"Here you go, Mr. P," Amethyst spoke as put a specialized chair for Mr. P to sit at the head of the table.
The Pack's dinning room was easily one of the biggest single rooms in the manor. In it was a very long table that was made out of the hardest possible woods the Pack could get its hands on. Penny did notice small scratches on the top where the wolves's non-retractable claws had scratched something. She couldn't identify the finish though. The chairs that Mr. P and Mother Glen had were interesting in that they supported their weight, but were built to allow them to sit in the chairs comfortably. The plates and "silverware" all looked to fit function rather then status. That intrigued Penny a bit as there were a lot things the Penny assumed were either bought or kept as a status symbol.
Mr. P took the seat that was normally reserved for Jensen or Kaylee. To his right, were Amethyst, Whitney, Martha, Abdul, and Ryan, then came Amy, Zelipe, Jay, Pence, Laura, Zulema, Toni, Paula, Giselle, Gretchen, then Umeko, Penny and finally Kirk. Sitting to Mr. P's left were Mother Glen, Gillian II, then Mary, Moja, Mbili, Tatuli, Nneli, Tano, Sita, Saba, and Nane.
"I apologize that tonight's dinner is under such circumstances," Mr. P spoke, "The Alphas and many of the others are exhausted and are asleep, the Betas and most of the rest are at work dealing with the casualties suffered in the battle with Kurse... or number among the casualties from that battle. Yet there are signs of good news. The curse is soon to be gone."
He was interrupted by a "here, here" from all the wolves presently in the room.
Mr. P then looked to Gillian II, "old friends long lost have been returned to us," and then turned to Whitney, Ryan, and Abdul, "and our Omega's sub-pack has been restored. May our futures from here be eternally bright in their move forward."
Those that could clapped as Sunny and Luna appeared carrying two large trays. On each tray were the butchered, but uncooked, remains of two Gold Deer from the Pack's meat locker.
"Bon Apitit," Sunny spoke as she set her tray down before those toward Penny's end of the table. Nane seemed lick her lips every couple of seconds at the sight of the meat.
"You may begin your meal," Mr. P spoke before a slight tapping cut him off.
All eyes then turned to Moja, Mary, and Tano all standing, along with their sisters, or for Mary, half-sisters. Only Saba was seated, as she wasn't part of the water war.
"If we may take a moment of time," Moja began, "During the "water war" Nane and Jay made a bet on the outcome of the game. I do not agree with the terms, but Nane made the bet on behalf of our side and we must honor the terms of the bet."
"Go on," Mother Glen told them, "Old blackie doesn't mind."
Each cub from the water war then spoke in near perfect unison.
"To our friends and adversaries in the first post-Kurse water war," the cubs spoke, "we congratulate you on your bravery and Zelipe for delivering victory to your side and declare the Pups of the Big Bad Wolf Pack to be the best water warriors around" and then thought, "for now."
The pups all cheered at their victory, and Laura moved over and licked Zelipe's cheek.
"Well, know that is over, we can move move on to dinner," Mr. P said.
"What about the others?" Gill II asked.
"We took what our wounded Pack members and allies their food before we retrieved this," Sunny spoke, "those working in the medical area were also given some small cuts to snack on while they work so that they don't get blood all over their fur and would have to wash again to clean it out. And Terri and Sandi only took a leg each as they are under Julie's orders to make sure that Alpha Jensen and Kaylee, and Beta Fran sleep."
"Sounds confusing," Gillian II commented.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Luna spoke, not really noticing that Gill II was both a new arrival and the revived pride member from spending time as a teapot, "and losing a white tablecloth didn't help matters either."
"Did you find it?" Toni asked curiously.
"I found it," Martha told her, "it was beneath the mirror that Alice and Abbey are sleeping in in the pups room when I last checked on them."
"What of Samantha?" Mr. P asked, "She should be with her sisters."
"Samantha woke up when Alice and Abbey went to bed and is currently taking Maddex through the mirrorverse in search of Lawrence, Betty, and his children," Martha explained.
"How was she?" Mr. P asked, "how is my great grandchild?"
"She seemed to be fine," Martha answered, "do you wish me to awaken Alice and have her fetch her sister?"
"Let them sleep," Mr. P commanded, "I'm sure Samantha will know what to do if she tires."
+++++++++
In 1675, Marie Cruz sat nervously on Father Gabriel's bed with a small bag that held all the clothing she had, while her Godfather packed his available clothing.
"Where are we going, father?" Marie asked, "Is it far?"
"No, not far," Father Gabriel sighed, "we'll actually still be here in Rome, in the Vatican, but it will be in the wing that the Council controls more directly."
"The Council doesn't control this wing?"
"No," Father Gabriel explained, "this wing has been set aside for the choir for the Sunday mass and the monks that see to their training."
"And I won't be a Choir Boy for much longer," Marie sighed, "I'll be too much of a woman to be one."
"Technically speaking, you've already been pulled out of the Choir," Father Gabriel said weakly, "while the Council as allowed me to train you, they have made it clear that they won't protect you. If the local princess learn of your gender... or if some other monarch does, they may have you executed for heresy, and since the monks leading the Choir are not on the Council, they could have the same done to you."
"So we're hiding?" Marie asked.
"In a sense," Father Gabriel sighed, "You must forgive me, Marie but it is the best I can do. But, for now it is the only way that will allow you become as important as you will be."
Marie nodded, "You have no need to ask forgiveness of me. I love you, Father."
Father Gabriel gave the girl a smile, "You'd best go say goodbye to your friends. Unless the Council decides to recruit them as well, you may not see them again."
"Am I really their friend? Friends share everything with each other," Marie said weakly, "I've spent all my time lying to them."
"It has been what had to be done," Father Gabriel sighed, "Maybe one day we will prove to be fairer people and those like you won't have to confront some of these difficulties. But so far, that day is not yet today and may not even come during our lifetimes."
"I hope it does, I pray that it does," Marie told him.
"So do I," Father Gabriel spoke.
"I'll be back in a moment," Marie spoke as she then made her way out.
+++++++
She found her friends eating quietly in a small dinning room that had been set aside for the Choir boys. The young dragon, Draco Fire, occasionally gave himself away when the toasted his meat slightly, apparently not want his to be entirely raw. Gillian, the leoman cub, and and the wolf pup, Lobo.
"Hello, Draco, Gillian, Lobo," Marie spoke as she approached.
"Hello, Maurice," they all said together, using the name that Marie used as cover with the other choir boys.
"Would you care to join us?" Gillian spoke, "I have some extra meat that I'm sure Draco would cook for you."
"No thank you," Marie smiled at the politeness of leoman cub, "I've actually come to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Lobo gasped, "but all of us, you, me, Gillian, Draco, we're all pack. You can't just leave."
"Father Gabriel is being reassigned to a different office, and as his ward, I've been assigned to go with him," Marie explained, noticing the tears forming in the young lupman's eyes.
Lobo had come into the church's care the way many lupmans actually did. His pack in Spain had picked a fight with the Spanish government over their hunting rights. In the resulting war, nearly 90% of his pack was killed. The adult survivors were sent to Spanish prisons while Lobo, the only surviving pup was handed over to the church. With his Pack gone, Lobo had strongly attached himself to Draco, Gillian, and Marie. Like they were to be a replacement Pack for him.
"We'll still see you around, right?" Lobo asked.
"I'm afraid not, Lobo," Marie spoke, "Father Gabriel's new office is to keep him busy."
Lobo only sniffled and whined.
"We'll miss you, Maurice," Gillian commented.
"I'll miss you too," Marie told him, "All of you."
She then moved to hug all of them. They all considered her a friend and "brother". And she felt the same way about them. They were her friends.
"I don't want you to go," Lobo said weakly, clutching Marie tightly.
"I know, but I have to," Marie sighed, "Besides, we'd likely all be split up again anyway. Gillian's talked about being the abbot at Monte Casino, Draco's wanted to be a missionary to take the word of the Lord to those that have not heard it, and you Lobo, you've said you wanted to be a Bishop in Spain."
"That's all a long time from now," Lobo whimpered, "and I'd thought we'd still all stay together."
"We can not change that," Marie spoke, "life is not always fair."
"Why?" Lobo asked.
"So we can prove that WE are fair," Marie told him him, repeating one of her father's lessons.
Once released from Lobo's hug, Marie made her way back to the door, "I hope you will always remember me, as I will always remember you."
+++++++
"That's sad," Cassandra spoke, "he lost his whole pack and then one of his friends leaves."
"Whatever happened to them?" Betty wondered.
"Lobo would grow up to become a monk and did eventually find himself living close to where his pack had originally lived," Marie spoke, "Gillian, actually remained close to the Vactican and was used as an ambassador of the Pope to various catholic countries in Europe. And Draco... well, Draco's initial attempts at becoming a missionary failed, mostly as the Catholic church had no place but the Spanish and Portugese colonies, and they refused to have anything to do with dragons... but then he got his chance he met Marie again."
"Draco was one of the hunters?" Lawrence gasped.
"Marie would learn he was still in Rome when she began looking for allies and that he had had some difficulties in his missions that she offered him a compromise," glass Marie explained, "he'd get his opportunity for missionary work, as not every native tribe in Massachusetts had been converted fully, and there was still the frontier beyond, but in exchange, Draco would have to help her and Vatican fight the witches... and his ability to breathe fire would prove extremely useful."
"Would Goldwyn see them coming?" Lilly asked.
"Not in a way that would have actually helped Goldwyn," Marie spoke, "by the time of the battle, she'd firmly gone insane from her own choices and direct use of the Infinite Chaos. As a result, by that time, she saw what she wanted to see, not what would actually come."
"Like the Emperor in Return of the Jedi?" Lilly asked.
"In a way."