Chapter 31

"These flowers are growing beautifully," Jenny said, smiling and looking over her creations. "You did a great job, my Princess," Theo said to his mate. "Thank you my love. I did my best" Jenny said. "Let's pick a few to take back home!" She offered as she reached for a purple flower. "Look! Jenny managed to grow a rose bush of different colors. Red, pink, purple and black!" Little Wen pointed. "Aren't they your favorite flowers?" Little Wen asked Artemis. "Yes. I love these" Artemis said, reaching for a black rose. "I purposely planted those just for you my Queen." Jenny said bowing and smiling. The moment Artemis picked off the flower the ground started to shake and rumble. It wasn't quite an Earthquake but something was coming. "What is that?" Artemis asked, looking around. "I don't know, Something big. Let's get you back to the castle now just in case" David said, reaching out for Artemis. "Lets go my Queen" Eric firmly said, reaching out for her as well. Unfortunately Artemis couldn't move quick enough and the shaking and rumbling got even worse making it hard for anyone to walk. A loud roar could be heard and everyone looked in the direction that it came from. "Okay what kind of animal is that?" Artemis said hopping as fast as she could. Finally the danger presented itself in the form of a hippopotamus stampede. "What the hell!" Artemis said, shocked. Everyone ran as fast as they could in hopes of not getting trampled but it was unavoidable. The stampede was too fast and too heavy. Artemis, Jenny and Little Wen all got run over. When the stampede passed a series of victorious wolf howls could be heard very close by. The two guards Eric and David coughed and grunted as they rose from the ground. Of course male Beastmen tend to be a little more durable and fast healing than females. "What is the meaning of this?" Theo asked, as he rose up from the ground as well. "What Wolf Beastman dares harm the White Wolf Queen and her Princesses?" David demanded. A different horde showed up and surrounded the three men protecting the females, this time they were black and silver furred wolves approaching. "The Silver Wolf Beastmen that tried to abduct the Queen's princes!" Theo announced. The Wolves instantly all attacked the three men standing up until there were blood and torn body parts all over. It was a bloody and disturbing scene. A particular Silver Wolf Beastman stood out among the rest. He stood behind the scenes and watched as his men tore apart the two guards and the other beastman. He stepped forward and shapeshifted into human form. He took a few more steps until he was standing over Artemis' unconscious body. "This is the Queen." he said, looking down at her. She looked beautiful despite her current state. "Take her. Leave the rest. We'll come back another time and take their females." The Beastman ordered "there are plenty of females in this Kingdom" the man said after sniffing the air. He tied her legs and hands together and then gently lifted Artemis up and tied her to the back of a wolf still in beast form. "Let's go while those beasts are still running through their village!" He said pointing back into the direction that they came from. They all howled victoriously again as they ran away taking Artemis with them.

"This can't be right?" Danny said to himself. He put his hand on his chest and tilted his head as if he were listening to something. Then he felt pain right where his hand was. The pain sent him down to the floor and knocked the wind out of him. "Oh no. Artemis!" Danny panicked. Back in the Wolf Kingdom with King Maximus and his Grandson Apollo they both were surrounded by the teen Wolf cubs and they felt the same pain as well "Mother!" Christopher said out loud "Jenny too. What has happened?" Apollo said, holding his chest and trying to catch his breath. "Something big happened to my sister and mate. Artemis is fading in and out!" Apollo jumped up and said to King Maximus. "We need to leave now. It's almost quite a journey back!" King Maximus said immediately. "What's going on? Is mother okay?" Christopher asked, crying already. King Maximus and Apollo ignored the poor boy and kept it moving, calling for Kasper on the way through the castle.

By time they made it to the White Wolf Kingdom Artemis was long gone with the Silver Wolf Beastmen. Danny was in the destroyed flower patch helping Jenny, Little Wen and Drako up out of the dirt. Jenny and Little Wen were crying uncontrollably and in pain. They had broken arms and legs and probably broken ribs too. Little Wen couldn't stop crying and screaming after recognizing Theo torn apart all around her. King Maximus stormed over and examined the destroyed flower patch; what he saw made him furious; he snatched Drako up off of the ground and held him up in the air. "What happened to my granddaughter?" He fumed "My King I am sorry. There was a stampede. We were all run over!" Drako said in between coughing out blood. "Why were there not any guards with you! You were with your Queen! You Didn't protect her!" King Maximus roared. "Artemis is gone?" Apollo said in disbelief holding his chest. Thankfully his mate was still alive and still here but she had been beaten nearly to a pulp and Artemis was nowhere to be found. "Nana. I have failed again. I failed to protect my twin sister!" Apollo cried out, devastated and falling to the ground. "This can't be!" Danny said weakly as if he had been trampled in the stampede as well. King Maximus finally realized that Artemis was indeed gone and he went ballistic and violently threw Draco as far and hard as he could. He roared and stomped around and clawed at the dirt. Eventually all of Artemis' loved ones stopped what they were doing and made their way to the flower patch to find her. All of her children showed up including Ezekiel and Eden. Being drawn to her was a hard thing to fight. Everyone was frantically looking and searching for clues. Walking around in circles crying and calling her name.

"I remember something but maybe not much," Little Wen said, sobbing. "She went to pick this black rose off of the bush. That's when the ground started shaking and we couldn't walk. Next thing you know there was a horde of hippopotamuses running at us." Jenny told everyone. "I was waking back up when I heard different Wolf howls. The last thing I heard before I passed back out was Theo standing up and telling me to get up and grab the females" Drako said, shaking his head. "Wolf Beastman did this?" King Maximus asked in disbelief. "Those Silver Wolf Beastmen," Danny said, picking up Artemis' rose that was forgotten on the ground. "Daddy we have to find Mother. We have to find the Queen!" Princess Stomped and cried in front of her father. Danny looked at her with his own tears in his eyes. "She's still alive. Out there somewhere with those Beastman. Can't Yozar find her better than we can?" Danny pleaded with King Maximus "She can get to him faster than I can and hopefully she does" King Maximus sighed. "How did they even manage to get their hands on her?" Thomas asked, Bewildered "she was back in good shape!" He continued. Danny put his hand back on his chest remembering the pain he felt. "She was hurt badly. She is in a lot of pain. I felt it at first but now it's fading away" Danny said sadly. Screeches and bird calls came from the sky above. It was Bowen and some Eagle Beastmen flying with him. Bowen landed on his knees in human form in front of Danny and The King. He knelt there sobbing. His hair was wind blown everywhere and his face was dirty. He sobbed and beat at the ground. Behind him all of the Eagle Beastmen were still in beast form but they were visibly huddled together sobbing as well. "I can't take this. Ah'Xhi! Papa is so sorry. I should have never let you move away!" King Maximus cried out.

The commotion drew in people from the White Wolf Kingdom who weren't seriously hurt by the Hippopotamus stampede. They watched Artemis' loved ones crying out fir her and out the pieces together. "The Queen is gone?" Someone asked. Apollo snapped his head in the direction of the person asking the question. "Our Queen is missing. She was taken by the Silver Wolf Beastman!" Apollo told all of the spectators. "They led those monsters into our Kingdom and took our Queen right out of our hands!" Danny said out loud. "Oh no! Queen Artemis!"….

(On the road with the Silver Wolf Beastmen)

"AH! Damn!" Artemis yelled and groaned. She was in pain all over and woke up not able to move much. Artemis looked down and realized that she was riding on the back of someone. A Silver Wolf more specifically. "What Is this?" Artemis asked with a hoarse voice. "Be careful, My Queen. We need to get you to a doctor" a majestic voice chimed to her. Artemis could feel the man slide his hands underneath her and pull her off of her ride. The man cradled her in his arms as he continued walking. "Who are you and why do you have your hands on me?" Artemis asked the man. "Where am I? You have taken me far away from my children" she added. "That is none of my concern. You are now, mate."…