by J. C. Owens
Auri sighed and straightened his uniform. “Yes, sir.” He saluted and strode across the clearing to where the diplomatic team stood conversing. The talk ceased when he arrived and they looked at him for a moment, then away in a manner that raised his hackles. What the hell was wrong with them?
The two who had been chosen gestured to him to follow and he did so in silence, jaw clenched with annoyance he would not display. Stupid asses, he muttered under his breath. They walked before him and the security duo came behind, eyes watchful.
The forest closed around them and then he saw Kaseer standing waiting for them, a grin on his face as he met Auri’s eyes. He had known last night, been correct in his assumption they would speak again.
He nodded to the Felin, hoping his annoyance was hidden well enough, but the glint of mischief in Kaseer’s eyes before he turned made him think he had not achieved his aim well at all.
He sighed again and determinedly watched the trees, his only remaining chance to admire them unless he should remain with the diplomatic crew and come back in the future.
The smells and sounds were intriguing and he tried to let them soothe his nerves, for the closer they got to their destination the more he tensed, every sense on alert.
It was a good half hour before they reached the site, and Auri stared at the great standing stones that ringed the clearing, feeling a great reluctance to pass into them. He chastised his own superstitions, his ignorance.
The same three Felin were in attendance, nodding to Kaseer as he approached and joined them. Auri was careful to avoid the gaze of the tall one. Having experienced the power of those eyes once already, he was not eager for a repeat performance.
The two diplomats held forth papers and the tall one took them, reading through them slowly, carefully. To Auri’s amazement, he spoke in Auri’s language.
“You agree then to our terms? The last impediment has been dealt with?”
One of the diplomats nodded. “We have agreed. It shall be as you wish.”
The tall one eyed them, then passed the papers to one of his comrades and stepped around the diplomats, coming to stand in front of Auri, far too close for comfort. The lieutenant had to fight himself to keep from backing up. He stared up coolly at the Felin, determined not to be intimidated.
“My name is Kanar, Lieutenant Auri.” The voice was deep and well modulated.
Auri cleared his throat, trying to remain calm despite his confusion. “I am pleased to meet you, Kanar.” He nodded, impressed with his own formal, cool tone.
“You know why you are here?”
Auri blinked. “I have been chosen to be one of those to witness the signing of the trade papers.”
Kanar smiled then and his teeth gleamed.
“I see they did not tell you. I wondered if they would.” His amusement was palatable.
Auri felt his temper rising and fought it down with difficulty. “Tell me what, Kanar?”
“That you were the last obstacle to the papers being signed.”
Auri’s mind went blank. “Obstacle? How so?” he asked slowly, a confused frown gaining form. Had he somehow insulted them?
“You are to be part of the trade agreement. You will be my mate.”
Auri stared at him, the words floating around his consciousness and making no sense whatsoever. When at last they settled in his mind, his response was immediate if not polite.
“No bloody way.”
Kanar tilted his head, his golden eyes intent, ears flicking. “What do you mean?” The faint smile that curved his lips made Auri want to smack it from his face.
“I mean no. What part of no do you not understand? I think there is a mistake here. I have never indicated in any way that I would be willing to do such a thing.” His tone rivaled ice itself.
Kanar folded his arms across his broad chest, still with that faint smile that showed his teeth in detail. “Your people have assured me you will be more than pleased to submit yourself to me for whatever I require.”
Auri felt rage pool within him and he turned to the diplomats with fists clenched. “What bullshit have you been telling him? I have never—”
The one man, head of the team, looked at him coolly. “You are a warrior, Lieutenant Auri. You are sworn to do whatever the Empire might require of you to protect it and see to its best interests.”
Auri’s jaw sagged. “You expect me to take my oath to this extreme? I don’t think so, buddy. I signed on to fight, not to offer my body to some freak who thinks he can order us around because he sits on a pile of illanium…”
“That is enough, Lieutenant. You are ordered to submit.”
“Fuck you!” Auri seethed now, hardly able to believe the words he was hearing. These people were utterly insane. “I don’t know where you got the idea you can order free people around like slaves, but I have had enough of this crap.” He turned to leave and before he could even blink, the two security people had his arms pinned and had removed his gun from its holster. Their faces were grim and tight and they would not meet his eyes, but their grips never wavered.
“What the hell is this?” His teeth gritted so hard he thought they would crack.
The head diplomat looked impatient, as though at a child misbehaving. “I do not think you understand, young man. Kanar is the leader of the Felin. Do you understand that much? The leader. King if you will, though that is not their word for it. He has chosen you to be his mate, one of his harem, and you should be thankful, not displaying such disrespect. This is an incredible honor bestowed upon you.”
Auri struggled against the hands that held him, becoming increasingly sure these fanatics meant it. “Then you let him fuck you if it is such a damn great idea! Leave me out of it!”
The diplomat sighed. “He is young, Kanar. Forgive him. He will settle in time.”
“You are all crazy!” Auri yelled. “This is enough. Let me go back—”
“There is no ‘back,’ young man.” The diplomat’s voice was without compromise. “From this moment forth you are dead to the Empire, and should you try to return, you will be disciplined and sent back. All those who knew you will be informed you have died. There is no one to go back to. Remember that. It will help you accept your new life.”
Auri stared at him, trying to understand, trying to take in these words that left him cold and numb with shock.
He watched with horror as Kanar approached him again, staring up at the powerful Felinian as he grasped Auri’s arm and pulled him up against him as the security people let go.
He tried to pull away, but it was like trying to fight stone. He twisted his head to watch in stunned disbelief as the two diplomats took the now signed papers and turned, the security people close behind, and walked away.
Just walked away. As though he were nothing. Of no importance beyond his worth to Kanar. He drew breath to scream at them, and Kanar pulled him back so his body was pressed against his.
“They will not change their minds, Auri. To attempt it is to make yourself look foolish,” he rumbled.
Auri exploded. He did not try to get away as perhaps Kanar expected. He whirled within the hard grasp, had the great knife out from its sheath on the Felin’s thigh and stabbed swift as thought. When the grip fell away, accompanied by a pained grunt, he bolted straight into the forest.
There was no one he could trust now, only himself.
* * * He fled, heart pounding, sure he would be caught within the first few moments, for he could not equal the speed and grace of a cat, but luck was with him. It seemed the gods had mercy. He heard the sound of rushing water and cast a desperate look over his shoulder, seeing at least ten Felin in pursuit. He had been right in assuming there were many more in the vicinity, but he could take no comfort in that fact at the moment.
He could only pray Felin were as cat-like as they seemed, that they could not abide water or at least had little contact with it, little enough to not know how to swim.
He reached the bank of the river, half s
tumbling in his panic, and stood for the slightest of moments, looking at the swirling angry waters with fear that swiftly turned to resignation. There was no choice really.
He heard a shout behind him and jumped. The air might be warm, but the waters must be mountain fed, clear and deathly cold. He gasped, body shocked into motion as he struggled to the surface, gasping as he fought to make limbs move. The flow was swift and obviously flood driven, for he felt debris brush past him, leaving scratches and bruises in their wake. He did not fight the current; indeed he swam with it, wanting to get as much distance as he could between himself and the Felin before he was forced from the waters by the threat of hypothermia.
Time passed, and he did not know how long he floated, but he felt his strength going and knew he had to make it out soon. He began to edge toward the shore, then stared in horror as he realized he was heading for a large logjam. Desperately, he swam with all his might, hoping to slip past it, but it was not to be. His luck ran out. He scrabbled for a moment at a log, then held his breath as he was sucked under. Rolling, rolling, stabbed with branches, slammed against the river bottom, then back up, he let himself go limp, conserving energy and air, then suddenly he was jerked to a stop and the water battered him as it swept past.
His uniform jacket had snagged.
He twisted, fighting the water pressure, struggling to undo the zipper and then to free his arms from the wet material. Just as he thought he might black out, weakening, something gave way and he was swept out, his head breaking into sweet air, gasping for it. Feebly, he made for the shore in the gentle backwater to one side of the logjam. He crawled through the soft mud, then collapsed.
For a time, he drifted in consciousness, then a sound made him flinch, open his eyes. Across the river he saw the shapes of six great cats, mighty beasts of various colors, panther-like in their build, their stares fixed upon him.
His eyes widened and he fought to his feet, stumbling and falling in the mud, until he could reach the more solid bank and fight his way up the steep side. He looked back only once, when a yowl of frustration came from one of the creatures, then he plunged into the forest depths once more.
* * * When night fell, it found him exhausted and utterly lost. It was hard to tell direction when he often could not see the sky for the great trees that blocked all above him. Cold in the dampness of the night, hungrier then he could ever remember being, he finally stopped, shivering with nothing to cover his torso, his shirt having ripped off when his jacket had. Cuts stung and throbbed, and his feet felt swollen and tender in his wet boots.
He found a tree that was slightly smaller than the others, with more branches closer to the ground, and he managed to climb it, shaking with all his body had endured. When at last he encountered two branches close together that he could safely sleep on, he collapsed utterly. He slept, or was unconscious at least, for some time, then he woke, managing to pull his boots off one by one so his feet might dry. Blisters covered them from the trek, wet skin unable to endure the rubbing, and he flinched at the air on them, then simply lay back, drifting back into a space where he did not need to think, only endure.
* * * He started awake several times from strange animal calls that made him tense, nervously aware he had no weapon and that in his current helpless state, he would certainly be prey for any number of creatures aside from the Felin themselves.
He refused to think of what had happened earlier, refused to consider his fate or what had been done to him. For now, he must merely focus on the moment, how to survive, how to continue his flight. He knew there was a trading center perhaps five days away to the west where ships from many different places brought goods. If he could make it there and somehow trade his skills for a place on one of them, he might escape before the Empire could track him, if they were even aware he had broken free from the Felin.
This was his only chance, and he would damn well fight for it.
When the morning sun warmed the land and the night animals slept, he came down from his tree. The first order of business was to wrap his feet carefully with soft moss packed into his half dry boots. Second was to search for food, anything at all that looks edible. From previous experiences on other worlds, he knew how to test for dangerous plants, how to let a touch on his tongue tell him many things. He found a few leaves that seemed palatable enough, and he gathered handfuls of them as he walked, for he had to make good time and keep ahead of those who hunted him, whether Empire or Felin.
His sore muscles gradually warmed and his pace increased, his determination driving him on. He knew the leaves would not keep him going for too long, but if he could just survive the five days…
Encountering several streams aided him, for he did not have to search for fresh water. On the banks of one of the steams he found a sturdy branch and he used it as a walking stick, feeling somewhat better in that it could also be used as a primitive weapon. Even the illusion of such a thing gave him more confidence.
Even so, by late afternoon he began to increase his pace. Something, some sense, told him they were coming.
He tried to control his panic, but soon he was jogging, casting the occasional look back over his shoulder. The sense of being hunted, of being prey, made his heart hammer, and each noise made his body flinch with reaction.
He topped a hill, panting, then rested for a moment, hands on knees. He could see for miles around, over the tops of trees and the vastness of it all left him despairing. He stared to the west and thought he could see the sun glint off metal, perhaps the trading station. He turned in that direction, then froze, breath held.
Before him, to the left, a great cat stalked from the trees, head low, intent on him. Every primal instinct in him screamed to run, and he stumbled backwards, eyes wide, then turned and ran for the nearest tree, some vague idea of height advantage in his mind.
A massive weight struck him from behind and he rolled in the grass, crying out in terror as he smelled the beast, felt its fur on his skin, heard its snarl in his ears.
Stick lost in the attack, he had only his hands to defend himself, and they beat against the animal ineffectually as it batted him over to his back with one giant paw, claws raking his arm.
Great jaws slavered open, and he screamed as they descended over his throat, closing until it was hard to breathe. He sobbed in terror, trying to claw at the beast’s eyes, but its snarl froze him in place as it held him, stopping its attack, not moving but to hold him in place.
All he could hear then were his sobbing breaths and the pants of the animal as it crouched over him, twice his size. He could feel the press of the great canines on the tender skin of his throat and knew with horrible certainty it would take very little to pierce his life’s blood. He had seen large cats kill, their method suffocation as they held the throat, denying air.
He closed his eyes, unable to bear looking his death in the eye, and made his body go limp. Lack of resistance made the grip loosen ever so slightly, and the cat moved over him.
A growl of impatience split the air and claws unsheathed, ripping down through the fabric of his pants, baring him utterly, scoring his thigh. He cried out, arching against the pain, struggling anew as this last barrier was destroyed. The feel of air on his skin made him frantic, and he thrashed against his captor, ignoring the blood that ran down his throat.
Then the teeth were gone but before he could draw a full breath, he was flipped over forcefully to his belly.
“Stop, gods, stop!”
The teeth returned, but to the back of his neck this time and pulled him to his knees despite all he could do to prevent it, then he felt the cat over him, fur against his skin, teeth grabbing his nape and holding him firmly.
He thought he heard voices close by, then the huge body over him stopped moving. He could only hear his own harsh breathing, then Kaseer’s low, gentle voice.
His eyes rolled to the side and he could vaguely see the Felin, in humanoid shape, some distance away.
“Auri, I need you
to listen to me.” The Felin’s voice was calm, but his eyes showed a deep worry and fear.
Auri blinked in response but was too terrified to nod.
“Kanar is in rut. There is no thought but that primal need in his mind. He cannot change back to his normal form while he is in this state. You need to act in certain ways, or he is going to badly hurt you. He is not aware of his actions, Auri. He is bestial right now. He only knows you are his mate and he has to claim you.”
Auri’s fingers curled into fists and he tried desperately to calm the instinct to fight.
“We cannot stop him, Auri. He would kill us, thinking we mean to take his mate, harm you.” He paused then, taking a deep breath. “You need to let him know you are his mate, that you will not try to escape again.”
Auri’s own breath stopped for a long moment, then he gasped in air, shooting a look of disbelief in Kaseer’s direction.
“If you submit, he will be gentle, if you fight… Please, Auri. Know only that he would not do this in his normal state. None of this is normal.”
Auri knelt there, thoughts running through his head, in total shock he could find himself in such a situation. Desperately he tried to come up with alternatives but there was nothing.
His indrawn breath was shaky. He could do this, and afterwards…afterwards he could escape. If he just got through this…
A growl vibrated against his neck as he shifted slightly and he flinched.
“Purr to him, signal that you are his. He will be himself in another three hours or so if you can calm him down.” Kaseer’s voice held an undertone of urgency.
Auri wished he could hit someone, especially the great cat hunched over him, but survival dictated otherwise, and he seemed to have a very
overdeveloped wish for survival at this moment. Enough to offer himself up, apparently.
Swallowing with difficulty, he tried to purr, and it came out hoarse and quavering, surely not convincing at all.
To his shock, immediately there came an answering sound from Kanar, or the beast of Kanar, and his nape was released. A rough tongue began to bathe his neck and back.
