"Can I talk with him?" Gillian II asked, glancing toward the black quadrupedal wolf, with gold highlights and one that resembled a wolf howling.
"I do not see any reason why not," Mother Glen nuzzled him again, nearly knocking him over in her excitement of being reunited with a former lover, "although with the present generation of youngsters in a water war of all things, I'll warn you that you make take fire from both sides. It's looked like they got Blackie good earlier."
"Lucky for them he wasn't playing then," Gillian II commented, "from what I've heard of his exploits in the War to End All Wars, he's an excellent warrior and infantryman..."
"The First World War," Amy spoke up.
"Pardon?"
"There was no "war to end all wars"," Amy spoke again, "saying that implies that there are no wars after it. What you are referring to is called the First World War today. Some still call it the Great War, though that term also died when an even larger war started twenty five years after the First World War ended."
"There were more wars?" Gillian II asked shocked.
"Sadly yes, Gill," Mother Glen nodded, "and Blackie rejoined the military for the next war, though by the time of the Korean War in the fifties and then the Vietnam and Gulf wars, Blackie was too old to serve, and earned the rank of Alpha and had too much responsibility to serve during these later wars."
"I thought you said he wasn't Alpha?"
"He isn't the Alpha now," Amy spoke, as the Pack's organization was best answered by a member of the Pack, "his grandson, Jensen is the Alpha Male now... but much like Mother Glen here does with the Pride, Patrick is still highly respected by the Pack."
"I've missed a lot, haven't I?" Gillian II asked.
"Yes," Penny nodded, feeling her memories of the previous time line beginning to rapidly fade after using her power to save him, "but the Pride is more then willing to help, and I'm sure Jensen wouldn't mind you using their library."
Amy nodded as well.
"Thank you, but I'd think I'd like to talk Patrick," Gillian II commented, "catch up on things with an old friend."
The small group around him nodded.
++++++
Jacob and Gillie, meanwhile, caught in a different problem. As the large male continued to hug her, Gillie battled with everything in her mind. She had never participated in the round of Transforms that created the Pride, and while she had to admit that she did care for the officers that did, it was the same sort of "love" that any descent and responsible leader would feel, and that hadn't changed him... but then he suddenly not only became a lion, but a lioness besides. And now this male, whom she didn't know, had come in and acting like they did know each other...
"At least he's trying to help," Gillie thought to herself as a few sobs still escaped her as she leaned against, "In his own misguided way..."
Part of "her" wanted for everything to go back to the way it was, but if "she" was going to be a "she" now for the rest of her life, Gillie prayed that somehow she could feel the altering reality and put an end to misery she had felt while male and human seeing the curse and the game ruin innocent lives, kill two officers by ripping their souls into fourths. She was, after all, tired of dealing with it all.
+++++++
The water war, continued on while Mr. P, Amethyst, and Whitney watched the pups play.
"Patrick, is that you?"
Mr. P turned his head slightly, and cocked one ear in surprise. Ever since Alice called him Mister P at the breakfast table while trying to pronounce Patrick, nearly everyone called him Mr. P, including the adult wolves and lions. Mother Glen still called him Blackie, but then he also called her Snow white, so that all balanced out, but he couldn't remember anyone calling him Patrick in years.
He turned his head to see a copper colored male leoman with a brass colored mane standing beside Mother Glen. He looked vaguely familiar... like a face from long ago, but he wasn't quite sure.
"You remember, Gillian II, don't you?" Mother Glen asked.
"Gillian?" Mr. P asked, and then gasped, "the one Jessie transformed?"
Gill nodded.
"You're back!" Mr. P exclaimed as he lunged forward to give Gillian II a few licks of his own, "I'm sorry for what Jessie did to you, my friend. And I sear to you, if I had known what Jessie had done before he died, he would have lost his rank in the Pack, and possibly have been thrown out of it."
"It's all right," Gill spoke, "I've long since forgiven you and the Pack. Jessie is likely receiving his just deserts for what he did."
"Thank you, my friend," Mr. P answered.
"Can you spare the time to talk with an old friend?"
"Of course," Mr. P nodded, "Of course."