"So Balthilde's ghost contacted Linus?" Lawrence asked.
"Ghost or Poltergeist implies that she remained on the plane of existence where the living could still interact with her," Marie said slowly, "but when Balthilde died, she realized that despite her own powers in magic, her soul wasn't going to remain on this plane for long..."
"On its way to heaven," Lawrence commented.
Marie nodded, "surely that that is where her soul went, and since the departure of her soul from this world to the next was quick, she didn't have the time to try to save her grandchildren. She had to find someone to warn them before her spirit moved on."
"So he also knew what the witches were doing before it happened?" Betty asked.
"He knew they would go bad," Marie explained, "but he didn't know precisely what they would do and when it woul happen. And he still had to come to grips with the fact that he was called to "action" by the spirit of a person he didn't know."
"I was going to say," Maddex commented, "Her warning was rather vague. And told him nothing about where the witches were."
Marie nodded, "Linus would end up neglecting many of his duties to the colonial administration trying to track down the witches."
"Did he actually see the rune incident?" Alice asked.
Marie nodded, "by that time, yes... though to the witches, his face was one they didn't recognize or bother to remember... and ironically, he as in Glendale to buy powder when it occurred."
"And he volunteered because of what his guardian had told him?" Abbey asked.
"In a way," Marie sighed, "Linus was in awe of the glory that armies of the time seemed to convey. And attractions to glory never really fade... despite the worst of what war does. Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade" is a good example. In history the charge was futile and worthless and accomplished little more then killing British soldiers. But Tennyson's poem would make one think that the doomed charge was glorious. But, Linus did listen to his guardian/teacher in regards to the cause the army was fighting for, and since the campaigns he was in were mostly various small wars between Austria and its allies against the Ottoman Turks for dominance in the Balkans, he stayed away from committing himself fully to the military."
"Balthilde's warning must have awakened his hope for some glory," Maddex surmised, "He did wonder if this was the "higher cause" that his guardian had talked about."
Marie nodded, "but that was only a guess on Linus's part. He didn't really know what his guardian was referring to."
"I'd think it was, given what the witches were doing," Maddex finished.
"It would certainly work," Marie nodded.
+++++++++
"Are you hungry?" Gillian asked to the living room from where he was near he fridge.
"I suppose," Gillie gave a sigh, "it's been a long day."
"Those of the Pride under your command will be well again," Mother Glen spoke confidently as she got up and rubbed the side of her head against Gillie's hip, "Beta Julie is a fine physician."
"It's not that," Gillie sighed, "I'm sure Julie and her... sisters... will work very hard to help them all."
"Then what troubles you, dear?" Mother Glen inquired as she and Gillie made their way into the shared kitchen/dining room in Gillie's home.
"Mostly the strain of the things related to waiting for the Game to finally be killed," Gillie sighed, "apparently Kurse's actions weren't enough to scare people away from using the Game."
There was a brief silence.
"At least it will end soon," Mother Glen then spoke, "there isn't much more that I can say."
By that time they had arrived at the table, Gillian was setting out three large plates with large slices of raw meat on them. The meat on Gillian's plate already looked some of it had already been eaten.
"Here, grandma," Gillie spoke, trying to be as polite as possible, "Let me help."
She privately wondered to herself if the chair could Mother Glen's impressive weight (practically entirely muscle). The giant snow-white lioness hopped into the chair before pivoting to allow her tail to hang out the back. The chair easily held her weight.
"Thank you, dear," Mother Glen replied as Gillie then moved to slide the chair in.
Once that was done, she saw her grandfather returning with two sets of over-sized knives and forks. At first Gillie wondered why they were so large, before looking down at her large paw-like hands, she remembered that her new form would require larger utensils.
"Shouldn't you have a set for grandma?" Gillie asked.
"Reverting back to this form has taken away my thumbs, dear," Mother Glen told her, "don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry," Gillie then apologized, "I don't have guests all that often... I guess I'm just trying to be a proper hostess."
"You're doing a fine job, dear," Mother Glen answered.
Gillie nodded and then sat down to look at a plate of raw meat...
++++++++
Serenity meanwhile set the love dolls in a quiet area where they would be out of the way until she could figure what would be the final thing to do with them. She half marveled at how there was no damage to her home. Remembering that as far as reality was concerned, the Pack had always been so, she knew that Jensen had no reason to send anyone to try and kidnap her in the new reality.
As she went, she was reminded of the times she had shared with Trever, and by that, the teen who had been turned into a domestic cat. The dinner table where she and he talked over various issues, things ranging from one of Serenity's cases, or Trever's grumbling about what had happened to him. The windowsill where he lay to be in direct sunlight.
Trever had always denied there was a bond of friendship between them, probably to keep himself from only being able to "meow". But now that he wasn't there, Serenity found herself feeling the pang of loss. He had become a friend to her, even if the two of them had to hide it. And now, he wasn't there. He was back at his home with his family, where he belonged. But, that didn't mean that Serenity would still miss him...
She slowly made her way up a flight of narrow stairs to the small sleeping area that she had and slowly undressed and then dressed for bed. When she did approach the bed, her eyes were drawn to a corner, where the covers were folded backward toward the middle of the bed.
"Trever's corner," Serenity gave a half sigh, "Like he never left."
He alway's claimed that he was only there as it was warmer at night then it was elsewhere. A part of Serenity's mind liked to imagine that it was for the company and so that he wouldn't be alone.
"I'll miss you, Trever," Serenity sighed as she straightened that corner out. After all, a Leoman cub that she was protecting would have been too big to curl up on the corner of the bed.
+++++++++++
In a different part of Glendale, sleeping in his own bed once again, the black and gray male cub, Trever, slept peacefully and soundly. The walls of his room were fairly bare as most of the posters that had been there before were taken down while he was out and in hiding. His mother had promised him they'd do more to decorate come the weekend.
The one piece of decoration in the room was a small framed photo that had been taken with a digital camera which showed Trever hugging Serenity before she had left their home. He enjoyed being with his friends at school again and he looked forward to seeing his friends at Wolf Manor again, but the nice elderly African American woman that protected him held a special place in his heart. And as he dreamed of wrestling with Sabrina in ring made of various cuts of meat, he hoped that his path would cross Serenity's again someday...