All of the children seemed to obediently line up to the small table that Joella sat behind. Joella hoped that the hunters had left or at least had sworn off fighting. Innocent being deliberately blinded by her foster "mothers" she had no idea what they were really doing and that what they were doing wasn't good in the slightest. It would eventually break her little heart when she did learn that the hunters she had tried to persuade to go away were on the side of good and that the people she was protecting had turned their backs on goodness, but that was still in the future.
"Samantha and Alissa," Benjamin's daughters came first, "we're girls with blond hair."
Joella smiled and wrote their names down, "guessing" their species was human since neither of them said it.
"Francis, reddish-brown lupman male," one of the two lupman pups spoke.
"Julianna, blond lupman female, and I have blue eyes," the female answered.
+++++++++
"Blond with blue eyes?" Alice, Abbey, and Samantha asked in nearly perfect unison, "like mommy and aunties?"
"Julianna wasn't an ancestor of your mothers," Marie spoke, "from what I remember from when I was Glass, and what the witches had learned of your family through Samantha, is that Jensen and Kaylee didn't meet Fran, Darla, and Julie until they were in college."
Samantha shuddered at the memory of Kurse using her to learn about her family.
"Yes, but our mommies/aunties are blond and have blue eyes, which is why we are blond and have blue eyes," Alice spoke, "The description of Julianna is so similar to them."
"There are lots of people that look alike, but share no blood relation," Marie spoke, "Now..."
"I think we can skip some of this," Lawrence commented, "For me, it's too much of what Kurse drummed into the head of everyone on Big Bad Island. That everyone loved what Kurse did to them and that we would regret being freed once that was done."
Marie nodded.
++++++++
Mother Glen and Gillian quietly made their way into the police station going through an automatic door, which seemed to be everywhere in Glendale, probably because of the presence of Lupmen and Leomen that had reverted back into quadrupeds.
"Good afternoon, Mother Glen," the desk officer said politely, "I'm afraid the part of the Pride that works here has been out after taking injuries..."
"I know, dearie, they're all doing fine," Mother Glen told the officer, "or at least as fine as they can be. We are here to talk with Chief Gillie for a few moments."
"She's been in her office going through paperwork," the officer answered, "and did not seem to be in a good mood..."
"It is alright, it's a short visit," Mother Glen answered and lead Gillian toward Gillie's office.
The desk officer sat there and quietly watched, debating as to whether or not he should do more when another officer came up beside him.
"He Joey, doesn't that male look awfully familiar to you?"
"I've never seen him, but really Lance, a Leoman criminal? You'd get scolded for suggesting a Leoman was "uncivilized"," the desk officer "Joey" spoke back.
"No, not criminal," the other officer, Lance, answered, "historic. He looks like one of the photographs we have of past police chiefs..."
"I was in the thirties," Gillian told them, making both officers blink in surprise.
They were unable to ask any more as Mother Glen and Gillian then went into Gillie's office.
As they entered the office, Gillie looked up from her desk to see both enter. It was a breech of protocol, and was tempted to point that out, but decided against it, guessing that the Pride gave its matriarch a lot of respect, and because of technicalities involving the game, it was Gillian's office as well.
"We apologize if this is against protocol, dearie," Mother Glen spoke politely, "but this is important..."
Gillie looked on, deciding to remain quiet.
"It'll take your grandmother and I some time to get one of the Pride's homes available for us to live in," Gillian began, "and I will need a place to stay... and well, you had offered to let me stay with you until then. I thought I would take you up on the offer."
"Oh, thank you," Gillie breathed, "I would love to have you over... but, uh... with everyone of the Pride, except me, hurt and Fran and Darla taking care of them, I'm kinda short handed..."
"Dear, this is YOUR job now," Gillian answered, "and I'd probably need to at least retake the exams before I could really carry a badge again. I'm just asking if I can go in... and obviously if it's locked."
Gillie remembered Jacob's visit. He had come in without asking and expecting no opposition. Now, over the course of his stay, Gillie had learned that he thought "she" was in need of help and had come to offer it, so it wasn't like he had bad intentions, but she did assume that the pride did collectively share these homes. She guessed that the Pack did the same with those that lived outside the manor.
"Well, I did lock it for security's sake," Gillie commented, "let me get the key..."
"Who in their right mind would rob the chief of police?" Mother Glen wondered.
"We've had a game that's robbed Glendale of many of its finest for over three hundred years," Gillie answered, "and there are many stupid people out there..."
Gillian nodded at the memory as Gillie handed him a key that was on her desk.
"That should be the key to the front door," Gillie explained, hoping she was behaving as she was expected to behave, "if you wish to spend the day, Grandma, that's fine... but... I don't wait up. I've been calling reserve officers to see if I can get them to fill in... and well it's slow going."
"Don't stay up too late," Gillian spoke as he leaned over the desk and licked the top of Gillie's head, "I know how stressful this job can be."
++++++++++
Meanwhile the afternoon went slowly by for those at the manor. Penny managed to visit everyone and receive the thanks from the other Gallery lions for freeing them. She was tempted to chuckle as she watched MJ get handed copies of various "Spider-Man" comics from Millie.
"Why did I have share the name with an idiot who married a chronically depressed super hero, which according to these newer ones never happened now," MJ whispered to her.
"Come on, I think Mary Jane Watson is smarter then what a lot of people characterize her," Penny whispered back, struggling hard not to laugh, "and isn't she supposed to be one of the better looking women in the Marvel universe?"
"The Scarlet Witch is better," MJ replied, "besides, even if that's true, Peter Parker is still a dope."
"I'll tell that to Pete the next time I see him," Penny smirked.
"Don't you dare!" MJ gasped.
++++++++
Kaylee, in full "mother" mode staid close by her pups. The rabbits that Bart and Kevin caught were cooked and cleaned and she took pride in their hunting skills. By spending the day with her children, she also ended up supervising Martha's work with the other pups and with the cubs of the Pride that were there. Though, Martha never really needed supervision. She had always done her job well.
+++++++++
"So how long did it take for Marie and the others to recover from the beating they had received?" Maddex asked, "deliberately from the witches themselves, and accidentally from Joella?"
"A while," Marie answered, "as previously stated. But, Marie and Linus proved to be the lucky ones. The electrical burns Marie had suffered would heal fairly quickly, though nothing beyond the metabolic rate of a human being, and Linus had escaped the battle with only minor injuries. Draco and Vatican would ultimately guard Katherine at their campsite in the forest until Katherine was well enough to walk more then a couple of feet, and Draco's wings had healed enough that he wouldn't been in intense pain with each step."
++++++++
"I do not like this," Marie spoke in a depressed and defeated voice as she and Linus made their way toward the praying town, "the praying town is likely considered "part" of Glendale in some way."
"In a way, but the witches are centralizing their power in Glendale itself," Linus answered, "the praying town is at least far enough away that we might be able to move about without serious risk."
Marie only sighed.
"And we can really get help here?" Marie asked.
"Not in the way of creating an army as the Puritan leaders have largely disarmed the Indians they've settled here, particularly after King Phillip's War," Linus answered, "but they might have some knowledge that would be of use."
"They'd know the witches?" Marie asked.
"Better then most puritans would," Linus answered, "when they were still vulnerable and possibly even innocent, they wouldn't have dared do much where my fellows would have seen them... but among the natives, they could. They wouldn't recognize some of their practices as blatantly evil as the rest of society would, and if they did, the local leaders are not likely to believe the accusations of an Indian against three white girls."
"You will have to tell us how you know all this and exactly where you got your information," Marie commented, "because something tells me that you're hiding something."
Linus didn't answer as they made their way into the praying town. They found the area devoid of much activity, and those that they did see seemed to be broken in spirit. Marie half wondered if this was because of the witches or something the Puritans had done. Either way, she didn't think they would be of much help.
"We'll start with the local administrator," Linus spoke, "he might know where we can stop looking."
"Goldwyn?" an elderly voice spoke.
They turned to see an extremely old native man, dressed in the plain clothes of the Puritans, but had some adornments that went with the traditional dress of various tribes from the region.
"Excuse me, sir?" Marie spoke.
"Oh, forgive an old man, madam," the man spoke, "I noticed your missing eye and assumed you were one of my adoptive "daughters" and that you'd turned away from this madness..."
"Madness?" Marie asked.
"You don't know?"
"I've seen much, sir," Marie answered, "describing something as madness could refer to many things."
"Yes," the man nodded, "the Sword of God. I have been waiting for you. Come with me."
He lead them to an older dwelling that was there. It had clearly seen better days, but the man was no longer young enough to maintain it.
"I am Joseph Running-Bear," the man coughed, "a former shaman for my people and the godfather of the witches you've come to kill."
Marie and Linus both become defensive, fearing attack.
"You may relax," Joseph Running-Bear answered, "the ill winds I sensed when I first met them have arrived... their grandmother would roll over in her grave if she could see what they are doing..."
"You have second-sight," Marie spoke.
Joseph nodded, "not that it has helped me. Their grandmother asked me to look after them after she died. I tried to do the best I could... but I have failed. They were such sweet innocent young girls until they started listening to that cat that always hung around Goldwyn."
"You aren't at fault," Linus tried to assure him.
"Aren't I? I was supposed to raise them, teach them right from wrong, and I have clearly failed in that regard," Running-Bear coughed again.
"Maybe," Marie sighed, "but you aren't evil. You tried to teach them right, and I'm sure this grandmother must have tried as well, but it's clear that they have chosen their own path. From recent events, I would tend to think that they think they are doing good."
"It doesn't mean they are right," Joseph reminded them, "they've believed in the cat's lies for so long that I don't they can be saved anymore. I've tried to get them to stop... tried to get them to turn around... and I've either just missed them or my old bones hurt too much to move... they can not be saved anymore."
Marie nodded, "I'm sorry, sir."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Joseph spoke, "I only wish there was something I could do."
"Perhaps there is, sir," Linus spoke up, "I'm sure you don't want to see them die, but things have gone past that point... if we don't, things will get worse, I fear."
Joseph nodded.
"They've raised some sort of geass around themselves that our weapons can penetrate," Linus continued, "we can not even make physical contact if it is in a way that they think is aggressive... and since none of us posses a magical weapon, we need to forge one..."
"The Sword could potentially learn the skills," Joseph commented, looking to Marie.
Marie wondered what that was about and then spoke, "we don't have the time."
Joseph only sighed.
"We need the bones of a witch," Linus spoke firmly, "the magic in the bones will break the geass completely, and making it impossible for them to raise it again."
Joseph didn't answer.
"I apologize if this seems sacrilegious, and I will assure you that Marie isn't fond of the idea either," Linus said again.
"It is alright, but you will need some protection to get into Glendale to get the bones you will need," Joseph sighed, "Let me see what an old Shaman can do."