(This chapter contains material from Loony28.)
(AN: I feel like I've been going mental all week. )
Kaylee had actually the final part of the pack's creed from an anime involving a ray gun
that turned innocent girls permanently into brainwashed cat girl maids, unlike in that story
though, here it seemed as if that plot element would actually be resolved.
In all this storming confusion, Chester the Chihuahua, Fran's faithful and simply pet, had
been completely forgotten by all. The poor animal had no magical lineage, nor did he
under any time come under the direct effects of any transformation or mind control by the
game. So unlike Judas Chester had concept of the changes to reality around him. He
remembered and only remembered his owner Fran, her two sisters, their mate, and of
course his owner's shared offsprings the glass pups who were the closest to him. And of
course, being owned by the apparent chosen of Fenrir. He remembered and only
remembered them being on good terms with the apparent chosen of Bast. And like any
dog, familiarity dissolved hostilities.
He had no idea why so many of his owners pack mates were now hurt, he only hoped
someone remembered to feed him, and that they'd all be alright.
Judas and his brothers of course remembered everything, being direct descendants of the
familiar of one of the three witches. The cats were completely divided about it. Some saw
it as Bast handing out her blessing among humans, while others thought it was an
abomination, a direct and personal affront to the felidae perfect.
Judas and his brothers had felt it of course, the death-stroke at the curse's heart, leaving
the curse hopelessly brain damaged.
When Paul had returned to the church, the catholic black cat listened in on the discussion.
Of course the wolves and the lions being able to understand their mundane cousins to
varying degrees was purely a part of the magic that had birthed them: after all, -humans-
didn't exactly speak ape after all. Otherwise Paul's condition wouldn't be half the problem
it was.
Hearing about Trevor's mutation into something that was like the girl Judas had found and
led back to the church... Personally, Judas just hoped Trevor found what Trevor was
looking for. Hearing the conclusion of the tale, Judas thought, 'All that needs to be done
now is to spread the cure and bless the town, and the game can finally be laid to rest.'
Strangely Judas felt a sense of relief when Paul recounted how Trevor had broken the neck
of the shadow of his ancestor, 'Maybe now she can reset in peace.'
Of course Judas' elder and younger brother felt the same, it mattered little to them, the
past was the past, let it stay in the past.
+++++++
"It's happening AGAIN." Ami said with some despair.
"Kurse.. Kurse KNEW she'd loose, she just wanted to make sure we'd never be able to enjoy
our win."
"More elements being thrown into the stew pot when they should be thinning out now, it's
insanity..."
"Which I think for Kurse is precisely the point....Can we still fix it Ami?"
"'We' were supposed to be done now, but it seems that Kurse wanted to almost make sure
we'd never rest."
"We have to make sure the rope stops from splitting apart again, or what little drive to
move foreword we have will be -dead-."
"I know... one truth I think I've begun to realize after dying though," Ami began, "Is that
there is no such thing as a perfect future." Ami kissed Amy on the forehead, "We've had a
long hard night and a long hard sleep, it's time to wake up for a bit."
+++++++++
Kathy was surprised, but completely and utterly relieved when she had decided to play a
game of 'pretend' using her little twin brothers as guinea pigs (she go to Confession on
Saturday) of Transform and Dare and nothing had happened no matter how many times
they had done it. It gave Kathy a rather large overwhelming sense of relief that she'd have
no more to do with that awful game. Even as she felt her memories of ever being human,
and ever being partially human slowly dissolving, she calmly accepted her fate. Her family
was still together, they still loved each other, and she still had her life to live, and nobody
what so ever she spoke to treated her as a freak and apparently as soon as she graduation
from Frostvile Highschool there were some body conditioner brands who were interested
in her trying out to model for their products... of course there would be other lined up
too. But Kathy felt the confidence she could manage it. Now she just felt like actually
THANKING that lion cub boy she had run into at the pet store... too bad she hadn't gotten
his name...
++++++
The next morning/afternoon. the first thing that had happened when Luna and Sunny had
set foot into the Wolf Estate led by Abbey, was being greeted happy by the pair Terri and
Sandi as if they had been part of the pack of years, then having medical supplies and what
not shoved into their arms and shouted at by Fran to hurry and help with treating the
damaged Yomato, Chiyoye (who had to lay on he back and have support for her much
extra biologically impossible chest weight), Zack, June, Hope, Grace, Isebelle, Megan,
Margot, Ashley. Alexandra was staying put since that was what Master Jensen wanted and
that was all that mattered. Nicole, they had caught her twice getting up out of the make
shift bed they had placed her on in the crowded medical wing, but now had resorted to
guarding and binding her. The only teen wolf in the mix Millie sat bored reading comics.
And -that- wasn't counting the Pride.
"Any regrets?" Luna asked calmly to Sunny, feeling the memories of the life she had, of the
person she had been slowly being replaced as reality sought to completely remove any
connection the Big Bad Wolf pack had with the game in any shape or form.
Sunny groaned, sighed, then said, "Yep. Too late now. And seriously? It ain't really all that
bad when ya got over fifty pack-mates looking out for you thicker than blood."
"Glade to know." Luna nodded as the sun and moon wolf were hurried along as Jasmine
was busy keeping Pride mates comfortable as Fran worked tirelessly resetting bones
changing bandages and draining fluids.
+++++++++
It was a day after Kurse died and Rick was standing at the railing of the yacht. Maylene
and Dennis came to the railing too Maylene asking, "What are you thinking about?"
"Just what happened to us on the island," Rick said sighing. "How I became a bear, you a
pig, and Dennis a chimera. How we came so close to losing each other."
"What are you trying to say?" Maylene asked looking a little hopeful.
"I'm saying that I wants to marry you," Rick said falling to one knee and putting Maylene's
hand in his his.
"Oh yes I'll marry you," Maylene said throwing her arms around Rick and kissing him. Once
she was done she asked, "So when should we get married? I would like it to be as soon as
we get back. Or I think the captain has the power to marry us. We could get married
today." She declared obviously very excited.
Marie looked at Rick, Maylene and Dennis with envy. Regardless of everything and
anything, the at least would get to live a perfectly normal and happy life and Dennis would
get a normal and alive childhood.
Marie no longer had that option, when transformed into the replacement Glass, she had
glimpsed into the eyes of truth, she couldn't go back to being the ignorant and blissfully
little boy she had been. Yes, she envied Rick, Maylene, and Dannis very much.
Much magic was a -natural- part of creation, it needed a filter and to be tempered the
same as any natural force, and that duty had fall onto Marie's shoulders weather they liked
it or not, she now knew much more than any child her age had a right to. She had slipped
into the world of mirrors, her dress still black with red runes. She wept, she came out of
the mirror an hour later glade the tears didn't translate to her glass form in the outside
world outside of her universe in the mirrors.
She saw the passengers look at her, mostly as an oddity, some scared, some sympathetic,
but diverse, as people will surprisingly always be. After all, they all now carried the scars
from Kurse's last stand, hers were just easier to see. She was still indestructible however,
and she still had an infinite number of turns at her command that didn't even need to obey
the rules (that power had been lost to Samantha once freed and transferred to Marie when
she had become Glass). She had nothing to fear from the passengers even if they tried to
tied her to an anchor and throw her overboard.
However, it was now her responsibility to help them, just like it was Ami's to help the
pack. Marie hoped her mental link to the infinite chaos closed off completely soon as soon
as reality mended, this constant influx of knowledge she shouldn't know could drive her
made causing the cycle to just repeat itself destroying the hard work and hard efforts of
EVERYONE if she wasn't careful.
Marie knew, even as she left this island with her mother, that this island would now and
forever be a part of herself, for she was now a part of it. With Kurse gone forever, and the
curse soon to die in Glendale, she would be the one whose reflection decided what
direction the organized chaos now ingrained in Big Bad Island would go.
If Eliza had looked, she'd have noticed the photo of her gone and forgotten husband's
photo was now of a male wolf. How the two species' managed to have the same number of
chromosomes was a miracle of nature. And the baby pictures of Martin showed a baby girl
wolf in diapers, though the most recent ones showed a naked glass she-wolf with a well
hidden perchance for white magic.
Once reality sealed, Marie would be looked at no more than any other child, being just one
wolf among many.
++++++++++
Madam Serenity woke with a feeling of loss. As soon as they ended the turns she wouldn't
have anything left to do. She had spent most of her life fighting the curse. Trevor's idea of
it being used out of love instead of spite was a nice dream but she had seen too much of
humanity to really think that would come true. No the only way to make sure that it wasn't
used in spite again was to end it.
The door opened and Serenity saw a naked little gray and black lion-boy, almost looking
like a girl without his mane if you didn't look down below.
Trevor asked, "Madam Serenity are you up?"
"Yes I am Trevor," Madam Serenity said. "Do you need something?"
"Well breakfast is almost ready but I wanted to talk to you," Trevor said.
"Well come in and talk," Madam Serenity said.
Trevor came in and sat on the bed. After a moment he said, "I've been thinking about the
game since I got up."
"It needs to end Trevor," Madam Serenity said. "It's the only way to save people from the
misery they could have because of a Transform or Dare. I know what you're going to say
but think about this. The boy who transformed you did so to get your spot on the team.
Now do you think he would have still done it if the witches weren't part of the curse?"
Trevor had to think it over a bit and finally said with a sigh, "He still would have
transformed me. But maybe it wouldn't have been in a way that made me so miserable."
"Perhaps but he still would have done it out of spite," Madam Serenity said. "You'll always
have those that will use the power they have to make others as miserable as possible. It's
just their nature. Do you want to see more people be as miserable as you were?"
"No," Trevor had to answer truthfully.
"Then the game must end," Madam Serenity.
"That's something else," Trevor said. "I don't think the game will ever end."
"Once the turns are eliminated from people the game will end," Madam Serenity said.
"But what about those outside of Glendale who may have a turn?" Trevor asked. "You said
yourself that we can't track all of them down. What if one or more of them come back to
Glendale and use their turn? Wouldn't the game then continue?"
"You won't believe this, " Serenity said, "I actually had a dream last night talking to a white
wolf girl with red markings like brush strokes. She said that since Kursed forced every
person outside Glendale to use their turn, and many who didn't have turns to begin with,
forcing them through with sheer force of will, they was only able to keep them going by
giving them turns that no longer were bound to the game itself, thus the only turns left
outside of Glendale were the ones Kurse was handing out like candy, and they died and
vanished like the passenger victims I'm told reverted to being human again. It's time for
the future to move foreword Trevor, the night is finally ending."
Trevor nodded kicking his feet. "The witches are dead. There's no intelligence to the game
anymore so it shouldn't be able to twist anyone's words until we can use the cure on
Glendale itself. I've learned to make the most of life while I have it. I'm not going to make
the same mistake with Mary as I did with Queen. You've gained skills that you can use
even if a case has nothing to do with the game. The police have gained several lions who
can smell things humans can't."
Just then a cub that seemed to be a bit older than Trevor was now and was colored like
him came in and said in a clearly female voice, "Breakfast is ready. Mom said to hurry up
or you'll miss out." She left and Madam Serenity and Trevor followed.
"Your sister?"
"Was my little sister... now I guess my big sister, she ran up to me and hugged me and had
finished transforming before I got a chance to get a word in edgewise."
"Any regrets?"
"At this point, I've given up trying to figure out what makes reality really anymore."
'Indeed.' The pack didn't have last names from what Serenity had been told of the
interrogation. The pride did, but that was likely more due to Brian and Felicity not wanting
them to lose their individuality (ironic given how similar the lionesses all were).
So it was odd that Job and Marie, Trevor's parents, would call Kaylee and Jensen by what
had been their last names in a timeline that no longer existed, then again, since reality
was still in flux with the sheer changes from over a hundred people in less than a week
being altered by the curse, it was no surprise that bugs would remain in the timeline for
some while until existence had time to scab over and heal completely.
It seem that though that all the lions within Glendale knew one another, then again, Trevor
had already been technically part of the pride due to the 'love cascade' effect that the
pride had save for Mary, Brian, and Felicity, so it was logical that Trevor's parents would
become the same way once altered.
Breakfast had been a combination of sushi and steak. Then again, wolves and lions WERE
exclusively carnivores, (Serenity wondered what havoc THAT played on the vegetarian
scene). Serenity enjoyed some eggs that had been scrambled it seemed just for her.
Serenity wondered how these two small seemingly numbered species (the lions not even
having enough for short term survival though that would change very quickly soon
enough) had done in competition in the work place with human beings.
As Serenity would learn after a quick internet search was that the major reason lions and
wolves hadn't completely overwhelmed humans in the work force was that while they
could perform physical feats that for humans were limited to comic book super heroes,
they didn't have the astounding level of endurance that had made humans into the most
successful primate on the planet to begin with.
That was when the entire breakfast had turned into a surprise trip to go get ice cream
(hey, it was basically milk fat). Serenity of course had been offered to, and had accepted
to come. She was relieved when a random woman who talked about she loved Marie's fur,
followed by how Marie loved her hair DID NOT result in a transformation into lion person.
As Trevor had been munching down on Mint, while his sister had vanilla and his parents
both cake-batter, and Serenity on Oreo, Trevor had practically dropped his ice cream
seeing a teenager walk into the store with a blond girl on his arm and order a large
sunday.
Serenity hadn't said anything, but she did follow Trevor when Trevor follow the teenager
into the bathroom.
Serenity didn't need to guess from the look in Trevor's eyes. She hadn't been nearly as
surprised as she thought she'd be when Trevor had charged at the teenager claws and
fanged bared when he had turned around from the stall (Serenity not bothering to think
about how she was breaking some basic creeds by following).
"YOU!"
"WHATDAHELL-"
"YOU!" Trevor didn't claw his eyes out, he just went straight for the throat, the larger foot
ball league material teenager having tinny tiny cut marks on his throat now barely able to
hold Trevor back.
"GETOFFMEKID-"
"YOU!!! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!"
"WHODAHELLAR-"
"TREVOR! REMEMBER? THE GUY YOU TURNED INTO A CAT AND GAVE A DEATH SENTENCE
TO!"
"IHAVENOIDEAWHOYOUAREYOU--"
"DON'T LIE TO ME YOU LITTLE-"
There was also the VERY REAL problem that Serenity had said that Trevor's attacker was
dead. What was she supposed to say now? While Gill would understand (maybe) Trevor's
parents might think her everything from a coconspirator to incompetent. But that was
meaningless since Trevor was about to become a murderer.
"TREVOR! STOP!" Serenity pulled the little feline away with her surprising amount of
strength for an old woman her age but with two life time's worth of experience.
"HELP ME!!!" Declared the teenager not realizing how good the walls were at holding in
noise.
"LET ME GO!"
"No." Serenity looked at the teenager, "He just went through a traumatic experience and I
think he mistook you for his attacker, I suggest you go, and I also suggest you don't
mention this to anyone unless you want everyone to know how you nearly got your butt
handed to you by an eight year old."
The teenager nodded and ran.
"He's getting away!!!"
"He's not you enemy!"
"TO HELL HE ISN'T!"
"YOU NO LONGER MET HIM! Remember Trevor? How could he have ever cursed you to
begin with if you've never even been in high school yet? He doesn't even know you in this
reality!"
Trevor broke down crying, "All my friends... I'll never... they'll never... they never knew me
now... and I'll never get a chance to know them again... it's just... it's just.. it's just not
fair-air-air!" Trevor tried into Serenity's shoulders.
"There there... let it all out Trevor... let it all out."
++++++
Penny knew the moment she interacted with her parents to tell them about her near death
experience and now being engaged they would be as much lions and would have always
been just like Kirk's parents. But she wasn't about to try and cheat fate and had enough to
think about now.
Penny of course was in no condition to go to the police station when he was bound to a
wheelchair for what would be the better part of a month. She had to know something and
that wolf pup was the only one that could give her the answer. She was glad to learn that
she was awake. Though she wasn't glad to hear she was not locked up.
"Moshi-Moshi," Came chillingly familiar child's voice on the other end,
Penny said, "I have a question for you."
"What is it lioness-san?" Amy asked.
"At the museum you didn't transform some statues," Penny said. "Why is that?"
"Because they were connected to you," Amy said. "Even though it pained me not to set
them free I left them."
Penny nodded and asked, "Why did you leave them if you were there to free?"
"The were connected to you by a red ribbon," Amy said.
"I see," Penny said nodding again. "That must have been the packs true love power."
"It is said that your true love is connected to you by a red ribbon," Amy said.
"How do you know that?" Penny asked.
"I was a Shinto priestess during World War Two," Amy said. "Even though Ami is gone I still
have some knowledge."
"Well I have to thank you for not taking Kirk from me," Penny said and smiled up at him.
"Now I need to go see how something went."
"If you're referring to the assault on the estate it didn't happen," Amy said.
"Then every wolf is still brainwashed," Penny said quietly and in horror.
"No wolf is brainwashed," Amy said. "That ended when I killed one of the three witches."
"I think I need to hear this story," Penny said.
Amy happily obliged her and told her everything about it that she knew.
++++++
Penny said she needed time to think about things and parted ways.
Amy and Ami meanwhile, just hoped that as reality began to try and fix itself, that it didn't
have to erase people from existence as an after thought.
And Gill meanwhile called also, and by chance, Ami had picked up his office phone
violating about a hundred procedures. What had followed was a very long and very harsh
speech about Ami not respecting police procedure. But he had wanted to know the state of
his men, women, whatever. When Ami listed off names, there were two she neglected.
Gill asked, "What about Elise and Fox?"
"Dead, they were killed giving Trevor-kun and the rest enough of a distraction that the
white wolf could kill the thing's mind."
"... dammit, damn this game, damn those stupid witches, damn this curse, damn the-"
"I tried to save them but... it seems that there are things I just can't do..."
"Listen to me kiddo, I don't know if you're old enough to understand this, but you can't
change the whole world, those damn witches didn't realize that but refused to accept that,
don't go falling into the same trap."
"Yes Gill-Sama."
"What about their kids?"
"Tano and Moja both say that they and their siblings knew what their parents were getting
into."
"I'm going to have Nellie and Nexi ... ah who am I kidding, this is family at this point." As
much as Gill had to begrudgingly admit it, his pin-headed officers were now indeed a
family, this was their business, not his beyond their scope of Elise and Fox being police
under -his- command who he hadn't been there for."
"How's Gary taking it then kiddo?"
"Gary-Sama seems more concerned with checking out on the rest of the pride to make
sure they all pull through."
Gill would go through the paper work to tell Fox and Elise's families tomorrow, and would
only vaguely surprised when the paper work listed the pride as their immediate family
(same with the pack being listed as Fran and Darla's).
++++++++
Lawrence would have ideally becomes twins (his twins selves had been named Quinn and
Lance) but that would have created too much disruption to what reality had already put in
place.
As it was, Lawrence and Betty were in fact -hadn't- changed, at least on the outside. They
actually joined Amethyst in her singing for a bit feeling quite young at heart.
"WHAO!" Check us out!" The teenage Maxine said to the teenage Robyn.
"Enjoy it while we're able to remember being different sister." Robyn said.
"Heh, I guess I get to drive Millie crazy as a little sister almost!"
"Sorry, I think, I think Millie's the same age as us."
"Geeze how does that work?"
"It's chaos, it has to?"
"Point."
That was when her fellow pink wolves Coral and Carelian came over and dull hugged her.
The now teenage Opal and Caroline/Cobalt were cycling each other, not quite sure what to
make of each other.
Amber was now a bare minimum teenager possible younger than Ulysses, but was just as
dramatic and out going, she wondered if she'd get a larger chest this time when she
reached adult hood (she was destine in fact to STILL be a flat chester).
Emerald and Ruby were back to back surrounded by wild twins, looking somewhat like
teenage twins themselves save for their different coloring in fur.
The wild boys Jay and Pence (Jasper) were doing acrobatics around them. The twins born
of Topaz, Goldie, Carnelian, and Lazuli were covering Garnet ticking her like mad...
however no matter how much Garnet laughed her lungs out she didn't split in two
(somewhat to the twin's disappointment they didn't get to keep that super power). 'I... I... I
wish was being smothered by Amethyst's giant bre-breasts again!!' Garnet thought
between gasps.
++++++++
Moja, Mbili, Tatuli,Nneli, Tano, Sita, Saba, Nane cuddled with Mary as she rested. Ulysses
stood guard, or tried to as he feel asleep as well. Sasha did barely any better just hoped
that Maxine and Robyn would cool down on the flirting with Ulysses for a while, they all
needed time to recover.
'My friends,' Mary's thought awakening in the afternoon, still on the island, 'I never found
out, did they alter with me? Or do I have new friends?' Mary felt her memories shifting,
feeling the creed of doom that she would seen forget the friends she had a high schooler
and would remember the friends she now had in grade school, so was the way reality
chose to balance existence. And she knew one thing more in half-sleep, she was done
trying to cheat existence, she had made her bed, and would now sleep in it.
In her dreams she saw the pride together. Morning the death of two of their members and
mothers.
Felicity had hugged both Gary and Brian when they learned about Fox and Elise's deaths. It
wasn't fair, the two lionesses with the most to live for were gone. Then again, life wasn't
fair.
Mary gave the best hug she could to her four half-sisters. Moja, Mbili, Tatuli, and Nneili.
Gary meanwhile had hugged his daughters Tano, Sita, Saba, and Nane for the loss of their
mother.
Raising nine kids even between the four of them should have been impossible, except for
the tiny fact they had never been alone, the pride had each other, and unlike their
unevolved quadruped ancestors, each member of the pride male or female saw each cub
weather they were their own or not as part of their responsibility and part of their legacy.
So it hadn't been four people raising nine kids, it had been over a dozen adult lions
raising nine cubs.
All in all, they weren't that much different from the pack in terms of loyalty towards each
other, though they didn't have a unified leader like the Alphas, each male lion had equal
say. This wasn't to say they were sexist (they had ended that in the 1800s) but each side of
the equation had their own responsibilities.
(AN: Okay. Unknown. Your turn. Sorry for this part being so erratic. Hopefully my next part
will be A LOT more smooth.)