, though, Circle Keeper. This is not my home. Anymore. My home is not where I am not welcome." She glances back to Jordan, taking her eyes off of the Uktena pointedly. "Sorry to have disturbed you. I will be on my way." Then the ragabash looks back to the ahroun, and starts back towards the lake, back towards the borders of the area.
Jordan's eyes widen, what the heck just happened?! She stares at Circle Keeper in disbelief before blinking back at Yi, "Wait, wha? What happened?" She knows they are supposed to be protected, but.. "I thought Touch Deer-" Her eyes snap back towards Circle Keeper, "I have not been disturbed." She takes a few steps towards Yi before faltering; it's days like these she wishes she were more wolf than girl. "Ciuraq?"
Circle Keeper starts forward after the Foster, moving quickly enough to put himself infront of her. If his sister invited her to come here, then she is welcome. he says, as warm and as welcoming as a mix between a badger and a porcupine. Stay, eat fish and drink water stuff. Two ticks later, he adds that he /wants/ her to eat fish and drink water stuff. In the two-leg place. With the kin.
Yi doesn't get all that far. If she hadn't been tense before, it's lifted a notch when the white wolf bars her way. "I will not stay if all I do is make you feel uncomfortable that an 'urrah' is sitting in your pure lands, in your pure longhouse, with your pure kin, eating your pure food, and drinking your pure drink," she says slowly, a bit bitterly, eyeing the ahroun and his offer. Jordan is currently left having to wonder what Yi's facial expression might look like, given the Gnawer's back is turned towards her.
Quirking her eyebrows at Yi's response, Jordan crosses her arms and frowns. While it would have been interesting to see someone from the city, there was something about Yi's tone that seems to bother the Kin a bit. "He is not a Wendigo," she murmurs quietly, "he may be better than me at being a Wendigo, but he is no more pure than you are, Miss Yi. However, please do not mock our...purity in our own home. We're simply...paranoid." At that, a little smirk curls her lips upwards.
Circle Keeper's head turns just slightly to look past Yi and to Jordan, eyes focusing on her for a moment. Uktena is a /pure/ tribe. he responds, brusquely but ultimately uselessly to the Kin. His head slowly returns to the Gnawer. Have water stuff. If sister-alpha invites Three-Blades to come into the territory, this one insists.
It takes a bit, but eventually at the insistence of the ahroun, Yi relents. She half turns, apparently not to be the first of the two Garou present to make steps towards the longhouse again. "So was Leonard, when I first came," Yi tells Jordan. "He felt only that I would not offend because I do not look like any Wyrmcomer or their kin. Still, Little Bear made me go through sweatlodges /every/ time I came back from the city, for as many hours as I had been days gone." She swallows down another memory, throat bobbing tight. "I only came back here because... because there is a reason to. And if you are so paranoid, then I will honor any of your requests to purify myself before setting foot in there."
She doesn't unerstand Circle Keeper's comment, but his look does make the girl tense and she breaks the eye contact, looking back at Yi. "Leonard?" Jordan frowns as she attempts to slip her hand into her pockets, only to find that she is wearing the dress rather than her old jeans and shirt. "Touch Deer has more authority than I do, and he has invited you in, I think." Again she looks towards Circle Keeper, still rather confused; "In all honesty I am not exactly the most, er, traditional either." She steps aside to let Yi through the Longhouse, but her curiosity gets the better of her, "What's your reason?"
Circle Keeper doesn't move to go in after the two, the Uktena settling outside the Longhouse's front.
Yi takes a few more steps towards the longhouse again, and when she's at its entrance, hesitates. Though she makes no comment about Touch Deer, she does answer, "An old alpha of mine came back." Then she slips inside just a couple steps and turns to look at the girl and wolf. "Sepdet Hope-Star, ranked adren theurge of the Silent Striders. In many ways, it was she who saved me from death. And she, who saved this caern by keeping the pathstone out of the claws of the Black Spiral Dancers."
Turning to move back inside, Jordan realizes that Circle Keeper isn't following. Pausing, she moves to his side slowly, treating him as if he was a wild animal she still needs to be cautious around. Crouching next to him, the girl murmurs something softly to him before standing up and following Yi, blinking at her, "An /Adren/?" she breathes, "Returning? Will your alpha be taking over the Caern then? From the Shadow Lords?" She would rather have a Silent Strider as Caern alpha any day after all. Slipping through the entrance, Jordan glances once more towards Circle Keeper.
Circle Keeper doesn't budge, flicking an ear at the kin before lowering his head down. He watches the still-visible-Ragabash.
Longhouse(#4045RAJs)
Six cedar posts form two rows of three pillars, holding up beams that run the length of the longhouse, and two more hold up a beam that forms the apex of the shallow roof. A small, square hole in the ceiling provides most of what little light is to be had in the day, and a fat-oil fed lamp under the hole supplies warmth and light in the dark hours. The walls of the building do a good job blocking the weather, with only a few stray cracks that have since been patched.
Spare planks for the walls and ceiling are stored along the ground on the sides, forming a wooden floor in the sleeping spaces. Cloth and hide hangs from the ceiling to the sides, dividing the sides off into individual personal spaces. The centre area of the longhouse has a simple, dirt floor, packed solid from being trod across; the slightly-off-centre area where the lamp is kept is ringed with rocks.
Obvious exits:
Out
"... No," Yi says after a long silence. And no, she isn't pleased to announce that disappointing answer. "Her duties took her back to the spirits. Back to the Umbra." The ragabash breathes out in a quiet sigh and then looks around the longhouse. "Who built this?"
A soft 'oh' escapes from Jordan before looking around herself, trying to see the Longhouse with new eyes. At Yi's question, a note of pure pride enters Jordan's voice despite her lack of smiling or grinning; "The Wendigos. And the Uktena. Circle Keeper worked tirelessly; he really is a better Wendigo then I am," murmurs Jordan, as if to help boost up the wolf's ego in case he still felt like sulking. Making her way towards where the lamp is kept, which doubles as a really small fire pit. "It felt like we were part of the Amish at some point," smirks Jordan as she glances over towards Yi. Despite her clothes the girl does act as if she has been in the city quite a bit.
Uttering an appreciative sound, Yi looks about for a place to sit. "It is a good house. Solid," she notes, before turning back to Jordan. "What about you? I suppose you are also new to life here."
"I've been here a year and three months, and I'm still trying to get used to it. I lived on a reservation before, and I lived in a more...urban situation." There is no real seating, well, at least for Jordan. She crouches by the pit, working in between her knees to get the pot boiling with some water. She starts to look around for something as she continues the conversation idly, although she is still trying to get used to being so social; "Are you a Silent Strider then?"
Circle Keeper arrives through the door, even the not-so-tall Ahroun unconsciously ducking a little as he enters. Contrary to popular belief, it seems he does have a Homid form. Hunching his shoulders, he sides off to the side without a word; he doesn't even bother to take off the winter outerwear.
Yi looks over when Ciuraq finally deigns to step in, attention cut. But her reply to Jordan picks up quick. "No, no I am not. I am a Bone Gnawer, ragabash of my tribe. And fostern." Said fostern crouches down as well only when the others do, seemingly using them as cues. "My tribe follows Rat, and we seek to break the Weaver's hold in the city by .. well, chewing or cutting away her webs."
At the mention of Bone Gnawer, Jordan snaps her eyes towards Yi, blinking before she realizes Ciuraq has also entered, "Oh," murmurs the girl; things make a lot more sense now. She finds some herbs for the tea and gets to work to make itas she glances back at Ciuraq once more before focusing on Yi once more. "Tell me about Leonard, I am curious."
Ciuraq moves along the dark edges, feet audible on the floor as he heads parallel to the Kin and the Garou. He stops when he's the closest he can get without actually going further in, sliding down against the wall.
"Leonard? I call him Little Bear, but his rited name was Brings-the-Buffalo-Home," Yi says, slipping down to sit on the compacted floor to take the strain from her leg. "He was called that because those buffalo you see by the lake were brought by him. And he was a galliard of your tribe. I heard Circles... have you met him? Wadiskay, I think you also call him, he rited with him."
The flap over the door is pulled aside, and Jacinta steps through the low entrance. She pauses, just inside the door. "Wadiskay has not Rited."
Quirking her eyebrows as she continues to listen to Yi, Jordan shifts her head to one side before nodding; "He was the one who brought the buffalos? Wow..." She trails off before snapping her eyes towards Ciuraq. Seeming ready to say something to him, Jordan gets distracted and jumps at the sound of Jacinta's voice. "He...He wasn't?" She moves to peer into the pot, to see if the water is boiling yet or not.
"Qang'a." Ciuraq answers Jordan, voice carrying a hard note to it. He looks to Jacinta, head inclining slightly without looking actually pleased. "Waqaa, Al'a. Cangacit?"
Yi almost jumps at the sound of Jacinta's voice and appearance as well. The others could tell, the Gnawer was not particularly aware of the going ons outside that flap. "Jacinta," she half-greets, half-recovers, "good evening." The Gnawer looks now from one Guardian to the other, back to reality and aware once more. Ciuraq's greeting, obviously, is completely not understood.
"Qang'a," Jacinta repeats, still immediately before the doorflap. "He has not." Her eyes are somewhat hard as she takes in the scene before her, though she offers a smile as she turns to her packmate. "Assirtuq, Kuukuq. Elpet?"
"Would you like some tea?" murmurs Jordan towards Jacinta in a soft voice. She then focuses back on the pot, falling silent for now as she reaches out to stir the liquid idly. Finally finding her voice and her curiosity still getting the best of her, Jordan continues, "Who is Wadiskay then?"
Ciuraq's response is to jabber something that goes even further over the heads of half of the Gathered, the Uktena sliding up to gesture with his head. He frowns immediately after that, looking a tad flummoxed.
Yi only offers a short explanation to Jordan. "Wadiskay is Circles. But no, he is not rited. He had gotten lost in the Umbra, I think. Separated from Leonard, and only Leonard returned. But Circles is around somewhere." The Gnawer's volume has pitched low, so as not to interrupt or obstruct the other pair's exchange.
Jacinta tips her head to Circle Keeper and then peers at Yi. Her lips purse and she mutters back to him in that same gutteral language. Then she moves into the building, toward the central seating area. "Runs the Gauntlet-Yuf. Were you seeking me?"
"Lost in the Umbra?" Jordan stares at Yi for a moment before shaking her head, "Wow..." She trails off before nodding. She doesn't respond much more however as more important matters seem to have been broughten up. Instead, Jordan continues to stir the liquid, keeping her eyes focused entirely on it although her ears are wide open.
Ciuraq makes a slight face, before edging forward slightly towards Jordan. He remains rather quiet.
Yi glances up and over to the Wendigo elder. Lips parting as if to say something, but then not quite making it. "Not exactly," she admits. "I felt an urge that drew me to visit places from my past. Back when I swam with Salmon in that lake outside. I wanted to see the buffalo and the mountains. There are some old trees too, that I had not visited in a long time." The ragabash wets her lips, eyes turning and remaining on the pot. "All of this because I saw Sepdet-rhya again. It was only for a moment. And I wonder still if it was just a dream."
Jacinta bristles, but calms herself as she sits across from the Bone Gnawer. All but ignoring Jordan's presence, she focuses on Yi. The Wendigo rests her palms on her knees and considers for several seconds before she speaks. "Ii. I understand. I hope you will understand when I say this. It is not that you are unwelcome. If you seek me, or my tribe, I invite you to howl for us. You, your tribe, are well liked by my people. With us, you are welcome to our territory." She tips her head slightly to the side, studying Yi carefully.
Finally thinking it is ready, Jordan rises up, pausing as she notes Ciuraq's approach. She fixes her eyes on his briefly before getting up and making her way towards the wooden cups. She quietly starts to pour out the drinks before handing them out. Jacinta first, then Yi, then Ciuraq before pouring one for herself, unless any of the cups are rejected.
Ciuraq doesn't take anything, in terms of things to drink, the Ahroun wearing a fairly dower expression. His brow furrows up, biting down on his lip.
Yi accepts the cup with a grateful nod, peering down at its dark insides, at her own reflection. But then her eyes glance up again across the fire to the Wendigo elder. "I did howl. Three times, and Touch Deer was the one who answered." She says this without looking at Ciuraq. "Though, I am told, Touch Deer does not have such privilege now, to admit others onto Wendigo territory?"
"I did not say that." The Uktena cuts in, voice raising sligthly. "I said he does not live here."
Jacinta takes the cup, still not looking away from Yi. Her brows rise, "Ii? Pitsarenritamken." She glances at Ciuraq, then back to Yi. "He is Wendigo. He may bring what guests he chooses, not of the Wyrmcomer Tribes." Only then does she look down at her cup, lifting it to sip at the hot liquid within.
Jacinta's words forces Jordan to freeze momentarily, staring at her tribe elder for a moment in part confusion before looking away. She again offers Ciuraq the drink, thinking he probably needs it before she takes a sip from her own cup. She doesn't say anything however, simply bouncing her eyes from Yi to Jacinta and back again.
Yi glances over towards Ciuraq then, but doesn't say anything to counter his rebuttal. "Forgive my assumption," she says slowly, tongue working around the longer word. Obviously Yi is not a native English speaker, but she tries. "But now that you are here, Jacinta-yuf, there are some things I did want to speak to you about. As Alpha of Guardians, and Master of the Challenge."
Ciuraq's face twists into an increasingly irate mask, brow starting to tick with his heartbeat. He looks like he's working hard on having an aneurism.
Jacinta is either so used to Ciuraq's behavior that it no longer attracts her attention, or she just hasn't noticed it. "Quyana," she says to Jordan after sipping again at the tea. Then she looks back to the Bone Gnawer. "Ii? What do you need?"
Jordan quickly withdraws from Ciuraq as she notices his expression. Clearing her throat, Jordan nods towards Jacinta before glancing back at Ciuraq, seemingly a bit unsure on how the situation is turning out. Then back at Yi and Jacinta, as if wondering who will pop first of the three.
"About Reggie's challenge," Yi continues still, taking a moment to bring the cup to her lips and sip like she's done a million times before in company. It is around the cup that she eyes Ciuraq. The cup lowers, and her eyes are back on the Wendigo elder. "I would like to make sure of the terms. If that is okay."
Ciuraq turns and moves back, not so gracefully, to the back wall where he sits back down. He watches the other there, looking no less irate.
Jacinta's brow furrows at Yi's words, but she nods eventually. "Ii. I will listen."
Yi takes another sip of the tea in her cup, breathing out gently before nodding and setting it back in her lap. "My terms: Reggie is to ask three Garou, of cliath rank or cub, to fight him on the night of of the third new moon after the moot when I named these terms. He is supposed to teach each of these three Garou something that he knows about fighting. And on the third new moon, we are to gather at the caern - or where the Master of the Challenge might find appropriate - to witness his fight against the three. The three were to stay restricted to one form each. Homid, Crinos, Lupus. The Homid, I said, would be allowed a weapon if it was permitted on the bawn. Reggie would not be kept to any forms only, but both sides could use Gifts. And though I did not state that he had to win, I would expect him to. But the important part of this challenge, is not in his fighting ability. I believe that he can do." She pauses, looking over the fire to see if the Wendigo is following.
Jacinta's brows rise at this last and she leans forward slightly. "Ii?"
Leaning towards the conversation as well, Jordan widens her eyes at the mention of Reggie's challenge. Taking another sip from her cup, she remains silent still, quite fascinated with what is being said.
"His scars are many, and even I could sing tales of his battles," Yi adds. "But he wants to be a fostern, and he will need honor and wisdom. "The three he chooses, and what he teaches to them, these are important. What if he were to choose three cubs? He would be a bully. What if he were to choose three cliath who can overpower him? Then he takes on too much, too fast. And what will he teach them? I do not know, but I am curious to know what he knows. What good is a fostern who will not aid those under him?" This question she asks rhetorically. "But still, there is his tribemate." Here she glances back again towards Ciuraq. "Reggie is still elder of the tribe. But his own tribemate does not see him that way - but as someone who is dead because he has been gone so long."
Ciuraq, for anyone who glances his direction, grows increasingly red in the face.
Jacinta turns the cup in her hands as she considers the words of the Gnawer. "Ii," she says after a few beats. The word is extended, as if inviting more explanation.
Yi sighs out. "Still, a part of me feels he would be deserving of the rank. So I come to you, to ask your judgement. As ahroun, as one of the Pure Ones, and as Master of the Challenge. Is this test for him worthy? Do I find him and tell him more?"
Jacinta's brow furrows and she sips the last of the tea. Placing the cup beside her she lifts her gaze once again to the Ragabash. "How will you know if he has passed? If he has failed?"
"It is my first challenge," Yi replies after a moment's thought. "I would have left it up to the spirits to decide, if I had enough plans to think that far ahead. I thought it would be as easy as deciding that he passed when he won the fight."
Jacinta's eyes narrow. "If it is as simple as winning the combat, then there is no reason for him to do more than choose the weakest of cubs. He can teach what is least useful, and best them, and he will have won. Think clearly. What will it take for him to have shown you that he is Fostern."
Yi lifts one of her hands and rub at her face, blinking off distracting thoughts. "If he could show he has the ability to lead others," she answers shortly afterwards, looking back up at the Wendigo. "That he can teach those beneath him something useful, something that will help them and help all of us in this fight against the Wyrm."
Jacinta nods slowly. "And what, in this challenge, will show you that he has that?"
Ciuraq sits off to his side, silently staring at the three. Narry a word passes his lips.
Shifting her weight, Jordan finishes her tea and slips for a refill, pausing to glance back at Yi, waiting for the answer.
Yi takes another deep breath and lets go. "Perhaps, that he shows restraint in the right places during the fight. Strategy in who he chooses. The ability to think ahead. I know not who he chooses, but if he can impress that ... feeling, that he deserves it." She glances up again. "Truthfully, if he can teach /me/ something about what a fostern should be, then I will see him as my equal."
Jacinta shakes her head. "Qaang. A challenge must have a way to win and a way to lose. Be detailed. Be specific. Your challenge is given. It is too late to change the terms set to him. But you must know," she leans forward, fist balling on her knee, "/know/, what it is that he must do. It cannot be, "If he is good. If he is bad. These things are not measureable. This must be. Lay out what is required for him to win."
Ciuraq's calmed down somewhat, but the Uktena still seems upset. He pulls his knees into his chest, and shoves his sleeves up as he listens.
Yi looks frustrated, but her eyes look down to the fire. "Good? He proves to Circle Keeper he is not 'dead', by showing up when he has had galliards calling for him." The ragabash searches the flames. "That he does not strike his opponent with unnecessary force, so he is in control of his own body and mind. If he were to frenzy, he would lose. If he does not show with three, he would lose. If he does not teach all three of them, he would lose. He... would win if he showed his generosity in his teachings - if the three he fought used those gifts and skills he taught them in the battle. He would win, if they could thank him afterwards instead of being bitter about a loss, because to thank your opponent gives them honor." These things she muses aloud, alternately looking up from the flames towards the Wendigo's shadowed features, and on the periphery the Uktena and kin.
Jacinta frowns slightly. "I do not think he should be Fostern when he cannot respond to his Tribe's needs. But that is not part of your challenge. To be clear. To succeed in his challenge, these things are required: He must bring three. He must best all three. He must not Frenzy. He must not kill?" She pauses, with that question hanging in the air.
Ciuraq stands up, moving out along the side. When he reaches the front, he ducks out quietly.
Yi nods stiffly. "No, it is not my challenge to him to see to his Tribe's needs... that is for his tribe to decide," she says slowly. "His fight for fostern will be to honorable surrender," she confirms. "We do not need to lose any more warriors. If he were to fall, then he would lose." She doesn't look up when Ciuraq departs, but finishes the last of her tea.
Ciuraq's motions catch Jordan's attention. Glancing between the two women and the man ducking out, Jordan seems a bit torn; trying to decide what to do. Finally realizing that the two Garou would perhaps feel better without her being there, the kin rises up to her feet quietly and offers to refill the cups for Yi and Jacinta silently.
Jacinta doesn't seem to be aware of her packmate leaving, or even of the kin's movements so close. "Ii. So. He must bring three. He must best all three. He must not frenzy. He must not kill. He must have taught each - How will you judge the teaching?"
Yi accepts the refill of tea, again bowing her head in thanks. That brief respite from thinking on the challenge gives her a moment to smile faintly at the kin. She knows Jordan is still there. Then it's back to thinking. "The three chosen will tell me what he has taught them. They should be Gifts or Rites that would apply to fighting. Something that Reggie knows and can share with others. And then, I will see if they have put this new knowledge to their skills. If they use the Gift in the battle, or if they wish to perform the rite before the battle. If they can use them, then he will have shown me that he has taught them."
Biting her lower lip, Jordan nods back at Yi as she offers the drink in her silent way of saying 'you're welcome'. Her eyes snap towards the flap however before glancing back at the other two. Once making sure that nothing else is needed from her, Jordan turns and attempts to slip out herself, to see if Ciuraq really did give himself an anuerism.
Jacinta half-rises, demonstrating in slow motion, "So teaching a new strike, a better stance, these are not enough."
Yi considers, almost half rising herself, but she remains sitting even as Jordan moves out of the longhouse. After a time, she nods. "These things can be learned easily, or even created and made better by those who have such inspiration. I do not think that is enough. Unless it is /very/ impressive, but then it should be something that could be taught to all who would wish to learn it."
Jacinta nods, seeming satisfied for a moment. Then she frowns once more. "You cannot require behavior of another for his challenge." As she says this, the Wendigo's fingers clench and flex, more tension in this statement than in the others. "Whether they can thank him for his teaching says about their honor, not his."
Yi thinks on this awhile, and then nods slowly. "Then, that will not be needed. Perhaps, he should thank them instead."
Jacinta nods. "That can be an expectation."
"Is that enough?" It is a question posed to the challenge master as well as herself. "Yes... yes, I think that is enough. The rest, I will leave to the wisdom of the spirits to decide."
Jacinta says "You said he must show strategy in who he chooses. How will you judge this?"
Yi sips at the refilled tea in her cup, and when she lowers the cup she answers. "That he should not choose cubs, for one. He cannot teach them Gifts, and I do not think they will know the complex personalities of spirits to know most rites. Of cliath... one of the city, and one of the woods. The last, of either choice. And as long as his teachings are learned well by them, they can be of any auspice. I had hoped he would choose Circle Keeper as one of his challengers. It would have made my job easier."
Jacinta grunts noncommitally. "He was told cub or Cliath, ii? If you fail him for choosing a cub, that would be inappropriate. But to say that he cannot choose more than one cub would be correct."
Yi upturns a palm. "More than one cub, then. But if he could not teach that cub, then he would not have finished the other parts of the terms, and have failed."
Jacinta says "A cub may learn rites, if he is astute."
"But, one that can be used for the fight?" Yi asks in turn, head tilting, inferring. "That I would wish to see."
Jacinta picks up her tea cup, tapping lightly at its surface. "I perform several which help me in battle. But none are such direct aide that their use may be seen so."
Yi furrows her brow again. "Then, how would one judge this use, unless the rite were performed before all?"
Jacinta turns the cup twice and sets it down again. "They must tell you what they have learned, and how they will use it to aide them in this battle. If they cannot answer, then he has not taught them sufficiently."
Yi mulls this over, and then she nods, looking better relieved. "Yes, that will be good. There is also the matter of who he chooses to take which form."
"With what criteria will you judge this?" The Wendigo is patient throughout this process, now that it has begun, though she does seem tenacious about it.
"For one," Yi considers aloud, "to play to their strengths, if to point out their weaknesses." Realizing her generalization, she adds, "The fullest moon can receive the warform, to prove equal to Reggie in size, strength and auspice. The smallest moon or the one of the woods can be in lupus. And the city one can be in homid. I think he should pick like this, so he can show he understands his opponent's strengths, and can deal with them."
Jacinta sits still for nearly a full minute after Yi has spoken. Eventually she says, "That is what you want for him to do. But has he failed your terms if he chooses otherwise?"
Then it's Yi's turn to sit. After a few minutes, she replies, "No. If he chooses otherwise, then I would have him explain why he chooses the way he chooses. But, the fullmoon, if he has chosen one, should be in crinos. "
Jacinta says "Why? In the terms you have given him, why would he choose the full moon to be in Crinos? What if he has chosen no full moon?"
"They would be the one most equal to him," Yi says slowly, thoughtfully. "The ahroun is the warrior of our kind, and shows he can be flexible in any fight. But in the end, his greatest challenge will be the one most like himself. If he can conquer himself, then he has risen higher." She gives a second's pause, then adds, "If there is no full moon, then I will say he has failed, because he has chosen to fight everything outside, but runs from what he is inside."
Jacinta's gaze narrows. "Did you state terms to him differently than to me, this night? I admit, at Moot I listened to the terms set for me, not those set for him."
Yi considers, recounting with a look down to her hands. "3 Garou," she says, "of cliath or cub rank. All three will fight against his one, in the caern's center, on the third new moon after the moot when I announced his challenge terms. The three are limited to one form each, and he will choose what form they fight in. The homid will be allowed a weapon only if the Master of the Challenge and Warder approve of it. He was to teach them each a secret that he knew of, to the art of fighting. Gifts will be allowed. He has his choice of shifting forms in the fight. I did say they can be of any auspice..." The ragabash considers slowly, trailing. "Well, if he has not chosen a fullmoon, then the next biggest moon can take their place. I had told him, if he finished teaching them early, that he could gather them together before the third newmoon and fight them. But he seems to be taking his time as well."
Jacinta nods slowly, a nod of thoughtfullness, rather than agreement. "You did not say you would judge his choice of placement? Or say that he must show that he will fight even what is inside?"
Yi chews on her lower lip, trying to remember. In the end, she shakes her head. "I did not say so at the moot. All I had said, was that 'I will be watching you, and waiting to see whose victory it will be.' I guess that only means I expected him to win."
Jacinta cocks her head to the side. "You are Ragabash. Did you tell him there were terms you left unstated?"
"No, I did not," Yi says quietly. "But, he did not ask me, either before or after the moot, so I could only suppose that he understands the expectations of the one he challenged."
Jacinta frowns, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. "How much of this did you discuss with the former Master of the Challenge?"
Yi moves a hand to rub on the back of her neck. "He simply agreed to my terms as I told them to you, and told them to Reggie during the moot. There was no discussion."
Jacinta sighs, releasing her lip from between her teeth. "If you challenge me, and I tell you that your challenge is to move a rock from here to there, and you move this rock, and then I tell you that you failed, because you did not also carry the stick I put beside the rock, would you call this challenge a fair one?"
"I would not," Yi replies, lips pursing. "It is these things that I bring to you, as the new Master of the Challenge, to see if what I told him was fair."
Jacinta nods. "Ii. But If I told you that you would be judged on your wisdom, and left clues for you to see that you should move also the stick. If you moved quickly and did not look for the clues, just moved the rock, when you had failed, would that be a fair challenge?"
Yi squints her eyes, and then nods. "Then I would think that was fair to challenge my wisdom as well as my strength."
Jacinta nods. "Then it is not fair to judge Reggie by which of his opponents takes which form."
Yi blows out another sigh, and cups the rest of her tea, drinking quickly of it now that it has cooled to lukewarm temperatures. "Do you think I gave him enough hints of who he should choose, and how? I thought Uktena would consider the deeper mysteries."
Jacinta huffs out a breath in thought. "I think it is fair to say that no more than one should be a cub, because to do otherwise is dishonorable. But I think to make other limitations on his choices would be unfair. You are a better warrior than many ahrouns. To say that to pick a Ragabash would be to deny the warrior limits too many."
Yi blinks a couple of times, and then laughs softly. "I am honored to receive such a compliment," the ragabash says. "But I do agree... it would not be fair say he was limited in choice, when I said he could choose any. But, I do think that when I said he had to choose three and teach them his secrets, that it would be true secrets that he teach to them. Gifts, rites, or something that few have seen."
"Ii," Jacinta agrees.
Taking in another, long breath, Yi looks out towards the flap now. On the exhale, she turns back to the ahroun. "Then it is settled? The challenge is still fair?"
Again the Wendigo agrees with a single word. "Ii." She rests wrists on her knees, crossing her legs. "Settled. We have clarified your terms, and they are fair."
Yi nods, setting her empty cup down before her. "Then the other thing is about another challenge. Circle Keeper has asked me to watch the caern in his place as he went to the city to complete his challenge for rank as well." She looks up towards the Wendigo once more.
Jacinta looks toward the entrance flap, lets her gaze rest there for a while, then turns back to Yi. "Ii," she says simply.
"Though I expect he will also ask you, and Jamethon-yuf about this, I would feel more comfortable if I also asked for approval on this. As you are the Alpha of Manitou's Ridgeline, our caern's Guardian pack."
Jacinta nods. "Ii. With the Gatekeeper's permission, I would accept you as Circle Keeper's replacement while he completes his challenge."
Yi settles into a bit of silence with that, looking to the slowly burning flames in the fire pit. "I told Jordan, that those who built this longhouse made it good. Very solid." She blinks again, and starts to rise to her feet. "Should I wash this cup?" She lifts the woodenware in her hand.
Jacinta raises an eyebrow. "We built it," she says, gesturing around her with a careless wave of her hand. "The Wendigo, and Ciuraq. I was full with child, and not much help. The baby was born on the day we called the spirits to open the house."
Yi rolls the cup around in her hand, looking about again. "Ah... how impolite of me. I forgot to bring a gift, for the child." She closes her eyes in a bit of regret, then opens them.
Jacinta blinks in mild surprise, then holds her hand out for the cup. "It has been many months. There is no need for a gift."
Yi looks back down to the cup, then to the hand, and puts two and two together. Slowly, she hands over the cup. "But, it would be good fortune. And many months passing does not mean there cannot be gifts." She smiles, and straightens. "I will think about something appropriate for my lack of preparation." She says this in one of those insistent manners, turning towards the door. "I remember you told me the baby's name once. But I found it hard to remember. Aket... Aketachunak, I think it was."
Jacinta says "Ii. That is my family name. He is Joshua Waasuk Quliriyuli Aketachunak."
"Joshua!" Yi knows that name. Or at least, she can pronounce it. Her fist taps lightly into her open palm, and then both fall lax to her side for the moment. "Well. I will find something good for him, yes." She smiles broadly, and takes a few more steps towards the flap over the door. "Oh, yes," she says she pauses there, the flap briefly held open. "Do you mind if I.. swim in the lake? Just for a few minutes."
Jacinta looks down at her own hands, then up at Yi. There is hesitation in her eyes, though none in her voice as she answers. "Ii. You may."
Yi smiles again, and nods. She's there just a moment longer, and then bursts towards the lake with a wild 'yip!' that can be heard, first in her human voice, and then again in a rather 'yote like call. Sounds like she ran past the reeds and woke a few sleeping birds in there too, as their alarms spring up. It's followed by a prompt splash, though perhaps not quite as audible past the flap of the longhouse.
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