Sovanna looked around for something to stick him with and maybe try to fight him with a weapon to bide time, but he came at her in a leap. She tore up the tree and he hit his head, just missing her.

"You're cheating!" he shouted up at her.

"There's no rules in fight," she grumbled.

The branches tipped and swayed under her weight. A high-pitched primate chatter erupted nearby and three thorntails with their long bulbus noses and spikey tails swung from the tree to the next one over. She clung to her tree as it dipped under their weight and popped back up.

Dip-trees, all around, she realized and an idea clicked. She could swing them around and fling herself from tree to tree, getting there faster and Rokki wouldn't get to her.

Sovanna rocked her hips back and forth, making the tree sway. Below, Rokki was climbing up after her, clinging hard as the entire tree began to move.

"Get down and let's fight," he said, swiping a paw up at her, but she tucked up her tail, wrapping it around her arm. The tree swung and dipped all the way forward at last and then all the way back. Sovanna leaned all her weight as close to the ground as she could. When it sprung forward at full force, instead of holding on the whole as she would usually do, Sovanna leapt from the branch, flying through the air. The wind whipped in her face and she saw the hint of dawn on the horizon already.

She yowled as she landed on the next tree, crashing through the branches. Claws unsheathed, she grabbed whatever she could and her claw grazed the bark and slid down few branches, snapping them off.

Screaming, she slid down the bark, unable to stop herself. Sovanna dug hard into the bark with her feet and tried to strain against the pull to the ground. Her claws felt like they were being ripped out of her paws, and her face stung from the branches hitting her and her wounds. 

A sound thundered above her and the tree swayed and tipped forward, backwards, swinging her around and around. She clung hard as she still slid. The fur on her stomach scrapped off and she cried out when a branch stabbed her in the side.

Zipping through the dip-tree, she gritted her teeth, squinted her eyes, and clung on until at last she landed heavy on the bottom. The air knocked out of her and she fell over on her back. But when she looked up, Rokki was sliding down after her.

"That sav—" She rolled out of the way but didn't look where she was going. Her body tipped and she began to roll down a steep hill. Stones flung into her face, dirt stung her eyes, twigs and leaves lashed relentlessly in her face. She tried to grab something, anything but her paws only met with a rock or branch that hit her as she passed. Sovanna's body flung down the hill until she flew up into the air, arms flailing, legs kicking, and landed with a giant splash into water.

Sovanna couldn't swim.

"Help!" she called, hoping that maybe she was close enough to Rukkatukin and someone might sense her distress. It was a risk with the enemy close by. But water made her weak and she could already feel her muscles relaxing as the magick in her body went numb. The longer she stayed, the heavier she was with the water seeping into her fur. 

Kaunlutha fur was not like the fur of a thorntail or a mussa that could withstand water. Kaunlutha spent all their time indoors during the monsoon season unlike other creatures that went out regardless.

It had been that way for centuries. This made them vulnerable to floods if they were to ever happen. Sometimes, it rained so much that the ground would pool in places where the land dipped or hollowed out.

Sovanna paddled as best she could trying to keep her head above water. She did know how to survive in the water if she did fall in, but that was all she could do. Sovanna didn't know how to move in the water to get back to shore. 

With the water sloshing around her, she couldn't even see where the shore was and how far into the water she was. She knew there were two great lakes in the enclosure and one of them she had been to with her father. It was small and she could easily see the other side if she stood on the shore. But the other one was a giant body of water. Humans likened it to a small "ocean expanse" like those they had on their home planet Earth.

If I'm there, I'm dead.

Fear struck her, but she wasn't going to panic. Her father taught her panicking when in a tough situation was the worse thing she could do.

Sunlight shimmered across the lake surface indicating that morning had arrived. "Papa!" she cried out imagining him drinking his glass of water in his bed, never suspecting the assassination attempt from Rathana. And it would be a slow, painful death. For all the ways he suggested iceblood could be cured, what will he do when he got it and everyone realized the lies he'd been spewing? Sovanna knew they were lies. Ogalutha told her himself.

"Either that or panic blooms in us. Which better?" he had said.

"No panic," Sovanna echoed her past self, "but how long?"

A quiet lapping of water. She twitched her ears. Heavy breathing coming close. Sovanna didn't know how to turn around, so all she could do was wait for the thing to come to her. Nerves made her breath come faster and she let out a whimper. She didn't want to die like this.

I still haven't become queen yet. What will the ancestors say? What will Mama say? She see me come to her too early? Sovanna splashed her arms around, kicked her legs, and tried to move away, but all she did was sink.

Panic set in. Now it was time to panic.

"Hagaugoolp," she gurgled, trying to call for help again. She gulped in water. Her chest compressed, trying to find air that wasn't there. Water came into her ears and dulled the sounds around her. Unable to hear or see in the murky waters, she was at a loss of senses. The only sense she had was that some Kaunlutha was paddling toward her with magick coming off of in waves. She could tell it was a male and worried that Rokki had come to finish her off.

Already drowning. What more you want? she thought as water filled her lungs and she choked up air bubbles.

A paw grabbed her mane. Unsheathed claws pricked her scalp. Sovanna gasped for air as she was dragged out of the water and onto a wooden raft. Her chest rattled as she coughed up water and flopped down on her side.

Her head reeled and her vision was blurry. She was exhausted. Her body felt like big rocks were pressed on top of her. She choked and coughed up more water, heaving over the side of the raft. Trembling, she hugged her knees and wrapped her soggy tail around her body. A blanket fell next to her.

The one who threw it to her was the winged Human, pulling the rope on the raft. She gaped at him and then turned around to find Rokki sitting cross-legged with his arms over his chest, snarling. His tail was frozen and stuck to the raft.

"I didn't do to save you."

"I thought you might need help," the creature said.

Sovanna blinked at both of them. In such a short time, how did the creature get to where she was when he couldn't fly?

And was too tired to move.

She spotted her bag with the clothes, blankets, and map. As she was about to inspect if they took anything of hers, there was a chorus of roars on the shore they came from. Kaunlutha with torches as if they had been searching the night, had gathered on the shore in a line. In the front was Fira, eyes ablaze orange while sparkles of orange light flickered around her body. At her side, Tomiki held the crown and emerald.

"You lose, Sovanna," she called out, "Let us welcome our new queen."

"He's not dead!" Sovanna shouted back.

"He caught the poison," Rokki said with a grunt, "and so Rathana challenged him instead."

Rathana would, her own father? Sovanna's blood ran cold. A fight for the title of the leader was a traditional fight to the death. As much as it would pain him, Ogalutha would have to kill his daughter. He was physically strong, and his magick was unmatched, able to burn an entire jungle in a single sweep if he wished.

From the far end of the line, Rathana came walking, dragging some large black and brown rock behind her. The Kaunlutha raised their torches to the sky and cheered. Sunlight fell onto their bodies turning them gold. Sovanna squinted her eyes to see what it was she was looking at. Rathana roughly flung the object on the ground. When she turned it around, Sovanna leapt to her feet and a paw grabbed her wrist.

"Admit defeat, Praenglutha. You against all them?" Rokki gave a dry laugh. "In your dreams."

"It's fake. It has to be. He would never lose," she said and made fists, "Rathana!" she called, "Rathana, you cheat. What you do to him?"

Rathana brandished the iron shield ornamented with a lion's head and the symbol of the sun. Ogalutha wore it to declare leadership among Kaunlutha. It held the magick of all their ancestors. Each and every leader Lutha's magick would seep into the shield after his or her death. But it was said her mother Kiyamanuva didn't receive the same honor because iceblood tainted the magick.

Now, Rathana roared and the shield glowed at her command. A Kaunlutha turned her back and was about to escape when Rathana turned toward her and the female went up in flames. Her screams of agony could be heard all the way to the lake.

She's horrible, Sovanna thought, growling deep in her throat. It hurt her chest she couldn't do anything or to avenge her father's death.

"From today on, I am Rosmathana and any who do not follow will burn." Rathana shot another flame at another brown body that tried to escape. The Kaunlutha fell back. The line broke up. An elder, waving her walking stick, came up to Rathana.

Sovanna recognized Trita, shouting with her mouth twisted in a snarl.

"Rathana, you have no right to the power," she was saying, "It will destroy and us. Must let it go."

But Rathana only had to look at her and loyal followers grabbed Trita, holding her arms behind her back. Rathana then shot a streak of fire up into the sky.

"Guardians, heed the warning, Kaunlutha are coming to take what you took from Sechalutha," she roared. Sovanna stared at her sister in shock that she knew about the Guardians and what they did to Sechalutha.

Saw the memory? But how's possible? Only can see it once!

A tint of doubt poked at what she thought was true. That maybe memories could be seen more than once. That maybe someone was lying. But she shoved those thoughts away because she trusted Ogalutha and Trita to not lie about those things to her.

Clouds began to gather, dark and foreboding. Thunder rumbled in the distance as if signaling an early monsoon. The flames set up twisted among the clouds, braiding in with them. Orange on black gave the sky an ominous feel. Tension hung in the air as red lightning zipped across the sky. 

Sovanna widened her eyes. She had never seen such power before and such power that followed. Then light glinted off of something green hanging on the shield—the emerald that once belonged to Sechalutha.

"We will rise against those put us here. We take back what rightfully is ours." Rathana dropped the shield as she transformed into a massive lion as tall as the trees. When she roared, the water rippled on the lake the raft was pushed away on the waves.

"And we will not stop until Ater is ours. We declare war!"

The orange sky darkened to a deep red. A howling sound filled the air. Sovanna's fur stood on end as magick zinged around her. She shivered under the immense power and her instincts told her flight instead of fight was the better option.

We can't do this. We shouldn't. Not against the Guardians.

Sovanna didn't really believe in such a higher power until now. It was not a pretend story, but a true story. She unclenched her jaw and was about to scream to her sister stop all this and that she was making a mistake, when a red lightning bolt zapped Rathana, Fira, and some near them including Trita. They all screamed and Trita fell to the ground.

"You've angered them!" Trita shouted.

"I don't care. The Ater is ours." Rathana shot another streak of fire up into the sky. "I'm Rosmathana. I am the queen and the controller of the sun. I will save Kaunlutha from the frost. We will not perish. Don't hide Guardians. Come down and fight."

Then another bolt of red lightning zipped through the air. In that moment, Sovanna heard a deep, rumbling voice.

"You must face consequences."

In a flash, Rathana, Fira, Trita, Tomiki, and many other Kaunlutha vanished.

The sky cleared and returned to a normal bright, blue morning.

A deafening quiet settled on the lake as remaining Kaunlutha gaped at where the others had been. Water lapped gently on the shore and at the raft.

Sovanna blinked, dumbfounded, at her father's decapitated head. She turned to the sky to where her sister and Trita had disappeared.

"Fidni," Rokki swore.

The remaining Kaunlutha slowly began to turn away. Even from here, the fear was clear in their widened eyes.