Cubs in the Barn

[hazlogs]

It is currently 17:54 Pacific Time on Tue Jul 15 1997.
Currently on this windy and hot summer dusk in the general St. Claire area, it 
  is 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.8 degrees Celsius). The wind is coming from the 
  north at 22.1 mph. The ground is wet. Skies are hazy with a possible chance 
  of precipitation.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (72% full).

Kasie oh, wows aloud at the current size of the wolf. Her hand, which remained 
  on him during his shift, now moves over his thicker fur.
Aerin changes with a sickening pop and twisting of bones and muscles into 
  Lupus form.
Runs-With-Moon lands on the floor on all fours and barks happily at James. 
  You're doing fine.
Elan grins! "You did it! That's great! Now, one more step. Be a dog, man." He 
  looks at James. "James, I just don't know. I think you're so frustratyeds at 
  not knowing your tribem that it's sorta fucked you up, up here. We'll get 
  that straightened out."
Erik shifts his weight from one foot to the other, then moves to join the 
  others near James.
Kasie looks up at Erik as he joins them. Her eyes filled with excitement she 
  says, "Look how big he is!"
Erik nods quietly to the Fianna cub. "That's the Hispo form I told you about, 
  Kasie."
Elan smiles as he strokes James' muzzle. "This is the near wolf. Come on 
  James. Shift just once more for us. You'll sleep better, trust me."
Runs-With-Moon sits down and thumps her tail on the ground.
Runs-With-Moon eyes LOB. Think wolf. Play Wolf. BE Wolf.
Kasie glances to Aerin, then back to Erik, "Think we should change, too?"
Erik hesitates, then replies, "If you want to, you can, Kasie. It would be 
  good practice."
Kasie cocks her head, "You don't want to, too?"
Runs-With-Moon bobs her head up and down at Kasie. Do like you did first time. 
  Be the Wolf.
Runs-With-Moon bounds over to Kasie and wriggles her head under her arm. Play. 
  she murphs.
Erik shakes his head. "I'd really rather not." Tension faintly colors his 
  voice, and shame.
Kasie looks down from Erik as the head pushes under her arm. She gives a happy 
  little laugh, missing mose of Erik's reaction. Her hands going to Runs' 
  ruff, she asks Erik, "You sure?"
Erik says quietly, "I'm sure."
Light-of-Belief woofs weakly, resting before he tries shifting again. He 
  closes his eyes, half in concentration, half in thought. ~Elan...I'll be 
  okay, right?~
Runs-With-Moon drops her jaw at LOB in a wolf grin. I give you my word you 
  will be fine.
Kasie lets go at Runs and moves back a step on her knees. She tosses her head, 
  flicking her hair out of her eyes as she goes down on all fours. She seems 
  to address the general room, "Okay, I'll try!"
Kasie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, then another. After only a 
  moment or two, she shifts.
Kasie contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Kasie shifts into Lupus form.
Runs-With-Moon sniffsniffs Kasie. Welcome Sister.
Brightspot stays still a moment, then her ears and nose start twitching and 
  moving. She woofs! and opens her eyes as her tail starts wagging.
Erik slips his hands into his pockets and sighs softly, wistfully.
Esther enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
Esther has arrived.
Brightspot thrusts her muzzle into Runs' fur, seeking her scent. Her tail 
  keeps wagging as she moves her muzzle all around the other female.
Elan grins, and puts an arm around James shaggy neck. "We're here for you, 
  cubbie."
Runs-With-Moon looks up and woofs good naturedly at Esther. Greetings!
Light-of-Belief pats his tail on the ground once in a lupine smile. After a 
  moment, before he shifts again, he asks Elan. ~I'm..not crazy..am I?~
Falcon's Wing has connected.
Esther arrives in the barn with a small square wooden box slung over her 
  shoulder by a strap. She pauses to take in the barn's occupants by sight. 
  "Evening," she says, recognising Aerin, but not Kasie, who she's never seen 
  in Lupus.
Elan squeezes him. "You're not crazy, James. Not at all."
Falcon's Wing leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Falcon's Wing has left.
Brightspot's nose moves down Runs' back leg, and she continues sniffing along 
  the floor in a random direction. She seems not to have noticed Esther's 
  arrival.
Erik turns his head toward the sound of Esther's voice and ducks his head to 
  the Fostern before looking back at the bright young cub.
Light-of-Belief closes his eyes at Elan's affirmation, shifting to Lupus after 
  many long moments.
Light-of-Belief contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Light-of-Belief shifts into Lupus form.
Runs-With-Moon whirls and suddenly pounces on Brightspot, licking and sniffing 
  all over. Hah! Gotcha Kasie.
Brightspot's tail wags with each of her steps, totally into her exploration. 
  She gets pounced and sounds a surprised yip! She tries to roll under the 
  other.
Runs-With-Moon mrrrrphs as she sniffs and nibbles...then licks an ear.
Erik withdraws a bit, hands still in his pockets, and sits down on the barn 
  floor, pulling one knee to his chest.
Runs-With-Moon eyes LOB. Congradulations. Come join and play.
Brightspot wiggles around, finally getting onto her back. All four paws flail 
  in the air as she tries to both get her ear out of reach and dart her tongue 
  against Runs'.
Runs-With-Moon gives a lupine grin down at Brightspot, then promptly SITS on 
  her, then has fun.
Light-of-Belief grunts, This one is too tired to play. The bandages no longer 
  fit him, but some of them aren't needed anyway. His chest wound is still 
  healing, but everything else has finished healing.
Elan stays in human form, watching the cubs play. He relaxes for the first 
  time since he arrived this afternoon, and leans against a hay bale.
Esther strolls over to prop herself beside Elan. "You look tired," she 
  comments, quietly.
John enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
John has arrived.
Brightspot's hindlegs pedal behind the sudden weight and she tries to use her 
  front paws to defend herself, with little effect.
Elan nods to Esther, wiping a grease spot from his bare chest. "I am... was up 
  all night watching over James, and now all this."
Esther says "Hmm? All this?"
Runs-With-Moon yips in amusement and barks. Is good to learn to play.
Elan nods, a bit weary. "When I came in, James was having another dream, and 
  Alexander was beating him, trying to wake him up. Just did him more damage, 
  I think, but all that at least is healed."
Brightspot's legs still to a stop. She stares at the wolf on top of her a 
  moment, then turns her head back and forth as if looking for someone. All 
  efforts at defense seem forgotten.
Erik leans forward, resting his chin on his kneee, watching with shadowed eyes.
Runs-With-Moon leaps playfully off the cub, then sniffsniffs comically around 
  for other... /prey/
Esther snorts. "The generic Ahroun cure. Beat it up, huh? I thought he'd be 
  more inventive than that."
John quietly slips into the barn glancing around briefly at the others. "Hi 
  all." He looks at the two wolves, amused.
Runs-With-Moon grins and yips. Well Met.
Brightspot rolls to her paws and stands still, only her head moving to follow 
  Runs. The new cub watches her closely, thoughts of play and exploring seem 
  to be gone.
Esther gives John an "Evening,", and goes back to idly watching the wolf play 
  while talking to Elan.
Light-of-Belief grunts, pulling himself to his feet and staggers over the 
  short distance to Elan and Esther, laying across the both of them, his tail 
  patting a couple of times on the ground. This one hopes his friends never 
  leave him..
Brightspot's ears prick forward, then draw back. She trots to Runs and cocks 
  her head. Talking?
Elan shrugs to Esther and waves at John, grinning. He leans down to scratch 
  James. We won't.
Esther gives a slightly sad smile, and scritches the cub as well.
John has partially disconnected.
John smiles and walks over to Elan, James, and Esther. He too reaches down to 
  scritch James. "Feeling any better today?"
Distracted, Brightspot looks past Runs. She bounds towards the motorcycle, and 
  the tools Elan left there.
Erik turns his head to watch Brightspot.
Light-of-Belief pats his tail on the ground again, getting maybe his third or 
  fourth scritching since he learned what he was. This one is very very tired, 
  but healing. This one is also hungry. He blinks. This one just noticed he's 
  talking like Stormcloud.
Brightspot passes behing the bike, her head lowered. Her tail wags as she 
  slows, then she peeks around the front wheel, screwdriver in her jaws.
Light-of-Belief closes his eyes, relaxing in Elan and Esther's laps.
John chuckles, continuing to pat the wolf. He pulls half of a ham sandwich 
  wrapped in cellophane from his backpack. "Care for a sandwich?"
Light-of-Belief wags his tail. Yes, please.
Brightspot emerges from behind the bike, 'prize' held proudly. She stops and 
  shakes it back and forth, growling a little. She tosses her head high and 
  lets it go, jumping to catch it. She misses by a lot and darts after it.
Elan grins at Brightspot. "You'll get greasy, nosing around in that. Then 
  we'll have to make you a Gnawer."
Esther rests her head back against the hay bale. "That's not such a bad fate 
  as some would say."
Elan chuckles at Esther. "Nope..."
John unwraps the sandwich and squats down near James, holding the sandwich 
  near his muzzle. "Eat well." He chuckles slightly at Esther's comment.
Erik tenses slightly at Elan's words to Kasie and then relaxes. It was only a 
  joke after all.
Brightspot snatches it up and off the floor. Tail and head high, she prances 
  towards Erik. She seems to totally miss both Elan's words and Erik's 
  reaction as she plays with the tool.
Brightspot drops it at the tall Galliard's feet and backs a few quick steps. 
  She woofs!
Alexander enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
Alexander has arrived.
Erik lowers his leg as the cub nears, sitting crosslegged now as he extends 
  his hand for the screwdriver.
Light-of-Belief carefully takes the sandwich from John, leaning his head back 
  to get the whole thing down his throat, then failing that, drops the 
  sandwich on his paws and bites it in half.
Alexander comes back into the barn quietly, glancing around.
Erik pulls his hand back, then picks up the dropped tool, examining it. 
  "Sticks would hurt your teeth less, I think, Kasie."
Elan waves at Erik to toss him the screwdriver. "Girl, you could break your 
  teeth on that thing..."
From afar, to Light-of-Belief, Alexander, Erik, John, Brightspot, and Esther, 
  Elan er, adress that last to Brightspot.
Brightspot crouches her chest to the ground, tail high and wagging. She woofs 
  again, impatiently.
Erik shifts the screwdriver from one hand to the other, then dips a hand into 
  his coat pockets, searching.
Esther has her eyes shut, and doesn't see Alexander enter the barn, not James 
  eating a sandwich while sprawled across her and Elan's laps.
Brightspot's eyes are quick to follow it. She wiggles, not rising from her 
  play-bow as her tail wags even faster. She gives another bark, sharper, and 
  grins.
Erik pulls a small orange ball from his coat pocket and holds it up so 
  Brightspot can see.
Brightspot freezes! Her eyes seem to latch onto the ball. She breathes quickly 
  through her partly-opened muzzle, tensed and ready.
Erik rises slowly, holding the ball out, moving it back and forth slowly. When 
  he's utterly certain he has the cub's attention, the tall Metis tosses it 
  underhand across the barn.
John is sitting near Elan and Esther, watching Erik and Brightspot.
Light-of-Belief makes a satisfied grunt after finishing off the sandwich. This 
  one is still hungry...can someone help him into the house to get something 
  to eat?
Elan grins at Brightspot, then at Erik. "Cool, man. 'Lest she ain't gonna gnaw 
  on my spanner. Then we'd /have/ to make her a Gnawer..."
Erik murmurs, "No offense, Elan, but, erm." He Fianna coughs, then hands the 
  tool back to the Bone Gnawer.
Brightspot tenses further, if that's possible. Even her tail seems frozen 
  mid-wag as he rises. Her eyes stay glued to the ball as he draws back to 
  throw it... The second it leaves his hands, Brightspor explods from her 
  position, big paws seeming to fly in every direction at once, getting her no 
  where fast. She skids and scrapes against the floor until she finally gains 
  traction and she's off! She runs after the ball full-tilt.
Elan doesn't get it, and takes back the wrench, which he tosses back by the 
  motorcycle. He scritches James. "Sure, man, I can get you something. You 
  gotta stay here, though. No doggies in the farmhouse. Especially the Near 
  Wolf."
Light-of-Belief sticks out his tongue in a humanish gesture of a raspberry. 
  This one isn't near wolf, this one is full wolf.
Elan nods. "Well, still no wolves. Whatcha want me to get for you?"
Brightspot leaps for the ball as she closes, but misses. She scrambles as she 
  changes directions, finally gaining as it slows. She pounces, catching the 
  edge of it with one paw and then has to turn again, swinging her tail to 
  keep her balance. Panting, she pounces on it as it slows further. She grabs 
  it up in her jaws and growls at it! She leaps up, shaking her head viciously 
  as she slowly moves back towards Erik.
Esther yawns, and settles her head more comfortably, eyes still closed.
Michael enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
Michael has arrived.
Light-of-Belief ponders, moving back so that his head is in Esther's lap and 
  Elan can get up. This one dosen't know, but he's really hungry. Had only a 
  pot of soup yesterday and that's about all in the last three days? This one 
  dosen't remember.
Erik utters a soft, musical laugh and crouches down, holding his hand out for 
  the ball.
Elan nods slowly. "Let me get you some more broth, and some meat. Something 
  simple, though." He gets up, and nods to Alexander and Micheal as he goes 
  out the door towards the farmhouse. "Hi guys."
Brightspot slows a few feet from the Metis. She tilts her head to regard him, 
  grinning around the ball.
Michael slips into the barn with a couple heavy practice-weapons and an 
  expression like someone on his way to a chore he's not in the mood for. His 
  mood lightens considerably when he sees the barn is far too crowded for him 
  to be practicing.
Erik pauses, pulling his hand back a bit. "Kasie? Are you going to give me the 
  ball?"
Brightspot's tongue presses up against the back of the ball, showing on either 
  side of it from the front. She shakes the ball again and dances back a few 
  steps. She lowers her fore to the ground, wagging her tail to him.
Erik nods, apparently solemn. "I see." He jerks forward, making a feint for 
  the ball.
Brightspot pushes back with her front paws, scrambling to rise as the corners 
  of her eyes crinkle. Finally she gains her paws and skitters just out of 
  reach again. She bounds in a circle, trying to yip around the ball.
Erik turns on his heel, keeping his front to the cub. Finally he stops and 
  brings his hands up, cuppping them together like a magician hiding a dove.
Elan leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Elan has left.
Brightspot pauses. Her quick breath rushes around the ball as she watches him. 
  She slowly leans forward, head raising as if she could somehow get the right 
  angle to see what he has, or what's going on within his hands.
Michael watches the pair play for a momment, then gestures at Brightspot and 
  asks whoever's closest, "Who's this? New cub?"
Michael doesn't interupt their game to ask either of the other Fianna.
Erik lifts his cupped hands, holding whatever is in them over the cub's head. 
  Pale light, bluish-green, leaks out past the prison of cloth and flesh.
Light-of-Belief nuzzles Esther, partially to get her attention.
Esther blinks. Must have dosed off for a second there. "Huh?" she looks 
  bleerily down at James. "Hmm?"
Light-of-Belief tilts his head at Esther in askance. Is something wrong?
Brightspot's eyes grow round and she takes one step closer, then another. The 
  ball within her muth seems forgotten as she crains her neck to look up. She 
  stops before getting directly under his hands. Her tail wags slowly, her 
  ears cocked towards the light.
Michael chuckles quietly, then drones, "Walk...towards...the light...."
John nods to Michael. "Yep. Had her first change 3 or 4 days ago. Name's 
  Kasie."
Elan enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
Elan has arrived.
Michael turns his attention to John as he speaks up. He runs a hand through 
  his hair. "Well, the more the merrier. What Tribe is she?"
Esther shakes her hed, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Late night last 
  night; like most of the rest of the world, it seems. Got the moon bridge 
  sorted. Talked to Alexandra and Seeker some. Then realised it was getting 
  light again..."
Erik suddenly tosses his hands upwards, and a flare of blue light shoots 
  upwards toward the high barn ceiling, a vaguely winged shape that circles 
  once and then swoops down toward Kasie.
Elan comes back in with a small ham and a pot of broth for James.
Light-of-Belief nods to Esther, understanding. This one hopes we all rest 
  well. Then he smells Elan with the ham and broth and wags his tail, eager to 
  eat.
Elan sighs slightly, as he sees Erik let go with the lights, and goes to sit 
  by Esther and James.
John nods slightly. "Always nice to get fresh blood. She's Fianna."
A rather loud yelp of surprise rises from Kasie. The ball falls from her jaws 
  and bounces a few times before rolling again. Wide eyes on the winged... 
  thing ... she drops down a little, hopefully before it can 'catch' her. 
  Still down low, she pushes backwards, trying to follow it with her eyes. The 
  ball rolls slowly on, forgotten.
Michael grins. "Gee, pretty soon there'll be enough of us Irish brats to make 
  a pack of our own." His face falls at a sudden thought. "I hope they don't 
  postpone my Rite of Passage until she's ready, though."
John simply shrugs, watching Erik and Kasie with an amused look on his face.
The winged shape of fae-light barely grazes Kasie's fur, without even a breeze 
  to mark its passage. As it moves upwards again, it contracts into a sphere 
  and circles several feet over the cub's head.
Light-of-Belief carefully stands and goes over to the food Elan brought, a bit 
  unsteady, but still eager to get something else in his stomach.
Michael watches the light show with an expression of almost professional 
  interest. "He's awfully good at that," he comments. "I'd be lucky to get it 
  to last half this long. Practice, practice, practice..."
Brightspot ducks further, fur of her belly brushing the ground as it passes. 
  Her ears are drawn back until she sees the light continue to rise. She 
  pushes up into a half-crouch, faced raised and watching it.
Esther hitches one leg across the other, and drops her head back again, 
  watching the light show from beneath half-lowered lids.
Erik finally seems to realize Michael is here. He glances over his shoulder, 
  briefly; the sphere of fae-light simply stops short and hovers. The Metis 
  shrugs and notes, "I've had all my life to... play with this."
Michael grins. "Dueling pixies? I suppose you've had the time, true." He walks 
  over to join the pair.
Brightspot seems to grow bolder as the light remains in place. Slowly she 
  rises up until standing tall. She raises her head towards it, sniffing.
Elan puts the large bowl of broth down for James to slurp on. "Drink that 
  slowly. Last thing we need before the bridge is you to get sick. Pukin' on 
  all creation... " He chuckles, and begins to deftly cut the ham into wafer 
  thin slices.
Erik catches control over the light again and lets it spread out into a fuzzy 
  cloud that lowers slowly toward the cub's face.
Light-of-Belief does so, sniffing it at it momentraily, then blowing at it to 
  cool it down a wee bit. Satisfied that it's just cool enough so he won't 
  burn his tongue (again), he laps up the broth.
Michael's cheerful manner towards the metis is unforced, but he doesn't stand 
  quite as close as he probably would with a homid. It's hard to say, though, 
  whether this is a subtle indication of breed prejudice or simply a reaction 
  to the fact that the other is a strange man who wears a bag on his head.
Brightspot blinks her eyes closed as it lowers across her face. She shakes her 
  head and sneezes, even though the light has no physical effect or touch.
Erik makes a sweeping gesture with his hand, giving in to a bit of 
  theatricality as the light twists into a swirl and then /drops/ washing over 
  Kasie's face and fur before it disappears.
Brightspot jumps straight up as the light flows down. She makes a few running 
  motions mid-air as it the light might hit the floor and form a puddle. Of 
  course she doesn't get anywhere and only lands off-balance. She sidesteps as 
  her tail waves in a circle, then slows as she regains control. She looks to 
  Erik, lolling her tongue and panting as she grins.
Light-of-Belief finishes off the broth in fairly short order, feeling 
  improved, but still quite hungry. He sits on his haunches, tail patting on 
  the ground, looking at Elan as he slices the ham.
Erik crouches down again, extending a hand toward Brightspot. "A special gift 
  of our tribe," he explains.
Brightspot pads to Erik, slowing only to sniff briefly sniff at the hand 
  before ahe turns and sits next to him, leaning against his leg. She tilts 
  her head back to look up towards his masked face, grin still firmly in place.
Erik ruffles Brightspot's fur, rubbing behind her ears. "You're getting quite 
  a lot better, Kasie."
Elan gives a silent, longing look to the fey light, and goes back to slicing 
  the ham in perfect slices you can almost see through. He handles the knife 
  with a grace that's sorta scary to watch. He piles some ham on a chipped 
  plate and passes it on to James. He takes some and eats it himself, then 
  makes a few sandwiches from it.
Brightspot's tail thumps against the ground behind her. She pants lightly, for 
  the moment just sitting quietly next to the Metis.
Light-of-Belief takes some of the ham and eats it hungrily, thanking Elan.
Erik keeps rubbing behind Kasie's ears, head turning toward Michael. "You're 
  Rite is soon, isn't it?" His tone is polite to the male cub, but distant, 
  without the warm familiarity he has when talking to Kasie.
John leans back in the hay, watching James eat with a slight smile on his face.
Michael says, "I hope so. We'll see. Not before they all get back from 
  Ireland, certainly."
Light-of-Belief, upon finishing eating, curls up, the bandages around his 
  chest loosely flapped. He's still a little hungry, but decides he won't 
  bother anyone for more food, and wants to rest a bit before they go on the 
  moon bridge.
Brightspot's slow panting stops as her breathing returns to normal and she 
  seems to relax under the ear rubbing. Trying not to move her head enough to 
  stop the rhythm of Erik's hands, she casts a glance at Michael.
Elan skritches James a bit. "Glad you like it." He makes a couple more 
  sandwiches and wraps them in some wax paper. He slips them into his gymbag, 
  and then looks around the room. "Hey, Micheal. Heard you're gonna be Rited 
  soon. You gonna go with that other Fianna kid? The little guy?"
Michael turns to look at Elan when he hears his name. "Rusty, yep. Haven't 
  seen him in a while, actually, but I'm told he's just about ready."
Elan nods. "Cool. Just saw him that once, in town. Must be hidin' out."
Christian opens the door to the barn, letting some light in. After seeing 
  everyone assembled, he smiles slightly. "Evening." He closes the door behind 
  him.
A thin, persistant beeping sound begins. The noise can be traced to Esther's 
  wristwatch. Cursing the poor thing, which was only doing its job, she 
  switches it off, and yawns hugely behind a polite hand.
Brightspot sits up from her lean against Erik's leg. She looks towards the 
  opening door, her tail patting against the ground. She huffs a soft woof to 
  the entering Christian.
Christian smiles, and kneels down to ruffle Brightspot's fur. "Heya there, 
  girl."
Brightspot leans forward, her tongue darting quickly across the skin under 
  Christian's chin before she sits back up. She woofs again, face-to-face with 
  him, then grins.
Elan looks at Esther. "About time, huh?"
Esther gets to her feet. "All those for San Fransisco, let's get things 
  rolling."
Christian chuckles, and pats the wolf lightly. "Easy there. I like you too." 
  He rises, taking a deep breath. "I'm here."
Light-of-Belief stands, stretching his limbs and yawning hugely. ~Let me try 
  shifting..~
Elan grins and gets to his feet. Quickly, he packs up the foodstuffs and his 
  bike tools, storing them in his large gymbag. He slings it over one 
  shoulder, and pats his thigh. "Come on, James. Just stay as a wolf, for now. 
  You need to sve your strength for the run."
Light-of-Belief sits on his haunches, head lowered in concentration. Then, 
  hearing Elan, stops and stands back up.
Brightspot's weight shifts back towards Erik as Christian stands back up. She 
  watches as they all start to get up.
John stands and stretches. "Ready to head out I suppose."
Elan waves to Erik and Michael. "See you later, guys." He chuckles at 
  Brightspot. "See you later, cubbie."
Esther shoulders her small wooden box. "Yeah. Quickest way to travel, at least 
  until we get to the Wheel. Later, Erik. Take care, cub."
Light-of-Belief wuffles at Erik and Brightspot. Take care.
Brightspot cocks her head to the side, ears coming forward. She glances 
  questioningly towards Erik, then goes back to watching them.
Esther leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Light-of-Belief leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Elan leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Erik lifts a hand in a wave to the travellers, wordlessly.
John leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Christian smiles to the others. "Take care. Hope to see you later." With that, 
  he leaves.
Christian leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Christian has left.
Brightspot tilts her head almost fully to the side, then looks up at Erik 
  again. She opens her mouth and makes a growling-gurgling noise, then frown. 
  She opens her mouth and tries again with the same results. She closes her 
  eyes.
Brightspot contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Brightspot shifts into Homid form.
Jewel enters the ground level of the barn through one of the doors.
Jewel has arrived.
Jewel pokes open the barn door with her nose. Seeing Erik, the cub lifts her 
  tail slightly and begins to chuff a greeting; she stops when she sees the 
  stranger.
Kasie finishes her shift and stands up. She brushes off her clothing as they 
  reappear.
Erik murmurs, "H'lo, Jewel. Um, meet Kasie."
Kasie turns towards the door, quiet as she looks at the newcomer.
Jewel lopes slowly over towards Erik, bumping him with her nose. Who is she? 
  Can she understand me? Hello.
Erik turns toward Kasie. "Can you understand her?"
Kasie watches the wolf come closer and holds out her hand. Eyes on the wolf, 
  she answers Erik softly, "She's friendly, likes you," she pauses, cocking 
  her head a little. "Seems curious about something," she adds tentatively.
Jewel sniffs once at the hand, then looks back at Erik. Can I shift in front 
  of her? I need to smoke, and it would be very silly to try in this form.
Erik turns to Jewel and nods. "Kasie's a cub, like you. You can shift, yes."
Kasie's fingers reach forward a little, as if to pet Jewel, but she stops 
  before contact is made. Her hand drops as the sniff ends.
Jewel contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Jewel shifts into Homid form.
Jewel drops into her birth form with ease, fur becoming clothing. Almost 
  before the shift is over, Jewel is patting at her shirt pocket, pulling out 
  a cigarette and lighting it. "Gah," she curses softly. "Gonna have to get 
  some more soon." Then she turns towards Kasie.
Kasie watches closely, shifting still new enough to her to fully hold her 
  interest. As Jewel finishes, the Galliard cub's hands move to grip her 
  backpack straps. "Hello," she says quietly. "I'm Kasie. Kasie 
  Brightspot, Fianna Galliard, cub." She smiles a little upon finishing.
Jewel is kind enough not to blow smoke into either of the other's faces. 
  "Jewel," offers the other cub in return. "Raggie of the Fianna, and yet 
  another cub. Erik, you realize Steven's gonna shit a brick when he gets 
  back, don't ya?"
Kasie's eyes widen a little in surprise as the other draws out a cigarette and 
  starts to smoke. Her lips part, then close and her eyes cut downwards.
Erik's hand tightens slightly. Rather sharply - perhaps not surprising, 
  considering the moon - he replies, "Nothing forced Steven to go to Ireland. 
  I could hardly /ignore/ her. Or you."
Kasie's eyes open further and she glances back towards Jewel again at her 
  words. She shifts her weight from one foot to another and peeks at Erik, 
  gauging his reaction to her rather colorful language.
Erik seems less bothered by Jewel's choice of vocabulary than remembrance of 
  Steven.
Jewel eyes Erik with a grin. "Chill, Erik. If Steven pitches a fit, I'll growl 
  mightily at him and remind him that HE left me." The girl seems oddly 
  protective of Erik -- even odder given that the metis is a rank above her. 
  "I was refering more to the mass of cubs that he's gotta rite." She takes 
  another drag on her cigarette.
The tip of Kasie's tongue appears for a moment to lick her lips before she 
  looks back down, then away. Shifting her weight back to her first foot again 
  as she listens, adding nothing to the conversation.
Erik settles back, nodding. One hand comes up to pat Kasie lightly on the 
  shoulder as he answers Jewel. "Our tribe's been blessed. I can't see how he 
  can rightfully complain."
Jewel gives Erik a wry grin. "Oh yeah," she says with a laugh. "I'm sure he 
  regards me as a blessing." The then girl turns towards Kasie. "You just 
  found out?"
Kasie settles a little under his touch. She draws a breath in and holds it a 
  second before murmuring to him, "Want me to go so you can talk, or 
  something?" Her lowered face can't be seen, but her tone is saddened.
Erik startles a bit, turning to Kasie. "Go? Of course not." The Meti's tone is 
  puzzled. "You're both cubs. You may even be Rited together. You should, ah, 
  get to know each other."
Kasie peeks up at Jewel through her bangs and gives a little nod before 
  looking back down.
Kasie takes a little longer look at Erik, then almost seems to have to force 
  herself to look at the other girl. The Galliard cub is tensed and soon her 
  eyes dart away from Jewel.
Erik hesitates, then leans down to whisper to Kasie.
You whisper "What's wrong?" to Kasie.
Kasie only shrugs and shakes her head in answer to the whisper. Her hands grip 
  the backpack straps tighter.
Jewel folds her arms across her chest and looks at the other cub. The no 
  moon's expression also grows tense, then disolves into a pleasant neutrality 
  developed over many nights.
Erik sighs quietly, a mere breath. "Kasie," he murmurs to the Galliard cub. 
  "What's wrong?"
Jewel finishes her cigarette and lights another one. The black girl's posture 
  shifts subtly towards a flight pose, although the casual pose is still 
  dominate.

Jewel's Desc:
Although she is almost waif-thin and no taller than five foot three, Jewel is 
  difficult to overlook. She is not beautiful, although her mixed-race 
  heritage has given her a creamy mocha complexion and dark hazel eyes that 
  could grow into beauty given time. It is her attitude and posture that 
  demand attention; she walks with a swagger, and seems unafraid of anything 
  or anyone. Once she has claimed that attention however, her voice is what 
  keeps it. She speaks in a soft contralto filled with a decidedly musical 
  warmth.
Jewel is dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee-shirt rolled 
  up past her elbows. Several tattoos trace up her arms, abstract designs of 
  patterned color that almost manage to conceal the needle tracks. She wears 
  any number of stud earrings in each ear, and one delicate ring in her 
  nostril. Around her left wrist is a tightly wrapped leather thong that bears 
  the Garou glyph for Fianna.

Kasie only glances at Erik for a second before she quickly looks away, but 
  that's long enough for them to see the expressions flickering across her 
  face: fear, mistrust, and a deep, deep saddness and hurt.
Erik goes quite still, looking at Kasie. Very softly, he says, "Jewel? Could 
  you, ah... give us a moment? Please?"
Kasie has her neck sharply turned, face away from both. Her shoulders, her 
  whole body in fact, is tensed.
Jewel narrows her eyes for a moment. Kasie's reaction has unnerved the no 
  moon, but she steps away enough that the two can talk.
Erik touches Kasie on the arm and rises, moving to gently guide the Galliard 
  cub away a few yards, out of earshot. But his touch is not so strong that 
  she can't resist it.
Kasie starts to pull back from the touch, but stops just short of the contact 
  being lost. Feet dragging, she follows.
Erik finally stops and half-kneels in front of Kasie, one gloved hand still on 
  her arm. "Please," he says quietly. "Tell me what's wrong." The Metis' voice 
  is tinged with worry, touched with faint panic. "Did I... say something?"
Kasie shakes her head quickly, not looking at him. She grips the straps of her 
  pack as if for dear life.
Erik remains silent for a moment, staring at her, eyes rawly beseeching behind 
  the mask, lanky body tense, clearing waiting for the cub to say something, 
  begging in all but words.
Kasie hunches her shoulders further, almost seeming to be trying to draw into 
  herself. As if her turned away face wasn't enough, the girl squeezes her 
  eyes shut. She says nothing, but words are not needed to say how miserable 
  she is.
Jewel lounges back against the barn wall. Eyeing the girl, she says to herself 
  "Jesus, even I wasn't that miserable looking. Maybe she's been smoking crack 
  and not just shooting up." The last sentance is possibly loud enough to 
  carry.
Erik utters a defeated sigh and sits back on his heels, head lowering. Jewel's 
  remark stabs at him, and he almost rises as he turns. "She hasn't been 
  smoking anything," he snaps. Frustration lashes through his voice. "Or 
  shooting up."
Jewel takes a step back, well aware of the moon's effects on people's mood. 
  "Easy, Erik. It was a joke. Chill. None of us have been shooting up -- at 
  least not recently." The last few words are just slightly amused.
Kasie , too, seems as if she might have heard them. She flinches away from 
  them, then again, harder, at Erik's sharp comments back. She takes a step 
  away from Erik, her eyes opening and darting towards the door behind him.
Erik turns halfway back toward Kasie, just enough to catch the cub's reaction. 
  Defeated, he wilts, head lowering to rest in the palm of his hand. After a 
  moment, he says in a low voice, "Kasie, if I've done something to hurt you, 
  please tell me. If you want me to leave, I'll do so."
Kasie's breath, which had been coming in gulps, suddenly becomes a sharp 
  intake. At 'leaving', her lips tighten and her eyes flicker to him. A single 
  emotion takes over her face: fear.
Jewel catches that expression as well. In a rather audible mumble, she says 
  "Christ. You dont' wanna be alone with me, say so." The girl stalks out.
Jewel leaves the barn through one of the doors.
Jewel has left.
Erik remains in his kneeling crouch, face resting in his palm. He barely 
  reacts to Jewel's exit and doesn't see Kasie's fearful expression. He simply 
  waits, like a criminal charged and waiting for sentence to be passed.
The cub, on the other hand, seems fully aware of Jewel's leaving. Her hands 
  leave the pack's straps and she hugs herself, instead. Tears collect, bright 
  in her eyes before they escape and start down her face. In a cracking voice 
  she whispers, "You're gonna leave?"
Erik lifts his head, startled. "Leave?" His voice is surprised. "No, of course 
  not... Kasie, I'm not going anywhere."
Kasie starts rocking herself a little, thought she seems not aware of it. She 
  nods towards the door Jewel used, "But she's," her foice falters, "She's," 
  she shrugs, "cool, I bet. Smokes and all that."
Kasie's voice is atill that miserable, self-hating sound.
Erik seems to stare at Kasie for a moment. Then he shakes his head. "We're 
  trying to get her to quit. And... technically, I'm just a... substitute 
  teacher for her. Steven's her real teacher." Again that sens of bitterness 
  at Steven's name, a bitter that passes as he continues. "Kasie... you're one 
  of the very few truly bright places in my life."
Tears continue to flow slowly down her cheeks as she looks back at him. "I-I 
  like you too... best of everyone here." Blush rises in her cheeks and she 
  drops her eyes. "So you'll stay?"
Erik hesitates, then extends a hand to the cub. "I'm not going anywhere, 
  Kasie. I promse."
Kasie's hand is quick to shoot out and takes his. She grips it hard, if she 
  was stronger it might actually hurt. Holding tight she nods a little, eyes 
  firmly on their hands.