Date: Wed, 2 Mar 94 11:18:54 -0800
From: "Rick Jones" <albert@CHAIN.SSCTR.BCM.TMC.EDU>
Subject: Glass Walker Story

	Once upon a time, there was a Garou cub.  His name was
Treads-Carefully-At-Night.  He was a wily Ragabash, and many were
his jests.  Now, this story takes place right after the end of the Imperginum.

	One day, Treads-Carefully wanted to go to the city of the homids,
but it was forbidden for all of the Garou to go there, except for the 
Ahroun who kept the numbers of homids down, and they could only go at 
night, for Howls-In-Rage, their leader, said that the city was a product
of the Weaver and would forever entrap the Garou.

	However, Treads-Carefully was wily.  He reasoned that "I am forbidden
to go to the city.  But I am Ragabash, the questioner of the ways.  So, it
must be my sacred duty to go to the city."  So he left the sept, claiming that
he was going to range in the wilds, as was his habit.  But he instead 
went to the road that led to the city, and waited.  There he saw a strange
sight.  From a distance, it looked like the horse-men the Black Furies 
told legends of, but as it got closer, he could see it was a man, riding on 
the back of a horse.  Treads-Carefully was in awe of the man, who had 
bent the horse to his will.  He assumed the shape of man and walked out 
on to the road.  

	"Hola, man.  I am Walker," lied Treads-Carefully.  "I am lost.
Is this the way to the city?"
	"Why, yes it is," said the man.  "I am going there myself, to trade
my wares.  Please, come with me, for these roads are dangerous.  I am Marak
the Trader."
	Treads-Carefully smiled to himself.  Of course the roads were
dangerous, for the Garou walked upon them.  "Yes," he said, "I will walk
with you, Marak the Trader.  But tell me, what is it you trade, and what
do you trade it for?"
	Marak the Trader smiled.  "I trade in the most wonderous of all
substances, for I trade in glass."
	"Glass, what is glass?"  asked Treads-Carefully.
	"Why, you must be from the wilds to not know of glass." He reached 
in his pack, and pulled from it a bottle made of clear glass.  Treads-Carefully
gasped at what he saw.  The bottle was clear, and in it, he could see the 
crimson wine it contained.  
	"That is amazing, my friend.  May I see it?" 
	"Certainly, and have a drink as well."
	Treads-Carefully stared at the bottle, and sniffed the top.  He took
a cautious sip.  "This is amazing.  May I have it?"
	"Do you have any money?" asked Marak the Trader.
	"'Money,' what is that?" asked Treads-Carefully.
	"Hah.  I forgot, you are from the wilds.  Money is a wonderful thing."
He pulled a golden coin from his pocket.  "This is a piece of money."
	Treads-Carefully was not impressed. "What is so wonderful about a 
shiny piece of metal?"
	"Ah, it's not the coin itself that is wonderful, but what it stands 
for.  Imagine this, my wild friend.  Suppose you had grain, and I had 
my glass bottles.  You wanted my glass bottles, but I did not want your grain.
	"You could sell your grain to someone in the city who wanted grain,
and he would give you some of these coins."
	"But I do not want those coins," interjected Treads-Carefully.
	"Ahh, but wait.  You could then take the coins, and trade them for
my glass.  Or a plow, or a spear, or fine clothing.  And we would take the 
coins, for we could then use them to trade them for things we wanted.  It 
makes life so much easier.   We agree that so many coins equals a bottle,
and so many equals a horse, and so on."
	Treads-Carefully was shocked.  "This is amazing."  He was thinking
of taking this wonderful idea back to the tribe.  He could give 
Calls-The-Shadow some coins for a nice fetish, instead of having to gather
wolfsbane in the pale moonlight.  Treads-Carefully wanted this money.
	As the approached the city, there was a rustling in the bushes.  
Treads-Carefully knew it was a fierce tiger.  In the war-form of the Crinos,
he could make short work of the beast, but he did not want the Veil to 
drive Marak away.  So he whispered, "go quickly, for there is a tiger in the 
bushes," and drew his klaive.  
	Marak kicked his horse, and it ran forward.  Treads-Carefully focused
his will, and he smelled of mankind, which as we all know causes Gaia's 
creatures to flee.  However, this tiger was hungry, and attacked.  Glancing
up the road, he saw Marak was far enough away for him to change.  He assumed
the Glabro, and struck with his klaive.  The battle was short, for who, man
or beast can vanquish the Chosen of Gaia.
	He reassumed his homid form and started jogging down the road. 
Marak was ahead of him, riding away.  Treads-Carefully called out to his 
new friend, "Hold, Marak.  I have slain the beast."  
	Marak, when he came back up the road, said with amazement, "You are
indeed a mighty warrior.   Come with me to town."  

	Marak did take Treads-Carefully into town, and showed him the 
wonders of the city.  For, though it was a small settlement, even for
cities of the time, to him, it was amazing.  The people were not automatons
of the Weaver, as he had been told, nor were they vile servants of the Wyrm.
Marak showed him the markets, where he bought Treads-Carefully bread (which
the Garou did not eat) and showed him where they milled the grain, and where
they pressed grapes to make wine, and the forges, where they made swords.
	Treads-Carefully took all of this in.  Soon, it came to the end of
the day, and Marak said to his friend, "Walker, my friend, take this, for
you saved me from the tiger."  Marak the Trader gave Treads-Carefully a
huge bottle, with a fresh cork for a stopper.  "This is my largest and best
bottle.  Use it well."
	Treads-Carefully said, "Thank you, Marak.  You have taught me 
much.  More than any bottle is worth."

	So Treads-Carefully returned to the sept, and showed them his 
bottle.  "Look, my people, look what I had found."  And he told the 
people of his adventure.  The cubs were impressed, but the old ones looked
at him with anger, for he had broken the Litany. 
	While Treads-Carefully was telling his tale to the sept, Howls-In-Rage
quietly padded up behind him, and listened.  His heart pounded in anger 
when he heard the tail of Treads-Carefully's perfidiy.  
	When the tale was finished, Treads-Carefully removed the hide that
was covering the glass bottle and showed it to the crowd of Garou.  They
were amazed by the sight.  But Howls-In-Rage cared not.  He knocked the bottle
to the ground, where it shattered in a million pieces.  He then shoved 
Treads-Carefully, causing him to stumble onto the shards of cut glass, 
cutting his feet.
	"Treads-Carefully-At-Night, you have broken the Litany," bellowed
Howls-In-Rage.
	"But, leader, there are wonders in the city.  There are spirits 
there unseen before, and new ideas and-" explained Treads-Carefully.
	"They are spawn of the weaver.  You are cast out from the Sept,
Treads-Carefully-At-Night.  And for your transgressions, I take from 
you your name.  You are from now on Glass Walker, and I hope your feet 
bleed for all time, for serving the Weaver."

	So Glass Walker left the sept.  But a few followed him, and they 
first served Marak the Glass Trader, until they learned the ways of 
the city, when they served none but themselves.  And they learned of
the city spirits, and how the homids lived, and adapted.  The tribe
of Glass Walkers went on to become a wise and powerful tribe, powerful
in the ways of the Wyld and wise in the ways of the Weaver.

>>>>  What a bunch of twaddle. --- Data Fault <<<<
>>>>  I dunno.  I kind of liked it.  --- Burns Rubber <<<<
>>>>  You would. --- Dumps-Core-On-The-Wyrm <<<<

Rick Jones
albert@bcm.tmc.edu