Chapter 36

(One Month Later)

Being pregnant this go round was entirely difficult for Artemis. After taking so long to heal her leg and arm she ended up catching a cold that turned almost deadly for her. After leaving everything behind at Clay's water cabin, Sam was totally unprepared and had no way of properly treating Artemis. Sam went out to search in their immediate enclosed area but was unable to find anything helpful so instead he dug a very small hole under a tree and curled Artemis up inside of it. To keep her warm Sam covered Artemis with furs and then covered the entrance of the hole with leaves and branches. Artemis was in and out of sleepiness at this point tired from coughing and traveling and she promised not to make a move until he comes back. Sam shapeshifted into his vibrant White wolf and raced back off to Clay's water cabin, wasn't sure if he was going to find much after being gone for about a month, but he wanted to at least try so that he could save Artemis. Sam was surprised at how short of a time it took to get back to the little Silver Wolf kingdom. It was eerily quiet and gloomy and it made him glad that he left Artemis far behind instead of bringing her back to this dreadful place.

Clay hadn't even bothered to fix the huge hole in the wall. Aside from the hole nothing else in the water cabin had been touched. Sam shapeshifted into human form and put on a fur skirt and slowly walked inside. Clay was sitting in his chair opposite Artemis' chair looking ragged and staring at the hole. He had grown out a full beard and mustache, his hair was messy and he had his leg stretched out with his ankle bandaged. "Has she finally dumped you?" Clay asked bitterly without looking away from the hole. "No dummy. But she did dump you!" Sam answered him. Sam spotted his little medicinal cabinet and quickly rushed over. He grabbed a fur bag and packed it with as much medicine, herbs and tonics as he could make fit. He also grabbed some more furs and food and this time he took a bowl and cup for Artemis. Sam had completely forgotten about Clay sitting down behind him. When he was ready to leave he turned around holding two pouches looking so happy but his expression changed immediately. Clay was surrounded by almost all of his men, young and old. They had silently piled up inside the small cabin and we're waiting to confront Sam about taking the female. "I don't have the time for this. I need to go!" Sam said. "Where is she? Why did you take that female?" Someone asked "she doesn't belong here. I'm taking her back to her mates!" Sam said "that is not your decision, who died and made you our leader?" Someone else asked. "We have always kept a female and given her at least three mates!" another pointed out. "That's just too bad. She entrusted me with getting her out of here. No female should be forced to live with you wild animals!" Sam said. Sam didn't want to waste any more time talking so he turned and hopped out of the cabin. "You're not gonna leave here alive!" Clay called out. Sam looked back and saw all of those men jumping out of the cabin after him. He became frightened and started to run as quickly as he could to get away. Being a new Beastman Sam finally was able to run quicker but the others were more experienced and they caught up with no problem. Sam figured he couldn't fight off so many angry Beastmen so he tossed his pouches as far ahead as he could and braced for the first attack. Some random man hit Sam in the back with a heavy branch but it didn't even hurt as bad as it used to.

Sam felt like a new level had been unlocked with these new found Beastman abilities. He turned around and stared down his attacker. "What boy?" The man asked. Sam threw out his first punch ever connecting his fist with the Beastman's jaw. Everyone gasped as the man went flying backwards and landing on his back. His whole body jiggled including the dislocated jaw hanging off to the side and bloody. "No way!" Someone said out loud. "Sammie really is a man now!" Another called out. Being called Sammie really pissed Sam off, he gave into his animal instincts and began growling and snarling giving them a warning. "Kill this mutt. Pin him up by his tail and skin him." Clay ordered. A lot of the men were hesitant to make a move but others were just that daring and they charged at him. Sam stood tall and howled loudly into the sky then he charged into the mob of beasts waiting to get their hands on him. Sam beat down as many Beastmen as he could with his bare hands. His inspiration came from the way Artemis beat down the other Beastman before. He tossed one man into a tree, he kicked another in the chest knocking him into another Beastman. Sam squeezed both of his hands into fists and started punching men left and right with both of his fists. Sam did not get tired but he didn't want to stand there all day fighting with these men when Artemis was waiting for him. Sam backed swag and then started to shapeshift into his wolf, he wasn't sure if his wolf could take on all the men towering over him but with his wolf at least he still had a chance. Although his paws were planted into the ground Sam started to feel like he was getting taller. Tall enough to stand up to the other Wolf Beastmen. Sam looked around and began growling at everyone. "Samuel. Is. Strong. Now!" Sam said in wolf form breathing hard and ragged. The Silver Wolf Beastmen were dumbfounded looking up at Sam as he grew and grew like something they have never seen before. He grew taller than Artemis ever has and she would be proud. "I am Samuel! Guardian of Queen Artemis. Queen of the White Wolf Kingdom! I am no longer your weak slave!" Samuel announced. Sam emitted power and strength as he stood over all of the Silver Wolf Beastmen. They were all weak and easy to bend to his will. Sam spotted Clay far behind everyone trying to sneak away and disappear. "If you value your lives you would no longer pursue my Queen. I won't repeat myself." Sam ordered as he took one final look at the people he once considered the only family he had. He was no longer a human of the Silver Wolf Tribe. He was a member of Artemis' White Wolf Kingdom. At first when Artemis would talk about herself he thought she was just bragging and lying to scare them. But now he can feel it all throughout his body just how powerful she actually is. Sam finally turned away from the mob of shocked Silver Wolf Beastmen. He picked up his pouches with his mouth and stayed in Wolf form so that he could get back to Artemis faster. Once he got close enough to her location he started to calm down and think more clearly. He now can focus on curing her sickness. Once Sam got back to Artemis he gently pulled her out of her hole and cleaned her off. "We will get you better and get you home my Queen." Sam said to her as she rested on the ground. He noticed her stomach getting a little bigger as if she were full and he guessed she should be laying the Eagle eggs soon. Part of him wanted to see what a pregnant belly felt like and gently rub his hand on her, but the thought also made him uncomfortable. Sam hopes she could endure a little longer and then endure laying the eggs. He would sit on them himself for all he cared about afterwards. Either way for now he would make sure he really took a lot more care of her until the little Eagle cubs arrive.

(Danny in the White Wolf Kingdom)

"That's it. It's time for me to get going!" Danny said, jumping up from the table. "What's wrong? Kasper asked, confused. "I am feeling all types of weird feelings. First I feel something from Bowen. He did something wrong and I can just tell. And just now. I felt someone else. I think I felt 'him' through my Artemis. But it can't be another mate" Danny explained. "Do you think my niece could be coming back to us?" Kasper asked him. "I have no doubt about that!" Danny looked at Kasper with a disappointed expression. "Well you should feel her more than I do. Is she close enough for you to feel her? Or are you going to do like Bowen did and fly off boldly with no clear plan of action?" Kasper explained to Danny, annoyed. It was clear that Danny understood now. "Well maybe I should start by seeing what's up with Bowen. "I'll go. You point me in the right direction and I will find him and bring him home. You stay here. You are the King anyways. You can't leave the Kingdom with both the Queen and the King missing. That is what Apollo and I are for." Kasper said to Danny sitting him back down in his seat. "The closer I get to either of them. Then the easier it will be to find them. I'll take a Snake Beastman with me to send messages back and forth" Kasper said to him. Danny embraced Kasper into a brotherly hug and let out a deep breath. "I can take you where you need to go!" Yozar said breathlessly. "Witch doctor!" Danny gasped because he was caught off guard by Yozar suddenly appearing. "I have received terribly alarming news from your Uncle in the Lion Kingdom!" Yozar explained to them. Kasper slapped his hand on his forehead. "Please don't tell me that it has anything to do with Bowen?" Kasper asked him. "Yes. And we need to hurry!" Yozar nodded, grabbing Kasper by his arm. Suddenly the two disappeared leaving Danny alone and exasperated. "Ah'Xhi. Please come home soon!" Danny pleaded out loud.

Kasper and Yozar transported right to the Lion King's mountain castle doors. "You're Queen's King Consort has put himself in a bad bad situation. The brief description I heard would set Artemis to flames!" Yozar told Kasper. "What could he have possibly done?" Kasper asked. "The Lion King and Wolf Prince are expecting you" a guard said walking up to Kasper and Yozar. "We are ready to see them." Yozar said. The guard led them into a cave within the mountain and brought them in front of the Lion King and his Queen. "Uncle Leo" Kasper said Bowing to the King. "My boy! I'm sorry to invite you here under such circumstances but it is still good to see you!" The Lion King said standing up. Kasper stood back up and shook hands with his King uncle. "King Consort Bowen has found himself in some trouble," the Lion King said to Kasper and Yozar. "Where is he? Do you have any idea how he got here?" Kasper asked the Lion King who nodded in response to his questions. "A few days ago a She-Raven and her daughter dragged him to our borders seeking refuge. The mother said her daughter and her mate needed a place to settle down and recover after being attacked. The guards immediately recognized Bowen after having fought alongside him so they let them all inside but immediately separated them and locked them up. It turns out that Bowen and the Girl are indeed mated and she is now carrying his eggs but the whole time they have kept him heavily drugged and asleep so that he couldn't get away" The Lion King told Kasper and Yozar. The two looked at each other in confusion and then back at the Lion King who nodded confirming that what he said was true. "We need to get Bowen back to the White Wolf Kingdom and we need to take care of those two She-Ravens before Artemis comes home and goes on a rampage." Kasper said. "If you leave with the pregnant She-Raven you will have to travel by foot for a few days." The Lion King said to them. "A few days and we can clear his system of all the drugs." Yozar said, nodding his head. "And in a few days he will have to answer for his actions. What was he doing with two She-Ravens who were able to drug him for so long and take advantage of him like that" Kasper asked. "We have already started to detox him. It's crazy though because normally when a mated beastman mates with a new female, the previous mating bond disappears and even the mark. Bowens mating mark to Queen Artemis is still there. She may have felt the new mating bond take place" Lion King Leo said to Kapser and Yozar. "That's right!" Kasper said, nodding. "Yes indeed, she is way too powerful. He can't just break it off with her. All hell will break loose. How will Bowen deal with a pregnant mate and a furious Queen" Yozar said, shaking his head. "Let me see the two females first!" Yozar said "I have a few questions for them myself!" Kasper agreed.

Despite being imprisoned the two She-Ravens were accommodated quite nicely due to one of them being pregnant with royal cubs. Yozar looked at the two females as one sat in a fur nest and was ankle chained to the wall and then the other was just chained to the wall with no furs and straw for her to sit on. "We feed the pregnant one three times a day. Her mother on the other hand better start catching rats before she starves" someone standing guard said. "Why are we being chained up like slaves? My daughter is carrying cubs and you have her down here, chained up like a sex slave. And where is her mate?" Sarah ranted "Pregnant or not. You and your daughter have committed a great crime against a Queen by kidnapping one of her mates and forcing him to mate with you!" Yozar said with a frighteningly powerful tone. Charity covered her mouth and gasped. "Offended a Queen!" She said out loud. "What was a Queen's mate doing alone in the wild? Sounds like a free game to me." Sarah said, shrugging her shoulders. "Woman you've never met a Queen like this one. Queen of the White Wolf Kingdom. Last Royal Princess of the Black Wolf Kingdom. She has three powerful mates and two powerful litters. Not to mention family. Powerful family" Kasper told Sarah. "Now to mention families outside the Wolf Kingdoms. She has her Lion King uncle. Me!" Lion King Leo said, pointing to himself. "Your daughter won't be able to keep the Queen's mate. In fact he can reject her himself when he recovers from all of the drugs you doped him up with." Kasper said to Sarah who had become quiet and motionless