The Way of the Warrior

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A Theurge teaches.

A Galliard sings.

A Philidox judges.

A Ragabash deceives.

An Arouhn . . .

An Arouhn fights.

An Arouhn is a warrior without peer, fearless in battle, the epitome of martial prowess. A warrior is drawn to battle, not like a moth to a flame, but like a predator at the scent of blood and fresh prey. A warrior fights with honor, facing worthy foes. Whether he fights with blade, claw, or firearms, it does not matter. He is still a warrior.

Voices on the Wind asked me why I enjoy working with plants. I still don't have an answer. What I wonder, quite often, is why I fight, why I seek out battle, why I now join my tribe brothers in the thick of war, why I left my friends at the Sept of Endless Paths. I think I know this now. It is because I am Arouhn. It is my destiny to face battle. I am a warrior.

An Arouhn is a warrior.

An Arouhn fights . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

It's not enough for a warrior to be physically strong. It's not enough to be skilled in battle. These make you a weapon, to be directed and used at the discretion of others. A warrior is more than just a weapon. A warrior knows what he fights, knows who he fights, respects his foes, learns from his mistakes, learns and improves.

A warrior should be as sharp of mind as he is skilled of blade.

As Elizabeth and I study the footage of the fight between the two vampires, it becomes obvious that we both have much to learn. They move with speed and skill far beyond my own. Their abilities are far in excess of what I had previously heard. I have faced nothing of this kind before.

A warrior respects his foes, studies them, learns from them.

A warrior that respects his foes is not surprised by them. A warrior who studies his foes can learn techniques to counter them. A warrior who learns from his foes becomes more skilled, more learned.

Knowledge and wisdom can be as useful in a fight as any blade. Knowing the battlefield can be used to your advantage. Knowing your enemy can allow you to read into their techniques. In a battle of equal opponents, the warrior with greater knowledge is often the victor.

They say that knowledge is power. I believe they are half-right.

Knowledge is victory . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

"Nobody trusts a wolf without a pack."

The words echo in my mind.

Alvis, of the Get. A theurge, therefore I should respect his wisdom . . . to an extent.

Wolves are not social animals. Ravens are social animals. Wolves, however, are pack animals. They draw strength from each other. A lone wolf is akin to anathema, reviled and mistrusted. Do I feel mistrusted? Do I even care?

Trust is a precious resource, among warriors it is paramount. You have to trust the warrior to your right and your left, trust them as they trust you. The wolves of the Sept of Endless Paths . . . do I trust them?

Yes . . . and . . . and no . . .

Visilli . . . I am loathe to admit that I cannot trust the Grand Elder. He allowed William to run rampant through the sept, submitting to what I would view as very poor judgement. Questioning my elders is not something a Cliath should not do, but ever since the moot, when Visilli passed me over when I stepped forward to challenge for sept membership . . . my honor was slighted, and while he is still Grand Elder, I will consider myself an outsider. No, I do not trust Visilli.

Wind Talon . . . of all the wolves on the sept, I find myself trusting Wind Talon the most. He is honest, straightforward, qualities that are often found in a lupus born. Though our tribes seem to be diametric opposites, we seem to have a grudging respect for each other. Yes, I trust Wind Talon.

Din . . . it's said you shouldn't trust a Shadow Lord, but Din at least seems different. We've been working well together, and I see that we are achieving something of an accord.

There are more, but to list them all seems trite. Trust, in my opinion, must be earned. Yes, perhaps I should join a pack, but there are no packs lacking my auspice, at least, none that I trust. Perhaps that is my fate, to be the outsider, the lone wolf, reviled and mistrusted. After all, nobody trusts a wolf without a pack . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A warrior defends those who cannot fight.

There is a plague spreading.

The wild creatures near the Bawn are being infected with a synthetic strain of rabies.

In a natural setting, with no human interference, the animals can defend themselves from most predators and continue the cycle of death and rebirth. When a new element is added, things begin to break apart. This virus is spreading, and spreading quickly. It was initially spread by poachers, but now it is being spread by the animals themselves. If we do nothing, it will spread to the kinfolk. I cannot allow this to happen. Animals has difficulty fighting unfamiliar viruses.

That's where I come in.

With Din and Elizabeth's help, I have created a vaccine to administer, first to the kinfolk, and then to the wild life near the bawn. The trouble is, I don't have enough of it, and I don't have the resources or equipment to mass produce it.

A warrior knows when he needs help.

It is time to pay my tribe brothers a visit . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A warrior stays true to his choices.

Though he may not know where it leads, a warrior chooses his path and follows it with conviction, regardless of the dangers that lie ahead. That is not to say that he follows it blindly. The path is chosen with careful deliberation, with full study of alternatives. At least, that is what I believe.

A warrior recognizes his fears.

Some of the Get and Fianna might say that fear has no place in battle. They are half right. Fear should not govern your decisions. Fear should, instead, keep you smart, keep you wary of your surroundings. If an Arouhn told you that he truly felt no fear, he is a liar. All warriors feel fear. Fear for their kinfolk, fear for their packmates, fear for Gaia, sometimes even fear for their own hide. Me? I fear for my spirit.

Why is this relevant?

I was visited by Wolves from two separate Glass Walker camps.

The first visitor was a Cyber Dog, who gave me an implant, which I accepted. I am aware of their reputation, however, you cannot conduct science without a bit of experimentation. The benefits of the implant were . . . interesting, though I could have done without the buzzing in my ear. I still feel it would have been worth seeing the effects of full integration, but I digress.

The next visitors were Dies Ultimae. They seem a bit uptight, not exactly my bag, but they were polite enough, that is, until they shot me. Well, not exactly shot me, more like shot the bio scan patch. That certainly shook me up, but when I regained my composure, they told me why they were here. They were interested in me and wanted me to join up with their private army. They gave me a steel case and buggered off.

So, I now have a branching path ahead of me. The thing is, I can't make that decision just yet. I need more information. I need to understand the motivations of these visitors. What do they want with me?

We always like to think that we're all so much better than humans, particularly Lupus born. I think we have more in common than we realize. You see, even Garou fear what they don't understand.

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A warrior stands by his convictions.

I am no one's assassin. I am not an executioner. I am no one's pawn. I will not kill another Garou for no reason beyond him having a different philosophy. So long as he still fights for Gaia, he is Garou, and worthy of my respect. Exile is the preferred method for heinous crimes, but if this Garou's only crime is being associated with another camp, even one with the reputation of the Cyber Dogs, then this is not even worthy of exile, not worth my consideration, and there is no honor in carrying out these orders.

This course of action is not the Garou way. If this is their idea of fighting for Gaia, then they are sorely mistaken if they think I will accept their philosophy.

As for my own head on the chopping block for not proceeding with "the mission", I'd like to see them try. I have a pack, a strong one at that, one that trusts me, stands by me. My Alpha supports me, and I have the support of the sept's Council. So, let them come. We have plenty of Arouhn eager for the Glory of combat.

In all honesty, I would prefer that they drop the matter. We have greater things to concern ourselves with beyond our own petty squabbles. If we truly wish to fight for Gaia, then we must look past our differences. Without peace within the Garou nation, we are all truly lost. That is what I fight for. I fight for those who cannot fight. I fight to bring peace.

A warrior must stay true to himself.

A warrior stands by his convictions . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A warrior dies with honor.

I have already stated my opinion on Dies Ultimae. If they harm anyone of my sept again to get to me, then I will reap bloody vengeance. I will likely die in the process, but it would be a good death, in the defense of my pack mates, an honorable death.

They shot Eric, with silver. They shot two more garou before my eyes, to 'educate' me. Those were not honorable deaths. Those were executions. Regardless of their condition and disposition, they were still garou, still our brothers, still family. Family deserves better than that.

I do my best to carry myself with honor, to fight for worthy causes, but is it enough? Is it ever enough? Will I find victory, protect the helpless, redeem the fallen? Or will I be struck down and forgotten like so many before me? Perhaps I will find that answer sooner than I think. The only thing I can do is fight with honor. Live with honor. Die with honor.

A warrior dies with honor . . .

[Falling Rock/Lei Feng]

A warrior looks after his own . . .

It has been three weeks since I sent my kinfolk to the Last Call Sept for their own safety. Thanks to Layla, they're being treated well enough. Jen was having money issues, but they've been resolved, for now. I know Jen is upset with me. She's not happy that she hasn't seen me for three weeks. She's not happy that I can't help take care of our son. She's not happy that he's walking already, and I missed it. She's not happy that she had to leave her job, pack up, and move down to Portland. No, she's not happy, but she's safe. My cousins will look after her, and my boy. Dad can help as well. The only thing that matters now is that Jen and Junior are safe.

I was almost unable to help them. Someone has been targeting Glasswalkers, and their kinfolk. Lilith said as much, that it happened to Teapot, that it's been happening to all the Glasswalkers in the area. I'm beginning to wonder if my kinfolk are safe, even under Fianna protection. Lilith offered to have them moved to San Francisco, to a Dies Ultimae camp. While I am loathe to accept aide from a camp that likely wants me dead, I have a feeling that the closer they are to me, the more danger they face.

A decision must be made, but I am no tyrant. I will give them their options, and each will make their choice: to remain in Portland, to travel to San Francisco with the promise of greater safety, or to return with me to Seattle and face the enemy head on. I only hope Jen decides to pick one of the first two options. I don't know that I can keep her safe. If, by proximity to me, my wife and child are harmed . . . I don't know what I would do . . .

Still, I must do what I can to protect them. A warrior can do no less.

A warrior looks after his own . . .