Undead Expectations.
"Good Evening. I'm Fabienne Growley."
"And I'm Peter Moosebridge. Here's what's happened around the world today."
The camera changed to an elder elephant cow wearing an elaborate headdress. She was standing near a roadway, her trunk position in reverence as several bodies lying on study platforms each carried by pallbearer as they passed by in front of her.
"Tragedy struck our friends in Pachydermia recently. The empress paid her respects as the heroes from a recent battle were brought before her, their unfortunate demise a grave sign from a common enemy we now share. Her spokesmammal gave us some happy news; a recent battle involved her forces striking a decisive blow against the killers of these heroes." Fabienne said looking straight into the camera.
The scene changed showing several bodies covered with plain white clothes. Some of them the sheets were pulled away just enough to reveal a body with pale skin, silvery-white fur, and eyes that had black dots where normally some coloring denoting the iris. Some of these still had a strange metal item the impaled the skull or stuck through a rib or two.
"We are told these bodies belong to a group known as dark priests. Why they have made themselves known is unclear, what is known is they have always been around somewhere in the world. Here to explain more is Zootopia's favorite priestess, Paulina Lionheart."
The camera viewpoint changed to show the lioness standing next to an elder vixen and a honey badger.
"Good afternoon Zootopia and everyone watching this. Recent events have uncovered a dangerous and deadly group that the Order of Mother Nature and the Priests of the Moon had managed to contain for many millennia. These enemies as you have just been told goes by the name of Dark Priesthood. They seek to control mammals not because they believe a strong paw must be used to maintain law and order, but because they desire total control. Unfortunately there is another motivation: non-priests are a source of nourishment for them. They literally use your essence as food."
"These priests found a method to escape containment and now found a hiding place where they can restart their rampage and work toward gaining total control. Thankfully the previous mentioned priest factions have learned how to coral these priests and are working with GSD and other agencies worldwide. Recently we cornered a small group of the dark priests and eliminated them down to the last mammal. Unfortunately our allies took losses. We share in their grief and this motivates our resolve to hunt down and bring back into the original containment so that mammals everywhere may breathe a sigh of relief. May our efforts succeed and may this dark chapter end quickly. Good afternoon and back to you, Fabienne."
The camera viewpoint changed back to the moose.
"In other news... a naked swine was seen running out of the Mystic Spring Oasis. Said swine..."
High Priest Billie followed Bishop Gandoff into the main assembly hall. It had taken many weeks but now the bishop felt it was time to bring his partner out into the open. They used fur dye to change the silvery-color to a more natural one, something the sheep found humorous since ewes were the ones that normally change their grey strands of wool in an effort to forestall the appearance of age. The undead goat tolerated the contact lens he had to wear to dull the glare of his eyes, but still there remained a slight shimmer effect. It was decided a pair of sunglasses was sufficient to hide this, especially when the style was known to be a doctor's prescription.
Everyone present bowed their heads as the duo passed by and once the undead goat and male sheep reached the podium the bishop motioned for everyone to take their seats. After introducing the high priest as a visiting dignitary from a foreign branch of their order, he proceeded to hold the weekend services as usual. The gathered priests were impressed by the oratory skills of the *visitor* and when the sermon was over and all were excused they eagerly flocked to ask him questions. When he answered a select few and left leaving them wanting more, the bishop had to intervene before someone realized the artificial fur dye and the ruse regarding his eyes.
When they closed and locked the door to the room where the undead goat spent his days, the bishop paused before speaking.
"There has been a request for you I received via a courier."
The undead cocked his head inquisitively, patiently waiting for the living to reveal what he started.
"It's from a scholar that works in the great library. I'm puzzled why such a mammal would be interested in meeting you, especially after the last time you were there."
"Well, it wasn't because of the charming and gracious reception that was the reason we departed."
"You know what I mean" the sheep said looking at the undead.
"Exactly. So... are you going to relay this message or shall I wait for you to die before I pry it from your hooves?"
A look of horror appeared on the sheep's face. "You wouldn't! What about our pact?"
"Of course I wouldn't. But I will take just enough of your life-force thus rendering you immobile so I can take and read the message."
The sheep *Pfft* and took out the folded paper, unfolded it, and then handed it to the undead. As the goat read the message the bishop waited and watched his reaction. The high priest read the message once then crumpled the paper and threw it into the far corner. Moments later he looked at the sheep, his eyebrow raised as if to inquire why the bishop stayed still. After asking the obvious question he nodded his head as if accepting the response.
"Care to tell me what this was about?"
"Seems we have another high priestess in our mist."
"Another? I'm not aware of a bishop that is ready to assume the title."
"I didn't think you would and you are correct. This one predates both of us; she apparently survived many centuries secluded."
"A hidden priestess? It must have driven her mad not being able to resume her duties."
"Very. But she wishes a meeting with me to form a council, considering the ineptness of the current leadership."
He noticed a barely hidden sign of the bishop's feelings being hurt. The undead goat sighed and decided to explain.
"She didn't say it outright, but when two of equal rank arranges such a meeting it's usually about something lacking in the leadership. In this case I suspect it's about our Ms. Greta Dapperclaw. This is whom I was referring to."
"*whew* I'm very happy about that. Please forgive my reaction."
"Duly noted and forgiven. I would most likely have reacted similarly if I were in your hooves."
"When do we leave?"
The goat sat down and thought about it. A few minutes later he made his decision.
"I should send her a response first, explaining our tasking here. In this manner it will give you time to formulate who you can trust to assume authority while we are away. Or perhaps we can simply leave things on autopilot and sort whatever happened later."
The sheep interjected. "Unless the high priest and his minions return before then. He will not be happy about the missing priests most loyal to him. Perhaps I should stay here and keep things in order. Should they arrive before you return I will be able to rouse the others to detain him and start proceedings against him, just as was the original plan."
"No that is too opportunistic. Underlings are prone to being swayed by a long-term authority figure. Besides, we haven't completed the retraining regimen and I doubt any of them would break their loyalty oaths. This and one other thing; I am not yet able to travel through the front gates without being bundled like a hibernating bear."
"I can always stuff you into the wagon that leaves here weekly."
"Really? The one used to remove excrement from the non-sentient mammals your order uses to earn money to pay the expenses?"
"It was just a thought."
"Let's not and say we did. Now go and let your senior underling know you are leaving to take me back to the train station and you'll return shortly. In this manner they will behave and defer action that another branch may require."
The undead goat composed his response and after he was finished the sheep sent it as a text message to an intermediary who would forward it. Next day a reply message was received and the undead goat decided to make a trip to meet with Ganieda sooner than later and had the sheep send a message to arrange a rendezvous. They used the pretense of the *visitor* needing to return to his home country as a cover for them to leave.
Soon the two were on their way and safely on the opposite side of the front gate, safely beyond the effect that the protective enchantment that was there to prevent undead from getting inside. They turned off onto an ancient path that was hidden, slowly traveling as they watched the scene below. A small caravan was heading towards the monastery and the energies given off made the undead shiver: Oracles. He once fought a powerful priest that had the abilities of that ancient faction, and fought it to a draw. How could there be more with this power? He wasn't staying around to find out; neither would either of them be returning here. It was obvious the gig was up, so he told the bishop unless he wanted to become a martyr it was best they return to the cavern and meet with this high priestess.
The three oracle priestesses were traveling with High Priest Aaron and High Priestess Ishanah to the Order of Mother Nature's headquarters in the Hidden Hills. Just as they approached the last turn along the river the oracles felt it, a dark priest was nearby. They expanded their priestly senses and found him, nearly at the top of the incline that led to a zig-zagging pathway that traversed along the mountainside and exited almost at the same point they had entered this valley. He wasn't moving so they assumed he was merely observing whoever traveled this path.
When they entered the main hall the truth of the situation became clear.
Arron was shocked so many of his most trusted priests had been killed, and nearly sent into despair when it was revealed who was responsible: Bishop Gandoff. The sheep had been on his short list for consideration to be his replacement. Now as Hilda's necklace provided the ancient access key, everyone read what was in the ancient file that had refused to be opened. Hilda's necklace also unlocked a secret surveillance system that enabled them to instantly know in minute detail where each mammal had walked anywhere on the monastery grounds. Hilda's necklace allowed them to read everyone's email and what they entered into their computer file, thus it became obvious what the bishop was attempting to do.
"He brought in an undead. Look... they discovered the protective enchantment. Hmmm... smart of them to go away and return later. How did... ah, some kind of blanket. Cleaver. Hmmm... kept him in a seldom used mechanical space. Why did he stand near that bench. Ah... so the undead can use radiation to survive. Well, this explains some things."
Ishanah placed a comforting paw on the hare's shoulder.
"Aaron. I wish we could have returned sooner. Thank the Moon we have our oracles with us."
The hare merely nodded weakly. "Yes. Thank all of you. Shall we begin the clean up?"
When they first arrived in the main compound the three oracle priestesses sensed something foul, a lingering stench not of a physical nature but in the ethereal pane. Ishanah and Aaron both waved their paws above their heads, each performing a different cleansing spell. But the oracle priestesses couldn't tell the spells made any difference, so the two priests performed the cleansing spell a second time. This barely made a difference so it was concluded the undead had spent many weeks within these walls. Both went about repeating their different spells in different room and at least 2-3 times each room. After doing this for almost the entire afternoon did most of the foulness subside to a manageable level, low enough to discover the truth what had been going on.
When a low-ranking priest was nearby as the two cleansing spells were performed, it shook its head as if waking up from a deep slumber. Then it realized what had been happening since the high priest left, and it told what it remembered through the fog-shrouded mind. Each priest that became cleansed told of how they witness fellow priests succumbing to sudden weakness that required hospitalization in the medical ward. When Ishanah, Aaron, and the three oracle priestesses entered the medical ward they discovered the shriveled corpses of the medical mammals. This was when Hilda remembered what the computer back at the Oracle Sanctum told her about the key to open the ancient files.
Now they resumed the cleaning spells together the three oracles joining them. When they felt they memorized and enunciate the words properly the oracles left to start cleansing a different section. The more groups doing this would hasten the complete cleansing of the monastery, Ishanah and Aaron as one group and the oracles the other group. Hilda encouraged the bishops that originally traveled with Ishanah and Aaron to group together in groups of four, and start chanting the cleansing spells going towards the other end of the monastery. By late in the evening only a few rooms were left to cleanse, one of which was where the undead spent most of his time.
Ishanah had a few of her priestesses come over to counsel and comfort many of the Nature priests that found their memories restored, those that realized they had been controlled and forced to do harm to their fellow priests, forced by not responding when their fellow priest became immobilized and died.
Hilda's necklace allowed everyone to view and compile evidence what happened to every priest that wasn't alive when the high priest returned.
Director Ben Damyer, male beaver who is Director of Zootopia General Hospital, sent a medical team to assist in the treatment of the priesthood. Dr. Bearinton and several psychologists were here to counsel in their own unique way. News of what happened reached nearly every agency in Zootopia. GSD and the local sheriff blocked the entrance to the valley just in case the news mammals discovered where the nature priests' headquarters was located. Thankfully Senior Technician Pangolin used the bunker's data banks to fabricate holographic emitters, enough to cover the opening of the valley and construct a false cliff that covered the entire valley entrance. The river appeared to come out of a large cave, it was logical since the locals knew about the river and wouldn't comment about the trail that appeared well-traveled but passed by the base of the cliff.
Mr. Big sent his condolences when he found out the dark priesthood was involved. Those foul non-living mammals where allies of his old comrades in the Council of the Twelve. His gift was a large bag of gold in powdered granules, the gift he originally received from Alpha Eleven: aka Gary Noble the hare from the Black Forest. His note simply said this was to help pay for the treatment expenses necessary to get the priests back on their feet and back in the game against the dark priesthood. When many of the nature priests learned of the crime boss's gift on their behalf, it helped them recover. They appreciated knowing their efforts in healing the land had not gone unnoticed, while it didn't erase their guilt it did lift their spirits.
Bishop Gandoff and High Priest Billie quietly and secretly entered the cavern via a seldom-used access tube. These were not seen on a regular basis by the guards and the clothing they wore was of the enemy. The sheep had to present his credentials while both of them allowed their clothing to be cautiously inspected. Once the communique was handed over and confirmed as genuine the guards phoned the sender via the number cryptically hidden within. They pointed a camera to the duo to confirm these were not harmed in any manner, and then asked the sheep and goat to stand in a nearby room until their escort arrived. A couple of the guards sat down wearily, unexpectedly tired. The undead received a stern glare from the sheep who replied security was maintained as long as he was here, after all nobody could knowingly get past a dark priest.
They were met by Geoffrey and the scholar led them to a nearby tavern where both were led to a small room. Here they were strongly encouraged to change into garments akin to a friar's robes, once changed their original robes were put into a bag which the bishop carried. The scholar led them through the maze of pathways for what seemed to have been many miles, finally stopping between two shops and entering the alcove. They went through the beaded curtain and down a long narrow passageway, stopping momentarily for the scholar to open the locked door. After closing and ensuring the door locked behind them the scholar tapped several bricks in a specific pattern and waited for the panel above their heads to open and its ladder to descend. Up they climbed and stopped momentarily to operate the lever that retracted the ladder and reset the bricks, and for the panel locked back in place. Then they resumed climbing.
Once at the top the scholar received a hug and affectionate peck on his muzzle followed by her nibbling on his neck. She had promised him she wouldn't use his life-essence for nourishment but she did take tiny amounts at unexpected times, like the small sign of affection she just did. After this was done she resumed a dignified stance.
Geoffrey composed himself and turned slightly as if he were a butler. "High Priestess Ganieda, may I present our guests?"
She flashed him a certain look in her eyes, one he knew denoting impatience.
He turned to the two mammals. "This is High Priest Billie, the one you requested to meet with. And this other is Bishop Gandoff, companion and our insider in the Priest of Mother Nature's headquarters."
Gandoff and Billie made their proper gestures towards the priestess who made one in return. The undead goat spoke first.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, high priestess."
The undead hare nodded in the affirmative. "Likewise. May I inquire the status of your recent activity? How close are we to..."
The bishop cut her off. "I failed. As we traveled back here the leadership of the other priest factions crossed our path. Thankfully we were not discovered, or at least they didn't pursue us."
Billie glared at the living sheep momentarily before resuming his attention to the priestess. "It wasn't a complete failure, more like a fortuitous getaway. If we had remained inside the oracle priests accompanying them would have bested both of us."
"Oracles? Were they a vixen, a lioness, and a honey badger?"
Billie leaned towards the sheep and both whispered between them, and then resumed their previous posture.
"We were too far away to get a glimpse of them but the energies given off would suggest there were three of them, there were many other priests as well. We didn't stay around to have tea and crumpets and neither did we attempt to scry exactly who they are. We thought it best to keep our identities hidden; if they discovered who we were they would have attacked. After all, the bishop being with a dark priest would have surly blown his cover and why we were outside the monastery would have cemented it."
"So those meddlesome usurpers live. If only my minions had killed them while they were within the arena."
She noticed her barely audible words had caught the interest of their guests. She sighed.
"Yes I had them cornered back where I was entrapped. We were doing fine until mammals appeared from thin air and incapacitated my priests using daggers made of a metal that instantly immobilized an undead. I escaped their clutches by suicidal jumping off a cliff, surviving only by mind-controlling a condor. Weeks later those oracles caught up with my group and we battled. Only I escaped by finding an ancient transporter. This brought me back to my ancient home, and now into your paws."
The undead goat raised an eyebrow. "Ok, that was a quick explanation of your knowledge of them. Now there is one more thing we should address, but not before you show us to our quarters. I'm assuming we four will be staying here until our plans are complete?"
The living hare made a gesture towards the hallway and everyone walked with him, he explained the known layout of this level and suggested they could occupy the rooms on the opposite side of the rubble pile that was the central axis of this ancient burrow. This appeared to satisfy the undead goat and once the rooms on that side were shown to be quite comfortable the bishop was pleased, especially since it had a functional shower and bathroom. An hour later once the undead goat and the sheep staked out their personal quarters everyone was in the main dining hall, or at least the only room with functional kitchen equipment. The priestess showed the undead goat how the microwave worked and how it provided sustenance suitable for their needs.
"I'm pleased that we can stay hidden without starving or unnecessarily draining our living companions" the undead goat said in a tone of voice the sheep had grown accustomed to as dry humor.
"Thank you. But before I allowed that I would have escorted both of you downstairs for your daily nutritional needs."
Geoffrey winced as the female nibbled his neck a bit closer than normal. This obviously was starting to grate on the undead goat's nerves.
"Priestess, mind your manners. Please."
She gave the goat an annoyed look and resumed a proper stance, but only for a moment before sitting crosswise on the scholar's lap with her paws around Geoffrey's neck. She was aware his paws were laying one on her lap and the other half buried in her waistband.
"Playing with your dinner?" Billie asked.
Geoffrey knew he had to get everyone's mind focused, especially the priestess and more important his own. She had worked her charm and soon they were having relations as if she were a living doe, only she didn't claim a headache prevented their enjoyment. After she discovered the microwave could be used anytime of the day she spent a lot of time snacking from it. He only had to tolerate her nibbling his neck so she could drain just enough from him to restore something in her. When she learned of the ancient broth made of a recipe from the ancient cookbook and how it quickly restored his energy, she insisted a pot of it remain inside the refrigerator be available at all times. Thankfully she enjoyed being his nursemaid as one spoonful at a time she fed him, she also enjoyed being with him in the Jacuzzi. Sometimes Geoffrey couldn't tell if he was her lover or her pet that she enjoyed taking care of.
He dimmed the lights and turned on the projection screen, there shown was the undead doe in question.
"Here's what we know about High Priestess Greta Dapperclaw. That's a close-up of her..."
Bishop Gandoff looked wryly at the undead goat. "Isn't that your old necklace?"
High Priest Billie nodded. "It appears so. Or at least one very close to it."
Geoffrey stood up after coxing the priestess off his lap and walked to a cabinet, unlocked it and took out a box. Once he returned he handed it to the undead. "Here. A present I think you'll be happy with."
The goat opened it and gasped. His hoof pulled out a necklace and he closely examined it. "Where did you get this?"
"When Greta told me where she found hers I decided to take a closer look in our archives, especially the areas rarely visited. It was in there I found that necklace, apparently in the haste to grab as many books from the Oracle Archives someone inadvertently picked it up and put it in a bundle of old Oracle robes. It rested there for eons until someone like me decided to go there and scrounge around."
The goat hugged the hare and thanked him. "It's better than my old one; I sense it is more powerful, something I will be certain to make good use of. Thank you once again."
The scholar resumed his seat as did the priestess resumed their previous activity, obviously annoying the undead goat again.
"High priestess, if you don't stop playing with your dinner he won't be able to help us."
Ganieda paused as she held Geoffrey in her paws. "He's mine and I'll do with him as I please. Once our triad is operational I won't have time to pleasure him. So I'm getting a head start."
The bishop looked at her wryly. "You mean you'll have him under lock and key, don't you? Considering the other high priestess has claimed him as well?"
This was news to the goat, as his eyes grew wide with the recognition.
"You're not playing with dinner, you're..."
A pillow hit his head.
"Keep that thought inside your head, high priest. But you are correct, so I'll have to torture myself until Geoffrey's bedtime."
The undead goat held his tongue, but the bishop didn't.
"How old are you? Would this not be considered robbing the cradle?"
The sheep suddenly felt weak and fell to the floor.
"Sheath thy tongue, bishop. As an undead I can't bear him kits but as adults we can enjoy each other. Besides, I have two millennia of relations to catch up on and I won't wear him out just yet. As long as he is useful I will play to his fantasies, but I do have my limits. He knows them and I his, therefore we have an amicable agreement."
The undead goat grinned. "You're going to use him as bait, aren't you?"
The priestess smiled as her paw rubbed the living hare's cheek.
"Yes, I will. The spoiled brat can't help but rub herself on him, thus before she realizes it we will be in place. Apologies sweetie, but you're going to have to let her paws fondle your fur once again. But by then she should have noticed my matriarchal mark, that's when the fireworks should begin. We'll try to avoid hitting you but Murphy's Law doesn't always allow it."
Geoffrey sighed. "Just... get her away from me so I can make a run for it. Afterwards the three of you can blast the room to shreds."
Ganieda yanked Geoffrey towards the door and within a moment both were headed down the hall. The high priest sighed and helped the bishop up onto the sofa and then got a bowl of the restorative broth from the refrigerator putting it before the bishop, and then used the remote to go through the remaining information. Both had a pretty good idea what was about to happen.
"Think they actually will do it?"
Billie looked at Gandoff and shook his horns towards the sheep.
"They are Lapin, get two of them in one room and neither can resist. Undead... living... they can't help it. I think he gets the better deal; she can keep him safe any hour day or night. He just has to be willing to allow himself to be fed upon. It's a trust issue for both of them, hence the learning curve. But I think she's developing an addiction in him, she better learn to tone it down or else when the hours she must spend performing the duties the Triad requires... will tear them apart."
Greta Daperclaw stood in front of the tri-fold mirror looking at the three reflections staring back at her. The garment these reflected was definitely not her robes neither were this something a priestess would be expected to wear. Harlots or Ladies of the Alleyways perhaps or even a Chosen Doe wanting to please her buck perhaps would be in this outfit. As she moved her body the images showed her exactly what the buck would see, and she practiced her movements until she was certain any combination of these would work her charm upon him. Males were slaves to their lust and it was only a matter of time before she broke his will.
The scholar was definitely a tough one to crack. She had to strain just to get a small tidbit of his life-essence, even clutching her necklace and concentrating with all her might barely rewarded her efforts. She spent hours pondering how he could resist her and it didn't make sense. In all the times she managed to get him alone she felt his libido surge, thus she was certain presenting herself in garments more likeable by males would yield better results. It would make him under her control and thus more compliant.
She had sensed he was making an effort to find the Headmaster's necklace; she just needed to find a way to make him hers. But she was no fool; if he found it she was certain he would attempt to keep it for himself and quite possibly try to escape far away from here. This was something she could not allow, and she had security tracking his every movement.
Several nights ago he didn't return to his assigned quarters, neither did he show up to work. She knew this because she had earlier today gone to meet him in the Great Library. His coworkers claimed he had secluded himself back in his quarters, all they knew was he wanted complete isolation so he could focus his effort on decoding a strange manual. They only saw a large thing wrapped in cloth he was carrying on his way home several nights ago. She tested them and found they were indeed being truthful. Now she was concerned.
One more look into the tri-fold mirror granted her some satisfaction. This garment would be the key to arousing him while preserving some of her dignity. It was a corset a style known as an 1878 Hourglass with high-cut sides and the front low enough to hide her unmentionables and open to allow a separate panty worn underneath, Greta chose one she knew drove males wild. She put on her robe, footpad-shoes, and a cloak then went out her home and towards the scholar's assigned quarters.
Seduction was a very useful tool and Greta was using Lapin norms against the scholar, feigning submissiveness to gain his trust.
Does' were territorial by nature hence why they always went to the male's room and rarely allowed a buck into their private quarters, at least when first establishing a relationship. Teenagers living together wither at home or sharing an apartment had to get permission of their roommates before bringing a buck or doe inside. Even married couples were cautious when in the bedroom as this was considered hers primarily, thus the husband was careful upon entering. She could be nursing kits, preparing for an evening out for a romantic dinner, lying on the bed wearing something he liked or perhaps nothing. But if he was in the room first she would enter cautiously. She never knew if he was busy with paperwork for his job, looking in the mirror lost in his imagination thinking he was slimmer and stronger than reality, or maybe lying on the bed patting the spot beside him clearly inviting her for lovemaking. Thankfully most of the time both simply snuggled and talked about the issues of the day before going to sleep resting comfortably in the other's paws.
Greta smiled, he was a male and males were slaves to their desires. Even after becoming a priestess she continued manipulating males to her advantage, going as far as to kill those that threatened to take their complaint to her superior. She simply needed to up the ante and he would work harder to get that which she desired. This undergarment would be this afternoon's bait to do just that.
She smiled sweetly when Geoffrey opened the door and politely asked to enter. He closed the door and took her cloak, hanging it on the special hanger she gave him awhile back solely for her cloak. When this was inside the closet and he gave her a warm hug as she asked about the Headmaster's necklace.
"Yes, I finally tracked it down or at least where it once was."
"Splendid! We'll leave first thing in the morning. I'll have the Grand Tracker assemble his best team to escort us."
"That won't be necessary, it isn't that far away. In fact it is in this cavern and I can have someone bring it here within the hour. Or if you like we can go to where it is, less likely for thieves or pickpocket to get their grubby mitts on it."
Greta's eyes widen and her jaw hung open. Did he just say he had possession of it? Knew where its current location was at?
"Pardon me Geoffrey, why did you leave it unguarded? You should have brought it home, should have..."
His paw pressed firmly against her lips, something he never attempted before.
"Greta, look at me. Do you think I can stand my ground against thieves and robbers? Check in with security, they can tell you of the numerous times I've been accosted and this when my payday landed on days when the jails released the inmates. You know very well this is how they get money to purchase their meals for the remainder of the month. No... it was safer to leave such a valuable item in the safe place I designated."
Greta moved close and started massaging his shoulders. It appeared to be working as his head leaned one way then another. Why did he have to wear such tight-collar shirts? Why did he have that habit of moving his head in this manner?
"Geoffrey, what's this around your neck?"
"My dear, it's a replica of your necklace. I took the liberty of having the stonemasons make one for me. If you're insistent on becoming a couple..."
Greta hugged him and kissed his forehead. She suddenly paused; he was wearing a matriarchal mark. She sniffed it and was shocked.
"Geoff... where... how..."
"I allowed a female to mark me because she is a genuine help to my endeavors. You mark me frequently even though I tell you it would hinder my relationships with certain coworkers."
"A high priestess's mark carries great power, provides access to things previously unavailable. Surely this female understands that?"
"Yes, yes she does. She believes her mark allows me access to anything your does."
Greta quickly released him and pushed him away. It was obvious she was angry and hurt. It took quite a lot of effort to get an undead emotional, breaking her trust ranked right up there, even if it was her sly manipulating your emotions for her gain. At the moment she was uncertain what she wanted to do. He said he had the necklace; she needed it to ensure it belonged in its rightful place, upon the high priestess neck... upon her neck. After a few moments she calmed down enough to think rationally.
"Geoffrey, I trust you to lead me to the necklace. But there are still benefits to keeping your relationship with me. Come, let's relax over here."
He walked over and she held up her arms, something she always did when she wanted him to remover her robe. He opened the front and gawked at the corset, then slowly removed her robe in a manner he knew the other female liked. Once it was hung properly on a hanger and next to her cloak he returned to her side. Her paws lifted his shirt off and flipped it off to the side, and then grumbled as he politely reminded her that he treated her clothing with the respect she deserved and asked if his deserved the same. When his shirt and trousers were hung properly on hangers next to her cloak she returned and held his necklace in her paws.
"This is a powerful necklace, Geoff. When did you find this?"
"I've had this for a while; something about it prevents your priests from snacking on me. If it were only one priest and said priest were very careful to take just enough to satiate its needs, then I would trust it to remove this necklace just long enough for the deed to be done."
"Geoff, would you do this for me?"
"Would you do something for me? Snack first on the microwave, in this I will know you can only take minimal amount thus leaving me alive."
She thought for a moment, leaning over a small table aware that he could see what was hidden under the corset. After a few moments when he didn't move she *Pfft* and walked to his kitchen, turned on the microwave and started to snack. He put a bowl of water inside then restarted it. As she snacked he stood behind her and rubbing his paws along her torso, making sure to rub her thighs at odd times. When the timer ended she turned around and reached for his necklace.
"Not yet my dear. There's the little matter of getting your new necklace. We must leave now if the area it is located remains clear of parishioners."
Greta's eyes grew wide like saucers.
"You... put it in the main chapel?"
"Of course. It's the most secure place I can think of. Besides, the female that marked me without asking will be there. Then you can have words with her."
"Geoff, you said she did it without permission."
He held her paws and kissed them. "First time was without permission, only after she proved useful did I allow her at her leisure. It was satisfying watching her do things just to get a simple reward."
"Geoff, females only do this to keep a quality male. I will have words with her."
They spent a few moments dressing the other with him gently pushing her paws away from his necklace, reminding her that he never tried to remover hers as it would be disrespectful. She grumbled and reminded him what he was missing but could enjoy if they waited a few moments. As high priestess she could simply change times of the dark mass and nobody would challenge her. He reminded her of her recent promise not to change this, which caused her to grumble more.
After making sure their clothes were properly on he locked his door and walked her towards the Dark Cathedral.
High Priestess Ganieda and High Priest Billie were waiting in a side room, waiting for the scholar to bring the high priestess here. Neither wanted him to be alone with her, so to be on the safe side they had Bishop Gandoff waiting in one of Geoffrey's rooms, ready to step inside thus breaking her privacy and ruining the mood if she succeeded in removing his necklace.
Geoffrey had a secret: a dagger made from an unknown metal he discovered in the library's archives. The hare gave the sheep this and asked him to keep it secret from their undead friends, explaining the ancient book he found this hidden inside said it could immobilize any dark priests. Once he got Greta headed towards the ambush place or the sheep was forced to use the weapon, Geoffrey asked for the dagger be returned to their hidden home and placed in the spot he kept it away from Ganieda and Billie. The sheep agreed to secrecy as both had a pretty good idea how the undead mammals would react to this weapon being in their home.
It was a heated discussion wither or not to allow her to discover his necklace, hence the compromise to have the bishop nearby.
Geoffrey was confident he could get Greta out of his home and to the rendezvous point, letting her know he found and had hidden the Headmaster's necklace was the bait. He couldn't promise he could avoid some bedroom action but perhaps Ganieda's fresh remarking him might do the trick. The priestess did so but just lightly, she wanted it noticeable only up close and barely noticeable as matriarchal but not from a priestess.
Ganieda was annoyed when she had to explain why. Males... sometimes they could be so dense. When the timing was right she would reveal herself and Greta would literally be blindsided, an act of revenge best served cold. Billie could reveal himself at a time of his choosing, something she suspected he would enjoy very much.
Finally a priest came into the room and notified them the high priestess was here. This priest was there when the high priest first tried to rejoin their order; he disproved the high priestess's action and was more than willing to help the undead goat. When they told him about plans to form a Triad Council to govern the Dark Priesthood he was more than happy to help. They encouraged him not to tell anyone, if they failed Greta would seek out anyone that helped, it was better for only him to die than nearly everyone within the cathedral. But if they succeeded then the battle would announce the change in leadership.
Geoffrey led Greta to the center pew, sitting down and not moving until she sat next to him. When she did he reached underneath and pulled out the box that was strapped under the seat. She wrest it from his paws and tore open the box, not waiting to cut open the tape that held the lid closed. When she held the necklace in her paw she was looking hungrily at it. Moments later her expression slowly turned to confusion, and then to anger like nothing he saw before.
"Geoffrey! What trick is this? Where is the Headmaster's necklace! Tell me now or I'll end your life in a most horrific manner. Don't..."
It was the purple bolt of energy striking her chest that sent the undead doe tumbling backwards over the nearby pews, toppling several over as she moved across the room. Several moments went by and Geoffrey was surprised only one bolt was sent. When she regained her senses the living buck was standing over her.
"Just as I thought, you were only interested in me as long as I could bring to you the Headmaster's necklace. Did you honestly think I would be head over heels simply by the feminine wear that you allowed me to gawk at? To fondle as a male would and even fondle what's underneath them? Thank you for the enjoyment of doing exactly that, it would have been better had you allowed me to copulate because that just might have earned my total and complete loyalty. As the old saying goes: *Males are slaves to their lust*."
"Geoff... why?"
"The necklace you wear protected you from the arcane bolt but at a price: you've lost some of your energy reserves. As long as I'm wearing this necklace I'm immune from attack as well. I'm also immune from your snacking on my life-force."
Before he was aware her paw reached up and pulled his necklace forcefully, its string snapping apart and sending the beads in every possible direction. She stood up and glared at him, hatred very clear at his betrayal and deceiving her. But her confusion was quite clear as she tried to drain his essence. She didn't get another attempt; another purple bolt hit her and drove her against the far wall. She slid down until resting on the floor and against the wall.
"Never learned how to manage your underlings, did you... Greta?"
She knew this voice; she also remembered the feeling of being knocked down by these same bolts. Thankfully no more were heading her way.
"High Priest Billie... we meet again. Was it you that set this up? What did you hope to accomplish? I still control the many priests here in this cavern, just one wave of my paw and you'll be overwhelmed. So... shall we negotiate?"
Another purple bolt hit her, this time the full effect she felt as her body couldn't move to dissipate the blow. After she shook off the effect she looked at the undead goat wearily, the question obviously written plain upon her face. The goat simply took his time walking towards her and stopped halfway into the room, he stood between her and the doorway clearly blocking the rooms' only exit.
"It wasn't me that sent the bolts. You trespassed upon another priestess's chosen buck."
Greta's eyes widened. If he called her such title then she must be the genuine thing. Now the other priestess revealed herself as she walked calmly towards the undead doe, this one also was a hare although whatever garment she wore certainly wasn't any Greta knew of except it was in proper robe format. She glared towards the unknown priestess, both females glaring towards the other. Ganieda stopped an equal distance as the undead goat did, blocking Greta's route of escape towards the side room. The three priests formed a triangle, and Geoffrey was centered in the middle. If one was melodramatic, one could have sworn to have heard music playing in the background; music one would have heard in a western cowboy movie just before the guns started to blaze.
"He is mine, I found him first." Greta hissed.
"You certainly did, but he rejected you. I treated him properly, now he is mine. Properly laid, properly cared for, and willingly trapped" Ganieda replied remarkably calm; her body language made it clear she was ready to battle on a moment's notice.
Geoffrey suddenly felt himself thrown to the floor as pain wracked his body. He was groggy and barely heard the two priestesses yell as they hurled arcane bolts, but only one of them scored a hit.
"I told you, young upstart... he willingly gave himself to me. He wears my mark and I wear his, in every traditional place on my body."
Greta threw a bolt towards the other priestess, only to watch it be deflected from one sent by the undead goat. It became a two-against-one battle and the room was quickly being shredded. She summoned a familiar and once it appeared it started blocking bolts, unfortunately it seemed the undead goat kept it occupies as the two priestesses battled. Why the new priestess didn't summon her own orb soon became clear: her skills at deflecting bolts were only outmatched by returning same to her opponent.
A few priests scrambled inside, keeping low to the floor and when they reached Geoffrey they pulled him back towards the door and safely outside. These walls were thick and made of granite, or recombined granite as the mechano-drone excavators could move and reform rock close to the original composite.
Few minutes later the battle was over.
Geoffrey saw a body be carried on a stretcher underneath sheets covering the whole body.
"She isn't dead, just drained to the point of unconsciousness. Greta will recover on her own as she will be placed in the natural rock strata that originally created the dark priesthood." High Priest Billie said as he weakly sat next to the scholar.
"We will be running the priesthood in her stead, when she recovers we will allow her back in her proper place, but now as a member of a triad... duality if she refuses. Never again will the dark priesthood be run by a dictatorial mammal, decisions will be made by the wisest and with three priests all decisions will have finality, perhaps even if it means postponing the decision" High Priestess Ganieda said as she sat upon her chosen buck's lap.
"So... how does it feel to have been hit and to survive an arcane bolt?" Bishop Gandoff said as he knelt down next to the two hares, one obviously enjoying being held by the other's paws. Ganieda wondered what the sheep whispered in Geoffrey's ear.
His smile turned bigger when the priestess simply held up the universal symbol of rudeness, the middle finger. The bishop merely grinned as he directed a medic to the living buck, letting the mink know what caused the singed fur on the scholar's chest.
Geoffrey was uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed as part of his chest fur was shaved by fur clippers. After an examination antibiotic cream was applied to the burned skin and the medic put a circular bandage upon the wound and wrapped it tight against him with medical tape. Ganieda was sitting on his lap with her paws around his waist, her legs were across his lap and she simply enjoyed listening to his heartbeat within his chest.
"Bishop, what are your plans now that there has been a change in command within the priesthood?" Geoffrey was curious about the new friend he gained in these recent days.
"Answer my question and I'll answer yours" the sheep replied.
"It burns... stings a little. As long as I don't move too much it is tolerable."
"The bishop will be our Triad liaison, a messenger we'll send to ensure complete secrecy so what we need to know will get done. This was done in ages gone by and something I suspect we will need, considering many within the priesthood will maintain their loyalty to Greta. As long as they don't act against me or Ganieda they can remain, otherwise we'll begin a purge" the undead goat said before the sheep could reply.
"Now to answer your question... Billie answered it. I'm now a *go fer this, go fer that*. By the way, what happened to your necklace? There are bits and pieces everywhere." The sheep was grinning at what the high priestess was attempting to do.
Geoffrey was trying to suppress a grin because a paw was pressing underneath his shirt and massaging his belly fur. He reached into his pocket and brought out a necklace.
"I put my original necklace into my pocket when we were getting dressed to return here. I'm genuinely surprised she didn't recognize the fake as a kit's plaything."
"Well, if that would have been around your neck it would have acted as a force field, and kept the bolt from reaching your skin."
"Ok, so I didn't think of everything. But if this was on my neck Greta would have destroyed the real thing not the fake. At least it did absorb the bolt's energy as it hit my body. Well, at least it pulled it towards itself. If it didn't my brain and probably other body parts most likely would have been fried."
Geoffrey suddenly contorted half in pain and half in sudden pleasure. The paw found a ticklish spot and was rubbing it; obviously she was enjoying his reaction. She pressed her muzzle on his neck as a smile formed upon it, apparently this time she wasn't trying to snack on him and seemed satisfied what she held would be quite satisfying later this evening.
A medic vehicle arrived and two orderlies got out and brought over a stretcher. Geoffrey was annoyed as he was strapped down upon a gurney and then put inside the vehicle. Ganieda was allowed to accompany him sitting nearby as the vehicle drove off towards the nearest hospital. The bishop and undead goat remained behind and started getting the cathedral back into normal operation. The bishop notified the cavern maintenance department that a mechano-droid was needed to do repairs on the stonework, how soon wasn't important as he knew all available were busy down below reinforcing the rock strata that apparently was holding up the majority of the underground central district. New rock from miles below the cavern was being brought up to be placed underneath their great city.
Chief Bogo and Chief Razorback were studying the screen before the whole group. Chief Mondo, as he preferred to be called, muttered under his breath, and Bogo was muttering towards the razorback swine. It seemed as if these two were having a discussion, although at times these seemed to be muttering to no one in particular. If one cared to look around the room the occupants grouped themselves in smaller groups, each muttering under their breath similar to the two chiefs.
Project Spearhead was slowly making headway against the Dark Underground. The saving grace thus far was their success against small groups of criminal gangs, and sometimes against lower-ranking members of the Dark Underground. It was unfortunate that Mr. Big, formerly known as Alpha Twelve, could not use his access to get into the Dark Council meetings. It wasn't known if they would allow him inside, it was certain he would never leave. The Arctic shrew was in Koslov's paw waiting for the group to give their opinion on this plan he just proposed.
"My good friends, I assure you this will work. It has been war gamed by an independent consultant agency, their conclusion was although the chance of escape are almost nil; I feel it stands a decent chance for success. It is precisely the last thing they would expect."
Judy was nearly jumping out of her skin, held together by the strong paws of her husband. This was not lost on the two chiefs and most everyone in the room. Still they didn't dismiss the plan outright. It was unorthodox, certainly suicidal, and because it came out of the proverbial Left Field it stood a chance for success. It also was being scrutinized by the one mammal most known for unorthodox maneuvers on the battlefield.
General Rommel held his chin in his paws. Along with General Puller he was tasked with invading the caverns under the Tri-Burrows. By now GSD had concluded the main complex of this enemy actually was somewhere between the city of Zootopia and the Tri-Burrows. The sheer size and distance involved meant it took a very long time for the underground complex to stretch towards and finally reach the edges of the Tri-Burrows. If the Canter Family was to be believed this growth was vertical as it was horizontal.
GSD had in the early days when the Canter Family first started cooperating with the Zootopian authorities sent recon units down into the caverns. The reports and video showed the basic size was enormous, so much that even the rough measurement in miles was nearly incomprehensible to understand. At the moment several units had stealth their way identifying the systems and architecture; tactical information necessary to neutralize only those necessary to achieve the objective, which was elimination of the Council of the Twelve. Next on the list was a courtesy for the two priest factions; eliminate the dark priesthood.
Now he was just informed the pentagon wanted him to create enough of a ruckus to pull as many guardians towards him. He smiled. This was easily accomplished by simply letting General Puller and his Seventh Marines go berserk and watch the show. Both generals just finished a teleconference with their superiors. Apparently a valuable artifact highly valued by both priest factions was being threatened and many in the pentagon agreed to appease the high priest and priestess.
Since Captain Valiant was already assigned at the mountain his team was being reinforced; he was tasked with entering the complex and retrieving said artifact. The captain's original tasking was a simple *dash in and eliminate opposition* operation. How it ballooned to chasing a singular priestess across half a country was an unnecessary distraction in his opinion, but he wasn't the on-scene commander and didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. Since the panther was receiving material support from the empress and others, the pentagon gave their support. Scuttlebutt trickling through the rumor mill said that the Marine was given a prototype weapon that had the mobility of an all-terrain vehicle with the firepower of a small warship. This perked the general's ears, and he wanted one for his inspection. But first this campaign needed his attention.
The male honey badger walked the streets of Bunny Burrow escorted by a Tracker team and his dark priest mentor. He was being trained to learn how to walk around as incognito as possible, to learn how to move around this village in plain sight. He was annoyed having to wear sunglasses, saying he wasn't bothered by the daylight. His mentor reminded him it wasn't sunlight that was the problem, it was his eyes glowing in an unnatural manner that most mammals didn't. Battle Priest Marquis relented and begrudgingly obeyed.
What was it about walking around doing nothing these mammals found agreeable? He walked along with them going wherever they did; looking around in the manner they had trained him.
Something flashed in his mind, it seemed real to him. Seemed to be as physically real as what he knew he could touch, smell, hear, hear, and taste. He shook his head and growled at the mammal that glanced at him, saying he simply was getting annoyed at wasting time walking to no particular destination and apparently trying to waste the entire afternoon.
The Tracker leader agreed to end the exercise and within moments led them to the nearest access port. Everyone got in and soon was down below.
Battle Priest Marquis quickly separated himself from this group and went to his quarters, upon closing the door he flung himself upon his bed. The strange feelings and images were confusing, enough that he swore he was living a double life. Either that or he must be possessed, maybe by a demon or maybe the other priest factions messing with his mind.
No that couldn't be it, his mentor showed him evidence what happened if it did happen. They were merciless and the pictures proved it, the body of a dark priest's body contorted in unnatural position suggesting immense pain and discomfort shortly before death. The high priestess told him what happened to her when they attempted to kill her via the ethereal plane. She strongly stressed the importance of resisting to one's upmost ability, and stating her complete confidence he would make them pay dearly if they ever attempted to kill him in same manner.
He sat down and started to perform the meditation techniques he always did. The other dark priests had poo-poo'd this but he insisted this gave him the centering he needed to properly focus and give his best effort to the dark priesthood. This he insisted made him better than they were.
As he continued to meditate a strange vision filled his mind. He saw a figure in ghostly white talking to him but no words came from his mouth. It seemed like it was a familiar mammal, seemed like it knew him. He rubbed his eyes but the vision remained. He opened his eyes and went to the bathroom, put some water into the sink basin and splashed some upon his face. It was to no avail.
When he returned and began his meditation again the vision returned. This time it was much clearer and he could read its lips, what he lip-read shocked him and caused his eyes to snap open. He rubbed his face vigorously and told himself it must be a dream, perhaps bad energy he had absorbed. If he were a living thing he could assign this to bad food or drink, but as an undead that was an impossibility.
Undead. Lately he found himself having a desire for a strange golden substance that bears were addicted to, would suffer pain and torment just to get a belly full of it. He tried denying it, tried snacking more often on as many living mammals. But the strange sensation in his abdomen refused to go away. Last night he went into a tavern and sampled something called honey, the strange substance settled the discomfort and he asked for a jar to take home. Later as he enjoyed eating it the strange vision returned. This time it spoke to him, this time he paid attention. It claimed to know him and it left the knowledge in the forefront of his mind.
His true and proper name was Pastor Chester Marquis.
Technician Winter blinked her eyes, then blinked again. She had been watching the traffic camera system throughout Bunny Burrow to see if the Dark Underground was roaming through the village. Police cruisers moved about as did sheriff deputies. The Council of Elders guards were still making their patrols, even the Lapin Legionnaires were out walking around the central park.
Something about this mammal seemed familiar. She pressed a button on her office phone and when the technician answered she requested it to come to her desk. Senior Technician Pangolin arrived and looked at the mammal on the computer screen Technician Winter's paw pointed towards. The panda studied the screen for a moment and then typed something into her wrist-mounted computer. A moment later data scrawled across her pip-boar's screen and this time it was the panda's eyes that blinked.
Moments later both were standing before Ginger Valiants' desk. The female river otter was the personal secretary to Director Dench and presently talking to the mouse. Moments later she hung up the phone and told the duo the director was waiting. Both technicians went inside and the otter closed the door behind them.
"How sure are you?" squeaked the mouse.
"Ran it through the bunker's mainframe just to double check. It's him." Pangola said in a respectful tone of voice.
"This isn't going to sit well with the priesthood, both of them." Director said as she rubbed her eyes.
"We have a drone flying near them, recording everything they do. Not enough data to make a firm conclusion but my gut says somethings off. Take a look at this."
The panda fiddled with her wrist-mounted computer and the screen changed, showing a close-up view of the group focusing primarily on the honey badger. He was wearing sunglasses but when his head turned enough a faint glow could be seen. The drones' viewpoint was at a high angle and obviously lowered just enough to get a more sideways view, hence able to get the glow from his eyes.
"Converted. Clare is going to blow her mind." The mouse shook her head; she now had to figure a way to break the news. Perhaps going through the high priestess and high priest might be the better option.
"We should wait and get better info before she is told, or at least her superiors are told" the panda suggested.
"Agreed. Alright you two, go and do this while I brainstorm with Colonel Kohle. We'll need to figure a way to neutralize him or at least draw him away from the caverns when we make our move."
"Good luck" the vixen said as she followed the panda out the door.
M.