Fran was ready to drop dead from exhaustion as the wolves from the island began to return with Mary and the pride's other cubs. Moja, Mbili, Tatuli, Nneli, Tano, Sita, Saba, Nane all surprised to find themselves dressed as Masai warriors, both from the surprise at wearing cloths in the mirrorverse and the fact that they were dressed as male warriors, which given that each set of quadruplets were female was understandable.
"Are you okay, Sister?" Darla and Julie asked together as they approached their triplet.
"I'm tired sisters," Fran spoke, "I feel like I've joined the 4077."
"Twenty hours of meatball surgery," Julie nodded, getting the reference to M*A*S*H*, "we can take over if you want to rest... seeing as how you seem to have done just about everything that appears critical, and I still have my two arms."
"But your injuries?" Fran asked.
"Will heal, sister," Darla spoke, "Go sleep."
"Thank you, sisters," Fran said slowly and laid down in a corner of the room on the floor, too tired to even head to the master bedroom.
Julie and Darla looked down to see Fran out like a light the instant she was laying down. They then turned to the pride going through what appeared to be very deep grief, with many of the wounded wolves looking on.
"Best to check," Julie spoke, "many of them look so badly torn up that I would advise them to try and rest for a few days while we try to get wheelchairs for them... or at least some crutches..."
The two blond she wolves then approached the pride.
"Is everything alright?" Darla asked, "can we get you anything?"
"You haven't heard?" Gary asked.
"We were busy dealing with the consequences that Kurse put on the Pack," Darla spoke, "Abbey only just brought us and these eight, along with Mary back."
"Our mothers died, Ms. Fran," Moja spoke, "both mine and Tano's, and by extension our sisters. They died defending Trevor."
"I'm Darla, Fran has exhausted herself," Darla spoke, "but... how can Fox and Elise be dead? I do not recall seeing them killed in the battle, nor did I see any bodies after the battle."
"Kurse split their souls into four pieces," Moja explained slowly, sighing at the fact that she could never fully tell the triplets apart, "Amy tried valiantly to save them... but she failed... sadly."
"She couldn't have failed," Julie spoke, her eyes beginning to tear up, "there has to be SOMETHING more she could do... she's done so much already... Fox and Elise were friends to my sisters... they can't be gone..."
"There is only so much any of us can do," Nneli commented, "they knew what they were doing. They knew the risks, just as you did... but when it came down to it..."
"They sacrificed themselves to save the world, and give us a brighter future," Nane finished, "we have our pride mates to raise us... we have your pack to be friends with... and all of that would be lost if they didn't do what they did."
"We'll talk with Jensen when he's had time to recuperate from everything," Darla said, wiping away her own tears, "he'll surely pay for the funding of some sort of monument to them for helping to save the pack."
++++++
Martha was relaxing in her own room. Kaylee's pups were finally resting well, and Zelipe was still asleep, clutching his pillow like a stuffed animal. Alice had returned to help Abbey begin bringing those still on Big Bad Island back, and Samantha was asleep in the mirrorverse, at last. She hoped things would remain quiet for a while, with a sudden rush of voices came from outside the room and got louder as it approached the pup's room. Martha was quick to her work.
She came out to find six sets of twins noisily talking and laughing about something as they came down the hallway.
"Quiet, all of you!" Martha said as firmly as possible without waking those who were asleep, "you'll wake the Alpha's pups."
"Why?" a young male wolf the color of Jasper asked.
"Because they were up all night worrying about their parents and grandfather," Martha answered.
"Why?"
"Because they were either injured or going to that island to save you from Kurse," Martha answered.
"Why?"
"Because you are part of this pack and do not deserve to be enslaved."
"Why?"
"Because you're family... now ENOUGH with this," Martha spoke and then looked at the name plaque outside the room for the pups. Only those pups already known to the Pack in Glendale were there, but there were spaces for all of these new twins as well. "Now, what are your names?"
"Jay," the young male said.
"Pence," his twin spoke.
Next came two blue twins with golden highlights in their fur.
"Laura," said the first.
"Zulema," said the second, "we're not in trouble, are we?"
"Only if you awaken the Alpha's pups," Martha spoke.
All of the twins were carefully quiet. They did not want to upset their nanny, no matter WHAT they personally wanted to do. The next set of twins to come forward were a pair who's fur matched the gemstone Topaz.
"Toni." "Paula, do we have to go to sleep? We did that on the island before coming here..."
"If you are not tired now, I suppose you can stay up... as it is not yet night time here, but you will have to be quiet, and you will need someone to watch you," Martha sighed.
"Can we go outside?" Toni asked, "we'll be good."
"You'll still need someone to watch you," Martha said, and waited as a pair of gold colored wolf pups came forward.
"Giselle," said the first, "don't I look like a princess?"
"There is rivalry with Jenny here and now," Martha thought before saying, "you look very cute, Mistress Giselle, but I will inform you that Alpha Male Jensen has five daughters already. They are the pack's "princesses"."
"How many sons does he have?" Laura wondered.
"Only two," Martha answered, "Zack also has two pups, one male and one female."
"We're outnumbered!" Pence gasped, sounding horrified, "they'll make us wear dresses!"
The female pups all fell into a chorus of giggles as the final gold colored pup came forward. She tugged on one of Martha's arms to get her attention. Martha then turned her heads to look down at her.
"I'm Gretchen," the pup smiled.
"Welcome to your new home," Martha spoke, "I am Martha, the Pack nanny. I will see to it that you grow up happy and content... but I will tell you all now that you will be expected to follow the pack's rules. Those who break them, WILL be disciplined... but I trust we won't have any problems."
"We'll be good." came the chorus, "can we go outside and play?"
"If you can get someone to watch after you."
"Amethyst!" they all cheered, "she's so much fun!"
The group of pups all moved off, in search of the largest of the gem wolves, now in height, weight, and age in addition to her bust line.
"I need a mate to help me look after all of these pups," Martha muttered to herself as she moved to check on the other pups, making sure the arrival of this group didn't wake them, "even if our "union" isn't sexual in nature... I'm going to need the help... Mr. P is a good guardian, but there are just some things that he can't do."
++++++
"We're older now, dear," Kaylee spoke as she looked into a mirror in the bathroom that adjoined the master bedroom.
"Hmmm?" came Jensen's voice.
"We're older," Kaylee repeated, "you were eighteen when I transformed you... and I was fourteen..."
"My transform for you aged you to my age then."
Kaylee nodded, "Yes, but we look even older now. Late twenties to early thirties now..."
Not knowing that this was reality altering to fit the kinks the game of Transform or Dare had thrown into so many lives, Jensen slowly came into the bathroom and hugged Kaylee.
"I think Kurse's death has sent shock-waves that have altered the past," Jensen commented, "I remember us meeting in elementary school... you with Isabelle, Hope, and Grace, and me with Zack... we grew up together, met Fran, Darla, and Julie in college and got married shortly after... and then the puppies arrived."
"You mean...?"
"Bart, Jenny, Marcy, and Kevin really ARE our children now," Jensen spoke, "We have pictures of you pregnant with each set of twins... pictures of Darla, Fran, and Julie when they were pregnant, and at least one picture with all the pups together."
"So thanks to Alice's lock, we will always be wolves," Kaylee began, "and thanks to Kurse's death, we have always been wolves."
Jensen nodded, "which leaves me wondering about somethings... things I might need to atone for."
"Such as?"
"The shadows, Jack and Marcine, the gargoyles," Jensen spoke, "all of them... or have they always been that way now and they won't understand why I'm apologizing?"
"I suppose we'll have to figure that all out," Kaylee sighed, "but we both need to rest first... waking up after being a statue was like coming out of a coma. I didn't really feel rested."
"Of course, dear."
As the two returned to their large bed, they found Sarah, standing quietly by the door-less portal... but then, when Wolf Manor had been built, it had been built deliberately without internal doors.
"Is there something you need, Sarah?" Kaylee asked, shocked to find that she could now remember the other she-wolf's name, but then, Sarah had been part of the Pack for ten years now, so of course Kaylee had had to remembered it...
"Abbey has brought the pride's cubs back along with myself, Darla, Julie, Amethyst, and the pack's newest pups," Sarah spoke calmly, Darla and Julie are checking in on Fran and the wounded, the pups went in search of where their room is, and Amethyst has gone to check on Roger... humming the Batman television theme..."
"I wonder what Roger sees in her," Jensen shook his head with a chuckle, "she's always been off in her own world."
"I believe what he sees is an F-cup, dear," Kaylee said, sounding a little jealous.
"You are far prettier as far as I am concerned," Jensen told her, running one paw down Kaylee's back, and then turned to Sarah, "Who is still on the island?"
"Ulysses, Maxine, Robyn, Garnett, Caroline, Opal, Amber, Tourmaline, and Coral," Sarah answered, "they should be looking after the deer that are there. Although... Maxine and Robyn have been flirting with Ulysses something fiercely."
"It's not wrong for him to find love," Jensen pointed out, "I'd actually encourage it, even..."
"Yes, but we all need time to recover," Sarah nodded, "and given that they're all between 14 and 15 and no younger 12, I would think that they're all too young to seriously consider taking mates or planning marriages."
Jensen and Kaylee nodded, remembering that they were both twenty when they got married.
"We'd best begin bringing the deer home," Jensen spoke, "we'll need Jack and Marcine to continue attracting more deer to the area... especially since they'll likely need to provide food for the pride as well."
"Of course, Master Jensen," Sarah nodded, "but, who? Much of the pack is still wounded from the battle with Kurse, and much of that which that wasn't is helping with the medical work."
"Wendy, Robert, Jessica, and Rose can handle it," Jensen instructed with a yawn, "this will take multiple trips... even if the teens on the island help... which might be a good idea. It'll give them something to focus on for the moment, instead of mindless flirting. Abbey and Alice will be more then happy to help."