Complete silence. Krystal had stopped her rampage to stare at the mini Fanv. Mikvel was staring in disbelief at it too. He'd known Fanv his whole life and she definitely didn't strike him as someone who'd have a child and forget about it. And when the hell had she gotten pregnant? Too many questions. Dessi was stomping her foot, waiting for a reaction from the dumbstruck Fanv.

The child looked around curiously at the large crowd of creatures. It had waist length hair and a set of small antlers. One side of the face had 3 eyes in a vertical line while the other side had a cluster of 7 eyes of various sizes spread out. Some of the eyes on the clustered side looked pale and blind, while the others glowed a deep yellow. Long claws adorned its hands and feet and serrated teeth filled its mouth. Patches of its body where black while majority of it was white as snow. It spoke again with the same deep voice that echoed in one's mind and in reality.

"Mother?"

Fanv blinked and hesitantly pointed at herself.

"Me?"

"Yes?"

"No way... You must've mistaken me for-"

"IT LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU! HOW CAN IT NOT BE YOURS?!"

Fanv got interrupted by practically everyone screaming in unison. Of course, it was hers, what the hell Fanv?!

"No, no, no, that can't be I haven't... Well... Maybe I have... No, that was just a nightmare right..."

Fanv looked at the child. Noooooo. No way! No no no.

"Why ye breaking down over just one pup. This just one of em too. Smelled a bunch of em in the forest. This one was slower though so we caught it."

Dessi poured salt on the wound by adding that comment. Then Krystal dealt the finishing blow with hers:

"Damn... You've been busy..."

Fanv fell to her knees and started sobbing. The child jumped back in surprise and stared at its o so dignified mother crumpling up and wailing on the floor. People were a bit too busy staring at the sobbing visvarg to notice Maker making her way into the hall. Maker glanced over the room and took in the scene before her, then she rushed over to Fanv and embraced her. When Maker spoke she actually moved her lips this time. It would seem the Dungeon Lady had finally made herself some vocal cords, much to the benefit of Krystal who had yet to be connected to the telepathy network of the dungeon.

Shh, what is the matter?

"I'm a unresponsible beast!"

Why?

"I made kids! Many many kids! and I left their mothers in the woods to deal with it alone! I didn't even know about this til noooow!"

I told you, you mate with the wolves though.

"I didn't want to believe you! That night was one big haze of madness! I'm the woooorst!"

The others watched in silence as Maker grabbed Fanv's shoulders and looked straight into her eyes with a very serious expression.

Yes, you are irresponsible. You must take responsibility and bring all the children here to make it up to them.

"... Are you- hic- just saying this because - sniff- you want to keep them?..."

Yes, I will be their grandma and spoil them!

"..."

You do not need to handle this alone. I will help you through this. We will raise lovely little visvargs in the dungeon! They are your children so surely you want the best for them? Leaving them out in the forest alone is not very mother-like.

"... Maker..."

Yes?

"I feel like you've tricked me into this..."

I would never!

"... Fine. You got a point in me having to take responsibility for them, and I don't want to go through this alone..."

It is settled then! We shall bring them all here! But first, we must name this one! May I name it?

"Shouldn't I be the one naming it, since I'm the mother?"

I am the grandmother.

"You're not my real mom though? I already have one."

Can you not have two? You and the wolves all have female features.

"Yeah maybe visvargs can, but I was born a human so I don't think it works here..."

If you invite your mother here then I am sure we can discuss it and come to an agreement.

"I don't know where she is... She left when I was little..."

She is disqualified. I am your mother now.

"Maker that's not how it works-"

You are adopted by me now? Does that work?

"Uh, I guess..."

You are my child now. It is settled! Now, my lovely daughter, let us name my lovely grandchild! And all you others, if you want a new or an extra mom, you are now adopted by me! That means that by human standards you are my children even if I did not give birth to you. Adoption must be one of the best inventions of the sentient races ever!

"If I may interrupt?"

Yes, Dessi?

"One of the rats told me why the redhead is here. Murder was it? Seems it was the kids that did it, and a pack of em are homing in on another group of humans as we speak. Should I tell my flock to do something bout it?"

"They ate the humans?!"

"Yes, ye dumb fuck. Didn't ye listen at all?"

Fanv turned to the child still sitting on the floor.

"You ate people?!"

"Yes, they were very tasty!"

"Don't do that!"

"But-"

"No buts! No eating humans!"

"Ok..."

"Dessi, can you stop them?"

"Maybe if ye crawl and beg-"

Dessi, send your flock to stop them.

"Yes ma'am."

The satyr turned and ran to tell her flock what to do. Maker rose and pulled Fanv up with her. She gave a quick glance to make sure she got everyone's attention.

We are going to go outside and gather all the kids before they can do any more damage. Rodents, you will handle communication and intelligence gathering, make sure you do not get caught by neither humans nor visvarg pups. I will link you up with each other so you can use telepathy but it'll only work inside our claimed territory so once outside of it you'll have to communicate the old fashioned way.

Sam, you will help Dessi's flock. Restrain the kids they catch and have someone bring them back here.

Mikvel, you and Pohc will help Sam when needed. If any human groups get too close to our part of the forest you will make them turn around.

"Uh, how?"

Trick them, scare them, convince them. Anything goes as long as you do not harm them. I will send out the birds to aid you. They are great at intimidation and theatrics so use them as you see fit.

"Understood."

Fanv, try to convince your children to come here peacefully. Child, if you tell your sibling that your mother told you to come here and not fight, would they listen?

The child put a hand to its chin and thought for a moment.

"Yes, probably. We all love Mother so if they smell her in the woods they should believe me."

Good, Sam, is that paint you and Mikvel were working on usable?

"Yess. The red and the purple ones are usable, the others are still a bit too thick or too weak in color to be used on anything though."

Great. You rodents over there, go fetch me that purple paint. We'll paint this child's horns purple so you others will know not to restrain it. It will tell its siblings to come here. If more children wants to act as messengers, paint their horns purple as well.

Krystal was impressed. The Dungeon Lady had some good ideas and she used her creatures well.

Human?

"Huh, yes?"

What is your name?

"Krystal, ma'am." Krystal felt like being polite was the best course of action near Maker, even though she was very rusty on her fancy talk.

Will you tell the other humans to exit the forest so that they do not get caught up in this?

"That'll be hard. They're all hellbent on finding the murderer or clues about them. And it's possible that someone spread word about Johna and Noah fleeing so they might be hunted as well now. They'll be even harder to convince if that's so since they think they're getting close to solving this mess."

"Can't you just tell them a disaster or something is happening. Scare them away?"

"Could try but I doubt it'd go well. I heard about your lil show in the bandit camp. I don't have the acting talent you have, Fanv."

"Uh, that was..."

"If u can make something flashy go off then that'd support my claim of something going on in the forest. A big enough bang and they'd only need to be told once to book it."

Something flashy huh... I will create something flashy so do your best convincing them, Krystal.

"Roger."

Now then, let us begin! Everyone move out!

And with a rumble of voices and a tremor shaking the earth of the dungeon, mission 'save the pups' began.