"Master, we've gathered as much firewood as we can store." Nuri said. Aila closed her eyes.

"Yes, there is a fair amount. The snow will be deep this year, and the beasts will hibernate a bit longer then normal. Is there enough salted meat on hand?" Aila asked.

"Yes, Master." Kaala said. "We have several salted boars, a large number of cheese wheels, piles of root crops, and pickled vegetables. In truth, we've never seen so much food before. Even in the clan, when they ran low, they would buy from the market."

"I know, but things will be different this year. The civil war will start any time, and that means either no crops next year, or the fights over those crops will be brutal." Aila said, and watched as a light dawned in their eyes.

"Now I understand why you decided to do it this way. And the seeds, Master?" Kaala asked.

"There will be fields around our home in the Spring. We will begin to grow our own food. It may not be enough to feed us at first, but it will be ours." Aila smiled a bit. "Collect as much as you can. The grain can be stored easily, and as long as it's dry, it won't go moldy. Get more root crops, potatoes, turnips, and a lot more seeds."

"Master." Kaala bowed, and rolled her eyes as Aila turned towards her.

'Still unused to my ways, Kaala? My poor Kaala.' Aila sighed and ran her fingers through Kaala's mind. 'I really should erase that clan. The memories they left behind make me a bit angry.' She ran her fingers through Kaala's mind again, sifted through several memories, and stopped on one that made her frown.

'Why didn't I notice this before? They really hurt my girls, didn't they?' A flood of warmth entered Kaala's void space, both cooling on her senses, and warm at the same time, which expressed her affection.

"Little Bear. Gather a few of your friends. Go destroy their clan gate and ravage any guards that act against you." Aila's eyes turned into molten metal. "Time they were punished for what they did to my girls."

* * *

"Report!" The Magistrate said, his hand trembled after the four presences left the town. One was a peak Core realm being, while the others were stone bears, and no guard wanted to tangle with them.

"A servant of the master in the forest. She came with three stone bears, and destroyed the gate to the Inaris clan. They walked in through the gate, and didn't touch anything until they got to the gate of the Inaris. The bears stood guard and killed any guards who wanted to stop her. Only three deaths as the rest learned their lesson quickly." The steward said.

"That's all they did?" He frowned a bit.

"That's all they were after." He placed a letter in front of the Magistrate. "Apparently, the master is irritated at them, and has been for a while. This is to work off her frustration, and not cause too much trouble." The Magistrate calmed down.

"So she wasn't declaring war. Just punishing the ones who hurt her servants." The Magistrate thought for a moment. "Understandable, and exuseable." He thought for a moment, and made a decision that saved himself a fair amount of pain.

"If our people see any large movements from the clan, other then repairs to their gate, send word to the master in the forest. I would prefer she keep her anger focused on them, instead of us."

"Agreed, sir."

* * *

Aila continued to alter the manor, and put what appeared to be a catacombs beneath the manor, while she used the stone from the bedrock the manor sat on to make the outer walls.

"It's so different." Elena said softly, and felt a brush through her mind.

'Little bear, go down into the basement, and check to see if I made it correctly. Check for weaknesses in the structure. Also, check your cave for comfort.' The soft voice inside her mind made her tremble a bit. Her Master had grown stronger again, and her mental voice sounded a bit more hollow, as waves of energy buffeted her awareness from that voice.

'Cave? Oh! You made me a den? Wow, Master! I'll go right now!' Elena dashed from her place, while Ellie swam in the pool and watched her lope by on all fours.

'Master, Elena just left in a hurry. Is she alright?' She felt her Master's intrusion, and murmured softly as Aila's awareness lightly caressed her's.

'She's just checking out her new den. I made an underground pool for you and little snake, Ellie. I don't want any funny business going on, so make sure you reprimand him when he tries to mate.' Ellie blushed a bit and lightly butted her head against Little Snake's head. She murmured as his coils wrapped around her hips, and up between her thighs.

'ELLIE!' Ellie's eyes rolled, while Little Snake was thrown from the pool, his coils unwrapped and were forcefully thrown out. He remained intact, but he could hear his Master's displeasure. Ellie floated above the pool, held aloft with only a ball of elemental essence nestled against her belly. It was so pure that the light appeared to shimmer like moonlight, yet radiate such strength, it frightened all the wild spirit beasts in the forest. It also frightened Ellie.

'Master, I'm sorry!' She said in a sad voice. 'He's just so affectionate that I don't want to hurt his feelings!' Ellie said, and felt her Master's anger ease.

'He can easily impregnate you, Ellie.' The whisper was stronger this time. 'With as much as you are around Nuri, and have excess energy to dissipate until you can reinforce your entire body, Little Snake can make you pregnant.' Ellie grew a little excited, but felt the importance of her Master's warning not long after.

'But your offspring would suffer. The mix wouldn't be strong enough, and they would have defects, if they lived long enough to be born.' Aila reduced her volume. 'Don't ever believe that I would prevent something good, my little water baby.'

'Then what do I do, Master? I feel I'm on the cusp of it already.' She felt a small smile radiate towards her.

'Go to Ava. Are you not both of the water element? She's still weak, and you need to to reinforce your body before you can become pregnant, Ellie. Mingle, and teach her the way.' Aila said softly inside the girl's mind.

She didn't want to tell her about the ancient records written in the fabric of time that she could now only begin to read. The horrible starts for the Cananes, and the Balask, the only two demi human tribes to exist, was laid out for her to read.

Death, intense pain and suffering, and a multitude of sacrifices, but of men and women, as well as spirit beasts. It was a time of great horror for the world of man and beast.

She would never let that occur again.

* * *

"Nadya, Master said I should teach Ava about absorbing water elemental essence. Can you bring her to the pool?" Nadya pursed her lips.

"She doesn't like little snake wrapping around her. Something about a few things they did to her while she grew up. She won't tell me what, but it felt really cruel." Nadya said and hugged Ava to her chest. Ava sighed happily as Nadya held her protectively.

"I'll make sure the sneak doesn't wrap her like he does me." She said with a grin. "Master said if we get stronger, one of us may get pregnant, Ava!" Ellie said eagerly, but her face fell a bit. "I had hoped little snake could do it, but Master is really against it." Ava tilted her head.

"You're thinking about demi babies, Ellie?" She nodded. Ava sighed. "Don't think about it, sister. Even when the Balask or the Cananes have children, there is only a forty percent chance of babies being born healthy." Ellie's mouth fell open.

"Forty? So low?"

"They are demis, Ellie." Nuri said as she held Alara in her arms, while also snuggling with Ivadra so she wouldn't feel left out.

"What does that have to do with it?" Ellie asked.

"Master didn't tell you, but I felt the reason why. The mix is unstable. I saw things about their history. Death. Despair. Horror, and relentless terror as the ancients pursued the mix to get strong soldiers." Nuri shivered. "What you seek could bring misery to the baby you want. Pain and agony as they grow human and snake traits. Do you really want to give birth and watch them suffer?" Nuri asked quietly. "If you do, I will make sure you can never have children." Ellie's mouth fell open in shock.

"Don't give me that look!" Nuri said angrily. "If you would willingly put a baby through such torment for your own selfishness, you are not worthy of being a parent." Ellie was really shocked with what she was hearing. Ava frowned slightly, and tapped Ellie on the nose.

"Ellie? Did you get dropped on your head?"

"Huh?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Why are you upset that they would prevent you from being cruel?" Ava asked, and closed her eyes.

'Master, something isn't right. Is her core affecting her?' Ava asked. There was a brief silence while Aila considered the possibility.

'That may be it, little Ava. It's time Ellie had an upgrade.'