"Parker's mama, the Leopard Queen, introduces her to the workings of the City of Beasts while she waits for the rescue of her snake-napped friend in a cloak, because what is an adventure to another world without a cloak? Hardly an adventure at all. Neara's glasses prevent her from being too attractive, but darn it if some desperate men still won't take their shot."

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"Neara." Parker's mother gently said as her guest stretched the sleep from her arms. "Parker and the Leopard King have left. They should be back soon. Your friend, Shay, has been spotted."

She sat upright and held the blanket to her chest. "That's good news, right?"

"Yes. If you come to the courtyard, there should be meat grilling. Perhaps one of the leopards there will catch your eye."

"Are there... some furs around I could make myself clothing with?"

"Yes, I will have some brought to you."

"Thank you, your majesty."

The Leopard Queen smiled and walked out. Within minutes, a short leopard beastman dragged a bundle of furs into the room, along with a fish bone and long strings that smelled like meat. He dropped them at the foot of the bed and left; the tip of his tail twitched in the air.

"Now to make a cloak." She tried to find the thinnest furs so she wouldn't boil in this heat. The tube top didn't help the sweating and when things got slippery, they obeyed gravity a bit more earnestly. She sewed loose stitches to get the look she wanted first, then filled them in with tighter stitches so her skin wouldn't show even a little. The patchwork quilt felt thicker at the bottom and smelled like urine, but she could always wash it later. She fastened it around her throat with a thicker strand of leather. "I guess I could always make buttons later." she trailed off and decided against tying the rest of it shut. "No sense in making my own sauna."

At the prospect of fending off more entitled men, Neara stayed in bed until hunger drove her to quietly peek around the corner. Nobody walked the corridors and she grabbed a lock of her hair as she walked down the hall. The stones were old, but bore no chisel marks on their surface. They seemed pressed together with a mortar, but the fit was so tight, Neara couldn't be sure. The crude huts in Camel Hump Valley hadn't indicated this level of engineering, but she supposed it could have been done by another tribe. Apes, maybe? They could be more like actual humans, although she didn't know if they would turn into actual chimps or gorillas. With their simple vocabulary, Neara didn't know if they knew the difference.

A hunk of meat smoldered by the fire and Neara ripped off a chunk and gnawed on it. The meat was dry and bland, like leather. It sorely needed the spices, or at least a garlic rub. "I wonder if they have limes and cilantro here." She mumbled to herself as she chewed. She met no one as she wandered through the halls and out the door. A wide path set with cobblestones led from the castle to the center of the city and she followed it, passing by large stone houses that looked to have a main room with a smaller room to the side. Ahead, a large group of beastmen gathered, some towering over the rest, although the rest appeared to be Parker's height.

"He's brought back more females!"

"That one looks like Fox Tribe; she's so pretty!"

Neara noticed large tigers and bears walking with young women sitting on their backs. There were 5 of them and she noticed they all looked sad. Someone shoved her from the back and she fell onto the road. Her glasses flew off her face. "Shit..." Her hands passed over the rough stones and searched for that scrap of plastic. "That's it, I'm super gluing these damn things to my face except we're in medieval times so glue hasn't been invented yet and I can't invent it because I'm blind..." she muttered maliciously to herself. The smell of animals and blood thickened in her nose.

"I saw you drop these." A large hand, almost as big as her head, was in front of her. The voice reverberated through her bones and mouth.

"Thanks, I..." She looked up and stopped. The beastman in a crouching position still towered over her so much she squinted to see his face. "I drop these all the time. I'm sorry." She took his hand and helped herself up. "Thank you for grabbing them." When he remained silent, she put her glasses on and looked at him. A deep scar over his left eye cut deep into the skin, but the silver eye beneath sparkled. His face looked like frozen handsome, or a sexy popsicle, or... she shook her head slightly. Why wasn't he talking?

He noticed her staring and looked at his feet. "I apologize. I... I've never seen anyone with eyes..." The murmurs of the people around him drew his attention and he walked backwards. "I have to go."

Neara looked after him, but mobbing beastmen blocked her view.

"Where are your mates?"

"Why are you wearing a cloak?"

She held her hands over her head. "I'm just following the noise, I'm sorry!" A soft hand placed itself on the small of her back and guided her forward. The voices died down.

"You're fine. You need a protector though; someone who will provide for you in the City of Beasts."

"Your majesty!" She gasped and looked at her long blonde hair and ornate headdress. Her clothes seemed to flow around her like water. "You didn't have to..."

"None of the males in that pack were worth your attention. A beautiful female needs strong mates and none of them had more than 1 mark." She smiled briefly. "You can do better."

"Thank you." They walked in silence for a few moments and the queen's hand dropped from her side. "Where are we going?"

"To the Ape King's castle. You will remember him from your tribe. There, males will compete for the attention of the females Winston has captured."

"They capture females?" Her bare feet tripped over the fur. She gathered it into her hands and held it above her ankles.

"Yes. I've heard one of them was stolen by a feral, but my mate has not returned, so it's probably not your friend. It's entertaining to watch." She looked down and frowned slightly. "You don't know this tradition?" A laugh escaped her lips and she pressed a finger to her mouth. "Of course not; the Ape Tribe is not strong and is not known for capturing females. You must have been sheltered for your beauty. I don't blame them."

The gates in front of them looked similarly sturdy to the Leopard King's castle and opened into a much larger courtyard. A short balding man stood in front next to a tall beastman in a white striped robe. Another beastman stood next to him dressed in a shaggy black fur cloak. Although dwarfed by the company around him, his charisma pulsated and created the feeling you were looking at someone much more important than the handsome men around him. He stretched out his arms and smiled. "Winston, thank you for bringing back 5 females. We will hold a banquet for them. Please, join us."

Neara noticed an enormous white tiger off to the side, a scar running down his face. He roared to the Ape King.

He smiled and continued, "The new females will pick their males on the first day. Everyone may compete on the stage. Good luck on winning!" The crowd cheered and the noise forced Neara's eyes closed. The leopard queen put a comforting hand on her arm.

"Males think noise and violence are the answer to everything. Those with the loudest roars aren't usually the best fighters though."

"Those girls look so sad. Why don't they have a chance to choose for themselves?" Neara opened her eyes and couldn't help noticing the deep worry etching lines in the faces of the women on display.

"What?" The leopard queen looked up. "They will choose. The strongest males present themselves to the females and the females choose from there. I don't know how else they would make a choice. A female should surround herself with the best in order to protect herself and her cubs."

The Ape King pointed to a red-haired girl and said, "The fox female and her partner were kidnapped by scorpion ferals. Her partner was killed and Winston saved her. She will automatically become Winston's partner, if she chooses."

As the crowd murmured, the white tiger, Winston?, flashed into human form, his tall body rippled with muscles and his tiger tail reached just below his silky mane of white hair. He stood before the girl and rumbled, "May I become your male?"

She burst into tears and hid behind another female who backed up in shock. "No! Don't come closer!"

The audience laughed as Winston stood still for a moment. "Forget it then." He melted into his tiger form and casually walked away, his tail held over his body proudly.

"Ha! Winston is so powerful, but so ugly! He will never find a female. All he does is terrify them." The leopard queen laughed. "There will be a bonfire tonight with plenty of food. As royalty, I don't want to attend, but if you'd like to go, I could arrange a guard." They moved closer to the large platform as beastmen mounted the steps and took their places. They looked at the two women curiously and Neara saw others who turned around to gawk at the queen when they passed. "There will be good meat there."

Where chaos and noise dominated the previous announcement, this one met with silent determination. "Let the tournament begin!"

Bones crunched into the silence as they attacked each other with more joining from the audience. "Are they just going to kill each other?" Neara asked.

"Maybe. Beastmen are very strong, and we don't have many females." She paused and fiddled with the jewel that hung on her forehead. "You can take your pick of these strong ones, if you like. If you remove your glasses, many will try to win your affections."

"It's okay, I... don't see anyone up there that I like." She twisted the leather between her hands and plucked at the fur.

The queen nodded and they stood in silence. Blood squirted on the pavement in front of them. Neara stepped back to avoid the splatter. The queen said, "We can stay here until nightfall. I'll accompany you to the gates, but I will not attend the festivities. You will have your own fire, as a female. I suggest accepting no more than 2 males for your first outing."

Neara twisted the leather tighter and nodded. The gore on the platform staggered the mind with gore leaking everywhere. Several unmarked beastmen stood around the platform rocking on their toes and casting longing glances towards the 5 females, who watched with rapt attention. She sighed and brought her fingers to her hair. This was going to be a long night.