World of Darkness World of Darkness: Attrition - The Revel, the Letdown & the Search for Self [Fin]

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

[26 Oct 2008]

For night after night, the scene was the same. A blur, streaked grey and white, would burst from behind a tree or shrub or house, tearing across the landscape of northwestern Los Angeles for all it was worth. And within the wolf, Sarah O'Neally was in a state of near-bliss.

All of her short life, she had hoped against hope that some way, somehow, she could run as her cousins did... and now, at long last, that dream had come true. Every park bench was a hurdle to be jumped, every squirrel and stray cat prey to be chased, every scent something to be experienced in a sensory explosion that even her earlier gift from Luna couldn't hope to match.

It was amazing. It was exhilarating. It was magic.

And, she realized in a sudden and brutal moment four nights after that miraculous first change, it wasn't enough. Falling into a still four-legged stand after what had been nearly incessant movement for as long as the sun was beneath the horizon, she really contemplated her new condition in the full.

Oh, it was a life-long dream come true, for certain. But only on becoming the wolf did she fully realize the truth. A wolf without a pack is a lonely thing, and this Dead Wolf would have no part in Declan's Rangers in the wake of what happened with Amber. And far too many bridges had been burned with the Topangas for either they to accept her or the other way around.

As the undead wolf moved at a much more sedate pace somewhere around the northern reaches of UCLA, she came to another realization, one that made the lack of pack almost pale in comparison. For all of her vaunted blood and long observation, she didn't really know how to be a wolf. She was, in all too many ways, still the lanky girl who had rebelled against her family, who had clung to hopes of becoming a doctor, who had died on a lonely stretch of road so far away.

Yellow-on-black eyes looked longingly in the rough direction of Declan's house. He could help me, she thought. He could show me how to be more than just a shape. He could teach me what I couldn't teach Ariel: how to be People. A sad lupine sigh escaped, yet another sign of her attachment to a former state of being. But I can't go to him. Not after Amber. Not now.

The beast turned her sleek head off to the west, thinking of another den near the campus. She would find welcome there, she knew. She would find compassion, and support, and no end of exploration and curiosity. But for all that, she knew, Lucien can't help me be the wolf. It's not what he is, and he can't teach me what he can't really know.

Finally, with no small measure of reluctance, the wolf looked up at the dark hills that loomed from the north. The idea galled her after all that had occurred, tore at her pride in a way that felt like long, cruel thorns catching bloody chunks of fur from her coat.

And who else can teach me?

Swallowing her pride, Sarah loped off to the north.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

[29 Oct 2008]

She had hesitated. Twice Sarah had started up the mountain, and twice she had made her way back down. There was no shortage of excuses.

Territory was perhaps the most valid of the bunch. For good or for ill, the Dead Wolf had put claim to a half-dozen blocks of East Campus neighborhood and park, and the place wasn't going to keep itself free of garbage and vandalism and worse. It also wasn't going to keep itself free of spirit problems, she knew, but there was little she could do about those; without the magic of the People, spirits could be dancing around her head without her ever knowing - a fact that left her in a foul mood whenever it came to mind. The business with the Daeva interloper at the Playboy Mansion wasn't exactly making her happy, either; every so often, she'd feel an unwanted Beast approach as she made her rounds up that way, and every time, the succubus was well-surrounded by plenty of nice protective mortal shields. The sole consolation was that when Sarah growled in frustration at the situation, it could be a real growl.

The treatment Sarah had suffered at her first visit to Topanga territory was another handy excuse. The mute Shiva has been anything but welcoming in his wordless declaration that she needed to leave immediately, and nothing the Dead Wolf had seen since convinced her that he'd be changing his mind anytime soon. The veneer on this one was rather thin, though. If nothing else, Dredge was willing to at least talk with her, and the encounter on Sullivan Fire Road had shown a willingness by the ragged man to put his neck on the line for her right to at least speak.

The insult to Declan's Rangers was the weakest rationale of the bunch. Yes, Sarah had fought beside them. Yes, she had raged within while DefInt all but declared them unfit. But it wasn't three weeks before her ties to that nascent pack had been severed on the edge of Amber's anger, and no word had come from Declan to the contrary. It was more than obvious that she was very much not welcome there anymore, no matter how accepting Declan had seemed at the start.

But bad excuses can only stand so long in the face of a burning need, and territory can only be patrolled so much before it becomes obvious that one is stalling. So it was that, on the last night of the wearying hidden moon, Sarah marched on her own two feet to the base of the Sullivan Fire Road once more, then shifted to her beloved new form to lope up the twisting way on all four.

No markers had moved; everything was as she remembered from that last fateful meeting nearly two months ago. Not daring to delay for fear that she might lose her nerve, the undead wolf drew cold, crisp air into dusty lungs and let out a howl.

Had Sarah been one of the People, that howl would have said quite a lot in a language unknown to both man and wolf. But the secrets of that mystic tongue were beyond her, and likely always would be. No, it would be a true wolf howl that tore through the night, one that said only in the simple language of the wolf: "I am here."

[Dave ST]

The moments carried on like individual eternities caught in time. The mountain air was always the same for Sarah it seemed as she came here more and more often she had grown accustomed to the eerie silence that lurked everywhere.

"Your howl is unnatural. Hollow and empty." Sarah heard come from the shadows as a mammoth of a man stepped from the shadows. Her first impression of his appearance was "Thor". Tall and broad-shouldered the man appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties (by mortal reckoning). Long light-brown brown hair was kept in a ponytail and it matched his immaculately groomed beard and mustache.

"Soulless and vacant of purity. We would know why." Came a second voice. Sarah's keep senses picked up the slightest variation in it's pitch and inflection, but aside from a few slight variances the voice was identical to the man who spoke a moment prior.

From the shadows flanking Sarah a the owner of the second voice came into view. To Sarah shock the second man was completely identical to the first. Twins! Perfectly identical in every way from their features, to their beards and hair length. Even heir clothing, simple cargo pants and dark gray tank tops that were stretched by their physique.

They made no gesture that indicated they meant her any harm, in fact, it was rather bold of them to simply walk out and begin speaking with her. Quickly she surmised that they either knew who she was, or simply felt as if they had nothing to gain by slaughtering her... right away, at least.

They folded their arms, in unison, and the unknown pair gazed at the Dead Wolf awaiting an explanation.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

What the.... Whatever Sarah had expected, this was not it. There was no sign of those members of the Topanga Pack she had met before; just these two identical images, looking at her with what might best be surmised as benign curiosity.

Are they more members of the pack? It was possible, after all; nobody had ever found the need to give her a full run-down of the Topanga Who's Who; for all she knew, they could number a dozen or more. Or is it a different pack? This was far less likely; by and large, you didn't go sniffing around the edges of someone else's territory unless you absolutely needed to do so, and these two renagades from a Viking film (not all that far-fetched, considering her proximity to Hollywood) didn't have that nervous look of someone knocking on a local pack's door.

Another thought came uncomfortably to mind. Are they even of the People? It was one of those things that Sarah was not terribly good at determining, truth be told. Her inner beast didn't quite respond to that feral thing at the heart of all Uratha, and while her sense of smell was nothing short of incredible now, the People in human form smelled... well, human.

This latest concern was countered by their reaction to, well, a wolf howling in the hills above Los Angeles. This part of the state hadn't seen a wolf outside of captivity in nearly a century; if encountering such on a remote twist of lonely mountainside wasn't enough to put age-old panic in the heart of a mortal, it surely should have involved more interest than the "hollow" nature of her howl.

All things considered, the best guess was that these were previously unencountered Topangas. Sarah hated having to go from a best guess. But there wasn't a lot of choice if she wanted to accomplish what she came up here to do... and for that matter, if she wanted to find out who the hell these twins were, anyway.

With a lupine nod and a nearly-human shrug, the creature relaxed its hold upon her newfound form, and as she did so a tremble set up along her body. Fur began to shrink, as did her snout and ears. The tail retreated entirely into a spine built to be vertical rather than horizontal, and clothing began to take shape as she straightened from four legs to a mere two. Within seconds, the process was complete, and the vampire stood once more as she had been in life.

Drawing a hopeful breath, she spoke. "I'm Sarah O'Neally, I'm a Dead Wolf, and I'm looking for the Topangas."

[Dave ST]

Patiently the men waited as Sarah's form became that of a human once more. Neither seemed overly surprised at the display, but the look they gave the other as Sarah's shift came to a close was certainly one that said they were impressed. Whomever this vampire was, and both knew she was certainly a vampire by the dull hollow howl, she either had stones that weighed a ton each, or she was completely off her rocker.

When it came to Sarah, either was entirely possible.

"They are gone, save us." The man to her left said.

"Each has their own life and duties outside this place." Said the other, finishing his brother's sentence.

"We represent them in their absence." Again spoke the brother on the left. "We have heard of you, Dead Wolf Sarah O'Neally. We are Lightning-Strikes-Twice." A primal snarl rose up in the back of Lightning-Strikes-Twice's throat.

"Call me Kane." Spoke the brother to her right, who smiled politely. "My brother is Kris. He is also impatient, so tell us, what brings into you into our territory this evening Dead Wolf? Thus far Dredge has spoken highly of you, and that is all, so far, that is staying our claws and fangs."

The Alpha of Topanga Pack waited patiently. Kris appeared to want to tear her limb from limb, while Kane's expression was simply calm and inquisitive. Both however carried an 'aura' of primal energy about them that made the entire situation difficult to fathom without feeling a nervous sense of dread.

Click to reveal..

Luckily Lighting-Strikes-Twice is not aware that Sarah hasn't been informed of his (their) appearance and is going on the assumption that, while she has never met him, she at least knows who he is and this was her reason for suddenly shifting in front of him.

That's not a freebie either, while the Topanga's are the bad ass's around L.A. their communication skills are just like any other in the world: "Oops... been meaning to tell ya bout' that... I coulda sworn I left ya a voice mail..."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Oh. My. Luna. He's fractured. As the truth of the situation gradually resolved, Sarah was reminded for all the world of an old episode of Star Trek, where Captain Kirk was split by a transporter accident into two halves: one his humane side, the other his aggressiveness.

If this is the Topanga Alpha, she realized, I'm in very deep shit.

Standing there with her jaw hanging wasn't going to help a damned thing, however, and with no other good option, she simply swallowed hard, stood as tall as she could manage without seeming arrogant in the face of an Alpha of the People, and explained.

"I've only very recently found how use the gift of my blood to change form. It's something I've wanted for all my life; I was raised as part of the Wren clan back east. But now that I can do it, there's something missing. You heard it in my howl. I know how to become the wolf, but I don't know how to be the wolf.

"It's something that I know my kind can do, because the one who made me this had learned how. I've sworn myself to the People, and sworn the Oath of the Moon, and I've learned to change form, but I still don't know how to truly be the wolf; too much of me is still the human I was.

"I came here hoping to learn, Alpha of the Topangas. I do so knowing my limitations, and that it won't be easy. But if I'm ever to fully live up to my Oath, it's what I need to do. Will you help me learn, or point me to someone who might?"

[Dave ST]

There was a silence that settled between the three. The sound of chirping insects in the misty forest night served as the only reminder that time around them hadn't halted completely.

Kane had been caught completely off guard. While the twins had done a fine job as of being the pack Alpha they were better strategists than mystic seers. Their knowledge of Sarah's blood was limited, to say the least, to them she was just another vampire, albeit one deserving of some measure of respect.

The two brothers whispered, mingling their words with low growls of the old tongue to keep Sarah's keen senses confused and 'out of the loop'. When they finally gave their attention back to Sarah Kris approached her, a scowl on his face. "Return in a week. We've decided to review your request and our decision to fully assist you in this task will be determined by the pack not simply by us."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

It was strange, watching these two that acted together as a single Alpha. Sarah's initial assessment - that the twins were pretty much cracked - began to abate as she saw the interplay, the deliberation, the method. By the time that Lightning-Strikes-Twice had decided to speak once more, Sarah had reached a different conclusion, if only tentatively: that Luna really had done something special and unique here, giving the Topangas an Alpha who was his own check and balance.

An actual werewolf might have been disappointed at the thought of a week's wait before knowing whether or not a particular path would continue or end. And there was still enough of the human in Sarah to feel a twinge of that disappointment as well. But she knew full well that a week was just a blink of the eye on the big picture; she was a creature with the potential of eternity. With as much respect as she could muster and showing a posture to match, the Dead Wolf replied. "That is fair and wise. Thank you, and I'll be back in a week."

The strange metamorphosis that had taken place only shortly before reversed itself. It wasn't exactly like watching one of the people shift, with essence almost seeming to wash visibly in ripples along skin-become-fur. What the vampire did was obviously a different transition, one that was paradoxically both less and more natural than the Uratha birthright. But in the end a grey wolf with white markings stood in her place, showing at least a fair approximation of proper lupine submission to the Alpha before turning to lope back down the torturous twists and bends of the mountainside toward the city lights below.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

[5 Nov 2008]

Immortal creature or not, time did not pass in the "blink of an eye". If anything those seven long nights seemed to last something close to an eternity for Sarah, the moments sliding by at a glacial pace as she went about her nightly tasks: hunt, patrol, practice.

Oh, there were little distractions - and some not so little - to be sure. The night where her overexuberance nearly saw her sleek lupine form plastered across the front of a garbage truck wouldn't be fading from her memory anytime soon. Watching the election returns through the last night of waiting had its own interest: how exactly would - or could - the shift in Washington affect her unique little demographic (other than perhaps a bit more attention to environmental issues, sure to make her cousins happy)?

But by and large, time stretched out in a wait that felt like months before the dreaded daystar finally sank below the horizion on the appointed night. Pulling herself free of Gaia's sheltering embrace, the Dead Wolf didn't even wait until she was fully clear of the soil before sending thick Gangrel blood racing throughout her flesh, working the miracle that brought her to once more take on the form of her beloved wolf to race through the night.

Hunting was an entirely different experience like this, she had found. It was of course far too risky to hunt mortals like this in the city. But smaller fare abounded; to a four-legged predator, Los Angeles was - once clear of the hazards of traffic - a veritable buffet of abandoned pets and randy squirrels. The fare wasn't nearly as appetizing as more dangerous game, but it certainly slaked her unholy thirst in short order.

Thusly fortified, Sarah Dead-Wolf dashed for Topanga Park (with another near miss of becoming difficult-to-explain roadkill on Sunset Boulevard). She took the steep mountain trail in leaps and bounds most of the way, only settling to a more sedate pace as she grew close to the border markings.

Excited or not, Sarah was nervous. Her only real booster in this back was Dredge, and Lighting-Strikes-Twice had made abundantly clear that this was a decision for the entire pack. She had little doubt of Shiva's opinion of her; his loathing required no words to express. And her association with Declan's Raiders would likely put her in poor stead with DefInt, regardless of her vampiric nature. Beyond that, she couldn't even hazard a guess.

A careful walk finally brought the Dead Wolf to where it had been a week before. Once more, she drew air into dead lungs and let out a howl: "I am here." This time, she suspected, her wait would not be long; the moment of truth - for good or ill - would be soon at hand.

[Dave ST]

"Hey," Drudge spoke as he walked down the trail in his tattered clothing comprised of stains and layers of rags. "Dis' way luv, but be mindful, you're my responsibility 'ere so don' go doin' nuffin' stewpid, eh?" He motioned for her to follow him beyond the territory boundaries, into the heart of The Topanga Pack's lands.

They walked along the trail that lead up the through the serene forested country. Dredge said nothing else to besides a request to keep her shape humanoid. Sarah noted the 'humanoid' part, as if the Uratha still didn't consider her a person so much as a animate being.

After following one trail after another Sarah eventually resigned to being lost. When they came upon a small cave entrance Dredge stopped the Dead-Wolf. "Sarah, I'm not gon' lie to ya luv, dis ain't gon be easy, might even hurt. It's not something you can do in just a single night, ya'know? I ain't da best judge of character at times, but I know a los' soul when I see one, an I know yer doin this as much for The People as ye'are for ye'self and that's okay but there ain't a soul ere' who thinks yer gon' pull dis off, me'self included, I admit."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a caring look. "Yer a nice girl, luv. If you wanna leave out of here, we understand an ya have free passage to do so wiv' no 'ard feelings. Def Int's been workin' all week communin' wiv wot ever he communes wiv to see if yer soul can be saved or wevah or not Luna will allow ya ta walk our path again. Can't say I know the answer, but I know these trials won't be easy."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

As requested, the Dead Wolf had shifted back into the wiry girl that Dredge had first met, following him in silence as he spoke. Only after they stopped before the black opening in the earth and stone, only after the rag-tag werewolf had given her the option of leaving, did she finally speak.

"Nothing in my life - either life - has ever been easy. The bits that have been worthwhile were always the hardest parts. I don't have many illusions about what's to come; if I get out of this with nothing worse than 'hurt', I'll call myself lucky. But I think you know as well as I that I need to do this. It's the difference between existing and living, and I don't want to just exist."

Looking back to the yawning blackness, Sarah knew fear. Whatever was in there, whatever was in store for her, would probably make the fight with the Azlu look like a day in the park by comparison. Clamping down on the coldness in her gut with what courage she could muster, Sarah asked, "So, is this where you hand me off to whoever's leading the tests, or do I just go in on my own?"

[Dave ST]

"Naw luv, nuvin like that." Dredge replied, half smiling and a bit impressed by Sarah's courage. "Ain't no dragons you gotta kill on yer lonesome-like. Jes figured I'd give ya a 'ead's up kid."

With that he led her into the cavern. It was dark at first until it lit up with the whitish glow of camping lanterns hung careful on the walls emulating torch sconces of olden times. When the cavern finally opened into a chamber it stole away Sarah's uneeded breath.

It was immense, and it was also an ancient relic of the Native American cultures undiscovered and molested by the greed and disrespect of humanity. Drawing covered the walls telling tales of epic tales of old heroes battling spirits and demons in a time when all three (heroes, spirits, and demons) were far more common. Tributes to the spirits of wind, fire, animals and the land lay strewn about still untouched by The People who even now had took time to leave offerings of good faith of their own.

In the center, elevated from the perimeter of offerings and ancient relics (some of which Sarah knew a museum would pay hundreds upon thousands dollars for), stood the member of the entire Topanga Pack.

Johnathan Steel, Shiva, Kane & Kris, and of course Dredge who walked ahead and took his place among his peers. She took notice as well the Kestra was not present. Being young and still a cub it wasn't surprising that she would not be welcome during such an event or in such a holy place.

"Please, Sarah, come and join us." Def-Int requested politely, motioning for her to stand in the center. "Although we are testing you this evening we welcome you as a guest. Please know that all of us are your hosts this evening and admire your courage in accepting these tests."

As she approached she noticed that each of the pack members themselves stood upon a reserved place, like statues. At their feet was a single glyph and Sarah knew that each was either a personal rune, or a symbolic marking reserved for that particular member.

Shiva was silent, his glare echoed in her mind like a thousand enraged Urshal preparing for their last stand. Def-Int's expression was unremarkable, he was calm, and not surprisingly, neutral in all things. Kane politely nodded a greeting to her as she approached, but offered no spoken hello's. Kris seemed to measure her every movement. From her confidence to the way her eyes moved about the cavern as she took in the artifacts. His narrowed eyes told her, 'I'm watching you.' Casually and rather carefree, Dredge grinned her way and offered a morale boosting wink.

"Anything from you before we begin?" Asked Def-Int.

Click to reveal..

The Topangas are arranged in a semi-circle (from left to right,):

Shiva -> Kane -> Johnathan -> Kris -> Dredge

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Sarah was indeed nothing short of awed by this place... and what it obviously meant. This was sacred ground, both to those of the ancient past and to the reverent People today. It was a place protected by those Sworn to Luna. And by her own Oath, she knew, she would strive to protect it as well should she survive the coming challenges.

There was little to say in answer to Def-Int's question as she stepped forward into the center of the semi-circle (almost like the crescent moon, Sarah couldn't help but think, hoping it to be a good portent), but what she said came from her unbeating heart. "Only that I hope to find what I'm looking for so that I can live up to my Oath."

[Dave ST]

Def-Int looked into Sarah's eyes and never blinked. "Tell us, Sarah Dead-Wolf, what are you looking for?"

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

It was a very simple question. The answer wasn't so simple. It was in fact very difficult to put to words. But no small amount of thought had gone into the topic, and the Dead Wolf had the words to express her hope.

Meeting his intense look with her unblinking own, Sarah replied, "What I am now, how I think and feel now, doesn't fit what I've become. Because of what I need to do to uphold the Oath, and to someday work and fight with a pack, I need to learn how to be the wolf where it counts." She tapped a fist against her breast, making it abundantly clear what she meant.

"My sire had learned how and would have taught me in time, but he died fighting the Spider Hosts. The best hope I have is to learn from the People what it is to be something different from human in one's heart and mind, not just in body.

"That's what I'm looking for."

[Dave ST]

"Sarah," Kane spoke up quietly and his voice echoed softly among the walls. "What we have prepared for you is quite simple in it's explanation yet complex in it's execution."

"Simply put you will be tested in the weeks ahead by each of us," Def-Int looked to his pack mates. "Each of us will test you in of the five renowns that make worthy Uratha great warriors, and unworthy Uratha-"

"Dead." Kris spoke through a raspy growl, finishing Def-Int's sentence for him and never ceasing his glare on Sarah.

"Considerin' yer already dead luv'," The bum shrugged with a bit of pity in his eyes. "Needless to say some feel yer already a bit on the unworthy side, eh?"

Def-Int sighed and looked to Dredge. "Do you mind?"

"Wot?" The homeless man looked puzzled, shrugging in confusion.

"I'm doing a presentation," He pointed out. "Could you all shut up please? This is what I do, mediated, ritualistic type spiritual stuff, it very important and complex."

"Then quit gabbin' an git on wiv it, Christ." Dredge waved his arm to Sarah informing the crowd that the floor was now Def-Int's again.

Shiva silently massaged the bridge of his nose. Kris and Kane rolled their eyes, both rather impatiently.

The Half-Moon cleared his throat and continued. "Where was I?"

"Complex." Kris said, fond of single word responses tonight.

"Before that." He sighed.

Shiva stomped his foot, both to cease the foolishness and to draw attention to the plate upon which he stood.

"Ahh, yes, the Tests of Renown, thank you Shiva." The Judge looked across to his pack mates again, taking a moment to scowl at Dredge who just offered him nothing but a grin. "If you pass these tests, and prove "worthy"," He made air quotes with his fingers. Then you will return here where we'll put your successes or failures through one final test."

"Basically luv, even if ya pass, ye can fail."

"He's right," Def-Int continued. "The final test is out of our hands, for it is judgment from powers far greater than ourselves."

Kris spoke up, his crisp voice and calm demeanor a refreshing change from Def-Int's cryptic presiding. "From Shades-of-Night you'll endure the Test of Purity."

Shiva closed his eyes softly and nodded to Sarah, as a Sensai would his student.

"Def-Int shall test your wisdom."

Johnathan bowed politely in an over dramatized manner.

"Dredge, as our Master of Cunning, will test you in that same renown."

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her, in a feigned attempt to impress her with his title.

"And we, Lightning-Strikes-Twice will be your final test. I shall test your Honor, and Kris shall give you the Test of Glory."

"Five renowns, five of us, each giving her a test of the renown we exemplify?" Dredge looked to Def-Int. "Bloody well complex dat woz."

"She cam all this way," Def-Int looked to Dredge. "I didn't want her to make wasted trip, all in it only would have took a few minutes. I was trying to add some flair."

Shiva stomped his foot again.

"Right," Def-Int gave Sarah his full attention. "Anything you'd like to ask? Questions, concerns?"

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

What Def-Int describe sounded hauntingly familiar to Sarah. The memory took a moment to surface, but when it did a slight shudder ran through her system.

"What the hell happened to him?!?" The party had come back into the central Wren compound early in the afternoon, a cold wind blowing across the snow as Sarah made her way from the barn toward one of the houses after tending to the cows. Four of the People, each bulked up in that somewhat primal form that made her stomach try to do flips every time she saw it, carried a fifth unconscious between them. Behind, they left a trail of footprints deep in the snowpack, and a ribbon of red stained their trail.

"Same as will happen to you if you don't mind your business, human." Sandy had never been one to treat the wolf-bloods decently, let alone any poor unfortunate like Sarah who lacked even that small connection.

"More to the point," added Mort, "same as would happen to you if you ever Changed and then couldn't hack it." It was hard to tell if the Uratha's words were ment to be consolatory or not; the glance he gave to poor Ricky, less than a month Changed and now bleeding heavily from a nasty gash along the side of his head, did much to put his meaning into question.

Only later did Mort clarify the matter, after Ricky was in the hands of the clan healers. "He was being tested," the young werewolf told her in the kind tones that so few used around her. "Trying to see if he was worthy. He... wasn't." Nothing more was said, but it was one of the very few moments where Sarah was even the slightest bit relieved to not be of the People.

A few moments had passed during her reverie, Def-Int waiting patiently for her answer. An image came to mind of the Topangas carrying her like Ricky, only to watch her fall to ashes in their hands. Taking a deep breath more to calm herself than to give air to her voice, she managed to say, "If something goes wrong and I don't finish in one piece, please let Amber Wren of Declan's Rangers know. Other than that, where do I start?"