Talia returned to the citadel with dust still clinging to her boots and the weight of another world's rules.
The Deepway tunnels felt different after Moss-Badger stone. The walls still hummed faintly under her palm when she passed, still answered her touch—but now she could feel the contrast. Their obedience was a gift, not an inevitability. That knowledge stayed with her as she reached the central hall and called for the sentinels.
Theo arrived first, as always. Then Dav, Cael, Evan with a carefully sealed crate held like a newborn, Junia with her quiet gravity, several senior sentinels, and the sentinels of scouting and research who had been waiting since dawn for whatever news she brought back from beyond their borders.
When the office doors closed, the noise of the settlement dulled. Not vanished—Deepway was never silent—a big difference compared to the Moss-badger Clan.
Talia stood at the table, hands resting on the stone, and looked at them all before speaking.
"We made first contact," she said. "And we survived it, that means more than you think."
A few shoulders eased. Only a few.
"They were waiting for our first contact. First, this world has a name," she continued. "Vaelterra. It's a beastkin world and it didn't accept us by accident."
She let that settle before explaining.
"Every thousand years, offworlders arrive. Not to conquer or civilise but to replace. Populations here burn fast—beasts, winters, territorial collapse and other dangers we don't know. Vaelterra replenishes itself by pulling from elsewhere." Her mouth thinned slightly. "We're not special for arriving. We're special for coming out of turn and we'll be remembered by surviving long enough to matter."
A murmur rippled. She raised a hand—not to silence them, but to anchor attention.
"There is a distinction you all need to internalise," she said. "And if you get this wrong out there, people die. Maybe ours. Maybe theirs."
She looked directly at Collie, then at the younger scouts.
"Beasts are not beastkin. Do not conflate them. Ever."
Dav nodded once, already tracking.
"Beasts have divine power," Talia said. "They are born with it but they cannot use it or shape it. They are forces wearing flesh."
She paused, then added, "Beastkin can use divine power, can shape it and live with it. That is the defining difference. Not intelligence. Not speech."
Someone opened their mouth—caught themselves.
"Some beasts reach high ranks," she continued. "They can speak and plan. That does not make them people and some beastkin cannot shift into human form. That does not make them beasts."
Her gaze sharpened. "Watch your language and assumptions. This is a sensitive line here. Crossing it is not a misunderstanding, it's an insult."
The room went very still.
"This world and Beastkin rely on deities," Talia said next. "Not metaphorically, nor culturally but functionally. Their gods provide divine energy that assists survival—work, endurance, territory stability. Deities define the borders, they awaken abilities tied to labour, healing, craft, military and others."
Junia's eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
"Another critical point. This world runs on hierarchy," Talia went on. "Not tyranny, Hierarchy. Lords matter more than we realized. Spoken word carries weight and reputation and authority stabilises systems, governing and diplomacy. That doesn't mean we abandon who we are—but it does mean we stop pretending rank is optional."
Grandma Elene placed a hand on the table and Elise raised her palm to her cheek, both narrowing their eyes to the information delivered.
She exhaled once. "Winter has a name, Whitefreeze. It lasts two moons, which we can relate to one month each moon. The first brings a biting cold and the second kills the unprepared. Months are longer here than on Earth, how much the difference is will depend on the research team."
Ben shifted. "How long—"
"Long enough," Talia said. "And before this month, Lastharvest ends, there is a caravan trade market. The Moss-Badger trade elder will take Evan. That is not a favour. It is a test."
At that cue, Evan stepped forward and placed the crate on the table. He opened it carefully.
Salt.
Not much but enough to matter, enough to relax restrictions slightly.
No one celebrated or smiled.
Mum reached out and closed the lid herself. "Rationed," she said quietly.
"Like gold," Grandpa muttered.
"More," Kass replied. "Gold doesn't keep lungs working."
"There is no local supply for salt, it is all traded amongst Clans." Talia let them feel the weight of that before continuing.
"The nearest local powers," she said. "Pay attention."
Evan stood and listed them calmly, one by one. "Hollow-Root Molekin, southeast is tradeable. Forest Boar, south must avoid and watch carefully. Night-Owl Clan, southwest, tradeable. Roc Clan, southsouthwest, avoid. Ice Dragon, northwest, avoid at all costs. Moon-Deer, northnorthwest are tradeable. Wind Hawk Clan northeast are tradeable and the Shell Clan and River Otter Clan direct north are both tradeable. All Clan trades are item specific along with trade etiquette."
Talia looked at Dav. "Military changes are needed now, not later."
Dav nodded, already grim, and spoke.
"Training must adapt to this world," he said. "It's more guerilla warfare than our traditional battles. We need to learn, ambush terrain, territory border pressure and retreat doctrine. Over-commitment here gets noticed and punished quickly."
Talia turned to Collie. "Expand Deepwatch. Information keeps us alive here, we rely on knowing before acting."
Collie's jaw tightened. "South Forest Boar?"
"Nearest danger," Talia confirmed. "Scout their borders. Do not provoke and do not encroach. We need to know when they expand their borders."
She shifted her attention to the research leads now being carefully unpacked—bundles of roots, pressed leaves, labeled samples that smelled faintly of damp earth and smoke.
"Whitefreeze illness has no treatment here," she said. "It's not treated as a sickness, it's an acceptable mortality."
Dale sat gloomily in his chair, hands clenched. The researchers straightened as the council turned to look at the plants and then them.
"Research these plants," Talia ordered. "Start medicinal gardens right now, not after the frost. If we can't cure it, we mitigate. If we can't mitigate, we slow." Turning to her mother, Talia spoke "Gathering team needs to focus on gathering these plants, they are our only hope for surviving winter." Then glancing at Dav, "Patrol teams too, keep an eye out."
Both nodded in reply.
Silence enveloped the room as the point sank in that whitefreeze deaths were an accepted loss.
Then Junia spoke.
"Faith," she said softly. "It's not optional here?"
"No," Talia agreed. "It isn't superstition but it isn't a religion either."
She straightened, feeling the shift inside herself as she said the next words. "Deities here are lifeforms, living systems and relationships that we can't ignore without consequences."
Junia folded her hands. "We'll need structure, rituals and education."
"Yes," Talia said. "Carefully, we will create a faith department, not to dictate belief—but to guide practice. The Clan will decide together our Deity and our ritual ceremonies."
Pausing, she looked at Elise. "Create an etiquette class, use the historical models, the diplomatic team can guide you more. Any visitors that come here will have at least one high rank personnel who needs special etiquette. Leniency will only take us so far. We need to conform to an acceptable level fast, before we create an irreparable blunder."
Continuing with the topic, "Clans will only interact after the Lords meet and accept diplomacy. So we can't send out a diplomatic team without the Lord, me. After the first meeting, teams can visit and trade but they must include a sentinel."
Then—because it mattered—she let herself speak of strength.
"We are doing some things right," she said. "Education, we saw only apprenticing, no formal schooling like ours. Our governance—the systems are clearer and with research—they are behind us there, especially with medicine."
She let that settle. Pride was allowed but grounded.
Talia sat down, "That's all the major points, the minor ones can be explained later amongst your teams." Her mouth curved, dry. "Now we need a Clan meeting. We'll do a rough explanation and then discuss selecting a Deity. That's how Vaeterra and Deepway works. We adapt."
The meeting wound down not with relief, but with gravity.
As people filed out, Talia remained standing, fingers pressed onto stone that now felt… aware.
Leadership here wasn't just logistics, it was spiritual consequence.
And that, she realised, would shape every choice from here on.