Cadi created several pallets worth of tents that night, along with sleeping bags and things that they would need to sleep comfortably that night. It was fascinating to see the furs from the different districts from around the world meeting and greeting one another. Even from the Americas, it was interesting to see furs recognizing one another from different districts, people who had known each other as humans, but had become furs in different parts of the country, and so had been placed in different districts.

But even furs from other countries were excited to meet one another, even if the language barrier was a challenge for many. Still, Cadi made several long tables, all heavy laden with food for the furs to dig into. She even made a nice, big, round table for the district leaders to sit together at. It wasn't a small group, there had been eighteen districts around the world. Many countries had pooled their resources on shared districts. That bothered Cadi... the way that these people had been so... cruelly uprooted from their homes... and even home countries to be shipped off to somewhere that the humans could watch over them and keep them tucked away from society.

Even Parson took a seat at this table, even though he wasn't a leader to any of these groups. The conference among the leaders went late into the night, even after most of the other furs had left to set up tents and turned in for the evening. It was a bit like a council of war, the lot of them working together to hash out how to set to work building a home for all of them. The ones from outside of the states needed to be filled in a bit more on Cadi's magic, since they hadn't been in as close of communication with the six American districts, but the doors and the creation of the supplies for tonight were enough to set them at ease about whether or not they would have to fight over resources.

They agreed that they would map the area in the morning, so that they could start building with a clear plan in mind, rather than jumping in blind, only to find that they'd made a horrible mistake later. When it was time for everyone to turn in, Cadi went up to the standing stone on the bluff with Dawn, breathing deeply as she made a tent in the clearing for the two of them before they climbed inside and dozed off, nestled against one another.

That night, she found herself standing in the clearing with Dorran, who resembled a tiger now, himself. He looked rather confused to encounter her here like this as well, but before either of them could say anything, there was a third figure there. It was a figure of darkness, but it shared the same shape as the two of them.

It smiled, though how it was possible to tell that it was smiling was another mystery, and gave the two of them a polite bow. “Well, good evening, you two. I'm glad that I'm finally able to meet the two of you properly. I'm glad that you two have gotten along so well... it is challenging to have a symbiotic relationship like this thrust upon you the way that it was. But I should really introduce myself. I go by the name Nothing. A silly little joke of mine. I am a being from the place that the two of you traveled through and were merged in... and before you ask, no, I am not the one responsible for what happened to you. That was the fault of a mad alchemist who is refusing to accept his daughter's death, which was a result of his twisted experiments and insatiable appetite for prestige. The same appetite that claimed the life of his wife."

The other two were horrified at that, “There's a... monster like that in this world?" Cadi was about ready to go hunt this alchemist down if that was the case.

“No, no, no... thankfully. He's in another universe. The complication comes in where... after I joined this triune union, the greater powers within my home dimension took offense to what I had done, and they... fractured us. They split us across several universes, leaving variations to take place." He looked to Dorran, smiling softly, “In most of the other universes, you, Dorran, wind up as the primary one in control of our body. However, in this universe, Cadi is the one in control, as you are well aware. Another major deviation from the norm... this place is uninhabited. In many other universes, this is the one place where I managed to punch a window through into the world so that I could observe. In many of the other worlds, there were inhabitants of this island, and I was able to forge bonds with them. Many wound up as furs, even before I came into the world through us. But in this one... I had no opportunity to forge such a connection with this world, and as a result, I have been weaker here than in other worlds. However, I will now be able to grow in power, allowing you to accomplish more."

Cadi looked warily at Nothing, “Right... and how are we to trust that this... magic and power won't make you into a threat to this world?"

Nothing laughed, throwing his head back before he re-composed himself. “A very intelligent question, Cadi. I don't want to be a destructive force. Cadi. Dorran. The reason I was driven to do what I did... first creating my little windows throughout the multiverse, and then joining with you two as you were fused is because my former home is nothing but chaos. Literally anything can happen at any time and frequently does... there is no meaning. No purpose. No... story behind any of it. Every other member of my kind are... content with that state of being, but I am not. Life without direction and purpose is... meaningless. It's not even really life... just existence. By coming to this world, I am able to become part of a story... to bask in the stories of those around me. I know that many of my other fragmented selves have found intense joy in that kind of life... and I am very excited to become part of that as well."

“Dear Cadi, I really do have to commend you on what you've done in this world already. You've not sat paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, and you've taken it on yourself to help everyone around you that you possibly could." He turned to look at Dorran, “And, Dorran, that is not to say that the worlds where you are in the lead, you are any less of a force within the world. You've frequently accomplished great things. I am beyond glad that the two of you were drawn into the spell. Neither of you were truly thriving in your former lives, and when given the opportunity to thrive, both of you do amazing things with that."

As... properly strange of a situation as this was, the way that Nothing was talking about the two of them... actually made both Cadi and Dorran feel a surge of pride, sharing a look with one another, seeming to have an unspoken conversation as they processed this news.

Cadi took a deep breath and looked back at Nothing. “Okay. We're in. Not that we have a hell of a lot of choice, but let me promise you this: If you do turn out to be lying to us right now, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you pay... and that you're not able to harm any of the furs of this world."

Nothing didn't seem bothered by that, laughing and grinning broadly. “That's the Cadi I know. Protective, fiery... never looking for a fight, but always ready for one as quickly and efficiently as possible. You have my promise that this is on the up and up. So, for right now, I'll let the two of you get back to your rest. Just one parting tidbit. This island is powerful. Even without inhabitants to direct the energy of my former home, it has still infused this land. That's not to say there are dangers here, ready to harm your people, but that there are centers of power that will need someone to take responsibility for them. You are near one right now, and the others you will find with time. You two can't take responsibility for them... that's not your role. But there are people that you trust who will be able to take on those powerful roles and help you in your work. And the right person will know it when they find their node."

Cadi nodded her head slowly, her mind already flitting through a few possible candidates, but now wasn't the time for that. “Thank you. I'm definitely going to need some time to process this," she said with a little laugh, “But... thank you. Thank you for all of your help. These furs needed this... badly. Thank you for helping me bring them here."

Nothing smiled and gave Cadi a deep bow as the clearing faded to black, the last thing she could... not see, but more feel was Nothing's smile as she drifted back to her normal dreaming.

In the morning, Cadi took a long moment to cuddle with Dawn, the sounds of nature echoing around them, from birds to small critters scurrying around. On a certain level, she had to resist the urge to try to hunt one of them down... but having her lovey in her arms definitely made that a lot easier.

After a while, though, she managed to rise from their bed... realizing that their more modest tent had changed while she slept... becoming quite spacious, and now housing a proper bed. As she processed that, she could pick up on the smell of food cooking... such an amazing diversity of smells that made her nose twitch. She hadn't made more food... just what she had last night...

On top of that, as she was trying to put her brains back together and get dressed, she heard little high-pitched whirring noises. She rushed to get dressed, dashing out of the door of the tent to look up into the air, where she saw a white, quad-copter drone with an underhanging camera sweeping over the area. Her head was spinning as she went over to the bed to wake Dawn up, helping her to get dressed for the day before they made their way down to the beach.

When they got there, they were shocked to see that the tent city had been upgraded in much the same way that Cadi's tent had been upgraded, and more than that, there were now many pallets of supplies neatly laid out along the beach as well. Cadi saw Carla and Robbie working at a little makeshift kitchen, in a long line of similar setups. Clearly, the restaurant owners had banded together to feed the furs this morning, and it was wonderful to see the cooperation and collaboration.

As she walked toward the cooks, Christine intercepted her, just positively beaming at Cadi. “Cadi! Killer job on the upgrade last night! And all of these supplies... our only problem is going to be knowing where to start!" She was downright giddy, seeing everyone getting a good breakfast in them while the ones who knew how to operate the drones and survey were working away to get the map they'd discussed the night before. There was even a little cluster of computers running off of a generator.

Cadi couldn't help but laugh in a bit of a daze, “Thank you, Christine, but this wasn't me... I learned something... interesting last night... about where my powers come from."

The wolf's eyes went wide as she tilted her head to one side, “Ah... gotcha... so... hmm... let's get some food for you two, and we can talk it over, yeah?" She said, guiding them to Carla's food station, getting nice, full plates for Cadi and Dawn before taking them over to the empty round table from the night before. “Okay, so what's the story?"

Cadi recounted her dream to Dawn and Christine, explaining Nothing and the role that he... they played with this island and her magic. Christine was very shocked but didn't argue with Cadi over it. “So... with more energy to work with last night... I'm pretty sure he got a little carried away with himself. Not that it's a bad thing... it is doing a damn fine job on morale, after all," she said with a laugh, looking around the beach, seeing some furs even playing beach games with one another, frequently teaching furs from other countries how to play their games.

“What I'm still trying to wrap my head around is what Nothing said about the... furs who would help with the magic of this island. I mean, how the hell are we going to find their nodes, and all of that." She was frustratedly munching on a piece of bacon as she tried to puzzle through that.

Dawn was actually the one who spoke up then. “I... think I'm kind of getting a feel for how all of this works... when you needed to make things in order to help people, you did just that... when you needed to... well, mess with Parson and his bodyguard to get them to see what assholes they were, you did just that. When we needed a new home, you were pulled there... and were able to bring everyone here and feed them. Yeah? So... I think that when we need it to happen... the right person will just be in the right place."

Cadi was a little frustrated at first, but she didn't lash out at Dawn, taking a moment to mull it over in her head first... and as she did... she... couldn't find anything to argue against that line of logic. It... fit... especially with Nothing's attitude the night before. “Okay... so... we just wait to stumble across them... about as good a plan as any, especially since only the right person will really... trigger the node." She sighed and shook her head, “As unsatisfying of a solution as that is."

They didn't really have much time to debate that point before someone came to the table from the tech center. “Director, we think we've found a good place to set up an administrative center. We've been going over the maps, and this area really looks like the best spot to start building a city... and we've found a good spot for us to set up our central hub."

Christine sighed and shook her head, “Alright. I suppose we should get a look at it," she said, groaning and stretching a little, giving Cadi and Dawn just enough time to finish their food before they got up to go with her.

The clearing wasn't too far into the jungle, but they'd been right... this looked like a nice place to start setting up the central offices. Cadi, Dawn, and the tech were talking excitedly about it, but Christine's expression was distant, a frown on her face. She walked away from the others, taking a good moment before they realized she'd stepped away. “Christine? You alright?" Cadi was... not worried... but she recognized that distant look... having experienced a similar thing just the day before.

Christine walked over to a small pool, which looked to be a natural spring. She knelt down in front of it, looking very intensely at it before she reached her hand out to touch the water. There was a sudden flash that went through the clearing as the water of the spring bubbled higher and higher, and the pool grew to surround Christine, creating a kind of bubble of water that surrounded her. Before they knew it, marble was rising up from the ground, creating a wide, round wall around the water, while a statue rose from the center, where the water was jetting high into the sky. The statue became the source of the water, letting it arc out in an orderly manner

But more than that, there was a ripple along the ground, the ground seeming to flip over like a wave of tiles, exchanging dirt for cobblestone, up to the food to a building that started to rise from the ground. The only name that seemed to fit it was 'colonial'... like something from hundreds of years ago, but... all the same... it was quite beautiful, stretching along one side of the paved area that had been created in the surge of magic.

The water fell away from Christine, leaving her kneeling in the fountain, and Cadi climbed into it to walk over to Christine, putting her hand on her shoulder. “Well... I think we found our first node..." They all just stared up at the building that had been created. It wasn't... a typical modern office building. It had more of a colonial governor's mansion motif, with whitewashed outer walls and terracotta shingled roofs. There were tower-like structures at the front corners, and what looked to be a roof garden on top.

After a long moment, as Christine knelt there in the water, Cadi walked up to her and placed her hand on Christine's back, rubbing her shoulders. “Alright there, hun. It's a hell of a rush, I know. But it would be good to get up," she said with a little laugh.

Christine gasped, opening her eyes wide as she turned to look up at Cadi. Her eyes had always been quite striking, but the formerly hazel eyes were now a piercing, deep blue as the pupils worked on re-focusing on the real world once more. She was breathing slowly and brought a hand up to rub her head before she took Cadi's hand to help her stand up. What was remarkable was that her clothes were actually completely dry as they made their way out of the fountain. Dawn was practically bouncing as she came up to give Christine a big hug, snuggling in close against her.

The wolf laughed softly, smiling and shaking her head as she wrapped her arms around the doe, rubbing her back. “Thanks, hun," she said, taking an easy breath before she broke the hug, “I've got to give it to you... you were right..." she said with a laugh, looking up at the building that had appeared, shaking her head in amazement. “I... guess we've got our first proper building..." she said, her voice incredulous.

The poor tech was completely blown away, his jaw hanging open as he was staring up at the structure. “So... we were right... about a good place to start..." he said, laughing with a sense of giddy disbelief. He was struggling a bit, but slowly, his brain was starting to re-engage as he took it all in, just breathing deeply as he pulled out his phone and started taking pictures of it. “I'll want to take these pictures back to the design team... I mean, it's not a bad look... and we can work with it, rather than leaving this surrounded by glass-slab towers... that would look horrible..."

He finished snapping a good batch of pictures before he hurried back to the beach, leaving the other three there in the clearing... though, at this point, it wasn't a clearing... it was a plaza. It might only have one building surrounding it, but this is what it was meant to be. “Well... it's definitely going to be pretty... and a lot nicer than the run-down shambles we were in back in the district... and talking to the other directors... none of them were really in any better situation." She shuddered a little, shaking her head. “You... don't want to hear the stories that came out of Russia and China."

Cadi didn't really have a point of reference for either of those, but she was sure that if those bothered Christine, they were probably pretty bad, and Cadi didn't need that stress right now. Christine shook her head and pulled out her phone, sending a message to the group chat the directors had set up the night before, directing them to come to the new... well, palace.

It wasn't long before they started arriving, every one of them just amazed at what had happened here. Their initial reaction was to look to Cadi as the source of this new structure, but Cadi waited to fill them in on the actual source of the building and the plaza until everyone was present. Even Christine was quite coy about it. But once everyone was standing around the fountain, they all went into the palace together, finding the interior to be quite modern, while still matching the historic aesthetic. They found a conference room, where Cadi and Christine sat side by side at the round table while the others all took their places.

“Alright. As you've all clearly noticed... our central office has been created for us," she said, getting a round of laughter from the other directors. “The twist to that is that Cadi wasn't the one who built it. I'm not sure you could say that I built it, either, but I did trigger it to be built. Last night, Cadi learned that there are places of power on the island, which will have people that they are attuned to. These nodes will pick the person, not the other way around. I was chosen by the water node out in the square. And No, I'm not saying that makes me any kind of a de-facto leader of the island, just that I'm now tied to the magic of this place, just as Cadi is.

The others were quite surprised at that news, and there was murmuring conversation around the table. Christine let them talk for a bit before she held up her hands. “I want it to be clear that I respect all of you. We've all worked very hard to take care of our people through this time, and none of us have had an easy time of it. The last thing that either we... or any of our people need is infighting among us, or jockeying for power. There'll come a time for a central leader, but right now, working together is more important than any of that."

“The planners were saying this was a good place to work from, and... well, they didn't know how right they were. I do think we'll want to run a road straight from the plaza opposite this building to the water... and probably build a dock there. From there, we can sort out housing and places for people to work. Look, we may have the magic here to provide for resources, but we can't get lazy because of it. Even if money isn't really needed on the island, here, people still need to have something meaningful to do. That's just the long and the short of it. We've got about twelve thousand furs on this island, and they all need lives worth living, and that doesn't mean just letting them all be beach bums," she said, getting a good laugh from the other directors.

She may have said that she had no intention of claiming leadership or authority, but something had galvanized within her, and they found themselves accepting her as the de-facto leader she'd refused to be. And so, the first great forum of the new island leadership began. Dawn drifted away before long, roaming through the palace for a moment before she made her way back to the beach to check on how things were going there.

It filled her heart with joy to see the level of cooperation and collaboration going on. She walked around for a while, talking to different groups of people as she roamed around, joining in on games for a moment before continuing along. After about an hour, Cadi came and found her, sneaking up expertly behind her, letting out a playful little roar as she hugged Dawn from behind. “Hey there, cutie... looks like things are going pretty well here," she said with a little chuckle as she kissed the side of Dawn's neck.

Dawn tensed and leaned happily into Cadi, making soft sounds to her mate, “Yeah... they're going really well. I think that everyone is just... enjoying having the open sky above them and... well, not having Big Brother watching their every move as they go about their day. Is the meeting over?"

Cadi groaned and leaned playfully heavily against Dawn's back, letting out a heavy sigh, “No... they're... really going over everything under the sun..." She straightened up and came around in front of Dawn, “I mean, it is good, but I'm really not needed for that. They know what I can do... generally what I will and won't do, and... beyond that, they really just don't need me there, and if I had stayed, I would have wound up being very distracting for the rest of them. I do need to go check in with the planners to let them know some of the direction we're trying to head, but after that, you and I can just kind of... have the rest of the day to ourselves," she said with a laugh and a smile.

“Mmm... sounds lovely..." she murmured softly, moving forward to hug Cadi and nuzzle up under her chin, breathing softly.