"Mmhm…" Ren moaned softly as she woke up. Opening her eyes, she was in a closed room, surrounded by rigid walls, lying on a soft bed, as two strong hands hugged her from behind. "I'm back at the Pass…?" She murmured as she gently caressed the hands holding her naked body, snuggling up to the body behind her as Leinor's voice came whispering into her ears.

  "Yes. You finally woke up... You were out cold for three days."

  "Oh… I hope I didn't miss something important." She giggled as she turned towards him, realizing they were both wearing nothing at all.

  "How are you feeling…?" He asked, with a concerned voice, stroking her messy hair and pushing it behind her ears.

  "I'm fine. It was… just… the presence of it overwhelmed my mind. That's all."

  "You sure? You were pale and cold… You scared us to death..."

  "I'm fine. You worry too much!" She smiled, then slowly closed in, kissing his lips, and soon they just held each other, sharing a long and warm kiss. "Fufufu~ Someone is feisty down here… I can feel it poking around. What, you want to eat me up?" she giggled provocatively. "Or you already did while I was asleep?"

  "Don't say stupid things. I would not do that!" He pecked her lips. "What's the fun in that when you can't remember it?"

  "Good, good! I do want to remember the first~! After that..." She leaned closer, gently biting his earlobe. "I wouldn't mind waking up to it~!"

  That was when the door opened, and Anya walked in, seeing her daughter sitting on top of Leinor, with the bnket half down between them.

  "You finally woke up!" She let out a relieved sigh, wiping some tears from her eyes before calming down, recomposing herself, "And I see, you feel okay. Mhm. Perfect. When you finish, come, breakfast is ready!" She looked at them one more time before closing the door.

  "That was… awkward," Leinor murmured.

  "Yeah, I thought she would freak out." Ren agreed, nodding, "But hey, isn't this a direct acknowledgment for us? What are we waiting for?"

  "Not now… not here." Leinor blushed, "You just woke up... You may still be weak…." He said with a worried light in his eyes.

  "Haahh… you!" She moaned, frowning, then her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, making both of them ugh, "Ooops... Turns out, I'm hungry…."

  "See?" He chuckled, holding her waist, "Let's get dressed, and we will go down and eat something!"

  "Mmm… I think I will start with the dessert." Ren revealed a slight grin as she suddenly disappeared under the bnket.

  "Wha- Ren… ah!" Leinor stifled a moan as her answer came from under the white sheet bnketed over them.

  "There is a fine breakfast sausage here; let me taste it, don't worry, I'm a quick eater! It won't take long~!" She ughed softly and then went silent, leaving only Leinor's quick breathing behind, accompanied by loud slurping sounds echoing between the walls.

  …….….

  "What took you so long?" Anya grumbled softly as she pced the grilled meat, cheese, and baked potatoes in front of the pair. Currently, only the four of them were there, sitting down, watching as Xendar poured hot tea into their mugs.

  "I needed to recover some energy, you know how careful Leinor is," Ren expined, "yet it took a bit more time than I expected; he gave so much I had trouble consuming it." She ughed while Leinor didn't know where to even look.

  "Are you feeling okay?" Xendar asked, his concern evident, examining his daughter's expression.

  "How many times will you all ask the same thing? Will every person I meet greet me with it?" She groaned, "Yes! I'm fine. You know my senses are sharp; I was the one who felt it anyway. I just overestimated how strong its presence was... So, my mind was overwhelmed for a minute when I let my guard down. It won't happen again!"

  "Still, it would be best if you don't stay and head back to the Capital," Xendar added.

  "What? No! Father, no! I still have a lot of things to do!"

  "I told you." Anya rolled her eyes.

  "But…" Xendar tried again, but his wife already knew the results of his attempt.

  "It's a bad idea."

  "Mom?" She looked at her, surprised, as she usually took her father's side, but now she went against him.

  "The gorils are here. They are camping in front of the Pass." Xendar expined briefly.

  "Whoa. All of them?" Ren stood up, surprised.

  "Yes, they escorted you back and said they are waiting for you to recover." Anya nodded, even though she was just as surprised when it happened as she was now.

  "Huh. That's good news! What about their previous home, and what about the old cathedral?"

  "I flooded it before leaving." She recounted the events to her daughter.

  "Mmm… that's good." Ren nodded, crossing her arms, "I think demon folks are more sensitive towards it; they won't resettle there, but it's best if we also avoid that pce for now." She finally sat back in her pce.

  "I read the report… is it true?" Xendar asked, looking at the group.

  "Yes, Father, and it was incredible!" His daughter grinned, showing she was indeed back to normal, "I wish I were strong enough to-"

  "Forget it. I forbid you to ever go there." Xendar cut her short, "Gods or Devils, I don't care; you won't study a relic that could kill you without noticing! Absolutely not!"

  "Ugh… o-okay. Noted. I wasn't expecting to go back anyway…." Ren murmured, but in her mind, she added a 'yet' with a sly smile.

  "Good!" Xendar nodded, "After dealing with our new friends and camping outside, I want a full report on everything from your perspective. Got it?"

  "Yes, Sir!"

  "Okay, enough! Let's eat!" Anya cut in, and soon she was hand-feeding her daughter, which she did not refuse, enjoying the attention.

  …….…..

  "Savior." Kang came up when he saw Ren closing in with Leinor.

  "Whoa, don't call me that, just Ren, okay?" She blinked her eyes in surprise.

  "Master!" Poli and Zern rushed up, too, looking relieved that she was up by now.

  "So you woke up, huh? You owe me a lot; you were so cold it was like holding a block of ice!" Isha arrived next, shaking her head, but her eyes reflected a happy glow at the sight of Ren up and running again.

  "She kept you warm when Leinor was resting and recovering from pouring his energies into you," Zern expined, but Isha just rolled her eyes.

  "Thanks, everyone. Sorry to scare you." Ren bowed to them before looking around, "It was just an accident, won't happen again! How're things?"

  "It's fine." Feynor came up with a big smile, patting her on the shoulders. "We talked with Kang and Shaman and are thinking of establishing a new vilge where the Fairies are now."

  "Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "That sounds perfect! Will there be a problem between the tribes?"

  "No." Kang shook his head. "We don't fight. We want heal, we help protect little and new homes. Promise."

  "I'm happy to hear that!" Ren cpped happily, "This is great; the chimps may be a little rowdy, so you will need to keep them in check, too, but I think Niji will manage it well. This will be nice, different tribes living together, a great advertisement!"

  "Adv… advin… adven… what is say?" Kang scratched his head.

  "We should build a new city." She continued, ignoring him, "With proper pnning, housing, running water, sewers, and whatnot else."

  "You mean-" Feynor said in a thinking voice.

  "I mean, we build a modern city for them." She looked at him, "Not like the Capital, which would take too many resources, but… let's call it a town, maybe. Correct housing, with the essentials. You saw them; they already mostly occupy old ruins, and they are drawn to our lifestyle. Also, if other tribes see how they live, it could be a powerful incentive to join us! This is a perfect wrench into their pns. If they have any..." She mused, biting on her thumb, "While the others, who know how many tribes there are, vie for dominance, a coalition of other tribes may oppose them. This will help us out, too!"

  "You speak much. Like Shaman. Head hurts many words." Kang groaned, rubbing his giant head.

  "Ahaha, sorry, sorry~! By the way, where is Shaman?"

  "He went back to meet the other tribe. The one whose leader you kicked in the…" Poli said, holding back his ughter. "In the balls! Ahahaha... Well, they came back. Now with the correct attitude... He is willing to sit down to talk, but first, he wants to have a rematch with you."

  "Mmm, sure."

  "Hell no! You are in no shape to fight yet!" Leinor cut in forcefully.

  "Yes, I am." Ren gnced at him, "Don't worry; it won't be a death match." She ughed cheekily, licking her lips.

  …….…..

  Far away from them, between the hills, where a big, poputed town decorated the valley, filled with wooden houses, fox girls and boys were running along the dirt roads, pying tag, filling the streets with ughter.

  Some of them still resembled their furry counterparts, but they were walking on two legs, and their fur was slowly receding. The older they got, the more their fur receded, until it covered only their private parts as they became more and more human-like, wearing their fur as clothing.

  Emi was sitting on the roof of one of the houses, watching the children, brushing her foxtail, lost in her thoughts. She looked like an enchanting young girl, revealing much of her white skin, as clear as snow, in perfect contrast to her red ears and tail.

  "Come to me, Emi," came a whispering voice, and a shudder rushed over her as she immediately disappeared from the rooftop, speeding up the hill behind the town and into a cave.

  Soon, she was kneeling before the hot spring, where her tribe… her species leader, Queen Rumira, lived. She was the only white fox among them and the strongest, wisest leader throughout their history. Also... She was the one whose charm knew no bounds, and many maids, the ones before Emi, were enchanted by her presence.

  It was inevitable, and Emi knew her fate the moment she was selected to be their leader's test connection to the tribe. She was trying not to look up as her beating heart pumped blood, speeding it around her body, making her feel the burning within as she tried to regain her composure, resisting Rumira's unbounded, uncontrolble powers.

  Every maid throughout the history of their cn was chosen at birth, raised accordingly, and offered to Rumira to be her voice. Most of the maids could st a century or sometimes less before falling for the charm of their Queen... and as a result, they would be lost in their own lust and bottomless infatuation with their Queen. When that happened, the mother of all foxes embraces her children, giving them what they want as a final gift before parting from this world. It was always an honor and a curse for both of them.

  Rumira took a small peek at the young girl, letting out an inaudible sigh, looking at her with warmth and love in her eyes, knowing yet another young one would be a victim of her presence that she couldn't control. Yet, in a bizarre twist, she was also happy because there was someone she could talk to. Living inside her hole, since who knows when, to shield her people against herself, had taken a toll on her mind.

  "There was a presence that swept through the forest. It was a brief moment, but I felt it." Rumira opened her mouth, speaking to Emi without holding back the truth.

  "A… presence?" Emi asked, unsure what she meant.

  "Yes. Something that I had never met before. I don't know what it was, but it made me feel… threatened."

  "...!" Finally, she looked up with shock, and as their eyes met, she gulped, bowing her head back down.

  "I want you to go south. It came from near the human borders... Scout out and gather information about strange occurrences in the past year. Don't miss anything! Also… check on the monkeys. There should've been talk of fights, but no news has come up to us yet. Report back to me if you find anything. Don't be away for more than a year!"

  "As you wish, Lady Rumira."

  "Go now and be safe!"

  Emi bowed once more before leaving, as Rumira slowly walked to a small table, sat down, letting her beautiful, voluptuous body rex. After a moment of consideration, she gently reached for an old bottle, pulled out the cork, tasted the wine's fragrance, and held it up to her tiny nose for another whiff.

  "Haaah... The humans knew how to enjoy life… oh, how I'll miss drinking it when I run out of it!" She smiled sadly, taking a big sip. "I forgot how it feels to bathe in the sun... I don't want to forget another pleasure of mine... Haaaah... Maybe that presence can help me. Or at least release me from this prison of flesh," she sighed again, taking another gulp, looking at the empty table as her eyes were dim and lonely.