In the camp, the elderly dog's tail froze in midair.
It looked at Black Fang's departing back, and the light in its eyes dimmed.
It nudged the puppies farther under its belly, then lay down as well, as if it had already accepted something.
When the cat pack surged into the camp, they encountered almost no resistance.
Several elderly dogs tried to stand in front, but they were directly knocked to the ground by the cats' charge.
Doulo ran at the very front, body leaning forward in a sprinting posture.
In the camp, the elderly dog was struck from the side by an orange-and-white cat. Its body tilted, exposing the puppies under its belly.
The three puppies were curled up into three furry balls. The smallest one had buried its head between its two brothers' bellies, leaving its butt sticking out, its whole body trembling.
The elderly dog struggled to get back up and covered them with its body again.
"Woof."
Shiro turned around and ran toward the center of the camp.
He passed through the encircling cats, passed through the trembling dogs trapped in the middle, and ran all the way to the elderly dog. Then he turned around and faced the cat pack.
The cat pack's attention was drawn by this white puppy that had suddenly rushed in.
Doulo had almost left the camp. When it looked back and saw this scene, its steps paused.
"Shiro."
Shin-chan released the Transformation Technique and stood in front of Shiro. He spread both arms wide, shielding Shiro behind him.
"A human?"
"How is it a human?"
"It was clearly a dog just now."
The cats surrounded them from every direction.
"It's you?"
Kitsujiro looked at Shin-chan, its whiskers trembling slightly.
Shin-chan still kept both arms spread wide and blinked. "Kitsujiro?"
"Why are you here?" Kitsujiro flicked its tail.
"I came to save Shiro."
Kitsujiro's gaze passed over Shin-chan and landed on Shiro. "A royal of the Dog Clan."
Shiro poked half his head out from beside Shin-chan's leg and barked at Kitsujiro.
Kitsujiro's ears twitched.
Just then, a commotion came from behind the cats.
A little orange kitten squeezed out from between the legs of several big cats. Its four short little legs moved quickly as it scampered over.
"Little Orange!" Shin-chan's eyes lit up.
Little Orange ran up to Shin-chan, but failed to brake in time and crashed straight into his calf. Then it flipped over and landed on its back with all four paws in the air.
Shin-chan crouched down and turned it back over with one hand.
Little Orange shook its head, then stood up and let out a soft "meow meow."
Uchiha Toru lowered his head and looked at the little orange kitten, the corner of his mouth moving slightly.
"Why did you run out?" Kitsujiro's voice carried a trace of headache.
Several big cats responsible for protecting Little Orange chased after it from behind. "It insisted on coming. We couldn't stop it."
Kitsujiro glanced at them. It didn't scold them and only sighed.
Little Orange didn't notice the atmosphere at all. It was busy rubbing its head against Shin-chan's palm.
Doulo walked back from the edge of the camp. As it passed through the encircling cats, several of them bared their teeth at it.
"Kitsujiro."
"Doulo." Surprise appeared in Kitsujiro's expression.
"We can talk."
"Talk about what?" Kitsujiro's voice was flat.
"Peace."
Kitsujiro's tail swayed lightly. "Are you serious?"
"The war between the Dog Clan and Cat Clan was never the will of all dogs from the beginning," Doulo said. "Only Black Fang needs a war to solidify its position."
"So you came to negotiate peace with me?" Kitsujiro smiled. "What do you have to negotiate with?"
"Black Fang wants war. As long as it remains, there will never be true peace between the Dog Clan and Cat Clan."
Kitsujiro did not answer.
"We can cooperate," Doulo said. "Together, we can deal with Black Fang."
Kitsujiro did not reply immediately. Its gaze moved away from Doulo and swept across the entire camp.
Those elderly dogs were lying on the ground, without even the strength to stand. The puppies were curled into a ball, their round little butts sticking out, still trembling.
The "spoils" were nothing but the old and weak. They didn't even have value as something to boast about.
There weren't many valuable bargaining chips. Doulo counted as one. That white royal dog counted as another.
Kitsujiro's tail swayed lightly. It was just about to refuse.
Then from the corner of its eye, it saw Little Orange.
After finishing rubbing against Shin-chan, Little Orange had started rubbing against the other human cub.
Kitsujiro's whiskers twitched. "How do I know the Dog Clan's new clan leader won't be another Black Fang?"
Doulo's ears stood up, but in its heart, it let out a breath of relief.
"And Black Fang will not let this go," Kitsujiro's voice returned to calm. "It left with the main force, but it will come back. When it returns, what do you plan to do?"
"When it returns," Doulo said, "the Dog Clan will no longer be something it alone decides."
Doulo turned and walked toward the center of the camp.
The old and weak dogs huddled together watched it approach, their eyes full of confusion and unease. Black Fang had left, and the cats still hadn't withdrawn. They had no idea what would happen next.
Doulo stopped in front of Shiro.
Then it lowered its head, bent its front legs, and slowly sank down until its forehead nearly touched the ground.
"Your Highness."
Shiro froze, his tail stiff in midair.
"The Dog Clan needs you."
After a brief silence, the elderly dog stood up from the ground and faced Shiro.
It also knelt down.
The puppies looked at one another, having no idea what was happening. But they copied their elders and clumsily lay down, resting their heads on their front paws.
One.
Two.
Three.
Every dog still standing in the camp knelt down one after another.
Shiro stood among all the dogs, his white fur almost dazzling beneath the sunlight.
"Woof."
He did not look at Doulo.
Nor did he look at the kneeling dogs.
His gaze crossed the empty space between the cats and the dogs and landed on Shin-chan.
Shiro had never wanted to be some prince.
His bond, all his attachment, had always been very simple.
It was Shin-chan.
It was their everyday life of taking walks together, playing together, and being held by Shin-chan while they slept.
That was his world.
Shiro stepped forward, passing through the kneeling dogs, passing beside Doulo, and running step by step toward Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was nudged by him and plopped down on his butt. He wrapped his arms around Shiro's neck and buried his face in his fur.
"Shiro."
Kitsujiro watched this scene in silence for a long time.
Then it turned toward Doulo.
"The Dog Clan owes the Cat Clan a formal apology. Also, the ownership of the water source is not something that can be brushed over as simply as 'using it together.'"
"All of that can be discussed, but not now, and not between you and me." Doulo looked straight into Kitsujiro's eyes. "Once Black Fang is no longer a threat, the Dog Clan's new clan leader will personally step onto Cat Clan territory and give the Cat Clan an explanation."
Kitsujiro's whiskers trembled slightly, as if weighing the value of those words.
"Fine."
The dogs of the Dog Clan followed Shiro, surrounding Shin-chan and the others in layer after layer.
Doulo stood outside the circle, looking at Shiro in the middle of the pack.
This white puppy was not royalty.
It had known that from the very beginning.
The real prince was at the hot spring inn, lying on his back and letting humans rub his belly. This dog named Shiro was no prince at all.
But now, that no longer mattered.
~~~
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