"Brothers, brothers, let us call the grand convocation of chapter masters to order."
Slowly hush descended as various post human supermen put down glasses of wine or forkfuls of food, all save for Pedro Kantor and Helbrecht who were eating large spoonfuls of chocolate pudding whilst staring at Vladimir Pugh making loud mmmmmm noises. Pugh's face was growing redder by the second.
"Brothers, order please!" Dante of the Blood Angels slammed a fist on the lectern.
"I have called this conference to discuss a very pressing problem, I speak of course of the wolf issue."
Angry muttering filled the room, the Space Wolves new armoury had caused consternation in the fellow astartes chapters.
"Logan Grimnar, you and I have known each other for hundreds of years, we have fought by each other's side more times than I can remember so as a friend I have brought you here to tell you that this **** has to stop. We could cope with the Wolf Guard, **** it we could even deal with everything being called wolf but this." A picture of the the wolf sled appeared on the holo projector "This has to stop friend."
"Hypocrite!" bellowed a Space Wolf "Don't think we've forgotten about deep striking land raiders, or the obsession with blood."
"At least they're not furries!" a voice yelled and was met by a cheer.
Now it was Grimnar's turn to stand.
"Hunting Fenrisian wolves is part of our culture, we have a right to take trophies."
"So do we," rumbled Tu'shan of the Salamanders, "but you don't see us with ears and and tail." He gave a worried look at his fire drakes each covered is horns and scales and made a mental note to have a chat with them back on Nocturne.
"Logan we do not wish to insult you but we just wanted to show you how far-"
"You have come to being a total [
see forum posting rules]!" yelled Gabriel Seth who threw a bread roll for added emphasis.
Logan gave a sigh as the roll stuck on the wolf pelt on his armor.
"Brothers, surely you can forgive a first founding chapter their..." he glanced at the wolf swords of his Wolf Guard "their little eccentricities, have we not done much for the cause of the Imperium. By our actions, the Inquisition have been told to back off from interfering in the affairs of our chapters and by our blades have countless innocent lives been saved" (muttering greeted this statement as the definition of 'innocent' was one that was up for close debate amongst the various chapters). "We all after all have our iconography, the Dark Angels bolt stonework to everything, the Salamanders have their scales, we have our wolves I find it breathtaking" Logan's voice raised to a deafening yell "that other chapters would have the audacity to interfere-"
"You make us all look ridiculous!" yelled a Silver Skull.
The debate raged for two hours more until eventually the Great Wolf and his Wolf Guard where driven from the hall in a hail of bread rolls and catcalls.
Later Logan found himself trudging the deep passages of the Fang, lost in his own thoughts, he had exchanged his armour for the loose tunics the Wolves wore when not in battle and his footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridors he passed Murderfang being wrestled into containment by a trio of Iron Priests.
"YIFF!" it screamed gnashing at the air "YIFF! YIFF! YIFF!" Logan winced and carried onward to an ornate vault which swung open at his touch.
"LOGAN!" a voice boomed from the darkness "What brings you here this night?"
In an jewel encrusted alcove stood the squat form of Bjorn the Fell Handed, the ancient dreadnought beckoned with a claw.
"Come Logan, sit and tell me what ails you boy."
Logan pulled a short three legged stool from a corner, noting the mating wolves carved on the top. The Great Wolf sank forward head in his hands.
"Where did it all go wrong Bjorn? We used to be feared and loved. Everyone wanted to be us. When the chapter walked and met it's fellows, they would respect us. Now they laugh."
There was a mechanical sigh from the sarcophagus.
"It's because we just aren't scary anymore son. We used to be, gods we were downright terrifying. Do you know why people used to join us back in the day?"
"For honour, for being selected to fight in the Allfather's crusade?
"WRONG" yelled Bjorn "It wasn't for honour. It wasn't to see the stars. Sure as **** wasn't to pansy around with the Allfather, it was for these reasons: drinking, fighting, bitches. Becoming an astartes gave you lots of all three. We were supermen for crying out loud, all young and fired up and ready to go. People were scared of us not because we loved death but because we LOVED LIFE, we loved BEING an astartes, we loved the blood and booze and the pillaging. We were raiders and reavers and lunatics. You," Bjorn pointed a claw at Logan "have lost sight of that. "We had enthusiasm."
"But what does this have to with the whole 'wolf thing'?"
"Because you think the wolf thing was what gave us identity, made us special but it wasn't. What made us special was that we were sweaty beardy angry savages with guns and gene implants. We wore the teeth and totems to remind us of home. Wolves didn't define us, they were a part of the rich primal heritage of Fenris, one symbol amongst many."