In a matter of seconds the beach roared to life. Everyone scattered across the sand. The young and injured hid below deck while the others went to fight off the soldiers along the coast. Takinom takes to the skies with her fire attacks. Intress roared at the enemy. Her claws raked ice. Aura, now having better control with her water abilities, to form a Tide Hound to even the odds as water blades sung loudly with each swing. Howls of Canis and laughter of Hyenids raised in the madness. Sand exploded as several dragons that were no bigger than they were joined in the frey. Waves crashing around wildly. Much to the dismay of those that resided in the boats.

As dawn finally approached the enemy fled. Leaving some of their captured comrades behind. Prisoners were already tied down and ready to be shipped to the nearest Overworld prison. Chaor and Maxxor were helped out of the ship by Wamma, Odu Bathax and Prince Mudeenu. They were both immediately treated with mugic the moment Najarin came onto the scene. Queen Azsil and King Theb-Saar were soon bombarded by questions once they were able to make contact with officials. Apparently, all the tribes went into a panic and nearly lost every battle from the invaders.

"Bet Queen Tikali planned that right from the start." Chaor grumbled.

Cot flapped over to his shoulder. "If you're making a bet, I'd help you double it." Chaor smiled. He lifted his hand up so Cot was able to do a high-five. "Not the first time she threatened royals. After the dragon royals were killed, Tikali dragged the other leaders here and promised them the same fate if they didn't follow their rule."

Frafdo raised a brow. "How-" His eyes snapped open as the answer soon came to him. "Oh...Never mind."

Quin'lins munched on some food that Aura was kind enough to hand him. The older M'arrillian slurping and gulping whatever he could find. His mind spilling everywhere. He didn't bother to notice some of the squawks and screams from all the creatures. Quin'lins made another fruit fly to him, but only carried Wamma along with it. Once he took it in his hands, he soon noticed. His blue eyes flashed with guilt. "Sorry...I hadn't eaten in a long time."

"I've noticed." Wamma said. He flopped to the floor once he let go. "I've also noticed that you suffer from the same problem Aura has with controlling her power." He pointed over to a few Overworld soldiers that were cursing under their breath and glaring.

"Oooops...Apologies." Quin'lins fiddled with his fingers. "Do you have something that would keep me under control until I get better."

Aura rubbed his back. I'll help you with that. I think it's still in Kiru City. With her other arm, she was supporting Khybon. She had to be careful of bringing him out of the boat since he didn't have a whole lot of sleep last night. Even her own body screamed for sleep after the haul she pulled out.

Maxxor sat against a rock. He no longer felt drained by his wounds, but like the others on the boat with the exception of Belladonna, he also needed sleep. He yawned. Not bothering to hide his exhaustion. "Before we move out, we should come up with the plan of our next move."

With that, everyone gathered around a small fire while more food was being scavenged by the scouts that were willing to go on. Sleep tried to claim them, but it only happened a few times. Monna and the baby dragons on the other hand were asleep in minutes. A blanket draped over her as Rue curled up next to them.

Queen Azsil was the first to speak. "My tribe is in a disarray. I need to head back as soon as possible. One of the Otherworld scouts is going to bring some Flux Baubles to send us back home." She raised a hand before Maxxor could speak. "Though I appreciate that you'd want to provide an escort for us, I fear it would only drain whatever energy you have in putting those miscreants away. After all, we had a long night."

King Theb-Saar sighed. As much as Danians and Mepedians have fought each other, the situation left him to agree. The battle that he, his nephew and his son partook in had a huge toll on them. His son was already breathing heavily while Bondu allowed him to rest on her shoulder. "I agree. I need to head back to the desert to see how much damage was caused by Tikali's forces. As well as recovering."

"Alright then. Chaor…" Maxxor turned to the Underworld leader. "Your thoughts?"

Chaor crossed his arms. He was silent for a moment. His mouth twisted into a soured grimace. Eyes shut. Finally, he gave his answer. "As much as I hate to agree here, I better head home too. My tribe can hold their own for a bit, but I still need to find those traitors before they seize power and take control of everything. Probably made a deal with Tikali through Bonewing."

"Not for long." Cot piped up. Everyone turned to her direction. "I've only heard rumors but Tikali is known to twist deals around in her favor. WWWWWhich you've already witnessed first hand. Plus, with Bonewing gone, they might not find out the next move for a while and could have their guard down."

"Best not to take chances." Intress said. She was the first to get up. "I'll help the others get the prisoners to the nearest prison safely until we can interrogate them."

"Good luck with that." Bondu sighed.

"Bondu!" Sansi scolded.

Bondu glared. She flailed her arms, not even noticing Prince Iflar's head fell onto her lap. "What?! You know as well as I do that only the generals get to be the ones to know this stuff! The others just...follow orders." Her large ears drooped as her eyes clouded with sad memories. Suddenly, she heard a soft grunt. Bondu took notice of Prince Iflar. Her heart stopped as he began to turn his head toward her. His eyes blinked for a moment before he fell back asleep. Her fur raised for a bit. Gently, she lifted his head off of her, scooted out of her spot and set him down.

Sansi sighed. "Fair point. There are two things that all of Tikali's warriors fear more than death." She pulled out two fingers. "That is the generals and Tikali herself. It's going to take a lot of effort to make them respect you. Bonewing maybe gone, but Shadowdancer and Moonbane are still out there." Sansi crossed her arms. Her moment of being serious was interrupted by Rue purring and licking her.

Everyone laughed, except for Monna, Prince Iflar and the dragon hatchling who were all fast asleep. Aura's fins and wings took on a bright colors. The air took on a brief moment of joy after a harsh night. In a matter of minutes, the Overworld scouts arrived with the flux baubles as requested. Queen Azsil was the first to take hers. Illexia, Wamma and Odu Bathax soon joined her. The young Danian Queen turns to them. "Well...I'd say that it was nice being with you all for a little bit." She turned to Aura. "It was nice to see you again, Aura….Though I wish the circumstances weren't...dire."

Aura bowed. It was good to see you too. I wish you luck on getting things back together at Mount Pillar.

In a flash, the Danians vanished. Theb-Saar knelt down and picked up his son. His large arm cradled the white Mepedian. Mudeenu joined them. "I hope to reunite further on how to overrule Tikali. Sansi, would you like to come to the desert?"

Sansi grew quiet. Then spoke. "I'll...have to speak with the others before we decide how we're going to set up our rebellion here."

"Fair. Head to the Mepedium Oasis when you're ready." With that King Theb-Saar and the Mipedians vanished.

H'earring flopped on the sand. "Guess we'll wait here for a while." The Underworld scout yawned. "Wake me when the next vehicle arrives." In a matter of seconds, he was fast asleep. Snores filled the air.

Chaor palmed his face. "Of all the times to do that. Takinom-" He turned to see his second in command already asleep. He huffed. "Might as well get a hold of my generals so I can fix this mess while I still can." Chaor got up from his spot and grabbed the communication item that Theb-Saar used earlier.

Quin'lins was already asleep. His body curled tightly. He moved his head to enjoy the feeling of warm sand against his face. A soft sigh escaped his mouth. The sensation of relief and safety washing over Aura and Khybon's mind.

Aura sighed as well. Her head rested on Khybon's shoulder. How are you feeling Khybon? Any more aches? Her colors soon changed to a calm blue. Cot was soon nestled on top of her tail. The colors are bright against the sun.

Khybon shook his head. "My back doesn't hurt. I can even battle thanks to the mugic." He yawned. His three eyes began to drop. "Though it was a hard night." He shuttered. "The attacks were so close, I thought the boat would capsize. It was a good thing you guard it." He looked to see Aura already asleep. Khybon smiled. He gently took Aura's hand. He took in the soothing sounds of waves crashing on the sand. Birds crying out in the distance. Voices of steady but tired Overworlders and Underworlders pitching tents. Khybon shifted and let his head rest on top of hers. The Underworld taskmaster soon fell asleep, paying no mind to Maxxor and Intress watching them with smiling faces.