zg_shadows | This is my son ...

Once upon a time was a Garou game in the Camarilla UK fan club which spawned a variety of short stories in the show writers LJ. These stories eventually had the running theme of the Totem Inn; a place where the spirits of Gaia (and occasionally Gaia herself) turned up to rant about the Garou nation and what they were doing then. Various authors (myself included) wrote these as a tongue in cheek way of expressing how the totems might be feeling; and whilst they were distinctly irreverent; and not designed to be a canon part of the chronicle, they always seemed to be popular.

Which is a long-winded explanation of this piece. For the members of ZG who were not Cammies during this golden time of the Kinfolk Soap I would like to hastily assure them that this is not intended to be actually “what happened somewhere deep in the homelands.” But having had Sally introduce the Garou game yesterday, as “Days of Our Lives”, it had to be done. Or at least I had to write this. So read and enjoy and please accept this in the way it is intended to be.

Lucy had been restless all morning, well actually all week. She’d gained several Garou in her house over the last few weeks for one reason or another; which had been handy when it came to hanging tinsel from the high ceilings. She’d been trying to sort out a hand over for the person slated to take over from her whilst she went on maternity leave – but she’d not yet managed it. And her maternity leave had started a month ago. But she was still going into the office every other day, which surprised no one in the office at all.

So rather than sit at home all day – or wear holes in the carpet pacing she decided to go to the moot. Michael hadn’t after all told her she couldn’t; and it was likely to be Kitty’s trial. She got one of the Garou to stow her overnight bag in the boot, along with a load of food for the Sept and drove them all to Hampstead Heath, resolutely ignoring the twinges she’d been getting on and off all day.

The caern was quiet at first and she found herself a sunny spot to put up her camping chair. Well, watch as someone else put it up. People gradually drifted in; there was a call for A galliard and a ragabash and then a queue of Garou all claiming renown formed in front of the trio. Lucy chatted to people as they turned up; and reassured every single one of them that she was fine; in spite of the enthusiastic kicks her stomach was receiving. Possibly Jamie’s wish for a Centre Forward for England would be fulfilled, Lucy grinned to herself after that – slightly bemused by the sudden information that Jamie was a Silver Fang.

“Must look into that young man’s family tree. He’ll need a good, understanding wife. Preferably one who is into football, and supports a club that isn’t Arsenal’s deadly enemy” she thought as he wandered off in his Arsenal shirt. She mentally went through her female relatives but couldn’t come up with one that was into football at that point. Her reverie interrupted by another twinge. She caught her breath, determined not to reveal anything more than the sign that her child was lively, healthy and a potential football player. Instead she had a conversation with a Get of Fenris about arranging for finance for a forge; and allowing his kinfolk to come over from Norway; sealing the deal with a request for Jules to learn from him.

“I will get that klaive fixed” she grinned to herself, hands stroking her stomach in an unconscious plea to her child to stop jiggling. Her memories went back to the Gathering; “I first met Kazimir when I was four. He stole my doll. I pushed him into the lake. It was then I decided I was going to marry him. I never told him that…”

A man stood by a still pool, gazing at the image of a pregnant woman who was sat, surrounded by his old sept caring for her. He smiled to himself as her obvious progress was on the cusp of fruition, and his niece fussed over her, offering yet more tea. It would be over soon, and their child would see the light of day. Once more he wondered if it would be a boy or a girl; but he’d steadfastly refused to cheat and peak as long as his wife didn’t know, hw wouldn’t find out either. He just continued to watch as Lucy spoke with Tolly, a sympathetic hand on Tolly’s wrist.

Lucy watched as finally the Garou sorted their calls on the spirits to recognise their deeds and Petra began to work out how to run the Moot. Petra’s bag of objects was upended over the ground and Lucy wandered over; poking through the bits and pieces as several of them helped Petra come up with symbolism for the spirits to be called. There was a sudden flurry as various Sept elders from around the country turned up, all with different personal quests; and looked on in some envy at the white horse summoned to convey the Silent Strider cub on her testing run to the Heart of Albion. She paced slightly, hissing to herself as the twinges became more insistent and glared up at the moon that lay in the sky.

The final preparations over, Petra began the moot and Lucy sat quietly to one side. Her heart swelled with pride as Kitty was the only one present to actually defy the fool Dammit I know that and I’m just kinfolk. These people need teaching or reminding. and unconsciously held her breath as the scandal was called against her niece. The came the tales and she laughed alongside everyone at Rex’s tale of his quest for knowledge; and was again quietly proud as her niece took charge of the Black Fury cub that had to be given up by his mother.

And then came the revel. And as those who would be Wyrm Foe stood and stared each other down, Lucy suddenly became aware that the twinges weren’t twinges anymore. The first one took her by surprise, and suddenly she was aware that she’s cried out.

“I hate to interrupt this sacred rite, but could someone call me an ambulance?” Kitty was sudden;y there, her face twisted with concern. Tolly grabbed the keys of the car from Kitty and left to fetch Lucy’s bag. Despite her protests that she needed a hospital, Lucy suddenly realised that firstly the Garou around her weren’t about to let her just go to a weaver place.

Secondly she didn’t think she actually had enough time to get there anywhere. She stumbled, half supported by three sets of hands and was led to a place out of the way and by a stream.

“Oh my word Kazimir. I think I’m about to be delivered by a Child of Gaia medical student and a bloody lupus!”

Kazimir was staring in slight – well maybe not slight – panic. Unable to go there, unable to do anything constructive he found himself telling Lucy to push, to breathe and to relax. He yelled as the Fool changed into chrinos behind Lucy, and then calmed down as he realised that it was because Lucy was suddenly demonstrating a very strong grip. Instead he started to pace up and down by the pool, oblivious to the group of ancestor spirits that had gathered around him.

Lucy swore; a sudden vision of a film and a child screaming “put me back in!” but it was too late. Her waters had broken and all she could do was concentrate of breathing and pushing as Cade and Earth Born measured the dilation; and Philip sat behind her holding her hand, the smell and feel of fur oddly comforting. She reached down into the centre of herself and found the wellspring of hope and faith that had sustained throughout her life; just as Cade announced that he could see the baby’s head. A few more breaths, and there was the healthy squall of a newborn child announcing its arrival to the world. Earth Born smiled, shifted into lupus and began to lick it clean. Lucy started to object, but then stopped reasoning that a wolf’s tongue was going to be warmer than water from the stream. Cade then bundled the child in Philip’s jumper, his shirtsleeves covered in blood and handed the baby to Lucy. Lucy gazed down and found herself grinning inanely.

“We have a son Kazimir. A son.” She whispered it on the breeze as Philip exclaimed that she was positively glowing and Earth Born busied himself at her feet. Lucy decided she wasn’t going to ask what had happened to the afterbirth…

Kazimir stood and stared, tears coming to his cheeks. Suddenly he was aware that his ancestors were whooping with enthusiasm. His father strode to him and handed him a cigar.

“You do realise you’ve worn a hole in the sward son” he commented. Kazimir grinned slightly and lit the cigar and then looked down as Lucy finished washing herself and Cade stared at the precious bundle he’d been handed. He blew a kiss to her, and then got dragged away by various ancestors all seemingly possessing bottles of brandy from somewhere.

Lucy and her midwives rejoined the Moot just as the hunters returned to complete the moot. She stood as the caern was renewed, her son in her arms. Jamie pulled her to one side and summoned a member of Falcon’s brood to watch over him. Earth Born took them to the heart of the caern to introduce him to the spirits, Falcon making a brief appearance as the child’s destiny was prophesised by a confused looking lupus. The celebrations continued long after Lucy, claiming tiredness managed to get one of the Glasswalkers to call her a taxi.

Late that night, in the still of the garden, under the light of the full moon Lucy trod carefully so as not to wake the child in her basket. She knelt at the altar to Gaia that she’d set up at the end of the garden; a quiet pool that reflected the moon surrounded by sweet smelling herbs. She lit candles around the water and then let some float on the surface.

“Dear Gaia, Luna and Lord Falcon. Thank you for my son. Although I’m not Garou I feel I’m allowed to introduce you to him. This is the son of Stands Between Worlds; Kazimir Cade Niketinivich. Please let my husband know, assuming he doesn’t have too much of a hang over from the celebrations in the homeland...”