The moment Cogman and Malia suggested adding more animals to Serendell, Jacob was sold. The trio launched their project without delay.
First, they focused on deer. They teleported to the Beacon Hills preserve, and Jacob pulled a long rope from his pocket dimension. Malia shifted into her horse-sized coyote form. With a playful glint in her eyes, she crouched low, inviting him on.
Jacob grinned, swung a leg over her back, and held tight as she took off through the woods. "Yee-haw!" he called out like a cowboy.
With practiced ease, Malia found a herd of deer. Jacob swung the lasso, catching deer one by one. As each animal was snagged, he'd open a small portal straight to the plains of Serendell and gently toss them through.
Cogman, meanwhile, took a… different approach.
He didn't bother with ropes. Instead, he'd single out a buck, square up, and—using exaggerated, almost comical karate moves—would block, parry, and then deliver a gentle but firm headbutt that left the deer dazed but unharmed. Then he'd grab it by the antlers and drag it over to Jacob, then cheerfully go after another buck, again fighting it with his comical karate moves and annoying it until the buck stopped running and started fighting back.
Jacob and Malia stopped and just watched, laughing and enjoying the show, before sending the confused creatures Cogman brought to them through the portal.
They rounded up over three hundred deer before they decided it was enough. He instructed Cogman to arrange for cattle, sheep, goats, and other domestic animals to be purchased—but no pigs. Jacob had never liked pigs.
With the local hunting done, Jacob and Malia took to the skies. Using a mix of wing-power and crackling lightning speed, they shot north toward Yellowstone.
There, they worked in tandem—Jacob using his telekinesis to gently lift entire groups of animals, while Malia herded them with low growls and the occasional flash of electricity. They gathered bison, elk, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats, opening larger portals to deposit them into the spacious landscapes of Serendell.
Standing together later on a Serendell hilltop, they watched the new arrivals begin to graze cautiously on the magically-rich grass.
"I can't wait to see what happens to them after a few months of eating magic grass and breathing this air," Malia said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "They're going to taste amazing."
"Yeah," Jacob agreed, smiling.
"What about other animals?" Malia asked. "Like penguins? Not for eating—they're just too cute; I want to keep them. But there's no snow here."
"I can fix that," Jacob said. "I can control Serendell's weather. I'll make a snowy zone with a frozen lake for them, stock it with fish. We could add arctic foxes, seals… make it a whole biome."
"Okay, let's do that... biome thing. By the way, what is your favorite animal?"
"My favorite animal is the lion," Jacob said. "But if we brought a pride here, they'd eat everything. Maybe no predators for now. But elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, more antelope, exotic birds… that could work."
"Won't it get too crowded?"
"Not even close. Cogman measured Serendell—it's about the size of California."
"How big is that?"
"You know the Serengeti National Park? Where they film all those lion documentaries you love?"
"Yeah, it's huge. Full of animals."
"California is fourteen times bigger than the Serengeti. Serendell is the same."
Malia's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then we have to bring predators, please! Wolves, tigers, leopards, and definitely lions, and hyenas—you can't have lions without hyenas. I love watching their wars."
Jacob laughed. "Fine, we'll bring them. But first, I'll remodel some areas, and bring in fish. Tonight, you and I can… liberate some animals from zoos around California."
"You mean steal them."
"Liberate," Jacob corrected with a smirk. "Animals should be free. We'll give them a real home."
"But zoo lions can't even hunt, and hyenas are already stupid enough in the wild, let alone the ones raised in captivity. I want wild prides of lions and wild clans of hyenas. I want to see some real animal wars."
"We'll go to Africa when we have time and bring some back. For now, let's work with what we can get."
Malia grinned. "Alright. Tonight's going to be fun."
Jacob closed his eyes and focused on his connection to Serendell. In the distance, several mountains suddenly grew white caps as heavy snow began to fall. A new, clear lake formed at their base. Then he turned his attention to the huge lake in front of the palace. With a thought, he split it into two—one smaller, perfect for swimming, and one larger, which he'd soon fill with aquatic life. Next, he carved a winding river and a sprawling wetland into the landscape.
Malia watched the changes unfold. "Why split the lake?"
"The small one is for us—no fish, just clean water. The big one will be an ecosystem. And the new lake by the snow mountains will be filled with fish too, to feed penguins and seals."
"I see."
Jacob kissed her. "Alright, I'm going to stock the lakes."
He teleported out of Serendell, flying swiftly to the Pacific Ocean. He dove into the deep blue water and opened a massive spatial portal directly above the larger Serendell lake. With a sweeping gesture of telekinesis, he drew up vast schools of fish—tuna, salmon, bass, trout, etc.—along with crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and even vibrant coral reefs, transplanting them seamlessly into their new home. He repeated the process several times until the lake teemed with life.
Next, he returned to Yellowstone, gathering wolves, bears, beavers, mountain lions, wolverines and otters, placing them in the forests and along the new river. He visited southern wetlands for alligators and freshwater fish, introducing them to the river and marsh.
By the time he finished, the sun had set. Jacob teleported back to the palace, washed off the day's adventures with a long bath, and joined his family in the living room.
He kissed his wives and sat down. "Have you seen all the animals I brought here?"
"Yeah," Allison said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were just bringing some deer and cattle, not the entire animal kingdom."
"And by the way," Lydia added, "those grizzly bears you brought chased a herd of mule deer into the wetland, trapped them, and started killing them without even eating. They went crazy."
Jacob stood up. "What? I'm going to skin those stupid bears and make rugs out of them."
"Actually, sir," Cogman interjected smoothly, "it is natural for bears to do that. They're known for killing numerous calves without immediately eating them. This behavior is called 'surplus killing' or 'henhouse syndrome.' While it seems wasteful or cruel from a human perspective, it's a highly adaptive foraging strategy for bears in certain environments. And I assume you brought them from Yellowstone while they were still hibernating."
Jacob sat back down. "Yeah. It was hard to find their dens—everything was frozen and covered in snow."
"Bears in Yellowstone typically hibernate from mid-November to March or April," Cogman continued. "That means the bears you brought haven't eaten in over two months. They're killing to stockpile food, not out of malice. So their behavior is… your fault, sir. But if you wish, I can go kill them." He smirked wickedly. "Or even skin them alive."
Jacob sighed. "Let them be. Since I brought all kinds of animals here, they'll have to learn to adapt and coexist."
"I purchased the cattle and other domestic animals," Cogman said. "They'll arrive tomorrow at an empty ranch I rented. You'll need to bring them here and create a safe area for them. They're domestic animals—they won't survive roaming free near wolves, bears, and mountain lions."
"I know," Jacob said. "I'll set up a natural barrier to keep the wild animals a few hundred miles from the palace, and make a confined space closer to us for the livestock—far enough that we won't smell or hear them, but close for easy access. They can roam and graze freely. You can gather eggs and milk and store them in the kitchen. Butcher some bulls if needed—and remember, be gentle with the milk cows. Don't hit them."
"I would never hit them, sir."
"I'd believe you," Jacob said with a grin, "if I hadn't seen what you did to those poor deer this morning."
Melissa looked curious. "What did he do?"
"He was headbutting them and hitting them with these funny karate moves," Malia said, grinning. "It was fun to watch."
Jacob chuckled. "Yeah, some of the deer even fought back. It was hilarious."
Allison shook her head. "Sounds like you three had fun, but seriously, Cogman—don't ever hit the cows. They're beautiful and cute."
"Cows are not cute," Malia said flatly. Seeing Allison and Lydia glare at her, she smirked. "I'm not saying Cogman should hit them. I'm just saying cows are stupid and delicious."
Jacob laughed. "Malia's right. Cows are very delicious, and now I'm craving beef."
"I've already prepared dinner, sir," Cogman said. "The ladies were just waiting for you."
"Alright, let's eat," Jacob said, standing. "I'm starving."
As they settled around the dining table, Jacob turned to Melissa. "Did you buy a car?"
Melissa shook her head. "No, I'll just drive your Aston Martin if I want to drive—I really liked it. For work, Cogman insisted on driving me."
"It is my duty as your butler, my lady."
"What about you girls?" Jacob asked. "I remember you wanted a Ferrari or something."
Lydia shrugged. "I thought about it, but then I remembered I don't like driving. So I didn't buy it."
"I don't like driving either," Allison added. "If I feel like it, I'll just borrow one of your cars or bikes."
"I want to buy a car," Malia announced. "A fast one."
"You need to learn how to drive first," Jacob said. "Then you can buy whatever you want."
---
After dinner, Jacob and Malia changed into dark clothes and put on their nano masks. They took Cogman and Kitty with them and began their nighttime mission: raiding zoos across California.
Moving with lightning speed, they flew from zoo to zoo. At each location, Cogman disabled security cameras and systems while Jacob, Kitty, and Malia worked swiftly. They took almost all the animals, leaving behind only one male and one female of each species—a small act of mercy so the zoos wouldn't be completely empty.
By dawn, they'd cleared out every major zoo in the state.
---
The next day was Saturday. Jacob and Malia slept in, had a late breakfast with Kitty, then made their way to the living room. Except for Noah, everyone else was there—Allison, Lydia, Melissa, Scott, Stiles, Chris, Victoria, and Natalie were all staring at the TV.
"What are you watching?" Malia asked.
"Animals disappeared mysteriously from every zoo in California," Stiles said, eyes wide. "Only a male and female of each species were left. The whole country's freaking out. Some people think it was aliens."
Jacob, Malia, and Kitty burst out laughing.
Everyone turned to stare.
Allison shook her head. "I knew it was you."
Lydia sighed. "Why did you kidnap all the animals?"
Jacob wiped a tear from his eye. "Because Malia and I wanted lions, hyenas, and penguins, and I didn't feel like going to Africa or Antarctica. So we… liberated them."
"You didn't just bring lions, hyenas, and penguins," Allison pointed out. "You took everything."
Jacob shrugged. "Since we were there, we figured we might as well free them all. I left a breeding pair out of kindness so the zookeepers wouldn't lose their jobs."
Allison sighed. "Well, you made the whole country freak out. Again."
Stiles's eyes narrowed. "Wait, what do you mean again?"
Allison stayed silent, but Jacob just shrugged. "I was the Joker in Vegas."
"I knew it!" Stiles exclaimed.
Chris frowned. "Why would you fight a Minotaur in front of everyone?"
"That Minotaur was running an illegal auction," Jacob explained, his tone turning serious. "They were selling humans and supernatural beings as slaves, plus organs, blood, bones—even live subjects for experiments. The girls and I freed the captives and destroyed the place."
"You did good. I hate people like that," Chris said, though his expression remained troubled. "But why do it publicly?"
Jacob shrugged. "I thought it would be fun."
"Innocent people died because of that."
"Yes," Jacob admitted. "One man died because of me. I have no excuse. I made a selfish choice to prolong the fight for my own amusement, and completely underestimated the unpredictability of a terrified crowd and a drunk person's stupidity and lack of self-preservation. I'll be more careful next time."
Melissa gave him a worried look. "There's a next time?"
"Of course. If I find more people like that, I'll go after them. I might even give the world another show—but I'll make sure no innocent people get hurt. I promise."
"Please take me with you," Stiles cut in eagerly. "And give me a mask like the Joker one. I know you have it."
"Sure. Right now, Cogman's monitoring something the S.D.E.S. found near the waters off Alaska—something that's sinking ships. Once they locate it, I'll go fight it. You can tag along."
Melissa looked confused. "What's the S.D.E.S.?"
"The Supernatural Defense & Enforcement Section," Cogman explained. "A U.S. government division dedicated to supernatural affairs. Most of their agents are supernatural beings themselves."
"I see."
Jacob stood up. "Alright, I'm going to see how the animals are adapting to Serendell."
"Wait, I'm coming with you," Lydia said. "I want to see the penguins. Maybe pet them."
"Me too," Allison added.
Malia grinned. "I'm coming too. I want to see if the lions have found the hyenas yet."
Soon, everyone joined Jacob, and they spent the next few hours watching and interacting with the new wildlife. At one point, Malia even caught a Siberian tiger. It struggled and fought at first, but soon realized it was no match for her. Defeated, it lay obediently while Malia proudly showed off her new pet, and the girls gathered around to stroke the poor, bewildered big cat.
To be continued… 😊
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