World of Darkness: Balance of Power - [Werewolf] A Night Howl

[z-Luna]

New Year's Eve, 10:00 p.m.

A thick blanket of snow lay over the ground, swathing the world in a deep covering of white. The open area of the Riverfront Park was buried in this soft layer, marred only by the footprints of the group who stood in the calf-deep snow. They were gathered around a member of their group who was kneeling over a cleared area of snow. She shook a rattle and hummed something in a strange language, singing softly.

There was a flicker of movement in front of her, just a shadow of something. She stopped her song and began to talk. The shadow went still, then disappeared in a burst of movement. The woman stood and the others relaxed. Chatting idly, they waited for others to arrive.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The wolf spirit ran through the Twilight, it's nose high. It only had a few hours, but that would be enough to complete its task and have a meal. It considered finding a host, but the memory of the dire threat leveled at by the hated moon-children make it shake off that thought. Instead, it pushed on.

Relentlessly, it found every one of the hated Uratha and passed on the message: a pack wished to speak with everyone. They were meeting on neutral ground, at Riverfront Park, tonight. Once the message was delivered, it faded back into the Twilight and went to the next.

[Miles]

Flame Seer sat at the locust trying to figure out his next step. Every road had lead to a dead end. The spirits were no help. The other Uratha had been no help. He had no way to summon his totem spirit or the others. At this point he was just going a little stir crazy. How long had been since he had visited the other pack? Ten days? No eleven. He shifted uncomfortably at that thought. He had been warned Uratha's minds did not last long on their own.

"They are calling a meeting?" He turned to the wolf spirit.

"Who?"

"The moon children." Flame Seer snarled and the wolf spirit took a step back.

"Why would I be concerned with that?!"

"They wish to speak with all the Uratha. Something has happened they believe. They are waiting at river front."

Flame Seer's snarl faded. Was it possible the forsaken had figured something out? They were many and he was just one. Even in their ignorance they still had wisdom.

"Leave, go tell the rest of them so that those wayward children don't bother you anymore."

With that he stepped through the gauntlet. Muttering to him self he walked to his car and started it up. At least if only for an hour or two he would be around others.

[Swara-Ann]

Soundtrack - Real Wild Child

Massive floodlights shone their brilliant white light down upon the one hundred yards of powered superpipe. From nowhere a pink and white snowboard blasted powder in a spray as the rider launched into a Crippler Air, flipping up high and sliding gracefully back down for another approach.

Those present cheered her on as the female boarder sped up the side once more and spiraled over the lip spinning several times before approaching the next embankment and launching herself into a backwards flip that seemed like she stayed airborne forever.

Several minutes later she unclamped her board and basked in the few praises she received from her fellow athletes, laughed and thanked those who dolled out compliments, she even ended up with a couple guys bothering her for her cell number so they could text her later.

Making the tradmark winter sports 'swishy' sound with her insulated pink and white winter coat she crunched snow as she walked back to her car. It kinda sucked that they didn't install the big flood lights all over the area, snowboarding 24/7 would just be kick ass.

Away from others the spirit materialized and delivered its message. "Uh, dang it. Seriously 'Oh-Fuzzy-One', get some frickin' cellies for people." She was still young and quite stupid. Her brief forays into the Hisil has so far short and for sight seeing purposes only. Spirits she understood, but only a little. They didn't freak her out anymore like that one night with the lasagna and the microwave... what a nightmare it was getting that stuff off her Garfield phone, ugh.

A bit frustrated that no one among the People seemed to know how to send a text or use a phone, the still quite overwhelmed blonde hopped in her piece of crap car and sputtered to where she could get changed and cleaned up before the meeting.

[Hypothetical]

Marvin finished up a pair of notes on the civil suit he had taken on, and took a breath. It had been too long a night, and he hoped to get out of the place for some fresh air.

Twenty minutes later, Marvin's car pulled up in front of his house, with a bag of groceries purchased along the way.

His progress into the house was checked slightly when he found the wolf-spirit just inside. Calling on his lessons, he tried to be polite, but the spirit brushed that off and delivered it's message.

Of course, a meeting was not what he expected, but his werewolf side enjoyed the thought. So he put the groceries away, cooked and ate a microwave meal, showered rapidly, and set out for Riverfront Park.

[Kara Dream-Speaker]

There was no car for Kara. In her nearly thirty years, she'd never owned a car, though she'd ridden in countless thousands.

The wolf-spirit had found her at the base of the Liberty Memorial, a place that Kara had visited off and on during the three days she'd been in Kansas City. The resonance of Remembrance was still palpable in the air, but it was no mere memory that she sought; she needed whatever was coming next, and this is where the visions had told her that would happen. Whether it would be as a voice from the ancestors or something else was settled with the arrival of a dark grey form as it materialized only a few paces from where she sat in the snow.

A quick exchange later, the wolf-spirit was running on to the next recipient of its howls and words, and Kara was making her way at a brisk walk, then a run, then - after shifting from two legs to four - a lope weaving through the "Greenbelt" across the thirty blocks between her and Riverfront Park.

[Cyril]

Cyril was sweating rather heavily, wearing just a heavy leather apron, jeans and steel-toed boots. He was working a piece of glowing steel, forging a new blade for personal use. But he was still in the early stages when he took a short water break. He spotted the little wolf spirit as he was about to return to work on the blade. He went over to it, and offering proper respect asked why it was there. The Spirit then delivered the message to Cyril. He thanked the spirit and cooled the forge and the steel he was working had to be quenched. He then left his workshop and entered the small house where he lived. Cyril got dressed in a long sleeve shirt, sweater-vest and denim jacket. He went to the garage and started up his chopper. Then, after strapping a full helmet to his head, he opened the garage door and took off into the bitter night, heading for Riverfront park.

[Walks-Too-Soft]

Soundtrack - The Passenger

Fluorescent lighting played across the young man's thin face as he walked down the street, highlighting the sharp features in stark contrast to the shadows of the hood on his baggy Army surplus coat. He was thin and pale, all his clothes dirty and several sizes too big: the chic of dumpsters and Salvation Army handouts. At first glance he was a bum, maybe a junkie, shambling through the cold night with his hands in his pockets looking for the next fix.

A second glance would reveal he didn't shamble, instead possessing a hunch-shouldered, mile-eating loping stride. Hazel eyes were unclouded and bright, darting across the crowds of partygoers, gang-bangers, transients and drug dealers that he passed as he walked. Though he walked alone, he walked unmolested, the Herd rippling faintly with subconscious unease as he moved through them with predatory self-assurance.

Emerging from the knot clustered around the nightclub's entrance, Walks-Too-Soft turned down the alley beside it, grinning in the depths of his hood as he examined the wallets he hand in his hands. The wallets themselves went into the bins as he passed them, the credit cards into a pocket of his faded baggy BDU pants, and the money into another pocket. He made for the other exit of the alley then stopped as a ghostly lupine shape emerged from the gloom ahead of him. The Uratha tensed for a moment, but the spirit spoke swiftly, eager to have it's duty done with. Message delivered, it faded away again as Walks-Too-Soft paused, thinking matters over. With a shrug, he turned and headed for Riverfront Park.

Might as well see what they wanted.

[Miles]

As Miles pulled up to the park he looked around before getting out of his car.

"Do you really want to do this?"

Neutral did not always mean safe among Uratha. A lone wolf did not stand much chance if a pack turned on it. Could he trust these people? He reached for the ignition about to turn the car back on and stopped. Thinking how long it had been since he had been around others of his kind. Finally he steeled him self and Flame Seer got out of his car and sniffed the air. Heading towards the Uratha already gathered.

[z-Luna]

There were more than the eight who had started the evening. Twelve were already there by the time Miles got there. The eight were had that 'pack vibe' were milling around together, their steaming breath providing a hazy mist around them. The other four were standing by themselves, their body language socially distressed. Miles knew the feeling; he was probably giving off the same signals. A lone wolf facing a strange pack of eight could definitely feel justified in his bladder loosening and his asshole puckering.

The eight-pack seemed to be waiting for something. One nodded to Miles, but didn't approach him.

[Cyril]

Cyril roared up to the park, mounted upon his chopper. He slowly came to a stop, near the other vehicles. He clambered off his bike, and removed his helmet, shaking out his hair. His hand went to his waist, where a small blade was resting in a sheath. He grimaced at the cold air, then moved closer to where the others were, but not getting too close to the pack. Warily, his eyes darted from one person to another, trying to guess at who was what in relation to the pack.

[Kara Dream-Speaker]

Loping steps had turned into bounding leaps long before hitting the park; snow had blown into deep drifts in the parks and open lots and trailways that Kara used to close the distance to her destination. Still, she slowed to a deep-stepped walk as she neared the gathering itself.

The feeling from the others was unmistakable, and - knowing that she was in the company of fellow Uratha - she called forth the change that brought her to human form once more, the footprints left in the snow broadening, deepening as she walked on toward the group.

To look at her, one would shiver; the collection of clothes she wore looked too thin at first glance to protect the woman from the brutal winds of December's transition to January. But the prints left behind were those of good boots, and there were more layers to her clothing than one would notice on first or even second glance.

A smile creased her lips; she'd been told weeks ago to go to the memorial, and sure enough, it had been the next clue on her journey. This is why I'm here. Then a look around told her of the dynamic: a good-sized back gathered in a circle with a number of unaffiliated Uratha heeding a call to gather but uncertain what to do now that they were here.

"It seems to me," she called out to all those present while taking measured, deliberate steps toward the central pack, "that if were all supposed to be here, we should probably talk. I'm Dream-Speaker, and I've traveled far to meet you."

[Swara-Ann]

"We've all traveled far to meet us." Swara-Ann mumbled, rolling her eyes from where she leaned against a tree listening to her iPod. "City's a big place."

She was still a bit of a n00b herself so didn't mention the wolf-to-human footprints Kara had left in the snow. If the continued anonymity of the People was at risk she assumed one of the geezers would mention it. Being a hunter herself though, both before and now of course, after her First Change, she couldn't help but notice the woman's approach could lead anyone who knew what to look for right to where they were. Of course the Gathering would long since have disbanded but she didn't like the idea of trackers knowing they were here, not after her run in with the Bales several seasons ago.

Letting things unfold as they would she bobbed her head and subtlety swayed her hips to the tunes playing in her iPod.

[Walks-Too-Soft]

"Big enough to get lost in, small enough to be found in." A lean-faced Uratha said in a soft voice as he stepped noiselessly into view from around the tree Swara was leaning against. He flashed her a roguish smile then turned his gleaming eyes to the others present, tugging back the hood of his oversized, ragged coat. He was handsome enough in a sly, foxish way, his vulpine air heightened by the shaggy red hair that framed his face.

"Walks-Too-Soft." He said by way of introduction, without further ceremony. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his coat and simply stood where he had emerged next to Swara's tree. "Someone called?"

[Hypothetical]

"Urgently, by a way of an angry spirit. I wouldn't call that good." Marvin walked up with a tight look on his face, not upset, but betraying something of his inexperience, as it were. "Seeks-The-Truth." he replied in a tense tone and a nod.

[Miles]

Miles walked over to something to lean against and crossed his arms.

"Spirits are often angry when they are ordered about by Forsaken."

He glanced around at the ones gathered.

"Flame Seer."

[Swara-Ann]

Startled partly by her distraction of music, and by the manner in which Walks-Too-Soft lived up to his name be sneaking up on her, Swara-Ann let out a slight peep of fright as she turned to the lean-faced Uratha. "Dude, way not cool. For serious."

He was handsome enough in a way that made her give him far more of a once-over than a 'spirit sister' should. One by one suddenly everyone was introducing themselves, so, why not. "Swara-Ann Osbourne! Not related to Ozzy, thought how could that be, right? But when we're all "on the clock" call me 'Talini'!" she said bubbly and with a bouncy smile. "Fastest Uratha around! They won't tell me, but I think my name means mail-lady since I get stuck delivering most the messages roun' here."

Swara-Ann, although weak in prestige, was a kind spirit and altruistic soul. Well liked among her peers, not still to young (mentally, and my Uratha standards) to treated very seriously. One thing was for sure however, and that was at least respected as a girl who meant well. A few of the gathered chuckled at her comment, her snarky fun adding a bit of levity to the amassed Rage of the Gathering.

[Cyril]

Cyril nodded to the rest, "Flame-tongue. I make knives the old fashioned way, and with the help of others can even make a Klaive. Not quite able to make one on my own yet, but someday I'll be able to. Pleased to meet you all. Any idea why we were summoned here tonight?" He smiled and looked over at the pack of 8 and sighed, awaiting the answer to this question with bated breath.

[z-Luna]

"That'd be for me to answer." One of the men approached the huddle of werewolves, waving for them all to draw close. He was tall and leanly muscled, with unruly, curly brown hair. "I'm Nightclaw, or Duke if you want to be informal. For those of you who don't know, I'm Alpha of the Jayhawks." He paused to let people laugh. When no one did, he added, "We - my pack - called everyone here because something big has happened, and we need to deal with it."

He paused again, then continued. "The Pure have disappeared," he said softly. "Normally, this is good news - trouble gone without us lifting a paw. But this is a problem for us, because we don't know why. All we know is that they're gone - packs and totems. The spirits don't know why either, but they're nervous. I am asking that if you have any information that might be helpful, then please speak up."

[Swara-Ann]

She popped an ear bud out of her ear as the Jayhawk Alpha stepped forward and spoke. After he finished she shrugged and somehow managed to look cute while doing it. "Nope, sorry. Ain't heard a peep."

[Miles]

Miles spoke softly but tried to keep his voice where they could hear it.

"There is still one pure left in Kansas City. I came here tonight in the hopes that you had found something out. One morning the rest were just...gone. Our totem spirits have disappeared. All of their stuff is still at their homes, their cars are still there. They just all vanished."

He looked around at the forsaken and they could see fear in his eyes.

"What ever happened is a threat to all of us. We can not let this rift that stand between us get in the way of finding out what ever new threat has caused this."

[Kara Dream-Speaker]

Kara's eyebrows took a considerable leap at Miles' revelation, but held her stance with only a barely notable tension slipping in.

"I've only been in the city for the past few days," she explained whilst warily watching the Anshega. "The most I know is that I'm supposed to be here; that's what the ancestors told me, at any rate. Apparently, my fate is bound with yours."

[z-Luna]

"Fuckin' Pure!?" One of the Jayhawks bellowed, taking a step forward.

Duke held up a hand. "He's offered no violence. This is a meeting of The People," he said, his voice grim. "And like it or not, he's People. Our brother if you will."

He glanced at Kara's statement, nodding. "Cahalith?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow at her.

[Kara Dream-Speaker]

Eyes still firmly set upon Miles, Kara nodded in agreement. "Cahalith, yes. And of the Hirfathra Hissu." With effort she tore her eyes from the Pure in their midst to look to Duke.

"We can probably go into a bit more detail when we're in... different company." There could be no mistaking whom she meant.

[Swara-Ann]

"Hey! Me too," Swara said a bit more bubbly than any here could have mustered. "Sweet. You should totally add me as a friend on Facebook, sides I need one more friend in Farmville anyway."

"So, aside from Miley," She turned and looked to Duke, still leaning against her tree looking as blonde and pretty as one could expect. "The Pure have have grown beards, gotten wired, and disappeared into the mountains for no reason. None of us seem to know much and you said 'y'alls're clueless right?"

She shrugged. "We might as well all hook up and work together to find a solution, because unless soap and sanity are involved I don't see any logical reason why the Pure would just suddenly up and flee the city."

[Miles]

Quote:

"We can probably go into a bit more detail when we're in... different company." There could be no mistaking whom she meant.

Miles sighed and shook his head.

"Very well, I came hoping to get new information and it is clear you have none. As I have no new information for you I suppose I will take my leave."

Standing up straight he started to head for his car. Half way there he stopped.

"Just so you know, I am fairly new to this whole thing. I am struggling to understand exactly why we have let this rift between us carry on as it has for so long. I don't think our methods are the same but as werewolves like he said we are all brothers and sisters. At least two dozen of your brothers and sisters have vanished with out a trace. If that isn't a reason for us to work together than I don't know what is. If you need me I live down on 75th st. near high way 435. You should be able to sniff me out pretty easily."

With that he went to his car and turned it on, giving it a few minutes to warm up.

[Hypothetical]

Marvin paused as he considered the possibility of working with those self-proclaimed to be mortal enemies. Still, under the circumstance, his Elodoth nature surfaced, and he took on the role of defense lawyer.

"Well," he carefully started, "there is that point. Whatever made the Pure to leave probably was a threat to them, one that they felt they couldn't handle. Under the circumstances, and considering that he seems rather amenable to working with us, it's only fair to give him some kind of option."

[Walks-Too-Soft]

"Cya." Walks-Too-Soft said with quiet mockery as the Anshega turned to go. "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out." He turned his gaze on Marvin.

"Assuming we believe that Pure son-of-a-bitch isn't alone, there's still the fact that if he did have buddies around here, they'd be crawling up our asses fangs-first, and to hell with neutral ground. He'll probably shaft us as soon as he gets the option." The lean-faced Irraka spat in the direction Flame Seer had gone, contempt in his eyes. "I'll work with him when Luna Herself declares it must be so, and not fucking before."

He looked at Duke next. "It's definitely worth checking out why the Pure have gone, if only so we can find out where to send the flowers and Bollinger." He grinned, then sobered a little, looking around at the other non-Jayhawks present. "And yeah, it might be a threat to us too. I'm game to gang-up if you all are."

[Swara-Ann]

Miles walked off and Swara-Ann rolled her eyes. "Maybe because the Pure tribes are born from hate?" She shrugged sarcastically. "I dunno, that be my guess, oh, and they like to murder us, in our sleep I might add, how brave... and they treat humanity like live stock, really I could go on..."

"Option?" She glared at Seeks-The-Truth. "'Brothers and sisters' my sweet patootie. They're murderers and savages. " She dismissed the Pure without even a second thought and felt her respect for Duke and Marvin dwindling by the moment. "At any rate... let's move on."

[Kara Dream-Speaker]

"All of the Uratha are brothers and sisters," Kara quietly noted, "even if they insist on turning each other to hamburger on occasion. But you're right. Better we decide what to do from here than stand around arguing about the last of the Anshega in town."

She looked around at the gathered werewolves. "I think the Jayhawks are pretty much full-up; I doubt you'd be able to absorb a half-dozen new arrivals. Packs start to strain at the seams after ten or so. So I suppose the question here is: do the rest of us want to get to know each other a bit? If we're here for the long haul, it would be nice to know if we can function as a pack."

[Swara-Ann]

Swara-Ann's face scrunched. "I dunno." Her voice was kinda nasally while she intentionally disfigured her normally attractive features. "I've been around here awhile now and been okay. Sure, I get the hankerin' for packing up with peeps, but it's kind of a really big commitment."

She left out that a few packs she tried to join ended in disaster. Swara-Ann wasn't the sharpest marble in the bag and her legend for screwing up had hit about every corner of Kansas. Sure, she was probably the fastest werewolf in three states and had a cheerful personality that really rallied the spirits and her fellow Uratha swiftly upon the right path of upholding the oaths, she was even a good teller of tales and brave in a fight with over a dozen notches on her belt in her short career as a werewolf.

None of that made her any smarter, though.

"Like, serious commitment." She continued. "I'm just not sure going all the way with you guys is what I want, sorry. I'd be totally okay with third base or something, like kicking all kinds of butt and solving this issue, but all the way? I'd totally need to get know some people better."

The fact that she stood before her spiritual brothers and sisters and used the 'sexual bases' as a way helping to explain her case seemed totally lost on her...

[z-Luna]

"I'm not saying function as a pack," Duke said easily, nodding at one of his packmates. Without a word, the woman slipped off after the Pure, turning into a flat, two-dimensional shadow before she cleared the mass of people. The dark shape darted from shadow to shadow before coiling up a shrouded trunk, watching the Pure to make sure he left.

"What I'm saying is that you might want to work together. Doesn't mean you'll pack up together, or be comfortable together, but it does mean that it'll be harder to pick you off one-by-one. Just a suggestion."

[Hypothetical]

"That's not a bad suggestion." Marvin replied. "I doubt this is the best time, place or reason for a pack to form. But sticking together for safety is advisable. So we're a team, but not a pack, agreed?"

[Rorx]

The wolf-spirit howled in triumph as it finally tracked down the last of the hated Uratha, it had taken far longer to find this one than the others. It crashed through the Gauntlet to deliver it's message surprising the Uratha which at least partially mollified the spirit.

#You go to River Front NOW!# it growled at the dark cladded hooded figure as it used the wall beside the exposed safe to catch it's balance.

#Pack summons all Uratha. You go NOW! You late!#

With it's message delivered it vanishes with a shake of it's head to relieve its tension.

Jake swore viciously in pidgin arabic as the alarms in the offices he was investigating started there shrill song. Running back the way he had come he almost dived into the ladies toilet on this level. Entering the third cubical he climbed back up into the ceiling panel and carefully replaced it behind himself. He quickly worked his way back up to the roof of the building and the rope he had left there.

Half an hour later Jack pulled in to the car park at the Riverfront Park still cursing the luck that ended up with the spirit arriving in the middle of job he had spent a couple of weeks plannin. Seeing the mixture of other cars he spent a few minutes sitting on his anger, disappointment and frustration. Soon he had recovered his 'game-face', the calm dispassion that allowed a sniper to edure days of desert heat while waiting for the one good shot at an elusive target. Re-centred he grabbed a warm jacket off the passenger seat of his VW Golf and put it on as he got out of the car and locked it.

Moving quietly, as was his nature, out into the park he soon spotted the gathering and paused briefly to way his options. Jack was surprised to see so many there, he had been led to believe that KC was pretty empty as far as the People were concerned, but it was enough to decide his approach. Walking forwards towards the group he called ahead to them, "Sorry I'm late, my invite must have gotten lost along it's way, but I hear someone wanted to talk to me?"

[z-Luna]

"We did," Duke said without a sign of impatience. Quickly, he outlined what had already been said, including the revelation that a member of the Pure had survived. "So, buddy, do you have any information about what happened to them?"

The Alpha of the Jayhawks appeared to be getting impatient. He'd been hoping to learn something tonight.

[Rorx]

"I'm afraid not. When did you say this happend? I've only been in town for three or four months so I may have missed it. On the other hand I've been keeping pretty much to myself and hadn't run into anyone else until now." Jack suppressed the urge to shrug, the guy was getting pissed at his lack of progress so their was no need to rile him more with what could be construed as a sign of indifference.

"I'll happily start looking into it if you want?"

May as well offere anyway, even though it's pretty obvious that that's what all this meeting is about.

[Hypothetical]

"I think," Marvin started in a soothing, calming tone toward Duke, "that it all boils down to this. Fact, the Pure, all but one, have disappeared overnight. The last one has told us he knows nothing, but we cannot say for now if he is telling the truth or lying. Fact, the spirits are not being responsive. Fact, no one here has an idea of what or why the Pure were motivated to leave. Therefore, regardless of how we go about this, our only probable course of action is to investigate, and see if we can learn something by looking into the matter. Agreed?"

[Walks-Too-Soft]

"Thought I already had." Walks-Too-Soft muttered just audibly enough to be heard by the other Uratha present. The young, sharp-featured Irraka looked at everyone with a sardonic quirk to his lips before his gaze rested on Duke.

"So what leads do we have? Sounds like so far we've got a big double helping of jack and shit, hold the jack." He glanced in the direction the Anshega had gone. "Unless we put a tail on Mr Master Race there and see if anything comes to eat him." Another vulpine grin punctuated the suggestion. "Hell, I'll buy whatever it is some A1 sauce so it gets a good last meal before we kick its ass."

"Anyone got any other ideas?"

[Hypothetical]

Marvin raised an eyebrow as Walks-Too-Soft's words struck gold in an idea mine. A grin extended on his face and he suggested, "Maybe investigate their territorial loci? See if they left anything behind? They left the area, probably don't care if leave anything for us."

[Rorx]

"It's a plan." comments the late comer, "but do any of you have any idea where their loci were? 'Cos othewise you could be searching the city for a while before you stumble upon one." the last directed more at Duke than the rest.

[Logic1]

"I may be able to be of some help in locating the loci" Jason interjected.

He stepped forward and looked about the group. Many had been assembled which meant the problem was as big if not bigger than he'd thought. He leaned casually against a tree as he removed his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt.

"Jason Wells, 'He-Who-Sees'. Ithaeur, Bone Shadow." he told those assembled "I'm not big on working with The Pure myself but we are working toward a common cause. If nothing else he's worth monitoring since he'll likely be the next to disappear if anyone...before us Forsaken that is.