From: Clay Luther (claycle@cisco.com)
Date: Fri 14 Jul 2000 - 01:21:50 EEST
Jostanor Redpaw believed Osting's Promise, but could wait no longer. He
gathered his mates and offspring around him and said, "I will find
Osting's Four-Wolf's Mother and leave my wolf-self in her den. Doing
this, I will learn the secrets that Osting promised to teach us and
remove the wolf-curse from our people." His favorite bitch, Sarinina of
the Sevenpaw howled in fear and sadness for she did not believe Jostanor
would survive the journey. "Do not do this, husband!" she pleaded, "No
one but Sartar knows where he found Osting and Sartar is now lost to
us. You cannot go where he went without dying."
But Jostanor was resolved, for he hated the Wolf-Curse and wanted to be
rid of it. Sarinina could not convince her husband, so she went to his
pack-brothers and told them Jostanor's plan. The pack-brothers were
enraged and surrounded Jostanor. Nuud the Sheepbiter stepped forward
and said, "We cannot allow you to do this. It is against our gods and
is not the proper time. We must wait!" But Jostanor still would not be
deterred. He said, "I cannot wait for the dead! The Sartar are eaten
by the Moon and they will not keep their promise to heal us. I abhore
myself and this curse on our people. I will see it ended or die." Nuud
bared his fangs and said, "Then you will die." The pack-brothers leapt
on Jostanor, but he drove each of them off and killed Nuud for his
trouble. Sarinina cried out, "Go, then, if you must. I will weep
bitter tears for you and sire no more pups after you are gone." She
gave him Dungpole, Toothsack, and Fleabiter to accompany and protect
him, then Jostanor left.
He followed the trail to the place where Sartar had first visited his
tribe. There he met the Darkman Ghost who told him of a great cave into
the below. For his trouble, Jostanor gave the Darkman Ghost Dungpole,
which he ate immediately. At the mouth of the great cave, he let
Fleabiter go and followed her into the darkness, for she was a gift from
the Kitori. He then met Dead Dog, who was nothing but skin over bones.
He pulled the teeth from the Toothsack and Dead Dog was satisfied, so
let him pass.
Finally, he found the Den of Kyga, Osting's Mother, where she lay
bloated with milk. Three demons suckled at her teats and paid Jostanor
no mind. Reaching into himself, he pulled forth his wolf-self and
presented it to Kyga. "Great Mother, please take this pup to replace
the one stolen from you." Kyga raised her head to look at the man and
his wolf. "If he can find a teat, he may have it. But know this, my
fourth was biten off by He Who Left Me and the other three are taken."
But Jonstanor had no more magic to tempt and drive the demons away from
Kyga's Teats and make room for his wolf-self. He pleaded with her to
relent, but she would not. Now angry, she rose and snapped, so Jostanor
fled, forgetting to retrieve his wolf-self.
Lost and alone, he attempted to find Fleabiter again, but she was gone.
He wandered until he found a cave to the Above again. Seeing no other
choice, he took it and appeared again in the world. But he was in a
strange land where he could not eat, so he died. But his wolf-self
snatched his spirit up in its jaws and carried him back across the world
until it could go no further. Nearly dead itself, it put Jostanor's
spirit down in a pure human pup, then found a pure wolf pup to for
itself to sleep in.
When Jostanor did not return, Sarinina asked the ancestors what had
happened to her husband. They told her Jostanor had died, but then had
seperated himself into his Two Pure Forms. Now the entire tribe is
looking for both of him.
- --
Clay
claycle@cisco.com
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