"Now... I'll bet you're all wondering why I have summoned you." Anna Blackpaw said to Nick, Judy, Davies, and Pandora as all four mammals sat in a drawing room at Blackpaw Manor.
"Oh I actually know why, but please Miss Blackpaw, do go on." Clancy, the AI integrated with Pandora's time traveling watch said.
"As you know, the Fourth of July is upon us! The day when this county celebrates its freedom from the British... despite the dates not really matching up with the actual dates, but I'm already digressing. Josephus! Bring the pop-up book!" Anna said.
"The 'Secret Histories' one or-"
"Yes, the one that details the true story of the American Revolution!" Anna said Josephus, entered the drawing room with the book in question. "Now, I have told Davies a great many details about the Vampiric world... and young Pandora learned of my Vampirism without me telling her," Anna said as she took the book from Josephus.
"And the pop-up book factors into this how?" Pandora asked.
"Well, the Tribunal of Night. The secretive rules of Vampire kind, publish the true histories of events that have been kept secret from mortal kind. These books are bound by powerful magic's so that only Vampires can open them... but not so that mortals can't see their contents, however." Anna said.
"Are you seriously telling us that Vampires invented pop up books?" Judy said.
"Yes... thankfully the worst that happened, was that ONLY the secret to make them fell into the hands of mortals," Anna said.
"Did you have a hand in that?" Nick asked.
"No... It was actually my Sire, Sir Scath that allowed the craft to fall into mortal hands during the 1240's." Anna said.
"Where the heck is he anyway?" Pandora asked.
"We will meet him soon enough Pandora... well for me at least," Clancy said.
"Now, as the official history goes. George the Third of England, facing financial ruin after the Seven Years War, taxed the colonies to the point where they rose up in open rebellion, rather than suffer under the boot of a distant Monarch, who was just beginning his somewhat infamous slide into insanity... here's how WE were involved with the whole affair." Anna said as she opened the book. The first page displayed a white and grey colored lion in black and red robes, standing before a lion with mad eyes. "After the end of the Seven Years War, the Tribunal sent Caesar Augustus to King George the Third, with an offer. If one-thousand and one mammals which had never laid were given to the Tribunal. They would grant financial aid to the British Empire, King George, in his pride not only denied the request. But insulted the first Roman Emperor by insinuating he was just a delusional lunatic... a bit of the pot calling the kettle black." Anna explained.
"Even I thought he was crazy. And I gave up my sanity to try to turn lead into gold... apparently, that can't be done period." Josephus commented.
"King George and British Parliament at the time implemented the Stamp Act of 1765 on the American colonies. Suffice it to say, a majority of mammals in the colonies were not happy with being taxed without a say in the matter." Anna explained, she turned the page, showing about twenty-one figures in black and red concealing robes, surrounding a mole. "The Tribunal saw the potential for revenge against King George, in the unrest occurring in the colonies. They consulted the Eternal Oracle, the mole in the center of this illustration, regarding the unrest. According to the Oracle's predictions, if nothing changed, the colonies would remain under British dominion for another century before splitting away peacefully. However, if the flames of rebellion and defiance were fanned, then the colonies would rise in revolt, and cost more for the British then the previous war against the French ever did." Anna explained.
"So go to war, or become Canada... such a hard choice to decide on," Nick said sardonically.
"Nickolas, the Tribunal was not interested in freedom, liberty, or equality. Their interests in kicking off the Revolutionary War began and ended, with proving the cost of defying an offer of the Tribunal without just cause... and to a lesser extent Augustus REALLY had it out for George after that meeting. But enough about Caesar, back to the story." Anna explained, she then turned the page. "The Tribunal contacted the Cabal of the Unseen Eye to do just that. We were already a step ahead of him, as our leader. Had already made plans for how to exasperate the growing unrest." Anna said as she turned the page to a depiction of early 1770's Boston.
"Wait... are you saying-"
"That the Cabal of the Unseen Eye literally fired the first shots of the American Revolution? Yes, in fact, I was the one that literally fired the first shot of the war. I didn't actually kill anyone, when you're as tense as they were, a gunshot is all that's need to go crazy." Anna said as she pulled a tab, causing the infamous Boston Massacre to occur in the illustration, complete with ghostly sound effects of what had happened.
"Oh that, no I was going to ask if Assassins Creed III's plot was in any way based around you." Nick continued, everyone else just looked unamused, and Josephus performed the 'screw loose' gesture while Clancy played appropriate cuckoo clock sounds.
"...yes... but I was cheated. The people at Moobisoft promised that I would be the star, but instead, they made the protagonist some wolf mutt... in hindsight, I probably should have seen that coming anyway." Anna said sarcastically.
"Would have been a much more interesting game," Clancy commented.
"Agreed," Anna said as she turned the page. "Now throughout the war, the Cabal worked alongside the Revolutionaries. Providing assistance in both fighting the British army, and in securing allies." Anna said, the page illustrating a Vampire wolf fighting in Vampiric form against British troops, and a rabbit that was clearly Anna in the halls of the Bastille.
"Okay... for some reason I didn't see any of this during my research," Pandora commented.
"That is because, despite you cunning, you did not know where to look. You only wanted to look for what you understood to be true." Anna explained, she then turned the page. On it was an illustration of a Caesar Augustus standing before King George a second time. "After the end of the war, Caesar had relayed the will of the Tribunal to George a second time. He warned that unless he provided what the Tribunal had asked for in the first place. The Empire that the British had built would be violently cast down by revolution after revolution across their holdings. All backed by the Tribunal of Night." Anna explained.
"Did that include a threat that-"
"No, nothing that would have prevented the War of 1812 I'm afraid... and no, even two-hundred years later I have no idea why the war was called that in the first place. I mean American-British War makes much more sense as a name. It doesn't have the same ring but still." Anna said as she turned to the last page.
"And what's that?" Judy asked, noting the pictures of various mammals.
"This is just a whos-who page listing every Vampire that was directly involved in the American Revolution. And yes, I know I look weird here... I could never look good in pictures like this until the advent of portable cameras." Anna said as she gestured to a picture of herself, looking like she was in the middle of an uncomfortable sneeze.
"And why did the Unseen Eye even have plans for a revolution in America, in the first place?" Judy asked.
"Well, that is actually fairly simple. The First Among Equals saw the potential in the New World. It was the main reason why we relocated to North America in the first place. To create a place... where anyone."
"Can... can be anything," Judy said, finishing Anna's sentence.
"Indeed, over the long years since then, it's been an uphill battle for the Cabal to make that dream become a reality. And in recent years, it's proven even harder to try to maintain... to make certain that the horrors of our mortal lives never happen again. Like keeping a bloodthirsty wolf that's burned your home to the ground from happening to anyone else, for example..." Anna said as she closed the book.
"Well... the more I learn about you Vampires, the weirder things seem to get," Nick said.
"I only have one question, when you were showing me slides in my mind of your memories. Why didn't I see any of this?" Davies asked.
"Well like I told you, after a century a Vampire's memories tend to become fuzzy and disoriented from there on out. So I didn't entirely remember what I had done... most I really remembered was hiding under a tarp for several hours with a musket before setting it off into a crowd, then going to Paris shortly after that." Anna explained.
"So... the war happened because-"
"Yes Judy, it was started at the behest of petty immortals... but that doesn't change what good has been achieved since then. The bad, however... there's already someone else who's dealing with that Hareculean task. But for now, let's celebrate! The night is young, and the fireworks have yet to begin!" Anna said as she put the book away.
"Speaking of-"
"Yes Pandora, we Vampires have to take extra care regarding mosquitoes." Anna interrupted as they went outside.
"I was actually going to ask if you had any bug-burgers here, the good kind, no artificial chemicals," Pandora said.
"Oh... well of course we do, and I believe we have some bug-dogs as well," Anna said.
As the night progressed, all four of the mortal guests were fit to burst. With them sharing the mix of processed bug meat and vegetables freely. While Josephus and Anna mainly had blood.
"So... what's your favorite part of the holiday Anna?" Davies asked of Anna as the fireworks started going off, and Anna looked out from an overhead balcony from where the barbeque had happened.
"Oh... that is not really a simple thing for me. The sense of unity, my personal accomplishments in this regard... but if I only had one thing to pick... it'd be the fireworks." Anna said as she took a deep breath. "It's like, feeling the sun on my skin again... brings me back to my distant youth."
"Ah... I didn't really like fireworks when I was a kitt, too loud and too bright back in Bunnyburrow. But my favorite thing about the 4th of July is paws down, the FOOD!" Davies said.
"I could tell, the four of you took to the food provided like starved scavengers. You didn't even leave leftovers. Though I am rather surprised that you and Judy took to the bug-food." Anna said.
"Well Judy is the adventurous sort, and I always look for excuses to eat... that. And when possible I like to try new foods, not often. But it does happen." Davies said.
"Davies... you are a one in a million rabbit," Anna said, Davies then kissed her, followed by Nick and Judy kissing each other. Then Josephus... was punched in the face by Pandora, when he attempted to kiss her.
"I don't date your kind of crazy. Just let me enjoy my parents being together." Pandora said as Josephus nursed his cheek.
"You know... something just occurred to me," Davies said to Anna.
"And what is that my love?" Anna asked.
"Well... aren't you going to be in a lot of trouble for telling us about Vampires like you have been?" Davies asked.
Anna's ear's instantly drooped. "Oh... bugger. That completely slipped my mind." Anna said.
"Well... we can figure something out, can we?" Davies asked.
"A problem... for tomorrow you handsome bunny you," Anna said as she and Davies resumed kissing.