Rosa and her mates decided to use her kids to cause trouble because they were young and would not be blamed. They told the kids to go kill the short birds that were in front of Shelly's den. In the middle of the night Shelly woke up because the birds were squawking loudly. She turned to her mates and asked, "What's wrong? Are the birds too cold?" Shuu sniffed the air and said, It's Rosa's cubs. They are in the bird coup. He went outside and saw the dead birds and the paw prints. He could smell the cubs on the dead birds. He brought it inside to show Shelly. Shelly knew what would happen next. She thought of ways to change the story. She didn't like the idea that Rosa's cubs got eaten. Even if they were little brats. They were still children. Curtis wasn't here, so that hopefully wouldn't happen. She could dig the traps and then humiliate Rosa like Bai did, but then what? Rosa would not stop harassing Shelly until she left.
Shelly asked Winston, "What if you tell the Tiger king about this?" Winston thought about it and said, "I can try, but I don't think he will care about a few short birds." Shelly said, "It's not just about the birds. Rosa will keep trying to harass me until we leave. She is trying to get us to move out in the middle of the cold season and make our lives harder on purpose." Harvey thought about it and said, "Maybe if we bring it up to all of the kings to announce it in public. They will shame her and she will stop." Shelly thought about it and decided it was worth a try.
She asked Shuu and Winston, " Tomorrow can you get some more birds and build a ditch around them? We will fill it with grass and if the cubs try again they will fall into the ditch." Then when Rosa comes to get them, we will announce to everyone that her cubs are trying to steal our birds." They nodded and looked excited to build the trap. Harvey thought about her plan and appreciated her cunningness.
They went back to sleep thinking about what to do the next day. Shelly told them they could cook the birds so they would not go to waste, so they had roasted birds for breakfast. Shuu went out to get more short birds and Winston dug the ditch and filled it with leaves. Shuu was taking a while to return so Shelly sent Winston to look for him. He brought back a battered looking Shuu. Shuu said, "Bart and his friends were waiting to ambush me." Shelly ground her teeth and asked Harvey to help him.
Harvey tended to the cuts and bruises and said, "He will live. Nothing vital was punctured and males are tougher than you think." Shelly said, "We will definitely tell the kings but wait until Shuu is healed and we will all go together." They nodded and started to plan their retaliation. Shelly asked, " Is there anyone nearby who can overhear us?" Winston checked and said no. Shelly said, "I know a little bit of what is going to happen in the future." She waited for the shock in their eyes to come down. Harvey asked, "Is this a power of the humans like the Ape king's mental powers?" Shelly thought about it and decided that would be the simplest answer. She said, "Kind of yes, humans evolved from apes, so we have some of the same characteristics." They all nodded and looked at her in amazement. She said, "next year after the harvest there will be a flood and then a drought and then an earthquake will cause the volcano to erupt and it will destroy the city. They all looked horrified at this revelation. Shelly said, "we need to warn the kings. The Ape king will try to blame it on me and say I am a doom's bringer, but it will happen even after we leave." They all nodded in agreement. She said, "When we visit the kings I will try to warn them, but they won't believe me. Is there anyone you can think of who will believe me?" They all thought about it and sadly shook their heads. She thought oh well, all I can do is try.
That night the cubs returned but were trapped in the ditch. They whimpered and it woke Shelly. She asked Winston, "Is the ditch warm enough for them to stay out all night without freezing to death?" He nodded and said, "The leaves and dirt should keep them warm enough." Shelly nodded and tried to go back to sleep. A few hours later Shelly was woken up by Rosa's loud screams. "My cubs, she stole my cub and is keeping them away from me." Shelly got dressed quickly and rolled her eyes at Rosa's terrible acting. Shelly came outside of her den with Winston and Harvey. Shuu was still recovering, so she asked him to wait inside for now. He was alert in case she needed him.
Rosa had started to draw a crowd. She yelled, "There she is now, Where are my cubs?" Shelly thought two can act b*tch. She said innocently , "Why would your cubs be on my property?" Rosa looked stunned for a second and said, "You lured them here with your short birds." Shelly said, "Oh my, are they so starved that they came here all the way from the castle just to eat my short birds?" Rosa looked embarrassed. The other beastmen started to discuss among themselves. "This is a far way away from the castle. Are Rosa's mates poor hunters that they let the cubs starve? They can't even catch slow moving short birds in the cold season." Bart growled and was about to attack when Shuu came out and growled at him. He paused when he saw Winston and Shuu together.
Shelly said, "First you send your cubs to kill my birds and then you send your mates to attack my mate. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to force me to leave in the middle of the cold season? Do you want me to freeze to death?" Rosa looked shocked that Shelly accurately guessed her intentions. The other beastmen grew upset that Rosa was trying to kill another female. This was the only law that was strongly enforced. Rosa yelled in frustration, "You stole Winston and didn't even let him mate with you!" She looked provocatively at Winston and said, "If you come with me I will let you father my next cubs." Winston snorted and said, "Even if I never met Shelly I would never be with you." Shelly looked at Rosa with pity and lowered her dress enough to show off Winston and Shuu's mate marks. Everyone around gasped in surprise.
Shelly said, "They are my beloved mates now and I will not allow anyone to hurt them physically or emotionally." The other beastmen looked at Winston and Shuu with jealousy. If only they were lucky enough to have a female who loved them as much as Shelly loved and cherished her mates. Rosa was stunned for a moment in her loss and wanted to physically attack Shelly. She raised her hand to slap Shelly, but Shelly grabbed her hand and threw it away. Rosa dramatically fell to the ground and started to sob. She said, "I just gave birth to cubs and she is abusing me. We should chase her out." Shelly applauded slowly and it broke Rosa out of her sobs. She said, "Nice act, but you started it. Everyone saw you try to hit me first. I only pushed you away. If you don't leave my property now, I will have Winston make your mates leave." Winston released his beast pressure. Bart and the other mates were all 3 stripes or lower and could not fight against Winston's 4 striped beast pressure.
Shelly said, "Take your cubs and leave. Don't ever come back. This is my first and only warning." Rosa looked upset but defeated. Bart helped her up while Shuu brought the cubs. He threw them towards the other mates and growled a warning. Shelly thought I hope this works. This will end up saving the lives of Bart and the cubs. If only they are smart enough to take the warning seriously. Rosa left with her family but thought to herself she would tell her father what happened. The Tiger king had a bad habit of spoiling his only female cub and let her do anything she wanted. If only he would discipline her a little she may avoid her terrible fate in the book. Shelly thought about it and hoped that she had changed the plot for the better. Only time would tell. Shelly hurried back inside out of the cold and the crowd dispersed. Some beastmen were still discussing the events of the night. They didn't have TV so this was free entertainment for them. Shelly and her mates went back to bed to prepare for the next day. They had a peaceful sleep.