The Gathering for The Departed

[Shehrazad]

(Tag anyone who's decided to attend)

By the time everyone was ready and gathered, the day had dragged on and the sun had started to make its way slowly towards the horizon. In the The Unmentionable sun, Danny gathered the Sept to join in easing Zachary's spirit on to the next life.
They stood in a circle in the clearing, silently for now. At the centre of the circle lay Zachary's treasured knife, with blood still splattered across the blade. But that was all that they had left of him now.

Danny didn't speak, even after all of them had gathered, but left the floor open for Shadow-Stalker to open the rite.

Kamut began the rite by taking a solemn step forward and picking up the knife.

"For us, death is not the end," he said. "That is why we honour and praise our fallen, not mourn them. Born from Dark Wish gave his life for the Garou Nation. He wanted nothing more than that, to give his life for a higher cause.
Remember him as you can, and help us remember."
Then he handed the knife, handle first, to the first person on his right in the circle.
"Let these memories strengthen his spirit and guide it towards whatever is to come."

(I won't specify an actual order so people can just post when they're online or feeling inspired. But the knife will go around the circle, and everyone will be expected to say something.)

[Adran]

Adran took the knife from Kamut and closed his eyes. He was a Galliard, and even though he didn't know Zachary at all, he could still send his spirit on.

"I didn't know Zachary, but what I do know is that he made the greatest sacrifice of all. This Garou made it possible for the rest of the pack he was with to survive. He had no ties to the pack and yet was willing to give his life for them. For all of us, this is the greatest ideal one can live up to. If you are willing to sacrifice all you have for the Garou Nation, for your sept, and for a foreign pack. You are truly worthy of being a defender of Gaia. It is true that we have lost another precious Garou, but think of all that have been saved through his actions.
Through him, we can win the war here in Berlin. He was also a credit to his tribe. A Shadow Lord that was willing to help others with nothing in return except for this Gathering is a credit to his own tribe.
I may not be a good warrior, but I can see that Gaia blessed him with the final fight for our survival and he used that blessing well. For his actions, Berlin will once again become a bastion of strength for the Garou and we will win this war against the Wyrm. This Ahroun will never be forgotten, and so I send his spirit these words which will speed him to Gaia."

"You are the proof of the greatest ideal in existence. Many lives are here today for what you have done for Gaia. From your example, WE WILL SHOW THE WYRM WHAT YOUR ACTIONS MEAN TO US!"

[Jona]

Jona stood next to the new guy, and took the knife from him when he passed it on. He smiled a little at the Galliard's generous words. He wished nobody ever had to learn the truth, that Zachary had died because they had walked into a trap. Because they had rushed in with no proper planning, and then left him behind to chase the enemy.
Jona pulled himself out of his thoughts, because he was holding the knife now and everyone was expecting him to speak.

"Uhm," he hesitated. "Zachary did his best. He wanted to carry the Raven Banner himself. Who knows. If he had survived, maybe he would've. He certainly had the b-- courage. I don't think he was afraid of anything... except failure. And he didn't fail."

He flipped the knife around, so he was holding it by the blade, and passed it on.

[Simeon]

Simeon took the knife next and hefted it lightly in his hands as he looked at it. Of those gathered here, he was in the position of actually knowing the kid pretty well. His faults, his good points.

" Zachary was a warrior born, and wanted to prove that he was. Always eager to help out and pull his weight." even if it didn't always work out that way, Simeon thought to himself " I had the 'unique' privilege of working with him one on one, and he proved eager to do and eager to learn. With time, he would have been a great warrior, but Gaia has chosen to call him home sooner rather than later. I regret not getting to see him become what he could have been, but I do not begrudge him his place in Gaia's arms."

That said he passed the knife on to the next person in the circle.

[Jessika]

Jess takes the knife next, and looks at it a moment. It rather goes against her contrary nature to use a weapon to hold the memories of an Ahroun, but then she's not the one leading this Rite, she reminds herself. She swiftly dismisses the eulogy He died as he lived: flailing around in the darkness as far too likely to get her arse kicked so hard she'd land back in Freiburg, and says instead "He didn't value his life as much as he should have done, but he died getting us one step closer to a whole, healed city. So he did make himself useful, like he wanted."

[Emelie]

Em took the knife, and passed it on with a murmured "I didn't know him well enough I think to give an accounting of him." Which was true....and it was better to say nothing and seem wise than to say a lot and be a fool.

[Anna]

Anna took the knife, feeling a little out of place up until Emelie spoke. At least she wasn't alone here in not knowing Zachary.

"I didn't know him either," she admitted. "But from what you have said, it sounds like he died in service to the pack."

Just like so many before him. She looked down at the knife. They had lost a lot of friends in the city. She remembered their lives with joy, their deaths with sorrow, and their sacrifice with pride. That was how she would remember Zachary, even if all she knew was his name, tribe and auspice.

She passed the knife on.

[Ben Jaworski]

Ben took it with a nod of thanks.

"I appreciate the kind words," he said. "Zach had trouble expressing himself, and keeping control of his rage. This made working with others difficult for him, but he still tried. I was often harsh with him, but that was only because I knew he could do better. I am sorry that I will never see him become the Ahroun he had the potential to become. He could have made the tribe proud some day."

[Hands of Mercy]

((Could this be inserted for Hands of Mercy please? I am too busy to reliably be able to muster the creative juices for all my characters at once.))

Hands of Mercy takes the knife and speaks surely. "It is a sad tale that too few of us know anything about Born of a Dark Wish's life, only his death. It is as Blood in the Rubble said, he did not value his own life, placing all others before him. But for all his self-doubt, he died doing Gaia's work, and perhaps in death his spirit will see his worth more clearly than he did in life. He will not have died in vain."

[Danny]

Finally, Danny took the knife.

"When I first met Zachary, I took him flying," he said. "He was terrified of the idea but he insisted anyway, despite the fact there were others more willing to do it. He might have been afraid, but he mastered his fear.
His life and death are now part of the history of this Caern. As long as it lives, so will his memory."

He handed the knife back to Shadow-Stalker, who took it and walked back to the centre.
Without a word, he shifted to Glabro and broke the blade in half, releasing all the memories and and emotions into the forest, and into the spirit world.
Then he buried the broken knife in the dirt, and that ended the gathering for the departed.

[Shehrazad]

Of course I missed someone.
I'm very sorry about that, and here are the new threads.

Anna and Hands of Mercy, go here
Wissenfalken and Adran, go here