The Pack Fractures and Shadows Grow Returning from learning of the history of the the pack, Redmane, Erzsebet, and Thomas discuss what must now be done.

On the way back to Erzsebet's Den, Thomas has for some reason taken up to nipping at Redmane's tail now and then. Most likely, the wolf is bored. "So ... now that you know a bit more about me, does it match with what you first thought when you met me?" he asks.

"I just thought you were cute and mysterious then," Redmane notes as she trots along. "It usually isn't worth trying to go deeper with men on first impressions."

"And I'm not cute and mysterious now?" Thomas asks, the wolfish grin betraying amusement. "And are you implying I wasn't worth getting to know more?"

"I was only speaking of first impressions, Thomas," Redmane notes. "You stood out as different from the other fey."

"Well, I am unique," Thomas claims as the two walk through the ruins of the old town. All around them yellow eyes watch them.

"I do know you thought I was seeking to get into your bed," Thomas remarks as they head towards the side of town where Erzsebet has made her home. If the staring bothers him, it's not readily apparent.

"No, you know that I said that was the usual reason for men to approach me," Redmane retorts. "I was just testing you."

"For?" Thomas asks.

"For being on a mission," Redmane notes. "You were not easily distracted."

"Sorry, batting eyelashes at me doesn't distract me," Thomas quips. He nips Redmane's tail again, the dashes off into Erzsebet's home.

The she-wolf doesn't reply to that, and just follows Thomas into the den.

Erzsebet's Den
The house itself is all on one level and its rooms are not large. There are no decorations on the bare white walls or around the windows, but a few animal-skin rugs lie on the floors. There is also a small fireplace embedded in one wall. A fire burns dimly in it.

The other two wolves find Erzsebet easily enough, sprawled on one side in front of the low-burning fire, all four legs sticking straight out before her. Her ears flick a little when she hears them enter the house, but she does not turn to greet them. Instead, Redmane can smell something light but sour on the older wolf's body: sorrow. The emotion is not overpowering, but it's there.

"Is something wrong, Erzsebet?" Redmane asks their host.

Thomas goes and settles near the fire, but a bit off to the side. "An underground river could be used to lead some of the pack to safety," he says, acting as if he doesn't notice Erzsebet's scent.

Erzsebet rouses herself at last, sitting up and looking in their direction. I...no, it's nothing to concern yourself with. Just...thoughts I would rather not have. Then she turns yellow eyes towards Thomas. A good find. I told you that I never ventured throughout all the tunnels, so I didn't even know such a thing existed there.

"How far had you gone down the first tunnel though?" Redmane asks. "Did you see the history on the wall?"

The older she-wolf dips her head once. I have seen it, many times. The first was when I was still a pup. My own mother showed me the place.

"Have you shown it to anyone else?" Redmane asks next.

Erzsebet doesn't meet Redmane's eyes now. There was a time when all members of our tribe knew the story of our origins. Yet as the Years went by, other stories replaced the true one and my pack members did not care to seek it out. Eventually, only those descended from the wolf whose image you saw held the truth. And now, when we need that truth the most, no one will hear.

"Do you mean they refuse to go down there and see it for themselves?" Redmane asks in surprise.

"It's ironic that the secret to the survival of both side stems from being unified, not fighting with one another as things are now, Thomas comments, "All out of sheer pride and believe that their way is right."

That is exactly what I mean, Erzsebet replies to Redmane, her grief scenting the air a little more strongly now. I am the last of the original wolf's line - well, excepting your Lord of the December fey. There is no one else to support what I know is true. And since I have dared to speak out against and disobey the elders, no one is inclined to listen to me on this matter, either.

Redmane sits down, and ponders in silence for a moment. "Tell me, Erzsebet; who among the pack would believe it if they saw it?"

"It's about now I really wish I wasn't stuck in this body. I could trick Lord December into seeing the history. It might convince the man to seek an alternate solution to this other than building a force to wipe them out." Thomas says by means of a complaining growl. He idly scratches at the collar on his neck.

"That is still an option," Redmane notes. "I can change back if I choose to.. somehow."

"That might incur the wrath of the pack leaders, though," Thomas points out. "I think Lord December and the pack need to talk ... but how to get them together, grft."

"He need only see Erzsebet to be convinced to talk, I imagine," Redmane says.

Erzsebet seems to consider this for a while, her ears swiveling back and forth on her head. At last, she says slowly, As you may have seen during your transformation, Murienn, not all of our elders agree with what the tribe has been doing to increase our numbers. There are two in particular, Dmitri and his mate, Valeska, who I know do not think this is the right course of action. So perhaps they would believe the story written on the cave's walls, if anyone. If you can get them to enter, of course.

"I have an idea on that, if these wolves still think much as men do," Redmane notes. "If I were to claim the caves as territory for the omegas - such that no other rank was allowed - what would be the reaction?"

"Having it so Lord December meets Erzsebet is easier said than done," Thomas notes to Redmane.

There is the dawning of understanding in Erzsebet's eyes. if you paraded the news about that the territory was better than what the rest of the pack has now, the reaction would be swift - many would come to drive you out of it and take it as their own.

"Would it need to be so bold a statement?" Redmane asks. "I had hoped to house the omegas there in order to smuggle them out if need be, as well. My thought was that a few of the higher rank would come simply to show their dominance."

Then you should choose who to spread the news to wisely, Erzsebet counters. If you mentioned such in front of Angryff, the whole of the betas would know in a matter of minutes. Alphas would be more inclined to only involve those allies they deeply trusted to inspect the territory with them.

"Very well then," Redmane says. "There will be no bold announcement, but overheard whispers and rumor. The omegas want their new sanctuary kept secret."

"And Angryff would likely ignore the pictures and go for blood," Thomas adds a bit grimly. "He does not impress me as someone who cares much for history."

"But would his cohorts be the same?" Redmane asks. "And also.. how good of a swimmer is Angryff?"

"No idea. He likes to talk about how good he is at ... other things," Thomas mutters.

Erzsebet looks at Redmane a little oddly. I have never actually seen him swim at all, so I do not know.

"We should be able to secure the area against those who do not think before they leap then," Redmane notes. "We have the silver sword, and I am about to retrieve my iron one."

Then is there anything you wish for me to do now? Erzsebet asks the other two.

"You sound as if you are preparing for battle," Thomas notes.

"There is a battle ahead no matter what we do, so preparing to defend our escape route is only prudent," Redmane notes.

"I you could take some of the omegas to the cave, it would be helpful, Erzsebet. Once they know the truth, they will be more likely to follow you I hope. Sharing the deer with them will help a well," Redmane suggests.

"There are plenty of old weapons and silver armor that could be savaged for traps," Thomas points out as as he stretches. "I could see what could be done with those."

"Iron as well, in case we face fey," Redmane points out.

Erzsebet dips her head again to the ruddy wolf. Then I will gather as many of the collared ones as I can. Not so many other omegas as myself exist, in actual fact...but I will see if they can be convinced, as well.

"Of course," Thomas agrees..

Standing back up, Redmane shakes out her fur. "Well, I shall return to the cathedral and collect my sword and other belongings, and return with them to the cave."

"Do you want company?" Thomas inquires as he gets to his feet. "Or do you wish that I get to work?"

"I'll probably need help, so you're welcome to come with me Thomas," Redmane agrees.

"So, you don't mind being seen with the pack idiot," Thomas prods and swats the red wolf with his tail. Apparently he remembers being told to keep up the appearance of idiocy.

Erzsebet stands also, looking to the other two. Then I am off to find the collared ones first. May Cerridwen watch over you both as you make your own preparations, she says shortly, then is gone in a flash of fur and tail.

"I don't see how it could hurt my current status," Redmane replies, then heads out as well.

"She really needs a sense of humor," Thomas mutters as he follows after Redmane.

The walk to the cathedral is without incident. Though they earn a few glares from the guards, along with warning growls, as they enter the cathedral, they are not accosted. Redmane's sword remains where she left it, embedded in the stone floor. Her former clothing lies in a small pile nearby.

The Circle of the Fallen
Once a great cathedral to an ancient Goddess, this room has become the den of the elders. The center of the great room is an immense, smooth-stone floor. Once it must have been brightly polished marble with granite inlay ... but now it is dull, a shadow of its former self. A half-circle of granite is placed flush in the floor ... no, the symbol of the crescent moon.

Entering the chamber, Redmane heads right for the center of the moon symbol, where she left her sword standing within the cracked stone.

Thomas hangs back, in case Redmane wants privacy. He settles down on the floor in the shadow of an old pillar.

Using her nose and teeth, Redmane works the pile of clothes around until everything rests on her cloak, then pulls the edges of that together so they can be easily held in a mouth. Then she turns her attention to the sword itself.. and pauses. While the sword had hardly seemed to weight anything to her in her normal form, she realizes that now it was likely half her own weight. She sits on her haunches next to it, and tries to get her a good grip on the cross guard with her jaws in order to push it up out of the floor.

The metal tastes a bit bitter in her mouth ... and disturbingly, up this close she can now smell blood on the weapon. There is lots of it from its many long years of use; washing has not removed all traces. It takes a lot of effort, but slowly the sword begins to pull free from the stone.

The wolf shifts around, so that the sword doesn't fall on her once its tip comes free. She keeps pushing then, ready to drop it should the freed weight be too much for her.

The blade does eventually come free. It's heavy, but not so much as to make it unmanageable.

Redmane practices dragging the sword, and keeps looking for a better way to grip it where she won't have to carry it by the actual blade.

There doesn't seem to be a great way to carry it, given the balance of the weapon is above the hand guard by several inches, typical for a long sword. As she experiments, she has this odd feeling of being watched from behind.

Pausing in her attempts, Redmane lowers the sword back to the floor and looks behind her.

Sitting a mere two feet away is a white wolf with piercing yellow eyes. Female, judging by the size. It seems to be watching her with mild curiosity. "You do not need the trappings of your former life," she says, "You seem to have adapted to the new form well."

"These are more than just trappings," Redmane replies. "I do not intend to share the fate you have called down upon yourselves."

The white wolf glances towards the spot where Thomas is sitting, then back to Redmane. "Even though you have found companionship amongst us, you still fight?" she asks. "Are things truly so bad, young one?"

"Have you ever been an omega, elder?" Redmane counters. "Have you ever lived as a fey among them, as you try to force upon others to live as one of you? If not, then you have no right to ask that question."

"Of course I have. Rank is not through birth, it is earned," The white wolf counters. "And yes, for a time I tried to live amongst the fey as one of them. They are so blind to the world around them."

"And yet you refuse to see what lies before you now," Redmane says. "It is only for my vows to Cerridwen that I stay, so that I might save some of you from your folly. I will establish a new cathedral where those who have not blasphemed may find sanctuary."

The wolf's ears flick lightly. "I can smell the blood on your sword. Why do you now wish to protect those who have been killing for a very long time? the white wolf asks. "What in them did you see that finally earned sympathy with you?" Another glance towards Thomas' direction. "Why do you lie with one now?"

"Because while they may not live so fully in their world, it is a larger and more beautiful one," Redmane notes. "I choose that world for my own, instead of something more intense but ultimately small and fragile. It is a world where one can do far more than merely survive."

"If left as a fey he would betray you," the white wolf notes, "As they betrayed us and killed our emissaries."

"He had that chance already, and did not," Redmane counters. "It is my own kind that have betrayed me, by hiding the truth from me and using me as.. as an omega. I will not live that way again, elder. It is misery and pain and offers no comfort to me. What you have done to me and those others is not done out of love."

"What do you know of love? Your scent is all of anger," the white wolf counters, "So how can you claim that what we do is not out of love?"

"Because Cerridwen shows it to be blasphemy," Redmane declares. "You have forgotten your origins, and despite your claims or mine, the truth remains that your actions endanger the pack and embolden its enemy. Is such action worthy of an elder?"

"Being a leader means sometimes decisions must be made that are not popular, but necessary. They started this way long ago when they killed our emissaries. They continued it by hunting and taking my kind," the white wolf says darkly. "They took my children and the children of may of the elders. We have merely revisited upon them that which they began. You have been spending far too much time with Erzsebet; she has long argued against this."

"She is the only wolf worth following that I've seen, and the only one that might be able to save you," Redmane notes. "What has happened is as much your own fault as the fey's, for you've both let yourselves forget the past. You can transform and walk among them, so how could you not show them your ways? You choose instead to live like animals. Well, elder, animals are easy to hunt, and they are above all predictable. You rob yourselves of a future. It is easier to blame others than to accept responsibility."

The white wolf shakes her head slowly. "When you are older, you will understand," the white wolf says stubbornly. She turns and walks out of the circle, leaving Redmane with her things.

Thomas finally walks into the circle now, and watches the elder leave. "So, she thinks we are a 'couple'," he notes.

"Older!" Redmane grumbles to Thomas. "Just because I spent centuries in a timeless land does not mean I did not experience them. And she sees us as a couple because she probably cannot imagine any other kind of relationship."

"Is there another kind?" Thomas teases. "And do you need help carrying anything?"

"Could you carry my bundle?" Redmane asks of the larger wolf. "It wouldn't be proper to share the burden of my sword."

"Of course. I would carry you if you asked me to, let alone your sword. A friend and whatever may trouble her is never burden to me, Muirenn," Thomas comments and grabs the corners of her bundle. He pulls them together and hefts them up.

Redmane grips the sword by the pommel, and drags it along - although she'll probably have sore neck by nightfall. "I cannot see myself riding on your back, Thomas," she notes.

"It is a figure of speech. It means I would gladly help you in all things," Thomas clarifies as the pair now exit the cathedral. Again they get warning growls ... but are not accosted as they exit.

"I may hold you to that someday," Redmane warns, leaving a trail of sparks behind her.

"You have but to ask," Thomas notes as the pair make the slow trip back to the caves...

As the pair approaches the caves, there is an odd feeling about them. A strange foreboding, it makes their skin crawl and prickle. When the wind shifts and draws across the cave entrance, something else hits them ... a faint scent of blood.

"I hope that is deer blood," Redmane remarks, her hackles going up.

Thomas scents the air. Promptly, he drops the bundle, growling, "It isn't." The wolf then darts into the mouth of the cave, leaving Redmane behind.

Dropping her sword, Redmane hurries after Thomas.

The stone walls whirl by. The deeper they go, the stronger the scent is. The air feel unnaturally cold and the shadows feel as if they are closing around the pair. The murals are passed, then the great hall is being crossed. They can now hear something ahead, in the passages they explored earlier. Growling. Snarling ... then a sickening thud, followed by a yelp. "Gods take it, they're being attacked!" Thomas growls. Claws scrabbling on the floor, he enters the next hallway and heads down the stairs towards the waterway.

"By what?!" Redmane calls, trying to keep up.

By something disturbingly familiar. As the two wolves reach the end of the stairwell, they can see out into the chamber and the docks. A rolling shadow is slowly marching across the docs, its red eyes casting the room in an eerie glow. In one of its nebulous and taloned hands, it carries one of the collared omegas; possibly a transformed solder. The rest of the omega wolves are backing up, cowering. Between the omegas and the shadow stands Erzsebet, defiant and growling. "All too easy," the shadow hisses. "When they find you dead by what appears fey weapons, well ..." It's shadowy maw parts, revealing rows of crimson teeth.

In between snarls of rage, Erzsebet challenges the creature, If you think that I will let you take us as easily as you say, then you deceive yourself! With her head lowered and ears flattened against her skull, Erzsebet looks like she means it, too...although from behind, Redmane and Thomas can see the red gashes where shadowy claws have torn through fur and skin, on the she-wolf's right flank.

"Help her, Thomas!" Redmane calls. "I have to get my sword!"

Thomas is already charging the creature. Snarling, he leaps and latches his jaws on the arm that carries the unconscious wolf. He shakes and twists, forcing the creature to drop its captive.

It isn't easy for her to do, but Redmane turns tail and runs back for the cave entrance. How do I change back? she wonders. Cerridwen, change me back! she prays.

Seeing motion out of the corner of her eye, Erzsebet cants her head to the side just in time to see Thomas leap. Realizing who it is, she lets out a final angry growl and charges the creature's other side, catching it with jaws and claws almost where it wounded her.

Fire burns through Redname's blood as she runs. She can hear and feel bones snap and realign and as before, it's agonizingly painful. She stumbles and staggers as she crosses the great hall, legs growing and fingers extending. As she's passing the murals now, she's halfway between wolf and normal. Her face and jaws now retain a shorter muzzle. Her lower legs are still wolf-shaped, but her feet are larger and more developed so that she can run on two legs. Her body still retains the covering of black and red fur as well. And there ... the shifting seems to stop. Not fully normal and not fully wolf. But ... at least she has hands now.

"It'll have to be good enough," Redmane growls as she reaches the cave entrance and grabs for the sword she dropped. As long as her strength has returned, she should be able to fight now!

The sword is still heavier than she remembers, but it is not so much as to make it unwieldy. Behind her, deep in the caves, she can hear the sounds of growling and battle ... then followed by a horrific screech unlike anything Redmane has ever heard before.

Dropping into a crouch, Redmane turns and runs back into the caves, bellowing out a war cry of her own.

When Redmane re-enters the waterway area, she can see that Thomas and Erzsebet have succeeded in driving the creature further away from the omega it had so cruelly handled and all the others. Between only the two of them, they have no chance of seriously harming the thing or driving it away for good, but they are doing as much as they can to keep its attention focused solely on them. When Thomas leaps in one direction, Erzsebet goes in the other. If the creature makes a swipe at one of them, the other is immediately there to distract it again.

Rushing forward, Redmane growls, "Face me, demon!" With the two wolves going to the sides, she charges for the middle while holding her sword two-handed.

"Well, well, well," the shadow hisses as Redmane takes center, "The wielder of Morrighan seeks to face me. How delightful. I shall sup upon the marrow of one of the giants' champions as well as dine upon the entrails of wolves." And there ... the shadow loses interest in Thomas and Erzsebet. Its full fury descends upon Redmane.

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This site serves as a chronicle of sessions in an online roleplaying campaign moderated by Conrad "Lynx" Wong and May "Rowan" Wasserman. The contents of this site are (c) 2001, 2002 by Conrad Wong and May Wasserman except where stated otherwise. Despite the "children's fantasy" theme of this campaign, this site is not intended for young readership, due to mild language and violence.