When a cub takes his first wound in battle, the Blood Talons celebrate. To face death and survive, to be wounded in service to the memory of Father Wolf, is a glorious thing. Blood Talons perform this rite the first time a cub newly initiated into the tribe is severely injured in battle. The Rite of First Blood commemorates the event, which is considered a major milestone in a Blood Talon’s life and a truly Glorious event.
Performing the Rite
This rite can be performed only on an Uratha who has been severely wounded in battle (that is, who has suffered an aggravated wound), and an individual can be the recipient of this rite only once.
The ritualist gathers the tribe, ideally at the site of the battle or at a location designated tur. The ritualist stands in the center of the assembled tribe with the honored initiate kneeling beside him, and the ritualist declares the initiate’s deeds and injuries. The ritualist then pulls the initiate to his feet, proclaiming him to be unbroken and a worthy inheritor of Fenris-Ur’s legacy. The assembled werewolves howl their approval, and each takes his turn marking the initiate’s wounds: some merely trace a talon over the wounds; others paint the wounds with handfuls of mud or smear their own blood over the wounds (especially common if the wounds came from the same battle). When each member of the tribe has made his mark, the ritualist proclaims the cub “blooded in glory,” and leads all the assembled werewolves, the cub included, in a howl to the Destroyer Wolf.
