Survival of the Fittest

Eaton watched Zas disappear into the night, wishing him that he would find the knowledge he sought. He was eager to use his newly learned gift, but something else captivated his mind. He and his pack had talked at great length over what was to be done about Akna, the undeveloped caern, the Red Talons, the required totem spirit . . . And with the meeting with the Bone Gnawers and the Get of Fenris, he didn't want the pack to look like a bunch of blathering fools. We must solidify our plan. He thought, Forget what you want, Eaton. What is the best for the Nation? The spiritual health of the land? What'll cause the least amount of bloodshed?

Pondering those questions, he rehearsed in his mind what he would say to the rest of the pack, not just to try and persuade but try and reach a solution that left as many pleased as possible. Some time later, he heard Zoe and Zas return from the summoning, their voices seeming happy enough with the outcome. Once everyone was close enough, he called everyone together around the fire. The pack's attention given to him, he began, "I know we already discussed this a bit back with the Oilers, but I want us to be able to present ourselves fairly when we meet up with the Get and my tribe. I don't think we really decided on the spirit we need to cleanse that almost-caern. We got several options, but I think we all know we gotta see this Phonix destroyed for good. With that in mind,"

He pauses to take a breath, his gaze matching each of his listening packmates, "The Red Talons are on their way, so I think a showdown with 'em is unavoidable. The case we make with the Get and the Gnawers is gonna be hella important. And I think I got an idea,"

His gaze turns towards Rends as he continues, "Your tribe and mine are already workin' together. Clearly, there's some ground they share we can work with. I think we should ask if they're up to sharin' a caern together. Think about it: The Get already have a presence at the Forked Path. They would have another place to stash their warriors. Rat is all about survival and is more than capable of handlin' those toxins surroundin' that portal. If our tribes combine, our ferocity should make short work of what's left of Akna. And I think you agree with me that their ain't a better way to make lastin' friendships by killin' your enemy together."

His eyes begin to fill with rage, reflected in the firelight as he continues, "I know the Get already respect you, and if ya think this is a good idea, they'll listen."

He looks back towards the rest of the pack as he finishes, "That's one way I think we can take down Akna usin' what we've already got. The Nation will have a presence in this land so somethin' like this doesn't happen again. I dunno how ya'll feel about it, but the meetin's takin' place soon and we need to speak as one voice." At that, he stops and waits for his packmate's thoughts on what must be done.

Zoe took a deep breath and shook her head. She sat down, leaned up against a tree, and scoffed.

"One of these days, we're going to find ourselves in a situation with an easy answer and a clear right way to go. Unfortunately, this is not that day."

She closed her eyes and tilted her head up toward Luna as she sat quietly for a moment.

"I will not pretend to be an expert on tribal politics or war strategies, but what Gaia has given me is an understanding, however incomplete, of spirits and their realm. As Walks-with-Spiders and Roach Eyes have told us, Perdido is an absolute spiritual mess. If we summon a spirit of survival or of healing, we could make a decent caern out of the town, but spirits don't do favors, you hear? Any spirit who is going to go through the trouble of cleaning up Akna's umbral disaster is going to want something big in return, likely the right to the caern."

Zoe waved her hands dismissively. "But we know all this already. What we need to decide on is what spirit or spirits to ask for help and what we're willing to do for them in return. Eaton brought up calling rat to cleanse the caern as a survival spirit. Rends wants the bear spirit. Alternatively, a unicorn spirit is also capable of healing, but those are quite rare, especially in the New World."

"Obviously our primary objective is to end Akna. I don't think we have to bribe the Get or the Gnawers with a caern to get them to help. They are all aware of the horror of the Skin Rippers and what Akna is capable of and should be willing to fight her for the good of the Nation."

Zoe ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I suppose Rat is as good as any to cleanse and take over the caern, but the Red Talons aren't going to like that one bit. I do not like the idea of engaging other Garou, who are not aligned with the Wyrm, if we don't have to."

Zoe turned to Mocks. "You earned the respect of their totem Blood swallow. Do you think it would be capable of fixing the spiritual landscape here? Have we ruled out the idea of trading middle-of-nowhere Perdido for Austin with the Talons?"

Rends continued whittling away on a bit of wood, meeting Eaton's eye.

"I ain't opposed ta workin' together. Hell, from what I seen Rat's Teeth was pretty damn fine warriors. A Caern out here on the border of Uktena lands would appeal to both my tribe and Rat's Teeth, but I don't know about usin' Rat as the Totem. It could tip the balance of power too much in the Gnawer's favor if they do end up sharin' with the Get. It makes sense to set him up as Caern spirit if we's jest givin' it to the Gnawers, but if it's gonna be a shared Caern shouldn't the totem be a shared totem?"

He tolds up his carving, a monsterous bear mauling at some unseen foe.

"Bear makes sense if we intend to keep the Caern. He's solitary so bein' isolated from the rest of the Nation fer long stretches won't be an issue. He's strong and can heal and a good fighter, so he'll help against Akna and more important he'll make holding the land afterwards easier if anyone tries to take it. I know, we's scared if we awaken Bear he'll tear after Papa Stagecoach, but they's one thing we ain't considered."

He turns to Zoe, curious.

"Cain't we jest summon another aspect of Bear that ain't got a score to settle with Papa? Set him up as Caern Totem instead. That way we knows we's dealin' with a spirit who ain't crazy with Rage, and we get to hand over a new Caern to the Nation."

He sets down the carving in the middle of the pack, next to the fire as he leans back again.

"Way I see it, the Red Talons ain't got no claim to this land. I think Jack and Uncle McCleod will agree. Them Talons can say what they want, but if they ain't able to control their land and let things like Akna get through on their watch, they got no more say in the matter. Instead we got Skin Rippers breeding like rabbits out here, and their god summoned under those wolves' noses. Now those more competent gotta come in and fix their problems. We could leave them as a buffer between us and the Uktena, but honestly I'm thinkin' Eaton's got it right. That's too defensive and puts our fate in the paws of the Talons. We take the Caern for the Nation, use it to keep an eye on the Uktena from a safe distance."

Zas listens as the others speak walking around in I slow large circle, his mind churning all the while. When Rends had said his piece, the Silent Strider found a spot on the ground and sat.

He looked to the others and said, "Having a shared Caern would be beneficial, yet, I have a feeling that this particular caern will not be so. A shared Caern requires more than just a spirit that everyone likes, it takes a unifying party. Claws of Silk served to be a neutral party in the forked paths caern-a duty not intended for everyone, least of all warriors like the Get of Fenris and the Bone Gnawers and certainly not Red Talons.

Roaring Jack has his heart set on aiding the Uktena in their own lands, and he will need every Garou warrior he has to aid him if there are worse things roaming free than Skin rippers. He would not be able to sacrifice any of his forces. The Bone Gnawers who travel with him, although they could choose to stay at this caern-to-be, seem eager for a fight. Staying here to tend to this Caern means they would not be able to go to this war.

The Red Talons may claim this area, but their numbers are small. Could they defend this Caern, perhaps...but that remains to be seen. Due to how far off the trail this area is, their small force may be capable of defending it. The trade of Austin for this Caern may work best provided the Red Talons accept...it would certainly strengthen Iron Rider holdings and claims.

The real question is not what spirit will be the Caern totem. The question to ask is what type of Caern this is to become. The distinction is small but valid. Having this Caern be used as a platform for Roaring Jack making it be focused on war would give him additional spirit aid, but it would do little to defend this defenseless area from attacks of the Wyrm. Having a caern focused on defensive measures-would strengthen the area but be of little use to Roaring Jacks war. Having it be a mixture of both would be likely ideal, but challenging, as such spirits would likely not be very good at rejuvenating that place.

This is all assuming of course that we manage to permanently destroy Akna and her vileness to begin with.

I intend to see the bird be no more, as I think we all do. Since this Caern is likely more of an afterthought to that goal, I am not terribly concerned with who gets it. The spirits that choose to help destroy the evil Phoenix, I think, should be the ones who get to make the claim to the Caern. They fought for it. As to the matter of which tribes will benefit from the creation of the caern and it's chosen spirit, I say this: the fact that a caern is potentially going to be reclaimed and re-established will benefit every Garou.

That said, the spirits you've all mentioned thus far have potential merit, provided they are willing to aid us in our fight.

I offer that perhaps having a wolf spirit or perhaps Owl may serve all general purposes, but as I said, this isn't crucial to me. Ending Akna is."

Kefka had been quiet whilst his packmates discussed. Chewing on the inside of his lip while he mulled things over.

"I have another point to consider my friends. Even if we beat Akna and this land can be repaired and turned into a caern. We don't know how long it will take. It could take years to heal the damage done, if it is possible to repair it 100%. I don't think we should promise anyone a caern. We have to choose our words very carefully. We can discuss the probability and the high potential for the caern to be restored there. That will keep our allies from expecting a caern immediately, and not turning on us if this land can't be healed."

He takes a deep breath and removes his hat to fan himself, before speaking again. The nervousness is apparent on his face, but as he talks his words become stronger and seem to carry weight behind them.

"I also feel we are going about Akna all wrong. We beat her to smithereens and tore her to pieces outside of San Antonio and she is back. Regenerating. Going to her nest and beating her to death shouldn't change anything logically speaking. If she has multiple nests she can regenerate at one of them. Since this is the only nest of hers we know about... she will be gone. She will have escaped justice. She will be free to wreck havoc else where. I can't allow this. We can't allow this. We have to make sure when we go to end her, it will be for good. For eternity. To do this I believe we require the aid of the Uktena. They started this mess. They have strange powers. I don't think they would have summoned her without having a way to get rid of her. They may have just been caught off guard. They are apart of the Garou nation, as are we. We can't choose to ignore that  out of hatred, or a lust for vengeance."

Kefka finishes and gives his pack a cold,       yet pleading stare. His eyes land on Rends.

"I don't think seeing the Get is a good plan at all, I don't care if he asked us to be part of his war effort. Honestly, how do you think Roaring Jack will react to us showing up to take part of his forces? Tell you what I think he would do... throw us on the front lines and make us fight for our lives. It's a risk we shouldn't take. Mal already warned us that others are watching us, being wary of us. We gained a huge victory in San Antonio, but do you think perhaps Jack wanted it to be his and not ours?"

Eaton listened to each of his packmates as they spoke their part, occasionally stroking his beard in consideration. Once all had finished speaking, he began, "We might not have the specifics sorted out yet, but the important decision is what we're gonna tell Jack's army. They might not even like what we say; we might not getta Caern, Akna might have more tricks she hasn't let us know about but we gotta try somethin'."

He looked at Rends for support, "The Bear spirit might be our best bet. If it's up to the task, it'll cleanse the land without putting either of our Totems in peril. Though we'd still need a way to get him on board . . ." He says as he looked towards Zoe.

Zoe shakes her head. "We could summon Gaia herself to cleanse the land and it won't do a bit of good if Akna is not permanently dealt with. Mocks may be onto something with the Uktena idea. They made this mess, it's only fair they help us clean it up."

Eaton seemed to perk up at the mention of the Uktena by Zoe, "Well, if that's on the table, that might be our best bet. They've definitely got more experience with the Pheonix than any of us. And I'd like to imagine they aren't just waitin' around for someone to save 'em."

He shrugs, "They might even know about the caern to be and help us out with that."

Zas takes a breath, his shoulders raised as he says, "Kefka is right. Regardless of who we intend to make contact with: the Uktena or the Army marching torwards them, or both, our word choice is crucial.

It may be best that we leave the concept of a caern off the table entirely. We give only facts. The most important detail is that we have a Wyrm tainted spirit at potentially a weakened state in need of final death. What ever aid we get, that has to be the main point. The caern -if it comes to pass, will be dealt with then."

Rends is obviously not thrilled at the prospect of working with the Uktena.

"Yall seem to forget wes at war with the Pure tribes. They aint part of the nation, no matter how nice itd be if they was. They are our enemies. They summoned akna. They want us dead. And they have every reason to lie to us. Walks with spiders implied other lhoenix have other nests, but it sounddd to me like each had only one. If its a place she draws her power from and we destroy it, then shes gone. End of story. No chance of ever bein summoned again. The uktena did it their way last time, and look where that got us. We really gonna gamble on them now when they couldnt even fix it right when they was strongest? "

Zoe holds up a hand to the pack Ahroun.

"Wait. Are we in a war with the Uktena or are we going with Jack to help them to reclaim their land from the Wyrm?"

She narrows her eyes accusingly. "Or are we just going to 'help' them?"

Zas looks to Rends and says, "You assume much, friend. Black Spirals are enemies. The Wyrm is our enemy. The Uktena are allies-albeit distant allies. We are not at War with the pure tribes. Perhaps they did summon Akna, but we do not know why, or even if they summoned her. She is a mighty spirit, and if Walks with spiders is correct and that was a doorway to another realm...doors can open from both sides."

Zas pauses, "You also assume that the Uktena are weakened. We do not know all the facts. We know only that Akna is free. The Uktena have means of dealing with spirits that are foreign to us. Seeking their aid-perhaps gaining their vengeance for the loss of their own, would be wise. Exploring their land for signs of other loose Wyrm creatures may also be possible. We do not have to like our allies...we merely accept their help."

Eaton glares harshly at Rends, his fist clenching tightly, "I know what I saw. The Uktena did not summon Akna willingly; she caught them by surprise. They need our help and I'd rather get the story from them instead of just assuming they want to kill us."

"Asides." Kefka huffed. "If this ain't Akna's only place of power destroying her the same way we did last time won't mean a thing. She will escape to some unknown place. We can end her for good here. But not alone. The Uktena should share a hatred with Akna. That hatred can forge bonds once thought impossible."

Zoe looks at the Ahroun, eyes curious.

"What do you think, Rends? Can we work together with them this once? Heck, we agreed to work together with a Black Spiral back in San Antone."

When Zoe speaks Zas lets loose a low growl directed at no one in particular.

Rends slams a fist down into the ground, face flushed.

"Ain't none a' y'all paid attention to the last few hundred years of Nation history?! The Pure Tribes and the Nation have been on and off at war since we met! They's bad blood between us, and it ain't jest me bein' sore about it! The fact is that ya we's all Garou, but we ain't never agreed on what that means with the Pure. We got entirely different ways of dealin' with things like this, and the Uktena way jest don't work. They already tried it their way, in case you forgot. They bound it out in that place beyond the Horizon instead of killing the infection at its source and that's what got us in this mess in the first place. It don't matter if the Uktena meant to summon Akna this time or not, the fact is their way of doin' things, bindin' her away and hopin' for the best, resulted in the problem we's tryin' to fix today! Their way of doin' things has been tried by folk who know it better than we do, and it failed! They failed! And y'all wanna go ask them for help?! Walks With Spiders thinks if we destroy this nest it'll kill Akna fer good. I don't want another 'stow Akna away fer someone else to deal with in a couple hundred years' solution. I want that bird dead fer good, not locked away to bide her time and get loose again. We finish this the right way this time. We kill Akna for good, we purify the land she defiled, and we use the gateway beyond the Horizon fer the good of the Nation instead of locking her away and pretendin' that fixes anythin'!"

Zoe glares at Rends but manages to keep her seat. She breathes deeply and speaks softly in an attempt to de-escalate her brother's rage.

"Rends-the-Gar, no one is suggesting we let the Uktena simply bind Akna and allow her to escape again. I'm sure if you ask them, the Uktena whose kin likely ran off with Akna in the form of blood-thirsty Skin Rippers, they would admit, albeit begrudgingly, that their methods were ineffective. Perhaps since the moment Akna arose they have been investigating better ways to destroy her. If nothing else, they have more experience with her than most do. The mercy of Gaia would be to allow them the chance to right their wrong."

Rends shakes his head, returning the glare.

"Where are they? They sure as hell ain't been fightin' this whole time, since we's the only ones killed Akna and her pet injuns. Hell, we don't even know where their nearest camp is! Them injuns is always on the move! And even if we found a camp, how do we know there'd be any Uktena there? How do we know they wont kill us on sight? We don't know where their protectorates would even start! We know nothing about the Uktena, and in case you forgot we only got days before Akna comes back. Are you willing to risk her gettin' lose again so we can gamble on finding injuns who may not even help? That's no better than tryin' to find other gateways. We need to act fast."

Zas looks at Rends and Zoe and then to the others, his own rage barely concealed. His voice is calm and even as he says, "I know of the Uktena. I know where we could find a large number of them.
Rends, you are accurate in saying that we do not know if they will help, but as Mocks has said, fighting the way we did last time will not suffice. Slaying Akna with teeth and claw is not good enough. Striking hard and fast is not nearly as important as striking true and deeply. We aren't wishing to slow down or weaken a spirit, we are trying to destroy it. That requires a different approach..."

Rends shifts his angry glare to Zas.

"Where are these Uktena? We gonna be able to see them and Roarin' Jack both? How do you know they'll even help? They with your Wendigo mentor?"

He considers for a moment.

"I know we need other options, but Walks-with-Spiders seemed sure this would work. We need damn good proof that anything else would work better afore we act on it."

Zas looks to the ahroun and says quickly, "Whether or not we can see both Roaring Jack and the Uktena in the same day depends on how quickly we travel, and yes my mentor is among them. As far as Walks with Spiders is concerned, she herself said that she has no idea what to expect on the other side of the doorway. Her plan is to build a caern...that plan depends on us killing Akna. We all know that she can be bested by tooth and claw, but she knows this as well. She will likely be expecting that we fight her the same way. The ways of the Uktena however are not something she's likely expecting us to bring to the fight. It is a risky, but bold move. I say we take it."

It was now Zoe's turn to glare at Rends again.

"In our line of work we rarely get the luxury of 'damn good proof.' Even Walks-with-Spiders' ideas are theories at best, though more likely earnest hopes. The point is, there ain't a book on how to kill a corrupted phoenix spirit once and for all, so we do the best with what we got. We know what Jack and them's capable of. If we need to, we send a spirit messenger to them like before and tell em to get their asses down there to tear Akna to shreds. The Uktena, on the other hand, could offer a different way of handling her that will prove more...permanent."

"Either way, I see no need to talk to Jack and them in person. We send 'em a message 'bout what our plan is and then we meet up with 'em back in Perdido if they willin' to help."

Eaton was silent briefly during the discussion only because he trying to shape the words in his mind to sound less enraged and more reasonable,

"Rends, stop assumin' the Uktena summoned Akna to kill us all and still have a use for her. We don't know nothin' about that. I do know that Runnin' Steel was actin' with a knife held to his back; The Skin rippers were gonna murder his family if he didn't cooperate back there in San Antonio. Even if they ain't tainted, Akna could very well still have the rest of the Uktena under 'er wing through similar intimidation. I ain't even sayin' that is the case, just that the situation might be more complicated than you're lettin' on. Either way, all this assumin' isn't gonna get us anywhere; My vote goes that we find 'em and see if we can help one another."

Rends looks around to the group, unhappy but seeing that hes outnumbered.

"Fine. We talk to the uktena. Im alright with jest sending a message to roarin jack if nothin else jest to save time. But y'all remember this: youre hedging our bets on the uktena bein an unknown to akna or tryin somethin new on her. But they fought her before, who knows how many times. We fought her once. I still think wes better off going with the entirely new approach that aint been tried before, but fine. Lets see if the uktena can do anything more permanent than jest binding it away. And in the process cloaing off a powerfjl new recource well never get access to again. I jest hope the delay dont give akna time to get reborn."