Yamato lay quietly on the bed he had been placed on, trying his best to meditate on past events. The battle with Kurse and the enslaved twins and others from the Pack, and the wounds he had sustained to free them, and then the fact that he had also accidentally clawed Chiyoye's chest during the battle. It had taken Fran ten minutes of promising that he had left no lasting damage on her and Chiyoye's own promises that she was fine.
But that gave little comfort to Yamato's mind. He had struck one of his own mates as hard as he could. He remembered his wedding with Chiyoye, Akane, Umeko, and Eri in in a mixed Shinto and Buddhist wedding, to fit the religions of himself and his mates. He loved them all fiercely and had vowed to never let them come to harm. Seeing Chiyoye hurt from the battle, and partially from his own hand, hurt him, and made him fear that he had dishonored himself and his mates and his Pack.
Then, as reality shifted around them, he remembered a different incident. It occurred after Gaal's attack on the pack. Gaal's destruction enabled Amy's powers to free Megan and Margot from the stone prison that Gaal had put them in. It was then that they realized that Amy and Zelipe could free members of the Pack currently at Glendale's gallery. And that led to the incident between Yamato and his mates and the lioness Penny.
Hoping to get the numbers to defeat the other two witches, Yamato had been sent to free various Pack members from their stone prisons and had run into Penny, there to free Kirk from his own prison. Yamato and his mates, as well as Amy and Zelipe, didn't know the names of the "stoned" wolves that were there and the startled Penny feared they were going to take Kirk from her. This lead to an argument, and Yamato tried his best to explain his mission and what the shadows of the witches were doing when Penny placed an accusing finger in his face and called him a thief.
And that led to the fight. Akane and Chiyoye took Penny out at the knees while he knocked her out. They then deliberately went to the wolf statues and freed them, never doing any harm to Kirk or any of the five lion statues that were there. It was only after the battle with Kurse and he had managed a brief conversation with the lioness Bernie that he now recognized his mistake. None of the wolves that were there had been named Kirk, Penny was only trying to defend her own mate. The whole battle had been a misunderstanding, and Yamato knew it.
"Urgh," Yamato grunted as he struggled to sit up.
He wasn't in too terribly bad a shape. He could still move, though it was somewhat painful at times.
"Yamato! Darling, what are you doing?!" came Eri's voice as she stood up from the chair beside him. Umeko and Akane were tending to Chiyoye, who lay on the bed beside his.
"I must speak with the lioness from the gallery," Yamato spoke, "I must apologize for what happened."
"She likely knows we meant her no harm," Eri spoke.
"We attacked a friend of the Pack as if she were one of the witches," Yamato spoke, "we dishonored ourselves by not trying to accomplish a peaceful solution first, as she was not our enemy."
"The witches had us all nervous and we were rushing to get ready to stop them and Jensen and Kaylee hadn't gone to the police yet to report Gaal's attack on us," Eri spoke.
"That does not change the actions we took," Yamato said weakly, cringing as he turned his legs to get out of the bed, "We, or at least I must apologize to her for the misunderstanding. And ask for what task she would require of me for atonement. Honor demands it."
"I'm sure it does, sir," came Luna's voice from the foot of the bed, "but I'm afraid that Julie's orders are to stand firm. Until we can be sure that all the wounds sustained fighting Kurse are healing, and strong enough wheelchairs or crutches can be acquired, all are to remain here... Pack or Pride."
Yamato glanced at the "moon" wolf who carrying a small tray with cups of water at the moment.
"It's for your own good, darling," Eri told him, stroking his chin with one of her paws, "please don't fight with the Pack's doctor, she is one of the Betas, after all."
"But honor demands I apologize," Yamato spoke, "I struck someone who is not an enemy... a very dishonorable act. I must either apologize or commit seppuku."
"DON'T!" Chiyoye growled from her bed, "we love you, Yamato. You are a great and noble wolf and a mighty warrior. If you die, we will die to join you."
"Suicide is not my wish, my loves," Yamato answered, "but honor is still important. It is what every Samurai lives for. I have lost it, between our actions at the gallery over a misunderstanding, and then striking you, Chiyoye."
"That was an accident," Chiyoye reminded him, "You weren't aiming for me. It wasn't your fault. Don't ever think that that that was!"
"And Penny is with Kirk," came Bernie's voice from the bed on his other side, "I'm sure the rest of our pride will come here when they learn about the battle with Kurse. You may apologize to her when she arrives."
"And suppose she doesn't come here? Or is unable to come here?"
"Between Kirk, Jeff, Gloria, Jacob, Marie, and her grandmother, whom people have come to call Mother Glen, like your Alpha's pups have nicknamed Patrick "Mr. P", I'm sure there are plenty of other pride members that could carry her here if that was necessary," Bernie spoke, "I'm sure you'll get the chance to restore your honor in some way."
"I hope you're right, lioness-san," Yamato sighed as Luna and Eri helped him move into a position where he could lay down again.
+++++++
The ship carrying what would one day be Golgatha, Gommorah, and Gaal sailed slowly through the fierce and rough North Atlantic. The ship's first mate did find a place that they could stay, the hold of the ship. It was cramped and dark, and their only options for exercise was to go on deck.
At present, the future witches did not go by the names that the five witch hunters that would kill them or the Pack and Pride that would work together to slay their curse would know them by. The future Gommorah was known as Grisele. The future Golgatha was known as Goldwyn. The future Gaal was known as Gita.
The three of them sat quietly in the hammocks that they had been given, and none of them were very happy.
"Why did mommy die?" Goldwyn wondered aloud, "Grandma said that her attackers were prudish fools who didn't understand... mommy could have easily made them leave her alone."
This was an old question that rain through their minds routinely. Balthilde commonly tried to dodge the question, as for her, the found memories of her daughter made her cry, and what Balthilde was trying to prevent made her try to get her grandchildren to think of other things.
"Maybe it has something to do with the possibility of the Infinite Chaos making her insane," Grisele commented, "that she was afraid she'd go mad and do something she wouldn't want to."
"But being attacked by people wanting to kill her should be more then enough excuse to use it," Gita said, "she didn't deserve to die."
"No, my dears, she didn't," Balthilde said as she came into the room.
"Grandma!" the three girl's chorused.
Balthilde gave a weak smile. Only two of the three were her grandchildren by blood, but witch covens operated much the same way the Pack and the Pride did. Older witches were responsible for raising and training younger ones. When a witch grew up and did good for the world, the coven could be proud, when one went bad, the coven as a whole weeped.
"Why did mommy die?" Goldwyn asked again, "Please tell us Grandma."
"Superstitious paranoia," Balthilde answered, "the people that killed her didn't even know she was a witch. They merely outed her as some "other" that they didn't like."
"So, how could they kill her?" Gita asked, "Surely she could have defended herself, and she had a right to defend herself."
Balthilde didn't answer immediately.
"Please tell us, Grandma," Goldwyn urged, "Please."
"To act and use magic would have only confirmed their superstitions to them," Balthilde spoke after a moment, "Just because we are witches does not mean were are separate from what is right or wrong. To use magic would have made your mother just as bad as the people that killed her and her husband."
"But couldn't she have defended herself without killing them or robbing them of their form?" Grisele asked, "couldn't she have made herself and daddy invisible or teleported away?"
"She didn't have the cloak for that," Balthilde answered, "and teleportation is dangerous over long distances. Witches have accidentally killed themselves when they've teleported to find half their body inside a wall or something else."
"Isn't there anything she could have done?" Gita asked.
"No, not without cheating, and remember what I've taught you about that," Balthilde answered and waited for them to nod, "Your mother, Friedelinde, didn't deserve the end she received, but there is nothing either of us can do now or could have done then. And that is a simple fact of life. It wasn't fair, but life isn't fair."
"One day we will be able to stop people from dying!" Gita vowed.
Balthilde shook her head. Death was something that came to all things. Only God was forever, and those witches that tried to stop deaths, even if it was the death of others, went mad in the infinite chaos and ended up being killed themselves.
"Do not make such vows," Balthilde spoke, "Death is the equalizer of all things. Rich and poor, both of them are helpless before it... and Saint Peter will voice God's judgment on the souls of both. And if God is truly good, your mother's soul is in heaven today. And those who killed her likely have their own place in hell for acting out of paranoia."
"This new land won't have that paranoia?" Grisele asked.
"In time," Balthilde promised, "in time."
+++++++
"That line Gita spoke," Lawrence commented, "sounds like Anakin in "Attack of the Clones"... you know when he's talking with Padme about his mother's death."
"And for Gita, Grisele, and Goldwyn the analogy is much the same," Marie sighed, "They were young and couldn't fully understand many of concepts of "right and wrong". They knew that what the paranoid witch hunters had done was wrong, but didn't have their grandmother's experience... but the fear of loss was not really their only reason for turning to the "Dark Side". Sadly, Gita, Grisele, and Goldwyn fell to a great many things. Balthilde tried valiantly to try and get them on the right track... but when their ship arrived in the new world, she had already seen that she wouldn't be there forever..."
++++++
Penny slowly hung the phone to move her wheelchair into the kitchen. She had just opened the refrigerator and pulled out a tray of steaks when she heard footsteps coming out.
"Penny!" Kirk gasped as he approached, "You should let me help you with that."
"I can manage... a bit," Penny said, "there are no stairs or great distances that I'd need to go up or down. Did I wake you?"
"No, dear, you didn't," Kirk answered, "I rolled over and found you weren't there. Mom and dad aren't up yet."
Penny nodded.
"Who were you talking to on the phone?" Kirk asked.
"Well... I called the station first, to see how the raid on the Smiths went," Penny explained, (as reality hadn't fully shifted for them yet), "and I got the white and red pup that stole the people from the gallery. She said the "raid" never happened, but that every wolf was free."
"Well, that's good," Kirk commented.
"I don't trust her," Penny said firmly, "someone who is willing to rob people of their humanity and make them blindly loyal to some transformed spoiled brat is also someone who will easily lie as well."
"That can't be all of it," Kirk commented, "I can tell when you're trying to hide something."
Penny sighed, "she also mentioned that the Pack and the Pride were both forced into a battle with the shadows of the witches that cursed Glendale to begin with... they're all at the Smiths now recovering... it was like my nightmare."
"Was anyone killed?" Kirk asked.
"Someone named Kurse ripped Fox and Elise's souls out and sliced them into four pieces," Penny said weakly, "but other then them, they were only badly beaten up... but until I can see it for myself, I can't believe that ANY wolf is free. They're all subservient to Jensen..."
"If Jensen is the Alpha, they'd be loyal to him anyway," Kirk answered, "the Alphas in a wolf pack are the dominant pair in the pack. Every other wolf would likely follow Jensen because of his rank. If they're free now, that loyalty is no longer blind loyalty. They'd challenge him if he did something wrong or evil."
"I still need to see for myself that they're free," Penny answered.
"I can help you get there," Kirk promised, "If you don't mind me pushing or helping you get onto buses."
"That might have to wait a bit though," Penny spoke, "I also called my grandma to tell her about our engagement. She's already on her way here... I tried to tell her not to overexert herself and that we'd be by eventually... but she said she was coming and told me not to worry."
"I'm sure she'll be fine, dear," Kirk bent down and licked the tip of Penny's muzzle, "they have nurses that can help her should she need it."