Dream On

Eaton certainly didn't expect the meeting with the mages to go that smoothly. Sure, there was the run in with the crazed weaver spirits, but he was no more worse for wear. Still, the way the Ahroun acted ever since they rejoined seemed to suggest he knew something the others didn't. When asked, Mocks said he didn't remember anything strange outside of the willing dissection. After securing their bloodied prize, Eaton caught Rend's attention and said,

"Didn't expect things to go that easy, huh? Those mages only forgot the silver platter! Guess its best they did, though."

His tone turning a bit more serious, he said, "I gotta ask though- I thought Mock's agreed to go under the knife, yet she seemed to have more interest in you. What happened in there after I uh, skedaddled?"

Rends slung their grizzly prize over his shoulder after striking his pipe alight. He took a couple of puffs before answering.

"It didn't take long after you left, far as I can tell. Though I reckon Mocks is the better judge of that. I figured we wasn't likely to get everything we needed with jest a few hours study, so I showed her a trick to try and pique her interest and make her more willing to come back to negotiations later."

Rends took a long drag, slowly streaming the blue smoke out into the night.

"Then she mentioned that what she'd seen in him told her we may be hidin' some dark secret. She saw Akna's curse, and wanted to know if it was something all Garou shared. So I let her cut on me to show our purity. She started drillin' on my head, took some samples, and that was it. Then we went back to the meetin', they sent us on an errand, Salts the wounds showed up and got her bitch face on, then I kilt my pa again, Silke broke a man's arm and we trashed a bar that was servin' up Lacrymae juice. And then I woke up."

Rends shakes his head with a wry smile.

"I reckon she saw everythin' I did. Seemed to take hours in my head, but it was only minutes really. And things went a lot smoother in reality than they did in the dream."

Eaton let out a small laugh as he said, "What didn't go smoothly? I mean, gettin' to kick wyrm shit with yer wife sounds like a good time." Noticing the uneasy smile he adds, "Unless I'm missing somethin' that makes the whole thing unpleasant."

He stopped, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Say, you didn't manage to have your knife under yer head during all that, did ya?"

Rends shakes his head, irritated.

"She either pulled the face and personality of my wife out of my memories and made her dance on strings, or else tricked me into giving my family over. That's why I laid down the law as we left; I can't have that Kocian thinkin' she's got the better of me or Silke and Jack are in danger."

He spits into the roadside ditch.

"But no, I didn't have the Dreamknife. Mocks was watchin' it on the other side of the room; she said fetishes would muck up her tools or some such. Otherwise I'd have all of you watch jest to see what we can learn."

Eaton listened nodding in understanding but gave a frown when Rends finished his reply.
"Well, damn. If I wasn't gettin' chased by some crazed angel-spirit what-have-yous, I coulda been there with ya. Though kinda weird Mocks didn't check on ya- he has that same power."

His eyes then widened, "Then again, there might be a way for us to see it." He put his hand on his chest in an introductory pose, "I consider myself an expert in analyzin' the weird and revolting."

He then says, "I can let ya borrow mindspeak, and ya can share what ya saw."

Rends scratched at his chin, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't think of that. Guess I can let everyone know that way, and maybe we'll see somethin' helpful. We'll at least know what the Mages know then. Let's do it."

Eaton's eyes brightened, "Hopin' you'd be up to it."

The Bone Gnawer gave two rough coughs, before he spat into his open palm. He held out his hand to his pack mate and said, "Worry not- once we shake on it, you'll know exactly what to do."

Rends made no other acknowledgement than to grab Leper Friend's and in a firm grip. He drew in a sharp breath and felt something split between his eyes as a jolt of spiritual energy rushed into him. Without quite knowing what he was doing his grip tightened and he locked eyes with the Galliard, willing the dream out from his own eyes.

Then Rends expanded his awareness out to the pack around them, and with a burning sensation he felt the split on his brow widen though no blood flowed out, and Eaton couldn't see any marks on him. Indeed, Eaton found himself consumed in the dream watching the events as all the pack now did from within the Ahroun's own mind and through his eyes. They felt his Rage and sorrow when he saw Tames the Weaver, his love and concern when he saw Silke, his growing suspicion and mounting certainty that something was out of place in the too-real fiction.

The whole thing played out in a matter of seconds, and when it was done Rends released Eaton's hand.

"Well there ya go. Now we're all on the same page. Whatcha think?"