Mal'akh lay quietly on her bed in the recovery room with the rest of the Pride that fought Kurse and with the members of the Pack that had gone as well.
"Twice..." Mal'akh silently thought to herself, "twice they've caused trouble. And this time it was worse. The first time they nearly destroyed Glendale and hurt so many... Aimiliona, Joella, Lark... the list goes on... and now they nearly destroy the world."
She sighed and glanced toward the wall clock above the desk in the room. It read "4:08". She assumed it was AM since the televisions were off at the moment and there were quite a few snores that she could hear, some over the clicking of Julie, Joy, Ingrid, and the other assisting Lupman's toe claws.
"You couldn't sleep?"
Mal'akh looked over to see Joy and Ingrid standing there. Their fur, largely a silver color with red highlights in their fur that resembled a greek cross. She then paid closer attention to their forms. Three heads, six breasts, and three arms... vaguely similar to Twilight... but Twilight was a mutated Leoman. These two were Lupmen!
"I was just thinking over things," Mal'akh answered.
"You should sleep," Ingrid urged, "it'll help you recuperate faster."
Mal'akh then noticed how two of the nurse wolves' heads were asleep while the third was awake.
"How are you able to do that?" Mal'akh asked curiously.
Joy and Ingrid looked to each other.
"Do what?" they asked in near unison.
"Two of your heads are asleep... yet you are awake," Mal'akh spoke.
"If we all slept, we couldn't help Beta-Julie," Joy answered.
"I'm sure... but how?" Mal'akh wondered, "isn't each head connected to the same brain... or your brain is divided among all three heads..."
Joy looked to her sister.
"You confuse us with Omega-Martha, whom I do not believe you've met," Joy then spoke, "She only has two heads. Each of our heads has its own consciousness"
"It's own consciousness?"
"Yes," Ingrid's conscious head nodded, "my name is Id. In and Gr are sleeping. When they wake up, I will go to sleep."
"I am O," Joy added, "when J and Y wake up, I will go to sleep."
"How do you decide what to do?" Mal'akh asked, "certianly if each head has its own mind... you could have dissagreements."
"It is not impossible," Joy nodded, "but when we have disagreements with each "other" we mentally go over it and agree on a course of action."
"And you don't spend hours at a time mentally debating one another?" Mal'akh asked.
"No," Ingrid answered, "and to be honest, while we have three independent minds... our interests, loves, and hobbies are all the same. When there has been something that one head prefers that is different from the other two, it is usually something small that does not interfere with our responsibilities as Omegas and Beta-Julie's nurses."
"But don't you or In or Gr ever wish you could have one body all to yourself?"
"We did once..." Joy answered for her sister, "we once had one head and the same number of limbs as any other Lupman, but our parents weren't that high ranking and our best friend growing up was Martha. For Martha's line... her mutation is genetic, that that abnormality is not present in her daughters... but our case is different. When we recieved our ranks we were grouped as Omegas with Martha, Whitney, Ryan, Maddex, and Abdul."
"This Martha did this to you?" Mal'akh asked.
"She didn't mean too... she didn't even know she could do it," Ingrid said quickly, "We were playing a game of ring-around-the-rosey with some of the younger pups then at the manner... though not Jenny and Bart. They hadn't been born when it happened... anyway, we were supervising them, like good Omegas, and one of the pups urged Martha to dance... and she danced so beautifully in almost every style... ballet... tap dancing, though wouldn't know it in grass, any style of dance. We couldn't help but join in. It was all so beautifull..."
Ingrid then faded off. Joy picked up.
"The pups all seemed to enjoy it and we danced along with Martha," Joy spoke, "as we did so, we felt some form of energy radiate off of her, like magic. And then we mutated. Became as we are now and felt some great inner strength and magic."
"You gained magic?" Mal'akh asked nervously.
"Or absorbed it somehow," Joy spoke, "the Game has drawn magic into Glendale ever since it was created and because the town has been so saturated in it, various family lines, Lupman, Leoman, Felman, Dragon, and Human have all internalized the magic being used to fuel the game. Martha's line has absorbed a lot of the magic, which has resulted in her line's ability to turn any Human into a Lupman by dancing in front of them during the moon's full or new phases..."
"We believe we've gained the same abilities when we mutated," Ingrid added, "though, none of us have tested it, and Martha's line only knew of it by accident when a couple of her anscestors transformed some humans that were visiting the manor on some sort of business. The exact ideas are unknown and once they figured it out, Martha's line has generally taught all within it to avoid dancing in front of humans ever."
"You don't know what absorbing all this magic has done to you?" Mal'akh asked.
"We've mostly tried to adapt the changes that have happened to us," Ingrid tried to explain, "we don't want to hurt anyone."
Mal'akh then remembered the two pups that had come in the other day.
"What about your children?" Mal'akh asked, "aren't you afraid that they will absorb these powers too?"
"Laura... Zulema..." Ingrid said slowly.
"We are hoping that the Serenity woman can end the Game before that can happen," Joy spoke up, sensing her sister worrying about something wrong happening to her children, "if not... we will do our best to make sure that my nieces adapt to the mutation and know the rules that will go along with it."
"There are times when I think they want to be like us," Ingrid said after a moment.
"You would just accept that?"
"What choice would we have if it happens?" Ingrid asked, "we can't just get upset because they've absorbed the magic that the witches have saturated Glendale in. We will have to survive as we always have and carry on."
+++++++++++++
1689
Nearly everyone returned to the room that had functioned as the courtroom. Mal'akh remained with her siser, and nothing could tear her away. They all took their seats while Dr. Azrael sat at his desk. The fairies stood on the windowsill where they had been for the length of the trial, and had returned to after deliberatng on the verdict. The witches were stil in the chairs they were tied to.
"The period of the recess has passed," Dr. Azrael spoke, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
Titania stepped forward, "Yes, sir, we have."
"You may list the verdict on each individual charge," Dr. Azrael told her.
"On the charge of treason against the British Crown, we find the defendents Not Guilty," Titania spoke, "On the charge of murder, we find the defendents Not Guilty by reason of Insanity. On the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, including the annihilation of an entire race, we find the defendents Guilty as Charged."
"WHAT!" Gomorrah shouted, "WE DID NOTHING WRONG!"
"IT IS THE HUNTERS WHO SHOULD BE PUNISHED!" Gaal added.
"SILENCE!" Dr. Azrael roared.
The witches were silent, for the moment.
"Although the charge of conspiracy normally only warents a prison sentence," Dr. Azrael spoke, "because the conspiracy you entered into was the threat to eradicate one of the three races of man, it is my determination, as judge, that the three of you are to be hung by the neck until you are dead. You have the right to consult Father Draco Fire for the last rights."
There was a silence for moment, before Dr. Azrael "It is also the determination of this court that those who participated in the battle here will be responsibile for the care of those the witches gathered around them..."
No one but the witches themselves noticed the almost hypnotic nature of the disguised angel's words. Not that they were able to resist it though.
"...and that responsibility can not and will never be removed nor shall ANYONE prevent the Hunters' responsibility from being carried out until their time comes."