「The west wing of the Spirit Beast Garden, in the maternity ward.」
A Clouded Leopard lay on a soft cushion woven from Spirit Grass, her spotted coat seeming to ripple in the light.
A few newborn cubs snuggled under her belly, nursing with their eyes shut.
Today was another day of waiting for "postpartum care."
She remembered the humans who used to come here. They all had hollow eyes and stiff limbs. Their hands never trembled when they fed her cubs. Their movements were strange, but at least they were quiet and obedient.
But one day, an ignorant companion had hissed at the group of puppets. Seeing how obedient they were, it had even opened its great maw, intending to have an extra meal.
The next second, the puppets had suddenly sprung to life and chopped that companion into mincemeat.
From that day on, the Clouded Leopard understood.
In this sect, any beast that dared to snack on a human would suffer a gruesome death.
Then, a series of footsteps approached.
