concepts - perhaps not very well, but the jump One point of pride among the Talons is that they don’t bicker over leadership - the fittest wolf leads and that’s it. In a multi-tribal pack, the Talon may feel he’s the best leader, but some of us other Garou might have other ideas. That’s exactly what happened in my first pack (one Red Talon, two Shadow Lords, one Silver Fang, and one Fenrir) . The Red Talon (Snow Runner, whom I’ve mentioned) felt that she should be pack leader because she was the Ahroun. The Silver Fang, who happened to be a Philodox, felt he should lead by dint of his tribe. The Get, thank Gaia, was a Theurge who knew her own limitations and admitted that she wasn’t suited for leadership, and neither me nor my tribemate (our Ragabash) wanted to get between the two contenders. We all figured a good challenge was forthcoming. But it didn’t fall out like we’d been taught. Snow Runner didn’t say, “I challenge you for leadership of this pack” or anything. She just said, Y’m alpha” and acted all dominant-like. The Silver Fang, steeped in his tribe’s traditions since he could walk, got confused, and then said, “I accept your challenge.” Snow Runner didn’t even know she’d issued one. They finally got around to fighting it out, Snow Runner won, and we all were a happy pack until my screw-up killed everyone but the Fenrir and me. But it served as a good example, in retrospect, of how the Talons behave - they expect the leadership issue to be a given, not something to fight over. I’ve also heard of packs in which the Talon is not a leader and knows it, but feels that the Garou who assumes leadership isn’t the best choice, either. If the Talon happens to be a No-Moon, he might be able to make his concerns known, but otherwise, he usually just swallows his concerns. This isn’t good, though, as the “imbalance” in the pack weighs on the Talon and distracts him. There’s really not much to be done - after all, there’s more involved in pack leadership than simple strength or pedigree, especially in modem times where street sawy and diplomacy play such a role. But this does help to explain why the Talons are so keen to take breaks from their duties and visit their home septs - things make sense there. assume Homid form for the first time, and a pre-teen hanging out with a bunch of rough-looking folks (especially since those folks tend to make the decent people nervous) may attract attention. Even if that’s not an issue, the Talon has some pretty serious problems. He’s not used to not being able to smell everything in a quarter-mile radius and that’s a bit like walking around wearing blinders. He’s not used to having thought outweigh instinct - but it happens while wearing the Homid form. Clothes aren’t usually too big of a hurdle, despite what you might think. The Talon discovers quickly that not wearing them leaves him cold, although modesty doesn’t come easily (I’ve heard of one pack that had to get its Talon to wear sweats because he refused to zip or button any other kind of pants, claiming that “it didn’t fit.” It’s enough to make a guy feel inadequate.. .). Language can be a bitch, especially if the Talon needs to learn English, which is a royal pain to learn except by immersion. Of course, all Garou speak the Garou tongue, but it doesn’t sound like a language to a casual observer, and then we’re back to the “Why are those scary people growling at each other?” issue. On that topic, Red Talons bok scary in Homid form, and it’s not just the Curse. They tend to hunch over, lope when they walk, and watch people just a little too closely. They look wild, which only makes sense, but it means that a pack with a Talon member should consider a hood or a hat (it’ll help, if only a little). Really, though, as long as the Talon doesn’t actively resist learning about human practices, he’ll figure it out. That doesn’t mean he’ll like it. That just means that he’ll be able to “play human” without endangering his pack, which is the motivation that drives most Talons to make the attempt at all. Given about six months ofoccasional practice, Snow Runner spoke conversational English and could dress, eat, walk, and even dance like a human woman. But it’s the psychological changes that really throw the Talons for a loop. The biggest one has to do with asking ‘Why!,, Wolves in the wild don’t consider reasons for events. They have a glimmer of understanding of “cause and effect”, but it’s on such a basic level that it’s more part of instinct than anything else. When a Talon undergoes his First Change, he suddenly finds himself able to ask questions and understand abstract concepts - perhaps not very well, but the jump between “basic comprehension” and “none at all” is immense. The tribe doesn’t teach the cubs about thinking like this, so a Red Talon who hasn’t had much contact with other tribes (or with homid Garou in particular) is likely to follow orders from a superior D@V@+lrtf Talons do not remain ignorant of human ways for long if they run with a pack that includes homids. When duty calls a pack to even a small city, the Talon can’t exactly wear a leash and pretend to be a setter - the difference between “dog” and “wolf’ is pretty clear (not that many Talons would submit to such treatment anyway). So the Talon has to learn to mimic human behaviors. One problem that faces Talons is that they change young. Most Garou do, of course, but the Rite of Passage also tends to take longer for homids. I’ve heard of Talons resembling thirteen-year-old kids when they T d O H S without question and to react instinctively to any perceived threat. Talons that run with multi-tribal packs, however, learn to ask questions. It’s a hard adjustment, demanding reasons for events when “just because” was once a good enough reason. But if another werewolf, especially one of equal rank, tells a Talon not to chase down a deer when the Talon is hungry, he experiences the odd sensation of questioning. This is different from curiosity, of course. The Talon wants to know why he can’t have what his body says it needs. And the answer, which may range from “Because we’re busy now” to “Because those humans might see you” might not satisfy the Talon. This journey through cause and effect, questioning authority, and not being satisfied with “just because” sorts of answers is an important one, and one that can potentially never end for a Red Talon. If a Talon gets the idea that among other Talons, he doesn’t have to consider such things (that is, it’s only among those crazy homids that you’ll get orders that need to be quew tioned), that’s the end of it. If, however, the Red Talon realizes that he is fully capable of taking whatever data are at hand and drawing conclusions from it, we can say that he’s balanced his wolf and human side. Sounds simple, right? Not really. I’ve been Garou for a few years now. I’ve progressed to the rank of Adren. I’ve hunted on four legs and even masqueraded as a lupus-born Garou, and I can say for certain that the most basic truths of being a wolf (as opposed to a werewolf) still elude me. The Red Talons, more than any other Garou, even other lupus, know these truths from birth. They are more in tune with Gaia’s harmony than any homid Theurge on his best day. The rare Talon who manages to think like a human and feel like wolf is formidable indeed. As you might expect, Ragabash Talons tend to progress to the “why” stage a little faster than others, but even they don’t always progress to the point of seeking out and deducing the answers themselves. That’s very much an individual matter. NLW A Red Talon really has two names. Among Garou, a Talon goes by her deed-name. Usually, this name comes from a Talon’s Rite of Passage or a physical feature about her. Snow Runner, for example, gained her name on her Rite of Passage by running leading hunters away from her sept by running backwards in the snow to disguise her path. Some Talons choose their own “Garou names,” some don’t really care - they consider their howl names to be their only real names. A Talon’s howl name is really more than a howl. It incorporares elements of scent, body language, and Chnpfet-Two: Flesh touch to form a description of the Talon, rather than just an appellation. There’s no way to record it all, which is probably the idea. d6?; I said before that I found it strange, when I initially started my “study” of the wolf tribe, that they didn’t shun the glyph language outright. Imagine my surprise when I heard the stories claiming that the Talons invented it! One of the tales that gets tossed around at Talon moots, in various incarnations, is that a Talon once upon a time slashed something or someone and made the threeeclawed mark that now stages for the Red Talons (and that’s awful close to they glyphs “rage,” “war,” and some other related concepts). All seems rather weird, right, until you consider that the glyphs don’t mean just one thing. Each glyph as it stands is originally descended from an image, not a concept, and that’s how the Talons think. They don’t study the glyph “alphabet.” If they come to a glyph they’ve never seen, they guess. Nine times out of ten, they’ll guess right. A Talon might never learn to read or write any human language, and he’ll probably never use the glyph language to tell a story, but he’ll know how to leave messages, warnings, and basic information with the glyphs. As far as the Talons are concerned, human writing is justa Wyrm/Weaver-cormptedformofglyphs. And who knows? Maybe they’re right. The other tribes sometimes view the Red Talons as the “Ahroun tribe” as well as the “lupus tribe”. But if every Red Talon is a warrior, it’s because every Garou is a warrior. Each of the auspices is given its due credit in the tribe as a whole. new moon, the Tal etc. But they’re Talons through and through. Don’t ever mistake a Talon Philodox’s command of a human language (for example) for “going native.” Even suggesting human sympathies might be seen as a challenge. The Talons recognize the need to act as humans occasionally, just like they recognize the need to defecate. It doesn’t mean they necessarily enjoy it. Under the half moon, the Talons deliberate. Most Talon moots that have a specific purpose (as opposed to moots in honor of a caern’s spirit) are held under the halfemoon. “Invisible Moon” to remind them that the moon is there, but hiding. When no moon shines down on Talon lands, watch out. The Ragabash are the most cunning, sneaky, and stealthy of the Talons, and on their auspice moon, they often patrol the bawn, looking for any interloper foolish enough to trespass. To the Talons, when the moon disappears, it’s time to do the things you wouldn’t want anyone to see. Most of the really brutal attacks on humans take place on the new, not the full moon. to find a Red Talon of the tribe are the ones an-minds,’’ which is frankly a moon the “Listening Moon” because t really get a bead on never see them. They are usually hunting in the Umbra, rooting out any spiritual infestation on their warnings and record teller, and the Talons think this is a good thing. Talon Galliards he moon for the “humanis it. Philodox are pack er, it just means they ir way to kill wayward istake of crossing into who decides if the their ability to move ers in the greatest numbers. They Talons fell in a given battle and bested. They remember the scent n, it’s all about winning,
