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Chapter 20: Agreements and Discussions

After he got dressed, he noted his mate had already done the same and was waiting for him with a light breakfast. Grumbling about wasting time, he sat down under his mate's watchful eye and managed to choke down a little toast, bacon, and coffee even though he had no real appetite. Their early morning discussion and subsequent disagreement left him irritable.

They left the apartment and though reluctant, Tendaji left his mate to go to work on his own in his hummer while he went to his own vehicle parked behind the apartment. He felt only marginally better when he spotted the guards he set on his mate.

Still troubled by their conversation, Tendaji headed for his new offices. He needed to talk to Dubaku urgently.

Feral didn't miss his tail in his rearview mirror as he wended his way through morning traffic. He didn't bother to sigh, knowing he had to get used to being shadowed all the time by Ten's...no...his pride. That was going to be another thing he had to get used to...no longer being alone. He now belonged to a greater whole and he needed to think like one from now on.

That didn't help his quandary this morning, however, since he sat firmly on the fence in this matter by being the law enforcement for this city and a member of the Zubari Pride. What a mess. He sincerely hoped, Ms. Briggs would be able to help him wade through the legal quagmire he'd inadvertently caused.

He decided it would be best if he simply went on to city hall and addressed this problem immediately. If he went to his office there would be no way he'd get free for hours. Decision made he changed direction slightly and headed for the Deputy Mayor's office.

Feral walked across the lobby briskly and took the elevator to the top floor of city hall. He was lucky, when he exited the elevator he spotted Ms. Briggs just entering her office. He moved quickly down the hall and entered the outer office. He ignored the secretary and headed for Callie's still open door.

She was in the process of closing it when it halted. She frowned and was surprised to see Commander Feral behind it, wanting in. Eyeing him questioningly, she opened the door further so he could slip in then closed it behind him.

"I wasn't aware you had returned to the city, Commander. When did you get in?" She asked as she made her way to her desk and sat down.

"I got in yesterday morning and went straight to my office, Ms. Briggs. I had a great deal to correct from Steele's bungled work." He growled, taking a seat before her desk. Normally, he would remain standing, say what he needed and leave but this time he knew this matter was going to take longer.

"I can well imagine." Callie grimaced in sympathy. She didn't like Feral's second in command any more than he did and wished, far too many times, that she could help him get rid of the useless officer but politics kept their paws tied. "So, knowing you still have a great deal of work to do, I'm surprised to see you here. Is there a problem?" She asked.

It was Feral's turn to grimace. "Unfortunately, yes. Seems my being mated and accepted into the Zubari Pride has placed me in the middle of a serious legal entanglement. Let me explain." He said and over the next twenty minutes he told her about the law and how the Pride Hunts conflicted with it.

When he finished, Callie leaned back in her chair and stared at him in dismay.

"This is a real problem alright. I'm going to have to get with the city attorney about it. Is there someone who can speak for the prides and has the authority to negotiate a new agreement? She asked him.

Feral frowned, "I'm not certain who that would be. Just a moment and I'll call Ten." He said pulling out his cell and speed dialing his mate's number. "Ten, who can speak for the prides and have the authority to sign a new agreement?" He asked his mate when he answered.

Ten blinked in surprise. Uly hadn't wasted any time dealing with this problem. "Dubaku can discuss the matter and help define a new agreement but a conclave of pride leaders will have to meet and agree to it before it can be ratified." Ten explained.

"Understood. Would you have Dubaku call Ms. Briggs and set up a time to meet and discuss this with the city attorney?" Feral asked.

"That's not a problem. Wait and I'll get Dubaku right now." Ten said putting the phone on hold a moment while he summoned his friend.

Feral held his phone and waited and looked at Ms. Briggs. "Ten is getting Dubaku. He will be the one to help negotiate a new agreement on this but ratifying will require a conclave of the Pride leaders." He told her.

"That's understandable. It means, though, no resolution to the problem will happen very soon. You need to find a happy median to solve your problem temporarily until a more permanent solution is agreed to." She said seriously.

Feral nodded then raised a finger signifying someone was on the phone. "This is Dubaku!" Came the other lion's voice. "Yes, Dubaku...Feral here...did Ten tell you what we need?...okay...then here is Ms. Briggs." Feral said handing his phone over to the Deputy Mayor. She took it and spoke for a few minutes than hung up, handing the phone back to him.

"Okay, we're set." Callie told him.

"Thanks for your help, Ms. Briggs. I appreciate this. As for what I'll do in the meantime, you could say I have already done so. Most of the other prides have left the city for the time being until this is resolved. The Zubari Pride already knows what I'll do if they cross the line right now. I'll just have to take care of it on a case by case method for right now." He sighed, shaking his head at the extra work.

"That would probably be the best for now, Commander. I'll brief the Mayor about this problem with the prides so he isn't blind sided by it even though he'll not be involved beyond signing the agreement." She said with a wane smile.

Feral gave her a small smile in return. He knew who really ran the city and knew she would take care of this as swiftly as she could then cajole the Mayor into signing his name. 'What a way to run a city.' He thought wryly. He nodded goodbye and left her to get back to her heavy workload that he had just added to.

He was relieved to have that dealt with as he hurried off to get back to his own ridiculously huge workload. He never bothered to do more than glance quickly at his guard, checking to be sure it was a pride member, before taking the elevator to the ground floor and making for his hummer.

Back at the Kymer Security Firm's new office building, Ten eyed Dubaku as the other hung up the cell phone and handed it back to him. "Well?" Ten asked taking the cell and putting it in his pocket.

"Ms. Briggs will get back to me when she has a chance to speak with the city attorney then we'll have the first of many meetings, I don't doubt." Dubaku said dryly.

"Well, at least Ulysses does get things moving quickly." Ten sighed. "So we have to keep our noses clean and take care when we stalk a mate." He grimaced unhappily. "Oh that will go over well with the young bucks." He said sourly.

"It can't be helped. You mated a very sharp tom who cares a great deal for the kats of this city but especially for his own people. That's what makes him a leader." Dubaku said quietly.

"I know, but...there are times when I just don't' understand why I had to mate such a fractious person in the first place. I feel I'm on a constant roller coaster." He complained, leaning back in his chair in his new office. "And it still bothers me that he can't feel our bond."

Dubaku smiled understandingly. "One never knows what our Goddess has in mind for us. Despite all the grief you two might suffer as you learn about each other, I feel you two will do great things for our Pride. As for your bond...I intend to catch your mate and discuss that." He said quietly.

"I hope you are able to find out what's going on." Ten sighed in concern. "Well, I'll leave that to you and let the other take care of itself for now. I have the job of setting up our company here so that's what I'll concentrate on." He grunted.

Dubaku merely shrugged and let Ten change the subject to a less painful one. It was going to be a busy day. He still needed to speak to Commander Feral about the bond and he couldn't delay to much longer.

It took him longer than three days to get Feral alone to talk to him, much to his annoyance. The big tom had been difficult to corral, repeatedly saying he had far too much work to get done and though, that was certainly true, Dubaku had to finally tell him he had no choice and to set a time for them to meet. The Commander grumbled irritably but finally made a time for them to meet privately.

Dubaku had decided a bluff overlooking the ocean would be the perfect place. It was breathtaking and on a weekday, fairly unbusy. As he arrived before Feral, he was pleased to note the area was devoid of anyone. This would make what he had to say and do, easier...he hoped.

He had suggested a long lunch and to that end, had brought a small picnic basket of food, blanket and drinks. He spread the blanket under a lone tree overlooking the beach below them.

Not more than ten minutes later, Feral drove up. He paused near his vehicle to pull off his coat, and leave his laser and holster locked inside his car, taking only his radio with him. He spotted Dubaku and trudged up the grassy hillside to join him.

Dropping gracefully onto the blanket opposite the lion, Feral laid his radio next to him and leaned against the tree.

"Thank you for coming, Ulysses." Dubaku said politely, handing the Commander a sandwich and can of milk.

"You didn't give me much choice." He grunted accepting the food.

"True, but being polite doesn't hurt anyone and provides a more convivial starting point." Dubaku pointed out as he took his own sandwich and milk and sat crosslegged as he stared out over the ocean. "The view here is breathtaking. This is one of the things I like about your city." He said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"It's been a while since I had time to be here." Feral said, staring at the sandy beaches below him. Point of fact, he'd not been here for anything but duty in a very long time, he realized. It was peaceful and the view was great. He drank it in as well as the salty air as he ate his lunch. A peaceful meal was something he hadn't had in a long time either.

"Then I'm pleased to have chosen it for our discussion and lunch. The spirit needs a break if it is to handle adversity well. I suspect you rarely if ever take any time for yourself and your spirit is starved for a moment of peace." Dubaku observed lightly.

Feral didn't comment. They ate their meal in relative silence after that. When they were through, Dubaku collected the trash and put it back in the basket then settled himself for the difficult discussion at paw.

"Ulysses, because you are not female, I suspect this is why you do not sense the bond between you and Tendaji. What I need to do is probe you and see in what shape the bond is in before I can help guide you both. You will feel no pain or intrusion. I am not gong to rummage around your thoughts, so any secrets you hold because of your position will remain your own. I will only go to that place in your mind that holds the cord that connects you to your mate." Dubaku explained as simply as he could.

Feral frowned and shifted uneasily. "I don't really like the idea of someone in my mind in the first place." He said unwillingly.

"I know and I understand. You are a rather pragmatic Kat and this 'hocus pocus' is just not in your nature to believe in but it is an integral part of a pride's heritage and history. It is something you will just have to accept at face value as a member of the pride. Hopefully, though, you will eventually feel the bond and then you will understand what it's all about more easily. Shall we begin?" Dubaku asked.

Feral shifted again. "What do I have to do?" He asked, still nervous about allowing this lion to intrude in his mind.

"I want you to either close your eyes or to stare at the water and let your mind relax. Empty it of everything. I will do the rest." The lion instructed, readying himself for the probe.

The dark tom tried closing his eyes but his mind was just too busy. Sighing in annoyance, he opened them again and stared at the blue water. That helped him to relax and just be for a little while.

Dubaku studied Feral as he worked to relax his mind. He sighed mentally, 'This Kat just doesn't know how to relax because he's never allowed himself to.' It took Feral some fifteen minutes to finally fall into a relaxed state of mind watching the ocean.

Closing his own eyes, Dubaku settled into a trance state then drifted carefully toward the waiting tom before him. He slipped in slowly, halting many times when Feral's inner alarms would go off. He was amazed at how well developed the dark tom's sixth sense was. Ten was very fortunate to have a tom who essentially was so hyper aware of his surroundings that he seemed to live a charmed life despite the dangerous environment he existed in.

It took him far longer to reach his goal because of Feral's hyper aware senses but he finally did reach the golden cord he had been looking for. He studied the bond from many angles but he could not see why Ulysses could not sense it. The bond was a bright glowing blue that shone like a star. It told him Ulysses and Ten's bond was very strong indeed and was the soul bond Ten had felt it to be.

Sighing to himself, Dubaku looked a little deeper and finally discovered a section where the cord was seemingly pinched off. He frowned at it. This shouldn't be here. He looked around more closely, a suspicion forming in his mind. Seeing nothing more, he carefully retraced his way back out.

Moments later he was in his own body once more. He took several slow, deep breaths to clear his mind and pull from the trance.

Feral had felt some odd sensations, a few felt like his sixth sense going off but he consciously ignored them knowing it was probably because of Dubaku's intrusion. It was very hard to keep his mind relaxed when his alarms kept going off, though.

"You have a very well developed sixth sense, Ulysses. I've never encountered one as strong as yours." Dubaku said, breaking the silence.

"That's nice to know. Was hard to stay relaxed with you setting off my internal alarms though." Feral grunted, glad it was over.

"I can imagine. It wasn't easy traversing your mind field, I can assure you. Anyway, I did find the bonding cord. I must say it makes my heart warm when I see a soul bond. It is unlike any other bond...it glows with the strength of a star in the heavens. The only thing I saw that marred it was one end of it was pinched." Dubaku said, frowning.

"Pinched?" Feral asked in surprise.

"Yes. I suspect it is you that is doing it." The lion said seriously.

"Me? But I don't know how to do anything like that." Feral objected.

"Not consciously, no. But your subconscious mind has determined this bond is an intruder and has cut it off." Dubaku said.

Feral blinked in shock. "So it's there but I can't feel it because I'm blocking it?"

"Yes."

"Well how do I unblock it?"

Dubaku shook his head. "You have to want to 'badly'. I'm afraid it will take something very serious to make you want to reach out to your mate with every fiber of your being and I'm not certain what that might be that would cause you to do this." He said unhappily.

"Well that sucks!" Feral grumbled. "From what everyone's been telling me, it's a real bad thing that I can't feel the bond and now you're telling me it will take something really bad for me to allow it to work. That's just great."

"I know. I wish I could do something about it but this is something you must do yourself." Dubaku said shaking his head in dismay. "Do you understand what the bond is and how it functions?" He asked, changing the subject a little.

"Uh...not really. Ten's said it binds our souls together but beyond that I don't know much more." Feral said with a shrug.

"Alright. A bonding between lions or as in your case, a lion and Kat occurs during the hunt and first mating. Your minds reach for each other and bind together. A soul bond is very rare. In that kind of bond the soul and mind bonds but in yours and Tendaji's case, your souls were the only ones that connected but not your minds. Your bonding is incomplete and is causing Tendaji discomfort. The only time I noted you being affected is when you denied Ten your company. It started to disturb you didn't it?" Dubaku asked gently.

Feral rubbed his neck and blushed. "Uhm, I felt a bit uncomfortable and lonely...yes." He said reluctantly.

"And when you two came together, you felt better again...more whole...didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Feral admitted.

"That worked for you but Tendaji is still suffering from the incompleteness of the bonding process. Eventually it will make him ill and emotionally unstable." The lion said gravely.

Feral stared at him in shock. Just the thought of that made him feel ill. "I...I ...didn't realize... there's nothing you can do?" He pleaded, now very worried.

Dubaku was relieved to see the distress on the tom's face. It meant that even though he couldn't feel the bond, enough of it was there to make him upset about anything happening to his mate. That gave Dubaku hope.

"I'm sorry, no. It really is all up to you." He said, sorry to cause the tom even more distress.

Feral turned his head to stare at the ocean blindly. No matter how much his mate and the pride annoyed him, he didn't want his mate to suffer because of something he had inadvertently done. He was at a complete loss as to how to fix it though and apparently, their Imamu didn't have an answer for him either. 'Crud, as if I didn't have enough worries as it is.' He thought miserably.