"Mommy's dead!" Moja cried lunging forward to hug Mary and cried into the reddish gold cub's shoulder.
"She's never coming back," Tano echoed as she dropped to the floor.
"But she has to come back," Nane whimpered, "She said it was just a small thing and that she'd be right back."
"She said she'd be okay and everything would be fine," Tatuli then sniffled, "She can't be gone."
The sudden outburst of tears and crying brought Martha and Ryan coming from closer to the front of the procession to see what the last crisis was over. The two omegas could quickly guess once they got there.
"There, there," Martha spoke as she came to kneel in front of the cubs, "there, there."
"Mommy's gone! Dead!" Sita cried and leaped into Martha's arms, crying into the omega's gray furred shoulder.
"We know," Martha said weakly, "It is tough to lose parents. We all know, and we're all sorry."
"You didn't kill her," Sita sniffled.
"And we didn't want anyone to lose family members," Ryan spoke, "and our failure is why we are sorry."
"We are here for you," Martha spoke as took Sita, Saba, Tatuli, and Nneli in her arms, "your Pride is there for you."
That didn't seem to stop them from crying.
"It might be a good idea for the cubs to stay here," Martha sighed to Ryan after a few moments, "I don't think they'll be up to going to school today."
"Should I tell Mother Glen this?" Ryan asked.
One of Martha's heads nodded while the other licked the tops of the heads of the cubs she was hugging.
"Are they okay, mommy?" Giselle asked as she came up to her mother while Gretchen had turned to hug Nane.
"Physically, yes," Martha told one of her daughters, "but they've lost a parent. Something no one easily heals from."
"Like what Bart and Jenny did to us?"
"No, their parents are dead," Martha whispered into Giselle's ear, "they can not be brought back."
"You mean gone forever?"
Martha nodded.
"And ever?"
"Yes, dear," Martha nodded.
"That's not fair," Giselle cried too.
"It certainly isn't."
+++++++
Gillie was greeted at the front door by a black and gray male wolf.
"Good morning, Chief Gillie," Robert spoke politely, "I take it you're here check on your pride mates?"
"Yes," Gillie nodded, "and I have a guest."
Robert glanced at Tabby who stood nervously behind the copper furred lioness.
"Wanda is here?" Tabby asked.
"Nearly every leoman officer is here," Robert explained, "they were critical in helping our pack stop Kurse. Unfortunately, they and a good portion of the pack were badly hurt, so they were brought here to our medical wing where they could be treated."
"You couldn't take them to a hospital?" Gillie asked.
"Beta Fran was concerned that transporting them there would take too long and result in losing several of them," Robert explained, "so she focused on treating them here until Beta Julie could take over. And other then Fox and Elise, who were killed in the fight with Kurse, you will be pleased to hear that there will be no deaths. Everyone should recover in time."
"Good to hear," Gillie sighed, "but, what's that crying going on?"
Tabby watched as one of Robert's ears turned to listen to something deeper in the manor. Tabby couldn't really hear anything.
"I think that is the cubs," Robert answered, "Fox and Elise's deaths probably just "hit" them. The omegas should be trying to comfort them... hopefully."
"Is Trever with them?" Tabby asked.
"Trever?" Robert asked, "who is Trever? You'll have to forgive me, but my sub-pack has only just been freed from imprisonment as statues by Amy, so some of the names of Pride's young ones are unknown to us."
"He's a male cub, looks like a lion cub sized tabby cat," Gillie explained, "he's too young yet for his mane to begin growing..."
"All the cubs here are female," Robert explained, "but come in. Can we interest you in breakfast? Most everyone here is getting ready for that."
"I've eaten already," Gillie spoke.
"I need to see Wanda," Tabby added.
"Would you like an escort to the medical wing then?" Robert asked.
Gillie nodded. She guessed that in the new reality she had been in the medical wing before, but since she didn't instinctively know it, she'd have to play it by ear. They'd likely expect her to want an escort as this was an official visit on Gillie's part. Tabby was the one who was there on a personal visit.
As they came in, Gillie watched Umeko coming down the main staircase with Penny in her arms. One of Penny's shoulders was pressed into the grossly over sized bosom of the peach blossom colored female. A dark red colored female, with an equally over sized bust-line followed, carrying a large wheelchair, with Kirk bringing up the rear.
"Chief Gillie!" Penny gasped, "what are you doing here?"
Gillie and Tabby watched as Akane set the wheelchair down at the bottom of the staircase and then as Umeko set the pale white beige lioness in the wheelchair.
"Mostly checking up on everyone, and letting those that are injured that they'll be on a mandatory medical leave until they're healed," Gillie sighed, "what are you doing here? I had thought you'd be recovering."
"I am, but Mother Glen wished to see how her pride mates were and I tagged along," Penny explained, "These are Umeko and Akane. They are two of the wives of the male wolf I encountered at the gallery."
"I am presently in service to Mistress Penny, Gillie-Chan," Umeko bowed, "Until Yamato is capable of being her "arms and legs"."
"It's an "honor" thing, chief," Penny commented, "the whole thing was a misunderstanding and neither I nor Yamato did the smartest thing."
"I can guess," Gillie sighed, glancing at the bandages around Penny's knees, "are you pressing charges for assaulting an officer?"
"What? No," Penny shook her head, "It was a misunderstanding, chief, honest... and I probably did more to start the fight then he did. Being carried around until I heal is his own punishment on himself."
"I see," Gillie answered.
"Do you want breakfast?" Akane asked, "it should be ready soon, and then most of us will be returning to medical duty so those that were on the night shift can sleep."
"You should have taken them to a hospital," Gillie grumbled, "they are better equipped and prepared for these sorts of things."
"Our betas are more familiar with lupman and leoman anatomy," Umeko countered.
Gillie only sighed.
"It'll be alright, chief," Penny told her, "oh, and I restored your grandfather to leoman form."
"WHAT?!"