It would take a few days for the Mermen to arrive in the City of Beasts. The beast men were busy preparing for war while the females and cubs were nervous.
Amber tried to distract them by teaching them how to create drums. She was reminded of the drums of war in her history books.
She hoped the drums could give the beast men a fighting spirit and know that the females were supporting them. Most females were only interested because it was something new.
They had never seen any musical instruments before and never cared about music. To the beast men, only birds or Mermaids knew how to sing. They never knew about other types of music.
Amber gathered the females and cubs who were interested inside the castle. There was a small group of only five females and fifteen cubs. Each female also had one chosen mate to protect them and get them things they needed.
Barry stayed with Amber while the other mates and Fred were out setting up traps for the Mermen. Nick was training the Cheetah beast men. Tyler was training the Eagle and other flying beast men with Tom.
Blue Tang spent his days patrolling the waterways leading to the city and finding potential ways they could sneak into the city. Fred dug pits and filled them with sharp sticks and leaves.
Oliver was busy training other healers in the city to care for the wounded warriors. Barry planned to be a battle tank and stay close to Amber to protect her. He didn't need to practice for that role.
Amber used a charcoal stick to draw on the wall and show the directions on how to make a drum. She taught the class and the beast men went to gather the supplies.
While they were gathering the wood and leather and other materials Amber explained some of the uses of drums. "During battles, the drums of war can help give the warriors energy to keep fighting. It helps to show our support for the beast men who are fighting to protect us."
One of the females scoffed. "Why should we support them? Aren't they supposed to support us?" Amber explained, "They support our physical needs. We can support them emotionally and spiritually."
The females seemed confused, but the beast men who were present looked interested in Amber's new ideas. How nice would it be if their female mate supported them emotionally and spiritually?
Amber explained, "We should not take them for granted. They devote their lives to keeping us happy and safe. This is a way we can show them we appreciate what they do for us. This will also make them happy and the mate bond will be stronger."
Barry could agree with this statement. He was exceptionally happy with his mate. He was so happy that he found a female that appreciated everything he did for her. It made him love her more and want to do more things for her.
Amber could tell that this was a new idea to the females and the males were interested. She didn't want to lose their interest, so she also told them about other uses.
"Drums can be used for music. Think of music as a living thing that you can hear. Drums are the heartbeat of the music. The beats should have a rhythm. Some songs can be slow or fast. The drums will set the pace of the song."
"Drums can be used for more than battle. They can be used in any celebration or song. How fast you beat the drum will determine what kind of song it is."
The beast men brought some hollowed-out logs and thin leather straps. They had some leather strips to tie the leather tightly across the wood. Amber instructed them on how to create the drums.
When he finished making the drum, Barry handed it to Amber to inspect it. "Very good for your first one." She praised him. Barry's ears turned pink from blushing.
The other beast men observed with envy at how nice his mate treated him. The females were interested but were quickly distracted by the sound Amber made with the drum.
She started slowly at a steady pace. She used her hand to beat the drum, but quickly realized it hurt her hand. She instructed them to make drumsticks out of wood and wrapped the end with a leather ball.
She used the drumsticks and was able to tap a beat that was easier to learn. The cubs who had been playing nearby were distracted by the new sound. Amber began to sing along with the drums.
"It's the rise of the fighter, it's the thrill of the fight.
Rising up to the challenge of our rival.
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night.
And he's watching us all with the eyes of the fighter."
She thought about Eye of the Tiger by Survivor but changed the lyrics slightly. Amber was worried that they would get confused because she hadn't seen any tiger beast men yet.
The cubs started to dance and play fight with each other. Barry was impressed with his mate's singing and the new instrument she showed them how to make.
Amber spent the rest of the day teaching them how to play different songs or beats on the drums until the beast men came back to cook dinner for their mates.
The next day twelve females were ready to learn about drums. Soon the entire Beast City knew about the drums and songs. They were busy playing with them that they almost didn't notice the Mermen sneaking into the city.
The drums made the city louder than usual, so the Mermen were drawn to the noise. It helped them hide their steps in their two-legged forms. Nick noticed something was not right and roared to get the beast men's attention.
Immediately the beast men went into attack mode and protect the females and cubs. Barry carried Amber up to the top of the castle. The cubs and Eli followed them closely.
The younger cubs were too young to understand what was going on, but Eli understood what the adults were talking about.
Thanks to his hunting training he had experience fighting and killing. He would help to protect his mother and younger brothers.
Amber called out for her children to follow them upstairs. She wanted them close by in case they had to leave quickly. "Eli, help Nate and Raj to climb the stairs quickly. Stay close to Mommy and Barry."
Barry nodded his head in agreement and carried Amber to the top floor. When he gently placed her down, Amber went to the open window to see what was going on.
Amber was shocked by what she saw! She had read about war in history books and seen it in the movies, but this was a scene she had never expected.
Some beast men fought in their animal forms and some were in their man forms. It was a blur of multi-colored chaos.
She searched for her mates and found Nick fighting with Gold. Nick was a higher level than Gold and he almost killed him quickly. The other Mermen fought Nick together so Gold could escape.
Nick was busy fighting off the Mermen while Gold tried to find Amber. She locked eyes with him down below and he was momentarily stunned.
Gold thought of how beautiful she was and it was a pity to kill her, but his mate wanted her dead. He would do anything for his mate.
Gold ordered some Mermen to kill her and pointed in the direction she was hiding in. This enraged Nick and he was able to kill the Mermen attacking him.
Next, he slashed Gold's throat and almost beheaded him. How dare he order his men to kill Amber?
Gold died as he bled out and the rest of the Mermen fought their way towards Amber. Her other mates were all fighting in different areas of the city and didn't notice the Mermen heading towards the castle.
The mermen fought their way up to the room Amber was staying in. Barry fought most of them off, but there were too many. They had over 10,000 Mermen in their tribe.
Barry was getting beaten badly. Amber grabbed her children and thought of Nick and Blue Tang. They were both summoned and helped Barry fight the Mermen.
Amber leaned over the window sill looking for Tyler and Tom. She blew on a whistle she made with bamboo. Tyler and Tom heard her high-pitched whistle over the battle noise and came to her quickly.
Amber held Nate and Raj while she climbed onto Tyler's back. Eli climbed onto Tom's back and held on tightly. They were flown out of the castle to a safe distance.
Eli had flown before and enjoyed it. He knew how to hold on. The cubs had never flown before, but they trusted their mother and her mate to keep them safe.
They flew to a faraway mountain that Tom used to live in called Bird Mountain.