Having seen the success of Aldred's method, Matriarch Sheila calmed down a bit. However, she still looked like she wanted to behead Julia or something. With an order to her warriors, she had Julia confined in a room far away from the rest of the Toxic Razortails. She wanted Julia to reflect on her actions for a year. No one was allowed to go near her except for the guards who would bring her food everyday. Even Aldred and Soul were forbidden from approaching her.

Speaking of Soul, Aldred later found him snoring in a clearing beneath the ground...this little bastard. Aldred was about to smack him awake but when he saw the wounds and dried blood on Soul's body, he softened a bit and gently shook the young, asleep Sharptail. When Soul woke up, he immediately went in full alert but when he saw Aldred, he felt a bit ashamed. He remembered how he had cowardly ran away and lowered his head in humiliation. Aldred patted Soul's head gently and assured him that it was not his fault...that he was just inexperienced . Soul looked at Aldred as tears slowly trickled down his face. He asked Aldred where Uncle Skaal was. He could smell Skaal's scent but he could not see him. When he saw Aldred's expression, he knew that something must have happened to Skaal.

"Soul...Skaal...I couldn't protect him.... H-He was injured so he had to go somewhere to rest. But don't worry, he will be back...but it might take a very long time." Aldred replied as he looked at Soul sadly.

"When will he come back?" Soul asked, not sure of what Aldred's emotional display meant.

"I'm not sure...I think he will come back once you have gotten strong...strong enough to protect your loved ones...your family and your friends."

"Oh...when will I become strong enough to do so?"

"Hmm...once you become a Demon Emperor, then your Uncle Skaal will come back."

"Really?! Promise?"

"Promise. Come, let's go back up." Aldred replied as he led Soul up to the surface where the surviving Toxic Razortails were burying their dead brethren and mourning for their losses.

"Where's Big Sis Julia?" Soul asked as he looked around. He wasn't able to protect her previously and wanted to know if she was okay.

"Julia is fine...she...she's training...yea...she's training to get stronger, so you should also do so as well."

"Oh...okay...I'm gonna go see Big Sis Julia." Soul replied as he shot towards the room. However, he was stopped by Aldred. Soul looked up at him curiously.

"Julia is doing some close-door training. You shouldn't disturb her."

"Oh." Soul muttered as he looked dejected. Aldred patted Soul's head once more and told him to not worry so much about it. Then, to change the topic, Aldred brought him over to help the others clean and bury the corpses of their deceased.

..........

A week later....

..........

It has been a week since Skaal's soul had merged with Aldred. A lot had happened over the course of this week. All the families of the Toxic Razortail warriors that had died in the battle were able to bury their deceased and even held some funerals. What used to be a large family numbering up to 1500 members had been reduced to less than 400 Toxic Razortails. Reports from their allies also bore grave news. Each of the allies suffered massive damage to their homes and their families. They have all suffered colossal losses which would affect their well-being within this forest. The Deerkin, especially, other than the Patriarch and a granddaughter, the rest were killed before the Mud Wyrms were able to assist them. Matriarch Sheila and the Patriarch of the Mud Wyrms both offered protection to the others, who readily accepted. It seemed that the battle they had fought together served to strengthen their bonds of friendship and trust.

As for the Three Major Families, their defeat cost them greatly. Not only did they lose a large amount of warriors, but they also lost a great deal of reputation. After all, a Major Family was only considered "major" if they were powerful and had garnered either fear or respect from the other "minor" families. Unlike the Toxic Razortails, the Three Major Families were more conceited and boorish and had generated more fear and hate than respect from the other families. Thus, when the minor families saw the weakened state of the Three Major Families, they became more arrogant towards the three families. With all those hate that had built up through the decades, they started gathering together to attack and raid the three families as many times as possible.

As for Novile and the leftover Sharpfang warriors from the battle, Matriarch Sheila had ordered their execution to be put on public display for all to see and sent out many messages to all of the minor families in the forests to come. More than 500 demonic beasts attended the public execution...some even curiously attracted by the "Free Food" that was written with the messages. Though the Sharpfang family wanted to stop the execution, they did not have the necessary power to do so. After all, most of their best warriors were the ones to be executed and not to mention the audience were all families that hated them. They feared that if they were show up, not only would they be unable to rescue their warriors, but they would also be unable to leave. All they could do were to watch in anger and horror from afar as Matriarch Sheila signaled for the execution to begin. Head by head was separated from his or her body. However, for Novile,...there was a more cruel and...interactive...death waiting for him.

Novile had both his legs and arms broken and tied to a post. The post was held vertically over a large bundle of dry grass and branches. Matriarch Sheila looked at the large crowd watching the execution and bellowed, "Families! Friends! Guests! The Sharpfang tied to this post is the Young Patriarch of the Sharpfangs. I know you all have your grievances toward the Sharpfangs for the ways they had treated you throughout the years. I know that many of you have had families...friends...lovers...children slaughtered and eaten by those Sharpfangs. Today, we the Toxic Razortails will burn...cook these hated Sharpfangs. Come...join us for dinner!"

Excitement and curiosity swelled within the attending demonic beasts as they watched Matriarch Sheila toss a burning branch into the bundle. As the fire spread, Novile screamed in pain. Without his mana core, he could not protect himself from the fire...he was just a crippled. Minutes later, Novile had screamed his last. His fur burned to ashes and fell from his body. As Novile's corpse continued roasting, Matriarch Sheila ordered the beheaded Sharpfangs to be prepared for consumption. Both Soul and Aldred felt nauseous at the sight and excused themselves from the "party".

Hours later, an aromatic scent permeated the air. Many demonic beasts gleamed in hunger and satisfaction as they stared at their "food". With the cooking done, Matriarch Sheila chopped the bodies into slices and presented them to the audience. Everyone rushed over to take a slice of Sharpfang meat. As if famished, they wolfed down the meat. The sight enraged the Sharpfangs who were watching and they could do nothing but grit their teeth and leave the premises. After the event, the minor families had a better opinion of Matriarch Sheila and the Toxic Razortails. Each demonic beast showed his or her respect to Matriarch Sheila and support for the Toxic Razortails. They did not mind it if the Toxic Razortails were to continue on as a Major Family despite their diminished numbers. Once the event was over, everybody left the grounds. As Matriarch Sheila and her family cleaned up the mess, a Toxic Razortail rushed over and whispered a few words in Matriarch Sheila's ear.

"WHAT?!"