Elemental Cats

But just getting rid of the few remaining Scorched Earth Rats wasn't all that needed to be done. The area that had been turned into a wasteland needed to be restored and cared for. While it would gradually recover by itself, the area had been turned into a wasteland so quickly that the effects on the ecosystem hadn't been noticeable yet. But even if the wasteland didn't spread any further, it would still maintain its barrenness and desolation for some time, and all the beings who had fled from the spread of the wasteland would stir up a lot of trouble as they looked for new places to settle down.

With the chaos that had been stirred up by the commotion in the mountain range as well as all the migrating beasts, the situation in the wilderness surrounding Yellow Sparks would grow tense and turbulent.

That would be bad for business, and it would also be dangerous for farmers, explorers, and even the residents of the town if the beasts got restless and started acting out.

Thankfully the humans didn't need to settle it all and recover the wasteland on their own. To their help, they had the cooperation of the Forest Alliance that Toz had been in contact with.

Since no one knew how to deal with the small forest in the wasteland that had been put on hold while the more pressing issue of the rat extermination progressed, but now that the rat extermination was finishing up it was time to begin thinking about the future, and diplomatic relations were initiated between the humans and the beasts that were a part of the Forest Alliance.

Since the Ash Monkey Tribe had the greatest understanding of human culture, they represented the Forest Alliance, and the Forest Janitors represented the humans of First Ignition.

Despite any disputes that might arise between humans and beasts, while they were working together, they would hold a ceasefire. The ceasefire would last until the wasteland can be unanimously deemed gone, and then it's back to normal where they might kill or cuddle each other like they're mortal enemies or best friends. Like it usually was between beasts and humans due to their natural differences and the variety of human inclinations.

Both wanted a thriving forest full of natural resources before they started fighting for it though, so the peace was easily agreed on by both parties. The Ash Monkey Tribe especially since they felt rather close to humans thanks to their heritage.

Although they had lost parts of their inheritance in the earthquake that struck First Ignition when the Rat King tore the ground apart so it could appear, they had copies of everything, that managed to survive.

With the help of humans, their village was rebuilt and the monkeys got a chance to further their understanding of architecture. The humans also got an opportunity to see what tits like building houses and homes as a part of nature in a way different from what they had seen previously.

The Ash Monkey Tribe got the cooperation and friendly relationship with humans that many of them wanted, and they didn't forget to expand their library with literature and documents about that relationship. Although it was uncertain how the cooperation between the monkey tribe and humans would continue in the future after the wasteland was restored, Raknaz, the leader of the tribe was hopeful.

Since Raknaz was, against his own wishes, growing older, he took it upon himself to record his life's experiences and anything else he figured was important to future generations.

He wrote a lot, and while he might have embellished some of the stories of his youth, he didn't need to do that with the more recent years. The fight against the Scorched Earth Rats, as he had learned the pests were called, was epic and bloody.

And although Raknaz hadn't been present himself, he wrote about the wild part that lasted through the night thanks to an exceptional cook and his delicious food. But the cook wasn't alone as he brought with him a few friends. Then after visiting their village, that human set out on a journey that lead to the Forest Alliance's and the Ash Monkey Tribe's salvation as he initiated the extermination of the rats that had been plaguing their forest for several years.

Toz's existence was written down, and his accomplishments of bringing the joy of cooked food to the Ash Monkey Tribe and saving them from the rats would be forever remembered by the Ask Monkey tribe.

Raknaz also wrote down his hopeful wishes for the future of his tribe and how much he looked forward to how it would develop.

Then before he left his hut so he could find his son and hand over the mantle of being tribe leader, Raknaz closed the book he was writing in and placed it on a shelf already filled with books.

He left the tribe with a smile on his face.

Raknaz wasn't the only one with a smile on his face after finishing his writing. Toz, ever since he began his journey with Lucy and Nil, had brought a journal with him where he detailed the events he experienced and the food he cooked. Drew pictures of the sights he saw and the beasts and humans he encountered. During their time on First Ignition, he had managed to fill up an entire journal with his words and drawings. As he flipped through the pages he realized that if First Ignition hid both Mindle's egg and the Scorched Earth Rats, it might hide more treasures. But that isn't something he can look for at the moment.

Toz was sitting on a large wagon drawn by four impressive steeds. He had all three cats stacked on top of each other on his lap, peacefully resting. Toz looked at the path behind him and the path ahead of him as he couldn't wait to go on another adventure alongside his cats. What would they experience, what would they see? Would they maybe find another cat somewhere? Hopefully.

Toz wasn't alone in his anticipation. Although Lucy was almost always excited or sleeping, after what they had experienced on First Ignition, he looked forward to even more chaotic events.

Mindle, who was still technically a baby, looked forward to experiencing even more of the world she lived in with Toz, Lucy, and Nil.

Since Nil had only gotten to spend the first few days of their time on the road fishing and eating fish, he hoped that their next destination would have more of that.