After Soren's words, the absolute authority of his declaration hung in the air for a moment.
Then the crowd started to disperse slowly. People began talking about random things that had happened today. The de-fanging. The punishment. Bella's downfall. But most of all, they talked about Neve's pregnancy.
"Did you hear? The red panda is pregnant!"
"A male carrying cubs! That's insane!"
"I wonder how many he'll have!"
"This changes everything for the tribe!"
Most of them even talked about other things. Things that made Neve uncomfortable when he heard them.
"I wish someone else was our chief."
"Yeah, Soren is not doing a good job."
"Cael would be a better chief. He's stronger. He's smarter."
"He actually cares about the tribe."
Neve swore that he heard it clearly. Even Cael did. The leopard prince's ears twitched as he caught the words being spoken about him.
