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The Seventh Realm: Volume V

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode 60: Gifts

Opening his eyes, Darius awakens to Koleta still lying beside them. With her body slightly turned, her left shoulder rests upon his chest, her buttocks against his groin. Watching her as she still sleeps peacefully, his arm is tucked beneath her C-cup breasts. For a moment, he has a strong desire to touch her, but unsure of how she'll respond, especially with Sidana and Manny sleeping in the bed across the room, he doesn't act. Instead, he pulls his arm gently away, his black and blue striped fur grinding on her shirt and beneath her bust. With a clawed hand, he brushes her crimson hair from her face.

Her heavy tail flicks as she sighs, her eyelids opening slowly to reveal her fuchsia orbs. Turning them toward him, Darius smiles. No sooner than she turns her head to him, he leans in and the pair share a kiss. He strokes her snout as he kisses her, his heart beating faster. Koleta has been on his mind for so long; waking up to her beside him is literally a dream come true. After the kiss, he nuzzles her snout, her clawed hands gripping his arms tightly as her back arches. It's as if she's teasing him, grinding her buttocks against his groin. They slowly sit up in bed.

“That was a great sleep." Darius says as he stretches his muscles.

“It was. I've never been so comfortable." Koleta coos.

“Neither have I."

“Having a real bed certainly helps." She adds.

“That's not why I was so comfortable." Darius winks.

“I know." She winks back.

“Did you two sleep okay?" He turns toward the other bed.

His brow rises at the sight before him. With a thin, handwoven blanket covering their lower half, Sidana lay against and partially atop Manny, her arms wrapped around him and hugging him like a body pillow. Her thick tail hangs down from the bed and one of her legs is between his. Sidana's snout is tucked just beneath Manny's chin as he lay sprawled on his back, even though she is about three-inches taller than him. Both sleep deeply, not hearing the juveniles as they rise from the bed.

“They're so cute." Koleta coos, watching them.

Darius sniffs the air.

“Hey... Do you smell that?" He turns to Koleta.

Koleta flushes, recognizing the scent as feminine fluids. However, she shakes her head in ignorance. As a male who's mated with at least three females in his time, she wonders why he doesn't recognize it. Perhaps his eighteen months of abstinence, a result of his secret love and loyalty for her, has made him forget? Shrugging his shoulders, Darius turns to her and holds out a hand.

“May I buy you breakfast?" He asks with a smile.

“Do you think they accept cyrians?" She asks with a little giggle.

She takes his hand and rises from the bed. Leaving the room, which has no windows, he is somewhat surprised to find that they've awoken during the night. Walking toward a window on the second floor, just beyond the staircase, he can see the purple night moon as it sinks behind the horizon; daylight is just around the corner. Leaving their gear and weapons in their room with the sleeping warriors, the two juveniles walk downstairs and look through several rooms. Finding one that appears to be a dining hall, they see Damian, Isabella's son, sitting at one of the tables and reading a book.

Hearing Koleta's clawed, digitigrade feet, and Darius' boots on the wooden floor behind him, he closes the book and glances toward them. Setting it aside, he waves them in, drawing them closer. The two teenagers enter the room, approaching the boy who waits patiently for them. Darius pulls out a chair for Koleta, though the design of the chairs is unusual to them. With solid panels of wood for arms, and a tall back with no opening, their tails must curl around their sides. In Koleta's case, and invariably Sidana's, it is uncomfortably tight. Damian immediately notices the woman's discomfort.

“As you can see, we don't have many non-human visitors." Damian begins, rising to his feet. “Actually, we hardly have any." He says, walking across the room and collecting a stool.

“This village is close enough, and you have a tribe of Ketlan living nearby, about a full day's walk." Darius remarks.

“They have little reason to visit us, and they probably only recently set up their camp there. They weren't here last season." Damian says as he returns to the table.

The young human presents the stool to Koleta. Being quite the young gentleman, he pulls her chair away so that she may switch.

“Thank you." She nods.

“You're welcome." Damian smiles.

“You know, I... I heard a lot about your mom from my family... Uncle Johnny. If you don't mind my saying so, you're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be." Darius comments.

“Thank you!" Damian's eyes light up. “I try to be a good person. My mom can be... Harsh... But she does care about her people. I suppose when you don't have a father, the village takes his place, so I learned a lot from the men and women she leads. A lot of the older men kept me in line, and my mom is a big fan of corporal punishment."

“Well, she's helping us. She seems nice to me." Koleta remarks.

“Thank you." Isabella's voice softly answers.

Turning their heads, all three youths see Damian's mother standing just beyond the archway. Darius and Koleta wonder how she approached them unnoticed. Stepping into the room, Isabella turns to her son.

“I appreciate the kind words, miss. Make no mistake, I'm pretty awful; I've done a lot of bad things, and I find it hard to feel badly for them. Most of my misdeeds I still don't regret." She speaks to Koleta. “Up reading again?" She turns to her son.

“Yes mom." Damian nods.

“You seem fine to me." Koleta insists.

“You haven't known me long enough." Isabella smirks. “Though, having Damian did help balance me out quite a bit. One day, he'll be in charge, and I really didn't want him to be like daddy or Yulan. He's about the only good thing I've ever done." She says as she playfully messes up his hair and strokes his cheek.

“Mom." Damian grows embarrassed.

“May I ask you for a favor?" She turns back to Darius and Koleta.

“Sure!" Darius replies.

Reaching into a pocket that's sewn into the interior of her dress, Isabella removes to small handguns, a Sig P232 and a COP .357 derringer. She holds out the weapons to Koleta, who stands the closest to her.

“I want you to give these to my asshole brother. They've been unloaded for years."

“... Alright." Koleta says, her eyes wide with shock.

“Do you mind if I ask why you're letting them go?" Darius asks.

“Too many painful memories. Besides, unloaded guns aren't of any real use to me and I didn't see any .32s or .357s on you when you came in." She answers.

“Fair enough." He contends.

As the sun rises, Isabella serves her son and their guests a simple breakfast. Sitting in the dining hall, they share small talk about her village and the surrounding land. Rich in natural resources, the primary reason for Isabella choosing to settle there, aside from the river that flows for two seasons of the year, was the very cave system that they'll need to traverse. It was once filled with the same power producing crystals that the Sa'kesh often harvest, though as of the second season of the last cycle, her people has extracted them all. It is how they've come to understand the cave system so well, having marked a route through it.

With the sun rising into the sky, Manny gradually awakens. With Sidana lying partially over him, he can feel her body and smooth hide against his flesh. Bending his arm, he locks it behind her, the platinum blonde fur that runs over her spine, from the back of her neck and through the tip of her tail, tickles his arm. Opening his eyes, he turns his head slightly, her snout just beneath his chin. To his surprise, her golden eyes are open, watching him intently. How long has she been staring at him? Smiling at her, he reaches out and runs his fingers through her hair before stroking the light blue flesh of her face.

She closes her eyes at his gentle touch, her tail flicking and the tip flopping softly on the wooden floorboards. Nuzzling him with her snout, Sidana pulls him tighter, making a strange, low rumbling sound; it's as if she were both growling and purring at the same time, and clearly from enjoyment. Looking her over, he can't help but chuckle. Two months earlier he was still on Earth; his most exotic potential girlfriend would have been black or Asian. The dragonesque creature with a female humanoid form lays over him, enjoying his caress. She's the first woman he's made love to in many months.

Manny finds it both amusing and strange that he even sees it that way; what they did last night wasn't just a carnal act, at least not to him. He takes such comfort in her presence, and finds her so attractive. Somehow, even with her clearly inhuman face, she looks so feminine and beautiful; it's truly in the eye of the beholder. As he kisses the Akzazel girl, the hybrid daughter of a human and Zelkona couple, he feels as though he is partaking in a dramatic, science-fiction series, or perhaps a space opera. It makes him chuckle.

“What?" She asks softly.

“Just wondering how I found such a wonderful woman." He answers.

“Fate." She replies.

“Thank you fate. I owe you one." He says as he glances to the ceiling.

“... Are you really happy that you found me?"

“Of course I am!" He says before kissing the top of her snout. “You're unlike any woman I've ever been with before."

“Of that, I'm certain." She giggles.

“I didn't mean it like that, though it's true. You're so warm and sweet and affectionate. You're strong willed and powerful but also gentle; you understand me, and you can put up with my nonsense." He lauds her.

Pulling her head back, Sidana looks at him with solemn eyes. It startles Manny, who up until now thought that everything was fine. Looking down at him, her eyes scan his form before stopping at his pelvis, which is covered by the thin, handwoven blanket. Her expression doesn't change. She pulls her leg from between his and twists, turning around and sitting on the edge of the bed. The covers pull away to reveal her unclothed lower half, her shorts dangling on one ankle. Sidana rests her head in her hands, her ears poking up between her index fingers and thumbs as she stares at her human-like feet.

“What's wrong?" He asks, sitting up.

“What we did... It was wrong." She murmurs.

“Well, it was a little weird with them in the room." He admits.

“I don't mean that... What we did is forbidden; you know as well as I do that the Sa'kesh have taboos." She begins.

“Is it really so bad?"

“I'm not a juvenile anymore, and even if I was, you're an adult and it would still be forbidden. Juveniles and adults are not supposed to mate, and two adults who are unpledged shouldn't mate either, as the juveniles are free to do. No matter how you look at it, we did something that we really should've have... I... I just couldn't help myself." She explains.

“I'm sorry." Manny softly strokes her back.

“I had my youth to entertain males, enjoy myself and learn how mating worked. I was so focused on emulating my mother's career, though. I just never..." She pauses.

“You aren't trying to tell me that was your first time, are you?"

“No. I didn't care about a career until I was fifteen cycles; I had almost three full cycles to enjoy myself. You are the first in at least two cycles, though." She admits.

Manny slides to the edge of the bed. He slips his arm around her waist, scooting over so that their sides touch. Sidana impulsively glances down at his endowment, her lips faintly curling at his sizeable member. She recalls the enjoyment of the previous night and how difficult it was for her to remain silent; thankfully Darius and Koleta were so exhausted, they slept through it anyway, despite their sensitive hearing. Her smile immediately fades when she notices the cuts on his legs, a result of Minkoto's rather brutal sexual assault. Her eyes turn to Manny, locking onto his.

“I'm sorry you're upset about that, but I don't regret a thing. I know it's a taboo, and we never have to speak of it or do it ever again. I just... I really care for you, Sidana. I don't want this to ruin our relationship."

“Relationship?" She asks softly.

“Yeah."

“You... You want a relationship with me?"

“What? Is that so hard to believe?" He raises a brow.

“What makes you so sure that I didn't just have a lot of pent up energy and required a release? Perhaps my feelings for you were just a means to motivate me to indulge?" She suggests.

“I don't think you'd be so upset over breaking a taboo unless you didn't regret it or thought it would happen again. I also think you were genuine when you told me how you felt about me; that wasn't just sexual tension. I could be wrong, but I hope not. I was honest about how I felt." He says, softly caressing her side.

“You were?" Her eyes well up. “It wasn't just sweet words to disarm me?"

Leaning in, he rests a hand upon her cheek and kisses her lips very tenderly. They curl up around the corners of her snout as she looks to him, closing her eyes and nuzzling him.

“As strong as you are, I could never disarm you." He replies.

“That's not what I meant."

“I know what you meant." He smirks. “And I meant everything that I said. Sidana... I love you."

“And I love you too." She says with a shaking voice. “You're right. I don't regret it; I loved it. It'll happen again, and again, but I just know that we shouldn't."

“Only two more times?"

“Shut up." She chuckles.

“That's better. I always want to see that pretty smile." He says as he takes her into his arms, hugging her.

“You're so sweet."

“Will you pledge to me?"

Sidana's eyes grow wide as she hugs him. She pulls away to look at him, eager to see his expression. Looking into his eyes, she can see that he's serious.

“We love each other, we're both adults, and I actually think we can be pretty damn happy living together. Besides, if we don't, you're just going to keep feeling badly about us violating a taboo over and over." He says.

“Yes." Sidana nods her head, her eyes filled with joyful tears. “I'll pledge to you."

Taking hold of him, her heart races. She's never cared for anyone as much as she cares for Manny, who is the only man she's ever imagined pledging herself to. She can hardly wait to return to the capitol city so that she may prepare. Luckily, with so many people in each city, pledging supplies are easily attained from merchants; they sell leather collars for the females and armbands for the males, as well as beads and gemstones that she can use to decorate the symbols of their bond to each other. She wonders how much overtime pay she has coming to her after this mission; it'll easily cover the cost of supplies she'll need.

Sidana's mind races one thousand miles per hour. Where will they live? Obviously, they will mate often and vigorously, something she is looking forward too. Will they breed? She certainly hopes so. How many children might they have? How good a father will Manny be? What will their py'sel babies look like? She knows, as everyone else does, that they will be like her in form; the genetic markers infused by the ancients won't allow for further hybridization. However, their coloration and pattern are something she ponders.

“Manny?"

“Yeah?"

“Do you want children, and if so, how many?" She asks.

“How many do you think we can handle?" He replies.

Her arms squeeze him tighter.

“Where do you want to live?" She asks.

“I don't care. Whichever city, whatever house; just so long as I'm always with you." He answers.

She nuzzles his face, making the same happy, low rumble as before. How can she be so lucky as to have found such a man? He's everything that she's ever wanted in both a lover and a pledge; she often worried that she wouldn't find both qualities in a man and is happy to be mistaken. Suddenly, she remembers something else. Her heart weighs heavy and she fears upsetting him, but she simply has to know.

“Manny?"

“Yeah?"

“Will you tell me what happened to you when you were captured by those Ketlan? How did you get those cuts?" She asks.

“... Do you really need to know?" He asks.

“I do." She nods. “I want you to be honest with me at all times, as I will be with you."

“Okay..." Manny gulps. “If you're going to be my wife, then... No secrets."

Sitting with their hosts downstairs, Darius and Koleta finish their plates of food. Darius takes a kettle of hot tea to refill Koleta's clay goblet, as well as his own. Continuing their conversation, they speak of the Zajak.

“And they were all cleared from the cave system?" Darius asks.

“We did the best we could. I burned most of those little fuckers out with a concoction of tree resin, liquified animal fat and a bit of water. Not as good as gasoline, but it did the trick. The few that we didn't find ran off into the wilderness, probably looking for new caves. There are a few in this area." Isabella answers.

“Is that why those hunters were there?" Koleta asks.

“Yes. A few nights ago, the Zajak struck back. About thirty of them came. I've seen a lot more than that, so I was thankful." Isabella pauses as she remembers the Zajak attack on the original tree fortress, so many years ago. “Anyway... My hunters are highly skilled bowman, and most can handle a sword and axe too. We killed about ten and sent the rest running, and not one of my people even died in the fight."

“Impressive." Darius remarks.

“You should've seen the shit that was going on when I was your age. Horrors you wouldn't believe! As much as I hate him for dragging me into this mess, I have to give your father credit; Cyrus thought on his feet and always managed to pull us through." Isabella admits.

“Sometimes I feel like I'm shrouded in my dad's shadow. All I hear is 'Cyrus this' and 'Cyrus that'. It makes me feel really insignificant sometimes, like I'm not going to amount to anything." Darius sighs solemnly.

“Is that why you're out here? You look a little weathered. I assumed you were running way." Isabella comments.

“Yeah... I thought maybe I could be like him. She and I left thinking we could make a name for ourselves. Instead, I got us lost and put people I care about in danger."

“That's because you're doing it wrong." Isabella remarks, sipping some hot tea.

“What do you mean?"

“I mean, you're not Cyrus. Trying to be Cyrus is just going to end badly; it looks like it almost did already, and probably more than once. What you need to do, is figure out who you are and work to your strengths." She explains.

“To what end?" He asks, perplexed.

“Well, take my son, for example. I'm a cold, calculating bitch. I built this tribe from dirt after my husband and father kidnapped the first of them. My son is the polar opposite, and I'm glad. When I'm finally dead, he'll be the diplomatic, thoughtful leader who can build a tribe that might even rival the Sa'kesh. Who's to say? Your father built that tribe and he killed a lot of people to do it, but you don't look like you have the stomach for it. One day, he's going to die too, and as the oldest, you'll be king. Cyrus laid the foundations, and he built a pretty big kingdom in his lifetime, but you'll have a head start, and a chance to make it even better."

“Social projects, new cities, diplomacy." Koleta interjects.

“Exactly." Isabella nods. “You may one day find yourself allying with a little, human-only tribe led by a man named 'Damian'. That alliance might pave the way for more. Cyrus might have built a few cities and a nice kingdom, like I built this tribe, but our alliance might spread out over half of the content; I can only imagine what the generation you and Damian spawn will do after you."

Darius sits there, pondering her words. He'd never considered politics to be his future. Though he knew that one day he'd lead the Sa'kesh, as the heir to Cyrus' throne, Darius admittedly never gave it much thought. Perhaps Isabella is right? He could lead the Sa'kesh to true greatness. Filled with a new resolve, Darius decides that once he returns home, he'll need to make amends and focus on learning the ins and outs of being a true leader.

“Who knows what your future holds." Isabella shrugs.

Sitting in a stunned silence atop the bed, Sidana is appalled by Manny's abuse. He hangs his head shamefully, staring down at his feet. Though it scarred him deeply, he handled the actual event surprisingly well; telling Sidana, however, hurt far worse and was more humiliating to him than his assault. After a moment of silence, Sidana scoots closer. Placing a hand on his leg, she slips an arm around his waist and rests her head against his. All she wants to do is comfort the man who will be her pledge, to take away his pain and shame. Nuzzling his cheek with her snout, she kisses him tenderly.

“Thank you for telling me." She says softly.

“You're not upset with me?" He turns to her with sorrowful eyes.

“Of course not." She smiles warmly.

“But she-"

“I know." She interrupts, stroking his cheek affectionately. “You didn't want to. You were forced by an insane woman who's clearly in denial about her own sexual preferences. Your body reacted to her stimulation against your will; I don't believe that you wanted her."

“I didn't." He assures her.

“Of course not. How could you, when you have me?" She smirks, waving a hand over herself as if presenting a grand prize.

Manny chuckles. Turning, he takes her into his arms and holds onto her, resting his chin on her shoulder. He kisses her cheek and then her neck, causing her to tremble.

“Thank you for being so understanding. I'm glad I can trust you with that." He says.

“You can trust me with your life, Manny." She says as she strokes his back.

“I do."

“And I trust you with mine." She adds.

Holding each other tightly, Sidana shifts. With a desire to be even closer, she slides herself slowly over his legs and onto his lap. To make them both more comfortable, he slides back and allows her to do so. She looks down at the human, who looks up at the Akzazel. Their eyes locked, she rests the tip of her snout against his nose. Cocking her head slightly, she presses her lips against his and they share a kiss. One kiss becomes two, and then several more. Opening their jaws, the intensity and passion builds, their tongues caressing. Sidana reaches a hand down, placing it between her legs. She briefly rubs herself before taking hold of his slowly growing member.

“We're alone this time." She growls lustfully as she strokes him.

“And we still have a bed." He replies.

“I love you, Manny."

“And I love you, Sidana."

As they kiss, caress and nuzzle each other, their passion swells. Falling back and lying flat on the bed, Sidana straddles Manny, her hand still between her legs and holding his girth. Both thoroughly prepared, she teases her flesh before pushing back, gasping and groaning. Manny grunts from the sensation of her taut loins, holding her hips tightly. Her tail whips with glee, swaying as if it were dancing. Sitting atop him and enveloping her lover's organ, she gazes down. Her lips curl into a sinister grin as she begins to move; no need to remain quiet when they're the only two people in the room.