Ran: April 29, 2019 - December 25, 2019
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Part 1
And Now for Someone Completely Different.
Elsewhere in Babylon Gardens, with the weather considerably warmer since the end of Hot Springs, a squirrel wakes up in a human bed, notices his hands, and screams.
Between his panicked first reactions, we learn that his name is Marion Ward, he's in his last days of high school, and he's Genre Savvy enough to immediately begin approaching the situation from a logical standpoint once he finally sobers up. He considers curses, hallucinations, and Mass Transformation, before finally texting his girlfriend, Lois, who points out another aspect of his transformation he missed; He's a girl.
After three hours of similarly fruitless searching, his mother comes home and beats out the strange squirrel in her son's bedroom with a broom, ignoring his pleas. As soon as he's outside, he runs into the last person he needs; Kevin, who immediately chases him up a tree.
Rejected by his mother, local law enforcement, and even the squirrels in the trees, Marion drags himself to a treehouse and drifts off, uncertain about his future prospects.
Part 2
Waking up from his nap, Marion finds he's not quite as alone as he was when he fell asleep. Truck and Falstaff are here, scouting out a house to raid its pie supplies, and seem just as surprised as he is that the other is there.
The raccoons agree to let Marion tag along if he helps them out with their heist, which turns out to be rather easy, as the homeowner has been baking pies for them. The three run off into the woods again, heading for Jessica's place to eat.
Jessica is kind enough to let him stay without asking too many questions, and during his sleep he's accosted by a number of guests, including a suspiciously curious badger. Marion's kept up from his sleep by the badger's conversations, where he mentions trying to goad Marion into joining Keene's very own ECP. When Marion protests against this idea, the badger cryptically informs him 'You can't always get what you want'.
Part 3
At the police station, Lois wises up and decides to report Marion as missing with the information she has. Officer Fido recalls the squirrel he ran into with Kevin the other day, and they approach Jessica for questioning, who isn't keen to see what they need her for.
She instead offers to smuggle Marion out underground with Karishad's help, passing through an underground tunnel filled with old gargoyles. As soon as he's out, however, Lois finds him, and the two have an awkward reunion.
Initially in disbelief, Lois decides reluctantly to believe that the squirrel is Marion after seeing the distress he's in, Inelegant Blubbering and all. Together again, Lois and Marion set off back for the station.
Elsewhere, King receives a phone call in the middle of the night.
Part 4
After a brief interrogation, King and Fox both agree that they're dealing with Animorphism and bring the matter to Keene to ask for his resources.
After one final failed attempt to reconnect with his mother, Marion returns to school with some complications. Getting to class is harder with his tiny legs, nobody seems keen to believe him or take him seriously, and toilets are too large for him. By the end of the day, all he's really keen to do is crawl into a tree until Lois arrives.
When Marion offhandedly mentions a human transformed into a camel living at the zoo, Lois takes a detour so the two can visit. Thomas Milton is, on top of potentially insane, less than helpful. When he finally starts talking, he tries to goad Marion into believing Keene is the true perpetrator behind their transformations, or at the least covering up information...
Thomas' last prediction before Marion gives up is an increasing uptick in transformations in the coming days. Marion blows him off as crazy, leaves the enclosure... and finds Lois turned into a bobcat.
Part 5
Calling up Lana, the now biologically-male Lois hitches a ride to Keene's place to confront him with Marion.
Entering his home he shares with Breel, the two greet Keene with an Attack Hello, both of them rather unhappy. He tells them about Pete, the cursed coins, and Kitsune, who Lois demands to meet. Kitsune is equally unhelpful, but at the very least lets them in that they've been cursed on purpose by a third party.
Finally putting the pieces together, the gold coins, the curse, and the third party, points Marion to one suspect; the badger from Jessica's house. A police presence is amassed, and they go to make him answer. He's not particularly interested.
When the badger is finally tackled by police and confronted by Keene, he reveals what we already knew; He is Herman Steward, freshly transformed, and now deadset on bankrupting the ECP by turning as many humans into animals as he can and ensuring they're place under the group's care. He's giving Keene all he ever wanted, at too steep a price to pay.
While Trinket makes away with the cursed coin, Steward slashes Fox's face and escapes, leaving the rest of them confused on where to go next. The mystery has been solved. Yaaaay.
Six months later, Christmas rolls around. Steward is still at large, and Lois and Marion are trying to return to some semblance of a normal life. The two walk off into the snow together, determined to stick together in their strange new world.
