Fred and Barry made their way towards Bird Mountain. Barry could feel the pull of his mate mark towards the mountains. Fred followed closely so he didn't lose his beloved female.
Since they were not max-level stripes yet, they were not able to be summoned. Barry was determined to level up faster, while Fred was still trying to get Amber to accept him as a mate.
He was happy to be her beast guardian, but when he thought about how the others started as her beast guardians and became her mates he felt somewhat jealous.
He wasn't as jealous as Nick for example, even though Nick was the favorite mate. He didn't understand why Nick couldn't just be grateful for the time and attention he received from Amber.
If he was mated to Amber, he would be happy to just be her mate. Even if she only mated with him once. Barry was happy just to be her mate. He didn't even ask for cubs and gladly adopted her cubs as his own.
Fred would spoil the cubs a little, but Barry helped teach Eli how to hunt and would take care of the Cheetah cubs better than Nick.
Fred lost track of his rambling thoughts as he noticed Barry picked up speed. They were getting closer to Bird Mountain. Amber must be on the mountaintop.
Fred had never explored this far before. He was surprised to find the hot springs and could smell Amber and the cubs had been there.
Barry led them both to the bird's nest on the mountaintop cave. He was comfortable sleeping in a cave being a bear beast man. He used to hibernate in caves before he moved to the City of Beasts and met Amber.
Amber was asleep with the cubs, but Nick lifted his head to see Barry and Fred approaching the cave. He growled lowly, "Go wash up in the hot springs before you enter the cave. You smell like bloody fish."
Barry and Fred halted their steps and looked down before they realized how dirty they were. They knew that Amber liked to be clean and hated messes. They both went to the hot springs to wash up before returning.
Amber woke up the next morning with the sunrise. It was a beautiful way to start the day! The sunrise showed all of the land and jungles beneath the mountaintop. She felt like the Queen of the World.
The cubs and Eli woke up when Amber got out of the nest. Eli rubbed his eyes and blinked before noticing the sight his mother was watching. It was beautiful. He had an intense urge to go climb all those trees to find the tallest one.
He loved to climb and find fruits. Eli jumped up and down eager to go. Oliver noticed his son's eagerness to explore and told Amber. "I'll take Eli to get some fruits. We will bring you back the best ones."
He kissed her on the cheek before he left with Eli. Eli bounced as he walked towards the trees. Amber laughed at her son's behavior. She was happy that he was able to be a happy child in this dangerous beast world.
Amber noticed Barry and Fred had returned. She felt good to see the whole family together after the battle in the city. She asked them, "How are you guys doing? How is the city?"
Fred handed Amber some nuts and berries he had gathered from a nearby bush. Barry responded, "We are fine. The city is clean again. The Mermen will not be a threat to you any longer."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nick looked towards the base of the mountain. Tom used his superior Hawk vision to see the approaching Mermen and a familiar Wolf Prince. He noticed they were carrying a strange covered bed made from bamboo.
"We have company." Tom notified the others of what he saw. Tom and Tyler transformed into their flying forms and scouted the mountain to see if any others were coming from different directions.
Blue Tang made his way towards the Mermen to try and pacify the situation before it escalated. He didn't want to kill his entire kind or his former Queen, but he would if they kept trying to kill Amber.
Amber was worried. She whispered to Nick, "What if they are here to retaliate? They already lost so many Mermen. I don't want anyone else to die!"
Nick hugged Amber in his arms as she hugged the cubs who were scared. They climbed on her lap and were trying to nurse to self-soothe. Amber looked embarrassed but didn't want her children to be hungry or scared.
She started to nurse them as Barry stood guard at the entrance of the cave. Fred had gone out to find more nuts and berries. He was unaware of the new company.
Oliver had taken Eli deep into the forest in search of the best fruits. He was also unaware of the new company. Eli was so happy to be climbing and swinging on the vines. Ignorance is truly bliss. He could never have thought that would be the last time he saw his mother.
Blue Tang approached the base of the mountain and met with Ray. "What are you doing here with the Merfolk?" The covered bamboo bed was gently lowered to the ground and Ray helped his mate up to her feet.
Queen Gennita stretched as she had just woken up. She looked at Blue Tang with disdain and spoke to him. "We have come to finish what was started in the City of Beasts. Since you refuse to return to the sea with your people, we have come to kill you and your mate."
Blue Tang bristled at her words. He knew it was pointless to try and change her mind, but he tried anyway for the survival of the Merfolk tribe.
"This is pointless. I am already mated and will not leave her. I will not allow you to kill her and don't want to kill you. You should return to the sea and enjoy being Queen. We will not bother you if you do not bother us. I will choose a new area to raise my future Mermaid child."
Ray looked surprised at Blue Tang's words. Was Amber pregnant with a female Mermaid? He was jealous at first, but then remembered he was mated with the current Mermaid Queen. He could have a Mermaid child with her. If the child was female, it would not matter if he was a Wolf beast man.
Queen Gennita spoke again haughtily and broke his chain of thoughts. "I will not allow there to be another Mermaid Queen, and any future Mermaid Queens will be from myself! There can be only one Mermaid Queen at a time!"
Little did she know, she didn't have anything to worry about. As soon as she finished nursing her cubs, Amber disappeared back to her world. They were confused and searching for their mother. Nick recognized what was happening and explained it to Barry.
"Amber has gone back to her world. She will summon myself and Blue Tang soon. Look after the cubs in case we don't return. Capture a wild nursing female Cheetah for milk until they are old enough to eat meat. If any of her mates reach their fifth stripe Amber will be able to summon them to her world."
With those last words, Nick disappeared as well. Blue Tang felt the absence of his mate in this world. He knew what that meant. He quickly informed Queen Gennita. "You are now the only Mermaid Queen in this world. Please return to the sea and live a peaceful life. I hope you can have a female child soon."
He disappeared as well leaving the Merfolk and Ray stunned and confused once again.