Left on the Doorstep

[Sunny Day]

"I'm less than twelve months into this, and even I know that's a bad idea. Nu Bath Githul. The herd shall not know. It's not hard."

She watched as her defiance pushed Bleed Well's buttons, with an interest. She was used to leaders being resistant to voices disagreeing, but agreeing? That's a new one for her. "I'm not here to make trouble, and I'm not questioning the ways or the laws. I'm more of a traditionalist than an innovator at heart, and I want to make fewer waves. Lets eat our tacos, drink our beer, and later you show me how a real wolf hunts. Cos I'm clocking some hefty primal power under the hood, and you don't get that way without walking a few battles."

She remained standing, or leaning, against the box. She was comfortable, having spent a long time sitting in the car.

[Tiny]

"Ugh, don't remind me. Once we get Chris back, we have to deal with that spirit." Tiny doesn't focus on the possibility that their irraka may not come back. When they had exhausted their options, then it would be appropriate to accept the more likely possibility that he wouldn't return.

"So you know what we are talking about Sunny Day, Sacramento had a large railyards that they are trying to develop. We have property of interest there, so we are planning on updating it to match the local development. There will be new shops, a new hospital, and the lynchpin is a new sports arena for a new soccer team. Unfortunately, just as we started getting our ideas, the major investor for the soccer team backed out. So now the city is trying to find other investors to compensate. They did it before for the Kings basketball team, but the question is can they pull another rabbit out of the hat.
Now, with that background, I think we should still go forward. If we are the greasy spoon out in the wilderness, we won't exactly be drowning in customers, but it will give us a secure position and we would have more impact on the land. Then if a new developer actually pulls it off later, we are positioned in strength instead of having to do this all over again."

"The oath is hard, Sunny Day. No tenet should be taken for granted or basic. If something was easy, we wouldn't have a commandment to do it. There are always edge cases, times when its hard to cleave to the oath. Its those times where following the oath is the most important. Sure, don't rip someone's head off in Gauru on the capital steps. But is it ok to shift into urshul to escape an Azlu ambush, even though you are on this side of the gauntlet? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If a man known to be crazy is your only witness, does the Herd know? But what if he has a camera? And when you have only a second to make that decision, things get complicated. Not to mention what happens if he takes pictures of the Azlu." The ralunim's black and white perspective drove Tiny crazy sometimes, but it was the balance they provided against the Irralunim that made the People work.

Tiny pours a hefty glass of scotch, Macallan 12 for Bleeds. "Now that I've got a bigger place, you'll have to tell me what kind of whiskey you like so I can stock it. I suspect this is too sweet for you. And I'll proudly tell you I hunted hard for clients to get the resources to get this. Had to cold call 5 different law firms to find a lawyer lazy enough to have me do the work for him. But if you ever get yourself a deer, you bring it to me and i'll whip you up a midwestern chili "

[Bleeds Well]

Bleeds Well nods, obviously pleased to hunt. "Anytime. If you need to stretch your legs I can show you where to run, and where to stalk. Ughk, wait till you meet Alpha or our Ritesmaster in the Hisil." He gives Tiny a knowing look. Bleeds Well is the youngest of 'Big Three'... "Just wait till you see the Brands of our Ritemaster, or feel the weight our our Alpha's presence. Clarion's Call has not survived all these years without a solid foundation." A pause and a tilt of his head, "Though I imagine with a little time and reputation you'd be a rival to any Alpha but Hector." The wolf is satiated, anyone enthusiastic to hunt gets the stamp of approval from the Purest, and a little complement can always go a long way to soothe a young beast.

He accepts the Scotch and answers Tiny's hypothetical with a frown, "Kill the Azlu, kill the Herd, break the camera. No need for Urshul, . An errant sheep must be slaughtered for the good of the herd at times. If it's a phone, get Emily to make a deal with an information spirit to remove the video from the internet. Pay the Spirit the debt you owe. Nu Bath githul. Hypotheticals are a waste of time. Silly mental exercise of the Elodoth." He shakes his head as if his way is clearly the only way, and the only acceptable answer.

"I'll be sure you are wearing an apron by this weekend. The river lowlands to the east are starting to become active as spring takes hold. Taking down a few older bucks will make it easier for the fawns to survive to summer. Makes some room in the herds."

He raises the glass, "To Chris," taking a sip he tries to conceal his distaste. "Laphroaig or a Knob Creek Bourbon is more to my taste, but this is a fine... whiskey. I'm not sure I'd call using a telephone hunting, Urum du Takus not Eren du Takus." The words taste sour in his mouth, he didn't come here to argue with the lawyer. "But I am proud of your success brother. You bring strength uniquely your own to the pack."

[Sunny Day]

The leaning Cahalith continued to nurse her beer, and listened to the plans for the rail yards. "I mean, better to not kill the herd, that invites investigations from authorities and hunters, not to mention generates a ghost that then needs to be repaid. Idigathim exists. Might as well check it worked before taking to culling the herd." She gave a slight smirk. "Think of it less as a hypothetical, and more training. Got to be ready and trained for a situation before it comes to pass when possible. But, that's just silly Elodoth stuff I guess. Can't argue with killing the azlu though."

She look a longer drink, and crossed the room, moving to take a chair and spun it on the spot, straddling it. "Hunt this weekend? I would be very keen to participate, I need to have paws again, I'm missing it. But if it's pack only, I get it."

Sunny just listened as the final bits of the conversation came. She raised her bottle slightly at the toast, but didn't make a big thing of it. You show respect when you can, even if you don't have all the context.

[Tiny]

Tiny nods, "An answer worthy of Destroyer Wolf's get." He laughs, then turns to a light scolding to Sunny Day, "And if you try to take on an Azlu nest by yourself without us I will work with Emily to get your ghost back so Hector can tell you how disappointed he is. We are a pack, and we do things together." They already had one packmember go missing going solo.
"Hypotheticals are often a waste of time, but many times they reveal much, both about the asker and the asked."


"I've seen Knob." Tiny catches the wince. He says nothing, but writes down the Knob on the grocery list. "I have the macallan for work, its very traditional with the east coast lawyers and businessfolk to celebrate deals. I personally can't stand the stuff, but i know most wolves like it." He pours another glass of wine for himself.


"I owe Bleeds a hunt anyway, and I learned a fun trick from a Irralunim about hunting, it would be exciting to try it out." Tiny says with genuine enthusiasm and pride. "Are the deer here best hunted at dawn? In cleveland it was dawn in summer and dusk in winter, but there doesn't seem to be snow here. Hunting in a snowstorm is a lot of fun; you ever get a chance to do it?"

[Bleeds Well]

Only a shrug is offered to Sunny Day, "Killing the herd is sometimes necessary. You are a natural predator to them, and they know they are prey to you. To protect our Oath, our secrets, our territories, some of them will die. We have ways to protect our secrets, safely dispose of the bodies. That might sound shocking to you now, as a daughter of Death Wolf I'm sure you'll see the wisdom in culling should it be necessary. Respect your Prey, isn't show them mercy. Idigathim is a fallible last resort."

The brooding warrior takes another sip before nodding to Bastion, "Hunt this weekend. You all don't hunt nearly enough." A knowing chuckle comes from Bastion's question. He's silent for a moment, lost in the memories of his journey down from the Dakota's and across the treacherous Colorado landscape; his brush with the Red Knives "Might not get the chance here, but we could take a little trip up to the mountains this winter so you can show me."