'Yeah your little prick, I get how it's a curse now.' Gill thought, she was now sitting in her
living room with Jacob sitting on the other coach. Everything in the house was now to
scale of her new nine-foot tall body. 'It's gonna be hell walking around at the station, Gary
and the others were ready to bump heads in the ceiling down there as is...'
Gill looked at the cub of hot coco that Jaccob had made for her. She remembered looking
into the coco.
'I remember you, you jerk. You had a shot at me. A turn at the game. You could have
turned me into a slut whore or a law ornament like most of the other bastards like you
have done to police over the years. But no, you had me, that stupid way the game seems
to have of keep people playing it aren't interrupted in full force and what did you do
instead? You made sure no matter how much reality changes, no matter how much
species, genders, race, age, and a million other things are screwed with by that game, I'd
remember the way things used to be with crystal clarity. I thought you were retarded at
the time. Then came that first really big change, and the one after that, and the one after
that. You bastard. And unlike everyone one else, I have to get used to these screw ups with
existence the old fashioned way! Yeah Serenity, I know, I don't see you moaning, but at
least no matter what happens you stay a black human woman! But I've had my curse
longer than you've had yours, and even you don't have the whole story.'
Jaccob just sat back, watching Gillie stare into her coco, happy that she was now a lot
calmer than when he had helped her into the living room and was no longer acting like a
lunatic.
He hoped it wasn't a side effect of the mass flux that apparently the super witch Kurse
had used to turn millions of the country's populace into donkey people and the other
millions into elephant people, not to mentions all the OTHER fantastic horrific and almost
beautiful things millions around the world into... THANK GOD IN HEAVEN they all reverted
back into their original species once Kurse was destroyed and her power imploded (that
people like Kat who had originally possessed a Turn of the Game with them before Kurse
had spread her power had remained what they were turned into had been retrofitted by
reality).
"Are you ready to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"BS."
"There's nothing you can do to help."
"I know we're not Prime Mates Gillie, and I'm happy with Marie. But we're still pack mates.
And that means we look out for each other."
"Yeah right."
"GILLIE!" Jaccob shouted getting her full attention in the dark house. "We are a -PRIDE-, a
family! I don't know what happened! And I can't know unless we talk! And don't you dare
say 'there's nothing to talk about' again! Or I'm bringing in every member of our pride in
here one by one until you start letting it out!"
"Alright. Fine. You know the game right?"
"I heard what happened.... Gillie. Is this about you not being there with the other pack
members who are with the police? Your the chief. Your job is to stay where you're needed.
I know it sounds heartless, but .... you were better off where you were back in Glendale."
Gill blinked in surprise, 'I forgot just how thorough these changes to existence -are-!' "It's
not that..."
"Then what!"
"You'll think I'm insane."
"Unless you're planning to murder children in their sleep I have no intention of telling
anyone what you tell me."
Gill looked -very- aggravated at Jaccob's example and hissed at him. Jaccob stayed firm.
"You know how the game can change reality? I'm not supposed to be a lioness. Lion-
people didn't even exist last week. I'm not even supposed to be a woman! The game
changed everything! I don't even know how the game screwed with me this time! But I
know it did!"
Jaccob controlled himself at everything Gillie was claiming, "What do you mean 'this time?
'"
"This isn't the first time the game has royally f'ed with me and those around me. Or even
the second."
"Tell me."
"They don't matter anymore... because no one remembers but me and maybe some by
Serenity... I ask where someone is, their own mother asks 'who?' I ask what someone is
doing in my home, and they swear on a bible we've been best friends for years... "
Jaccob picked up on that analogy. He shuddered at the mere idea he had forgotten
children he once had, or that the Pride that he always been proud to be a part of hadn't
existed a week ago. "Gillie... I... I'm sorry."
"Not as sorry as I am."
"I wish others could remember then."
"I'm glade they don't!"
"Huh?"
"Are you kidding?! The changes I've seen over my life that no one else noticed? They'd be
running around like chickens with her heads cut off screaming their lungs out, then get to
the suicides and the mass hysteria... "
"I never imagined YOU of all people Gillie would advocate ignorance."
"There's a difference between saying millions of innocent people weren't executed by the
state... or pretending there isn't a serial killer on the loose whose immune to bullet, and
telling others about things that no longer even happened. It's now no better than fiction.
It's been so long I just figured I was done with them."
"You had these episodes before?"
"You're the first to catch me while I shout out my aggravation and everything else out at
the universe."
"Then I'm glade I'm finally the first one here to be there for you."
"So you believe me?"
"To be frank. It doesn't matter weather I believe you or not. What matters is as a pack
mate, I'm here to be a shoulder to cry on if you need it. This is the only life I know and it's
precious to me."
Gill thought, 'Women are treated like property in some countries. Yet are allowed to
express their emotions more. What a screwed up world.' "Thanks. Shouldn't you be
getting back to your family then?"
"I told my Prime Mate and cubs I'd be going to check on you, they understand."
++++++++
'Of course all packs have different traditions. It was dissonance of traditions that got the
Big Bad Pack dumped on a boat and sent across the ocean to begin with.' Marie thought
accidently learning Betty's very loud thoughts.
Marie was just glade she -had- been modeled due to the shock wave into an -ideal-
image of how Kurse saw herself. No normal person could hope to hold onto the power that
was now looming behind her without crowing themselves king determined to 'fix' the
world exactly like the witches had. If she had been a normal person with a normal
psychology, Marie would have sought her own destruction... mostly cause the power she
now wielded was truly terrifying to think about, and would easily corrupt anyone into
declaring they would be the one to fix all the world's problems like a real life Mary Sue
character. And Marie knew the moment she stepped on the slippery slop she'd be
crowning herself queen of the planet Earth before the week was out. 'I -have- to limit
the use of the power I now have, like an addict with an addition, or I would fall into the
exact same trap the witches had.'
+++++++++++
Marie walked with her fellow Choir Boys and Alter Boys. Of course her godfather had
known they couldn't uphold their performance forever, but he had been hoping that she'd
be at least a few years older before the signs started. Marie being an early bloomer had
been the absolute last thing anything the priest and Marie had thought of or wanted.
Right now, no signs were outwardly visible, she had the same walk, the same face, the
same hair, the same clothes, but now her chest was beginning to agitate her. But now she
knew, SHE KNEW that this performance was going to reach it's conclusion soon, and Marie
wasn't sure what the Council would do with her to make 'non-existence' official and
sweep her under the rug while she was kept with her god father. She felt she was waiting
to be told by death when she was going to die.
"Marius you okay?"
Marie turned her head to see the 'other' boys she was walking with. They were a mixed
bunch. All of them including 'Marius' were wearing the standard uniform for children in
the service of the church her age. A leoman cub, a lupman pup, and a lad constantly
hidden in wrappings to cover the majority of his skin, red eyes looking out beneath the
bandages, a dragon hatchling. Like felmans, they made up of about less one percent of the
entire world's population, their history as a horde of raiders, vandals, holding entire town
for ransom, and having been historical partners in crime with the Mongols and Huns had
not helped increase their numbers.
"I'm... I'm okay Jim... " She said to the leoman cub, whose formal name was Gillian.
"You don't sound it." The fact their friend hadn't talk about much of how he had lost his
eye one night hadn't helped.
'Friend? Pst. Friends are honest with each other, I've been lying to them since the day we
met.' "I've just been a little sick lately, don't worry, it'll pass over soon."
"Okay, just be, just be careful okay?"
'Careful... why do you think I chose to hang out with those who wouldn't be as easy to
spot a human girl posing as a human boy?' Marie remembered when 'Marius Cruz' had
first met the other Choir Boys, and had wandered over to the non-humans after one lad
had asked a simple off handed question that had nearly blown her cover on day one.
'You've been my friend. Have I really been your friend?'
Her father had named her Mary for the Virgin Mary, and Cruz for the Spanish word for
'Cross' when she had forgotten her own name... was the name Marie any more real than
Marcus?
"In other word," The blood wolf Marie in her black and red dress said in the present, "Like
ANY other girl entering puberty, Marie Cruz was struck by questions of self identity."
+++++++++
Penny looked at her book, 'It's not done yet. It's not done yet. I guess deep down I'm glade
I can just live my life with Kirk but I'm not done yet! There are still parts of Penn's life I
need to pen down before I forget him!... Great, now I'm thinking of 'me' as 'him' ... oh well.
You don't get to chose what you are in life. And I volunteered for this entire scheme, I
have even less right to bellyache.'
Mother Glen had of course had gone over to Mr. P and Gillian. It was a regular reunion
between friends and family. While Gillian II and Mr. P and Mother Glen continued to catch
up on old times and gently broke to GIllian the many social changes to society in the last
sixty plus years, Penny looked at Amy who in turn was watching the water war that was
now thanks to Tatuli's self sacrifice decided in the pack's favor.
"What are you doing back here anyway?" Penny asked Amy, "Did the Hokkaido wolves
decide to drop the whole penance business?"
"Sorry no." Amy explained, "Yomato and his mates thought it was an acceptable penance.
At first Yomato wanted to serve you -anyway- before he healed, but Akane and the others
managed to convince him that his burdens were their burdens like a marriage should be."
"I'm glade to hear that. But I figured one of Yamato's mates would be out follow you at
once back here."
"Logically. But they said they had to a few things to prepare themselves to be in your
service until Yomato heals."
"Such as?"
"Speak of the devil, I believe you are about to find out."
"Eh?"
Penny then saw the Hokkaido lupman leave the mansion. Her fur was the color of peace
plums. Her chest was double the size of beachballs, and even for a tall female lupman,
that size left her with an almost comical appearance. She was wearing what seemed to be
a black wig done in a bun with chopsticks sticking through the wig. She was also wearing
a brightly colored kimono with a bamboo and leaf pattern colored orange and red with
white trim. Thankfully it was night and the kimono breathed enough that she was able to
move outside without overheating. She had a suitcase in her left paw. It was Umeko.
The Hokkaido silently came right up to Penny (thankfully not becoming a water target) and
standing between Penny's disabled feet, she got down to her knees, placed her paws
before her and placed her forehead onto the grass, "Mistress Penny. Until My Yomato
heals so he may serve you until you yourself heal, I am your slave. Command me."
Amy looked insulted, "Kowtowing is a Chinese tradition Umeko not Japanese."
"OH!" Umeko blushed under her fur and assumed a full kneeling position instead.
Penny did her best to suppress a groan, the last thing she needed to was upset the apple
cart. "Alright. Umeko... last time we saw each other wasn't under the best circumstances.
And I'm sorry for what I did and I know you are too... right now I'm writing down
something private, you're not to read what I'm writing or written and you're to make sure
I'm not disturbed while writing."
Umeko nodded her head, "Yes Mistress Penny."
"What's with the suitcase?"
"Well I am to be your servant during your recovery I must be with you until that time, if
that is acceptable to my mistress."
Penny suppressed a sigh, "Okay, I'm sure my mom and dad won't mind an extra paw
around the house, and I'll likely be staying with them while I heal."
"As you wish Mistress Penny." Umeko bowed again.
"Since you now have someone to look after you while Kirk looks after Saba and Paula's
game. I'll be taking a closer look at my brother's adventure."
"But what about your pen and ink well?"
"Consider them keep sakes until you've finished with them. I have my own. Goodday
Penny-San, Penn." Amy made her way to the center of the front yard leaving the crab
apple tree behind, the sun-set just about finished and the moon rising and the stars
emerging.
Umeko looked at the light beige lioness, "What did she mean by that?"
"You don't need to know right now."
"Yes Mistress Penny."
Amy saw right now it was Mary, Moja, Nneli, Tano, Sita, and Nane, verses Griselle,
Gretchen, Pence and of course Zelipe. Of course this meant the pups were out numbered.
Amy looked at her dirty self, "While I need a bath, I think I'd rather not be caught in that
water war like P-Sama was."
That was when Amy felt it, looking at the fountain, something was missing from it,
something very important, it took her several seconds to realize what was missing was
herself! How could she not have noticed that before-?! She quickly ran to the fountain and
splashed into the basin past her brother without even a look!
Amy fell on all fours, and felt a wave of total peace sweep over herself and she felt no
need to move anymore and her size grew greatly and felt something grow out of her back.
The statue looked like a quadruped adult female wolf made from solid white marble, with
what appeared to be a sun-dial on her back.
Amy did however notice her brother calling out to her one moment, and then scratching
his head wondering just who he had been calling. Pence pulling him down before he got
squirted.
Of course Amy realized what that means, 'He... my own brother doesn't remember me?'
Amy thought about the laws of cause and effect, 'But, but how is this even possible-!? If I
wasn't there to destroy Gaal's shade, and if I wasn't there to fight the battle with Kurse-"
'Don't worry, you still were there.' Said a male voice in her mind.
She realized the voice had come from one of the identical Japanese Lupman size busted
fountain heads.
'Who... who are you?'
'I'm Nelson, or Nessie, take your pick.' The voice shifted tones at the names.
'Why am I not alarmed, scared, or panicked at being a statue?'
'Because there's nothing to be scared of.' Said another of the pieces of pipe and marble in
her mind, 'You wanted a ring side seat without being a target, and now you have the best
seat in the house with us! And don't worry, we've already voted that you're free to leave
any moment you chose.'
'Who, -what- are all of you?'
The five introduced themselves as the willing living souled gallery of Alpha-Kaylee, and
that she had NOT ceased to exist.
'But then why does my brother suddenly not remember me?!'
Nelson/Nessie chose to be the one to explain things, 'We call it 'perception camouflage'...
those events still happened. It' just people aren't thinking about you, or your role in them,
and don't feel like thinking about how the hole you absence makes in events too hard. It's
not actually a reality shift so much as it's people turning a blind eye to your existence.
After all, who thinks that deep about a statue anymore?'
'And once I become me again?'
'You're you now little lady. Only right now you're preserved for posterity.'
'Point. But what happens?'
'Everyone goes 'ah right, that's how it really happened' without so much as a thought. It
makes for funny gags too.' Kira injected.
'I see. So unlike the game, you don't change reality, just people's perceptions of it?'
Nelson/Nessie explained, 'More or less. Maybe since we're objects reality doesn't mind us
dancing around as much as living creatures. Or maybe as art we don't do much major,
we're free to change roles more. Who can say?'
'Since reality doesn't feel like it's ready to erase you from the timeline to preserve
consistency, I'd have to concede. So will I be aware of you afterwards?'
'Maybe, maybe not. We can't really be silent observers if people know we're watching. And
it's not like we're secret police.' The idea of being spied on didn't really bother Amy, she
was a Lupman after all, and sense of privacy among packmates was pretty much non-
existent.
Nneli was sneaking around the pups, keeping herself low to the ground and against the
wind. Her plan was simple, sniper her targets and use the statues to her advantage like
Pence and Jay had apparently to mess around with them.
As Nneli got closer however, as she looked at the fountain, really looked at it, she thought
of the glass art she loved (and hence her interest in Alice and her half-sisters) and looking
at the fountain, wondered how it would look with a lion cub glass sculpture... she
wondered, how it would look with her. But she thought of her sisters, and knew she
couldn't just leave them, she was too important to them to just disappear....
And as she stood there day dreaming she was drenched by the four remaining lupman
pups.
"And there goes Nneli." Moja observed from their position.
"Figured she was a bad choice, she always has her head in the clouds," Sita said.
"I thought that was me." Nane injected.
"Same edge, different angle." Mary said. Most didn't know what she meant and none
bothered to ask where she had heard the phrase from.
"NANE! NANE! Can you please come here!" Called out a familiar voice.
The prankster cub looked and saw a golden lupman pup waving at her near their
makeshift fortification via a few crab trees. She was alone.
"Gretchen!" Nane called out and began to run towards her.
Tano screamed, "SIS! NO! IT'S-"
The gold wolf cub took a water tub from who knows where from behind her back and
emptied it's contents at the coming lion cub soaking her utterly.
"Griselle."
"False flag operation!" Nane called out.
"I don't recall either of these armies signing the Geneva Convention, and I didn't say I say I
was my sister you did. And-WHAO!"
Griselle now ran for it as four squirt guns fired at her and she ran for it getting her tail
soaked but nothing else, and since the cubs had to refill their guns from the hose, the
attack was not continuous.
Griselle came back to find Pence and Zelipe sitting on her twin on the opposite of the
fountain.
"Hi sis!"
"That was cheating!" Gretch said from where the boys were using their weight to hold her
down.
"All fair and love and war."
"No it isn't!"
Griselle said, "Pence can you make sure she doesn't try to jump in the basin and out
herself?"
"You got it." The jasper colored twin nodded.
The boys got off her, and she did make a go for the basin, but didn't make it. The boys
also got her out of the way of an accidental squire from the fountain.
'Maybe we should have that looked at.' Amethyst wondered.
Omega-Whitney said, "Maybe we should have said something after all."
Amethyst said, "Maybe we should have, but they're just kids. And they didn't -hurt-
Gretchen, so we didn't need to interfere."
Omega-Whitney nodded.
"So now we're down to four to four and our number advantage is gone. Great." Sita
lamented. "Maybe three of us should kamikaze and have Tano stay back while the rest of
us take them down with us."
"That worked because they didn't suspect it. This time they'll know what's up and just start
mowing us down." Moja explained.
"It's getting late." The ever observant book worm Mary said.
"Don't say that!" Sita warned.
"OKay everyone!" Amethyst called out. "Twenty minutes. Then it's in for dinner and then
goodnight! Greater number of survivors win! IF the numbers are equal, it's a draw."
Pence and Sita BOTH felt the absolute truth that would NOT accept a -draw!-
Mary and the quadruplets would normally wonder if they'd be sleeping at the Pack's estate
due to their parents being out of commission for the time being, or if they'd be staying at
the house of another member of the pride for a while, but right now, they had more
important things on their minds.
The two sides stared at each other, both not wanting to make the first move and leave
themselves vulnerable to an ambush on what had become effectively the enemy's domain.
It was like an invisible force field held the two sides apart as both fell silent at their
nanny's command. Zelipe hated this, he hated fighting and the idea boys were supposed
to like it!
Gretchen had lost her taste for this game after her sister had used her to take down Nane.
Pence and Griselle had survived this long, and this close to a win weren't about to give up.
Mary knew she was a late comer to this game, but she wanted to reach the gold. Moja was
wacking her brain hoping for some kind of solution for some kind of assault that would
give them a superior chance of winning. Sita was itching for something, anything to be in
target range. Tano hoped her sister didn't due anything too reckless!
Finally several snapped as two words were spoken, "Fifteen minutes."
The lioness' did what they did best and charged across the nightly lawn, low to the ground
and only wishing the grass was even taller than it was (the Big Bad pack let their lawn grow
longer than most people's), looking like sharks going through the ocean.
Gretchen threw down her squirt gun, crossed her arms and sat down. She was the first to
go as the little lionesses hit hard and fast leaving her drenched.
Griselle not believing her sister took her squirt gun and began firing double shots at the
grass sharks, finally Sita leapt at her determined to push her into the precious basin of
water they had been defending all this time, but Griselle proved size wasn't everything and
let the larger lion girl go her and slash into the basin behind her and out of the game.
Pence and Griselle stood back to back next to the basin with the three surviving grass
sharks circling. Then came the next click that forced the stalemate to end.
"Ten minutes!" Whitney called out.
The grass sharks came from three different directions at once. Tano as fate would have it
was the one along the two's side and realizing they were cornered concentrated all their
fire on her, managing to drench her just as she got close, Miss Amethyst declared "Tano!
Out of the game!"
Pence and Griselle split hoping to split the grass sharks up too, but they both went after
Griselle, "THis is for the trick with Nane!" Moja declared.
Griselle screamed and cried for help but Pence just stared helpless as she vanished
underneath the grass and was spat out now soaking wet and clearly out of the game.
Pence ran, rather foolishly as children will often be, around the fountain, the statues
looking in all direction looking as if grinning at amusement at the sight. Pence ran one
way, Moja ran the same way, and so Mary ran the opposite way. Closing around them like
arms on a clock-face. Pence fired in both directions and barely any hitting, let alone
enough to declared an 'out.' Finally they closed in on him. Pence, not being completely
stupid, dodged out of the way at the last moment, and Mary having the more itchy trigger
finger ended up soaking Moja, and declaring her out of the game.
Pence breathed a sigh of relief, a very stupid mistake as it gave Mary time to take Moja's
gun and refill it at the basin and soak him to the bone with hers and it.
"Five minutes!"
That was when it hit Mary like a thunder bolt. Like three of the pups had stayed put to
defend their precious resource. One had taken off running.
"One boy against one girl. Shouldn't be too hard." Mary thought very confidently.
That was when Zelipe howled, leapt across the fountain, landed on one of the statues,
leapt again, and fired at the startled Mary.... and in a matter of seconds.
"OUT! WOLF PACK! WINS!" Amethyst declared like a video game announcer, and then began
singing the catchy theme song to the movie remark of Flash Gordon. "And he saved every
one of us!"
That was when Amy leapt out of the basin, returning to perception and hugged her
brother, ironically getting him wet, but since the game had already been declared over, it
didn't matter.
"Half-brother," Amy hugged him, her hidden eyes wet, "let no impose on you what to
think. You will be a truly great man one day!"
Zelipe was surprised, but nodded.
Just out of the perception of most, one of the fountain heads then stood up, it's piping
disconnecting, and becoming a flesh and blood red-orange lupman who a more believable
figure.
'Where ya goin' Michelle?' Thought one of the identical statues, Kira.
Michelle spoke though no one but the statues really heard her, "Back to the medical wing, I
wanted to provide the cubs and pups with more water spouts to refill for the game and I
did. Now I need to go back to being Julie's good luck totem, it's where I belong."
'Whao kay girl. I think I'll stay out here for a while more though, I think afterwards I'll be a
male lupman entry way statue just for the heck of it.'
"Okay Kira, see you." She kissed the statue on the forehead.
'Hey, don't get so silly. We see through each other's senses if we want and hear each
other's thoughts if we want. We're never apart if we want.'
"Heh, yes I know."
Michelle walked into the entry way, 'It really does look kinda empty without Kira here.' She
thought and walked into the medical wing, neither lupman nor leoman noticing her. She
then breathed in deep, breathed out slowly, and shrank down into she was the size of a
kitchen nicknack, in a yoga pose and made of inorganic material.
"Oh there you are!" Said Julie reaching down and picking up her good-luck totem, "And
just where have you been? Well, back ya go." She placed her good-luck totem back on the
table, and telling the leomans to be a bit more careful when walking. The tranform of fate
kept Michelle from -ever- being damaged, but Julie didn't know that. Michelle felt so
happy when Julie held her and placed her back on the table, feeling whole. She'd go back
to the library, eventually, after everyone had healed, but for now, 'This is where I belong.'