Gillie knew there was one way to end the lion madness, and that was find someone with a
turn of the game, convince them either to use it as Gillie instructed, or have them
harmlessly use it or her or use it to change her 'back' and then have Gillie use a carefully
worded turn to stem the tide.
Gillie nearly fell over as she was hit by a dizzy spell as her gut instinct screamed that
would be a '-BAD IDEA-'. Everything warning her and telling her that course of action
would cause more harm than good.
Gillie couldn't know, but such an attempted flip flop of reality mighty very much cause
existence to throw up it's hands in frustration and simply dispose of everyone related to
the recent use of the game in fell stroke like a scythe upon wheat stalks.
"Are you okay Gill?" Serenity asked concerned helping her nine foot tall companion stand
as they walked into her house before the two parted.
"... I will be..."
++++++++++++
The siblings, Terri and Sandi walked out of the medical wing and ultimately through the
entriy way with Eri. The metallic Hokkaido Lupman looked at the five entry way statues and
politely bowed her head at them.
Seeing this Terri (who was blue green) and Sandi (who was teal) looked at each other. Terri
spoke first, "You know Eri."
"Yes Terri-Kappa?" Eri said, using Terri's letter as her suffix.
"Kappa Sandi and I have been thinking... we appreciate how beautiful the statues are, they
really are a work of art. But the vast majority of the pack isn't Shinto. If Anne-Theta is
trying to have the pack to build a mini-chapel to balance out Amy's small shrine: it might
be a better idea to have the statues dismantled and reassembled in or around Amy's
shrine. Otherwise it seems like the pack is something it's not. I know you're part of that
religion Eri-Mu, that faith, but it's not fair to the rest of us who aren't."
"If the vast majority of the pack was Shinto, and it was a depiction of your god who took
up the entry way... would you accept if I asked you to move it to prevent a 'false image'
from being projected onto the pack?"
Terri said, "I honestly don't know, I suppose I would have to be your paws to know for
sure. Also, all that aside, they are more expensive and grander than the little statues in
Amy's shrine. Wouldn't it be logical to have them there therefore instead of here?"
Eri said nothing for a few moment, the metallic gold she wolf looking rather like a statue
herself before saying, "Once everyone is healed I suppose."
The siblings only nodded at that.
Ulysses meanwhile sometime later didn't care if what he was doing was crazy. It just felt -
right-. Late in the evening, he laid down at the foot of the wolf headed goddess of festival
and slept the night in her presence.
+++++++++++
"Uh... the letter was me thank your son and... I had no idea he was lost and presumed
dead..." Katy politely explained to the non-felman on the phone.
"I know. But I'm just glade to know my son was a hero even when he was in fear for his
life." Said the mother of Trevor apparently.
"It was him who saved me, I owe him... I... I'm the one who wanted to just thank him for
that and ... please tell me more."
Marie Tyson laid it all down, the child killer, the supposed suicide of a child, Madam
Serenity, the chaos of the game, (which shocked Katy to her core to learn that Trevor, a
cub, had taken part in a battle to save the world!!!).
"I... that is... your son really is a little hero.." Katy said, "You... really should be proud of
him..."
"I am. I am... Oh! Excuse me! Our Pride's Matriarch game arrived, it was a pleasure to speak
to you dear."
"And.... you too."
They hung up.
++++++++++++++
Trevor as told Mother Glen was in the house, and Trevor the innocent child he was
immediately came not having seen he in what felt like forever... and then he was pinned to
the floor for five minutes as Mother Glen nuzzled and licked his face in the Leoman
equivalent of kissing him silly. And Trevor was as helpless as a mouse under the giant
lioness.
Jacob and Marie smiled. Sabrina giggled until her sides hurt.
++++++++++++
1689 August
Marie Cruz then said, "I call my first witness, the child Joella."
"WHAT?" Everyone in past and present said.
Marie-Eliza said, "This was before it was even considered possible that children could lie,
or conjure things, or at least, for the puritans at least... there was no debate in her being
able take the stand."
For all intents and purpose CRAWLING along floors so as not to damage himself or his
surroundings further, Vatican helpfully pushed the jewish girl into the make shift court
room. This looked at all of this in pain, pity and horror.
Kathrine silently looked at Marie not believing this, 'Marie... how could you?'
Marie Cruz simply led Joella to the witness chair, Joella accept her hand, but Marie felt her
shiver at the touch.
She then stood before her as she held a Bible in front of her, "Do you swear to tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God?"
Joella looked at the book, not sure if it applied to her or not, the witches having known
none of Joella's faith, and thus this Joella didn't know the previous Joella's faith or her own,
"Yes." She finally said.
"Joella, how would you describe your guardians?"
"My mothers are-"
"Joella!" Gaal declared, "We told you not to call us-"
THe hammer came down, "You shall not interrupt the witness!"
The witch was silent.
"My... protecters are ... they care about me. Our family. Everyone and everything. They give
out candy to children-"
Marie's Cruz proved she was more than a match for a Leoman cub with fangs and claws as
she quickly put a lid on Mal'Akh before she could even interrupt Joella.
"-they took in the other children who were struck by the wandering demons. They took
me in. They took care of me, they looked after me, I wanted for nothing ever-"
"OBJECTION!" Linus snapped, "This girl is nothing more than another of the witches
puppets! Anything she says she clearly is merely parroting what her masters manufactured
her to say!"
"If Joella was nothing more than a puppet, she'd be on the ground lifeless right now with
her strings cut sine the witches power is not severed from their protectors, slaves, and
victims."
The good doctor said, "Objection overruled. The witness may continue."
".... They've wanted everyone to be happy. They made Glendale beautiful. They provided it
with protectors with the boxing trees. They reunited the fairies families. They were even
going to use their magic so the whole world would want for nothing and so people
wouldn't have to fight over things. But I guess people with money wouldn't like that would
they?"
"The witness shall refrain from conjecture..."
Joella continued speaking, "They were even willing to take in Aimiliona after her mad dog
murdered Solome in cold blood."
JOSHUA WAS NOT MAD!" Mal'Akh roared.
"SILENCE IN THE COURT!" Mal'Akh was cowed just from one look at Dr. Azrael swearing she
had seen this man before.
Marie Cruz sighed, "So Joella, would you describe your guardians as evil?"
"No never. Their only goal is to make everyone else happy. How can that be evil?"
"Have they ever done anything you felt uncomfortable with?"
"Once..."
"What was it?"
"A ... bunch of bad men came to our house... a bunch of humans and two lupmans... all
with guns..."
"Part of the Glendale pack?"
"No. I think they were lone wolves. I didn't recognize any of the men from being from
Glendale or the praying town."
"Continue."
"... They said how the witches were evil, and how I was their familiar along with everyone
else there."
"Are you their familiar?"
"No I'm not."
"Continue."
"The bad men with guns, yes they all had guns, said they had to kill the witches, because
witches were bad, and that they had to kill me, Aimiliona, the Witch Pride, Smamantha and
her whole family, and then everyone in Glendale just to make sure the witches were really
really gone... Then they shot at me... but Gita protected me... and the ball just fell to the
ground... I'd never seen her so angry... and then and there she turned them all into
children, a lot of them into girls too. And made then forget they had ever been bad men
who wanted to hurt people."
"And would you say this was wrong?"
"... I don't know... Lark, Rosalie, Jimmy, they all seem so much HAPPIER than they were
before... "
"Have you ever told them who they were before?"
"No... after Mal'Akh said some awful things to Lark after Lark said they could be sisters then
Aimiliona could be both their sister, Mal'Akh told her she wasn't a person... Lark was
scared, she thought she was a bird who was made a person and that was why she couldn't
remember before being with the witches... "
"And you didn't tell her the truth?"
"I didn't want to hurt her more.... she's alive, she has a heart all her own, she has dreams
and fears. I don't want to live in a world where she and the rest of my family doesn't
exist... but I know that a bunch of people are gone now forever..."
"After they tried to kill you."
"Yes."
"And do you think that was right for them to do?"
"No."
"Why do you consider that one incident to be the one time where you've wondered about
weather your guardians did the right thing?"
"Because I love Lark and the others. I wouldn't want to be without them. Both I know my
moth-, my guardians could have dealt with them lots of other ways."
"Why do you think they didn't?"
"Because they were angry, and wanted to protect me."
"Why would they?"
"Because they love me."
"Why would you say your mothers WANT to change the world Joella?"
"Because they feel the world is unfair."
"Do you think it's unfair?"
"Yes. They want it to be fair because they want it to be fair for me, and all of our family... "