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Chapter 14: Preparing to Join the Pride

They fell asleep entwined but as Tendaji slept on in peace, Feral found himself unable to do the same. His womb ached with need and his clitoris was swollen and hot. He found himself constantly twitching and kicking the bedding off because it irritated his body. By morning he was exhausted, heated, and wanting to jump Tendaji's bones.

His mate woke refreshed but was puzzled by Ulysses' tired face. Though concerned, he chalked up his mate's irritable behavior to being nervous about the ceremony tonight. He had not told Uly they had to consummate their union in front of the pride. Ulysses was a private person and this would make him bolt in terror, so Ten thought it best not to say anything at all until it was too late.

"Do we have to leave so early? I want you!" Feral asked, rather plaintively, his body driving him to distraction. He moved closer to Ten before the lion could leave the bed and rubbed against him.

Tendaji growled heatedly, but reluctantly pulled away and climbed off the bed. He was pleased his mate was so amorous but they couldn't mate now and he knew Uly wouldn't be happy with the reason.

"I'm sorry love. I want you more than anything unfortunately one of the main strictures of the ceremony is that we must completely abstain from any contact until tonight." Ten said in unhappy commiseration.

"Wha...? You're joking?" Feral blurted in dismay.

"No, 'fraid not, love. Come on! We've got to get breakfast then we'll be separated. I'll be prepared by my father and you will be readied by the Queen, my mother and sisters." He said, hiding a smile, knowing his mate was definitely not going to like that.

"No way! I am not being sequestered with a bunch of females." Ulysses shouted in horror.

"Sorry love but this is how it's been for hundreds of years. I'm just the first to have a male mate rather than female and there's no provision for altering this tradition. Better get dressed quickly, my sisters will be charging in soon to haul you away and if you want to eat we'll have to hurry to beat their arrival." Tendaji said with a smirk of warning.

Feral sat on the bed, horrified for another minute, before lunging up and rushing to the bathroom to shower and dress. This was not what he'd thought it would be and he wasn't happy. His body was still harping at him as well, making him miserable and nasty tempered.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Tendaji sighed at his mate's rush to the bathroom. He had decided to skip the shower and was putting the finishing touches on his clothes when there came a knock at his door. He sighed again, realizing he wasn't going to get breakfast at all.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the grinning faces of his father and brothers.

"Good morning son, shall we be on our way before the females descend on us?" His father said jovially, reaching out with a powerful arm and pulling his son to his side.

"Good morning, father. I haven't had a chance to eat..." Ten began to say.

"Too bad, Ten! We've got some really fun things planned to do to you so I guess you'll have to listen to your stomach growl for a bit longer." His brother Sekai snickered.

Wondering what that meant, Tendaji was whisked away down the hall surrounded by his sibs, his father holding him close as they walked.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Just moments after Ten had left, Feral came out of the bathroom and was unhappy to discover his mate gone. Quickly getting dressed, he headed to the door to go looking for him but as soon as he opened it, he was greeted by the smiling and giggling faces of Tendaji's mother and sisters and the regal demeanor of the Queen.

His first impulse was to step back and shut the door in their faces but that would be a really bad thing to do to the Queen. He gave her a sick smile.

"Uhm...good morning, your majesty." He said hesitantly, dreading what was to come.

"Oh please, call me Marjani, Ulysses. Well come on! Times a wasting. We have many things to get done today." She smiling brightly, taking his arm firmly with hers.

To his absolute mortification, Feral discovered the first thing on the agenda was him enduring a female exam by the royal physician. The purpose, apparently, was to determine if he was capable of conceiving, carrying, and delivering a kitten or in this case twins. He paled at the reminder of what Tenjani had told him. For some reason, he thought since he was a Kat, this fact wouldn't be the same for him. Wrong!

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As Feral was getting dressed after the exam, the physician took the Queen aside for a private word.

"Your majesty, Commander Feral is in heat," He stated gravely.

"Really! That's wonderful. That means the ceremony will be doubly blessed." Marjani was overjoyed. "Is he capable of conceiving and carrying twins?"

"Everything seems to be well developed within his body and the birth canal is big enough, but I must warn you, pregnancy and delivery for a male hermaphrodite carries more complications than for a female. He must be monitored closely."

"Ah, I see. Not a surprise certainly, after all he is male as well as female. I must admit, I find that very odd." The Queen shrugged off the strangeness of it all. "Thank you for your thoroughness. I have a further question though."

"Yes?"

"Why does Ulysses seem not to know of his condition. A female in heat would be rubbing herself all over and snapping at the wearing of clothing but he behaves confused and a bit irritable."

"I would surmise, your majesty, that as a male, it is not seemly for him to show how he's feeling. Also, it is quite possible he has never experienced female to male sex before the prince took him. This would leave him in the state you see him now."

"I believe you are correct as Tendaji has informed me he was indeed Ulysses' first."

The doctor nodded his head. "Then this is all new for Ulysses. Under normal circumstances, his heat cycle was most likely barely noticeable so this must come as a great and unhappy surprise. Do you wish me to inform him?"

"Definitely not. I think it will make the ceremony that much more intense and binding if he isn't aware of his condition."

"Certainly, my Queen. He won't hear of it from me." The doctor nodded politely.

"Thank you. Well, we'd better be off."

"You're welcome, your majesty. See you at the ceremony." The physician said then left the Queen to wait for the newest member of her pride.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Feral stepped out of the exam room and was once more whisked away. Their next stop was the royal hairdresser where he was groomed from top to bottom. From there he was taken to be fitted with a fine, heavy velveteen robe of deep gold. Underneath this he was shocked to find he would be wearing only a light weight tunic of a lighter gold color that barely reached his knees. He wouldn't be allowed to wear anything under it either. He was scandalized but the Queen ignored his protests allowing a small smile to tug at her lips. After the fitting, he was allowed to redress and Tendaji's mother carried his new clothes.

During all this fussing, his body continued to burn and annoy him. He wanted nothing more than to strip his clothes off completely and that desire confused him more.

The Queen was secretly amused at the poor Kat's constant twitching. 'Yes indeed! This should be a magnificent mating.' She privately thought, pleased and excited. She also didn't inform Ulysses that he would be mating in front of the pride when the time came. They had learned from the past that Kats were more squeamish about such things. No, it was much better to just spring it on them when it was too late. Made things much easier that way.

It was lunch time and the Queen, Tendaji's mother and her daughters took Ulysses to a private garden for a meal. The Queen clucked her tongue when she noted Feral's exhausted appearance. His heat cycle, she knew, was keeping him in a high state of arousal which was very tiring. She ordered a special herb drink made.

"Here Ulysses! I want you to drink this. It's a traditional drink to celebrate the coming festivities." She lied with a straight face. Ten's mother and sisters hid their looks of mirth, fully aware of what their Queen was up to.

Feral smelled the drink suspiciously and didn't really want it but he couldn't insult the Queen. Sighing mentally, he downed it, grimacing at the slightly bitter aftertaste then finished his meal with the rest of them.

When they were done eating, the females escorted him back to his room and bade him to rest. They would be back later to get him bathed and dressed for the ceremony.

Feral hadn't really wanted to nap but found himself unaccountably drowsy and not able to keep his eyes open. He stripped to his boxers and stretched out on the bed. His last thought was, 'I wonder what they are doing to Tendaji?'

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

While Feral was at the mercy of the females, Tendaji was not surprised when he was stripped, barbered then fitted with his special robe and tunic just like his mate. But unlike his mate, he would undergo a special ceremony with only his King, father, brother and other male relatives. One of the dressers took his ceremonial clothes for later.

As soon as he was dressed lightly, he was taken to a special place just outside the compound in a small bamboo forest. They walked, not speaking, while the one in the rear tapped a special tom tom as they made for a clearing at the center of the forest.

The clearing had a bonfire burning brightly at its center. It was being tended by some of his cousins. The King awaited them beside the fire. The group halted as soon as they reached the clearing. His father removed Tendaji's simple robe revealing the young lion was wearing only a pair of plain boxers and no shoes.

"As our forefathers have done in the beginning, we are here to administer the rites of passage for a member of the Zubari Pride. Mating is a very important event in a young lion's life so an ordeal is required to help test his resolve. Once he passes he will be ready to pass from single to mated status within the pride." The King announced solemnly then turned to the supplicant. "Are you ready, Tendaji?"

"I am ready to take up my duties to the pride and my mate, my King." Tendaji replied dutifully.

"So be it. Let the rite of passage commence." The King commanded reaching for a sturdy bamboo pole laying near the fire. He placed it in the flames for a moment. Each of Tendaji's relatives did the same then formed a tunnel. Tendaji stood at the beginning of this tunnel, taking a deep breath before running forward.

As he raced through the lion-made tunnel, each member of his family struck him about the shoulders and back once firmly with their poles. The King was the last to lay a firm blow on the young lion. When Ten reached the end, he was sore but triumphant. A bucket of water was thrown onto his back to ease the burning sensation from the hot sticks.

The males roared to signify their acceptance of Tendaji's successful completion of the rite of passage then his brothers lifted him up on their shoulders and carried him back into the compound.

They had a delicious lunch then went to the saunas to rest and wash. As evening drew close, the compound buzzed with excitement. No one took note when Nakato excused himself and went toward Tendaji's home. He knew no one but Ulysses would be there as everyone else was busy with the final preparations for the ceremony in just a few hours.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Slipping into the house cautiously, he made his way to his brother's room. Opening the door slowly he saw Ulysses laying on his stomach on the bed, asleep. Licking his lips in anticipation, Nakato snuck into the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

Moving toward the bed, he took a deep sniff of his target and nearly howled in excitement. 'This was even better! The tom is in heat!' He thought with delight.

Feral only wore a pair of boxers which made Nakato's depredations much easier. He began his seduction by caressing the long powerful legs and stroking the inner thighs. Feral groaned softly in his sleep and shifted restlessly.

Smiling, Nakato increased his touches. He caressed Feral's buttocks then slid his fingers under the boxers to touch the female clitoris where the rich odor of a heated female drifted to his nose making him hard and ready. The dark tom growled and humped the bed in obvious need but still hadn't awakened.

The tom's heady odor was driving Nakato crazy. Leaning closer, he sniffed more deeply and was surprised to discover Ulysses had been mildly drugged. The Queen must have done it to give the tom some much needed rest. Well, he would wake him up soon enough and by then it would be far too late to stop him.

He used a claw to rip the boxers open so that he had free access to his target. Moving swiftly, Nakato opened his own pants in preparation to take this tom completely and thoroughly. Soon he would carry his kits and not his brother's. Grinning wickedly he lowered himself over the tom.

Feral felt hot and needy. He thought he was dreaming when he felt himself being touched and set on fire. He groaned heatedly as he felt his underwear being torn away and someone heavy beginning to straddle him. His head was still foggy from the drug he'd been given so thought it was Tendaji above him.

But as the heavy male body lowered itself more onto Uly's back, an alarm began to scream through his mind. The sixth sense that kept him alive was warning him something about this was wrong. Shaking his head, trying to bring himself more alert, he snorted in a breath and jolted the rest of the way alert when he detected the wrong scent coming from the male nearly ready to impale him.

Though his body cried out to let this male plunge in and ease the ache that had been tormenting him for hours, his mind and spirit knew this wasn't his mate and couldn't allow it. He reared to his knees throwing the male off then threw himself off the bed, hitting the floor hard.

He looked up to see the angry visage of Nakato, Ten's older brother. His cock was pointing toward Uly, hard and ready from his pants. Furious, Feral scrambled backward and struggled quickly to his feet, swaying a little still from the drug in his system.

Snarling angrily at his missed opportunity, Nakato lunged at the tom but missed as Feral twisted away. He made a dash for the door but the angry brother moved like lightning to cut him off. Backing away, Feral moved to the other side of the bed again.

Nakato leaped onto the bed and spread his arms to try and capture the Kat but Feral ducked again. For the next few minutes Feral did his best to avoid the lion stalking him around the room. At one point, Nakato nearly succeeded in wrapping his arms around the tom's torso only to have Feral slam his elbows into the lion's ribs and stomp firmly on Nakato's instep.

The lion was forced to let go, hissing in pain. He lunged again for the tom and missed but managed to twist quickly around and grab the tom once more as Feral tried to get behind him. He whipped the dark tom to his back on the bed and dropped his heavier weight onto him. Pinning Uly's arms, Nakato used his feet to pin the tom's ankles. The entry wouldn't be as good but he would take what he could get at this point.

This tom was turning out to be a pawful but Nakato was determined to make him his mate. He truly underestimated Feral and his training. The tom pretended to relax and stared flatly into the eyes glowing with lust above him. He didn't have to pretend his desire since his body was on fire for any male.

Thinking he had won, Nakato gathered the tom's paws in one of his and reached down to raise Feral's cock so that he could slip into the vaginal opening. While he was distracted, Feral made his move. He rolled his body violently to the side, unseating his rapist and sending him over the side of the bed away from the door.

Feral wasted no time leaping off the bed and racing for the door, opening it and taking a precious second to close it to slow down Nakato then racing down the hall to escape the house. He did the unexpected by heading for the rear door of the house and dashing for the King's mansion as fast as he could.

There was no one in the streets as he ran past. He had taken note of the many ways to enter the mansion and surprised his pursuer by using a rear entrance. Feral plunged in the, thankfully, open door and headed down the empty corridor for the voices he could hear ahead of him.

Panting for breath from his hard run, he burst into the main hall where nearly everyone in the compound was gathering and taking their seats.

There were shouts of surprise at the sight of the naked Kat. Nakato skidded to a halt just short of the hall. Hissing furiously, he turned on his heel and ran back out. He'd lost his chance. He wouldn't be punished for trying since any male could take an unmated female up to the moment of bonding. Angry, he stalked back to his quarters to get ready for the ceremony.

Feral stumbled to a halt and blushed in embarrassment at his undressed state as everyone started at him in confusion. He didn't see Tendaji but his friend saw him and came up to him quickly.

"Commander! What's happened?" Dubaku asked the breathless Kat in concern.

"Nakato tried to take me while I was resting." Feral managed to gasp out.

Dubaku's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, I never thought he'd dare. Sorry about that Ulysses but he had a right to try before you were bonded. Any male has the right but no one wanted to interfere with Tendaji's claim at least no one but Nakato." He said with a snort.

Feral gaped at him in shock. "Any male could have done this and it was acceptable?"

"I'm afraid so. The law of the jungle you know...only the strong can have a mate. It's left over in our genes. Anyway, you obviously won so let me escort you back to the house so that the females can get you ready." Dubaku said soothingly, directing Feral back down the hall he had run up moments ago.

Feral was completely bewildered. How could any society work this way? He shook his head. He didn't think he would ever understand.

Dubaku could smell Feral's heat scent and had to firmly squash a sudden flash of desire. No wonder Nakato dared to try and take the powerful tom. Poor guy just didn't know what he was up against. He had to tell Tendaji about this later. It would amuse him to know how his brother had fared against his volitle mate...as if he didn't know already. Dubaku laughed to himself at the image his mind conjured of Nakato trying to make Feral submit but he sobered quickly when he realized just how incensed Ulysses was about what had happened. He didn't envy Ten at all when his mate got ahold of him later.