"You have Gifts. Like us, but not. Yes?"

[hazlogs]

It is currently 18:59 Pacific Time on Fri May 7 2004.

Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous Moon phase (78% full).

Rainbow Lake(#2713RJ)

	Long and narrow, the lake stretches a mile to the north and south, right at
      the heart of the woodland. Tall, silver beech trunks mix with the even 
      taller evergreens and dominate the mountain valley. Where the canopy has 
      been broken by a fallen tree, a riot of brambles and nettles have 
      erupted, clinging to anything and everything and fighting for light among 
      the thick forest. Underfoot there is a deep bed of mulch and last year's 
      leaves, muffling any footfall.

	Other plants have found a foothold where the beeches make way for the line of
      water. The edges of the lake are overhung by a wall of dark myrtle, their 
      scent hanging sweet and heavy in the air, giving the place a dreamlike 
      quality. The waters of the lake itself are a clear, unruffled indigo, 
      dropping into bottomless darkness, with otherworldly reflections of the 
      sky floating above the depths. Rainbow flashes of light play about the 
      reeds and weeds that break the surface here and there, throwing colors 
      into the air.

	Part of the valley around the lakeside to the south is clear of trees, and
      often here in the brush and grass a small herd of three woods buffalo can 
      be seen.

Atcen lies stretched out belly-down on the shore of the lake, where she's been
      for most of the day, hiding from the balmy late-spring weather within 
      water and shade. Her head is pillowed on one arm; the other, stretched 
      out, is partially submerged in the water, and she waves her hand back and 
      forth idly, with fingers spread. With her legs kicking lazily, she looks 
      the perfect image of a teenage girl, a tomboy, in idle recreation. Albeit 
      a starved skeleton of one.

Dana comes hiking into the area with at backpack across her shoulders, looking
      obscenely fit and hardly winded as she does so. Her approach is hardly 
      silent. She pulls up when she notices and recognizes Atcen by the shore, 
      and then continues towards her, for the moment, not calling out or saying 
      anything, letting the noise of walking announcing herself.

Atcen looks up, pulling her hand out of the water and raising her torso up
      halfway. Seeing Dana, the metis grins, showing off prominent, yellowish 
      teeth, obviously pleased to see the woman. "Hello!"

Dana waits until she is with casual speaking distance before she gives Atcen a
      slighter but no less warmer smile of her own. "Hello, Atcen. I wasn't 
      expecting to see you up here." She makes to unhook the various fastenings 
      keeping the backpack on. "How are things?"

Atcen's face falls a bit, and she sighs in the way that only an adolescent can.
      "_Hot_," she says unhappily, putting her head down again. "I hate spring. 
      And soon it is summer."

Dana blinks, dressed, as she is, in jeans and long-sleeves. "Hot?" she echoes
      questioningly. "But the weather has been really nice and cool here so 
      far."

Atcen looks dourly up at her. "Yes, but I am Metis. Look." She gets up, her
      clothes muddy, and holds her left hand out to the kin. "Take." Then, 
      realizing that this was the hand in the lakewater, she switches to the 
      right.

Dana slides the backpack off her shoulder, to a relatively dry and unmuddy spot
      on the ground or rocks, then takes the proffered hand dutifully.

Atcen is cold to the touch; her body temperature is, one might estimate, about
      twenty degrees below what's normal.

Dana blinks owlishly at the sensation, bringing up a second hand to join the
      first and to cup Atcen's hand. Then, having satisfied herself with that, 
      in a sense, she drops both hands to her side. "How very strange," she 
      says, then after a moment's hesitation, asks, "May I...scan you?"

Atcen's eyebrows draw together in puzzlement. "Scan?"

Dana nods, mouth twisting into a moue of difficulty. "You know...I'm a shaman,
      right?"

Atcen nods back eagerly. "You have Gifts. Like us, but not. Yes?"

"Yes," Dana says, with a relieved smile at Atcen's quick comprehension, and
      letting the description as she put it stand. "One of them is the ability 
      to scan things. Like, I can see into the spirit world. Or, I could scan 
      you, and see if you were sick, or hurt, even if you didn't feel it or 
      know you were sick or hurt."

Atcen's pale eyes widen. "Oooh," she says, then nods again. "Yes... you can
      _scan_ me." She grins toothily.

Dana is standing near Atcen, on the shoreline of the lake. Near her, on a dry
      spot, rests an internal frame backpack. She smiles at something Atcen has 
      just said, and responds, "Make yourself comfortable. You won't feel 
      anything, but, no need for you to get a cramp in your leg or something 
      while I'm doing it."

Atcen nods, shifting her weight from one bare foot to the next and watching
      Dana avidly. After a moment, she hunkers down into a squat, using one 
      hand to steady herself.

Holly approaches from the direction of the Bluff. Seeing the other Wendigo cub,
      and Dana, she calls out to them. At this distance it's little more than a 
      'hey!' as she falls into a slow jog down to the waterline. The closer she 
      gets the easier it is to see the pleased grin she wears. "What's up?"

By the time Holly has reached the two, Dana has unfastened a bag from the side
      of the backpack and pulled out the drum that they might both recognize, 
      and another small, plain hide bag. From inside of the bag, she pulls 
      several feathers--raven, sparrow, even pigeon, and a tiny candle. She 
      smiles as Holly approaches, a sunny, friendly smile. "Hello, Holly. I 
      suppose since Atcen is here," she says, looking to the galliard cub, "I 
      shoudln't be surprised to see you as well?"

Atcen looks up, grins at Holly, then plants her butt in the mud and stretches
      her legs out in front of her.

Holly favors Dana's comment with an amused little laugh. "Suppose not," she
      says, her eyes focused fairly intently on the drum. "You going to play?" 
      she asks, crouching to find a seat not quite so muddy if she can.

Dana laughs quietly. "Not right now, Holly. I am going to use my gifts to scan
      Atcen."

"I showed her how I am cold," the metis explains.

Holly looks up, the amusement and lightness leaving her expression. As she
      looks between her fellow cub and the mage, her tone turns more tenuous, 
      "Scan?" she asks, uncertain what that exactly means, though the concern 
      in her eyes suggests she has ideas.

Dana can't help but smile, going through the same conversation she just had
      with Atcen. "You know I am a shaman, right?" she asks the theurge.

Atcen giggles and leans back on her hands. Her bare, muddy, bony toes wiggle.

Holly nods easily enough, brushing dirt from her hands after settling to her
      seat. The mud is, here at the lakeshore, fairly unavoidable, despite her 
      efforts. Nevertheless, with more interesting things to think about, she 
      ignores it and concentrates on Dana. "Yeah, sure."

"Well," Dana continues, "I have certain gifts, or abilities, as a shaman. One
      of those abilities is to scan things. I can see the spirit world, if I so 
      choose." She picks up a rock, hefting it in her hand. "I can scan this 
      rock, and tell you what it's made of." She lets the rock drop, and looks 
      at Atcen with a smile. "And I can scan her, and be able to tell if she 
      was sick,or hurt, and in what way."

Holly's eyes follow the rock, widening with surprise as Dana explains. "Huh,"
      she says. "Can you teach that little trick to me?"

The Metis nods as though she's heard this before. "Is very good," she says
      approvingly. Like Dana needs the approval of a muddy skinny barefoot girl.

Dana shakes her head, a touch of rue in her expression. "No, Holly," she says
      with regret. "The gifts of your people are different than mine, based in 
      the spirit realm. Mine are...different," is all she says.

Holly can't help but look disappointed, even as she nods her understanding.

Atcen echoes, "Different. Garou have Garou magic. Dana has human magic. Or it
      is kinfolk magic?" She looks questioningly at the woman.

Dana shakes her head at Atcen's question. "Human magic. Very rare human magic.
      And, like the Garou, those of us with the magic must hide it from the 
      rest of the world. And even from many Garou, who are afraid of us. So, 
      it's important that you not tell anyone that I can do this."

Holly glances between Atcen and Dana, the significance of the mage's request
      reflected in the serious manner she takes when she nods her consent.

Atcen nods as well, slowly. "Will not tell." She pauses. "What about Jacinta?"

"Jacinta knows," Dana says, then adds, "At least, I think she does, since
      Leonard did. But I...I don't know if I want to tell Michael this," she 
      admits slowly.