"Festrir! Old man!"
King Gomesco ran to his brother, his arms outstretched in pursuit of a celebratory embrace. An embrace that turned into an impromptu judo throw with which Gomesco hurled the newly arrived Festrir against the wall, from which he slowly slipped out until he fell head first on the floor.
"You're losing your faculties, brother! Years ago you would have thrown half a dozen daggers to leave me skewered good and proper!" exclaimed Festrir, rising to his feet with an agility one would not normally expect from a person who has just struck solid rock, "And what was that whole shtick with that beast at your wedding, nephew?" he asked, looking at Wodnesdæg, "Seems like something more appropriate for celebrating a name day and not a marriage."
"It has to do with our guest, Uncle Festrir," Wodnesdæg replied pointing to the still transformed Enid. The huge lycanthrope waved shyly with her paw. The picture was hilarious in its incongruity.
Festrir Adamo merely raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Oh? She's related to you, Eneit? And transformed on a moonless night!" he exclaimed before taking two steps forward and offering his hand to Enid to shake.
The lycanthrope merely shook her head and folded her arms, smiling in such a way that her formidable fangs seemed to gleam, "Ah, ah. I already know the electricity trick."
"Have we met before?" asked Festrir, not the least bit offended.
"Sort of. It's complicated," Enid replied, nodding in greeting, "My name is Enid."
"Mmm, curious. But hey, not that I care either. Festrir Adamo, evil uncle and recurring usurper at your service!"
Once upon a time, such an introduction would have startled and even alarmed Enid. But now her reaction was very different. She knew the Addamses well, and fantasy kingdom aside the Adamo's were still the Addamses.
"Oh! Let me guess…" the she-wolf said, "You're constantly attacking Gomesco under the guise of taking his throne but it's basically a healthy/unhealthy sibling rivalry you've carried over from childhood."
The man's pale face lit up with an excited smile, almost as if he were a child who had just found his favorite toy, "Ah, you get it! This she-wolf is one of the good ones, brother!" he exclaimed, turning back to his family for a moment before focusing his attention back on Enid, "And yes, it's all a game. The truth is, I don't want the throne. Usurp it? Yeah, it's fun to set up assassinations and conspiracies, but keeping it after that and properly ruling would be damned boring, so Gomesco can keep it."
"Not that you've ever managed to take it away from him either, Festrir," said Grandmama.
"Maybe, but an Adamo never gives up! Besides, now my attempts are more directed at Wod, as heir and future monarch I have to keep him on his toes."
Wodnesdæg merely rolled his eyes, "Please, Uncle, I've been beating you at your little games since I was five years old."
During the conversation, the hall had slowly filled again with guests, though it was fair to say that many had not had time to withdraw before the Shadow Hyde was annihilated. The captain of the guard, Weems, approached Gomesco bowing in a deep bow.
"Your Grace," she said, "We are proceeding to examine the access points, we will find out where..."
"Let it be, child," Grandmama interrupted, "This thing was an extradimensional being, surely it materialized somewhere in the courtyard."
Enid couldn't help but frown slightly. She knew that if that was the case then The Bright One must be honing its creature abilities. The other Shadow Hyde had always appeared at great distances from their targets.
"Larissa, Larissa, I've told you a hundred times there's no need to bow so low," the king said, ignoring the blush on the soldier's cheeks at the familiarity treatment, "What's the rest of the situation?"
"Fortunately only a few minor injuries among the members of my guard, my lord," the tall woman replied, "It seems the creature came straight this way, as if following a trail and ignoring all visitors, hitting only those of my men who tried to restrain it."
"Oh, what a pity... Are you telling me that none of them are going to be able to sport any memorable scars to commemorate this day?"
"No, my lord, just bruises."
"Those poor boys," Morsician lamented, shaking her head slightly, “Such a waste.”
After that, it took only a few minutes before the celebration resumed, as if nothing had happened.
Well, not quite. The attack was the new source of conversation and gossip among all the guests, and increasingly wild and crazy theories and conspiracies began to sprout as the night progressed and the consumption of wine and other spirits increased.
Enid remained for the rest of her evening in her lupine form. She noticed, not without some alarm considering recent revelations, that doing so did not strain her muscles at all. Moreover, experimenting she realized that her form seemed to have become slightly more malleable. If she concentrated she felt herself lose a few centimeters in height and bulk without losing her full wolf form. It was as if she could change size at will.
Her lupine form was also a sensation, attracting many stares from all present, and sparking many conversations. Quite a number of the lycanthropes among the guests gave her appreciative glances, though none dared to go further. They could sense that she already had a partner.
Enid spent the evening swapping stories with the Adamo's, anecdotes and tales of her adventures with Wednesday. She conversed at length with Lady Tanaka and was pleased to discover that beneath the mask of polite nobility, the vampire of that dimension was as much of a clown as her best friend back home. She conducted strength tests and juggling games with Pugslæg, acted as a makeshift mount for the children present, and finally agreed to a brief three-way friendly duel with King Gomesco and Uncle Festrir that ended with the two brothers kicking their feet trying to escape from under her weight when she dropped on top of both of them with a jump. She also had an arm wrestle with Eneit, which she won, although even in her human form the barbarian princess proved truly formidable, causing Enid to struggle a little.
Oh, and Queen Morsician braided her fur.
As the hours progressed, Wod and Eneit were the first to retire. The barbarian carried her new husband on her shoulders, armor and all, on their way to their quarters, surrounded by the cheers, laughter, whistles and applause of all present.
The party continued, and it was not until well after midnight that Enid returned to her assigned room, plopping down on the soft bed. She reverted to her human form in her sleep.
§§§
The next morning saw Enid back in the war room where she had formally met with the family the day before. Upon awakening, Enid had found at the foot of her bed what appeared to be a sort of light and flexible dark green leather armor that she was wearing at the time. Enid felt like a sort of Robin Hood.
Of course, saying morning was generous, as it was only a few minutes before noon judging by the position of the sun.
This time only Grandmama and curiously the newly married couple were present with her. Enid expected only the presence of the old woman because of what they had agreed the night before and was surprised when Wod and Eneit came in after the old witch, but she didn't say a word.
Besides, she was too busy trying not to blush or look more than she should at the multiple bite marks, bruises and scratches the couple was sporting at that moment.
Without his armor it could be seen how Wodnesdæg was much slimmer than his brother, although he was still taller and more muscular than her Wednesday. The young crown prince wore simple black pants and a very loose gray shirt with few buttons done up, revealing quite a bit of his bare chest and the scratches on it and the still red bite mark between his neck and shoulders. Eneit was still dressed in her furs, but without the cloak and was just as covered in marks as her husband, especially on her neck and what was hinted at of her cleavage. Though the worst really were the satisfied smirks that surfaced from time to time on their faces and the stench of sex and pheromones that emanated still fresh from them.
Enid tried not to let it get to her, but she was beginning to think that as soon as she met Wednesday she was going to have to pass a test of willpower.
Luckily, Grandmama was quick to channel the meeting to more important topics.
"Alright wolf, what are you planning?"
Enid fixed her gaze on the old woman, "I'm going to assume that you would have no problem sending me back to my universe, would you?"
"As long as you're willing to give a drop of your blood, she-wolf," Grandmama replied, "I can have a portal ready in a few hours and send you back home, no problem."
Enid took a deep breath, letting relief wash over her. She knew that this Grandmama would likely have similar abilities to the one she knew, but she also didn't want to rush her hopes before confirming it.
"Okay," she said, "This is good... then we can..."
"Just a moment child," the old woman interrupted, "If I may have a word."
"Oh, uh... of course!"
"Blood is life. It is an anchor to our roots. It is not mere hyperbole. Your blood carries with it the trace of the reality you were born into. But you've been jumping between multiple realities already, that may hinder the tracing process for the preparation of the spell."
Enid began to pale, fearing the worst, but the old woman was quick to reassure her, "Don't be afraid! I am only saying that when I send you back home your arrival will not be exactly right after your departure as you would surely have preferred. There will be a mismatch of a few minutes at most."
"Oh, that's not so bad, I guess."
"And also from space. The portal won't open right where you left your universe. It won't be an excessive distance, if I'm doing my calculations right."
"Ah, so instead of returning to the main hall of the Mansion maybe I'll appear in the dungeons, or the kitchen..."
"I tell you all this to spare you surprises and alarm, but also to make a proposal," continued the old woman, in a serious tone.
"What proposal?" asked Enid.
"As you can see, you will be able to be back with relatively little difference. I assume there your plan would be to check if those other two counterparts of my grandson you mentioned have returned as well and contact your local variant of my distinguished person to proceed with the next phase of whatever it is you are planning," said Grandmama, "So I could have it all ready in a few hours, but here's my proposal: take your time, child."
"Huh?"
"Take advantage of the fact that time between universes is not correlative. Spend a week here. Two weeks. Familiarize yourself with your power now that you are aware of its true nature. Train, practice, strengthen yourself. And after that time I will send you back to your universe at the instant described."
"The two of us plan to accompany you anyway," Wodnesdæg intervened, "So it will be good for us to familiarize ourselves thoroughly and coordinate."
"Yes, you can use some preparation. You're strong, little sister. Damn strong, much stronger than me, and with good instincts," Eneit Synklar said, "But it's still noticeable that you haven't been in many real fights. In some, yes, but not in large numbers. It does you good to gain experience and Wod and I can teach you some tricks."
Enid looked at them, surprised and pleased at the wholehearted support. The proposition was... yes, if she was going to be able to return at the precise instant the spell determined then she could afford some extra preparation. And if that was the case in every dimensional leap, there would be new possibilities for the idea that was maturing in her mind.
Finally, Enid nodded, "All right," she said, "Two weeks. Let's do it."
Wod and Eneit's smiles proved infectious, and as she responded with one of her own she couldn't help but regret the absence of her smartphone. She had a downloaded playlist for training montages that would have been totes appropriate for the situation.
§§§
In another universe many realities away, in another time, in another place, in the kitchen of the Addams Mansion... two variants of the same person were talking.
"We'll rescue them and I'll make sure that piece of garbage in armor becomes dinner for my scorpion nest,” said Pup.
"I'll help you chop them up into pieces," Woe said, with a small murderous smile on her face and a gleam in her eye that promised pain and purifying fire. But her expression suddenly froze into one of alarm and tension as she set her sights on something behind Pup's back. Woe stood up, grabbing the knife from the table as if it were a weapon.
Pup turned, also rising so quickly that the chair she was in fell to the floor. A few feet behind her, near the door that joined the kitchen to the living room, an interdimensional portal was forming in the air. A circular distortion opening a hole in reality with a soft reddish, or pinkish glow.
And soon, the silhouette of a human figure became visible, crossing the threshold. Pup couldn't help the sigh of surprise that escaped her lips.
It was Enid. But there was something different that the two Addams noticed instantly.
Well, one obvious thing was the clothing. Enid was wearing some sort of leather armor and green tights, kind of something that looked like it was straight out of a fantasy movie, a Dungeons & Dragons illustration, or some sort of medieval carnival.
But no, it wasn't just that. Enid looked like... more. It wasn't something easy to describe. A little taller, and with her hair longer and a little more unkempt with none of her usual colorful dye, showing off a greater musculature in her arms that the fabric of her clothes couldn't hide.
But even so, she was still Enid. Her face, marked by the familiar scars and her bright blue eyes, lit up with a fanged smile at the sight of them.
"Woe! Pup!"
She ran to the two Addamses, enveloping them in a very tight hug that made their bones creak in a very pleasant way. They were so surprised that they barely noticed the other two figures following Enid through the portal.
NOTES
WE HAVE NEW FANART! InvertColor (Tumblr) gives us a wonderful sketch of Woe and our favorite psycho werecat, Saint-Clair. Check our fanart section!
We also have a translation (authorized, of course) of Altogether Ooky into Russian for Ficbook. I've been told that they're liking the fic.
And back to the story... As you can see, we already have the answer of who came in that portal that surprised Woe and Pup. Maybe you already have an idea of what will happen with the other portal with the rest of the team and Shark. We are about to enter the home stretch, my friends. And Enid is going to declare war.
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