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| Chapter One: The Society of Kinfolk | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 12 2009, 12:05 AM (144 Views) | |
| The Storyteller | Dec 12 2009, 12:05 AM Post #1 |
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[align=center]Tell me something I don't know instead of everything I do. Look at me as if I mean something to you. ~Mary Chapin Carpenter, "The Hard Way"~[/align] Mindset, Temperament, and Personality I don't know what I thought the first time I saw Ian change. I remember sitting on an old mattress by the side of a deserted bayou highway, just watching him. it was like nothing else mattered, nothing else could fill my eyes like the sight of him. Now, of course, I realise I was in shock at the time ~clammy skin, disorientation, that sort of thing. After all, I'd just seen my folks smashed to pieces! If Ian hadn't been there to pull me from the wreck, I would've died too. but he was there; he saved my life. That night misted over my senses; even now, it seems more like a vivid dream than anything else. As I tried not to cry, wanting to be a big girl and not make a scene, I focused on the one part of my world that was real, my brother. He doesn't hold back his emotions now, and he didn't then, either. he howled into the darkness, and I swear I could almost touch his fury and agony. And then.... It wasn't the fact that he was growing tall and sprouting thick reddish fur that struck me. The sounds came first; the creaking bones, ripping jeans, groans of....pleasure, I suppose, but pain, too. I had to watch. I couldn't turn away. Fear? Yes, I felt fear, but not for myself. I knew that somehow, Ian had just crossed a threshold I couldn't pass. That somehow our roles had been reversed. For so many years he'd watched over me, picked me up when I fell, brought me ice cream, teased me but damn near killed anybody else who did. That night, I saw I had to protect him. He needed me, and it's just as simple as that. It sounds weird for a "mere human," I guess...a "fragile" little fangless thing like me wanting to protect a creature like him. But I think I'm typical of a lot of Kinfolk in my beliefs ~surely not all, but plenty, nonetheless. When I heard about the Garou, their war and their duty, I instantly accepted ~craved~ being a part of that. I wanted to do something that would benefit the Garou, so I finished high school a year early, went right into a nursing program, and here I am today. Werewolves rarely get sick, and Gaia has a lot of ways to heal them after a good scrap, but what about the children? What about the other Kinfolk? Let's just say what I know has come in handy. Other Kin do the same thing; they become veterinarians, foresters, or join the military for training. Those who can afford it buy up land around caerns to keep developers away. Some become computer hackers and make life a little easier on werewolves and Kin alike, through the wonders of modern technology. The best folks give the most of whatever they can. Some Garou, sad to say, abuse the privilege. They make the women bear three kids every two years, and that's too hard on anybody. Think about it, would you like to go through childbirth every nine months from the age 14 to 50? A fertile Kinfolk woman could technically bear a few dozen kids in her miserable lifetime. Or what about the Kin who become "shock troops" for Gaia? I know Gaia needs her warriors, and it's better for Kin to know the Enemy (or the right end of a gun), but a lot of young Kinfolk die senselessly in an effort to prove themselves. I despise reducing people down to numbers, but that's exactly what some of the more extreme Tribes do. That's the point the Garou seem to miss: We're human beings, dammit! Okay, except for the wolf Kin. But just the same, most of us want to help, out of love for our families, devotion to Gaia's cause, or simply because it's a nice feeling to be needed, to be a part of something. Sometimes, even the best werewolves treat us like a bunch of dumb groupies. It gets old. I'll always do anything I can to help, even if I'm royally pissed; I don't expect thanks or money, either. But it would be nice to get some respect. I'm not alone in saying I hate being patronized. Why don't the Garou consult Kin on issues that affect us all? Why can't we have a say in moots that pertain to Kinfolk? Why do the Garou refuse to realize these are pretty dark days we live in, and to survive, we'll all need to work together? I think part of the reason is they're a little afraid. Give an inch, they'll take a mile is what some of them think about us. Then too, there's been some rotten Kinfolk in the barrel; they've spoiled things for the rest of us. Sam Haight was the worst, but there've been others. Some werewolves think we Kin need to be kept firmly in our place lest we rise up and ruin everything. The rhetoric a lot of them use sounds like the same crap bigots give when trying to "justify" why women and minorities shouldn't have equal rights. I guess if I had to say one thing about Kinfolk, it's that we want to be thought of as individuals. We all have out own hopes, dreams, demons and egos. Yes, we Kin are Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers, Stargazers and Uktena, human and wolf, but we aren't just mindless automatons. We have feelings and goals, too. Just once, I'd like to feel like an equal, a partner in all this. After all, didn't Gaia mark me, too? Maybe her favour's a little different for Kin, but it's still there, it sets me apart. Ever think about how hard things would be without us? Motivations [align=center]Have we not done our share? ~Banjo Patterson, "The Last Parade"~[/align] Like I said, a lot of things drive Kinfolk to join in and accept their responsibilities, or turn against the Garou and Gaia. I'd hope most Kin are the join-in types, but I know that's often not the case. Just like our werewolf brethren, we Kin have lots and lots of diversity in our ranks. So, what are some of these drives I mentioned? I could spend a year writing a list, and it still wouldn't be complete. Most Kin are actual blood relatives to werewolves. Think of it as normal family responsibilities, magnified a thousand times. For others, it's a matter of marriage, which also denotes a lot of familial (and, ahem, reproductive) obligations. Then, there are the rarer Kinfolk who might not be able to find their names on a family tree, but who still want to contribute. They feel like they have the most to prove, since they don't have a Garou parent, sibling, or spouse, and are more often the most gung-ho or spiritually oriented Kin. Some are a little too eager for my tastes, actually. I heard the founder of the Black Eagle, a Kinfolk mercenary group, couldn't actually name one Garou relative. I doubt anyone could challenge his loyalty and still be able to walk, though. That's part of why I;m learning as much as I can about Kinfolk, too. Sure, I know what it's like to be Kin, but I keep asking questions, so I can learn what being Kin means for members of other Tribes, other countries. This way, I can speak with some authority, for whatever it's worth, among the Garou. Yes, I want us "normal humans" to have a little more voice in Tribal and Sept affairs. More than that, though, I'm pretty sure the werewolves need to hear some of what I've found, from the lips of a Kin like me, before the pressure cooker explodes. The welfare of the Garou Nation depends on it...and, like I said, that welfare means a lot to me. But what makes a Kin turn against the werewolves? Sad to say, I can make a pretty accurate guess...and I'm treated well, as far as that goes. Usually, it's a matter of resentment, or feeling unappreciated. When you risk your life for someone and they don't even bother to say thanks, it can piss you off. If they act like it doesn't matter whether you live or die, well, you might start to feel worthless. Worse, what about the Kinfolk who just can't seem to produce any Garou children? I've heard whispers that a Silver Fang killed his wife because she was barren. That may be just a Shadow Lord rumour, but I've seen with my own eyes men verbally abusing women for bearing "mere Kinfolk." It's practically medieval. Then there are the Kin who get insanely jealous because Gaia didn't see fit to make them Garou. They're bitter and dangerous. Take a look at Sam Haight, for instance. This psychopath went made because he never Changed. I don't know how many people he butchered or how many werewolf skins he collected in his time, but his "misfortune" of not being Garou drove him over the edge and caused a lot of destruction. I think this sort of thing happens because the werewolves ignore these jealousies. They leave Kinfolk to "deal with it" alone; the Garou take a "shape up or ship out" attitude some Kin simply can't handle. So, in all honesty, while you'll always have some fruitcakes like "Skinner" Haight out there, the Garou make a lot of their own problems. They need to be a little more attuned to what it's like being left behind when the pack runs off to hunt or calls council at a Moot. God knows, I'd never do anything to hurt my Tribe, but sure, I get a little jealous on occasion. I mean, it looks like such fun to turn into a wolf. But I'm also content with my own lot, probably because I've had a lot of good advice from Ian and others over the years. I guess the bottom line is that Gaia and her chosen warriors make our beds for us. We either have to learn to lie in them and be prepared to do a little tucking of our own, or else we refuse to lie down at all. The Chicken or the Egg? Your question is, did the Tribe make the Kinfolk, or did the Kinfolk make the Tribe? My answer is...yes. I see by your scowl that doesn't satisfy you. Allow me to explain. The first werewolves were very much alike; Tribes were meaningless distinctions to them (although the Silver Fangs would tell you otherwise). The Changing Folk spread outward, moving to all corners of the Earth and wherever they went they found people. From these people the Garou chose the strongest, the smartest, the fittest with whom to make young. Isolated from other werewolves, each group began to learn from their people, to become more like them. When the Garou of a place were more like each other than the Garou of another place, a Tribe was born. How did the werewolves make the Kinfolk? Yes, I'm getting to that. The Garou would choose individuals most suited to bear their young. A human so claimed was well cared for and much educated. Thus, Kinfolk became chiefs, shamans, councilors, healers, teachers. They guided their people, who became more like their leaders, and so, more like the Tribe. ~Boris Yin, Stargazer Kinfolk. |
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| The Storyteller | Mar 19 2012, 09:03 PM Post #2 |
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A Matter of Attitude Damn straight, it's a blast being a Kinfolk. There are connections like you wouldn't believe. Completely outside the law, these people can get dirt on the opposition, perform B&e without leaving a trace and provide muscle no other boss can beat. All they ask is some capital, some boltholes and a little legal cover. Sweetest deal in the world! Makes putting up with my sister's bad attitudes worthwhile. ~Bill Nadeau, corporate executive, Glass Walker Kinfolk What do I think about it? Imagine what it'd be like for someone to call you and say you'd missed out on a million dollars because you got one wrong number on the lottery ticket. That's what it's like ~ my cousin can tear the top off a car, and he wouldn't get sick if he ate rotten fish in a cafeteria full of Ebola victims. He has this spiritual brotherhood with a bunch of arrogant walking carpets who have bad breath and who expect me to act grateful for being allowed to do whatever they say. And what the hell have I got? I was better off before I ever heard of the Garou. ~Chris Wlodkowski, garage band musician, Get of Fenris Kinfolk The lycanthropic disease we've observed in certain specimens attacks some family members and not others. However, even the seemingly normal relations are still carriers. Think of lycanthropy as akin to hemophilia without the gender-linked trait. We can learn just as much about the disease by studying the carriers as we can studying people with the genetic expression. An additional bonus is that carriers are much easier to acquire alive. ~Dr. Romain Guy, Progenitor, Sondage Amalgam I think Kinfolk have a spiritual connection to the earth. I guess everyone does, really, but it's stronger in the Garou lineage. We have an appreciation of nature and all things wild. A Kinfolk is more likely than most to a spare a second look at a beautiful sunset or a dazzling night sky. Not all of our kind see it this way, I know. Some are too caught up in the things of humans ~chasing after money to have what advertisers insist they can't do without, living their soap-opera lives and not seeing what the world is really all about. I pity them. ~Danielle Linhart, photographer, Child of Gaia Kinfolk A blessed existence, is it? We take care of our precious kinfolk, don't we, Lord and Master Ahroun, most wonderful leader, He-Who-Knows-Best for everyone on the island? Liar! Bastard! You're not fit to call yourself scat of a wolf, much less wolf's brother! Better to call you Killer-of-Children or Raper-of-Mate than anything else! I read the haole books about the mother who slew her own children. There is sweeter revenge than death. Every time I hold our new son and see that fire will burn in his eyes, I dream of the moment he will descend into the earth to be reborn. I laugh with joy thinking how your heart will burst should you ever have to face him in battle. ~Iolani Darkmoon, former Uktena Kin, now Black Spiral Dancer Kinfolk. My sister and I grew up knowing we were special. It wasn't until our 13th birthday that I found out just how special; Nikki Changed. My grandmother told me what it meant to be Kinfolk. It's a great honour to be who I am, who we are. But it's scary, too. I love Nikki and always will, but I hate seeing her so out of control. It's not that I'll never be able to run as fast again; I forgave her even before the wounds healed. A little lost muscle isn't that big a deal, I guess. But I don't know if I can bear to see that look of hopelessness and anger in my sister's eyes ever again. ~Jesse Ikenberg, Black Fury Kinfolk. Blood Ties [align=center]I resign myself to silence. I will never blow your cover. ~Indigo Girls 'Left Me a Fool'[/align] Most Kin, like me, have blood relatives among the Garou. I'm lucky enough (or unlucky, if you ask any of the younger Fianna guys) to have an older brother who's a werewolf. For other folks, it's their mothers, fathers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins... whoever. Blood is thicker than water, and I'd say that, in functional families at least, it forms solid bonds between Garou and Kin. I'm leaving out a dark side, I guess, one that speaks of incest, abuse and neglect. I know those things are there, among Kin, Garou and normal folks alike. Fortunately, though, I've never had to experience any of that stuff. So, just for a minute, let's paint a rosy picture. Think about the love you have for your mother and father, your grand folks, your siblings and your children. Chances are,about a range of things, from simply giving up food to laying down your life. What mother wouldn't give up an organ for her child? What loyal son or daughter wouldn't cheat and steal to get parents out of debt? Families can quarrel, snarl and cut one another to the quick, but in times of trouble, they'll stick together. Garou families are like that too, but even more so. Like I said, my brother and even some of our distant cousins from other Tribes give me a lot of teasing, but God forbid some stranger should start getting rowdy! I remember a guy who swatted my fanny in a bar one night. I thought Ian was going to kill him. Not that I couldn't take care of myself! But because I was a "little sister," and Kin at that, Ian and some of his pals gave the guy a serious thrashing. The werewolves do take pride in their loyal Kinfolk, though it's often the sort pushy parents take in their snotty, overachieving kids ~ you know, the sporty ones and the kids who take calculus when they're 12 years old. Often, Garou push us to do more than seems possible, and sometimes they protect us to the point of smothering. Some tribes cloister pregnant females like nuns; I've seen more than one Kinfolk girl in my practice who begs me to keep her condition a secret, so she won't be locked up for nine months. And I usually help the poor thing as best I can. I've dealt with some pissed-off Garou spouses and parents, but when I tell them my concern is for both mother and child, they usually back off. Of course the protective relationship works both ways. In times of trouble, we won't panic; we're the only ones who can handle being around a raging werewolf without turning into gibbering idiots. It goes without saying that there's little we can do to hold back a Garou until the storm has passed, of course, but at least we can calm things down a bit. It's a heavy burden, knowing we're the only folks thee werewolves can rely on. I'd say most Kin drop anything they're doing to help a Garou relative in need. In my opinion, that's simply our fate, to care for these soldiers. A lost of religions and philosophies talk about how intrinsically wrong it is to struggle against fate, that karma or poetic justice or whatever always rewards or punishes you in the end. I absolutely believe this, particularly in connection to the Garou and their Kin. God, Allah, Gaia, the Great Spirit or whoever gave us this job, so we have to do the best we can with it. Blood also fetters our lives in hatred as well as love, I'm afraid to say. Some Kin come to despise that cloying over-protectiveness from their Garou families. They run away from it at best and destroy it as worst. I once met a woman who was the daughter of a Black Fury, though you'd never know it. She refused to have anything to do with "radical feminism" as she put it. After hearing her trash talk the Tribe so completely, I wonder if she somehow was beginning to forget the truth of the Garou. I never once heard her speaking about the beauty of Gaia's people, just their ugliness and brutality. Perhaps, in some way I can't comprehend, Kinfolk like her start forgetting things about the Garou. Sounds like Gaia has some sort of Veil against wayward Kin, doesn't it. As I said before, Sam Haight was only the worst; a number of Kinfolk have betrayed their people. Some knowingly joined up with fallen Black Spirals, like Iolani Darkmoon, bent on some kind of vengeance against werewolves. Others, like that crazy Get Kin Chris Wlodkowski, just have a pine cone up their arses about not Changing; folks like him usually settle for verbal sedition. But these people can be pretty dangerous. So I have to ask, how did the Garou themselves contribute to these situations? Well, in Iolani's case, the werewolves ~or one of them, at least~ were directly responsible. Iolani was the daughter of a famous Hawai'ian kahuna, as I understand it, and she had a fine reputation in her own right. She married an Uktena leader and, though none of us haole Fianna got an invite, our Sept heard about the ceremony. Then, something went wrong. Rumous say she went postal after she lost her first child in a miscarriage. I saw her once, and as much as I hate to suggest the idea, she had a sort of haunted and hurt look about her, like someone who got beaten up on a regular basis. God knows I've seen it often enough at work and cried tears of pity and anger to see the pattern keep repeating itself. I'm not saying this is a fact, but if she was abused, it might explain some things. It doesn't make her joining the Black Spirals right, but at least I understand where she was coming from. |
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| The Storyteller | Mar 19 2012, 10:40 PM Post #3 |
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Intermarriage [align=center]Breeding is such an ugly business. ~Harlan Ellison, A Boy and His Dog[/align] Ah, yes, marriage. "True Love." Well, it does happen among all the Tribes. I've honestly seen more genuine love and devotion than dynastic unions. Garou are naturally passionate creatures, and they consider it honourable to take a mate and breed. Even the courtship and mating of Lupus Garou and wolf Kin has playfulness and affection. Most tribes celebrate the union of Kinfolk and Garou with joy. And "marriage" and "mating" have a lot of meanings across Garou culture. To some Tribes, it's a formal, social affair, just like you'd see on a soap opera ~ white dress, black tie, cake and all that mess. To others it's just a simple affirmation of commitment without all the legal entanglements. In wolf society, the entire pack witnesses the alpha pair mating. They actually have better, um, morals than us humans ~some werewolves and Kinfolk aren't above one night stands, if the mood is right. Hence, the fragmentation of Garou families and occasional lost cubs or Kin. But all too often, the Garou take "bloodlines" more seriously. I suppose they hope the intended couple likes each other, but it's not a requirement. I'm sorry, I can't quite imagine a moment of sensual passion with someone I don't love, much less hardly know! But I guess passion isn't really the object of the exercise, is it? What about marriage across Tribes? Even Gaia can't still passions of the heart. To a lot of Tribe (mostly the Bone Gnawers, Children of Gaia, Glass Walkers, Silent Striders, a few Fianna and Stargazers), deeds, not blood, prove worth. If a Kinfolk is loyal and honourable, then a lot of folks don't have a problem mating with other Tribes. The Children of Gaia and Silent Striders are the most notorious, but I'd be a liar if I called Fianna blood pristine, no matter how seriously they take their Celtic heritage! In most cases, Kinfolk mates, whether male or female, take on the identity of their new Tribe. For example if I risked Ian's wrath and fell in love with some nice Child of Gaia Philodox, chances are most people would consider me a Kinfolk of that Tribe lose ties with the Fianna, of course; it's just that other Garou and Kin would identify me as having a stronger connection to the Children of Gaia. Now, let me let you in on a bit of a misconception about the Get of Fenris. There's surely no love lost between the Fianna and the Get, that's for certain! But I intend to give credit where it's due, and I have to admit to a grudging admiration for the devotion many Get have for their families. I use that word "family" kind of loosely, too. A drop of Get blood and zeal for the cause gets you included in the fun and glory Plus, think about the grandiose tales of wordfame where the Norse spent decades avenging Fenrir and their mates. It'd be easy to think the Get are interested only in racial purity and that rot, but the truth is more complicated than that. I daresay there are plenty of Get who buy that hard line ~as well as the hardcore dominance freaks who beat their wives or children if members aren't offering up the proper respect~ but a lot are people who care about their families more than their racial stock. The Shadow Lords, on the other hand, are picky about the mates they choose; the question they ask, though, is, "who can benefit me best?" Thus, one of them might choose a mate from outside the Tribe, if such a person can serve a vital function or fill an essential need. Often, but not in positions of power. In other words its the connections that're vital, not the money or the mileage. The Silver Fangs make no secret of the fact they maintain strict dynastic lines. Most of them know the far-reaching ancestry of the Kinfolk, and, with only rare exceptions, all their Kin are blue-blooded aristocrats. Many have wealth, but not all; lineage, not money, is most important. Silver Fang Kinfolk in the southeastern United States really make a big to-do of the whole thing, with "family registries" and so on. Like the Get, and for similar reasons, the Silver Fangs generally stick with their own kind. I guess if someone of another Tribe had really noble blood, they might make an exception. Red Talons mate only with their wolf Kin, pure and smiple. At least that's the official party line. But more than one Garou of human stock has found a mate among those same Kin! In a couple of bardic circles, I've heard tales of an old Red Talon Kinfolk that the Moondancers named Nightmist. He sired dozens of children among the Black Furies, Silent Striders and Uktena, in addition to the ones of his own Tribe. I also seem to recall the alpha drove him from the pack, though I guess that's a story for another time. Then there's the Wendigo. Ask most people on the street, and they'd tell you in that somewhere in their veins they've got Indian blood. I think the Wendigo would like to discouraging this mixing. Some Septs disown Kin who marry outside the Tribe; others even kill Kin for such indiscretions. With their numbers dwindling, the Wendigo are more desperate than ever to not have their people "tainted" by white outsiders. I've talked about marriage and mating, but let me add one thing. What if otherwise loyal Kin don't want to mate with Garou and instead choose other Kin or even normal humans or wolves? Well, the party line is that its a no-no. A loss of status is what we can generally expect, but I don't think it's as big a sin as it used to be, simply because there are far more Kin than werewolves these days. In all of the Tribes, you'll find both extreme stereotypes and exceptions to every rule, of course. |
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7:22 PM Jul 11