{"sf1_id":881487,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Eighteen","author":"LucarioZer0","words":4878,"posted_at":"2015-07-01T05:22:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Clean","Human","Magic","Plot Development","Vampire","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/881487-the-wandering-shadow-chapter-eighteen","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/881487","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=881487\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"18\nWill\nand Jenna were both on their feet(though the latter was still up on the bed).\nThey stared with wide eyes at the book that David held up. The illusionist was\ngrinning widely. \"I take it I have your attention then, yeah?\" \nWill\nnodded. \"Well don't keep us in suspense! What've you found?\" David\nstrode across the room, handing the book over to Will. He took the tome and he\nfelt immediate disappointment. \nWhile\nhe had been expecting a book on magic, what Will instead found himself holding\nwas a book entitled \"Lost Histories of the Asian Continent\". Will\nlooked back and forth from the book to David a few times then asked, \"How\nthe hell is this supposed to help us?\" \n\"Don't\nbe fooled by appearances,\" David said with a shake of his head. \"Take\na guess as to who wrote that.\" \nWill\nrolled his eyes. He wasn't interested in games. \"I don't know. Who?\" \n          \"Max\ndid. It's written right inside on the first page. Written by Maxwell Greyson.\nIt was his doctoral dissertation. Seems that before getting into\nEgyptology he was interested in ancient Asian culture. But above all, what did\nhe always study?\" \nWill's\neyes widened, ever so slightly as he started to understand. \"Magic.\" \nDavid\nnodded. \"Even though that was tucked away among the history books, it tells\nabout the effects of magic on the developments and cultures of various Asian\nnations.\" \n\"So\nwhat did you find in there that'll help us? I mean, surely long dead practices\nwon't be much help to us. Not to mention that I highly doubt that Max gave\ndetailed explanations on how they used their abilities.\" \nDavid\nshook his head. \"No, not really. But what he does give is...well it's\nrather hard to put into exact words. See, this book is divided into sections,\neach one dealing with a different country. And what I found was...\" \nDavid\nstruggled to find the words then finally settled for grabbing the book from\nWill and opening it to a specific page. He pointed to a spot about halfway down\nand said \"Start reading there,\" as he handed it to Will.\nWill\nseemed more than a bit uncertain--and indeed he was--but still he looked down to\nwhere David had pointed, and began to read.\n...and while proof has never been\ncompletely conclusive, it is undeniable that the evidence does point to the\nexistence of these monasteries. As well known as it is that energy manipulation\nis older than we know, so must we accept that there are those who have spent\nmillennia mastering the arts behind the magic. It must also be believed\npossible that the ancient masters could pass on their teachings over\ngenerations, and that their intellectual descendants could still exist today.\nIt is more than likely that more than one of these legendary monasteries\nexists, and can be found in secluded areas of the Himalayan mountain range...\nWill\nshook his head. \"I don't understand. What's the point of this?\"\nDavid\nsighed. \"Alright, what Max was trying to say there is that there could be\nplaces in the Himalayas where people have secluded themselves, spending years\nmastering all different kinds of magic. So, I figure, who's to say that there\nisn't someone among them who could help you two, eh?\"\nWill\nclosed the book and handed it back to David. \"I appreciate your enthusiasm and\nall, but where's the proof? I don't think I want to be traveling to a place as\ninhospitable as Tibet--\"\n\"Actually\nMax suggests that the monasteries are more in the Nepal area of the range.\"\n\"That's\nnot my point, and you know it. I don't want to travel somewhere so inhospitable\nwithout any kind of certainty or guarantees about what we'll find there.\"\nDavid's\nshoulders dropped and he gave Will a disbelieving look. \"Seriously? You want a\nbloody guarantee? Did you have any certainty when you went to England? Did you\nknow for sure that coming to Egypt would do you any good?\"\n\"Well no,\nbut--\"\n\"Besides,\nI knew Max pretty damn well. He wouldn't have studied something if he didn't\nthink it was worth knowing. He wouldn't have suggested that these places still\nexisted unless he believed that they did. True, he was the type who would\nbelieve things that others would believe impossible, but in the world we live\nin, nothing is really impossible anymore, is it? I mean just look at the two of\nyou! Who would honestly believe that people like you and Jenna were possible\nunless they knew you? I certainly wouldn't. So--\"\n\"Alright!\"\nWill snapped. \"You've made your point.\"\n\"Oh...so\ner...what do you say then?\"\nWill sat\ndown beside Jenna on the bed. \"I...I don't know. It seems like so far to go for\nsomething that may not pan out.\"\n\"Yeah,\nmaybe. But do you have much choice at this point?\"\nWill knew\nthey didn't. After all that searching, this seemed to be the only thing they\nhad found that could be potentially helpful. He turned to Jenna. \"What do you\nthink?\" he asked her. \"Should we go?\"\nAll the\ntime they had been talking, she had listened carefully, and considered\neverything said. There really is nothing\nto consider though, she thought. Jenna's eyes showed fire and steel as she\nnodded, saying in the only way she could that she did believe it was the best\ncourse of action.\n\"Well, I\nsuppose that settles it then.\" Turning back to look at David, Will asked, \"When\ncan we be ready to leave?\"\n\"Any time\nreally. We don't really have anything to pack so...yeah anytime. Oh, though it\nwould probably be better for us to leave at night.\"\nThat last\nbit confused both Will and Jenna, leading the former to ask, \"Why at night?\"\n\"Well,\nfor one thing, the streets won't be crowded so we can get out faster. More\nimportantly though, we can avoid the publicity and attention that you two would\ngarner from traveling in broad daylight.\"\nMore\nconfusion. \"I'm sorry...what?\"\n\"Oh yeah,\nyou don't know, do you?\" David chuckled. \"Well, I guess it was a bit hard for\nyou to keep up with the news while you were unconscious, eh? Wait here. I'll be\nright back.\"\nHe darted\nout of the room, leaving Will and Jenna with naught but more confusion. He\npopped back into the room a few minutes later, carrying a stack of newspapers\nunder one arm, and a pair of glasses in the opposite hand. He handed the stack\nand the glasses to Will and said, \"Just read these, and you'll get an idea.\nMost of these came out just a few days after you dealt with the Shadow of\nAnubis.\"\nWill\nglanced at the newspapers and knew he couldn't read them, written in Arabic as\nthey were. It only took him half a second to realize that was the reason for\nDavid bringing the glasses. He slipped the lenses over his eyes and was\nastounded to see the text on the page shimmer and flicker for just a few\nseconds before becoming still again. Now though the text appeared to be in English.\nHe started reading with the earliest paper, stopping for only a moment when\nDavid said that he only needed to focus on the main story for each paper. As he\nread he saw that a general theme ran through them all.\nIt seemed\nas though M.E.L.D. had been unable to cover up the existence of the Shadow of\nAnubis--not surprising, considering how many people had died in the event. What\nhadn't been revealed though was exactly how the Shadow had been stopped. All\nthat was known was that a single person was responsible for its demise--a bit of\nmisinformation, but not technically wrong, Will thought.\nWhat\nreally caught his attention though was when the papers began to speculate on\nthe identity of the one who had taken down the Shadow.\nOne paper\nspeculated that it was a nomadic wanderer who was traveling the world on some\npersonal quest, and had simply happened to be present to stop the Shadow. Will\ncouldn't help but note that that theory was oddly accurate.\nThen\nanother paper had a more fanciful idea. It claimed he was a man born of the\nshadows who fought shadows, trying to bring balance to the chaos. Will actually\nlaughed at that one. True, he did try to keep peace--it was his job, after\nall--but he wasn't exactly as described.\nThere\nwere a few other theories, but those two were the ones that people had seemed\nto latch onto. As he shifted through the papers he noted that near the bottom\nof the stack, where the slightly more recent papers were, the two theories had\nsomehow become intertwined. At that point the papers all started referring to\nhim as--\n\"The\nWandering Shadow?\" Will had to fight to keep a straight face. \"What kind of\nridiculous name is that?\"\nJenna,\nunable to read without the aid of the glasses, looked at him oddly. What is he talking about?\nSeeing\nthe look on her face, Will spread the papers out in front of her, took off the\nglasses, and put them on her, sliding them down her snout until her eyes could\nfocus on the pages. She read through them all quickly, and when she realized\njust what he had been referring to, she laughed.\nDavid\nsmirked. \"So yeah, you're a bit famous. They gave you that moniker 'cause they\ndon't know your real name. M.E.L.D. refused to give it out. And yet, some of\nthe papers have a pretty good description of you. Dark cloak. Sword at your\nhip. White wolf by your side. Oddly, there's no mention of a clever British\nillusionist who charms all who meet him.\"\n\"Well,\nthey probably wanted to avoid ruining your public image,\" Will commented dryly.\n\"Still, this is pretty amazing, in its own way. But...I can't say I really want\nto be famous.\"\nDavid\nnodded. 'That's why we should leave at night. No one'll see us go.\"\n\"Agreed.\nTonight then?\"\n\"If you\nfeel ready.\" David shrugged. \"We can leave anytime really. If you wanna take a\nfew more days to rest and heal, we can do that.\"\nWill\nconsidered it for a moment then shook his head. \"We've sat around for long\nenough. It's time to leave.\"\nJenna\nnodded in agreement. Now that they had a goal in mind, she was itching to get\ngoing.\n\"Tonight\nit is then.\"\n***\nQuentin\nsighed softly as he stuffed the last of his materials into his leather shoulder\nbag. He hoisted the bag and walked out the door of his office, hardly paying\nany attention to the officers he passed on his way out of M.E.L.D.'s building.\nHe had\nheard them whispering. He saw them stare. They said he was losing his mind.\nThey said he had become a nervous wreck. They said he was losing his grip on\nreality. Some were worried he couldn't be trusted with his job anymore.\nAnd, he\nadmitted, they're right.\nIn recent\nweeks he had lost sleep. A lot of sleep. So much that he had perpetually\npresent dark circles under his eyes. His once fastidious appearance had\ndegraded, his hair grown wild and his face unshaven. When anyone looked in his\neyes, they saw an almost soulless gaze. He was falling apart at the seams.\nIt was no\nwonder though.\nLiving\nhis dubious double life was taking an immense toll. He feared for his life from\nCarmina, and he feared discovery by M.E.L.D. All that stress was wrecking him,\nmind and body.\nHe exited\nthe building, walking down the steps and setting off toward his home. He had\nnoticed lately that as he walked down the street strangers would give him a\nwide berth, as though they were worried by him.\nHe didn't\nblame them though. He would do the same.\nWhen he\nreached his home he was surprised to see a package on the doorstep, wrapped in\nbrown paper. Surprise changed to confusion when he picked it up and saw that it\nhad come from Egypt. \"What the hell?\"\nWho did\nhe even know in Egypt? No one as far as he knew. He glanced around, taken by a\nbrief moment of paranoia.  He pulled his\nkeys from his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping into his house, locking\nthe door again behind him.\nQuentin set\nhis shoulder bag down and went into his kitchen, setting the box on the counter.\nHe backed away and stared at it, worried. He had no way of knowing what was\ninside and--considering how his life had been of late--he wasn't thrilled with\nthe idea of opening it either.\nFinally--after\nmany minutes of pacing, groaning, and paranoid stares--he approached the box and\ncarefully removed the brown wrapping paper. The box was taped shut, so he\ngrabbed a knife from a nearby drawer and--being careful not to cut too\ndeep--sliced open the box.\nHe opened\nit gingerly and again felt confusion at the sight of its contents. It was\nfilled with old--perhaps even ancient--papers. Folded, stacked and rolled into\nscrolls, the various papers all looked weathered and worn. Sitting atop them\nall was a much newer piece of pristine white paper, folded in half and sealed\nwith a wax stamp.\nHe picked\nup that piece and carefully opened it, not wanting to cause any damage. The\ninside was a note, made out in sharp, precise handwriting.\nI procured these while in Egypt,\nat the behest of Mistress Carmina. She will be expecting you to deliver them to\nher once you receive them. I suggest you don't wait, and I highly suggest you\ndon't get too curious about the contents. Burn this note and the packing\nmaterials immediately.\nQuentin\ngulped. So then, it had come from someone loyal to Carmina. Most likely Logan,\nhe assumed. But what were they? He reread the note. The line about not being\ncurious about the papers chilled him. Doing as the note instructed, he took the\npapers from the box and went over to his fire place. He lit a fire and\nproceeded to burn the box and the not, making sure they were naught but ash\nbefore he finally extinguished the flame. He didn't know why they wanted the\nevidence destroyed, but he assumed it wasn't good.\nHe\nreturned to the kitchen and picked the papers up off the counter. For a half\nsecond he considered burning them as well, but then he remembered the note\nsaying that Carmina was expecting them. If they never showed up, he would be\nthe one to suffer.\nHe\ninstead grabbed his shoulder bag and emptied out the contents, replacing them\nwith the scrolls and parchments. He made sure he had his keys then left his\nhouse behind.\nQuentin\nhurried as much as he could without running or looking overly suspicious. He\npicked up his speed just a bit more when he reached the part of the city where\nCarmina was hiding out. While he was in no hurry to see a sadistic psychopath\nlike her, at the same time she had set up shop in a rather unfriendly\nneighborhood. He didn't feel like dealing with Carmina and getting mugged in one night.\nHe\nreached Carmina's building--a burned out, three story apartment building with a\nbasement that had been abandoned after it had caught fire a few years before.\nThe exterior was crumbling, and plants and weeds had filled cracks in the\nfoundation. What parts of the outside that where still in one piece were\ndefaced by graffiti. The main entrance to the \nbuilding had been boarded up, but the side entrance that went down\ndirectly to the basement had been busted open, either by Carmina's people\nor--somewhat more likely--by some local criminal. That side entrance was where he\nwent, it being the only convenient way to enter the building.\nHe\ndescended the concrete stairs, steeping into the candlelit darkness of the\nbasement. Most people would likely leave immediately upon entering the room, if\nthey had any sense. Quentin didn't have the luxury of sensible action.\nHe walked\na bit deeper into the basement. \"Hello?\" He said loudly. \"Anyone there.\"\nFor a\nmoment he almost believed he was alone then someone came out of the shadows. It\nwas a woman. She was the one who had healed him after Carmina's torture. She\nsmiled when she recognized him. \"Are you here to see Mistress Carmina?\"\nQuentin\nnodded. In a way, he felt sorry for the acolytes. Whether through fear, self\ninterest, or simply being gullible enough to fall for the promises Carmina--and\nat one point Silas--had given them, they were all enslaved now. The worst part\nwas that they seemed happy about that. He couldn't help but wonder in they were\nafraid to appear dissatisfied.\nThe\nwoman--who he believed he had heard was named Ellie--beckoned for him to follow.\nShe led him through the building, up to the second floor. Under better\ncircumstances Quentin might have been fascinated by the room to which Ellie had\nled him. The room's window had been boarded up, making the only light source\ncandles--not unlike every other room in the building.\nThe other\nthree walls were taken up by book shelves. They were relatively empty, aside\nfrom one which was nearly full. Though he had never looked he assumed that they\nwere full of information on many a dark magic.\nLike the\nthree bookshelves there were three long tables, forming a disjointed \"U\" shape.\nThe tables were mostly taken up by books and candles, though there were a few\nslightly more macabre objects as well. In the center of that \"U\" was a sizeable\nopen space, and the floor in that area was covered in blood.\nThat was\nthe space where he had been tortured. It was the space where Logan had been\nreborn as a vampire. Though he didn't know it, that space was also where the\nother male acolyte had died to fuel the magic that transformed Jenna.\nAnd\ncurrently standing in that fell space was Carmina, a devilishly charming smile\non her ruby red lips. She swept across the room, her tanned skin making her\nappear more shadowy and wraith like in the semidarkness, an effect added to by\nher pitch black dress flowing along with her. \"Quentin. To what do I owe the\npleasure? I didn't request your presence.\"\nAnxious\nto be done with this meeting and away from her as soon as possible he stepped\ntoward Carmina, barely noticing as Ellie slipped out the door, leaving the two\nalone. He reached into his bag and pulled out the scrolls and papers, holding\nthem out to her. \"These were delivered to my home. There were instructions that\nsaid to bring them to you.\"\nCarmina\nsmiled a bit wider as she said, \"Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful!\" She took the\nvarious papers and looked them over. \"Hmm. Just as I expected. Some of these\nwill need translation, but I may just find something of use here.\"\nDespite\nhimself Quentin couldn't help but be curious. \"What are they?\n\"These\nwere taken from a museum in Egypt. If they are what I hope they are they will\ngive me valuable insight on how to--\" she stopped, and her smile turned\nsecretive. \"Well, I'm sure you'll know soon enough what I hope to learn from\nthem. Now then, I suggest you leave. I have work to do.\"\nQuentin\ndidn't need to be told twice. He moved out of the room as quick as he could,\nleaving Carmina alone. She turned away from the door and laid the papers out on\none of the tables. She spent a few minutes more looking them over, her\nexpression serious. Then she smiled again. The\nShadow of Anubis may have been defiant and unreliable, she thought, but with this...just maybe I can create a more...manageable\nversion.\n***\nIt was just after midnight when\nWill, Jenna, and David stepped out into the chilly night air. As the other two\nwalked down the path to the street, David turned and locked the door. He\nhesitated for a brief moment with the key in the lock. He sighed and thought, Part of me doesn't want to leave. But I\nsuppose I can always come back.\nHe turned and followed after Will\nand Jenna, who were waiting for him by the cart. As David approached he could\nhear Vincent snuffling excitedly. The gray shire colt was sick of being stuck\nin one place. He wanted to get moving as much as they did.\nWill and Jenna wasted no time\nclimbing into the back of the cart, the latter snuggling up under the former's\ncloak to escape the cold. David climbed onto the driver's bench, taking the\nreigns in hand.\nVincent snorted impatiently.\nDavid smirked. \"Alright boy, calm down. We're going.\"\n***\nFrom a\nhidden vantage point Logan watched as the cart set off down the street,\nferrying the trio toward the edge of the city. He scowled. He had grown used to\na more sedentary existence. He almost liked not having to travel constantly. He\ndidn't want to continue following after them.\nIn the\npast weeks since the Shadow of Anubis's destruction he had spent time\nstruggling to unlock the piece of information the Shadow had supposedly put in\nhis head. What he had found after much consternation was that he now knew how\nto block Carmina from his mind.\nHe could\nstill sense it when she tried to contact him, but he could now hide his\nthoughts if he so chose. And behind that mental barrier he felt growing\nresistance to Carmina's control.\nWhile on\nthe one hand he owed his new abilities and existence to her, he had also come to\nresent her. She had forced the change upon him without telling him what it\nwould entail. He was sickened by that knowledge.\nWhat was\nmore sickening to him was the knowledge that he had once been a sniveling,\ngroveling weakling ever so willing to service her designs. He was now so much\nmore. As the Shadow of Anubis had said, he had been given the power to\ndetermine his own path. What he didn't quite know though, was which path he\nwanted to follow.\nFor now, he\nthought, I suppose there's no harm in\ncontinuing after them. Besides, I can't readily hunt here after the uproar the\nShadow caused. I'll just wait...until I can find somewhere more permanent.\nLogan\nwatched in silence as the cart carrying his quarry turned a corner. He waited\nfor a few moments longer. He then he set off down the street, dodging from alleyway\nto alleyway as he followed after them.\n***\nThey had nearly\nreached the edge of the city when David pulled the cart to a stop. He hopped\ndown from the seat and stepped up to something on the sidewalk. Will leaned out\nover the side of the cart to get a look at what the illusionist was doing. Even\nwith an improved view he couldn't tell, so he simply decided to ask.\nDavid\nstepped back enough for Will to see he was working a newspaper dispenser. \"I\ndidn't get yesterday's paper,\" he said, \"So I'm gonna take the chance while I\ncan. God only knows when we'll be somewhere civilized again.\"\nWill was\nabout to make a sharp tongued comment about David's priorities when another\nvoice said, \"You make a good point. Just don't take more than one.\"\nThey all\nlooked to see Sargent Alim walking down the sidewalk toward them.\n\"What are\nyou doing out at this hour Sargent?\" Will asked.\nMirza\nsmiled. \"I'm patrolling this area. Imagine my surprise to see 'The Wandering\nShadow' and his companions out on the street.\"\nWill\ngrimaced. \"I'm not exactly fond of that moniker. I suppose I can't prevent it\nfrom spreading though.\"\n\"It\nalready has spread. Everyone knows it. In fact, there's even a dedicated group\namong the city's law enforcement who are trying to bring you in for questioning\nabout the Shadow of Anubis incident. But they don't know where you've been.\"\n\"And I\nsuppose you're going to bring me in then?\" Will asked, using his cloak as cover\nto surreptitiously place his hand on his gun.\n\"I\nshould. You acted as a vigilante, and you also were directly responsible for\nthe death of an innocent man.\"\n\"I know\nthat. I don't need to be reminded.\"\nMirza\nnodded. \"I'm sure.\" He was quiet for a moment then said, \"I'll be honest Mr.\nKeller: I don't like you. I didn't from the moment we met. But...because of your\nactions, the city I call home is safe. My family is safe. For that I feel I owe you a debt. In fact, many M.E.L.D.\nofficers feel the same, seeing as they know what you did. That's why we've\nhardly provided any information to the Cairo Police. But still, we are\ntechnically involved in the search.\"\n\"So what\ndoes that mean then?\" Will asked cautiously.\nMirza\ntook a thoughtful pose. \"Well, I'll have to tell my superiors about this\nmeeting...but I think I'll tell them about it tomorrow night. I don't really feel\nlike doing it tonight, you see. I'm quite tired, and don't want to deal with\nthe paperwork and questioning.\"\nWill\nsmiled and took his hand off his gun, instead offering it to his fellow\nofficer. \"Thank you...uh...\" Will's smile turned sheepish. \"It occurs to me that in\nall that happened I never thought to ask your name.\"\nMirza\ntook Will's hand and told his name. He also said, \"But it is I who must thank\nyou Lieutenant. Without 'The Wandering Shadow', we wouldn't be having so\npleasant a night. Whether you like it or not, people will remember you as that\nhero.\"\n\"I know.\"\nWill replied. \"Well then, I suppose we'll be off. Farewell Mirza.\"\n \"Safe travels to you Mr. Keller, and good luck\nin whatever quest it is you are on.\" With that he turned and walked away,\nvanishing from sight when he walked around a nearby street corner.\nDavid\nwalked over and stood beside the cart next to where Will sat. \"So then...what did\nall that mean exactly?\"\nWill\noffered a knowing smile. \"It means that things never go quite how you would\nexpect.\"\nDavid\njust shook his head. \"Could you give a more enigmatic answer?\"\n\"Probably,\"\nWill said with a shrug. \"But, for now how 'bout we get moving?\"\n\"Alright\nthen,\" David grumbled.\nDavid remounted\nthe driver's bench, setting his paper down beside him. He took the reigns and\nurged Vincent forward, the colt's hooves clattering on the pavement as they\nwent.\nSome\npeople would be woken in the night by the sounds of the cart, but quickly\ndismissed it as a dream, rolling over and falling back to sleep just as easily\nas they had woken. By dawn almost no one in the city would suspect that their\nheroes had left in the dead of night.\nMirza\nkept to his word, and after his next patrol he told his superiors of the\nencounter as though it had happened the night after its actual occurrence. By\nthat time though it was too late for M.E.L.D. or the CPD to do anything but\nwonder to where the trio had disappeared.\n***\nSo began\nthe fifty-three hundred mile journey from Cairo to Nepal. Each day was filled\nwith naught but travel and the occasional stop in a city or town to resupply.\nEventually they made the decision to purchase a cover for the cart,\ntransforming it into something more wagon like that offered them greater\nprotection from the elements that plagued them traveling while through the arid\nlands of the middle east. For the most part they were just happy to have some\nshade during the day. It didn't hurt either that they knew the cover would come\nin handy at other times as well.\nTime\nslipped by as they traveled, none of them really noticing the difference from\none day to the next. So great was this effect that it wasn't until three days after\nthe fact that they realized Christmas had come and gone. It was by that time\nthat the road carried them along the northern side of the western mountains in\nthe Himalayan range. Each day was bitterly cold, as could be expected of Tibet\nin winter.\nThey\ncontinued on though, David and Will often switching off taking the reigns so\nthat one could be warm within the cart, even if only for a while--though Will\nwas always the warmer of the two, with his cloak offering more protection than\nDavid's trench coat. They had even made a point of acquiring 'clothes' for\nVincent that covered his back and legs so that the hard working horse would have\nsome insulation against the elements. Jenna laughed to herself once in a while\nat how poorly they were all protected. Though she still wanted to return to her\nold self, she begrudgingly appreciated the benefits of her furry form.\nFinally,\nafter a month and a half they crossed the border into Nepal and set off into\nthe mountains in search of the monasteries Max had written of, hoping they\nwould finally find an end to their journey."}