The crystal shattered, releasing two shadows from within. One of the things rushed down the hallway towards their room and the other aimed for Yugi. Heba paled as black fur appeared on his brother's exposed skin. "Papa? What's happening?"
Atemu tried to calm Yugi as he awoke, the cub now nearly under control of either another or his own instincts. The cub's beautiful dress shredded as Yugi's body changed into a small black panther. "Yugi?"
The cub growled at him before taking off to where Yami was, a dragon's roar mixed with a human scream sounded from the room. "Get out of my head!"
Atemu and Heba ran to the room. Yami was struggling to keep from giving in to the strange shadow that had completely taken control of Yugi.
Heba was frightened, "Papa, what's going on? Why is Mama scaly and Yugi a cat?"
"Don't ask questions. Go find your father and tell him to alert the troops. Mama, Papa, and Yugi are going to need help. Keep your father from coming in here at all costs. GO!"
"Papa, look out!"
A long red tail crashed into Atemu, pinning him into a wall as blank eyes looked at him; the cub gathered in her arms. Heba ran out as a cinnamon and vanilla scent engulfed the room, his papa becoming lost in the scent to his own instincts and a portion of the two shadows that entered his body. Two full dragons flew from the ruins of the room, one of them carrying a small panther as a mother cat would a kitten.
Heba watched as they headed to the forest that was walled off after his family began their rule. "DADDY! MAMA!"
Forest:
Zorc heard the roars of his pet and her mate long before they arrived at his cave. He was pleased with her child's feral appearance, "I see you have been taking care of my prize, my pet. Ah, you've brought your mate as well. Lay the child on the ground."
The red dragoness placed her cub down nuzzling him before returning to her standing position. "Good girl. I have considered making you and your mate complete dragons, but I think it will wait for now. After all, I need a kingdom and would rather have you convince the other to sign it over as well."
He tossed a blanket over the cub and muttered a few words as the changes reversed, revealing a nearly human boy with cat ears and a tail. The male dragon gave a low growl as more people came out wrapping his tail around his cub and his wing around his mate.
Zorc chuckled, "Easy boy. I just need the child. He will be fine... after a few 'alterations'. I need his body is all. Back away from it and I will reward you and your mate with fresh meat."
As he spoke, Zorc waved his hand slightly, creating another of his control collars around the black dragon's neck. He smirked as a dark purple lit up in the dragon's eyes before the light faded revealing blank ruby orbs just like the dragoness both stripped of their thoughts but their most primal ones. The black dragon removed his tail but pressed a claw to the child's back as a tattoo of three dragons spread on the child; one black, one red, and one gold made from the oldest magic... even Zork could not remove or alter it..
"I must thank the one responsible for the three of you. Just one day before I can use the child as my vessel... Hmm... it seems like your mate is also affected by the full moon. This will be fun. Go, my pets. Go and hunt!"
Palace:
Asim was upset with the news of his mates' and their cub's disappearance. Heba sobbed as he admitted that he caused it when he snuck into his uncle's room and stole a pretty black crystal. He told his daddy what his papa had said before the red dragon did something to him.
"Heba, why would you do something so foolish?"
Heba rubbed his eyes, "Because everyone favors Yugi! Mama spends more time with him, Papa takes him out to do stuff, and you're always buying him books! I want attention and he always gets it!"
"Heba, we give you children attention accordingly. Your papa and I buy you toy weapons and take you hunting occasionally while your mother tells you bedtime stories while she fixes your torn clothes. The triplets are another story. Sometimes we can't always be there for them like we can you or Yugi... but we try to make time to go by the nursery to see them. Go to your room and stay there. I have to try to get our family back and can't bear to lose you as well."
"What do you mean, Daddy? A red dragon pinned papa to the wall and Yugi turned into a panther cub."
"Heba, that red dragon was your mother. Your papa probably turned into a black dragon because of her... that's why he didn't want me to go in there."
This left Heba as a surprised whimper as he shook his head, not believing Asim that the red monster was his mother. "You... you're not telling truth... that red thing ain't Mama..."
"Heba! You saw your own brother turn into a panther cub and deny the fact that your mother is a red dragon!? Did you not witness Aiden, Timaeus, or Arianna turn into dragons on their second birthday?" Asim questioned his son. Heba shook his head crying even more before turning tail and running away from Asim and he kept running into a secret passage and out into the forest behind the castle as a small phrase from his calm childhood filtered into his distraught brain. "Your mother told us to never lie to you children for any reason."
Asim ordered Akefia and Melvin to gather their men and head to the Wall. After informing Ishizu and Mahad that they and Voleur were in charge, he went searching for Heba.
Heba:
The nine-year-old wandered around, lost in the forest. He had managed to find a few of the wild foods Voleur and Mahad said were safe to eat. He saw a wall and headed over to see what it was for. He froze when two great dragons flew overhead and past the wall. One dragon was red and the other was black. "Mama...Papa?"
Heba heard his uncles' soldiers and was torn between going to them or seeing if the two dragons were really his mother and papa. He decided to follow the latter and climbed over the wall running after the two dragons. Heba found them just outside of a cave. "Mama! Papa!"
The black dragon turned and growled at him, it's eyes glowing a dark purple. The red one threw its head back and roared. Heba, frightened, turned and ran away from the dragons. Only for the red one to wrap her tail around the small boy.
Zork's Cave:
The demon had removed the collar he had put on the child since he could only control two creatures. The boy was washed and dressed in a black pair of pants and a crimson shirt. It was then that he noticed the delicate looking choker on the boy's neck.
"That will have to be removed when I start the ritual," Zorc said.
"You leave my mate's child alone!" A male shouted.
Zorc chuckled when he saw the intruder. "So... you're the second mate my pet has chosen? I'm sure that they have missed you. They are on their way back." he turned to see Asim with a sword strapped to his side and narrowed eyes at Zork.
"Release my family," Asim growled.
Zorc stepped back calmly, "I think your mates are happy as they are and wish you to join them."
Asim turned to see the pair circling as they prepared to land. Though there was something in the red dragon's mouth. When they landed, the dragoness dropped the object. "Heba!"
The boy whimpered as he reached out to his daddy only for the dragoness to curl around the boy and to start licking the child giving him a bath.
"Let them go," Asim demanded, his eyes glowing gold with power and unintentionally gaining the dragons attention.
He tried to hold his breath as soon as he caught the scents his mates used to force the others to give in to their instincts. Heba watched in terror as his father became a true dragon, the sword falling to the ground. "DADDY!"
The dragons roared as one, signaling that they were finally together. Heba whimpered as the gold colored dragon sniffed him then licked him.
As night fell, Zorc was pleased with his pets and his new vessel. He had locked a third collar around the last dragon's neck, not caring about the weakening of his powers due to the wearing out of his current body. He let the dragoness keep the older cub because he was useless to his plans.
He approached the boy he chose and reached out to tear the choker off of him. The black dragon blocked him from the child, its eyes clearing for a second before succumbing once more to its instincts. "Outside my pets until I am done." Zork ordered
The dragons left, the red one taking the cub with her. Zorc returned to his future vessel and removed his choker. Bright light filled the cave blinding Zork and weakening him even more. He could not escape the vessel as it was vaporized in the light.
The three collars vanished with Zork's demise, but the dragons were still lost to their instincts as the spell had four years to become a part of them. Heba was kept close to the dragoness no matter how many times he tried to escape.
The day after the full moon:
Heba awoke to his mother running her fingers through his hair. "Mama?"
"Yes honey."
"Why did Daddy, you, and papa become dragons for three days? Are you free now?"
"We are free, but please don't look at me just yet. We'll talk about the dragon thing later."
"YAMI!" Atemu's panicked voice shouted for his mate. "Yami, come here... quickly!"
"What?! What is it?" Yami called as Heba got a good look at his 'naked' mother and blushed a bright red.
"It's Yugi! He's...cold...but breathing... barely," Atemu said as he neared the clearing, a limp form in his arms.
Yami saw that he had a black robe on and another wrapped around the body in his arms. She told Heba to close his eyes before getting up and meeting her dominant mate. Something inside of her said something was wrong.
"Yugi? Baby?" Yami called placing her hands under Yugi's limp form as a robe was placed on her shoulders this one a white color. Yami saw that the choker was missing, "Temmy, did you take the choker off?"
"No, it was already off her when we came to from our dragon forms along with a pile of dust in front of her." Atemu said with a shake of his head as Asim comforted Heba.
Yami paled. "You said 'her'... my darling little baby is a..." She trailed off, clutching the cub close to her chest, sobbing.
As Yami cried over Yugi's limp form, Asim took Heba aside. "Heba, do you have any idea why your mother is crying?"
"Because Yugi got hurt?" Heba asked, sniffling.
"Heba, worse than that," Asim said sadly. "You lost your little brother for good."
"Papa said that he was breathing, Daddy. How can he be lost?"
"The choker we gave Yugi would defeat the demon with an old spell but in the process turning Yugi into an unwanted vessel... now what do boys hate most?" Asim asked as Heba looked at him confused.
"Girls why?"
Asim sighed, wishing his son was as smart as Yugi. "What did you keep calling Yugi when you picked on him?"
"A crybaby and a girly-boy." The cub answered.
"Heba," Yami called her son over.
Heba and Asim walked over to them. "Mama?"
"Say hello to your little sister Yugi." Yami said crying tears as she revealed Yugi who was now a little girl in a deep deep sleep.
Palace:
Ishizu checked the small girl over before letting Yami in. "Yami, Yugi is sick from being exposed to the cool nights. I'm afraid that she will have to stay in bed for a while."
"Mommy," a faint voice called out.
"Yugi! I'm right here Sweety."
"I hurt all over, Mommy." Yugi whined. "Make the hurt go away."
Yami pulled a chair close to Yugi's bed and sat as close as she could. She gently ran her fingers through Yugi's hair as she hummed the lullaby she knew that Yugi loved. Yugi fell asleep before Yami even finished the lullaby before Yami climbed into the bed and laid Yugi on her chest more tears falling from Yami's face. 'Please... please don't let her be like the last clutch... please don't let her die...' Yami thought pleadingly as silent sobs racked through her emotionally distraught body.
Asim and Atemu's Study:
"Heba, do you understand what your actions have caused," Atemu asked the cub.
"I... I killed Yugi..." Heba whispered his eyes blank of all emotion while silent tears fell down his face.
Asim shook his head, "Yugi isn't dead. She's very sick and your mother is hurting"
"You may have lost your little brother, but you gained a sister who you are now responsible for protecting." Atemu added.
"Yes Papa." Heba said still emotionally closed off.
Atemu sighed, "Heba, come here please."
The cub approached his papa. The male stood up and opened the door leading to the throne room. "Heba, what is this room?"
"The throne room."
"Do you know what it represents?"
Heba shook his head. "Not really."
Atemu knelt down to Heba's level, "It represents the unity of our family. Your daddy, mama, and I don't make decisions regarding the kingdom alone. We agreed to treat our people the same as we treat our own family. We mourn any deaths or celebrate new life with our subjects. We try to be fair in punishing those who do wrong. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Everyone is family?"
"In a way," Atemu said. "But the way we rule has made our people respect us. Think about what happened recently and don't forget that actions have consequences. Ok, Heba?"
"Yes Papa."
"ATEMU! ASIM!" Yami's voice echoed as the two males shot up worry on their faces before shooting off to the medical wing where Yami was with Yugi.
"Yami? What's wrong?" Asim panted as he entered the infirmary, Atemu right behind him.
"I'm sorry, my Queen, but you must calm down and leave me to work."
"NO! I AM STAYING WITH MY BABY!" Yami shouted more tears falling from her eyes as two apprentice healers helped the Priestess remove Yami's distraught figure out from the room.
Atemu grew worried, "Yami... what's happening?"
"Yugi... Yugi fell asleep... and wouldn't wake up..." Yami cried out collapsing into her knees covering her face with her hands.
"Mama... will Yugi be ok," Heba asked, scared of what he was hearing.
Asim decided to take his son to another room to talk while Atemu sat on the floor and gently pulled Yami into his lap. "Was she at least breathing when you were separated from her?"
"A little bit but it was getting weak... what are we going to do... I don't know if I can bounce back after this." Yami whispered softly more tears falling from her eyes before she began to cry hard into Atemu's chest crying herself into an exhausted and restless sleep.
Minutes later, Ishizu left the room looking exhausted. "She's resting now. Mahad showed up and examined her. He thinks that Yugi is suffering from magic overload. He picked up traces of residual magic on Yugi. Some of it came from the choker and the demon... but... apparently Yugi expelled an enormous amount of magic from her body in response to conflicting energies. He's managed to get her stabilized for the moment, but suggested that no magics be used near her for a while."
"Thank you Ishizu... I think it would be best if I get Yami to bed."
"Why don't you tuck her in with Yugi? It will help both of them, especially if Yami's still taking the situation hard."
"That would be best." Atemu said picking Yami's form up with ease worrying about how light Yami felt.
Ishizu sighed, "Atemu, how are you doing with Yugi's changes?"
"Honestly? I don't feel any different as though Yugi was genderless before now."
"How so?" Ishizu was confused.
"I'm not sure it's as though I already knew and accepted Yugi was a girl at heart before we even considered the spell."
"So...why is Yami taking it harder? She has had him wearing dresses since he was eleven months old."
"It might be a result of her human mind and dragon mind fighting over Yugi's new form... Yami wasn't given a choice when she was made like this, Ishizu. Even in the past Yami was denied the choice... I think that choice being taken away from Yugi is affecting Yami as well."
"I suppose that Yugi will be able to adapt quickly, although her shyness may be a bit worse," Ishizu observed. "The bond between Yami and Yugi will be stronger than before."
Two Days Later:
Yugi finally woke up with Yami holding her in a rocking chair. "Mommy?"
"I'm here baby..." Yami cooed softly
Yugi yawned, "I'm hungry and thirsty. May I have apple juice?"
Yami smiled with tears falling down her face as she just held Yugi "whatever you want, dear, whatever you want."
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Yugi's amethyst eyes full of worry for her mother. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine sweety... i'm fine." Yami said holding Yugi tighter making her tears drip into Yugi's head and ears.
Yugi flicked her ears, trying to keep the water from making its way in. "Why are you crying, Mommy?"
"You gave us a really bad scare baby."
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't want to be sick. I blame Heba's germs... he's always dirty," Yugi huffed weakly, her delicate face so serious. But once she had crossed her arms she blinked and actually looked at herself. "Mommy... what happened to my...parts?"
"You got flipped when the choker came off... it also seemed to have expressed a lot of magic... light magic before it exploded when the demon took it off of you."
Yugi nodded then smiled before yawning, "You don't have nasty collar any more, Mama."
Atemu and Asim's Study:
Atemu sighed as he collapsed in his chair. Yami had refused to come back to their room yet again, staying in the infirmary with Yugi. She didn't want Yugi to wake up alone.
The kingdom only knew that Yugi had gotten quite ill hours after his birthday and had cards delivered or sent the cub various plants for the royal gardens. Apparently, all activities ceased until something happened with Yugi, either her recovery or...
Atemu didn't want to think about what would happen if Yugi didn't get better.
A rapid knocking pulled the king from his thoughts. "Enter!"
One of the staff entered the Kings' study. "Your Highness, the Queen requests your immediate presence in the medical wing. She said to tell you that it's urgent."
Atemu walked quickly to the infirmary, almost running. Fear that Yugi was getting worse twisting his stomach. He opened the door to the private room where Yugi had been isolated from prying eyes. Seeing his mate in her chair with Yugi curled up in her lap, her eyes closed with a peaceful look on her face, and Yami's tear-stained cheeks, Atemu tried not to break. "I am so sorry, Love."
"Yugi is sleeping Atemu... why are you sorry?" Yami questioned sadness thick in her voice as Yugi moaned flicker her ears before snuggling into Yami
Atemu was shocked, "She was so still... I thought... she's not..."
"Don't finish that sentence if you wish to be in the bed and not on the couch for ten years." Yami threatened hotly
Atemu let out a weak laugh, "How is our cub? How did Yugi take the news?"
"Sleepy... She wakes at random and ate a bit... shell shocked at first but then she said it felt right. Not as stuffy..."
"You might want to have that talk with Asim about his idea about letting his cub mate ours when they come of age. I will not tolerate him planting ideas in that boy's head." Atemu stated.
Yami smiled, "She's not a 'cub' anymore, Temmy. Yugi's considered a 'kitten' now."
"What about that talk with Asim?"
"Mommy... Daddy? I'm thirsty," Yugi muttered as she stirred again.
"Shush Daddy brought some apple juice for you baby." Yami said while a red aura grabbed a juice box and handed it to Atemu with a bit of force.
Atemu got the hint and held the straw as Yugi sipped at the cool liquid. She pulled away and snuggled into Yami's arms again. "Mommy... is Heba ok? Where's Papa?"
"Heba is a little worse for wear Yugi and taking this all in quite hard. Papa is with Heba right now." Atemu cooed softly scratching Yugi behind the ears.
They watched as she drifted off to sleep once more. Yami sighed softly, "Mahad wants to keep Yugi in here until she can stay awake for at least a few hours. Apparently, her exhaustion is from her body trying to eliminate the excess magics. This room is designed to help drain the extra magic out of her safely. Would you mind taking watch for a bit? I've been in here a while and nearly at the time limit Mahad set. Ishizu will come in to take over when she can."