"You say that Katherine's training made her act weird," Lawrence commented, "surely Marie had to notice."
"She did," Marie nodded, "no matter what Katherine tried to do to cover it up, she couldn't hide it... and in time it finally happened at a point where Marie would notice."
+++++++
"You're getting sloppy," Armando growled as Katherine barely managed to deflect a clod of dirt away with a spear that the lupmen had decided would be the best choice of weapon for her, "a real fight would not allow you to survive in such fashion."
"I'm sorry," Katherine said weakly, and rubbed a sore shoulder, "but this is tough."
"Then you shouldn't have asked us for help," Armando growled back, "War is a nasty business and is not fit for the weary."
"No, it's not the training," Katherine said weakly as she focused on deflecting another clod of dirt that Armando hurled at her.
She managed to make contact with it, but deflected the dirt down into her outer thigh.
"Then what could be making you be so sloppy?" Armando questioned.
"I have responsibilities that require me to active during the day," Katherine said weakly.
"With the church?" Armando questioned.
"Yes, and my Abbess would be upset with me if she knew I was here," Katherine spoke, "and would likely bring pressure on the Pope to have your Pack destroyed..."
"So you will abandon this "mission" of yours to help this "Inquisitor", whom you have not told us the name of," Armando spoke.
"NO! I must help my friend," Katherine said with enough determination to impress the Lupman male.
Armando meanwhile wondered if this Felman was right in the head. Felmen were not known for being combative, which made Katherine unusual to him, but since they were traditionally solitary, they were actually the most gender-equal of all the sentient races, as it was not always uncommon for a Felman female to live alone. Though Armando thought the practice to be stupid. The Pack was stronger then any lone wolf could ever hope to be.
"This will make things difficult," Armando commented, and clenched one fist, crushing the clod of dirt into a powder.
"Please," Katherine begged, "I must help the Inquisitor. I must help my friend."
"As you've said," Armando commented, "we're through for tonight. We will see to trying to solve your problem."
Katherine bowed politely, and wondered what this solution would be. She knew she needed the time to sleep, but she had to help Marie, and if Marie wouldn't accept her while she wasn't trained, she would do her best to train and prepare. She had to.
++++++
"I'm telling you," Zoey half whispered to one of her other "sisters", "Katherine's has been acting even weirder then usual."
"Didn't you find her napping outside once?" another teenager asked.
"Yeah, weird," Zoey nodded and was about say more when she saw Katherine slowly making her way past them, seemingly toward her room.
"Where's she been?"
"And where she'd find the dirt?"
Katherine barely noticed and trudged on, barely giving a "meh" as she passed them.
"What was with that?" "Yeah, normally she's all buzzing around trying to get us to be her friend."
"I don't know," Zoey commented, "must be something with what she's been doing at night."
"She's doing something at night?"
"Probably out feeding stray cats or something."
Zoey nodded, not noticing Marie carrying a small notebook going by them in the hall. Zoey also didn't know that Marie had overheard Zoey's gossip.
"Katherine shouldn't be out at night," Marie thought, "even if she's being charitable to strays, it's dangerous at night."
++++++++
Meanwhile, the Abbess that oversaw the training for many of the younger "nuns" at the Vatican. She had just finished her morning prayers when there was a knock at her door. She turned to see one of the other Nuns that helped her.
"Sister Mary Clarence, is something wrong?" the Abbess spoke.
"You have a Lupman here to see you," Sister Mary Clarence said nervously as a large golden brown male Lupman entered the room.
The Abbess could only gulp.
+++++++++
"The wolves went to the Abbess?" Samantha asked, sounding surprised, "they exposed what Katherine was doing?"
"No," Marie shook her head, "they fabricated a lie that the Abbess would accept. Essentially hiring Katherine as a nanny for their pups."
"But we have the Pack to look after us," Cassandra spoke, "Father, Mother, and the Aunties look after us and all the other pups."
"And the case was the same then too," Marie nodded, "the pack reared its own pups, but the pack's Omegas had recently had pups themselves and would be busy looking after newborns... and using their guard duty around Rome as an additional "tax" on he Pack's strength, they were able to claim that they needed the help of an outsider to look after the other pups for for a little while during the day."
"And the Abbess believed this?" Abbey asked.
"Surprisingly," Marie nodded, "though, it was not until sunset that Armando went to Katherine's room, personally."
+++++++
Katherine awoke to feel slightly more refreshed then she had in awhile and gave a low stretching yawn.
"Good evening, Felman," came Armando's voice.
Katherine jumped in surprise at hearing the Lupman male's voice.
"What are you doing here?!"
"Helping you," Armando answered, "you have been "hired" by my Pack to help our Omegas raise the Pack's pups."
"But don't your Packs raise your pups collectively?"
"This is cover," Armando whispered in a harsh, "be thankful that the Pack is willing to put up with you so you can help this friend of yours."
"Of course," Katherine said weakly.
"Now, let us go," Armando answered, "since you've had a good day's sleep we can make up for your recent sloppiness."
++++++++
Marie was making her way to Katherine's room when she saw the door open and a large male Lupman came out with Katherine following slowly behind. Katherine looked a little more rested then before, but as Marie had been working to gain someway to get her team to the new world, she hadn't had much time to do much. And it had apparently done something to Katherine.
Marie was determined to make sure that nothing was wrong with her friend, and to insure that they were on good terms when she and her team left. Katherine's leaving with a male Lupman only made her worries increase. The Pack around Rome might not be evil, but at the same time, a lot of people preferred to leave the Lupmen alone.
"I had better get the bottom of this," Marie commented as she began to tail the two.
+++++++
Tailing them took far longer then Marie expected. She was slowed by people and carts trying to cross streets, and at times when the Lupman male turned as if to see if someone was following him. Marie was nervous as the Lupman led Katherine into the heart of their territory. Marie carefully watched as the Lupman turned to face Katherine and grabbed a spear...
+++++++++
"We will begin with where we left off last night," Armando spoke, "I trust you are restd enough to focus."
"Yes," Katherine nodded.
"Good," Armando answered and held out the spear to Katherine.
Before Katherine could take it, a throwing knife seemed to come out of nowhere and hit the spear, knocking it out of his hand.
"Leave my friend ALONE!" came Marie's voice.
Katherine turned to see Marie land a flying kick on Armando's chest, catching him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. Before Armando could get up, Marie produced another knife and pointed the tip at Armando's throat.
"Run, Katherine, I'll hold him off!" Marie ordered.
Armando remained relatively calm, as he did not want to be stabbed in the throat.
"Marie!" Katherine gasped.
"RUN, Katherine," Marie urged.
"And why would she, crazy woman?" Armando asked.
"You kidnapped her!" Marie accused.
"Your friend is here of her own volition," Armando answered, "and has actually been quite insistent on staying here to train."
"And why would she do that?!" Marie questioned, not moving her knife an inch.
"To help you, Marie," Katherine admitted, sensing that Marie wasn't about to leave without learning the truth.
That made Marie pause and made Armando look on with some confusion.
"You told us that you were wanting to help an Inquisitor," Armando growled.
"She is an Inquisitor," Katherine spoke.
"Impossible, she is insane," Armando answered.
Marie glared at Katherine and then returned her gaze to the Lupman.
"I assure you, it is QUITE possible," Marie spoke, "and if you mention this conversation to anyone, I assure you, you will die before I'm burned at the stake."
Marie then turned to Katherine.
"And what do you mean, to help me?"
"You said you didn't have the time to train me," Katherine answered, "So I came to the the Lupman, since they help protect Rome and have been known as warriors. I have been training with them so that I could help you."
"You could get hurt doing this, Katherine," Marie spoke, "You could be killed on this mission, at best... at worst they could make you into something not yourself."
"And they'd do the same to you if you went on your own," Katherine answered, "I may not be the best fighter, but I will do my best to learn so I can stand by your side... and you know what, I WON'T take "no" for an answer. I'm coming whether you like it or not!"
"How can you be an Inquisitor, you're a woman!" Armando questioned from where he was, totally lost by all the drama.
"That is a long story that you will not here," Marie answered, "and you will forget I was ever here and I will take my friend back to the Vatican where she belongs."
"Until her three years of training with the Pack is up, she is the Pack's property," Armando responded, "by her own agreement. And if not, we also have pups that she has been hired to help raise, which she will have to do if you break her cover here for training."
"Please, Marie," Katherine spoke, "Let me help... if you don't have the time to train me, fine, let me train with the Lupmans here. They do have the time. Let me finish, and then let me help. After all... friends should always stand together, you go, I go."
"But you could get hurt..."
"I'll heal," Katherine spoke, "maybe not as fast as Lupmen and Leomen do, but still faster then humans. Please, Marie, let me help... it'll be a lot easier on both of us that way."
Marie could only sigh and stood up, letting Armando climb back to his feet.
"Fine," Marie sighed, "there still some details I need to hammer out before I can go... and something is telling me I won't meet the final member of the team until we reach the New World... if you're that determined to go, fine... but under one condition."
"Which is?" Katherine asked.
"A sparring match at the end of your training with wooden training swords," Marie answered, "if you win, I'll let you come, if I win, you remain in Rome."
"Deal," Armando accepted the challenge for Katherine, relishing in a challenge to try and beat, "though I and my Alpha will expect you to explain to us how YOU, woman, are an Inquisitor, and what is this mission your friend has been so tight-lipped about. If not, we will turn you into the proper authorities."
"You wouldn't do this to a Lupman or Leoman female, and obviously you're not doing that to a Felman female," Marie protested.
"But unlike humans, we do not relegate our she-wolves to menial tasks," Armando answered, "This whole affair here is unbelievable. You will explain everything so my Pack knows what strangeness it has gotten itself into."
"If I do, you must swear to tell no one," Marie pointed the knife at Armando's neck again, though the Lupman stood back enough that he was in no danger of being stabbed.
"That depends on whether or not your explanation is believable," Armando answered.
Marie only sighed.