Gold Digger the Insertion files chapter 19: Do we get to claim these frequent flying miles?
By Agent Reptile
The Blackbird was never built to be a comfortable mass transport aircraft. This is true of the SR-71 made by Lockheed, the one used by the X-Men, or our model based on the X-Men version of the Blackbird. While ours had the two pylon thrusters and the long black main body shaft with the front cockpit area found in most of the other Blackbirds, the difference though is the main length of the aircraft was made into seating, work stations, and scientific work tables similar to the one used by Professor Xavier. However, we had far larger work areas due to Gina using twin arc reactor units to power our craft along with a far better frame made of composites of adamantium and vibranium rather than titanium. This gave us far more room to work with and there was just enough room for even the likes of Britanny to have walking room. Not someone like Barbra in her giantess form though as she would bang her head against a strut or bulkhead.
Speaking of space though, there wasn't a whole lot of space for our extended crew and we found ourselves feeling, as Wolverine observed when the original X-Men and the new X-Men all were trying to share their Blackbird, "sardines in a can". We had barely enough room for all of us, and thankfully the inertia dampeners meant that the excessive g-forces
Thankfully it was Barbra we had as our back-up muscle for our adventure rather than say Xane as that Agency Zero operative wouldn't have been able to get around in this aircraft. Also while the Blackbird has more speed than anyone would ever need outside of a starship, Ace had decided not to push the craft to its limit, instead preferring a prolonged trip allowing us time to get our plan in order, and our most important crew member on this diplomatic mission into the right mindset.
"Are you sure about this muffin?" Britanny asked me while we were landing in Europe. The Blackbird's advanced cloaking making detection from any modern radar impossible and so far Agency Zero hadn't seemed to be bothering us. "Don't you have more political experience?" Britanny said as she didn't understand why she was being put at the head of the group. "Oh maybe Tanya should take lead on this?"
It was in contrast to Britanny's usually extremely confident attitude was replaced with a more, I don't want to say scariedy cat but definitely more withdrawn approach. Okay honestly she seemed like she was about ready to have a fit of terror.
"What's got into her?" Dannie asked Brianna as the youngest of the Digger's sisters was busy with at the work-bench. Brianna was smiling as she pulled out her special selection of equipment, well weapon equipment I should say. The lycanthropoid was grinning ear to ear as she ran her fingers over her latest "toy" curtesy of one Captain Shepard: A M-77 Paladin pistol.
Another mass-effect weapon system that made our favorite gun-bunny of a catgirl perhaps a little too happy, the Paladin Pistol was just her size and with the magazine upgrade, high-caliber barrel, and incendiary ammunition the weapon would be the perfect deterrent for a werewolf. Against a human the thing was absolutely deadly and would reduce any shot into a pile of ash in a few seconds, but as Brianna had learned from her experience with Thabian, it was more like pepper-spray to a lycanthrope as the regenerative factor would prevent a lycan from being killed. Still it was annoying as heck and having to have your healing factor expel the projectile meant that the werewolf's focus was on something else.
"Hey Brianna are you listening?" Dannie asked again.
"Oh sorry was distracted." Brianna smiled as she loaded a fresh thermal clip into the weapon and promptly stored it in her purse. The other reason Brianna had fallen in love with Mass Effect weapons was that they were built to collapse easily and thus she had heavy weapon's capabilities in something that could fit inside a medium sized purse.
"Why is your sister acting so strangely? I have never known Britanny to be afraid of anything." Dannie tried to whisper in Brianna's ear, for all the good that did.
Britanny's ear swiveled around to hear Dannie's words and my beloved looked absolutely dejected at this. "It's okay Dannie. I should have told you before we left. See last time we met with the werewolves, it didn't go over very well."
"That would be an understatement Britanny." Tanya said, grabbing food from Ms. Duncan's generous offering. "It was almost a complete debacle." The Kryn sorceress added. "And one I would very much like to avoid if at all possible."
"What exactly did happen?" Crush, who was in her smaller form, asked as she was trying out her seat's luxury functions.
"It was…oh Charlie Tuna this is so embarrassing…there was a conflict and it ended with me getting chased up a tree like some sort of common housecat as about thirty or so werewolves were running me down when I thought I was being attacked again."
"Wait my highness." Brian interjected. "If this is true then why didn't your consort protect you?" The werecheetah bodyguard asked, very frustrated at the situation.
"He did actually." Britanny replied, smiling at me and blew me a kiss.
"Even sent one of them flying across the sky from my optic blasts." I pointed out. "Which is when Sanders put a stop to the fighting and explained that what Britanny was doing was an instinctual fear."
Sensing Brian's confusion, Tanya decided to elaborate.
"Sanders is the brother of the current Alpha Jetta, and we were thankfully able to talk him into a peace which led to discovering Britanny's people in Africa." Tanya pointed out. "He was most kind to us and our goals."
"So these werewolves, they actually helped you return to us princess?" Brian said, trying to not let the cold shiver that ran down his spine be noticeable.
"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Tanya asked as she had a very perplexed look on her face about this whole situation.
"And how many werewolves will be waiting for us where we are going?" Brian said, looking as if he was about to start running on air back to Atlanta or Africa rather than deal with a bunch of werewolves.
"I don't know, maybe 60 or so?" Britanny asked as she scratched her head trying to remember. "All adults so maybe they have more with regards to kids somewhere nearby." Britanny thought about that a bit more.
"You were in the company of over 60 werewolves and they didn't try to rip you apart violently?" Brian said as he was trying to keep his composure at this unexpected bit of information. He almost looked pail while doing this.
"Don't tell me that the princess's bodyguard is too scared to trust in his monarch's judgement in performing her diplomatic duties are you?" I joke at Brian for his seeming cowardice. For all our back and forth banter, it was finally good to seemingly get a solid one-up on him.
He in turn growled a bit before being even more uptight and trying to ignore me.
"What exactly is this big deal with the werewolves and werecheetahs anyway?" Barbra asked, trying out the functions in her seat. "Is it about cats and dogs or something deeper going on?"
"You are, unfamiliar with lycanthropes I take it?" Brian asked, regaining some of his composure.
"Until I met Dannie and she told me about her friend Britanny I thought that werewolves were all old folk tales and the plots to bad horror movies." Barbra answered, finding the button for the massage setting.
"We are, and they are, very real Ms. Duncan." Brian answered. "For millinea we have living in secret here on earth while most of lycanthrope kind left for the realm of Jade to escape humanity's growing technology." Brian elaborated. "But for the werecheetahs and werewolves we were refused entrance as our tribes couldn't stop fighting eachother long enough to get through the gateway." Brian said.
"So this peace is more than just a simple disagreement about territory or something right?" Barbra said, finally getting an idea about the whole picture she was now part of.
"I…I am not proud to say but our two peoples have been at war since before humanity developed the first writing system. Countless dead on both sides and so much blood that it would choke rivers." Brian said gripping his fists behind his back
"But aren't we part of humanity Brian?" Britanny asked, propping herself with her forearm on top of a chair.
"We are, and in part we aren't my princess. But regardless this is a very long a horrifying history and why the first attempt at peace was a huge deal as it were." Brian continued.
"And thus why it was such a huge deal when my father, my biological father that is, was willing to trust Brendan…." Britanny let out a shiver that vibrated the whole chair she was leaning against. Incidentally this was my chair and I placed my hand on her forearm and patted her in a form of reassurance.
"Indeed." Brian continued, with a similar tremble in his voice as before.
"But Brendan is gone right?" Brianna pointed out. "The werewolves hate him as much as the werecheetahs for the stunt he pulled and Jetta beat the crap out of him and punished him with eternal torment."
"Perhaps then peace can be obtained." Brian said. "But how do you feel the pack will react to having more uninvited guests arriving on their hunting grounds?" That had to be the first good point made during this whole endeavor and probably the wisest thing Brian had said since joining out party.
"Probably be overjoyed at the success." Tanya said. "Sanders was a very polite and honorable individual when I met him last time so I don't think there is danger to us provided that we aren't a threat to them and theirs."
"The fact that you find him cute and they seemed to need a magic users didn't hurt either." Brianna smiled.
"Hey G you sure about this?" Ace asked as he brought the aircraft into the landing run.
"Why Ace?" I asked him. "This was were we landed before right?" I looked at Brianna for clarification.
"Should be close at least." Brianna said getting up and looking over the latitude and longitude over the topo map and the view outside of the Blackbird. "It was almost two weeks ago, but it should still be a good landing spot."
"Well G I hate to break it to you but we got ourselves some lookie-lose down there it seems." At this point most of use got up and looked over to see what Ace was talking about. "Seems like some locals are out and looking for something. Ace activated the cloaking device and Brianna started to press some buttons and moved a few levers quickly.
"Okay that should make us undetectable from any of those guys on the ground, but we are going to have to find a place to land." The blonde genus said as she became fixated on whatever readings she was getting from the dashboard.
"Shouldn't they be able to hear the roar of the engines at this point Briana?" Dannie asked, looking over the screen. "I can't imagine that we are the quietest of things in the air at this point."
"Thankfully right now we sort of are." Brianna pointed out. "See this aircraft doesn't run on jet-fuel but on duel arch reactors so our propulsion isn't so much a flaming mass of explosive gas and air, but rather a superheated plasma." She continued to explain. "So for now we are making only a tiny fraction of the noise the original SR-71 makes."
"Why do I feel a 'but' about to come from your mouth soon sis?" Britanny asked.
"Mainly that to maintain this level of quiet, we have an extremely tiny window of thrust, lift, and drag so that we don't go crashing into the ground." The brainiest of us said as she focused intently on the screen before her. "Especially if we are going to try to make a vertical landing."
"So we should…" Britanny asked her shorter sis.
"Probably sit down and strap in while Ace and I try to find someplace close to land." At this point most of us up and about rushed to our seats and buckled up.
"So who was that down there looking around?" Barbra asked.
"Don't know. Looked like a bunch of army guys with some sort of radar dish or the like." Ace said as he focused on flying.
"Looks like our visit last time attracted more attention that we thought." Tanya said. "Are you sure we are undetectable so far?"
"Unless they have some sort of gravity detection system able to pick up a single aircraft, then we should be completely fine." Brianna pointed out. "Still want to land at least in proximity to the werewolf pack's last known location though."
At this Tanya unbuckled from her seat and dashed over to the workstation.
"Tanya what are you doing?" Brianna asked as she saw her friend fiddling with a familiar helmet.
"We are only guessing the best place to land based upon the fact it worked last time." Tanya said placing the Cerebro unit on her head. "We need to know exactly where the werewolves are." The Kryn sorceress pressed the button on top of the unit and once more she felt the rush of the unit's ability to focus telepathic and mystic energies course through her mind.
"What is she doing?" Brian asked as the built-in holographic overlay filled the blackbird.
"We'll explain later." I said as we were privileged to a lightshow of the various mental presences around us, and it was a lot more than last time.
"Well that's a bit of a problem." Britanny said in a rather dead-tone manner. "Any clue where they got off to?" my beloved let out a somewhat frustrated growl.
"Working on it." Tanya said as she focused her powers a bit more. The usual bright stream of orbs was duller, but seemed to lead away from where we were currently flying and Ace was doing his darndest to keep the bird stable under the restrictions put on him by Brianna.
"You got a better place for us to land already?" Ace asked with a smirk on his face and the constant confidence he was known for.
"I am trying Ace." Tanya said. Her mystic energies were already flowing through the ship like a technocolor rave with the dimmer set to high. "The problem is that I can't get the same level of clarity as before. There is something blocking my ability to pick up the werewolf presence this time."
As the sorceress was trying to help, Brianna was getting exceedingly frustrated trying to maintain the tolerances.
"Okay seriously this bird was not designed to fly on these constraints." Brianna just about roared. "I need a landing spot and I need it now." The brainy beauty's rage was clear and Tanya was working feverishly to guide the craft.
"I'm trying, but I'm still having trouble finding them." Tanya politely replied.
"Have you ever had a problem with this equipment?" Dannie asked as she made sure her seatbelt was tight.
"We only tried it twice before Dannie girl." Britanny answered, tapping the armrest of her chair impatiently. "Once when we found these werewolves, and the other when we found your home Brian."
"Actually Britanny if you remember we almost didn't find the werecheetahs because all we found was their ancestral hunting grounds." Brianna corrected her sister through somewhat clinched teeth. "We almost gave them up as dead because…."
"Because what Brianna?" Brian asked.
"They were underground." Brianna said as she took a moment away from her instrument panel. "Tanya we didn't find the werecheetahs with Cerebro because the werecheetahs had taken cover underground." Brianna continued her thoughts for a moment. "Tanya get as good a reading you can and we'll try to find a place nearby to land.
While the United Kingdom, as were were in Northern Ireland right now, had far less open unowned land than the United States, and we were surely near someone's property, we thankfully had not yet been discovered.
"Working on it Brianna." Tanya said as we seemed to be approaching some sort of rolling hilly range close to where we had been led to the werewolves' home.
"Any signs of life down there?" Ace asked as he expertly guided the aircraft to a soft landing.
"Nothing so far." Brianna relaxed as she physically seemed to vent all the stress away.
"Any structures out there?" Dannie asked as she waited for the craft to come to a complete stop before unbuckling her belt and walking about the cabin. "Or some random farmer or sheepherder going to call the authorities about UFOs?"
"Doesn't seem to be." Brianna said looking over the radar screen. "Looks like we lucked out again." The most brilliant of our group said as she got up and walked down the lowering loading ramp. She grabbed a pair of binoculars on her way down and took a look around while the rest of us unbuckled and got up to stretch out legs.
"Okay good news." Brianna smiled as she gazed over the land. "Looks like we have zero looky-loos around and doesn't seem to be any sheep either."
"What exactly is a sheep?" Tanya asked as she stretched herself and walked down the loading ramp. She wrapped herself in the warmth of her sweater at this and Brian just shivered up and down in the damp of the Irish weather. The werecheetah was still only used to the hot and dry weather of the center of Africa and he wrapped his tail around his waist as he finally got a feel of the cool breeze in the air.
"It's a domesticated farm animal that is used for its wool and meat." Brianna said taking a few notes from the area. "So what direction were the werewolves at again?"
By this point we had all gotten out into the fresh air and had a look around. Miles and miles of rolling hills, forests, and few if any people.
"So how exactly do you hide a giant stealth aircraft without a hanger?" Barbra asked, shifting to her giantess height. I just smiled and activated the cloaking on the Blackbird as Britanny was busy huffing stuff down the loading ramp. She had grabbed a bunch of the storage bins. "And what are you doing with our food Brit?"
"Just making sure to keep the peace Barbra." Britanny smiled. "Easiest way to distract a lycanthrope is with food."
"Or in your case nookie or fashion." Brianna joked at her sister.
"Laugh it up little sis." Britanny said in reply. "At least my guy pampers me constantly."
"Well if I'm going to be an auntie then please let me know." Brianna chuckled at Brit.
"If I may ask, your plan is to haul all the food for the miles needed over uneven terrain and probably into the underground layer of the werewolves so that we can ask Sanders to contact Jetta asking her to formally engage in our attempts at peace talks?" Tanya asked as she was handed a backpack to carry.
"You have any better ideas?" Britanny asked Tanya while my love made sure the cargo was carefully sealed for transport. Brianna then unzipped her friends pack and loaded a few things into it.
"Not really." Tanya admitted. "But if the werewolves are all underground then how to we find them?"
Tanya was astute, extremely astute in fact. Without a fanatical obsession with ruining Britanny's life the powerful sorceress was an extremely useful addition to our team with her practical solutions on top of her magical abilities.
"We do have a general idea where their camp was." Brianna chimed in. "If they have some sort of hideout then probably it would be near where they were."
"And if not?" Tanya asked.
"If not we have my nose and your magic so we are heading out now." Britanny said as she started dang near marching off into the forest with the food in hand. Marching off into the woods of the British Isles with little to no understanding what direction we needed to head.
"I think she wanted you to carry this." Brian said dropping another container of food at my feet. "Or is a human like you not going to be able to carry this light object?" Britanny's bodyguard teased me. I just smiled at him and picked up the cargo without saying much else.
"Does anyone know where we are headed off to?" Dannie asked as she looked around and stretched a bit from the flight.
"Dannie girl relax." Brianna said patting her friend on the shoulder. "If Tanya can't find the werewolves through magic, we can just find their old hunting ground and go from here. Easy peasie babe." The brilliant lycanthropoid smiled.
"So who's staying behind to protect the jet in case we need to make a quick escape?" Barbra asked as she stretched her arms. "We aren't just leaving it out in the open are we?"
Crush had a point. With the stealth mode we could just have left the jet unoccupied like in Africa, but with the British military in the area then we couldn't just leave the cloaking device on and hope no one bumps into it.
"The jet can turn invisible, but probably a good idea to leave someone behind in case of emergency take-off." Brianna said stroking her chin.
"Hey getting more time to check out this bird is something I can always get behind." Ace smiled as he called from the cockpit. "Just call if you need me to rush out and pick you up." I don't think Ace even stopped perusing all of the
"I'll stay with Ace." Barbra said. "Probably be more useful as another eye and ears here where my height wouldn't be an issue that stuck somewhere underground bumping my head on a stalactite." Barbra smiled at us as she waved us on. "What were you going to do otherwise anyway? Leave this aircraft in the middle of nowhere?"
"Well with the cloaking device activated of course." Brianna smiled. The sheer amount of pride gleaming from that smile upon her face indicating that it was her who built that part of the aircraft. I would have thought she would have made some sort of huge plasma cannon or a series of super A-10 miniguns.
"What are you talking about Bri?" Dannie asked as she pulled out her wide-brim hat and finally looked back at the aircraft that had taken her across the Atlantic in just a couple of hours. It was only then that she, Barbra, and Brian noticed the fact the Blackbird was completely invisible when viewed from the outside. With the loading ramp down we could see the insides of the aircraft and the like, but there wasn't' even a slight distortion outlining the edges of the aircraft.
"So this is why none of the soldiers noticed us?" Dannie smiled as she looked intensely at the spectacle before her.
"Yep." Brianna boasted. "Now let's get a move on before we burn more daylight."
Walking up and down hilly terrain loaded down with an excessive amount of food was bound to attract someone I had thought.
"Was it this difficult to travel the last time?" Brian said as he was panting up a storm. The werecheetah had never had to go watch his step like this, and the mix of tree roots and rolling hills that the werecheetah guy was finding impossible to navigate.
"Just about." Britanny said, grumbling slightly at having to carefully navigate the concentrated forest.
"Are exotic trips at the drop of the hat for world peace part of your life now Brit?" Danny chuckled.
"Used to be stuck grabbing whatever favor we could from Ace while having to put up with Gina's poor camp planning probably stuck in a small tent putting up with weeks of rain, getting shot at by some Iranian militia leader with more automatic fire than brains, and after what feels like it will never see the end we finally pack up and go home and I splurge on a shopping spree and pamper myself." Britanny went on with a small smile.
"And now?" Dannie asked.
"Now I have the added duties of peacemaker, fashion designer, and super-heroine. With a lot more help in that manner." Britanny said as she blew me a kiss.
"So Tanya, any idea if we are close to our objective?" Brian asked the young sorceress. "I would hate to get lost in this country when it gets dark." It was clear that he was very uncomfortable at this point.
"You really don't like it here huh?" Brianna asked giving Brian a once-over to see what was up. She then slapped his butt. "Maybe you just need to relax and enjoy the company here?"
Brianna's actions caused Brian to go stiff and become visibly unsettled.
"To answer your question Brian, I am trying my best but it still is hard to get a focus in this country with how much magic still permeates the soil and how much blood has been spilled means that I will always have issues getting a focus in this land." Tanya explained. "It is rather quite taxing on my mind to focus this much and my still lacking understanding of lycanthropic magic is not helping."
Tanya stopped for a moment before moving from side to side as she kept casting her incantation and looked for the longest time like she was completely lost.
"Are you doing okay Tanya?" Dannie asked our guide as the New York Superhero was clutching her staff and keeping her wide hat in her hand.
"I am doing okay thank you…." The Kryn stressed. "Just all the latent magic of this land means I have severe interference. It also doesn't help that we know they are underground which apparently has proven to be an excellent concealment tactic for my powers."
"Well Brit do you smell anything?" Dannie asked as she looked at her old friend. "Or you and Brianna hear anything?" We now were burning daylight and anything that could help would.
"Nothing clear Dannie girl." Brit replied.
"I have the same abilities as the princess and her sister, why did you not ask me the same question?" Brian asked her young lady.
"Well pal since you seem to not have a clue about the territory we are in, I'm guessing that you are about as out of your element as I am. Plus Britanny mentioned how her trip her the first time allowed you to find you and your people. So probably you have never been here or even away from whatever area they found you at." Dannie smiled as she explained.
"That…is rather astute of you Ms. Carter." Tanya said as she stopped casting her spell for a moment. The sorceress looked somewhat relieved as she took a moment to allow herself to rest her focus.
"Thanks. Detective work is part of my trade." The Avenger explained.
"Detective? As in perhaps a word for investigation and observation in the apprehension of criminals?" Tanya thought for a moment.
"Yes why?" Dannie asked as she saw the furred magic user pondering.
"Well as my magic isn't able to help much, none of the hypersentive receptors of our compatriots have helped, and we are alone in a foreign land with no bearings with a time-sensitive mission, perhaps you can offer some better insight to our predicament." Tanya continued.
"You're thinking we combine what little bits we individually have and Dannie probably will piece things together. Similar to how Gina was able to piece together where the werecheetah village was?" I smiled at her.
"It is worth trying." Brianna pointed out, and then pulled out something that looked like the motion tracking unit from Aliens and moved it from side to side. "Okay this should work to give us some sort topographic overlay based on our previous visit."
"Alright since someone has to start with what evidence we have," Britanny started. "What I'm seeing, smelling, and hearing is a whole lot of not much, and believe me werewolves have an extremely unique smell to them."
"Sure that you don't smell anything sis?" Brianna smirked at her taller family member. "Not like werewolves would piss on a tree marking their territory or anything right?"
"Look Bri the only think close to that I'm smelling is some dang deer that….oh you cunning little minx." Britanny said smiling knowing where her genius sister. "You want to track the deer like we tracked the Zebra and such in Africa." Britanny said looking over to her sis.
"Well it couldn't hurt. With a population as large as Jetta's clan here I would say that there is little chance they survive solely by hunting."
"You think they have pasture grounds or something?" I asked.
"Well if they eat anything like Britanny and survive mainly off of a diet of meat then they absolutely would have to have some livestock around." Dannie pointed out. "Plus their underground den may allow them to keep their private food stocks hidden from human eyes, maybe even travel from one hillside to another without human observation."
"But we came across a hunting pack above ground the first time." Brianna pointed out. "A rather sizable pack of them to be fair." Brianna was right, it was a rather large group that had been there when we arrived, and they seemed to be from a hunting band.
"Yes, but that was a few weeks ago, and earlier in the year during later summer I'm guessing whereas now they are heading through fall they may be stocking up for winter." Dannie continued.
"Wait here I thought that winter was the season of the wolf?" I said, adding what little I could for the discussion. "At least that's the way it is in Yellowstone and such."
"Natural wolves yes Alex, but not werewolves I bet when the leaves change color and fall then werewolves stand out more against the exposed background." Dannie continued. "So we know they are around here, know what features they likely would be attracted to, and I think we can therefore make an educated deduction as to where to look." Dannie smiled a bit as she pulled out a pair of binoculars and used that sticky adhesive strand thing in her cane to get up to the top of a tree for a better view.
"See anything yet girl?" Britanny asked calling up to Dannie.
"Not yet…." Dannie called back down. "Wait I think I have something." The happy voice of our observer reached out to us. "There is a farmhouse built into the side of a hill surrounded but stone walls and loaded with sheep and cattle."
"So that shouldn't be too uncommon in this part of the world?" Brianna said shrugging.
"Yes, but how many sheep herders don't have dogs keeping the herd under control?" Dannie said dropping down from the treetop. "No canines, no people watching them in the fields, and on top of that the estate is huge but no evidence of habitation."
Brianna dropped down something that looked like a fish-bowl lens visor and then activated a jet pack and rose up to where Dannie had been causing a lot of hot air to get blown around and nearly blasted all of us off our feet as she hovered about 20 feet in the air.
"Oh yeah I see it." Brianna smiled. "And looks like there are people living there." The brilliant blonde was yelling this so loudly that I feared that the people in that building would come running up to us to see what was going on rather than us knocking on their door. Considering she had to do so above the sound of her thrusters, the whole concept of not being noticed was seemingly going out the window.
Brianna then dropped back down to earth and did her usual self-assured smile as she let her visor pop back over her bangs. "Well let's go introduce ourselves."
The house was situated in such a way that the wind always would flow down to the building and looked as if the stones were very old as they were covered over with lichen and ivy with a simple thatched roof and wooden door. Grey stones comprised the facade and the outer windowpanes were made of a deep brown wood. The fence was guarded by a simple wooden gate which only came up to my belt, which was only just below the height of the gates.
"Nice place." Brianna smiled.
"And seemingly an unassuming one." Dannie added as we walked down toward the structure and hopefully towards the werewolf home.
"Anyone notice how the wind seems to be flowing here?" Tanya said as we neared the gate. The furred magic user was still far more used to the heat of El Dorado and as such she wrapped herself all the more into her fluffy jacket.
Britanny sniffed a bit, and then nodded. "Yep it's all heading towards the house." Britanny said. "And probably carrying our scents right towards the door." My beloved pointed out, her ears twitching back and forth trying to pick up any indication that something was going on more than they seemed to be. "Well no time like the present." Britanny sighed. She seemed to hesitate a bit heading towards the home but took the lead as I patted her back.
"Hey they are our friends remember? Besides you have me babe so don't' worry we got this." I smiled at her.
"Still just getting used to this diplomate stuff muffin. Gina did most of the talking while I just acted as muscle….I'm just not sure how to do this." Britanny said as she knocked on the gate.
"We are on a peace mission my love." I said. "I think that a honest person with a genuine desire to end your feud probably is the best individual for the job. Plus you do have Jetta's protection so they probably would gladly listen to you."
"Glad at someone will." Britanny hugged me. "You can't believe how hard it is to get Gina to listen to common sense."
"You are a loud one aren't you." An older woman said as she opened the door to the home.
"Uh hi, look I know that this is going to sound weird, and I don't want to frighten you, but…my name is Britanny Diggers and I'm the new leader of the werecheetah clan. We are trying to contact someone we think you may know."
Britanny smiled as the older woman stepped out of her house. Said older woman was on the taller side at about 5'10" with hair that was mostly deep red with a single clump of silvery colored tuff in her bangs. She was wearing a simple dress of red and green with an apron wrapped around her waist. She also was extremely fit, even if she looked to be about 50 years of age. Her arms were similar to Britanny or Brianna as her sleeves were rolled up showing off her biceps, and the rest of her figure was equally impressive as her garment covered her trim frame and curved figure. Definitely not what I expected a human in her 50s to look.
"I know who and what you are young lady, and I am guessing that you aren't here with your family sight-seeing are you?" the woman smiled at us. "But what surprises me is that young man with you."
"Who muffin?" Britanny asked as she patted my shoulder.
"Oh no, as fine a young man as he may be, I didn't think I would ever see a new werecheetah as long as I lived." The woman said opening the gate and giving Brian a look over.
"Hello ma'am. I am Brian Savemore, bodyguard to the princess Britanny Digger. How may I be of help?" Brian was on edge as the lady approached him, as if he felt something was very very wrong. I wasn't sure if it was his werecheetah survival instinct or if it was his inexperience with people outside of the werecheetah clan that was the cause of his nervousness.
"My you are a polite one aren't you?" The woman said with a kind of grandmotherly smile. "I thought that I had seen the last of you over twenty years back. Don't fret child I may be a werewolf, but I am not going to harm you."
The older woman's smile was reassuring, and she welcomed us inside her quaint home.
"Lovely place Mrs…"
"Lucy." She smiled as took note of us all. "So what brings the last few werecheetahs to my humble home with such a varied entourage?" She said sitting down in a wooden chair. The home was sparsely decorated, but still felt a warmth of a home with a kettle on the stove and what smelled like a fine roast in the oven.
"Honestly ma'am we were looking for a way to contact Jetta and formalize peace terms between the werecheetahs and werewolves." I answered. "We met her when she helped save Atlantis from a monster known as Armegeddon but have no idea how to contact her again."
"So you are at least on friendly terms with my granddaughter?" The matriarch smiled. I couldn't believe that she was the grandmother of Jetta. Heck I would have thought her would have at most had been an older sister. But then again Jetta defeated her father when Britanny was but a baby and only recently did she have a child. That would mean that Jetta's firstborn arrived when she was in her forties at the earliest.
"Your granddaughter?" Brianna said whistling in awe. "Man and I thought mom took great care of herself."
"My own father was born over a century ago Brianna." Brian said addressing the youngest of the Digger sisters. "Is it so odd that werewolves would also have extended lives when compared to those of humans?"
Brian had a point, but all this was kind of distracting from out main point of our mission.
"Ma'am I don't want to be rude, but sadly we are in a bit of a rush with whatever I can guess is world wide importance. Even if Jetta and Britanny are friends at this point, what will ensure continued peace between the werecheetahs and werewolves especially if Brian's tribe want to join the modern world as members of your tribe do?" I asked. "Plus I don't want to even think what will happen if my and Britanny's kids have to grow up in a world where the fear of someone killing them just because they are who they were born." I sighed. "And I'm guessing that you don't want to see that happen to your family anymore either?"
The matriarch nodded. "I have seen the feud cause the death on such a scale as I had to isolate myself from the rest of the pack. My husband, my daughter, and so many others died because of some pointless conflict…and my own hands are far from clean." Lucy then looked down at her hands and the tips of her fingers where the nails looked like claws.
"You killed werecheetahs?" Britanny said in horror, and I could feel that she wanted to run.
"They killed my family and I killed them in retaliation." Lucy cried. "It was a different time young one, and you grew up far from the slaughtering. While I do not feel I should ask for forgiveness for defending my own life, the bloody mess that we created was an ocean of violence neither of our people should have been part of."
The old, but young looking, werewolf took a moment to collect herself. "And it took the life of my little girl, my daughter Azalea. My beautiful daughter killed by her husband." Lucy started to cry. "And the female alpha killed my granddaughter…"
"My mother killed someone?" Britanny was starting to water a bit knowing this. "I am, I am so sorry…" I just hugged Britanny as tight as I could.
"You were the baby they had in the camp weren't you?" Lucy asked.
"I guess so." Britanny answered. "My adoptive father, he didn't tell me all the details. I don't even think he knew all of the details…"
Britanny was about to cry at this. She wasn't whimpering like a scared kitten when her credit card bill was shown, but rather a deep sob from the ramifications of all the death between her family and the woman standing before her. My lady's kindness and sweetness was part of her character that I loved dearly, and her empathy for others was about as powerful as her super strength. So for her to be at the verge of tears in the company of this woman who had lost several members of her family in violent ways was justified.
She also wasn't the only one close to tears as none of our eyes were completely dry. Even Tanya's usual collected composure was being worn down seeing this mother and grandmother mourn the loss of family.
"We killed each other over stupid reasons. Pride for being the favored children of a wizard only legends say made us. And over 10,000 years we spilled each other's lifeblood forcing our children into a cycle of death." Lucy explained, with as much composure as the woman could muster. "I was born into it, and my children were born into it. You the same…and for what?"
One of my many many character flaws in my inability to keep my mouth shut when it is best. Sadly this is due to a copious amount of honesty that I have no ability to shut off.
"More like forced into slavery by a psycho who mutated your ancestors and made you all slaves to his desires only to become a slave himself." I said slightly under my breath.
"I'm sorry my boy but what did you say?" Lucy asked, using her apron to dry her eyes.
I signed before explaining the truth to Lucy. About Iceron and the origin of the werepeople, how he was not a wererat, how he enslaved all of her and Britanny and Brian's ancestors….it was rather eye opening for the woman.
Sadly it was also at that point that Sanders nearly ripped the door off of the house as he stormed in.
"Grandma Lucy, what is going on here?" He roared, which was odd as he was so calm before. "We all heard you crying and talking about my sister and mother, what is going on here?"
Yep werewolf hearing; did not expect this at all.
"Did you cause her to cry? After all we did for you and were willing to help you find your people Britanny you come here and bring my mother to tears?" Sanders growled.
Dear reader please understand this: Sanders is a rather large individual compared to everyone else in the room standing at over 8 feet tall with a mouth full of sharp pointed teeth and a massive build covered in red and black fur.
"Wait wait we didn't do anything wrong." Britanny said, now very scared. The whole werecheetah survival instinct was kicking in and she had nowhere to run and nowhere she could hide. None of us did, but in this case Brit had the worst of it.
"I would think that causing a widow to cry in her home is harm werecat." Sanders said as he towered over even Britanny. His arms were crossed, his eyes were locked on us. "And this right after helping you apparently find some part of your clan?"
"Sanders please understand that this is not as it appears to be…" Tanya tried to interject.
"Really because it looks to me like someone I trusted is hurting someone I love dearly." The young werewolf said looking for a fight at this point. This was getting out of control fast as Brian, who was still rather frightened of the whole situation, had positioned himself between Britanny and Sanders ready to fight and if needed die for her. I would have done the same, but we needed peace now and not conflict.
"Sanders stop." Lucy said drying her eyes. "I won't have anyone fighting in my home no matter wo they are. And especially not when they came looking or peace."
"Sanders we had no idea Lucy was here, was your grandmother, or how many of your family you lost in your war with the werecheetahs." I said standing in front of him. No alternate forms, no superhero, just myself willing to take a chance. "We came looking for a way to make a formal peace between your people and Britanny's after you were so kind and helped her find a surviving group of the werecheetahs in the savannah lands of Africa."
This caused Sanders to halt his aggression, at least long enough to listen to us.
"Which would explain this young man in your company." Sanders nodded to Brian.
"I am here as the bodyguard for the princess as she and her royal consort are trying to formalize a peace between your tribe and those of the werecheetahs."
"Royals consort?" Sanders asked chuckling.
"That would be me pal." I said pipping up again, trying humor to alleviate the situation. "And sorry for the confusion but we have been trying to find you and ask if you would be able to contact Jetta so that the Alphas of both clans can make a formal peace to last."
Sanders obviously relaxed at this point.
"And what makes declaring peace an important thing at this time? Surely the word of my sister is good enough of a promise is it not? Did she not make peace between herself and Britanny?" Sanders said. "Do you doubt her honest intent?"
"More that we need a formal permanent end to this feud so that whatever generations come after us no longer need to fear an alpha from either group leading to another genocide." I said looking the massive wolf man before me right in the eye. This was probably one of the most foolish moments of my life, but destiny favors the bold after all.
Sanders looked down at me and sniffed a few times. Then he smiled a bit…and it was very very weird.
"So the royal consort is you?"
"Not the title I am used to, but yes I think that's what the werecheetahs call me." I replied, trying not to think of who to turn into least this turn into an actual fight.
"So this peace isn't just out of altruism is it?" Sanders smiled. "You have a personal stake in this?"
"A very personal one." I said as I smiled at Britanny. "But then again so do you."
"A fair, and honest point. And I do remember that you were willing to save the life of my nephew before considering vengeance against my sister…so as such I will take you at your word that you did not intend to upset my grandmother. Still thought grandma Lucy, what brought you to tears?" Sanders said, relaxing and trying to comfort his crying grandmother.
"Just remembering your older sister and your mother, and how they died for stupid reasons." The matriarch smiled as she stepped between me and her grandson. "So Sanders now that you are here, perhaps you can tell this old wolf what has gotten you so upset? You nearly ripped my door off its hinges barging in as you did."
"Forgive the intrusion, but I had come here for a completely different reason, and why I was so…. immediately skeptical of your party when I arrived Britanny."
"Hey if someone had brought granny Brigard to tears you bet I'd be pissed too, so no hard feelings there Sanders." Britanny answered. The absolute terror from before passing like a bad dream upon dawn.
"But the real reason I came was to inform you that while we were changing the guards at Brendan's tomb, we found that someone had planted wolfsbane on the path leading to it. When I heard your cries I thought the worst had happened to you." Sanders said addressing his grandmother respectfully.
"What is this Wolfsbane?" Tanya asked scratching her head. "And why would it be such an issue to be put near a tomb?"
"Wolfsbane is a plant. It doesn't look like much, just a small flower to the unwary. But it is toxic to humans and absolutely lethal to werewolves. In fact it is so dangerous that we can't even get near it least we drop dead in an instant." Sanders explained.
"And the tomb isn't really a tomb." I pointed out.
"So someone planted this wolfsbane near what, a resting chamber of one of your people?" Dannie asked.
"Not a resting chamber, but a prison. A prison holding the most dangerous and hated of our people in perpetual pain and torment for the betrayal of both our clans." Sanders said politely answering Dannie's question. "My own father, Brendan the Betrayer, who killed my mother, nearly sold my people into slavery, and..."
"Who also killed my parents, my biological parents that is." Britanny said gritting her teeth.
"Let us say that he is not liked very much by anyone, and simply killing him would be too easy." Sanders said. "Allowing him to die after we had become the agents of his horrible crime is a victory we would not give him, so instead he was imprisoned. But now we fear his escape and I thought that he had harmed you Grandmother. I hope you now understand why I acted the way I did, and am sorry for frightening all of you."
"And that is why you were all underground wasn't it. To try and make sure that this Brendan hadn't escape?" Danni concluded. "Which means that his escape would be disastrous to any peace between your and Britanny's people."
"The danger cannot be understated. And you are very perceptive….and perhaps you can help us as we can help you." Sanders smiled. "I feel that Jetta would be more than happy to have a peace treaty, but if the traitor has escaped then no chance for an actual peace can exist."
"And worse than that, is who planted the wolfsbane if you can't even approach it without dying?" I asked. This was going to be bad, very very bad.
"Could you just smack the plants out of the way with a stick if they are in the way?" Tanya asked, getting somewhat frustrated at this situation.
"The plants were well rooted to the steps of our dungeons." Sanders answered. "So it is doubtful that a stick would do much good."
"Wait wait wait. You are saying that between the changing of the guards as it were, these weeds just popped up in the depths of your dungeon?" Brianna said blinking "And had actually grown into the rock itself?"
"Indeed young one. And you can understand what that would mean." Sanders was leading to one very dangerous conclusion with this.
"Magic, and by someone who not only knows about Brendan, where he is, the secrets of werewolf weaknesses, but also someone who wants Brendan's abilities to serve their interests." Tanya pointed out. "As rooting itself into the rock would take days at the very least."
"You are very observant as well Tanya." Sanders said with a smile. "Which is why we were all underground to try and block all possible exits to prevent his liberation."
Tanya blinked at this and just about grabbed Brianna.
"My friend we need to go now." Tanya said as she stepping in front of Sanders. "Sanders we must go to your dungeon and see for ourselves immediately."
"Of course, if we have your leave Grandmother Lucy."
"Sanders if you don't get your furry hide back down there with your friends to bring back my ex son-in-law back in iron chains I will whip that tail right off of you. Now get on and go. I'll be busy with all the generous food these lovely people brought so the clan will have some good eating." The older woman said, in a weird mix of cockney and Germanic accents. "Oh and young man, about this royal consort business…."
I facepalmed while groaning slightly. "Britanny and I are engaged ma'am yes." I said, not wanting any more repeats or more disapproval at this point of my engagement and relations with my lady.
"Oh how wonderful, please let me know when the wedding is." The old grandmother's smile after the long crying session was reassuring to save the least.
"Oh we will, promise." Britanny said as Sanders guided us to a hillside where a hidden door lead to what probably was one of the many passages to the werewolves' underground home.
"Wow talk about a complex tunnel network." Brianna said whistling at the vast subterranean structure.
"Reminds me of home in a way." Brian said as he ran his hands over the carved walls.
"As humankind dominates most of the land, we found having underground sanctuaries to be key to survival of the clan when out in the wild. Especially with modern satellites and spy-planes form the Cold War." Sanders explained.
"But surely humans wouldn't be too upset with werewolves, if Britanny's acceptance is any indication, or even my own short duration as observer in the human's world." Tanya said, as we journeyed deeper into the werewolf home.
"Britanny is a special case, and from a country that is much younger than Ireland." Sanders answered. "Ireland is old, very old in memory and in magic. The people who live here, the magical beings that survive here, and the spells and incantations of long ago are not truly forgotten nor war with each other, but often are…. misunderstood." the werewolf elaborated.
"This going to be one of these 'oh no a wereperson someone get the silver bullets' issues isn't it?" Britanny sighed.
"True, but more often it is silverware as few people own guns here." Sanders smiled.
"Sanders where did you run off to, and who are these people with you?" One of the male werewolves called out to us.
"Jeremy, you remember Britanny and Brianna Diggers, the sorceress Tanya, and Alex from when they stumbled upon our hunting party." Sanders said introducing us. "And this is one of those superheroes from the states. I have asked for their help in rectifying our problem with the dungeon as they were attempting to create formal peace terms between our people and the remaining werecheetahs they found in Africa."
"There are still other werecheetahs alive?" this Jeremy asked, quite astonished at that fact.
"I am Brian Savemore, bodyguard to the princess Britanny and part of our diplomatic mission between my people and yours. It is a pleasure to be welcomed among your clan." Brian said, putting on the most formal and respectful of manners he had.
"Pleasure, and how do you feel they will help us right now Sanders? If Brendan is loose he will do everything in his power to kill any werecheetahs here." Jeremy pointed out.
"We were told that you had a weed problem, and that magic had to be involved with how fast it grew." Tanya pointed out. "As I happen to be a gifted sorceress, and none of our onvoy have the same weakness to wolfsbane as you do, it would be a pleasure to assist in your investigation and hopefully keep this traitor from causing more harm."
"Hey Sanders I have a question." Britanny asked tapping the werewolf's shoulder. "Jetta said that werewolves have a combat-based society and your brother in law Thaibian refuses to fight Jetta for the title of Alpha as he loves your sister so much. Is there a chance Brendan would challenge Jetta for the title of Alpha to reclaim his rule?"
Sanders sighed a bit. "Do not worry about that Britanny." The man smiled at her. "Brendan is cast out of the clan entirely and there is a 'kill on sight' order on him…sadly though my father is one of the greatest of warriors we ever had so such a feat would not be easy. Still he could never offer the right of challenge nor would he be acknowledged as Alpha even if he defeated Jetta in combat. The more pressing worry is his undying hatred of your people and his wish to end the line of your father. Which puts you and your fiancé in grave danger."
Britanny clenched her fists at this. "I am not backing down now Sanders. We have come too far and muffin and I are not letting anything or anyone stop us. Right babe."
"I'm marrying you Britanny so I'm in this till the end." I said to her.
"He is very brave, I will give him that." Jeremy said looking at me. "But we are spending too much time here, come we must make haste."
The dungeon was within the deepest and darkest, also dankest part of the complex. Deep within rock millions of year old and lit by means probably magical, as there was zero electrical systems this far down, the only access to the prison was a single staircase dripping with water and made of bedrock.
"So this is the pit you put Brendan in?" Britanny asked, as we carefully descended the stairs.
"It was the deepest place to put his coffin." Sanders said. "A rather tragic day, but a necessary one."
"You said he was your father?" Dannie asked, taking in all this before her with awe.
"He was…is….my biological father, but he gave up the right's to being called such or the love I would have for a father when he murdered my mother." Sanders said as we approached the narrow steps which were overgrown by a bunch of purple flowered plants with broad leaves that got up to my knee.
"And it is here we can go no further." Jeremy said, keeping a safe distance from the plants. "For if we get any closer our healers will have to have us dragged back to be healed by incantations least the toxins kill us in rather…painful ways." The werewolf said, with no shortage of anger.
"And where we come in." Britanny said, rushing up to rip the offending plants up.
"Wait Britanny don't do that." Brianna said running up and grabbing her sister's hand. "Ripping them up may spread pollen everywhere." The youngest of the Digger's clan smiled. "Let me handle this."
Sad smile was accentuated by a rather large flamethrower that used concentrated plasma as a heat source.
"Before you two start destroying evidence, could you at least give me a moment to try and sense what spell was used to grow these weeds, or would you rather try and see if they will only regrow if burned down?" Tanya said, rather frustrated.
"Okay Tanya, what do you sense?" I asked shrugging my shoulders.
The petite sorceress formed bright green mystic orbs on her hands while trying to get a sense of the room and the spells used. "The good news is that they are maintained solely by a simple growth enchantment and nothing more…. but the bad news…" Tanya said trying to concentrate a bit more, and seemed to bump against a powerful mystical barrier.
"The bad news?" Dannie asked.
"The bad news is that whoever or whatever cast it, did so on the seeds and I…" Tanya was saying with gritted teeth. "Can't seem to break through to find out who it is." Tanya said having to stop a moment and catch her breath. "Oh my head." Tanya cried sitting on the stairs and clutching her noggin. "That is going to be a migraine I just know it." She said to herself.
"Hey girl you alright?" Brianna said placing her hands on Tanya's shoulders. "I got some Tylenol in the medkit, or an icepack…"
"No I'm not alright Bri, but thank you. Whatever it was that cast that spell was overwhelming in magical power. I can easily disperse the spell, but trying to probe the magical signature of the caster taxed my powers to the limit." The Kryn said rubbing her temples. "Brendan's prison was blocked by no ordinary human enchanter." She finally said.
"Okay do I need to call dad in on this one? Because magic is his thing afterall." Britanny asked about to pull out a communicator.
"No no, we need a more immediate solution." Tanya said getting up, with Brianna's help. "Dr. Diggers is a powerful mage, but…perhaps you can help me right now without having to wait for him." She said looking at me.
"What muffin? What's going on Tanya?" Britanny asked.
"I saw you carefully control the mind of that young werecheetah Sean in Africa using a very talented individual with aura-like abilities Alex. And I also noticed that none of your alternative forms follow a single theme to them. So can you turn into one gifted with magical abilities?"
"A few actually." I honestly replied.
"And you never used them before because?" Britanny asked.
"I have used them dear, a few times as a matter of fact." I pointed out. "But as one of my greatest fears is seeing you come to harm, I rarely use them for fear of collateral damage."
"Collateral damage?" Britanny smirked.
"I handed that A-hole in Atlantis his butt, and dispelled Tark's incantation with magic focused being dear." I pointed out. "But again the thought of you coming to harm because of me aiming poorly or a spell have AOE damage means I don't use them often."
"Oh good one." Brianna gave a thumbs up. "Don't blast your allies is always a good idea."
"So, while my head isn't a complete mass of pain and suffering….do you have a form that is experienced in the mystic arts that surpasses my own?" Tanya asked.
I smiled as I allowed the awe and power of the master of the mystic arts, the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Dr. Stephan Strange to emerge again.
"By the Hoary Hosts of Hogath." I explained, floating above the assembled group dressed in the typical outrageous garb of the classic Sorcerer Supreme with yellow gloves, the Eye of Agamato, and looking like I came off of 1970s rock ablum.
"Oh yeah that guy." Britanny said snapping her fingers. "Haven't seen you use him since Dreadwing's cave."
"Your skills include sorcery as well friend?" Sanders asked, scratching his chin.
"My friend I am the Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Universe and responsible for protecting the realms from the dangers of abusers of magic. Or at least at the moment I am."
"So Mr…"
"Doctor."
"Mr. Doctor?" Jeremy asked confused.
"Dr. Strange." I explained.
"Perhaps, but who am I to judge." The werewolf smiled at me. He knew exactly the joke he was getting at and the small amount of levity probably was a good thing to ease the constant tension in the air, if just a bit.
"Tanya, your gifts and skills are great, but sadly this requires more than simple spells." I said approaching the plants. "Let us see if the one who did this can hide from the all-seeing gaze of the Eye of Agamatoo." I summoned the a ethereal veil around me as the eye opened from the medallion around my neck. The plants started to glow a brilliant yellow hue as I peired beyond the physical appearance of things and into the strands that underwrite reality itself.
"What are you doing?" Tanya said in awe. "Why hide so much power from us?"
"A craftsman, and a doctor, choose the right tool for the right job my dear." I replied. "And power alone does to make things better, it is often skill and unexpected gifts that can win a day…and for you have you not shown surprising adaptability with your hard earned gifts and talents?" I answered. "The fact, sadly, is that the one who cast this spell is on a level incomprehensible to most magic users…and tried to hide himself well."
I guided Tanya, is a mystic sense, to watch the unfolding before her.
"Come forth foul being." I demanded. "Reveal yourself as I command you do so." I poured out the power of magic upon the flowers, which switched from glowing golden to turning bitter black and red in hate.
"In the name of the Vishanti I demand you show yourself!" I yelled at the plants, only to hear back a horrible disgusting laugh.
"HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! And what mortal dares to invoke the Vishanti to me? And what paltry fool could possibly wrench my name from this place?" The dark and slimy voice resonated throughout the room.
I just focused more into the Eye and poured forth blasts of mystic energy upon the plants.
"I am Dr. Stephan Strange Sorcerer Supreme." The Eye was fully open and this pointed and from it poured out green and purple magical forces that caused the plants to start to wither and contort in unnatural and horrible ways. As if the spell placed upon them that gave them their unbelievable growth, now faced with a force it could not withstand was abandoning the plants.
"And now villain I demand to know your name!" Powerful bolts erupted from my hands and the eye and then a green defensive spell surrounded me as I could feel Tanya imbue her skills to mine.
"Just keep pushing the attack." Tanya said to me. "The spell on the plants will burn out whatever defenses it has on my shield so you can follow the spell to the caster."
I followed as Tanya protected me, and the whole group too, while I traced the spell back to whomever casted it.
For those that think this is a bit overboard, allow me to explain how spells work. See incantations and invocations are a bit different as an invocation in an act in the name of someone else and often used to this day outside of "magical" works. Specifically, many invoke the name of God, or His title or position, in their daily prayers, blessings, and even holier regular events such as Christian Communion or commissioning of a new holy place of worship. And as such it is the one in whose name the invocation is done's power that brings forth the action. And incantation though is you putting your will, desire, or other such aspect into something to get said action to occur. And as the spell was an incantation, then the one who cast it leaves behind a bit of themselves in the spell, or curse as the case may be, which can be led back to the caster. And this was when we all found out the horror of who cast the spell.
A dark black smoke rose from the plants as the sick and sunken face of a pale skinned being with teeth like fangs, clawed hands, and white vacant eyes. The figure was dressed in an ornate red cloak that was wrapped around his sickly frame.
"Grandpa?" Britanny shivered as the spirit dissipated.
"Who or what was that?" Sanders said as the demonic presence evaporated before us.
Brianna, having enough of this, completely incenorated the flowers with a stream of heat nearly hot enough to melt the rock of the stairs.
"And good riddance." She spat at the ground before her.
"Brit, did you say grandpa?" Dannie asked.
"Yep." Britanny replied. "Grandpa Diggers. One time one of the kindest men alive and because of one wererat wizard bastard he is now the Lich King." My girl was pissed at this. Not angry, not just mad, downright wrath of God in the Old Testament, Book of Revelations, about ready to summon the Spectre from DC comics pissed at this.
"The very same one who made the lycanthropes as slaves and then caused all our problems?" Sanders asked. "Why on earth would he attack your family when you didn't even know he existed?"
"Because that absolute dickhead was afraid that Britanny or the 'werecheetahs' would rise up and kill him after he was turned into a rat." I answered.
"Wait wait wait. This whole thing was based on a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Tanya yelled.
"Yep." Britanny said as we now ran down to the end of the stairs and into a large room with ornate marking throughout.
"Britanny you told me what happened when were kids, about that night and your mother only able to visit once a year, and then her cure years ago…" Dannie started. "Are you saying that every act of evil you and your family, human and lycan, has been because this insane furball was told you would kill him and thus he ensures you want him dead?"
"Oh I don't just want him dead. I am going to do him over a hundred times what he has done to me and my family." Britanny said as she looked down the way to the crypt.
"Careful Brit. There are probably more traps than simple plants left here." I pointed out. Knowing my love's little to no restraint running head-long at an objective.
"Hey sis hold up a second." Brianna cried, her visor down and tracking for potential targets. "It's better to stay together if that bastard is waiting for us, or specifically waiting for you."
Britanny did stop and tapped her feet waiting for us, rather impatiently.
"Sanders will you be joining us on this path?" Tanya asked her somewhat crush at this point. "Or are you going to have to join your clan trying to hunt down this criminal. While Tanya was probably aware of who Brendan was, she seemed to no give him the honorific of Sander's father.
Sanders nodded. "Jeremy make sure to continue blocking all exits from our base. I will ensure that our guests will not have to face Brendan alone down here."
"Of course. Good hunting." The male werewolf smiled and went back up the stairs as fast as he could. Considering the amount of stairs he was bounding up, he never skipped leg day.
"Have you been down here before Sanders?" Dannie asked, running her fingers across the ornate walls.
"Not in twenty years when I bore witness to Brendan's judgement." Sanders explained. "I remember that it was set up in such a way as to never be visited again, but sadly any plans would take too long to look for."
"So we are going into what is likely a boobytrapped hall with weapons designed to stop a rampaging werewolf dead in his tracks?" Brianna said as she was scoping out the area with weapons drawn. "No offense by the way."
"None taken Brianna." Sanders said. "I consider it an honor that werewolves are so hard to stop."
"You know this is the one time I wish Gina was with us." Britanny said while grabbing her head. "Boobytraps and such are more her forte than mine. Muffin you got any ideas?" Britanny said looking at me. I just smiled and shifted again.
"Just of moment for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." I said as the familiar red and blue outfit of the remarkable wall-crawler formed on my body and I jumped up on a wall and started to climb upside down on the ceiling.
"First he blasts people with beams from his eyes, then a sorcerer, now some sort of man-spider person?" Sanders said scratching his chin.
"I've also seen him dressed as a bat themed hero, turn into a giant robots that convert into vehicles, a guy with metal claws that extended from his forearms, a teleporting blue furred demon-like person…" Tanya listed off.
"Then there was the telepath, the guy with the star shield, the guy who had the white cape and lightning abilities…" Brian added.
"I find it all rather amusing at this point." Tanya said. "Britanny what are you looking at?" Tanya said as she turned to look at Britanny gazing up at me.
"Just looking at how muffin's but is tight in that outfit." Britanny said. "Partially impressed, and partially wondering how that doesn't give him a wedgey."
"Yes, well….Perhaps we should continue." Brian said, rather put-off by this.
"Yes, but be warned, nothing here is harmless." Sanders said, and immediately Britanny turned a corner and started to put her foot down on a depression.
In a virtual instant my spider-sense flared and I launched from the ceiling and grabbed Britanny.
"Wait don't." I said stopping her dead in her tracks. And yes Spider-Man's strength was more than enough to stop a causually moving Britanny.
"Muffin what the…" Britanny started to chide me, then I shot a conentrated "web bullet" from my webshooters in my wrist. The small projectile hit the floor pat and
SCHOOONK!
A pair of sliding metallic bladed edged in silver slammed shut filling in the depression.
"Spider-sense warned me." I said. "Guess you really didn't want Brendan go get out huh?" I said to Sanders. Then I covered the trap with webbing to prevent any careless wereperson from stepping on it.
"Indeed..but how did you know it was there? And rather strong for such a scrawny looking guy." Sanders pondered.
"Proportionate strength of an arachnid. Probably stronger than you are, and my own set of weird powers. Such as the preconesent spider-sense I mentioned." I jumped back onto the ceiling and we slowly made our way down the hall.
"Including a early warning system." Brianna smiled. "Nice choice."
"Yeah nice." Britanny commented. "Muffin next time that happens just tell me what the issue is rather than manhandle me in public."
"Sorry but I don't know what the danger is, only that there is one and then I have to react to it." I exclaimed, in a manner very much like Peter Parker. Britanny reluctantly accepted this as she shrugged her shoulders.
Our trek through the tunnel continued on with murder death traps galore ranging from ground spikes, to falling multi-ton blocks, to one rather large spike-ball tipped in silver points. In the end we were panting, the room was covered in spider webbing, broken arrows, bits of rubble, and scortched marks from Brianna's energy weapons and Tanya's magic.
"Is adventuring with you always so…chaotic now Britanny?" Dannie said, inspecting a hole in her hat from a poison tipped dart.
"I live an interesting life, what can I say?" Brit smiled as she shrugged her shoulders.
"How much longer is this place? And how on earth did you build a structure so long and filled with things that could kill you in one misplaced step without an off switch?" Tanya cried in frustration as she had to take a break form her shield spell.
"Because we commissioned dwarves to build it, and wanted to prolong Brendan's sentence rather than just kill him to have him live out the pain he caused others for as long as he lived." Sanders exclaimed.
"No on was ever supposed to enter beyond the guardpost and the elders agreed that keeping the area open meant that if someone was able to get in then the sounds and smells guided up to the post would act as an alarm for us werewolves rather than try to just seal everything and forget about it." Sanders elaborated on. Feeling like the rest of us that this gauntlet was quiet taxing.
"I can see the wisdom in that." Brian said as he clutched his chest. "Still there can't be that much further to go right?"
"Brian, babe. Never poke the universe in the eye with a sharp stick." Brianna sighed.
"I don't follow." The werecheetah said, as the ground below us started to rumble and a large winged dragon beast thing erupted from below the floor. Unleashing a mighty roar in doing so.
"Wait is that one of those stone things we fought in Dreadwing's cave?" I asked standing next to Brit.
"Naw, those didn't have wings." She smirked while popping her knuckles. Another roar sounded as the beast unleased a blast of energized magic something or other at us and causing all of us to scatter.
"Dang this place has everything." Brianna smiled.
Britanny actually was grinning ear to ear now and raced up the wall, jumped at high speed into the air, twirled a few times and then landed hard on the thing's back with both feet.
This hard impact didn't stop the creature though and Britanny bounced off doing a handspring before landing with one hand up, one towards her foot, and looking like she was about to unleash heck upon it.
"You guys mind if I burn off some pent-up steam on this thing?" Britanny said with a rather crewl smirk on her face.
"I think we can do that." I said propping myself against a wall to catch my breath.
Britanny pushed off with her cocked leg and proceeded to use the walls as a spring-board for a roundhouse kick to the thing's jaw hitting it into the upper part of the mouth and slamming it hard against the roof of the mouth with an audible "chrunch".
Brit then followed up with a few super-fast punches, then jumped, rolled over onto the top of the thing's neck, and put it a headlock before slamming the thing into the ground hard. The wings and tail made it difficult to completely flip over, but Brit was definitely in the zone as she summersaulted again over the things back and grabbed the tail. She dug her fingers and claws deep into the thing's body and then slammed it back and forth against the walls of the tunnel. The stone beast's own talons digging hard into the metal of the flooring and sides didn't have enough strength to hold off being wrenched up and down by Brit's fantastic super-strength. When this attack no longer interested Brit, she proceeded to grab the thing with both hands around the neck and power-slam the head of the beast into the ground with enough force to rock the tunnel.
"Does she need help?" Sanders asked.
"And spoil her fun?" Dannie smirked.
"Let her burn off some steam." I said. "Better she gets that out of her system now."
"Why not just, blast it?" Brian asked.
"You mean with explosive shells, plasma blasts, or the like?" Brianna looked at him. "Clearly you don't understand the dangers of thermobaric weapons, especially with normal humans around. Confined space, super-heated air, and shrapnel usually go poorly for fleshy things wanting to live." Our weapon's expert exclaimed.
"So rather than risk our lives, let Britanny beat the tar out of that thing? Happy to oblige." Tanya took a breather herself.
Britanny was busy slamming a series of Karate chops into the winged construct's back after slamming it belly first into the side of the walls and then using the thing's noggin as a punching back. Next was a series of kicks right to the spot where the wings attached to the back rendering the thing to a mass of broken stones. My love smiled and then did a remarkable impersonation of Chun-Li's victory pose with smiles and hands in the air.
"Nice job." I said giving her a congratulatory slap on the back.
"Awe thanks muffin." She kissed me on the head. "Thanks for letting me blow off some steam."
"As fun as that was to see, we have arrived." Sanders said pointing to a metal wall lined with spikes at the end of the hall.
"Either that is a Brendan's prison, or someone was trying to replicate an Iron Maiden album." Dannie pointed out.
"Be careful." Sanders said "While the coffin is closed, we have no clue if he is still imprisoned within."
"And if he is, he probably is going to be looking for a fight." Dannie said getting ready with her staff pointed towards the coffin.
"Tanya please keep you defensive barrier up and as strong as powerful as possible." Sanders said pulling out a magic book from a pocket in his loincloth.
"You are a sorcerer my friend?" Tanya smiled at Sanders while the Kryn enveloped herself in green magical energy.
"Sadly I am very much a novice." Sander's exclaimed. "But this magical tome does offer a boost to magic performed in it's proximity so perhaps it would help your own gifts."
Brianna was now surrounding herself with floating Peebo drones that sparked and crackled with electrical discharge while she was keeping that flamethrower aimed right at the coffin.
"Brit, be careful." Brianna said as Britanny approached the structure before her. It dripped with blood and the floor was covered with a thin film of blood that had dried into a rusty cake over the decades there. Strangely it was not a lot of blood, but as Brendan had bee starved for twenty years he likely ran out of raw material to regenerate from over a decade ago.
"Muffin, you in on this with me."
"Always my love." I said, turning into Colossus again as his steel skin would more that withstand Brendan's claws and teeth. I had thought of using Blade with the Daywalker's speed and silver weapons…but no that could put Brit at risk. A Jedi or other Force user…heck I was tempted to use Darth Vader himself if needed, could have held their own against Brendan. Heck I could easily kill him with the Force, but if I did that then what. Even in the form of a Sith the action would be by my hand and Britanny could have gotten caught in any electrical discharge from Force Lightning and any telekinetic abilities were Forced powered so she could have been hurt just like with magic. I wouldn't risk hurting Brit like that.
Use Superman? I had no way of knowing if the light under here was the same as sunlight so I would be without power if it wasn't. Captain Marvel? If I invoked the name SHAZAM the lightning bolt would have to travel all the way to me and would cause untold destruction in the process. Thor? Same problems with using a Force user mixed with the destruction issue of Captain Marvel. I could easily use He-Man, but with a lycanthrope like Brendan willing to bite and scratch me? Not sure if the power of Greyskull made me invincible as well and no idea how the magic from Eternia would work against lycanthropy. I had thought of the Ghost Rider, Van Helsing, Dr. Strange or Dr. Fate, even Etrigan and Venom crossed my mind. But each of those had their own problem from either area of effect damage, to being a literal demon I may not be able to control, to the fact Brianna was pack a flamethrower and that was a big no-no to Venom.
So there we were, waiting for someone to make the first move to the coffin and I stepped forward and took a look.
"It looks like the spikes are covered in fresh blood, perhaps someone who tried to break in?" I said looking for a seam.
"Possible, but then why were there no blood leading out?" Dannie asked, always the detective.
"Well, here's for something…I guess." Britany said touching the spike incased torture device on the edge where two metal plates met. This caused them to instantly fall to the ground. I had caught one that almost fell upon me, but thankfully with my current form's strength and were I was standing I caught it with one hand.
"Is everything alright my love?" I asked Britanny while moving out to the way of the fallen door and letting it clang onto the ground.
"It's….it's empty." Brianna said as she blinked and let her visor rise up over her forehead.
I just went back to my normal self, careful to not go anywhere near the spike mats. While the spiked tomb, trap, eternal torture device for a traitor only had enough space for him to stand, there was something writing on the ground, in what I could only assumed was Brendan's own blood.
"Werecheetah your death shall be as long and painful as your mother's. Have a nice day. :)" Yep complete with smiley face.
Britanny was again crying. First the vision of the horrible twisted form of her once loving grandfather rising as smoke form those weeds, and now this. The monster didn't just kill Cyan, he butchered her with his own hands right after killing his wife and mother of his own offspring. The act wasn't one of retribution but pure unbridled mindless hate. Hatred so great that he would destroy until nothing was left to kill. And that hate was drawing in Britanny.
"That worthless fucking son of a bitch." She screamed. "I'm going to make him pay, this bastard is going to pay with everything he has. I will bring him down and tear about every bit of his deplorable disgusting form till he is purged from the earth."
"Wow sis calm down." Brianna said. "Yeah I know Brendan needs to be stopped but.."
"I'm not talking about Brendan." Britanny said. "We'll stop him. But I'm not talking about him."
I wasn't going to let this go on like this. "Brit." I said approaching her.
"Gotherwaine or Iceron, or whatever else you want to call him deserves to be put down like the maniac he is. He and all that he loves will be destroyed. He twists everything to his selfish evil. He killed my grandmother Diggers and turned Grandpa into a Lich." Britanny continued. "He made us slaves then tried to annihilate us after we weren't able to be controlled. Sanders whole family has suffered from his evil of over 10,000 years. He took, he took everything from me time and time again and I'm sick and tired of him getting away with it."
I grabbed Britanny's hand and grabbed it tight. And she then turned to face me as I looked her right in the eyes. She was crying. Years of pain welled up inside her. Time she should have had with her biological family, vacations with her father's parents where she never got to know her paternal grandmother and her paternal grandfather was an undead monster who ruled the undead realm. The fact she grew up barely getting time with her adopted mother and the issues with attachment she had and trying to fill the hole with cloths and appear like everything was perfect. And then hearing of how her biological family was forced to kill the family of those she considered friends. Britanny was beyond furious and looked like she could maybe have taken on Jetta or Sanders single handedly.
But then I wrapped my hand around her far bigger one and placed it to my chest.
"Britanny do you feel this?" I said pressing her hand hard to my chest.
"What?" Britanny asked, wondering what I was getting on about.
"Do you feel this?" I ask again putting her rather large palm over my left pectoral muscle. "Do you feel this?"
"Yeah wha?" She started.
"This is the heart of the man who loves you, the man who wants to share his life with you, give you his name, father your children, stand with you through thick and thin, and before God Himself say 'I do'." I continued. "This living beating heart is here for you and will always be there for you and knows that in your chest is well is a living beating heart full of love and kindness." I continued as Britanny kneeled on the cold stone floor and looked into my eyes. "Love enough to forgive those who hurt you, love enough to empathize with those that carry the pain of loss and death of loved ones, love enough to trust someone from a completely different reality and try to build a life together."
"Muffin what are you going on about." Britanny said trying to dry her eyes a bit.
"Britanny, you are one of the kindest people on this earth, one of the sweetest women ever to live, and here in the company of friends and family are you going to let that monster who has hounded you all your life take that special beating living heart away from you and replace it with one of hate and spite?"
"But muffin how can you say this? He took everything from me?" Britanny said crying.
"Wrong." I said forcefully. "Iceron hasn't taken everything, and no matter what he does he can't do that. It's not a power he has to take your heart from you. You Britanny aren't a murder, and you know that your righteous indignation should only be to stop one monster. One horrible disgusting monster who corrupts everything he touches, everything he tries to make based on something beautiful and wonderful he tries to enslave but he can't do that. Do you know why?"
"No, why?" Britanny said as she was wondering where I was going with this.
"Because no matter what spells or magic he used to make the werepeople, he couldn't take from them the same gifts that God gave me, gifts He gave your adoptive family of Theo, Julia, Gina, and Brianna, He gave to Jetta and her people, that He gave to Dannie, and I will even say to Tanya, and every other sapient being in all reality." I put my hands on Britanny's head and rubbed her ears. "He gave you a beautiful soul and made you in His image just as He made me. Lycans are humans, are people. And just because some tin-horn despot mutated your ancestors into animal/human hybrids, that maniac couldn't take your humanity from you." I continued on. "So don't give him this victory. Don't give that worthless piece of filth who abandoned his humanity willingly the truly beautiful and very human soul, that God made for you in His image of love, don't give up that love for anyone. If we need to hunt down and destroy Iceron we will, but we are not going to do it in such a way that innocent lives suffer in the fallout."
"What even wererats?" Britanny asked.
"Yes, even wererats." I kissed her. "Because they are his slaves. Forced to kill on his command, forced into loveless existence because he and his bitch of a lover control them like no other lycans in the realms. Because we aren't like him. And we, you and I, as much as our fury may be righteous aren't going to become the monsters we face."
"Oh muffin." Britanny said chuckling and rubbing her eyes. "Why do you do this to me?" She said bumping her head to mine.
"Wow, that was…..anyone record that because I want to play that again for their kids." Brianna said.
"As moving and beautiful as that speech was, we are still left with one escaped rouge werewolf, a peace agreement that needs to happen, and no idea how he got out of here." Tanya said.
"Sadly we do know." Britanny said. "If grandpa Lich King is involved then that means a whole lot of walking rotting corpses, vampires, and whatever else dark and spooking that horrible place has to offer popped in and grabbed Brendan while you couldn't get close."
"Teleportation is a real magic? Then why didn't we do that in the first place?" Brian asked.
"Because it is time and magic consuming on a fantastic scale." Tanya explained. "And I barely understand the fundamentals of it. Usually such spells are cast into scrolls which contain the incantation rather than drawing on one's own power. And I'm guessing that this Lich individual as a powerful magical user to teleport someone into a place they have never been to, and then back out of with more agents without setting off any of the traps."
"Yep, powerful but at the same time they don't recharge like living beings do." Brianna explained. "But he still has all the cunning he had when he was alive, but without the humanity he had. Asked Dad about it a while ago and it was….fascinating to hear about it."
Sanders took all of this into consideration, and after a moment spoke.
"It is now more clear than ever that we need to make peace with the werecheetahs." Sanders said to himself. "Someone wants us to remain enemies for some reason and Jetta needs to know about Brendan's escape. Also your prince must be informed about this new foe that wishes to unsettle any peaceful cultural interactions between out people." Sanders looked at Tanya. "We shall contact my sister Jetta and Stripe simultaneously and immediately."
"You wish to work together and make the first opening of peace then?" Brian asked Sanders.
"We just worked together through a maze of deathtraps and survived. Some say you don't know someone till you fight them, but I think that you don't know someone till you work with them and you and Britanny are remarkable allies and skilled warriors. You also didn't continue the cycle of hatred we have been trapped in for millenia Britanny." Sanders smiled.
"What?" Britanny asked puzzled by his words.
"You saw beyond my father as your true foe, to the one responsible for the strings being pulled. The one who hurt us all and were willing to empathize with us as equally harmed by him. And in your mate's rather poetic speech he made clear that he can empathize even with the wererats for their suffering; something I would not have even considered." Sanders explained. "This is a very…emotional issue for all of us, and I do not begrudge your desire to avenge the pain caused to you. But for now I feel that ensuring the future of your kind and mine is more prudent. Also Tanya.."
"Yes Sanders?" Tanya said looking at him.
"The last time you arrived you showed considerable magic, and that was even more so this visit. If you are willing to promise me now to find a cure for a curse we have been put under by Iceron, combined with your shown dedication and loyalty to your peaceful cause then the werewolves will not dare cause any trouble with this desire for formal peace."
"If I can help I will, but what is this cruse you are under?" Tanya asked, as Sanders started walking back towards the tunnel entrance.
"Twenty some odd years ago when Brendan betrayed us, the sorcerer who granted him the magic he used to slaughter the werecheetahs that had come to Ireland enacted a curse of infertility upon those outside of Brendan's immediate family." Sanders said.
"Wait a moment. Werewolves can't have kids?" Britanny asked in shock.
"My sister and her husband can, and I was not affect but so far do not have a mate….but any none blood or none marriage related individuals have been cursed with sterility and infertility for two decades. You can only imagine how much heartbreak that causes. And why you taking a silver bullet for my nephew meant so much Alex." Sanders said looking at me.
"I had no idea. He was a baby and an innocent. I couldn't just let him get hurt." I explained.
"And all the better I feel, because you did it for completely selfless reasons." Sanders smiled.
"Of course I will help." Tanya said with surprise on her face. "I mean….I would be honored to aid you in this, though I am woefully ignorant of lycanthrope magic and physiology…." Tanya couldn't finish her statement as Sanders picked her up and hugged her close, which caused the young Kryn to blush at the attention…and probably because of Sander's rather impressive muscles.
"Forgive the informal gratitude, I just could not contain my thanks." Sanders blushed as he gently set the sorceress down.
"Oh someone's getting lucky." Brianna smiled in her most lustful grin.
"So Dannie, does the princess always have such…interesting adventures?" Brian asked the Avenger.
"Nothing like this, or at least not since high school." The superhero said twirling her cane.
Later at the werewolves' magic communication room…for lack of a better word. Where a seeing stone was set in a rather large open area.
"So just so I understand completely here, you Britanny are engaged to the man who saved my son's life…" Jetta began, represented by a mystic holographic image.
"Yep." Brit said hugging me.
"You found a group of werecheetahs in Africa and turns out you are their princess."
"Correct Alpha of the werewolves." Brian said bowing respectfully.
"And you wish to make a formal declaration of peace between our tribes which Stripe is willing to act as the mitigator of."
"Also correct." Stripe said, communicating from El Dorado also as a hologram.
"And your representative, who has been living and working with Britanny and my brother recently is willing to attempt to cure the curse on our people by Iceron."
"To the best of my ability. If I can have something to start researching the spell, lycanthropy, and the way that reproduction for you works that would go a long way in helping." Tanya bowed in a manner similar to Brian.
"And in the span of just a couple of hours you went from accidentally upsetting my grandmother, to going into Brendan's prison and found that he had escaped because your undead father someone planted wolfsbane at the guard outpost to the dungeon?" Jetta said to the forth magical holographic image present.
"That would seem to be the case." Dr. Theodore Diggers said as he started his pipe.
"I just about need a drink…. if I wasn't trying to get pregnant again." Jetta said as the holographic image of Thabian cupped her shoulders.
"Usually doesn't that help in that regard?" Brian chuckled as he and Sanders shared a joke.
"Do you find this situation, unacceptable Jetta?" Stripe asked confused.
"No I am actually overjoyed." Jetta replied. "And for the past few days you have had two young werecheetahs in your home acting as ambassadors for their people Theo?"
"They have been, rather pleasant company so far." The aura mage replied.
"And all this after fighting a time-traveling dog and his human henchman." Gina said pinching her nose.
"Well Jetta what do you think?" Thabian asked. "Should be willing to try to make a formal peace again?"
"I for one, am in." Jetta smiled.
"And El Dorado and her people would gladly welcome you to help form this peace." Stripe smiled. "Tanya I personally thank you for all of the hard work and dedication you have put into your position and as prince of our people, I am eternally grateful." Strip placed he right hand over his heart and bowed his head towards Tanya.
"Well this is all well and good, but when exactly should we set this up and how do we contact those other werecheetahs in Africa?" The giantess Barbra asked, having been invited into the den as it were.
"We shall work all that out soon. Now for more immediate things, congratulations on your engagement Alex and Britanny, and may you be blessed with many years and beautiful children." Stripe smiled at us. "And furthermore, I declare that any and all who enter El Dorado with peaceful intent are equals to my people."
"Great. So question now is if dinner is ready." Barbar smiled as grandmother Lucy was walking in with a bit pot of deer meat and leftovers.
Author's notes:
Sorry for taking so long to have an update on this story but I have had a ton of things on my plate and thank you all for your understanding. I think this has been the longest single chapter I have ever done for this story and deeply appreciate any and all feedback on this. Yours most sincerely.
