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The Silver Crown is
A product of White Wolf Publishing.

All rights reserved.

Copyright ©1995 by White Wolf Publishing.
All contents h erein are copy ri ghted by White W o lf
Publishing. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or
in part, without the written permission of the publish er,
except for the purpose of rev iews.
For informat ion wri te: Whi te Wolf Publishing, 780 Park
North Boulevard, Su ite 100, C larkston , GA 3002 1.

The characters and events described in this book are fictional.

Any resemblance between the characters and any person,
living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The mention of or reference to any companies or products

in these pages is not a c hallenge to the trademarks or
copyrights concerned.

Because of the mature themes presented within, reader

discretion is advised.

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For this reason , we do not permit our covers to be "stripped"
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Cover lllustration : C hris Moeller

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PRINTED IN CANADA
 Dedication
To my brother John.
And to my father.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to Joshua Gabriel Timbrook for Albrecht and Mari, and
to Daniel Greenberg for setting the stage.
 And like a dying star is every work of your virtue: its light is
always still on its way and it wanders - and when wiU it no longer
be on its way? Thus the light of your virtue is still on its way even
when the work has been done. Though it be forgotten and dead ,
the ray of its Light still lives and wanders. That your virtue is your
self and not something foreign, a skin, a cloak, that is the truth
from the foundation of your souls, you who are virtuous ... . And
some who cannot see what is high in man call it virtue that they
see all-too-closely what is low in man ... .
-Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Great innovators never come from above; they come invariably

from below, just as trees never grow from the sky downward, but
upwards from the earth.
- C.G. Jung, The Spiritual Problem of Modem Man
 ,

Mad Luna was in hiding when King Morningkill held the

feast. It was ordained that all the tribe should be there, under
the new moon, regardless of excuse or mission otherwise.
Tonight, before all, Momingkill would reassert his kingship
over the Silver Fangs, the North Country Protectorate, and
all the Garou of North America. Even if only he believed such
claims anymore.
Greyfist growled low, an almost inaudible rumbling in the
back of his throat. The horse beneath him whinnied and rolled
his eyes, nostrils flaring as his instincts told him to flee from
the predator he heard and smelled so close. Greyfist came to
his senses and laid his hand on the horse's neck, patting it
calmly and reassuringly. "There, there, Tyre. Nothing to get
worked up about."
The horse quit its nervous prancing and stilled itself at
Greyfist's calm words. Greyfist steered the mount forward to
continue his inspection of the bawn, the boundary between
the Court of Jacob Morningkill and the world outside. He
cursed himself for letting his rage get the better of him.
Damn it all if he, of all the Garou at court, could not
control himself! It did no good to get worked up over things
you could not change. Things other Garou - better Garou
-before you had tried and failed at. No, griping would not
change the king's mind and c lear it of its years-old madness.
There. It was said. Mad. No o ther S ilver Fang would dare
admit that the king was mad, but that's what it surely was.
Eccentric, they would say. But mad? Certainly not. That is the
talk of fools outside the tribe , envious of our position and state .
Denied Gaia's divine favor, they gntmble and gnash their fangs,
desperate for the Fangs ' divinely ordained glory. They would have
to earn through hard labor the honor to which the Fangs were born .
G reyfist spat in disgust. It was such t h o ughts, such
arrogance, that had brought the tribe low, that had allowed a
madness like Morningkill's to go so long ignored.
But to think as Greyfist did was treason.
Then gut me for a traitor, he thought. Ah, how easy it is to
speak so boldly in your own mind. Bur to act out this heroism?
No, not I. I shall go on heeding the king, acquiescing to his strange
demands. 1t is the way. 1t has been so for more years than
humankind has built cities , Who am I tO question mch tradition?
The king's seneschal. But not the king himself. Only he can change
the ancient laws. Only he can revive the tribe.
But Morningkill ... ! His damn jealousy and paranoia had
driven away all worthy successors. Was it to end with him!
The great royal line, the ancient family of the House of
Wyrmfoe? The fam ily that had bred such heroes as were not
seen in the world wday? Such Garou as A leking Axeclaw?
Go rak Rules-by-Right?
The horse halted and reared back, whinnying in fear.
Greyfist gripped the reins to avoid slipping off and again
patted the horse's neck. "Calm. Calm. I'm at it again, fuming
with anger. Doesn't do yo u any good, though , does it ? I'm
sorry, Tyre. Calm down."
But the ho rse still rolled its eyes and bac ked awa) from
the trail. Greyfist sighed and dismounted, holdint; the reins
to keep the horse fro m bolting. He stood still and ~luwl · rulleJ
the animal to him. The horse stopped its shying and settled,
looking left and right fearfully, and finally let loose a loud sigh
and stood still. Greyfist again patted its neck.
'There. That's better. What's a Garou doing riding a horse,
anyway? You deserve much better. Not easy to trai n a horse
to let a wolf crawl onto its back. But Morningkill likes horses.
Morningkill demands horses. And so, we Garou ride horses.
Royal pageantry. How vain. And you pay the cost."
Greyfist looked about as he stood, still rubbing the horse's
neck. It was dark, with no moon to light the night. The
landscape was a mass of black shapes on black shapes, vaguely
formed into trees. He had reached the far northern edge of
the bawn and was now ·surrounded by the trees, huddling in
on all sides except where the trail cut through the deep
wilderness. Thanks to the laws that protected it from human
despoiling, this was wilderness even humans avoided, as was
much of the Green Mountain range of Vermont. The North
Country Protectorate covered much of southern Vermont, but
Greyfist knew that it had once stretched from Manhattan
Island tO the Canadian border, long ago when the Silver Fangs
had first arrived on the continent to carve their territory from
the native lands. From the native's hands.
Greyfist listened. Before he'd left on his patrol, he had used
the Gift taught him by spirits to see, hear and smell with the
senses of a wolf without actually shifting into wolf form. The
only sounds he heard were those natural to the night. Insects
buzzing off in the woods, the slight rustle of trees in the breeze.
Somewhere farther off, the faint ch attering of a brook .
Nothing unusual or dangerous here.
Greyfist climbed back on to the horse and turned it around,
setting off down the path, back toward the court where the
feast was already starting. As he rode, he tried to still his anger.
He was used to these tirades when the frustrat ion was too
muc h for him. He realized that he overreacted much of the
time. Morningkill d id have his moments, after all. He was a
scion of the royal house. You could only fall but so fa r from
that kind of pinnacle.
But G reyfist remembered Jacob fro m younger days. There
had been trust between Jacob and Greyfist then. Even today,
Morningkill trusted none among the Silver Fangs so much as
Greyfist. But why then did he nor listen to his counselor's
advice more often? Why did he insist on listening to Arkady,
vain Arkady? He was enamored of the young hero, Greyfist
supposed. The Garou son Morningkill had neve r had, perhaps.
At least a son who lived up to all the traditions, not like
Morningkill's real grandson.
Greyfisr shook h is head. He loved Morningkill dearly,
remembering the man he used to he and might become again.
If the king could shake off the madness. Where did this
paranoia of his come from? Why were so many in the tribe
cursed these days with such worries? Had the line really fa llen,
as the Shadow Lords claimed! No, Greyfist could not accept
that. Start thinking that way, and Harano follows.
But then ... there was the dream. The dream he had had
but three nights ago. The dream whic h had kept him awake
al most every night s ince, thi nking it over, fighting to
remember every detail of it. Was it a dream or a vision?
Mis inte rpreting such things could be dangerous, especially
conside ring the ponents this o ne revealed. Bur after hours of
consideratio n, G reyfist believed his dream had been sent by
Falcon, the totem spirit of t he tribe. But he still could not
say what the dream mean t for him, for Morningkill and for
the tribe.
A drea m of fallen kings and ones newly crowned. Of battle
and pain. Of an oppressively dark, cathedral-like ch amber
where a single unblemished band of silver glowed bright.
Greyfist sat up in his saddle a nd looked ahead. Eno ugh
ruminations. He had no idea what the dream meant: It was a
scattered play of images, and he did not have enough clues
yet to figure it out. He thought instead of the security of the
caern. While he was not the Warder, as the king's seneschal
it was his duty to ensure that the moot was safe and that the
king was not threatened. So he had taken it upon himself to
patrol the outlying regions, leaving the defense of the center
to the Warder. Besides, he thought it best to cool his rage well
away from the court happenings.
He was confident that the Warder could handle the duty,
even though she was still healing a bad wound suffered on
one of Morningkill's quests. The King had scm Regina to fetch
a tribal fetish from the Get of Fenris in the Adirondacks, and
she had had to challenge one of their heroes for it. She had
won, hut sti ll felt the pain of her wounds.
In addition, she now had to play Gatekeeper, at least until
young El iphas Standish cou ld be ordained. The previous
Gatekeeper, Garrick Batell, was dead, killed a week ago on a
hunt. He had been lured into the Umbra alone and assaulted
by a Bane; his body had been found by a wandering tribe of
Fianna. That had been humiliating, watching them bring back
the body. It wasn't right for a Silver Fang not to be brought
home by his own pack. But Garrick had been stupid, and that
was exactly what a Garou could not afford to be, with the
Wyrm always waiting for just such an opening.
Greyfist rode back into the large clearing that formed the
caern and court of the North Country Protectorate. He
quickly surveyed the field. Tents were erected in a pattern
across the meadow: Those to the north were for the Lodge of
the Sun, while those to the south represented the Lodge of
the Moon. The northern tents were white with gold
pictograms; the southern tents black with silver pictograms.
Underneath both tents, and to the east, were huge wooden
tables and high-backed chairs, each marked with the crest of
its owner. Propriety demanded a seating order at court. The
eastern table, out in the open and under no tent, was for the
Armies of the King, all the Silver Fangs and court retainers
who were not a part of either Lodge. The food had not yet
been brought from the nearby mansion - the Morningkill
estates - although the youngest fro m the Kin families were
setting the tables in preparation.
But none were seated yet, as it was still the introducto ry
stage of the feast. Garou and Kinfolk mingled on the field,
taking part in the courtly game of greetings and gossip. Some
Silver Fangs rode horses, dressed in regal display to impress
the king, who dearly loved equestrian pursuits. They all wore
finery, which for some meant sharp suits or elegant gowns;
for others, bone fetishes o r gold-laced robes. An odd mix of
modern and primitive.
And at the nexus of all this activity, all the comings and
goings, greet ings and blessings, was the Grand Oak, the
ancient tree where the throne of King Jacob Morningkill had
been carved among the mighty roots. And on t he throne,
surrounded by both Garou and human Kinfolk of noble blood,
was Morningkill himself. The king was dressed in the brightest
of finery, his robe stitched in silver with ornate pictograms
illustrating his fami ly's great lineage. His arms displayed gold
bracelets handed down from the treasuries of ancient human
kings who, unknown to their fe llow men, had been Kin to
the Silver Fangs and had served only t hrough the graces of
the noble Garou. And on Morningki ll's head was the crown,
carved from wood and studded with jewels won from realms
in the distant spirit wo rld by previous kings.
But under all this glory was an old man with a bitter face,
whose eyes darted about, watching for po tential treachery from
the sycophants swarming around him.
Greyfist shook his head in shame.
Kin families had the king's ear and were making fu ll use
of the opportuni ty. Apparently there was a dispute between
the Rothc hilds and the Albrechts, for Darren Rothchild and
Warren Albrecht both argued before the king. Greyfist was
always disgusted by such petty displays, but he had to forgive
the Kin. They did not share in the fu ll renown of their parents
 .,
or children and so had to erect a pecking order of their own.
The Kin were important, for they carried the blood of future
Garou, but they mimicked the Fangs' own noble bureaucracy
too well for Greyfist's taste. Theirs was a life of indentured
servitude and arranged marriages.
But where was Arkady? Where was the King's Own Pack,
his personal guard? Greyfist looked over the field, searching
for any sign of them. Inconceivable that they would be late
to the king's moot. Yet Greyfist had not seen them before he
left on his patrol, and they were not in sight now. He would
have words with Arkady when he finally arri ved. He was damn
tired of Arkady's irresponsibility, always off chasing renown.
His place was h ere , damn it! There was glory and hon or
enough in serving the king, and Arkady would have to learn
tO live with it.
Greyfist's horse suddenly screamed and broke into a run,
throwing Greyfist off. He hit the ground hard and heard the
snap of his collar-bone, followed quickly by sharp pain. He
ignored it and stood up, looking for his horse, which he
sponed quickly disappearing into the woods. Damn it! Was
the animal so easily spooked? His anger had n't been so harsh
that time-
Four sharp knives raked into his back and he fell, grunting
in pain. He looked over his shoulder to see a Garou in Crinos
form standing behind him, his claws dripping blood -
Greyfist's blood. The werewolf grinned wide, a sick grimace.
Spittle poured from his mouth as if it welled up from deep
within his throat, beyond his control. His fur was terribly
mangy, and patched with greenish blotches. The ears were not
those of a wolf, but rather resembled a bat's. A Black Spiral
Dancer, a werewolf of the tribe of the Wyrm. He looked past
G reyfist. Toward the throne.
The creature leaped over Greyfist at a run. Greyfist tried
to stand, but the pain hit him hard, causing him to gasp for
breath. T he king! The king was in danger! He concentrated
l
hard, trying not to panic, and began to shift forms. His muscles
grew bigger and his bones followed suit, changing shape and
size, forming wolfish features. Now in Crinos form, the form
of battle, Greyfist stood.
All about him, a war raged. Silver Fangs fought with other
Black Spiral Dancers. The insane creatures gibbered and
roared, throwing themselves maniacally at the startled Silver
Fangs. Court finery was stained with ichorous blood and gore
as the surprise-attackers tore into the Silver Fang warriors.
Greyfist took all this in as he loped toward the throne,
moving as fast as he could. He screamed to himself to run
faster, but his legs wouldn't respond correctly. Blood still oozed
down his back, but his collarbone had reknitted itself as he
had changed.
Before him, Greyfist saw his Black Spiral assaulter fighting
savagely with Regina, the Caern Warder. She had lost an arm
but had cost the creature two or three ribs, which lay bloody
on the ground. Its rib cage was gaping open, spilling viscera,
but it didn't seem to notice. It had the upper hand and was
battering Regina badly.
Behind them, sitting on his throne and staring dumbly at
the fight, was Morningkill . The Kinfolk who had been
clamoring for his attention not five minutes ago were nowhere
in sight. Greyfist couldn't blame them. What human wouldn't
flee from a Black Spiral Dancer?
Greyfist drew his klaive and rushed up behind the tainted
Garou. Before the thing could hammer another blow onto the
fallen Regina, Greyfist thrust the silver sword into its spine.
It reared back its head and screamed, dying an instant late r.
Greyfist pulled the weapon out of the steaming body and
limped over to Morningkill. "Are you all right, my king?" he
cried.
Morningkill looked at him, dazed. He then shook his head
as if to clear it and stared at Greyfist, his eyes clear and bright.
"Yes. I am fine. You have done well, Greyfist. A Half-Moon
succeeded where none of my Ahrouns could." He looked over
at Regina, who slowly pulled herself to her feet.
"She did her best, my lord," Greyfist said as he limped over
to her.
Regina nodded a silent thank-you to him. She picked up
her severed arm and held it to the stump. "Do not worry about
me," she said. "We must get the king to safety."
"No," Morningkill said. "I will stay on my throne. The
moot is about to start."
Greyfist stared in shock at Morningkill, who stood
resolutely before the oaken throne. "My king, the moot is
over! The Black Spirals have invaded the court! We must flee
to safety!"
Morningkill seemed confused and looked out over the
meadow. Greyfist also scanned the area and saw, far out on
the field, five Silver Fangs finishing up the battle. The King's
Own Pack. Arkady had finally arrived. On the field were six
Black Spiral bodies, not including Greyfist's attacker. Two
horses lay dead, as did three Kinfolk retainers.
Greyfist looked at Arkady, who sauntered across the field,
dragging the body of one of the Black Spirals behind him as
a trophy. So cocky and confident, thought G reyfist. Why wasn't
he here earlier?
"You see?" Morningkill said. "My guard is here! Arkady
has come! There, out on the field! The battle is over. We have
won the day!" He began to laugh, but it was choked off in his
throat as a figure leapt from the branches above. It hurtled
into Morningkill and both of them went down in a heap.
Greyfist ran to the throne and slashed at the Black Spiral
Dancer, severing its head with one expert sweep of his klaive.
He quickly pulled the spasming, headless body off the king.
Morningkilllay staring at Greyfist, as if he recognized him
for the first time in years. The king's guts were spread out in
his lap; his blood seeped into the ancient oak. He breathed
chokingly, trying to say something.
tO
Greyfist screamed in anguish. "Heale rs! Healers! Damn it!"
H e fell to his knees a nd crad led the king in his arms.
Mo rningkill whispered lo w and G reyfist, tears streaming down
his furred cheeks, bent his ear to the king's weak words.
"My ... grand ... son .. . ?" Mo rningkill said, his eyes rolling
up to mee t G reyfist's. "Bring him ... ho me." The king's eyes
shut a nd he slumped into Greyfi st's arms, letting go his las t
breath.
Greyfi st c ried , c lutc h ing t h e king close to his breast.
"Jacob. Jacob. Why like t his? Wh y?"
G reyfist heard fra ntic footsteps approach and a sob of
anguish. H e looked up to see Arkady, staring a t t he dead king.
His face bore shock and grief at o nce, but also a look of
disbelief, as if what he saw could not be t rue.
"The king? Dead ?" Arkad y said, almost in a whispe r.
Greyfist gritted his teeth and suppressed a growl. "Dead.
The king is dead."
Regina fe ll to he r kn ees, h e r head bowed , her h a nd
dro pping he r se ve red arm befo re she could heal it. Other
S ilver Fa ngs now ga the red ro und , as did Kinfolk of the court.
All sta red in shock and dismay at Mo rningkill's body.
One of the Kin cried o ut, beginning a wail whic h quickly
spread throughout the crowd. Arkady threw back his head and
let loose a ho wl. All t he S ilve r Fangs followed , their heads
back and eyes shut with grief. G reyfist joined in, and t heir
howl mixed with the Kin's mournful wailing and was carried
o ut across the woods to the nea rb y towns, whe re people
clutched their bedsheets in te rro r and dug themselves deeper
into their beds, trying to shut o ut t he fearful sound.
Greyfi st laid Mo rningkill o n t he gro und, wra pping the
king's arms across his c hest in a regal pose. He rose and walked
over to Arkady, who stood t wo heads taller tha n him. Arkad y
was a n imposing figure of pure white fur and black leather
battle a rmo r. N o netheless, A rkady's grief was no equal to
G reyfist's ange r.
 "Why weren't you here?" Greyfist yelled. "You were his "
guard, the King's Own!"
Arkady looked at Greyfist and narrowed his eyes in anger;
Greyfist knew something was not right. He saw into the large
Garou's eyes and knew that the grief which he now threw off
was a blanket eas il y disca rded, that his so rrow over
Morningkill's death was not so genuine as his howl had made
Greyfist first believe.
"We tried to get here, my pack and 1," Arkady said in his
thick Russian accent, stepping forward and forcing Greyfist
to look up to his height. "But we were attacked outside the
bawn by Black Spiral Dancers. By the time we finished them
and arri ved, the battle had already begun."
"But how? How did they get past the guards?"
"Look! There across the field!" Arkady spun and pointed
to the meadow. "See? Holes from the ground. They came from
beneath us. Who knows how long they had been burrowing
there, secretly and silently so that none of us would know.
Th is was planned, yes? They knew well when to attack."
Greyfist stared at the three holes in the earth. So chat's
what spooked Tyre, he thought. It wasn't me. He sensed those
damn things moving beneath us.
"So Garrick the Gatekeeper was killed on purpose, to make
sure our defenses would be low," Greyfist said, still staring at
the dark entrances into the earth.
"Yes, Seneschal. That must be it," Arkady said.
Greyfist wondered how long they had been under there,
planning their attack. When he turned back to Arkady, the
Garou had stepped up to the throne and was beginning to
address the assemblage.
"My friends," Arkady said. "This is a great tragedy we suffer
tonight. Our king is dead. But he will live on in our songs !"
Silver Fang warriors cheered at that, desperate for some hope
to come out of their grief. "In two nights, when the moon is
crescent, we shall give him his death ri te so that he may joi n
,~

the kings before him in our tribal spirit lands. Always will he
be remembered and spoken we ll of."
G reyfist nodded as other Silver Fang cheered again. Yes,
Morningkill must be remembered. For his good qualities , not his
bad.
"But it is time we consider our new king!" Arkady yelled.
What is this? G reyfist thought, narrowing his eyes in anger.
This is too early! Morningkill's body still lies warm a nd Arkady
speaks of his successor?
"Yes, I know it is hasty, but the enem y has found us in our
very court ! We must swiftly have our new king!"
Greyfist ste pped fo rward . "This is roo soon ! We must
review the ranb. Morni ng kill lett onl y one successor to the
first family- "
"But he is in exile, Seneschal!" A rkady yelled to he heard.
"He is unworth y, and thus a member of another royal fam ily
must rule."
"But there arc no other royal fami lies in North Country.
It would take too lon g to s umm on one from a no th er
protectorate !"
"Ah, but here is where you are wrong, Seneschal. Peter,
my packmate!" He gestured to a Garou in the crowd. "Tell
them what we have discovered on our latest quest! "
Peter walked forward and stepped up to the throne. He
was well-known here, a member of the King's Own Pack and
thus highly honored. He put his hand on Arkady's shoulder
and looked out over the crowd.
"We all know Arkady's story, how h e came to us after
traveling Europe, homeless. How he barely escaped the horrors
of his mother country, Russia, when he was a small child,
before his First Change. How the Kinfolk man who smuggled
h im from that dangerous land was thought lost and dead. But
no. We have found him, the man who was a father to A rkacly!
"He was old and feeble, still hurting from the wounds he
 ,~

had received long ago trying to defend little Arkady from the
W yrm spawn. H e had told Arkady to run as the creature
attacked him all those years ago, throwing himself in the way
to defend the little boy, who was not yet Garou. The man
had traveled ever since, trying to find Arkady again, to tell
Arkady of his heritage. And all the while, Arkady had
believed him dead.
"He finally found Arkady but two nights ago, and on his
deathbed revea led t his great n ews: Arkady's great-
grandparents were of the C lan of the C rescent Moon! Arkady
is of rhe Seven ! He is royal, and is thu the next to succeed
Morningkill to the th ro n e of the North Country
Protectorate!''
The crowd hroke out into a massive howl. This wa~
wonderful! A royal had been found, and he was one of theirs!
Their own Arkady was to be king!
But Greyfist did not howl with the rest. He stepped away
from the throne, where Arkady smiled jubilantl y as the Silver
Fangs sang his praises. Greyfist knew this was wrong. Oh , he
believed Arkady was royal, all right. Who wouldn't believe
it, with fur like that and that bearing of his? But Greyfist
suspected that Arkady had been aware of this heritage all
along, that it was not some newly discovered secret. No, it
wasn't right: there was another who was in line for the throne
before Arkady. There was another of the House of Wyrmfoe,
the first family of North Country.
Greyfist pulled Eliphas Standish our of the crowd and
walked him away from the gathering. Eliphas looked annoyed,
and kept peering back at the throne, not wanting to miss
anything. Bur he knew better than to ignore the orders of the
seneschal, who was king until Arkady was crowned.
"What is it?" Eliphas said. "What is so importanc that we
miss Arkady's announcemem? This is a great moment."
"Still your slobbering tongue, cub," Greyfist said. "I want
you to go to New York City."
"What? But I am to be made Gatekeeper next week. I have
many duties-"
"Next week! Not yet. You are to go to New York and bring
Lord A lbrecht back with you."
Eliphas stared at Greyfist. "Albrecht? I can't do that! He
is in exile!"
"No longer. It was Morningkill's last request, stated with
his dying breath. A rc you to deny the k in g's final
commandment?"
Eliphas looked down in shame. "No, of course not. If the
king declared the exile over, then .... " He raised his head and
looked at Greyfist, worried . "But what abo ut Arkady? If
Albrecht is no longer denied the court, then he is next in
line, not .... "
G reyfist nodded. "Exactly. And Morningkill knew that. So,
go and do not say a word of it ro anyone. You are to speak of
this only to me and Albrecht. Just so you know how important
this is, I'm declaring it a Court Quest. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" Eliphas said, realizing it would mean honor for him
if he succeeded. ''I'll be back with him tomorrow."
"Go then." Greyfisr watched Eliphas leave immediately;
the boy did not even bother to say good-bye to anyone at
court. T hat was good. The young one knew how to follow a
court dictate.
Greyfist looked over at Arkady, who was now staring back
at him with a frown, obv iously wondering what Greyfist was
up to. Greyfist smiled and nodded at the newly revealed Duke.
Arkady sm il ed back, but it was a weak smi le, full of
uncertainty.
 Albrecht was in one of his black moods. He walked down
the wet street toward the triangular park two blocks away. He
looked up at the gray sky, still dark with the new dawn, and
blinked at the rain. The sky is crying, he thought. A slow,
mournful drizzle of rain falling on the city, spattering the streets
with a sheet of tears. Warped reflections of our world stare up at
me from the still water - a mirror, shattered with every step I
take.
God, you're really full of it today, Albrecht said to himself.
What's the big deal? It's just another rainy day.
Then why do I feel like shit? Bad feeling, like something I'm
not going to like is coming down the pike. Never been much for
omens, bw they seem to like me an awful lot, judging from the
past few months. Even an Ahroun can get premonitions now and
then. But premonitions of what? I don't have a clue. just feels
wrong, that's all. Is this what a wolf feels like before stepping into
a trap?
Albrecht turned the corner and stopped to look at the
small park across the street. It was not a very large park, but
by city standards it was big enough. It gave Albrecht and his
small pack a place to meet besides Central Park, which was
,,
crawling with too many other Garou for Albrecht's taste.
He was early by almost half an hour to meet his pack here
today, but that would give him time for a smoke or two. Evan
didn't like cigarette smoke, and while Albrecht normally
didn't give a flying fuck, he had agreed to compromise when
with the pack. Mari didn't like the smoke either, but she never
said anything about it. Just fumed in that way of hers, and
found other ways to attack Albrecht. She still hadn't gotten
over that fight they'd had a few yea rs ago. ]usc a damn flesh
wound, Albrecht thought. Deal with it, already.
Albrecht crossed the rain-slick street and walked onto the
wet grass. Standing on the grass was frowned upon by the law,
but he didn't care. It was what grass was for, wasn't it? He
walked deeper into the small, two- to three-block square park.
When he got to the usual bench, there was a man sleeping
on it with newspapers piled over him. Albrecht sat down next
to him and lit up a cigarette, pretending the guy wasn't there.
He leaned back and let out a cloud of smoke. That felt
better. Nothing like a good smoke. Oh, sure, some Garou said
it would kill him one day, that he would be devoured by Hoga,
Urge Wyrm of Smog. But he just nodded and smiled at such
folly. Hell, Indians had been smoking for years before the
Wyrm ever got to this continent. Yeah, their tobacco had been
a lot purer, and Albrecht wasn't really sure just who owned
the cigarette brand he smoked, but he figured there was no
reason to worry about it. Wasn't as if his lungs didn't clean
themselves out just fine, what with the regeneration and all.
He took another long drag and smiled, holding the smoke
in for a few minutes and then letting it out slowly. Screw 'em ,
he thought. All the moral prigs. They had skeletons in their
closets, all right. At least Albrecht wore his fau lts on h is
sleeve, where everyone could see them. Well, some of them.
He knew he was prone to depressions that were not always
obvious to others. Mari missed them half the time, although
Evan seemed to understand. A lbrecht had always had them,
 ,.,
although there had been a real bad spell a while back, after
his exile, which had ended only when he formed his own pack
a few months ago.
The pack. That was something. Something Albrecht
hadn't thought he'd ever be a part of again, not since his first
pack all up and died fighting the Wyrm. He'd gotten famous
with them, but that hadn't stopped them from getting
themselves killed and leaving him all alone to face the renown
and expectations heaped on him. It was worse when you were
the grandson of King Morningkill and the scion of the House
ofWyrmfoe.
But that crap was behind him now. Had been for years.
He'd been kicked out of the protectorate by Morningkill,
accused of hubris and lack of deference, the breaking of the
Litany and so on and so on. The truth of it was that
Morningkill exiled anyone who displayed genuine ability,
anyone who might expose Morningkill's own faults. Albrecht
wasn't the first. Loba Carcassone had that honor. And there'd
been more after Albrecht, although he didn't know their
names.
Albrecht ground out his cigarette on the benchback,
shaking his head. Christ, but he was melancholy this morning.
"Huh? What?" The newspapers moved and fell away,
revealing the man underneath, now blinking blearily and
craning his neck around to look at Albrecht. "Who the
hell ... ?"
Albrecht smiled. "You're sleeping on my property, pal." He
pointed at a carving in the wooden back which read Lord A.
"That's me. I don't mind you sleeping here, but once the dawn
cracks, this bench is mine."
The man growled and sat up. He was dressed in an old
army field jacket and torn jeans. He rubbed his face and then
looked over at Albrecht. "That's kinda rude, don't ya think?
This ain't exactly yours: it's public property."
Albrecht frowned and showed his teeth. The effect was
more dreadful than merely that, however, as his rage bled out
a little from his eyes. The bench sleeper looked terrified and
stood up quickly.
"All right, all right. I'm gone." And he walked off, hands
in his pockets, but looking back at Albrecht as if trying to
figure out just what it was he had sc::en.
Albrecht frowned. He knew better than to do that. You
never knew when yo u were accidentally putting the scare on
somebody important. Not that a park-bench bum was
important, but in this city he might have friends in low places,
and low meant power in New York. The city was crawling with
Leeches - vampires - who pulled the strings of many
important officials from their sewer dens. Sure, some of them
lived in high-rises, but the dark alleys and sewerways were
their meeting places and hunting grounds.
Albrecht looked over at the two guys entering the park.
They were talking co each other as they looked right at him
and slowly headed his way. Albrecht wondered what the hell
this was about. He didn't recognize the two. These guys had
suits on underneath their trench coats, but designer suits, not
federal-agent style. Businessmen? If so, what the hell did they
want from him?
The two walked up to the bench and looked down at
Albrecht. They looked nervous, as if unsure what co do. Then
the taller of the two spoke. "Albrecht?"
"Lord Albrecht, yeah," Albrecht sa id, standing up. He
stood about half a foot taller than the one who had spoken.
The two men moved a bit closer. "What do you want?"
The tall one looked at his partner and some unseen signal
passed between them. They both erupted into action, pulling
long, sharp knives out of their coats and jumping toward
Albrecht, swinging the knives at his throat.
Albrecht leapt hack and onto the bench, then vaulted over
it in a somersau lt. One of the knives caught his coat, tearing
a foot-long rip in it, but now the bench was between them.
 ,,
Klaives! Were these Garou? Albrecht turned to face them,
and they split up to move around the bench, one on either
side, moving carefully now, as if they were zoo-keepers trying
to tranquilize a tiger.
Albrecht growled and shifted forms. In an instant he was
nine feet tall in his Crinos wolfman form. His fur was white,
the sign of pure blood among Garou. The attackers also began
to sh ift, smoothly flowing into C rinos forms themselves. Their
fur was also white, although mixed with faint flecks of gray.
"You're S ilve r Fangs!" Albrecht ye lled in th e Garo u
tongue. "What the hell is going on?"
They said nothing as they came at him from both sides.
Albrecht pu lled his own klaive from his coat; his was nearl y
bigger than both of theirs combined. A Grand Klaive, a much
rarer and more potent weapon.
Seeing the large silver sword, one of the Garou hesitated,
but the other lunged forward, his klaive aimed at Albrecht's
guts. Albrecht stepped to the side and parried the knife, but
quickly twisted his own blade and swiped it at the attacking
Garou. It sliced across his opponent's arm and drew blood.
The Garou yelled and jumped back just as the other one came
forward.
Albrecht stepped back and met the charge with his klaive
in thrusting position. The oncoming Garou barely managed
to twist away, although the G rand Klaive still tore a chunk
out of his side. He quickly recovered, and slashed at Albrecht.
Albrecht was startled at this one's skill with a blade, and
he couldn't parry in time. The klaive sunk into A lbrecht's left
thigh and stuck there. Albrecht screamed in rage and leapt
back.
The other Garou was ready and met Albrecht from behind,
slicing into his back. The pain flooded over Albrecht and he
fe lt himself losing control, giving into the anger and pain and
rage. But he willed himself to calm dow n, to ignore the pain.
The last thing he needed now was to frenzy.
 He ducked down low and spun in a circle, holding the
blade out, surprising the Garou who had struck him from
behind. The sword bit into his legs, hacking cleanly through
one but just grazing the other. The Garou fell, a howl escaping
as he hit the wet ground.
Albrecht was up and moving before the other Garou could
close in. He backed off as the other picked up his fallen
comrade's klaive and moved after him . But the attacking
Silver Fang had someth ing in his other hand, something
Albrecht couldn't see.
"Damn it, explain yourself! I am LorJ Albrecht, of the
House of Wyrmfoe! Heed your hetter, you bastard !"
But the Garou just kept comi ng forward, warily. As
Albrecht moved left, the Garou followed and quickly wove
to the right, gaining ground. Albrecht hacked up against a
tree and knew he had to make a stand.
The other Garou waved his hand at Albrecht, and
A lbrecht shut his eyes to ward off the sand which flew into
his face. Damn! He raised his klaive to parry whatever came
at him, fighting blind. But the blow came low, slicing into
A lbrecht's already wounded thigh.
And that was it. Albrecht had had enough and couldn't
control his anger any longer. He succumbed to his rage and
opened his mouth wide to let out a roar. He opened his eyes
to see his assailant drawing back for a thrust, but Albrecht
stepped forward with blinding speed, dropped his klaive, and
wrapped his clawed hands around the Garou's face.
The Garou brought his blade up but wasn't fast enough to
deal with the berserk Albrecht, who dug his claws into the
Garou's head, raking furrows in his scalp. Albrecht's weight
brought the Garou to the ground, and Albrecht immediately
began savaging his captive with his rear claws, stomping the
Garou's legs and raking away strips of flesh. The Garou
screamed and hit Albrecht repeatedly with the klaive, all weak
 l.,
and ineffective blows with no leverage. In seconds, the Garou
was dead.
Albrecht, totally lost to anger, crawled forward on all fours,
slapping through the mud, still partially blinded from the sand
in his eyes, heading for the smell of the other enemy. But there
was another smell there now. A familiar smell. Not
threatening.
"Albrecht! Calm down! It's over!" the source of the new
scent yelled.
Albrecht circled around defensively, sniffing all about him
for foes. None. Only the familiar smell. The non-threatening
smell. The smell of a pack mate.
Albrecht sat down and looked at Evan, who stood before
the other Garou as if defending him from Albrecht. Evan
looked like a fourteen-year-old boy, which he was. But he was
also a Garou, and fourteen wasn't so young when you were
one of Gaia's chosen. He was wiser than his years, thanks to
spirits who favored him and taught him special powers. Evan
was of the Wendigo tribe, even though he didn't look remotely
Native American.
Albrecht frowned. Then he shifted back to human form.
Shit, he thought. Lost it. Damn. He looked around and saw
the dead Garou behind him, now a human form bleeding
across the wet grass. He looked back at Evan. "That was not
fun."
"Who are these guys?" Evan asked, leaning down and
looking at the wounded one, still in C rinos form but moaning
in half-consciousness, his severed leg lying a few feet away
from his body.
"Silver Fangs. Beyond that, I have no idea. Can you fix
him up?"
Evan looked over at the leg and then at the Garm1's stump.
"Yeah. Help me out here. I need you to hold the leg to the
wound while I concentrate."
 Albrecht gripped the klaive still stuck in his thigh and
wrenched it out. The pain was incredible, but A lbrecht was
used to this kind of hurt a nd fo rgot it q uickly.
He went a nd pic ked up the severed leg, then walked over
to t he wounded Garo u. He d ropped to his knees ~nd held t he
leg up to the bleeding stump. Evan placed his ha nd over both
a nd sat silent for a minute. The n the flesh around t he stump
and the severed leg began to grow, to reknit a nd pull itself
back tOge ther. The re would be a scar.
Whe n t h a t was do ne, A lbrech t stood up a nd looked
a ro und. He wondered what kind of toll t his fight had taken
o n t he local residents. For all he knew, a cop or two had come
running o nly to see three wolfmen duking it out. Of course
they wouldn't remember it t hat way. They'd rationalize it away
as anyth ing else. The Veil.
As if to confirm his though ts, A lbrech t saw a police officer
sitting o n t he grass near t he edge of the sidewalk. He had his
head buried in his hands a nd was muttering to himself.
N ot exactly standard behavior for the NYPD, thought
A lbrech t. H e tu rned to Evan . "We gotta clean t his up a nd
move o ut before t hat pig wises up agai n. "
Evan looked over at t he police officer. "I know. I saw him
o n my way in. I think he'll be okay." He looked at both the
bod ies. "Uh .. . you can carry t his o ne, a nd I'll get the dead
one." Evan began shift ing into a larger form. His muscles grew
wide and broad and his face took on a c hunk y, dumb-jock look
- a sort of Mr. Hyde to h is previous Or. Jekyll. He walked
over to t he dead body.
"W hat the hell is going on 1" someone yelled.
"You're late, Mari," Albrecht said. "You missed the action."
Ma ri walked around the bench, over to the scene of t he
battle. She was a wiry, muscled and intense- look ing woman,
a H ispanic-Italian from the Bronx. Her attitude alone could
stop figh ts, but her physique and martial skill ensured that
she cou ld back it up with blows. Mari helped teach street-
tough skills to battered women. It was a religious cause for
her, and she n ever took kindly to Albrecht's mocking her
"coddling of humans." But Albrecht knew that now was not
the time to start sparring.
"Two Garou," Mari said, surveying the scene. "One dead,
the other half-dead. Who attacked whom?" she s:~ id , turning
to look A lbrecht in the eyes.
"Don't start," Albrecht said , glaring back at her. "I didn't
ask for this. These are Silver Fangs, damn it! I don't go carving
up my tribe for the fun of it!"
"Then why?" Mari said, stepping closer to him. "Why
would they attack you? What have you done now?"
"Me? This is my fault? These two just walk up and start
slicing away, and you think I had something to do with it?
Lady, get a clue: I am not out to make enemies."
"Come on," Evan said, looking at both of them, with the
dead Garou on h is back. "We'd better enter the U mbra. No
way we're going to get these two to Central Park without being
noticed."
Albrecht turned away from Mari and picked up the
wounded Garou, who still moaned in pain and de lirium.
"Well, who's leading the way?"
"All right," Mari said. She walked over and picked up
Albrecht's Grand Klaive. Holding it up over the street and
positioning it to catch the reflection of the rainwate r, she
concentrated, staring into the depths of the mirror world.
Evan and Albrecht moved up next to her and touched her
shoulders. Then the world changed around them as Mari
reached into the spirit world and pulled them into it, warping
the Gauntlet around them.
The streetligh ts fe ll away and the rain stopped. They sti ll
stood in the park, but it was now five blocks long, and the
buildings surrounding it were older than in the real world. The
streets were empty of pedestrians, although occasional spiJer
webs could be seen, almost hidden in the alleys.
 Evan began walking in the direction of Central Park;
Albrecht followed him. Mari looked around, double-checking
to make sure they weren't followed by anything, then fell in
behind them.
"The wounded one will surely tell us what th is is about,"
Mari said.
"He better," Albrecht said.
 Fengy wandered through the park on his daily rounds. He
stopped diligently at each and every trash can, gathering up
whatever leftover food he found there, regardless of its
condition. A day-old candy bar or a week-old hot dog - it
didn't matter to him. It was food.
He was digging into the can by the small pond where the
turtles lived when he heard voices from behind the bushes.
He looked carefully into the brush. He hadn't heard anyone
a second ago, so he wondered where the voices were coming
from.
Albrecht walked out onto the sidewalk, still carrying the
wounded Silver Fang. Fengy jumped back in surprise, shocked
by the sudden appearance of the Silver Fang lord. Albrecht
was followed by Evan Heals-The-Past and Mari Cabrah, his
pack mares.
"That ain't right, ya know," Fengy said, startling Albrecht
now. "Steppin' out .in front of a fellow with no warning. Yer
from the Umbra, right? That must be it, cause Fengy didn't
hear ya before."
Albrecht looked annoyed. He had never liked Fengy. The
rat was always hanging around, trying to get information or a
free meal. The Bone Gnawers had no sh ame, and Fengy
epitomized the worst qualities of his tribe.
Albrecht knew it was uncharitable of h im to think that
way. T he Bone Gnawers of Central Park had welcomed him
when he had had no home, and allowed him into their moot
rites. But still, he couldn't get over their apparent lack of self-
esteem. He knew the pot was ca lling the kettle black, but he
couldn't help himself.
"Yeah, Fengy," Albrecht said. "We just had a jaunt through
Umbra! Manhattan. You should check it out sometime. Give
yo u a sense of h istory. Where's Larissa?"
"Mother is on her errands, like any good Gnawer," Fengy
said, knowing when he was being condescended to. "She's got
mouths to feed, ya know. Some of us work for a living."
"Yeah, yeah. Look, we're head ing over to the caern center.
Let her know I'd like her help when you see her.''
"Sure. I'll do it. Them some wounded friends ya got there?"
Albrecht ignored him and walked down the path. Evan
and Mari followed. Mari turned to call back to Fengy as she
walked off: "Enemies, Fengy. Enemies. Silver Fangs."
Fengy furrowed his brow in confusion. If they were Silver
Fangs, and Albrecht was a Silver Fang, how come they were
enemies? He scratched his head and then con tinued his duties,
reaching deep into the trash can for the fast-food burger
wrapper he had spotted at the bottom.

T he pack arrived at the caern center, a small grove in the

middle of the park, hidden from the eyes of any passersby on
the paths that surrounded it. The trees grew in such a way as
t o prov ide good sound -proofing, so most conversation s
couldn't be heard by anyone outside.
Albrech t laid the wounded Fang on the ground. Evan
placed the dead one nearby and put his jacket over the Garou's
face.
"Well, A lbrecht," Mari said. "What now?"
"I want Larissa to look at this one," Albrecht said, point ing
at the wounded Garou. "If she can revive him, I'm going to
find out what the hell he though t he was doing."
"If I can revive h im?" an old, gravell y voice said, coming
th rough the trees, followed seconds later by an old hag of a
woman, dressed in thrift-store chic and smelling like she'd
been bathing in dumpsters. "Course I can re vive him, if he's
not dead. Now, what's this all about?"
"Mother Larissa," Evan said, smi ling at the old lady. "It's
good to see you."
"And you, Evan," Larissa replied, smiling back at him; then
she looked at Albrecht and grimaced. "But I knew there'd be
trouble as soon as I heard the high -and-might y lord here.
Trouble follows him like white on rice."
"Good morning to yo u, Mother," A lbrecht sa id with
obvious sarcasm. "I wou ld appreciate it if you could wake this
guy up so I can beat the crap out of him again."
Larissa waddled over to the Garou and bent down,
examin ing his wounds. "What's he done to you? He looks like
a Silver Fang. This some sort of family quarrel? 'Cause I don't
want no part of it!"
"I don't know what th is is about. That's why I need him
awake."
Larissa sighed and put her hands on the Garou's chest. She
concentrated, singing an old song to herself, low enough that
the others couldn't make out the words. Then sh e pulled her
hands back and stared sad ly at the Garou, shaking her head.
She pulled her dirty shawl from around her shoulders and
placed it on his face.
"Didn't wa nt to live," she said. "He didn't have the
strength to go on . Whoever he was, he was hurting bad before
you tore into him. Not from any wound, but from inside."
"What do you mean?" Albrecht said. "What are you talking
about?"
"She means Harano, Albrecht," Mari said, staring at the
dead body. "'A weeping from within, crying for that which is
not yet l.ost.' It seems to hit you r tribe a lot these days,
although they always want to deny it exists."
Albrecht looked down at the two dead Fangs. The enormity
of it all finally hit him. He had killed two of his own tribemares.
It had been self-defense, but nonetheless, two Silver Fangs lay
dead. He let out a deep sigh and sat down, staring at the grass
beneath him. The grou nd was still Jamp from the earlier rains,
but Albrecht d idn't care. Tears again, he thought. The world
is still crying, but now I'm crying with it.
"Hey, Mother!" Fengy suddenly poked his head around a
tree. "There's a Silver Fang out here to see you, real regal like!
Something's up!"
Larissa looked at Albrecht with narrowed eyes. " I'll be
right there co see him," she answered Fengy, and then pointed
a bony finger at Albrecht. "You stay here until! ·ee what this
is about."
"What if this one wants to kill me, too?" Albrecht said.
"Not in my caern, he won't!" she said and pulled herself
up. She hobbled over the way she had come and then squeezed
her way out between the trees.
"Whatever this is, Albrecht," Evan said, coming over and
sitting down next tO him, "we're with you."
Albrecht looked at Mari, who looked back at him. "Both
of us," she said.
"Thanks," Albrecht said and leaned back. He tried to
listen to what was going on outside the grove. He couldn't
hear anything but the general background rumble of the city.
Another Silver Fang, he thought. Is this one here to finish the
job these two started, or is he here to warn me about these two?
The answer came soon enough when Larissa pushed her
way back in between the thick bushes, followed by the visitor.
The man was of medium height, but his posture and the
way h e looked at everyone told of someone used to getting
his way with other people. He was young, though; perhaps
no more than eighteen. He wore an expensive trench coat
and leather riding boots, as if he'd just come from a horse
show, and his hands were snugly fitted with leather driving
gloves. He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing bright blue eyes.
He looked straight at Albrecht.
"Lord Albrecht?" he asked.
Albrecht stood up and met the oth er's gaze. "Yeah, that's
me. And who are you?"
"I am Eliphas Standish, soon to be Squire of the Lodge of
the Moon and Gatekeeper for the North Country Protectorate
and the Court of... of.... " He seemed confused at this last
statement, as if he had forgotten the name of the court.
"Morningkill. You're from Morningkill's court. You can say
it here. It's not a dirty word, no matter what passed between
me and my grandfather."
Eliphas' eyes widened as he looked past Albrecht at the
two dead Garou. The newcomer walked past Albrecht and
pulled the shawl and jacket off their faces. He looked down
at them with his h ead bowed and then replaced the coverings.
He turned back to Albrecht.
" I. .. I don't understand why they attacked you. Larissa told
me what she knew."
Albrecht stepped up to Eliphas and stared him in the face.
"Do you know who they were?"
Eliphas looked straight back, used to being treated in such
a manner at court. "Yes. One was Alphonse Grayling and the
other was Justin Beauchamp. Both were exiled two months
ago from Morningkill's court."
Albrecht's eyes widened and he stepped back. "Exiles? Like
me? Then why did they attack me ?"
"I'm not sure. It may have something to do with succession
rights .... " He looked down at the bodies. "But how could they
have known so soon ?"
"Known what? Succession rights? What are you talking
a bout ?"
Eliphas looked up again and straightened his posture, h is
bearing becoming rather ri tualistic in the process, as if he were
performing a sacred duty. "I am here ro bring you back to
court."
"At whose order!" Albrecht said, somewhat incredulously.
"King Morningkill's. The late King Morningkill. Jacob
Morningkill is dead."
 A lbrecht stared out the window at t he passing landscape.
T he sun had broken through t he clouds and bathed the trees
in a golden glow. The still-damp leaves reflected the light back
in intense, ric h gree ns, oranges and reds. A ut um nal Ve rmo nt
was beautiful. A lbrech t had n't seen h is home country in nearly
three years. He realized , wa tc hing fro m the speeding car, t hat
he missed it greatl y. More t ha n he had allowed himself to
recognize. These colo rs we re his colo rs, burned into his soul
fro m earl y ch ildhood. Gaia was everywhe re, t he Garou sa id ,
but A lbrecht believed t hat she loved this land more t ha n a ny
other.
Albrecht turned and looked a t Eliphas, who stared a head
down the road as he drove. T his kid was pretty cocksure,
Albrech t tho ught. It was obvious that he'd been born with a
silve r spoon in his mo uth, as t he huma ns wo uld say. He was
so pri vileged, he had no clue a bo ut just how well-off he was.
A lbrecht shook h is head . T his was exac tl y wha t pissed him
off so much about the Fangs. They we re all bo rn to privilege,
but had no humi lity abo ut it.
Alb recht looked back out t he window. Of course, I used to
be just like that , he t ho ught. That's why I hate it so much. It
:reminds me of what I used to be. A vain, regal ass.
He had noticed the way Eliphas kept staring at him when
h e thought Albrecht wasn't looking. The expression on his
face betrayed what he was thinking: He was utterly confused
about the Garou lord who sat in the car with him. A street-
tough, uncouth Fang. Oh, Albrecht had the features of the
Fang ideal, all right: well-chiseled face, fine blond hair. But
it went down from there. Five-o'clock shadow, a near-
[perpetual frown, a torn and filthy trenchcoat, ripped jeans,
etc., etc. What in the world had created such a creature as
this? Eliphas was surely thinking. What could have brought
him so low?
Albrecht sighed. He knew the routine. He'd thought those
same thoughts once, whenever he'd met members of the other
tribes. So wrapped up in his own glory, he couldn't understand
how they could lead their lives dwelling among the scum of
humanity. He knew differently now. He'd lived among the
scum for some time, and had discovered that most of them
were far nobler than the so-called heroes of his tribe. He'd
.quickly learned that appearance and economic status were the
least hallmarks of character. The low-born, as his tribe called
anyone of lesser status than they, had perhaps more virtues
than a whole sept of high-and-mighty Silver Fangs.
Take his pack, for instance. He'd stand by them no matter
the odds well before he would defend the honor of his tribe.
Evan was a good kid, a better person than Albrecht was, that
was for sure. He was decent, and always thought of others
before himself. But the Fangs would consider the young
Wendigo a half-breed and always look down their snouts at
him, no matter what deeds he accomplished. And Mari. Boy,
they would not take to her at all. She was too feisty, too ready
to pick a fight with anyone, regardless of their station. No,
the Fangs would not approve of Albrecht's new pack.
Well, screw them. His pack had proven many times how,
no matter what feud was going on amongst themselves, they'd
stand behind Albrecht. When he'd told them they had to stay
behind in New York, that he had to go alone to the court,
they'd pitched a fit. Mari had torn into him about Silver Fang
assassins, and how Eliphas could be fooling them all and really
have been sent to lure Albrecht off to kill him. Evan had
downplayed the paranoia factor, but still mentioned that the
court might not have Albrech t's best interests in mind when
summoning him. What if they were trying to accuse him of a
crime? On their home turf, he wouldn't stand a chance of
justice.
Albrecht had thanked them for their concern, but made
it clear that this was something he had to do alone. In a time
like this, so soon after caern security had been breached, the
Fangs would not allow any non-tribe members near the bawn,
let alone the caern proper. As he got into Eliphas' Lexus, Mari
had told him that, if they hadn't heard from him in two days,
they were coming to get him, and just let any Silver Fang try
to stop her. He'd smiled at this but hadn't said anything.
Mari sometimes really had it in for him, but when it came
to issues of pack unity against an outside force, she could come
off like his personal guardian and protector. She was the same
way with Evan.
"Can I ask you something?" Eliphas said, bringing Albrecht
out of his reverie. Albrecht looked at the road ahead and saw
they were approaching a town. Middlebury. And past
Middlebury, near the foot of the Green Mountains, was the
Morningkill estate. They were almost there. Almost to the
court.
"Sure, go ahead," Albrecht replied, sitting back and
looking straight ahead.
"Why were you exiled?"
Albrecht was quiet for a while, looking out at the white
birches they passed, ghostly blurs at this speed. "I guess you
don't know. You're young enough not to understand what
really went on. Morningkill and I didn't get along too well.
He didn't like the idea of an y Garou who could threaten his
power, one who might make a better leader than him or who
could po int out his failings to others. Me ? I was too big for
my own britches. I pushed his button one too many times. I
had come back from nearl y getting my ass trashed by a Wyrm
creature- the Vssh'krang, I think it was- and I did it alone,
too. My pack was dead by then, so I was sort of a free agent
waiting to make a pac k of my own.
"Anyway, I dragged the thing's carcass back to the caern
and presented it before the court, demanding they shower me
with honor and glory and all the stuff heroes deserve. But
Morningkill had gotten tired of these shows of mine. Yeah , I
proved I could kick butt good, but Morningkill thought maybe
I was too good. He aimed to feed me a fat slice of humble pie.
I was n't having any of that, and he knew it. So, for insolence
before the king, he kicked me out."
"That doesn't seem right," Eliphas said, his brow furrowed
in worry. "He was the king. He's supposed to reward us when
we do our duty to Gaia."
"Yeah. So? The world ain't fair in that respect. It throws
us all kinds of curves, like a mad, paranoid king who kicks
the best and the brightest out of court."
"But all the other exiles? Surel y not all of them were exiled
out of vanity?" Eliphas looked ve ry worried now.
"Who? Loba Carcassone? She opened her mouth about the
Defiler Wyrm's plots once too often. Morningkill didn't want
to hear that crap. If he listened to her, then he'd have to do
something about the Wyrm, wouldn't he?"
"But everyone knows Carcassone is crazy, with her talk
about the Wyrm h iding in little children, and some sort of
generations-long conspiracy to corru pt h umans-"
"Is she crazy? I'm not so sure about that. You get out of
the caern more often and you'll see some truly weird shit. And
as for the other exiles, what about those two who attacked
me? What's the story there?"
 "They were plo tting against Mo rningkill. Arkady revealed
the plot and personally chased them fro m the caern after
Morningkill declared their punishment."
"Arkady, huh? I never liked that guy. T hat ai r of his, like
he's holier than Gaia. And you said he's the o ne trying for
the throne? Did you ever think that maybe he had those two
kicked o ut because they discovered his kingly aspi ratio ns and
were going to tell Mo rningkill? After all, Morningkill wouldn't
abide anyo ne who wanted to be king in his place. Arkady
wou ld have wo und up o n the o utside, like me and Loba. Hell ,
maybe he and I are in the same boat toget he r, and he just
wanted to save the Fa ngs from Mo rn ingkill's mad ness."
Eliphas didn't say anyth ing. He drove o n in silence, staring
straigh t at the road ahead.
"Don't get me wrong," Albrecht said. "Morningkill and I
used to be real close. I'm going to miss him, even afte r all he
did to me. Hell, he was my grandfat her, a nd he was damn
proud tha t his grandson was a Garo u. It used to be good
between us. But he just kept getting more and more parano id,
and I just got cockier a nd cockier. The re's nothing to be done
abo ut it now, though. He's dead and that's that."
They drove on in silence. Soon Eliphas pulled o nto a side
road, and about a mile or two down he pulled off o nto a one-
lane road. They passed a n open gate a nd Albrecht saw two
men in the rear-view mirror watching the m as they drove past.
They we re dressed in black and wo re long knives in their belts.
Ga rou guards with klaives.
A lbrecht looked ahead and saw the mansion through the
trees. Cars were pa rked tO eithe r side of the dri ve. As they
pulled into the c ui de sac in front of the ho use, Albrecht saw
that every space was taken.
"No one has left yet," Eliphas said. "From the moot, t hat
is. Everyone is needed for the caern defense."
"Makes sense," A lbrecht said , looking about. No others
were in sight. "Just let me o ut he re. I'll find my way around.
Thanks for the ride."
Eliphas nodded and Albrecht got out of the car. Eliphas
turned the car around and drove down the lane looking for a
parking space. Albrecht walked around the mansion, staring
up at his childhood home.
It had been a long time indeed, he thought, looking at
the large house. The two-story, two-wing mansion stood large
in his memory, and loomed over him now. It was exactly as
he remembered it. Nothing had changed. The maple trees in
the yard were older, but that was the only proof that time had
passed. Momingkill had not liked change. He certainly made
sure that it did not come to his house. At least, judging by
rhe looks of it. But things would certainly change now.
Albrecht walked around the south wing of the house,
looking in the windows. Same old rooms with the same old
furniture. C lassic antiques. No one was inside. He came
around to the rear of the house and looked out over the large
field.
The first thing to catch his eye was not the group of Garou
out on the field, working to cover what looked to be tunnels.
Or the empty tents, still standing from the aborted moot. The
thing which caught his eye and drew his breath away was rhe
tree. T he Grand Oak. A huge, towering mammoth of an oak.
And at its base was the throne. The king's throne.
But someth ing was wrong, or rather, something was not
exactly right with the throne. Albrecht had not seen it in
years, but he knew it well from his youth, and he knew that
the bloodstains did nor belong. They were alien, intruders in
the court. A sign that all was not right with the world.
Standing and staring at the dried blood of his grandfather,
A lbrecht knew that this was going to be harder to deal with
than he had thought.
He looked out over the field to the Garou who performed
rites by the holes in the ground. The Black St>iral Dancer
tunnels, thought Albrecht. The Garou were plugging them
with dirt and shovels and using the secrets taught them by
spirits ro add more dirt where necessary. Albrech t figured that
more Garou were in the Umbra, the spirit world, likewise
using spirits to seal up the rents in their territory. Rites of
C leansing would also be performed, to remove any lingering
taint of corruption left by the deformed Garou's passage.
The workers were looking at A lbrecht now, some with
unreadable expressions, others with looks of anger. One
Garou, whose back was to Albrecht, turned to see what they
were staring at. He was an older Garou, with black hair going
gray and a strong physique. He saw Albrecht and his face
broke into a smile. He walked quickly over to Albrecht and
embraced him.
"Hello, Greyfist," Albrecht said. "It's been a while."
"Damn. I'd wondered if I'd ever see you again," Greyfist
said, looking Albrecht over. "Here you are."
"Yeah. Here I am," Albrecht said, watching the Garou
workers, who all stared at him in uncomfortable silence.
Greyfist looked at the wo rkers. "Hurry up! Get those
breaches sealed! What are you waiting for? Another attack?"
He turned back to Albrecht. "Come on. We can talk in my
office."
"Your office? Since when have you had an office?"
"Since Morningkill appointed me seneschal," Greyfist said,
leading Albrecht into the mansion and down a hall.
"You? Good lord! He really was crazy!"
Greyfist smiled and opened a door into a large room filled
with wall-to-wall bookcases. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing
toward a couch while he walked to a large desk and pulled a
pipe from the top drawer.
"No thanks," Albrecht said, walking around the room.
"I've been sitting all morning. It's a long drive here."
"Sorry. You're the one who chose to live in. New York."
Greyfist lit his pipe and sat in a leather chair behind the desk.
"I didn't choose. The Gnawers were the only ones who
would have me. You're lucky I didn't move to Alaska or
someplace equally remote." Albrecht walked about the office,
examining it. He looked at the furnishings and the books
along the wall. "Preny posh place you got here."
"It's just an office, Albrecht. But I am glad you're here.
We need you."
"We?" A lbrecht said, turning toward Oreyfist. "You mean
the Fangs? What in the world would you need me for?"
"Cut it out, Albrecht. You know very well that you're next
in line to be king."
"Hold on there! What about Arkady? I thought he wanted
the job- I sure as hell don't! What are you thinking? The
Fangs kick me out and then want me to rule over them? Yeah,
that's rea l likely. You saw those stares out there."
O reyfist leaned over t he desk and stared intently at
A lhrecht. "Don't be an idiot. You're Jacob's grandson. You are
the first in line. You are scion of the House of Wyrmfoe, the
First Family of the North Country Protectorate. Your line b11ilt
th is protectorate, damn it! Your position is the nominal head
of the entire North American continent, based on rights of
precedence set by your family generations ago when the tribe
first came to these lands. All Oarou are beholden to the king
of North Country."
"Listen to you. You believe this crap ! Let me tell you
something: there's not a Oarou in all of the state of New York
who buys that! Morningkill has been a joke for years. Oh, sure,
they're supposed to listen up when the Silver Fang king speaks,
but since when have they ever done that? And who's going
to make them? Morningkill dragged the crown down with him.
No one respects it anymore."
"That doesn't mean it can 't rise again."
"I don't know if it should."
Oreyfist stared at A lbrecht. "What do yo u mean ? It's the
throne, damn it!"
"I mean maybe it's this damn throne and all the authority
that comes with it that's dragging us down!" Albrecht said,
raising his arms exasperatedly and pacing about in front of
the desk. "You've heard the way the other tribes talk about
the Fangs. Well, I get a lot of that where I'm from. 'The Fangs
are nuts. They're going to bring us all down with their silly
dictates.' Maybe it's time the other tribes lived without the
Fangs for a while, 'cause either it'll teach them that they can't
live without us or, more likely, that they're right and we really
are a bunch of inbred fuck-ups."
Greyfist looked down at his desk, rubbing his pipe between
his fingers and thumb, thinking. Then he raised his head and
looked at Albrecht again. "You can believe that if you want.
Hell, I know most of it's true. But we will never become the
leaders we are supposed to be if we don't strive for it. just
because others have fa iled does not mean we should cease to
strive. Too much depends on us. Gaia depends on us. The king
is needed."
"Then let Arkady be king," Albrecht said, walking to the
bay window and looking out over the field.
"Arkady ... Arkady is not fit."
"What do you mean? He's royal, isn't he ? That's what
Eliphas said. A Crescent Moon even! You can't get much more
royal than that. Besides, he's obviously more purebred than I
am. Everyone's always known he had some breeding."
"But I don't trust him, Albrecht. l think he killed j acob."
Albrecht spun around and stared angril y at Greyfist. "I
thought a Black Spiral did it! That's what I was told. What
are you saying?"
"Calm down. I can't prove it. And yes, a Black Spiral
Dancer is what killed j acob. But I think Arkady was somehow
in on it. That he knew it would happen."
"That's qu ite an accusation."
"I know. But it's too damn convenient. Garrick is killed,
leaving Regina to take over his duties in addi tion to her own.
And she is still wounded from a mission Morningkill sent her
40
on, one that I think Arkady h ad something to do with
arranging. Arkady's pack - the King's Own, for Gaia's sake
- arrives late at the moot, too late to prevent the Black Spiral
Dancer from killing Jacob. And Arkady's newfound heritage
is announced before the king is even buried. Doesn't it all
seem too much to you?
Albrecht looked out the window again. "I don't know.
Yeah, it sounds real convenient. But I've known odder things
to happen. Maybe it's fate. Maybe Arkady is meant to take
the throne."
"It was your grandfather's last wish that you be king."
Albrecht was silent for a while, staring out the window,
across the field, at the throne. The bloodstained throne.
"Vanity. That's all. Just vanity. Morningkill wanted the line
to continue when he should have known better. The line is
obviously unfit."
Albrecht noticed a woman and a boy walking out onto the
field , toward the tents. He turned and walked to the door.
"I've got to go. There's someone I haven't seen in a while."
Greyfist looked out the window and then back at Albrecht,
who already had the door open . "They don' t like you,
Albrecht. Your Kin were shamed at your exile, and suffered
for it. They blame you."
Albrecht looked at him, the anger in his eyes softening.
He then walked out the door and back onto the field.
 Margot Rothchild looked around the empty tent. The
tables and chairs had already been removed, but the tent still
stood. Someone really should take them down, she thought. To
stand here looking so forlorn, so abandoned ... it just isn't right.
Not considering what happened to poor Jacob. Someone really
should take the tents down, for his sake.
"Mother, what are they doing out in the field?" Seth said.
The ten-year-old boy stood outside the tent, pointing to the
Garou rite participants who worked to seal the holes. "They've
got those funny sticks with feathers, the ones no one will tell
me about. Are they doing magic, mother?"
Margot looked at her son and felt the fear again: the fear
which always gripped her whenever he talked about the
Garou. She prayed that it was boyish curiosity and nothing
more. Just a boy's fascination with the strange. Not an
instinctive yearning. God, please no, not that.
"Yes, dear," she said, hiding her fear away again. "Don't
bother them. They're very busy."
"But what kind of magic, mother?" Seth persisted, his eyes
wide with fascination as he watched one of the Garou raise
his staff over his head and let loose a low, almost whispering,
ho wl. "It's a ritual, isn't it? Grandfather says that spirits are
always near when the Garou do a ritual. Have yo u e ve r seen
a spirit, mothe r?"
"Yes. But it wasn't ve ry interesting. It was just a bird. Just
like any bird."
"The n how did you know it was a spirit?"
"It spoke to Morningkill and then flew away into t he air
and d isappeared."
"In plflin s ight! It went to the U mbra, didn 't it ?"
"I suppose so. Now, let's get back tO t he car, dea r. Your
grandfather is expecting us to be there when he is done with
his business." Margot reached for Seth's hand, but he tore it
away and stepped out onto the field.
"But I wa nt to wa tch t he rite!" he sa id.
"Seth! Get back here! Don't go too close!"
But Seth was already runni ng toward the Garou. Margot's
fea r bro ke free fro m the little place with in he r whe re she hid
it. It would hide no longer. "Set h! Please come bac k!"
Seth t urned to look at he r and his eyes wide n ed. He
stopped running and stared at he r in shock. A fter a mome nt
she realized he was staring past her, behind he r. S he turned
a ro und and gasped.
He was talle r tha n she reme mbered, and he stood so close
she wo ndered how she hadn 't heard him approach. "Jo nas !
Yo u ... you startled me," she stamme red out, her eyes falling
to the fl oor, unable to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Margot," A lbrech t said. He looked at his cousin,
no longer the vivacious girl he'd once know n, but a woman
in h er thirties, premature wrink les and worry lines clearly
visible. Stress had taken its toll on her face and bearing. S he
stood wi t h sho ulde rs slumped, unable to look him in the face.
"Ho w a re things? How's the fa mily?"
"They ... they're all right. 1.. .. " S he turned away, back
towa rd Seth . "My son ... he ... he's ru n out. He's going to get
in t he way .... "
 "He's fine, Margot. There's nothing he can do to disrupt
the rites. I'm sure they want him to watch."
"But I don't! I. .. I mean, I'd rather he not bother them.
It's rude."
Albrecht looked out at Seth, who was now standing still,
looking back at Albrecht, curiosity on his face . "Has he shown
any of the signs? Do they know yet?"
Margot shuddered. "No. They don't know. They say it may
be a few years."
"I hope the heritage is true. Gaia knows we need more
Garou."
"I've got ro go. Warner is waiting-"
"That's right, Margot," a stern voice said from outside t he
tent, behind them. A lbrecht turned around and saw a middle-
aged man in a suit standing and staring angrily at him. "I've
been waiting by the car. I think you and Seth should go back
there right now."
Margot said nothing and left, walking over to Seth, who
had come back to the tent and was looking at A lbrecht with
awe. She grabbed his hand and pulled him around the tent,
heading toward the mansion.
"But I want to see Uncle Jonas!" Seth yelled, his eyes still
on Albrecht, who smiled back at him.
"Go to the car, Seth!" the stern man snapped, not taking
his eyes off Albrecht.
Seth followed behind his mother, but looked back at
Albrecht as he moved away.
"Hello, Warner," Albrecht said.
"Don 't even bother, exile," Warner said, the disgust in his
voice apparent. "I don't know why you're here, but I want you
to leave my fam ily alone."
"They're my family, roo. Margot was my mother's friend.
Her only friend here ."
"I don't care about the past. I am concerned with the
present, and you are a bad influence on Seth. If he has bred
true, you are the last person I wan t as a role model for him."
"Oh, calm down, Warner," A lbrecht said, shaking his head
and looking away from the seething statue of a man before
him. "You know my exile was politics, nothing more."
"So you say. But I know that you were banned from this
protectorate by the king, and I intend to find out exactl y why
you have returned. I certainly will not allow you to torment
my family!"
"! am here," Albrecht said, gritting his teeth, putting a
mental cap on his growing anger, "because Morningkill asked
it of me with his last breath."
Warner looked at Albrecht as if he didn't believe him. He
then lowered his gaze. " I see."
Albrecht walked over to Warner. As he came out of the
te n t , W a rner stepped back , obv io usly n ot comfortable
standing so close to him.
"I'm sure you're ant icipating Seth's Firsting," Albrecht
said.
"Yes. If he is G arou."
"That will be a feather in Henry's cap, to sire a G arou.
He'll get some respect for that."
Warner turned away, a look of disgust washi ng over his
face. H e then wiped his expression clean, replacing it with a
stone-faced stare. "Henry is not the father. Joseph Batell is."
Albrecht narrowed his eyes at Warner. "Was this your
doing?"
"I had to. You wouldn't understand. You don't give a damn
for the family. But we have a responsibility. We must breed
Garou, and Henry couldn't produce a child. I had to ensure
the family an heir, so I turned to a Garou. The chances of a
true breeding were better."
"You disgust me! You and the whole damn pack of Kin
families. Look what yo u've done to Margot! She used to be
strong and proud. But this? Forced to lie with a strange Garou
just so she can breed a pup? And how is Henry dealing with
this? He's probably a self-pitying wreck, if I know him."
"None of this is any of your business!" Warner said, his
face now a mask of rage. "You can 't possibly understand the
pressures on us!"
Another voice broke in, from off to Albrecht's left, toward
th e mansion. "Of course h e can't! He doesn't understand
honor and responsibility. Too damn proud. That's why he got
what he deserved and was kicked out !"
Albrecht turned to see an o lder man working his way
toward them, leaning heavily on a cane. It was obvious he
was having a hard time of it, but his anger was moving him
forward.
"Father!" Warner said, stepping up to the old man and
helping him to stand. "You were supposed to be in the car!"
"Margot said he was here. I h ad to see it for myself.
Couldn't believe it. Come back again, huh?"
"I don't want to argue with you, Sutter," Albrecht said.
"I'm just h ere for a short visit."
"Hah ! You think you're going to get the crown, ·d on't you?
You! A low-bred mongrel! That damn mother of yours - I
told her to stay away from my son. But he just had to get mixed
up with her! It was a surprise to all of us that she was able to
squeeze out a Garou. But when it grew up to be you, I knew I
had been right all along. Damn scullery maid! "
"Father!" Warner said, shocked at the old man's incivility.
"That's enough. She was his mother, for God's sake."
Albrecht knew Warner wasn't shushing Sutter out of
respect for his mother. He could see the fear in the man's face:
fear from looking at Albrecht's expression, from sensing the
growing anger and the impending loss of contro l that was a
trait of the Garou. No, Warner quieted his father out of fear
for their safety.
Albrecht was angry, but he could control the raging within
him. This was exactly what he'd expected of Sutter. The old
man was his human grandfather, the patriarch of the Albrecht
46
line. The A lbrechts were a highly regarded line of Silver Fang
Kinfolk whose history with the Garou tribe stretched back to
England, and to Holland before that. As such, Sutter was
rabidly antagonistic to anyone who stained that line, as
A lbrecht had done when he was exiled. Jacob Morningkill
was Sutter's father, but since Sutter had not bred true - had
not been a full Garou - he was a second-class son to the king.
When Sutter's son, James, had borne a Garou son - Lord
A lbrecht himself- Morningkill was considered the boy's
Garou grandfather, even though he was technically the great-
grandfather. Since Sutter's son James had not been Garou
himself, Sutter was doomed to be a mere footnote in the Silver
Fang annals, a simple genetic bridge between Garou
generations.
And he hated it. But instead of attacking the system, he
defended it with all his migh t, living up to h is role in society
to an extreme degree. And he had handed these traits to his
favored son, Warner, Albrecht's uncle.
"How is my father?" Albrecht asked Warner.
Warner looked down, unable to meet Albrecht's eyes. "The
same. A damn fool still possessed by the bottle. He can't get
over your mother's death. Fifteen years of misery he's given
himself."
"And over what?" Sutter cried. "A girl he had no business
with in the first place. She wasn't well-bred by any remote
definition of the term!"
"Will you shut up about my mother?" A lbrecht said, teeth
gritted. He felt the chaotic stirring within his gut, the roiling
that warned of a coming frenzy. But he shut his eyes and stilled
h imself. After all, these were just the bitter ramblings of an
old fool.
Sutter looked at him suddenly, worried, and was quiet.
"We must be going, father," Warner sa id, moving toward
the mansion, pulling his father along with him. But Sutter
seemed to find his courage again and stopped, Maring with
 4?
eyes narrowed at A lbrecht.
"Thank Gaia Arkady is royal! The thought of you on the
throne sickens me! Arkady is a real Si lver Fan g. H e is
everything we hold high. Not like you. Look at you! A damn
tramp. Can't even dress properly to come to your king's court."
"That's about all I'm going to take out of you!" Albrecht
yelled, his voice rising. "You want A rkady on the throne
instead of me? Tough ! That's my right! My crown to wear!
You know something? I didn't want the dam n job, and I still
don't. But if it'll piss you off, then I am sure as hell going to
sit on that seat. And you're going to kowtow to me like
nobody's ever seen! O r else yo u're outta here! Kinfolk can be
banished too, you know."
Sutter looked as if he were choking on a large rock. H is
face was scrunched up in rage, red and growing redder by the
second. He finally managed to open his tension-bound jaws
wide enough to say, "You wouldn't dare! You can't be king!
You're not half as royal as Arkady!"
Albrecht stared in utter contempt at Sutter. "Oh ? Watch
me. You are about to see the fight of a lifetime, old man ."
Warner, pale and fearful for his father's health, led the old
man away. Sutter continued to stare at Albrecht, unable to
speak out of sheer anger. His eyes shone from their sockets
like windows into a furnace, but a furnace he was unable to
contro l or cool down enough even to communicate. H e
hobbled off like that, aided by his son, and soon disappeared
around the corner.
A lbrecht shook his head. What have I done now! 1 don't
want the damn crown. Sure, I want to piss that old fart off big,
but I don't want to be king just for that. Well, it doesn't matter;
it's not like I' ve announced it before the court. I can always back
out.
He started back toward Greyfist's offi ce but stopped when
he noticed that the Garou workers were no longer engaged
in their rite. Rather, they were all staring at him. Some with
looks of confusion, some with uncertainty and some with
disgust and hatred. But some were looking at him with ... with
pride. And approval. Some of them were nodding at him.
Oh, holy Luna! He was in for it now. Practically the entire
court had h eard him. His declaration was official. The only
way out now was to crawl home in even more shame than h e
had arrived in.
Albrecht gritted his teeth and growled low. He'd be
damned if that'd be the case.
 Greyfist kicked the dirt hard. He nodded, satisfied. It was
well packed. The hole was sealed up. It would take a bulldozer
to open it again.
He walked across the field to investigate the other two
holes. It was hard to believe the Black Spirals had done what
they had. Tunneling under the caern for weeks, he estimated.
And no one had known. That said terrible things about their
alertness. But who would have believed they would come so
close, would dare such a feat? And through sheer bedrock, at
that! The soil was only eight feet deep here; they had tunneled
ten feet under, through solid rock, and then come upwards to
break through the soil in the caern field. It's a wonder they
didn't come up under the throne. But then Barktooth, the Shaman
of the Lodge of the Moon, said that the Grand Oak's roots were
deep and thick enough to pret~ent that. The Black Spirals couldn't
hat1e gotten any closer if they had wanted to.
Greyfist kicked the dirt around the next hole and found
it was as well-packed as the first. He did the same for the third
hole and was satisfied there also. He nodded to Regina and
headed back to the mansion. Behind him, he heard Regina
tell her protectors to get about their duties. They had been
fO
pulled from their normal posts this morning to seal the holes,
and the outer defenses now needed tending to. Soon, G reyfist
would once again feel confident about the caern and bawn
defenses. If nothing else, the attack had fina lly woken up the
Silver Fangs and made them realize they were in a war. A war
not only for Gaia, but for their own protection.
He heard the Garou talking as they headed off for their
posts. The word had traveled quickly and was on the lips of
every Silver Fang and Kinfo lk in the protectorate: Lord
Albrecht was to take his grandfather's place as king. Greyfist
smiled. H e didn't much care for the Albrechts and the
Rothchilds, but they had succeeded where his idealism
couldn't. Albrecht was now going to do his duty, and the relief
Grcyfist had felt when A lbrecht yelled h is intent for all to
hear was greater than any he'd felt in a long while.
Albrecht was the one for the job; of this Greyfist was
confident. Albrecht's own sense of self-worth had been worn
down over the last few years, but G reyfist felt that was an
asset. At least he possessed some humility- a quality lacking
among most of the tribe members here. Oh, it would take a
while to convince A lbrecht that there really was no one better
to rule than he, but Greyfist wasn't concerned about that.
Detail , details; that's all that was. It was Arkady he was
worried about.
The h igh-bred Ga ro u posed a threat to A l brecht's
asce nsion. Greyfist feared he really did have a claim to the
throne, even though A lbrecht was clearly next in line. Pure
breeding was a wild card in Garou politics, and allowed the
high -born to break many rules. Well, it would be decided soon
enough.
As he passed by the throne, Greyfist saw the preparations
already beginning for the meeting of the courts. In two hours,
the Lodges of the Sun and Moon would gather and argue over
the tricky issue of ascension to the crown. Ancient records
would be consulted and debated, and afte r a fe,~ hours, the
 ~,

Lodges would come to a decision on just who was eligible tO

rule the Fangs. The problem was that many of the tribal
records had been destroyed. Morningki ll, in one of his
paranoid fits, had set fire to the library a few months ago, and
many documents had been lost before the flames were put out.
Many more books had been ruined by the water used to douse
the fire.
Of course, all of this precedence nonsense was hardly a
problem for the other tribes, who each had their own rules
for determining leadership. The Get of Fenris' leaders ruled
hy might: onl y those who could successfull y defeat them in
challenge combat could take their place. The Bone Gnawers
valued the eldest among them, or those who had collected
the most junk. The Ch ildre n of Ga ia ch ose the most
diplomatic among them -at least, so G reyfist had been told.
But the S il ve r Fan gs , overl y concerned with b lood
precedence and membe rshi p in one of the Seven Roya l
Families, had to nit-pick their way to the crown.
Greyfist entered th e mansion and climbed the broad
staircase to the second fl oor. He turned down the north wing
and walked to the last door on the left. After a pause, he
knocked loudly. When there was no answer, he knocked again.
After another pause, he opened the door and walked in.
A lbrech t was spraw led ac ross a giant four-poster bed,
groggily opening his eyes and looking confusedly at Greyfist.
"Uhhhh ... wha ... what time is it?"
Greyfist walked over to the window and threw back the
heavy drapes, flooding the room with sunlight. A lbrecht let
out a yell as if he'd been hit by a base ball bat. He covered his
face with his arm and tried to pu ll the covers over him. But
G reyfist grabbed the blanket and yanked it off the bed.
"Oh, no. You're getting up. Now," he said. A long groan
was the onl y a nswe r fro m Albrecht. "Your presence is
requested at court today. The Lodges will decide on the issue
of ascendancy. As you are now a contestant for the throne,
you really should attend."
"Do I have to?" A lbrecht sa id in a moan which only
happened to sound like words.
"No. But I recommend that you do. If not, those at court
who disapprove of you may find a way ro deny your claim."
"What's wrong with that?" Albrecht said, sitting up and
rubbing his eyes. "That's exacdy what I want. I don't want ro
be king."
"Then why did you scream that you did to everyone in
listening range?"
"I was angry. I meant ro take it back, bur great Gaia, it's
now an issue of honor. And I'll be damned if Arkady's going
to come out of this shining purer than me."
"So?"
"So if the court says I can't be king, then I can't. It's got
nothing to do with honor at that point."
"You think that, when they declare you unable to take your
grandfather's place, people won't know exacdy why? If you
don't stand up and fight for your right at court, everyone will
know you' re just a blowhard coward. It's easy to claim the
kingship, but much harder actually to get it."
Albrecht looked at Greyfist with a surl y, smoldering
expression. "Thank you, sir. May I have another?"
"Joke all you want. But get up anyway. Come to court. Do
it for me, Albrecht, if for no one else."
Albrecht looked away and covered his face in his hands,
leaning on his knees. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay! O kay already! Just get out of here. I'll meet you at
court."
Greyfist smiled and left the room, quietly closing the door
behind him.
 A howl resounded throughout the caern. Guards at the
edge of the bawn stopped their tasks and looked back toward
the field. Even those out of view of the caern center could
not help being drawn to the source of the howl. They all
controlled the urge, the instinct, to answer the call, to pick
up the howl with one of their own. This summons wasn't
theirs to answer. The call went out to the aspirants to the
throne, the Garou whw sought the kingship of the North
Country Protectorate. And all the Silver Fangs knew that
there were only two who were bold - or crazy - enough to
try for that position. All of them waited quietly, some holding
their breath to hear better; waiting for the answering howls.
There - there was one from far off, outside the bawn, off
to the east. Even distance could not hide its rich , deep-
throated character. Arkady. The leader of the King's Own Pack
was far from the caern, which meant he would not be coming
to court, but he answered the howl anyway. Although
surprised by his absence, many Silver Fangs nodded as they
heard, proud that, even away from the caern, Arkady would
do his duty.
Then another howl, this one closer. Louder, even
considering the closer proximity. Not as deep, but angrier, a
growling, rage-ridden howl. The howl of Lord Albrecht. The
Silver Fangs nodded again, this time more reserved, doubtful.
Albrecht had been gone from the caern for a long time, and
some were unsure whether they wanted him back. But no one
could deny that his howl had been good, had rivalled Arkady's.
No matter, though. It was just a howl. Wait for the challenge,
they told themselves. The challenge would answer the
question: Who would be king?

Eldest C law, Shamaness of the Lodge of the Sun and

Master of the Rite for the North Country Caern, sat down
again, taking in a deep breath to recover from her howl. It
had been a loud, long howl, as was necessary to summon the
claimants. She waited to hear the answering cries. There was
Arkady's, from off to the east. Eldest Claw frowned. The
distance meant that Arkady would not be at court today. Was
this arrogance? Did he not consider it important e nough to
come?
Then came Albrecht's answer, frDJU much closer, over by
the mansion. Eldest C law's eyebrows rose. A good, hearty
howl. Perhaps this c ub was more qualified than the old lupus
had thought.
S he nodded to Barktooth , sitting ac ross the circle from her.
The lupus nodded back. They could now get down to business.
S he looked at Thomas Abbot, ro her right, and nodded. The
Steward of the Lodge of the Sun stood up and began the
recitation.
"Hear ye, all in attendance and Silver Fangs of the court
wherever ye be: the Court of the North Country Caern is
hereby begun. Absent is our king, the late Jacob Morningkill.
Hence, our business this day is the matter of the vacant
throne. Two claimants have answered the Howl of Precedence.
One, Lord A lbrecht, grandc hild of Jacob Morningkill and
scion of the House of Wyrmfoe, the First Family of the North
Country Protectorate. Two, Arkady, scion of the Clan of the
C rescent Moon and purest of blood. We are to consider: which
of the two claims is greatest? Which of the two shall inherit
the throne?
"Ruling the court this day, as the matter of worldly
leadershi p is determined, is the Lodge of the S un. Leader of
the Lodge and eldest among us is Eldest C law, S hamaness of
the Lodge. The court is begun .... "
Abbot sat down, and all nodded their approval. Eldest
Claw looked about the court. They were gathered in a circle
at the foot of the Grand Oak, at the base of the empty throne.
The sun shone down upon them; a good sign, considering the
precedence of Lodge at today's court. If it had been cloudy, a
gloomy fate would have been predicted. It was the Lodge of
the Sun's position in court to decide on worldly matters, as
opposed to the more spiritual concerns of the Lodge of the
Moon. This was why the moot was taking place during the
day.
On one side of the circle sat Eldest Claw's Lodge: herself,
Abbot and Mountain Runner, the Squire of the Lodge. Across
from them sat the Lodge of the Moon: Barktooth, the Shaman;
Shining Outward, the Steward; and Eliphas Standish, the new
Squire and Gatekeeper.
Gathered about them, as witnesses to the court, were
Greyfist, the Seneschal; Regina, Caern Warder; and other,
lower-rank Garou such as Pale Sire, the leader of a small Silver
Fang pack which often roamed northern Vermont, away from
the caern and away from politics. Also gathered were members
of the Kinfolk families: Warren Albrecht, Desmond
Rothchild, Cynthia Batell and a few from lesser families.
Eldest Claw sighed. This would be a long moot. She hoped
they could finish at a decent time so they could all prepare
for Morningkill's funeral that night. She looked up at
Barktooth and began. "The debate shall begin with Arkady.
What is his claim?"
"He is scion of the Crescent Moon!" Shining Outward
said, standing and looking at all gathered. "Is that n ot
enough?"
"No, it is not," Abbot said, also standing. "The Crescent
Moon is not the First Family here. That honor belongs to the
House of Wyrmfoe. Arkady is thus not eligible."
"But he has the purest blood of any among us," Barktooth
said. "He is a Duke, the only representative of the Second
Family. With his breeding, he is more than eligible."
And so the arguing went ....
Greyfist shook his head. So much red tape! A sense of
security and tradition was important, yes. But to drown in
f6
rituals and little laws such as those they argued here - it was
too much. It was a sign that the Silver Fangs had lost touch
with their primal, more flexible nature. What needed to be
resurrected in the Fangs was the lost touch of the Wyld.
All the talk of the Seven Royal Families sometimes made
his head swim. What a bog of lineage! It was a hobby of just
about every Silver Fang tO be able to trace the intricacies of
his or her lineage down to the last Kinfolk as far back in time
as possible. Some Silver Fangs could keep track better than
others, either through good record-keeping or the active
participation of their ancestors' spirits. The families that had
the strongest hold on tradition and breeding were known as
the Seven, for these were the seven families whose Garou
blood was considered strong enough to rule a protectorate.
Legends said that there were once thirteen families, but
six of them had been lost over time. Elaborate stories were
told about the doom of certain royal families.
It was said that the thirteenth family, whose name no one
remembered, came to an end in the War of Rage - the
ancient war they had called and waged against the other
werecreatures of the world. Successive births over the years
following the war were never able to revive the line, and it
eventually ceased to be.
The twelfth had been largely of lupus stock: those Garou
who are born to wolves. It was said that this line had died
out over time due to lack of proper breeding partners. Their
name was also lost.
The eleventh family, the Conquering Claw, died due to
massive infighting. A well-told epic about their fate served
as both a marker to their glory and a morality tale against
fighting amongst family members. Although a member of this
lineage had been known to be born once in an age or so,
thanks to the recessive Garou gene, none had owned a
protectorate within historical memory.
The tenth family was not spoken of, and their name had
!been struck from the tribal records. They had gone to the
Wyrm. Those born of this blood were either killed by their
Silver Fang parents or stolen by Black Spiral Dancers before
the parents could act out their duty.
The ninth family, the Winter Snow, had seemed to be
ominously named once their doom became clear: the entire
family had succumbed to Harano, the great depression which
few Garou could throw off once trapped within its gloomy
·embrace. Any new births of this lineage also succumbed to
the curse. The source of their fate was a mystery to the tribe.
The eighth family was the most mysterious of all, however.
Known as the Golden Sky, the entire family had disappeared
in the Middle Ages and was never seen again. No new cubs
had been born to this lineage since that time. Most Garou
believed that the family went into the Umbra.
The seventh family was the C lan of the Crescent Moon,
the premiere family among Silver Fangs; for they controlled
the legendary Caern of the Crescent Moon in the Russian
Urals, rumored to be the first caern created by the Garou back
in the dawn of time. This was Arkady's family.
The sixth family was the House of Wyrmfoe, Albrecht's
line and the founding family of North America. They were
the first Silver Fangs to create a caern in the New World, and
had ruled over the entire con tinent since then, although
almost no one outside the tribe still upheld this claim.
Of the other families, the Austere Howl was strong in
Britain; the Wise Heart ruled in the Mediterranean and parts
of the Middle East; the Blood-Red Crest held a protectorate
in Asia; the Unbreakable Hearth could be found in various
regions, but especially in the American mid-west; and the
Gleaming Eye was powerful in Europe.
Each of these families favored flocks of Kinfolk with whom
they preferred to breed, ostensibly to keep the lines pure. For
the House of Wyrmfoe, this included the Albrechts.
G reyfist turned his attention to the court again and
listened for a while. They were wrapping up their discussion
of A rkady, and their decision seemed to be exactl y what
G reyfist had known it would be: A rkady, due to h is breeding,
was eligible for the kingshi p.
G reyfist looked around him. W here the hell was A lbrech t?
They would discuss him nex t, and he really should be here to
defe nd his name if they tried to besmirch it; which he knew
they would .
"Is he comi ng?" Regina asked, leaning over from her place
to h is righ t. S he still nursed her arm, the one wh ich had been
severed two days earlier by Morn ingkill's assa ilan t. It was
reattached to her shoulder, bur it would be a while before she
could again use it fully.
"He's supposed to," Greyfist said, looking around the fi eld.
"He damn well better, or he'll find me challenging him instead
of A rkady !"
Regina looked over toward the mansion. "Well, he needn't
worry about that. There he is."
Greyfist fo llowed her gaze a nd saw A lbrecht slowly
wa nde ring his way over to the circle. He had a cigarette in
h is mouth and appea red ro be enjoying it. G reyfist met his
eyes and glared at h im . A lbrecht took a long drag on his
cigarette, threw the stub on the ground and stomped on it.
Smiling, he shrugged his shoulders at Greyfist and walked over
to sit next to him.
"How goes it ?" Albrech t sa id. "Can I be king ye t ?"
"They're just getting to you now," Greyfist said. "Arkady,
by the way, is eligible. So, if they decide in your favo r, you'll
have to fight him."
A lbrecht pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "So I figured. So
everybody figured. Hell, they're looking forward to it here like
it's b igger than a Foreman vers us Tyson match . Maybe
A rkady'll ch icken out and disappoint them."
"Ha! Don 't count on it. Seriously, t hough. you should
worry. He's da mn good."
 Albrecht looked at Greyfist, smiling and shaking his head
as if he couldn't believe what his friend had just said. He
pulled out a c igarette and lighter and lit up. "Yeah. So? I'm
better."
"Look, you haven't seen Arkady in three years. You have
no idea what he's learned in that time."
Albrech t took a long drag on h is cigarette, putting the
lighter away. He then breathed the smoke out. "He hasn't seen
me, either. I've been in New York. He's been here. So maybe
he's knocked off a couple of Black Spiral Dancers and some
Bane-possessed deer. I've fough t fucking Sabbat vampires.
Now who are yo u going to bet on ?"
"I think the odds on that bet are closer than you think.
Did you know he killed a Nexus Crawler last year ? Not by
himself, of course. The King's Own Pack was there to help,
but he led the battle and took very few wounds."
Albrecht frowned. "He did, huh? Hmpf. How'd his pack
fare, though? I bet he let them get cut up while he coached
from the sidelines."
"It's true that they took more wounds, but the tale they
tell is that he threw just as many blows as they, and that his
all connected and cut deep."
"Ahh, they're just talking. Trying to beef up thei r pack
leader."
"You're an arrogant ass, you know that? When will you
concede that he may be your equal in combat, if not your
better?"
Albrecht sh ook his head. "Yeah, right. You don't win
battles by thinking your opponents are better than you. You
win by being better than them, and knowing it."
Greyfist sighed and turned back to the court. They were
talking about A lbrecht now. Barktoot h was arguing against
him, since A lbrecht was, after all , an exi le. Abbot stood up
for him, letting it be known that Morningkill had rescinded
the han ishment with his dying breath . Greyfist looked at
60
Albrecht, who seemed oblivious to all this talk about him,
although it was clear he was listening.
"So his exile is over?" Barktooth said. "What does that
matter? He's obviously unfit for the throne ! Look at him!"
Barktooth gestured with his snout toward Albrecht, and all
eyes fe ll on him. Albrecht simply puffed on his cigarette.
"Does he look like a Silver Fang to you? The evidence is in
h is breeding. His mother was low-born."
Albrecht frowned.
"But his Garou blood is royal," Abbot cut in. "That is all
that matters."
"I disagree," Barktooth continued. "Breeding is everything
to the Fangs. We are not mongrels like the other tribes. Gaia
ordained that we would carry the blood of the first Garou with
us until the end. From the Dawn to Apocalypse, we shall
remain pure. Letting Albrecht, the son of a low-born human
woman, take the throne is to ignore Gaia's will."
"I don't know what kind of brick got stuck up your ass,"
Albrecht said, standing up. "But I am the grandchild of Jacob
Morningkill, your king up until two days ago. Is your memory
so short? l've got enough royal blood to stain your fur. And I
am sick of hearing everyone here dis my mother. She was a
damn fine woman. She may not have been a m<:mber of one
of our dysfunctional Kin families, but that's a virtue in my
book."
Barktooth looked coldly back at Albrecht. "My memory
is not short. It's long enough to remember your exile, called
for by your own grandfather."
Albrecht stepped forward, staring hard into Barktooth's
eyes. "Yeah? Well he ended it, in case you didn't hear Abbot
over there. If you've got a problem with that, maybe you and
I should work it out here and now."
Eldest C law stood up and shouted, "Enough! Sit down,
Albrecht. This is not the place for unfette red ange r.
Sit down, I said."
 61
Albrecht looked at the elder, then walked back to take
his seat. G reyfist put a hand on his shoulder, but Albrecht
ignored it.
Rather than staring with anger at Albrecht, Bark tooth
smiled. A lbrecht had won the respect of the lupus, as G reyfist
had known he would. That's why he had wanted A lbrecht
here. The lupus did not judge people the way a homid d id .
Blood was important to him, but so was rage and the ability
to respond to an insult. He judged people who stood flesh-
and-blood before him, not simply the rumors and tales about
a person . By losing his te mper, A lbrech t had managed to
con vince the holdout of the court, the last one to resist
A lbrecht's claim.
"I say that A lbrecht has proven himself strong enough to
bear the crown," Bark tooth said, sitting down. H is debating
opponent, Abbot , seemed surprised. After a confused moment,
he also sat down.
Eldes t C law looked about. "Is there a n y other who
disagrees?" When no one answered, she said. "Then it is done.
A lbrecht is worthy. A lbrecht and Arkady are the claimants
to the throne." Sh e let out a howl, similar to her earlier cry,
but longer and quieter. The Howl of Confirmed Precedence.
She then got up on all fours and walked off. The other court
members also stood up and walked away, some in Lupus form,
others in Ha mid.
The court witnesses stood and departed, although Warner
A lbrecht gave his nephew a scowl before leaving.
"Is that it ?" Albrecht said. "What now?"
"The challenge," Regina said, standing up and ru bbing her
arm absently.
"The fight. So, when does it happen ? I'm itching to get it
over with."
"As soon as you challenge A rkady," said G reyfist, standi ng
up and stretching. He took a few steps into the circle.
"Me? I have to challenge h im?" Albrecht said, standing
up now himself.
"More likely he'll challenge you." Greyfist turned to look
at Albrecht.
"When do you figure that'll be?" Albrecht said, reaching
for another cigarette.
"Tonight. During your grandfather's funeral," Greyfist said.
 The crescent moon haunted the night. The pale white
birches stole its bare sliver of light, gleaming bright in the
night while the rest of the landscape disappeared into black
darkness. Except on one hill, removed from the Morningkill
mansion, where torches burned. They were placed on poles
every few yards, leading up a small path to the crest of the
hill. Their red and orange flames danced at the top of the
poles, throwing the shadows of the mourners march ing up the
hill into a chaotic frenzy.
At the top of the hill were Lord Albrecht, Greyfist, Regina
and Shining Outward. They watched as the line made its way
toward them, led by Eldest Claw, who loped forward in Lupus
form. She was immediately followed by the King's Own Pack,
who bore the body of King Jacob Morningkill wrapped in its
ceremonial raiment. All of the Pack were in Homid form,
including Arkady. Behind them were the rest of the Garou of
the protectorate, and finally the Kinfolk families .
Albrecht looked about as he waited for the mourners to
reach them. Trees, rocks, grass and dirt were all around him.
This is what any human might see if he stumbled onto this
isolated hill. But Albrecht saw it differently, as any Silver Fang
would.
The odd scratching on that tree was a marker, a pictogram
carved there to declare who was buried beneath it: Henry
"Woundgiver" Standish. That rock covered the grave of Lord
Batell, the "Eye of Gaia," as was made clear by the wolf paw
and circle pattern depressed into it. The mound of dirt he was
standing next to was a fresher grave. The small rocks scattered
about its edges marked it, and declared that Gregory Breaking
Heart lay here. A member of Arkady's pack, killed in service
to the king a year ago. Albrecht wondered if it was the Nexus
Crawler that had brought him down. The cemetery, known
as the Grave of Hallowed Heroes, was even more obvious in
the spirit world, where the markers could not be missed and
were often guarded by spirits.
Eldest Claw came over the rise; the mourners had arrived.
They quickly spread out to take their places in the small
clearing while the King's Own Pack marched forward to the
hole. The bearers paused over it, and then lowered the king's
body into the earth.
Albrecht watched Morningkill disappear into the ground.
It was hard to believe the old man was finally gone. He had
been seventy-five years old, long-lived for a Garou. Garou
could certainly live longer, with their advanced healing
abilities, but they usually died in battle before then. It wasn't
that Morningkill hadn't been able to fight - hell, when he
was young, no Garou on the east coast, perhaps the entire
continent, could have bested him. So it was said, at least.
Albrecht believed it. He had the scar to prove it.
He had been only one year into his Firsting, and fresh from
his Rite of Passage, when he had gotten into a heated
argument with his grandfather. Being new to his powers,
Albrecht had believed he was the toughest thing to walk the
earth. Morningkill had proved him wrong, but it had taken a
scar to convince Albrecht of it. It was still there, a deep claw
mark on his left shoulder. It even hurt sometimes, when it
rained heavily.
Damn it, though, he was going to miss the old king. His
scar was a mark of humility, a lesson Morningkill had meant
him to learn for his own survival. Regardless of all the years
and the enmity that had passed between them, Albrecht
couldn't hold a grudge against this man. He had been the ideal
at which Albrecht had long aimed. But that goal was as dead
as the man.
The King's Own Pack moved aside from the grave to let
the line of mourners pass by. They moved behind Albrecht,
and he watched them as they passed. They were pretty rough-
looking all right. Even that Ragabash- what was his name?
Peter- looked like a bruiser. But Arkady looked meaner than
all of them. The Garou did not look at him as he passed, but
Albrecht paid attention to the way he walked. Confident,
supple. This was a werewolf whose economy of movement
showed he knew his body well. His stance was ready to assume
a battle pose at an instant. Albrecht knew this because he
had once tried to cultivate those moves himself. But it wasn't
his style.
Albrecht turned back to the grave and watched the
mourners. They all looked genuinely grief-stricken. Most of
them were old enough to remember Morningkill in better
times, before the king had become ... eccentric. He saw Garou
whom he hadn't seen in years, and a few Garou from far
protectorates, come to pay respect to the dead king.
But Albrecht noticed that Loba Carcassone was not among
them: Her exile had not yet ended. He would h ave to do
something about that when he became king. He also wondered
about poor Alphonse Grayling and Justin Beauchamp, the
Silver Fang exiles who had attacked him and whom he had
been forced to kill. The mystery of why they had attacked him
was still not solved. But their bodies had not come back to
the protectorate with him and Eliphas. They had been exiles,
and thus were denied a proper burial among their fellow tribe
members. Albrecht felt a pang of guilt. If he'd been able to
control his rage, they migh t be alive today. He was sure their
attack had been just a misunderstanding of some sort. Of
course, if he hadn't frenzied, maybe he wouldn't be alive today.
The Garou had all gone past, winding their way back down
the hill. The Kinfolk families were coming through now.
There was Sutter, followed by Warner. They threw dirt on
Morningkill's grave and walked on, not looking at Albrecht.
Behind them was Warner's wife Daphne a nd her two
daughters, the haughty and ugly Lenore and the quiet Margot,
who pulled Seth along behind her. Margot looked at Albrecht
but then looked away, nervous and shamefaced. Seth stared
at him, though, obviously proud to have Albrecht as his uncle.
Albrecht shook his head. The kid really had no clue, did
he? Albrecht was no role model to follow. Well, it didn't
matter. If he didn't get the crown for some reason, he wouldn't
be sticking around anyway.
James Albrecht walked up to the grave alone. He looked
down sadly and threw a handful of dirt into the grave. Then
he looked up at his son. Albrecht felt his throat tighten. The
man looked terrible. He was only in his late forties, but years
on the bottle had aged him badly. His eyes bore right into
Albrecht's, swimming with tears, a look of pain and loneliness
on his face. Albrecht looked away.
After all these years, he thought he had finally forgiven
his father for being weak, for not being man enough to stand
up to his own father and brother, for not defending his wife
or son to them. Albrecht had borne great resentment for the
man. He had grown up humil iated, called "low-born" and
"mongrel" by other boys of the protectorate, most of whom
had not bred true as A lbrecht had. But their words had stung
him nonetheless. He had thought the pain of the past was
gone, but all the hate and anger came back as he saw his father
here in the flesh again.
 James Albrecht lowered his head and moved down the h ill.
Albrech t fought to keep from stepping forward, from calling
out to h is father to give the man some sort of word or sign
that his son cared. H is anger - no, his pride - was too great
for that. He could forgive Morningkill, who had banished him
from home, but he could not go to his father. The pain of
that broken pride was greater than exile. He looked away from
the gathering, trying to hide his self-loathing at his failure to
forgive.
After the Rothchilds and the Batells and the other families
had passed, the King's Own Pack came forward again. They
carried shovels and began to throw heaps of dirt into the
grave, onto Morningkill. Albrecht wanted to leave. He had
to get out of there. But tradition demanded he stay. He was
the closest family; he had to stay until the end.
He must have begun fidgeting or something, because
G reyfist looked over at h im and gave h im a frown. He looked
back at the seneschal and shrugged his shoulders. Man, he
thought, what I would do for a cigarette now.
The pack worked quickly, though, and soon enough the
grave was covered and the d irt packed. Albrecht noticed that
some of them had shifted into Glabro form- the near-human
form - to work faster with the added strength. S hining
Outward and Regina stepped forward , carr ying a marble
headstone between them. It was sheer vanity to use such a
thing, and it would do nothing to hide the graveyard from
humans, but Morningkill had insisted on a headstone for his
grave.
They placed it on the ground and drove it in with their
bare hands, shifting to C rinos form for the brute strength
required. When it was solidly placed, they shifted back to
Homid and stepped away, looking at A lbrecht. He sighed and
walked forward . Stopping at the foot of the grave, he looked
down.
Well, he thought, this is for you, Granddad. I hope you like
it, wherever you are.
6l
He shifted into Crinos form, his bulk and height increasing
greatly. He drew in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and
then let out a long, mournful howl. He was joined by the
others, who had shifted to C rinos or Lupus, and they all hung
their heads back to the sky, crying out their sorrow to Gaia.
Albrecht carried the howl for minutes and minutes as others
dropped out, unable to continue. Finally, only one other was
left howling with him: Arkady.
Albrecht frowned and a note of anger crept into the howl.
Arkady was trying to make a contest out of this, when he knew
that it was A lbrecht's right to begin and end the Dirge for
the Fallen. He felt his anger rise as Arkady also matched the
growling note Albrecht had introduced. Now he was mocking
him. Albrecht turned to look at Arkady, and saw that the wolf
h ad been watc hing him a ll a lo ng, a smirk in his eyes.
A lbrecht's howl became a growl which choked off out of anger
and frustration. But Arkady carried the original howl on for
a few more seconds.
This was too much ! That Arkady would dare such an insult
here, at the funeral rites of his grandfather! Albrecht couldn't
h ave cared less about Arkady's as pirations to the throne
before, but this was personal now!
He marched forward on all fours in Crinos form. Arkady
was already in Lupus. He matched the wolf's gaze and stared,
growling deep and low, waiting for Arkady to back down. But
the wolf stepped forward, staring up intently into Albrecht's
eyes. It was now a contest to see who would break first, who
would look away or who would lose control to rage.
Albrecht's vision narrowed. O nly Arkady existed for him
now. His vision grew red as his anger rose, a roiling furnace
of molten bile in his gut. He longed to leap forward and
throat the damned bastard before him, the wolf who met his
gaze and did not flinch . Indeed, whose eyes bore deeply imo
Albrec ht's, searc hing fo r some sign of weakness, some
breaking point.
 ,,
And then Arkady said one thing, all the while his gaze
never wavering. One word spoken in the Garou tongue:
"Charach."
Albrecht roared and leapt forward, faster than even
Arkady had anticipated. The wolf tried to step aside, but
Albrecht's fangs snapped shut on his right rear leg, causing
him to howl in pain. He lunged at Albrecht, burying his snout
into Albrecht's shoulder. But Albrecht was consumed with
rage and ignored it, savagely chewing Arkady's leg. The wolf
shifted into Hispo form - the prehistoric dire-wolf form -
and then straight to Homid. In the second in which Albrecht's
fangs opened wide to accomodate the larger leg and, before
they could crash down again on the smaller human leg,
Arkady pulled free.
Albrecht howled in anger and ran at Arkady, but was hit
from the side and thrown a few feet away. This confused him
for a mo ment. He smelled someone other than Arkady
standing over him - Regina, the Caern Warder. Her face
hovered over his, growling low and threateningly. Albrecht
didn't know what was going on now. He had no desire to fight
Regina, and so he bowed his head and shut up. When she saw
his submissive gesture, she stepped back.
Albrecht looked up and saw that Shining Outward stood
over Arkady, likewise cowing the Garou into submission. It
was not hard; Arkady was obviously hurting badly and was
only too glad to give up.
Albrecht stood up, shifting to Homid form, and began
dusting himself off. "What's the deal? Why'd you stop me?
That bastard insulted me! Here, at Morningkill's funera l!"
"That's exactly why we stopped you two," Regina said.
"How dare you challenge over Morningkill's grave! Such a
disrespect for the dead! I am appalled."
"I started nothing!" Arkady said, now standing in Homid
form and limping over to his pack. His leg was b:-.dly mauled,
bu t one of his pac k members bent down and began to call on
10
a Gift to mend it. "You saw it! This mad one attacked me !"
"Shut up, Arkady!" Greyfist said. "You know very well that
you provoked it. I consider it a challenge."
"Ah, but Seneschal, I am Master of the Challenge at this
caern. It is I who decides what is a challenge and what is not."
"Not in this case," Regina said. "Since you are a claimant
to the throne, you cannot act in you r normal caern position
until the claim is resolved. Another must be declared Maste r
of the Challenge in your place."
"Since you are the Caern Warder," Greyfist said to Regina,
"doesn't the position fa ll to you?"
"I believe that is the standard etiquette," Shining Outward
said , dusting the dirt that had been kicked up by the figh t off
the headstOne.
"Well, t hen?" Greyfist sa id ro Regina. "Is Arkad y
considered tO have challenged Albrecht for the throne ?"
"Hal " Arkad y said. "I did no such thing! I simply carried
the howl longer than his weak lungs could."
"You asshole !" A lbrecht said. "That wasn't your right! It
was my right tO end the howl. You stepped on my territory!"
"Albrecht's correct," Regina said, looking at A rkady. "You
disrupted his grandfather's death ri tes. As a member of House
Wyrmfoe, it was A lbrecht's duty to lead the howl, but you
rook it over. I consider that a challenge."
"Pah!" Arkady said. "How silly. It does not matter, though.
It was only a matter of time until he challenged me."
"Yeah," A lbrecht said. "But you challenged me, so 1 have
choice of weapons."
Arkady glared at him angrily. "So? What do you choose?"
"Klaives."
"Then I will carve you from chest to groin and hang your
pelt on this tree!" Arkady said , pointing at a nearby birch.
"Hold on there," Regina said . "I haven't set the time or
place yet. I decree that it will be tomorrow night before the
Grand Oak. Be there by midnight, or forfeit your claim."
 .,,
Arkady nodded and gave Albrecht a sneer. He then walked
off, his leg now fully healed thanks to his packmate's magic.
The King's Own Pack fell in behind him, and they soon
d isappeared over the ridge of the hill.
"King's Own Pack, huh?" Albrecht said. "We'll see whose
pack they are once I'm king."
"Your temper is as bad as it's always _been," Greyfist said,
walking past Albrecht.
"Hey!" Albrecht said, following him. "You saw that. He
provoked me. And why'd you break it up? I almost had him."
"You weren't close, Albrecht," Greyfist said. "It was clear
that as soon as he got over his surprise, he would have won
by out-th inking you. The way he slipped from your grip
showed that."
"He got lucky on that one."
Greyfist stopped and spun around to face Albrecht. "Damn
it! When are you going to wake up? Arkady can beat you. You
walked right into his challenge- don't think he didn't plan
it this way! He's a master of the klaive. He really will carve
you up! You could have chosen Gamecraft to best him, a
contest of wits. You're not particularly smart, but you could
have overcome him at that at least!"
"Don't talk to me like that," Albrecht said. "I'm sick of it.
In case you aren't aware, I am also a master of the klaive. And
mine's bigger than his, besides. I've seen his klaive. It's nice,
but it's no Grand Klaive. I think House Wyrmfoe's family
heirloom is going to wind up flaying his ass."
Greyfist turned around and walked off down the hill,
fuming. "Your ego is going to get you killed, and then the
dream will be dead for good."
Albrecht watched his friend march off down the hill.
Dream? What the hell was he talking about ?
 Mari hit the punching bag again. And again. One hundred,
one hundred one, one hundred two . ... After one hundred and
ten blows in succession, she took a break and jogged around
the o ne-room gym. She had broken a sweat but wasn't
breathing heavily yet.
She ran past Evan , who sat at the small desk by the door
looking bored, staring out the window onto the streets of New
York. He turned from watching the passersby outside to watch
Mari as she ran past. He yawned.
"Look, I think we sh ould try to get in to uch with
Albrecht," Evan said.
Mari did not answer him. She kept running until she
finished her lap. She then took a deep breath and sat down
on the blue mat that stretched from wall to wall.
"Tomorrow," she said. "I gave him until tomorrow to let
us know what's happening."
"Yeah, but that could be too late."
"He can take care of himself. I'm sure we would have heard
something by now if he were in trouble."
"Not necessarily. Little word gets in or out of that place.
Those Silver Fangs are true New Englanders: secretive and
shut-mouthed."
"Well? What do you want to do? We don't have a phone
number and I'm not sure exactly where the caern is."
"But Mother Larissa would know. She'd surely tell us."
"She's been bothered enough in this affair-"
The phone rang. Evan looked at it, then reached over and
picked it up. "Cabrah's Self-Defense. This is Evan speaking."
"Don't you have school or something?" Albrecht said.
"Albrecht! Where the hell are you?!"
Mari stood up and walked over, her hand out for the
phone. "Give me that. I've got a few things to say to him."
Evan turned away from her, covering the receiver. "Wait
a minute. Let me find out what's going on." He uncovered
the receiver and leaned back in his chair. "So what's
happening? Do you know why those guys attacked you? Is the
king really dead? Who's going to be the next king?"
"Hold on ," Albrecht said. "One at a time. First: A whole
hell of a lot is happening. Second: No, I don't know why those
two attacked me yet. T h ird: Morningkill is really dead. His
funeral was last night. Fourth: I'm fighting someone tonight
to become king of the Silver Fangs."
"What? You're joking, right?"
"Nope. The guy's name is Arkady and he's a real asshole.
But I can take him."
"But ... king? You?"
"Hey, don't sound so surprised. I thought I'd get some
support on this from you at least. Of course, king! I've told
you my heritage before."
"Yeah, but I thought you had given up on that. I never
thought you'd actually ... you know, become king."
"King?" Mari said. "Albrecht?!" She reach ed out and
snatched the phone from Evan. She yelled into the receiver,
"What do you mean, king? You can't be king!"
Albrecht chuckled. "Yeah, that's what some of these guys
tell me. But I say otherwise. What's the matter? Don 't like
the idea of ol' Albrecht lording it over all the tribes, including
yours?"
"The day you 'lord it over' the Black Furies is the eve of
the Apocalypse, Albrecht. Don 't even joke about it. Are you
serious about this? What are you thinking? We have a pack."
"Yeah, so ? I can be king and member of a pack at the same
time. It just means that you guys might have to help me out
with official duties and all. Big-time stuff. Lots of renown in it."
"Shove your renown, Albrecht. I don't like the idea of you
as king at all. W hy can' t another be king?"
"Because the only other contender is too big of a jerk. I
can 't let him have it. Hell, I'd never hear the end of all that
talk - 'The S ilver Fangs are going down.' 'The Silve r Fangs
can 't rule.' 'The Silver Fangs blah , blah, blah.' No, I'm not
going to contri bute to more of that."
"Really? What do you th ink people will say when they hear
that Albrecht, lord of drunks, is ta king the th rone?"
"H ey!" Al brecht said, getting angry. "That's not called for.
That was a long t ime ago."
Evan grabbed the phone back from Mari, who frowned at
him but walked across the studio to the hanging punching bag.
Sh e began to throw a series of blows at it.
" It's me again ," Eva n said. "Don 't worry. S he 's just
surprised. We're behind you."
"Is that noise in the background what I think it is? Is she
hi tting the bags again ?"
"Yeah."
"She's awfull y weird for a T heurge, kid ."
"Well ... . Hey, what do you want us to do? How can we
h elp?"
''I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how the fight
goes." There was a pause. "Of course, if I don't survive, I
probably won't be calling you."
"You said you could take this guy!''
 "Well, yeah. But you never know. I'll see you! Bye!"
Albrecht hung up.
Evan placed the receiver back in its cradle. He looked at
Mari, who stopped punching the bag to look back at him.
"He's in trouble."
"Of course he is. But he doesn't want us involved. We've
got to respect that."
Evan looked out at the street, at the dirty buildings
crowding in. "I guess." He didn't like it, though. Not at all.

Albrecht left Greyfist's office. The call was exactly

what he had expected: Evan '£urious and concerned, Mari
ready to tear his head off. He knew she was just as worried as
Evan, but she hid it well.
He had spent most of the day practicing with the klaive.
He wasn't out of shape by any means, but after that fight in
New York, he wanted to make sure Arkady didn't slip any
blows past him. He concentrated on his defense, since his
offense was not in doubt.
He also did meditation exercises to help calm himself
down. He did not want to frenzy against Arkady. Grcyfist was
right about one thing: If he frenzied, Arkady would win. So
Albrecht worked to calm himself with meditation.
But Mari had pissed him off anyway.
He should have called them earlier, and then exercised.
But he knew the hours she kept at her gym, and he was
guaranteed to reach her in the afternoon.
He walked back up to his room to meditate again . He was
confident that Greyfist would alert him well in time for the
combat.
'' Th e c rowd was al ready gathered and waiting when
Albrecht went out to the field. Regina's caern protectors had
marked off the combat arena with small, white rocks placed
one after the other in a large circle. The Grand Oak stood at
the western edge of the circle.
There were no bleachers or raised seats, so spectators had
arrived early to get the prime viewing spots. There weren't
that many Garou or Kinfo lk at the caern, so the circle was
probably big enough that there would only be two rows once
the battle began. But those rows wou ld encircle the entire
marked space.
A lbrecht walked onto the field and examined it. Torches
on poles surrounded the fieiJ, providing the only light besides
the crescent moon and stars. A layer of dirt had been laid on
the field and packed down, with all the rocks and pebbles
cleared away. The field was clean and open, with no
depressions. A good, fair playing field. That was in Albrecht's
favor. He had never been one to rely on tricky distractions.
He was a straightforward fighter, and this was his kind of field.
From what he'd heard of Arkady and his fight ing preferences,
A lbrecht would have the advantage.
He went over to the Grand Oak. Greyfist had set up a chair
there, along with towels, a bucket of water and a first-aid kit.
Thomas Abbot was also there. He had volunteered to act as
healer for Albrecht.
"Hello, Thomas," Albrecht said to the older Garou as he
sat down in the chair. "By the way, I want to thank you for
standing up for me yesterday in the moot."
Abbot smiled and shrugged. "Certainly. I was only
defending my views. You are Morningkill's heir, therefore you
should be king."
"I get the idea you don't think much of Arkady."
Abbot sneered. "I suppose it shows too much, then. Well,
if he does win - perish the thought - we will need a gadfly
against his policies. I will be happy to fulfill that role."
 .,
"And if I win?"
Abbot smiled at Albrecht. "As long as you're on the up·
and- up, you h ave nothing to worry about. Act like you r
gran-dfath er, h o wever, and you' ll be in fo r some
disappointments from the court."
Albrecht nodded. "Of course."
He looked out at the fi eld again. Across from his position,
the crowd had cleared away to make room for Arkady's chair.
The Kin g's Own Pack were carr ying it ove r. A rkady's
packmate, Peter, was to act as his healer.
Albrecht glanced at his watch. Quarter t ill twelve. He
knew it was tOO much to expect that Arkady would be late.
It appea red the fight was on.
A murmuring went th rough th e crowd and A lbrecht
looked up to see Arkady in the circle, checking it out the same
way A lbrecht had earlier. He was frowning, as if he was
disappointed with it. Albrecht smiled. Good, you schmuck. I'm
glad you hate it .
Arkady went and sat down in his seat. He stared across the
distance at Albrecht, smoldering. Albrecht smiled and nodded
at him, and Arkady returned the nod, smiling also. Bastard,
Albrecht thought. Facetious bastard. Of course, so am I.
"I just don't get it," Greyfist said. "Why does this sort of
thing always come down to combat?"
Albrecht chuckled. "Wake up. We're Garou. It always
comes down to two guys bashing each other's heads in."
Regina walked ontO the field and surveyed it. She then
took her place at the throne, to Albrecht's left. She addressed
the crowd.
"Since both combatants are here, we can begin. The
challenge combat has been declared: klaives. The conditions
are, as always, to figh t un t il an honorable surrender. If none
is given, then to the death. I would remind both combatants
to heed the Litany concerning a surrender. I will be harsh with
any who disregards it."
.,,
Albrecht nodded, as did Arkady.
"Then let the combatants take the field."
A lbrecht stood up. His armor was strapped over his trench
coat: a small breastplate and epaulettes, carved with ornate
pictogram sigils, and vambraces on his arms. He sauntered out
into the circle and stopped, taking his place just inside the
marks.
Arkady also rose, walking into the circle. His battle armor
was more impressive than Albrecht's- black with an ornate
breastplate and vambraces. Thick, black leather covered the
rest of him. He was an impressive-looking warrior.
"Draw your weapons," Regina said.
A lbrecht pulled his Grand Klaive from the sidesheath in
h is trenc h coat. The crowd re cognized it and began
murmuring. It was a well-known family heirloom, having been
used by Morningkill in hi s yout h , and by his Garou
predecessors before him.
Arkady drew his blade; not a Grand Klaive, but one which
he handled well. He swished it around in a circle and seemed
to be perfectly at ease with it.
"Fight!" Regina yelled.
Albrecht immediately crouched low and moved forward,
his klaive out before him, ready to parry any blow. Arkady
walked toward A lbrecht, his klaive swinging slowly in an arc
from right to left. Albrecht began to slide to the right, trying
to circle Arkady, but Arkady moved to his left, cancelling out
Albrech t's move.
"Well, Arkady?" Alb recht said. "Why don't you come at
me?"
"I will act when I feel like acting," Arkady said, still
swirling his klaive. "Not when you prefer it. Why? Are you
afraid to take the initiative?"
"Ha! I just want to make this last, to give the crowd a show.
If I started first, this would all be over in second&."
"You are such a braggart," Arkady said, moving slowly and
carefully forward. Albrecht stood his ground, his large sword
out before him. "Why do you not back up your words with
action?"
"!like watching you swing that thing around. Ever thought
of taking up tennis? 'Cause that's what you look like, a wussy
tennis player swinging a racket."
Arkady growled. "You had best take Crinos form, Albrecht.
It will hurt very badly for you otherwise."
"You first, Rusky."
Arkady leapt forward, d ropping down as h e reached
Albrecht and stabbing his knife up from below. A lbrecht took
one step back and easily parried. He then stepped to the right
and swung his sword down, but Arkady ro lled away and stood
up straight again.
"Temper, temper, Arkady. I saw that coming a mile away."
"I was simply stretching," Arkady said, standing in place
and swinging his klaive in an arc again. "I did not get all my
exercises done earlier."
"Oh? Too busy jacking off?"
Arkady's face comoned imo a grimace. He began growling
and his shoulders grew broader, his arms bigger and his legs
longer. He was shifting to Glabro form.
Albrecht shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. Can't even stay in
Homid form long enough to throw a few taunts, huh ?"
Suddenly Arkady was in C rinos form, a tOwering wolfman
who came hurtling at Albrecht with incredible speed. His
klaive whirled in a blur, one Albrecht could barely keep track
of. But instead of stepping back on the defensive, A lbrecht
lunged forward, stabbing his sword into the whirling arc of
Arkady's klaive. Arkady was taken by surprise and his klaive
was knocked from his h and. He jumped back, do dging
A lbrech t's slashes as A lbrecht closed the distance between
them.
Arkady then slipped .to th e side when Albrecht least
expected it and reached out with a claw to slice at Albrecht's
lO
shoulder beneath the epaulette before he could bring his
klaive up to block it. Blood sprayed forth. Arkady had scored
first blood.
Albrecht stepped back, bringing his klaive up and calming
himself, ignoring the pain. It was just a scratch. But the
distraction allowed Arkady to run off and pick up his klaive.
He's good, Albrecht thought. He's more flexible than I am.
I thought I haa him, and even though he was surprised, he escaped
pretty quick. I've gotta be a bit more careful. Reaay for anything.
A rkady was now smiling, his klaive again circling in his
hand. Albrecht growled and began to shift forms, growing into
Crinos. He was huge in Crinos, although he and Arkady were
almost equal in height. Albrecht's fur was white, but Arkady's
was even more purely white, the sign of superior breeding.
Albrecht stomped forward toward Arkady, tired of playing
around. He wanted to get this over with. He had never been
much for taunting in combat, and he didn't know why he had
wanted to do it earlier. Had he been scared? Trying to test
Arkady's boundaries? Screw that! Time to kick butt.
Arkady slowly backed away as A lbrecht came closer, but
Albrecht didn't hesitate. He kept coming. Arkady tried to slip
to Albrecht's left, but Albrecht stepped over and cut him off.
He was in range now and began to swing his klaive wildly at
A rkady, with such powerful blows that Arkady knew he
couldn't parry them and was forced to dodge.
But he didn't dodge. The Russian Garou stepped forward,
past Albrecht's reach, and thrust in with his klaive. lt slid
down Albrecht's breastplate and sank into his stomach. He
barked in pain and tried tO step back, but he couldn't bring
his large klaive up quickly enough with Arkady so close. But
t he oth er Garou moved in closer, twisti ng his knife in
Albrecht's gut. The pain was incredible! A lbrecht shut his
eyes and forced himself not tO lose control. He dropped his
sword and grasped Arkady's head, dri ving his thumbs into his
opponent's eyes.
 Arkady screamed and pulled back, leaving his klaive in
A lbrecht's stomach. One of his eyes had been put out by
Albrecht's claw, but Albrecht had missed the other one,
managing only to scratch the eyebrow. Blood poured down
Arkady's face, blinding his good eye. He ran back, trying to
get clear. Albrecht ran forward, picking up his klaive and
swinging it at Arkady's torso.
It was a clean shot. Arkady was in for it. The fight was
almost over.
But Albrecht tripped and fell to the ground. The klaive
in his stomach hit the dirt first, driving deeper, exiting the
other side, barely missing his spine. He yelled in pain,
coughing up blood, stunned and unable to move.
Arkady ran over, wiping the blood out of his good eye.
He slashed at Albrecht with his claw, tearing through the back
of Albrecht's trench coat and ripping a layer of muscle off.
He drew back for another blow, but Albrecht leapt up and
knocked him off balance. Rather than taking advantage of it,
however, Albrecht ran to the edge of the circle and pulled
Arkady's klaive out of his stomach. Blood poured forth from
the wound and A lbrecht clutched it tight. Nothing worse than
a gut wound, Albrecht thought. Hurts like hell.
He looked at Arkady, who cautiously came at him. Arkady
was barely hurt, and Albrecht was almost dead. Albrecht
wondered how that had happened. He had had a clean shot,
damn it! How had he tripped? There was nothing on the field!
He had checked it out himself.
He raised his klaive at the last minute to parry one of
Arkady's rakes. Arkady didn't seem to expect it and couldn't
pull back in time, and the klaive cut through his forearm to
the bone. Arkady gasped and pulled back. Albrecht stumbled
forward, trying to take advantage of the surprise. He slashed
upwards and then quickly to the side. The blade caught
Arkady on the right shoulder, slicing through the battle armor
and the bone. Arkady's arm fell to the ground.
 Arkady screamed in rage and clutched his shoulder,
running to the far side of the field. Albrecht tried to follow
right behind him, but th e pain kept him from running too
fast. Arkady spun around then and ran right back at Albrecht.
As Albrecht stopped and pointed his klaive forward to receive
the charge, Arkady leapt into the air. He flew past Albrecht,
who tried to duck, but Arkady's claw caught him on the scalp,
tearing out a chunk ·of hair and opening a large gash.
Albrecht fell to the ground, stunned again. He tried to
stand and turn, blindly swinging his sword behind him at the
foe he knew must be there. He was right. His klaive connected
and Arkady grunted, but the klaive was now stuck in Arkady's
left thigh. Arkady stepped back to take a breath , obviously
fighting to control his rage.
Albrecht blinked and wiped the blood off his forehead
before it could run down into h is eyes. He readied himself for
Arkady's attack as Arkady pulled A lbrecht's klaive from his
thigh and smiled. He began to swing it around in a circle as
he approached A lbrecht.
Albrecht felt dizzy watching it. He was suffering from
massive blood loss and a concussion, he was sure. And now
Arkady had his klaive and was going to carve him up with it.
Sure, he had cost the Garou an eye and an arm, and given
him a big wound to the thigh, but he was still coming on while
A lbrecht felt like he was about to faint.
Arkady came near Albrecht and pulled the sword back to
slash at him. Albrecht fell down and the sword cut empty air
over his head.
Albrecht, too weak to continue, drew in a deep breath and
said, "I surrender, Arkady."
Arkady didn't seem to hear him. He stepped forward and
drew the sword back again.
"Damn it, it's over. I surrende r," Albrecht said, barely able
to sit up.
Arkady's eyes narrowed and he began to swing the sword .
Albrecht shut his eyes, but the blow never landed. He opened
his eyes, blinking from the blood running into them, to see
Arkady, sword poised in mid-swing, staring past Albrecht at
Regina, who was giving him an angry stare. Albrecht could
barely hear her deep growl from here. Her message was clear:
You can kill him, Arkady, bw king or no, I will make you pay for
it later.
Arkady stood there, seeming to weigh his options. He then
dropped Albrecht's klaive and turned away, limping back to
his chair. "Get out of here, Albrecht. You will be gone by
tomorrow. And you won't return to my protectorate."
Albrecht sat there, staring at Arkady's back. He then shut
his eyes and cursed himself.
l4

Albrecht stared up at the night sky and the crescent moon

stared back at him. He breathed heavily, wincing in pain with
each exhalation. T homas Abbot moved his hands over his
stomac h and concentrated. The wound began to seal up.
Albrecht breathed more easily as the pain subsided.
"Turn over," Abbot said.
Albrecht rolled over onto his side. Blood ran down his
back, stain ing the dirt. Abbot touched the torn muscles and
again concentrated, calling on the healing power of the spirits
to reknit Albrecht's ripped flesh. He then healed the scratch
on Albrecht's shoulder. Albrecht felt much better, but he
knew he would be sore for a while.
"Now, sit up," Abbot said, and A lbrecht groaned as he
obeyed. He almost fell back down as a wave of dizziness came
over him. Abbot felt his fo rehead and then healed it. The
blood stopped flowing and the wound closed up.
Albrecht smiled at Abbot. "Thanks. I fee l like a mi ll ion
dollars."
Abbot didn't say anything. He just stood up and walked
away. "Try to get some rest."
A lbrecht sighed. He got up and looked around. Most of
the spectators had left, following Arkady and his pack.
Arkady's wounds had been healed and he had declared a
victory party by the edge of the bawn. Most of the Garou had
gone to celebrate with their new king.
Greyfist and Eliphas stood nearby, talking quietly between
themselves. Eliphas looked worried, and Greyfist was
frowning. Albrecht walked over to them.
"Hey, no need for long faces," he said. "I'm fit as I ever
was. And you won't have to put up with me as king now. You
should be celebrating."
Greyfist looked gravely at Albrecht. "We need to talk. In
my office."
Albrecht looked at Greyfist as the Garou walked off to the
mansion. H e turned to Eliphas, who had begun to follow.
"What's up with him? Sore loser?"
Eliphas stared at Albrecht as if he couldn't believe what
the man was saying. "I think you need to hear this," he said
and followed after Greyfist.
Albrecht pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and followed. As he
entered the office, Greyfist was standing by the window and
Eliphas sat on the couch. He closed the door behind him.
"So what's up?" Albrecht said, getting a bit worried now.
Greyfist didn't turn from the window as he said, "Arkady
cheated."
"Oh, come on now," Albrecht said. "You saw it. You were
right all along; he really is better than me."
Greyfist turned around. "No he's not. You had him dead
by rights with that one blow. Then you fell."
Albrecht flushed with humiliation. "Yeah, well .... " He
puffed on his cigarette. "Do we have to have a blow-by-blow?
I know my mistakes. He got lucky on that one and was able
to turn the tide from there."
Greyfist looked solemnly at Albrecht. "Eliphas, te ll
Al brecht what you told me."
Albrecht rurned to th e yo ung man, who see med very
l6
worried. "What? What is it ?"
Eliphas leaned back on the couch, not meeting A lbrecht's
eyes. "I. .. I was given my accouterments as Gatekeeper
yesterday. But I have not completed the training yet, so I can't
be sure-"
"Don't bandy words," G reyfist interrupted. "You know the
fetish was correct."
Eliphas nodded, swallowing nervously. "Yes. It can't be
wrong, can it?"
Albrecht sat down next to Eliphas. "What can't? Tell me
what the hell happened. "
Eliphas looked at him now. "I have a fetish, the Spirit
Ward of the caern. It has been used by every Gatekeeper of
North Country for three centuries now. Its purpose is to alert
the Gatekeeper to intruder spirits who enter the caern. It
detected one during the fight. There was an alien spirit on
the fi eld. That was what tripped you."
Albrecht leaned back, his mouth open and his h ead
shaking. "You mean Arkady brought in a spirit to cheat?"
"That's not all," Greyfist said . "It was a Bane."
Albrecht growled. "No. That can't be. Not even Arkady
is that stupid."
"But the fetish does not lie," Eliphas said, exasperated.
"When it warned me, I d idn't know what to do. I've only just
become the Gatekeeper, and Garrick is not around to train
me. I went into the U mbra to see it with my own eyes, but it
had fled by then. However, the area ... stank of the Wyrm. It
had left the scent of its corruption behind."
"Wait a minute," Albrecht said. "That could have been
the smell of the Black Spiral Dancers from a few days ago."
G reyfist shook his head. "No. Rites of C leansing removed
those yesterday. Regina saw to it personally. This was a new
scent."
Albrecht shook his head, staring into the corner of the
library.
"Why is this so hard for you to believe, Albrecht ?" Greyfist
asked. "I've suspected for some time that he was behind the
Black Spiral Dancer attack. He's obviously made allies among
the Wyrm."
"That bastard," A lbrecht said, gritting his teeth. "I would
have won. I would have had him."
"Quit being so damn selfish!" Greyfist snapped.
Albrecht looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean ?
He caused me to lose the fight."
"Don't you understand what this means? Arkady is king
now! He has brought the taint of the Wyrm onto the throne!"
Albrecht shuddered. His guts turned. It was his fault. If
he'd been able to beat Arkady, the throne wouldn't be in
danger of corruption. He had to do something. Albrecht stood
up, heading for the door.
"Where are you going?" Greyfist said.
"To take this up with Arkady," Albrecht said, reaching for
the doorknob.
"You can't!" Greyfist yelled. "You've just lost a challenge
to him. You can't challenge him again; he doesn't have to
accept it. The others would turn against you, and your
accusation would be assumed false."
Albrecht stopped and looked down at the floor, thinking.
"We've got to reveal this! He can't get away with it."
"I've already thought through all the options," Greyfist
said, turning toward the window again. "Eliphas cannot bring
forth the accusation because he is too new at his position,
too low in rank. He has no tangible proof by which to accuse
the sept's Master of the Challenge, only the faint evidence of
the spirit's tracks, and no definite connection between that
spirit and Arkady. Arkady is fresh from his victory and has
many allies. The sept wants a king, and he has proven his right
by combat to be king. Arkady would ridicule Eliphas, and force
a physical c h allenge." G reyfist paused. "No. I have to
challenge Arkady."
"What?" Albrech t said, walking back to the center of the
room, staring at Greyfist's back. "You will do no such th ing!
He'll tear you to pieces in seconds. Hell, you know I can beat
the crap out of you, and if he can get me, you don't stand a
chance. Besides, what if he cheats again?"
"There is always Gamecraft. I can easily best him at that."
"But you are t he one bringing the challenge. The form
of resolution will be his choice. He'll choose klaives - you
know it."
Greyfist sat down at his desk. "You're right. We have a
treacherous secret and we can't even reveal it. Damn this
whole system of rights and challenges! If only the mighty rule,
then the mighty can bring us down."
"But only the mighty can protect us from the Wyrm,"
Albrecht said, "Or so the theory goes."
They all sat in silence for a while. Greyfist looked out the
window and seemed to be struggling with heavy thoughts.
Then he looked at the other two. "There is one hope."
Albrecht looked up at him. "What?"
Greyfist looked down at the desk nervously. "It ... it's a bit
preposterous, really. It came to me in a dream. I've been
struggling to figure it out over the last few days. It's made me
think a lot about our tribe's situation."
"A dream?" Albrecht said. "What makes you think this
one was special?"
Greyfist looked straight at Albrecht. "I believe this dream
was sent by Falcon."
Albrecht didn't say anything, but looked back at Greyfist,
waiting for him to continue.
"Have you ever heard of the Silver C rown ?"
Albrecht frowned. "It's an old legend, isn't it? Something
about the first crown worn by a Silver Fang king? Back in the
Dawn Times?"
"I have heard the story," Eliphas said. "It's the crown of
kings, the true test of rulership. It is said that only those
worthy to rule the tribes under Gaia and Falcon can wear the
crown. The unworthy who attempt to wear it die."
 ,,
"That's right," Greyfist said. "Many believe the crown is
an ancient fetish artifact, not just a myth or a figment of the
imagination. I saw this crown in my dream. I saw Morningkill
try to wear it and perish. But I saw another - I don't know
who- take it up and survive. I believe the Silver Crown still
exists, that Falcon showed it to me for a reason. It's our only
chance, Albrecht. If you can get the Silver Crown, you can
be proven a.true king, one fit to rule over Arkady."
"Wait a minute," Albrecht said. "One, you said it kills
whoever is unworthy. That could be me. Two, we have no clue
that it really exists, and if so, that we can find it."
"I've done some research on this," Greyfist said, "with what
little is left of the protectorate's records. I think it's in the
Umbra, Albrecht. Waiting in some realm for a true king to
come claim it. That king is you."
"Here we go again. What if I'm not worthy? I'm supposed
to go off on a dangerous Umbra! quest because it might be
there? And if I get it, it might not fry me alive? This sounds a
bit farfetched."
"What other hope do we have?" Greyfist said.
Albrecht couldn't answer that.
"I have spoken with Antonine Teardrop, a Stargazer in the
Catskills who has extensive records of tribal legends. He
claims to know something called The Lay of the Silver Crown,
a saga composed by a Silver Fang Galliard years ago. He thinks
it holds some clues to the crown's location."
"Look, I like Antonine and all - I mean, he saved my
butt once - but he is a bit cracked. He tends to believe a lot
of things just because they're mystical."
"Isn't my dream mystical, Albrecht? We are Garou. We
are beings of spirit as well as flesh. You're an Ahroun, so I
know you've never paid a lot of attention to spiritual matters;
but I have. You need to believe me, Albrecht. The Silver
Crown exists. And you must find it. Otherwise, the North
Country Protectorate is doomed to corruption."
 "All right. I believe you. I've got to get this crown. Hell, I
guess I've gone off on crazier quests for less. But where do I
start?"
"You return to New York, gather your pack, and then visit
Antonine. He will tell you the Lay."
"My pack. Great. They are going to love this."
"You need to go now, Albrecht. You have to get the crown
and return with it before the cusp of the next full moon. That
is Arkady's auspice, and the day he will be crowned. After
that, not even the Silver Crown can break a kingship rite."
"So that's ... what? Eleven days starting tomorrow? Great.
I've gotta trek across the Umbra to who-knows-where, pick
up a lost fetish, and get back here in less than two weeks?"
"Yes," Greyfist said. "Eliphas will drive you home."
 Dawn touched the highest towers of New York City, but
in the streets below it was still night. In the early morning
gloom, Albrecht and Eliphas drove through the awakening
streets. People were coming out of their apartments and
getting into their cars to head for work. Buses roared by,
stopped to drop off and pick up people, and roared off again,
speeding to the next block's stop.
A lbrecht rubbed his eyes and put his hands back on the
wheel. He looked over at Eliphas, asleep in the passenger seat.
A lbrecht had been too worked up after last night's revelation
to sleep, so he had taken over the driving duties. Eliphas had
protested, experiencing visions of massive dents appearing on
his Lexus, but A lbrecht was hard to resist when he was fixed
on something. So Eliphas had made the best of the situation
and crashed out for the journey.
A lbrecht pulled up outside Mari's gym. There was a space
open, probably left by someone who had just gone to work. It
was a bit tight, and it had been a while since he had parallel-
parked, but he was confident. He pulled forward, put the car
in reverse, and backed into the space. He was look ing back
over the seat, doing a good job of swinging the car in, when
he heard the sound of metal grinding from the front bumper.
Shit, he thought. Scwped the car in front.
Eliphas sat upright and looked forward. His face fell , an
expression of confirmed doom on it. He then sat back again
and closed h is eyes.
A lbrecht straighteneJ out in the space and shut the engine
off. "Sorry about that. You took it better than I thought you
would."
Eliphas didn't say anything. He just frowned with his eyes
shut, looking like he still wanted to sleep.
"That's okay. just go back to Nod. You wait here while I
run in and inform the crew."
Eliphas nodded and rolled onto his side. A lbrecht shrugged
and got out of the car, then went up to the studio door: T he
large window next to it looked in on the gym. Painted in large
letters were the words: Cabrah's Self-Defense. And in smaller
letters, beneath it: Martial Arcs Classes for Women. Karate,
judo, Tae Kwon Do. Albrecht took out his key and unlocked
the door. Stepping in, he shut the door behind him and walked
across the room.
As he walked, he looked at himself in the fu ll-length
mirror that ran from wall to wall on one side of the gym. Gaia,
but he looked terri ble. Abbot had done a good job of patching
him up, but he still had a large bru ise on h is forehead. His
coat was torn and dirtier than usual. He hadn't shaved since
the meeting of the Lodges: his stubble was almost a beard .
He shook his head, opening the door on the far wall , and
walked up the stairs beyond it.
He came into a small hallway with two doors opening off
it. He went down to the last door and knocked . He heard
someone walking around on the other side and listened
carefully. Let's see, he thought. judging from the sound I'd say
it's Evan. Not heavy enough to be Mari.
The door opened and Evan's face lit up with a smile.
"Hey! You're back!" Evan said. "Come on in! What
happened? How'd the fight ... go." His enthusiasm trailed off
as he noticed the bruise on Albrecht's forehead and his
tattered coat. "I guess it didn't go well. Since you're here so
quick and all."
Albrecht stepped past him into the apartment. "You think
fast on your feet, kid. I like that. I got my ass whupped."
"That's too bad," Evan said. But then he smiled. "I guess
that means you're back here with us now."
"Hold on, now. I thought I said on the phone that just
because I was going to be king didn't mean we weren't a pack."
"Okay," Evan nodded, obviously not buying it but not
interested in fighting either. That was what Albrecht liked
about Evan. He was the only one Albrecht knew who wouldn't
immediately jump into an argument with h im.
"Where's Mari ?" Albrecht said, looking around the small
apartment. They were in a living room with a kitchen opening
off it. A hallway was to the right, leading to the bedrooms.
"She's out on her morning jog," Evan said, walking to the
small table by the window. "Breakfast?" he asked, picking up
a box of Cap'n Crunch.
"No thanks. I'm more of a Crunch Berries man myself.
When do you think she'll be back?"
"I don't know. Ten minutes, maybe?"
"Well, I've got someone waiting out in the car. I don't-"
'Tm here, Albrecht," Eliphas said, coming in the door. He
looked annoyed. Mari walked in behind him, glaring
suspiciously at him. "Your friend here did not like me waiting
in front of her establishment."
"Do you vouch for him, Albrecht?" Mari said.
Albrecht laughed. "Yeah. He's all right. You can ease off
him, Mari."
She nodded at Eliphas, who nodded back. He then rolled
his eyes and went to sit down across from Evan, who handed
the cereal box to him. He stared at it for a minute, as if he
didn't know what it was, then nodded again and took the box.
 "So, Albrec ht," Ma ri said. "Wha t's the story?"
"Yo u migh t want to sit do wn fo r this o ne," A lbrech t said,
lean ing against the wall a nd pulling a cigare tte out of h is
pocket. Mari's brow wrinkled in disgust, but she didn't say
anything o r move to sit down. He li t the cigarette and took a
drag on it. "On second tho ugh t, you bette r stand. Yo u're a
pacer, a nyway, are n't you?"
"Just spit it out," she said.
"Well , I lost t he fight. I got t rashed pretty good."
Mari smi led a t that. "The mighty A lbrecht ta ke n do wn ?
No!"
"Oh , but wait. Here comes the good part. My opponen t,
A rkady, c heated . It appears t hat he had a lit tle Bane ally
wa iti ng in the U mbra to trip me up. Literally. I had a killer
blow on that bastard, hut this Bane interceded and screwed
it up."
"A Bane? So th is Arkady is Wy nn-corru pt. What did the
Fangs do to h im when they found out!"
"No w that's t he really good part. T hey don't kno w ye t."
"Wha t ?" Eva n said, sti ll chewing his cereal. "Why not ?
Yo u've got to warn them !"
"Hold on. It's not t hat easy. And t hat's the crux of the
matter, really. You sec, we can't prove it. And with the laws
of c hallenge the way they are, we don't have anybod y who
could successfully bust o n Arkady."
"Just point h im out to me a nd I'll ta ke him down!" Ma ri
said, her fists bunching up.
"Ah, it's not that easy. Believe me, I really wish I could.
But he's guarded by a da mn good pack. And if I we re found
to be s iccing my pals on hi m, that wo uld be conside red
conspiracy against the throne. You gotta realize, he's king
now."
"King!" Mari yelled. "You let a Wy nn-fetid Garou take the
th ro ne of the S ilver Fangs and the rulersh ip of t he thirteen
tribes?!"
"Wait a minute here! Just the other day you were singing
a different tune there. Something about the day the Fangs
ruled over the Furies being Apocalypse night?"
"That was you, Albrecht. I said that the day you ruled
would be the eve of the Apocalypse. But apparently I got it
wrong. You've let a Wyrm ally onto the throne. If that's not a
step toward the Final Days, I don't know what is."
"Well, damn it! I'm trying to do something about it! I'm
the only one who can take the throne from Arkady. If we just
get someone to kill him - assuming they succeeded - the
crown might go to a regent, one of his pack mates. They could
be corrupt also."
"But they might not know," Eliphas cut in, crunching
cereal. "We don't know for sure that they are aware of Arkady's
treachery."
"That's true. But we have to assume they're just as culpable
all the same. Now, here's the plan .... "
Mari raised her eyebrows, waiting.
"There's this ancient artifact called the Silver Crown. If I
can get it, I can be king. I think."
Mari nodded. "Of course. The Silver C rown. If you don't
kill yourself putting it on, you wi ll be proven fit to rule the
tribes."
"Yeah," Evan said. "That's a good plan. Do you know where
the crown is?"
Albrech t was looking in surprise at both of them, as was
Eliphas. "You mean you've heard of the crown ?"
"Of course," Mari said. "Who hasn't? It's only the greatest
treasure of the S ilver Fangs."
"Wait. Wait," Albrecht said, throwing his hands up. "I've
only heard vague rumors of this thing, and it turns out you
guys know all about it? Is it just me?"
"I have on ly heard references to it in oth er legends,
myself," Eliphas said.
"Unbelievable," Mari said. "You've forgotten your own
treasure! No wonder the S ilver Fangs are said to have fallen.
Everyone knows about the crown except the S ilver Fangs !
And we thought you had it in hiding from the other tribes
for all these years! The Furies and the Ukten a would do
anything to get it. But no one's looked for it because everyone
knows it's being guarded by a Silver Fang sept somewhere. But
now! Once this news gets out, everyone's going to be searching
for it."
"Then it doesn't get out," Albrecht said, glaring at her.
"'Cause we're going after it. We've got some clues. We can
do this. We have to do this."
Mari nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't dare miss such a quest. The
renown alone would be considerable, let alone the chance to
see this great artifact."
Albrecht's eyes narrowed. "We need to make something
clear here. We do this so the Fangs can get the crown, not
the Furies. Got that? This crown needs to be among the Fangs,
not sitting in some Fury stronghold on a remote Greek island."
Mari glared at him and was silent for a while. "All right.
The crown goes to the Fangs. But if I think it will be misused,
I will not hesitate to liberate it and place it in the keeping of
our crones."
"Don't worry. If I get it, it'll be in good keeping."
"I will judge that for myself when the time comes."
"Guys!" Evan said. "Stop it. Look, Mari, we've got to do
this for Albrecht. For the Fangs. For the entire Garou nation .
If you can't make that promise ahead of tim<:, it's not in
anyone's best interest to involve you in the quest."
Mari's eyes widened as she looked at Evan as if he had just
put a knife in her back. "You're taking his side! "
"I have to look at the greater good in this," Evan said. "You
know the Furies don't need the crown. Come on. Be realistic.
You're letting ego get in the way."
Mari frowned at him and then threw up her hands. "All
right! The crown will go to A lbrecht."
A lbrecht nodded. "Thank you. Now we've got to leave.
Antonine Teardrop knows some lore about the crown that'll
give us a pointer in the right direction. Eliphas will drive us
to the Catskills."

The dome sat on a rise, poking out above the fall foliage.
Evan pointed it out to them as they drove along the small
back road that wound its way to the Stargazer's home.
Albrecht had never been here before, but he had heard about
it. Antonine T eardrop lived in one of those weird
Buckminster-Fuller-designed geodesic domes. He had
telescopes pointing out of windows along the top so he could
glean omens from the stars. Albrecht was a bit skeptical about
such things, but he knew that Antonine was considered a very
wise Garou, albeit one with a foot in the twilight zone.
Albrecht admonished himself for being uncharitable about
another tribe again. Antonine had saved his butt. He had
saved the entire pack, back when Evan had had his Rite of
Passage and the Wyrm had been after him. Antonine had been
the only one to read the proper omens and to act to get
Albrecht, Evan and Mari to the holy site where the spirits
could instruct Evan in his heritage: that of a Wendigo prophet
and warrior.
But Albrecht had not seen Antonine since then. The
Stargazer stayed in his home for the most part, occasionally
showing up at a Garou moot here and there to tell of a new
omen. Most of the time, the rest of the Garou didn't like his
omens. They were uncomfortable prophecies, pointing out
insidious Wyrm plots that no Garou wanted to believe could
exist. Lately, Antonine and Lo ba Carcassone had been
working together, realizing that they had both separately come
across the same Wyrm plot - if it was a Wyrm plot. Their
"plot" was probably the freakiest conspiracy theory Albrecht
had ever heard, linking generations of child abuse to a
conscious plot by near-immortal Wyrm servitors. To untangle
such a chaotic thread and put a cause-and-effect label on it
seemed a bit much even for Antonine.
But they did have some scary evidence at times.
Albrecht looked at the dome as they drove closer. Loba's
Wyrm plot did not concern him now, however. The crown
was what was important here.
Soon they pulled into the gravel drive outside the dome.
Antonine was patiently waiting on the porch that encircled
the dome, obviously expecting them. He was a middle-aged
man, fit and healthy-looking with deeply tanned skin and a
face which had seen much of the outdoors. He wore a red-
checked flannel shirt, blue jeans and brown leather shoes.
As the pack got out of the car and walked over to him,
Albrecht looked around. It was quite an impressive spread.
Trees surrounded the dome and grew up right next to it,
leaving a nice, shady canopy over the drive and the porch.
"Greetings," Antonine said as they reached the porch.
"Hello, Albrecht and Mari. And how are you doing, Evan?"
"I'm fine, Antonine," Evan said, shaking the Stargazer's
hand. "I want to thank you again for all your help during my
Firsting."
Antonine smiled and nodded. He looked at Eliphas. "You
must be Standish. Greyfist told me about you. Congratulations
on your new post as Gatekeeper."
Eliphas looked unsure of how to respond. He was obviously
a bit awed to be meeting the famed Stargazer. "Thank you.
1... I am very pleased to meet you. I have long respected your
wisdom."
Antonine's eyebrows raised at that. "Then you are a rare
Garou." He turned back to the others. "Why don't you all
come in? I have prepared a meal. Standish, I have a bed you
can sleep on to rest for you r journey home. The rest of you
will not return with him. You have another place to go, a
journey you must make on foot."
 It was e ve n ing. The c rescent moon was at the end of its
wax ing, close to bec oming a ha lf moon. T he Ph ilodox moon .
The pack was gat he red in An ro nine's living room, at t he
center of the do me. Rooms ope ned off to the side, leading to
bedrooms and a kitchen. Above t hem, encircl ing t he ceiling,
was a wa lkway. Windows lined it, each with a te lescope and
a small table wi t h odd devices.
T hey sat o n cush ions o n t he floo r, fa cing A ntonine, who
had a stack of books and scro lls befo re him. He had a pair of
readi ng glasses o n and was looking th rough some of the scrolls.
T he Garo u had eate n a fin e meal, some sort of exotic lndinn
d ish, t he recipe for wh ic h An ro nine said had been given to
h im by a frie nd na med S hakar, an exce llent cook.
A lbrech t wanted a cigare tte, but he wasn't about to insult
Anton ine's hospitality by ligh ting up inside the dome. He sat
back and tried to re lax. A nron ine seemed to notice his
restlessness a nd put his scro ll down .
"Let's begin," A ntonine said. "G reyfist and I have spoken
about t he c rown before. Frankly, I was surprised t hat it is
actually lost. I am sure you are aware of the rumors that it
has been well-hidden by the Si lver Fang leadershi p?"
A lbrecht rolled his eyes. "Uhm ... can we just talk about
where it is now?"
A ntonine smiled. "I have do ne some read ing. It is not easy
to find writte n Garou records, but every once in a wh ile an
en lighte ned Ga rou scho la r eme rges who records what lore he
can for t hose of us who are interested. I was sorry to hear that
t he Nort h Coun t ry lost most of its reco rds in a fi re. But I
believe I have d iscovered a source, a recent o ne, re latively
speaking, which points to t he possible fate of t he crown."
A lbrecht leaned forwa rd. "Is this the Lay of the Sil\1er
Crown t hat G reyfist me ntioned ?"
"It is indeed. It was written in the late Rena issance by a
Silve r Fang Gall iard .... "
"I tho ught you said t his was a recent source."
tOO
"I said 'relatively.' Understand that most of the written
lore for the Silver Crown is truly ancient , older than Rome.
It has fallen into common lore and become the source of many
rumors and legends among the Q[her tribes since then. But
this Lay seems to be authentic and written by the last person
to have seen the crown. At least, the last who has told of it.
The author's name is Vassily Hearthcenter."
"I h ave heard of him," Eliphas sa id. "He is somewhat
famous. Wasn't he a chronic ler of the Clan of the Crescent
Moon?"
"As far as I can tell, yes," Antonine said. "I will read you
the Lay, but I am going to have to paraphrase much of it. The
actual written language is a bit hard to understand if you're
not familiar with its idiom. So, in the trad ition of oral
storyte llers, I am going to take his story, mixed with what
other lore I have concerning the crown, and tell my own tale.
O ne which I believe aims sure at the truth."
Evan and Mari nodded. A lbrecht said, "All right. Let's hear
it. H
Antonine wok off his reading glasses and placed them in
a case on the floor next to him. He folded his legs under
himself and seemed to be meditating, centering himself for
the tale.
"It begins, like all things, in the Dawn Times .... Long, long
ago, before humans learned to think and their Weaver tools
were but a dream unborn, the tribes of the Garou warred
among themselves.
"There were few tribes then, but those there were had only
come to their status recently. They had become separate from
their brethren through migrations away from others of their
kind, and the changes made on them by time and place. There
was the blood of the original wolf, the Silver Fangs, and then
many children who had strayed. The Children of Gaia spread
far and wide and loved all which walked and crawled on and
in the earth. The Get of Fenris went to the chill north to

'TUE (ILYE~ C~O"WIV

mold themselves into Fenris' hammer. The Fianna moved to
the west, following the faint but beautiful music of the fae.
And so on with the other early tribes.
"But it happened that they began to fight among
themselves, either for right of territory, right of breeding flock,
or simply for glory. They had fallen far from their first ways.
The Si lver Fangs, leaders of them all even then, tried to stop
them, but the others would not listen. The Silver Fangs, purest
of the pure, ordained to rule the Garou by Gaia, knew not
what to do. They went to their totem, mighty Falcon, and
asked of him a solution to their problem.
"Falcon's eyes gazed down at them, judging them. Finally,
he spoke. 'One among you must choose to tra,·el the road of
sacrifice. On this road are four gates, and at each gate is a
guard ian who must be passed. If all gates are passed
successfu lly, this one shall be given a boon greater than any
given unto a mortal being before. He who bears this gift shall
be king over all, and shall command all things of the earth to
stay their proper courses, as is the will of Gaia.'
"The Fangs talked among themselves and finally decided
that there was one among them who was best suited to travel
the road. They went to him and told him of Falcon's words.
He thought for a while, and then said, 'I shall undertake this
quest. I so choose.' In the morning, he left.
"He walked for a long time, following the portents Falcon
laid before him. Soon, he came to the first gate. It was but an
opening in a rocky l'ass, with no portal to bar the way. The
Garou looked about and saw no one, so he walked through
the pass. But before he could get there, a beast leapt down
upon him from the rocks. It was a Garou, a tribeless one, mad
and snarling with rage. The S ilver Fang shifted forms and
fought with the ronin for a while. This was a strong ronin,
one who ignored his wounds and kept fighting, as a mad thing
with no control. Finally, the S ilver Fang killed it, although
he was hurt. He left its body there and went through the pass.
 "The next day, he came to t he second gate. This was a
wooden fence with a Joor between two posts. There was a
beautifu l woman there, a human female. The Garo u had never
seen o ne so pure before, so perfect. He knew that she would
birth many Garou if given the chance. Remembering Gaia's
desire that the Ga rou spread their seed across the wo rld, he
got down to lie with her. He then saw a falco n fl y high
overhead, past t he fence, and he remembe red his quest. He
stood up again and wa lked through the door, knowing t hat
the comforts of hearth and family wou ld not be his as long as
the world was in danger."
"Is that really a part of t he legend?" Ma ri said, he r eyes
narrowed.
Antonine chuckled. "Ye>, I'm afraid so. They saw th ings
differently back then, Mari."
"I 'm not so sure. I know many legends where the he ro was
a fema le and only c hanged w a male by a late r storyteller.
This could be the case here."
"Perhaps. But I have no evidence for it. So I shall continue
my tale based o n what I Jo know.
"The following clay, he came to the third gate. It was
constructed of stone, but well made. It was an arc h, with a
gate under it. A spirit waited at the gate, holding a bag, out
of wh ich light glowed. It was lookin g in the bag as the Garou
came up. When it saw the Garou it quickly scaled t he bag,
shutting up the light. The Ga rott a~kcd wha t w:1s in the bag,
what the source of the wonderful light was. But t he spi rit said
it was a secret, a nd that only the truly enl ightened could look
in to see it; otherwise the secret cou ld destroy the world. The
Ga rou said t hat he was the rcpn:sentative of his tribe, and
thus the most enlightened among them. He asked to sec into
t h e bag. But the spiri t sa id that he had to pro,·e his
en lightenment first, that he would have to come to the spirit's
home and pass an initiation.
"Now, t he wonderful glow with in the bag had awakened a
great curiosity in the Garou. He desperately wanted to know
what was in it. Perhaps it was something that could help his
people? Perhaps it was the gift Falcon had spoken of? He had
forgotten whether he had been through two gates or three.
He was afraid that if he did not take the spirit's offer, he would
be denied the special wisdom forever.
"Then he heard, from far ahead down the road, barely
audible, the cry of a falcon. And he remembered his quest.
He opened the gate and walked past, realizing that he would
never know the secret but that others one day might.
"The day after that, he came to a great city. There was a
huge portal before him, with two doors which opened outward
when a large wheel inside was turned by ten men. Humans
could be seen in the windows above, looking down at the
Garou as he approached. He looked up at them and asked to
be let in. They laughed and said that his kind did not belong
there. They told him to go home and chase deer. He persisted,
asking what he could do to get in. T he humans talked among
themselves and then said, 'You must give us your pelt.'
"The Garou was horrified. But he knew his quest. He knew
he had taken the road of sacrifice. And so he nodded and said
yes. The great doors opened, swinging slowly out at him with
a rumbling, grinding sound. The humans came out with silver
knives and carefully approached him. They stopped before him
and said, 'We can't take your pelt if you have claws. We must
cut them off first, to protect ourselves.' The Garou nodded
and put out his hands. The humans chopped off the tips of
his fingers, leaving him clawless.
"Then the humans said, 'You might still fight back as we
take your pelt. You might bite us with your fangs.' He opened
his mouth, and they took tongs and pulled out all his teeth.
He was fangless. They then began to carve into his flesh,
flaying off his hide. Soon, he was skinless and red, exposed to
the world.
"They stared at him in awe, however, impressed with his
resolve and wondering at his mission. They led him into the
city, closing the great doors behind them. They placed him
on a chair and lifted it up, marching it to the center of the
city, to a great palace. They walked him up the stairs and led
him into a room where the sun shone down from a hole in
the ceiling above.
"There, on a dais in the center of the room, was a gleaming
crown, made of pure silver. Its brilliance under the sun nearly
blinded the Garou, but he knew that this was the gift he
sought. He asked the humans if he could have it, and they
nodded, motioning him to the crown. He took it in his hands
and placed it on his head.
"He screamed with the pain as its silver burned into his
raw skin. He tried to yank the hurtful thing from his head,
but it would not move. It had burned into him, and become
a part of him. He cried in pa in, tears blinding him, and he
begged Falcon to save him.
"He heard a voice, one commanding him to open his eyes,
and he did so. He was standing in a fi eld at night. The city
was nowhere to be seen, although he knew that he was still
standing in the same place. The pain was gone, and his pelt
had regrown , along with his fangs and claws. His head felt
uplifted, drawn to the heavens by the lightness of the crown.
Falcon stood before him, his wings wide.
"And Falcon said, 'You now know what the Garou must
sacrifice to be more than beasts. But you also know that it is
a painful sacrifice, one many will not be able to bear. Return
to your people and rule them wisely. All Garou will follow
you now. Know that the pain of sacrifice is only because your
people have forgotten the ways given them by Gaia. Were it
n ot so, sacrifice would not be necessary. Whenever your
people forget, remember that one among you must bear the
burden of pain to help them remember.'
"The Garou thanked Falcon and returned to the Silver
Fangs. When they saw the radiant crown on his head, it was
as if they recognized it immediately, and they knew again what
they had once known: Gaia's covenants of behavior. The
Garou, now known as king, traveled to the other tribes, and
the sight of him brought remembrance of the old ways back
tO them all, and they ceased to fight among themselves and
knew the Wyrm for what it was."
Antonine sat back. He shut his eyes and seemed to be
resting.
Albrecht coughed. "What was the Silver Fang's name?"
Antonine slowly opened his eyes. "It is lost. He is simply
the first king." ·
Albrecht nodded.
"That's quite a story," Evan said. "Very rich in symbolism."
"Deceptively so," Antonine said. "It seems very simple and
obvious at first, but it actually touches some core meanings."
"Is there more?" Albrecht said. "What about the current
location of the crown?"
"Yes, there is more. Let me get some drinks and I'll begin
again." Antonine stood up and went into the kitchen. Soon
he brought a tray of drinks out and placed it on the floor in
the midst of them. "Help yourself. It's herbal tea."
Albrecht rolled his eyes. "Don't you have a beer?"
Antonine sat down again. "Yes, but you'll have to get it
yourself."
Albrecht got up and went to the kitchen, where he opened
the fridge and saw a six-pack of Samuel Adams. At least the
guy has taste in beer, Albrecht thought. He took one and
twisted the cap off, tossing it in the garbage can. He went
back into the living room and sat down. "Thanks. Good beer."
"Of course," Antonine said. "Now, I'll finish. There are
some other legends that I'll skip because of time. But there's
one from somewhere around 300 B.C. or so that I think is
important.
"A Silver Fang king named Ranix Hammer Claw ruled
over a protectorate in what used to be called Gaul - France,
today. He was known far and wide as a terrible leader, one
who had squandered many of the treasures of his kingdom.
So badly had he ruled, it is said, that even the spirits fled their
fetishes when he touched them, fea rful of being poorly used.
His own warriors stayed away from him unless he commanded
otherwise, for they feared his dictates.
"He often sent his Garou off on dangerous quests for little
return. While the Wynn grew all around his kingdom, he was
unaware, so busy was he send ing his warriors out in search of
new treasures. One day, his warriors returned with a chest.
They placed it before him, and he looked suspiciously at it,
still chewing on the boar's hind leg upon which he was
feasting. They said that it was by far the greatest treas ure yet
seen in any kingdom, and they had been astonished at how
easily they had won it.
"They told the talc of its winning, of how they had come
upon a dark glade in a sunny wood, and how three beasts
attacked them there. One was a chimera, the legendary lion
with the head of a dragon and a goat besides its own lion's
head. The other was a great serpent with th e head of a
panther, whose eyes caused fear in all who met them. The
third was a falcon.
'The men drove the other beasts off into the woods, but
they were afraid to attack the falcon, since it was the child of
their totem. It ceased its attack against them and spoke: 'Since
you h ave h on o red your vow to my father and left me
unharmed, I shall give you something.' It led them to a rock
in the glade and told them to lift it. When they had it up,
they saw a chest in a hole. They pulled the chest out and
replaced the rock as they found it. The falcon was gone. When
they opened the chest, they were all stunned by what they
saw, and knew they had to bring it back to their king.
"The king sat forward on his throne of wood and hide, still
chewing on his dinner, and told the warriors to open the chest.
They did, and a silver brilliance shone forth from it. The king's
 ,0,
mouth dropped wide; his half-chewed meat fell to the floor.
He dropped the boar haunch and reached his greasy hands
into the chest to pick up the Silver Crown, the long-legendary
artifac t of his tribe. He knew that if he wore it, everyo ne
would obey him and would have to do as he wanted .
"He cackled and placed the crown on his head. But then
he screamed in pain as it welded itself to his skull. And he
kept on screaming, for the burning did nor stop. His very flesh
began to melt abo ut the crown, and he tried to pull it off.
But as with the first king before him, the crown was now a
part of him, and could not be separated . His flesh ran down
his face in molten gobs, and his bones began to burn. The
smell of it revolted all the Garou near him, and many fled
the tent. He screamed for someone to help him, but none
wou ld dare. Soon his body fe ll to the floor, dead, h is head a
pool of as hes and sizzling grease.
"The warriors stared at their dead king. The crown was
missing from his head, gone. But they remembered what they
had long forgotten: Gaia's covenants, the Litany, wh ich
included [he right to ovenhrow unfit rulers. They were
as hamed that they had so long followed such a fool, and swore
they would not do so again."
Albrecht and Eliphas stared uncomfortably at the floor,
awa re of the parallels to their own situation.
Antonine continued. "The last part of the Lay which I will
te ll you is from Vassily Hearthcenrer's own experience. It
concerns Dmitri Spiral Slayer, the last known Silver Fang to
wear the crown. There had been a terrible Wynn uprising in
Russia. Remember, this is the late Renaissance, probably the
late sixteenth century or so. King Dmitri led a pack of S ilver
Fangs against the queen of the deformed Garou, leav ing all
h is othe r wa rri o rs be hind to defend their caern. He
admo nished them before he left not to follow him, for if the
cacm fe ll, their future generations would fall with it.
"Vassily went with the king's pack, to glean the tale of
'or
their heroism. After many harrowing adventures, they fought
their way to the throne room of the Black Spiral queen. But
the hag fled into the spirit world, and Dm itri followed, alone.
He followed her trail through the hell hole that surrounded
her U mbra! throne and finally cornered her before a pit of
bubbling ichor. They fought, toot h and claw, each tearing the
other to bloody pieces. Finally, the queen reached out to crush
Dmitri's skull. When her hands touched the Silver C rown,
she screamed in horror and ya nked her hands back, but it was
too late: her hands had been burnt to a crisp by the crown,
and she pulled back stubs instead.
"Dmitri shoved the surprised and pained queen into the
pit of boiling Wyrm's blood. That was the end of her. But
Dmitri was sore wounded, and lay dying. He cried, for he knew
that he had fai led in one thing: the Silver Crown would be
lost in this Wyrm place, fa llen into the hands of the enemy.
"But then Yassily arri ved, having fo llowed the scen t of his
king here. He had also entered the spirit world, but it had
taken him longer to thread the Gauntlet. The king, seeing
his loyal vassal, wept tears of relief, and comman ded Yassily
to take the crown and hide it far away where no evil could
reach it. All of the royal line were dead, and there were none
of the Seven to take the crown after him. But Yassily hesitated
to touch the great treasure, fearful it would burn him. Dmitri
put his bloody hand on Vassily's shoulder and said, 'Fear not.
You are but its bearer. Do not try to place it upon your head,
and you shall not be harmed.' Yassily nodded and removed
the crown from his king's head, whereupon Dmitri died.
"Vassily left that place, crying because he had to leave the
body of his king behind where it could be defiled by Banes.
But he had a duty. He traveled far, searching for a place to
hide the crown. After many days, he found it. He hid the
crown at the Dawn, in the Wyldest Garden.''
Antonine shu t his eyes, meditating again .
Albrecht sat up from his slouching. "That doesn't tell us
anything. Where the hell is the Dawn? I've n'ever heard of it
as a place. Or of any Wyld garden."
Anronine slowly opened his eyes again. "It is what Vassily
left behind. It is his only clue. I think I know what place he
is talking about."
"Where?" Albrecht said.
"Pangaea," Antonine replied.
"That makes sense," Mari said. "It is the most primordial
place in the spirit world. It has the magic of the earliest times
in it. All Garou are said to revert back to an earlier form when
they enter it."
"What? Son of like in the film Altered States?" Albrecht
said.
Mari scowled at him. "No. I mean that the laws of reality
work differently there. Things are more primitive, less formed.
The Wyld is stronger, and the Weaver is but a shadow."
"I see. The Wyldest Garden. A sort of Garden of Eden for
Garou."
"Exactly," Antonine said. "If you'll remember the first
story, ir rook place in a Pangaea-like environment, except for
the Weaver gates and city. I think Yassily was trying to hide
it where it had originally come from ."
"Don't forget," Mari said, "it's a very dange rous place. The
only rule is that everything there is hungry, and there are
bigger things on the food chain than Garou."
"Sounds like a challenge," Albrecht said. "So we go to
Pangaea. How do we find the crown from there? It's a pretty
big place, isn't it?"
"It's huge," Mari said. "As big as this continent, at least ."
"Great! We're supposed to spend years finding this thing?"
'These are the only clues I have," Antonine said, standing
up. "I believe that you will find the legends I told you
instructive along the way. Simply look for the gates.
Remember that in the spirit world, things are not as they
seem."
,0
"Well, I guess that makes sense," Albrecht said. "Look,
thanks for everything you've done. Without you, we wouldn't
even know where to begin."
"My pleasure," Antonine said. "I think we should rest now.
You're going to need a lot of sleep; you've got a long walk
ahead of you. I advise you to leave tomorrow nighr. The Moon
Paths will be faint by day, making travel dangerous."
They nodded and went to the guest bedrooms, each of
them refl ecting on the talc they had heard. O n ly A lbrecht
remained in the living room, stretchi ng out on the floor
c us hions . There weren't enough guest beds, so he h ad
volunteered to take the floor.
He stretched out and looked at the ceil ing ::ts he heard the
bedroom doors shut and saw the lights go out. There was a
window right above him, and the stars shone clear against the
darkness. He hoped he had what it rook ro wear the crown ,
and made a silent prayer to Gaia for Her to look favorably
upon him. He then rolled over to sleep, but he \vas plagued
by nightmares the whole night. Visions of his hands burning
off, or his skull igniting, and a sharp band of pain around his
head.
 ,,

"You take care of yourself, Eliphas," A lbrecht said, looking

down at the young Silver Fang who sat in the driver's seat .of
the car.
Eliphas smiled at him. "Good luck, Lord A lbrecht. I hope
you succeed. For all our sakes." He turned the ignition key
and the engine purred to life.
Albrecht stepped back and waved. "So do I. Don't worry.
I always come through in the end."
Eliphas nodded. He accelerated down the gravel drive and
drove off into the darkening day as the sun went down.
Moments later, he was gone. Albrecht walked back into the
dome. The others were gathered in the living room, packing
for the journey. They had all brought backpacks, rations and
changes of clothes with them. They h ad been on long jaunts
in th e spirit world before and knew what they needed to
survive. Albrecht went over and sat down with them. Pulling
his own pack over, he began taking inven to ry.
Antonine was walking arou nd the room, searching through
the bookcases which lined the walls. He had a stack of books
in his hand. When he seemed to have found everything he
needed, he went into his study, a room near the ki tc hen.
 "What's he up to?" Albrecht said.
"I think he's making a map," Evan said.
"To Pangaea?" Albrecht said.
"Yes," Mari said. "I have been there before, but it was by
a ... longer route than we need now. Antonine is trying to put
together a good map of signposts to look for."
"Like what?" Albrecht said. "! thought the Wyld nature
of the place prevented mapping."
"True, the closer you get to it. But we have a way to go
before reaching the realm itself. Any shortcut we can find will
help greatly."
Albrecht nodded. "You're the Theurge. I'll trust that."
Mari nodded. "Finally thinking sensibly."
Evan smiled at both of them. He was glad they weren't
shouting at each other yet. He knew that would come later,
but for now they were getting along.
Albrecht zipped up his pack and placed it before him.
"Done. Clothes, sleeping bag, food, water. Do we need
anything else?"
Evan was also finishing his pack, and Mari had already
finished hers. "I can't think of anything," he said.
Mari shook her head. "I think we've got it covered."
Antonine came out of his study with a parchment. He
walked over and sat down next to them, handing the paper
to Mari. 'This is the best I can do. It's based on some accounts
l have of journeys to Pangaea, along with hearsay from friends
of mine. You should do okay by it. Remember, though, that
you're departing under the half moon, so the Moon Paths will
be somewhat faint and incomplete, and the Lune spirits will
not be guarding all of them. Travel will be dangerous at times.
However, I believe this place here" - he pointed at a spot
on the map- "is a Lunae, a crossroads of Moon Paths, where
you should be able to rest for the day. You will need to find as
many of these as you can along the way. I don't recommend
taking shelter in a realm, since you might not know the laws
under which it operates before entering. The last thing you
need is to get caught in a sub-realm and waste a few days trying
to get out. However, it would be worse to stray off the paths;
you'd easily get lost without them to guide you."
"Thanks," Mari said. "It's pretty self-explanatory. I can use
this. A very complete job in such a short amount of time."
Antonine nodded and stood up. "The sun's almost set. I
think it's safe for you to leave now."
The pack stood up and shouldered their bundles. Antonine
led them outside and around behind the dome to a small field.
He looked about and stopped, turning back to them. "This is
a good spot. I've used it many times before. Mari? Do you want
to lead us in ?"
"Certainly," Mari said, stepping next to him. The others
followed her and gathered around in a circle, all touching her.
She held a small mirror up and looked into it, moving it about
to catch the final rays of the sun peeking through the trees.
When she was satisfied with the reflection, she stared into it.
She reached out with her spirit to connect to the spirit world.
Once she touched it, she pulled herself toward it. Or did it
pull itself to her? Many Garou had argued that point. In any
case, the Gauntlet wrapped about them and then parted as it
passed. They all stood in the Penumbra, the spiritual shadow
of the physical world.
The field looked very much the same on this side as on
the other. It was darker here, since the sun did not shine at
all. The half moon was clearly visible in the sky.
Albrecht looked around and saw part of Antonine's house
beyond the trees. It looked different. Webs were spread across
it, but in a very beautiful, almost chaotic pattern, as if the
spider creating it had had an aesthetic purpose when weaving
it. That is weird, Albrecht thought. The Weaver and Wyld in
balance. Quite rare.
"I think that path is best," Antonine said, pointing down
a sma ll, one-person-wide path that disappeared into the
woods. "If you follow it long enough, it leads to a Moon Path.
At least, it used to. In the physical world it leads to a small
pond, but I've never found the pond from this side. just follow
any signs of brighter moonlight. The Lune spirits will be there.
Remember, stick to the Moon Paths: without Luna's guidance,
you may never find Pangaea."
"Thank you again, Antonine," Mari said, shaking his hand.
"Yeah; you've been a lot of help," Evan said.
"Don't think anything of it," Antonine said. "I am doing
what is important."
A lbrecht walked up to him and put out his hand. "If this
crazy plan actually works, then I'll certainly remember your
help when I'm king."
Antonine smiled and shook his hand. "just be a good king,
Albrecht. Remember the Lay of the Silver Crown. Heed it."
"Of course. I'm kind of fond of my skull."
Antonine chuckled and walked off. "You had better get
going. You have little time."
"We're off," Albrecht said, turning to the path. Mari was
already ahead of h im, and Evan had stepped in between them.
Stopping at the edge of the woods, Albrecht looked up at the
moon. Well, Luna, he thought. Don't get crazy on me here. Help
me out . All right?
He then turned and walked into the woods, falling in
behind Evan.

Greyfist loo ked up at the half moon and fe l t the

strengthening of his spirit, a gift from Luna on the n ight of
his birth auspice. He was a Philodox, and the half moon was
his moon. He thought about Albrecht and his pack. He hoped
Antonine had been able tO help them. Had they left yet? Were
they walking the spirit world now?
There was a knock at the door. Greyfist turned from the
window and sat down at his desk. "Come in."
The door opened and Arkady appeared. He walked into
the room and shut the door behind him. "Good evening,
Seneschal."
Greyfist was surprised, wo ndering what the king-in-waiting
wa nted with him. "Greetings, Arkady."
Arkady walked across the room and stood before the desk,
looking aro und the room. "I have never been here. It is a nice
office. Yo u have many ... books. Have you read them all ?"
G reyfist tried to hide his look of annoyance. Non-readers
always as ked that stupid question. "No, I have n't. They a re
mosrly for reference. It is what re mains of the protecto rate's
libra ry after the fire."
"Ah, yes," Arkady said, sitting down on the couch. "I had
fo rgotten. It is good you have saved them. You are ve ry loyal."
Greyfist did not respo nd. He simply looked at Arkady,
wa iti ng for him to reveal his purpose in coming.
A rkady sat back and smiled. "Yo u a re wo ndering why l
ha,·e come? I should not .. . what? Mince wo rds? I am here tO
find o ut what Lord Albrecht's plans are since losing o ur
comba t."
Greyfist's eyebrows rose. "Plans? You made it clear that he
is no lo nge r welcome. H e's gone back to N ew Yo rk, to
whatever life he had during the exi le."
Arkady looked at Greyfist, not saying anything. Then he
sat forward. "You must understand my positio n, Seneschal. He
was a threat to my ascension. I did what l had to. l bear him
no personal ill will."
Greyfist opened a drawer and pulled out his pipe. He kne w
Arkady was lying. A bald-faced lie. As a Philodox, the spirits
had gifted him with the insight to tell truth from fiction.
"But I am wo rried," Arkady continued. "I suspect t ha t he
will t ry to sabotage my rule on the throne."
Greyfist lit his pipe. "Why do you think that? It was hard
enough convincing him to try fo r the thro ne in the first place.
,,
Why do it again after losing so ignominiously?"
"Yes, why?" Arkady said. "That is what I have asked myself.
It makes no sense. There is no way he can take the throne by
law. And to break the law is not to be king. So what could he
be attempting?"
Greyfist sat back and puffed on his pipe. "I would say that
he is attempting to get shit-faced drunk right abo ut now. As
he probably did last night."
Arkady's smile disappeared. "I heard that Eliphas Standish
drove him back. Bur Eliphas has not returned yet."
"Albrecht probably dragged him out for a night on the
town before returning to the cacrn."
"I doubt that. The Gatekeeper is a very dedicated young
man. I cannot see hi m willingly forsaking his new duties here
for a simple drunken binge."
G reyfist did not say anything. He just puffed on his pipe.
Arkady stood up. "I know that you had both Albrecht and
Eliphas in here after the combat. What did you talk about?"
Greyfist's eyes narrowed. "Personal business. Why are you
so curious, Arkady? If you have a problem with Albrecht, why
don't you go to New York and take it up with hi m?"
"Because he is n ot in New York, is h e?" Arkady said,
stepping forward and putting his hands on the desk. "Where
is he? Where has he gone?"
G reyfist stood up. He did not like the looks of this. Arkady
was beginning to look flustered. Greyfist recognized the signs
of a frayed temper: Arkady was close to losing control of his
anger. Was he really so paranoid about A lbrecht?
"Get out of here, Arkady," Greyfist said. "Come back when
you can control your rage."
"You cannot order me around, Seneschal," Arkady said,
leaning forward, eyes glinting.
"Yes I can. I am seneschal, and you are an uncrowned king-
in-waiting. You will do as I say, cub."
A rkady stood there, breath.ing heavily, his shoulders
 ,.,
shaking. He was obviously trying to control his anger. G reyfist
walked around the desk, toward the door. Arkady grabbed his
shoulder and pulled his face inches from his own.
"You will tell me what conspiracy you and A lbrecht have
thought up!" Arkady said.
Greyfist put his hand on Arkady's and pried it off his arm.
"Get out!"
Arkady exploded into action. His fist slammed into
Greyfist's chin, knocking the Philodox to the ground. Arkady
was in Crinos form before G reyfist could react, jumping on
G reyfist, bearing him down. Arkady's weight knocked the
wind out of the seneschal, but he concentrated and shifted
to Crinos form . Arkady still had leverage and size over him;
Greyfist was pinned down. Arkady held his right claw to
Greyfist's throat while he reached into his pocket for
something with the other hand .
"Get off me, Arkady," Greyfist said through gritted teeth.
"Before you bring a rite of censure upon yourself!"
"Shut up," Arkady said, pulling a bug out of his pocket.
The creature looked like nothing Greyfist had ever seen. It
flexed its tiny, chitinous legs as it dangled from Arkady's
finge rs. Arkady then grabbed Greyfist's chin and pulled it
open. Too quickly for Greyfist to stop him, Arkady thrust the
bug into Greyfist's mouth and down his throat. He let the
Philodox go, jumping away from him.
Greyfist coughed violently, straining to vomit up the bug.
His body began to shift back to Homid form, even though he
tried to stop it. What the h ell was Arkady doing? What had
he put into him? He could vaguely feel the thing moving -
crawling - down his throat. He choked out a few words,
"You ... will. .. suffer ... for this!"
"Tell me, Senesch a l, " A rkady said, standing behind
Greyfist. "What plot are you and Albrecht hatching?"
Greyfist stood up and started to speak, to tell Arkady to
go fuck himself. But the words would not come out. Instead,
"'
he felt a quivering in his gut, which traveled up his spine and
into his brain. He couldn't help himself as he said, "Albrecht
is after the S ilver Crown."
Arkady's eyes slowly opened wide. "But that IS a myth! A
legend! No Silver Fa ng has worn t he crown in .. . in ages !"
G reyfist tried to move toward the door, but he couldn't.
His legs wouldn't work. "Wha[. .. what rhehell is this thing?"
"It is a gift from an ... ally,'' Arkady said. "One who knew
you would not tell me what I needed to kn ow. Conspiracy
against the throne is a very serious c harge, Seneschal."
"Damn you! No one has conspired. You arc not king yet!"
"Oh, but soon. Soon," A rkady said . "Now, whe re h as
A lbrech t gone ?"
"To Antonine Teardrop."
Arkady's face fell into a frown. "Why did you involve him ?
H e will tell Loba 1 S he is an exile! You a re delivering
protectorate secrets to outsiders."
"You know that's not true," G rcyfist said, feeling dizzy.
"You're fishing for accusations. It won't work. You've attacked
the seneschal in his own den. I will have a rite against you,
Arkady."
Arkady growled. "We will sec who wields more power here,
Seneschal. Where is Albrecht going from Teardro p's?"
"I don't kn ow," G rcyfist said, fee ling sick to his stomach .
He collapsed onto the floor.
Arkady looked wo rried. "Wb;n do you mea n , yo u don't
know? S urely you kno w when: the crown is, if you sent him
off for it ? Why arc you on the fl oor?"
"I. .. fee l. .. terrible. What the hell did you put in me?"
Arkady looked very wo rried now. "Put your finger down
you r throat! Throw the thing up !"
Greyfist growled in pain, clutching his stomach. "It's a
Wyrm creature, isn't it?"
"No!" Arkady said, leaning down over him. "It's just a fetish
to make you answer my questions. It had no Wynn scent on it."
 ,,
Greyfist looked at Arkady angrily and then growled low
and menacingly, looking past the Silver Fang. Arkady turned
around to see a large Crinos Black Spiral Dancer step from
the Umbra, grinning madly.
"Damn you!" Arkady yelled at the Dancer. "What is your
fetish doing to him?"
"Killing him slowly and painfully," the Black Spiral Dancer
replied, sauntering over to them.
Greyfist grabbed the fur about Arkady's throat and pulled
his head around. He locked eyes with Arkady. "You bastard!
You've betrayed the throne to the Wynn!"
Arkady looked surprised. "No .... No! He was not supposed
to come here. I did not intend this!"
Greyfist growled and tried to dig his claws into Arkady's
throat, but a sudden pain washed over his body. He grabbed
his gut again and howled as blood broke forth from a wound
opening out of his stomach. The Wyrm bug crawled its way
out of the wound, chewing the flesh around the edges. Arkady
stared at it in horror.
Greyfist's eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.
With the last of his strength, he whispered to Arkady, "You
are doomed. A lbrecht will find the crown and become the true
king."
Arkady stared in shock at the seneschal. He carefully put
his hand on the Garou's shoulder and shook it. But there was
no response. G reyfist was dead.
Arkady turned around to see the Black Spiral Dancer
smirking down at him. "Dagrack! How dare you? We had a
bargain! You have betrayed me!" He rose and pointed a clawed
hand at the Garou.
Dagrack shrank, assuming Homid form. He stood about
five foot eleven, with black hair streaming over his shoulders.
He had a long, thin face, but a smile which spread practically
from ear to ear. He held up his hands, cautioning Arkady.
"Now, now, ally. You misunderstand. I am onl y helping you
in ways you have not yet realized. Did you really think you
could interrogate the seneschal like that, and not have to kill
him afterwards? I'm only saving you from him."
"But why did you come here? If the others see-"
"Calm down your wayward temper, 0 king," Dagrack said.
"The Gatekeeper is gone, remember? No one saw me pass over.
We will now proceed to stage a scene. You came to talk with
the seneschal, and things were going just fine, when a horrible
Black Spiral Dancer- me - came leaping from the Umbra.
Using its forbidden and unholy Wyrm powers, it killed the
seneschal. And cut you up badly before fleeing, wounded by
your mighty blows."
Arkady clutched his fists and stared angrily at the wall.
"No. I do not like this one bit. You think you can take control
of me now because we have bargained. It is not so. I will not
allow it. I did not wish the seneschal dead. He was loyal! He
would have been loyal to me!"
"Untrue," Dagrack said, walking over to Greyfist's body.
He reached down and picked up the bug, puttmg it in his
pants pocket. "He was trying to dethrone you before you had
even worn the crown! You call that loyal?"
"I will not listen to you!" Arkady shouted.
Dagrack walked up and looked him in the eyes. "Oh yes,
you will. Who was it who saved you all those years ago from
the fomori slavering for your blood, back in the Motherland?
Who helped you escape to this new land, a land where you
have built yourself a base of power? You are to be king! And
you have gotten here because of my aid. I have told you before,
our goals are not dissimilar. It is because of the Fangs'
witchhunt against my tribe that we cannot work together to
heal the damage to Gaia, to war against her true enemies."
"Stop it! I do not want to hear this. Lies! You think your
stupid logic will convince me?"
"If you don't believe it, why have you accepted our aid for
so long? It wasn't my Garou who failed to kill Albrecht. If
your two exiled flunkies had done their job, you wouldn't be
in this mess now, and I wouldn't have to bail you out."
Arkady fumed, silent. He stared at Greyfist 's dead body.
"Enough of this," Dagrack said. "We must bloody ourselves,
and I must escape, before more Garou come."
"What if I do more than bloody you? What if I kill you
and show the trophy to the tribe ?"
Dagrack smiled. "Then my packbrothers and sisters will
do everything in their power to reveal your treachery against
the S ilver Fangs. You will become a pariah, worse than your
h ated Albrecht. No Garou will trust you then. At least
Albrecht has the Bone G nawers to feed him. You ... you will
feed only with the lost."
Arkady glared at Dagrack as if trying to decide his course.
He then lowered his head.
"What do I need to do?" Arkady asked.
"First," Dagrack said, opening his shirt as he walked up to
Arkady, "slash me across the chest. And then across the thigh .
O h, and a head wound would be good, too. After that, I'll rip
you up a bit, so you'll have some wounds to show for it. I'll
drip the blood all over before I leave."
Arkady slashed out at Dagrack, hard and fiercely, cutting
open his chest. Blood sprayed forth.
"Oh," Dagrack said, his eyes rolling up with what seemed
like pleasure. "A bit more than necessary, but good anyway.
Now, the thigh."
Arkady was disgusted. He stepped back from the Dancer.
"No. There is enough of your blood here now. They will
believe me."
"Not without this, they won't," Oagrack said, reaching his
c law out quickly and slashing Arkady across the shoulder.
Arkady grimaced, but didn't move. "One more." He slashed
Arkady's left thigh, where a scar from the challenge combat
two nights ago was still visible. Arkady winced and stared
coldly at the Dancer.
 Dagrack smiled. "Well, I'm off. Don't worry, I'll dispatch
some packs to hunt down Albrecht. He won't get far." The
Dancer stared at his spilled blood on the floor, leaning down
close, looking for reflections within it. He stared so for nearly
five minutes, and then faded out of view, into the Umbra.
Arkady kicked a chair and cursed. He looked down at
Greyfist. "I am sorry, Seneschal. I never meant this. Take this
condolence: I will not be pushed arou nd so for long. I will
turn the tables. It has always been my plan. It is hard to
understand, I know. But. .. you have no idea of the horrors in
Russia. How hard it is to escape. Can you think? How many
have slipped past the Shadow Curtain besides me? None. I
am the only one. But ... a bargain was required. I will turn
the tables, Seneschal. Believe that. "
He then walked to the door, opened it, and howled long
and hard. The Warning of the Wynn's Approach.
 The pack traveled down the curve of the shining road. The
Moon Path reflected the radiance of the half moon above
them, fainr near the edges, but brighter in the center. In
certain places along the road, the path actually broke up,
forcing them to walk on the dark, nondescript ground between
the shards of moonlight. The unformed ephemera- raw spirit
-was all that could be seen in every direction around them.
Their only marker was the path .
Occasiona lly they passed a Lune, on e of the guardian
spirits of the Moon Paths, gliding by on its mysterious errant!.
The mobile strips of moonlight spun slowly around and around
as they moved past, in some unfathomable form of
communication. Even Mari, who knew the language of the
spirits, was puzzled. Lunes were among the most enigmatic of
spirits, especially during a crescent moon. But even under a
half moon, the Lunes were strange.
The pack let the Lunes pass and kept on their way. They
naveled for hours, each chewing on his or her own thoughts,
not sharing them with the others. The Moon Path cut through
many small domains, but the pack stayed their course. As long
as they remained on the Moon Path, they were relatively safe
from whatever spirits !aired in the domains into which they
trespassed. Safe also from the odd laws of nature which were
often different in each domain or realm of the spirit world.
Reality was a local phenomenon here, not the shared fact
known in the material world.
In one domain- a chimare, a mortal's dream given reality
- they saw a man leap from a skyscraper. He fell for a long
time - longer than the height should have allowed. His
family and fri ends gathered on the street below, staring up at
him and gossiping about his predicament. Before he hit the
ground , the chimare unrave ll ed and became fe atureless
ephemera again.
The pack kept walk ing. Later, after passing through a
mountainous mini-realm, Mari stopped and consulted the
map. "I think the Lunae is just ahead. Maybe forty minutes
at the most."
"I hope so," Albrecht said, pointing to the horizon. "The
moon has almost set. It'll be dark in half an hour. I don't want
to be out here much longer after that. Once this Moon Path
goes, we're lost."
"The paths soak up light, though," Evan said. "This one
should hold the light, like one of those glow-in-the-dark toys,
for at least long enough for us to get to the Lunae."
"Well, let's get moving anyway," Albrecht said, walking
again. "The Moon Paths are our only fixed geography.
Everything else here changes so much, we'd never find our
way to Pangaea in time without them."
Mari nodded, folded the map, put it in her pocket and
moved on , with Evan behind her.
Half an hour later, the moon had indeed set and all was
dark, except for a slight radiance from the Moon Path.
Albrecht shifted into Lupus form, his backpack shrinking to
conform to his new shoulder width. He had performed the Rite
of Talisman Dedication on all of his equipment, allowing it
to change shape to accommodate his various forms. Mari and
Evan followed suit and each of them walked down the path
on four legs. They made better time that way, and soon
Albrecht could see a light over the next rise. As he came over
it, he saw a large, glowing circle of light. Bisecting it crossways
to their Moon Path was another Moon Path. A crossroads.
"This is it," Albrecht said. "The Lunae. Antonine was
right."
"Let's go," Evan said, sprinting forward.
"Wait," Mari said. "Let me go first. There may be other
spirits there. We don't want to pick a fight by just walking
in."
Evan slowed down and let Mari pass him.
"Let us know when it's okay tO go in," Albrecht said.
"I will," Mari said, shifting to Glabro form. She stepped
into the circle of light, disappearing from view. Albrecht and
Evan shifted back to Homid form and waited at the edge. The
Moon Path was fainter, as was the other one bisecting the
circle, but they weren't worried now. If worst came to worst,
they'd step into the Lunae and deal with whatever was there.
Regardless of the spirits there, the Lunes would intercede in
any fights. But no one wanted that. That kind of intercession
could lead to anything: most often the antagonists popping
up in some strange realm far away, transported there by the
angry Lunes.
Ma ri , n ow in H omid form, poked h er h ead out and
motioned them in. They stepped into the circle and blinked
at the brightness. When their eyes had adjusted, they saw a
large, silver-white glade, with a single white tree and a lawn
of white grass surrounding it. Three Lunes glided slowly about,
like helium balloons set loose on a random course. A crow
perched in the tree and cawed at them as they came through.
"That's Ivan," Mari said. "He's a naturae spirit taking
haven here for the day while traveling the airts. Don't worry
about him."
A lbrecht nodded and walked to the base of the tree.
Shrugging his pack off, he sat down, pulled out a cigarette
and lit it up. Slowly taking a drag, he leaned back, smiling,
then let out a cloud of smoke. That's the ticket, he thought.
Nothing like a good smoke after a long walk.
Evan walked over and dropped his pack. After untying his
sleeping bag and spreading it out, he lay down and rolled over.
He was asleep in seconds. Mari was watching the Lunes, trying
to fathom their movements. She gave up after a few minutes
and came over to the tree, sitting down next to Albrecht.
"I haven't done a walk like that in a long time," she said.
"Me neither," Albrecht said, still smoking. "It's hell on the
feet. I think we should trave l in Lupus more often."
Mari sighed. "I guess. I prefer Homid or Glabro, however.
I fight better that way."
"You can always shift if you need to."
"I know, but ... I'd like to be ready for anything."
"You're pretty parano id, aren't you! I don't mean in the
conspiracy-theory sense, but in the ... distrusting sense. You
seem tO think there's always someone out there ready to pop
you one."
"So! In my experience, there is. The world IS cruel tO the
unwary, Albrecht."
"Yeah, I guess it is. But going around always expecting the
worst ... I don't know. It seems like a waste of energy to me."
"And sucking in tOxic fumes, like that cigarette you have
there, isn't! Someone in this pack has tO be ready in case of
attack."
"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off. just trying some small
talk is all. I'm going to c rash. See you tomorrow."
"I 'll take first watch. I'll wake you for the second."
"Watch? We don't need a watch. The Lunes'll warn us if
anything dangerous approaches."
"We can't depend on that-"
"Yes we can. We are in a Lunae, Mari. A crossroads of
Moon Paths. Luna herself protects these. If something were
 ,~,

to happen here, believe me, we'd have enough time to deal

with it. So go to bed. And don't wake me up for a stupid
watch." Albrecht lay down o n the grass. He rubbed his
cigarette into the ephemeral dirt and put the stub in his
pocket. He then rolled over and was snoring in less than five
minutes.
Mari looked around for a while. When she was satisfied
that the place was safe, she spread out her bedroll and lay back
on it. Even with her eyes closed, it took her a while to get to
sleep. Every time the crow on the branches above moved, she
started, expecting danger. But she finally forced herself to
ignore it, and was soon asleep.

As the moon rose the next evening, they packed up their

bags and left the Lunae. The crow was a lready gone,
presumably h aving left at the first crack of moonrise. They
traveled down the same Moon Path, but this time they were
in Lupus form from the beginning of their journey. It did make
for better time, and they traveled farther than they had
expected by the n ext morning, when the sun rose in the
material world and the moon set in their world.
An hour before moonset, they had seen no sign of another
Lunae.
"I think we've got to take the n ext domain we find ,"
Albrecht said. "We can't stay out here. It's too unpredictable."
"And a domain isn't?" Mari said.
"Less so than the barrens between realms with no Moon
Path," Albrecht said, looking at her.
She stared back at him. "What do you suggest?"
"The first thing we come upon, that's what," Albrecht said.
"Hey!" Evan called. He was a few paces ahead of them,
bending t o the gro und. "There are some tracks h e re .
Rabbit, I think."
IU
Mari brightened up. "There must be a Glen nearby. I can't
imagine a rabbit wandering so far otherwise."
"Let's keep our eyes out then," Albrecht said, continuing
on down the road. The others followed him.
Ten minutes later, they saw the Glen. It was thirty yards
to their right, off the Moon Path. It was unmistakable. The
scent of grass and pollen wafted across the barrens to them.
They could see the vague outline of trees from the path. After
looking carefully around, they set out for it, stepping off the
path, staying close to each other. Soon, they were within the
boundary of the G len, a sub-realm within the spirit world, a
pocket reality which followed the laws of nature known in
the material world. Of the many geographies in the Umbra
- realms, domains, sub-realms, Moon Paths - Glens were
perhaps the most normal; a welcome respite from the weird
rules of the spirit world.
They all breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. It
wasn't a very big place, perhaps five acres square, but it was
lush. Trees grew up around a small clearing in the center, and
a babbling brook ran across it, entering from nowhere on one
side and exiting to nowhere on the other. Albrecht wondered
what would happen to something that was placed in the
stream. Where would it float to?
Signs of small fauna could be seen, such as rabbit tracks
and mouse prints. They walked around the place, making sure
that everything smelled right, that the scent of the Wyrm was
nowhere to be found. Satisfied with the purity of the place,
they gathered in the clearing by the brook.
"I wonder what created this place," Albrecht said. "It's
awfully weird tO find it here."
"It was planted on purpose," Evan said.
"How do you know that?" Mari said, looking around for
signs of intention.
"That tree over there," Evan said, pointing at the largest
of the trees surrounding the clearing. "It has a pictogram on
it. It says that this place was plan ted by a traveling pack of
Children of Gaia."
"Well, that was awfully nice of them," Albrecht said. "Now
we know it's all sweet and cozy here. That explains the cute
bunny rabbits."
"Albrecht!" Mari said. "It's because of their forethought
that we have a place to rest tonight. They don't deserve your
mocking."
Albrecht nodded, holding his hands up toward Mari. "I
know, I know. I'm just a cynical bastard, that's all. I'll shut
up."
They ate their dinner in silence and then pulled out their
packs and went to sleep. This time, however, Mari took the
watch. She woke Albrech t in the middle of the day to tell
him it was his turn. He nodded and got up, not bothering to
argue with her. Surprised, she crawled under her slight covers.
Although she was suspicious of danger, she knew she needed
sleep for the next leg of their journey, and soon went to sleep.
She slept lightly, though, having taught herself to wake at a
moment's notice.
Albrecht sat by the brook, thinking about their journey.
He had no clue where to start looking once they reached
Pangaea. And if the crown wasn't there, what would they do
then?
He heard the scuffle of a small creature moving through
the underbrush on the other side of the stream. The rabbit
came out and stared at Albrecht. Albrecht nodded at it. It
quivered its nose and hopped back into the brush.
Albrecht looked up at the sky. He could see stars, which
surprised him, although they were faint, as if they were very
far off. Albrecht realized that this Glen looked up into the
Aetherial Realm, the realm where the sky spirits resided. The
place where Moon Bridges crossed. He wondered what Garou
were now passing through those stars on their way to caerns
all over the earth.
 He sat thinking about such things for the rest of the day,
until the moon rose again.

They took to the Moon Path again that night. After they
had walked for many hours, the path began to curve wildly,
and the ephemeral landscape around them started to change.
Hills rose up and down; fields rippled and moved under a
nonexistent wind. Wisps of cloud floated past them, ephemera
that couldn't decide if they were clouds or fog banks.
"We are very near," Mari said. "The signs of the Wyld are
all about us."
"How far do you figure it is?" Albrecht asked, looking about
nervously. The Moon Path had already broken up twice. He
hoped it could stay together far enough to get them to
Pangaea.
"Who can say?" Mari said.
They kept walking. The moon was low on the horizon
when they came around a large hill, and stepped into sunlight
and a primordial jungle. They looked around, surprised. They
had seen no sign of the realm, but suddenly they were there,
standing in Pangaea. The musky jungle smells overwhelmed
them after the day's walk in a largely scentless environment.
"Wow," said Evan. "So this is it?"
"Yes," Mari said, stepping forward to peer through the thick
stand of trees before them. "Look here! Between these trees."
They all stepped up and looked. Beyond the trees, the
landscape fell downwards, a vegetati ve cliff face. The vista
from here was astonishing. Laid out before them was a land
from an earlier time, a primal forest of Jurassic plants. A place
humans could only imagine. But here, for the pack, it was real.
Pterodactyls glided far out over the huge sea which
encompassed the horizon to their right. Herds of prehistoric
antelope could be seen farther off, roaming across a grassland
plain . Behind the pack, through the stand of trees that now
hid th e Moon Path , t he land rose up, and t h ey could see
mounrai ns with pine fo rests along t heir bases. The clash of
geographical reg io ns was re markable.
A nJ the ma rks of civilizatio n were no where to be seen;
not a hint o r clue of the m. No roads, no buildings, no litter.
No sound of cars or machines in t he d istance. Only far-off
bird cries and t he hum of insects. The thrashing of huge beasts
in t he forests. Nothing but nature, pure a nd untrammelled.
"Ga ia . .. ." A lbrech t murmured. "It's inc redible. It really is
as amazing as they say." He turned to look at the other two
and saw them staring speechlessly at t he landscape. Something
deep with in h i m - wi t hin th e m , too - was stirring.
Something ancie nt a nd primal, some deep sense of wonder
and belo nging. He had a sense t hat, somehow, regardless of
h is city ways, he was home. They we re all ho me.
"Do yo u feel it?" A lbrecht said. "I don' t know, some sense
of. .. belonging."
"Yes," Ma ri said. "All my senses a re a wake, even in Homid
form. It's as if all my instincts were alive, as if they had fi nally
found an outlet."
"It's great !" Eva n said . "Far mo re real t han any Boy Scout
o uti ng."
A lbrecht looked a t him and shook his head. "If that's all
yo u' ve got to compare it to, you need to get o ut mo re."
"I am o ut," Evan said. "I t hink I can t ruly say, as none of
us have ever been a ble to say befo re, tha t I am ou t. I a m
outside !"
Mari laughed. S he looked a bo ut the m, at t he t rees and the
ground. "Look here. Dinosaur t racks."
Al brech t looked a nd saw wha t indeed looked like dinosaur
t rac ks, altho ug h sma ll o nes. O ne of those egg-stealers, he
t ho ught. But if the small ones can be here, so can the big. "Yo u
kno w, I just tho ught of something. The legends about t his
place say there are dinosaurs. Big dinosaurs. Dinosaurs who
eat Garou."
Mari and Evan looked at him.
 "I mean , we need to be careful. It's fine and dandy to enjoy
it all, but we've rea lly got to he on our toes here. This is
primal. That means dog-eat-Jog. What Mari said ahout the
food chain here is right: we're not the highest point on it."
"Correct," Mari said. "We should not let our guard down.
It is dangerous here."
Evan looked disappointed, but nodded.
"Now," Albrecht said. "\Ve've got tn figure out where in
this jungle to look for the Silver Crown."
"I've been thinking," Evan said. "We should start with the
legends about this place. What docs the Silver Record say!"
"I don't know," Albrecht said. "I thought you were more
familiar with that. It's a Philodox and Galliard thing, isn't
. JH
I t.
"It's our h istory," Mari said, staring scornfully at Albrecht.
"We shou ld all be fam iliar with it. Especially a king."
"I think there is something," Evnn saitl. "I'm not sure.
There's a line about the Litany. How does it go? Uh ... . 'A
Grand Moot of all Garou was called at Table Rock. All
gathered from all over the world in a night's time whe re they
were one Tribe, and rhc Galliards chanted the first Litany.
From sunrise to sundown they repeated the words unti l all
present could remember."'
"That's pretty good, kid ," A lbrecht sa id. "How'd you
remember all that?"
"We live in an oral culture, A lbrecht. It's our duty to
remember these things. Nor everyo ne can keep records like
Antonine."
"Well, what do you think it means? I didn't hear a mention
of Pangaea there."
"That's just it: there's no direct reference. But that line
about 'where they were one Tribe.' At a place called Table
Rock. I think that's here. Don't you remember the other
stories, the ones that say that all Garou are of one tribe when
they enter Pangaea!"
"I've heard those, but I don't believe them. How can we
lose our tribehood? It's inherent."
"But this is the Umbra, A lbrecht," Mari said. "Anything
can happen here. Landsca pes and identities are fluid. Nothing
is set."
"Fine. Let's assume Ta ble Rock is he re. Wha t the n ?"
"Well, ir seems to me that it wo uld be a good place to hide
the crown," Evan sa id. " If the record is correct, t hat is the
place where Ga rou civili:atio n began , with rhe Lita ny, Gaia's
covenants. If it's not there, then surely a clue will be."
A lbrecht noJded. "All right. Sounds like a starti ng point.
Whe re do we go? Whe re is Table Rock?"
"I do n't know," Evan said, looking around. "I do n 't have
the slightest idea of where to start."
"Well," Ma ri sa id. "Whe re wo uld G a ro u gathe r ? Table
Rock has to be someplace hospitable fo r G a ro u."
Albrecht looked o ut across the vista be hind them. "Do you
see that ? Way our there, to the ... north, I guess it is? It looks
like a pine forest. I thin k that's where we'll find wo h-es. And
whe re there are wolves ... ."
Ma ri nodded. "Le t's head that way."
"Ho w lo ng a walk do you figure?" Evan asked.
"At least a half-day," Mari said.
"Assuming no interruptions," A lbrecht said, walking off
into the forest.
Their wonder increased as they went. After a while, the
woods grew so thick they were forced to take Lupus form to
get through the brush.
"Albrecht!" Mari said in t he Garou tongue. "What
happened to your fur?"
Albrecht looked at h is pelt and barked in surprise. It was
no lo nger white, but gray, like a common wolf. "My fur!" He
looked at Mari and Evan and saw that their fur h ad also
changed. "Mari, your black pelt is gray! Evan, yours is grayer
than usual."
They all looked at each o ther.
"What's going on here?" Albrecht said.
 "One t ri be," Evan sa id. "We're all one tribe. No ma rks of
breed to distinguish us. You're no lo nger a ... a .... I can' t
re membe r what t ri be you were."
A lbrecht thought. "I can't either. l don't even know what
tribe you guys are !"
Ma ri s miled. "Good. Maybe now yo u'l l learn some
hum ility."
"Perhaps you will , too," Evan said. "You're not a: .. well,
you know. You're not your tribe anymore either."
"I don't need my tribe to know who l am," Mari said, and
saunte red off a head into the forest. The others followed.
Even in wolf form, the going was s low. They had to stop
many times to get their bearings. The environmen t c hanged
from hardwoods to pines. Afte r a few hou rs, A lbrecht caught
the scent of wolves. He stopped anJ looked a round, sniffing.
"Territory," h e concluded, turning ro Mari and Evan.
"We're in a wolf pack's territory. They've marked it in various
spots," he said, pointing to a tree and a rock. "Think we should
announce o urselves?"
"I do n't th ink it can hurt," Mari said. "Go ahead."
"What's a good howl? I don't want to scare t hem off."
"A simple Howl of G reeting will do."
A lbrecht sat back on his ha unches and howled. A lo ng,
one- note h owl. H e looked abo ut, wait ing for s igns of
approaching wolves. Soon he smelled a wolf off to the left,
still a ways off, but approaching t he m wa rily. Then, to the
right, a no the r smell. Also tO the fro nt no w. They we re
approaching fro m all sides.
Ahead, a wolf stepped from behind a tree, obv iously the
alpha. A lbrech t couldn't believe its size - it was a prehisto ric
dire wolf, akin to the Hispo form of t he Garou. Then, even
more surprisingly, the wolf spoke in a broken Garo u tongue.
It wasn't a wolf; it was a Garou.
"What. .. wa nt ... here ?" it said, glaring a t the pack.
"We seek Table Rock," Albrecht said. "I am Lord Albrecht
of the ... well, a Garou. My pack mates are Mari Cabrah and
Evan Heals-the-Past."
The alpha cocked his head. "I... Rake-to-Death. Lupus.
This my place!"
"We don't want your territory!" Albrecht said. "We just
want to pass through, to Table Rock."
The alpha seemed to be torn. He paced around, growling
low. Then he turned to them and said, "Follow." He whirled
and headed to the north.
Albrecht, Mari and Evan followed. The Garou alpha's pack
could be seen and heard running along with them, a few paces
away to either side. The land rose up, and they were soon
running up a hill, struggling to keep up with the alpha. They
finally came to the top of the rise, and looked down into a
bowl-shaped valley. In the center of the valley was a large,
flat rock, resting horizontally on top of a vertical slab.
"Table Rock," the alpha said, watching them as they came
over the rise.
"Thanks," Albrecht said.
The alpha moved back into the woods, and the pack
moved down into the valley. As soon as the wolf was out of
sight, they all shifted into Homid form.
"I don't think he liked us," Albrecht said.
"We're too civilized for him," Evan said. "I don't think he's
native: he doesn't seem like a spirit. He's obviously trying to
get back to nature. Our reminders of civilization - our
backpacks and all - probably don't help."
They reached the bottom of the valley and walked
carefully up to the rock. Painted Garou pictograms adorned
it, faded with time, wind and rain. The ashy remains of many
fires were scattered about.
"Well, here's a sign of fire at least," Albrecht said, kicking
some of the ashes. "That's civilized."
"It's probably the only concession to tool-use we'll find
here," Evan said, roaming about the rock, looking into every
,~,

small fissure he could find. He tried to read the faded

pictograms, but few of them made any sense. "T hese writings
are old. I can't make out most of them. Those I can read seem
incomplete. None of them has anything to do with a crown,
or even leadership."
Albrecht explored the valley, looking for signs of any
buried objects or caves. He came back to the rock, where Evan
and Mari were searching, and threw up his hands. "Nothing.
There's nothing here. We're not going to find anything."
"Don't be so defeatist," Mari said, sitting down. "Maybe
we need to wait. Something might show itself."
"Yeah, like a big Tyrannosaurus Rex." Albrecht sat down
and fumed.
"Look," Mari said. "Maybe some Garou will show up who
know this place better than we do."
"Yeah, real likely. We could be waiting weeks for that."
"I think we should camp here tonight," Evan said, coming
over to sit with them. "We can figure out our next step in
the morning."
Albrecht looked up at the sun. "It's weird to see the sun
again. It's really throwing off my hours. Been used to night
travel for a while."
"Look," Evan said. "This place is sort of like a caern. You
never know what could show up under moonligh t."
"All right," Albrecht said. "We'll wait h ere tonight.
Tomorrow morning, we'll figure out a new plan." He stretched
out and looked up at the shifting clouds.
Mari moved her bag to the base of the rock. "I think we
should camp close to the rock. T here are no animal tracks
around here, almost as if they know better than to come here."
Albrecht sat up and looked around. "I hadn't thought of
that. Interesting. Now, what could be driving a bunch of wild
animals away from here?"
"I doubt it's the rage of the Garou," Evan said. "Maybe it's
something spiritual. T here may be a ritual in effect here."
 ,~.,

"How would we go about finding out?" Albrecht said.

"Normally we'd look for signs of a ritual, such as
pictograms. Those are already here. Maybe it's just the
strength of successive rituals. Maybe it's the fact that fires have
been lit here. That may be bad mojo for the inhabitants.
Remember, Albrecht, these animals may act like animals, but
they're really spirits."
"I keep forgetting. Seems so real," Albrecht got up and
pulled his bags closer to the rock. "Well, I'm going to get some
shut-eye. Do you want me to help you light a fire first?"
"We can manage," Evan said. "Besides, I got more sleep
than either of you. You should both sleep. I'll stay up for first
watch."
Mari nodded and lay down. Soon, she and Albrecht were
both asleep. Evan sat for a while, listening to the sounds of
the primordial world. He swatted more than a couple of times
at some very large insects. These are going to get annoying, he
thought. He wondered if there was anything he could do to
ward them off, but decided that there wasn't. Except for a fire,
perhaps.
He walked to the edge of the valley and started gathering
what old wood he could find. He found mostly pine, which
he knew didn't burn well, but there were few hardwoods in
the region. He soon had a stack of wood in his arms. After
carrying it back, he dug a shallow fire pit, then walked around
again, this time gathering twigs and dry pine needles for
kindling. These he brought back to the gathered wood and
pulled out a box of matches from the sealed plastic baggy he
carried them in. Be prepared, he thought wryly. He struck the
match and held it to the kindling. It flared into life, catching
on the dry twigs and growing bigger.
Evan sat back and readied himself for a long afternoon.
He thought about the quest they were on and the metaphors
in the fable they had heard from Antonine. He tried to figure
out if these things had any meaning for them, on this quest.
Four gates, he thought. Have we passed any yet? Or, more
importantly, has Albrecht passed any of them? Does he need to?
That was just one story. The other story, about the bad king, didn't
have any gates to pass. Is the quest different for everyone?
The sun was beginning to set. S tanding up and stretching,
he figured he should wake Mari up and get some sleep himself.
The fire was dwindling. Twice already he had had to go in
search of more wood. O ne more trip would probably be enough
for the rest of the night.
He walked into the woods again -and froze in his tracks.
A loud bellow came from beyond the grove before him: a
sound which tapped something primal in him, making him
want to flee in terror. He shi vered, but gathered his will not
to move. He was a Gar0t1, after all; his rage was h is courage.
After a few moments of si lence, he crept forward and peeked
around a large tree.
A dinosaur tore at the flesh of its fresh kill. It chewed at
the bloody remains of the deer, every now and then peeking
about, bird-like, to make sure nothing else was near. It stood
on two legs and had sharp claws on its small forearms.
Oh shit! Evan thought. It's one of those raptors from that
movie. That means more of them rmm be around. He slowly and
quietly shifted to Crinos form and concentrated on his
surroundings, using his near-lupine senses tO discover if the.,
dinosa ur had friend s nearhy. But he smelled and h eard
nothing. The dinosaur appea red to be alone. Evan breathed a
sigh of relief and backed up, turning around to head back to
camp.
He heard the noise before he saw it. O nly his Garou senses
and speed saved him, as he jumped to the left in time to avoid
the rush of the raptor. It sped past him, crying in anger and
spinning around.
Evan shifted to Hispo form, the dire wolf, and ran forward,
hoping to throw the thing off by attacking it. The raptor
shifted to the side and slashed at Evan as he ran by. Its claws
tore off some fur, but Evan's adrenaline was pumping too much
for him to feel the pain.
He kept running, hoping to make it back to camp to get
his packmates' help. He was afraid that he was no match for
this natural predator. He heard it moving in the woods to his
right, running to head h im off. Suddenly he saw the Table
Rock clearing ahead and put on an extra burst of speed. The
raptor lunged from the trees as he sped past, then stopped dead
in its tracks.
Evan ran into the open clearing and turned around to face
his attacker. But it stood at the fringe of the woods, looking
edgy, nervously tramping the ground. Finally it honked in
frustration and slipped back into the cover of the trees.
Evan let out his breath and collapsed. After long minutes
of thanking Gaia for his life, he stood up and shifted back to
Homid form. His wound was only a scratch. He was also
pumped up, and knew he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.
But his guess about the supernatural nature of the clearing
had been right; it did spook the natural inhabitants.
He walked over to Mari but stopped before he got to h er.
There was a shimmering light on the other side of the rock,
growing bigger by the second.
What now? he wondered as he ran to the edge of the rock
and peeked around. In the empty air, a hole had opened,
silvered moonlight flowing out of it. A wolf leaped out of the
ho le and looked around.
Evan ducked back behind the rock and ran to Mari. H e
sh ook her awake and covered her mouth before she could
speak. "There's a Moon Bridge on the other side of the rock.
Someone's come out of it."
Mari bolted up. She instantly assumed Glabro form,
growing larger and more muscled, but uglier and more brutish
also. "Wake Albrecht," she whispered, and crept over to the
corner of the rock.
Evan shook Albrecht awake, clamping his hand down on
,40
the other's mouth before he could say anyt hing. Albrecht
frowned up at Evan. "Shhh," Evan said softly. "There's a Moon
Bridge behind the rock, and a Garou came out of it."
Albrecht's eyes widened and be stood up. "What the hell
is a Moon Bridge doing here ? I thought they couldn't open
into this realm." He drew his G rand Klaive out and went to
where Mari was standing. Evan followed him. They all poked
their heads around the corner and saw more strangers come
out of the Moon Bridge.
There were now six wolves, each looking and sniffing
about. The Moon Bridge closed up, and the shimmering light
was cut off. One of the wolves seemed to pick up a scent, and
it barked at the others.
Albrecht raised his eyebrows. 'They've found our scent.
They seem to have been expecting it."
The new arrivals spread out, three around the far side of
the rock, while the other three headed fo r the corner where
the pack was watching. Albrecht pulled Evan and Mari back.
"Who the hell are they?" he asked. "They're obviously
looking for us."
"We've got to leave," Mari said. "Now."
Evan started to run back to his backpack, but Albrecht
grabbed him by the shirt collar.
"No time for that," he said. "We leave now."
Evan looked disappointed, but followed A lbrecht and Mari
as they ran to the edge of the forest. Beh ind them they heard
a howl which immed iately became multiple howls as all six
wolves picked it up. They had been seen. The cha~e was on.
A lbrecht shifted to C rinos, as d id Mari. Evan began the
shift while he ran, but he was having trouble concentrating.
He looked over his shou lder and saw the wolf pack nearly on
his heels. Yelling out, he called on his rage. In an instant he
was in C rinos form, and he rook to four legs, catchi ng up with
Albrecht and Mari.
The wolves howled and barked, spreading out through the
 141
forest, trying to overtake the pack.
Albrecht led the pack to the left, along a ridge that
apparently went to the mountain pass. If he could get to a
tight pass, they could fight the wolves one-on-one.
One of the wolves caught up with them and snapped at
Mari's heels. Mari spun around and slashed at it, spinning back
again and continuing her run. Her claws had connected: the
wolf's snout had opened up, and blood sprayed onto the pine-
needle blanket that covered the ground. The wolf yelped and
stopped the chase, but the other wolves ran past him.
Mari's brief attack had lost her some ground. She ran after
the rest of the pack, but she was off course, running to the
right where they had gone left. Too late to compensate for
her mistake, she yelled out to them, "Keep running! I'll meet
up with you!"
Albrecht growled back in acknowledgment. He kept the
pace up, slowing himself slightly when it looked like Evan
might fall behind.
The wolves split up. Three of them - the wounded one
among them- went after Albrecht and Evan, while the other
three went after Mari.
Mari broke through a thick stand of pines and slipped
down a hill , sliding on the needles but managing to keep her
balance. Ahead, to the left, was a cave mouth big enough for
only one person to stand in it. She ran for it, hearing the
wolves still behind her. As she entered the cave, she saw a
light glowing from deep within, around a far curve. She ran
forward, hearing her pursuers enter the cave behind her and
abandoning her plan of holding them off at the entrance. As
she came around the curve, she stopped short, staring around
her in shock.
The cave was gone. She now stood on a muddy field under
gray skies and roiling clouds. In the distance she heard moans
of pain and, farther off, screams of horror. Barbed wire snaked
through the field, and she thought she saw human limbs -
hands and feet - buried in the dirt.
No! she thought. This can't be. I've left Pangaea. This is
another realm. Gaia, please let it not be tuhat I think it is.
She heard howling behind her and turned to see the wolves
appear one by one. They stopped and stared at her, grinning
evilly. Their gray fur began to change, to grow blacker. On
two of them the fur began to fall off in patches, revealing
mangy hides underneath. The pursuers began cackling. As the
laws of Pangaea faded, they once more assumed their tribal
aspects. Their ears grew to ugly proportions, with interior
ridges - becoming the ears of a bat, not a wolf.
Mari growled at the Black Spiral Dancers and centered
herself, ready for their charge.
 Albrecht and Evan ran through the crevasse. They had
managed ro outdistance the wolves in the twisting, turning
gully, but they still heard the howls behind them, just out of
sight. Albrecht was trying ro find a good place to make their
stand. He didn't like the numbers they were up against. Evan
wasn't a great fighter, and Albrecht didn't want to have to
worry about h im while he took on two of the wolves himself,
leaving the other to attack the boy.
The ground was on a steady incline, and Albrecht could
hear rushing water ahead. Albrecht prayed the water was a
river running parallel to them; if it ran crosswise, they would
have to make their stand, backs to the water.
They came out of the crevasse onro a ledge above a raging
river which rushed from their right ro their left. Albrecht
cursed. They were trapped here. He looked around, trying to
find some advantage to the ledge. Shoving Evan to one side
of the ledge, he set himself on the other side. Their only hope
was that the wolves would be running fast enough to have to
fight to slow their momentum before they fell into the river
below. Albrecht and Evan could then take them from behind,
perhaps using their unbalance to shove them off the ledge.
 The howls were mere yards away. Albrecht hunkered down
against the rock and motioned to Evan to do the same.
The first wolf ran past them and scooted to a halt at the
lip of the cliff. Before the next wolf appeared, Albrecht leapt
at the first and kicked him in the back. The wolf somersaulted
forward, over the lip, waving his limbs spastically as he hung
in midair for a moment. He then fell into the water and was
carried away by the current.
The second wolf vaulted onto the ledge and slammed into
Albrecht, who had to pivot to keep from going over. The she-
wolf was at his throat, sinking in her fangs. Albrecht grabbed
her torso between his arms and squeezed her with all his
might. That seemed to knock the wind out of her, since she
let go of Albrecht's throat, cough ing. Albrecht lifted her up
and threw her over the ledge. She yipped and scrambled in
the air, as if trying to swim back to the ledge. But Albrecht's
throw had been good, and the wolf flew into the r iver.
Meanwhile, the third wolf had slunk around the corner
and chomped into Evan's left leg while the boy was watching
Albrecht. Evan cried out and slashed his claws at the wolf's
neck, but the wolf lithely dodged and jumped in for another
nip. Evan stepped back, dangerously close to the edge. When
the wolf leapt in for a third bite, Evan stumbled backwards
and fell off the cliff. At the last second, he reached out,
grabbing for anything to keep him from falling . His hand
closed on the wolf's thick pelt. The wolf tried to step back,
but Evan's momentum took them both over and into the river.
"Evan!" Albrecht cried out, trying to catch s~ght of him
once he disappeared under the water. Down to the left he
resurfaced, struggling to stay up. He was already yards
downstream and traveling faster. Albrecht cursed and leapt
in.
The water was freezing, run-off from the mountaintop
snows. Albrecht concentrated, knowing he couldn't allow the
sh ock to stun him. He swam as fast as he could downstream,
trying to catch up to the struggling Evan. He passed one of
the enemy wolves crawling onto the far bank, exhausted.
As he looked ahead for Evan, he saw curls of white water.
Rocks jutted out of the stream, and the water rushed around
them at incredible speed. As he maneuvered around the
boulders, Albrecht hoped the kid hadn't slammed into one
of them.
Far ahead, he heard Evan yell.
"I'm coming, kid!" he shouted. "Try to grab a branch or a
rock!" Then he saw Evan.
The boy was in the middle of the current, heading for a
large spray of mist. Albrecht couldn 't figure out what it was
until he registered the great roar that drowned out Evan's yells.
Albrecht shook his head, trying to deny it. That can't be a
waterfall, he thought. It's too quick a change in landscape. But
this is Pangaea. Anything can happen here.
He howled out in grief as Evan disappeared over the edge.
Albrecht quit looking for things to grab onto, resigned now
to his fate -he was going over. He steeled himself, and then
he was no longer in water, but falling through air. He looked
down and saw miles and miles of falling water, disappearing
into a huge cloud of mist far below.
This can't be happening, he thought, as he shut his eyes.
Then he landed. It was a hard landing, on solid ground,
but he knew instantly that no bones were broken.
That was not a mile-long fall, he thought. Felt more like forty
feet. He opened his eyes and looked around.
He was sitting on a Moon Path. Water spray was all around
him, and he could still hear the roaring of water, but it
sounded farther off, as if there were a wall between him and
the falls. It was dark, with no sun or moon, but faint light
seemed to be coming from somewhere. He turned around and
saw a rent in the night sky. Light and water were filtering in
from Pangaea.
Then someone groaned. He spun around and ran over to
Evan, who was lying farther up the path. He was unconscious.
Then, the groan again. It wasn't coming from Evan. Albrecht
looked up the path and saw one of the wolves, lying mangled.
One of his legs was bent the wrong way, and it looked like a
rib was sticking out of his side.
Albrecht pulled out his klaive and walked forward
cautiously. As he got closer, he saw that the Garou's fur color
had changed from gray to black. The hide was scarred in many
places with bizarre pictograms. Unholy pictograms. The signs
of the Wyrm and corrupt rites.
Albrecht spat. This thing was a Black Spiral Dancer.
He looked up at Albrecht and tried to move, but he
seemed to lack the energy even for survival. His eyes half-
closed, he seemed to smile at A lbrecht, as if congratulating
h im.
"Who the hell are you, and why the hell did you attack
us?" Albrecht snarled, leaning over the Dancer and placing
the klaive at his throat.
The Dancer took in some heavy breaths and then sighed.
"My master sent us to you. An easy kill, she said. She lied."
"Who the fuck is your master and why docs she want us
dead? Besides us being on the wrong side and all?"
"Queen Azaera, She of the Uncracked Egg. She demanded
your death or capture. She will have it. Not from me or my
pack, but from others. You live on borrowed time, Silver Fang
king .... "
"King? Not yet, pal. Or is that why you're trying to stop
me? Did Arkady put her up to this ?"
The Dancer cackled. "Oh, the Duke fumes over you. And
for his petty power struggle, I'm dead. Fuck him! Fuck you!
Fuck Gaia! Fuck the Wyrm! FuckFuck- "
A lbrecht cut him off by slicing open his throat. The
Dancer still tried to curse, but empty air escaped from the gash
in his throat, never making it as far as the tongue. The Dancer
grimaced and died.
 t47
Albrecht walked over to Evan and examined him. He
seemed all right, just knocked around a little. His leg was
gashed, hut that was minor. A lbrecht gently slapped him in
the face, trying to wake him up.
Evan's eyes slowly rolled open and he looked around. He
quickly sat up. "What happened? Where are the wolves?"
Albrecht put his hand on Evan's shoulder. "Calm down.
They're dead . At least, that one is. The other two aren't here.
One got to shore. I think the other one missed the gate. He's
probably still falling."
Evan looked around, confused. "A gate? We're back in the
Umbra! Weird."
Albrecht stood up and put his klaive back in its sheath.
"Got any idea where in the Umbra we are?"
Evan shook his head. "Not in this blackness. O nce the
moon comes up, I might be able to figure it out. If there are
any landmarks. This is more Mari's kind of thing."
"Mari!" A lbrecht yelled. "Damn! She's still back there,
being chased by the Black Spiral Dancers!"
"That's what they were? Black Spirals?"
"Yeah. Pals of Arkady 's . If we didn't h ave enough
suspicions before, we do now."
Evan looked back at the rent into Pangaea. "We've got to
go back for Mari."
"We can't," Albrecht said. "That gate opens in mid-air.
It's a long drop on the other side."
Evan looked worried. "But she cou ld be in trouble. She
might need us."
"Kid," Albrech t said, taking Evan's shoulder and guiding
him down the Moon Path, away from Pangaea, "She can take
care of herself. She's proven that many times. We'll just have
to hope she'll find us again."
Evan nodded, but didn't say anyth ing else. Albrecht looked
ahead. Far off, there was a pinpoint of light on the horizon.
"What's that?"
 Evan followed Albrecht's gaze and saw the light also. "I
don't know. It's too far away."
"Well, looks like we got someplace to go now. Let's check
it out."
"It could be dangerous."
"Yeah? We got nothing better ro do." When he saw Evan's
face fall, he quickly added, "At least, there's nothing we can
do right now. Don't worry, we' ll find her. We will."
"I know. At least, that'~ what I'll try to believe. Let's go
to the light." Evan walked on down the almosr pitch-black
Moon Path, and Albrecht fo llowed.

Th e Black Spiral Dancer crashed in to Mari, but she

pivoted and redirected his force 0ff to the right, pushing him
in that direction. She then lashed out with a quick punch to
his exposed hack. Bones cracked and the Dancer fell to the
gro und, alive but injured.
Mari turned to face the others. They were more wary than
their packmate and had assumed Cri nos form a lso. One was
taller than the other and clearly female. She hissed slowly as
she moved around, trying to circle Mari. But Mari backed up,
allowi ng neither of them to get an easy opening on her. The
way she h ad handled the first one showed them that she
clearly knew how to fight. Reck less bravery on their part
would only get them killed,_and they knew it.
T he Dancer on the ground slowly stood up. He had
obviously just used a Gift to heal himself of a cracked spine.
He glared at Mari, but there was a wary fearfulness in that
look.
The screams came over the hill again, and they seemed to
rattle even the Dancers. It was clear that they did not know
where they were; but Mari did. And she was afraid .
T h e Dancers all turned to look at he r again, and the
landscape shifted . Mari blinked, and they were no longer on
a mudd y battlefield , but in a dirty, garbage-st rewn alley.
G laring hungril y at her, no longer in Crinos form, the Dancers
were now humans in black leather with kni ves out.
Mari shook her head. This isn't right, she told herself. Those
are Black Spiral Dancers, not gang members. She backed up and
hit a wall. Looking up quickly, she saw a sign above her: The
Urban Jungle.
S he stepped back, sweating. She knew this place. It was a
nigh tclub she used to sneak out tO as a teenager. It all came
bac k to her in a rush. The nightclub, the alley, the gang. She
shuddered.
The gang was app roaching h er, sen sing h er dismay,
smelling the fear. S he gritted her teeth and growled. Sh e
flexed her claws and looked at her hands in surprise. S he
wasn 't in C rinos form anymore; she was in Homid. She
concentrated, drawing on her anger to shift forms. Nothing
happened.
She cursed. It's this place , she told herself. It's this realm.
lc's trying to get at you, to scare you. You can't let it.
O ne of the gang lunged forward and cut her across th e
stomach with his knife. Not a deep cut, but a painful one.
Right on the scar Albrecht had made two years ago in their
fight. The one for which she had yet to repay him.
Another member, the female, ran forward and swung a
crowbar at her head, but Mari was th inking straight now. S he
easily blocked it with her forearm - although it hurt to do
so in Homid form - and followed up with a right-arm punch
to the girl's abdomen. The girl doubled over, clutching her
stomach. Mari continued the attack and slammed her foot into
the girl's head, driving her face into the o ily pavement. She
then kicked her with her other foot, and the girl flew back,
her neck flexing more than it should have, with a snapping
sound. She fell to the ground, her neck broken.
The other two gang members grabbed Mari from behind,
a nd she moved to slip free. Bur one of them sank a knife
between her ribs. Mari screamed in pain and fe l l o ver, blood
gushing from her side. The thugs stood over her, laughing as
she bled. Then they looked down t he alley fearfu lly and ran
away.
Mari tried to move her neck to see what had scared them,
but s he cou ldn't. This was so fa milia r. The da mn gang
me mbe rs a nd their tau nting. Bur what had really happe ned
all those years ago was that she had freaked o ut and gone
berserk before they had ever touched her. She had undergone
he r First C ha nge and torn the gang to pieces. When she had
come to, she had been covered in their blood. Their dead eyes
had looked up at her, acc usingly, and she'd run away, crying
at the cold-blooded murder she'd just committed. Over the
years, as she looked back, she had managed to convince herself
that they had been going to rape he r, that she was justified in
killing t he scum, that she had been cleaning up the streets.
But that was a lie, and she knew it. A lie arou nd which
she had bu ilt her whole identi ty. S he had ki lled them . They
had been just kids - younger tha n he r - and not even a
gang; just a bunch of kids hanging a ro und together, out past
their bedtimes. They had teased her, called her na mes, and
she - sheltered girl that she was - had overreacted. They
we re dead because of he r inability to control the C hange. So
what if she had never done it before, hadn't even kno wn she
was Garou? Did they care? They had never touched he r except
with hurtful words.
A police officer walked over and looked down at her. And
she remembered him. S he had forgotten him until now. The
cop. Yet a no ther thread in the weaving of Mari Cabrah's self.
He had been the fuel be hind he r self-defense course fire, her
a ttempts to teach wo me n to fight for t hemselves a nd no t tO
rely on authority.
And she remembered what he had done that night, when
 ,~,

he'd found a teen -aged girl alone in a back alley with a bunch
of dead bodies.
She closed her eyes. Give it to me, she thought. Go ahead
and do it. The kids have already gotten their revenge, through the
Black Spira.! Dancers. Finish the job.
The police officer brought his club back and swung it down
hard on Mari's head. Everything went black. Mari thought one
last thing: So this is death ....
 The moon had risen when Albrecht and Evan cautiously
approached what they had realized could only be a campfire.
They had even heard someone singing from the vicinity. But
they were taking no chances, so they approached silently and
carefully.
Their walk had taken almost an hour, during which time
Evan told Albrecht about his encounter with the dinosaur.
Albrecht was impressed but said he could have taken the
thing. Evan fumed in silence for a while after that. He was
getting a bit tired of being treated like a child. So what if he
was no match for a dinosaur? Albrecht would have been
clueless in Pangaia without some of Evan's suggestions. Brawn
wasn't always a match for education.
Albrecht motioned to Evan as they approached the fire.
He was about to whisper for Evan to cut to the right while he
cut left when he heard a low, wolfish growl behind him. He
turned around and saw a thin, almost jackal-like wolf standing
a few feet behind him, staring at him threateningly. Albrecht
could see markings- tattoos- on its fur. He breathed a sigh
of relief. The symbol for the Silent Striders was burned into
its haunches.
 "We're friends," he said, putting his palms out. "I'm Lord
Albrecht, of the Silver Fangs, and this is Evan Heals-the-Past,
a Wendigo."
The wolf cocked its head, seemingly surprised. Then, from
mere feet behind them, someone spoke. Loudly.
"Lord Albrecht? I've heard of you!"
Albrecht turned·slowly around again and saw a short, red-
haired man dressed in a Pogues T-shirt and torn blue jeans.
His arms were laced with tattoos, and Albrecht recognized
the Fianna symbol among them: the mark of the Celtic tribe
of Garou. Albrecht's eyebrows rose. There were also quite a
few honor and wisdom marks there, badges of merit. Standing
behind the Fianna - towering over him in fact - was a
blond-haired Crinos Garou, who eyed Albrecht suspiciously.
This one carried a huge, two-handed hammer. Judging from
the size of his muscles, it wasn't at all too heavy for him.
The red-haired man put out his hand and spoke in a heavy
Irish brogue. "Pleased to meet you! My name's Jack
Wetthumb!"
Albrech t shook the man's hand. "It's damn good to see
some friends here."
"Oh? Troubles you've been having, is it?" Jack said. He
looked at Evan and extended his hand to him as well. "Your
name's a bit familiar also, but I can't place it."
"I'm Albrecht's packmate," Evan said.
"Right," Jack said, looking at him, trying to remember how
he knew him. He wagged his finger at him. "You were that
kid in the Amazon a few months back. The one the Nexus
Crawler came after." He turned to Albrecht. "And you were
there, fighting it! It all comes back now."
"Were you there?" Evan asked. "In the Amazon War?"
"Yeah, sure was. That's where I got all these scribbles on
my arms. They give out medals like candy down there. All
you gotta do is survive."
Albrecht nodded and glanced at the big guy. "Who's your
friend? And the Silent Strider?" he asked, turning around to
look at the wolf, who sat on its haunches now.
"She," Jack said, pointing at the wolf, "is known as Parts·
the-Water, a damn fine Theurge. Invaluable when you're
hiking the Umbra. And this fella," he said, motioning with
his thumb at the large Garou, "is lvar Hated-by-the-Wyrm. I
think you can figure out just by looking at him how he got
his name. He's a Get of Fenris, and my best pal. Ain't that
right?" he said , looking up at lvar. lvar didn't say anything,
but neither did he deny the acc usation.
A lbrecht smiled. "What about your name ? How'd you pick
that up?"
Jack laughed. "You ever heard of Finn Mac Cool? He's our
most famous Fianna of old. Once, to get wisdom, he caught
this magic salmon. To make a long story short, the eating of
it gave him the smarts, but he had to suck his thumb for it -
the thumb where the juices of the cooking fish had burned
him. Well, I found just such a fish myself, and went through
the same experience. Now," he said, holding up his right
thumb. ''When I sucks on this weasel here, I get the smarts,
just like ol' Finn."
"He's just saying that," lvar said. Jack looked up at him,
annoyed. "He didn't eat any magic fish. He's as dumb as ever
when he sucks his thumb. He just wants yo u to think
oth erwise."
"Uh ... don't listen to lvar," Jack said. "He's got a cracked
sense of humor. Hey! Why don't we take you to the camp and
introduce you to the rest of our bunch?"
Albrech t and Evan nodded, and they followed Jack and
his friends to the campfire. There was a man sitting with a
guitar, smiling at them as they came up. He looked to be
Indian, from the subcontinent, rather than a native to
America like the woman next to him. She was dressed in a
buckskin vest and blue jeans and had long black hair falling
down her back and shoulders. Albrecht stared, surprised: He
knew her. She stared back, enigmatically and with faint
embarrassment.
"Greetings," the man with the guitar said. "And who are
our travelers?"
"This here," Jack said, "is Lord Albrecht, from Central
Park. Surely you've heard of him."
"Most certainly," the man said. "It is a pleasure to meet
the mighty Wyrm-slayer."
"Thanks," A lbrecht said.
"And this," Jack said, "is Evan Heals-the-Past. You
remember about him? The boy from the Amazon who was the
talk of the jungle for that one week when we had R & R?"
"Ah, yes," the man said. "The one with the Nexus Crawler
problem. I am glad you resolved that issue and are here to
visit with us today."
"Thanks," Evan said. "It's really nice of you to say so."
"This fella," Jack said, pointing at the man, "is Pramati,
our songster and Stargazer. Weird combo, huh? It makes for
some thought-provoking fireside sing-alongs."
Pramati bowed and smiled.
"And last, but certainly not least among us," Jack said,
pointing at the woman, "is Mary Black Fox."
"We've met before," Albrecht said, meeting her eyes and
smiling. "But I didn't know you were Garou. What tribe are
you?"
She seemed uncomfortable and looked at Jack, who
glanced at lvar, eyebrows raised, as if they were sharing a
pri vate joke.
''I'm Cherokee, actually," she said.
"I meant- " Albrecht said.
"She's not a Garou, lad," Jack said. "She's a witch. At least
that's what her people call her. She's more properl y a
Dreamspeaker."
Albrecht's eyes widened. "A mage? Really? You didn't tell
me that before either. I haven't met too many of your kind."
 "I... wasn't a mage then," she said. "My Awakening was
yet to come. And you're lucky you haven't met many of 'my
kind.' They don't like Garou. My Tradition excepted, of
course. The Dreamspeakers are the only ones among our order
tO understand what you guys are all about.''
"I've heard of Dreamspeakers," Evan said. "You're shamans,
right?"
"I suppose that's the best way to describe us," she said.
"We're not like the hermetic mages; or the scienrific ones for
that matter."
Evan nodded. A lbrecht smiled at her again. S he looked
away.
"Well, why don 't you fellas find a spot and have a sit ?"
Jack said, sitting down himself and eyeing Mary with a smirk.
"We've got vittles here, if you're hungry. Since you don't have
any provisions on you, I assu me you're on hard times. So sit
down, eat up and tell us about you rselves."
Albrecht and Evan gratefully sat down and ate. The meal
was rich beef vegetable stew from a pot over the fire. Albrecht
wondered where they had gotten the ingredients for this out
in the Umbra, but didn't care enough to ask. He was too busy
eating.
After they finished, Jac k pulled some bottles of G uinness
from a cooler behind him and offered them. They had both
gratefully taken the beers and drunk when A lbrecht stopped
and looked at Evan.
"Hey!" he said. "Should you be drinking yet?"
"Legally?" Evan said . "No. But just try and cake it from
me." He took a long chug, and Jack rolled over laughing.
"T he kid's gonna turn out all right," he said. "Don't worry
about him. Nothing wrong with a little sip now and again."
A lbrecht shrugged and drank his beer. lvar and Parts-the-
Water did not sit down, but instead stood at the edge of their
circle, watching for possible danger. They listened in , however.
"So what do you call yourselves?" Albrecht as ked.
"We're the Screamin' Trailblazers," Jack said. "Or that's
what they called us down in the jungle, anyway. We've been
thinking about shortening it to just 'Trailblazers.' What do
you think?"
"!like them both," Albrecht said.
"Well, that's no help," Jack said, leaning back against his
bed roll. "All right, lads, so what are you doing way out in
the middle of nowhere?"
Evan looked at Albrecht. Albrecht sighed. "You deserve
to know, although I really need to ask what you guys are doing
here first."
Jack frowned . "It's bit rude, since we asked first. ... But
you're well spoken of in Central Park, so I'll trust you have
your reasons for asking.
"We're after the skin of the Wyrm."
Albrecht blinked. "The what? The sk in ?"
"That's right. The skin of the Wyrm. You see, we heard
this story down in the Amazon from an elder who was dying.
He had this nice tidbit of knowledge he wanted to hand on
before meeting his maker. So he handed it to us. You see, it
seems that the Wyrm, being a giant snake and all, used to shed
its skin regularly, back when everything was in balance. As a
matter of fact, it was this shedding of the skin that helped
keep the balance. Well, things got all screwed up, fo r whatever
reason - we all know that's a matter of debate among the
tribes. Well, one of the reasons things went wrong is that the
Wyrm quit shedding its skin."
Evan nodded. "So the cycles were broken. It refused to
grow and die and grow again, like everyth ing is supposed to."
Jack sat up. "That's right. It hasn't shed its skin in ages,
you see. So it's gett ing a wful itc h y and scu mm y,
uncomfortable-like. That's one reason why the Wyrm is so
pissy. It's wearing a damn uncomfortable skin."
"If that's the case," Albrecht said, "then why do you want
to find it? It seems to me that, if you find the skin, you find
the Wynn."
"Yeah, but we're not looking for its current skin. We're
looking for the old skin, the last one it shed. We figure like
this elder in the jungle did, that if we can find it - somehow,
someway - we can convince the Wyrm to shed its current
skin. And if that happens, things might go all right."
Albrecht nodded. "That's quite a quest. Sounds like a wild
goose chase; but if it's true and you do get the skin, it could
mean a lot."
"That's exactly what we say !" Jack said.
"So, you got any leads?" Albrecht said.
"Yes," Pramati said. "There are many tales that speak of
this skin. The trick is to find it. We have ... some ideas."
"But you can understand us wanting to keep them secret,"
Jack said.
"Yeah," Albrecht said. "No problem. It's your quest."
"And what's yours?" Jack said.
"We're looking for the Silver C rown."
Jack looked confused, but Pramati whistled.
"That is a real quest," he said. "But I do not understand.
Is not the crown hidden by the Silver Fangs?"
Albrecht looked down. "Uh ... no. That's just a rumor. A
false one."
Jack and Pramati exchanged glances.
"That's big news, you know," Jack said. "There are a lot of
folks who'd be looking for it if that word got out."
"I know," Albrecht said. ''I'm just going to have to trust
you, with your honor badges and all, not to tell anyone."
Jack was silent for a while, looking at Albrecht. "Ah,
you're a wise one. You know just where to push the buttons. I
respect honor and all, and since you called me on it, I'll take
up your challenge. Mum's the word, lad. At least from me and
my pack. But I'll have to ask you to do the same about our
quest."
"Done," Albrech t said.
Jack sat back again, smiling. "So, you got any leads on it?"
"We were just in Pangaea," Evan said. "But we got chased
out before we could really look."
"Pangaea?" Jack said. "Beautiful place! But damn
dangerous. Things are primal there. So, just what chased you
out? AT-rex? A smilodon?"
"Black Spiral Dancers," Albrecht said. "My ... cousin ...
doesn't want me to get the crown. He's guaranteed to be king
of the North Country Protectorate otherwise."
"I don't get it," Jack said. "What's a Silver Fang king got
to do with Black Spiral Dancers?"
"He's working with them. He used them to murder King
Morningkill."
"Morningkill's dead?" Jack exclaimed, looking at the rest
of his pack. They all looked surprised and dismayed. "We've
been in here too long. When did this happen?"
Albrecht thought for a minute. "Nine days?"
"Ah ... that recent then? I'm sorry. My condolences. You
are his grandkid, aren't you? That's what they say."
"Yeah. I am. Thanks."
"So who is this rat bastard who's taking over for him?"
"His name's Arkady."
"Huh. I'll have to remember that. You realize, of course,
that I can't just sit on this piece of information. I gotta warn
others."
"I know. Just don't talk about the crown. I don't mind -
hell, I want- others knowing about Arkady."
"I get it now. You're after the crown 'cause it's the only
way you can dethrone him."
"Yep."
"Well, you didn't tell us we were supping with the king-
to-be! Not every day we get to hang with royalty."
Albrecht smiled but looked down. "That's assuming the
crown ... well, accepts me."
Jack nodded and sat back, thinking.
"Look," Evan said. "We've lost one of our packmates. Mari
Cabrah. She was in Pangaea, being chased by Black Spirals."
160
Pramati shook his head, putting his guitar down, and said,
"Why did you not say so before? We can help with that." He
began searching in his bag for something.
Jac k looked wo rried. "Hey, Pram, I don't think we
should .... "
"Nonsense," Pramati said. "We are with the potential king
of the North Country Protectorate. Of course we can share
our fetishes."
Jack looked at Evan, embarrassed. "Sorry, mate. It's just
that ... well, when people find out you've got neat stuff, they
want to take it."
Evan nodded. "!understand."
Pramati pulled a box o ut. He smiled at them all and
opened it. Inside was a leaf. A simple green leaf.
"What is it?" Albrecht said, leaning forward. "A leaf?"
"Yes," Pramati said. "But not just any leaf. It is a leaf from
the One Tree. The first tree to grow in the world at the Dawn.
It is Gaia's leaf. We were all born under its boughs. It is our
center, our axis mundi. The tree ever calls to us."
"What does it do?" Evan asked.
Pramati took the leaf out carefully and handed it to Evan.
Evan took it, holding it as if it were precious gold.
"Hold it in your palm. Go, stand away from the fire. Think
of the loved one you ha ve lost who is in the spirit world. Call
out to h er. Open your spirit in the calling, remember the tree.
If you can do this, your friend will hear you and, if she chooses,
will come to you. Distance does not matter, for the tree is
always there, everywhere. It is the center. We all stand under
it, even though we cannot see it."
Evan stood up and went a few ya rds from the fire. He
looked at the leaf and thought of Mari. He thought of how
she could be wounded somewhere, dying alone. He thought
she might be dead already, but then stopped himself. N o, he
thought, I won't accept that. She is alive. She is under the tree
with us. She is here.
 "Mari!" he cried. "Where are you?"
He felt the leaf move gently in his hand, as if stirred by a
breeze. He called her name again, with all his heart. And he
looked up. Above him, towering and huge, was a tree,
climbing to the heavens. On each branch were thousands of
leaves, but they were all different - leaves from a million
different trees on on e tree. He saw a squirrel crawl down the
trunk to look at him. Its nose quivered.
He heard a groan at his feet and looked down. Mari was
there, lying among the roots of the tree.
"Mari! You're here!"
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Evan ? Are
you dead, too?"
"You're not dead, Mari! Just far away. Take my hand, come
to where we are!" He held his hand out to her. She reached
out and took it. The tree disappeared, and Mari was lying on
the ground next to Evan, the light of the campfi.re dancing
across her.
"It worked!" Evan yelled.
Albrecht got up and ran over. Bending down next to Mari,
he examined her. "What happened? You're pretty beat up."
She looked at him as if she couldn't believe he was there.
"Albrecht? What. .. ?"
Jack came over. "Hello, miss. Don't worry, we'll fix you
up." He waved Mary over. She got up and came to examine
Mari.
"I'm going to heal you," she said. "This won't hurt a bit."
She put her hands on Mari's wounds imd concentrated. The
wounds began to heal themselves, as if time were accelerated
around them. In seconds, they were fully cured.
Mari looked at her, confused. "Thank you. I... I am
surprised to be here."
Evan helped her stand up. "Come on, we'll go to the fire.
You can tell us what happened."
Albrecht stepped in and helped support her on the other
side. As they walked, she seemed to find her strength, and
eventually shook them off. Standing on her own, she went to
the fire and sat down.
Albrecht and Evan sat themselves on either side of her,
looking concerned.
"You want to talk?" A lbrecht said.
"I... I remember now," she said. "I was in Atrocity."
Jack grimaced. Pramati looked very concerned. Mary put
her hand on Mari's, but Mari shook her head and withdrew
her hand.
"I'm all right. It was just rough, that's all. I had forgotten
that the only way out of Atrocity is to die to it."
"So the legends say," Pramati said. "I have never been there
myself, thankfully. It must have been hard. They say that
shadows of every crime ever committed live there."
"They don't feel like shadows," Mari said. "They come off
like flesh and blood. The place gets you in its grip, forces you
to become an actor in its play. You can't do anything about
it."
"So what happened to you there?" Evan said.
"I'd rather not talk about it. It's personal.''
Evan nodded.
"Well, it's over now," Jack said. "You should have some of
this stew. Strengthen you up."
Mari looked at him. "Excuse me, but who are you?"
Jack laughed. "Friends of your friends here. We'll catch
up as you eat."
Pramati handed Mari a bowl of stew and she ate. She was
hungrier than she could ever remember being in her life. As
she ate, the other pack introduced themselves to her, and
explained their quest.
When she was done, Jack told them they could sleep for a
few hours, until the next night, when they would break camp
and move on. Albrecht volunteered to keep watch, but Jack
wouldn't have any of it.
 "We've just been walking for days, lad - no real action
for us. We're pretty well rested up. It's you who need sleep.
So get some shut-eye. We'll wake you before leav ing."
"Thanks," Albrecht said. "I owe you."
"And you better believe that, if you get that crown of yours
and become king, I'll be calling the favor in."
Albrecht laughed. "All right. I'll be expecting you." He
lay back on the blanket Pramati had put out for them. Mari
was already asleep. That's not like her, Albrecht thought. She's
usually one tO prowl about for danger first. Ah, she's just tired.
Evan was soon snoring. Albrecht rolled over again. He had
a fee ling that they had better catch as much sleep as they
could; they might not get another chance for a long time.
 Albrecht woke in pitch blackness. He sat up and looked
around. The fire was still burning, but very low now. lvar sat
between it and him, blocking most of the light. The moon
was gone. It was day in the physical world, but night in the
spirit world.
He stood up, stretching as he walked over to the fire. lvar
was eating the leftovers from the stew pot and nodded a
greeting at Albrecht, but kept on chewing. Parts-the-Water
was curled up on a blanket, fast asleep, and Jack was snoring
nearby. Albrecht looked around and saw Pramati sitting a way
off, watching the dark landscape around them. Mary was on
the other side of the camp, also watching outward .
Albrecht walked over to her. Sh e looked up at him
nervously as he sat down beside her.
"What's going on?" Albrecht said. "You act like you don't
know me. Was I such a jerk?"
"Look," Mary said. "You were a short fling. T hat's all."
Albrecht furrowed his brow. "I didn't have to be, you
know."
"I'm ... not comfortable seeing you. I've changed a lot since
then. I'm a mage now. I've found an identity."
 "An identity? And you didn't have one before?"
She turned and looked a t him, bewilde red at his ignorance.
"No. I didn't. I t ho ught that was obvio us. I was a girl who'd
run to the big c ity to see wha t life was like off the rcz. I met
those Garou friends of yours and became fascinated with t he m.
I t hough t they were just urban primitives, and you we re the
coolest of the bunch. Of course I was a nracted to you. But
was l really anything mo re t ha n a fling to you? When I found
out about the Ga ro u la ter, a nd that you were o ne of them, I
knew lo ng-te rm relatio nships weren't your st yle. They're not
mine, eithe r. "
Albrec ht looked off into the darkness. "Huh. That's qu ite
a mouthful. All right, it was just a fling. But you're a mage
no w, a mover and shaker in the supe rnatural world. Hell, in
my book, that means it would've wo rked o ut well fo r both of
us. Me being Garou wouldn't have mattered that much."
Mary shook her head, smiling now, as if Albrecht were a
child who had inadvertently said something funny. "You are
a S ilver Fa ng, Albrecht. I've talked with Pramati. I kno w
about your Kinfolk. I'm not the breeding type. I do n't want
children."
"So? Who said anything about kids?"
"You are a Garou. You've got t o spread your seed.
Otherwise your race dies. I know that. I accept that. But I
don't want a relationship with it."
A lbrecht frowned again.
"You've never had a one-on-one equal relationship, have
you?"
"Sure I have."
"Don't fool yourself. You're a Garou. You've got to be the
alpha in any social situation. You're trying to be king, for
chrissakes."
A lbrecht was silent.
"I'm sorry if I come off harsh, but as soon as I saw you, I
knew I'd have to rehash my past. Realize th is, for me: I don't
like what I used to be. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I ran into
your friends. They led me to this pack, which is the greatest
thing that ever happened to me, short of my Awakening. But
that girl I used to be .... She's a stranger now. There was never
anything between you and me, Albrecht. Nothing of any
substance. You tell yourself in your memory that I was special,
but is that really true! Have you tried to look for anyone else,
or have you wallowed in self-pity! I'm not that girl of a few
years ago. You might as well forget her."
Albrecht nodded. "Fine. No problem. Look, I gotta ...
check on my pack." He stood up and walked away, not looking
at her.
Mary watched him go. She felt sorry for him. It: wasn't easy
for a Garou to forge a relationship; nobody wanted to put up
with that kind of rage. All someone like Albrecht had in the
end was his pack. She did not envy him. She felt guilty about
being so cruel to him, but skirting the truth here would only
have made it worse.
Albrecht walked over to where his pack was sleeping and
walked past, over to Pramati, to sit down next to the Starga:.er.
"Greetings," Pramati said.
"Hey," Albrecht said. "So, where do you guys go next!"
"We are going back to our caern in New Mexico. We need
to rest and plan our next journey. It will be our hardest yet."
"Well, luck and all. Say ... Mary over there. Is she really
fit for this kind of work!"
Pramati looked back at Mary, who sat turned away from
them. "She is excellent, A lbrech t. We could not have gotten
this far without her. Mages have powers we can't imagine.
Most helpful powers."
"Yeah! That's good. She's just ... kinda young and all."
"So is Evan. So are most of us when we undergo our
Firsting. Gaia does not care about age when she calls us for
duty. I know you are hurting from a pained heart--"
"Wait a minute-"
 "Let me speak. Please. It is obvious. It is the fate of the
Garou. It is so rare for us tO find a mate, we who are forbidden
to breed with our own kind. Our rage drives others away. It is
a scary thing for them to live with. Gaia asks much of us. Many
sacrifices. But this is perhaps the greatest. Take strength in
that, Lord Albrecht. Every lost lover is a sign of our
commitment to Gaia."
A lbrecht looked at Pramati. "You're right. I don't even
know why it bothers me so much, either. I mean, she's right.
We were just a fling and all."
"Ah. That is simple. It is the most common wound in the
world, but also the deadliest. Bruised ego. If we had no ego to
injure, just think what a peaceful world this would be!"
Albrecht put on a humoring smile for Pramati. "Uh ...
yeah. I guess."
"Ha, ha. I see your real face beneath that smile. Do not
worry, I am not offended. You are wondering, how could I
travel so far with a crude man like Jack if I have such a
sensitive heart?"
"You're damn perceptive, you know that?"
"I am a Galliard. Luna pays me to notice such things. They
are the stuff stories are made of."
Albrecht smiled and sat for a while in silence. Then he
said, "This is kind of funny, you know? The chances of my
meeting up with her now were real slim, but here she is. I've
been thinking about the Lay of the Silver Crown, and what it
means for me now. None of it has seemed to work out so far,
but ... I don't know. I just got the whole hearth and home
thing slapped a·way from me. That happened to the guy in the
story, too. Makes me wonder how much of this is
coincidence .... "
"Legends indeed live in us today. But in what way? Who
can say? We may ask the Theurges, but I have a feeling that
we must each find the answer for ourselves."
"All this deep-thought stuff is out of my league. I'm an
'"'
Ahroun, damn it. This is Evan's job."
"It is the job of each and every one of us. A warrior with
no awareness of his place in the spiritual order is merely a
raging animal."
Albrecht sat in silence for ::. while. Pramati watched him
as if wondering whether his lesson had gotten through.
"Tell me," Pramati said. "Where do you go next?"
"I have no idea," Albrecht said. "We didn't find clues in
Pangaea. I don't know where to start."
"Why Pangaea at all?"
"A friend of ours, Antonine Teardrop- one of your own
- dug up a legend about the crown. Seemed to point to
Pangaea. But that was centuries ago. It could be anywhere
now."
"Hmm. The crown is a powerful symbol, you know. It
represents all of Garou civilization. I know that will sound
strange to you, but we really do have a civilization. The Litany
proves that, as do our rites and traditions. It is said that
civilization began in Pangaea. The Dawn Times. That is the
past. We stand in the present. But what is the future? What
lies in store for civilization? Where does it lead?"
"I have no clue whatsoever. Where are you heading with
this?"
"We know that our ways are dying. We need to revive
them. That is what the crown represents - the resurrection
of the old ways, making them new again. Now, assume that
the ways are not revitalized, that they become stagnant and
weary. Where does that lead? We know the beginning of
civilization. But what is its end? Its inevitable conclusion, if
it is not continually remade?"
"Uh ... ruin? Anarchy?"
"No. That is a state of chaos upon which new forms will
be built. I speak of the world as it is now if it is allowed to
stay as it is, without changing. Think, my friend . What lies
at the heart of a meaningless life? For that is what our ways,
devoid of change, become."
 "Nihilism. Emptiness. Darkness."
"Yes. Emptiness. Void. It is the inevitable future to which
civilization is drawn. It is where the Silver Crown, forgotten
for so many years, would be drawn. It is a place, Albrecht. A
real place now. Here, in the spirit world."
Albrecht looked at Pramati, his eyes narrowing. "The
Abyss."
Pramati nodded. "It is where you must go to seek the
crown."
Albrecht shook his head. "Then I might as well just stop
now. I don't stand a chance in that place. No Garou does.
Hell, it's the end of everything. You walk in, but you don't
walk out again."
"Untrue. Many have survived to tell the tale."
"But they all shudder when they do. Most barely escape
alive, with or without their sanity intact. That place'll chew
us up and spit us out."
"Nonetheless, it is the only place the crown could be.
Everything lost goes to the Abyss. Lost heroes, lost children,
lost fetishes. It must be there, Albrecht."
Albrecht nodded. "It makes sense, but ... Gaia! I can't drag
Evan and Mari into that!"
"Are they not here by their choice?"
"Yeah, but they're doing it for me. Hell, Mari's already been
through a lot of shit. Did you see her last night ? Wasn't like
her at all. And Evan .... He has no idea what he's getting into."
"I am not so sure of that, my friend. That boy has strengths
you can't imagine. He may be your savior in this quest."
"Look, he's smart and all, but he's just a kid. His rite was
barely a year ago. He's not ready for the Abyss."
"I believe the decision will not be yours to make."
Albrecht stood up. "Thanks for the advice. I really do
appreciate it, but . .. I gotta think about this."
"Certainly. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything else
you wish."
Albrecht nodded and walked back to the fire, his head
t'10
swimming. The Abyss! He'd be a fool to go there. But he'd be
a fool not to, if that was indeed where the crown was.
He bent down and shook Evan and Mari awake. "Hey. It's
getting near moonrise. I've got to talk to you guys."
Mari and Evan stood up. Mari began stretching, her
morning martial exercises. Evan yawned and scratched his
head.
"You ... uh," Albrecht said. "You're going to have to go
back to New York."
Mari stopped her exercises and shot him a mean glance.
"What are you talking about? We don't have the crown yet."
"Yeah," Evan said. "It's certainly not back in New York."
"Look ... I've got to go somewhere pretty fierce. I don't
want you guys coming. It's such a long shot that .... Well, I
don't think it's worth risking us all for. This is my quest. I
gotta go it alone."
"Oh no you don't!" Mari said, stepping up to him, her face
inches from his. "1 am not turning around now! 1 don't care
where you're going, I'm coming along, if it's to Malfeas itself!"
"Me too," Evan said.
Albrecht looked at both of them and shook his head. "You
guys are great. You really are. But I'm not kidding. The Abyss
is-"
"The Abyss?!" Mari said. "What got that in your head?"
"I've talked th is over with Pramati. It's the only logical
place to look."
"Logic is not always the best course in the Umbra," Mari
said. "We could try the Aetherial Realm first. There are wise
Garou there. They might know."
"Look, guys," Albrecht said. "If it were anywhere else, it
would have been found by now. It's lost. It's got to be in the
Abyss."
"What about the Silver Fang Homeland?" Evan said. "Each
tribe has its own spiritual realm. Maybe it's there."
Albrecht shook his head. "I think Greyfist would have
 ,,,
known if that were the case. Besides, it's said that the
homelands are sub-realms of Pangaea. We didn't have any luck
there."
Mari walked off a way, thinking. Evan began pacing,
thinking also.
"The Trailblazers are going back to New Mexico," Albrecht
said. "You can go with them and catch a Moon Bridge from
there to New York."
"Stop it, Albrecht!" Mari said. "I told you we weren't
giving up on this. It is not an option. Put it out of your head.
If we have to go to the Abyss, then we'll go."
Albrecht threw up his hands. "All right! All right! But if
you go stark raving mad there, I will not feel one ounce of
guilt. Because I did not choose to take you there."
"Good. I wouldn't want something like my sanity to weigh
heavy on your conscience, Albrecht. Gaia forbid that!" She
walked over to the fire, snarling, and sat down next to lvar.
Albrecht looked after her, puzzled.
"I think you've pushed it one time too many," Evan said,
looking after Mari. "She's been through a lot, and I guess she's
sick of your condescending attitude."
"Condescending? She usually starts it! She can't get over
that tussle we had a couple of years back!"
"Let's just drop it now," Evan said. He walked over and
sat down next to her. Albrecht remained where he was. He
pulled out a cigarette, lit it and stood there, staring out at
the dark plain.
Within the hour, the moon rose over the horizon. It was a
gibbous moon, a Galliard's moon. Albrecht knew they had
only a few more days until the full moon. Once the full moon
hit its cusp, the midpoint between waxing and waning, their
quest would be over regardless of whether they had succeeded.
Arkady would be crowned king then, with all the rites of the
Silver Fangs, and no artifact of old would be able to change
that present truth.
t?l.
The Trailblazers were packing up their camp. They seemed
tO have an efficient system for it: They were a ll packed up
within ten minutes, with everything distributed among thei r
backpacks. l var seemed ro be carrying more than the rest of
them.
Jack came up to A lbrecht. "Well, lad, it's been fine meeting
you. I wish you the best."
Albrecht put out his hand. Jack shook it.
" I hope you find the skin," Albrecht said. "Regardless, drop
me a line now and then and let me know how it's going."
Jack smiled. "You got it. I will. And let me know how it
all turns o ut for you. You can find us at the Painted Coyote
Caern, in New Mexico. I wish you could come wit h us. Pram
to ld me about your talk. I do n't envy you. T he Abyss is ... bad
news."
"Don't worry," Albrecht said. "Others have done it before
us."
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Jack miled. "Well, we're off. Oh,
by the way, Parts-the-Wate r gave Mari a couple of electric
torches. They should help you in that dark pit. They're fixed
up .specia l, with spirits a nd all. S hou ld n't go o ut o n you
anytime soon."
"Thanks," A lbrecht sa id. "Happy trails."
"And to you!" Jack walked hack to his pack, who were
standing by the Moon Path now. It glo wed bright under t he
gibbous moon. They all turned and waved at Albrecht, Mari
and Evan, then walked off down the Path.
Albrecht watched them go until they took a curve in the
path and were gone behind a rise. Then he sighed and walked
over to E\'an and Mari.
"You guys ready?" he said.
"Yeah," Evan said.
"I've been thinking," Mari said, handing a flashlight to
each of them. "The best way to get to the Abyss is to find a
break in a Moon Path, and follow that."
 "Won't be many of those," Albrecht said. "The moon's
gibbous now."
"If we keep looking, we'll find one. It doesn't take too long
to find the Abyss."
Albrecht and Evan didn't say anything, but headed toward
the Moon Path. Mari followed.

They walked for the entire night without finding a break

in the path, and so decided to give up for the night and begin
looking for wharever haven they could find to rest in during
rhe day. Abour an hour before moonset, they discovered a
small, abandoned, Weaver realm.
The place resembled a city block, with office buildings
rising to rhe sky. Srrands of old Parrern Spider webs hung from
rhem. They had nor been rended for a long rime.
'This appears to have once been a Glen," Evan said as they
walked down the street. "Until the Weaver spirits got hold of
ir."
A lbrechr pointed at some grass bursring through the
cracked pavement. "It looks like Gaia is reclaiming the place.
I wonder what drove the spiders off."
"They weren't driven off," Mari said. "Look there. They
were eaten."
Albrecht and Evan looked over ro where Mari was
poinring. In an alleyway, the desiccated and gnawed bones of
a Pattern Spider were scattered abour.
"Wonder whar the hell eats Weaverlings?" Albrecht said,
stepping up to examine the remains of the dead spirit.
"Whatever it was," Mari said. "There's no sign that
anything's been here for a while. Not enough food, I suppose."
"Then I guess it's safe to camp here," Evan said.
Albrecht nodded. "I don't think we should go into the
buildings, though."
 "There's an alleyway over there that looks defensible,"
Mari said. "The Moon Path resumes on the other side of the
fence, allowing us an escape route, and the alley entrance is
thin enough to keep attackers coming one-on-one."
"Good," Albrecht said.
They planted their camp in the alley and set watches. It
took each of them a while to get to sleep between watches,
but when they did, none of them dreamed.

When the moon rose the next night, they set off again.
Another long night of travel with no sign of breakage in the
path. Albrecht was tempted to grab the next Lune - they
had been few and far between on the path - and force it to
break up the path. But he knew that would be more trouble
than it was worth. Lunes didn't normally listen to reason.
About two hours before moonset, they came across a gap
in the path. The pack stopped and looked at each other. Then
Albrecht took the first step forward and boldly strode into
the gap, while Mari and Evan followed. The ground there was
featureless ephemera. Albrecht then walked off to the right,
crosswise to the path. They walked in that direction for a
while.
Then rolling mists began to move in from both sides. The
fog never came close enough to touch the pack, but it created
a corridor leading straight ahead. The pack followed it. Soon
the mist walls moved back, and they could see a crevasse
appear in the ground ahead. It started small but widened with
distance, disappearing into the fogbank ahead.
When they came to the edge, they looked down.
And .saw nothing.
They each gasped and stepped back, looking away from
the yawning gulf, the void below. They all felt drawn down,
as if gravity here pulled them harder. But they resisted it.
 They each shuddered, considering what they had seen.
Utter darkness, and within ... the end of everything.
Annihilation incarnate.
They each stepped back from the edge to consider the next
move.
"What now?" Albrecht asked.
"There are tales of three paths here," Mari said. "One,
called the Golden Path, is fraught with danger. lt is said to
be treacherous going, but great treasure awaits whoever gets
to the end of it. l have never heard of anyone getting to the
end. The Silver Path is the most enigmatic. l'm not sure where
it leads, but some say great wisdom waits for those who brave
it. Now, the Iron Path, it's the easiest. lt leads to many caverns
lacing the sides of the crevasse. However - and this is the
catch - lots of nasty things live in those caverns. Including
a creature named Nightmaster."
"What kind of creature?" Albrecht asked.
"He used to be a Shadow Lord, a Garou. Now he is said to
be a child of the Abyss: its avatar. He's in charge of some of
the things that live down there."
"You said caverns," Albrecht said. "I hear that's where
fetishes show up."
"Yes, collected by the inhabitants. But if the crown is
there, it's surely guarded by someone. Or something."
"Well, time's running out here. Let's find the Iron Path
and get down there."
Mari nodded. "lf we continue along the crevasse a little
longer, l think we'll see the beginning of the path."
They walked along the edge, although each kept well back
from it. The silence of the place was unnerving to all of them.
Not even the sound of wind could be heard, although the
tugging of the air could be felt, pulling down toward the
darkness.
Soon they came across a path that led to a ledge down
the crevasse. Precious gems could be seen along the rock wall,
,.,,
embedded in it. Veins of precious metals also appeared,
especially gold.
"The Golden Path," Mari said. "We don't want that one."
They kept walking until they encountered another ledge,
leading down. A cave opened off it about thirty yards down.
"This is it," Mari said. "The Iron Path. The Silver must
be ahead, but we want this one."
Albrecht headed toward the ledge. "I'll go first. You two
follow. Be careful."
"You, too," Evan said, following after him. Mari took up
the rear.
The ledge was wide enough for them in Homid form, but
it would be tricky if they had to take C rinos form. About
fifteen yards down, it began to get dark.
"Damn," Albrecht said. "Moon's going down."
"Turn on your flashlight," Mari said.
Albrecht fished into his trenchcoat and pulled out the
flashlight the Silent Strider had provided him. It was painted
with pictograms, but otherwise appeared to be a regular
flashlight. He clicked it on, and bright light flooded out of it.
He aimed it at the path ahead and began walking again. Evan
and Mari turned on their lights and followed.
When he got to the cave mouth, Albrecht carefully
stepped in, shining the flashlight all around first. Bones
littered the floor, some of them appearing to be the skulls of
Crinos Garou. The rear of the cave disappeared into darkness.
Albrecht motioned the others to follow him as he walked
farther into the cave.
"I think we should start here. I bet it leads down, just like
the ledge. But if the crown is here, it's in one of these caves,
not just sitting on the path."
"I agree," Mari said. "Proceed."
They continued on. Far ahead they heard the dripping of
water, apparently condensation from the cavern walls. They
walked in the darkness with only their flashlights to guide
 ,,.,
them for what seemed like hours. The cave broke off into
many different passages, and Albrecht took whichever seemed
to lead down. It was too dark for them to map their way, and
they had no paper anyway. Occasionally Mari would scratch
a mark into the rock wall at a crossroads. Except for these
faint marks, they left no sign of their passage.
Sometimes they found items scattered across the cavern
floors, as if someone had dumped them there and forgotten
about them. These objects varied from carved wooden toys
to computer screens. T he detritus of many cultures gathered
in the dark.
In one small side cavern, Mari turned off to investigate a
reflection from her waving flashlight. In the dirt, half-buried,
was an ornate klaive. She called the others over to see it.
"It looks quite old, but very well preserved," she said. "It's
got some interesting carvings on the pommel.. .. "
"Don't touch it!" Albrecht said. "It might be cursed."
Mari moved away from it. "Anything here could be cursed.
I wonder. .. what if the Silver Crown is also cursed from this
place!"
Albrecht did not respond. He continued on down the
passage. Mari and Evan followed.
Soon they heard scratching noises up ahead, faint and
intermittent. They moved cautiously forward, and came to a
large cavern. Albrecht swung his flashlight to the right and
then back again as it passed over something unusual.
In the center of the room was a cage. And in the cage was
a little girl, miserably clawing at the lock with her pale hands.
Albrecht hurried forward, but Mari put her hand on his
shoulder. He turned back and saw her cautious look. She
didn't trust this situation. He walked forward anyway.
The girl did not seem to notice them or the light of the
flashlight.
"Hey! Girl!" Albrecht said as he reached the cage.
The girl did not respond. She just kept scratching at the
,,
lock. Her fingers were bleeding.
Albrecht shone the flashlight in her eyes. Her pupils did
not respond. He turned to Mari, who was also at the cage now.
"She's deaf and blind, I think," Albrecht said.
"Be careful," Mari warned . "She may not be what sh e
seems."
"Don't worry," Albrecht said. "Evan! Shine your light at
the lock. I'm going to try to break it."
Evan did not respond.
Albrecht swung his flashlight around. There was no sign
of the boy.
"Evan!" he yelled.
Mari was running around the room now, shining her light
in every corner. "Evan! Where are you?"
"When did you last see him?" Albrecht asked.
"He was right behind me before we entered the cavern,"
she said, running back to the passageway by which they had
entered and swinging her light up it. She turned back to
Albrecht.
"He's gone," she said.
 ,,

Evan stumbled along in the darkness, weak and dizzy. He

felt around. The rock walls surrounded him on both sides,
getting narrower. He didn't remember this place. He had come
the wrong way.
He tried to calm down, to keep from panicking. He
thought back, retracing his steps to figure out how he had
come here. He remembered walking behind Mari, and then
something had grabbed him from behind. Something which
smelled awful. Its clawed hand had covered his mouth to keep
him from crying out as it dragged him off into another passage,
taking his flashlight from him.
He had tried to resist, shifting to Crinos form, but his
abductor was stronger. Then it had let Evan go. Evan had run,
back toward Albrecht and Mari, crying out for them. But the
passageways weren't the same. He couldn't see anything, and
was forced to rely on touch and smell. But everything here
smelled the same - a musty, moist cave.
His abductor was gone without a sound or scent. Evan was
puzzled. He carefully walked back the way he had come, but
each step seemed to take something out of him. He felt spent,
the way he did after using Garou magic, after expending his
,.,0
own spiritual energy.
He lean ed up against a wa ll and t hought abo ut his
predicament. He thought about the tales and legends of this
place.
And then he knew. He knew what was happening to him.
His spirit was being drained against h is will. And he knew
the person behind it.
N ightmaster.
Evan shivered, but he summoned all his courage and spoke:
"I know yo u're there, Nightmaster. I've heard the stories. I
know it has to be you."
He heard a step, not more than ten feet away down the
passage ahead of him. He caught the scent again: the scent of
anc ient musk, of a very o ld animal. He heard low, raspy
breathing. And then a voice.
"Who is this boy? Who calls me by name ?"
Evan swallowed. "I am Evan Heals-the-Past, a Wendigo."
A grunt, mere feet away. Nightmaster was closer. "Why
has the boy come ? The boy knows of his enemy. Yet he has
trespassed into his lair."
"We have no quarrel with you. We are just seeking an
artifact."
"We? The boy has packmates. Who are these packmates?
The boy will tell us."
Evan gasped as he felt hot, rancid breath against his cheek.
Nightmaster was standing inches away from him now.
"Please. I can't see anything. Can I have my flashlight?"
Another grunt. "The light ? The boy knows this place
devours the light. Yet the boy begs for it. Begs for what is
unnatural to this place. Why?"
"!... want to see what you look like."
"The boy wishes to see Nightmaster, leader of the Society
of Nidhogg? Nightmaster, extinguisher of the sun ? The boy
has humor. Yes, the boy shall see Nightmaster."
Evan felt the flashlight being thrust into his hands. He
flipped the switch, and light flooded rhe passageway. Standing
inches away from him, looming at least three or four feet taller
than him, was a Crinos Garou. At least, it had once been a
Crinos Garou. The fur was oily and the sk in parched and
dried, looking al most mummified. Evan looked up into
N ightmaster's eyes and saw th e empty chasm there, a
reflection of the empty void he had witnessed outside. The
end of everything stared back at him through two wolfish eyes.
"Is the boy scared ? Does he tremble before the mighty
Shadow Lord ?"
Evan nodded, unable to speak.
"The boy will now say what his packmates seek."
"Uh ... we ... ah .... The Silver Crown. That's what we're
looking for."
Nightmaster stepped back and cocked h is head at an angle.
But Evan was not sure whether that was meant as a gesture of
confusion, coming from this shell of a Garou.
"The Silver Crown. The hated crown. Crown of my enemy.
Crown of the wrongful kings. The crown which was created
as a joke against the Shadow Lords. The crown which stole
the leadership of the pack from them. The evil crown. W hy
does the boy want the crown?"
"To ... uh ... crown my pack mate king."
"Packmate is a Shadow Lord?"
"No. A Silver Fang."
Nightmaster roared in anger, lunging at Evan with his
snout. Evan cringed back, knowing he was helpless before the
more powerful Garou. But Nightmaster's jaws stOpped just
short of Evan's muzzle, as he stared into Evan's eyes, a chaotic
movement deep within his own. Evan stared back, seeing that
raging emotion in Nightmaster's eyes.
Evan decided to take a gamble, although he knew it would
probably get him killed. "You're not as empty as I thought,"
he said.
Nightmaster stepped back and cocked his head again. "The
boy is going mad. Seeing things. Untrue things."
"In your eyes, when you got angry. There was rage there.
Not just the abyss."
Nightmaster growled low and moved toward Evan, but
then stopped, confused. "Anger. N ightmaster h as anger.
Nightmaster always has the anger. It is part of the emptiness."
"But if you've got something, such as anger, then you can't
be empty. By definition."
Nightmaster reached out and snatched Evan by the neck.
He spun around and marched down the passage, dragging Evan
with him. Evan strugg led to breath e as the grip began
strangling him. As he thrust his fingers between his throat
and Nightmaster's hand, the grip loosened. Not enough to let
Evan drop, though.
"The boy is wrong. The boy knows not the Abyss. The
boy will know the Abyss. Like all the children. The boy will
learn the Abyss. Will learn the darkness. Will be devoured
by darkness. Will be a ch ild again. Child of the Abyss."
Nightmaster stormed through passageways, jogging now.
Evan was slammed into the walls as his captor hurriedly turned
comers. He struggled to right himself, to get his feet under
him so he could at least keep pace with the mad Garou, but
Nightmaster moved too quickly and made too many surprise
turns.
Then Nightmaster came to a sudden stop and tossed Evan
through the air. Evan tried to twist so he would land on his
feet, but then slammed into a metal cage. He yelped at the
pain, and hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of
himself. As he lay there, stunned, he saw light, and heard
voices calling his name ....

Albrecht and Mari stood in the cavern, arguing about what

to do. Albrecht wanted to pick up Evan's scent and chase it
through the tunnels. Mari claimed th at the scent would
disappear and they would be lost; that their best hope was to
wait there for Evan to reappear. As Albrecht was about to give
up in disgust and take to the passageway, they heard something
large and heavy hit the other side of the cage.
Albrecht ran around the cage and saw Evan lying there in
Crinos form. "Evan!"
Mari came around the other side. "Thank Gaia! He's here!
But what brought him here?" She swung her flashlight around
the room but saw nothing.
Evan groaned, trying to speak, but he was clearly stunned
and having trouble coming to his senses.
The cage door loudly unlocked itself. Albrecht pointed his
flashlight toward it as the door swung wide, but no one was
there. The little girl stopped scratching, although she seemed
not to understand that the door was open.
A voice appeared in the cavern, coming from all
directions. "The boy will get in the cage, where all children
belong."
"Who the hell?" Albrecht barked.
Mari stood up, instantly in Crinos form, looking for
something to attack.
Evan sat up, coughing. "It ... it's Nightmaster .... "
Mari 's eyes narrowed and she scanned the corners of the
room. Nothing.
Albrecht helped Evan to his feet. "The Shadow Lord?"
"Yes," Nightmaster said, nowhere in sight. "The true lord.
Not the usurper. Not the pretender. Not the Silver Fang."
Albrecht looked around the room. "Oh, yeah? I'm not the
one living in a cave, pal."
"Impudent Fang. Idiot Fang. Seeks the crown. Nightmaster
will give him the crown. He will rule. King of sacrifices.
Sacrificed to the Abyss."
The spirits within the flashlights screamed as the lights
went out, plunging the cavern into darkness.
 Albrecht drew his klaive and assumed a fighting stance.
He was in Crinos form and so he opened his senses, trying to
catch any sign of Nightmaster. He could see, hear and smell
nothing.
A claw ran up his back, not breaking the skin or tearing
his coat; but it sent a chill th rough him. He swung his klaive
around to hit the spot Nightmaster had to be standing in.
Nothing.
'The boy will get into the cage. All children into the cage.
Learn the Abyss."
"You put that girl there?" Mari yelled. "You bastard! What
for? She's just a girl."
"Lost girl. Wanders to Abyss. Gift for Abyss. But must be
trained. Must learn to accept Abyss. Must see nothing. Must
hear nothing. Must feel nothing. Must be nothing."
"You fucking assholc!" Albrecht yelled. "You don't like
Silver Fangs? Well, come and get me!"
A claw slashed at Albrecht's leg, but he felt the slight
stirring of the air before it struck, and was able to move aside
before the full force of the blow hit him. He swung his klaive
down and it struck something in mid-darkness. A grunt was
heard.
"Taste of your own medicine, asshole," Albrecht said. "So
the mighty Shadow Lord is not perfect. Of course n ot.
Otherwise he would be wearing the Silver Crown himself. But
then, I bet he's afraid to put it on. Aren't you?"
"Silver Crown? Give it to Nightmaster and he will put it
on. Become king over more than Abyss."
A lbrecht frowned. "Tell me where it is and I'll give it to
you."
"No. You have it! You will give it to Nightmaster!"
Something crashed into Albrecht, forcing him to the ground.
Albrecht concentrated, drawing on the power given to him
by the spirits, and his fur lit up into a bright white glow,
flooding the cavern.
 Standing next to the prone Albrecht, revealed in the
intense light of Gaia's power, Nightmaster screamed and
clutched at his eyes. Albrecht slashed at the Garou's legs with
his klaive, and hacked off one of them. Nightmaster crashed
to the ground, trying to crawl away.
Mari ran at him from the other side and kicked him in
the head, knocking him back toward the glowing Albrecht.
Albrecht grabbed him by the throat and held his klaive
inches from the Garou's gut. Nightmaster blinked, trying to
adjust to the light.
"Where's the Silver Crown, damn it?!"
Nightmaster looked at Albrecht, awareness of a sort
dawning on his face. 'The crown is here? Nightmaster has not
been told! Nightmaster must punish his legions!"
Albrecht rammed his klaive into the Garou's stomach and
Nightmaster screamed in pain, coughing up a pool of oily,
brackish blood before he fell over dead.
Albrecht pulled out his klaive and wiped it on the dead
Garou's fur. The blood was sticky, however, and did not come
off easily.
"Well, this was a load of shit," Albrecht said. "The crown's
not even here."
"Albrecht!" Mari cried.
Albrecht looked down at Nightmaster in time to see him
get up and run off, hopping on one leg. Albrecht took off after
him, but the other Garou reached the passageway first. When
Albrecht came around the corner, he was gone.
"Damn it! He's got a lot of lives!"
Evan walked over to him, looking in terrible shape. His
eyes barely focused. "All I know is, he scares the shit out of
me. He's what we'll become if we stay here. He's probably
gathering his legions now. We've got to go."
Albrecht nodded, staring worriedly at Evan before going
back into the cavern. He had never seen the kid looking so
ragged before. Mari was standing by the door of the cage. She
,,
looked up at him as he came near, and he saw tears in her
eyes.
"She's dead," Mari said. "He cut her throat. Probably when
everything was dark. What kind of sick-"
"Let's just go, Mari," Albrecht said. He turned back to the
passage and walked out. Mari bowed her head and followed
him, knowing there was nothing she could do. And it hurt
like hell.
Evan joined them in the passage and they followed
Albrecht out, his glowing fur lighting the passage for them.
"I'll say this for the Silver Fangs," Mari said. "Your spirits
teach you good Gifts."
"The Lambent Flame was created for just such a situation
as this," Albrecht said, marching forward. "When the First
Wolf encountered the Greater Darkness to free Gaia from its
clutches, the Darkness devoured him. But he learned the
secret of death while in that cold embrace. And he learned
how to combat the darkness with his own light. Our legends
say that the Abyss is the body of the slain Greater Darkness.
I didn't believe it until today."
Mari's wall scratchings helped them to orient themselves,
but they took many wrong turns on the upward ascent. The
passageways actually seemed to change their features at times,
and Mari swore that she saw her marks on crossroads she had
never been through before. These false marks invariably led
them back down into the caverns. They would then have to
backtrack and find those passages which inclined upwards.
What disturbed Albrecht more, however, was that he and
Mari had to keep Evan from wandering off by h imself down
strange passageways. Whenever they stopped him, he seemed
to start as if waking from a dream. Looking around, his eyes
would show a despair greater than he had a right to claim for
his years. Albrecht knew they had to get out of there before
the place claimed Evan.
They heard noises far off, scratchings and floppings, wet
 ,.,.,
slaps of flesh on stone, as if things were moving in the walls.
Scutdings before and behind them. But nothing could be seen.
They hurried their pace and readied their weapons. They
were all in Crinos form, and their nervousness had begun to
tell on their self-control. Mari was jittery, and Evan shivered.
Albrecht was a rock, a pillar of immovable determination. His
seething anger at Nightmaster and the fact that, once again,
the crown had eluded him served to focus his energy on one
goal: escape.
"The Fang will hurt," Nightmaster's voice came out of the
darkness, from no place, indeterminable. "Yes, he 'will
experience much pain."
Albrecht did not stop, but kept moving forward. Mari
growled. She h ated this baiting by the Shadow Lord. Evan
concentrated and drew upon Gaia's strength to still his nerves
and allow him to think straight. His purpose renewed, he
began to search through the dark for any sign of the hollow-
souled Shadow Lord.
"The pack will join the Abyss. The pack will welcome the
Abyss. Become empty to it. One with it. Nothing with it.
Legions ... attack!"
A howling erupted all around them and shapes appeared
before and behind: large Crinos Garou. Albrecht didn't
hesitate, but immediately tore into the three attackers before
him with his klaive. Surprised at the ferocity and speed of his
attack, two of the Garou whimpered and disappeared, their
blood trailing into the walls. The last remaining enemy swept
his claws out and scraped them against Albrecht's chest. They
barely broke the skin, and Albrecht lunged forward with his
snout, clamping his teeth into his foe's neck. Blood sprayed
across the passageway as the Garou tried to pull out of the
hold, ripping his own throat in the process. The body hit the
floor with a thud, and was still.
Behind the pack, Mari faced four attackers. She lashed out
with her leg, meeting one of the attackers full in the face and
,.,
knocking it back into the others, who were all trying to edge
past him to get to Mari. She stepped back and held out her
hands, calling on her Gift. Her claws shot from her hand like
wasps and tore into the Garou, who screamed in pain and
whimpered back down the passageway, seeking refuge in the
dark. Only one remained, panting eagerly for the kill.
Mari waited for him to come and swept his feet out from
under him with her left leg while leaping up with her right.
She landed on his stomach and flexed her toes, driving her
sharp claws into his gut. She then twisted in place, tearing a
circular gash into his stomach. He howled in pain and she
rammed her fi st into his s no ut, breaking his fangs. He
crumpled, unconscious.
Evan suddenly bolted past Mari and ran after the fleeing
Garou.
"No, Evan!" Mari yelled and went after him.
Evan had a good lead on her, though, and reached the
Garou before she could get ro him. Mari had visions of Evan
becoming one of them, of Evan as an empty-eyed zombie
Garou. She screamed. "Evan! No!"
But Evan did not slow down. He howled in rage and leapt
onto the closest Garou, which was clearly startled at Evan's
ferocity and barely got his hands up in time. It did him no
good. Evan tore the limbs from their sockets and threw them
behind him. He drove his sno ut intO the Garou's chest,
splitting open the chest bone and rib cage, and then savagely
tore out the Garou's heart with his teeth.
The o ther Garou disappeared into the darkness,
whimpering. Mari stopped cold, staring in horror at Evan. He
was frenzy ing, and she knew that to stop him could cause him
more harm than the Abyss Garou now could.
Evan sat on top of the Garou and stared into its slowly
dying eyes. As the red haze of anger cleared, he saw a spark
of emotion in those eyes. He saw fear. Then the eyes shut
forever, and the Garou expelled its last breath.
 Evan began to cry as it all came at him at once. The
horrors of the journey had finally become greater than his
ability to withstand them. Sobbing, he shifted back to Homid
form.
Mari approached and put her hand on his shoulder.
A lbrecht slowly walked up, unsure what to think. He had just
seen the kid freak out for only the second time in his young
Garou life; the other had been during his First Change. A
frenzy was not a nice thing to witness. It stripped a Garou of
all identity, making him a bestial killing machine.
"We've got to go," he said.
Evan nodded and stood up.
"Are you all right?" Mari asked.
"Yeah. It ... it just got to be a little too much. You know?"
Mari nodded.
"I know, kid," Albrecht said. "It ain't pretty, but we all
lose it every once in a while. For some of us, that time comes
more often."
Evan walked past Mari and nodded at Albrecht. "Let's go."
Albrecht turned back the way they had come and led them
forward. "You know," he said as he walked, "Nightmaster's
legion is a bunch of cowards."
"Don't be so sure," Evan said. "You didn't see Nightmaster
up close like l did. The sooner we're out of here, the better."
"I agree," Mari said, flexing her now-regrown claws. "We
need to keep moving."
The ground rose more quickly now, and they knew they
were almost back where they had begun. They also heard a
whistling noise, low, almost indiscernible. It grew in volume
as they walked, and soon they felt a breeze tugging at their
fur, pulling them forward, as if air were rushing our of the cave
in the direction they were walking.
"Strange," Evan said. "The wind is really stirring. But there
are no spirits here."
"Walk now. Talk later," Albrecht said.
,.
T hey came into the first cavern, stepping on bones as they
went. The brittle bones cracked underfoot, but the noise was
nearly drowned by the wind. The wind was a gust now,
drawing the air past them and out of the cavern entrance.
Albrecht stepped out onto the ledge, and immediately jumped
back in.
"Damn!" he said. "Watch your step. That wind gets fierce
out there. Almost sucked me into the crevasse."
From deep in the caves behind them came Nightmaster's
voice: "All are drawn in. None can escape. Silver Fang will
feed the beast."
Albrecht growled. "All right. Follow me. We'll hug the
wall. Move slowly and carefully."
Mari and Evan nodded, and Albrecht stepped out again.
His fur whipped furiously in the wind, but he was unmoved.
He slowly stepped to the side, moving back up the ledge. Evan
followed, swaying for a moment as the wind hit him, but he
leaned against the wall and retained his balance. Mari slipped
around the corner right behind Evan, but she was well-
balanced and kept her place easily.
They moved slowly up the ledge toward the top, the wind
whipping about them. A horrible moaning sound rose up from
the dark pit. They all shivered, unable to help themselves.
The wail touched a deep part of their souls, an immature,
fearful place. A lmost unconsciously, Albrecht felt himself
being drawn to the edge, but he fought the urge and clung to
the wall, moving step by step upward. But he had caught a
glance into the pit, and knew the sight would be with him
forever. The sight of raw emptiness, deeper than before - a
yawning, hungry gu lf desperate to be filled yet devouring
everything which fed it; impossible to describe truly. His mind
nearly shattered trying to think about it. It was only with a
great effort that he could force it from his thoughts and
concentrate on walking.
He staggered forward, but gained strength with every step.
 ,,,
Each step got him closer to the top, closer to safety. Evan
followed, looking away from the pit, hugging his face against
the wall.
Smart kid, Albrecht thought. If I'd done that, I'd have saved
myself from seeing that- Shit! Don't think about it! Think about
what's ahead. Only what's ahead.
As he got to the top, the wind brought a scent to him:
the smell of Garou. Many Garou. He poked his head around
the corner and saw fifteen Black Spiral Dancers waiting there,
all staring straight at him.
"Shit," he said.
"Albrecht!" Mari yelled over the wind. "Move it! There's
a pack of Black Spirals moving up the path behind us."
"Calm down, Mari. There's a lot more up here." He walked
up and stood at the head of the path, his klaive out and ready.
The wind stopped as soon as he was off the ledge. Evan came
up behind him.
Mari heard a scream behind her and turned to see one of
the five Black Spirals fall off the ledge. The Dancers had
crawled out of a cave far below and were working their way
up to her. The fallen one vanished in the darkness of the great
pit and his scream was abruptly cut off. The other Black
Spirals stared after him in horror. One of them began to laugh
hysterically, walking to the edge while his companions tried
to pull him back. He fought them for a moment, then seemed
to come to his senses. They began to climb the ledge again.
Mari grimaced and reached the top.
A Black Spiral walked over to Albrecht's pack, holding
his hand up to the others to keep them away. He was a tall
man with a thin face and long black hair.
"Let's not be hasty here, Lord Albrecht," he said. "We
outnumber and outgun you here. But we don't want you dead."
He stopped, smiling as if he misspoke himself. "Well, to be
more precise, our queen does not want you dead. In fact, she
has requested an audience. Would you please come along? It
would not do for the would-be king to deny the queen of a
neighboring kingdom."
"You know me, but I don't know you, pal," Albrecht said.
The Black Spiral Dancer feigned surprise. "You mean Duke
Arkady never mentioned me! How rude. And after all I've
done for him. Well, he's left it up to me to do the
introductions. I am Dagrack, war chieftain of the Dank Well
Hive in the Adirondacks. We're neighbors."
Albrecht stared hatefully at the Black Spiral Dancer, but
sheathed his klaive. "Don't fight them," he said to Evan and
Mari. "We'd lose."
Dagrack smiled, nodding.
Mari fumed at Albrecht but then looked away. Evan
seemed worried.
"Don't worry," Albrecht said. "They want us alive. At least
for now."
Dagrack motioned to the path on which the pack had
originally traveled into the realm. "After you. There is a Moon
Bridge waiting just outside the borders of this realm."
Albrecht, Mari and Evan walked away from the crevasse.
The Black Spiral Dancers, eerily silent, flowed after them.
 More fucking caves, thought Albrecht. These ones're worse
than the others.
Albrecht, Mari and Evan walked through a winding
passageway. Other tunnels broke off from it in various places,
leading off into darkness. The host of Black Spiral Dancers
trailed behind them, except for Dagrack, who led the way.
The tunnels stank. Not just in an unpleasant way, but in
an overwhelming, poisonous way. Albrecht had coughed up
phlegm twice already, and Evan was doing worse. Mari seemed
to be handling it better than either of them, although she did
have a nauseated look on her face.
Throughout the tunnels, growing from the floors and walls,
were giant, bloated fungi. The massive black and yellow
growths seemed to pulsate at times, but it could have been a
trick of the light from the sputtering torches placed along the
main passage.
Far off down one tunnel, Albrecht saw a greenish glow
emanating from one of the walls. He tried to hurry past that
tunnel as quickly as possible. Balefire. Pure, toxic radiation.
The excretions of the Wyrm, it was said.
Figures shambled along on either side of their marching
party: wretched creatures that looked like deformed Garou.
Metis - the result of Garou inbreeding. A lbrecht looked at
them closely. He knew most Black Spiral Dancers were metis,
since they found it hard to keep flocks of Kinfolk with whom
they could breed. He also knew that their perverted society
had a caste system: breeders on top and non-breeders on the
bottom. But these things crawling along .... They must be the
rejects, those born so deformed that they were barely viable.
They were obviously performing the role of worker drones.
Albrecht shook his head and refused to watch them
anymore. Look too much at the Wynn's works, he thought, and
you might stan pitying them. And that's the last thing they deserve.
A howling and screaming could be heard from one of the
tunnels ahead, along with grunting and heavy breathing. As
they passed, Albrecht looked in, and immediately looked away
again.
I did not need to see that, he thought. I could've gone the
rest of my life without seeing Black Spiral Dancer sex, thank you .
Dagrack turned into a side tunnel, a larger one than most,
and led them to an oak door placed at the end of the tunnel.
It looked as if it barely fit the passage, since light flooded out
from within through the large cracks on the sides. Dagrack
slammed his fist intO the door and waited.
A voice came from within: "Enter."
Dagrack pushed open the door and walked in, motioning
them to follow. T he room was circular and inlaid with marble.
Polished marble. This room was d ifferent. Special. Albrecht
looked across the room and saw why.
A woman sat on a chair on a raised dais, staring at them
with glee. She was naked, and Albrecht could clearly see three
pairs of breasts on her, one under the other, like an animal.
She smiled, revealing her fangs. She had short blond hair and
pale, pale skin.
The throne she sat on was a carved marble block with a
depression large enough to fit a Crinos Garou. Albrecht shook
his head. It was a mockery of his tribe. His protectorate. Many
of the Silver Fangs of Vermont were marble barons, making
their fortunes on the many marble deposits in the southern
portion of the state. For this Black Spiral to deck her throne
room out in it ... it was pure insult.
Dagrack bowed on bended knee. "My queen. I have
brought the would-be king and his pack."
The woman nodded. "Lord A lbrecht. It is a pleasure to
entertain royalty."
"Who the hell are you?" A lbrecht asked.
She frowned. "Such manners for gentry! I am Queen
Azaera."
"Never heard of you," Albrecht said, looking back at Mari
and Evan. Mari was giving him a warning look. He frowned.
She seemed to know who this lady was. Did Mari think it
wasn't a good idea to insult her? If so, I better back off, he
thought.
Azaera stood up and walked down the dais toward her
guests. She was no longer smiling, but had a cold, hard look
on her face. "We will stop this idle chatter, then, and come
to the point. Where is the Silver Crown?"
"Why do you want it? I thought Arkady was your horse to
bet on."
"Arkady does not recognize that he would only serve as a
regent for me. I need the crown tO cement my power, to
expand my kingdom."
"What?! Are you nuts? It'll fry your head off!"
"Don't be so sure, deluded Gaialing. Your legends have lied
before. Never has there been a ruler like Azaera. The crown
will have to accept me. My ancestors say so. They have seen
it before. They know its power."
"Your ancestors are just as cracked as you are, you freaking
bitch."
Azaera walked up to him. He was taller, forcing her to look
up, but her arrogance did not seem diminished by this. She
ran a claw along his chest, playfully. "I appreciate pride in a
king, but you go too far. I am queen here. You need to show
proper deference, or I will be forced to make-" She stopped
speaking as sh e felt the bulk of his klaive in its sheath
underneath Albrecht's coaL She jumped back, screaming.
"Idiots! You did not disarm them!"
Dagrack shrugged his shoulders. "Slipped my mind. Surely
they cannot threaten such a queen as you."
She spun on him, hissing as she began to sh ift to Crinos
form, a huge, terrifying as pect. Drawing back her hand, she
slashed at Dagrack's forehead. He grunted as the claw opened
a gash, spilling blood dow n h is face. But he d id not move or
try to defend himself.
"Churl!" Azaera yelled.
Dagrack sighed. "Yes, my queen."
A zaera seemed satisfied and walked back up the dais.
"Disarm them."
"Over my dead body," Albrecht said, reaching into his coat
and gripping his klaive.
Azaera turned and looked at h im, eyes narrowed. "You will
die, then."
"And you will never find the crown."
Azaera's eyes widened. "Ah ... diplomacy. Now we are
royal." She turned to Dagrack. "Take the packmates. Leave
us! We speak of state secrets."
Dagrack rose and grabbed Mari's shoulder, beginning to
pull her toward the door. She slipped from his grip and h it
him on the back with both hands, sending him tu mbling to
the floor.
The rest of the Black Spiral Dancers howled and pounded
toward her, then stopped dead in their tracks at a screech from
Azaera.
"Stop! They arc prisoners. Do not kill them. They are our
detente." She looked at Albrecht.
 ,,,
He ignored her. "Mari, summon a Wyldling! Get out of
here 1"
Mari was standing ready to take any attack, with Evan at
her back. "I can't. I can onl y do that from the U mbra."
Albrecht looked down. "We're fucked ."
Dagrack got back up and glared at Mari. He mO[ioneJ
toward the door. "Make it easy on yourself and me. just go."
Mari stepped toward the door, Evan next to her. They both
looked at Albrecht as they left, but said nothing. The Black
Spirals fell in behind them, and Dagrack left last, glaring at
Albrecht, but then giving an angry glance at Azaera. He
closed the door behind him.
Azaera walked seductively up the dais and sat on th e
throne, her legs spread wide. "Do you find me attractive?"
Albrecht looked away. "Not in the slightest."
Azaera frowned. "You do not know how to play the game
well. So we will quit with games. You will tell me where the
crown is or I will kill your pack mates. No! Worse ... I will
make them walk the Black Spiral , dance the labyrinth. They
will come to know the Wyrm as we do ... as benevolent father
and tortured victim of Gaia."
"Would you believe me if I said I don't know where the.
crown is?"
Azaera seemed to think for a minute, examining Albrecht.
"Yes. But it's not what I want to hear."
"Well, I don't have any other answers for you."
Azaera looked away and seemed to be thinking to herself.
"Curses. Shit. This ruins everything."
Albrecht stood watching her, wondering what weird logic
was working through that demented brain.
Azaera looked at him again, smiling. "You can leave. Fly
away little falcon."
Albrecht just stood there, not saying anything.
''I'm serious. Leave. I don't want you here."
,,,
"You mean I can just walk out of here ? With Mari and
Evan?''
"No. You can walk out of here, but they can't. Detente,
lord. Detente. If you happen to find the crown, you can come
back here and exchange it for them. I'll keep the m around
for a few days at least. After Arkady takes the throne ... . Well,
I th ink you understand poli tical misfortunes. Don't bother
coming back after that. I'll ki ll yo u then , impudent cub."
Albrecht didn't say anyth ing. He sat there, measuring h is
options. He could take out h is klaive and chop her up. He
could then trac k his pack through the tun nels and rescue
them, carving their way out together through a mountain of
Black S piral Dancer bod ies. But he knew that was suicide.
A nd if he did that, he would never find the crown. He had
maybe two days to find it.
He felt like an ass. Cltasing after a damn heirloom rather than
resw ing my packmates. But they had known the risks when
they signed onto this quest. They knew that he had to finish
what he had started.
He sighed. "How do I get out of here?"
"Down the passage you came. You will recogn ize the Moon
Bridge room when you see it. Tell the Gatekeeper that Azaera
gives you leave to go. He will believe you; my Banes will
inform h im beforehand. Tell him where you wish to go, and
he will deliver you there."
Albrecht nodded and turned ro leave the room.
"Farewell, 0 king," Azaera said.
Albrecht did not respond. He opened the door and walked
out, closing it behind h im. He couldn 't stand the idea of her
watching him walking off down the tunnel. He marched back
the way he had come, smoldering with barely suppressed rage,
ignoring the crawling drones around him.
As he passed a side tunne l, h e h eard Mari call out.
"Albrecht! "
He turned to look at her. She and Evan were being led
down the passage toward whatever fate awaited them. Evan
looked scared, but Mari looked furious, ready to frenzy.
"I... I'm sorr y. I can't do anything ," A l brecht sa id,
watching them be pulled away.
She glared at him. "Asshole! I should have known better
than to join you! You've always been a self-obsessed asshole!"
Evan looked at Albrecht, nodding. "I. .. understand. Just
get the crown, Albrecht."
Albrech t stood there, watching his packmates disappear
into the darkness. He trembled in rage, but fought to control
it. Mari's accusations h e could understand. He expected that
from her. But Evan .... He gave up too easy. He thought of
A lbrecht before himself. That's not right, Albrecht thought. I
don't deserve that! That kid's putting his trust in the wrong place,
damn it . And it makes me feel even shittier than if he cursed me
like Mari.
Al brecht walked down the passage to the Moon Bridge
room. H e growled at the robed Dancer there to get him to
Central Park. T he Gatekeeper stared coldly at Albrech t.
"I can't," the Dancer said. "It has defenses that will not
allow my pathstone to connect. U nless, of course, you could
give me the proper rites .... "
Al brecht growled at him. ''I'll tear your head off1 Don 't
fuck with me! I'm not in the mood. Just send me . .. . Hell , I
don't know! To the Silver Fang Homeland in the Umbra."
The Dancer chewed his lower lip. "I can't. I can get you
close, but not into the realm."
A lbrecht grabbed his robe and shook him. "What's yo ur
problem ? Doesn't this lead anywhere?"
The Dancer laughed . "It's a Blac k Spiral Dancer Moon
Bridge. Do you want it to lead everywhere?"
A lbrecht let h im go. "Just open a Bridge."
The G atekeeper began the rite. It was almost iden tical to
the one with which A lbrecht was familiar, but the names the
Dancer called out to were almost unpronounceable and left a
tingling in Albrecht's spine when he heard them.
A hole in the air opened up, glowing with silver radiance.
Albrecht stepped into it and stepped out onto a Moon Path
in the Umbra. He was in a featureless landscape under a
gibbous moon. The bridge closed behind him, and he was
alone.
With no idea of where to go next.
 When the moon finally disappeared below the horizon,
dimming the Moon Path, Albrecht was still lost. He had
walked for hours and had seen nothing but the path and the
ephemeral barrens on either side. No realms or domains to
be seen anywhere. The Black Spiral Dancer had lied. He had
not put Albrecht anywhere near his destination.
Albrecht sat down on the path and put h is head in his
hands. He had never felt so low before. Even after the exile
and during the drinking bout that had followed, he had had
his youthful pride to prop him up. But now ... now he felt he
had used up all his luck. This was the universe's revenge for
his having been a self-absorbed ass for all these years. Never
thinking of others, or even of Gaia really. Always concerned
instead with glory.
But glory ain't worth shit if there's no one to witness it, he
thought. It's over. Arkady's going to be king and I'll crawl back
to New York, packless again. I'm going to hit the bottle again,
that's for sure. This time I ain't getting back out.
He saw a light to his left and looked up to see a Lune
aimlessly floating down the dimming Moon Path. Albrecht
got up and stood in its way, blocking the path.
 The Lune floated to ward him and stopped inches away,
spinning a round and a round. Then it floated upwa rds, as if it
meant to go over h im.
Albrecht reached up a nd grabbed it, pulling it back down.
"I am lost, h ungry and shit o ut of luc k. You are going to ta ke
me to the S ilver Fang Home la nd, do you hear me? I know I
do n' t spe ak your lingo, but I thin k you savvy mine. All right ?
Let's get th is over wi t h !"
T he Lune began spinning abo ut furiously, t rying to break
A lbrecht's grip. But A lbrecht o n ly squeezed tighter.
Light exploded from the Lune and a hole opened in the
a ir bet ween it and A lbrecht. The Lune tugged itself away,
pulling Albrecht into t he ho le wit h its mo mentum before he
could fully release his gri p. He fe ll into the Moon Bridge.
The ho le sealed up behind him, shutting out the light, as
the Lune continued its en igmatic journey down the path.

A lbrecht fe ll. He had come out o n the other side of t he

Moon Bridge to find h imself in mid-air. Looking down, he saw
the gro und far below. He figured t he d istance to be about one
hundred yards belo w as he plummetted toward t he ground.
The green , aut umn -leaf-strewn ground.
The ground rippled, and became water. A lbrecht c rashed
into it, shatte ring its wavy mirror and plunging in. He was
swinging his limbs about wild ly, tryi ng to resurface, whe n the
wate r turned into sand. His legs we re buried in the white
pa rticles, and he spat out a mo uthfu l of it.
He pulled himself o ut a nd looked a ro und. He was in a
dese rt. From ho rizon to ho rizon, a ll he saw were ~and dunes,
slowly shifting in a light breeze.
I'm in a W yld realm , he though t. T hat's gotta be it. A field
becomes a lake which becomes a desert . What else could it be?
 He stood up and looked for landmarks of any kind. There
was nothing.
I hope like hell it turns into a beautiful tropical island soon,
he thought. 'Cause I'm awful thirsty already. Much more of this
and I'll dry up here, king of an empty, forlorn patch of desert.
Having nothing better to do, he started walking. The sun
was bright and burning, so he pulled his trenchcoat off and
draped it over his head to shade his face.
He walked like that for hours, until the sun went down
and the moon rose. It was full enough for most humans to
have called it a full moon, but, being a Garou, Albrecht was
more sensitive to such things. He knew it was still gibbous.
The full moon was his moon, an Ahroun's moon, and he knew
he'd feel it in his soul when that phase took to the sky. He
also knew that when it was full, two nights from now, Arkady
would be crowned.
He had found no food or water. He was exhausted. Without
some sustenance soon, he would start feeling the
consequences. He could last longer than most humans or
animals deprived of food or water, but he knew that the more
active he was, the weaker he would get.
He lay down next to a smoothly rising dune and closed
his eyes. In seconds, he was asleep.
He woke with a starr. Something was wrong. He looked
around, gripping his klaive. The landscape had changed again.
He was now in a wood, surrounded by white birches. The
ground was flat and even, a carpet of green grass between the
tree trunks. It was eerily pure. just the trees and the grass, in
all directions. The trees even seemed to be lined up in rows,
but Albrecht couldn't be sure of this. The moon was high in
the sky. He had slept for at least an hour, if not more.
A voice came from behind him. "The ghosts of dead
armies."
Albrecht was on his feet instantly, turning around with
klaive in hand. An old man stood a few feet away, leaning on
a birch. He was thin but looked like he once had carried a
lot of muscle. His white hair grew long, well past his shoulders
and almost to his belt. He wore a gray robe adorned with silver
pictograms - Silver Fang pictograms - representing ho no r,
wisdom and glo ry. And there, on his chest, was the symbol of
kingship.
"Who are you?" A lbrecht asked.
"Aaron Eve r Stone," the ma n said. "I saw you notice the
trees. They are not trees. They are the ghosts of my dead army.
My loyal a rmy."
"Your name .... It's fami liar. But I can't place it," Albrech t
said .
"In my time o n Gaia's fl esh , I was king of the Esk River
Protectorate in northern England. In the seventeenth century,
by human rec koning."
Albrecht stood looking at the Si lver Fang king, unsure
what to say o r do. He had never been in the presence of such
a powe rful ancestor before. "Ho w ... did you get he re?"
The o ld ma n looked at Al brecht, puzzled. "Th is is my
death domain. It is you who have come here. And who are
you ?"
"I am Lo rd A lbrecht, scio n of the Ho use of Wyrmfoe. I
was thrown into a Wyld realm. I don't even know where this
is."
The old man nodded, understanding. "Ah . You are in t he
Silver Fang Homeland. You have passed t hrough the Wyld
zones along the edge. They come and go, but seem 1"0 get closer
every few .. . years. If they are tru ly years, the time I reckon by
the changing of the seasons. But time moves slowly here, does
it not? So say the living who visit me."
"I don't know," A lbrecht said. "Umbrallore was never my
specialty. I can't believe I'm here. That damn Lune did send
me where I wa nted!"
"Why have you come?"
 Albrecht thought for a minute, trying to figure out how
to bring up the topic. He decided just to say it. "I'm looking
for the Silver Crown."
The old man's eyes widened. "Why? Why do you seek such
a thing? Are you vain?"
"No! I need it. It's the only thing that will allow me to
take the crown from Arkady. Let me explain: Arkady is Wyrm-
corrupt. He has allied with the Wyrm's minions. And he's set
to take the throne on the cusp of the full moon-"
"Stop! I will hear no more. A king corrupt? Never! You
must be mistaken. And you seek the crown? Listen to me,
then: The crown is a thing of vanity and pride. It brings onl y
pain and ruin. I know this, for I wore the crown. I was its last
bearer. It was I who hid it from the world, to save the tribe
from its terrible power. A power which destroys just as surely
as it raises its wearer on high."
"You know where the crown is? I can't believe this! Finally,
some answers. Look, you may have had problems with the
crown, but I have to have it. Regardless of the consequence
to me. The consequences to others will be much worse if I
don't."
"You are not listening to me! Whelp! I tell you, it is an
evil thing. I know this! You wish the crown ? Then listen to
my tale, and if the wanting of this thing is still in your h eart
afterwards, I will re veal its location to you."
"You've got a deal."
The old king wearily lowered himself to sit on the grass,
leaning his back against a birch. He motioned for Albrecht
to sit also. Albrecht went to a birch nearby the old man and
sat down, leaning against it.
"I ruled a war-ravaged land. The Black Spiral Dancers, born
in the fens and bogs and moors of Scotland, had their power
to the north of my protectorate. Filthy place. From some deep
pit in the earth they crawled forth to harry my lands, to steal
our flocks and to corrupt our rivers with their filth.
 "And the humans were ignorant of all this. They only
knew that the border wars between England and Scotland
were fierce. The border reivers were indeed a hard people,
cruel and cunning, with no sense of honor or decency except
to their own kin. Under the cover of such havoc as they
wreaked, the Dancers raided our lands and ravaged us sore.
"I knew something had to be done. I had to get the Garou
to the west and east of me to band together and take the fight
to the Dancers' own lands. But they would not listen to me
- Fianna and Get of Fenris. Getting them to work together
against a common foe was nigh impossible. And that's when
I heard of the Silver Crown.
"A wandering minstrel sang its tale, telling where it was
hid, in the land now known as Pangaea. I knew this crown
was the answer to my questions. It would allow me to forge
an alliance of all the tribes and return wrack and ruin to the
Dancers.
"So I set off on the quest with my loyal pack, the King's
Own. It was a hard journey, for the Umbra was a wild and
furious place in those times. Not like now. It is empty now.
Devoid of life.
"We reached Pangaea with only minor wounds, and
searched and searched for the crown. It was at Table Rock we
found it, the holy rock. There, in a hole under the rock, the
crown was hid. It took all our might to move the stone, but
move it we did, for our need was dire.
"I beheld the shining crown and placed it upon my head.
And I knew what I had to do. I was Falcon's chosen, the one
true king of the Silver Fangs. Nothing could stop me from
saving my kingdom and ending the reign of terror the Dancers
had begun.
"We returned to my kingdom and the news soon spread of
the crown. I sent for the leaders of the Fianna and Get of
Fenris septs, my closest neighbors, to discuss a war party. They
came, although they did not want to. But they could not resist.
It was as if the crown called to them to heed my request, giving
them no peace un til they listened and did as I said.
"Do you begin to understand the tyranny of the crown?
Its power over others? Its ability to steal choice away from
them, to force them unto a course of action? I did not realize
this then, believing they came because they wished to.
"We supped together and I entertained them with my best
Galliards. A fine evening it was. But they seemed to feign
enjoyment, covering their fear of the crown. I believed they
were subtly insulting me, and grew angry with them. I sent
the Galliards away and commanded them to give me packs
from their septs to go to war against the Dancers.
"The Fianna bowed, cowed before my authority, and said
she would deliver them in a fortnight. I was pleased.
"But the Get. He steamed and shivered, fighting some
inner demon. Or so I told myself. He was in actuality fighting
the power of the crown. He won the battle, and cried that he
would not send his packs to die for such a tyrant as I was.
"I was furious. Not only had he stained me with that insult,
but he had stained Falcon also, implying that the crown had
made a petty dictator. In an instant, I drew my klaive and cut
him down. His head flew across the room and th udded against
the chamber door.
"The Fianna stared at me in shock and dismay. She begged
to leave, to return to her lands to begin the preparations for
war. I gave her leave, pleased that she, at least, would join
my endeavor.
"But the fortnight passed, and no sign of her packs was
seen or heard. I was fu rious again. How da re she slight me? I
knew I would have to teach her a lesson. I would have to war
on her.
"I rallied the troops and led them out across the moors, to
the lands of the Fianna. They were expecting us, and they
put up a valiant fight. But we were masterful in war, and I
was most masterful of all, for the crown bore me well through
that battle. My cries and commands were as bolts of lightning
against the Fianna. They could not resist my will. Eventually,
they all fell before me.
"But the Fianna did not fold before my army easily. They
delivered a dread accounting upon us: O nly I and my pack
survived. I sat upon my horse in the field of battle, surrounded
by my pack, staring at the lifeless bodies of the Fianna. And
at the lifeless Silver Fangs. In a fit of anger and wounded pride,
I had killed the elite of two septs, the heart of a generation
ofGarou.
'The Dancers did not wait long to take advantage of the
disaster my vanity had caused. They came down in greater
numbers against the lands, the lands so newly depleted of
warriors. O nly the Get withstood them, bulwarked in their
caern to the east.
"The Esk River Protectorate is no more. Dead. They are
all dead.
"Do you see now why I warn you against this fetish? It is
the cause of two septs' downfall! "
Albrecht was silent. He thought about everything he had
been told about the crown. So many conflicting stories. Was
the crown a gift from Gaia or a fetish like any other, but one
which had become cursed over the years? Would its retrieval
only doom the North Country Protectorate, as it had this old
king's land?
But no, Albrecht thought. 1t wasn't the crown that did this,
it was the old man. It was his vanity. How can he blame the crown
for backing up his commands, for lending force to them? The choice
of how to use the crown was his.
"I am sorry to hear your story. It grieves me. It is a tragedy;
one which I will never forget. But ... I still need the crown. I
h ave to save my protectorate. While the crown may damn it
in the end, it is the only thing which can save it now."
The old man looked at him. "It h as only brought me
sorrow. Deep, unyielding sorrow. Do not seek it. Stay here with
me. Brighten my days with new tales of honor and glory, tales
of how the Fangs succeeded without the crown. I am so lonely
here, in my place of exile, with only my dead nearby .... " He
looked at the trees.
Albrecht felt a chill up his back. Things are not what they
seem to be, he thought. He remembered something about this
famous king, Aaron Ever Stone. Something he had forgotten,
about this king's name in the tales. There was one thing
mentioned in the legends: his lineage.
"I remember you now .... What royal family are you from?"
The old king looked at Albrecht quizzically. "I am a son
of the House of Winter Snow."
And then Albrecht knew for sure. He stood up, stepping
away from the king. "I lived up to my end of the bargain. I
heard your tale. Now, where is the Silver Crown?"
The king looked up at Albrecht, exasperated. "You still
want it? After all I have said?"
"Yes. You agreed to tell me where it is."
"But I would only cause your ruin by doing so. No,
cannot."
"You are going to go against your word? Where is the honor
in that?"
The king looked stricken. "Honor? It has been ... so long.
Please, stay here with me. I can teach you much of the old
ways. I even know Gifts lost to the world today. I could teach
them to you .... "
"No. Tell me where the crown is."
The king grabbed the birch he was leaning against and
pulled himself up. "If you stay for one moon. One moon is all
I ask! l will then tell you where the crown is. On my honor
as a king!"
Albrecht thought. He knew he wouldn't be able to force
the answer from the king by violence. The king was just an
emanation, a shadow of the dead. He was a spirit. If Albrecht
killed him, he would never get the answer, since the spirit
would depart to reform elsewhere in the Umbra. But who
knew where? H e knew that time worked differe ntly in the
homeland. One moon here could be months in the real world,
or only hours.
"One day then!" the king cried, his hands o ut in
supplication. "One day is all I ask. Is this too much? I offer
you secrets forgotten in the world of flesh, secrets which could
empower you more greatly than the damned crown !"
Albrecht chewed his lip. He didn't know what to do. This
was the only clue he had to the crown. The old king could be
lying. But what choice did Albrecht have? There was no place
left to go. And these secrets, these G ifts he was offered ....
"You can give me something to overthrow Arkady without
the crown?" he asked.
"Yes! Stay with me and I will give you all the royal rites
of old, the words that are power when spoken from the lips of
kings. And I will give you the Gift to win any challenge, and
to call a challenge for any reason. You could return to your
sept and challenge this pretender at your leisure ! With these
G ifts - true powers taught to my fam ily by spirits long ago
- you could rule any sept."
"How long? How long wou ld it take to learn them ?"
Aaron stood taller. "Two moons. Perhaps three. There are
no spirits here to instruct yo ur soul directly, so I must show
you in the slow manner in which flesh learns. Afte r this time,
you can come and go from here free ly, to return for more
powers if you so desire."
A l brecht closed his eyes. He had to th in k. Calmly.
Without the old man pleading with h im. Two moons! That
was too long. Arkady would be king by then. But if what
Aaron said was true about these G ifts, he could march up to
Arkady anytime to demand his true right. But what if it were
too late ? What if Arkady turned the sept over to the Wyrm
on his coronation day?
Falcon! he though t. Why is this so hard? I have done
everything in my power here to find the crown. My packmates are
in the hands of the Wyrm, probably dead by now. My protectorate
is about to become Wyrm-corrupt. What else am I supposed to
do! I've done everything I can, damn it! But I'm failing. It's in
your hands ....
He heard a screech up in the sky. He opened his eyes and
looked up. A falcon wheeled above him, and let out another
screech.
"No!" the o ld king said, looking up fea rfu lly at the bird.
"Don't heed it! It is a servant of the crown - the evil crown!
Stay here! Please!"
" I can't listen to you!" Albrecht said. "I've listened to you
too much already. You're lost! I recognize Harano. Your whole
family has succumbed to it. Every generation! It wasn't the
crown t hat did you in, it was your own sorrow. This isn't the
tribal homeland, is it? It's some small realm somewhere you've
built to house your grief. I won't be any part of it. I've got a
protectorate to save!"
A lbrecht looked up at the falcon. T he bird flew off to
Albrecht's right, and Albrecht moved to follow it.
The old king stepped in front of him. "Please! I am lonely!
Carry my memory at least! Don't let my legacy d ie!"
"Get out of my way," A lbrecht said.
"It's in the North Country!" the old king said. "I fled from
my lands to the New World, and hid the crown with the Silver
Fang sept there. It lies under the royal house in New
Amsterdam."
A lbrecht stared at the king, barely believing his ears.
"You're lying! It's not in the North Country- Greyfist would
have said so! I 'm from North Country, damn it! New
Amsterdam is the old name for New York City, and New York
is not even in the North Country Protectorate!"
T he old king stepped back, flinch ing at Albrecht's anger.
"I swear! I swear that is where I hid it. I tell you, the city of
humans was in North Country when I hid the crown ! It was
the only place far enough from home that I could get to
before ... before 1... I was too tired to go on. The grief, you
see ... the grief overtook me. Swallowed me. It has left me
here, all alone. Alone and weeping."
The old king began to fade, to sh ift shapes, but not into a
wolf. He grew tall and thin, his skin becoming deathly pale,
whiter than snow. He became a birch tree, silent as the rest.
But not alone any longer. He was on e of many birches,
testaments to sorrow.
Albrecht realized that he stood in a graveyard. A graveyard
for an entire royal line. A birch for every cub of the Winter
Snow family lost tO Har:mo.
He looked into the sky again and saw the falcon wheeling
about, waiting for him. The falcon again flew off, and this
time Albrecht followed unhindered.
 Fengy strolled through the park, content for once. He had
just eaten a fresh fast-food meal, bought with the fi ve-dollar
bill he had found. This was working out to be a great day.
A light exploded in the air in front of him, and a hole
appeared. A falcon flew from the glowing Moon Bridge, inches
over Fengy's head. Fengy stared at it, aghast. This was n't a
proper Moon Bridge. It didn't open in the caern center,
approved by the G atekeeper. Was this an attac k? But what
could a bird do to harm the caern?
Lord Albrecht jumped out of the Moon Bridge, almost
colliding with Fengy. The Moon Bridge sealed shut behind
him, leaving no trace of its ever having been there.
"Watch out!" Albrecht said, running past Fengy, who was
holding his hands over his head, readying himself to be run
over by a pack of Garou.
Fengy looked up to see only Lord Albrecht and the bird,
streaking off into the park.
"Hey!" Fengy yelled. "Where's your pack? What's going on ?
That wasn't a legal bridge ! You're going to get in trouble with
Mother Larissa!"
"Don 't h ave time to ch at!" Albrecht yelled over hi s
shoulder, turning down a lane and running out of sight.
"Huh!" Fengy said. ''Then you don't have time for me to
tell you that your fri end is here looking for you?" He waited,
but heard no response. Albrecht was out of hearing range.
Fengy shrugged his shoulders. What did he care? If Albrecht
was going to be rude, always treating him like a second-class
citizen, then he could damn well find his fri end on his own.
Wasn't everyday someone came looking for you from N orth
Country.
Fengy continued his walk, a bit flustered, but with a fu ll
stomach.

Albrecht had stopped running to catch his breath. He

stood on a street corner, watching the falcon disappear into a
closed subway station. He waited a few seconds, then bolted
after it. No one was around - at least no one he noticed -
so he shifted itlto Glabro form, tore the chain lock off the
gate and ran down the stairs.
It was dark in the station, so he shifted to Lupus form and
called upon one of his G ifts, honing his senses sharper than
any animal's. He padded along on the cement, fo llowing the
falcon. Albrecht knew this was a spirit he followed, not a real
falcon, but it was still strange to see something and yet not
smell it. ·
The fa lcon landed on the floor next to another fence, this
one blocking the entrance into the subway tunnel. The tunnel
had intermittent lighting, as if this area had not been closed
off for long and the electricity not yet shut off, letting the
old bulbs burn.
Albrecht shifted to Crinos and tore the fence down. As
soon as it was down, the falcon took wing again and shot off
down the tunnel to the right. Albrecht again assumed Lupus
form and ran after it.
 The tunnel went down for about a quarter mile before
dead-ending. A few feet before the end, on the left side of
the tunnel, was a passageway, carved into the cement and
stone. Unnaturally carved.
The falcon flew into the passage. Albrecht hesitated. This
was not human-made. That meant that one of New York's
various supernatural residents of the sewer had carved it. He
was on good terms with none of them.
He jumped into the passage anyway and ran after the
quickly disappearing falcon. It was pitch black now, but his
magically enhanced senses more than compensated. He could
smell sewer, somewhere far ahead. But before that, he heard
the falcon turn right, down a side passage. Albrecht followed.
He hoped there were not too many turn-offs, since he could
easily get lost down here if something were to happen to the
falcon.
The passageway smelled old. He could pick up no scent
on it: a sign that it had been long disused. The only sign of
the falcon now was its screeches. He could not see it or smell
it. The next screech he heard echoed longer than the rest.
The falcon had entered a larger room. Albrecht hurried ahead,
then stumbled out into the room as the passageway suddenly
ended, giving him a short fall.
He heard the falcon screech from the far side of the room.
From the echoes and distance, he judged the chamber was
maybe thirty yards across. As he padded across the floor, he
felt marble beneath him. Marble tile.
He reached the falcon, who was perched on a large, box-
like object. Albrecht realized he would need eyesight here.
He concentrated and lit the fires of his inner being, igniting
his fur into a glowing lambent flame- the same Gift he had
used against Nightmaster.
As light flooded the chamber, Albrecht looked around. It
resembled an old mausoleum. The floor was marble, as were
the columns holding up the ceiling. Gargoyle shapes sat at
the top of the posts, staring blindly out at the room. Oddly
colored dust lay along the base of the walls; Albrecht realized
it was the remains of tapestries. Double doors stood open on
the wall opposite the passage, but they revealed a wall of dirt
on the other side. It looked as if someone had begun a digging
project there, but had abandoned it before ever really
beginning.
The passageway by which Albrecht had traveled was not
natural to the room, but a later addition. Someone had
burrowed his way past the wall and into this room.
It was obvious to Albrecht where he was: in the throne
room of an ancient Silver Fang sept, perhaps the first in North
America. The place had fallen pretty far from its early days
of glory. No court had convened here for centuries. He figured
this must be the basement of an old mansion, one that
probably didn't exist anymore on the surface. Most likely, it
was bulldozed and new foundations had been laid across it.
He wondered what was up there now. A tenement? City Hall ?
The falcon screeched and he turned back to look at it. The
box it stood on was a chest. It was iron, and rusted badly, but
still relatively intact.
"Is that it?" Albrecht asked. "Is the crown in there?" He
shifted to Crinos form and ran to the box. The falcon
screeched and fluttered off, to land on the ground next to it.
The lock had long ago rusted, and it flew apart easily as
Albrecht threw back the lid. He looked inside.
Nothing. The box was empty.
He looked at the falcon, which screeched and nudged the
box with its head. Albrecht frowned, then understood. He
sh oved the box back, revealing a marble tile with writing on
it.
A Garou pictogram had been carved there so long ago that
it would surely have been worn down except for the box that
had covered it for all these years. It was the symbol of
kingship. A rite had been performed over this tile, sealing it
with power. A rite of protection of some sort? Or a spirit
binding? He had seen the sort before, and knew that only
Silver Fang royalty could break such a seal and not suffer the
consequences intended by the ritemaster.
Albrecht shifted to Crinos form and thrust his nails
between the cracks. He grunted and pulled, and the tile slowly
yielded. He pried it up and placed it aside, then looked at what
was beneath it. The light from Albrecht's pelt shone down a
small, maybe one-foot-square shaft, revealing a wooden box.
A wooden box perfectly preserved, as if it had been made
yesterday, except for the ancient manufacture. It appeared to
be a strongbox from the Middle Ages.
Albrecht reached in and pulled it out. He placed it on the
ground and examined it. There was a catch, but no lock.
Powerful, sharp jaws clamped down onto his right forearm.
Albrecht screamed in pain and tugged his arm away. It slipped
free of the white wolf's grip, but his muscles were practically
flayed. His arm was almost useless.
He stared at the white wolf, who had come from nowhere
and was growling angrily at Albrecht. The wolf shifted forms
into Crinos. A black leather battle harness appeared over the
huge werewolf's torso, contrasting with the pure white fur. Fur
Albrecht would recognize anywhere.
"How the hell ... ?" Albrecht said, drawing h is klaive with
his left hand.
"It is mine, Albrecht!" Arkady said, stepping forward and
standing over the box.
"The fuck it is! just step back, Arkady, and I'll let you live.
At least until you're banished from the tribe!"
"Shut up, you stupid cur! How dare you try to steal the
kingship from me! Moving around behind my back and
plotting with that traitor Greyfist!"
"Traitor? He's the most loyal Silver Fang in this
hemisphere! If you've done anything to him-"
"Like kill him? Kill him for conspiring against the crown?
I have. I will kill you next!"
Albrecht stood stone-still in shock. "You ... killed ...
Greyfist? He was my best fr iend in the sept!" Rage caused him
to tremble and he tried to control his temper, but immediately
lost the battle. He howled and lunged at Arkady, who easily
jumped back.
Albrecht was like a rampaging torch as he chased Arkady
across the room, the light from his fur throwing Arkady's
shadow large against the wall.
Arkady drew his klaive as he ran. He slipped to the right
and then spun around, stabbing at Albrecht, who was an easy
target, glowing as he was. Albrecht ran onto the klaive, which
wen t th rough his right lung but did not ex it his back.
He fe ll down, coughing up blood and coming to h is senses.
The pain had knocked the frenzy from him. Arkady did not
follow through. Instead, he ran over to the box.
A lbrecht looked for the falcon spirit, but could not see it
anywhere. He got to his feet and walked resolutely toward
Arkady, ignoring the pain from his chest. "How did you find
me?" he snarled as he walked.
Arkady, box in hand, turned to face Albrecht. He held his
klaive out defensively. "You idiot! I've been here in New York
for th ree days, waiting for you to return! Lucky I was. I did
not know you would return here first. But I could not wait at
the caern- wait for you to steal my birthright from me?!"
"Birthright? You forget, I'm Morningkill's grandson. Not
you."
"But I am scion of the Clan of the Crescent Moon. We
are a better fami ly."
"I wouldn't put too much faith in th is fam ily stuff if I were
you. Not after what I've seen. But yo u didn't answer my
question. How the hell did you find me here?"
"The Rite of the Questing Stone, fool! Any cub could have
found you. All he would have had to do was wait for you
to show up!"
 "Well what are you going to do now? Put the crown on?
Go ahead. Put the crown on. I want to see this."
Arkady smiled at Albrecht, a twisted grimace. He shook
his head. "Oh, no. I would not do something so stupid as that.
This is not for me to wear. But I shall keep you from wearing
it."
Albrecht growled. "You're going to have to kill me to do
that." He slashed his klaive at Arkady and actually surprised
the Garou, who did not parry Albrecht's left-handed attack
well. The klaive sliced the tendons off his right arm. His hand
went limp and the klaive fell to the ground.
Arkady howled in rage and stepped back. He dropped the
box under him and crouched low, waiting for Albrecht to
approach.
Albrecht moved forward warily. They were equal now.
Each had only one usable arm. But he had the klaive. He knew
he could finish it with one blow if he were good enough. But
if he let Arkady get too close, then Albrecht would have to
drop the klaive and fight claw-to-claw. And he knew Arkady
was the better hand-to-hand fighter of the two.
Before he could choose his move, he heard grunting and
scuffling from the passageway. He stepped back, out of
Arkady's range, and stole a look in that direction.
Black Spiral Dancers crawled their way up the tunnel,
toward the room, bearing balefire torches.
Albrecht turned back to Arkady. "Damn it! If you were
ever a real Silver Fang, think back to that time now. Do not
let them get the crown! We can fight our way out of here if
we do it together."
Arkady looked at the Black Spiral Dancers, who were
almost into the room, and then at Albrecht, trying to decide.
He looked at the box beneath him. "No! I can't let you have
the crown. The Black Spiral Dancers promised me the
kingship. It is my crown."
"They want it to pervert it! You can't let that happen. Not
if you call yourself king!"
"Don't listen to him !" a vo ice cri ed out fr o m the
p_assageway. Black Spiral Dancers now jumped into the room
and spread out to form a line, preparing to charge Albrecht.
Behind them, Dagrack climbed from the passage. "He wants
the crown for himself, Arkady. He can't stand the idea of you
on the throne!"
Arkady growled at him. "What are you doing here? How
did you find us?"
Dagrack smirked. "Oh, I've been watching you, Arkady.
You can't go anywhere without my knowing about it. As soon
as you entered the tunnels, I was alerted. Who do you think
dug this passageway? Black Spiral Dancers - my cousins. I
was but a Moon Bridge away from you."
Albrecht almost jumped past the Black Spiral leader when
he saw Evan and Mari being pushed toward the room from
the passageway. The line of Blac k Spirals surged forward at
Albrecht's move, so he stepped back again.
He watched his packmates as they were pushed into the
room. They looked terrible. They had bruises all over and
seemed weak from hunger, hut they hoth met A lbrecht's gaze.
Mari nodded at him, as if she app roved of his being here. Evan
actually managed a weak smile, happy to see Albrecht.
"Put them in the corner," Dagrack said. The Black Spiral
Dancers pushed and shoved Evan and Mari into the far comer
of the room, away from A lbrecht.
Dagrack looked triumphantly at Albrecht. "I brought these
two in case I had to bribe you with their lives. But I find that,
after all your journeys, it is not you who have the crown. lt is
Arkady. My friend Arkady." He walked over w Arkady, who
growled low as he approached, but did not move away from
him. "Arkady who is to be king of the Silver Fangs. And this
without the Silver C rown! Arkady does not need the crown.
He has me instead."
"I need no one but myself!" Arkady yelled. "I am not your
puppet. I a m maste r here ! The next king of the S ilve r Fangs."
Dagrack stared at Arkady, and then bo wed slightly. "Of
course, my lord. Excuse your servant that he spoke otherwise.
I wish simply to advise you in the matter of your a ntagonist
here."
"What?" Arkady said. "What do you have to say?"
"Revenge, Arkady. It is your time for revenge. Revenge
against those who wronged you long ago, who denied you a nd
forced you o ut."
Arkady shut his eyes, holding down anger. "Damn them!
But they matter not now! They are gone many years while I
stand here, soon to be king."
"Oh, no, Arkady, they a re no t gone. Yo u think that your
oppressors existed in body alone? N o! Their spirits still thwart
you. Their servant stands before you, defia nt, ready to run any
obstacle to prevent you fro m succeeding. Lo rd Albrecht, scion
of a royal line. He is just the same as they we re, Arkady.
Re member the Motherland and what t hey did ro you there?
What royals just like Albrecht did to you ?"
"No. Do not warp this. He is like me - an exile. But he
is wro ng to defy me! " Arkady turned to glare at Albrecht. "He
should have bowed down when he could. It is too la te now."
"Yes, too la te," Dagrack said. "He must be punished."
"What the hdl arc you talking abo ut, you assh ole?"
Albrecht growled. "Arkady, why are you listening to him? He's
a Blac k Spiral Dancer!"
"Yo u will be qu iet!" Arkady sa id. "Dagrac k, fetch my
klaive."
Dagrack smiled and went over to pick up Arkady's klaive,
walking back to stand ne xt to him with it. All t he wh ile, he
smirked at Albrecht. Arkady concentrated, c rooning low,
calling o n his Gift to heal his arm.
Albrecht fidgeted, uncerta in what to do. Arkady was
distracted; he might be able to grab the crown. But what if
the Dancers did some thing to Evan a nd Ma ri ? He couldn't
decide how to act.
Arkady finished his healing and flexed his right arm. He
took the klaive from Dagrack and looked back at Albrecht.
"What to do with you, Albrecht?"
"Shit if I know," Albrecht said. "How about giving me the
crown and letting my packmates go?"
Arkady snorted. "You will stop treating me like a fool! I
have beaten you on all occasions. Bend knee and I will
consider letting you live."
"My lord," Dagrack said. "I have a better punishment. One
which will prove whether Albrecht is worthy to live or not."
"What do you say? Spit it out!"
"I have heard the Lay of the Silver Crown, the legend
Albrecht doubtless followed in his quest. It speaks of a
punishment placed upon the first Garou to seek the crown, a
punishment for his impudence."
"Eh? What happened to him ?"
"His claws were cut off, his fangs pulled and his pelt
removed."
Arkady wrinkled his brow in disgust.
"Is this not what you swore to do to Albrecht? To flay his
hide and hang it from a tree? I say if he survives this
punishment, he can live. I will even let his packmates go free
to help him crawl from the room."
"What do you gain from this?" Arkady said, staring at
Dagrack.
Dagrack's demeanor did not change at all. "Why, the
pleasure of helping you mete out your first royal edict and
setting you on the course of kingship. You need to learn that
a king must have a hard hand, lest he be dethroned by upstarts
such as Albrecht."
Arkady looked at Albrecht and seemed to think on this.
"Don't listen to him, Arkady," Albrecht said. "Don 't let
him tell you what it is to be a king. That's your choice. Get
rid of him! You know this isn't fair. My hands are tied as long
as he has my packmates captive. Let them go and we'll settle
this one-on-one."
Arkady sneered and shook his head. "Now who is giving
kingly advice? You, who tried to snatch the throne from me!
Dagrack at least helped me to get it. You must learn, Albrecht,
that packmates are secondary to rulership. If you truly desire
the crown, you will forsake them. Come at me! Let them fall
as they may. We shall fight and decide the affair!"
Albrecht shook his head. "No. I'm not going to abandon
them. I did that once already. I won't do it twice. You gotta
decide: What are you going to do about it?"
"I will take my advisor's advice. I shall exact the traditional
punishment for treachery against the crown. Yield your claws
and fangs, A lbrecht. Your pelt also. Or watch your packmates
die and you with them."
Albrecht growled low.
"Arglach ! Cut the boy!" Dagrack ordered. One of the
Black Spiral Dancers swiped a claw at Evan's head, slicing his
left ear clean off. Evan yelled and clutched his head. Mari
stepped toward the Dancer, growling, but the other Dancers
gathered menacingly about her. She backed up a step, putting
her hand on Evan's shoulder. The Dancer who had cut off the
ear picked it up from the floor and swallowed it, looking
pleased.
"An incentive," Dagrack said to Albrecht. "Think hard
on this."
Damn it! Albrecht thought. What can I do? He measured
the odds against him and knew they were too much. Arkady
was healed, and was more than a match for him even when
wounded. Add Dagrack and his pack to that, and he didn't
stand a chance against them. He looked at Evan and Mari.
Mari glared at him, giving him a look he knew. It said that
he would be a fool not to try to fight his way out. Evan looked
at him, but he couldn't read the kid's intent.
I wish I were a Get of Fenris, he thought. They think nothing
of dying gloriously in combat as long as they can take a few bodies
out with them. But I'm not a Get. I'm Morningkill's grandson,
and I owe it w the Fangs to live up to my heritage.
He looked for the falcon spirit, but it was gone. This was
his choice alone. lr was one thing to suffer declawing in a
story: another thing entirely to have it really happen to you.
He looked up at Arkady.
"Do you swear, on whatever honor you have left, that if I
submit to this, my packmates can leave unharmed?"
"Yes," Arkady said. "I can be merciful also. I bear them
no ill will."
Dagrack's eyes narrowed as he looked at Arkady. He
obviously did not like the promise.
"Then make sure your lap dog knows that," Albrecht said.
Arkady looked at Dagrack. "You will heed me in this. If
one of your mongrels harms them, I will kill you fmt and then
all of your horde.''
Dagrack nodded. "Of course. I have no need to disobey
you."
"Drop your weapon, Albrecht. Let Dagrack perform the
punishment."
Albrecht gritted his teeth and placed his klaive on the
ground.
"Kick it over here," Arkady said.
A lbrecht shoved the sword with his foot and it slid across
the marble floor to Arkady. Dagrack stepped forward, drawing
out a small klaive of his own. Like all klaives, it was silver.
"Please put out your hands, noble lord."
Albrecht glared hatefully at him and looked at Mari and
Evan. Mari was giving him a wide-eyed "you idiot" look, while
Evan was stone-faced. Albrecht turned back to Dagrack and
slowly raised his arms, palms up.
Dagrack smiled, and in an flash swung his klaive down.
Albrecht grunted as the tips of his fingers fell to the floor.
The pain burned h im, the agonizing touch of silver. But he
slowly put his now-clawless hands down and cocked his head
at Dagrack.
"So fall our ideals," Dagrack said. "Like dead flesh. Now,
open wide."
A lbrecht opened his large muzzle, revealing sharp fangs.
Dagrack pulled a pair of silver tongs from h is pocket. Albrecht
wondered if h e had come here planning on this punishment
all along. If so, he was pretty cocky about his sway over
A rkady.
Dagrack placed the pliers in A lbrecht's mouth and began
to yank his teeth out, one by one. He grunted with exertion
as he pulled the teeth, finding them hard to remove. Albrecht
shut his eyes and concentrated on blocking out the pain. It
was hard to do. The silver burned his gums and the blood
welled up in his throat, forcing him to cough it out at Dagrack.
Dagrack smiled as the blood sprayed over him, but he did
not stop h is work. "Oh, I e11vy you in a way, A lbrecht. Such
an exquisite pain for those who could appreciate it. I would
carry the memory of such an ecstasy with me forever." He
yanked out the final fang, leaving Albrecht's blunt back teeth
intact .
A lbrech t spat out more blood, speaking with great
d ifficulty. "Then why don't you give me those pliers. I'll oblige
you."
"I fear I haven't the courage. I yearn so, but fear so. I env y
your conviction, Silver Fang."
"Enough compliments," Arkady said. "Take his pelt. Give
it to me."
Dagrack pulled his klaive out again. "I am afraid this one
will hu rt the most. Try not to lose control and attack me. I
would be forced to kill you then. And your friends."
A lbrecht stood still, closing his eyes and trying to
meditate, to go deep within himself and escape the pain. But
he howled loud and long when Dag rack made the first incision
at the base of his throat and worked down from there, slicing
through the skin of the chest and down to the groin. The
Black Spiral Dancer then sliced clean ly down the inside of
both legs. A lbrecht nearly toppled from the pain, but Dagrack
steadied him.
"Enjoying yo ur part in t he mora lity play, A lbrecht?"
Dagrack asked. "What have your morals brought you? Only
this!" He carved the skin off Albrecht's foot with one swipe.
"Th e u nkindest c ut of a ll. Do yo u think I chose th is
punishment out of sheer sadism 7 No, the irony is what's
important here. Didn't the Lay of the Silver Crown teach you
an ything? About how important being good and cleaning your
plate is?"
A lbrecht growled , his eyes shu t. He winced as Dagrack
continued the cutting.
"Where's Gaia now? Where is yo ur wonderful mother? The
endl essly ca ring nurture r? Could they h ave lied to you,
A lbrecht ? A ll those stories about the Earth Mother? She is
n o kind lady. I know that better th an you. No, she is a
cannibal with a fa nged cunt. First she fuck you and then she
cuts you."
Gaia! Albrecht cried to hi mself. Why are yo u letting this
haPt>en! I have done et•erything asked of me' What the hell else
could 1 do? Does ir always come down co blood and pain in the
end? Is that all this equates co? And Falcon! What haf>pened lO
you? You ran away as soon as Arkady showed up. Yotl abandoned
me. I called to you and you ran. I'm alone in this. I gttess it's
always been that way .
But the pack. I have a pack, damn it. And they are going tO
live because of this. This pain - aargh! It hurts! But Mari tvill
live. Evan will live . He'll write me up in the Silver Record , won't
he? He's a good kid. I'm sure he wouldn't forget me. I'll be famous
for this. A martyr.
l don't want to die. Not here. Not torn up by some damn Black
Spiral Dancer. But we don't always get what we ask for ....
Dagrack peeled the hide off Albrecht, starting from below
and sliding the arms off like sleeves turned inside out. As the
hide slid across Albrecht's raw and bloody muscles, he
screamed again in pain. Only his Garou nature kept him alive.
Only the regenerative power given the werewolves by Gaia
allowed him to live to endure such pain and torture.
"This is the lesson of the crown, Silver Fang," Dagrack
said. "No noble sacrifice. No reward for your ideals. Only a
Grand Guignol of pain, humiliation and ultimate degradation.
Serves you right. Serves all your kind. How dare you lecture
my tribe on our ways! But where are your ways now? I'm
stripping them away with your pelt. That is the moral of your
damn crown! It's not about honor, you fool. It's about power.
It always has been."
"Shut up!" Arkady said. "Just finish it."
Dagrack walked away from A lbrecht with the pelt, which
no longer glowed now that it was flayed from Albrecht's body.
He dragged the wet, bloody thing over to Arkady, who took
it in his hand.
A lbrecht collapsed to th e flo or, shivering and barely
conscious through the haze of pain.
"Let them go," Arkady said, signaling the Black Spiral
Dancers. They moved away from Mari and Evan, who both
bolted to Albrecht's side.
Evan bent down and immediately called on his Gift to heal
Albrecht, but while it sealed up some of the oozing blood, it
did not regrow the fur, claws or fangs.
"You sick bastard," Mari said, seething at Arkady. "You're
pretty damn proud of this, aren 't you? Why don't you try doing
that to me? I'll carve you up!"
"Tend to him and then get out of here," Arkady said. "I
am being gracious in letting you live. You conspired against
Silver Fang leadership rites. No tribe will defend you on that."
 "Wanna bet? Wait till A la ni Astarte hears about this!
She'll have every tribe turn against you. No one will recognize
you r ru le."
"Oh? If she will not, then others in your tribe will. S he is
o ld and will die long before I leave the throne. Her successor
will surely ally with my causes."
Mari fumed a nd bent down over Albrecht. "How is he?"
sh e asked Evan.
Evan s ighed. "Alive. But - Gaia! How are we going to
get him out of here witho ut killing him ?"
Dagrack stepped in fronr nf Arkady. "I have given you
Albrecht's pelt. Now I ask one thing of you in return. A simple
thing. O ne well within your powt:: r to grant."
"Tell me," Arkady said.
"I want the S ilver Crown."
"No! You a re joking! I would not dare give this to you!"
"Why not? In my hands, it i· safe fmm any enemy to your
crown. I certainly cannot use it to dethrone you. Do you think
I would be stupid enough to wear it? No, Arkady. I need it to
overthrow Azaera."
"Your queen ? Why ?"
"Why not? S he is a tyrant. S he uses you as a puppet. I work
with you out of respect. She wants only power. If I have the
crown - not even to wear it, but to possess it - the Black
Spiral Dancers will come to my side. Rumor a lone of the
crown wi ll bring them to me. With such an army of
sycophants, I cou ld easily overthrow the bitch!"
"No ... don't .... " A lbrecht c hoked o ut, from his prone
position on the ground.
Arkady looked at him, amazed. "Do not give Dagrack t he
c rown? Why? Because you still labor under the illusio n that
you can have it? Oh, no. I will give the crown to whom I see
fit. In his hands, it is at least as far away from yours as it can
get."
Dagrack beamed. "Thank you, my lo rd! I am deeply
honored." He reached his hands out for the box beneath
Arkady, but Arkady put his foot on the box. Dag rac k looked
up questio ningly.
"You must swear to hide it away, and to let none of the
tribes know where you put it. Is this clear ? If I hear rumor of
it from any of the tribes, l will kill you and take it back."
"Of course. I will be most occult concerning its hiding."
Arkady removed his foot, and Dagrack picked up the box.
"Mari .... " Alb recht whispered, trying to rise. "Get it .. .
don 't let .... "
Mari was already moving. S he was next to Dagrack before
he knew it, :md reaching for the box. A rkady leaped in and
punched he r fu ll in the face. She was knocked hack , giving
Dagrack time to scurry over to his pack.
Mari moved in on Arkady, but the Silver Fang placed his
klaive between himself and her.
"Du you wish to be carved up as was your friend?" he said .
"No, Mari!" Evan yelled. "They've got the crown. There's
nothing we can do."
Mari glared at Arkady and over at Dagrack, dropping into
an attack stance.
A lbrecht stood up, gr unting loudly, startling everyone.
"No. Don't, Mari." He swayed but kept his balance. "It's over."
Mari qu ivered in anger at Albrecht but then sighed , and
stepped away from Arkady. "Damn you, A lbrecht. I hate you
for giving in."
"Sorry," Albrecht said. "I'll make it up to you later." He
almost fell, but Evan caught him. Mari ran over to help steady
him, concerned now. "Heh. Not too good on my feet here."
Dagrack was ign oring them now as he opened the box. A
silver radiance came forth, lighting his awestruck face. "It's
beautiful. It's so ... noble." H e reached in and pulled out a
silve r headband, simple and unadorned. He let the box drop
to the floor.
That's it? A lbrecht thought, gritting his teeth in pain. A
band of silver? No jewels or stuff?
Oagrack turned to show the crown to everyone in the
room, beaming with pride. He then turned toward Arkady and
held the crown over his own head. "Power, Arkady. Power.
Only cowards fear the taboos of their elders."
"What are you doing?" Arkady cried, running toward him.
"Put it away! You'll die!"
Dagrack put on the crown.
And smiled. "You see. l am the true king here. No ethical
retribution. No moral finger-wagging. Your stories were wrong.
Your lies about the Wynn are also proved wrong, Arkady. We
are not corrupt. just-"
He broke off into a scream as the crown began to glow
brightly. It seared itself onto his head, fusing with the skin.
Smoke rose from his singed fur, stinking up the room. He
frantically shifted to Lupus form, trying to knock it off, but it
was part of him now. He danced around, yelping in pain.
The Black Spiral Dancers stared at him, aghast, not sure
what to do.
Dagrack's head was melting. The skin caught fire and
burned away, revealing red and oozing musculature
underneath, which itself burned away to reveal bone. The
bone blackened and bubbled, cracking into shards.
Dagrack still screamed.
His eyes poo led to jelly and ran out of the sockets,
smearing across his chest fur. He fell to the ground as the bone
cracked away, blackened and charred, falling from his face to
reveal a cooking brain, bubbling in its own juices. The crown
seemed to shrink to constrict the brain, but the gray matter
quickly liquefied and spilled across the floor.
The crown hit the floor with a gentle clang.
In the next few seconds, nobody moved. They all stared
at the sizzling mass of flesh that once had been Dagrack's head.
His body was perfectly intact.
Then Albrecht bolted toward the crown. Call ing on
reserves of energy he hadn't kno wn he had, he ran with a ll
his might toward the crown. He was fo llo wed a mere fraction
of a second later by Arkady. The Black Spiral Dancers were
too stunned to react to th is explosio n of blinding speed from
the S ilve r Fa ngs.
Albrecht reached the crown first by a palm's width. He
held it up a nd away fro m the grasping Arkad y.
"Give it!" Arkady g rowled, and du g hi s c la ws into
Albrecht's exposed abdomen, puncturing the sto mach wall,
spilling o ut guts and blood.
A lbrecht grunted but concentrated o n one thing: dropping
the crown on his head. In the mome nt it took the crown to
settle - a measurel ess moment, las ting a n e te rnit y for
A lbrecht and Arkad y, but me re fractions of a second fo r the
others in the room - Albrecht wondered what it wou ld fee l
like when his bra in me lted away. He prayed that he could die
with more dignity than Dagrack had. Please Gaia, let it be a
quick death.
The c ro wn fitted itself to his head, tightening about his
skull. The sil ver band seared into his furless flesh, causing
more pain than Albrecht would have believed possible. Mo re
pain than he had known when t he fur was flayed from his flesh
and the teeth yanked from his jaws. Mo re pai n than could
possibly exist. The s ilver burned into his skin and melded with
it, becoming part of it, an inextricable piece of his body and
being. A lbrech t shut his eyes, tears fl owing down his checks.
Visions danced in his head, images of the past. King
Morningkill bent down over A lbrecht, a c hild of twelve, and
patted his shoulder. The king dipped his hand in paint and
drew a pictogram across A lbrecht's face . The sign of the
chosen. A t twelve years old, before even his Firsting, A lbrecht
was chose n h e ir to t h e thro ne . Mo rnin g kill s mil ed at
Albrecht.
The images swirled in his mind. His first kill, a simple
Bane. But it had been his first and he h ad do ne it well. The
admiration of his young packmates, the other Fangs who had
undergone their rites with him, becoming Garou together. The
praise and cheers for the boy who would one day be king.
And the growing vanity from such praise. Albrecht saw
again the scene of his exile. He dragged the Wyrm carcass
behind him, beaming with pride. But Morningkill stood up
on his throne and commanded Albrecht to kneel. Albrecht
refused and was banished by the king. He lost his temper and
leapt at his grandfather, but Greyfist pulled him back.
New York. He wandered the streets, alone . The Bone
Gnawers had been pleased to welcome him, but he disdained
their company. As the days passed and soon the months, he
grew more and more like them, fishing his meals from garbage
cans. He drank bottle after bottle of increasingly worse
alcohol. Every day made him more cynical, more gutter-
mouthed. He had once spoken only as a high-born Fang was
expected to, but his speech soon devolved into curse word
after curse word.
Then Evan ran into him, colliding with him in the street,
running for his life from Black Spiral Dancers. He had his
Firsting right there, tearing into the Spirals and killing them.
Albrecht took him in and helped him get to the northern
spirits who taught him his heritage. And in the process, he
climbed out of the gutter. He had been saved by Falcon then.
He had been considered worthy by the great bird. But now ... ?
The pain was gone. Albrecht blinked and opened his eyes.
A golden light came from behind Albrecht, and before he
turned to look at its source, he heard the flapping of huge
wings and the clack of talons on marble tile.
He turned his head and beheld Falcon. Not the tiny spirit
that had led him here, but Falcon himself. The totem of the
Silver Fangs stood incarnate in the room. The great bird
emanated golden light from his shining feathers and an even
brighter radiance from his eyes. He looked down at Albrecht.
And bowed his head.
 Albrecht let out a sigh. He had survived. He had been
judged worthy by the greatest judge of honor there was. By
the totem which stood for honor, the totem which, in a deep,
mystical way, was honor incarnate.
Arkady whimpered and withdrew his hand from Albrecht's
guts. He crawled back a few feet, staring in fear at Falcon.
Albrecht stood up, holding in his intestines, and Falcon
opened his wings wide. A golden glow blinded everyone in
the room. The Black Spiral Dancers screamed and clutched
their eyes, scuttling into the corner. When the glow subsided,
Albrecht blinked, staring down at his body. At his fur and
claws. He gnashed his teeth and howled for joy that he now
had teeth t.o gnash. He was whole again, his stomach sealed
and his arm usable.
He looked around the room. Everyone was staring at him.
Albrecht turned to Arkady, who was still on the floor. The
Garou did not meet his gaze. Instead, he stared at Falcon,
trembling. Albrecht turned back to Falcon.
Falcon spoke in a deep, rumbling voice. "He is yours to
command, King Albrecht. You wear the Silver Crown. You
are king of the Garou, as ordained by Gaia at the Dawn. What
is your command to him?"
Albrecht looked back at Arkady. He knew this was his
most important moment. His first royal edict. His ruling would
be a reality, no matter what Arkady wished otherwise. The
crown would ensure that. It would force Arkady to do his
bidding. And that was a terrible power to wield.
Albrecht thought. H e could kill Arkady outright. Or
worse, he could force the Garou to suffer what he had: loss of
his pelt. He savored that thought. But then he realized what
it would do to him if he went through with it. He would be
Arkady. In many ways, they were reflections of each other
already: both exiles, both royals, both contenders for the
crown. But he wanted nothing to do with Arkady's style of
rulership as displayed by what Albrecht had just gone through.
 But was mercy proper here? Did Arkady deserve it? He had
killed Greyfis t, A l brecht's o ldes t friend and a trusted
seneschal. Didn't Greyfist deserve revenge? To be weak here,
to fail to dole out the proper justice .... Who would that ruling
ha rm in the future?
Albrecht felt the full weight of the crown: not a physical
we ight, but one of responsibility. Arkady's life was in his
hands. Arkady, who could go on to harm other Garou as he
h ad his own sept. But Albrecht h ad a lways h ated the
sanctimonious leaders who so casually handed out life or death
sentences, never seeming to care for the consequences of their
edicts. He knew that he could not let hate rule him. He had
to rule his own rage before he could rule others.
Damn it, he thought. I don't want to become what I most
hare . I don't want to be a despot. I don't want co be the strong
arm of authority.
"Get up, Arkady," Albrecht said.
Arkady looked up at him suspiciously, trembling. Bur he
stood up, as if he had no choice. The power of the crown
compelled him.
"I am n ot going to kill you, although you damn well
deserve it."
Arkady's eyebrows rose. He stared in utter sh ock at
A lbrecht.
"But you are now an exile. Not just from the protectorate,
as I was, but from the tribe. You are no longer a Silver Fang."
Arkady lowered his head. "No. Kill me. Don't make me
walk alone. Kill me."
"No. Your punishment is to wander alone. Tribeless. No
one will take you in. You deserve worse, you asshole. But I
won't kill you. I'm not going to start playing that game. I
ought to thank you, in a twisted way. You helped me shed my
skin here. Literally. A friend of mine says that's what the
problem with the world is: The Wynn's not shedding its skin."
Arkady looked at Albrecht with contempt and a sneer
on his face.
 "And just for that grimace you're wearing," Albrecht said,
"you can bow down and acknowledge your punishment."
Arkady growled but seemed unable to resist Albrech t's
command. He bowed.
"Get out of here. Get out of the city, out of the state. Get
out of the fucking country. Go back to where you came from."
Arkady looked up at Albrecht with fear in his eyes. "No.
You can't. Not back to Russia. You don't know how things
are there. You don't know the power of the Hag-"
"And I don't give a damn. Just go."
Arkady rose, all his will useless before the power of the
true king's commands. He walked to the passageway, trembling
with anger.
"One more thing," Albrecht said. "You are forbidden to
deal with Black Spiral Dancers. Not even they can help you
now."
Arkady looked at Albrecht. All the hate and anger in him
had drained away. All that was left was sorrow. "You do not
know what it is to walk alone, Albrecht. Even you, who have
known exile, do not know the terror of the ronin. Do you
think this fate I will now suffer is unknown to me? It was my
life in Russia. A hard life. Only the Black Spiral Dancers
offered aid. But when I arrived here, in North Country, I was
accepted. No communication could escape Russia to reveal
my past there. I swore never to lose that acceptance. Being
king would have allowed me to keep that and eventually to
betray the Black Spirals who had so beholden me to them.
But you have ruined that."
He turned and crawled into the passageway. Albrecht said
nothing else to him.
Albrecht looked at the Black Spiral Dancers. He then
looked at Evan and Mari. "All right. You're my advisors. What
do we do with them?"
"Kill them," Mari said, staring murderously at them.
"Kill them all."
 Evan lowered his h ead and said nothing, but Albrecht
could see the hate he had for them, and his shame at that
hate.
"I want you to go back to your caern," Albrecht said,
addressing all of the Dancers, who tried to avert their gazes
but could not. They were, afte r all, Garou, and Albrecht wore
the Silver C rown. "And kill everything you see there. If you
don't get killed in the process, I want you to fall on yourselves
and kill each other. If one of you is left after that, that one
may live. But I want the surv ivor to tell this story to all your
kind. Let them know that they better not fuck with me. Get
out of here."
The Black Spiral Dancers ran for the passageway, bloodlust
already in their eyes. They were looking forward to the coming
blood-bath. All except one, the last one out of the room.
Arglach. He stared back at Albrecht with fury.
"I am now leader in Dagrack's place," he said. "Leader of
my hive. And you make me destroy it. From one leader to
another, ifl survive, I will kill you some day." He then crawled
into the passage to follow his grunting and howling war party
back to their Moon Bridge.
When they were gone, Albrecht turned to Falcon.
"I want to thank you for everyth ing yo u've done. It seems
you're always getting me out of a mess."
"You govern your own actions. I only act to a id my
children when all else has failed. You had to complete the
quest as far as you could; but it was impossible to complete it
without me. lied you here, but only you could make the final
sacrifice."
"Look .... I am a bit worried about this kingship thing. This
ultimate power scares me a bit."
"Have no fear. Your ability tO command the actions of
others is no longer a trait of the crown."
"Huh?"
"It was a test, A lbrecht. As everything else has been. The
first command is the most important. It will hallow or taint
your days forever afte r. The test is over. The crown's powers
are no longer so great."
"Did I choose right, then? Should I have killed Arkady?"
Falcon was silent.
"Look .... If the crown isn't so powerful any more, what
good is it?"
"It is the symbol of Gaia's unity. One king over all the
tribes. One law for all the tribes. The Litany. You wear the
crown, so you must support the Litany, even when it harms
your tribe. The other tribes may nor immed iately recognize
your position, but if you ru le wise ly, they wi ll learn by
example."
"So all those legends about the crown's amazing powers
were just tall tales?"
"No, they were true. But that was another age. The time
of the king is fading, Albrechr. Gaia willing, there will come
a time when all of Gaia's creatures wi ll be able to rule
themselves with no guidance but their own hearts."
" Bu t wait a minute. T he crown is from th e Dawn.
Everything was perfect then. Wh y did they need the crown?"
"Perfect? What age has ever been perfect 1 Things were
newly born then, Albrecht. Unformed. Their purposes under
Gaia had not begun to be fulfi lled."
Falcon then spread his wings wide. "Enough instruction.
You must return tO your cacm. Tomorrow is Coronation Day!"
A golden light suffused the room and blinded them all.
When they again opened their eyes, they were standing on
the field outside Morningkill's mansion, before the throne of
the SilYer Fangs.
Garou nearby sprang into action , anticipating an intruder,
but they stopped dead in their track:. when they saw Falcon
and his passengers.
Then Falcon raised his wings once more and was gone.
Albrecht stood there, whole again, completely healed by
Falcon. The crown was on his head, a plain silver band. He
looked at the Garou, running from all over and pointing at
him, staring in awe. Well, he thought, this sure is a change from
the last time I was here .
Mari and Evan turned about, looking in all directions.
"Is that the throne?" Evan asked, pointing at the Grand
Oak and the seat carved into it.
"Yeah," Albrecht said, eyeing it. He wondered if it were
comfortable to sit in.
"All this for that hunk of oak? It doesn't look like much,"
Mari said.
Albrecht looked at her frowning face and started to laugh.
"After all this, that's all you have to say?"
"I'm entitled to my own criticism," Mari said.
Albrecht shook his head and walked up to the throne. He
sat down on it. As he sat in the seat of his grandfather, he
looked out over the Garou gathering around, staring at him
wirth expectant faces, waiting for him to speak.
And he realized that the hardest part was just beginning.
 The rites had been performed. They had taken the entire
day and most of the night, but they were done. Lord Albrech t
was now King A lbrecht, invested through the rituals of his
people.
There had been a special guest for the investiture, one
A lbrecht had invited personally. O ne who had not set foot
within the caern for a longer t ime even than A lbrecht's exile.
Loba Carcassone stood proudly to the right of the throne, the
position of the king's chosen, his favored warriors. The S ilver
Fang pariah had long been ignored for her campaign against
the Wynn's child-abuse plots, but now she was honored for
them, recognized as the hero she was. Albrecht knew that , if
everything she said about the Defiler Wyrm was true, there
would be an accounting soon - even if he had to lead the
charge himself. But that was a matter for the future. For now,
Loba once again stood in her tribal protectorate. The exiles
had come home.
The feast lasted for a week. C elebrants were invited from
all over, even from the other tribes. An tonine Teardrop was
there for the Stargazers. Mother Larissa came for the Bone
Gnawers. Others came, too, leaders of their own protectorates
or septs: Alani Astarte, the wise old matron of the Black
Furies; Pearl River and True S ilverheels of the C hildren of
Gaia, two level-headed ex-hippies; the somewhat rowdy but
entertaining Riordan C liffgrazer of the Fianna; and Nepthys
Mu'at of the Silent Striders, who didn't stay long.
The Get of Fenris sent no one. Their leader, Arn Guth
Stormbright, had never been a friend to Albrecht . The same
for the Red Talons and the Shadow Lords, all n ursing sour
thoughts about the Silver Fangs in general and A lbrecht in
particular. The Uktena and Wend igo were also absent. They
did not recognize the Silver Fangs' rule, and so stayed away.
Yet this was the first time in many years that so many tribal
leaders had come together. It was an occas ion for true
celebration. Albrecht couldn't believe it himself. Two days
ago he had been just an uncouth, prideful Garou to them.
Now, they came to wish him well and to discuss the future
between their tribes.
A lbrecht had hidden in Greyfist's library for most of the
first day, nervous and unsure of how to receive them. He had
never done anything remotely like this before.
There was a knock on the door, and Evan poked his head
in.
"Hey, kid," Albrecht said, pacing before the desk.
Evan walked in. "You're going tO have to go out there. We
told them you're still suffering from your wounds, but that
you'd be out soon."
"I can't do this! I'm not a diplomat. I can't schmooze with
these guys."
"You don't have to. Just be yourself. They'll respect that
more."
"Oh, yeah. Right. They'll respect me for being myself? For
cursing and spitting out cynical homilies at every turn? They'll
love me. I'll be a hit."
"Albrecht, quit whining. You've been through much worse
than a simple party. You know how to do this. What did your
grandfather use to do?"
Albrecht stopped pacing. "I remember once, long ago,
when a high and mighty Garou came to see him. Bull Roarer,
I think, of the Uktena. I don't know what he was doing here.
But he's old and respected. Jacob stepped down from the
thcone and greeted him in Lupus form, which seemed to please
the old wolf."
"See? You've got a good example to follow in your
grandfather."
"Ha! Then there was the time, much later, when Kleon
Winston came. You know, the Glass Walker Don? Morningkill
made him wait out in the rain for an hour before he finally
saw him. And then Winston left angry anyway. It's funny, but
the electricity in the mansion didn't work too well for a month
after that. We figured the Walker had left a gremlin behind
for his troubles."
"So? It's still an example. It's just what not to do. You've
got both angles now."
Albrecht looked at Evan. "Always looking on the bright
side, huh?"
Evan looked back at him. "Even when we were getting
kicked around by those Dancers, I knew you'd succeed. I don't
think Mari had such fa ith, but I did. I knew I might die. But
I knew you would succeed so you could take the throne and
unite the tribes- those tribes out there on the field waiting
for you. lf I had died, what would you have done now?"
Albrecht was silent for a moment. "I'd have gone out there
and made peace. For your sake."
"Good. And now that I'm alive, you're not going to?"
Albrecht smi led. "All right, Master Po. I'm going out
there." He punched Evan in the arm as he walked past him.
And then he went out to greet the dignitaries.
 The feast was over. The guests had gone home, satisfied
that the king was someone they could deal with. They did
not universally recognize his rule over their tribes, but they
did realize that he was a fa ir judge who could help them work
through their own disputes.
The Silver Fangs of the Nonh Country Protecrorate all
beamed with pride. The grandson of King Jacob Morningki ll
now sat on the throne. Things were as they should be. The
low had again been raised high.
A lbrecht sat on the throne, watching the Kin families
clean up the field of liner left after the feast. He smoked a
fat, smelly cigar and had his feet up on the armrest of the
throne as he leaned back over the other armrest. He belched .
The parry had been over for a few hours now. He h ad
changed back into his old clothes, a T-shin and jeans. His
klaive hunJ from its shoulder holster on his left side. His long
hair was no longer tied back, but flowed loosely down his
shoulders. He hadn't shaved for a few days, and his beard was
coming back. And the crown was on his head, immovable.
Seeing Evan and Mari walking across the field toward him,
Albrecht sat up straight and put out the cigar. They were only
his packmates, but he had learned from the last few days that
he needed to clean up his acr if he was going to lead the tribe.
Mari shook her head a~ she approached. They came and
stood at the foot of the throne, looking up at him.
"We're going back tn New York," Mari ~aid.
"What?!" Albrecht barked, sitting up. "Bur you've got great
digs here!"
"We live in New York, Albrecht."
Albrecht frowned and slouched again. "Yeah. 1 guess. Hey!
I can visi t anytime I want. I'm king, a ren't I? No more
waiting in line for Moon Bridges. No more greasing the palm
of the Gatekeeper. Anyt ime! You guys can come back
anytime, too. Sure."
 "Of course we will," Evan said. "We are packmates. That
hasn't changed."
"Speaking of which," Mari said. "I don't know if I'm
comfortable with this king thing of yours. You're already
getting an ego about it."
"Hey! Hey, now. I've been a perfect gentlemen here. We
are a pack, Mari. We are equals."
Mari shook her head. "For now. But how soon till you start
trying to pull rank? A male does not boss around a Black
Fury!"
"Whoah! I won't. I don't even rule the Black Fury tribe.
Alani Astarte made that clear. But she does recognize my
position as a unifier. The Furies still make their own decisions.
I'm just a figurehead, really."
"But an important figurehead," Evan said. "We're not
humans. Symbols mean something for us. And that's why
you're important, Albrecht. Don't let the other tribes tell you
otherwise."
"Don't wor ry. I'm not going to push them around, but
they're not going to push me, either. I am the king of the
Silver Fangs, after all. Like it or not, the other tribes need to
recognize our precedence."
"Hmph. This is just too weird," Mari said. "But don't you
ever forget that I can kick your white-furred ass around this
field. You just got lucky the last time."
"Luck?! Luck, was it? I don't know about that. I got in a
pretty good lick-"
"Stop it!" Evan said. "What is this? A sitcom? You guys
return to normal at the end of the episode! Haven't you
learned anything from this?"
"I still owe him for this scar," Mari said, pointing at the
scar on her belly.
"I'm sorry already!" Albrecht said. "How many times do
you want me to say it?"
 "Mari, you did a ttac k him first, you know," Evan said.
Mari fumed silentl y fo r a mo ment . "He was trespassing in
my territory. But I guess I ove rreacted."
"Well. ... " Albrech t said. " I guess I should have watc hed
where I was going. But I didn't expect you to attack me."
"Wait a minute," Mari said. "You told me you didn't know
it was my te rri to ry."
"Uh .. . well, I might have lied."
"Yo u basta rd!" Mari yelled, stepping toward him .
"Will you t wo stop!" Evan said, stepping bet ween t hem.
"I a m getting really sick of pulling you off each other !"
''I'm sorry," A lbrecht said to Mari. "I've s:-~ i d ir before.
Wha t do you want 1 A free shOl ar me?"
"Yes," Mari said. "I'll rake t hat as an apology."
A lbrecht tore h is shirt in half down t he fron t, revealing
his chest. "There. There it is. Go for it."
Mari stepped up, but then stopped. She looked at t he ugly
scar o n his right pectoral, t he one Arkady had made with h is
klaive. T he wound was healed, thanks w Falcon, and the lung
had already grown back, but t he scar wo uld be perma nent.
She stepped away.
"I t's roo easy," Mari said. "l know I can ra ke you. I don' t
need you to sit the re for me. It's over."
"A pology accepted?"
"Yes."
Evan smiled. "Thank Gaia that c hap ter is over! Well,
A lbrecht, we'll catc h up with you soon. But we've really got
to get back ho me. Ma ri has classes ro teach."
"I know, I know. You just get going. Maybe I'll drop by
ne xt week, once things have calmed down he re."
"Good," Evan sa id.
"Farewell, Albrecht," Mari said.
"Good-bye, Ma ri," A lbrecht said. "And thanks for your
help. I couldn' t have done it wi t hout you."
Mari smiled. ") know. You would h ave fa iled miserably
without me. What else is new?" She turned around and walked
off.
Albrecht's eyes narrowed, but he smiled. He waved ar Evan
as the boy followed Mari.
The new king sat back on the throne and watched Eliphas
open a Moon Bridge for his packmates. When it closed and
they were gone, he sighed. It was kind of lonely here. The
o nl y person he really knew anymore was Eliphas. With
G reyfist gone, he had few good friends he re. Regina was all
right, but he barely knew her. His family had lightened up
toward him cons iderably, altho ugh he knew some of that was
s imply kissing up to the king. Suner still wouiJn't speak with
him, though.
No, it was going to be a lo nely place. He'd have to bridge
back to New York now a nd then just to stay sane.
He saw two people coming toward him from far across the
field. And he knew then that it wouldn't be too lonely.
His father walked with young Seth. They were com ing over
to him, and his father waved. Seth waved also, beaming at
his uncle, the king.
Albrecht smiled and waved back.
 LEltrCON

Airts: The magical paths within the spirit world (e.g., Spirit
Tracks, Moon Paths, etc.).
Apocalypse: The age of destruction, the final cycle, the birth
of death , the everlasting corruption, the end of Gaia - a word
used in Garou mythology to describe the time of the final
battle with the Wyrm. Many consider this time to be the
present.
Auspice: The phase of the moon under which a particular
Garou was born; commonly thought to determine personality
and tendenc ies. The auspices are: Ragabash (New Moon;
Trickster), Theurge (Crescenr Moon; Seer), Philodox (Half
Moon; Judge), Gall iard (Gibbous Moon; Moon Dancer),
Ahroun (Full Moon; Warrior) .
Bane: Evil spirits that follow the Wyrm. There are many
different kinds of Banes: Scrag, Kalus, Psychomachiae and
more.
Bawn: A boundary area around a caern, where mortals are
watched.
Breed: The ancestry of a Garou, be it wolf, human or other
Garou.
Caern: A sacred place; a meeting spot where the Garou can
contact the spirit world.
Celestin e: The greatest spirits; the closest things the Garou
have to gods. Examples are Luna (the Moon) and Helios (the
Sun).
Charach: A Garou who sleeps with another Garou or has done
so in the past. Often used as a word of anger.
Concolation: A great moot, wherein many tribes gath er to
discuss matters that concern the Nation of Garou.
C orruption: The act of destroying, devolving or debasing life;
a lso, the often overwhelming effects of the Wynn's actions.
In the present age, it often specifically refers to the ecological
ruin humans wreak upon the environment.
C r inos: The half-wolf, half-human form of the Garou.
D elirium: The madness suffered by humans who look upon a
Garou in C rinos form.
D omain: A mini-Realm in the Umbra, usually connected to
a larger Realm in the Deep U mbra.
F lock, The: All of humanity, particularly those h umans from
whom the G arou recru it their members.
Gaia: The Earth and related Realms, in both a physical and
a spiritual sense; the Mother Goddess.
Garou: The term werewolves use for themselves.
Gatekeeper: A Garou who is in charge of the spiritual and
magical defense of a caern, including the opening and closing
of Moon Bridges.
G auntlet: The barrier between the physical world of Earth
and the spirit world of the Umbra. It is strongest around
tech nological (Weaver) places, weakest around caerns.
Gift: A magical ability, taught to the Garou by spirits of
nature.
Glen: A small realm or domain of Gaian energy in the spirit
wo rld. Glens often appea r as lush forests or jungles.
Harano : Inexplicab le gloom , inexpress ible lo nging for
·unna mable thi ngs, weeping for that wh ich is not yet lost.
Some say it is depression caused by contemplation of Gaia's
suffering.
H ispo: The near-wolf form of the Garou.
Homid: A Garou of human ancestr y. Occasiona lly used
disdainfull y by ferals (e.g., "That boy fights like a homid.").
K laive : A fetish dagger or sword, usually of great spi ritual
[pOtency and nearly always made of silver.
Litany: T he code of laws kept by the Garou.
Lodge of the Moon: O ne half of a Silver Fang court. T his
o rganization tends to the spiritual affairs of the sept. There
are three positions: Shaman, Steward and Squire.
Lodge of the Sun: One half of a Silver Fang court. This
organization tends to the material affairs of the sept. There
are three positions: Shaman, Steward and Squire.
Luna: See Celestine.
Lunae: Realms which sometimes appear at the crossroads of
two or more Moon Paths. They are almost always guarded by
resident Lunes.
Lune: An enigmatic spirit allied to Luna. Lunes guard the
Moon Paths.
Lupus: A Garou of wolf origin.
Metis: The sterile and often deformed offspring of two Garou.
Generally reviled by Garou society.
Moon Bridge: A gate between two caerns; it most often
appears during moots.
Moon Path: See Airts.
Moot: A sept or tribal conclave that takes place at a caern.
Mule: S lang for metis.
Near Umbra: The spirit world surrounding the Gaia Realm.
Pack: A small group of Garou bound to each other by ties of
friendship and mission as opposed to culture.
Pictogram: The Garou possess a wr itten language of
pictograms, many of which are quite ancient. They may appear
to the unin itiated to be mere claw marks, but there is an
"alphabet" of elaborate symbology.
P enumbra : "Earth's Shadow; " the spirit wo rld d irectly
surrounding the physical world ; many, but not all, terrain
features will be the same.
Protectorate: The territory claimed and patrolled by a pack
or sept.
R ealms: The worlds of "solid" reality within the Tellurian.
Earth is referred to as the Realm.
-rhya: "Greater in station"; a suffix appended to a name.
Rite: A magical ritual.
R onin: A Garou who has chosen or been forced to leave
Garou society. It is a harsh fate to become a "lone wolf."
Seneschal: A Silver Fang king's second-hand man and closest
advisor.
Sept: The group of Garou who live near and tend an
individual caern.
Silver R ecord, t h e: The sacred "bible" of the Garou, a
collection of their most treasured legends and deeds from all
the tribes.
Stepping Sideways: Entering the spirit world. Most elders
consider this term flippant and disrespectful.
Throat: To best another in ritual combat. Used as a verb
(e.g., "I throated his sorry butt!"}.
Totem: A spirit joined to a pack or tribe and representative
of its inner nature. A tribal totem is an lncarna, while a pack
totem is an lncarna avatar (a Jaggling equivalent).
Triat, The: The Weaver, the Wyld and the Wyrm. The trinity
of primal cosmic forces.
Tribe: The larger community of Garou. Tribe members are
often bound by similar totems and lifestyles.
Umbra: The spirit world.
Urrah: Garou who live in the city; also, the tainted ones.
Veil, The: See Delirium.
Warder: A Garou who is in charge of the martial defense of
a caern.
Ways, The: T he traditions of the Garou.
Weaver, The: Manifestation and symbol of order and pattern.
Computers, science, logic and mathematics are examples of
the Weaver's influence on the material plane.
Wyld, The: Manifestation and symbol of pure change. The
chaos of transmutation and elemental force.
Wyrm, The: Manifestation and symbol of evil, entropy and
decay in Garou belief. Vampires are often manifestations of
the Wyrm, as are toxic waste and pollution.
Wyrmhole: A place that has been spiritually defiled by the
Wyrm; invariably a location of great corruption.
Will iamBridges, who is the line developer for White Wolf'sWn-fWolf:
Thr Apoulypsr roleplaying game, has written many sourcebooks for
White Wolf, including Croatan Song (a Werewolfgraphic novel). He is also
the co-scriptwriter for Viacom New Media's horror interactive game
Dracula Unlrashrd. He graduated from the Virg inia Commonwealth
University with a degree in filmmaking and a minor in Philosophy, and
currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.