[Not logged is the scene where we talk to the Get and tell 'em we're gonna 
  talk to the Gurahl, and Madeline gets insulted by a sexist Get and stands 
  up for herself in the most delightful, if somewhat distressing from a 
  diplomatic point of view, way. Dante's little explosion at her comes from 
  that.]

You say "So. Guys. Just becuase I have this boundless curiosity and shit, I 
 want to know some basics before I go talkin' to these guys. Anyone know 
 anything about 'em?"
Madeline shrugs. "They're bears. An' the Get are 'fraid of 'em."
Dante says "The Get are stupid, ignorant, backwards, morons."
You say "Yes, well, it helps we're in the past. I bet the Fangs were stupid 
 ignorant backwards morons then, *too*. Question: the supposed beginning of 
 this damn war is because the Garou think the Gurahl fouled their Pool, right?"
Dillan nods, agreeing with Madeline. "She's got it. They're tough, though. 
 They ain't so much afraid of the bears as they are afraid of losin' the 
 caern."
You say "Or am I off base entirely?"
Dante says "Five bucks says if that did happen, it was the Spirals who did it."
Dillan nods. "Yeah. The bear I saw wasn't really fucked up or anything like 
 those spirals were. I think the Get are just too blind to see it."
Dante says "From history, Miss Quiet told me that the reason the Garou fought 
 the Gurahl is that the Gurahl knew some Rites that they wouldn't teach the 
 Garou."
Dillan hmms. "Y'know, I dunno if we're in the past, though. The Get said that the Fangs were like relics, and ain't none of them said nothin' about my digs yet."
Dante says "No one has mentioned I'm an Indian, either. I bet they just see who they think we are."
Derrick says, "Sucker bet. The Spirals _had_ to've done it. Settin' people against each other seems a good way for no one but the Wyrm to win. I just dunno if the bears've got the same motivations Garou do." He nods at Dillan. "I been assumin' past, but it could just be some random generic Umral Place." He takes a deep breath. "Anyways. We oughta get goin', here."
Dante says "Bear is a healer. A good spirit. I have a hard time believing his children would be of the Wyrm"
Dillan hmms. "Y'know, I dunno if we're all that far in the past, though. They thought I was dressed wierd and all, but that could just be because they're a bunch of backwater Get. That and they said the Fangs were like relics."
Madeline says "Anyone can be corrupted. Even the Children of Gaia themselves. You can't trust nobody."
Dillan shrugs. "Well, 'till we get up close and personal with the bears ain't nothin' in particular we can say for sure. 'sides they're probably gonna be all paranoid and shit 'cause of the Get."
Dante looks at Maddy, and just suddenly explodes. "Can you shut up? For just a minute? You keep almost getting us killed, with your moronic shit-for-brains, full-moon stupid-ass mouth. Just shut up! You wouldn't know something corrupted if it leapt up and bit you on your ass. Just shut up and wait for someone to point your little brain in the direction we need your claws!"
Dillan laughs so hard that he steps backwards and tumbles over a root that juts from the forest floor. He doesn't seem to mind his suddenly prone position, though, still laughing.
Derrick steps in front of Dante, eyes hard. "Dante, shut _up_. This is _not_ the time to be throwin' fits. It wasn't the time with the Get, either, but it's SURE as hell not the time _now_."
Madeline snarls at Dante. "What the hell's got into you?"
Derrick mumbles to himself, "Well, at least we're not gonna sneak up on 'em..."
Dante's attention is turned to Derrick, now, as he locks eyes with the Fang.
Derrick stares at Dante, angry. "Right. Just what we need right now."
Dante does not look away, snarling.
"Feh," says Derrick, who despite his obvious distaste for a staredown at this particular moment, continues to hold Dante's gaze.
"Fuck's sake." Dillan picks himself up from the floor. "I got a brilliant plan. Dante and Maddy, what say the two of you leave the bitching until after we're rited, then you can yap the hell outta each other until you're pissing yourselves with glee. Until then, let's concentrate on what we're doing."
Dante finally, looks down and away, sighing.
Derrick sighs. "Yeah, Dillan, I'm all for it. Dante - Sorry I yelled quite so hard. 'Kay, guys... We gonna try t'talk to a bear-guy now?"
Dante kicks the dirt.
Dillan crosses his arms. "I sure hope so."
Madeline says "Damn straight."
Dante mutters something not too nice under his breath.
Dusty has disconnected.
From afar, to Timothy, Dillan, Scarface, Madeline, Eric, and Derrick, Dante wonders when his sweet little Child of Gaia became such an ass...
Derrick sighs. "Hokay. C'mon." He marches towards the cave his nose figured as a reasonable one, earlier, flag waving.

 [I made a white flag. To parley with.]

The cave Derrick's picked as a likely one shows sign of recent usage. There, the ground is scuffed at the entrance, and what looks like a bear's pawprint can be seen cleanly at one point. From within there is little sound, and the Garou can reach as far as the cave's opening without any visible response from within.
Dillan uhms. "What now?"
Madeline says "Now, we gotta get their attention."
Dante says "We ask if Pooh is in, say it's Piglet to see him."
Derrick checks off a list. "We could a) yell and try and wake him up, b) go in a bit and then have Maddy turn herself on, or c) go home. Any other suggestions?
You say "Er, I meant her Gift."
Eric pages everyone: Oh, I liked that suggestion better the other way, Derrick!
Eric pages everyone: Eric | "Honey, there's a human female feeling herself up outside the cave!"
Dante says "I think we should just wake him up. Better than invading his lair. If anyone cares."
Madeline says "Well, there ain't a doorbell."
Dillan shrugs. "I'm good at getting attention. Let's just scream and shit."
You say "Mmm. Yeah. Hopefully not too loudly, though. Wouldn't want him waking up _too_ quickly. He could hit something by accident. Like us."
Dante goes to the mouth of the cave, and fakes a French accent. "Allo? Anybody Home?"
Derrick yells, in a Dennis the Menace voice, "Hey Mister Bear sir!"
@doing Less doubtful, now.
Dillan furrows his brow. "Mister Bear Sir?" He shakes his head. "Not what I had in mind. Maybe mention that we're not here to kick any asses."
Derrick motions to Dillan to go ahead. "The more the merrier." He does, however, yell "Parley!" at the cave.
Dillan says "I'll pass. I just realized they probably wouldn't understand a thing I said at 'em."
Derrick says, tensely, "In English or in spirit speak?"
Dante says, in Spanish, "Any bears in there that we can talk to?"
Dante turns back to the pack. "I'm going to guess there is little chance any of them speak Zuni or Navajo. I wish my mom were here, she speaks Middle German."
Comprehension or not, the sounds from the front cave have attracted the attention of those within. There is a growl from inside, amplified in the confines of the cave, and then the massive form of a grizzly moves to fill the space of the cave's opening. He stands on all four legs now, clearing over three feet at the shoulders, and easily doubling the heaviest homid cub in weight.
Dillan sighs, and shouts out in the spirit tongue, although to the others it sounds like english. Well, like Dillan's version of english. *Yo, homebears? Y'all kickin' it in the place? Wakey-wakey, peace 'n stuff.*
Dillan quickly lifts both hands, palms forward and open. No weapons.
Dante does his best Fianna impersonation upon the sight of the bear. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph... it's frickin' huge."
Derrick waves his white flag, forlornly. "Sir? I don't know if you can understand us, but we're here to parley..."
From behind the group comes the sounds of something very heavy moving around.
Dillan lifts his hands even higher. "Yo, yo, yo. No troubles, nooo troubles. Y'all just chill and we'll chit-chat a bit." He doesn't have to turn around to guess what's there.
Madeline turns around quickly, to look for the noise, looking very nervous.
Derrick pales.
The bear in the cave advances a step but then halts, as one guarding territory rather than one immediately attacking. Then again, maybe he's just creating a diversion. The bear rumbles something and continues to regard the odd assortment of humans arrayed in front of him.
Dillan moves his hands very slowly, making the time-out symbol above his head. *Hello?* he asks, very quiet.
Derrick says, carefully, "Ok, so we're talkin', here. Are we having a conversation, or am I imagining things, Mr. Gurahl?"
Broken Stone looms out from the shadows behind the first bear, while the Garou cubs seek the source of the noise in the brush. This darker brown bear is at least as large as the first. His movements are ragged as he limps on his front paw, but the thick muscles braiding his body don't make his injury seem all that debilitating
The source of the noise soon becomes apparent. A third creature seems to call this area home, a creature which begins making its way toward the five Garou. This thing can only be a Gurahl in Crinos form. It looks like one might expect, a cross between a human and a bear. Unlike Garou, however, this creature is nearly twenty feet tall.
"Okay, okay, okay," Dillan repeats, hands still over his head, signaling fora time out. "You're all big and nasty and can crush us. Any chance of getting a word out of you?"
The lead bear's nostrils flare as it scents, drawing the moment out long enough for the third Gurahl to arrive. Though outnumbered, the bears certainly do not seem the ones with cause to worry at the moment. *Why do you come here?* the first bear asks Dillan, almost as in challenge.
Derrick takes a quick look at the Crinosed Gurahl, gulps, and turns back to the first Gurahl. "Ok. Quicklike. I'm Derrick Herr. Falconwing. Silver Fang Ragabash. We're here to try and wrestle some sort of peace between you and the Get, and turn the fight back to the _real_ enemy. Wyrm."
Broken Stone rumbles something to the first bear, the deep-chested growl sounding more like a freight train than any wolf noise the cubs have heard.
Dillan blinks. *You can hear me?*
Dillan corrects himself, *Well, obviously you can hear me, but like, do you understand what I'm sayin'? Or am I wasting my time here?" He looks over at Derrick, hopefully.
Derrick shrugs. "He talked to you, not me. Go for it."
Madeline says "Gimme a warning if it's not goin' well, too."
The first bear rumbles must be a response to some question for the other, before turning his full attention on the Shadow Lord. *Why do you come here?* he repeats. The words are easy enough for Dillan to understand, so some sort of communication must be underway.
The Crinos makes its way over toward the small pack, standing as tall as some of the younger trees. It looks down at the group, and by its demeanor, it's not very happy to see them here.
Dante does his best cower.
Dillan finally drops the timeout gesture giving Derrick a thumbs up. *To talk,* he answers, keeping things slow for now. He sorta steps away from the group, towards the first bear. Well, just a bit.
Derrick stands firm, if somewhat nervous.
The lead bear takes a step forward to match Dillan, moving clear of the entrance. *You are not of our kind,* the bear says, slowly. *Yours is not the kind to talk.*
Dillan gulps at the approaching mass of muscle and fur. *I am not of the Get, no.* He gestures, very slowly, at the others, *We are garou, but not from the caern in the woods.*
Derrick suggests quietly, "The words "Peace" and "Cease Fire" might fit somewhere..."
Broken Stone's ponderous limping shuffle brings him out after the first bear, moving to one side as to more or less finish the surround of the small pack. His black eyes weigh the mismatched group of humans carefully.
A low warning rumble emanates from the lead bear, at the mention of their longtime enemy. *This is not a place for you to be. Be glad that no harm has come of yet for your intrusion.*
Dillan ohyeahs at Derrick. *Uhm. We're here peacefully, seeking a cease of hostilities...* He looks again at Derrick, in a 'what now?' kinda way. *Well, maybe it's time for change?* He's pulling at straws, here.
As the Crinos Gurahl draws nearer, the Garou can see that he, too, has been wounded in this war. Large, jagged scars are prominent on one side, just above his waist, and he is missing a finger on that hand. He bellows something, apparently directed at the lead bear.
You say "Ahem. Common enemy. Shouldn't fight against each other when there's Wyrm stuff right near."
Dante says "Tell 'em we think the Get are morons."
Broken Stone shifts into crinos form.
You say "Oh, and that the Wyrm Dancers caused this present war."
Broken Stone's body expands to an unbelievable girth, even for the Garou that are used to their own shifting. The bear growls something back to the first crinos and moves to his hind legs, seemingly answering him. The nearby pine shudders as some branches get caught on his shoulders.
Madeline gets very edgy, as the Gurahl all go to Crinos.
Dillan nods at all the suggestions. "Riiight." *Uh,* he continues, *The Get are... less than cunning.* He pauses as the gurahl shift, suddenly very edgy, *Hold it! The wyrm-dancers are responsible for this war!*
Derrick mumbles, "Note to myself; less euphemistic."
Derrick fights to remain standing semi-confidently.
The nine-figured Gurahl sends another growl directed at the leader.
The one bear still clings to his natural form, though the size and bulk of his form is reassuring only in contrast to the crinos forms of the other two. Grudging restraint marks his movements as he shifts slightly, weighing the words of the other Gurahl before speaking. *What proof do you have of this? We have little cause to believe any of your kind.*
Broken Stone gives a sudden 'whoof', lowering his body again to peer at Derrick. He continues to rumble to the others.
Dillan lifts a finger, to the gurahl, turning to his packmates. "Yo, Dusty, any idea if we could still find those Dancer corpses?" He gestures for a quick answer.
Dusty reminds Dillan that the heads are at the caern.
From afar, Timothy shares some of the conversation you can't follow: Broken Stone seems amused. They cannot be Get. This one looks like he will fall over if I blow hard.
Dillan mumbles through his teeth "We can't exactly sneak off with 'em. The corpses oughtta be out in the forest somewhere, right?"
Dante says "Never leave home without the Dancer heads."
Dusty shrugs. "We didn't move them, anyway."
You say "Also, the Pool was Tainted. These guys aren't."
You say "If that makes any difference."
Dillan turns back to the bears, deciding to answer as quickly as possible. *There should be a pair of dancer corpses in the forest, where we did battle just one sun ago.*
Madeline says "I got a claw, from one of 'em."
The Gurahl continue to speak to their leader in their own language.
Dillan jerks a thumb at Madeline. *There, she has a claw. That should be enough proof to at least check for the corpses. Can any of you sense the wyrm?*
Dante holds his head in his hands.
The leader rumbles deeply to the other two, and this time swings a paw to gesture toward Dillan as he speaks.
Broken Stone listens, quiet for now.
Dillan uhm.
Madeline says "Are you sure we can even reason with these fellas?"
The Gurahl nearest the group looks over at Madeline, the only female, and holds one enourmous hand out, expectantly.
Madeline looks confused. "What's he want now?"
You say "The Spiral Claw."
Madeline nods. "Oh, yeah." She sets the claw in the massive paw in front of her.
The creature takes the claw and tosses it toward the lead Gurahl.
Dillan very slowly wipes his forehead, doing his best to not tremble.
The leader swipes a paw up to catch the claw, in one smooth and fluid motion, and quickly lets it fall to some spot on the ground in front of him. Once again the Gurahl's nostril's flare as he snuffles at the object. Afterwards, he rumbles again to the others.
Derrick scuffles his toe in the ground, nervously.
Timothy pages: In your favor, we're commenting on how you seem too weak and clueless to be setting up a trap for the Gurahl. :)
Broken Stone yawns hugely, then rumbles back. The sight of his teeth, and the jaws gaping wide enough to bite of a Garou head like a gingerbread man, do nothing to reasure.
Dillan taps his fingers together, waiting curiously. Finally, he asks, *Well?*
The lead bear brings one heavy paw down on the claw. Madeline, it seems, has lost possession of her 'treasure'. *Show us where these bodies are, then. If you speak the truth, then we will talk.*
Dillan nods to the gurahl, turning to Dusty and Madeline. "'k, we were at that pool, then Wyrm-Crusher found the bodies... then we followed the trail to the garou. Either of you think you can find it again?"
You say "I bet they're still reekin' of Wyrm taint?"
Dante is still quiet and perfectly still.