Garou : The Path to Healing

[Keira Kelly]

Sara sat in the quiet shade beside a forest pond, sitting on a large rock, contemplating much of what had happened in the past. Though she wished to, she knew better than to stare into the calm, pristine waters beside her. In all this time, she had still not mastered always keeping herself in this physical world. The shiny, dark, mirror-like surface of that pond still had the potential to pull her into the spirit realm and so, she stared at the ground around her instead, at the rocks, the blades of grass, small insects that roamed the forest floor around her.

In her hands, she held a feather. In the past couple of months since she had received the item, she had added bits of leather thong and beards to the end of the feather, a proper decoration for a fetish that a spirit was bound to, a spirit that had pledged itself to her. A tear fell from her face onto her hand holding the owl-feather fetish. It had been two months now since the owl spirits had bound themselves to the small Garou pack. Two months since they had attempted the task the owl spirits had asked of them. Two months since they had failed.

They had failed. Simply put. Or perhaps it would have been better to say they had merely not succeeded, but it still tore at Sara's heart even so. They had failed, and seven children or pups had died at the hands of the corrupted. She ran her hand over the feather in which Strix, a spirit serving Owl, was bound within. They spirits, though heartbroken as well, had placed no blame on Sara or her packmates. The odds merely had been against them, the corruption of the Wendigo Sept had spread too much for only three younger Garou to truly deal with. By the time they had gotten to the location of the former Wendigo Caern, they had merely found the torn bodies of the young to-be-Garou, looking to have been savaged in a brutal frenzy of bloodlust.

What had come after was nearly as bad to the Child of Gaia werewolf. Ho'nehe, Lisa and Sara had tracked down the rogue Wendigo Sept, finding them communing with the Wyrm spirits that had corrupted them. The three Garou had fought, each to their own strengths of course, and had managed to slay all the child-killer Wendigo.

That had been two months ago and it still hurt, still was often on Sara's mind. It hurt the Child of Gaia that she had had to kill... something that she had found offensive to do, but there had been no other choice. She had told Lisa that if it proved necessary, she would kill the enemy.. and these Wendigo had indeed turned into the enemy, but it still took something precious from deep inside her for having done the deed. And it hurt even more having found those poor children who would never be allowed to live their lives, to grow up and become the warriors protecting the world.

Sara sighed heavily, fighting the urge to go and stare at the lake and maybe be drawn somewhere at random in the spirit world. The three of them had each taken the loss of the Uktena children hard. Her and Ho'nehe were still in frequent contact but it seemed that Lisa had withdrawn into her workshop and into her anger. The other two had decided to give the Glass Walker Ahroun space and time. But now... that might have to change...

The Child of Gaia sighed again, bringing her head up now, looking out through the forest around her. She had left a message for Ho'nehe to meet her out here this afternoon. She had sunk nearly to the bottom of despair but something had happened that... maybe could bring some purpose, some redemption for her, something she would need help with. She would ask Ho'nehe for that help when he arrived.

[Ghaz]

Ho'nehe was out getting some fresh air thinking about everything that had happened with the children. He was saddened about not being able to protect them and how he failed the task they were entrusted with. Ho'nehe couldn't help but feel like he failed not just the spirits and the children but he also felt like he failed all of Uktena. He couldn't help but feel like he couldn't face his elders because of what happened but knew he had to keep fighting to protect all the tribes. He was a little glad that him and the others managed to avenge the children by killing the corrupted Wendigo's and knowing they wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else made him feel a little better but he knew this was only going to be the beginning.

He took a deep sigh after thinking about everything that happened a couple of months ago and remembered that he had to meet Sara. He had kept communication with Sara more than Lisa mainly because Lisa scares him a little but he wasn't going to tell her that. He made his way to were he thought Sara would be and eventually found her. He was glad that he at least had a decent friendship with Sara but he was wondering if she had any idea of what to do next after everything.

He gave Sara a small smile asing "Hey how are you?" Ho'nehe didn't know what the plan was so he smiled and listened to what Sara was going to say. He was hoping that they were going to go do something so it could take his mind off of everything.

[Keira Kelly]

Sara started as she suddenly heard the crunch of leaves and sticks only feet behind her. She spun around, half off her rock seat when she realized it was only Ho'nehe. Well, he had always been pretty good at stealth since she had known him. She flashed him a quick smile of greeting, heartfelt but fleeting. The expression became a bit pained when he asked how she was doing. After a moment, she shrugged. "The same as always, I guess. You?" she asked in turn politely. She didn't want to go into detail about herself right now, how close she thought she must have been to Harano a number of times in the recent weeks...

She shook her head lightly to clear it, wiping away a stray tear that remained and taking a deep breath before getting into the meat of why she had contacted Ho'nehe. She licked at her lips, an almost nervous gesture. "We may have an issue." she began slowly. Ho'nehe had been staying mostly still with his former Sept, but Sara, wanting to give Lisa space, had moved into town and so had access to far more information about recent happenings there. She paused again, trying to frame what she needed to say.

"There's this waste storage company that set up shop between us and the next town over." she explained. "A lot of people from both towns have been hired to work at this place... but.. something seems off." she said, furrowing her brow. "I don't know how to explain it. The people working there, when they come into to town, just seem... off. They don't smell right. Don't.. act quite right." she added. "Not all of them.. and I can't say I KNOW all of them either... but.. something is making me nervous in town and I think it has to do with that GreenCo Waste Disposal facility..." she ended.

She took a deep breath. "I went there one night to check it out on my own and... well, it was pretty heavily guarded. Even with my Owl's Passage fetish, I couldn't get very far in. And I didn't want to push my luck either, being alone, without having told anyone else of my suspicions." she explained. She paused again. "I stepped sideways near to that place too.... The Umbra over there.. well, I would have expected the Weaver. I didn't find much of anything though. Nothing definitive anyways..." she added. "Just the lack of the Weaver in a human-made place to deal with chemicals and things though is suspicious enough for me though."

She thought about suggesting they go and get Lisa but.. well, the last time she had tried to speak to their other packmate about what had happened, the Ahroun had thrown large pieces of metal at Sara, driving her off. Well, maybe Lisa's boyfriend, Dean, would be around. Sara had seen him around town once or twice in the past few weeks, though she had been careful to try to avoid his notice. Sara wouldn't seek him out this time but.. well, if they just happened to run into him, they could at least maybe get an indirect idea of how Lisa was doing.

She frowned. "I think we need to do something about this, Ho'nehe. Figure out what the hell is going on there. What is happening to the townspeople... I want to see if you can get any kind of sense on some of the people there." she told him. "See if you can detect anything." She glanced up, judging where the sun was. She could just have easily checked her watch but... well, the sun's position just occurred to her first. "This evening, every evening... the bar in town fills up pretty well. There are bound to be some of the company workers there as always. I want to see what you think, if that is all right with you?" she asked.

[Ghaz]

He smiled at her answer and then said "I'm alright I guess." He sighed at his own words but started to focus on Sara and what she was saying. After hearing about the issue he thought for a moment saying "Honestly you would know more than I when it comes to them so Ill take your word for it." He didn't really know how they act since its really rare when he leaves the Sept since they were like his family. After hearing the information and her suspicions he thought for a moment but still if Sara was suspicious they should probably investigate. After everything that they have been thorough he knew he could trust her judgement.

He thought about her words of it being heavily guarded and said "Are places like that usually heavily guarded?" At hearing what she said about the weaver he nodded then quickly said "I hope you know that next time you go to investigate a strange place you can ask me to come with after all we are friends." He wasn't to happy that she went alone but was glad that she was okay and nothing bad happened.

When she recommended they visit the town he made a grimaced expression then saying "I don't really know much about the town but if you think we should then I agree just don't leave me alone there." Ho'nehe wasn't excited to visit town but she was right and if she was right about something was wrong with the workers he should be able to sense it. He looked around trying to not think about the town then said "Okay well I guess I'm as ready as I will ever be." He was a bit nervous about going to town but tried to make sure he didn't show it more then he already was.

[Keira Kelly]

Sara opened her mouth to answer Ho'nehe's first question but stopped, frowning. After a moment, she shrugged, looking a bit perplexed. "That is a very question. I have no clue if places like that are normally heavily guarded or not.. since I'm not really familiar at all with human businesses like that." She gave him a look. "You may not interact in the human world much but I've never been one to go traipsing about human industrial businesses either." she added. She arched an eyebrow as his admonition to her. "I was there. Closer. I followed some of the people from town in, some of the ones acting funny. Coming to get you would have had me lose them and travel in the complete opposite direction." she rebutted. She did give him a hint of a smile though, an acknowledgement that she knew he was only worried for her. "I was careful and you know, if I had had the option, I would have let you in on it."

She chuckled at seeing Ho'nehe's pained expression at the idea of going into town; it had been a while since she had actually laughed and it felt good. "Don't get worked up about it, Ho'nehe. We go in there, go in the bar, find a quiet seat, order a drink and just watch people." she explained with a grin. "I'll be right beside you the whole time." she added in a bit of a teasing voice. "I'll even pay the bar bill!" Well, with what little money she had from picking up odd jobs in town. She had to pay her rent now that she was living there somehow, not to mention food.

She stood up from her rock, feeling a bit lighter-hearted and slapped Ho'nehe on the back. "Come on then." she said. "We will use the Umbra and save ourselves some time getting there." With her hand on his back, she led him down closer to the nearby water, staring at it now that she truly intended on stepping sideways. She had always been the best at stepping sideways into the Umbra of their small pack, sometimes too good in fact.. but in any case, she often took the lead in passing through the Gauntlet to make it easier for the others. As she stared into the reflective water, she felt the lurching shift pull at her and tightened her hand on Ho'nehe's shoulder.

Just as sudden, the feeling was gone. Around them was still the forest but now it had a surreal glow, with wisps of light darting around. She removed her hand from the Uktena's shoulder and darted an impish smile at him. "Race you there!" she said, slipping into her lupus form, the grey-brown hide with white underbelly and yellow-green eyes. She waited only long enough to see Ho'nehe begin to change form before she took off, knowing these woods well, and thanks to Unicorn, her totem, she moved quicker here than she ever could in the normal world, moving at least twice the speed that her wolf-form could normally reach.

It was a rush, speeding through the spectral spirit forest, dodging 'trees' and other obstacles and all too soon it was over as the forest thinned out, leading into an area that had hints of Weaver to it instead. Stopping well before they left the last trees though, Sara stopped, moving back and finding a nearby pond. The pond glowed with a liliac shimmer as she reverted to her human form. "Close enough to town." she said to Ho'nehe. She had used this pond in the Umbra often enough and knew it would be a bit easier to slip back into the normal world here. The Gauntlet was still thicker thanks to the Weaver's close presence in the town but... it was doable.

She led the Uktena down to the water, taking his hand as she stared deep into the glowing pond, trying to part the Gauntlet and felt the familiar sensation of moving between the worlds. The pond lost its glow, the forest lighting became subdued to normal. Sara let go of Ho'nehe's hand as she glanced around, making sure there was no one in the area, no one who could have seen them appear out of thin air. Thankfully, this pond was pretty isolated; one of the reasons she used it so much. She looked back at her packmate with a smile. "Well, that was fun.. Maybe after all of this is over, we should start exploring the Umbra more." she suggested, beginning to walk in the direction of town.

It wasn't too long before they began encountering the buildings at the edge of town, seeing houses and other buildings becoming bigger and closer together. At first, Sara hadn't really been keen on living here but it had grown on her.. at least, being not isolated had grown on her. She had a few acquaintances here now that she talked to here and there but nothing she would call a friendship even. Having to hide who and what you were did not make for a good foundation for friendship.

She led Ho'nehe down the right streets until they finally made it to Main Street, and down to where the local bar was. There was more than one in this town but this.. this one was THE place to be for the locals. As they walked inside, Sara glanced around. The bar was a pretty good size for a bar, since it was often quite busy, though right now, business was only beginning. In another hour or so, there would be droves in here, while for now, there was maybe twenty people total including the few servers. Sara glanced at her friend out of the corner of her eye as she began steering them towards the bartender. "What do you want to drink?" she asked the Uktena. More under her breath, she added. "We'll order some drinks and then find a good seat to keep a watch out." she said quietly.

[Ghaz]

Ho'nehe listened to Sara answer his questions but was a little worried that they lack information about how things are around certain places. He continued to listen and smiled that she at least knew that she wasn't alone in this. He wasn't comfortable with going into the bar but was wiling to go if it was going to help Sara. At hearing that she would pay he started to wonder what kind of drinks he would be able to get but was happy to have at least Sara there with him so he wouldn't be alone and he knew watching people shouldn't be to difficult. "I wouldn't mind a drink while we keep an eye out." He says while giving a smile.

He got ready when she said they should use the umbra to travel to safe time and then followed close to her going closer to the water. He felt a little unbalanced and when the feeling went away he looked around with a smile and then to Sara and watched her turn and then he quickly joined her in Lupus form that had reddish-black fur and quickly followed Sara running through the forest. When they reached close to their destination he returned back to human form when he saw her do so. He followed her back to the water feeling her grab his hand and started to go back into the water. After a little they return back to normal and smiled listening to her words and saying "That would be interesting to do once I know everything is save with the tribes." As interesting as that would be his priority was his tribes safety and the safety of the others tribes as well.

When they entered the town he looked around sticking close to Sara and follow her lead since she knows where to go. Ho'nehe followed her and entered the bar and just followed her lead then answered her saying with a smile "Ill have what ever your having." He didn't know what to order so he would let Sara surprise him with something. He looked the bar seeing what they have and how many people are here before turning his attention back to Sara.

[rivaan]

In one of hte corners of the bar, where the table and the seats were neatly secured from view because of the furnishings and decorations, a lone man sat in silence, drinking a big glass of whiskey with ice. Next to his hand was a bottle that was almost empty. Now it had to be said that he didn't drink it all, it was the bottle they were pouring the whiskey at the bar, he just bought what was left in it which by the going was 3 glasses worth. He was on his second one. The man just stared at the alcohol and the ice, wondering where and why everything had gone so wrong? Just two months ago everything had been on the uptake, future looked brighter and then suddenly everything began crumbling around him. It was so sudden, there was nary a warning...

Sadly staring into the glass wasn't procuring the answers he wished it had. He took another serious gulp from the whiskey. He felt powerless... and in the frankly depressing and devastating mood and state of mind he was, he barely missed the familiar voice of the newcomers into the bar. Dean blinked a few times, to scatter the fog that was hanging and weighting on his mind as he saw Sara and Ho'nehe. The man he barely knew, but Sara was a whole different thing. It was hard to not know her when you were going out with Lisa after all... Just thinking of her name made him hurt. He wanted to call out to the duo and talk to them about Lisa and what had happened back then. His love had left with them and when they all returned she was just... different. He didn't know what had transpired and honestly it hurt him, hurt so much to be unable to help Lisa. Struggling to call out, his voice refusing to be brought to bare, he finally grit his teeth and in one go brought the whiskey glass to his lips and drank it all.

Dean, carefully set the glass down and got to his feet, walking forwards to the duo that had arrived. They looked like they were looking to sit down and have a drink." Whatever it is they order, I'll pay." Dean state when he finally reached them at the bar. It was probably bad manners to approach from behind like that and announce his presence in such a surprising way, but he frankly didn't care." Hey, Sarah, Ho'nehe..." He greeted them. His voice was unusually raspy and his general appearance didn't look too healthy either. Dean was usually very energetic and healthy man, but right now he looked like if he had aged. His looks were haggard, exhausted and the black shadows underneath his eyes were deep and saturated. He looked like a man who had been going through hell for a good while now." We need to talk about Lisa..." Whatever it was that had devastated his love, these two were aware of it and it was time to deal with it, one way or another.