W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

CLAN NAMESAjaba clans traditionally did not namethemselves descriptively. Since interaction withthose outside of one’s clan was limited (and oftenhostile), each clan’s name tended to be some versionof “us”: “the people”, “all who belong”, “theones who live here”.Their names for other clans were more descriptive— although often insulting — and itis those “names given by outsiders” that others,including the Garou and European traders, cameto know each clan. Thus, historically, some Ajabaclans have been recorded as “Butterfly Clan”(meaning brightly painted, but harmless), “OldMan Clan” (a particular insult to the matriarchalAjaba), and “Clan That Eats Grubs” (implyingthat they are poor hunters).In days gone by, these groups would not havecalled themselves by these names. In moderntimes, however, some Ajaba packs (and neo-clans)have taken to naming themselves in this fashionas both a touchstone to earlier days, and as a wayof thumbing their nose at those who would tryto insult them.Other modern Ajaba groups simply namethemselves after their war-leader: Kisasi’s Clan,for example, or Sankau’s Pack. This is especiallycommon in those Ajaba groups that have managedto find a way to maintain their ties to theirhyena Kin, as opposed to those who have beenpushed into urban survivalism by the Simba’smystical wards around their traditional territories.ish those who break the rules — but rarely with death.Strong adults protect breeding females and their younguntil they are able to defend themselves. There are toofew Ajaba to risk thinning the Breed further before theFinal Battles. Those who remain do everything they canto sustain and increase their numbers.Running in the DarkDesperate times call for desperate measures. Werehyenasare pack hunters, surviving better in a group thanon their own. Denied the support of their own kind sincethe massacre, some Ajaba have ingratiated themselvesinto (or taken control of) other pack-like groups.Human gangs hunting the seedy underbelly of Mumbai.Ronin Garou — or Black Spiral Dancers — willingto accept another canid amongst their numbers. Terroristfactions in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Bastetdiscontent with Black Tooth’s tyranny. Feral vampires andtheir minions. Mixed Breed packs made up of those whoare escaping from (or have been run out of) their own kind.Survival of the fittest is old hat to the cullers of theSerengeti. Their numbers may be sparse, but opportunitiesabound for those who are strong — and desperate— enough to do what it takes to survive.MatriarchyHistorically, Ajaba society was fiercely matriarchal.Like their hyena Kin, females traditionally served as eachpack’s leaders and their most capable warriors. Even amongtheir human tribesmen, until the arrival of Europeaninfluences, women held stronger roles in the mythology,politics, and daily life of the people than men did.For males born within an Ajaba pack, this meantwalking a difficult road. Male cubs who survived toadulthood were pushed out of the pack soon thereafter.Some formed bachelor packs, hunting as a small groupto survive, or changed clans in hopes of finding bettertreatment away from their female relatives.Most, however, joined up with another pack-groupwithin the clan, where they would begin a new life asthe lowest-of-the low. Adult males in Ajaba packs atelast, were physically bullied, and denied breeding rights,until they’d proven themselves through a lengthy periodof initiation. While cruel, this was vital to the growthand strength of each Ajaba clan. It not only ensured thatonly males who were both strong and committed to theclan’s way of life would go on to sire offspring, but alsoascertained genetic diversity by encouraging males tomove outside of their family groups to find mates.After the massacre, the Ajaba mostly abandonedtheir traditional roles in their desperate need to survive.Females still tend to take dominant roles in Ajaba-onlypacks. But solitary Ajaba male survivors often foundtheir own packs, filling out their roster with humans(or hyenas) when other Ajaba or Kin are not available.There is no real set structure currently within Ajabasociety. Some packs are reaching out to each other, in hopesof rebuilding old clans. But there are still too few Ajabato accomplish that goal, and the Simba poise, prepared tostrike should any clan grow large enough to be noticed.Kisasi and the AhadiIn the wake of Black Tooth’s massacre, the Ajabaspent decades frantically scrambling to avoid utter annihilationat the hands of the Endless Storm. Recently,a young Maasai woman by the name of Kisasi wentAJABA45