Beast City Reunion

Tyler landed gently and allowed Amber to slide down before transforming back into his walking form. Amber noticed cheetah beastmen guards. They looked astonished for a moment to see their lost Cheetah Queen return, but Tyler gave them a stern gave and they stood at attention.

Amber chuckled at their changes in behavior and waved at them, "Keep up the good work!" They looked happy to be acknowledged by their Queen. They stood at attention, but their happy tails swinging behind them gave away their mood. Amber laughed and entered the Cheetah castle. 

Barry was inside the kitchen preparing lunch. He had leveled up to a 4 striped beastman but was not close to his fifth stripe. He had been raising the Cheetah cubs and didn't have time to level up. In his spare time, he would take the cubs to hunt and teach them survival skills.

He noticed his mate's presence behind him and turned with some fish and honey in one hand. His brown bear ears twitched and his short tail started to wag. He was overjoyed at the sight of his mate. His honey-brown eyes sparkled with joy.

Amber laughed and waved at him. "Hi Barry, I'm back. Where are the others?" He was momentarily stunned before he responded, "Oliver took the cubs to hunt for medical herbs. He is teaching them medicine. They should be back soon."

He dropped his food and ran towards Amber. He was about to pick her up when Tyler stopped him. "Wash your hands first." He knew Amber liked to be clean and he just cleaned her up. He had dressed her carefully in her new clothes and didn't want this clumsy bear to cover her in honey and fish.

Barry looked embarrassed and shifted his eyes to his dirty hands. He leaned over and kissed Amber quickly before he washed his hands in the water stream. Amber smiled at his cute behavior. He returned quickly and showed Tyler his clean hands before he picked up his mate. He gave her a big bear hug. Amber patted his back and reminded him, "Not too tight!"

He loosened his hold a little but did not put her down. He apologized, "I'm sorry, but it has been so long. I forgot to be gentle. I missed you so much."

Amber kissed his cheek, "It's ok. I understand. I'm sorry I was gone so long this time. Thank you for taking care of the cubs." Barry's cheeks blushed at the kiss and he hid his head in her chest shyly.

Amber laughed until she heard some beasts running towards her. She turned and saw fully grown cheetahs. Oliver walked in behind them panting. He struggled to catch his breath and reprimanded them, "Even though you are naturally faster, you still can't just run off whenever you feel like it!"

Amber was stunned at the sight and whispered, "Are those my cubs?" They heard her and a pair of hazel eyes and green eyes looked at her. Amber could recognize them based on their eyes. She called out, "My babies are all grown up!"

They came running up to her and tried to jump on their mother. They remembered when they were smaller and could climb on her lap and she petted them. They didn't realize they were too big to climb on her now. Barry held Amber up high and stopped them from trampling Amber.

Oliver called out, "Nate, Raj, get down. You are too big to climb on your mother. You have to be gentle. She is a fragile female. Remember, we talked about the differences between males and females?"

The cheetahs stopped jumping and their ears flattened on their heads. They looked pitiful. Amber reached out to pet them and asked Barry to let her down. "Thank you, Oliver, but I know they missed me as much as I missed them."

She kissed each of their heads and petted them. They snuggled as close to her without knocking her over. Oliver came closer and hugged her from behind. Tom saw this beautiful family reunion as soon as he landed. 

Amber summoned Nick and the whole family was back in the Beast City. She looked at Oliver and asked, "Where is Eli?" Oliver left the room and made a monkey call. Soon a young beast man walked in and greeted him, "Father, you called for me?" 

He was distracted when he saw his younger brothers almost smothering his mother. His brown eyes opened wide when he met his mother's gaze. Amber pushed the cubs away and ran to Eli. He was skinny and tall like his father and had lighter brown hair, a mix between his mother's blonde hair and his father's brown hair. 

Amber whispered as she reached out to touch the stipe on his face, "Eli? My little monkey is all grown up?" Eli had a proud smile on his face and hugged his mother. "I am all grown up now Mother, Father, and Uncle Barry taught me how to be a beastman. I have leveled up and built a home close to the castle."

Amber started to cry happy tears. Eli didn't mean to make his mother cry. He looked flustered and panicked. Oliver hugged her and comforted her, "It's ok. Cubs grow up and live on their own. This is the way of the Beast World. He has already earned his first stripe." 

Amber nodded and wiped her tears. "I'm just a little sad I missed seeing you grow up, but I'm happy you are a strong beastman. Even if you live separately, you can always come back here. I will always be your mother. When you find a potential mate, I want to meet her first."

Eli nodded at his mother's words. He knew his mother was different from the females in this world and cared about her cubs more than most. Usually, only female cubs were cared for after they grew up. Males were expected to leave the family as soon as they matured.

It was nice to know how much his mother loved him. He looked at her with eyes full of love and promised to keep in touch. Oliver invited him to stay for a meal. Eli nodded eagerly. Barry remembered he had been cooking when Amber suddenly arrived and returned to the kitchen to make more food. 

Nick came up to Amber and took her to their bedroom. He knew she was emotionally overwhelmed and needed a minute to calm down. She went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. After a few calming deep breaths she returned to the living room with her family.

Everyone looked at Amber with their worried eyes to see if she was feeling better. Amber took a deep breath and reassured them, "I'm fine. Don't worry. I was just a little overwhelmed by all the changes."

Nick helped Amber sit down on a fluffy animal skin rug-covered chair. Amber told them about furniture last time when they were decorating the castle. They assumed the furniture was fur-covered. Amber didn't correct them since it was more comfortable than stone or wood.

They had a stone table with chairs around for family meals. The males didn't need to eat 3 small meals each day, but they noticed Amber enjoyed sharing her meals with them. They would do anything to make her happy, so they started to eat together. 

Barry served some honey-seared fish. Tyler had gone to make some rice for Amber. Eli made a small salad for Amber since no one else liked vegetables. He knew that she needed a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables.

The food looked so good that Amber started to eat as soon as the food was placed in front of her. She motioned for the others to eat as well. The cubs did not need to be told twice. They were always hungry since they were still growing.

They just came back from hunting, but how could the prey they caught be compared to the food their Uncle Barry cooked? It was a lovely family meal. For now, Amber decided not to worry about the troubles outside. She only wanted to focus on her family.

The other mates noticed the absence of Blue Tang but chose not to mention it. They blamed him for the trouble with the Mermaid Queen. If he had not 'saved' Amber and only returned her after they mated, she would not be in danger from the merfolk.

Nick would explain the plan to them later. He didn't want Amber to accidentally summon Blue Tang to the Beast World by thinking about him. The less she thought of him, the better! He thought she had enough mates to take care of her. 

After the meal, Amber decided to see the new home Eli made for himself. Oliver escorted her with a few cheetah guards. Eli and the cubs led the way.

Nick silently motioned for the others to stay back so he could share the plan with them. Once he was sure Amber was far enough not to hear him, he told them why Blue Tang volunteered to stay in Amber's world.