The triplets and Kaylee, the clink, Amy, Sarah and Ulysses, Zack and June, all strangely
came to the Master around the same time in the office that used to be his father's and the
one where Jenny and Bart and their younger siblings had been reborn as members of the
pack. They had all taken precisely enough wrong turns (which was odd enough consider
three of them had worked at the Mansion for years) so they all bumped into each other at
exactly the same time outside Jensen's office. What was even strange was how June
seemed to lose Amy's scent, back tracked, found it again, and thus wound up showing up
at the same time as the others.
Jensen was a little surprised to see so many outside his office door at once. June of course
hugged Amy telling her not to be so disconnected with her own mother. Amy merely
nodded in her mother's bossom.
Amy of course wanted to speak first, before any more tragedies like ther gargoyles
happened. She also didn't know what it was, but there was a faint stink in the dark.
Sarah didn't know WHY she was going along with this, maybe just cause she didn't want to
see Ulysses in trouble.
And with the thirdteen wolves there, that was when Abbey came out of the mirror, the
glass pup followed by Margot, Megan, and finally to everyone's shock, Ashley. Everyone
however did quickly take note of the bruises and cuts on Megan and Margot's bodies.
"What happened?" Jensen asked first ominously. Strangely not looking at his packmate
returned to him safe and sound (which actually felt a bit confusing to him in hind sight).
"Blue Light Blue!" Kaylee declared in amazement and happiness to see her precious
packmate returned to her. Then Zack and Kaylee looked at Megan. "You did it didn't you?"
"Did what?" Jensen asked.
Zack said, "Megan wanted us to go AWOL and retrieve Ashley on our own Master."
"What-?!" Jensen said in alarm and surprise.
Zack said, "Megan tried to convince me, Margot, and some others that we should charge
into the police station via the mirrors and smash and grab Ashley.... I thought she gave up
on it."
Megan said, "I'll... I'll admit it was stupid, but a small group of wolves had a better chance
I realized of getting through than a big one! And ... You can't argue with results!"
Ashley repeated, "I do agree it was dangerous and reckless Master, but Megan and Margot
suceeded! You can't argue with that!"
The triplets echoed intense, "Did you put Abbey in dangerous without my permission!"
Megan and Margot started stepping back but Megan said in reply, "Never. I gave Abbey
strict instructions to NOT leave the mirror until Ashley was saved."
"And?"
"She didn't leave the mirror until after Ashley was rescued I can assure you."
Abbey nodded, "I promise mommy I didn't." Abbey said, she was no Alice but she picked
up on Megan's choice of words.
Megan and Margot had both done a count in their heads, no good, thirdteen counting
Jensen... Even if the Transform somehow effected the other two twins at the same time,
that would still leave one would unaccounted for.
"Was Ashley-san hurt?" Amy asked.
"Not in the least." Ashley said, "The lions and police were actually very civilized. I don't
think we really need to go to war with them or flee Glendale, I think we can reason with
them."
Julie smiled at this idea. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was have the pack fight
the pride when it had people like Penny on it. True Kaylee had offered them an easy way to
avoid having to take part in the violence, if it came to that it was for the good of Master
and the Pack, but still, she didn't like the idea of violence... Maybe it had to do with all the
medical knowledge the curse had dumped into her head.
"Ashley... I'm very very very happy you've been returned to us, please go outside my office
until I tell you to come back in." Jensen's voice was ice cold.
"M-Master, why would-"
"I command it."
Ashley had a sick feeling in her gut, but knew if she refused, it would be a neon sign that
something was wrong. She looked at Megan and Margot one last time and inched out of
the doorless portal.
She was surprised to find Anne sitting outside also.
"Anne?"
"ASHLEY?! You're alive!" Anne hugged her packmate dramatically, more than the wolves
who had been in the office very strangely. In particular with how open the wolves had
become about their emotions.
Ashley hugged her back, "It's okay, Megan and Margot rescued me."
"You're kidding!"
"No I'm not! But it's okay! And the lions and police aren't evil and they aren't dangerous!
Before Megan and Margot helped me escape they really really seemed interested in us just
peacefully co-existing."
"You've got to be kidding..."
"I swear to God I'm not."
"Ashley .... I'm just... I'm just so happy you're alive... I was so scared those lions had done
something to you... "
"They didn't... why are you outside Master's office?"
"I was going to ask for permission for me to visit a church each week while we're on the
island or allow me to bring a priest into the pack. I'm pretty sure I'm the only catholic in
our pack, but still... kindness welcomes all right?"
"Anne..." Ashley asked, sound a little unsure of how to act around one of her pack mates
still set to think like a slave and a Big Bad Wolf-supremacist. "I need to ask you... I've
been wondering about something. Do you think these bodies belong to us? Or did Master
murder the people who these bodies used to belong to and just created us out of the
ether?"
Instead of being alarmed or shocked at the question, Anne looked at Ashley, and
thought... and honestly did think about it.
"To become a better person, is to in fact become someone else. Thus the person you are
has to die. Thus, in order to be born again, you have to die. Yet those who convert others
to a new theology are never called murderers, in spite of how the person from before
ceases to exist. And people who become different from how they were, are not considered
to have committed suicide. So I think it's rather silly to call Master such. We aren't the
same people we were when we were five, and aren't considered to stolen those bodies,
and we have no more control over the outside elements that influenced who we became
anymore than Master's wording of the game."
Ashley thought for a moment then said, "But where does free will come into the picture
then?"
"Eh?"
"We're packmates so I know you won't take this the world way. But I think God allows for
freedom of will in SPITE of being all powerful, then otherwise this universe would hold no
meaning."
"You're christian?"
"Prodastan."
"Ah." Anne nodded.
"So what's your response?"
"I guess free will is where we chose to act on that stimuli and experiences...not the stimuli
and experiences themselves... Memories are just records. Senses are just information.
Love is a chemical reaction. They aren't us. They're not our soul. The choice we make are
what decide what they are... After all, regular triples raised together aren't like the betas
really."
"Right... So Anne... do you think we really have free will?"
"Of course we do, within the confines of our loyal and devotion to Master and the Pack of
course, same as any civilization."
"But didn't you say unless we chose to follow along with those rules then it's not really free
will?"
Anne opened her mouth, then a deep voice came from inside the room, "Margot, Megan,
Transform or Dare."
Ashley, and Anne, and the voice of Amy all gasped. Ashley and Anne turned to see the
pastel green Roger also gasp, a look of surprise and alarm in his good eye as he had
learned a short ways down the hall. What was he doing here too? Wasn't he supposed to be
rest?
Ashley immediately ran back in, Roger rushing in and accidently knocking her to the side,
Anne was nearly knocked unconscious as Roger steam rolled past her towards his sister.
He didn't even seem to notice the rescued she-wolf he was willing to die for the same as
any pack mate.
Megan and Margot almost felt like the words were thrown up out of their mouthes.
"Transform."
"You've disobeyed your alpha, you've thus betrayed him, thus you've betrayed the pack,
you won't be forgotten. You'll be an example. Transform into marble statues, be nothing
but statues, assume a ballarina and the other an archery pose. You'll think of only being
pretty beautiful statues."
"NO!" Roger shouted.
A passive entranced look came to Megan and Margot's eyes, a wide happy simple smile
formed on their muzzles. Margot stood on the balls of her digigrated feet, and slowly rose
her paws upward arching her back. Megan knelt down on one knee and positioned her
arms as if she was aiming a bow, the smiles and entranced gaze never leaving her faces.
Then, in the blink of an eye they were marble, in the next blink of an eye there was base
with their names underneath them.
"ALPHA HOW COULD YOU!" Roger took hold of Jensen's shoulders, what had happened to
his sister shocking him, Jensen assumed he was attacking in a moment of Paranoia struck
him. Roger was horried at what happened as he was struck back, avoiding the two statues
by inches.
Amy meanwhile stared in absolute horror, her body having gone slack and her muzzle
hanging open. A strange memory she didn't remember rememebring came of a drunk
brother killing two female confidents of hers... but... that never happened to her this life...
but... Megan... Margot... no... please no... they were pack... like all the pack they were -
family-, and ... no...
Roger as he was knocked back hit Amy, knocking her out. Zack grabbed Roger intending
to ask what the heck he was doing, and to stand down, but Roger, since he was just
accidently knocked out Zack's child, and given Zack's incredibly had reputation among the
pack, assumed he was attacking him, and returned in kind.
The office quickly degenderated into bedlam, the triplets and Sarah and Ulysses quickly
being dragged into it, Abbey fled into the office's mirror before it was accidently smashed.
Ashley and Anne weren't sure what to do... but a strange, entrancing urge that cause all
other thought to dissolve into mush came, and without being hit they simply began to
drag the two statues away to the gallery were they belonged acting little better than the
shadows.
The curse clapped to itself. Everything had gone exactly has it had desire, it had failed in
getting Lawrence into the bloody brawl, but no matter. Jensen and Kaylee would return to
their Big Bad roots. They would make sure no wolf would ever defying them again. And
the pride would come expecting to be greeted with open arms, and instead a bloody
ambush would come forth... Oh the beautiful BEAUTIFUL MISERY!
It now but had to deal with one last loose end.
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