Our clan was moving to a colony and I had to stay on Kair to finish putting our clan warren in order. I was only sixteen and the two elders with me were not easy to get along with. We did not know the ship taking our clan hit an object coming out of jump and died. We were in the sub warren levels when the warren shifted and I was shoved aside.

The roof caved in as I staggered and looked back to see the elders buried. I kept backing away until things settled and then moved towards the huge pile of debris. When I dug the two out they were dead and what was worse was the way out was gone. There was still power along the main line but there was no food or water.

One of the things we had been moving were the old stasis tubes and medical equipment in containers. I waited a full day but no one came and I finally connected a stasis tube to the main power line. I reluctantly laid back as the lid closed and time stopped for me. Years went past and then decades and centuries and finally a millennium.

They were building a new sky warren and excavating deep in the earth when they found the sub basement. The workers were curious and the supervisor wanted to make sure there were no power lines. Of course there was and that was when they found the encrusted stasis tube. They called a medical response and an engineer.

I blinked as my eyes opened and I was looking up at the sky. A female bent over the tube and looked at me as she reached for my throat. I growled and she froze and then smiled, "I was checking your heart beat."

I could hear others and reached for the sides and came to my feet. Workers were moving around and the warren that had been over the sub basement was gone. I shifted as I turned to look at the female, "what is happening?"

She was watching me and gestured, "they found you while digging to build a new warren."

I looked around before jumping and landing beside her, "how long was I in stasis?"

She looked at the tube, "the indicator is broke."

A male with a blue belt and shoulder strap walked towards me and I began to relax and nodded to him, "warrior."

He blinked and looked at the female, "your name lad."

I touched the elaborate silver belt around my waist, "Keit Sa Nor Saj KairLiious."

He stiffened, "clan KairLiious is no more."

I straightened, "we moved to Aur."

He looked at the female and then at me, "the ship was lost to the last cub when it jumped into the Aur system."

I turned to keep those here from seeing the grief and the male put his hand on my shoulder, "come lad we need to let these workers finish."

I nodded and turned to follow him, "two of my elders lay under the debris."

He glanced and nodded before gesturing, "much has changed since clan KairLiious walked the world."

I stared as we came out of the deep hole that had been the sub basement. The warrens around us stretched into the sky and the ways between were filled with speeding vehicles. The male looked at me as I stared in wonder. Our warren had been far from the starport with nothing around it.

He cleared his throat, "I need to contact ... someone to take you in."

I looked at him as I tried to think, "if my clan is truly gone there is only clan Kair or Liious."

He straightened, "clan Kair is no more but..."

He pulled a small devise and started talking as the female touched my shoulder. I looked at her and then at the armband, "yes?"

She cleared her throat, "you should be checked by a doctor."

I turned away, "I know not what a doctor is and do not need help."

The male chuckled as he turned back to me, "perhaps not lad. Someone is coming for you."

I nodded and turned to look around, "it was not like this before..."

It was awhile before a vehicle arrived and I stared as a tall being got out. I did not realize I was growling until the male put his hand on my shoulder, "calm lad."

I glanced at him as the being walked to us while looking me over. He smiled and nodded to the male before looking at me again, "I am Cassidy sar Istaban. My brother has asked me to come."

I looked at the male but the being called Cassidy sar Istaban cleared his throat, "my brother is Serg Sar Nas Urr Liious."

He turned and gestured to the vehicle, "he wishes to meet you."

I did not move as I stared at him, "what are you?"

He looked at me and I could sense his surprise before he glanced at the male. He looked at me and bowed, "I am a human and brother to the emperor."

I looked at the male, "clan Liious still leads?"

He nodded and I looked at the human, "what happened to clan Kair?"

He blinked and looked at the male, "I think you would have to ask one of those that study your past."

He turned, "come lad my brother wishes words."

I finally moved with him but was not sure what I would find. The ride was quiet as he drove the vehicle and kept glancing at me. Finally he slowed and pulled through tall walls and stopped at two warriors wearing the colors of the Liious clan. He drove on and stopped beside the short building that must be a clan Liious warren.

I followed when he got out and ignored the looks from the warriors we walked past. The room we walked into had solid wood walls with many books. A single large desk at the other end of the room had a golden Kaire who stood, "was it true brother?"

I glanced at the human and then looked at the Kaire, "you are the emperor?"

He started around the desk, "yes."

I shook my head, "they let a golden lead the clans?"

He grinned as the human laughed and gestured to a seat, "they said you were in stasis?"

I sat and nodded, "we were packing the last few things and putting our clan warren in order and the sub basement roof collapsed. All I had was medical equipment and a stasis tube. The main power line still had power so after a day I connected the stasis tube."

The human sat, "you move like a warrior."

I looked at him and nodded, "I just completed my warriors trial."

I looked at the emperor when a female walked in, "my clan is truly dead?"

He sighed and nodded, "our only child clan died when the liner they were on emerged from jump and struck a stray asteroid..."

The female cleared her throat, "we have a..."

I surged to my feet with a growl, "have you no respect female?"

She looked at me as if I were an animal, "I am the emperor's mate."

I stepped and she backed up, "I keep hearing that word, I know it not. The leader of the clans was telling how my clan died. You shame him and your clan by..."

I was looking into her face and a smell tickled my senses. My left hand snapped out and around to cup the back of her head. I heard the Kaire behind me growl and the human snarl as I pulled her head close, "open your eyes female."

She was trying to pull away and her hands pushed on my chest and I shook her, "ENOUGH! Open your eyes and look at me!"

She did and I shifted as my right hand opened her left eyelid, "look down and then right."

I saw the faint discoloration and bent to put my nose by her mouth, "breathe out."

She did and I could smell the same thing as before. I let her head go and caught her right hand. I pressed on a finger pad and examined the claw before shifting and pressing on her left side under her ribs, "does this hurt?"

She hissed and I turned, "she has been poisoned."

The leader of clans hissed as he moved past me and pulled his mate into his arms, "how do you know?"

I shrugged, "it is a very slow acting poison but common if swallowed."

I looked at the human as he pulled out a devise that almost looked like a link. I gestured and he handed it to me. I looked at it, "show Alderweed."

It did not do anything and I frowned, "is it broken?"

The female giggled and I looked at her as the human smiled, "it is not voice activated."

I sighed and looked at it again and then entered the characters for Alderweed. I turned it so the leader of clans could see, "this is the plant it comes from."

He leaned close while still holding the female and then growled, "it says there is no antidote for the poison."

I looked at the screen, "that is not right."

I read what it said and then shook my head and muttered, "many things have been forgotten."

I entered characters as an alarm went off and guards appeared. I turned the screen again, "this is Glynroot. I can make the antidote from them."

I glanced at the guards before looking at the leader of clans, "you need healers and the rest of your clan should be checked. They need to find and bring the whole plant from root to blossom."

He nodded and issued orders and the human gestured and we were escorted out of the room and down the hall to a huge meeting hall. Females and cubs hurried in and then young toms and shes. A female and male wearing white robes came in and crossed to us. I was examining a young female while showing the human Cassidy what I looked for.

They watched and whispered as I did a cub and then the female cleared her throat, "our records say there is no antidote."

I glanced at her and turned back to watch as Cassidy examined another female, "your records are wrong."

More Kaire came in and I stood and froze as I looked at one that was walking towards us. I heard Cassidy chuckle but ignored it. The female was solid pink with a silver belt around her waist. She smiled as she looked at me, "I am mated tom."

I grinned as I glanced at her mate, "mated does not mean a tom can not look at the form of a goddess."

She laughed and bowed and I took a breath and stepped close. She started to step back and I shook my head, "stand and do as I ask."

I reached up to her eyes, "look down and then right."

I went through my exam and almost growled at what I found. I looked at her mate, "she has been poisoned. She is close to the last phase and will need to be watched."

He growled as Cassidy stood, "Tavia?"

She moved against her mate, "brother."

I glanced from her to him and sighed before looking at the healers, "I need a table and a dozen burners. I need large pots of water heated until they boil. Bring me the Glyroot as fast as you can. I also need a dozen screen strainer balls for Cha."

I moved back and let Cassidy handle the exams while I watched. There were at least three generations of the clan in the room and more coming in. Four guards hurried in and crossed to the table where the healers waited. I moved to the table and caught one of the large bags, "I will show you what to do."

I gestured to the burners, "place them around the room in pairs."

I dumped the bag on the table and spread the plants out, "first you need to cut the roots off."

I reached to my belt and hissed as I realized I did not have my weapons. I looked at a healer, "I need a knife."

A young Kaire female with a blended fur held out a small thin bladed knife. Her fur was a mix of white, orange, red and yellow but it was so blended at to seem like a solid color. I smiled as I looked at her body before I accepted the knife. I carefully cut the thick stem, "save the root so it can be planted."

I set the root aside and then began to cut the leaves and the branching stems off. I was careful to use only the tip of my claws on the leaves, "be very careful handling the leaves. The oil on the outside will be needed."

Once I was down to the stalk I relaxed, "okay now watch and pay attention. First you slice the stalk open and scrape the pulp in the center into one of the strainer balls. Use as many stalks as you need to fill the ball. Next you chop the leaves fine to let the oil mix with the essence inside the leaf. Fill another strainer ball with the chopped leaves."

When I was done I looked around the table, "a ball of stalk pulp goes in one pot of boiling water and the ball of chopped leaves goes into the pot next to it. The steam from both will mix and combine in the air. The fastest way to get the antidote into the body is through the lungs. The longer the poison has been in the body the longer they need to breath the steam."

I started working as they began to copy me. It was not long before we had a dozen people around the table. The girl I had borrowed the knife from was beside me and another slipped up on the other side. She was light green with black stripes and grinned past me to look at the other girl, "hey Peaches."

The other grinned, "cousin. Your mom still looking for a mate for you to reject?"

I glanced at both of them as the first laughed and shook my head, "it is the female that must find her own mate."

Peaches snorted, "the clan council want to mate our clan off."

I growled, "the clan council are forbidden from arranging matings or they surrender the choice from their own clan females to the leader of the clans."

Tavia leaned over my shoulder, "that is interesting to know clan cousin."

I smiled back at her, "all should have learned the clan council laws before they reached the age of change."

She snorted, "they do not do that now and even most of the clan leaders do not know the laws."

She grinned as she looked at Peaches, "what do you think of our clan cousin?"

I shifted when her tail wrapped around my leg and she smiled, "I like him very much."

Cassidy chuckled from across the table, "enough to claim him?"

I looked at him as she purred and her tail squeezed, "yes."

Tavia laughed and rubbed my shoulders before turning, "Lea!"

A light green and spotted female crossed the room, "trouble?"

The green stripped girl beside me laughed as her tail wrapped around my other leg, "Peaches and I are claiming this tom."

The older female frowned and Cassidy grinned, "he has just reminded us of Kaire law. It seems the clan council are not allowed to arrange matings of females. In fact the female must find her own mate."

She grinned and then caressed the cheek of her daughter, "so be it."