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A Tale of Jaguars	By : Aline Category: +S through Z > Thundercats Views: 13095 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Thundercats, or any character or event associated to it, and I'm not making any money from this fiction.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
WARNINGS: This contains Slash, and abuse, as well as mpreg. It is dark and treats themes only for mature audience, such as rape and sex with a minor. Do not read if you don’t like it.
*Disclaimer: I don’t own Thundercats, or any character or event associated to it, and I’m not making any money from this fiction.
Author’s note: I realized that I never described Jareid or his family. Bad me. I’m sorry for the omission, I’m not really good describing characters. Both Baal and Jareid have the usual colouring for the coat, that is yellow-brownish. Yeana’s coat is a clearer shade of yellow, almost white, blue eyes and strawberry mane, and Xilara is a black jaguar with indigo eyes.
Thanks for the reviews. They make my day.

CHAPTER 11. What makes a family.

Jareid glared at the stack of paper on his desk. Technically he was in charge of the royal guard and everything pertaining it since he had been twenty-two, though it hadn’t been until recently that he had started to take that responsibility seriously. Part of his duty was to read the reports and take decisions, but lately it was not only the royal guard he had to take care of. His father had decided that he was old enough to take on the city guard too, maybe the rest of their forces if he showed that he could manage it.
The prince growled and looked out the window. He wasn’t in the mood to work. He was busy thinking about what to do with Tygra. He hadn’t spoken to his mate for the entire day. He had been trying to give the tiger space and time to make his decision, just as Bengali had said.
He still thought it was preposterous! But alas, if Tygra needed it…
Jareid sighed. If his mate needed it, he would do it, but it was driving him crazy. He felt the familiar pull of anger bubbling inside him, and he closed his eyes and breathed in an effort to control it. If he let it grow he’d go hunting his mate and demand an answer from him, and he’d hurt the tiger if he didn’t like the answer. Jareid didn’t want to hurt his mate. He wanted Tygra to feel safe at his side, not terrorized.
He had been doing a good job, if he himself said it. He was sure that Tygra enjoyed his touches and was at ease in his presence. The tiger was advancing in his studies and it was obvious that he loved the jungle and his training. Why then was he still longing for Thundera?
Bengali had said that Claudus’ expectations still weighed heavily on the young tiger. Then, how could Jareid go about to make those expectations insignificant?
He grunted in frustration. A family would do that. If Tygra had his own family, he wouldn’t feel so pressured to fulfil his father’s demands. His family would take priority.
Which took Jareid back to his initial dilemma. How was he going to convince Tygra that having cubs right now was a good idea? He couldn’t force him. He knew that, even without Bengali’s input, it wouldn’t be the same. A cub was something to be cherished, not resented, and Jareid was not having his mate resenting their cub.
He turned towards his desk, full of reports and orders to approve, and growled again. It was a minor task, but he would be taking a more active role in the government of the city little by little. Funny. He had always known that his father was always busy, but it hadn’t been until recently that he had made conscious of what exactly implied to be the king.
Honestly! Why so many people wanted the job? It sucked! There was so much work to do! The kingdom was not going to take care of itself – though personally Jareid thought it should – and it needed a number of services that had to be administered. Of course that the king didn’t do everything, but he had to be aware of the most important things, and he had the final decision on anything that required his attention. A lot of power, with a lot of responsibility to make it company.
Jareid huffed and decided to make a quick job of the pile of paper. He had to see the commander later on to talk about some promotions. He sighed and focused on the report in his hand. He had to do a good job, after all, it wouldn’t do for him to be lazing about while his mate was training really hard.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra got his head out of the river and breathed, trying not to swallow water in the process. Then he ducked his head again and continued fighting against the current. He was close. Just a few more strokes and he’d have reached the rock where his teammate was waiting. The force or the current threatened to smash him against the rocks, and the net he was carrying was heavy. He had been close to lose it a couple of times, and he shouldn’t let that happen.
His legs and arms propelled him forward two more times, and he reached his destination. He barely pulled the net out of the water when Xora grabbed it and suddenly the extra weight was gone, and Tygra could move easier and get a safer grip on the rock. He breathed deeply and took some moments to rest. Xora had already left the rock and Tygra could barely see his head among the rapids. They were against the clock, so he better hurry.
Training in the river was one of the things that Tygra loved the most, especially on very hot days. The first times some of his teammates had been concerned that his experience with Bali almost drowning him would become a handicap. A few had actually expected him to be afraid of the water. Tygra had thought it ridiculous. Sure, someone had attempted to murder him, and he had been too close to drown for comfort, but it hadn’t been the water’s fault. The river certainly had not been the one to attack him, so Tygra didn’t see why he should be afraid.
Soon, he had shown his teammates that he was as good in the river as he was in everywhere else, and the jaguars had ceased to worry about him. Though Tygra still suspected that they had been more worried about Jareid’s possible retaliation if something happened to him, than for his security.
Once rested and breath recovered, Tygra ducked into the water once more and swam towards the shore. The rest of his group was waiting for him, and trainer Kab gave him his time. He was glad to see he had managed the shortest time until then. There was nothing else to do but wait for his teammates to finish.
As soon as he was free from the training, Tygra looked for his brother. It was dawn already but Tygra was sure that Lion-O would still be outside the palace. He found him with Yeana, apparently helping her, or trying to, with her arts’ work. The little jaguaress loved to draw and paint, and she took her lessons very seriously. She had been trying to draw Lion-O and Snarf, but the pet wouldn’t stay put long enough for her to draw him. Now that Snarf was asleep among the bushes, Yeana was taking her chance.
Lion-O was looking as she worked diligently. Tygra sat down close to his little brother, and leaned against a tree.
“Hey tyke. How you doing?”
“Ty! I haven’t seen you eat since yesterday! Is everything fine?” The lion asked worried. Tygra smiled at him.
“I’m fine. I’ve been eating, just not at the table with everyone else.”
Lion-O pouted at him, and then he went back to watch Yeana draw. He had a book on his hands, but he had stopped paying attention to it some time ago.
Tygra looked at Yeana for a moment. The girl was a sweet. Really quiet and shy when she was meeting new people, more active and talkative once she got used to you. She was always very proper in front of the adults, but Tygra had seen her playing with Lion-O or other kittens her age, and run about, and climb trees, and getting as dirty as everyone else. She had helped Lion-O to find friends his age, and Tygra could see that his brother was growing fond of her.
The tiger thought about the last part and considered his brother once more. Friends. Here, in Ix-Maal, Lion-O had friends his own age. There had been no more kittens in Thundera’s palace. Lion-O had always had only Tygra to play with, because he hadn’t been allowed to get out of the palace’s grounds and mingle with the citizens. It was not a wonder that he had felt rejected when Tygra had started to ignore him.
The tiger sighed. His brother, heir to Thudera’s crown, had been a very lonely kit.
Yeana finished her drawing, puffing in annoyance because there wasn’t enough light for her to put more effort into it. The garden’s lamps had turned on, but artificial light was only a palliative. It didn’t give the same brilliance as the sun. The girl showed her work to the two brothers. Lion-O told her it was great. Tygra looked at the nine-year-old’s drawing and smiled in amusement. The ears were too large, and the tail short and thinner than it should be. The drawing resembled more some kind of rodent than a snarf, but Tygra told Yeana that it was very good. The girl ran happily towards the palace to show it to her mother, leaving the siblings alone.
Lion-O picked Snarf up. The pet yawned, and continued sleeping on his owner’s arms. The lion chuckled and then turned towards his big brother.
“You want to tell me something. You have that look.”
Tygra raised his eyebrows and smirked.
“Something’s in my mind, yes.” Then he sighed and looked towards the castle for a moment. “Tell me Lion-O, if I found a way to get back home, permanently, to cancel the treaty, would you be ok with it?”
Lion-O stared at him for a few seconds. Then a scowl formed on his young forehead.
“You mean, getting back to our old lives? In Thundera, with no contact whatsoever with the jaguars?”
Tygra was about to nod, but paused. He frowned in thought and finally shrugged.
“I don’t think that’s possible. Now that we have started contact of sorts I think that father should stay in touch. He should see that Thundera could benefit a lot from the jaguars’ technology. It’d be foolish to cut all ties with them.” He paused again, and sighed. “Though I’m sure he’d be wary to let us stay in touch with them, at least for a while.”
Lion-O bit his lip and looked down, thinking about it. After a couple of minutes, he raised his eyes.
“Would you be angry with me again?”
Tygra frowned in question.
“Angry with you? Why should I be?”
Lion-O shrugged and looked at Snarf.
“You know, because I got to be king. Even when I am not the best choice for it.”
Tygra groaned. If he ever went back to Thundera he might have to do severe damage to a couple of people there. Grune came to mind. The sabretooth had been one of the most vocal in his dislike for Lion-O’s heritage. It was good that the general had been sent away in a mission. Lion-O continued, a bit aghast by his brother’s silence.
“I just don’t want you to resent me, and start avoiding me again. I don’t want the crown Tygra, I prefer to have my brother with me, like you have been here. Maybe now that the Sword of Omens is in Baal’s possession I can renounce to my right to the crown and give it to you? That’d make you happy?”
Tygra stopped Lion-O and held him close to himself.
“No Lion-O, don’t think that way. You’d be a great king, even Jareid mentioned it once.”
A sniff escaped Lion-O’s nose, and he let Snarf go to hold onto his brother.
“You think so?”
“Of course. I promise you Lion-O, no matter where we are, I’d always be at your side. Ok?”
Lion-O nodded and felt reassured. After a while they let go of each other, and Lion-O stood up. Snarf had woken up and started to trot towards the building.
“It’s ok if we go back Tygra. If it makes you happy, I’d back you up. We only have to make sure to not lose contact. Both kingdoms would be unstoppable if we cement an alliance, don’t you think?”
Tygra smiled.
“I’m sure of that.”
Lion-O beamed at his brother and ran after Snarf to get some diner.
Tygra watched him go. Some steps away the lion turned back to see if his brother was following him and frowned. The tiger promised to catch up in a minute and Lion-O rolled his eyes, but continued his way.
Tygra was pensive for a while. He had spent a good part of the day trying to sort out his feelings. At the end he had focused on his talk with Bengali, and now he added his brother’s words and fears into the mixture.
He could simplify his dilemma to two options, based on how Ben and Lion-O saw things. He could either stay in a city that was not his home, but where he was needed, in a strange sort of way, and where his brother was happy, or try to go back to a home where everyone wanted him to be the king, but no one would allow him to try for it.
Tygra huffed and stood up. Now, he only needed to add what he thought about it, and maybe clear out what he wanted.
&&&&&&&
Jareid entered the bedroom with the firm intention of going to hunt Tygra down if the tiger wasn’t there already. He was done with letting his mate have “space”. They were talking now!
Tygra was getting out of the changing room in a pair of blue boxers, and stared at him for a moment before sighing and walk towards the bed. Jareid took that as a sign of his mate’s calmer mood. Perhaps he would be more receptive and willing to agree to what Jareid wanted. The jaguar prince didn’t like to be denied something, but he was willing to negotiate with his mate if that would make the tiger happy. He didn’t like the idea of been at odds with his mate.
He got rid of his clothes quickly and joined Tygra in the bed. The teen had lied down on his side, without bothering to cover himself with the sheet. Their combined body heat was already more than enough for the warm night.
Jareid lied at the tiger’s side and embraced the smaller form from behind. He knew that Tygra was awake and he was not going to endure the silent treatment anymore. They needed to talk.
“Are you still upset with me my tiger? Come on, talk to me. I really want to talk this through with you.”
Tygra sighed and hugged himself. One of Jareid’s arms covered his and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing in the scent of his mate. Jareid was getting impatient and was about to prod again when Tygra finally spoke in a soft voice.
“You broke me. You know that, don’t you? You broke me, and then put me back together again. Only I was not the same anymore.”
A hand caressed his cheek and Jareid’s arm tightened his hold.
“My little tiger…”
Tygra gave a sharp intake of breath and bit his lip. He had never before acknowledged out loud what Jareid had done to him to his face.
“I’m ruined. You ruined me for everyone but you. I won’t ever be able to be with anyone else… to forget…”
A sob escaped him, and he covered his mouth with a hand. Jareid turned him over his other side to face him. Tygra’s fist suddenly came up and hit Jareid’s chest with force repeatedly. Jareid growled, but didn’t stop his mate. He didn’t’ let go of the other’s body either. He kept Tygra close, and after a few punches the tiger was in tears.
“You hurt me! You. Hurt. Me!” He punctuated his words with his fists, and then sobbed. “I should want to leave.” He said quietly between sobs.
Jareid’s chest rumbled, but he managed to restrain himself. His mate was in distress, and he was the cause of it. He remembered his talk with Bengali and the shaman’s parting words. He surrounded the quivering young body with his arms and promised himself that he’d make it up to Tygra. Somehow he was going to make up for the pain he had caused to his mate, and that was still hurting him.
He started to work on the teen’s scalp, precisely at the spots he knew would calm the tiger. He groomed the back of the soft ears and kissed his mate tenderly. Tygra gave a quiet sob.
“… ‘s not fair… you shouldn’t know how to soothe me… I shouldn’t let you… It shouldn’t feel good…”
“Sshh… my little tiger.”
Jareid kissed the teen’s temple again, and continued his caresses.
“I’m sorry my tiger. I’m so sorry I hurt you in such a way. Never again my tiger. I promise you, never again.”
Little by little the sobs receded and Tygra fell into a calm slumber. He was in the edge of consciousness, but he still heard Jareid’s words.
“Stay with me Tygra. Please stay. I promised I’d never leave you. Let me fulfil my promise.”
Tygra sighed, more asleep than awake. He didn’t feel coherent enough to answer. He let Jareid’s hands lull him into dreamland instead.
&&&&&&&&
It smelt of Jareid. That was the first thing that Tygra’s mind grasped upon returning to consciousness. His first response, purely by instinct, was to cuddle closer to the bigger body beside him and burrow his nose in the jaguar’s fur. It took a few more moments for him to fully wake up and realize what he had done. He sighed in defeat. It had taken some time for his instinct to identify Jareid as his mate, but now that the step was taken, his unconscious mind was not going to let go.
Tygra opened his eyes just a little bit and breathed deeply. He felt warm and safe in Jareid’s arms. His instinct was screaming ‘mate’ at him and purring in contentment. This was what he had missed the previous morning, the first one in months that he had woken up alone, and the sensation of safety had been solely absent. His conscious mind had not realized it at the moment, but he had felt that something had been missing. He closed his eyes again and just let himself feel.
Jareid grunted and his hands started to move al over Tygra’s back, letting the tiger know that he was awake. The jaguar mumbled something unintelligible and then a paw found Tygra’s boxers and fumbled a bit before inserting itself under them. Jareid growled in annoyance.
“… don’t like you wearing this in bed…”
Tygra whimpered, and then sighed. Sometimes it seemed that Jareid had only one thing in mind.
He waited until he was sure that the jaguar was lucid enough and then he moved backwards. His mate put one hand on his hip to prevent him from getting too far. The older prince caressed his cheek with his knuckles and then licked his lips. Tygra didn’t look up, but he didn’t try to get away either.
“Tygra?”
“Why me?” The young prince asked. Jareid’s hand stopped and he raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry?”
“I just… I just want to know why you want me.” He looked at Jareid then, directly to his clear blue eyes. “I mean, you’re the heir, and you’re gonna be king someday. You could have anyone you wanted. So, why me?”
Jareid sighed and leaned down enough to brush Tygra’s forehead with his lips.
“Infuriating little cat.”
He kissed the youth, and backed off a bit to look at the tiger’s face again.
“If I can have anyone I want, why not you?”
Tygra scowled and looked away shrugging. Jareid pulled him against his body again, and caressed his back.
“Very few cats have managed to make me feel anything besides contempt and disgust. They want honours and position, and they think that they could have that if they get close enough to me. You know, they say that I don’t care about the welfare of others, but why should I? They certainly don’t care an inch about me. They want a king. Nothing else.”
Tygra positioned his head on the juncture of Jareid’s neck and shoulder. The jaguar’s cheek brushed against his forehead.
“You don’t want a king. That’s why you only see me. Why you can know me. A mate. Not a king.”
Tygra sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Deep inside he could feel Jareid’s unique loneliness. A longing that didn’t really know what was missing.
He let some moments pass by, knowing that he had already made his choice. He prayed it was the right one, because there was no going back after this.
“I’ll have our cub.”
Jareid paused and then moved to look at Tygra’s face.
“But I want to ask something of you.”
The jaguar kissed him tenderly, barely a brush of the lips.
“Whatever you want my tiger.”
Tygra’s eyes hardened. His voice was dead serious at that moment.
“I want to take my cub to Thundera. So my father can meet his first grandchild.”
Jareid stared at him. Tygra held his look firm. He knew that the jaguar loathed the very thought of sharing him in any way, but he was not renouncing to his home and family. Not completely at least. Finally Jareid nodded and put a hand on the back of the tiger’s head.
“I’d take you both to visit. As soon as you both are able to travel.”
Tygra’s eyes brightened and he gave Jareid a sincere smile. The jaguar kissed him again, this time more possessively. Tygra let him, and even returned the kiss, feeling oddly at peace with himself.
&&&&&&&
Later on the day, after training, Tygra sat in an office in the shamans’ wing, asking himself how exactly he had ended up having a, rather embarrassing, talk with Bengali on how a male went about having cubs with another male. From all the technical words you could think it was all very impersonal and cold, unless you were actually considering going through it. Then it was intimate and scary.
He looked up at Jareid pleadingly. He had agreed to do this, but now he was having second thoughts.
“Do I really have to do this? Females already have all the necessary parts to carry cubs to term. Why are you so against asking someone to do this for us?”
Part of the procedure was to surgically insert an artificial womb in Tygra’s abdominal region, so they could implant the embryos that would grow inside his body. The tiger didn’t like the idea. He’d rather avoid having any part of his anatomy changed, be it internal or external. Besides, it was not without danger. They’d have to inject certain hormones in him on a regular basis for his body to accept the strange addition and maintain it for as long as the pregnancy lasted. If Tygra’s body rejected the womb, it could retaliate aggressively and make itself very ill trying to get rid of the foreign part. Not to mention that a male’s body was not prepared to deal with all the metabolic changes that a pregnancy implied. The stress was going to be considerable.
Jareid clenched his fists and his lips formed a tight line. Bengali could see that the jaguar was making an effort to rein on his anger, and decided to turn it against himself before it exploded on Tygra.
“There are some cases when that is advisable. Not everyone can handle the physical and emotional stress that it implies…”
Of course Jareid rounded on him immediately, taking the few steps required to be face to face with him and growling. Tygra stood up in alarm, but Ben made a gesture with his hand, indicating him to not move. The white tiger could handle Jareid, as long as the jaguar wasn’t in a murderous rage.
“Tygra is perfectly capable to handle it! He’s strong enough!”
“This is not only muscle strength we’re talking about. His body is going to react to the change, and if it doesn’t take it well it could be dangerous.”
He was more worried about the mental strain it would put on Tygra. The orange tiger could handle an assassination attempt against him without batting an eye, but take his brother away and he was a mess. He was just recovering from a very hard emotional blow. They would have to be very careful with him, as hormonal treatment always caused havoc with emotions as it was.
Jareid continued growling, and Tygra decided to drag attention to himself again.
“Excuse me, but shouldn’t I be the one to decide if I’m going through this or not? It’s my body we’re talking about here! You know?”
Jareid glared at him and hissed in anger.
“You can take it, and you agreed to this! We have a deal!”
“I said I will have a cub with you. And I will! As I understand from Bengali’s explanation the cub will still be ours, even if someone else carries him. He won’t have anything from his surrogate mother, only our traits. It won’t mess with the pact because she wouldn’t really be his mother.”
“No! I’m not having it!”
Bengali grabbed Jareid’s fist before it impacted with the closest piece of furniture.
“Calm down Jareid! Look, I know why you don’t want a surrogate, but we have to test Tygra anyway, and if his metabolism is too unstable it’d be too dangerous for him to carry cubs.”
The jaguar growled menacingly at both tigers and then turned around and started to pace along the office. Tygra gritted his teeth in annoyance.
“Just tell me why you don’t want to consider it! I think it’d even be safer for the cub!”
Jareid just growled again, and Bengali sighed.
“That temper of yours needs to be taken down a bit Jareid. You’re gonna kill yourself one of these days.”
The jaguar ignored the admonition and continued his pacing. Ben shook his head and turned to Tygra.
“Well, at least he’s not breaking anything. Let him cool off a little.”
“I still don’t understand why it’s so important that we do this his way.”
“He’s stubborn. But besides that, while it’s true that the cub would be yours, because the genetic material we’d use is going to be from only you two, there’s also the fact that a female bonds emotionally with any cub she carries, be it hers or not. Instinct just doesn’t know the difference. And it’s instinct that urges a female to protect the cub inside her. When the cub is born, she’d feel compelled to keep it out of range from everyone for a couple of days.
“Also, the cub makes its own bonding. It associates the sound and rhythm of its mother’s heart with safety and comfort. He has several months to memorize it. It’d only take food from its mother for the first days, and would be very distressed if taken away from her too young. Many surrogate mothers have to stay with the family for years. The cubs end up more attached to the surrogates than to their biological parents. Jareid doesn’t want that to happen. He wants a family with just you.”
Tygra scowled and thought for a minute. He didn’t want any cub of his to experience the trauma of loosing someone that he would have identified as a mother. He didn’t remember much about his own early cubhood, nor did he remember his real mother, but he had been told that he had spent about two days without eating, and that he wouldn’t stop crying at night. Claudus had been getting desperate. Fortunately the queen had managed to make him eat more and more, and he had bonded with her eventually.
Jareid embraced his mate from behind, startling the young tiger. However, Tygra calmed when he realized that the jaguar’s temper was back under control. Bengali looked at them for a moment before continuing talking.
“Also, you’re no normal couple, you’re going to be ‘the Royal Couple’. If it comes to the point that you have to get a surrogate, you’d have to be very careful in choosing her. It’d be almost a given that she’d end up demanding to be acknowledged as consort, with all the privileges that it implies.”
Jareid growled again and Tygra frowned. That he didn’t like. He knew that a consort didn’t only mean another one who shared Jareid’s bed. A consort was a position that held political and social power, besides a number of responsibilities within the palace. The tiger gritted his teeth. No one was going to use his cubs as an excuse to get a position. He had accepted the whole thing to have a family, not to provide a ladder for someone to climb up to a higher rank! He sighed, realizing that Jareid might had had a good point for not wanting a surrogate.
“Fine. I’d try it. But you better guarantee that whatever changes are made will be undone at the end of this!”
Bengali smirked.
“Of course! No need to worry about that.”
Jareid tightened his embrace and kissed Tygra’s temple.
“You’d be fine my tiger. I’m going to be with you for the entire thing.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of worrying me. Are you going to be able to control your temper? I’d prefer to see the end of this thing in one piece.”
Jareid chuckled and nibbled his ear.
“Infuriating little cat. I’d be in my best behaviour for you ok? I can’t promise anything about the rest of the world though.”
“Just please don’t go all overprotective and jealous.”
“Tygra, you’re asking too much.” Said Bengali with a chuckle. Jareid glared at him.
“No one asked your opinion!”
Bengali grinned unrepentantly. Tygra smiled. Deep inside he was terrified as hell and severely questioning his sanity. But he had made his choice, and he was going to stick by it.
&&&&&&&
The couple made an appearance that evening at the dining room. Tygra had hoped to have a quiet dinner. He didn’t want to have to answer questions or explain his motives for his short absence from meals. Besides, he rather suspected that Baal had been informed of his every move for the two previous days, so the king shouldn’t need to ask anything.
Unfortunately, Jareid was so happy that he just had to tell everyone about Tygra’s willingness to have their first cub.
Baal was very pleased. He and Xilara congratulated the young couple and asked if he had already arranged everything with the shamans. Yeana squealed in delight at the thought of cubs. Lion-O was serious and regarded his brother with a bit of doubt, but Yeana’s enthusiasm soon got to him, and he smiled at the girl’s antics.
Baal was happy that his son had managed to counteract whatever the cleric had told Tygra. Claudus was not going to have one on him. If the lion wanted to see his sons he would have to make things Baal’s way. No one would say that Baal had forced anyone. The two princes had chosen to remain away from Thundera, who was he to deny them?
Tygra was very embarrassed, but he accepted the congratulations and prayed for his brother to keep his mouth shut. He was in no mood to answer uncomfortable questions. Thankfully, Yeana took the lion’s attention away with her exuberance. Tygra himself couldn’t help but to smile at the girl’s plans to play with her future nephews and nieces.
They finished diner rather quickly, and Jareid almost dragged Tygra towards their rooms. The tiger started to shiver in fear and anticipation. Jareid was a very physical cat, and it was like sex and violence were his only two outlets for absolutely everything. Tygra grudgingly accepted that he’d rather have the sex, though it often came with a fare share of aggressiveness. He was getting used to it, but some of the things that Jareid liked to do to him still caused him a great deal of conflict and embarrassment.
They stopped in front of a door that was just around the hall from their own. Tygra blinked at Jareid’s sudden immobility and scowled in question. The jaguar smirked and with a movement of his head signalled towards the door.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to show this to you. We have been rather busy with other problems. It’s mean to be your mating gift.”
Tygra raised an eyebrow and touched the controls for the door to open. He entered to an ample, empty room. There was a big window instead of one of the walls, and the tiger could see that there was a balcony at the other side. He turned to look at Jareid in wonder.
“This is yours. You can furnish and decorate it as you want. Your own private space for when you want to be apart from the world. And look…”
Jareid walked to the opposite wall from the entrance and pressed something there, revealing another door. Tygra poked his head and saw it lead to Jareid’s study. He looked around again to be certain that the new room was still there. Jareid’s arm rested on his shoulders and he felt a kiss on his head.
“Do you like it my tiger?”
Tygra nodded and licked his lips. His own room. Maybe it didn’t look like such a big deal, but it was important for him.
“Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you, I… I really appreciate it.”
He suddenly looked at Jareid shamefully.
“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
Jareid pulled him into a heated kiss and groped his buttocks. Tygra gasped and tried to hold on to Jareid’s arms. The jaguar only moved his hands and grabbed the tiger’s wrists, pulling them at the youth’s back. He held them there with one hand, while with the other he pulled at Tygra’s mate, exposing the teen’s neck and attacking it. Tygra moaned helplessly, and Jareid licked the mark he had just made.
“You have already given me everything.”
Another suck at his neck, and Tygra whimpered. Jareid was getting more excited, and the tiger didn’t fancy to be fucked against a wall. It was uncomfortable.
“Uhn!… Jareid… bed… please…”
The jaguar growled and with a quick move picked up Tygra and swung the smaller body over his shoulder. Tygra yelled indignantly.
“Hey! I didn’t tell you to carry me!”
A smack on his butt made him yelp and sunk his claws at the jaguar’s back.
“Jareid!”
“Don’t fret so much my tiger. You know you like it.”
Tygra bit his lips and growled in annoyance. He didn’t want to accept that Jareid was right. He liked it.
&&&&&&&&
Lion-O lifted his practice sword as he stopped the blow from his opponent. He parried with all he had, meeting the other sword hit by hit. Eventually, the jaguar hesitated and left his guard open. Lion-O took his chance and with a quick move disarmed his opponent. He held the sword to the other’s neck for a moment and then his trainer declared him the winner. Lion-O lowered the sword and grinned at the other kit, who huffed and smiled in return, shaking his head.
There were six kits in Lion-O’s group. Himself, another four males, and a female. All of them were very good with the sword. Lion-O had been very nervous and shy at the beginning, and the kits had been distrustful of him. They hadn’t even talked to him on the first day. The next time, Yeana had gone to the courtyards, looking for someone to play with. She had latched onto Lion-O, and then roped everyone into a game of tag. She had continued to do that for some days, engaging every kit she could find into her games.
Little by little, the other kits had grown used to Lion-O’s presence, and had started to talk to him. His group of training soon had included him into their own pastimes, and invited him to go exploring. The training had become more enjoyable, and Lion-O had soon realized that he wasn’t really bad at swordsmanship. Years of training with his brother had in fact given him an adequate development of his skills. So, when he had been put against someone his own age, and at par with his strength, the lion had found out that it wasn’t so difficult to hold himself in combat. He had made significant progress along the year, and now he could start practising with real weapons. He felt really proud of his achievement, but hadn’t informed his brother any of it. Tygra had his hands full, and Lion-O was trying to do his best to not be a burden for him.
Now though, he needed to talk seriously with Tygra. Jareid’s announcement had been a surprise for him. He would never have taken his brother for one willing to have cubs so young. He needed to make sure that the tiger was really ok with it. Besides, a consort would surely put strain in any relationship. Maybe Tygra was hoping to get rid of Jareid somehow, but Lion-O had been under the impression that his brother had not been on bad terms with his mate for a long time.
He was thinking on ways to approach the subject with Tygra when his friends interrupted him.
“Hey, Lion-O! Are you going to the town’s festival with us tomorrow? It’s Insha’s and there’s going to be music!”
“Sure. I just have to tell Xiao, and Yeana is going to want to go too.”
“That’s fine. She usually goes with her friends anyway. We’d see you at the gates after breakfast, ok?”
“Fine.”
“Take care!”
Three kits ran out of the courtyard towards the gates. Two remained by Lion-O’s side. The girl, called Mixa, who was the daughter of one of the councillors, and a black jaguar called Alux, the son of one of the generals. Both of them lived at the palace’s grounds. Mixa soon said her goodbyes and went to find her mother. Alux walked with Lion-O into the halls of the palace.
“Listen Lion-O, I have a question that I really don’t want to ask you, but my cousin Litha is bugging me non-stop, and frankly she’s driving me crazy.”
“Uh? Really? I don’t think I’ve met your cousin?”
“You’re not. And you’re lucky. She’s completely nuts and a total gossip. She wants to know about your brother, so she’d have something new to tell her friends.”
Lion-O scowled.
“Well, I don’t think I’d provide her any information at all.”
“Look, I could care less, but she’s really been a pain in the ass, and mother told me to just ask you what she wants so we can have peace.”
The lion raised and eyebrow at his friend. Alux was usually quiet and very patient. His cousin must be very annoying to make him mad.
“What she wants to know?”
Alux sighed despairingly and shook his head.
“It’s an idiocy. She’d know sooner or later anyway. She just doesn’t want to wait. She wants to know if our prince has decided when to have a heir, and if your brother would agree to a consort to get it or not.”
Lion-O pressed his lips and growled. He didn’t like the young court gossiping about his brother.
“What does she care? That’s certainly not her business!”
“I know! I told you, she’s just a gossip. Personally, I think she wants to try her hand at the consort thing. She has a crush on your brother, and she thinks that they both surely look too yummy in bed together, you know when they…”
“Yick! Alux! That’s my brother you’re talking about!”
“Sorry.” Said the jaguar sheepishly. “So?”
Lion-O gave a suffering sigh.
“Look, it’s no one’s business if they are thinking about an heir or not. And no one had mentioned anything about consorts yet.”
Alux shrugged noncommittally.
“Well, I only had to ask you. She can’t say I didn’t try. Hopefully she’d look for information elsewhere.”
“Just tell her to leave it alone!”
The jaguar chuckled.
“You don’t have much experience with females, do you? Anyway, I’d see you tomorrow.”
Lion-O huffed indignantly at his friend’s comment, but he said his goodbyes politely. Alux went through the hall that would lead him to the nobles’ private apartments, and Lion-O continued his way to the Royals’. However, he hadn’t advanced far when he heard excited chatter coming from one of the rooms. His curiosity got the better of him and he stopped close to the open arch to one of the spaces meant for salons. Two women were talking with more than a little enthusiasm. Lion-O could distinguish one of the servants and a noble.
“So, are you sure about it Xani? He is finally sleeping in his own room?”
“Prince Jareid asked for the craftsman. He is supposed to come tomorrow to see what prince Tygra wants. What else could he be furnishing?”
“May the spirits hear you! It’s about time! I knew the brat wouldn’t keep him interested for long. Have you heard anything about possible consorts?”
“No Ma’am…”
Lion-O stopped listening and hurried to the Royal apartments. He found his brother on his way there, surprisingly with Snarf riding on his shoulder.
“Lion-O! You better keep track of this pet of yours. Someone almost shot him in the training!”
Snarf gave a pathetic mew and Lion-O extended his arms to him. The pet jumped and purred at his owner.
“Snarf! You know you aren’t supposed to wander into training camp!”
Snarf mewled again and looked chastised. Tygra rolled his eyes.
“Trainer Kab suggested putting him a collar. That way others could identify him as a pet and not a wild critter. There are some special ones that will protect him if he likes to go exploring the jungle.”
“Oh. Well, he has never liked collars. But I think he’d have to get used to it.”
Snarf lifted his head and mewled in protest.
“I’m sorry Snarf. I don’t want you shot and prepared for someone’s diner.”
The pet made an unhappy sound and rested his head on Lion-O’s shoulder. The boy petted him lovingly. Tygra smirked at the scene.
“Now that’s settled, we should be heading to our rooms. It’s getting late.”
Lion-O nodded and followed his brother to their side of the apartments. They needed a shower before going to dinner, but before that he wanted to ask his questions. Thankfully Tygra made things easier for him.
“Come, I want to show you my new room.”
Lion-O looked earnestly at the door his brother was opening. It was close to Jareid’s entrance. That calmed his fears a bit. If they were staying close the rift couldn’t be so bad. Still, the fact that there was another room for his brother didn’t sit well with him. He had the uncomfortable feeling that it was like dismissing the tiger.
The room was big, and it was still empty. The first thing Lion-o noticed was the huge window and the balcony. He put Snarf on the floor and wandered around.
“So… is this because you want your own space?”
Tygra grinned, and his eyes actually sparkled with joy.
“Yes, I’m planning on having my study here, and combining it with a nice reading space, like a sitting room.”
Lion-O was happy to hear that. His brother was not moving out of his shared bedroom after all. That concern put to rest, he moved on to the other one.
“I like the view.” He offered. Tygra beamed.
“It is good. Maybe you can help me to choose the furniture. I’m supposed to see the craftsman tomorrow.”
“I’d love to, but I’m going to the festival with my friends. I’m not sure what time I’d be back.”
“It’s ok. Yeana had been talking about the musicians for weeks now. I’m sure she’s gonna want to go too.”
Lion-O nodded absently. He wanted to ask his brother about his decision to have cubs, but he didn’t know how he could start. He decided to use what Alux had told him.
“You know Tygra, Alux’s cousin is asking strange things.”
The tiger raised an eyebrow at his brother.
“Who’s Alux’s cousin?”
“I don’t know.” Said Lion-O shrugging. “Some noble girl. Anyway, she wanted to know if you’d agree to a consort.”
Tygra scowled.
“I?”
“Yes.” Lion-O nodded enthusiastically. “You see, she has a crush on you, and apparently she finds you and Jareid ‘yummy’.”
Tygra blushed bright red, and Lion-O chuckled. He had complained to Alux for putting images in his head, but there was no reason why he shouldn’t tease his own brother with them. The tiger groaned in mortification.
“For all the…! I’m not ‘yummy’! Damn jaguars!”
Lion-O sobered after a few seconds of laugh, and followed his brother out of the new room. They had to get ready for diner.
“Well, and what about the consort part?” Lion-O wanted to know. Tygra sighed.
“Look, I really have no say on that. Jareid is the one who can choose a consort, if he wants one. Which he swears he doesn’t. I’m starting to think that he might be serious on that.”
Lion-O frowned. Something wasn’t adding up.
“But… I thought he wanted cubs, and that you had accepted. Was that only a general agreement? I had the impression that he meant to have an heir soon.”
Tygra was blushing again, deeper this time. He coughed discretely and looked everywhere but at Lion-O.
“Yeah, uhm, well he does want it to be soon. It has to be soon in fact. It’s a requirement for the pact.”
Lion-O looked at his brother in confusion.
“A requirement? How?”
“Well… is just that every alliance between clans require an heir from the mating. That’d make the alliance true. And because of the ritual we performed, we only have a year to produce a cub.”
Lion-O lifted an eyebrow and thought about the implications.
“O…K… But… that means you both have to choose a consort. An heir can’t be born outside the pride.”
“Mmmph… There’s actually no need for a consort.”
Lion-O frowned. He was not following his brother’s reasoning. Two males needed a female to give them cubs. They had to form a pride. There was only one other option that he could think about.
“You mean you can adopt? Would the cub be considered an heir then? He won’t have Jareid’s blood, or yours.”
“No, I…” Tygra was very embarrassed. He didn’t know how to explain. “Look, it’s something to do with technology. Biotechnology in fact.”
“Oooh, that’s what the shamans use for medicine, and some surgeries!”
“Yes! Precisely. Erm… You see, there are ways for two males to have cubs.”
Lion-O listened in growing concern as his brother explained what had to be done. At the end he looked at Tygra with big eyes.
“That sounds dangerous. Are you sure you want to do it Tygra? Why not choose a carrier? Sounds much more sensible.”
“Well, besides the fact that Jareid is not the embodiment of sensibility, or reason mind you, I really doubt we can find someone who’s not just looking for improving her standing in the court. If I were going to give a mother to my cubs, I’d prefer she really cares for them. I don’t want anyone using my cub to obtain favours or position.”
Lion-O nodded. He understood the reason, but still didn’t like it.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be ok?”
“I’d be fine. No need to worry about me. Bengali and the High Shaman are going to be in charge of the entire procedure. Ben would stop it if things get out of hand.”
Well, that was something. Lion-O would have to talk with the white tiger to be sure that his brother was in no danger. He got closer to Tygra before going ahead to his own room to have a shower.
“Ok. You’d let me help if anything is wrong, wouldn’t you? I’m your brother.”
“Sure tyke.”
Tygra smiled. Somehow he felt a little bit better that Lion-O was worrying about him, and not accusing him and telling him he was mad. He felt reassured in an emotional way. If his little brother supported him, his choice might not be so bad after all.
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A Tale of Jaguars