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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
- 19
- 20
- 21
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.

CHAPTER 20. CUBS.
“But father, technology is not evil! You can’t say that plumbing is a bad thing. Having running water in the bathroom is great! And electricity! Torches and oil lamps are by far more dangerous than electrical light!”
“Lion-O, you have to understand.” Said Jaga. “People didn’t have a good first contact with technology. They are afraid of the destruction it can do. It’d be sometime before the Thunderians start to appreciate its advantages.”
“But you can start with the castle. I’m sure Baal wouldn’t mind if we ask for an engineer to come and see…”
“Absolutely not, Lion-O!” Claudus roared. “I don’t want Baal having any more control than he already has on our lives! The only reason he’s not recognized as the Lord of the Thundercats yet is because he has not even tried to master the Sword of Omens. As long as it remains without a true master, it’s possible to recover it, and that is what you should be worrying about! I hope you have been paying more attention to the classes that Cheetara is giving you now. Once Thundera is back to its glory, and we have recovered the Sword, then you’d be able to pay more attention to your hobby. The people would be more accepting then of the changes you want to introduce.”
“B-but dad, how are we going to recover the Sword if we can’t defeat the jaguars? If we want to have the slightest chance of going against Baal and win, we have to be on equal footing with him. And we are not going to achieve anything if we are not willing to learn how to handle their best weapon!”
Lion-O walked the halls of Ix-Maal’s palace on his way to his brother’s rooms. He grew more frustrated each time he repeated his conversation with Jaga and Claudus in his head. He had been too disappointed in his visit. He just couldn’t understand Thundera’s continued lack of technology. He had hoped that at least the palace would have taken advantage of the discovery, but apparently everyone was just scared. Even Claudus was only using the communicator and didn’t want to try anything else. The clerics were making up tales of demonic magic imbibed in the gadgets that the jaguars used, and the nobles would not allow anything that looked remotely technologic into their lairs.
The young lion gritted his teeth. He hated the clerics! He hated the bloody superstitious Thunderians, and he…! Didn’t like his father very much at the moment.
He stopped at the door of Tygra and Jareid’s rooms and sighed sadly. At his side, Snarf mewled questioningly at him, and Lion-O gave a half-hearted smile to the pet. He had been close to convincing his father of the necessity of technology. Claudus had had to at least recognize the military advantages of tech. But then, the adults had had their meeting, and Lion-O had once again not been invited. It had angered him. He had spent the day in a bad mood, complaining loudly about the idiocy of it all. He was almost fourteen! What was the point of his father drilling into him how important it was for him to study politics, if he wasn’t allowed to go and see them into play, or take part of them!
The servants had paid him no mind, and Cheetara had tried to soothe him, telling him that his father only wanted to recover them, and shield them from harm, but it didn’t sound right. To Lion-O it looked too much like his father simply didn’t trust him enough to let him attend an important meeting. He had mentioned bitterly that they would have let Tygra in, and Cheetara had let escape that Tygra had more experience and a better understanding of politics. Lion-O had resented those words. It would ever be the same. As soon as he stepped foot in Thundera, he was back to being compared to his brother. It was as if no one in his home was capable to see him as his own cat.
The meeting had not lasted too long. The jaguars had been ready to return to the jungle just after lunch. Unfortunately, Claudus had asked for more time to have a private conference with Cheetara. Lion-O hadn’t been allowed into it either, much to the female cleric’s chagrin. The young lion had been even more upset, and had waited impatiently for the private talk to end so they could return to Ix-Maal.
But when the lion king had reappeared, Lion-O had been suddenly grateful that he had not been invited to their little chat. He could clearly see that his father was furious. Lion-O had taken a look at the king’s face, then to Cheetara and Jaga’s. He had known then that Cheetara had told them about Tygra and the cubs. Kaleb, the jaguar first counsellor, had known too, and had received the lion king’s outraged demands with stoicism.
Lion-O sighed and contemplated the door before him. He was mad with Cheetara. She didn’t have to tell them about the cubs. He had known that his father would react badly to the news, but ‘badly’ didn’t even start to cover it. He closed his eyes and recalled what had happened.
Claudus had been convinced that Tygra had been seriously hurt and abused. The king believed that his son had been forced into some dangerous experiment and had demanded him back. Baal had evidently trespassed the bounds of the treaty. In Claudus’ eyes, the jaguar had not had any right to force Tygra to become some kind of freak of nature, inflicting who knew what kind of torture on the youth.
Kaleb had not tried to correct the lion’s misguided beliefs. He had known instinctively that it would be hopeless. He had contented himself with reminding the king that he had renounced to his right to try and review the treaty. He had by consequence renounced to any right over Tygra. He couldn’t demand anything from Baal regarding his adopted son. Claudus had been mad enough to threaten the jaguar with going into Ix-Maal and retrieve Tygra himself, by force if necessary. At that point, Jaga had seen fit to intervene, and between him and Lynx-O, the Thunderian Chief Commander, had managed to prevent Claudus from starting another war. The king had grabbed Lion-O by the arm and dragged him inside the palace again, while Jaga had remained behind, talking more sensibly to the jaguar counsellor.
Lion-O had been for the first time in his life really afraid of his father. Claudus had demanded to know why Lion-O hadn’t contacted him and tell him what had been going on. Why Lion-O hadn’t say anything? What had been the point of him returning to Tygra’s side if he had been useless?
A tear escaped Lion-O’s eye. That had hurt the most. The fact that his father now thought that he cared more about trinkets and a hobby than for his brother. He hadn’t had a chance to defend himself. His father hadn’t let him speak a single word. Claudus wouldn’t have allowed Lion-O to return to the jungle if Jaga had not intervened somehow.
“No more talking about it Lion-O! I won’t have such evil introduced in my kingdom! It’s clear that it can only bring suffering!”
“But father, I…”
“No buts Lion-O! It has hurt your brother enough! And you’re never going to go to that devilish place again!”
“Father…”
“Never Lion-O!”
The lion teen flinched, as he was sure that his father was going to hit him. Jaga entered the room in that moment and put a hand on Claudus’ shoulder to ground him.
“Calm yourself my king. You’ll have to let him go one more time.”
“Jaga! That place is perverting him!”
“Nonetheless, you’re going to have to trust in your heir’s instincts this time. Come. You too Cheetara. Wait here Lion-O.”
Those had been the last words he had heard from his father. A servant had come looking for him some time later, and had guided him to the jaguars counsellors. He had found Cheetara there, and Jaga had apparently reached an agreement with Kaleb. Claudus had not been present to give his farewell, and Lion-O had felt rejected. He had informed himself later, while they were in the ship, that Kaleb had refused to take Cheetara, or any other cleric, with them if Lion-O wasn’t also returning to the jungle. The only reason Baal had allowed Cheetara’s presence in the first place had been because the Thunderian king had insisted that his heir needed a cleric as a tutor. If Lion-O would no longer be in Ix-Maal, there was no need for a cleric either.
Lion-O pressed his lips together. He understood that Jaga had managed to convince Claudus to allow him to return to Ix-Maal because they had wanted to send Cheetara to Tygra. That meant that Cheetara had orders concerning his brother and the cubs. She wouldn’t tell anything to Lion-O but he had observed her in their ride back, and it had looked like she wasn’t happy about the situation. She had been downright troubled.
Lion-O scowled fiercely. He had been asking himself if he should tell Tygra everything that had happened. The tiger was going to be upset, but Lion-O had to tell him. At the very least, Jareid had to be aware of the possible problem, so they could protect Tygra. Lion-O bit his lip at the last thought. Telling Jareid was a desperate move. The jaguar prince was going to go into murder-mode, and he’d likely go after Cheetara without waiting to see if the cheetah would actually follow trough with her orders or not. But Tygra’s safety was more important. Lion-O finally decided that he’d tell his brother, and he’d let the orange tiger and Ben decide what to tell Jareid. Besides, Kaleb was going to tell Baal everything. The jaguar king was surely going to take every precaution he deemed necessary. With a deep breath, Lion-O cleaned his eyes from errant tears and rang the bell to his brother’s rooms.
&&&&&&&
Baal listened to Kaleb’s report and nodded. Things had gone as expected. He had known that the cleric would be obliged to report everything to Claudus and the lion king had exploded. Kaleb had been prevented in advance. The guard going with him had been ready too. In the worst-case scenario, they would have blown their way out of the city and taken Lion-O with them. Fortunately Claudus had Jaga, a much more levelled head in critical situations. At least the old jaguar had learned from past mistakes. It must be the blood of the clan in his veins. Baal had been counting on the jaguar cleric counsellor to prevent his king from doing something stupid again. And he also had been counting on the fact that Jaga would propose an alternate form of attack to Claudus.
The lion wanted his adopted son back, so it stood to reason that he would try to eliminate the obstacles for that to happen, namely the cubs. Now, Mai’s existence guaranteed that there would be an heir, whether Jaga succeeded on eliminating Tygra’s cubs or not. It would not be the same, and definitely not good for Jareid’s and Tygra’s personal relationship, but the tiger will stay in Ix-Maal. Baal was sure that Cheetara knew this, and thus Jaga had the knowledge too. But the lions were known for their stubbornness, and the jaguars were not exactly good at admitting defeat. Jaga would have come with a solution, and he would need a way to implement it.
The clerics could perform certain kinds of magic, but they needed a conduit, and distance in this case was not on Jaga’s side. He would have found himself in the need to send someone to do the dirty work. Kaleb had been instructed to ensure that only the cheetah would be allowed as Lion-O’s company. The young female was smart. She had experienced first hand what Jareid was capable of, and she had been finally convinced that Tygra was as enamoured of his non-born cubs as any mother would be. The cheetah was less likely to try something that would be highly detrimental to Tygra’s health.
Baal was lost in his thoughts for a moment. The options had been greatly reduced for the Thunderians, but knowing as little as he knew of them, Baal was certain that they would still try something. He would have if he had been in Claudus’ place. He just had to find out the thing that could possibly force Tygra’s release from the mating at this point. If the possibility existed, Jaga would have found it.
“Xiar, make it so the cheetah is never alone with Tygra. As soon as it’s safe to perform the caesarean, you do it. I want those cubs born as soon as possible.”
“Yes sir.”
&&&&&&
Cheetara walked to Tygra’s room slightly behind Lion-O. She was carrying a tray with tea service. It was late afternoon and she wanted to have a chat with Tygra. They obviously were not going to be alone, but she hoped that the shaman wouldn’t be there. He would immediately detect anything amiss in Cheetara’s body language or in the tea. She still was trying to come to terms with what she had to do, and she knew that she would have limited opportunities to do it.
Lion-O called at the door of Tygra’s study, and Saixa opened it. The jaguaress smiled warmly at them and ushered them in. Cheetara bit her lips. The female courtesan wasn’t so bad, but it irked her that they wouldn’t leave Tygra alone even a minute.
The tiger was leaning on the back of the couch. He was desperate. His ankles were swollen, but he didn’t want to sit down. His lower back was always in pain, and he felt like his hips were cracking. He smiled miserably at his brother and the cleric, and proceeded to go around the couch to sit and try to get comfortable. Lion-O sat at his side and Cheetara sat with Saixa on the other couch.
Tygra was very apprehensive. Lion-O had told him what had happened in Thundera and he was wary of Cheetara’s intentions. He gave her a cautious nod, as Lion-O put a hand on his belly protectively.
Cheetara sighed. The young lion was upset with her. He had not taken well that she had orders to try to free Tygra from the mating. He considered that his brother was fine and content. He had a family of his own now, and no one should try to break a family. Cheetara had tried to make him see that it was not a real family, and that Tygra had been forced to accept it. Lion-O was not convinced though. What Tygra showed to him was a façade of acceptance. The tiger didn’t want his brother to worry, and he had leaded the lion to believe that he was fine, when Cheetara knew he was not. Tygra messed his brother’s mane with affection and looked at his friend with some doubt.
“So, I take it that father was not very happy with the news?”
Cheetara shrugged and sighed reluctantly.
“That’s an understatement. Tygra, you knew he was going to be disappointed. He’s also seeing the pregnancy as proof of abuse. He’s very angry on your behalf.”
Saixa bit her lips, but didn’t comment. Tygra groaned in frustration.
“Didn’t you tell him why?”
“That’s only more proof that you were forced into this situation. He knows you had no choice, and you should have.”
“That’s beyond the point. There’s nothing to do, and I’m fine with it!”
“He doesn’t believe you are. He’s willing to enter in conflict again…”
“That’s stupid! He’s going to get himself killed and Thundera destroyed, and I’d still stay here!”
“Tygra, Baal wouldn’t…”
“He totally would.” Said Saixa, because she could tell that Cheetara didn’t believe Tygra’s words. The cheetah narrowed her eyes at her.
“There is no reason why Baal would want a war over Tygra.” Said the cheetah. Saixa sighed.
“I know you don’t understand the why. But believe me, Baal is not going to give up Tygra. You’d sooner get back the Sword of Omens.”
Cheetara shook her head. To her all of this conflict was nothing more than a pissing contest between two prideful males. Tygra gave her a resigned smile.
“It’s over Cheetara. Even if father doesn’t accept it. I’m fine now. I wouldn’t have chosen this in normal circumstances, but I’m making most of what I was given.”
Cheetara smiled, knowing that her friend was not going to change his mind.
Lion-O suddenly yelped and grinned brightly. Tygra grunted in discomfort as his twins seemed to roll over inside him. He swore they moved more violently when Lion-O was touching his belly. He rubbed soothing circles on the sore spot and cooed instinctively.
“Easy my boys. You’re going to be able to play with uncle Lion-O all you want when you’re actually born.”
“What’s wrong with playing now?” Asked the young lion.
Tygra chuckled and groaned in pain at a rather hard blow to his kidney.
“These two are going to be a handful!”
“Do you have names yet?” Asked Saixa as she started to serve the tea. Tygra grinned.
“Yes, but I’m not telling you.”
“You’re mean.”
They moved into a safer topic of conversation. Tygra was still wary that Cheetara would try something. She had not told him what her orders were, and he couldn’t phantom what solution Jaga would have possibly proposed. Whatever it was, it better not endanger his cubs, because he was not going to tolerate any harm done to his little ones.
All in all time passed by. They had a nice chat, and the females left the moment Jareid appeared in the room. The jaguar glared at the cheetah, and held Tygra possessively as the friends were saying good-bye. He had been told to be extremely cautious around the cleric and if possible not let her around Tygra until the cubs were born. He had allowed teatime because Tygra had begged for it, and Saixa was going to be on alert. Besides, Bengali had given Tygra a beverage beforehand, saying that it would counteract most toxic substances that he might ingest. Tygra had protested that it was unlikely that Cheetara would try to poison him, but he had drank the thing anyway because he was not going to take any chances with his cubs.
Once they were alone, Jareid kissed his mate soundly, and cradled the tiger’s distended belly.
“Everything in order?”
“Everything is fine Jareid. We only had a chat and drank tea. Lion-O even grew a bit bored.”
Tygra narrowed his eyes suddenly, and groaned.
“For the…! Have I just had a ‘girl’s talk’?” He said mortified. Jareid laughed at his discomfiture.
“That’s what you get for wanting to hang around with the cheetah! You need to have your male friends around more!”
Tygra punched his mate on the arm, and glared at him.
“I’d do that if you weren’t so damned jealous and exaggerated!”
Jareid kissed him again. Tygra fought him at first, but he had to give up quickly. He wasn’t in condition to exert the amount of strength required to push Jareid away.
“My beautiful tiger. The first thing I’d do once our cubs are born is ravish this beautiful body of yours. I’ll be inside you for an entire day.”
Tygra shuddered. He wasn’t looking forwards to that, because he believed Jareid entirely capable to fuck him non-stop from dusk to dusk.
“Jareid…” He groaned as the jaguar sucked a particular spot behind his ear. Then, Jareid lifted him and positioned him lying on the couch, so he could have his way with him more comfortably. Tygra lost himself in his mate’s attentions. He could do nothing to make Jareid stop once he was fully in an amorous mood, so he may as well enjoy it.
&&&&&&&
Tygra woke up sometime before midnight. He lifted his head from Jareid’s arms and blinked, groggy and not sure what had woken him. He sighed. He had not slept well the entire week, as he kept going to the toilet and his back seemed to be perpetually hurting. He was about to try and close his eyes again when a wave of pain assaulted him. It started in the middle of his low back and moved to his front; making his abdominal muscles tighten hard. He gasped and tried to curl, effectively waking Jareid who had developed lighter sleep lately.
“Wha….? Tygra? You ok?”
Tygra breathed as the pain slowly subsided and he felt he could talk again.
“I-I don’t know… The cubs are not moving, at least I think they’re not… Owww!”
Another wave of pain, stronger than the previous one, hit him. He cried out and Jareid was on his feet in an instant.
“Tygra! Breath! I’ll call Bengali!”
Tygra didn’t answer. He felt like his hipbone was about to crack. The pain focused at the lowest part of his tummy and then faded again slowly. He gasped when Bengali touched his shoulder asking what was he feeling. He wasn’t sure when Jareid had picked him up, but they were suddenly rushing out of the bedroom while another wave of pain hit him.
&&&&&&&
Jareid passed from one side of the room to the other, growling in frustration and anger. Everyone was there, including the annoying cheetah, and the shamans had put them in a furnished room to wait for news on Tygra. Apparently, his body had entered labour. The strain of the pregnancy was too much already and the tiger’s physique had taken all it could. The twins needed to be born now.
Jareid wanted to pull at his mane. It wasn’t time yet! It was ten days too early for the cubs to be born! One of the shamans had explained – and he intellectually understood – that Tygra’s age was a major factor. Younger cats tended to give birth prematurely. Add to it Tygra’s gender, and the fact that there were two cubs instead of one, and it had been almost a given that the twins would have had to be born before time. But Jareid didn’t like it. Tygra’s and the cubs’ well-being was in serious danger! And the chances of the cubs’ survival had diminished drastically. They had already been expecting them to be a month earlier than other cubs. Almost two weeks more to add was a long time in development’s point of view. The twins would need medical attention, maybe time in an incubator, and if they had not completed their development to a level that allowed them to survive outside the womb, they were doomed.
Jareid hit a wall with force and snarled fiercely at it. He couldn’t lose his cubs. He couldn’t lose Tygra. Not now! He had worked too hard to establish a firm bond with the tiger. He had been granted his wish of his own family. He couldn’t lose it!
He felt small arms clinging to his waist and he lowered his eyes, trying to not snap at his sister. Yeana was the only one that dared to approach him when he was this angry. She was the only one who could calm him down to a manageable level. This time though, he felt too anxious and the snarl didn’t leave his face or his tone when he spoke.
“Yeana. Not now.”
The girl looked at him pleadingly, and didn’t release his waist.
“He’s going to be fine Jareid. Xiar and Bengali are not going to let anything happen to him.”
Jareid clenched his jaw and growled. He trusted Bengali, but he would have preferred that Xiar wouldn’t have to be involved. His cubs and Tygra better survive the birth or the kingdom would find itself in need of a new high shaman. Yeana was not scared by her brother’s anger and persisted on her hug, until Jareid’s hand was messing her long mane affectionally.
Cheetara was on edge. She was biting her nails in anxiousness. She had waked up in the middle of the night because she had sensed Lion-O’s distress. The shamans had been given specific instructions to raise the entire family if there was any emergency concerning Tygra. Apparently, the family included Lion-O, and the young lion was as worried as Jareid for his brother’s well-being.
The cheetah was conflicted. She knew that an early birth dismissed the probability of the cubs’ survival, but Tygra would be in great danger too. She wanted to get to Bengali and demand an explanation. They were supposed to have everything under control! She had not had the courage to slip the poison to Tygra, so there had been no reason for the tiger to enter labour prematurely!
She pressed her lips together in concern, her eyes following every one of Jareid’s moves. The jaguar was very disturbed and she feared that he’d lose control any moment and lash against the first cat that dared to talk to him. Her eyes widened in dismay when that cat resulted to be Yeana. The young kit walked to her brother, as if it was an every day situation, and Jareid was not on the verge of perpetrating physical damage. She looked around in disbelief that no one intended to stop her. She even gave a step forwards to do it herself before Jareid hurt the little girl, but Xiao stopped her, grabbing her arm. She turned to glare at the servant. Xiao had been the one to alert Lion-O and the lion had requested that he stayed with them. Cheetara was not fond of the old jaguar, and she tried to disengage her arm from his grip.
“Let go. Someone has to stop her! He’s going to hurt her!”
“Nonsense. Prince Jareid would never hurt his little sister. You, however, he’d have no qualms in release his tension with.”
Cheetara hissed and looked towards Jareid again. She was utterly baffled when she saw Yeana hugging her brother and the prince petting her, without an ounce of violence in his gesture. She could see in his face that he was still very angry, but he was not lashing out to the young kit clinging to his waist. It was surreal.
The cheetah shook her head in both relief and shock. That someone could show both violence and care at the same time was confusing as hell. How could Tygra deal with someone like that?
Her eyes moved over to where Lion-O was sitting beside Xilara. She wondered for a moment what would have happened if Lion-O hadn’t been sent to Ix-Maal with his brother. Then she sighed in dejection. Whether the lion had been used against his brother or not was not relevant any longer. Tygra had accepted his fate and had willingly submitted to the jaguar prince.
At the moment Cheetara’s only option would be that the twins wouldn’t make it, and she would manage to find the jaguaress that was carrying the third cub, so she could slip Jaga’s beverage to her. She sighed again. It was very unlikely that that would happen.
She looked towards Lion-O again and pressed her lips tightly together. She wanted to try and comfort Lion-O, but the young prince was still mad at her. The angry words he had yelled at her when she had intercepted him and Xiao on their way to the shamans’ wing still rang in her ears.
“If you did this, I’ll never forgive you!”
Lion-O was terrified of losing his brother, and he was crying quietly on Xilara’s arms. The queen was giving encouraging words as she caressed the young lion’s mane. On the other side of the room, Jareid had finally relented to his sister’s pleads and was leaning on a high cabinet with Yeana on his arms. The only one that looked unperturbed was Baal.
Cheetara narrowed her eyes at the king’s apparent calm, but before she could think too much about it, the door opened and Bengali entered the waiting room. Immediately, Jareid was in front of him, with Yeana clinging to his neck, the little girl refusing to be put down.
Bengali lifted his hands in a placating gesture, and spoke before Jareid started the barrage of questions he had wanted to ask.
“Calm down Jareid. Tygra and the twins are stabilized now. Tygra is going to take a few hours to be conscious and coherent again. It’ll take some more time for him to recover entirely, but he’s out of danger now.”
“The twins?” Asked Baal as his son processed the news that his mate was going to be fine.
“They’re small and weak, but both of them survived the birth and are now in incubators. If they make it to two days, their lungs will be gaining strength and they’d have a better chance to survive on their own. Their inner organs are not yet at an optimum stage, but apparently they’re functional. We’ll be doing scans and some tests as soon as it’s safe to do so. Right now we are trying to not disturb them too much. They need to be stable.”
Jareid growled lowly. He wanted to see his mate and cubs, and it was too hard for him to remain still. Luckily for him, Xiar arrived, and Baal ordered everyone to return to their rooms and rest. It was clear that the worst had passed, and it was dawn already. They could see Tygra when everyone had had some sleep.
Xilara took Yeana from a frantic Jareid’s arms, freeing him to grab Bengali and made the tiger guide him to Tygra’s room. The queen asked Xiao to take Lion-O to bed, and Cheetara followed them. Her heart felt lighter, relieved that she hadn’t had the chance to betray Tygra’s trust after all.
&&&&&&&&
Jareid entered the recovery room and made a beeline to the bed where Tygra was knocked out. He sat close to the tiger’s head and caressed it lovingly. After a minute his eyes scanned the room and he scowled and glared at Ben, who was at his side.
“Where are my cubs Ben?”
“Next door. They have to be constantly monitored Jareid. Any change now could be fatal for them.”
The jaguar gritted his teeth. He didn’t like not being able to see his cubs.
“They have to bond with Tygra. With both of us!”
“They are still listening to his heartbeat, and the incubators are recreating the womb’s environment to perfection. They’ll be fine Jareid. As soon as they are strong enough to breath on their own we’ll get them out of the incubator.”
“Two days is too much time!”
Ben was about to retort that Jareid had in fact spent a week in the incubator himself, but he bit his tongue. Since he had been named Jareid’s personal healer he had gained access to the royal family’s health records, and he had often wondered if the many unusual circumstances that had surrounded Jareid’s birth had something to do with the prince’s difficulties to keep strong relations outside of his family.
“You both will be able to see them. Just give them and Tygra some time to recover from the birth. It was very hard on the three of them.”
Jareid growled and clenched his jaw shut. He turned to Tygra again and continued exploring his mate’s face and neck with his fingers.
“Tell me the truth Ben. Did the cheetah do something to bring this on?”
The shaman sighed. He debated for a moment whether he should tell Jareid what the beverage he had given Tygra had been for. Xiar and Baal had had a conference and had deduced that the only way Tygra would be free of his bond to Jareid was giving birth to stillborn cubs. They hadn’t know if the cheetah would dare to give Tygra the potion needed for that to happen, but they had decided to not give her a chance. The medicine that Bengali had made the tiger prince drink had been the thing that had induced the early labour. They had known that the risk to the cubs would be high and that they could have lost them. But the cubs would have been born. The mating was sealed whether the twins survived or not.
Ben hadn’t outright lied to Tygra. The medicine would have reacted immediately if the tiger had ingested any kind of abortive, forcing the cubs to be borne before the toxic substance would have affected them. The fact that Tygra had experienced a mostly normal – for a male – labour was proof that the cheetah had not slipped anything to him. Bengali thought about explaining everything to Jareid. Self-preservation won though, and he limited himself to answer succinctly what the jaguar had asked.
“No. Tygra’s body would have reacted violently the moment he tasted something harmful to the cubs.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I know she would be a convenient target for your anger Jareid, but she didn’t do anything this time.”
The jaguar growled unhappily and continued to comb Tygra’s mane with his fingers. Ben put a hand on his shoulder.
“They are fine Jareid. You’d have your family in your den in a few days. Try to rest, you need it.”
Jareid nodded reluctantly. He lied down on the bed and curled around Tygra, trying to protect the younger male as much as possible. Ben sighed in relief when the prince closed his eyes and left the room to give them privacy.
&&&&&&&
Tygra woke to find himself entirely wrapped up in Jareid’s arms. As that was not unusual he sighed in contentment and blinked a couple of times. He was confused and felt weird, like something was not clicking in his mind. It took himself some moments to realize that his abdomen felt very sore. An instant later he registered the fact that he couldn’t feel his cubs moving. His hand automatically moved to rub his belly, only to find out that there was no noticeable bump any longer, and a bandage covering his stomach. He panicked and tried to get up, but the pain in his midsection prevented him from doing anything. He cried out and felt absently as Jareid’s arms forced him to be flat on the bed again.
“Take it easy Tygra. It’s going to hurt for a while yet.”
“Ja-Jareid… M-my cubs… what happened?”
“It’s ok my tiger. They are in observation, they need to gain strength. I’ll tell Ben to take us to them as soon as you’re better.”
Tygra was baffled. It took some moments for him to make sense of Jareid’s words, and his eyes widened in anguish.
“They… they are born? But… they can’t be born yet! It’s too soon! They have a week and a half left!”
Jareid hugged a panicked Tygra to prevent him from trying to get up again, and rubbed circles on the tiger’s back to soothe him.
“It’s ok. Bengali assured me that they’re going to be fine. You need to recover so we can take care of them.”
“I want to see them. Where are they?”
“Next room. Don’t worry, we are going to see them. Ben is going to be here soon.”
“They’re not supposed to be born yet…”
“Shh… They’ll be fine. They have the best attention, and they’re still listening to your heartbeat. Nothing is going to go wrong.”
Tygra sniffled and rubbed anxiously his now mostly flat belly. He felt that something was missing. He didn’t like the feeling. He wanted to hold his cubs. He was miserable until Bengali arrived with breakfast.
Tygra tried to get up and demand to be taken to his cubs, but his abdominal muscles protested rather harshly, and he lied down whimpering in pain.
“Stay still Tygra. Your inner organs took the brunt of the strain. They needed to be rearranged and would take a while to recover.”
Tygra groaned unhappily while Jareid rubbed his back. The jaguar didn’t want to touch the tiger’s belly, fearing he could hurt his mate.
“Ben… Where are my cubs? I want to see them…”
Tygra looked up pleadingly at his friend. The shaman sighed. It was very difficult when the cubs had to spend time in the incubator. The parents grew nervous and demanded to take them, risking the cubs’ lives in doing so. He prayed that Jareid wouldn’t make things more difficult than they were, but he realized that Tygra won’t help the situation if he was also distressed over his cubs.
“We’re going to see them, don’t worry. But you have to eat first, and then I have to check you up, and see if you can move without hurting yourself more. The stitches are still fresh, and you really should stay in bed for the moment.”
The young tiger groaned. He had a light breakfast in his mate’s company, and then Ben could poke and scan him until he was satisfied that he hadn’t pulled anything out of place. The shaman told him to rest, and guided Jareid to the adjacent room so the jaguar prince could see his cubs and give Tygra some peace of mind.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra spent the entire day worrying, and frantic to see his cubs. He hadn’t been too comfortable for visits, but he couldn’t deny Lion-O. The young lion had taken quite a scare, and needed reassurance that his brother was in no danger of dying. No one could see the twins save Baal and Jareid. The jaguar prince had tried to reassure Tygra that his cubs were fine, but he had been frowning and the tiger could tell that his mate was worried. He ached to see his cubs. His instincts had been altered by the pregnancy, and were demanding to identify his cubs and keep them safe. He knew that new mothers were very protective of their cubs, and it was killing him not being able to even see his little ones.
To make matters worse, one of the cubs needed surgery. The scans revealed an obstruction in his intestines, and they had to get rid of it before it caused mayor problems. The cub had complications with his heart and lungs while in surgery, and it was a miracle that they got him out of it alive. Bengali almost cried in relief when they got the cub stabilized again in the incubator. He didn’t know what he would have said to Tygra and Jareid if the cub had died. The jaguar prince was on the verge of demolish the entire wing as it was.
Those were the worst two days of Tygra’s life. When he was finally allowed to see his cubs, he almost stumbled with his own feet in his hurry to enter the room.
Both cubs were still inside the incubators, but as the machines were made of a transparent material they were entirely visible. Tygra barely waited for Jareid to be at his side to approach the bassinet-like contraptions. The cubs were lying on what looked like a white mattress with only their nappies covering them. Both had a mask over their nose and mouth; it was helping them breath.
Tygra gasped and extended a hand, touching gingerly the dome that separated him from his cubs. He looked at the two tiny figures in wonder and worry. He was closer to the second born cub, and he started to inspect him as much as he could. The tiny kitten could have easily fit in his forearm. His body was entirely covered in black fur, so black that it would look blue with certain light. He had not have any problems whatsoever, and in fact was wearing the mask only as a precaution. They were going to get him out of the incubator in some moments, and Tygra ached to just lift the dome and get his cub out. Then his eyes looked over at the next incubator, where his first-born was. The cub was as small as his brother, but his fur was white on his front, and his arms, legs and head looked clear yellow. He was going to have Jareid’s colouring.
Tygra got closer to his first-born. Besides the mask, the kitten had his tummy bandaged and some needles attached to his left arm. Some kind of sensor had been strapped to the cub’s chest, and he was positioned in such a way that prevented him from moving too much. Tygra clenched his fists in frustration. He knew his cub was hurting, and he could do nothing to help. Jareid circled his waist from behind and breathed on his ear.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s recovering. It’d just be a couple of days, you’d see.”
“I don’t want to leave him here, all alone. Why can’t we stay here with him?”
“Because you are not going to be able to just stay still and not try to get him out of the incubator.”
Tygra turned to see Bengali and Sarai entering the room. The white tiger looked tired, but relatively calm. Jareid huffed indignantly at his words, and Tygra actually smiled at his mate’s taking offence over an obvious thing. Ben approached the first incubator and pushed some buttons in the side. The cub started to move and Tygra was there instantly.
“Besides, you need to take care of this little one too. It’s going to be difficult if you stay in an emergency room that has to be isolated and sterilized as much as possible.”
He liked the readings he was given by the machine, and the dome lifted. Tygra had to cross his arms tightly to not reach out and grab his cub. Bengali retired the mask and between him and Sarai did a quick check up of the cub. The little one was breathing on his own, and seemed to have no problems whatsoever. He even started to mewl in distress at being wakened so rudely and manhandled. Tygra felt Jareid growling and for a moment feared that his mate would do something rash. Perhaps they should have waited outside after all, because he was not sure that he would want to stop Jareid if the jaguar decided to snatch their cub away from the shamans.
There was a bit of movement from the other bassinet, and Tygra turned to see. The other cub was trying to move, and was emitting distressing sounds. Both parents leaned on the incubator, talking to him and trying to soothe him with their voices. Bengali approached them to check on the cub while Sarai finished with the other. Tygra didn’t know what to do. He wanted to divide himself in two and look at both cubs at the same time. At his side, Ben was smiling.
“He’s fine. He’s actually recovering very fast. If he keeps like this you’ll be able to take him to your rooms tomorrow.”
Tygra sighed in relief. Ben opened the dome to allow both parents to caress their cub and kiss him. The little one seemed to relax at the touch and apparently went back to sleep. Tygra looked at him lovingly and scowled when the dome had to be closed again. He wanted his son in his arms already, and he didn’t want to leave him alone another day. But they had to make sure that there was no danger any more, and that his cub will make a full recovery, so he’ll have to wait. In the meantime, Sarai approached them with their second-born already wrapped in blankets. Tygra received him happily.
“You have to feed him every four hours. He’s going to ask for it on his own, but it never hurts to keep track of the schedule.”
Tygra nodded absently, too preoccupied with checking his cub over and sniffing him. The cub’s nose moved, and he made a tiny noise of recognition. Outside the incubator, he no longer heard the recording of his father’s heartbeat, but he could now smell him. Tygra moved and arranged his cub in such a way that the little head was now against the tiger’s chest.
“My little cub. My Akbal. We’re going home now precious.”
Little Akbal made a happy noise and yawned. He was more at ease now that he was comfortable and could hear the vibration of his father’s heartbeat again. Tygra smiled and then turned his head towards the remaining incubator. He grew distressed again. He didn’t want to leave his other cub behind. It felt too much like he was abandoning him. Jareid’s arms surrounded him once more and the jaguar kissed his head. Bengali coughed discretely.
“If you want, you can stay for a while. Though, Akbal is going to be hungry soon. We were keeping both of them hydrated and injecting nutrients directly to their blood. But they had not truly eaten yet.”
Jareid frowned and growled quietly as Tygra asked worriedly.
“Is that going to affect Itzamma? Won’t it make things worse?”
“Not at all. He’s not going to be hungry because of the surgery. He’s also receiving all the nutrients he needs. His intestines are still tender. They need to recover and soon they’d be functional.”
“Promise me he’ll be fine?”
“I swear he’s going to be just fine. I’ll tell you if there are any problems.”
Tygra nodded. Jareid finally relaxed a little when he cradled Akbal’s head with his hand. The jaguar prince thanked Ben for taking care of his two sons. He was truly grateful that his little cubs had survived and were now with them. He was sure that Itzamma-kim was going to gain strength quickly. He had already survived a major surgery. If no more complications aroused, he’d be with them soon enough.
They remained in the room a bit longer, and then Jareid had to practically drag Tygra out. He didn’t want to leave his first-born either, but they had to let him heal more before taking him away from the Shamans’ care. Meanwhile, they had their second cub to look after.
&&&&&&&
The family was overjoyed to know that one of the cubs was already out of the Shamans’ wing. Tygra didn’t want to show off little Akbal yet, but he accepted Lion-O and Yeana’s visit. The young felines were curious and very excited to meet one of their nephews. Yeana even held him in her arms and noticed that the cub had stripes. He was a little black tiger. They couldn’t see the colour of his eyes, because he’d open them in two or three more days. They asked about the other cub, and Tygra told them that he was going to be released soon. They left very happy that everything was turning out all right.
At night, Tygra got conflicted. He didn’t want to leave Akbal in the nursery. He was already pulling out his mane in worry that Itzamma-Kim was alone in the shamans’ wing. He didn’t want to leave his younger cub to sleep alone too.
He toyed with the idea of taking Akbal to the bed to sleep with him and Jareid, but he was afraid they’d crush the little cub. Jareid ended up carrying one of the bassinets into the bedroom, so Tygra could be close to their cub.
Tygra changed Akbal’s nappy and dressed him in a fresh T-shirt to put him in his bassinet for the night. The cub mewled and wriggled, not liking the changing process. Tygra had some problems getting Akbal’s tiny arms through the sleeves of the T-shirt. When he finally succeeded, and had his cub all clean and covered again, he lifted him up and cradled him in his arms, trying to make him sleep. Akbal quieted in his father’s arms, and his little fist found the way to his mouth. Tygra smiled and kissed his son’s forehead.
He had just lied down Akbal in his bassinet, when Jareid entered the bedroom. Tygra looked at his mate anxiously. The jaguar had gone to make a night visit to Itzamma-Kim and to inform himself of the cub’s progress. Tygra had wanted to go too, but Jareid had convinced him to stay and fed Akbal. Tygra was still convalescent and was not supposed to be pushing himself too much. He had to take it easy for a few days.
“How is he?” He asked as soon as Jareid had finished kissing him.
“Perfectly fine. There had not been any complications, and he’s healing quite fast. If he keeps going like that, we’re going to be able to bring him home tomorrow afternoon.”
Tygra sighed in relief at the news. His two cubs were going to be together again soon. He couldn’t be sure, but he swore that Akbal missed his brother. His black cub wriggled too much and mewled in distress when he was put down alone. He only calmed down when he was held, or sleeping.
“I’d like to keep them both here with us for a couple of nights. Just to be on the safe side.”
“Don’t worry. They can sleep here until you feel you can leave them out of your sight for the night. As long as you don’t want them actually sleeping with us. I’d be unable to close eye the entire night! I don’t want to chance an accident.”
Tygra chuckled and leaned on his mate, who had put his hands on the tiger’s waist.
“I did think about it. Especially because Akbal has been sharing a space with his brother for so long, and I think he feels Itzamma-Kim is missing. But you’re right. I don’t want to chance him being crushed by us either.”
Jareid sucked Tygra’s neck and kissed his temple.
“I’m always right. You should be used to it by now.”
Tygra rolled his eyes and extended a hand to caress his son’s head. Akbal made a quiet mewl and continued sleeping.
“I’m bringing the other bassinet in tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary. They are small enough. Both of them will fit in one bassinet easily.”
Jareid looked at the tiny form of his son, lying amongst a nest of blankets in the middle of the bassinet. He agreed that there was ample space left. They could separate them later, once they had grown a bit.
He made a sound of agreement, and then pulled on Tygra’s ear with his mouth.
“Come. Let’s go to sleep. He’s going to wake us soon enough.”
Tygra grunted, and gave a final kiss to his cub’s forehead before going to bed. Jareid caressed his son’s head a last time and joined his mate. They both were tired and had to try to get some rest while they could.
&&&&&&&
Tygra could not sleep. He kept waking up continuously, waiting for Akbal to cry out, asking for milk. When he finally had managed to last thirty minutes without opening his eyes, his cub woke and started to mewl, quietly at first, but soon seemed to acquire momentum.
Jareid grunted as Tygra practically jumped out of bed and flinched in pain as his abdominal muscles complained. The tiger paused to breath twice and then ignored the pain and picked up his cub from the crib. He looked around and realized that he had not brought the bottles of milk that Saixa had stored for them.
“Whiskers.”
“…w’s a’ matte’…?” Came Jareid’s slurred voice. Tygra sighed in resignation.
“The milk is in the nursery. I’ll just go for a bottle.”
“’s ok… I’m going…”
Tygra was surprised that Jareid actually got out of bed and put on his shorts to go retrieve the bottle of milk. He smiled at his mate’s retreating back and started to rock his cub to try and soothe him while the bottle arrived.
&&&&&&&
Jareid walked, half-asleep, through the study and the sitting area. He opened the door, and almost collided with Saixa, who was standing right outside. He blinked and glared at the jaguaress, who had the gall to smile at him.
“Going somewhere Jareid?”
The prince snarled at her, annoyed by the unexpected obstacle.
“What in hell are you doing here?”
Saixa produced a small, storage box, with two bottles full of milk. Jareid looked lost for a second, and then grabbed the box.
“I imagined you’d forget it. First time and all that.”
Jareid was very tempted to ask what she wanted. He was sure that the girl had to have a motive for being so solicitous. But he could hear Akbal crying, so he only gave a quick thank you and closed the door to return to his mate and son, leaving Saixa with an amused smile in her lips.
&&&&&&&
Tygra spent the next day biting his claws in anxiousness. He had not slept well, and he was upset that Jareid had all but ordered him to stay in their rooms. He wanted to go and plant himself in the Shamans’ wing until they released Itzamma-Kim into his care. He was torn into doing just that and staying put to take care of Akbal, who also needed him. He was aware that Saixa and even the queen could help him with his cub, but he didn’t want to leave him into anyone’s care yet. It was too soon, and his instinct was still urging him to just cope up with both his cubs, and not let anyone close to them. It was driving him insane.
He took Akbal to the nursery to try killing time sorting everything that was there. Between Jareid acquiring things like crazy and half the Ix-Maal’s population sending them gifts, they now had a ton of nappies, millions of toys and other trinkets, and enough clothes to last them their entire lives.
Tygra sighed at the overly crowded nursery. Really, someone should teach the jaguars the concept of ‘limits.’ They would have to get rid of some things. He was sure that none of his three cubs was going to wear half the clothes they had now. He put Akbal in one of the bassinets and started to sort out the things he wanted to keep. He at least succeeded in let the day go away more or less quickly. He was only interrupted when Saixa brought him some bottles with fresh milk.
Finally, just before dinner, Bengali and Jareid entered the rooms with a little wriggling and mewling bundle of blankets. Tygra was on his feet in an instant and snatched his little cub from his mate’s arms. Jareid gaped at him incredulously.
“Hey! What’s the problem? He’s my son too, you know.”
Tygra growled at him and went to the far end of the nursery, picking Akbal from the bassinet on his way. He sat on the rocking chair and proceeded to inspect his first-born, summarily ignoring the other two cats. Jareid was baffled.
“Is that normal?”
“Oh yes, completely normal. He’s going to be very possessive of the cubs for a few days, especially your first-born. Let him be. Once he feels safe and sure that his cub has recognized him, he’d speak to you again.”
Jareid shook his head in wonder. Itzamma-Kim stopped mewling in distress and Tygra started to purr contently. Ben smiled at the young tiger and gave Jareid a quick reminder of the care that his two cubs needed. Then he dragged the jaguar prince out of the nursery, just to give Tygra more time to bond with his cubs.
&&&&&&&
AN: The names of the cubs are Mayan
Akbal: Night; third seal in the calendar. (Noche, sello 3)
Itzamma: The chosen master. (El señor elegido) Also the name of a god.
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A Tale of Jaguars