The Hounds
of
Hell
The Cerberus Hunter Faction
It's never been a secret that the relationship between the Garou of the Hounds of Hell and their Hunter counterparts has always been strained. Suspicion and mistrust seems to be rife between the two factors.
Beginning back in the starts of the nomadic life of the MC, it was a young man who approached the Hounds that began a series of events that would turn the lives of tens of kinfolk men and women.
'Rory' was a young kinfolk silver fang in search of one of the original members of the MC named Gryffin Grimsbane, another fang but this time a garou and a philodox. 'Rory' quickly became trouble from his sheltered place at the Philodox's side. But during his short time in the ranks of the damaged MC he came into contact with one kinfolk who was to change the face of the Spider's warriors.
Eva Killdare as she was known at the time quickly found her time with Rory showed her a style of life that was to become one of the most important changes of her young life. Both of the kinfolk were young, Eva at 19 years old where Rory was only 17. Both had no idea of the powers they were dealing with. It quickly started to spiral out of control to the horror of those Garou in the Hounds of Hell who could do literally nothing but watch as the two were to come to almost kill each other.
Rory was quickly removed from the group where Eva recovered slowly from a devastated hole that had been punched into her chest by the young Fang. It was a long road of recovery for Eva. But unfortunately it was not meant to be the end. Despite the hopes of some of the garou, it was in fact just the beginning.
Eva's power was fast growing and extremely volatile. At times there was little idea of where Eva was and even who she was with. Over time the number of Hunters within the Hounds of Hell started to grow, even some of their well known kinfolk had started to exhibit symtoms and abilities that were identified as factors of the Spider's influences. It was, to the garou, an infection that was quickly spreading.
Emerson Kent, a fenrir kinfolk, mated to the Alpha Imogen during the time of her leadership had started to show warding capability, but it was a fatal error that would bring the nerves of the Hounds to their knees.
Emerson used his capabilities upon another kinfolk and the circumstances screamed of an affair between the two. Jarl Imogen Ranarson, Kent's wife found out about the activity and the young pregnant Alpha flung into her Crinos form and narrowly missed killing two of the most prominent Ahrouns within the MC. Before she was herself shot down with silver, losing her baby in the process.
Eva stood by her friend but of course with the strong sorrow that was felt by the Hounds, hostility grew towards the Hunters. Emotions were soon to reach fever pitch as one again there were additions to their numbers within the Hounds. Some Garou even started to be suspicious that the Hunters were gathering in order to kill off all of their numbers for darker powers.
Breaking point came quickly after a new family started to interact with Killdare and her growing numbers of training Hunters. Starting off with Gunnar MacManus who was to perhaps have the most intense relationship with Killdare. Gunnar saw the devastation within the Hounds ranks, but he watched in horror as pregnant Killdare would face the judgement of the Philodox Heimdall for crimes of insubordination.
This came after Eva had to make a call that would deface her relationship with her Ahroun husband, Fredrick Mahn. An allied Caern stood baring the battering ram of the Wyrm's forces. Misunderstanding the way the caernhearts worked, Fredrick had decided he wanted the Hounds of Hell to leave, which would make the MC shamed and reviled through the Nation. Eva, Gunnar and Jean Vemoda, a black fury hunter who was a close friend of the two, lead the defense of the caern's sacred heart, barely managing to drive back the banes and spirals that had come to claim it. They had won the battle.. but finally they had lost the War. It was time to leave.
Eva stood before the Hounds of Hell, mid-term through her pregnancy with her and Fredrick's second child. Facing Heimdall she was ordered to be whipped, lashes for her crimes and for the relative problems the Hunters had caused the Hounds of Hell. Many argued the judgement as prejudice and unfounded. Some of the warrior kinfolk standing beside what they termed as their 'Alpha'. Gunnar finally built to snap. Screaming at the Garou to see that they were about the whip a pregnant woman, the garou turned their sneers in his direction and instead of the pregnant kin hunter having the whip turned on her, she was held in place and forced to watch as Gunnar's skin was flayed from his back by the Philodox, Heimdall.
It didn't take long for the enraged Kinfolk and Hunters to pick up and leave.
The Hunters and Kinfolk found themselves a small bar out by the bayous of New Orleans. Lousiana provided them with enough Wyrm activity for them to cut their teeth on.
The Hounds of Hell moved on with their kinfolk but it was to be disasterous for both factions. The Hounds of Hell ended up training around Texas, hunted and dying. Whereas Cerberus started off well. Following Eva as their Alpha they managed to bring an end to several large targets of Wyrm activity. What should have been more and more concerning to the Hunters however was just how quickly their numbers were growing.
Disenfrancised Kinfolk who could no longer take the deemed foolish pride of their Garou partners showed up. Some abuse victims but others just as foolish as the Garou they accused. The bar turned into a free for all. Eva unable to keep her private life with her new born daughter so separate from the Faction she was chosen to lead.
But of course as the same as the Hounds of Hell had faced, the Wyrm always comes when weakness is there. To spread and to build where the darkest of the shadows laid. First is started with a few of the Hunters who wanted to challenge Eva, saying she was neglecting her newborn by taking off on the missions she was. Eva of course acted with hostility. A child she loved and treated with the best she could offer.
Gunnar MacManus had been joined by his family. Two more Hunters, his father a powerful master warrior Hunter named Tyr and his brother a Priest named Lief MacManus, a strange monotoned man who was to turn out one of the darkest forces that the Hunters would come into contact with. Lief however never turned his powers onto Cerberus but the hunters watched fearfully as the Priest dealed with the demonic forces of the Umbrood to complete feats that none of them had dared to believe possible. It was clear just how far the Hunters had to go to truly harness their power. Some did.. but some fell.
After a heavy mission went horribly wrong, Eva Killdare was called back to the Hounds of Hell. Facing the terrible rumors and otherwise behaviour of a few of the members of Cerberus, she agreed to return, if only to see her family for a while and be able to rest with her newborn daughter, see her husband and her two other children. Gunnar had taken her return to heart, and badly.. making the young man bitter and more determined to power through what he saw as a 'rocky patch'
He challenged Eva several times about her leaving but her non-responses drove him deeper and deeper into his anger. He had admitted repeatedly his growing feelings for Eva and finding her cold, he delved into drink and the women around him to quench his thirst. But only finding heartache that would serve to cripple the once promising group of men and women who had been so once determined to bring the fight to the Wyrm.
One of the final shots to the wounded body of the Hunters also came from another kinfolk who had joined their number. A fenrir by the name of Raine Davis. Raine had always been a problematic member of the Hounds but this had continued into her time with the Hunters. She herself also pregnant with a child she was to twist to her own means. Gunnar and most of the others had no idea just how far it had indeed gone until news came from the Hounds main encampment that Raine had put a bullet through her brain commiting suicide and near killing the baby she'd been carrying.
Cracks upon cracks continued to display themselves until finally Gunnar and the Hunters went their separate ways, much to MacManus's disgust, most returned to the Hounds of Hell. Some to their Garou partners and others to Eva's side as she continued her uneasy path.