Metis

**Metis** is a term used to describe a rare mutant breed of Garou: the offspring of two Garou who broke the Litany for love or lust. Metis are born in the Crinos form and that is their natural form - however, they are deformed and sterile. This result also comes from inbreeding in some other Changing Breeds, although some of the Fera have their own terminology to describe such creatures.

## Overview

Except for the legendary Perfect Metis, all other metis are born with an innate flaw. This disability may be a physical deformity (such as a withered limb), a mental disability (such as severe mental illness), an intellectual impairment, or even a spiritual disability (such as always reflecting their Crinos form in mirrors).

Despite their deformities, metis do enjoy some advantages. Their natural form is Crinos, so they are naturally better at combat than their brethren. They also have more Gnosis than Homid cubs, giving them a spiritual advantage. Lupus have more Gnosis, but are often baffled by the human world. The idea of walking upright and having use of hands can confuse and frighten Lupus cubs. Metis cubs can walk on two feet or four feet (unless prevented by a limb deformity), and so are used to perceiving the world from multiple perspectives. Metis are also raised in Garou society, so they usually have a far better grasp of rituals, the spirit world, social customs, and other aspect of Garou society that homid and lupus cubs don't learn about until after First Change.

But because metis are born in the huge Crinos form, they live the first six to eight years of their life with their Rage close to the surface, giving them terrible tempers even compared to human babies. They can cause grave harm with their claws and teeth even by accident, starting with their mother's body. Metis also return to Crinos form when they die, creating a significant problem for the Garou Nation to maintain the Veil - as a deceased Homid and Lupus Garou would leave behind only human or wolf corpses, respectively, regardless of what form the Garou was in at the time of death. Metis corpses must be disposed of in some way that makes them completely unrecognizeable.

Not all metis are raised in Garou society, however. Because they are trapped in Crinos until First Change, they must be kept out of sight of humans. In an urban or suburban sept, this means they spend the majority of their childhood locked away from people and not even allowed outside. At small septs, they may well be the only metis, so will have no one to interact or play with, stunting their emotional growth. They may have extreme difficulty coping with groups of people once they undergo first change, and lack basic social skills for dealing with both humans *and* wolves.

Metis are generally looked down upon by most Garou as they are a result of two Garou breaking one of the tenets of the Litany: "*Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou*". Some tribes kill their metis outright or treat them so cruelly they might wish for death or even defect to the Black Spiral Dancers. Sometimes, the mother is punished by forcing her to kill her cub, although the fathers of metis rarely receive as much punishment. Other tribes require the parents to raise the cub as punishment for their sins, but do not officially punish the child itself. Unofficially, metis still have to work much harder than homids or lupus to gain respect.

Metis at larger septs are generally a bit 'luckier' since there may well be other metis cubs of similar age in residence that they can interact with. Larger septs are also more likely to have someone experienced with raising metis cubs, who may arrange for a visit to another sept with a metis pup to get a lone metis some much needed social interaction.

## Born a Warrior

*Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou*

This is the first commandment of the Litany. It is also the one with the most visible symbol of its breach, namely the metis. These unfortunate cubs are born deformed in body, mind, or spirit and are a constant reminder that there has been a violation of the Litany. They grow up the target of scorn and quite often their parents distance themselves from their “mistakes.” While metis present some formidable advantages — the assurance that they are full Garou rather than Kinfolk, being able to regenerate in any shape and instant transformation into Crinos — that might cause some Garou to argue that metis aren’t all bad, they are still a violation of the ancient werewolf laws. And even if this were not the case, metis are sterile, unable to help breed a new generation of Garou

While many homid-breed Garou come from the Kinfolk who live in and around a caern, such Kinfolk’s early life more closely resembles that of a lost cub than that of a metis. The mules grow up entirely within the sept, indoctrinated from their first year into the beliefs of Garou, sept, and tribe. What little they know of the outside world comes from the stories of the local Kinfolk and whatever the Den Father/ Mother has told them, plus books, newspapers, and TV, if the sept deems this appropriate. From their earliest years, the other werewolves of the sept teach them the worldview of the Garou and do not contrast it with the human world outside the caern. Also, many metis do not see the outside world until shortly before their Rite of Passage.

Metis combine possible parental abandonment with constant berating for something that is not their fault and an upbringing in something that closely resembles a religious fanatic compound. It is little wonder that many metis end up screwed up in the head, from a human or even homid perspective. Certainly, even the most open-minded metis upbringing in no way resembles that of a human, Kinfolk or not. Even the most strong-willed and individualistic metis forever bear the mark of their experiences.

## Born in Sin

*From the journal of Jeffrey Packless of the Glass Walkers.*

Dear cousin,

My host here in Sweden, Peter Law-Speaker, has graciously provided me with access to the campus of Uppsala University and I have a little time before leaving for Africa (more about that later). I am using that time to transcribe some of my interviews and put my notes in order for you. I will send it by mail; after our sept ordered you to cease your genetic research, I fear they might be monitoring your email. As such, some of the papers you are going to receive will be hand-written notes and not all of it may be relevant. Also, I know that this hardly constitutes “scientific research,” but I am storyteller, not a scientist. Besides, you just asked me to gather as much information about metis as I could in my travels

I was in Germany when I finally managed to contact one of my tribe in Lagos. She readily extended an invitation for me to come visit and I hope to interview some Bastet (even though my contact told me that the Bastet seem to have their hands full fighting what they claim are whole Fera fallen to the Wyrm) about metis within their species of Fera. As you know, my interviews in North America did not go too well (see separate papers; Nuwisha and Gurahl). Before leaving, I accepted an invitation from the renowned Peter Law-Speaker to attend the Disablot Moot at Uppsala Högar in Sweden. This moot brings Get of Fenris from all over the world, as well as mixed packs from Scandinavia and Garou visitors from all over North Europe. This is the most metropolitan mix I have encountered since the US and I thought it would be a fitting end to my research among the North American and European Garou.

### On the Conception of Werewolves

*from “Birthing Metis,” by Dr. Hannah L. Archer, M.D*

Carrying and giving birth to a metis baby presents a whole host of problems not associated with a normal pregnancy. The fetus is larger than a human baby or wolf cub and the mother must stay in Crinos shape at least from the beginning of the second trimester. Unborn babies generally cannot survive their mother changing shape from this point on, and the size of a metis baby makes it even more vulnerable. This, of course, presents its own problems, since the Crinos shape is not the natural shape of the mother and werewolves tend to return to their birth form when knocked unconscious. If that should happen, the mother will likely die painfully as the monster growing within tears through her body faster than she can regenerate.

In my experience, werewolves are slightly more fertile than normal humans. This could be a result of their more robust constitution and maybe a side effect of their regenerative powers, but it might also be because most werewolves avoid several of the modern chemicals that affect fertility, such as parabens. Once pregnant, werewolves are also much less susceptible to pregnancy complications than human women. For example, one of the most common complications in the modern world is eclampsia, something which I have never seen in a pregnant werewolf. The powerful immune system, incredible stamina, and all-round health of werewolves, especially their virtual immunity to disease and infection, means that pregnancy trouble is very rare for them. This holds true even with a metis baby; while the fetus’ claws might scratch the inside of the womb, this does not interfere with the pregnancy in any noticeable way until late into the third trimester. The complications arise once the baby must be delivered.I have never seen in a pregnant werewolf. The powerful immune system, incredible stamina, and all-round health of werewolves, especially their virtual immunity to disease and infection, means that pregnancy trouble is very rare for them. This holds true even with a metis baby; while the fetus’ claws might scratch the inside of the womb, this does not interfere with the pregnancy in any noticeable way until late into the third trimester. The complications arise once the baby must be delivered.

One of the most frequent problems that occur during the birth of a metis is incorrect placement of the baby. In fact, Garou are more prone to this than humans or wolves. While the Crinos shape is larger than Homid or Lupus, much of the extra mass is upper-body. There is room enough for the baby, but Crinos hips are not well-suited to giving birth. Under normal circumstances, one would perform a Caesarean section, but that carries its own risks.

I have not, myself, had to perform a C-section on a werewolf, but the first time I was called on to attend a mother carrying a metis baby, I considered the possibility. The first problem is that a C-section involves cutting the mother open. With the rapid regenerative powers of the Garou, this is simply not an option with regular medical tools. The only way I can think of would involve a silver scalpel, something I am not entirely sure can be made. Then there is the pain; I cannot imagine any werewolf willing to take traditional pain medication, considering their attitude to pharmaceuticals. This leaves more natural (and less effective) painkillers, such as turmeric, valerian and, of course, alcohol. However, I would not trust these remedies to ensure that a werewolf patient would lie still while someone cuts her with silver.

Another common complication is shoulder dystocia, where the shoulders of the baby either cannot pass through the pubic symphysis or, in more severe cases, get stuck there. Since a metis baby’s shoulder are very wide compared to the hips and pelvic area of even a Crinos-shape mother, this is almost a given. In human women, shoulder dystocia requires significant manipulation of the fetus or even an emergency C-section. In the case of werewolves, the regenerative powers of both mother and child mean that one can simply pull the baby out, though it is incredibly painful, especially as the child’s claws will tear into the mother’s flesh. When I have done this, I have always had several other werewolves holding her down, as frenzy is a real possibility if the mother survives.

Beyond the mother succumbing to frenzy, the trauma of birth can spur the baby to frenzy. While a metis birth is normally painful and damaging, a frenzying baby will tear the mother to shreds during the birth; and while most werewolves may laugh at the idea, a frenzying metis presents a real danger to anyone else nearby.

My own experience tells me that if a werewolf mother can bring a metis baby to term, the actual birth leaves both mother and child alive more often than not, however other complications can occur. Sometimes, the baby’s stamina and regenerative powers aren’t enough to repair whatever damage the birth has caused. Though it can take several hours, the baby dies in incredible pain.

## Growing Up an Outsider

Even a human Kinfolk that grows up in a sept has contact with the outside world. Some attend school and have “normal” friends, others might be homeschooled, but no matter how isolated, they will have some knowledge of, and experience with, the world outside the sept.

Not so a metis.

For the first 6 to 8 years of their life, a metis cannot enter human society. While she may learn to understand human languages, the Crinos form cannot form human words with any skill. Until she goes through her First Change, a metis will endanger the safety of their sept if humans ever see her. As such, any knowledge a metis gains about human society comes through secondary sources. Human Kinfolk (and, sometimes, other Garou) might tell stories, and many septs, except those under the control of Red Talons or very traditionalist Garou, do allow books or magazines that Kinfolk can read to the child. Some septs even have access to the Internet, though seeing a Garou in Crinos shape trying to type on a laptop or, even worse, use a tablet, is a pitiful sight. As a result, the child is forever disconnected from human society

The caern’s Den Father or Mother takes responsibility for a sept’s metis — or at least, is supposed to. The Den Father or Mother in question often sees this as a thankless job and it’s no small wonder that many Den Parents treat their charges poorly and try to hand over much of the responsibility for metis children to Kinfolk. But problems arise almost as soon as the metis child is old enough to walk: she is extremely strong, comes equipped with claws and fangs and, as anyone who’s ever tried taking care of young children knows, self-control and rational thought is not their strong suit. This last problem goes double for metis children; not only is the Crinos shape heavily geared towards combat (even outside of combat, it is hard to choose anything except a direct and violent solution when in Crinos shape), but they also keenly feel the effects of their inner Rage. A temper tantrum from a 5-year-old can be bad enough without the child being as big and strong as an adult, clawed and fanged and able to draw on supernatural anger. Fortunately, while a young metis is influenced by her Rage, she has not yet learned to control it fully. She can only use Rage to take extra actions when extremely angry and cannot yet frenzy. The mood swings of a teenage Garou are one thing and while it is rare for such mood swings to lead to the mauling of a Kinfolk, even a human child can hurt an adult when they give in to anger or frustration. A young metis can easily kill a full-grown man if, say, she is denied a treat or is scolded for being bad.

As such, other Garou usually rear, raise and instruct a metis from about the age of 3. Sometimes, the parents are involved, other times, the parents chose to exorcise their shame by ignoring the child. Some septs force the parents not to have anything to do with the child as punishment for their misdeeds and, paradoxically, others force the parents to take time away from other duties to tend to a young metis. In all cases, however, the metis grows up knowing she’s an outcast, a shame to her parents, and an embarrassment to her sept. Such an upbringing will almost certainly affect the child, as discussed later. Since experienced Garou are usually called upon to do important work in fighting the Wyrm, running the sept and tending to the caern, a metis will often be handed off to younger werewolves and can end up as a hot potato, being passed around between Den Father/ Mother, parents, and young Garou.

Being raised primarily by werewolves within the confines of a sept leads to what some young Glass Walkers refer to as “The Hogwarts Problem”: that the people educating the metis teach her the laws of the Garou (and consistently telling her she is a violation of the Litany’s first law), their traditions, lore, history, the lore of her tribe, and all the things that a Garou needs to know. But a young child also needs to learn how to read and write, do at least basic math, learn some of the history and culture of the human society around the sept. These are all things that they will not automatically teach her. There are some septs that assign a Kinfolk with skill at teaching to convey some basic knowledge to a metis, many more septs simply forget this or think that it isn’t important. The result is a Garou with the same limitations as a lupus, but someone who’s often more comfortable in a two-legged shape. In fact, some few metis might not even speak the dominant human tongue of the area they grew up in, though this is rare, and occurs almost exclusively among the Red Talons.

Since metis are brought up inside the sept and mainly, or exclusively, taught the ways of the Garou, their worldview is often quite unsophisticated. Even a lupus Garou has spent some two years outside Garou society, but a metis does not have anything at all to contrast with. For metis who come from septs where having knowledge of, and contact with, the outside world is something that is rare or discouraged their upbringing is something akin to growing up in a religious fanatic compound, and while some metis have expanded their minds since then, many remain extremely fanatic, unwilling or even unable to question the teachings of their sept and tribe. Even in septs where metis learn about human society, they are usually punished if they question the truth of what their fellow Garou tell them. Some Garou might wonder if this is not a good thing; after all, it was a disregard for the laws and traditions of the Garou that led to the birth of the metis in the first place. And since the Garou are warriors in a holy and true cause, is it not a good thing to have fanatical soldiers, ready to fight for the cause? The problem is that fanatics don’t think. A fanatic is likely to charge blindly towards whatever they see as a threat, unwilling to consider any other approach. Their attitude is completely inflexible, and such dogmatic behavior often leads to problems. The Wars of Rage, and the near Civil War between the European and American tribes are historical examples. The Glass Walkers’ acceptance of the tools of the Weaver was once seen as a mark against them, but now, most tribes accept at least some technological tools. Finally, as much as some tribes might not like it, the Garous’ work in the modern world often requires some level of stealth and subterfuge. Metis are much less likely to be open-minded and willing to work around the Litany or Tribal traditions, even if this could lead to a better solution.

It doesn’t help that the Garou are, at heart, a warrior culture and that they see their mission, their reason for being, as fighting for Gaia. Yes, “fight” in this case does not automatically equate to “do physical battle,” but this is the most common way the Garou express it. With the corruption of the Wyrm growing, the direct, physical way of fighting becomes increasingly predominant. As a result, metis grow up in very physical, even violent, societies. They see disputes being settled by ritual combat and often, leaders are chosen through ritual combat. Constantly, warriors train and practice around them. This cannot help but shape a young metis’ outlook, especially when her own form is the battle-ready Crinos shape. A lot of young metis have a very “when all you have is a hammer” attitude to just about any problem, something that does not go well with their tendency towards fanaticism.

Another thing that screws with a young metis’ mind is her lack of friends and playmates. She can’t be allowed to play with Kin children lest she mauls or even kills them in a dispute over a toy. Her only friends are other Garou, and even the youngest of those will be in their early teens, and quite busy with their first years as a Garou. While many septs have young Garou look after metis when they have nothing else to do, this does nothing to alleviate the problem. And since it’s rare for a teenager to like babysitting, the metis they look after become targets for the frustration of young Garou, as well as the animosity of the elders. Many metis become insular and withdrawn, prone to inventing invisible friends. They also become precocious, and many metis try to emulate the way adults act, since they have no other children to act as a mirror. Far too many metis never have a real childhood and it mars their development, leading to even more psychological trouble later.

The fact that a metis remains solely in Crinos shape until their First Change also colors her behavior quite a lot. Primarily, metis are usually quite overconfident; their natural form is strong and tough and they regenerate. This follows them through puberty and metis commonly get into more than their fair share of trouble when first exposed to human society. They have to learn the limitations, and advantages, of the Homid and Lupus forms, as opposed to the Crinos. It also affects their language. While nowhere near as reliant on body language as the Lupus shape, a Garou in Crinos still uses posture and body movements a lot more than someone in Homid, even when speaking a human language.

First Change for a metis usually happens when she is eight to ten years of age, younger than for homids, relatively speaking. This is because a metis, being as much wolf as she is human, enters puberty at a somewhat earlier age. This does not show when she transforms, however, as she will look appropriately older in both Homid and Lupus shape. Access to her Rage and spiritual abilities, however, comes earlier than their First Change. A metis can often tap into her Rage around the time that she learns how to walk, though for the first several years, it remains instinctual and only surfaces during times of very strong emotions. Metis usually gain access to their spiritual heritage around six years of age. The problems their Rage creates have been mentioned, but a metis’ spiritual abilities can also result in trouble. First, when a metis learns to step sideways, she often finds a secret hideaway in the Umbra that she can run to when the real world becomes too much for her. She might also try to befriend spirits, or she might run into spirits that despise her for being metis. If any ancestor spirit has taken an interest in the young metis, she begins to hear him at this time, taking the concept of the invisible friend to a whole new level. This, too, can result in the metis being messed up in the head, especially if the ancestor despises them for being who they are. Imagine a voice you cannot shut up and which is constantly telling you that you are a disgrace; it’s enough to drive some nearly insane. And of course, the Umbra is not a safe place. The bawn isn’t a problem, but a young metis straying outside the caern’s protected area can meet all sorts of dangerous spirits, without the abilities needed to deal with them.

After the First Change, many septs let their metis out into human society to “acclimatize” them. In the US, some septs refer to this as “Garou Rumspringa.” Such a Rumspringa occurs more often in septs of mixed tribes, though the Glass Walkers are also quite fond of it (while the Bone Gnawers, do it out of necessity more often than not). Of course, some septs do not let a metis outside until their Rite of Passage, and there are some septs that never allow their metis to leave, keeping them as caern guards.

Unless a sept is completely insane, they will assign at least one Garou as a chaperone for a metis leaving the caern for the first time. The customary practice seems to be to send a metis out with a few Kinfolk and a Garou or two and then gradually scale it back, until the metis is trusted enough to be sent out with only a single Kinfolk as an escort. A few septs send the metis out into human society alone for the first time, as a sort of “trial by fire,” but the danger this poses to the sept — and to the Veil as a whole — makes this very rare. And no matter how open-minded a sept is, a metis cannot integrate into human society after her First Change. Sending her to a human school or letting her have human friends to make her better at blending into human society is a recipe for disaster.

The metis must also learn how to deal with her new forms, which are in most ways weaker than the Crinos shape. Most septs discourage wearing the Crinos shape unless they expect trouble, so the metis must get used to spend most of her time in a shape that is not natural to her and comes with its own limitations. Human form requires clothes (trying to get a metis child to wear pants for the first time is quite an experience), while the Lupus form has a vastly different focus when it comes to senses. In fact, this whole “wearing a shape that is not your own” adds considerably to the stress that any metis feels. She is only truly herself when she is wearing the battle-form and when this happens, others naturally assume that she is getting ready for trouble. Even after the First Change when she has integrated herself as much as possible into Garou society, a metis has great difficulty relaxing and being herself.

## The First Change

For a metis, the First Change is a very, very different experience than for a homid or a lupus. For one thing, she knows it’s coming. Even human Kinfolk growing up near a sept knowing about shapeshifting might not have been told about the First Change, and wolf Kinfolk are usually not told about this, since it’s nothing something they would really understand. But a metis knows, as soon as she is old enough to comprehend, that one day, she will be able to change shape. She sees it all the time around her, and most dream about that day. For one thing, it’s what marks a metis as being a full Garou, but many also believe they will be more accepted once they can take on a human or wolf shape. The people she sees around her, the people she looks up to, her parents, teachers, and friends (even though they may be people that treat her badly), almost never wear the same shape that the metis does. So, a metis grows up being used to seeing and interacting with others in Homid and Lupus shape and will often associate these shapes with what is normal.

As a result, the metis is prepared for the First Change, in a way no other werewolf can be. A human Kin might have been told that he could one day become a Garou, but being told about it and spontaneously erupting into a 9-foot-killing machine are two different things. So she has one advantage over the homid and lupus Garou: she is ready for the First Change when it comes and it does not traumatize, confuse, or overwhelm her as much as it does the other breeds. Indeed, for her, it is a joyous occasion and most metis will spend a lot of time experimenting with shapeshifting as soon as they can. Since this normally happens a few years before a metis is ready for her Rite of Passage, she will have a leg up on her homid and lupus packmates. By the time she is accepted into a tribe, a metis tends to be especially good at partial transformations, since she’s had years to train.

For a homid, the First Change almost always comes at a time of great emotional agitation: fear, anger, frustration, even hatred. For a lupus Garou, things are different. In both cases, however, it’s an instinctual shift into Crinos shape, an effortless transformation fueled by the spiritual power of the First Change. For a metis, the shape she assumes when experiencing their First Change is keyed to the dominant shape of the sept she grew up in. If a metis is mostly used to wolves around her, she will change to Lupus shape; if she is used to seeing humans, she will change to Homid.

For a metis, the idea of the First Change is that of yet another skill, like running or howling (for wolves) or speaking, reading, and writing (for humans). It’s something that will come when she grows old enough to do it properly, so all she must do is wait. The difference is, that until the First Change actually happens, it’s not really a skill she can train. She learns to run by first crawling, then staggering on two legs with walls, chairs, and anything else for support, then walking properly. Howling is first loud yips, then shaky ululations, and finally the full-throated wolf howl. A metis cannot practice shapeshifting, however, until the First Change and the spontaneous full shift that happens then. Afterwards, however, a metis can take full advantage of all five forms and partial shapeshifting and practice to her heart’s content.

Most septs that accept metis to a greater or lesser degree mark the First Change in some way. For some metis, this is a joyous occasion, complete with a gift or two, while for others, it simply represents an increase in chores, instruction and/or training.

## The Personal View

### Growing Up Broken

*Whitenose, Uktena Theurge, muses on growing up metis*

Which direction should I speak? Ah, there, good. You understand that I can only speak for myself, my sept, my tribe, and even just my deformity, right?

Well, I suppose I should start with why I was born. My mother was a lupus, somewhat confused by the urges that came over her when she became a Garou. She describes it as being lightly in heat all the time. She fought side-byside with my father, a homid, in the same pack, for two years. They liked each other, they grew close because they were always together, constantly fighting danger. And then, after a particularly hard-fought battle, where several of their packmates died, they finally spent the night together. I am not trying to make excuses for them — I am just trying to make people understand the situation they found themselves in.

I suppose I was fortunate. Our sept isn’t all that big and it’s located near several corrupted areas. My sept might not have liked it, but in the end, they could not afford to have me or my mother killed. Interestingly enough, I don’t think the sept ever considered killing my father. They punished both my parents, of course, as is only fitting for someone who had broken the Litany, and in the end, my father died leading a suicidal charge against a Black Spiral Dancer hive. I was only three months old when that happened; and I can’t stop myself thinking that I was the reason he died.

So I was born, a metis, a shame on not only my mother, but my entire sept, and my tribe. My birth also caused considerable pain to my mother and damaged my body in ways that took weeks for me to heal, even with my natural regeneration. I don’t know if you’re from a sept with several tribes, but let me tell you — there’s almost always some subtle power games going on between the various tribes. The fact that the Uktena of my sept had brought forth a metis meant the other tribes now had an ace in the hole, so to speak. As if my own kind didn’t have enough reason to dislike me. My mother, Gaia bless her, refused to denounce me or to treat me any different than she would a normal child. Even when I bit off her nipple suckling, she never showed me anything but love and affection. It must have been hard on her, all that pressure to declare me a deformed outcast, yet she proudly accepted me as her son. Of course, she couldn’t be there for me all the time. She had her duties as a warrior of Gaia and days, even weeks, would go by where I did not see her. I had no protection from the animosity of the other Garou. In a way, I was glad that I was blind. I could hear their taunts, but not see the way I imagine they must have looked at me.

As much as my mother tried to be there, it was mainly the Den Father who raised me, with the help of those Kinfolk he assigned to take care of me. It’s not easy, being the target of scorn and ridicule, one parent dead and the other away for days and days. At first, I lashed out, but when I realized how badly I would hurt the Kinfolk around me — not to mention the beating I got from my fellow Garou when this happened — I withdrew into myself. Now, as an adult, looking back… it was child abuse. I was constantly reminded that I was worth less than other werewolves and that I was a stain upon my sept. My sept never let me forget that my mother, the only one who gave me any love, and my father, a dead hero for me to idolize, were lawbreakers. Because I was blind, I wasn’t given much in the way of traditional education. I don’t know how to read or write Braille. I don’t know much in the way of human history or world geography. I was taught the Litany, the traditions of the Garou, and the history of my tribe and I was told that my foremost duty was to fight and die for Gaia.

My First Change was a revelation. When I first became a wolf, it was like being able to see. My senses of smell and hearing were far beyond anything I had been used to. For a time I toyed with the idea of running away, but by then I had promised myself that I would show them all that they were wrong about me. Besides, I knew nothing of the outside world, except that it was filled with dangers, Wyrmspawn, and careless humans

After my First Change, things started to change. Slightly. It was as if the sept realized that one day I would have to be a member of a pack. Other Garou than my mother and the Den Father began instructing me. I was still at the bottom of the hierarchy, but I began to regain some sense of self-worth. The first time the caern’s Gatekeeper took me into the Umbra, I knew I had found my calling. I still can’t see in there, but I have other senses and most of the spirits don’t treat me any different from other Garou.

Interestingly enough, when I was sent on my Rite of Passage along with other young Garou from the sept, I performed a lot better than most of them. I had more knowledge of our ways and, more importantly, I was a lot more comfortable with being a werewolf. In the end, the sept accepted me as a cliath and they even forced some of the other young Garou to accept me as a member of their pack.

Looking back, I probably had it better than many metis, at least most of those I have spoken to. I was mistreated and even abused, but my mother stood with me, and my deformity probably protected me from the worst of it. Still, not a day goes by where I don’t wish that I had been born a homid or lupus.

### A Practical Approach

*Jeff Talks-Too-Much, Glass Walker Galliard, talks about growing up metis*

I wasn’t the first metis to be born to the Sept of the Bull’s Horns and I won’t be the last. After my tribe won the leadership from the Fianna, they stopped the practice of giving away metis to the Bone Gnawers of London. My tribe also reduced the punishment of the parents to a simple rite for the father and nothing for the mother; except the knowledge that she had broken the Litany and been forced to endure the pain and shame of birthing a metis. The elders of my sept believed that, with the Apocalypse approaching, we cannot waste a single warrior. I will not go so far as to say that they encouraged the creation of metis, but it certainly carries much less of a stigma than once it did. I was even given a human name along with a deed name, something that is rare for metis.

That’s not to say I had it easy, especially since my father was a Fianna. His tribe hated me and hated the fact that my mother’s tribe tacitly accepted their indiscretion and my birth. In the end, it drove my father to denounce me. Throughout my upbringing, I constantly felt the hatred of him and his family. My mother, it turned out, wasn’t much better. She truly loved my father and she bore a great shame due to my birth, so in the end, she simply stopped having anything to do with me. I think the fact that there were no outwards signs of me being a metis actually made it worse. If I’d been missing an arm or had a twisted spine, they might have seen it as an obvious sign of Gaia’s disapproval. But I look hale and hearty and as such, it was clear to the Elders of my sept that my deformity would be mental or spiritual. They watched for such signs and for much of my early upbringing, any temper tantrum or strange behavior was attributed to me being a metis. It was only after my First Change that my fits of madness were confirmed to be the result of my parentage.

The sept took care of me. The Den Mother not only assigned Kinfolk to teach me human language, reading, writing, math, and geography, she also assured that I had tutors in the lore of the Garou. Of course, I was always told that while I was a valued warrior in the fight for Gaia, I was also the result of a terrible mistake. That being said, the war against the Wyrm was the important thing and I grew up knowing my place, knowing that one day I would be called upon to risk my life in the service of Gaia.

It wasn’t long after my First Change that the Garou of my sept allowed me to go out into the human world and, at least two Kinfolk and one Garou would always chaperone me. My sept wanted me to know how the outside world worked, to make me understand how best to fight the good fight. Since I wasn’t the only metis, we naturally formed a group, which I think cut down a good deal on the scorn and derision that other Garou normally heap upon us, especially the young ones. The older Fianna still treated us like outcasts, though they were willing to admit that we would make good warriors against the Wyrm. In retrospect, I think I’ve had it a lot better than other metis.

### Unworthy

*Leatherhide, Silver Fang Ahroun, shares the pain it is to grow up metis*

My parents made a terrible mistake and for that, they suffered. By rights, I shouldn’t be alive, but the leaders of my sept decided to spare my life, in their infinite wisdom. They saw that, worthless as I was, I might still be of some use in the glorious battle for Gaia. So, to remove me from the taint that my parents represent, I was sent to another caern, there to be raised as a proper Garou.

As was only right, my upbringing was hard. The Litany is a sacred law and I am a violation of one of the very things that make us what we are. The fact that I was a Silver Fang means that I am inherently superior to other Garou, even as a metis, but that did not help me much. Our tribe, if not all Garou, expect us to excel, and so it was for me since an early age. Better for me to die during the tests set before me than to fail on the field of battle, where the lives of better Garou than I hang in the balance.

The task of teaching me the basics of reading and writing was given to Kinfolk, enough so that I could function in human society, but it was other Garou that taught me what matters, what is important. I was educated in the Litany, the traditions of my tribe and sept, the history of the Garou, and I was taught the sacred duty that befalls us all: to fight, and eventually die, in the service of Gaia. I learned how humans have been poisoning the Earth for thousands of years, how they are a blight upon the world, how the Silver Fangs were chosen to be the leaders of our kind, and how the other tribes envy us and look down upon us for being their betters. These were hard lessons learned. My tough hide meant that my tutors could beat me fiercely when I strayed from my lessons, spoke out of turn, or made demands. As a child, I did not always understand why my mother and father could not be there, why I was always the last to be given food and why I had twice the chores of anyone else.

The sept celebrated my First Change and my training doubled in intensity. My tribe was not the only one in the area and the Elders of my tribe put pressure on me to present the best possible image of a Garou, even though I am an abomination. After my Rite of Passage, they graciously allowed me to join a pack and since then, I have strived to wash away the sin of my birth.

## Metis Camps

*From the journal of Jeffrey Packless of the Glass Walkers.*

As outcasts, metis often gravitate towards other metis (though others shy away from their own kind, as they are painful reminders of what they are: twisted breaches of the Litany). Over the years, various groups of metis have evolved. I call them camps, for they resemble the various political, philosophical, and ideological groupings within the tribes and, just like tribal camps, not all metis are members of one. Garou society has brutally suppressed or even wiped out some of these camps during their history, while they have tolerated others. The following is a look at the ones I know of as being active right now.

### The Followers of Vulcan

*We might’ve been born deformed, a violation of the Litany, but that don’t mean we can’t make a positive contribution to the Garou Nation. We ain’t never gonna be leaders, but we got our own Gifts, we got a connection to what it means to be Garou that few can match and we’re willin’ to make great sacrifices.*

*— Jon Manyscars, Fianna Theurge, Klaivesmith*

The Followers of Vulcan believe that metis must serve their tribe and sept to the best of their ability, and never seek undue power or reward. Many of them focus on the crafting of talens and fetishes, while others serve as messengers between septs, instructors to young Garou, or any other task that most other Garou are reluctant to take up. They strive to be humble, accepting their station, and their ultimate aim is to foster acceptance of metis in the Garou Nation by showing them how useful metis can be. I have a great deal of respect for them, but I feel they do themselves a disservice by their constant submissive demeanor. We are, after all, warriors and amongst our kind, the meek shall not inherit the Earth.

### The Children of Kubera

*We can still fight. It is really that simple. Gaia needs us. The tribes need us. With the Apocalypse looming, no sept can afford to cast out a single Garou. So what if we were born from sin – we’re willing to take the battle to the heart of the Wyrm, so that Garou who can still breed can survive to bring about the next generation. Put me in the vanguard and I will bring victory.*

*— Wojownik, Shadow Lord Ahroun*

In case you are wondering, Kubera is a deformed Hindu god, who used to be a demon before joining the side of good and, well, fighting demons. The Children of Kubera are religious fanatics, warriors willing to do whatever is necessary in the name of Gaia. Ask these guys to strap on a vest of C4 filled with silver shrapnel and jump into a Black Spiral Dancer hive and they will do it… probably after complaining about using Weaver technology.

Okay, maybe I am being too hard on them. There’s no denying that they are single-minded, self-sacrificing warriors, but they are doing some good for the status of metis by showing other Garou that being born from a violation of the Litany doesn’t necessarily make one a bad warrior. And much as I hate to admit it, one of their central tenets is true: the death of a metis, while lamentable, is preferable to that of a Garou that can still breed more werewolves. The problem is that they create an image of metis as expendable warriors who can be thrown away for a tactical advantage.

### The Sisterhood of Bes

*We are the protectors of Gaia, the wardens of the Wyld, the only thing that stands against the Apocalypse. We can discuss the finer points of the Litany once the world has been cleansed, don’t you think?*

*— Laughing Ice, Wendigo Ragabash, Den Mother of the Frozen Lake Sept*

As far as I can determine, the Sisterhood of Bes originated with the Black Furies (even though Bes is an Egyptian goddess) and has existed for at least a thousand years. Once, it admitted only female members, but times have changed. The Sisterhood does its best to argue against the killing of metis. The also help to arrange adoptions if needed. Finally, they try to act as mentors to young metis if the situation permits. The Sisterhood also takes on the role of protectors and defenders of caerns, volunteering for guard duty and whatever other tasks as required. They study medicine and help both Garou and Kinfolk through pregnancies, and have a great deal of knowledge about delivering metis. Unfortunately, they have become exceptionally secretive and insular within the last decades, something that has hurt their standing among other Garou. While they are probably still the most respected metis camp, this change in attitude has caused some of the more anti-metis Garou to proclaim that the members of the Sisterhood are as bad as any other mule.

### Society of Erichthonius

*The Society of Erichthonius does not exist. Once, a rag-tag bunch of mongrels by that name might, possibly, have come together. But if that was the case, they were eradicated long ago.*

*— Honors-the-Litany, Bone Gnawer Ahroun*

Maybe theSociety does not exist, but they most certainly did once and they might again. With all the many stories and rumors out there, the Society cannot be discounted out of hand. I have gathered as many as I dare, for simply speaking of the Society of Erichthonius can lead to some unpleasant attention.

The Society was (or is) a group of metis united in the purpose of elevating metis to the position of leaders of the Garou Nation. Their philosophy states that metis are “pure born” Garou and since they are the only werewolves to be raised from birth knowing full well what they are, they are best equipped to lead other Garou. Needless to say, non-metis (and many metis) consider this to be utmost heresy and septs will punish any Garou expressing even the slightest sympathy towards this position.

The rumors I have unearthed indicates that the Society were building some vast conspiracy within the Garou Nation, possibly even trying to destabilize several of our most powerful caerns, so that the septs has no choice but to breed more metis to ensure enough warriors to fight against our enemies. I cannot in any way condone such action and I have trouble believing that any right-thinking metis could join this group.

## Views from Without

Every tribe has their own outlook on metis. However, much like how the tribes view each other, the overall view of the tribe can vary from member to member to member. Garou are not stereotypes, but individuals. Opinions on metis will naturally vary from sept to sept. In general, a sept that is comprised solely of a single tribe is more likely to have the stereotypical view of metis. A sept with two or more tribes is usually more open-minded. Of course, as will be touched upon later, outside events or circumstances might also force a tribe to moderate their view of metis.

Another important thing to mention is that most tribes are more accepting of homosexual relationships between Garou (which cannot lead to metis) than they are of heterosexual ones. Homosexuality is both present and accepted in wolf packs; these non-breeding males are often the most fearsome and brave of the pack as they will not provide new cubs. While the Children of Gaia are usually seen as the tribe that freely and openly accepts such relations, the truth is that most tribes are willing to at least look the other way, while other, especially the more warlike, encourage these relationships. Sharing a bed builds camaraderie, gives you someone to talk to who knows what you are going through, and forges a tight bond between warriors. The “Spartan way” is a lot more common among such tribes as the Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Wendigo as an outside observer might realize. Members of these tribes are quick to defend such relationships as being within the limits of the Litany, since they cannot lead to metis children.

### Black Furies

*We don’t produce many metis, and those we do produce are a greater shame to us than to those of other tribes, as they are a constant reminder not only of a breach of the Litany, but also of the fact that one of us were seduced by a male of another tribe. Now, you may have heard that metis are the only males we allow in our tribe and that is true, but just as often, the dual disgrace of birthing a metis and a male means that the sept encourages (or forces) the mother to give the child up to another tribe willing to take it. We may be a tribe who revere motherhood, but some limits must be set.*

*— Nicole Defends-the-Land, Black Fury Philodox*

The Black Furies seem surprisingly open when talking about their metis and I have observed that female metis (and those males who they keep) are treated better than metis in most other tribes. I guess that the “mother” stereotype associated with the Black Furies isn’t all that far off.

One thing that I must be mention in passing, is that while metis are rarer among the Black Furies than among many other tribes (because, I suppose, it requires them to become involved with a male Garou of another tribe), the Black Furies seem to break the letter of the first law of the Litany quite often with lesbian relationships. While they don’t defend such relationships with quite the same fervor as the Children of Gaia, neither do they condemn them.

I saw a perfect example of this in a small sept in northern Greece, where the sept leaders defiantly introduced two members of the sept as metis, as if daring me to comment. When I talked to those metis, one of whom was male, I learned that the entire sept had had a hand in rearing, training, and teaching them and that they had not been the subject of nearly as much derision as I had seen in most other septs I visited.

Finally, I did wonder about the fact that all the Furies I talked to assumed that the situation came about because a Black Fury allowed someone else to seduce her. There must be times when a Black Fury does the seducing, but I think it might be prudent not to ask about that.

**Longstrider’s comments:** Packless has it mostly right here. Now, I did come across one small Black Fury sept in California that practices the ritual sacrifice of any metis child born to them. Since I am a woman, they confided in me that they see a metis child as the ultimate insult to their Totem — for a metis to be born to a Black Fury, she must have submitted to a male werewolf. I am not sure I agree with their interpretation of “submit,” but there you have it.

Also, I know for a fact that sometimes, Black Furies are the ones initiating the relationship. But as Packless said, this is not something you should mention in a Fury sept. The Furies themselves prefer to encourage lesbian relationships between tribe members inside a pack or sept.

### Bone Gnawers

*‘ere we go again. “The Bone Gnawers don’t respect the Litany, look at all those metis they got.” Yeah, well, ya ever take a good look at our metis? Like that big, red furred fella over there with the true breeding? We take in the mistakes of other tribes, ‘cause we care about the individual. We know about bein’ outcasts. And because we care, because we know, we try not to make anymore poor outcasts ourselves.*

*— Vincent Stab-Master, Bone Gnawer Ahroun*

Despite common misconceptions (no pun intended), the Bone Gnawers are no more prone to producing metis than other tribes. From what I have been able to gather, the Gnawers usually treat their metis somewhat better than most tribes, probably since they know what it’s like when others disregard and look down upon them. That being said, they don’t condone the breach of the Litany that leads to the birth of a metis, and they don’t skimp on punishment for the parents. Numerous rumors about, though, that some of the more desperate Gnawers have started to breed metis to ensure warriors in their battle for the streets.

Delhi holds one of the most desperate septs I have ever visited. They have adopted the metis of the local Fianna, Glass Walkers, Silver Fangs and even some Stargazers and Red Talons and, in return, have received a modicum of assistance from the packs and septs they have helped. The Gnawer sept itself had produced no metis they knew of, yet the other tribes in the area still looked down upon them.

**Longstrider’s comments:** The rumors are not just rumors. Packless has a very Euro-centric outlook. Having been to Central and South America, I can say for certain that a few Gnawer septs do exist that have taken the pragmatic approach and have begun breeding metis to ensure the warriors needed to face the Wyrm in the hellhole cities they live in.

### Children of Gaia

*Only Garou understand Garou. So, love between us is something that we expect. As long as this love does not lead to breaking the Litany — to the birth of a metis — then we see nothing wrong with that. If the Litany is broken, we punish the parents, but the child is not responsible for the sins of the parents. Every Garou is one of Gaia’s chosen and their deformities are punishment enough. We accept that and because we do, other tribes sometimes ask us to take their metis in.*

*— Spirit-Lore, Child of Gaia Theurge*

The Children of Gaia are well-known for their interpretation of the “breed” part of the first law of the Litany and see nothing wrong in sexual relationships between Garou, as long as they do not lead to pregnancy. As birth control is at best only sometimes successful, most relationships between the Children of Gaia are homosexual. Those that aren’t often rely on natural remedies and, as such, they frequently lead to pregnancy.

I have noticed that, while the Children of Gaia always profess their love for, and acceptance of, all werewolves, they have a lot of private shame over their metis and from what I have been told, they can be quite derisive towards them when no other tribes are around.

I got some idea of this at the Sept of the Pure Spirit in southern France. Here, the elders of the tribe encourage homosexual relationships between Garou as a way to build camaraderie and as a way to let young Garou have sexual partners who understand them without producing metis. The sept did have one, single metis and from what I could tell, the sept treated her with a great deal of contempt, even as they professed their acceptance of her.

**Longstrider’s comments:** I came across one Children of Gaia sept in South Africa during the Apartheid where the punishment for the parents of a metis child was having to kill their own offspring. The rationale was that the life of a metis was simply too painful and that it was a kindness to kill the baby before it could realize the horror of its own existence. The parents had to do this themselves, as part of the punishment, and to spare other Garou the unpleasant task of killing a child.

I will note that, while Children are the most open about encouraging homosexual relationships, they are far from the only ones. Most tribes have realized that Garou will be attracted to other Garou and try to steer these urges towards relationships where there is no chance of conceiving a metis.

### Fianna

*Ahh, metis. An eternal problem. We like to get our drink on and from time to time, passions that are kept under control in everyday situations are inflamed when feasting. I think most of our metis are the result of drunken fooling around after a great victory. Not that that’s any excuse, mind. The Litany is there for a reason and the deformity of the metis child is proof enough that Gaia disapproves.*

*— Gavin One-Blow, Fianna Ragabash*

I think the Fianna might be the foremost tribe when it comes to dealing harshly with metis children. Many septs terminate the pregnancy or leave the child out to die from exposure. They have a profound respect for the Litany, and those metis who are allowed to live and grow up as members of the tribe (usually those born in mixed-tribe septs) face unending contempt and derision. This drives many Fianna metis to suicidal acts of valor and bravery to prove themselves. Those few who survive often become renowned heroes. I have my own reasons to dislike the Fianna attitude, but many other Garou respect their strong adherence to our laws.

A perfect example of the Fianna attitude is the sept of the Long Hill in the Forest of Bowland. This sept leaves any metis baby outside in the most desolate valley available, for a full night and day. Should the child die, the parents’ punishment is relatively mild, consisting of a single Punishment Rite. If the child survives, the sept puts both parents through a harrowing series of purification and punishment trials, which are sometimes fatal. The sept then does its best to adopt the child away. If this is not possible, they raise the metis child in an atmosphere of utmost hatred.

There seems to be quite a bit of homosexual bonding among the Fianna, but they often try to pass it off as the result of drunken debauchery or young Garou just fooling around; it is not that they are ashamed of the homosexuality, but more that they want to ensure that everyone knows the Litany has not, technically, been violated.

**Longstrider’s comments:** It’s clear that Packless’ attitude comes from talking to Fianna in England and America. I have visited two septs in the Scottish highlands that watched over some of the old White Howler caerns and fought the Wyrm creatures attracted to them. These Fianna focused a lot more on the second law of the Litany, and while they still punished parents for breeding a metis, they allowed the child to grow to adulthood so it could combat the Wyrm wherever it dwells and whenever it breeds.

### Get of Fenris

*You follow the laws or you get punished. It’s that simple. And we’ll make sure the punishment means you don’t break the law again. You understand? Oh, the metis? Yeah, if they fight, we let them fight. Gaia needs warriors, so we don’t deny her that.*

*— Sigrun Fjendeknuser, Get of Fenris Philodox*

The Get don’t mess around. Anything that leads to pregnancy is swiftly and harshly punished, as is any obvious sexual relationship between two Garou. The Get expect their metis to prove themselves even more than other Get and that is no mean feat. Though from what I have seen, the Get will grudgingly accept any metis if she proves herself.

My take on the Get is that their attitude is almost the reverse of the Children of Gaia. Publicly, they decry the existence of their metis and make a show of animosity towards them, but when nobody is looking, they treat them almost as they do homid and lupus Garou.

While the Get punish those who breed Metis, they are often very open about homosexual relationships — sometimes even aggressively so. Among many Get, there is an idea that warriors should share everything and that companions that fight together make good partners. Since this does not produce any metis, the Get see it as a safe way for true warriors to strengthen their bonds and most Get septs seem to have at least a few homosexual couples.

I visited the small Sept of the House of Ages in northern Denmark and was somewhat surprised to find that their Warder was a metis. Up until then, I had always thought that most European single-tribe septs were quite conservative. But according to the sept Elder, the Warder had proven her mettle on many occasions and had, according to him, “risen above the unfortunate circumstances of her birth and proven herself a true Get.” He then asked if I wanted to make an issue of it. I wisely said no.

**Longstrider’s comments:** One of the most unpleasant septs I have ever visited was a Get sept north of Kiev in Ukraine, back when it was still part of the Soviet Union. Here, they treated any metis born as little more than an animal, taught only to fight. They reasoned that their deformities made them less “pure” and less “strong” than homid or lupus Garou. The sept sent the poor metis in first against enemies and kept them in a pen when they were not fighting. I never did find out if the parents were punished. But I do know that there are Get septs where the mother will only be punished if she has lain with a Garou who is not a Get of Fenris. Considering what I know about Viking culture, I am sometimes baffled by the openness about open homosexual relationships that Packless mentions. Of course, the Get are willing to fight for what they believe in. I would hate to be the one who tells a gay Get of Fenris that he is a weakling.

### Glass Walkers

*Yes, we are modern. Yes, we are trying to update Garou society. But there must be limits, and breaking the first law of the Litany is one of them. If you absolutely have to get your freak on with another werewolf, then avoid penetration. Even spiritually-awakened birth control methods fail far too often. Of course, we’re not the most controlled or distanced of lovers, so reining in our impulse to breed is almost impossible without physical restraining both parties. Which, yeah, some get off on. The best option is the simplest: don’t fuck another werewolf. We catch enough flak from other tribes as it is, no need to add rampant metis-production to that list.*

*– Ryan “Power Howl” Foschi, Glass Walker Galliard*

My own tribe has a real problem with metis. We encourage a modern mind-set, which includes questioning and examining traditions. This means a lot of young Walkers are even more likely to “forget” some laws of the Litany than many other werewolves. It also means the other tribes look down on us, and our acceptance of the Weaver’s tools doesn’t really help. So, we Walkers see each and every metis as yet another way for the other tribes to scorn us. Metis who grow up amongst Glass Walkers often find themselves being blamed for the way other tribes see us.

Importantly, we are one of the tribes that really discourage homosexual relations between Garou. The other tribes are already suspicious of us for our embrace of the Weaver. There is no reason to add breaches of the Litany to the list, even if that breach is only a technicality.

The Sept of the Wind Father in Chicago represents this rather well. When I talked with the sept’s members, they expressed a deep annoyance with the number of metis that they had, and the fact that this caused problems for them when dealing with other tribes in the area, so much so that they had trouble recruiting anyone but Bone Gnawers for their raids against Pentex subsidiaries. The elders of the sept had begun a campaign of harsh punishment against any Garou suspected of having sex with another werewolf, even with the use of birth control.

**Longstrider’s comments:** There’s a Glass Walker sept in Toronto, Sept of the Industrial Revolution, which exiles any Garou who has sex with another of our kind, to show that employing the Weaver’s tools still includes a rigid adherence to laws. They do allow the metis child to stay with the sept, though, raising it the same way that most Walker septs do.

### Shadow Lords

*Metis represent weakness. Giving in to lust or love, breaking our laws, shaming your tribe and sept — this is failure, pure and simple. We expect this of other tribes, but Shadow Lords hold ourselves to a higher standard. We have fewer metis than any other tribes, as is only proper, and those few metis who we allow to live are those who have shown themselves to be paragons of what it means to be Garou.*

*— Born of Thunder, Shadow Lord Theurge*

Nothing in my research suggests that the Shadow Lords have substantially fewer metis than other tribes. Instead, they hide them until they can point out how well an individual metis has performed, retroactively proving it was a wise decision to let them live. Meanwhile, they use each and every metis birth in other tribes to point out how weak those tribes are. Their mindset seems to be that they can break the Litany with impunity, but others must be punished. While Shadow Lords do not exactly respect their metis, they certainly see them as above and beyond members of other tribes, simply by virtue of being a Shadow Lord.

The only time I have ever seen a metis as sept leader was in a Shadow Lord sept in Crimea. According to her, she had earned her position by dint of outmaneuvering all other claimants to her post. The other Garou of the sept showed her due deference — and smugly asserted that the Shadow Lords were so superior that they could be led by a metis without it reducing their ability to fight the Wyrm.

**Longstrider’s comments:** A certain Shadow Lord sept in Eastern Europe (and that is all I am going to say) encourages their most attractive male members to seduce female Garou of other tribes. The Shadow Lords then use the resultant metis birth as a political bargaining tool to reduce the power of the other sept. The Shadow Lords also offer to adopt the child to spare the mother the embarrassment. The metis child is raised knowing full well it was adopted away from its mother tribe, indoctrinated in the ways of the Shadow Lords, and taught to hate its mother’s tribe. I learned of this when a young and inexperienced (but handsome) Shadow Lord tried this on me. Knowing the Shadow Lords, I made my case to the Elders of the sept, who reacted with what I assume was feigned surprise and indignation. They offered me the chance the gain satisfaction in the form of a formal challenge, an offer I gladly took them up on. In the end, I left the young pup dead for his insolence, but I can’t help but wonder if I actually helped the sept. After all, I did rid them of a somewhat incompetent member.

### Silent Striders

*Seriously, when you’re on the road for days, weeks, even months, it’s hard to ignore the feelings that arise when you meet members of your own kind. I guess it’s easier for those of my tribe who stay put, but for us travelers, emotions tend to surge when we visit a caern. Doesn’t exactly help that we tend to be out of there before any pregnancy begins to show, so either you’ve just left some poor female Garou with a metis baby or you’re a pregnant werewolf on the road. So even if you don’t want to obey the Litany because, well, it’s The Law, do it because it avoids a lot of trouble.*

*— Aaron “Primal” Jackson, Silent Strider Ahroun*

The Striders are a secretive lot and I haven’t been able to learn much about how they treat their metis, especially since so many of them travel so much. They are much more likely to let metis children live when compared to other tribes, probably because they are fewer in numbers. From what I can tell, a lot of Strider metis are left in the care of other tribes, with their parent checking in on them from time to time. I have never heard a Strider be downright proud of a metis child, but they often seem sad and resigned, rather than ashamed and hateful, towards their metis tribemates.

Since I have never been to a Strider-only sept, I really can’t say what the prevailing attitude is when these Garou stay in one place.

**Longstrider’s comments:** We do have septs. Few, true, but they exist. Garou who mate with Garou in those septs will be severely punished. Other Garou already see us as a strange tribe, since several of us wander without a pack, so we consider adherence to the Litany important. Metis children will usually be raised communally and we encourage them to take up a wandering lifestyle. As for the parents, well, we usually go light on the physical punishment, preferring Rites instead.

### Silver Fangs

*It is a shame whenever one of our kind breaks the Litany and every metis, though a potent warrior against the Wyrm, is a black mark against the tribe. We do our best to teach our young to express whatever affection they may have towards each other in non-sexual ways, but from time to time, even the best slip up. Of course, the result is a Silver Fang, which makes this metis much, much better than the metis of other tribes. So at least we have some consolation; other tribes, however, should know better.*

*— Natascha Silvertongue, Silver Fang Ragabash*

Yes, many Silver Fangs really have their heads so far up their own asses that while they might officially regret the birth of a Fang metis, they still celebrate that another purebred werewolf has come into the world. Of course, a metis among the Silver Fangs doesn’t have it easy. The tribe is elitist and a metis will always be at the bottom of the pecking order, someone that even the most disregarded member of the sept can look down upon, deride, and despise. The sept raises them to see themselves as better than others, but at the same time, they are constantly being told that they are lesser beings. It doesn’t help the hypocrisy that Silver Fangs publicly condemn members of other tribes who breed a metis, while at the same time smugly intimating that “lesser tribes” simply don’t know any better.

The first sept I visited in the Americas was a small Silver Fang sept in eastern Canada. Here, the single metis was the messenger of the sept, sent out to deal with other tribes. As the members of the sept explained, a lesser Fang was best suited for dealing with lesser tribes. They also proudly pointed out just how clear the tribe’s blood ran through this Garou, even though he was metis. Interestingly, it seemed that both his father and mother had been exiled when they produced a metis and the child had been raised mainly by Kinfolk.

**Longstrider’s comments:** I believe that if metis could breed, the Silver Fangs would be pumping them out. Still, I did come across the Sept of the Silver Pinnacle in the Kuznetsk Alatau mountains of Siberia. Here, any mother found pregnant with a metis child will be killed (as will the father, if they can find him) The sept sees the parents as impure in spirit for violating the Litany and the child as impure in body (their deformity) and they are quite obsessed with keeping the Silver Fangs tribe as pure as possible.

A short note: Good luck getting any Silver Fang to admit that he or she is involved with another Garou of the same gender. More so than other Garou, Falcon’s children are fanatics when it comes to breeding. While any individual Silver Fang is as likely to be gay as any other Garou, the tribe pressures — and in some cases forces — them to breed with members of the opposite sex regardless. Beyond producing more of Gaia’s warriors, it helps reinforce the tribe’s pure blood.

### Uktena

*The metis are a natural part of what it means to be a Garou. Sure, they are the result of a breach of the Litany and, ideally, metis should not exist. But a metis is a resource too valuable to be squandered, so after the parents have been properly chastised, one must look to using the metis to the best of her abilities.*

*— Susan Ghigau, Uktena Theurge*

Not all Uktena have the kind of pragmatic and efficient attitude towards metis that they might claim. Certainly, many metis have it a lot easier in Uktena septs than they would have had among any other tribe, but they still face animosity and outright hatred. What the Uktena do not skimp on is training and education for their metis. Some septs seem to regard metis as pure weapons, much like the Stargazers, while others simply take advantage of a pup that can be trained and taught about the Garou world from a very early age.

I stayed for quite a while in a sept in southern Texas, where there were no less than four full-grown metis and two children. According to the members of the sept, they had been lax in the punishment for breaking the first law of the Litany, but the presence of a large number of tainted mining operations and powerful Bane lairs nearby led me to believe that the sept had, at least implicitly, encouraged the breeding of metis. During my time, I saw very little scorn directed towards the metis there, and the entire sept was involved with raising the children.

**Longstrider’s comments:** Deep in the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula lies the Sept of the Sleeping Rock, dedicated to watching over a massive Bane that sleeps deep in the Earth. Here, all metis born are given to other septs if possible and killed if not, since the Uktena of the sept believe that the spiritual pollution the metis represent might awaken the sleeping Bane. The parents of the metis child must go through numerous and painful rituals of cleansing before they are allowed back into the caern.

### Wendigo

*Before you Wyrmcomers invaded our shores, the Pure Tribes had no metis among us. Once in a hundred years, a foolish youngster might disregard the Litany and become pregnant, But the septs dealt swiftly with this; they killed the child, punished the mother and father, and used the incident to show the young of our tribe the truth of the Litany. Now, you have brought corruption and false ideas to these lands. Our young think that the old laws are foolish and we cannot afford to make examples of metis, for we need every warrior.*

*— Otaktay, Wendigo Galliard*

While numbers are almost impossible to come by, nothing in my research indicates that the Wendigo (and Uktena and Croatan) did not produce any metis prior to the coming of the Europeans. Certainly, they might have produced fewer metis, seeing as how they apparently faced fewer Wyrm foes than European Garou did, and so might have had the luxury of getting rid of potential warriors.

These days, the Wendigo remain scornful of metis, and those among them whom they allow face a harsh existence, constantly berated and belittled by their tribemates. The Wendigo are even stricter than the Fianna when it comes to the Litany and do not take kindly to any breach of it. As such, the sins of the parents follow Wendigo metis, usually until they die. Only the greatest acts of heroism can erase the stain of their birth.

The Sept of the White Veil, high in the American Cascade Mountains, leaves metis babies outside on mountaintops as an offering to the spirits of the wind. Sometimes, a Theurge of the sept is given a vision that tells him to go collect the baby, in which case the metis is given back to the mother to be raised by her alone and whatever Kinfolk she can persuade. The father, if he can be found, is punished with both a Rite and silver, while the mother is forbidden from ever rising beyond whatever Rank she held when giving birth. However, when I passed through the sept, one of their more respected elders was a metis who had proven herself in countless battles.

**Longstrider’s comments:** While it is true that the Wendigo respect the Litany, I did visit one sept in Alaska, on one of the Aleutian Islands, where metis are accepted as long as both parents are Wendigo. The reasoning is that the so-called Wyrmcomers have decimated the “pure” tribes and that letting a Wendigo die simply for being a metis is a crime against Gaia.

### Black Spiral Dancers

*Oh, we looove metis. More warriors. Who cares about the Litany? Who cares about some silly deformity? We are all brothers and sisters, are we not? You’re metis, aren’t you? So, come over to our side and you will never again be treated badly for something that isn’t your fault.*

*— Unnamed Black Spiral Dancer*

Getting information about the Black Spiral Dancers is notoriously hard. Most of what I have learned came from the interrogation of a Dancer captured in a raid against a derelict oil rig in the North Sea. He was clearly a metis himself, with curling horns, and if he is to be believed the Dancers produce an awful lot of metis and treat them no different than other Garou. In fact, they might even be given a slightly higher status. It makes sense when you think about it. Not only do the Black Spiral Dancers have no respect for the Litany, but they are but one tribe against thirteen. It makes sense that they would take any warriors they can get. It is only fortunate that metis are sterile and so cannot breed even more Dancers.

I hesitate to note this, but in order to be complete; while I haven’t encountered many Garou that have gone over to the Dancers, there seems to be a marked tendency for such renegades to be metis.

**Longstrider’s comments:** Like Packless, I don’t really know much about the Black Spiral Dancers. I did, however, hear a story when I was in the Amazon. A pack had patrolled the area around a known Black Spiral Hive in preparation for an assault and had come across a massive pit where no less than six Black Spiral Dancers, all obviously metis, had been ritually sacrificed. While some claimed this was simply a perverse Wyrm rite, others theorized that the Spiral Dancers have realized they will die out if they only produce metis and some of their septs have begun a “purification program.”

## The Kinfolk Perspective

Kinfolk, whether they be homid or lupus, rarely have much influence in sept matters. But Kin are still a part of the life of a metis and most metis growing up will, at some point, be taught or cared for, by Kin. For humans, opinions vary wildly, while wolf Kinfolk don’t distinguish between metis Garou and other Garou.

### Ernst Jonsson, Get of Fenris Kin

A werewolf is a werewolf. Sorry, Garou. All are worthy of respect from us Kin. You were born to be Gaia’s foremost warriors and all we can do is support you. I understand the problem with breaking the Litany, but from my viewpoint, more warriors fighting the good fight is a good thing. Metis might be disregarded and scorned by other Garou, but to me and many of the Kinfolk that I know, they are still greater and more powerful beings. We will give them the respect a Garou is due and leave the finer points of werewolf law to the werewolves.

### Lena Wozniack, Glass Walker Kin

I know I am not supposed to say this, but really, I don’t like metis. I live near a caern and spend most of my time helping the sept. One of the things I’ve gotten saddled with is babysitting young metis and let me tell you, that’s one of the scariest things I have ever done. Even adult werewolves have trouble realizing how fragile we normal humans are. A metis child throwing a fit is probably the most dangerous thing I have ever faced. From time to time, a werewolf comes by to tutor the child in your rules, laws, and traditions, but the rest of the time, they’re too busy and it falls to Kinfolk to take care of your mistakes.

## Other Changing Breeds

The Fera treat their metis slightly better than the Garou, overall. Due to their lower numbers, most Breeds need every cub they can get. Some Fera can not produce metis at all. The Bastet, Mokolé, and Gurahl have laws forbidding matings between two shapeshifters of the same Breed, similar to the Garou.

### Ajaba

**Ajaba** metis are all hermaphrodites rather than being deformed, and serve as the social and spiritual intermediary between the male mystics and female warriors. Although metis might once have had a stigma, modern Ajaba are too few to care about breed and treat each other as equals.

### Ananasi

**Ananasi** parings produce offspring, but these Atahsaia are kept in the Deep Umbra after birth to serve some purpose known only to Queen Ananasa herself.

### Kumo

**Kumo** pairings produce more typical, sterile metis, which invariably eat their mother alive on their way out. The Kumo consider this a wonderful event, for which they envy and honor the metis, but they do arrange Kumo-Kumo pairings with care knowing the mother must die.

### Bastet

**Bastet** produce deformed and sterile metis, as Garou do, but they do not suffer from the same social stigma, except the relatively small disdain show for ugly metis. As solitary creatures, most Bastet depend on themselves instead of society, so any metis who survives alone has earned respect.

### Kitsune

**Kitsune** "metis", more correctly called shinju, are neither deformed nor sterile. However, only 10% of all Kitsune to Kitsune offspring are shinju rather than normal human or fox Kinfolk. Additionally, one of the Kitsune parents is likely to die if a shinju is born. Shinju grow up in the Courts, and typically become insufferably arrogant and perfectionistic.

### Mokolé

**Mokolé** metis die before they are born or hatched, as their developing mind is incapable of Dreaming up an Archid form. These Innocents wander the middle-Umbra as ghosts, near-mindlessly seeking out Mokolé to attack for their misfortune.

### Nagah

**Nagah** parings under very specific conditions produce a single fertile, undeformed offspring called an ahi. A mother may give birth to only one ahi in their lifetime; all other pairings with male Nagah produce Kinfolk, though she can choose their breed. Their skin blisters when exposed to harsh pollution since they are raised in the pure waters of their mother's Ananta.

### Ratkin

**Ratkin** metis are not only deformed and sterile, but have less endurance (this means they have lower Stamina, but also higher Strength from surviving their upbringing). They are infected with the Birthing Plague early in their lives, and few survive it. Their upbringing makes them fanatical, even by Ratkin standards.

### Others

**Corax**, **Gurahl**, **Nuwisha**, and **Rokea** do not produce metis at all. Among the Lost Breeds, the **Apis** and the **Camazotz** also did not produce metis offspring. The offspring of two Corax or two Nuwisha is Kinfolk, and such Kinfolk cannot receive a Corax Spirit Egg. Gurahl breed so carefully that they never inbreed, and Rokea never desire each other sexually, even when "swimming" on land. Apis, being masters of breeding, knew lineage far too well for a Metis offspring to happen.

## Metis and the Auspices

Garou of a philosophical or spiritual bent often discuss whether auspice affects a Garou’s outlook or if it is her natural inclination that draws her to be born under a specific moon. This is no different for a metis than for a homid or lupus, but the unique circumstances a metis faces will affect how she acts within her auspice.

### Ragabash

Many a young Garou say that this must be the perfect Auspice for a metis. The Ragabash flaunts the rules, customs, and mores of Garou society, after all. Any experienced Garou, however, can easily see the flaw in this reasoning. The role of the Ragabash is not to break the rules with impunity. It is to teach others, to make them consider why we have the laws, rules, and customs that we do. A Ragabash challenges the rules to strengthen them and many Garou believe that this rings hollow when coming from a metis. Most metis Ragabash end up taking their position very seriously and are far from the traditional tricksters and pranksters most Garou envision when thinking about this auspice.

### Theurge

With the strong spiritual connection that metis have, again coupled with being raised in Garou society, this auspice can seem like a perfect match, and in many ways, it is. In fact, it allows metis to rise to such positions as Gatekeeper and even Master of the Rite in some progressive caerns. The biggest problem facing a metis Theurge comes not from other Garou, but from spirits. Numerous spirits exist whose loyalty to the Garou extend to the Litany and who are even more predisposed to dislike a metis than his fellow Garou.

### Philodox

Some may think that this auspice is a great match for a metis; being raised in Garou society should prepare them quite well for a role as judge, adjudicator, and interpreter of the laws. Of course, this is rarely so. As metis are walking violations of the Litany, it is a huge struggle for them to be taken seriously as experts of Garou law. It doesn’t really help that Philodox are just as expected to take on leadership positions as Ahroun are. Being Philodox can be quite an uphill struggle for a metis.

### Galliard

Like Ahroun, this auspice meshes well with being a metis. Metis grow up around the stories and lore of the Garou, giving them a better grounding as storytellers than a homid or lupus. Garou society still expects Galliards to be frontline fighters, but it is rare for them to rise to the greatest positions of leadership, most instead become trusted advisors.

The main problem Galliard metis face is the prejudice most Garou hold towards metis makes it harder for them to motivate others. A rousing speech or blood-rushing howl somehow seems to mean a little less when coming from a metis.

### Ahroun

In some ways, this auspice is the best for a metis. Not only are they very suited to the role of warriors, being more accustomed to the Crinos form and able to heal rapidly in any, but it allows a metis to prove herself as a warrior, as well as work out any frustrations she might have. Some difficulties arise, however. Ahroun are often leaders; they are especially common as alphas of young packs and Garou tend to settle a lot of arguments with combat. Metis are rarely accepted as leaders, no matter who they defeat, which can lead to several problems when a metis tries to assert herself. And with the… let’s call it less nuanced… outlook that many metis are raised with, you get fanatic warriors unwilling, or unable, to adhere to anything but the most basic of tactics.