When they were first pups and did not know better, Ameira and her siblings had been inseparable. Always they were playing, their tiny forms tumbling along the ground as they wrestled each other to the ground. Their older siblings, ones from previous litters, we're both their nannies and their teachers. It was their job to pass on the lessons they had learned from their older siblings and to teach them right versus wrong. By using this system, the new set of pups learned to respect their elders while also forming tightly knit bonds with their family. Both sets of kin benefitted from it, for the elders own knowledge became better seated by having to recall it and explain it in such a way that a bairn could understand. The litter that Ameira was born into neither the first, nor second, nor even third. Hers was the fourth of six. The sixth litter, however, never came to flourish.

Another continuity of the law of the gods was such that only a single last litter may be born afterward, ensuring that the Lily of Tor had enough time to grow to maturity before being shipped off to be mated. Orion, however, had gotten used to his status. As ruler of the starred clans, they brought him quarterly gifts of prey. They sought his advice whenever anything went wrong within their own lands, and in addition it was Orion who was judge, jury, and executioner in all inter-pack conflicts. He was King, and that was not a position he readily wanted to give up. Thus he had broken the laws and lain with his mate again and again until she became with child once more. Another litter, although it was more mouths to feed, would swell his ranks even more. Cygnus had been worried about the consequences, but he had assured her that it would all be fine.

How wrong he was.

Full her belly grew, fuller and more rotund than it had for any of the other litters. All in the clan thought that surely the litter would be a large, healthy and hearty one. But instead, the Queen's water broke early and she began to bleed heavily. The healer was sent for, but seeing as they had not been expecting her to come into labor for some time yet, she was far, far away, and so the Queen had had to push on her very own. Her sides had contracted, quivering, and her breathing became labored. All in the palace had whimpered and cried out with her, feeling her pain, but also with the knowledge that their King had made a terrible mistake. They all feared the consequences, which soon would be seen. When finally it seemed that Cygnus could push no more, 12 full sized pups slid out of her, all of them dead and deformed. Some had a single eye, some had none, others had too few limbs, or too many. Not a single of them was normal or alive. If that was not terrible enough, the Queen's own womb followed them out and had to be torn as it could not be replaced, leaving her torn, mutilated, and barren. Never again could she bare pups.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The kalak had apparently heard her approaching, his auds flickering and following her movements. When finally she came in front of his, he lifted but a single lid, revealing one orb which stared at her intently. When finally he did address her, which was only proper seeing as it was never appropriate for a lassie to speak first, his deep vocals called her out for who she really was. 'Now, now Princess no need to make the pauper feel how low he was in his homeland.' Ameira turned away from him, horrified that she had not yet travelled far enough away to prevent her from being known. Thus she missed seeing his mismatched orbs or him peering into the mirror up at her. She had nearly decided to leave, to continue running throughout the night, when he spoke again. 'May I ask of your title misses? I am Horizon, if it please you.' Ameira's kissers slowly began to curl until a smile, the first she had worn in months, was upon her face. Slowly she turned back to him, gaze lowered. "Dare I hope to believe that you have no idea who I am?" Slowly, her view drifted upward to fully fall upon him and she first gasped before peering at him, her head cocking to the side. Never before had she seen a kalak, nor even heard of them. But more so, she had never seen orbs such as his, which did not match.

After waiting for his reply, she smiled once more, which was a strange, almost alien feeling to her, and shook her head. "I do not mean to be rude, but what are you?"