The next morning, Shelly woke up warm and cuddled in her furs surrounded by warm cuddly beasts. She didn't want to leave her warm fur bed, but she had things to do. She knew that Rosa would complain to the Tiger king about last night, so she figured she should go visit the other kings first. She planned on talking to the Leopard king first and then the Wolf king. She would avoid the Ape king for obvious reasons. Hopefully she would be able to get one of the kings to listen to her.
Harvey got up and made a hot cup of green tea for Shelly. He also gave her some of the roasted birds from last night. She ate her breakfast and a banana. She used her novel indoor bathroom thanks to Winston and washed her hands and face. She was using lemon juice and Aloe Vera for cleaning and moisturizing, but noticed her skin was drying out with the cold weather. She would need to find a heavier moisturizer for Winter. If only she knew how to make Shea butter or Cocoa butter. Maybe when they moved closer to the sea she would have more tropical fruits and nuts as options. For now, she could use animal fat on her hands. She didn't dare to use it on her face unless she wanted to break out the next day. She would try other plant oils. She knew one of the options for essential oils was to cold press them. She would ask the guys. She could always grind up some plants with a mortar and pestle.
Once Shelly was ready she told the guys her plans for visiting the kings. She told them, "We should start with the Leopard king, and then the Wolf king and finally the Tiger king." They all nodded in agreement. Shuu said, "My mother will be happy to see you." Shelly smiled and felt good that she had at least one good mother in law in this beast world as well as in her own world. She thought maybe this was her mind's way of incorporating her world with this dream. Oh well, she would enjoy it while it lasted.
They headed to the Leopard king's castle. Shelly rode on Shuu in his beast form since his fur was the longest and would keep her the warmest. She grabbed onto his fur and held on so she wouldn't fall off. The cold wind was a little colder than she expected, so she buried her face into his fur to keep her face warm. Shuu was happy that he had the warmest fur. The other two cats felt a little jealous but happy that Shelly was warm.
They arrived at the Leopard castle and were questioned by the guards, "Why are you here?" Harvey said, "We have come to speak to the king." The guard sent someone to ask if the king would see them. He came back a few minutes later and the messenger leopard escorted them to a room inside of the castle. The Leopard king greeted them while he was sitting on top of a rock. He asked, "Why did you come to see me? If it is about last night with Rosa, I have already heard about it and do not wish to be involved." He would not make an enemy of the Tiger king over a petty fight between two females that were not from his tribe.
Shelly said, "Thank you for seeing us. I was going to inform you of the incident from last night, but I also have something more important to warn you about. I can't tell you how I know, but next year will have many tribulations you should be aware of." The Leopard king looked interested in her prophecy and debated the validity of her words. He still felt it would be wise to hear the prophecy and then determine what to do later if they proved true. He nodded and Shelly continued, "Next year the City of Beasts will experience a flood followed by a drought and finally an earthquake and volcano will destroy the city. Many will die if they do not evacuate in time."
The king took in her words and said, "Thank you for your warning. I will keep an eye open for these prophecies. If what you say is true I will evacuate my tribe to the Camel Hump Valley." Shelly remembered the village was flooded, but rebuilt, she nodded and said, "We are planning to leave after the cold and rainy season. I hope I can avoid trouble with Rosa until then." The Leopard king looked surprised that they were planning to leave, but nodded his understanding. He thought she must really believe these prophecies if she is planning to leave the city.
The Leopard king nodded and had the messenger leopard escort them out again. They left the Leopard king's castle and headed to the Wolf king's castle. Once they arrived at the Wolf king's castle Shuu spoke to the guards and asked if his father and mother were available. The wolf messenger went to ask and came back a few minutes later. He nodded and escorted them into the Wolf Castle. The Wolf king was in the banquet hall and was about to prepare lunch for his mate. Shelly greeted him and offered to help. He nodded in appreciation. His wife was right in choosing this one as the favorite. Rosa had never once offered to help.
Harvey helped with the food as well and the Wolf king invited them to stay for lunch. Shuu was happy that his mate was getting along with his father and mother. Shelly took in the ingredients in the kitchen and instructed Harvey on how to make a meat stew with some herbs and a roasted garlic roast bird. The king was excited to try the new recipes. He also had someone prepare a seasoned roast with the first recipe she had shown them. The food smelled amazing and the guards and cooks were hoping to try the new recipes as well. Once they were done the dishes were brought to the living room where the Wolf queen was waiting with another of her mates who was feeding her fruits while she waited for lunch.
The Leopard queen was excited to see Shelly and Shuu. She motioned for them to join her and offered Shelly some fruit. Shelly gladly accepted a Pomegranate and thanked the queen. She said, "It is good to see you, my queen. Thank you for seeing us today and inviting us for lunch. I taught the chef a few new recipes. I hope that you like them." The queen looked pleased at her favorite cub's mate and said, "Of course child, I am happy to see you. I heard about what happened last night and am very upset at Rosa for starting a fight with you." Shelly didn't want to harp too much on Rosa, so she said, "I just hope she will not try anything again and stay away from me and my mates." The queen nodded and looked at Shuu. His bruises were healing but still visible. She said, "I will speak to your brother about fighting fair." Shuu looked embarrassed, but nodded.
The king and the chefs brought in bowls of the new recipes. He had already taste tested them and found them to be delicious. He offered them to his mate first and motioned for Shuu to get some for Shelly. The rest of the males served themselves and they all started to eat. Hums of appreciation were heard all around the room. The queen said, "Shelly, my dear, this is delicious. How do you come up with these new recipes?" Shelly blushed a little at the praise and said, "Thank you, you may not believe me, but I have some secret powers similar to the Ape king." She gave her mates a knowing look. They understood that she did not want all her secrets to be known to others and nodded in understanding. The king looked interested. He had seen the Ape king use his mental powers to make predictions, but had never heard of another Ape beast with the same powers. His cub's mate was really special.
Shelly said, "That is the real reason I have come today. I wanted to warn you about a prophecy I heard." The Wolf king looked alert and nodded his head. Shelly said, "Next year the City of Beasts will experience a flood followed by a drought and finally an earthquake and volcano will destroy the city. Many will die if they do not evacuate in time. I have already warned the Leopard king and will warn the Tiger king next." They all looked shocked but nodded. She told them the same thing she told the Leopard king. She made sure to keep the wording the same. As if it was truly a prophecy she didn't want to change it at all.
She informed them of her plans to leave the city after the cold and rainy season and told them about her plans to move to the Tiger village near the sea. They looked sad that she would leave, but nodded. They started to think maybe they should leave as well. At the very least, they would keep an eye open for the first 2 prophecies. If they came true they would leave before the city was destroyed. She told them, "The Ape king may try to discredit me, but I hope you will take my words to heart. I really hope to see you again after we leave." The queen looked touched at her words. She nodded and hugged Shelly. She said, "We will keep your words in mind and keep an eye open. Thank you for warning us." After they were done eating, they left to go visit the Tiger king. Shelly thought 2 down, 1 to go. Now for the hard part.