It was under the ethereal glow of the Full Moon that I witnessed the purification of an unknown island in the middle of the ocean from its ancient corruption with cleansing fire by a pack of Garou. I am bound to my ancestral duty as a Corax to tell my fellow Fera and whoever else stumbles onto this astounding tale.
Before I begin the tale of the island’s purification, I will go through the two events I confirmed took place there.
First and foremost, I found our missing relatives on this island, individuals we have been searching for tirelessly for many decades. However, due to our late arrival, they had undergone unimaginable transformations during their absence.
Lastly, This Island is a Hive for the Black Spiral Dancers and this is also a Haven for the many vampires who choose to damn their souls by devoting themselves to the Wyrm.
Now that I have given you the main points, I will begin this tale a little before the time, the time I began my partnership with this pack, and, being true to my nature, there will be several deviations but I will try my best and be on point.
It was under the Golden Palace of Katanka-Sonnak that I flew high in the sky in my Corvid form for the first time. My first time flying was clumsy at best, but under the watchful eyes of my father and when he was available my uncle, I quickly learned the basics of flight and in an act of trust, they let me fly alone which I did as much as I could as the feeling of flight is one of the most intoxicating I have ever felt.
During one of these flights, beneath the Silver Palace of Sokhta above the city which we all know to be one of the Weaver’s many territories, and through my black eyes I saw something strange, I saw a wolf, and I immediately assumed that it was a Garou in their wolf form as natural born wolves would not be foolish enough to enter the territory of the Weaver knowing that they are not welcome but I could see that the Garou was injured, and I guessed that it was probably because he got in a very difficult fight but I wasn’t concerned as the wounds healed very quickly although it made me question as to where his pack was but I would soon find the answer to that. And for those curious as to how I know his gender, it wasn’t particularly hard to find out, as he wasn’t wearing any clothes in his wolf form.
“Follow me,” I said to the wolf who trusted me to lead him as his ancestors had entrusted my ancestors to lead them and so I led him I did into the nearest alley and told him to change into his human form which would make everything easier and to my surprise he just did it, with no complaints it’s not what I expected from the tales of the usually prideful Garou. Still, it was nice that he made my life slightly easier.
Soon after that, a man entered the same alley, and he looked normal enough until he took off his shirt, which revealed a second face on his chest which revealed to us what he was, a Fomori, the Garou immediately grabbed a glass bottle nearby and smacked it over the Fomori’s head who immediately died, it seemed that this one is more fragile that it’s kind. The Garou soon turned to me and told me to return to my human form and return the favor I had changed into my human form with little complaint.
“So do you want to explain why you had a Fomori chasing you?” I questioned, curious to see if this had anything to do with the missing kinfolk cases that I had been told about earlier in the day.
“I can tell you more about it in the Umbra, but first we have to go to the city park. The Gauntlet is at its weakest there.” The Garou stated as he hid the body of the Fomori in a nearby trash can, denying me the chance to drink his eyes. However, I wouldn’t want to anyway since they are such corrupted creatures and I could be tainted by the Wyrm through contact with the corpse.
“Don’t Garou usually travel in packs? Where’s your pack?” I asked, as in the many tales that my father had told me about the Garou, they usually traveled in packs of five or more. Each member was born under a different Auspice and their Auspice defined their role in Garou society whether it was to be the Questioner of Ways or the Protector of the Ways, and my father told me that their bond is like a family bond in all ways but blood and like families they have their arguments but they all loved each other and if not that then they respected each other for what they contribute to the pack.
“We separated after a mission gone wrong, but we all agreed to head to the park in case such a thing happened, which it did.” The Garou said as he cleaned up the glass shards and put them in the trash can. I’m very lucky there wasn’t any blood because I would have had to help clean the scene.
“And you’re confident that they all made it?” I asked, feeling confused about the mission, as the Garou before didn’t seem to think that something could have gone wrong and one of them would either be captured by a First Team or killed with silver bullets.
“I know that they made it and if they didn’t, then I will get them out.” The Garou said as he finished cleaning up the scene with an insulted tone in his voice at the thought I mean I would be pissed if some stranger implied that my friends who I am so close to that we might as well be family and people who I know to be capable warriors may have died in battle or worse.
“So what do your packmates know of the Fera, Garou?”
“Nothing as of yet, but they will learn today, Corax”
And so that was how I met the alpha of the pack, who would soon become my closest and my only group of friends, of course, I had many associates, people that I would talk to and I didn’t care about them anymore than the leagues of children that work in the Chinese Sweatshops which is none until their baggage starts to affect my life.
My relationship with the pack began as a transactional deal, but it soon strengthened into a brotherhood. In the beginning, I would serve as their scout and use my Corvid form to sneak into places that they could not and steal valuable objects that were sometimes critical for the mission and at other times were just random stuff. Still, the one thing they had in common was that they were either shiny or covered in an artificial shine, but a shiny object is still shiny. I just happened to love those, and when we were in the wild, they would share their kills with me. It wasn’t the only benefit to our relationship, but if I began listing everything I got from our partnership, that would be very boring, so I will skip to when I was finally on the Ancient Island and its Rebirth.
On the first night, it was a New Moon. I arrived on the shore of the island with my pack. The Theurge, who is the most spiritually sensitive among us, suddenly winced in pain. She fell to her knees and started vomiting a black liquid. The island quickly absorbed the liquid.
“I don’t know how these fuckers can live this much Wyrm Taint.” The Theurge said as she wiped the remnants of the black liquid from her mouth, disgusted at the presence of the corruption, as any self-respecting warrior of Gaia should.
“Alright, you two will gather information and we will see what needs to be done.” The Philodox, the judge and mediator of the pack, solemnly gestured towards me and the mischievous Ragabash, the trickster of the pack. As I embraced my Corvid Form, morphing into a sleek and powerful raven, my partner shifted into her Lupus Form, taking on the appearance of a swift and agile wolf. With purpose in our movements, we made our way into the dense forest, leaving the rest of the pack behind in this perilous place infested with Fomori, malevolent and twisted creatures. Our fellow pack members would be protected from harm as we ventured into the treacherous depths of the woodland.
I soared through the intricate maze of trees and vines with complete confidence in my pack’s skills. I made sure to stay close to my Ragabash partner to not lose track of her, and I enjoyed the thrill of flight once more, as my personal affairs had restricted me to my human form. Looking back on that time, I can say with certainty that I was still a damn good flyer.
As we carried on with our mission and engaged in casual conversation, our attention quickly shifted from my experiences and connections with the supernatural, beyond the Garou, to my progress in rebuilding the bridges that were burned with the Fera because of the War of Rage and inconsequential matters, such as the details of making a sandwich and trivial anecdotes. However, despite our enjoyment of these lighthearted discussions, we remained focused on our task so with great reluctance I took to the skies and I scanned the surroundings and spotted two intriguing sights: a distant pillar of smoke rising from the middle of the island, and a radiant mansion standing out amidst the island’s darkness.
“What did you see?”
“I saw a towering pillar of smoke at the heart of the forest, and I also caught sight of a grand mansion.”
“Intriguing! A grand mansion nestled on a private island. You humans do have a penchant for building mansions in such remote settings. I wonder, is it to gain more convenient access to children or for something?” The Ragabash asked me, which reminded me she didn’t quite get human culture because she wasn’t born as a human. She was born as a wolf, but just because she didn’t get something doesn’t that she won’t make fun of it.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“No, no, you’re talking about the wealthy and famous humans. The average human, trying to get by, can’t make enough money to afford to have children, let alone buy one child.”
“Alright, jokes over. You go to the fire, and I will go to the mansion.” I said, flying to the bright mansion and soon seeing a small opening that was just big enough for my raven-like form to pass through. I ventured through it and the first thing I saw in the mansion was a woman who was incredibly beautiful, almost too beautiful to exist, and through a gift taught to me by spirits still loyal to Gaia, I could tell she was a vampire and when I heard her voice that was when I remembered who she was.
The woman turned to me, looking at my Corvid Form. “Why hello, my sweet nephew. What business do you have here?” she said. Her caring and loving tone, reminiscent of my childhood, felt artificial and insincere upon realizing she was a vampire.
“My business is none of your concern, Citlalli.”
The beautiful vampire said, “Here, catch!” as she threw me a wooden pipe, and I quickly reverted to my human form to catch it.
“I’ve played a folk pipe before what so special about this one?”
“This one is your Mother.”
“I don’t fucking believe you.”
“Play it and hear whose voice it is”
As I lifted the folk pipe to my lips, I could feel the smooth wood against my fingertips, and the anticipation of the sweet, delicate trills reminiscent of birdsong that usually filled the air. What I didn’t expect was the enchanting and melodic voice of my mother, seemingly carried by the wind, blending with the music in perfect harmony. At that moment, an overwhelming surge of raw emotion swept through me, stirring a long-dormant talent that connected me with my packmates - a gift that unleashed an undeniable wave of intense, primal rage.
“Where is the fucking bastard responsible for this?” I asked calmly, struggling to contain the intense urge to react with overwhelming anger.
“I killed the fucking bastard, although there might be a very small chance that he might be alive, but for all intents and purposes, he is dead.”
“Before you consider taking a seat nephew, it’s important to know that each chair here was once a person. These individuals are the kinfolk you have been searching for, and their absence has finally been resolved.”
“What other bloody furniture was made from warping the flesh and bone of our kin?” In a fit of intense rage, I let out a piercing scream and violently overturned the table with a sudden burst of anger.
I did not know if my aunt knew of the things that I could do to her while in a rage, but she did not care as she gave me a hug, which did little to quell my rage but the thought was appreciated. “Trust me, nephew, you don’t want to know.”
“Anyway, what skin do you have in this game to get you involved with this?” I asked while sitting on the floor, making sure not to sit on the carpet, which could have been another human-turned-furniture.
“My mission is already complete. Your mother and the information of this vampire’s activities is simply icing on this bloody cake, but your presence makes it ever so sweeter.” I didn’t necessarily get what she meant by that, but I thought at the time that it was seductive, but I understood what it meant when I saw her again.
“I have a girlfriend, Auntie C.”
“That’s amazing. You simply have to tell me about your life. Finish your business and we can talk more about it. Don’t worry, I will find you. So, don’t even think about finding me.”
“Arrivederci Nephew.” She said as she transformed into a crow and flew out of the opening, leaving me in the room filled with all sorts of human furniture.
I grasped the old folk pipe, to hear the voice of my dead mother once more and as its mournful notes filled the air, a torrent of emotion welled up inside me. Tears streamed down my face, but then something snapped. A searing rage erupted within me, fierce and all-consuming, like the blazing heart of a star. In that moment of fury, I felt myself transform, taking on a new, primal form that I had long dreaded. It was a form born of violence, a form I had hoped never to unleash. Yet, in that instant, I knew that there was no turning back. My only thought was to eliminate and destroy the enemies of Gaia but I quickly regained control of myself and turned into my raven form.
The purpose of the Corax was not to slay the enemies of Gaia but to serve as her messengers. I quickly realized the simple truth that nearly saved my life. After fulfilling my role as a messenger, I eagerly flew back to the shore where my pack was supposed to be. To my dismay, they were not there as expected, which was quite inconvenient. However, it wasn’t a big deal because I remembered the fetish I had carved into my packmate’s skin with a silver dagger. The fetish would emit a golden glow in the nighttime, making it easy for me to find them again. I shared everything I had discovered in the mansion with them, and we began making plans for our upcoming attack on the full moon.
Now to the Grand Finale, It was under the ethereal glow of the Full Moon that a great battle was fought. Five Garou against an ancient island and its corrupted inhabitants. I had told my packmates that they could simply wait a couple more days so that I could get reinforcements that would help us purify this island and as I proceeded to ramble on the Philodox, the leader of the pack, my best friend and blood brother hugged me and told me.
“Brother, do you see our faces,” I did as my brother said and I did not see a single expression on their face as they accepted their death. “We do not fear death, we all knew that we were going to die young, and we all knew that we would most likely never see our children grow up, teach them what it means to be a Garou, but we lived our lives fighting for Gaia and what better end to the life of a Garou than dying while slaying the enemies of Gaia.”
“How can you be so fucking content? Don’t you have any last words? Don’t you love your children enough to wait a couple more freaking days?” I screamed at my packmates
“Now you’re just coping. Think about how long it took us to get here. Even if you can fly fast, you’re not fast enough to fly back and forth. At that time, we would be dead anyway. At least this way, we can die sticking it to the Wyrm.” The Ahroun, the mightiest warrior and the most astute strategist of the pack, said making me contemplate the dwindling time we had.
“Did you seriously think that we would not prepare for this possibility, well good news chuckle fuck we did? You are the backup plan in case we don’t survive. You are the godfather of our children.” The Galliard, the most charismatic of the pack said to me while wrapping his arms around my neck with a smile on his handsome face.“Now let’s just say our last words, think our last thoughts, have our last laughs, and die sticking it to the Wyrm.” The Galliard said with such charisma what he made us smile even in these dire
“When you remember us or tell our children about us, make sure to get a couple of laughs in okay.” The Ragabash said
“Teach our children to love and respect Gaia in all of her infinite forms and to hate the Wyrm in all of its infinite forms.” The Theurge said.
“Tell our story. I don’t care how you tell our story, whether it is published as a book or on a fan fiction site, tell it, and while you are at it make us look like some goddamn badasses.” The Galliard said
“I ain’t got much to say. Just teach our kids how to defend themselves but tell my son that I am always looking after him,” The Ahroun said
“Please continue building the bridges with the other Fera and the many other supernatural creatures of the world.” The Philodox said
“Now that we have said our last words, the plan must commence, little brother. You know what to do.” The Philodox said to me and I nodded knowing that this would be the last time that I see him alive.
I took a deep breath as I used a gift that Raven, my totem, taught me to steal the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and in the blink of an eye, the world was in absolute darkness. I watched it all unfold in my raven form as my packmates transformed into their war forms, embracing the role that Gaia had given them. They slaughtered everything that stood in their way, as they could see in the dark. Only a few Fomori could see the Garou, and these small few were crucial in the defeat of my packmates.
In a devastating sequence of events, my packmates tragically perished one after another. The first to meet their demise was the Ragabash, whose remarkable abilities in stealth and trickery could only offer limited protection against the relentless assault of a Black Spiral Dancer. Despite managing to eliminate her assailant, she succumbed to her injuries shortly thereafter.
The second person to perish was the Theurge, who harnessed formidable powers which were bestowed upon her by the spirits. These powers enabled her to single-handedly defeat the Fomori. Regrettably, even her extraordinary abilities derived from the spirits were not enough to shield her from the relentless assault of the Black Spiral Dancers, who employed banes-infused weapons.
The third to perish was the Philodox, a formidable warrior known for his unwavering composure in battle. He had achieved numerous triumphant victories against the Black Spiral Dancers and the Fomori due to his remarkable control over his emotions. Despite his prowess, he fell victim to a treacherous ambush orchestrated by multiple Black Spiral Dancers. Remarkably, even in death, he unleashed a torrent of blue fire that consumed both himself and his assailants, delivering a final blow to the servants of the Wyrm.
The fourth to fall in battle was the Galliard. He was known for his hauntingly beautiful renditions of the ancient songs of the Garou, which stirred the hearts of his fellow Garou and fueled their determination to vanquish the Fomori. Despite his inspiring melodies, the Galliard ultimately fell behind the relentless onslaught of the Ahroun and met his end at the hands of a ferocious fomori.
The final warrior to fall was the Ahroun, the mightiest and most skilled fighter of the pack, leading the Garou in a fierce battle against the corrupt servants of the wyrm. With unwavering determination, he systematically vanquished every fomori and Black Spiral Dancer, his silver claws dripping with the blood of his enemies. Finally, as his enemies lay defeated, he found peace in rest, succumbing to the wounds he had sustained in the fierce battle.
Believe it or not, this all took place in the one hour when the world was in absolute darkness soon the murders of crows and the unkindnesses of ravens flew down from their perched positions and consumed the flesh of the black spiral dancers and the once human fomori and unlike my avian cousins I flew down to my packmate’s bodies and pulled out their right eyes with my sharp beak and I ate them and I saw the good in their last moments and this was what I would tell their children when they were old enough to understand them.
But before I left this island, I ate my packmates because I had a long journey home and then I reverted back to human form because had one last duty which was to burn it all to the ground and that is what I did; I used a gift taught to me by Katanka-Sonnak to take a very tiny piece of the sun, which appeared in my hand as a bright yellow orb and I dropped it, which caused the island to burn in a great, purifying fire which would bring birth new life from the ashes of the old and corrupt.
In a matter of seconds, I underwent a quick transformation, morphing into my raven form. Without wasting any time, I took flight and hastened back to my dwelling. The urgency stemmed from the pressing need to inform the sept about the tragic demise of five exceptional Garou fighters, who fought gallantly in the name of Gaia against her adversaries.