Kelly Clarkson wrote:What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...

Moonskye

Artemis

If it doesn't show up...

My mate stood beside me, smiling happily at me. We had just figured out I was pregnant. Life couldn’t get better. He licked my cheek and out of the corner of my eye I could see his tail wagging furiously. “We’re having pups!” He shouted to the world. I laughed at him, and stood up to dance along with him in his festivities. We laughed and chased each other around in sheer joy until the sun dipped below the horizon. That night when he curled up beside me, he rested his muzzle on my stomach, as if he could already hear their tiny heartbeats.

Orion (Artemis’s mate) was lagging behind on patrol. He was so enthralled at the prospect of having pups, that he wasn't paying attention in the slightest. Some of the other patrol members walked back to him to snap him out of his daze. “Stay focused,” the patrol leader warned. “There are scents everywhere of Kronador." Orion attempted to stay focused, but was finding it increasingly hard to do. He didn't even notice when all the other patrol members turned a different direction, and he kept walking a different way. Unlucky for him, he was heading straight into Kronador territory. He sat down, still daydreaming, and didn't hear or smell the beast creeping up behind him. All he could get out was a howl of terror before the tragic deed was completed. The patrol got there just in time to kill the Kronador and save Orion’s body, but it wasn’t soon enough. The patrol captain was unlucky enough to have to break the news to Artemis, who promptly collapsed and began whimpering in sorrow. Artemis didn't really eat but to sustain the pups for about a month, before she righted herself and began to recover from the pain a little.

My pups, my beautiful children- they lay next to me, curled up together by my side in the early morning chill. I nuzzled each in turn affectionately. They squeaked quietly and nuzzled closer to my warmth. Oh, every day and night I wish my mate could be here to witness them. My brave and loyal mate had been recently killed on a patrol by a Kronador. I bared my teeth slightly at the thought- what vile creatures. Quen squeaked loudly and brought me back to my senses. I licked his head before going back to thinking about my mate. He was brave and strong, and could easily handle a Kronador. Apparently he hadn’t been on full alert that night and had been delivered the death blow before he knew what was happening. The birth of the pups had pulled me out of the sadness of his death, but I can’t help but reminisce every once in a while.

I lay back and watched my sons tussle. They had grown up so much in a few short months that it was hard to believe that they were the same pups I had on the day of their birth. I sighed contentedly in the glow of the afternoon- finally getting over the death of my mate was a slow and agonizing process, but as the days grew longer, the pain of his departure left me. I knew he’d want me to be happy, and I decided to agree with his wishes. Dalton walked over dizzily, as he had just taken a roll down the hill with Quen, and asked if I’d like to play with them. I complied happily, a new feeling of warmth and togetherness flowing through me. As I trotted along beside my son, thoughts of anything but joy left me and I let myself enjoy the freedom from my constricting emotions, grief and hurt.

I looked up as my two handsome boys entered the den- only they weren’t as handsome as they had been when they left. “What happened?” I scolded them, walking over.
“Sorry mum,” Dalton said. “Quen and I saw some pretty faes and… well…"
“We made a fool of ourselves,” Quen finished, hanging his head in embarrassment.
“What did you do, exactly?” I asked, studying their dirt-matted pelts.
“We fell in a pond, and then pretended to tussle to make up for our error and fell into a dusty pit,” Dalton explained sorrowfully.
I simply shook my head sympathetically and led them to a clear pool.
“Clean up,” I ordered them. They nodded and proceeded to follow my direction. “Next time, don’t act like fools. Just go up to them, and I’m sure they’ll like you just fine,” I added, walking away.

“Are you ready?” I asked my boys. They both nodded eagerly, ready to start learning. I pulled all of the straps on their training armor tight and shooed them off with a “good luck!” They smiled back at me, and walked towards the other trainees. My babies weren’t babies any longer! I smiled back at the arena one last time, knowing they would be back at the end of the day with great stories to tell about their training.
I was right. At the end of the day, when the sun was beginning to set, Datlon and Quen came bounding into the den, their eyes shining. "We're gonna be the best!" they told me, in joyful voices. Their happiness and confidence was so contagious that I had to agree with them. "We're also gonna make you the proudest Mum in all of Isket," they added, to which I replied:
"I already am the proudest Mum in Isket."

I admit, I was a bit worried about my boys. They were getting prepped for their initiation test to find their armor. I knew how strenuous the test could get, and how dangerous it was being alone. I was sure that their test would change them- hopefully for the better, and leave them warriors, instead of just trainees. Dalton came over, since he would be the first to leave. He licked my nose and told me he’d be just fine. The tears trickled out of my eyes anyway. I licked his cheek and sent him off towards his mentor. “Be brave, son,” I whispered as he walked away. Quen came to sit beside me, leaning on me slightly.
“He’ll do great, and you’ll be so proud of us, Mum,” Quen said. “We’re gonna miss you, but our reunion will be so joyful. Stay strong for us, Mum,” he chanted. I nodded my head and kissed him on the nose.
“Off you go, then,” I told him as he trotted away towards his own mentor.

I think my cry of joy was heard across Isket when my boys returned. They looked weary and hungry, and Quen had some cuts that would heal in time. They weren’t my boys so much as my warriors now. Despite their ragged appearance, they held their heads high, their armor glistening on their backs. I rushed to them and licked their faces like I did when they were pups. We were all crying in happiness, and Quen nodded, because he knew how happy our reunion would be. “My warriors,” I cried. “You are my warriors!”
“We are warriors, Mum. We are happy we have made you so proud,” Dalton said, and in that moment, he seemed more like the warrior his father had been than ever before.
Quen and Dalton stood tall as I watched them become recognized as warriors in the pack. They looked mightier and more powerful than they had ever seemed to be as teens, though they seemed to have been teens such a short time ago. The initiation process had changed them for the better, into adults with level-minded ways of thinking and a new spirit in themselves.

Dalton and Quen were sparring in their armor, and it brought me back to that day in the meadow when they were tussling together. They had changed and matured in ways I hadn’t thought possible in such a short amount of time. That thought brought back memories of Orion in the days before his death. I hadn’t thought about Orion in several months, which I took as a sign Orion wanted me to move on. Maybe find another mate to live my life happily with? I couldn’t tell. I still remembered Orion, but not so much with grief in my heart as remembrance. I remembered Orion, and I still loved him, but I wasn’t hanging over the fact that he was gone. It amazed me how fast life changes, and I came to the realization that I needed to live life to its fullest while I could. I must leave you on that note to go spar with Quen, who is currently beckoning me over.

WoI training armor is wooden
Kronadors come only in the colors of Isket
The diet of a WoI is raw meat