You conduct a quick search of the horse-thing's tack, but you're no equestrian, and it's hard to find anything useful among the fast-freezing pink gore. So it's time to check the man.
You move carefully among the black trees, and while the dim moonlight makes it hard to see, it's hard to ignore the dead man's evacuated-bowel smell. You soon find the corpse.
Despite the stink, the flies are all dead. You gingerly inspect the rider's equipment. The ruggedized tablet is a sticky nightmare, and it doesn't turn on. You set it aside and inspect the rest of his gear.
Knife: USMC KA-BAR, favored by paramilitary geeks all over the US. The snow goggles look military grade, too, and SNOWHAWK is etched across the top. The balaclava…the throat…someone just slit this man's throat.
You didn't do that.
"Why do I have to do your work?" a voice says behind you.
One of Clay's pack, the galliard: Scarper. He flicks a knife back and forth in front of your face. The two other Garou lurk in the darkness nearby, nothing but wolf-shaped shadows.
"Back off before you look like him, Scarper!" I snap at Scarper with my huge teeth.
"Put that knife away and help me search the body." If we can learn who this rider was, we can learn where he came from.
I keep searching, looking for something that will help me warn people, if there are more of these things.
I grudgingly step back. The Litany has truly failed, if all Scarper wants to do is wave that knife around and threaten me when we still have work.
Next
Ignoring the old galliard, you kneel down and examine the corpse. If the Bane had other servants like this, people in town might be in danger. And though you and Scarper don't exactly get along, he knows more than anyone about how to protect people without letting them know he's there.
He just doesn't like to do it.
"Stop digging around, idiot," Scarper says. "You think you're actually going to learn something useful? I already had to do all the hard work here—you think you're going to impress Clay with this?" Before you can speak, you hear Clay moving through the woods. You spot him as he kneels down in front of the horse-thing and starts to feed.
"Clay tasked me with destroying the Bane. It's down below, dead."
"I'm not interested in your riddles, Scarper. Say what you mean."
"We're not done yet. People might be in danger if there are more Banes in town like this one. We need to investigate."
"I did what you demanded. Now you must acknowledge what I have earned." I am no longer a "pup" or a "cub." In victory, I am Garou.
"I've put up with your shit for almost three years. I did what you demanded, but I won't listen to your insults."
"From what I know of Banes, killing the host body might not be enough. Should we look for signs that it escaped into the spirit world?"
Next