Qas was a wolf, and simply an animal. He would never be brought before a court of law to be questioned or judged. Instead, the villagers led him deep into the Magic Forest, and word of what had happened was quickly brought to Nyx, Silas, Fin, Aver, Axe, and the other magical beasts who served within the palace.
They all gathered in a clearing at the heart of the forest. The wind drifted softly through the tall trees, but the air felt heavy and still, thick with tension.
Qas stood in the centre of the circle, facing the gathered villagers and his fellow creatures. He had no idea what wrong he had committed. His eyes moved from face to face, searching for understanding, desperate to know why he was treated this way.
"Qas, did you betray Princess Celestia?" Nyx asked, his voice sounding heavy with disappointment and sorrow.
"No! I only did as I was told—I was just delivering a letter," Qas pleaded.
"That is a lie!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"How were you able to enter Princess Elowen's territory so easily?" a woman demanded, stepping forward.
Qas went silent for a moment before replying. "Isn't it true that all animals can pass freely into that land?"
"I cannot, Qas," Fin said quietly, shaking his head.
Qas fell silent again. He himself did not understand how or why the barrier had let him pass where others could not.
"I do not know how I was able to cross into Princess Elowen's lands, but I swear to you—I never betrayed Princess Celestia. I was only following orders to carry a letter."
"Do not dare use Princess Celestia's name to excuse your actions!" Nyx snapped, his eyes locking sharply onto Qas.
Qas flinched in surprise. He had never heard Nyx speak to him with such harshness before.
"Qas, you will be punished. To all of you—thank you for helping us capture this traitor," Nyx declared.
Several villagers nodded in agreement. Some looked at Qas with burning anger, others with plain disgust, as if he were something vile. Slowly, they turned and walked out of the Magic Forest, leaving the animals alone with Qas.
Nyx stepped closer, staring down at the wolf. "Qas, you are to be imprisoned for your crimes."
"I… I did nothing wrong. Please, believe me, Nyx," Qas whispered, his voice weak and trembling.
For the first time in his life, he felt truly unheard. No matter how many times he explained the truth, no one would listen.
Silas looked at him with pity in his eyes, yet he said nothing. He felt sympathy for Qas, but there was nothing he could do to help or change the decision.
Qas was stripped of his position within the royal court and banished from the palace grounds entirely. He was led to a small, rusted cage deep inside the Magic Forest, far away from all other living creatures, to await his punishment.
He was left alone inside the cage. Though the metal bars were old and covered in moss and vines, they remained thick and strong, impossible to break. Tall grass grew wild all around him, and beyond the bars stood ancient trees and thick bushes stretching as far as the eye could see. The silence was absolute; the forest was so quiet that the sound of the wind rustling through leaves seemed loud and clear.
The wind blew cold against Qas's body, making him shiver. Although he had thick fur, it did little to shield him from the biting chill of the air. He curled up on the ground, but the earth was hard and freezing cold beneath him. He lifted his gaze toward the sky, watching as the daylight slowly faded into darkness.
A short while later, a small figure approached the cage. It stopped right in front of the iron bars, and Qas saw that it was another animal—one who stood there trembling, tears streaming down its face.
"Qas…"
Qas immediately stood up and walked to the bars, peering out.
"Hey… what is all this? Did you help trap me here?" Qas asked, his voice low and sharp.
"I didn't think you'd be caught so easily. But yes… I did help," the creature admitted quietly.
Qas glared at the animal, his eyes blazing with rage. He was much larger and stronger than the creature standing before him, and every instinct urged him to lunge and attack—but he was helpless behind the iron bars. His claws dug furrows into the cold dirt.
"You are so proud and arrogant, Qas. I never imagined you would fall right into the trap I set," the creature said, a cruel smile slowly appearing on its face.
"I will tell the others what you have done! They will know the truth!" Qas snarled.
"Do you honestly think anyone will believe you now?" the creature asked, tilting its head mockingly. "Everyone already sees you as a traitor. Your word means nothing anymore."
Qas fell silent. He knew the creature spoke the truth. His reputation was destroyed, and no one would trust anything he said ever again.
"I will be going now. My second goal is complete—blaming you for everything," the creature said softly.
It turned away and walked off into the shadows, leaving Qas alone once more. It vanished quickly among the trees, satisfied that its plan had succeeded perfectly.
At the same time, news of Qas's supposed betrayal reached Princess Celestia. Nyx was the one who brought the report to her.
To his surprise, Celestia listened without showing any shock or alarm.
"I never thought even he would betray me," she said simply, her voice flat.
"Princess… are you alright?" Nyx asked, stepping closer, concerned by her calmness.
"I am fine. It is just… I never expected even the animals to turn against me. First Liy, and now Qas. Who will be next?" Celestia replied, her tone heavy with disappointment. Her face remained composed, but her eyes revealed deep sadness and hurt.
"Do not worry, Your Highness. I will never betray you. I will always stand faithfully by your side," Nyx vowed, bowing his head low.
Celestia gave a faint, tired smile. "Thank you, Nyx. I appreciate it. My mind has been so full of worry lately—between the war and all these problems, I hardly know what to do first."
"You are not alone, Princess. You have Ryan to help you and guide you. I am certain he will do everything in his power to assist you," Nyx said reassuringly.
Celestia nodded slowly. Nyx was right.
For now, she had no choice but to continue carrying the burden of ruling, hoping that one day, all the troubles plaguing Wonderveil would finally find a solution.
.............
Five animals chosen by Nyx to serve Princess Celestia gathered in the plantation area. They met secretly behind thick bushes to avoid being seen by any humans.
The fields around them were filled with newly planted potato seedlings, their leaves still tiny and tender. The soil remained damp and dark from being watered earlier. The evening breeze blew gently, swaying the young plants and rustling the leaves.
The five animals—Uli the mouse, Blue the tortoise, Rio the bird, Ova the dog, and Brown the hamster—held a quiet discussion among themselves.
Their faces were unusually serious. Unlike their usual cheerful selves, there was no laughter or joking this time. Ever since Qas had been captured and accused of betraying Princess Celestia, the atmosphere between them had grown heavy and tense.
"I am certain Qas never betrayed Celestia," Uli said firmly. Standing upright on a small rock, he looked at his companions with absolute conviction.
"Perhaps you say that because you are his closest friend… and the next one who will betray the Princess," Blue the tortoise retorted coldly.
Blue looked at Uli with narrowed eyes, making no effort to hide his distrust.
"I agree with Blue," Rio the bird chimed in, nodding his head repeatedly. To him, the evidence they had found was clear and undeniable proof of Qas's guilt.
Uli let out a soft sigh. He remained sure that Qas was innocent.
"Very well. I will stand by what I believe: Qas is not guilty."
"You still want to defend him after everything that happened?" Blue asked, shaking his head.
"I know him. He has always delivered letters—that is simply his duty."
"But the letter had his mark on it," Rio argued back.
"That does not automatically make him a traitor!"
The conversation grew more heated. Each one began defending their own opinion strongly.
"I support what Uli is saying," Brown the hamster spoke up, stepping forward to stand beside the mouse. "Qas is not that kind of creature. I feel there is something very wrong about all this."
"Of course you would defend him—you are from the same family," Ova the dog sneered.
Brown gritted his teeth, anger rising inside him. "What does being from the same family have to do with the truth?"
"It has everything to do with it. You are just trying to protect your own kind."
"That is not true at all."
"If it isn't true, then why are you fighting so hard to defend a traitor?"
Brown's temper flared, though he tried his best to keep calm. "Because I believe he is innocent!"
"Or perhaps because you are afraid people will start thinking your whole family are traitors too?" Ova replied sharply.
Brown fell instantly silent, unable to answer.
Uli glared at Ova, his face filled with frustration. "All of you only know how to accuse and judge without knowing the real truth."
"We judge based on the evidence we found," Rio countered.
"Or do you judge based only on what you want to believe?" Uli shot back.
Silence fell over the group. No one was willing to back down. Each of them was convinced that their own judgment was correct.
"Fine then. From this day forward, we are divided. I don't want to speak to any of you anymore."
Uli turned his back on them and began walking away. Brown glanced sadly at the others for a moment, then hurried to follow Uli.
Blue, Rio, and Ova simply watched the two leave. None of them tried to stop them. None tried to make peace. They were all far too certain that they alone were right.
Uli and Brown walked slowly away, their steps heavy with disappointment and sorrow. They never imagined that what happened to Qas would end up breaking their friendship apart as well.
From that day on, the animals living in the palace split into two distinct groups: those who believed Qas was innocent, and those who believed he was a traitor.
They no longer ate together as they used to. They no longer spoke warmly when they passed each other in the palace grounds. If they happened to cross paths, they would only stare coldly for a moment before walking past in silence.
The divide between them grew deeper and clearer with every passing day.
Little did they know, this division and strife was exactly what the one who framed Qas had wanted from the very beginning.