Captured

"Drop the child, beast!" the leader of the men demanded of Morgana.

Ten of the soldiers charged Casper's little sister, who limped back up against the trees, dragging her crumpled leg.

His daughter was clutched desperately in her right paw while she used her left to swipe out at the soldiers. One of the humans threw their spear in a deadly line, and before Casper could react it was embedded in morgana's already-injured side, right between two ribs.

Her roar rang through the night and she collapsed, nearly crushing his daughter underneath her large body.

The humans' leader stepped forward, swinging his sword in an arch that would slice right through Morgana's neck.

This time, Casper's brain was quick enough to react.

He leaped forward, right between Morgana and the sword.

When he hit the ground, it took a moment for his brain to register what had happened.

His paw hurt in a way that he had never experienced, but when he blinked his eyes open to look at his leg, his paw was further away than he expected.

And it was no longer connected to his leg.

He blinked again to clear his vision and saw that his front right paw had been cleanly chopped off, halfway between the elbow and the wrist of his leg.

He whimpered and glared up at the human, whose gaze was locked on him smugly.

Casper's blood dripped from his broadsword.

Casper tried to rise, but another soldier swung his battle axe to land a blow in the back of Casper's head.

He observed in slow motion as the human bent down and lifted his daughter into his arms and kicked Morgana's head aside as she tried to bite his leg in one last feeble attempt.

The baby screams echoed distantly in Casper's ears and he met Morgana's eyes.

His sister's desperate gaze was the last thing he saw before the blackness took over.

Vaguely, as the darkness swallowed him, he heard the growl of a wolf.

King Gaius

My wife, the queen sat in her bed, sobbing softly as she held the limp form to her bréast.

"My little girl."

"Darling," I whispered into her auburn hair.

"You have to let her go."

"She is my baby, Gaius" Queen Hilda whispered as she looked into the pale face of our stillborn child.

"I know, love, but she is gone."

"She never got to see me....got to see us."

I said nothing.

I know there was nothing I could do to comfort my wife.

I hate seeing her despair.

I am the king.

There have to be something that I could do.

I ushered the maidservants from my wife's bedside to allow her to grieve, but there was very little else I was able to do for her.

This was the third baby we had lost.

It wasn't looking as though my wife would ever bear a living child.

"How are we going to tell the kingdom?"

Leave it to Hilda, my thoughtful, loving wife to worry about the feelings of the people at a time like this.

She knew how excited everyone was to greet the new prince or princess, and she had been even more excited and proud to be able to present the child to them.

And now that child was gone, and Hilda s arms were empty.

What should have been the happiest day of our lives was now filled with mourning for our little daughter.

The kingdom had been waiting for this day since it had been announced that the queen was with child.

I and my wife needed an heir for our kingdom of Athena, male or female, but once again, fate was playing against them.

"Don't you worry about that, love. Right now you need to rest."

"I'm not ready to give her up yet," Hilda said, clutching our daughter tighter to her chest.

Her tears dripped down her cheeks, dropping off to make tiny spots on the blanket that their baby was swaddled in.

"I know, I know. You hold on to her as long as you like," I smoothed Hilda's hair back and kissed her forehead, swallowing the lump in my throat as quietly as I could.

I glanced down at the pale face of the baby and nearly lost it.

That was a face that was supposed to pink and scrunched up, wailing at the unfairness of life.

Instead, my wife was clutching the pale, lifeless shell of what could have been.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"I will be back soon, darling, but I need some air."

"Gaius, don't be gone too long. I need you," Hilda whimpered.

I filled my gaze with as much affection as I could muster.

Our marriage was unlike most arranged ones, as it was filled with love.

Hilda is my better half and I would do anything for her.

Just as I was about to.

"I won't be gone long at all, Hilda. I will be back before you know it." I pecked her lips and swept out of the room.

"You rest, okay? I love you."

I was gone for two weeks.

But, in those two weeks, I accomplished quite a bit.

Tbc