This is a write-up for the introductory one-shot I solo played for my first game of Werewolf the apocalypse. Enjoy!
Gallup, New Mexico
The Caern of the Red Caverns lived up to its name this night. The walls, infused with a red that was said to have been found there when Ukenta Garou had discovered it three hundred years ago, seemed to run with the shadows of the fires. Spirits of all kinds, from the Wyld to the Weaver, but of course never the Wyrm moved about, waiting for the rite of passage to begin, along with the mortals.
Mibahu stood to the side of the large antechamber that lead to the main complex at the heart of the Caern, where the majority of the Sept worked, practiced, and communed. Mibahu would not be allowed in until he had completed his rite and he was more than determined to.
"You are nervous my cub?" Asked Aah of the Silent Striders. The man who had taken Mibahu into the Garou nation stood next to him, wearing a black t-shirt that matched his dark hair and sparse Goatee. His cool blue eyes watched Mibahu softly and a small smile showed itself.
"No sir. I am ready. I have been since the day you took me in after my first change." Mibahu responded proudly. His guardian chuckled softly and moved to rustle his cub's black hair when a girl about Mibahu's age of twenty-one approached. She had pale skin, light green eyes, and almost strawberry-colored hair. She was no doubt the Fianna that Mibahu had been told would be his packmate and undergo the Rite with.
"Hello, sir." The girl spoke in an Irish accent to Aah, bowing slightly. "I am Brenna Nine-claws." She turned to Mibahu, looking up and down with a sheepish smile. "I am to undergo the rite of passage with you."
Mibahu followed the Garou laws of hospitality and bowed similarly to her. He was pleasantly surprised by the girl. She was pretty and seemed nice. Some of the stories Aah had told him about the intensely domineering and competitive nature that many Garou possessed had made a slightly negative impression on the young man.
"Let me guess child: You are of the Fianna tribe are you not?" Aah asked. Brienna blushed and nodded. "That obvious?" Aah chuckled and tapped his nose and eyes. "Garou have many ways of telling from a glance and sniff, in addition, your accent does no favors in hiding your ancestry."
Brienna now stared at Aah more intently. "Pardon if I get your tribe wrong, I am still new to this and my guardian.." She trailed off and shook her head. "Nevermind, but I am going to guess you are a Silent…strider?" Aah nodded and she did a cute little fist pump.
"And me?" Mibahu asked, not wanting to be left out of this little game.
"You?" Brienna asked with a mischievous grin. "A boy with a love for big, human-shaped wolves that got lost on his way home." Aah laughed and Mibahu felt a blush fill his cheeks. He felt a tingle of what his guardian had explained was Rage, that supernatural pressure to destroy all that offended and threatened a Garou and ideally, also mother Gaia.
"No. A Silent strider." He neutrally responded to the jest.
Brienna nodded. "I figured. Well, I better get back to my guardian. I hope that this rite goes well and we become full members of the nation Mibahu." With a bow to both men, she walked back to where a woman with overflowing bright red hair spoke with a Sept member.
"You felt the rage cub," Aah stated. Mibahu could only nod in shame.
"Be not alarmed. These feelings are natural. Only when you let them control you do they become the danger that has swallowed so many of our kind." Mibahu only nodded again.
A series of howls from outside the antechamber stopped all conversations. In stepped a Garou in full Crinos form, his fur white and grey, his face and snout regal and well-trimmed. His body was covered in following red robes that opened at the thighs and chest.
All Garou in the antechamber got on one knee, bowing their heads to the ground in submission to the dominance of the reigning leader, Elder and Sliver fang of the Sept and Caern.
"Welcome cubs to your Rite of passage and Proving." His voice was thick with a Russian accent. "I am Elder and leader of the Caern of the red cavern: Sayankov Yuliy Nikolayevich, but you may refer to me as Yuliy as that is my first name." He then bid them to rise and assumed a praying stance used when offering praise to Gaia, Luna, and all the Spirits worthy of worship. The rest of the Garou followed his example.
"Mother Gaia, aunt Luna, all you spirits of the realm! I call on you to bear witness! A new generation of cubs has come of age, and the time has come for them to prove themselves, to accept their role as your warriors. Look down on them as they begin their rite of passage!"
Since there were only two cubs at this passage, Yuliy turned to face Mibahu first. Mibahu felt honor at that.
"Your name, cub of the Silent Striders?"
"Mibahu my elder."
The Silver fang's wolf eyes seemed to strip the youth to the bone before growling in what Mibahu hoped was approval before looking to Brienna. He asked the same and got a similar response. The growl he gave her seemed similar to the one Mihabu got.
"The time has come to prove yourself as a pack-and a challenge has already arisen for you. One of our Ragabash has spotted another Garou, one not of our Caern, in the nightclub district of Gallup. The spirits say that he is not of any of our tribes. Therefore, he must either be Ronin, Independent, or worse-a Black spiral dancer." A low growl emits from several of the Sept members and Mibahu was sure that if he was in a wolf form, he could smell the aggressive pheromones around him.
"It is your task to find this Garou and determine who and what he is. Should he be Ronin or independent, deliver a warning-for there are many agents of the Wyrm, Weaver, and Wyld in the city that would harm him. Should he be a Black spiral dancer"-His nuzzle twists into a snarl.-" You know what you must do. Achieve this, and we will praise you to the spirits and call you full warriors of your tribes! Go now and beware, for the enemies of Gaia are everywhere."
With that, the elder withdrew and questions commenced.
Brienna walked up to Mibahu and gave him a smile that he swore held a bit of nervousness. "Whoa. It happened. We are on our Rite of passage. I kinda thought there would be more to it, especially because the elder is a Sliver fang, but nope: Speech and off you pups go! Go kill a Black spiral dancer and give me the pelt as proof!" She chuckled at her exaggeration. Then her eyes darted to other Garou around them. "I don't like this to be honest. I mean, it's just two of us. We aren't a full pack! Not to mention we are both Galliard. What if it really is a Black spiral dancer? It's suicide!"
"Come on. You are kicking up a fuss over nothing." The strider tried to reassure her. "We have been trained for this by our guardians. We are Garou. T-they wouldn't have given us this Proving if they didn't think we could handle it." Mibahu must have let his fear seep into his words because Brienna didn't look convinced, in fact, she looked more scared!
"You 'do' think this is crazy! Jesus mary and Joseph, what the hell are they thinking…?" At that moment Aah and Brienna's guardian came over to them.
"Mibahu, this is Erin Muldowney of Fianna." Aah gestured to the redhead dressed in a denim jacket and jeans. She nodded at the cub then looked to her own.
"Your fear is noticeable from across the state Brienna. I raised you better than that. This will be a simple proving, believe me, there are worst out there." Brienna bowed her head, cowed. Mibahu also felt shame. He was an idiot to think this would be easy, despite the guidance he had received.
Aah placed a hand on his cub's shoulder and squeezed. "You will be fine Mibahu. I have every confidence you and Brienna will complete this proving with glory and honor. Trust in the spirits and yourselves and you will emerge victorious."
Brienna looked much more reassured as did Mibahu and once more, the young man's admiration for his guardian increased.
Saying their goodbyes to the Sept, the two cubs exited through the windy tunnels of the Red cavern and out into the cool night air of New Mexico. Mibahu looked out across the vast expanse of desert shrubs and red plateaus, with a beautiful full moon bathing it all. His spirit felt the pull to howl. It might even give him confidence for the Proving. The Homid was not the proper form to howl in so he began the supernatural process to shift into Lupus form.
The Silent strider felt his body and spirit shift, morphing into the body of a wolf, but something was wrong. In his mind, Mibahu could see what he wanted, the animal he was supposed to become, he could almost reach it, but it wasn't enough. Something held him back from completing it and he was left in the dust, his body Homid, on its knees.
Brienna came over to him and touched his shoulder. "Mibahu! Are you alright?" A red wave came over him, nausea made itself known and all Mibahu could hear was the howling of the moon for the blood of those that witnessed his shameful weakness.
Mibahu closed his eyes and practiced the breathing exercise Aah had taught him. Now was not the time, not when his future and his packmate depended on him.
"I'm okay Brienna." he rose and dusted off his clothes. "Do you…Want to howl? It's the perfect moon for it." Brienna looked at him, uncertain, before shrugging her shoulders and hunching over. "It is a beautiful night for howling." That was the last thing she said before shapeshifting into Lupus. It wasn't perfect, not like when Aah did it, but far superior to his own meager showing.
Her Lupus was a somewhat plain grey wolf, native to Ireland. Her howl was almost painful and Mibahu had to look away to resist attempting to pitifully emulate it with his human vocal cords.
She looked at him and motioned with her body. He nodded and they began their trek to the hidden garage where a kinfolk drove them to the shining city a few miles away, silence reigning between them.
The pack had forgotten to ask for a description of the boy they were hunting, thankfully the Sept had anticipated that and the kinfolk driving them into Gallup had a photo on hand of the boy. He was white, with brown curly hair, a shirt that said "Black dog" and he turned into a white furred werewolf.
They were dropped off at the nightclub district of Gallup with no ceremony. Hoping out of the car, both pack members were in Homid form and didn't stand out much on the bustling sidewalk. It was a Thursday and most of the patrons were working men and women off to get wasted after a monotonous day of work. Mibahu and Brienna spent a few moments looking around, trying to get a feel for where this boy might be hanging out. Brienna began walking forward along the sidewalk and Mibahu followed her, slightly annoyed that she hadn't asked his opinion but soon enough had to contend with the shoving and annoying chatter of the Humans.
Mibahu had grown up in a small town in Arizona and while Gallup reminded him very much of that life, it was still a city and a crowded one at that. Aah had told him that Garou often found it difficult to walk amongst humans, finding them slow and clumsy, in addition to vulgar, unable to control their scents and volume levels. Mibahu had gotten a few tastes of that traveling with his guardian when they passed through cities and he wasn't eager to be revisiting it.
Brienna for her part seemed to be handling it just fine, her face and stride determined. Her scent was muffled in the crowd but her hair made her stand out among the mostly Amerindian and mixed population around them. Twice, drunk men called out to her, but both were silenced by a fierce glare thrown their way. Once again, Mibahu felt a rush of shame at his lack of prowess in comparison to the Fianna.
Suddenly, Brienna stopped and looked to her left at a small gift shop selling alcohol as well as Native nicknacks. Mibahu stopped alongside her and was about to ask what was wrong when he sensed the unmistakable spiritual presence. Inside the shop was a Garou. But was it one of them?
The packmates shared a look. Brienna's eyes were questioning, but Mibahu was determined to show some metal. This was his chance: He charged into the shop as quickly as possible, so as to not give his fear time to grow.
Inside was covered in hardwood tables and shelves, with various Native mugs, headdresses, jewelry, and other items well stocked along them. An old woman operated the cash, wearing her merchandise wherever possible. She briefly watched the two cubs enter, her gaze lingering on Brienna before going back to her magazine.
The only other person in the store was a young man, Amerindian, wearing a white t-shirt and sweat pants. He wore his hair in a ponytail and was flipping through a travel guide for the local area.
The pack moved towards him and he looked up. He was not a handsome man by any means.
"Ah. The Red cavern's cubs have come out to play tonight." He eyed them both and waited. Once more they shared a look, but it was Brienna who spoke first.
"Could we take this conversation outside?" She eyed the cashier.
The man laughed. "This old woman? She is kin! Don't worry, speak our shared truth and begone. I want to keep reading."
Brienna was silent long enough for Mibahu to get a word in. "We are hunting a foreign Garou who wears a t-shirt saying "black dog". He is white and has curly brown hair. His-"
"Enough Strider. I have seen this boy. He passed by here while I was having a smoke outside. He headed to the club just down the street: Club Drawing room."
Mibahu couldn't believe his luck. He quickly performed a Garou bow of thanks and turned to leave as the man clearly wanted, but Brienna spoke.
"Last question sir: May I ask your name and tribe? I am new to the area and would like to know all my new brothers and sisters."
The man chuckled nastily and looked at his wristwatch. "You and I will never be brother and sister. And you have not earned my name, but my tribe is the Uktena. We are many in this city. You'll be seeing many more of my brothers and sisters during your stay here." With that, he looked back down at his book, dismissing them.
Back out on the crowded street, the packmates looked to where they had been pointed seeing the Drawing room with purple neon lights at the end. It seemed modestly popular and decent enough to lose any pursuers in if indeed that was what this Garou was trying to do.
Making their way into the club, music that Mibahu(who was no fan of music.) sounded like techno blared in darkened space. The dance floor was crowded, but the booths and bar were more sparse. The pack headed there to get some breathing room and to look around.
It didn't take long for someone to stick out. Between the supernatural senses and spiritual kinship, a fellow Garou would stick out even in the densest crowd.
The boy was seated in a booth, alone with a drink in his hand and eyes that were constantly sweeping the room. Brienna turned to Mibahu.
"I will approach from the left, you the right. That way we can box him in if he tries to run." She smiled. "He would be pretty stupid to try to run." Mibahu didn't smile back but nodded and got into position, his heart beating faster than few other times in his life.
The boy spotted him first and stood up straight, almost spilling his drink. He swiftly turned his neck to look at Brienna on his left, his expression was one of barely suppressed nerves.
"Hello "Black dog.'" Brienna spoke first, placing a hand on the booth above the boy's head. He studied her, looking for something before breathing a sigh of relief and leaning back in his seat.
"Thank fuck. You aren't them. They would be dragging me by the hair to the dance floor by now…"
"Who?" Mibahu asked, taking a step forward.
"The Black spiral dancers. Those guys are hot on my ass. I need- Look, my name's Ryan. Let's talk outside 'kay? The parking lot is a lot less loud than this place." He gestures around and moves out of the booth, bumping into Brienna. The Fianna growled and shoved back, pushing Ryan back into the seat. He looked shocked, then angry, but Mibahu was already next to Brienna, a hand on her arm.
"It's okay. He's just nervous. We have the situation under control."
Brienna gave him a skeptical look. "Do we really? How do we know what he is? This could be a trap. The dancers are tricky fucks, everyone knows that." She glared at Ryan. "Get up and follow my packmate here. He leads, you follow and I watch your stupid back for any dumb moves, got it?"
Ryan looked like he wanted to argue, but instead threw up his hands and nodded. Following Fianna's instructions, the three of them marched out of the club and through an alley full of puking humans to the relatively deserted parking lot behind.
"Okay, guys. Don't freak out, especially you." He pointed at Brienna. "I am not a Black spiral dancer, but I was on track to being inducted into the tribe."
"What!?" Brienna shouted. Mibahu felt his heart race and shoulders hunch.
"Hey! What did I just say? I never got in. Chickened out at the last minute on route to the hive. God, the smell and looks on those bastards…"
Mibahu was confused. "Why did you run away? Why did you want to join those monsters?"
Ryan gave him a pitying look. "Cause screw the Garou nation that's why. Goddam bunch of self-righteous pricks who boss everyone around and use a bunch of outdated rules to keep the cubs down!" Remembering himself and who he was with, he looked down at the concrete. "I heard a good pitch on one of my patrols and joined up with a bunch of fellow cubs to fight the good fight. But when we met the Dancers.." He shivered in recollection.
Mibahu found himself wanting to believe the story. Everything about the way Ryan conducted himself pointed to it being true. Aah sometimes talked about the Ronin and Black spiral dancers during their travels and the seductive dangers they presented to Garou no matter the age, but especially the young.
He and Brienna shared a look, a habit that seemed to be forming as naturally as all the others that came with being a Garou, and nodded together.
"Alright. We need you to.."
Suddenly, howling laughter came from behind the three of them and they turned to see two Garou in Crinos form. Their fur was matted and black, with putrid green eyes and dozens of lesions. Their ears were batlike and twitched constantly as if bothered by flies.
"There you are you little shit!" Rasped one. "You think the Garou nation will protect a deserter like you? Think again dumbass!"
While the Black spiral was making his threats to Ryan, Mibahu and Brienna had panicked into shapeshifting into Crinos form. The change was fast, faster than he had ever done it before. It felt sloppy, not to mention horrible like his spirit was being kicked and punished into performing a trick. But that hardly mattered now that his life was truly in danger. He hadn't often ever had to enter Crinos, but every time he did, he never felt more alive, or aware of the type of killing machine he truly was.
The Strider pounced forward, attempting to strike at the nearest Spiral, unfortunately, the monster saw the attack coming and dodged, rolling sideways, with Brienna and Ryan now facing it in their war forms. The second Spiral laughed and took a combat position, although his form was sloppy(which did not mean he wasn't more powerful than Mibahu.).
The Spiral that had dodged Mibahu's attack now retaliated, almost mirroring the cub's previous action. Mibahu was not quick enough to block or dodge the filthy claws of the Spiral and they cut into his black fur. He felt physical pain like nothing else in his entire life. He let out a howl and stumbled back, instinctively putting a hand over his bleeding wound. The Spiral backed away as well and cackled like mad at his little victory. His pleasure was short-lived as his flank was soon set upon by a Grey Crinos with a red mane. Unfortunately, the Spiral was able to react fast enough and block the attack, his shoulder blades deflecting the claws and the two warriors were forced to circle each other, snarling and snapping their maws.
The second spiral watched all of this with amusement before returning his attention to Ryan.
"You should have joined your fellow cubs in the hive boy." He rasped with malice. "They now walk the spiral and are happier than they have ever been in their pathetic lives!" The spiral lunged, attempting to grab Ryan. The cub was too fast though and spun away, leaving the monster nothing but empty air.
"Bullshit! You guys are a bunch piece of shit liars." Ryan followed up the Spiral's grab with his own. It worked. The black, shaggy Crinos hooked an arm inside the Spirals and bent him over, pushing the creature down on the concrete so that he couldn't easily shake his attacker off.
The sight of Ryan's success invigorated Mibahu and he eyed with cold hate the Spiral circling with his packmate. Silently, like his tribe's namesake, he crept forward and when he judged the distance close enough, lunged forward to strike at the Spiral's back in revenge.
The slash was perfect. Biting deep in the gnarled flesh of the Spiral, blood oozed its way out of the creature, who howled in pain and rage. He turned, staring down and snapping at Mibahu, ready to do more damage, but Brienna seized the initiative and repeated her packmate's attack. In the Spiral's hurt and anger, he fell for the same attack and suffered the consequences: Blood exploding out as his mortal wound was opened up a second time. He collapsed on the ground, panting now.
Ryan was finding similar success with his Spiral. The monster was still pinned, although he was beginning to get the better of Ryan, but not before the cub had cut horrendously into the monster's back and shoulder blades. Mabahu looked to Brienna and growled.
"Help Ryan. I will finish this monster." The Fianna gave him a worried look, eyeing his wound. It made Mibahu feel a flash of resentment, but he buried it when she ran off, leaving him alone with the mortally wounded Spiral.
"Piece of shit cubs.." The monster growled to no one in particular. Mibahu kept his guard up, knowing that the Cronos form was still dangerous, even in a wounded state.
"You made a terrible mistake pursuing and attacking Ryan. Now I will finish you and send your soul to Gaia to beg forgiveness."
The Spiral laughed, then coughed up blood.
"You stupid little cunt..You are slaves…All of you are sla-!" Mibahu roared his defiance to the lies of the corrupt tribe and swiped his claws at the exposed threat of his foe. The cut was clean and the gurgling mess of a werewolf collapsed in a pool of bumbling blood and organs.
His first kill…Mibahu felt invigorated like never before. His Garou spirit and rage had been placated in a way that was wholly unique to his kind. He was now a soldier for the Garou nation and Gaia. If the Caern elder was to tell him when he returned that he was still a cub, it wouldn't have mattered. He was a true Garou, the proof was lying at his feet for all to see.
A series of snarls and howls woke Mibahu from his revelry, making him turn and see Brienna and Ryan move together, almost in perfect harmony, and slice on both sides of the last Spiral. The black-furred Crinos collapsed on its back, breathing shallow before ceasing completely. Mibahu approached his comrades, his body language and scent exuding victory, but the wound on Brienna's left arm made him pause and fill with worry. The Fianna caught his look and shrugged. Her body and scent were one of nonchalance but Mibahu found himself walking closer to reach out and touch it. The rage came back and now he felt the desire to desecrate the already ruined corpses until his packmate had been sufficiently avenged.
Sirens put a stop to that petty thought and Ryan stopped his euphoric whooping to tell them they needed to run. Brienna agreed and all three of them shifted back to Lupus form. Once again, the transformation was uncomfortable and sloppy, but there would be time to improve back at the Caern, where it was safe.
The three Garou disappeared down an alley and into the night streets of Gallup.
"Young Bone Gnawer. What do you have to say for yourself? What could possibly have possessed you to ignore every single warning your elders have given you about the corrupt tribe and pursue them?"
Ryan, who had revealed himself to the Caern elder as a once-Bone Gnawer Ahroun of Rio Rancho, said nothing, continuing to stare down the Sliver fang as if the older Garou didn't have the power of life and death over him at that moment.
Yuliy sighed and rubbed the fur on the back of his neck. Around him, the Wolves, Kinfolk, and Garou of the Sept watched the newcomer with suspicion. A recently defected Black spiral recruit was cause for concern and if he was not redeemed here and now, he would not be allowed to live. Mibahu knew that sometimes Caerns' would make the act of execution a group effort, where every member of the group could inflict a killing blow. He hoped that if execution were to come to Ryan, it was not that way.
Aah stood next to his charge, a hand on his shoulder and a smile permanently etched on his features. He was proud, that much was clear and Mibahu felt the happiest he ever had in a long time, maybe even ever, barring times with his mother.
Brienna's mentor was, however, not as impressed. She congratulated her charge on a successful mission, but otherwise kept her frown and focused on the event at hand. Brienna was clearly upset and Mibahu felt a strong pull to come over to her and reassure her but kept his place.
"Caern of the Red caverns. We must pass judgment on this cub. He has proven a turncoat on two accounts, but also a fearless warrior who assisted our newest pack with their first kills. This is a matter I leave in the hands of you. Is this cub worthy of returning to the Garou nation?"
Murmurs, whimpers, and grunts could be heard as wolf, Human, and Garou discussed in their own tongues what to do. The debate went on for minutes before an agreement was reached.
"The Silent strider and Fianna should decide his fate Elder." Said a burly gray furred Get of Fenris. Murmurs of agreement filled the grand hall. Mibahu, Ryan, and Brienna all looked at each other. Their answer was clear and never in doubt.
"Ryan made mistakes and I would be the first to doubt his true allegiances." Said Brienna. "But he demonstrated cooperation and bravery worthy of the nation. He deserves a second chance and, failing that, I will tear out his traitorous throat myself." She looked to her mentor as she said that and the redhead smiled just a bit.
The Caern erupted into affirmations and praises at the Fianna's words and MIbahu walked up to Ryan.
"I too have my reservations about Ryan, but he has proven himself a warrior for Gaia, at least today. I would be honored to fight by his side again."
"Then it is settled." Yuliy raised his arms in supplication to the spirits and Gaia. "Mother, Aunt, and all the spirits of the universe: Witness this night, as three cubs of the nation become adult warriors for your cause. Protect them and teach them your ways and bond them together as one pack, now and forever." A cacophony of oaths and praises was the reply from all.
Mibahu wasn't surprised by the inclusion of Ryan into their pack. They were only two and both Galliards. A new member of a different auspice was much needed. Hopefully, soon more Garou would be added and a complete pack could be formed.
Brianna took both Mibahu and a chuckling Ryan by the shoulders and smiled warmly. Mibahu returned the smile and basked in the praise and adoration of his peers and mentor. He knew, deep inside his heart that this was only the beginning of great things for him and his pack.
His new life as a warrior for the Garou nation started now.
I'm just getting into the tabletop RPG scene, while also trying to improve as a writer, so it was a real struggle, but rewarding endeavor putting it all together like this.
Hope you enjoy it. Comments and feedback are appreciated.