The Callians are a long-lived people when compared to unaltered humans, but a short-lived one when compared to elves or lordragons. They maintain a youthful adult state for most of their lives. As a result, Callians treated their young like children long after they'd grown. Despite the princesses being twenty, Callie-Alpha and Callie-Omega had never taken them outside Callie. This included keeping them out of High Mountain. Ed assumed that the Callian rulers didn't want their girls exposed to the Castile family gift. The official story was about growing up to understand the Callian ways. Edward had seen detailed paintings, but had never met either of the two girls. Their debutante ball in High Mountain wasn't for another year. His brothers were eager to meet more of the women they were considering marrying.

  From that painting, Edward knew the pair's basic look. His favorite of the two was the fox girl. Kitsune was the captured princess. She was mainly a warm reddish brown, with a white chest and black limbs from the elbows and knees down. As one might expect, she had pointed ears and a large, fluffy tail. Her intelligent copper eyes had seemed to stare at him from the painting he'd seen and follow him around the room. Tall and slim, Kitsune did not look like a classic Callian bodybuilder.

  The missing princess was the golden-haired Kitty. Her long hair had fallen in wide rings, golden as the sun. Unlike her colorful sister, Kitty had a rare, solid skin color, pure milk white like a delicate porcelain doll. Her sparkling, deep green eyes shone with brilliant energy, not brilliance. She was almost the picture of a perfect Callian stereotype with her large, well-defined muscles on a curvy frame and perfect pose to put them on display. However, the girl was short for a Callian, standing only about six feet tall. Her smiling red lips had been full and plump on her heart-shaped face, which still managed to look distinct from her twin sister's despite their shared shape.

  Her smile had unnerved him. It was the smile of someone who knew they were better than you, with so much force that you believed it too. It wasn't a smug smile, but one of supreme, easy confidence. An earned confidence if rumors were to be considered. She was the youngest berserker in ages and was said to train with knights and mages to great success regularly. Kitty was heavily favored to win the trial of succession.

  This was in part because Kitsune was a rebellious girl who had been sentenced to the arena multiple times for law-breaking. Of course, the laws she broke were usually book- or caste-related. It was said the girl had a deep thirst for knowledge and the lower classes. Ed had always liked hearing Nina tell stories of her exploits, the source of the books. He admired how Kitsune always stood up for her beliefs and wished he had the power to do so too.

  The other part was Kitty herself. She was said to be the ideal Callian condensed into a small package. Like any good Callian, her life was a series of exercise, fighting, and partying. She likely couldn't read, do math, or meet any other sort of traditional educational requirements. Callians typically didn't learn these skills until they were 60 or 70 years old, so it wasn't like the girl was behind. Of the two, she was the better fighter and was well respected by the people.

  When the trial began, the pair packed and left the city at once. By lunch, they stopped at a market outside of the capital, where both princesses purchased illicit goods independently as if laws didn't apply to them. People almost expected their rebel princess to think herself above the law, but expected better from Kitty. Many did not believe Kitty had actually purchased a book, while others thought she'd been tricked. A few rumors suggested Kitty had fooled them all for years.

  As the stories all went, the lost pair found themselves in rebel territory after dark. It was here that Prince Edward began his tale, built from tens of versions.

  The camp was silent as the girls entered. The smell of hastily put-out fires and hundreds of occupants remained, but there wasn't a soul to be seen or heard. Ed fell into weaving the threads of all the tales together into a coherent story.

  ~

  Her vivid kelly green eyes flashing, Kitty dropped her rucksack and took her claymore sword in hand, “Something is wrong here.”

  Nodding in agreement, Kitsune dropped her bag as well. Her weapons included a rapier and a long, wickedly curved dagger. Unlike most berserkers, Kitsune had another weapon at her disposal. Many of the upper castes ignored it as it was seen as something for the lower classes. Kitsune was adept at destructive magic and had an affinity for fire.

  Sniffing the air, Kitsune dropped low, “I'll check the grounds. You go to that tall building. Go to the top floor and see what you can see.”

  ~

  “No. “ That can't possibly be correct,” Teddy interrupted. “Callians don't use any pronouns.” Even when traveling, they refuse to respect local customs.”

  “Shut up and let me tell the story,” Ed snapped drunkenly, “And Mechmians with their refusal to adopt a certain personal possessive pronoun isn't any better. Now let me continue the story.”

  ~

  So, Kitty, her red riding hood hiding her ears, climbed the tower. At the top, she found a room, and in that room, a bed. Not a Callian futon on the floor bed, but a solid-framed one of the High Mountain variety. Tucked inside was an old Callian werewolf woman, her face covered in fur and her wet nose glinting softly in the starlight pouring through the window.

  More wolf than human, the old woman dressed in a nightgown and a cap of Medio model, had drunk in a lot of moon. Why so far into her transformation? Why Blanca, or perhaps Wilma, was ancient, likely close to 500 years old, and nearing the end of her life. Age in and of itself does not make the werefolk prefer to remain in a state of partial transformation. It does increase the risk of age-related maladies such as eh-were syndrome.

  ~

  The prince paused dramatically. He didn't need to explain Eh-Were syndrome to Teddy, who, like all Mechmian children, held medical doctorates for at least four species by age five. The old wolf would not understand how far along in her transformation she was. Her memory would be unreliable, and her emotions would be in a state of aggressive unpredictability. She would be dangerous to friend and foe. Even the born werefolk were required to stay in werefolk territories once the incurable eh-were syndrome set in.

  ~

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Cautiously, like the coward she was, the princess crept forward. Her curiosity and blood lust took control of her limbs. Around the neck of the old woman, a collar and chain sat, effectively ensuring the poor dear couldn't venture far from her bed.

  “Grandmother, what big ears you have,” the werelion said haughtily as she moved within the chain's distance.

  Eyes growing wide with aggression, the old woman sat up and replied, “The better to hear you with, my dear. Unfortunately, I am old. Come closer, my dear.” She was chained to the wall as one would expect for such a dangerous and unpredictable creature.

  Some believe it would be better to put such individuals down. However, loved ones often kept them long after they devolved into aggressive pets focused on biting the hands that fed them. Many an outbreak of the bitten-were occurred because of these love-sick individuals hiding an eh-were stricken family member. The royal family claims to support protecting individuals such as these, but Kitty's aggression towards this innocent, sick woman proves otherwise.

  “Grandmother, what big eyes you have,” Kitty said as she set down the heavy blade and moved toward the bed. Her hands were wide in a gesture of false goodwill. Kitty was a ruthless and cruel princess who hadn't killed anyone all day. She thought she deserved a relaxing murder.

  The old woman grinned with her impressively sharp teeth. From her snout, the words came out garbled but sweet, “The better to see you with my dear.”

  Tossing her hair menacingly, Kitty continued teasing the poor, sick woman, “My grandmother, what big teeth you have.”

  “The better to eat you with,” replied the old woman as the princess came into range, “I will end your reign of terror!”

  ~

  “Wait, wait, wait. That's the script from The Bloody Hood with Wilma Wolf. Ye can't just quote horror flicks and expect no one to notice,” Teddy complained as he made his way to the bar area and helped himself to the coffee machine as he finished his tea, “I've been letting you spin ye yarn, but this is too much.”

  A little embarrassed, Ed blushed and realized he should have noticed earlier. The flick was old, but it was a classic. Wilma Wolf was a major star for almost 400 years and was the Callian actor most people were most familiar with. When she'd retired to live quietly in Callie, he and Stone had a week-long marathon of her flicks.

  “I'm literally telling you what they told me. Unlike the flick, Kitty disembowels the woman in the bed with her bare claws.”

  “Lioness claws,” Teddy corrected as he selected a jar of tea leaves. Sitting up in his bed, Ed couldn't help but notice his friend had multiple cups set out as if determined to drink all the tea and coffee available.

  More than a little annoyed with himself and Teddy, Ed spoke a little more forcefully than he intended, “The princess reached through the old woman's belly, up under the ribs, and ripped out the poor lady's heart, and you are going to pretend not to understand the word bare?”

  “Sorry for making jokes,” Teddy replied in an apathetic tone.

  As an empath, Ed could sense the other man was not apologetic, but sarcastic. In a way, it was comforting to know his childhood rival had never truly grown up. In another way, it was frustrating to know not only had the blue knight failed to grow, but had somehow made Ed consider him a rival. Sighing and flopping back down, Ed decided to move the story forward.

  ~

  From the top of the tower, in the distance, Kitty saw her sister ruthlessly slaying innocent villagers, there to pray to Lune and Sull. It was a massacre, and Kitty was jealous that she wasn't getting to murder the innocents of the lower caste. As such, she made haste towards her sister.

  However, before she could arrive, the Callian Revolutionary Army, or CRA for short, appeared. These brave warriors fight for equality among all Callians regardless of caste. Despite humble origins, sheer numbers and tenacity enabled them to capture the fox princess! As the defenders of the meek and downtrodden, the CRA warriors valiantly battled with the well-trained and groomed for fighting princess until she fell to their righteous blows!

  From afar, Princess Kitty was enraged. That said, she is a coward who only fights when victory is certain. Frightened at the sight of her sister in chains, the lioness turned tail and darted into the woods. However, her flight was not before she lit the entire village on fire while cackling manically! Her laughter echoed through the woods as she brutally spent the next week terrorizing anyone who happened to enter. Many innocents died in those dark woods.

  ~

  “How could one person control the entire forest unless it was a small forest? Why wouldn't the revolutionary army, which was previously established to be large, overwhelm the princess-equivalent if the forest was small? Also, one would think the defenders of the meek would give chase. Surely self-defense on a strategically advantageous battlefield is acceptable,” Teddy interrupted calmly. The prince rolled his eyes and continued.

  ~

  And so the CRA did give chase. They were on the verge of catching the beastly woman when she slipped out of the woods undetected and went to a nearby farm. It was here that the entitled brat entered a home without permission. On the table sat three bowls of porridge. The girl with the gold locks sat and ate from the first bowl.

  “This porridge is too spicy!” the spoiled girl claimed, throwing the bowl against the wall.

  She took up the second bowl. The porridge was thinner as she spooned it into her mouth, “Ew! Too much milk. This porridge is cold!” Again, the bowl was hurled to the wall, dislodging family portraits and destroying heirlooms.

  The contents of the third bowl were acceptable. The princess ate every bite before sending the bowl to the wall to shatter. Her hunger sated for the moment, the lioness went to the bedroom to lie in wait for the homeowners to prepare additional food to her liking.

  The first futon was too hard for her delicate princess body, so she ripped it to shreds with her claws, cursing at its supporting nature. The second futon was too fluffy and didn't provide her a stiff enough surface for her to stalk prey from. Again, she destroyed the bed with gusto. When she reached the third futon, the weak princess was too lazy to do anything but take a nap. This bed was just right.

  When the family returned home, they found their house invaded and Kitty sleeping soundly. They attempted to wake her. With the force of a top-caste predator, the princess lashed out. For their sin of trying to wake her from her slumber, she murdered the child and father in their own home. The mother werebear retreated for help. Her frantic shouts were heard from the woods where the CRA searched.

  By the time the CRA soldiers arrived, they saw Kitty standing over the corpse of the woman, blood on her claws and a smile on her red lips. With a defiant laugh, the wicked creature swiftly made her escape. The CRA followed after her as she sprinted toward Old Moon Gorge, which boasts a drop deeper than the deepest canyon on Uusa. The last thing anyone saw of her was her figure silently shining in the moonlight as she leapt. The last anyone heard from her was a crash in the swift river below.

  A few days later, a river village downstream recovered her red hood, bloodied and torn. Her body was still missing. However, some believe her ghost still haunts the woods, and if you watch the gorge at just the right time, you'll see her phantom above the water.

  ~

  “Now I know it's false. Born werefolk cannot become ghosts or phantoms. I suppose the bitten kind can, but the werefolk curse is lifted when the undead one is placed. It's a hazardous procedure that most often results in total-deconstruction-of-the-soul type of death. It's not something that can happen naturally.”

  “No one lied. Yet each story was different. Some were telling the best version of the story. The most interesting one, anyway. It doesn't matter, now. What matters is the reward being offered for Kitty. It's too much for someone dead. At least, I think so. What if the money is what creates more traitors? No wonder Dad was worried about Callie. It happened during the trial, so the Callian royals can't even help or offer a counter reward. During the trial period, the princesses aren't princesses until one comes back as the crown princess or the trial ends in a draw. Without an heir, someone from my family will take over. I don't want to risk getting bitten. I'm not into the muscle-girl look. I want a human girl or maybe an elf. Elves are hot,” Ed mumbled as the exhaustion took him and he fell into a deep slumber.