Emily and Mara, for a long time had known something was up, they had known that Kael and Amon with George, they had been up to something and that secret had to do with the restricted area where tribesmen were not allowed to go. For a long time, they have been trying and using various methods to discover what was secrets laid on those lands, but their mates couldn't go far into the area without being discovered and chased out, that was when Mara devised a new plan and the plan was to use the males who were guarding the area to get information on what secrets laid in the forbidden place. The both of them went and befriended the beast men promising to become their mates if they bring information on what was happening there and It didn't take long for them to discover there was a hidden cave and it seemed that the cave was a salt mine, that there are people who were mining salt from the cave under the orders of Ava and her mates, and the salt would be given to the serpent merchant who would go and sell it across different tribes.
Having discovered this new information, they knew that if the salt mine was being guarded like this, that means the Shaman and tribe leader probably knew about it so whatever tricks they would come up with to tarnish Ava's image concerning the mine wouldn't work since Shaman and tribe leader would defend her and might even punish them under the guise of disobedience. After all, how could they guess that the beast men guards spilled the secret, obviously they would think that they sent their mates to sneak into the forbidden area and investigate.
Emily then had an idea, in the beast world, salt was a very important commodity. Without salt even warriors can get muscle cramps, they will feel extremely weak and will not be able to hunt, in other words everyone needed it to survive. In order to preserve enough salt for women, most beastmen will drink animal blood because it has some salt in it. The salt was so important that with some leaf packets of salt, it's possible for tribes lacking in females or beastmen to buy unwanted or troublesome females.
She would deliver news of this salt discovery to her father who will rally beastmen of his tribe to come over and seize control, then the benefits of the salt mine will be shared between them, the salt mine will help her father receive more favour from his mate, Emily's mother and he in turn will help her rule over the tribe. "I will make these fools, especially the Shaman, who chose to follow and support Ava over me, regret crossing me".
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After the stray raid, the tribe changed.
Females were placed on strict lockdown, their movements limited to the inner circle of the settlement. Patrols doubled, then tripled. Guards lined the borders day and night, their silhouettes blending so completely into the trees that an outsider passing by would believe the tribe consisted of nothing but hardened males—no females, no cubs, no softness at all.
Safety came at the cost of freedom.
It was during this tense period that Amon began visiting again.
He arrived quietly, always with something in his hands—fresh cuts of meat wrapped in leaves, bundles of dried herbs, or rare spices Ava favored when cooking. He never stayed long, never crossed boundaries, but guilt clung to him like a shadow.
"I should have been there," he said one evening, setting down a bundle of herbs. "If I'd arrived sooner—"
Ava sighed, already familiar with the words. "Amon, stop. You came when you could. I was already unconscious. George and Kael saved me. None of that was your fault."
Only then did the tightness finally ease from his face, though his visits didn't stop.
That evening, as the sun dipped lower and the air cooled, Amon sat across from Ava and her mates near the hearth. Kael stood with his arms crossed, expression unreadable. George leaned against a post, listening intently.
"The strays are bold," Amon said, voice low. "They tested your defenses and retreated. That means they'll return better prepared. The outer patrols should rotate more frequently—predictable routes invite ambush."
George nodded. "We've been discussing that. We're also considering layered patrols—scouts ahead, guards behind."
Ava leaned forward. "What about false trails? If we can mislead them into thinking the females are elsewhere—"
"It could work," Amon agreed. "But only if the deception is flawless."
Kael finally spoke. "We will handle it."
The words were curt, final.
Silence followed.
Then Kael turned his gaze on Amon, sharp and cold. "You shouldn't come here anymore."
Ava stiffened.
Amon blinked. "I—what?"
"You're a single beastman," Kael continued flatly. "And this is the residence of a mated female. Unless there's an urgent matter concerning the tribe, do not intrude again." His eyes darkened. "Next time, I won't be this polite."
The threat hung heavy in the air.
Ava shot to her feet. "Kael!"
She turned on him, disbelief flashing across her face. "That was unnecessary. He's our guest."
Kael didn't look away. "He's overstepping."
"No," Ava snapped. "He's helping. And he's done nothing wrong."
She faced Amon, her tone softening. "If you need help, or if there's something important to discuss, you are always welcome here. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Amon hesitated, eyes flicking briefly to Kael, then back to Ava. A small smile touched his lips—grateful, restrained.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "I'll remember that."
He gathered his things and turned to leave.
As Amon walked away, the evening sun bled gold and crimson through the trees, casting long shadows across the ground.
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The evening fire crackled low in the small clearing behind Emily's tree house. Emily stood with her arms crossed, staring at the hulking figure of Gronk who was standing nearby, arms crossed, his massive bear-like frame tense, betraying the unease his stoic face tried to hide.
"Gronk," Emily said sharply, "you leave tonight. You need to leave before dawn, Travel fast—don't stop until you reach the Riverside Tribe. Find my father, Chief Dariel, and tell him everything. About the punishment pit—how they forced me to sleep there alone in that cold, just for... *one little accident* with Ava's stupid birds. Tell him how they made me labor in that new bird farm as punishment, like some slave. And now? Now they parade that outsider Ava around like she's precious. Also tell him about the salt mine in the forbidden forest But more importantly, tell him that his daughter is being treated like garbage in this backward, pathetic Tree Tribe."
Gronk's golden eyes narrowed. He shifted his massive weight from one foot to the other.
"Emily…" His voice came out low, rough, almost pleading. "Are you truly sure about this? Divulging the tribes secret to another tribe is an act of betrayal"
Emily's lips curled. "It's not betrayal. It's survival."
"Betray the tribe? Emily, if this fails…., If we're discovered before your father arrives.. " Gronk hesitatingly, rubbing the back of his neck, "if the Tree Tribes people find out we've called in outsiders to attack..."
Gronk took a step closer, lowering his voice even though no one else was near. "Chief Morris will not forgive. The elders will demand our heads. Even if they show mercy, we'll be exiled. No tribe. No protection. Just the wilderness…and you know what waits for lone beastmen and a fragile female out there."
Emily let out a short, scornful laugh that echoed off the stone wall behind her.
"Fail?" She tilted her head, eyes glittering with something cold and certain. "We won't fail, Gronk. Do you know who my father is? Chief Dariel isn't just any hippo beastman. He's one of the strongest chiefs in the entire riverlands. His hide is thicker than tree bark, his jaws can crush stone, and he commands more than three hundred hippo warriors—each one bigger and meaner than the last. And that's not even counting the crocodiles, the rhinos, and the other allied beastmen who owe him blood debts."
She stepped forward until she was close enough that Gronk had to lower his head to meet her gaze.
"They'll come when he calls. And when they do, this little tree tribe will learn what real power looks like. My father doesn't negotiate. He only crushes."
Gronk's ears flattened slightly. "And if the worst happens? If your father is delayed…or something goes wrong?"
Emily shrugged, the motion deliberately careless.
"Then I simply return to my father's tribe." Her voice turned almost sweet, mocking. "we will travel back across the riverlands, straight into his stronghold. I'll be welcomed with open arms, fed, protected, honored. The Hippo Chief's daughter doesn't wander homeless for long."
She reached out and patted Gronk's thick forearm as though he were a nervous child.
"You worry too much, Gronk. This isn't a gamble—it's a certainty. Now go. Deliver my message word for word. And when you come back with my father's warriors behind you…" She smiled, sharp and satisfied. "You'll see just how far loyalty to the right person can take you."
Gronk stared at her for a long moment. Then he exhaled through his nostrils, a low rumble of reluctant acceptance.
"…As you wish."
Gronk transformed into his bear form, his form blending into the deepening shadows as he loped toward the tree line, leaving Emily alone beside the dying fire with the other mates, who had been listening quietly without uttering a word.
She watched him disappear, then whispered to herself, "They really think they can control someone like me."
The flames flickered, casting long shadows across her face as she began to reminisce on the past. Emily remembered that the reason why she left her former tribe was because the Riverside Tribe which her father ruled over was becoming too populated , the elders proposed a plan to reduce numbers, and that plan was to send some females along with many males of the tribe to other small nearby tribes, the females would be exchanged for valuable commodities that will help the tribe, like salt and medicinal herbs. At first many people of the tribe refused to let their daughters go to an unknown place, but when the Hippo Chief Dariel Announced that one of his own daughters was also going to leave, people became more willing as they were assured that no harm will befall their daughters since the chief's daughter was also among those leaving and that was how Emily came to find herself in the tree tribe while other females were sent to other tribes, she remembered at first she was not happy but when she realised that in the new village she was heading to, she wouldn't have to compete and compare herself to her beautiful elder sister and that she could be Queen in this new tribe and get all the best males this tribe had to offer, she quickly found that she no longer felt betrayed but rather excited... But now, look at her being suppressed by An outsider with no known origin, no tribe, no right to be here and yet she has him. A level 4 snake beastman. Level 4!! But not only was she not content with the strong snake beast man, she even wrapped George around her finger too, George, the strongest and only Level 3 in the entire Tree Tribe apart from the tribe leader, Chief Morris. The one she wanted as a mate. The one who should have been mine. While I'm stuck with... (she side-eyed her mates bitterly) ...these. All level 1 or 2 weaklings and to make matters worse, it seems like very soon, Amon a level 2 beastmen on the brink of breakthrough and son of the tribe leader, who happens to be the second strongest, after George, might also be mated to Ava, even worse still is that this Amon has no interest in her at all, observing all these, how could she care about the tribes well being, if she could not be Queen of the tribe, then the tribe should go to hell.