The afternoon sun filtered through the dense, emerald canopy of the Thousand Fang territory, casting dappled light across the clearing.
Hóng Yè sat on a low, moss-covered log, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his bushy red tail swishing with a steady, irritated rhythm. At seventeen, the Red Panda had officially accepted his permanent, highly stressful role as the designated supervisor of chaos.
"Don't go past the marked trees!" Hóng Yè barked, narrowing his amber eyes at the blur of fur and scales tumbling through the tall grass.
"We know, grumpy brother!" Yòu Lín's voice echoed back cheerfully.
It had been three days since Tao Zi's emotional breakdown in the center of the village. The revelation that the small, silent boy was the last surviving heir of the Jade Jaguar Clan had put the entire tribe on high alert.
