1689
Outside Running-Bear's home, Vatican raised his head to hear load sobs echoing through a window. The house was in serious disrepair, and wouldn't support his weight, so he remained outside. But what he heard did not sound well, and he had to make sure that his present charge was alright. He approached a window to see Joella inside clutching at Running-Bear, and crying uncontrollably.
"Miss Joella, are you alright?" Vatican asked as politely as possible.
"Va..." Joella turned, tears in her eyes, "You must help him!"
"What is wrong?"
"He hurts, he's not breathing, please! Help him!" Joella cried as she approached as she opened the window and opened it, "PLEASE!"
"I..." Vatican then looked down, "I don't think there is much that I can do, young one. I am a gargoyle. If something has obscured his airway... I am too large to force it out. I would crush him if I tried... and my race does not breathe. Our nostrils are for show only. And while we can see, hear, and talk, stone does not have the requirements of non-stone. I... I am sorry."
"Can't you do anything?" Joella asked.
"I fear not," Vatican sighed, "Marie might be able to do something, but I fear it would be too late by the time we could bring her here."
"Get her, please!" Joella cried, "if you HAVE to kill my mothers, please save my grandfather."
"I was told to protect you," Vatican sighed, "and while there are no adults to protect you... I feel I must stay here. What little has reached Rome of this world, has described a vast wild land with danger at every corner..."
Joella cried harder and reached through the open window to clutch at his head.
+++++++++++++
"So how would Vatican receive the curse?" Alice asked, "You had said earlier that the reason why the curse allows up to five people to be affected by one turn at a time is because there were five hunters. So Vatican HAD to be there."
"We're getting to it," Marie-Eliza told her, "We're getting to it."
+++++++++++++
Present Day
"I am afraid I was in the gallery by the time of this Revolution and Civil War you speak of," Mal'akh got to answering the question from the two youngest pups, "you probably know more about them then I do."
"Oh," Kevin and Marcy answered, "but you're free now."
"Yes," Mal'akh answered, "though I won't be going anywhere for a while."
"If we hug you, will that make you better?" Marcy asked.
"Such friendly children," Mal'akh gave a slight smile.
+++++++++++++
"You want me to check on the families that live outside the manor?" Mr. P asked Jensen as the two sat in his office.
"Yes," Jensen nodded, "with nearly everyone else here to care for the wounded or resting, I doubt there is any danger to the pups to worry about... and well, Kaylee and I can't."
"The paperwork and meetings," Mr. P nodded to his grandson, "I know. Will any of these take you to Frostville at all?"
"I think one will," Jensen nodded back, though if Alice, Abbey, or Samantha return from wherever they are exploring, that one can wait. As most of the departure for that one is travel time between here and Frostville."
Mr. P nodded. The Pack did have vehicles, but Jensen never seemed to prefer them. Mr. P didn't know if that was because of a resentment his grandson had because of the death of his parents or because Jensen preferred the exercise, but when Jensen or Kaylee left the manor, they usually went on foot. And as the Alphas, most others followed their example. Mr. P obviously went on foot now as he didn't have the thumbs to operate a steering wheel. If he rode anywhere, it was on a bus.
"You'll say goodbye to your wives and children before you go, correct?" Mr. P questioned.
"Of course," Jensen answered, "There are times when I wish Kaylee, Fran, Julie, Darla and I could do nothing BUT stay with our children. But I must make sure the Pack survives and lives. Just as you taught me."
Mr. P nodded. He'd see how Snow-White and Gillian were doing while he was out.
++++++++++++++
1689
"What were they using the rope for?" Marie asked as Katherine returned with several long strands of rope.
"They had a maze of it up in the attic," Katherine said slowly, "a exercise thing for the cat, I guess."
"It'll have to do," Marie sighed.
"So what now?" Katherine asked.
"For the moment, we need to let Vatican know what the verdict was," Marie sighed, "it would be preferable if Joella doesn't know, yet, but Vatican should."
Katherine nodded as they went down the stairs to find Mal'akh sitting by her sisters side.
"Please be okay," Mal'akh said to her sleeping sister.
"I'm sure she will," Katherine said optimistically, and put a hand on Mal'akh's shoulder, "I mean once the witches are gone, that'll fix everything, right?"
"Maybe," Linus said from behind them in a low voice.
"They lost?" Mal'akh answered.
"The charges of murder and treason were defeated, but they couldn't escape the charge of conspiracy," Marie answered, "Dr. Azrael has determined that they are to hang."
Mal'akh didn't answer.
"I know this is rough, but we must ask a favor of you," Marie spoke.
"And that is?" Mal'akh asked.
"Could you go to the praying town for us," Marie asked, "Tell Vatican that the witches were found "guilty" on one of the counts against them."
"But, Aimiliona!" Mal'akh said nervously.
"We'll look after her," Marie said, "She will come to no harm."
"And it shouldn't take too long," Katherine added.
"And we still have a lot of work to do," Marie added.
Mal'akh looked down at her sleeping sister. She then sighed.
"Okay," Mal'akh sighed. She slowly got up and made her way out.
++++++++++
It was approaching evening by the time that Mal'akh arrived at Running-Bear's home. She found Vatican seated beside a window with Joella hanging out the window and crying like the world had ended.
"Is something wrong?" Mal'akh asked as she approached.
Joella didn't answer. Mal'akh's question did attract Vatican's attention, who turned slightly.
"Young Mal'akh," Vatican acknowledged.
"Is something wrong?" Mal'akh asked.
Joella only cried, and while Mal'akh was glad to see the witches go for all they had done, she didn't really want the girl to cry.
"It would appear that Mr. Running-Bear has died," Vatican said slowly, "Joella has lost her grandfather."
"Oh," Mal'akh said slowly, "I'm sorry."
"Nothing that you or I could have done," Vatican spoke, "but it has left Joella in a rather fragile state, and I am afraid I am too bulky to provide her with comfort."
"I suppose I can help," Mal'akh said after a few moments. As much as she wished to stay by her sister, she found it uncivilized not to console someone going through such pain.
"Thank you," Vatican answered.
"Marie sent me to tell you..."
"I will discover the verdict when I inform her of what has happened with Running-Bear," Vatican answered.
"Okay," Mal'akh sighed and moved around the house to the front door and went in. She moved into the living room where she saw Running-Bear slumped in a chair, with Joella leaning against the window frame. Slowly, she reached out to hug the girl, "there, there..." was all Mal'akh found herself able to say.
+++++++++++++
Draco came down the stairs wiping is face clean.
"I have never seen such disrespectful people," Draco grumbled, "I tried to give them the Last Rites, and they spit at me..."
"They're insane, Draco," Marie sighed from a seat where she was watching the unconscious child familiars, "they don't know any better."
Draco only sighed, "and you were willing to argue for their right to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?"
"It was the fair thing to do to give them the chance," Marie sighed.
"So where are Linus and Katherine?" Draco asked.
"Looking for a suitable tree to hang them from," Marie sighed, "Once they have it, Linus will instruct Katherine to tie the nooses around the strongest branch they could "hang" from."
Draco guessed that Marie had actually formed the nooses needed before the Felman and wounded Human left.
"So what will we do with all of these children?" Draco then answered, "their own journal admits that, with the exception of the ones they gave the candy to, they were all adults, and most, if not all of them male..."
"And the Witch Pride were all human, and the human caretakers were all altered in some way..." Marie finished.
"Yes," Draco nodded, "What about them?"
"I don't know," Marie sighed, "None of us have the power to turn them back... and even if we did, that would be the same kind of murder the witches did. You remember how the fairies behaved? The only one of them that knew she had been human once was Beatrice, and the rest of them were all certain they had always been as they are. The witches have killed one persona. It would be wrong for us to murder another."
"So, if not that, then what?" Draco sighed, "It will take awhile to build a "mission", even if Linus somehow gets the Puritans to tolerate us..."
"You're still clinging to the cover?"
"It is how you got the mission in the first place," Draco reminded her, "I will not return to Rome a complete failure again."
"I suppose you could look after the children then," Marie sighed, "Like many convents and monasteries do with orphans. With the witches gone you might actually get help from the Witch Pride or the witches' human aides."
"Maybe... what about you, then?"
"I don't deserve your friendship or Katherine's," Marie sighed, a defeated tone clear in her voice, "I'm a killer. Once they're gone, and you're secure in your mission... I will return to where I belong, and await my time in Hell."
"There's more to you then what you've been, Marie," Draco answered, "What happened here... it had to be done."
"That doesn't ease my conscience," Marie answered.
"You know that Katherine will never let you leave without her... if she lets you leave at all," Draco reminded her.
+++++++++++
In a different room Rosa and Monica worked to make sure one of the Leoman males from the Witch Pride was comfortable.
"It's getting dark," Monica said slowly, "I should be headed home soon."
"Do you want me to escort you?" Rosa asked.
"It couldn't hurt, I guess," Monica sighed.
The two then slowly made their way out. They both said they would be back the next day to witness the execution.
++++++++++++
Linus and Katherine arrived later to find that Vatican had also arrived. The gargoyle informed them Running-Bear had died and Mal'akh was consoling Joella. Linus informed him that the witches had been found guilty, but felt the darkening sky made it too dangerous to try to execute them. If they ran,they might stand a chance of escaping. Vatican agreed and stood guard outside the door. Linus and Katherine then went inside to find Marie and Draco already nodding off.
++++++++++++++
Mal'akh ended up rocking Joella to sleep on couch before falling asleep with the grief stricken girl in her lap.
++++++++++++++
"It is quiet," a bright blue Lupman teen said beside Omega Winifred.
The scene around 1689 Wolf Manor had quieted down. The transformed pups, that had once been the adult wolves were finally under some control, and Winifred and her sister had the teens cleaning up the damage that had been done to the manor.
"Yes," Winifred answered, "it has been so for over a day, now."
"Does this mean those hunters won?" the teen wondered, "and that we'll be free of the witches?"
"I suppose," Winifred nodded.
"And everything will return to normal?"
"The Leoman cub promised as much," Winifred nodded.
"Alpha Ross will want a report on the fate of the witches and what exactly happened," the teen reminded her.
Winifred sighed and looked to her twin. Duty called again.
"I'll see what these hunters have done tomorrow," Winifred answered, "hopefully they'll put this entirely to a close."
++++++++++++
Marie awoke the next morning to find the others with her, sleeping on couches. She stretched and got up. She made her way to an east facing door to see the dawn raising over the eastern horizon. And she knew that the time had come. Best to get it over with. She returned to where the others were to get them up.