After Dan healed the catgirls’ minor injuries, Rei and Luna followed him into an enormous tunnel from the concrete chamber. Rei's mouth dropped as she observed the shelters standing across the sewer tunnel.

It looked like a village! About a hundred tents and small houses made from whatever the Nocturnals could find. Wood, metal, and green cloth stitched together over the windows. High above were long cables holding lanterns that kept the sanctum lit. Some houses hung on the walls with bridges and ladders, adding a second floor for the inhabitants.

Dan trekked past wolves, rats, and bug people, all wearing ragged clothes that could have been left in the dumpsters. Two weasel men roasted a giant cooked rat over a fireplace on a spit. It wasn't a Humanimal, at least. Just a giant, normal rat caught to feed the hungry sewer dwellers.

Two mice kids ran around, chasing a fly that was the size of Rei’s fist. It must be tough to have Humanimal children live in the sewers. So what were their parents thinking? Instead of giving their kids a better home, they preferred to keep them away from the corporations at the top?

How selfish!

Toward the end, Dan stopped in front of a giant green tent with brown spots all over it. He pulled a flap up and gestured to Rei and Luna. "This way."

Luna stepped through first and Rei next to Dan. The tent interior has nets surrounding sofas, boxes, and tables with junk on them. A round lantern shined above a tall metal chair where a pig sat toward the center. A gas mask covered his face over his gray, furry coat. And two dog men in trench coats and helmets stood side by side near the pig, holding rifles equipped with bayonets.

"Greetings," said the pig, raising his left hand. The voice sounded muffled behind his double air filters on his mask. "I'm Corg Lenson, leader of the Nocturnals. May I ask who you are?"

"Luna and Rei," the panther girl answered. "Can we have our guns back?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. We can't trust you until we fully understand who you are."

"They said they are bounty hunters looking for a monster here," Dan explained.

"Is that true?"

"Ye ye!" Rei stepped forward. "We are from the MCPD. Something is attacking the sewer cleaners from your level. It even tried to attack me on the surface."

Corg took a deep breath through his mask. "There are many creatures down here. We either hunt them or kill them to protect our homes."

"But this one is different! It's….." Rei wiggled her fingers up. "A blob monster."

The pig lowered his masked face. "A blob?"

"A black pile of muck," Luna explained with her arms crossed. "It can move anywhere and change into different forms. When it sees you, your ass is screwed!"

Corg placed his gloved fingers together. "Interesting, but we have never seen a creature like that here. We won't stop you from hunting it as long as you don't bring your violence here."

"We understand," said Rei. "When we find the monster, we will keep it away from here as much as possible."

Luna glared at her. "Are you kidding? We can't promise that. The thing could attack here at any moment."

"We can defend ourselves if it arrives here," Corg stated.

Luna gazed at him. "How?"

Corg held out his hands toward his guards. "We have a vast supply of weapons here. Enough for every man, woman, and child to handle. We also built strong barriers around every entrance to our village, with hidden traps. And our guards are always on the lookout for unexpected trespassers here. Because we live in a hostile environment, we are always cautious for our own good."

Rei appreciated how seriously the Nocturals secured their homes, but she doubted they could survive the blob monster’s attack. If the creature could move through a toilet or through a crack, it could appear anywhere and ambush the defenders. Guns and explosives couldn’t kill it until the sewer tribe has flamethrowers with intense heat.

A loud horn echoed outside, alerting everyone inside the tent.

Rei stared at the entrance. “What is going on?”

Corg rose off his throne. “We have an intruder! Get your weapons!”

Rei gulped. Is the creature here now?