Finally, after seven long years of shelter life, Gem had a future to look forward to, the happy home he'd waited for. After he moved in with his new family, he didn't take part in fur family politics, or in the competition amongst the other furkids. He didn't need to, he just knew he was happy. He'd waited so long for a home and a family to call his very own.
Three years passed in peaceful bliss, until quite suddenly, Gem just wasn't feeling very well anymore. It upset him that he felt so sickly. At first he wasn't certain what was wrong, or what was going to happen to him. After all, he didn't even know what the word "cancer" meant, he only knew that it made his Mommy cry.