Guardian II by TheMightyKhan

Guardian II

TheMightyKhan, Angst, Character Development, Compassion, Cub, Dark, Death, Family, Human, Long, M/F, Oral, Passion, Plot Development, Tiger, Violence (Not In Yiff), child, darknes, loss

#2 of Guardian

Guardian II

(To read this chapter, you must agree with the disclaimer and copyright posted in the first chapter.)

(Sorry, I lied. I misunderestimated my creativity, and now, I present the second installment of Guardian. Oh, and to read the following, you must agree with the copyright and disclaimer posted in the first chapter.)

The cub murred somewhat as his father ruffled his hair, though as he noticed the happy, content looks that his parents gave each another, looks that could only be called love, he felt somewhat overshadowed. They loved each another so much... was he really that important to them?

And yet, before he could even start to wash his smallish paws, his father had knelt down in front of him, with his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Chris... your mother and I, we love each another. But we also love you. It's because you're the expression of our love," Alex explained, "that's why we care about you so much. You symbolize everything that me and your mom feel for each another, see? After all, you're our kid, right?" he asked, looking into his son's dark brown eyes for a moment.

"...Yeah... thanks, Dad," Chris said, and nuzzled his father's cheek before starting to wash his paws again.

He was still very young, at the age of six. But still, Chris could, and did, help in the kitchen. He didn't see it as a chore, but rather as a way to show what love his small heart felt for the only people he'd ever known in his life.

"So," Alex said, as he stooped over to toss a small log into the wood-burning stove, "what did you learn today, kiddo?"

And yet, it was Alexandra who answered, as she started to carefully skin the deer that her husband had brought for them. Her tigerish claws gleamed in the light of the cabin; light that seemed to have no specific source, yet radiated from the walls of the residence, from its dwellers.

"His nine times tables. He's not like you, Alex," she said, looking over her shoulder at her mate, teasingly, "he's good at math."

Alex took mock offense, even as he looked on to make sure Chris had remembered to dry his paws, and grinned, his angled face lighting up.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I'll need to take lessons from him, huh?"

There was a moment of relative silence, as the three family members chuckled softly.

"So, Chris..." Alex said in a slightly steeled voice, and his son's ears perked up as he readied himself for his daily test, "nine times five."

"Forty five."

"Nine times eight?"

"Seventy-two."

"Nine times eleven?"

"...Ninety-nine."

"Nine times seventeen."

"...Uh..." the cub said, and screwed his eyes up in concentration, muttering incoherently to himself, "One hundred and... fifty... three?" he said after a moment, though not with any conviction.

However, Chris's ears flattened some and he looked at the mortar and pastel in which he started to grind pepper rather forlornly.

"So... what desert do you want tonight?" Alex said after a moment, turning to face his son with an impressed grin on his face.

"Aww, Dad...!" Chris groaned, before going to bat the human's side with a paw, before hugging him once, "umm...." he said, rubbing his smooth, blunt head against Alex's abs, "hmm... oh yeah. Mom told me that when you were my age, you liked pecan pie a lot. Can we try that?"

"Man.... that stuff's a pain to make... but it's delicious. Sure," the human grinned, ruffling the cub's furred, hairless head, "you earned it."

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Chris turned back to the pepper. But he didn't let down his guard, even as he started to crack the peppercorns into a fine powder.

"Dad said that if I learn all of my times tables, up to twenty times twenty that he'd take me on a hunting trip. I can't wait..." he thought, then forced himself to concentrate, to test himself before his father did.

"Okay! So what's three times fifteen? Forty-five. Seven times seventeen? One hundred nineteen.."

Alex glanced over at his son for a moment, and smiled once, before he scooted a little closer to Alexandra, to murmur into her black-tipped ears.

"He takes his studies seriously. Hard to believe that he's the same goofball that pounces me like that everyday," he said, and the white tigress gave a smile that she tried to quickly hide, then, realizing that it was too late, allowed it to show.

"Hold on..." the human said, even as he pulled the skin away from the kill as his wife slit it apart, "you... you put him up to it, don't you? Wh--I thought you were supposed to protect me!" he complained, again, in mock outrage.

"Well..." Alexandra said, in a quavering voice, before she let out a stray giggle, "you do need to learn to keep on your toes... like Chris said, you wouldn't last ten seconds in the jungle."

Alex rolled his eyes, and got back to his cooking, now starting to select jars of spices from a simple rack, that he'd carved himself and given to his mate for their one month anniversary.

"So what's this about a vacation?" the tigress asked for a moment, nudging Alex's shoulder with her soft, wet nose.

As always, the human failed to hold a grudge as his heart melted at her every touch--even now, he was still at the mercy of his mate's affections; even now, she was the queen of his heart, rivaled only by Chris.

"These blizzards are terrible," Alex sighed, "listen..." he murmured.

Alexandra stopped what she was doing, and perked her ears up extra high. For a few seconds, all that was audible was the howls of the wind and snow outside, and Chris's occasional incoherent mumbling.

"Five times five is twen--no, thir--no, twenty-five," he muttered.

Alex grinned once, and peeled away the last bit of skin from the deer.

"I'm just saying... why did we pick northwest Canada?" he asked with a sigh, looking at Alexandra.

The tigress gave her inky black hair a toss so that she could look back, as she pulled her mate's knife from its sheath and began to butcher the animal.

"Well, mostly because no one's here. It's one of the few places in the world where we can live in peace, without being bothered by anyone," Alexandra sighed.

"True," Alex accepted, before surprising his wife with a sudden kiss to her cheek, earning himself a soft "eep," "but surely there's _some_where that we can safely vacation. Like... I dunno... why don't we go south, to somewhere in the Midwest? We can make a vacation home, right? Heck, we don't even have to live in one spot anymore, Chris is big enough now... we could be nomads, and just go... pretty much anywhere we want. Food's not that big of a problem, you can give me what I need, right?" Alex asked, and his mate only smiled at him.

"After all," he murmured, walking up behind her, wrapping his arms around her slim, attractive waist, "you gave me a son..."

"Alex... not here..." she protested, grinning, and allowed herself to be coaxed into a brief kiss.

"Hey, Dad," Chris said, holding up the granite bowl in his smallish hands, smiling brightly, "finished!"

"Good, good job, kiddo," the man said, and set the pepper aside for a moment, "so, let's leave your mom alone for a moment, and listen to the radio for a while?" he asked, starting to walk towards the living room of the cabin.

"Yeah!" Chris squeaked, and made an impossibly high jump; impossible for a human, anyway; onto his father's shoulders, and sat there, wrapping his appendages around Alex's cranium, "march!"

Alex rolled his eyes again, but decided to comply. His boy gave a chuckle as his father walked towards the leather sofa that was one of the cabin's few pieces of furniture, and plunked down on it. It was only than that Chris allowed himself to be peeled away, and slumped over in a somewhat tiger-like manner on his father's lap.

The human picked up the radio, a large, heavy, but hand-held device, and tuned its knobs carefully. Soon, it crackled to life, the distant voice inside of it speaking coherently.

"This blizzard's gonna be a long one, folks, so bundle up tight. No end in sight for at least a week or so, and it's not gonna go above twenty below," the voice reported.

"See that?" Alex sighed, and poked his son's nose, "I'm not all fluffy like you and your mother... it's too darn cold around here."

Chris rubbed his nose obsessively for a moment, then took out his father's knife and began to toy with it. Alex had long since given up trying to stop his son from doing that; it didn't work, besides, he never came to any harm because of it.

"Wimp."

"Hey, enough of that," the human said, cuffing his kid on the shoulder once.

But Chris only smiled, and nuzzled his father's hand. A smile lit up Alex's face for the umpteenth time that day, as his nostrils were filled with the scent of roasting meat.

A minute later, Alexandra came out of the kitchen, and slouched up against her mate's shoulder. She grabbed his free arm, and wrapped it around her waist, and Alex could both feel and hear her purr as she closed her eyes, snuggling up against him. Chris couldn't purr, not as much, anyway, but Alex knew that if he could, he would right now.

The small family remained like that for a long while. Alex felt his heart glow with pride and love as he held his mate and their child. He'd grown up as a quiet, somewhat lost boy, but it was like that life had prepared him to live this one as a person that never, ever took what he had for granted. The man of the house kissed his wife, then his cub, and started to get up, before he realized that Chris was asleep. The kid had curled into a tight ball of skin and fur on his father's lap, and breathed in deeply, sighing as he exhaled.

Alexandra felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked over at the boy. A smile lit up her striped face, and she kissed her mate on the cheek.

"He's cute... like father, like son, huh?" she giggled softly, as Alex looked back at her, giving her nose a rub with his own.

"You got it," he murmured.

They kissed for a brief second, then Alexandra helped her mate slide Chris off of his lap. They succeeded, barely, and deposited the cub in a particularly soft, cozy corner of the sofa. Alex took a moment to look at his sleeping son, and ran a finger across his snout, before Alexandra pulled him away.

Chris purred, and a smile made its way across his young face. He was dreaming: he was in a safe, comfortable place, surrounded only by people that loved and cared about him. He was happy.

"So, how was your day?" Alex asked, as he gathered corn syrup, butter, and eggs for the pecan pie's filling.

"Oh, the usual. Taught Chris math, some science, some reading... the kid's really smart, Alex. He's only six years, three months, and two days old, but he's already reading Harry Potter and understanding every word of it."

Alexandra looked over at her mate, and grinned, as she pulled a can of pecans out of nowhere, and began to measure them out.

"How was yours?"

"Ah, nothing special... I found an injured owl, though, and it took me a while to calm him into letting me fix his wing. But I did it... then, of course, I got the deer... hey, thanks for teaching me how to hunt without a rifle. It's much easier on the ears," Alex said with a smile, one that his mate returned.

"I think it's sort of cute the way you have to sleep so much," the human said, after a moment of companionable silence, in which they both worked on their son's reward, "what is it... fifteen plus hours a day? How much does Chris normally get?"

"Well..." Alexandra said, thinking, "I used to think that it was fifteen too... but sometimes, when I wake up, things are in different places, and there are little bitty depressions in the snow outside, almost like a track that got covered up. So I honestly don't know... Chris is a real sneak," she chuckled.

"Your fault," Alex muttered to himself.

Of course, the tigress overheard him, and gave him a playful bat with her paw.

"Hey..." the male said, catching her appendage before she pulled it away, "none of that, now..."

Awkwardly, his joking motion had pulled his mate close to him. Both adults gave a guilty glance to each another, then outside towards their still sleeping son.

"How about some of this..." Alexandra purred, tracing her digit in circles around her mate's chest, happily noting how much more strong, and, yes, desirable he was, before pulling his head down for a long, tender kiss.

Alex was surprised, pleasantly so, as his mate locked lips with him. He registered, vaguely, that her leg had wound its way behind his back, pulling him in closer, and closer, and closer still...

His hands had started off at her hips, sides, and the small of her back. One, however, naughtily moved away, and reached down to give the tigress's round, firm rump a squeeze. As he did that, Alexandra gave a murr of surprised pleasure, and as her tail wrapped around his leg, her paw trailed down his chest, down his torso, to the buckle of his pants...

"Haha... no, three times thirteen is thirty-nine, Dad, you're silly..." came a voice from the living room.

Alex and Alexandra broke apart abruptly, both visibly flustered, finger-combing their hair, breathing somewhat hard. Meanwhile, on the couch, Chris chuckled, and made a comment about how the capital of Zimbabwe was Harare, not Gweru.

Alex gave a nervous chuckle at that, and felt his mate nose his rising and falling chest.

"We'll finish this later..." she said, nuzzling him once, "but for now, we have to finish the pie..."

Alex nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and moved to finish making the pie filling. However, his eyes widened as he felt a padded paw smack his rump.

He turned to see his mate walking away, putting a bit more swing into her hips than she might have, her tail lashing around playfully. She turned, and gave him a smile over her shoulder, then looked around for a pie crust.

"Sneak..." Alex muttered, and, before his mate could stop him, gave her cute little butt a pinch.

"Chris..." the female cooed into her son's ear, and it twitched once, "come on, baby, wake up... dinner's ready..." she said, rubbing his shoulder with the back of her paw once.

"Mrr... not a baby..." Chris murred, but leaned to sit up, then yawned widely, showing off his somewhat humanoid teeth, before rubbing his eye with a furred, fisted hand, "did you make the pecan pie?" he asked, slumping down on his mother's lap, snuggling against her thigh once.

Alexandra stroked his head for a brief moment, before kissing his cheek once.

"Yes."

"Thanks!" the cub squeaked gleefully, "I love you, Mom," he said, and, after nosing his mother's side, bolted off towards the kitchen, taking the first few steps on all fours.

Alex managed to walk out of the doorway at just the wrong time, and ended up getting pounced by his son. He staggered, but managed not to fall, barely.

"We're not in the jungle any more, you... wild child!" the man complained, peeling his son off, "go and wash your paws... punk..." he said.

Chris's ears flattened, but then perked up after his father ruffled his hair. He murred something, then licked his hands, trying to flatten his headfur back into place before hopping up to start to rinse his hands off with water at the sink, then lather them up.

By the time he was finished, Alex and his mate had set the table with the roasted deer, pie, two tall glasses of milk for the female and the cub, and a glass of iced soda for Alex. Aside from that, there was mashed potatoes, and various steamed vegetables... a simple meal, but a healthy one, and a tasty one too, in the opinion of all who would share it.

The small family sat down, and ate together, speaking quietly amongst each another. Alex was the most silent; sometimes, the shadows of his past life caught up with him. They were quickly dispelled, however, when Alexandra and Chris made innocent, cheeky comments towards him.

All too soon, dinner was finished. Chris reached out for the pie, but couldn't quite grasp it until his father slid it his way. With a smile of thanks, the cub began to cut himself a small piece of it, and eyed it hungrily after putting it onto his plate for a moment.

The tigress felt for Alex's hand under the table, and grasped it. The male held it back, and then both parents watched to see how Chris would react to their little treat for him.

The cub took a bite of the pecan pie. He chewed for a moment, so that the soft sounds of the pecans being crunched by his smallish, but sharp teeth were barely audible above the wind's howls.

"It's good!" Chris squeaked, and began to shovel more pie into his mouth, chewing it rapidly.

Alex had to laugh, even as his mate scolded their son until he slowed don. Chris gave his mother an apologetic look, then began to eat again, at a slightly more subdued pace, while Alexandra helped herself and the male to the treat.

"Mmm, kid's right," Alex said, as he started to dig into a large slice of the delicious pie, "it's great," he said, smiling at his mate, then lifting up her paw to give it a sticky kiss.

"Hey, now..." Alexandra blushed, flattered, before licking away the sugary residue from her paw, "...you helped make it too..."

Alex glanced over at the pie, and then at his son.

"Yeah... but you did most of the work."

The couple shared a smile, as Chris took a long gulp of milk, before moving to grab another piece of pie, but suddenly pausing.

"...Dad? You know how you said that if I learned my times tables up to twenty times twenty, you'd take me hunting?" the cub asked, looking up at his father hopefully.

"Well, yeah. Shouldn't be for a while, right?" the male asked, and Alexandra nodded, giving her inky black hair a shake, "your mother's only finished teaching you up to nine times twenty."

"I know... but, well, I've been practicing on my own... and I think I can do it. Can I just try?" Chris asked pleadingly.

"Well... alright, go ahead," shrugged Alex, and his mate rolled her eyes at him.

"Chris is smart..." Alexandra thought, "but this is a little much."

Alex then proceeded to listen as Chris rattled off his tables: nine times one through nine times twenty, then ten times one through ten times twenty, all the way through twenty times twenty.

"...Four hundred?" Chris said, realizing that he was finished.

Alex sat back in his seat for a long time, resting his hands behind his head. Alexandra took a thoughtful sip of milk, not meeting her son's eyes.

"Get a good night's sleep, kiddo," Alex said, glancing at his son, "because tomorrow, you're going hunti--"

The male was cut off as Chris pounced him, hugging him, squeaking thank-you-very-muches loudly into his chest. Alex protested at first, then accepted, then hugged his son, Alexandra watching from nearby, a smile on her face and in her heart.

"Hey... Chris... come on.... let your old man breathe, okay?" Alex said after a moment, and Chris relaxed his grip slightly, and began to affectionately rub his face against his father's chest.

"Come on... I'll put you to bed tonight, okay? What kind of story do you want to hear?"

The cub thought for a moment, then looked from his father, to his mother, back to his father again. A smile lit up his diminutive features...

"So..." Chris asked sleepily, as he involuntarily snuggled into his hand-knitted quilt, courtesy of the combined efforts of both of his parents, "...You gave up any chance you had at a normal life... because you loved Mom?"

"Yeah..." said Alex, tucking his boy in, receiving a nuzzle on the back of his hand for doing so.

"But Dad... why would you do that? I mean... you could have just let her watch from the sidelines... you could have a normal life, and have friends... Mom said she'd've been happy to watch you do that... it doesn't make sense..." the cub said, before yawning impossibly wide for a human child.

"Chris, love isn't like that... it doesn't always make sense. Take you, for instance," the human said, stroking his son's snout lovingly, "you're a fluffy little goofball that likes to pounce me and steal my knife."

The cub's ears flattened and he looked down guiltily, before his father guided his chin upwards so that their eyes met.

"But I love you anyway... a lot..." the human said, leaving his hand on his son's shoulder.

The cub then looked up, and smiled so, so contentedly that Alex was rooted to the spot, even after he was completely sure that his boy was peacefully sleeping.

Alex yawned once as he stepped out of his son's room, carefully closing it silently behind him.

"I think Alexandra's rubbing off on me... next thing you know, I'll be spending half the day sleeping..."

The human smiled slightly at the thought. His days were serene and safe... but sometimes got boring. The approaching vacation would be a welcome break from the norm.

"Let's see, where can we go... the Pacific Northwest... maybe California... Wyoming, Idaho, Montana... hmm. I guess we could, theoretically, go anywhere in the Americas," Alex thought, and pushed the door to the room he and his mate shared, "hey, Alexandra, where do you want to--"

The male's voice trailed off--the white tigress was nowhere in sight. He knew better than to think something had happened to her... he was being stalked, it was that simple.

Smiling playfully, Alex took the time to remove his knife, sheath, and belt, and placed it respectfully on a chest of drawers that he and his mate had made together. He carefully stepped into the room, and shut the door behind him, looking around for his woman's distinctive, reflective blue eyes...

Alex neither saw nor heard a thing. All he knew was that one minute, he was "innocently" sneaking into the room, and the next, he was face down on his bed, with a soft, light, but unmovable weight on his back. After a few playful bats to his head, he spoke, voice muffled by the bedclothes.

"All right, all right, I give up! I wouldn't last a second in the jungle."

There was a giggling sound, and slowly, as if reluctantly, the weight from the male's back lifted. Alex turned himself over, and gave his now ever-present smile to Alexandra. The tigress was as beautiful and attractive to him now as she had been the first time he saw her. She was kneeling on her knees, smiling down at her mate. The couple shared a brief kiss as Alex sat up, and held his female's face in his hands.

The tigress purred quietly as his fingers stroked through her exotic, white-with-black-stripes fur. Alex was totally silent as he enjoyed Alexandra's plush softness; he'd felt her many, many times before, but each time, he found that he enjoyed it just as much as he had the first time.

Alexandra's nose scrunched up involuntarily as her male kissed it, and she sighed, straddling him as he laid back down. His hands remained on her hips, even as she pulled off her shirt. She was left nude from the torso up save for a black lace bra that supported her nicely-curved breasts, but yet left few questions in Alex's mind as to how much he'd enjoy them tonight.

The tigress reached behind her back to undo her bra but paused when Alex said, "Wait."

Alexandra cocked her head, ears flattening just slightly... her male didn't want her?

"Wait. Can you hold me, Alexandra? Just for a few minutes. And then we'll do it..."

The tigress blushed at Alex's sweetness. She rubbed her paws over his toned, powerful chest, and then leaned down, nosing him, then cheek-rubbing him... he wanted her, but he also wanted to feel that great deal of closeness so powerful that it healed everything that was amiss in their world.

Alexandra wrapped her arms around him, and Alex returned the favor. And then, the tigress and the human let go of everything, everything except for each other. Slowly, they drifted off into a land where only they mattered, only they and what they created. So, in essence, together, they thought, together, of the practical paradise that they'd created for themselves. And as that hit them, both beings felt only warm, white light all around them, and saw only their respective mates, smiling, happy to be near them.

Alex was the first to speak.

"Sorry... I think that was for more than just a few minutes...."

Alexandra looked up and shook her head, her inky black hair flowing all over her male.

"No, no, it's okay Alex... I didn't mind, at all..." she said, and rested her head on his chest, purring quietly, quite content to feel his arms wrapped around the center of her back.

The couple rested like that for a few moments... then the tigress felt her mate toy with the strap of her bra. Smirking, she sat up, resting herself just below the human's crotch.

"What's on your mind, Alex? Anything... dirty?" she asked in a low, husky voice adorned with purrs.

Alex smirked right back, and stroked the female's sides sensuously, feeling her bristle with excitement as he did. He then reached up and rubbed at her neck, then caught the scruff of it, holding her for just a minute so that she felt a jolt of feral submission for just a second.

"Maybe..." he said, letting the female's fur go, "right now, I want to see you, Alexandra... all of you..."

The tigress shivered from the build-up, and blushed slightly, looking down as she reached to her back with both paws, unstrapping her bra. She held it up for a moment, then released it.

Alex's eyes were wide, that was clearly visible even in the dim lighting of the room. He reached up and gently cupped the tigress's breasts in his very human hands, causing her to give a quiet, quick moan.

"Sensitive..." the male mentioned quietly, as he began to jiggle his mate's chest in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over the soft nubs that were Alexandra's nipples.

The tigress let Alex have his fun for another few minutes, purring, then slowly leaned in, kissing him lustily; wrestling his tongue with hers more than anything else, albeit slowly; her breasts still held in his hands. Then, she kissed him lower, lower, lower, and lower still, and kissed at the male's pants, even as she undid their buckle.

Ten seconds later, Alex's member was in his mate's paw, being stroked gently. The male breathed in and out sporadically, pleasured greatly by Alexandra's soft, plush-furred paw, and gasped as she suddenly and without warning deepthroated him; slamming her snout against his groin as she took the entirety of his throbbing cock into her warm, wet maw. There was no foreplay, no warning, and no-holds-barred as far as what Alexandra did to give her mate the most pleasure that she possibly could.

She was well prepared for the spurt of pre-cum that trickled out of Alex's member, and swallowed it, then slid back, allowing his fully hard, fully prepared member to slide out of her maw.

"Mm... didja like that...? I know I did..." the tigress whispered, then began kissing the human from his groin upwards, making her way back to his face.

Alexandra rested on him, letting her nicely-rounded breasts press up against his chest. Alex couldn't help but stare between his mate's face and chest, which made the female laugh slightly, blushing.

"Ah, I mean, uh, yeah, I--I did... thanks," Alex said, as if suddenly remembering that he'd been asked a question.

The male gave a sardonic look at the tigress as she laughed again, then leaned down to kiss her on the nose. Alexandra purred at that, and sat up, manipulating her hair so that it flowed down her back. Alex's member sprang up from where it was, rubbing against her underbelly, making her white fur sticky.

"...You're gonna be on top tonight?" he asked, watching as Alexandra began to take off her pants.

"Yup," the tigress said with a smile, sitting up on her knees as she pulled down her pants.

Alexandra then leaned back, resting on her back, lifting her legs into the air as she pulled her final garment up, and off, then tossed it to the side. The tigress was fully nude now, and when Alex looked at her next, he'd pulled off his shirt. She helped him take off his pants and boxers, and then the male was laying down, member in his hand to keep it hard, with his mate kneeling next to him.

The tigress gave her hair a toss, then leaned over, placing her maw around the male's cock, not touching it. Then, as lightly as possible, she touched her tongue to the underside of its head, making Alex stifle a soft, anticipatory gasp. Alexandra looked up at him naughtily, gave a deep purr... then tossed her hair again before sitting up. Alex groaned in disappointment, if for only a second. Because then his mate slid one leg over his, placing her paws to his sides. Alex watched with wide eyes, reaching out to sensuously, lightly stroke Alexandra's sides with his finger tips.

Then, warm wetness engulfed him... sort of. Don't play with me, you know what I mean, that's why you're on Yiffstar.

Anyway, warm wetness engulfed Alex... or rather, part of him. Alexandra gave a soft "ooh" of lustful pleasure, throwing her head back as she got used to the almost overfilling sensation of their lovemaking. Alex groaned quietly, rubbing at the female's sides, hips, then lower back, as he locked his hands behind her. Then, Alexandra began to scoot up and down slightly. There wasn't much penetration like this, but it was immensely pleasuring for all parties involved.

The bed didn't squeak or squeal with the tigress's motions; it had been made too sturdily for that. Alexandra purred loudly, licking her lips, her closed eyes opening once as she looked down at Alex's toned, athletic frame, then locked her ice blue eyes with his dark brown orbs.

Alex smiled once, and raised his hands slightly, pulling the female down to lay down on top of him. Still she slid up and down across him gently, and hugged his hard, muscled, arousing form to his. Alex did the same, hugging her soft, plush, sexy form to his. Then, he held her still, and began to gently, but rapidly and shallowly thrust in and out of her, making their respective pleasure levels spike. Alex grunted, Alexandra moaned quietly... then he slowed down.

"You're on top tonight... you're on top... you said it," Alex breathed, kissing, then nibbling and nipping at Alexandra's ears, his breath coming out in short gasps, "you're on top..."

The tigress gave a murring sound of dissent in her throat, but sat back up. She took her paws off the bed, and, blushing, placed them at the back of her head, in her hair. Then, she slowly began to ride Alex. The tigress closed her eyes, licking her lips slightly, and let out quiet sighs of pleasure. Alex reached out to place his fingertips on the female's upper legs, and just watched. Alexandra's breasts were jostled slightly as she bounced up and down on him. The room grew darker, but the tigress's white fur stood out, making her look almost like she was shining.

Alex groaned quietly a few moments later, and Alexandra relaxed her pace, and stopped all up and down motion. She purred deeply, leaned over, placing her paws on Alex's chest, and wriggled her hips. Alex's member found new, untested depths in his mate as she did that strange, erotic dance. Alexandra moaned, her hair flowing down her soft, smooth back, and then paused, panting for a moment.

She then leaned forward, resting on top of her mate with her legs apart. Alex kissed Alexandra's neck, causing her to purr, eyes closed in pleasure, as she gently moved back and forth, rubbing her body against his. Alex's hands stroked the tigress's sides, her hips, then her rump, kneading and rubbing it. After a few moments, Alexandra sat back up, and placed her paws on the human's toned, defined abs. Blushing slightly, she arched her back, and deliberately began to thrust up and down on her mate as quickly as possible. Alex grunted, trying not to end his pleasure too soon, and reached up to cup his Alexandra's breasts in his hands.

Soon enough, both the male and the female were moaning in pleasure, and the former had quite unintentionally began to thrust upwards against Alexandra's quick, shallow motions.

"Ahh... Al--Alex!" the tigress moaned, "mmm... ooh... you're gonna..."

Alex let out a series of quick, rhythmic grunts in reply. Both knew what was coming.

And a few moments later, it did.

The male's member pulsated and throbbed, then sprayed long, thick ropes of hot, gooey cum into the tigress. Alexandra groaned, and rode her mate a little faster, and little harder, then held herself up in the air, moaning, purring, swiveling her hips slightly, so that Alex's member rubbed her clitoris just right. Then, she too came, milking the male for every drop of his strong, creamy cum. Alex felt his mate clench herself around him, and groaned, as Alexandra pressed back down, purring, taking him in to the base of his thick member.

Finally, however, both were done, and Alex held his arms open, so that the tigress could slump over into them. Hard, athletic, toned chest rose and fell along with soft, furred, feminine chest. Breaths mingled, and two hearts pulsed as one. Alex stroked Alexandra's soft, plush back for a moment, making her purr slightly, then reached down, his fingers interlocking with hers.

"Alexandra..." the human said after a moment, still breathing hard, causing the tigress to look up, her ice blue eyes meeting his, "I love you," he said, kissing her cold, wet nose.

Even now, whenever he said that, tingles traveled up and down her back, and she blushed, purring.

"Alex... I love you too," she said, nuzzling the human under the chin with incredible tenderness.

The blankets rose up and over the pair, caressing them slightly. Alex smiled, exhausted, falling asleep, and stroked the female's back one last time.

"I'm so lucky that I'm your guardian..."

"I'm so lucky that you're my guardian..."

Morning.

Of course, inside the cabin, one wouldn't know it. The blinds were thick to prevent the harsh, white landscape from sending unyielding, sleep-destroying rays of light beyond them.

Still, Chris knew it was morning. The cub had curled up and was sleeping on his bed sideways, snoring and purring slightly, on his back, under the blankets. His ear, then foot, twitched slightly, and he yawned, waking up.

He sat up, rubbing sleepiness from his eyes with a smallish hand, and yawned. His short, sharp white fangs glimmered as he slumped back over, one arm trailing lazily off the bed as he rested for another few moments.

Then, it really was time to get up.

The cub stepped out of the bed, instantly chilled. He stripped out of his flannel pajamas--hand-made by his mother--and hurried to dress in a pair of comfortable jeans, and a simple polo shirt, tucked in, of course.

Then, he padded, quietly, into his bathroom, and stood up on his tippy toes to see over its simple edge, and looked at himself in the mirror. The young tiger-boy sighed though his nose, and turned the faucet on, full blast.

Without thinking, he placed his dexterous paws under the stream of water, and squeaked in pain, withdrawing them, then holding them, fingers outstretched, in front of his maw, blowing onto them to try to cool them down.

"H--hot!" he eeped, and cautiously reached out, turning the water's temperature down some, then tested it before wetting his paws again.

After that, the six-year-old (or, six year, three months, and three days old, if you're Alexandra) washed his face, making sure to lather up his ruff, which he had a bad habit, that was beginning to wear down, of forgetting to clean.

Chris pulled out his toothbrush, one of the very few items that he possessed that neither parent had really hand-crafted for him. Still, he was glad for it--the family had tried to use branches and naturally-found substances to clean their teeth--it hadn't gone well.

The cub squeezed a line of paste onto his brush, and bared his short, triangular teeth at himself. He then watched as he carefully brushed--up and down, side to side, then in circles--over all of his teeth. After that, he stuck his scratchy tongue out, and brush that, too.

Chris cupped his hands under the faucet, filled them with some water, then rinsed out his mouth, and spat a mixture of water and foam into the sink. Then, after running his wet paws through his headfur, so that it stuck up on end just like he (and, secretly, his father) liked it, just like his mother didn't, he was ready to begin the day.

The cub loped happily out of his room, and paused, raising a smallish, fisted paw to the door of his parents' room, to knock. But, after his sensitive, velvety ears heard them beginning to wake--opening their day with a few gentle kisses and I-love-yous--inspiration struck, and he got a better idea.

"Alexandra... we're out of deodorant again, do you think--"

That's all it took. Just like that, a fresh stick of deodorant materialized out of the air in front of Alex. He struggled to reach it, fumbling, needing to release the hand that held up the towel that wrapped around his waist. It was of no use, though, because in the end, Alex dropped the deodorant, the towel, and groaned, bending down to pick them up.

The tigress, however, was dressed in a pair of boyshorts and bra--both black--and innocently brushing her hair, giggling so quietly that it was only now, after years spent outside the roar of the city that Alex could hear it.

"Alexandra... you're a goofball," he complained, but, after hearing her giggle louder, rolled his eyes, applied the deodorant, and pulled on a pair of boxers, then an undershirt.

"So... I'm taking Chris hunting today," Alex remarked, getting an "mhmmmmm...." in response as he pulled on a thick pair of pants--nylon, waterproof, insulated; again, one of the few things that the family truly needed.

Suddenly, however, Alex paused, and, after a second or so, pulled the rest of the zip up, then buttoned the pants up.

"...You really think he's up to it? I mean... he's just a cub--kid. Just six. Can he really kill?"

The tigress paused at that, and set down her brush. She padded over to her mate delicately, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Alex... you're so gentle," she said, resting her head on his chest.

A moment later, Alexandra looked up, tapping her pink nose against his.

"It's okay, though... he's got tiger blood in his veins. And human blood, too. I know... there's nothing glamorous about killing, even if it is to feed your family. But... honey, that's how the world works... take it or leave it," the tigress said, unable to keep a tone of sadness, resignment, out of her voice.

"Mm... I guess," Alex said, kissing her nose, making her snout scrunch up, "the world's like me... imperfect. But... you still like me, right Alexandra?" he said timidly--they'd been mated for years, now, but never for a second had either of them, especially not Alex, as he knew what life for him might be like without her, taken the other for granted--not even for a second.

And, every time her male showed her that he wanted to keep earning her every day of his life, Alexandra's heart melted.

"I love you, Alex.. and I love what we have, even if it is on this... imperfect world of ours... take it or leave it, right? Well..." the tigress said, kissing her mate, "I'm yours, and you're mine... I'm taking it."

Coffee...

Disgusting.

It had no place in the house of Alex and Alexandra.

Tea, on the other hand, a relatively palpable, healthy, and tasty beverage, did. That's how the entire household, save, until recently, for Chris, had began their day for the past few years. With a cup of hot, slightly sweetened tea, usually green or herbal.

Alex was still somewhat groggy, and, therefore, yawned, leaving his white parka unbuttoned and unzipped as he headed into the kitchen. Looking up, sleepily, he opened a hand-made cabinet, reaching for where the box of teabags was kept.

A second before that, he'd sworn that he'd heard a quiet, muffled giggle.

But the second after, the grown man let out a yelp of shock as something small, pesky, and furred, jumped out of the closet, grabbing him and knocking him to the ground.

"Mawr!" Chris said, playfully nipping at his father's head.

By now, Alexandra had come dashing up in panic, but laughed out loud at the way Alex laid there, looking utterly forlorn for being taken down by his own young son, before striding away, giggling to herself.

"You know," he said huskily, getting to his feet after Chris reluctantly let him, after he grabbed the cub's neck scruff, "in Mesopotamia, if a son pounced his father, he'd get his hand cut off. Maybe I wouldn't last a second in the jungle, but you wouldn't last a second in the ancient.... or, heh, present, Middle East," the human said, ruffling his boy's spiked hair roughly.

Chris smiled up at his father, and nuzzled the man's thigh, removing any lingering sense of anger Alex might have felt just like that.

"Daddy, you look so tough and cool in your parka. I'm so lucky to be able to hunt with you today!" the cub purred, before jumping up onto a counter, "here... I made us tea."

Chris held out a mug filled with the steaming, semi-transparent liquid. Alex smelled that he'd added just the right amount of sugar and milk, and smiled at his son.

"Most six-year-olds are still learning to tie their shoes, kid. You're some kind of smart," the human said, and waited for his son to get his own cup of tea in paw before taking a sip.

Chris purred slightly, his legs and sparsely furred tail hanging off the counter, and set the cup down--he'd drank it straight down, just like always, and, just like always, Alex sighed, shaking his head... tea was meant to be relished...

A moment later, Alexandra walked back in, shaking out her long, silky hair... neither Chris nor Alex understood why she brushed it so much, it was perfectly sleek and shiny no matter what she did with it.

Alex smiled, and greeted his wife with a kiss to the nose, and a rub on her smooth, shiny, plush-striped forearm. Chris hopped off of the counter and into his mother's arms, saying good morning to her with a cheek-rub.

"Mmr, good morning to you too, mister," the tigress purred, before she set her son down--she then sighed, held him in place, and, licking her paw, tried to flatten Chris's spiked hair.

The cub murred in protest, but that earned him no respite. When Alexandra finally stopped her combing, Chris squirmed and escaped her grasp, hiding next to his father, eying the tigress suspiciously, as, strand by strand, his hair began to stand up again...

The tigress sighed, shaking her head, and gave up. Then, she began to sip at her own tea, handed to her by Alex, even as she glowered at her son, as if to tell him to watch his furry rump, because some day soon, she'd flatten his hair properly, and permanently...

"Oh..." the tigress said suddenly, "I guess Chris needs a parka. C'mere--" she said, making a grab for the cub.

But Chris only eeped and hid behind his father further. Alex sighed, and coaxed his boy out from his hiding place. As if reluctantly, the kid padded over to his mother as the condemned might to the executioner.

Alexandra felt a flash of jealousy... Chris and Alex had such a great relationship, they never disagreed or argued and Chris never resisted his father.

"Maybe it's a father-son thing. Maybe it's time to make a daughter..." the tigress thought with a smile, as she bent down to pick up Chris.

"Or, maybe, I get a little too serious sometimes..."

The cub practically melted in her embrace, the same way Alex always did, and Alexandra purred more audibly than Chris did, as she started to feel that familiar, blissful emotion come over her and her child...

"Wow, Chris... you look spiffy..."

That awoke the mother and son. And yet, the drew apart slowly, and only after several cheek rubs. Alexandra set the cub down, and gave his head, then snout, a gentle stroke. Only after that did she look at his clothing.

Indeed, he looked spiffy.

He was dressed much like his father--in a white parka, a pair of gray, black and white pants that camouflaged themselves amongst the terrain. Being that he only went outside for up to half an hour at a time, Chris only ever wore a hoody or jacket--being furred and born into the frigid Canadian north, he was used to the cold.

"Wow...!" the cub said, holding up his breathable, waterproof gloves, tapping their gripping tips against his face, "this is awesome! Thanks, Mommy!" Chris said, and jumped up, high up, to suddenly, tightly hug Alexandra in his strong, minuscule embrace.

Alexandra smiled, purring slightly, and gave her son's cheek a lick, before setting him down. Alex smiled, first at his mate, then at his boy.

"Okay, so--"

"So it's time to go! I don't want to waste any time!" Chris said, scampering off towards the door.

Alex realized, a second later, that the cub had pinched his knife--now held at his leg in a thigh-drop sheath--and moved quickly, grabbing Chris by the scruff of his neck a millisecond before he threw the door open.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there," the man laughed, before he released Chris, who'd yelped and almost done a backflip, "we have to eat breakfast, do planning... you can't just run outside and hope to find a something to eat..."

"...Oh. Yeah... that... makes sense," Chris said slowly.

Alex made another grab for his boy as he scampered off again, but there was no need to--he sprinted into the kitchen, and began to open up this cabinet and that drawer, to make breakfast for his parents.

Alexandra grinned once, as Chris squealed something about not wanting to waste time, and stood up on her tippy toes to kiss her mate. Alex smiled, and wrapped an arm around the tigress.

"Ah, Chris..." the female purred, "he's just like you were, at his age..."

4AM is early no matter how old you are.

But, if you're a child of seven, it's really, really early.

Still, the young Alex Kralik was a determined, motivated child. He was tall for his age, and skinny. Despite being almost entirely Czech, he was tanned, slightly, just enough to cast a sandy-colored hue on his smooth, young skin. His hair was black and thick, as always, and his eyes were a lighter brown than the near-black shade they'd become later in his life.

Now, however, what he looked like was the last thing on his mind. Flour dusted his arms, he knew it, and he wore a smock with stains all over it. But, in the end, it was worth it.

Tired, exhausted, the young Alex rubbed his forehead, smearing it with dust, and stepped back. He grinned, slightly, at his work. In front of him was food--a lot of it. Scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and then, cookies, brownies, and a hand-crafted pecan pie... his favorite. All of it was untouched, all of it was hot and fresh...

Alex's thoughts were shaken back into secularity as two pairs of feet clomped down from upstairs. As quickly as he could, he pulled away his smock, then washed his face and hands in the sink. A few giggles, a few words of playful, teasing domination were heard... and then, there were his parents, standing in front of him.

His "father", a tall, blond-haired, pale male that towered over his son, being about six foot eight, looked around at the food, as if wondering what magic had made it appear there. His mother, a brunette of five foot six with olive-shaded skin, being slightly Italian, cupped a finely manicured hand over her mouth.

"Good morning, Dad... good morning, Mom..." Alex said, smiling, lips quavering, slightly, nervously, "h--happy anniversary..."

Pin-drop silence.

Alex's father reached out, taking a bit of bacon into his fingers, and tossed it into his mouth, chewing. His son looked, all at once, hopeful, fearful, and resigned to never receiving a word of praise in his life.

After a moment, the man swallowed, shrugged, and gave a noncommittal grunt as he wiped his fingers--on Alex's shirt--and headed into the living room to watch TV.

The boy watched, stunned--he'd expected, well, certainly not a kind word, but at least some form of recognition, or something... His mother, smilingly, shrugged, and followed her husband to the couch. Alex closed his eyes tightly, clenching his teeth, as the old, familiar conversation took place... "you're so lucky to have a man like me--a man that'll take you and your little bastard in" followed by sounds of kissing, giggling, and some silly, overplayed word of acknowledgment.

Hot, wet tears began to stream down Alex's face, even as he walked, noiselessly, upstairs, his feet making no sound as they glanced off the soft carpet of the staircase. His younger siblings--a half-brother and half-sister, five and four respectively, pushed past him on their way to their parents, and, especially, their cartoons.

When Alex reached the top of the stairs, he heard twin squeals of surprise, followed by laughter and giggling. Apparently, the two youngest members of his family had found his little gift to his parents.

"At least someone's gonna enjoy it."

It had been a long day already, and Alex was tired--the pain he felt was more or less gone, ebbing away; but, to be fair, would take its own good time to leave; until then, it would leave a haze of sorrow and regret in the child's mind and spirit.

The young Alex walked into his room--the smallest in the house--and plopped down on his bed, bouncing slightly, springs squealing in protest against bearing his weight. Cheeks coated with a wet sheen, he curled up into a tight ball, noiselessly--it was pointless to cry or speak; no one was listening.

Essentially, he waited for sleep with great anticipation. At least that dark embrace, which, he mused, wouldn't be so bad to never wake up from, was a intermission from otherwise constant pain.

When sleep finally did come, Alex welcomed it. It came with a familiar sensation, one that he'd known all his life--the sensation of two soft, furred limbs wrapping around him, holding him close, and a soft, gentle, cooing voice telling him that at least one person cared...

Alexandra looked up at Alex sadly, as he spent a moment remembering the bitterness that was his childhood. That distant, sad look came into his eyes less and less these days, and, the tigress thought hopefully, soon enough, it would be gone forever.

But, soon enough, Alex's deep brown eyes light up again, and his mate stroked his back slightly, resting her head against his chest. She allowed herself to relax, slightly, casting a slight, warm glow around the pair. Her tail lashed around, slightly, poking its way out of her tight, youthful jeans. The white tigress's black-striped fur, now, mostly hidden due to the dark green hoody she wore shimmered until she felt her mate return to her entirely.

Alex sighed, and kissed the top of Alexandra's head.

"Sorry... I don't mean for it to happen. Life was hard... it may take me some time yet to forget about my family--my old family, entirely..."

The female looked up, her blue eyes easing into Alex's. She smiled, and stood up on her tippy toes again, blushing.

"Alex... Chris is gonna take a few minutes to cook breakfast... if you want, I think I can help you forget a little quicker..."

"How's she going to do that? Maybe by giving me a book? I used to love Star Wars, maybe she'll bring me one of those. Can she really do that? I think she can... for Chris's fifth birthday, she meditated for two hours to get him the first Harry Potter book. I bet she will get me a Star Wars book... Alexandra, I love you..."

Poor, deluded Alex.

He had been told, by Alexandra, to "hang out" on their bed. She'd closed the door, and playfully used her soft paw to nudge him down onto it. The way her tail lashed around, and, at one point, brushed over his thigh should have meant something to him. But it was morning, and Alex's mind was on the upcoming hunt--not in the gutter.

And so, there he was, innocently lying down on the bed. Unknown to him, his feline mate's habits really were starting to rub off on him. He was on his side, elbow against the mattress to prop his head up, as he looked towards the bathroom. But, after a moment, he blinked.

"Hold on... it can't be a book. It took her two hours to get Chris his book, and Chris will be done making breakfast soon; just what is she going to...!!!"

Alex's thoughts were rudely interrupted. But you can't blame him--after all, the sight of his curvy, attractive mate would distract any male on the planet.

She was standing there, nonchalant, save for the slight pink hue on her cheeks. In her left paw, she carried a bottle that Alex quickly recognized as baby oil. Her right paw was on her hip, and her long, luxurious hair was done into a ponytail that cascaded down her back.

Oh, and she was nude, except for a G-string microkini so skimpy that it only barely covered the tigress's slit, and the little bit of black fur there that, sometimes, after a coupling session that lasted for hours, an exhausted Alex referred to as his little landing strip.

Despite her embarrassment, Alexandra had to smile. Alex was a powerful, strong man; it took a lot to unsettle him. Back before they had Chris, they used to go for walks that lasted for hours almost everyday. More than once, they'd met bears, sometimes so close that even Alex's pathetic sense of smell could detect their rank odor. But never once had Alex really jumped out of his skin--Alexandra's fur had bristled, and instinctively, she'd hissed and sometimes roared--she was so in love with Alex that sometimes, she forgot to pay attention to their surroundings.

Speaking of jumping out of one's skin--that was the perfect expression for Alex's reaction.

He looked as if someone had plugged him into a car battery and turned it on. His eyes were wide and he sat bolt upright so fast that even his mate, an apex predator, could hardly see it. His cheeks, still tan despite years of living in one of the most frigid environments on Earth, were reddish, but, Alexandra noted with a measure of pride, even from where she stood, several feet away, she could see the unmistakable bulge in Alex's pants.

Smirking to herself slightly, Alexandra padded over to Alex, and lied down on the bed, belly down, paws clasped to hold her chin up. Her ringed, cuffed tail swiveled around, betraying her great excitement.

"Hey, Alex... what's up?" the blue-eyed feline purred; on her final word, she reached out, gently rubbing over her mate's obvious albeit clothed erection.

"A--Alexandra... what are you doing...? It's morning..."

Alex shut up quickly, however. That's because the female stopped rubbing at his bulge, and instead, turned over, sitting down on the bed. She let the male take a long look over her, her soft thighs, her slim waist, and her large, gloriously bare, breasts, before she squeezed some oil into her paw.

The human licked his lips slight, without knowing it, as Alexandra oiled herself up. She let out several soft moans as her slick, slippery paws eased the oil into her fur, highlighting her already considerable curves. At one point, she flipped over again, leaning over to almost press her large but tight rump into Alex's face. She reached back, turning around to peek at Alex, still blushing, and squeezed some oil onto her rump. However, she stopped short of rubbing it into her fur... and after briefly looking down, biting her lip, she looked back at her mate, locking her eyes with his, and gave him an encouraging nod.

Alex was still for a second. Then, he reached out, and gently placed his hands on his mate's butt. Oil glided through his fingers, effectively reducing the coefficient of kinetic friction between his skin and the tigress's fur--I mean, allowed him to gently rub his Alexandra's ass, moisturizing it, making its curves all that more visible, all the more attractive...

All that more smackable...

Alex swallowed, his throat dry, as he came to that thought. Surely, Alexandra wouldn't like that--and, of course, neither would Alex, of course, they were in an equal-footing mateship, of course, so, of course, ignoring Alexandra's occasional tendency for Alex to be dominant in the bedroom, she wouldn't want him to give her rump a smack... of course...

As if she read his thoughts, however, the blue-eyed tigress reached back with one arm--she'd been using both to support herself--and gave her own rump a gentle smack, making it jiggle, its oiled curves shining in the light of the room.

Alex felt his breath catch in his chest. He ran his hands in circles over Alexandra's rump for a moment, then placed them just below the string of her only undergarment, centering them on her rumpcheeks. He kneaded his mate's soft ass for a moment, loving her happy, somewhat lusty purrs, and then went a step further, doing what she'd given him unspoken permission to. He brought one hand back several centimeters, then gently clapped it down on Alexandra's rump; not nearly enough to sting or pain, but enough to make the tigress let out an eep, then giggle of happy surprise. Alex let out a somewhat nervous, strained chuckle, and spent another few seconds rubbing the female's well-oiled rump.

"Ahm... I'm.... not saying I don't enjoy this, Alexandra... but Chris will finish making breakfast soon, and... I kind of need attention too..." Alex said meekly.

The tigress grinned... but blushed heavily. What she was going to do... it really would flirt with the line between slutty and kinky. But this was Alex, her mate of eight years. She could trust him to know that she was in the mood for him to be dominant here and now, in the bedroom, and nowhere else.

And so, she removed her paws from underneath her, resting her shoulders and face on the bed, managing to turn back to face Alex, rump sticking up in the air. Blushing, she smiled at Alex, then took her rump into her paws, spreading her buttocks to reveal the string of cloth that "covered" her slit.

Alex froze for a moment... his mate had her share of kinks, but this was a bit new, a bit different, a bit more... exciting. He began to unbuckle, then unzip his pants, as he listened to his mate's next commands.

"Alex... I'm feeling a little naughty. Would you mind if... if I asked you to... well, if I asked you to slap your... you know... against me...?" the tigress said, her voice containing both embarrassment... and lusty need.

"That's degrading..." the human said, but Alexandra shook her head.

"No, it's not, Alex... it's okay. I want it, and I want you to do it because I want just how great of a man you are to hit me after we're done, and you hug and kiss me with all your might, and tell me that you love me... ...you can do that, right...? I mean, after slapping your cock against me..." the tigress said, blushing, as she moved her string garment aside, hearing her man's pants hit the floor.

The male positioned himself behind Alexandra, still wearing his tough parka. He looked at the tigress, and smiled, trying to hide his nervousness; they'd never done anything like this before.

"Of course I can, Alexandra... I love you..."

He slid his pants down completely, baring his thick member. Alex looked down, taking his cock into his hand, knowing that he was so ready for this, and, as his mate had requested, slapped it against her bared, oiled rump a few times.

It made absolutely no sense to him that Alexandra moaned quietly, while purring. This was the most bizarre sexual act he'd ever done, and the author was bewildered as to why he'd written it into the second installment of his most popular anthro story.

But, to be fair, it did give Alex a sense of domination, of control. And it gave Alexandra a sense of submission, of being controlled. And so, both participants quickly grew to enjoy Alex's gentle cockslapping. But, soon enough, Alex felt hungry for more.

So, he placed his member in between his mate's rumpcheeks. Alexandra continued to purr, and Alex placed his hands on his mate's tight, but ample ass. Squeezing just a little bit tighter than he normally would, keeping a good grip on it despite its slickness, Alex pressed the exotically-furred tigress's rump around his member, and thrusted back and forth, slightly, so that the tip of his member poked in and out of sight from in between Alexandra's butt.

The tigress purred loudly, turning around to look up at Alex... then decided it was time to finish things. Her mate caught her eye, and reluctantly pulled away. Shortly, however, his slight disappointment was replaced by complete, mind-racking pleasure.

Oral, it appeared, was Alex's biggest kink by far. And his mate was giving him a blowjob he wouldn't soon forget. The tigress had turned around, laid down on the bed, and wasted no time in taking that fat cock of her man's into her maw. Using her tongue to lap at his head, wrapping her lips around Alex's member about halfway down, she used her paw to quickly stroke him.

But, the female reflected, the most important part of giving a blowjob to her Alex was to make eye contact with him. By now, Alex was moaning loudly in pleasure, knowing that Alexandra had temporarily rendered their room soundproof. His hands were on his hips, and he twitched and spasmed, slightly, then looked down, into the female's icy blue eyes--

That threw him over the edge. Alexandra felt her male's thick member thor in her paw, and sucked hard, stroking at just that frequency. Several milky ropes of Alex's hot cum shot out, and the tigress had to concentrate on filling her cheeks with his thick seed.

After a few seconds, the panting Alex stopped cumming, and the tigress backed away slowly. Still laying down, she arched her back, smiling slightly as she watched his chest heave. Alexandra opened up her mouth, and stuck out her tongue, cupping her mate's sugary gift in it. Then, she threw her head back, withdrew her tongue, and swallowed.

Alex watched as the tigress's Adam's apple bobbed, and reached out, placing a paw on her head, stroking and petting her fur and hair. The tigress purred, and slunk up, off the bed, and wrapped her arms around the male's torso. As he reciprocated the hug, she rubbed her plush cheek against his chest, and giggled once, then reached down to pull up Alex's boxers, then pants, buckling and zipping them up for him.

"Oh, God, Alexandra... I'm so getting you back for this later..." the male said, still breathing hard, as he looked down at his mate.

The tigress slid on up Alex's legs, and the couple shared a kiss and embrace. Alex stroked his female's soft, furred back, and felt slickness... she was still oiled. He grinned, slightly, and was about to make some sort of wisecrack when a tap-tap-tapping was heard at their door.

"Mom! Dad! Breakfast's ready, and it's nice and hot, c'mon!" Chris's muffled voice said.

There was a pause as Alexandra hurried to dress, then a scraping sound as her son pawed at the door.

"Come on... I'm hungry! What are you guys doing in there?" the cub asked.

"Ah, heheh, nothing, I was just, ahm, that is to say, uhm, heh, I was just, you know, checking, the, uh, walls... you know, for... for cracks and stuff! Can't be too careful, that wind'll get you every time," Alex said, nodding confidently at the end, as he tried to delay his son.

The now fully-dressed Alexandra had to giggle, and adjusted her hoody again, pulling her belt tight, then buckling it into place. The tigress winked, and suddenly the door came open, in a manner reminiscent of the little fall she'd taken on the first day of her mateship with Alex.

With an eep of surprise at the sudden lack of resistance, Chris fell, but, unlike his mother, didn't land on all fours, or even on his face. With surprising agility, the kid merely tucked his head in and rolled, then scrambled up to climb his way up his father.

"Felines... you're too... your energy level is like the mindset of someone who's passive aggressive," Alex said, carrying his son into the living room of the house, followed by Alexandra, "there are two levels, off and ultra-high. Either you're sleeping or it's like you've been injected with rocket fuel. How is a poor, mundane little human supposed to keep up?"

Chris was silent, and Alex wondered if he'd upset his son. The father's brow furrowed, and he tried to catch his boy's eye.

"Oh, sorry, Dad... I was sleeping..." Chris said, trying to muffle a giggle with his hand.

Alex laughed once, and set the kid down, ruffling his spiked hair.

"You know, Chris... you're all right... you're all right..." Alex said, as Alexandra took his side, grinning, twitching once; barely stopping herself from trying to flatten her son's defiant hair.

"Wow, Chris... nice job today..." the tigress said.

Chris had been cooking breakfast for the small family for about three months now. One day, he'd simply woken up too early, and, out of boredom, made a few slices of toast, a piece of ham, then curled up with that, a glass of milk, a peach, and a book on the couch.

Of course, his parents had scolded him, saying that he could have burned himself... but the kid had just smiled up at them, rolling his eyes slightly--he could handle a rifle and a knife, and he'd been watching his parents cook since the day he was born. Of course he wouldn't burn himself.

By now, however, the kid's skills in the kitchen had really improved. He'd made three omelets with cheese and salsa, plus orange juice and toast with jam, all cooked and served to perfection. Alexandra stroked her son's snout as she passed, making Chris give his quiet purr. Then, the family sat down, and began to eat.

Alex had pulled out a map of the terrain surrounding the cabin, and set it down on the table, analyzing it carefully. Alexandra and Chris noticed his need for relative silence, and so, out of respect, the tigress spoke to her son quietly, and ushered him into her lap. She pulled a sketchbook and a 4B graphite pencil, and began to teach the cub how she drew mountain landscapes.

Suddenly, Alex looked up, realizing that things had suddenly gotten quiet.

"Aw, you guys... you spoil me. But thanks," he said, leaning over to kiss his mate, and ruffle their son's headfur, "...man, I wish I could draw that well..."

Alexandra's two-minute sketch was a beautiful representation of the terrain to the west of their house. The dresser that she shared with her mate was filled with better, more completed drawings, but this one was still rather good--all she needed to do was use a kneaded eraser to add in clouds and snow, if she wanted.

The white tigress grinned slightly, explaining, "You don't have to, Alex. I do it for you, because that's my job... to give you whatever you need."

Alex smiled as he kissed Alexandra's cheek, then spoke to the family at large.

"Well... I was thinking that we could do this little hunting trip in a few stages... and couple it with our vacation. First stage, today, I teach Chris how to stalk and find prey. Second stage, starting whenever Chris is ready for it, we pack everything up, and prepare to live on the move. Third stage, we head south, and go wherever our feet take us. The third stage could come as quickly as next week, or as eventually as next year. I know it's a big plan... but I really think this family's ready for it. What do you guys say?" Alex said, glancing at Chris, before resting his deep brown eyes on his mate's icy blue orbs.

The tigress rested her furred chin on her fist, and bit her lip for a moment, thinking. Her snowy, black-striped fur bristled slightly as she considered the sudden, life-altering suggestion.

"Well... well, I do like the idea, Alex, I really do. But I think it would be a little, you know, rash to commit to the plan so suddenly. So how about this... you go out today with furball here," the tigress said, nosing the back of her son's head, "and I'll really look into the idea of heading south... you know, maps, and survival concerns, stuff like that."

Alex nodded a few times.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Less hare-brained that my idea, anyway," he grinned, "...sure you're not gonna get... you know, bored or lonely here? Because Chris and me are probably gonna be out the whole day."

Alexandra tapped at her boy, so that the cub slid off her lap, and began to take his dishes to the sink.

"So thoughtful, Alex..." she purred, leaning forward to kiss her mate, and have her chin rubbed by his fingers, "but it's okay. You two go ahead and take your time. If I do get bored... heh, well, all I'll say is that you'll have to watch your backs... and remember that it's a jungle out there..." the tigress grinned, baring her teeth slightly, winking at her Alex.

Alex's eyes narrowed suspiciously. His wife was up to something, he was certain of it. What it was, however... that he'd have to wait and find out.

"Oh yeah... can I have a rifle? Since I'm with Chris and everything. Don't want to take any chances..."

The tigress nodded once, and closed her eyes, purring, subconsciously, as Alex rubbed at her soft ruff, mussing it up slightly. When Alexandra opened her eyes, she rolled her eyes at Alex, and used her fist to flatten her fur, then nodded at a large, black case near the door.

"There's your gun, and one for Chris too... puny human," she giggled, trying to growl playfully.

Alex stood, and ran a hand through Alexandra's hair, as he took both of their dishes to the sink, rinsing them slightly.

"I may be a puny human... but I am a puny human lucky enough to be mated to a powerful, beautiful, and loving tigress. So I'm okay with being a puny human... as long as I have my Alexandra," he said, glancing over his shoulder, smiling, making the female's heart melt...

The rifle, it turned out, was a Remington 700, chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. It was plenty enough to drop a bear at any reasonable range, and Alex was a quick and accurate shot. It had a nice, powerful Leupold Mark IV scope, plus a sling that allowed for the man to carry it, African style, over his shoulder.

"Chris, keep up! Wouldn't want to get lost out here, would you?"

They'd been walking to the west for about twenty minutes now. Chris had never, ever been so far from the cabin before; mostly, he ran around within a hundred yards of the house; sometimes farther when he managed to escape his mother's hawk-like gaze, or when she was distracted by her mate.

Needless to say, the cub's head was swiveling around in every which direction. Alex couldn't understand why--they weren't even in the forest yet. Their home was located on a more or less flat plain, with a forest about two miles away. Beyond that forest were the Rocky Mountains. To the east was miles and miles of plains, hills, and forests--nothing special, but it was easy enough to find food in them.

Chris nodded at his father's words, and quickened his pace, until he was walking along at Alex's side. The cub noted, with some pride, how tall and strong his father was. He knew, on an academic level, that his father was lithely muscled, but he'd never got it in his gut, because Alex always let his son pounce or bat him around. But now, looking up at the way his father strode along through the deep snow without difficult, imagining the way the muscles under his insulating parking must be rippling, Chris was filled with respect for his old man.

The cub was also armed, with a cut down Ruger 10/22. It was almost useless for taking deer, bear, elk, moose, or caribou, but it did give Chris the feeling that he was a smaller version of his father--and it made him pay just a little bit of attention to himself.

Suddenly, however, Alex stopped, and Chris almost crashed into him. The human pulled out a folded-up map, and nodded to himself. He then knelt, and pulled aside his balaclava--Chris didn't need one, he had enough fur to protect his face.

"Okay, Chris... see this? That's the forest, and these are the mountains. So," Alex said, looking up, pointing out with his gloved hand to the forest right in front of them, and the mountains farther off, "if that's where they are in real life, you should be able to judge where we are on the map. See?"

The child nodded, and Alex pulled his mask back on. Chris looked up and down from the map, back and forth from it and the various peaks and outcroppings of the mountain, and nodded confidently once.

"So, we're right here, right, Daddy?" the cub said, tapping a point on the map.

Alex stood, smiling under his mask, and ruffled his boy's hair, and folded the map away.

"Good job. That's actually a pretty hard thing to do, when you only have two reference points... neither of which have any really distinctive points in them. You're not too bad, Chris... not too bad at all."

The young hybrid smiled happily, and loped off towards the forest, looking almost comical as he hopped into its easternmost edge.

"Come on, Dad! Wouldn't want me to get lost out here, would ya?" Chris said, laughing as his father tore after him, tossing his rifle aside to pick his boy up, and toss him into the air--

It was almost scary, the rate at which Chris learned. Six hours out, and Alex had taught his boy to read signs of animal movement--scat, hair, tracks--as well as a few basic survival skills. Chris wouldn't need to know many survival tactics at all, because his parents would never let him out of their sight until he was big enough to be okay on his own.

Alex had tested Chris on everything. He'd made his boy look for a sign of animal movement, then had him identify what animal it belonged to, then give a suggestion as to how to find it and take it down.

Distance, Alex had explained, was a rifleman's best friend. Why get up close, Alex had asked, when it was simple enough to lean against a tree, or go prone, and fire off a shot from two hundred yards--or more--away?

Chris, of course, had asked why Alex preferred to use his knife. The answer was, simply, it was easier on the ears. Chris had cocked his head, and then asked his father why he didn't use a sound suppressor. At that, Alex had opened his mouth, shut it, then admitted that the idea had never occurred to him.

But then, suddenly, father and son looked up. A bird flew into the sky, but that's not what had made them jump. They'd heard something, or perhaps seen a flicker of movement. Chris's nose twitched--Alex knelt, and tilted his head at his son, asking him what it was. But the cub merely shook his head, unsure of what he'd smelled.

A quick but soft scrunch-scrunch-scrunching was heard, and both males' heads snapped towards where it had come from. Among the snow and tall, dark brown trees, for a second, Alex saw two small, familiarly-colored orbs...

Alex chuckled once, quietly, and turned to Chris, who looked terrified out of his mind. The human set his rifle down, then disarmed Chris, who looked up in confused fear. His father only smiled, and placed a finger to his lips.

"Hey, Chris... take refuge in a tree for a minute. I got me a fight to win," Alex said.

The young hybrid cocked his head, but then made a soft, "ahh"ing sound of comprehension. Chris grinned, and clawed his way up a tree, then straddled a branch, looking down towards his father, and what was about to happen.

Alex used his gloved hands to take off his knife, with some difficulty, and set it down respectfully next to his rifle. He then took a few steps back, standing in a relative clearing that gave placed him about ten feet from the nearest tree. He looked around suspiciously, keeping his hands raised a little, to give him the ability to defend himself if he was indeed pounced without warning.

Chris looked around, leaning forward to try to see what was behind the tree he was in. But his mother managed to evade his gaze, and Alex's... he might be sneaky, but she made him look like an amateur.

Suddenly, she came into Chris's view. Keeping close to the trees, the tigress's white and black-striped fur allowed her to blend into the background, at least from Alex's view. She looked up, meeting Chris's eyes, and the cub was won over... he wouldn't warn his father, but rather, let things run their course and see who won.

Tail pointed out directly behind her, Alexandra padded closer, and closer, and closer, until she was not fifteen feet from her mate. Snow was lightly fluttering down, obscuring Alex's view farther... but suddenly, he turned on his heel, looking directly into his mate's blue eyes.

"Found you!" he yelled, as if he'd won.

But finding the tigress before she pounced him was just round one. Alexandra might not have the element of surprise, but she was still larger and stronger than her mate. Growling playfully, the tigress bounded twice towards her mate, then jumped up, wrapping her powerful paws around him. Before they crashed to the ground, the tigress was nipping at Alex's parka, careful not to tear it or injure him.

With a soft thud, the pair hit the ground, and Chris was standing up on the branch, calling out happy suggestions to both parents.

"Get her, Dad, get her! That's it, box her face! Mom, roll him over and pin him down, you can do it!"

Alex was a pretty strong guy... but his mate was a feral tigress with enough muscle to knock him to the ground with one paw. And so, though he gave her a good fight, the outcome was unsurprising.

As it turned out, Alexandra did end up pinning the human to the ground, holding his arms down with her powerful paws. Alex struggled, thinking he could still win, but the tigress leaned in, and, opening her maw slightly, reached out with her pink, scratchy tongue, and licked his nose.

Their breaths mingled in front of them, and, slowly, Alexandra lowered herself down on top of Alex, pressing him into the snow. The male was half-crushed, but just gave a tired laugh, and ran his fingers through the tigress's soft, fluffy cheeks, then kissed her pink nose, making her snout scrunch up slightly.

With a mischievous grin, Chris hopped to the ground, then clambered up to sit on his mother's back.

"I win," the cub said, folding his arms, nodding confidently, "you two exhausted yourselves, and forgot about the real threat... me," Chris said, before giggling once, and resting his head on his mother's shoulder-blades.

The tigress chuffed once, then rolled off of Alex, slumping over on her side next to him. Chris slid down to find a soft patch of snow in between his parents, and, with them, looked to the sky. It was gray and a bit overcast, but that was life, sometimes--Chris knew he had to look a little deeper to find real beauty--that was life, take it or leave it. And since Chris never had to look far for real love, he was happy to focus his eyes, looking behind the clouds, catching a glimpse of the sun.

Alexandra wrapped one foreleg around Chris, and pulled him against her soft underbelly. Alex laughed from beneath his balaclava as the tigress began, to his boy's dismay, lick at his furred head and velvety ears. Alex sat up, crosslegged, and rubbed his gloved fist against Alexandra's cheek as she continued to harass their son. Chris mrowled, trying to squirm away, complaining that his father wasn't saving him from the clutches of a terrible tigress, but eventually gave up, and then, guess what, began to sleep in his mother's warm embrace.

"Wha--wait, no! No, don't go to sleep, you lazy feline--er, half-feline... neko... boy... we're supposed to...!--ah, nuts," Alex sighed, rolling his eyes, "bah."

Suddenly, it was silent, and Alexandra lifted her head up, then got to her footpaws. She shook the snow out of her fur slightly, then lifted her boy by the scruff of her neck with the teeth, padding over to give him to Alex. She jerked her snout meaningfully, then stood perpendicular to her mate.

Alex sighed, and set his sleeping son down on his mate's back. Then, he stood, making sure that Chris was securely in place. He picked up the boy's rifle, slinging it over his back, then put his knife and his own rifle back on, letting him use his free hand to lightly stroke his mate's snout as they walked along.

Oh, they didn't take the direct route home. Alex was too distracted by the feral beauty of Alexandra; a sight that was rare compared to the amount of time she spent in her anthro form. The tigress seemed to blush at the attention, and took every opportunity to lick at her mate's fingers, even cheekily nipping them a few times.

Alex laughed quietly, and looked down at the tigress's forepaws. Her ring was firmly on; he hadn't seen her take it off, not once. All too soon, they were home--it had only taken them an hour of walking through the snow, which was suddenly quite heavy. Alex laughed as he dusted off his son, and carried the boy inside.

Alexandra elected to stay outside, and sat down next to the front door of the simple cabin. Her ringed, cuffed tail twitched back and forth as she looked to the west... the Rockies were tall and steep and, here, uninhabited. They were perfect for--

"I put him to bed... poor kid was worn out. Don't worry, I made him change and put his clothes to wash."

Alex sat down next to his mate on the steps leading down from their front door. He was holding a steaming thermos in one hand, and after taking a sip from it, held it in front of the tigress, and tilted, allowing her to take a long gulp of nice, hot, peach-flavored tea. Alexandra purred, and nuzzled Alex's shoulder... he was so thoughtful, that was her favorite flavor.

Man and tigress sat side by side for a few moments, sipping at the tea. The wind picked up, slightly, making soft howling sounds as it blew heat away from the duo. Alexandra positioned herself next to her mate, so that her thick coat of fur protected him from the chill. Alex smiled, and rested his head against his mate's shoulder, wrapping an arm around her warm, loving form.

Alex eventually drifted off into a deep, contented sleep, despite the freezing weather. Alexandra had nuzzled the side of her mate's face several times, and then wrapped a foreleg over him, holding him against her. The tigress concentrated, closing her eyes, smiling, licking Alex, as a bright, warm glow encompassed them both...

The human yawned, and, slowly, began to wake. Instantly, he jumped to his feet, looking around.

Gone were the plains and forests that surrounded his house. All he saw, all around him... was sky. And mountains, plenty of mountains. However, in comparison to his position, they weren't nearly as tall as they should have been.

Alex ran a hand over his face, noting that he was wearing a pair of tinted goggles, that light up the darkened terrain. Snow billowed down all around him as he took a few cautious steps, but his thick parka and pants protected him. Alex took in a few breaths, noting that the air where he was--wherever he was--was, for some reason, thinner...

"Oh, Alexandra..." the male said, grinning widely.

He was at the edge of a tall, harsh, snow covered mountain face that went down about two miles... and out about four. It had its fair share of forests, but was mostly dominated by tough outcroppings, and simple, uniform surfaces were a rarity.

The tigress was a few yards away from Alex, in a small, circular bit of level, snow-covered ground, flanked on three sides by rocks. She was in her anthro form again, dressed in a black outfit identical to Alex's, and grinned up at her mate as he hopped down. The pair shared a hug, but not a kiss, thanks to Alex's mask.

The tigress was on a snowboard, and, as Alex stepped away, he stumbled onto another one, built to fit onto his boots perfectly. Snow collected on the human for a moment as he got onto the simple vehicle, and then secured himself to it.

"So..." Alexandra purred, jumping once to get her board onto the surface of the snow, sliding slightly until she turned to the side, stopping at the very cusp of the drop, "ready, Alex? Wanna have a little race... or take our time going down?"

The human laughed, a little nervously, and slid up next to his mate, or, rather, behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her tail batted against his shins as she purred, and Alex leaned forward, nuzzling the tigress's soft, albeit masked cheek. She turned, and even through their goggles, Alex could see her shining, icy blue eyes.

"I say... we stop thinking, and just... do. How does that sound to you, Alexandra? Will you take it?" Alex said, in a playful, but slightly challenging tone.

The tigress grinned, and took Alex's hand into her gloved paws, bringing it to her shoulder, resting her cheek against it for a moment.

"I'll... take it..." she whispered.

There was a flash of movement, and then all Alex saw was a spray of snow. His mate's laughter rang in his ears as he called out in mock outrage at her unfair start.

Snow was kicked up into powder by the twin boards. Laughing the entire time, Alex and Alexandra wove in and out of the trees and harsh rock structures. They even pulled off a few jumps; Alexandra at one point even barely landed a 360. They took any turns they came across at optimum speed, getting most of their air time by cutting corners. Finally, however, the exhilarating descent came to an end, and the laughing couple joined each another side by side, sliding down, still quickly towards the forest to the west of their house.

Alexandra turned to her mate, traveling along goofy-footed.

"Alex, you were great! I never knew you were so good at snowboarding, we should do this more often," the female grinned, kneeling down to speed up.

Alex laughed, and kicked off a few times, catching up, before he too knelt.

"We should, Alexandra, we should... mmm... oh, let's hurry home. I think there's a blizzard coming," Alex said, looking to the south for a moment, before beginning to pull away from his wife.

The tigress laughed a few times, straightening up.

"Heh... why? Can you feel it in your bones, Alex? Getting old, are ya?" she jibed.

Suddenly, the wind and snow both caught up, flying sideways against the duo. Instantly, visibility dropped to about fifty yards at best. Alexandra's lips twitched, and she heard her mate call to her over the sudden storm's howl.

"Nah... just call it a hunch."

Alex, it seemed, had put his son to bed on the couch. Young Chris was bundled up in a few thick quilts, purring quietly to himself, dressed in sweatpants and a thermal shirt. The kid's parents entered silently, so as to not wake him.

"Aww..." Alexandra whispered, as her mate merely smiled widely, and pulled off his boots, "hey, Alex... let's take a nap, all three of us... I'll get me and you a book to read if fluffball here oversleeps, and then you can take him back out at night, when he's up to it, I bet he'd love that. I'll hang out around here, I got a lot of planning done..." the tigress said, blushing as Alex pulled her nylon, rubberized glove off for her, "I'm really starting to like this little idea of yours... living as nomads. Sounds awesome," she grinned.

Alex unzipped his parka, then hung it up on a coathanger, before cracking his neck, and turning back to the tigress. She'd removed her coat, and her long-sleeved tee-shirt clung to her slim, beautiful frame, her silky black hair flowing down her back. The tigress felt her mate reach out and run his fingers from the base of her neck to her lower back, and purred, turning. The pair shared a kiss, and walked, arm in arm, to the sofa.

With liquid, feline grace, Alexandra vaulted over the sofa, landing, noiselessly, just next to her son, and gently stroked his head. Alex walked around, and sort of collapsed onto the couch with enough noise to make Chris's velvety ear twitch. Alexandra rolled her eyes at Alex's relative clumsiness, and the male gave her a sardonic, apologetic look... he was just a puny human, after all.

The couple looked at their son, then, slowly, scooted closer to him, and each another in the process. They shared a brief kiss, and then, Alexandra rested her head on Alex's shoulder, pulling her legs up onto the couch. The tigress closed her eyes, smiling as her mate kissed her on the head, and purred, beginning to snooze.

Alex rubbed the female's shoulder, and wrapped a blanket over her, before doing the same to himself. He smiled, heart melting, as he looked at his warm, sleeping family, feeling incredibly blessed for having both of them. His loving, protecting mate; his guardian, Alexandra, and their somewhat mischievous, somewhat cheeky son, Chris... he loved them both more than he could explain in words.

When Alex drifted off, it was in complete comfort: comfort of the body, comfort of the mind, and comfort of the spirit. He knew that here, in the freezing, blizzard-ridden Canadian northwest, he was more loved than he could ever hope to be loved anywhere else. A smile lit the sleeping human's lips, and Chris let a quiet, contented sigh out through his nose. Alexandra gave a deep purr, and the family slept on, arms wrapping around one another, valuing and caring for each another; not wanting change, not wanting anything except for company and reciprocal love...

Chris really had enjoyed the nighttime hunting lesson. The entire time, Alex found it slightly amusing how his boy kept his voice down, and his ears perked--for once, the kid was taking things seriously. Alex really was starting to feel proud of Chris and confident enough to let him wander around a bit, always within eye and earshot, of course; but not right at his elbow anymore.

Alex let his boy draw a bead on a pheasant--Chris had sniffed out and tracked down the bird himself, impressively, but when the cub looked up at his father, rifle on his shoulder, leveled at the bird, Alex had shook his head--there was plenty of deer left, and a rifle wasn't a bird gun anyway.

Father and son had clomped back home, chatting to each another less quietly, as the first rays of sun began to peek, as if curiously, over the horizon. They'd stopped just at the front door, and Alexandra had met them, dressed in a bathrobe that still wasn't as fluffy as her soft fur, and three cups of steaming hot chocolate.

Chris had hopped up into his mother's arms, and the family had watched the sun rise together. First, soft hues of light yellow drove away the darkness of the night, and then, layer by layer, more colors poured across the sky, until light washed over the frigid landscape.

Alex glanced at his boy and his mate, and grinned. The former was sleeping, and the latter was taking the opportunity to gently, softly lick his hair down. With a gloved, gentle hand, Alex reached out and ran his fingers through the tigress's plush facial fur, causing a surprised, but appreciative mrowl to be directed at him.

Now, the sun really was up, and the family was starting to get chilled from standing still for so long. They headed inside--Alex held the door open so that Alexandra could easily step inside, still carrying Chris, before entering himself. He took off his parka, cracked his neck, and hung up the thick, nylon piece of clothing.

His boy was starting to wake up, and mumbled something about making breakfast, yawning cutely, and fluffing up his mother's shoulder. Alex grinned, and put a finger to his lips, then leaned forward and kissed his son on the forehead. Chris smiled happily, tiredly, and began to quietly, happily snooze.

"Gotta fix this sleeping pattern of his... well, actually, maybe it wouldn't be that bad, if we do become nomads," Alex said, rubbing the soft stubble on his chin, noting that he needed to shave soon, "we could travel for a few hours, take a cat-nap, then get up, and do the same... we'd be able to see everything at every time of day, Alexandra. I've never really liked being a diurnal being, come to think of it... it's too repetitive."

The tigress nodded several times, silky hair flouncing behind her, before she sat down on the sofa, wrapping Chris under a blanket. The cub curled up, and smiled, purring quietly. Alex took that as an invitation to enjoy some quality time with his mate.

He vaulted over the sofa's arm, and landed on Alexandra's lap. The tigress eeped, giggling, and wrapped her arms around Alex, kissing the back of his neck. The male chuckled quietly, and leaned back, feeling the tigress move her face to the side, so that her cheek brushed up against his shoulder.

Silky black hair spilling to the side of her face, she purred, and shifted, slightly, so that Alex was snuggled tightly against her side. Her arms were still wrapped around him, and he shifted, placing his own arm over her shoulder. After a moment, the couple shared a kiss, during which, one of their blankets set itself out over them.

There was nothing sexual about their closeness, not today, not now. It was just pure, clean, affection; with Alex enjoying the presence and company of his guardian, Alexandra; with Alexandra enjoying the presence and company of her guarded one, Alex.

The male smiled, and spoke in a hushed, quiet voice.

"Stage two... shall we start it tomorrow?"

The tigress purred quietly, and nodded, yawning, baring her huge, sharp fangs. With half lidded eyes, she gave her mate one last nuzzle, and grinned, very softly.

"Sure, Alex... mm, you really think you're ready for a semi-nomadic life... puny human?"

Alex laughed quietly, and, smiling, rested his cheek against the tigress's head, feeling her start to sleep.

"That's the lifestyle that my family wants, and the lifestyle that will bring them the most happiness. So... yeah. I'll take it," he murmured, favoring her with one final kiss before pulling the blanket up to his neck, smiling himself to sleep, surrounded by his mate, his child, and, really, complete happiness.

It was late evening by the time the family got up. Alexandra, in fact, got up first, and smiled--sometime during the day, Chris had crawled over and cuddled up on his father's lap, back down. Alex didn't snore, he never did, but did smile when the tigress touched her lips to his neck.

Careful to wake neither of them up, Alexandra slid out from under the blankets. Giving her hair a slight toss to straighten it out, spilling down behind her, the white-furred feline headed into her and Alex's bathroom, brushed her teeth, then padded on into the kitchen.

Stifling a yawn, she rubbed her eyes... then blushed. What she had in mind... well, it was, to be perfectly honest, kinky... but if she pulled it off, both she and Alex would be pleasured--and greatly.

Doing her silky, long hair into a ponytail, Alexandra began to cook. She readied only one plate of food, however--two waffles with syrup, as well as a tall glass of ice-cold milk. By the time she was halfway finished, Chris had brushed his teeth and then joined her, led to the kitchen by his nose.

The young hybrid purred, nuzzling his mother's hip; he hadn't hit any sort of real growth spurt yet. With feline grace, he hopped up to sit next to the stove, kicking his legs out slightly, as he looked, with bleary eyes and a smile, at the cooking meal.

"C'mon, Chris... sit at the table to eat," Alexandra said, smiling at her son.

The cub pouted, but was won over when his mother lifted him up, cuddling him, and allowed himself to be seated at the table. He looked outside, then smiled, taking a deep sip of milk, while, for unknown reasons, Alexandra began to cook more waffles.

"Kind of a weird time for breakfast, isn't it, Mommy?" he commented, before purring as he nearly drowned his waffle in all-natural maple syrup.

The tigress laughed, and sat down across from Chris, folding her paws and setting them on the table, resting her head on them; her inky hair spilling off to the side.

"Maybe, kiddo... but your father and I have decided that we're not going to be as strict about sleeping and getting up. We'll keep things mostly diurnal... but switching things up like this sometimes is fun, right?"

The cub nodded, smiling. He ate his breakfast, thanking his mother and complimenting her cooking. Eventually, Alex got up, and walked in, yawning, and sat down next to Alexandra, holding her paw; not wanting to kiss her as he hadn't brushed his teeth.

Chris finished eating, and kept his dishes in the sink, explaining that he was still tired, and would wash them later. The hybrid's parents seemed to accept that, and approved of his decision to go and work with his little textbooks rather than sleep some more.

Their son padded off into his room, comically tired and small. Alex smiled, and rested his head against Alexandra's shoulder. The tigress purred, and closed her eyes, and when her mate looked next, there were two waffles in front of him, and two glasses of milk, but...

"No syrup?" he said as an afterthought, standing up, and cracking his neck.

The tigress shook her head, her silky hair flopping around slightly, and explained that they were out. And yet, Alex swore he saw a blush on those soft, plush cheeks... but dismissed it. His eyes were still bleary. He went to their bathroom, brushed his teeth, then returned.

Together, male and female ate, the former still tired, the latter, less so. They shared a little innocent conversation, centered around their plans, and, of course, Chris. Alex offered to start packing the house up--dismantling everything, packing clothes, et cetera--so that Alexandra could take their boy out for a romp in the snow, and see how good his hunting and tracking skills were already.

The tigress was very agreeable to that, and explained that--she thought, anyway--she could make anything Alex packed "vanish"... then come back, whenever they needed it. After all, she said, biting her lip, she could give him what he needed... but this would be an interesting test of just powerful the tigress really was.

After eating, Alex headed to the bedroom, arm wrapped around his mate's waist. He noticed that, for some reason, she seemed tense... but decided not to mention it. Years together had given him the ability to practically read her mind, and he could tell that she was up to something.

Smiling just a little, the male released Alexandra, and made his way to the corner of the bedroom to dress. Cracking his neck, he yawned one last time, and began to disrobe, looking for something to wear.

Just as the human's pants hit the floor, the tigress spoke up.

"Alex..." she said, in a shy tone that wasn't completely fabricated for his pleasure, "Alex... look what the second course of your breakfast is..."

The male turned, and, for a moment, literally couldn't believe his eyes.

"And I thought I knew beauty."

Alexandra was, really, an incredibly good-looking tigress. She had a slim waist, large hips and breasts; her hair was long and silky, and her fur was soft. A kind demeanor, a tendency to not talk excessively, and a pair of ice-colored eyes sealed the deal: she was beautiful.

But naked on a bed, reclining, covered in self-applied syrup... yowza.

"Yowza."

That was Alex's first thought; his only thought, for a good minute. He blinked, and seemed to unfreeze, and practically glided over to his blushing mate, sitting down next to her.

"Mmm... hope you're hungry, Alex..." she purred, "because I want you to eat me all up..."

Alex opened his mouth, then closed it. He twitched, then leaned in, touching his lips to his mate's toned, plush-furred belly, causing her to gasp quietly, purring.

"Yowza."

The packing had gone well. In just under a week, Chris had completed his training; Alex and Alexandra now felt secure enough to let the cub go for brief romps on his own--he, of course, had to always ask his parents beforehand, and could never go farther than they could see at a brief glance.

Oh, he disobeyed, of course, but his parents took a Spartan-like approach to discipline. Mostly, they shook their heads in disappointment--that solved things, most of the time, and so, they hadn't yet had to punish their son for staying out alone for too long; after all, it was a dangerous, vicious world.

Alexandra and her son came home one day at dusk; Alex had suggested that they go for a walk together and let him practice his skills in the kitchen. No, the author will not insert any misandrist jokes about how he did not burn down the house.

The tigress and Chris were greeted with the tantalizing scent of hot, fresh Thai food. It was a surprise to the latter, but not the former--she, after all, was the one that had to get Alex what he needed to make the meal.

The duo kicked off their boots, chatting, and hung their coats. Alex smiled; he'd already set the table, and despite all the fun they'd had, Alexandra and the cub looked exhausted and in need of a good meal.

They sat down... and promptly, began to chow down. Alex smiled, rolling his eyes slightly, eating at a more conservative pace, taking the time to enjoy, to savor the spicy, exotic red curry, and the tender chicken in it.

"So..." he said after a moment, and instantly, the one--er, one and a half--felines looked up, "what did you do out there?"

Instantly, Alex was bombarded with answers. He could glean no meaning from the trainwreck of jumbled replies, and just laughed, until his family joined in, and then tried again.

"So... Chris. What did you do, kiddo?" the man grinned, eyes crinkled with happiness, as he set an elbow on the table, resting his chin on his thumb to listen to his son.

"Oh, Daddy, it was great! Mom took me sledding--she made me this really nice one, with steering, and breaks, and, and and--"

"I went feral," the tigress giggled, after swallowing a bit of chicken, then giving her hair a slight toss, "and let him chase me down the mountainside. He got pretty close a few times, I swear I felt his fingers brush my tail more than once."

"Oh, I almost had you that one time, Mommy!... remember, when you went over that rocky patch, and I circled around? I was so close...!"

Again, Alexandra and Chris began to converse rapidly. They'd really come close, over this past month. Alexandra would never, ever have thought that she'd be as close to Chris as Alex was, but now, that formerly impossible thought was reality. So often, these days, all three of them went out together. So often, these days, she not only taught her son, but played with him too--roughhousing, board games, and other innocent little activities. So often, these days, she and Alex walked, arm in arm, to Chris's room, after midnight, and watched their sleeping son, watched his chest rise and fall, and kissed, briefly, knowing that now, there was no favoritism, no inequality; now, there was only compassion.

Alex shook his head briefly, and took a sip of creamy, sweet Thai iced tea. Alexandra was giggling, leaning back in her chair, and Chris's head was on his paws, as he smiled, sleepily, looking back and forth from his mother to his father.

When Alex spoke, it was, mostly, to himself; it was, after all, so quiet that neither the tigress nor his son could be expected to hear.

"Each of us contributes so much to this family... I wonder, what would happen if one of us suddenly contributed a little more? The other two would rise to the challenge--I know it. We have so much happiness now... but is it possible that we can become even happier? Every time we change something, every time we try harder... we do."

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and he glanced at his boy, brow furrowing for a second. Had the half-feline's ear aimed itself at him for those few seconds? Had his eyes contained a spark of enginuity, of enterprise? Was he about to do something mischievous?

The male just looked at his boy, for a few moments, and gave the six-year-old cub a knowing wink. But, bizarrely, Chris cocked his head.

So, Alex had just been confused. Because whenever Chris had been "caught" in preparation of something, he'd giggled, and given some goofy excuse, and accepted whatever laughing, smiling lecture he'd earned.

So, Alex was confused. That really did seem to be the case, because, for the rest of the night, Chris was quiet, calm, collected, controlled. His mother put him to bed, and, as always, the cub was happy to snuggle up under the sheets, curling into a ball.

Something, however, made the tigress pause. Her striped brow furrowed, and she cocked her head. Her boy was a lump under the thick comforters of his bed, and he looked utterly peaceful, utterly harmless... and yet...

Alexandra reached out, stroking the boy's cheek, then leaned in, touching her lips to his forehead for a long moment, allowing him to feel that warm, gentle, whitish glow; whiter than the snow on the ground outside, as white as the female's plush fur.

"Chris... ...'night...." she said, blushing slightly as she stood--she had no reason to feel concerned so suddenly, none at all.

"Mmmmnight," the young hybrid purred, and watched as his mother's tail twitched, slightly, as she padded off out of his room, shutting the door behind her, a few silky long, strands of pitch black trailing after her.

He listened, for a moment... then grinned.

Alex and his mate laid down next to each another, pulling the blankets up to their necks. And yet, sleep didn't come. Moonlight spilled through a window, casting a soft, bluish glow onto the reclining couple. And still, they didn't sleep, warm, comforted, loved as they were.

Tense...

A moment of silence passed. Years together had given each being the ability to understand the other intimately, almost unnervingly well. And so, they began to speak at the same time, then laughed, then shut up.

"You go first..." Alex said.

"Well..." the white tigress said, before turning towards her mate, and wrapping an arm over his chest, looking up at him with those beautiful blue eyes, "...it's Chris. You're gonna think I'm paranoid... but I think he's up to something. I have no reason to believe it," she admitted, biting her lip, eyes flickering off of Alex's for a brief second, "just... a feeling. Ya know?"

Alex's lower lip twitched

"...Nah... you're just being... well, motherly. He's not up to anything," Alex smiled, before leaning in, and kissing the tigress's nose, "you're just worrying too much, Alexandra. Chris is a good kid. He's not up to anything."

The white tigress purred, and stroked her man's chest a few times. Alex smiled, eye closed as that fluffy, padded paw rubbed over his torso, and placed his hand on Alexandra's paw. Eyes closing, the couple allowed that loving, white glow to envelope them, drowning out the imperfections of the world... and each another.

"I'm a cub of taste and discernment," Chris thought to himself, happily remembering his father's words when Alex had heard his boy's weapon choice.

The M14 with finely polished and stained walnut furniture was a little bit large for the cub, but he handled it well. He'd put enough rounds through it by now that he could cope with its recoil well, and could send bullet after bullet wherever he wanted to, if he had to. But it hardly mattered--tonight, Chris had brought only one round.

Dressed in his parka, boots, and thick, warm pants, the words his father had spoke to him rang in his ears.

"Remember, Chris," Alex had said, after firing off a shot that had hit a penny--over three hundred yards away, "if you can't do it with one bullet, don't do it at all. It's wasteful, and it hurts the animal. So, really, if you want to hunt one deer, you should only need to bring one round."

After that, the man had backpedaled slightly, pointing out the wisdom in coming prepared, in case of an emergency or unforeseen difficulty, such as a bear. But then, Alex had mentioned, quite offhandedly, that he and his mate hadn't seen any bears near their house for over three years.

So Chris hadn't elected to bring a pistol. Instead, he carried a knife for skinning whatever kill he might make; a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie. It rode in cross-draw position, at his left thigh. The cub carried his rifle in his paws, as he carefully strode through the woods, keeping his eyes, ears, and nose alert.

Twigs snapped under the cub's heavy, synthetic boots. Snow was gently sifting down through the frigid air, so cold that Chris could taste it: that's what it was, so cold that the bitterness and lack of motion in the air could be tasted, and there's no other way to explain it.

Now, he was perhaps a hundred yards into the woods. The feet of the mountains to the west of his house were perhaps a half mile away from his position, but the terrain that Chris was on was hilly. Visibility was fairly good, and so was the cub's eyesight at night; he smiled, mentally thanking his mother for her genes.

After a few moments of carefully scouring the area for signs of prey, the young hybrid was successful. Despite the slight flurries that trickled down all around he, he found tracks. Fresh ones; perhaps only an hour old, judging by their depth and definition.

Straightening up, Chris had to concentrate to not squeak in celebration. Instead, he forced himself to calm, and get seriously. Now, he had to be very quiet: deer tended to not move very far, not in this area. There was too many food sources for them to pass by without thoroughly tending to.

For a brief moment, Chris noted that the presence of edible vegetation and bark led to the presence of a good number of prey animals. That should have led to the presence of a few predator animals, to keep their population in check. But, the hybrid supposed, in the back of his mind, he and his parents filled that niche in nicely.

Focusing his mind onto the task at paw, fully, Chris's brow furrowed. The tracks suddenly became skittish, more deep, and were no longer linear or relaxed in their nature. It was almost like the deer was being chased...

But Alex hadn't shown his son the pugmarks of a bear, nor what a chased deer's tracks looked like. He had no example, because, until then, there had been no bears around the house he'd built with his mate for years.

And that's why Chris didn't notice the trashcan lid-sized tracks that were trailing the deer's.

But the cub wasn't stupid or without instinct. His nose twitched, and his eyes narrowed, and, automatically, he shouldered his rifle.

"I smell something..."

Moving as slowly and quietly as he could, Chris half-crouched, stalking along, his small, powerful heart beating quickly. Why he kept going he didn't know. Maybe he had tunnel vision; maybe he knew that his prey was close and that he couldn't bare to return home empty-handed. Or maybe he was just curious.

"It's familiar... what is it?"

He was moving a little faster now, an icy fist gripping at his insides. Worry was now written all over his young face, as deep snow was brushed aside by his thick boots. There was a low hill up ahead, covered by a deep bank of snow and a few trees; Chris couldn't see over it.

"...I know what it is..."

Eyes wide, Chris took a few more steps. It occurred to him, for a moment, how utterly dark it was outside; how numbingly cold. It wasn't snowing anymore, and silence was thick in the air. The feline hybrid dropped down, and crawled to carefully peer over the hill, gasping at the sight in front of him.

"Blood..."

It was the deer's blood, of course. The animal had been killed not by bullet, arrow, or blade; Chris had seen kills performed in those manners before. No, this deer had been killed by trauma--and a lot of it, considering the unnatural angle of its neck, and the blood that flowed freely from a gaping wound in its belly...

Chris's nose twitched, and, despite his terror, he peeked up a little more. Rifle at the ready, he caught sight of a little, dark something next to the deer's side... eating the fresh, gory meat.

"A cub... a bear... ...cub..."

The young hybrid's nose twitched again... and his ears angled to listen to the sound of a huge figure moving behind him... towards him...

Heart in his mouth, Chris began to turn. It occurred to him, vaguely, that he'd had a good life. He'd been cared for, fed, sheltered, and... loved. Loved more than many ever had been or would be. Loved every minute of every day, without condition or exception. Loved completely and totally... loved always... always.

"Mom... Dad.... I love you. And I'm sorry... so sorry."

The reason that Alex and Alexandra hadn't seen any bears near there house for the past few years was, all at once, obvious and amazing. Bears only get big if they're successful; if they can hunt well and know how to avoid humans. And if they're successful enough, well... they can get big.

Chris was a six year old. He was short by any standard. But even a tall, grown man would be dwarfed by the monster the hybrid now faced. The bear was huge--nine feet tall on her hind legs, and nearing half a ton in weight.

She was a female; Chris could see that easily, and, even in the trancelike state he found himself in, the kid could sense that her cub, the little brown ball of fur next to the deer, had moved. Chris was in between the bear and her child, not twenty feet from either... and a heartbeat later, the bear cub moaned in fear.

Quicker than blinking, the mother bear roared in outrage, dropping to all fours, charging with blinding, unforeseeable alacrity. Chris only had one shot. But the emotions in his mind and on his face as he centered the illuminated reticle on the charging bear's left eye were not just emotions of fear, panic, or hopelessness. They were emotions of passion, love for the parents and life he'd been so, so lucky to have... and emotions of defiance.

The bullet found its mark, but in the end, it was inconsequential. Claws flashed, teeth gripped and tore, paws smashed bone...

There was nothing peaceful or even sensible about Chris's death. He should have lived a long, happy life with his parents, and maybe a few siblings. He should have grown from a cub into a juvenile, and then, into an adult. Perhaps, someday, he should have found a mate; and, perhaps, someday, he should have had cubs of his own. But he didn't, he... ...died... right there, at the base of the Rocky Mountains in the frigid Canadian northwest because of a reason no more complex than that he wanted his parents to be proud of him...

"...Mom..."

It was dark. Dark, and blurred.

"...Dad... Dad..."

More darkness...

"I love you..."

Things were fading out of view, now. ...It was as if there was nothing more in the world for him to see.

"I'm sorry.."

Black...

Alexandra twitched slightly.

Then, yawning, baring the huge, white fangs normally hidden by her lips, she stretched her entire, feral form out. Looking up at her mate, the tigress purred quietly, resting her powerful foreleg over his chest in a protective, tender manner for a few moments.

Then, careful to be quiet, she slid out of bed, not bothering to change into her anthro self. Alexandra's large white paws padded across the cabin's floor as she yawned again, passing Chris's room. Idly, her blue eyes drifted to the side.

And she paused. Her large, furred head turned, its black stripes highlighted in the shadowed light ing of the cabin. The door wasn't closed...

The tigress cocked her head, and shrugged, innocently padding over. She was about to transform into her anthro self to close the door, but something in her balked at that. And so, the tigress wedged her snout in the slight crack in the door, and nudged it open.

She froze, her heart skipping a beat. The bed was empty, its sheets messed up. Chris was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay... okay, Alexandra. It's okay, he could just be outside--the punk! I'm gonna get him!" the tigress thought as she moved quickly towards the cabin's door, convincing herself, for a moment, that there was no possibility, none at all, that Chris had left the vicinity of his home.

Rearing up on her hind legs to push the door open, Alexandra left the warm cabin, peering around intently, worriedly, her tail lashing around in agitation. The white tigress's blue eyes gazed around, searching the barren, snowy landscape... and found nothing.

"Chris!" she called, having transformed into her anthro form without realizing it, "...Chris?!" she called, running around to see if the cub had gone to the rear of the house, "Chr--"

Alexandra froze again, and looked down. Her son's bootprints--she recognized them instantly--were impressed into the snow. And they were heading directly to the woods, out of sight.

Cold fear gripped the tigress, and, before she knew it, she was running back inside.

"Alex! ALEX! Chris is missing!" she yelled, screeching to a halt inside her bedroom.

The man jumped up instantly, and a brief glance at his mate's face told him that this was in no way a joke. Without stopping to rub the sleep out of his eyes or try to calm down the tigress, he hurried to don his own boots, parka, and gloves.

"For how long? Where's he headed?" the human said curtly, as he zipped his coat up, picking up his rifle and loading it, before strapping a .454 Casull Raging Bull to his thigh.

"I don't know..." Alexandra said, and, for the first time in his life, Alex heard his mate, his guardian; his first and only friend whimper, "I don't know how long he's been gone... but he went towards the forest, Alex."

"Okay. Okay. Just the forest, that's all, he's just going to the forest," the man said, trying to calm both himself and the tigress, even as together, they dashed outside.

Alexandra was dressed only in a hoody and a pair of jeans, and, shortly, she transformed, bounding along quickly. Despite her fear, however, she stopped, for a moment, allowing her mate to hop onto her back, before dashing onwards again, following Chris's tracks.

Across the sprawling snowy plains the couple moved, Alex with his rifle always held at the ready. An ever-increasing sense of urgency rising in their throats like bile, the parents forced themselves to focus and not let their minds wander onto what might have happened to their cub in the harsh, bitter cold wilderness.

Alexandra's powerful paws kicked up snow as she tore along, blue eyes cast downwards as they tracked her cub's pugmarks. And the nearer she got to the woods, the more certain she was that something had happened... something terrible.

After they were perhaps twenty yards into the woods, Alexandra's nose twitched... and she felt sick. The tigress slowly stopped among a throng of trees, and transformed into her more familiar anthro form, resting an arm against the tree. Unable to meet her mate's eyes, she spoke in a meek, quavering tone.

"A-Alex... I don't... I don't think--"

"I don't think I see Chris yet, either," Alex said, giving his mate a pleading look; he didn't want her to say what he knew both of them were thinking, "...but come on. He can't be far by now, right? I bet he's waiting in a tree to pounce on us or something," the human said, trying to lighten the heavy, foreboding mood slightly.

Alexandra gave a single, sad laugh, and looked away, rubbing her eyes with the back of her paw.

"...Come on. It'll be okay..." the human said, looking away himself, as he wrapped his arm over the tigress's shoulders, "just... follow me, okay? It'll be alright, Alexandra. I know it will. You're here, right? It'll be okay."

The female snuffled quietly, but nodded. As her mate walked ahead, she took his gloved hand in her paw tightly, following him with her eyes downcast. She was now wearing thick sweatpants and a coat, and she was thickly furred... but despite all that, her teeth chattered. Something was making her cold... but it wasn't just the weather.

Alex had his rifle shouldered, but lowered, as his other hand was still held tightly in his mate's grasp. He tried his damnedest to focus; his deep-brown eyes moving around cautiously. Regardless, his gloved fingers grasped his mate's just as hard as hers held his.

The trees seemed to press in on the couple as Alex's and Alexandra's thick boots scrunched through the snow and twigs. Their grayish, overwhelming forms seemed to lean over the pair, as if warning them away; but still, the mates moved forward.

Alexandra's nose twitched, and she gasped, walking forward in a trancelike stupor, pulled along by Alex.

"No... no... it's not that--no, not that. It's just blood, that's all; blood, not Chris's blood, just... blood..."

It occurred to Alexandra, vaguely, a few moments later, that she'd never, ever heard her mate scream so loudly. Nor had she ever seen him run so quickly. Nor, ever, had she seen a father cradle the broken body of his head son.

Then, it struck the tigress. Her trance broke, and with a cry of anguish, she raced forward, sliding to her knees next to Alex. Crying, she stroked the cut, shattered, and utterly and completely dead form of... her own son.

Twenty minutes later... Alexandra was still weeping, still whimpering; still kissing the body of the son that she'd only recently started to have a real relationship with. A thousand thoughts flew threw her mind. She was no longer a mother; her boy had died fighting; her boy had died away from her, not in the soft, warm embrace of her arms; her boy had been killed brutally, violently; and her mate... her mate...

The tigress turned to face Alex, her silky black hair drifting slightly in the unforgiving, frigid wind; the same wind that had frozen her tears into her plush, furred cheeks. When her gaze met her mate's, she froze.

He was leaning against a tree, as if casually, looking over his rifle. For once, his deep brown eyes weren't soft and warm--they were cold and hard, and unfeeling, even when they met the tigress's, refusing to move to his son's dead body, which was still in her arms.

When Alex saw that his mate had looked up, he spoke in a quiet, carefully measured tone.

"A bear did this... and the track's still fresh. You're going to stay here, Alexandra... with Chris. I'll be back soon," he murmured, his soft voice easily audible by the tigress in the heavy, dark silence of the Canadian night.

Eye contact was maintained, for a few seconds... then broke. It was as if the Alex Alexandra knew and loved was... gone; at least for the moment, replaced by a cold-hearted pragmatist. It broke the tigress's heart to see her male look at her with such utter indifference, such an utter lack of affection or care.

Alexandra sniffled, looking down, tears spilling from her icy eyes onto her son's limp, lifeless form. And yet, ignoring her utterly, Alex turned on his heel, walking away. As the human's boots pressed heavily into the snow, she spoke out, looking after his dark, retreating form sadly.

"Alex... don't do anything... anything wrong..." she whimpered, almost mewling again.

The man stopped. After a pause, he turned his head to the side slightly, his eyes not even flickering towards his mates'. Now, the trees seemed to shy away from his tall, harsh frame, silhouetting him among their dark, spindly trunks. His stonelike face

"I'm not going to do anything wrong..." he whispered in a raspy, emotionless tone, before starting to walk again, "I'm just going to wipe the animal that killed my son off the face of the Earth..."

As Alex began to disappear into the forest, Alexandra began to cry again. These weren't the same tears as the ones she'd shed over the son she'd lost and still held in her bloodied arms. These tears were quieter, softer, but every bit as painful as the tears she'd shed for Chris. It was, apparently, just as grievous to lose a mate as it was to lose a son...

Alex had started off at a slow, purposeful stride. His face had been blank and unfeeling, and his hands had loosely, professionally clutched his rifle.

Now, he was moving at a brisk jog. Now, his face was twisted into an expression of rage as dark and red as Hell itself. Now, his knuckles were white in his gloves as he tightly clenched his gun, its stock and muzzle dancing around as he followed the telltale pugmarks of the bear.

"I swear... when I find it, I'm going to pump bullets into its head until I'm out of ammunition. I'm going to watch it bleed, watch it die--I'm gonna watch it feel a tenth of the pain my boy felt before he died. I SWEAR!" Alex said, suddenly letting out a cry of outrage, even as he ran on.

The woods were thicker, now, and normally that would have slowed the man. But now, he allowed twigs and branches and thickets to tear at his clothing, at his face. Shallow, reddish cuts soon marked Alex's cheeks almost like the stripes that marked his mate's.

The track was fresh... very fresh. Within half an hour, Alex forced himself to pause. None of his anger had left him; he was just using it for the same ends in a different mean.

The man crouched, shouldering his rifle. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, his eyes traveling around the frigid landscape, somehow even colder than the ice and snow all around him.

It was still dark, and so, Alex had a slight disadvantage. And yet, the anger that coursed through his veins like adrenaline--or some other drug--gave him a sense of purpose, of determination that his enemy wouldn't have.

Adjusting his mask, slightly, the man glared down at the pawprint next to him. At best, it was five minutes old. The bear was close; and, in all likelihood, very close. Now, Alex would have to be silent.

And so, the human dropped to his belly, and crawled. Like this, he avoided much of the branches and foliage that had tore right through his mask and into his face. His rifle was also more easily accessible, and, and he was able to peer to his side more readily, as well.

Alex paused again.

"There..."

He had to be careful. His ears, reddened from the cold despite his clothing, had picked up the sounds of a large, heavy something moving. And chances that it was anything but the bear... were non-existent. Moose made different sounds than the muffled, heavy breathing and walking of a thickly furred bear. Deer were too small to be mistaken for a bear; Alex was confident that he'd found his quarry, even if he couldn't see it, yet.

Silently, the man spent the next few minutes moving up behind a tree, careful to keep it in between himself and the location of the sound he heard. He had to set this up perfectly; despite his anger, Alex wasn't stupid or hasty: he knew, from the size and amount of depression of the pawprint that he was hunting a monster.

Leaning out with the utmost of care and silence, he angled his rifle so as to give himself as small a profile as possible while having a clear shot on his enemy. He knew that the bear was unlikely to be downed by a single bullet, no matter how well aimed it was.

But, it seemed, Alex wasn't quiet enough. Because the second he peered out from behind the tree, there was movement.

The man spat a curse, and worked the bolt of his weapon as quickly as possible. The large, furred mass was moving quickly; growling defensively as it made for the treeline and a speedy escape.

Alex managed to snap his weapon onto target in time and fire, however; the powerful round blasting a bullet downrange. Working the bolt again, knowing that his shot was probably far from lethal, Alex's face set into angry determination.

He'd scored a hit, alright... but... what was happening? The bear's arm, or leg, or head, had fallen off its body to gush blood onto the ground, as the rest of the animal let out a loud, grief-ridden cry of agony.

Then, it turned to Alex, and the human understood, as he coldly centered his reticle on the beast's eye, even as it charged towards him, howling for his blood.

"I get it..." the human murmured, "you're a parent, too..."

"Well... an eye for an eye."

Thundering towards its, the bear was completely overtaken by anger. Unlike Alex, it couldn't think, couldn't consider that perhaps running and living might be best. But, like Alex, it was completely overwhelmed by passion, and a black, hot desire for vengeance.

Coldly waiting until the bear presented as big of a target as possible, Alex struggled to control his anger, for the time being. Snow was thrown up by the animal's huge paws, and just before he pulled the trigger, Alex stopped looking at the bear's eye... and started looking into it.

It's incredibly--it really is--the amount of hate that existed between those two merciless, predatory gazes. In later years, Alex would painfully reflect that even though he found a being almost exactly like himself at that point in time, he felt neither pity nor a mercy. All he felt was the desire to avenge his poor, dead, broken, boy.

The bullet whistled out of the barrel, spinning, thanks to the gun's rifling. Traveling its short journey in the space of only fraction of a second--fractions of a second in which Alex's shoulder was pressed back, accepting the gun's recoil, displacing his muscled flesh--fractions of a second in which the human's angry sneer widened, his lips pulling back under his mask to reveal his pearly white teeth, spittle spraying against the soft, synthetic cloth--fractions of a second in which, far away, Alexandra flinched, and whined, cuddling Chris's body, knowing that she'd failed, really, in her duty to be Alex's guardian, to protect him from the worst kind of pain the world had to offer: the pain of losing a child, and the pain of enacting bloody vengeance and finding out that, no matter what, nothing could ever, ever, patch the gaping wound in the parent's heart--ever.

The conical, jacketed bullet pulverized the bear's eye, creating a splash of fluid--viscous fluid--for mere milliseconds. Snowflakes continued to drift down, slowly, as the dark, frigid night prepared to consume the soul of yet another being.

Time normalized. Alex realized that he'd been screaming; his throat was raw and his voice hoarse, as he fumbled with his rifle, chambering another round. The bear had been knocked off its feet by the power of the rifle shot, but still, it lived, if only for a few more moments.

With one eye missing and losing blood at a rate that made it a small miracle that it could still move, the bear moaned, and try to crawl away. But its body convulsed as another shot cleanly snapped its spine in two.

Still, Alex was yelling, as he stood, swearing incoherently. Chambering and firing round after round, he blasted chunks of meat off the bear. Dark, purplish blood dyed the sheet-white snow a horrible shade of maroon; and still, the man didn't stop firing.

The bear managed to live, twitching, trying to crawl, even as Alex stood up, roughly throwing aside his rifle. Storming towards the bear with an expression darker than the night around them both, Alex drew his Raging Bull, pulling back the huge revolver's hammer with a thumb.

The human stood over his enemy, breathing hard. His chests, his shoulders, slowly rose and fell as he stared at the dying animal, looking deep, deep into his eyes. Logic said that the bear was just an animal, and that it would die of its injuries anyway. But emotion said that this was the monster that needlessly killed Alex's son--he had to seek revenge.

The pistol only held five rounds. But, sneering, taking the time to carefully press the muzzle of the weapon against the bear's skull, Alex pumped all five shots into his enemy. Fireballs flared to the side and top of the compensated weapon, creating a

But...

The bear was dead, there was no question about that. Alex was out of ammunition. His enemy was in as horrible of a state as Chris had been, and its child was also dead.

But...

Alex found no peace, no solace in these facts. All he felt was another spike of hot, thick anger rise in his gut.

Quickly, the man pulled away his mask and retched, vomiting onto the snow. His eyes watered as his hard abdominal muscles clenched and writhed under his flesh, forcing him to empty all the contents of his stomach onto the formerly clean, pure-white snow.

Dry-heaving, resting on all fours, Alex spat several times. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and, somewhat shakily, stood. Pulling his mask back up, he looked back at his dead enemy.

The bleeding had long since stopped--apparently, the human was down for longer than he'd thought--and was starting to freeze. Even though its thick, dark fur was slightly speckled with droplets of blood here and there, Alex was suddenly struck by how beautiful it was, even in death. That huge, muscled body; that noble, defiant face; those powerful, protective teeth... yes, it was beautiful, in its own wild, untamed way.

Alex retched again, kneeling for a moment, breathing heavily. It occurred to him, vaguely, that he was completely unarmed, and that he'd need divine assistance--a guardian, perhaps--to see him back to his mate... and their child.

Again, the man stood up, not giving the bear's body another glance. Purging his mind of all emotion, he took a second to recall where he'd come from--snow had dusted down, blurring his footprints. Incredibly, though, the bear's--depressed far, far more than Alex's could possibly have been--were gone entirely. It was as if nature, in its inexorable, indifferent, cold, harsh nature, had decided to not only tolerate the bear's death... but complete it, wiping every trace that it had ever been alive off the face of the Earth, forever.

Alex's tall, lithe form moved through the trees. He stood no longer with pride and interest, but hunched over, as if frail with age, plodding along apathetic to the forest around him.

"Children..."

"They're why we live."

He looked up a little, ensuring that he was on the right track to Alexandra, before promptly looking back down. His deep brown eyes were as cold and wet as the forest the rare occasion on which this frigid, northern land was visited by rain.

"They continue life, they... they're our ties to the Earth, the only ones that we have, after we die. Killing a child is like... it's like genocide. It's like rendering the lives of every man and woman that lived, that fought, that died for that child... it's like rendering them all meaningless. It's terrible... children can't even defend themselves, but..."

"But they feel pain just as much as adults."

Alex's face had twisted into worse and worse pain the more he thought about what had just happened to his son. Staggering through the forest, he began to sob, his dry, grief-ridden convulsions racking through his whole body.

"Oh my God," the man cried, tears freezing as they slid down his face, "oh, Chris..."

No more piggyback rides, no more waking up to freshly-made tea and pounces. No more having his knifes stole, no more romping around in the snow. No more playful wrestling, no more warm, curled up ball of fur to warm him as he sat on the sofa with his mate. No more...

Hot tears continued to stream down Alex's face as he walked. But, suddenly, he paused, and looked up.

"Alexandra...."

"You said your job is to give me whatever I need."

"Is it possible...?"

The hope was so impossible, so far-fetched... but now that Alex had tasted it, it was mind-consuming and powerful. It gave him strength and weakness at the same time. Now, the man walked with speed and purpose, but now, he was capable of being utterly destroyed, if--

"No," Alex said out loud, "no..."

"She can do it. She will do it."

"Chris... I won't lose you. I killed the animal that killed you, there's nothing preventing Alexandra from bringing you back. She can do it..."

"She will..."

Alexandra had stopped crying; she had no tears left with which to do so. All she could do now was sadly stroke Chris's body, hopelessly licking blood off his face. As snow floated down, it collected on her face and snout, but she didn't bother to shake it out. The layer of frost on her fur didn't compare to the iciness that now gripped her heart.

Perhaps an hour had passed since the gunshots, nearly a dozen of them, had roared through the landscape, rebounding off tree after tree to slam into her.

"He said that he was going to wipe the bear that did this off the face of the Earth..."

Alexandra sniffled a little, hugging her son's body, for all the good it did her.

"He said that he was going to wipe the bear that did this off the face of the Earth_..."_

"Oh, Alex... I'm sorry. I'm... I've failed you; I couldn't protect you from the loss of your son... I'm sorry, Alex... I'm so, so, so sorry..."

"Alexandra?" said a soft, timid voice from behind the white tigress.

She turned quickly, her silky, black hair splaying out with the motion of her head. Clutching Chris to herself protectively, she looked up... then down.

"Oh... hello, Alex..." she said, hugging her son's body gently.

Alex pulled off his mask, and slowly, crept towards his family. Alexandra tensed, a little, but calmed, allowing her mate to approach. He smelled of blood, a lot of it; blood, gunpowder, and hate. The tigress looked away, absent-mindedly stroking Chris's fur--it was blatant that she did not approve of what Alex had just done.

"Alexandra..." the man said after a moment, in a desperate, pleading tone, as he made a tentative motion towards his son, only to be spurned when his mate scooted away, "Alexandra, please..." he practically begged.

The tigress relented a little, and held still, allowing Alex to rest a careful, slightly unsteady hand on their son's shoulder. Licking her paw to distract herself, Alexandra instinctually gave herself a shake, so that snow spilled off of her furred, striped face.

A few sudden gusts of wind caught up, spraying Alex and his mate with a few stray crystals of snow. Continuing to lick her paw in pointed ignorance of her mate, Alexandra felt the human grow uncomfortable for a few moments, before he spoke.

"...Alexandra, I... well," he said, in an attempt to be businesslike, though he didn't even try to meet the tigress's eyes, "well, I killed--I avenged Chris... ...I mean, now, we're square..."

A cold, tense pause followed. The tigress gradually stopped licking herself, and angled her head towards her mate, though she didn't raise her eyes to meet his.

"Alex, there's nothing you can do to fix what happened..."

"And, well, I was thinking..."

"...Can you bring Chris back?"

Now, the tigress looked up suddenly. Her ice-colored eyes were wide as they met two warm, brown orbs of childish, optimistic hope. The tigress's lips quavered; Alex didn't notice this, as he tried to smile.

"Alex..." she whispered, before shutting her eyes tightly, "Alex..."

"...I can't, Alex... I can't. It's impossible... he's dead."

Cold... tense... silence...

Alex's happiness faltered, but he recovered quickly, and even managed a slight, confused chuckle.

"...Heheh, what do you mean, 'It's impossible'? I mean, you are my guardian, right? You're supposed to give me what I need, whatever I need! ...And I'm not being unreasonable. All I want is my son. That's all," Alex said simply, lips quavering, before he added, suddenly bitterly, hopelessly desperate, "I only want my son, Alexandra... please... give him back to me..."

The man had more or less prostrated himself in front of the tigress, tears leaking down from his eyes. Not for a second, though, did he look away from Alexandra, and, inch by inch, his hands traveled towards Chris's body, rubbing him, holding him, as if trying to detect some shadow of life in that cold, broken body.

Alexandra's breath started to quicken. Alex was asking the impossible, and the pathetic, begging way in which he felt at Chris; that hopeful, not-quite sane look in his eyes was making her heart beat faster, cutting her breath short, making her eyes dart around for some sort of escape--

"No!"

The single word echoed through the forest like the report of a rifle. A few trickles of snow were knocked from their precarious perches on tree branches, sliding down to the ground with soft hisses. Alex froze instantly... his smile gone, as if forever.

"...No..."

The man stood. His face was expressionless, and the tigress instantly regretted what she'd done. Tears began to leak from her eyes too, and she tried to stand, dropped Chris, let out a strangled, pained cry, picked him up, and stood again.

"A-Alex," she sobbed, hugging Chris's body again, "I'm-I'm sorry, but I can't--"

"Shut up," the man snarled.

The tigress had taken a tentative towards her mate. But his sudden, curt statement stopped her in her tracks like a slap. Tears continued to leak down from Alexandra's eyes, but she was silent now. The harsh, baleful glare Alex gave her was a look that she'd never, ever come close to seeing before, and, to be honest, it scared the tigress a little. She'd always thought that if she hadn't come along, Alex would have become a quiet loner; but now, she wondered, if he might have become a harsh, angry--and maybe even dangerous--man instead. He certainly looked the part just then.

Silent for a moment, the tigress rubbed at her eyes with the back of her paw, fruitlessly trying to stop crying. She hiccupped a few times, and when she spoke it was in an incredibly wary, mewling tone.

"Alex... I'm sorry, but he's dead... I can't bring him back, Alex, I'm sorry..." she whispered.

More silence. Then, hands on his hips, Alex turned away from his mate. The tigress shivered, involuntarily, but she knew the cold chilling her to the bone was not from her frozen surroundings. Her snout was wet with slowly freezing tears, forming miniscule icicles into her sleek, soft fur.

"Shut up..."

Slowly, Alex turned around, glaring at his mate. His gloved hands had formed themselves into tight fists, and the tigress took a few steps away, pushed backwards by his intense, burning hostility. She was a tigress, he was a human... but, just then, she was scared for her life.

"Alexandra, you always fucking say that... that things are how they are, the world is how it is... and you can only choose to take it or leave it--SHUT UP!" he yelled, taking an aggressive step forward as Alexandra tried to interject.

This time, the tigress didn't back up or cry more. It was as if she was now numb to the words, the facial expressions, and the thick, dark cloud of hate that her mate produced. She merely hugged Chris and braced herself, looking down, praying that, soon, the monster that had taken the form of Alex would leave and allow the man she'd loved for every second of her life--and his--to return.

"...Take it or leave it, is it?" Alex sneered, waiting until the tigress looked up to meet his eyes, "well, Alexandra, right now, I think I'd like to leave you."

In the future days, weeks, and years, Alex would always find himself sadly amazed, by the way his mate reacted. She didn't gasp, didn't snarl, didn't burst into tears and she didn't shout. She just stood there.

Alex realized, vaguely, that snow was starting to fall more heavily than it had been for the past few hours. Large, soft flakes began to blur his vision, save for a straight path to Alexandra--he could see her with startling, almost artificial clarity; he was having an out-of-body experience as a result of what he'd done: he simply couldn't believe that he'd said something like that to his mate.

Shortly, though, the man shook it off. Alexandra looked at him with an expression of complete sadness, her blue eyes full to the brim with tears that didn't yet spill. A wave of regret washed over Alex, and he took a tentative step towards Alexandra, extending a hand.

"Oh my God, Alexandra... I didn't mean it, I'm--"

A flash--

"...sorry..."

There was no reply. And there was no longer a clear path for Alex to see his mate through the snow. For a moment, Alex thought he was seeing things, or, more appropriately, not seeing things. Because somehow, in some way...

Alexandra had vanished.

(Chapter three is quite a ways off, but the better this piece's reception is has a direct correlation to how soon I start working on chapter three. So, if you've read this far, drop me a review and a vote. So... 'til chapter three, the final installment of Guardian. Keep it real, YS.)

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