Vitmori POV

Well then, while Zasutir is off down the mountain. Gather around Oururu, Basti, and cubs. It's time to welcome a new member to our team!

I look upon the small bird with intrigue, taking the time to examine it. Zasutir called it a sparrow, and it does look remarkably like one… Convergent evolution, perhaps? Odd… Regardless, it's time to bring it back. I decided to ensure it was on par with the other animals on my team and committed the other ring of mana to him. 'Wake up, and serve me. I name you Jack, and you shall be my Scout, survey my territory and be my eyes.'

With that, chunks of mana begin to pour into the bird while I commit the rest of the dense ring to him. Jack's wounds heal, and his body grows and develops until he's about the size of a raven. His manaheart ignites before a single ring spirals and forms around the little thing. Suddenly he stirs, flapping his wings and flipping around onto his feet as he looks around curiously. One of his brown eyes becomes emerald green while a ring of the same color forms against his body under the left wing.

'Welcome back to the land of the living, Jack; as I've said you shall serve as my Scout for my territory, fly around and keep an eye on things. Get my attention for things you need me to see and do as you see fit for anything else. Oh, and do be mindful; there is a community of people here in my care. Observe and protect them while you're at it.'

Jack looks up at my core and flaps his wings once before saluting with the right wing. "Aye, aye." He says before fluttering away.

He… He just spoke, didn't he?

Cinco/Rabbitkin huntsman POV

The Elder has been up on that mountain for a long time; I hope things are alright. The brown and blacked-furred rabbitkin man considered internally, setting up snares and traps that were marked with scraps of blue cloth on sticks to prevent accidents. His gaze frequently turned towards the largest mountain in the range that borders the forest. He stands tall, dusting off his dirt-coated palms on his legs. With a stretch, his cotton ball tail flicks, and his fluffy rabbit ears wiggle a moment before he relaxes.

Taking a moment to collect his bow and quiver, he slung them securely onto his back and started heading for camp. However, he looked up once again and spotted movement, and flashed a bit of a smile. "Ah, the Elder must be on his way down…"

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Making his way over, his confusion begins to mount as he watches a copper-scaled lizardkin approach on their way down from the mountain. "W-wait a minute... Who... Who are you?" They looked familiar, but it couldn't possibly be him.

Zasutir grins, flashing a complete set of shiny white teeth. "Good afternoon Cinco! It's me, Zasutir! Surprised right? Vitmori has appointed me as one of his vassals, and I am now Shepherd Zasutir and all this…" He starts to say while gesturing at his well-developed body. "Is the work of Vitmori! I feel as good as I did in my 30s, and even then, I was never this well-built. I'm proud to say I probably have a long life ahead of me now." He enthused proudly, patting the confused rabbitkin's shoulder.

"Surprised is an understatement, Elder… I mean Shepherd." He corrected himself; if that was his new title and this was the result of being dubbed as such, he wasn't about to get it wrong.

Isaak POV/Human Teen/Guard Apprentice

Should I stay, or should I go... It's not like I can go back to the Theocracy, and the Empire is soo far away. Besides, it's not like I'm going to leave Miriam behind, and she doesn't seem to be thinking about leaving at all… I guess I'll make the best of things here for the time being. Isaak was deep in thought, honing the edge of his 'new' shortsword with a strip of leather after having sharpened it earlier. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize that lizardkin Elder had returned from visiting Vitmori, that dungeon core whose territory this happens to be.

It wasn't until he felt the ground shudder that he looked up, seeing a built and copper-scaled lizardkin in ill-fitting rags holding his hands out as trees vanished while forming a good-sized clearing.

He stood and made his way over curiously, sheathing his blade as he stood off to the side. Watching the forming crowd more than anything, he spots Virtisa the gray-scaled lizardkin herbalist with purple eyes, and Zanitul, the blue-scaled lizardkin guardswoman with yellow eyes watching the copper-scaled lizardkin man with some kind of intent.

More movement catches his attention as the ground seemingly levels out and flattens before them. The dirt and foliage almost melt away before the frame of a large, practically oval-shaped building is formed. The copper scale now looks tired as he flashes a big grin.

"This is the beginning of what Vitmori calls the longhouse. Over the next few days, he'll be building this for us, though things will go easier if we cut down more trees for him and bring them over here to the site. It'll be a Communal building for us to get out of the elements; from there, we can safely begin our work to build up the rest of this haven with assistance if we need it." The copper scale explained.

"Excuse me; I have a question, if you don't mind." Woody spoke up; a beaverkin man accompanied by his son, Twig, had raised his hand to get everyone’s attention. "Who are you?" He asked, addressing the copper scale, who only smiled.

Though, before he could speak up, Cinco spoke up to answer. "This is Elder Zasutir." He started to say, much to the surprise of the rest of the community, who murmured amongst each other when Cinco continued. "I watched him descend the mountain myself; without a doubt, this is Zasutir."

Zasutir grins as he looks over the group, his young eyes vibrant as his bronze and emerald gaze meets everyone else's, much to the excited but quiet murmurs between Zanitul and Virtisa. "Vitmori has selected me as his representative here and titled me a Shepherd. He hopes that together we can work to free others condemned to slavery as they pass through with future caravans. But to do that, we must first take care of ourselves, so let's get to work, people." Zasutir clapped his now powerful hands together, which gave off a strong sound. Suitably motivated, they break and go back to what they were doing.