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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
- 15
- 16
- 17
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 note: I have a lot of work, and writter's block to top it, but I'd try to get this through. Thanks for the reviews!
CHAPTER 16. Complications Along the Way.

Tygra was at his desk with a barrage of papers and books scattered in front of him. Lion-O was on the small table in the sitting area, studying, and Snarf was napping on the puff, beside the window. Both brothers were focused on their assignments while listening to the light rain outside. Tygra finished a comment on a chapter about the use of different weapons in hunting, and stretched.
His routine had changed a bit. He went down to do exercise in the mornings, constricting himself to the movements outlined by Ben, after that he had his prescribed breakfast. He was taking extra vitamins and other supplements with each meal, though his consumption of carbohydrates had increased. He craved sweets and Jareid had ensured that he always had candy fruit and a pot of honey in their rooms. After breakfast he had classes with his tutors, and then he took lunch. After that, he had a couple of hours of study time, Lion-O often joined him for those, and then the lion ran to his training, while Tygra went to help Jareid with his duties or joined Xilara for hers. The queen supervised the cultural and educational needs of the kingdom, and Tygra was starting to learn how to do it, as it’d be part of his own obligations one day.
Some days he received Saixa’s visit and they talked about politics or play. She had taught him and Lion-O how to use the video-console to play different games. The lion had been miffed that no one had shown it to him before then. Tygra had been amused and had reminded his brother that his friends preferred to play with hover-boards or explore the jungle. Lion-O had shrugged and insisted that even so, someone should have mentioned video games to him.
Tygra sighed and looked out the window to the gray sky. It had been a relatively quiet month. Apart from Jareid trying, and failing, to lock him in their rooms, he had had no other problems. He had been worried about Saixa’s reaction, but once things had been cleared and Jareid had calmed down, the jaguaress had been back to stalk him as if nothing had happened.
She had said that it’d be fine to be their nursemaid. She got to increase her breast’s size without loosing her figure. It would almost be the same as being a part-time consort. If Jareid demanded her to attend to his cubs constantly, her family would stop pestering her to find a mate, at least for a while. She hoped that it’d be long enough for any possible suitor to look somewhere else. There were only five families higher in social rank than Saixa’s; two of them were already out of the question due the first having a five year old as a male heir, and the second for having only females as heirs. Saixa was not adverse to a female mate, but her family was, so they won’t be supporting her if she chose to mate another female. There were other two families that had male heirs around Saixa’s age, but both were utterly stupid and arrogant, and Saixa would sooner die than mate to any of them. Finally there was the royal family, but Jareid had simply ceased to be an option. So, Saixa was left without real choices. She was going to try and postpone mating as long as she could. Hopefully until her family accepted her to represent them in the council, or risk loosing their standing in court.
Tygra knew that she was still harbouring hope that Jareid would change his mind and accept her as consort, but the tiger thought that it was unlikely to happen. Jareid was set on the image of the perfect family, and it didn’t include a consort. That the cat had accepted a nursemaid had been practically a miracle.
Tygra sighed, thinking about his female friend. Maybe they could help Saixa in some other way. He knew that she wasn’t against the idea of mating, what she didn’t want was to be relegated to the role of a pretty accessory. Something to keep in the house and nothing more. The ladies of the court didn’t have any occupation apart from gossiping. It was very rare that a noble female was allowed to pursue a career or have an actual job, even if they had studied for one. Only the queen was expected to ever put in practice what she had learned from the books, or the rare occasions when a family was left without male heirs. Besides those exceptions, a noble female was little more than a pretty ornament for the house. Tygra lamented that situation. Saixa could have been an excellent politician. Things were not so different in Thundera. There too it was rare to find a noble lady that knew anything besides the latest fashion. He thought about Cheetara and her determination to become a cleric. Granted, Cheetara wasn’t of noble birth, but she had had more personality than the rest of the females in the palace.
Tygra reclined on his chair. He was getting nostalgic. He put a hand on his belly and closed his eyes briefly. He wasn’t showing much yet. He rather looked like he was gaining weight. He’d get bigger on the last two months. His two cubs still didn’t have a name, despite Jareid proposing at least four each day, but he knew that they both were males. Ben had prepared the embryos specifically to be males. Tygra didn’t know how he had done it, but he had decided not to ask too much about the procedure. He didn’t want to start thinking about his cubs in a cold-detached way. They were his cubs now, and he was going to give them the kind of love any parent would give to his/her offspring. Lion-O noticed his pensive state and walked over to him.
“Are you feeling ok, Tygra?” He asked. A bit of worry was shown in his eyes. He was still aghast over the thought of his brother being forced to have two cubs. He had been feeling guilty, thinking that he had not showed enough support to Tygra, and was trying to compensate spending with him as much time as he could.
Tygra smiled at his little brother and stretched lazily.
“I’m fine Lion-O. Don’t worry.”
He assessed the look on the young lion’s face and sighed.
“And stop feeling guilty. It was my decision to try the pregnancy. Granted, I haven’t been expecting twins, but no one really planed for this to happen. It was an oddity. No one is at fault.”
Lion-O nodded unhappily. He had been hoping that Tygra was happy enough with Jareid to want to stay in Ix-Maal. He had felt very selfish. Tygra grabbed his hands and made him look directly at the brown eyes.
“I’m doing this for my sake, Lion-O. I decided to stay here. I decided to have my own family. I know that you love this place, and it’s fine. I was thinking in you too, but the decision was still mine.”
Lion-O nodded again and hugged his brother’s neck. Tygra hugged his little brother back and messed the red mane playfully.
“Did you finish your study?”
“Yes. I have a test tomorrow, but I think I’m ready.”
“Good. I whish I could have seen Jaga’s face when he received your notes. I bet he fainted!”
“Hey! I wasn’t that bad before!”
Tygra lifted an eyebrow and Lion-O blushed.
“Fine. I didn’t like to study. But it was really pointless. No one was really expecting me to do better than you.”
Tygra huffed in irritation at their past tutors, and patted Lion-O’s shoulder.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. You are much better, and I’m very proud of you. I bet father is too.”
Lion-O smiled and looked to the window. The rain had stopped and incipient rays of sunshine were getting through the clouds. It was going to get hot.
“I suppose I should head into the courtyard. I don’t want to be late for training.”
“Go on tyke. Have fun.”
I don’t really want to leave you alone.” Lion-O looked worriedly at his brother for a moment.
Tygra rolled his eyes. He hadn’t had any problems save the occasional slight pain in his abdomen when he tried to do more exercise than he was supposed to. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to be following his every move, and there was the tacit agreement to not leave him alone for long periods of time. Really. This pregnancy thing was turning everyone paranoid!
“Don’t start channelling Jareid! I’m fine. I’m not going to suddenly disappear, I swear!”
“But what if you have a problem?”
“Listen Lion-O, I’m not incapacitated. Neither have I suddenly forgot how to use a communicator. I haven’t loose the ability to take care of myself!”
Lion-O looked chastised.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t take out of my head that Bengali said that you have to be careful, and that it was like having a high risk pregnancy for you, I… I’m just remembering mom, I guess.”
Tygra’s gesture softened. When Lion-O had been five, their governess had told him that his mother had died for him to be born, in a misguided effort to make him behave and sit still for his writing lesson. Lion-O had gotten the impression that he somehow had killed his mother, and he had cried inconsolably until Jaga had managed to make him understand what a high risk pregnancy was, and how it was not the cub’s fault if his/her mother was of “weak” constitution. His mother had decided to have him, and had loved him enough to disregard the danger to her own health. She had died because the healers hadn’t been able to help her, not because he had killed her. Still, Lion-O had felt very bad, and now feared that his brother would have the same problems their mother had had. What if the Shamans couldn’t help him either? Tygra grabbed his brother’s shoulders and tried to reassure him.
“Don’t worry Lion-O. I’m going to be fine. I’m taking every precaution Bengali has told me. Jareid is ensuring that I move as little as possible!”
He chuckled and Lion-O smiled again.
“I’m being careful Lion-O. I swear.”
Lion-O sighed and nodded in acceptance. He knew that his brother was strong and was been taken care of, but he couldn’t stop worrying. He hugged his brother goodbye and ran to his training, promising to return later.
Tygra watched him go and then sighed and leaned back on his comfortable chair. He still had some time before Jareid arrived to his private study to finish paperwork. He better enjoyed his moment of solitude before his mate arrived and started to fuzz over him. Really, the worst part of been pregnant was to have to put on with the cats hovering around him, wanting to keep him from moving a finger and annoying him in the process.
&&&&&&&
About the time that Tygra was finishing his homework, Sarai and Saixa walked to Mai’s room, talking amiably. Sarai was Mai’s assigned healer for the moment, but the girl was getting tired of the “lady’s” attitude. Mai insisted that she must be treated as the queen, and abused Sarai verbally every day. She also insisted to see Jareid and accused Sarai of keeping the prince from her.
The two servants assigned to her were also getting tired of her complaints and demands. To the point that one of them had uncovered the fact that Tygra was pregnant. The poor servant had expected to disabuse Mai of the idea that she would be the queen, but all she got was to be called a liar, and an enraged Lady Mai who refused to eat until she saw Jareid. She had had to be restrained twice when she had tried to attack Sarai. Xiar had said that she was in danger to loose the cub.
Baal had been willing to let things progress along. If there was no longer a cub, the problem was solved. Unfortunately for him, Xilara was also aware of the situation and she had put her foot down. As much as Baal and Jareid despised the fact, that cub was of royal blood, and was to be considered family. She was not going to condone any action, or inaction, that could result in the loss of a cub. So, Baal better resolve the situation fast, or she would!
Sarai and Saixa arrived to the room, and the female shaman opened the door, ready to defend herself if need be. Saixa was there as backup, though she wasn’t sure of how much help she could be. The High Shaman was going to test Mai to confirm the cub’s paternity and the royal family would be there, Jareid included. Saixa thought it was a very bad idea, but the point of all this was that Mai calmed down, and the only way she was going to do so was to see Jareid and that the prince spoke to her directly. Saixa wondered if Jareid was going to be able to put his anger under control long enough to cooperate and not made things worse.
Fortunately, Mai was not in the mood to attack the two women as soon as they entered the room. She was looking out the window and pretended to ignore her two visitors, believing they were the servants with her meal.
“Lady Mai, you should sit down comfortably.” Said Sarai pleasantly enough. The female snarled.
“I told you, I’m not eating until I talk to Jareid. So, you better take whatever you’d brought out!”
“Wow. I see you have the outraged princess act down to a peg.”
Mai turned around in surprise and then growled at Saixa.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came as witness. My family is part of the council and I can testify that you are well-treated and that if anything happens to you, or the cub you’re carrying, it’d be your own fault.”
“What?! That’s outrageous! You filthy wench!”
She stalked towards Saixa, trying to intimidate her, but the other female was unmoved. Saixa did feel the pull of Mai’s hormones, urging her to soothe the pregnant female, but she ignored it.
“You wish you were in my place! And you’re trying to sabotage me! Oh, but when Jareid listens about this…!”
“Please, don’t make me laugh! In your place? Everyone knows what you did, Mai! Seriously! I wonder who was stupid enough to help you! Did you actually think that Jareid was going to accept that cub after you stole those samples?”
Mai glared daggers at Saixa.
“It’s his cub! His heir! He’ll accept it as soon as he’s convinced that it’s his!”
“Yeah, well, seeing that Tygra is pregnant, this cub is not the heir. Baal would not care if you loose it, and frankly you’re making it too easy for him.”
Mai stood gaping in shock at her fellow courtesan. She hadn’t believed the servant when Tygra’s pregnancy had been mentioned. Saixa gave a look around the room.
“You’re being treated pretty well for the little thief you are. I see they even gave you Jareid’s recorder. You can’t say you’re not taken care of.”
“It’s… It’s a lie! That brat can’t be pregnant!”
“You better believe he is. To be frank, I think you should be grateful that he is, after all. I don’t doubt that the king would have found the way to dispose of you if he thought that you were going to cause problems.”
“He can’t get rid of me, or my cub! The law…”
“Oh, please! How many times he has stretched the law to accommodate Jareid, or simply ignore it? Do you really think you’d be an exception? Just look at yourself now! The entire court knows you’re a thief!”
“You’re lying! Every single one of you is lying! You’re not telling Jareid the truth! I have rights, and I demand to see him!”
“Well, you’re gonna have your chance after all.” Saixa said with a suffering sigh. “That’s the reason I’m here anyway.”
Mai narrowed her eyes and looked suspiciously first at Saixa and then towards Sarai, who she had ignored until then, and back again.
“What do you mean?”
Saixa shrugged noncommittally and adopted a bored posture.
“Well, Jareid and the council want to be certain of the cub’s paternity, and Baal has required the High Shaman to do the test, maybe a scan too. They should be here soon.”
Mai gritted her teeth and growled. How dare they to doubt her word!
“They’re not touching me! I’m not allowing any test until I see Jareid!”
“Oh, don’t worry. He’d be here. He wants to see the test done himself. He’s getting paranoid. And I don’t think he’d be pleased with the way you’re endangering his supposed cub’s life.”
“What? Me? You dare! What have you lot told him? I’d never endanger this cub!”
“Oh, please Mai! Are you daft? You’re throwing tantrums! Refusing to eat! And you’re not taking the vitamins or any of the other things that the High Shaman has instructed you to! You tried to attack your assigned healer! That’s a lot of stress for an unborn cub; you are close to loose it! But maybe it’s for the best, after all, with Tygra pregnant, this cub is more a liability than anything. As I told you before, Baal would be only too pleased to see it gone.”
Mai was speechless. She clenched her fists and was about to demand Saixa to leave when the door opened once more and Bengali entered pushing a cart with the required equipment and supplies to conduct the tests. Sarai hurried to help him.
“Hello everyone. Lady Mai, if you’d be so kind as to make yourself comfortable on the divan, please?”
Behind Bengali entered Myron, as well as the High Shaman and the royal family. Mai’s eyes focused immediately on Jareid, noticing with pleasure that Tygra was absent. The jaguar prince was carrying his little sister and avoided to look Mai’s way. Yeana was asking questions about what Bengali was doing and the prince was dutifully answering. The shamans were ready in short minutes and Baal gave a suffering sigh.
“Well, let’s get this over with.”
Xiar proceeded with the test. Jareid was not sure why they were doing all this. Apparently they wanted to convince Mai that he was aware of the cub’s paternity and of her whereabouts, but he didn’t see the point. Why not let her loose the cub? It’d be easier and better for everyone!
He looked around the room in contempt and his eyes stopped on his mother. He sighed. Neither Xilara, nor Tygra, would allow them to simply sit back and let the cub be lost. Their personal history made them especially sensitive about cubs, and they were not about to purposely lead someone to miscarriage.
Jareid looked towards the point where Bengali was trying to convince Mai that the medical equipment had not been tampered with. The prince gritted his teeth in irritation and tried to focus on the screen of the scanner’s computer rather than in the female being tested. He had agreed to this charade to keep Tygra happy, nothing more.
Eventually, Bengali managed to get Mai to cooperate and Xiar could take a sample of her placental liquid to run in one of the machines. While they waited for the results, Ben ran an ultrasound, so they could see the developing foetus. Yeana listened mesmerized to Ben as he explained what exactly the screen was showing. Jareid had a hard time feigning interest. All he could see was an amorphous blotch that looked to him more like a squashed lizard than a cub.
Finally, Xiar had the results of the paternity test, and announced what everyone already knew. The cub was indeed Jareid’s.
Mai looked expectantly at the prince, but all she got was a stiff nod. She tried to approach him, but Saixa and Sarai put themselves on the way. Jareid was supposed to say something to Mai, but he really didn’t know what to say that wasn’t an insult. Besides, he was sure that the first thing to come out of his mouth would be a growl. Still, he had to say something. All this ruse was to eliminate the stress to the cub and to keep Mai calm and relatively happy until she gave birth.
The female started to grow distressed and babble about how this cub was proof of her undying love and how they would raise it together. Jareid clenched his jaw shut in an effort to not roar at her. Yeana noticed his growing anger, and clung to his neck. She kissed her big brother’s cheek and mumbled at his ear what to say. Jareid bit his tongue hard and managed to remain collected and repeat what his sister was telling him, through clenched teeth.
“I’m sure it’d be a precious cub. I’m looking forwards hugging it.” The words, even if pronounced coldly, made Mai grin and preen.
“You’ll love him Jareid! You’d see that he’d be so much better than any other cub! You don’t need the tiger. He and his offspring can go back to Thundera, where he belongs!”
Saixa noticed that Jareid was about to snap, and willed Mai to shut up. All the cats present were there not only as witnesses, they also had hoped to provide some form of barrier between Jareid and Mai. That was also the reason why Yeana was present. Besides Tygra, only the little kit had any hope to keep Jareid grounded. The prince would try harder to rein on his impulses in front of his little sister. Tygra would have been better, but no one really wanted to put the tiger in such a stressful situation. Besides, if Mai committed the stupidity of attacking Tygra in any way, she’d be dead before anyone could do anything.
Jareid’s ears were starting to buzz. The little whore! How dare she! Just wait ‘till the cub was out of her, then he was going to crack her skull! Laws be damned! Jareid wanted to yell. Still, he somehow managed to speak, a bit strained but clear enough.
“I’m sure it’d be so. As long as you follow the Shaman’s instructions.”
“Of course my love. As you wish.” Mai threw a cursory glance around her and sneered. “Are we going to have some privacy…?”
The collective “No!” that answered her made her jump in surprise. She puffed indignantly and was about to complaint, but Bengali beat her to it.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate. You’re not even a consort!”
“And my son still has a mate. Until your situation is cleared, he’s not going to dismiss his obligations in your favour!”
Besides, Jareid would not be able to stop himself from hurting her if they left them alone. The prince glared daggers at everyone, knowing quite well that they didn’t trust him to behave and do the right thing if no one was there to supervise him. But as he really had no ground to refute them, he only huffed and turned around to leave. Yeana hurriedly told him something else and he paused at the door, half turning to glance at Mai.
“I do hope you can avoid unnecessary risks for my cub. You’d be safer staying here.”
Mai nodded enthusiastically. Jareid was surely thinking about what the tiger could do to her. He was so considerate, thinking about her health!
Before she could say anything though, Jareid was gone. The rest of the cats followed him, leaving her alone again. She sat on an armchair and grinned to herself. She was a bit miffed that she hadn’t spoke to Jareid alone, but that was just a minor inconvenience. He had been there, and he was now certain that Mai had not cheated on him. She had feared that the shamans would change her results, but they had clearly preferred to please the prince. She was convinced that he would find the way to be alone with her, now that he wasn’t angry anymore.
Her hand trembled, and she touched her neck gingerly. She had been very scared by his reaction. She had never thought that he would be that angry with her for getting pregnant, but that just proved to her that he must love her and want her for himself. Who knew what the other courtesans had told him? Especially ones like Saixa, who was evidently jealous of her. Jareid’s actions had been perfectly justified; after all he had surely been under the delusion that she had betrayed him. It had been her own fault, she should have thought something to prevent him. What could he have thought, if there really hadn’t been any contact between them? She should have gone to him first!
Well, there was nothing to be done about that anymore. She’d only focus on having their cub. Who cared if the tiger was pregnant? They surely had done the impregnation in a hurry after she had announced her own condition. The tiger had more probability to miscarriage than her, and even if he managed to take the cub to term Mai’s was going to be pure jaguar. To her, it was evident which cub Jareid would choose.
She sighed and her eyes found the small recorder on her bedside table. She hadn’t even touched it, afraid that the shamans had put some kind of spell on it that would damage her cub. But Saixa had mentioned, very jealously in fact, that it was Jareid’s recorder. Mai’s eyes brightened. Jareid had thought about her! She grabbed the gadget and turned it on. A soft lullaby was heard and she smiled. The shamans wouldn’t dare to tamper with something that belonged to Jareid. Neither they would disobey him. She put the small device over her belly and relaxed a bit.
&&&&&&&&
Jareid had given Yeana over to their mother and had all but disappeared. Bengali had gone after him, worried that the prince would hurt the first cat to cross his path. The white tiger found his errant jaguar in one of the fencing rooms. He wouldn’t have even checked if not for the noise. Jareid had chosen the poor room to vent his frustration and anger, and was demolishing everything in it. Bengali flinched as a big showcase cabinet with photos and trophies was sent to the floor and broken loudly. Really. Couldn’t Jareid choose a room with less glass in it? Or swords?
Bengali was wary to approach the prince with the amount of weapons at hand’s reach. He waited until the jaguar calmed down at least at a manageable level. By then the entire floor was covered in glass and debris, the tapestries had been ripped out of the walls and some swords had ended up imbibed in some furniture and slashed paintings. Jareid was still visibly angry, but he had tired himself somewhat. Ben sighed and fully entered the room.
“Have you finished yet? The king is not going to be happy, after they had to technically redecorate your rooms.”
“Like I care! All of this is pure bullshit!”
He hit the closest wall and glared at the mess he had created. It would have felt more satisfying if there had been blood involved. Preferably Mai’s. Bengali stood at the jaguar’s side and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t go around picking fights now. Tygra needs you calm. You have to rein on your temper and think rationally.”
Jareid huffed and leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. He wasn’t used to reason his problems. He was too visceral for that. He just knew that Mai’s existence was annoying him, and he itched to just erase the annoyance.
“I’m not even sure of what I said to her! I don’t know how I managed to not even insult her!”
“Well, I think we can say that Yeana is a blessing. She can control you without even trying!”
Jareid chuckled, more relaxed now. His little sister had been his salvation at some point. She had him wrapped around her little finger. Her safety and well-being was only behind Tygra’s now.
The prince frowned, looking at the devastated room again. Mai really was an annoyance.
“Are you sure you can’t take the cub out of her and into someone else? That’d solve my problem quite nicely.”
“As amazing as biotechnology is, a pregnancy is better left alone. The potential damage to the cub and the mother is just too great.”
“Not very useful then.”
Bengali groaned. Everyone could dream about easy solutions to their problems. Jareid however, was affronted when those solutions failed to materialize immediately.
“I already told you what can be done. With the sample we obtained today, we can plan the necessary adjustments. The High Shaman says it’s safe to try.”
“Then do it! The less that cub has of the wench the better! If you can get her out of the cub’s genes completely do whatever you have to!”
“We’d do as much as we can. Just focus on Tygra. It’d be the best for everyone involved.”
Jareid smirked. Mai didn’t matter. She didn’t deserve to worry about more than strictly necessary. Tygra was the one that mattered. He was going to give Jareid two cubs, and needed the jaguar’s entire attention. Let others worry about the little wench. He was going in search of his tiger.
&&&&&&&&
The next day, late on the evening, Tygra was at the Palace’s entrance to the courtyard that served as landing platform for the ships. He was between Lion-O and Jareid, a step behind Baal and Xilara. They were all looking at the landing ship.
Tygra was a bit nervous. It had been time for the council meeting in Thundera, and Claudus was sending back the Cleric assigned to Lion-O. Baal had asked Tygra out of curiosity why he hadn’t been assigned his own clerical guard back in Thundera. Tygra had simply answered that he hadn’t been the heir. Baal had blinked, and then had asked why Lion-O was assigned a guard now and not since he had been born. Tygra had felt ashamed. His first impulse had been to answer that Jaga had taken care of his brother’s safety, but that was not entirely truth. Jaga was Claudus’ guard and counsellor. The tiger had bitten his lip and had told Baal that Lion-O hadn’t been considered to need a personal guard because the lion cub was not allowed outside of the castle. He had not been ready to accept that he himself had always been considered some kind of guard for his brother. Baal had dropped the matter, but Tygra had been left with the impression that the king knew what he hadn’t wanted to say anyway.
Claudus had gotten in touch via the communicator before hand, announcing that he had chosen the cleric that would go to Ix-Maal. Lion-O had been there, and had protested that he didn’t need a guard, but of course Claudus hadn’t paid him attention. The old lion was very impressed at his son’s progress in his studies, but nevertheless had insisted on the convenience of providing him with a Thunderian guide. Lion-O had felt slighted in some way and now was waiting along the rest of the royal family, muttering under his breath. He really couldn’t see why so much insistence on Claudus’ part. It wasn’t as if any Cleric, besides Jaga, had ever been willing to teach Lion-O anything.
Tygra glanced at his brother and sighed. In a way, Lion-O had been a neglected cub, and he was now resenting his fathers’ apparent lack of trust in him. The tiger however was convinced that Claudus was sending the Cleric with the goal to have a reliable informant, now that he knew how to use a communicator. His father wanted to know what was happening, and to be sure that there’d be no foul play with the terms of the treaty.
He put a hand over his belly in nervousness. The tunic he was wearing hid his barely protruding stomach quite well. Once they met the cleric, they’d decide the better way to make him or her aware of the pregnancy. Tygra was not sure if that was a good idea. He couldn’t help asking himself what was going to be the cleric’s reaction. Would Claudus’ emissary try to eliminate whatever perceived obstacle for Tygra to return to Thundera? Would he or she dare?
Jareid put a hand on Tygra’s lower back and the teen gulped and lowered his arm. He had to keep calm. He didn’t want to attract more attention to himself than necessary.
Finally, the doors of the ship opened and its passengers went out. The First counsellor, Kaleb, greeted his king and the Royal Family, presenting the young cleric at his side. The cleric took off the hood that had been over the head until then, and greeted the king formally. Jareid lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, not very sure if a female cheetah, that evidently had not yet reached majority, could be a good guard. Baal narrowed his eyes, conveying his scepticism too. Kaleb explained that she was one of the most advanced apprentices and that Claudus had considered her the best option to keep Lion-O company without posing much of a threat to the other residents of the castle.
Baal showed his teeth in contempt, wondering about Claudus’ real motive to send this particular cleric. His answer though was given quickly. As soon as the female diverted her attention to the two Thunderian princes to present herself, Baal also turned to them, wanting to gauge their reaction. He cursed under his breath and gritted his teeth. Lion-O greeted the cleric politely. His face was still in a pout, crossed that she was there at all. But Tygra…
The young tiger was very pale and his eyes were wide and fearful. He nodded stiffly to the female without opening his mouth. Jareid noticed his mate’s change and put a hand around his waist in concern. The cleric also noticed something wrong and raised a delicate eyebrow in question.
“Prince Tygra?”
“Cheetara…”
&&&&&&&&
Baal was positively fuming. That conniving lion!
It was evident to him that Tygra knew the cheetah and possibly had had some sort of relationship with her. The tiger had been pretty much scared to see her in front of him! That was not good. They didn’t need any more problems in the condition the tiger was.
Fortunately there hadn’t been any incidents earlier in the courtyard. As soon as Jareid had smelled Tygra’s fear and noticed his pallor, he had assumed that the tiger was not feeling well and with barely an excuse us had turned around and taken his mate inside the castle. Bengali had followed them and Xiar had taken over, presenting himself to the young cleric and assuring her that the prince was fine, he had just not been feeling very well for a few days. The cheetah had not commented, preferring to let protocol follow through and then follow her young charge to start to get acquainted with him.
She didn’t look like the sort to cause troubles, but still Baal had given the order to watch her closely. He was wondering what ulterior motives Claudus could have in sending her. Perhaps it would be better if he banished Tygra from seeing her. Although, if the cleric had orders to talk with the tiger prince directly, she might look for a way to do so and cause a different set of troubles.
He needed to know what had been her relation to Tygra. After that, he would see the best way to keep her interference at a minimum. He just hoped he didn’t have another Mai in the making.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra was mortified. He had allowed Jareid to pull him from the courtyard believing they were headed to their rooms. Instead, the jaguar had taken him directly to the shamans’ wing with Bengali close behind them. The white tiger was checking him up to make sure that everything was in order, while Tygra tried had a round with his mate.
“Really, I’m fine! Why must you always exaggerate?”
“You were scared and very pale Tygra! I was not about to risk you passing out!”
Tygra groaned and put a hand over his face. Maybe he had overreacted out there. He should feel lucky that Jareid had not related his sudden fear to Cheetara’s presence. But why in the three moons did his father have to send her? It was not fair!
“I wouldn’t have passed out.” He said morosely. Ben chuckled.
“You should know better than to feel dizzy in front of an overprotective mate, Tygra. Especially when you’re pregnant.”
Tygra pouted and Ben finished to take the lecture with the special scanner.
“Well, it seems like nothing is wrong.”
“See? Can we go now?”
Jareid put his arms around his tiger’s waist and nuzzled his ear. Tygra blushed. The attention was good, but why in front of Bengali?
Then, without warning, Jareid moved one arm under Tygra’s knees and lifted the tiger, bride style.
“Jareid! Please, this is not necessary!”
“You’re not feeling well, Tygra! Perhaps you’re tired, you better not do any more effort today.”
Tygra growled in embarrassment. He was not tired! He wasn’t that weak! But what else could he tell Jareid? He certainly didn’t want the jaguar to know that he had been shocked to see Cheetara there! His mate would made questions and would want to know exactly why he had had such a strong reaction to the cheetah’s presence. Tygra didn’t want Jareid to know that he used to have a big crush on the cleric. The spirits know what the jaguar would do!
“It was just a dizziness spell.” He grumbled quietly. Jareid chuckled and kissed his temple.
“You don’t have to be strong all the time, Tygra. Let me care for you.”
Tygra gave a suffering sigh and reclined his head on Jareid’s shoulder. Thankfully it was already dusk, so he won’t have to get out of his room until next morning.
&&&&&&&
For the next few days, Tygra decided that the best course of action was avoiding his friend. He did his morning exercises in the bedroom, and had his meals taken to his own study, saying that he wanted to do some research to present a project to his tutors. For the same reason, he had to cut his time with Lion-O short, and was glad to know that Bengali was using their study hour to show Cheetara around and introduce her to some of the traditions and the technology.
The tiger wondered about the fact that everyone was being very accommodating to his sudden wish to stay in his rooms. He had expected Jareid to be happy with his change of heart, but even Lion-O was not questioning his reclusive mood. That was odd, but he decided that he wasn’t going to complain about it.
He didn’t know that Baal had ordered everyone to facilitate things for him, so he didn’t have to meet the cleric if he didn’t want to. Lion-O had agreed to cooperate because he had noticed Tygra’s weird reaction when Cheetara had arrived, and had asked the cheetah about it. Cheetara had told him that she had met his brother a few years ago, and that the tiger prince used to sneak in to the clerisy building to see her. Lion-O had guessed that Tygra feared his own reaction if he spent too much time with Cheetara. It would be a stressful situation, and the tiger shouldn’t have to deal with it on top of everything else. It was also dangerous for the cheetah, even if she didn’t know it. Lion-O was already very much aware of how possessive Jareid was of his brother. Keeping Cheetara away from the tiger was in the cheetah’s best interest.
Tygra decided to be grateful that no one was asking for explanations, and that they were letting him be. Jareid however, started to get suspicious. Tygra looked nervous, and was quite evidently hiding. He didn’t say anything, though he was miffed that his mate wouldn’t tell him what was wrong. He was just waiting for an adequate moment to confront his tiger. He didn’t want Tygra to feel more stressed, but he had to know what was happening to be able to help.
Tygra though, was feeling calmer after some days had passed by and Cheetara had not tried to look for him. He was starting to think that maybe he was exaggerating, but he didn’t want to confront his old friend yet. Then, on the sixth day, it was Yeana’s birthday, and Tygra had to leave his self-imposed reclusion to attend the party. It was nothing as grand and noisy as a mating ceremony, but it still included a lot of the noble families congregating and taking the chance to have a better look at the tiger. Thankfully, the fact that Cheetara was there was keeping the gossip to a minimum, as everyone was still wary of her presence.
She still hadn’t been told about Tygra’s pregnancy. Baal wanted to make sure first that she won’t jeopardize it. He wanted to know what exactly she was instructed to do in regards to Tygra and act in consequence. So far she had still to make any attempt to talk to the tiger prince, but the young tiger had been hiding shamelessly in his rooms, thus making a meeting quite difficult. The party would provide her an opening, and Baal was sure that she’d use it. He had her watched. He knew he couldn’t really stop her from talking to Tygra, but he’d intervene the moment it looked like she was doing more than just talk.
Tygra on his part was technically glued to Jareid’s side. The party was held in one of the ballrooms that had been adapted for the kits to play. Yeana was running around, followed by a bunch of overly energetic kittens and preteens, Lion-O included, trying every game that crossed their path. Tygra looked at them from his place at a table on the far side of the room. It was late afternoon, and they were just about to have the cake. He hadn’t seen Cheetara yet, but he was sure that she was around.
Jareid had one hand possessively on Tygra’s hip, and from time to time he caressed the tiger’s neck or the back of his head. Tygra was embarrassed at the display in front of so many people, but he didn’t dare to make Jareid stop. His show was at least keeping everyone at bay. So far only Saixa had been blunt enough to approach them, ignoring the growl that Jareid gave her. Bengali took the jaguaress away before she was hurt, and Tygra chuckled at Jareid’s affronted expression. He relaxed a bit after that and now his only worry was to stay clear of Cheetara.
They parted and ate the cake close to sunset. They barely finished before Yeana practically dragged Jareid to the centre of the room to help open her presents. Tygra was left alone after dismissing the look of worry that Jareid sent him with a wave of his hand. Then he moved to stand at one of the balconies’ doors so he could breath some fresh air and get apart from the commotion and noise for a while. He had spotted Cheetara once or twice, sometimes with Xiao, and others talking to a few of the court ladies. Tygra shuddered to think what the courtesans could have told her. Maybe he should talk to her. He was considering what could be the best course of action when a delicate hand touched his arm, and he jumped.
He turned to look at Cheetara directly at his side. He gulped in nervousness. The vibrant red-tinted eyes were as bright as he remembered, and she had put a Day Astrid in her hair. Tygra couldn’t help but stare at her. She was still beautiful.
“Cheetara.”
“Hello prince Tygra. I’ve wanted to talk to you for some days now.”
Tygra bit his lip and looked awkwardly towards the circle of cats at the other side of the room. Jareid was hidden from sight, and apparently no one was paying attention to them. Cheetara followed his line of view and frowned. She had already heard enough gossip about the jaguar prince to start to dislike him. Though she really wasn’t one to let gossip influence her opinion, some of the things she had heard were very disturbing. The fact that Tygra seemed to be confined to somewhere inside the palace was doing nothing to improve her initial assessment of the situation.
“Tygra, I need to know, is the jaguar prince abusing you?”
“Wha…?”
The question took Tygra by surprise, and he turned to look incredulously at the cheetah. The cleric’s eyes widened when she caught sight of the angry bite at the tiger’s neck. It was the first time she had seen it. The day she had arrived, Tygra had been wearing a high collared tunic, which had covered the mark quite well. Now, it was on the open, and it looked painful. Tygra noticed where her eyes were focusing and quickly covered his mark with one hand.
“No! Listen Chee, this looks a lot worse than it is…”
“Really?” Cheetara crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow to him. “Tell me then, why I haven’t seen you around the palace? Don’t tell me that you are willingly staying locked in a room, Tygra. You’re not like that! You love the activity and to be outdoors. He is forcing you to stay secluded in his rooms, is he not? Why are you allowing it?”
Tygra clenched his fists in helplessness. What could he say? He couldn’t explain to Cheetara what was really happening. He wasn’t sure of how to do it. What was she going to think about him?
“No! It’s not like that! Chee, I… I can’t explain it right now, but Jareid is not forcing me to do anything… Not really, he just tends to exaggerate a little, and some times he could be a bit aggressive, but that’s the way he is…”
“Tygra, are you trying to justify him?”
The tiger stopped short. He shook his head, but the look of sadness that Cheetara was giving him left him mute. Was she… pitying him? Before he could think of something to tell her, Cheetara grabbed his arm gently and kissed his cheek.
“Emotional abuse can hurt more than the physical one. You have endured more than a year in this situation, Tygra.”
She took the Astrid from her hair and pushed it against Tygra’s open palm, then closed the male’s fingers over it.
“Please, don’t allow him to change what you are. He doesn’t have any right to do it, Tygra. Remember, you are a Thunderian prince. Remember your home, and the ones that love you. Those who are waiting for you to return to them.”
Tygra was speechless. Cheetara smiled to him and then turned away. Almost at the same time, Tygra felt a hand on his shoulder and Ben’s voice reached him through the daze he seemed immersed in.
“Tygra, are you allright?”
The young tiger blinked and gave a deep sigh. He turned to see Ben’s concerned face and smiled.
“I’m fine Ben. You were here the entire time, right?”
“Very close. Maybe I should have interrupted earlier?”
“No. It’s ok. I needed to talk to her sooner or later. There are still many things that I want to say.”
Been squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
“You have unfinished businesses with her.”
“That sounds like I’m about to die, Ben!”
Both tigers chuckled and the Shaman started to guide Tygra to find his mate.
“You know what I mean. She’s still your friend. You only need to explain and she’d understand.”
Tygra nodded. That was right. He needed to explain. Cheetara was assuming things and he had not cleared the situation. She was worried and she didn’t know the truth. She didn’t know many things.
Why then, he felt as if he wanted to cry?
&&&&&&&&
That night, Tygra sat on the bed, his legs folded and his crossed arms leaning on his knees, waiting for Jareid to join him.
The jaguar was tense. Bengali had told him that Cheetara had had a few words with Tygra and had suggested to take the tiger away and reassure him. Tygra scoffed and bit his thumb in nervousness. Sometimes Bengali forgot that Jareid was pants at reassurances. Jareid hadn’t said a word to him other than to get ready for bed. It was evident that he was angry, and trying his damnest to not let it go on Tygra.
The tiger was not sure of what to do. Cheetara’s words kept replaying themselves in his head, and he was aghast that they had cut too deep into his being. He sighed and tried to tell himself that she didn’t really know what was happening. She hadn’t been there, she couldn’t know how it had been for him. But her words, and the feeling behind them, refused to go away.
Jareid’s touch interrupted his flow of thoughts. The jaguar prince grabbed the back of Tygra’s neck and pulled slightly to make him stop biting his thumb and look at his mate. His very possessive mate that caressed his cheek and kissed him. Tygra moaned and let Jareid move him and push him flat on the bed. He wriggled a little and opened his thighs as Jareid’s hands roamed freely along his body. Then the jaguar’s mouth trailed kisses all over his face and ended up biting his mark hard. Tygra moaned and lifted his legs in reflex. He almost chuckled. Bengali had told Jareid to reassure Tygra, and the jaguar was going about it the only way he knew how. The joy to have such a sex-driven mate.
Tygra relaxed and lie passively, letting Jareid to continue, but he sobered up when the jaguar’s erection brushed lightly against his navel. His legs tried to close and one of his hands covered his stomach protectively.
“J-Jareid… the cubs…”
“Don’t worry… they’d be fine…”
Tygra whimpered as his mate continued his ministrations to his body. He wanted to tell Jareid to stop, but he didn’t dare. He didn’t want to anger the dominant male. It was easier, and safer, to just let him do what he wanted. Nevertheless, he shivered in fear. Since they had confirmed his pregnancy, any penetration had been constricted to oral sex. Bengali had not forbidden them to have any kind of sexual activity, but he had stressed the point that Tygra couldn’t engage in any strenuous activity. Taking that into account, Jareid had toned down their sex-play and intercourse quite a bit, so Tygra wouldn’t have to over-exert himself. But this time, it seemed like Jareid was not going to content himself with just oral sex or mutual masturbation.
Tygra tensed as his mate’s fingers inserted themselves into his passage. Jareid continued kissing him and touching his pressure points, forcing him to relax as he prepared him.
“It’s allright Tygra… Don’t panic… You know I won’t hurt you…”
The tiger moaned loudly as Jareid’s fingers pressed the right spot and continued stimulating it. The teen started to let the pleasure fog his mind and he wriggled helplessly in Jareid’s arms. The jaguar smirked, satisfied that his mate was responding like he wanted. When he considered that his tiger was ready, he changed their positions and put Tygra in front of him, both lying on their left side. He held Tygra close with an arm around the teen’s chest while with his other hand he grabbed and lifted the tiger’s right leg. Tygra could feel his mate’s erection slowly entering him from behind and he grabbed Jareid’s arm, waiting for the hard thrusts that his mate preferred. However there was no violent movement. Jareid pushed until he was buried to the root inside Tygra and then stopped. He kissed and groomed the tiger’s head and his hand caressed and played with Tygra’s chest and navel.
The tiger was confused for a moment, but soon Jareid’s mouth, sucking and licking at his neck, distracted him and he moaned. Jareid started to move his hips then, back and forth in a slow, steady rhythm. Just in and out, in and out, slowly, carefully. His goal was just that Tygra felt him inside his body. He was aiming to comfort his mate, not the passionate, wild sex to bring them release and pleasure. Tygra started to purr. Jareid had never taken him like this before. The jaguar was too instinctual and aggressive for that. Now he was taking his time, his movements were gentle, almost loving. This was not fucking, it was something else, and Tygra never wanted it to stop. He grabbed his own erection and started to stroke, almost lazily, following his mate’s rhythm.
They lasted longer than they usually did. Tygra released first with a gasp and a loud moan. His inner walls clenched around Jareid’s erection and the jaguar bit the tiger’s mark possessively as he too came inside the warm, smaller body. His arms surrounded his mate completely in a bear hug, and held him tightly. Tygra groaned and then relaxed, cuddling contently in his mate’s arms. He could feel the jaguar’s shaft still inside him, and Jareid’s tongue licking and nuzzling his neck and head.
“Mine…” Jareid purred at Tygra’s ear. “My tiger… my mate…”
Tygra purred in answer and he let his eyes close. His thoughts stopped for the moment. He felt content and safe. It was all he needed.
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A Tale of Jaguars