Their body's head dropped, 'Surprised she'd read something like that.'
"It's was a major symbol of the evolution of english poetry, nothing more, nothing less to
me." Their body said.
Their body made a small laugh, "Thank you... for finally stopping being afraid to hear what
I'm thinking, I think we're past the point of privacy-Janice. You know I never wanted to
transmute your sisters, my biggest hope was that they'd all follow Charlene and Barbara's
examples, this has never been about me being superior to any of them. And I told you why
I didn't want to bring in those higher on the chain of command, because someone -like-
Jasim would take interest, I don't mean someone part of another facet, I mean someone
who doesn't mind taking... extreme measures to fix things that aren't at direct loss to
themselves. If I had a living soulless body on hand I could just dive into the vacant
apartment and allow you to live your life by the standard of your own choosing. Oh, and I
apologize."
"For what?"
"For having to force this truth on you. If I didn't consider it murder, and if I had another
living body I could inhabit, I'd teleport you home, and erase anything related to the race of
Messengers or Jehovah from your memory-You're kidding!- You'd go back to being a
calm, rational, confident atheist who had a brush with the unknown they could pass off as
hallucination or fever dream.... But why?.... -BECAUSE-, accepting that truth should have
been -your choice-.... Tabra... as far as everything and everyone is concerned... I have
accepted it by choice..."
"Hello. Still here." Julio reminded them.
"Can you give us some room?!" The angel vixen barked.
Julio in the name of good taste did exactly like that.
Their body started, with a look of surprise on their face.
"Tabra did we just... say the same thing at the same time? Yep. Don't worry, wasn't likely
the merger, just us being on key with each other. Hopefully." The vixen continued to sit on
the sandy floor before she spoke again talking to herself, "You still haven't answered all of
my questions Tabra. Why in the-please don't use that word- why in the Hades, would you
not call on your teammates? Ashamed of your girlish figure?"
The fox grunted, "How many times do I need to tell you those sort of things don't matter
to me, to us. As for why ... that one is a little complicated. For starters the more angels
involved in this greater the collateral damage could end up being. -Next excuse?- " The
vixen fell silent for a good minute. "The civil war doesn't just happen on Earth, it happens
on every world in the cosmos were life forms evolved enough to house souls. It's spread
out. -And?- ...... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable by having more of ME around.
Your sisters I figured you'd be able to convince yourself weren't really the same race as me
now."
"Why does my comfort matter that much to you?"
The vixen stood to her full hight and spread her wings, almost shaking as she shouted.
"Because you're this way because of -my- stupidity! You're inside my body with no safe
way out because I couldn't see through one cheap stage illusion of Karther's fast enough,
because I couldn't think of any way of freeing myself from Tammia's control other than
using my True Power. You're possibly doomed to die all because of me! I'm an Angel of -
Freewill- Janice, it's my job to remind people that others don't need to make their choices
for them. And now you're trapped with no choice because of me. I came to save you and
did just the opposite. At least with Karther you'd be a slave but still a person at the end of
the day."
The vixen wings, tail, and ears all drooped, "I don't blame you, I never blamed you, I'm just
saying we should take any advantage we can. And for the record, I blame Karther." The
vixen her head, "Karther almost doesn't exist anymore, he's little better than what you and
your sisters were." The vixen crossed her arms, "Poetic justice." The vixen spoke evenly,
"One of the point of a carpenter turned religious reformist being executed by the state
was to do away with 'eye for an eye.' It's never the easy choice to make, ever."
The vixen rubbed her eyebrows, "And if I was to ask you to request some of your own kind
that you don't mind working with to help us before Jasim's deadline? I don't know if I'd get
an answer. This is a nearly creation old civil war, everyone whose a soldier is in the
trenches somewhere, weather grunt or officer, there are no desk jobs."
"It can't hurt to ask right?"
"In theory. Remember, Project Return is a delicate matter, and people learning of, or
seeing, and yes they will, a bunch of genies blowing stuff up will create the reaction those
who want to keep the prohibition in place all the excuses they need. In particular after
Karther's stunt. And some might look for justification of that point of view here. "
"Why does Project Return matter so much to you anyway?"
"Hey... if some Harry Potter fans want to get a taste of what it actually MEANS to be a
mage, who am I to stop them? It's about being aware of the decision at all. One of the
parts of free will is about making informed decisions. Besides... many are just tired of
being made to act like what they are is a crime they have to keep hidden."
"Okay, I've got that. But seriously, why -don't- you just phone in for some
reinforcements?"
"......if that is what you wish Janice... I will... but you know Vicki and the others, no matter
what now, as you've pointed out, won't accept not being a part of the battle anymore,
they've made too many sacrifices as it is. You wouldn't like your species being perma-
changed for nothing would you?"
"I suppose not...but my point still stands Tabra...what's the worst that could happen?"
"We could attract the attention of a rebel because it's the same as saying 'Tabra is here
and is vulnerable and needs help!' we're the same race after all, or we could get someone
who -wants- Project Return to be terminated, or someone else whose like Jasim only from
my neck of the woods."
The vixen spoke carefully, folding her wings around her, "Will it help, or hinder our
chances of freeing Tammie and Lucy, and Natalie?"
"It'll all depend on who answers the call, and that I can't tell, I'm not God."
".....Give me a while to think that one over. So how bad is Jasim anyway?"
"He'll treat us as intruders, including us, and your siblings as intruders letter better than
Karther if he's anything like when I last met him. And don't leave him alone with Julio,
EVER, in particular if Julio is unarmed and sleeping."
"So why was Karther allowed to begin his kingdom here anyway?"
"Kitsune aren't just Japanese, many were and are desert foxes as well. Only they use sand
and not leafs for a medium for their magic... Karther's ancestors had a HOME here. They
weren't exactly allowed into even the 'myth' history books."
"I see, but seriously Tabra, give me a second for me to decide weather or not to 'light the
Angel signal' but you -should- talk to Jasim."
"I'm not sure if we have the time anymore if we're going to get your sisters in shape to live
through this. Getting Jasim to help -us- rather than us help -him- is going to be a nasty
trick of diplomacy... oh, and you're right, maybe it IS better you don't know the history
between me and Jasim."
"Why?"
"Because you'll be able to see him as someone respectable, and honorable, and keep a
cool and level head during a discussion with him, abilities I am sadly lacking in."
"Still, if his genie army can help at all, we should accept it."
"I'm just worried what sheer amount of -chaos- an army of genies attacking a target like
Karther, Tamanthis' kingdom would be. The cross fire, and 'fall out', and of course, the
deadly deadly 'Mixing of Magics' could be, would be, not very pleasant for most of
anyone."
"Like I said, we don't need them to blow stuff up, maybe they have information we -don't-
have that we can put to good use. Besides, even if they're too dangerous, there's still Jasim
right?"
"...I know. I also know you're not going to budge an inch on this, and you have a point...
Come on, let's get Julio and wake up your siblings... we need to get them started on ...
their 'super deluxe emergency hyper progressive training' right away. If you trust me
Janice, even in the slightest, even for a moment, then trust me when I say you don't want
Jasim to be the one to teach your sisters the 'art' of war."
"... All right. Then we go to Jasim and learn whatever he can tell us about karther.... about
Tammie's defenses and defenders and slaves?"
"I'd rather feel it would be my duty to watch them, my responsibility to. This
transformation won't make them emotionless killing robots, but it WILL transform them
into soldiers, -just- soldiers. It'll be their path."
"Then let's get it started, so it can be over with, and like you said, we're short on time, let's
get it started, and go see your old buddy."
"You know what I hate most?"
"What?"
"... I wanted to give them all a chance to FLY first."
-----------------------
Tamthis beheld her, Karther's kingdom, and it was good. It was good she was building her
kingdom for him. She wondered if she perhaps turn him into a male so she could enjoy his
body like it was her duty to make sure he enjoyed hers. Maybe later if it occurred to her
again.
The domain of the desert foxes was now at it's former glory, and would continue to
expand. Those people have lived in what was Karther's ancestral homeland after all,
certainly they wouldn't have wanted to move, and it now was supposed to again belong to
the kitesune, so clearly they becoming part of Karther's kingdom was the best solution.
"So what if I had to change their minds a little? It is for the greater good of Karther's vision
after all." She said to herself.
----------------------
In another part of the world, -again- Keiko and Anna the five tailed kitesune, felt it. As
Karther/Tamthis' kingdom grew, their senses picked it up again and again. And the taint
of wolves, and so many new kitesune who were like clockwork oranges.. they shuddered.
It was Keiko, the one who never wanted to fight, that came to Anna. They spoke in
Japanese, much as their own thoughts used those words, this land was their HOME now
after all.
"It's getting harder and harder to ignore isn't it?" The currently female kitesune asked the
currently male kitesune.
"Yeah.. it is... like a bad oder of something good gone sour... "
"Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm sure they wouldn't mind the freedom of
thought that comes from being one of us... if they weren't all nearly zombies following
preprogrammed actions like robots." Indeed, Keiko and Anna were adapting fast their new
roles in creation.
"Too bad their own experience being like us gonna have to be being zombie slaves, they'll
never want to be kitesune -ever- after that!" Anna yawned, laying on the big piece of rock
near the settlement, HIS settlement in rural japan that now radiating a slight aura of
spiritual power and would inspire people in a few years to start building a shrine out of it.
Keiko honestly felt unease leaving the place of humans assigned to her effective, but they
hadn't been with her that long anyway and didn't realize her presence yet anyway so she
wasn't that worried. "So.. have you decided on a name yet?"
"Right now, I'm leaning towards Akira."
Kekio tilted her fox head. "Why do I suspect that's because that's the only male japanese
name you know that starts with an 'A'?"
"Not sure why, but you're right." Anna/Akira said without a hint of shame.
"I became this way because I wanted to leave it all behind but... I feel like now that we're
the same as Karther... he's our responsibility... he's the same race as us after all... "
"Meh, I say let Janice and the rest kick his small tailed butt. Ya know... letting humans
become Kitesune like us isn't a bad thing in of itself... there are LOTS of furries on Second
Life and on Yiff sites who I'm sure would jump at the chance to be upgraded with some
fur and tails. Karther just wanted all of us to be his sex dolls."
"Anna... Akira... whatever... are you sure that's smart?"
"As long as they actually -agree- to it, I don't see what's wrong with it. There are one or
two dumb foxes around here too that I think wouldn't mind having more than one tail and
having larger brains..."
Keiko sighed, "I was thinking if we could learn something to help Janice and the rest... "
Anna/Akira laughed, "If you think of anything that won't get us turned back into sex dolls
let me know..."
Keiko, "It's just ever since becoming this way... my mind's never felt so free."
Anna/Akira, "Well, Kitesune are supposed to be slightly cracked in the head. Not that I
really find myself complaining."
"That aside... I feel it's wrong that those Karther's changed... have to get such a ... false
impression of what it's like to be ... well, us."
Anna/Akira said, "If you come with any crazy schemes... you better NOT leave me out of
them, you hear?"
Keiko nodded, "Okay."
-----------
Alexandra meanwhile, as she tended to her master who acted almost catatonic when not
being serviced by his queen, couldn't shake the dream she had last light. She dreamed of
people who looked at small colored boxes, that she had been one of them, and had been
like those before being blessed by their queen. She dreamed of wanting to become as she
was now. She remembered many others she wrote letters to with the small colored boxes
of both genders who desired the same thing.
"Do such people exist? And wouldn't they be the ones who'd be the first who should be
welcomed into our kingdom? Then why has our queen not brought them here? Where
they'd belong? What you think master?"
Karther barely responded with a moan. Alexandra narrowed her brow, her programming
was finding it harder and harder to create excuses for why her master was acting this
way... "Please my queen, find your second body so master can be made NORMAL again
already!" She said out load. She patted Karther on the head, "But why... why doesn't she
trust you to retrieve it for her? You are her king after all master." 'And why do you keep
wearing that female form?' It clawed Alexandra apart inside to no end seeing him in such a
body, it felt, it felt WRONG to her on every level.
Alexandra looked back at Jennifer... the six armed shiva vixen merely standing at
attention waiting for even the slightest threat to her king. But her actions, all seemed
preset... she hadn't been like this when male, she or Gene... so why? A word popped up in
Alexandra's head, one she barely understood 'robot.'
The living shiva vixen just continued to stand there like a statue, her breath and moving
eyes the only proof she was alive. Karther laying on the collection of giant pillows like a
pillow herself.
------------
"Go." Lucy said to a family of wolfen and kitesune, as they were covered with sand, and
creating a false human vestige, their true forms hidden underneath, the disguises bearing
only a passing resemblance to their original human selves. She stood on the top of one of
the walls of the expanded, and expanded again, and expanded again city. Her wings
spread to block out the sun. "Go to the villages and cities not yet claimed as our own
within our lands and outside it. To those inside our kingdom bring the news of our
kingdom's return so they may know who is their monarch now and what destiny has in
store for them. To those outside it, trade, exchange, buy and sell... so we may we
recognized by other nations."
The wolves and vixens underneath a disguise of sand, bowed their King's most blessed
servant, and pulled their carts along the desert sands as commanded. A white flag sticking
out from the wares in plain view.
Yes, Tamanthis intended to expand her Karther's kingdom as far she could, as any good
empire like the persians once had as example, but she her insanity still allowed her
somehow to recognize that she needed to avoid fighting wars on all fronts.