---
The bunny girl's jaw clenched, Her voice barely escaped: "Savage clan…"
Kai's fingers brushed the haft of his spear. "We're not prey. Step aside."
The scarred doe only smiled wider, head tilting slightly as if savoring his confidence. She spoke in thick accent again.
"Where is the pool? We smell it on your breath. Tell me Now."
A flicker of heat snapped down Kai's spine. Before he could speak, the clouds above cracked, lightning split the sky, a single fork arcing from the spiral eye of the cyclone.
The blast hit a nearby stone ledge, illuminating everything in a blinding flash.
Savage Clan rabbits. Weapons drawn, lean muscles tense. Kai's team. Smaller. Focused. Ready. And the dried pool basin now just stone, gleamed like a mirror to another world.
Silence, save for the thunder's aftershock.
Then the scarred doe growled, licking her teeth. "Lie again… I will feed on your meat."
Kai stepped forward, spear-point glinting. "Try me."
