"Dino! Come over here; the water's full of them!"

"Joshua, wait! Chief said to never go past the valley; we'll be scolded!"

A young racoon panted as he chased after Joshua, whom waved his white striped tail, taunting little Dino while he bounded forward, his strong little paws clawing up an old rock formation. Dino's bushy black and white tail drooped at the thought of climbing up the rocks, but neverless, the boy followed after his prince, slowly but surely managing to somehow scramble his way up.

"Look, there's a whole school here!"

There was a small dip in the rocks, where the annual snow melt from the mountains collected. Clouds of chromey silver fish peacefully swam around, the sunlight bouncing off their shiny backs.

"Do you think we can take some home?" Joshua asked, the young white tiger's icey blue eyes gleaming.

Dino looked at the fish, and couldn't help his bushy tail from swishing around. He sighed, "We shouldn't; if we brought them home, they'd ask where we had found them. Then Mingyu would skin me alive, " Dino shuddered at the thought. 

Joshua rolled his eyes, "You're such a worry-wart, Mingyu wouldn't do that."

"I most certainly wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I'll let the two of you go spot free."

That deep voice, along with an exasperated growl, made the two children's fur fluff up like a porcupine. They turned, looking into the golden amber eyes of a wolf, who sighed as he crossed his arms.

"Now, why is the prince and his attendent on the opposite side of the valley. Shua, I'm looking at you," Mingyu gave the boy the hard eye, but Joshua only grinned, his small fangs peeking out over his lower lip. 

"We were just looking for drip trails from the snow mountains, and we found a bunch of silver backs! Can we keep them?"

The young man stepped forward, chuckling as he ruffled Joshua's white and black hair, almost squishing the prince's ears into his head. "That's certainly a good fine, but the high chief would have me by the tail if I let you take them. Now time to get you two home. Come on now, shift into your animal forms, it'd make my life a whole lot easier."

In response, the two little ones shrank down, their human bodies shrinking into their animal counterparts. Mingyu himself changed form, his charcoal gray fur casting a dark shadow over his back. The two young beasts held their cloths by their teeth while Mingyu bit and lifted Joshua by the scruff of his neck, Dino climbing up and latching onto the wolf's fur.

By Mingyu's strong strides, the three headed down and across the valley, back to their tribal site.

"You say you are here to make peace, so what is it that you want?"

A tiger man, his orange and black hair glowing by the lamplights in the large, main room, eyed his visitor. His cheek rested against his hand, the dark tattoos on his face depressing by the skin. The chief looked at the human sitting before him; the leader was clearly not pleased to see the other, while the visitor also looked on with discontent.

The human messenger looked like a ghost, his snow white skin looked lifeless, his neatly combed hair seemed darker that obsidian, and his sharp eyes were like the deep abysses off a cliff fall. He slipped out an envelope from his dark cloak, handing it to the chief's attendant, who then passed it to the leading tiger.

"Our king proposes a cease-fire, and in the following are his conditions."

As the tiger chief read the letter's contents, his irises contracted into a thin line. It was as if early spring had reversed itself, and a cold, billowing winter had taken its place. The chief glared at the human before him, his grip crushing the letter. The tribe leader's eyes were pale and tan, faintly blue, but nothing could stop those glasslike eyes from striking fear into any weak-willed hearts.

"You humans sure have lost your minds. Do you really believe that I will seriously agree with this ridiculous proposal of yours?" The chief roared, slamming the crushed letter onto the table.

The messenger sighed, then waved away his two guards, the two anxious men eager to get out of the hostile room. Alone, the man cleared his voice, "Our King proposes an exchange of our heirs to the throne. As long as the two princes stay alive, not even an arrow will come between our countries. His royal highness would like a response within two weeks, or else we'll consider this peace treaty null and void." 

The main house had never been so silent. In the distant outside of the grand main house, the voices of their tribe folk could be heard, lively and busy as they carried out their daily tasks. The clan leaders murmured cautiously among each other, unable to take their eyes off the dark haired man and their high chief, who looked as if it would only be a second before the great leader shifts into his animal origin to cleanly bite and tear the human's head off.

The leader then stopped when a warm, furry feeling brushed against the back of his hand. Looking to his right, he saw a young white tiger, pale blue eyes bright and crystal clear. The great tiger king sighed, his rage slowly melting as Joshua climbed into his father's lap, the chief ruffling the top of his son's white furry head while he let out a chuckle; only Joshua could calm his father's rage so easily. A dark gray wolf traveled from behind the u-shaped seating order of the clan leaders, obediently sitting along the side of the house as he looked onwards at the pair. Moments later, a little racoon slowly poked his head over Mingyu's furry head, and then proceeded to nervously scramble out to the long house's main hall.

"Well, it certainly took a while for you to bring them back," the great tiger raised an eyebrow at Mingyu, who could only bow his head in response. Not pushing the wolf any further, the high chief the fur on his son's back. "What were you and Dino doing outside for so long?"

The young tiger didn't respond, instead purring as he nuzzled his face against his father's dark robes. The chief looked over to Mingyu, who's tail had turned nervously stiff.

The high chief finally let out a sigh, "Alright, but you two had better tell me later. Now off with you," the chief plopped Joshua onto the ground, the small cat trailing behind Mingyu as the two exited the cabin.

With his son and warrior gone, the head chief returned his attention to the human messenger with a less menacing demeanor.

"As you can see, my son is still a cub; entrusting him to you humans is worse than tossing a bound lamb into the jaws of a starving wolf..." the high chief said, his voice now not as resolved as it was before. The fabric beneath the tiger man's hand wrinkled at his grip.

"For us to accept your treaty, what can you do to prove that my son will be unharmed?"

The human messenger sighed an exhausted breath. Beyond his king's proposal, he had little to nothing to appease the difficult tiger king, unless he were to...

"High chief, may I speak to you in private?"

The leader frowned. He raised his hand, putting the murmuring of his council to a stop, "What is it that you can share with me, but not the rest of my council?"

The messenger gulped. This had better ing work. I didn't travel a week on horseback to be rejected.

"It's a bit private on my part, but I can assure you that it isn't even it the least beneficial to us humans...It's also not a pity story, so your council doesn't need to stare at me as they are doing so right now."

Once the council left, leaving only the king and his few trusted advisers, the messenger finally stood up. "I am Jeon Wonwoo, the captain of the King's special guard. That fact may not be enough to convince you, high chief..." As Wonwoo spoke, he removed his cloak to reveal a dark blue, almost black, military uniform. On the soldier's collar, shoulders and chest were the many badges and emblems to prove his status, but Wonwoo then went down to his waist, unbuckling and pulling his belt out.

Wonwoo then took a deep breath in, making sure to pull his trousers back as much as he needed.

"...however, I will most definitely do everything in my ability to keep your son from harm."

"Did you know what father's meeting was all about?" Joshua asked, shaking his hair dry of spring water. Much to the young tiger's dismay, the wolf casually batted a splash of water, drenching the white and black locks over Joshua's eyes again.

Mingyu stretched his arms, leaning back against the edge of the spring. Bathing in springs was always a chore for Mingyu, since it always involved dragging a young prince into the water, and somehow convincing Joshua that 'no, you're not going to drown,  just change back into a human and you'll find yourself an idiot. You can't drown in such shallow water even if you tried'. In many ways, Mingyu and Joshua were closer than blood brothers, but bath time for a royal kitty was not the same for a lupin warrior.

Regardless, Mingyu continued to keep Joshua by the scruff, the young yet mature wolf trying to pull every shrub seed out of the younger's hair. "Does our little prince really think I would know, after having to search practically every mountain in our north border, only to find you two little furballs dangling off the ledge of a rock barely bigger than a grizzly bear?"

Joshua sulked as Mingyu kept on fixing and playing with his prince's soft wet hair, amused at how the little tiger's adjacent ears would bounce up each time his hand brushed over them.

"Oh, there you are! Mingyu! Joshua!"

At the sound of the young shout, Mingyu and Joshua rotated their heads to see Dino, dashing on his two human legs towards the spring. The young raccoon's chest heaved in and out, walking in little circles as he tried to stop himself from panting like a tired animal. [He has animal traits, but Dino prefers to separate them from the Beastial species.]

"Mingyu, the chief orders to see you right now. Don't worry, I'll stay with Joshua."

In the main house, tense debates flew around the room, the council members trying to sway their chiefs decisions.

"Kris, no matter how you see it, an agreement like this is too suspicious."

"I say we gut that little messenger, and send him back to that foolish human king with his filthy letter in that skinny scum's mouth."

"Provoking the humans isn't going to stop this war. The messenger said that the exchange of heirs will take place midway, at our one neutral station. We must keep in mind that they will also be entrusting their prince in our hands; our skepticism will only-"

"This is Prince Joshua we're discussing, a cub who is still far from reaching his prime; we can't just trade our prince away during his maturation stage. Above all, are you willing enough to put a white tiger, that is only ever born every three hundred years, into the hands of those monstrosities of-"

"ENOUGH!"

Kris's order roared throughout the room, the waves of sound ringing through the timbers of the entire house. The head chief looked at the surrounding clan leaders gathered with him, their wild eyes glowing in the dim hall. No one was rash enough to refuse their leader, and to sacrifice his son; but many of the anxious leaders had lost territories to war, many of their tribes burned to the ground. To them, all hope was resting on the shoulders of the young prince.

Breaking the silence, Kris asked, "Suho, is your tribe well?"

The mountain lion's gaze fell to the floor, his jaw clenching in rage and sorrow. "We managed to save most of the tribe folk, but we lost many warriors, with the remaining injured; I'm afraid that we can't handle a second wave of those human's machines."

Silence seemed to smother the beasts, the tension unspeakably thick. Kris took one last look at the clan leaders; there were few choices left for the chief. Either let Joshua endure the life of a hostage, or slowly watch his great kingdom of beasts fall brick by brick.

"Bring Mingyu to me...but make sure this never makes it to his ears; only the gods know what he will do after knowing this. For Joshua, he would burn a continent if he had to.

Sunbeams shined through the open canvas windows of the yurt, Joshua's ears twitching from the light's warmth. The little white tiger rose from his large bedmat, his fangs poking past his lips as he yawned. Now awake, Joshua looked to his side, where Dino stayed asleep, the little racoon snuggled against Joshua's arm. Cautiously, the little prince's fingers pried Dino's small grip off of him. After finding Dino abandoned inside a hollow tree trunk, Kris brought him back to be his son's personal attendant. While Dino did his job as well as any young racoon could do for an energetic tiger, the raccoon became more of younger brother to the rambunctious prince.

The young tiger tossed on a tan overshirt and tied on his dark flax shoes. Joshua then dashed out, running through the tribe's main camping grounds. In the middle of morning, many beasts were already on their daily tasks, the surrounding tribefolk greeting their prince as Joshua quickly waved back and kept running.

The tip of the large flag post told Joshua he was soon to arrive at his father's lupin troupe, a special group of warriors led by none other than the little prince's favorite wolf.

"Mingyu! Good morni-"

Joshua's voice faded as he slowly looked around the tent. All of the bed mats were rolled up and put away, the armor usually hung on walls were gone, and the many blades and tools used by the troupe were missing. From the dust that had already blew on top of the floor, Mingyu and his troupe had left a while ago, possibly at dawn.

"Hello Joshua, if you're looking for Mingyu, he and his troupe have already left for their new post," a voice spoke from behind. It was Nana, a persian cat with a broom in her hand and a basket perched at her hip. She had been one of Joshua's mother's attendants and caretakers during his toddlerhood, before returning to her usual domestic duties. Joshua couldn't help but frown, "New post? Where was he assigned? Since when?"

Nana entered the large tent, and pulled open the bamboo curtains to air out the inside, "Why, the troupe was reassigned just last night. Your father had sent them to our western border, I believe your cousin is stationed there."

Joshua's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Wait, why would father send them there of all places? Coups had just been posted there the days ago.

Nana shrugged, "Sorry Joshua, but you're asking the wrong cat here. I don't think you should be worrying about Mingyu, he can take care of himself, unlike a little prince I know who can't even dress himself properly." Joshua gulped at Nana's change in her tone; the little tiger could recognize that firey glint in Nana's eye at anytime of day. Before the little prince could even take a step out of the tent, the cat grabbed Joshua's collar and pulled him back.

"Oh goodness, look at yourself! Your sash is a fluttering mess, your sleeves aren't wrapped properly, and how many times have I told you to properly tie your shoes? I turn away once, and you become a lazy little kitten again!" Nana exclaimed, retying the prince's robes and flexible shoes with quick, precise movements. Once properly dressed, Joshua was free to go. The young prince grumbled; his waist, wrists and ankles straining a bit from their tight knots.

"Oh! Why hello, high chief!" Nana quickly greeted, stashing away her broom. Joshua his heels, pouncing onto his father who, in return, held his young son. Contrary to the chief's gentle hold, his feisty son growled and mewled up a fussy fit, squirming and pounding his little fists against his father's broad chest.

"Father, why did you send Mingyu and the lupin troupe away? Since when did Coups ever need help at his fortress, and why did you...father?"

Joshua's tiny and infuriated punches soon came to a halt, his balled up fists unclenching to hold on to his father's shoulders. There was something about the chief, something about the way his sandy pale eyes looked so full of pain, so full of anguish. The last time he had seen his father with such eyes, was when he had lost his queen, Joshua's mother.

"Did Nana have to fix your robes again?" Kris chuckled, but each breath was strained and tremoring ever so slightly.

The king rested Joshua's small head against his shoulder, his large hand rubbing his son's small and soft back. The young prince's eyes bugged wide open, feeling the slight trembling of his father's shoulders. With the prince in his arms, the king slowly fell to his knees, his hold growing desprately tight. 

"Father, you're squeezing me..."

By their side, Nana hands came to her face, trying to hold in her pained tears. Few people of the vast tribe knew of the two race's agreement, and Nana wasn't one of them. Yet without words, the loyal cat attendant knew the despair in the king's embrace, the sorrow from his tears that slowly fell onto his son's shoulder. Nana had been there when the king had bid farewell to her mistress, and the cat had wished to never see her king be so broken again. That wish had just been denied.

"Only a little cub who can't even dress himself, yet he bears the burden of this war...this child...my son..." Kris softly muttered, his unwavering and commanding voice diminishing into a small whisper.

It had only just begun.

I AM FINALLY DONE, OH MY LORD I DON'T EVEN....

okay, and before people say anything, THE BEASTS AREN'T FURRIES, CHILL OUT. 

I'll check for grammar issues in the future, but for now...I can finally get this story on the roll.

Chief, High chief, leader, king....they're all the same when referring to Kris, the present tiger king....

I'll explain the wardrobe for each race. The beasts wear clothing that are a mix of asian, tribal, and (surprise) romanian origins. The humans are more northern european, medieval themed, but the military uniforms are more 20th century Russian. 

Okay, I'm seriously thinking about making the demon countries full-blown imperial east asian themed, but comment on what you think the demons should be wearing :)

until next time...

...I swear I'll try harder to update lots >.<