[Joss Lehrer] 123 not me!
[Boy] There was no great shame in the way he came to the Northern Border of Eagle’s territory. The pads of his lupus form did not scrape or skitter on the umbral ground. His ears did not fold and his tail did not tuck behind him. That said, there was no great pride with which he came from his own territory either, now sporting less than subtle markings of ownership. A protectorate, the edges of which they patrolled regularly.
The grey and brown wolf sat a while in that land that was neither Eagles, and neither La Famila’s, waiting fro the right time to point his muzzle to the sky and let out a howl that carried a greeting toward the distance.
“I AM BROTHER OF THE LOST, ALPHA OF LA FAMILIA. I WISH TO SPEAK TO GOSSAMER WING OF EAGLES CHOSEN PACK!”
And then he waiting some more, confident that if the theurge did not hear the message herself, she would be told by someone or something with ears for hearing.
[Joss Lehrer] She heard. It’s not too long after the howl rends the sky, calling for the young Godi, that she appears along the back corner of a street, racing forward not of urgency, but with the sense of one at play – she’s laughing as her dreads and skirts fly behind her, and she ducks and weaves and changes directions, breathless laughter across her lips.
Sometimes, she seems so very young – and at other times…
Either way, she making a beeline for Boy, scoots around behind him, around him, than stops facing him again with a laughing. “I win! We’ll play more later!”
She yelps as she is snapped with a whip of… invisible… air… and rubs her thigh gently, and sticks her tongue out at… nothing. She smooths her skirts down, pushes her dreadlocks back from her face, and smiles at Boy.
“Hi. You called?”
[Boy] For a second there he showed his age as well. The wolf can’t help but show certain things. A prickling of ears, a cant of the head, and as Joss comes closer on the Meandering path she was running, he sits almost all the way up, one paw waving at the air, and back down again.
His head shook briskly, and when Joss was done playing, he answered her clearly in the High Tongue.
HT~ “I did. Thanks for coming. I need your…knowledge…with something. I’m willing to pay whatever you see fit.”
[Joss Lehrer] He speak of knowledge, and pay, and she chuckles softly. “I’d be happy to help if I can.”
She doesn’t broach the subject of pay, as that would depend on what it was. In her position as Elder, it is her duty to aid her fellow Sept Members, and often it’s something so simple she does not expect anything in return – but for a listening ear should she have a problem later on. Time will tell what this will entail.
“What can I help you with?”
[Boy] HT~”I need to know the propper chiminage to make…for Fenris, Stag, Cockroach, and Bull. My packmates and I have wronged these totems in one way or another. We have to make amends.”
Straight to the point, this one.
[Joss Lehrer] She arches a brow, slightly. “That’s quite a list.”
She settles into a crouch, her skirts flaring about her ankles, sliding along the ground as she braces her elbows against her thighs as she thinks. “Part of it would depend on how you wronged them. There’s a variety of ways one can go, but it should involve what each values most. Fenris, for example, values strength and a fearlessness in battle, the ability to dive headfirst into a worthy fight, and come out the other side victorious, like the hero stories of old. Cockroach on the other hand, is more modern, and values technology, data, things of that nature. They’re fast, hardy… persistent. It would stand to reason they would respect something along those lines as well.”
She pauses, to see if that makes sense so far.
[Boy] His eyes watched here carefully, not like prey or a creature not worthy of trusting, but like something very much worthy of studying, of learning from.
His ears twitch as she tells him about Fenris. And when she mentions Cockroach, a single paw comes up, pressing at air.
“Data? Like knowledge? Secrets?”
[Joss Lehrer] She smiles, brightly. Her face is easily read, she wears her expressions openly and freely. It’s disconcerting, almost, when someone realizes that she is Fenrir. And they are not known for smiling – unless it’s over something bloody and disgusting that they’ve killed.
“Very good – they do love secrets.” She pauses a moment. “What do you know of Stag and Bull?” She switches it, having given him a bit to think of, on what he can use to figure out a proper chimiage. Now she tosses it to his court, to see what he has learned.
[Boy] HT~”Bull is a totem of war. Unrelenting. Unquestioning. No hesitation.”
His ears twitch a bit, threatening to go backwards and tuck in close to his ears.
“Bull was the totem of Dietrich’s old pack. Their disorganization caused them to leave battle without even engaging the enemy. But blind glory…I don’t know if I can.”
That same paw that felt at the air now scratched the ground sharply.
“I don’t know much about Stag. Only that its the totem of the Fiana.”
[Joss Lehrer] She nods, encouragingly. “Good. And often the fact that you try is something of appreciation to the Spirits. It doesn’t always have to be something exact either. Bull appreciates something taken with no hesitation. Do not doubt yourself, and what you can do. Simply doing what needs be done is often on par with blind glory.”
She pauses, gathering her thoughts. “Stag is majestic, and a appreciates the raw power of Nature, of masculinity, and virility. He is a strong leader, and approves of enjoying all that there is to life in it’s fullest way possible. It is why many see the Fianna as drunken party goers – it’s all part of the excess they crave and hold close to their heart, their soul.”
[Boy] He pawed at the ground, a precursor to him stretching out and laying down on all fours.
“So the chiminage is in the doing? And act, instead of a thing?”
[Joss Lehrer] “Often it is, yes.” She pauses, and gathers her thoughts again. “With the Spirits, the intent is often on par with the deed itself. While Fenrir may appreciate a trophy found in war, what would Stag be able to do with the same? How can Bull measure the unflinching stampede of a glorious battle, if not in the story of the battle, rather than the trophy brought? Spirits read your intention, your soul, when you open yourselves to them. That is how they take a measure of worth. You’re intentions to repair the wrongs done are good, and they will appreciate that.”
[Boy] For a while there’s no reaction other than the twinkling wandering of deep brown eyes and occasional turning and twitching of his ears. But then he stretches out again, and is climbing up onto his feet.
HT~”Then I think I know what to do. Thank you, Gossamer Wing. How can I repay you?”
[Joss Lehrer] He thinks he knows what to do now, and she smiles brightly. “Good. And should you need help summoning or finding those you seek, let me know.”
He ask again about payment, and she shakes her head. “I enjoyed our talk, Brother of the Lost. As Theurge Elder, it is my duty – and joy – to discuss such issues with the members of the Sept. You owe me nothing, I am pleased our talk helped. If you insist on some sort of payment though – then simply keep seeking to better your relationship with the spirits. That is payment enough for me.”
[Boy] The wolf’s head cants to one side again, and this time bounces to the other, as if the first bout of skewed perspective still wasn’t enough to understand the theurge.
~HT”Then…then that’s what I’ll do. Thank you, Gossamer Wing~rhya.”
And with that he seems to excuse himself, heading back north and into his own territory.
[Joss Lehrer] She smiles, warmly, and stands as he does. “You’re welcome, Brother of the Lost. Tell Wendy and Marrick I said hello, hm?”
And once he disappears into the distance, she turns and calls out. “READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!” and once more, the chase with the excitable elementals is on…
[Joss Lehrer] (and scene. Thanks!)