A little less than an hour before Leo was taken away, Shadow, Goblin, and Mouse were tracking the lion's blood and smell. When they got close to the mountains, Shadow hopped out of the hovercraft to continue on foot with Goblin and Mouse.
Goblin looked back at the other two and said, "hey, I think the lion is up on that cliff."
Shadow looked up and saw something slithering into a cave. "I think I saw a snake beast go into that cave." Goblin looked up and saw the rattler's tail go in. He was shocked at the size of the tail.
"Shadow, I do smell a large reptile close by," Mouse said with fear.
"Mouse it is up on the cliff." Goblin pointed out.
"Goblin and Mouse watch out!" Shadow ran over and pushed the two beastmen out of the way. A second large rattlesnake attacked and its right fangs scratched Shadow's back. The poison flooded Shadow's body, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Mouse move her now! I will distract the beast."
The snake slammed its tail down, and Goblin rolled out of the way. "Shadow Strike." Goblin fist connected, but the snake's hide completely absorbed the attack. The reptile knocked Goblin away into the cliff with its body. The wall cracked a few rocks fell. Blood trickled down the edge of Goblin's mouth.
"Mouse go help Goblin, I'm going to use mana to purge this poison." Shadow sat down and started rotating her core to purify her blood and mana.
Mouse used Shadow Walk to slip past the snake and to grab Goblin. The reptile was furious. No one is allowed to steal its prey. The rattlesnake used poison jet at the cliff. Holding up Goblin, mouse leaped up the cliff and grabbed the edge.
Goblin stared down at the beast. He pushed himself from Mouse's embrace and used Shadow Strike downwards. The momentum and gravity propelled Goblin, and his strike punched the snake's skull. The blow couldn't damage the skin or bone, but the hit caused the snake to have an instantaneous concussion.
The snake started to wobble. Shaking its tail tip, the snake attacked. The bite missed Goblin, but with a sweep of its tail, it tripped him.
Mouse jumped off the cliff and attacked the Snake with her own Shadow Strike, but the Snake moved out of the way, and all she hit was the ground.
The snake could barely see straight, but its instincts wouldn't let the same trick happen twice. It whipped its tail into Mouse and knocked her close to the cliff.
The rattlesnake struck out against Mouse with its fangs exposed. Goblin used Shadow Walk and jumped in front of her to take the bite.
"Lunar Claw!" The claw strike connected with the snake's head and blasted the snake towards the cliff and away from the two beastmen. When the scaley beast landed against the cracked cliff, it collapsed and buried the snake.
The rubble shook a bit, but eventually, the snake died from asphyxia. Looking over at Goblin and Mouse, Shadow yelled, "let us head up. That other snake is probably going to kill the cat beast before I do."
The three of them climbed up the cliff only to be shocked. A beastman was floating in the sky and carrying Leo and the lion away. "Leeeeeooooo!" Shadow shouted as she watched him drift away into the heavens.
Shadow fell to the ground in despair. She now lost her friend again.
Goblin hobbled over to Shadow. "Why is this human so important to you that you would risk yours and our lives for him?"
Taking a deep breath, Shadow explained her story. "It all started when Tigra, sent my team and me to scout the new Independence Settlement. We first were surprised to see beastmen and humans working side by side. The first night I tried to sneak in, and a canine beastman by the name of Lycan apprehended me and interrogated me. After questioning me till dawn, he let me go. Before I left, he asked me to join him and his settlement. I told him I must serve. I left and reported this to Tigra. She then assigned my squad to return with assassins to end the colony. We attacked at night, but the settlement thwarted our attacks. In the end, the survivors and I were rounded up, and Lycan asked me if I wanted to be free with them or serve a system that doesn't let its people live."
"So, I decided to stay. I got close to Lycan, and I eventually came to love him. Sadly, he did not share those feelings as well. Even then, he still cared for me dearly. I swore to serve him in my heart. It was because I loved him."
"A year went by, and a human boy showed up. He was the first Tempered warrior we ever met that was human. He shared his knowledge, and we shared ours. When DeathClaw attacked the settlement, Lycan ordered me to protect the boy's life. I couldn't find any other beastmen to save, but I made it in time to save the boy. "
"From there human and I traveled together. It first started as my duty, but I think I started to care for Leo as Lycan cared for me. Even though he has no beastman blood, he is my brethren."
Goblin and Mouse were surprised by this story. It also made sense why she gave them a chance to switch sides. Goblin was also impressed that a human could reach peak Tempered Body.
After a short pause, Mouse asked, "Shadow what are we going to do now? That beastman that took the human had to be at the Avatar level." Mouse was frightened, whenever a beastman of that level did anything, no one ever opposed them.
"Leo is a sharp human with a resourceful bracelet. He escaped being imprisoned once already by beastmen. If he can do it again, then I shall be waiting for his return. Until then you two will assist me in raiding supply runs and surveillance."
Mouse was curious and asked, "why do you hate Tigra?"
"I do not hate her, She and I don't see eye to eye anymore. When I first started living at the settlement, I sent her a letter. In it, I wrote that she should renounce her servitude and become an independent force. She responded saying in a years time; she would attack the settlement with her full army and skin a traitor like me alive."
"She didn't get her chance because DeathClaw attacked first. So I became a bandit that will hide in the shadows. When Deathclaw and Tigra finally rage war, I will arrive and kill both of them." The hatred in her voice when she spoke that last sentence sent shivers down Mouse's and Goblin's spine.
A little mountain lion cub meowed, and the three beastmen looked over at him. "Shadow, should we take him with us? His father or mother was just taken with the human."
Shadow didn't answer, but walked right over and picked up the cub. "Let us head back to base." She looked up into the sky and whispered, "Leo, please survive."