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The boys birthday was fast approaching, and Raph was getting excited. Their parents always put on a huge celebration for their birthday, and he had no doubt this one would be no different. But this year was different for Raph. This year he was looking forward to the girls that would be there. He'd never really cared about girls before, but lately he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the ones that he saw in town. He was curious to find out if his brother Gabe felt the same way as he did, as he had not said anything to him yet about his fascination with the opposite sex.

He'd been looking all over the house for Gabe, and was having no luck finding him. He caught sight of his mother and made a quick detour, not wanting to be dragged into her elaborate 'decorating' spree. Their mother, Princess Celestia did not believe in doing anything small. There would be flowers, streamers, confetti, balloons and of course, a band. There was no way she would throw a party without music. Their father, Prince Leopold was coming in from out-of-town for the celebration, but he knew better than to come early. He was no fool. It was probably the main reason he never proposed to their mother. He headed out of the house, hoping to find Gabe somewhere outside.
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Celestia moved through the house like an army general, inspecting his troops. She eyed every single detail, and if she saw something where it wasn't supposed to be, she let the decorators know. There was an air of anticipation among the workers, as none of them wanted to disappoint the Princess. She had yet to see her sons this morning, and she suspected they were avoiding her, because they didn't want to be put to work. She couldn't really fault them for it though. They were good boys, but they had never really had to work a day in their life for anything. Even though she and their father were not lifemates, Leopold still made every effort to help support them, and he always came for their birthdays. She was looking forward to seeing him again, as it had been a year since he had last visited.

Raph found his brother just where he expected to; in their special hiding place. They'd discovered it when they were just young pups, and they would escape to it whenever it seemed they were going to be saddled with some task, or study. He sauntered up to Gabe, as any well-respecting prince would saunter, and plopped himself down next to his brother.

"I see you had the same idea. Mother is in full gear this day, and I for one am going to stay out of her way if at all possible. I can't wait for father to get here. What about you?"

"Yeah! A whole year," replied Raph. Their father only seemed to come once a year, on their birthday, so it was always the highlight of the day. "And princes can do just about anything they want to do, including plop down. Especially when there's no one around to see them do it," he said laughing. "They can even roll around like pups," and he made his point by doing just that. "So brother, do you think there will be any pretty girls at the party tonight?" There, he'd broached the subject. Now to see what his brother thought about it.

"So...what, you're not interested in who they might be, or what they might look like?" he asked pensively. "I'm kind of curious myself. What are we going to do if they come up and want to talk to us? What are we going to say?" He really wasn't afraid of the idea, he was just unsure of how to deal with it, should it happen. There had been girls at their birthday parties before, but they had been children then, and it was all just about games and having fun. Now they were both at an age where their mother and father were looking as suitable wives for their sons. There would be no children's game at this birthday celebration. It would be all about 'mingling' and 'making small-talk'.

All further talk of girls, and what they would do about them, would have to wait. Their hiding place was close enough to the road that led to their home that Raph could hear the approach of a rather noisy group. Knowing his father as he did, he had no doubt it was him, and the few retainers he tended to bring with him when he came.

"Come on!" he said to Gabe, "I think I hear father coming! Let's meet him before he gets to the house. If mother gets to him first, we'll have no time with him." He jumped up as he spoke and dashed out of their seclusion when he finished speaking. Their father always brought them something new and exciting when he came for their birthday, and Raph couldn't wait to see what he had brought this time.

Prince Leopold had been planning this trip for months now, and it was almost at an end. He could see his sons house now, and knew that any moment they would come running out the door and pounce on him. Well, maybe not pounce, as they weren't cubs anymore, but they would certainly be excited. What they didn't realize was that this year, he had brought along a few friends. Daughters of friends actually, and he hoped that his sons behavior would not embarrass him. The girls had been giggling and laughing for the last couple of miles, and Leo was happy that soon he would be able to turn them over to the lovely Princess Celestia, his sons mother.

He turned back to look at the girls, so he was unprepared for the appearance of Gabe and Raph when he turned back around. "Hi Dad!" shouted Raph. It was then that the young prince caught sight of the persons in his father's retinue. Girls? Why would his father bring strange girls to their birthday party? "Who are they?" he asked, indicating the girls, now giggling to themselves.

"Sure father," said Raph, as he turned his attention to the young ladies. "Hello ladies, I'm Prince Raphael, but you can just call me Raph. We don't stand on ceremony here." He walked up the the nearest girl and offered his his paw in greeting. "And what might your name be?"

Keeva almost stepped back from the prince, but she caught herself in time. She was not used to meeting royalty, and had balked at the idea of coming on this trip in the first place when her parents had suggested it. "My name is Keeva your high.....", she stammered, as she caught herself before she finished the word, "Raph."