Growing Up Kitty

The Familiar Sanctuary

  Once inside my own building I shift into Zipper. The cat goes through some convoluted stretching once he has control over the body. I've noticed that any time that I didn't change for an emergency he always does this. It must be a feline thing, from what I have also heard over the years familiars are more like house cats than standard cat shifters are. I do believe that, especially watching how familiars behave on their own.

The reason for going back to my own rooms is that Zipper had bespelled the space to ensure that one of could magically see into the room. It had been a very convoluted spell that I had the feeling was exclusive to familiar's.

Once Zipper finishes his stretching he leaps into the air and we land on the gravel pathway leaving to the castle in the other plane. He walks us towards the castle at a sedate pace, the familiars had done some masterful work on this little mini plane of theirs. No transportation magic can be used out side of the ten foot square space one the pathway. Currently as well the only place any actual magic can be used is within the castle itself. So if any of the familiars chose to spend time in the foods they did so without and magic.

Most familiars that have no attachments in the mortal plane live within the castle. The castle itself was spelled to be larger on the inside than the outside. There was countless rooms so that any and all familiars could have a place within the castle if they chose to.

When we reach the gate to the entrance area an older sorcerer types meets us, he nods at us and sits down in front of Zipper waiting for Zipper to speak. Zipper sits a respectful distance away from the Elder and speaks, "Greetings Elder. Me and Greg have heard some disturbing stories in the mortal world and we wished to discover how true they were." Interestingly familiars while within this realm can speak as humans can in the other world.

The older familiar nods his head, "ah the new shifter disease. Well come along to the meeting room you two. Dunlight and Slyph are already here." Zipper nods our head and we follow the Elder into the castle to one of the meeting rooms. Granted I imagine Zipper could have found the room himself, though I wondered if it was because the old one knew something about this.

In the meeting room as a large table with arm chairs around it that larger familiars used to sit in for conversations while there was cushions on the table for the smaller types. Zipper alters our size to be that of a sorcerer familiar of about the same age.

Dunlight was indeed on the table quietly conversing with Slyph when we walked in. Dunlight was Mrs Heather's familiar so I knew why he was here. The old sorcerer settles into one of the arm chairs and a couple more sorcerer types enter the room.

After settling themselves a middle aged female nods in our direction. "Greetings Zipper and Greg, the reason you've come and the reason most of us are very concerned is this rabid viral shifter disease." She gives a feline shrug, "I wish I had a better description of the illness. However, from what we can tell is, that anyone that is infected with is if their saliva touches and unaffected human they become a shifter of what ever type the biter was."

The first male picks up the thread then, "and it's not just in the western portion of North America. There are minor outbreaks of it in other countries as well. Generally in cities that have a ninety percent or higher human population." That seemed odd to me as if it were more naturally occurring it wouldn't be just cities. I voice my concern via mind voice, isn't that odd if it was a natural disease?

The first female nods her head, "very odd Greg. As in impossible if it were natural. We have ways to keep an eye on this illness that are not available to humans and the other human type species. There are no outbreaks outside of cities aside from the flare up near where that changeling is going."

Zipper nods our head and Dunlight comments. "So do we know for sure it won't effect the changeling? The military chose to send her to investigate based on their knowledge of this illness." The old male responds nodding his head, "yes she should be just fine. It is only effecting pure humans, which is an oddity as well. As unless it was tailored specifically with human only DNA in mind there is no way to make sure it only effects humans. However it will be interesting when the humans discover how many non humans are living as humans."

A younger male looks at us, "Greg have you asked your grandfather about this yet?" I mentally blink my own eyes, I hadn't thought of granddad. Um no, I hadn't thought of it. The same male nods his head, "alright how about you 'call' him and ask him to come-." The familiar was cut off as my grandfather colaseced at the head of the table.

The Elder shakes his head saying, "so nice of you to join us Marchosias. However we had thought we had prevented anyone from using transportation magic away from the entry point." Granddad smiles at the old familiar, "that's because I'm not quiet here old man. No worries even I couldn't get past that spell you put there." He turns to look at me and Zipper, "hello boys. As to my kind's knowledge of this illness." He pauses as if he wanted to word it right. "We didn't make it, a group of humans did design it in an attempt to put themselves on an 'even level' with shifters." He rubs his chin as if thinking hard. "They did however find some of the stores the blood mages had hid away after the incident with the Dragon flight." The old familiar nods his head, "that makes more sense now. Thank you Marchosias, can you tell me whose blood it is?"

Granddad shakes his head, "afraid not that is a state secret, though I can say he is not too pleased with humans right now." The old familiar nods his head and I give granddad a look. He tilts his head and says, "yes Greg?" Why haven't you told Simon anything yet? The old familiar chuckles, "ah I can answer that Greg. It's simple, Simon hasn't asked Marchosias about it. Demon kind rarely gives anything away and if a human or other species don't think to ask they will never tell them anything." I mentally blink and the old familiar chuckles again and looks at granddad. "Maybe you should send him a file with a note that your grandson requested he know the information. That old gargoyle should know better when dealing with you to ask for anything and everything."

Marchosias chuckles himself and waves a hand, "done and it appeared right in front of old stone face. I'll have you know he say the note and cursed very loud and creatively." I imagine he had too, granddad gives a slight nod to the old familiars then says. "Alright boys gotta go, and Slyph try to get her to not be to harsh to the foolish boy. He was only doing what he thought was best."

After granddad leaves Dunlight comments, "so it was created using Demon's blood. Also from his reaction high up Demon blood, this would probably explain it being viral and the rabid nature after infection."

The older familiar nods in agreement the middle aged female looking upset. "We will need to keep a better eye on it. If it was first created with that blood then it might be very unstable, we don't know how it can effect vampires as yet. Since Angelus are a divergent species, it is possible that vampire could be a mixing vector to other species." She looks to Dunlight, "you need to warn Heather of this possibility." Dunlight nods his head and I shake my head, if it could effect vampires. That could be a possibility as they digest fluids, from my studies of vampires I learned that in the 18th century a very bad human discovered that a vampire's stomach can purify and distill liquids. The human in question started kidnapping them and would use vampire proof manacles to keep them chained to a wall so that he could use them to create a drug that cannot be duplicated now. Well correction, it could but it would require a vampire to ingest a liquid made from poppies and not eat anything while it sat in it's stomach for two weeks then someone would have to put a hole in their stomach to remove the distilled substance.

From what I had read it wasn't an enjoyable experience for the vampire. They could survive it, but they would be starving by the end of it and nothing is more dangerous than a starving vampire. The Elder looks to us, "well I believe that answers every question we need answered right now about this illness. Now do we need to make our sanctuary safe from demon 'video calls'?" I hear granddad's voice chuckling, "now remember I didn't come there till you invited me."