The cold wind breezed through Jenny’s face as she opened her eyes. She looked down, seeing white clouds passed beneath her, and the land with a mixture of green and blue colors. Between her legs was a saddle on a flying green pterodactyl-like creature with a long sharp beak, big as two cars.

“Are you well?” said Huntar’s voice asked.

Jenny sat up behind the lion man. “Huntar!”

“Hold on to me!”

Jenny nodded her head and placed her arms around his lower waist. Lending against his soft warm backstopped the cold from touching her. “How did you find me? Did you kill those lizards?”

“Aye! After we won, we noticed you were missing,” said Huntar. “

“After we searched, we found you lying near a lake outside a forest,” said Zena, sitting at the front of the creature. “A water monster almost dragged you into the water, but Torag crushed its head.”

“Torag!” Torag shouted behind Jenny.

Jenny stared at the creature. “What is this thing?”

“It is a Preyer,” said Zena. “We tamed it so we can find you better.”

“Where are we going now?”

“Straight home,” said Huntar. “Do not let go.”

Jenny kept her arms around Huntar. It was good to be back with her new friends, but she wondered why Horde left her alive near the lake so her friends could find her.

Something wasn’t right.

“Where have you been?” Huntar asked. “And why are you wearing those clothes?”

“I was captured by ape-men,” Jenny answered. “They took me to their city and placed me in their arena. They have a chief named Horde who tried to kill me in the arena. But he spared my life after he sniffed my hair.”

"Chief Horde?" Zena's voice sounded shocked. "That monster?"

"You know him?"

"He is the enemy of our clan," Huntar explained. "We fought him for years while hiding from him. A horrific conqueror he is."

"And he spared you after he sniffed your hair?' Zena asked.

Jenny nodded. "Um-hum. He said he recognized my smell from my father. Then he interrogated, asking where I came from and where my father was."

"Did you answer him?" Huntar asked.

“I only told him what I know. He doesn’t know where my father is. After that, I drank wine and blacked out. That is all I remembered."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You should tell your father what happened,” Zena suggested. “We are almost there.”

The Preyer flew straight down through the clouds, reaching a beach below coastal cliffs. A large ancient aircraft carrier was leaning against a giant rock on the shore there. Rusty like a rusted bucket in gray and red metal with cracks and bumps. The ship must have laid there for ages while the sand and water worn the vessel.

After the creature landed on the deck, Jenny and her friends dismounted. The creature flapped its wings and took off into the sky.

“Why did you let it go?” Jenny asked.

“So it can be free in the wild,” said Zena.

“But what if you need to ride it again?”

“We can always find another creature to tame. It isn’t our way to keep the creatures locked up in cramped spaces.”

“We have no stable to keep the mounts in any way," said Huntar. "This way."

Jenny followed the Beastmen to the doorway beneath the tower. Torag pulled it open for Zena to step through. Inside, Huntar closed the door behind Jenny. All of them walked up a metal stairway, covered in corals.

“So the tribe lives here?” Jenny asked.

“It is the safest shelter we could find,” said Huntar. “None of our enemies know its whereabouts."

“We lost many numbers during the war against the Cocidius Clan,” said Zena. “That is why we have chosen this ancient ruin as our sanctum.”

"Is that what the ape-men called themselves?" Jenny asked.

Zena answered with a slight nod

“Until we grow more numbers, we can strike back," said Huntar. "For our fallen families and friends."

"Torag!" The rhino included.

At the top of the stairs, they reached a rusted door. Two tall lynx cat men stood guard on both sides, holding long spears. They looked naked because their short loincloths blended in with their goldish fur.

"We are here to see the chief," Zena explained.

The guards nodded and stepped aside from the door.

Zena approached the door and knocked on it.

“Who is it?” said a deep-toned voice from behind the door.

“It is us!” Huntar answered. “We returned from our quest!"

“Was your mission successful?”

“I am afraid the Black Rock Clan will not support us,” said Zena. “They will not risk their own tribe for our war.”

The man sighed behind the door. “What a pity.”

“But we brought a surprise for you,” said Huntar.

“A surprise?”

“Why don’t you come out and see,” said Zena.

The door clicked and slowly opened. A tall, muscular man stepped out while holding the door open. He was very tall with a long white beard, covering his board chest. His skin somehow tanned, although his chamber shielded him from the sunlight. He looked fit in his old age, wearing a loincloth beneath his six-pack abs.

He gazed at Jenny as his eyes turned wide. “Jenny?”

Jenny curled her lips up into a big smile, showing her teeth as tears dripped down her cheeks. “Yes, dad! It is me!”

Barry pushed the door open and held out his arms while tears dripped down his face too. Jenny rushed up to him and gave him a big hug.

“How?” Barry asked with paltry words.

“It is a long story.” Jenny padded her father’s back.

Barry stepped back and rubbed Jenny’s shoulders. “Why don’t you come inside and tell me.”

Jenny wiped her tears and nodded.

“Please give us a moment,” said Barry to Huntar.

Huntar and the others bowed their heads and walked down the stairway. The guards remained at their assigned spots.

Jenny followed her father into his quarters before he closed the door.