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A Tale of Jaguars	By : Aline Category: +S through Z > Thundercats Views: 13080 -:- 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
- 13
- 14
- 15
WARNINGS: This contains Slash, and abuse, as well as mpreg. It is dark and treats themes only for mature audience, such as 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 think I made this chapter too long, and I’m repeating myself on some parts of it. I might change some paragraphs later. I just wanted to post it already.
Thanks for the reviews! J
CHAPTER 14. Plots and Plans.

They let Tygra’s body have two weeks to recover before making a second try. The hormonal treatment never ceased, and Tygra felt moody most of the time. He was trying to get on with his studies, and he even sneaked out to train a bit with Xalu and Xora to not fell so far behind his fellow hunter trainees. It also helped him to recover some sense of normalcy that he so needed before Jareid made him go mad. The jaguar prince seemed to be caught somewhere between concern for his mate’s health and the lust that Tygra’s pheromones were still inspiring on him. Tygra had a few chosen words for whoever had invented this male pregnancy procedure. It was going to be the dead of him!
He presented himself to the second try at implanting the embryo with some fear. His insides still felt weird and he was not sure that he had recovered at 100%, but the High Shaman was not giving him a choice. It hurt a bit this time, as Tygra’s anxiousness didn’t make things easier. He even decided to go straight to his room and move as little as possible. He just couldn’t rid himself of the thought that he had not been ready yet.
&&&&&&&&
Baal growled at the communicator in his hand.
His High Counsellor and a small guard were in Thundera to attend the council meeting there. Lion-O had refused to go, not wanting his father to have the opportunity to keep him in Thundera. Claudus of course had been furious and it had been necessary to put the young lion in touch with his father. Lion-O had been able to calm the Thunderian king down and Claudus had grudgingly agreed to leave the lion teen with his brother for as long as he wanted.
That had gone well, especially considering that Lion-O had managed to keep his brother’s attempts at pregnancy to himself. Though Baal was convinced that if the lion cub had said anything Claudus wouldn’t have believed it, not even if Tygra himself had mentioned it, there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.
Baal had set the matter closed, but now Claudus was asking to send a Cleric. A bloody Cleric! He said that Lion-O needed to be taught the essentials to become Thundera’s king, and he wanted to send someone who could tutor him. Besides, the Clerics also acted as bodyguards of the royal family. Lion-O had to be assigned a guardian.
Now, since the lion heir was no longer considered a war prisoner, Baal really had no ground to deny Claudus’ request. However, he pointed out that Ix-Maal had excellent tutors, and that Lion-O’s education was not going to be lacking. It seemed though that Claudus didn’t believe that Baal understood just what Lion-O needed to be taught. The jaguar king bristled at the insinuation, but after some statements it was clear that Claudus didn’t doubt the jaguars tutors’ capabilities. He was wary of what they could teach Lion-O, but he was much more concerned over the fact that they might not want to teach him.
Baal was for a moment utterly baffled. He frankly didn’t understand the lion king’s concern. Jaga took charge of the communication then, and explained to Baal that Lion-O wasn’t really a good student and his tutors had always had many complaints about him. Jaga accepted that the young lion was difficult, and he believed that the heir needed special attention on his tutors’ part. Claudus’ concern was that the jaguars didn’t have any obligation to Lion-O and thus they would be tired of the lion soon and not force him to go ahead with his studies.
Baal understood the situation based on what he had known about the lions, and remembering certain comments Tygra had made. For a moment he really wanted to laugh. He contented himself with informing the lion king that both Lion-O and Tygra had been assigned tutors from the moment they had arrived to Ix-Maal. No one had yet complained about either one of the princes, quite the contrary, both were getting excellent notes and Lion-O was in fact in very good terms with his tutors. They were quite happy to teach him.
His comment seemed to have rendered both Thunderians speechless. Baal took advantage of their moment of shock to conclude that Lion-O really didn’t need any more teachers. The young lion had his hands full as it was. Also, another guard in the palace was redundant, there hasn’t been any security issues concerning Lion-O, so no cleric was really required. He’d send Claudus a report on the lessons that Lion-O was taking and his progress on them. He promised to consider the cleric’s presence along the next months. He cut the communication before either Thunderian had recovered enough to put his wits together and think of a comeback.
He sighed and leaned back on his seat, considering the new development. His delegation would be back that evening, no doubt with the report that they’d left a communicator in Thundera. That wasn’t really a problem, as they could intercept any communication and record or interrupt it. But he knew that Claudus was not going to let the subject of the Cleric go. The lion king wanted someone from his own court close to Lion-O. Someone that would guarantee that the young lion’s mind wouldn’t get too contaminated with the jaguar’s values, and remind the heir what Thundera stood for.
Baal scoffed. Lion-O was old enough to choose which values he wanted to follow. Claudus wanted to make sure that his heir didn’t forget his duties, but it may be a little late for that, and not even because of the year that the young lion had already spent in another city.
The jaguar shrugged. The lion king’s problems were not of his incumbency. The real issue for him was the Cleric. Whoever Claudus wanted to send, was bound to cause problems, especially because the lion no doubt would be counting on his cleric to have access to Tygra. Baal didn’t want to put more stress on the young tiger’s shoulders. He also didn’t want the teen to reconsider his options. The first cleric had been too close to get Tygra apart from Jareid; Baal didn’t want any more interference.
He hoped that the High Shaman found the way to get the young cat pregnant already. That was the priority. Once Tygra was with cub, there’d be nothing Claudus could do to take his adopted son back. A lazy smile appeared on his lips. The next meeting in Thundera would be in three months. If Tygra were already pregnant by then, he’d accept Thundera’s cleric in his domain. The shamans were very capable to handle any one of the Thunderians. They’d keep the guardian in line and away from Tygra if need be.
One thing picked his curiosity though. Claudus had said that the clerics were the royal bodyguards. If that was truth, then why Lion-O hadn’t had one during his cubhood? Why wait until he was a teenager to assign him one? And why didn’t Tygra get his own guard too? True, the jaguars really didn’t know the inner works of Thundera’s court, but Baal distinctly remembered his warriors reporting that they had found the two Thunderian princes quite alone in the heir’s room. Tygra had been the one trying to protect his little brother from fully trained warriors. If the Clerics were the royal guards they sure did a shitty job.
&&&&&&&&
The dull pain in his belly started around dinner, and he was throwing up early in the morning. Xiar gave him medicine and two injections to try to reduce the pain and stabilize him, but the fever was back in full force by the night of the second day, and the contractions of his abdominal muscles were killing him.
As it happened the first time, every effort the shamans did to salvage the situation was for nothing. They had to drain the contents of Tygra’s womb again and let him recover for another week.
The tiger apparently took the situation in stride. The High Shaman never heard a complaint or bitterness from him, but Bengali was worried. Tygra was talking less and he was trying to bury himself in books to hide in his room. The white tiger knew that the only thing preventing Tygra from getting out to the courtyard and train the entire day was Jareid’s constant vigilance of him.
Tygra was apparently trying to not attach himself emotionally to the situation. He didn’t want to think about cubs and developing stages. He couldn’t deal with the notion of a miscarriage and he was trying his damnest to block the word from his mind. He went on with the treatment and followed every instruction the High Shaman gave him, trying to go on through the motions without thinking too much, as if it was a regular treatment from a healer. But when he was told, after only a couple of days that they were going for a third try, he almost cracked.
Bengali wanted to wait more time for a third try. He knew that Tygra was very stressed and would likely collapse only from the anxiety he was trying to hide. The High Shaman however, considered that they could push their luck. If they waited too long they would have to suspend the hormonal treatment, and that would be a hazard for Tygra with the artificial womb still inside him.
They incremented the dose of hormones for Tygra, and added another medicine for his metabolism and to help him relax. Even so, Tygra was still trembling when they implanted the third embryo. His claws were making little punctures in the palms of his hands because of how tight he was clenching his fists. Ben had been short to sedate him. It was very hard to make Tygra relax a little.
Xiar wanted him to stay in the Shamans’ wing this time, so they could monitor him and make sure that the embryo had implanted. Jareid protested that they didn’t need Tygra to stay in the clinic for that. The High Shaman had been sure the previous time that the embryo had implanted, and that knowledge hadn’t make a difference. So, after a couple of hours, Jareid took Tygra to his room with strict orders of what to give him and what the tiger could and could not do.
Tygra was pretty subdued. He tried to not move too much and stayed on his puff for the rest of the afternoon. Jareid looked at him worriedly when it was time for dinner.
“Tygra? Don’t you want to eat?”
“I’m not really hungry. But I suppose I should eat.”
“Here. I brought you some sandwiches.”
Jareid offered his mate the plate with food and Tygra accepted it. He ate in silence while Jareid watched him. At the end, he left the plate on a nearby night table and sighed, rubbing his stomach in soothing circles.
“Are you ok?” Jareid asked. Tygra nodded slightly.
“I’m fine. It’s just one more try. There’s nothing yet.”
He continued rubbing his navel. Jareid sat beside him and pulled him towards his body in a one armed hug.
“You’re scared.”
Tygra shivered and closed his eyes.
“What if this is wrong Jareid? What if something is trying to tell me that I’m not supposed to have this cub? That I made a mistake accepting this?”
“Shht. Don’t say nonsense, Tygra. Male pregnancies are always difficult to achieve because of their very nature, not because some God doesn’t want you to have cubs.”
“But it’s not natural. A male isn’t supposed to get pregnant.”
“So, we cheated a bit. Our shamans found a way to offer some cats the possibility to have a family of their own. I seriously doubt our Gods have something against that. It’s very difficult, but many things in life are. That doesn’t mean you have to renounce them.”
Tygra sobbed. Even though he had tried to distance himself from the whole procedure, he still felt very conflicted. Jareid kissed his head and caressed his cheek.
“Don’t give up yet Tygra. Many couples try this many times. It’s going to end up well.”
Tygra bit his lips hard and sighed. Why was he doing this? Was it really worth it?
Jareid lifted his chin and kissed him hungrily, desperately, with a passion and need that Tygra knew he wouldn’t find in anyone else. He found himself responding to the kiss, reaching out to his mate’s chest. They were two loneliness forced together, trying to make something else. Tygra had had no choice, but Jareid had. Jareid had always had. The jaguar prince had chosen Tygra above anyone else, and the tiger knew that there had been plenty of options for Jareid. Still, the jaguar had chosen him and Tygra felt the need to give something in return.
He felt the bite on his neck and relished in the dull pain it caused. He only knew that he somehow had chosen to accept it, and find solace and comfort in his mate’s company. He wanted to create a real family. His family. And he’d keep trying, because there was nothing else for him. He couldn’t be wrong on this. He had not left his home for nothing!
This time it was he the one to guide Jareid to the bed. He gave himself gladly, relishing in the feeling of being desired. To be taken with such passion, that could almost be mistaken for love.
&&&&&&&
Tygra woke to severe pain in his navel. He moaned and clutched his midsection as his inner muscles contracted.
No. For the spirits, not again! It had been a week! Not again! He had taken everything the High Shaman had prescribed! This shouldn’t be happening!
He cried out and some tears escaped his eyes as another wave of pain hit him. The noise woke Jareid up and the jaguar prince was immediately crouching in front of the tiger.
“Tygra? What’s wrong?”
“… Nnngh… stop it… make it stop, please…”
He cried again and curled into a tight ball. Jareid closed his eyes in resignation and went for the communicator, pushing the button that would alert Bengali.
It had been an entire week this time. Tygra had only been feeling a slight discomfort in his navel, and they had been told it was normal. He had had a fever two days past, but the Shamans had been able to fight it back. Tygra had followed the instructions given to him to the letter. Apparently his body didn’t care.
Jareid wrapped Tygra with a sheet and made soothing noises while he carried his tiger to the clinic. Tygra was mostly lost in the pain, but he held to Jareid’s shoulder for dear life. Bengali was already waiting for them in the clinic.
&&&&&&&
This time, Tygra cried. It had been the third time, and he couldn’t keep the embryo safe within himself. No matter the medicines and the treatment he had taken, his body just wasn’t capable to recognize that there was another life that was trying to grow inside him.
The shamans had drained his womb again and the pain had stopped, but he felt empty. The assurances that they had only tried three times, and that what was happening was expected because of his age, and because he was a male, were really not helping. If they were expecting him to miscarriage, why they kept trying to get him pregnant at all?
Jareid and Baal were discussing with Xiar and Bengali in the adjacent room. Tygra could hear the noise, but wasn’t paying attention. He was lying on his right side, curling up in misery and feeling sorry for himself. At the moment he just wanted to sleep and never wake up.
The door opened and Jareid entered Tygra’s assigned room, trying very hard to control the anger he was feeling. He looked at the tiger curled on the bed and immediately went to him. Baal, Xiar and Bengali entered behind him, none of them satisfied with how things were unfolding, but little could be done about it.
Jareid crouched in front of Tygra and caressed the stripped head, stroking the neck and shoulders too. He looked at the trails of tears on Tygra’s face and kissed the crown of the tiger’s forehead. A pained sob escaped Tygra and the teen looked up at his mate.
“I’m sorry…”
“Shht. None of this is your fault. I’m taking you home to recover.”
Xiar had insisted that Tygra should be spending some time in the clinic, but Jareid had blatantly refused. He was frustrated and mad that his mate was hurting. He was not leaving Tygra into anyone’s care. His mate needed some peace.
Xiar was frustrated as well. The youth’s body was not responding as it should. He knew they needed to check Tygra thoroughly. There must be something wrong, and they were missing it, but it was near impossible to reason with Jareid.
“We really should try again as soon as possible.” Xiar commented.
Tygra’s eyes widened in panic, and he looked at Jareid pleadingly.
“No, please, not again…”
Jareid looked back at the High Shaman and roared in anger. If Tygra hadn’t been grasping his arm he’d have attacked the older jaguar. Baal inserted himself in his son’s line of view and looked at Xiar.
“We agreed to let him rest. You can start over again in six weeks. If the womb is indeed not functional by then, you’d replace it.”
The High Shaman didn’t like it, but they were achieving nothing with the way they were handling things. They needed to review the procedure and made the necessary adjustments. But a month and a half seemed too long to wait for another try.
Xiar ended up nodding to his king and Bengali approached the couple to check on Tygra. As soon as the white tiger said that the teen could be moved, Jareid lifted his mate and carried him out of the Shamans’ wing.
Tygra felt dizzy, but didn’t protest Jareid’s handling. He wanted to be in their den, away from everyone, and perhaps cry himself to sleep.
&&&&&&&&
Mai walked up to one of the service doors on the general area of the barracks. She despised to have to dwell in those places, but her choices had been severely limited. Damn her father! The cat just didn’t understand! Jareid would never hurt her, he loved her!
Mai had convinced herself that her father was in lieu with the king and wanted her out of the way. It was as her mother had always said. Her father just didn’t have vision, or ambition, at all. She wasn’t going to leave things like that, she couldn’t. They had no right to take Jareid from her! The alliance with the Thunderians was a joke. She was going to fight for her rightful place at Jareid’s side. She was going to be queen, and no one was going to prevent it!
She reached the correct door and waited for a couple of minutes. A cloaked figure got out and looked around the place. Mai gave a step forwards to make her presence known and the other cat seemed to hesitate for a moment before approaching her. Once they were under the cover of some trees, the cat lowered the hood of the cloak, revealing a young jaguar, barely reaching his twenties, who looked very nervous.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this, Mai. Why don’t we go to the High Shaman? He could help us…”
“Don’t be stupid Thao! All of them are set on the tiger having the cub, and we both know that he’s not going to make it!”
“He could…”
“No, he can’t! You have seen it, it’s been three times already and his body is not accepting the pregnancy!”
“They still have time. It’s long before the year is over.”
“And you suppose they actually have the entire year? The cub has to be born before the year is over Thao! The terms of the ritual are very strict! They’re not gonna make it. The tiger is a boy! Think about it Thao, his body is not going to resist the pressure. They are going to need a carrier anyway, and the more they wait, the more difficult it’d be for the cub to be born before they have to present it to the lion king!”
“But… I heard that prince Jareid is insisting that he doesn’t want any carrier.”
“He’s going to change his mind when he’s convinced that the tiger is not strong enough to carry a cub. You yourself said that he was hurting, and that this last time he was left very weak. How do you think he’d end up after the fourth miscarriage?”
Thao gulped. He was a recently initiated shaman, and he was helping with Tygra’s pregnancy procedure as part of the support team. He had seen how bad Tygra had reacted to the third miscarriage. The tiger prince didn’t want to continue. He had been too hurt. But they needed their heir. The High Shaman had clearly said that they only had a year. Without the heir, the mating would be dissolved.
Thao was a romantic at hearth. He had seen how much his prince had changed with Tygra and believed beyond doubt that the two of them were made for each other. If the mating was dissolved, prince Jareid was going to refuse to let Tygra go. It’d hurt them both and it’d be bad for the kingdom. Mai continued talking.
“Everyone knows that Jareid is not mentally stable. If loosing his mate pushes him over the edge, we’d be left without a sane heir. We mustn’t let that to happen!”
“I… I still thing that we should talk to the High Shaman.”
“No! Don’t you see Thao? They are going to loose time! They want to please Jareid, and in doing so they’re going to hurt the tiger prince badly. If we hurry, there’d be no need for a fourth time. No need to hurt him further. Tygra would be relieved, and Jareid is going to see that it’s best this way. They’d have their heir, and Tygra would be able to wait a few more years before he tries for another cub. They’d be grateful that we thought about this.”
Thao bit his lip in nervousness. He wasn’t really sure about Mai’s plan. He wanted to help the couple, especially since prince Tygra was taking a heavy toll and was afraid of another try. He just didn’t like the idea of going behind the High Shaman’s back. But Mai was right; everyone was focussed in getting Tygra pregnant and were disregarding the damage they were doing to the tiger prince. Besides, the probability of a successful male pregnancy in someone so young was low.
“Just think about this Thao, when they finally convince themselves that Tygra’s body is not going to accept the pregnancy, it’d be too late to find another solution, and the tiger’s suffering would have been for nothing!”
Thao groaned and passed a hand through his mane.
“Fine. Maybe you have a point. But you have to swear that you are going to give them the cub Mai.”
“Of course. I don’t have any wish to be a mother yet. This I’m going to do for my prince’s sake.”
“And you have to tell them as soon as you get the positive. You have to be recognized as the carrier for the cub to be the legal heir.”
“Don’t worry about it. Once I’m with cub, the High Shaman will know.”
Thao still hesitated. Mai had to gently make him remember that Bengali was very worried about Tygra, and had in fact pressured for waiting the entire six weeks before making the fourth try. Tygra was getting ill. Even Thao could see it.
“Are you sure you only need the samples? I could prepare the embryo in the lab.”
“Don’t be silly, they’d catch you. They’re not going to notice two samples gone. Besides, the palace’s is not the only lab in the city.”
“Fine.”
Thao produced a small rectangular box. A special container to move biological samples. He gave it to his cousin with the most care.
“No one can know whose samples are these Mai! You can’t tell anyone who are the parents!”
“No one is going to know, stop being paranoid! We are just helping our prince to keep his sanity intact. He won’t suffer, and the kingdom won’t suffer either.”
“I hope so.” Thao muttered under his breath.
He really, really hoped his cousin Mai to be right, and that they could help the princes. Something in his gut was still telling him that it was a very bad idea to go behind the High Shaman and Shaman Bengali’s backs, but if they wanted to spare prince Tygra another hurtful miscarriage, they had to act as soon as possible. That was what Mai had said. Thao really had no reason to doubt his cousin’s motives.
&&&&&&&
Mai arrived home and opened the small case. She frowned at the two tubes, which had no evident label on them. Maybe she should have asked Thao which was which one, but then the brat could get suspicious. It had taken her nearly a month to convince her cousin to get the samples for her. She couldn’t have him doubting her now and going to the High Shaman before she had the chance to inseminate herself. Once she was with cub there’d be nothing anyone could do.
By law, every confirmed pregnancy had to be carried to the end. Terminating a pregnancy was severely punished. This was due to the low birth rate the jaguar clan had manifested in the last decade. It wasn’t still too dangerous, but the council had declared that a preventative measure was to be in place. They couldn’t afford to lower their numbers, after all.
Mai was going to make sure that many cats, the entire court if possible, would be aware of her pregnancy before going to the king. No one was going to have a chance to ruin her future with Jareid. She had considered to wait for the year to be over, since she was sure that the tiger was not going to get pregnant, but the king would simply order to name a carrier, so the mating would not be broken. She was not going to allow that to happen.
She considered the tubes in front of her. There had to be a label somewhere. She picked up one and examined it. There. Engraved in the side of the tube was a barely distinguishable legend. *Jar-1.02
She smiled. This must be Jareid’s. She returned the tube to the case and got the other one out. She checked the legend on this one, just to be sure that the code was what she thought. This one read; *Ty-1.00
She nodded to herself and threw the tube away. She closed the case once more and called the Shaman she had consulted days before. The crown would be hers.
&&&&&&&
Tygra jumped from branch to branch on the thick canopy of the jungle, intent on getting away from the big and unfairly fast beast that was behind him. Where was that damned trap? It didn’t help that it was raining, and the pouring water made the branches more slippery and dangerous than normal.
He almost lost his foot on one jump, and only the loud roar at his back made him continue jumping ahead. The trap should be somewhere around the area.
He got out his whip and used it to turn sharply to his left, just before a set of claws reached him. Then he heard the swipe of some branches and the furious roar of the beast at finding itself trapped under a heavy net and falling down the trees.
Tygra hung from his whip, and sighed in relief. That had been too close, he was loosing speed. He couldn’t allow that to happen.
He found a suitable branch to step on, and then climbed down to join the rest of his team. By then his teammates had already slain the medium-sized beast and were busy butchering it.
One of the duties of the hunters was to provide fresh meat to the palace. Once in a while, the trainees were sent as bait for some predator. It was considered a good exercise.
Tygra got to the ground and his lieutenant checked him out for injuries while the others prepared the beast. Kab was a bit anxious over Tygra rejoining normal training. It’d be only for a couple of weeks, but it had been deemed necessary for the tiger to continue doing his life as usual. It had taken an entire week of fighting and begging to Jareid to allow him to rejoin the training. The jaguar prince was still too nervous and unwilling to let his mate out of his sight for long, much less to willingly send him to take part of dangerous activities. Bengali had helped Tygra to convince his stubborn mate and the tiger had no doubt that the recent claw marks on his right arm had helped to push the issue too. So, now there he was, in his usual routine, trying to forget that the past two months ever happened.
He had begged to be the bait this time, and Kab had let him only because the teen would keep insisting and he was sure of Tygra’s abilities. However, he had made the tiger swear that he was not going to ever mention to Jareid what he had done. The jaguar prince would kill the entire team if he knew they had let Tygra be the bait for the hunt.
Kab made sure that the young cat had not been injured, and asked him how he had felt. It was the first time in weeks that Tygra was doing heavy exercise. Besides, everyone was very aware that the tiger had undergone the surgery to have a womb, and even if the pregnancy had not taken, he still had a “new organ” to get into account. The young tiger did feel more tired than usual, and was starting to sense some pain in his midsection, but it was nothing to worry about, so he assured his trainer that he was fine. Once sure that Tygra was not harmed, Kab focussed on supervising the preparation of their prey and then its transport to the palace.
&&&&&&&
The entire team took a quick shower in the barracks, though Tygra wasn’t sure why. It was pouring anyway. They were already soaked and they’d remain that way until they’d get proper cover from the rain.
There were some other cats around, mingling and waiting for the storm to calm down a bit before venturing outside again. The majority of the jaguars didn’t mind a good soak, but too much water made anyone a bit moody, and it had been raining non-stop for four days already.
Tygra stood at the threshold of the entrance and looked at the rain. He unconsciously started to rub his navel. The pain was still there, but it was dying out. Xalu approached him and asked if he was feeling all right. Tygra scowled. His team had been treating him differently. It was not evident, but the tiger just knew that they had toned down the training. They had been worried when he had offered to be the bait and had tried to dissuade him. They asked how he was feeling at least once every day and they fell into certain patterns when they were doing team practice to end up technically protecting him. It was annoying Tygra, but he didn’t believe they were doing it on purpose.
He sighed and nodded to his friend, then turned to see if the rest of the team was finished. He almost rolled his eyes when he noticed that he was practically surrounded by his teammates. They were not over him, but sitting and standing in various positions all over the place, close enough to form a semicircle around the tiger. He groaned under his breath and for a moment he wondered if a female had to put on with this behaviour. It was really annoying.
Another group of cats walked towards the entrance at that moment, and Tygra moved to the side to let them pass. Then the fur on his neck stood on end and he let go a low growl. Mao was part of the new group and was looking at him with disgust written in his entire face. Tygra tried to ignore him and looked towards Xalu, who had noticed the tiger’s reaction and was subtly putting himself between Tygra and the group of older cats that were heading out of the barracks.
Mao stopped and smirked derisively in Tygra’s direction. Xalu growled. The group that was with Mao stooped too and one of them tried to pull the cat away. Mao didn’t move. He just couldn’t pass the opportunity to hurt his rival.
“How’s the pregnancy going Tygra? Oh, right! You can’t give our prince an heir, isn’t that so? You simply are not qualified for it.”
Tygra growled and turned towards the offending cat, one hand on his navel and the other with claws out, ready to try and took out the other’s eyes. He, however, stopped short at what happened. Suddenly, his entire team was between he and Mao, growling menacingly at the older cat, who seemed surprised by the reaction. Two of Mao’s group grabbed the jaguar by the arms and dragged their companion out of the barracks without giving the training hunters a second glance. Someone was beside Tygra immediately. The young tiger felt a hand on his lower back doing soothing movements. Xalu turned on him and asked again if he was all right.
Tygra just stared owlishly at his teammates for a couple of seconds. They were all looking anxiously at him, and it was evident that they wanted to make sure he was fine. Then he scowled and crossed his arms.
“Are you aware that I could very well have fought Mao myself if I’d needed to? I’m very capable to hold him off!”
He conveniently forgot the one time Mao had attacked him. No one needed to be aware of that. His teammates looked unsure for a moment and Xalu shrugged.
“Of course you can.”
“Then why are you all protecting me?” He asked, somewhat frustrated.
There was confused scuffling around him and Xalu was just opening his mouth, but almost immediately closed it and scowled. He had meant to say, ‘Because of your condition’ but he had realized on time that it was a bad idea. Besides, what condition exactly? Tygra was not pregnant. There was no way in hell that Jareid would have allowed his mate to rejoin training if he was. They had been told that they may have to go easy on Tygra the first day of training, but the tiger seemed to be on his usual top form. The youth had just been the bait in a hunt, for the spirits sake! Albeit the entire team had opposed strongly to the idea, the tiger had done it just the same, and he had been fine.
There really was no need for them to be worried about him.
Tygra looked as his teammates seemed to realize for the first time what they had been doing. After some moments, one of them, named Aleph, just said.
“Well, our instinct just got the better of us. We are a prowl after all.”
Tygra continued scowling.
“Instinct? For what? I’m not the weakest of the group and I’m not hurt! You didn’t act like this when I rejoined training after my leg had been shredded to bits! There’s no reason why you’d have to pull this on now!”
The teens looked at each other in confusion. There really was no apparent reason for them to be acting protectively with Tygra. He was the second best in their group and could take care of himself. However, they still felt the compulsion to shield him from any possible threats. Xalu shrugged and then asked.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt Tygra?”
“Of course I am!”
“Really? Because there must be something calling to us. Our instinct is telling us that we need to protect you. There has to be a reason!”
Tygra pressed his lips in a tight line. His right hand automatically went to his navel. He caught himself on the movement and forced his hand down, clenching his fist. No. He didn’t want to even think about it. Xalu got closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Look, maybe you should go to the Shamans, just to be sure. Our collective instinct is trying to tell us something, it’s not wise to dismiss it.”
Tygra bit his lower lip and nodded. He was going to see Bengali the next day anyway. It had been three weeks since he had stopped the treatment and the white tiger wanted to check if his metabolism and his hormones were stable again.
They waited a few more minutes before getting out into the rain and run to their respective dwellings. Two of them accompanied Tygra to the palace, and then went on their ways.
&&&&&&&
The halls and corridors of the palace were almost deserted. Tygra found a couple of servants on his way to the Royal apartments. One of them gave him a towel and he used it to get the excess water off from his fur. He needed another shower, and then dry himself entirely or he would get a cold.
He turned a corner with the towel on his face, and walked straight into someone. The collision was not hard, but Tygra’s momentum almost provoked him to fell tangled up on the other cat, who thankfully regained equilibrium and could keep them both on their feet. Tygra put the towel down and looked up with an apology on his lips. He froze when he found himself in front of an amused Saixa. The female was taller than him for a few inches, and that alone made Tygra very conscious of his own age.
“Sorry Ma’am.”
Saixa chuckled and winked at him.
“Not to worry sweetheart. Actually, I was looking for you.”
Tygra raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t had any good encounters with anyone of Jareid’s lovers. He had never crossed paths with Saixa before, but he knew she was the daughter of one of the counsellors. He also had heard that she had been one of Jareid’s favourites and many in the court had been sure that she was going to be, if not the queen at least a consort. Tygra steeled himself mentally. It won’t be the first time one of Jareid’s lovers wanted to make their displeasure known to him.
“What for? I don’t think we have any issues to talk about.”
“Well, not an ‘issue’ per se. But the fact that you are now Jareid’s mate, makes it necessary for me to have a chat with you.”
Tygra looked at her cautiously, waiting for her to start complaining or demanding something.
“Why?”
“You see, I used to enjoy my little escapades with Jareid. He’s really good in bed, and frankly much better than the rest of the cats. Only he has been able to keep my rhythm, if you know what I’m talking about.”
She winked in conspiracy at him. Tygra was bright red. He didn’t want to imagine Saixa and Jareid in bed! Why everyone insisted on bothering him with that? Saixa ignored his discomfort and kept talking.
“But besides that… well, he’s the heir. That’s a huge point to his favour. I was really disappointed to know that he’d been betrothed to you. I think I had a real chance to win him over. I know that he doesn’t like partners that are too dominant, but we worked pretty well. Really, the only real competence I was counting on was Shaman Bengali.”
Tygra’s eyes widened for a second, but then he nodded. He too would have thought that Bengali could have been in line to be Jareid’s mate if the white tiger would have wanted. Saixa smiled and proceeded.
“But that’s in the past! A coincidence, called war, brought you here and now you two are mated. Nothing to be done about that, since neither of you chose to be in this situation. Like I said, I was disappointed, but I thought that I could continue having my fortuities encounters. I mean, come on, everyone was sure that Jareid would go on as always!”
She sighed. Tygra was a bit uncomfortable.
“However, he didn’t. I confess I was shocked. Never before had Jareid rejected me, and suddenly he just stood there and gave me the proverbial finger. Twice! One of them I was completely naked in front of him, let me tell you.”
Tygra blushed again and groaned. Why him?
“I was very angry. I even went and told my parents about Jareid’s rejection. And you know what happened? They scolded me! Dad made me promise that I won’t do anything to jeopardize your mating! I was beyond upset!”
Tygra felt shocked. It was weird. This didn’t sound entirely like a complaint. He reminded himself to not loose track of Saixa’s movements. He still didn’t know what she expected to achieve with telling him all this.
“I had a long chat with my parents. They pointed out a few things that I had frankly overlooked. To get to the point, they made me see why Jareid has to have you with him. I was a bit sceptical, but I’ve been observing the prince more attentively, and I can’t deny that he has changed so much. It’s creepy really, but apparently good and in everyone’s interest, so… Here is when I have to appeal to you.”
Tygra was feeling a bit scared. Saixa didn’t seem to want to attack him, but he wasn’t sure of what exactly she wanted.
“I… mmmh… I think I’m not getting it…”
“Listen, I have certain goals in life, but very limited choices to accomplish them. I was raised to be a proper lady and a courtesan, and as such there are certain expectations that are not to my liking. My mother never allowed me to have any training for the forces, or try the test to be a Shaman, or have any other studies than those related to housekeeping and the basic education. She said a proper lady couldn’t be too independent. It’s not becoming for a lady of the palace to know how to fight or how to handle a weapon. A lady only has to know how to manage a house and how to look pretty and proper in front of guests, never mind that she has a limited choice of themes to make conversation. I, of course, read some books behind her back, and I started to get laid at fifteen, just to spite her.”
For a moment Tygra sympathized with her. The noble families tended to be very strict in the roles the female and male should follow. Sometimes they were ridiculous in the ways they enforced the raising of their cubs.
“On the other hand, my family had always been ambitious. I have to be a lady of the court, and a highly respected one. My mother’s definition of success is for me to find a mate of noble birth whose family has a higher standing than ours. My father insists in that the social standing that we already have should not be lost, and is starting to pressure me to mate before I hit thirty.
“When they learned about my affair with Jareid, they didn’t bat an eye. It was a scandal, yes, but it was Jareid. Father even tried to betroth us. He was furious when the king said that he was not betrothing his son, unless Jareid asked for it. Of course, Jareid wasn’t interested.”
She chuckled and Tygra shook his head in incredulity. Jareid really had been given too much leeway in the palace.
“I thought for a time that it’d be better if I stopped looking for Jareid. But to be frank, he was the best prospect for mate. At least for me. Not only he’s the heir, and future king and head of the clan. He also didn’t give a damn if I kept flirting with whoever I wanted to. He could care less if I was a proper lady or not, and he had no interest in dictate what I was supposed to do with my free time. Jareid had never seriously looked for a mate, but he’d have to choose one sooner or later. I’m totally convinced that he’d have chosen his mate on a pure convenience basis. I was striving to be the most convenient choice. I was also perfectly aware that there’d be no fidelity or love between us, and I even considered the role of concubine. I’d still have social standing, and no obligation to find a ‘proper’ mate.”
Tygra nodded. It was a sound plan. Many females in the palace and some males had had some variation of it. But this was the first time that he heard it described aloud as it was. A plan. Not a dramatic tale of lost love and treachery. It surprised Tygra the fact that Saixa had been the only one of Jareid’s lovers that didn’t fancy themselves deeply in love with the prince, and/or convinced that Jareid was equally in love with them. In a way that made him more open to the jaguaress.
“Then, you came into the picture and moved things around. I wasn’t too worried. I figured I’d stick to the role of consort. It’s really more appealing for me. A consort doesn’t have the duty to give the king an heir, though is expected to help in the raising. I wouldn’t mind that. Now though, I’m encountering problems that I didn’t expect. The bigger one is that Jareid is not the same.”
Tygra sighed. Here it came. The real rant. He should be used by now.
“The Jareid I knew would never have rejected a naked cat in his bed. The Jareid I knew didn’t have any idea of what fidelity means! I couldn’t believe that he had changed so much until he ejected me out of his office. But now, I have thought things through. Jareid is acting more like a responsible adult; I suppose maturity caught up to him at last, so I should act differently too. I was raised a courtesan, I know how to adapt. So, here’s the deal. I’m not giving up on Jareid yet. He’s my only chance to not having a stuck up mate who’d want me a recluse in the house or at our rooms, looking pretty for the walls and the service. I want to be a consort.”
Tygra raised an eyebrow. He felt very weird.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You’re Jareid’s mate. You are important to him. I really have no idea how you did it, maybe it’s just a phase, but for the first time in ages, Jareid actually cares for his partner. For you. And it’s you the one I need to get on Jareid’s good graces again.”
Tygra gaped at her. The nerve of the woman! This was not your average ‘Lady of the court.’
“What?”
“Look, at the moment Jareid is not going to give me even a second glance. That much is perfectly clear, but there is still something I can use to get him interested again. That is the fact that you need to have an heir before the year is over, or there’d be no more mating. Now, I know that he wants you to carry him, and that would be ideal, but you haven’t been successful so far, do you?”
Tygra was uncomfortable again, but he saw no reason to deny the truth. He made a quiet gesture of agreement. Saixa grinned.
“There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s only that you’re young. A successful male pregnancy is hard enough as it is, it becomes harder the younger the carrier is. Ideally they would have let you finish your growth, but the terms of your mating combined with Jareid’s personality don’t give much choice. It’s safer if you have a female carrier, both for you and the cub, and it won’t interfere with the mating. I want you to consider me for the job.”
Tygra blinked, utterly baffled at her request.
“Why are you asking me? Jareid is really the one that is taking the decision. He is the one insisting on not having a consort. He is the one with the choice anyway. He is the dominant.”
“Oh, sweet. I don’t think you have an idea of how much power you have over Jareid right now.”
Tygra gaped incredulously at her.
“Sorry?”
“Dear, Jareid is well and truly besotted with you! I’ve never seen him like that! I mean, he let you bite his neck! I haven’t noticed it until father pointed it out. He’s mad for you! Believe me, whatever you ask of him, he’s going to give you. Anything!”
Tygra shook his head in bewilderment.
“I don’t think it’d work.”
“Trust me. If you ask him to find a carrier for your cub he’d do it. He’s pretty much worried about you now. I’ve been observing you both.”
“But, I thought you weren’t interested in having cubs?”
“Well, it’s not going to be ‘mine.’ It’s going to be your cub. That’s why I’m seeing it as a job. I can help you to raise him, and I can provide milk for it. Even if Jareid doesn’t want to recognize me as a consort, I’d have been the carrier of his cub, and socially it’d be almost the same. If I don’t want to find a mate, no one would open their mouths about it.”
Tygra looked at the jaguaress, considering her in a new light. All that she wanted was to be rid of the expectations her social standing had placed on her. It had been the most honesty that Tygra had gotten from anyone in the court.
He bit his lower lip. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure he wanted a carrier at all, and he didn’t know her enough to consider her as a suitable option. He wasn’t even sure if she was being sincere. Saixa seemed to guess his dilemma and smirked at him.
“Just think about it sweet. You still have time before your next try, I think. We should get to know each other better. How about that? I’d love to chat with you some more! No one says we can’t be friends.”
Tygra ended up accepting her offer to talk again. He even promised to think about her proposition. Maybe he’d talk with Jareid about her. She was exuberant and stubborn, but maybe he could get on with her.
The only thing he was still uncomfortable about, was that he wasn’t sure anymore if he really minded Jareid picking up a consort or not.
&&&&&&&
Tygra was on his puff that evening, reading a book with Snarf at his side.
It was odd. Lately the little critter had taken to wait for him at the door of his rooms and curl up with him while he read or worked on his desk. The pet wouldn’t leave his side until Jareid would arrive. Tygra had asked Lion-O if he had put Snarf to it, but his brother had denied any part on the pet’s actions. The tiger figured that Snarf just liked his set of rooms, and let the pet be. He was getting used to the creature’s company.
He was focused on his reading when Jareid arrived and pulled the book from his hands.
“Hey! I was reading that!”
“Was. Is in the past.”
Tygra pouted and Jareid kneeled beside the puff in such a way that his head was looming over Tygra’s.
“Say, someone told me that Saixa spoke to you. Is that true?”
“Well, yes.”
Jareid’s eyes narrowed and he snarled.
“Did she attack you in any way?”
“No. She rather explained how she had to change her big plan to be the next queen because of me.”
“But she didn’t insult you or try to belittle you.”
“No. Actually, I think she’s the only one of your lovers that has acknowledged me as your mate.”
“Past lovers. All of them are in the past, where they belong.”
He kissed his tiger tenderly and started to massage the teen’s neck.
“So, she didn’t lie and told you how much in love she is with me?”
“No. Though she did say that you rejected a very naked her once.”
“Well, I did. She doesn’t smell right anymore. She’s not you.”
Jareid continued trailing kisses along Tygra’s jaw and neck. The teen purred. It felt rather nice to be pampered so much.
“You still smell delicious.”
“Nnn… It’s been three weeks since I stopped taking the hormones. My odour should be back to normal.”
“Normally, you smell delicious for me.”
Suddenly, Jareid closed his arms around Tygra and lifted him out of the puff, sucking the tiger’s neck at the same time.
“Aw! Damn it, Jareid!”
“Mine… only mine…”
Jareid took Tygra to the bed to continue grooming him. Snarf stretched out and then decided to continue sleeping on the puff. No one in the room seemed to mind anyway.
&&&&&&
Jareid sat at the edge of his desk in his office, an annoyed scowl on his face. He did not appreciate Saixa trying to manipulate Tygra, and he intended to let the jaguaress know it. His mate had told him what the female wanted, and though Jareid had been impressed that she had been clever enough to approach the tiger, he also was furious she had done it behind his back. She had waited the entire year to make her move, why couldn’t she have stayed quiet?
Tygra had not gotten too involved with the court, preferring to evade the gossip as much as he could. Jareid would keep him away from every one of the nobles if possible, but he was aware that his mate had to learn the comings and goings of the court eventually. As much as Jareid would like his tiger free of the nobles’ influence, reality was that he had to gain those nobles’ favour to rule them without problems.
In a way, Saixa could be useful. She was not only a member of one of the most renowned families. She also knew the court and how to move in it. She was skilful with her tongue and always managed to move around gossip and even direct it in the way she wanted. She also knew enough politics and diplomacy to make the most pompous males nervous and wary in her presence. She was a female that liked power and had a strong enough will to fight for it. Many males felt threatened in front of her.
Jareid had honestly never understood why the males of the court were freaked out around Saixa. Sure, she was more direct and dominant than the other ‘ladies’ of the court, but she was still a female. An interesting one at that. She had been his favourite not only for her skills in bed, but also because she could actually talk about other things apart from empty romance dreams and gossip. If Jareid had ever found himself pressured to find a mate, he’d have chosen her, solely for the fact that she was the only one of his past lovers that he found tolerable to be around outside of the bedroom.
But that would never be the case anymore. He had been given his tiger. He had established a family of his own and was working to create a deeper bond between himself and his mate. One that would include their future cubs. He won’t have interference in any way! And Saixa was smart enough to pose a real danger.
The jaguaress entered the office and walked with her usual confidence towards the desk. Even when she could see that her prince was definitely not happy, she maintained her posture. She was not going to be put down. Her only chance to get what she wanted was to stand up to Jareid. She was not one of those grovelling idiots that thought that they’d get on their prince’s good graces by letting him step all over them. Neither was she afraid of Baal’s retribution if Jareid complained about her. She had realized that crude honesty worked better with the prince than empty praises.
Jareid was already growling lowly when she stopped in front of him, respecting an ample circle of personal space, for safety purposes.
“So, your servant told me that you wanted to see me. Have you changed your mind?”
“I only want to make clear one thing Saixa. Stay away from Tygra!”
“Oh dear, are you jealous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I know you’re not flirting with him. Not in a sexual way at least. If I had the barest suspicion that you were, I’d have taken out your hearth by now! What I don’t want is you getting ideas into his head! I’ve told you before, I don’t want a consort! So get that into your thick skull already!”
“Fine, not a consort. But what about a carrier?”
“We don’t need a carrier for our cub!”
“Really? Jareid, are you even looking at your mate? I know you’re stubborn, but what is going to take for you to see that he’s too young to be pregnant?”
“He’s strong enough!”
“It’s not a matter of strength! Look Jareid, you know what I want. You’ve always known what is my goal, and what I’m willing to do to achieve it. I only want to make a deal. I want to help you both.”
“We don’t need any help Saixa.” Jareid hissed, but the jaguaress insisted.
“It’s been three months Jareid. He has had three miscarriages already. Do you have any idea of how much that can hurt?”
“He’s recovering quickly. He has already rejoined hunter’s training.” He didn’t mention how much he himself had fought against the very idea of Tygra putting foot into the jungle so soon after the third miscarriage. He didn’t want to give Saixa any more ammunition; she certainly didn’t need it.
“I’m not talking about physical damage, though that can too be severe. I’m talking about his mind.”
Jareid felt a bit disturbed that Saixa had mentioned Bengali’s concern. He only snarled at the idea, but he knew he could not dismiss it.
“Loosing a cub is devastating, Jareid. Even if he’s trying to detach himself from the procedure, he’s not going to be able to put it aside completely.”
“He has not been really pregnant yet. The shamans said that the bunch of cells had never even implanted.”
“That may be true, but the ‘bunch of cells’ has been inside him. Maybe he hasn’t had enough time to bond with those cells, but the point is that he hasn’t managed to keep them inside long enough for them to develop into a real cub.”
Jareid growled again. It pissed him off that Saixa could understand the situation so well. The female risked a couple of steps forwards.
“Let him grow up and mature Jareid. I’m sure he’d be able to carry more cubs when he has reached his full growth. Meanwhile, you only need this first cub to prevent the Thunderians from trying to get him back. It doesn’t really matter who carries the cub, only that it is your son. Yours and Tygra’s.”
Jareid turned away. He didn’t want to. His fantasy had always been having cubs with his mate. A carrier would mean another person to include in the first years of their cub. It was interference for him. But he could not deny that he was worried about Tygra. Saixa sighed.
“Look, just consider it. I promise I’d give you the cub with no attachments involved. I won’t interfere with the raising if you don’t want me to. You know I only need to climb a bit more in the social ladder. That’d be enough for me.”
Of course. That was all Saixa had ever wanted. Social status. To climb high enough to be seen as unobtainable. High enough for her parents, and the rest of her family, to consider a disadvantage to mate her to a noble that would unavoidably be below her, and stop pestering her. Jareid only grunted and crossed his arms. Saixa turned around to leave.
“My offer is open Jareid. Just have in mind that time is passing by. If Tygra gets pregnant it’d only be six months before the cub has to be born, but a female will last the entire seven months of gestation. Think about it.”
She was gone with the same air of confidence she entered with. Jareid leaned back and supported himself on his extended arms. He didn’t like the idea. He didn’t want any carrier, but the fact was that he might have to consider the possibility.
But beyond what he wanted, there was one little detail that Saixa had not noticed. She didn’t know Tygra, and all her deductions were the result of good observation. Jareid though, knew his tiger enough to have pointed out some of Tygra’s quirks. He knew that one of the tiger’s major issues was his fear of failure. No matter how much stress it’d imply, if Tygra ended up not being able to carry this first cub, Jareid was sure that it’d only mean a big failure for his mate.
&&&&&&&&
The end of the next week found Tygra anxious. He had been feeling weird the past days, restless and moody. A week ago, Bengali had frowned at his hormonal profile and had said that it wasn’t at normal levels yet. He still had female hormones in his blood and Bengali hadn’t liked it. However, Tygra had said that he was fine, and had not been having any troubles, so the white tiger had decided to wait for the month to finish to do another scan before he alarmed the entire palace.
Tygra had told his teammates that his pheromones were still crazy and they had relaxed, but the protective behaviour didn’t go away. Even Kab had joined in, and wouldn’t let Tygra do anything strenuous or overly dangerous after the ‘bait exercise’.
Jareid had been very caring, and Tygra had found himself itching for his mate’s touch. He couldn’t explain that sudden need. He only knew that as soon as his mate was close he wanted to be hugged, and kissed, and touched. It was almost as if he were finally feeling the symptoms of being in heat. He didn’t like that notion, because it meant that his hormones were not back to normal, besides the fact that he wasn’t fond of the idea of being in heat.
He sighed, touching his navel as he walked down the hall. He had been waking up with an upset stomach for three days in a row, and had lost his appetite at breakfast. That kind of worried him. He couldn’t be getting sick. Not with a strange female organ inside him and female hormones running through his bloodstream. There was no way to tell how his body would react if he fell ill.
Alas, he hoped that Bengali could give him good news the next day. His body had to be stabilized and well enough to try the implantation again in two weeks. Male pregnancies lasted around six months, but Tygra was aware that time was running short for them.
He continued walking almost absently down the hall when a known female voice called him.
“Hey Tygra, sweet! Wait for me!”
The tiger prince sighed and turned around to look at Saixa running towards him. The girl had not given up, even after Jareid’s threats and warnings for her to stay away. She met with Tygra in the halls of the palace almost every day. The tiger didn’t mind too much. She was good company. She knew how politics around the palace and the court worked and every single member of the noble families. If she had been a male she’d have already been prepared to take her father’s place in the council. Tygra had found her talks interesting and her ideas realistic. She really should have been a counsellor.
Both of them were slowly warming to each other, but Jareid still didn’t like the idea of her spending too much time with Tygra. He demanded every night to be told exactly what Saixa had talked about with his tiger. Tygra had assured his mate that they only talked about politics and other diplomatic things. The subject of cubs had not been mentioned again. Jareid would only growl and mumble under his breath.
Tygra had the impression that Saixa was starting to act a bit odd around him. Almost like an older sister, but he couldn’t be sure.
He shook his head to rid it from that notion and looked at the female already in front of him.
“Hey sweet! Back from training already? It’s still early!”
Tygra scoffed and looked out one of the windows at the sun still high in the sky.
“Yeah, well. Lieutenant Kab decided that I shouldn’t be swimming in the river for now. I don’t know what’s gotten into him!”
Saixa’s nostrils moved minutely and she cocked her head to the side.
“Well, you do smell a bit off. Must be the hormones still rampaging in your system. Are you feeling all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine! Why everyone keeps asking me the same question? What do I smell like?”
Saixa leaned closer and sniffed. Her brows furrowed in confusion.
“I’d say you smell of Jareid. But there’s something else there. I can’t really put my finger on it.”
“Great!” He said in frustration. He really hoped that Bengali could fix whatever the problem was. Just then, another voice was heard in the hall and both cats turned towards it.
“Saixa! I told you to back off!”
“Oh, Jareid! We’re only talking, that’s not a crime! Isn’t he allowed to have friends?”
Jareid was about to throw in her face that friendship was not what she wanted, when Tygra all but hung himself from the jaguar’s neck and started to purr. Jareid instantly calmed down and looked in confusion at a very amorous Tygra, who was rubbing his face on the older prince’s neck.
“What did you do to him?”
“Hey, don’t look at me! He was perfectly fine until you arrived! And what are you complaining about? Surely he shows affection once in a while. Even to you.”
Jareid bared his teeth at her.
“Yes! But never in public.”
Tygra was always berating him whenever he so much as kissed him in public. And now it was the tiger the one that was all over him! Quite literally.
“It can be a side-effect of the hormones.” Said Saixa. Jareid frowned.
“He’s not taking them anymore.”
“That does not meat they are entirely gone from his system.”
Jareid cocked his head and considered it. It had been a month, but Bengali had asked for six weeks for Tygra’s metabolism to go entirely back to normal. Besides, Tygra still had that delightful smell around him. It was not driving Jareid crazy anymore; something had changed about it. But the fact was that it was still there.
“It could be… Ow! Tygra!”
The tiger was nibbling Jareid’s neck and trying to climb on the jaguar’s body. The older prince was very amused, but as much as he was enjoying his mate’s antics, he knew that the tiger was going to be very ashamed later. He lifted Tygra a little, holding his waist, and grabbed the nape of the stripped neck to stop the teen for a moment.
“You’re aware that Saixa is right here in front of us?”
Tygra growled and shook his head to free himself from Jareid’s grasp. His legs went up and around the jaguar’s waist and he got a firmer hold on his mate’s shoulders.
“She can go find her own mate.” He declared and then kissed Jareid’s lips passionately.
The jaguar prince’s confusion lasted a second. Then, he adjusted his hold on Tygra’s hips and started to walk as Tygra continued kissing his jaw and nibbling his ear.
“You heard him Saixa. Now, if you excuse us.”
“Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? This is too good an opportunity to let it pass!”
The jaguaress looked with a mixture of amusement and envy as Jareid walked away carrying Tygra. Then, she turned around, shaking her head in bewilderment.
&&&&&&
Tygra eventually regained his senses and was ashamed and embarrassed as hell at the way he had acted. Jareid assured him that Saixa didn’t mind. He even brought the jaguaress to Tygra’s room to tell the tiger that there hadn’t been a problem. Tygra just groaned and hid in the bedroom’s puff. Saixa left, telling Jareid that it was the hormones, and that he should let Tygra be.
The jaguar prince was confused at the tiger’s behaviour. He talked to Bengali, but the shaman told him the same as Saixa, to let Tygra be. Even when the tiger absolutely refused to show his face at diner. Tygra was very put out at his public behaviour and decided that Bengali better find a solution, or he wasn’t going out of his rooms ever again!
Jareid thought that he was exaggerating, but wisely, for once, kept his mouth shut and enjoyed diner in his rooms with his mate.
The next morning, Jareid woke up with Tygra cuddling in his arms. He kissed and started to groom the tiger’s head, purring softly. Tygra had an appointment with Bengali to check his hormones’ levels and had begged Jareid to leave him alone for it. Jareid hadn’t liked the idea, but he had many things that needed to be done, so he had had to concede under the promise that Bengali would tell him immediately if something was amiss.
Tygra started to purr under his mate’s attentions and Jareid smiled. His tiger had been acting weird, but as long as that weirdness included to be aroused by Jareid’s presence, the jaguar didn’t mind so much. Though he was concerned that Tygra was also suffering anxiety attacks from time to time, and heat spells that made the tiger sweat and felt like he was being cooked alive. He really didn’t like the fact that Bengali was worried and trying to not show it. He wanted to know what was wrong with his mate.
He hugged his tiger tightly and Tygra mumbled something unintelligible. Then, the youth groaned and took a hand to his stomach. Jareid was instantly alarmed and moved to loom over Tygra as the teen opened his eyes, woken by whatever discomfort had hit him.
“Tygra? What’s the matter? Are you in pain?”
The tiger groaned and made an uncomfortable gesture. Both hands were on his stomach and started to rub circles to soothe himself.
“Not pain… I just feel nauseous.”
Jareid went to find a glass of water and helped Tygra to drink. The teen calmed down, feeling better, and cuddled again against Jareid’s side. His left hand never left his stomach and Jareid hugged him with one arm while with his other hand he started to play with the short mane. Tygra was purring again in no time. Jareid loved to have Tygra content and relaxed with him, but he was worried about the youth’s health.
“Maybe you caught a stomach bug?”
Tygra sighed and barely shook his head.
“Don’t think so… My stomach just feels funny on the mornings. I’m not throwing up, or have any other problems.”
“And the fever spells?”
“They only happened twice. Ben says that they are an effect of the hormones. Though he also says that I shouldn’t have them. I think I’m confusing him as hell.”
“Well, he better know how to fix it.”
“Don’t be mad with Ben. He’s helping me so much.”
“I know.” He kissed Tygra’s forehead tenderly. “I just worry about you. A mate does that.”
“You exaggerate when you worry. That’s not good.”
“Let me be.” Jareid tightened his hold a little and Tygra moaned. “I finally have you. I’m not letting you go for anything.”
The tiger sighed and rubbed his stomach absently, thinking about a cub that he might never have. Suddenly a sob escaped him, and Jareid looked down at him in alarm.
“Tygra? What’s wrong?”
The teen sniffed, pretty much embarrassed now.
“I… I don’t know, I just… feel so weird… Jareid, what if I can’t have a cub? What happens then?”
Jareid moved and took Tygra’s head into his hands, looking directly at the brilliant brown eyes.
“You’re scared.”
Tygra gulped. He couldn’t say anything, he just pressed his lips and tried to get himself under control. Jareid kissed him desperately and then held him tightly against the broader chest.
“You belong with me. I’d never allow anyone to take you away!”
Tygra couldn’t suppress a sob. He didn’t know why he was suddenly so afraid to be sent back to Thundera. To a family and a kingdom that would be disappointed in him. To be his brother’s shadow again. Jareid kissed his head and his hold became almost desperate.
“Just try it this one more time. Just one more time. If it doesn’t make it, I’d get a carrier for us. I promise.” Saixa was right after all. It didn’t matter who got to carry the cub. Only that it was theirs.
Tygra nodded. No turning back. Jareid was his family now. Whether he had wanted it or not. And he had realized that he didn’t want his efforts to be for nothing. He had struggled long enough to fit with Jareid. They were not changing the rules on him now.
&&&&&&&
Tygra sat on the examination table while Bengali frowned at his results for the hormone profile. The white tiger didn’t look happy and Tygra was getting worried.
“You told me that you’re waking up because your stomach feels uncomfortable?”
“More like I want to be sick. But I never actually throw up. It’s just the sensation.”
Bengali sighed and put the results down.
“You have pregnancy hormones in your bloodstream.” He confessed bluntly. Tygra blinked at him in astonishment.
“Sorry?”
“You have the hormone profile of someone pregnant. I waited for the week to pass because I thought that there could be something wrong with the machine. It has been a while since the last maintenance for the equipment. But the results haven’t changed.”
Tygra looked owlishly at his friend. He didn’t know what to feel.
“… But… How? I mean… You ‘cleaned’ me up the last time. You said I had nothing left inside me.”
“We didn’t ‘clean’ you up. We didn’t cut your navel open and scrubbed your insides meticulously! We only provided the channel that your body lacks, so the blood that was pooling in your womb could be drained. We used the scanner to be sure that all the liquid was gone, but we didn’t disturb the womb anymore than that.”
Tygra fidgeted nervously on his seat.
“So… what does it means?”
“You are producing pregnancy hormones, so one of the embryos must have implanted after all. We should verify with the scanner, but at this stage it’d be difficult to see if it’s in fact developing, as it should, or just growing in size and not really differentiating. There’s still the chance that your body is playing tricks with us.”
Tygra bit his lips and his hands went to cover his belly.
“But the lining was shed. If I were a female I would have menstruated. Isn’t that harmful for the… embryo?” He resisted the urge to say cub. Bengali sounded as if he still doubted the results. The shaman shook his head.
“It’s a possibility, but it does happen on occasion. Some females still have their cycle, even pregnant. Though it’s very rare. I think the reason why your womb wouldn’t stabilize was that you were under a lot of pressure, and we never stopped giving you the hormones. We should have given you more time to adjust, but Xiar wanted to hurry. Baal has been very insistent and that puts the High Shaman on edge.”
Tygra nodded and started rubbing circles on his stomach.
“So… what now?”
Ben smiled reassuringly at him.
“We have to confirm that there is in fact a developing embryo inside you. Let’s wait until the six weeks are over, so we’d have a better chance to distinguish how’s it doing. It should be a foetus already.”
Tygra felt calmer and smiled. Bengali patted his back.
“It’s going to be fine. You’d see. Do you want to call Jareid?”
Tygra’s eyes widened and he shook his head.
“No, I… Maybe we should wait? Just until you can confirm with the scanner?”
“Is there something wrong?” Ben asked, one eyebrow rose in concern.
“No, just… Well, Jareid is worried about me, and I think he wants this to work so much more than me. I don’t want to give him false hopes. Besides, I’m doing the normal training. He’s going to flip if he realizes I could have been pregnant all this time!”
“Oh, yes. The training. That could be a problem. Fortunately there hadn’t been any bad incidents.”
Bengali sighed, and thought about the jaguar prince. Jareid was going to be over the moon if Tygra was indeed pregnant, but that meant that he also was going to be fastidiously overprotective. Even more than he already was. There was also the fact that Tygra was going to have to be more careful with his activities. Exercise was good, but the hunter’s training was exhaustive.
“We won’t tell anyone for now. In only two weeks the High Shaman is going to order to take your studies again before we start with the hormones. I’d tell him my suspicions then and we’d do the scan to confirm them.”
“Ok.”
“Until then though, I’m afraid that you’d have to leave training.”
Tygra’s ears went down.
“Do I have to? I’m feeling fine.”
“I don’t doubt it. Further more, I believe that going back to your routine helped to relax you. But a male pregnancy is always a high risk one, and we shouldn’t take any chances.”
Tygra sighed and rubbed his navel. He couldn’t deny that he had experienced some nuisances during training.
“Jareid is going to ask what’s wrong. What if I just join them to watch and do some exercise? They have been acting protectively around me anyway, and they won’t let me do anything exhausting.”
“Really? I suppose their instinct is calling to them. But it has to be very light exercise Tygra! You are to stop the moment you feel any discomfort and come to tell me, ok?”
Tygra nodded. If there really was a cub inside him, he was responsible for its well-being. He couldn’t go around endangering his own cub. Both tigers went out of the clinic, so Bengali could inform Lieutenant Kab about what exactly Tygra should and shouldn’t do in training.
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A Tale of Jaguars