❅──────✧❅Bloody Mess❅✧──────❅•

The evening air in Urd's chambers was still, carrying an almost oppressive weight. Urd sat near his desk, while Ky leaned against the far wall, a glass of blood in hand. Their conversation had been low and inconsequential, an uncommon moment of calm between two of the most powerful vampires in the world. It was then that Artemis strolled into the room, her small paws padding softly across the floor.

Both men froze.

Artemis was smeared with blood, her usually pristine fur marred by deep crimson stains. It clung to her tiny body in streaks and splashes, the sharp, coppery scent permeating the air. Her blue eyes shone innocently, entirely unaware of the monstrous appearance she presented. She began licking her paw, as if nothing was amiss.

Ky's mouth opened and closed, as though struggling to find words. Finally, he broke the silence with a dramatic, mock-serious tone. "She seems...fine. Could it be? Has our little princess actually slain someone with that tiny body?"

Artemis, unfazed by the absurdity of the suggestion, continued grooming herself.

Urd finally exhaled, his crimson gaze softening as he came to his senses. The blood wasn't hers. If it had been, they would have smelled it immediately—but the sight alone had momentarily rendered both vampires speechless. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Artemis," he said sternly, walking over to her. "You can't roam around like this."

She paused her licking and moved toward him, attempting to rub against his legs affectionately. Urd immediately lifted her into the air, holding her at arm's length as he inspected her. Blood dripped faintly from her fur, painting the floor beneath her paws.

"You need a bath," he said flatly. "And quickly."

Ky chuckled from his spot. "If she's been walking around the city like this all day, I imagine she's given quite a fright to the humans—and confused any vampires who recognize her."

Urd didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, observing the bloodstains closely. "The blood is fresh," he muttered. "This wasn't from long ago."

Ky's grin widened. "So what you're saying is that maybe one of our esteemed kind upset her, and she took swift vengeance."

For a brief moment, Urd allowed himself the mental image of Artemis tearing through a vampire who had wronged her. The thought brought a faint, amused smile to his otherwise stoic face, though he said nothing.

"Come on," he said finally, turning toward his chambers. Artemis dangled lazily from his hands, entirely unbothered by the situation. Ky followed, his steps light and his grin ever-present.

When they reached Urd's private bath, the king of vampires set Artemis down carefully. She meowed softly, her tail twitching as she padded around the edge of the marble tub. Urd worked with methodical precision, filling the bath with warm water and gathering the supplies he needed.

Ky watched from a corner, his arms crossed. "You've done this before," he commented. "Quite a bit, it seems."

Urd nodded as he knelt by the tub, gently coaxing Artemis into the water. She meowed in mild protest but didn't struggle. "She's gotten dirty more than once in her explorations. Someone has to clean her."

Ky raised an eyebrow. "Why not let the servants do it?"

Urd didn't respond immediately, his focus on carefully washing the blood from Artemis's fur. The small feline remained surprisingly still, her trust in him evident.

Ky sighed, shaking his head. "I get it. You wouldn't trust anyone else to handle her properly. She's small, delicate. You'd never forgive them if they hurt her."

The corner of Urd's mouth lifted slightly, but he didn't look up. "She's more fragile than she knows."

When Artemis was finally clean, Urd wrapped her in a soft towel, drying her with the same care he had shown while washing her. She squirmed a little, but her content purring echoed faintly in the room, a sound that made both vampires pause.

Once she was dry and groomed, the three of them returned to the sitting area. Urd and Ky settled into their usual spots, each pouring a glass of blood from the ornate decanter on the table. Artemis, now pristine and fluffy once more, jumped onto Urd's lap. Her blue eyes gleamed as she stared up at his glass, her tiny body stretching upward toward it.

Ky let out a dramatic sigh. "It's official. She's a vampire cat now. The bloodlust is real."

Urd gave him a sidelong glance, his expression calm but with a faint note of exasperation. "It's her mealtime," he said. "She knows she gets her food when I have mine."

With a small smile, Urd reached for a bowl he had prepared earlier, filled with food specifically for Artemis. He set it on the table beside him, and the small feline immediately leapt to it, devouring her meal with an eagerness that earned a quiet chuckle from both vampires.

"She's more spoiled than you realize," Ky muttered, leaning back in his chair.

"I'm aware," Urd replied, his tone dry but faintly amused. His gaze softened as he watched Artemis eat, her tail flicking contentedly. Despite the chaos she brought, the small creature had a way of grounding him, of making the eternal weight of his existence feel just a little lighter.

Ky raised his glass in mock salute. "To the queen of this household."

Urd said nothing, but the faintest smile lingered on his lips as he lifted his glass to take a sip, Artemis purring softly beside him.

❅──────✧❅Furry Savior❅✧──────❅•

The streets of Moscow were eerily quiet as Ky Luc wandered through the city, his hands in his coat pockets, his senses sharp despite his growing hunger. It had been over a day since he'd last fed, and for someone like him—a vampire who thrived on chaos, destruction, and indulgence—such restraint was unnatural. His steps were slow and deliberate as his crimson eyes scanned the darkened streets, the primal hunger clawing at the edges of his mind.

A small figure caught his attention. A human child, no older than seven, wandered the cobblestone path alone. Ky froze, his lips curling into a wicked grin. The rules Lord Urd had set forbade such acts, but in his current state of hunger, his usual sense of decorum was slipping. The child's heartbeat was loud in his ears, the smell of fear faintly trailing behind them.

"Just one bite," he muttered to himself, his fangs already tingling at the thought. "Lord Urd will forgive me... after he beats me half to death."

His boots echoed against the stones as he approached, his presence unnoticed by the oblivious child. He could almost taste the life pulsing through their veins when—out of nowhere—a small, furry creature landed on him, claws digging into his shoulder.

Startled, Ky stopped in his tracks. His hand instinctively went up to grab the intruder, but the moment he touched the soft fur, he sighed, already recognizing the culprit.

"Artemis," he growled, his voice a mixture of exasperation and reluctant amusement. He lifted the cat from his shoulder, letting her slide down into his arms. She nestled herself there as though she had every right to interrupt him. The child, sensing the momentary reprieve, bolted down the street and disappeared into the shadows.

Ky let out a long sigh, his hunger momentarily forgotten as he stared at the little feline in his arms. Her blue eyes glinted in the moonlight, and she tilted her head, clearly pleased with herself.

"Are you trying to keep me out of trouble?" he asked mockingly. "You've got the timing of an angel, but I know better than to believe that's why you're here."

Artemis yawned, utterly indifferent to his plight, and began pawing at his coat.

"You're a menace," Ky continued, his tone light but his expression dark. "How about this? Why don't you go and slay a human for me? You're a mighty hunter, aren't you?" He chuckled darkly, stroking her fur as he spoke. "It'd save me a lot of trouble. If you did it, Lord Urd wouldn't be mad at all. He'd probably even give you extra treats."

Artemis meowed softly, her tail flicking with an air of disdain. She clearly didn't find his idea amusing, but Ky wasn't done. He lifted her slightly and gently pulled her tiny mouth open, inspecting her teeth.

"Let's see what those little fangs of yours can do," he mused, grinning as he studied her. "I'm amazed you can catch anything with these, let alone tear into prey. You're more suited for stealing snacks and nipping at my fingers."

Artemis growled—a small, unimpressive sound that only made Ky's grin widen. "Oh, don't give me that. You know I'm right," he teased, tapping her nose lightly. "Those messy little teeth are only good for biting my hand when I'm being too slow with your treats."

Still holding her, Ky let out a low, dark laugh. The bloodlust in him hadn't entirely subsided, but Artemis had at least redirected it for the moment. He stroked her fur absentmindedly, his gaze flickering back to the street where the child had disappeared.

"You really saved that one, huh?" he muttered, almost to himself. "If you weren't here, I might've..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Artemis purred softly, curling closer into his arms as if to say she understood. Ky tilted his head, studying her with a bemused expression.

"You're lucky you're Lord Urd's little princess," he said, his voice dropping to a low, almost seductive tone. "If you weren't, I might've tossed you to the wolves—or the street dogs, like I always say. But you... you'd probably claw your way out of that too, wouldn't you?"

She batted at his chest with a soft paw, her claws barely grazing his coat.

"Cheeky little thing," Ky murmured, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Alright, fine. Let's get you back before you find more trouble to throw yourself into."

With Artemis nestled securely in his arms, Ky turned away from the now-empty street, his hunger still gnawing at him but his mood oddly lightened. As he walked back through the quiet city, the cat's steady purring was the only sound, a soothing counterpoint to the chaos that had been building within him just moments before.

For all her arrogance, Artemis had a way of grounding him—and maybe, just maybe, she knew it too.

❅──────✧❅Gossip❅✧──────❅•

The courtyard of Moscow's vampire stronghold buzzed with quiet murmurs among the stationed vampires. They were gathered in a circle, their faces painted with disdain and arrogance as they spoke in hushed tones about the humans in the city.

"The cattle have too much freedom here," one sneered, his fangs gleaming in the dim light. "They roam around as if they're equals. It's disgusting."

Another nodded in agreement, their voice dripping with contempt. "Lord Urd's rules are far too lenient. Humans should know their place—chained, collared, and obedient."

The small circle grew bolder with their complaints, their whispers growing louder as they fed off each other's disdain. But then, a flicker of movement caught their attention. Sitting in a tree above them, small and silent, was a familiar figure: Artemis.

The golden-furred cat stared down at them with her large, piercing blue eyes, her tail swishing lazily as if she were simply observing their conversation. The moment they spotted her, their voices fell silent, and a heavy tension settled over the group. Every veteran vampire there knew exactly who she was.

"She's listening," one muttered under their breath, their voice shaky despite themselves.

"She can't understand," another tried to reason, though their words carried little conviction.

"But still..." a third whispered, their voice trailing off. The mere presence of the feline seemed to unsettle them, and with good reason. Lady Artemis, as many of them had started calling her, wasn't just any ordinary cat. She was Lord Urd's. And that alone made her untouchable.

But one among them, a newly stationed vampire, hadn't gotten the memo. His brows furrowed as he looked up at the cat with mild confusion. "Whose cat is that?" he asked, his tone casual and careless. "A human must be keeping it illegally. Animals aren't allowed outside their enclosures."

The silence that followed was deafening. Every other vampire froze, their expressions ranging from wide-eyed panic to thinly veiled dread. The audacity of the newcomer to refer to Artemis as just a "cat" was almost laughable if it weren't so dangerous.

"Lady Artemis..." one vampire finally muttered under their breath, casting a wary glance upward. But the newcomer merely scoffed.

"Lady?" he repeated with a derisive snort. "It's just a spoiled house cat. We should get rid of it before Lord Urd finds out."

Before anyone could stop him, a soft rustle of leaves drew their attention. Ky Luc appeared first, his imposing figure stepping out from the shadows with an air of casual menace. His crimson eyes swept over the group, lingering briefly on the newcomer before flicking upward toward Artemis.

"Ah," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "There you are, your majesty. Enjoying the view, are we?"

Artemis meowed softly in response, her tail curling around the branch as she gazed down at him. It was only then that Lord Urd stepped into view, his presence as cold and commanding as the winter wind. Every vampire present stiffened, bowing their heads instinctively as he approached.

Urd's golden hair shimmered faintly in the dim light, his piercing red eyes cutting through the tension like a blade. His gaze shifted briefly to Artemis, who leaped gracefully from her perch into his waiting arms. He cradled her effortlessly, his gloved hand stroking her fur with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the icy aura surrounding him.

The newcomer, oblivious to the growing dread of his peers, blurted out, "Are humans even allowed to keep pets like that? It's clearly well-fed and pampered. Someone must be breaking the rules."

Ky's grin widened, his fangs flashing as he opened his mouth to deliver a biting remark, but Urd cut him off with a single word: "No."

The single syllable carried a weight that silenced everyone instantly. Urd's cold, detached tone was enough to make the boldest vampire shrink back in fear. His crimson eyes flicked toward the newcomer, who looked like he was beginning to regret his words.

Artemis, oblivious to the tension, nuzzled into Urd's chest with a soft purr, her tiny body relaxing in his arms. Urd's gaze lingered on the gathered vampires, his expression unreadable as he asked, "Is there something on my face?"

The question, delivered with a faint edge of mockery, sent a shiver through the group. None of them dared to respond. Even Ky, who was thoroughly amused by the entire spectacle, refrained from speaking, though his smirk betrayed his enjoyment.

After a long, tense silence, Urd turned to leave, Artemis securely nestled in his arms. As he walked away, Ky followed at his side, his amusement finally bubbling over into a soft chuckle.

"You really enjoyed intimidating them, don't you?" Ky said, his tone light and teasing.

Urd didn't respond immediately, his focus on stroking Artemis's fur as they walked. When he finally spoke, his voice was as cold and measured as ever. "They should know better than to question me."

Ky raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "You're awfully protective of her, my lord. Almost... possessive."

"She is mine for the short time she has," Urd replied simply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "And I will not tolerate anyone who dares to harm her."

Ky hummed thoughtfully, his gaze flicking to Artemis, who seemed perfectly content in Urd's arms. "She's more than just a princess to you, isn't she?" he mused. "You'd burn this whole city to the ground if someone laid a finger on her."

Urd didn't answer, but the faint, almost imperceptible curve of his lips spoke volumes. Ky chuckled again, shaking his head. "I pity the fool who underestimates her—or you."

As they disappeared into the shadows, the vampires in the courtyard let out a collective sigh of relief, their knees weak and their hearts racing. None of them would dare to speak ill of Lady Artemis again.

-END-

A/N: I actually forgot how many Artemis stories I wrote and they have been in my Archive :D