Ryan sat quietly watching as the pale pink pup played a game of tennis against the Wii's computer. The pink wolf on the screen mimicking his every move. The systems templates for characters were somewhat amusing the male Omega with the ability to pick characters races (Dragon, Lupman, Leoman, Felman, or Human) as well as the color of their fur/hair/skin/scales. Eventually Zelipe landed a shot won the match.
"Well done," Ryan told him, making Zelipe jump.
Zelipe then looked down, like he was in trouble.
"I'm sorry," Zelipe said slowly.
"For what?" Ryan asked, "You haven't done anything wrong."
"The Wii is Bart, Jenny, Kevin, and Marcy's," Zelipe said slowly...
"And I've seen Bart and Kevin trying to get you to play with them or to help them take on Jenny in the Smash-mouth game," Ryan answered.
"That's not its name..." Zelipe said weakly.
"Regardless, they do share the game with you, and it is in TV room full time," Ryan answered, "Alpha Kaylee's children have no monopoly on the game... and they do try to include you."
"Okay," Zelipe said slowly.
There was a short silence for a few moments.
"Weren't you to go on the hike with the others?" Zelipe asked.
"Joy and Ingrid are busy helping the Betas, Martha is meeting with some member of the Pride, so we couldn't all go," Ryan answered, "and since Cassandra and Lilly, Gretchen, Giselle, Laura, and Zulema wanted their parents to go on the hike, I was left to watch you."
"So, we're both on our own," Zelipe said slowly, chuckling at the end.
"Yes."
Zelipe then looked back to the screen and then to Ryan, "the game allows for multiple players... do you want to play?"
"I would not mind," Ryan gave a slight smile.
++++++++++++++
Meanwhile, the expedition prepared to return toward the manor. They didn't know how they ended so far off course that they'd stumbled onto a farm run by what they thought was only a cartoon for little girls.
"Wait!" Destiny spoke from behind them as Abdul and Whitney began to usher the pups away. Mary and her half sisters as well as Tano and her sisters helped as well.
"Yes," Abdul responded.
"Even if you do not wish to stay, would you like to meet the other Ponies?" Destiny asked, "I promise, we're all very friendly, and I have more questions about this Madam Serenity you speak off..."
Abdul looked to Whitney and then down at the pups and cubs. There was some curiosity on their part, but Abdul knew that the pup's favorite outdoor pastime of chasing rabbits had come from curiosity at some point, and he really didn't want to hurt the little horses.
"Please..." Destiny said slowly.
"Very well," Abdul sighed, and then glanced to Mary and the other Leomen cubs, "could you nine make sure no one decides to take a nip out of these horses."
The Leoman cubs nodded. Abdul then looked down to the pups.
"You are to be on your BEST behavior," he said firmly.
++++++++++++++
1689
The ride back to Boston went faster then the march to Glendale earlier in the summer, though it did take some time. Some people they ran into along the way voiced some concern about what two females were doing out on the roads, alone, but Marie assured them that they were fine. A foolish robber did attempt to jump them, but found himself looking down the barrel of Linus's musket, which Linus had retrieved and handed to Marie, hissing that his present form would make it impossible for him to use the weapon. The robber ran off without taking anything.
It was late in the evening when they arrived at the building that Linus had said his office was in. It looked like a series of residential apartments. They then made their way inside. As they came closer to the rooms that Linus said were his, they found that the door was open and lights were visible inside. They then heard voices as they got closer.
"I'm telling you, sirs, Mr. Sure has not been in at all!" a female's voice spoke, the wife of the man who owned and rented out the rooms in the building.
"Then where is he? He hasn't reported to us in months and is long overdue!"
One of the colony's leaders.
"I do not know where he is," the woman answered.
Marie heard an inaudible growl. It was then that she knocked on the door.
"Excuse me..." she began.
"Be quiet, woman," one of the colonial leaders appeared in the doorway, "MEN are speaking."
Marie ignored the remark.
"Over affairs you do not know," Marie answered, "My friend and I could overhear what you were talking about inside the room... About one Linus Sure..."
"How do you know him?" the man growled.
"He has hired us to handle some basic cooking and cleaning around the camps that he has had when he has been doing field work," Marie said carefully, knowing that even if the Inquisition's Council would protect her, it was doubtful that the Puritans would allow it. She had to make Katherine and herself seem like nothing more then domestic servants.
"What are you doing here, then?" a second man appeared in the doorway, "has something happened?"
"I am afraid yes," Marie said slowly, "he is still healthy, but regrets that we have to inform you that recent events that he was investigating on your behalf have required him to formally resign his position."
"He is resigning?" the first man questioned.
"Yes," Katherine nodded, "what he has run into requires his full attention, and he is very sorry that he can not be here in person to voice his resignation."
Both men grumbled something that Marie couldn't make out, and Katherine would not repeat.
"We have also been sent to retrieve his personal items from this address," Marie added. We are sorry if this inconveniences you."
The two men only sighed.
+++++++++++++
"So Linus's bosses were chauvinists?" Lawrence asked.
"This was 1689," Marie answered, "and Linus's employers where human, not Leomen who would have felt such gruff treatment to be uncivilized, not Lupmen who generally equalize gender roles for the safety of the Pack, and not Felmen who are not as heavily social as the other races of man are, and thus almost always had total gender equality... and among humans the idea that women and men were equal partners didn't really gain broad support until the twentieth century. There were voices for it, obviously, but they weren't heavily supported. And many British people who opposed the Suffragettes before WWI opposed the movement because they seriously believed that a woman's brain was smaller then a man's brain and thus couldn't possibly make such a political decision..."
There was a short pause, before Marie continued.
"Anyway, it was 1689, not the modern era," Marie said...
"You will see some of that behavior still goes on, Marie," Eliza told her daughter.
"Anyway," Marie spoke, "the two colonial officers tolerated Marie and Katherine taking Linus's private belongings and loading them onto Benjamin's wagon. Marie paid the woman that the two men had been yelling at when she arrived."
"Did they ever ask Marie or Katherine where Linus was?" Lawrence wondered.
"They did," Marie nodded, "and seeking to protect Linus, because of his cursed form, Marie told them they were to meet him in Frostville in a couple of days, and that was all..."
"And that is what Marie and Katherine did while the funeral went on in Glendale," Alice surmised.
"Along with the Big Bad Wolf Pack's claiming of Francis and Julianna."