"Yes, what is it?" she asked, as she sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck.

He stopped in his trek and gazed into Avalon‘s sparkling green eyes. In his eyes, Avalon saw an expression of concern, or fear, or both, she could not tell which. But, why the sudden change, what was it that made him unexpectedly go from playful and seductive, to serious and worrisome?

"…Artemis?" she whispered, gently touching his cheek.

"Avalon," he said, quietly, tenderly pressing his brow to hers, "when the moment comes for you to bring our kittens into this world, please promise me that you will not leave me. …don‘t leave me alone."he pleaded, his voice shaking with emotion.

The warmth of her heart swelled at the earnest plea of her lover. His sister, how he still grieved silently for her, even now. How frightened he must have been when she told him that she was pregnant with the young lives of his unborn children. The juxtaposition of his excitement at becoming a father weighed against the prospect of losing her, just as he lost his beloved sister only a few months earlier. She should have considered the totality of his feelings, but the thought of her being with child and the frightening comparison it clearly had evoked in him simply never crossed her mind. Perhaps it was because she was the one in potential danger that she hadn‘t contemplated her own mortality, but then that was also a knowing that should not strengthen her, alone.

"Artemis," she whispered, resting her scarlet locks on his shoulder, "Do you know how many children my mother has borne? There are five of us, five children that my mother carried and safely brought into this world. But, it‘s not only her, my sisters, too, all together they have given birth to eleven babies. My sisters, my mother, and now me, we have all been pregnant and we all share the same blood. If all of the women in my family have already been able to successfully have a multitude of kittens, surely I can give birth to three without worry…so," she said, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, "do not worry."

No matter what the situation, it seemed like his
beloved Avalon knew exactly what to say to set his mind at ease. Of course, she was right. Avalon and her sisters were a robust bunch of women, for sure.hardworking and strong, beautiful and full of life. No, this would not be the end for his sweet wife, their life together had only just begun. There was so much more for them to do, to see, and experience. And now, they were going to be able to enjoy all of those things with the family they were going to create.Their family, the one that was slowly developing within her, the one that she could feel and that very soon, he would feel, too.

He smiled and kissed her nose. That was enough, there was no need for any more talking. All that needed to be said had been spoken. The time for words was over, now, it was time to share feelings and love in ways that words could never convey.

Quietly, Artemis started to walk again and with each step, not only did he grow closer to his bed chamber, but his heart grew closer to the beautiful queen in his embrace. How he wanted to hold her forever, just like this, his heart close to hers. And if she were to be held by him always, she would have no objection…well, perhaps one. If he could wait to hold her eternally in his arms until after their kittens emerged from the shelter of her womb, then l that would be a life that was not unlike a fairytale, a prince and his princess living a dream made for two…and soon, five.

(...and, that is the end of this part of the series. Thanks for reading along and I hope you enjoyed it.)

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Avalon giggled. "Well, sort of. Somehow, I just
know that this one is a son. I cannot explain it, but I am certain that this one is a little tom."

"What about the other two?"

"I‘m not quite sure. The little one that likes to sleep and our little one that almost seems like it does not sleep at all, I cannot quite tell, at least not yet."

"Can you tell them apart?"

Once again, Avalon giggled. "Yes, that I can do very easily."

"So, can you—" he started to say, when Avalon pressed her fingers to his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Actually, I am starting to get a little tired." she said, softly. "Why don‘t we go to bed, after all?"

Artemis took her hand from his lips and kissed her inner wrist. "As you wish, my princess." he whispered, moving from kissing her arm to warmly kissing her breathlessly.

"Artemis…" she sighed, leaning into him.

"…let‘s go." he whispered, before kissing her deeply, once more.

Effortlessly, he swept his beloved off of her feet and into his arms, where she always wanted to be, where she belonged. He started to walk toward the palace, when a troubling thought entered his mind.

"Avalon," he said, quietly, "promise me one thing…"

...I just realized that I did finish this, but I never posted it!!

---

Avalon sighed with more contentment than she
thought she could ever feel and covered her mate‘s hand that was still sitting warmly on her middle. Truthfully, she was a bit tired. Carrying three kittens inside her at once was no small task. Though they took much of her energy, she was happy to give it up. She could not wait to see the faces of her little ones, though a part of her knew that she would miss having them all to herself in this way that only she could be with them.

But, more than having them exclusively, she looked forward to seeing their father holding them, playing with them, talking with them, getting to know them. She couldn‘t wait, only two weeks left to go before their arrival, just two weeks and she would be able to hold her kittens in a whole new way, she her beloved, and all of their family and friends.

"Avalon," Artemis began, "tell me, can you hear our kittens laughing?"

"Laughing?" she asked. "Actually, I can." she said, pressing her hand to a different spot on her abdomen. "This one that likes to sit here," she said, patting the spot, "likes to laugh the most."

"He?" Artemis asked, excitedly. "You can tell it‘s a boy?"

Hey y'all! For those of you that ordered commissions, I am getting through them as fast as I can I've finished 4 out of 5 badges and the one that I didn't finish is already drawn, but it needs to be colored. After these, I think I have one pencil sketch, two inked drawings, she one chibi, then I'll get to the heavier commissions which I think are three full color illustrations and one pencil drawing.
If you ordered a badge, I should be emailing them out later today. I have an errand to run (gotta go to Home Depot to get an aerator for my kitchen and bathroom sinks), then I'll get right back to work. ^_^

...great! I had a good time and the vibe was really positive. Everyone was happy, mostly just to be outside and at a convention, again. But, yeah, it was a good trip.

Thank you to everyone that stopped by my table and a big thank you to the people that commissioned me or made a purchase. I sold a few books, so that was really exciting and I really hope the folks that bought it, really enjoyed it. If you're here and you were one of the people that got it, I would love to hear from you. ♡ You can email me, orleave a comment anywhere, especially here --> The Carpenter And The Nightingale

To the folks that commissioned me, I will get back to those tomorrow. I'm completely worn out. I had a long train ride (made longer by a 3 hour delay), on top of the nonstop working I did at the con. I'm going to rest a bit, today. I'll be refreshed and ready to jump back in, tomorrow. If you had any questions about anything, just leave a note or email me. I will be scanning and posting the commissions that I still have (mostly brown badges) and posting to m those tomorrow as well. Thanks again and I will see you tomorrow! ♡

Well, I mentioned it before, but The Carpenter And The Nightingale is one book in what I hope to be a series titled, Lion Paws. Each book in the series will follow the love story of each of the four Ayele siblings. This one focused on Adon, the youngest.

The next one would probably focus on Davu, the oldest. Delu is the only girl and I have written a bit about her, her story plot, the main characters, etc, but there are still a few things to figure out. Of course, there are still things to figure out about Davu's story, too, but I like I can write his story first, as his story already has a few scenes written. One is posted here on FA, but it's not the entire scene. Something happened before it that was, a) difficult to write for reasons that are clear if you read what happens and b) I didn't want that to be the first thing people read about the characters. So, I did not share it. But, his story is more readily coming to me, so I think I'll go with him.

Then there's Dumi. Dumi is one of the main characters in The Carpenter And The Nightingale, but surprisingly, his story is the most difficult to write. This is probably because so much about him, his wife, Neha, and their five children has already been told. But, what has been told is their life AFTER their first meeting, falling in love, etc. Basically, I'll have to go backward with them and I don't know how.

...sigh.

...there is also the possibility of telling the stories of Neha's sisters. I already know the family dynamic and the general personalities of the characters, so that is possible, too. But, I don't want to do anything until I see how this first book does. This was HARD! It took a lot of my energy, emotionally and physically and frankly, I don't want to break myself doing this again if no one is going to read it. So, I guess we'll see.

...then, of course, there's Sweet Shoppe. Recently, I had been writing little vignettes of the chronicles of the Great Flood and The Festival Of Return. I...have...so many notes and stories about these characters!!! Seriously, I assembled everything into a single book and it is 307 pages. So, what you have seen on this page so far, is really just the tip of the iceberg.
The future of all the girls have been laid out. If they get married, who they get married to if they get married, what happens to their families, backstory, side story, what happens to side characters, what happens to the Royal Family, what happens to the town, and more. ...so, yeah, continuing with them is also a possibility.

In Sweet Shoppe, there are six main characters, the six Sweet Shoppe girls: Sweetheart, Plum, Mint, Tange, Candy, and Sugar. There are many other characters: Boomer, Brandy, Malki, Amber, etc. There is also the Royal Family and if you read the Sweet Shoppe journal vignettes, you would know that they actually do play a big role in the series...especially Arjuna, for obvious reasons. But, all of the Princes of Calico have pretty extensive character development, but Alder has probably the most dynamic. A few of the stories I posted here give a peek into his past, but there is a lot more that I haven't shared and of you read the vignettes, you might have noticed there were a few things about him that do not have an explanation as to why he is the way he is. So, this is definitely a series that I could jump back into and continue. ...but, how to do it?

Originally, the Sweet Shoppe series was a comic book entry, or a modified comic. In my very first series, Hybrid: God's And Demons, that is a standard comic where each page is entirely comprised of artwork speech bubbles and only a little narration. The Sweet Shoppe comic was exactly the opposite. It had a lot of narration and only a single illustrated scene on most pages. Honestly, it would be impossible to tell this story as a standard comic. A lot of narration is needed for the story to flow, smoothly.

But, it is also entirely possible to write this as a novel like the Lion Paws series. That would actually be the most true way to portray it, but I could also make it an illustrated novel. Basically, the bulk of the book would be written, but there would be a significant amount of illustrated pages. That's actually what I wanted to do for The Carpenter And The Nightingale, but there a) was no time and b) I had no energy left. I'm still recovering, now. But, Sweet Shoppe would not be such a big book. These would be MUCH shorter books.

There is NO WAY I could possibly write the entire Sweet Shoppe story in a single book. It would be more than a thousand pages thick and that is not an exaggeration. The entirety of the story would HAVE to be broken down into issues, perhaps 5 - 10 chapters per book. So, short, illustrated novels is the way this book series would most likely play out. This is also a better management of time and I could put more production into it, because I wouldn't be quite so worn out.

There's also my OG series, Hybrid: Gods and Demons. As I mentioned, this was my first series and it was my only standard comic. It was a comic in its truest sense. Like Sweet Shoppe, I also have a lot about this story written as well. It's not as expansive as the other two series, but it is pretty hefty. But, the more I wrote about this story, the more I think that the best way to present it would be the same way as Sweet Shoppe; illustrated short chapter novels. There are nine main characters in this series and a host of supporting characters.

Hybrid also sets the groundwork for all of the other series. In the words of Mufasa, "We are all connected in the great circle of life." Hybrid is that connection and it's also my first series and I feel bad for writing so much about it behind the scenes, but not publicly. It is even referenced in The Carpenter And The Nightingale and a later chapter in Sweet Shoppe, as well as a scene during the story of the Great Flood. So, it might be the most important series in my entire collection of Kitt Mouri productions and its story must be told.

So, those are my options, y'all. Right now, I'm going to take a little break and rest up. I'm still here and will probably post a few pictures throughout the week, but nothing strenuous, just a few doodles. ^_^

I completely forgot to ask, but if anyone is interested in getting a copy of my book, just shoot me a note. I ordered some for Anthrocon and I just got the copies in the mail today, so I can send them out, now. Just let me know. ^_^

So, as per my last gallery post, I am going to do 30 minute daily drawings. If you guys have any fan art suggestions (anthropomorphic suggestions), or if you want to see one of my own characters, just comment below. ^_^

...is off to the printers. I'm free, y'all! I'm free!!!
...it feels strange having free time, again. I have reacquaint myself with a thing called, relaxing. ^^; Anyhoo...how have you guys been?

...sort of. ^_^; Well, I have finished the story, but now, I have to review and edit it. The story sort of evolved as I was writing it and plot points got changed, so I need to go back and make sure everything is consistent. But, the story is FINALLY complete. ...all 450 pages of it >___<; But, once that's done, I'll be able to get back to my other stories and characters. ...and drawing!!! *cries* I really miss drawing. But, I also miss you guys! I'll be happy when I can jump back on here more often. I hope you guys are doing well.

I will see you guys later. OH! My room got filled for Anthrocon, so THAT'S a huge relief. I'll probably take pictures, but if I do, they will be posted on my photo page. Anyhoo, I gotta get back to work. See ya!

Hey all! As I am getting so close to finishing this book that took me years to produce, I'm still in the search for hotel roomies. Two people are confirmed, but I would like a 4th person. Here are the details:
4 nights, June 30 - July 4 at the Omni
$200 for all four nights.

If you cancel before May 15, I can give you a full refund. After that, I can only give you partial as it will be very difficult to get the vacated spot filled so late. If a 4th person does come onboard after you late cancel, then I can give you a full refund. So, please only reply is you are certain. I've already had 2 people cancel after having said they were onboard, so I can't deal with that again. The only way to secure your spot is if you pay in full. Otherwise, I will keep looking and possibly fill up that spot.

All beds are taken, but I'm okay sharing a bed as long as you're clean and smell fresh. Alternatively, you are welcome to sleep on the couch (I have requested a pullout sofa, but they couldn't guarantee that I'd get one), or you can bring a sleeping bag.

Everyone in the room are pretty chill about everything and anyone, so you will be welcome in the room.

I am an artist and will hopefully have a spot in Artist Alley (I couldn't get a Dealer's Table), so I will be out of the room for most of the day, but inside the room working on commissions once the Artist Alley closes. I am also very clean and smell nice.

No drugs allowed, but you can drink alcohol as long as you are 21 and do not get intoxicated.

I think that's about it. If you want the spot in the room, please shoot me a message. If you don't, can you spread the word? The convention is just about 2 months away and I feel like I'm juggling, at this point. *sad face*

Hey, so I'm going to AC this year and am trying to get my room sorted. I am either looking for someone who needs a roommate, or I can get a room and split it between 4 people (including me) for 4 nights (Thursday - Monday) at about $200 per person. There are 2 beds, so it's either first come first serve, or folks can share. I don't mind sharing a bed with someone else (as long as you are clean). So, if you're interested, just reply and if not, can you just share this post for me? Thanks a bunch, y'all!

I am sorry for the absence and for not finishing the Sweet Shoppe story. I have been very busy with writing my Lion Paws story that I really want to have finished so it can be printed and ready for sale at Anthrocon. It's keeping me very busy and draining my creative juices, so to speak. It is already over 150 pages long and I'm not done. I still need to finish the middle and then return to writing the end. I kind of jumped around, writing chapters as the words came to me, regardless of order. I'm getting there, though.
My deadline is April, so I still have time, but time is also running out. Once I'm finished, I'll be able to post regularly and finish things here. I hope you all are doing well. Happy almost Valentine's Day! ...perfect time for a romance story, but there's no time. If you want, you can read the one I did for Valentine's Day last year. It's right here: the Afterlife of Wolves and Lions

5 1/2 months later...

The moonlight shone down on the peaceful City of Calico. A gentle breeze from the ocean whispered across the city, bringing a pleasant coolness to the townsfolk. Artemis and Avalon strode through the rose garden, hand in hand.

"Are you cold?" Artemis asked his princess.

She shook her head, bouncing her bright, wavy, red locks. "I'm alright." she said, quietly.

"Do you feel alright? Do you need to rest?

She giggled and leaned into him. "You just want to get me back in bed." she teased.

He chuckled. "Getting you to bed is what caused this." he playfully retorted, gently placing his hand on her belly, swollen with new life.

"Av...Avalon?" he breathed, staring wide-eyed at the queen filling his eyes. Why was he here? What was his reason for coming to his wife's bed chamber? He had one, didn't he? "I umm...I was just...are you...how do you feel? Are you...well?"

She stared at him and felt as though she had forgotten how to breathe, or that time was standing still. She was shivering, though not the least not cold. On the contrary, she felt feverish, she was burning up and she felt like she was going to faint.

"Avalon!" Artemis gasped, lunging forward to catch his wife that was slowly falling to the ground.

He lifted her into his arms and climbed to his feet. She was still staring enchantingly at him, the depths of her deep green eyes pulling him in. She reached up and gently caressed his cheek, lightly brushing the back of her fingertips across his fur. She pressed her finger to his lips and traced its smoothness.

"Artemis," she whispered, "please," she sighed, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up to his ear to whisper...

"...take me to bed."

Avalon was anxious. She paced the length of her room more times than she could count. Her body was hot and her thoughts were unfocused. If she stayed locked away in her bedroom, she was going to lose it. She had to get out. Her resolve set, she hurried to the door and swung it open to reveal a startling sight.

"Artemis?" she gasped.

The prince was standing before her looking sheepishly dumbfounded. He had come to her with the intention of making sure she was alright, but the closer he got to her bed chamber, the stronger her perfumed scent became. When he finally reached her door, he was paralyzed with fragrance of her intoxicating aroma. He stood there, trying to work up the courage to knock, but found that it was difficult to even think straight.

This wasn't the first time she had come into heat, but it was the first since their relationship took a 180° turn. The situation now was very different than circumstances before. This time...this time...

When the door suddenly opened revealing the princess before him, the very sight of her stole his breath away. Being bombarded with her pronounced scent was bad enough, but seeing her hypnotically captivating beauty was too irresistible. He had to get away. He should never have come to her, but here he was and there she stood.

That night, Artemis cried himself to sleep in Avalon's arms. When he awoke, he was still safely cuddled in her warm embrace. She had also fallen asleep, but refused to let him go, even in slumber. The young prince did not know what to think, but he felt comforted being so close to someone that cared for him and to his surprise, that someone was his adamantly stubborn wife. She actually cared about him, after all.

...Ajua was right...

His heart warmed by the thought, he rested his head against her chest and returned to sleep. He was still so very tired, but now, he knew he wasn't alone.

The days past and turned into weeks. The prince and princess spent much time together and, in addition to Artemis slowly recovering from the loss of his beloved sister, throughout the time, he and Avalon began to grow closer. The two spent a great deal of time together, mostly alone. They were able to develop their relationship on their own terms and at their own pace. Seeing them getting along brought the emperor and empress a sense of relief and joy. Their growing relationship was noticed by the entire palace and news of their togetherness spread throughout the realm, giving hope to all of the people of Calico.

...and then, one day, Avalon began to come into estrus...

Fresh tears warned Artemis' cheeks as the steamed down from his honey-brown eyes. He buried his face upon her chest, wrapped his arms around waist, and cried, freely. These tears were different than the ones he shed moments earlier. The tears he shed then were painful and overwhelming with grief and sadness, but the ones he released now, were restorative, a release, washing away the instability of anguish and allowing healing to begin.

Avalon gently wrapped her arms around her mate, threading her fingers through his black hair and humming a lulling tune that her mother used to hum to her when she was a kitten. She held him close and said nothing as he cried in her arms, simply humming her song. It pained her to hear him expressing his mourning in this way and in truth, she also grieved for the loss of the princess, though she knew her sadness could only be a mere fraction of what her prince was feeling. Not only was she in despair of Ajua's death, she was scared, scared of the future she and Artemis would share.

Like Artemis, Avalon was not intended to one day become the Empress of Calico. That was not a role that she was to play when she was married to her husband, but now, that was her reality. Moreover, now she was forced to have children, his children, in order to continue the lineage. Being a mother was something she always wanted, so that was not the issue. Her worry was that her first-born child would also become the next ruler of Calico when she and Artemis stepped down. Being a princess was hard enough, but bearing the next leader of her people was frightening and she did not believe she had what it would take to be what the kingdom needed. But, at the moment, she did not have time to dwell on such things. One step at a time.

Right now, there was something that she could do and only she could do...be the wife her husband needed. He was unable to stand on his own, so she would be the support he needed until he could stand, once again. When that time came, she would continue to stand at his side and be his partner in all things. Even if she wasn't sure if she would be a good empress, she could do this much for the benefit of the kingdom and her marriage. Even though love had yet to blossom between the two, she did care about him and believed that one day, she could even love him. Ajua certainly believed that and had convinced Avalon to believe it, too.

"Ajua?!" Artemis gasped, quickly raising his head to gaze into the viridian eyes of the princess. "A-... Avalon?" he breathed, startled to see his very own wife kneeling beside him.

Her expression was unbearable. To say it was blank would be inaccurate, but to say what the expression was, would simply be a guess. Vulnerable, emotional, and embarrassed at being caught in such a state by his strong-willed bride turned his shock into anger.

"Get out!" he growled.

If she he heard him, she made no move to indicate that she had. Instead, she simply stared at him with her undeterminable expression.

"I said get out!" he roared, but still she would not move. "LEAVE!" he all but shouted.

Quietly, she reached out her hands and gently framed his face between the palms of her hands. The gesture startled the prince into silence. His body shook with unnameable emotion as he was forced to look into the shimmering eyes of his wife, whose unreadable expression, slowly turned into the very face of empathy. Absently, he wondered how he didn't notice it sooner. The warmth in her eyes was almost tangible and her tender empathy was for him, just for him. Her touch was soothing, calming, and exactly what he needed in that moment, though he didn't know it until now.

Shaking with anger and sorrow, Artemis threw the picture frame across the room, shattering it against a wall across the room. He cried out in agony and grief as he swiped everything off of the desk, sending the objects flying in all directions, breaking against the walls, the floor, and through the window. When the piece of furniture was cleared, he lifted the table and threw it and its internal contents to the ground, breaking it upon the stone floor. Bearing his claws, he shredded the sheets and mattress of his bed and tossed the pillows haphazardly anywhere they would fly. Once the bedding was ripped to shreds, he collapsed on the ground and curled into a ball, pressing his brow to the cold floor and cried in painful anguish.

The grieved prince's tears poured down his cheeks stained the hard floor with their miserable sadness. His entire body shook with unrestrained emotion. His sister, his best and only friend, the person who knew him better than he knew himself...was gone. He was alone, completely abandoned by the only person that truly understood him. He was broken and torn, but also, he was angry, angry at his sister for going to a place where he could not follow and leaving him behind. Why did she go away? Why did she leave him? Why didn't she say goodbye?

His body hurt, his mind was in despair, and his heart ached with a pain so strong, that he longed for death, despite or in part of the responsibility his sister's death placed squarely on his shoulders. Over night, he had become Crowned Prince, a burden he was never meant to bear and was woefully unprepared to undertake.

"...why?" he sobbed in agony. "Why did you go away? You left me...you left me alone... I can't do this... I'm not strong enough. I cannot do this by myself, not without you." he cried, folding himself even tighter than before.

"...Artemis, you are not alone." the voice of the princess quietly whispered to him.

The funeral for the princess was a day that felt everlasting...never ending. Athena wept, painfully and fell to her crippling emotions. Her sorrow was unique, the misery of a mother, a woman that, once upon a time, carried the young monarch inside of her and delighted in watching her grow. She held her before anyone else and now, her mate had to hold her.

Artemis stood near his parents, his expression blank. He heard his mother's wails, but did not move toward her to offer his comfort. His own grief was paralyzing. It overwhelmed him. His emotions were bombarded so greatly that after a while, he felt nothing. He was empty, yet at once, overcome. He had nothing left. He was dead inside.

That evening, Artemis went to his room, refusing to eat. He had no appetite and no hunger. He was simply tired and so, he trudged to the upper floor to his room and quietly shut the door. He walked to his bed, intending to crawl beneath the sheets and sleep, but noticed a picture of himself and Ajua on his bedside table. They were both smiling and blissfully happy. Artemis remembered the day and his hands began to tremble as large pools of tears began to fill his eyes.

...the remaining legacy of the empress, Athena and her beloved, Kosuda, the emperor, was the newly ordained, Crowned Prince...Artemis.

Artemis was broken, his spirit utterly shattered. Ajua had always been there with him, for him, but now, he was alone. Of course he had his parents and their love, but they were hurting, as well. She was their daughter, their first child, their little princess. It had been said that there is no greater sorrow than the sadness felt by a parent that loses a child. Children expect their parents to one day pass away, but that expectation was one directional. A parent never plans on losing their babies...and the emperor and empress had lost one of just two. They had only their son left. They mourned deeply and needed to console one another to keep each other strong enough to continue to lead their people.

Artemis knew this and refused to let them see him distraught. If they doted on him, they could not govern, effectively. This, too, was a sacrifice of the Royals; setting aside their emotions for the good of their people. Athena and Kosuda knew their son was not alright, but were proud of him for putting the kingdom, first. He was trying his best, so they would respect his determination. Still, they were there for him, if the burden became too much for him to bear, they were there. As it was, there was someone that was even nearer than they, that could devote themselves entirely to the young prince.

He said nothing and continued to lean on his sister's shoulder. He wanted to believe her, but he was too afraid to allow himself to hope. But, as she usually was, the princess spoke the truth. Avalon did have a very compassionate heart and Artemis would soon know just how much. He would see her for the beauty that she truly was...at a moment when he needed her, most. ... tragically, that moment arrived too soon.

It was just a few short weeks later that Princess Ajua went into labor. ...but something went horribly wrong. There were severe complications and despite the best efforts of the doctors and nurses, there was nothing they could do. Ajua lay in a hospital bed, her body wracked with pain, cradled in her husband's arms. She smiled at him through a veil of tears and held onto his hand. She whispered words of love and happiness to her beloved and closed her bright, golden eyes for the last time. As her hand slipped out of the warmth of his touch, she breathed her last breath and the beautiful glow, her shining light, was put out forever.

The death of the princess was devastating, but worse than that, was the loss of her life, and the lives of the kittens that were not fully formed within her. Not a single one survived. The entire kingdom grieved, but none more than the one that had been beside her since the beginning. The one that shared the safety of their mother's womb and grew as she did. The one that saw the world from the same perspective and discovered every fascination their realm held. The one who called her sister and also best friend...only friend.

"Artemis?" Ajua called.

"Eh?" he mused, startled by the sound of his sister's voice.

She looked at him with piteous eyes and an empathetic heart. She knew how her brother dreamed of being a father and how much he wanted to find love, as she had. But, he feared that such a life was beyond him, far out of his reach. Quietly, she reached for him and held him, tightly. Sadly, he wrapped his arms her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You have a good wife, little brother." she whispered. "She has a bigger heart than you realize."

"...I have a hard time believing that." he said, his voice barely audible.

"You won't have to believe it, because one day, you will see it. When that day comes, her generous heart will be a light in the darkness."

Hearing her speak about the deep connection she felt with her unborn children, made him just a little envious of her. She had found someone to love, someone that loved her in return, and someone that gave her an amazing gift of new life. She was moving ahead, turning the page on a new and exciting chapter of her life.

He, just like the rest of the kingdom, eagerly anticipated the arrival of the princess' kittens. He couldn't wait to hold his nieces and nephews in his arms and see their smiling faces and hear their bubbling laughter. He was excited to see who they would favor, their mother, or father? Or, would they be some sort of combination of them both? Or, would they resemble neither? Artemis and Kosuda bore a strong resemblance to one another, but Ajua looked like neither of their parents. Hers was a reflection of a distant relative on Athena's side, a princess born long ago. Regardless of what they looked like,or who they favored, Artemis knew that he would love them, not just because they were his tiny relatives, but also because he feared that they would be the closest thing to having children of his own.

He had been married for what felt like ages, yet was no closer to his wife than the day he took her as his bride. He wanted to step forward into his future, as Ajua had done. He longed to be able to hold someone that he loved and that returned his affection. He wanted to lie with her and hold her close to his heart. He wanted make her a mother and give her a family. He wanted...