"Oh, and my name is Zelipe please."
Abbey looked at him funny, "Why are you asking permission on weather or not your name
is Zelipe?"
"Uh, I mean my name is Zelipe."
"You are a Big Bad Wolf." They all turned to Amy who had her hand on Chester, who didn't
change in the slightest and remained a mundane dog.
"Sis'?" Zelipe asked.
"Just testing our abilities brother, it seems that we can not effect animals. It is possible
our power only effects humans."
"Power?" Abbey asked always curious.
Alice nodded, "When we were reborn into the pack Abbey-chan, we were given the ability
to turn anyone we touch and call so into a member of the pack."
"Wow! Just like us!" Abbey clapped.
"No." Alice said simply, "Not just like us. And only vaguely similar at best I would dare say."
"Nani?" Amy wondered.
"Anyone we bring into the mirror world who is not part of, or serves the pack is turned
into a child glass wolf like I am." Alice spoke, "It is how I was able to make Abbey and
Samantha like I am to be reunited with our mothers."
"And we became so cute!" Abbey giggled.
"You were cute before," Alice said, "Now you are cute, made of unbreakable glass in the
outside world, and able to travel anywhere with mirrors."
"Yep!" Samantha added.
"Indestructible?" Amy repeated.
"Yes." Alice said, "We can not be destroyed, we do not need to breath, eat, or go the
bathroom in the outside world."
"That's horrid." Amy spoke and had to quickly cover her mouth and bowed several times,
"Gomennasai! But, what if you were trapped in pitch blackness at the bottom of the ocean
with the water pressure too much for you to move? What if you were buried inside molten
rock for a million years? You would be all alone, trapped until wind and rain wore it down
or the sun died of old age, and you would then drift through the infinite of the universe
until it too died of old age... Gomennasai but, it is so very frightening to me, can you even
move onto the afterlife?"
The glass wolves all looked at each other, and Zelipe looked at Amy, "Sis..." She said in an
unhappy voice.
"We are indestructible so we don't shatter." Smantha said, "And we don't know if we're
going to live forever and, and can we please, not talk about? Please?" The girl said looking
unsure.
"As you wish Samantha-chan, you have my word I won't bring it up again."
"Please do not." Martha said putting both her hands on Amy's shoulders, "There are some
things children like you should not need to think about or talk about."
"Sadly I must concur." Mr. P said simply.
"As you wish Martha-San," Amy replied leaning against her governess.
zelipe leaned against Mr. P, feeling like a third wheel in the room full of girls. He had been
one himself not twelve hours ago, but already he as feeling slightly awkward.
That was when Beatrice began running through the house making a familiar shouting, it
was time for dinner.
"Follow us." The glass wolves said.
"But I thought you said you didn't eat." Zelipe said confused.
"We said we do not need to eat in the outside world." Alice said, "We have dinner with our
mothers inside our world."
"Your world?" Zelipe had to ask.
"The world within mirrors."
"The mirrorverse." Abbey said.
Amy nodded then an interesting thought occurred to her, "If you've taken the reflections of
dresses... does that mean there are girls somewhere who are going to buy dresses and
appear in their underwear when they next look in the mirror?"
All three glass wolves started, they hadn't considered that.
Given how they were all naked, Martha didn't exactly worry about the girls discussing such
things, but her left head turned to Zack's children while her right head turned towards
Jensens, "That can be thought about at a later time, come now, let's not be late for
dinner."
++++++
The dinning area was more full than it used to be, some of the gem wolves were
considering weather it needed to be expanded or not. Amy looked rather impressed but
seemed slightly offended by the lack of proper furnishings and how her fellow pack
members ate like savages, but, when in Rome. She could at least appreciate the sense of
order the pack members had to each other at least.
Zelipe was also slightly intimidated by the entire mess, however a kind push from Bart and
he was bloodying his claws and muzzle with the beset of them, Bart already planning on
having Zelipe join himself and Kevin on a evening public service to the local rabbits
weeding out the stupid and slow from their gene pool again.
Garnet, in spite of her best efforts, ended up not only next to Amethyst but also in a one
arm hug of hers as well, Garnet just sighed resigned to her fate.
Maxine was talking lividly with Tourmaline and Coral about the places they had all seen.
"We aren't being replaced are we?" Millie asked slightly worried to Robyn.
"Nah Sugah," Robyn replied, "We ain't, Maxine-girl is just makin' -new- friends, she's not
losin' the old."
"Hope so." Millie nodded.
Jasper was trading joke with Nick, who had to avoid some of his more colorful ones since
Nicole was using his lap as a seat as normal.
Orpal and Cobalt of course would be sitting next to each other, the rest of the gem
colored wolves gathered together in their own group. Lazuli and Topaz sat near Ashley
who was amazed at how fast their pack had grown, and in somewhere, a tiny part of her
worried they had grown too fast too soon.
June and Pearl took their children to sit with them along with Zack, separating the cubs
from each other, but June and Pearl had only known their pups this afternoon onward, and
they wanted to get as much time with them as possible. Zelipe felt positively relieved to be
in his mother's arms, while Amy's leaned back in hers, observing it all and drinking in the
feeling of security. She sighed when see looked at her father's knee purple and the ice
keeping down the swelling wish she had the power to make it go away.
As normal, the cheerleaders were Kaylee's chair she sat down in next to her mate, neither
complaining nor resenting.
While Amy and Zelipe had seen Alice in the mirror, they were still surprised when the
triplets had entered with their children now all wearing victorian area clothing carrying on
a relatively more civilized manner from the rest of the pack inside the massive gold wood
framed mirror behind Jensen.
The pups ate, but keep giving looks at the two new pups that were Zack's children and
their new playmates.
"Come on sis, it's not like she's gonna steal the throne right out from under ya, we're still
dad's pups, and still the oldest, and their dad's not gonna cause any trouble anymore, you
don't need to be such a grouch."
"I'm gonna be Alpha female someday, I can be a grouch if I want."
"Oh yeah? Marcy, Kevin."
"Yes big brother?" they said together.
"Combined tickle assault!"
"Wait-what-stop! AHAHAHAHHA-HA-HA-HA-HA! MOMMY-HELP!"
Kaylee calmly reached down between Hope's arms and added her gentle caress to Jenny's
tickling.
The omega and silver Martha and Mr. P merely looked at each other at this and shrugged
not intervening... just yet.
Jensen informed the entire pack of Nicole and the males' mission there and now.
Lawrence and Roger looked happy for a chance to show off their strength. Nick hugged
Nicole. Sarah hugged Ulysses, then so did Terri and Sandi.
Megan, who had been forcibly placed where she was by the combined efforts of Sarah and
Margot, looked at the muscular brother and said a little hesitantly, "Uh, Roger... good luck
on your mission tomorrow... I hope everything goes well."
Roger looked at his sister and patted her on the head, his voice boiling over with
confidence, "Thank you Meg', don't worry, everything will."
"I'd go too if I could!" Amber declared.
"Sorry kiddo," Nicole said, "We have enough extra ladies for this mission."
Amber frowned, "I'm not a kid, just short." Hoping no one found out she wasn't eighteen
for another eight months.
"And as flat as a bored." Jasper joked. Amber hit him as did Nicole.
"Come on!" Amethyst protested, "Can't we all just play nice?"
Amy for childish moment wondered if she could if she could make herself an adult with
her power and Amy a kid, but since they were both wolves already that was impossible.
'Oh well, some games just aren't meant to be.'
Anne was glade that Madam Serenity was going to be dealt with tomorrow, maybe with
that woman out of the way she could take Serena out on that offer she gave next time they
met at church.
+++++++++
After dinner, before Bart dragged away Zelipe on a twilight hunting expedition with
himself and Kevin, Jenny had brought the two new cubs to the office the shadows passing
for them with barely a thought from her.
"Who are you?" Zelipe asked.
The shadow gave his name in a totally calm, indifferent, and practical voice.
"They're just shadows." Jenny shrugged, "Pay them no mind, they do whatever me and Bart
would do. They make it so we can still work to maintain the estate and our holding and be
in six places at once and don't have to work all via e-mail."
Amy looked at them, her 'eyebrows' closing together, "They're empty inside."
"Well duh', they're shadows." Jenny replied not even looking at her or the shadows.
"That's... cruel though... "
Jenny looked at her confused, "It's not like they're part of the pack, so why should we
worry? And they serve the higher cause of the pack, we need them like this to survive at
the estate that is our -home-. The grotesques all used to be human but now serve the
pack by protecting it. And Jack and Marcine are the two main deer out in the back of the
estate, and their herd provide us with food so we don't need to rely so much on the
outside. It's all for the pack."
Amy slightly nodded emotionlessly.
"At any rate," Jenny said totally forgetting the whole thing, "You and your brother better
get started on writing up that you and your dad are moving out of town and whatever, and
the legal dissolving of some of your stuff and making sure Zylphia is cleared for home
school. It's what we did for our mom and dad."
"Right." Amy said, not wanting her father to get in trouble over not coming to school, "But
we really should see about educating our parents, they only have high school educations
after all, they need to learn if they're going to lead us all."
Jenny started then shrugged, "We provide all the leg and legal work for them, there's no
need for them to do things they don't want to, that's our job."
Amy looked at her half-brother Zelipe and saw him nodding more or less toe very Jenny
said if somewhat reluctantly.
"If that is what Alpha-Sama wants," Amy said, "Then so be it. But we should bring it to his
attention first."
"If you want." Jenny said, "But seriously, you two better get started."
Amy took Zelipe by the hand and the two of them climbed into the desk and cross eagle
style began writing up note and sending in the proper forums on-line to both legally
vanish and for 'Zylphia' to be recognized as taking home school.
+++++++
Now that the pack really didn't care much for how smelly or how dirty the inside of the
household got, the cleaning staff was more free to simply lounge around. And the cooking
staff, with the pack's pallet's being rather simple, were now the gargoyles that protected
the pack from enemies on the outside.
Jasmine as it was now doing what she had wanted to do for years as a male and a staff
member of the Smith household staff... organize the DVDs, LDs, and VHS into a
recognizable pattern. It seemed a rather small thing to do, with the threat of Serenity and
the addition of the jewels and the two new pups to the pack all in one day. But everything
was happening so fantastically fast anyway, that Jasmine needed some calm and some
sense of order. Besides, she knew Master would approve. Also she needed to make sure
Margot didn't go selling the movie collection on ebay. Some of these movies were special
pre-order only editions and nearly impossible to find, which meant Margot would see
them as a gold mine for the pack to exploit, 'Not if I had anything to say about it.'
Jasmine knew technically they had all the time in the world, and one old woman in the
know shouldn't be a threat to their pack, and so she had all the time in the world to do
this but, she just could shake this odd feeling. That somehow, some way, the sooner she
got this done the better. Maybe she was just tired of waiting for a chance to do it. "Maybe
I'll finally find that copy of The Last Emperor we've been missing for two years..."
"Is it a good movie?"
"Yes it's very well done and ... eh?" The sea green Jasmine turned around to see the blue
green Terri and the teal Sandi (with one black eye) leaning on opposite sides of the
doorway to the video storage room.
"Mind if we help?" Terri asked.
"It'll make the evening go by faster."
"Aren't you two going to check out the new males?"
"Naw." Terri said, "After this morning, me and Sandi need something else, besides, you
looked to be busy and what pack mates would we be if didn't lend a hand?"
"And you don't want the incident with Sandi's black eye to be brought up."
"Exactly." Sandi finish.
"Well come on in, it's crowded like Hong Kong and we new and improved size doesn't
make it any easier to get around in here, I've knocked over my piles twice so be careful."
"Right, gotcha." Sandi replied as the two wolves got to work with their pack mate widdled
the night away.
++++++++
In the bed room, with the triplets and Kaylee only, Jensen sat on the bed going on what
would be done, "So the team will be Nick, Zack, Roger, and Lawrence, Ulysses, Sarah,
Ashley, and Nicole. Alice will be observing as an emergency back-up plan in case we run
into trouble."
Kaylee asked, "What about Jasper and Opal?"
"They're going to the island along with Cobalt and the rest of the gem wolves as normal."
"It's routine."
"Don't lie to me dear."
"They're the pack's insurance policy. If something happens to us and for whatever reason
we don't make it to the island, the gem wolves will be the only member of our kind left,
Opal and Jasper are to make sure we don't die out in a generation."
Kaylee was nearly overwhelmed, wasn't the pack supposed to exist just for the two of
them? But the way Jensen spoke, very differently from how he had last week when he had
started this entire venture, it was like they existed for the pack instead. That made Kaylee
feel uncomfortable, she enjoyed her video games and other creature comforts almost as
much as she loved Jensen and their children.
The triplets meanwhile all looked at each other and nodded, glade Master was accepting
that their easy winning streak by the law of averages wasn't going to last forever.
"This has been a very very very long day." Jensen said as Julie sat behind him and began to
stroke him between the legs.
"It seems all our days have been since we joined the pack." Fran said sitting next to him on
his right scratching him behind the ears.
"But we are all here at the end of the day." Darla said rubbing herself against him.
"And now," Kaylee said sitting his lap looking at him, "Let's show you reward for a long
day's work."
Jensen grinned and breathed in deep, "Julie, Darla, Fran, you are my mates, you are dear to
me as Kaylee is dear to me, you have helped the pack in more ways than can be counted
and thus you are dear to the pack as well. I am happy beyond words to have all of you."
"Thank you Master." The triplets said as they and Kaylee descended upon him.
+++++++
"Allow me to please you." Lawrence said kneeling in front of Amethyst.
Roger nudged him aside, "No, allow me to please you."
Amethyst looked at them both innocent, "Okay, I guess you guys will have to take turns
right?"
"If we get any more pack mates with knockers better than hers, shoot me." Isabelle said
flatly.
Hope said crossing her arms, "I don't think she even realizes the super power she has over
the males either."
Grace sighed, "I'm actually sorry Zack is out of commission for the evening."
"Ditto." The other two clink members said.
"Going anywhere?" Nicole asked calmly holding onto the end of Nick's tail.
"Nowhere at all." Nick said obediently. "Though I think the mountain is going to come to
me."
"Not that mountain, she seems pretty preoccupied with the other mountains."
++++++++
Reading some quick facts on the internet Brian said to his wife (who was reading over the
notes Madam Serenity had given them),
"The ratio to female to male in a pride is roughly six to one, a pride that has more than
one male is called a coalition. Meaning that with fourteen of us, only two out of the
fourteen will remain male. Meaning that if we did it by pot luck I'd only have a one in
seven chance of being one of the males."
"One in six if at least one of the officers is a woman." Felicity said not looking up.
"The point is dear, if we go through with this, and we try to be fair by being random, there
is a good chance we could both end up lionesses. And remember we need to -explain- all
of this to Mary don't forget."
"I guess we're luck at least she's too young to be that curious about the birds and the
bees then... but seriously Brian, I asked you to drop that remember? We'll cross that
bridge when we come to it."
"So you really want to do this?"
"Yes... Mary deserves it. And so do we... What if we ask Mary to use the game on us
tonight? She doesn't need to know all the details. Then we can use the game on the
officers ourselves tomorrow who agree to come and you'll be safely one of the males."
"They could see that as cheating on our part."
"Maybe not," Felicity said, "Some of Madam Serenity's notes say that the game can effect
even -existence- we can ask Mary to word it so as far as reality is concerned we've always
been biologically similar to her. If we phrase it right then even she doesn't need to know."
"That might cause more trouble than good, and the police might see it then as me trying
to 'gain more lionesses.' ... That's the part that -does- scare me dear. What if you and I
aren't enough for each other anymore and don't even mind?"
"That's why we're going over the information on lions and Madam Serenity's notes first
remember? To make sure we don't end up like the Jensen monster and don't see the laws
of civilization as 'quaint.' "
"I know... "
"Still wanting to do it?"
"Hell yes."
"Same." Felicity hugged him from behind.
++++++++
Having written down twice, typed up trice, photo copied four times, and saved on a
memory stick, and archived on a remote server, and mailed to her home address, the
formula for the white magic powder that destroyed he game's presence, Madam Serenity
returned the original scroll to it's rightful owner. Of course she gave him also an update on
Mary, her parents, and what they were rather obviously planning to do.
"Hiroshima, Hiroshima all over again." Father Mike muttered to himself in dismay and
disbelief.
"I'd have to agree." Madam Serenity said, "I tried to persuaded them against it, but they
fully believe their daughter has always been a lion person, and their family photos and
news clippings back up that belief. They thinking using the game to make Mary human
would be a violation of who she is. So like any parents, they want to be the ones to make
the sacrifice and become like her instead. I think negating Jensen and his pack is just the
toll payment to them."
"If we didn't need to use that curse to cure the victims, and we chance of finding someone
else with the game willing to help are slim to none I'd suggest you use the powder or Mary
before they can convince her of this foolishness."
"I'd hope Mary won't go along with it, but the way she is right now it might be all she can
do against parental pressure. I couldn't exactly ask them to let a woman they only just met
take their only child!"
"I know, and I wouldn't have asked you to either, it's just aggravating how it feels like the
curse is mocking us almost, like we have no choice but to use it, or let Jensen just continue
to use the evil thing himself."
Serenity decided NOT to mention how Paul had pitched the exact same idea about a
counter to the wolves which she had shot down.
"What happened to you?" Trevor asked seeing Judas with some bandages on his sides.
"Please don't tell me you went to see the wolves for yourself."
"If I had I'd be disemboweled. After you left with Mary I had to tell my younger brother and
friends to call off their search, but my elder brother cornered me and tired to end my part
of the bloodline. ... Neither of my brothers approve of my theology but my older brother
thinks it's his duty to cleanse the species. Don't worry, this isn't the first time this has
happened and won't be the last, there are some things in life you simply have to learn to
live with."
"just like that? You accept your big brother wants you dead and you move on?"
"' Shake the dust from your sandals and move on.' "
++++++++++++++
It was past bed time for the pups, Bart's hunt had gone rather well with Zelipe and Kevin
both managing kills (leaving Bart now with a running kill score of zero). The new pups
were amazed when Abbey, Samantha and Alice had climbed into the mirror, now dressed
in night gowns and clipped into the reflection of the bed. Given how the rest of them were
all nude and in the fur it was rather jarring, Amy and Zelipe could both see why Marcy
considered it weird.
The two new pups piled onto the bed, now six of them, their fur brushing up against each
other, much to Jenny's agitation, it was okay with her brothers and sister, but sharing the
bed with two pups who weren't even related to her felt a little agitating, she'd ask father in
the morning to get them their own room or make a new bed. Her siblings didn't even care
and accepted their pack mates with open arms.
Jenny wondered about Amy strangely, wondering if she went inside the mirror world, if
Amy would end up dressed like an imperial princess, or a miko. Jenny was forced to admit
she could see Amy as either. How old did you have to be to be a shrine maiden in japan
anyway? Jenny admitted (silently of course) that she had no clue.
Jenny was fast asleep when Kevin felt something move and opened his eyes. He saw Amy
silently and carefully step over Mr. P and Chester. Even moving stealthy every movement of
the eight year old was hypnotic.
The naked wolf child stood in front of the waning incompletely through the window, it
shinning bright on her. It made her coat look like shimmering white with crimson line
flowing through it. Amy sighed as she looked out the window, looking transcendent by
moonlight.
She said in a low, kind voice.
"I feel like I've become part of something beautiful as it is metamorphosing from
something ugly, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly... but I feel like the cocoon will be
forced open from the outside before it can become a butterfly, and shall die." Amy turned
around, her eyes misting, almost sparkling for brief instance in the moonbeams. She
looked at Kevin, or maybe the pups in general, Kevin didn't know if she knew he was
awaken or not.
Amy smiled, "But... but I'm -happy- that I got to be a part of our family even if it shall be
for only a very short time. I feel as if a thousand weights have been removed from my
shoulders and I can see the world a thousand times clearer. And even if I live a thousand
more lives, I shall treasure this brief instance in forever like a thousand diamonds."
++++++++
Queen meowed, "Princess, Prince, Trinni, Quinn, Kathy! Come here!"
"Yes mother!" The five tabby kitten said together in human english as they came over to
her from the television they had been watching (the size of a wall from their perspective)
on the evolutionary trail of the great cats.
Trevor accidently got caught in the stamped as they crawled over him. Princess came back
and kissed him on the nose before hurrying along to her mother. Trevor sighed happily.
As they nursed, Queen looked at them, then at Trevor as he came up beside her.
"They're beautiful aren't they?"
"Just like you." Trevor nuzzled against her.
"I'm still amazed you managed to teach them all how speak the language of humans."
"Only one or two words so far. It's slow learning, kids just pick up language faster than
others... "
"It also proves they're your kittens. None of Bast's perfect creations have ever spoken the
language of humans before. Well, except you."
"Yep!"
"Trevor... it's funny... I've had several litters before them... I'd mate, I'd breed, I'd let them
go on their way but... now, I think I'll be -sad- to see them go."
"That's endearment, something else I think I've managed to teach you."
"Deviously."
"Well, I am a cat."
Queen nuzzled him again, "Trevor, I do believe that I am happy like this, a breed of
happiness I've never known before, I don't think ANY felidae has known before. I think I
changed because of you. It scares me, but, I don't I'd want to go back to how I felt before."
"I can appreciate that. I don't think I'd want to go back acting superior around people who
didn't take care of themselves as much as me before."
Queen laughed, "Are you saying you became more human by becoming a cat?"
"... maybe..."
"Trevor dear... I am happy but," Queen licked her kittens and then looked sadly at Trevor,
broke eye contact and shook her head, "I'm afraid this isn't meant to be."
"Queen?" Trevor asked nervous.
"These are the shadows of things that can no longer be..." His family's living room
vanished. And as Trevor looked, his, their kittens winked out of existence one by one.
"..no."
Queen's head neatly and cleanly rolled off her shoulders at Trevor's paws like the Cheshire
Cat. "Yes Trevor. I'm sorry. You can't turn back time. But please...."
"Please what?"
"Be brave."
A huge black and gold shadow rose up behind Queen's still neatly sitting headless body
looking down at them with glowing red skull eyes.
Trevor started awake, smacking into his bed basket and toppling the whole thing over,
ending up in a tangle mess of little cat sized pillows and blankets. He looked around. No
Grim reaper, no Queen's head. No kittens that would never exist. Trevor shuddered. "First
my subconscious tortures me with Death taunting me on how much time I -don't- know I
have, and now I dream about that... Be brave huh? ... Alright Queen, I'll try."