A/N: Apologies for the belated release of this chapter. I couldn't wrap my head around how to translate certain ideas into text.


"Ah, the last of the three.' Alacazar says with excitement as he eyes all three jaquin generals once and runs his free hand through his beard, 'You know, I had read about you mystical creatures in old Maruvian texts. I was curious about your home world but they clearly have never set foot in your realm. And until this day, neither have I or the other members of this delegation."

During his short speech, the other humans are standing idly but have their eyes feast on the marvellous interior of the Palace. Everything's gazed upon, from intricate wall carvings and lavish decorations to its structural design. So far, everyone has been impressed with the realm's appearance and layout on their way here.

After Alacazar finishes speaking, a soft but excited chatter erupts between many a jaquin in the throne room. They all heard of this delegation entering their realm shortly after the three generals and the Skyguard set out. Everyone flocked together inside the throne room, eager to meet these Avaloreans. For most of them, especially the young, it's even the first time they get to see a human.

Two members who have been to Avalor often are crown princess Miguella and prince Diestáy. Under their supervision, Alacazar and the rest of the delegation had entered the realm and Palace shortly after being escorted there from the other side of the portal leading to Avalor. With its intricate decor and the chattering, this crowded throne room containing a myriad of colourful jaquins reminds each member of the human delegation of a busy market day in Avalor, one that sees a lot of different stalls with their loud owners trying to sell their crafted wares and home-grown produce.

Verago marvels at the sight of the humans' fascination with the Palace. He's fond of their approval of the Palace. On his turn, he takes a few steps forward. Hesitantly, he greets the human delegates in a dignified manner: "It is good to hear that you show such interest in our realm. So, welcome to Vallestrella."

Alcazar lets out a few hearty laughs. "This is the third time in such a short time that I've been welcomed to your home world. You jaquins are a friendly bunch of individuals, indeed.' he states kindly and turns back to Corona, 'But on a more serious note: we are here on behalf of King Raul and Queen Lucia of Avalor. We're both happy and thrilled to represent them. My King and Queen would undoubtedly have wanted to be here. Alas, King Raul has matters of his own that needs attending. Also, neither is keen on magic. Thus, they send me, the royal wizard of Avalor, in their stead. Through this visit, we hope to strengthen the bonds between our – well, peoples, I believe is the best word. I hope you share our sentiment, king Corona of the jaquins."

The teal-and-indigo jaquin king nods to the kind words of wisdom. "I am certainly pleased to hear this. We, too, are happy to have you here. My daughter and son are eager to show you our beloved realm. It is rather vast so it may require a few days to familiarise yourself with Vallestrella. However, I must stress the caution that is to be exercised when visiting areas that may pose a risk without proper guidance. The generals will see to your safety."

Verago, Zephyr, and Thunder go stand together and stomp the ground using a paw each and shout 'For the king!'. This act of loyalty takes the human delegation by surprise. Never before have they witnessed such a display. They take back one step from all three generals with their eyes betraying a certain terror. All but Alacazar's; his eyes emanate admiration and respect. The middle-aged wizard's eyes twinkle in delight at seeing this many souls around him, all so driven with dedication. They're obviously dedicated to following their king, as well as showing a genuine interest in the human wizard and his company; their lively chattering gives it away for the most part.

Verago and his fellow generals hadn't expected humans to be this observant and impressionable. He's too distracted from noticing his mate Myra entering the throne room together with Luna and his little son Skylar. "Hunting papá again!" he can hear Skylar yell suddenly.

Both cubs attempt to tackle him again but the black-and-emerald jaquin reacts quickly by stepping aside. As a result, the lunging cubs miss him entirely and tumble down on the floor. They roll over a few times before coming to a stop in front of the human delegation. Both Skylar and Luna look up at them. Their beady eyes are fixated on the humans, expressing both curiosity and fear.

On their turn, a gasp of wonder escapes most humans upon seeing both cubs. Never before have they laid eyes upon such tiny and, above all else, adorable jaquins before. They care to pet little Skylar and Luna. However, both cubs have never seen humans before so they step back and out of their reach. They keep doing this until Skylar and Luna bump into Myra's front paws. There and with enlarged eyes, they start observing the humans in a way that comes across as fascinating.

Verago and Myra watch how the cubs react to the human visitors, finding their behaviour both sweet and innocent. They cuddle together as they remain watching them. Their presence falls to the background now that the cubs are stealing the humans' attention. "Look at how swiftly they adjust their focus. Just a moment ago they were trying to hunt me – and completely missed me… So far for their hunting tactics." Verago comments quietly.

Myra shakes her head and looks at him, her glance filled with disapproval. Her black-and-emerald mate can often act pragmatically where she'd prefer a more sensible approach. Skylar and Luna are but cubs and have much learning to do so she feels compelled to respond to his discouraging statement. "Oh you.' she starts while rolling her eyes and equally quietly adds with irritation, 'Let me hunt you, then."

Whenever the white-and-blue jaquin grows annoyed with Verago over something, her talking starts sounding like a sneer. That much he knows about her. Lucky for him, he can play along. "You already did. It made us mates." he comments calmly and quietly in an attempt to change the subject.

"True,' she says with a twinkle in her blue eyes of him reminding her of romantic times past, 'but these two are not as capable of hunting like I am. I would devour you if you were something… diferente."

"What? Different how?" Verago whispers to her.

"I mean something other than a jaquin. Something like… Hmm. Maybe – a butterfrog." she suggests while frowning at him.

"Buttfrog!" little Luna shouts energetically trying to mimic a new word she's hearing.

Skylar immediately starts chortling. "You said 'butt'." the yellow-and-blue cub comments in between his laughs.

Both his laughter and comment spur Luna to laugh as well. All this laughter energises them and fills their minds with childlike alacrity. And this same alacrity has them forget about the humans in the blink of an eye. They take off and leave the throne room. They're quickly followed by Migs, the nervous youngster who stayed close to his parents and away from the unknown people. All three start chasing each other throughout the Palace as part of yet another game.

They're followed up by Verago and Myra's eyes as they watch them leave. The black-and-emerald jaquin shakes his head mildly over the immature behaviour of his young son. Even though he understands that Skylar has much to learn, there's still this returning desire within for his young son to grow out of that habit sooner than later and start taking after his father. But for now, he'll leave it be and returns his surprised gaze to his mate. "But seriously, Myra. A butterfrog? Me? Never! I am a jaquin standing tall, carrying my feathers with pride." he says proudly but still quietly.

"Yet still standing in the shadow of your padre" she comments with a sneer.

Verago's determined look changes to a saddened one. "Hrm. I hoped that you would not bring him–"

Suddenly, they hear a familiar voice bellowing throughout the throne room. "Ahum! Listen up, everyone!' Corona's voice rises above the chattering that's happening inside the throne room and continues at a normal tone once the chattering dies down, 'Now that I have your attention. As I have stated before, we have brought these humans into Vallestrella so they could familiarise themselves with our realm. Therefore, they must see as much of it now that they are here. Verago, Zephyr, Thunder. You three have a day to make all necessary preparations to keep them safe. Miguella and Diestáy, today you will guide them around the Palace Perimeter. In the upcoming days, you will take them further into the realm."

Again, all three generals stomp the ground and shout 'For the king!'. This time, the humans aren't startled by it, much to the pleasure of the generals…

Everyone inside of the throne room starts moving, making preparations for the upcoming days in which the people will be shown around Vallestrella. Everyone but Verago. Worry has taken hold of him. Chatana and Kizin are still out there and pose a great threat to the realm.

Zephyr notices the worrisome look in the black-and-emerald jaquin's eyes. He takes Verago apart for a moment. "You also feel loaded with contradiction, right?' the grey jaquin asks calmly and nods once as a sign of understanding, 'However, we have our orders. We cannot veer from them. You do understand that we have to make a good impression on these humans. Besides, none of us has found any sign of Chatana or – Kizin. Right?"

Verago scoffs. He hasn't yet told anyone of his encounter with Chatana. Telling the others would only incite panic. For now, it's his secret to keep. He just hopes that she won't cause havoc on them as long as the humans are in Vallestrella…


While the jaquins make preparations to show the humans around in Vallestrella over the course of a few days, Chatana sits in front of the now-collapsed cave. She's leaning forward with her head burrowed between her knees and her hands buried in her hair. It's a silent outing of despair. Before her, a little dust settles down from the cave-in still. These leftover dust particles that remain swirling around her have captured her attention. She follows them with her eyes. They're the remnant of her failed attempt at summoning, which has drained all of her energy completely.

A single thought occupies her mind: she was so close to summoning her most powerful minion so far. All went incredibly well. She'd made significant progress and effort in getting her new "child" across. It took her some time, as well as a few setbacks here and there but neither had crushed her spirits. She'd have said that everything went smoothly… Until that dreaded cave-in happened. It was close to crushing her and Pili, but it certainly succeeded in eliminating all of her progress. Now there's nothing left of the portal, her minion, nor the huge amount of magic she poured into the summoning. Even though she had the chance to lay eyes on the humongous shape of her new "child" who was halfway from crossing the border with Vallescuro, nothing of it is left now. All have been in vain…

The only creature that's still with her is Pili. He sits on her shoulders. He's wheezing from exhaustion from the running he had to do to escape the cave-in. That moment was scary for the brown weasel. But that has made way for frustration with his mistress who's acting catatonic. He feels bored and hasn't a single clue what to do or say. He sighs a few times to attract the attention of Chatana but she doesn't respond to him.

Suddenly, she lifts her head. Chatana looks at the fallen rocks blocking the mouth of the cave. There's something behind all that debris. She can feel it. A faint spark of something magical. A familiar one. Her eyes widen. "Do you feel that, Pili? Can you sense my child? It's still there…' the winged sorceress comments slowly and carefully, 'It made its way through the portal. I'm so close to it… But I haven't got any power left in me to get to it. I must recuperate first."

"Well, that and this place will be crawling with unwanted visitors. That collapse was very loud, should I remind you." Pili comments nervously.

"I suppose. Then we must leave this place and come back later. I will not abandon my new minion like this. Not after having put so much effort into summoning it. I will get it out, Pili. One way or the other…"