The Life of a Pet

Zane's life, from birth to 6th birthday; the first 5 years

May 15 1981 - May 15 1982 [1]

-Born Zane Marcus Frieden, firstborn son of Marcus Johnathan Frieden VII and Greta Heidi Frieden, in Hamburg, Germany. Greta refused to allow Marcus to name his son after himself, not wanting her child to have to live up to the legacy behind the Frieden name. In fury, Marcus becomes violent, and from then on, it is well known among friends that Marcus is very physically and verbally abusive towards his wife.

-Marcus and Greta Frieden immigate to the United States with their son; surname of Frieden [Which translates in German to "Peace"] is "corrupted" and changed in spelling to Freiden.

-Family takes up residence in Muskegon, Michigan.

-Marcus Freiden has his wolf pack cast magical rituals to see if his son is Garou. The rituals indicate that he is not Garou, only Kinfolk.

-Zane begins to crawl and speaks his first word: "wowp" [he meant "wolf"] towards the end of the year.


May 15 1982 - May 15 1983 [2]

-Has no real relationship with his father, is cared for almost entirely by his mother.

-Greta notices that her son is developing slowly, and contacts her doctor for advice. In rage, Marcus throws his wife outside and locks the door, claiming she will be let in only when she admits she is wrong and that Zane is fine. Greta cancels her appointment with a pediatrician.

-Marcus becomes drunk and beats his wife badly; in the mixup, he kicks Zane, who was crawling on the floor, and both Greta and Zane are hospitalized with extensive injuries. Doctors diagnose Zane with mild autism.

-Zane begins to walk on his own.


May 15 1983 - May 15 1984 [3]

-Zane recieves a severe head injury when Marcus slaps him for not speaking when told to. He remains hospitalized for two months. He is barely speaking and still hasn't been able to put more than three words together. Obviously he isn't speaking sentences yet.

-Marcus decides that Zane's developmental problems are caused because he "isn't being told to grow up enough." He beats Greta sensless when she tries to keep him from throwing out all Zane's toys. From then on, all Zane had to play with was a white baby blanket.

-Greta leaves to visit her parents in Germany for an extended visit. Marcus refuses to allow her to bring Zane.

-A housefire nearly kills Zane as he sleeps. Marcus, being Garou, shifts to Lupus and carries the child out of the house in his jaws. Marcus is hailed as a hero among his fellow Garou for risking injury for the sake of a mere human child. The cause of the fire is unknown, but arson is suspected.

-Authorities take custody of Zane when the housefire is investigated and they find that Zane had been living in substandard conditions for over four months while Greta was visiting her parents. It is found that Zane is emaciated because Marcus rarely fed him, and Zane had remained locked in his room for most of those four months. His room was terribly soiled; authorities guess [accurately] that Zane was locked up without even seeing his father for several days at a time, and was only given menial care when his screams irritated Marcus enough to either feed him or beat him into silence.

-Greta returns home to find that a legal battle over custody of her son has arisen. Marcus uses his contacts within the Garou society to bribe the legal system. Within two months, Zane is back with the Freidens. He'd spent two months in a foster care unit with other abandoned or abused children. Social workers notice that Zane refuses to play with other children and that he doesn't play with toys. He also doesn't speak for days at a time. When encouraged to play with other children, he merely wanders into a corner and sits down, staring into space, clutching his little white blanket.


May 15 1984 - May 15 1985 [4]

-Marcus and Greta have an argument which leads to physical violence. Greta is hospitalized for six months, four of which are spent in a coma. Marcus has no choice but to take Zane with him on an extended trip into the Spirit World, the Umbra.

-While in the Umbra, Zane visits several realms, including the Get of Fenris homeland, the Abyss realm, and the Battlegground realm. He supprises the Garou by occasionally saying something which suggests some form of understanding about the Spirit World, which is strange considering his young age and the fact that he has never really spoken much or seen the Umbra before.

-Marcus slaughters three Feral Psychomachiae Banes which seem to be following Zane. He later beats Zane, who was crying/grieving for the dog-like Banes.

-Greta is released from the hospital and returns home.

-The local Get of Fenris begin to notice that Feral Psychomachiae seem drawn to Zane.


May 15 1985 - May 15 1986 [5]

-Zane is enrolled in Kindergarten, and subsequently is withdrawn from it within a few weeks because of his blatant lack of social skills. He literally doesn't know how to interact with other children.

-Marcus notices that Zane is Wyrm Tainted, a fact which he cannot explain. Zane is taken to the Get of Fenris controlled Caern of the Spring Frost near Cadillac for a ritual Cleansing. The Cleansing is successful.

-Five Feral Psychomachiae are destroyed when they wander too close to the Spring Frost while Zane is staying there. Marcus is enraged, thinking Zane summoned them, and has to be restrained so he doesn't simply kill his son. Greta is horrified.

-Greta leaves Marcus at the Spring Frost and takes Zane with her; she informs Marcus that she is filing for divorce and custody of their son.

-Marcus uses his Garou abilities and Gifts to catch up with the car that Greta and Zane are in as they drive from Cadillac to Muskegon. He rips off one of the front wheels while they are at a high rate of speed on the highway near Gaylord, causing the car to skid out of control and finally come to a stop rolled over in a ditch. Greta is DOA, while Zane is pulled from the car with a skull fracture and a badly broken arm, plus several lacerations which require stitching and some internal bleeding. He spends three weeks in the hospital.

-Zane is released from the hospital and is returned to Marcus. He refuses to speak, and spends most of his time locked in his room, curled up in the corner of the room, clutching his little white blanket.

-Marcus severely beats Zane for crying and therefore "being a little girl."


Click to continue Zane's history

Email: DemonCougar@hotmail.com