My Werepanther System: Starting with Nine Lives
Chapter 55 UNION

Chapter 55: 55 UNION

The deal was made between Rex, Syphen and the Beto-Bound tribes-people. They now were known as the Green-Cat Tribe or the Nahuali people. All Rex had to do was become the Tribe-Father by marrying Flora who by default was the Tribe-Mother due to the deaths and forced vampiric transformation of her parents thanks to Beto The Blooded.

Adelmo suggested they sanctify the deal with a spilling of blood— to mark what transpired over the Fallen-Rock. Their meeting table.

Rex’s immediate response was no. Actually, it was hell no. But Syphen’s eyes told him it was another way of working with the people and their customs.

So, they all spilled a drop of blood at the center of the Fallen-Rock’s ringed surface.

Immediately, Rex’s mind got to work.

"How will we do this?" Syphen asked.

"Well, if I bite them in my current form, they’ll become Anhurians and Bastetians. Healers and warriors. I could absolutely use both. But then again, I could use anyone. More importantly, there’s only about one hundred or so of you. Barely a Brigade. As WereLions they wouldn’t be as strong or experienced enough as Remulus’ horde.... Wherever it is. We need to lean into our gifts. Stealth. I got it." Rex thought before turning to Syphen and saying, "You will bite them."

"....me?" Syphen hissed soundlessly as he looked to the others.

Rex nodded, "If you could pass some of your abilities to them— I think, it would be better than me doing it."

Syphen hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Alright." Rex adressed everyone. "Return to your posts. Tell your groups what’s going to happen. To fully become the Green-Cat Tribe, we’ll have a Changing Ceremony in ten minutes. Along with this, tell them about their new enemies in Remulus and the other Totem Awakener’s."

They all nodded as Syphen explained Rex’s orders precisely before leaving the meeting room.

Suddenly Rex was alone with Flora.

She walked around the table to face him. She was still wearing nothing but hemp underwear.

"You will be the one to change me." Flora said.

"Who told you that??" Rex asked as he looked down at her before abruptly thinking, "You speak English???"

"...what?"

Rex cleared his throat, "Why do you want me to?"

"Structure." Flora said, "I will be like the rest of my tribe— when I’m supposed to lead them. With you."

Rex thought to himself, "That makes sense..... leaders have visible distinction. But that’s purely symbolic. Flora will just be a Werepanther. I don’t have time for this. If it’ll get her working with me, it’s a sacrifice I can make. One for one hundred."

Flora continued to eyeball him.

"Alright." Rex said. "But that’s the last demand you make over me. We run this. You don’t run me."

Flora held out her hand, "We run eachother."

"What did I just say?" Rex said without shaking her hand.

Flora smiled for the first time, "Good..."

She gave a bow and walked past him, sparing a single glance back before continuing her strut back to the Green-Cat Tribe.

Rex watched her go— probably for too long, "What the hell just happened?"

The trek back was quicker than the journey towards the meeting room. When Rex and Flora arrived, Syphen, Adelmo, Bruno and Maria were already organizing the people in preparation for The Changing Ceremony. If anything they worked quick. Lush flower beds were adjusted and situated in rows facing a platform of stood and wood slabs framed by a Jaguar skull that held two torches in its eye sockets.

"Let me guess—"

"I have created what the Nahuali spirits told me to create!" Adelmo roared as he looked from his book to the real world mirroring it.

"Yep..." Rex nodded.

"He has always been this way." Flora said as she stood beside him.

"Have you always been this way?" Rex asked.

"What way?" Flora asked in her usual deep voiced accent.

"Secretive. Misdirecting. Cold." Rex said as they watched the people organize from the shadows.

"I am for my family. I watched my parents allow a strong.... magical man, come and turn our village into a feeding ground. All thanks to promises of purified blood. I had to be sure. Not only that you can lead. But that you weren’t like him."

"Like Beto." Rex assumed.

"I will bow to the enemy for mercy no more."

"Never planned to anyway." Rex said.

"That’s what I’m noticing." Flora said.

"You ready?" Rex said.

Flora nodded.

Rex stepped into the light of the flowered cave lands. As he did, he switched forms, reassumed his base Werepanther shape. He shrunk down a foot or two and lost about fifty pounds of muscle. His fur darkened, glimmering with galactic spots. He felt his senses shift. His sense of smell grew stronger. His hearing weakened and his paws grew softer, made for quieter steps. At the same time, the exotic heat of his jungle-Fire burned in his veins.

The Green-Cat Tribe stood before the Werepanther in their rows of freshly bloomed flowers, grown in the wake of a jungle-fire blast that saved them all.

The crowd was silent.

Rex looked around. "Damn.... this looks like a cult."

Adelmo took over in Rex’s silence as he climbed up to the platform they stood on, placing himself behind and between the two.

"My people! Today marks a day of change and Union! The Great Panther is not our god. Not our savior. He is our ally. And as our ally, he wishes to bring us into the truth of this world. To expel a great evil and experience the great beauty this world holds through the eyes of the feline! To mark this day, The Great Panther will make another in joining Flora as Tribe-Father to lead us as a people."

A few of the warriors nodded. A few more elder women smiled and gossiped among eachother. It seemed so bizzare to Rex. They were just told their daughter of sorts was marrying a giant humanoid cat-beast. And they were giggling like school girls.

Then again, he was sure people who lived beside monsters and under vampiric rule probably didn’t look at them the same way he did.

That was to be used to his benefit.

"To bring these two together, we will begin in body, and continue in mind over time." Adelmo said.

Immediately after, Flora took a step forward. Rex did the same. The two hugged. Which wasn’t what he was expecting.

The tribes people watching the unification did the slowly trademarked feline bow before shouting in approval.

"Alright I’m done waiting." Rex said.

"And now, the Changing Ceremony will be—"

Rex pushed Adelmo out of the way softly and opened his jaws, biting down on Flora’s shoulder.

The tribes people stayed in their bowing position with their arms outstretched, digging into the grass and flower beds beneath them.

Syphen hopped through the ranks, biting the arms of everyone as he went until all except the kids were sporting glowing bite wounds.

An unnatural drowsiness hit them all at seemingly the same time, causing the cave to be filled with sleeping individuals in the midst of transformation. They steamed as jungle fires flowed within. As their mana signatures transformed and their physical essence fortified.

Rex stood with Flora in his arms.

"This better work."

"It will."

Rex almost jumped as Adelmo appeared behind him.

"I’ve dreamt of this day."

"You have?" Rex asked.

Adelmo nodded, "I’ve dreamt of a lighted night. A night of bliss— knowing that the days were set to change. That we were set to change. Not through purified blood. But one of history and hybrid essence."

"Right....." Rex said.

Adelmo held his gaze for a moment before dropping into the bow, "Allow me to join my people. To continue my scripture with the right frame of reference."

Rex looked back to Syphen who hopped up after them.

He stood beside Rex, waiting for his order.

"Go ahead."

Syphen took Adelmo’s arm and bit him.

Unlike everyone else, Adelmo recovered, standing back up to begin writing. As his bite wound glimmered.

Rex and Syphen shared a glance.

Adelmo began hobbling around the cave, writing and giving prayer to the sleeping changed.

Rex looked out to the caves exit. "I’ve gotta get back soon." He said to Syphen.

Syphen whined, "Yes...."

"Sorry buddy. I’m stuck at the moment. We all are. Just bare with me."

Syphen snorted, "I don’t like bears."

Rex laughed, waving Syphen off with his confused expression.

Soon after he added, "Will you and Hassan be enough to guard all these people?"

"Not just us..." Syphen hopped over to the cave exit and whistled into the dark. Rex followed behind him.

It didn’t take more than a few minutes for six massive jaguars to pad inside. They purred as they brushed past Rex and began walking among the people.

Some of them sat beside a specific individual while others circled an area.

"You’ve made friends." Rex said to Syphen.

"Good friends." Syphen said.

Syphen’s words made him think of his own. With such a big step made in his plans, he couldn’t wait around to be found with his hands tied. He had to get back to Imani.

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