🍕Destiny Fish and Wally🎣

"Sho you shee, dish's why I turned down Layza Fish," Destiny Fish spoke around the chisel in his mouth as he added a few finishing touches to his latest statue. Satisfied, he placed his chisel down and swam back to admire his handiwork, “Check it out, bro. There’s only one girl out there for me; Goddess Fish," The block of marble on the bottom of the lake had finally revealed its true form to Destiny Fish in a dream. From it, he had carved a stunning, life-like statue of Goddess Fish; greatest of all fish and Destiny Fish’s crush. The statue was a masterpiece.

Destiny Fish was no stranger to boredom. He had spent thousands of years alive, doing just what he was doing now: messing about and talking to inanimate objects. Wally’s soul had been following him everywhere for weeks now. Although it was incapable of hearing anything, this didn’t stop Destiny Fish from chatting to it non-stop. At this point, he had basically shared his entire life story. He smiled at the soul, glad for the company, even if the conversation was one-sided.

Snow began to fall on Lake Fortune.

"Whaaaat? Snow?! Dude, let's go check out what's happening up there."

He swam up and poked his head out of the water. Wally’s soul bobbed along behind. The sky was filled with large snowflakes that drifted down gently and collected on the ground. There was a crisp, beautiful stillness in the air that comes with such snowfalls. As it had been late summer up until a moment ago, this was all quite unexpected.

"Whooooaaaa! Bro, how long was I making that statue for? Trippy! What's going on?"

Destiny Fish loved snow! It didn't snow in outback Australia so it had been ages since he'd seen any. Suffice to say, he was very excited. He danced around, trying to catch some snowflakes in his mouth. After enough snow accumulated on the ground, he planned to make a snowman.

"Hello Destiny Fish," a voice called out from behind.

Destiny Fish spun about, surprised by the sudden voice. Floating in the water by one of his dark purple portals, was Gate Fish, his fellow magic fish.

"Gate Fish?! Dude! What's up? Long time no see!" Destiny Fish exclaimed.

A tear ran down Gate Fish’s face, "Sorry Destiny Fish, I'm here with bad news.” He gestured to the falling snow, “Weather Fish is dead. Everyone is gathering for the funeral. This portal leads there now, please come through."

Destiny Fish felt a horrible chill run through him that had nothing to do with the snow, "Weather Fish!? Oh no! What? Why? What..."

"Not now, Destiny Fish. It’s going to start soon. Ask someone for details there." Gate motioned towards his portal, clearly not in the mood to talk.

"Yeah, alright. Yeah.. “ the stunned Destiny Fish read the mood and swam to the portal.

"Wait." Gate Fish held up a fin before Destiny Fish could go through. "What is that?" He gestured behind Destiny’s tail.

Destiny Fish turned around to see what he was talking about. Gate Fish was pointing at Wally’s soul, which was, of course, still bobbing along behind him. Destiny said, "Oh, that's just my bro. His name is Wally. Is it alright if he comes with?"

Gate Fish squinted, "No, I don't think that's a good idea. Leave it here. Is... Is 'Wally' a soul? What the heck have you been up to Destiny?" Gate Fish asked. He knew Destiny Fish was weird, but a pet soul was just… disturbing. Gate fish shook his head and said, "You know what, never mind. Don't answer; I don't want to know. Just leave ‘Wally’ here and let’s go."

"Ah, Right-o. Welp,” Destiny Fish turned to Wally’s soul to say his goodbyes, “Catch ya later bro. Take it easy. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," He spat out his magic wand and cut the thread, connecting them. With an awkward wave, Destiny Fish left through the portal.

Gate Fish took one last look back at the soul and shook his head again before following through the portal. It closed behind them, leaving the soul behind.

After some time, the soul began floating away from Lake Fortune, guided gently by the strings of destiny. Thunder crashed in the distance.

🐙Tomas🐙

Birds sang in the sunrise, its light spreading out, warming the land. Most members of the Church of the Wolf got up early and scurried about, excitedly preparing for the big event. They were all far too busy to notice as time was ripped in two.

Perhaps the most excited person was Roy. The Head priest practically skipped through the compound on his way to collect Tomas. Two acolytes hurried to keep up behind him. Despite his age, Roy was positively frolicking about, brimming with energy. Today’s sacrifice ceremony was going to be perfect!

He didn’t bother knocking on Tomas’ door before letting himself in. Tomas had fallen asleep on his sofa with his game still running on the TV. He didn't even stir upon Roy’s entrance. Roy looked down at him and shook his head, kids these days waste all their time on vidjyo games and tickle tock, he thought.

He clapped his hands in front of Tomas’ face, “Wake up, brother Tomas. It’s time to get ready!”

Tomas had only slept all of maybe 2 hours the previous night. With a painful, strained effort, he raised his head and looked at Roy through bleary, unfocused eyes. He wasn’t able to hold his head up for long. Slowly, it drifted back down to the sofa, his eyes closed long before his head landed. He fell back asleep immediately.

Clicking his tongue, Roy grabbed Tomas by the robe and yanked him off the sofa. Tomas fell onto the floor with a thud, mumbled incoherently, rolled over, then fell asleep on the floor.

If Roy hadn't been expecting as much he’d have lost it. This wasn’t his first time waking Tomas, however. He snapped his fingers towards the door and one of the acolytes who had come with him entered the room carrying a bucket of ice water. Roy stepped back and gave the acolyte room to upend the bucket onto Tomas. Tomas gasped and sat upright in icy surprise.

Roy dismissed the acolyte, then greeted Tomas again, “Good morning, brother Tomas! It’s time to get ready.” He snapped his fingers again. A second acolyte entered the room and approached the head priest, carrying fresh robes and a set of heavy chain manacles.

Tomas slowly took in his surroundings before his eyes settled on the acolyte. He stared at the bundle they held in confusion for several seconds, “Chains? Really Roy?” he asked.

The acolyte gasped at the insolence Tomas had just displayed by not addressing the head priest by his title. Roy, however, was all smiles. He took the bundle from the acolyte and gestured for them to leave. Nothing was going to take away from his happiness today, “Yes! Aren’t they wonderful? They’re traditional. Here you are,” he passed the robes down to Tomas, “Hurry and get dressed; we don’t want to be late.”

Tomas took the clothes, “What do you mean traditional? Isn’t this the first time we’ve ever done this ceremony?” he stood and started to remove his wet robes.

“Every tradition must begin somewhere,” Roy cheerfully explained, averting his gaze as Tomas changed.

Once Tomas had fresh robes on, Roy passed over the chains. Tomas' arms sagged from their weight, “They’re so heavy! Couldn’t we wait until we’re at the uh.. place before putting them on? Where are we even going?”

“It’s traditional to put them on in your room,” Roy helped clasp them around Tomas’ wrists and ankles, his smile constantly widening, “It is a beautiful day today, so we'll be performing the ceremony in the sacred outdoor courtyard.”

“Huh? Where’s that?” Tomas asked.

Roy chortled and shook his head, “Ohohoho, oh Tomas, You spend so much time on your sofa that you don't know your own home! Right! This looks good. Let’s go!” He took a hold of a chain and began pulling Tomas along.

Tomas trudged behind Roy half asleep, trying to figure out where they were headed for. It was slow going with the heavy manacles attached. He let himself be guided by the yanking of his chains until they reached the ‘sacred outdoor courtyard’. A place that had been called the ‘outdoor rec area’ until earlier that morning, an open-air area in the centre of the compound used for exercise.

The outdoor rec area was usually bare, save for a running track circling around the perimeter and a tall tree standing in its centre, but today it looked festive. Streamers of silver and blue flew everywhere and several platforms had been prepared for spectators. All of the church members were already lined up on the platforms, wearing their brightest white robes. In front of them, there was a raised podium with a microphone for speeches and a decorated area for the sacrifice itself.

Tomas spotted his good friend, Ingrid in the crowd, looking the happiest he’d ever seen her. Seeing her elated face brought joy to his heart.

That's when he realised that he had just let Roy drag him all the way here without resistance. Gah! I was alone with Roy this entire walk. That was my best chance to escape! What a waste! he admonished himself. What if I make a run for it now?

He looked out across the courtyard and saw another familiar face, the Matriarch. Oh… never mind. He deflated, abandoning the thought of escape.

The Matriarch was the leader of the church. The legend of the wolf and the lioness that Roy had read Tomas the previous night was based on a true story. She was that wolf.

She was an enormous wolf-shaped woman covered in lean, powerful muscles and silver fur. She stood on her hind legs, hunched forward as if ready to go down onto all fours and charge at any moment. She had to be careful not to damage the ceiling or door frames with her head while walking indoors as when she stood at her full height, she reached almost three metres tall. The church compound was specially designed to be extra tall and sturdy with her in mind, just in case. Her long jaws were filled with razor-sharp teeth. Wicked claws tipped her elongated hands and feet. Just a glance from her piercing yellow eyes was enough to send shivers down the bravest of spines. Her tail, however, was cute and fluffy.

She was the greatest huntress to have ever lived. If Tomas tried to run, she would hunt him down. She could track his scent from miles away, hear his panicked heartbeat from behind walls, and even taste his fear on her tongue. It was a well-known fact that nothing escaped the Matriarch. She was the pillar of absolute power that held the Church up for over 100 years. Upon seeing her, Tomas let go of hope and resigned himself to his fate.

She had dressed up nicely for the occasion. She wore an elaborate white ritual dress, tailored to her size and features. Bit of a waste, Tomas thought, as it would undoubtedly get stained with his blood during the proceedings. Tomas looked closer and could see that her eyelashes had been done up nicely, her claws were freshly polished and the top of her head was adorned with flowers. It was safe to assume that when she wasn’t a 3-metre tall wolf monster, she was a very classy woman. That’s presuming she was able to transform at all. Tomas had never seen her leave wolf form, so he wasn’t even sure if she was able.

Roy also looked at the Matriarch, a deep frown forming on his face. He called over a nearby, lower-ranking priest and hissed, “Where is the Matriarch’s crown!?”

“Head Priest, I’m sorry, sir. It’s missing. We have people searching everywhere but it's like it vanished into thin air. We couldn’t delay the ceremony any further so…” the frightened priest explained.

Tomas ignored them and stared at the sky. The weather was beautiful today, “It’s a good day to die.” he said, reaching acceptance.

As soon as the words left his mouth, as if to mock him, it stopped being a good day to die. A strong wind blew through the compound and the sky that was clear a moment ago, suddenly filled with dark clouds that appeared from nowhere. Roy stopped harassing the poor priest and looked up as thunder rumbled across the sky.

The Matriarch raised her head to look at the strangeness above. At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning fell down and hit the highest object in the area; the tree in the centre of the grounds. The light was blinding and the thunder that soon followed sounded like a cannon. The sky went berserk, hundreds of bolts rained down striking the tree repeatedly, moments after the first bolt. The gathered cultists fell to the ground screaming, covering their heads.

Then, everything went silent, leaving only a ringing in their ears. The lightning stopped as suddenly as it had started and was replaced with heavy rain. Wet and shell-shocked, everyone picked themselves up and stared wide-eyed at the destroyed tree in front of them.

Beyond the ringing of their ears, they heard a panicked voice call out, “Matriarch! This is a sign! The Church needs your strength! Consume the boy now and protect us!”

Yellow eyes opened and stared coldly at Roy. He should know better than to make demands of her. Roy shivered and lowered his head.

Having made her point, she got up and crossed the courtyard in a few bounds, halting in front of Tomas. He was curled, trembling in a ball on the ground. She picked him up in both hands like a small child and held him in front of her. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. Tears ran down his cheeks. The Matriarch closed her eyes, brought his head up into her mouth and bit down.

A sickening crunch rang out over the sound of the rain. Followed by another, then another. Finally, there was a clanging sound as iron manacles were spat out onto the ground. The Matriarch’s beautiful dress was ruined, soaked in rain and blood.

For a moment there was only the sound of rain. Then the Matriarch let out a whine, her body twisted and bent over. The silent onlookers watched on as their leader's body began contorting in unnatural ways. At first, her shoulder bulged, then her leg. Finally, her entire body began to jolt, warp, and grow.

At the time of the story from the chronicles, when she ate the lioness, she had been no larger than a regular wolf. On that day she grew from that size into the giant who had just consumed Tomas. As she had back then, now again, she rapidly grew larger, stronger, and deadlier at an exponential rate. So great was her size increase, that the onlooking cultists had to back away to make room for her.

The transformation continued and the cultists began to grow nervous. Her growth showed no signs of stopping. She grew larger than any living creature on earth and then kept going. She towered over the cultists, blocking the sky when she finally stopped.

She stretched out slowly and inspected her body now that she was free from pain. Although she was at least 40 metres tall, larger than the largest dinosaurs on Earth had been, she had lost none of her grace and agility. Each of her individual claws was larger than a man. Her fur was as thick as rope, her mouth; large enough to swallow a horse in one bite. She was magnificent. A true Goddess of the hunt.

Roy fell to his knees. Everyone in the courtyard quickly followed suit, “Oh great Matriarch! We are your loyal servants. The universe is your prey to hunt!” He called out. Tears fell from his eyes.

The Matriarch raised her head to the sky and howled.

The ground trembled.

That was what happened in one timeline. Over in the other one however…

Roy and Tomas walked into the courtyard. Roy’s Smile grew wider upon spotting the Matriarch. She was wearing an iron crown shaped like long teeth, pointing to the sky. It was adorned with flowers to give her a feminine feel. With her crown on, she towered over even the tree in the outdoor rec area, “Look at her crown. She looks so wonderful in it. I designed it myself, you know!” Roy bragged to Tomas.

Tomas ignored him and stared at the sky. The weather was indeed beautiful today, “It’s a good day to die.” he said, reaching an acceptance.

As soon as the words left his mouth, as if to mock him, it stopped being a good day to die. A strong wind blew through the compound and the sky that was clear a moment ago, suddenly filled with dark clouds that came from nowhere. Roy stopped bragging and looked up, feeling very concerned for the ceremony as thunder rumbled in the sky.

The Matriarch raised her head to look at the strangeness above. At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning fell down and hit the highest object in the area; her crown. The light was blinding and the thunder that soon followed sounded like a cannon. The sky went berserk, hundreds of bolts rained down, moments after the first, striking the Matriarch again and again. The gathered cultists fell to the ground screaming, covering their heads.

Then, everything went silent. The lightning stopped as suddenly as it started and was replaced with heavy rain. Looking shell-shocked, the cultists picked themselves up and stared wide-eyed at the Matriarch.

A voice was heard through their ringing ears, “Matriarch! This is a sign! We need your strength! Consume the boy now and protect us! Matriarch?! Oh no! NONONONONO! MATRIARCH!!!”

Tomas was curled in a ball on the ground, crying. Hearing Roy’s panicked screams, he got up and rubbed his eyes. Roy was rushing over to where the Matriarch was sizzling, having been cooked by the lightning. Streams of black smoke rose off her body through the rain. He was still a bit stunned, so it took him a moment to realise that this was his chance to escape.

He looked down at his chained hands and feet. It was such an odd thing. Surely Roy knew that he could have escaped the chains at any time. Tomas transformed his arms and legs into long slippery tentacles. He wriggled them around a little so that the chains fell off, onto the ground.

“She’s alive!! Get Tomas!” Roy screamed.

The blood drained from Tomas’ face. He shifted his limbs back to normal, turned around, and bolted away through the compound. By the time people started to look for him, he was already gone.

There was panic and chaos everywhere, which he used to his benefit. With his head down, he fled unhindered until he reached the locked front gate. A tall concrete fence surrounded the entire compound. It was too tall to climb over for an ordinary person and he had no idea how to open the gate without a key. Luckily, Tomas was not an ordinary person.

First, he took his sandals off and threw them over the wall. Well, it took him 2 tries, but he got them over in the end. After that, he transformed into a were-octopus, proud that he no longer accidentally inked himself when transforming. Next, he stretched a couple tentacles and grabbed the top of the wall using his sucker pads for grip. Then he pulled himself up and over, leaping off the wall to the other side and landing in a squishy heap, unharmed.

That had gone much better than he had expected. Roy was undoubtedly rallying the church to come to hunt him down. Which meant he needed to escape into the wilderness. Luckily he'd done some research the night before.

He got his bearings and fled away from the church, into the Australian outback. He had a destination in mind, “Chooks creek; Madame Wanda,” he recited as he left the church behind.