Reuben Cabot: 3/9/97 (11/10-11/96)
As I stepped backwards gingerly over the corpse of the dead bird, I had the strangest sensation. I was familiar with the feeling of passing through the semi-solidity of the Gauntlet into the Umbra, but this was a more solid boundary, and colder, far colder.
Granddad was waiting for me as I stepped across, leaning against the wall. I looked around in wonder. I was still in the living room of the chantry, but there were some changes. Naturally, everyone who was in the room was no longer visible, with the exception of the ghostly figure of Walks All Paths, barely visible as a dim outline, sitting placidly in the center of the room. All around me, the world was washed out, all colors muted to an almost monochromatic sepia. The paint on the walls was peeling, and I could see dust on the furniture and windowsills. An oppressive stillness filled the air, and I shuddered at an all-pervasive dread.
"Welcome to the Shadowlands," Granddad said, eyeing his hands where they had touched the walls and dusting them off with distaste. "These are the lands of the dead, and the land in which your friend's soul now resides. I expect trouble from here during the ceremony; your job is to keep it from disrupting us. You have your drum. Good. You will need every power you have at your disposal to ward away the denizens of this place." He walked slowly over to the window and peered out through the dirty glass. "Beware, the things here hate the very fact that you live, and will not hesitate to attack you. You will know when our ceremony is complete. I will take my leave of you now." With that, he stepped backwards and disappeared.
The silence of the place closed in around me. I shook myself and cleared away a spot on the floor, not far from the dim figure of the garou, who seemed oblivious to goings-on in this place. I made myself comfortable and began a steady rhythm. Doom-tek-a-tek-a-tek doom-tek-a-tek. From that rhythm, I began fashioning a message to spirits of this place. Doom-tek-a-tek-a-tek doom-tek-a-tek. Nothing is here. Nothing that would interest you. Doom-tek-a-tek-a-tek doom-tek-a-tek. Something more interesting is elsewhere. You do not want to enter this place. Doom-tek-a-tek-a-tek doom-tek-a-tek. Nothing is here…
I continued in this manner for two or three hours - it's hard to say, since I tend to lose myself in the rhythms, and time tends to slip by. I noticed a companion rhythm to mine, a jarring tap-tap-tap of something hard on glass. I looked to my right and saw a bird of some sort pecking at the window. The tap-tap-tap got louder, nearly throwing off my rhythm. Then with a loud crash, the window broke, and the bird sailed through the hole.
It was like a bizarre cross between a crow and a vulture, black all around, a hideous, featherless head, and a raptor's beak. It ignored me, and flew directly at the garou. It struck before I could even react, and the garou felt something, because the ghostly outline flinched away. "Damn," I muttered as I put down my drum and picked up the sword that I had been given by Silvertooth. I would have preferred a gun at the moment, but with my luck I'd shoot my friend in the head. I stood quickly and took a stance near the sitting garou.
The bird swooped to the end of the room, then started back for another attack. I swung at it, and I connected with the tip of the sword. The bird fluttered crazily for a moment, then regained its balance and resumed its attack. It was as if I wasn't even there - its attack on the garou was single-minded. I missed on the next attack, and it grazed Walks All Path's head. Once more, and I connected solidly, cutting the bird in half. The two pieces continued their trajectory, bouncing off the wall behind me and onto the floor, wings flapping feebly.
I sat down hard, dropping my sword. I had taken another life, something that I had never done before. I choked back a sob and shook myself. I had a purpose here, to keep my friend from peril (Fat lot of good you've done, a sneering voice said inside me. I ignored it). I took a deep breath, reached for my drum, and resumed my vigil.
Another few hours passed, and, strangely, there was a knock on the door. I ignored it. A red-headed man stuck his head in, saying, "Hello? Anyone here?" I kept drumming, not wanting to break my rhythm. He walked over to me and stood there for a moment in silence. Then he said, "Can I be of any assistance here?"
"Do not interfere," I said curtly. I was still upset about killing the bird, I guess, and not particularly interested in making any friends here.
"You're sure? I can add some instrumental accompaniment if you need it…"
"No, thank you. Please do not interrupt me."
He shrugged and started to head for the door. Before he was halfway there, he stepped sideways and disappeared. I kept drumming.
By now I had reached the semi-aware state that I can get into when I am involved in long rituals. My hands moved of their own accord; the rhythm of the drum was all that existed. The beat went through my body, my heart keeping time. I knew my hands were going to hurt like hell when this was all over, but the cause was good. Besides I could heal them - I think. I didn't know the qualities of this place, the Shadowlands.
After a few more hours, I heard a rustle behind me, and then voices. My drumming faltered as I recognized the voices of my friends. They had all come to these lands, it seemed, with the exception of Granddad, Silvertooth, Nicole…and Daedelus. The fellow who had interrupted me earlier was there, though.
I stood up and stretched, shaking out my hands. "Renee." She turned to me from the conversation she had been having with the haggard-looking werewolf.
"Where's Daedelus? What happened?"
Kasee broke in. "We were fighting these big ugly nasty things that Wolfie said were gorehounds and they were hitting us so we hit them back an' I cut one of their heads off! It was so cool! Daedelus was fighting one of them and was trying to use some sort of fire but he must have messed it up 'cause in the middle of everything these big hands made of fire came up through the floor and pulled him down and he was screaming and stuff. Then Kevin showed up and Silvertooth went and got Hairball and crushed him into white goo and a big ugly nexus crawler came into the chantry and Renee fainted and Kevin tried to take her place in the circle but got fried so Eric took his place and then these colored lights started blinking and Mary started saying 'Nepo, nepo, nepo' and the nexus crawler turned into a bush and a tornado came and ate the bush then ate Cab but let her go and things started fading and we wound up here."
I shook my head. I'd get a better explanation from Renee later. In the meantime, I went over to Cab, who was sitting on the floor looking dazed. I checked her pulse and made sure she was OK. She looked at me closely and started, then said, "Reuben! I saw something!" She went on to explain the vision that she had seen.