{"sf1_id":802471,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Secrets from the Pitt","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":4605,"posted_at":"2015-01-01T16:45:00.000Z","tags":["Discovery","FAMILY","Feral","Fingering","Human","Plot Development","Story Progression","Transformation","Werewolf","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/802471-secrets-from-the-pitt","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/802471","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=802471\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#79 of The Moonrise Chronicles\n\nA little longer than normal, but I felt it should all go together. Also, first story for me of 2015.","content":"                \"It'll\ntake us somewhere between thirteen and fourteen hours if we keep the stops to a\nminimum.\"\n                Billy\nwas looking at an old worn map printed sometime in the nineteen seventies. \"I\nagree. But the Rover is a thirsty girl, so I think you'll need to gas it up at\nleast twice before we get there.\"\n                 Verona was sitting there at the table, feeling\nquite petulant. \"Why does Alexei have to go?\"\n                No one\nknew the reason for the trip except for the two Russians, Edward and Maggie. It\nwas known of course who the Russians were, but any link between them and Maggie\nhad not been part of any of the discussions. One must recall that the\nconnection had been made by accident while in Rome. Edward had felt that the\nmatter had best be kept obfuscated until Anna had been broached and informed of\ndevelopments beyond her ability to know. He felt a grandmother such as her had\nto have a grave reason to abandon her only family in a time of need.\n                \"Because\nI need him and Maria for this little excursion, that's why. And don't ask me\nagain what it's all about. Even I'm not sure if this will be a wild goose chase\nor not.\"\n                She\ncontinued to sulk until Alexei took her hand and held it to his lips. \"Trust us\nwhen we say it will be best if this is handled as he suggests. I hate keeping\nsecrets from such a wonderful krasavitsa as you, but when we return, you shall\nknow all.\"\n                Her\ncheeks turned red. \"If you say so. But you only just got your senses back. Are\nyou sure you'll be alright?\"\n                He\nturned to Edward, who nodded. \"Yes, I think so. I will miss you greatly, but I\nhave lived long enough to know that when duty calls, it must be answered.\"\n                \"Hmph!\nJust make your return speedy and maybe I'll forgive you. Some men like to\ndesert me for months at a time.\"\n                \"And if\nhe had not, we would never have had the chance to meet, now would we?\"\n                Maggie\nrolled her eyes. Her great uncle was quite the smoothie!\n                \"No, I\nsuppose not.\" She tried hard to glare at Edward, but her stance had softened.\n\"Listen you, keep him safe. I've grown rather fond of him.\"\n                Edward\nbowed. \"Indeed I shall, for much is riding on his presence.\"\n                \"Don't\nget cocky with me! I mean it!\"\n                \"And so\ndo I.\"\n                They\npacked the Rover and headed out. The trip was fairly boring. Long stretches of\nhighway ran by unending fields and through the occasional town. Chicago was a\nchange of scenery and the Russians both absorbed as much of its tall buildings and\nhuddled neighborhoods as they could. Billy was riding with them and with\nEdward's ring on, he was able to carry on a conversation with Maria, who was\ndelighted in his own batch of stories.\n                It was\nhours later, as they rode the turnpike through Ohio, that Maggie startled them\nall. \"Look!\"\n                By the\ntime anyone could see where she was pointing, they had gone by it. \"What was it\nMags?\"\n                \"A\nsign! A sign for Fangboner Road!\"\n                Billy\nstarted laughing. \"Yeah, that's funny one. I've passed it at least a hundred\ntimes over the years. I still crack up when I see it.\"\n                Edward\nnodded. \"You mentioned that before. What of it?\"\n                She\ngrowled out her answer. \"No, you mentioned it when you were out of it, back\nwhen we first found Maria. What the hell does it mean?\"\n                He\nshrugged. \"I haven't a clue, but if I ever do figure it out, at least we know\nwhere to find it.\"\n                She was\nready with a retort, but decided to drop the matter. Either he really didn't\nremember, or he was being coy. Either way she wasn't likely to get an answer.\nShe let the matter go, but she stored it in her memory. There was something\nimportant about that road and she was going to find out what it was.\n                Pennsylvania\nwas a change from the flatness of the previous state. By the time they got into\nPittsburgh, it was late. Rooms had been reserved at the Omni William Penn\nHotel, and they were shown to the suites immediately. They had three bedrooms;\none for Maggie and Edward, one for Billy, and one for Maria and Alexei. It\nseemed the best way of dividing it up.\n                In the\nmorning, Edward called for room service, adding to the food list a few other\nitems. The voice on the other end of the line went silent for a moment, and\nthen assured him that all would be procured.\n                He went\nout to the main sitting room to await breakfast. Maggie padded behind him.\n\"This place is a little noisier than I expected, especially considering the\nprice they charge for these rooms.\"\n                He sat\ndown on the couch and pulled her onto his lap. \"Don't blame the hotel.\"\n                \"What?\nWhy not?\"\n                Just\nthen Alexei came out, cutting quite the dashing figure in his hotel-provided\nrobe. \"Good morning everyone!\"\n                \"Good\nmorning uncle. Did you sleep well?\"\n                \"I had\nthe most excellent sleep imaginable.\"\n                \"Where\nis Aunt Maria?\"\n                He made\na face. It was obvious he was containing his amusement. \"Really child? How\nunaware are you?\"\n                \"Unaware\nof what?\" She stared at Edward.\n                \"Why\nare you looking at me?\"\n                \"What's\ngoing on father?\"\n                He\npoked her in the ribs. \"I'm not in charge of everyone's lives you know, not\nthat I ever want to be.\"\n                She\nstill was failing to catch on. He pushed her off of his lap. \"Follow me.\"\n                They\nwalked over to Billy's room and cracked the door. Inside, on the bed, was not\none shape, but two under the sheets. Maggie sucked in a breath and nearly\nstarted giggling. Edward pulled it shut and quietly walked back and sat down.\n                \"Oh my\ngod!\" Maggie's voice was shrill with incredulity. \n                \"Old\nain;t dead kid. Your great aunt still has some great curves under her dress.\nBilly noticed too. I can't say they'll have anything permanent, but for now I think\nit does them both good. She needs to learn to socialize and he needs the\ncompany.\"\n                Maggie\nstarted tittering, which eventually turned into full-blown, hysterical\nlaughter. She was rolling on the carpet, clutching her sides. When she finally\nwas able to contain herself, Billy and Maria were standing over her. She\nsobered up fast.\n                \"Good\nmorning you two.\"\n                Billy\ngave her his best evil eye. \"And what do you find to be so funny?\"\n                \"Vy\ndvoye zanimalis' seksom proshloy noch'yu!\"\n                Billy\nscratched his head. The reason for his inability to comprehend was clear. He\nhad taken the ring off and set it on the night stand. But Maria understood it\nperfectly. She also managed to say what she had to say in English.\n                \"This,\ncoming from you? I am old enough to do as I please!\"\n                Billy\nturned red. \"Uhhhhhh.\"\n                That's\nwhen Edward stepped in. \"No one cares. I for one think it's great. But we still\nneed to eat, and then change into our respective costumes.\"\n                While\nthey devoured the food set before them, Edward went over every possible piece\nof minutia in his head, trying to make certain this worked out for the best.\nMaggie's grandmother seemed to be hiding something, which even his abilities\nwere unable to fathom. All he knew was that he was going to have to tread very\nlightly. And Maggie couldn't show herself at all, not until he knew it was\nsafe.\n                Alexei\nhad an old fashioned style pair of glasses, with no strength to them, and an\nold hat they got from a second hand store back in Wisconsin. He had on a simple\nwhite shirt, a slightly worn tweed jacket, and brown pants. \"I hardly look\nregal in this you know.\"\n                \"Which\nis the point. I don't want her to recognize your face right away. She might\nnot, but you look an awful lot like your father.\"\n                \"I do,\ndon't I?' he agreed, happy with the comparison.\n                \"Yes,\nso that will play into our hand later. Now Maggie, you'll have to wear this,\nand I don't want any complaints about it. And no breaking formation until I say\nso, do you understand?\"\n                She\ndidn't say a word. All she did was scratch at an itch and wag her tail.\n                \"Good,\"\nhe said as he snapped on her collar.\n                They went\nto a park he knew she frequented, and the two men set up a game of chess. Maria\nwas off to one side, sitting on a bench reading a novel.  Maggie was sitting on the ground, her head\nresting on her paws. She felt this was an indignity, but she went so far as to\ntrust him that he knew what he was doing.\n                The men\ndidn't act like they were playing, they actually played a game. Alexei started,\nand Edward followed. Both men figured they might as well spend the time doing\nsomething other than just sitting there. Maggie sort of wished someone had\nbrought a Frisbee with them. She would have run off to play with the other\ndogs, but most of the humans were giving her a wide berth. She could only guess\nwhat a bunch of pampered pets would do upon seeing her.\n                It was\nnearly an hour later that Maggie's nose caught a faded but familiar scent. She\nlooked up at the various people strolling through the park.  She pinpointed it down to an old woman\nwearing a scarf over her head, and walking with an elaborate black cane. Her wagging\ntail thumped Edward's leg. He looked up briefly before returning his attention\nto the game.\n                \"I see\nher.\"\n                Alexei\nlooked up for just a second before sinking his interest back into the game.\n\"She looks old, even more than Maria. I feel like time has left me behind.\"\n                \"Don't\ncomplain. It may come to do some good in all this.\"\n                They\nignored her, but she saw them and their game and was drawn in. She said nothing\nfor a while, and they said nothing to her. She sized them up, and incorrectly\nassumed that Edward was from her native country. His clothing was a little\ntight in the chest, but it was some of Alexei's that had been custom made for\nhim. A new overcoat and an old Soviet pin attached to his lapel gave the subtle\nhint that he might very well hail from Russia.\n                He was\nabout to make a move when he heard her voice for the first time. \"Did you start\nyou're game with the Queen's Defense?\"\n                He\nlooked up and smiled, speaking with an accent indistinguishable from the real\nthing. \"No. That would have been a foolish move against a skilled opponent.\"\n                She\nlooked from him to his challenger and jerked back for a moment. Alexei remained\ncalm and said nothing.\n                She\nblinked, mumbled something and then went back to examining the chess board. \"I\nsee. Well, I'm sorry for intruding. I'll leave you to your game.\"\n                \"No,\nno, please stay! I can tell from your voice that you are from my country. We\nexpatriates must stick together.\"\n                She saw\nthe dog and backed up. \"Is that a wolf?\"\n                The dog's\nhead whipped up. It was all it could do to not wag its tail.\n                \"Oh, do\nyou mean Masyanya? Yes, she is. I fell in love her not long after I first met\nher.\"\n                \"Masyanya?\"\n                \"Yes,\nthat's what I call her. She's a wonderful companion. Would you like to pet\nher?\"\n                The\nwoman seemed hesitant. She finally stretched out her hand for the dog to sniff.\nMaggie remembered that smell all too well, and as the emotions flooded into\nher, her tail went into overtime. She licked the hand and put her head down to\nbe petted. The woman smiled and dug her fingers into the thick fur. She looked\nup.\n                \"She's\nvery friendly. I didn't expect that in such an animal.\"\n                \"Yes\nshe is. She was abandoned as a pup and I took her in. But what of you? Has it\nbeen long that you have lived here?\"\n                She\nmade a pained face. \"Longer than I care to claim. But I am fairly new to this\ncity.\"\n                He\npulled out a bottle of vodka. \"Perhaps you will share of glass with us?\"\n                She\nlooked around worriedly. \"Not here. Don't you know that drinking in public is\nagainst the law?\"\n                He made\na noncommittal motion with his hands. \"Da, eto primitivnaya strana.\"\n                Her\neyes lit up. \"It's not that primitive. I barely got here with my skin intact.\nThat says something about my dear Russia.\"\n                \"Ahh.\nYou must have left during the rule of Stalin.\"\n                She\npaused for a moment. \"You look too young to remember him.\"\n                \"Everyone\nremembers him. But Russia is different now.\"\n                She sat\ndown in an open chair. \"So the news has said. But it will never be the way it\nwas before the communists took over.\"\n                He\nmoved his knight and looked at her. \"Now that\nis a long time ago. The old rulers left more behind to enjoy than the\ncommunists ever did.\"\n                Her\neyes lit up. \"Yes, I think so too. It would be wonderful to return some day and\nsee the old sights.\"\n                Alexei\nmoved his chess piece and coughed. Edward looked at the board and made an\nimpulse move. He looked back to the woman. \"I was just in St Petersburg. I had\nsome business in the area, and I was able to spend a little time in town. Very\nbeautiful.\"\n                Her\neyes got that dreamy look. \"Yes, St Petersburg was always my favorite.\"\n                Alexei\nwas hardly containing himself. He barely recognized her for the effects of the\npassing years, but he saw through all that to the fact that she was still the\nsame girl he remembered from so many years ago.  He said nothing, merely made another chess\nmove and waited.\n                \"I take\nit you haven't been back in a long time.\" He made a counter move to Alexei's.\n                She\nrubbed her hands together. \"No, I haven't. I have no reason to go back.\nEverything that I ever had there is gone. Then again, I have so little here now\ntoo.\"\n                \"Check.\"\nThis was Edward's slightly belated warning to his opponent. To the woman he\nsaid, \"That is so sad. Everyone needs something in their life. Perhaps you know\na better place to enjoy this bit of the homeland?\"\n                She\nlooked nervous. \"I suppose we could go to my home. I do not often have guests.\"\n                Edward\npulled some shot glasses from his pocket. \"We can drink here then. There is\nnothing worse than drinking with friends if they are not comfortable doing it.\"\nHe poured some into a glass and handed it to her. \"Vot dlya vashego zdorov'ya!\"\n                She\nnodded to him and downed it. \"I thank you my friend. You have reminded me of\nhappier days.\"\n                \"Da?\nThen we must do this again some time.\"\n                Alexei\nwas still keeping his words to a minimum. \"Check.\"\n                \"Check?\nWhy so it is. Then I will concede the game.\"\n                \"No,no,\"\nshe cried. \"Never give up until you have no more moves!\"\n                \"But I\nam done. What more can I do to win? Don't you think I should just give up?\"\n                \"No!\nYou should never give up, not while there is still hope of succeeding!\"\n                Edward\nstuck his hand into his pocket and fished around for a moment. He pulled\nsomething out and set it on the king. When he pulled his hand away, there was a\nshiny metal band setting on it. He poured some more vodka and handed it to her.\nShe took the glass without thinking, but a moment later it hit the ground,\nunbroken but landing on its side. The fluid soaked into the dirt.\n                \"Where\ndid you get that?\"\n                He\npicked it up. \"This? From my grandparents.\"\n                Hope\nsprung to life in her eyes. \"Then you know what it is, don't you?\"\n                \"I do.\"\n                \"And\nyou know who I am?\"\n                \"Maybe.\nAre you still interested in drinking out here?\"\n                She\nstood. \"No, not here. Follow me.\"\n                \"May my\nfriend come? He also has a sister here, patiently waiting for him to finish his\ngame.\"\n                \"Yes,\nfine, come.\" She turned and walked away without looking back.\n                She stepped\nalong with a hurried pace. She dodged the kids on skateboards and the couples\nwho were walking at a more leisurely pace, her cane tapping the concrete with\nan ever increasing regularity. Maggie led the way behind her, that fury tail\nwagging so fast it was a mere blur of motion. She was tugging on the leash with\nall her might. Alexei and Maria followed up the rear. The excitement was almost\ntoo much for them.\n                The\nhouse proved to be nothing special; a small, two story bungalow that was\nprobably built back in the nineteen twenties. It was clean and neat, but it\nalso had bars on the windows and doors. Some might call it a wise precaution in\na bigger city. But there had to be something more to it than that. She was\nprotecting something she considered valuable.\n                She\nunlocked the door and hurried them inside. With a brief glance up and down the\nstreet, she slammed the door and locked it behind her. \n                \"Would\nyou like some tea?\"\n                \"No\nthanks, none for me. I have my vodka. But I can't speak for my friends.\"\n                \"Oh\nyes, your friends.\"  She turned to look\nat the woman for the first time. Her eyes narrowed. \"I'm sorry , have we met\nbefore?\"\n                Maria\nwasn't certain how to answer that question. \"Maybe. Have you ever been to the\nHermitage?\"\n                The\nwoman turned, her hand shaking. \"Yes, but not as it is today. Forget that I\nasked that question. I doubt you even live around here.\"\n                Edward\nheld out the ring. \"I take it that you have some great use for this Anna?\"\n                She\nturned, fire in her eyes. \"Who are you to taunt me with my own name? I have\nnothing to give you that can even come close to the value I place on that\nring.\"\n                \"But\nyou have one yourself, don't you?\"\n                She suddenly\npulled a hidden blade from the confines of her cane. The tip was wavering\nmenacingly at his throat. \"You seem to know more about my life than anyone\nshould.\"\n                He\nleaned into the point until a drop of blood ran down his neck. \"Answer the\nquestion.\"\n                She\npointed to a semi-cluttered curio shelf. It held a display of obvious\nreproduction Faberge eggs. There was one in the collection that didn't fit. He\nstepped back away from the blade and over to the cabinet, pulling out the odd one.\nHer cry was immediate.\n                \"How\ndid you know?\"\n                \"How\ndid I know this one is real and not a fake? Because this one is the Royal\nDanish, commissioned and then delivered in 1903. It's been missing for a very\nlong time. Or should I say, it's been out of sight for a very long time.\"\n                Another\nvoice cried out, \"That was the one made for grandmother!\"\n                Anna\nglared at the other woman. A sudden realization seized her. She glanced again\nat the man; not this audacious, nosy, interfering stranger, but at the man who had\nbeen playing chess with him. She was struck by an overwhelming sense that she\nshould know them.\n                \"Your\ngrandmother?\" she asked shrilly.\n                \"Yes,\nMaria Feodorovna. I'm named after her.\"\n                \"That\ncannot be. She was my grandmother! We cannot have the same...\" She fell to the\nfloor, the color draining from her face. \"Maria?\"\n                \"Anna!\"\n                Alexei\nlooked to Edward for permission to speak. He got it. \"Hello sister.\"\n                She\nturned, her mind in a fog. \"Sister? Who calls me sister? Not my little brother?\nYou aren't old enough!\"\n                Maggie's\nwas sitting there whining. Edward petted her head. \"Not yet. Any more surprises\nright now and she'll have a heart attack.\"\n                The\nthree siblings met in a clash on the floor, tears of joy streaming down their\nfaces. Edward sat down and patted his leg. Maggie jumped up on the couch and\ndraped herself over his lap. She watched the reunion with mixed emotions. She\nwas glad everyone was together now, but the hurt was even greater now when she\nwondered why her grandmother had abandoned her.\n                Edward\nwas petting her head, but knowing her so well, his other hand slid under her\ntail and slipped inside her warm hole. She leaned back against him as his\nfingers did their magic. It ended up a very pleasant fifteen minutes, and when\nthe group had cried themselves out, they turned to the man on the couch. Maggie\nsighed as his fingers left. It had been a very nice distraction.\n                Anna\nwas on her feet. \"Who are you?\"\n                \"I won't\nsay just yet. Please forgive me for that, but understand that I mean you\nabsolutely no harm.\"\n                \"I\nbelieve you. But- but how did you find my family? How did you find me?\"  \n                \"That will\ntake some time to make clear. This is not that time.\" He extended his hand. \"You\nneed this, don't you?\"\n                She held\nthe ring in the palm of her hand. \"This is not our family's ring.\" She handed\nit back.\n                \"Like I\nsaid, it's mine. But Maria has one.\"\n                Her sister\nheld up her hand. The ring sat securely on her finger. \n                \"That\nring is not ours either. It came to father through dark ways and secret meetings.\"\n                Maria nodded.\n\"I know that story. But why don't you wear the one that you have?\"\n                She retrieved\nthe Faberge egg. She set it down on the coffee table. \"If you can figure out\nhow to open it, then you will forever be in my debt.\"\n                Edward\npicked up the elaborate piece of art and turned it in his hand. It was quite showy\nin the way all of these eggs were. But this one seemed just a little different\nfrom the rest, though he was by no means an expert on them. But a quick online\nsearch had given him the basic knowledge of them. \n                \"Did\nyou father ever mention this egg as being a mistake?\"\n                All\nthree siblings nodded. \"Not those exact words, but yes, something to that\neffect.\"\n                \"Did\nyou know it was made to house the ring?\"\n                \"Yes.\nHe felt that the ring was worth more than the egg, and therefore would be safe\nwithin something which had more beauty than its contents. No one would think to\nlook inside.\"\n                \"Only?\"\n                Maria ran\nher finger over the egg. \"I did not think to see this again.\" She lingered over\nit for a moment. \"I'm sorry;  your\nquestion. Yes, Faberge made it so that the egg could only be opened with a\nring.\"\n                Edward\nsuppressed a smile. \"And so the ring was placed inside and the egg closed. That's\nlike locking your keys in your car.\"\n                Anna\nnodded. \"Yes it is. To get the ring, we needed a ring. Father was quite angry\nover that. The ring wasn't lost, but the egg would have to have been destroyed\nto retrieve it.\"\n                Edward\nlooked properly sympathetic. \"And the other ring was procured too late?\"\n                \"Yes.\nGregori had it. He was the go-between for father and the family it was\npurchased from. Many tried to kill him for it, and you know how that ultimately\nworked out.\"\n                \"Actually\nno. I know the stories, but not what ultimately happened to him.\"\n                \"Oh.\nThey tried to kill him in many ways and of course he could not die by their\nmundane methods. He was impervious to their simple schemes. The fools did not\nknow with whom they were dealing.\"\n                \"But he\nis dead, isn't he?\"\n                \"He did\nfinally die. We all do.\"\n                Anna\nreached out and took the egg from Edward. \"Finally I can get this open. May I\nhave your ring, either of you?\"\n                \"I\noffered mine first, so here, take it.\" \n                She\ntook the ring and set it over the top of the little elephant adorning the top.\nNothing happened. Her look wetn from relief to alarm.\n                \"Why didn't\nit open?\"\n                Edward\nleaned over and with the slightest of smiles said, \"Because to open your car\ndoor, you still need to turn the key in the lock. He twisted the elephant a\nfull one hundred and eighty degrees. There was a click. The top separated.\n                Anna\nfinished opening it. Her cry was almost pitiful to hear. She pulled the ring out\nwith trembling hands. \"You are late, but maybe you will still have some use to\nyou after all.\"\n                She\nhanded Edward's ring back. \"Thank you young man. I don't think I can ever thank\nyou enough. I lost my family, and you have returned some of them to me. I will\nnever be able to tell you how much this means to me.\"\n                \"Sure\nyou can. Why do you desire the ring so badly? It cannot be just for yourself.\"\n                Her face\nwas flowing with tears. \"I have a secret which is almost too much to bear. It\nhas nothing to do with you, and yet I feel that I might speak of it to you.\"\n                \"I mean\nyou only the best, but if this is something that is none of my business, then I\nwill tell you to not divulge it to me.\"\n                \"No, I\nthink I must. I think that you are Gregori reincarnated. Only he could do as\nyou do. Follow me.\"\n                Maggie got\ndown, wagging her tail. Edward looked down and shook his head, indicating that\nshe was to remain as she was. The other two followed as well. They had no idea\nwhat they were heading for. Even Edward had not seen what it was the woman was hiding;\nonly that it was something of greater value to her than a multi-million dollar,\nbejeweled egg.\n                They\ncame to a bedroom. It was clean and well lit, though even here there were bars\non the windows. Against the wall was a bed, and in the bed was a person. That\nperson had beautiful flowing hair that rested in a halo around her head. But\nthe forehead was marred by a scar; a nasty gash that had healed poorly.\n                Anna\nturned to them. \"This is my daughter...\" She stopped because of a growl. The wolf\nbroke form and leaped on the bed.\n   \"MOTHER!\""}