|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 9:50:31 GMT 1
As if on cue, the 'faggot following owl' dropped out of the sky and landed, much to Slit-Throat's dismay I'm sure, right next to him. He was in Crinos, so he greeted them with the mother's tongue. "You're back," he said to Cloud-Dancer. "And in one piece. I'm relieved." He had started to feel safer when he knew there were more ranking Garou around. The younger ones seemed scattered, and needed to be given time to find themselves. "Who are your friends?" he looked curiously at the two strangers and gave them a respectful nod. After all, he didn't know their ranks yet, but they didn't look like children. One of them looked scarred and old enough to be an elder. "On behalf of Owl, I welcome you to his Caern of Wisdom," he said to them.
|
|
|
Post by Corinna Cannstein on Oct 23, 2009 9:54:02 GMT 1
Cloud-Dancer shifted to homid and gave Danny a smile. She felt it more appropriate to let her ranking Tribemate introduce himself. After all, Danny had likely heard their names in the introduction already, and was really just waiting for them to tell them who they were.
|
|
|
Post by Konstantin on Oct 23, 2009 9:58:07 GMT 1
Konstantin had to admit he was impressed about this winged garou and his entrance. He briefly looked at Slit-Throat and submissively sank into back. Whatever he did, it seemed that old wolf would scold him anyways.
Konstantin kept his silence and raised his head. He would have time to introduce himself after the formalities too.
|
|
|
Post by Heinrich Von Ludendorff on Oct 23, 2009 10:11:45 GMT 1
Slit-Throat groaned, this time out loud. "I am ahroun of Fenrir. My name is Slit-Throat Packmangler and I am known as one of athro amongst my people. Let me guess; you're Tinker Bell?" Slit-Throat rasped. He gave a warning look at Konstantin, but this time could not think anything to say to him. Good, cliath was starting to learn.
"Even with those fancy, flippety-flappety wings and even after Cloud-Dancer howled our approach, it took you this long to come to us?" Slit-Throat shook his head. "Where is your backup? Don't tell me you came to us alone just to show off your fancy feathers?"
"What if we would have been Black Spiral Dancers? Mimicking her howl?" Slit-Throat was clearly dissappointed now. And his sept was supposed to give these clowns a Moonpath? "You would have flown back to muster your forces as we would have burned this place to the ground? Howled a warning from above and got shot down?" Slit-Throat barraged with almost whispering growl.
"Where is your leader? I don't like this at all and I want to have a word with him about the 'security' you have here."
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 10:48:47 GMT 1
"If you were Black Spiral Dancers," Danny said simply. "You would not have made it past my guardians." He was usually not an easy wolf to anger, but things were starting to change. Losing the support of his Septmates had changed the circumstances. "I am this Sept's leader and Warder," he said. "Galliard and Athro among our people. Don't forget, Fenrir, you are on my turf here. If you have something to say, you can say it to me."
|
|
|
Post by Corinna Cannstein on Oct 23, 2009 10:58:45 GMT 1
The tension was so thick, Cloud-Dancer was sure she could slice through it with her axe, if she tried. She didn't like where this was going. Danny was an old friend, and Slit-Throat a respected superior. She placed a hand on Silverforge's shoulder and took a step back away from the two, pulling the Cliath with her as she did. She knew better than to interrupt, and so did he.
|
|
|
Post by Heinrich Von Ludendorff on Oct 23, 2009 11:13:13 GMT 1
"Good, saves me the trouble of finding the 'boss' then." Slit-Throat growled "Who are 'your' people then, too ashamed of them to declare them openly? You didn't even tell your name, does your name have bad history you want to keep hidden?" ((ooc: Visage of Fenris))
"If you indeed are athro, you should well know how easy it is to fool spirit guardians. Even one competent theurge can silence them, even one fetish can fool them." Slit-Throat grinned at this punk. "And if you call the bunch of wretched lone wolves as your guardians, you should well be aware that without support of their packs they are very easily overwhelmed, silenced or even corrupted."
"I can already see that you clearly are a minstrel, not a warrior. And even if you could hold your own in a fight, you definitely are not a general if you have missed things like those."
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 11:27:40 GMT 1
"My guardians have kept this Caern safe for the past year," Danny said. "Not one Black Spiral Dancer has been able to make it to where you are standing now. Owl is the silent watcher, nobody enters his sacred land without him knowing. If not for Cloud-Dancer, every Garou at this Caern would have stopped you before you crossed the bawn's limit.”
He looked curiously at Cloud-Dancer, trying to read her reaction and maybe get some idea what this Fenrir was really doing here. He looked back at Slit-Throat.
“If you are here to strengthen these defenses, I am honoured to take your the advice of an Ahroun and Fenrir with your experience. I am a warrior, and a leader, because times have demanded it from me. I cannot deny that it has not always been my calling. But things have changed. Our people are your people, the Garou Nation. My tribe are the Silent Striders, Children of Owl, Keeper of this Caern. And I am Walks-with-Death, Warder of this Caern, defender of Berlin, and warrior of Gaia.”
|
|
|
Post by Heinrich Von Ludendorff on Oct 23, 2009 11:53:57 GMT 1
"Pretty words." Slit-Throat snorted "You do know that there is a reason why the offices of Sept Alfa and Warder are separated?"
"The WALL has kept this caern safe for the past year. So, you were ONE of the garou who liberated the caern, thumbs up for that, but seriously, these 'defences' just would not stand against determined assault." Slit-Throat growled. "Caern might be unassailed, yet. How about those attacks on kinfolk? They happened on your side of the Wall. Or the abductions?"
"Owl is silent watcher. Sometimes a bit too silent. Every message can be blocked or fooled. You probably could barely keep mere humans out if a single Spiral theurge would do his mojo here. And if Spirals have access to similar fetish than... let's say Bane Skin... What is your plan then? Get surprised in kitchen with a carrot in your mouth and wonder what the hell is happening?"
"I don't care if every garou at the caern would come to fray if they are a bunch of loners, with pack-tactics they would be ridiculously easy to overcome even with inferior numbers. And to make your situation even worse, you have sent your only loyal functional pack away somewhere and alienated your warpack to protect a SPIRAL Cub!"
"You seriously think yourself as a wartime leader? As a 'defender of Berlin'?"
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 12:11:47 GMT 1
Danny's eyes narrowed. “Do you think I don't know that?” he snarled. “I have taken both posts out of necessity, because until last month, the only people ready to stand here to protect this city have been a Fostern Fenrir and handful of Cliaths. When you were safe in the south, we were fighting with the only resources we had. Now you come up here and look around, and tell me our defenses are inadequate? Where were you when these kids were dying up here?”
He didn't reply to the other accusations, partly because Slit-Throat was right, a group of lone wolves would not stand against a single Spiral pack. Even pattern spiders had almost taken them down. But he didn't need to explain his decisions to him. And even if he wanted to, he probably couldn't tell him that he sent Dämmerlicht off to chase a ghost.
But the mention of his failures, which had led not only to the Sept to be split up, but also to the death of his kin, stirred the rage in him, and he growled. “My kin, you mean,” he continued. “Who died protecting one of your tribe! Who was found in his home while he slept because the Spirals tracked her!”
|
|
|
Post by Heinrich Von Ludendorff on Oct 23, 2009 12:19:27 GMT 1
"You think we have been just sitting around? Look at me and tell me I haven't fought!" Slit-Throat roared as he tore his shirt with his only hand to show the extension of his scars. He even removed the bandage around his throat that had been slit with silver. "You work with what you got! If there is just one fostern and bunch of cliaths, you do not turn into tyrant and take all the positions to yourself to make sure you don't get ousted!"
"I don't give a shit about who is who's kin and who belongs to what Tribe! This is has been YOUR caern, it has been YOUR duty to protect them! Where was your Owl when the Spiral tracked her? You just told me nothing like that can happen without you noticing it!"
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 12:48:06 GMT 1
“They do what they can,” Danny did not need to show his own scars. Those were theatrics better left for the Fenrir. “I have taken these positions as duty to my totem. If all I wanted was power, I would have stayed in the south and played advisor to a Sept leader. I answered a call to war. You sent children to die in your place. Do you think I don't know that the only warrior you sent, you sent because you wanted him out of your way.”
The accusation shouldn't have been aimed at Slit-Throat, but rather at the Blood Fist's Sept Alpha. However, Slit-Throat was there, and Hunter's Heart wasn't.
“Whatever wars you have going on in the South, they are nothing compared to what we have survived here,” he said. He threw a look at Cloud-Dancer. She would have told him, he was sure. “Don't be a fool,” he said. “Do you think I can follow everyone in this city home to ensure they are safe? The warpack and I have done everything possible to keep this city from being overrun. A guardian stands at every checkpoint in the Umbra, there are no less than seven Garou at the library at this very moment, and the spirit guardians never leave the bawn. I have never, in over a year of being here, left my post at this Caern for more than a minute.”
He had a sneaking suspicion he was missing Slit-Throat's real intention. He never missed that. “What is it you are really here for?” he asked finally. “What did your boss send you here to do?”
|
|
|
Post by Heinrich Von Ludendorff on Oct 23, 2009 13:05:00 GMT 1
"I do know that. And we should not have sent even him, it was not my choice. Berlin is just a one battle in a global war, don't think yourself so fucking special with all that crap. We all fight on our fronts and we all die on our fronts. There are places far worse than Berlin. Putting all these cliaths and cubs here can endanger our whole future as species here. They need strong leadership. They need to learn fast."
"If you can't follow things like that, then you have overstepped your capabilities. You've taken up duties but you have no time to actually fulfil them." Slit-Throat said bluntly. "Hunter's Heart sent me to see can we trust to share a moonbridge with you. If you get overrun, you would endanger the whole network of caerns. And I am VERY disappointed on what I have seen and heard thus far. I have clearly told you where you lack, and you just play with your fancy words to dance around subjects."
"And I, personally, came here to ensure my old home won't fall again."
|
|
|
Post by Danny on Oct 23, 2009 13:19:25 GMT 1
“You are not willing to send support, you are not willing to open the bridge. How are you supporting your brothers at the front lines of the war? That is what Berlin is, the front line, the only Gaian city in the middle of Wyrm territory. So yes, we are pretty damn special. I didn't call these Cliaths here, they came of their own accord, and they asked to help. I never questioned their motives, I never forced them to fight, and I never turned them away. Maybe you should stay and listen to their stories before you judge the Sept inadequate.”
“I already told you, we would be honoured to receive your help. You are a true war leader, I am just a Galliard who was led here by his totem. You think I don't know I'm in over my head? But what can I do? The country has turned its back on us. My allies are foreigners and travellers. But it seems even they care about this city more than our country's leaders. You want to really make sure your home doesn't fall? Then tell your leaders to open the bridge, so we can receive help when we are threatened, so we can get the cubs out of here.”
|
|
David
Cub
Lord Frostfang
Posts: 134
|
Post by David on Oct 23, 2009 13:24:37 GMT 1
As David heard the commotion close to where he was sparring, and also hearing Cloud-Dancer howl, he looked at Martin and said, "I'll be going over to check out what's happening. I think Cloud-Dancer is here as well." David walked over to where Danny and Slit-Throat were arguing. When he saw Cloud-Dancer, he walked over to her and asked her in a whisper, "What's going on with Danny and that other guy?" He saw Silverforge as well and said to him, "I'm David Frostfang, of the Silver Fangs. Who are you?"
David thought of interfering, but decided against it with the way Slit-Throat was becoming with Danny. David thought to himself, "If I interfere I'll likely get bashed upside the head for my trouble. Besides, Danny can handle himself." David decided that if Danny started fighting with the newcomer, he would side with Danny and help him if he asked. He kept standing next to Cloud-Dancer as he watched the two.
|
|