Questions and Answers

After Sterne's manservant made his exit, Harriet nodded toward the back of the saloon. "Whew! Well, I think that is enough odd visitors for now. If ya'll want to head on down to the basement, ya'll might have a little more luck getting some privacy." She smoothed back an errant strand of hair from her face. "I can bring some refreshments here in a moment, some of ya'll look a bit peakish."

As they went down to the basement, the young Garou discovered Slick-Blood resting in one of the aging rocking chairs, his bare leathery feet propped up on the pool table. He cracked an eye as the ad-hoc pack came tromping down the stairs. "Hola, los extraños, found anything good?" His smile wrinkled into a concerned frown. "Huh. Doesn't smell like it."

Zoe lips formed a wry grin.

"Depends on your definition of 'good.'"

She pulled the chairs off of a nearby table and gestured for Mocks to set their findings there. As he dropped the feed bag on the table, the end fell open revealing its contents to Slick Blood.

"Good news is we found your missing cow intestines. Bad news is they were being eaten by a horrific steed ridden by an equally grotesque and rather hardy Wyrm-infested rider."

She gestured to the goo-covered Rends-the-Gar.

"Our rider's person consisted almost entirely of the black gunk you see Rends covered in. We stepped into the penumbra to check for taint and we all seem okay for now, but we'd like Lune-Stalker to give us a proper cleansing just to be sure."

She glanced over to Richard who was standing nervously near the stairs.

"As far as the missing horses are concerned, both Richard and now Sterne admit that the horses were not stolen but were given to Cordova's rebellion for the sake of tracking down their whereabouts. We also found that...the rebellion's headquarters, which is where we found Richard. He suggested that one of Cordova's men if not Cordova himself sent that Wyrmbeast after us."

Zoe narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the side.

"That still doesn't explain what the creature was doing here in the first place. There may be more unless that horse just has a huge appetite."

Zoe finished speaking and looked around at Mocks, Rends, and Zas.

"Feel free to jump in anytime, gentlemen."

Zas remains standing but does lean against a wall nearby as he says more to Slick-blood than anyone else, "All of which leads us back to truly question Red Oaths status as leader of the caern. She sent four pups out on a "fact finding" mission without any assistance or real direction. She also seems to have been unaware that another garou tribe was so near the caern, which she has already left more or less defenseless once since at least my arrival."

He then turns to the rest of the group as he says, "I am willing to attribute and hold Mr. Sterns treachery however, as him acting independently of Red Oath. It is not uncommon for white people to mislead my kind so in that aspect I am not surprised. What I do find suprising however is that the rest of those in the caern seem to blindfully trust in Red Oaths leadership."

There is a long pause as he considers his words carefully before saying, "Mocks the Night, you mentioned earlier that brokering a meet with the uktena tribe and the Spinning wheels/irregulars may go a long ways towards easing tensions. I believe I agree."
He turns to Richard and says, "Do you know if Chief Bowl would be willing to sit down with those of the Caern? How much experience does he have in dealings with wyrmbringers? He seemed unaffected by our small group."

Sylvester crosses his arms and listens as the others launch into it. After Zas says his peace the Ahroun cuts in, cutting richard off.
"Now holt on jest a minute. I'm as pissed as anyone about bein' lied to and played a fool, but I at least wanna hear what red oath has to say afore we do anything. And I sure as hell don't want no meeting with them injuns till we know what they're up to. Right now they got the upper hand jest cuz we don't know what them uketenners know or what they got."

He eyes slick blood for a moment, barely controlled anger hidden in his eyes.

"Eithr way, after we done killt that wyrm thing I reckon we're due some respect and an apology."

He plops his bits of wyrm bone on the table.

Kefka tips his hat to Slick Blood as he enters and drops the the bag of intestines on a table near him. Kefka then walks back to where he entered and leans against the wall. That way he is away from the putrid smell of intestines and he can be first to grab a drink. After hearing what his compatriots had to say he shakes his head and steps away from the wall walking towards Zas.

"Snowy, snowy snowy..." He walks beside Zas and puts his arm around him in a brotherly manner. "Did you forgot to heal your brain after getting trampled by that Wyrm Steed? I understand you are upset. I do. Truly. However, there is a difference between questioning Red Oath and outright accusing her." He pats Zas on the should and walks backwards toward his favored spot while continuing to speak. "You see. Right now, not only are we pups, but we are guests. Red Oath has allowed us to stay in the caern, which is hospitable. She also offered us assisstance if we helped her. We are in no position to accuse her of anything, it would be rather uncouth of us, don't you think? I am sure Red Oath has her reasons, and I aim to hear them as long as I have ears. So why don't you sit down, take a load off, drink whatever Harriet blesses you with, and find your peace, peace keeper...we are all going to need it I fear."

He takes a breath and turns to Sylvester. "As for you friend, if you want to know what the Uktena are up to...there is no better way than to invite them over for a discussion. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. ya see?" Kefka winks and then sets his gaze upon Hears the Song. "You may want to save your voice for when Red and the others show up. If we keep retelling it the details will get lost and embellished. And I am sure Slick Blood doesn't want to hear our story numerous times today." He looks at Slick Blood and smirks. "Correct me if I am wrong though." He pauses a moment. "Did the others find any pertinent information from their hunt?"

Zas straightens and eyes Rends the Gar carefully before turning to Mocks the Night and saying, "The only accusation I have is of Red Oath making foolish choices and potentially violating the Litany. A serious accusation to be sure, but even though we are pups, we are still Garou. We are called to protect Gaia regardless of our rank and therefore I think we have as much room to speak our thoughts aloud as anyone."

He then leans back and turns to Rends and says, "Questioning leadership and foolish decisions is one of the duties I have. Do not misunderstand, I have no intention of ousting her, but to let her continue down the path she is on without giving it pause is wrong."

Zoe speaks sternly but without any outward signs of anger.

"Gentlemen, I think you must be careful to speak facts only and not let your personal feelings get in the way. Rends, you were shot with a cannon, so understandably you would be upset; however, you cannot simply come back here and blame Red for your lack of sufficient intel before infiltrating the base. As cliath not pups, since you have all completed our rites of passage, your decisions and the resulting consequences fall first on your own heads. Red simply sent us to investigate the bane that had been seen in the Cherokee village living on Sterne's land. The horse-tracking, as far as Red was concerned, was simply a way in. I do not feel she lied to us in any way."

Turning to Zas she continues, her voice continuing to be void of emotion.

"You also must be careful to speak only truth and not speculation based on your anger over being trampled by a Wyrmbeast. Once again, Red was not to blame in that situation. If anyone is to blame, it is Sterne for sending us to Cordova in the first place, which is where he knew we would end up if we successfully tracked his horses. As far as caern protection is concerned, just because you don't see someone protecting the caern, doesn't mean it is unprotected. Red Oath, the Spinning Wheels, and the Irregulars have been doing this much longer than we have and can be trusted to keep the caern safe from outside forces."

Zoe sits down near Slick Blood, facing the other three Garou, as she continues.

"Mocks the Night is right about some things. You are all guests here at our caern and we have been very gracious to you and willing to answer any questions you have had. As far as the Cherokee Garou are concerned, they are a fair distance from here and it is understandable for us not to have known of their presence, especially if Richard is right and they have not been around long. If you want any further help from Red and our sept, I suggest you speak respectfully and not badger her with unfounded accusations upon her arrival. She and the others outrank us significantly and that alone merits our respect."

Zas stares at Zoe intently as he says, "I have spoken falsely of no one. I do not blame Red Oath for the Wyrm beast actions. I blame Red Oath for poor judgement on the matter of how younger Garou are tended to. We managed to survive our encounter with the Wyrm beast and even come out triumphant thanks in large part to each of our skills and (gesturing to Rends) the ahroun's ferocity. However, had we had a more experienced Garou with us the fight wouldn't have had to have been such a close call."

He then adds, "We are warriors of Gaia. Guarding caerns with our lives is our duty. Relying solely on trickery and Spiritual aid is not right. No offense to you or to mocks the night intended."

Zas then leans back on the wall and says, "Rends the Gar is correct though. Having killed the Wyrm beast we as cliath should at the very least be given slightly more prestige than what is ordinary. We should get a bit of respect for that. As I told Red Oath earlier, respect must be earned."

"No offense taken Snowy...just don't be offended if you wake up with a bunch of snakes in your bed. We should get respect for killing the wyrmbeast yes, but we will probably be scolded for our poor handling upon discovering an army, and attacking them. Plus those half a dozen mustangs we were sent to find are scattered to the winds gathering four hundred Braves unless Cordova was lying...four hundred Braves will more than double his effective army. We need to try and quell this revolution nonsense before they arrive."
He turns his eyes towards Hears the Song and gives her a long cold stare, trying to discern what she is playing at. He takes a deep breath and pops his neck and fingers, building up his courage before speaking.
"I think you should get off your high horse Hears the Song. I can now say from personal experience that you aren't the scariest thing I have seen on one. As I recall you are here for the same reason we are. That damn letter promising us land. The fact that the four of us got the exact same letter ties us together...regardless if you like it or not. You are a cliath. Just like us. So stop demanding respect and lording over us. You simply arrived early. One month earlier than the rest of us. Now correct me if I am wrong, but there are normally 30, sometimes 31 days in a month yes? That is not much time at all when looking at the bigger picture. What have you been doing with all your free time if you haven't been serving Gaia?" He sighs and rolls his eyes knowing he probably went too far. "That is not to say you don't deserve any respect, because you do. You pulled your weight same as all of us. That is the key point I am trying to make. The four of us are of standing and we all deserve the same amount of respect."

He looks around at everyone and ends his gaze on Richard before turning back to Hears the Song.
"You are wrong about one thing. It is not understandable that this sept did not know of the Uktena, primarily because they knew about us... that makes all the difference. We were told this is a new caern. They should have no knowledge of it, they shouldn't have known we were here unless they either scouted us out, or Sturne told them. They are on his land after all and if he is willing to work with Red and us, then it is not out of the question for him to work with them too. We need to figure out why they are there." He turns and looks at Richard. "I believe you when you say you don't know of the Uktena we are speaking of. For what it is worth I do trust you. That does mean however that they are either new to town, or they have been careful and hiding their presence from you. Why would they have reason to do that? Unless they are planning to overthrow Chief Bole? Which if they do overthrow him...we can assume they will come for the caern next." He stops talking and looks around locking eyes with everyone, making sure they understand the significance of what could be happening. He stops on Hears the Song watching for her next move, and saying a little prayer to Gaia to watch over him and protect him from Hears the Song's wrath.

Rends the Gar coolly shifts his gaze to Hears the Song.

"A leader is someone who takes responsibility for their decisions. Even iff'in there's things happening they didn't expect. And don't get me wrong, most of the Irregulars and Spinning Wheels have welcomed us jest fine and that's all well and good. My problem is with Red's decision making and her apparently not knowin' what's goin' on within spittin' distance of the Caern. But you ain't one of them, no matter what you might think. That letter you got puts your chips in with us and so did Red herself when she sent you with us. Keep that in mind when you talk about 'us' and 'you'."

He hefts up the canon ball, tossing it between his large hands.

"Gettin' shot's part of my job twice over as Garou and Ahroun; that don't bother me none. Jist gave me a new toy and a good story. We coulda made a plan to deal with a cannon if we hadn't been told we'd be goin' up against maybe a dozen half starved banditos by both Red and Stern. With what we was told, none of us saw the need for a plan."

He shifts his gaze over to Kefka.

"I reckon it makes sense finding out what they's up to if nothin' else. Maybe Richard can act as a middle man. If we meet we may at least be able to keep an eye on them so we'll know when they make their move. I still think they're after the Cairn though. Sure nobody was here when Red showed up, but disease killed a lot of Injuns over the years. Coulda been someone called this place home a hundred years ago before they got a case of the sniffles."

When Hears-the-Song tells her story, Slick-Blood's face cracks into a determined grin. "So the fresh meat is already findin' and killin' wyrmspoor, eh? You lot did good by us, then. We tracked the thing into the umbra, but flense my hide if that freak didn't jump straight into the Abyss." The older werewolf shook his shaggy head and held up a hand as if swearing on a bible. "It went deep, too deep, but I swear Red-Oath still wanted to follow it all the way down into the sphincter of the Wyrm itself. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more of 'em, or things like 'em, lurking in that endless hole."

The white-haired ragabash bent down below the table and came back up with a cockroach scooped in his hands. After muttering at it in a sing-song mishmash of Spirit tongue and Spanish, the tiny vermin skittered away into a crack in the wall.

"Red went to meet with the Cherokee Uktena elder after she got back and had a chance to talk to the Irregulars. Hopefully that is wrapping up and she's headed here. She been gone for awhile now and I think she needs to hear what else our new bloods found out."

Slick-Blood shook out his cavalry uniform and started putting on his boots. "I ain't gonna apologize for anything, though, O pup of Fenris. Ya'll were sent to go deal with whatever that piss-stain Sterne wanted, and it turned out to have to do with the disturbance at the O'Henry place AND a sizeable rebellion fomenting to the south. I don't think anybody but a crazy Lune spirit would have expected either of those things." He offers a lazy salute. "I will, however, agree about slaughtering the mockery. It was big and nasty and ya'll did good proving it wasn't big and nasty enough."

He glanced over at Zas, squinting as if to put him under extra scrutiny. "As for whether you think Red-Oath is a bad alpha and a litany breaker, I ain't going to speak ill of a sister and you better be damn sure you got proof of any of your 'violations,' Apache. I get that you new philodox want to ferret out wrong doing, but Red's a half-moon too, so unless she is actually a Black Spiral Dancer and I just never noticed, she probably gonna have a better handle on the rules of the Garou Nation."

"And if you are complaining about having to fight wyrm beasts and it being hard, perhaps you could go back to basket weaving, young Indian. Experienced Garou like me and Red aren't usually gonna be around so you gotta fight your own battles." He nodded toward the half-shattered ribcage. "Ya gotta prove yourselves, and by the look of it, ya did. So why are you cryin'?"

Slick-Blood tied back his long hair in a colonial-style ponytail with a bit of cord. "Anyway, as for not defending our Caern, you confuse a test for a lack of leadership. You think Peace-in-Strength couldn't have turned O'Henry and his kids inside out if he had to?" The ragabash let out a quick barked laugh.

"We let you lot take the lead, intentional, like. Red-Oath, for some crazy reason, trusts you young 'uns. Probably because Hears-the-Song and the Shadow Lord have more brains than half the Garou Nation between the two of 'em." He winked at the pair. "Anyhow, Veil needs to be protected, sure, but humans aren't just annoyances to be killed unless its gotta happen. Li'l Kostas knows that, and so does Rends-the-Gar and Mocks-the-Night, I think. Comprender, chico búho?"

Richard sits down at Kefka's elbow. "I am not sure what the intentions of the non-Cherokee Uktena. I believed they simply wanted to leave us to our fate, but now I have no idea what their intentions are. I really must speak with Chief Bowl to find out what they were doing there. We cannot allow the Cherokee to ally with Cordova. Before I considered it, but now I have seen his lair and the company he keeps..." The spokesman shudders involuntarily. "I would be more than will to help with the meeting. I am disappointed that I wasn't present when your sept leader met with Chief Bowl."

Though Slick-Blood said much that Zoe wanted to say, she felt it necessary still to put things in her own words. She first turns her attention to Zas, an inquisitive look on her face.

"Were you in Red Oath's position would you have sent a seasoned Garou on a horse-tracking mission with a bunch of kids when a very large, very real Wyrm threat was nearby?  Red chose to keep the cliaths out of harm's way and instead send them on what should have been a simple tracking mission. I believe her judgment was correct in sending the four of us alone so as to have enough manpower to track the beast and guard the caern."

"As far as Red Oath's respect is concerned, you do not attain to her level of Garou prominence without doing deeds worthy of Garou respect. Though she has not demonstrated specific merits of respect to you, that is no reason to distrust the other Garou who have bestowed renown upon her, allowing her to rise through the ranks.  Please feel free to question her methods, but do so to her face and with respect, being open to the understanding that not all Philodox operate the same way."

Zoe makes her way across the room until she is standing face-to-face with the smaller Garou. Her eyes are fierce but her tone is reserved, though she punctuates her first sentence with a firm poke in Mocks' chest.

"You have crossed a line, insinuating that in my first month here I have shirked my duties as Gaia's servant. Ever since completing my rite of passage I have spent every waking moment studying rites, exploring the penumbra, exercising my gifts, experimenting with my fetishes, and training my teeth and claws for battle.  I expect you, Rends the Gar, and Snowy Owl have also spent your time wisely, and would never suggest otherwise out of respect for you, my Garou brothers."

She takes a deep breath and takes a step back from Mocks, enabling her to make eye contact with Zas and Rends as well.

"You misunderstand if you think I consider myself greater than you three or worthy of more respect. I believe the other members of the Camino Real sept, Red Oath included, are deserving of respect, but I consider myself the least of the four of us. Rends the Gar shows unbridled strength and courage, befitting of his tribe. Snowy Owl shows great passion for the Litany, as any Philodox should. Even you, Mocks-the-Night have shown yourself to be every bit the Ragabash. I confess I still have much to learn about being a Theurge, but I ask that you not discount the past month as a waste of time."

Zas growls loudly at both Slick Blood and Zoe. He then pounds the wall with his fists as he says with barely hidden malice to Slick Blood, "You outrank me sir, and I therefore follow your guidance...which would have been that much more helpful when we stumbled across the Wyrm foe." He then mumbles in Spanish "I would love to go back to my people and "basket weave, but there's no room available in the tent because of how large your mother is...."

Zas then turns to Zoe and gives a heated glare as he says, "I have brought up almost all of this information to your pack leader already, at our most recent chat. At which point I was ushered away on this hunt. If you intend to wrongfully challenge my claims which have been made through solely my own observations please continue."

He calms down briefly as he says, "Red Oath may indeed be a philodox, and for that matter she may very well indeed be the victim of poor timing, however as I have seen it, her judgements regarding at least myself thus far have done nothing but lead me to trouble. Thus I am more hesitant to just blindfully trust what she says."

He then returns to his comfortable relaxed leaning on the wall before adding, "I bring no accusations to Red Oath aside from poor judgement at this time. I do not have proof of her litany violations other than my experience thus far and as of yet am simply speaking my mind. Further investigation is required before such claims can be presented."

Zas then turns to Richard and says, "The information you hold of Cordovas place and of his status will be sought for in due time."

Zas then looks at Mocks the Night and says, "It is a pity. I have no fondness for snakes."

Zoe's eyes soften toward the ganged-up on Philodox.

"I am sorry, Zas, that this situation frustrates you so. No one is asking you to follow anyone blindly. As a half moon, I encourage you to shed light where the others of us struggle to see the truth of Gaia. I do hope you will present your concerns to Red Oath and for the sake of your own peace of mind, I hope you find her answers satisfactory. I hope also that you will learn from what you believe to be her mistakes and grow into a stronger Philodox as a result."

Zoe approaches Zas and looks him intently in the eye.

"Your heart for the Litany is good and right, my brother. Never lose that passion to pursue the truth of Gaia."

She smiles gently before turning to the others.  

"Any thoughts on how to deal with the rebellion before it gets out of hand?  Cordova appears to be quite insane; however, his men may be well-intentioned men who simply sided with the wrong guy. I don't believe going in there claws and teeth bared is the best course of action. I'm not sure taking Cordova out alone is necessarily best either.  A martyr may be just the thing this group needs to motivate them to action.  I'm also concerned that someone in his camp is friendly with the Wyrm to the extent that such a beast may do his or her bidding. That in and of itself warrants further investigation and action. Garou may not be called to quash political squabbles, but being buddy buddy with the Wyrm is always an excuse for Garou involvement."

Zas calms himself as Zoe finishes. He considers her question briefly before tossing out, "There is a local sheriff here in town correct? Could we not inform him of the danger Cordova and his men present? If we were to have Cordova arrested his possible force of braves would have no leader uniting them or being able to give them instructions."

Zas tilts his head and then also adds in, "We may also be able to try and talk chief Bowl into declaring a council to meet with the braves and having them stand down. Cordova would then need to find his forces elsewhere."

Kefka smirks as Hears the Song pokes him in the chest and asserts herself. "My apologies for misunderstanding then, for that is why I crossed the line. I do believe you have clarified yourself and where you stand. Thank you." He gets on edge when Zas makes his outburst, making ready to restrain him if need be. When Hears the Songs soothes Zas down Kefka relaxes and leans back against the wall, wondering what was taking Harriet so long with those drinks. He takes a long sigh before returning his attention to the conversation at hand. Something about Cordova and what to do about him.

"I agree Hears the Song. We can't kill him for he would simply become a martyr, however massacreing everyone on his fortified island is also a non-option. I like the idea of letting the sheriff and the locals deal with him Zas...except for the fact that if they Wyrm beast was tied to Cordova it will be a suicide mission for them and only be a bigger problem for us. Same as if he we sit and do nothing he only becomes a bigger problem for us. Our next move needs to be intelligent, expedious, and absolute..." He closes his eyes and waits for the others to throw out more possible suggestions. After a couple moments of silence he opens his eyes and sees everyone still watching him. He shrugs.
"Sorry friends. I don't have a solution in mind. I just know the components that the solution needs."

Sylvester shakes his head and grins in amusement at Snowy Owl.

"You ain't been around civilization much have ya chief? Sheriff in a town this size is gonna have two, maybe three deputies with him. How's he gonna bust in a fortified island to arrest Cordova when he's got an army on his side? If Nacadoches has a militia they'd be the ones to call, but they'd be no better trained or equipped than Cordova's men."

Rends spits to the side, finally sitting down as he takes a bit of wood out of his pocket and starts whittling it with a pocket knife.

"As for the Chief, I doubt there's much he could do. Anyone who answers the summons is gonna be Hell bent on killin' folks, and they ain't gonna want to listen to some weak old man playin' for peace with their betters. 'Sides, from what I gather most of your Chief's influence is with our kind, not with the humans as much."

He eyes his carving, making more cuts with a practiced, calm hand as he goes on.

"Way I see it, there's one way to avoid all this all together. Cordova's men will have to ride a long ways to reach their Injuns, and they shouldn't be in any special hurry to get there anyhow. Why not send out a few of our boys to intercept the riders? If no Injun army comes, Cordova's got no rebellion to lead; what little army he has will desert when they see it ain't goin' nowhere. Then we can take Cordova and his commanders nice and quiet like and find out which of them are Wyrm tainted. It'll work. Even with a head start, a Garou can easily run down a horse."

He looks at his bit of wood with a critical eye, then sets it on the table. It's a statuette of Cordova with a surprising amount of detail. The mouth and the top of the head have divvets carved into them, and when Rends blows into the top hole it chirps like a quail.

"We'll flush him out like a bird. Set the hounds to scare off his men, and he'll be easy pickin's."

He tosses the bird call to Zas and starts on another bit of wood from a pocket.

Zoe listens with rapt attention as the others make their suggestions. She is quiet for a while as she mulls over the different ideas, mumbling mostly incoherently.

"Sheriff...deputies...ill-equipped. Half a dozen riders...400 reinforcements...66 reinforcements per horse...not good. Wyrm tainted enemy...really not good."

Zoe shakes her head and looks up at Rends the Gar.

"I agree that the sheriff and his deputies won't be of much use in this case and their deaths would be on our head unless we went with them. Even still we would be having to defend the humans in such a fight."

She cocks her head to the side, face grimaced in thought.

"Tracking down the riders sounds like a good plan, but there are six riders at least, assuming there were not other horses also used. If they are going to gather 400 reinforcements and any of them are on their way back, that would be 66 braves for one or two of us to take on. And who's to say there won't be more Garou in these reinforcements?"

She turns to Richard. "When were the riders sent out? How many were there? Is there still a chance of us catching up to them before they reach the reinforcements?"

Zoe pauses again then nods to herself.

"David and Goliath. Often times groups like this rely on an abnormally strong warrior to lead the way into battle. In the Bible, the Philistines came against the Israelites with one big, scary guy. A scrawny Israelite named David went out and took this guy out and the Philistines ran for the hills because their prized warrior was dead. Perhaps Cordova and his men are drawing their confidence from whoever the Wyrm-connected one among them is. If we take him ouf, the rest may lose confidence and scatter as they realize they now have nothing more than a few average guys to fight all of Texas."

Zoe shrugs. "Just another idea to throw out there to keep us from having to do some serious splitting up. Hopefully Red will be here soon. I'm sure she can help shed some light on our situation affer speaking with the Chief."

Zas listens and ponders each individuals speech. He then after considering his words says, "I do not know the ways of the sheriff, but I do know my kind. Chief bowl is a chief. That means what he says goes. What he decides has legitimate power. Were he to call a council the braves would listen to him. The tough part would be letting them know such a council has been called. Chasing each of the riders sent to gather the braves is a good plan except that our forces are then scattered-and with the wyrm's claws into this situation that becomes very dangerous."

Zas then turns to collect the bird call and fidget with it as he says to Slick Blood, "Do you have any wisdom that you can offer in this situation? Your experience would be a helpful teacher."

Slick-Blood shook his head as he lit a bitter-smelling cheroot. After he took drag, he growled past the rolled tobacco: "Our sheriff, Ira Wilson, isn't worth a damn Republic redback. He's more concerned with posturing than much anything else; probably figures if he cuts an impressive enough figure all the robberies and murders will just quit happenin' altogether-"  

Before the ragabash could expound further, the heavy muffled thuds of shit-kicker boots on packed sod could be heard, and Red-Oath's tall shape stood framed in the basement doorway. Her slate black hair was loose around her shoulders and she radiated a quiet, dangerous rage. She stalked up to the table amid the pack, looking them each in turn. She eyed Richard with an appraising look before speaking, her low voice tinged with annoyance.  

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece," She nodded towards Zoe but met each of their eyes.  

"So you found out about a brewing rebellion and destroyed the Abyss-dwelling mockery that eluded us, all while out to fetch some mere horses. Well done. I went and verified what you said about the Uktena presence among the Cherokee enclave, but best I and Lune-Stalker can tell, it is just the Chief... more or less. The place is filled with restless dead, at least that is what Lune-Stalker said, and she tends to be right about this sort of thing."  

"Anyway, apparently the Uktena elder known as Bowls-Over-The-Great-Foe has been hiding out there on purpose for the last several weeks, claiming that he has been plagued by visions about wyrm creatures stalking him and his people. He also said that the Cherokee village does not fall within our territory, that the lands associated with our ancient caern only traditionally extended to what is now the western limits of the city. He seems to think these are excuses enough not to announce himself... and by extension break the litany."

Her gaze shifted toward Richard, who was quivering with anger. Nonetheless, when he spoke, it was surprisingly even and controlled. "I do not know why you sit in judgement of Chief Bowl, Ms. Rodgers. He has his reasons for concealing himself, and he has walked the path of peace even when we lost all that we held dear. Some said that made him weak and that he was afraid, that he should have died fighting the white men and their Garou allies long ago-"

"We don't have time for your speeches, ambassador." Red-Oath snarled, but then her tone softened ever so slightly. "I understand that you are loyal to your Chief, Mr. Fields. I do not question that. Just get to the point."

Richard licked his lips, his anger slowly simmering down. "Even in his advanced age, Chief Bowl does not fear anything except the destruction of his kinfolk- they are all he has left. I know that it was not out of fear that he walked the Trail of Tears, it was out of love for the Cherokee nation!"

Red-Oath stared at him for a moment, a searching, incredulous look on her face. "In that case, he would do well to distance himself and your people from any dealings with Cordova." Red-Oath said, her gravel voice stern. "Your association with the crazed former alcalde alone makes you suspect, as does the fact that the would-be emperor of Nacogdoches is actively seeking to recruit more Cherokee warriors."

The older ragabash piped up. "Not to mention that one of them Wyrm-ridden vatos that Li'l Kostas killed was a Cherokee. Hate to bring it, up Richard, but that is still... problematic... for you and yours."

Richard was silent, but his face remained an angry red as he frowned at Slick-Blood. Red-Oath shrugged ever so slightly. "Another reason why I think it is best that Lune-Stalker should study whatever is going on in that village. Bowl was not as forthcoming with mystical details as I would like, but I would expect nothing less of an ancient Uktena. Secrets are about all he has left. Which brings me to our next order of business. All concerned parties, including Chief Bowl and Ambassador Fields, are to meet at the caern at Luna's rise tonight. We need to get our facts straight, get unified, and remove the source of the taint. And if certain parties are unable or unwilling to do that, they they need to get the hell out of the way. That goes for the Uktena, the Cherokee nation, Adolphus Sterne, anyone." She glanced around at the gathered Garou in turn, her eyes blazing.

Zas frowns at the news Red Oath brings to the room. He is quiet, listening to her go on about her dealings. After he is sure she stopped talking he proceeds, in a respectful manner but it is obvious that he's trying not to shout, although his tone is intense, "Red Oath, you know much. There is more to this story however. Mr. Fields has informed us of his intentions to report to Chief Bowl with the plan to discourage any further dealings with Cordova. It should also be of note that Richard also told us that among Cordova's forces already, there are kinfolk."

He goes to say more but sees the others ready to speak and restrains himself.

Zoe is both relieved and set on edge by Red's return.  Though the group had been eagerly awaiting her return, the alpha's frustration over Chief Bowl's unannounced presence and her annoyance with Cordova and his plans made Red anything but approachable concerning the issues the group had mentioned before.  Zoe narrows her eyes as a slow anger begins to burn behind them.  

"You mean to tell me that the chief denied the presence of the three Garou who not only accosted us upon unknowingly setting foot on their land, but then threatened and attempted to intimidate us while we were standing in the chief's house? How did he explain our encounter with them?  They did not appear to be strangers to the chief.  If he's so intent on keeping the peace, as Mr. Fields suggests, why would he conceal the presence of other Uktena Garou from a neighboring sept?  That's just asking for trouble, especially when he knows that we know that they are there."

Zoe takes a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.  

"With your permission, Red Oath, I would like to assist Lune-Stalker in her study of the spiritual happenings in and around the Cherokee village.  I know I am not as skilled as she is, but she has taught me much and I think that two theurges would be better than one in this situation."

As she ponders her next thought, Zoe's gaze drifts to Rends-the-Gar's knife.  Her eyes light up as she makes her way over to the ahroun then turns to Richard.  

"According to Snowy Owl, Rends' knife has the ability to record and playback dreams.  Do you think the chief would be opposed to us recording a dream or two and playing them back to try and help him determine the source of the wyrm threat that has been plaguing his dreams?  Perhaps there are more details that he might have missed that we would be able to see upon multiple playbacks."

Zoe is visibly excited about the possibility to finally flex her spiritual muscles on a quest with Lune Stalker to the Cherokee village and in the use of Rends' spirit-indwelt knife to track down some wyrm tainted creatures.

Rends the Gar slams his pocket knife down into the tabletop, snapping the blade with the force of it as he jumps up to his feet.

"I keep tellin' y'all them Injuns are up to somethin'! Now we got proof of it with that Chief of theirs keepin' some of his Garou secret from us! They's keepin' facts from us and waiting to make some kind of play when we don't expect it! I tell ya they had at least four of 'em there when we was there, probably a whole mess more they kept hid cuz they don't want to play their hand yet!"

He jabs a finger towards Richard, cutting him off before he can make any retort.

"And don't give me none a' that 'he just wants peace' bull! We all seen the other Garou takin' orders from him and now we know he's keepin' em secret from Red Oath and all the rest to cover his tracks!"

He takes a few deep breaths, face flushed as he glares at Richard. After a moment he shakes his head, plopping back down into his seat and picking up the broken handle of his knife, throwing it into a waste bin.

"Of course, I reckon he'll say they was just passin' through or some nonsense about we was just imagining things, but mark my words: they's gonna make a play for the Caern. Way things are lookin' now, I'd say they may even be working with Cordova as part of something bigger."

Rends the Gar looks over at Zoe, he takes out Roarin' Jack's knife and holds it up to inspect it.

"I reckon we can try that. I'll need some help fixin' the damn thing first though. Roarin' Jack weren't much help tellin' me how to use it other than how to kill bad things."

You can all tell he's frustrated as he stares at the knife, and after a moment he puts it away and looks back at Hears the Song.

"You reckon you can gimme a little help with that? And where's Harriet? I could use a drink and some grub."

The last is more Rends thinking out loud than asking anyone in particular.

Zoe nods to Rends the Gar and extends her hand for the knife.

"I'll need to spend some time with it first, communing with its spirit, to determine exactly what must be done to attune him or her to you. It shouldn't take long. I can probably have an answer before our meeting tonight."

At Rends' hesitation Zoe grins playfully.

"Don't worry, brother. I promise not to turn it against you."

Zoe's eyes narrow as she cups her hand around her ear.

"What's that, knife spirit? You like Snowy Owl better? I guess I could make you his instead," she says with a wink to Sylvester.

Sylvester hesitates for just a moment, as if unsure if Zoe is kidding or not. Then he hands it over.

"Whatever you gotta do. Don't know how much use seein' other folks' dreams will be, but ya never know."

He then turns to Red Oath.

"So what exactly is this meetin' tonight all about? We kilt Hears the Songs big bad Bane and we know the cow guts was used to feed his horse. Seems to me that's all wrapped up and we got other problems to deal with."

He pointedly glances at Richard.