The Beginning

Chapter 17

When Riley woke up, Jhaufyther was already up and about. She got up and went to look for him. She found him sitting in front of a den with three people still sleeping inside it. He had a thoughtful look on his face. "Remember when I said that I didn't know when you will meet new people?" he asked, looking at her.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Weelll, I was kinda lying. These new people need some guidance. They landed on this part of the island yesterday," he said sheepishly.
"You LIED? WHY?" Riley exclaimed, teasingly hitting his tail.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," he admitted. "I'm thinking of transporting them into the Kaos and intimidating them with you, Carlos, and Sam as well as with my siblings."
"First of all, that is really sweet of you to do. Secondly, yeah, sure. I'll do it. It'll be nice to see some people go through the same thing I did," she said.
One of the people started waking up, and Jhaufyther's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot. I'm out. See you back at the camp?"
"Sure. BYE!"
Riley turned around and saw that one of the people was watching her. Well, we're not off to a good start, she thought. The boy had blond hair that was dyed blue, and there were two girls sleeping on the bed beside him. "Hey. Don't worry about being stuck in this. I'll get you out eventually."
The boy nodded. "Okay. Thank you. What is your name?"
"Call me Riley," she said, untying the reed. "What's yours?"
"Tommy," he said, crawling out of the den. He smiled at her. "Thanks again. I was in there for, like, a week?"
"Nah, it hasn't even been five days. It's barely been a day since you arrived here," she said, helping him up.
"How do you know that?" He narrowed his eyes at her.
Riley was stuck. If she told him that she has been on the island for seven months, he might be a bit intimidated by her. But on the other hand, if she lied, he wouldn't trust her. She decided to tell him the truth. "I- well, my friends and I-have been on the island for seven months."
"You WHAT?" he yelled. "Seven fucking months? HOW HAVE YOU SURVIVED?"
"I've just survived," she said, smirking at his reaction. "It's easy when you're the size of a mouse next to seventy foot tall felines with wings."
"God, you must know so much about this place then."
"Yeah, kinda. I mean, I'm not a know it all, but I do know enough, I guess."
"So if you know a lot, then help us get out of here," a voice interjected. One of the girls walked toward Tommy. "Name's Crystal. And the other girl is Marissa."
A swift thump sounded from behind Riley, and she turned around to see Carlos and Sam with Klickhaze. "Klick, what are you doing? Can't you see that I'm dealing with something over here?" Riley snapped, switching to her Catwing language.
"Okay, okay! Calm down! I just wanted to drop these two off. No need to get all snappy," she snapped back. "I'll see you three later."
"Hi again, you," Carlos said, hitting Riley's arm.
"Hi, Carlos. Hi, Sam."
"Hey, Riley. New people?" Sam asked, looking at Tommy.
"Oh yeah. Meet Tommy, Crystal, and Marissa. Deported yesterday, then woke up today. Just like us."
"Hi! My name is Carlos, and that's Sam," Carlos said, gesturing towards Sam.
"Did- did that thing just TALK? And how can you understand them?" Crystal asked, backing away.
"They're not 'things.' They have a name, you know," Sam snapped. "They're called Catwings, fyi."
"Jeez, Sam. Calm down. They never knew what they were called until now."
"I know. Sorry," she said to Crystal. "I just hate it when people call them 'things'."
"The feeling is mutual," Carlos assured her. "Meanwhile..."
His eyes glazed over. "Oh, no," he whispered.
Riley's vision went dark, and she blacked out, being transported into the Kaos once more.

When she woke up, she was standing beside Jhaufyther, who looked ENORMOUSLY pleased with himself. "You didn't tell me that you were gonna do it today," she snapped.
"I'm always full of surprises," he said, smirking.
"That's true and it's SO ANNOYING," she said. She climbed up his tail and sat on his shoulder. She sensed Clauchice and Lhrioun materialize beside Jhaufyther. Carlos climbed up Lhrioun, and Sam climbed up Clauchice.
When Tommy, Crystal, and Marissa came to, Riley saw Crystal's eyes widen. "Riley! Get down, it might notice you! IT MIGHT NOTICE YOU!" she screamed. Tommy and Marissa's eyes widened, but they didn't say anything. Jhaufyther looked at Riley. "What did she say?"
Riley sighed. "She said that I need to get down because you'll notice me, apparently."
"Why didn't you tell her that you're friends with me- OHH."
"YEAHH. So I don't lose their trust, you know?"
"I do now. That makes a lot of sense and I admire that," he said, smiling at her.
"THANK you. Also, you need to make sure you do that thing that you did when you transported US to the Kaos."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."
A moment later, the air shifted, and Riley knew that Jhaufyther could now speak to the new people and understand them.
"SO," Jhaufyther growled. "You met these three HUMANS, and now you meet us." Despite what he was saying, Jhaufyther kept himself hidden from the new people so they don't know what he looks like, similar to what he did when he first met Riley.
"Oh, boy." Riley slid down his tail and stood in front of the new people. "REALLY? THAT'S what you're going for?"
Jhaufyther gave her an injured look. "I don't know what else to do, okay? Unless you have some MARVELOUS idea that's better than mine, this is what I'm staying with."
"Maybe you can show them how you met us, then tell them some stuff," Riley said, crossing her arms.
He stared at her. "I hate when you're smarter than me," he growled.
"Which proves my point," she said, grinning at him.
"Alright, fine." He sighed, and the air shifted again, showing Riley with Carlos and Sam in their treehouse. Tommy frowned. "What's this?"
"Oh, this is when Jhaufyther was trying to be funny and left a giant footprint in Sam's backyard," Riley said. She realized her mistake. Jhaufyther's eyes widened.
"Um... I mean, this is when that blue and white Catwing was trying to be funny and left a giant footprint in Sam's backyard," she corrected herself. "Yeah, that's it."
"You know its name?" Crystal exclaimed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?"
"Why should I? It's not a big deal," Riley answered. "I got used to it after seven months of being here, and I actually enjoy it. I don't have to worry about school or chores anymore."
"Actually, now that you put it into that perspective, that does sound really nice," Tommy admitted.
"Tommy! NO!"
"Can we just focus on the scene, please?" Sam asked.
"Fine." The scene warped into Riley standing in front of the wheat field, meeting Jhaufyther for the very first time. She still remembered how beautiful he looked, with his glossy blue and white silky fur.
"And this is where I actually saw you for the first time," she said quietly. At this point, she didn't care if the newbies saw her relationship with Jhaufyther. Jhaufyther had been an incredibly good friend ever since he gave her that bond. The scene where Jhaufyther appeared was blurry for the other people. "I think it's time," she said to him.
"You're right." Jhaufyther and his siblings stepped out of the darkness, their fur shining so brightly that it was impossible to miss.
Marissa gasped, and Riley somehow knew it wasn't a gasp of horror. Looks like she also finds Jhaufyther pretty, she thought.
"Now you know what we look like," he said to the new people. "Before you can go back to reality, we want to show you this scene."
The scene changed to the Massacre, but before it could fully develop, Riley smacked her hand on the wall to disrupt the vision.
"RILEY! WHAT THE HECK?" Clauchice exclaimed.
"Do you really want to show them the bloodiest event in human history when you're barely meeting them?" she asked her.
"I- Well-"
"Exactly. So quit being intimidating-well, be as intimidating as you were with us- and show them the Massacre in a month."
"Yeah, okay." Clauchice grumbled. The vision faded away, and they were back in the real world in front of the exact wheat field where Riley met Jhaufyther for the first time. "Alright, so reenactment of how I actually met you."
"Do we have to do it?" Jhaufyther grumbled. "My body hurts."
"I know, but it's best to show how I actually met you so that the newbies can feel safe around you," she said dishonestly.
"You just want to troll me, don't you?"
"Pretty much, yeah," she admitted.
Jhaufyther heaved a big sigh. "Fine, then. Then I can go back and sleep the entire day. I only slept ten hours yesterday."
"ONLY?" Marissa exclaimed. "I can't even sleep that much."
"Marissa, he's still basically a cat. Just overgrown with wings. Cat problems."
"Okay, so, you three do that shadow thing that you just LOVE to do, while us three stay here," Riley said.
The Triplets sighed together, but they blended into the shadows and stayed hidden, their eyes shining.
"And... ACTION!"
They came out of the shadows, Jhaufyther coming out first. He sat down and narrowed his eyes at the new people, instead of at Riley. Although they were going to re-enact the meeting, Riley really wanted the new people to be intimidated by the Triplets. While they were standing there in horror, she climbed up Jhaufyther and sat on his shoulder, looking down at them. "Riley, get down from there! You can fall!"
"Nah, I won't. I used to climb trees when I was younger, and since this guy is as tall as a small one, it's easy to do."
Riley sensed Jhaufyther's concentration wavering. "Are you seriously comparing me to a PLANT?" he growled, offended.
"You're sturdy and tall like one, so yes, I am," she said. "What are YOU going to do about it?"
"You'll take care of my khits for the rest of the month," he said, smirking at her.
"WHAT?" she yelled. "They're so rowdy and-"
"That's my point," he said. "You'll be with them while the three new humans are back at my camp."
"Okay, fine." She hopped down his shoulder and went up to the three new people. "Alright, I'll see you back at camp?"
"Sure. Bye!"
He and his siblings teleported away, leaving Riley, Carlos, and Sam with Tommy, Crystal, and Marissa. "Grab our hands," she told them. "We're going back to the island."
"How are we-" All six of them popped into the Void, and they started traveling faster than the speed of light.
"SINCE WHEN CAN YOU TELEPORT?" Tommy yelled, trying to stay in the current of shadows.
"Since I met the Triplets. I've done it before." During her free time, Riley practiced her teleporting, and it was honestly easy to get it right. Since she's used to it, it felt like traveling normally down a wormhole.
"We're almost there!" Carlos said over his shoulder. A hole opened up, ringed with light. They shot through it, Riley and her friends landing neatly on their feet, while the newbies fell over the moment they landed.
Laughter rose all around them, echoing around the camp. She saw Jhaufyther on the floor next to his siblings, who were crying with laughter. "What was that?!" Jhaufyther said, rolling back on his paws. His face was wet with tears. "They just..." He started laughing again, covering his face with his paws.
Riley herself was trying not to laugh. Carlos and Sam just busted out laughing, rolling on the floor. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She crumpled to the ground and started laughing as well.
Clearly flustered, the three new friends scrambled back up and tried their best not to look embarrassed.
"That was undignified," Tommy agreed. "But we were traveling so fast that we just flopped over."
"Emphasis on the word flop," Riley said, drying her eyes. She helped Tommy up. He dusted off his shorts and looked around him. "What IS this place?"
"Welcome to the other half of the island," Riley announced. "This is where the Tribe of Fire and the Tribe of the Winds reside. And the other half on where you landed houses the Tribe of Deserts and the Tribe of Water."
"So, there's two parts of the island. I guess that means more creatures," Crystal grumbled.
"True, but at least you get to explore more," Riley said. A purple butterfly flew out of the trees and landed on Riley's shoulder, tickling her cheek with its proboscis.
"What is THAT?" Crystal asked.
"This is Amethyst," Riley said. During her time on the other side of the island, she named her butterfly after the crystal that covered its body. "A female butterfly that I met in this huge underground place. It's the second rarest type of butterfly, next to a Ruby butterfly."
Just as she finished talking, Carlos' Ruby male and Sam's Scolecite female landed on their shoulders.
"And that is a Ruby butterfly," Jhaufyther said to Riley. "The rarest type of butterfly that you can possibly find."
"What did it say?" Marissa asked, blinking at Riley.
"And that is a Ruby butterfly," Riley answered, pointing at the male. "The rarest type of butterfly that you can possibly find."
"I still don't know how you can understand them," Crystal said. "It's just a bunch of growls, and meows."
"I don't. I'm just voicing my thoughts, you know," she smoothly lied.
Lhrioun pricked his ears. "We're needed at the Deserts' camp." He looked at Riley. "See you later?"
"Sure."
Lhrioun, Jhaufyther, and Clauchice opened their wings, jumping into the air and flapping their wings to gain momentum. Riley forgot to tell the newbies that a Catwing's wings will generate so much air that it's stronger than a jet engine.
While Riley, Carlos, and Sam stood there unbothered, the newbies struggled against the air, trying desperately to not get knocked down. Once the air faded, Marissa breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I was going to get carried away," she admitted.
Just as Tommy and Crystal were going to agree with her, a cacophony of voices rose from the bushes, and five khits rolled out of them, their fur disheveled. Flihkfhur stood up, carrying a mouse in his jaws.
Ghitpethal lunged at her brother, snapping at him and trying to get the mouse. But Flihkfhur dodged and pummeled her with kicks, and Riley could see that he got his father's fighting skill.
The newbies backed away, their eyes wide with horror. "Riley, what are those? They're going to eat you!" Tommy exclaimed.
"Dude, really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "They're literally only two feet tall. Besides, their father and mother trusted us three for taking care of them."
"Wait.. are those-"
"Yeah, they're baby Catwings. But the correct term is 'khits' with an h," Carlos finished for Marissa.
"How can THAT turn so big?" Crystal asked.
"You know how tigers are really small as cubs, then get big as they grow?" Riley asked her.
"Well, yeah."
"Yeah, this is basically a tiger on steroids," she said. "They're literally just giant oversized kittens."
When she was on the beach, Jhaufyther told her that Catwings are naturally fast growers. They grow 5 feet in one year, and they reach their full height at the age of five thousand years, but they still keep on growing a foot every hundred years.
"How fast do they grow?" Tommy asked.
"Well, technica- I mean, it's different for every tribe. But for this one, they grow five feet in one year, and they grow to their full premature height at the age of five thousand years. Then they keep growing, but only a foot every century," Sam answered.
"Wait, you meant fifty years, right?" Tommy asked uncertainly.
"Nope. Catwings are immortal, so... she did mean five thousand years," Riley answered.
"Holy- so how old are they?" Marissa asked, nodding toward them.
"Oh, they're only two months old," Riley said. "But, their father is fifteen thousand years old, and their mother is thirteen thousand."
"Jesus," Crystal muttered. "Who's their father?"
"That blue and white Catwing that you saw."
"WHAT? THAT fathered THESE?" Tommy yelled. "HOW THE FUCK-"
"Just mating, you know," Riley said, smirking. "It's not that bad. You can see that the youngest has his father's fur coloring."
Ghitpethal was still trying to get the mouse out of Flihkfhur's jaws, but he was expertly carrying the mouse out of her reach.
Meanwhile, Dlhithirk, Trihtleph, and Fhlotleph were arguing about whether a rabbit is a rodent or not.
"Yes, it is," Fhlotleph argued. "They literally have rodent-like teeth."
"But have you actually NOTICED their teeth?" Trihtlpeh asked, leaning closer to him. "Mice and rats have one tooth on the top and bottom jaw, while rabbits have TWO."
"But they're still rodents," Fhlotleph insisted.
"Do rodents have those big ears that rabbits and hares have? I don't THINK so," Dlhithirk snapped.
As they were arguing, Haphmoun landed beside Riley. "Thank you for taking care of them," she said, blinking at her.
"It's my pleasure. They're so cute, too."
"I know. Especially Dlhithirk. He looks exactly like his father. Eye color and all."
"I agree with you. But, Comet, he's so rowdy," Riley said.
"I KNOW, RIGHT? He can NEVER keep still. He has a hard time focusing on stuff, and he frequently leads his siblings into misadventures," Haphmoun said, throwing her wings.
"I can pretty much see where he got that from," Riley said, laughing.
As the khits continued arguing and playing, Riley saw Tommy tentatively come up to Flihkfhur, who tilted his head curiously. "Flihkfhur, meet Tommy. A new human, and no, he is NOT food," she said when she saw Flihkfhur's eyes light up.
"But whyyy?" he whined, walking over to her, climbing on her shoulders, and pouting. "I NEVER get to eat a human. I get that I can't eat you, and I'm fine with that, but why not THEM?"
"Your father explicitly told me to make sure that you don't eat them," she said.
"Okay, fine," he grumbled, slithering down her. Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, guys! Let's go play a new game!"
He turned around and ran off, his siblings following him. Riley looked after them, then turned to Haphmoun. "You better go and watch them so they don't get into mischief," she told her.
"I will. I'll see you later?" she said, starting to walk off.
"Of course. Bye!"
After Haphmoun walked away, Riley turned towards Carlos. "Well, I don't know what else to do," he said. "I mean, we can go to Klickhaze's camp and show you what I was doing with her."
"Ooh, yeah. I'm curious to know what you're actually making. It seems interesting."
"It is." Sam said, picking up a tuft of Dlhithirk's fur and giving it to Riley, who carefully put it in her pocket. "It's like those traps that people used to hunt with."
"Like a big cage that falls from a tree?" Riley guessed.
"Yeah, exactly," Sam said, nodding.
"WHAT are you guys talking about?" Marissa asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just something Carlos and Sam are making," Riley answered.
"And what other 'camp' are you talking about?" Tommy asked.
"In order for us to show you, we're going to have to-"
"NO. PLEASE. My stomach feels like it's being propelled out of its body whenever that happens," Crystal groaned.
"Which is why the more we do it, the more you get used to it."
They held hands, standing in a circle. Riley closed her eyes and imagined herself in the Kaos. When she opened her eyes, she was in the current.
She looked around her to check that everyone was there, and to her relief they were. "Are you guys ready?"
"NO," the newbies yelled.
Carlos and Sam nodded. "Yeah."
"Then let's go." As they traveled faster, their surroundings started to get more blurry, eventually turning into Klickhaze's camp.
When they landed, Riley was pleased to see the newbies land on their feet, although they did stagger a bit.
"YES! Finally landed on my feet," Tommy exclaimed.
"You and I both," Crystal said.
Riley also found out that by landing, they gave Klickhaze a fright. She jumped back and stared at her. "WHY DID YOU POP OUT BEHIND ME?" she yelled.
The newbies scrambled back in terror and hid in the bushes, while Sam collapsed laughing.
"Where were we supposed to land?" Carlos asked innocently.
Klickhaze glared at them. Riley knew full well that Klickhaze knew that they can control where they land. "COMET, you guys are trolling everyone today," she grumbled, shaking her head.
"I know, right?" Sam said, standing up and wiping her eyes. "THAT was the funniest thing I have EVER done."
"Anyway," Klickhaze said, her fur still bristling. "Are you here to show Riley the trap that we came up with?" she asked Carlos and Sam.
"Pretty much," Carlos answered.
Klickhaze looked at the bushes, where the newbies were still hiding. "What's THEIR problem?"
"Newbies' first time hearing a Catwing yell," Riley said, sighing.
"Oh. How new are they?"
"Just landed a day ago," Carlos answered. "They're still not getting used to you guys."
"That... makes sense."
They started walking to the main camp when Riley heard screams coming from behind her. She turned around to see Tommy, Crystal, and Marissa run at her, sweat dripping down their faces.
"Let me guess: white or gray humanoid creatures with a mossy cloak draped over them, their eyes huge and dark, antlers or horns growing out of their heads, basically no nose, a wide grin with sharp teeth, and are perfectly capable of running on two or four legs," Riley said, crossing her arms.
"How did you-" Tommy began.
"Met them before you arrived here, but then they were mauled by some khits," she said dismissively.
Ten Khrillin came running at them, drooling from their mouths. This time, they were looking around them, making sure that no khits were near. Their blue tinged eyes told Riley that it was Jhaufyther.
"Hi," she said, sighing.
"What's with the sigh?" he said. "I'm just here to tell you something."
"You LITERALLY summoned Khrillin when we have newbies at the island," she snapped.
"It's not my fault that they were brought here. It wasn't me and my siblings this time," the Khrillin said, crossing his arms. It was the same male that Riley met a while ago.
"Who was it, then?" Riley asked, not believing him.
"It was... it was..."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She rubbed her forehead and looked back at the newbies, who were staring at her. "You couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time, Jhau."
"I did that intentionally. Anyway, about my khits, um..."
"What did they do now?"
"I don't know HOW, but somehow, the little rascals brought a snake to our camp, then tortured it to death, scattering its remains across our camp, and they somehow managed to get a CROCODILE stuck in a tree. Do not ask me how." Riley could tell that he was annoyed.
"I don't- what? Like, COMET. "
"That was my exact reaction," Jhaufyther said with no emotion. "And also, Klick's khits are coming to eat the Khrillin. It's best to warn the newcomers before they get traumatized."
"I'll do that. Then I'll come and see how the fuck the khits managed to get a CROCODILE of all creatures in a tree. BYE!"
"See you!" The blue aura faded from the Contaminite's eyes, and just as it faded, Huniklick and Bericlau came flying out of the trees, too fast for Riley to warn the newcomers. She winced, knowing what's about to happen.
Huniklick proceeded to maul one of the Khrillin, scraping off flesh. Bericlau thrashed his claws, ripping the Khrillin to pieces. The Khrillin tried to desperately get away, but the two siblings lunged themselves on them and absolutely destroyed them, leaving only little shreds of flesh and a small piece of the mossy cloak. I forgot to tell them about them, Riley thought. Eh. They respawn like in games, except IRL, so I'll tell them later. As they were licking off the blood, Bericlau looked at Riley with the most pride she had ever seen in a Catwing before. She turned around and saw the newbies trembling in horror. "Yeah, I forgot to mention the Khrillin. They're way too complicated to explain, but I'm pretty sure that Jhaufyther will take us to the Void and show you their story," she sheepishly explained.
"They just- with just their TEETH, they just-" Marissa stammered.
"Yeah, they do that. Hang on for a moment." She turned toward Bericlau, and his smug expression turned into guilt. "Did you have to do it in front of NEW humans, Bericlau?"
"I couldn't help it," he whined. "They just smelled so good..."
"You could have just resisted until we went to your camp," she snapped.
His ears and wings drooped. "I'm sorry. Whenever I see these things, I just can't help myself."
Riley was about to scold him more when she saw his sad eyes. She sighed. "Beri, I forgive you. I get it. You were hungry, and you needed to eat. Just... just make sure to NOT do it whenever we're in a bad situation, got it?"
They both nodded. "Got it."
What Riley loved about khits is that she doesn't need to baby talk them. They instantly know what she's saying.
Bericlau settled himself on her shoulder, while Huniklick rode on her back, her tail coiled around her leg.
The newbies stared at her AGAIN. "How can you let those things ride on you?" Crystal asked, still trembling.
"I won't say it again: they're just oversized kittens. That's all. I'm going back to the main camp."
As they followed her, Bericlau and Huniklick told Riley of their wild adventures.
"And that's how I killed a deer with one bite," Huniklick declared proudly.
"Wow. That sounded impressive. What I want to know, though, is how in the UNDERREALITY did you get a crocodile in a tree," Riley said.
"Oh, that was easy. Me, Huniklick, Dlhithirk, Ghitpethal, and Trihtleph were playing tag when Dlhithirk spotted a snake in the water.
Riley sensed a pattern here. Every single goddamn time the khits get in trouble, Dlhithirk is the cause of it. Now I KNOW that he takes after his father, she thought.
"What happened next?" Riley asked, genuinely curious to know. She had never heard of someone being so mischievous, not even from another person.
"Then he dragged the snake from the water in front of us. It was HUGE," Huniklick said, her eyes widening. "We all killed it easily. It didn't struggle very much."
Jesus. These khits are FEISTY, she thought. No wonder Haphmoun gets a headache whenever she watches over them.
"Then Ghitpethal discovered that there was a dead crocodile rotting near the camp," Huniklick continued. "So, Dlhithirk decided to throw it into a tree. It was really heavy, so me and Bericlau-along with Ghitpethal and Trihtleph- threw it into the tree, and that's how we got it stuck there."
"Doesn't a crocodile weigh, like, two of you?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, but we managed to throw it on the tree," Bericlau said.
When they arrived at the camp, Riley found Klickhaze talking with Jhaufyther. "... been gone for a while now," Klickhaze was saying. "I haven't found-"
"If you're talking about your khits, they're right here," Riley said, dropping them off.
"THERE you are," Klickhaze said, coming over and furiously licking each of their heads. "I was getting worried about you!"
"Thanks, Riley," Jhaufyther said, blinking at her. "Where were they?"
"The little gremlins were hiding in the trees," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Speaking of khits, how did they get that crocodile stuck in the trees?" Klickhaze asked, looking up from her khits.
"Oh, Dlhithirk first found a snake that was in the water. They jumped the snake, mauled it to death, then proceeded to rip the snake into shreds, scattering the remains across the camp. Then Ghitpethal found a dead crocodile near the camp, so Dlhithirk had the great idea of throwing it into a tree. It took the entire group to throw the crocodile into the tree."
"Wow." Jhaufyther said, blinking.
A gray blur came flying in, skidding to a stop in front of Jhaufyther. "Slaughlitte called a meeting. He wants us there, stat," Lhrioun said, panting.
He nodded. "I'll be there." He turned toward Klickhaze. "The tournament is finally happening."