So you be wanting a good story, do you? You came to the right place. Go on and pull up a chair and pour yourself a mug and I’ll do one of those things that I do best and show you what a Fianna Galliard can do with a tale. We’re the best, you know. Galliards excel at stories, and the best Galliards are the Fianna. Celtic roots and all that, you know. It’s in the blood. We can’t help but spin a mighty good tale, especially with a few shots under our belts. But this isn’t getting you what you wanted, which is a good story. And you picked a subject very near and dear to me heart: Me. I guess I’d be knowing a thing or two about that, maybe one or two things that’ll put hair on your chest when you’re not in wolf form.

I suppose that the very best place to start would be in Ireland. That’s where I hail from, you know. Ah, Ireland. Tis such a beautiful place. Rolling hills of green, the air fresh and clean once you get outside of any of the big cities. I spent many an hour there as a lad, just enjoying the beauty of it all. The nights in particular were always a sight to behold. If there truly was a Garden of Eden, it would’ve had to have been in Ireland. Because there’s no other place fitting to be called Paradise. Ah, now you’ve gone and started me feeling a bit homesick. I’ll have to make a journey there once I get the chance. Might be some time to come before that happens, considering all of the activity going around that has to be dealt with. But then, the longer that it takes, the more thorough the celebration will have to be when I get there.

I can’t possibly neglect to speak of me family. We were always close, a very tight knit unit as some say. I had me parents, three sisters, and two brothers. I got fit right into the middle of group of siblings, which suited me just fine. None of this middle child syndrome malarkey, that’s just something middle kids made up to be getting more attention. Nothing wrong with that position at all, let me tell you. Sometimes it even helps you get lost in the crowd, so that when you do something you’re bound to get in trouble for, the oldest or the youngest are the ones that get the deepest scrutiny. For instance, there was the time that I spray painted the outside of Father Mulligan’s house with some less than saintly scrawlings one early morning when I was ten. Me brother Eamon was the first suspect, considering he’d done that sort of thing before. Not to the house of the priest, but otherwhere. It’s amazing what watching the artistry of one’s older brother can do for you. The really perfect thing was that he got all the blame, innocent as he was. And there I was, looking as innocent as the day I was born. I cultivated that look, I’ll tell you that now. Although I think it may well have worn off by now. I certainly don’t seem to get away with things as much as I used to. Ah youth.

I got me first taste of tragedy when I was but a wee lad of six. It concerned me oldest brother, who’d always been a tad sickly, always seeming like he was coming down with something. His last time was when he lost the fight against a bout of pneumonia. It just wouldn’t let him be. His breathing just got harder and harder and since his constitution had been worn down by his other illnesses, he couldn’t hold on. He was buried less than a week after he came down with it and we buried him in the family plot. It was dirty shame, but life does have to go on no matter how much pain you might feel. That’s a hard thing to swallow when something like that first happens, but you find out quickly that it’s true. His wake was a memorable one, worthy of a true Irishman. I’m sure his spirit was smiling down on it. Now hold off for a moment and let’s lift a pint in honor of me beloved late brother Keenan.

Well now, where was I? Ah yes. We had our period of mourning for me brother and then went on with our lives like we had to do. It’s always a little strange getting used to not having someone around that’s always been there, but gradually you get used to it. There’s always an empty spot there, but it stops stinging so bad after awhile. Me mum had the hardest time with it. She’d spent many a long night awake with Keenan as he fought one illness or another and she’d refused to give up on him. I think she thought there was some kind of a failure on her part when she just couldn’t get him to stick around the last time. Mothers are a blessed wonder, aren’t they? Mine was no exception. I’d say she was saintly, but I’m not so sure that a person can be canonized who’s demonstrated her left hook on one of the very nuns that was teaching her children. Aye, that would be me mother. She wasn’t too keen on the fact that the not so kindly Sister took punishment a little too far with me sister Nora and sent her home with a bruise or two that she shouldn’t have ever had. Watching me mum march off toward the school to have a word with the woman, I knew that the good Sister was in for a lesson of her own. Though I didn’t expect there to be any broken noses in the process. It’s amazing how well you can know someone and yet... not know ‘em. Makes you watch your step a little more closely, I’ll tell you that.

I suppose a word or two about me father is due here. He’s the one I inherited the Garou gene from. He was Fianna through and through, though when he met me mum he started to roam less and less and then finally he more or less settled into family life. Wasn’t easy for him, that I could see. There were times I’d see him looking off into the distance with a look of longing in his eyes. Sometimes he’d follow that longing, but never for too long. It was hard on him at times, but I think in the end that he was more or less content with where his fate lie. He surely didn’t let any of us know if he was unhappy at all. Every once in awhile he’d get a visit from some of his former pack members, that was a rousing good time everytime they showed up. None of us kids knew where he’d met them or the reasons they were so close to each other, we just knew that when they were around, he had a certain gleam in his eye. I’ll have to admit that the old place livened up tremendously whenever the Fianna were there, and I’ll also have to admit that I was curious enough about ‘em to sneak out of bed one night when I was ten and out the window to where me father and the others were drinking by the river. I knew that when people drink they tend to be less alert and talk more than they should, so I figured I could hear me quite a story then. Was I surprised when I found out the truth about me father. I found it to be more than a little exciting that he was Garou, never thought to question the existence of the beings. I just seemed to know that what they said was true. I went on back to the house when I found myself ready to fall asleep, figuring I’d gotten away with me little eavesdropping trip. It’s amazing how wrong a person can be about things. Because the next day, after me father had gotten past most of his hangover, I got to go for a walk with him. Very enlightening, it was.

What it amounts to is that he explained to me just what he was, exactly. And he told me that there was a good chance that I was a Garou as well. He’d had the feeling about me for some time, but not me siblings. As well as I’d taken the idea of the existence of Garou, he figured that was even more of a sign. So he began then and there to tell me all that he could of the Garou, and the Fianna in particular. Ah, the man could explain things with such clarity and more than a little bit of embellishment. And he wasn’t even Galliard, he was Philodox. I was enraptured for hours just listening to him. I’d never felt so close to him, or to anyone. It was the best day of me life up until then, I’ll have to admit. Call it Irish sentiment, but I felt more love for him that day than I ever had before. I knew he was a great man and he became me hero then. That spot’s never been taken by anyone else, either.

To get on with the story, I spent the next several months getting instructed in various things about Garou and their tendencies and society. Me father told me all about the other tribes, though he always avoided trying to impress the stereotypes upon me. He never was one to take a person in that way, he’d let their own actions be the indicator of who they were, not tribe or auspice or any of that shit. I learned that from him very early on. Even the Fianna have their blind spots, and he wanted to make sure that I didn’t end up with any of ‘em. I’m proud to say that I’ve avoided all of that just as he did, at least to the best of me ability. Of course, most Garou have a tad bit of a blind spot when it comes to the Black Spiral Dancers, Fianna in particular. Although Fianna in a different way than others because the Dancers were kin to us. What happened to them was a tragedy, and although they brought it upon themselves, it’s hard not to feel a little bit of kinship for them still.

Well, other than the instruction from me father, life went on pretty much as usual. He spent even less time away from home in those days because he wanted to make sure that I was fully prepared for everything. Although it is hard to prepare for some things, I will say. I suppose that one of the most difficult was demonstrated to me about three months after I started getting the instruction. Me father was off at work when it happened, and I was alone contemplating the cosmos or some such thing out in the hills. I was going over in me mind the things I’d learned the day before when I heard this odd noise. I just lay there quietly trying to decipher it, me concentration on that making me neglect the realization that the noise was getting closer to me. The next thing I knew, I looked up and saw these two creatures... one with the lower half of a goat and the other was this ugly son of a bitch with grey skin and nasty sharp teeth. They were arguing rather vehemently and hadn’t seemed to notice my presence until they were upon me. I was having a hard time understanding what the toothy one was saying, which was the noise I’d heard. Kind of like nails on a chalkboard but raspier and more grating. I’m not sure who was more surprised, me at the sight of ‘em or them at the realization that I could see ‘em as they really were and not as people. I jumped up, giving a bit of a yell of surprise, and backed up rather quickly. The Satyr... which was the one with the goat body... didn’t seem to mean any harm at all, but just watched me curiously. The other one, though... the Redcap... he looked like he’d suddenly gotten hungry. Licked his lips and then smacked ‘em together as he lifted one of his hands to caress the blade on the axe he carried. I decided I’d rather avoid finding out if he ate his victims alive or dead, and made up me mind to leave. But something inside me stopped me from doing that. I felt this odd rush run through me, which made me feel for a moment as if I’d suddenly been dunked under the water. Couldn’t breathe for a bit and me ears filled with the sound of the rushing. But when I came back to me senses... and it couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds... I found myself looking down on the creature. I was looking up at him before, which was me first realization. The look on the creature’s face was the next one. He looked briefly unsure about what to do, but then I guess he figured furry meat was as good as non-furry meat and he jumped me. Let me stress right now that the bite of a Redcap hurts. It hurts like hell. Here I was just a cub and facing a Redcap, I was sure that I was a dead cub. However, I didn’t count in for the Satyr.

As I was trying to get past the pain of having me shoulder latched onto, I suddenly felt a wrenching sensation, as if I was moving. Gave me a bit of vertigo, it did, and I swayed and felt like I was about to pass out. Between the pain and that sensation, it did make me do so briefly, though I know it was only a few seconds before I opened my eyes and started to regain me senses. When I did, I realized that I was no longer furry, but was me old self. And I was in a shitload of pain. The Satyr was there, she knelt down beside me and just quietly watched. Then I started to feel the sensation of regeneration. Now, don’t get me wrong because it’s nice to be able to heal quickly, but it’s not like it’s a pleasant process. It hurts when your wounds go through the change from fresh to old, the flesh moving and growing together again and the muscles and sinews and the like mending as well. At least it didn’t last too long, I can say that. I’d have been embarrassed to pass out again. After a few minutes, when the pain was gone and the memory of it old enough to not cause me additional pain, I looked at the wound and saw only a nasty scar where the teeth had latched on. Still have that battle scar, it’s me first. And if it weren’t for the Satyr, it would’ve been me only one ever. Needless to say, I was very grateful. That gratitude led to a friendship with the Satyr that has lasted even after her death to extend to others of her kind. They’re a fine bunch of fae, I’ll tell you that. They and the Fianna were meant for each other. They’re even more into pleasurable excess than we are, if you can believe it.

Ah well, onward with the story. If you’re still thirsty, help yourself to some more ale. It’s the best brew there is, y’know. Don’t mind if I’ll have another as well. Not too bad, not even halfway through the story and only on me fifth pint. I must be slowing down with age. But that’s neither here nor there. After my encounter with the fae, when I was feeling well enough to move on, I went home to await me father’s return. He returned two hours later and I immediately pulled him off to tell him me story. He was proud that I’d gone through me First Change, only a little disappointed that he’d missed it. Especially since mine came younger than most. He explained about the fae to me, I found the entire idea of the creatures fascinating. They tend to favor the Fianna overall, who can blame ‘em? After me father had finished with our talk, he sent me to bed for some rest. I fell asleep rather quickly and stayed that way till morning. And when I went downstairs, me mother informed me that me father had gone off for a few days to attend to some business. I was understandably disappointed, but surely wasn’t going to complain overly much. Didn’t do too much that day, had this definite loss of energy and the need to just rest and relax. I think me mum knew what was going on, she never once asked what was up or looked surprised at the change in me behavior. I assume she knew about the Garou and was told about me right from the first. If she didn’t already know, I wasn’t gonna be the one to try and explain it all to her. After all, that would be the job of her husband. I was his fault, right?

The next few days were quiet and I was anxious about me father’s return. I had some questions I wanted to ask him, but then... I always had questions. When he finally did return five days later, he immediately pulled me in for a talk and that’s when he told me that I was gonna be going somewhere. He’d talked to his old pack and they’d agreed to take me in and give me the Rite of Passage. I was to stay there at least for awhile and learn from them, they were given charge of me. It was a bit of a surprise, I surely hadn’t expected to be sent off like that so soon. I have to admit to being somewhat disappointed as well, just being expected to up and leave me family so abruptly. But I’d never question me father in something like that, he always knew what was best for me. So within the week I had gone off to join the pack, beginning another chapter in me life.

I have to say that me life with the pack started off with a bang. Was but two days after that they initiated the Rite of Passage with me and four other cubs. Three were Fianna and the fourth was a Silent Strider. The day had already been scheduled for those four, and they just threw me in. I surely wasn’t prepared entirely, but I never was one to turn down a challenge. Lucky for me, me father had taught me a few things about defending myself, so I wasn’t completely unprepared. Was glad to see that the Rite didn’t include any of them blasted Redcaps, though. I wanted to avoid anymore bite marks for the time being. What we did get charged with doing was dealing with some fellow Garou. Normally that wouldn’t be something that would be done, but these were Red Talons, and somehow or other they’d become rabid. There were four of ‘em... three Cliaths and a Fostern... and they were going about adhering to usual Red Talon policy by killing humans. Most Red Talons wouldn’t be as bold and obvious to send in their ranks to cities to run around and kill, but these four were past the point of reason. Now, we weren’t too keen on chasing after rabid Garou, but it was what we were charged with. We did get some protection from that to take our chances of contracting the bloody thing down to a minimum, and there was always the option of shots. Rabies shots are such a fun thing to go through, you ought to try them. Really. Would I lie?

Well, off the five of us cubs went to hunt down the rampant Red Talons. Wasn’t too awfully difficult to find them, they left a trail of destruction behind ‘em. One thing we did have going for us was the fact that they weren’t thinking all that clearly. I felt sorry for the poor bastards. It certainly wasn’t their fault that they’d contracted the disease and it was a merciful thing to put ‘em out of their misery. We took only a short time to plan our strategy since the Talons were obviously gonna keep moving on. We spread out to better surround ‘em and block their progress, and then we just jumped into the fray. I’ll tell you this... there’s nothing quite like your first battle. I ended up with one of the Cliaths, I think he was the farthest gone. There was absolutely no thought to his actions, he just wanted to jump in for the kill. I can say this about Crinos form, it sure gives you an advantage over the others. And since the Talon had no intention of shifting to Crinos, remaining in his usual Lupus form, that proved very helpful. I can’t say for sure just how long it took, time has no real meaning when you’re fighting for your life. I don’t think it was very long, however. I stood only briefly looking down at the body of the Talon before turning to help the Strider. He’d gotten unlucky enough to get the Fostern, who also proved to be the one with the most rationality left. That one was quite a fight, I can definitely say that it lasted quite a bit longer than the other. Ended up with one of the other of my companions going over to help as well. But in the end, we took the Talon out. The one who’d originally started to fight him had been bitten several times, it was obvious he’d have to go through with some shots. The other who’d jumped in to help, she had a few claw marks but nothing too great. I’d been bitten once, more’s the pity. But however bad off we were, twas the other one of our companions that had gotten it the worst. Any congratulations were put off when we looked over and saw the other one lying beside the Talon he’d killed. Both were dead, the Talon’s jaws locked onto the other cub’s throat and the cub’s claws through the Talon’s belly. Twas a gory and unsettling sight indeed, especially for those who’d not seen such things before. We did what we could, wrapped the body up to take back and bury. A sad day that was, but a glorious one as well. The dead one was given full honors, he’d fought valiantly and I’m sure Gaia has rewarded him well.

Isn’t much to the next little while. We cubs spent our time learning. It was intensive but really rather fun for the most part. The Fianna know how to put a bit of enjoyment into anything, I have to say. I fell asleep from exhaustion more than once, but slept well and happily. After I’d been there for three months, we moved on. Didn’t like to stay in one place too long, it gets dull. We travelled around Ireland for another few months and then went on to Scotland and then the Continent. It surely was a great time in me life and one that I’ll never forget. But the day finally came that I felt the urge to move on. Much as I loved the people in the pack, I wanted to accomplish different things. I wasn’t sure quite what those things were, but I knew that it was time to go off and find more. It had been a fun and glorious time with them, and I was sorry to bid them farewell. We had a fine farewell party for me, though I’m afraid that it kept me behind another two days as I recovered from that. But it was well worth it. Nobody knows how to party like the Fianna. But finally I left, travelling off for parts unknown to me.

It was during me travels alone that I found out about a certain Fianna camp. The camp is called the Tuatha de Fionn and it’s one that has an even deeper connection with the fae. Since me first encounter with those creatures, I’d met up with ‘em a few more times, though usually not much interaction took place. But since I seemed to have more of an affinity toward them, I found that I fit in very well with the Tuatha. I fit in so well that I spent the next few years with a pack of ‘em. It was a loose pack, but one that saw a lot of battle. I gained a lot of useful knowledge and experience then and proved myself to be a worthy fighter. Had a few close calls, but that’s part of the fun of battle, don’t you think? One battle with a pack of Dancers was particularly memorable. I almost died then as I ended up getting singled out by an Athro. She was still a couple of ranks above me so it was quite a difficult fight. Me memory of it isn’t completely clear, at least not near the end of the fight. She reminded me of the Talons I’d fought during the Rite of Passage, less thought and more pure rage. That gave me the edge, more than likely. I vaguely remember giving her the killing blow, but after that I don’t remember much until I opened me eyes to find myself on the ground with the others in the pack around me. Several of us had gotten some pretty wicked wounds, although I was the only one that had come close to death. I got some renown from that, I can tell you.

Well, as I said I spent the next few years with that pack. I made some very close friends then, but I felt a call to move on once more. They were a European pack and content to remain so. I, however, felt an urge to cross the ocean to America. I travelled to Ireland to see me family for a short while before going off to take a flight to the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Isn’t it a very modest country? Certainly no pretenses. Cough cough. I suppose I fit in very well. I was actually quite awed by America. Even though I’d been to many big cities in several countries, none of them quite prepared me for what I was to find in the U.S. I suppose it helps there that me first view was New York City. I flew into JFK and it was an experience unlike any I had had before. I was both impressed and irritated by the city. The pollution was very difficult to get used to. While I had been to cities that were probably as polluted in Europe, there was something different about New York City. Of course, I didn’t plan on spending much time there at all, although I did have to take some time to see the sites. There certainly are a lot to see there, I’ll grant that. I do have to say as well that in all of my time in cities on the Continent, no one had ever attempted to rob me. But on me second day in the States, I was approached by two men with knives who decided that they should see what they could get from the foreigner, which I obviously was. It was actually a very amusing encounter. Although I don’t think that they thought so. The Delirium is a handy thing, I’ll say that. They likely have no memory of what really happened. But they weren’t wielding knives at unsuspecting pedestrians for awhile, I can promise you. I should really be praised for me humanitarian efforts.

I stayed in the city only about a week before moving on. I had the names of some contacts in the Fianna tribe and where best to find them, so I set myself the task of hunting them down. Figuratively, of course. I wasn’t in a great hurry, there was so much to see and so much to do. Sadly, I found the alcohol of America to be far inferior to that in Europe, and particularly Ireland and Scotland. Not that most people would find that much of a shock. I did find an occasional surprise when going to a bar, but mostly I made a point of ordering imports so me taste buds would not suffer unduly. Finally, after a couple of months of simply bumming around and taking in the new sensations, I met up with one of the packs of Fianna that I’d been referred to. This one had an old friend of my father’s in it, so we’d actually met before. We celebrated the reunion with an enjoyable night of partying. He was kind enough to show me some brands of drink that would not numb me tongue to their taste. His elder invited me to stay with the pack as long as I chose, and I did so. My parting with them was not as willing as me former partings had been. This time I had cause to return home quickly to Ireland as I got word that something had gone dreadfully wrong. I got no real details about it and didn’t tarry to find them out, I hopped on the first plane that I could and flew home.

When I returned home, I was met with far more than I anticipated. I had worried that one of me parents had passed on or that there had been an accident with one of me siblings. I was both right and wrong with me assumptions. When I got there, me mother’s family met me. It was all I could do to not frenzy when they told me the story of how at a family dinner, someone... or rather, a group of someones... had broken into the house and slaughtered me family. It was obviously a planned job, it went off very well. The fact that me father was Garou didn’t save anyone, for he was the first target and died with a bullet to his head. The others... they’d died in various ways. Me mother had obviously fought valiantly, there was bruising on her knuckles where she’d obviously fought back against those who attacked. But it had been to no avail, for they were gone. Every one of them was murdered in the very house in which I had grown up. Or... rather... I should say that all but one had died. For the oldest of me sisters had a baby, and that baby had been asleep upstairs during the attack. The marauders had either not known about him or had decided not to bother. I was torn apart with grief for the loss of me family, but I knew that I had a responsibility to young Keenan, who had been named after me late brother. I tried to find out who had done the killing, but I could find no clues. I still need to find that out, I will do so eventually. But at that time it was me responsibility to care for the baby. Me grandparents offered to take him, but I couldn’t just leave him like that. I wanted a part of me sister with me, and so when I returned to America a month later, Keenan came with me. He’s still with us, I’m happy to say. He’s now fourteen years old and reminds me much of his namesake as well as of his mother. I sometimes wonder if I should send him back to Ireland until the current troubles pass, but I can’t bring myself to do so. And he seems to want to stay, no matter what the danger.

Well, enough of my wonderings. Back to the story again, shall we? Go on and help yourself to the ale as much as you like, there’s plenty to go around. Never a lack of that around here. That’s one thing you can say about the Fianna. We know how to entertain.

Well, after I brought the baby back with me, I hooked up once more with the pack I had left. Me father’s friend was sorely angry about the murders, and we had our own personal wake for the lost ones. He and I spent quite some time getting to know each other after that, I was enraptured with the stories that he told about me father. They had known each other for some time and so I learned quite a lot about him. We also ran into our fair share of trouble, although I suppose more accurately I should say that the trouble ran into us. It’s always a good idea to deal with potential danger before it becomes real danger, don’t you think? It was a rousing good time and very satisfying. I had a lot of aggression to take out after the death of me family and I was more than willing to share it with whoever I felt deserved it at the time. Sadly, during one of these episodes we ran into the final fight of me friend, who died an heroic death against some Fomori who had decided that the Fianna would be a wonderful target for them. There were too many of them for us to deal with, unfortunately, and when me friend fell, I was forced to retreat. I returned soon after with more help, however, and we took care of the problem. I mourned me friend’s death for a time, he was the first really close friend I had ever had. I suspect that he’s already well into his next life and is going to once more deal the Wyrm some blows that will be remembered in tales and songs for generations to come. Maybe he’ll get some memories of me back and look me up someday.

With the loss of me friend, I felt the need to once more move on. However, this time I had the desire to start a pack of me own. I had become rather partial to Lion, and wished to start a pack with him as the totem. Between that and the fact that I wished to find Garou that were like minded, I knew that I would have to start that venture on me own. I had found some disturbing trends amongst the Fianna, and while I am proud to be part of that tribe, I dearly wish that they would drop some of their bloody closed minded attitudes and catch up with the way that things should really be. I could no longer stomach the intolerance that was put forth against Metis as well as anyone that was considered tainted. I know that many tainted ones are not tainted through any act of their own and find that they are not deserving of disdain or hatred. So I went about trying to find Garou... particularly Fianna... that felt the same as I in that, as well as other, ways. As I gathered up me new pack, I felt a true sense of purpose. A sense that I had finally found what I had been searching for. I named the pack the Free Spirits, a name which has more than one connotation. I’ll let you figure those out. A few tribes are represented by the pack. In fact, me first recruit was a Fianna, but me second recruit was a Bone Gnawer. I like to have all sorts of aspects of Gaia represented by the Free Spirits. I wonder if I could get a Silver Fang to follow me. They should, I could show a thing or two.

I met Drake not long after his pack had been nearly decimated in the Umbra. He and one other had survived; the other choosing to move in another direction than Drake. So Drake was looking for a place and I was more than happy to supply it. It didn’t take much convincing to get him to join, I’m glad to say. He’s got less of a sense of humor than I might like, but when it comes to fighting, he’s one hell of a man to have on your side. He’s Lupus, one of the Children of Dire. You probably don’t know what that means, but that particular camp is a very formidable one. Having one of them with me is something that has proven more than once to be of great help. We’ve been in many battles together and I still marvel at his skill. During one fight with a couple of less than friendly vampires a couple of years back, I could almost have just stood and watched instead of participating, as well as he did. Of course, I couldn’t do that because I avoiding fights just isn’t me. And I could’ve dealt them both a death blow without so much as breaking a sweat.

It was only two months after recruiting Drake that I pulled in Drive Through. She’s the Bone Gnawer, it’s easy to tell by her name. Drake and I were in Dallas at the time and witnessed a small altercation between her and a few less than friendly Bone Gnawers. She held up very well against them, but they were the nasty sort and were not averse to using dirty tactics. Drake and I wouldn’t have interfered if they’d only played nice, but I suppose they realized they might be going to their next life a little sooner than they had planned if they had played it straight. They were more bully than fighter anyway, but when one of them took out a gun to use on her... I can’t abide the use of guns in a fair fight, especially when the group with the gun outnumbers the other five to one... Drake and I jumped in to help. Drake took out the guy with the gun... or rather, took out his arm. Drake’s teeth can be very sharp and he is very strong when he wants to be. I dealt with the others, not that it was much of a challenge. Most of them ran off with their tails between their legs, may those tails drop off. The one that didn’t shan’t soon forget Carmichael Ale-Song, I’ll tell you that. I decided out of pure kindness not to kill him, and as he went about regenerating what he could, Drake and I spoke with Drive Through and without much convincing, she joined up with us.

It was the three of us for a few months after that. But we gradually began to add to the ranks. I certainly wasn’t in any big hurry. I couldn’t do so much as I might have been able to otherwise anyway, not with Keenan to take care of. But I’ve never felt the need to rush with much of anything, so it suited me just fine. We did finally decide on an area in which to settle after a time, even though we often break off into groups to go and find things elsewhere. But when we went through New Orleans about three years back, it just felt right to stop there. It helps that we found a place to have a caern. That’s always good incentive to stay put. I feel that Gaia meant for us to be there, and with current events, I can see why. What better place to deal with the Wyrm than in its lair. And if there ever was Wyrm that needed to be dealt with on a more permanent basis, that would be Claude Heinrich.

Ah, I must say a word or two about one of the members of me pack. She’s not been with us for too long, she’s still a Cliath. But she’s also a Black Fury, and I’ll tell you that Black Furies are some of the most difficult recruits to get for a pack. But they’re a prize, I’ll tell you that. Euterpe is no exception to that at all. Her pack had been decimated by Black Spiral Dancers, which made her inclusion in the pack appeal to me even more. Especially since Lion was the totem of the White Howlers. It was the right choice to include her, I’m sure of that. She’s not a bad Galliard at all, she can spin a tale quite well. She still needs to work on it some, but then she is still young. She’ll learn. And of course, I can’t expect her to attain the status of a Fianna Galliard, I can’t pile too much on her shoulders. It would be unfair.

I must insert in here that I still have me affinity with the fae. Particularly the Satyrs. I have one that is rather a close companion, even. She’s quite a fun person to be around and someday she’ll learn to party as well as the Fianna. She’s been known to come and go, and she’s very good at bringing up me spirits. I don’t need that a lot, but at times I do. It’s nice to not be serious when things get bad and I can rarely be serious around her. The others enjoy her presence as well, some for different reasons than others, I’m sure. We’ve also begun to work closely with the local Children of Gaia, the pack called the Dream Seekers. I never would’ve imagined that I’d find Children of Gaia much fun to be around, but I guess even I can still be surprised. Crystal’s a little too serious sometimes, but she’s a Child that doesn’t seem to mind an occasional binge. That takes her up a peg or two in me eyes. There are a few reasons that make it appealing to stick with the Dream Seekers, I’ll certainly say. It’s also nice to see that more packs are working together than might have been expected to.

The current troubles have brought together all sorts of strange bedfellows. I mean, even Nemesis of the Black Furies has been more than a little tolerant of me Fianna ways. Now I don’t usually have troubles with the Furies, but Nemesis is one of those more serious ones. And for some reason she tends to be less tolerant of men who get a little too tipsy and accidentally swat her on her flank. But her tolerance of me is growing, I can see that. I wonder how far that’ll end up going? This prospect is certainly something that I’ll have to keep in mind, that’s for sure. She’s a hell of a woman in many ways.

I suppose I should make a comment or two about the current troubles. The more direct involvement of the Garou started with the Bone Gnawers. Wolf, one of their kinfolk, got dragged into things by that psychopathic Marcia when she embraced him and turned him into a Malkavian. Wolf’s a good kid, I’ve always liked him. And it looked like he might get the short end of the stick by being kicked out of things. The moot got put off for awhile since the elder of his pack has been out of town on some important business, but when Blades got turned by the same Malkavian and made into a bloody abomination... things couldn’t get put off much longer. The moot was called, and it was actually fairly quickly that at least part of the sides were set. I certainly wasn’t going to advocate destruction because of their misfortune, and even though I knew it was inevitable that Blades be kicked out of the Bone Gnawers, I was glad to see that most voted that there would be no looking down on those who refused to shun them. I was also glad to see Nemesis grant her personal protection of Wolf, which will keep some people back for certain. The kid might be a vampire, but that doesn’t mean he’s as good at taking care of himself in some ways as he might be.

Sadly, the creation of Abominations was not to stop with Blades. That group of vampires that Marcia leads decided to make itself more of a pain in the arse and in the process piss off a hell of a lot of Garou. I’ve lost count of how many victims they’ve had, but it got a little too personal when they singled out one of me Free Spirits. Cullen, to be exact. They caught him once and he got away, but apparently that put him somewhat in the spotlight with the bitch known as Mora. Next chance she got near the pack, she took him. And this time we couldn’t get him out on time. The little bitch embraced him and I can’t tell you just how much I want to get her back for that. It’s bad enough watching it happen to those that you’re not so close to, but when it happens to one of your own... one that you’re responsible for... it’s another thing entirely. Watching him go through what he’s going through? It’s all I can do to keep from frenzying sometimes. Thing is too, is that I’m sure she’s not done with him. She wants more from him, for some reason she’s stayed focused on him. Some kind of bloody fucking obsession. If she thinks it’s going to be easy for her, she’s got another think coming. We’ve got him what protections we can get him, and made sure that it’s not gonna be an easy thing... if it’s possible at all... for her to bond him to her even if she does get her hooks into him. I’m only hoping that he comes through this all right. I know that the majority of the Fianna wouldn’t be happy with me keeping him in the pack, many would rather I outright destroy him. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to succumb to the pressures of any of those closed minded bigots who can’t see the forest for the trees. They’ll spend their time focusing at least in a large part on the victims when they should put all of their focus onto the criminals. It just fucking pisses me off, I can tell you that. They want to fuck with Cullen, they’ll have to go through me. And that’s not such an easy task for anyone.

Well, now that I’ve worked myself up and have started to get drunk as well, I’d better quit while I’m ahead. I’d like to keep me head about me, if that’s possible. I’m sure I could’ve gone into more detail here and there, but since you might actually have something to do besides listen to me for days, I’ll be nice and cut it short. You’re welcome to come back whenever you like, and feel free to drop by any of our parties when we get them going more again. We’ve cut way back lately since it’s good to have our heads about us. If you decide you want anything clarified, come on back and I’ll inundate you with some more stories. I’ve got a million of ‘em.