Territorial Defense
A small group of rugged-looking travelers made their way through Swan Creek Park, a long stretch of forested land to the east of Tacoma, almost outside of the official city limits. With the verdant life there surrounding the titular babbling creek, it’s easy for one to forget they’re in the middle of quite the urban sprawl, especially on this night when the new moon left the sky wanting for light.
“Remind me why we aren’t just taking the highway?” Asked a skittish woman with sleek black hair in a chic bob, dressed up and made up more for meeting coworkers at a bar than a trek through a creek.
“Too many bloodsuckers on the streets, we don’t want them alerting whoever’s in charge.” A large pale man in the front replied, his features hidden by a messy mane of dirty blonde hair, flowing wildly and long enough to put hair metal singers to shame.
“And what’s to say they don’t have eyes here? I’ve met some vampires real similar to us.” She retorts.
“Because you have me.” A monotone, accented voice said in the back of the group, belonging to a near-totally covered person with a long black jacket, baggy clothes, a thick ski hat, and a facemask, revealing only a peak of tanned skin and eyes dark brown enough to be obsidian black.
“Scent, sight, and sound will not betray us. Leo is free to show us the way.” A spectral eagle perched on their back, creating gusts of arcane wind that enveloped them all.
“I think we’re getting closer to the caern,” The last member of the group announced, a dark-skinned woman, her thick wavy hair done up in a long ponytail to free her amber eyes, darting around the darkness meticulously as her arm hairs raised, “My hair is starting to stand on end.”
“Good. We’ll slip through, rest up, and begin our mission.” Leo said. “Indrani, you still have your cache in the city?”
“It’s been a bit since i’ve been back,” The brash woman thought for a second. “But, not many people go digging around here. We should be good. If not, I have contacts.”
Before they could discuss more, the arcane winds stopped, and the eagle spirit seemed to be locked in place.
“Nela, the hell’s wrong with it?” Leo asked.
“I-I don’t know…perhaps a reaction to nearing an unfamiliar caer-”
Before it could be further diagnosed, the spirit began to freak out, flapping its wings, screeching, and looking for an escape.
“GnasHINg TeeeTH! RiipPINggg clAAWs! DevouRReRRR! EEEEscapEEE!”
“What the hell is going on!? Is there some Wyrm infestation nearby?” The woman who spoke first brandished a bone-carved knife, unsure if they were under attack or not.
“Aurora, get down!” Nela shouted, tackling her to the side as a trio of spectral crows flew through the air, chasing after the eagle. It was a short chase, as the three had unprecedented speed, and the eagle spirit was still struggling to right itself.
“SPIRIT EATER!” Was the last thing it screeched before the three crows pierced into it with their beaks, forcing its spectral form to the ground, and beginning their feast.
“Hey hey, remember to save some for me.” A cocky voice said from the darkness ahead of the group.
“QuiET YoU!” One of the crows said.
“PaymENt GIVen.” The second added between subsumption of spiritual essence.
“revENGe not TAKeN!” The third finished.
“Fair fair, just take it somewhere else.”
Crimson McNabb stepped from the dark of the woods, wiping off the bile from her mouth left over from summoning the three crows, who took their remains and returned to the spectral world of the Umbra.
She stepped fully forward and spoke some words under her breath, as faint blue flames illuminated the area around them, giving each side a proper look at the other. “Howdy there, welcome to town! You must be the lot who’s been sneaking around lately, yeah?”
“And you must be the infamous Crimson McNabb.” Aurora said, standing back up and helping Nela do the same.
“Aww shucks, am I really that well known?”
“Only one Spirit Eater I’ve ever heard of. But hey, if what I've heard is right we’re from the same family, so maybe you could just let us slide by? We’re not looking for trouble.” Aurora put on a face ten times more confident than how she felt.
“Oh I’d be happy too, honestly!” She began, with the others noticing the shotgun at her side. “But truth be told, I’m just here as a neutral party to keep everything even.”
“Neutral party?” Indrani asked.
“For who?” Leo followed up.
“That would be us.” A calm yet resonant voice spoke, walking closer into the will-o-wisp circle of light.
Four figures stepped forward from the darkness as the facsimile of moonlight grew brighter. The foremost was an older and shorter man, with bronze skin, heavily salt-and-peppered black hair tied into a low ponytail, and a flat wide-brimmed hat obscuring his eyes. “Merlyn Knowles, Ghost Council Philodox.”
Right behind him was a taller and full-figured woman, lighter in complexion but similar in tone, with flowing raven-like hair and eyes of a shimmering hazel, matching an equally bright yet capricious smile. “Káyu Qʷib-il, Theurge and Daughter of Gaia!”
Next to her on the older mans left side was a pale man with short orange curls with a short beard to match, and eyes of a deep emerald . He looked to be about half Merlyn’s age at least, but had an equally calm and analytical look to his face. “Ronan Daly, Ahroun of the Hart Wardens.”
Just behind them was a much younger person with lighter brown skin and a mess of freckles, broken up by wide olive eyes, nearly hanging onto the elders back, but eyeing the opposing group with curiosity and, Indrani could sense, brutal excitement. “Stiqáyuʔ T'ilib, Galliard among the Galestalkers!”
“You stand before the Moon Phase Council, representatives and honored leaders of the Puyallup Sept.” Merlyn began, before Crimson cleared her throat, reminding all of her presence. “And one trusted guest here as a neutral mediator.” The roll of his eyes was audible.
“We have detected your little pack moving throughout our caerns and safe spots, no matter how safe you felt with that little eagle. We of the Puyallup Sept, the protectors of this land and public servants to its upkeep, do not disparage guests, but a lack of manners is very much noticed. Explain yourselves, now.”
The oldest one there made sure his years were known, as each word was clear and rife with force behind it, enough that Aurora, who had gained a bit of cockiness in potential camaraderie with Crimson, was fully hiding behind Nela now.
The foremost among the intruders, however, was not buffeted by these metaphorical winds. “We are but a wandering pack, brought here partially by instinct, partially by vision, and partially by the sheer fact that this area has been falling further and further into Wyrm-chaos.” Leo stepped forward and snarled with his words.
“Cool story, why all the subterfuge though?” Stiqáyuʔ pressed.
“Is it wrong to move with caution and care?” He had no respect for the young representative.
“In our line of work? Probably not,” The neutral party appeared at his side, moving without detection. “But I’ve always heard that the church mouse and the thief walk at the same pace.” Crimson gave a toothy grin as she stepped into obscurity once more, continuing to walk in a circle around both parties.
“Another question,” Káyu took their attention. “You pups say that you’re led by a vision, what kind of vision are we talking about? And how’d you get it?” Fox and Owl spirits flitted about her, as the babbling of the creek beside them got louder. Her magic was reinforcing the sanctity of this clearly cherished place.
“I had a dream. It was direct and powerful.” Nela found the words slipping from their mouth. “It spoke of a crimson miasma spreading over not just this city, but the whole state. I know not where the dream came from.”
“If you speak of crawling chaos,” Merlyn took back the interrogation. “Then you are a bit behind. Tacoma was invaded, yes, by a vampiric attack on the ports. We could not gather many forces in time before they wormed away into hiding holes, but the invaders and the infection they brought with them has already been cleansed by claw, metal, and fire.”
“Then why are there still vampires in this city?” Indrani asked, jutting her body forward in anger, getting a hand on her shoulder.
“Careful, sister.” Crimson reminded.
After a tense second, she flinched her shoulder out of Crimson’s grasp.
“The reason why is because they were not the threat during the invasion, and they are not the threat now.” Ronan spoke up, lighting a carved pipe.
“The fuck do you mean they aren’t the threat?” Leo asked, genuinely shocked.
“I’ve gotten my chance to interrogate a right many of them, their wild types keep trying to make their way into the protected lands around here. They ain’t a united front. The blokes that invaded, they were of a different ideological group than who are in Tacoma now, and those in Tacoma now are a more…shall we say modern-thinking group. Nowhere near trustworthy, nowhere near humane, and nowhere near excusable, but…palatable for current circumstances.” His own growl was emitted towards the end of the sentence, he did not like the conclusion he came to.
“So what? Just because there are democrat vampires instead of republican vampires, we can all sing kumbaya and make friendship bracelets?” Aurora snarked with a snicker.
“Anarchists, actually, although i dunno if you ask me it sounded more like a meritocra-” Stiqáyuʔ began.
“WHO GIVES A FUCK!?” Leo and Indrani both shouted in different tones.
“Merlyn Knowles!” Leo pointed directly at him, enacting some measure of challenge. “If you’re leading the sect literally bordering this infestation, then why don’t you act!? To leave a nest, a breeding ground, a sickening dung heap of these vessels of corruption, intact without even threat, should I assume you have fallen to the Wyrm’s grasp?”
A scowl weaved its way across Merlyn’s face, but he quieted the fire in his stomach for now. “Bite your tongue, whelp of Fenris.” Merlyn began, earning a face of shock from Leo and Indrani, with the other two looking merely confused.
“Hey now, the Puyallup Sect is all about unity, right? Don’t bite him for his tribe's actions.” Crimson added in, leaning on Merlyn for a moment.
“I’m the only one of us from the Get. And, I left them long before they fell to where they are now.” The piece of honesty gave both sides a moment to take a breath.
“Ever hear of Project FIRSTLIGHT, kids?” Káyu asked while Merlyn centered himself.
“It’s a government group, no?” Nela asked.
“Special task force. At first, they were targeting vampires, same as the hunters with the weird holy magic nonsense,” She explained, not catching the irony of her saying that as a Theurge. “But, since they caught on to vampires they also, in minor ways, caught on to a lot of other folks. Us, the Namebreakers, the little fairy bastards, you name it. Either way, they see us as non-human threats.”
“And what does that have to do with anything?” Indrani asked, not subdued.
“It has to do with the fact that not only is the state capitol is about 30 miles southwest, but we got a military base that housed a mighty strong platoon of the bastards not even 1/3rd of that to the south. They’ve been real quiet lately, and many of ‘em have moved on, and like it or not the Kindred keep it that way. If we started exterminating them, that would just light up the alerts like no one’s business, and we’d have a mess of Pentex-made weapons pointed at our asses.” Merlyn educated.
The other members of the council, and Crimson to boot, could tell he was starting to get real frustrated. None of them liked having the Kindred around, no matter how amicable they could be. But, this was their home, and they had the context as to why it was necessary. The other group, however…
“...You’re fucking cowards.” Leo nearly whispered in disgust and shock.
“We’re strategic, you hard-headed Get git! There are more pressing matters than the Kindred, and any who get out of hand still get taken care of.” Káyu backed up.
“Stop calling them that!” He shouted, his pupils were becoming small enough to almost disappear. “They’re VAMPIRES! Bloodsucking, soulless, corrupt bastards of the FUCKING WYRM! Why give them the honor of using their self-branded name!?”
Crimson appeared once more, dead center between the groups. “C’mon buddy, what’s wrong with choosing your own name?” She asked with a cheeky grin, which didn’t phase as he swung to hit her in the face, full force. Of course, when she vanished into a spectral mist, it made perfect sense. But, she did what she wanted to do.
“We got one final question for ya bastards.” Ronan added on, not caring that just about everyone was ready for this to turn bloody.
“W-Well, go ahead.” Aurora spoke up.
“Actually, thinking about it, more like two. You lot have made your way through three domains, two smaller caerns, and passed through the cities of Packwood, Morton, Elbe, and Eatonville, correct?”
Káyu’s spirits were still keeping themselves active, tugging the truth out where they can, and where it wasn’t so tightly tucked away, but still the group did not answer. Right away, at least.
“Y-Yeah, that s-sounds about right. Honestly I didn’t know the name of those smaller places.” Aurora forced out the words, not wanting to feel that unending tugging anymore.
No more was said in that moment, but a bead of sweat on Leo’s brow told Ronan enough, as he shared a look with the others. Merlyn merely sighed, and nodded.
“I will not allow you access to our caern, but we’re not gonna run you folks out of town either.” Merlyn said, finally calming the beast inside. “You are in the land of the Puyallup Sept and the eponymous tribe itself. You are free to join in our community and our mission. Mind yourselves, and follow the rules, and we will have no problems.”
“And if we refuse?” Indrani said.
“Are you stupid, girl?” Merlyn couldn’t help but scowl in genuine befuddlement. “Cause trouble tonight, and you have four Garou renowned enough in their tribes to speak for the whole. Cause trouble after tonight, and you have that self-same whole turned against you.”
“Eh, five if they do something real fuckin dumb.” Crimson added on from her new hiding spot, although everyone was clearly getting tired of her doing so.
“Fine.” Leo spat out, raising a hand to stop Indrani preemptively. “You get your way tonight, old man. But Hellfire isn’t going to stand by while monsters run amok.”
“I made the line in the sand clear. What you do now is your own fault.”
The invading four turned themselves around, and slowly walked away, making sure none of the five or their potential spirits were following after them.
“So, what next?” Indrani asked their leader, quivering from fury.
“What next? The same thing we already planned. We only had ourselves the entire way here, we don’t need any help from that Harano-ridden Sept.” To punctuate his sentence, Leo slammed his fist into a particularly intrusive tree, blasting a crater in its bark.
Back where the four gathered, they still had another trick up their sleeve. “So they’re clearly the ones responsible from the serial deaths, right? The skittish one even verified the cities they moved through.” Ronan asked.
“Right!? They’re objectively psychotic, especially the angry one with the high-pony, god I could feel her staring daggers!” Stiqáyuʔ backed up on, releasing themself from their position behind Merlyn, revealing the pump-action shotgun they had hidden.
“So, what next?” Káyu asked Merlyn, slumping her shoulders.
“The same thing we were going to do. Observe, learn, and when the time is right: punish. The last thing we need are some Hauglosk-maddened invaders blowing us off the map.”
“Well how’re you gonna manage that? Plenty of places to hide around here.” Crimson asked, beginning to pack her stuff up from the various hiding places she left them.
Káyu and Merlyn both snickered. “You wouldn’t have had the chance to find out, Spirit Eater, but there are plenty of powerful forces in the area, urbanization be damned. For example,” Káyu began as a long spectral form craned its neck ever so slightly upwards from the creek, being about as wide as both the creek and the walkable paths next to it. “This place ain’t Swan Creek for nothing.”
“Shame we didn’t come to blows though,” Ronan began as Crimson was amazed by the size of the spirit, before it fell back into the land. “I was all gungho to crack their murderous skulls in.”
“Oh of course, how Ahroun of you~!” Crimson teased with an eye roll.
“Don’t hate it cause you ain’t it, late-changed.” He returned with a grin.
“You’ll get your blood yet. Crimson, you bring your truck?” Merlyn asked, grabbing his cane.
“Yeah, but I thought that was to move those suckers' bodies if they got out of hand.”
“Was an idea, but the night is young. Like Káyu said, we take care of the Kindred who get out of hand.” Merlyn walked past her as he made his way up an improvised walkway.
“Woohoo! Hunt, hunt, hunt!” Stiqáyuʔ jumped after him, as the rest piled after, ready to begin the true event of the night.
