Morgan & Sophie's Rite of Passage Finale

4/19/2006

02:53 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waning Half Moon phase (57% full).
It is currently 14:43 Pacific Time on Wed Apr 19 2006.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from variable directions at 3 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.05 and falling, and the relative humidity is 42 percent. The dewpoint is 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius.)

Grotto(#2863RJ)
The woods part suddenly, here, amidst the quiet roar of falling water. A wide stream spills over the edge of a rocky face that is the western edge of a hill some thirty feet high. The stones are worn smooth with the passing of time, and are slick with moisture and soft mosses, but a climb up the drier rocks would not be impossible, and there is a sense of space behind the falls.
A wide pool has been carved into the earth by the rushing waters, and the tall trees have grown out around it, sheltering the grotto in a pleasantly-cool shade. Rocks, hewn from the cliff face and shouldered along the path of the stream, form a rough ring around the edge of the pool and guide the flow of water further westwards, again deeper into the woods. All manner of animal tracks are visible in the sandier areas of shore; the trees crouch close against the edge of the stream again as it passes further west, muting the dull thunder of the falls.
Faint trails, between the trees, lead off in all directions, while a determined climb eastwards would crest the rock face.
Contents:
Morgan
Cole
Obvious exits:
Forest  Up the Cliff  

The afternoon sun is partially hidden by the clouds, sending the Grotto into a softly-shadowed haze. Cole paces back and forth across the place, nervous energy obvious in his movements. He seems to have trouble waiting for the start of the Rite, having already informed Morgan of where she was to be.

Morgan's arrival is heralded by the crunch of old shoes on new grass and twigs. She's hunch shouldered, as if she were trying to disappear into her oversized coat, with one hand holding the old, battered thing closed. Her jaw is tense and set, and her expression, always generally blank, seems even more unreadable than ever.

Runner arrives 'early' by the sense of, before nightfall. Having shifted to the Crinos form, the Gnawer has placed an item in each of the cardinal directions. To the north, a hollowed out bird's bone. The south lies a fist sized rock taken from the path along the stream. The west lies two sticks set to point in that direction, and to the east a freshly gathered pile of leaves. The ritemaster stands in the center, holding in her claws a mirror that she twists and turns to catch the light while she waits. Once Morgan has arrived, she regards the metis and looks to the Fianna elder. ~Only one?~

Cole nods in return to Runner. "Yes, Runner-rhya. If you don't mind, I'd rather each of them get their own Rite." So saying, the Elder rises into Crinos as well. ~As they started alone, they'll end alone.~

Morgan's nostrils flare as she regards Runner carefully, never lifting her eyes above chest level, and then the objects that have been gathered, and finally Cole himself. Her fingers tighten momentarily on the coat, and then she too shifts upward into her birthform, where she promptly hugs herself and hunches even further.

Runner draws in a long breath, and dips her muzzle in a nod to the Fianna elder. ~One hopes that in the end, we are not alone,~ the ragabash plays off of, a mild smile forming around her toothy maw. She steps out of the circle, and gestures of the cub to stand where she stood.

A toothy grin, almost a nervous baring of teeth, is Howls-for-Glory's response. He looks to Fire-Eyes and nods to her. ~Not in life, no. But the end of childhood is a deeply personal, sacred time. I would give them the chance to experience it by themselves.~

Fire-Eyes flattens her ears and steps forward, taking up the spot Runner indicates. She straightens a little as she moves, mostly because she would topple over if she tried to remain quite that bent while walking, but when she reaches the spot she doesn't hunker down again. She does lower her muzzle and give a brief, curious sniff.

Runner takes the mirror in her claws, and lifts it skywards so that it reflects up. With a flick of her ear, the ragabash barks out a wildly sharp yelp, one that sounds like a call or an attention getter. Then the mirror is thrown skywards, so far that only its glimmer remains as it spins and catches the sun. When it falls back down to the earth, it lands with a soft thud upon the grass. The Gnawer treads to where it fell, looks down upon it, and then looks to the metis. ~As expected. Start your tale to the East, young one. Tell of who you are, and what you have done. Show Gaia you are worthy of your birthright.~

Howls-For-Glory watches the Ragabash as she goes about the beginnings of the ritual, looking enthralled by those small details. When she speaks to Fire-Eyes, he turns his gaze to her as well. He gives another silent nod, communicating his encouragement.

The metis remains still for a moment, before licking her muzzle nervously and turning, as instructed, toward the east and the pile of leaves. Her gaze falls on these, and remains there. ~...I am Bug,~ she starts, hesitantly. ~My mother was Fianna. My father was probably Fianna. So I'm metis. And my first teacher was Quiet-Glade, and she was Fianna too.~ She pauses here, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

At the same time as the metis' growling begins, the Gnawer takes a spot at the south, picking up the rock. There is no encouragement from her - only a strong focus and minor prayer-like rumblings.

Howls-For-Glory settles down onto his haunches, making himself comfortable as he listens intently to the younger Galliard's tale. His grey eyes never leave the cub, though he doesn't glare at her.

~When I came here, it was hot,~ Fire-Eyes continues. ~And I was still Bug. Seeker-rhya said I was not tainted, so I could stay. I stayed on the Bawn, and then Howls-for-Glory-rhya came, and I stayed in the Barn for a long time. And then eventually I could stay in the house too. I learned lots of things. Cub things, and fight things, and lots and lots of human things. Once, when the Wyrm came to the bawn, I squished a very little Wyrm-thing. And then it started to get colder, and I met Twilight-rhya, and he did not like my name. He said I should not be Bug, and to find another. So then Howls-for-Glory-rhya took me to a forest far from here in a car, and he gave me a new name, and I killed two Wyrm-things that were bigger and hurt, and one ran away but Howls-for-Glory-rhya killed it. And so I'm Eyes-of-Fire too.~

Fire-Eyes hesitates, nose twitching, before she begins again, still slow, still, at least for a crinos, rather quiet. ~Howls-for-Glory-rhya brought us here one day. Guards-Flame-rhya started the Rite, and Howls-for-Glory-rhya gave us tasks. He said I must find stories of other Rites of Passage, one from every tribe here and one from every auspice, and I must remember and tell them to him. Some Garou did not have me do things to earn the stories, and some did, and I always offered. Some wanted another story, and some wanted me to prove I would...I would respect their stories, and tell them right. And I found them all, and I went to the city to find a few, and I brought them back to Howls-for-Glory-rhya.~

Howls-For-Glory inclines his heavy head at this. ~It is true,~ he interjects, stating no more.

Runner holds the rock out in front of her, and then drops it so that it lands back in the spot she picked it up from. ~So are the beginnings of Eyes-of-Fire, born from the cursed fire of two Garou's passions,~ she can be heard to rumble. As the metis continues to tell her tale, Yi moves to the westernly position, and picks up the sticks from the ground and undergoes the same process. The sticks are lightly rubbed against each other, creating a soft grating noise of bark against bark. ~Turn to the South, and continue,~ she tells the cub.

Fire-Eyes 's tone turns rather dubious as she turns toward the instructed direction, and keeps going. ~Then Howls-for-Glory-rhya said I also had to tell a story at the Moot, to everyone. I was scared.~ She pauses again, sniffs. ~I thought a long time, and then I asked Ears-rhya for another story. I asked for the story of the Caern and the Sept, because...because I heard lots of things, sometimes, that made me think the story should be known. It was a very long story. I told all of it to the Moot.~

Howls-For-Glory listens on intently, chuffing in agreement here and there but generally remaining unobtrusive throughout.

Runner looks upon the metis with a furrowing brow, but pauses to set down the sticks so that they remain in the place they were before. ~So are the words of Eyes-of-Fire, keeper of tales and singer of songs.~ She moves to the hollow bird bone set in the north direction and picks that up now. ~Turn west, and continue,~ she tells the cub.

Fire-Eyes turns west, and inhales carefully. ~Our last task, Howls-for-Glory-rhya took us far away. Seasons-Change-yuf, and Smart-Thing. He said to go, and that we would find the Wyrm, and that we had to take care of it.~ Her brow wrinkles. ~We found a farmhouse, like our farmhouse but old and ugly, and there was a man there and he was strange, and had a strange human gun thing. We went inside, because we weren't sure he was Wyrm, but then he attacked us and he had Wyrm eyes. We killed him. And there were other human Wyrm things in the house, and we killed them too, when they attacked us. And then...~ she trails off for a moment, her ears splaying to either side.

Runner flickers an ear, glancing up with the cub trails off.

Howls-For-Glory leans forward, ears pricking up intently.

~There was a human on a bed,~ Fire-Eyes continues, hesitantly. ~She was very...she looked...she smelled very good. The Wyrm-things had made it so she could not get up from the bed.~ She makes a little vague motion with her claws. ~She wanted us to free her, but it was strange because we were in crinos and she was not afraid. Seasons-Change-yuf said we should kill her. Smart-Thing said we should not, and find out why she wasn't afraid. I wanted to find things out too, but we didn't have time. I shifted, and she said the other things had changed too, and then there was a loud noise and Seasons-Change-yuf killed the human. Then a big, big Wyrm thing came into the room, and we all attacked and killed it.~

~So are the glories of Eyes-of-Fire, Chosen protector of Gaia.~ Runner herself looks a bit uncomfortable for a moment, before she sets the bone down. ~Turn and face me,~ she tells the cub, waiting until she has turned before continuing aloud. ~We have heard your tale. Howls-For-Glory, elder of the Fianna tribe. Do you feel this cub has grown, and proven herself worthy of the first rank?~

Howls-For-Glory pulls himself up, flicking his gaze briefly to Runner before finally settling on Eyes-of-Fire. ~I do, Gauntlet-Runner-rhya. She is ready, and has proven herself an adult amongst the Fianna and the Garou Nation.~ His thick arms cross over his chest. ~It has been a long road.~

Fire-Eyes turns once more as instructed, and remains silent as both elder Garou speak. She's mostly motionless as well, though her ears swivel forward, and her nose quivers.

Runner grunts at the elder's reply. ~Gather to you the things which lie on the ground, the same way you told your tale,~ she tells the cub with an indication of the items placed on the ground, starting with the leaves. Meanwhile, she crosses to the mirror on the ground and picks it up.

Howls-For-Glory stands mutely, watching as Fire-Eyes and Runner move through the ritual.

Fire-Eyes looks faintly baffled by these instructions, but she follows them as she has the others--starting with the leaves in the east, and continuing on around the circle until she's reached the last object. She's ginger about picking them up, as if they were made of glass, and she makes no attempt to do so with her lower arms.

Runner grasps the mirror in both hands, holding it skywards again, and howls. ~Gaia, Mother of all! Hear your humble servant! Spirits, brothers and sisters of the realms beyond! Listen to me, for tonight, a cub has died!~ The song is low and dirgelike, but soon picks up. ~A warrior is born!~ The Gnawer takes her claws and scratches a wrist, producing a rivulet of blood from her arm. This blood she uses to paint a glyph upon the mirror's face, and then she walks up to the metis and presses the painted mirror to the cub's forehead. ~Close your eyes. Feel your connection to the Mother. She will tell you when it is time to open them.~

Fire-Eyes's ears flatten again. She momentarily flinches away from the mirror itself, just ever so slightly, and she stops before one can really register that she started at all. Her eyelids drop as soon as that particular instruction is given.

When her eyes close, it is with the heaviness of sleep. Runner stands there, holding the mirror still, pressed to the metis' head.

The feeling of each item being held in Fire-Eyes' hands disappears, and instead it is replaced with knowledge. Gifts come to her in a series of visions. The rock changes into an understanding of how to fortify herself against the most dangerous of toxins so that they won't affect her. The sticks are instead, Stag's antlers vibrating in the wind, filling the mind with a tuneless song that connects all minds to her own. The birdbone seems to whistle only in her ears, warning of the Serpent's dangerous aura, penetrating so deeply that it would be her own bones that whistle with such a song of danger. The leaves drop one by one, four in all, and the visions cease. The heaviness upon her lids lifts and she can once more open her eyes. ~Has the Mother blessed you?~ she asks the galliard.

The metis's breathing intensifies as each one of these sensations occurs, but when she opens her eyes, her breath is very shallow indeed. She looks faraway, and as though she has to consciously dredge herself back to the here and now. Runner's question receives only a very small nod in reply.

Howls-For-Glory's eyes take on a faraway expression as well, though he seems to be lost in the past, rather than the present. The Elder of the Fianna's chest seems to swell with pride, and a long held breath streams faintly from his nostrils.

Runner gently takes each of the items from the metis then, dropping them upon the ground. The mirror is plucked off, set upon the small pile. The imprint of a glyph for the Fianna has been transferred onto the fur of the metis' forehead, the blood there drying. The Gnawer sees this and steps aside, gesturing for Cole to come forth. ~Join your tribemate then, Stag's child. Recognize her, as the Mother has recognized her child.~

Howls-For-Glory moves toward the newly-minted Cliath with alacrity, his bearing one of pride and excitement. His ears are perked forward. "Eyes-of-Fire, though you earned your name in your first fight against the minions of the Wyrm, it is no longer appropriate. Your childhood is behind, and you are an adult. Your connection to your anger, your Rage has always been strong. It has sometimes caused you problems, but in times of crisis it has driven you to heights none ever expected of you. You are a warrior in your own right. And I sense something deeper within you. You harness those feelings and drives when you sing a tale, or even make your marks upon the stone. And so, my sister, I name you Song-of-Luna. May your anger always strengthen your arm and embolden your tales.~

Fire-Eyes turns toward Howls-for-Glory as he approaches. Habit is a hard thing to break, and so her ears remain flattened, and her shoulders slightly hunched, and her entire form subtly just that much more submissive to her elder. She's quiet for several long moments after the other Fianna has finished speaking, until finally, ~...Thank you, Howls-for-Glory-rhya.~

Runner lifts her muzzle skywards, bursting out into a howling song of welcome and triumph. ~Song-of-Luna joins us! Glory, Wisdom and Honor to her, Cliath Galliard of the Fianna!~

Howls-For-Glory's howl rings out only a moment later. It's a sound of welcome, and of exultant joy. ~Glory, Wisdom and Honor to Song-of-Luna!~ He keeps the howl going as long as he can, resonant and rich in tone.

The newly dubbed Song-of-Luna makes a few false, thready starts, before she manages to lift her own, rough howl in chorus with the other two. Mostly because she started later, hers is the last to die down, and when it does, she scratches at the fur on her throat and looks to one side.

Runner claps a clawed hand - the non bloody one - on the new Fianna's shoulder and rumbles encouragingly. ~Welcome to your new life.~ Then, looking to Howls-For-Glory, the Gnawer notes, ~I will prepare for the next. If she comes.~ The ragabash gathers the materials and then moves down to the small stream to wash the mirror.

Howls-For-Glory lifts his muzzle once more when he catches his breath. ~Seasons-Change! Come before your family in the Grotto!~ He pitches his howl to make certain that it carries as far as possible. After this, he looks toward Song-of-Luna. ~For this time, call me Howls-for-Glory-yuf. I am no longer your -rhya. Only your Elder.~ He nods heavily to Runner.

Seasons-Change lopes in from the nearby bawn. She steps cautiously and with reverence, tail tucked low and ears pricked forward. I am here.

Fire-Eyes ducks her head and brushes Howls-for-Glory's arm lightly, shyly with her claws. ~Still my -rhya,~ she mumbles, quiet enough that it might be hard to understand even standing right there. Then her gaze flicks to Seasons-Change as she arrives.

Howls-For-Glory takes a moment to smile as best he can in the savage Crinos when he makes out the words. ~If you wish, Song-of-Luna.~ When Seasons-Change arrives, he chuffs. ~Welcome. Your sister, Song-of-Luna, has just completed her Rite of Passage. It is our intention that you undergo your own now. Gauntlet-Runner-rhya has been kind enough to perform the ritual.~ The Bone Gnawer receieves a respectful nod.

Runner's indication that she's heard Howls is her tail swishing behind her with a pleased tilt. She finishes washing the mirror, but instead of going back to the Fianna further on the bank, she gestures for the newly arrived cub to come forth to the pool. ~The phase of the moon tonight echoes yours, if my memory is right. Tonight will be specially blessed for you, if you are favored. Join me.~ She wades into the pool about up to her lower waist.

Seasons-Change first shifts to Crinos, better for wading, and steps into the pool with the other. She casts a glance back to the others, but remains otherwise silent.

~First,~ Runner indicates as she holds up the washed mirror, ~look into this mirror. See yourself. Then look beyond, to what you will be. Step sideways when you are ready.~

Before Seasons crosses, Runner dips her hand into the waters of the pool and sprinkles some droplets onto the cub like a ritualistic purification. She rumbles some small phrases, not with any clear meaning, but the sound reverberating through her like the falls that feed the pool, a constant background.

There's more to the act of stepping sideways it seems. The going is slow through the Gauntlet, but when those that follow the cub to the other side have done so, both Gnawer and Fianna halfmoon stand in the middle of the Grotto with a greater sense of awareness. The Gnawer moves to the shore, beckoning the cub to follow. ~Spirits!~ She howls out. ~Come and see the one who would prove herself worthy of your knowledge! She has done great deeds for one so young! Come!~ Her howls fill the air, again loud and attention getting, nonstop.

Howls-For-Glory follows along behind Runner and Seasons-Change, shaking heavily as he parts the barrier of the Gauntlet at last. He straightens, watching as Seasons-Change wades out into the water and the sounds swell.

Fire-Eyes remains to the side and slightly behind Howls-for-Glory, watching the scene mutely, but with obvious fascination. There is a faint but undeniable sense of relief to her body-language, however, with her part being done.

Seasons-Change looks around once she's stepped, amazed and in awe. She follows closely with the Gnawer.

It takes some time. Runner does just about everything. Song. Dance. Wild, erratic barks and yips. There's a sense that the spirits are looking at her like she's crazy, but soon she does attract a few spirits. The first to arrive is a Raven, black form flitting down from above with a laughing caw. The bird spirit lands on a nearby rock, preening its feathers and peering with furtive glances at the halfmoon and her would-be tribemates who have also stepped across.

Howls-For-Glory, if he finds it funny, shows no sign of it at all. He merely watches with rapt attention as the spirits gradually join the group.

Seasons-Change stands there quiet and still, watching everything as it happens around her.

*Funny, funny,* gruks the raven, not staying for very long upon the rock, but quickly flapping its wings and flitting up into the air. Its raucous calls shatter the silence and push the wind spirits around, and eventually it divebombs down and backwings back onto the ground. Other eyes can be seen soon, peeking out of the branches, sometimes the branches themselves peeking with no eyes at all. ~Yes, yes, call the others,~ the Gnawer encourages quietly, before looking to the cub. ~Raven is a discoverer of secrets, and keeps them. Some say he is a trickster, and that he holds much knowledge. That raven has come because he can teach you many things. But it is up to you to convince him to do so. What will you say to Raven, to prove you are worth the knowledge he holds?~

[Due to OOC constraints, the rest was handwaved. Sophie was dubbed Finds-Truth.]

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