Prince Kelton closed his eyes as he tried to push back the negative thoughts that started to run through his head after seeing the gem and rune unbroken. He was a little surprised that the stone was intact, since heat was one of the things that could break Aquamarine stones. At least, that is what he remembered Diligens telling him at one point when he was curious about the tonics the old man was putting together.

Shaking his head to push aside all the reasons Iredys… Mȧthair wasn’t talking to him, he felt down to the next stone. He parted the fur and revealed the Emerald. It sat in the middle of a silver less than symbol. Kenaz. Had she known that this was going to happen? If so, why hadn’t she said anything? Or had the heat affected this stone as well? Prince Kelton sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before he felt for the next bump. The Ruby came into view, nestled between the two legs of a capital M. Ehwaz. She hadn’t moved a single thing that he was aware of either. He paused and rubbed his forehead. He could tell his mind wanted answers and the demand for such was high enough that he was having a hard time focusing on what he was trying to confirm for himself.

Prince Kelton then dug through her fur for the bottom most semi-precious stone. When he finally found the Diamond it was neatly nestled in the loop of a pointed capital P. Wunjo. He felt tempted to check the Diamond band beneath his Garnet ring, but made himself focus on the task at hand. He moved his hands a little to the right and upward to find the Jet. It was nestled at the junction of one long straight line and two smaller diagonal lines that extended outward in opposite directions from where the Jet was located. Algiz. He found the Alexandrite next, settled in the middle of a pointed capital B. Berkano. Lastly came the Peridot. This heat hating stone was also perfectly intact in the middle of two sideways triangles. Dagaz.

He smoothed down Mȧthair’s fur then stood and entered the bedroom for a bath while the water was still warm. He heard the click of nails on the stone floor as Mȧthair followed after him. She jumped up onto the bed and circled in one spot a couple times before she laid down and closed her eyes again. Prince Kelton frowned then climbed into the bath. He just couldn’t figure out why Iredys wasn’t speaking to him. Why she hadn’t used her psychokinesis to try and speak to him when they were alone. He washed up quickly and dressed, then returned to the sitting room to eat.

Mȧthair came out of the bedroom a short time later to eat the scraps that had been brought up for her.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked as he ate his next bite of chicken.

Mȧthair looked at him before she sneezed and went back to eating.

“Did the pyre affect…?” Prince Kelton’s throat felt tight with emotion.

A weight against the side of his leg caused him to look down. Mȧthair had leaned her head against his leg. He reached down and petted her head. She purred for him, which helped soothe the negative emotions running rampant in his chest.

“Is there a reason you haven’t been speaking to me?” he asked after a while.

Mȧthair yipped once.

“Is there something I need to do to open that back up again?”

Mȧthair yipped again.

“What is it?”

Mȧthair rubbed her head against his leg then walked away. He watched her walk towards the door and he stood to follow. She waited for him to open the door before she stepped into the hallway. Prince Kelton continued to follow her, not sure what she wanted to show him. He was even more confused, however, when she brought him to the dining hall where all of the servants were waiting. They all turned and bowed or curtsied to him.

“Right,” he said under his breath. Then he spoke louder so everyone could hear him. “I know many, if not all, of you know that Princess Iredys did not arrive with us today. My Princess passed away two nights ago after giving birth to our son, Prince Nathaniel. The reason I decided to come here instead of returning to Greywolf Castle was so I could grieve my Princess in peace in addition to being able to have uninterrupted time to bond with my son. My interactions with my Princess’ Lady-in-Waiting, Ponderosa, will be many since she has become Prince Nathaniel’s wet nurse.

“For those curious about this creature beside me,” he said, motioning to Mȧthair, who sat beside him. “This is a dinakal. Her name is Mȧthair. She was a gift to me from a merchant who trades for goods in far away lands. I will see to it that she stays out of your way. Dismissed.”

Prince Kelton then turned and left the room with Mȧthair by his side. He kept an eye on her as he headed to the room next to his where Ponderosa and Nathaniel would be staying. She didn’t bound ahead of him or try to lead him anywhere. While he knew he needed to address the servants, he wasn’t sure about what that had to do with Mȧthair being able to communicate with him again. He knocked lightly on the door and waited for Ponderosa to open it. When she did, her arms were empty.

“Nathaniel?” he asked.

Ponderosa opened the door wider then pointed to the bassinet close to the fire.

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“Is there anything you need from us tonight?”

She smiled and shook her head.

“Feel free to knock anytime if you do,” he said.

Ponderosa nodded again then closed the door.

Prince Kelton then continued down the hall to his room with Mȧthair still beside him. Gailan stepped out of the bedroom as they entered the sitting room.

“I have just finished banking the fire for the night, Prince Kelton,” he said. “Is there anything else I can bring you tonight?”

“No, Gailan. Get some rest.”

Gailan nodded. He petted Mȧthair’s head a couple times before he left the room.

Prince Kelton entered the bedroom and removed his shirt. He turned when Mȧthair barked. She was in a half crouched position with her butt in the air and her tail wagging furiously. He stepped towards her and she started to race around the room before stopping in front of him in that half crouched position. She did this a couple times before he tried to catch her. It took him a few tries, but eventually he was able to catch her and throw her onto the bed.

The two of them wrestled for a while, which filled Prince Kelton with a strange sense of arousal. He was just about to stop wrestling when Mȧthair bit deep into his left shoulder. His breath caught in his throat and she had bitten him in such a way that it was hard to get a breath in. Pain radiated from his shoulder and started to spread throughout his entire body. His mind was growing dim as his arousal grew even stronger. He was finally able to let out a moan that didn’t sound like his voice at all. Mȧthair’s teeth came out of his shoulder and her semi-rough tongue licked the wound causing him to wince.

As much as he wanted to be angry at her for biting him, he just couldn’t get himself to feel that way as she playfully tugged his pants off before she purred and yipped and nudged him to play with her some more. Prince Kelton started to roll over, his body shifting and twitching in ways and in places that felt unnatural. He stretched and shuddered, only somewhat aware of the fact that his ears flopped more and something wiggled on his backside as he did so. A tantalizing smell reached his nose, and he turned toward Mȧthair to try and smell more of it.

He would only get a single whiff before she playfully turned or ran away. He played back—wrestling, biting, tugging, and licking. The longer they played the stronger the smell became. He could feel his member throbbing with his desire. Finally he pinned her beneath him and held her neck in his teeth as he rocked his hips over top of hers. He felt her lift her butt and shift beneath him, causing him to back up a little. He shifted again, feeling himself slip inside her as he thrust hard. She let out a screeching yowl, and tried to break out of his hold, but he held firmly and continued to thrust until he felt the tip of his member swell further, locking their bodies together. She milked him dry, bringing their pleasure to its peak.

Prince Kelton let go of her neck and licked the spot on her neck where his teeth had been. Mȧthair purred and groaned and started to roll and stretch on her sides. Her movements made him shift with her since the connection they had hadn’t released yet. As her shifting gradually calmed down, Prince Kelton groomed his beloved mate. He purred and nuzzled her head and neck. She nuzzled him back, shifting a little more as his member started to slide out of her. Mȧthair turned and licked herself before he lay down beside her. She snuggled up against him and Prince Kelton huffed in contentment.

He was teetering on the edge of sleep when something niggled at the back of his mind. Prince Kelton opened his eyes and looked around groggily. Something about the room looked off and he didn’t quite feel like himself. He shook his head and awkwardly tried to rub his eyes in an attempt to get his mind to clear and his body to not feel so strange. His nose felt unnaturally dry and his ears ached a little. A soft mew reached his ears and he turned his head and opened his eyes just in time for Mȧthair to bumped her head against his.

“I don’t feel so well, baby,” he mumbled, hearing a strange sound accompany his words and feeling as if his mouth was full of cotton.

She meowed then proceeded to lay over his chest and nuzzle her head under his chin.

“Are you not feeling good either?” he wondered, lightly wrapping his stiff arms around her.

She meowed again.

Prince Kelton continued to float in and out of his semi-awake state. He let his arms drop to the bed when Mȧthair started to shift again. She ran her semi-rough tongue along the front and top of his left shoulder. He moaned and huffed as both relief and arousal warmed his body. Prince Kelton rolled to his left side so he could push himself up. Mȧthair continued to lick his shoulder while he stretched. He felt his joints pop and shift as he stretched. He felt his ears shift ever so slightly before Mȧthair’s tail wacked him in the nose, bringing with it the stronger scent of her own arousal.

She smelled so good he wanted to eat her, so he took that opportunity to tackle her. They tussled on top of the sheets for a short while before he took her neck in his mouth. Her butt lifted under him and he shifted his hips back before thrusting forward and slipping into her. His thrusts were short and swift, almost as if he was spasming before he found release. He slipped out and let go of Mȧthair’s neck as he adjusted his stance before he thrust himself inside her again. Mȧthair danced to the side a little, but he kept right with her and continued to thrust until he felt his member swell and them lock them together again as the rode the high of their connection.

The lock didn’t hold as long this time and Mȧthair rolled over enough to bat him away. He backed off a little while she cleaned herself before he was nuzzling up beside her once more. They played and chased and fought before he pinned her beneath him once more and mounted her. They released together this time once, twice, then thrice as their bodies were locked together once more. Mȧthair lay down and Prince Kelton sat while he massaged her back with a pair of large black, brown, and tan paws. Seeing that his hands were not hands, didn’t phase him as he continued to hover in the bliss of their lovemaking.

‘I so love you,’ he thought to his beautiful mate.

‘I so love you back,’ a familiar voice replied.

‘Iredys?’

‘Mȧthair now, but yes, it’s me.’

Prince Kelton wiggled with his excitement which stimulated both of them to and through another release. His member pulsed inside her and allowed him to feel more of her than he thought possible. Even as he gradually slid out of her, he could feel her inside him and himself inside her. Mȧthair turned to him when they were no longer physically connected. He groomed his beloved wife and felt her reciprocate. Then the two of them curled up against the other before they fell into a deep and blissful sleep.