Lawrence exasperated, "Okay, I know gargoyles can be big, there is no way any gargoyle
other than the oldest of the old and the biggest of the biggest have ever been twenty-two
feet tall! And THEY have all the grace and agility of drunk elephants!"
"Fear can do powerful things to people's perceptions." Marie-Eliza said simply.
Lawrence wasn't done, "Cutting through Free's fingers. The daggers should not have been
able to do that on their own... And not to mention cutting through ANYTHING IN EXISTENCE
rather than just the magic seems rather odd to me. They could have just used the daggers
to cut through the house's armor then."
"The bone daggers -hadn't- been able to do that before... the witches grounds thank to
their pulling in of so much magic made it the most saturated place of magic on Earth at
that moment, and the magic that flowed though those old bones was more intense than
anywhere. It also meant that by proportion, that Running-Bear's pendants were in more
danger of failing under stain there than anywhere."
"AND HOW did those thorns, that had already lost their geass, possible injury that leoman
from before that still had his?!"
"THe Thorns were recognized as being of the witches' magic, the geasses were not
programmed to defend against such things by their very nature."
Abbey asked a much less hard hitting question, "With Kathrine's head hair, how did people
keep mistaking her for a female lioness? Wouldn't they mistake her for a male?"
"Remember Kathrine was a NUN now, cutting her hair short was a tradition. In the chaotic
heat of battle, she could pass for what the leomans thought her to be well enough."
++++++
"I don't know how long our advantage of surprise with the bones weapons are going to
hold up." Marie Cruz observed, "They've had to seen us use them to shatter the geass
around their fellows by now... " Marie was worried at this point that witches might tire of
waiting for their defenses to wear Marie's team now that it was clear that there was no
army attacking and it was now down to four hunters.
Linus spoke up like thunder, the only one there to serve in battles, "WE DON'T HAVE ANY
MORE TIME TO JUST STAND AROUND AND CHAT! EVERY SECOND WE SPEND SPEAKING NOW
IS ANOTHER SECOND THEY HAVE TO RETALIATE IN A MORE ORGANIZED MANNER! KEEPING
THE PRESSURE UP IS OUR ONLY CHANCE!!!"
Draco, Marie, and Kathrine realized that Linus was very very right.
++++++++
The two remaining outer leoman looked around frantically and called out, and quickly
realized they were the only ones still on their feet outside... normally they'd have retreated
inside... but the witches whom they had sworn their undying loyalty to had given strict
instructions to give no ground.
The remaining two male leoman outside decide to use themselves as a living wall between
the four remaining hunters and the front door to the witches' house. Creative thinking
seeping into their minds, one Leoman dropped his cannon.
"You handle yours," He said to his companion, "I'll protect you if they get in close, and I'll
help you load the weapon so you won't have to put it down and leave yourself vulnerable!"
The other Leoman nodded, both with grim determination to defend against these obvious
creatures from Hell sent to prevent the witches free, fair, and equal world where everyone
would be happy from coming about.
"To the end brother?"
"To the end brother."
++++++++
There had been ten leoman females transformed into males in preparation for the battle,
and ten leoman had been assigned to protect the outside.
This left Earl, the leoman male created for negotiation and luring people to Glendale inside
with the lionesses and familiars, along with the other leoman male, whose name before her
transformation into a lionesses had and always been in any version of reality Hera, but
now, she had a new name now: Hercules whose physique lived up to his name.
The human Jimmy really wished Lark was here, but she had been given the really important
job of projecting Joella far away Outside the Manor.
Dawn and Twilight saw the battle involving Kathrine and Linus from the windows.
"Dear St. Leon! Ohmygod,ohmygod," Dawn dared whisper the forbidden three letter word,
there was no punishment for saying so, because none had ever said it. "CAIN! SETH!
Ohmygod! Twilight! They aren't breathing! They aren't moving! They're dead! Those
monsters killed them!"
Dawn thought in horror, 'How could two humans, a dragon, a midget leoman, and a
gargoyle slaughter their way through ten leoman males and another gargoyle? IT DOESN'T
make any sense!'
"Dawn can you look after both Francis and Julianna for a moment?" She said referring to
the two lupman pups who were honorary members of the Witch Pride. Frank had once
broken both arms of a Lupman with fur as black night who had tried to take them by force
once declaring that Lupmans should raise Lupmans. The next lupman who tried with
reddish brown fur had to be carried away by friends due to having two broken legs.
"Huh? I-I-think-so, but-why?"
"There's a quick something I need to do. I'll be right back."
Twilight calmly went to the house's kitchen of all things, and calmly took out a knife, and
calmly cut the rune spelling 'revenge' onto her arm, and then carefully cut the same rune
onto her back.
Then she called out, "Gloria! Rouge!" The expensively dressed girls in the room full of child
and child nudists came to the call obediently at once from where they had been playing
with 'Zuzu' another of the former mob members. Yes playing.
The two red and crimson leoman cubs Flora and Peter Renard ... Mondain's two children,
observed what happened next intensely and with absolute amazement and thrill.
Twilight put a hand on each of the two human girls shoulders, and said, "Girls, I need to
you do something very special for me. Look into my eyes, see what I'm thinking behind my
eyes, look at what you see, and at the same time, reach into the rainbow ocean you can
see on the other side of the witches... and help me be all that I can be."
The two confused familiar never the less obeyed and tapped into the infinite chaos while
using the image in Twilight's mind to mold her body.
Her figure remained lithe, agile, graceful, and perhaps beautiful, but her breasts receded
into her chest, and her womanhood vanished, making her effectively genderless and with
far fewer weak points. But 'it' also carried a feeling of non-personhood, and would not
have been proper.
Her muscle mall increased, her claws became like black daggers. Her muscle mass
increased again but she didn't look one iota of her agility or speed. Then an -extra- sets
of arms GREW out of her below the armpits. Her skin under her fur became like leather
armor. Her fangs became like those of a sabe-tooth tiger. Her eyes turned completely
gradient red. Then her vision split in two, and she felt another presence, which echoed her
own. The two heads turned and looked at each other, able to function independantly, but
able to hear each other's thoughts just fine, and united in their pure purpose.
And a thought that was most uncivilized blazed in her mind -vengeance!- And Twilight
knew it was uncivilized. But she didn't care. She felt the infinite chaos for less than a
moment, and found it liberating.
And Twilight became the single most efficient and deadly living killing tool created by the
witches' magic in their lifetime, even the beasts created later by Kurse paled in
comparison. Because her mind was crystal clear, with rage hot like an inferno and thoughts
as cold as ice. She was something none of Kurse's creation had ever been, she was SANE.
And that made her the most dangerous thing ever spawned directly by the witches magic
save the Game of Transform or Dare itself.
T-Twilight?" The lioness looked in amazement.
"It's okay Dawn." The two heads echoed kindly. "Don't worry. We're going to make sure
those monsters never lay a hand on the witches or the children, or any more members of
our Pride."
++++++
The half-age humans and lioman backed away while Mal'Akh let out a fearful feline scream
and fell on her rear and scooted away.
Vatican felt dirty from touching Free, but he reminded himself that she was technically in
her original body, and thus was not a Soul Transferred and thus was not a breaking of the
taboo.
Vatican had no idea just how far away was far enough away from the battle that was now
being wagged by four hunters against a full pride of leoman, three witches, and a small
army of familiars.
He laid down Free, the children didn't dare move close to her.
"Why... WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THAT THING HERE?" Mal'Akh gasped.
"If she is a thing, then I am a thing." Vatican said simply. And he looked at Free, "And it is
time you learned the other side of the story."
The condition of Free's body had done nothing to weaken her resolve or spirit. She began
to crawl BACK to the witches manor!
'Just as any gargoyle would.' Vatican thought.
"I do not care. What your story is. I do not care what their story is. I will protect the witches'
future of a world where everyone is free... hence my name, Free."
"The witches are taking -away- freedom, can't you see that?"
"What I PROMISE: is to pursue, hunt down, and kill, and kill, and kill every single slaver,
slave holder, plantation owner, slave trader, and seller, slave master, and slave owner in
existence! My stone will be stained red with their blood!!! The witches have given me the
power to do this, and I owe them to help them bring about the TRUE new world!"
++++++++
Sydney finished her shift, and left work early. The lavender she-wolf Sarah meanwhile after
her distractions had reached an intolerable level hugged Ulysses and began to march
straight for the entry room and determined not to leave until she figured things out.
She looked at the statues intensely, she had to figure out what was drawing her attention
so!
The Monkey Prince was, of course, a monkey. Sitting on his rear with his legs frozen in a
swimming motion. Atop his brow was a simplistic 'gold' crown (actually bronze like the rest
of him). His curl turned behind him, looking excited and grinning ear to ear, his hands on
the backs of the two other statues. With a pair of sheaths between his legs like a lupman
omega would have. Whose to say he wouldn't have had four if all the statues had been
commissioned?
The other two statues were Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, or 'Sunny' and 'Luna' as the
children called them for short unable to pronounce the foreign names. The Monkey Prince
wore a wolf pendant and vest and bracers for all four of his hands.
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were made to look like human woman but with the heads of
wolves and tails to match, the two wearing kimonos that were opened in front easily
showing their breasts, their belles and womanhood. The two women were of course were
tall enough that if they stood up straight their ears would go through the ceiling. And the
Monkey Prince likely, while shorter, was big enough to grin down on nearly any Lupman
and most Leomans. Their expression were serene yet serious, intimidating, but noble, an
interest contract to the Monkey Prince's happy-go-lucky impression.
'It's like those two other hands are missing someone... of course they're missing someone
since the other two statues weren't commissioned. But why does it feel like more than
that?'
+++++++++
Trevor opened and read the letter. It was like the envelope said and from the girl
Kathrine... one he recognized as a girl he had saved from a bad man who had used the
Dare to make her sing all the songs from a Disney movie.
"Dear Trevor The Leoman.
Thank you for saving me. That was very heroic for a leoman to do. I know precisely what
would have happened if you hadn't saved me, and it wouldn't have been good. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. I'm not sure what's real anymore, what's reality, what's fantasy. But I
do know that I wish to thank you for saving me. Thank you... Thank you. Included should
be my new home address, phone number, and e-mail. It would be an honor for you to
contact me little man. For a Leoman, You're a Hero. Thank you.
Love Kathy The Felman."
All the girls present giggled.