Rhea gasped, jolting awake in her bed. Her heart raced as she scanned the room, searching for Harvey, but found only an empty space beside her. Panic gripped her as she called out his name, scrambling out of bed and almost tripping over her own feet in her haste.

"Harvey!"

A soft chuckle sounded from behind her, and she froze, slowly turning to see Curtis lounging on a pile of cushions in the corner of the room, his tail lazily curled around him.

"You're so loud," Curtis teased, amusement dancing in his eyes as he regarded Rhea.

Relief washed over her, and Rhea's face lit up with a smile. "Curtis! When did you get back?"

"Last night," Curtis replied, his tail snaking around her waist and pulling her gently into his arms. "It's too early to be awake. Come sleep with me."

Rhea hesitated, her mind still racing with the remnants of her nightmare. "Wait, Curtis, where's Harvey?"

"He's gone to study at the Healer's Guild," Curtis answered casually.

"What about the scorpions?" Rhea pressed, her worry for Harvey still lingering.

"They'll wake up soon," Curtis assured her.

The tension eased from Rhea's shoulders as she sank back onto the bed, relieved that Harvey was safe. She allowed herself to nestle against Curtis, finding comfort in his presence, and soon drifted back to sleep.

Hours later, Rhea was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on her door. She rubbed her eyes groggily, sitting up as she heard Bai Qingqing's voice calling from outside.

"Sorry to bother you, Rhea," Bai Qingqing said through the door. "I heard they're distributing seeds. You should come and get some."

Rhea perked up immediately, excitement replacing her drowsiness. "Oh! I'll get ready and be right over!"

Bai Qingqing nodded and headed off, leaving Rhea to coax Curtis out of bed.

"Curtis, get up! We need to go and get seeds!" Rhea exclaimed, a playful tone in her voice.

Curtis groaned theatrically, reluctantly pulling his upper body up from the soft bedding. "Alright, alright," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Let's go."

Together, they followed the group of people making their way towards the Ape King's castle.

"Shuu!" Rhea spotted him from afar, her keen eyesight picking him out among the crowd. "Are you working?" She called out as she and Curtis approached.

"Morning, Rhea," Shuu greeted nervously, glancing at Curtis. "Curtis is awake, that's good. Um, have you seen Qingqing anywhere?"

"I saw her this morning, but I don't know where she is now. Wait, are you finally going to do it?" Rhea's eyes sparkled with excitement as she realised Shuu might be about to confess his feelings to Bai Qingqing.

Shuu nodded shyly, a mix of nervousness and determination on his face. Rhea couldn't contain her delight. "That's great, Shuu! I'll help you look for her. Let's go!"

"But I thought you wanted seeds?" Curtis interjected, amused by the sudden change of plans.

"We can get seeds from the Black Wind Tribe anytime. This is much more interesting!" Rhea replied with a grin, and Shuu followed along as they navigated through the bustling castle grounds.

"I hope you have some flowers for her. Give them to her when you confess," Rhea recommended, her enthusiasm for romance bubbling over.

Shuu chuckled nervously. "Haha, I didn't think of that. You have the best ideas. I should have come to you for advice."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of commotion nearby.

"What's going on?" Rhea asked, her curiosity piqued as she turned to see a crowd gathered ahead.

"Holy shit! Someone jumped off the building! Wait... is that Qingqing?" Shuu exclaimed in alarm, spotting Bai Qingqing being pursued by a group of men. He didn't waste anytime, he transformed and jumped down to pick her up.

Rhea's eyes widened as she watched in shock. "How did coming to get seeds turn into an assassination attempt? Am I the main character of a novel or something?"

She glanced up at Curtis, excitement flashing in her eyes. "I want to go and help."

Curtis placed a hand gently on her head, his expression serious yet gentle. "Be good. Let Shuu be the hero. The girl will appreciate it."

"Okay," Rhea nodded reluctantly. "But we should keep an eye, just in case."

"Alright," Curtis agreed, his tone softening. "My wife is right."

He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it tenderly, a gesture that made Rhea's heart flutter.

'So the seduction bootcamp wasn't for nothing.'

Together, they watched the chase unfold, staying close but out of the immediate fray. Muir swooped in with swift grace to assist Shuu and Bai Qingqing, carrying them away from danger.

"I can't fly. We'll lose them!" Rhea called out urgently.

"Hold on tight!" Curtis said decisively, his form shifting as he prepared to move swiftly to follow Muir.

Muir delivered Shuu and Bai Qingqing safely into Parker's protective arms. However, there were still numerous adversaries surrounding them.

"We have no choice but to fight them off," Shuu declared, his wolf form exuding a fierce determination.

Parker positioned himself protectively in front of Bai Qingqing, ready to defend her with his life if necessary.

"Ten to four isn't fair. I'm going to help," Rhea announced resolutely, stepping forward with determination.

"No, let me take care of it," Cirtus interjected firmly. He didn't particularly care for the female everyone was protecting, but he didn't want Rhea to be endangered while he was around.

"Rhea! You should leave!" Shuu called out, noticing her intent before anyone else.

Seeing Rhea, Muir relaxed slightly. The beasts turned to face the unexpected intruder, Curtis's aura radiating intense power as he silenced them with a glance.

"Go, Curtis!" Rhea cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines, her voice full of support and pride.

"My wife is cheering me on, so I should finish this off quickly," Curtis replied with a smirk, his tail becoming a lethal weapon as he launched into battle.

The beastmen snarled and growled, their eyes fixed on Curtis. Without hesitation, the largest tiger leaped at Curtis with claws extended. He moved with incredible speed, evading the attack with a quick sidestep. His tail lashed out like a whip, striking the tiger across the flank and sending it tumbling to the ground with a roar of pain.

Two wolves charged next, jaws snapping hungrily. Curtis danced between them, his movements fluid and precise. He used his tail to deflect their bites, then countered with lightning-fast strikes of his own. One wolf yelped as Curtis's tail struck its side, knocking it into its companion.

Meanwhile, the remaining beasts circled cautiously, their gazes wary but determined. Curtis maintained his focus, and killed them without breaking a swear.

As Rhea watched enthusiastically, one of the previously beaten beasts moved, grabbing a spear, his actions were too fast for her to react to. The spear was thrown straight at Qingqing, but of course Shuu shielded her.

Rhea's eyes widened, her ears filtering out the panicked shouts, she ran to Shuu.

He had removed the arrow and he was on his knees on the floor.

The arrow was poisoned.

Rhea looked at the boy, who had fear in his eyes; he felt death incoming.

Rhea's hands shook as she grabbed his hands. "Shuu, are you ok?" She asked a useless question, she didn't know what to ask.

"It's poisoned." He said weakly. "There is no antidote."

Rhea was quiet for a second.

"How long can we keep him alive?" She asked Muir.

"20 minutes if he doesn't move, but there's no antidote, I don't know -"

"Qingqing, who is trying to kill you?"

Bai Qingqing shrank back at the bloodlust coming from Rhea.

"Speak!" Rhea barked, Parker stood protectively in front of her as if Rhea were a threat.

"It's Rosa." Qingqing finally managed to squeak out.

Rosa? That arrogant woman? Who gave her the poison? The tiger King? The Ape king? The wolf king? They were all on he hit list now.

Rhea stood up and turned to Curtis who was done killing the beastmen who had attacked Bai Qingqing.

"We have 20 minutes, Curtis."

"What would you like, my Queen?"

"The kings of this goddamn city will need to provide an antidote for Shuu in 20 minutes, or they will all die."

Curtis nodded and he took a deep breath before letting out a raw that ripped through the entire city, sending everything into chaos.

It takes 20 minutes to devastate a city.

.

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