From the howls of Dana Truth -Seeker;

This story is true. Listen, spirits and brothers, to a tale of spiritual bargains and sacred duties.

Long gone are the days of Pangaea, days when men and spirits lived side by side with mighty Father Wolf patrolling the Border Marches. The hunting grounds of that ancient paradise are lost to memory and song. With the raising of the Gauntlet between the realms, the balance of the worlds forever changed. These days we must work hard to guard those precious loci where the Gauntlet is thin and maintain vigilance against hostile spirits who would pervert the natural order.

Humanity remains blind to the spiritual reflection of their world, ignorant to the spirits who guide, feed and are formed by their thoughts and actions. But we are Uratha, werewolves of flesh and spirit. We can see the spirits hiding in the Twilight places. We can step sideways to hunt in the Shadow Realm itself. The pack and tribal totems we follow, the Gifts and Rites we use, the fetishes and klaives we wield in battle - all that we are revolves around the spiritual world.

We had proved mastery of skills in the physical world. It was time for Danny and I to extend our education. We gathered once more in the boardroom of the Argentum Building, around the great table and its store of unbroken contracts. It's appropriate that someone with Max Roman's ideals should base his pack around a locus resonant with the energies of co-operation. Andrea would be our guide again, the young Ithaeur already wise in spiritual affairs.

Heightened sight, hearing and smell are the obvious enhancements of werewolf senses, but our perceptions go beyond the merely physical. The presence of a locus starts as a tantalizing flicker at the edge of your mind, a background melody that drifts through your soul. Blot out distractions, open your mind to that melody and it can draw you closer to its heart, the focal point of Essence attuned to its nature. Look beyond material surroundings, let your eyes follow the Essence flow through the Gauntlet and it's possible to glimpse the world's reflection. Even at a strong locus the vision across the veil is blurred and indistinct, but it can be enough to gain an impression of the local Shadow Realm - clues to prevailing emotions, hints of the dominant spirits, warnings of nearby danger.

Glimpsing the Shadow Realm is not such a hard trick, but sometimes we must take our bodies into the spiritual world, cross the Gauntlet and hunt on the other side. It is not an easy thing to do and not wise to attempt without reason. I had stumbled into the spirit wilds during the turmoil of my First Change, but had not passed its boundaries since. We call it 'stepping sideways‘, but it is difficult to accurately describe the process of moving from one world to another. Have you ever stared at a picture of two faces to suddenly realise that you're looking at a candlestick? Or watched the clouds and spotted familiar faces and landscapes? Now do the same thing, but with your whole being - shift your point of view, tilt your concepts of real and imagined. With Andrea's words steering our efforts, Danny and I let our ephemeral natures come to the fore, fading through the Gauntlet and entering the Shadow Realm.

We were still in the Argentum Building, still standing beside the boardroom table. But this was the Argentum Building of the Shadow Realm - the spiritual concept of the thing, not the thing itself. Shockingly, the walls and floors of the building gleamed of silver - doing us no harm, but a disturbing environment for werewolves to claim. Argent Peregrine, the pack's totem, stood at the head of the table with shining wings outspread. Sparkling streams of Essence pooled around the locus, attracting small spirits of Teamwork, Efficiency and Trust, their beneficial presence apparently tolerated by the pack.

Andrea led us down through the building and into the surreal streets outside. Now we were in the Denver downtown district of the Shadow Realm - the spiritual concept of the thing, not the thing itself. Do eyes really 'see' when they are not in the physical world? Do ears truly 'hear' or noses 'smell'? Or does our Uratha brain conjure familiar sights, sounds and scents to interpret abstract ideas, thoughts and emotions? The Shadow city had its own streets, buildings, streetlights and power lines. Some landmarks were familiar and recognisable, others were twisted parodies of their real world counterparts, still others were insubstantial echoes with no apparent spiritual mass.

The landscape of the Shadow Realm had enough familiar elements to comprehend it for what it was, but the residents of that world - the spirits themselves - understanding their natures remains a challenge for even the most experienced Bone Shadows. Andrea did her best to explain: Objects or actions with significance in the physical world can give birth to living entities in the spirit world; thoughts and emotions directed towards or invested in those objects promotes the flow of Essence with a similar nature; spirits feed on that Essence or on weaker members of their own kind and so grow stronger; by reaching its influence back into the physical world, a strong spirit can encourage actions or thoughts which create more Essence or birth further spirits; and so the cycle continues. We passed down the street and she pointed an illustration - a solitary tree spirit stood in a cafe courtyard, consuming lesser plant motes drifting around its roots and nurturing the flow of restful Essence from the patron's sheltering beneath its boughs in the physical world.

Rarely do things proceed so simply. Many spirits are greedy and callous, seizing all the Essence they can manage at the expense of weaker spirits or our precious loci. Humanity is adept at birthing negative emotions of pain, hatred and anger; the influence of such spirits can quickly degenerate into a downwards spiral that devastates both sides of the Gauntlet if left unchecked. Worse still are those spirits that defy the division of the two worlds, invading the physical realm to steal human bodies, creating the Ridden - human / spirit hybrids that seldom lead to anything but trouble.

And so our Tribes swear the Oath of the Moon, vows to uphold Father Wolf's ancient duty to keep the spirits in check and maintain the balance of both worlds. Our task today was to deal with the local spirits, to earn the right to demand Gifts to aid our future duties ...

From words carried by Luna's Choir of Secrets;

Hirfathra Hissu mentor guided Cahalith and Elodoth charges through the Hisil's daunting streets. With cautious Cunning they crept from pack's safe refuge to disputed grounds at territory's edge. No veteran alphas were these three pups - spirits would not be cowed by those of low renown.

The Hiribanu - sharp blades spawned by gurihal’s gangs - jealously guarded alleys marked by graffiti’s mystic runes of affiliation and worship. Intruders were not welcome here. Steel limbs gleamed in threat as spirits moved to block Uratha's path.

Elodoth roared, but hiribanu were many and would not be denied. Battle was joined - teeth and claw and klaive clashing with edge and point of deadly knives. Fierce was the conflict, but Glory went to the wolves. With Gauru Rage unleashed, spirits' corpus fell away. Battered remnants fled, proud howls of victory echoing in their wake.

Uratha's journey continued through the untamed gifala, taking them to placid row on row of humanity’s unvaried homes. Between family residences and green field parks, roamed Ilzulamesh - great Gaffling of Domestic Pets. Fat on motes of Dog and Cat, Hamster and Rabbit, trailing lesser spirits of Affection, Companionship and Loyalty, Ilzulamesh roamed his small domain.

"There he is," came Andrea Nation Song’s whispered words, "Ilzulamesh knows some useful Gifts - if you can get him to share them."

"How do we do that?" young Cahalith was keen to learn from Wiser mind.

The Hirfathra Hissu gave only secretive shrug, "That's up to you. Some spirits only submit beneath our claws, others can be persuaded or bribed with Essence or by services." A grin and wink were sent Elodoth's way, "Luckily our Spirit Envoys are skilled at negotiating Honourable bargains."

Elodoth's eyes had been fixed on chosen Gaffling, auspice's blessing lending insight - sensing the spirit's nature, tasting the resonance of its presence. Boldly he stepped forward, drawing nearer with soft words of greeting. Coaxing words continued as Elodoth crouched, hand extended with tempting offering of ulal. The spirit cocked its head, ears twitching. It padded carefully across and sniffed at proffered gift.

"Good boy. You like that, don't you?" The ulal was accepted and Elodoth scratched at Gaffling's head, the spirit's nature responding in kind to freely given friendship.

"Why are you here, Forsaken?" initial welcome had been won, but Ilzulamesh remained suspicious of Uratha motives.

"We seek your knowledge. Gifts to aid our duties."

The spirit snarled and backed away, "I will not be bought so cheaply. You think my secrets will be yours for so low a price?"

"Easy, now," placated Elodoth, "We wouldn't insult you like that. Give us a chance and we'll earn your respect and the right to learn your Gifts. Tell us what chiminage we can offer as fair payment."

The spirit considered. There was one service on its mind, a task well-suited to werewolf claws, "Very well, Forsaken. A Magath dwells nearby - a corruption of Poverty and Plastic which threatens my home. Show me you can do your duty. Rid me of its presence and I will share my tricks."

The terms were soon agreed. With senses focused on new prey, the three Uratha left and took up their hunt once more.

From the howls of Dana Truth -Seeker;

... Few spirits acknowledge our right to continue the work of our mighty ancestor. More experienced lore masters than I claim that some of the ancient spirits still remember the death of Father Wolf and hate us because of it. Other spirits look only upon the flesh-side of our lives and say we have no authority to meddle in spiritual affairs. For many, their resentment is merely the jealousy and antagonism shown towards any powerful predator capable of threatening their own selfish goals and desires.

So how do we deal with these stubborn and mysterious denizens of the Shadow Realm? There are probably as many answers to that question as there are spirits themselves. To be sure, our claws and teeth are the quickest way to tame the most obstinate and dangerous foes, but this is not always the best solution. It is difficult to completely destroy a spirit - they can be put down for a while, but often reform again from the very thing which spawned them in the first place. And the physical realm unknowingly relies on its Shadow counterparts. Destroying every spirit that opposed us would soon lead to a cold and bleak world with no soul or energy.

Like it or not, we must often find other ways to interact with the spirits - bargain with them to mutual advantage, intimidate them through displays of strength, impress them with accounts of past deeds, or study their natures to exploit their bans and self-imposed rules. This is no easy task, but it will be a vital part of Danny and my roles in any future pack. Those born under the Half Moon, Elodoth like Danny, have insight to understand the hidden spirit half of the world as easily as they comprehend the more familiar physical half. The Bone Shadows, the Tribe that I wish to follow, gain their great knowledge through pursuit of the deeper secrets of the most powerful spirits.

The spirit we were taken to meet, Ilzulamesh, was fairly easy to appease. An offering of friendship and Essence gained his attention. I suspect that Andrea brought us to him because of his simple needs and tranquil nature. We could easily have bested this spirit in combat and demanded that he surrender knowledge of his Gifts, but Danny showed greater Honour than that. He spoke to Ilzulamesh and learned of another, more dangerous spirit that roamed nearby - a spirit that was consuming without restraint and which threatened the fragile balance of the local area. We would receive the rewards we desired if we took action to get rid of this threat.

Normally I would be hesitant to get involved in the politics of spirit rivalries, but in this case the opposition was a Magath - a perverted corruption that should never have existed in the first place. Understanding why goes back to the explanation of the resonance of Essence flow: ‘Normal’ spirits will only feed on energy similar to their own natures. There may be some room for evolution or variation to a degree - a spirit of Eagles may feed on the Essence of any Birds of Prey or even on the concepts of Pride and Freedom, but a Magath respects no limits. They end up as bizarre monstrosities with no reflection in the physical world and hated or feared by the rest of spirit kind.

Maybe even the Magath obey bans and behaviours that make sense to their own twisted minds, but Andrea could offer no suggestions and Danny and I didn’t have time to investigate this specimen. Most spirits have unusual visual forms and it’s always a mistake to judge them by appearances, but I found myself repulsed and loathing the very sight of our prey when we crossed its path. Its skeletal body was vaguely humanoid, with long talons and protruding, elongated bones, but the thing looked to be moulded from a shiny, oozing plastic. Its limbs seemed to flow from one position to the next with a grotesque fluidity that suggested it remained in this form only as long as it remembered to hold some semblance of its original shape. I could understand the Shadow Realm’s rejection of these crossbreeds and was glad for the confrontation which followed.

We had intended negotiating with the creature, hoping to force it away through intimidation or threats, but we never got the chance. As soon as it witnessed our approach, the Magath screamed and showered us with a torrent of razor thin shards of plastic, narrow slivers that separated from its body and flew towards us. These were no warning shots. After its opening salvo, the spirit charged in and struck with its long talons. The damn thing was dealing out cuts and gashes almost faster than our bodies could heal. In the end it took the strength of both Danny and me in Gauru form to rip it apart. The skeletal body peeled away into long plastic strips that collapsed in on themselves before seeming to melt into the ground.

There was no way to be sure that the Magath had been completely destroyed. Most likely it was lying in a comatose slumber somewhere while it recovered enough strength to become active again. However Ilzulamesh was satisfied with the outcome - to his mind we had kept our agreement. (To his credit, Danny returned several times over the next few weeks to look for the Magath’s return, but it never reappeared. Perhaps it really had been destroyed or it moved to safer grounds when it had reformed. It may even have fallen victim to other spirits as it lay in a weakened state). Ilzulamesh honoured his side of the bargain. He rewarded us with Gifts in keeping with our auspices - to me the ability to track my packmates though distance or foes keep us apart; to Danny the ability to judge falsehoods and deceit in those he deals with.

None of us will ever learn all there is to know about the spirits of the Shadow Realm, but Danny and I had made a start. For me, it was enough to confirm my desire to seek membership of the Bone Shadows Tribe - I want to win more Gifts, to learn the secrets of more powerful Rites. The flow of Essence is an intoxicating rush of power and I dearly want to experience its greatest heights.