Lingering Fangs/Story

## The 1980s Apocalypse

These are little write ups of Fangs' life during the first Apocalypse. This Apocalypse had been stopped after Gaia answered the Sept's call.

**Thoughts about intentions and hot beans**

Some days are bad. Some are the worst. Like driving in the back of a van. For like… what? Two hours? It felt like two hours. What? Ten minutes? Nah. You're wrong. That was definitely more.

Ohhh, I haven't even started to make a fuss about that….

I'm sick. How do you call that feeling, when your belly shakes? Inside you? While you are squeezed between several legs and the back of a seat in the… in the… Feet room? Nah. What is that room called, where the legs of the passengers should go?
It's tight. Smells bad. And I think, I have bubblegum in my fur. If you ask me, the inventor of this plague shall burn. Mhr. Mother's Favorite looks not half as uncomfortable as I feel.

But I guess that's because of his strength of a warrior. Endurance is the magic word. Huh, if that glade spirit saw th… no, I won't think in that direction.

Urgh, mind the road, man. That was a hole. … On second thought, bashing the windshield and make it spidernet-ish maybe wasn't my best idea.

House? Oh, they know a house. Others might know a guy, they know a hou… sorry, I will stop now being like this.

Actually it's great, if this thing is not moving. Girl, get your legs apart and let me climb. I want to look out of the window.

Huh. House. Dark. Jasper says, there's a truck in front. Maybe someone's there? Would be not great, if we get our Kin and the Black Spiral Dancers Kin in a house with more dancers. This house could even have a ball room for those dancers. Maybe we can distract them with balls? Gosh, I want a bowl of food.

Mother's Favorite and me sign up to check the surroundings. Take a walk around the house. All right….

Well… Could someone let us out please? Like these feet are made for walking, not for opening little latches in your homid vehicles. Thank you very much.

I love being back on earth. Or gravel. Feeling better in no time. Fresh air.

Task! Mother's Favorite and I take our turn. This must be a house of high standing people. It has many, many corners. Little lights flicker in there. Candles maybe? Mother's Favorite senses also Wyrm. I can smell wolf. Wyrm, Wolf, People. I hate that combination.
Better let my pack mate between me and the windows. He looks like nothing could take him down. Bet, he's like one-and a-half of my size. And he didn't smell stuff.

Huh, no, wait. Turns out, that smelly water pit is blocking his nose. Someone approaches from the north. While we can see two persons in a room behind us.

Mother's Favorite greets the stranger. It's a woman from the sept. In Homid form. Like why do you go alone in the forest in Homid form, black riding hood? You can't see, smell or whatever.

But - she's certainly brave. I give her that. Fragile very brave Homid girl.

We hear the howling of the Alpha - and did Solomon chimed in? I can't tell. The banes in the house hate it. We can feel them fleeing. So only those two persons in the house.

Mother's Favorite try do open the sliding door. In Lupus form. I feel a connection to that girl, when we just look at each other, internally sighting, like, dude, let that do the one with actual hands.

Since he's quite strong, he broke the handle. But the Girl - Sharp Tongue - gets us another way in.
Of course the humans notice the noise, and we hear a click.

I check and discover, the one guy has a gun. With this information Mother's Favorite rushes in, locks the arm of the guy. A woman flees screaming out of the room. I believe, Jasper stopped her? Didn't pay attention.

I blocked Sharp Tongue a few seconds from going in, but after the guy was secured and the gun not a problem anymore, we go in. I checked, if there were more humans or other physical beings, while Sharp Tongue talks to the guy. Did he just call us dogs? Just an unknowing human child?

I think I heard a kind of muffled scream. Not sure at all. It's from the entrance, but Alpha and Jasper and Solomon would have told us, if there were any problems.

After questioning, Mother's Favorite drags the guy out and kills him of. Those screams are not an imagination.

They let our Kin in the main room. Quite the huge room. Oh. There is a kitchen!

Jasper put the Dancer's Kin in one of the rooms. He says, it's secure. If he says this, I believe him. He is intimidating. At the moment even more with that Kin.

Alpha brings us power back. Smart. Also Alpha orders Mother's Favorite and me in Homid. I can do that. I mean - let's check out that kitchen. With hands.

The Kin - above all Sergei's wife - try to get all the canned food. The stuff in the cooling closet… wait… fridge… is kind of gone bad. I'm glad, I haven't my Lupus senses now.

I have a little… well.. It's not a fight. More like a will pushing? I mean, she is Sergei's wife, which make her technically outrank me, because the Alpha's mate is always.. I mean, no. I won't give her that. She isn't a Garou, not even a wolf. I won't apply the rules I grew up with those modern people.

I secure myself two cans of beans and bacon. In a nice and calm and really human fashion. Without even growling. I'm proud of myself. I can be a decent modern human.

Alpha then drove the Kin of. The good kin. He comes back with .. Eh… Avenge-the-what's-that-face-again? Whatever. I get that beans cooking. And it smells good. Even as a Homid I can smell that.

After that I join the integration. Alpha and guest join also.

So…we get to know, that our Dancer Girl is like the bestest kin ever. Pure Breed and stuff. She's the mate of some really high rank dancer - maybe the highest in rank - who is known by the rest of my pack. Hrm. How do the young Homids say? It's some serious shit going down.

Whatever. She is convinced, that she will give birth to some kind of god or king of the dancers and that her mate will come with armies of undead to get her back. Also her mate seems like the Child of the Wyrm?

He's serious business. We tried to check, if she's pregnant. But we can't tell. I mean, I… No. We can't tell at all.
After that we split the kin and we kind of sit down and eat. Not the Kin. My prepared meal. One of the kids caught my attention. Young. Not responding at all emotionally. Maybe broken? The food didn't draw a reaction.

For real? If I had a place to stay - like a real tent or room, instead of sleeping around the sept - I'd have asked, if I can keep that kid. Just to check out, if I can break the brokeness. Killing of is always possible and kids in that age can heal. … Then again, I need to question myself: Why do I want this child? Do I really want to heal it? Am I just offended, because it didn't react to my meal? Or do I want some kind of slave to do all the tasks for me which require hands? I honestly can't tell.

Mother's Favorite is messing with one of the others. A boy, who really tries to challenge him. And is afraid. The girl doesn't want food. We don't force her.

Changing in my Lupus form again, I do a little patrolling around the house. My packmates kill of the non- pure breed kids. Solomon should patrol the umbra, but apparently there is a big storm and he sounds quite ruffled up. Huh. Strange.

Something approaching from the north. Again.

I warn my pack and ask for support. Mother's Favorite volunteers. I can tell, that the thing approaching is in fact a whole group from north east. The girl gets killed by Jasper. Alpha and Jasper join us in the woods, after telling Solomon and Sharp-Tongue to prepare everything to burn the house. Pity. Seems like a nice house for a homid. But fire cleanses. So… yeah.

We take down the small group of Formor Wyrm Creatures, whatever, when I smell a fire in the north. Smells thick, sweet, sickly.
 Corrupted.

Sooo, what's the plan?

Alpha wants to set up all heads in the house and burn it. Then abandon the van and check out north. But we also can send Avenges-whatever back to the sept with the van.

Do we know, if there's something growing inside of the girl in the umbra or stuff? She sounded pretty convinced and… well, I don't trust that *dead* equals *dead* with Wyrmstuff.

**A Dream**

The little flame of the lamp flickerd in a faint breeze. The sun went to rest a few hours ago and silence fell in the small tent of one of the modern Garou. She was ready for sleep in her modern sleeping clothes and her modern, but damaged sleeping bag. Slowly she tucked herself in and let the white, lean wolf lay next to her. A warm and fuzzy weight, gently pressing against her fragile human frame.
Ready for the night to come she smothered the flame. Finally letting in the darkness.

The wolf – it is Lingering Fangs – huffed relaxed, happy to trade his body warmth once again for company through the night. He did not exactly remember her name. Neither her tribe, nor her rank. Nevertheless, he also didn’t care. All he needs is a heartbeat and the sound of breathing next to him to get a good sleep. To know, he is not alone again.

Lingering Fangs can’t remember to have fallen asleep that night, but when he opened his eyes he just knew, he’s dreaming. One of those dreams, when you are aware of your dream. However, at the same time, this fact is meaningless at all. He sat up, looking around. The sleeping girl. A shadow of a sleeping fawn. Nothing out of the ordinary yet.

On silent paws, Fangs left the tent, his vision clear as day although he knew it was dark. That is the logic of a dream. If he tried, he can still feel the warmth of the girl sleeping next to him and hear her clear and steady breath. His body had not moved an inch. Just in his dream.

An interesting dream, though. Even here in the forest, he did not sense any animals nor their carcasses. Curious the Lupus wandered on. The trees became unfamiliar. The soil smelled like old leaves. Every step it rustled and crackled. Still no sign of any animal, dead or alive.

*What is this dream?* Lingering Fangs wondered when he stepped deeper in the realm, deeper in this dark forest.

A cold breeze lashed against his fur and he looked in the sky. Grey and stormy. Not the good kind of stormy. The bad one. Lightning in the sky, flashes of violet.

The Lupus shook his fur and put his ears back. A small growl against the air. Thunder rolled over him, an answer to his voice. However, the thunder was silent. Fangs knew how thunder should sound. At the same time, he didn’t care. It was a dream after all and in dreams, your mind often works differently.

So he also wasn’t surprised, when it started to rain, but he didn’t get wet.

Deeper in this strange forest realm. He checked the scents and tracked a familiar, yet very strange one. The girl, a part of his mind concluded. Maybe the girl made also this rumbling noise?

And then the brightest night exploded under his paws. Soil and debris splash around him, dead forest trees begin to move, roots, as big as his head, wiggled like snakes. No! No roots, no dead trees.

A monster just emerged beneath him from under the soil.

Lingering Fangs lost his grip, tumbling down on one side, when the monster raised up. Violet energy pulsing between the roots. A centipede out of soil and wood. This thing was huge.

The Lupus was not afraid.

Nervous, yes, but not afraid. After all, this was a dream. When he desired to see this creatures head, he just sat magically in front of it. Well, he regretted this in an instant. There were no apparent eyes. The head was just a huge maw, which probably could snack a building without even chewing.

It looked stunning, though. In a weird, creepy way.

He paused, not sure what to think of this monster, when he still heard on the brink of his perception the steady, calm breath of the girl.

And clear as day he realized, the monster can hear her, too. The creature made a sound. Perfectly silent but still very, very scary. Nothing to hear with your ears, just to hear with your heart.

Lingering Fangs realized he fears this monster a little bit. And the monster seemed pleased about that.

*But,* a small but fierce little voice said*, this is still my dream. You are nothing but a simple nightmare. Even less than that in fact, a nightmare makes me trembling, you can’t even do that.*

The monster seemed to pause.

That’s when the Lupus knew with dreamlike security, that his challenge was accepted.

This wasn’t, what he wanted. He didn’t mean it like that!

The creature lunged, chased after him, breaking through the forest. Lingering Fangs tried to get away, but he felt the monster closing in.

Now would be a good time to…

**Wake up.**

Lingering Fangs opened his eyes. It was dark in the tent, just a little light from moon and stars above. With a deep inhale, he collected himself. This dream was so, so weird. Not remotely like is usual dreams or nightmares.

He exhaled and allowed himself to curse quietly. Then he listened in the silence and just thought about the experience. Strange wood creature. In his dreams. Storm above. Maybe the World Beyond gave him the dream? Or maybe it was the roadkill, he had eaten earlier despite better judgment. This had not to mean anything at all.

It took Lingering Fangs a while, but he finally noticed something was off.

His ears twitched. Once. Twice. He still wasn’t sure, what alarmed him suddenly so very much.

Listening in the silence of the tent.

Wait.

Silence?

Immediately the wolf looked to the girl, his sleeping companion.

And with a shock he realized, that she was dead. Her corpse still warm, her eyes wide open, her face frozen in unthinkable terror. Her throat bit open.

How!?

Lingering Fangs whined and jerked back feeling the wooden table standing behind him.

The girl did not have a table.

He looked back in a wide opened maw with many, many teeth, tried to run, when something pinches him hard in the neck. The monster got him!

In panic he tries to escape, but the creature screeched

*‘…Fangs! Stop it! Lingering Fangs, you dream! It’s a dream!’*

Lingering Fangs opened his eyes. He stared disoriented and confused into the face of the girl.

*‘It’s a dream, everything’s ‘kay’,* she murmurs calmly. *‘You are save.’*

Slowly his hearth calmed down. His eyes were focusing the girl. She looked at him. Concerned. She also pitied him. He sensed that.

Some moments passed, Lingering Fangs stood still, allowing the girl to scratch his head and flanks.

*‘Thank you’* he said, still a little bit shaken, a little bit reserved. *‘I think, I’ll go for a walk.’*

She let him go. *‘Yeah, run it off. Hope that helps, dude.’*

After Lingering Fangs left the tent, he tried with running. And by the time he was near the castle, he dismissed the dream as a cheap trick of his own mind. This thing can’t be real, right? He wished for it. However, he still decides to listen today more carefully to the others. Maybe another one have had a nightmare, too.

**Thoughts about cars and whips**

After rescuing that spirit of the Caern, Sharp Tongue and I join the others.

I mean: I didn’t rescue anything. Nosering-dude did. I mean Solomon. But for real, why put a ring through your nose? That’s a thing to do with cattle. If it were a bone or a stick, I’ totally understand. But… a ring? Have seen that in this modern Garou and human Kin quite often to be honest. Maybe it’s a sign of submission? They submit to Gaia and their duty? Huh.

In fact, I really don’t care. Solomon’s Hair is nice though.

So, what now?

Oh, you’ve seen stashes with food. We need food. Let’s go there, get the food home and after that get some sleep. It was a long, long day after all. I didn’t expect that much, when we were tasked to rescue Alphas wife. You all look awfully awake.

Whatever.

Two cars. We put the food on one car. Even go in Crinos to do that. Alpha and Mother’s Favorite shove those palettes right in, while I just manage to not get myself buried. Why do I have to do such mundane work? I’m not strong and I don’t pretend to be that. Maybe I should try and make them to pity me so much, that I can watch them load?

Huh, we are finished. Alpha drives and Jasper joins him. Still don’t know for sure, what to think about Jasper. He’s so unpredictable reasonable and everything he says make sense.

However, Mother’s Favorite and Sharp Tongue are riding in the back on the palettes. I join them. Three wolves on a truck. Maybe two. With Mother’s Favorite next to us, Sharp Tongue and me can only count as half a wolf. Not much to guard in the back, anyway. I roll up, relaxing with the stomping of the machine under my body.

Not sure, but I think, I even slept a little bit.

Car stops. Stops and dies. Does not sound good.

For whatever reason they start looking for clothes. Right. They know what they are doing. I hope, they know what they are doing. I certainly do not. Nevertheless I can ask. That’s what I do. Great Ragabash Questioner. Ask about the car. Well, Alpha is nice about it and explains to me, that the car needs food. Good. I can work with that. I thought a car must run on gasoline. But if clothes do the job, then I ain’t the one who stand in the way.

Alpha decides, we push the car.

Like dull manual work again.

Huh, turns out, it isn’t just dull, it’s also quite exhausting. I’m in Crinos. And even if we all push, this is so heavy. We are so slow.

The idea of doing something for them to pity me and let me off, comes in my mind again. Then again I’m certain, Alpha would not tolerate me in his pack any longer, when he pities me. This is the apocalypse after all, not cub playtime.

The rest of my thoughts is a blurr. To exhausted to thing. Just seeing the green grass and the forests left and right of the street. Imaging running there. Miss scouting. Miss the old times.

When there were no heavy cars to push.

Suddenly Jasper and Alpha call Mother’s Favorite out. What’s that? Wait… He was standing on the truck, pushing the cabin? Like, the whole time, just hidden through the palettes of food?

Well, I really, really like this Ahroun. But sometimes his Defense is so strong, it’ll even block thoughts.

With him at our side we move the truck to a gas station. While Mother’s Favorite and Alpha explore the raided building, Jasper and Sharp Tongue try to fill in some gas. Gas, not clothes. I for myself make sure, the car can’t roll. Oh, it’s a Letter car. I prefer Number cars. Maybe Letter Cars can also run on clothes.

Whatever. I flop on the ground in my natural form. So. Exhausted. Wasn’t even remotely fun.

We hear stuff. Mother’s Favorite says, he can sense Wyrm, but Alpha is sure, he’s wrong. Jasper checked and I think, he saw the five black Garou first. Five of them. Against five of us. Not a fight I would pick. We have pushed a car a long way after fighting over fighting. They look rested.

However, this is not my call and Alpha wants to fight. Jasper and Mother’s Favorite seem also quite eager to add a few heads to their collection.

Do we have anything here to get us on the high ground? The Truck maybe? It can function as a shield and it’s to heavy to just lift. No, we can’t let them near the food. They’d destroy it. So a fight in the plain open it is.

I will go down. I’m bad at this stuff. Give me an infiltration or an ambush any time. But just straight forward fighting in the open? Not my slice of bread.

Since our group is still split up, they might not have noticed Alpha and Mother’s Favorite yet. I try to deceive our numbers a little bit, so they won’t expect an ambush from behind. Well, I fail. They seem to know, how many we should be. And then they attack. Jasper uses some kind of really powerful force and make one of them sit down, while Alpha and Mother’s Favorite burst to a wall. Quite the dramatic entrance I say!

I haven’t time to watch them, but they immediately attack.

One of our foes goes for Sharp Tongue. Right, attack the girl first, because she seems the weakest. Should I change into Crinos? No way. Jasper wields that huge Klaive and he will need space to swing it. Besides, I prefer that Glaive to be over my head instead of in my rips. I swoop in and bite the guy, who attacked Sharp Tongue. You leave her! I only grab fur.

Sudden Pain in my hind leg. Another of them has attacked me. With a whip. I literally got butt whipped!

Sharp Tongue also bites her guy, while we hear loud screeching from somewhere over at Alpha and Mother’s Favorite. Doesn’t sound human. Nor Garou. Well, they’ll manage.

Jasper is also under attack now. He tried his magic again, but it doesn’t seem to work.

I’m a little bit trapped. To many fighting around me, to little space to move. Got some claws in my back. They get deep. This is not good. I can’t move properly any longer. And this hurts. This hurts so much. Can’t even tell if I’m whimpering right now.

I glimpse to de windows of the shop, before trying to get out of here, seeing myself under the truck. My hind legs are kind of useless. I’m still as calm as usually, feeling just numb and tired and frustrated. Don’t blame me. Watch with me.

Again loud cries! But Alpha and Mother’s Favorite are still standing. I can see Jasper attack with his Klaive, instantly killing the guy in front of him. So strong! Sharp Tongues opponent looks also quite smitten. I meant bitten. But everyone of the pack is alive and that’s the most important thing.

Our foes run. Alpha and Mother’s Favorite manage to capture two alive. The whiney female one and a seriously injured male.
Jasper again commands the Crinos Girl, letting us ask questions. She is to low in the rank to give us that much information. Apparently they came per pede and were looking for us. It seems, there is kind of a prophecy that this pack is a big threat to the Dancers and the Wyrm.

Interesting. I should remember this.

Jasper healed my wounds. Took him two attempts to get everything to work, but it’s great. He seems like the full package of all rightful characteristics you wish in a Silver Fang Philodox.

I’m still tired.

We split. Some of us get back to the Sept and fetch some Elders and the Boss. They come, taking the two Dancers. Question them. And probably else.

I don’t care. Just let us get home and let me sleep.

It’s been over one and a half day.

Finally.

Mother’s Favorite invited us to join a hunt and gardening tomor….

*And with this thought, he falls asleep.*

**Thoughts about some fight**

Less and less food is available. I don’t fear the Hunger, but the others do. With hunger comes war within. We don’t need fights in our little area.

So we are send out to retrieve one of the food stacks from outside. Not a big deal. Alpha and Jasper are driving some kind of PickUp, while I chill on the passenger seat in Mother’s Favorite’s car. We head east. I tried to stick my head out of the window and put my tongue out to check, what everyone is talking about. I don’t get it.

Should probably try this again in Lupus form.

Trees are blocking the road, but Alpha and Jasper stop way before. They think it’s an ambush. Or a roadblock. We get out of the car – I might have closed the door with to much force – and check, if we can sniff them out. I can’t. But my farts smell funny. What have I eaten yesterday? I can’t even tell anymore. But it might have been some herb? I need to look into this at home.

Good thing, the others actually sniff the foes. And not my farts.

A guy is shouting from the roadblock that we should pay a toll. Like, you know, give him everything we have and walk home. You bet.
Jasper tries to reason with him. He isn’t having it. Stupid humans. We fan out like a good pack. Three guys on Mother’s Favorite’s side of the road. Two on mine. Armed.

There’s the order to attack and that’s what we do. Alpha helps Mother’s Favorite, who has trouble with his guys. I get the first of my guys on the ground; try to attack the second one. And Jasper’s holding the middle of the road.

Alpha says, we can kill them, they are foes. So I change to Crinos and kill one, while the guy under my paws shoots at me.
I’m not into revenge and I’m certainly not blood thirsty. So the guy under my feet is one of two survivors. The rest is killed. Both are scared.

Their boss is Nobunaga who seems to widen his territory. He’s a merchant. Trading with everyone. And everything. Reminds me of the old Bazar, where the shawl tradesman watches at you with narrow eyes and the better the deal, the sharper the knive.

Not sure, if we should trust him. But we should see, what he have, before acting against him. We need food.

Oh, they actually got our food stack and brought it to Nobunaga. Not happy about that. In six days the supply vehicle for the road block will show. We can meet them.

**Thoughts about old stories and naked humans**

At last we are paying Nobunaga a visit. Rick – one of the guys we took from the roadblock – is with us. I don’t know what happened to the other one. Maybe they want him as a hostage? But why? He’s quite worthless. But okay. Maybe he wanted to join us.

I don’t care at all.

We follow the streets a long, long way. Visited some groves. I like wandering around. Some healthy exercise and new smells with new noises.

Finally we arrive at some gates and Rick gets us in. It seems like an outpost and very surprisingly, Nobunaga himself is there. My Lupus form is sadly not appreciated.

But I behave and listen to the conversation, which is mostly between Alpha and Nobunaga. Frank Nobunaga. At that point, Alpha calls him just Frank. That’s actually really interesting. Like the reverse thing what I do with Alpha. He strips the power and mystic of the long and unique name away by just calling him in such a fashion. I like it.

The conversation itself is a little bit boring. Alpha asked him, if he’s Emperor. But he declined. Seems to prefer First Citizen. That doesn’t make sense at all, does it? He might be a bit nuts.

But he asks Rick about his comrades. Good for him, he doesn’t tell Frank, that we killed them. Nice touch. By the way, counts a kill on a roadblock also as roadkill?

Then the conversation goes on and Frank rambles some turgid, overblown stuff. Oh, he also seems to be chosen by some god or stuff.
Alpha fakes interest in joining his ranks, so Frank tells us, what we can get. Like a bit of land of our own. Possession. We don’t question him about women. If he counts them as possession, too.

Solomon discovers he has some webs around him and there’s some Weaver Taint. And Wyrm Touch. Or was it the other way around?

Whatever. He seems allied with Weaver but had to deal with Wyrm. Strange thing. He also didn’t lie to us. We wonder about this. Maybe, he’s a blood drinker? But it seems to be not enough Wyrm. I’m curious. Maybe there is a secret Society of the Weaver, were they allied with humans that are only allowed to speak the truth? Na, I guess, that’s to strange.

However, Frank has a fair share of Chinese Soldiers with their weapons. Those and the other soldiers are seemingly high ranked. Under them are normal people. And there seem to be slaves below them all.

I’m quite happy, to be in Lupus form. I can sniff and walk next to the others, pretending to be a big ol’ happy dog.

Why seem everybody to notice, I’m a wolf?

He finally offers that we can join, if we first travel to Commerceville City to make them join him.

Oh, and drinks and bets today on him.

He seems quite like a people person. Only of those people, he feels worthy. Those, who holds some kind of power and make him powerful. I’m not impressed. He focus to much on his soldiers, I think. Everyone has a path and a worth, it’s just not always obvious. This dude needs to follow the universe instead of some god. He needs to listen.

But what am I talking, right? Being a Lupus instead of a Human. But that’s maybe for the better, because I could not tell him, what I think.

My pack and Rick take a boat to Commerceville City.

An Idiot is shooting in my direction. I hide in the boat, somewhere near Mother’s Favorite’s feet, but then I change to Human. It’s easier. And Rick knows about that, so he doesn’t freak out.

We pass the lands of the Wyld.

There are birds, that don’t look like birds. Maybe they are flying lizards. I don’t know. But I’m happy, since I’m allowed back to Lupus and my senses are back. With a deep Inhale I smell everything in the world. There are humans in the zone.

We can see them, and they don’t wear fabrics. I didn’t ever realize that they don’t wear anything. But the Homid get that immediately.
When the sailing goes on, I need to change again in my human form. It’s like sticking your head under water. The sounds become dull, smells are only faint and even my vision gets darker. How can anyone live like that permanently?

I need to turn my head instead of my ears.

When we go closer to Commerceville City, I’m ordered back in Homid. Well, not ordered. Alpha does not really order. But he says he’d appreciate it. I guess, that’s how Homids order. They are often talking around stuff instead of immediately addressing it.

Well, we arrive and they let us in. There’s a Bazar. I can see it. I can sniff it. Wait… I sniff again, trying to concentrate on my scouting side and ignore the fact that I’m in human form.

There’s Mentha. And there’s Coriandrum. I want this. I need these. Because you know what? Nobanaga’s – eh, I mean Frank’s smart to get so much Chinese soldiers. We have mostly American and European people. And you know what’s the difference? The smell. After working a day, our people smell so gross and the backs and armpits of their shirts are wet with sweat stains. Asian people don’t have armpit sweat.

But when I think about it, maybe that’s why humans are so bad at smelling stuff.

However, there’s the question of how we actually pay. But we decide that we can trade news. I think, Alpha would also be able to trade some old legends or stories but then again I never heard him tell any. Except the thing on the last moot. Which he hasn’t even written.
They love the news in the bar. I mean, they don’t love them, but they are eager to hear the news and ask questions. When Alpha mentions Frank, they kind of shut off. Seems like they hate him. It gets obvious, that the thing with the slaves is a major problem. Everyone can become a slave and no one is save. No one wants to become a slave, though.

Jasper and me notice a guy quickly gets up, leaves the bar and run. We follow. Then we fan up like a pack. Jasper watches, where he goes and tells me. I finally tackle him from the side, where he did not expect anything. Of course I don’t want to kill him or seem aggressive on the street, so I wrap my body around him to keep him occupied until Jasper shows up. However, when the guy started to scream, that he is touched, I try to muzzle him with a Hush. It does not work for long. Why of all things our suspect must be someone with Fear of Contact or Touch Anxiety.

Whatever. Jasper acts. He intimidates the guy and we go between some houses, where we look less suspicious.
Who would have thought, the guy gets really talkative. He explains us, how society works around here. There are like four groups. Growers, Engineers, Laborers and Traders. Each group has their own leader and they have about the same status. There’s also a Sheriff or head of security that is a perverted. Because he is a perverted, our guy respected him. Or maybe fear him? Haven’t understood that part. But it seems important.

Well, our guy wanted to inform the Sheriff about us and get compensation. That’s, why he ran. Jasper kind of trades this information with him, but the guy does not seem satisfied. I told him, that I can hug him again, but Jasper just dealt with it like an adult and we let him go.

He sure can be happy that I have no problem with anger management, because he calls me Poo when we part.

Back with Alpha and the others we share information. They explain to me that ‘Poo’ is the name of a little bear with a red shirt. Well. That’s quite the name, I guess. But they also explain that bears are known for taking a dump everywhere, so… yeah.

Some of the high ranked people of the City join us. Talk to us. News travel fast in this town. But that’s everywhere the case I guess.
After they left we continue talking, when I sense someone. I mean, he seems like a normal guy at first, then he remarks casually, that we missed the Howl of Introduction.

I babble something, just to say anything. Have already forgotten, what I said.

Alpha instead was not having that. He tells the Garou, that we meet here on our land.

I’m honestly surprised. I mean, yeah, we are the ruler of the Garou. But normally you show them first and then relax on that title, instead of using the title first. Then again, they are modern Silver Fangs. And since the Glass Walker is also modern, this actually works.

He’s the Sept Leader, but not an Alpha. And he asks to get away from his kin. Alpha declines. Well, Alpha has some points, but mostly it’s just puzzlement he seeks I think. He appeals to work together, since we have the same foe. Frank and the mysterious webs.

Other Garou emerges from the shadows. They have weapons and I’m allowed to get in my Lupus Form. I’d rather face a fight in my shiny white coat than in my not exactly tearproof human skin.

After the talking, they lower the weapons.

I’m honestly not feeling save yet.

## The 2000s Reset

After the Apocalypse was stopped, everyone involved was transported into an alternative timeline that knew nothing about them or Apocalypse, that had been stopped years ago.

**Thoughts about flying cars and burning swords**

What is this nonsense? I'm standing here outside with Mother's Favorite and Jasper. I'm armed. Mother's Favorite is sworded. And Jasper... Yeah, he kills in the morning anyway.

Bunch of fomori are approaching us. Like a dozen in three groups of four.

Just a year ago, I'd have found this situation scary. Today I'm positive my packmates can take them. Alpha is anywhere high up and looks over us - which sounds really wrong, by the way. Or not.

Maybe he feels godlike. He surely can display the attitude of that, if he wants to. Solomon's somewhere behind the curtain, I think.
Fomori. Right. I drop my arms and swoop out, need to check, if there are more fomori and if there's a nest. Even use my hide to hide.
But there isn't. Why's Mother's Favorite's sword burning again? We are on open streets... Ah, never mind. Before they notice the blade they'd probably be distracted by the Crinos form, right?

However, I stealth my way to the last group, which is in fact the last group with their leader, as far as I see. And while there's some slicing and burning and wiping tentacles on Mother's Favorite’s back with the others, I attack the leader. Maybe this will disorganize them?

I aim for his throat, but I'm at the wrong angle and he parries me, so I kind of rip his arm of. Clean bite. Some collect heads. Others collect arms, I guess.

The Fomori leader tried to run, but I'm faster. Next bite kills him. Proud I announced my kill to the other two and they cheer and are so empowering! Best pack mates I can ever imagine! Still praise me while they've killed in the same time eleven fomori. Their fomori actually fought back instead of just running away. They are really awesome.

There's some howling from above but I don't understand it, because of the shots near me. They shot Mother's Favorite! No way this can happen. New foes approach from the other side of the building with weapons. I'm closing in to the others and start to sing. With that I mean howl. But it's more like singing. I concentrate on it and I can hear my voice echoing between the high shimmering buildings like I stand in a stalactite cave. It feels a little bit ghostly. Maybe it helps.

Mother's Favorite, who's fine by the way, and Jasper came up with a better idea to not get shot: they throw a car in the foes.
Like a huge car. In the foes.

This is very effective.

Gunfire breaks lose. There's a gunfight between the two groups of our enemies. Do I smell that modern exploded corn puffer stuff from Mother's Favorite's direction?

Whatever. I howl. They watch the fight. After the gunfire stops, Mother's Favorite goes in there. Jasper follows, I think. Bullets fly in their pelts but they just kill all the remaining entities.

So. Damn. Awesome.

I think Mother's Favorite just firesworded a girl.

I'm still howling, when the next foes come in sight. But they were hit by another pack, which offers their help. Some fresh meat. They call themselves Mystery something. Can't remember. Probably not important anyway. They are now the 'Zero-to-twenty' pack in the tower.

While Jasper and Mother's Favorite collect the heads, I go fetch my new arm and put it to the other two. Then we wait for the next enemies, who dare to come close.

Wait...

Is someone just calling me 'Delimbering Fangs'?

**Thoughts about strange spirit behaviors**

So Alpha 'saw' an unfamiliar pack in the building. It got killed but it has a weaver device. He called me to retrieve that. No problem. I'm better suited for that task than pure fighting. With ease I slipped in and he directed me to the staircase. Slippy blood everywhere. Not just blood but also other fluids I normally don't want to step in.

It was dark. Power offline. Thank the spirits I know how to use my nose to see. The goo on the floor makes it easier. Upstairs I walked. With each step, my paws dripping with this nasty stuff. It's a little bit annoying.

There's a thing ahead. I don't really know what. Feels like a touch of the Un...

And there you go. By the ass of bandits, where are you going?

I'm running after my spirit, careful not to lose it.

Since when do you behave like that? And why are you visible in this realm? I don't like this.

It leads me to the room with the corpses. Dead pack obviously. Torn apart.

I found the device but I can't seem to take it in my fangs. To be honest, it's so dirty, the thought of putting it in my mouth is fairly disgusting. I change to the human form and strip one of the dead of their trousers. Since wearing a dead man's trousers is even more disgusting, I make knot in one of the legs. After that I proceed in putting the device in the leg and secure it with another knot. Now I knot the ankles together and hang it around my neck. Back in my normal self the device is now secured in this trouser chest pocket. My ears flinch. There's someone upstairs. I ask Alpha for orders. Just kidding. I ask him if he knows, what's going on and if there is friend or foe.

He takes a look and tells me it's a pack, but neither friend nor foe. Then he proceeds and talk to them. I shall go join them and give them the device. Easy. Back to the stairs I go.

So slippery. So gooey. So bloody dangerous.

Are there those white ceramic fountains in this building? We should water the stairs down.

Nah, there probably isn't water. If there were waterlines in the building, I'm sure the Theurges would have already bound a water spirit in there that helps us cleansing the whole place.

I sneak upstairs and encounter this pack. Glass walkers. Four of them and another one dying on the ground.

My spirit goes off again. I snort with disgust.

Why are you touching that dude? You are no fucking bane. Stop acting like a wyrm being and go back to be who you were. I will search for your boss if you continue acting like that. You know I'm not afraid.

This is so irritating.

This whole place is so sickening. I focus on the task on paw. The Glass walker pack has lost their Alpha. I feel with them. After asking my Alpha, I lead them upstairs to the others. They bring their dead boss with them. On the higher levels we met with Alpha and talk. It's a little bit cleaner here.

Turns out, they followed Alpha's call. They want to help and fight with us.

The device houses a strong weaver spirit. Alpha makes them keeper of that spirit. We also found out, that we are in the year 2019. Time warp again, anyone? It's just a jump to the left, I heard.

Alpha decides we give up the street and the lower levels and concentrate on securing everything up here for the Caern. He howls his orders but I'm excused to go downstairs again. I left my arms with Mother's Favorite and Jasper.

## The 2020s New Beginning

Years passed after Lingering Fangs left the sept. Suffering the curse of the Silver Fangs for the first time, he tried to cure it.