There were once four kingdoms.

The Kingdom Of Night-Lurkers, the werecats.
The Kingdom Of Sharp-Fangs, the werewolves.
The Kingdom Of Heavy-Steppers, the werebears.
The Kingdom Of Sly-Hearts, the werefoxes.

Human beings that could shift into their corresponding animals.

The four kingdoms stood divided, none liking the other very much.

However, there was a single custom that made all of them intermingle, one way or another.
The mate bond.
It was common for the four species to intermingle due to them being destined mates with a person from another kingdom.
Mates are always drawn to each other, no matter what kingdom they may come from.

However, there is a single rule in place to ensure that bloodlines are kept pure.
Both partners must become the same species.

Say that you are a werecat, and your mate happens to be a werefox. If you want to be together, the two of you must make a decision on which kingdom you wish to live out your lives in. You and your mate decide that you are going to both live in the kingdom of the werefoxes. Once it is approved by the leader that you both may live there, you now must go through the initiation process in order to be fully accepted into the kingdom. You alone travel to The Moon Lake, a sacred lake were the kingdom's ancestors are able to contact the living world. You must submerge yourself into the lake, and pray to your ancestors. They will answer your call, and the shifting process will begin. Your werecat blood begins to change, along with the werecat inside yourself that paces restlessly. It is an incredibly painful process, your blood boils as your very DNA changes. When it's all over, your very soul has changed. You are no longer a werecat, but a werefox. Now, you are allowed to be with your mate for eternity, and have children.

But, what happens if you break that sacred rule? If you keep your relationship a secret, and are not willing to change your very being to match your mate's? What happens if you have children, with impure blood?

If mates of different species have children, it is a wildcard. The children can turn out to be any species, as it offsets the balance.

It has only happened a few times in the history of the kingdoms.
But we will share with you, the one time it changed all of history.

~

There once was a young female, who was known as Myrina. Myrina was a happy and carefree girl, who hailed from The Kingdom Of Sharp-Fangs, the werewolves. She loved her kingdom and her family that lived there. Her father was the leader of her kingdom, and her mother led alongside him. She was their only child, and of Royal Blood. Myrina was destined to be the next ruler of The Kingdom Of Sharp-Fangs.
However, Myrina's simple and happy life all took a turn when she found her destined mate, who came from The Kingdom Of Sly-Hearts, the werefoxes. His name was Laurent, and he just so happened to be the next-in-line of The Kingdom Of Sly-Hearts. Laurent's mother ruled the kingdom alone, and expected Laurent to be the one out of his two other brothers to lead after her.
Myrina and Laurent were both Royals, expected to rule their kingdoms within due time. Though they longed and yearned for each other, for one of them to choose which kingdom to live in, and abandon their duties, would be seen as a disgrace to their entire kingdoms.

Both Myrina and Laurent agreed that instead, they would keep their relationship a secret, and meet every night.
However, it would only be so long before they slipped up.
After one late night, Myrina became pregnant. In a panic, she told Laurent, who could hardly believe the mistake they had made. With Myrina being of Royal Blood, it would be impossible for her to hide the pregnancy from her mother and father. Not only that, this child would be impure of blood, for genetically, Laurent was a werefox, and Myrina was a werewolf.

When two people of impure blood mix, their children could turn out to be any of the four supernatural creatures, as it offsets the balance.

Myrina and Laurent decided to keep it a secret for as long as they could... But unfortunately, they were found out in less than a month. Myrina's parents and Laurent's mother both came to learn of their children's disgraces, and aimed to go after Myrina and Laurent, to kill the child that Myrina held in her womb. Myrina and Laurent got together and fled the kingdoms, and guards went after them to catch them and bring them to justice.
They were caught up with before long, and Laurent died after being run-through with a sword, protecting Myrina.
Grief-stricken, Myrina has no choice but to take her chance and run, leaving her dead love behind.

Myrina was on the run for months, escaping the guards and hiding the best she could, surviving off the land. But she couldn't run forever.
Myrina's water broke in the middle of her fleeing, and she knew that she could no longer run. Her child was on the way. She found a suitable place and prayed to her ancestors that she would be able to get through this. But she was all alone.
Myrina spent an agonizing twenty-seven hours in labor, before her child was born. Or rather, her first child. Myrina was pregnant with twins, and had no idea until they were both born. They both laid in her arms, and Myrina held them close as she cried softly at the beauty of her perfect children.
A boy and a girl.
The girl, a werefox.
The boy, a werebear.

She could care less about what species they were, that they were of impure blood. To her, they were perfect, and nobody could tell her otherwise.

However, Myrina had little time with her children.
In the hours that followed, the guards had caught up to her, and ripped the children from her arms. Myrina screeched and cried for them to give her back her children, but they ignored her, and simply walked away from her with the crying newborns.

Myrina was left alone in tatters and exhausted, crying out for her lost children that were to be killed.

However, little to Myrina's knowledge, the guards had other plans. The guards agreed that it would be a bad stroke from their ancestors to kill innocent children of Royal Blood. So, in order to preserve the good givings of their ancestors, they took the children and gave them to the groups they belonged in.

The boy was given to the werebears.
The girl was given to the werefoxes.
Both of their identities were unknown, the secret of whom their parents were burried deep in the sand, never to be uncovered. The guards thought that would be the end of it, as they had left Myrina helpless after birth. They thought there was no way she could have survived the strain of delivering twins and then losing them on her own.

But they were wrong.

Myrina survived, and with rage in her heart, she headed back to her kingdom after she had healed on the journey back. The female was unrecognizable, no longer the once happy and beautiful young girl she once was. She was damaged and worn, no longer the person she had been. Losing her children and her mate, Laurent, had driven her to insanity.

When Myrina reached The Kingdom Of Sharp-Fangs, she slipped into her parent's quarters in the middle of the night and murdered them in cold blood, for the pain they had inflicted on her. Now, back in her kingdom and the only one left with any Royal Blood, the werewolves of the kingdom had no choice but to submit to Myrina, and crown her the new leader of the kingdom.

In a fit of a lust for destruction, Myrina instantly declared war upon The Kingdom Of Sly-Hearts, on Laurent's mother, who had helped to destroy everything she had ever loved.

Myrina watched with a sick glee as the kingdoms shifted and divided. Nobody was willing to unite or take sides against Myrina's kingdom. After four long years of war between the werewolves and the werefoxes, Laurent's mother had become enraged at the other two kingdoms staying out of the conflict. Laurent's mother declared war on The Kingdom Of Night-Lurkers, the werecats. Once the werecats got involved, it was only another five years of war before The Kingdom Of Heavy-Steppers, the werebears, became involved in the war as well.

Myrina sat atop of her throne and saw as all four kingdoms declared war upon each other.

All four of the great kingdoms were pitted against each other in a giant bloodbath, for years and years.

And yet, Myrina has no idea that her two precious children were growing up in the kingdoms the guards placed them in.

The female who remained with the werefoxes, was becoming cunning and sly, a good fighter who was a trickster, and believed in her people.

The male, who lived with the werebears, was becoming a valued member of his kingdom, and was rising within the ranks.

More years passed, and soon, both of Myrina's children were fighting within the war for their own people, against each other and against their mother. None of them knew who the other really were to them.

Myrina had only become more crazed and bloodthirsty with age. Soon, the war had hit the twenty-seventh year mark.

The war had gone on for so long that all the leaders had individually decided that this would be the last battle, to end all battles.

A final, great fight occurred. All four kingdoms went head to head, and engaged in the largest battle in history.

The bodies piled up on the battlefield, hundreds were dead on all sides. Myrina had shifted into her large wolf, which was greying at the fur from age. Myrina was covered in blood, and she hissed and spat as she moved from victim to victim.

The leaders from the kingdom of the werecats and the werebears had all fallen, including their children. The two groups were left without a Royal heir to rule, and were left in shambles as they continued to fight desperately.

In the middle of the fight, the twins whom had been born to Myrina and Laurent came face to face in battle. They both were battered and bloody, looking ready to tear each other apart. They both lunged, ready to engage in a fight before they both halted and just stared at each other. Neither of them could bring themselves to fight the other, and there was recognition in each other's eyes as they both sensed something. It came to them both in a revelation. They were related by blood. How? Neither of them knew, but they could feel it in their very bones.

That's when a vision sent from their ancestors struck them both. A vision of them being born to a young, beautiful woman before being ripped away from her. They were taken away by guards, leaving the mysterious woman crying in the dirt. Then, the vision flashed forwards throughout their lives to the future, a vision of them together, fighting against an old, greying wolf.

The twins were snapped out of the vision at the sounds of screeches. They looked over to see Myrina ripping out the throat of Laurent's mother. Laurent's entire family laid dead around Myrina, and Myrina then backed up before letting out a howl of victory.
Myrina, after twenty-seven long years, had finally ended those whom had destroyed her life.

The twins looked to each other, before they turned and began to run at the howling wolf. While she was distracted in her victory, they knocked her to the ground and snarled as they began to claw and bite at her. Myrina gave a yelp in shock before she snarled and began to fight back.

The twins fought against the old wolf, having no idea of whom she really was to them. The fight was thick and bloody, but Myrina was old, and tiring. It wasn't very long, before Myrina fell to the ground and began to bleed out on the bloody grass, shifting back into her human form.

The two twins, exhausted, shifted back as well as they looked down upon Myrina's battered and bloody body. Myrina heaved for air and glared up at the two before her eyes widened and recognition flooded her once crazed eyes.
Her children.
The beautiful children who had been taken from her all that time ago, twenty-seven years ago.

The fighting around everyone had come to a halt. All leaders and heirs to the thrones from all kingdoms had been killed, and only Myrina remained, who also now lay dying.

Wordlessly, all the ones left standing from all kingdoms walked over, forming a circle around Myrina and the twins.

"My children..." Myrina whispered shakily as she gazed up at the twins, her blue eyes filled with affection that had been unseen for years.

Everyone around began to murmur in wonder as Myrina gazed up at the twins.

The female of the twins rose a brow and clenched her jaw, asking Myrina what she meant.

Myrina gave a soft, tired and dry laugh, before she explained, starting from the beginning. The story she had been put through, and where it had landed everyone up until now.

Everyone listened in shock and amazement as Myrina finished. The twins were of pure Royal Blood, rightful rulers of their own kingdoms.

It wasn't long before Myrina heaved her final breath. She had gotten what she had coming to her, ever since she started this war.

The War of Twenty-Seven Years was over...
But now what?

~

It was six months after The War of Twenty-Seven Years. For the first time ever, the four kingdoms had met in meetings to decide upon what to do.

After months, a decision had been made by half of the kingdoms.
The Kingdom Of Night-Lurkers, the werecats, and The Kingdom Of Heavy-Steppers, the werebears, had decided to join together to form a large, single kingdom. It would take months for them to fully merge together, but they decided that they would soon do so under a single ruler.
The ruler was to be a werecat female who had fought valiantly in the battle, and showed good leadership qualities. She was brave and just, and had great promise.
The new promised ruler and Myrina's son, who had been speaking for the werebears, both agreed that the rule against mates of different species should be gotten rid of. It started the war in the first place, and should be delt with.

However, Myrina's daughter, who now spoke for the werefoxes, and the new leader of the werewolves both thought differently.

The Kingdom Of Sharp-Fangs, the werewolves, and The Kingdom Of Sly-Hearts, the werefoxes, had both agreed instead that the rule should stay in place, as it was the breaking of the rule that started the war.

Myrina's son and daughter, despite being reuinited, we're now becoming pitted against each other in their differences. They still cared for one another, but couldn't come to an agreement on what to do.

It was then that the promised leader made an announcement. All four kingdoms should unite and intermingle in peace and harmony. However, if the werefoxes and the werewolves refused to accept her as the new ruler and join her, then she would declare a new war.

The werefoxes and werewolves had four months to join her before the promised leader delt the declaration of war.

The question remains.
Will the four kingdoms indeed come together in peace?
Or will they stand divided once more, and go through another war?