The trio were heading to the hilltop, surrounded by escorting cougars. The bee was nervous but knew his silver tongue was the only saviour to pass through Sīnoriah peacefully.
'Sir Wolfheze,' the bee whispered in the blonde's ears, 'I will say this once, please. I will do the talking with the masters of this kingdom. These are some of the most aggressive and dangerous animals — please!'
Arnitikós, however, was rubbing the soft fur of the nearest cougar amidst the whispers of the bee and the human. The cougar grunted and then loudly growled at the puerile's face.
Her reaction was amused, 'Oooo!' she demanded more growls, interpreting it as a positive response.
'Simianette!' Cried the bee as he reached the angered cougar while the sheepish Wolfheze took her away by hand and led her to the path the cougars were offering. The bee pleaded, 'We're very sorry for the immature behaviour of this biped, Mister Cougar. . .'
The three eventually reached the hilltop and were welcomed by the great sight of the Bét lion and his majestic mane. 'Welcome, travellers, to my — the kingdom of the felines, Sīnoriah.'
The bee approached, 'Mister lion—'
'Bét'Shīr.'
'Yes, Bét'Shīr, lion, Sir. We are travellers from the insectoid land of Yura, and—'
The lion interrupted again, 'I see two with you who are not of the insects.'
Wolfheze shook his head and put on a stupid face, crossing his arms, 'Maybe we are insects.'
The lion's face contorted. 'You barge in the kingdom to fool us?'
'With respect,' Wolfheze spoke in a manner similar to Safir-Flavum's, 'We are indeed of the insects. In fact, I, the bee and her,' he pointed at Arnitikós, 'came to Yura from Mavrílla, seeking—'
'Mavrílla!' The lion exclaimed, 'Do Mavríllan insects look like this, Elder?'
And from his back, the Elder appeared, walking towards the trio. He examined — eyed them silently. 'Mavríllan animals resemble their original form. . . you two look like Simian the Lone. As for the bee — what's your name, bee?'
'Safir-Flavum, Ambassador of the Bumblebees, Sir Eld—'
'And you?' Alef'Luin looked at the blonde.
'Wolfheze.' He then forced a nervous smile, 'I'm a darkling beetle.'
'Nonsense!' The two lions exclaimed in disbelief.
'And she,' the beetle pointed, 'is Arnitikós. She's a Latrodectus, my good lions.'
The lions exclaimed, and so did the bee — unintentionally —: 'A BLACK WIDOW?'
'Yes!' Said Wolfheze proudly, 'Careful, my good lions, for she has the worst bite of all spiders and venom so foul — it will send you two rolling on your backs to your graves. . .'
The blonde then leaned — while his heart was pumping blood rapidly through his veins out of fear — towards the Elder lion, imposing weakness upon his deteriorating mane, 'Show them your dangerous teeth, Arnitikós.' He said with a squinty smug.
The puerile received the instructions metaphysically, and it nearly broke Wolfheze's psyche in half — almost permanently! Since he initiated the connection with his lips sealed, not wanting to reveal his trick of the old days.
She childishly showed her teeth — still white as stars, and her perfect, not-so-special-fangs, and she growled clumsily, 'Gzzzhhhhh. . .'
The two lions gazed dimly. Her white teeth were eerie for someone who looked like they were pulled from an upstream after stomping a thousand rocks.
In a pit as wide as an apple tree's crown and deep as an olive tree's trunk, Wolfheze, Arnitikós, and Safir-Flavum were thrown in. The bee was tied to a thin string held by a guarding cat. The cat pulled the string enough that the bee wouldn't be in reach to the two bipeds.
'Oh, curse it.' Wolfheze said in an undefeated. He rested fetally against the hole's walls.
Safir-Flavum scolded the blonde in a tone never heard or seen by the accompanying two; even the puerile — who understood nothing — was scared!
'A beetle. A wee, sweat-drinking, upside-down, clown-looking beetle! Was that the best of your verbal tricks? O-oh! And convincing Simianette that she is a venomous spider! Oh, by honey and nectar!' The bee was weak and weightless to the string.
The cat felt irritated by his endless scolding, interrupting, 'Is the insect always noisy?'
While the bee was giving the puerile an aggressive speech she couldn't understand, Wolfheze replied to the cat, in a low voice, 'Not always, no. I think I broke him — his will and patience, too.' Wolfheze timidly shrugged, actually fearing the bee a little.
'And what did you do?' The cat asked after a yawn.
'I tried convincing your masters that I was a beetle insect. And her, a venomous spider.'
'And you got thrown here in the pit.'
'Y-yes, but—'
'And because of your stupidity, I now have to watch over you and the noisy bee.'
The bee continued, and Arnitikós's face started turning fearful, 'You should never listen to anything Brighteyes utters inside your head. . . do you understand — DO YOU HEAR ME?'
Once the blonde felt the presence of fear resonating from her, he quickly ran to stand in between her and the bee. Wolfheze's face was serious, and his eyes conveyed a heartfelt warning to the bee. 'Safir,' he called calmly as the puerile was starting to hyperventilate, 'I need you to be silent, or the same thing will happen that killed your bee-friends.'
The cat raised an eyebrow (assuming it had eyebrows.)
Safir-Flavum sealed his lips instantly. He wasn't alarmed but rather annoyed. If not for her unpredictable killing-screams, he thought, I would have stung them both — yeah, that ought to teach them a lesson. Shame it'll kill me; it's not worth it.