The Code of Ursa

Listen well, young one, for the songs I am about to sing for you are those you must take into your own heart and keep always as the laws by which you live. You will hear them many more times before you must sing at the Council of Autumn, but you might as well start memorizing them now.

The Code of Ursa is known to all Gurahl, and it forms the basis for our society. It has been handed down since the earliest times when Chewanna First-Mother and Goloyé Seeks-AfterDeath first sang its stanzas.

## Cherish the Cubs

> *We thank you, Gaia, for sending us children*
>
>
> *May we be worthy to cherish and teach them.*
>
>
> *We will defend them, see that they honor you,*
>
>
> *Nourish and nurture them, heal them at need.*
>
>
>
> *This do we promise, this shall we do.*
>
>

That stanza is only a portion of the verses dealing with this section of the Code of Ursa, but it’s representative of the whole song. Gurahl take their roles as parents and mentors very seriously. We feel it is our job to provide everything new cubs need, from food to spiritual guidance to practical training. Then we step back and let the younglings see if they can handle things. By preparing young Gurahl for their futures as thoroughly as we can, we show that we cherish our young and acknowledge that they are our future as a race.

## Protect the Land

> *Smell the green and growing grass.*
>
>
> *Feel the wind that sways the trees.*
>
>
> *Hear the heartbeat of the Earth.*
>
>
> *Taste the fruits of summer’s breeze.*
>
>
> *Look upon the sun and moon,*
>
>
> *See the Totems in the stars.*
>
>
> *Know the Earth must turn and grow.*
>
>
>
> *The duty to protect is ours.*
>
>

This edict is our primary responsibility and the reason for our existence. All else stems from it. Again, the words are obvious, perhaps because our first language doesn’t leave much room for ambiguity. The land and all its creatures were given into our care by Gaia Herself. She made us the caretakers, the nurturers, the protectors of Her creation. We failed in that duty during the long centuries of our exile when we feared to show ourselves. We hope Gaia has forgiven us our cowardice. Now we have returned, and we hope to atone for our long absence. Whatever happens to us, we will not shirk our responsibility again.

## Heal the Sick

> *Mother Bear, send down your healing light.*
>
>
> *Hold forth your paw and lend your healing might.*
>
>
> *Little Bear, send laughter on the way.*
>
>
> *Give us your joy, chase pain and fear away.*
>
>
> *Bear of Death, please turn your face aside.*
>
>
>
> *Do not reach out, let this one here abide.*
>
>

One of the greatest gifts given to us is the power to heal those who are sick or injured. It is the second most important aspect of being Gurahl. Unless a creature is so corrupted that there is no hope for him, we do not begrudge our healing to any. Even those Garou of the tribes most responsible for hunting and killing us deserve our help. Those who ask our help or those we find sick or injured in our travels are given our healing touch. Sometimes the task is arduous, requiring many days or even months of our care, but this is what Gaia asks of us. We do not use our special Gift of Gaia’s Breath on anyone other than Gurahl, however. Only a very few of us have ever used it at all. We don’t even know if it could be used on the other Changers, much less humans or animals. Until and unless Gaia commands us to try it in such a case, we will not do so. All other healing we can give someone, however, is given fully and with no bitterness or enmity — at least, that’s the way it is supposed to be. We are a stubborn people, and many of us aren’t so good at forgiveness.

## Nurture the Needy

> *Hey, brother, the cold winds blow, all the*
>
>
> *Earth is covered in snow.*
>
>
> *Hey, sister, the fields are bare,*
>
>
> *the forests are empty of even a hare.*
>
>
> *How will you live through the winter’s blight?*
>
>
> *What will you eat on this cold, harsh night?*
>
>
> *Brother, take my coat, I no longer need it,*
>
>
>
> *Sister, take my flesh, your children may eat it.*
>
>

At one time the Gurahl actually did what the song speaks of. In times of great need, they gave up their own flesh that their Kinfolk and other human tribes might live. Giving this gift to those weaker than ourselves was a duty, a way of protecting and nurturing those under our care. So long as the bones could be gathered together, other Gurahl could bring the one who sacrificed herself back by invoking Gaia’s Breath.

We still have the responsibility for trying to see that those within our protected areas and those whom we encounter in our travels have the sustenance they need. Another aspect of this law has been spoken of many times and is practiced by most werebears — the idea of nurturing others’ spiritual sides as well. Many humans desperately seek for some sort of mystical or religious experience to give them hope. They want answers to their questions and guidance concerning what is right and how they should treat the Earth. We can help them through example and by teaching them to listen to what Gaia is saying. The spiritual aspect of nurturing was what gave most of the tribal bear cults their power by granting them greater understanding and a feeling of oneness with Gaia’s creation.

I know of no incident in modern times when a Gurahl has sacrificed herself as we used to do to feed or sustain those in need. Perhaps in this day of refrigeration and fast food restaurants, the literal giving of ourselves is no longer needed. Still, we never turn away a hungry soul, whether it desires sustenance or spiritual awakening.

## Teach the Supplicant

> *Turn and learn, remember now*
>
>
> *Buri-Jaan will teach you how*
>
>
> *And in the fullness of your days*
>
>
>
> *Teach to other cubs our ways....*
>
>

Soon after her First Change, each Gurahl receives word of a mentor awaiting her. For the next year (at least), the elder werebear travels with the younger one, teaching her all he knows of Gurahl history, culture, societal norms and world view. The young one learns of Gaia and of her place in Gaia’s creation, how to guard and protect and the Gifts and rituals she must know to find acceptance within her tribe. This mentorship creates a very close bond that is never really severed, despite the fact that pupil and teacher go their separate ways once the intensive instruction period is over.

While many of us feel that teaching the young fulfills the requirements of this portion of the Code of Ursa, others argue a different case. These werebears believe that as Gaia’s first-born they have a duty to teach their younger siblings, whether that teaching takes the form of lore, rituals or the knowledge of Gifts.

Accordingly, we Gurahl were once far more free with our knowledge. Our charity enabled other Changing Breeds to profit from our lore and gain Gifts they would otherwise have been without. Still, many complained that we doled out our knowledge too sparingly. The Garou weren’t the only ones who thought so, mind — just the most aggressive about forcing the issue. For our part, we didn’t want to give out our secrets, before the other Changing kin were ready for them. Our refusal to share the Gift of Gaia’s Breath ostensibly caused the War of Rage.

In consequence, we Gurahl have tended to keep our wisdom to ourselves ever since that time, fearful of the time bomb we might be creating if we entrust dangerous knowledge to those not ready to handle it maturely. During modern times, we have shared mostly with the Corax, and then only minor Gifts and less important lore. Should anyone not Gurahl demonstrate to our satisfaction that she has attained the degree of responsibility and caring we deem necessary, this part of the code would allow us to infuse such a one with our most powerful knowledge. Until then, we hope that Ursa and Gaia understand our reticence.

## Breed Wisely

> *Look with heart and mind and soul*
>
>
> *To find the one destined as your mate.*
>
>
> *Look with eyes unclouded,*
>
>
> *Look with eyes unshrouded,*
>
>
> *Trust to luck and love and fate*
>
>
>
> *To find the one you’ll have and hold.*
>
>

Though we have lived long on the Earth and our numbers have dwindled, the Gurahl produce no metis children. With our Kinfolk population shrinking with each passing day, you might wonder that we are able to avoid the sort of inbreeding that causes deformities. One reason we are so blessed is a ritual that allows us to find a suitable mate for ourselves, one whose characteristics will compliment our own and produce a strong child. The ritual points us in the right direction and opens our eyes to the possibilities.

Over the years, a few Gurahl have chosen to ignore the strictures that forbid us to breed with one another, yet even they produced no metis children. Any joining that might pro - duce a metis is invariably childless — either the union proves sterile, or any conception aborts. I believe that Gaia decreed this. Unlike the Garou, we are solitary protectors, sometimes overseeing vast reaches of some of the most hostile territory on Earth. We don’t have the luxury of depending on a pack to fall back on; we have to take care of ourselves. If we can’t do that due to infirmity, we can’t protect Gaia’s creation or help other creatures. So, knowing that a deformed werebear might easily become a dead werebear, our Mother spares us the pain and takes the infirm ones back before they’re born.

## Cleanse the Tainted

> *Bring the bough and make the circle,*
>
>
> *Spread the river’s sands within.*
>
>
> *Bless the circle with pure water,*
>
>
> *Gird it with the mountain’s stones.*
>
>
> *Welcome in the tainted person,*
>
>
> *We shall make him whole again,*
>
>
> *Mother, father, son or daughter,*
>
>
>
> *Strike them clean with Ursa’s bones.*
>
>

As those meant to protect Gaia’s creation, we have a duty to keep the world as pure as we possibly can. Whenever we encounter someone who is tainted with the feel of the Wyrm or made unclean through the intrusion of malignant or malicious spirits, we try to wash his spirit free of whatever infects it. We may do this through a process as simple as talking things over, or the cleansing might call for a powerful ritual.

Though we are no less repulsed by fomori than any other Changer, we know that not every one of them invited the invading Bane inside. Rather than killing the host, we have learned a ritual that allows the victims to throw off the shackles of the controlling spirits and be themselves once more. In cases where illness or insanity can be cured, we do so willingly. If the Silver Fang leaders of the Garou would come and ask our help, for example, we could cure them and be done with jealousy.

## Guard the Secrets

> *Shh! Shh!*
>
>
> *Do not whisper to the winds.*
>
>
> *Hush! Hush!*
>
>
>
> *Tell not your enemies or friends....*
>
>

Once, when the world was younger (just as we were), many among us thought it was our duty to teach all we knew to those who came after us. Few among us even considered what this portion of the Code of Ursa meant until the start of the War of Rage. Seeing the destructive jealousy and anger of the Garou when we told them they were yet too immature to have knowledge of Gaia’s Breath, many of us realized for the first time why this stricture is part of the Code. We now guard our secrets, making certain than none of them leak out to cause trouble. Most Gurahl now believe that our refusal to share our secret lore is the main meaning of this command.

I think differently. Although I believe that we’re meant to keep babies from playing with things they don’t understand, I think one of the primary meanings of this passage is that we must keep our knowledge of many secret things safe so it will be accessible if we ever need it.

## Rights of the Elder

> *Laughing cub or warrior bold,*
>
>
> *Whisperer of tales untold,*
>
>
> *Mighty mystic, judge of souls*
>
>
>
> *Canny indeed are the old!*
>
>

In many cultures, especially during modern times, the young see elders as outmoded and useless. Among the Gurahl, we cherish our elders as fonts of knowledge. Our elders speak with the voice of experience, and they perform their duties aided by decades (in rare cases, centuries) of well-practiced rituals and Gifts. Those whom we consider elders often count many spirits among their allies and have traveled through each auspice, learning what each part of their personality has to offer. We revere such elders for their wisdom and experience, and we hope to profit from what they can share with us. All too often, however, our eldest remain locked in slumber, unable to assist in training our younglings.

This portion of the Code of Ursa reminds us of the respect due our elders. In a very few cases, these Gurahl have survived since the War of Rage; some even fought in that sad conflict. Their longevity (and their unique viewpoint) entitle them to special treatment. Therefore, when we meet in council, any elders are accorded the privileges of the best seats, the finest food and the right to speak first. They may also claim the right to speak again after everyone else has done so. Their songs and poems command great attention and respect, while their works of art are considered featured items when we display our handicrafts. Should any elder claim the right to act as Buri-Jaan to a youngling, any other claimant steps aside, realizing that the knowledge the elder can impart to the new Gurahl far exceeds her own. In essence, our elders are considered irreplaceable treasures. They are living repositories of first-hand historical knowledge and of many spirits’ Gifts unknown to younger Gurahl. It should be no surprise that we treat them like others treat royalty.

## Remember Your History

> *Year of flood, month of rain,*
>
>
> *season of the golden grain,*
>
>
> *birth of cubs, loss of mate,*
>
>
> *time when we became a state.*
>
>
> *Spring’s awakening, summer’s light,*
>
>
> *Through the raging wars we fight.*
>
>
> *Autumn’s bounty, winter’s pall,*
>
>
>
> *Youngling, I remember all.*
>
>

Whoever said, “Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it,” must have been a werebear. While it was never our duty to serve as Gaia’s memory, as a people we are preoccupied with our history and that of the other Changing Breeds. Perhaps it’s because so many of us slumbered for so long that we became reflective and introspective. Such states of mind lend themselves to historical assessments. Certainly, our concern with tradition is tied in thus as well.

Many Gurahl will tell you to remember your history. What they usually mean is to examine what we — as Gurahl, not as individuals — have experienced over time. What many such advisors actually mean is to remember what happened long ago in the War of Rage. They want all Gurahl to live with that sorry time as a constant companion — always waiting just out of sight to be dragged out whenever we deal with any other shapeshifters. Sadly, this singular time has forever marked some of our eldest, making them less willing to extend their trust. They would warn you against doing so as well. While I understand their motives in trying to arm you against being too naive, I (and most others) think this portion of the Code goes far beyond that.

To me, this tenet is a command to recall all the experiences I (or other Gurahl) have been through. Only through doing so am I able to decide how best to handle certain situations. For example, if I remember hearing that Mabel Wears-Her-NewCoat-Hunting successfully used a certain rite in a particular situation, why should I risk something different? I already know from her tale of the event that her action was helpful; by emulating what she did, I will most likely be successful too. Through remembrance of others’ experiences (our shared history), we can discover the answers to problems vexing us now.

A further interpretation of this admonishment is that it allows us to make quick judgments concerning things we may never have encountered before, but which we know others among us have. If you have never before met a Nuwisha, for example, you might not know how to react or to respond to one. You might ask yourself, “Can I trust such a creature? What does he really want from me?” Now, if you know a thing or two about what your grandfather went through when he dealt with a werecoyote, you’ll have a little more foundation to go on.

My cautionary note to this is that you shouldn’t be so caught up in history that you blind yourself to changes in the present. We Gurahl are sometimes so bound up in tradition that we fail to open the door when a new knock sounds on it.

## Punish the Guilty

> *Look, look,*
>
>
> *Look deeply into heart and mind;*
>
>
> *Judge, judge,*
>
>
>
> *Judge the actions that you find.*
>
>

This part of the song goes on for quite a few more verses, most of them warning us to be certain of our facts before taking action, then laying out various responses to everything from rudeness to mass-mayhem. In some ways, it serves as a kind of touchstone for us, allowing us to see how Gurahl responded to wrongdoing (and its perpetrators) in the past.

And that regimentation is the main danger in obeying this part of the Code. Many conservative Gurahl seem unable to step outside the strict observance of punishments for wrongs committed and make their own decisions in the matter. If the song details a particular action to be taken against polluting rivers, for example, certain werebears — usually the elders — try to exact that specific retribution from the polluters, whether such actions are still effective nowadays or not. While public shaming and then tearing apart a well-poisoner might once have been the proper way to handle things, doing so today is more likely to get the Gurahl arrested.

I think the main value of this portion of the Code lies in reminding us that we are Gaia’s protectors, and as such, we have a duty to punish those who harm her creation. Rather than slavishly following specifics, however, we need to decide how serious an offense is, then work out some sort of retribution which helps us rectify the wrong rather than just punishing the guilty. If an industrialist wants to build a factory on prime wetlands, for example, and he pays off the locals to do so, we don’t kidnap him and drown him in a bog. That way just leaves the door open for a different entrepreneur to come along and do the same thing. Instead, we wait until he invests millions in surveying the site, paying off bribes and gaining local permits, then we hit him with a lawsuit designed to tie him up in court for six years and cost him billions if his shady practices come out. We can always drown him later if things don’t go our way.

On the other hand, if a young Gurahl is rude to her elders at the Autumn gathering, shunning just might be the answer after all.

## Avenge Wrongful Slaying

> *Why, hunter, did you slay my sister?*
>
>
> *She was heavy with her unborn sons.*
>
>
> *Why, hunter, do you cry so loudly*
>
>
>
> *when to you the death-bear comes?*
>
>

Essentially, this is our way of saying, “an eye for an eye.” Some of our younglings are shocked when they first hear this part of the Code. We spend so much time telling you about our nurturing hearts, our reliance on rituals, our artworks and our traditions, that we sometimes forget to mention this particular practice. While it’s true we’d rather educate people about Gaia’s creation and all our parts in it, sometimes, that just isn’t enough. When other ways fail, it’s time to let our anger dictate our actions. We have as much reason to vent our Rage as the Garou, and we usually control ourselves much more rigidly, but often we end up responding in the same way.

“Wrongful slaying” used to mean killing females of childbearing age or taking too many creatures or plants from a particular area. Nowadays, it means much more. In the modern world, few people have the need any more to actually hunt creatures for food or to gain warm furs to protect them from the cold. We have huge farms to provide us with everything from vegetables to orange juice, and pharmaceuticals to heal our illnesses. Why would anyone want to take more than he needs, whether it’s rare plants to ease pain or a deer used as meat for a family? I have never understood that sort of greed, nor do I understand the competitiveness among hunters that sometimes results in the killing of some of the best breeding stock among the so-called “game animals.” Still, I comprehend hunters far more readily than those who kill for profit or to remove what they consider a nuisance. I don’t understand thrill-killers at all.

Even worse are those who — apparently oblivious to the impact — wipe out entire ecological pockets to build something in the area. I mentioned the industrialist in regard to punishment, and that’s exactly the sort of thing that might call for you to Rage after all. Circumstances may conspire to make it more effective for you to vent your ire rather than coldly going through the motions of a lawsuit. If the builder ignores warnings or rashly goes ahead and bulldozes the land to make his project inevitable in an “it’s done, so it’s too late to complain about it now,” move, off the bastard. It’s what you’ll feel like doing, so go ahead. Just don’t get caught.

In any case, you’ll probably respond to each situation you encounter based on its severity and specifics. If something offends you or repulses you so deeply that your immediate response is the desire to tear apart whoever is responsible, then you should probably go ahead and let your Rage loose. No one says your Rage has to be expended in killing anyone, if that’s not your style. Tear her Rolls-Royce into jacks and thimbles; she’ll get the message. I once heard the tale of Jessamy Juniper-Eater, a Gurahl who lived during the time of the westward expansion. The legend tells about her exploits against the idiots who rode moving trains through the plains and shot buffalo as they moved along. Several of those shooters later awoke to find their rifles twisted into interesting shapes and the bloody print of a large bear paw left on their bedroom wall. Only a few ever dared to kill buffalo again. Those that dared, only did so once before Jessamy found them.

Some among us feel that these last two parts of the Code were added after the War of Rage. They argue that we became a more vindictive and angry race after fighting for our existence against fellow Changers, and that our Rage was not born of Gaia at all. These Gurahl claim that Rage was a curse from the Wyrm. While it gives us an edge in battle, it still corrupts us, diverting us from our original purpose as caregivers and healers. That’s a debate that (pardon the pun) rages hotly among our more scholarly brethren. I believe that Gaia would not have expected us to act as protectors without giving us some ability to fight for Her. We may not have the same advantages as the Garou, but we certainly aren’t helpless either. Our Rage gives us greater strength to take down a foe quickly or else gifts us with the stamina to see a fight through to the end rather than making us speedy powerhouses. Whether we would have it so or not, we possess a spark within us that makes us livid when we witness an outrage. I don’t believe that makes us corrupt; I think it makes us morally responsible enough to act as the protectors of Gaia’s creation.