Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

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
- 16
- 17
- 18
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: Sorry for the late update, too much work and family around here. The updates might be taking longer for a while, until I’m out of a job. Nevertheless, I won’t abandon this fic. I shall see it to the end.
Also, for Dragon77, sorry but no, the twins are not kit and kat, the wilykittens have their own family and Tygra is going to have two sons. I’m aiming to write Mumra’s attack, so they’d appear eventually.
Thanks for the reviews, they are always appreciated.

CHAPTER 17. Repercussions of a Secret.

Tygra woke up early in the morning, but he didn’t get up from the bed. One, because he was still half-asleep and lazy, and he didn’t want to move; and two, because Jareid’s tight embrace had not loosened in the least. He was trapped. The tiger wondered for a fleeting second if his mate was still sleeping. He sighed and decided that he could just lie there a bit longer.
However, now that he was awake, his mind started to work again. He groaned, wishing the treacherous thoughts away. It was no use. As sleep left his body, his thoughts regained clarity and Cheetara’s words made an appearance once more. Tygra bit his lower lip and tried to negate his friend’s assumptions. He had changed, that was right, but he felt he was entirely justified. He couldn’t have survived otherwise. He would have gone insane if he had not adapted. Still, the words kept repeating themselves. One in special was tormenting the tiger the most.
Tygra breathed Jareid’s scent, trying to calm himself. The tiger recalled painfully the first times that Jareid had put his hands on him. The very first time he had been claimed. There was no denying that there had been abuse then, but that was no longer the case. Right?
His hand moved to cover his lower abdomen, and caressed the bump that was barely there. He had convinced himself that having cubs had been the best option. He was carrying them because Jareid had wanted him to, but he could have pressed for them to find a carrier had he wished so.
He sighed and his sight wandered around what he could see of their room.
Their room.
His mind helpfully reminded him that it had taken a while for him to call the set of rooms theirs. He had moved into the wing at Jareid’s command. The jaguar had not even asked for permission. But at the time, Jareid had already claimed him, and considered him his mate, even without an official ceremony.
Tygra started to bit his lips. There were many little things that pointed to the fact that Jareid was ruling his life as the jaguar saw fit. His present state of nudity was just one more example of that. Jareid had said ‘prepare for bed’ and that meant ‘dispose of the clothes’ for him. It could be explained easily enough; after all, in the jungle the temperature didn’t drop as much at night as it had in Thundera. Sometimes it was really hot, even if it was raining. But Tygra knew that the real reason for him to not wear anything to bed was simply because Jareid enjoyed having him naked. The jaguar had told him directly that he didn’t like him wearing any clothes in bed. Tygra had just obeyed, but that was only reasonable, Jareid was his dominant! It was easier to let him dictate every little thing.
Tygra groaned in despair. He had just realized that he was doing the very same thing the rest of the jaguar clan had been doing for years! Let Jareid do what he wanted, because it was easier that way! He might be insane after all.
Jareid moved at his back and nibbled his ear.
“Don’t think too loud… I’m cuddling…”
The tiger groaned and nipped at Jareid’s arm.
“Whoever can think too loud? That’s impossible.”
“You can do it. Believe me, I can hear your brain cells working too hard!”
Tygra growled. He was not thinking too hard! He was just allowing depression slowly take hold of him, that was all!
Jareid licked his ear and put a hand over his smaller one on his stomach. Tygra relaxed. If there was one thing he was certain of, was that Jareid already loved their cubs. Jareid was the one going over names and things that the cubs would need. Tygra had no idea where the jaguar was stashing everything he had afforded so far, but Bengali looked aghast every time Tygra saw him after a visit to the nursery. A nursery that the youngest tiger had yet to visit himself.
Besides that, Jareid had been trying to be solicitous and cater to Tygra’s craves and moods. The teen considered that he hadn’t been really difficult. All that he asked was that the jaguar left him some space to breath! But no matter what Cheetara might think, Jareid was presently acting as a caring mate. There was just one tiny little thing that the tiger was starting to long for, despite telling himself that it was ridiculous.
Jareid turned him around and kissed his lips. Tygra made an effort to focus on the present and stop his senseless worrying over past things that had no fixing now. Jareid nuzzled his cheek and looked at him questioningly.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. My brain promises to work quietly.”
Jareid chuckled and kissed Tygra’s nose. The tiger made a face and stuck out his tongue.
“I don’t believe that. You think too much Tygra. What did the cleric tell you? I’m going to have words with her for making you upset.”
“I’m not upset! You don’t have to tell her anything. She’s only worried about me, because I’m not doing the kind of activity she knows I like. She still doesn’t know why, and she’s making her own theories.”
“Well, then I’d be telling her to stop. I can only imagine what crazy theories she could be thinking that would make you worry so much.”
Tygra shivered. He didn’t want Jareid and Cheetara talking. He was sure that no one would be able to stop the bloodshed.
“No, please. Don’t tell her anything yet. She’s still adjusting. Once she knows about the cubs, she’d understand.”
Jareid grunted and kissed Tygra again. He wanted his mate comfortable and in a good mood.
“I don’t want her upsetting you. It’s evident that her words affected you, and don’t deny it!”
Tygra sighed. It was true. Cheetara had managed to make him question himself, and rethink everything he had been through. Her words, her eyes, had hurt. Maybe it was due to the fact that she was representing Claudus in his mind. Whatever the reason, Tygra was very afraid of her reaction when she’d know about the cubs.
“It just got me thinking a little too much. Nothing more. I’m fine, really.”
Jareid grunted and decided not to press more for the moment. He made a mental note to talk to Bengali and ask him if he could handle the cheetah. Whatever she had told Tygra, it had made his tiger sad, and he wasn’t going to stand for it. Their cubs needed a stress-free environment, and he wasn’t keeping himself in line for another to come and mess with his mate’s moods. If the cleric was going to be a problem, she’d have to return to Thundera.
He kissed Tygra’s lips once more and caressed the slender neck of his mate gently.
“If you’re sure, then I won’t insist. But I don’t want you talking to her without Ben or myself present, ok?”
Tygra made a suffering sigh, but nodded.
“Fine. It’s not as if I’m seeing her daily anyway.”
Jareid smiled at him and kissed him a final time before getting up and walk towards the closet to get himself ready for the day. Tygra sat up on the bed, and waited for his mate to shower and get dressed. A strange feeling was appearing in him. He scowled and gritted his teeth, acknowledging the fact that, once more, he had agreed to do what Jareid wanted.
He sighed and tried to not think anymore. His cubs needed him to be relaxed. Jareid was just taking care of him. It was his job, after all, as the dominant male. He shouldn’t be worrying over a few concerned words.
Jareid finished his shower quickly and Tygra looked at him through the open door to the walk-in closet. The jaguar approached his mate once he was ready to go and lifted the tiger’s head for a haste kiss to the forehead.
“Aren’t you going to do your exercises?”
Tygra shrugged. He was not really in the mood for activity.
“I’m feeling lazy. I think I’m just going to shower and go to my study, to advance with my project. Maybe in the afternoon.”
Jareid narrowed his eyes. The exercise was important for Tygra’s health, but on the other hand he didn’t want his mate to stress himself more at the moment.
“Fine. Just make sure to eat breakfast before you get completely submerged in the book.”
“‘Course.”
The jaguar nodded. He’d like to stay and make sure that Tygra was not going to ignore his breakfast, but he had things to attend to. They were choosing Myron’s replacement and he had had to step in to alleviate the work. It was taking longer than usual because no one had been prepared for Myron to quit. However, everything was ready now and in two or three days they’d have the new commander. Then he would gladly drop everything and focus only on his tiger.
“Ok. I’ll see you at diner. It’s going to be a very busy day.”
“It’s fine… Jareid…”
Tygra hesitated and licked his lips. The jaguar looked at him expectantly, but Tygra couldn’t make himself ask the question that had been on the tip of his tongue. It had no point. He knew the answer anyway.
“Nothing… It’s not important.”
Jareid put a finger under the tiger’s chin and tipped it up to look at the brown eyes.
“Are you sure?”
Tygra gulped. No, he was not sure of what had gotten into him. He only knew that he wanted Jareid to stay with him. He wanted to hear three words that he knew were a lie. He wanted Jareid to hold him, breath his essence and just pretend that the lie was truth. But he couldn’t ask Jareid to abandon his responsibilities to be with him. He was the heir, and had to act like it. Besides, Tygra was not even sure what he wanted Jareid to stay for. He certainly didn’t want the jaguar to see him mop and start asking uncomfortable questions.
“Yeah, sure. Don’t worry about me. Have a good day.”
“Very dubious, but I’d try.”
Jareid kissed him goodbye and walked away. Tygra waited until he was sure that his mate was gone and lied down again, sulking for absolutely no good reason.
&&&&&&&
Afternoon found Tygra on the puff in his study, snuggling with Snarf and not very mobile. He had been there almost the entire day. He had eaten breakfast and lunch because Bengali would have come barging into the room if he hadn’t, but he had not done much else. He had showered and dressed, and had attempted to work on his project, but he had found himself without energy to concentrate. Therefore he had called his tutor of the day to tell him that he won’t be seeing him, saying that he was feeling a bit under the water. His tutor had accepted his apology and so Tygra had spent the day on the puff with only Snarf to make him company. He just didn’t want to do anything or deal with any one. He had even been glad that Lion-O had some kind of test in the engineers’ workshop and wouldn’t be able to pay his usual visit.
However, as the afternoon past by, he started to grow bored. What the hell was he doing? He was a prince! He was not the type to lie around the entire day, or procrastinate for no good reason! He should be ashamed of himself!
He reprimanded himself for acting like a cub and got up. Snarf mewed questioningly at him while he stretched and moved his stiff joints. He decided to do his physical warm up and then glanced outside the window. It was not evening yet, and it wasn’t raining. He could go outside to one of the empty courtyards and get some fresh air.
“Come Snarf. Bengali did say that I shouldn’t neglect my physical routine.”
Snarf mewled in agreement and jumped down from the puff to walk beside him. Tygra tried to smile. He was going to act normally, there was nothing wrong with that, and he had no reason to keep hiding in his rooms after all.
&&&&&&
Tygra chose to walk directly to the one courtyard that would be technically deserted. It was where the hunters trained, but they had left for the jungle and won’t be returning until after dusk. The tiger watched as Snarf took a vantage point on the stone fence, and then relaxed and focused on his own body.
He started his usual routine, and soon he was immersed in the activity and forgot the world for a moment. Several minutes later, he suddenly stopped and turned towards the wall that separated the courtyard from an outer corridor. Cheetara was there, standing tall and just observing him. Tygra tried to put his nervousness under control and waited for her to say something. The cheetah smiled and nodded at him in greeting.
“Please, don’t stop. I’m glad that you decided to come out and start training again. You need to regain your previous physical condition.”
Tygra blushed a bit. Somehow he knew she had noticed his belly and of course had assumed that he simply had stopped all form of training.
“Well, I was almost finished. I really can’t be doing heavy exercise right now.”
Cheetara scowled and looked at him critically.
“What do you mean? Have you been hurt or something? You would have had to stop your training for some time now for you to be noticeably gaining weight already.”
Tygra groaned and bit his lips. His right hand automatically moved to cover his midsection. It was barely noticeable, but Cheetara had known him very well. After a year of not seeing each other, she was quick to notice any change on him.
“Look, it’s kind of complicated. I’m not hurt, it’s just… Ben suggested to take it easy, I was tiring myself too much and… well…”
He hesitated. How could he explain to Cheetara that he was with cubs? She was not going to believe him. Hell, he still had problems believing it himself! He watched as the cleric jumped down from the wall and approached him.
“So, the shaman ‘suggested’ for you to low down your activity. You must have been driving yourself into exhaustion for a healer to advice you to stop. But to ‘take it easy’ doesn’t mean to stop entirely, Tygra.”
“I didn’t stop every activity! I just do a special routine…”
“Do you?” She was close enough to poke him in the waist. Tygra gave a panicked hiss and took a step backwards. “This tells a different story, my prince.”
‘You have no idea how different.’
Tygra gulped. Perhaps if he just blurted it out it would be easier? But the words refused to get out of his mouth and Cheetara misunderstood his nervousness for shame.
She looked around and spotted the rack of training weapons. She quickly got to it and took two staffs. She threw one at Tygra, who caught it automatically. She smiled at him. His reflexes were still good.
“Why don’t we spar a little? They told me that you have left the sword and are now training with the staff. I want to see how good you are.”
Tygra’s eyes widened in fear. She couldn’t be serious! He was not in condition to spar with her!
“Chee, wait! I can’t!”
But Cheetara was already over him, and Tygra had to raise his staff to stop the first blow, and then move quickly and jump backwards to avoid the second and third. Cheetara didn’t stop. She continued to attack him, and Tygra was hard pressured to meet her blows at par. He had seen her train many times before. She was much faster than he, and she knew how to use her speed. He had always thought that she was magnificent when she fought. She still was. Still moved like a dream, beautiful, and deadly. And he had no clue on how to stop her.
He didn’t have much time to ponder the situation. He only lasted a couple of harsh movements when an acute pain in his belly made him flinch. Cheetara’s staff hit him then on his side, with enough force to make him hesitate, and the next moment his feet were swiped out from under him. He fell to the ground. The pain worsened with the hit and Tygra groaned and curled into a tight ball. Cheetara didn’t realize what had happened. She would have delivered a final blow if Snarf hadn’t jumped to her face, hissing and spitting, intent on scratching her.
“What the…? Snarf! Stop! What’s the matter with you?”
She dropped the staff and managed to rid herself of the furious pet. Snarf landed in front of Tygra and turned towards her, his fur standing on end and ears flat backwards. He was still hissing at her, but she ignored him, noticing at last the position Tygra was in. The prince was biting his lips and groaning like he had suffered a serious injury, and his right hand was clutching desperately a communicator, pressing insistently the panic button that would summon Bengali.
Cheetara knelt close to his head, ignoring the hissing Snarf for the moment.
“Tygra? What’s wrong?”
“… Ugh… need Ben…”
“Ben? The shaman? Why? What happened? I can help you!”
Tygra shook his head in denial. Cheetara was ready to argue the point, but a worried voice interrupted at that moment.
“What’s happening here?”
Cheetara turned towards the white tiger, who looked like he had run all the way from the Shamans’ wing to the back courtyards. Ben took one look at Tygra and he was immediately at the young prince’s side. Cheetara reluctantly gave him space, figuring that he was Tygra’s healer now and would be able to deal with whatever was the problem better than her. She also noticed that Snarf would not hiss at him and frowned. She knew she was missing something important and she didn’t like it. She wanted to know what was happening or she wasn’t going to be any help to the princes.
She looked as Bengali worked, using some magic on Tygra and giving him a clear liquid. The young tiger seemed to relax, but he was still in pain. Ben injected him a mild sedative that knocked Tygra out. The shaman then turned to look at the cheetah for a moment before attempting to move Tygra.
“What was he doing?” He asked in worry. Cheetara shrugged helplessly.
“We were just training…”
“What?” Bengali’s eyes widened incredulously and the girl stared at him.
“It was nothing dangerous. We were just starting, in fact. He was used to hard physical activity back in Thundera, and he loves it, so…”
“He does training here, but not now! He can’t do it now! I…”
He lifted the younger tiger in arms and started towards the palace’s main building. Cheetara and Snarf followed him.
“What’s the problem? Look, I need to know if something happened to him, Jaga can…”
“No! No one of your clerics can deal with this! Look, I’m taking him to the clinic, you can wait for me in my office.”
“I’m not leaving him alone! Tell me what’s going on now!”
Bengali half turned and growled menacingly at her. He had no time for this! Fortunately, Saixa found them at that moment and joined in, looking worriedly at Tygra’s prone form.
“What happened?”
“Lady Saixa, I’m in an emergency here. Would you please take her to my office? I need to go!”
“Of course.”
“Wait!”
Cheetara fully intended to continue following Bengali, but Saixa got in her way. The white tiger walked away, but still yelled back as an afterthought.
“Jareid must not see her, Saixa! I’ll go as soon as I can!”
He disappeared, trusting that Saixa would find the better way to deal with the cleric. Saixa was able to stop Cheetara from following Ben. The cheetah was annoyed, but not angry enough to force her way.
“I need to be with my prince. I need to know what’s wrong with him!”
“Don’t worry. Bengali and the High Shaman are going to help him. You’d only be in the way.”
“This is not right! He’s stronger than this! He can last hours in combat! If his so called mate is the one responsible for his condition…!”
“Do not even think about it! You still don’t know how things work around here, but I must warn you to leave the princes’ relationship alone.”
“Do not tell me what I should do! I was sent to make sure that both Thunderian princes are being well treated. There’s something very wrong here. I’m going to find out what it is and I’m going to get Tygra away from whatever or whoever is hurting him. None of you have any right to put a finger on him! Not even your prince heir! I’m returning Tygra to Thundera in one piece!”
Saixa growled under her breath. The cheetah had fire, but if she thought she could take Tygra away from Jareid she had another thing coming. It was evident that she was still under the impression that the tiger would be returned to Thundera at the end of the year. No one in Ix-Maal was going to allow that to happen. It was better that the cleric understood that before she inadvertently caused a tragedy.
“Come with me. We’d wait for Bengali in his office, and in the meantime I’d explain what I can about Tygra’s… um… ‘problem’.”
Cheetara looked at the other female distrustfully. She wanted to go in search of the white tiger and demand answers, but she wasn’t going to be allowed to help Tygra and she might compromise his health if she turned herself into an annoyance. Maybe it’d be wiser to go with Saixa and wait for the shaman to return. After all, it looked like the older female knew something; maybe she could get some information. Cheetara calmed down and accepted to follow the jaguaress, hoping to get some truthful answers out of her.
&&&&&&
It was chaos once the rest of the family was informed that Tygra was in the Shamans’ wing. It took five guards, two of the shamans and the king to keep an enraged Jareid out of the clinic. No easy feat, considering that the king was also pretty much upset and wanted to know what the hell had happened as much as his son.
The shamans had to enlist the queen’s help. She at least managed to convince the two dominant males to be reasonable and wait. Well, at least she convinced her own mate, Jareid had to be given something to calm down and threatened with confinement to his rooms if he didn’t behave.
The royal family spent the night in the clinic’s hall, none of them willing to go to sleep until they had news about Tygra. Even Lion-O stubbornly refused to go to his room. He sat on an armchair with Yeana at his side and Snarf on his lap, and glared at the clinic’s door. Eventually both kits grew too tired and succumbed to sleep, one over the other. The adults then called the servants to carry the kits to their respective beds, and continued waiting.
It was close to dawn when Xiar finally got out of the clinic and groaned upon seeing the anxious face of the jaguar prince. He was not going to take the news well. Fortunately, they had managed to save the pregnancy. Nevertheless, Xiar was sure that as soon as Jareid knew what had happened all hell was going to break loose. He gave a deep breath and hoped that they could sort everything out with the minimum of damage.
&&&&&&&
Tygra lied on his side on a clinic’s bed. He was in a small recovery room, and the bed was against a corner, allowing him the illusion of hiding. He was shivering despite being covered with a blanket and the room’s temperature being nice enough. He had almost lost his cubs. It was a terrible thought and he couldn’t rid himself of the guilt it was causing him. But more than that, he was terribly afraid of Jareid’s imminent reaction.
The jaguar was going to be furious. Not only had Tygra disobeyed his order to not talk with Cheetara alone, he had allowed the cheetah to attack him and had put his cubs in danger. Granted, Cheetara had not really ‘attacked’ him. She had been playing. There had never been any intention to hurt him. But Jareid wouldn’t see it that way. All the jaguar would see was that Tygra had been very close to miscarriage.
Tygra had begged Ben to not mention Cheetara when he reported what had happened to his mate, but the shaman was not sure it was a good idea, as it would leave Tygra as the sole focus of Jareid’s anger. Besides, Xiar was the one that would do the report, and it was unlikely that the High Shaman would feel any sympathy for Cheetara. Tygra hoped that at least someone had had the good sense to keep the cheetah away for the moment. He didn’t want his friend hurt. It wasn’t her fault that no one had seen fit to explain Tygra’s pregnancy to her. It had been his own fault.
There was a loud roar outside the door to his room and Tygra pushed himself against the wall at one side of the bed. Not a minute later the door to his room opened and Jareid entered, evidently furious, and snarled at Tygra in rage. The tiger curled into a tight ball, trying to protect his belly as much as he could. He closed his eyes and whimpered in fear, waiting for the first blow. He could feel his enraged mate getting at the side of the bed in two steps, and the vibration of the wall as Jareid punched it with force above Tygra’s head. The tiger tried to disappear under the blanket. Jareid roared again and tore the blanket away without consideration.
“What in hell were you thinking?!! You know you can’t just go and train as always!! What were you trying to do, Tygra?!!”
Tygra started to cry. He was frozen in fear and there’d be no way for him to answer.
Another roar was heard and Jareid was momentarily distracted from his cowering mate as he turned to confront the other male. The jaguar roared in anger at the white tiger who approached the bed with the firm intention of getting between Jareid and Tygra.
“Go away Ben! This is not your business!”
“No! You back off, Jareid! You’re making things worse!”
“I?! How am I making things worse?!!” He punctuated his question with another blow to the wall that made Tygra whimper. Ben’s growl intensified. “I tried to be reasonable! I tried to keep myself on check! And I’m apparently the only one who wants this pregnancy to succeed! My own mate doesn’t seem to care enough to follow the basic advice of not forcing himself!!”
“It was an accident! Tygra didn’t want this to happen! He called for help as soon as he possibly could! He’s barely out of danger. He needs to rest. And you yelling at him is certainly not helping!”
Jareid roared and hit the wall one last time. Then he started to pace from one side of the room to the other as he did when he was utterly angry and without options to release his rage on someone or something. He was barely aware that his parents and Xiar were at the door, watching him and ready to intervene if he couldn’t calm down. They would have stopped him if Bengali hadn’t used his magic to protect Tygra. Jareid could still feel the shaman’s energy around his mate. Even if he had tried to hit the tiger, he would not have been able to touch him.
Xilara walked towards her son in an attempt to try and drag him out of the room again. Jareid stopped his pacing and snarled at her. He lifted his hands, preventing his mother from getting too close. He didn’t want her near him. He was too distressed and angry. It was better if they left him alone. He growled menacingly when his father approached too. Baal snarled at him and stood his ground.
“Come with us, Jareid. Let your mate rest, he needs it.”
Jareid shook his head and continued growling.
“No!”
“Son, please.” Said Xilara, worried for both princes. “He’s too scared right now, give him some time to recover.”
“I’m not leaving him! He’s my mate!”
Baal gave a step forwards and tried to glare down his son.
“Jareid…”
“No! You gave him to me! He’s mine! And I’m staying here with him until I can take him to my rooms again! I’m not leaving him!”
Baal growled in frustration while Xilara tried to convince their son that his presence at the moment was only going to hurt Tygra. As enraged as the jaguar prince was he would only put more stress on the already terrified tiger. But Jareid wouldn’t listen. He insisted on staying at his mate’s side and no one would convince him otherwise.
Finally, Ben managed to cajole him into allowing the shaman to give him a tranquilizer. Jareid despised the substance. He felt like they were drugging him, but he understood that he needed to calm down if he wanted everyone to leave and be alone with his tiger. Besides, he wasn’t so enraged that he truly wanted to hurt his mate or his cubs. He only wanted to grab the tiger’s arms and shake him until he saw how stupid he had been, and promised to not do it again! He was faintly aware that his anger was not letting him think coherently, but damn it! He had been too close to loose his cubs! He felt that his rage was entirely justified!
After a shot of a mild sedative, Jareid finally slowed down and stopped roaring. His mother wanted to be sure that he’d be fine, and she made Bengali promise to watch over both mates. Jareid assured everyone that he was not going to hurt Tygra and that he’d try to get some sleep with his mate. They reluctantly accepted to leave, but made sure to turn on the emergency cameras installed in the room.
As soon as everyone but Bengali left, Jareid turned to the bed again. Now that he had been forced to take the tranquilizer he was starting to feel his limbs heavy. In his semi-drugged state he noticed for the first time that Tygra was shivering and crying quietly. Ben had somehow procured another blanket and Tygra was entirely wrapped in it, looking for what little comfort it could provide.
Jareid sat on the bed, using the headboard to support his back, and put his hand gingerly on Tygra’s head. The tiger made a distressed sound and tried to duck under the blanket. Jareid growled lowly in warning at his mate’s attitude. He didn’t like when Tygra reeked of fear, even less when he knew the fear was caused by his presence. Tygra whimpered in response, but didn’t try to shy away from his touch anymore. Jareid started to move his hand soothingly, hoping to calm his mate down.
Ben watched the jaguar warily for some moments, until he convinced himself that the sedative was doing its job, and Jareid wasn’t going to hurt Tygra. The white tiger sat on an armchair close by, and tried to relax. Hopefully, the worst would have passed.
Jareid combed the fur on Tygra’s head with his hand in a soothing, repetitive motion. The tiger sobbed a couple of times, but as Jareid’s adrenaline dropped, Tygra’s fear started to recede too. Several minutes later, he risked looking up at his mate. Jareid was still awake, but visibly more relaxed. Tygra tried to take that as encouragement, and moved a bit to get closer to his mate. Jareid felt the change in position and looked down, trying to assess Tygra’s mood. His mate was not shivering in fear anymore, though the smell still lingered. He was still crying and looked downright miserable. Jareid wanted to scold his mate, but he didn’t have the hearth or the energy to do so at the moment. He settled for cleaning the tears away and pull Tygra more firmly against his hip and leg. Tygra sobbed and spoke quietly.
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”
Jareid grunted. His mind was in no state to discuss with anyone. He rubbed his tiger’s head and neck and interrupted him. His words only a bit slurred.
“Don’t talk about it now… just sleep… You need to rest.”
Tygra nodded cautiously and obediently closed his eyes. Jareid’s hand continued massaging his head and neck, until the jaguar relaxed enough to fell in a slight slumber. He was not asleep, but he couldn’t consider himself really awake either. He felt like he was semi-comatose, and he knew that he’d be impeded to move if he’d wanted to. That was what he hated more about the sedatives. If an emergency were to happen he’d be utterly useless and unable to protect himself and his mate. The only thing that allowed his mind to not fell into panic was that Bengali was with them, close to the door. The white tiger was very loyal and Jareid knew he wouldn’t let anything happen while they were asleep.
Having no choice but to relax, Jareid allowed himself to succumb to tiredness and slept for a couple of hours.
&&&&&&&
It was evening again when Xiar finally decided that Tygra was stable enough to leave the clinic. Lion-O insisted on visiting the tiger and talked with him a little to assure himself that his brother was not dying. After that, Jareid carried a greatly subdued tiger back to their rooms. They had something to eat, and then Jareid sat on his new sofa with Tygra on his lap. The tiger’s head rested easily against his neck and shoulder, and he surrounded the younger cat’s hips with his arms loosely.
Tygra was depressed and wanted Jareid to hug him more firmly, but he could feel that his mate was still tense. He sighed sadly. They had not talked at all, and he knew that Jareid was doing an effort to not yell at him. He tried to nuzzle his mate’s neck and received a grunt in response.
“You’re still mad at me.” He said resignedly. Jareid growled and answered with barely contained anger.
“Of course I am. I can not phantom what possessed you to go and…!?”
He interrupted himself. He had been starting to yell, and Tygra was shivering again. Both were silent for a minute, until Tygra took one hand to his mouth and started nibbling on it. Jareid growled and grabbed Tygra’s closed fist, pulling it away from his mouth.
“Don’t do that.” He said in a hiss. Tygra sobbed.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to get out. To stop hiding. I had no idea that she would be there, and I couldn’t find the words that she’d listen to, and…”
“She?!”
Jareid tensed and his voice had more than a bit of angry surprise in it. Tygra swallowed, realizing that he didn’t know what exactly Xiar had told the family about his ordeal.
“Tygra, what exactly did you do?”
Jareid’s voice promised a world of pain if he didn’t like the answer. Tygra shivered, but his mind was clear enough to start working again. He asked Jareid what Xiar had told him, as it looked like the jaguar prince was putting all the blame on his mate. Tygra was well enough now to start to wonder why Jareid had not gone after Cheetara, or mentioned her at all. Jareid narrowed his eyes at him and confessed that he had stopped listening the moment Xiar had mentioned that Tygra’s body had reacted to an excess of physical effort. He had not thought that there might had been a reason why Tygra had been doing more exercise than he was supposed to.
The tiger groaned and ducked his head. He was not sure if he should be upset that Jareid had just assumed that he had exhausted himself on purpose, or relieved that Cheetara had not even crossed the jaguar’s mind. Tygra knew that Jareid would not have stopped himself from lashing out with all he had with Cheetara as he had done with his mate. He also imagined that the reason why Jareid got to hit the walls too close to his bed and no one had stopped him was because everyone had been fully prepared to stop the jaguar from going after the cleric, not for him turning to the room to rage at his mate.
He debated for a moment if he should make his displeasure at being yelled at known, but after a moment he just sighed and resigned himself to the fact that Jareid could have done much worse. He didn’t actually had been hurt, just scared out of his mind. He however told his mate that he didn’t appreciate the jaguar’s assumption that he would endanger his cubs for no reason at all. Jareid growled at him, but tried to calm down and accepted that his anger had taken the best of him. He insisted on being told the entire story then, and Tygra bit his lips, wondering what to say. He didn’t want Jareid storming out and hunting Cheetara, but he didn’t like to feel his mate’s anger at him either. Besides, the cheetah could take care of herself, and she had had an entire day of advantage. Jareid was not going to take the palace by surprise now. The cleric should be safe.
He told Jareid everything that had happened, and apologized again for failing in stopping Cheetara. She was too fast and there really had been no option but to defend himself. The female cleric would not have stopped had Snarf hadn’t jumped at her.
Jareid was furious. How dare that little chit! He was going to do something about her! He was just about to stand up and leave Tygra on the bed to go and find the cleric, but the tiger clung to his neck and begged him to not do anything. Jareid sat back unhappily, growling to himself. He wanted to go and hurt someone.
“Please Jareid. Stay with me, please. Don’t go looking for her, you’re too angry right now.”
“Of course I am angry! She attacked you Tygra! And you could have lost the cubs! That’s not something I’m willing to just let pass!”
“It was an accident, and nothing happened! Please Jareid, she had no idea that I could be in danger! Our cubs are fine, and I’m going to stay where you want, please.”
“Why are you so interested in her well-being? She is an outsider!”
“Not to me! Even if she were, I don’t want you to do something foolish and unbecoming of a prince! Besides, she’s my friend.”
Jareid didn’t like that last part, and he roared.
“Tygra!”
“She’s only my friend! Like Saixa! That’s why she is so worried that I’m not doing the things that I used to do!”
Jareid growled dangerously, but managed to remain seated and not just drop the tiger and go in search of the female. Tygra rubbed himself against Jareid’s body and tried to hug him firmly.
“Please, Jareid. I’m not returning to Thundera, I chose to stay here, with you and our cubs. No one is going to change that now, I promise... Please.”
The jaguar prince was very upset. Tygra feared for a moment that he was not going to be able to stop his mate from leaving the room and going to confront Cheetara. He didn’t let go of Jareid’s neck; he clung to it like a lifeline and burrowed his face on the jaguar’s juncture of neck and shoulder. He felt some tears of desperation run down his cheeks, but he ignored them. Fortunately, he didn’t have to plead again. Jareid smelled his tears and reluctantly tried to stop his growling. He couldn’t be mad with Tygra. He had to make an effort for his pregnant mate and his cubs.
Jareid leaned his cheek on the tiger’s head and tightened his hold on the young body, trying to reassure himself with his mate’s sole presence. Tygra sniffed and Jareid kissed his forehead.
“I want you safe, Tygra. I don’t want this to repeat itself again! You’re… You know I can’t loose you.”
“I know…”
“You’re not leaving the rooms again on your own, do you understand? That is an order!”
“Yes… I-I…” Tygra sighed; Jareid was not going to make it easy for him. “I’ll stay here. I promise not to get out alone again.”
Jareid kissed his head one more time. Somehow it made Tygra feel better. He cuddled against his mate, looking for comfort. He still sniffed a couple of times, but both of them were calmer now and Tygra only wanted to relax. However, there was something insistently nagging him at the back of his mind. The tiger tried to ignore it. It was foolish, and he already had tested Jareid’s patience enough for one day. But the thought refused to go away and it was starting to make him feel miserable.
He cleaned away his own tears and tried to not sob. Jareid produced a tissue for him and caressed his face, starting to groom him with care. It wasn’t really helping; it only made the thought in his head more insistent. He finally sighed and decided to risk upsetting his mate again. He just wanted the pesky thought to go away.
“Jareid… would you… tell me a lie?”
The jaguar looked down at his mate in confusion. He didn’t understand the question.
“Sorry?”
“Tell me a lie… just once…”
Jareid blinked, not sure of what his mate was saying.
“A lie? What lie could you possibly want me to tell you?”
“Just… tell me you love me? Just this one time… please?”
Jareid was dumbfounded. He kept silent and totally motionless for several moments. Tygra swallowed and ducked his head. He was just about to apologize for his ridiculous request, when Jareid scratched the back of his ear gently and brushed his lips against his forehead.
“I love you, my tiger. My mate.”
Tygra sighed in relief. He kissed Jareid’s neck and closed his eyes. It was a lie. He knew it was. Nevertheless, it was something his hearth was aching for.
“Thank you, Jareid.”
The jaguar continued sitting there, holding the young tiger like a precious treasure. He continued caressing the stripped head, and rubbing his mate’s back, until the tiger fell asleep. Even then, he didn’t stand up, preferring to keep Tygra on his lap a bit longer and put some clarity in his mind.
He had been baffled by the youth’s request. He wasn’t one to use the word ‘love’ very often. He had only ever said ‘I love you’ to his mother, and that had been a long time ago, when he had been still a kit. He considered those words unnecessary, as he rather demonstrated his attachment to his family in other ways. Therefore, he had never expected that Tygra would want to hear them, especially since, apparently, the tiger thought they were a lie. And that was also very confusing; if Tygra thought that Jareid didn’t really ‘love’ him, why would he want the jaguar to lie and tell him he did? It had no sense.
He sighed and looked at his mate again. His very young mate, who hadn’t even reached adulthood yet. The tiger had been taken from his home, and technically forced to start a new family with him. Perhaps it was only reasonable that he would want a bit of love in exchange for what he had had to give up. Holding his tiger close, and rubbing his cheek on the young head, Jareid thought that it wouldn’t be that hard to give the teen the affection he wanted.
&&&&&&&
Cheetara was fretting. It had been a rough day, and she hadn’t been allowed to see Tygra. She needed to see Tygra and make sure that he was fine. What Saixa had told her was simply incredible and if it hadn’t been for Lion-O confirming it she wouldn’t have believed one bit of it. Bengali had not appeared by his office. He had sent one of the younger shamans to tell them that things had gotten complicated and he had had to stay with the tiger prince.
Everything was very suspicious and Cheetara honestly didn’t know if she should listen to what Saixa and Lion-O had told her. She didn’t doubt the prince’s word, but she considered that Lion-O was still young and impressionable, and very much in love with technology. He’d believe anything they’d tell him.
The cheetah worried about the entire situation as she sat at the roof of one of the many buildings that constituted the palace. They had told her that she should avoid any chance to meet Jareid for the time being. They had impressed on her that the jaguar prince would be furious with her, and that, apparently, was very bad for her continued well-being. Such warning certainly didn’t reassure her, nor did it improve her image of the type of cat her prince was mated to.
She needed to speak with Tygra and confirm the truth of the supposed pregnancy. Then she would think about what to do. She had her orders, she had been sent to protect Lion-O and procure to diminish the jaguars’ influence on him. Also, she was to reassure Tygra and help him get through the year. Claudus wanted his two sons back home and the nightmare with the jaguars ended. Cheetara was supposed to find and eliminate any tricks that the jaguars could concoct to retain the tiger in Ix-Maal. Everyone in Thundera had assumed that Baal was not going to let go of his prey easily. They had feared that the mating rite could have been changed, so it would allow consummation even without an heir. Yabin however had assured them that the rite had taken place as it should. If there wasn’t a true heir from both lines within the year there would be no reason for Tygra to remain bonded to the jaguar prince.
Still, Claudus knew that Baal could make up something else, only to make it difficult for the tiger to return to Thundera. The jaguar king had given up Lion-O too easily. He might have been expecting Claudus to be content and just forget about his adopted son, but such thing was not going to happen. Granted, no one had expected Lion-O pulling his stunt and sneaking back with the jaguars. Claudus had resigned himself to the fact that his son was a better brother than he himself was a father. He certainly had just assumed that Tygra didn’t need any kind of help and that he’d be fine without having to worry about his younger sibling. He hadn’t considered that Lion-O could have been providing moral support for his brother. He had realized how wrong he had been once he had talked with his little lion and had reread the note his son had left behind. Now he was haunted by the fear that Baal could have done something to retain Tygra. Maybe forcing a consort into the mating and passing a jaguar cub as legal heir. Such thing would not be enough to satisfy the terms of the rite, but it could make Tygra stay in Ix-Maal nonetheless if somehow they convinced him that the cub was his, or if they indeed forced him to breed with the consort. Tygra would never abandon a cub that was his, Claudus was certain of that.
Jaga had imagined different scenarios and had prepared Cheetara to deal with them. Her goal had been to reassure Tygra that he would not have any attachments to the jaguars once the year was over. If there would be any cub that were indeed Tygra’s, Cheetara was to warn Jaga and they’d find the way to keep the cub so Tygra would be free to take it with him. Cheetara had been ready to confront almost any problem that could be thrown her way. Now, all that preparation and Jaga’s counselling were useless. No one had ever expected for Tygra to be the one actually pregnant! It was blowing her mind!
She had to get in touch with Jaga, but before that, she had to be absolutely sure that it wasn’t a trick. And more importantly, how could they have convinced Tygra to do such a thing! Tygra should have known that without an heir he’d be free to return to Thundera! Cheetara could not believe that prince Tygra would just renounce to his home, so there must had been some kind of coercion there.
Jareid came to her mind, and she growled. Another thing she had not been prepared for was the jaguar prince’s… astounding personality. The few times he had had any contact with the Thunderians he had given the impression of a quiet being, not talking much and apparently detached from political proceedings. Everyone had gotten the impression that the prince just followed Baal’s lead and wouldn’t care about Tygra one way of the other.
They had been so wrong.
What Cheetara could see now was that a great part of Baal’s interest in Tygra was due to his son’s own fixation with the tiger. Everyone that the cheetah had talked to had mentioned in some way how possessive the jaguar prince was of his young mate. Not only that, they were giving Cheetara an image of a very violent and dangerous prince, who saw other cats as things to be possessed, and wouldn’t tolerate any attempt to take his property away from him. Cheetara had acquired the distinct impression that, for Jareid, Tygra was property. The notion didn’t sit well within her, and the attitude she had seen from Tygra had not been reassuring either. Tygra was not the boisterous and confident prince he had been in Thundera, and Cheetara didn’t like the scared boy she had found instead of her prince.
The cheetah sighed and massaged her temples as she worried about what to do. Tygra had been subjected to the jaguars’ treatment for more than a year. It was obvious that he had adapted to what had been thrown at him. Still, a year and a few months seemed a short time for such a change in personality. Something else must have happened for Tygra to accept any submissive role so completely. Cheetara had known that the tiger would probably had had to act contrite to keep the peace with his mate, but accepting a pregnancy was no act. Tygra was showing submissiveness to the jaguar prince in a blatant way.
She had to find out what had happened. She needed to talk with Tygra and find the way to help him. And if the pregnancy turned out to not be a lie after all, she would have to do something about it too.
- 16
- 17
- 18
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Tale of Jaguars