Feralia Conducted (IC) by Anubis
Participants: Sepdet, Su, Seeker, Rholeen, Isis/Traps-Fighter, Blinks-at-Fire, Paul/Seshemw/Shows-the-Way, Nekheb/Moyan Dashe, Anpwhotep (arrived late)
GM: Su, Sepdet

This was a complex, overly-ambitious ONS. The goal of this year’s Feralia was to give Blinks-at-Fire, a notoriously clueless half-moon problem cub, a second chance to prove himself after his first failed RoP. We needed him to be separated so that he couldn’t rely on everyone to tell him what to do or make his decisions. So we broke the Striders into 3 different groups. I also wanted to give Anubis a special scene of his own because normally he had to run everything.

To add to the complexity, I was trying (and failed) to give Eligio a chance to work in his non-wyrmy, enigmatic, maddening Eater of the Dead foil-NPC, Nekheb.

+fin blinks
Information for Blinks-at-Fire (Alias ‘blink’):
Blinks-at-Fire is connected.
Location:       Dark Umbra(#1296RFJ)
Other Name(s):  Spreads-Confusion, Spams-the-Firepit, Brick-Catcher Catcher
Race:           Garou                 Sex:            male
Breed:          Lupus                 Auspice:        Philodox
Tribe:          Silent Striders       Rank:           0 (Cub)
Pack:           Not Set               Sept:           Not Set
Position:       Sept heretic and comic relief.

[[In the Strider Gathering Place]]
Contents:
Su
Anubis
Seeker
Anubis sits corss-legged at the edge of the precipice, looking southward toward Wolf Woods.
Anubis does not turn as his tribemates filter in.
Seeker chuffs to Su and Hope-Star.
Blinks-at-Fire has arrived.
Seeker peers closely at the eye carved on Sepdet’s chest, but says nothing.
Blinks-at-Fire trots up the trail, giving a cheery but quiet whuff to those present.
Hope-Star settles quietly at the edge, curling her tail around herself patiently and meeting the others’ greetings with only a faint dip of the eyes.
Anubis pages: Can you actually see the thing? It should be under your fur once it scars over fully. Anubis’ can’t be seen, obviously.
Su sits, wind whiffling her long fur a bit, and gives Blinks a low greeting whurf.
Anubis continues to sit cross-legged at the edge of the precipice, staring southward with his back to the others.
You paged Eligio Sacateca with ‘Will Nekheb be crashing?’.
From afar, Eligio Sacateca would like to. You want me in now, before things start, or in the midst of it all?
From afar, Paul waves and hopes he isn’t TOO late?
You paged Paul with ‘We’re just waiting for the last stragglers.’.
Su pages: *Nekheb*?!
From afar, Su panics and whimpers. Help.
Long distance to Su: Hope-Star hmmms. I should tell him no, shouldn’t I. :)
Shows-the-Way climbs up the steep trail to the west, coming out onto the promontory.
Shows-the-Way has arrived.
Shows-the-Way trots up the last of the path and comes to a halt with an expression of relief.
Blinks-at-Fire sits down and looks back at the others, endeavoring to look solemn, serious, and serene. But his nose gives an occasional anxious twitch.
Anubis stands slowly, and turns at last to look over the gathered Striders, countenance stern.
Grey Leg climbs up the steep trail to the west, coming out onto the promontory.
Grey Leg has arrived.
Long distance to Anubis and Su: Hope-Star realizes iif Nekheb shows up, we won’t know how to deal with him on the bridges. He can come for the Rite part, but he will have to take his own solitary way on Feralia. He always walks alone, after all.
From afar, Su takes a deep breath. PTHTHTBBTHT. :) Good solution.
Grey Leg bounds quickly up the trail, mounting the flat rock surface unwinded, although she is clearly favoring her right fore-leg.
Seeker pages to Anubis, Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Hope-Star, and Blinks-at-Fire: Hey, where’s Tep? :)
Shows-the-Way moves to stand near Sepdet and sits down without a word.
Seeker looks up towards Anubis.
Anubis speaks softly, in ritualistic tones. ~Today is the day for the Rite of Feralia.~
Pack> Shows-the-Way actually made it for something important.. Yay!
Grey Leg pads quickly to Sepdet’s side and settles back on her haunches, lifting her injured leg from the ground, her eyes locked on Anubis.
Anubis pages to Michael Powers, Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Hope-Star, and Blinks-at-Fire: OK, the OOC warning up front — THERE IS A CHANCE OF DEATH ON THIS RUN. If your character has second thoughts, have ‘em now. I’ll be the IC person running the show, but Sep’s the GM.
You paged Eligio Sacateca with ‘That’s what I mean. We run together as the Striders of the Wheel Renewed. Nekheb will be separated from us and up on his own solitary run.’.
Eligio Sacateca pages: Oh, okay. I’ll be right there.
Pack> Dylan says “Yay!”
Grey Leg contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Grey Leg shifts into Hispo form.
Anubis looks at Blinks. ~Blinks at Fire, you are officially still a cub. Your elders have requested that you be given the chance to prove yourself, and so I will give you one tonight if you wish it. Do you?~
You paged Moyan Dashe with ‘The reason is that Su and I are going to try and puppet nasty mirrors of every Strider present at the Rite, and we didn’t work out what to do with Nekheb. :)’.
Nekheb climbs up the steep trail to the west, coming out onto the promontory.
Nekheb has arrived.
Su looks steadily and a trifle sadly at Blinks.
Hope-Star sits impassively at Shows-the-Way’s flank, watching Anubis quietly as she gathers herself for tonight’s activities.
Blinks-at-Fire stands up stiffly. He pauses for a moment, as if mentally rehearsing a speech, but says only, Yes.
Su’s attention is diverted as a total stranger walks onto the Promontory.
Seeker turns his head as Nekheb arrives, his eyes narrowing and ears flattening. ~I do not know you.~
Nekheb comes onto the promontory after the last of the others, finding his way onto the trail from the northern edges, and ascends silently. At the top he fixes each Garou with a silent stare until dipping his head respectfully. Anubis-yuf.
Shows-the-Way looks over at Nekheb with a little surprise, but looks like he recognizes the newcomer.
Traps-Fighter looks quickly over at the new-comer, unfamiliar with him, but her analytical gaze quickly returns to Anubis.
Anubis nods, ignoring the other Adren’s entrance as though it was expected. ~Then we will begin.~ He continues in the ritualistic tone. ~Today is the day for the Rite of Feralia, where w erun with our ancestors and listen to their words. Tonight, we speak of the death of the world, the destruction of all, and the hope we have for what lies beyond it.
Hope-Star swings her attention to Nekheb momentarily with a glance of acknowledgement, painfully exact in its degree of deference: all respect, and no warmth.
Anubis says, ~Each of you has seen the spectral flame that burns in the Umbra here; it protects a relic of importance to our people, which it is now time for us to once again uncover.~
Nekheb tilts his head, almost mechanically at the other. But I know you, Seeker, is the look in his eyes.
Su raises her head slightly, on the other side of the grouping from the stranger and paying him little mind, at least overtly.
Anubis seems to have concluded one passage, and breaks into a more standard tone. ~Crinos, tribemates. Test your control; you will need hands.~
Traps-Fighter twitches an ear and widens her eyes slightly at Anubis’ words.
Su’s eyes catch on a bit of reflective scrap amid the ashes.
Su shifts into Crinos form.
Seeker sees that others seem to know the stranger, so he ignores him for the moment and focuses on Anubis.

[Much +reaching and +shifting spammage]

Umbra: Overlook Ledge
From here, you can see everything. The Umbra stretches westward before you, far further below you in the Umbra than it is in the Realm. This is a high cliff, miles above the ground below, where you can see the bright glow of the Caern, beyond it the dark shadow of Kent Crossing, and further off in the distance the looming darkness of St. Claire. The dim umbral woods below you seem to move and sway with a life of their own.
The promontory from the realm is represented in the umbra by nothing more than a small ledge. There is a ring of blue fire burning at the center of the ledge, large enough that only a few may stand around it at one time. The ground is almost luminescent. Etched into the stone of the nearby cliffside is the glyph of the Silent Striders.
Sometimes, out of the corner of your eye, you swear you can see a hazy shape moving in a sinuous dance around the flames, but when you look directly, it is gone. Behind you to the east, a sheer cliff looms upward out of sight.
l me
Sepdet(#3589Pce)
A tiny 6’2 even in Crinos, you may still be startled by the intense gaze of this young Seer. Small, wiry, wary, her physique bears not the usual terrifying array of muscles, but lean long planes and angles like the weathered spires of desert canyons…if they were formed of obsidian not sand.
Her ebony pelt is smooth and glossy with health, unmarred except for the faint fresh lines of an udjat, a great Eye, carved right into the flesh over breastbone. Long, thin muzzle, large, sensitive ears, and sleek carriage point clearly to Egyptian blood. She resembles the paintings of her ancestors more than most: her body, though furred, is almost human in scale, with an oversized jackal’s head arching from broad shoulders. But her economy of movement, a dance of angles and arcs like her body, is decidedly inhuman.(+details)WOUNDS: Nothing too serious, just some healing-up bashes and slashes from some fight or another. The worst seems to be raked gouges bit deep into her right forearm.
The observant may notice that in the Umbra, no matter the moon or sun, she casts no shadow.
Seshemw glances around quickly as if making sure no obvious threats are near.
The Striders are the only ones here.
Traps-Fighter looks down sadly a moment at her left hand, then returns her attention to the Keeper of the Ways.
Blinks-at-Fire clenches and unclenches his fists repeatedly as he shifts his eyes from side to side.
Anubis arranges the Striders in a circle around the fire: Nekheb, Sepdet, Su, Seeker, Paul, Isis, Blinks. He stations himself between the last and the first.
Traps-Fighter stands at attention in her given place, ready.
In a smooth motion, Seeker causes his kopsh to unmeld from his body and draws it forth into his right hand. He stands on the balls of his feet, in anticipation.
Anubis says, ~The Striders of the Wheel Renewed are gathered.~ The flames brighten, become a bit more solid-looking. Anubis bends, and extends an arm into the heart of the fire. They roar and engulf his arm, the fur burning brightly — but there is no burning smell, and Anubis seems unaffected other than in an illusory way.~
Seshemw watches Anubis closely, his only sign of surprise at the behavior of the flames a slight widening of the eyes.
Anubis grasps at something amid the light, and lifts it free of the flames. It is a simple flat stone, not impressive to look at. He steps back from the fire and waits until the flames on his arm gutter and die out before continuing.
Nekheb remains silent, aloof, in his own world. He watches Anubis warily, his gaze sweeping the circle on occasion.
Traps-Fighter seems to snap lightly from a trance as her gaze shifts from Anubis to Nekheb when his sweeps around toward her.
Anubis bends again, and lifts a small leather bowl from the ground, which he holds out. Ceremoniously, he pricks his plam with a claw and lets a drop fall into the bowl with the thick brown mixture already there. He passes it to Nekheb, for him to do likewise.
Anubis pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Nekheb, Traps-Fighter, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: Around the circle…
Sepdet stands with empty hands, small form relaxed. She watches the others now, inner sight fixed on the currents at center as her quiet gaze sweeps around the wheel of Striders, weighing and steadying them.
Nekheb accepts the bowl wordlessly. Long claws, ragged and worn at the ends, gouge deeply into his palm and the blood flows freely. He passes it to Sepdet when his blood has mixed with the other there.
Traps-Fighter’ eyes never leave Nekheb’s face as he accepts the bowl and performs his portion of the rite.
Blinks-at-Fire bends down and drags his left foreclaw back and forth across the stone surface of the ledge to sharpen it while he waits for the bowl to come his way.
Sepdet takes the bowl in her right hand, clenching her left until the claws bite deeply. She holds it over the bowl and swirls it until her blood has mingled with the others, and passes it on.
Su makes a quick gash across her upper palm before she takes the bowl, and dribbles her own essence into it as she passes it along to Seeker.
Seeker draws the kopsh across his right hand and accepts the stone from Su, then passes it on to Shows-the-Way.
Seshemw draws a talon lightly across the palm of his left hand., blood following its course and starting to well in his cupped palm. He whispers, ~From the heart..~ as he takes the bowl with his right hand and lets his blood join that of his fellows.
Seshemw passes the bowl along to Isis.
Traps-Fighter accepts the bowl with her injured right hand, her weakness causing it to shake very slightly. With her left hand she deftly inserts the claw of her middle didget into the center of her padded palm and squeezes leightly, a thick drop of dark blood oozing forth. Quickly she passes it on to the cub.
Blinks-at-Fire pokes several times at his left palm before the blood finally flows. He takes the bowl in his right hand, and stares into it apprehensively a moment. Then he, too, lets the blood drip in.
Rholeen has arrived.
Anubis gestures silently for Rholeen to take her place between Paul and Isis.
Blinks-at-Fire turns to Anubis, and offers the bowl back to him.
Anubis takes the bowl and passes it to Rholeen. ~Add your blood to the mixture, Rholeen.~
Rholeen takes the bowl and, after cutting her palm with a claw, adds a few drops to the contents.
Anubis takes the bowl back from Rholeen and returns to his place between Blinks and Nekheb. ~This is sap, mud, and the blood of the Striders. We are one with Gaia, and she with us. The Apocalypse is nearly upon us, Tribemates. It is time now for each of us to speak of one sign we have seen that it comes, and with increasing speed.~
Anubis dips a finger into the bowl, and mixes the contents. With the resulting mixture, he draws the sigil of the Striders upon the stone.
Anubis speaks the ritual opening: ~I have seen the signs.~ He pauses. ~Prophecies are coming to their fulfillment, and the sights of the end haunt our Tribe more than ever. Wepauwet’s death has been foretold.~ He does not elaborate on the cryptic statement, but passes the bowl and stone to Nekheb.
Rholeen pages: Who is Nekheb? Is he new, or an oldy who hasn’t been around?
The flames get a bit brighter and taller at Anubis’ words.
You paged Rholeen with ‘He’s a stranger who’s been lurking around the caern for half a year.’.
Nekheb wraps claws and fingers around the bowl and stone, his grip on the latter so tight that the tendons in his hand stand out like steel wires on his gaunt fingers. He echoes ~I have seen the signs. I know of places long since forgotten and I have seen the old ones are gone from them. The Guardians of the pathways and the crossroads die and return to sand even as we speak.~ He passes the two items on to Sepdet.
The flames grow steadily with each Garou who draws the sigil upon the Painting Stone. Still, no heat is readily apparent.
Sepdet stares down into the flames, drawing upon a memory. ~The old ones are all gone,~ she echoes. ~I have seen the wyrm come to fruition in the hearts of those lesser Garou who take their place now, even at our own Wheel, as the foe draws ever more into its spiral. ~
Sepdet traces the sigil on stone, and passes it steadily to Su.
Su takes bowl and stone, dipping in only the tip of a claw and doing so repeatedly as she draws. She takes a deep breath, unused to oratory but surprisingly good at it in a pinch. Perhaps the Mother Tongue lends itself to such. ~It is not the role of a new-moon and a wanderer to bemoan the loss of tradition, but I have seen more and more the Garou of this Wheel – this Wheel that stands as an example of our people’s cooperation – unable to work and to fight because there is no one rule and one word that they live by. Contention is an old enemy, but it pains me to see it here where so many of the wanderers call home.~
From afar, Anubis is still planning on making the shadow-forms appear. That’s in your plan, yes?
Su passes the bowl and stone on, looking up at Seeker.
Long distance to Anubis: Sepdet yeps.
Seeker accepts the stone from Su. ~I have seen the signs. I am a Seeker, and have seen the signs across Gaia’s breadth. Her waters have been befouled, her air polluted, the forests razed, the very earth upturned for greed. Gaia screams in pain as her children turn on her and tear at her flesh. Our mother is dying, my brethren. We must protect her. This I have seen.~ He passes the stone to Seshemw.
Seshemw rumbles softly, ~I have seen that Banes haunt the darkness more and more, even when the moon lights the sky. Spirals come ever more frequently, striking at Gaia’s defenders. The Enemy marshalls its host, and the waves of them lessen those that would stand at the last fight. In this, I see the approach of the End.~ He carefully wets a claw and scribes the sigil on the stone, concentrating on drawing it clearly and precisely, then passing the bowl and stone on to Rholeen.
As the stone and bowl reach the far side of the circle, the flames stop growing, but a shimmering area begins to form in the air over it. The flames are nearly 5 feet in height, far from the hazy embers they normally appear.
Rholeen takes the items, and hesistantly traces the sign of her tribe upon the rock. ~I’m not sure what I can add, but this. During the night I go for walks. Each time I seek a places that feel right to me. That refresh me and help me through my days. But everyday these places grow smaller and harder to find. I worry they might disappear. It may seem a small thing, but it is all I can offer.~ After saying this Rholeen then passes the bowl and stone to Isis.
Seeker has disconnected.
Traps-Fighter accepts the bowl and stone, her injured hand grasping the stone tightly while her light grip on the bowl might incline one to belive her about to drop it. ~The signs..I believe I have seen them, born them witness. They are terrible and I fight, but our mother bleeds. She bleeds with the passing of the humans. She bleeds with the terrible bite of the Wyrm and his minions. I fight but know not how to heal.~ She looks into the light forming above the fire, then quickly inscribes the tribal sigil upon the stone and passes them on to Blinks-at-Fire.
Su looks across the group at Rholeen, particularly affected by her simple words.
Seshemw’s eyes stay locked on the changing flame, but his ears turn to listen as each of the others speak.
Anubis shows no reaction to any of the statements, simply watches each in turn, arms crossed, feet apart.
Blinks-at-Fire bites his lip and frowns. He takes the bowl and the stone. His voice comes out in a cold rumble that speaks of an old, familiar bitterness. ~I ran from one end of the land almost to the other, and did not hear the voices of my brothers.~ He dips the still-red foreclaw in the bowl, and repeats the sigil drawn by the others before him, before handing bowl and stone back to Anubis.
Anubis takes them both, and steps up to the fire. After a pause, he pours the remaining liquid into the flames. They leap upward, and the hazy shimmer above them opens into a seeming hole in reality itself — but it seems to be fighting to stabilize itself. A rush of cold air blows from it, but it seems only to feed the fire. Anubis bends and replaces the stone at the heart of the fire, his entire body engulfed in the flames.
Su straightens, looking upwards at the flames and the shimmer.
Anubis steps back again, unharmed, and waits as the fires gutter out from his impossibly unburnt fur. There is a charge in the air, like static, and a palpable sense of other presences.
Seeker has connected.
Seeker pages to Anubis, Seshemw, Nekheb, Traps-Fighter, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Ack, sorry about that.
Anubis says, ~The Apocalypse comes, from within and without. We recognize the Apocalypse without, and fight it every day of our lives. But today, my Tribemates, we run with our ancestors, and hear their murmurings. But we must outrun the Apocalypse within.~~
Traps-Fighter watches the pyrotechnics with wonder, her eyes shifting from the fire to Anubis and back.
Blinks-at-Fire has reconnected.
Dark, shadowy shapes slowly fade into being beside each Strider: a dark representation of the blackness within each. The shadow-forms have glowing red eyes, and slaver bits of steaming shadow to the ground.
Traps-Fighter twitches an ear, and glances once at her double, moving only her eyes.
Seshemw’s ears lay flat as the shadow appears beside him, a low growl escaping his throat before he falls silent again.
Su looks over at her doppelganger, a calm and resolute expression on her face.
Nekheb’s nostrils flare as the shadow materializes beside him. For the first time that night he hesitates, a low and gravelly rumble issuing from deep within his chest.
Anubis stops in the ceremony for a moment, the shadows struggling as if bound and waiting to attack. He turns to Blinks. ~Here begins your test. The Rite caster normally leads on Feralia. Tonight, you will lead the run, and you will be judged on the decisions you make upon it.~ He continues after returning his gaze to the fire. The gate over the fire solidifies and opens further. The wind whips up.
Seeker snarls at his shadow-self, flashing the kopsh but not attacking. He glares around at the other shadow forms.
Pack> Seshemw looks real nervous in that.
Pack> Dylan says “In what?”
Sepdet looks wearily at her old shadow and flexes her feet, after a remote glance to Nekheb on her other side. She steals herself to jump, hackles beginning to raise at the back of her neck.
Seshemw crouches slightly, ready to race against the darkness perhaps, but not looking like he’s going to enjoy it.
Anubis says, ~Blinks we will follow now, into the black world of the restless spirits. As we speak, the whole of our tribe prepares to make the same leap. In a very short time, the Tribe as a whole will have covered Gaia’s entire breadth. Whatever happens, do not falter in your resolve, and do not slow, lest your shadow catch you and devour you. Run as fast as you can, and always westward.~~
Anubis pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Nekheb, Traps-Fighter, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Sep, time for leap instructions.
Seshemw pages: West is the lands of the dead, yes?
You paged Anubis, Seeker, Seshemw, Nekheb, Traps-Fighter, Su, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen with ‘When you’re ready to jump, @tel #1296′.
Anubis points Blinks toward the hole, and gathers himself to leap as well.
Nekheb pages to Anubis and Sepdet: For Sepdet, certainly, and for Anubis if he’d ever met Sepdet’s father, there is just the most imperceptible hint of Sepdet’s father’s shadow in Nekheb’s own.
You paged Seshemw with ‘Yep.’.
Blinks-at-Fire snaps his head back from his shadow, who he seemed to be trying to stare down, to Anubis. He tenses, and leaps upwards, arms outstretched, trusting there will be something to grab onto.
Nekheb pages to Anubis and Sepdet: Kind of like a vague feeling in the back of your mind of knowing somebody but not being able to place it distinctly.
Seeker crouches down, ready to leap into the void, his kopsh gleaming in the flickering light of the fire. He waits for Blinks to begin.
Su takes a couple of quick steps and bounds after Blinks.
Su has left.
Blinks-at-Fire has left.
Traps-Fighter crouches, resting her injured arm on the ground, her left claw open and forward. She turns her head to look once into her shadows eyes before leaping after the cub.
Anubis leaps upward into the hole and disappears.
Seeker has left.
Traps-Fighter has left.
Rholeen leaps after the others into the darkness.
@tel #1296
Dark Umbra(#1296RFJ)
A ribbon of grey smoke that feels like sand underfoot uncurls and snakes off into the shadowy distance. Hazy forms swirl around and pursue you in the shadows of the dark umbra which is neither warm nor cold, and a constant tumult of unresolved voices beats at your body like fierce winds scraping around the broken rocks of vast canyons. Yet the dusky murk never clears, and only rarely do you catch a glimpse of a half-seen dead face or the dizzying drop on either side of the spiderweb-thin arching pathway.
Contents:
Traps-Fighter
Seeker
Blinks-at-Fire
Su
Anubis has arrived.
Seshemw has arrived.
Rholeen has arrived.
From afar, Anubis will emit the start of the run and the shadows’ appearance — then you’re on.
Long distance to Nekheb: Sepdet looks back a little distractedly. :)
You paged Anubis with ‘@emit something about Nekheb’s leap carrying him off onto a separate track from those of the caern.’.
Blinks-at-Fire notes each Garou as they arrive, and sets off running westward as soon as the last appears.
Nekheb comes through the hole, but he veers off to one side through the air, and is quickly lost to sight. In the distance, you see him land on another path far in the distance.
Seeker hits the ground running, falling to all fours as the kopsh melds back into his body. He races after Blinks at a torrid pace, following him and trying to keep in front of his shadow.
Su springs after Blinks, both their shadows hot on their heels. She glances after Nekheb incredulously, but is soon too occupied with the chase to look for him.
Seshemw drops to all fours for the run, grunting slightly as the scenery finally registers on him.
Anubis bellows ~Run!~ and takes up the rearmost position in the headlog flight. There is a howl of maddened bloodlust behind them, and the shadows appear behind the group, rede eyes burning like coals.
Traps-Fighter digs in hard with the claws of her feet the instant the touch the floor, extending her muscular legs quickly to bound with great speed after the leader.
Sepdet seems distracted by something behind her, but her shadow’s grin and Anubis’ bellow quickly pulls the Seer’s gaze back to the long road ahead, and she breaks into a leap that carries her close on Su’s heels.
Anubis pages to Nekheb, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: He’s out of the picture — far enough that you can no longer see him. Oddly, that seems to be OK in Nekheb’s case.
Su pages to Anubis and Sepdet: Okay, I want to get the real feel of this set before anything happens. Let everyone have some fun running, then we’ll coordinate events.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Nekheb, and Sepdet: Eh. I never liked him anyway. :)
Anubis pages: Your show. I’m in passenger mode. Entertain me. ;)
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Nekheb, and Sepdet: I thought you were doing the typical ROTC-training thing: Throw a person suddenly into a command situation. Give him just enough time to absorb what the goal is. Then, have something go drastically wrong.
Seshemw’s sprint smoothes out as he settles into Hispo without pause, striding West towards whatever lies there, a faint breeze from the east ruffling the fur on his back as if assisting his speed.
Rholeen chases after Blinks, her gaze focused only on the path before her…her speed evidence to her knowledge of what lies behind.
Seshemw contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Seshemw shifts into Hispo form.
The urgent snarls of the shadows are hideous echoes of your own voices, not the taunts of faceless Dancers. The road ahead dims out in the roiling clouds of shadow, making it difficult to tell where you’re headed.
Blinks-at-Fire contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into Hispo form.
A low growl resonates in Fighter-Through-Traps’ throat as she expends all the energy of her being in making great speed. Her legs slide very slightly backward as her claws do not compensate fully for the forward motions of her legs. She snaps suddenly at a shadowy form appearing once to her side, but the it is gone and her attention is refocused on the path ahaid, her ears laid back. Quickly she shifts into a four-legged form, but she continues to favor her right leg very slightly.
Su streams after the leader, her wings flowing behind her but not hampering her with their insubstantial weight.
Traps-Fighter contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Rholeen shifts to match the pace of her tribemates.
Traps-Fighter shifts into Hispo form.
Rholeen contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Anubis stays in the Crinos for the time being, his speed outstanding even for a Strider. He remains near the rear, though it seems against his nature to do so. His shadow seems to be gaining, slowly — it has no compunctions about going full tilt.
Rholeen shifts into Hispo form.
Nekheb pages to Sepdet: So what’s the scoop? Can I come up to the command centre and watch and @emit a little with you all or do you have something in mind for me?
Blinks-at-Fire speeds up as he takes on the new form. He does not wait for those still in Crinos.
As you run, the whispers about you fade in and out of tangibility, and the faces in and out of focus. The feeling is eerie, as if perhaps the people are known to you from some distant meeting, but you cannot place them.
Shows-the-Way spares part of a breath now, while he still has the extra. ~Our Shadows only seek us? Or will they happily take another?~
Seeker remains in the warform, still near the front of the pack of Striders, nearly matching Anubis’s speed. He growls at the absent form of Nekheb, distrust seepinginto his voice. He then concentrates on running, determined to outdistance his shadow.
Shows-the-Way seems to be trying not to become too unnerved by the voices, the whisperers and the faces.
You paged Nekheb with ‘Basically, if you want to come here dark and emit weird foreshadowing for plots to those runniing in the umbra, go ahead. I’m going to have an image of gladys fly by. I’m afraid we didn’t fit in anything specific to torment you with. :P’.
Anubis says, ~You they seek first, but perhaps not last!~
Su does not hear Shows-the-Way’s question, all her spare attention absorbed in the faces. She seems more than most to be looking for someone in particular.
Paul’s shadowy self gives him an almost companinable bloody-toothed grin as it reaches out a clawed hand for his shoulder.
Pack> Shows-the-Way waits for Noor’s face to distract Blinks completely.
You paged Su with ‘Oooo. Paul says he’s waiting for Noor to blow Blinks’ concentration. :)’. [[Noor had recently been killed]]
Pack> Dylan says “Noor’s face? Oooh.”
Su pages: Well, remember, they aren’t supposed to be Garou.
Long distance to Su: Sepdet nods sadly. Alas.
Shows-the-Way shifts even lower to avoid the touch, and picks up speed. While his legs are shorter, he seems happy enough to trade mass for velocity with his shadow so close.
Shows-the-Way contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Su pages: Only Garou who were lost during Feralia could reasonably be here. Too bad, though. :)
Shows-the-Way shifts into Lupus form.
Anubis’s shadow gains again, and Anubis can no longer afford to slack on his speed. He shifts, and his shadow shifts with him.
Anubis contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Anubis shifts into Hispo form.
Long distance to Nekheb: Sepdet eeps as things go even faster than I expected. So much for prophesies. I’ll have to lob mine at Anubis instead. :)
The pounding of Umbral feet on the sandy path shouldn’t create any sort of vibration; it seems as solid as Gaia’s earth. But now and again, there is a trembling.
Rholeen shakes her head, and narrows her gaze…appearing to try to keep her focus amid the nightmare surroundings.
Shows-the-Way pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: I’m of the plan to run fast enough to stay ahead of the shadow without winding myself too soon. If that means passing blinks, I’ll do it. I won’t stay back if it means getting caught.
A rumbling builds and grows, as distant as the voices and faces, coming from up ahead in the fog.
Traps-Fighter’s shadow-self snaps at her outstretched tail, at which she leaps away, although such she will not let happen again. She stops favoring her right foot and digs in with those claws as hard as she can, although anyone looking closely will see that her right leg simply is not so strong as the others.
Sepdet continues to run, striding on two legs to match the speed of many of those with four. Determined and silent, she does not spare a single glance at the thing whiich hovers at her shoulder.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: If the shadows are really close when we’re in Crinos, and still close when in lupus, doesn’t that mean they’re matching our form and speed?
Seeker contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Seeker shifts into Hispo form.
You paged Su with ‘Paul’s trying to catch up and pass Blinks, if necessary, to avoid his shadowy friend.’.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: I want to know if I can 1. see my shadow, and 2. if it’s matching forms with me.
Anubis still tries to hang back near the rear, but his shadow howls, nearly upon him. Anubis puts on a burst of speed and is soon nearly beside Blinks. The shadow falls back … for the moment.
Long distance to Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet yeps. It’s back there, and it’s keeping to the same form.
Suddenly, there is an almost deafening crumble, like the side of a mountain breaking away. The edges of the sound are deadened by the haze and the distance, but as the Striders scream forward on the path the fog parts to reveal a crumbling path not a hundred yards ahead.
Su slows immediately with an involuntary bark of warning.
Seeker shifts as well, his shadow following steadily a few feet behind. He looks around at the ground’s rumbling, then sees the crumbling path and howls a warning to the pack.
Anubis pages: Do the Elders fall through, or the young ones?
Chunks are falling from the path, and as the network of cracks makes its way through it, an enormous dark shape like a breaching whale shatters the bridge from underneath.
Long distance to Anubis: Sepdet waits for Su to give the word… she’s in charge of dropping us here. :)
The dark shape is moving at such an unnatural speed that it is gone from sight in seconds, leaving debris flying to the west and a gaping hole in the Striders’ bridge.
Traps-Fighter shifts as she runs, continueing on all fours, sparing a look back at the shadow once. As she turns back to see the huge shape appear from below she comes up short and wheels to face her shadow, stil trotting backward at fair speed.
Shows-the-Way looks distressed as the path is broken, and trys to judge if full tilt and leap will have him reach to other side or vanish without a trace.
You paged Su with ‘Anubis needs to know when to fall…’.
The cracks continue to extend, back into the party with supernatural speed that even the fastest of the Wandering Tribe cannot match. Anubis and Su fall with chunks of the path.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Is this a bridge we have to cross? Does it look like it’s broken/about to collapse?
Anubis howls out as he falls into the sudden abyss — his shadow-form howls with glee and leaps after.
Sepdet is engulfed in flying rubble slammed outwards by the hurtling dark shape and disappears from view on Su’s and Blinks’ heels.
Anubis pages: Where to?
You paged Anubis with ‘Leave’.
Confusion reigns. Once more the evil dreadnought barrels into the path from nowhere, scattering the Striders completely.
Anubis plummets out of sight, as the bridge under his feet shivers and cracks.
Anubis has left.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Su and Sepdet: I’m confused. We’re not on the bridge yet, are we? I meant to take it in lupus if it’s weak.
Shows-the-Way stumbles as a chunk of pathway vanishes beneath a paw, recovers his footing and lets out a howl of dismay.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘The bridge has collapsed in front of you, and is still breaking underfoot as this thing attacks.’.
Su pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: The whole THING is a bridge, and it’s not weak, it’s GONE.
You paged Su with ‘Leave’.
Traps-Fighter is determined not to meet the same fate. With preternatural speed she shifts and runs full out to leap across as the huge form passes again.
Traps-Fighter contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Traps-Fighter shifts into Lupus form.
Seeker howls and barrels forwar, trying to make a leap across, but is suddenly tossed aside as the shape rises once more and scatters rubble. He falls with the others, howling, his shadow following.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Su and Sepdet: Is this a gap we can leap?
When things settle, Blinks, Sepdet, Anubis, and Su are nowhere to be found. The rest are on a crumbly but stable path.
Grey Leg pages: Down I go I guess. :)
Su pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: No. Now hang on until we get things set up.
You paged Grey Leg with ‘No, you’re on a crumbly but stable path. I’m actually /not/ the GM. Su’s typing like mad here.’.
Seeker pages: Ack. Should I have fallen?
You paged Seeker with ‘Nope. :)’.
From afar, Grey Leg ohs. OK. :)
Seeker pages to Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Er, scratch that, I shouldn’t have fallen.
Shows-the-Way continues to press forward, his gait unsteady and uncertain as he tries to block out the despair that threatens him.
The shadows are in just as much disarray, having lost their fix on their counterparts for the moment.
Seeker pages to Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Are we still on a stable path?
To everyone: Sepdet asks everyone to HOLD poses for a second as Su describes the situation…
Su pages to Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Crumbly but stable, about four poses ago.
Seeker pages to Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: We’re past the gaping hole or before it?
Rholeen pages to Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: So…is there a hole in front of us still?
A phalanx of dark crinos shapes, equal in number to the confused Striders, appears above them to the east and begins to descend through the haze.
Shows-the-Way stops at the brink, trying to build enough resolve to leap. Despite his best efforts, a small whimper slips from him as he shifts uneasily before the edge.
Su pages to Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Grey Leg, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Hang on already and let me describe things. Yes, the hole is in front of the group, not counting Blinks, Sepdet, Anubis, and Su, who you don’t see.
The other side of the rift isn’t even visible.
Seeker contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Seeker shifts into Crinos form.
Grey Leg contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Grey Leg shifts into Crinos form.
Shows-the-Way pages to Su and Sepdet: That wouldn’t necessarily stop me from trying to jump, after that episode with the RoP when we walked off the cliff. :) My pose is still apropriate, considering I’m in shock.
Seeker howls a challenge to the other crinos, his kopsh appearing almost instantly in his hand. He looks about, wary of his shadow as well.
The dark crinos shapes land amid the shadows, who have grouped together in confusion. Shockingly, they begin to grab at them and throw them off the path!
Traps-Fighter turns to face the oncoming shadows, taking on a combative stance. She quickly reaches for her sword only to find that her left hand closes on air. With only a sharp growl to show her dismay, she extends her arms a bit, ready for combat.
Rholeen contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Shows-the-Way still faces the abyss, but drops his head to search for other avenues of escape. Other pathways, such as the one Nekheb leapt for, perhaps beneath them.
Rholeen shifts into Crinos form.
Su pages to Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: This is taking a bit of setup; sorry for the delay.
Seeker has disconnected.
You paged Su with ‘Drat Paul for being smart.’.
Su pages: That too. :)
You paged Shows-the-Way with ‘As, once again, you find the answer to Blinks’ problems for him. :)’.
Seeker has connected.
Shows-the-Way pages: Eh? Looking down? Should I not pose or something? :( I’m sorry if I’m psychic.

[[SU'S GM POSE]]
There is nothing visible but the broken path, the fog, the distant faces…and now a double of each and every Garou present. These are what the Striders of the Wheel would be like were they Dancers; Feralia’s shadows chase and harry, but these are real, solid, and personal. They finish disposing of the red-eyed shadow forms and make a line across the path, trapping the Striders against the broken end of the bridge.
Su pages to Anubis and Sepdet: Okay, Sepdet, you’re GMing below. I’m about to be involved in a free-for-all up here, so you’ll have to deal with Blinks.

Long distance to Shows-the-Way: Sepdet hugs and grins. “Nekheb gave it away.”
Shows-the-Way turns at the side of solid feet approaching, and stares at his Dancer counterpart in shock. His opposite whistles a cheery tune through bloodstained teeth and buffs his claws against his matted fur.
Traps-Fighter growls low and long as recognition comes to her eyes. She steps forward ever so slightly to meet the strange forms approaching.
Su-GM pages to Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Okay, ask any questions you’ve got now. Feel free to pose color; there’s no way I can give all these things an actual personality.
You paged Su-GM with ‘One last thing. Blinks is on the far side of the gap, yes? And I’m under a pile of rocks. And evil Blinks is here with him.’.

Seeker howls and falls upon the Seeker-dancer, kopsh slashing downwards to rend the other. His howl seems to give the others strength and resolve to combat their shadowy selves.
Su-GM has left.
Su-GM pages: Yes.
Seeker pages to Shows-the-Way, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: In other words, I just activated Inspiration.
Traps-Fighter’ eyes lock with her counterpart, a brief staredown ensuing, during which she completely ignores everything around her.
At Seeker’s attack, the other shadows come forward to close with their counterparts. They are all crinos, and a mad light shines in their eyes.
Long distance to Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet checks with Su…Okay. II’m under a pile of rubble at your feet. The others are behind you, across a wide gap, and there are shards off moonbridge everywhere.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘And you have a big ugly Blinks advancing on you.’.
Shows-the-Way growls softly, thoughts lurching into motion again. He eyes his opposite number for a moment, shifting his stance a little lower. Seshemw-ikthya seems quite happy charging in, battlemadness lighting his eyes.
Whiteshadow pages: Well, I’ve heard of chasing one’s shadow, but this…
Anubis pages: You running my shadow, or am I?
Isis’s shadow circles her, locking eyes with her as it holds an arm and a sword tauntingly to either side.
Anubis pages: Any sign of a path down here?
From afar, Anubis grins. Fun.
You paged Anubis with ‘Yep, you’re on another path, stretching off in both directions.’.
Thena pages: +?:)
Long distance to Thena: Sepdet is GMiing 2 scenes at once and going mad.
Su-GM pages: page me with the general tactics you’d use, and I’ll make a pose every now and then.
Shows-the-Way feints towards his twin, then charges Rholeen-ikthya from the side, blurring up to Hispo, rage quickening his motions.
Traps-Fighter ignores the taunts and the ditractions as best she can, her eyes penetrating her opponents, resisting the madness exhuding from the eyes. When finally the time seems right, her circle-sidestepping transforms in a flash to a lunge, imbued with the speed of her rage, her good claw lashing out toward her opponents abdomen.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Su-GM and Sepdet: I want to get Sepdet out of the rubble if I have a chance. ‘course, she might be safer there…
Shows-the-Way contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Shows-the-Way shifts into Hispo form.
Seeker-shadow moves forthrightly at Seeker, catching the Strider’s khopsh with its own. The bone-sword rings as if it were also bronze and the shadow pushes strongly into Seeker, shoving him off-balance.
remit Far ahead, on the other side of the break where Su fell, Blinks stands amidst long shards of stone
that were blown out from the bridge as it was destroyed. His shadow stands on a piece of rock, tail wagging, as it braces to leap.
Far ahead, on the other side of the break where Su fell, Blinks stands amidst long shards of stone that were blown out from the bridge as it was destroyed. His shadow stands on a piece of rock, tail wagging, as it braces to leap.
Su-GM pages: Thankyouthankyouthankyou
Rhindar pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: Take that to #3499, if you would; they shouldn’t be able to see you.
Pack> Shows-the-Way says “Selene, who is in the Umbra at the shelter with Wayfinder, is going not too quietly nuts as the fight starts.”
Blinks-at-Fire has left.
@tel #3499
Extra room(#3499RJ)
Contents:
Blinks-at-Fire
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Whew! 2 battles in 1 room is 1 too many.
Anubis pages: There’s a benefit of prophecy for you — blind confidence. :)

[[Blinks-Double]]
>puppet #6 changed to Blinks-Shadow:
>Someone must have a sense of the disgusting, to make puppies this twisted. A huge hispo with puppy paws, sweet eyes, and an ever-wagging tail fastens a redeyed gaze upon you that grins and licks its chops with a yellow foam-flecked tongue. Its ribs stand out like teeth under a grey short pelt that glistens as if something were moving through its hairs like ants, and the gaunt muzzle of what might have been an adorable-looking canine is crisscrossed with oozing bloody scars.

Blinks-shadow looks at you enthusiastically, sizing you up.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘Okay, here we are. I’m running Anubis’ and Su’s combat, too. :)’.
bit of debris has arrived.
Blinks-at-Fire’s lips curl in a silent snarl. He leaps, trading off studying and strategizing for the first initiative.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: When we close, I want to use rage. Several. Where’s your shadow?
Blinks’ shadow meets him with an exhuberant bark, hurtling at the same moment. A mid-air collision in the fog is the inevitable result.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘It seems to be missing. Odd, that. :)’.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Because Sepdet has already gone Spiral! I see it all clearly now!
Blinks-at-Fire pages: What about Anubis and Su? NOwhere in sight?
Anubis pages: Your call — I’ll roll with the consequences.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘Not that you can see. Nor are their shadows’.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Oh, sense wyrm.
The Shadow-Blinks, however, ends up on the bottom of the wrestling pile of rageful Strider and foe; both threaten to topple off the edge as they grapple.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: The edge of something deep that would be bad to fall into?
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘You can’t really stop right now to see how far the bottom is.’.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: I’m using 2 rage and going for his throat. I’m not sure how willpower is used — I think it’s one per to-hit, so that should eat up 3 WP for 3 attacks. I’m trying to do damage, kill if I can, but mostly trying to get a firm grip. I’ll pose this in a moment.
p bliinks=But it’s a good guess it might be a long way down.
From afar, Anubis is a bit confused here. Where are Sepdet and Su’s Shadow?
Blinks-at-Fire pushes his advantage immediately and darts for the other’s throat, jaws spread.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: 3 attacks doesn’t make sense if I’m trying to grip, so just make it 3 attempts to kill him.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: I really want to talk to this guy, though… :) Find out where my shadow went wrong. What my dark side really is.
The shadow snarls ravenously, at odds with its cheerful expression, and rips at Blink’s belly with all four feet. Its attack is unthinking, direct, and fueled by its own fairly lethal rage, but Blinks has the sounder position, jaws locked on its throat.
Pack> Seshemw is glad mid-fight shifting is something he practices. And that Umbral shifts are damn fast.
Blinks-at-Fire tears and grinds with his jaws. He plants his front legs firmly in his opponent’s chest, using them as leverage to throw his whole weight into one tearing scrape with his left hind leg across the other’s genitals.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: This is sadomasochism in its purest form. :)
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘OW.’.
The shadow’s throat gushes blood, mingling with that of Blinks’ from the wounds it has torn into his underside. It thrashes madly, but as Blinks severs the throat-arteries, its anguish and furious howl is cut off in a gurgle.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Damn. I wish I’d tried to talk to him before attacking.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: I mean, I’m glad not to be dead.
Su-GM pages: Yes,I like that.
Blinks-at-Fire winces himself as he makes this last move, but he keeps his crushing deathgrip on his double’s throat.
The thing rattles out its last gurgling breath and stops thrashing.
The only sounds now are your own harsh breathing, and the sounds of muffled fighting not far away iin the cloying mist.
Long distance to Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet’s scent is quite close…through all the blood, that is.
Blinks-at-Fire holds his grip for a few moments longer. He jumps off the creature and licks his lips, then spits bits of the Wyrm-tainted flesh out. Large tears spill down his cheeks and over a face that should be radiant with victory.
Su-GM pages: That’s what we did to free Oak’s spirit.
Blinks-at-Fire stares at the body another moment before Sepdet’s scent cuts through the smells and sounds surrounding him. He turns and runs to the place she is trapped, and falls to digging with his great paws.
Sepdet finally pulls free as Blinks dislodges another chunk, which topples off and plummets from view. She is crushed and bleeding, but stirs. ~Dammit…where’d the sky go…~
Pack> Seshemw definitely thinks he’ll be emotionally scarred from this little encounter.
Blinks-at-Fire licks at Sepdet’s wounds, then turns his head up and swivels it from side to side, trying to locate the rest of the battle.
Sepdet struggles to rise. ~Blinks…we’ve got to…go forward…~ She gives an angry, impatient sound in the back of her throat, looking ahead at the huge crumbled area. ~Find a path… keep going.~
The sounds of battle on the broken bridge behind you are not too far away, but noise echoes weirdly in this choking fog. Tatters of it whip past, occasionally offering tantalizing glimpses…
Blinks-at-Fire runs to an edge of their gloomy, rubble-strewn prison, and digs at the broken pieces along the edge to see if he can make a way up.
Blinks-at-Fire lifts his head up to call out, ~Sepdet! I would go back to the others. Is this unwise?~
Sepdet wipes blood from her bruised face. ~I can’t see…~ She shoves at another fragment of bridge, pushing the thing off of her like a thick chunk of sheetmetal.
The chunk of bridge slides eerily down the stack. It seems to fuse to the others in some small measure. A weird substance.
Blinks-at-Fire comes over and gives the chunk a push.
Blinks-at-Fire sniffs at the place where the loose fragment melds with those beneath it. He rises up slowly into Crinos form, and begins picking up pieces and stacking them into a ramp.
It moves sluggishly now, since it’s started to fuse to the stuff underneath. The stuff seems to have an affinity for itself.
Blinks-at-Fire’s eyebrows go up in alarm as he sees what is happening, and he quickens his pace, trying to clear everything off of Sepdet and stack it onto his ramp before it solidifies.
Pack> Seshemw woohoos! “Killed myself without getting more than lightly hurt.”
Silent Storm pages: What ended up happening to WayF?
You paged Silent Storm with ‘We saved her…She’s still depressed. :P’.
Pack> Sepdet grumbles. “And I’m buried under a pile of rubble with only Blinks to save me. Maybe this wasn’t such a good plan…”
Su suddenly appears over the lip of the broken bridge. A relieved sigh escapes her lips as she lands.
Pack> Seshemw nahs. “He’ll eventually figure out what is going on and unbury you. Or I’ll find whever you’ve come to rest and rescue you myself. :)”
Su looks briefly confused at the ramp-building, then spies Sepdet lying wounded. Unaccountably, she snarls and scrambles over the lump of debris toward her!
Su-GM pages: You’ll have to get in a lucky shot and wound me so we can set this up.
Blinks-at-Fire looks up and runs over to meet Su before she reaches Sepdet.
Su-GM pages: D’oh. He’s sensing Wyrm. Duh. What do we do about THAT? :P
Sepdet digs her hands into the dirt and rears back. With speed that doesn’t seem likely from a Strider so badly injured, she brings up a chunk of the bridge and hurls it at the winged woman, snarling. ~Carrion crow!~
Long distance to Su-GM: Sepdet ACKS.
You paged Su-GM with ‘Have Sepdet be wrong. Sepdet says we can’t go back for the others, because Anubis told us to go west.’.
You paged Su-GM with ‘It won’t matter, then, if he figures out Su’s evil. He still has to go back and rescue folks. Sigh.’.
Su-GM pages: Good plan. Thanks. Yeesh.
Su catches the chunk right on the shoulder and tumbles onto Sepdet rather than attacking her with claw and tooth.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Su-GM and Sepdet: Do I get any results from sense wyrm?
Su-GM pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: Yep. Su’s Wyrmy as heck, and Sep’s clean.
Blinks-at-Fire crashes into Su’s side in an attempt to knock her off and separate the two.
Rholeen pages: Sorry, seems like I fell apart. I can’t even pose.
Long distance to Rholeen: Sepdet hugs. Well, I’m having to work hard myself. This was one of the more ambitious things we’ve ever tried to do, I think. :P
From afar, to Sepdet, Slick prepares to log off. If it is possible within the Realms of that Rite I’d like to have Nekheb come out somewhere other than where he went into Feralia (or, perhaps, at some other point in time than everybody else). People can assume for a while that he didn’t make it through until he shows up again in a week or two.
Su rolls down the mound and down Sepdet, bleeding where the jagged chunk got her. She comes to rest and looks up at Blinks with a scowl. ~Should’ve known a halfie’d have the nose to catch me. Ah, well.~
You paged Su-GM with ‘Have her carry him upward? Threatening to drop him? Just a thought.’.
Sepdet struggles back, still not able to stand as bones painfully re-knit.
Blinks-at-Fire stands on the side of the mound between Sepdet and Su. Go back, he growls, or we will kill you.
Su doesn’t seem intimidated by Blinks in the least. She drags herself away from Sepdet, dropping the semblance of Su and returning to her horrible bat-winged, bloody visage.
Su says, ~If you fancy yourself a half-moon, you’ll hear me out.~
Blinks-at-Fire spits, ~Speak.~
Sepdet says impatiently, pained, ~Come on, Blinks. We’ve got to keep going…/some/ of us have to finish…~
Sepdet doesn’t look very capable of doing much right now, but struggles to get to her feet.
Su clears her throat, licking at her muzzle as if she’s enjoying something left over from lunch. ~What would you say if I told you they’re all back there, trapped, just waiting to join you?~
Su-GM pages: You’ve got to be convincing, somehow. Don’t know how, but…. :)
Blinks-at-Fire barks, ~You first.~ to Sepdet.
Su folds her arms. ~Some leader.~
Blinks-at-Fire continues to keep his eyes on Su, but he calls back over his shoulder, ~We must help them.~
Su-GM pages: Ooops. If I taunt him into it, he’ll do the right thing for the wrong reason. We’ve got to figure out how to get him to choose between us on logical gorunds.
Sepdet drops to a form with four feet, testing her legs. She closes her eyes. ~I know. But Anubis…he said…always go west.~ She grits her teeth, not liking her own words very much. ~Maybe they have to find their own path.~
Su nods blithely. ~It’s right down there.~
Long distance to Su-GM and Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet checks before posing. West is a big crumbled area, but Blinks has been trying to cover it with a bridge, so we may be able to get across…
Blinks-at-Fire barks, ~Harbinger, if you know this place and know we cannot help them, I will go. If you know only what you heard from Anubis, I will go back.~
You paged Su-GM with ‘WOW. Decision!’.
Su says, ~Ah, sense of honor, good. Or is that just glory talking? Certainly not wisdom, to take the word of a Wyrmspawn like me.~
From afar, Su-GM nodnods!!
Sepdet swallows and then shakes her head. ~It is not my sight that speaks…I only have Anubis’ wisdom to go on.~
Su says, ~I’m glad you finally seem to be coming to your senses. Go tell the others to jump down and join their friends.~
Pack> WayFinder says “Ahoy!”
Pack> Seshemw adds something nasty to his doppleganger’s pockets to unsettle Paul’s world.
Blinks-at-Fire raises his ears to the wind, listening again for the sounds of battle.
Pack> Seshemw waves happily to Wayfinder.
Su tilts her head thoughtfully. ~Though it’s an awfully odd time for you to start listening to your teachers.~
Sepdet turns her head to glare at the winged thing. ~Just shut up and go away,~ she mutters wearily. ~We /know/ the abyss you want to drop us into.~
Su-GM pages: AAAgh! Truth of Gaia! We’re sunk! :) :
You paged Su-GM with ‘Well, he’s thinking. Finally. :)’.
Su looks up into Blinks’ face as he starts to concentrate another of his half-moon’s gifts on her. She flutters her eyelashes at him, a singularly hideous sight on the bloodied crinos face.
Pack> Sepdet thinks that the shadow of Blinks has replaced the real Blinks. He saved Sepdet’s life and is now actually figuring out the puzzle we set for him. Damn, damn, damn.
Su says, ~You wouldn’t think I’d be telling the truth, would you? Well, when you turn a trickster inside out, what do you get?~
Pack> Seshemw peers at Sepdet. “Wow.”
Pack> Sepdet says “Tep’s player says it’s a pod person.”
Pack> Seshemw says “My God!!! A Stunt Typist!”
Pack> Seshemw says “You know, someone to stand in for the real player when things are dangerous?”
Blinks-at-Fire stares at Su, dumbfounded. He blinks, looks again, then says more quietly, ~She speaks truth. I don’t know how I know… but she does.~
Su pushes herself to her feet. ~Come on. I’ll give you a lift.~
Sepdet opens and shuts her mouth, and wipes the blood away. Then she rolls onto her belly and peers over the edge. ~Duat. If you say so.~ Her eyes narrow at the creature.
Blinks-at-Fire laughs. ~A drop, you mean.~
Su-GM pages: Brainstorm: Blinks shows up in the company of this THING, and has to convince everyone to follow her! :)
Long distance to Su-GM: Sepdet LAUGHS.
Su tsks, and purses her lips in a very self-righteous fashion. ~If you don’t trust Gaia’s gifts, what is there to trust. I won’t drop you until there’s solid ground beneath your feet. RIGHT beneath your feet, at that.~
Blinks-at-Fire laughs again. There is always ground beneath my feet. But how far beneath?
Su rolls her eyes. ~Even the Garou have lawyers, it seems. Right beneath your feet, I said. Down as gently as a puff of air. Lightly upon your feet, in the company of your companions. How WOULD you like me to promise it?~
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Sepdet: So, Su is saying the others are trapped to our east. The ravine is to our west. So there’s no need to go into the ravine to reach them.
Su-GM pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: Right, I think. You’re on the westward end, and you’re across the chasm from the others. The others are behind you, blocked from you by the gap. There’s another gap to the west of you. You’re on an island.
Blinks-at-Fire contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into Hispo form.
Su walks over near Sepdet and picks her up by the back of her shift.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into Hispo for more volume, and howls, ~Striders!~ in a roar.
Su-GM pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: The party on the eastern bridge hears a faint roar of ~Striders!~ from the west.
Sepdet snarls at the woman and twists to grab onto her arms, not trusting her at /all/ to keep a tight hold.
Su swings Sepdet around and plops her on her back between the big leathery wings. There’s not really anything to grab but the double’s neck, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
Blinks-at-Fire scowls, and paws the ground, and watches.
Su-GM pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Seeker’s voice is heard from the opposite side: We are here! We are alive!
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Su-GM, Sepdet, and Rholeen: Twelve o’clock! Time for bed! :) <Just kidding.>
Blinks-at-Fire howls, ~We are coming back!~
From afar, to Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen, Su-GM changes her mind and throats Blinks. :)
Su says ~Righty-ho. Take lupus, if you would.~
Touch Deer pages: Heya. :) How goes Feralia?
You paged Touch Deer with ‘The ignominy. Blinks is saving my ass. :)’.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Sepdet: OK, I was going to push Sepdet off and say I should go first, but I’ll skip it.
From afar, Touch Deer buhs?! Hmm…that’s screwy… :)
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Sepdet: In case she wanted to drop me.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Sepdet: But then, she might drop the 2nd person… No diff either way.
Blinks-at-Fire has left.

[[[ FLASHBACK: Meanwhile, what DID happen to Paul, Seeker, Rholeen, et alia?
This GM log is a little confusing because it's logged from my GM room, occupied by Anubis, Rhindar (Su's wizard-body) and me.  > indicates what's happening in the Dark Umbra room where the main party was. ]]

Long distance to Anubis: Shadow-Sepdet is waiting for Su to get done describing the situation topside, then I’m going to abuse you and Su. Sepdet is conveniently buried.
> Seeker howls a challenge to the other crinos, his kopsh appearing almost instantly in his hand. He looks about, wary of his shadow as well.
> The dark crinos shapes land amid the shadows, who have grouped together in confusion. Shockingly, they begin to grab at them and throw them off the path!
> Traps-Fighter turns to face the oncoming shadows, taking on a combative stance. She quickly reaches for her sword only to find that her left hand closes on air. With only a sharp growl to show her dismay, she extends her arms a bit, ready for combat.
Rhindar says “Okay, deploy doubles!”
>puppet #1 changed to Isis-Shadow:
>A shadowy crinos, half jackal, half well-muscled lithe female body, sneers back at you with faintly narrowed eyes. Her black mane spills around her head and shoulders, bound back in a loose topknot with a bloodsoaked bit of leather cord. A scar of the Strider’s glyph marks her forehead, the smooth sinuous lines of the pathways shattered and crisscrossed by more recent lines of red that look more like blood than tattoos. She wields a jagged-edged katana with her left hand. Her right arm is a nearly invisible shadow, and brandishes what looks much like a healthy version of the real Isis’ withered limb.
Rhindar says “And are we going to put Blinks in a separate room? I think it would make sense.”
>puppet #2 changed to Paul-Shadow:
>A hulking Strider crinos with an unruly mane of black hair, dressed smartly in camouflage and army boots, is always smiling pleasantly, often roaring out a joke in his hacking voice as he lunges for any unweary opening. He moves with the efficiency of a trained martial artist, striking with deft angles and well-aimed blows as he attempts to disable his prey. The dogtags at his throat, for any foolish enough to stop and read them, bear the names of all of Paul’s squad that were killed at his first change.
You say “If so, I didn’t code one. Urk. :P”
Rhindar says “It’s okay. I’ll do it.”
> Rholeen contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
> Shows-the-Way still faces the abyss, but drops his head to search for other avenues of escape. Other pathways, such as the one Nekheb leapt for, perhaps beneath them.
> Rholeen shifts into Crinos form.
>puppet #2 changed to paul-Shadow:
>A hulking Strider crinos with an unruly mane of black hair, dressed smartly in camouflage and army boots, is always smiling pleasantly, often roaring out a joke in his hacking voice as he lunges for any unweary opening. He moves with the efficiency of a trained martial artist, striking with deft angles and well-aimed blows as he attempts to disable his prey. The dogtags at his throat, for any foolish enough to stop and read them, bear the names of all of Paul’s squad that were killed at his first change.
>puppet #3 changed to Rholeen-shadow:
>This crinos’ fur seems threadbare and worn, yet she holds herself with the arrogance of a Fang. A long white scar wisps down her left temple, and her earrings, made of silver coins, have left old burn-scars under her ragged ears. Not particularly large but nevertheless imposing, she prowls like a cat waiting for a mouse.
> Seeker has disconnected.
Su pages: Drat Nekheb….
>puppet #4 changed to Seeker-Shadow:
>A lean and powerful black crinos of the deadliest of jackal and wolf blood combined lunges tirelessly forward, his huge sawed-off bat ears scanning this way and that as he checks the progress of allies and victims. Muscles tensed for blood and black eyes pinning you with a condenscending rage, he seems as if he could shred and rip forever without growing bored. In his hand he wields a strange khopsh identical to Seekers, except for the fact that it seems to be cut from bones cut and fused together into a single hard substance by magical means. And the Strider glyphs etched into the blade pronounce its name proudly: Bones of Sekhmet.
>puppet #5 changed to Su-Shadow:
>No taller than Su, but infinitely more sinister. A huge pair of bat’s wings spring from her back, and her ears are similar webbed flanges like many Dancers seem to have. Her smooth silky fur is patchy, burned off in most places, and she grins with a mad light in her eyes. There is blood all over her muzzle, and no matter how often she licks it, it never goes away.
> Seeker has connected.
Shadow-Sepdet stops spamming you. Sorry about that, Anubis.
Anubis collapseth. :)
> There is nothing visible but the broken path, the fog, the distant faces…and now a double of each and every Garou present. These are what the Striders of the Wheel would be like were they Dancers; Feralia’s shadows chase and harry, but these are real, solid, and personal. They finish disposing of the red-eyed shadow forms and make a line across the path, trapping the Striders against the broken end of the bridge.
Anubis likes description. Cool. I want one.
> Shows-the-Way turns at the side of solid feet approaching, and stares at his Dancer counterpart in shock. His opposite whistles a cheery tune through bloodstained teeth and buffs his claws against his matted fur.
> Traps-Fighter growls low and long as recognition comes to her eyes. She steps forward ever so slightly to meet the strange forms approaching.
Rhindar says “Where are the puppets, though?”
You say “In the room with all of them.”
You say “They can come here if you need.”
Shadow-Sepdet pokes Rhindar. “Anubis is waiting to be entertained. I’m switching to pages for Su and Anubis’ combat.
Rhindar has left.
Su-GM has arrived.
> Seeker howls and falls upon the Seeker-dancer, kopsh slashing downwards to rend the other. His howl seems to give the others strength and resolve to combat their shadowy selves.
Shadow-Sepdet falls down with a snarl and strikes the ground with one shoulder, rolling with the agility of her counterpart. ~Where’d the little fuck go? Ahhhhh.~ She flicks her fingers lazily, and the bars of a cage suddenly spurt out of the ground around Su, making a pyramid of metal around her.
You paged Su-GM with ‘Shadow-Sepdet falls down with a snarl and strikes the ground with one shoulder, rolling with the agility of her counterpart. ~Where’d the little fuck go? Ahhhhh.~ She flicks her fingers lazily, and the bars of a cage suddenly spurt out of the ground around Su, making a pyramid of metal around her.’.
> Traps-Fighter’ eyes lock with her counterpart, a brief staredown ensuing, during which she completely ignores everything around her.
> At Seeker’s attack, the other shadows come forward to close with their counterparts. They are all crinos, and a mad light shines in their eyes.
> Shows-the-Way growls softly, thoughts lurching into motion again. He eyes his opposite number for a moment, shifting his stance a little lower. Seshemw-ikthya seems quite happy charging in, battlemadness lighting his eyes.
> Isis’s shadow circles her, locking eyes with her as it holds an arm and a sword tauntingly to either side.
A bloody, limp body of a raccoon is tossed at Anubis’ feet by a shadow that steps out from the shadows to block his way. ~Here. A stepping-stone for you to help you on your way, alpha.~
You paged Anubis with ‘There we go. ;)’.
Su-GM howls in surprise and begins to tear at the bars, but her crinos strength has left her.
Anubis bares his teeth in a snarl. ~Cur.~ He rounds on his shadow, shifting back to crinos..
Long distance to Anubis: Shadow-Sepdet is afraid I didn’t have time to make a pretty puppet, as I was all out of @quota. But it’s you. Oh, yes, it’s you. Big, impressive, and looking so detatched that he really doesn’t give a /damn/ about anything.
> Su-GM pages: page me with the general tactics you’d use, and I’ll make a pose every now and then.
> Shows-the-Way feints towards his twin, then charges Rholeen-ikthya from the side, blurring up to Hispo, rage quickening his motions.
> Traps-Fighter ignores the taunts and the ditractions as best she can, her eyes penetrating her opponents, resisting the madness exhuding from the eyes. When finally the time seems right, her circle-sidestepping transforms in a flash to a lunge, imbued with the speed of her rage, her good claw lashing out toward her opponents abdomen.
> Shows-the-Way contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
> Shows-the-Way shifts into Hispo form.
> Seeker-shadow moves forthrightly at Seeker, catching the Strider’s khopsh with its own. The bone-sword rings as if it were also bronze and the shadow pushes strongly into Seeker, shoving him off-balance.
> Far ahead, on the other side of the break where Su fell, Blinks stands amidst long shards of stone that were blown out from the bridge as it was destroyed. His shadow stands on a piece of rock, tail wagging, as it braces to leap.
The Anubis-figure takes a step back: cloaked, impassive. Anubis’ height, and definitely with his aspect. He blocks the half-moon’s way back to any of the others as immovably as a wall. ~Do not worry about them,~ it counsels detatchedly. ~You have other matters to attend to, Harbinger.~
> Blinks-at-Fire has left.
> Sepdet has left.
> Seeker quickly regains his balance and springs forward, feinting high and then sweeping downwards towards the abdomen in a blurringly fast motion.
> Seeker and his opponent trade blows, using the strangely curved swords expertly against one another. Seeker-Double catches the blade on its own, twisting it around so that it catches its thigh rather than its gut. Isis’s swipe at her double connects, but it uses her extension to sweep its claws straight down on her, gashing the side of her head.
> Blinks-Shadow has left.
> Paul fakes to the left, ducking under his double’s first attack and lunging over to where Rholeen’s has her backed into a corner against the edge.
Anubis’ shadow reaches up with both claws to let Anubis impale himself on his hands, not really bothering to dodge.
Shadow-Sepdet reaches into Su’s cage as if to pet her, whistling tunelessly, utterly ignoring the furious combat ensuing a few feet away. ~Sucked…I mean, met… any good leeches lately?~
> Traps-Fighter twists her whole body as the claws of her opponent connect. She rolls with the strike, attempting to twist whatever she might have in her connected hand while sumersaulting over her right shoulder, her injured arm just barely strong enough to complete such a role. As her legs come forward and her break-fall developes, she extends her legs suddenly as they come about, aiming for her opponents face.
> Shows-the-Way concentrates on a mix of speed and silence, throwing a couple of sidesteps to either side to throw off his opposite number’s undoubted counterattack. He looks to be aiming to strike at Rholeen’s darkside in passing.
> Seeker locks blades with his dancer-shadow, steel cable-muscles straining at his arms. He twists his body around slightly and a taloned foot lashes up and out at the dancer’s head.
Su-GM has sunk to the bottom of her cage, without even enough energy to change, until the shadow-torturer comes into range. She explodes in the confined space, thrusting a claw out to impale the shadow of her tribesister.
Anubis springs off his toes, attempting a flying roll over his shadow’s head — a move he’s never been top-notch at, but knowing it might be unexpected.
> Rho’s shadow dodges Paul’s preoccupied attack, seeming to have an uncanny ability for avoiding direct combat.
The Anubis-shadow shoots up a hand almost boredly, trying to rip all the way down his belly.
Shadow-Sepdet whips her hand back and snorts. ~Some friend /you/ are. Biting the hand that bleeds and feeds you.~
> Isis and Seeker both kick for their tormentors’ faces at roughly the same time. Isis’s double twists to the side, getting its clock cleaned but avoiding serious cuts. As it pulls its head back, it brings both the ragged katana and the withered, severed arm in, scissorlike, to cut at the kicking leg.
Anubis’ leap carries him over, but the shadow turns to face him. Oddly, it does not move to attack. A faint sadness has come into its expression.
> Seeker has little more success; his mirror seems to anticipate the move and avoids it, but at least it stumbles back in doing so.
You paged Anubis with ‘You get ripped, but not too badly. Just enough to hurt like hell.’.
Anubis shakes off the sting as he lands. Now on the other side of his shadow and nearer to the others despite his instincts and knowledge of the Rite, he leaps toward the Shadow of Sepdet, trying to fully dismember it in a surprise attack. Full bore.
> Shows-the-Way’s opposite stalks him, following him to the corner as he pursues Rholeen’s double. Rholeen’s double is concentrating on staying out of Paul’s way for the moment.
> Seeker presses the advantage and takes the fight to the dancer, his kopsh lashing out first at its throat, then at the thing’s weapon-arm, trying to lop it off or at least disarm it.
Su-GM chokes on her own saliva as she hangs with her arm out of the cage. She pants helplessly, her every bit of strength drained by the cage.
From afar, Anubis is a bit confused here. Where are Sepdet and Su’s Shadow?
You paged Anubis with ‘Sepdet got buried up above and didn’t fall, so her double went wandering for prey. Su’s Shadow is still up there trying to cause trouble. :)’.
> Shows-the-Way stops suddenly, his forelegs rising off the ground as he lunges backwards and up, bluring into Crinos as he moves. Claws first, his lunge is aimed apparently where he hopes his Dance partner to be. Hopefully he’s right, or he gets to land on his back, wide open. Apparently he’s decided if Rholeen’s opposite is avoiding, he doesn’t have to worry about an attack from her.
Sepdet’s Shadow is quick, but not that quick. Trying to dodge behind the cage at the last second, he bears down on her left side, tearing into her like a scrag.
> Seeker’s opponent deflects the blow at its throat by bringing up its off-hand to block Seeker’s arm, but Seeker’s Rage-fuelled speed allows him to twist and crash his sword into the shadow’s bone-blade. The curves catch on one another, and for a moment they struggle to disarm each other.
From afar, Anubis ahs, OK. So just the four of us. Better odds.
> Already commited to her roll, Fighter-Through-Traps brings her estended leg down and forward but realizes that her size makes avoiding her opponent’s blow nearly impossible. Attempting the technique she knows so little of, she transforms in mid-combat to avoid the attack.
> Traps-Fighter contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
> Traps-Fighter shifts into Lupus form.
> Shows-the-Way contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
> Shows-the-Way shifts into Crinos form.
Anubis’ shadow stands back, merely observing the destruction being wrecked by his kindly counterpart.
> Rholeen stoops to the ground, seemingly dizzy. Quickly she pushes herself back to her feet, and looks carefully at the fights around her.
Anubis continues, singleminded, seeing that his counterpart is doing nothing. ~Drop the cage, Shadow — we can play by your rules or mine. In mine, you die,~ he says to Sepdet’s shadow.
> Rholeen’s shadow, freed from worrying about Paul, whips around to grab Rholeen. There isn’t any place for the young Strider to go. Rholeen raises her hand as if to throw something at her attacker, but the double isn’t heading for a gash, or a punch…it’s a…grab for the hands? Yes. With its supernatural strength, Rholeen’s double grabs her counterparts wrists and takes her *dancing* along the edge of the precipice!
Su rolls over until she’s looking at Anubis upside down. Her eyes are glazed and shadowed as if she were under some powerful drug.
Shadow-Sepdet shudders in Anubis’ grip as he proceeds to shred, and she struggles to break free. ~The cage…is in her own mind. I only…reminded her…she has never left it.~
You paged Anubis with ‘You’re taking off limbs, yes? :)’.
Anubis pages: What’s Truth of Gaia tell me about her statement? Yes, basically. Well, not so specifically — just going for discorporation.
> Seeker struggles once again with the dancer, blades locked. He tries to bring both blades downwards, then lunge forward at the dancer’s throat, jaws wide open.
> Paul’s attack takes even his own double by surprise, and he rips up its abdomen. It shrieks in pain and throws itself to the ground, ending up on top of Paul but facing the opposite way in a tangle of limbs and blood.
You paged Anubis with ‘It’s a partial. The cage is indeed formed from Su’s own fears, taken solid form. I think the Shadow-Sepdet triggered it to appear, though. (Eep. Logic. I’ve never been very good at it.)’.
> Seshemw stays eerily silent as he fills his mouth with the other’s leg, his legs coming up to kick the wounded Dancer’s throat with his foot talons. His hands are apparently busy seeking a clawed hold on the opponent, and Paul seems quite willing to find said hold somewhere on the inside of his initial injury, say the spine or heart.
> Isis’s double misses the scissor attack, but the unfamiliar change-and-roll combination leaves Grey-Leg helpless for a moment. Isis-Shadow steps forward and, eschewing the sword for a more poetically appropriate attack, rakes down Grey-Leg’s side with a her own dismembered arm.
> Rholeen stumbles at first, and then follows along with the dance for a time…twisting her partner to a new direction when the edge grows too near. Suddenly she lunges at her twins throat, her jaws wide, one leg sweeping behind her shadow’s!
Long distance to Su-GM: Shadow-Sepdet considers…have Tep show up down here, just in time to see Anubis dismembering Sepdet? NOT with his shadow, which he has outrun.
Anubis has reconnected.
Anubis snarls. ~Half-truths. Remove your part of it and tell me when you have done so.~ He digs in the claws.
> Rholeen’s double is in the process of switching to an exaggerated tango when Rho makes her move. They both stumble, but Rho’s momentum causes them to fall on the path rather than off it. Rho is on top, and now there’s another ground-fight in the offing.
You paged Michael Powers with ‘Okay, here’s the deal. You’re running your /own/ route on Feralia. You’ve managed to outpace your shadow, in fact. And you’re on a solitary road, when you come across…Anubis. Su in a cage. A second figure of Anubis watching impassively. The active Anubis has what looks awfully like Sepdet down on the ground, and he’s torturing her.’.
Anubis pages: What’s your timeline looking like? I’m sort of nearing the end of my available time RL…
You paged Michael Powers with ‘If this makes sense to you, @tel to #1294, and pose jogging out of the shadows.’.
You paged Anubis with ‘ummmm….it’s gonna take a while, topside. There’s not much to do down here except play, until Blinks figures out they need to jump doown.’.
Michael Powers has arrived.
> Paul’s double squirms and twists, changing to lupus to try to avoid the pinning. Its leg is chewed up but escapes Paul’s mouth; the foot makes a glancing blow on its face. But the rage-sped hand plunges into its chest and it screams once more.
> Grey Leg writhes in pain at the attack, her body bending into the attack. However, the writhing takes her conveniently in the direction of her assailant and she rolls directly beneath the Dancer’s legs where she again uses Luna’s gift to all shape-shifters to transform into the monstrous form that she is in crinos, attempting to lift her opponent from the ground.
> Grey Leg contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Michael Powers jogs out of the shadows, eating up miles in his usual fashion.
> Grey Leg shifts into Crinos form.
Shadow-Sepdet cries to Su as she spasms against the dirt, bleeding profusely from her severed shoulder. ~Fed you…kept you alive…here…blood for the taking.~ She closes her eyes. ~It’s done. The bars are only her own to break now…~
Anubis pages: True?
You paged Su-GM with ‘You still feel trapped. But it’s only a cage now, if you can calm down enough to realize the bars are starting to bend.’.
You paged Anubis with ‘Yep.’.
Michael Powers skids to a stop and scans the scene.
> Rholeen brings her closed fist towards her double’s face, but instead of a hitting her across the face Rho tosses the sand she has retrieved from the trail into the eyes of her shadow, and into its opened mouth.
Anubis stands with a dark shadowed form of Sepdet pinned in his arms. ~Well enough.~ He throws the mirror version of Sepdet from him and looks into the cage. ~What’s left is your own to break, Tribesister. Come, we must run onward!~ He glances toward Anpwhotep, then toward his own dark double.
> Isis’s tormentor is forced to topple and strikes wildly into the ground with the katana to keep itself upright. Under the thing’s huge crinos weight, the already-tortured metal of the weapon snaps, sending shards in several directions.
Michael Powers contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Michael Powers shifts into Crinos form.
Su rolls over again, smelling the shadow’s blood. ~No, you aren’t Oaken, not really.~
Su blinks rapidly, the name almost a talisman.
The Shadow of Anubis snorts and folds its arms, still standing back to watch. ~Leaving the others behind, of course.~ It sighs. ~Ah well, you left /him/ to die, too.~
Shadow-Sepdet struggles to rise and fails, hissing at Su.
You paged Su-GM with ‘There’s an earring at your feet. And it has the Strider glyph on it.’.
> With her oponent off-balance, Isis attempts to make good her advantage. She lunges, head first at the dancer’s abdomen, jaws agape and snapping, while her good hand looks for some purchase in the twisted black fur to keep tha body steady.
Anubis says, ~SU! It’s not real!~ Not quite true, he knows, but she’s too far the other side right now for subtlety. He nods at Anpwhotep. ~Help her if you can…~
> Seshemw-ikthya chokes out, ~Why was six afraid of seven?~ in the middle of his attempt to escape.
Anpwhotep says, ~Su!~
> In the meantime, Seeker has lunged at his double’s throat, bowling the other combatant over and slashing deeply into its neck. The bone-sword spins away and Seeker has the thing in his power.
Anubis turns and walks over to his double, staying out of attack range but close. ~Waiting?~
Anpwhotep walks up to the cage. Ignores the Anubises, once he’s made his own determination.
Su-GM rolls over with a thump, blinking at the earring. With her returning strength, a growl forms in her throat and she raises a huge crinos hand to smash the earring wide open.
> Seshemw leaves his hand in place, clawed fingers doubtless tearing at the now-lupus’ innards as he uses that leverage to roll over on top of his other half and bear him back to the ground.
Anpwhotep taps on the cage, shaking it with each blow.
The shadow smiles thinly. ~As you always, do, Keeper-of-nothing.~ He kicks the dead raccoon idly out of the way. ~Stand back. Do not interfere. Let the others make their own way. You surprise me, this night.~
Su pulverizes the earring before she notices the blows. She licks her lips absently, still having trouble focussing, then finally looks up at Anpwhotep. ~Have you come to…let me out?~
Su-GM frowns in confusion. ~But it wasn’t your blood.~
Anpwhotep says, ~No. YOU must let YOURSELF out.~
You paged Su with ‘Your vision seems to clear as the earring breaks. You realize it’s not the same cage, and you remember where you are.’.
You paged Su with ‘And that this is Feralia.’.
Anpwhotep says, ~If you don’t, I know you’re no more the Su I know, than the Jackal is me.~
Su suddenly swallows, hard, and looks up. Rage swells in her eyes and she sweeps the bars aside with one huge hand.
Su tumbles out of the cage, spreading her wings triumphantly and looking down at the shadow-Sepdet’s mangled form. ~Secrets,~ she spits out, and turns her back on it.
Anubis nods. ~I am Garou, fool. You are a part of me, and a parts of you stand to the forefront. But you are the OTHER half of me. And with the impassivity gone, the passion rises more easily.
Anpwhotep rumbles, nodding. ~THAT is the Su I remember.~
Anubis says, ~Perhaps, shadow, I am the opposite of other Garou in that my rage comes not often enough.~
> Seeker sinks his fangs deep into the other’s throat and shakes his head back and forth violently, then pulls upwards, sending a geyser of blood over the dancer and himself. He spits out the dancer’s skin and sinew, then howls in triumph and rushes to his tribe’s aid.
Su-GM looks up sidelong at Anpwhotep. Normally she would find at least a wry grin, but this time there is nothing but a haunted sickness in her eyes. She stands looking at the cage for several more moments and slowly relaxes, even among the horrors surrounding her.
@EMit The shadow smiles thinly. ~Perhaps. Will you lead them now though? I think not.~ With that, it disappears, leaving only the skeleton of the dead animal behind.
The shadow smiles thinly. ~Perhaps. Will you lead them now though? I think not.~ With that, it disappears, leaving only the skeleton of the dead animal behind.
Long distance to Anubis and Su-GM: Shadow-Sepdet grumbles, as Anubis’ shadow refuses to follow the script I had laid out for it. :) Oh well.
> Rholeen-Shadow chokes off a laugh with a cough of surprise as her face is filled with gritty spirit-stuff. It staggers backwards, sitting down on its rump.
From afar, to Anubis and Shadow-Sepdet, Su-GM gasps. No. :)
Anubis looks somewhat shaken by the jab, surprisingly enough. He looks back over his shoulder at the pair, and his ears rotate upward, listening.
From afar, Anubis blinks. Hey, where’d he go?
Anpwhotep says, ~Su. Tell me where the others are.~
Anubis pages: Do I hear anything from upstairs?
You paged Anubis with ‘I think it was the anti-anubis, and so it didn’t do anything. It was more interested in trying to faze you than kill you. :) Yes. There’s the sound of fighting high above.’.
> Paul’s lupus-form double scrabbles at the loose ground with its feet, unable to get away with Paul’s fingers in its ribs. It only finds enough energy to shift to hispo, and falls short of the war-form, giving Paul enough time to get on top of it.
Su-GM looks up, her eyes finally clear. ~Up there, fighting their shadows.~
Anubis pages: Would it screw up what’s currently going on with Blinks if Anubis howled a note to let ‘em know we’re still down here and alive?
Anpwhotep nods, looking back over his shoulder. ~Mine is still somewhere back there, I think. Unless it’s lost the path by now. I just ignored and outran it…so far.~
Su-GM suddenly realizes that she has no shadow, and hasn’t ever. She looks around and sees it, perched atop a huge chunk of rubble, just sitting and watching, her usual sparkle of amusement twisted into a horrible leer.
From afar, Anubis nods. Anubis being more interested in fazing himself makes good sense, actua
Long distance to Anubis: Shadow-Sepdet is glad you see the logic. II meant for it to keep hitting on you, but have learned to let my muse do as it wishes. :)
From afar, Anubis chuckles.
You paged Anubis with ‘Lemme check with Su.’.
You paged Su-GM with ‘Anubis asks whether his howling to tell those up above we’re still alive would wreck Blinks’ test.’.
> Isis lunges for her foe’s stomach and plunges into it headfirst. It is forced to drop the arm-club and tackle her with its own teeth and claws. It is scraping along her sides when suddenly its arms lose some of their umph; apparently she’s chewed through to something important.
Su-GM pages: Hmm. Yes. :) I’m about to wrap up this combat and tell them all to take about fifteen minutes of OOC rest while we test Blinks.
Anubis pages: It means that you were thinking pretty much like I play Anubis — I was playing to faze him as well — that’s why I didn’t kill Sep’s shadow; he realizes that the only shadow who’s his own problem is his.
> Seeker’s foe is limp and dead, and Seshmw’s is getting that way. Paul is atop it when it finally makes one last rage-burning jump to crinos, and flails at his lower body with its hind claws.
Anpwhotep steps back and looks up where the others are. Gauges the distance and decides he needs Su’s wings to get up there. Or the gear the Jackal carries….
I don’t recognize that name.
You paged Anubis with ‘Your howling would, in fact, give too much away for the ahroun-halfmoon. Pose it, but the winds will distort it such that it just sounds like another random howl.’.
> Traps-Fighter rolls with her opponent near the edge of the cliff. After a moment of her ravaging, she pulls her bloodied maw from the wound and reaches in with her injured right claw for her adversaries exposed spine while she grabs her enemy’s throat with her good hand, digging in with her claws for whatever purchase she might find.
Anubis pages: Either that, or you can give me a vision-splash that’ll show that everything’s well in hand up there, and waiting only on Blinks’ decision.
Anpwhotep swivels his ears back along his path, listening for approaching footfalls.
Anubis continues to look upward, considering. ~Blinks was set to lead that group, Anpwhotep. His last test.~

Long distance to Anubis and Su-GM: Shadow-Sepdet grins. Righto.You get a snapshot/whirl image of the kids up there, straggled out on broken chunks of bridge like a sandcastle walls half melted by the sea. Stickfigure-like, they are in combat, but half the foes are down and the rest seem to be losing. Blinks is up ahead, a small dog on a pile of rubble, straining to look back through the mist. A rather squished-looking Sepdet is sitting beside him.
Anpwhotep’s muzzle gapes in a wide grin. ~Good. A better test than any I could think of.~
> Seeker rushes towards Rholeen and her Dancer self, looking for an opportunity to aid her.
Anubis suddenly claps his hands to his head, collapses in the sand as though felled by a flying brick.
> Seshemw grunts quietly as the fingers of the hand in his foe’s chest become visible as they sprout from the shadow’s back and wrap around his spine. Ignoring the claws that rake his limbs as the howling beast tries to struggle free, he tugs at his prize hard and with a soft, wet, snap, the fingers vanish back inside along with a section of spine. With his other hand, he reaches into the gaping wounds to pull the heart free as well. As the thrashing dies with a gurgle, he howls his victory loudly and turns towards the other fighters, the heart and spine still held in his hands apparently forgotten for the moment.
> Rholeen’s mirror manages to get the sand out of her eyes and she looks up at Rholeen from her spot sitting on the sand. Her expression is cocky, as if to say, You wouldn’t dare.
pup5do p sep
Anpwhotep jogs to Anubis and kneels beside him, giving as thorough an examination as he can manage.
> Su-Shadow has left.
Anubis seems to wake rather quickly, eyes blinking and rolled up in his head. After a moment, he comes around. ~They … will be fine, I think. The others will overcome their demons.~
Anpwhotep nods. ~I have faith in them.~
Anpwhotep sniffs cautiously, to make sure it’s Anubis, and not his shadow.
Anubis slowly stands. ~Then we should proceed onward, the three of us. They will follow. And ours are still out there. Will you run with me, Tribemates?~
Su-Shadow finishes staring at Su and stands atop her rock. With an evil glint to her eye, she shimmers and changes until she is Su’s exact mirror – the bat-wings are now Owl’s soft feathers, the blood gone from her muzzle. She takes off, spiraling upward until she is lost from sight.
Su has left.
Anubis frowns as he watches Su’s double rise upward. His gaze returns to the winged Strider.
Anpwhotep says, ~She’s defeated more powerful enemies.~
Anpwhotep clenches his claws, as if he could grasp the expression of faith and make it solid…
Anubis nods. ~Then it comes down to us, Alpha. Will you stay and wait, or shall we continue and leave them to the test?~ He too seems confident of the others.
Su-GM follows her double with her eyes and the conversation with half an ear.
Anpwhotep nods. ~It does come down to us.~
> Isis pins her double’s neck with her good arm, and it flails wildly, cutting unimportant but painful chunks from her hide while she fishes around with her weakened arm to get behind its spine.
Anpwhotep moves back onto the path and begins picking up the pace again.
Anubis looks back at Su. ~Your choices are yours to make, Tribesister.~ With that, he joins Anpwhotep, running westward again.
> Seeker snarls, ~Seshemw, help Traps-Fighter.~ He moves in beside Rholeen to slash at her dancer-self.
> Traps-Fighter lifts the demon from the ground, her eyes tearing with the burning pain from the holes in her fur, and brings the form down across an upraised knee, the arms at neck and inside the lower abdomen providing a good deal of leverage.
Anpwhotep soon settles into the pace that’s made him known as “Swift-Runner” among the garou of the Wheel.
> The Dancer-Isis’s back breaks with the proverbial sickening crunch.
Su-GM pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Shadow-Sepdet: Eeep. I don’t have time to think IC. :P
> Seshemw moves towards Isis and her opposite, his movements only slightly hindered by injuries. One hand drops the spine it was holding and reaches carefully out towards the crippled and possibly dead Dancer’s head.
Anubis matches Tep’s speed, with a lupine smile. ~There are few I can run with with any challenge. It is good to have one to run with who tests my speed.~
> Seshemw makes sure of the Isis-double by poking out its eyes.
> Traps-Fighter drops the body and heaves a couple of breaths. Before recognizing Paul’s presence, she walks to where the broken lower half of the dancer’s sword lies on the ground. Picking it up quickly she returns to stab it smoothly into the Dancer’s heart.
From afar, to Anpwhotep, Shadow-Sepdet, and Su-GM, Anubis should get off the phone for a bit to let his roomies make the calls they’ve had to put off. I should be back within a half-hour or so. If I need to be posed, Sepdet can go ahead and do so. OK with all of you? Remember to let everyone who makes it know about the loss of the weight of their shadow.
> Seshemw pulls his claws free of the shadow’s eye sockets and turns to join Seeker and Rholeen, ears darting about in search of other threats.
Anpwhotep chuffs. ~The same. We’ll have to run together more.~
+mp/h :nods. Will do, boss.
Long distance to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Su-GM: Shadow-Sepdet nods. Will do, boss.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep, Shadow-Sepdet, and Su-GM: Back as soon as I can be.
Anubis smiles, and continues on toward the end of the path.
Anubis has disconnected.
> Traps-Fighter kneels over the still form of the dancer, her hands continuing to grasp the sword. Her head hangs down a bit before she rises again, summoning whatever reserve strength she might have to join the fray with Rholeens’ double.
> Seshemw gestures Isis back, heart still clenched in his hand. ~Recover your strength. I’m not hurt much, yet.~ He stalks towards the fight, looking for an opening.
> Rho’s double seems fairly unconcerned, actually. It sits, grimacing at the last of the sand in its face. As Seeker rushes toward it, it sticks out its tongue.
> Rather predictably, Seeker’s swipe takes its head clean off.
> Everyone, especially Rholeen, is taken aback at the swift end to the fighting.
> Traps-Fighter ignores Paul’s suggestion, wise as it might be, and finally charges Rho’s double, but comes up short as it’s head flies off.
Anubis has connected.You paged Anubis with ‘Oh. One small, minor detail…’.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep, Shadow-Sepdet, and Su-GM: There’s something overly polite when you get off and ask people if they want to make calls and they all say they”ll wait for tomorrow. Hm. Anyhoo, where are we now?
Anubis pages: Do tell.
You paged Anubis with ‘You’re running and running. When you get somewhere over the region of, um,well, upper Africa, you have a split-second image…’.
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Shadow-Sepdet, and Su-GM: Cubs finished fighting, Anp and Anubis still running, Su?
Su-GM pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Shadow-Sepdet: I’m still, IC, in limbo, but yes.

You paged Anubis with ‘Darkness. Something red. A scarf folded and tied like a headband. Parts of
it are almost black, and you realize it is from old dried blood, not merely
the shadows.
A man’s hand passes the scarf to a woman’s.
Amarna’s voice. Unmistakeable. “So.”%rThe man does not reply, but there is the sound of receeding footsteps.
Su-GM pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Shadow-Sepdet: Seeker, Isis, Paul, and Rho are taking a fifteen-minute break while we finish up with Blinks. We should be done any time now.
You paged Anubis with ‘A grim pause. “Sorry, old fool. But you never would listen.”
The scarf is tossed away with a loose gesture as if it were a light piece of refuse, litter from a careless hiker, forgotten before it even touches the earth. And the vision fades.’.

[[ Ed. note: Horus wore the red scarf late in his career to cover the eye he lost in Malfeas]]

Anubis stumbles after a while, obviously hit by another vision. He recovers this time, though, and shakes it off. Still, his pace falters a bit from ‘Tep’s.
Anubis’s face is somewhat ashen, regardless of his upright stance.
Anpwhotep looks back over his shoulder. Slows slightly, as can be expected from not watching the road directly.
Anubis gradually catches up, but the bantering tone of amusement is gone. HE runs doggedly now, rather than energetically.
> Seshemw walks back to his dead double, heart still in hand. With his free hand he tears loose the chain of dogtags, and checks the corpses pockets.
> Seeker pants heavily, recovering from the combat. He surveys the bodies of the dead Dancers. ~You fought admirably, brothers and sisters. I am duly impressed.~
Anubis pages: Did Horus give you that image, or did you make it up? :)
You paged Anubis with ‘I know what Horus told me about certain things you don’t. I made up the image. :)’.
> Seeker walks over and picks up his double’s kopsh, studying it carefully. He reads the glyphs etched on it and snarls in rage. ~Bones of Sekhmet. Blasphemer!~ He hurls the klaive with all his might into the abyss.
From afar, Anubis laughs. Horus always was a bastard for spreading different knowledge to different people. Inspirational, I thought. ;)
> Seshemw growls angrily as he looks something over that he found on the body. a moment later, he throws the something out into the abyss with a curse. Apparently a set of wallet photos or somesuch.
> Seshemw kicks the dead body a few times angrily then faces the others. ~Now what?~
> Seshemw suddenly seems to actually -notice- the carnage around him and sways unsteadily.
> Seeker looks around warily. ~I do not know. We wait.~ He walks over to the edge and peers into the chasm.
> Seshemw drops to his knees and leans over, retching quietly and no longer concerning himself with planning.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep, Shadow-Sepdet, and Su-GM: Guess my roomie does want to make that call. BAck as soon as I can; same plan for posing me if need be.
Anubis has disconnected.
> Seeker looks back at Seshemw and snarls. ~Get hold of yourself. We are not out of danger yet. The enemy could strike again as you are puking your guts up.~
> Traps-Fighter heaves a few deep breaths, then returns to her double’s body, lifting it with her left arm, steadying it with her right, and then heaves it over the edge, sword hilt still protruding from its rib-cage. Without a word she begins to circle the precipice, peering out over the edge, examining more fully their situation.
> Seshemw raises a shaky hand, nearly flips Seeker off, then reconsiders and drops back to the ground.
> Seeker scans the area, looking tense. He heads over to Isis and looks down at her Dancer doppelganger, noticing the arm. ~Can you use that?~ He points to the arm.
> Seshemw mutters between wracking spasms, ~Look for other trails.~
> Traps-Fighter glances at the arm, picking it up in a smooth bend at the hips. She looks it over, turning it carefully. ~Perhaps,~ she says dubiously.
Anubis has connected.
> Rholeen sits back down on the ground, her claws slowly tracing paths in the sand. Her eyes are on the remains of her double, and her expression appears thoughtful. ~I suppose we don’t have to run so fast if we do find another path, huh? No one following us any more.~
> Seeker nods to Isis. ~Keep it.~
> Seshemw finally quiets and wipes his mouth with the back of a gore soaked hand. Which nearly sets him off again. ~Don’t.. Don’t count on it. More fun to come, I’m sure. From the dead, if nothing else.~
> Seshemw works his jaws and spits with feeling.
> Traps-Fighter nods to her elder and practices wielding it a bit, glancing at Seeker a couple times, double-checking that this is what he wants her to do.
> Seeker looks over at Rholeen. ~Perhaps. The…other one traveled another path somehow. Do not let your guard down.~
> Seshemw hops back to his feet, wincing a little as his wounds make themselves known.
Anpwhotep jogs down the path, grimly determined to be waiting for his tribe when they reach the end of the night’s run.
Anubis seems to lose some of the dark mood his brief vision brought, but he does not speak still. He maintains the pace Anpwhotep sets.
> Seeker says, ~What I mean is, that arm may replace your withered one.~
> Seshemw shivers a little at the thought of attaching a Dancer-made weapon to someone’s body, and looks out across the gulf. And down again, still looking for another path. He seems to be carefully avoiding looking at himself, or the heart still clutched in one hand.
> Traps-Fighter looks at the arm, trying to wield it with only her weak right arm, then glances at Seeker, then pricks her ears up, looking off to the west at the new sound.
> Seeker approaches the rim of the chasm and howls in return. ~We are here! We are alive!~
> Seeker looks at the arm and sneers. ~Throw it away, then.~
> Traps-Fighter drops the arm and rushes to the edge beside the other Ahroun, looking about.
> Seshemw winces, and looks like he fully expects the shouting back and fort to draw more things down on them. Also that he would rather have that than just stitting aroundd.
> Seshemw mutters, ~Su can fly. She could fly us across.~ He rises and starts kicking the debris into the abyss, starting with his dead body.
> Seshemw says, ~Maybe.~
> Blinks-at-Fire has arrived.
> Sepdet has arrived.

[[ END FLASHBACK ]]

Su-Shadow has left.
@tel #1296
Dark Umbra(#1296RFJ)
A ribbon of grey smoke that feels like sand underfoot uncurls and snakes off into the shadowy distance. Hazy forms swirl around and pursue you in the shadows of the dark umbra which is neither warm nor cold, and a constant tumult of unresolved voices beats at your body like fierce winds scraping around the broken rocks of vast canyons. Yet the dusky murk never clears, and only rarely do you catch a glimpse of a half-seen dead face or the dizzying drop on either side of the spiderweb-thin arching pathway.
Contents:
Su-Shadow(#3327I)
Blinks-at-Fire
Rholeen
Seshemw
Traps-Fighter
Seeker
Isis-Shadow(#1283I)
Seeker-Shadow(#1299I)
Rholeen-shadow(#1278)
paul-Shadow(#1279)
Su-Shadow, as if on cue, appears, carrying a lupus Blinks and with Sepdet clinging to her back. She alights with exaggerated tenderness and a mockingly angelic look on her face.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts immediately back up to Crinos on landing.
Blinks-at-Fire contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into Crinos form.
Seshemw watches Su’s shadow closely, looking really worried that it carried Blinks and Sepdet here.
Su-Shadow steps back and lets both her charges down, executing a graceful bow. ~As promised, O Perspicacious One.~
Traps-Fighter steps back a bit, eyeing the shadow warily.
Su-GM pages: Okay, so the Garou tongue doesn’t have words like that…Su’s evil twin would definitely use ten-dollar words at every opportunity. :)
Seeker pages to Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Is that supposed to be Su or her shadow?
Blinks-at-Fire barks, ~Where’s Su?~ Clearly he does not mean the creature who just let him off.
Sepdet looks to be a mess of blood, and in a fairly foul mood. She doesn’t say a word as she slides off on wobbly legs that look to have been crushes under a large mortar an pestle. They are healing, as is her chest, however.
Blinks-at-Fire eyes the winged shadow very suspiciously. ~Did you kill her?~
Traps-Fighter glances at the cub, then to the shadow, to Sepdet, and back to the red eyes.
Seeker snarls at the creature, flourishing the kopsh and ready to attack if it gets close enough.
Seshemw stands tensely, covered in gore, the bodies of Rholeen and Seeker’s shadows still on the pathway nearby. In his left hand is what appears to be a human heart. Wrapped around the left is a set of dogtags on a chain.
Su-Shadow says, ~Nope nope. Sure didn’t. She’s down there.~
Seshemw pages to Seeker, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Isis tossed her shadow over the edge, I think. And I just pushed mine over the edge.
Su-Shadow points helpfully down over the edge.
From afar, to Seeker, Seshemw, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen, Traps-Fighter nods to Sesh.
Rholeen gets to her feet and watches the arrivals carefully.
Seshemw pages: I really liked the desc of my shadowDancer, by the way.
Traps-Fighter does not look where the shadow points but levels her gaze on the dark face, her stance becoming combative.
You paged Seshemw with ‘Whipped it up in 3 seconds, by sneaking IC and staring at your sleeping body. :)’.
From afar, Seshemw chuckles.
Sepdet says hoarsely, ~It wants us to jump.~ She looks at Blinks uneasily.
Seshemw says, ~If the fall doesn’t kill us, we’d heal, right? And we -need- to continue into the West, one way or another, right?~
Su-Shadow nods, smiling with grotesque enthusiasm on her blood-smeared face. She licks her lips absently.
Traps-Fighter raises a lupine eye-brow. ~Why did it bring you back here?~
Blinks-at-Fire frowns. ~We need to continue west.~ He turns to Su. ~Why did you bring us back here?~
Seshemw grumbles, ~So we’d land on each other at the bottom? So she’d live long enough to try something different? Because she’s Ragabash-ish? Why didn’t Su fly back UP is what I want to know.~
Su-Shadow folds her arms. ~I object to your discussing me as if I am not present. The only one who’s paying any attention to me is that lout with the khhopfhsh.~
Su-Shadow gags quite theatrically on the weapon’s name.
Seeker growls ferociously. ~Come down and fight, Wyrmspawn coward!~
Seshemw smiles wickedly at the winged shadow. ~Ooooh. My apologies, oh bat-winged one. Didn’t see you standing there, maybe?~
Traps-Fighter shakes her head slowly, dangerously, however little the shade might be intimidated. ~Oh, no, you have a good deal of my attention.~
Su-Shadow yawns boredly. ~They can’t see you from down there. Your Alphas have already headed west. I suggest you join them. Su’s waiting for you, in fact.~
Su-Shadow grins toothily and winks at Isis and Paul.
Seeker looks at Seshemw and Blinks. ~Is it lying?~
Traps-Fighter asks Sepdet quite pointedly, though her eyes never leave the shadow. ~What do /you/ want, sister-mine?~
Seshemw shrugs a little, lips pulling back from his teeth. ~No clue. Haven’t learned the trick of feeling untruths, and don’t know bat-winged body language and Su well enough to tell the old fashioned way.~
Rholeen pages: So does it look like Blinks’ passes?
Traps-Fighter has disconnected.
Sepdet sits down by Rholeen, waiting for her ribs to finish knitting back together. She exhales raggedly. ~I want to get moving. This is not a sane place for a rabbit-hunt.~
Blinks-at-Fire contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into Hispo form.
Su-Shadow takes in a breath in mock-delight. ~Ah! They DO know how to use a half-moon properly! Been without one for a while, and the last one was a wannabe Galliard anyhow.~
Seeker points the kopsh at Su-shadow. ~You will die for that.~
Long distance to Su-GM: Sepdet giggles. Jeremy’s player reminds me of Blinks, sometimes.
Blinks-at-Fire says, quietly, ~Isis. Seeker. Knock her down and hold her.~
Seshemw rolls his eyes a little at Seeker’s comment and sniffs the air lightly.
Su-GM pages to Seshemw and Sepdet: Good question. Spirit, but very very powerful within certain limits. That’s all you can really tell.
Su-Shadow suddenly pops up to an altitude of about fifteen feet and hovers there. ~Ah-ah-ah.~
Seshemw pages to Su-GM and Sepdet: Wyrm, or merely a test conjured by the Rite and the place we’re in?
Su-GM pages to Seshemw and Sepdet: Oh no; absolutely of the Wyrm.
Seeker says, ~This thing wastes our time. We must aid our brothers.~
Traps-Fighter has connected.
From afar, to Seeker, Seshemw, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen, Traps-Fighter sorries. What’d I miss.
Seshemw nods. ~The spirit is going to get points one way or another. Surviving us, plus sowing confusion. Teacher, whither go we? Jump? Ask..~ He looks up with a slightly wry grin, ~For a ride, and hope she doesn’t drop us in the pit full of silver spikes? Something else?~
From afar, to Seshemw and Sepdet, Rholeen chuckles at Sepdet. “I’m barely holding on. If I suddenly disappear, you’ll know why.”
Blinks-at-Fire snorts as Su leaps out of the way. ~Forgive me, rhya~, he says insincerely. ~Do you offer to carry us down?~
Traps-Fighter pages to Seeker, Seshemw, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Sepdet didn’t answer my question?
Blinks-at-Fire walks over to the edge, keeping one eye on Su, and howls down, ~Striders!~
Seeker pages to Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Which question?
Su-Shadow snorts. ~If you think I’m carrying all you overgrown excuses for wanderers, think again. That one’s (pointing at Sepdet) scrawny enough, but I’m honest, not altruistic.~
Floating up, almost imperceptible, is a voice; you’re not sure if it’s that of a Garou or just one of the howling voices in the distance.
Seshemw pages to Seeker, Traps-Fighter, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Isis asked what Sepdet wanted, I believe.
Su-Shadow jerks her thumb downward as if to say, See?
Blinks-at-Fire turns back and takes a long, sad look at the others, as if he had just met them after long absence but had no time to talk. ~I am not ordering you,~ he says. He steps back from the edge, far enough to get a running start.
Seeker says, ~We go down. Are we all agreed?~
Su pages: YES!!!!!
Traps-Fighter keeps her gaze on the Shadow. ~If you order it, I will obey.~
From afar, Su takes your hands and does a little roundabout dance.
Seshemw rumbles, ~It isn’t a democracy. We always choose our own path, ultimately.~
Seeker says, ~Very well. ~ He turns and runs to the edge, then leaps over it.
Blinks-at-Fire runs for the edge and leaps off, leaving the homids to their argument.
Long distance to Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Sepdet sorries…got totally frozen for several minutes.
Seshemw watches Seeker and Blinks fall into darkness, trying to judge how far the drop is.
Seeker has left.
There isn’t any sound; you don’t know if that’s good or bad.
Traps-Fighter follows immediately after her moon-brother, taking her gaze from the shadow and leaping long and fearlessly into the darkness.
Seshemw pages: Did you see all of the comments roll by, or miss it completely?
You paged Seshemw: They all rolled by suddenly after the freeze. Scrolling back.
Blinks-at-Fire has left.
Sepdet shudders and gets to her feet, after several pained moments of putting herself together. ~I’m sorry…I just can’t see in the dark.~ She looks over in frustration. ~Blinks saw tonight where my eyes failed,~ she says bleakly. ~And there is no way forward.~ With that, she walks to the edge.
Traps-Fighter has left.
Seshemw grins fatalistically. ~Together then.~ He holds out his gory arms to Rholeen and Sepdet as he steps to the edge.
Su pages to Seshemw, Sepdet, and Rholeen: @tel #1294.
Rholeen chuckles. ~Actually I think I’ll go lupus. Less mass.~
leave
The bridge under your feet gives way and you plummet down at a dizzying speed through acrid air that burns throat and eyes as you fall through the bodies of one shade after another, each one with a gut-churning wrench. Your fall is abruptly and forcefully broken as you slam into some hard, gritty surface that shivers under the impact like a thick coiled wire.
Unknown span of umbra(#1294RFIJ)
The shadows of the umbra here are no kinder, and claw at your senses with sound and wind as well as less palpable, more unsettling means that set your hackles prickling. Chunks of broken bridge fallen from above lie here and continue to crack and fall, insubstantial things that look like solid chunks made of a soft smokey grey sand that has no business staying together in shardlike blocks. High above you, lost in cloying haze, echo the muffled sounds of combat. You stand on a second, wider span, this one all but invisibly black in the dark swirling fog that envelops this place.
Contents:
Traps-Fighter
Blinks-at-Fire
Seeker
Anpwhotep
Su
Anubis
Shadow-Sepdet(#3107PIJOcr)
Obvious exits:
Out to the ONS room
Shadow-Sepdet is lying, semi-dismembered, in the dust. She stares up at the roiling fog unseeing.
Anubis and Anpwhotep are not actually here, though their scent lingers.
Seshemw swan dives into darkness.
Seeker gets to his feet, immediately wary and searching for the enemy.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Your shadow is a galliard! :)
Su is standing by a wrecked metal cage, looking up into the sky as her tribesmates fall into the soft sand.
Seshemw pages: I plan to try to land on my feet and roll though when I reach the bottom.
Seeker catches scents on the air and tries to determine their direction.
Traps-Fighter rolls to her feet looking around, synchronizing her movements to look in whatever direction Seeker is not.
Sepdet gives her double a raw glance and sighs. ~Know how you feel,~ she mutters. She looks out across the road, sniffing the air.
Traps-Fighter chuffs a passing greeting to Su.
Su grins almost foolishly; she looks like she’s been through a lot. Her right arm still has traces of dried goo on it from the fight last night, and there are bits of several peoples’ blood on her, but her tribe is back. ~Are you all able to run?~
Seshemw whurfs as he lands and climbs back to his feet.
Seshemw rumbles, ~Sure. I need the exercise.~
Seeker nods to Su.
Traps-Fighter chuffs an affirmative.
Rholeen also gets to her feet and nods.
Long distance to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seeker, Seshemw, Traps-Fighter, Shadow-Sepdet, Su, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Sepdet warns her net is still almost frozen, and she may get bumped again.
Su trots up to Sepdet and puts a hand on her shoulder, wordless for a moment as she looks between the little Strider and her double. ~Then let’s go west.~
Su’s claws dig into the sand and she springs forward, with even a better will than at the evening’s beginning.
Seshemw looks over at Sepdet’s double very suspiciously. ~Um. I know progress is important, but.. They -are- Wyrm spirits,~ he says towards his packmate and Su.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep and Sepdet: So are Tep and I already arrived at where we’re going, or will they catch up with us?
Seshemw shrugs and shifts down, ready to follow again.
Seshemw contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Seshemw shifts into Lupus form.
Blinks-at-Fire shakes himself, and rises to his feet. He runs off after Su, trying to overtake her.
Traps-Fighter follows after Su, not far behind, her pace a bit slower, but her eyes satisfied.
You paged Su with ‘Are we going to overtake Tep and Anubis? Doubtful. Where are they? :)’.
Seeker re-melds his kopsh to his body and drops to all fours, running west after Su.
Shows-the-Way looks at Sepdet’s shadow one last time, and breaks into a run to catch up with the others, eyes looking a little haunted.
Su pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Sepdet: I’m going to pop us out at a Painting Stone near Spokane, since we’re on a different path now. I’ll pose a startled couple of local Striders, ’cause I want someone to have to explain what happened.
Blinks-at-Fire comes alongside Su and whurfs, ~Teacher. Do not take this from me.~
Sepdet nods mutely to the winged woman, and lets out a long quiet breath. She walks over to the shadow, first though. Oddly, she gives it a gentle ~Heya,~ and places her hand over its heart. The thing hisses at her feebly, but is badly injured.
Rholeen follows along, keeping close to the rest.
Su pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Sepdet: How’s this for an idea: “All this happened, blah blah, and this young…” (glance at Tep and Anubis) “…this young Cliath got us out of it.”
Sepdet uses Mother’s Touch for a purpose it has been seldom used. After a moment, the dying Dancer is still, and she runs after the others, stride rapidly quickening as she puts the shadows behind her.
Su looks down at Blinks, surprised, then breaks into a toothy grin. ~See if you can catch up, leader.~
From afar, to Anpwhotep, Su, and Sepdet, Anubis chuckles. Um, sure. :) So, I ask again, are you guys going to catch up with Tep and I, or will we be there waiting, or do we find a different way home?
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Fool. :) Love ya for it.
You paged Su with ‘Sunds good.’.
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Su, and Sepdet: Make sense to me. He earned it. :)
Su runs freely, though, and easily, and Blinks runs abreast of her without too much effort. After a bit, she falls a foot or so behind.
Long distance to Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet just put the thing down with mother’s touch. It was almost dead. I stopped its heart. Ugh.
Traps-Fighter suddenly digs in and her pace quickens as she drops to all fours. Soon she is keeping pace with the leaders.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Oh. :(
Su pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Sepdet: You’ll be there in the Penumbra talking to the other Striders, if that’s okay.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘Anubis dismembered her before she had a chance to work much mischief.’.
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Su, and Sepdet: Works for me.
From afar, to Anpwhotep, Su, and Sepdet, Anubis nods. Works for me. So do we have a name to give the dude? OR can we forestall that?
Shows-the-Way seems happy enough to keep up with the pack, not trying to stay with the front runners themselves. A large part of his attention seems on whatever thoughts wander through his mind, and he is definitely not paying as close attention to his surroundings as he used to.
Su just made a new scene for Spokane Wilderness.
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Shadow-Sepdet, Su, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen, Traps-Fighter needs to logout *very* soon.
Long distance to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Su: Sepdet tends to let Striders choose their own names and paths. :)
From afar, Anubis nods. Me, too. But it’s been a while. :)
Su pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Traps-Fighter, Shadow-Sepdet, Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire, and Rholeen: Go ahead if you like; the rest is wrapup and would be nice for you to see, but you can read the log. Sorry it took so long, but I think it was worth it.
Blinks-at-Fire shifts into an easier, faster form, now that they are free of the shadows, and pulls out ahead of the pack, trusting the rest to follow.
[Much shifting and movement]

Dark Umbra(#1296RFJ)
A hilltop in a forest, reminiscent of the Wheel’s own Lonely Hilltop. A familiar ring of stones holds another Painting Stone, not the one you all used tonight.]

Anpwhotep scans the arrival zone cautiously.
As each of you bursts from the Dark Umbra, you feel as though a great weight is shed from your shoulders. Even the horrors of tonight seem to fade back somewhat, and the truth of each vanquished dark half makes you each realize you have banished that part of you for a time.
Blinks-at-Fire has arrived.
From afar, Shows-the-Way drats. “I was planning on holding onto that damned heart. Could I have stuck it in my packpack? Or would I have had to carry it in my mouth?
You stand in a totally unfamiliar place; even the wind smells different, though it’s still reminiscent of Washington’s familiar blend of trees.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep, Seeker, Shows-the-Way, Traps-Fighter, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: Actual effect of the rite has been known to cure harano at times, so we’re talking a serious lightening, here.
Traps-Fighter pages: OK, thanks. :)
You paged Shows-the-Way with ‘You could’ve carried it in your mouth, but no time to dedicate it.’.
Anubis stands with Anpwhotep, watching as each Garou reappears. His face shows unabashed pride.
khet is standing, bemused, as Strider after Strider pops from over the Painting Stone.
From afar, Shows-the-Way urks. “Is it stuck in the dark umbra, then, or does it come back out with me?”
Long distance to Shows-the-Way: Sepdet is afraid it’s probably stuck.
Seeker slows to a stop, then hesitates for a moment, shuddering slightly. He recollects himself, then looks up and approaches Anubis and Anpwhotep.
Anubis contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Anubis shifts into Crinos form.
Anubis was actually Crinos the whole time. Really.
Seeker says, ~Where is the other? The stranger?~
Khet murmurs something about telephone booths, and moves forward to greet the newcomers.
Anpwhotep counts off his tribe as they arrive. Scans briefly for injuries.
A wary tension drops from Blinks-at-Fire as he appears again in his world. Instead of slowing, he picks up his step, heading straight for Anpwhotep with a silly grin on his face.
Anubis says, ~Likely on his own path, elsewhere, Seeker. Tribemates, I salute you. Never have I had a more difficult run.~
Shows-the-Way pauses for a moment on re-emerging, looking as if whatever had been troubling him has slipped his mind for a moment.
Shows-the-Way contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Sepdet pops through in the ragged rear, gives the strange Strider an apologetic glance, and moves to one side to fling herself wearily and expressively on her back, staring up at the sky peacefully.
Shows-the-Way shifts into Crinos form.
Khet takes a deep breath after Anubis finishes speaking. “I am Anthony Khet, called Big-Ears by some, Fostern Theurge of the, ah, Wandering Tribe. It must have been a wander indeed.”
Blinks-at-Fire jumps up and bounces off Anpwhotep’s chest about seven feet up the front of the Crinos
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, and Sepdet, Su drags out her BT character in a panic. :)
Pack> Seshemw giggles. “I see the Stunt Typist has retired for the evening.”
Anubis steps toward Blinks briefly, but then gestures to Anpwhotep. ~You may do the honors.~ He turns and steps over to Khet. ~Greetings Khet. I am Anubis, Adren Philodox of the Wheel Renewed. The Dead Time took the moon bridge and shattered it I’m afraid.~
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Khet has another klaive! Where /do/ these homids get these marvellous toys?
Long distance to Blinks-at-Fire: Sepdet looks pissy. I don’t know.
Anubis says, ~It appears, however, that our c… Cliath, there, got everyone through it in the end.~
Seeker nods to Khet and looks between him and Anubis.
Sepdet sits back up after several breaths, looking considerably more rested than a moment before. She rubs her hands on her knees and shifts her gaze to Blinks.
Anpwhotep nods to Blinks gravely. ~Anubis-Rhya tells me you led the run. I see all are here, Blinks-yuf.~
Long distance to Anpwhotep: Sepdet bonks you. You’re fostern, bub. :)
From afar, Anpwhotep groans. I’m not awake, am I?
Seeker says, ~He performed admirably, yes. The others fought well and slew their shades. Honor is theirs tonight.~
Su looks over at Anubis and at Anpwhotep, looking disbelieving at first and then unaccountably proud.
From afar, to Anubis, Seeker, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire, Anpwhotep then proceeds to open his mouth and demonstrate that people should not talk when half-asleep. :)
Khet’s eyes widen, and he pauses as if he’s filing the information away. “I had heard of such things happening. Ours was a small run tonight, just three anruth passing through the area as I do. I salute your deeds!”
Blinks-at-Fire is taking in the other Striders with greedy eyes, joyful at seeing them together again, hoarding up this moment in his heart. It is several moments before he realizes what Anubis and Anpwhotep has said.
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Seeker, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: Sorry, gang. No battlefield promotions tonight. Blinks only Rank 1.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seeker, Seshemw, Su, and Sepdet: Too late. You said it. Gotta stick by your word.
Seeker pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: No prob. :)
Anubis nods. ~All of you are deserving of honor. Well-run, my Tribemates.~ He lifts the painting stone from the ground, and brushes off the symbols still there. ~Feralia is at an end. Go with light hearts, better to face the Wyrm without, having faced that within.~
Pack> Seshemw would’ve killed Blinks on the spot if he’d been jumped to Fostern. Whoof.
Khet looks at the enthusiastic Blinks with slightly narrowed, curious eyes. “Newly Cliath, if I don’t miss my guess. Sounds like cause for celebration, more so than usual.”
Pack> Sepdet says “Somehow, it’s oddly appropriate that Tep just called him yuf.”
Silent Storm pages: Uhhh… Are you in Spokane, WA?
From afar, to Anubis, Seeker, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire, Anpwhotep biffs Blinks and advises him to seek out enough reknown to justify challenging for that Fostern title, eh?
Pack> Seshemw says “Is Tep on the downslide, then?”
Seeker pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: And there was much rejoicing. (yay)
You paged Silent Storm with ‘I think so. We /almost/ made it back in one piece.’.
Khet looks up, frowning. “The Wheel Renewed, you said? That is three days’ journey to the southwest.”
Blinks-at-Fire wags his tail happily. He jumps up once more on Anpwhotep, giving him a big wet lick, then does the rounds of other Striders.
Silent Storm pages: Damn. I am having to keep Siobhan from running into the scab by force. I was hoping to get backup. :}
Seshemw makes sure that Blinks gets to lick a mostly non-blood covered part of him.
Anpwhotep laughs. ~Three days? Is that ALL?~
Blinks-at-Fire settles down next to Sepdet. He looks up into the sky, searching for something.
Blinks-at-Fire turns to Sepdet. Is the bird coming?
Seshemw murmurs, ~Three days? Short run. Deadways make a dangerous shortcut, but..~
Sepdet gets to her feet to stand by Anpwhotep’s shoulder and looks down at Blinks with a faint smile. She does not ruffle his forehead. At his glance, she looks up and laughs. ~No, Blinks. No more wings tonight. Just the dawn.~
Anubis nods at Khet, smiling along with Anpwhotep. ~May we rest with your Sept, Tribe-brother, before we head home in the morning?~
Su forces Blinks back down with a big hand so that he settles there by Sepdet. ~Act your age, Shadow-Truster.~
Seshemw sinks into a squat and starts cleaning his hands.
Anpwhotep closes his eyes and gathers himself together, to try presenting a “respectable” appearance to our host.
Khet cocks his head. “I’m afraid my Sept, though they’d love to have you, is more distant than your own. But there is a cave in this hill that is comfortable enough, though we might crowd it.”
Anubis smiles. ~I think that would do well, I thank you.~
Su pages to Sepdet and Blinks-at-Fire: And no, that’s not a good deed-name; too many “Shadow” names already around. Just the best I could think of on the spur of the moment. :)
Khet smiles and leads the way down the hill.
Seeker contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Seeker shifts into Lupus form.
Anpwhotep nods. ~Quite well. Such hospitality is welcomed.~
:holds her hand on Blinks’ shoulder for a moment.
Sepdet holds her hand on Blinks’ shoulder for a moment.
Seshemw finishes cleaning his hands on the grass and rises. ~Should we all introduce ourselves?~ he asks as he moves to follow.
Anubis contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Anubis shifts into Lupus form.
Su pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seeker, and Sepdet: He’d ask you about Horus once he got you in private, but that’s too much RP for tonight. :)
Seeker has disconnected.
Anubis returns to his normal form, and follows, a light step in his walk.
Anubis pages to Anpwhotep, Seshemw, Su, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: Nicely done, folks. A pleasure. :)
Blinks-at-Fire grumbles at Su’s reprimand, or perhaps at the name.
There’s time for introductions, and dinner, and rest, and everything once you get to the cave. It’s a tight fit, but if you all sleep in lupus it’s perfectly comfortable.
Sepdet takes the salmon off from around her neck, and cups it in her hand. It is a simple gesture. But when she pours it into her other hand, she pours water.
Blinks-at-Fire pages: Salmon?
Anpwhotep contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Anpwhotep shifts into Lupus form.
Anubis pages to Su and Sepdet: Well-run, guys. Danke.
Seshemw finds a stream, and makes sure to get himself clean before even THINKING about changing to a non-furred form.
:kneels down to be on eye level with the new cliath, meeting his gaze.
Sepdet kneels down to be on eye level with the new cliath, meeting his gaze.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘Yes. A wooden salmon.’.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘It’s one of the charms she always wears.’.
From afar, to Anubis and Sepdet, Su pants. Thanks. It WORKED! Heehee!
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire, Su is going to bed; sorry to zip out on everyone, especially Blinks (congrats!), but I gotta. See you all soon, and thanks again!
Blinks-at-Fire pops his head back up as soon as Su takes her hand off, and his cheery attitude quickly returns. He waits to see what Sepdet has to say, confident that she is trying to get his attention and not instituating a staredown.
Sepdet touches Blinks’ head lightly, sprinkling it across his fur to glitter in the moonlight. ~Out of the desert came a river. Out of the desert came we. Welcome home, Blinks-at-Fire.~ She holds his gaze a moment longer, gently, then stands to follow the others.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, Su, and Sepdet: Thanks to you all! A great job of preparation.
Su looks at Sepdet and smiles, relaxing down into her four-legged form to sleep off her exertions.
Su contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Su shifts into Lupus form.
Su has disconnected.
Su circles several times to make the ground into a fit resting place and settles down with her tail curled about her.
Blinks-at-Fire shakes his head as if clearing his ears of water. He chuffs goodnaturedly after her, ~I am Cliath, but you still confuse me, Sepdet-rhya!~
Long distance to Anubis: Sepdet bops Tep. I don’t think he realized you were asking him to do the RoP-thing. :) But Sepdet’s version is fairly simple.
You paged Blinks-at-Fire with ‘Not that it helps, but the water seemed to pour into a feeling of…connnectedness. You can feel the feet of other Striders who have run this path now. And you know you are not a cub.’.
Anpwhotep whuffs at Blinks cheerfully…teasing. Of course she does. It’s her job.
Sepdet looks back at Blinks with a faint smile and slips the fish-necklace back over her throat, the token of her own Rite of Passage.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, and Sepdet: Yep, likewise, bed for me. Questions, but I’ll ask them later. Where is that tattoo-artist bird, anyway? :)
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire, Seshemw looks REALLY confused. “What tattoo-artist bird?”
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, and Sepdet, Blinks-at-Fire points at Seshemw’s forehead.
Anubis pages: Do we still have yet to make Paul & Rholeen’s “official”?
Long distance to Anubis: Sepdet sighs. Yeah. I’ve kinda had to assume that we must have done it offscreen, since it felt weird doing it late.
From afar, Anubis nods. Sorry. :(
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, and Sepdet: (The bird/owl that gave Paul and Rholeen a mark or glyph on their foreheads at their Rites. That’s the bird Blinks was looking for.)
Anubis pages: Well, you and Tep have RoP now, right? Fully empowered and all. You get to learn Feralia yet.
From afar, to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire, Seshemw ahhs. “THAT bird.”
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Seshemw, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: OH! THAT bird!
Anpwhotep pages to Anubis, Seshemw, Sepdet, and Blinks-at-Fire: Well…you still need the *formal* Rite, you know…but we’ll fix that as soon as we’re back at the Wheel.
Blinks-at-Fire pages to Anubis, Anpwhotep, Seshemw, and Sepdet: Goodnight, now, all.
Blinks-at-Fire has disconnected.
Long distance to Anpwhotep: Sepdet bonks you. That’s what Anubis was asking you to do earlier. You didn’t, so I was…kinda…sorta…trying to. :) Hence the water, and Sepdet’s fish. Remember Anubis said that we draw on our own RoP to do the new one?
Anubis has disconnected.
You paged Anpwhotep with ‘But Blinks doesn’t know that’s what I was doing, so we can fake it for when we have time.’.
Anpwhotep pages: Oh. :( I’m sorry. I haven’t done anything right tonight. :(
Long distance to Anpwhotep: Sepdet nuzzles you. You’re just getting back into things, and I made my share of mistakes too. :) It’s okay.
Sepdet gives Anwhotep a gentle hug. ~Glad you’re back, Father.~
Thena pages: Spokane?
You paged Thena with ‘When a moon bridge explodes, you sometimes end up popping out in weird places.’.
Anpwhotep nuzzles Sepdet and is glad to be back, too. Missed you all more than I thought I would. Gotten too used to having family around, I guess.
Thena pages: Ah. :) Why did it explode?
Sepdet says softly, ~That is what the Wheel is, for all its foolishness. A place where even Striders have family.~
:sets a hand on Paul’s shoulder with a faint smile.
Sepdet sets a hand on Paul’s shoulder with a faint smile.
From afar, Anpwhotep hopes you don’t mind if I lean on you a bit. I’m sorry.
Seshemw rumbles softly, ~Howdy, Teacher. I.. I admit I’m going to be having some hangups for a bit.~ He pats her hand gently, some of his earlier troubled expression returning.
Anpwhotep whuffs softly and wanders a bit, nuzzling each of you in welcome.
Seshemw buts his head against Tep and murmurs, ~Families are good. I.. Damn it, I didn’t even manage to bring back the tags I had wrapped around my hand.~
Sepdet looks confused. ~Tags?~
Anpwhotep sniffs at Seshemw’s hand. Your patrol?
Seshemw sighs gustily. ~Seeing myself dead.. Feeling the anger ebb and realize that I held my -own spine and heart- in my hands.. Seeing the names of the others around its neck.. Yah. My patrol. And I -still- don’t know why they died, or why I outlived them.~ He makes no mention of the pictures he found in his doppleganger’s pocket.
Seshemw shivers and decides lying down is a good idea.
Sepdet says softly, ~It is behind you now. You needed to fight the spirit of that. You have. Now, maybe, you will be ready for the answers to come.~
Anpwhotep nods. Questions. Always questions. Answers are like steam engines. They come when you’re ready for them.
Long distance to Seshemw: Sepdet pokes you. After the run, you’re supposed to have the sensation of having fought and defeated the skeletons iin the closet. Admittedly, I gave you a bad skeleton. :)
Seshemw pages: I DO! :) If not for the uplifting, Paul’d be a COMPLETE wreck. :)
Long distance to Seshemw: Sepdet gahs. I see I was inspired. I don’t even know what made me think of it.
Seshemw smiles a bit. ~True. And it DID feel good to know I’d beaten it. It’s just.. My heart sings.. That’s part of what’s disturbing. I was brutal. I.. I was an effective fighter, and managed to kill something dangerous without getting much hurt. Then went over to finish off someone else’s fight in the most expedient way. I.. I don’t like seeing myself as a killer. Close to home, and.. Well, the exhileration worries me that I’ll end up enjoying slaughter.~
Anpwhotep nods. You’re not the only one with that worry. Any of us who have a heart carry it, to one degree or another.
Sepdet’s hands slip into Paul’s fur as she drops down to her own shape.
+shift crinos
Sepdet contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
You shift into Crinos form.
Anpwhotep must continually remember that his Shadow is not a separate, demonic thing. It is within, and can only be defeated when acknowledged. The things on the path…were nothing in comparison to that.
Seshemw stretches in the grass and says softly, ~Killing Banes is easy. Killing Dancers that I’ve never met is easy. Killing something that.. personal. That’s hard. I dread thinking about what happens if I’m ended up facing someone nominally innocent that circumstance or Duty demands the death of.”
Anpwhotep spares a concerned glance at Sepdet….and cannot answer that from personal experience.
Sepdet’s eyes grow distant. ~It is something you never forget, my packmate. The first creature I ever killed for anything but food was a friend of mine named Wilhelm. His spirit walks a better path now, but I do not forget how I had to send him there.~
Sepdet does not speak of another, more recent killing that she could not bring herself to do.