Almond woke up again, but when he tried to move, he found that his wrists were bound together by tree vines.
"What the..."
He looked around. He had been locked inside a small wooden cage that hung from the room of a great hall.
"Seriously. Is this how you treat your own people?" Almond cursed whoever had done this.
"No. This is how we treat criminal perverts." A female voice came.
Almond looked down beneath the cage to find two figures staring up at him.
One was a man with black hair, dressed in black robes and wooden sandals. He was tall and carried a cold, mature air with him.
The other was a woman. Not just any woman, but perhaps the most beautiful Almond had ever seen.
She was dressed in red robes and a white undershirt that could never succeed in covering the bust of her breasts. The nipple poked through the fabric, but was hidden behind her flowing red hair that reached her chest.
The woman stared up at Almond with red eyes. A sly smile on her lips.
"So, Reincarnated One? Mind telling us what that title means, and why it's granted you such great power?"
Almond remained silent for a few moments, trying to piece together the situation.
Eventually, his memories aided him. These were the two leaders of the Squirrel Clan.
Master Acorn, and Clan Mother Redleaf. They were siblings.
"Alright, why don't we all calm down here?" Almond said.
"We are calm." Mother Redleaf responded.
"Great, then let me down from here. Afterwards, we can all—"
"Not going to happen. Not until you can convince us that you aren't a danger to our already weakening clan."
The words were spoken so coldly that Almond swiftly realised there was no chance he was going to get out of this without explaining his situation.
So, he told them the story of how he had died on earth and been reincarnated into the body of Almond Brown, a man whom he had never truly been.
The two siblings listed below never laugh or smile at the absurdity of the story.
Instead, they seemed to be listening very carefully.
After telling the story, Almond watched the two clan leaders whisper amongst themselves.
As he did, he used the time to focus on their status'.
[Clan Mother Redleaf]
[Age: 29]
[Rank: Silver]
[Race: Squirrel Hybrid]
[Titles: Clan Leader]
[Body Strength: Mid Stage]
[Magical Strength: Mid Stage]
[Talents: Hidden]
---
[Master Acorn]
[Age: 25]
[Rank: Silver]
[Race: Squirrel Hybrid]
[Titles: Clan Leader]
[Body Strength: Mid Stage]
[Magical Strength: Mid Stage]
[Talents: Hidden]
---
So he's the younger brother... I would've never guessed.
The siblings had finally finished whispering amongst themselves, so Clan Mother Redleaf turned her attention back to Almond.
"Disciple Almond, I'm going to put this simply. You're a pervert."
The words struck like a knife.
"But, your reincarnation has granted the squirrel clan a great asset. You are one of the very few members of our clan who have the capabilities to awaken combat talents." Clan Mother Redleaf explained honestly.
Almond felt himself filling with hope. The clan leaders had acknowledged that he was an asset that could not be abandoned.
Under different circumstances, he might have been beaten, or worse, exiled!
"However, since you come from a different world, we are uncertain of whether your loyalties lie with the squirrel clan."
"I swear that my loyalties lie with the squirrel clan." Almond tried, but the Clan Mother laughed and shook her head.
"Unfortunately, it's not so simple. Do not fear though, there are other ways you can prove yourself to us."
Almond raised a brow. "Other way how?"
"Through war." Master Acorn interrupted "Are you aware of our ongoing feuds with the Rat Clan?"
Almond nodded his head. His memories and system told him that not only was he hated by the rat clan, but he was also a victim of their wrath.
"My parents... Or the parents of the man I've become were killed by a Rat Clan raid."
Even though he hadn't experienced it himself, he could feel the rage welling inside of him.
Master Acorn nodded his head, pleased. "Good, well burn that memory into your very being. Tomorrow, we will be mounting an attack on a nearby village of the Rat Clanz reclaiming the land that they took from us. Our village is too small to house the entirety of the Squirrel Clan, we must take back what is ours!"
Clan Mother Redleaf placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, before pulling him into a hug. He was clearly enraged and relied on his older sister to calm him down.
Almond watched from above, wishing it were him being nestled between the giant breasts of the Clan Mother.
After a few moments, Clan Mother Redleaf lifted an open hand and clenched her fists. At that same moment, the wooden cage crumbled and fell apart, sending Almond falling to the floor.
Luckily, his hyper agility allowed him to maintain his balance in the air, twisting himself so that he could land safely on his feet, with almost no sound at all.
The two clan leaders watched him mouth, both with wide eyes.
Clan Mother Redleaf's plump lips eventually twisted into a smile.
"Return to your home and do not leave until someone comes to fetch you. Afterwards, you will be brought up to speed on the information on the raid." She ordered.
"Yes, Clan Mother," Almond said, bowing deeply as was expected of him.
After that, he left the Great Hall and re-entered the streets of Village Nutheart.
The day was still young, and the sun beat down through the trees, highlighting the wooden houses and dirt paths of the village.
Almond watched the squirrel villagers going about their days. They wore smiles on their faces, yet deep down Enoch knew that they harboured pain.
The Squirrel Clan had suffered greatly, constantly being ridiculed by the other clans of the Rodent Kingdom. Not to mention that they were barely even noticed by the greater kingdoms and empires of the world.
Almond made a promise to himself then, that with the powers granted to him through his awakening, he would do what he could to bring the Squirrel Clan to glory.