Brother Dark-Blood

The evening of the second day after the pack had chose to make camp and gotten a campfire started Zas approached Kefka. The Philodox did not appear as the Ragabash had come to expect. Rather than a quiet, soft, subtle walk his strides were firm, bold, sure-footed. His usually semi hunched back was fully upright resulting in an intimidating looking, heavily armed Apache warrior.

Zas's long unbraided jet black hair blew wildly in the breeze half obscuring his face. His hazel-green eyes appeared as piercing orbs emanating a mixture of uncontrolled burning wildfire and a sea of whirling icy cold rapids. It was safe to say, this was definetly not the same Garou, Mocks the Night had first met many months ago in Nacodoches.

Zas neared his packmate and in a harsh, and solid tone of voice says, "I wanted to tell you something. Are you free to speak with me?"

Kefka is jolted from his thoughts as his packmate approaches him. He grimaces as his eyes open and he pops his neck. He stares at Zas with confusion on his face before shrugging, standing up and grabbing his shot gun.

"Free? Well I ain't ever charged anyone for talking to me... if they are willing to pay though I may start."

He winks and forces a smile at the Philadox. He then sighs and turns around, motioning Zas to follow.

"Might as well patrol and be useful while we talk. Or rather you talk and I listen."

Kefka than begins to head out into the woods, with our without his packmate.

Zas gives an extremely out of character and completely unexpected hearty chuckle at his friend's jest. "You are quite funny--for a white man, it would be a pity to have to scalp you."
Zas ponders a moment before adding, "I really mean that. I would find no honor in such a deed."

He follows along beside his packmate and wastes no time. "The reason I asked to speak with you however is because of a grave matter. It concerns the Litany. I need to know...are you prepared to suffer the consequences of your actions- to pay for your deeds in San Antonio? Are you ready to accept my punishment?"

Kefka stops in his tracks when Zas brings up scalping him. His fingers drumming on the barrels of his shotgun, while he listens to Zas finish speaking. When done he fixes Zas with a dead stare.

"It's a good thing you would find no honor in it. Even if you did... by the time you touched a hair on my head both barrels of this shotgun blast you between the eyes afore you had chance to shift and say "boo." You know it's true. This gun has caused more blood shed than your claws, your bow, or your tomahawks."

He takes a deep breath. His eyes still focused on his newly aggressive packmate.

"How about we discuss whatever crime I may have committed, afore you start talking about punishment. I am all for you doin job, but you got to prove I broke the litany. So lay it out for me Philadox. How did I break the litany?"

Zas nods in acknowledgement of Mocks's response. He gives a slow grin.
"I did not come to compare kills. I came to question.
I never said you broke the Litany."

Zas walks forward and grips his packmate in a tight bear hug. He then steps back and says with a strange smile, "Not all consequences are bad. Not all punishment is physical harm. I have come to thank you for upholding the litany. My punishment for you is that you continue to suffer me as family. Your crime? You killed the man who threatened your packmate. For that-I think we are now blood brothers."

Zas gauges his packmate's response as he asks, "How do you plead?"

It takes Kefka a moment but he does return the bear hug. He stares at Zas ashamedly, trying to force a smile. He is silent almost too long before speaking.

"I cannot take all the credit, brother. I was aware of the situation, but not in control of it. An ancestor forced his will and rage over me. Rage I hadn't felt since my first shift. He is the one who killed Carnes. If I was in control I would have still saved your life, but not at the cost of his. I would have scared him away. Given him a chance to run. Carnes was my friend, he deputized me. My badge seems to shine less knowing he is dead."

He pauses.

"After we defeated Akna i buried Carnes. Tried to make amends. Grabbed his gun to deal out justice in his name... as long as it coincides with our line of business of course."

He trails off and is silent again.

"I do understand if you wish to revoke my being your blood brother. Either way I am glad to be in a pack with you, and will continue to have for back as need be.

Zas grows deathly quiet, soaking in every word the Ragabash utters. When he finishes, Zas reaches over and grips Kefka's shoulder tightly as he says, while giving Mocks the night a stare that seemed to penetrate down to his very soul, "Had the rage of your ancestor resulted in you killing or harming one of us instead, it is not your ancestor that would be punished, it would be you. Your body is your own, your actions are therefore yours as well-for better or worse. That is the way it must be. You either accept what happened to have been done by your own dark crimson claws and try all the more next time to prevent losing control, or you lie to yourself. Those are the choices."

Zas then drops his hand and says, "My claim that we are of the same blood remains. I can not revoke it for my eyes were not deceived. The truth is true."

The silent strider stops walking for a moment and says tersely and coldly as much to himself as to the ragabash nearby, "The dead are dead. Wishing otherwise changes nothing. We remember their deeds and move on."

Kefka nods slowly.

"I accept your logic about my ancestor taking over. I was not trying to argue that the blood of Carnes is not on my hands... twas my body, therefore my actions. I was jes sayin' that if I were in control things would have gone down differently. Nothing can change the past but holding onto his death and keeping it near my heart can change the future and maybe help others. When someone dies they leave behind a lot, and can still teach you many things. I took this Indian Agent job in honor of All Friend, it has made me a better person and through it I have grown and helped many people. I can be a Ranger Deputy in honor of Carnes and be a better person that way too. I will always carry Claws of Silk with me as well. She saved my life from Spinebreaker, it was her whose task I completed to be a Fostern not Jack's. She wanted me to make amends and be at peace with the Throat Tearers. What easier way than my gaining the trust and acknowledgement of their fearless leader. I think she talked to Jack about it before hand. That is why my task from him was a joke."

He takes out a cigarette and lights it. Taking in a deep breath of smoke with his eyes closed, slowly releasing the smoke before looking at Zas again.

"I honor the dead, and they live through me. The dead only stay dead if you let them die in your memories and heart."

He chuckles.

"Funny that the guy who sees and talks to ghosts is trying to tell me the dead stay dead."

Zas looks at his packmate with understanding, yet says nothing until he voices his last thought.

Zas's face hardens and begins to glow red as he says, in an unpleasant tone, "Ghosts are not the living. They are but shadows and old potent visions of what once was. They do not return to be the living. They stay dead."

He then drops his tone back to a more conversational one, "All those who have fallen from the face of Gaia are no more. We each remember and honor their sacrifices differently for we are each different. Honor their passing and the lives they led, for this is good. Treasure their memory in your heart for this too is good. Learn from their successes as well as their failures, in order to further honor and glorify Gaia.

Do not however confuse or allow yourself to be so burdened by trying to do as they once did that you neglect to do what you are called to do. Do not stop moving forward. Gaia is who we serve and the reason for our existence."

Zas lets loose another smile as he says, "Otherwise I may have to beat you until you remember your purpose. Gaia and Rends the Gar know I could sure use target practice."

Kefka huffs and shakes his head.

"You and Rends could both use some target practice. You with your bow, him with his rifle. You can find practice enough shooting trees and animals in the woods. Don't be looking for a fight with me or anyone else. I don't know what happened to you in San Antonio, but you ain't Snowy Owl anymore. You are itching for a fight. I see it in your eyes. Hear it in your tone, your word choice. You need to remember your purpose, because I know mine by heart and I have no qualms knocking sense into you if need be."

Kefka takes another long drag on his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and crushing it under his heel.

"If you want to fight go talk to Rends, I am sure he will be more than happy to spar."

Kefka turns around and begins to walk around the camp to finish his patrol.

Zas lets out a low growl as his packmate finishes talking and begins to walk away. His face turns quickly into a menacing scowl as he says,
"I am not out to fight you, but you are right-I do seek a fight. I seek many fights. I intend to see much blood spilled before my time is done and I too become one of the fallen, for there are many who disgrace Gaia...they will all be destroyed. The time for nice talks and velvet words has ended. Our foes do not pull punches, I see no reason to. They made this fight personal by declaring a blood-war. They called down my wrath and now they will have it."

Zas then begins to follow behind Kefka as he says, "I wish for you to know that should you or any of the prodigals fail to do your job it will be my righteous duty to place you back on the correct path by any means necessary. I have not forgotten my place. This is my purpose-to dog your steps, to harry you whenever you are about to stumble, to keep you where Gaia has called us to be. I will continue to nip at your heels for as long as needed for I want to see us survive. Each of us serving as we are called is vital. Up til now I have been lenient and merciful, but that time is over. We are bloodkin now, and I will not allow for my family to falter and be destroyed.

I have already spoken with Rends. Now I have with you. I will proceed to inform the others as well. The old ways are no more. We will all grow closer together to be a more unified force before our foes or we will surely die. If we are to survive we must be a true pack, we must all be as one, we must act, move, and think as one.

If you do not like this, I am sorry, but this has to be. I have not forgotten the ways of peace, or the path to serenity. We are at War now however, and my kind, gentle, and peaceable nature has no place there. Our enemies and this pack have seen only part of my namesake-the pure peaceful untouched driven snow. Now is the time to meet the other half- the hunter, the silent predator, the dark claws of the night: Owl.

Those who would seek our undoing are ripe, abundant and plentiful-they are in need of a great reaping. They shall have it."

Kefka for the most part makes no reaction as Zas harries after him. At the end he stops and turns on Zas getting in his face. His voice cold and dark, matching his packmates.

"You want war? Go chase after Roaring Jack! He and his are going to war, they are going to slaughter and raze. I am sure they will even take what little help you could offer The Get, Rat's Teeth, and the Sycari."

"The task before us is different. We are hunters not soldiers. Our enemy is one. Akna. We find a way to bring her down for good. Save the Uktena, and the Comanche, stop Jack's needless rampage. We need to have clear heads. We are taking the fight to her. Her territory. She will be ready for us. So cool your rage until we find her. With any luck we can finish this in one fight, but not if you keep acting like Rends, treating everyone we meet as an enemy."

Kefka stops talking and almost turns and walks away, but another thought crossed his mind.

"You have been lenient and merciful with us? When was this? Why were you not performing your duty earlier? You have allowed precedents to set in. Causing more pain and troubles for later down the road. I have heard your words. Go spread your venom, rage, and veiled warnings elsewhere, Bloody Owl."

Zas shifts into Crinos and howls angrily, his fury about to burst, "You claim to know your place but forget who you are! All of us are soldiers! Every Garou born is a soldier of Gaia. Our present duty of ending the firebird is but one task. One battle. One foe. The hunter collects his prey and then returns home. The soldier fights every battle, until the war is won. The war does not cease simply because one foe is destroyed. Killing this corrupt flame beast is but a firm step in the right direction. The Uktena's fate is but another battle. An important one, but a single battle nonetheless."

Zas then reaches over and cleaves through a dead mesquite tree with his claws to let off his rage. When he has done this, he looks down at the fallen tree and then back to his packmate as he says slightly more calmly, "I still identify and know friend from foe. I also see though that the Wyrm's servants are everywhere. My rage cannot be stifled-merely directed. The warlike visage you see before you, my burning righteous anger IS reserved for our foes. The pack however must see and be aware of the dangerous times we are now in and make themselves ready. We must all be on guard. Thus my change in attitude- I will strike down the wicked and stray actions of the Wyrm that the pack tries to unknowingly carry out, with the hammer of Gaia's Justice. I will forge us into the mighty force Gaia intends for us to be. This is not done through a weak and soft hand, but with a firm and strong arm."

Zas then glares at the Ragsbash and says, "The only precedent that I have allowed to slip in is that actively fighting every foe we face the first time we encounter them is not always an option. I now seek to rectify that mistake. If we can't for some reason fight and end the life of an enemy on the spot, such as was the case with Ford, then we had better make damn sure to gather as much information as we can and weaken our foe as much as possible so that when the time is right, we can strike and get the kill. Inaction will no longer be acceptable. This is what I reference when I speak of mercy and leniency.

This is no veiled warning. This is not a blunt forceful suggestion. This is an open, honest, truthful promise of what is and what must be. If I am seen as Snowy Owl no longer, so be it. Bloody Owl will be the one to render judgement, either way-Judgement is delivered and Justice is served."

Zas then reverts to homid form and begins to storm away back to camp.
He turns back to Kefka after taking a few steps and says with a more familiar sad disposition and sorrow filled eyes that Mocks was more accustomed to, "I do not wish to be a brutal savage warrior. I am at heart a peaceful Man. You know me. At San Antonio though, I was forced to see my life for what it is. I was violently reminded of what we are called to do. I was deeply shaken. What you see before you now...this is all I have left. You, Sylvester, Eaton, and Zoe. You all are all I have. I was made to realize that there is nothing and no one left for me in the place I once called home. I couldn't bear the thought of losing anything else. What I am now...who and what I do now, is because of all of you."

Kefka watches as his troubled friend walked back to camp. After he is out of sight he whispers.

"Gaia needs more than brutal savage warriors. I hope you will remember that some day. She called you to be Snowy Owl for a reason, for a purpose. Find it. Until then you best stay out of my way... for both our sakes."