W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

AnanasiTo the extent that the Ananasi were involved in thestrike against Black Tooth, it was only because the Hatardecided that it was time to remove him from the world.In the wake of the tyrant Simba’s death, the Ananasicontinue to keep their own counsel and tend to theirduties. This can sometimes bring them into conflict withthe Ahadi, particularly the Hatar. They see no reasonto share details of what they're doing and why with theother Changing Breeds, and they're generally againstaccepting the Ahadi Code. On the other hand, the Ananasidon't actively oppose the Ahadi, in general — theytry to avoid confrontation through subtlety where theycan, and when that doesn't work they fight suddenly andswiftly then get on with life. Mostly, the Ananasi wantto carry out the bidding of their Queen without gettinginvolved in the Ahadi’s affairs.That said, a very small number of Ananasi, mostlyKumoti, have taken advantage of the Ahadi’s open-doorpolicy and undertaken the Dawning Ritual. QueenAnanasa has, after all, in no way forbidden workingwith the Ahadi, and these young werespiders feel thatthe diverse talents of the Ovid will help them carry outtheir own duties more effectively. These werespidersquickly learn to mouth the appropriate platitudes aboutloyalty to Gaia and universal opposition to the Wyrm tokeep the other members of their kganmadi happy, andneglect to explain the deeper complexities of Ananasicosmology and purpose. It’s not something their packmatesneed to knowBastetThe Bastet, as always, react as individuals. Lonersby nature, many Bubasti, Bagheera, and Swara see noattraction in joining a kganmadi, and so steer clearof the wide-eyed idealists of the Ahadi. Other, moreopportunistic werecats have undergone the DawningRitual and pledged themselves to the Ahadi, while notjoining a kganmadi themselves. The Ahadi touches onthe curiosity of the Bastet, and many are willing to atleast provisionally join, if only to learn the secrets of theDawning Ritual. What if the Ahadi isn’t just a doomedidea? What if it isn’t a flash in the pan? How shameful,to be present at the founding of such a mad and beautifulidea without at least touching a paw to it!Other Bastet are more wary of the Ahadi. It demandspeace and co-operation, which are already tall orders forthe Fera. What might it demand tomorrow? These Bastetfear anything that would restrict their freedom or trapthem in obligations. Gaia trusted them to work alone,according to their own cunning and discretion — whoare the Ahadi to question that?THE SWARAThe formation of the Ahadi fostered resistanceamong many of the African ChangingBreeds, but he Swara have become one of theirstrongest political adversaries. Normally silent,the werecheetahs have been openly critical ofthe Ahadi. For one, the Swara were instrumentalin pushing for patience — if not peace — amongthose militant Mokolé who would to fight toprevent kganmadi using their holy sites. Peace inAfrica, the Swara claim, is not the sole provinceof the Ahadi.While promoting peace as an act of resistance,the Swara also express serious concernthat integrating the Changing Breeds will destroythem. One Swara elder surmised that while theAhadi’s mixed packs could, for example, replicatethe Ajaba for a time, one group of Fera takingup the role of another had a fatal flaw. If theAhadi’s Ajaba learned the ways and roles of aCorax while the remaining Ajaba died fightingthe Wyrm, the werehyenas traditions and wayswould go with them. In such a way, the Swarawarned, could the Changing Breeds speed theirway toward extinction — dying out not in fleshbut in spirit.And, of course, a minority of Bastet join a kganmadiand stay with it. They see no conflict in doing so —where else could they possibly be that could have morewonderful things to teach them than in the midst of somany different Changing Breeds?The Simba have their own take on the Ahadi. Whilethe idea of running in a pride isn’t as alien to them as itis to their fellow werecats, they have their own issues.It’s difficult for any Simba to ignore the fact that theAhadi founded to hunt and kill one of their heroes. Ahero who had fallen into the arms of the Wyrm by manyaccounts, yes — but who can trust the judgment of outsiders?What gives them the right to judge? The survivingmembers of Black Tooth’s regime have little difficultyfinding support and safe havens among the ranks of theSimba, who rankle at submitting any of their tribe to theauthority of the Ajaba. Africa was troubled under BlackTooth, but what part of the world is not in these daysof looming Apocalypse? Under Black Tooth, the Simbaruled. Are they now to bow before those weaker thanAPPENDIX ONE: THE AHADI259