Evening fell, painting the sky in hues of crimson and violet. The family arrived at the Thousand Nights Amusement Park, a sprawling wonderland of rides and games which was open only after the sun started fading.

Sienna was quick to roll her eyes. "Okay, what is with the thousand this or that?" She stopped everyone right at the private entrance reserved for VIP guests.

Before Timothy could explain, Eli beat him to it. "The first beast city was named The city of A thousand beasts. This was because it was the first city where beast men of all races lived together in harmony. The city perished in wars, but it is our history, the stepping stone on which all this was built.

This is why there are many places named Thousand this or that. There are approximately sixty nine schools and academies in this empire with the word thousand."

She nodded.

Ali took one step forward and stopped because her mother had another question.

"You call this kingdom and empire. Why?" Sienna looked down at her son.

Eli sighed, resigned. "Because scholars have never agreed on what to call it. Some say it is an empire because it is home to every beast man race in existence. By size and variety, it is an empire. But others say our leader is a king so it makes sense to call this the Beast kingdom."

Ali grabbed Sienna’s hand. "Mama please, no more boring Eli lessons. I want to ride the horses and spin the big wheel and slide down the giant slime slides to the pool." She dragged her mother, naming every game she had dreamed of playing if she ever visited the amusement park.

Eli followed them, vibrating with excitement. Like Ali, he had dreamed of coming here. But, his father had always been busy with tribe and business affairs. His grandmother wanted him and Ali to focus on lessons. And his mother....she didn’t care.

But things had changed.

The three left everyone in the wind, rushing towards the carousel, laughing with glee. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But that joy was short lived.

Just as they reached the VIP line, a shadow moved--swift, silent, predatory. An eagle beast woman with deep brown and gold eyes that gleamed with malice. Her clawed hand shot forward, aimed at Eli’s throat.

Sienna saw it. Time slowed. Her heart seized, then surged. Without thought, she lunged, shoving her son aside. The claws raked across her instead, tearing brutally into her shoulder and side. Sienna screamed, just before her breath was stolen. She staggered, blooming against her light yellow dress like a red flower.

The cubs screamed. Elias’s roar split the night, primal and furious, shaking the carousel. He leapt forward, aura blazing, but Sienna was already falling, her vision blurring.

He caught her just before she hit the ground. "Gael, Miro, grab the kids. The rest of you, kill that eagle." In a single leap, he carried Sienna away, racing like a horse on steroids, in a rush to find the nearest hospital. His brothers lifted the cubs, while Timothy started making calls.

They had been assured by the king that the last assassin had been found in the morning. So who was this one working for? It couldn’t be a coincidence that it was an eagle too!

Meanwhile, Liman had already lunged forward, her striped muscles rippled as she slammed into the eagle assassin before she could escape. It was easy to do because a fox guard had already shot her in the wing, making it hard for her to fly away easily.

Claws clashed against claws, sparks flying as their auras collided, the ground trembling beneath their fury.

The eagle assassin tried to fly away, but Linera dove from above, sings slicing through the night. The eagle twisted midair, trying to avoid the falcon while slashing the tiger beast woman at the same time.

Liman caught her wrist, snarling. "You came after the wrong family." She roared, driving a knee into the assassin’s chest.

At the same time, Linera’s talons raked across the eagle’s back, forcing the woman to stumble. "You dared to touch my niece. I will rip you apart," she thundered, her strikes sharp and relentless.

The fox guards surged in for their own chance, blades gleaming under the moon light. They encircled the eagle assassin, weaving in and out with deadly precision. One slashed a wing, ripping it in half while another pierced her thigh and a third drove her into Liman’s waiting claws.

The eagle assassin shrieked, aura flaring, feathers scattering in different directions.

The crowd screamed, mothers clutching children, the air thick with terror.

"Call the enforcers." Someone shouted.

"Stop, you are killing her." A guard that worked in the park screamed.

But the fox guards, Liman and Linera just kept going. Their strikes were fueled by rage. Liman clawed the woman’s face, leaving deep gouges. Linera’s claws went straight into the woman’s eyes, pulling out the eye balls. With one last move, Liman snapped the assassin’s neck.

The body fell to the ground, barely any feathers left. Blood flowed like a small stream. Silence fell, broken only by the sound of frightened sobs from cubs that were still stuck on the carousel. Their parents were breathless.

"Guard the body tightly." Liman ordered the fox guards. "The three of you should stay back and wait for the enforcers. An assassination attempt on the family of a beast lord is an immediate death sentence. This was a justified kill. Explain what happened to them. If they have any more questions, they can contact the fox lord directly. I am going to the hospital with Linera, find us there when you are finished."

"Yes ma’am." They responded strongly.

The two beast women took off immediately.

At the nearest hospital, Elias had already arrived. A team of the most qualified doctors had been arranged and Sienna had been pushed into the operation room. He was sitting outside, on the floor, in the hallway leading to the operation room.

In his arms were two trembling cubs, clinging to him with small hands, crying softly.