A Different Story

The pack had concluded the events with the Fae. The Philodox volunteered to take the first watch of the night, allowing the rest to catch some sleep.

He looked back to the Mescalero camp and gave a long sigh.

The Silent Strider mused to himself aloud, "If things had been different, where I would be...."

He looks to his pack, "The friendships I would have missed, the joys, the pains.."

Turning back to the camp, "I could have been one of those who lay dying had Gaia not seen fit to make me who I am, and directed my path to here."

"...Here and with such unusual company," the Apache says as he spares a gaze in the Fianna's direction.

A thought crosses his mind as he steps closer to Fae Carver.
"You still awake?"

Carver rolled over with a grin.

“Who isn’t awake with you throwing philosophical questions to the night wind, Strider?”

He sat up and grabbed a piece of dry meat from his pack. He chewed it slowly.

“I hope you don’t plan on me answering those questions”

Zas shakes his head. "No, those are things that I think don't need answers."

He squats down to look at Fae Carver at eye level, "I meant to ask you something. A question that I think sounds like it could have an important answer."

The Apache says matter of factly, "We had no idea what would happen with that spirit of disease. You suggested the idea that we save the tribe but allow the chieftain to die, yet you seemed very interested in trying to save the entire camp."

He asks without blinking, "Why?"

Carver cocked his head to the side.

“Simple math really...”

He sighed.

“Of course I wanted to save everybody, who doesn’t want to save everybody? We convinced the disease spirit to leave the chief and tribe alone... for now, but it will be back. What if we had been able to finish it’s “meal” of the chief and in turn it left the rest of the tribe alone for good? That spirit will be back and we won’t be here to help them, we can now only hope the medicine woman can do her part and heal when the spirit returns.”

He frowned.

“We didn’t save those people. We postponed their death and passed the buck as it were.”

At the Fianna's question, Zas arched his eyes, "Oh...there are a fair number who don't much care for the wellbeing of me people. Many of the wyrmcomers see them as obstacles. Having u--them all die out would fix a significant problem for lots of the white men."

At the latter comment, Zas frowns. "We fight to keep gaia turning another day...most of our battles by your logic, don't result in us saving anything, but merely postponing the end. Is that truly how you feel?"

He nodded.

“Many Wyrmcomers are unaware of the power and beauty that lay before them everywhere. They are fools who grab for everything and waste it all. Leaving death in their tracks. The Fae in my homeland... due to mankind and the weaver they are weak, and many have retreated back to where they have come from. I had hoped to find something different here, but the Nunne’hi were weak as well.”

He laid back and stared at the sky.

“It’s how I feel in this situation. We know that spirit will return, it told us as much. Yet, here we are leaving hem to fend for themselves with only a kinfolk medicine women and some Fae who will have to watch them suffer again.”

Zas shakes his head, "The weaver certainly does have a way of making things difficult. If things continue as they are, I have a feeling we will not be able to have much of an impact in the cities of men."

He clears his throat, "...but were we to do as you would suggest by keeping the disease spirit away forever, are we not doing as the spirit suggested? Over stepping our bounds? We are in a way doing the same thing the weaver has done."

Carver nodded in agreement to the Strider’s first statement.

“I suppose you aren’t wrong. I should like to pretend we go about it in a better way than The Weaver... but if you ask the spirits I bet we would find some who believe quite differently.”

Zas tilts his head, "well...while we are on the topic of treating people differently..."

"Your first reaction with the King seemed fairly tense to me. Any reason you were so off put? Did the King do something to offend you? Seems unlikely, given you are new to these lands." The Silent Strider asked cooly.

Carver’s huffed and furrowed his brow at the Philadox’s question.

“Only put off by the same reason any one would be. They ain’t worthy to lead. Those mongrels had their chance and showed their true colors... why the rest of y’all follow them without question I’ll never understand.”

He shook his head and sighed.

“On the other hand Brave and War don’t seem to be a fool. There has to be a reason he trusts this one... so I’m trying to reserve my judgement.”

The philodox scratches his head. "You seem to know something I do not. Care to enlighten me? When exactly did they 'show their colors'?"

"The remaining Silver Fang here have led the charge against the wyrm, time after time. Before I met them, the Queen Errant paid the ultimate sacrifice in a fight with the Ravenous Ghost. This is not the work of mongrels."

Fae Carver sighed.

“Things may be different over here... but back in my homeland our tribes don’t get along too well.”

He sat up and shook his head trying to figure out where to start.

“The plain and simple truth is once a leader begins to control rather than lead, they are no longer worthy. The Silver Fangs once tried to use a powerful relic called the Silver Crown to control not only my tribe, but the Get of Fenris as well. When the Silver Crown is used Garou are forced to obey. Luckily my people along with the Get of Fenris recognized what the treacherous Fang’s were up to we amassed against them. It was a bloody battle and afterwards the Silver Crown was never recovered.”

He spits to the side.

“Those inbred mutts should have never even thought to use that relic much less brought to a battlefield. Imagine if you will Zas Bul if that Crown were to fall into the hands of the Wyrm... it could be there now. All of our free will stripped away.”

He paused staring into the eyes of the Philadox.

“I say again. Once a leader chooses to control rather than to lead... they are no longer worthy. They had their chance. It is high time another tribe stakes a claim as righteous ruler.”

The philodox scrunches his face, clearly disturbed by the news, but says nothing.

He mulls the story and explanation over for a very long time, only speaking when he had weighed his words carefully. "This is dire news indeed. I was unaware that such things were possible."

He takes a seat at the Fianna's side. "I have a couple questions though."

He runs his hand through his hair brushing it out of his face. "My first question is this: Were you there when this happened? The slightest detail could be important."

The Silent Strider looks intently at the Fianna's face as he says, "And my second question-who is worthy to lead?"

The apache nods to the rest of the sleeping pack, "Each of us in this pack has made mistakes-myself, doubly so. None of us consider ourselves perfect or beyond reproach-but we may not always be inclined to hear a stern rebuke when it is most needed." He chuckles to himself.

He turns back to Fae Carver, "We decided fairly recently that because of this, we should have no pack alpha to follow. We instead are each Alpha. We lead when our strengths dictate we are best suited."

He pauses, "Rawest Wind is the king of the Silver Fang. Perhaps that matters little, but beyond that, he is the eldest."

"I think it is best that you serve as you are called. You are a questioner of the ways. But regardless of your feelings for the tribe, I can speak for Brave in War in saying that all here follow the litany. We respect those who have earned their position of rank. But we also see the importance of a challenge for someone better suited to lead "

Zas tilts his head, "What I am trying to say, is that I strongly encourage you to judge the man, but respect his position. Weigh the deeds of this king on your scales. Each of us have and not found him lacking. Perhaps your perspective will catch something we overlooked."

He shrugs, "Or perhaps, by way of your auspice, you will make the King into the leader he needs to be."