Luna stepped out from her bath, surrounding herself with a soothing aura of warmth. On her bed, no longer than her foreleg, her son rolled fiercely with his tiger. One cloth ear held tightly in his fangs, he happily raked the toy’s exposed underbelly with his tiny rear claws.
For a few minutes, the Night Princess simply stood, smiling as she watched her kitten-like offspring play. It had only been a year, but he had been growing so fast. His claws had become more bladelike, the fires behind his eyes and fangs starting to slowly shift from a bluish colour to a more yellowish-orange.
“Jack?” Luna called gently.
From every shadow of the room, his voice seemed to echo in a juvenile version of her own mindspeech, snarling happily as he tore ineffectually at his prey.
**Grrrrr… rowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowr!**
Smiling, she tried again. “Ja-ack?”
This time, he heard her. Releasing his cloth companion, his misty form crouched on the mussed covers, forked tail lashing, butt wiggling, tiny flames flaring from within the orange rind of his pumpkin-like face.
Then, he pounced.
**Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmama!**
Laughing, she caught him in mid-air, spinning and falling to the floor. In an instant, she was on her back, her offspring tugging at her mane with his tiny fangs in victory.
**Rarararararararrrrr!**
“Faith, my son,” she laughed. “Lo, I am defeated! The day is thine.”
**Yay!**
In an instant, his mistlike feline form fully dissolved into shadow, eagerly swirling around her. She took on her own shadowform, and the two of them joined into a swirling embrace, which quickly dissolved into a chase game throughout her chambers. Shadows sought and pounced shadows within the half-lit royal chambers, laughing all the while.
Eventually, she took on her alicorn form again.
“Jack, wouldst care to join me in my work tonight?” She asked. “Thy flying skills are good enough, I think, and I know thou wouldst enjoy the hunt.”
Jack took a solid form as well. His grooved face tilted as he considered this.
**Mama?** he asked.
“Yes, love?”
**Can tigers hunt?**
She smiled. “Oh, yes. Tigers are storny good hunters, my son. And fearsome fighters, as well.”
**Then, can my tiger come, too?**
Luna paused momentarily.
“Hm. Well, I suppose he should,” she decided at last. “Wouldst want him to be able to hunt on his own someday, would thee not?”
Jack perked up immediately. **Of course I do!**
“Well, then,” she smiled as she trotted towards the great balcony. “Shall we?”
Jack picked up the stuffed toy in his flaming jaws, padding happily after his mother. Moments later, the two of them soared gently through the endless night. Seeking out whatever night terrors might be hunting ponies while they slumbered. Preying upon the night’s predators.
**Mama?**
“Yes, my son?”
**I think one day my tiger and I shall hunt by ourselves. Then thee can devote all thy time to helping ponies while they dream.**
“If thou likes,” Luna smiled. “Though I hope it would still be alright if I joined thee, from time to time?”
Jack considered this.
**Yea,** he decided. **That would be okay.**