It was rather hair raising

Jollus feeling time was of the essence put far more **** in his stroke of the ores than he ever had before making good time as he took the fastest wrote he could well passing any fellow swamp dweeler with a fast get-home. Once he got back to his hideout, he realized he didn't have the space to move all the black scales on his canoe, and since they didn't have the tails of the red scales, he wasn't sure how good at swimming they were.

So with the wounded waiting on them, Jollus made the quick decision to have two scales come with him to help the wounded, living the other five to look after the eggs and incubators. So with a plan set, he made a quick series of hand gestures that were able to get his meaning across, and so two black scales were quickly making themselves hard to see in his canoe as he made his way back.

Though it shot his nerves as he had to make quick small talk with every swamp dweller he passed as to not draw attention to the black scales hiding in his canoe. Jollus managed to make it back in good time, and the black scales were patching up the wounded red scales, showing their skill at healing and manipulating biology as their wounds were quickly undone by the hands of the black scales, who made the red scales as good as they knew, as if they had never been harmed.

Now that the red scales were okay, the two black scales immediately made their way around the central cavern, seeing and planning what they would do with the new home. Jollus thought on it a moment and came to a decision as he came to the realization he couldn't move everyone from his hidden sunken tree cabin to the new sunken cave, at least not easily, as he had already experienced. Not to mention that making so many trips as he had would draw unwanted attention.

So instead he'd live in the tree cabin while most of the scales lived at the new cave hideout. So with that plan made, Jollus waved for five of the red scales to join him while the other eight defended the new cave with the two black scales. He would bring two more black scales tomorrow as he wasn't making any more trips today in hopes to not bring anymore attention to himself by his curious neighbors.

So Jollus made one last trip home with the five red scales hiding below the water, fellowing after him. They caught a few fish together to bring back what fish spears still held together from their earlier attack on the shredded terror. He finally made the final trip home into the tree bush that was his cabin home. He tied his canoe to the dick and got out with the five scales following after him as they all went up the steps.

Jollus went into his cabin home and quickly flopped onto his bed as the red scales and black scales at the cabin spoke among themselves in their strange hissing language. His eyes began to close as he felt the stare of four incubators—those who had once been sisters of battle—giving him hate-filled stares. Though the stare belonging to the incubator that had been there the longest had confusion in her eyes as well as hatred, as if there was something else going on in her mind that she was grappling with.

He fell asleep, trying to ignore the implications of what had been done and reminding himself that he was on the path of redemption. So when morning came, he got up quickly and made his way to his canoe, gesturing for two of the black scales to get in. Once they were hidden, he made his way out until the swamp and towards the new cave base, where the rest of the scales were setting up shop.

Once he got there, he was surprised to see the red scales having already set up a guard to watch the entrance. The red guards were waiting beneath the water for any human intruders that would try to lead an attack on the cave base. He was, of course, let through without issue; he made his way in and made his way through the long tunnel of interest in the former best of the bearded terror.

He was surprised to see what the black scale had been up to, as they had turned the bones of the slain into a series of platforms that were above the flooded floor of the cave. He made his way over to one and tied his canoe to the primitive dock. The two black scales that had been in his canoe quickly made their way out and over towards their brother black scales, who were working on other platforms.

Jollus walked among the platforms well, and the black scales spoke among themselves in their tongue. The platforms made from bone lined the walls and were made rather sturdy, as he didn't feel them or shake as he walked up and down them. Eventually he figured it was time to go, as from the look of the platforms and the pile of fish he saw in the center, the scales at the cave had everything under control.

Just as he was about to leave, the black scales came over and stopped him. For a little while they played a game of charades as Jollus tried to figure out what they were after. Eventually the black scales gathered some mud, drew pictures, and pointed at the one they seemed to want. It was one of the recently captured sisters, the one who was the tallest among the three with the most muscle of three.

Jollus nodded his understanding and then got into his canoe and spoke to the gathered black scales. "I'll bring her tonight; it's too dangerous to bring a prisoner across the swamp during the day." Jollus said to the nods of the black scales, who nodded their understanding. The fact his scaled could understand him clearly while he couldn't them made him feel lacking, but he pushed that down as he untied his canoe from the bone dock and made his way back to the sunken tree cabin to return later to the cave that night.