Chapter 14

(2 weeks later)

Days have gone by and it almost seems as if nothing had happened except the weather getting colder and the trees wilting. Artemis was currently sitting outside wrapped in plenty of layers to keep her whole body warm. Grandma Shuu was sitting close by fanning a huge fire pit while Kasper and Apollo were cleaning up the yard outside of the Little Cottage. "I sent a message to your grandfather about you and Apollo's good news. He replied that he was happy but he still has not come personally" Grandma Shuu told Artemis, sounding disappointed. "Papa runs the whole Wolf Kingdom nana" Artemis said, making excuses for her grandfather. "But still" Grandma Shuu said stubbornly "do you want to see him as much as I do nana?" Artemis asked teasingly. "Father never really paid attention to me growing up… I'm not surprised that he hasn't had time to come and see his grandchildren" Kasper said. "What?" Grandma Shuu asked him. "Well he made sure I was taken care of, but he paid more attention to the oldest, Oliver. Once Oliver shifted into a human he was almost immediately mated off and named as heir to the throne" Kasper told them. "Cubs are born… cubs? Born in beast form?" Artemis asked, flabbergasted. Grandma Shuu and Kasper chuckled a little. "Yes. We are born as cubs. At puberty we mature enough to shapeshift into a human. I had to force you to shapeshift into human as a baby. Thankfully you did it well and never changed back until you got here in the Beastworld" Grandma Shuu said to her. "Besides. I don't want to rule this Kingdom. I don't want to rule anywhere. I'll have to kick a lot of ass!" Artemis said. Everyone busted out laughing at Artemis

Artemis sat back and thought about the cubs from her dreams she is always having but after a while her thoughts were interrupted by paw steps coming up the road frantically. "Apollo! Prince Apollo! Come quick it's Jenny!" Little Wen yelled coming up to the gate after she shapeshifted into a human. "What is going on?" Apollo demanded, rushing over. "Valeria came back with the Tiger Kingdom and their king! She took her away saying she is going to be mated off to one of the Tiger Kings Princes!" Little Wen let out as she caught her breath. "What?" Apollo asked. He wasted not a second more and shapeshifted into a wolf and dashed off. "Danny, go help him," Artemis ordered. " Don't worry, I will be fine once Bowen comes back in a while" she reassured her mate. As Danny took off Kasper went over and gave little Wen a fur cloak and walked her into the yard. "Come Little Wen everything will be okay" Grandma Shuu said. As soon as Little Wen sat down Kasper turned and ran off into the same direction that Apollo and Danny ran off to. Artemis sat up and looked at Little Wen one more time. "You said she brought the whole Tiger Kingdom?" Artemis asked her. Little Wen looked at her and nodded with tears coming down her face. "She is mated to Apollo right? I don't want her to leave us" Little Wen said. "To hell with that. No one is coming into our Wolf Kingdom and taking anybody anywhere!" Artemis said, standing up and pulling off her dress. "Princess what are you doing?" Little Wen stood up and asked her "Stay here with my Nana" Artemis demanded before shapeshifting into a huge White Wolf and running off. Little Wen watched in amazement. "How is she so much bigger than all of us? Even bigger than the Wolf King. And she has White fur!" Little Wen said, looking at Grandma Shuu. "Princess Artemis is special, Little Wen. She is powerful too. She has yet to tap into her own spiritual power but when she does she will lead the Wolf Kingdom to greatness. Right now she shapeshifts based on her emotions. The more upset she is, the more powerful she will be" Grandma Shuu told Little Wen.

Artemis caught up with her brother, uncle and her mate Danny, at the border of the Wolf Kingdom. Jenny was there holding onto Apollo with her life and crying uncontrollably. Danny was in front facing his mother and a man twice his size. Artemis stood behind a tree and shapeshifted into a human and slipped on her dress. She walked out into the open and called Apollo's name. "Take Jennifer home to the little cottage. I will be back soon" she told him. Apollo hesitatingly picked Jenny up into his arms. "Go! I will be here with her" Kasper told him. Apollo finally turned and ran away as fast as he could in human form. "Valeria. You should know by now that Jennifer is mated to my brother. Prince Apollo. You cannot take a Princess away from the Kingdom unless the King or Queen allows it" Artemis said to Valeria. Valeria sneered at Artemis and then rubbed herself against the man standing next to her. "I have mated with the Tiger King. I am the Tiger Queen now and I have come to take my daughter back to my Kingdom. You're a mere Princess and cannot stop me" Valeria challenged. "Do Not challenge the Princess. She is not as nice as she seems when it comes to politics or her friends" Kasper warned her. "I have promised the female child to one of my prince's. I am a King. I cannot go back on my word or else I will seem weak. Therefore I am willing to take her by force" the Tiger King said stepping forward. "You choose to come into the Wolf Kingdom and start a fight?" Artemis asked for reassurance. "I choose to come burn this Kingdom down to stand on my word" the Tiger King said. He looked back at the men he brought with him and said "tear the place down and bring me that Wolf Female".

All of his men shifted into Tigers and began dashing into the city. "What is wrong with you?" Artemis yelled before shifting into her huge white wolf towering over Valeria and the Tiger King. "She is a big one, my Queen," the Tiger King said, backing away two steps. Valeria seemed to be nervous as well but she stood her ground. "Her whore of a mother thought she was big and powerful until she was surrounded by a group of wolf females. This one is surrounded by male Tiger Beastmen. She can't escape" Valeria said to theTiger King. Kasper caught on to Valeria's hint that she was one of the wolf females that killed his sister, he shape shifted into a wolf and howled into the sky painfully. "You killed my mother?" Artemis asked Valeria after already receiving confirmation from Kasper. "And your next" Valeria said laughing with a touch of evil. Artemis cried out and painfully grew into an even larger wolf. She stood up tall on all four legs. Her whole body was covered in white fur. Her eyes were glowing gray orbs and she had her claws out sharp and ready to cut into any flesh. "What is that thing?" The Tiger King cried out. "I am A Weak Wolf Princess" Artemis said standing there still towering over everyone. Artemis lurched forward and tackled Valeria to the ground. Kasper and Danny lounged forward and began attacking the Tiger King. Both opponents were nothing compared to Artemis and Kasper. Without putting in too much effort Artemis had beaten Valeria into a pulp. The woman lay on the ground unconscious but still breathing and her face was unrecognizable thanks to Artemis's claws. Artemis stood up and looked down at Valeria "Death would be too easy for you," Artemis said after shapeshifting into a bloody human. I might have let you off for trying to abduct Jennifer but you had to go and attack the Wolf City as well? The City?" Artemis ranted. "I Princess Artemis will sentence you to death, Tiger King" Artemis said, shifting only her hand into her humanoid wolf hand with elongated claws and then she used the claws to slice the Tiger King's head clean off.

The sounds of fighting and destruction were getting louder as the Tiger Beastmen went further into the city. Tiger Beastmen were running rampant through the city tearing through houses and attacking people. Artemis and Kasper howled into the sky and received painful howls back from Apollo and Jenny. "Oh no!" Artemis said, looking in the direction of Apollo's howls. Artemis, Danny and Kasper set off running back to the Little Cottage but they were too late. When they got to the little cottage Apollo was fighting off two tigers while Jenny and Little Wen were on the ground cradling Grandma Shuu. Kasper and Danny jumped in to help take care of the two Tigers while Artemis shapeshifted back into human form. "Nana?" She said slowly walking over. Grandma Shuu had bite marks and claw marks everywhere "There were too many of them!" Little Wen cried. "Why did they attack Grandma Shuu?" Jenny cried "Nana wake up. Your Artemis is here" Artemis said crouching down next to Grandma Shuu "Artie?" Grandma Shuu whispered, reaching for her. "Nana, I'm here okay. Please don't leave me, please!" Artemis begged. "It is my time to go honey. I am happy to see you mated off to someone trustworthy before I go" Grandma Shuu said with her eyes still closed. Kasper, Apollo and Danny finally finished with the Tigers and rushed over to Grandma Shuu's side "mother I'm here. Please hold on. I'll go find a doctor" Kasper said standing back up "don't worry about the doctor. The Little cottage is destroyed. I want you guys to leave from here in case the Tiger Beastmen come back" Grandam Shuu said. "The Tiger King is dead! His men should be retreating anytime now" Kasper said "Good, good. You still need to leave. It is not safe here" she said before coughing up blood. "All of you, promise me you will protect the Princess!" Grandma Shuu said, coughing and struggling to breathe. "I promise mother. I will protect her until my last breath" Kasper said with tears falling down his face.

"See. When I am gone you won't completely be alone. You have your brother and Little Jenny. You have Little Wen and Kasper and now you have Daniel and Bowen. Don't stop living your life. I could live in peace in the afterlife if you continue living your life and find your happiness" Grandma Shuu said to Artemis. Artemis cried holding onto her grandmother, she would never be ready to let her go. Grandma Shuu used the last of her strength to reach up and cup Artemis' face then she started to wither away into dust right in Artemis' arms. "No nana!" Artemis cried out. Within the next moment small specks of light appeared mixed into Grandma Shuu's ashes that were floating away but instead of floating away the specs of light gathered together and surrounded Artemis until her body seemed to absorb the lights. "What is happening?" Artemis asked everybody who was crying with her. Nobody answered and Artemis was left to cry out into the sky releasing all of her emotions. In the heart of the city of the Wolf Kingdom loud roars can be heard. All of the wolves were in mourning over the Wolf Queen. "Father can feel the separation from my mother. And so can my two brothers" Kasper said, answering Jenny and Little Wen's frightened expressions. Overcome with grief Artemis suddenly fainted from crying. It was Danny who grabbed her and stopped her from falling over onto the ground. "She's in so much pain!" Danny said, cradling his mate. "She will wake up later. Let her rest. Take her to her cave home. The rest of us will gather there later" Kasper said to Danny. Danny nodded and stood up with his mate. "Jenny and Little Wen, you two go with them" Apollo said to them. Apollo and Kasper were left alone to search through the remains of the little cottage. Thankfully only the house was destroyed and the things inside were able to be salvaged. "I can't believe they took Grandma Shuu from us." Apollo said, gathering clothes and blankets. "I know Artemis wore herself out today. It'll be hard on her when she wakes up" Kasper said as he gathered food and utensils. The two stopped talking until Bowen showed up looking around confused. "Where is everybody? I told them to stay put while I went to go get my father" Bowen said. "Princess Artemis came back and Grandma Shuu said goodbye to her" Apollo said sounding lost "said goodbye?" Bowen said, confused. Kasper and Apollo both looked at Bowen with troubled expressions. They had actually forgotten that Grandma Shuu had treated Bowen, Danny and the two girls like family. It's natural for them to be upset at her passing and with Danny being Artemis' mate he would feel her emotions through the mating bond. "Grandma Shuu is no longer with us. She passed on to the afterlife" Apollo said to Bowen. Bowen stood in the yard speechless. "Is Artemis Okay? Is Jenny and little Wen okay?" Bowen asked "They are fine. We sent them ahead to the cave home with Danny while we gathered up supplies" Kasper told Bowen. "Artemis is going to need you and Danny the most these next couple of days" Apollo told Bowen, who nodded in response.

As they were talking another Eagle flew down and landed next to Bowen. After shifting they realized that the Eagle was John, Bowen's father. He shapeshifted and bent down onto one knee in front of Kasper and Apollo. "Prince Apollo, Prince Kasper. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Grandma Shuu was a very caring and generous person" John said to them. Kasper nodded and John stood up. "Bowen told us that you came to treat Grandma Shuu's wounds. She is no longer with us but we'd like for you to go check on Princess Artemis later. She shifted a great deal only to lose her Grandmother in the end. She will feel guilty for leaving her side" Kasper said to John. "Of course. I will make sure the Princess is well" Bowen nodded standing up. "You look familiar, doctor? Who are you?" Apollo asked John. "I am a humble Beastman at your service my Prince. But I may look familiar because I was the Eagle who raised you up from a little pup" John said to Apollo. Apollo took another good look at John and came to a realization. "I thought you were dead!" Apollo exclaimed. "So did I. My wounds took a while to heal but I made it" John said to Apollo. "Good, you're still here with us. We need a doctor like you!" Apollo told John. "Lets get all of this stuff over to the cave" Kasper said gathering up as much as he could.

When Artemis woke up she wouldn't let anyone touch her, not Danny, Apollo nor Kasper could get near her let alone the doctor. She either stayed sitting up in her nest staring at the cave wall or laying down staring until she fell asleep. Her eyes were puffy and red. Her lips were in a straight line, and they stayed that way. She refused to eat or drink anything and had no desire to use the bathroom. "If she keeps up like this it will become unhealthy for her. She at least needs to drink soup and water" Bowen told Danny, Apollo and Kasper. "I understand. We just need to give her more time" Kasper said, nodding his head. "Any news on the Wolf King or the Tiger Kingdom?" Kasper asked Bowen. Bowen shook his head. "I do know that the Wolf King has been closed inside his castle and won't let anyone in or out. He accepts ale and wine to be brought in and that's all" Bowen told Kasper. Kasper sighed and shook his head. "This won't end well" Kasper commented.