Renown
"...and for thee, Marcus the Ronin, Moon Runner
Six of Six, Hunter of the Mountains; for thy superior intuitive perception
and uncommon valor on the field of battle; for thy fearlessness in the face
of grave danger; for thy unhesitant willingness to place the common good
above risk to self; for thy demonstration of the highest qualities of the
Garou, pleasing to Gaea Earthmother and Sister Luna; and having been
recognized by all to be thus deserving; for thee, in the Name and for the
Glory of Gaea -- thou art Renowned amongst Garou!"
Peytor Silver Fang, Leader
of the Sept, having finished his oration, throws his head back and lets
loose a powerful howl. And the rest of the assembled Garou, 63 strong, do
likewise. And for the duration of that howl, the very hills shake and it is
said later that the Wyrm itself knew fear.
When the howls subside,
Peytor approaches Marcus. The Elder dips a finger into a ceremonial bowl
which a younger Garou beside him holds. He withdraws his finger, touches it
to Marcus' left cheek and paints a curved symbol thereon. He paints the same
design on Marcus' right cheek.
The Elder's voice rises
again. "No longer art thou Hunter of the Mountains. Be it known, from this
moment forth, in view of all witnesses here -- thou art Seeker of the
Crescent Moon!"
Peytor lays his hands on Marcus' shoulders, smiles
and, in a quiet voice says, "Well done, Pup!" Then he turns the Elf so that
he faces the rest of the Sept. On each cheek is a white arc -- symbol of the
Crescent Moon. The applause and cheers are loud and long -- but nowhere
louder nor longer than from the five Garou standing together in the front
and center of the assembly ... Nagha his Leader, Rikard his Keeper (leaning
on a crutch), Shanti his Shamaness and his two Sisters, Natalia and Jemi.
Marcus' eyes mist and he wills them to be still -- tears will not do, not
now of all times!
And if any moment of his life has ever been
happier than this one, he's incapable of recalling it.
"The Moot is adjourned!"
declares Peytor and he strikes the stone pedestal with his rock.
Marcus now realizes he was
holding his breath and he lets it out in a sudden rush. He runs to his
packmates and tries to embrace all five of them at once. Smiles, hugs,
backslaps and good wishes all around as other Garou come forward to
congratulate him. Then the crowd gradually disperses and moves toward the
site of the Revel.
Natalia, his older pack sister, 4th of six,
remains with Marcus after the others move on. She slips an arm around his
shoulders and ruffles his hair. "Well, just look at YOU, Marc!" she beams.
"Growing up so fast!"
He smiles back and wraps his arms around her
slender waist. Her small frame belies the feral strength held within; he
reminds himself how easy it would be for her to break him in half -- and how
glad he is to be on her good side. And then he chuckles, because that's an
understatement -- none in the pack are closer than he and Natalia. He looks
up at her. At 162 centimeters, he's unusually tall for an elf, but she still
has him on height.
"Ready for your big trip tomorrow?" she asks,
still smiling.
He nods. "Yes, all packed. Especially your gift,"
he adds, referring to the naginata she had brought him from-- He frowns.
"How did you ever come by such a thing, Nat? Where do you always get such
stuff?!"
She chuckles and smiles enigmatically. "Oh, I get
around, Marc. And speaking of 'getting around', how are you getting to Kerei
anyway?"
"Oh," he replies. "Well, I'll head for the city
docks tomorrow morning and get passage on the 'Fairweather' to Souvrael.
From there I'm told there's another boat to Kerei. May take me a bit, but--"
She laughs. "Oh yes! A
'bit' alright! No, no, Little Brother -- you're coming with me tomorrow! I'm
taking you to Kerei."
Marcus' mouth falls open. Sail with Natalia on her
ship? "You -- you really mean it?" he stammers, then frowns. "But you just
got back three weeks ago and I thought you can't leave again so soon?"
She waves a hand
dismissively. "Leader took care of it. I may go. The Sept will run without
me a while longer. And I'm sorry, but I am not going to miss a chance to
introduce my favorite pup to the big, wide world beyond Darkwind!" She
ruffles his hair again.
Marcus gapes in happy
disbelief. "But -- just for me?"
She chuckles. "OK, not
just for you. Since I'm going, there's some Sept business I'll handle.
Jeffar was supposed to do it but, this works out better, I think."
Marcus smiles happily and
hugs her. "Thanks, Nat! You're the absolute best!"
Natalia hugs him back and
answers quietly, "You're welcome, Little Brother." Then she pulls away and
playfully whacks him on the head. "Now get moving! You have a Revel to
attend!"
He frowns. "Aren't you coming?"
She sighs and shakes her
head. "Not this time, Marc. I've got Warder Duty tonight."
His face falls. "Oh."
She chuckles. "Well,
somebody has to protect the Caern while you wolves are out revelling,
right?"
Marcus sighs. "Can't the Wyrm take just one night
off?"
"Oh, Marc," she smiles. "We'll have weeks at sea
together, so don't worry over one night." She gives a little laugh. "You'll
probably get sick of me!"
Marcus shakes his head.
"No. I'll never get sick of you, Big Sister."
She smiles gently. "Nor I
of you, Little Brother."
They hold each others'
gaze for a moment. And then she whacks his head again. "Now get going, Pup!
It's Revel time for you!"
"OK, ok! I'm going!" he
laughs. "Have a quiet night, Nat."
"And you have anything
but a 'quiet' night, Marc!"
He grins at her and
hurries toward the site of the Revel.