"People think that the law of the jungle is just selfish brutality. People haven't read the poem." - Pahanin

Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,

And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

A Hunter is a Hunter, in dream, or death, or that strange state that comes about when your sights are set and your blade is drawn. You know the one. You're the one that runs ahead of the crowd, you are the unseen, the unheard, and nothing survives your passing unless you allow it.

You are Death, and you are so, so small.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;

For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

The Titans will stand when everything else falls, will stand to prevent everything else from falling. They are the shield and the fist, ever present on the battlefield, and you're damn well going to make sure that that presence is felt. Their foes will try to outmaneuver them, to trick them, it's up to you to make sure they don't succeed.

The Warlocks hide power beyond comprehension in their fragile little minds. For all your optics and sensors and scans you're never going to perceive a tenth of what they see ever single moment. They're a walking supernova, a black hole, a brilliant storm given flesh, and it's your job to make sure they're directed, and focused. Poke and prod, ignite their passion and keep them distracted from the horror they face whenever they look at the empty night.

Because they'll try to fight it, of course they will fighting the unfightable is what Warlocks do, and you won't like what happens when they win.

Keep peace with the lords of the jungle, the tiger, the panther, the bear;

And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the boar in his lair.

You may chafe at any sort of authority but the Vanguard exists for a reason, the Cryptarchs exist for a reason, and if I have to tell you to shut up when Shaxx is talking you deserve everything you get when you don't. Listen to them, and listen well, because what they say may very well save your life.

There are those outside our walls that you'll want to treat with respect as well, the Darkness isn't the only thing out there. Unfortunately that's not exactly a positive. Tread softly, tread carefully, and if something offers you a wish, I advise you politely decline.

Wash daily from nose tip to tail tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;

And remember the night is for hunting and forget not the day is for sleep.

There's not many Guardians out there that don't know about the War. No not the one with the Darkness, the one fought via ever-evolving wardrobes built around both aesthetics and functionality. I've seen a Cloak with more colors than we can see and boots that left the tracks of local wildlife. I've seen a Bond that could split quarks and a helmet that whispered secrets definitely not meant for sane human minds, and every one was a weapon to be waved triumphantly in someone's smug face.

That held true right up until those cloaks and robes are torn apart to bandage your partner's arm, right up until those boots come off to splint a leg, and that helmet's being used to dig a trench to give your brothers and sisters some cover.

Guardians are never alone. Remember that.

The jackal may follow the tiger, but, cub, when thy whiskers are grown,

Remember the wolf is a hunter—go forth and get food of thy own.

You are a Guardian. You are one of the chosen warriors tasked with defending the last remnants of humanity from the forces of Darkness. Act like it.

Don't become complacent in the feats of your ancestors, because when our enemies are at our doorstep it will not be stories of times past that push them back. It will be you. It will be your brothers and sisters, hopefully it'll be me as well. Acknowledge the feats of your predecessors, but work to surpass them. It's the only chance we have.

When pack meets with pack in the jungle, and neither will go from the trail,

Lie down till the leaders have spoken; it may be fair words shall prevail.

For most of the beasties you find out there in the wide wide galaxy you'll find negotiation doomed to fail. The Hive do not parley. The Cabal do not take prisoners. The Fallen would rather strap you to the front of their ship than listen to a word you have to say, and the less said about the Vex the better.

But please, for all our sakes, remember that that won't always be the case. You're a weapon of war, but don't let that be all you are.

When ye fight with a wolf of the pack ye must fight him alone and afar,

Lest others take part in the quarrel and the pack is diminished by war.

Humans are built to squabble, built to butt heads out of sheer stubbornness and steal boots in the dead of night to fill them with swamp mud.

You and I? We're not human anymore.

But the instinct remains doesn't it? That need to be the best, to prove yourself, to give in to the Dark and tear your enemies' throats out with your teeth.

I suppose you know that all too well, eh Yor?

Ah right, the silent type. You never were one for conversation, not since you got that Thorn in your paw anyway. We could help you get it out you know, that's how the story goes isn't it? Pujari may have locked himself in his tower but there's plenty of others that could take a look at it if you let them.

… Heh, yeah. I didn't think so.

And then there was one.