Of the first ones of Gaia,
I, Phoenix, am alone, the first and the last.
I witnessed the birth of Luna in Gaia, watched her grow
I basked in her power
and in the cracks of the earth I saw
there come Life.
Of the Great Ones, the Celestines,
there were Wyld, ever-changing Changer
Weaver, ever-weaving Maker
and Wyrm, ever-consuming Balancer.
Then Weaver grew mad
and hunted for Wyld
caught Wyrm in her cocoon
though Wyld escaped
In imbalance, Wyrm was corrupted
became Corruption
It grew hungry for creation
and opened its fangs
to consume all of Gaia
The Wyrm rose over the Earth
I felt the cold chill of its shadow
And, as in Winter, I slept.
I was rudely awakened by Luna
shining like her brother in the sky
"Come," said Luna, "Bring a gift. New ones of Gaia are born."
I went to the place where Luna shone
on her sister's creations
and I saw apes who were like wolves
and wolves who were like apes
and knew that nothing would ever be the same again
And Luna said, "These are Gaia's Garou. They shall protect Her from the
Wyrm, who hungers for Her
All pay respect to them, for they are our Mother's warriors."
Grandfather Wolf led the Garou cubs
into the forest and left them there
for three moons, alone -
they whined and fought among themselves
but when the Wyrm's minions struck
they were of one mind, a Pack,
the First Pack, and slew the Wyrm's foul creatures
Then, Luna, shining through the trees, called for
their Rite-Gifts to be given them:
Gifts came to the cubs, the First Pack,
from the Five Directions
From the East came the Way of Stepping Sideways
From the South came the Way of Fiery Rage
From the West came the Way of Changing Shapes
From the North came the Wisdom Ways
And from Within, Gaia gave the cubs
part of Her, to carry within them always -
the Way of Gaia.
And Luna said, "Know that these
are also my children."
Luna gave them beautiful fur,
each shadowed with one of Luna's faces
Great Luna, wild-hearted Luna
mother of wisdom
mother of craft
mother of madness
she of many faces - though
never more than one she shows -
took the Garou to her five-walled lodge
and taught them their best talents
their inner Gifts
And there were Five of the First Pack,
called Ahroun, Galliard, Philodox, Theurge, and
Ragabash. They stood strong in the light
of their Mother's Sister, and knew that her
power and magic was with them.
Many years passed, and
the first cubs mated with
wolves and humans
Their lines grew srong
and they became many tribes
These are the tribes
as they were told to me, Watcher-of-Wolves
Each ran through the deep forest
and had its own ways
The Silver Fangs, strong, ruled us all
with the Lords of Shadow behind them
and the Gnawers-of-Bone beneath them
The Black Furies stood away from their Brothers
commanded by the Mother
they grew in her Rage and her Wisdom
and set themselves apart
Then came the War of Rage, and
many of the People followed the Wyrm-bears
to their far north hiding places
and so grew the Get of Fenris,
the Fianna, and the White Howlers
Some of the People decided
to make the long journey,
following the Pure Ones
following their heart
and they crossed over ice wastes
and found many peoples in a new land
These Garou were the Croatan,
the Windigo, and the Uktena
Later, Cities blossomed in the plains
and some of the People turned their backs
on he forest, and left it to dwell behind walls
we called that kind the City Walkers
Among all the People there were those
who ever looked up into the night sky
alone, even among their pack,
and they called themselves the Stargazers
and lived high in the mountains
I am of the Children of Gaia,
born as a wolf to my people,
who ended the Impergium,
who made peace with the humans
Our Southern tribe, the Bunyip -
where are they?
we give howls across the wind
send spirits on the wind
and they do not answer.
And, I, Shines-Bright-Claws,
fell to theground, crying,
for my Pack was dead
and without my Pack I am nothing.
I do not wsh claws
or eyes, or arms, or legs,
or fur, or skin.
I am incomplete, I am nothing
my Pack is dead
and I wish to join them
Where we walked
the forest was quiet
and the spirits grew still
We were alone, but
Luna, our guide and protector,
showed us the way of speaking with the spirits
in their own tongue
and we spoke to them
We spoke to their Fathers and Mothers
their Grandfathers and Grandmothers
their leaders and wise ones
There was called a Great Moot of Spirits
there were many prayers to Gaia
and Night Flyer, the no-moon,
invited Eagle to the gathering
and the other totems came
to hear and speak at the Moot
We created a treaty
a decision for peace
among the spirits of Gaia
No more would we hunt them
without contrition
in return, they promised us
that if we honored them in cereony
and dance
they would respond to our call
they would make our claws sharp
and lend their power to our might
We traveled long and far
our seekers howling to us
over rock and stone and snow
we looked for a place to stand
Higher and higher we went
past wachful gazes looking
fiery breath, Wyrmling wings
shadows across the moon
But stood we did
on the longest night
The moon's crescent rose over the highest-peak
in the light of Luna
on virgin ground
higher than all, we called Her
called Gaia with our howl
Silver throne, our silver glen
with curling, blasting,
stinging waters
higher still the silver mountains
stronger still the ancient fir
we cast our lot,
we danced and howled
we called for Gaia in the night
and darkness came from all around
we did not fear the dragon's flight
Star, Stone, Wind, River
all four of them, the Crescent Moons
spent their lives that fateful night
to gift us with our highest Throne
Let them howl, they who remember
Gaia's sacred ground
let the war for Wyrm's destruction
through all Gaia's caerns be found
In the times before
when darkness ruled the land
the People grew scattered
angry, they warred against each other
raided each other's sacred places
there was no peace
Garou fough Garou
and the Wyrm divided us one by one
and cut us down
the Wisdom of the People
was great, however, and
the elders of the People
were strong
they led heir children and
their children's children to
a new understanding
A Grand Moot of all Garou
was called
at Table Rock
All gathered from all over the world
in a night's time
There they were
one Tribe, and there
the Galliards chanted
the first Litany
from sunrise to sundown
they repeated the words
until all present could remember
Only three beasts save Wolf were allowed to listen
they were
Lizard, who remembered every word,
Raven, who understood every word,
and Coyote, who kept his own counsel
It is said that in the last days
Lizard, Raven and Coyote will return
to remember, to teach, and to break the Litany
for the Garou must be as constant
and as every-changing as the Moon
Sorrow, pain
death, corruption
Wyrm rises over us
nothing we can do
guns shoot death
traps catch our paws
nothing we can do
bite off the pain
find the young ones
mark their deeds
in the last days
they will make theirs
they will bring us
great Glory
find the young ones
listen to them
listen to their echoed words
find the young ones
hear their speaking
they wll bring us Wise words
find the young ones
before they are lost
show them right ways
show them truth
make them stand
against the Wyrm
make them stand
for themselves
forge their spirits
make them also in Honor grow
Wisdom, Glory,
Honor: great Renown
for deeds yet greater
in the darkness
we will mark them.
When the last Garou
is dead
none will say that
Gaia died lonely
none will say that
there was no fight
we will bring tooth
and claw to the
enemies who dwell
in Gaia's night
in the last times
watch the last signs
watch the rising
of the Night.
Sins of the first times
sins of pride
we brought the night-fear
made mothers hide their children
children hide their old ones
they watched and waited
alone, in their caves
the warriors would fight
and they would die
and nothing could stop
the Impergium
We brought the night-fear
they were frightened
children after children born
many winters passed and we
were there during every one
We brought the night-fear -
deer-transfixed,
they could not scream
they could not move
they did no remember
our passing
the Delirium
took them too
Now it rises
night-fear always
two-legs runs in fear
from us
in the war-form
Crinos half-wolf
the Delirium
strikes them down
Sins of the past
sins of pride
the Wyrm's trick
of fear versus heart
We bring the night-fear
we live among them
yet know that we are
always part
we cannot love them
we cannot stay with them
always, always
the night-fear comes
These are the last times
when the Wyrm shall rise
and its coils shall sheathe the world
and Garou will fight Garou
whenthe humans hunt us
in strange Weaver-creatures
when death follows us
like a hungry bear
We will know the last times
the People will shrink in number
there will not be enough to care
properly for the caerns
the lost cubs will die
or be taken by the Wyrm
and many visions will be fulfilled
Guard these signs well
mark the last times
they are coming
they are coming