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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
- 22
- 23
- 24
WARNINGS: This contains Slash, and abuse, as well as mpreg. It treats themes only for mature audience. 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.
A/N: So sorry for taking so long updating, real life has become too demanding and there's significantly less time to write. Thank you all that are reading!
CHAPTER 23. Readjusting to day to day life.
Baal looked with immense displeasure as his ex-chief commander and his daughter disappeared into the jungle. He had tried to convince Myron to just send Mai away and for him to retain a post in their forces, but the old jaguar had refused. It had been a hard hit to the veteran’s pride and honour. He felt totally responsible for his daughter’s wrongdoings, as it had been him the one that had insisted to keep her after he had estranged his mate. He was going to accompany her into exile, and made sure that she would never return. They had only waited two days for her to recover from the birth. She still was complaining loudly and demanding her cub, even after being informed of the council’s decision to exile her. She had been aware that they intended to pass her cub as Tygra’s thanks to a letter that her mother had written her, reproaching her for what the noble woman saw as stupid actions. Mai had realized that her mother thought that the cub she was carrying was not hers, and had inferred the lie they had told to everyone. She had been frantic and had to be sedated most of the time. Myron had judged it wise to not let her go into exile alone. Who knew what she could manage if she was left to her own devices?
Baal was not satisfied. He was losing one of his best soldiers all due to a young female’s delusion. He had almost caved to the temptation of letting Jareid kill her just because of that.
He growled in annoyance. Mai had been an unforeseen problem, and he planned to have a brief ‘discussion’ with each one of Jareid’s past lovers, Saixa included. He wanted to make sure that he would not have more surprises like the one they had just sorted out, not now that things were going as they should. Tygra had been adapting pretty well, and Jareid had a family of his own to care for and protect. The jaguar prince was more centred and even reasonable. Baal was not going to allow anything to ruin all the hard work that they, particularly Bengali, had put on the two princes’ relationship. The young nobles of the court had been behaving while the tiger had been pregnant, but Baal knew his court and now that all danger had passed and they had royal cubs to continue the line, the young jaguars were more likely to start again with their insinuations, still looking for the ‘vacant post’ of consort. The first on his list was in fact one of Mai’s cousins, Mao. Bengali had reported the lad before as a possible troublemaker. It would be wise to make sure that he wasn’t going to get any crazy ideas like his cousin. He also wanted to make sure that there was not going to be any other misled attempts to ‘help,’ like what had happened with the young shaman apprentice that had been tricked by Mai. Really. One would think that a shaman had a minimum of common sense!
He turned his back on the path that the two exiles had taken and returned to the city with the rest of his escort. He ordered his new commander to bring Mao to him right away. He was going to start his long set of ‘talks’ immediately. Everything had to work nicely for the heir’s presentation to the council. He’d start with the most problematic ones and leave Saixa for the last. After all, she had been intelligent enough to make herself a spot near the princes without causing any major conflict. He expected fewer surprises from that front.
&&&&&&&&
The days passed by and soon the twins were two months old. There was no more avoiding an official presentation to the council and the people at large. Tygra was very nervous because of it. He couldn’t help but worry over the possible reaction that the elders would have, especially to Akbal and Ixchel. It was almost a given that everyone would dote over Itzamma, and Tygra didn’t consider that a good thing either.
He was sulking over it while he gave Ixchel her milk. He had put a mat on the middle of the nursery, and was laying on his side, his little girl next to him, and holding the bottle for her to suck the tit comfortably. It had been the only position that allowed him to feed Ixchel without many problems. His daughter was a nervous cub, and was difficult to calm her down once she started crying. Tygra was worried, thinking about what he would do if Ixchel didn’t feel comfortable in the council’s meeting and subsequent celebration.
He sighed and looked at another point on the mat, where Lion-O had Akbal in front of him, and was making him laugh by blowing raspberries on his little tummy, and allowing him to pull on the teen’s red mane. Tygra smiled at the picture. Akbal was a very happy cub at the moment. He would roll around on the mat and spread out legs and arms, trying to reach some toy that Lion-O held ahead of him. Lately, the time he spent awake had been increasing, and he had started to try supporting his upper body on his arms, though he still hadn’t managed to find the correct position to do so. He was going to require more stimulation soon, and Saixa had started to put different toys at hand, so she could play with the little ones once she finished feeding them. Tygra would rejoin training soon; he was only waiting for the moment when Ixchel accepted the bottle from Saixa. His time with his cubs would be cut short then, leaving the jaguaress as the cub’s caregiver for most of the day.
Tygra sighed and looked towards the crib. Itzamma was sleeping quietly as always. The tiger was getting annoyed now. No matter what Ben and Xiar said, this was no longer normal. Even Ixchel at two weeks old was moving more than Itzamma! No one seemed to take his worries seriously, and he wanted some action taken soon. He was not going to allow them to ignore his son any longer.
Ixchel finished her milk and Tygra lifted her up and paced the nursery with her, patting her back lightly to make her burp. She was restless, and he wanted her sleeping so he could change the twins’ clothes. They still had around an hour to prepare for the meeting. Ixchel was already wearing a long white tunic, embroidered with golden glyphs and a medal with the clan’s symbol on it. She had white ribbons on her head, and a tiny golden bracelet on her right arm. She looked very cute. Akbal was still only in his nappies, and Tygra knew that he was going to be the hardest to clothe. Akbal enjoyed being naked far too much.
Ixchel was quiet on his shoulder, and he considered it safe to put her in the crib so he could prepare Akbal. However, as soon as he left her laying on the mattress, she started to whimper and mewl in distress. Tygra sighed and looked to the clock hung on one of the walls.
“Sweetie, I have to leave you for some moments. Your brothers really need to get dressed.”
Obviously Ixchel could care less. She wanted to be held and feel her parent’s presence close to her. Her mewls were starting to become cries and Tygra bit his lips. He’d never have the twins ready if he tried to get Ixchel to sleep first. From the mat, Lion-O looked up to him and called.
“I can see to her while you deal with the other two.”
Tygra considered the offer and was about to say yes when Saixa entered the nursery, Snarf close on her heels.
“Sorry I’m late. How can I help you?”
Tygra left the crib’s side and went to pick up Akbal, giving Lion-O a heartfelt thanks.
“Could you hold Ixchel for a moment? She has eaten already, but she’s distressed.”
“Ok.”
Saixa walked towards the crib as Tygra took Akbal to the changer table. The jaguaress looked into the crib and smiled. Itzamma was awake and looking towards his sister as if wondering why she was making so much noise. Saixa thought he looked cute when he was frowning like that. She gave him a tender scratch behind the ears before she lifted Ixchel.
“Don’t worry little one. Your sister just wants some attention.”
Snarf perched on the rail and stayed with Itzamma as Saixa rocked Ixchel to calm her down. She was not as effective as Tygra, but the little girl seemed to recognize her smell as something familiar enough to stop the crying.
Jareid entered the nursery at that moment and looked around. He spotted Ixchel, all ready in Saixa’s arms, and Tygra struggling at the changer to dress Akbal. Lion-O was picking up the mat from the floor, and Snarf was perched on the crib, looking inside it curiously. Jareid imagined that Itzamma was still in the crib, and he approached it intending to look after his first-born.
“Want some help?”
“Please dress Itzamma up. We’re running out of time pretty fast.”
Jareid looked down at his son and smiled. Itzamma was staring fixedly at Snarf, his big eyes taking into every detail of the pet, one tiny hand extended up and trying to grab the moving tail that hung inches from him. Jareid hated to interrupt his son when he was clearly trying to commit Snarf to memory, but they had to hurry if they didn’t want to be late for the meeting.
“Come here little one. You can analyze Snarf all you want later.” He lifted Itzamma carefully and carried him to the changer, where Tygra already had the two little formal outfits out. “I don’t know why your daddy worries so much about you. You are as alert as your brother. You’re just the observant type.”
Tygra looked sideways at his mate, and frowned.
“Is he awake?”
“Yeah… mmm…” Jareid interrupted himself when he put Itzamma on the changer. His cub had his eyes closed again, and was apparently well asleep. Jareid blinked. “He was awake just a second ago.”
Tygra grumped and looked worried. Jareid just shrugged and proceeded to take off the little shirt from Itzamma and put him into the short, white tunic, which had embroidered the symbol of the clan on the back. It was shorter than Ixchel’s and it came with a pair of tiny trousers. Both pieces of cloth had golden motifs at the hems. He did quick job of dressing his cub, while Tygra struggled to put the tiny trousers on Akbal. Their black cub was having none of it, and he kicked out and gurgled, trying to roll away from under his father’s hands. Finally, Tygra succeeded, and both cubs were ready for the meeting.
Jareid took Itzamma to the crib again. They still needed to change themselves, and they had only twenty minutes to do so and be at the council’s meeting room. Meanwhile, Tygra left Akbal in Lion-O’s and Saixa’s care, instructing his little brother to not let his cub ruin his clothes. Jareid gave similar instructions to Snarf, who mewled in apparent agreement, and then looked down at his son. Itzamma’s eyes were open again and he had his right fist in his mouth, while he was grabbing his right foot with his left hand. Jareid chuckled.
“You enjoy making your dad worry, don’t you little rascal?”
Itzamma looked up at him innocently. His wide eyes were still blue, but with a stroke of gray slowly taking over. Jareid pinched the cub’s nose playfully and went to catch up with his mate in their bedroom.
&&&&&&&
Later, Tygra stood nervously in front of the doors to the meeting room, Jareid at his side. He had Itzamma in his arms, while his mate was carrying both Akbal and Ixchel. He was worried as hell and he had Itzamma pressed against his chest protectively, his right hand covering the back of his cub’s head and neck as if he wanted to hide the little form from view. He wanted to grab his other two cubs, turn tail and run. He would never be ready to have a bunch of cats scrutinizing and criticizing his little ones. Jareid looked at him in some amusement.
“Ready?”
“Are you crazy? I’ll never be ready for this! I hate my instincts!”
“Calm down. I’m going to be here, at your side. Nothing is going to happen to our cubs.”
“I know. My instinct doesn’t though.”
Jareid chuckled and looked at his yellow cub in his mate’s arms. He could barely distinguish the cub’s face, hidden as it was amongst the fabric of Tygra’s black and purple tunic, but if he dared to make a guess he’d said that Itzamma looked very happy to be there.
“You know, I think he’s teasing you.”
Tygra blinked, sidetracked for a moment, and frowned.
“What?”
“Itzamma. When you are worried about him, because you think he’s sleeping when he should be awake to eat, you tend to cradle him more firmly, almost like you’re doing right now, and you kiss him and scratch his head tenderly to wake him up. I think he loves it, and he fakes to be asleep for you to do it.”
Tygra blinked again, and then he bared his teeth and growled in annoyance, his previous nervousness all but forgotten.
“That’s nonsense, Jareid. He is two months old! How could he ‘fake’ sleep?”
“Of course he could. It’s a perfectly sound theory.”
“Jareid… It’s ridiculous! Let’s go inside and get this over with, before you start making up more outrageous stories!”
He pressed the buttons for the door to slide open and entered the meeting room, grumbling under his breath. Jareid walked beside him, with a pleased smirk on his face.
&&&&&&&
They had to attend the celebration party that was held on the ballroom of the ground floor. All the noble families were there. Tygra was slightly overwhelmed to see so many cats. He was struggling to keep track of his cubs. He had held onto Itzamma for as long as he could until Baal had taken him away to preen in front of the elders. Tygra did not like the way everyone was fawning over his eldest son. At the moment he had Ixchel sleeping with her head on his shoulder. She had been crying for a long time and had finally tired herself. Tygra had wanted to take her out of the ballroom and to a quieter environment, but he didn’t want to leave without his twins. As they were the real reason behind the celebration, he couldn’t just take them from it yet.
He had nearly panicked when they had stood on the big front balcony and had addressed a front courtyard full of Ix-Maal’s citizens. Ixchel had started to cry when the big ovation that ensued at the heir’s presentation had startled her. Fortunately, Jareid had been able to calm her down enough for the ceremony to be concluded and they had proceeded to the ballroom without much difficulty. That had been a few hours ago. Tygra was now getting impatient. He frowned at some noble cat, who was commenting on how wonderful it would be if he convinced Jareid to accept an official consort. It would give a good impression and would be helpful in raising the cubs the right way.
Tygra wanted to snort. If the ‘right way’ meant to have his cubs spoiled rotten, the jaguar clan could forget it already. It was a good thing that Jareid wasn’t so fond of keeping certain traditions, and Tygra was going to make sure that his mate wouldn’t be overindulgent with his cubs either. Some spoiling was all right, but too much would be terrible. Jareid was a fine example of that.
The tiger grumbled some palliative words to the cat in front of him about considering the convenience of a consort. Everyone seemed to assume that Saixa would take on that particular role, and many had been waiting for some kind of announcement about it that day. Saixa was presently in a discussion with her father, trying to talk him out of ever bringing the issue up with Jareid. Tygra sighed. He disengaged graciously from all conversation and walked towards a relatively empty corner, so he could breath and scan the ballroom for his two sons. Cheetara approached him to offer some more welcomed company.
“You look stressed.”
“Yeah, well I’m very put out that my cubs have to be passed around, like some pretty family heirloom.”
He looked anxiously towards his mate. Jareid was in the middle of a group of females and some males who looked about to faint. He had Itzamma on his arms, and the little cub was very obviously the reason of all the wooing and battling of lashes that the cats around Jareid were doing. Tygra had to make an effort to contain his growl. His cub was awake and scowling at everything and everyone around him from the safety of his father’s arms. Jareid had him upright, with one hand supporting the cub’s back, but the tiny head was apparently without much support. Tygra could clearly see Itzamma’s little fists grabbing Jareid’s tunic tightly. He looked alert and even hissed at a pair of hands that got too close to him. Jareid took a step back and growled warningly at the offender, who retracted her arms quickly. Itzamma then leaned his head on his father’s shoulder and started sucking his tiny fist; his eyes were still looking sideways at his surroundings. He looked annoyed.
Tygra blinked. His eldest cub was a conundrum for him. Sometimes it seemed that Itzamma understood pretty well what was going on around him. Cheetara put a hand on his arm and he reluctantly took his eyes away from his cub. The cheetah smiled at him.
“Relax. No one is going to steal them away.”
“I know. But they are getting nervous, and it’d be time to feed them soon.”
It was already past time for Ixchel, but his little girl had been too stressed and had outright refused the bottle. Ben had told Tygra that one missed feed would not harm her, but the tiger didn’t like the fact that one of his cubs had gone to sleep hungry. Cheetara tried to distract him, but he was only half-listening to his long-time friend. His eyes kept wandering between Itzamma and Akbal, the last being on his grandmother’s arms, close to where the main table was situated. Tygra was practically counting the minutes. Any moment now, Akbal would feel hungry and start crying. Cheetara finally sighed and offered to hold Ixchel, so Tygra could go and retrieve his black cub, as he obviously wanted to. Tygra hesitated a moment. He didn’t want to risk Ixchel waking up now, but then he saw that Akbal was starting to whimper and wriggle awkwardly on Xilara’s arms and he gave his little girl to Cheetara, so he could run and take care of his son before Akbal could take on full crying mode.
He took his cub behind the table, so they could have the illusion of privacy, and took a bottle out of a backpack specially prepared for them that had been on one of the chairs. He gave the bottle to his cub, and Akbal took the tit readily and sucked on it as enthusiastically as always. Jareid approached him just moments before Akbal was done and attempted to give a bottle to Itzamma. Their blond cub however turned his head away and waved his little hands at the tit, plainly refusing to take it. Tygra groaned in distress. It was bad enough that Ixchel had not eaten. If Itzamma was stressed enough to refuse his milk then it was time to take the cubs out of there. Tygra told so to Jareid. Akbal was yawning, very tired, but he would not close his eyes. The noise and the mixture of smells and lights in the ballroom were very distracting and would not let him sleep. He started to sob and rub his face on his father’s neck as a result. Jareid caved. He didn’t like the idea of Itzamma losing his appetite due to stress. His cub was too young to have to deal with social meetings anyway. He gave a quick word to his father, who held Itzamma and passed him in front of the elders a last time before allowing his son to slip away with his family. Saixa trailed behind them to offer help, and made the rest of the females in the court envy her.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra flopped down beside Jareid on the mat extended over the nursery floor, and groaned. He felt tired. Itzamma had accepted the bottle as soon as he had been changed into more comfortable clothes, and had given no more trouble, but Ixchel had woken up when they had been just about to enter their Hall, and she had startled Akbal who had been about to close his eyes. It had taken Tygra and Saixa ages to calm them down. Jareid had been left alone with Itzamma, and he had happily taken care of the most quiet of his cubs. When he had finished, he had taken Akbal, so Saixa could return to the party, while Tygra had managed to give a bottle of milk to Ixchel.
Now all three cubs were finally asleep and Tygra basked in the blessed silence that had taken over the nursery, and relaxed. Having cubs was decidedly a task that should have remained only for the females. He couldn’t believe he was so tired! He had done nothing but attend a boring ceremony!
He felt Jareid’s hands starting to rummage over his body and he groaned again. The feeling was not unpleasant, and soon he was inching closer to his mate. The jaguar kissed his tiger’s forehead and tried to groom the stripped head. Tygra lied there contently, allowing Jareid to continue his caressing, until the jaguar’s hands grabbed the hem of Tygra’s trousers and pulled down. Tygra yelped in surprise and tried to stop his mate’s bold movement.
“Jareid! What are you doing?” He hissed, focussing on keeping the lowest level of noise he could manage. He looked up towards his mate, who was smirking evilly at him.
“They are asleep, and we are alone. Everyone is at the party, so I don’t have any more duties today. I think we can take advantage of our time.” He said in a low voice too, and tried to continue with his task of getting his tiger out of the formal clothes. Tygra spluttered and hissed at him again, trying to escape the jaguar’s clutches.
“Are you mad? We are not having sex here Jareid!”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s the nursery you idiot!”
Tygra tried to roll away, but Jareid grabbed him by the waist and rolled on top of him. Tygra grunted and bared his teeth, as he was pinned under Jareid’s considerable weight.
“Jareid! Stop!”
“I fail to see why does it bother you if I decide to have you right here.” He said reasonably, starting to trail kisses along his captive tiger’s jaw. Tygra growled and fought to keep the sound on whisper level.
“Jareid, I swear, if they wake up I’m walking away and leaving you to deal with all three of them!”
Jareid paused and barely turned sideways towards the crib. He really doubted that the twins would wake up, they both had been exhausted, but Ixchel had proven to be very nervous and a rather light sleeper.
“All right. You have a point. Let’s go to our own room.”
He lifted himself up and pulled Tygra with him. The tiger huffed indignantly as his mate’s arms surrounded him entirely, preventing him from escape. Jareid sucked on his prize’s neck lusciously, growling possessively as he dragged a mostly reluctant tiger to where he could ravage the younger cat without any impediment.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra huffed as he stopped a blow aimed to his head. He turned around, bringing one foot up to his opponent’s ribs. His leg was grabbed and pulled, making him lose his equilibrium and fall to the ground. He groaned and glared up at his teammate, who was offering his hand to him. He accepted reluctantly and pulled himself up, receiving an affectionate pat on the shoulders.
“That was much better Tygra. You’d regain your former strength in no time!”
Tygra smiled and moved his shoulders back in circles to relax the stiffed muscles. He had finally rejoined training two days ago, and was anxious to catch up to his teammates level again. He didn’t like to feel left behind. He felt as if he had spent too long doing nothing, even if he had continued doing some form of exercise. It just wasn’t the same.
“Get the staffs, now!”
The entire group moved as one to obey and Tygra soon was back in front of his opponent with his weapon ready to spar. Xora gave him a concerned frown.
“You sure you’re ready to keep up with this Tygra?”
The tiger snarled in annoyance.
“I am. Quit trying to mother me Xora! I’m perfectly fine!”
The jaguar pressed his lips and nodded reluctantly. For all the deities. Tygra was starting to think that he might now know why there were so few females in the forces. He would not have tolerated to be treated like this all the time! He understood the reaction in part, not only he was considered as the most vulnerable of their group at the moment, but they had also the threat of Jareid’s anger if something happened to him. He understood that, but it was annoying all the same.
Their trainer gave the signal and Tygra attacked, focused on prove to the world that he was not going to break at the first hit he had to block. Xora was surprised at his anger first, but then reacted like the trained soldier he was and fought as he should. It actually made Tygra feel better when he was sent to the floor once again.
Much later, Tygra walked the palace’s halls in his way to his rooms. He was still put out with his teammates and didn’t know what to do, as a great part of the problem was the ever-present mantra of “Do not do anything that could anger Jareid” that every jaguar seemed to have engraved in their minds. Really! It was their own fault that Jareid didn’t have any respect for needs that were not his own! Why did Tygra have to suffer the consequences? It was outrageous!
He sighed and entered his hall, turning immediately to the nursery. He couldn’t do anything to change the situation concerning Jareid, he could only ride the tide and hope that his teammates would stop the nonsense soon. He was not going to tolerate a lousy training just because no one dared to inflict real damage on him!
He got to the door of the nursery and stretched his arms before opening it. His muscles were getting colder and starting to ache. He needed a good shower, but he wanted to check on his cubs first. He entered the nursery and found Saixa cleaning the bathtub, a pile of clothes and used towels were on the changer, ready to be dumped in the laundry basket. Tygra smiled when she turned around to face him.
“Hi. Had they given you any trouble?”
“No more than usual. Akbal is the one who is getting more active. He is cutting down severely on his sleep time.”
Tygra peered at the crib. Ixchel and Itzamma were sleeping, and Akbal was lying further down the crib, pulling on Snarf’s tail and trying to bite it. He and Itzamma both were only in their nappies, while Ixchel had a fresh sleeping shirt on. The pet was apparently content with moving his tail out of the cub’s grasp and in front of the little face once more for him to catch it again. It was keeping Akbal entertained. Tygra smiled and caressed his son’s head. The cub looked upwards and extended his little arms towards his father’s figure. Tygra got him out of the crib and held him upright, supporting his back and neck consciously. Akbal emitted little happy noises and immediately latched onto his dad’s mane. Tygra winced as his son’s fists pulled hard. Saixa looked amused at him.
“He is gaining strength, and is getting more curious. Any day now he’d just start crawling everywhere!”
“I’m in equal parts terrified of that day and wishing upon it. Did you use the dryer on him? It doesn’t feel like he has taken a bath at all.” Tygra didn’t like to use the dryer on his cubs. The natural weather was warm enough for their fur to dry very quickly on its own, there was no need for the extremely hot air that the contraption produced. Saixa moved a hand dismissively.
“Oh, I haven’t bathed him yet. I wanted to finish with the other two first, as they are easier to deal with.”
“Ah, fine then. Ow!”
Saixa chuckled as Tygra moved his head slightly to the side, following the pull of his son’s hands. She went to get everything ready again for Akbal’s bath, but Tygra stopped her.
“You know, I think I can take over from here. Since Itzamma and Ixchel are already sleeping, Akbal alone would be no problem.”
“Are you sure?” Saixa lifted a dubious eyebrow at him. Tygra usually avoided bathing Akbal alone. The tiger smiled confidently.
“Of course. Besides, you surely have other things to do this evening.”
The jaguaress was about to question Tygra about his sudden distrust in her, but she noticed the way that Tygra was holding Akbal closely, and how the tiger didn’t mind his cub almost ripping his fur from his head. Saixa guessed that the young tiger was just anxious, and wanted to spend time with his cubs alone. Ixchel was only one month and days old after all, and the twins had been the centre of his life for the last couple of months. It was natural that he would feel restless the first days away from them.
“Sure. There are a few very nice soldiers that would like my company very much, and I’d love to see the faces of the ladies of the court when they see me passing by. I’m a celebrity now, don’t you know?” She said happily. She had not bragged her new position to the rest of the court for long enough. She hadn’t gotten tired of seeing the envious looks in Jareid’s past lovers. All of them believed that Jareid was bedding her, and she was not going to clear that misconception for them. The tiger just beamed at her. “Don’t you want me to leave everything prepared?”
“No, thanks. I’ll do it myself.”
“Ok.”
Saixa smiled and walked away, leaving Tygra with his three little treasures. The tiger kissed Akbal’s forehead hard and smelled the cub’s neck deeply, then went to the crib and did the same with Ixchel and Itzamma. His girl yawned and started sucking her thumb. Itzamma’s eyes actually opened and his tiny mouth made a gurgle before he lifted his arms in the same way as his twin had. Tygra reached for him, and managed to accommodate a twin on each arm. Itzamma sniffed him a few times and babbled happily. Tygra felt a pang of guilt that his cub had really missed him, and he kissed the blond head again and groomed it a little. Itzamma’s fur was still a bit damp, but with the heat that they had been having it will finish drying in no time.
The tiger spent some minutes just holding his two boys and listening to their incipient babble, with Akbal trying to rip out his mane, until Itzamma fell asleep again. Tygra returned both cubs to the crib in order to start preparing Akbal’s bath. He glanced at the small tub and sniffed himself awkwardly. Now that he had appeased his instinct he was feeling again the need for a shower. He turned towards the crib where Akbal could be heard happily babbling to Snarf. A crazy idea popped in his mind and he grinned. Why not? Both of them needed a good scrubbing anyway. He picked up Ixchel and Itzamma from the crib and looked sternly at Snarf.
“Wait for me, I’ll be back shortly.”
Snarf mewled and Tygra hurried to his bedroom.
It took him three trips to have all three cubs on his and Jareid’s bed and Akbal’s bath necessities in the bathroom. He finished dressing Itzamma now that he could feel that his fur had dried entirely, and surrounded the two sleeping cubs with pillows, putting them at the middle of the big bed. Snarf stayed watching over them, and he left the doors to the closet and the bathroom open. He took Akbal, who gurgled happily when he was out of the nappies, and went to the shower with him.
Tygra was very careful to step on the mat, so he wouldn’t slip, and let the spray of the shower hit his back first. Then, he turned around and started to get his cub wet. Akbal did a start of surprise when he felt the water hit him, and after a few stunned seconds he suddenly screeched and wriggled. Tygra almost lost hold of him. The tiger cursed and readjusted his grip to have Akbal’s back and head firm between his hands. Akbal jumped up and down and moved his arms, his surprised noises turned into a laugh and he extended one tiny hand towards the water spray. Tygra realized that his cub actually liked the shower and moved his hands carefully so the spray hit Akbal’s back and head. The cub screeched again in happiness and kicked with his tiny feet. Tygra grinned.
“So, you don’t like the bath, but you enjoy the shower? Well, at least is not the fact of getting wet what bothers you.”
Akbal babbled and latched on his dad’s shoulder, sucking at it a few times. Tygra looked for the liquid soap that was Akbal’s. He procured to start with the back of the head, but soon he found out that he needed to use both hands if he wanted to manoeuvre his cub and get him completely soaped. He started to do it awkwardly, and he had almost the entirety of his cub’s torso covered in bubbles when Akbal squirmed again, his tiny body twisting in such a way that he slipped from his dad’s soapy hands. Tygra screamed in terror, but his quick reflexes helped him, and he caught his cub before he could reach the floor. Then, he gave a couple of deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Akbal continued laughing and moving, so Tygra ended up sitting gingerly on the floor tiles and arranging the wriggling cub across his legs, thinking that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea.
&&&&&&&&&
Jareid entered his rooms in a hurry. He was very sure that Tygra would be in the nursery with their cubs, but he wanted to take a quick shower before collecting his mate for dinner. He was sweating profusely after two hours of staying out under the sun with the troops. It had been one of those days when it was so hot that you wanted to crawl out of your own fur, and he knew that the night would not be any better.
He crossed his study and stopped at the sight of the bed. All the pillows were at the middle of it, arranged neatly into some kind of mini-fort. Snarf mewled at him from the inside of it, and Jareid raised an eyebrow at the pet. Then he approached the bed and peered at the centre of the pillow-fort. Two cubs were inside. Ixchel was sleeping peacefully, and Itzamma was using Snarf’s tail to pull himself closer to a pillow, and rolling on his belly as a result. Jareid smiled and picked up his son, who gurgled and glared at him.
“You mean little brat. Why don’t you do any of your clever antics when your other dad is around? I promise he is not going to stop kissing and holding you lovingly to his heart. You don’t have to keep him worried.”
Itzamma stared at him, and moved his arms to palm Jareid’s nose and mouth. The prince trapped one tiny hand with his lips, making his son smile. Then he looked down to the bed again and frowned. One black cub was missing.
“Where’s your brother?”
“Jareid! Is that you? I need help!”
Tygra’s voice reached him from the confines of the closet, and Jareid realized that both doors leading to the bathroom were wide open. He left Itzamma lying on the bed again and hurried towards his mate. He stopped on the bathroom door’s threshold to assess the situation. The shower was running and Tygra was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a playful Akbal on his lap. The cub seemed happy to be face down, and his tiny hands were splashing the water puddles on the floor. Tygra looked at his mate with his ears down, the very picture of misery.
“Help.”
Jareid frowned in worry and hurried towards the shower.
“Are you hurt?”
“No! No one is hurt. It just… I somehow thought that it was a good idea to introduce Akbal to the shower. I forgot about the soap, and how much Akbal moves, and I ended up sitting down to prevent any falls, after I almost dropped him. Now I have trouble standing up again.”
Jareid paused and processed the situation that his mate had created. Then he chuckled and turned off the shower. Akbal looked around and let go a screech of protest when he could no longer feel the spray of water. Jareid found Akbal’s towel and reached down to take the tiny cub from the tiger’s hands. Once free of his son, Tygra had no problems finding his own feet. He stood up gingerly and groaned at the pain of stiffed muscles in his back. Jareid already had Akbal all wrapped in the towel, and the cub was squirming and mewling in protest. Tygra chuckled at the image of the jaguar prince trying to dry their cub with only one hand. He then turned on the shower again and Jareid looked towards him, lifting an eyebrow in askance.
“I didn’t get to shower myself, and I really need it.” He said as explanation. Jareid smirked at his mate. If he weren’t holding a cub in his hands he would join his tiger.
“I’ll leave Akbal on the bed and return.”
Tygra frowned and shook his head minutely.
“I really would prefer to not leave Snarf alone with them for too long, not when at least one of them would be awake. I’ll finish quickly.”
Snarf was good as babysitter, but Tygra still remembered all the close calls they had had at Thundera’s palace once Lion-O had became mobile. He didn’t want any accidents. Jareid looked as if he might protest, but one of his ears moved conspicuously in the bedroom’s direction and he seemed to think better of it.
“Fine. Don’t take too long, I want a shower too. I’m too hot, and not in a good way.”
Tygra smirked as his eyes followed his mate and cub past the door. Then he sighed and enjoyed the cool water falling on his body.
&&&&&&&&
Cheetara looked from afar at the group of hunter trainees Tygra was a part of. She had not really believed that her prince had been allowed to continue military training. She had imagined that Baal had assigned Tygra a private trainer or that Jareid himself was training him. That notion had not broken apart when she had confirmed that Lion-O was part of his own training unit. She had supposed that Baal would consider Lion-O less of a threat than the tiger, and thus would allow the lion cub more leeway than to his brother.
She shook her head, upset with herself. It had been a foolish assumption. She had been trying to judge Baal’s actions under Thunderian standards, and in doing so had forgotten that Baal had had no reason to consider any of the brothers as more worthy than the other. In political terms, the jaguar would have measured their abilities under the same standards, and would have had no preconceived ideas about who would perform better. For Baal, both brothers had represented an equal threat, and in order to nullify it he had settled for making both of them feel like at home, thus treating them as equals, and with more justice than the Thunderians ever had.
Cheetara followed the unit’s routine with interest. It was clear that they were an established team, used to each other’s movements and reactions. She could not identify any potential flaws in their exercise, unless you counted the times when they arranged themselves around Tygra to protect him, or when someone visibly tried to diminish the force of a hit he was about to deliver to the tiger. Cheetara scoffed when she noticed that. Tygra would not be happy. She caught the prince roaring in annoyance two or three times at the offenders, who looked properly apologetic, but were still engaging with caution. The cheetah couldn’t blame them, considering her own experience with Jareid’s anger, it was reasonable that the rest of the cats were trying to avoid it. But she also knew that her friend was getting frustrated, and she wondered how long he would last before he exploded. Fortunately, his teammates seemed to understand the tiger’s annoyance, and by the end of the session there was no more noticeable difference between the blows that they threw each other. Tygra looked relatively battered, but happier than she had seen him in ages.
Her lips made a thin line of suppressed anger. She had finally manage to cajole Lion-O and she had discovered at last what had really happened to make her friend submit to the older prince so completely, and she didn’t know who she was more upset at. Stupid males, and their stupid, loathsome, wars over pride. Tygra shouldn’t have had to be exposed to such treatment. Ever!
It pissed her the fact that there was no going back now. Jareid had managed to trap the tiger, and it was evident that the jaguar had no intentions of ever let him go. But Cheetara was even more upset over the part that her own king had inadvertently played. Tygra had been left alone. Not only had the jaguars isolated the two princes, but also Claudus had let it happen. Cheetara was aware that there had not been any communication between the two kings since the invasion. She had assumed that Baal had simply forbidden any contact between the royal family, but when she had seated down one day with Lion-O and Xilara she had realized that her king had never asked. In fact, no one in Thundera had made the slightest effort to talk with Ix-Maal’s representatives. Every cat had just glared and avoided the jaguars as much as possible. No one had really started a conversation with them, not even to inquire about the princes’ well being.
Cheetara let a frustrated growl escape. King Claudus had assumed that Tygra could keep both his little brother and himself safe. The king had focused on the perfect image of the son that had always excelled at everything. He had forgotten that Tygra was still a kit. He had never imagined that his older son could also feel lonely and in need of reassurance. He had never thought that Tygra could possibly need help of any kind.
She looked as Tygra approached her after saying goodbye to his teammates. One of the jaguars followed him, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She wouldn’t put past Jareid to order that Tygra was not to be left alone with her. The selfish, controlling cat just had to know every step Tygra took. Though Lion-O was amused at the jaguar’s jealousy and possessiveness, Cheetara was pretty much fed up with it. Still, there was nothing she could do about it. Loathsome as it was, she was no match for the jaguar prince and she didn’t want the brute to decide to pull Tygra away from her, so she swallowed her anger and smiled at the pair of cats in front of her. The jaguar inclined his head and offered his hand.
“Hi Chee. Look, this is Xalu. He was my first friend here.”
Cheetara’s gesture softened somewhat, and shook the offered hand. It was easier to accept someone who had been kind to his prince from the beginning rather than a bolder eavesdropper. The male jaguar retained her hand for almost a minute.
“A pleasure to meet you. Tygra has told many good things about you.”
“Just because he wouldn’t stop asking.”
“Hey! It’s not my fault that every time I asked for interesting Thunderian females you knew, you could only mention her!”
Tygra’s cheeks coloured and Cheetara raised an eyebrow at him in amusement.
“Interesting females, eh?”
“Yeah, well. I was curious about Tygra’s life and I wanted to know how much different Thunderian gals were from ours. Not that I got the huge picture, mind you. But I can tell that you’re amazing.” Said Xalu with a mischievous smile and finally let Cheetara’s hand go. Tygra coughed in embarrassment.
“Not my fault that there were no more interesting females in the court. They are the same as the ones here, except maybe for Saixa. And you started asking again after Chee arrived here!”
“It’s more interesting when you can actually see the person you’re being told about.”
Tygra grumbled and crossed his arms to hide his discomfiture. Cheetara chuckled in amusement. Xalu returned to her.
“I hope I’ll be seeing you around much more frequently from now on. It’s not everyday that one gets to know a cat that has actually been on the receiving end of the prince’s anger and still doesn’t look terrified of him. I have to say, you do have guts.”
Cheetara huffed. She was quite famous in the court and the forces now. She found very disturbing the fact that her ‘fame’ was because she had survived a direct attack from Jareid. It made her wonder how much leeway the jaguar prince was allowed without repercussions.
“I don’t see the point in being afraid of him. It’s better to look forwards being stronger. Maybe one day I’d beat him.” She said, looking directly towards Tygra. The tiger blushed and avoided her eyes. Xalu chuckled, somewhat nervously.
“Well, I suppose that since he’s not your prince you can allow yourself to think about revenge. The rest of us wouldn’t dare to touch him. It’s already ingrained in our brains.”
“But that can’t possibly be healthy!”
“It’s not.” Said Tygra with a sigh, at the same time that Xalu shrugged helplessly. “And he hates it.”
“I don’t know about that. We obey our king, and Baal’s posture had always been that the prince can do what he wants. No one desires to be on the king’s bad side, so we try not to give him any reason to complain.”
“But Jareid is going to be your king someday.”
“All the more reason to just do as he says.”
Cheetara shook her head. She was used to follow Claudus and Jaga’s orders, but she believed that she at least saw the reason behind them. If Claudus suddenly started to give orders that put the kingdom in danger, the council and the clerics would have put a stop to it. Of course, Baal’s decisions had not put his kingdom in any real danger, yet.
“Aren’t you worried about what would happen once Jareid has the crown? With that temper of his?”
Xalu looked at Tygra and smiled conspicuously. “Not any more.” He said.
Cheetara blinked in befuddlement. Tygra sighed again. Someone yelled Xalu’s name from the other side of the courtyard, and the young jaguar made an impatient gesture towards whoever was waiting for him.
“Sorry, I have to go. But I do hope to see you again, my lady.”
He kissed Cheetara’s knuckles, making her blush, and patted Tygra’s back in farewell before hurrying towards the corridors that would eventually take him out of the castle. Cheetara shook her head to clear it and turned to look at her tiger friend.
“If I understood correctly, he implied that you would somehow manage to placate Jareid enough for him to not drag the entire city to disaster. Is that so?”
Tygra looked unnerved, but nodded.
“Everyone here seem to think that Jareid only needed a family of his own to start acting with responsibility. Apparently, his behaviour had been close to be considered unmanageable, but it has improved since I’m here. I really don’t know if the change is as glaringly obvious as the jaguars are making it out to be. I don’t know how he acted before I arrived, other than going around sleeping with everyone in sight.”
“Well, that alone is greatly irresponsible of him. I suppose they were happy that he fixated on you so readily.”
Tygra bit his lips and gave a tight smile. Cheetara’s scowl deepened.
“He’s still going to pay for it.”
“Chee…”
“Not right now. It may very well take years. But I would not forgive him for that, or them for forcing you into being an outlet for his anger and frustration. No one would have cared if he had killed you!”
“Chee, look, it just happened. No one forced me to provoke him.”
“They should have kept better surveillance of you, and a shorter leash on him! What had they been expecting? You were a pampered prince too! And you’re still a boy! How did they expect a fifteen year old to react to a forced partner? Of course you were going to defy him! And they let you do it, without even a thought or letting you know what their crazy prince was capable of!”
Tygra gritted his teeth, and tried to control his temper.
“I don’t think it would have mattered much.”
“Well, of course, being the stubborn male you were, you would have tested him anyway, but you may have been aware of the possible consequences, and the fact remains that no one even tried to prevent a disaster from happening!”
Tygra groaned in frustration. This was why he hadn’t wanted Cheetara to know what had really happened between Jareid and himself. She didn’t understand. Not really. There had been no need for anyone to tell him how Jareid could react. The smell and posture alone was a clear advertising of just how dangerous Jareid was. Tygra just hadn’t cared. He had reached his breaking point and he had needed to fight for dominance. It would have happened sooner or later.
“Let it go Chee. It doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“Of course it matters! You’re still living with him!”
Tygra looked confused at his friend. Cheetara glared.
“He shouldn’t have been allowed to mate you. In normal circumstances, your father wouldn’t have even allowed you close to him.”
“But this is not a normal circumstance, and what’s done is done Chee. It’s pointless to keep dwelling on it. The situation is not going to change.”
Cheetara bit her lower lip in vexation, but finally sighed and let the subject drop. Tygra smiled in relief. They started to walk towards the castle’s entrance and Cheetara spotted Bengali waiting for them. He had been evidently giving them some time alone and he straightened at their approach. Cheetara scowled. Now, here was the real chaperone. She wondered for a moment what would happen if she made a bold movement, like hugging and kissing Tygra. On the lips. She was very tempted to do it just to see how Bengali would react. She dismissed the idea almost immediately. It was childish and would serve no purpose, except perhaps getting herself killed. The shaman nodded at her in greeting and fell in pace next to Tygra. The younger tiger felt suddenly more relaxed. It was a sign of how much he had gotten to trust the shaman. Cheetara still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
“Listen, there is something that I wanted to talk with you. Thundera’s council meeting is in two days, and I was supposed to take you and Lion-O back home with me. But Lion-O refuses to go, and…”
“Wait, wait! Me? Why me? The year is not over yet, and Baal wouldn’t have allowed me to visit before time.”
Cheetara clenched her fists and huffed in frustration.
“Well, Claudus was rather expecting that your presence here would no longer be necessary… or welcome…”
Bengali growled under his breath and threw her an annoyed look. Cheetara ignored him.
“Why would he…?” Tygra started, and then he shook his head and thought about the things that Lion-O had told him. He knew that his father had been pretty mad, and he obviously had sent Cheetara with a mission. A mission that hadn’t been fulfilled, as he had his twins safe and sound. He hadn’t had the courage to ask Cheetara what she had been supposed to do, but he was pretty sure that it had had to involve disposing of his cubs one way or the other. The idea of his father even thinking about harming his cubs was what had stopped him from calling Jareid on his word that he would take them to Thundera for a visit. He wanted his father to meet his cubs, but was fearful of what the lion king would say, or do about them. Cheetara seemed to sense his conflict.
“Tygra, he’s your father, and he won’t stop trying to get you back unless he’s convinced that you actually want to stay here.”
The tiger clenched his fists. He felt really conflicted over his father. Like there was something that he knew was damaged beyond repair, but nonetheless he wanted to mend it.
“I don’t know Chee. I really don’t want to risk him rejecting my cubs, or trying to do something that would take them from me.”
“I don’t think he would, not once he has seen for himself how much you love them.”
Tygra pressed his lips in a tight line, still unsure. Beyond what his father would say about his cubs, he really didn’t want to risk a confrontation between the lion king and Jareid. He knew that his mate wasn’t going to hold back if his cubs were threatened in any way. Cheetara sighed.
“Besides, they are part of Thundera’s royal family too, and they have to be presented as well. The same as it was here.”
Tygra’s ears stood up in alarm and he almost gaped at his friend.
“Why? I mean… I’m not Claudus heir… My cubs are not in line of succession, and…”
Cheetara scowled and interrupted the tiger.
“How can you say that, Tygra? You are Claudus’ eldest son. Even if Lion-O is heir apparent, now that you are mated into another royal line, your cubs have taken your place as heir presumptive, you know that.”
Tygra was speechless. Bengali frowned in mild-worry. He had assumed that Tygra was fine with presenting his cubs to the Thunderian council. After all, Cheetara was right. They were also part of the Thunderian royal family and had the right to be considered in the line of succession.
“She’s right Tygra, they are…”
“No.” Tygra said with finality. Bengali lifted his eyebrows and Cheetara looked at his friend in confusion.
“What? Tygra…”
“No. They are not any kind of heirs, and they are not in line to Thundera’s throne. Lion-O will have his own cubs, and they are the ones who will be presented before the council. Neither Itzamma nor Akbal would ever have any position of power in Thundera’s government, so they do not need to be presented.”
“But… Tygra you can’t know that. If something happens to Lion-O…”
“No, Chee! Nothing is going to happen to Lion-O. My cubs do not need to put foot in Thundera, and they won’t!”
He stomped down the hall towards his rooms, leaving Cheetara and Bengali behind to try to figure out what had happened.
&&&&&&&&
That evening, Tygra was nestled in his puff with all three cubs. He had Akbal and Ixchel at his sides, and Itzamma resting on his chest. The three were sleeping quietly, and Tygra was caressing Itzamma’s head, playing with the soft locks of mane that was really starting to grow long.
He was practically dozing when he heard Jareid’s steps from the study. He sighed in relief, and then scowled in annoyance at the mere notion that he had been waiting for his mate. What the hell was wrong with him? What could he possibly want Jareid for? He was enjoying some quiet time with his cubs. Jareid’s loud presence would only disrupt it.
Nonetheless, he still looked up and breathed deeply in Jareid’s essence when the jaguar leaned over him to kiss his lips. He felt more relaxed. Safer. And that annoyed him, and he decided to ignore both feelings in favour of scowl and growl at his mate when he tried to pick up Itzamma. Jareid frowned and then looked puzzled at the tiger’s attitude.
“I see Ben’s point now.”
Tygra felt even more annoyed and bared his teeth at the jaguar.
“About what?”
“He told me that you had a weird reaction earlier this day, and he couldn’t decide if somehow I was at fault for it or not.”
Tygra huffed in anger.
“Does Ben always tell you every single thing I do?”
“No. Only when you’re upset and he thinks it’s my fault.”
That mollified the tiger somewhat. Ben had taken the role of family, and he was looking after Tygra’s well being. It suddenly occurred to him that it had been almost two years since he had last seen his father, and not once in all that time the lion had given any sign that he had worried about Tygra’s well being. Not even a personal message sent by proxy, besides the short “do your duty” speech that Yabin had delivered on the day of the ceremony. He had in fact not even bothered to inform Tygra of the convenient loophole that could have allowed him to return home.
The anger returned. No one had seen fit to make sure that Tygra understood every single nuisance of the mating ritual, before it was consummated. He understood that Baal had had no interest in making him aware of the ritual’s only flaw, the jaguar king would have ordered Bengali to shut up and Jareid surely didn’t even have thought about it, but his father had known. He had known, and he had not seen fit to make sure that Tygra had been informed about it. Besides the point that Claudus had had no way to know that the jaguars had invented a procedure for a male to get pregnant, the fact was that Tygra had spent an entire year trying to cope with the utter despair of being away from his home with no way to get back. EVER. That hurt. It was hurting in a way that Tygra didn’t really understand. The fact that no one but Bengali had seemed to care about what he had been feeling. And it seemed that the situation had not really changed.
He tried to hug both Itzamma and Ixchel with one arm, and Akbal with the other, while he averted his eyes from Jareid.
“It’s not. Not this time.”
Jareid cocked his head to the side. He had a moment to feel marvelled at the fact that he could say that Tygra needed reassurance, before plummet down into frustration at not knowing what exactly he had to do to provide it. He settled for scratching the tiger’s head and making him look up again.
“If it’s not my fault, then what made you so upset?”
Tygra debated with himself for a moment if he should tell Jareid what was bothering him. He was not sure he could express it with words, and certain that his mate was not going to understand anyway. But he supposed that Jareid would be told about the next meeting in Thundera, and who knew what he would think of the situation. Maybe it was best if he just told him, if only to be clear about what they were going to do.
“Cheetara asked me if I was going to take my cubs to Thundera for the council meeting. It is the day after tomorrow, and apparently I have to present them, the same way we did here.”
Jareid’s face darkened. He stood upright and clenched his fists, barely suppressing a growl. His first reaction was to say that there was no reason for them to take their cubs to Thundera, they didn’t have to be presented before anyone there. But he remembered that Tygra had wanted his father to meet his cubs, so he thought that the tiger was subtly reminding him of his promise. He gritted his teeth, but managed to answer tonelessly.
“Fine. Though I would have preferred to wait a bit more, but it’s important for you…”
“I don’t want to go.”
Jareid stopped and blinked twice. He turned towards Tygra again in puzzlement.
“Sorry?”
The tiger was grooming Itzamma’s mane again, and didn’t look up.
“I know that I made you promise that you will take us, but I changed my mind. There’s no reason for us to stress them with such a journey.”
Jareid cocked his head to the side and licked his lips.
“So, do you want to wait for them to be older to take them?” ‘Much older.’ He wished privately, thinking that perhaps his tiger’s instincts were urging him to keep the young cubs safe. But Tygra shook his head and answered, still with his attention focused on Itzamma.
“No. I don’t want to take them at all. They would never have to do anything in Thundera, much less have any responsibility there, so there’s no need for them to even know about it, or for anyone there to see them. They can live happily the rest of their days without setting foot outside the jungle.”
Jareid made a face between a frown and half a smile. Something. Something was not right. He knew that this was not the reaction that had been expected from Tygra. The tiger should be excited, or at least showing some enthusiasm upon the prospect of getting to visit his family’s home, but that was… not happening. The jaguar could see the source of Bengali’s confusion, and that worried him for a moment, because if the white tiger didn’t understand then who was going to explain to him what was happening?
It was just a brief moment of shock though, before happiness at his mate thinking the same as him won over, and Jareid decided that he didn’t care why the tiger had chosen to keep their cubs away from Thundera. He was going to support it.
Tygra lifted one eye towards Jareid to assess the jaguar’s reaction, and he could see the exact moment when his mate understood that he didn’t have to take his family out of Ix-Maal. The frown disappeared and the smile took over. He almost sprung while walking back the few steps that he had taken away from the puff, and leaned over Tygra to kiss him soundly on the lips. The tiger was a bit surprised, but opened his mouth obediently to allow Jareid’s tongue entrance. He could smell the satisfaction radiating from the older prince, and sighed in relief. Jareid was not going to ask him questions. He had just given the jaguar what he wanted, and being the egotistical bastard he was, there won’t be any inquiry about why Tygra had changed his mind. Jareid wouldn’t really care about his mate’s emotional dilemma, he would only care that Tygra had made the decision he wanted him to. And for once, Tygra was perfectly fine with it.
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A Tale of Jaguars