Chapter 37

                                    

                                          
After the initial entertainment of seeing Rei transform from her female self to a near-replica of Ryan, it was Aislinn and Ryan's turn to try their talismans out.
Ryan was surprised to see that his physical appearance didn't change. The only differences that anyone noted were his scent and voice.
Aislinn, on the other hand, was excited to have gained nearly a foot in height. Her platinum hair was left in a similar tousled mess to Rei's; although, unlike Rei's eyes, Aislinn's blue-violet eyes kept their playful and energetic spark.
"There! Now the King's ban on unmated women won't stop you" Gwen announced, proud of her accomplishment. "And your scent won't be detectable once you change back, so they'll never recognize you" she added.
"Except me" Ryan retorted. "If my face winds up plastered all over for being wanted, it'll be hard to hide" he complained.
"Well, don't do anything that causes a manhunt" Gwen replied with a shrug. "Besides, I knew you got your devilishly handsome good looks from your mother" she said with a wink at Rei, eliciting a blush from her target. "I figured you'd wind up looking like twins, so no point in trying to hide you when she could get you into trouble anyways" she explained.
"We're just going to go in and lay low, anyways. Investigate what we can, try to get a sense for what is going on, then get out to make a plan...It's fine that we look similar. Like you said, I'm your dad, nobody will have reason to be suspicious of that" Rei reasoned, looking down at her now-massive body. She wasn't sure she'd be able to coordinate herself so well with the drastic changes. 
Aislinn was busy considering the same thing. She looked at Gwen to voice her concerns. "So far I feel pretty normal; but...How hard will it be to move with all this extra...Body?" 
Gwen snickered a little at her wording. "You'll be fine. I added an element to the talisman so that while your body has changed, your agility and dexterity will be the same. There should be no issue moving in these bodies...That said, though, you don't magically have more strength, either. The muscles are mostly for show; but, your strength is still what it was. If you get into a tricky spot because of that, and need to revert to your normal self, just pull it off" she instructed.
The trio of wolves nodded in understanding, then looked at each other. After a brief pause, Rei sighed and said "I guess we're going to need new clothes."
"I can help with that" Gwen offered, picking up a duffle bag that she'd left by the fireside. "There should be plenty of clothes to choose from" she said, tossing the bag their way.
Plenty indeed. The bag seemed to have some kind of magical capacity, as there were easily 40 different outfits within it. After the trio had decided on their outfits, they seemed ready to go.
"Alright" Gwen spoke up, walking towards the edge of her safe space. "I'm going to bring you to a rendezvous point, okay? If anything goes horribly wrong, and you need me urgently, smash your talisman to alert me. I will then meet you there."
"What kind of emergency do you have in mind?" Ryan asked, uncertain of what help the witch could offer if the werewolves somehow found themselves on the receiving end of the King's wrath.
"Not sure, and hoping not to find out" Gwen replied with another shrug, leading them back out into the unprotected woods. "I just like to have a plan, in case something does happen."
That was explanation enough for the wolves, who remained silent and focused on the sounds of the forest while they followed Gwen. All of them were aware that being so close to the border of the Royal Pack could be dangerous; so, everyone was straining their senses as Gwen lead them closer and closer to it. 
"I think I know where she's taking us...And she shouldn't know of its existence" Thaila suddenly piped up, acknowledging what Rei had been thinking.
"Maybe it's a coincidence..." Rei suggested, not sure what it would mean if Gwen was leading them where she feared
"Perhaps she's trying to warn us...If she knows, her coven may know. Do you think that's possible?" Thaila asked nervously.
"If there is a mole within the palace, anything is possible" Rei replied grimly.
The two returned to silent contemplation while Gwen continued to lead the way. As Rei feared, she brought them to a small clearing that brushed directly up against the magical barrier. There was a cute little fresh spring of water that fed into a small pool, big enough for one or two adults to fit into at the same time. The spring trickled out from the rocky face of a large mountain. The mountain in question was the same mountain that the Royal Palace of the werewolves was built into. 
"Here we are" Gwen said quietly, looking directly at Rei as she spoke. "If anything at all goes wrong...Meet me here" she insisted, and something in her tone gave Rei a bad feeling.
"Do you expect something to go wrong?" Ryan asked with a frown, picking up on the witch's strange tone.
"No...Not exactly. I just know that...The Royal Pack is in danger. I don't know when things will go to Hell, and I hope they don't while you're in there...But, if they do, you can smash your talismans, and get here as soon as you can. I'll be here to help protect you" she explained, her face and tone now grim.
"Smashing our talismans just alerts you, right? It won't help in any other way?" Aislinn asked, wanting to be sure she understood as the mood surrounding the group was becoming more and more serious by the moment.
"Right" Gwen acknowledged.
"So don't do it if my true identity would make the situation worse?" Aislinn continued.
"Right" Gwen said again. "Try to hide...If I can get past the barrier to help instead, I will; but...Otherwise, I'll be waiting here."
"How would you get past the barrier?" Rei asked with a frown.
"Well..." Gwen said with a sigh, locking eyes with Rei once more. "If the very worst should come to pass...The barrier will fall. Then witch, vampire, rogue or werewolf — all will have full access to the Royal Pack."