On the surface, the integration of the new tribes into Thunder Valley went as smoothly as one could hope for. Surprisingly, the owls' group had only two males, who were even smaller than the females and clearly subservient to the matriarchs. As a group, they quickly found their new pce between the city's trees, starting to build small houses upon them with the help of chimps who had experience in doing so. From the two, the really busy tribe was the moles themselves. As soon as they all arrived, the underground expansion was immediately underway, and it only took a few weeks to dig out a whole underworld below the city. Their speed shocked... everyone. Still, it was a good thing, as the coming winter was already knocking at the door, with the weather growing cooler and cloudier, and soon the first snow would fall, painting the forest white for months, slowing everything to almost a halt.

  It was because of the changing seasons that, on a gray day, every mole was working hard, digging tunnels, wearing their true forms, hidden away from the bad weather. The biggest of them was around two meters tall, with strong, iron-like cws, digging through the hard earth like a hot knife going through butter. Day or night? It didn't matter, as they didn't need light; their senses had already adapted to complete darkness as they worked tirelessly.

  "How's the tunnel coming along?" Garganel asked, whispering to his people, huddling together in his chambers after taking a short break.

  "Everything in order, chief," his second in command answered. "Those left outside had arrived near where the escape tunnel will be connected with the outside world."

  "What about the second?" He asked, sniffing the air, making sure they were still alone.

  "The second tunnel is closing in on the point the… Um... the mongoose said we should dig towards," his follower gulped.

  "I hope… We can survive this…." Garganel murmured, sighing, trembling, aging almost years before their eyes. "Keep the work up in the rotation. We need to have the escape tunnel first, so when those savages arrive, we can leave, or we will be destroyed by the apes in revenge..."

  "Are we doing the… right thing?"

  "We are." Garganel answered after a bit of pause, "We do what we must for survival. This was always the case in this forest, and it will never change. No matter what is done... After we leave, and I get my son back, we will move to a new pce, far away from here. Just as we always do."

  While they were having their meeting, outside the city, farther away, in the thick forest, Uhure and Ohore were sitting on a tree branch in their owl form, watching the ground below them, where a tunnel mouth was slowly taking shape, covered with shrubs and foliage, concealed from most eyes... But not from theirs.

  "I stand corrected. They are worse than rats." Ohore yawned, slowly blinking her eyes.

  "You can't change a coward's disposition." Uhure agreed, doing the same, watching the hole.

  "I agree. Sister… I know we said we were going to work together with them… but being ordered to stand guard here and catch them…" Ohore continued, a bit annoyed, "We just moved in, and we are already being used as tools. I don't know if this was really a good idea."

  "They did not order us." Uhure said slowly, "They asked us if we were willing… and I accepted. Building a strong presence through achievements is the best way to join a new community. After this, we will have a stronger voice in exchange for a small hunting excursion. What is there not to like about it?" She smiled, shaking her feathers a little, feeling hungry.

  "Ahaha… yeah, you are right! That is why you are our leader." Ohore chuckled, clicking her beak, "Hearing them scurrying underground makes my blood boil. I can't wait to start!"

  "Calm down!" She warned her, "We are here to keep watch for now. Let the others surround the area and have the owlets experience their first hunt. This is going to be good training for them."

  "Okay. Still… what a first assignment, huh?" Ohore tilted her head sideways.

  "Nothing big. They will take on the hard part. We have it easy compared to them."

  "I am a bit sad to miss their fight." Ohore added after a short pause, "I am curious about their strength."

  "Which side?" Uhure asked with a small smile.

  "Both." She replied in a pyful tone, and both of them chuckled simultaneously.

  As for Niji, knowing about the upcoming assassination plot, he had already contacted Ren back at the sect. By her instructions, the vilge kept an eye on the moles' secret exit tunnel, while 01 and 02 hid inside the city, concealing their auras and waiting for the attack.

  "I'm on my way." Ren's letter described simply to the two, "If the fight breaks out before my arrival, keep them there at all costs! Let the others deal with the moles as they see fit. We will focus on the main bastards."

  With their order taken seriously, 01 and 02 kept constant vigince, monitoring the moles under the city without them realizing it, while the rest feigned ignorance and kept to their normal routine. Especially Kang, who directly did the same routine, patrolling the exact route at the same time every day.

  Finally, when the tunnels were connected, the moles breathed a sigh of relief that their mission was over. They wanted to escape before the mongooses showed up.... Yet, to their dismay, they celebrated their success way too early. The moment they finished, Matu stepped out from the newly dug hole, looking at them as his eyes shone brightly in the dark tunnel. He didn't say anything at first; he just loomed over them, freezing their every movement.

  "You are going to get your son back after we are done." He finally opened his mouth, "Meet us at the previously agreed pce... two days ter." He said coldly as he morphed back into his original form, going around them silently, sniffing their bodies before leaving them behind, exiting the tunnel, but not towards Thunder Valley. Not yet.

  ............

  Two days ter, in the middle of the night, it was especially dark, with the sky overcast, and the first snowfkes of the season began to fall, almost as if signaling something. Kang was standing on the wall around the city, at the same spot where he had been throughout the previous days. From the outside, he seemed rexed, with his guard completely down, but deep inside, he was ready to fight at any time. Especially now because he received a voice transmission from 01...

  "There is movement underground; get ready. They are here."

  "Don't worry, everyone is in their pce. There won't be a problem." 02's voice arrived, reassuring him.

  Just after he finished speaking, the earth crumbled right next to the wall, and four shadows rushed out, aiming directly at Kang's back. They were quick as a fsh, but before the first attack could nd from their leader, Matu, who aimed at the back of the neck, he suddenly realized something... it was a trap. He twitched his nose, wanting to scream stop... but it was too te.

  A thundering boom resounded in the forest, lighting up the dark night with violet colors, while Kang revealed a savage smile, looking into Matu's glowing eyes, already facing them. 01 and 02, who were also flying forward, cutting off their retreat, simirly chuckled as they knew this sound... the sound of thunder, the violet light... This could have meant only one thing.

  "Yo! So you are the furry bastard I heard about?" came the soft, giggling voice of Ren as a lightning spear blocked Matu's attack and another giant hand, made out of purple electricity, stretched out from the darkness, grabbing the second mongoose, namely Wanata, squeezing down, making him scream out in a voice none of them ever heard before.

  Stopped in their tracks, the tribe stood in front of Ren, who was easily blocking all of their attacks, keeping a smile while her body was releasing strands of purple lightning once in a while, sending cracking sounds all over the city, making its name truly come alive.

  "Sorry, boy…" Ren whispered with a chilly voice, "You are not welcome here!" Then, easily, she pushed back on Matu. Without having a chance to fight back, he was propelled away with a force he couldn't resist, smashing into the others. "As for you." She turned towards Wanata, still holding him in a sizzling grip, frying his nervous system over and over again. "You can go to hell." She gripped stronger, exploding the demon's body into hundreds of pieces, tossing out the remaining, steaming, bloody chunks like garbage, and turning back towards Matu.

  "You!" the mongoose gritted his teeth, turning into human form with bloodshot eyes.

  "What?" Ren tilted her head. "You were trying to kill my friend here." She smiled, licking her lips. "Don't worry! You are going to follow him soon enough." She jumped forward faster than they could keep up with, cshing with Matu again.

  The only luck the mongoose leader had was the fact that he had enough experience to predict where a strike would nd and managed to block Ren's spear strike. At first. Still, it sent sparks everywhere and numbed his arms greatly, but he lived. The most surprising part for him was that his strengthened skin already felt weak, ready to crack and bleed, only after one of their cshes.

  "Escape!" Nepi screamed, realizing they were in a bad spot, but they were already surrounded.

  01 and 02 locked onto them with their auras while Kang covered himself with his bone armor, jumping in and attacking Hob. The older mongoose could keep up with the fight, countering the giant white goril's boxing strikes. He even managed to nd hits on him, but the hard armor showed no sign of cracking and just released dull sounds every time a hit nded on its surface.

  "Matu!" Nepi cried, trying to help him out, but as soon as she moved, 01 and 02 summoned their fire affinities simultaneously, surrounding her, exchanging blows in perfect sync.

  Since their days of torture, when they got captured and survived Ren's experiments, their minds subconsciously became connected, making the two servants fight like one unit, even if they had never realized it. They thought their cooperation was just good, unaware that both of their affinities formed a feedback loop, gaining power and effectiveness exponentially as they worked together. As for Nepi, she suddenly found herself in a fire circle, and every time she tried to escape, a fming fist pushed her back to the starting point.

  "This is bad… really bad! Those fucking moles set us up!" Hob groaned as he took a punch from the giant, bone-covered fist, holding his arms crossed before his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

  "Who are you… I never heard about a human having this kind of power!" Matu stumbled backward, panting heavily as his skin was already torn and bleeding. Looking down, violet sparks were covering his fur, jumping across his wounds, making his muscles squirm and spasm uncontrolbly.

  "You just never paid attention. Do you think we are weaker than you just because you conquered an old kingdom all those years ago? Grow up, demon!" Ren ughed, without any pyfulness in her tone, "So you are a feared general, huh? Now I am disappointed. I am debating letting you go back and tell your leader to drag his sorry kitten ass here so I can kick it so hard it comes out of his mouth. Maybe that could entertain me. You? You are boring me!" She yawned loudly, silencing Matu while 01 and 02 just ughed a little as they fought on.

  "You underestimate-" Matu gritted his teeth, calming his nerves down and getting ready to fight. Still, Ren didn't want to hear him, so she fshed again, ignoring what he was trying to say, striking against his chest, going even faster than before.

  Soon, the others saw nothing but fshes of purple light and thunder as Matu was pelted with precise spear strikes... Every stab nded on him without fail. No matter how quick he was, no sense of his could keep up with the Ren's speed, who now gave it her all, continuing to nd blow after blow.

  "Master is really worked up now..." 02 murmured while 01 jokingly answered as they battled the desperate Nepi who tried to reach Matu.

  "Of course… You know how she is! Since Master Leinor developed his new technique, she was adamant about beating him in close quarters… and her solution was being faster than he could react to. Beat him before he drains you of all energy!" 01 ughed happily, unable to keep up with Ren's speed at all, no longer seeing her when she made a move.

  What the two failed to realize was that their brief exchange made their focus dwindle enough that Nepi could find a spot to break through, shooting out, drawing a fming trail behind her as her skin and fur caught on an inextinguishable fire.

  "Matu!" She screamed loudly, with sorrow and panic in her voice, as she saw Ren's spearheading toward Matu's heart. He was already so wounded, riddled with bloody, tiny holes, bleeding all over, he couldn't keep up with Ren anymore to defend himself. Even worse, Ren's powers invaded his body, interfering with his own movements. Still, Nepi arrived at the st moment, surprising not just Matu but even Ren, who whispered under her breath.

  "Poor girl… at least you won't see your love dying before your eyes."

  Her voice was soft and even carried heartfelt respect, but she did not slow down the stabbing movement as her violet, pure energy spear penetrated Nepi's chest, killing her without pain. Even then, Nepi had grabbed onto it without fear, trying to shove it sideways, finally sparing Matu from a deadly strike, diverting it enough to not hit him.

  "Nepi!" Matu groaned, with wide eyes, seeing the speartip appear from the back of her, whizzing past his permanently frozen body.

  The young girl tried to turn back and say something, even after her heart had stopped, but Ren just exerted more force through her spear, frying Nepi's nervous system in a second, not letting her do anything besides dying. Her body quickly slumped down as Ren pulled out the spear, but she spared no time to rest or give a chance for Matu to recover.

  "We lost… the moment we were sent here…" Matu sighed, letting his body completely rex. He tried to use Nepi's sacrifice... he really did, yet the moment he turned, he saw Ren standing there, her spear aiming at him. It was over, so he accepted the incoming spearhead, aiming towards the point between his eyebrows.

  "Yeah…" Ren's voice echoed in his head at the st moment, "Now go. If you hurry, you can catch up to her. Don't let her walk the road of reincarnation all alone."

  "Thank you…" Matu smiled as he whispered, closing his eyes calmly as Ren's weapon pierced his skull, blowing his head into a bloody mist.

  Seeing them die in such a quick succession, Hob lost all spirit, falling back, not even trying to dodge Kang, who was in the air on the way down to nd on him like a meteor.

  "Our tribe is done for… our tribe…." He choked as tears rolled down his face, but the st thing he saw was Kang nding on him, exploding his body as every resistance left it, repced by sorrow in the st moment of his life.

  "Master!" 01 and 02 arrived before Ren, cupping their hands, bowing deeply, a bit afraid they let their opponent slip by.

  "Mm. Collect the two's bodies and burn them together." She nodded towards Nepi, not even angry at the two.

  "Don't you want to…" 01 asked, but Ren quickly shot it down.

  "No. Let their cores turn to ashes and be one in death." She said calmly, shaking her hand, dissipating her crackling energy spear.

  "Savior!" Kang arrived, happily hugging Ren after not seeing her for so long. "Kids born! Three! Healthy!"

  “Ahahaha, good to see you, Kang!” She grinned, quickly switching moods, hugging him back, "I am happy that you are happy, but you are crushing me!" She ughed as the giant slowly put her down, reigning in his excitement as if he wasn't the target of an assassination just a moment ago.

  "When did you arrive?" Niji came up, who was also hiding nearby, ready to act if the others couldn't deal with the enemy.

  "Yesterday. I stayed hidden, best not to give away my arrival." Ren chuckled, greeting him and patting his back.

  "You grow strong." Kang looked her up and down.

  "Really? I don't know. Maybe it's the result of my pent-up frustration!" She chuckled, cracking her neck. "But I can't deny it... Fighting against strong people and teaching beginners; these things are constantly helping me correct my own methods!" She stretched a little while looking at Niji. "What about our mole problem?"

  "The owls should be taking care of that right now."

  "Let us go and see!" Ren nodded, flying up, followed by Kang and Niji as 01 and 02 stayed back, still on alert, not letting their attention drop, even when they were burning the remains of Matu and Nepi.

  .............

  Arriving at the spot where the moles indeed appeared as they tried to escape, a calm scene greeted Ren and the rest as the moles were herded together, sitting on the floor in the dark, while a dozen owls were perched on the trees, watching their every move. There was no trace of Gargamel or the others, though... At least, atfirst… Because just as Ren arrived, Ohore's stomach moved as she barfed up a round ball, spitting out a mangled fur and bone ball... The remains of a mole.

  "Sorry." Uhure chuckled, shaking her head.

  "I assume it's the leader?" Ren asked, looking at the scene, frightening the already trembling moles while Uhure floated down, taking human form and standing before Ren. Neither of them could help but tilt their head, watching the other, before Ren finally began smirking to be finally not the shortest.

  "Was. And you must be the human I heard about." Uhure said as she looked her up and down.

  "Yeah, I am." Ren grinned. "Nice job. I thought you would kill them all!"

  "We thought you might want to question them or something like that. Torture or, I don't know, human things, you know better." Ohore flew down too as she shrugged her shoulders.

  "Oh, my, spicy beak you have there!" Ren ughed, "No, I won't do anything to them." She turned towards the moles, who shrank back to half their size. "You can all go."

  "..." only silence reigned around them while Ren tilted her head, blinking innocently. "Mmm? Shoo. Go! I won't punish everyone for a mistake made by their, mind you, already dead leader! You are free to go."

  "B-but…" Ohore blinked her big eyes, not expecting anything like this.

  "Hm? Look at them." Ren expined with a shrug, "They are afraid to fight back! They have more people than you, yet they just sit there. They are cowards; the mongooses probably forced them into it anyway. I get it. I really do! Those who made the decision got their rewards. The rest are off to a new life." She waved her hand, annoyed by the need to repeatedly expin it.

  "You heard. Go!" Kang repeated, looking at the moles who knew not what to do. Finally, one of them collected enough strength to speak up.

  "Can… can we stay? We-"

  "No." Ren's calm answer came immediately, and he walked closer, looking into his white eyes. "You had your chance. You blew it. If you had come clean immediately and told us about everything, we would've helped you."

  "Yes." Niji agreed, but at the same time, standing back there with folded arms and cold eyes, his aura told them that he would execute them all on the spot if not for Ren.

  "You see, even if we take you back, we couldn't trust you the same anymore. It would breed problems in the long run. So this is it. You can go. Start a new life!" Ren smiled with a friendly expression before turning to the others. "Okay, we are done here! Let's go back and have a chat!" She ughed, ignoring the moles and patting Uhure's shoulders, who had a strange light in her eyes.

  …….…..

  Days after the fight, the two tunnels were destroyed, and they were made sure that they couldn't be used again. Still, the already-dug part of the underground city was ready to be expanded and built upon by the rest of Thunder Valley. Ren also had a long talk with Uhure, one that only the two were privy to, and before leaving, she spent some time with Kang, who was adamant about drinking with her. Of course, it was to celebrate his tribe's accomplishment, already birthing young gorils, making him the happiest ape in town.

  At the same time, far away in the north, a giant of a man, his body covered in tiger skin, stood at the entrance to a cave, watching the rising sun. His green eyes were emitting a ruthless and savage light while crossing his arms before his naked chest, constantly flexing his muscles.

  "Matu is dead." The Tiger King grumbled in a low, deep, resonant voice as another male appeared from behind him, half his size but with a well-defined body covered in bck fur, his head being that of a panther's.

  "What about the rest?" his warrior asked, bowing his bck head.

  "Don't care. I only made a blood contract with him. Now that he is dead, their tribe has lost its usefulness. Send out the order, herd them up, and make them ready for transport. The dwarfs are always ready to accept new resources... If any of his group returns, don't need to inform me, just do with them as you do with the rest."

  "Yes, my King." He nodded respectfully. "About the-"

  "Don't bring up the foxes. That bitch is strong... But... Next time, I'll rape her for good, and then she will see the correct way forward. Focus on the dogs now. Let's leave the South alone because we can't afford to open a second front. Even if we give them decades, they can't muster enough strength in time... Let them live in their dream world for a little bit more! First, we beat the dogs, and then we will have enough resources to unite the rest."

  "Yes." He bowed again before leaving to carry out his lord's orders, as the small mongoose tribe did not know their leaders and strongest protectors were dead. The grim reaper's scythe was already in a swinging motion to cim their lives as they were led to their new home, towards the high mountains.

  As a tribe had vanished from amongst the living, on the other side of the forest, Rumira was reading a letter from Emi as she was rexing in her hot spring, chuckling at the words of her young maid.

  "Oh, you little girl… You don't even realize how happy you sound in your letters! I hope you can spend really good years in your new home… I wish you could find love and get free from my influence." Rumira whispered, stroking the letter. "It would be best if you wrote me a letter asking me to forgive you for leaving me for a man! Ahaha… oh how I wish~!" she smiled proudly, remembering the times when she was weaker and younger, just like Emi, as her eyes wandered towards the table where the jades twinkled, given to her by Aerthus.

  After thinking for a long minute, she suddenly stood up from the water, got out, walked over with a still-wet body, and picked it up. At first, she just watched it, and, after a deep breath, sent her energy into it, transmitting her words thousands of kilometers away…

  …….…..

  Within the Kingdom of Ten, Sentios was sitting on a horse, traveling through a giant steppe, riding towards the most eastern part of the Kingdom, as his thoughts were weighing heavily on him. Not long before, he got a message that he needed to travel far away and pick up Astair and guide him for the coming years, as it seemed something had happened that excited the King. He suddenly appointed his young descendant as a potential heir. As shocking as it was, it wasn't something that meant that he would be succeeding him… Many other simir people, even hundreds of years old, were waiting to be King before Astair. A fake dream, as the King was still in his prime, ready to rule for another century or more.

  While he left to complete his mission, he brought his only trusted friend and partner along, as Nobody sat on his shoulder in a small, bck cat's form. She was enjoying the scenery and the galloping, meowing happily, looking just like a real cat, with no human resembnce or aura.

  "I hope you won't get used to this! You may spend years in this form, but don't forget how to turn back into a human, okay?" Sentios murmured, making her giggle.

  "Meow~! Don't worry, I'm not stupid~!" She pouted, transmitting her voice into his mind. "I never journeyed this far before; this will be fun!"

  "Yeah… I also hope so."

  …….…..

  Back inside the Sect, Ren, after arriving back, the first thing she did was challenge Leinor once again. Only, now in their bedroom. It was deep into the night when Leinor panted for air, leaning on his back while Ren sat atop him with a grin, her hair sticking to her glowing, wet body.

  "I give up…" Leinor moaned, asking for mercy with his eyes.

  “Ahaha, nooooo~! I still want more~!”

  "Please… I am dry… like the endless dunes of the Western Desert… spare me!"

  "Naaah, you must have some backup; you are still conscious!" Ren giggled, drumming with her fingers on his chest.

  "You are killing me…." He groaned, yet started to slowly move again. "How long do you pn on keeping this up?"

  "Fufufu, dunno~! Finally, I found a way to beat you! And honestly… mother is already expecting. I am thinking about following her example!" She whispered, taking over the lead, dictating the tempo again as she felt her words fully wake Leinor.

  "You mean…"

  "Yep~! And as I feel it... You are also ready to try for it~!" She giggled.

  "Of course!" Leinor nodded rapidly, full of energy once again.

  "You know it is going to be hard…." She leaned forward, kissing him. "It may take years of trying!"

  "Time is what we have most."

  "Fufufu… true, true~! Now… what about being a desert?"

  "Hey… even the desert has a rainy day once a year!" Leinor chuckled, grabbing onto her waist and starting to fight back, while Ren just ughed as another battle began between the sheets.

  Corty