Uh oh. If the ‘intruder’ Raven is referring to is me – which I more than half-suspect it is – it’s not a good sign of how he’s feeling right now. I wrack my brains trying to work out what I’ve done, but nothing comes immediately to mind.

Trepidation sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I head back towards the entrance. Bastet starts towards me but I stop her with a look – if Raven is mad, which it sounds like he is, I don’t want to risk anyone else being exposed to his ire. I’m the most likely of my immediate group to survive long enough to get under cover and with Kalanthia inside the cavern, we might stand a better chance of ambushing him inside if necessary.

Kalanthia.

Actually, maybe I know why Raven sounds so livid. Bringing another Tier three into his area without warning him probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

“I’m here,” I say as calmly as I can when I’m out of the cavern. I start to climb the slope though I’m not able to see the alcaoris until I reach about halfway up. I’m tempted to send calmness down the link between us but I refrain – I suspect he would sense it and be even more angry at me trying to influence him.

How dare you bring another Enlightened Beast into my territory without my permission! Raven bellows at me, acidic mana already swirling threateningly around his head. His wings are mantled above his head, making him look more than twice as bulky as normal even as his tail lashes angrily behind him.

Unfortunately, I was right – I really should have predicted this. Especially since I had already considered how the alcaoris wouldn’t take Kalanthia coming into his territory well, and had originally planned to bring her down after the eggs had hatched. I can’t remember when exactly I forgot that. It just…slipped my mind, replaced by thoughts of Bastet and how I missed the rest of our pack, particularly the kiinas and the raptorcat cubs.

It’s a bit of an oversight, though, and one that I need to rectify now. If I can, that is.

Because the thing is that Raven isn’t guarding his side of the Bond well enough to keep all his emotions from me, and I can tell that at the base of his anger is something else: fear. Fear for his eggs, I suspect. No matter of talking will do anything if I can’t reassure him that his eggs are safe.

“Listen, Raven, I’m sorry,” I start in as conciliatory a way as possible. The fact is I recognise that, although I haven’t actually done anything against the alliance between us, so to speak, that’s only because we didn’t consider bringing in guests as part of our alliance negotiations. I should have at least notified him that I was bringing another Tier three into the same area, and I didn’t. “I promise that as far as I know, my guest has no intentions of damaging your eggs.”

As I say it, I’m suddenly hit by a wave of doubt myself. I haven’t actually checked with Kalanthia whether she would be interested in eating the eggs of an alcaoris – for all I know, that’s just the thing she needs to make more progress of her own to the next tier.

Perhaps he senses my doubt or he has enough of his own, but my words don’t seem to make much of a dent in his fury.

Useless words do not interest me! Your ‘guest’ must leave immediately or our alliance is through. I will kill any of you and yours who I see within fifty body lengths of my eggs – of either entrance to the tunnel, he threatens.

I think quickly. While I do feel a lot more confident at taking Raven on now that I’ve got more of his measure and more of my Bound with me, especially if Kalanthia aided me, I suspect that there would still be casualties. If there’s another half-way reasonable option, I’d rather take it.

“What if I could facilitate an alliance between you and my guest?” I suggest. “One where she promises not to harm your eggs? You would know if she tried to break it, that way.”

What good would a notification do if my eggs are already broken? The alcaoris scoffs, but I take it as a good sign that he’s even considering it.

“Then perhaps we could negotiate that she doesn’t go within a reasonable distance either magically or physically,” I suggest. “That way you would have some warning.”

Or she could leave my territory entirely, returned Raven, but he sounds like he’s calmed down a little. His body language seems to indicate that too. I take the signs as an invitation for further discussion.

“I’ll ask her to come up to talk with you,” I answer figuring that I can’t make any promises on Kalanthia’s behalf – and I doubt she’d appreciate me trying.

Kalanthia, can you come up here? I request, trying to direct my thoughts to her, hoping that she’ll be able to pick them up from this distance.

Is this the Beast of which you spoke? she asks. I hear her question but her mental words are slightly fainter than normal – like she’s talking from another room, but still ‘audible’. She sounds wary, understandably.

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Yes, it is. He’s a bit angry at the moment – I probably should have warned him that we were coming but…it slipped my mind. I sigh.

That would have been more diplomatic, she comments, of all things sounding slightly amused.

Yeah. He’s strong, but hopefully not an enemy, I tell her. As long as we can reassure him that you mean no harm to his eggs. You don’t, do you?

If she attacks me, I will not hold anything back, Raven warns, unaware of the conversation I’m having with the nunda at the same time.

No, Kalanthia answers my question to her with a mental voice that sounds clearer than before. A moment later, I see movement at the base of the tunnel. She emerges, her large paws easily covering the ground between the cavern and where I’m standing near the lip of the tunnel. I’ve intentionally not climbed out entirely so I could use the tunnel walls as slight shelter if Raven decides to attack. As it is, I’m still hoping that I will be able to negotiate a peaceful agreement between them.

Raven steps back warily and his wings mantle again as he spots the massive leopard. He looks to be only a few moments away from taking flight. I don’t blame him: he’s big, but Kalanthia is bigger. Down on the ground, he looks to be easy prey – a bird to Kalanthia’s cat. Kalanthia looks outwardly relaxed, but I know her well enough to see the caution in her body language, the very deliberate movements which belie her apparent relaxation.

Of course, I don’t know how well Kalanthia would deal with Raven’s acidic mana, which by this point is writhing around his head, practically hissing and spitting with defensiveness. Then again, I don’t know how well he’d deal with her ability to control the earth either. If she bound him down to the ground, she wouldn’t even need to get close to him to kill him.

But those sorts of thoughts are probably what are going through the two Tier three beasts’ minds as they size each other up – I need to focus on more peaceful possibilities. Focussing on trying to activate Alliance, I feel a sense of achievement as a connection forms between me and the two Tier threes. More importantly, I also sense the connection form between them. That’s a point in favour of the theory that Alliance doesn’t only need to be used for alliances involving me directly, though it appears that I have to be connected to them in some way.

Both beasts flinch a little in surprise as the connections form, though I sense that they have to agree to the connection happening at all. Kalanthia accepts with only a brief sense of hesitation; Raven takes a little longer, but accepts eventually.

“Right,” I say once they’ve both entered the ‘bubble’. “Kalanthia doesn’t want to harm your eggs in any way, Raven. She’s here to be with her cub and to benefit from the Pure Energy. That’s all.”

She is intruding on my territory, the alcaoris states imperiously. She owes me a gift before we even begin the discussion.

Directing my thoughts to Kalanthia only, I silently inquire as to the veracity of his words.

Beasts of our level do tend to present a gift to the local territory Guardian if we do not intend on conflict, she answers and I sense it is directed only to me. Then I sense her speaking more ‘widely’ to both of us. I did not sense any indications that this was your established territory.

I am here, I hear Raven answer, though I suspect that he’s not directing his words to me exactly – it appears that I am party to any conversation that goes through the Alliance connections, perhaps because I was the one to instigate it. That should be sufficient. You must have felt my presence.

I felt it, barely, Kalanthia allows, similarly speaking directly to Raven with me as a silent observer. But I saw no indications of your presence on the trees or rocks, I smelt no marking anywhere nearby, and your domain is muted as if you are in hiding. What among that demands that I announce my presence, let alone bring you a gift?

Raven hesitates for a moment before snapping back at the nunda, his body language shifting to become even more defensive.

You should have known because of the…our…the being who has brought us together, he answers, his strong start weakening as he seems to have difficulty mentally conceiving of exactly what role I fill.

He is not one of us, Kalanthia answers, her tone contemptuous enough that I might take offence if it wasn’t so obviously directed at the alcaoris. The dragon-like creature rears back, startled at her tone. Why assume that he would know anything of the proper etiquette?

OK, now I feel a little offended, though I remind myself that it is probably accurate – this whole conversation seems to be revealing a culture I didn’t even know existed. Frankly, although I’m wary that Kalanthia might offend Raven enough to have him trying to kill her, it’s probably better to let her manage it. I’ll have to trust that she realises that Lathani, as my Bound, will be caught in the crossfire if Raven declares war on us.

You have not announced your presence in any way that matters; you have not claimed this territory as yours, continues the nunda, speaking as deliberately as she moved earlier, every mental word practically slicing into my mind like shards of glass. Indeed, I am tempted to claim this area as my own territory, she suggests almost lightly.

The alcaoris rears back, clearly alarmed.

You wouldn’t! He answers, his tone half threat, half horrified realisation. Kalanthia yawns and flexes her paws. I feel her domain spread out beyond me, this time more of a watchful predator than one ready to pounce. It’s no less threatening for all its apparent relaxation: there’s no doubt that the predator could attack in the blink of an eye.

Could you stop me? Kalanthia challenges. Abruptly, I wonder how this got so far out of control – I wasn’t intending on this happening!