376 Bed Time Story

Aka was a rather... aggressive kit with her thirst for my milk, remaining latched onto my breast the entire time and forcing Ehretia and Ipoala to alternate who was suckling and who was cuddling, which made me rather happy that she was so in love with this, but also rather worried that she would never 'mature' past this... which was a problem to a lesser degree, I suppose...

Stroking the kit's black ears, I pursed my lips and watched as she clung desperately to my side, her adorable features hidden against my breast as she suckled strongly on my nipple, before letting out a purr as I stroked her from her head to her back.

As for Ehretia, the Deerkin girl was yawning cutely as she rested atop my chest, letting Ipoala get her fill as she just laid there, her own crimson eyes barely open as she enjoyed the warmth of being surrounded by her siblings and resting on top of me.

It was a tad cramped, but otherwise rather comfortable for the four of us, and I felt my heart grow warmer the longer we laid together, enjoying this moment of peace and calm.

When Ipoala released my breast, she just rested her head against it and stretched, her own eyes drooping slightly as she and Ipoala cuddled together, with Ehretia murmuring "Read... book, Mama..?"

Nodding, I summoned out the book they had been trying to read and opened it up, leaving Aka to herself as she continued to idly drink my milk.

"The story of how a mortal Huntress named Artemia managed to find herself amongst the stars, courtesy of the Goddess Constella and her wife Nytra, Goddess of the Night."

They all looked back towards the book, with Aka simply tilting her head curiously before closing her eyes, deciding to just listen as I spoke.

"Our story begins as Artemia sets out into the forest to hunt, searching and tracking the largest prey she had ever seen in her whole life. Footprints as large as she was tall, and deep enough to suggest that the thing she was looking for was heavy.

For weeks she had been hearing about the dangers this beast had been committing, the damage it had done to the forest as it tried to create a home of its own; a home that was made of flames and burnt trees, of ash and rubble. Aretmia made it her mission to protect her people, to protect her home from this beast.

So she set out and began to hunt down this beast, finding its tracks and making her way towards its new 'home', keeping herself low and hidden from sight. Covered in mud and moving as slowly as she could, Artemia managed to find this beast, and she was surprised when she first laid eyes upon it.

What resided inside the forest was no normal beast, but instead a legendary creature that thrived on destruction and wished to burn down the entire forest, so that it could continue to lay waste to the world and bring about its demise.

A hateful thing, the beast let out a roar from its large, golden furred head, while the snake that acted as its tail hissed loudly at Aretmia, warning her of her imminent peril; the danger she was in.

Towering inside the forest and as tall as trees, the Chimera roared at the huntress and made itself known, roaring at her and flattening the trees around them with just the sound of its booming roar.

Flames spilled from its jagged fang filled mouth, and the Chimera loomed over the Wolfkin Huntress, raising its large paw and slamming it to the ground, where Aretmia once stood.

Lifting her spear, the valiant and swift Huntress dodged the Chimera's paw, before dancing around the flames and avoiding the scorching heat that rolled off of the ground, the Chimera's magic and powerful body pushing the Huntress back as she avoided the attacks of this deadly creature.

Thoughts of her home and her loved ones entered her mind, willing her on to keep fighting, to protect those that she cared about from the dangers of this beast, who threatened everything that she held dear..."

Trailing off, I frowned as I stared at the book, the story inside feeling both rushed and rather unsuited for children, before I looked down at the three little ones and saw them staring at the book with wide eyes, somewhere along the way Aka removing her lips from my tit as she focused on the story.

Perhaps the children born into this world were more accustomed to the idea of violence, to the idea of fighting and hunting and surviving; something that I thought wasn't for them seemed to resonate with them, even if Ehretia and Ipoala seemed to be shy, reserved girls who didn't care for that sort of thing...

So, I returned to the story before they could look back at me and wonder why I stopped, though that was after placing a kiss on the back of their heads and reassuring them that I was still awake.

"So she lifted up her spear and began to go on the offensive, running towards the Chimera instead of away; moving towards the attacks instead of avoiding them, beginning to challenge this legendary creature with her own strength, and her own will.

She did something that no mortal should have been able to do; she withstood the scorching heat of a Chimera, withstood the physical attacks of the beast, all while being able to put up a fight of her own! Her bravery, her courage to stand up and do what was right, so that she could protect her people... that caught the eyes of the Goddesses above, who were watching in awe at the ability of this mortal.

The sun rose and fell, bathing the forest in its golden light and showcasing the battle between mortal and beast, before the moons took its place, highlighting the incredible tenacity of this Huntress, who battled into the night beneath the watchful eyes of Nytra, Goddess of the Night, and Constella, Goddess of the Stars.

They watched as a mortal fought for her people, for her home, and for her love waiting for her to return; they watched as Artemia battled bravely even as the battle began to become weighed in the beasts favor.

Artemia was just a mortal; a brave, strong, determined and powerful mortal, but she had limits. Limits that the beast did not have; limits that the beast surpassed.

She knew that, and yet she remained, fighting the beast even as her body began to fail her, even as everything seemed pointless.

At that time, unbeknownst to her, the spectators from the heavens had determined that she wasn't meant to meet her end so soon, that she was supposed to continue to live on; and so, they blessed this Huntress with the power of the Night and the brilliance of the Stars, rejuvenating her and allowing her to take the fight back to the beast.

With her spear in hand, Artemia stabbed the beast in the eye and batted away its serpent tail, doing damage to it and shifting the weight of the battle into her favor; she battled hard to claim victory, and as the moons began to descend towards the horizon, Artemia emerged victorious.

The Chimera was dead, and her home was safe. As soon as the beast fell, so too did Artemia, though she rested on her knees and looked up at the night sky, staring at the happy faces of Nytra and Constella as they congratulated the Huntress, gifting her their blessing and promising the woman that her feats would never be forgotten...

When she returned to her home, she found her lover and embraced her, thanking the Goddesses that she could once more experience the warmth of her loved one before she went about her life, praising the Goddesses and thanking them for helping her keep her home safe.

Soon, Artemia had begun a family of her own, and she continued to praise the Goddesses for their aid, instilling a revere and respect for the night into her children and showing them the beauty of the stars, telling them that one day, when she was gone, they could always look up and find her amongst them; that she would be waiting to welcome them to the night sky with open arms, ready to protect them again..."

Trailing off, I pursed my lips and nodded my head, the chapter about the Huntress Artemia now finished and a new one beginning, but upon looking down at the three children on my chest, I smiled and placed the book back into my inventory, making sure not to disturb their sleep.