"I suppose I could allow a water gun tournament," Amethyst spoke, finding it hard to describe a game where no one would physically get hurt a fight, though, not that that bothered her, "but remember the game rules, no claws, no biting, first team to get completely soaked loses... although in such games, if you're all having fun, is there really a loser?"
"NO, Miss Amethyst," the gem pup twins cheered.
"But I really wanted to wrestle," Saba gave a defeated sigh as the pups supported one of the pack's nannies/tutors.
"You could teach me," came a female voice that wasn't one of Saba's sisters or of the cubs.
Saba turned to see a young wolf girl, who's fur was the same color as the gemstone Topaz.
"I'm Paula," the pup spoke, "I wouldn't mind wrestling... if you teach me. I don't really want smell like wet wolf. Is it like the Greeks and the Romans? I saw in a book that they wrestled naked."
"So do we," Saba shrugged, "our fur makes clothing rather unnecessary for insulation... and well, I've never seen anyone, even humans, care about our nudity."
"Point."
+++++++
"Speed up freeing them?" Betty asked nervously, "this wasn't the beginning of their fall, was it?"
"Not quite," Marie explained, "as I said, second sight ins't something that is perfect. Balthilde saw that the New World would be the "Land of the Free", but didn't know what freedom it would be and for who. It was only her real world experience that allowed her to guess that the freedom won in the American Revolution would largely be political freedom, and at the time, really only applicable to white males... but Gita, Griselle, and Goldwyn didn't have that experiences, but so far their hopes to "speed" things up had little to do with magic, as the people of Glendale hadn't rejected their ideas... yet."
+++++++
The praying town was only a short distance from Glendale at that time, and by the twentieth century, would actually be part of Glendale. Gita, Griselle, and Goldwyn were all surprised by many details of the people there. There were a few Puritan residents, but most of them were Native Americans dressed like their neighbors and townsfolk in Glendale. This didn't play with what they had been lead to expect, but one look from Balthilde was enough to keep them quiet as they approached the house that Ronald had instructed them to go to.
A Native American man opened the door.
"I am Joseph Running-Bear," the man introduced himself, "what is your business?"
"I'm Balthilde Volksheer, and these are my grandchildren," Balthilde replied, "I'm bringing some baskets of items our "Master" is donating to this town."
"So your master is the same as our master," Joseph commented, "the puritans. Come in."
He lead them down a hall to a room that contained several baskets, all full of European style clothing, particularly puritan clothing.
"You may place your baskets in there with the rest," Joseph spoke, "then, Madame Volksheer, I would ask that you speak with me."
Balthilde nodded and motioned for her grandchildren to carry the baskets into the room. A few moments later, Balthilde and Joseph sat before a small fire drinking tea while Gita, Griselle, and Goldwyn amused themselves with some dolls that Joseph had produced from inside a different box.
"How long have you been here?" Balthilde wondered curiously.
"About eight years," Joseph answered, "This site was the original village site of my portion of my people... though much has changed. When they first came here, they needed us to teach them how to survive here, and they seemed grateful for us helping them live... now I guess that is all gone."
"Things will get better," Balthilde promised, vaguely.
"The winds say that it will be an extremely long time before that happens," Joseph replied, "I will not live to see that time."
"You have second sight!" Balthilde gasped.
"As do you, I suspect," Joseph nodded, "I was a shaman for my village, responsible for treating wounds and injuries and disease... the the diseases that have afflicted my people of late does not respond to my cures... at least not the way I expect them to."
"The diseases are different," Balthilde commented.
Joseph nodded, "Indeed."
"Why have you stayed?" Balthilde asked, "I can't imagine that you would really want abandon the way your people have lived for centuries?"
"Most of the people in my care were too old to flee," Joseph answered, "and running is never the answer to any problem. Problems must be faced and solved. I had to remain to insure that my people have something good for them in the near future... that they live to eventually see the good future the winds speak of."
"A very noble move on your part," Balthilde commented.
"My people were never as "savage" as we have been described," Joseph spoke.
Balthilde nodded. And then paused for a moment.
"You seem troubled."
"It is things that I see, some of it is me, which I do not fear, but some of it is my granddaughters, which frightens me," Balthilde spoke.
"A very ill wind blows around their future," Joseoph told her.
"I've been trying to change that," Balthilde spoke, "keep them on the right path... but my future is nearing its end. I see a robber... a knife... and then... nothing."
Joseph didn't answer.
"If I die, I must ask that you raise my granddaughters," Balthilde spoke, "teach them right from wrong, to be good. See to it that this wind changes direction. I know this is sudden and we've only just met, but if I fail... you could be my grandchildren's only hope for a good future."
Joseph looked to see Balthilde's almost desperate look.
"I will try," Joseph spoke, "though there are some winds that just can not be changed."
++++++
Back at the estate, the pups and cubs did seem to enjoy their water gun tournament. No one was soaked yet, though not for lack of trying. Jay and Pence tried to get the other twins to follow their ideas in getting close to get a few good shots at the other cubs, only to have the cub's cat like reflexes save them from getting seriously soaked and having Moja and Tano lead their sisters to cover to return water toward the pups.
Amethyst watched with some amusement and listened to Saba's instructions to Paula on how to wrestle.
Though, to no one's notice, Alice and Abbey returned from Big Bad Island, riding Jack and Tom. Unfortunately, the deer were still a little spooked from being chased around the island and began bounding hard and fast... toward Nane, who was firing her squirt gun at Giselle behind a tree.
"NO, Jack!" Alice urged, pushing on one side of his neck, gently so that her glass claws didn't cut him, but the Prime Buck bounded and bucked, throwing her off, and Abbey ended up jumping to help her sister.
Nane turned to see the Prime Buck and the lower ranking buck charging toward her and her eyes widened at the sight of the sharp looking antlers lowering toward her... and that left the dirty orange cub to scared to even teleport away.
"NANE!" she heard her sisters scream in terror, along with Moja and her sisters.
But seconds before she could be gored by Jack, she was tackled by someone and sent them rolling away as the two deer bounded away. Once she was done rolling, Nane patted herself down and found she was okay and then turned to thank, who she assumed was Tano or Sita. To her surprise, it was Gretchen.
"You okay?" Gretchen asked as the pups and cubs gathered around, and Alice and Abbey came running.
"You saved me!" Nane gasped.
"Is my name "ugly" now?" Gretchen asked.
"Now..." Amethyst began, not wanting there to be a fight.
Nane cut off Amethyst with a playful pounce on Gretchen and hugged the gold colored pup.
"No! You're my bestest friend!" Nane cheered.
"We are sorry about that," Alice spoke, "we have begun bringing the deer from the experiment back. I think they are still shaken up from when Kurse interrupted the experiment."
"Do you need help?" Moja asked, "we can teleport them here."
"Not until we get all the bucks here at least," Abbey spoke, "we wouldn't want you to get gored... Alice and I can take the risk since they can't hurt us."
Nneli looked at Alice and Abbey with a look of wonder. They and their sister Samantha were amazing in the sense that looked like glass statues, though Nneli knew they weren't, and she remembered Alice's fifth birthday party when shortly after blowing out the candles, her whole body suddenly turned to glass. The terror that Darla and her sisters and Abbey and Samantha felt at that was felt by every wolf, lion, pup, and cub there.
Abbey and Samantha's fifth birthday party and their own transition into glass wolves was more relaxed as the two expected what they would become... and had also enjoyed exploring the mirrorverse with Alice. Nneli remembered hearing the story of their "world tour" and the collection of dresses (the reflections of dresses)the glass wolves had gathered.
Still though, the glass wolves looked like perfectly formed glass statues, which Nneli found intreging, and the fact that they were still alive and not reduced to being statues assured Nneli that one of her friends outside the Pride and her sisters wouldn't be gone. She still wondered how Alice, Abbey, and Samantha aged though... her best guess was that they aged in the mirrorverse and their glass forms reflected that... but Nneli couldn't be sure.
"Let us know if you need the help," Tano spoke, "We're more then willing, and it'll mean fewer trips back and forth for you."
"We will, but until the bucks are safely home," Alice spoke, "it would be safer for you to remain here and, possibly away from this specific corner of the estate's grounds."
"Come along kiddos," Amethyst spoke, "You can continue your games, but let's let Alice and Abbey get back to work."