"The Terranian prince has arrived, your Highness."

"Show him in."

Colossal doors creaked open as Joshua stepped inside, his heart pounding frantically. Large stone walls were inlaid with numerous stainglass windows, the colored glass refracting the sun into colorful beams. Intricate carvings decorated the high stone walls and columns, with large stone arches perching up the ceiling loomed over Joshua. It was a sight to behold, but the cold stares of the court sent a bad feeling to the boy's gut. 

"Well well, Prince Joshua, we are honored to have you,"the king welcomed, his aged voice slithering up Joshua's spine like a viper up a tree, but the boy kept his ground. He had no other choice. Besides Dino who trembled in his arms, Joshua was all alone. 

"Thank you for doing so; your escorts have been good to me," Joshua swallowed, thinking back to Wonwoo who had took him by the hand through most of their journey. It had only been half an hour or so, and Joshua horribly missed the man.

"So they have...Now that you are here," with no pause in between, the king clapped his hands twice and twelve suits of armor began to advance on their small guest. Joshua's pulse rushed to his ears, his premotion coming true before his very eyes, this guest treatment wasn't welcoming in the least.

"Your highness, what's the meaning of this? This wasn't a part of the agreement," Joshua declared, hugging a shaking Dino against his chest. Joshua took one step back, but stopped...at the sound of rattling armor and steel glaives pointed at him from all directions. 

The king's laugh sounded rusty, like a sewage pipe crusted with mildew and lime, "Oh my, I've forgotten that you beasts bloom a little later than us humans. What say you, a boy's appearance but a man's mind--no, I suppose you are still a boy, considering how naive you are to actually believe that ridiculous proposal. Guards, take our guest to his new home. And also, get that vermin in his arms out of the castle, we don't need weasels scurrying around the palace grounds."

If there was anything that Dino couldn't stand, that would be insults. Vermin? WEASEL?? I'll get you for that you bumbling old --WHOOOAA!

"Dino!"

A guard pushed Joshua toward a few guards, who were waiting to apprehend the prince when Dino was plucked right from Joshua's arms. Joshua gawked in horror, watching the guard walk away, holding the squirming raccoon by the scruff as if he were a dusty rag. 

"Let go! Let him go, you can't do this!!" Joshua screamed and kicked, breaking away from the guards' hands, but there were simply too many of them for the prince to shake off. One by one, Joshua lost his speech, his movement, and his sight as he was bound tightly, the prince was reduced to nothing more than a wiggling worm.

The king watched Joshua be taken away, snickering with glee, "Forgive me, Terran prince, but I just did."

Sleep never came upon Joshua so quickly. After the long carriage ride, the flight from the airship, and the long walk around the kingdom with Wonwoo, Joshua was too tired to resist anymore, at least for that day. 

Still bound in formal attire, the boy folded himself in, falling asleep on top of the iron cage. No, not a prison, but an actual bird cage nearly as big as Joshua's tent. The cage hovered about a meter above the floor, hanging from the room's tall ceiling. The room itself was blocked out by a large red curtain, leaving only a small circle of space above Joshua's cage to give the hostage prince some...breathing space. A few minutes earlier, Joshua had been stuffed into a thick burlap sack and thrown into the monstrous cage. The tiger prince scanned every inch of the cage, trying to pick open the door lock with his claws. Unfortunately, it appears that the cage was made with escape tactics in mind, because it would take more than just Joshua's short claws to get the prince out.

He wasn't sure of how long he had slept, but it felt too short when molten, electric light beamed onto his face.

"So Seungkwan, what do you think?"

"Uh...yeah...thanks dad...he's great."

Joshua blinked open his sleepy eyes, squinting at the bright lights before he saw the two shadowed figures on the other side of the cage.

Beside the king was a boy, who looked barely any older than Joshua. His hair was chocolate brown and fluffy, his cheeks were pink and round, but the squeeze of his eyebrows and his pursed lips made it obvious that he wasn't happy. 

"I'll be leaving you now, since I have some business to attend to later today," the king said, running his hand through his son's hair as if he were trying to straighten the prince's messy locks.

"Again dad? You said you'd take me to the circus later!"

"Exactly Seungkwan, later. " The king waved goodbye before marching out the room with his attendents. The huge doors then swung to a shut, and that left Joshua alone with the young prince, and a blond man who was likely the prince's attendent.

"Sire, perhaps we should return to your chambers. You must be tired after walking so much today-" the man said, pushing a wheelchair behind the prince.

"I don't need it," the prince mumbled beneath his breath, and his heels to stumble his way to the other end of the room. Twice, Joshua held his breath when he saw the boy trip and fall on the marble floor, before struggling to get back on his feet. Both times, the attendent ran to his side, but the young prince push the man away.

"I don't need your help to walk. If I can't even walk, then father won't ever let me leave the castle!" The prince stubbornly yelled, stomping his way to the neighboring room. Like his father, the human prince shut his door with a loud "slam"!

With the curtains down, Joshua could properly take in the room that held him. It was vast and grand like the throne room earlier, but much less cold in nature. One wall was entirely made up of creamy cabinetry, and another one had a fire place big enough to walk into, with furniture and cushions placed before it. Behind Joshua was a wall of windows, and glass doors that lead to a large balchony outside, where Joshua saw a few bicycles, colorful balls of different sizes, and vases of bright flowers. The setting sun was beginning to turn a dusky caramel orange.

From what Joshua could tell, this was the prince's play room.

"He's a strong one," Joshua spoke, drawing the attention of the attendant. The man's narrow eyes widened, stumbling to the ground in shock, before crawling back in terror.

"It s-sp-speaks!"

Joshua looked down at his hands, which were now paws. The tiger prince had forgotten we was still in his animal form, but he couldn't help felt the wave of irritation that hit him.

"What? Surprised that your newly imprisoned guest can talk!" The little Terran prince yelled across the room. "If you wanna know, I can roar too, and that would be really ugly for you if your prince wakes up from his little nap!!"

"N-n-no! I'd ask of you not to do that please!" The attendant cried in terror, running instantly to Joshua's side, even though he wouldn't be able do anything since Joshua was caged.

Joshua giggled at the man's timid nature. He was somewhat tall, with fluffy blond hair and a soft, almost squishy looking face. He looked really cute, almost like...

"A hamster...so yummy..." Joshua drooled. If there was anything that bothered the prince more than his jail treatment, it was his growling stomach.

The attendent caught on to Joshua's predatorial nature, "I beg your pardon?"

Joshua wiped the drool away, "Sorry, I haven't had any dinner yet. Would you mind getting me some food, preferably meat? And also... your name?"

Taken aback by the straightforward Joshua, the blond attendant stood up, dusting off his trousers before standing straight. "It's Hoshi, sir. And, I'm not sure if I have the authority to-"

"It's only a slab of meat off a livestock animal. Please Hoshi?"

Hoshi began to buckle beneath the pressure, "Like I said, I don't think I can-"

"I'LL ROAR!"

"Right away sir!" Hoshi said, dashing out the room. Joshua gwaffed in his cage, hugging his belly while he tried to stop laughing. So caught up in trying to muttle his giggles, he didn't hear the squeak of the wheelchair rolling by him. 

"You shouldn't tease Hoshi so much. He's already such a wimp."

Joshua rolled on to his knees, "Hey there Seungkwan, you're using your wheelchair."

Seungkwan sat a little straighter, either trying to make himself appear taller, or trying to catch a better view of the caged tiger that was slightly a bit too high for the boy in his wheelchair, "That's Prince Seungkwan to you, and walking hurts my legs a lot. I just don't like using it in front of people, cause then they all give me these pity-looks."

Joshua tilted his head, lightly waving his tail "But you're using it in front of me."

"You're just a talking tiger, why do I need to care about what you think?"

Joshua sighed, he had turned into his tiger form earlier only to see if he could find a way to climb out of the cage, and Mingyu had taught him that maintaining his animal form saved lots of energy, but in this case...

"Well excuse me your highness, but Terranian's aren't animals. We can talk, we have opposable thumbs, and 'Surprise surprise' I'm a prince too!" Joshua huffed, morphing from his fluffy tiger cub into his typical Terranium form.

Seungkwan gasped, a breath stuck in his windpipe. Joshua's half-human form beneath the sunset was a sight to behold. The dimming sun struck the boy's bare skin, bathing Joshua in liquid amber, the thick shiny locks of white and black hair glowed a warm cherry gold, and Joshua's pale blue eyes looked mysteriously sandy and lavender. He looked like a celestial creature, and if it weren't for Hoshi dashing back in with Joshua's requested meal, Seungkwan would still be frozen in awe.

"Ah, sire. I see you've awakened. And sir Joshua, I managed to pick up some dinner from the cook. I believe steak is suiting to your tastes?" Midway, Hoshi's words turned into a question, puzzled by the sight of a boy in place of a white tiger. Regardless, he politely took the plate of dinner to Joshua, who's tail waved wildly in eagerness.

Joshua looked at the plate, and the width of the bars of his cage. There was no way the plate was gonna fit through this cage, he thought to himself. "Um, could you let me out of here? I'd prefer to eat from a plate, and also maybe outside of a cage too."

Hoshi worriedly gave Seungkwan a glance, who simply nodded, "Why not? Vernon told me that Terranians don't eat humans, right?" Seungkwan asked Joshua for reassurance.

Joshua thought for a moment while he tossed on his tunic to cover his body, "Well, we could eat humans if we really wanted to, but it could give us tummy troubles, so I've honestly never met a Terranian that's ever eaten a human."

Seungkwan gave a not too positive look but nodded, and Hoshi proceeded to unlocked the cage. 

"Ugh...just a little...further-!"

The boy grunted as he reached for the book that was a tad away from his hands. He sighed, looking down at the base of the long ladder he was using to reach the top of the library. There were stacks of scrolls and documents that he had yet to put away, but he didn't like the hassle of having to organized the entire collection of papers just the move the ladder a few more inches to the right to get one book. Sigh, if only he was allowed to use his magic...

After a few moments of thought, and a few looks around his surroundings, he stretched his hand out again. Only this time, hues of purple aura stretched out of his fingers, slipping their way around the edges of the books, and the book slowly removed itself from the bookshelf.

"...almost-!"

"Vernon, are you here?"

Vernon's concentration snapped, the purple aura vanished, and the book fell to the floor with a damaging clatter. The boy watched in horror as pages from the book burst open into a scattered mess. Vernon winced at the thought of getting scolded by the royal Head Scholar...again... "Yes Hoshi? Does Seungkwan need me for his homework again?"

"Well...not necessarily," Hoshi replyed, helping to pick up the scattered pages while Vernon made his way down the ladder. "Sire would like you to join him for a game, he says he needs one more person, and doesn't want me to play."

The young boy scoffed lightly, "That's because you lose on purpose when it comes to Seungkwan. Even a spoiled prince like him wants some competition."

Hoshi laughed while scratching his head, "I can't help it, I've been watching over him since he was a baby, and I am his attendant. Where I should put these?" He asked, holding out the loose pages.

Vernon looked at the pages in dismay, "You can leave them on Ren's desk, and I'll get to them later." The boy dusted off his pants, adjusting his spectacles before heading out the door. 

Hoshi nodded, but then suddenly remembered something. "Vernon, do you know where Ren is? I haven't seen him lately."

Vernon shrugged, "On a mission for the King, never said when he'd be returning."

"Finally, our third player is here!"

Vernon was taken aback by Seungkwan's eagerness, and the sight of another boy sitting across from the prince. The strange boy with white and black hair looked back with the same fascination.

"Vernon, this is Joshua. He's the tiger prince of Terrania. Father brought him here."

Joshua flushed up, "Seungkwan, you don't need to be so formal. I'm just the tiger chieftain's son."

Seungkwan frowned, "What do you mean? That still makes you a prince." The human prince crossed his arms and puffed his chest, "All princes must be treated with equal respect. That's what Baekho has always taught me."

"Baekho? That name sounds familiar..."

Vernon joined the pair of boys, sitting onto a mauve cushion by the board game splayed out before them. "That's because he's the Patrophian crown prince, and Seungkwan's older brother."

"Oh, where are my manners?" The bespectacled boy stood up, bowing down to Joshua, "It's an honor to meet you, Prince Joshua. I'm Vernon, an apprentice scholar and scribe for the Royal library."

Joshua turned an even brighter red, "Like I said, too formal. Just call me Joshua!"

As the night went on, the three young boys played joyfully, forgetting their prince statuses, their differing species, just children becoming immersed in game and play.

With Joshua introducing his own ideas of games, the help of Seungkwan's attendants and Vernon's knowledge of architecture, the boys found themselves jumping from the heights of play towers made of cushioned chairs onto a made up sea of mattresses. Yes, Seungkwan might've needed to catch his breath a few times, and Vernon may have almost broken his spectacles twice, but both human boys had never been happier, and the princes playroom had never been so lively. 

That was until Hoshi finally returned...with Irene, another one of Seungkwan's attendants, who wasn't too pleased with the sight before her. 

"What is this mess? And your highness, it's past your bedtime!"

Seungkwan groaned, "Awww... already?! Can't we just play a little longer?"

Vernon jumped up as well, "Please Miss Irene? It's so much fun."

Joshua flopped onto the field of mattresses, " Why don't we just sleep here? We've got a bunch of beds, right?"

Hoshi giggled at Joshua's wittyness, "I don't see why not, Miss Irene?"

Irene wasn't impressed. The strict maid scowled as she walked to the young tiger prince. Under the maid's stone cold gaze, Joshua felt the back of his hairs stand up.

"I see, so you're the brain of this chaotic mess."

Joshua giggled nervously, sitting up, "Well, I do admit it's a mess. We were just-"

"Don't talk back to me, you filthy animal."

Joshua's smiled cracked, crookedly breaking into pursed lips. Seungkwan gulped, an angry Irene meant bad news for everyone.

"Hoshi, lock the tiger back up. Your highness, I will prepare you for bed...and you," Irene turned to Vernon, who instantly stiffed into a stone statue. "I'm surprised an apprentice at the Royal library has the nerve to neglect his studies for such foolish play, you are dismissed for tonight."

That night, Joshua curled up into himself, trying to stay warm with what clothes he had on his back. While he could've transformed back into his tiger form to stay much warmer, he didn't want to be found in the morning with his furry form, especially by Irene.

"I'm not...an animal."

I AM BACK!!!

It feels good to finally have the will to write again, especially with how draining college can be.

Please forgive the grammar issues and misspelling. I will come back to correct them again, but im just trying to get out as many chapters as I can cuz you all have waited far too long.

I'm gonna be updating my other stories soon, so keep an eye out!

Thank you all for still sticking around, and until next time~

Song rec:

JBJ - call my name

Unb - only one

Dorothy - purple lip