The world is at war. Not the kind of war you'll see on the TV, or in the papers, but war all the same. This secret war started when the Triat fell out of balance.

Once, the Wyld, Weaver, and Wyrm were all in harmony. Wyld is the chaotic creation force, constantly changing and never taking the same shape twice. Weaver is the spinner of that creation, picking out forms Wyld spits out and solidifying them, so that they wouldn't fall apart at the moment of their birth. Wyrm stood between them, destroying some of what Weaver spun so that there would always be room for more.

This lasted an eternity, but then that harmony shattered. Weaver gained a mind of it's own, and started trying to spin the entirety of Wyld into solidity. This drove it insane, and in that insanity, Wyrm got caught in the web. This drove Wyrm insane as well, and it started trying to eat Gaia, destroying creation from the inside out.

Luna, Gaia's silver sister, saw the pain her sister was in, and took a handful of humans, and a handful of animals, and bound them together, one human to one animal, using her own hair as the cord. She set the newly born changing breeds on Gaia's surface, giving each one a task for her sister's benifit.

This worked well for a time, then the wolves grew arrogant. They thought that they were the only ones that Gaia needed, and waged war on the other changing breeds. This later came to be known as the War of Rage, and when the dust had cleared, several of Luna's children had been wiped out.

In time, the humans grew, covering the globe and becoming 'civilized'. A great spirit, Pheonix, gave one wolf a vision of the coming end, with instructions to keep watch. Each would have their own quest when the end-times came, to ensure that Gaia would survive, and be born anew in the fires of that destruction. He kept watch, tried to tell others, but to no avail.

Now the end-times are almost upon us, some would say they are already here. Pheonix has once again picked one wolf, a wolf that most avoid or view as less, and given her a task of her own. She is to find certain members of the changing breeds, lead them in a search for a missing tribe, and bring that tribe back to Gaia. She only hopes that she'll be in time, for she is an outcast, mis-born among a tribe without a home, and she needs all the help she can get.

Nenet finished the chant, lighting the small pile of herbs in front of her. The flames flashed a brilliant crimson, turning gold and dying down in the space of a minute, leaving only ash behind. As the light breeze blew it away, she felt the light tug, an impossible to resist for long urge to go, that would lead her to the ones she needed to find, who would also be driven to find her. Already, with Samhain so close, she knew she had been right about him, he was one of the few. The tug was in the direction of the city, she realized, and had the distinct feeling there would be no animal-born on this trip.

She stood, brushing dust off of her pants, the last of the ash blown away. "Chicago."

Vixero woke up in Chicago. The Windy City had really declined since the old days. He felt something calling out to him. A Were to be exact. He could sense it through the Gauntlet.
Why would a Were be trying to find me? He thought.
He decided to travel around and see if he could find the Were. He doubted they'd be here, seeing as they were using their abilities to search for him... and others as well. All the others were Weres of some sorts. Vixero Kagede was intrigued now. Something big was going on, and he might just become a part of it. "Time for my next adventure!" he said aloud.

Cordy and Randy on their way from Denver, Colorado to Chicago, Illinois.

Cordy wiped her brow with the back of her hand and sighed; the noon sun beat down on her without mercy and the road stretched on endlessly before her. She shrugged her shoulders in order to hike her pack back up into place where the straps wouldn’t dig into her collarbone anymore and sighed again. The ride she had gotten two days back into town with that old man and his wife seemed like a dream in comparison to this nightmare she was currently experiencing. “What I wouldn’t give to make this trip as a cougar.” She muttered to herself. Of course, if she did that than when she got to her destination she wouldn’t have any of her supplies or, y’know, any clothing or money. Both were necessities in civilization.

She perked up and turned around at the sound of a vehicle approaching in the distance. It stirred up dust from the country road as it sped towards her and Cordy fervently hoped they wouldn’t pass her by without a second thought.

Cordy stopped where she was on the side of the road and held out her thumb, hoping for the best.

-----

Randy was cruising steadily down the highway, classic rock blaring as the wind whipped his hair across his forehead. He was leaving his mountainous home behind for... something, but he was still able to take some comfort in the heat of the sun on his arm and shoulder. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his old Dodge as he crested the top of another hill.

Squinting his eyes against the sunlight, he spotted a spec on the horizon. It was a hot day--the first of the season--and not a good day to be hitching. He'd been there himself, in days long past, and couldn't help but feel some sympathy.

As he drew closer he turned down the music a few notches and, brushing his hair back into some semblance of order, slowed to a stop. He leaned over and unlocked the door. "Where you headed, ma'am?"

-----

“Cordy, and as far east as you’re going, if you don’t mind.” She flashed him a smile and shrugged off her pack in order to put it on the floorboard in front of the passenger seat. With that done, she climbed up into the truck and made herself comfortable before fastening her seatbelt. There wasn’t any way of knowing, without asking, if this fellow was one of those who insisted on wearing a seatbelt or laughed at those who wore one in a truck but she wasn’t going to take the risk; statistics and all that jazz.

Cordelia shut the door of the truck and looked over at the man in the driver seat, noting the size of him. Man, she hoped this was a good idea. “How far are you going anyways?”

-----

"Can do, Cordy." He didn't hesitate to let off the brakes and gas it. There was a long, lonesome road ahead of them and he wasn't inclined to waste any time. "My name's Randy," he offered. It didn't escape his attention that she hadn't asked. He realized exactly how hot the day had gotten, as he wiped trace amounts of sweat from his brow, accumulated during his short delay.

He was beginning to regret his choice of flannel shirt that was so necessary in the higher altitudes--rolled-up sleeves or not. He tilted his head at her question, taking a moment to process her words over the deep thump of the music. "I've got a long way to go before I sleep," he began, glancing over to meet her eyes with an amiable smile. "I'm headed for Chicago."

-----

“Chicago, eh? Mind if I stick it out for the long haul then?”

Cordy leaned over to rummage through her pack and pulled out a canteen full of water. After opening it, she handed it to him so that he could have the first drink. The landscape rolled by, getting flatter and flatter as they headed away from civilization. Denver was behind her, or rather them now, and she was glad of it. If she had to leave home she’d rather enjoy the empty road than be stuck in day time traffic.

-----

Randy accepted the canteen and took a conservative swig before handing it back. "That suits me just fine." He took a look at her pack. Judging from how long she looked to have been on the road and how far she was going, it was probably full of trail rations and not much else. He made a note to stop somewhere to grab a quick bite and at least give her a little variety. "Just let me know if you have to stop."

-----

Several hours later after a couple of different stops, a long nap by the side of the road and amicable enough company, the skyline of Chicago came into view for the two riding in the old Dodge pick-up truck. Here was the end of their shared journey, or so they thought, and the beginning of a whole new chapter in their lives.

((Sorry for the wait, everyone. Every time I tried to post, my inspiration would die ><' so, I'm also sorry for the poor quality of this....))

Samhain stood a few yards from Nenet, watching with a sense of awe as she completed the ritual. His unsettling orange eyes followed the wisps of smoke and ash as they floated past him, forcing him to control his curiosity. All he wanted to do was reach out and touch them, to explore what he did not know, but he didn't know if it would harm him or the ritual so he kept his hands at his sides. As the smoke faded into the night sky, he felt a tug at his core, a metaphysical pull forward, towards Nenet.

He turned back to face her as she stood, brushing off both his curiosity and his wariness of the strange, almost magnetic pull. When she said the name of their destination, he gave a nod and turned to pick up both of their bags. "If we move fast, we can make it there by dawn." he said, holding out her satchel as he shouldered his duffel. He didn't bother to question her judgement or the ritual, he had learned to trust the guiding spirit, Phoenix, not long after he met Nenet.

Nenet smiled, walking over and taking her bag. "Seeing as we really aren't too far from there, of course," she said, swinging the pack onto her shoulder. She took a deep breath, frowning as a thought struck her. "I'll have to keep my hood up." Her voice was somewhat gloomy, green eyes darkening a moment. She brushed it aside, shrugging before turning in the direction of the Windy City. "Shall we? I wouldn't want to be late for the gathering I've called, wouldn't be good manners," she said with a sly grin, starting to walk, waiting for him to start. She would break into a jog when he did, long legs used to the exercise.

Their pace wasn't too strenuous, Nenet could feel that some of them had a way to travel. When they got closer to civilization, they slowed, Nenet pulling her hood up to conceal her face, and therefore her horn. Even with it just a nub, it was noticable enough to attract attention. They wove through the streets, Nenet occasionally having to pull Samhain along so as to not get into a fight. They had to get the group together first, then they could go after Wyrm-spawn.

Close to the lake they found a vast park, manicured, but still beautiful. Nenet dropped her bag on a bench, the morning light starting to lighten the sky. This should be a good place, there's enough space to see anyone who might show up, and common ground for everyone in the city, really. "We can wait for them here," she said, sitting down as the fountain turned on for the day, images of people's faces distorted by the water.

Randy pulled into a parking space in the deserted lot. The usually bustling park was now deserted, in no small part because it was late and well after the park officially closed. He could still feel the tug, pulling him towards the nearby lake in the east. He glanced over to see Cordy asleep. He spoke softly and nudged her. "We're here."

-----

A soft murmur escaped her lips as she twitched and shifted in her sleep; if one had been listening closely it had sounded like a very quiet 'mew.' With her feet up on the seat of the truck and her arms wrapped around her knees, Cordy lay with her head against the window of the passenger door. Her hair partially covered her face, obscuring her features, and in the moonlight her auburn hair looked darker than usual.

After Randy nudged her and announced that they had arrived, she wrinkled up her nose and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. Still addlebrained with sleep, she kept her eyes locked onto his until her own came into focus and she looked away, quickly and with a light blush that could barely be seen in the dark of the cab. Cordy busied herself with stretching out the kinks in her muscles before she turned back to Randy and said, "Thanks for the lift.

Cordy opened the passenger door; the overhead light kicked on and she fished a wallet out of her back pocket. She pulled enough money to cover half of the cost of the gas required to make it this far and held it out to him. "Here, take this for your trouble."

-----

Randy stared at Cordy blankly for a brief moment. He pulled they keys from the ignition and popped his own door open. "It was no trouble at all, ma'am." He climbed out, the truck rocking as it was unburdened by his weight, and shut the door behind him. He leaned in through the window and shot her a stern glance. "I don't know the Bastet well enough to say, but we Gurahl look after our own."

He straightened, his full height and bulk becoming unnervingly evident. "I'd just as soon maintain good relations, all the same."

-----

"Well, then."

Unnerved by his brusque reply, Cordy opened the glove box and set the money inside of it. It was clear to her from Randy's thinly veiled accussations that he was the sort of fellow who wouldn't take his due but there was no point in remaining in his debt. It just wouldn't do. With the money safely tucked away in the closed glovebox, she exited the truck and picked up her pack to sling over her shoulder before closing the door.

On the other hand, she was a bit unnerved to see just how big he really was; proportional and not unattractively big but rather tall and muscular from obvious hard work. If she had had feline ears she would have laid them back against her head right about now and maybe even given him a good hiss and poofed tail. Poofed tails are for house cats, not Bastet, she thought to herself.

"Well, whatever you're talking about, I'm not about to shirk you a good chunk of gas money because you're too stuck up to accept it."

-----

Really? he thought. She's one of those. "Alright, fine." He held up his palms, giving up. He wasn't willing to start a fight over something so petty. He stepped away from the vehicle and started walking. It didn't escape him that they were still both
headed in the same direction. He was determined to remain polite. "So... where are you headed?"

-----

How was she supposed to say that she had no clue where she was headed? All she knew was that she felt a tug in one particular direction and she was following that. He'd already brought up both of them being weres but she didn't want to make this awkward or weird - it wasn't as if they were going to be traveling together for much longer anyways. She shrugged her shoulders to adjust the pack on her back and wrinkled up her nose again before replying to him.

"I'm.. not really sure. I'm headed where the wind takes me, it seems." She looked over at him as they walked side by side and tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. Cordy shrugged nonchalantly. "So, yeah.. where are you headed?" She asked in return.

-----

Randy grunted in response. There had been a time when he wandered the countryside, going where his totem led. He could feel the tug then, although not so clearly as he did now, and he was unable to resist. It had been many years since, though. This... this was new. "It would seem we're in the same boat in that regard." He glanced at her, a warm smile permeating his features.

"I'm just headed that way." He pointed and, when he looked, saw a small light ahead. He furrowed his brow. He didn't realize who or what he was headed towawrds, but he had a feeling he would find out soon. The pull seemed to intensify inside him, although he kept himself in check. "Well," he said, his steps faltering as a spark of suspicion lit within him. "Looks like we've got company."

-----

The sound of water trickling and falling, as though it were apart of a fountain, came to Cordy's ears and she picked up her pace a little bit. Unlike Randy she wasn't suspicious in the least - in fact, it was safe to say that her curiosity had been piqued. This drive, this absolute need to be here in this place at this moment, had finally given her a purpose that she didn't know she had been searching for.

"It certainly does." She replied, with a smile.

-----

The two weres approached the fountain; one with a reserved nature and regard for the strangers they found there and the other with open curiosity. The smaller, much smaller, woman waved in greeting while the man simply nodded. It seemed that these two would be together for a little while longer at least.

Samhain, after having lost an argument with Nenet about the importance of killing all the wyrm-beasts in the vicinity, was unhappy to say the least. He leaned on one of the metal lampposts near Nenet with arms crossed and a growl stuck in his throat. He could sense them all around, the disgusting creatures thriving on the city' filth and spiritual decay, but was forbade to deal with them until the rest of the "called ones" arrived. He made a disgruntled sound and fidgeted with the hilt of one of his daggers sheathed at his wrist, almost able to feel his feline ears flattening and his tail swishing.

He looked up with mild interest as the truck pulled up, his orange eyes reflecting in the headlights before they were shut off. He could hear the voices of the two riders, but their words were mostly muffled by the sounds of the city. He stood fully and sniffed the air as his interest grew, the feline curiosity within bubbling to the surface. When the strangers noticed them and made an attempt to hail the small tiger and gypsy wolf, he made no motion to return the gesture. He preferred to leave the talking to Nenet, taking the time to observe others instead.

Vixero made little effort to find the weres. He simply followed the tug he was feeling in his chest. He found theme all at the edge few a lake in Millennium Park . There was one issue. He was atop a building. The only way down was either a treacherous descend on the stairs, with god knows what in there, Maybe some of the wyrm creatures he had been sensing. The other was a six story drop. He went with the drop. He jumped, slightly altering the already strong wind currents so he could fall slower. He landed with a small thud and began to cross the street to the park. After walking through the bit of trees he saw the, others. 'All Weres' thought to himself. They seemed amiable, except for the one, who was mad at something. He waved at the gathering before him saying,
"Hello, are you the one who's been calling? I am Vixero Kagede! Mage of the Celestial Chorus!" he said, bowing and taking off his hood to reveal burning red hair.

Nenet turned to look when she heard the engine, the lights momentarily blinding her. She blinked away the spots in her eyes, trying to listen to what the two who had come out of the truck said, but gave up when she couldn't make out the words. Her eyes cleared to show her the two, a small woman and much larger man, approaching. She waved in response to the woman's wave, knowing that these two were supposed to be here. A smile came to her lips, the ritual really had worked.

Hearing footsteps from a slightly different direction, she turned to look, eyes picking out the hooded figure before he spoke. she stood, nodding. "I'm the one who called you here," she said, just loudly enough for the people just getting there to hear. "Well, I was the channel for the call, really. I'm Nenet, Silent Strider Theurge, and this is Samhain, Khan Twilight." She waved an arm at the surly tiger when introducing him, wondering what Pheonix gave her to work with. A mage, with an almost Japanese name, a small woman, who smelled feline, and a bear of a man, who smelled like, well, a bear. Would anyone else show up? With this many of the called around her, it was hard to tell if there was someone lagging behind the others.

Cordy's smile didn't flag or falter as the woman introduced herself and the man present; she did, however, wrinkle up her nose before responding. "Cordy." She didn't move to exchange greetings with the two in the way of handshakes. Instead she gave them a short wave and turned to look at each of them in turn, including the mage who had so eagerly introduced himself.

Vixero looked at the group in front of him. He knew there was a Wolf and A Tiger, from what Nenet had said. And he could figure the one man was a bear. The last woman he had no idea of. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you all," He said politely. He figured he was the only Mage here. He wasn't the best but Flare always did do well. His most proud possession was Flare, having enchanted the sword himself and training himself in the art of swordplay. He would never part with this blade. It was as big a part of him as magic was.

Randy looked around the small group, as the others also seemed to be doing. It had been a long time since he had gone roaming. He had once again become well used to his rustic lifestyle and... he didn't miss the city one bit. As far as he was concerned, the Glass Walkers could have it. He maintained his reserved demeanor, but his curiosity, coupled with this pull, was gnawing at the edges of his mind. "I'm Randy," he said at last. He took a moment, finally deciding to throw tact to the wind, and locked his gaze on Nenet. "Why did you call us?"

Nenet put names to faces as they were said, a wry smile on her mouth at Randy's question. "Well, as I'm sure you all know, the world is pretty much going to hell. We're supposed to make sure it survives the trip, so to speak," she said, putting their entire purpose in a nutshell. "We, if you decide to join us, have to find the only people who can make sure Gaia survives the Apocalypse. I don't even know who exactly that is, all I know so far is that I had to find you." She shook her head, realizing she was probably going too far into it too quickly. She hated talking, so was trying to get it all done with. "Pheonix is the one guiding me, and chose you. Each of you must have some sort of talent or skill that will be important to the quest, help in some major way. I had to get you together, and here we are. The pull should fade fairly soon, we are together now." She hadn't made the ritual make a permanent bond.

It was good to hear that the pull would be fading soon; she was uncomfortable with this pressure to act - to be here and now. Cordy snorted in derision. "If we decide to join you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "As if we have any choice in the matter - any self respecting Kin would take this opportunity to serve Gaia." Cordy gestured to the mage and shrugged. "He's the only one with a choice in the matter."

Randy sighed, feeling once again the weight of responsibility that had been strangely absent in his life. He knew he would discover what was coming next after he arrived, but he had hoped he would have been given a little more direction. "I think she summed it up pretty well." He set his jaw, quirking his mouth slightly. He then turned his gaze toward the mage in the circle. "Why are you here?"

Vixero looked at the other. "Isn't it obvious? I've had the same pull on me as you. Or is this some sort of were-exclusive club? I doubt it. What I do know is that we all have a reason.. Mine will reveal itself sooner or later." He nodded curtly at the end of the statement. He had to laugh at the question. He didn't know why he as there! But he figured his answer would be well enough.

Cordelia snorted in derision but said nothing to the mage in reply. Instead she looked at Samhain and cocked her head to one side as she studied him. He had been there when they arrived but had yet to speak to anyone. This piqued her curiosity. "Were you summoned as we were, Samhain?" She asked, addressing the Khan by name.

Samhain's anger had long faded, his curiosity winning out as he assessed the three new arrivals. He could already tell he and the Mage would have some trouble getting along. The red-haired man seemed quite arrogant and brash, as well as a bit showy. Quite the contrast to his own quiet, secretive personality.

The other two were a bit more difficult to read. Cordy, who he knew to be Pumonca by scent, seemed rather open, but he knew it must be some kind of charade. No Bastet is truly open about anything, were they? The Gurahl, who had introduced himself as Randy, seemed to be reserved, though a bit straight-forward. Samhain could only hope he was more like the gentle protector visage that was often given to the were-bears, unlike the only other Gurahl he had come across in his travels.

His attention was brought to Cordy as she spoke, her words directed at him. He raised his amber eyes to her similarly colored ones and gave half a smile. "In a way." He said simply, uncrossing his arms to rest them behind his back, one hand in the other. His "summoning" was nothing like theirs, but he had no doubts Phoenix was behind it.

While she was a trifle bit annoyed with Samhain's response, she hadn't really expected anything more than she had been given. Some Bastet were more secretive than others and it was looking like Samhain was going to be one of those werecats that had to have everything pried from them. Cordy returned the half smile with one of her own as she imagined a cartoon version of Randy taking a crowbar to a struggling Samhain's mouth in order to pull out his secrets.

Cordy turned her gaze back to the other woman and asked, "What now, Nenet?"

Nenet turned to look at the dawn breaking over the city skyline. Indeed, what now? ~Pheonix, what direction do we travel? Where do we go first, to learn or gain what we need to do this great thing you want of us?~ She needed a sign, a vision- and got a flash of jungle, jaguar fur, and scales. She blinked, turning back to the group, the look on her face a little startled. "We need to make it to South America," she said, blinking the look out of her face. "I'm not going to be very welcome there..." The were-jaguars would tear her apart if they got the chance, just for being a wolf. Her green eyes remained a touch wider than they had previously been. "Randy, how many can your truck fit?"

Randy blinked abruptly, startled at once by her presumption as well as the question itself. He pondered her intention for a moment. "Not enough. And not nearly as far as we are going." He heaved a great sigh. "To carry all of us, we will need a much larger vehicle. Unless, of course, the rest of you would like to pretend to be cargo in the bed." He smirked at that. He could imagine how uncomfortable a single stretch of road between Chicago and South America could be with hard steel as a seat. "In any case, who is going to pony up for the cost?" He had to ask. There was no way in hell he could--it was a stretch just to make it to the city. He might have tried to walk it if the pull hadn't been so strong.

Nenet's face scrunched into a kind of thoughtful frown. It must be a two-seater. "If I had money, I would offer it, but I have all of maybe twenty on me," she said. It was just to buy things she needed, and she rarely did. Hunting for her food worked just fine for her. She tried thinking of another way to get there, walking that far just didn't appeal with three other people now in the group. The Umbra was probably too risky, with two Bastet and a Gurahl. She knew Samhain didn't like being pulled through the Veil. "Does anyone else have an idea on how to get there? Because we may end up walking, and that would take weeks, if not longer."

"I might be able to convene another vehicle from the Chorus. It may take a day or two." Vixero said at the debate over traveling. He could use the Gauntlet to an extent, but not all the way to South America. The Chorus was generous when he asked for things like transportation, with the occasional Mage giving up their personal vehicle to him for a time period. "I will do so if you are in agreement Lady Nenet." He said, bowing, though not as deeply has he had when he introduced himself.

Nenet frowned, where would they stay, if they did get one from this Chorus. And what would they owe? She started pacing, thinking it out. "I don't think we'll be coming back this way, how would we get it back to them? Unless they have connections there, they may never see their car again," she said, stopping her pacing as quickly as she started. "And there's still the question of fuel, I think. Unless you can provide that, as well." It would have to be a larger vehicle, to fit five adults comfortably. She hoped he could get one.