To armadas: There is a reason one of the upcoming stories is titled "Group Therapy"! Not every character who needs therapy is there, but enough of them are. Fortunately, the Heroes do have a couple people they can confide in with these kinds of experiences in Emilie and Sabrina (since their miraculous enable them to sense emotions).

To Lyger 0: Emphasis on the "unspeakable"! A little too powerful for Abdi and the Bulguu to take out on their own, huh? :D

To Butterfly: Thanks!

To yellow 14: That fight was a lot of fun to write, especially with the shapeshifting!

Maroodiga Cawlan stared down at the ashes where the Popobawa had burned up. The cooling embers glowed red in the darkness, dancing in his vision. After everything that had happened in the last few days, all of the death and trauma and destruction, the monster was gone. They had avenged those whom it had hurt and killed. Certainly the world would be a better place without it. He kicked at the embers with his foot, spreading them out a little bit and allowing them to burn out. A massive form approached from the far side of the clearing. "My thanks, Shunjar," he greeted him, not looking up from the dying fire.

The Shunjar let out a wheezing laugh and bobbed his head. "You freed me from that monster; that in itself earns you my gratitude," he replied.

"If you had no loyalty to the Popobawa and no desire for war, then why serve him?"

"I was an engineer on one of our scout ships," the alien explained. "My daughter entered the Navy shortly before we left on our last deployment and was assigned to the same ship as a cadet. When our ship began to break apart in orbit over your planet, I found her and we took the same escape pod. I was injured in our landing, but when a native found us I thought we were saved. He took us back to his camp, bandaged my injuries, and taught us his language. I thanked him for his help, but he worked for Popo. As soon as I had recovered, Popo made us his prisoners and threatened to butcher my daughter if I did not serve him."

Maroodiga Cawlan's eyes widened. "You are an engineer? On spaceships?"

"You may call me 'Kassim,'" he answered, nodding.

Maroodiga Cawlan held out his hand and clasped the alien's forearm. "I didn't meet the other of your race," he admitted, "but you aren't like the description I have received of him. He was far more war-hungry and interested in conquest."

"I believe that: there were a few warmongers on the ship – especially among the officers. But that's not me." Kassim shook his head. "I didn't join the Navy to fight; I joined the Navy for the challenge of working on the ships." He looked around, his shoulders sagging. "Unfortunately, if Popo is any indication, I doubt I will be welcomed here."

Maroodiga Cawlan hummed contemplatively. "I would agree that Africa as a whole is unlikely to welcome you as more than a curiosity or a weapon," he admitted. "However, I may still be able to assist you. You see, we are in the process of building our own spaceport near Australia, complete with a small number of space-planes. It may take come convincing – the last Shunjar we met tried to start an invasion, remember – but I think you could find a place there. If you will promise to help us, I promise that I will vouch for you. You and your daughter will be permitted to live and work there."

"Thank you." Kassim exhaled. "You can rest easy: I have no interest in further war. But at the same time, I won't help you make war on my own people," he warned. "But to have the opportunity to work on spaceships again, to help your people expand their spacefaring capability, would be incredible! And after the last two years, I know my daughter and I would like to be somewhere safe." He chuckled. "Now that we are free from Popo and Goota-Lolaa, all I want is to keep my daughter safe."

Maroodiga Cawlan frowned. "But where is your daughter?"

Kassim's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned toward the far side of the compound. Before he could run to check, however, they saw three figures approaching, one of which was only a head shorter than Kassim.

"Your daughter is safe," called Cadaabta Ey as the second Shunjar stepped forward gingerly to hug Kassim. Cadaabta Ey indicated the girl he was supporting with her arm wrapped around his shoulders. "My sister insisted that we rescue her when the fighting started in earnest."

Kassim glared over his daughter's head at Cadaabta Ey and hissed, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits. His daughter, however, made a grunting noise and shook her head. Kassim looked down at her in surprise. As the two aliens carried on a hurried conversation in their own language, Maroodiga Cawlan stared at the boy, his mouth set in a thin line.

"How did you recover that miraculous?" he demanded. "You must return it now!"

Cadaabta Ey's sister gasped, but he nodded in resignation and closed his eyes. "Growll, Recall the dogs," he whispered before being engulfed in crimson light. He caught the black Kwami as it appeared from his ring, and started pulling the miraculous off his finger.

"Hang on, kid," protested Growll, putting his paws on the ring before turning to glare at Maroodiga Cawlan. "Where do you get off just demanding that my pup hand over his miraculous?"

Maroodiga Cawlan maintained a stoic expression as he examined the Kwami. "I represent the African Miraculous Guardians," he explained calmly. "Part of our responsibility includes ensuring that you and your brothers and sisters in the Atlantean Miraculous Set do not fall into the wrong hands."

"And you think my boy isn't a good holder." The Kwami's ears lay flat against his head. "How is that your call to make, Elephant?"

"No, it's okay," Abdi told the Kwami, stroking his head with one finger. "I know I did some bad things for Popo. I… I don't deserve you. But thank you anyways. Thank you for helping me save my sister tonight. Thank you for being my friend." He sighed heavily and removed the ring, sucking the Kwami back into the miraculous. Giving the ring a last longing look, he nevertheless placed it in Maroodiga Cawlan's outstretched hand.

Maroodiga Cawlan felt the weight of the miraculous in his hand and looked more closely at the teen. "Now where will you go?"

Abdi shrugged, holding his sister close. "I don't know. Our village was destroyed by Popo, and most of our people are dead or gone – the last one left in Popo's band was killed in your village. I–" He sighed. "Thank you for this; I only wish there had been superheroes there to protect our village."

Maroodiga Cawlan looked away to hide the tears that sprang to his eyes. "I wish we could have saved your village, too," he confessed, bowing his head. "Unfortunately, what you see is as much of a team as we have – the three of us, I mean; the other two are just visiting for the weekend. And with as few miraculous and holders as I have at my disposal, we just don't have the resources to help every village in trouble, as much as we would like to."

Abdi gave him an eager look. "Could we stay? With you, I mean? I want to be able to stop the same thing that happened to us from happening to others. If I could stop the next Popo from doing to another girl what he did to Aisha…"

Maroodiga Cawlan eyed him carefully before turning to his sister. "And what about you?" he asked. "What is your desire?"

Aisha stared up at him in shock. "What do I want? I–I don't know," she admitted. "I've never had the choice. I don't know what I want, but I know I don't want to stay with Abdi, somewhere safe."

Maroodiga Cawlan snorted. "That is easily enough accomplished," he observed wryly. Turning to Abdi he explained, "Unfortunately we generally do not permit anyone to live at our Temple without a purpose, either as a Guardian or as a miraculous holder, and all three of my miraculous have holders at present." The boy's shoulders fell. "But at the same time," he added, "I do find myself unexpectedly in possession of a fourth miraculous." He held the ring out to Abdi. "This is the Miraculous of the Dhole. For your help tonight, and for your humility, it is yours once more, so long as Growll wishes for you to be his holder. Use it wisely."

Abdi's eyes lit up with excitement and he grabbed the ring and jammed it back on his finger. Growll reappeared from the miraculous in a flash of light and nuzzled his cheek, his tail wagging excitedly. "You can count on me!" He hesitated. "Thank you. Thank you for giving us a home. And for trusting me."

Maroodiga Cawlan put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You earned it," he told him seriously. "Now just go out there and earn it again every day." He glanced over to where Ngarayap was tending to a couple of prisoners on the far side of the field and caught the girl's eye. She quickly jogged over to them. "Abdi is going to join our temple as a miraculous holder with the Dhole Miraculous," he told her. "Aisha is to remain at the temple with us, as well. See to it that they both get home and find rooms."

"Of course," Ngarayap assured him, placing a hand on Abdi's shoulder. She looked past him at Aisha. "Ooh, I love your hair color!" she told her.

"Thanks…" Aisha replied hesitantly.

"We are going to be best friends," Ngarayap promised her, smiling broadly and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they started down the trail toward the temple. "Just wait until you see the amazing waterfall in front of our temple's entrance! Sometimes we'll go swimming in there and it's so cold you'll almost freeze to death in moments!"

Maroodiga Cawlan strode across the field to a spot near the far side of the camp where Roqonsa Saada had gathered together all of the hostages taken by Popo – most of them young women. While there were a handful of hostages that he knew from Yoonis, even more were outsiders. Even more villages that Popo and his men had ravaged, even more lives that they had destroyed. "Are these all of them?" he asked, turning to Roqonsa Saada.

She nodded, her mouth set in a hard line. "All that survived," she reported. "Of the Yoonis hostages, only Dekha is missing."

Haji stepped forward out of the group with Farah following after him. Maroodiga Cawlan pulled the old man into an embrace. "I was so worried; when I heard you had been taken, I feared the worst."

"We are fine, child," answered Haji, squeezing him tightly and holding him out to inspect. "But unfortunately Dekha–she–"

Maroodiga Cawlan nodded. "I know. I understand. Her sacrifice will be remembered."

"After this," Haji began slowly, "I don't know if I can return to my home. It… won't be the same without her."

Maroodiga Cawlan frowned. "Unfortunately, I do not think we have the space for you both at the temple along with our new guests."

"You know," interjected Sent-Bee, "last time I was in Australia I happened to notice that they have an entire retirement village for their retired Guardians and holders and the like. Perhaps they might have an apartment for you?"

Haji nodded contemplatively. "Australia?" he asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"There's an entire Island-Temple thing there," Maroodiga Cawlan explained, rubbing his forehead. "We met them after you retired – don't ask."

"I think I will enjoy meeting and sharing stories with other Guardians," Haji agreed. "But what about Farah? Living in a village of elders can't be exciting for him."

The teen shrugged. "If that's what's best for you, go. I will be fine here."

Maroodiga Cawlan put a hand on Farah's shoulder. "Since your parents' deaths, we have been keeping you on the outside to spare you the pain of their fate. However, you are now old enough to make the choice yourself – and you've seen the consequences. So it's up to you: would you like an introduction into your parents' world?"

Farah frowned. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "What happened to Dekha, what happened to my friends… I never want to see that happen again. But…"

"But you have gotten a taste of normal and found that it suits you?" Haji smiled knowingly. "Your parents were two of the greatest miraculous users I ever knew, and they fought to give you the choice of a normal life."

"If you wish to remain in Yoonis, I will ask Aziza to let you stay with her," Maroodiga Cawlan promised.

"Thank you."

Maroodiga Cawlan finally turned to their two guests. "I thank you both for your assistance," he told them. "This… hit far too close to home for my comfort," he admitted. "But with your help we stopped it. So thank you."

Sent-Bee shrugged. "What can I say? 'Friendship is magic' and all that, right?"

King Monkey burst out laughing and slapped Sent-Bee on the back. "You actually watch that show!?"

She gave him a look. "How did you know that came from a TV show?" Her jaw dropped. "Don't tell me… you're a brony!" She let out a cackling laugh. "I should tell Ondine when we get back – no: Alix!"

King Monkey stilled instantly and paled. "You wouldn't."

Sent-Bee smirked maliciously. "Watch me."

Maroodiga Cawlan stared at them in confusion. Finally he cleared his throat. "Well, anyways, you're welcome to stay the night before returning to Paris."

King Monkey held out a hand to Maroodiga Cawlan. "You're more than welcome, bro: I'm glad we could help. And feel free to stop by Paris anytime!"