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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
- 23
- 24
- 25
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 24. Formalities.

Of course, Baal decided to be unreasonable and didn’t agree with the princes’ point of view. The cubs had to be presented before Thundera’s council. It was the right way to proceed with any member of the nobles’ families. They were heirs presumptive to the throne and Baal was not going to let that go unrecognized. Besides, the peace treaty demanded implicitly that both parties had to acknowledge the union’s descendants, and the jaguar clan was not going to allow anything that Claudus could later use to claim foul play, or accuse them of treachery.
The king had a very serious talk with his son, and Jareid left the royal rooms roaring in anger, and thus everyone else avoided him for the rest of the day. Tygra was annoyed and very frustrated. Really! The one time that he had counted on Baal’s tendency to accommodate to his son’s wishes and the jaguar decided to enforce the law! It wasn’t fair! It was just as unfair that Cheetara was now fully convinced that Baal could have been persuaded to let Tygra go, no matter his son’s whims. She was as a result pretty upset with Tygra and Bengali, and she made a point of informing the white tiger that she held him responsible of misleading her prince. Bengali didn’t see the use of protesting innocence, and he allowed Cheetara to continue being upset. He was more worried over Tygra’s reaction, and what could be the young tiger’s reasons for not wanting to visit his home.
Lion-O was also worried, but he understood his brother’s discomfort a bit better. He tried to reassure his brother that it was ok to go visit Thundera. He was not going to resent any of his nephews if the council declared them suitable heirs. No one could take them away from Tygra on any grounds, and thus the tiger would make sure that Thundera’s court wouldn’t influence his cubs. Also, their father surely had had enough time to reconsider his posture regarding the cubs, and meet them would be a good approach for him to accept them. Tygra felt much better after talking to his brother, but he was still upset and a bit fearful to confront Claudus. The hurt hadn’t gone away yet, and he didn’t trust himself to react properly once in Thundera. But his inner struggle was useless. Baal gave the order, and everyone was ready to go early in the morning of the designated day.
Tygra boarded the ship morosely. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to look at his father in the face and accept that he had chosen not to fight Jareid. He didn’t want to show his cubs in front of the court and have the nobles criticize them for their lineage, only to gossip later that maybe one of them could make a better heir for the kingdom. Most of all, he didn’t want to know what his father was capable of if he really wanted his cubs gone.
Tygra pressed his lips and stopped just in front of the open door of the ship. He had Itzamma on his arms, and was trying to calm himself with his cub’s smell. He turned around and nodded to Lion-O, Snarf, and Yeana, who were waving farewell from the entrance to the courtyard.
Lion-O had refused to go, and Baal had allowed him to stay. Which had made Jareid furious. The jaguar prince could not accept that his father was granting someone else’s wishes instead of his! Why he had to take his family to Thundera and the little lion got to stay behind safe and sound? It had taken both Bengali and Tygra to explain that Baal was not catering to the lion heir’s whims. He was just being cautious, and was even ensuring the cubs’ safety. Jareid however could not see how, and he just grumbled in annoyance.
Tygra sighed and waved at his brother. A hand pushing at his lower back got him moving, and he finally walked inside the ship. Once there, he took a minute to look around and lift an eyebrow in mild surprise. This wasn’t a battleship like the one he had boarded in Thundera. This cabin had a big window on one side, and rows of comfortable looking seats along it.
Tygra walked towards a pair of seats and took the one closer to the window. He sat gingerly on it and grimaced at the pain on his bottom. He cursed mentally. He was too sore to be sitting down. He gritted his teeth and tried to find a more comfortable position. He ended up sitting slightly sideways and growling in discomfort. Someone handed him a fluffy pillow and Jareid showed him how to move the back of the seat down, so he could recline. Tygra put the pillow under himself and reclined the seat enough to relieve the pressure on his lower back and sighed.
Both he and Jareid had been very angry, and frustrated the previous night. The tension had finally degenerated into violence and a session of angry sex on the floor of their rooms. They just had to vent their frustration on something, and so they had turned it onto themselves. Tygra had even felt relieved. He had been able to rage without any restraint or consideration for the other’s safety.
The tiger couldn’t help but smirk when Jareid growled and arched his back before letting it rest again on the backseat. He was sure that his jaguar counterpart was sporting some impressive claw marks along his shoulder blades, and even a bite or two, besides the very evident mating mark on his neck. Tygra groaned and readjusted Itzamma on his arms. Last night had been cathartic in a way, but he had ended up under Jareid once again. This time he had not minded the pain. It had been almost a relief, like when he had shredded his own arms with his claws. The pain had soothed him, centred him in some way. He felt like he had accepted the mating all over again. He had accepted that he was Jareid’s sub.
The cat in question put a hand on his arm and pressed a bit. Tygra turned his head to face him. Jareid looked pensive.
“Are you hurt?”
Tygra thought about it, then shrugged.
“Not too much. I’m fine. Where are my cubs?”
He lifted his head to see past Jareid at the carrycot beside their seats, where Saixa was lying down a sleeping Ixchel. She smiled at him.
“Akbal is right here too. They’re as comfortable as in their crib, don’t worry.”
She extended her arms, asking for Itzamma, but Tygra scowled and hugged his little cub against his chest, lying back on the seat. Itzamma’s presence was calming him, and he didn’t want to give it up yet. Saixa lifted an eyebrow, but nodded in acceptance and took her seat alongside Bengali, behind the couple.
Tygra turned to look around the seat at the very pissed off shaman, who narrowed his eyes at him. Tygra blushed and barely suppressed a yelp. He went back to his previous position feeling somehow chastised. Bengali had been furious that morning, when he had come across a barely walking Tygra, and had forced painkillers on him. He had only refrained from tearing off on Jareid when he had seen the deep gashes on the jaguar’s back. He was still very unhappy that the two of them had hurt each other in such a way and was saving a serious scolding for when they came back.
Tygra felt embarrassed. More so because everyone had openly stared at the deep purple mating marks that both princes now sported. Tygra had wanted to cover his, but Jareid had plainly refused to let him. He was decided to have their relationship displayed in the open for everyone to see, daring anyone to say a word.
Cheetara had been livid. Tygra just knew that she had been close to give Jareid the excuse he wanted to release his anger on someone else. Thankfully Lion-O had pointed out the equally vicious looking mark on Jareid’s neck. She had stopped upon noticing it, and had been clearly thrown out of her game. She had looked resentfully at Tygra, but had kept her thoughts to herself. The tiger didn’t think it was going to get any better than that.
Jareid put a possessive hand on Tygra’s thigh as the ship turned on and began to ascend. Tygra looked at his very tense mate and rested a hand over the jaguar’s extended arm. Jareid’s face turned towards him and leaned over to kiss his lips hungrily. He was beyond upset. He felt like he was taking his entire household into dangerous territory. He hadn’t dared to leave Bengali or Saixa behind. He knew that the shaman would be the best guard for his mate and his cubs. Saixa was going to help with the little ones, and to provide support for Tygra. She could deflect any gossip that the court intended to pass, so his tiger would be more shielded.
Tygra sighed into his mate’s mouth and gave him a rueful smile.
“It’s fine Jareid. I promised. I won’t leave you.”
Jareid pressed his lips in a tight line. Only Tygra could see the real fear in his blue eyes. Itzamma moved in his father’s arms and threw away the light blanket that was covering him. Tygra pulled him up to rest the little head against his chest. Itzamma looked up at his dad’s face and frowned, then turned towards his other father, and finally rested his head on the tiger’s shoulder. His tiny hands wandered a bit and then one little arm went down as his right fist found the way into his mouth.
Tygra kissed his son’s head lovingly, and Jareid smiled at the little cub, who seemed focused on sucking his tiny fist.
“Doesn’t he need a change?”
“No.” Said Tygra after checking quickly. “It’s so weird for him to stay awake this long. He has not closed his eyes since I fed him earlier.”
Tygra moved his cub away from his body to give a better look at him. Itzamma didn’t protest, but he moved his left hand to his ear, and glared straight at Tygra. The tiger lifted an eyebrow and pulled his cub against his chest again. Itzamma quickly resumed his previous position.
“He looks upset. I wonder what’s bothering him.”
Jareid caressed his cub’s cheek and the vibrant grey-blue eyes looked at him intensely.
“Of course he’s upset. He hates having to go to Thundera. Just like me.”
Tygra chuckled and turned his face to his mate.
“How could he hate Thundera? He has never been there! He has never been anywhere outside the palace in fact. How could he know where we’re going?”
“He doesn’t have to know where we’re heading to.” Said Jareid, affronted. “He knows it’s not home, and that’s enough for him to hate it.”
Tygra looked bewildered at the thought that his three months old cub somehow knew that they were travelling away from his home. He shook his head to rid it from such ridiculous idea, and huffed at the jaguar.
“It’s more likely that he’s sensing that we are upset, and he doesn’t know why.”
Jareid looked at him seriously.
“Of course he knows why. I was very clear when I ranted about it in the nursery yesterday.”
“Jareid, Itzamma is too young to understand what we’re talking about.”
The jaguar prince looked at his son again and frowned.
“Who told you that? He doesn’t talk yet, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not understanding us.”
Tygra shook his head again, and kissed his cub’s head once more. Jareid was so stubborn. Tygra only hoped that he was not too disappointed if Itzamma didn’t live up to his expectations. Some of Jareid’s ideas were really disturbing if one thought about them too much.
The trip went on without incident. Tygra even slept for some time, and Jareid put Itzamma in the carrycot with his siblings, so his mate could rest more comfortably. As soon as they landed Tygra woke up, and looked out the window with some apprehension. They were inside the palace’s grounds this time as Baal thought it prudent to avoid going through the city.
While the ship’s engines were turning off everyone started to stand up and stretch. Tygra winced as the pain in his lower back reappeared, but ignored it with a low growl and approached the carrycot. It was cold in Thundera this time of the year and so he had taken the warmest blankets he could find for his cubs. He also had packed the full body suits, and hats that Cheetara had given him for them. Saixa had already changed all three cubs, and she had the fluffy blankets ready.
Tygra smiled at his little ones, and caressed their heads. Itzamma was still awake and had both tiny feet in a firm grasp with each tiny hand. He was scowling, as if he didn’t like the fact that his feet were covered. Tygra chuckled and lifted his eldest son to wrap him up in the blanket. Itzamma stretched his legs and arms and then wriggled a bit. Tygra kissed his nose tenderly.
“There, there. You’re such a good cub, Itzamma. We’re going to meet your other grandfather. I’m sure he’ll like you very much.”
Tygra really hoped that he was telling the truth, because he didn’t know what he was going to do if his father showed the slightness bit of resentment towards his cubs. Let alone any distaste. He passed Itzamma over to Jareid and lifted Akbal, who remained asleep. Saixa had Ixchel, and all of them were ready to go down.
Baal obviously descended first, followed by Jareid, Tygra and their entourage, and finally the rest of the councillors and guards. Tygra was very grateful for Jareid’s hand on his back. He felt like he would stop and turn around without the support. Bengali was close behind him, and Saixa was at Jareid’s other side, taking the place commonly reserved for a consort on purpose. Ben had the hood of his cloak over his head, as he didn’t want to attract too much attention. They had agreed that no one was going to mention the fact that he was also a tiger if the Thunderians didn’t make any comments. The simpler the meeting flowed, the best.
Cheetara went to walk in front of their delegation as soon as the Thunderian guards received them, and they were guided to the throne room.
Tygra felt his nervousness arising again. He kept his eyes downcast and let Jareid’s presence guide him. He only risked a look side-ways to check on Itzamma. His yellow cub was sitting upright on Jareid’s arm, leaning on the right side of the jaguar, with his tiny hands in a tight grip on Jareid’s tunic. He was looking over his father shoulder, moving his little head around in wonder. Tygra smiled a bit. He still was worried over Itzamma’s lack of activity, but Bengali had made the last check up thoroughly, and had pointed out several of Itzamma’s reactions that indicated that he was indeed healthy. He was only quieter than the average cub, and very observant. That had quelled some of the tiger’s fears, but he still thought that his older cub needed more stimulation.
Akbal started to stir when they entered the throne room, and king Claudus formally received them. The two kings gave each other the customary greetings, and then Tygra felt Bengali’s push on his back signalling that his father’s attention was on him. He gulped and stepped forwards along with Jareid. He heard his mate presenting his family formally, and gave a deep breath to calm his nerves while he uncovered his cub’s head completely, so everyone could clearly distinguish his colouring. He knew that Jareid and Saixa would do the same to the other two cubs. Saixa had been in fact ordered to make sure that everyone could see that Ixchel resembled a tiger cub almost perfectly.
“Tygra.”
He shuddered at his father’s voice. He tightened his grip on Akbal and lifted his face to look at the king. He ignored the sharp intake of breath at the side, which indicated that Jaga had noticed Ixchel, and focused on his father’s reaction. He made a nod with his head and readjusted Akbal’s blanket so everyone could see him better.
“Father, I…”
He was supposed to say something official, but the protocol slipped his mind. Claudus’ eyes looked so intense and hard, and Tygra had to remind himself that he had done nothing wrong.
“These are my cubs. Mine and my mate’s. Procreated to seal the pact between our clans. I brought them here to receive your acknowledgement.”
He lifted Akbal a bit and the deep blue eyes looked up at the impressive figure of the lion. The little cub babbled for a second before yawning and turning against his father’s body to cuddle.
Claudus looked at the black cub for a moment before moving to inspect the blond cub that Jareid held. The jaguar had readjusted the cub’s position in such a way that he was sitting on the adult cat’s arm, back resting against his father’s chest. Jareid was holding his cub’s front with his other arm and Itzamma had a firm grasp on it. Claudus barely repressed a frown when he found the cub looking directly back at him. The tiny bluish eyes were staring unblinkingly and seriously. It made him feel uncomfortable and he moved on to the cub that the female jaguar was holding. Here, he couldn’t hide his surprise. This was definitely Tygra’s cub. Even if he could doubt the boy’s paternity, there was no denying that Tygra had fathered the girl.
He clenched his teeth. Tygra would never abandon a cub that was so obviously his. Though maybe they still could get both the tiger and his daughter out of Ix-Maal, even now that the twins had survived. After all, a female couldn’t be heir. He looked at the boys again and for a second lamented the fact that Cheetara hadn’t had a chance to follow her orders. Then he scowled in anger at himself, and almost growled. He had had enough time to think things over and start to feel guilty.
The truth was that Lion-O had used the communication device when Tygra had been taken to the shaman’s wing due to complications with the pregnancy. It had turned out that they had had to take the twins out, and they had been born before time. But Lion-O had been very scared at the moment and he had yelled at Claudus, and held him ultimately responsible for whatever could have happened to Tygra. Lion-O wasn’t a fool, and though Cheetara had never told him anything he knew that she had had orders. He had inferred that those orders had been directed to get rid of Tygra’s and Jareid’s bond in some way. He had called Claudus a liar and a hypocrite. The lion king had always preached to Lion-O about how a king should never sacrifice an innocent for his own gain, and there he had been, trying to harm two innocent cubs with complete disregard to his own son’s health. The young lion had been distraught enough to threaten with never returning to Thundera if his brother or any of his nephews died as a result of whatever madness Claudus had ordered. His rant had managed to get both Claudus and Jaga thinking about what they had been doing, and to realize that neither of them had known how a male body would react to the toxins designed to kill an unborn cub. It could very well have been deadly, and they could have lost Tygra for real.
Claudus looked at his son, and noticed the anxiousness and hesitation. Cheetara had informed that Tygra had not wanted to go to Thundera, though she hadn’t known why. The king could see the apprehension in his son’s posture, but was hoping that it had more to do with the jaguar prince’s proximity than because of him. He didn’t want to consider the possibility that Tygra might be afraid of him.
He turned to Baal’s relaxed form, and wanted to growl at the jaguar’s smirking face. How he loathed admitting defeat.
“You understand that I want my clerics to confirm the parenthood before giving my statement.”
Tygra tensed. He had been expecting it. They were going to follow every step of the protocol, and the cub’s parentage needed to be confirmed by the most infallible authority that both clans had access to. In the lion’s case that meant that the clerics got to check the cubs and determine lineage. Tygra made an effort to relax. He had known that the clerics’ test would be unavoidable, and that Claudus was going to ask for it. But listening to the actual words was disturbing. For a moment they made him feel that his word was not good enough for Claudus. Baal answered the lion king as he was supposed to.
“Of course. You’re free to order whatever test you trust most to confirm their heritage.” The jaguar king then looked pointedly towards the young couple, specifically to his son, and his voice changed tone slightly, turning his next words into a clear order. “You may do it in private of course. I’m sure that our sons would have no problem in entrusting your clerics with their cubs’ well-being.”
Tygra held his breath. They had talked about, and in a way rehearsed, this part several times beforehand. Jareid had had previous advice and plenty of time to accept that he would have to hand his cubs over. Of course he had not liked it, and it had only fuelled his anger over the entire visit. Tygra could feel the growl that was about to surge from Jareid’s throat.
‘Please, please, don’t blow up, please…’
He leaned slightly on his mate’s flank, hoping to ground the very tense cat. Jareid stopped himself from snapping, and managed to turn the growl into actual words.
“Fine. As long as my mate can witness the procedures.”
Tygra prayed that his father would accept this. It had been the only way to convince Jareid to subject to the protocol. It’d be easier to keep the jaguar from making a scene if he wouldn’t have to leave his cubs completely alone with the clerics. Granted, he didn’t like to leave Tygra out of his sight either, but he trusted the tiger enough to know that he’ll never do anything that would put the cubs in danger. Besides, the plan was that Bengali would have to follow him as his personal guard and healer.
Claudus didn’t see a problem with his son tagging along. This was the opportunity to get him away from the jaguars’ influence. He wanted to talk with his son and see for himself if there was any damage to be repaired. Cheetara seemed to think that Tygra had resented too much the lack of communication with his father, and Claudus prayed that this was not true. He preferred to believe that Tygra was not in good terms with his mate, and that he still wanted a chance to return home.
“Tygra is allowed as witness of course. As he’s part of both households he’s considered neutral.”
Tygra breathed in relief. A gesture that was not overlooked by either king. Baal however felt sure that his counterpart was probably misunderstanding the reason.
The young tiger covered his cub again and put the little hat on, then he stepped forwards at the same time that Saixa was handing Ixchel over to Cheetara. Jaga signalled with his head for the prince to approach him, figuring that he would be carrying one of the cubs. Surprisingly, Tygra turned towards the shaman, who had advanced with him, and gave Akbal to him. He then approached Jareid and extended his arms for his blond cub. Jareid glared at the Thunderians, and carefully passed his first son over to his mate’s waiting arms. He leaned over at the same time and whispered some words into Tygra’s ears.
“Ben is going to be there. Remember that you promised.”
Tygra nodded and licked Jareid’s mark quickly before exposing his neck so the jaguar could do the same. Jareid sucked at the mark and let go sooner than he would have liked. Claudus glared at the jaguar prince, who glared back in challenge. Jaga cleared his throat to remind his king that they should all play nice to each other, and Claudus swore that he would confront the prince later. He definitely didn’t like the purple mark on Tygra’s neck.
The two princes stepped apart at last, and Tygra secured his son on his arms. He tried to get Itzamma horizontal, but the cub wriggled unhappily and kept trying to lift himself upright. Tygra ended up moving him, so the little head was on the tiger’s shoulder. Once his son was seemingly comfortable, Tygra looked towards his father to signal that they were ready. Claudus however sent a pointed look towards Bengali. Jaga approached the shaman, evidently expecting to receive the cub that the other cat was holding. But Bengali gave a step back, positioning himself slightly behind Tygra. Claudus gritted his teeth and was about to demand the cub when Tygra spoke up.
“Bengali here is our personal healer. I’d like him to come with us. He could answer any question Jaga could have about my cubs’ health.”
Claudus narrowed his eyes. Cheetara had mentioned a white tiger among the shamans. One that had earned Tygra’s trust. However, she wasn’t so sure about the shaman’s true loyalties. He looked towards the cheetah, who nodded, and then to Jaga, who also gave his agreement. The cleric wanted some time close to this new tiger. It was an opportunity to have a better feel of a shaman’s magic, and he would be able to probe for information. Claudus looked displeased, but nodded curtly.
“As long as he doesn’t interfere with the proceedings.”
Tygra smiled in relief and answered happily.
“He won’t.”
Jareid crossed his arms and continued glaring at the king, as he had no other acceptable way to express his anger. Baal ignored his son’s antics and smirked inwardly. Bringing Bengali had been a good idea. He had known that Cheetara would have had to report the white tiger’s existence to Claudus, and the lion king had to be curious. Surely they would love to have a few words with the shaman, especially the cleric. Baal didn’t see why he shouldn’t make things easy for the Thunderians. They would probably try to sway Tygra’s decision, and maybe to gain Bengali’s sympathy, but Baal wasn’t worried. Tigers were loyal to a fault, and once they decided where their loyalties lied it was nearly impossible to make them change their minds. And Baal was certain that Bengali’s loyalty was with Jareid. He was not so certain about Tygra, but he believed that the young tiger was more loyal to his brother than to his father. Speaking of whom, Claudus looked around a last time and his frown deepened. After some seconds of not finding what he was looking for, he started to growl and turned towards Baal with bared teeth.
“Where is Lion-O?”
Tygra, who had started to walk towards the back entrance to the throne room, stopped cold. He almost gaped at his father, realizing that the king had just noticed his youngest son’s absence. Baal scowled as if wondering why he was being asked such a question. Then he looked around at his entourage, and his posture suddenly brightened as if he was just remembering something.
“Oh, yes. The little lion thought you needed time alone with his brother and insisted on staying behind. I saw no real harm on it, since he’s perfectly safe with my queen.”
“He what?!” Claudus almost roared, and Tygra bit his lips. He could clearly see that his father was furious. “He knew how important this meeting was! He needed to be present to acknowledge his kin formally. He’s heir apparent!”
“But his presence is not vital really, is it? He won’t cease to be the crown heir after all, and is not as if he hadn’t already met his nephews and niece.”
Claudus was incensed. He turned to Cheetara and growled. “Is it true, that he just decided not to come?”
The young cleric gave a suffering sigh, scowled while turning her eyes to the side, and nodded. Tygra frowned at her. It had been two years since he had seen that particular gesture. It was the one that every single one of their tutors had made when asked for the lion’s progress. The one that meant that they had tried their best, but the young kit had just refused to see reason. Claudus roared again and Baal spoke calmly.
“Really Claudus, I don’t see why you’re so upset. The boy only wished for his brother to enjoy his visit. He didn’t want to distract your attention, seeing that it has been two years since you last spoke with your adopted son. He’ll have all the time in the world to bond with his nephews and niece once they’re safely back home.”
Well, there was the veiled threat. Tygra felt the urge to roll his eyes. He didn’t like that Baal was using his brother as leverage to keep the upper hand, but as his cubs’ safety was the main issue there, he couldn’t bring himself to be truly upset over it. Besides, Lion-O had insisted in staying. The young lion still didn’t have a good grasp on politics to understand the implications of his decision at their fullest. Tygra decided that he should talk about it with his brother. It was unfair that everyone got angry with the lion heir for not acting like they thought he should, when no one had taken the time or patience to really explain to him the how’s and why’s of politics and diplomacy.
Claudus clenched his teeth. He noticed Jareid’s expression changing to mild confusion, and finally to a satisfied smirk. It seemed that the jaguar prince had not really given Lion-O’s absence much thought, contrary to his father. He cursed under his breath at the notion that Baal always seemed to be a step in front of everything. He felt angry at Lion-O for having unwittingly leaned the scales in Baal’s favour. He didn’t think that his son had done that on purpose. No. Lion-O had acted without thinking about the consequences, as always!
He turned around angrily and directed the waiting group of cats towards the back door. They’d get the official test out of the way and later he’d have some words with that treacherous jaguar!
&&&&&&&&
Tygra followed his father apprehensively. He didn’t like that the lion king was so angry. He didn’t want any decisions that could be involving his cubs to be tainted by that anger. He wanted at least the opportunity of his father really accepting his cubs as grandchildren. He tightened his hold on Itzamma slightly as the little boy bit his shoulder fiercely. He still had no teeth, so it wasn’t painful, but Tygra considered it a sign that his cub was distressed. He tried to relax and rubbed Itzamma’s back consolingly. He looked over to his little girl in Cheetara’s arms and reassured himself that she continued sleeping.
They had given Ixchel to Cheetara specifically because it was more likely that Claudus would relate her to Tygra immediately. After all she was the cub that looked the most like him. Claudus would be less inclined to try anything with her. He would feel certain of her parentage, as ironic as that was. Besides, Jareid would never have tolerated any of the Thunderians carrying one of his twins. Hence the need for Bengali to go with them. The shaman was perfectly capable to frustrate any attack that could be aimed at them. So, Tygra felt reassured that Akbal was safe with his friend, and he hoped as well that no one would dare take Itzamma from him.
He took a deep breath and kissed his cub’s forehead. He needed to be calm. His cub was probably resenting his stress, and he couldn’t let that happen.
They walked leisurely through the palace’s halls and corridors, until they arrived to Jaga’s domain. The Clerisy seemed to be surprisingly empty. They didn’t encounter a soul in the entire walk, which helped Tygra to relax a bit more. They entered a room that served as Jaga’s personal clinic. Tygra breathed deeply in the known smell of relaxing herbs and incense. Itzamma sneezed and scrunched his face, pressing it against his dad’s clothes. Ben chuckled.
“I think he doesn’t like the smell. It must be the incense.”
Tygra frowned. He didn’t like when Itzamma showed any kind of discomfort. He was worried enough for his cub as it was.
“It’s not going to be harmful for any of them, is it?”
“Of course not.” Answered Jaga calmly. “Both you and your brother have been visiting since you were newborns, and there never were any problems.”
Tygra nodded. Though he particularly hadn’t been a resident of Thundera’s palace as a newborn cub, he knew what Jaga meant.
Claudus put one hand on Tygra’s shoulder to attract his attention. The tiger looked at him still with a shadow of apprehension. The lion could see that his son still wasn’t at ease and wondered if they really had managed to make Tygra distrust his own family.
“I think we can talk while Jaga finishes here. There are many things that I wish you to tell me.”
Tygra gave a tense smile and nodded. Now that he had his father in front of him, he wanted to talk to him, to know once and for all if the lion still considered him a son, even after he had decided to follow the path that the jaguars had wanted. He was very nervous, but he needed to do it for his own peace of mind. He sent a knowing look Bengali’s way and turned towards Claudus upon receiving an answering nod from the shaman. He gave two steps before a raised eyebrow from his father and Jaga’s cough at his back stopped him.
“Prince Tygra, your cub?” Said Jaga with a hint of amusement. Tygra blushed, turning around to face the cleric, who extended his arms asking for the cub. The tiger gulped and pressed his lips tightly, not wanting to let go of Itzamma.
“Couldn’t you start with the other two? Leave him for the end? He doesn’t react very well to strangers, and I really don’t want to leave him alone.”
Jaga lifted an eyebrow and Cheetara frowned. She sent a cursory glance to Bengali to see if the white tiger looked offended, but the shaman didn’t react. Tygra seemed to realize what he just said and blushed even more.
“I-I mean… I don’t really like to leave him out of my sight, and this is a new place for him…”
Claudus sighed and his hand returned to the young cat’s shoulder, tightening its hold. Tygra tried not to flinch.
“Son, you know that your cubs are safe here. No one is going to harm them. Even if your brother had not taken upon himself to ensure their well-being, they would have been perfectly safe in Jaga’s hands. I trust that you know this.”
“I-I do… I…” Tygra gave a deep breath. He was letting his own anxiousness to cloud his mind. Jaga would never harm a defenceless cub. Right? Besides, Bengali was there, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to Jareid’s cubs. He however felt very grateful to Lion-O for wanting to stay behind. The certainty that no one present would dare harming his cubs was helping him at the moment. He forced himself to approach the cleric and eyed the examination table distrustfully. It was no different from the one that Bengali used. A plain table padded with leather as sterile as could be. There were no weird machines around, but Jaga had never needed them. Magic was enough for the old cleric.
Tygra kissed his son and mentally repeated to himself that Jaga was not going to find anything wrong with Itzamma. He frowned suddenly, thinking that maybe that was his fear. Not only because Itzamma was his first born, and his test was the important one for the treaty, but also because of Tygra’s own worries about his cub’s health. Maybe he feared that Jaga would find something that the shamans had not, or hadn’t wanted to tell him. He admonished himself to stop being stupid and lied Itzamma down on the table. He fought a bit to disentangle his clothes from the fierce hold that his cub had on them, but finally he straightened and caressed his son’s cheek.
“It’s ok Itzamma, I’ll be back in a minute.”
The little cub stared at him and started sucking his fist. Tygra smiled and decided that his son was calm enough. However, when he pulled apart from the table, Itzamma started to wriggle. Tygra pressed his lips tightly and stopped. Jaga took his place at the table and waved his hand, signalling that he could go. Claudus’ hand closed around his arm, and subtly but firmly encouraged him to turn around and leave Jaga to do what he had to. The tiger sighed and started to walk towards the door when Itzamma gave a mighty scream and started to cry in earnest.
Everyone jumped, including Jaga who didn’t know what had prompted such a reaction from the cub. He hadn’t done anything but push the little hat covering the cub’s head higher, so he could touch the crown of the cub’s forehead. Tygra would have run to retrieve his son if Claudus’ hand on his arm hadn’t been still holding him. Almost two seconds later, Akbal and Ixchel started to cry too, both of them startled by their sibling’s wails. Ben put Akbal over his shoulder and rocked him up and down, trying to soothe him while at the same time he peered over Jaga’s shoulder to try and see what had happened.
The old cleric looked at the cub in befuddlement. The only other cub that he had confronted crying so inconsolably had been a newborn Lion-O, when they had been trying to feed him. But at least then he had known what had been the problem, while he had no idea of what he had done for Tygra’s cub to cry in the first place. The tiger was fighting with his father to let him go, so he could retrieve his cub.
“Tygra, it’s going to be fine. Jaga knows what he’s doing!”
“But he’s hurting him!”
“You can’t possibly believe that! Jaga would never…”
“Why is he crying then?”
Tygra dislodged his arm from his father’s grasp, but Bengali got in his way then.
“Ben what are you doing?”
“Prince Tygra, I would strongly suggest that you let the cleric finish. He has to do this anyway.”
“But Itzamma is hurting!”
“No one is hurting him. The magic is not dangerous and your cleric barely touched him.”
“He’s crying Ben! Itzamma never cries!”
“I know. But if you remember he also cried the first time I attempted to give him a bottle. He doesn’t know the cleric, that’s all. Let Jaga finish, then you can take Itzamma back and we won’t have to repeat the experience.”
Tygra looked anxiously towards the table where Jaga was reciting an enchantment. He had taken the opportunity of Ben talking sense to Tygra, and was trying to hurry. Itzamma was wriggling desperately and his cries had not lessened in the least. Cheetara was having troubles with Ixchel, and Akbal was also incrementing volume. Tygra knew that as long as Itzamma kept crying there would be no hope to calm down the other two.
Finally a bright light engulfed Itzamma’s little body and Jaga sighed tiredly. He nodded and stepped back to allow Tygra to pick up his cub. The young tiger lost no time doing it, and immediately hugged Itzamma against his chest and kissed his forehead.
“Shh. It’s ok Itzamma, love. It’s ok. I’m here love. You’re safe.”
The little cub held onto his father’s clothes for dear life and started hiccupping and whimpering in misery. Tygra glared reproachfully at Jaga. The old cleric lifted his hands in surrender, still baffled at the cub’s reaction.
“I swear I meant no harm Tygra. He’s perfectly fine.”
Tygra huffed and patted his weeping kitten softly, murmuring soothing words. Beside him, Ben had successfully gotten Akbal to stop screaming, and Claudus was trying to help Cheetara with Ixchel. The little girl was the loudest of the cubs, and the most difficult to calm down. Tygra wanted to take her, but he was not going to hand Itzamma to anyone now, so he settled for sitting down beside Cheetara and talk to his girl while the cheetah rocked her. It took some time for the cubs to stop the crying and be relaxed enough for Jaga to finish. Tygra plainly refused to leave the room without his three cubs, and Claudus sighed.
The cleric inspected Akbal cautiously and gingerly touched his forehead, hoping that he didn’t start the screaming all over again. Akbal however only kept staring at him and waved his little arms up and down. Jaga wanted to shrug in confusion, but he performed the spell quickly without problems. Ixchel followed. She was the easiest as she had gone back to sleep by then. Once it was finished and Jaga declared all three cubs of Tygra’s bloodline, with Itzamma his direct heir, the tiger stood up and immediately walked to the door. Bengali followed him at a more sedate pace, knowing that the young tiger would have to be placated.
The anxious parent had to stop just outside the door, and turn around to make sure that Bengali and Cheetara had followed. Ben was at his side already, but Cheetara was still gathering her wits. Tygra’s movement had been too abrupt for her to react quickly. She looked at Claudus as if asking for permission, and Tygra all but growled at her to hurry. He wanted his mate. He wanted his cubs safe as soon as possible. Jaga was astonished at the clear instinctual response from the tiger. Only females reacted in that way with their cubs. He expressed his concern plainly, and Tygra blushed and backed off a little. Ben sighed and intervened in behalf of his young charge.
“You’d have to forgive the prince. Parenthood really did a number on him, and he reacts very strongly to his cubs’ distress. Itzamma’s most of all.”
Claudus frowned and approached his son. Tygra looked at him warily, but didn’t pull away and allowed the lion’s hand on his shoulder again. He felt somewhat disappointed that he didn’t feel the reassurance that he had used to from such a gesture. He started to wonder how much two years under Jareid’s influence had really changed him. Claudus tightened his hold and pulled Tygra against his side. The tiger was tense, but forced himself to relax a bit in his father’s embrace. He readjusted his hold on Itzamma, who still was sobbing quietly, but fortunately without more screams. Claudus looked more closely at the little cub and the way that Tygra had him over his chest, clearly trying to hide him from view.
“Tygra, I never wanted you to feel threatened. This is your home Tygra. We are your family. You trust us, don’t you?”
Tygra sighed and kissed his little son. If Itzamma had not cried everything would have gone more smoothly. He supposed that he owed his father an explanation.
“I’m sorry I reacted in that way. It’s just… Well, Itzamma never cries, and it was very disturbing to listen to him spilling his lungs out. Some part of me thought that he was dying or something.”
Claudus huffed.
“Well, I accept that it was very surprising. But you surely have in mind that Jaga would never hurt a cub. I doubt that you react in this same way every time one of your cubs cries.”
“Oh, no. Just when it’s Itzamma.”
Claudus frowned. He knew that parents sometimes tended to give the first born more attention, especially young parents. But Tygra had twins. Triplets, if one wanted to acknowledge the real situation, as there was only a month separating the boys from the girl. Tygra’s reactions should be more diluted between three cubs. Jaga spoke then.
“It’s too much anxiousness over a first born, especially when you have other two, practically of the same age, to care for. You can’t be this stressed every time he cries.”
“Well, as I told you before, Itzamma never cries. That’s why I reacted so strongly. Akbal and Ixchel cry normally, to call for attention and food, but not Itzamma. Actually, he has only cried once before, so… My instinct just assumed he was in danger.”
Claudus’ frown intensified, and Jaga focused on the infant.
“Just once before? Why?”
“Bengali tried to feed him a bottle of milk once.”
Everyone looked to the shaman, who shrugged.
“He screamed as loudly as he could. Just as he did here. I suppose he felt threatened because someone who wasn’t his parent was trying to feed him. Tygra almost kicked me out of the room. Literally.”
The orange tiger blushed in embarrassment, but smiled at the memory. He had been very pissed off with Ben. Jaga was pensive.
“It is rare for a cub to be so quiet.”
Tygra tightened his hold on Itzamma slightly. He could see that Jaga was curious and wanted to examine his cub more thoroughly. He wouldn’t allow it. Not after what had happened. Suddenly it was more important to keep Itzamma in his arms than have Jaga check him for possibly imaginary illnesses. Fortunately, Bengali intervened and explained some of the problems that they had had with the cubs, including some of the procedure to get Tygra pregnant. They ended up all seated in Jaga’s clinic again while Ben detailed how the twins had been borne, and the surgery they had had to perform on Itzamma. That particularity alone would have made Tygra more protective of his blond cub, add to it that the infant wouldn’t cry or do much noise at all and you could make any mother frantic. Fathers tended to be less emotional towards their cubs, but in this case Tygra had been the one pregnant. His bond with the cubs would be as strong, if not stronger than any female’s.
The Thunderians understood better what had transpired with the male pregnancy, and it didn’t escape to them how dangerous the procedure potentially was. Tygra could have been badly hurt. Claudus was not happy that someone had played with his son’s life so callously, but seeing how much in love his tiger was with his cubs he understood that any resentment thrown their way would be counterproductive. That however, would not deter him from yelling at Baal when he had the opportunity. The bastard!
Jaga wanted to ask many questions, but time was passing and they needed to get going. They had a council to attend and a long day still before them. So, the group walked back to the main building to reunite with the jaguars. Jaga continued the conversation with Bengali and Cheetara as they walked, pulling them back on purpose to give his king space to talk with Tygra in relative solitude. Ben allowed it, but he kept his guard up and the com’s connection between him and Tygra open, so he could hear if there was any trouble.
Claudus started to ask more specific things about Tygra’s life in the past two years. The tiger was willing to talk about his training, his tutors, and what he had seen of the city and the jungle, including Lion-O’s fascination with technology and how good he had turned out to be at it. Claudus frowned. He didn’t like the idea of Lion-O being as enamoured of tech as he was. Mainly because he believed that his son had allowed that passion to sway him into the jaguar clan’s views. He had hoped that Tygra wouldn’t be as influenced, but it seemed that even his tiger had been changing his beliefs.
“It seems that you have been well treated. Even so, I’m still puzzled as to how were they able to convince you that you had to seal your fate in this way. You did know that you had a way out, didn’t you?”
Tygra sighed. How was he going to explain to his father that no, he had had no idea that there had been a condition that would allow him to escape the mating? That he had felt lonely, and depressed, and had had more pressing problems, namely Jareid, to deal with, and that the idea of checking out mating rituals just had never occurred to him? How was Claudus going to understand that the promise of a family of his own had been too tempting for Tygra? Most of all, how could Claudus even comprehend Jareid’s possessiveness? Tygra was certain that his father had never before had to deal with someone as intense as the jaguar prince.
“I… Father, I don’t think that there was any option really. I… kind of grew attached to Jareid and he to me. He’s rather possessive and he… I didn’t want any more conflict.”
Claudus scowled.
“I’m well aware of his threats to not let you go. But you knew that I wouldn’t have allowed it. Baal wouldn’t have forced the issue. He already got the satisfaction he wanted. I would have brought you home safely, and you wouldn’t have had to fear ever encountering the jaguar prince again. I doubt that Baal ever enforced his son’s threats. Cheetara would have reported it.”
“No. He never did. He actually involved himself very little in our affairs.”
“Then, why did you accept?”
Tygra closed his eyes and tried to not think about the desperation he had felt. Claudus was not going to accept the notion that Tygra had truly resented to be adopted for the first time in his life. Those first months in Ix-Maal had been like realizing that he had no family. Not really. He had succumbed to depression and Jareid had capitalized on it. He didn’t want to reveal his weakness to his father. So he tried to focus on his cubs instead. He thought about Jareid. The way the jaguar pinned him to the bed and his possessive words. How his eyes looked when he was vulnerable in some way. How hard he had tried to understand Tygra’s needs. The loneliness they both shared. At the end though, only one image stood up with such intensity that it made him shiver. Jareid, covered in blood, entering the shamans’ rooms to retrieve him. No matter what everyone said. In the end what mattered was that Tygra was sure of what Jareid was capable of.
“Jareid needs me.” He answered quietly, and looked towards his father again. “He needs me in a way that no one else has. I… I couldn’t leave him.”
Claudus made a disgusted gesture. All he could see was that the jaguar prince had manipulated his son expertly.
“That’s what they made you believe Tygra? They forced you into accepting the role of a mother using guilt and the empty threat of war! And the way Cheetara worded her report makes me think that the prince forced you into his bed too! This is not acceptable, and they are going to hear me!”
Tygra put a hand on his father’s arm and stopped him. His eyes were wide with anxiousness.
“No. Father look, I did this because I don’t want more conflict.”
“How can there be no conflict Tygra when they broke their word in this way? When they forced you to…”
“I was doing my duty. No one forced me to do that.”
“He forced you in other ways. And he hurt you! That much Cheetara expressed from what she was able to see. Tygra, I need you to tell me what did he do. Give me something to use to bring you back!”
The tiger cursed Cheetara and her protectiveness of him. He set a cursory glare her way, and realized that their company was more than a few meters away from them, most likely to give them privacy. Even so, he knew that Bengali had his ear-piece and the com on. He could listen to the conversation without any one noticing, but he was not going to interfere until Tygra called.
“Jareid never did anything that the treaty didn’t allow him to.”
“Tygra…”
“That’s the truth, father. They could have forced me to sire the cubs, but I accepted because I won’t have any more deaths over hurt pride.”
“There need not be any more deaths, the treaty just had to be followed…”
“And they never broke any of the conditions. There were going to be cubs whether I wanted to carry them or not. They could have easily just mixed our genes and have a female to carry an heir. Baal always knew that we would be having at least one cub because he had the technology to make it possible! And he knew that he could have forced the issue without breaking the treaty. There was never a loophole father, only you didn’t know it.”
Claudus clenched teeth and fists, and his eyes narrowed looking at the tiny cub that Tygra was holding.
“Maybe there’s still chance to make another kind of agreement…”
“No.” Said Tygra with finality, both arms hugging Itzamma tightly. “Don’t even mention it, I love my cubs and I won’t leave any of them. I’m not abandoning my own cubs!”
Claudus growled inwardly. He had hoped to convince Baal to let Tygra go if the cubs returned to Ix-Maal free of attachment. He had known that Tygra would object to that plan, but he had hoped that his son would be content if he was allowed to keep the girl and visit his sons as much as he wished. He hadn’t counted on the bond that Tygra had formed with the cubs to be so strong. He had been expecting that Tygra’s unwillingness to be a young parent would have made him reject the bond in some way. This was not the case, and he could see that Tygra was not going to accept any proposition that would keep him away from his cubs for any amount of time. Even so, he tried because he just couldn’t let this matter go without a fight.
“We could arrange some visits…”
Tygra glared murderously at him.
“My cubs are living with me. I don’t have any reason to want to part from them, and I’m disappointed that you of all people would suggest such a thing!”
He turned around, ready to call Ben and run the rest of the way to the receiving hall, where he knew the visits were attended. Claudus however grabbed him by the arms and pulled him against his own chest in a fierce hug. Tygra tensed, and for a moment felt panicked for his son. Fortunately, his father had had the presence of mind to position him a bit sideways. His right side was the one crushed to his father’s body, leaving Itzamma safely in a hollow space between them. Tygra tried to relax and moved just a bit to ensure that, while his cub was in contact with both bodies, he was not being crushed. His father sighed and talked softly.
“You have really grown up, you know?”
Tygra chuckled, and noticed that he actually could lean his forehead on his father’s shoulder now. “Well, it has been almost two years after all.”
“I never wanted to fail you. You deserve to be happy.”
The tiger sighed too. It had been an ordeal for all of them, as they hadn’t been used to be on the losing side. His father was resenting it the most.
“I’m fine father, really. Don’t worry about me, or Lion-O. Think of this as an alliance. It’d be good for the kingdom. There are so many things that we could use to make life easier. It’d even help with production, and the food.”
Claudus grunted, still very sore that he had to acknowledge another clan to be more powerful. He wanted to object the tech’s utility when he felt the cub wriggling and heard him mewling in discomfort. He looked down to see a tiny paw against his chest, trying to push him. He raised an eyebrow at the frowning face of the cub, who looked up and hissed at him. Tygra pulled away and looked at his son curiously.
“There, there. What’s wrong love? Did you feel too crowded?”
The little boy put his fist into his mouth and glared in Claudus’ direction. Tygra rubbed his back gently and kissed his head.
“It’s ok love. King Claudus is your grandfather too.”
Itzamma didn’t look impressed. He turned his tiny head around and tried to hide his face under his father’s arm. Tygra rearranged his son, so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
“He’s very nervous. He isn’t used to stay awake for so long.”
“I don’t think he likes me very much.”
“Nonsense. He’s freaked out because he doesn’t know you. It takes sometime for him to get used to new people. Saixa had to hold him with me around for three days before he accepted the milk from her. Jareid was upset. I think that he had been counting on Itzamma not accepting Saixa so he could have an excuse to send her away.”
‘And to prevent me from rejoining training so soon.’ He thought with some bitterness, but he wasn’t going to say that aloud. Truth be told, he had also been surprised that Itzamma had accepted Saixa so well. After what had happened with Ben he had been prepared for his son to deny food from any other source that wasn’t his parents. Claudus was frowning again.
“The female. Is she his consort?”
“No. Jareid doesn’t want any consorts. She’s providing the milk for the cubs, and helping take care of them. She’s going to be like a governess.”
“Is she the girl’s mother? I remember something about a jaguaress carrying your third cub.”
“No, she’s not. Ixchel’s mother… died at birth.”
Tygra averted his father’s eyes. He didn’t like to mention Ixchel’s mother. He didn’t feel comfortable lying, but he knew that it was best if his father didn’t know what had really happened. Claudus’ hand returned to his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok. Ixchel has adapted pretty well, and Saixa is a big help. I’m happy with my cubs.”
Claudus frowned, still not liking it. They were interrupted at that moment by Ben and Cheetara announcing that Jaga had gone ahead to prepare everything for the presentation. Tygra sighed. He supposed that it was unavoidable, and they would have to endure another nobility’s congregation and a feast. Claudus guided them to the receiving hall, so he could join the council.
Tygra checked on his other two cubs quickly. Ixchel continued sleeping, but Akbal had remained awake and had already figured out that he had more clothes on than he was used to. He was not happy with that revelation, and was fidgeting and trying to take his little hat off. Ben still had a firm hold on him though, and there had not been any real problems. That was likely to change soon, as Akbal was bound to feel hungry at any moment. They were already a few minutes short of the twins’ feeding time. Tygra prayed that Itzamma would accept his milk. He didn’t want a repeat performance of the ceremony at Ix-Maal, especially because they would be spending the night in Thundera.
It was a given that the council will acknowledge Tygra’s cubs as part of the royal family. That alone was cause for celebration. Add in that the war-treaty would transform into an alliance, and it was likely that said celebration would last well into the night. It wouldn’t matter anymore how the two clans had stumbled together. Tygra’s cubs would signify some kind of ‘reconciliation,’ and the Thunderians would want to show hospitality and no weakness to their new allies. No matter how resentful they could still be. It didn’t escape Tygra that it was a dangerous game, but the jaguars still had the upper hand, and while his brother remained in Ix-Maal they could feel more or less safe.
They arrived to the receiving hall to find an almost frantic Jareid, who immediately pulled Tygra and Itzamma into his arms. Bengali just sighed as his prince practically growled to Saixa to get Ixchel, and then dragged his now exasperated mate into the farthest corner. Baal shook his head at his son’s blatant display of anxiousness, and smirked at the disgruntled look on Claudus’ face. The lion evidently didn’t like the way Jareid acted, but he would have to accept it. Baal was not about allowing him to interfere.
Both kings crossed a few tense words before a servant announced that the council would be ready in about an hour. Plenty of time for them to settle some things. Claudus called to Tygra and told him that they had to be present in the council room in an hour, and that he and Baal would leave them alone for a while. Tygra nodded. He trusted that his father was at least convinced that he was not going to renounce to his cubs. He hoped that both felines would be prudent enough to not offend each other, or at least to avoid a bigger conflict.
The kings got out of the room with Baal’s counsellor, High Shaman, and two guards. Cheetara also went to find Jaga and see how she could help in the preparations for the evening. That left the family relatively alone with a few guards at the door. Tygra hoped that it would calm Jareid a bit. The rest of the visit would be unbearable if the jaguar didn’t loose up.
Jareid took Itzamma from Tygra’s arms and checked him thoroughly to make sure that he wasn’t hurt. Itzamma looked up at him and smiled. He moved his tiny arms up and down in excitement and babbled a string of incomprehensible noises. Jareid hugged and kissed his son before pulling Tygra against his right side again. Then he made sure that Saixa had put Ixchel in the carrycot and was preparing the bottles of milk. He had spent the time pacing the room and Saixa was surprised that he hadn’t made a hole in it. He had been unable to just let his mate and cubs go with the Thunderians, even if Bengali had been with them, and had been listening the entire time with the com. Baal had had to physically restrain him a few times, especially when Itzamma had cried. It was a miracle that the situation had been kept under control and that any nasty incident had been avoided.
Tygra assured his mate that everything had been handled appropriately and no harm had befallen to any of them. Then he took Akbal from Bengali. The little black cub had finally managed to pull off his tiny hat and had thrown it down. He was now working into wriggling out of the fluffy blankets without much success. Tygra presented him the bottle and his current predicament was momentarily forgotten in favour of milk. Jareid gave Itzamma a bottle, and everyone was relieved when the cub sucked happily at it. The twins got fed and changed, and then they had to run to the council room for the presentation, hoping to get past the rest of the day as smoothly as possible.
&&&&&&&&
It was night already when Tygra finally entered his old room and was able to put his cubs in the carrycot. Bengali and Saixa were with him, and they made sure that the little ones were comfortable and that everything in the bedroom was in order. He was exhausted. The council had had two years to recover and it was complete again. It included the heads of all the clans under the Lord of the Thundercats’ rule, and all of them had had questions and worries to settle.
Technically, Baal was Lord of the Thundercats, as the Sword of Omens was now in his possession. But he was content to not take the title officially, thus leaving Claudus as acting Lord until Lion-O was of age or Jareid would want to try the Sword’s test. It was unlikely that Jareid would want to, so Lion-O would still inherit the Sword if it considered him worthy. Tygra had been able to see that many of the nobles had not been happy. They would clearly have preferred to have a defined authority. One that had been ratified by the Sword.
For ages, the Thunderians had put a lot of faith in the Sword of Omens. They believed that their ancestors had forged it out of their very souls in order to protect their people from great evil. Thus, only the cat able to yield it was considered worthy of lead all the clans, because their ancestors had chosen him. It was believed that the Sword would not answer to someone unworthy, or evil. Should anyone without the right would attempt to yield it, the Eye of Thundera wouldn’t open, wouldn’t react at all, leaving the Sword powerless like any ordinary weapon. Its power would only answer to the true Lord of the Thundercats, and should be used to protect and lead the cats to victory over their enemies. That was what the legends said.
The jaguars had a slightly different version, but even them acknowledged that the Sword was a very powerful artefact. Their history annals had been better kept, and they said that the Eye of Thundera had once been called The War Stone. Their ancestors had actually stolen it, and used it to free their people. They had tempered the Stone’s power with the Sword so they could master it. The Shamans believed that the Sword would in fact answer to anyone who had the will to fight in order to protect. It was the Sword that would prevent the War Stone from obeying an evil master, if not for that, anyone with enough power could have used the Stone.
Of course no one mentioned that in the council. Baal hadn’t wanted to start a controversial discussion about myths and how worthy the previous Lords of the Thundercats had really been. He had refused to give the council what it wanted, which was a demonstration that he could in fact yield the power of the Sword.
The clans were nervous. Everyone assumed that the Sword would answer to Baal because the jaguar had defeated the Lion king in battle. Though Tygra had his doubts about said battle. No one had actually witness the two kings fighting. Everyone had been rather busy trying to keep themselves alive. But Baal had had the Sword at the end, so it stood to reason that he had conquered it in fair combat. Neither king had ever touched the theme, so the rest of the cats were free to speculate. Tygra rather believed that Baal had used a gun. He knew that the jaguar had very good aim; he could have just disarmed Claudus from a safe distance easily. Of course, Claudus would never admit such a defeat. Anyway, it was a mot point since the Sword now belonged to Baal, and it was practically a given that he could use its power if he wanted.
Nevertheless, the council would have liked to be sure. The heads of the clans were anxious because they weren’t absolutely sure that they still had their protection against evil forces. Tygra didn’t really know what exactly those evil forces were, but the nobles’ forte had never been logic. The majority of the Thunderians lived in fear that some unknown evil power would attack them the moment there was no one left who could yield the Sword of Omens. Thus the counsellors’ need to know for certain that the jaguar king would have the power to protect them in case of an emergency, no matter that the jaguars had already demonstrated that they didn’t need the Sword’s power to be able to defend themselves.
They were also aghast that they apparently would have to wait until Lion-O tried the test to see if the title of Lord of the Thundercats would return to the lions. Tygra knew that the majority of the nobles didn’t consider Lion-O as a suitable Lord. They thought that his brother would fail the test and leave the kingdom exposed. Since Tygra had ceased to be an option the moment that the alliance with the jaguars had forged, they were already looking his cubs’ way. The tiger had been very uncomfortable with the nobles’ blatant scrutiny. He guessed that they had been measuring his sons up, wondering if any of them could be moulded into the Lord they wanted. It had been worse than enduring the jaguar’s elder’s excitement. Tygra was happy that his cubs were going to grow up in Ix-Maal, away from such outrageous expectations. He was even more decided to deny any request for his cubs to spend time in Thundera. He was not going to allow his sons to be made into competition for their uncle’s birthright. Because he knew that the nobles would very much like to substitute Lion-O as heir to Thundera’s throne. Even when they knew that it was impossible by their own laws, and were not going to actually do it. Not unless Lion-O died.
The feast and celebration had been also tiring. Ixchel had cried for most of it, and Akbal and Itzamma hadn’t been able to sleep. Jareid had not left their side, and that at least had discouraged the Thunderians from pestering them. Tygra had excused himself from the party as soon as diplomacy and protocol had allowed him to, which had been really late. Jareid had had to remain with the kings for a bit more. Baal had wanted his son to understand clearly the political terms both kingdoms were parting in, and to have any additional “talk” that Claudus would want to have with the younger jaguar done with. It was important that the conflict was deemed finished and resentments set to rest in order for both kingdoms to advance, and hopefully work together. Tygra was sure that Baal was only doing it because he and his queen had grown fond of the young lion. Otherwise, the jaguar king wouldn’t have cared less if they broke contact with Thundera entirely.
Between the three cats, they soon had all three cubs changed, fed, and tucked in blankets. It had taken a while to make Ixchel stop crying, but the little girl had finally exhausted herself. Tygra was only grateful that she had accepted a bottle of milk before she had fallen asleep.
Once the cubs were arranged in the carrycot and sleeping soundly, Ben and Saixa excused themselves for a moment. They were going to inspect Saixa’s assigned bedroom, which had been Lion-O’s and was right next to his. Tygra looked longingly towards his bed and sighed. It wasn’t as big as the one in Ix-Maal, but it’d be enough for both him and his mate for the night. Then he scowled at the additional bed close to the door. Ben had been supposed to sleep with the High Shaman, but Jareid had not felt comfortable with the idea. Even with their guards at the door, the jaguar preferred Ben close by, so the white tiger was going to bunk in with them. Tygra shook his head in exasperation. Jareid could be very paranoid sometimes.
He checked on his cubs again while considering if he should wait for Jareid or go to bed already. There was no telling how much longer the kings were going to keep talking. Tygra grunted and focused on his cubs. They looked as comfortable as ever, even when he could hardly see their little faces, covered as they were by every blanket he could find. The night was terribly cold, and he didn’t want any of his cubs getting sick. He smiled and caressed the little heads lovingly. Akbal had a new hat on. The first one had been lost somewhere in the palace. This new one had holes for the cub’s ears to poke through, so it was more difficult for him to take it off. Ixchel was curled against the black kitten and was gently sucking his brother’s knuckles. Itzamma was at Akbal’s back, one tiny hand grasping his twin’s ear, and the other inside his own mouth as always. Tygra rearranged the blankets around his three cubs to make sure that while they would not get cold, they were not going to wriggle under the covers either. He didn’t want any accidents.
He was thinking about the convenience of putting scratch mittens on his kittens’ tiny hands when a voice intruded in his world.
“I’m glad you’re alone. I was hoping that we could have the chance to talk in private.”
Tygra turned around and immediately put himself between the stranger and the carrycot. His right hand went to his waist to grab his weapon. He didn’t have a gun, but both his whip and a hunter’s knife were fastened to his belt. He grabbed the whip and put himself on guard. The intruder stood a few steps from the door, and didn’t seem alarmed by his reaction. Tygra growled. He hadn’t even heard the door opening. He had been overconfident that no one was going to intrude in his bedroom, other than Jareid and Ben, and had allowed himself to be distracted. This was shameful. He shouldn’t allow any distractions anywhere! What would his trainer think?
The cat lifted his hands in a placating gesture, and Tygra identified the uniform of a servant. He gritted his teeth. The guards at the entrance hall to the bedrooms had been told that he didn’t want to be disturbed, but he had forgotten the hidden stairs that the servants used to get faster from the kitchen to the top floors. The entrance to that passage was not guarded, as only the palace’s servants used it, and they were very loyal. At least Tygra had always assumed they were. He lowered his whip, but didn’t abandon his guarded stance. He didn’t know what this cat wanted, and though he looked familiar Tygra couldn’t remember his name.
“We don’t need anything. You don’t have any reason to be here.”
“I only wish to talk to you, my prince. No one has to know.”
Tygra narrowed his eyes. It was odd. He didn’t remember any lion being a servant.
As soon as that thought entered his mind he knew who the cat was, and he snarled in disgust.
“Lord Leonides.”
The lion sighed and made a tired gesture.
“Unfortunately without the Lord for now. But I expect that to be corrected eventually.”
“You don’t have anything to do here. Go away!”
“Relax my prince. Aren’t you interested in what I have to tell you?”
“I have no wish to listen to traitors!”
The cat’s face darkened and he hissed with offended dignity.
“We never betrayed Thundera. We wanted it to return to its former glory. We wanted a king capable of crushing our enemies without remorse. Your father is already too bland to be the king the cats deserve, and your brother is nothing but a shame to the entire clan. He was going to be a failure and you know it.”
“Don’t talk about my brother. You have no idea what he could have become.” Tygra said through gritted teeth. He didn’t want to use the whip with his cubs in the room, but if the cat got any closer he would. Said cat scoffed in derision.
“You know as well as I that he could never have ruled. Not without help. And we don’t need a weak king that tolerates other animals trampling in our lands. If only the jaguars had done what they were supposed to…”
“Go away!” Tygra growled in warning. He was ready to force the unwanted visitor out, but a noise from the carrycot made him stop. The lion’s eyes moved to fix the cot with a nasty stare.
“I accept our failure. It’s humiliating that we have to bear with this disgraceful consequence, and I understand your anger my prince. But we think that we still can salvage the situation.”
Tygra released his whip and took an offending stance, but then froze. He frowned at the too calm lion in front of him.
“We? Who’s we?”
The ex-Lord smirked, thinking that he had gotten the tiger’s interest.
“Every cat that is tired of the complacent state that our kingdom has fallen into. Tired of having our glorious army resting at home, or guarding the limits instead of crushing the despicable lizards once and for all. Tired of having a less than useless heir. Believe me my prince, there are plenty of us. You won’t lack support.”
Tygra felt disgusted. The snarl came back as he hissed.
“I don’t want any of your support!”
“We know that you’re very capable of handling things on your own despite your youth, my prince. But believe me, you’d need us. If only because there are still some pussy Lords that survived the battle two years ago, and that are too disgustingly happy with the complacency your father suffers from.”
Tygra found himself baffled. He wanted to lash out and strangle the cat with his whip, but he had to know who else was in conspiracy with him. He could not allow this to go on. He had to warn his father.
“My father has always been considered a good king. I never noticed any discontent on the Lords’ part.”
“Believe me, it is there. It has been there for many years now. You were too young to understand the concerns of some of our members, but you were well aware of the general dissatisfaction with your brother’s inadequacy. The court wants a decent heir. Some of us took the risk. It didn’t turn out how we wanted, but as I already told you, we can still fix it.”
“There’s nothing that needs fixing. Not anymore.”
“As long as your brother remains the heir, there’s something to fix. We need a real king!”
“What would you do? I’m not taking my brother’s place. Not ever.”
“You still can, my prince. We have already planned for what to do. The only obstacle is the crown prince.”
“You can’t touch him. He is away, and safe.”
“Oh, but my prince, don’t you see?” He sent a significant look towards the carrycot. Tygra growled again and blocked the lion’s view. Leonides smirked, mistaking Tygra’s warning. “Now you’re home, and this is our chance. I bet that it’d only take a little ‘accident.’ Surely Baal would retaliate if something happened to the cubs. If they are hurt in anyway, the jaguars would finally do what they were meant to in the first place.”
Tygra saw red. He roared and his whip made a huge arc across the room, barely missing the surprised cat’s head. The traitor jumped back and frowned. He hasn’t been expecting such a reaction. He had assumed that Tygra would loathe the jaguar prince’s spawn.
“You are not going to put a finger on any of my cubs! No one is going to touch a hair on them!”
“But Tygra, don’t you see? This is our chance! Your chance! To finally become what you were meant to! To be king!”
Tygra’s whip lashed out again, but the lion was more alert this time and got out of the way. One of the cubs cried and Tygra instinctually stopped and glanced back. Leonides took the opportunity to charge forwards, aiming to crash against the carrycot. Tygra blocked the way in panic. In a flash he could see that it wouldn’t matter. He was close enough to the carrycot that he would disturb it if the lion pushed him with enough force. No time for the whip. He took out the knife and tensed, ready to meet the lion and resist the impact, hopefully unmoving. Only it never happened. Quite suddenly there was a loud noise and someone grabbed the lion from behind and pulled. Tygra’s eyes widened in surprise as the cat was thrown to the floor. The next instant, Ben’s cloaked figure was standing between him and the traitor. Saixa appeared at Tygra’s side, out of breath and very concerned.
“Tygra, are you ok? The cubs?”
The tiger forgot about the lion, confident that Bengali would handle the intruder, and turned around to see his cubs. All three were awake again, but only Ixchel and Akbal were crying. Itzamma looked very disgruntled and was glaring at his siblings, not happy to have been woken up.
Saixa took Ixchel; Tygra held Akbal and stayed close to the carrycot. He heard the lion snarling some insults at Ben. The shaman didn’t even bother answering. There was a flash of light and a loud noise as the intruder got blasted out of the room.
&&&&&&&&&
Jareid was a step from punching someone’s face. Really! How much diplomacy was needed for just going to sleep? He had barely paid attention to everything that had been said! He had only made sure to emphasize the fact that he was not leaving any of his cubs in Thundera. Not for any amount of time. Visits were fine only if both he and his mate were also visiting, and he won’t allow a stay lasting more than two days. The lion king didn’t like his lack of flexibility but he couldn’t have cared less. His family, his rules, and if the lion didn’t like it, he could start forgetting about them. He hadn’t liked the way the entire court had been looking at his cubs and mate. He couldn’t describe it other than it had been disturbing. Maybe it was his own paranoia, but he could have sworn that he had seen a cat or two trying to pull Saixa away from them.
Anyway, the meeting was growing tiring and pointless. They had already exhausted every possible question a reasonable father could have. They had even shouted at each other at some point. Only the reminder of what Tygra had been trough to secure peace had stopped the lion king from starting a full-fledged fight. There was nothing more Jareid could say to assure the lion that his tiger was safe and was being perfectly well treated. Of course he wasn’t going to detail how they carried on with their personal relationship. That was no one’s business.
Jareid thanked the gods when they finally decided to retire, not completely satisfied, but at least grudgingly accepting the reality of each other’s places in Tygra’s life now. Thankfully it was not excessively long after Tygra had escaped with their cubs, but he was already starting to have a nervous breakdown. It was worse because Baal had confiscated his com. He had said that no one needed Jareid going ballistic in the middle of a delicate talk because one of the cubs couldn’t sleep, or some other thing equally inane. Tygra would manage perfectly well with both Saixa and Ben to help him. He didn’t need his obsessive mate following every step he took. So, Jareid had been forced to pay attention to endless minutes of father complaints and try to placate the worried lion. Then the very slow walk towards the Royal Hall and their nightly accommodations. He would have taken off running if he knew where to run.
By the time they greeted the guard’s at the Hall’s entrance he was grumbling under his breath about stupid diplomacy. His mood didn’t improve when Claudus insisted in accompanying them to Tygra’s old room to check on his son a last time. Therefore he practically jumped in surprise when they turned a corner and someone was thrown out from one of the rooms ahead of them, colliding into the corridor’s wall with a spectacular crashing noise.
Everyone stood in various states of shock for a second. Then Bengali went out of the now broken door, right hand still bright with the remnants of magic and gun loaded on his left, ready to finish what he evidently had started.
Baal automatically extended his arms and barely caught a roaring Jareid before he barrelled forwards in murdering mode. Bengali heard the roar and turned towards them, thus allowing the fallen lion to try a kick to his knees while screaming for help. Ben avoided the kick easily, and didn’t have to retaliate, because the jaguar guards had recovered faster than any other and were already over the lion, restraining him despite his protests of being the victim.
Bengali approached his king and tried to help to calm Jareid down. A task that was made very difficult when the guards presented the offending cat to the kings and Baal recognized the traitor.
“What’s the meaning of this Claudus?”
“I want to find out myself! What were you doing Leonides?!”
“My king, I was only attending to prince Tygra. The shaman attacked me without provocation!”
“I find that highly unlikable.” Xiar interceded at the same time that he put himself between his volatile prince and the servant. “Bengali doesn’t use violence lightly. He only attacks when there is a clear threat.”
“I’ll never cause my prince any harm!”
“What were you doing in this wing Leonides? I ordered you to stay away from our visitors!”
“Prince Tygra is hardly a visitor! I only wished to offer my services. I was merely inquiring if I could be of use.”
Bengali wanted to turn around and snarl to the lying piece of shit, but restraining Jareid required his entire focus at the moment. Claudus was about to demand an answer from the shaman angrily, when Tygra’s voice interrupted them.
“How dare you! You lying, treacherous, despicable, traitor!”
The tiger advanced decidedly towards the bewildered group, stopping only to shove a still crying Akbal into Jareid’s arms, ignoring the sharp gasps that particular action caused. Then he stomped, growling at the servant with fury, but directing his words to Claudus.
“How could you have this traitor in the palace?! He tried to get you and Lion-O killed!”
“Tygra, there was a trial. He explained…”
“I don’t care what he explained! He’s a bloody liar! And he’s still conspiring against Lion-O! He can’t be allowed to roam free!”
“I think the prince may have misunderstood my intentions…”
Tygra roared to the lion to shut him up. The jaguar guards tightened their hold and the point of one spear got threateningly close to the lion’s face.
“It’s hard to misunderstand someone’s intentions when said someone purposefully attacks you!”
The guards looked nervously towards Jareid, but the jaguar prince was still gaping in shock at the little cub that had been dropped on him. He couldn’t react properly at the moment. He was too worried trying to figure out what to do with his son.
Claudus ordered his own guards to take the servant to the holding cells. They were going to handle the situation their way. The jaguars looked at their king. Baal signalled that they could let it go, he was more fascinated at the way that Tygra had practically forced Jareid to calm down. He took note for future reference.
The jaguars surrendered the prisoner to the Thunderians who took him away. Tygra explained to his father everything that had happened and insisted again on doing something about the treacherous cat. He could not be kept as a servant. Claudus gritted his teeth and looked sideways towards his counterpart. Baal however seemed more interested in making sure that the cubs were fine and that Ben had done a good job protecting them.
“We’d deal with him in our way Tygra. I’m not about to stand by and let my sons’ safety to be compromised.”
“Please do.” Said Tygra, nodding in acceptance. “I know that you don’t like executions, but if there are more cats like him, they need to be stopped somehow.”
“And they’d be. Let us work on this, Tygra. Remember that it is not wise to let your anger guide your decisions.”
Tygra pressed his lips together and nodded sharply. He knew that if the kings would have arrived a little later Ben most likely would have killed the traitor, and he wouldn’t have minded. It was kind of disturbing, but the cat had threatened his cubs! Tygra would have killed him himself if no one had intervened. But it would have been self-defence. Claudus was talking about something else, something that Tygra knew himself incapable of, but Jareid…
He looked at his mate, who was cuddling little Akbal against his chest, a bit awkwardly, but entirely focused on his cub’s needs, like any good parent. Tygra walked towards him, intending to retrieve his cub, but Baal stopped him.
“Let Jareid take care of Akbal. I don’t want him invading the holding cells. Much less destroying the entire palace looking for them.” Said the king in a low voice at Tygra’s ear.
The tiger blinked in surprise once, and then flushed in embarrassment that almost immediately turned into horror. For the great Thunder. He had given Akbal to a furious Jareid without even thinking! What would he have done if Jareid had…? He could have hurt his son!
He turned to Jareid again, now in frantic worry, but the jaguar prince didn’t look murderous. Tygra looked at Baal in confusion. The jaguar king just smirked.
“He was ready to cause all kinds of hell until you filled his arms with cub. I think you pushed some previously unknown restart button.”
Tygra looked at Jareid again in fascination. He shook his head at the confusing mixture that was his mate and went to his side. Jareid glared at him, and almost spluttered with indignation at being loaded with his tiny cub at such an inconvenient moment. Tygra smiled at him and hung on his arm.
Crisis adverted, everyone just wanted to sleep. Claudus had Tygra’s family moved to Lion-O’s room because the door had been ruined. Bengali had broken the lock and singed it to its hinges when he had forced it to get inside. The king offered to move Saixa to another bedroom, but Jareid had recovered enough of his wits to protest. He wanted everyone on sight, as it was clear now to him that there had been cats that had been trying to get Saixa’s attention at the feast. It was possible that it had been an attempt to get closer to one of the cubs.
Saixa didn’t mind to sleep in the same room as all of them, so the family, plus Ben and Saixa, spent the night in Lion-O’s old bedroom.
Tygra lied down Ixchel next to Itzamma, the two of them asleep again, and turned to look for his last cub. The room felt a little crowded with three beds in it, but it’d be only one night. Jareid had not let go of Akbal yet. It was like their tiny cub was some sort of lifesaver. Everyone had seemed to think that Jareid would lose it the moment he didn’t have his son in his arms. The little kitten had been sobbing for a long time, unable to sleep though he had been very tired. He was now cuddled in the crook of his father’s left arm, finally sleeping. His mouth was slightly open and you could see a tiny, tiny tip of rosy tongue poking out. Tygra scowled when he noticed that the little hat was not on his cub’s head. Again.
“Jareid, where’s his hat?”
“I put it in their bag. He hates it, and it’s not so cold anyway.”
Tygra groaned and took his cub from his mate’s arms. Akbal yawned and continued sleeping.
“He’s not used to low temperatures. What if he gets sick?”
“He’s gonna be fine. Tomorrow we’re heading back home, he won’t notice the change. Besides, you covered them in enough blankets to keep an oven hot!”
Tygra grumped and kissed his cub’s head before putting him down with his siblings. Jareid embraced his mate from behind and bit his ear playfully.
“They are strong little cubs. No one is getting sick. Now come to bed. We’re leaving early tomorrow.”
“Hey you both, any chance that I could snuggle in your bed between you? Maybe get some action?”
Saixa called from her bed, where she was leaning over the pillows. She was wearing an extremely short and translucent sleeping robe, and nothing else. Tygra blushed bright red and averted his eyes while Jareid growled.
“I told you no Saixa! Drop it!”
“Oh, come on Jareid! I have needs too!” She whined, trying to look enticing. Tygra groaned in embarrassment and went to bury his face in the pillows. Jareid turned to the shaman.
“Ben, can you do something about her?”
“Hey! Don’t try to get me mixed in this! You were the one who insisted in all of us sharing the same room!”
“And I’m solely regretting it.” He grumbled. Saixa suddenly changed targets and walked sensually the few steps that separated her bed from Ben’s.
“Well, I suppose I could find myself my own tiger. What do you say handsome? I believe that I haven’t messed up with any of the shamans yet. I’m certainly willing to give it a try.”
She leaned over Ben, who had been sitting relaxedly on his own bed, back against the headboard. Saixa practically shoved her breasts on his face. Bengali went as red as a tomato, and gaped in disbelief at her boldness. Jareid smirked at the display.
“Now, that’s an idea. You can have a good time with Ben, and get off my back.”
Bengali spluttered indignantly at the prince, while Saixa chuckled and sat on his lap.
“I say that counts as the prince’s blessing, don’t you?”
She tried to put her arms around Ben’s neck, but the shaman grabbed her shoulders and kept her at arms’ length.
“I don’t think so milady. I hardly think this is appropriate.”
“Come on Ben. You have needs too. You can allow yourself a bit of release once in a while… Ow!”
Saixa looked murderously at the pillow that had collided with her head. Then looked affronted behind her, expecting to see Jareid, but it was a flustered and still blushing Tygra the one glaring at her from his side of the bedroom. The orange tiger hissed lowly at her.
“Not while my cubs are in the same room. Now cut it off and go to sleep!”
Saixa pouted, but she got off Ben and returned to her own bed. Jareid was chuckling until a fist connected with his arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“You were encouraging her! Go to sleep or I’ll hurt you!”
A muffled chuckle and Jareid hugged his tiger tightly, forgetting the problems for a while.
&&&&&&&&
They boarded the ship after breakfast. Tygra gave a last farewell hug to his father, and let him held Akbal for some moments. The little black cub was more social than his siblings, and more curious about strangers. He was immediately attracted by the lion’s abundant mane, and tried to get a hold of it. Claudus looked at his son sadly.
“I’m still upset with this outcome.”
Tygra sighed and looked towards the ship, where Jareid was waiting for him with Itzamma in his arms. The blond cub was glaring Jaga’s way. The cleric was some steps apart, giving Cheetara last minute instructions. The tiger shook his head.
“I know, but there’s nothing to do about it. And I’m actually fine. Lion-O and I are learning new things. We have a real opportunity to change our world.”
Claudus grumped unhappily.
“Some would say that the world wasn’t in any need of changing.”
Tygra looked at him tiredly.
“Now, that’s just preposterous. The world changes whether you like it or not. We have to go with it. Wasn’t that why you sent Grune and Panthro on a quest? To find some ancient artefact that supposedly combines technology with magic, and would help the cats to defend themselves against an unknown danger? Well, we have access to tech now. We can be prepared for any danger.”
“The Book of Omens is special.”
“But it’s not here father. This is.” He signalled the big ship and returned to look pleadingly at his father. “I know you’re sore because we lost a stupid war, but we can’t change the past. We can learn from it and move on.”
Claudus’ frown grew fierce.
“I hate to think that your brother is learning things that we should not tamper with. What they made you do is against nature, and it should not be done!”
Tygra bit his lips. It was pointless to discuss about that.
“Some things are unconventional. But Lion-O is not going to lose his morals father. He is a good kit. He’d be a good king. Just give him a chance.”
“I’d be more inclined to trust his wandering mind, if he had ever given any sign that he’s interested in learning how to lead this city.”
“He’d do well father. Though I must say that he’d do better if he won’t have to keep watching his back for traitorous councillors.”
“We’d take care of that. I’d feel more reassured if I didn’t think that you’re starting to show a preference for their methods.”
“What methods?”
“The shaman was ready to kill an unarmed cat, Tygra. Without giving him any chance to defend himself. That’s not how we do things.”
Tygra huffed and averted his eyes. He looked towards Jareid again and couldn’t help but thinking of what would have happened if his mate hadn’t had Akbal on his arms to calm him down. One thing was certain; the corridor would have been uncleanable. He shuddered. Perhaps he had been exposed to violence for too long.
“Ben was only protecting us. It’s not the usual way he deals with danger. Things in Ix-Maal are not too different from here.”
He tried very hard not to think about Jareid covered in blood just after he had been almost killed in the river. The jaguar prince was the only one with serious anger-management problems, but that idea was not going to help to ease Claudus one bit. The king grumbled.
“Be as it may.” He put a hand on Tygra’s shoulder reassuringly. “This would always be your home Tygra. You’d always be my son. You know you can count on us.”
“I know father. I love you too, you know.”
Claudus grunted in resignation, and then felt a strong pull on his mane.
“Ow, ow. Easy little guy, easy.”
Akbal giggled happily, delighted to have reached the lion’s exuberant mane. Tygra chuckled and helped his father to untangle the tiny hands before he lost a handful of fur.
“Come here love. You shouldn’t pull off your grandfather’s mane. He’s rather attached to it.”
Claudus smiled at the little cub once he was in his dad’s arms, and caressed the soft cheeks with a finger. Akbal grabbed it and promptly tried to bite it. Claudus chuckled.
“He looks just like you. He and your daughter. Your eldest is a jaguar through and through.”
“Itzamma also has stripes, but he’s taking more after Jareid’s looks.”
Someone called that everything was ready and Jareid made an impatient noise. Tygra sighed and gave a last hug to his father. Then he walked to his mate who grabbed him by the waist and hurried him into the ship. Claudus growled under his breath and huffed at the display. Baal stood beside him for a moment before boarding the ship himself.
“I’ve learned to not dwell too much on things that I have no control over.”
“Easy for you to say.” Growled the king. Baal smirked.
“Of course, I procure to always have control.”
He gave a step towards his transport, but stopped and glanced back seriously.
“A word of advice though. Mercy does have its limits. Sometimes death is necessary.”
“It’s not our way.”
Baal shrugged.
“Suit yourself.”
He boarded the ship and the door slid closed behind his guards. Claudus looked as the big thing ascended to the skies, technically noiselessly for its size. Jaga was beside him, contemplating the ship’s movements.
“We may have to overcome many fears if we wish to stand as equals someday.”
“If only you had found something amiss with the cubs.”
“Actually…” Jaga sighed and Claudus turned to look at him sharply.
“What?”
“Well, it was odd really. I don’t know what they pulled off, or how they managed, but the spirits’ magic says that the girl is not really Tygra’s. Not… directly.”
Claudus’ eyes widened fractionally.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“He is not her father, however they are closely related. That’s the best explanation anyway. The magic seemed to think that Tygra is and isn’t her parent at the same time.”
Claudus frowned in mild confusion and then growled.
“And you didn’t tell me before? Jaga, we could have used this! Why didn’t you say something?!”
“It would have served no purpose. The girl’s parentage doesn’t interfere with the bond, and it changes nothing. Whatever her lineage is, it doesn’t affect the treaty.”
“But Tygra could have realized how far the jaguars are willing to go to manipulate him!”
“Chances are he already knows, Claudus.”
The lion roared lowly, deeply frustrated. Jaga sighed. “There’s nothing to do but adapt. Tygra is right. We need to learn more. Lion-O has a good chance to recover the Sword of Omens. He probably would attempt to reconcile the clans. You know that his dream has always been to bring all the species together, surely he would start with his own.”
Claudus turned towards the palace, remembering that they had someone to deal with.
“My son is very idealistic indeed. Let’s hope that he knows how to handle the nobles. And in lieu of that, there’s a certain lion that has reached the end of my patience.”
“Regrettably so.”
Both cats entered the palace, prepared to deal with the traitor again.
&&&&&&&&
Tygra looked out the window as Thundera got smaller and smaller, until the clouds covered it. He sighed and reclined back on the seat. He was feeling the unwelcome sensation of abandonment again. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He was the one that hadn’t wanted to go to Thundera. He was the one that had decided not to stay. But the depressing feeling still remained.
He turned his head to the side. This time it was Akbal the one awake, and he was being far more boisterous about it than Itzamma. The blond cub had closed his eyes as soon as they had entered the ship, and was now in the carrycot with his sister. Akbal was babbling and wriggling, trying to send the blankets wrapping him away. Saixa was looking for a clean shirt and nappies for him, while Ben tried to save the blankets from being shredded apart. Akbal was growing frustrated because it looked like he was tangling himself more.
Tygra sighed, ready to stand up and go sort out his cub, but Jareid pulled him by the waist and trapped him at his side. Tygra growled half-heartily.
“Jareid, I should retrieve Akbal. He’s my cub.”
“Saixa and Ben can take perfect care of him. Come here and relax with me.”
Tygra huffed, but leaned against Jareid’s side. The jaguar had removed the armrest between their seats, and there was nothing now preventing him from hugging his tiger tightly. He kissed Tygra on the lips and got a hand under the younger cat’s shirt. Tygra moaned, feeling his mate’s happiness radiating from every pore. Jareid was relaxing now that the perceived danger had passed. The jaguar started to caress his mate’s neck, brushing over the mating mark lovingly.
“My beautiful tiger. No one can take you away now.” He kissed Tygra again, and started to purr.
Tygra wriggled a bit to get into a more comfortable position, and ended up with one leg over Jareid’s. He nuzzled the jaguar’s neck, licking his mark tentatively and sighed. He hated the way he was feeling. Like something was missing, but he couldn’t say precisely what. Jareid bit and pulled his ear with soft lips, then a hand lifted his chin minutely.
“Are you ok my tiger? Are you happy?”
Tygra brushed his lips against Jareid’s and reclined his head on the older cat’s neck. He was unsure about what he wanted to feel. In the background he listened to his cub’s happy giggles as Ben finally freed him from the blankets.
“I think my mind is a mess right now. I have missed home so much, and now it doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
He looked up directly into the clear blue eyes of his possessive mate.
“Maybe home is with you. I only have to get used to the idea.”
Jareid lifted an eyebrow. “You haven’t already?”
Tygra sighed and tucked his head under the jaguar’s chin again. “I thought I had. But I’m still feeling… I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I saw how much father is still in denial.”
Jareid grumbled. Stupid Thunderians. He raked his fingers through his tiger’s mane and kissed the striped head tenderly. Tygra sighed again and moaned with longing.
“Jareid… do you remember that little lie? The one I once asked you to tell me?”
The prince grunted and nodded, hiding a smirk. He knew now what his tiger was missing. Tygra gulped.
“Do you mind… telling me again?”
Jareid reclined their seats a bit more, so he could easily roll over his tiger. Tygra yelped and his eyes turned around looking for the rather big audience that they had in the ship’s cabin. Surprisingly, no one seemed to be paying attention to them. Everyone was in his or her own seats, with Saixa and Ben having disappeared somewhere, but that didn’t mean that no one was listening. He suddenly regretted having asked. He should have waited for them to be back in their rooms. Jareid grabbed him by the jaw and forced his attention back to intense clear blue eyes.
“Why would you want a lie, when I can tell you the truth?”
Tygra narrowed his eyes, not sure of what to expect. “And what would this truth be?”
Jareid started to kiss his tiger’s face lightly as he talked softly.
“That I need you, Tygra. That you are the best thing that has happened in my life. That you make me a better cat, and we have three wonderful cubs that we’re raising together.”
He kissed the parted lips of his mate passionately, until Tygra moaned and returned the kiss. Then he whispered to his still out of breath mate.
“That I very well could already be loving you. My tiger.”
He bit the mating mark lustfully, making Tygra gasp and grab him by the arm and neck with desperation. The tiger moaned and then took his chance to bite his jaguar too. He would have let Jareid take him there and then, if he hadn’t been too self-conscious and overly aware that they were not alone at all. They had to content themselves with cuddling together, side by side, in shared relief. Tygra nudged Jareid to hug him, and breathed his mate’s unique aroma deeply. He felt better. Safer. Like he was assured that his little lie was not entirely a lie anymore.
&&&&&&&&&&&
Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I have little time to write anymore, but I'd continue working on my fics, no matter what :)
Thank you for reading :)
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A Tale of Jaguars