A tale of two wolves

Tall crystalline doors opened with a heavy groan; their surfaces glittering like diamonds that matched the archway and walls of the entire ruling complex at the heart of the city. Turning open as slowly as stone, thanks to two robed guards opening them for the leaders of New Krypton society to exit, the meeting had concluded, and the ruling senators of New Krypton were making their way out. Each of them wore fine attire that looked like a neolithic amalgamation of krypton’s ancient past and earth’s modern attire. Several were still speaking, debating even after the meeting’s end, others swiftly left with paperwork in hand to head back to their own duties back in the neighboring cities.

Back in the meeting room, the place was a massive auditorium, with seating surrounding a podium at the center. The interior of the room was a gorgeous kaleidoscope of colours and lights refracted from the opening at the top of the crystalline dome, like looking into the interior of a precious gem. There, standing at the podium and shuffling the papers and documents, she had gone over the requests, offers and inquiries with the leaders and administrators of New Krypton for the duration of four hours. Something the high chancellor of New Krypton took with profound importance. The years had been generous to the blonde woman. Barely looking a day past 30 years old, she wore a beautiful, professional suit with a low skirt made in the style of her former home city of Argo. Her flowing blonde hair bound and braided behind her into a tasteful bun that complimented her sharp and structured appearance. She gave off the air of a woman of prestige, power, and order. And rightly so, being the leader of New Krypton itself along with her cousin.

“All in all, this was a productive meeting, wouldn’t you say?”

Giving said cousin a stern eye, Kara raised her chin in disappointment. Gathering her papers and sorting them in folders by her side to be cataloged for later or to be reviewed for further inquiry.

“You were two minutes late for our meeting Kal’El. I prefer our meetings to be prompt and efficient.” She sighed; her face unreadable. “We could have still covered more regarding transportation had we not stopped to wait for you to take your seat.”

“Sorry about that.” Fumbled Clark as he gathered his things and got up from his seat to join her on the auditorium floor. He too was dressed formally for the meeting with some help from Lois earlier that morning. “Old habits die hard. It’s what I used to do to keep up appearances when I was working at the Daily…”

“We’re not on Earth anymore cousin, you have no one to deceive, no one to keep such appearances with.” Stepping away from the podium with a briefcase in hand, Kara dropped her personal belongings on a table nearby as did Clark as the two continued to talk. “But at least you were here for the meeting… As opposed to my sister.”

“Yeah, she DID say she would be here for…”

No sooner had the two brought her up did the tall doors to the auditorium open and the two heard the woman cheer out from the entrance as she made her way inside.

“Hi Clark! Hi Kara!” Called out Karen with the same grace and pois as a drunk party goer entering a friend’s abode. Quickly making her way down to the center of the auditorium, the blonde woman smiled as she approached the two and her first act was to capture Clark in a great big bear hug. One the Man of Steel reciprocated until he was surprised by the woman gently cupping his chin in her hands and pulling him into a romantic kiss. One he knew was coming but always felt surprised when she did so boldly. Pulling away, she gave the man a warm smile, patting his shoulders down as she looked him over. “Always miss you Clark, I see you and Lois are doing okay, did you like the gift I left you?”

“Y-yes.” He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “We’re still trying to find a place for the new rug you got us.”

Karen was such a sharp contrast to Kara. Years of living between the more civilized portions of New Krypton and the wilds of Venus, Kara physique was fit and athletic, something she showed off with her current attire. Her dress… If it could be called that was animal hide tailored into a cocktail dress that showed off her long legs and bare arms. Exposing her midriff to bring focus to her chest and cleavage with a very deliberate v-cut window, wrapped in a top made of the same hide. Her hair was long and flowing, wild like a lion’s mane yet still appeared well kept. Completing the ensemble with jewelry made from beaded stones around her wrists, neck and ears that contrasted her blonde hair and complexion.

Moving up to be seen by the two, Kara crossed her arms, her face still stern as she watched the two catch up. “Karen, you didn’t attend the meeting, we were hoping to at least get a dialogue with you about what’s been happening out…”

“KARA! It’s been TOO long.” Moving past Clark, the tall blonde captured her more regal looking doppelganger in the same tight embrace. “Come’er. Give your BIG sis a hug.”

Firming her lower lip and looking away in disgust, Kara breathed in sharply as the older woman giggled to herself, practically nuzzling the other woman as she hugged her tightly. Clark could only watch the scene play out with some bemusement. Back on Earth, before all of this, their roles might as well have been reversed. A prim and reserved businesswoman and a carefree spirit. Two sides of the same coin. After a few seconds of this sign of affection, Kara had enough and pulled herself free of the blonde woman who smiled back at the younger woman with almost impish delight.

“So… Have you and Clark done it since Johnathan was born? Give me all the details.” She giggled at their responses, seeing Clark blush and look away while Kara glared back angrily back at the woman.

“Karen!”

Looking away and waving off the question, Power Girl continued to smile at the two, tilting her hip and crossing her arms to match Kara’s stance, shoulder to shoulder. “Oh, get over yourself, I’m kidding. So, you wanted to know what’s going on out on the Venus landscape huh?”

Brushing her dress gown down, Kara folded her hands in front of herself and regained her more poised and elegant stance as she went over to a series of folders at the table behind her. Going over her personal notes and reports, she found what she was looking for. Opening one folder and bringing up reports from the edge of the city, she turned and faced Karen.

“We’ve been getting reports of krypto-wolf attacks at the borders of New Argos and Rozz Falls, in the last 3 weeks alone, we’ve had to contend with 14 instances of wolf packs attacking our people at crossings and centers there.”

Handing the folder to the woman, Karen’s demeanor finally changed to something serious as she went over the numbers. Turning on her heel, Karen stepped away, going over each page and thumbing through photos before coming back and handing the folder back to Kara.

“The tribes have been… Prickly of late. Normally they fight over hunting grounds, mates, even to blow off steam. But this is the first I’ve been hearing about THIS.”

“They’re not the only ones. We’ve had some of OUR people losing their minds out of nowhere.” Explained Kara, going over another folder to show the photographs of people. “What’s even stranger is they have nothing in common with one another, and their behavior changed without rhyme or reason. We’ve had to detain them in cells shining red sunlight down on them just so we could keep them in straitjackets.”

“Psychotic behavior?” Karen asked. Wondering if it reflected the wolf attacks.

“Nymphomania.” Kara said in a low tone of voice, dripping with venom. “Which is in stark contrast to the reports we’ve been getting of the wolves outside our borders.”

“So, what are you asking then?”

“We need someone out there to find out what’s going on, to find out why there are packs of krypto-wolves attacking our people.” Explained Kara, gathering the paperwork back from Karen. “We want you to do it because the tribes respect you.”

“And what about the crazies cropping up in the city?”

“Lois and I can handle that.” Answered Clark. “She’s our best reporter and investigator, almost all the people who snapped were all found by her. We can keep an eye on what’s going on and try to find the cause.”

“Very well, I’ll see what I can find… On one condition.” Smirked the wild woman as she gave Kara a smile that left the administrative queen bee uncomfortable.

“And that be?”

“YOU are coming with me.”

Taken back, Kara scoffed. Even Clark was confused by the request as he moved up close to whisper into Karen’s ear behind Kara’s back.

“Karen… What are you planning?”

“You’re kidding, right? I mean LOOK at her. Ever since that day with my son and what happened between you and her, she’s been overcompensating about the control she has over her life.” Her demeanor softened as she rested a hand on Clark’s shoulder. “This will do her a world of good to be in a place where she doesn’t feel she needs to be in absolute control. I swear if she stays here another day, she’ll become so wooden she’ll need to be sanded down and varnished.”

“You DO realize I can hear you and everyone else for over 500 miles, right?” Deadpanned Kara, her face stone still with her arms crossed.

“Right… Well, it’s settled then.” Karen declared; her hands clasped together before quickly pulling Kara towards her with an arm around her shoulder. “The Zor’El sisters will solve this case together.”

**** to have her face pressed against her double, Kara frowned at Karen before rolling her eyes and relenting. “Fine then… Let me get prepared. Something tells me I’ll be needing various forms of repellents just to endure this.”

***

It was such a strange place for Mia as she explored the hallways of Castle Tepes. It was ancient for sure, centuries? Maybe more? The paintings and statues all around her sure hinted that. She passed by one where she had to stop and take it all in. It looked thousands of years old. Showing a battle between what looked like monsters being commanded by some handsome looking man in robes against an army of women with spears and bows on horses. The painting alone took almost the entire wall! It was all she could see looking at it.

“Admiring the past child?”

Looking to her right, she found a tall, dark-haired woman approach her, the tallest she had seen here save for the other amazons who ‘greeted’ them at the door. Wearing a beautiful silk robe and gown, it was embellished with gold jewelry and a staff with what looked like an owl with its wings folded and head low. Even so, she recognized her instantly both by her appearance and what her mother had told her. Causing Mia to smile and bow graciously before the presence of Queen Hippolyta. Instantly the queen of the amazons gestured for Mia to stand back up and took her hand in hers.

“No need to bow child, you need never bow to me.”

“Why not? I thought you were a queen.”

“I am… But my lands are gone, dead, my people displaced, seeking sanctuary. I am a queen… A queen of nothing. And I am to blame for such.”

Scrunching her face, unable to know how to answer that, the queen looked deep into the girl’s eyes and smiled, joining the young woman in admiring the painting, the looked down at the young girl with a warm smile and nodded back to the painting.

“I should not be surprised he kept this, he had quite the hand in how this battle started and ended. And he always keeps that which holds his likeness. For sentimental reasons.”

“What do you mean?” Mia asked, watching the queen point towards the leader of the horde of monsters depicted in the art in front of them.

“LONG ago, when my people fought for their freedom against the predations of Ares, the gods gave us the strength to fight back. He sent his worst to placate us, but in the end of a terrible and bloody conflict, we were victorious, and the gods gave us a paradise to spend our eternity in splendor.”

“So, what happened?” Looking up to the queen, the dark-haired woman looked down and almost glared back at her.

“Your mother.”

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Mia felt the queen’s hand over her shoulder pat her gently as a smile returned to the queen’s lips. “Do not fear child, I hold no malice to you, or her, that… Creature that wore your mother’s face is gone and will never plague these lands again. I do not hate her, or you. Hatred is self-defeating.” Breathing in slowly, the woman looked like she was holding back tears. “That banshee showed me and my people a terrible truth we either repressed or ignored. That evil does not just lay root in the hearts of men and men alone, hatred was not our downfall; it was pride.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kneeling to see the young girl eye to eye, Queen Hippolyta smiled wider, tracing a finger through Mia’s hair. “You remind me of my daughter. I am grateful she was spared the nightmare our people endured, but it was a nightmare we learned from… Most of us. The majority of my sisters have made efforts to relearn compassion, following in my daughter’s footsteps.”

Taking the girl’s hand in hers, Hippolyta stood back to her feet and nodded to the end of the hall. “Come, your mother and father are likely curious where their daughter has wandered off to in a castle whose halls and rooms tend to change like a maze.”

Looking back to the painting before they left, Mia looked over to the man at the painting pointing towards the amazons, his face perfect and handsome, with dark pleated hair and wearing dark plated armor. “So, who one, you or Dracula?”

Pausing, Hippolyta looked confused when she looked to where Mia pointed. Smiling when she noticed her confusion. “Oh, that was not Dracula.” Moving over to point at the painting, Hippolyta smile seemed wry. “THAT was Ares. Hmm, Self-preening boar of a man that he was.” Looking back at Mia’s confusion, Hippolyta looked around the painting, her fingers scratching her chin as she searched for the man, her face softening when she caught sight and pointing towards something in the forest backgrounds of the painting. “There he is.”

Squinting, Mia stepped closer to look, only to find the shape of a shadow in the shape of a man hiding between trees in the background. “I don’t get it.”

Chuckling, Hippolyta traced a finger from where the shadow stood in the dark and the trails of shadows leading from it to the feet of the monsters fighting the amazons. It took Mia some time to piece it together, but she realized the monsters weren’t braying out to the sky or just crying out, they had been shackled to the earth by grasping hands coming from those shadows. “He helped you.”

“Yes, he did.” She smiled. “And we are forever grateful. Come, your parents are likely worried for you.”