Chapter 48

It took First Wolf Prince Christopher two days to make it halfway to the Lion Kingdom. He traveled with his mate Princess Lily and the Wolf Doctor Samuel, and they traveled with two carriages and a over a dozen fighters. Some of them were volunteers who were eager to run off into any battle, they even asked for half the pay that the First Wolf Prince offered to pay them in the first place. Things were looking promising for this rescue mission. Princess Lily rode on the front of one of the carriages so that she could sit and talk to Prince Christopher as they traveled. She told him stories from her younger years and described how full of life her people were before things went bad and she had to flee, hearing this made Prince Christopher even more eager to save his mother. By night fall on the second day of their travels prince Christopher decided to stop so that they could get some rest and continue on in the morning. Samuel helped Prince Christopher put up a tent for him and Lilly while everyone put up one huge tent for themselves. Once shelter was put in place they began to set up outside in a circle to cook a nice meal and bond. Everything seemed fine until Samuel and Prince Christopher felt a shift in the energy. They looked at each other and looked around for any clues. "What's happening now?" Princess Lily asked Prince Christopher when she noticed something catching his attention. "Someone's coming." He said suspiciously. "Who?" Princess Lily asked him confused. "Princess Emersyn." Samuel said in a deep tone. "How can she be here. She's just a baby?" Prince Christopher asked him in disbelief. "She is." Samuel said bidding his head and rubbing his chest. Suddenly Ape Princess Thea appeared next to Prince Christopher and she was holding a screaming crying Princess Emersyn. A few seconds later two small eagles appeared flying above Princess Thea and Princess Emersyn. "What!" Prince Christopher yelled jumping back from his sisters. "Princess Thea… Did you teleport here on your own?" Samuel asked her reaching for Princess Emersyn. "It was an accident! I just wanted to baby to stop crying. She misses mommy!" Princess Thea said innocently. "Mommy is going to throw a fit when she finds out that your not safe back in the castle and you even brought the three youngest ones with you." Prince Christopher said shaking his head. There's one more person on their way…" Princess Thea tried to say in a low tone. "Who?" Prince Christopher demanded.

As soon as the question was asked a another Ape child appeared, this one was Fourth White Ape Prince George. He was scared and crying loudly with snot and tears running down his face. Prince Christopher didn't want to loose his angry composure but he also couldn't stand to see his younger brother so frightened like this. Prince Christopher kneeled down and hugged Prince George and rubbed his hand along Prince George's back until he finally stopped crying. "I'm sorry George. I didn't mean to do that!" Princess Thea cried along with him. "Don't worry. You're all with big brother. Everything will be okay. But I want you to be prepared. We are going to mother and our fathers and Yozar and Papa Maximus. Someway you are likely to be punished and somehow you will get back home to the White Wolf Kingdom. Where we are going is no place for a baby or inexperienced children." Prince Christopher told them Firmly. "Let's get them some porridge and blankets please!" Prince Christopher asked everyone. Once the two Ape cubs and two Eagle cubs were well fed and kept warm by the fur blankets Prince Christopher ushered them into his tent where they would sleep during the night. Prince Christopher sent one man on his way back to let Princess Wende know where the five youngest Royal cubs were. At some point someone will notice their absence and begin searching all over the castle looking for them.

After sending the messenger off Prince Christopher went off to relive himself. He stood with one hand pressed against a tree and looked out into the wild brush. It looked like a quiet peaceful scene so the Prince closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Suddenly he heard some screaming and some yelling, it sounded like some people were in trouble. Prince Christoper groaned in annoyance and shook his head. He removed his hand from the tree and began to walk in the direction of the screams. "Leave us alone! You can't bully us into being your slaves!" A voice yelled out. "Yeah. We agreed to do business and you've taken advantage if us this whole time!" Another voice yelled out loud. "My Prince. Is everything okay?" Princess Lily asked him. "No." The Prince said shaking his head. "There seems to be some kind of altercation going on over there" the Prince told his mate. "What kind of altercation. Are you going to get involved?" She asked him. Prince Christopher shrugged his shoulders and continued to slowly move forward, the Princess motioned for a few more guards to come with them. In a short distance there was a group of human men holding tools as weapons they were dirty and sweaty and clearly angry. Standing across from them were a group of Lion Beastmen. Prince Christopher was almost surprised to see the Lions involved in such an altercation but he was only a days walk away from the Lion Kingdom. Of course there would be some Beastmen residing outside of the city. What was surprising was the fact that these Beastmen we're doing business with humans. The Prince had never seen a human before and his first impression was that they were frail and hungry looking. The Prince's face crinkled up and he walked forward to stand in the middle of the two groups.

"Royal Great uncle Leo is going to have a lot of explaining to do to Queen Mother. You have humans here" Prince Christopher said to them. We do not recognize your Queen. We only follow Queen Indigo of the Brown Lion Clan." A Beastman said to The Prince. "What business do you have with us Wolf Boy? How is there a Lion Female standing beside you?" The Lion Beastman asked. "This is my mate. Princess Lily. And I am the son of the Queen you do not recognize. Princess Lily is her daughter in law." Prince Christopher told the Lion Beastmen. "This Wolf Queen must be rich and powerful. Look at the appearance of her son and daughter-in-law!" A human man said out loud in speculation. "My Prince. Don't be alarmed by us. We are simply workers and merchants trying to make a living." One of the older humans said to Prince Christopher. "Don't worry about it. I just want to know why these Lions think they can bully people wether they're human or not." Prince Christopher said crossing his arms over his chest. "I am heading into the Lion Kingdom to meet up with the White Wolf Queen and my uncle the Lion King, I can see if I can help you all find work and business there." Prince Christopher offered them. "Really? You would do that for us?" Another old man asked surprised. Prince Christopher nodded his head and looked over at Princess Lily. "Your not taking them anywhere. These humans belong to us and the Brown Lion Queen!" Said one of the Lion Beastmen. "Are you going to stop me?" Prince Christopher asked. The fighters the Prince brought along stepped forward in an intimidating manner. They're faces were stone cold and they looked like they could rip a tree out of the ground.

The Lion Beastmen growled and bared their sharp teeth. They did not want to walk away without a fight but they heavily underestimated Prince Christopher's abilities. Without bothering to shape-shift the Prince pushed his mate behind him and took a few steps forward towards the raging Lion Beastmen. "I don't care if you are a few years older than me. I will teach you a lesson on behalf on my Uncle today!" Prince Christopher said cracking his knuckles. An eager Lion jumped forward an Prince Christopher jumped up and met him head on. The Prince jumped higher than the Lion and slammed him fist down on the Lion Beastman's head. The Lion yelped in pain as he fell to the ground and hit his head again. Another Lion Beastman ran up to the Prince and this time the Beastman moved a little too fast for the Prince to take him out in one hit so they had to spar for a minute. This Lion may have been a little bit faster than Prince Christopher but the Prince was much stronger and smarter. He let the Lion tire himself out quickly and then gave him a few hood blows to the face then finished him off by kicking him in his chest. The Lion fell down to his knees chocking out blood most likely from internal injuries. The fighters standing on Prince Christopher's side cheered him on and then joined in on the action. After they had clearly won the fight Prince Christopher, the fighters and the humans all cheered and shook hands, even Princess Lilly ran over and gave the Prince a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "You did an amazing job handling those scoundrels my Prince. Queen Mother would be proud when she hears this!" The Princess said to him. "I feel proud of myself as well. We should get going though. Lets not let those parasites delay our journey any longer." Prince Christopher said to her rubbing her back softly. Princess Lily nodded and smiled. "We also have some new people who are eager to help out and put their talents to good use. That a double win right there!" Princess Lily said excitedly.

Inside of the Brown Lion Clan

Artemis could feel a shift in the energy that Princess Thea made when she teleported. She woke up gasping for air hoping no one in the Brown Lion Clan would hear her. Artemis calmed down her breathing and relaxed as much as she could. Laying on the stone bed had made her back and bones stiff. Thankfully her leg and arm has healed a lot while she was asleep. Artemis sat up and slowly stood up to take a few steps. She felt no pain but she still had a slight limp in her walk. Her arm was moving without any pain but she could feel her bones crack really loudly when she stretched them out. "I'll be grateful for this. I'm not in any pain and I can still move my around." Artemis said to herself. "Now that I am awake I need to worry about Princess Thea. She has teleporting powers already!" Artemis said out loud to herself. This was exciting and scary news at the same time. Some how the little Ape Princess managed to get herself here in the middle of all the turmoil while her mother is locked up within the Brown Lion Clan, just the mere thought was very stressful for Artemis.

Artemis took a deep breath and then braced herself to teleport back to the camp to her mates. Teleportation can be a little tricky so she really had to clear her mind. After a few seconds Artemis was able to teleport with no problem. She was standing in front of her three mates and her Grandfather and twin brother. They had put up a new tent and were standing around a table with a map spread out across it. Apollo saw her first, "Oh sister. Its so good to see you. We were just getting ready to go in and retrieve you!" Apollo complained. "After recovering from my injuries I decided not to stay and talk with that woman. Not only that my daughter Princess Thea is close by." Artemis said to them as she relaxed in her throne chair. "What?" Prince Thomas said shocked and confused. "It seems like my little Ape Princess has teleporting abilities." Artemis said to him. "I will send Yozar to find her. It should be no problem for him to track her down." King Maximus said to her before leaving the tent. "That Lion female is brave and bold. She does not fear death at all. After attacking us and abducting me she locked me in a cell then her and her brothers took turns hitting and kicking me. The level of disorder and disrespect in this Kingdom is beyond reproach." Artemis said to everyone in the tent. "I want to meet The Lion King's oldest Prince. His heir." Artemis said in a serious tone. "Gather our men and whatever we may need. At night fall… we will launch our own attack on the Brown Lion Clan and take justice for the loss they dealt us a few days ago." Artemis demanded. Bowen bowed his head and left the tent to go gather and prep the fighters. Prince Thomas bowed his head and left the tent as well probably off to go find the Lion King's oldest son.

Danny of course did not leave. This time instead of rubbing her shoulders or offering her tea or water, Danny knelt down in front of Artemis and sobbed to her. "My Queen. How do I deserve to be your King? How do I constantly let you fall into danger and harm by others?" Danny asked her. "You cant control everything with just yourself, Daniel" Artemis said to him unmoved by his emotions. "You certainly cant prevent everything from happening either. I looked at you all when I mentioned the situation with the hidden females and abducted Human Females and I can tell that is why you are crying to me now. You waited all your life until you found the right female and made her your mate. If you had to wait any longer I'm sure you would have eventually gone feral and abducted a Human as a last resort. Now that you have daughters of your own you understand wanting to keep them hidden. That is not solving anything my love, and it deprives females of the chance to truly live their lives." Artemis said to Danny. "How do I keep you all safe and happy at the same time?" I cant get over my fear of loosing any of you!" Danny confessed. "Open up your mind, my King." Artemis said. "We have been cultivating well enough to get by. Sometimes we will have to face huge battles and that is what we have each other for. That is why we have our whole White Wolf Kingdom. Don't just stand there and give up when you are weaker than. Keep working harder and smarter." Artemis said. "I see now why Grandma Shuu raised me in the Human world. I needed to learn a little bit of their human ways. You Beastmen focus mainly on breeding and fighting. You've lost focus of the fact that we still need to find food and stay healthy and care for our young. That is why the Ape Kingdom is so advanced and smarter than any other Kingdom here in the Beastworld." Artemis said enlightening him. "We need more Ape Beastmen and more humans in this world to show us what life is really about. They can teach us new things and help us grow beyond those old fashioned ways that clearly are not working anymore. As long as I am alive and Queen of the White Wolf Kingdom we will not die off due to ignorance!" Artemis said. "I am willing to learn and grow with you my Queen." Danny declared. "I have established my household based on my values. You should practice them more and learn from them. Incorporate them into our Kingdom." Artemis said standing up.

"My Queen. I have found the heir to the Lion Kingdom!" Bowen announced coming into the tent. "Bring him in." she said firmly. Bowen held open the entrance to the tent and pulled the Lion Prince inside. He was accompanied by a woman with a huge belly. "My Queen." They both said as they bowed to her. "Stand big cousin. Thank you for coming to see me with your pregnant mate." Artemis said. The Prince and his mate stood up but still bowed their heads to thank her. "The matter at hand is urgent. Do you have any idea where your father could be?" Artemis asked him. "There has been much speculation about this. But I think my father has been bewitched by that Lion Queen. I think she has convinced him to abandon us. I believe he is deep within their clan eating out of her hands." Said the Prince. Artemis shook her head in disappointment. "Bewitched by a female, and she's carrying his cubs. Forgive me for being frank, but where were you when this was happening? Your King is now missing. Your people are now going missing." Artemis said "I gave up on my father. I denounced myself from this royal family." The Prince said in a dark tone. "Well, well my Prince. If I cant get your father back… I'm going to need you to take over the throne. I will not leave the Lion Kingdom without a Lion King on the throne." Artemis said to the Prince "I cannot take the throne!" The Prince said frantically. "You have to. For the sake of your younger brothers and for the sake of your people." Artemis said to her royal older cousin. "At least do it for your family. Abandoning the throne will keep your family in a vulnerable state and keep you on the run." Artemis said trying to give him a reasonable explanation. "My Queen, Prince Jim has no aspirations or motivation for the throne." Said his mate. "But he needs to. Do you want the Lion clan to die off?" Artemis asked them both. "Prince Jim. You will take the throne and become Lion King. If not I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you prisoner." Artemis said to the Lion Prince. "Please don't make me!" The Prince asked giving her a pleading look. "I'm sorry royal big cousin but I am left with no choice." Artemis said to him. "Tonight we are going into the Brown Lion Clan. I plan on making the Lion Queen submit to my will after that little stunt she pulled on me the other day." Artemis told him. "I think you should listen to her. I think you should take the throne or else we'll be on the run for the current Lion Queen for the rest of our lives." The Prince's mate said. "I will give you my full support. Anything you need anytime you need it. I'm sure King Maximus gives his support as well." Artemis said. "Thank you my Queen for this opportunity" The Prince said to her while letting out a deep sigh. "Its for the best royal big cousin. In a few years this will have long died down and you can lice comfortably with your mate and children and brothers" Artemis told him.