-Afternoon. 3RD POV-

By the middle of the afternoon in wolf territory, the sun cast inclined shadows from the fox beasts sitting down and all the wolves forming an empty circular area thirty meters wide with a pile of beast corpses in the middle. While the wolves lie down relaxing and glaring at the prisoners, the 18 fox people took off their armors and tossed them in a pile as their two healers continued treatment on the south, next to the Rank 10 corpse. The fox people remained standing in shabby T-shirts and brown pants while the girls had an additional fabric strapped around their chest under their clothes which the males attempted to peek at.

"...!" Karla flickered an ear noticing the peeping intentions and turned back. "Zhanura!" She called out at a female beast who nodded understanding her intentions.

*Thump! Thump! POMF!* The red-coated fox extended her body and laid down between the two groups dividing them.

""Aww..."" The youths on the left group whined disappointedly.

"Please cease staring at us like that, Stormy..." The leader vixen pleaded changing posture which made her medium-size breasts jiggle.

"Say..." I wondered staring with my ears perked. "Why don't you girls use brassiere instead of those bandages on your chest? and inquired discerning the purple hues.

"Do you mean the breast undergarment? They are expensive and inconvenient with different sizes..." Karla replied and tilted her head looking deeply into my eyes. "Wait a moment... Are you using magic in your eyes to see our bodies?" She interrogated in a stance with hands on her waist.

""Wh--!!?? AH?!?!"" The girls sounded turning pale and covered their chest with an arm.

"Uhhh... What gives you that idea? My eyes just started glowing after the elemental rampage, and I have little control over it which troubles me sometimes..." I asked blinking innocently.

"Mmm-hmm... I'm saying it because I know that Fire magicians can train their eyes to perceive heat, and Light users, well, they can see a variety of light." The fox woman commented unconvincingly.

"Iya..." I started saying and stopped before averting my gaze for a moment. "I... may see things in purple shades and your bodies more clearly without the armors..." I revealed lowering my ears with a hint of shame.

""Kyaah! Pervert! Look away! Look away!"" The fox girls cringed under my gaze covering her bodies while others cross their arms admonishing.

"Girls! Stop making a fuss..." Karla admonished glaring at the women and turned back to me. "It's my first time hearing this, but Lightning users are quite rare... Did you master all mortal Lightning abilities?" She muttered and probed for more information.

"Hm? I don't think so..." I realized her intentions and denied unsure. "Hmm... But maybe it has something to do with a Bloodline from Mother's side..." I pretended to think about looking at the sky and theorized.

"I see..." The dark-skinned woman narrowed her eyes mumbling. "Still, to see through things...what terrifying eyes..." She reviewed and shivered uncomfortably.

*Swiss...* I changed my gaze to the slender girl in the back holding both hands lowered in front.

"..." The fox woman with freckles opened her mouth wanting to say something and closed it right after. "I-I-I think the glowing eyes look pretty...It matches your, uh, scales well..." She finally spoke after staring each other for a few seconds.

"Huh...? Why thank you..." I got caught off-guard by the unexpected compliment and said before pondering. "Your big crimson eyes are prettier than the setting Sun and filled with an alluring gentleness and boundless wonder like gazing into the firmament on a cloudless night..." I adulated with a smile and winked an eye.

"Eh...!?" The girl looking in her twenties sounded as her cheeks dyed red and brought both hands to her face. "Kyaaa~!" She squealed and squirmed while whipping her tail around.

Oh..my...God... So cute! And like...so easy to impress... Well, girls want to be complimented, even broken ones, but this one is acting like she hasn't been praised once in her life... Even though she has a nice ass... I contemplated the embarrassed girl with my mouth open and recalled my wolfie girl. I want this girl... Shaila might not get angry...probably. I affirmed and drool leaked between my fangs before dripping to the ground.

""..."" The foxes were in a daze for a moment before glaring at the foxwoman and back at me with accusing stares.

"Eeek!" The light brown skin girl shrieked under the glares and lowered her ears to the back while peeking through the fingers.

"Did you just...flirt with Elmyra?!?" Karla questioned as surprise dawned on her smooth face.

"I just complimented her eyes in a friendly way," I replied casually glancing at her.

"Mmm-hmm..." The dark-skinned woman sounded with her mouth closed twisting the lips and raised an eyebrow before mumbling. "How pointless..." She said in a barely audible pitiful tone looking at the girl.

"Elmyra, huh?" I asked the timid girl that was looking down depressed.

"Y-yes..." The Firefox looking in her early 20s replied.

"...Mind sending your Spirit to me?" I requested and looked back before signaling Erina.

The slender fox woman looked at her leader pleading for permission and received approval after a moment while I slip my bare spirit outside the Rank 10 net covering my body. I immediately encountered a low-rank 7 spirit thread that barely budged in the presence of mine and coiled around it for up to three meters while feeling a tingling sensation like eating something spicy.

"T-there's no bad intentions... The Spirit is so serene... Y-you really have no fear of higher ranks... W-what makes you so confident...? H-wow can one feel so free...?" Elmyra confirmed their suspicions and stammered questioning as if she was afraid of authority.

"Listen, girly... We are all prisoners one way or another and sometimes, we even carry shackles of our own making, but it defines us how we seek freedom and what kind..." I answered in a warm tone.

"Aum... It's not that easy for everyone..." The girl mumbled looking down and gripping her fists.

"Okay, my turn! I sense worries from you, frustration...and I think disappointment as well...?" I interpreted her intent as best as possible.

"Umu... B-b-because...you can't transmit anything consciously and nothing useful for our...situation leaks..." She stuttered replying and changing her facial expressions ever so slightly.

Hmm... I don't believe it's just that... But challenge accepted! I assumed and decided before recalling the golden wolf's advice. Let's see... A strong emotion or desire... I want to fondle your butt...fondle your butt... I repeated several dozen times while moving my awareness like surfing a wave but there was no response. Hmm... Failure, huh? The signal is too weak... I concluded and the girl's tail swaying from side to side caught my attention. The tail tip is like a whip... What if I increase the bandwidth in this manner? And I should be able to replicate the physics of a whip with the Spirit if I will it so... I determined and moved the rest of my bare spirit.

I assigned more spirit threads to specific thoughts and coiled it around the lines tangled with the fox in a decreasing manner forming a spirit whip, then transmitted the thought vibrations while picturing the process with better timing.

"Eh...!?" The girl sounded before stopping moving and her face started turning red again.

Did it work? I wondered smiling innocently when the girl started trembling.

"Nuuu!" She shrunk flailing shyly and confirming my test.

Oh, ho ho ho, it definitely did... YATA! I rejoiced briefly before halting the harass. Let's change the intent to...be mine! I affirmed commencing to send the signal until the big booty fox twitched.

"I-I... I can't..." Elmyra turned down my intent and looked down with her ears flopped to the front.

"You think you can't. Big difference!" I emphasized and reproved the attitude.

"Y-you don't want me..." She insinuated running her hands over the loose pants and flattening her tail for an instant.

"Yes, I do...in body and Soul." I reaffirmed running my gaze from her feet to the face. "I would be delighted to have such a beauty by my side, but what I need the most are trustworthy allies, and I think I'll be able to trust you and rely on you... I may not offer romance in return as my heart and soul belong to another already, but you'll be able to experience things you've never dream of..." I confessed and proposed as we stare at each other without blinking.

"Aum... Sou...sory..." She apologized rubbing her hands on top of the other

"EEY!" Karla shouted protesting with a glare. "Stop recruiting my tribe members!" She demanded lifting a hand in the way of my eyesight.

"So... It's fine for this girl to be in a War?" I asked with an accusing tone pointing my snout at the disfigured person.

"Guh!" The dark-skinned fox woman uttered and gripped fists with her long strong nails pressing down.

""..."" The others keep silent with hardened faces.

"She's...she's not a girl, Stormy. Elmyra is 63 years old and married..." The vixen leader called out and revealed.

"Seeeeriooouuuusly?!?" I roared shocked and felt the Spirit entangled with mine quiver anxiously. "Ah, it's no wonder I didn't smell anyone young... Heeh... Some lucky bastard already claimed this cutie...?" I took a quick whiff to confirm and reviewed looking at the shy fox.

"Hunu..." Elmyra jolted and shivered with her ears lowered to the front.

"Yes. She awakened a little earlier than the rest of us... But what age should match the mentality when magical creatures have different rates of aging and maturity? Don't be tricked by her attitude. Even I am 375...or was it 376?" Karla corrected my preconceived notions.

"I think you are over 400 alrea--" A pale fox woman asserted and stopped under a glare.

"Haha... The way I see it...age is something important and interesting..." I mused at the reactions and told my point of view. "What matters the most is the inside--the personality, then even further deeper--the Soul. And I like her cuteness..." I quoted cliche lines praising while nodding.

""Aww~ How sweet..."" The fox girls cheered looking up at me and turned to the girl in the middle of their group.

"Auuugh..." Elmyra squirmed shyly avoiding eye contact while shaking her shoulders up and down.

"However, she's like this for being oppressed a long time, right? Either she's forced to keep those scars or she's trying to look less appealing to whoever beats her up. But none of you seem to mind her suffering..." I admonished and ran my gaze over them observing the change of expressions.

""..."" The vixens averted their gaze keeping silence.

"And YOU!" I turned to the girl speaking in a stern tone that made her flinch. "You just adapted to your situation instead of finding a way out...that's no different than cattle." I lectured and she looked down gloomily. "But...there is courage in not committing suicide, unlike some idiots..." I declared recalling my actions back at the beast pen. "Besides, you aren't the only one in that or even worse situations, so there's no need to feel ashamed." I encouraged looking into yer cloudy eyes through the lowered long red eyelashes.

"I... I-I am not a w-woman! I...I failed to become an adult... I-I couldn't give him a child... I couldn't..." The troubled fox girl blurted looking at me as her eyes watered and looked down. "A failure...a failure..." She continued mumbling with a darkened face while the others throw hateful glares at me.

Oh, brother... A trauma... Convincing her might be harder than I thought. But she has a promising talent, so I should... I ignored the accusing stares and asserted her worth recalling the solution.

"Elmyra," I called out but only the girl's ears flickered in response. "I still want you regardless of the value you think you have. And I won't ask for children... I'm a beast after all. But my Master's grandmother is a renowned Healer that should know how to fix your...physical problems..." I announced with an enticing revelation.

"Ueehh?!" She lifted her head revealing a face on the edge of bursting into tears and uttered with the mouth open in astonishment. But before she could say anything else, their leader interrupted.

"She can't abandon her duties! And with enough merits, our Divine might help her..." Karla interjected in a hurry and declared nervously before I looked at her.

"Hm? So that's not certain either?" I spoke sarcastically causing the fox woman to twist her lips and cross her arms annoyed. "Well..." I said turning back to the girly adult. "Just...think it over, kay? All creatures deserve happiness. And you probably won't get another chance..." I requested with a stern declaration and a time limit.

"Hmph! You just want to use her as well." Karla asserted and the Spirit entangled with mine retracted while the person in question said nothing else. "Honestly..." She said deeply sighing with a troubled tone looking down for a moment. "How can a Beast be so knowledgeable about people's lives!??" The dark-skinned woman interrogated making me jerk my body.

"E-erm... Iya...I grew up with humans..." I nervously replied hoping to drop the subject.

"Oh, please... Don't insult my intelligence..." The woman leader dismissed waving a hand. "How can a beast, especially with a Bloodline, suddenly acquire a human personality and be so...so perverted? And are you even a year old?!" She questioned tapping her left cheek while scrutinizing my body.

"Uhh..." I sounded with my maw slightly open.

"May I...?" An older-looking Foxman called out seeking permission at to which I nodded. "The dragon could've just developed inside an Ancient's egg for many years or he's a Divine with a damaged Soul that took refuge in a newborn..." He proudly speculated looking at me with a smile and eyes closed into arcs.

""OOOHHHhhh..."" The foxes approved of the interpretations.

This guy...! I need to change the subject...there are Divines probing... I affirmed sweating mentally while avoiding the scrutinizing gazes.

"Ha ha ha! Nice story bro... I wish that were true..." I dismissed shaking my head.

"Hmm-hmm... You expect others to believe you aren't a young beast near rank 7 with a mentality far older than your actual age?" Karla questioned narrowing her eyes while seeking mines with a glare.

"Uhh... Yes...?" I close an eye tilting my head and responded.

""... Koff! Kohof!"" The foxes throw piercing stares and some coughed adding some noise.

Oi oi oi... I'm supposed to be the one interrogating... I asserted glancing around and stopped to look at the spear user that fought Erina. You... Help me...! I indicated moving my eyes and the Foxman caught on.

"Just so you know... Most of our families raise beasts... Zhanura here grew up with me and she was like a common animal when I was a kid. Very cute and cuddly, but very dumb for years..." The dark-skinned woman announced pointing at the female beast on my left who nodded.

"Hyuuu..." The large vixen whined looking to her left with her ears flattened as if wanting to cry.

"It's our responsibility to guide or raise our beast kindred since people grow mentally first... The only known exceptions are legends mentioned already..." She compared with a personal revelation.

"Bah! Don't overthink it... He just picked up all the nasty habits from perverse Nobles..." He revealed in a condescending tone.

"OY!" I snarled sending a glare and looked at his nether region. "You guys have a human penis, huh? That's laaaaaame!" I derided his malehood gladly to change the subject.

"Ah?? What did you expect, you stupid dragon? We are more human than beast!" The foxman pointed at me insulting. "And some of us even had human parents. We aren't like beastified people who don't mix with other races well..." He explained bring up a new term for me.

"OOOH! I did not know that." I exclaimed gladly of the information.

He probably means anthropomorphic humanoids... They have trouble making children with humans, huh? I assumed and continue my tease.

"But I was asking since yours is too small to see even with magic..." I ridiculed making a smug expression.

"SCREW YOU!" The foxman swore pointing at me while turning red. "At least I get laid. You virgin lizard!" He countered wit ha surprising fact.

""Pfft!! Hahaha! Huhuh!! Whooo!!"" The girls mocked and the guys leered.

"At least you both have genitals..." The old foxman muttered with a dark face and ears lowered.

"...You-you have my condolences, sir." I said looking at him sympathizing. "But don't give up! Maybe this is an opportunity to experience something new..." I encouraged and the guy looked up at me. "Just imagine having beast genitals or maybe even two members! Since you are part Fox, wouldn't it be possible to get a transplant from a compatible donor? Maybe one of the corpses that's related to you?" I explained my idea causing face-palms of embarrassment in the prisoners.

"Huuuh...?! That--that's ridiculous! I've never heard of such abominable practice...that...sounds...more realistic than having a Divine replicate what was lost, actually. I'm not even sure Irimos can do that in a short time..." The old fox strongly opposed and changed his mind mid-sentence.

"H-hazel? You can't be seriously considering--" The spear user opposed the idea pulling the other foxman's arm.

"It sounds better than being a vixen for centuries! Do you know what happens to most males that lost their testicles, Yero?" Hazel snapped interrupting and asked. "They commit suicide..." He declared in a dark tone that made others shiver.

"Ugh..." Yero cringed and crossed his arms before looking away.

"You'll have to deal with organ rejection, and offsprings won't be yours...it'll be the donor's," I revealed the medical downsides.

"Makes sense... But Divines who abandon their bodies don't keep the exact Life Code either and I'm not a direct descendant..." The elderly foxman acknowledged and dismissed.

"Gyarou kieen fwuerou..." The fox healer to the south growled and shook his head.

"Well, I'll just find a healer that can!" The half-man affirmed and turned to me. "When can we go home? I have things to do..." He asked and hurried me up.

"Right... I need you guys to do two more things before returning..." I declared and looked to the left. "ELSION!" I growled at the golden wolf laying down and beckoned him closer with my head.

*Thump! Thump!* The earthen user arrived and stopped on my left.

"Yes?" He lowered his snout and inquired close to my head.

"I need you to make 5 containers around this size with a thin sheet of metal and a lid to seal it." I instructed making a simple 3D graphic with light magic.

"Easy. I'm on it." The golden wolf concentrated looking up.

*Krieeek! Thonk!* A metal bucket quickly grew out of nowhere on top of his snout and fell to the ground. *Thororo...* The container rolled up to the foxes and they stared at it.

"Take it. You are to spend the remaining of your Mana producing a liquid flammable substance into different containers." I commanded the foxes.

""Come on... Our precious resources... You are stripping us of everything! Why???"" The prisoners complained and grumbled unwilling to comply.

"Well, we can't have you attacking tribe members with magic and I want our fire users to learn what you can do." I describe the reasons.

"Pfft! Good luck with that. It takes years learning to replicate a substance." A fox woman sneered with a hand on her mouth.

Well... That's true for unknown complex molecules, but I already confirmed that knowing the formula and properties with a basic understanding of chemistry is enough guidance to discover a substance fast. I mean, that Firdos learned to make nitroglycerin in a day for fuck's sake! I corrected in my mind recalled the incident. Still, I'm very envious. The Earth, Wind, and Fire users have many things to learn while all I do is manipulate water molecules and play with the electromagnetic field... I want to produce different things too! Haah... So envious... I affirmed with a mental sigh.

"Is that the only reason...?" An old fox questioned suspiciously.

"Oh?" I tilted his head sounding quizzical. "What could you mean, sir?" I inquired politely pretending ignorance.

I know it's about using their chemicals to build bombs, but he doesn't know if he's about to suggest it. Haha... I mused staring at him with an innocently smile.

"...I'm just asking..." The foxman furrowed his brows and said twitching an eye.

The firefoxes were reluctant to cooperate at first, but eventually, they gave in and filled the containers with different chemicals while the earth user sealed and carried them away in his mouth one by one to the south where the red wolves were lining up. Meanwhile, the low ranking canines started bringing metal from the battlefield in an orderly line and the loot pile to my left continued growing.

"What's next, lizard?" Yero asked after finishing pouring a gray-blue-ish liquid onto a bucket.

"Right... I need you furballs to deliver a message to your Elders." I previewed with a grin.

""Who's a furball?!"" The foxmen retorted angered but in a relaxed manner.

"Hohe... It must be us... We have furry balls down here!" A foxman interjected holding his pants.

"Stormy... Is it to back off before we are returned?" Karla called out and asked.

"Oh, you wanna be hostages? That's cute~ But no. You take the message and get the hell out. You can re-join the fight after leaving this territory for all we care..." I casually replied waving my right forepaw.

""...Eh...??! Haaahh??!!"" The prisoners blurted and I had to wait for their chatter to end once more.

"The challenge and a warning will be enough..." I announced and waited for the prisoners to cease whispering. "Tell your Elders to come fight the wolf Elders...if they dare! And should they decide to exterminate our forces at the border, then all these wolves and the remaining ones of the Tribe will...rampage in your lands!" I declared and the foxes remained stunned for a second before their faces changed terribly.

""What!? A reverse invasion? Preposterous! The arrogance! Impertinent! They'll sacrifice the Tribe to get back at us? Monster!"" The foxes voiced their outrage and my declaration was met with negative remarks.

"Oh, joy~ More threats... The Elders will be delighted..." Yero said sarcastically.

"Silence!" I roared to quiet them down. "Hmph! This fight that you just lost against weakened wolves was a perfect show of force. But now, we have enough resources to recover and you kindly provided sufficient materials to make our inventions far more deadly and even mobile..." I explained our advantage pointing at the heap of metal reaching four meters tall.

""You bastard! You tricked us! That's why our magic substance was taken..."" The prisoners cursed and swore at me after realizing.

"I was actually talking about the metal..." I corrected but the foxes stared unconvinced.

Metal takes a lot of Mana to produce and making the same one isn't beneficial to magic progress... It might be better to mine it from the ground and have earth users refine it...need to scout for a vein. Some precious metals and strong ones might prove very helpful later on... I determined thinking of the future and continued.

"We only have a few fire users to build a couple of exploding balls like the one that destroyed your formation, but they learn fast, and there are wolves scouring for more metal beside the one we can steal from foxes. So..." I revealed some truth along with lies.

""..."" The foxes looked at me with cold eyes in silence that send a chill down my spine.

"Wait! Wait! Listen... War is wasteful, right?" I lifted a paw placating them. "Waste of Talent. Waste of resource. Waste of time. BUT conflict is important for all creatures to evolve and drive progress..." I listed the cons and ended with the pros.

"Wha...what are you saying?" Karla questioned afraid of the answer.

"That we don't want the conflict to end. Just the full-scale invasion." I dropped the declaration causing them to twitch.

""ARE YOU MAD??? That's crazy! We all want peace! GRRR!!!"" The prisoners reproved yelling enraged and even the beasts growled menacingly.

"Well, the wolves shouldn't lose a strong motive to develop magically. But I don't want needless deaths either, so to avoid that escalation, I propose a less...wasteful method. A Coliseum!" I presented an earthly idea.

""A what??"" The audience asked confused.

"An Arena where the two Tribes will battle and the winners take all." I explained the meaning.

"Ah, we have those..." A foxman asserted.

"Right, so, a group of high ranks will fight each other with an equal number or one of our Elders against one of yours... The requirement for each side to enter is depositing something of equal value like Mana crystals, metals, knowledge or equipment which both sides agree. Killing is allowed, but can't enter the Arena for 5 years like those who break the rules or after losing 3 times from the last match. The side who reaches at least 1 loss per High-Rank first loses and will have to surrender peacefully what they value most... We want Divine-made weapons and you guys can have our Mana vein." I elaborated in a serious tone.

""HMM..."" The foxes hummed thinking out loud.

"That...sounds like it'll take years for a conclusion..." Karla reviewed after pondering.

"But the needless killings could stop..." A vixen to her side added.

"This will benefit both tribes though." I reaffirmed the upsides.

"Certainly, it's better than fighting to the death, and both sides can hone their skills." The witty elderly fox contemplated with his eyes closed.

"So... That's it...?" Karla inquired.

"Yes, we're done..." I casually answered and turned to the wolves on the north. "Open up a path for them," I growled an order and looked back to the foxes. "You can go now. Shoo shoo!" I dismissed before turning around with care not to slap them with my tail.

""...I feel used. Yeah... Where did the seriousness go? Shut up! You didn't lose your partner... All that death to benefit the wolves in the end. Our partners and friends ending up as mere food too."" The foxes argued as the realization of their loss came crashing down on their minds again and the gloomy atmosphere returned to the group.

"Hm?" I perked my ears and glanced back. "You know... You guys are allowed to say goodbye to your comrades..." I offered the prisoners solace.

""Really?! Don't mind if we do... Thank you... Uuuhh..."" Several foxes accepted and approached the corpse pile timidly from different sides.

I walked to the east swaying my tail slowly and stopped on the north of the red-coated beasts stacked by the wolf on my left while the foxes began murmuring with a hand over a fist.

"You aren't just going to eat our friends in front of us, right?" Karla stood on my right and accused with her arms crossed while tapping a finger.

"But...their Souls vanished already..." I reminded looking down at her.

"Mmm-hmm... Perhaps their Souls will reform in another body... But this is part of who they were..." She countered and extended an arm to the snout of a dead beast. "We don't want to see their empty bodies desecrated. I... I would set them on fire if you didn't make us drain our mana!" She declared caressing the soft fur gently with the eyes lowered in sadness.

"I see..." I acknowledged before thinking for a moment with eyes closed. "Oh, foxes that lived and loved in this world, I wish you well in the next life or your way back into the fox tribe. I shall take your flesh as my own just as mine would be dined upon." I paid respects with eyes closed and opened them.

"Mmm-hmm... You really are abnormal. It's hard to hate you when you treat us so...normal...so friendly...genuinely." The dark-skinned vixen appraised me up close.

"But it's not enough to be liked huh?" I insinuated looking at the pair of pointy ears poking out from behind a beast.

"Eeep!" The disfigured girl shrieked away.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved..." The dark-skinned woman lectured.

"I had to..." I reaffirmed and noticed a scent out-of-place. "Hm? What in the world...!?" I mumbled and looked to the left.

*Hruff! Hruuuf~!* I took deep whiffs up in the air while facing East.

"Wa-what's that smell??" I questioned out loud trying to identify.

"...Corpses and lots of wolves, piss, and blood?" The vixen behind me asserted with a sarcastic tone.

"No, not that!" I retorted and whipped my tail softly at her. "There's a strange smell coming that way... It's familiar yet...so enticing..." I reviewed facing East.

*Srrrash! Kling! Jiling! Srrrash!* A chained green fox entered the encirclement escorted by two wolves.

Huh? Why is there a fox person inside that beast's mouth? And the smell...it's coming from it...?! I tilted my head watching the purple silhouette and blinked wondering as the group approaches.