|
|
|||||
|
Success In Failure * * * As a race, it is often difficult for us to accept our failures. For us, failure is word that has no place in our society, for failure often results in the deaths of friends and innocents. Failure however, is our worlds single greatest learning tool, and the true measure of garou's character is not weighed by their successes, but how they choose to deal with their failures. Not so long ago a young Bone Gnawer named Flea-Bitten-Mongrel, approached a fostern ahroun of the Get of Fenris named Beast-of-Garm, and challenged him for rank. Beast-of-Garm had a great deal of respect for this Bone Gnawer and her pack, so he accepted the challenge without hesitation and thought on the nature of it for two days before declaring his terms. Now, as anyone who has ever challenged one of Fenris brood can tell you, the nature of the challenge itself was suitable for even for those garou challenging for adren.Such is their way. For her challenge Flea would have to give all her weapons and possessions to her pack, and travel to the northern regions of Alaska wearing only her wolf form. Any shifting of forms from that time on would result in disqualification. In this form she was to integrate herself into a pack of northern wolfs who had been infiltrated by a cunning leech who was able to take their shape. She was to expose this tainted creature, defeat it in homid form, and bring his head back to Beast-of-Garm as proof, and as a trophy. With great bravery she accepted these terms and set out with only her instincts to guide her. As fate would have it her troubles came early on in her journey when, after a grueling run that pushed her body far past it's sustainable limit, she collapsed from sheer exhaustion in the icy expanse of the northern region. For how long she was unconscious, not even she was sure, but when she felt her body being disturbed, her natural instincts forced her eyes open to gaze upon the large wolverine hovering over her tattered body, trying to decided how near death this young wolf really was. With a defiant snarl, Flea signaled that she would not commit her body to the ground without a fight, and so it began. Taking advantage of her weakened state the wolverine lunged in, hissing and snapping while aiming for the life source pulsating in her neck. While to weakened to avoid the attack completely Flea deftly maneuvered away, her own maw trying in vein to clamp down the jugular of her attacker. In the end though, her muscles proved unwilling to head the commands of her mind, and the wolverine latched onto her neck with a crushing force that would have spelled certain doom for any other creature. Flailing about, Flea tried valiantly to escape the hold this angry predator now had on her to no avail. Eventually, due to the combination of her wounds, and the exhaustion that still wracked her body, she succumbed to the beast within. For it is this primal mechanism that takes over when our bodies refuse to go on. With an upwelling of rage, and defiance in the face of death, Flea took the shape of our prehistoric ancestors and reeled back on the wolverine. Her massive jaws finding their mark, and collapsing down upon the midsection of the wolverine. Ignoring her wounds, and finding strength that her body told her she didn't have, she tore shrieking wolverine from neck just as it's spine crushed under the extreme pressure her jaws exerted. The battle was one and Flea had escaped with her life and few minor wounds which were now already healing. When the beast had done its duty it retreated once more into the far reaches of her consciousness leaving an exhausted Flea standing over the bloody carcass of the wolverine that she only mildly remembered before blacking out. Putting two and two together, it was not long before Flea figured out that she had frenzied during her struggle and thus, had failed her challenge. She struggled with her options for a time, trying to decide between going back home and challenging again at the next moot, or to continue on and complete her mission despite the outcome. For reasons of honor, and commitment to her wolf kin she chose the latter and made the journey to the northern lands in search of this endangered pack. After a day of hunting, she was able to track a pack across several fields and over a hill that nearly qualifies as a mountain. By nightfall, she was within hearing range... Luna sat high in the night sky, her light bathing the virginal-snow land in an almost spiritual quality of luminescence. before long, a single howl pierced the night... a call to a packmate signaling position and status. A healthy adult male, not the Alpha but somewhere near the top of the chain, judging by the information in the vocal burst. Flea, having been born of the wolf, let forth her own howl, declaring her intentions while remaining under the guise of a lone wolf for she did not yet know if this was the pack she was sent to aid. After some time the Alpha responded, and conveyed his own message that she would be allowed to enter their territory, until such time as a decision was reached whether she would be allowed to join the pack. After a time, she came across one of the outrunning members of the pack who passed quickly to gather her scent and head back to the main portion of the pack, howling his information to them after a slightly quizzical growl. In the information transmitted, his disease with her. The curse affects more than just humans. Knowing that she would have to play this situation carefully, she postured herself in submission to the pack alpha while he aggressively snapped, and taunted her so as to test her reaction. Accusing her of feigning weakness the alpha, known as Red-Ear-Hoofbreaker backed off in caution. Declaring that she was neither weak nor strong, Flea again prostrated herself in submission to the wolf. In one final test, Hoofbreaker lunged in and clamped down on her neck. Fearing that he might be the leech she was warned about Flea allowed him to do so with much caution, ready to strike back at a moment should he draw blood. It did not happen though, and after he was reassured of his dominance he released her, and made his back to the pack, signaling to them that she was found worthy. After having spent some time with the pack and learning their structure Flea could tell there was something a bit odd about the third most dominant male, "Treads-Fallen-Ice"... and one of the wolves, though she couldn't tell which, seemed to have a slight lack of instinct. The members of the pack are as follows: The alpha, red-ear-hoof-breaker; alpha female, blood-scent-on-cold-night-north-winds; Beta Male, Snaps-Spines; Beta Female, Shadows-beneath-night-sun; male, treads-fallen-ice; male, howls-beneath-land; male, kills-weak-first; female, hunts-brown-grass. Over the next few weeks, the pack seemed to accept Flea, though she took a lot of shit and abuse being the Omega. At some point the beta male and the alpha male had a bit of a dominance struggle that left the beta wounded for some time and the alpha a bit weakened, though not so much that he could not retain his hold on alphaship. The pack spent many nights curled together for warmth in the snow, but the adolescents seemed to avoid Flea, being highly uncomfortable with her inpalpable rage. The others as well, some more than others, but all mostly accept her as one of the pack, if only for a temporary basis as long as she held her own on the hunts for food. The whole time, Flea paid close attention to the pack structure looking for any sign that an enemy was in their midst. That sign came in the form of an attack made on her by Howl's-Beneath-The-Wind. Wary of her constant prying, he blindsided her in the forest one morning hoping to remind her of her place. Not willing to submit any longer, Flea fought back and won. Though his blood on her lips was warm, she felt something unnatural about it's taste and the strength he displayed. In the weeks to come she soon learned the he spent much of his time away from the pack, with an always illusive Kills-The-Weak-First who would disappear for days on end. Possessing instincts that Flea did not, the pack also seemed to grow more suspicious of Howls and Kills, and began actively observing the two of them together, though taking decidedly more interest in Howls. After a week of so of this Treads approached the two antisocials, and when it appeared that they were going to attack her, Hunts appeared on their flank causing Kills to run off nervously into the forest. It was obvious to Flea that the pack was becoming disjointed, and it was never more apparent the one night after they had taken down a large elk and were feeding. While feasting on the meal, Flea noticed a very odd division in the pack, with everyone staying away from Flea, and Howls, Kills, and Treads seeming to stay away from ALL of them. It was then that Flea made her discovery. Kills never chewed his dinner; EVER. Feeling that she was close, but not close enough, she suppressed her desire to show her cards just yet, and waiting until one night, just before dawn when Howls and Kills snuck off into the forest to make her move. Having come from a pack who's mission statement was all about stealth, Flea deftly followed the pair through the forest without ever betraying her presence. Hiding behind a tree, Flea observed what was to become the final piece of the puzzle. Howl's eventually stopped and layed down, allowing kills to bite down on Howl's neck, then biting into his own paw, Kills let Howls lap up his blood before Howls returned to his feet. Enraged by the abomination she was witnessing, Flea darted out of hiding, but Kills was gone, leaving only Howls standing their like a sentry. Cautiously, but with complete dominance Flea demanded Howls tell her where he went. Defiantly, Howls lunges for her throat, and a vicious battle ensued. Having used his infernal powers granted to him by Kills, Howls was able to match Flea blow for blow, though not for long. Finally, when his wyrmish gifts could no longer sustain the damage that Flea was dishing out, he fell in a ragged heap, his foul smelling blooding soaking the ground. Drawn by the howls of pain Treads and Hunts soon confronted Flea, and she was forced to explain her garou lineage to them. Treads, being the only pack member not effected by the curse, and the only one with balls enough to threaten Flea, told her that if she did not find and slaughter Kills-The-Weak-First herself, that he would and then he would come after her. Flea was then left alone with the body of Howls as her only company as she waited there, afraid to return to the pack, and hoping to catch Kills trying to return unnoticed. Sensing that the time was near when she would have to confront and kill Kills, she finds a large stick that she would use as a club when she finally found him. She didn't have to wait long; as night fell upon the forest the birds took flight, sensing something she could not. Alerted she perked her ears and watched attentively. Finally, her eyes caught something that at first, her mind wouldn't believe. Kills was coming out of the ground, first his paw, then another, then finally his whole body emerged from the snow as if materializing straight from the earth. She took the homid form immediately, grabbed her club and readied herself for the attack. As the wolf form leech got wind of her scent he attacked, rushing full one toward her and wide eye'd that she'd taken the form of a club wielding human (for even though she had already failed the challenge, she was honoring its rules). Lunging for her throat, his soon met by the club as Flea brought it crashing down on his head. Barely phased, the wolf came at her again and again, inflicting small wounds on a resolute Flea, and taking his own damage from the club she now wielded with deadly force. In the end though, the speed and unnatural strength of the leech in wolfs form overpowered Flea, and she suffered a wound that would have killed any normal human, but only incited her spiritual survival mechanism to kick in once again, as the beast took over. Sure of his victory, the creature took to the air, lunging for Flea's throat in an attempt to end it all. However, it was just then that the beast fueled her rage, and her human body blasted to Crinos. The creature bounced off of her like tennis ball, and was met by her claws when he hit the ground which decapitated it, leaving only a forest painted in blood, and a withered, defiled skeleton in front of her. Claiming her prize, she took the head of the leach, and said her good-byes to the pack, leaving them to live in peace amongst themselves. It a week or two later when she finally made it back to the JY, in homid form, and naked she tried her best to hold her head high when she approached Beast-of-Garm. She offered him his trophy, yet explained that she had failed. Beast-of-Garm however, displayed no disappointment on this occasion, even though she could not live up to the rules of the challenge for during he himself was bound to wolverine, and had been informed by his totem of her extreme honor, and bravery before and after frenzying in the forest a month prior on her first encounter with one of his children. Although he could not grant her the rank she sought, he was quick to make sure that Flea was honored by the sept, for having saved the wolf-kin when she was no longer bound to do so. To this day Flea remains one of my most respected, and honored sisters. As long as there is breath in me, I will not forget the sacrifices and contributions she has made in defense of our kind, and neither should any of you. And just remember; even in failure there is the chance for success. Flea has shown us the measure of her character and has been found worthy. How bout the rest of you? * * * Told by Cassy Nix, ~Reeks of Fury~, Beta of the Dogs of War, Fostern, Galliard, Bone Gnawer Back | List of Tales | Next
|
