The Last Day
Its the air- polluted and smelly. Rank and foul.
Its
the people- they never look at you, always away; I am no oil painting, but even
so people seem constantly nervous, paranoid, depressed.
And its the place- cities are dead things.
Testaments to Humans herding instinct. While some of my brethren accept them, I
find them aberrant.
My Mentor sent me here to relearn what it is to be
Human. I have been a Bear for nearly 30 years. I have tried to forget Humanity;
they are nothing but a pain and a blight on Gaia. Still here I am, I cannot say
no to Aurgra. She is my better, I respect her wisdom, and guidance. Perhaps it
was time to relearn my knowledge of the world.
I
am seriously behind! When I returned to my parents house my brother cooked in
something that looked like we would of brought boots in back in ‘67. A
‘microwave’ he called it. He showed me TV, what a noise! Mobile phones, videos,
home computers, Internet. Humanity really has moved on, hum....
Moved
closer to the Wyrm perhaps. Humans now are more corrupt, decadent and self
serving then even the parasites us students demonstrated against in the 60’s.
I
awoke from my hibernation in ‘92, since then I have learned what I could from
the traders and travellers up in Mardon. However a small logging town in the
middle of Canada is as far from the world as is the Moon. Aurgra’s visitors and
spirits also brought news, but it is easy to ignore the worst when hidden in
the forests, safe from the worst ravages.
Safe,
protected. I wish I felt that now. I am walking to the park, the one piece of
home in this horrible city. I feel totally wrong in this place. The park at
least is green instead of grey.
I
would love to go out to the Country Park I discovered, but I am broke. I
seriously underestimated how much prices would be and didn’t bring enough cash.
The park may not be a good idea anyway. Last time I was there I saw two Human
hunters (almost) justifiably taken apart by a Garou. I do not wish to encounter
the authorities or the pack again.
Being
the closest US city to the mess in the Amazon I am sure there are tribes here
who would wish my kind harm. Us Gurahl do not start fights, but I will never
walk away from one. I am far too big to take on a pack and win, too slow to
beat the wolves.
Size is a long running problem for me. I am big, a
giant amongst the Humans. At school and university I was always biggest, taller
than my peers, and often the older students. The Wall they called me- though
that may have more to do with my Pink Floyd collection.....
Few
places cater for people my size. I stopped wearing underwear many years ago
since I couldn’t buy it to fit me. I get (got?) clothes specially made by the
Commune when I needed them. I still have some of them now. I wore no clothes in
the forest (except in town), I never needed to. I wore my fur instead.
Here,
now, I have had to buy new clothes. I have suffered dizzy spells and major
bleeding from the nose twice. Each time I have had to change from my old
comfortable jeans and T-shirt to the things I was forced to buy- Humans even in
this day do not like blood stained bodies wandering the streets. I do thank the
Human who designed clothes for, (oh, what are they called now), bodybuilders.
They fit someone who is built as large as I, although I dislike being a walking
advert for a gym.
Each
time I have suffered the dizzy attacks I have seen spiders and webs. I am more
than a little confused. I will return to the valley later, once I have
meditated and felt Earth under me again in the park. It will be a long walk.
I
check ‘our’ bench. I met another shapeshifter here. A Ratkin, a very rare
breed, almost as rare as us Gurahl. As benefits a rat he was shifty, and smelt
of sewerage. We didn’t get on, but as the oddities in a city of possible
hostile Garou we arranged to communicate.
I
did find a note from him. However, the wind and weather had made it illegible.
I hope it was not important. I would not know how to begin tracking down a rat.
Nothing at the bench, but my ‘er what?’ note from yesterday is gone. So at
least he is still alive.
I
hide in the depths of the park and take the familiar meditate position. I would
love to shed this ugly form and assume my comfortable body, but there are
Humans around and bears are not native here. I relax and sink into meditation.
A sharp jab on my shoulder arouses me. Its evening,
and it has been raining. I am soddern. The city somehow manages to smell worse.
The
being that woke me stands over me. Tall and strongly built, he is dressed in a
loose, baggy T-shirt, and baggy jeans. He presents a ridiculous sight, for he
tugs at his collar with one hand, while poised to poke me again with another. I
lock eyes with him and he lowers his hand.
His
eyes are feral; an animals- even behind Human irises the wolf in him shows
through. We have fought, this Garou and I. He intervened in a fight I was
involved in just after I arrived. I cannot pronounce his ridiculous name. He
does not speak, meanly growls and points out of the park. I shrug and rise to
my feet. I tower over him by nearly 3 ft and he is not short by Human
standards, Walls together. I don’t think any Human would mess with the two of
us.
He leads
the way to a car. An old, battered thing from the 80’s. A woman I haven’t seen
before is behind the wheel. She is striking, beautifull; but again I see the
wolf in her eyes. She also doesn’t speak, just nods at the passenger seat.
I fold myself in. Cars haven’t grown much I find. The male climbs in the back, looking as if he hates every minute. I can’t say I blame him. I guess we are returning to the Valley- something must be happening. As she puts the car in gear I can only guess what it could be. Aurgra’s wisdom is about to reveal itself.
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