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Chapter 2: Paris, France

"I still can't believe Rannoi turned that many pandas into prefects back in China," Idesin said with a shake of his head. "What was he thinking?"

"No idea, but probably the opposite of what he was thinking when he turned that monastery into a brothel." Studley shook his head. He still couldn't believe what they'd seen in the north of Italy. From the outside, the monastery had been the very image of a pure, religious place, something he'd normally avoid if at all possible. As soon as they'd stepped inside, to ask for directions, however...well, it had been rather difficult to disentangle himself from the enthusiastic men and women inside, and more difficult to drag the otter out of there with his clothes intact. Not that he had anything against that sort of thing, really, but it did slow them down, and with their quarry transforming and changing things left and right on his journey, they couldn't afford to fall too far behind.

At least this time they wouldn't stand out so much. As soon as they'd landed, Studley had insisted on transforming into human forms, and even though Idesin was a little annoyed at it, he'd gone along. The two of them had transformed into a pair of white skinned humans, the otter with a clean face and him with something of a beard. Neither had much muscle, but they'd done enough modification to each other to make sure that their bodies could take a fair bit of punishment without looking too out of place.

He stepped to the edge of the alley, looking up and down the street. The buildings around them were bigger than the ones back in Japan, standing tall and straight. There were a few stone buildings amidst the wooden ones, but even those that were made of timber still had a better-constructed look to them. The streets were paved with pieces of stone, cracked and damaged in a lot of places but still held together. They didn't look dissimilar to some of the roman roads, sturdy, but old.

Though it was dark, Studley was surprised to see that there were no people on the streets. No candles in the windows, no sign of light among the buildings along the twisting street, not even the sound of footsteps or horses walking along to fill his ears. The only sound he could make out was the soft flow of the river a few streets over, and even that was quiet in the night.

"What did Rannoi do out here to get a pair of armies interested in him?" Studley muttered under his breath.

"For that matter, what did you do back in Japan that let that lady use magic?" Idesin asked. Studley sighed, lowering his head. "Seriously, man, I've been trying to get an answer out of you the whole way here, but you keep putting me off."

"The last time you asked, we were in the middle of running from a bunch of Inquisitors, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, but you could have still answered while you were running."

"I prefer to save my breath for getting away. Explanations can wait." The truth was, he honestly wasn't sure what that had been. The magic hadn't been Wonder power, that's for sure. It shifted and changed too much for that, but it had been close. Not the power to change...but yet it still caused change. The otter was driving him crazy for answers, and he didn't have any to give. Not yet, anyway.

In an effort to keep Idesin from pushing further, he said, "What do you think? Should we head to a tavern or an inn or something to see if anyone has any rumors?" The transformed otter raised an eyebrow. "People go to inns, and people go to taverns a lot. They talk because of all the alcohol that starts flowing, and because they're surrounded by other people. Someone might remember something if anybody said anything, and Rannoi probably stopped at one of them, at least, before heading further on."

"Not to be a bit of a pain, Studley, but those places are LOUD. I don't think that most of the bartenders or innkeepers would have been that interested in the things that random people say, anyway."

"Do you have a better suggestion, then?" he asked, stepping back into the alley. "I'm all ears if you got something better."

"Yeah, I do. A brothel."

Studley groaned, a small sigh passing his lips. "Please tell me that you're joking, and not just looking for an excuse for naked ladies?" he asked. They'd passed more than a few on the way here, and each time, Idesin had been curious about getting some time with the people inside. Studley didn't doubt that the otter's intentions were good, that he wanted to see that the ladies were being treated right in there, but he knew how sexual his friend could get. Given the slightest chance, he could see Idesin leaping into bed and not getting out for a week.

And Idesin obviously knew it, from the sheepish look on his face. "I know it sounds a bit silly, but think about it. After sex and before it, it's really quiet, and sometimes people like to talk. If any of the ladies there - or men, even - had customers that were talkative, they'd have a better chance of hearing them and remembering it than any barkeeper or innkeeper."

"You...have a point," Studley admitted. "But where would we find a brothel in the city without having someone to give us directions?"

"Directions, huh?"

The two of them whipped around to the alley entrance, and both went wide-eyed at the sight before them. Rather than a human, there was a lizard, and not some feral one either. It looked like one of the transformed people from back home, standing on two legs, with green scales along its arms and legs and head, and yellow on the chest and neck. Wearing a loose wool shirt and what looked like rough trousers, the lizard looked at once familiar and out of place to them.

Studley recovered first, clearing his throat. "Yes, but first...who are you? And who did this to you?"

A raised eyebrow preceded a chuckle, the lizard smiling. "Not someone surprised by me, huh? Guess you're kind of like that dragon that came through here a little while back; can you guys do tricks like him too?"

"Dragon? You've seen Rannoi?" Idesin burst in. The lizard nodded. "Where?"

"Uh, I don't really know where he is now," the lizard admitted. "He was here for a week, and he only left a couple of days ago. Madame Cerise spent a lot of time talking with him while he was here, something about freedom of choice and a lot of stuff like that." He shrugged. "I wasn't really around so much; I just worked there."

"Well, maybe this Madame Cerise can tell us a bit more," Studley said. "Can you take us to her?"

"To her and the brothel at the same time, sirs," the lizard said with a bow of his head. "She is the one in charge of the best brothel in all of Paris."

"And did Rannoi change her too, like he did you?" Idesin asked.

"Change...Sirs, your friend did nothing to us at all," the lizard said. "This was all done by the Madame."

Silence fell again, to the point where their breathing sounded like shouting. Studley looked to his friend, the two of them sharing a look of utter shock before they looked back at the lizard. "Take us to her. Now." There was much they needed to learn, and quickly.

The trip to the brothel was short, little more than a handful of minutes, but every moment felt like an eternity out in the open. Studley's eyes swept the streets, always alert for some danger, some trap, even when the lizard seemed completely comfortable. It wasn't that he expected their guide to lead them into an ambush, but he couldn't deny that the situation was strange, very strange, even for him.

Even stranger were the sights of other transformed people. The few humans that he saw, rather than being afraid of the transformed around them, seemed to ignore them. They treated them as though they were completely natural, normal, accepted, rather than freaks or devils or something like that. It was at once wonderful and a little bit terrifying. He could not say that it was a bad thing that the transformed people were able to walk around without being judged or hurt, but the fact that this had happened within a week and a few days worried him. Had there been more than physical transformation, to the point where minds had been messed with and altered?

He shook his head. This seemed too impossible, but it was starting to explain the armies outside the city. If word had reached them of all this, then they would have seen it as dangerous, as something that needed to be contained, possibly exterminated. And if the latter were the case, they could all be in big, big trouble right now.

Soon, they reached the brothel, a large, multi-storied building that loomed over the street. A few homes of equal size stood around it, keeping it from standing out quite so much, but he had to admit that it was bigger than he'd expected the place to be. Their guide stopped at the large wooden door and gestured at them. "Wait here. I'll go and tell Madame Cerise that there are guests," it said, slipping inside and shutting the door behind it.

Studley shook his head, leaning against the wall beside the door. Idesin joined him, the two of them looking out at the different people that milled around them. There were fewer than he had expected to be in a city like this; only a dozen, maybe two dozen people were out, and for a brothel that was supposedly the best in the city, he would have imagined there would be more people visiting. But perhaps that was the thing...if there were some people that were transformed, and humanity was now in the minority...well, he'd seen humans panic over things, their thoughts of fight or flight running wild. Maybe the city had emptied. Maybe.

"I'm not sure even Yama would approve of this," Idesin muttered, shaking his head. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like seeing this kind of freedom -"

"Me too."

"- but this might be a really bad idea...Those armies aren't out there for show, I don't think."

"Yeah...if they just wanted containment, they wouldn't need so many people. They're up to something...or there's something that we don't know yet."

"It's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Studley grumbled. He'd known that Rannoi would pull something strange wherever he went - all the things they'd seen so far were evidence of this - but he had never thought the dragon would pull off something of this scale...or that he'd find some way to involve the help of someone else. With all the changes here, and how obvious they were, he found himself worried for the people and how the world outside the city would treat them.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little admiration. Whether it was the dragon or this Madame Cerise that had caused all the changes here, they'd both been brave enough to try something different. Back home, Uriah would have raged about this, and Hai Mei would likely have fainted; neither the parrot or the elephant could stand thinking of someone going this out of control, being this obvious. But seeing this, seeing how people could change themselves and live a different life without being in total isolation the way that the Wonders were...Studley had to admit, if it hadn't drawn the attention of armies outside the city, he would have been tempted to do something similar.

His thoughts were interrupted as one of the transformed, a skunk, walked over to him. "You are not from around here, are you?" the skunk asked. Studley shook his head. "How did you get through the armies outside?"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"The armies outside the city," the skunk repeated. "They've been stopping anyone from getting in and out. Madame Cerise has been most distraught about it. If you have a means by which we may bypass them, it would do much for her."

"Um...ooh..." Studley paused. How to say this...

"We flew."

Studley whipped his head around, his eyes narrowed at Idesin. His friend only shrugged his shoulders. "They've already been transformed once. If there's any place that we don't have to hide everything, it's here."

"You...have a point," he admitted.

"Pardon me, but just what do you mean, hide everything?" the skunk asked.

"I-...Well, it would be better if we showed you, I suppose," Studley said. "Just...try not to start shouting." He snapped his fingers, and a rush of bright light surrounded him. Those transformed and the few humans around him immediately leaped back, staring as the brightness of Wonder magic surrounded him. Idesin followed shortly after, the clicking snap barely heard under the rushing, whirling sound of the magic around them. It didn't take long for their power to strip away their human forms, leaving them once more in the shape of a wolf and an otter.

The stares of the people around them were to be expected, as were the few screams that were heard. There were surprisingly few of those, though, Studley thought; usually a transformation such as theirs would have cleared a street. The people truly must be used to the idea of animal figures walking around like human beings, and the idea of magic that made it possible.

"Well...I do say, that answers my question and no mistake," the skunk said with a small nod of his head. His eyes were still wide, but there was the slightest hint of a grin at the corners of his mouth. "I dare say that things have just become a great deal more interesting."

"Excuse me, but - Oh."

Studley turned his head to the brothel again, the lizard standing at the door. His eyes hadn't widened so much as the others on the street, but they had opened enough for him to notice the difference. "Um, yes..." The lizard stepped to the side, waving for them. "Madame Cerise will see you...she will be most eager to see you."

"I imagine she would be," Studley muttered under his breath. He stepped through the open door, hearing the otter walking behind him. What little light came from outside the brothel was cut off as the door shut behind them, and they were left in darkness. Even his wolf eyes were little use, as the windows were covered enough to prevent the moonlight from getting in, and it was only due to the sounds further in the building that he was able to find his way around. His ears twitched as he followed the soft whispers, feeling his way past small pieces of furniture, a table or two, and even a candle.

They passed through an open door into a hall, and the sounds got a little bit louder. His ears twitched and turned, latching onto the sound almost like a few bats he knew. Stifling a groan as he recognized the sounds for what they were, he turned to look over his shoulder. "Not one word...not ONE word," he told the otter.

"Hey, can I help it when they're moaning in a brothel?" Idesin said with a shrug.

"You can help what you say about it."

"Whatever, whatever."

He shook his head, pressing his hand against the wall as they walked on. The sounds of people moaning in the midst of sex got louder and louder, and as he felt a few open doors as they walked along, he realized he could hear the sounds of people coming together, of men and women slamming together. The wet squishing sound that it made got a definite reaction out of him, but he resisted the urge to reach down and adjust himself, no matter how tempting it was. Still, he thought he might remember this place, if it was still standing after they left; there weren't many places that a Wonder could go and remain themselves in the world, particularly if they wanted to have a little fun.

He walked around a corner and ducked as a jet of who knew what shot through the air, splatting on the wall behind him. The wolf's nose was overwhelmed with the smell of sweaty humans...and more than a few hot and eager beasts, for that matter...and he had to rub his hand against his nose to clear it. Even breathing through his mouth didn't lessen it by much, but at least it wasn't sending the pheromones right to his crotch.

Shaking his head, he got to his feet again, walking around the edge of the room until he was back in another hallway. Candles would be really nice, he thought to himself, his hand back on the wall. He carefully avoided any other open doors, and did his best to ignore the sniggering from the otter, something that was getting more and more difficult the longer that they went on. For an otter, he could be one loud giggler, and when one knew that it was directed at them, it was incredibly hard to ignore.

Finally, it felt like they reached the end of the hallway. He reached down, feeling around for the doorknob, and eventually found something round. He squeezed -

"Mmmm, costs a little to touch that, big guy..."

The last time he'd been embarrassed by something sexual, Idesin had jumped him from behind and tried to give a surprise ride. That had been a LONG time ago, and he couldn't remember blushing since. This was no exception, though this WAS the first time that he had been actually surprised. He blinked twice, pulling his hand back after giving her another little feel. "Uh...sorry about that..."

"Mmm, no need to apologize," the throaty, sultry voice said, chuckling. "Come back with a little money...and maybe I'll give you a ride to remember."

"Heh...maybe I'll take you up on that...and maybe you'll be remembering me instead," Studley said with a little chuckle. He could hear her chuckle in return, even as he reached up and opened the door - for real this time - and stepped through. Pausing when he didn't hear the otter following behind, he turned around to look back. "Idesin!"

The otter yanked his hands back from the woman's breasts, whistling innocently in a manner that wouldn't have fooled a child. Studley shook his head in exasperation, but didn't bother saying anything. Instead, he placed his hand on the wall again, and muttered under his breath. Echolocation would be damn nice about now, he thought. Too many more hallways and rooms and he just might give himself it.

Thankfully, the next room they approached had some form of light, enough to trickle through beneath the door. It didn't give them much, but in the otherwise completely dark hallway, it was a beacon of light that rivaled the sun. He followed it to the door, a soft sigh of relief slipping past his lips at the thought of finally getting to talk to someone rather than wandering aimlessly through this darkened home. Maybe they could even tell him why the whole place was so dark; he knew that brothels were meant to be dark, where people could do what they wanted more or less without judgment, but this was getting ridiculous.

Pushing the door open and stepping through in the same moment, Studley swept his eyes across the room. It was surprisingly modest for something belonging to the house Madame, not to mention small for the size of the building. It couldn't have been more than a few paces across, with the silhouette of a bed sticking out from a corner. Through the dim light cast by the candle, he could barely make out a set of curtains over a pair of windows, thick but soft looking as best as he could tell. Surprisingly so, he thought at first, but if this truly was the best brothel in Paris, he supposed they would be able to afford something like that.

In the very center of the room was a desk, about as long as the average human was tall, and covered in maps and quills, one of which was dragged along one of the maps by the person sitting at the desk. Studley's eyes drifted from the papers to her, and blinked as he stared. Idesin's wolf whistle didn't exactly help, but he didn't blame him; she was stunning.

What he could only assume was Madame Cerise was a hyena, a humanoid one like him and Idesin, but unlike some of the people back home that had taken that form, she was as refined as any feline that had spent the day primping and preening itself. She stood a little under his height, but still taller than the otter behind him, and wore a red dress of silk and satin. It flowed over her body in a way that left nothing to the imagination, yet still painted her with an air of slight modesty. Somehow, he felt that it was little more than an illusion; the presence behind this woman was one of power, of knowledge and control. She knew what she had to work with, and she knew how to use it to her best advantage. Even her posture seemed to be putting herself out there, available...if one had what she wanted.

"I see my visitors are no normal travelers," the hyena behind the desk said. She placed the quill she was using into an inkwell, leaning back in her chair and crossing her hands over her lap. "Tell me, what is zee meaning of your arrival? I cannot imagine even someone as strange and unique as zee two of you come here simply to visit my humble abode."

"Uh, yes, we - oof!"

Idesin broke off as Studley elbowed him in the stomach, shaking his head a few times. The wolf stepped forward, looking around as the otter rubbed his stomach, grumbling under his breath. "I am Studley, and my companion is Idesin. We've been chasing after a friend of ours, and we believe that you might have met him, based on your current appearance."

"Ah, zee drawgon," she said, nodding her head. She leaned forward, a small smile on her lips as she laid her chin on her hands. "I remember him. A very interesting man...but of course, I cannot see how zee two of you could be less interesting, hmmm? Not a work of my own, nor a work of his, I imagine; yet, a wolf, and an otter, walking into my little establishment on two legs? Most interesting, most interesting indeed."

"A work of...you mean that you really did do all the changing around here?" Studley asked.

"But of course. I am...how did he say...a Wonder, like I can only imagine you are."

A thump on the floor - probably Idesin's jaw literally hitting the ground - expressed Studley's own reaction better than any words could have. Calling herself a Wonder was surprise enough; having her know that Rannoi was one was bigger still. But the part that stunned him was the fact that she was telling the truth. She had the power, that much was clear; he could feel it, just as he could feel it from the otter behind him.

Wonders were not a common thing, not like the stories of witches and wizards made magic users out to be. It was not a skill that was taught or brought out of a person, but rather something that someone had to discover through their own efforts to change the world. Not everyone could become a Wonder, and not all those that had the potential ever discovered that they had it. The intention to bring change, the drive to do it, and the sheer effort involved in doing something dramatic enough to unlock it prevented most people from ever realizing the power that was inherent in transforming the world around them. To find one while out in the world was almost unheard of, particularly if they hadn't already broken through and become a Wonder. This had to have been recent, had to have been a change that came to her in the last month, perhaps only as much as a few weeks ago.

And most importantly, she had done it on her own. In a place where women were often degraded - not always, but often - and in a place where she likely had more stress and worries than almost anyone else, this hyena had managed to come up with enough drive, enough reason to change things...and then had done it. It was frankly amazing.

"Men often stare at me, but usually at my chest, not my eyes," the hyena said, breaking his chain of thought. "Are you one of zose who believe zee heads of women are empty? I would hope not, just when I was zinking zee Wonders might be more...open...to a woman like moi."

"Of...of course we are," Idesin said, pushing past the wolf. He leaned on the desk, his face a little red. "We just were...well...surprised to see another Wonder here...and such a pretty one, too."

"Mmm, such an eager boy," she said, patting his cheek lightly, candlelight flickering on the red color along the claw-like nails. "But just a boy still." The flaring red on the otter's face only got worse when she looked back at Studley. "Now, I believe we both have questions; I will have a girl bring us some chairs, and we will speak. Question for a question. Is this fair?"

He nodded; it seemed the best that they could really hope for.

It did not take long for the chairs to appear, brought out by two of the girls. One was human, the other a red panda. The latter brought a double take from the wolf, mostly due to the exoticness of her species, while the otter stared hungrily at both of them. Their nudity probably had something to do with that, he thought, but then again, if there wasn't the important matter at hand, he probably would have done the same.

They were supplied with a cup of wine after the chairs were brought in, and they took their seats. Madame Cerise sipped lightly at her drink as she contemplated the two of them, and Studley couldn't help but feel like he was being measured, laid out against some form of yardstick that he couldn't see.

Well, two could play that game, he thought. As he swirled his wine in his goblet, he asked, "During our walk here, I noticed that the streets are far emptier than I have heard Paris to be. Such a city, and yet, so few people to be found. Did they all walk out to join the armies out there? Did they disappear in the twinkling of an eye? Or was there something else that emptied the city before our arrival? Please, Madame, I would love to be enlightened."

She arched an eyebrow, but slowly nodded her head. "Zat is a good place to start, I suppose." She sipped her wine again before putting it down on her desk. "I suppose I was a little quick to make a move after your friend arrived; I had recently transformed, you see, and he was...unknown, you might say. Somezing new, somezing I did not know about. And somezing...I feared.

"I already had changed some trusted people here; I set them outside, to lure this drawgon in, so I might speak with him." She chuckled. "He was...vigorous." Her smile got a little bigger as both the wolf and the otter blinked and smiled with her. "I see you are not strangers to such zings. Good; we will get along very well, very well indeed.

"When he knew what I was, he was surprised. Not so much as you, but surprised. In exchange for lessons, he was able to stay here, and spend his time with my girls, and my boys. Perhaps zat was a mistake, since some followed him away from here; hindsight, no?" Shaking her head, she took another sip before continuing. "But with new ideas, new powers from his lessons, I zought I could do somezing outside the shadows."

"Shadows?" Studley interrupted. "What were you doing from the shadows before?"

"Do you zink that zee men here, zee rulers, zat zey say nozing in bed?" Cerise smiled, curling her lips slightly and putting her teeth on display. "Zee secrets zey speak...zey zink a little whore will do nothing with secrets. And perhaps most wouldn't. But I, my dears, am not most."

He nodded in understanding. "You blackmailed them...you used whatever they said to get leverage over them and make sure that they did what you wanted." The wolf smirked, then sighed. "But you had to know it wasn't going to last."

"Heh, when you OWN more zan half zee people ruling zee city, you would be surprised how long it lasts." Her smiled faded slightly. "But...zen I got a little greedy. With zee new powers he taught me, I zought I could take more direct steps. Step into zee light, show zat a woman can rule as well as a man. Secrets or not, zey did not like zat, and...most people left zee city after I stopped hiding."

An unfortunate truth, Studley could see, and one that he hoped that the humans would eventually grow out of. At least on the island, there was something of gender equality, mostly because there were Wonders of both genders that could wipe the floor with each other. Just thinking of the last time that his gryphon friend got mad sent shivers down his spine, and even though he really didn't like her, Hai Mei on the Council could still send most of the people that physically opposed her flying towards the opposite end of the island if she got really riled up. But out here, out in the human world, they still believed that only men had the right to rule over other people, and if a woman were to step in, she'd be accused of witchcraft, or worse.

Which somewhat explained the armies, he supposed. He opened his mouth to ask about them, but Cerise held up her hand. "Ah ah, you had your question, and now I have mine. The deal, remember?" He nodded. "Good. I knew you were reasonable. Ah, but what to ask, what to ask? Zere are so many questions you being here brings to mind..."

Studley turned to Idesin, ready to elbow him if his friend was staring at the hyena's breasts again. To his relief, it wasn't needed; Idesin was looking right at her face, just like he should have. Worryingly, the otter's eyes had a sense of fire to them, a heat that was all too close to the angry look that he'd had back in Japan. He suppressed a groan; the last thing that he needed was for the otter to suggest taking on an entire army or something. They were supposed to be chasing after Rannoi before he made even bigger messes than the ones they'd already seen.

It didn't help that he felt a bit of the same temptation. This sort of stupidity was just...wrong. He knew that it was there, that it was part of the human culture, but that didn't make it any less wrong. If someone was capable, they should at least have the chance to give governing a try. And if everyone else was stupid enough to give her the secrets that she needed to get that initial opening, he had to believe that she was at least smarter than the other people that had been ruling the city.

"Ah, I think I have it, now." Cerise smiled. "Tell me, when you flew in -"

"How did you know -"

"How else would you get around zee armies?" the hyena asked. "Maybe swim, maybe small, but zee best would have been to fly, out of sight and out of risk. Am I right?" She was, and there wasn't a point denying it, so they nodded. "Good, good. Now, when you flew over them. Did you see trebuchets? Catapults? Anyzing that would throw something far towards us?"

"Hmmm..." The wolf hadn't really been looking for anything of the sort when he'd been flying over the army, so he really had to think about it. There had been a great many men that were marching around, many campfires that gave light to see by. He'd seen row after row of tents, and more than a few horses out there that implied a lot of cavalry, but as for anything resembling the things she described... "I didn't see anything like that. What about you, Idesin?"

"There were some people in the back putting something together when we flew over," the otter said with a small nod. "It looked pretty big, couple of wooden stands that formed a triangle with a longer wooden beam going between them." Studley's eyebrow shot up, and Idesin rolled his eyes. "What, I was paying attention...and it's not every day I see a giant army like that, alright?"

"Zey already have zem built up, hmm?" She shook her head. "I'm glad we are already living dark then."

"So that's the reason behind so little light. You don't want to give them targets." She nodded, and Studley did the same. "You are thinking this through a little more than I expected, I have to say."

"Well, I did make a mistake; I cannot afford to make another one." She shook her head, lifting her wine to her lips and taking another small sip out of it. "I believe it is your turn to ask a question," she said, a note of resignation creeping into her voice.

"Yes...I suppose it is." Studley shook his head, nodding towards the window. "Why are the armies out there? I mean, I can understand how you probably got the leaders of the city pretty pissed off with you, but how did you manage to get people angry enough to get that many people out there?"

She arched an eyebrow, holding up a furred hand, and the wolf sighed. "That simple?"

"Zat simple." Cerise shook her head, leaning back in her chair enough to allow her to cross her legs. "Zee people out zere...zey do not understand how a woman could ever have power. Zey do not understand zee zings zat we can do. Perhaps, if I were male...ah, but what can you do about zat, eh?" She chuckled a bit. "I have made my bed, and I must lay in it. With a most ugly partner, it seems."

"That doesn't really answer my question though; that tells me the how, but what kind of person can put that much on the field at once? Surely there wasn't an army that could be fielded by all of Paris that was that big," the wolf pointed out.

"Who said zat zee army belongs to Paris?" The hyena shook her head. "No no, zat army belongs to someone much bigger, much greater. Zee king of zee Franks sits outside my city, and with him, zee people of the Pope mingle." She sighed, swirling her wine around in her glass. "A pity, zat; zey used to be some of my best customers, before zey believed I was capable of witchcraft. Priests have such dirty little minds, even when zey are not thinking of zee little boys."

"Oooooh crap," Idesin muttered, and Studley echoed him. "You really know how to pick them, don't you?"

She shrugged, and Studley couldn't help but admire the continued acceptance of the situation. This woman had managed to make enemies of the king of the land AND the head of the most powerful rising religion in the world, and she not only didn't bat an eyelash, but didn't have anything to say about it. Not a defense of herself, not an accusation of the world against her, simply an acceptance of it while she tried to figure out how to handle it. He'd almost never seen an attitude like that in anybody that he'd come across.

Which made it all the more important to him that they get her out of this, as well as her people, before the armies outside could close the noose around the city.

"My turn for a question, no?" She took another sip. "Zee armies outside zee city are huge; I cannot count zee numbers of fires zey have, let alone zee number of men. I know zat we cannot fight zem. We would die in zee first hour, no matter what I might do with my powers. I believe I am right to think this." They nodded; it was apt, considering that there had to be thousands of men out there, and she didn't seem to know much about how the power of a Wonder could be used. "My question, gentlemen, is zis. Will YOU help us get out?"

Neither of them answered immediately, turning to look at each other. The look in the otter's eyes made it clear just where he stood on this particular matter, but there was just enough sense there to leave the final decision up to Studley. For the wolf's part, he almost wished that the otter had taken it out of his hands; at least then he was just playing catch-up rather than having to make the decision himself.

Cerise and her people didn't deserve to be attacked like this. Despite the stupidity of showing herself like this, particularly without having the position of strength that another Wonder that was more entrenched or practiced might have, she had managed to handle the situation remarkably well. The fear of witchcraft, honest and pure, as well as the secrets she had kept the armies at bay for the moment. There would be enough witnesses to the changes that she had brought about for it to be doubted, so they wouldn't question it; they'd stay back, worried that they might be the next target of her powers.

Yet, that wasn't going to last forever. The longer that Cerise went without showing her powers to the armies outside the city, the less that fear would work, until it faded away in favor of the sheer numbers that they had to work with. And when that happened, this city would be drowned in blood, mostly the blood of the people that still stayed under the hyena's rule.

And...he realized that he couldn't let that happen.

"A moment, if we may," Studley said. The hyena nodded, and he pulled the otter out of his chair, moving back to the edge of the room, just out of earshot of the hyena. He looked the otter in the eye. "How long do you think it would take to actually deal with all of the things outside the city, to make sure that they'll stay away long enough for her to get away?"

"Just me, or both of us?" Idesin asked.

"Both."

The otter thought about it for a second. "I'd be a lot slower than you, I have to admit. I'm not going to hurt anyone that I don't have to, and there's going to be at least a few people out there that aren't going to be scared off by anything short of blood. But if I can get creative enough -"

"I'm definitely not going to stop you there."

"-Then I'd say it'd take something like three days, maybe four." Idesin shrugged his shoulders. "The weird takes longer than the deadly, but with humans, they aren't going to stick around when the weird breaks them. Deadly, they can find a bit of spine and try and survive. The weird...well, as soon as they get scared enough, and know they can't fight it, then they are going to run. And they are going to run for a very long, long time, particularly if they think they're going to be chased all the way home."

Studley nodded his head. Three days...they couldn't afford that. If Rannoi was getting some sort of big project set up - and it was Rannoi, so he figured that it was a safe bet that he was - then they couldn't afford to get too far behind him. They were already a week or so back, and that was bad enough. "And if I were helping you?"

"We could probably get them cleared out of here in two days or less." Idesin paused. "Wait...are we talking normal you, or werewolf you?"

"I think it's time to pull out all the stops."

"Then if we started now, then we could probably leave by tomorrow morning." The otter shuddered. "Just...stick to the side of the city I'm not on, if you're going to do that? It's a little...extreme when you go that far."

Better than argument of whether he should do it or not. The otter must really be eager to punish these armies, if he wasn't bringing that up; usually he was all too ready to argue against excessive force against normal people. Then again, when the otter's anger was really roused, he could be more terrifying than anything most people could conceive of. It took a great deal to push him that far, but when it did...Studley shook his head, dismissing the disturbing images before they could fully form, and turned back to the hyena. "We've talked about it. We'll drive back part of the armies so you and yours can make a run for it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Just zee two of you?" Cerise asked. "You need no help?"

"They'd just get in the way," Idesin growled.

The hyena's eyebrow didn't go down, but her lips turned up. A nearly feral smile split her muzzle in half, and she pressed her fingertips together as she let out her own growl. "Mmmm, zis promises to be most interesting indeed..." Cerise said. "A wonder...no, TWO Wonders...doing zis little favor for moi...I could get used to zis."

Studley stood at the edge of the southern edge of Paris, having left Idesin to take the northern half. He stared out at the campfires that stretched across the land, shaking his head at the encampment. "Sloppy; even the sack of Rome was better organized than this," the wolf muttered under his breath. "Well...let's get this party started."

Kneeling down, Studley reached down into the power inside. The golden light flowed out of his fur, spreading in a layer over his body. It pushed down on his fur, and pushed out from under his skin, an immense pressure squeezing his fur and skin into a denser and denser layer. It stung slightly, but not much, particularly as the nerves deadened slightly in the process.

The process was rapid, his blood rushing through him faster and faster as his heartbeat sped up, his breath blowing drool and mist into the air as he...grew. The light dragged the form of the werewolf out of him, pulling it to the surface once more. His arms bulged, muscles spreading down his shoulders and thickening up, corded masses feeling like bricks under his hardened skin and fur. His chest followed suit, barreling outwards, the plates of muscles holding up his growing form as it continued to change.

His muzzle pushed out further, and he growled at the feeling of his teeth sharpening inside, the points of which pricked against his tongue before he pulled it out of the way. Snarls and growls slipped from his mouth as he fell to his hands and knees, panting as his body shifted. Gone was the civilized wolf, replaced by the growling predator. Two feet taller, and so much stronger, the werewolf was a form that he almost never used unless he was expecting to fight for his life...or have a fight that he couldn't afford to lose. Tonight was the latter.

It was hard to pull himself upright again and not charge immediately into the encampment, but he knew that he needed to be smart about this. Hardened skin or not, this was going to be a fight, and he needed to do it right if he was going to get out of there without losing too much blood in the process. His own, the enemy's, it didn't matter, but he needed to do this right the first time. They didn't have time to try a second time.

The horses, he thought, looking towards the edge of the camp, where the beasts were tied to a collection of posts. That would be the place to start. Hamstring the speed, move at will. Feed if needed. Plan made.

The wolf moved off in silence, only a soft growl now and then to be heard as it padded off towards its destination.

Idesin shook his head as he looked over the army, floating above them. Hot irons in the blacksmith tents, camp followers moving between the soldiers and getting their business for the night, camp cooks passing out the last of the dinner; all of it reminded him that they were people, people just like those in the city. Not demons, not monsters, but people, like him.

It made what he was going to do all the harder.

Releasing some of the air that held him aloft, he descended at the back of the camp, landing without a sound behind one of the tents. He hurried to the cloth, lifting the back slightly and wriggling under it. The inside was dark, but the snores of sleep told him it was occupied. Slowly, the otter crept in, lowering the back of the tent behind him, and tip-toeing around the place. His tail he held against his chest, just to make sure that it didn't bump into anything and wake someone up, and with his free hand he felt his way around.

It didn't take long to figure out that it was an officer's tent; the desk in front of him was cluttered with papers, and he could feel a few quills and pieces of wax scattered around as well. The fact that there was only a single cot in the tent reinforced that opinion. The other snores were coming from a woman in bed with the officer, and the otter shook his head a bit at the sight. Not out of distaste, but just because he knew that their peace was going to be broken pretty shortly.

Poking his head out of the front of the tent, Idesin counted heads. At least a few dozen people were still awake and wandering around - probably 'patrolling' the camp, if they could call that weird walk patrolling - and that would be enough for what he had planned. The otter pulled back, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he whispered, drawing on the light of a Wonder, and setting himself to work.

Blood burned in the werewolf as he ripped through tent after tent, growls on his breath as man shredded as quickly as cloth on his claws. The horses were long gone, and the men were following in their tracks as he ripped through the camp.

It was almost too easy. Most of the humans ran as soon as they got the slightest glimpse of him, and what few stood to fight were not good enough to do any harm. Their blades scraped against his hardened fur and skin, a hideous screech filling the air as they blunted their weapons on him. The wolf would snarl and growl in eagerness for the fight, a fight that ended all too quickly when his claws ripped through the unarmored soldiers, leaving their blood spilling against the ground.

He ran through the camp with impunity, stopping every now and then to howl, to wake those that did not yet know he was there. Studley could only go along for the ride; the werewolf allowed for little control, not when so much blood was spilled and the bloodlust was upon it. Not that he truly wished to do much. The bigots, the idiots, the ones that would refuse to accept change...it was all he could do to hold back the werewolf from killing anyone in reach instead of just the ones that posed a slight threat.

Clanking metal brought the wolf's head to the side, armored men rushing him from the side. Great broadswords lifted and fell, and for the first time, he felt pain as the edges cut into his shoulders. Not much, not enough to really wound him, but enough to allow for a little blood to spill.

The knights cheered the wounds, a cheer that barely lasted for a few seconds before it was silenced, replaced by staring eyes as bright, multi-colored light sealed the wounds shut again. The werewolf's lips turned up in a toothy, bloody grin, and its arms spread out wide, the sharp claws on the ends of its fingers glittering with blood in the moonlight.

"For God and King!" one knight shouted, springing ahead of his fellows. His sword flashed as he swung it at the wolf's neck, managing to sheer a little fur off, a little skin before the werewolf ducked. Sharp claws raked over the metal breastplate that the knight wore, but didn't break it, and both spun off and glared at each other. The knight shouted again, and charged towards the werewolf, sword above his head. The other knights were recovering their courage, slowly stepping forward to follow behind.

They stopped as the wolf brought his paw forward, punching the knight in the stomach. The sheer force of the blow dented the armor, and the second shattered it, breaking through the metal and sending the knight flying back a few paces. Around the hole, the metal had been shoved in, broken into pointed pieces, and the warrior's stomach was shredded open, blood pouring out of his gut as he hit the ground screaming.

The knights paused again, staring with fear in their eyes at the wolf. It stared back with that same grin, the bleeding cuts on its paw healing up with that same light as it began advancing on them.

They ran, and the wolf pursued, the hunt begun.

Idesin watched from his hiding place in another tent as the men ran around in panic, fleeing the flying tables and fiery torches that he'd animated. "Give something inanimate free will, movement, and memory..." the otter muttered under his breath. Most things did not like how they were treated by those that owned them; lack of care, ill-use, and so many other things amounted to a great deal of anger among people, and when given that same will and memory, it appeared that normally inanimate things reacted similarly.

They could not, would not kill, but he didn't put any limits on the hurting of people. A large table bowled over a trio of soldiers, and others ran away from a pair of torches that continued burning the asses of anyone that they could get close to. Even the saddles had risen off of some of the horses, ramming pieces of themselves against anyone that they could find.

The commander had it worst, though; his maps, his codes, everything had re-written themselves, changing so that he couldn't use them anymore. His tent itself had wrapped around him like a snake, squeezing him and driving the breath from his lungs every few minutes. He was trapped, unable to do anything but watch his encampment getting ripped apart around him.

Still, Idesin had made a few conditions for the things he brought to life, to the things he had transformed. They were not to hurt the women, not the camp followers or those that were not soldiers. It hadn't needed all that much work to tell them that, and convince them; after all, he'd only woken up the things that belonged to soldiers, rather than those that belonged to other people. With that done, he was pretty sure that the innocents wouldn't get hurt much, if at all.

He'd even taken the precaution of bringing some of the camp followers he'd found into this tent with him. They were still asleep, of course, but he wanted to make sure that they were out of harm's way. Accidents could always happen, and he wasn't going to stand by if he could prevent them.

He turned away from the camp, looking at them. They were all nude, all pretty. Two were white, and one was darker skinned. She had black hair, and the other two had blonde and red. Other than that, they were fairly similar looking, at least in build and height. Despite their similarity - or perhaps because of it - Idesin couldn't take his eyes off of them. A small temptation started to build, and he couldn't deny how much it appealed to him.

"Well...this is going to keep going for a while..." He slowly pulled off his clothes, snapping his fingers with a spark of light. "Wake up, girls. Let's have a bit of fun."

They blinked one and all, and stared at him with wide eyes. It wasn't the look of a person who was seeing something impossible, but something that they never expected to see again. City folk, he realized; people that had either fled or been taken along when things had changed. They knew what someone like him was like, and they looked...happy? Relieved? Some mixture of the two, definitely.

The human girls hurried to him, leaning against him and holding him. "Thank...thank you," one of them whispered. "They...they brought us with them...when they left the city, and we couldn't leave."

"We wanted to, we wanted to go back to Madame Cerise, but they wouldn't let us," another said, leaning against his shoulder.

"But now...what's going on?" the third asked, from down by his leg. "What's going on here?"

"Well, the camp here is going crazy, the tables are chasing the soldiers, torches are burning their privates, and they're generally getting one hell of a terrible night," Idesin explained.

"Why not the officers?"

"Oh, EVERYONE'S privates are getting burned." He chuckled, and so did they, giggling to each other at the thought. He didn't blame them; considering what they had probably gone through, he could only imagine how much they had contemplated revenge on some people. "Anyway, we're going to be here for a while...what say we find some way to pass the time?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something," one girl, the redhead, said with a smile, grabbing by the otter by the tail and pulling him into the shadows at the back of the tent...

By the time morning came, the armies had completely collapsed. Either laying dead where they fell, or fleeing with all haste across the countryside, the men of the armies had completely abandoned all thought of staying near Paris. Studley and Idesin both had used different methods, but neither could deny the effectiveness of the other.

Before going back to the city, Studley took a swim through the river, washing off what was left behind after the night of fighting. He felt surprisingly undrained, despite healing himself more than a dozen times through the fighting; perhaps there was something about fighting in his were form that simply allowed more energy, or maybe he was still finding the limits of his abilities. Either way, it was something that he would need to remember for the future.

They were welcomed into the city like heroes, with both human and transformed waving at them and cheering as they walked down the streets. Some of the girls that got away during the chaos - and some men - as well as some of the soldiers were there in the city too, having decided to come back while they could. They were confused looking, but they weren't angry, weren't hateful. Truthfully, that seemed all that they could ask for, and then some, particularly from people that had been considered the enemy only a few hours ago.

The brothel was still standing, but brighter lit when they got to it, and Madame Cerise stood at the front door to greet them. She smiled, giving both of them a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Zee both of you have saved me, and my city. It is a pity we cannot stay, but I am no fool; zey will be back, eventually, and you cannot stay to protect us. So, we will leave, and find a place zat will accept us."

"I suggest heading east for that," Studley said. "If you can, make your way to the eastern coast of China. You know where that is?" She arched an eyebrow. "Not a woman thing, not everyone does, Madame. Anyway, go there, and look around in some of the villages for a fisherman named Bo Chao. He'll be able to take you somewhere safe, particularly if you mention my name."

"And what is your name?" she asked.

"Studley."

"I asked your name, not what you are," she said with a small chuckle. "But fine; I shall do zis. Is zere any way zat I can show you my gratitude?"

The wolf smiled, reaching out and grabbing her by the shoulder, pulling her in close. "Mmm, I think I know a few ways..." he whispered. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips before she could say anything else, while the otter groaned behind him, muttering something about that being 'what I'm supposed to do'. He ignored him, gently pulling the chuckling Cerise into the brothel with him.

Oh, the council was going to throw a FIT with these people, but it was going to be so worth it to have them on the island.