The howls of mating wolves, ranging from twins and Alpha female with Jensen to the most of the females with Lawrence and Roger and Kaylee's copies with Zack, echoed through the manor. Martha had taken the pups to their room with Mr. P to guard them and then went into the small bedroom beside the pup's room. Beatrice and June took Pearl, who had recovered, but was badly hungover to one living room where there was a couch large enough to support the she-wolf's weight while the green and silver/gray she wolves made sure that there was always a bucket ready in case Pearl's hangover made her throw up again.
"You're not with Nick, Nicole?" Megan asked as they entered the coed den.
"Nick is wonderful... but... I don't feel like mating tonight," Nicole sighed, "Unless of course the Master finished with Alpha Female and the Betas and comes looking for more."
"Of course," Megan nodded.
"So, why aren't you with Lawrence or Nick?" Nicole then asked, "If we're to be asking about each other's sex lives."
"I don't know," Megan sighed, "Nick WAS wonderful last night, but... I don't know. It's not like I don't find the new Lawrence attractive, but I kinda liked my brother the way he was... not sexually, mind you, but..."
"You didn't want to see him 'upgraded' for purely sexual reasons," Nicole finished.
Megan nodded, "It's like he isn't my brother anymore..."
"You know he is," Nicole put a paw on her shoulder, "the game may change him physically, but you know Roger is still Roger on the inside."
"How can you be certain?" Megan asked, "both of us currently desire a male wolf who a few days ago was a teenage human girl who none of us tolerated much because of her bratty attitude."
Nicole didn't know how to answer that. It was then that a new voice interrupted them.
"I do hope you're through discussing sex," came Sarah's voice making them turn to see the lavender she-wolf with Ulysses beside her, holding a Trivial Pursuit box.
"I found this among some of the things that Master's friends didn't get rid of when they joined us," Ulysses said weakly as he held up the box.
"You're not into that, I hope?" Nicole asked as she glanced at the juvenile male.
Ulysses was looked down and was about to go away, taking the game with him, as there wasn't that much he could alone while he waited for the rounds of nightly mating came to an end. He wasn't about to barge into the pups room, as he didn't know if Martha or Mr. P would allow him in, and he wasn't about to challenge the quadrupedal wolf that was as large as the Master. Sarah put one paw on his shoulder.
"Really... it's bad enough that Jasmine, Terri, and Sandi make those jokes, but you, Nicole?" Sarah spoke, "that's just as bad as what Zack said about Roger and Lawrence before their upgrades. We are all members of the Pack. We should be able to get along as friends."
Nicole looked down with a heavily embarrassed look, as she didn't mean to say anything hurtful, but then on second thought, the joke did sound that way.
"I'm sorry Ulysses," Nicole spoke, "I guess the game has turned me into as big a pervert as Nick."
"Okay," Ulysses shyly answered.
"And we wouldn't mind playing," Megan told the adolescent wolf, "it'll give us something to do until everything quiets down."
Ulysses slowly stepped forward and placed the box on the middle bed and removed the lid. He had never played the game before, but Sarah had suggested that it was one that could be played without making too much noise. He then handed the rules to Sarah.
+++++
Outside, Jack, Marcine, Adam, and Eve went about their standard herd activities of eating and looking for safe places... after all Marcine was already carrying Jack's future fawns. Jack had to protect her. Marcine with Eve following eventually bedded down in a portion the trees that formed a sort of hedge around the property. Jack and Adam meanwhile stood guard for a few moments while the two does laid down.
"How big of a herd will we have?" Adam asked, "this lawn seems rather small... unless we are to venture into town..."
"Unless you want to meet a truck head on, I would advise against that," Jack answered, "we serve our purpose here and will be safe from human hunters, and Master Bart and Jenny are securing us more land to forage."
Adam looked curiously at Jack. The prime buck was slightly taller then he was, and his antlers had more prongs and looked very healthy, so he sensed that he wouldn't be able to compete with him when Eve came into season, but he did feel he could learn things from him.
"But how large a herd will you have?" Adam asked again.
"Hopefully a large one," Jack spoke hopefully, "with a few bucks, many does, and many fawns that will serve our purpose for all time."
"And our herd scent will bring them?" Adam asked.
"So long as you stay near Marcine and I and allow our herd scent to rub off onto you and Eve," Jack answered as he began to bed down in a more open area where he could keep a look out for danger.
As the prime buck began to go to sleep, Adam gave a nervous glance toward the manor, where the howling noises were beginning to power down.
++++++
"So, Ulysses, how would you feel about some self-defense lessons?" Nicole asked politely while Megan rolled the dice.
"Self-defense?" Ulysses asked.
"It'll give you some confidence to stand up for yourself and hopefully will allow all of us to be able to protect ourselves, should Zack go rogue against the Master or should the humans of Glendale realize that we shouldn't be werewolves," Nicole explained.
"I don't think the Master wants to fight the people in Glendale," Ulysses commented.
"Doesn't mean that they might decide to eventually fight him," Megan commented, "I mean, we're large predators that are stronger then humans. Eventually the game may lose it's ability to make us appear normal to them... and we'll have to defend ourselves."
"I thought the gargoyles were for that," Ulysses pointed out.
"They are, but I doubt they'd stand up to the Air Force if they decided to bomb us or the Army if they send tanks against us," Megan commented.
"That won't happen so long as we don't try to secede from the union," Nicole commented, "Glendale is still an American city. Even if we appear dangerous, the government would look rather bad if they ordered the Air Force to obliterate a manor in an American town housing American citizens. This is the basic defense against the mob with pitchforks."
"I don't think they use pitchforks anymore," Sarah commented and then asked Megan the question on the card she held.
Megan answered correctly while Nicole shrugged.
"You know what I mean," Nicole shrugged.
The two she-wolves nodded in agreement as Nicole's focus was then focused on Ulysses for his answer.
"I guess it'd be cool, I guess... you're going to teach us all to be Jackie Chan?" Ulysses asked.
"I'm not THAT good," Nicole answered, "but it would take everyone in the right direction until we can get a proper sensai."
"It's your turn, kiddo," Sarah pointed out as she cut into the conversation about self-defense.
++++++
The night passed quietly once the rest of the wolves exhausted themselves making love and the morning brought a continuation of the routine that the entire pack enjoyed. Pearl had recovered from her hangover but seemed to shy away from the other females as she realized that she what she had told Beatrice in her drunken state. She wondered if Beatrice had reported her to either the Master or Nicole, and then had Nicole report that to the Master and that was what prompted the investigation of Zack on the part of the Master... though not that she could really complain or object, after all, Jensen was the Master, the Alpha Male... and every she-wolf wanted him.
As breakfast finished, and the pups and Mr. P began licking the blood off the floor, Jensen raised his head to the group.
"Nicole," Jensen said firmly.
"Yes, Master?" Nicole answered, sounding slightly nervous.
"Caroline has told me of your wish to give the females and Ulysses some self defense lessons," Jensen spoke, "You may hold them in whichever room is the most suitable... or outside. That is your choice. I would also advise that Zack, Roger, Lawrence, and Kaylee also attend... I might even be there, see if I can learn something from the most combative wolf."
"What about the twins, Master?" Nicole asked.
"They have years of police training and experience," Jensen answered, "besides, they will have a different mission today."
"Bringing in Julie and Fran's family?" Kaylee asked.
Jensen nodded, "So long as they and Alice do it right, we shouldn't have a problem."
+++++++
"Where are you going mommy?" Abbey asked as they watched their mother come into the living room fully dressed relatively early on a Saturday morning.
"Can we come too?" Samantha asked, "we'll get dressed quickly. We promise."
"I'm going to see someone about finding your father," Julie answered, "Make sure he comes home safe."
"Alice said he's safe and that we might see him again today," Abbey spoke.
Julie sighed. She didn't know where they came up with this "Alice" character, but she wasn't about to really crush their fantasies.
"I'm just making sure, dears," Julie spoke, "Mary will be here to watch you shortly."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Julie turned to answer it to reveal a red headed teenage girl standing at the door holding a stack of school books.
"Hello, Mrs. Butler," Mary said politely.
"Hello, Mary," Julie replied, "Abbey and Samantha have eaten breakfast and are watching cartoons right now. Make sure they don't spend the entire day watching television, and just play along if they mention someone named "Alice" to you. They've made an imaginary friend."
"They never disappear on you suddenly," Mary spoke thinking of a boy she had been friends with in a very simple platonic way who had seemed to disappear with his house now up for sale.
Julie shrugged, "I shouldn't be too long, and I'm sorry to call you on such short notice, but I promise you'll be paid well."
"It's alright," Mary answered, "Your kids are such smart little cuties... I hope my own kids are like them when I grow up and get married."
Julie then let Mary in while she went out, Madame Serenity's card in her hand.