"Mother, why is there a road?" Giel asked her as she looked out the window. Sol smiled softly, and gazed at the road ahead.

"Two thousand years ago, Master came and rescued me. At that time, the cities were sending pioneer teams across the mountain. They made a road to travel." She said, while Giel pulled open her robe.

"But that was so long ago. How is it still here?" She opened her mouth, and slowly sank her fangs into Sol's skin. Sol groaned a bit, and held her to her breast.

"Master made sure it would stay. She might have used beasts, or turned it into a hunting trail. We have the dead soldiers, so we are safe, baby." Giel grinned around her mouthful, and sucked greedily upon Sol's death elemental essence.

Giel's gaze moved sideways, and she quietly observed the woman across from her, sitting fearfully on the other bench.

"Patience. We can't resupply until we get to the other side." Sol said, and ran her fingers through Giel's hair. "I do not know why you're always hungry, baby. You've even bitten your sisters and their partners."

She looked up at the ceiling of the carriage, and sighed a bit.

"Maybe Master will be able to help you restrain yourself." Giel pouted a bit. She opened her mouth, moved her lips and sucked Sol's nipple into her mouth. Her long fangs pierced her flesh, and entered in under her nipple.

"Do you like eating, or is it the bite itself, baby?" She asked quietly. Giel shrugged. She was still considered young by Sol's standard, even if she was over a hundred years old.

Sol had never been able to figure out why Giel needed to eat like she did, as once her daughters underwent the transformation, they didn't need to eat. They only did it to sate their remaining human appetite, which was a habit of a living body.

Their bodies transformed the flesh they ate into death elements, so Giel didn't really need to eat like she did. However, she was still as ravenous as she was when she was alive, if not more so.

'Sol.' A soft voice spoke within her ears. Sol perked up.

"MASTER!" She called out, which startled Giel, and the woman on the other bench.

'I slumber. The trip to get Symi taxed my strength. My wives need your strength to protect them while they grow stronger.' Sol bit her bottom lip.

"Your wives, Master?" She asked, and heard a soft chuckle. A soft breath at her ear sent shivers down her spine.

'I am immune to the death element, Sol. Haven't I already claimed you so very long ago?'

* * *

"What do I do about Giel, Master?" She asked, and held the girl to her chest.

'She doesn't need to eat like she does for much longer.' Aila said. Sol was a bit surprised.

"She still needs to eat like this?" She asked, as she was surprised by this knowledge. Her other two young daughters didn't need to eat like Giel does, although they were transformed at nearly the same age.

'Her body is maturing, which death does, just at a much slower speed. She will go from a child to a girl in a short year. She'll need to feed for the next year until she makes that transformation.' Aila explained. 'Do not worry. There are criminals for her to eat, and others who irritate me.' She heard a soft growl through their connection.

"Who makes you angry, Master?" She asked solemnly. Giel shrunk back in fear as a presence filled the carriage, and a pair of fiery eyes appeared. The presence of her Master was so overwhelming, the dead soldiers all came to a stop, and knelt down on one knee.

Sol was the Queen of Death. Aila was much more than that. Sol felt her Master's anger, the heat of her flame elements, and the pure death element that rebuilt her into the being she became. It was so strong, even Sol lowered herself to her knees of the carriage, gently cradling Giel in her arms, to protect her as much as she could.

"The Inaris clan." Her words sounded like they spoken with not only disdain, but absolute hatred.

In her eyes, the Inaris clan did not deserve life any longer.

* * *

"Come. Sit with me and my consort while your masters go on a hunt." Kana said softly, and pulled her along. "Thay, Laria is worried about Giel again." Thay smiled a bit.

"I don't blame her, love. Giel almost took a chunk out of me that time, even though you made her promise." Thay sighed a bit. "If not for her condition, you and her might have bitten me a lot that night." Kana grinned, while Laria was surprised.

"That happens?" She asked. Thay smirked.

"Salia spends some time with us once a week or so. She hasn't found her consort yet, and stays close to the Queen." Thay said, and shivered. "Her teeth are so sharp, I can feel them enter my skin, and slide so deep as though she's just pushing them into an apple." Laria blushed brightly.

"I didn't know our partners could share us and not have problems with the transformation later." Laria said, and watched as Thay lifted her shirt and showed off her belly. It had ripples from all the black webs beneath the surface, and the egg pods attached to them.

"We are made for our mate's eggs. She continues to lay the webs, and the pods." She grinned, and shivered. "However, Salia helps her along. Soon, she'll lay her eggs. Mm, I can't wait!"

Nara sat up abruptly, and looked out the window. She looked at her partner, Thay, and looked worried.

"My sisters are in trouble! Stay here, and do not leave this carriage!" Nara said firmly, which drew Thay's attention. Nara left quickly, faster than she's moved in a long time, and rushed into the forest.

Soon, Laria began to shiver, while Thay clutched her arm. She felt Thay tremble.

"A really powerful beast is out there, and its stronger than they are."

* * *

The ground lizard stopped its chase of the pale females that radiated death elements. Its normal behavior was to remove any and all threats to its hunting ground, but there was a rumble in the sky above the mountain, and a flare of elemental essence that made the beast pause in its tracks.

It grumbled as it watched the girls leave quickly, and when it thought about resuming the pursuit, another flare of elemental essence flashed from the other side of the mountain, and began to approach.

It looked to the sky as a flash of lightning dropped nearby, followed by a scorching hot beam of flame elements. Every element soon followed, and made it back up cautiously.

Soon, a fiery pair of eyes appeared in front of the beast.

'If you attack my people, I will come for you, and your hide.' The eyes disappeared, and a final rumble of thunder sounded before the surroundings became quiet once again.

The beast looked at the ground, and the sky once again. It turned and retreated from the immediate area, but did not leave its own hunting grounds.

The ground lizard was a massive monster that few living people had ever seen before they died, but it was a reasoning beast that could plan, and make decisions that weren't influenced by its instincts.

However, this time it obeyed its instincts, and did not pursue.

It was a beast, but not a stupid beast.