personal business to protect humans from the supernatural world,” I continued. “It caused…problems. If a supernatural mistreated a human, the werecats took it as a personal offense and stepped in to fix it, mostly when the human was somehow connected to the werecat, even if it was just living in their territory or growing up nearby. Where they got that mentality, I don’t know, but it caused a lot of problems.”
“A war,” Cassius cut in. “It caused a war with the werewolves. Nearly wiped out the werecats and exposed the supernatural world at large to the humans. It was probably the biggest supernatural conflict that’s ever happened. The only thing that comes close is the vampire and fae situation, but it’s never boiled over into open conflict.”
“And…” Raphael looked between them.
“Essentially, a human, if they know how, can find and beseech a werecat for protection from a supernatural problem. The werecat can and will fight to the death to protect said human. It gives the werecats a sense of purpose.” I lifted my hands in a shrug. “The problem? You might smell human most of the time, but the moment a werecat knows you aren’t human, and it will happen, they aren’t bound to protect you. If anything, they will want to get the fuck away from you. They don’t like trouble being brought to their doorstep and do their best to handle everything internally concerning their species, without involving anyone else. They self-govern better than most of the supernaturals.”
“I’m going to need all this written down,” the not-human mumbled, rubbing his temples. The concentrated, pained look on his face made me want to smooth the worry lines on his forehead and calm him down.
“I have a copy of the law as it currently stands,” Cassius said. “You can read through it.”
“Oh, gods, Cassius. Don’t torture the man,” I said, shaking my head. “That thing is awful.”
“He needs to know,” Cassius replied, walking out of the kitchen.
“How bad is it?” Raphael asked me once Cassius was gone.
“There are several supernatural species. You’ve heard of many already. Werecats, werewolves, fae, vampires, nagas, witches. There’s also kitsune, nymphs of different types, demigods, mermaids, and so many more who never left the land of their birth, keeping small communities. Nearly every legend exists, hidden under the surface of the human world, carefully crafted to keep us safe.” With a deep breath, I continued.
“For nearly every supernatural species, there’s a portion of the Laws dedicated to them, specific to that species’ needs and their abilities. No two species are covered by the exact same Laws. Some pay more attention to the Tribunal than others. Some aren’t covered by the Laws because the leaders of their species don’t want to bow down to other supernaturals, and that’s okay too, as long as those out of the governing of the Tribunal don’t mess with those who are. It started out with…four species.” I couldn’t quite remember, but I hadn’t been alive at the time. As humanity exploded globally, so did the Tribunal and the Laws. Now there were dozens.
“Five,” Cassius corrected as he walked in. “The problem children, werewolves and werecats, and those of us most impacted by their war in present day Eastern and Western Europe and Northern Africa; the fae, witches, and vampires. The Big Five.”
“Werewolves, fae, and vampires hold the strongest numbers,” I said, sighing sadly as we were caught explaining even more for the new guy. This was why I was glad I wasn’t one of those species who did this on a regular basis. It was tiring to have to explain everything. “Werecats are considered one of the most powerful, even if they have low numbers. Witches are…nosy and important at the same time.”
“They bridge the world between human and supernatural in a way no one else can because they have a foot in each world,” Cassius said, smiling at Raphael. He dropped a small book on the table. I wanted to snort. That was a dirty little trick.
“That’s it?” Raphael frowned at the book. “This won’t be so—”
Cassius snapped his fingers, and the book began to grow…and grow…and grow some more. After a few seconds, it was a foot wide, two feet long, and nearly a foot deep. Thousands and thousands of pages. Some supernaturals invested in becoming experts on the Law, but I knew even they had to reference the book on many occasions.
“Bad…” Raphael finished. “This…this is worse than every college textbook I had.”