Part six of my summer story, Failte Baile, is here for you! I do hope you enjoy this story series, and if you have questions about the way Tyra and Ciaran Campbell [Zeb's aunt and uncle] speak, feel free to message me about it! I tried to keep the dialect as close to redneck Scottish as possible, while still explaining what it meant. I don't know if I did a very good job, though. Either way, enjoy!

Please leave a review, and thank you for reading!

Part Six - Bonds

A few days later, Ted was finishing pulling the last of the roof's shingles off. His thoughts were distant; with Jade back in the States. Why she had been so angry with them all? Was it really just tension, or was it something more?

"Hey, Ted? Could you keep it down? Méngméng's got a headache," Zeb said, climbing up the other ladder. His girlfriend was currently lying in bed in his Aunt and Uncle's room, since they had to remove the roof [and the loft was right above the other bedroom], sicker than a dog from her "swim" in the river.

"I'm being as quiet as I can, Zeb. Yeesh. Taking a roof apart is loud work. It's not my fault she decided to take a dip in the river," Ted retorted.

"She didn't decide to, and you know it. She was thrown."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sorry." Ted shrugged a bit and threw the last of the shingles down, and patted his paws together. "Their roof is in bad need of a fix. Will take a couple days. I just hope it doesn't rain anytime soon."

"Uncle Ciaran says it shouldn't, so we shouldn't worry too much. Anyway, do you need any more help? Uncle's going to be going into town to get the wood needed. He asked me to ask you what you needed." He pulled out a notebook and pencil.

Ted listed off what he needed, and Zeb took the paper to his uncle before returning. He looked down into the house, amused. "It's so weird seeing it from up here, ya know?"

"Mhm. I get what you mean. But hey, at least we get to look out at the stars at night." Ted laughed a bit. "Just like campin'!"

"Indeed. But it's terrible on Méngméng. She's so cold at night." Zeb sighed a bit. "She's getting better, though, so I'm thankful for that. Aunty Tyra says that she might even be able to go dancing next weekend, and I certainly hope so."

Ted blinked. "Dancing?"

"Yeah, there's a monthly dance at a neighbor farm for all us country bears and humans," Zeb grinned. "I thought it'd be fun to go."

"I don't even have a date, Zeb! She's back in the States!"

Zeb's ears lowered as he remembered. "Right. Well, you can still have a fun time, though. She did say she'd be back for the Highland games, though, and there's another dance around that time."

"The games, huh? Are you going to participate with your uncle?"

Zeb frowned a bit, not sure how to answer. "I don't know if I can. I mean, yeah, it'd be fun, but what if I make a fool of myself?"

"Kid, this is your heritage. Embrace it."

"I don't even have a kilt to wear!"

"Ask your Uncle. Maybe he'll give you a Campbell clan one."

"But I'm not a Campbell. I'm a Seillean. The last, actually. I don't even have a clan anymore. Mom's dead, so is my brother, and my father tried to drown me before he committed suicide." He sighed.

"No, there's more of you. You have Méngméng, and you have Fēnglì. I'd be surprised if you and Méngméng didn't have more children. And Fēnglì's going to have children at some point, so you are basically the head of your clan right now."

The auburn bear snorted. "Ted, it's not that simple. It can't be. The head of a clan is supposed to be a lord, and I'm not one. Hell, for all I know, my birth family was nothing more than a bunch of drunkards, and that's why my father killed himself and tried to do the same to me." He shook his head. "And I didn't even know my mother, ya know?" He rested his paws on the top rung of the ladder and sighed. "All I had was my Aunt and Uncle, and then you guys."

Ted frowned, looking him over. "Zeb, it's not that difficult to understand, you realize that, right? You were just dealt a harsh card, that's all. Hell, you actually had a fairly good life. Friends who love you. A girlfriend and a son. And you are still young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't squander it like I almost did."

Zeb glanced over at his older "brother" and frowned. "You did?"

"Did you not hear of my album of Countrisco? That horrible mix of Country and Disco? Yeah, not one of my greatest moments."

"That was you?!" Zeb started laughing loudly. "That was the worst thing I've ever heard!"

"That's right, laugh it up. Anyway, after Esmeralda left, I was feeling empty, and the lack of gigs for my solo act, and the countrisico failure, I was really down. Three years after the band broke up, I was ready to kill myself."

Zeb stared at him, shocked. "What?"

"Yeah. I was going to do it at the Hall, too. If that's not selfish, I don't know what is. But I'm glad I went, to be honest. If I hadn't, I probably would have killed myself somewhere else. When I went to the Hall, well, that's when I first met Beary."

"What do you mean? I thought he and Helen were hiding out?"

"They were, but April, 1995, Helen had gotten very sick. Death's door, almost. Beary came to stay at the Hall for a while, with Henry. He was there when I came back. We actually got fairly close, and he recognized me right away. A little cub. He didn't care if I sang solo. He just loved to hear me sing. Helen got to see me before I finally set out again, and that's when she and Henry asked me to be Beary's godfather, since Beary had taken to me so well. I figured they had hoped that it would keep me around, but I didn't stay. That was the last time I saw Helen. Funny thing is, until now, I forgotten about that. I knew I was his godfather, but I couldn't remember why." Ted shook his head and finally climbed down the ladder, and sat on a broken stone wall, Zeb joining him soon after.

"Wow, we all became really messed up after we broke up, huh?" Zeb shook his head. "I became homeless and a drunkard, you almost committed suicide, Tennessee became an even whinier baby but still managed a successful career in his own little way, Trixie vanished to have a baby, and Fred... sold ice cream." Zeb blinked a bit. "I think he came out the best out of all of us."

"You're right. He did. He traveled the country serving ice cream of his own recipe, until he became a security guard."

Zeb laughed a bit, remembering the letters Fred would send over audio tapes. "He was nice enough to record his letters to me on tapes so I could pop them into my cassette player, and then I would send them back to them on the same tape. We went through so many."

"That's awful nice of him."

"Considering I still can barely read text in books, let alone handwritten letters? Yeah, it was nice. He'd even send along care packages, too, including batteries for the player." Zeb grinned at the memory.

"My brother does care more about people than I ever did. You were the rare exception. I do care about you. Tennessee, well, not as much." He snorted a bit. "He's just too whiney, but he's still a friend and band brother. Same with Trixie." He glanced at him curiously. "So what did happen between you and Trixie that night at the bar?"

Zeb's ears lowered. "I was drunk, Ted. I kissed her, and she kissed me back. I... I tried to do things that I'm not proud of, and will always be ashamed of. I hated myself when I realized what I almost did."

"Yeah, I get it. It's amusing, though, considering you used to be so annoyed with her back in the day. What was that all about?"

"Well, uh, I just didn't like a female cramping our style, and she had brought along a kid!"

"Her sister, Zeb. Tasha, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. She was almost in every session, but she was so untrained. Trixie, I mean. She didn't act like she knew what she was doing, ya know?"

"Well, she was just a beginner. A beginner with a voice of gold." Ted grinned.

"Gold to match her fur, yep." Zeb snorted. "Glad I finally got over my annoyance with her. I think another part of it was that everyone was paying more attention to her than me, and how much she got after me for drinking. It was like she had a vendetta against me. What was that about?"

"No idea. Anyway, I've done things I've regretted, too. Say, I have a question, and this has been bugging me for years. How on earth did you managed to drink honey on top of the White House with Willie Nelson?" Ted turned to look at him, amusement written on his face.

The younger bear started laughing. "Oh, that? It was quite the scandal. Things weren't as secure back then. Remember, we were both doing a private concert at the White House?"

"Yeah? That was, what, twenty years ago? Who was in office then?"

"Hell if I know. Not a bear, I know that. Just another white guy." Zeb shrugged. "Anyway, Willie and I were talking, and we both wanted a drink. I was fine with just having a drink in the Presidential Bar, but he told me to follow him, so I did, and we ended up on the roof, drinking honey. Nothing big, but the media sure made a thing of it."

"I remember that media circus. You got us all in trouble because of that," Ted growled, but not in a mean way. "Never invited back."

"And yet Willie was invited back several times." Zeb shook his head. "Racist, I tell you," he laughed.

"Oh, shut up. Now then, hm... Oh, do you remember that time Tennessee wouldn't stop crying because he couldn't find his snacks or the honey because you took both of them?"

Zeb started laughing. "I do feel bad about that, but he was crying so much. It was the funniest thing. Of course, not as funny as you hitting Dick Clark in the chin with a salmon."

"Yeah, well, he deserved it," Ted gruffed.

"What did he do?"

"Looked at me funny."

"Ted, you got arrested for that, all because he looked at you funny?!" Zeb looked at him, shocked. "You almost got charged with assault!"

"Meh. Whatever. I didn't, so who cares? Anyway, there was this one time down in Texas where you fell out of the bus while you were drunk and the rest of us stoned. Henry and Helen were sleeping when it happened. Boy, she chewed our ears off when she found out what happened."

"Yeah, I woke up on the side of the highway after a while, and then had to hitchhike to a nearby town, which was horrible because it was like ninety degrees and the road was deserted for almost an hour." Zeb shook his head. "That heat was horrible. And then it took you three hours before you guys even noticed I was gone!"

"Hey, I apologized for that! That was our druggie days, so we were all at fault. I was just glad you weren't seriously hurt."

"You know, I do remember you tearing it up on the bus before." Zeb shot him a look.

"Oh, shush. That's not what you think it was. It was just making out, nothing more."

"Yeah, making out with Esmeralda, Ted."

"Despite everything, she was a good kisser," Ted laughed.

"You two nearly tipped the bus over making out, Ted! It was so disturbing, but hilarious at the same time. How you managed to get with a bear that was almost two feet taller than you is shocking. I never thought your ego would allow it."

"She's was a runt of a polar bear, only about seven feet tall. She wasn't that tall."

"Ted, you're not even six feet tall. You were a shrimp compared to her."

"Oh, hush."

"She could barely fit through the door! And we have Fred as a band member!"

"Boy, I will punch you."

"Oh, you think you can take me on, old man?" Zeb got up playfully, setting his hat down out of the way.

Ted grinned and took off his sunglasses, placing them with the hat as he got up. "Yeah, I can take you!" He got down on all fours and charged.

Zeb let out a startled yelp and ran for a moment before turning around and jumping on him, knocking the older bear off his feet.

.~*~.

Inside, Méngméng groaned and got up out of bed, hearing the sounds of shouting and growling. Was something bad happening? Was everyone okay? She draped a blanket around herself and made her way out of the bedroom, blinking as she stepped into the light. She looked up and found the roof missing. Murmuring in Chinese, she kept walking until she reached the door and stepped outside. Her ears flicked back and forth, trying to find the source of the noise, and wandered further outside, walking around the house until she came across the two bears wrestling in the dirt.

She stared at them in surprise, not sure what was going on. Were they just play fighting, or was this for real? "Ted? Alec? Is everything alright?" She frowned, watching them continue.

"Méngméng! How come urr ye oot o' kip? Ye shuid be resting!" Tyra cried, hurrying over to her as she left the chicken coop. She set the basket of eggs down and wrapped her arms around Méngméng's shoulders, trying to direct her back inside.

Méngméng shook her head. "I am tired of resting," she responded softly. "I wish to look out at the world. To be held by Alec again."

"'n' ye kin dae that efter yer weel. We wull see howfur yer daein' th'morra. Please, gang back ben 'n' rest." Tyra looked at her worriedly, and then barked an order at the two other bears, telling them to stop horsing around.

Zeb and Ted did indeed stop, and Zeb looked at Méngméng, shocked to see her. He dusted himself off and went over to her. "What are you doing out here? Were we being too loud?" He bent down and kissed her cheek before pulling her into his arms and lifting her bridal style. He looked at his aunt. "I'll take care of her, Aunty. Sorry."

Tyra smiled at him and picked back up her eggs. "Alec, ye hulp me oot wi' th' chores. Gang 'n' feed th' horses, please, 'n' muck oot th' stalls. Ted kin hulp ye. It'll build up yer braun fur th' games, 'n' efter Ciaran gets back, he's aff tae stairt helping ye wi' training."

Zeb nodded and carried his beloved inside, despite her protests. "Méngméng, you're still sick. I know it's been a week, but you need to rest."

"Ah, but Alec! Staying in the bedroom has nothing but the same air! I want fresh air!"

"Méngméng, there is no roof. You have plenty of fresh air, you silly."

"Fine. I'm bored. Let me come and watch you. I can't stand lying in bed another minute."

Zeb frowned, thinking a bit. "The sun might do you some good... All right, but don't help, okay? You need to relax."

Méngméng nodded, thankful when he started carrying her out of the cottage and back into the open air. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I walk around at least?"

"A little, but only until I get to the barn to clean the stalls with Ted until my uncle gets back. Once we get there, you can sit in the pasture and watch the horses play. Beau and Merida are happy now that they have the company of Thain and Kashyyyk."

"I'll bet," she smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder, comfortable. "I hate being sick. This was supposed to be a romantic getaway, and I spoiled it."

"No, you just misunderstood. Nothing major, my love. We'll get through it. If I recall, we almost got through it physically."

Méngméng laughed and nipped at his neck. "And yet I backed down, and you agreed, you gentlebear." She yawned a bit as she was set down and allowed to walk for a bit. She followed him around, watching as he put food in the corral, and leaned against the barn, sitting on the grassy ground. Another smile crossed her face as she saw the four Clydesdales trot up and begin eating the hay.

She heard Ted cursing in the background as he slipped onto one of the stall messes and got himself filthy, and let out a little laugh as she peeked in at him. Oh, if only Jade could see her precious Teddy Bear mucking out stalls like a real country bear! The thought alone cause her to snort and laugh even more.

Her eyes found the sky, and she focused on the sounds of the breeze through the trees, and the birds flying high. Her eyes began to droop, and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

By the time she woke, the sun was beginning to set. She could no longer hear Zeb or Ted in the barn, and when she looked, she did not find them. Frowning, she got up, feeling much better than she had earlier, and walked around, focusing her hearing in trying to find them.

"Na, na, Alec. Son, yi''ll need tae balance it better. Grab it by th' wee end. Aye, that's richt. A' richt, git it up... Up, up, 'n' ye git it! noo toss!"

"That's Ciaran," Méngméng murmured, following the voice. "And he said Alec. Maybe they're together?" She went around to the other side of the barn, where she found the group of bears standing around, one of them holding a six foot tall, six inch wide tree branch that had been cut with no extending branches on it. "What is going on?" she wondered aloud, moving closer to watch as Zeb threw the branch again, but it landed diagonally.

Zeb cursed a little and turned to his uncle. "Are you sure I can even do this, Uncle Ciaran? Why am I even competing?"

Ciaran gave him an odd look. "Fur ye'r a Seillean, laddie. Ye'r a Scotsman. Stoap hiding fae yer past 'n' embrace yer proud heritage. Even yer Aunt 'n' ah ur competing. Noo pick up that caber, 'n' let's keep workin' oan it 'til supper is duin, a' richt? We aye hae a munth tae train, 'n' by golly, ah wull hae ye trained. Ye wull shaw that th' Clan Seillean still exists, 'n' wull continue tae exist."

Zeb sighed, shaking his head. "This Clan Seillean you speak of is only one bear, Uncle. I haven't married Méngméng, so I cannot claim Fēnglì as my own. And Aunty married you, so she is no longer a Seillean, but a Clan Campbell."

"That kin be true, mah laddie, bit yin day ye wull mak' her yer own. Thro' th' Bond, ye awready have. The lenth o' oor religious culchur goes, she is a Seillean, 'n' sae is yer laddie." Ciaran smiled at him, placing a paw on his shoulder. "Tell me, does yer son hae th' stripes, tae?"

"Well, yeah. At least in the pictures Méngméng showed me."

"Then he is shown tae be a true Seillean. Ain't a Seillean born wi'oot th' stripes. Even yer Aunt haes thaim, though thay blend mair intae her fur nowadays."

Méngméng blinked a few times, wondering when Zeb had told his Aunt and Uncle about Fēnglì. Why were they not angry? Did he not tell them his age? They seemed rather calm about it. Too calm. Did they not wonder where Fēnglì was? Or did they love him enough to not be angry? She would have to ask him later.

Zeb paused before he could pick up the caber and looked around, sniffing the air. "Méngméng!" He walked over to her, feeling silly. "Would you hate me if I told you I forgot you were even out by the barn?"

"You... forgot me?" She started laughing. "I see you're finally relaxing and not being so uppity here."

"When have I been uppity?" He frowned thoughtfully.

"When did you tell them about Fēnglì?"

"Well, about two hours ago. They were asking questions about us, and I finally decided to come clean. They were angry at first, but they could see how much I loved you. Heh, they said that we were meant to be together, and that someday I would meet my son. I'm just surprised that they weren't concerned that you were a princess and I'm just a farm boy musician."

"That is a bit odd. Maybe it's because of these, though." She lifted up her paw, looking at the raised mark with a smile.

He raised his own paw with the same mark and rested it against hers. "I can feel your heartbeat within it. I don't know how it works, but it does. It's nice. I know it's not mine, because it always seems to beat opposite of mine."

"Same here. Do you think this is how everyone's Mark feels?"

"Yeah, unless their partner is..." Zeb's ears flattened and he clenched his fist. "Poor Henry... Think of how it must have felt to stop feeling that beat after so many years?"

"Oh... You're right. That must have been horrible." Méngméng leaned against him. "Please, Alec, let's not fall into sadness. Tell me about what you're doing with that stick."

"Stick? No, silly, that's a caber. I'm training for the Cowal Highland Games. I've never participated before, though I've watched. Uncle says I should represent the Clan Seillean, despite how small it is."

"Hey, someday it'll be bigger. Maybe next year or sometime I can bring Fēnglì and he can participate beside you."

A grin spread across his face. "That would be great. Thank you."

"I cannot wait to see you participate, too. Those rippling muscles, finely toned body..." She giggled a bit, and he felt himself turning hot with embarrassment at the thought, and had to cross his legs when she ran a paw down his chest.

"Méngméng!" he squeaked, backing away.

"Oi! Zeb! Are you coming back over here or not?" Ted called. "Why are you crossing your legs?"

"Oh, Ted, I, uh, not right now! Méngméng, stop that!"

Méngméng grinned, finally lifting her paw from his chest. "Oh, all right, my handsome bear."

Ted blinked a few times. "Ah, I see now why you're crossing your legs. I'd invest in jeans, then. You're thin enough that you won't look silly in them like I would."

"Oh? And what about Fred?" Zeb asked, not turning around.

"Fred's big enough that it looks good on him. Plus, it's his thing, not mine." Ted shrugged. "At first, I had the same problem as you, but I learned to hide it. You... Yeah. Keep the jeans. Don't know why you weren't wearing them now, actually."

"I do not need to wear pants. Only reason I'm doing so is so I don't get my legs all dirty with the mud and manure we were shoveling earlier, Ted." Zeb finally uncrossed his legs and turned to face him. "I took them off so I could move more freely. I don't like wearing pants. I'll learn to control it eventually."

"Whit ur a' o' ye daein'? We're suppose tae be training, Alec!" Ciaran asked, wandering over.

"Supper's duin!" Tyra called from the house.

Ciaran frowned a moment, and then picked up the caber. "We'll continue this th'morra efter chores, Alec. Come ben fur supper, please."

Zeb nodded and took Méngméng's paw, leading her back to the cottage while his uncle put the caber back in the wood pile. Ted followed after, and all of them made sure to wash their paws before settling down at the table.

"Uncle, do you need the horses tomorrow or the next day?" Zeb asked as he ate.

Tyra and Ciaran blinked and looked at him curiously.

"I would like to take Méngméng out on a date, if possible."

Méngméng looked over at him, surprised. "Now what's brought this on, Alec?"

"Nothing much. I just realized that I'd never taken you on a date before."

"So that time where I was modeling for you while you were taking pictures doesn't count?"

"Nope!"

Ted frowned. "Zeb, I need you here to help me out with the roof. Otherwise I'm going to have to go find some help, and that costs money that I and your uncle do not have."

"Oh... right." Zeb frowned a bit, trying to think of what to do.

Méngméng smiled. "I'll help you out with the roof, too. I can send up supplies, and help Tyra with the chores. When we're done with the roof, then we can go on our date, Alec, all right?"

Zeb frowned a moment, but nodded in agreement. "Yes. Uncle, are you going to help us with the roof?"

Ciaran nodded, continuing to eat. He gestured at the food, wondering why they were all letting Tyra's meal get cold.

Méngméng grinned a bit and continued eating her fill of the small meal, loving the taste. It had only been yesterday that she'd been allowed any sort of solid food, so she was quite pleased to be eating again, though she didn't take very much, not wanting to upset her stomach so soon.

Tyra looked over at her. "Alec tells me that ye wur sittin` in th' barn pasture while he 'n' Ted wur clearin` oot stalls. Dae ye aye cop weel? Mibbie ye shuid rest anither day?"

The silver she-panda smiled and shook her head. "No, please. I would like to help out around here. Five sets of paws are better than four sets. I am staying here with you as a guest. I will contribute and not lounge around until the work is finished."

Ciaran gruffed a response, a smile on his face. Tyra, too, smiled, but she did look worried. "If ye hawp that is best, ah wull nae stoap ye, bit dae nae strain yersel', young yin," Tyra responded softly, taking another bite of her meal.

"If I feel woozy and need to rest, then I will do so. I am not as stubborn as Jade."

Ted and Zeb both snorted on their food and drink respectively, and Méngméng shot them a glare.

Ciaran grinned. "Wee jimmies, behave. Dae nae be disrespectful. If she says she insae as stubborn as th' black female, then she insae. She's far mair sae."

"Ciaran!" Tyra laughed, and Zeb and Ted doubled over, almost choking on their food.

Méngméng growled a bit, but quickly lightened up. "Jade and I must be stubborn, for we're both mates to the two most bull-headed mules of the lot!"

Tyra and Ciaran couldn't contain their laughter while Ted and Zeb took their turn to scowl and glare. Méngméng smiled smugly and returned to her meal, wishing Jade had been there to see it.

Once the meal was finished, everyone went their separate ways for bed, with Ted alone on the couch, Tyra and Ciaran in their room, and Méngméng up in her loft undressing while Zeb sat on the stairs, minding her privacy.

Méngméng, upon realizing he had not yet come upstairs, leaned over the staircase and eyed him. "Alec? Aren't you coming up?"

"I was letting you change first," he responded, glancing up at her, amused to find her in a long t-shirt. "I see you've already done so. Okay." He stood up and walked up the stairs, and dug around in his suitcase, trying to find his white t-shirt. "Wait a minute... Did you take my shirt?" He looked over at her, where she was grinning innocently.

"Maybe."

"Méngméng!"

She laughed and pulled it off of herself in front of him, tossed it over, and pulled on a pair of loose shorts before lying in bed half naked. "Didn't have a shirt, so I thought I'd borrow yours. But now I guess you'll have to keep me warm tonight," she teased. "It's been too quiet without you holding me the past week while I was sick."

He blinked a few times, grinned, and climbed into bed as well, wrapping his arms around her. "I've missed you, too. Sleeping next to Ted is horrible."

"Shut up, Zeb! You snore!" Ted yelled from the living room.

"You keep grabbing me like I'm Jade!" Zeb shot back, winking at Méngméng, who burst into laughter.

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

Méngméng was crying from laughing so hard.

"Cubs! We a' mist kip fur o' a stowed day th'morra! If ye dae nae hush 'n' kip, ye wull be sent oot tae sleep in th' barn hay loft!" Ciaran hollered, finally silencing the quarreling bears.

Zeb smiled and curled up next to Méngméng, draping one around her waist and pulling her close for a moment before he turned on his back and looked up through the roofless ceiling at the millions of stars once Méngméng turned off the light.

Méngméng looked up as well, settling on the bed with a smile. "They are beautiful. So beautiful. I have never seen so many before. In Běijīng, there is a lot of smog in the city from so many vehicles traveling back and forth. I remember once in my youth, I believe when I was around the age of nineteen, that there was a special ceremony going on, and for one week, no one was allowed to drive. Well, they were, but only half the city on one day, half the next, changing every day.

"The sky cleared up magnificently, and I could see the blue sky for the first time in a long time." She sighed softly. "When I am Empress, I am going to bring back that time and make it a law. I have heard of so many children and elders getting very sick because of the pollution. I want my capital to be beautiful again. I want to move us into a brighter future."

"That sounds wonderful," Zeb responded. "But how are you going to do it?"

"I don't know, but I will somehow figure it out. I want China's children to know what a blue sky looks like. I also plan to raise the, as you call, minimum wage to a livable cost. Companies that do not comply will be fined heavily. And I wish to tackle the trafficking ring. So many of China's youth, especially human girls, are being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. I see that it is also a problem in America as well."

Zeb's ears flattened as he thought about Beary and Jewel. Jewel was home, sorta, but Beary... was gone forever.

"I wish to take on such tasks. Children deserve to play and go to school, not be filled with fear and forced to bed with someone. There are some real perverts out there. I want to make a difference. I didn't ask to be Empress, but if I can make even the smallest of changes for the better of the people, then I shall take on my inheritance with joy. If not, then no one can say that I did not try."

"You'll... You'll be a good Empress, Méngméng," Zeb responded. "But what about us?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you're Empress, then what do I do? How can I compete with that? You'll be busy all the time, and your country will look down on me for being a mutt and a farmboy musician. I have no titles, I was a drunkard... Who knows what they'll say."

Méngméng shifted onto her side and faced him. "Then we will face them together, Alec." She slipped a paw across his chest and hooked it around him as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I promise you, we will be there together. Nothing and no one will keep us apart. I am only to be Empress for a year or two, until Fēnglì is old enough to take over in my stead. We will rule together."

"And me? I... I don't know if I can do the whole ruling thing. I'm not a pushy guy."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm pushy?"

"Oh, very pushy," he teased, kissing her forehead and squeezing her shoulders. "And I like pushy."

She smiled and trilled a little, content. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

He laughed. "Fall into a creek and nearly drown."

She giggled and snuggled in close, and together, they watched the stars until sleep took them.