DATE: Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Place: The Sept Compound

---- Recall start ----

The Sept Compound
This clearing has recently undergone a bit of construction, though it seems 
   that at least some attempt has been made to keep the new structures 
   harmonious with the landscape around them. The central area is dominated by 
   a cookfire; in the southwest corner a shelter has been dug into the earth 
   and covered, while to the northwest, an open-air cabin of sorts has been 
   built. Except for the area around the fire, it seems nature has been 
   allowed to take its course. However, a student of such things might think 
   that some minimal landscaping or planning has been done, for the meadowlike 
   profusion of grasses and other plants has an unusually high concentration 
   of brilliant flowers, which attract a number of bees and butterflies.
A faint trail leads off to the east, and a bit north.
Contents:
Brian
Current Compound Residents (Updated: Mar 13)

Brian is seated on one of the logs that ring the cookfire, waiting quietly.
Stormcloud enters from the forest.
JJ Malone announces his presence long before entering the clearing, his 
   passage through the woods audible to all but the deaf. He arrives gritting 
   his teeth in bare prevention of a scowl, and immediately begins first 
   checking then picking over his clothing to free it of forest detritus.
Esther enters from the forest.
Brian's gaze drifts up to settle on JJ, and a grim little smile plays briefly 
   over his lips. "Sorry to drag you all the way out from your den," he says 
   quietly.
Esther tramps through the trees at a heavy pace, headed towards the clearing.
Stormcloud works his way into the clearing from the south, not taking the 
   common path. Normally he wouldn't be here. Perhaps he's just attending as a 
   voice for the Red Talons, at least until Shadow-of-Blood manages to arrive. 
   He finds a spot off to one side to call his own.
Brian rises from his seat on the log as Stormcloud arrives. "Ah, good," he 
   says quietly. "Stormcloud, would you mind calling the other elders to moot? 
   Perhaps they've forgotten about our meeting."
JJ Malone snorts concisely. "I'll believe that when you have a meeting in the 
   city and make them," he jerks his chin at Stormcloud, "come in for a 
   change." With that, he settles off to one side, and pulls a pack of 
   cigarettes out, tapping one out in a practiced snap and lighting it with an 
   equally deft motion from a blood-red Bic drawn out of the same pocket.
Stormcloud raises his muzzle to the sky, quick to respond to the Alpha's 
   request.
Andrea enters from the forest.
Stormcloud howls long and loud.
Stormcloud can be heard to howl, ~The moot of Elders is now called! Those who
   lead their tribes, come and attend!~
Esther gives a short and irritated nod, then manages to school her features 
   into something less disagreeable. "Evening. Rain Walker-rhya's off on one 
   of his trips again. I'm acting elder while he's gone. That okay?" She 
   directs an enquiring look at Brian, the enquiry more a politeness than a 
   real question.
Seeker enters from the forest.
Argent-Fury enters from the forest.
Stormcloud doesn't seem to have heard, or cared about, the Walker's misgivings 
   about being here in the woods. After his call, he simply lies down and 
   prepares for a long listen.
JJ Malone is standing off to one side with metaphorical stormclouds gathered 
   around his mood, smoking a cigarette in silence, right hand tucked under 
   left elbow.
Brian shrugs his shoulders at Esther, his grin widening slightly. "Sure," he 
   answers her, his gaze moving to the newcomers as they arrive.
Seeker chuffs a greeting, but stays just at the edge of the compound. In 
   Sepdet's absence, I request to represent the Silent Striders.
Andrea comes in not long after Stormcloud's howl, much too soon to actually be 
   answering it. She nods around the area, her dark eyes going to each face as 
   she greets the other Elders silently. She moves closer to the group and 
   finds a place to sit on the ground.
Brian draws a breath. "You're all welcome," he says, maintaining his small 
   smile. "Shall we wait a bit longer, to see if elders from any of the other 
   tribes arrive? Or shall we get down to business?"
JJ Malone glances at his watch impatiently, but says nothing, mirrored gaze 
   swinging around to pass over the other members assessingly.
Esther lowers herself awkwardly to the ground, moving uncomfortably in an 
   attempt to settle her bulk into a cross-legged position. She merely lifts 
   her head to watch the Alpha.
Seeker approaches the others and takes a place by Esther, then settles back on 
   his haunches.
Esther turns her head fractionally towards Seeker, mouth curling into a grin 
   at the corners at herpackmate's arrival.
Argent-Fury pads slowly and looks for any Fang elder present, and finding 
   none, lays down.
Hope-Star enters from the forest.
Stormcloud seems ready to get started or wait, either way.
Brian exhales. "Well. I guess that answers that question. Let's get started." 
   He retakes his seat upon one of the logs near the cookfire. "I want to try 
   to keep this short, because I know you're all busy. The first thing I 
   wanted to talk about was chiminage and the acceptance of new sept members. 
   It's been a few months since I delegated that task out to tribal elders, 
   and since you all started accepting gift on behalf of the sept. Sometimes 
   I've heard about what you've collected. Sometimes I haven't. I first want 
   to hear you tell me how this system's working, and I second want to hear 
   you catch me up on what you've taken from new members."
Seeker steps into the forest.
Esther twists around to look at Quiet.
Brian's gaze travels around the gathering, stopping after a few moments on 
   Andrea. "Andrea? Can you start?"
Jabs enters from the forest.
Andrea sees the eyes turned to her and sits a little straighter. She frowns in 
   thought, doing a mental count, then answers Brian's request. "We've had 
   three adult members come since the change. Marcus gave message arrow talens 
   to Robert, I believe. Haze gave his service to our pack in dealing with 
   Consumer of Stone and served a few months before rejoining our pack. 
   Nightflash gave talens for the fighting of vampires to the city Garou. I 
   helped him make the talens, in return for a favor owed the tribe."
Brian nods slowly. "All those were very good gifts," he says, "and the sept 
   appreciates them. Have you found it burdensome to accept chiminage and 
   grant sept membership, or is it something you'd care to go on doing?"
Jabs bursts into the clearing, applying the brakes as he hits the open site. 
   His tongue hanging down almost to his chest from what appears to have been 
   a long run, he trots exhausted toward the group, head drooping slightly.
Andrea shakes her head. "I've not found it burdensome. The only thing I might 
   be afraid of is that I may not know best the need for something given, or 
   where to offer help." She smiles slightly, Jabs' arrival causing her eyes 
   to flicker toward the path before returning to Brian. "But then, none of us 
   know everything going on in a sept this large."
Stormcloud gives the arriving Gnawer only the briefest of looks as he barrels 
   into the clearing, soon refocusing on the moot.
JJ Malone's hand reflexively jerks towards under his coat at Jabs' noisy and 
   precipitous arrival, then relaxes, picking up the cigarette he'd dropped 
   and stamps at the grass to kill any possibility of sparks.
Esther leans back, propping her weight on her hand. Her eyes rake Jabs over 
   once, then flick back to Quiet, and finally return to rest on Brian.
"I think your guesses have so far been good ones," Brian replies with a 
   slightly wider smile, "and I have no trouble continuing to trust your 
   judgement." His eyes go around the clearing, stopping on the various others 
   present. "Anyone else?"
Esther leans back, propping her weight on her hand. Her eyes rake Jabs over 
   once, then flick back to Quiet, and finally return to rest on Brian.
Jabs nearly makes it to the amassed crowd before shifting to his birthform. He 
   falls to his knees, still breathing hard, but not speaking up yet. Within 
   seconds, thin beads of sweat condense on his forehead. He wipes at them 
   unconsciously.
Sepdet stirs and lifts a finger. ~Got one.~
Brian runs a hand back through his hair, his expression growing a bit rueful. 
   "Just feel free to speak up," he says.
Iceheart enters from the forest.
Sepdet's voice is a little disjointed; too much umbra-work during the dark 
   moon is clearly making her stranger than usual. ~Kephra is our newest, a 
   theurge of skill. I mentioned the problems with the river to test him, and 
   since most of us at the caern have our hands full. Within a night he had 
   come to me with a full report on the new spirit there causing the flooding, 
   and had contacted some of the city-packs to find out was being done. He 
   continues to work on that, and teach cubs. For formal chiminage, he made a 
   bane-talen to use against Consumer-of-Stones.~ She grimaces, the talen's 
   effectiveness having been witnessed by most of those here a week ago.
JJ Malone speaks up. "He talked to Nigel?"
Sepdet shakes her head. ~Just met Nigel myself two nights ago. I've told 
   Kephra to seek him out.~
Esther waits for Sepdet to finish, then lifts one eyebrow at JJ, before 
   speaking herself. "Eligio dealt with Sarah's Chiminage, I think. Red-Belly 
   died before he completed his. That's been all."
Argent-Fury bows his head in respect to Iceheart, his tribal elder. Whufing 
   quietly, he goes. Glad am I that you are here.
Iceheart pads in slowly, muzzle twitching just slightly.
JJ Malone nods once, commenting, "Doesn't have a full report, then." He lapses 
   back into silence as Esther goes on.
Brian glances around the circle, his eyes following Iceheart as she too enters 
   the clearing. "Anyone else?" To the latecomer, he explains, "We're talking 
   about what chiminages we've accepted recently."
Iceheart goes to stand next to Argent-Fury, and sits on her haunches. My 
   apologies for my lateness. I have been preparing to move back to the city. 
   She clears her throat. None have been presented to me so far. Many cubs, we 
   still have; Second-Chance has been sent forth on his Rite as of the close 
   of last week.
Stormcloud notes that his tribe rarely has new blood, and those that are have 
   worked on Moon-Otter's work with seeding the man-paths. As we are generally 
   far from the others of this Sept, it has worked well.
Sepdet murmurs quietly to JJ. ~There's many working on that mess that probably 
   need to talk to each other again. I've got a packmate with the 
   water-spirits right now, trying to fix it.~ She looks like she's got 
   another question, too, but listens and watches the others as they report.
Jose doesn't appear to be piping up soon, picking at his fingernails with a 
   twig while he listens half-attentively.
Andrea just watches each speaker. At least, until something attracts her 
   attention. She frowns slightly, her eyes tracking the air over Brian's 
   shoulder. If anyone turns to look, nothing's there.
JJ Malone gives Stormcloud an odd glance, but then speaks up finally. "The 
   Glass Walkers have had five come in since November. Two have left before 
   ever presenting chiminage. The other two, Bailey Jacobsen and Jayson Carr, 
   as you know," he says specifically to Brian, "presented talens. The third, 
   Nigel McAllister, has presented chiminage but I'm not yet ready to make a 
   report about." He inhales on his cigarette, then exhales, apparently 
   finished. He gives Sepdet a quick glance, but says nothing now.
Brian draws a breath. "For the Fianna," he says, "most of our newcomers have 
   been cubs. Kathryn's given talens that have given me enough of a reason to 
   re-admit her. Chases-Nothing is skating on thin ice, and I'll be removing 
   his sorry ass unless he can come up with something before too long. There 
   are two other Fianna floating around that I know about, but neither's 
   committed to staying overlong, and so neither's given anything." His 
   attention wanders around the clearing once again. "Anyone else?"
Iceheart has nothing more on this front, no.
Sepdet looks towards Jabs uncertainly. ~I had a Garou who came to the bawn 
   while I was patrolling, asking the way to the caern. Trail-of-Bones. He 
   smelled of no taint, and he informed me of his chiminage, his work with 
   city packs, and his knowledge of the caern without my asking first. But it 
   was awkward.~
Argent-Fury perks up with mention of Kathryn, then settles down, squashed by 
   the air of leadership that pervades the area.
JJ Malone's brow furrows at Sepdet's words. "Name's not familiar to me," he 
   says suspiciously.
Andrea blinks, then turns her gaze to Sepdet. She absently rubs her arms.
Brian shakes his head. "Not anyone I know," he says quietly. "And not a Glass 
   Walker. Maybe a Gnawer?" His gaze moves to Jose.
Jose looks up from his manicure to see if anyone else is presenting, curious 
   as to whether it's his turn to speak. As Sepdet directly inquires of him, 
   he speaks. "Hm. I think tha's Jackson. He's one o' Rats. He's alright."
Sepdet adds, ~Gnawer. Sassafras seemed to know him very well.~
Iceheart gives a minor ear flick at the mention of urrah.
JJ Malone scowls faintly, but concentrates on finishing up his cigarette, 
   chain lighting a new one from the old.
Esther's face registers no obvious reaction; she merely sits and listens.
Sepdet's brows draw together sharply. ~Jackson, right. Sassafras called him 
   that. Did you take his chiminage, or not?~ She looks more than a little 
   chagrinned.
Brian shrugs his shoulders. "I'll assume he's worked something out with Pete, 
   though, Jose, please tell Pete that I want a report on what he's got going 
   on." A pause. "Only other thing I wanted to hear about was what the most 
   recent bad guys are. As far as I know, we've got a spirit that's flooding 
   the river, and some other asshole who thinks it's a kick to burn down the 
   bawn and then run away right before we tear him to ribbons. Anybody have 
   anything to say about this?"
"Uncle Pete's gone for a walk. Only reason I'm here is 'cuz he asked me to 
   'fore he left. Dunno when he's gonna get back." As Sepdet inquires, Jose 
   continues. "Far as new people goes and takin' presents, that ain't me. 
   That's Uncle Pete. I'll tell ya what I know about wha's goin' on in the 
   city, if ya want."
Andrea shakes her head, her hair falling forward slightly. "My pack has been 
   completely absorbed between patrolling bawn and territory, cleansings, and 
   trying to find out more about the bane that burned the bawn. You heard my 
   report on it a week ago, Brian, and we've discovered no more." Her face 
   twitches slightly. "I need to seek other sources, but the patrols and 
   cleansings have kept me pretty woods-loked."
Stormcloud keeps quiet for the moment, uninformed about the city problem and 
   only barely informed of the other spirit.
Brian nods slightly at Andrea, his expression tightening into thoughtful 
   lines. "So you need some help there. What about this river spirit? Who's 
   dealing with that, and what do we know about it?"
Iceheart flicks an ear, having little add.
"I've had a run in with the spirit at Harbor Park," J.J. speaks up quietly. "I 
   know Nigel's got the bit between his teeth on that."
Jose nods at J.J., a speck of anger dropping into the otherwise pool of calm 
   that is his face. "I been hit twice now. Don' wish it on no one. Saw it 
   once on the Flip, too."
JJ Malone suddenly asks the group at large, with a frown of concentration, 
   "Does the name Ashley Turner mean anything to anyone?"
Sepdet nods. ~I gave him the rundown two nights ago. Kyle's pack 'n Whispers 
   took out that Bane by the park that was causing Garou to frenzy, then 
   _this_ thing shows up, ten times as big. It's made up of all the 
   water-spirits in the area, most of 'em tainted by pollution. It's 
   essentially one big huge crazy water-spirit in Harano. There are banes 
   around it that are flooding the city. That's all I know. I've been kept 
   here watching for Consumer-of-Stones, so I'm relying on Kephra to keep up. 
   Dylan and Paul talked to the thing the night it showed up, and Dylan's 
   gotten another water-spirit to try to help him get through to the big and 
   nasty one. He's been gone in the umbra a few days now, though.~
Esther gives a short shake of her head to JJ.
Argent-Fury whispers into Velia's ear.
Brian shakes his head slightly at JJ, and lets his attention slide back to 
   Sepdet. "Why doesn't Whispers focus on this river-spirit thing," he 
   suggests, "along with Untouchables, Edge, and JJ's friend, since they've 
   had the most trouble with it. I'll get some other packs to help Ouroboros 
   with this giant burning slug thing -- maybe Mercury Rising can pitch in?" 
   His inflection turns the statement into a question as his gaze flicks for a 
   moment to Esther.
Andrea's head jerks up. "Yes," she says to JJ.
JJ Malone's expression is still puzzled, but turns to look at Andrea with 
   interest. "Who is she?"
Jose listens intently to the Alpha. "Edge needs the help. Morgan split on us 
   'bout a week ago. Could use the help with the patrols too, since we are so 
   close to the power plant an' all."
Sepdet nods quietly at Andrea. ~Problem two of three,~ she mutters, looking 
   rather uncomfortable at the alpha's suggestion but waiting again for the 
   right time to deal with her other news.
Stormcloud lowers his head so that his muzzle rests between his forepaws.
Esther blinks for a second. "Rise could help," she answers Brian, "If this 
   lake thing Tsah and Seeker're involved in doesn't need all their time. 
   Lemme know who's in charge, and I'll find out what's needed and what the 
   pack could do."
Brian points Esther in Andrea's direction. "Seems like everyone and their 
   three sisters is mucking around with this river-spirit."
Jose mutters "Good," more to himself than anyone else, back to picking at his 
   fingernails.
Esther nods to Andrea, then turns back to Brian, shrugging slightly. "Doesn't 
   sound like the same thing. Some nature reserve being built, north of the 
   I-90."
Andrea glances toward Brian and Esther, then answers JJ. "She's involved in 
   the bane situation, but the full story is a bit tangled. How have you run 
   across her?"
Sepdet nods to Esther. ~That's problem three,~ she murmurs. ~I got some news 
   for you there, maybe good.~
JJ Malone's eyebrows go up, then smirks sardonically, faintly. "You could say 
   she fell in my lap, except that I couldn't figure out why. That solves at 
   least part of the puzzle."
Esther hrmphs, shifting her weight and splaying her hand in a gesture that 
   denies her involvement with the lake. "Not my ballgame. It's Tsah's thing. 
   I'll pass news on to him, if you like."
Andrea's tone turns a little sharp. "If you have some insight on her, I'd 
   appreciate it. I'll be glad to return the favor."
Brian clears his throat slightly. "Does anyone have anything else they'd like 
   to bring up?"
Stormcloud doesn't seem to have anything to add, as all has been quiet where 
   his tribe patrols.
Jose nods at Brian, coming quickly to the point. "Yeah. What's up wit' the 
   shutterbug?"
JJ Malone's manner cools at Andrea's tone, reverting to aloof formality. 
   "We're still checking things out." He pauses, then says, "I'll let you know 
   when we've come up with something concrete."
Sepdet says curtly, ~Just stuff that needs adding to what's been said.~ She 
   turns her attention curiously to Jose.
Andrea's jaw tightens. "You do that. This thing is too big to play games with."
Brian seems a bit taken off guard by Jose's question, but answers with a mild 
   shrug. "No harm done to the Veil," he replies quietly. "Seems that some of 
   the folks we share the city with thought that we were being a little 
   careless, and that they should bring this to our attention. Kyle's told me 
   he's dealt with things, which says to me that it's not going to happen 
   again."
JJ Malone's manner turns glacial at that, and gives a short bow, controlled 
   anger oozing from him. "Of course, Andrea-rhya," he says with high 
   formality.
Andrea's lips tighten. She stands, slowly, locking eyes on the fostern. "Or I 
   could demand you tell me now. This could mean the difference between our 
   caern surviving or not, JJ. Pardon me if I'm less than polite."
Jose nods, satisfied with this explanation. "Ok. I jus' found out, myself. I 
   don' like folks tellin' me how ta do my job, but since Kyle took care of 
   it, I guess we'll see the results when he takes a shit."
Esther frowns slightly as she looks between JJ and Andrea.
Stormcloud perks back up, interested in this discussion between Jose and Brian.
Brian rises, quietly, from his place. Inobtrusively, he moves around behind 
   where Andrea's standing.
Sepdet pulls her knees into herself, listening to the more or less grim words 
   flying about with a sort of resigned calm.
Iceheart licks her muzzle. I was there for most of the discussion. I think 
   they would be too frightened to retaliate. If they are all like this ~Dana~.
JJ Malone's jaw ticks, clenched as tightly as Andrea's was, but doesn't even 
   try to lock gazes with the Gaian. "You could," he mutters darkly. "But I 
   wouldn't stand by the truth of it. If you're so worried about the Caern 
   surviving, let me do what the hell my family's good at and trust me to do 
   it. Or, if you don't trust me with that, then you can't trust me with what 
   I know, anyway. So." He finally looks up a little at Andrea, spotting 
   Brian, then stuffs his hands into his pants pockets and continues to look 
   down towards the ends of his scuffed leather shoes.
Esther's frown stays. "Information good. Unsubstanciated and unreliable 
   rumour, bad." she mutters, quietly, but still with enough volume to be 
   heard.
Andrea's eyes flick from JJ to Esther. "It's not a matter of trust. It's a 
   matter of time. Of doing the same research twice." She looks the metis up 
   and down, then turns away. Brian gets a tight smile and a nod. She murmurs 
   to him, "Thanks."
Esther subsides. "Exactly," she says, the word coming out as little more than 
   a grunt.
JJ Malone says, "Jayson's trying to crack into a secure web server. Like I 
   said, when we have concrete information, you'll be the third to know."
"Welcome," Brian answers Andrea quietly, then crouches down near Stormcloud. 
   He mutters a few hushed instructions to Stormcloud.
Stormcloud gets up and moves a few feet back away from the others and the 
   posturing going on. A shake of the ruff later and he is back on the ground, 
   sitting.
Andrea gives a short nod. She rolls the wooden ring around on her finger, then 
   says, "If you want to know what my pack knows, find me later."
Stormcloud looks up at the Alpha with a curious expression.
JJ Malone gives another nod, still with his eyes fixed downwards, and lapses 
   into laconic silence, ignoring or oblivious to how the rest of the 
   discussion has mostly died around him.
Sepdet clears her throat. ~I got two things I need to throw out. One is 
   Rainbow Lake, that Collin and Seeker and Tsah were workin' on. There's a 
   bane in it that's small fry compared to the other two threats, but there's 
   also some big agency that's sabotaging the locals' clean-up effort. Death 
   threats, that sort of thing. Tsah needs some Garou who can talk to animals 
   to help him check out a lead, there.~ She raises her eyebrows questioningly 
   at Stormcloud. ~And they might could use some Walker help, tracking down 
   this "company", though maybe they've found out more since they last 
   reported to me.~
Velia quietly returns to her Homid form.
Stormcloud manages to quirk an ear in Sepdet's direction as his name is called.
Andrea shakes her head at Sepdet slightly, moving to sit again. Her slide down 
   is somewhat stiff.
Argent-Fury growls at the mention of death threats to the locals.
JJ Malone glances up sidelong, more at ease for looking at Sepdet, and nods 
   stiffly from social discomfort. "Have them find me and give me all the info 
   they have on the company," he says barely above a mutter, "and someone'll 
   get on it."
Stormcloud chuffs a thanks to Brian, then turns his attention fully over to 
   the Strider.
Sepdet dips her eyes in thanks to JJ, using the formal lupine gesture, then 
   continues, ~Two is the bane. Half my pack's been working on the river 
   problem, but Consumer of Stones is as big as any threat this caern has 
   faced. Might even be able to eat that ice bane that gave us a little 
   trouble a few years back.~ She says this matter-of-factly, looking towards 
   the Ritemistress. ~Striders spent a month making talens to get ready for 
   its coming. They proved about as useful as straws. The Gatekeeper and I 
   were working on an alternate defense, but it's a risky one. And we're going 
   to need help.~
~This Bane was originally bound up in a Wendigo fetish. In fact, the spirit of 
   a very powerful Wendigo was bound up with it, and died fighting the Bane 
   when it got loose. Now. Wendigo's in the vengeance business. He doesn't 
   like us much, but he hates the Wyrm worse.~ She stares down at her hands, 
   shifting uncomfortably. ~I managed to summon up a minion of his that seemed 
   to agree that this thing needs taking out. But talking to it's like talking 
   to a rock; I'm not sure it's with us. We need to prove to Wendigo it's 
   worth its while to help us. Show him respect. Show him honor. And yeah, 
   give him offerings, recount some of the Wendigo history that's gone into 
   this place. And fight like 'em. If we do that, we may have a powerful ally 
   on this one.~ The Strider sounds less than happy about the plan, as she 
   concludes her little speech.
Brian grimaces slightly as he rises. "Honoring a cannibal spirit is a little 
   out of my league, and I'm also afraid I'm not prepared to give him much in 
   the way of offerings if he's wanting his normal fare."
Velia listens intently to this, taking a few notes.
Andrea shakes her head, but all she says is, "Bad season for it."
JJ Malone snorts his opinion, scowling again, but quietly smokes his cigarette.
Esther clears her throat. "Winter is Wendogo's time, yes;" the Uktena offers, 
   "but there's connections with spring as well. I'm hoping to call on him and 
   give an offering in his capacity as a spirit cousin of the winds."
Stormcloud watches the rest quietly, waiting until Shadow-of-Blood hears of 
   this meeting before giving voice.
Sepdet's face twitches slightly at Brian's words, and she drops her eyes. 
   ~Kephra wants to try and lure "Mr. Stones" to "Mr. River", and let them 
   chew on each other. _I_ want to get back to teaching my cubs, and mending 
   trees. Maybe this isn't the place to ask, but has anyone laid any better 
   plans for dealing with it when it returns?~
Brian smiles crookedly. "My plan amounts to having a big enough force on the 
   bawn to kick its ass from hither to thither if it decides to pay us another 
   visit."
"What did it take to confine it last time?" Esther asks. "And why was it 
   bound, and not destroyed? Something here it wants?"
Andrea's eyes flick to JJ before returning to Sepdet. She shrugs slightly, 
   then says, "I carve a Wheel. If I can find the source of the leash that 
   binds it, just barely, I might be able to bind it again."
Andrea then turns toward Esther, her lips thinning in a humorless smile. 
   "Everything my pack has found has said that the spirit wasn't destroyed 
   because it was too powerful. As to its wants, I can say less."
Sepdet smiles faintly at the alpha, the prospects of a big battle enough to 
   brighten her wan expression a little bit. But she still looks doubtful, 
   nodding quietly to underscore Andrea's words.
Brian wrinkles his nose. "This is going to be another one of those fights 
   where we've got to nickel and dime the damn thing down far enough for the 
   crescent moons to bind it."
"If the Wendigo couldn't get together enough to kick its ass, can we?" Esther 
   asks. "Big Sept. Not many big warriors. No disrespect, but we got a lot of 
   youngsters." She looks thoughtful, nodding slightly at Brian. "Spirit 
   stuffs what it comes to, sounds like."
Velia chuffs a bit in frustration, even in her homid form.
Andrea's lips twitch again and she looks down at the grass. "If we can kill it 
   without the binding, I'm all for that. This binding isn't as simple as one 
   for a talen. It'll take more time, for one, and the stories of unwilling 
   spirits being bound permanently are far between. I think that adds to the 
   difficulty, too." She raises one shoulder, then lowers it. She raises her 
   eyes to Brian, still speaking to the group. "But if that's what it comes 
   too, I'll do my best. I'm preparing."
Brian again runs a hand back through his hair, and then nods. "Prepare for the 
   worst, hope for the best," he agrees. "I think we've got the beginnings of 
   a plan. Anyone have anything else to say?"
Velia nods. "Yes, Brian-rhya. May I now?"
Brian reseats himself. "Sure, Velia."
Velia clears her throat. "Scott Spirit-of-Words has left the sept and area, 
   taking Micaela with him. He leaves the Alphaship of Dawn's Fire to me, so I 
   will be returning to the campus area to live. I will be making regular 
   forays to the farmhouse, though, to check on cubs and to offer combat 
   training to them - if no one dislikes this."
Brian narrows his eyes thoughtfully. "I don't know Micaela," he says, "but was 
   there any real reason Scott took off? Eloping? What?"
The raising of a single eyebrow is all that expresses Esther's surprise at the 
   news. She seeks out Velia's glance "Talk with you later?" she more states 
   than asks.
Velia nods. "Micaela is the Kin that, I hope, he will sire children with. No, 
   he has gone back east to attend his father, who is dying. Also, there are 
   troubles at his old sept he thinks are tied to this. he says he will remain 
   in communication." She nods to Esther. "Of course, Esther."
Brian makes a face. "Their gain is our loss," he says with a shake of his 
   head. "Anything else?"
Sepdet loosens the muscles of her face into a neutral expression, her own 
   thoughts on the subject quickly and firmly suppressed. She shakes her head 
   in the negative.
Andrea's lips lift slightly as she says, "It's less serious, but at least it 
   bears hope. Our tribe's oldest cub, Lawrence, nears his rite. If any other 
   tribes have cubs they'd like to rite with him, be sure to speak with me."
Velia shakes her head. "No your lo--No, sir. Tim Carnie Second Chance is on 
   his Rite, now. He has plans of forming a pack if he survives to return. 
   Also, Ada nears the time I will begin seriously testing her, to see if she 
   also is ready for adulthood."
Esther hunches slightly at the mention of the Rite of Passage, and she aviods 
   looking in Andrea's direction.
Argent-Fury gives a lupus sigh at the news of Scott Spirit-of-Words departure.
JJ Malone shifts his weight on his feet, smoking stoically but like a chimney. 
   The thin moon and firelight turns him into a study of chiarascuro.
Velia coughs. "This is all I have, unless there are questions."
Brian rises back to his feet. "I have a couple of Fianna cubs who are close to 
   their rites. But we can hash that out at some other point. Thank you, all 
   of you, for coming. I'm sorry it ran longer than I thought it would."
Velia stands after the Alpha, and makes ready to go.
Andrea doesn't stand, though she does nod to Brian. Her eyes then drift to 
   Sepdet.
Esther doesn't seem inclined to stand with the others, instead giving polite 
   nods towards those intending to depart.
Brian flashes a small smile towards Andrea in particular, and then begins 
   wandering out of the clearing.
Brian steps into the forest.
JJ Malone shakes out his arms, says in a stage-mutter, "Next one should be in 
   town." He gives glances to Andrea and Sepdet, but seeing Andrea's gaze, 
   gives a wave of his hand. "Catch up to you later." He turns, and vanishes 
   noisily into the woods.

---- Recall end ----