Following Orders

[Tiny]

"So thats what you want for yourself, to be better. You identified shortcomings" Never weaknesses, "and the next step is to come up with concrete plans to improve them. you recommend training and weapons, a good plan, and one that details of which can be worked out."


Tiny nods his head in shared sympathy for Hector,


"I have no answers for you, but I have a comparison and more questions.


The oath is hard. We hold ourselves to it because it is important, but its not something easy. There are blood talons who wish to offer mercy. There are bone shadows who wish to be generous or malign to spirits without cause. There are Hunters in Darkness who find nothing sacred. There are even iron masters who have become comfortable, and do not wish for change.


When Winter wolf saw Father wolf die, he howled his grief. Right at the wrong time, when the others looked to him for strength, he showed weakness. And now every storm lord must hide their weaknesses. Not to deny that we have them, which some will argue, but because our weakness can cause others pain.
This is fucking hard. Its hard for all of us. Anyone who says following the oath is easy is hiding away from their duty or lying.


Some questions I have for you, to inspire your for ideas: Should there be more explicit punishments for violating oaths, or approximating a violation? Should we do collective punishment, that when an oath is broken, it is the whole pack who must atone?
Is it right to have just one wolf be in charge of the oath? If we have that one hold us all to account, does it externalize what should be an internal check?
Should we rewarding adhering to the oath, instead of punishing its violations?
And lastly, how can you use your desire for Glory as a strength in this?"
Tiny doesn't seem to give any question any particular significance, except for the last one. This he asks with a slower cadence, stressing its importance.

[Hector]

Hector exhaled, surprised at how loud his breath sounded in his own ears. He could only nod along with the Elodoth's sentiments. He paused; thought about his response; paused again. Then he made to say something; paused again.

"Not sure I agree with having explicit punishments laid out. One day that could burn us. You're a lawyer with the Herd. You know this already. We... We gotta be flexible."

He had been forced to ostracise a pack-mate already over an action that actually preserved the pack's privacy and the secrecy of their world from the eyes of the Herd (in his considered opinion). He did not want to be placed in such a situation again.

"I hear that there are certain types of ritual that can help with managing atonement and such things. I don't think any of us have the knowledge of them. So maybe that is an option. Something to look into anyhow."

"Rewards work better than punishments in the long term, I think. I've seen top-down control all my life and at a certain point, any teaching ability that kind fo power possesses drains away and it becomes just about who has the bigger ego and the bigger fist. That kind of power is also fragile. Take the leverage away and it just becomes a joke. Rewards take longer to lay down, sure... But it encourages you to change..."

"I dunno about how Glory helps here. Leading by example... Living by example.... Well, thats Purity, not Glory."

He sighs again, posture slumping.

"Got something to add?"

Hector addresses Galina but doesn't turn to face her.

[Galina]

Being unable to do anything else than smile as Tiny spoke, holding back a chuckle ahh philosophy and deep thinking now that rhymed so well within the aspects she were used to hear. True in the long run it did give her a headache more often than not but it had helped to shape her into who she were and it did feel familiar which were always a welcomed feeling.

Taking in the answers of the alpha, this were an opportune moment to learn from them both.

Slowly shaking her head.
"Not much, one cannot be in charge of the oath one can be primary but we all must watch one another." That was always the best, everyone in the world needed support in the long run. "Unless I am mistaken so were Emily skilled with the spirits and might know the ritual."

Remaining still by her position.
"For now I am quite glad for the opportunity to see how you reason and think, to see what kind of leader you are and what kind of family I now belong to. I am a follower though far more than anything else."

[Tiny]

"if you want that Rite of contrition to happen, I'll learn it. I've been working on learning more rites anyway." And if Emily learned it too, that was a bonus. In case one of them got- well.

"If leading by example is Purity, then leading by encouragement, by exhortation and calling out the success of others is leading by Glory. A good leader does great things, and expects others to follow. A good leader encourages the great things in others, and lauds them for achieving them. But you can use glory not just as a leader. The paths to power are not the only paths, and power is not the only destination. You have done great deeds, how can you use those deeds to inspire others?"
Tiny accepts Hector's statement on purity vs glory.
"And Hector, you walk a difficult line. Cunning and Glory are not diametrically opposed, but they do struggle against each other. Is there a way you can use both?"

"Galina. A follower is a responsibility, not an opportunity to coast." Tiny's reprimand is delivered gently, but firmly. No one was safe from the Omega's push to make the pack better. "You have traveled through two other lands, and these are not new problems. How have they been addressed in other packs that you have run with?"

"I will answer as well. We follow you, so we follow your actions. Sometimes the simplest answers are the best. And sometimes several small changes can create a big change."

[Hector]

Hector bit his lower lip and his pose shifted into something more thoughtful. He at last turned his head to look over the Rahu where she stood; but for this conversation it was Tiny that held his attention, and it was to the Elodoth that his gaze returned.

"I was acclaimed Alpha by the pack - as it was back then. Since then I've tried to lead with a gentle hand... I'll provide momentum where I have to and drag everyone else along. Some things I'll demonstrate. Or provide an opportunity... Like, I've always been interested in patrolling our borders - either as a full pack or in smaller numbers..."

Not so much recently.

"Cunning and Glory. Yeah... Cunning is easier when you're besieged. Ah. I've tried for years to make the pack seem bigger than it is; that we are everywhere at once. For the most part it has worked. Glory for deeds - hunting; patrolling; policing the spirit wilds from time to time. I think that strategy worked better when we had space to roam."

He sniffed.

"I'd sing for the Lunes, too. But I'm not one for blowing my own trumpet. I'll tell other people's story. But right now you two don't have much to tell. Plenty to build on. Nothing grand. Nothing... here. What do you think, Tiny? You and Galina build up your renown with the Spirit Courts? Your names becoming known will enhance the name of the pack. Which we might be able to leverage for some allies. And we badly need allies now. Glory. Cunning. A bit of Wisdom and maybe a dash or two of Honor?"

[Galina]

Giving them both a stern look.
"My job as a follower is to listen, to obey and to be loyal." Giving the words a second to sink in. "But also to keep track of the one I follow, to see that they do not fall and that they keep to the path. And if things fall be the first to react and put the one I follow down or under confinement depending on the situation. Best case scenario just report their behavior and then we can deal with it as a unit." There were always rules/laws to follow that should not be broken.

"I have only been in one group before and there we were few wolf's, the humans did not know the wolf aspects we did and adhered to of course but they were held to rules and standards." Thinking for a bit. "We had rather hefty punishments, all from finger loss to excommunication all depending on the error."

[Tiny]

Tiny nods along with Hector as the Cahalith speaks. He appreciates that Hector is taking his questions seriously, and that he is working hard to improve.

"If I understand you correctly, I think i know what you are trying to suggest. Consider the 'forbidden zone' idea for cunning and glory. A place so dangerous everyone knows of it, but no one knows what exactly happens. Those that return speak of conflicting, near fatal encounters that hounded them from the moment they stepped into the area. Those that don't return, well, res ipsa loquitur. It sounds like that is what you want our territory to be. And it would fit with red wolf's dictum as well."

"As for the Renown, I'm happy to go deeper in Wisdom, and always happy to find any Honor. Though today, we are discussing for Purity." After all, to call out your alpha for threatening the oath was certainly worthy of the attention of the Ralunim.

Tiny listens as Galina speaks, letting her words settle. She saw herself as a follower, but also one who was to plunge in the knife in the back of a bad leader. That was a new facet to her personality, and one that he filed away in her folder.

Her remarks about being in another group, and a mixed one of werewolves and humans was interesting. Every pack ran things differently, but a mixed pack with humans was very unsual. Were they wolf blooded? Curious. The punishments were harsh, but he'd heard of harsher. Branding and banishment to the hisil were two that came to mind immediately.

He won't get into her lack of answer for Hector. If Hector wants to comment on it, he can. Tiny's role here isn't to punish, but call things out that aren't right, and he has done so. "That is a fairly unusual pack makeup. I admit, I have not heard of it before. Is it an old pack? Something done in multiple packs in that area?"

[Hector]

Hector's gaze stays on the Rahu.

"You're a follower who obeys, listens, and is loyal... And you keep track of your superiors if they don't square up and keep to the path? OK. Whose path - yours or theirs?"

His posture shifted, tensed. He wasn't going to give her an unrestricted view of his back from now on. With shifty eyes, rather than a turn of head, the Alpha returns his attention to Tiny and tries to follow what the Elodoth is saying. Hector has no Latin.

"Thats the general idea. Just enough deception to keep the pressure off; just enough mystery so that no one realises how small a pack we are and just how big our protectorate is. And that goes for the spirit wilds as well as an nearby wolf-packs."

[Galina]

"No it was different, the family had their job and estate since old times and kept up with a lot of mortal affairs or rather their lands. For that we needed humans and even if we weren't the same so were they friends." Looking away for a second, bloody images filling her mind. "There were an inner circle who handled all the wolf aspects and a right hand man who served as the link in between but they perished in a battle a couple of months prior to my joining. So we were only two wolves there, I met others but I felt at home with my father."

A look at the alpha.
"One of reason and logic, the oath of the moon and humanity. Senseless killing of either our brethren or humans are not acceptable nor is the destruction of nature. I do prefer a discussion though as it sometimes can be hard to see the meaning behind actions hence report and discuss as a unit."

[Tiny]

"So if we want to create a forbidden zone, how do we accomplish that? We need to invite people in, and then scare the snot out of them. and not just Pure. But we start with ridden or other troublesome spirits. Or the Spiders. They talk too. We need rumors, and when someone bites on those rumors, we pounce on them like a chew toy.

Though we've moved away from the original discussion of how to handle the Oath." Tiny adds, redirecting the conversation back to the difficult topic at hand.

Tiny is confused by the mention of her Father. Does she mean the adoptive one? probably best not to pry in this situation. He nods in understanding, there isn't anything really to say at this point now.