Date: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 7:50 PM
The Trials to Unite...<one>
She felt small. Though time stood still, it weighed more these days. Perhaps the tribes were right; perhaps she was not a good leader…
Canth looked down at her forest with a bitter smile. She was a fool to trust the leeches, she knew this. It would one day grant her that which she asked for; death, what a mercurial master it was. The anger, the hurt and betrayed screams eclipsed… Wyrmseed taken root, spreading it's fingers deep within.
A sound behind her; she did not turn, unsure if it existed outside the realms of the madness she hoarded… She waited a breath, two; the noise did not repeat itself, and she directed her perceptions outward, thinking it was the Spiral come at last… But no, taint did not vibrate accompaniment to the midnight strings her insecurity strummed with its lovers caress. Opening her mind, she tilted her head slightly, seeking the personality of her watcher.
"Lehi… come."
"What are you thinking, Canth? You look so sad of late… your pack worries." "Do they now…," she laughed. He stood by her side for a time, silent. "This is mine now… a gift from a leech." "It was always yours, LyCanthress." She nodded. "Yes, but now I own the title to it. Lucky me…" He paused for a second, as if debating, then started away. "You have been away a long time, Canth. We missed you."She nodded, looking away into the dawn. Breakers of crimson splashed the tops of the trees, reminding her of the fire. The broken, charred remains of the trees poked angry fingers at her, reminding her of her folly, accusing her of betrayal to Garou lineage. Her compassion and trust had nearly cost her the one thing she still held dear. It had opened wide the gates of shaded thruths and manipulative urgings, exposing both her pack and the Caern to poisonous temptation.
"Lehi?" "Yes?""Call the packs… We call a Great Moot; I speak to them tomorrow night."
He watched her with trepidation, wondering if he should leave her… It would not be the first time she had leapt from the ledge. Pale and fragile looking, a slight breeze ruffled her hair, making it seem as if she had wings for a second.Yet… she seemed serene, standing in the light of the rising sun. Lehi noted with some surprise that for once she was not wearing all black. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in human terms, standing there in her white shirt and black pants, only the side of her face visible. She'd cast her duster carelessly at her feet; scuffed and worn as its mistress. Her sadness cradled her like a mantle of the most sadistic hue; he could feel its cowl of thorns, taste its loneliness, run his fingers through its silken strands as the melody cried its unshed tears… He longed to lick the blood away, to heal the wound stealing her happiness. It made him feel helpless; inadequate at times.
She shifted slightly to look at him, a small, almost childlike smile on her face. Sweet Gaia, she seemed so lost and frightened, a cowering pup beaten beyond the point of recognition, whimpering alone in the darkness, forgotten. And there, at that exact moment, he was sure she was going to start giggling and jump, tempting her dark fate to rescue once more, but she merely gazed at him in that silent fashion she had, biting her lip. He did not know if it were a trick of the lighting or the nimbus of brilliance reflected from her blouse, but her eyes, those wonderful haunted eyes, almost drown him in their glacier blue depths.
"I forgot to feed the birds, Lehi… I don't suppose it matters since I ate them, but I wonder all the same…" She looked back at the brightening sky, brushing her hair out of her face.