Rememberance

The trek from Breakwater had taken most of the day, but Rends felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth for the first time in a long time as he and Zas topped a rise and approached a familiar patch of swamp.

At the top of the hill were two ancient petrified trees, each covered in runes of the ancient Croatan, arcane Uketena and fierce Fenrir. Rends ran his fingers along his own addition: a twin set of claw marks scoring one of the trees. He set down his pack and turned to Zas.

"Welp, here we are. Ain't much out here, but thanks fer taggin' along."

His fingers find the furrowed stone again, and he allows the smile to grow just a bit.

"Did I ever tell you how I met Jack?"

The Silent Strider crested the ridge alongside his packmate and Alpha. He had mostly stopped gulping in the clean air in enjoyment of having been released from his temporary grave, but the sight before the two Garou from atop the hill caused him to take in some air as he had not been expecting to see the union of multiple Garou glyphs and runes.

Regaining his freedom of movement had felt better than good, but the feeling he got from the sight before him was nearly just as powerful.

He watched contentedly as Rends ran his hands down and over the various carved inscriptions.
At his packmates words, the philodox nodded, "I think getting out of that caern for awhile was probably best for everyone, but all the same-thanks for bringing me out here. This place has a lot of history that I would have hated to miss out on."

Zas turned to his friend at the question and with a mournful smile said, "I believe you told me you met him on the way of seeking out Zoe, and earned you namesake. Why?"

Rends raised a hand to point down into the small valley.

"He was fightin' fer his life right down there. This whole place was overridden by Wyrm stink. Whole swamp was a place of dead things and things that ain't got no place on Gaia's face. I think this was once a Croatan Caern. And Jack was fightin' what must have been the Totem all by himself."

Rends idly fingered the ancient knife at his belt.

"I joined the fight. We won. He Recognized me, and I earned my name that day."

He turns his back on the vale, busying himself setting up a fire pit.

"Then, jest a handful of years later Jack dies on this spot anyways right in front of my eyes."

Zas looked on in the direction the Fenrir gestured to and could almost visualize the scene in the valley. The words of the Croatan kinfolk wraiths that he'd spoken at the moot coupled with Rends story let him seemingly relive the moment. Every claw swipe, teeth tear, knife stab, howl of rage-they played out in the Silent Strider's head.

"Yes-I feel it Rends. I can almost see it. Roaring Jack's struggle with the corrupted Croatan caern totem Gar-the fangfish. It's horrid wreaking stench filled the air fueled by the misguided and misled Croatan kinfolk blood sacrifices from long ago. You coming to his aid, and together the two of you slaying the foul spirit beast forevermore and restoring Gaian order once again."

The philodox eyed the work he made to the firepit and smiled. "Yes. You earned your name."

When Rends brings up Roaring Jack's death, Zas feels a surge of rage nearly overtake him. He steels himself against it by pulling out his inscribed tomahawk and running the blade across his palm causing a thin trail of blood to flow and watched as the blood slowly dripped to the ground.
"I remember moment that all too well Rends." He eyes the crimson runic letters on the blades head.

He looks back to the ahroun, "How could I possibly forget?"

The native Garou pauses, "Why did you wish to come here?"

Rends continues brushing away damp leaves and debris.

"Honestly, I don't really know. I know I couldn't stomach the thought of staying at Breakwater and being a drain on their resources. I won't let them hold that over me along with everything else."

He starts laying stones in the shallow depression, lining the fire pit.

"I wanted to remember some good times. Sure this place has bad memories too, but fer me it's mostly good."

He stops his work, chuckling to himself and turning back to Zas.

"You know, fer the longest time I couldn't figure what Auspice Jack was. I mean he fought like a Full Moon, but most Get do. I think it was the way he thought that threw me off."

Zas having managed to restrain himself, drew close to the Fenrir ahroun as he spoke.
"Yes, I am sure your presence lingering around the caern would not have gone very smoothly-and being called out as a waste of caern resources would be something petty enough that the leadership there would try."

Zas stores his weapon and looked at the silent pillars and surrounding woods and took a seat. "I am glad you find this place to have pleasant memories. The only place I feel that I can have some semblance of happiness is when I am on the move."

As Rends continued reflecting on the deceased elder Zas listened. At his last statement, the Apache tilted his head, "What do you mean? You felt Roaring Jack had strange ideas or do you mean you were surprised by the fact that he used his mind in addition to his might?"

"Both. I'd met a fair few Garou by that time, but didn't know any of them good aside from Pa. But they all seemed to be driven by their Rage. The Get in Galveston would fight anyone any time, and they ain't afraid to let you know it. My Pa'd waged war on an entire Uktena Sept by himself fer ten years and won out of sheer spite and cussedness."

Rends starts building up a pile of starter material for a fire.

"But Jack weren't like that. Sure he was a fine fighter, but he was smart. He was always in control, always knew what was going on and where he was needed. He knew where to channel his strength to make the best use of it instead of jest flailing against anything that came across him. It caught me off guard. I didn't know what to make of it at first. I think to this day he's the only Garou I've met who was really the master of his Rage, and not mastered by it."

Zas B'ul said nothing for a long while.

He looked out across the once caern and gave a sigh. "Rends--..."

The Silent Strider looked up at the evening sky and spoke, "Do you remember our time at the burned rock caern when we all met death?"

"I had an interesting talk with him. He wasn't like I expected either." The apache mused to himself.

He then turned to look at Rends with a bittersweet smile, "Death kind of reminds me of how you remember Roaring Jack. I don't know why-you can call me crazy, but I seem to have this feeling that when my time comes--Roaring Jack is gonna be there-in Death's place, guiding me on. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but just the same...I still feel that way."

Zas then looks back to the once-caern, with a grimace, "I remember Roaring Jack a little differently than you. To me, he was and is the epitome of what it means to be Fenrir. He lived a life making peace by whatever means necessary. Sometimes he used words...other times he used his Gaia given talents. He managed to unite the tribes of the Garou nation across the sea and purge his land of the wyrm. He took his losses without breaking. He showed no fear in or out of combat, and he led his garou proudly from the front lines. And when death came, he died with his honor. He was a true Get of Fenris."

Rends nods his head.

"That's what I mean. We Get are all about strength and mastering the world around us, but the more time I spend with my Tribe the more I think we're fallin' away from that ideal."

He starts the fire with a few strikes of his flint. Once it's burning merilly he starts cutting some buffalo jerky into a cooking pot along with dried vegetables.

"I want to be like Jack. I don't jest wanna be louder and nastier than everyone around me. I want to be in control of me. I jest don't know where to start."

He chuckles, looking up at Zas.

"That said, your vision of death sounds better'n mine. Mine was just some fatass in a suit."

As Rends shared his thoughts on his tribe, the Apache warrior frowned but said nothing for a moment before shaking his head and commenting, "It is not my place to comment on how another tribe functions other than litany issues. If I start doing this now, my meeting with other tribes in the future may become tainted by me having a preferred or favorite method of dealing with Garou different from me. What I will say is this: Never underestimate the power of renown. Most people respect something-and in our society, renown says much. Even if your tribe chooses to walk a different path than you-this does not mean that they will not hear you--if your words have the weight earned by your experience."

The Philodox inhales the whiffs of the campfire and smiles closes his eyes enjoying the scent. When the Fenrir speaks on his aspirations of emulating Roaring Jack, Zas opens his eyes and looks at his friend and says, "My mentor once spoke on the idea you are talking about now, of being a slave to Rage. He did not see rage as a tool or blessing but more akin to a cursed weapon that while empowering, if left un-mastered would bring down death to all we love and care for."

He gazes back into the flames as he says with a chuckle, "You really want to be like Roaring Jack? I can tell you what you need to do."

The wily Silent Strider turns and gives a the Ahroun a knowing look-hinting at the idea of knocking Robert down off his high horse.

He chuckles quietly before shaking his head and then saying, "In all truthfulness, if you are serious about wanting to be Jack, I can help in a way. The answer is not complicated, but it will be difficult for even you."

"Just wait." He spoke quickly.

"When you are just about on the edge and there's the chance of getting into a fight, just wait...and then ask yourself what Snowy Owl would do in this situation. By the time you figure out an answer or reach the conclusion that my injun mind is simply an unknowable mystery, you will be able to more carefully assess yourself and your adversary. If your opponent has moved to attack you, you will have restrained your rage and forced them to reveal their motive. If they have not moved to attack, then you will have been able to master yourself and the situation. This works in regular fighting and politics and well, most things really." The Silent Strider gives his alpha a look indicating that he was being completely sincere and genuine.

He gestures to the area around them, "That is what made Roaring Jack stand out. He held himself back and counter attacked. He developed a defense rather than simply relying on offense as is the traditional Fenrir way all the time. He made a new fighting style. You can do it if you try. I have seen it."