by Natavia
“Protective, aren’t we, eh? I will treat her good and dress her, unless you want your cousins drooling over her. She’s very meaty up here and down there,” Riu said, pointing to her breasts and ass.
“Ten minutes,” Eze scolded.
“Okay,” she replied.
She grabbed my hand and led me up a tall flight of wooden stairs. I noticed the sabers’ homes were up in the trees.
“Sabers like height, so don’t be afraid. If you look out the window, you can see Tiban,” Riu said. After what seemed like three hundred stairs, we were finally in the tree house. Riu’s home was spacious. Birds sat on the branches inside of her house along with a few snakes. In the middle of the floor was the fur of a very large animal, bigger than an elephant.
“What kind of animal is that?” I asked and she chuckled.
“A mammoth, the biggest mammal in my ancestor’s time. We used to hunt them for food but they died out many ages ago. Elephants took their place,” she said. She pulled a water pail from the ceiling and brought it over to me. Riu added some kind of flower inside the water pail.
“That smells good,” I said.
“This is our soap when we bathe. It’s my duty to bathe you before I dress you,” she replied.
“I’m not your queen, Riu. I’m just a guest. I can do this myself,” I replied.
“You have the beauty mark of Y’kiki,” she said.
“You’ve met her?” I asked.
“My great-great-great grandfather knew her. He told us campfire stories about the beautiful African goddess who came to the lost land through a portal in Africa to protect the cat shifters. Villagers worshipped her, traveled for days just to leave her goods. Y’kiki and the king of Camden both protected the lost land but many believe she’s a myth. They said if you go deep in the jungle, you can feel her spirit. I believe in her, I also believe a female is the creator of our land. You have to be very caring to come up with beautiful flowers,” she laughed.
“Eze’s mother, is she your sister?” I asked.
“Nooo, Eze’s father is my brother. His mother was human, she died right after she gave birth to Eze. Saber must not mate with another saber, we’re all related. The ones who mated within the family are banned from Camden. Inbreeding makes the offspring very aggressive and disobedient. We must keep our bloodline pure,” she said.
“Why are Tiban and Camden separated?” I asked.
“Climate purposes. It gets very cold in Camden. Our skin is different, you will see with Eze. He doesn’t like heat. Tiban cats don’t like cold weather, they’ll freeze. Tiban gets very hot sometimes, extremely hot,” she said. After she washed my hair, I took care of the rest of my body. She gave me a handmade towel to dry off with.
“You will look nice in this,” she said, holding up a dress made of animal skin with bird feathers stitched into it.
“Oh, wait. I have some shoes I just made,” she said. She went to a shelf in the corner of the house and grabbed a pair of cute slippers.
“I used ostrich and snake skin to make this,” she said. I slid them on my feet and they were very soft—almost like cotton.
“I made something similar but it’s not soft like these,” I replied. Eze climbed through the window dressed in a leather dashiki.
“Remind me to bring some clothes when I visit next time,” he said and I giggled.
“You look great,” I replied.
“It’s mushing my masculine parts,” he said and Riu chuckled.
“I have to go now, it’s almost dinner time,” Riu said. She rubbed her face against mine then Eze’s before she left the treehouse. Eze walked over to me and sniffed my hair. A purr escaped his lips and that tingling feeling between my thighs happened again. His tall muscular frame towered over mine by almost two feet. When he pulled my hair back to lick my neck, a moaned escaped my lips.
“What are you doing?” I panted. Instead of responding, he kneeled in front of me and pulled up my dress. His nails expanded and scratched my buttocks. He inhaled the scent from between my thighs and his eyes glowed. A whimper came from my lips when his tongue slid between the slit of my pussy, stretching the lips apart. His strong hands massaged my ass as he tasted me.
“Eze,” I panted. Black nails expanded from the tip of my fingers and scratched at his shoulders, drawing blood. He threw my leg over his shoulder and trapped me against the wall. My nipples hardened when his tongue entered me. His purrs were louder and deeper as he drank from my fountain. His thick and wide tongue curved upwards into me. He rocked me back and forth onto his tongue as he hungrily ate my pussy. Not able to hold it in any longer, my cat roared when I exploded. My pussy throbbed uncontrollably.
I have to clean you, he thought.
He pulled me down onto the floor and pinned my legs to my forehead. The animal in him had to clean me. Some of the members in my pride licked each other off; it was their animal instinct to bathe each other with their mouths. Eze’s tongue cleaned me dry until I had nothing left in me. He gave me explosions back-to-back. After he was finished, he wiped his mouth and helped me off the floor. My legs were like noodles but my privates were squeaky clean. I couldn’t look at him because I was embarrassed.
“Why are you embarrassed?” he asked.
“I never had that done before,” I admitted.
“That’s why I did it. I couldn’t help myself. The dress, your scent, and beautiful face put me in a trance. The next time I’ll ask before I take advantage of you,” he smirked.
“When we go back home, can I take you out on a real date? I’m not trying to hear any excuses,” he said.
“I’m not allowed to leave the house unless it’s work. I’m returning to my pride until I get enough money to escape,” I replied.
“What if I hire you? And I’m not hiring you for work. You won’t have to clean anything. I’ll pay you and you can give your bitch-ass king whatever he needs. The extra money I give you, you can keep for yourself. There are no excuses when it comes to me,” he smirked, showing his gold canines.
“I won’t have to lift a finger?” I asked.
“Nope,” he replied.
“We shall see,” I said.
“In the meantime, let’s go see the land. I want you to meet my father,” he said and grabbed my hand. Eze told me to get on his back because of the stairs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he jumped on the tree and crawled down.
“You should’ve shifted!” I yelled out because I was ready to fall over.
“I got this! It ain’t my fault lions aren’t high climbers,” he said and I bit his ear.
“Do it again so I can drop you,” he joked.
“And I’ll kick your ass when we land on the ground,” I fired back. He shifted his body over and I fell off his back. My cat was ready to emerge, but Eze jumped off the tree and caught me in his arms. When we landed on the ground, he fell on top of me. The hardness of him pressed against my center and his eyes glowed at me.
“You’re heavy,” I said.
“Talk shit now,” he flirted.
“Um umph,” someone cleared their throat. When I looked up, Ockbutu, Quanir, Riu and some other man were staring at us.
“Have some decency,” Riu said.
“That’s my cuz!” Quanir shouted, pumping his fist, and the man slapped Quanir on the back of his head.
“Damn, Unc. You act like we don’t like pussy. You were banging that old human, Janet, about a week ago,” Quanir said.
“Now do you see why he isn’t fit to work for Saber?” the man asked Riu.
“Actually, Unc, I do work at Saber,” Quanir said. Eze stood up and helped me off the ground.
“What the fuck, bruh. You can’t hold shit in. I told you not to tell nobody!” Eze said.
“Quanir works at Saber? You’ve only been king for a week and a day and you’re already sabotaging everything. You didn’t read the pamphlet, you showed up unannounced and scared the Tibans, and now this?” Eze’s father asked.
“At
least I’m not fucking the secretary, and you speak of professionalism. You didn’t prepare me for any of this. You kept it from me, hoping Fi didn’t choose me. You should’ve been told me!” Eze spat. Alexander’s eyes glowed and his face shifted.
“Don’t you dare disrespect me again, Eze. I brought you into this world and I can take you out,” his father said.
“Let’s just calm down,” Riu said.
“Look at him, he has gold teeth and tattoos. He looks like a human thug,” Eze’s father said.
“That’s his personality, brother. We all have different spirits, but the important thing is, he’s still your son. Stop being so hard on him. He’s young and has a big responsibility he didn’t know about until the day of. I think he’s doing an amazing job and Fi didn’t pick him for nothing. With time, he’ll be an even better king,” Riu said. Eze’s father stepped back and his eyes went back to normal.
“I only want to see you winning, son. I apologize but complete the pamphlet. That’s all I ask of you,” Eze’s father said. Eze slapped hands with his father then pulled him into a hug.
“You’re straight, old man,” Eze said.
“Wait, so I still got my job, right?” Quanir asked and Eze huffed.
“What do you do, son?” Riu asked.
“Good question, what do I do?” Quanir asked Eze and Eze’s father threw his hands up in frustration.
“Excuse my behavior, who is this beautiful amazon creature?” Eze’s father asked as he kissed my hand.
“My name is Sy’noba,” I said and bowed my head.
“Beautiful name for a beautiful cat. Is my son giving you a hard time?” he asked.
“Yeah, I was giving her a hard time but we were interrupted,” Eze said and Riu hissed at him.
“You can come and stay in Tiban with us. Your spirit belongs here,” Ockbutu said.
“I appreciate your offer but I would be a stranger to the villagers,” I replied.
“Your spirit has been here before. It’s only right we welcome you with open arms and teach you the way of Tiban. I’m afraid your lion pride will keep you from learning your inner spirit. It’s only the right thing to do,” Ockbutu said.
“I will keep that mind,” I replied. He went inside of his old worn-out leather pouch and pulled out a necklace with a lion emblem on it.
“It belonged to Y’kiki. When she went home to her god, this was left in the jungle where she lived. I think you should keep it. I was going to hold onto it for when you decided to stay but it seems like you need it more outside of Tiban,” he said. He put the heavy metal necklace over my head.
“We gotta get going now. We’ve been here for hours,” Eze said.
“See you all soon,” Riu said. Eze shifted into his saber and I climbed on. I helped Ockbutu up on Eze’s back. Quanir shifted into his saber and followed Eze as he ran through the jungle. Sabers roared at their king from the top of the trees when Eze ran past them. Eze roared back louder.
Roar back, beautiful, Eze thought.
This isn’t my kingdom, I replied.
It’s the both of ours, this is your home, too! My roar echoed throughout the jungle and the sabers roared back. Eze was right, the lost land was more like home. I was connected to it, the same way I was connected to Eze.
Moments later, we were outside of the portal that led to the library of the Saber Estates. The villagers and Ockbutu stood in front of us, wishing us well.
“Think about what I said,” Ockbutu said. His old wrinkled hand was cupped around mine.
“I will, I promise,” I replied. He rubbed his face against mine and I returned the gesture. We waved at the villagers before we got inside the portal. Eze moved the heavy rock back in place and the bright gold light of the portal disappeared. My heart suddenly melted because I was back in the real world. The climb back up the tunnel to the library was a long one. Eze pushed me a few times to keep me going. We still hadn’t eaten or had a drink of water. Once we made it out of the wall, I fell through the hole and onto the floor. Eze jumped out and landed on his feet. His cat was more energetic than mine and Quanir’s. Me and Quanir were worn out.
“That’s those grass smoothies you drink every morning,” Quanir panted.
“Grass is important to us. I tell you that every day,” Eze replied. The door to the library burst opened and Lynx came storming in.
“Where have you been? You missed your meeting,” Lynx said to Eze.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Eleven o’clock in the morning,” she replied.
We’ve been gone since yesterday, I thought.
“We partied hard,” Eze replied.
“Where? I have been here since yesterday waiting for you when you didn’t come home,” she replied. Lynx was busy fussing at Eze, she didn’t notice me.
“What is she doing here?” Lynx finally asked Eze.
“Damn it, Lynx. Lose the fucking attitude. I was out partying and that’s all I have to explain,” Eze asked.
“And you! I told you to stay away from him!” Lynx pointed in my face.
“You have no clout here. I’ll bury you in cat litter if you keep insulting me. Don’t raise your voice at me like I’m your cub and get your finger out of my face before I bite it off!” I yelled back.
“So, this is why she was on the property the other night? You fucked her, didn’t you?” Lynx asked Eze. She sniffed his face then pushed him.
“I guess you enjoy her scent, huh?” she asked with tears in her eyes.
“Don’t do this, Lynx. I don’t want to embarrass you but you’re pushing it. What I do with my dick and mouth isn’t your fucking business! I’m the king around here, I don’t answer to no one but myself and my ancestors. I have treated you with so much respect, even when you disrespected me. I am not your mate,” Eze said. She slapped him and her nails scratched his face. His wounds immediately healed.
“And your filthy ass! Why don’t you go back to the filth where you came from? Look at you, you have nothing! You are a slave to your own pride. A meaningless hunter who will soon have to fuck her way up to the top room. I know all about your pride,” Lynx said. Rage filled my heart and my blood pumped through my veins. In mid-shift, I tackled Lynx to the floor and went for her throat. She clawed at my face but my skin wouldn’t break—almost like leather. She snatched a patch of hair out of my head and it burned her hand. Eze pulled me off of her and she laid on the floor bleeding. Her blood dripped from my mouth and I held no regret for what I’d done. Eze hurriedly healed Lynx by blowing into her mouth. The wound on her neck closed and she gasped for air when she sat up.
“I’ll see my way out,” I said. Eze chased me when I ran out of the library. Catching me, we fell down the stairs in front of the house.
“Get away from me!” I bit at him as he pinned me.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he said.
“You have a mate,” I spat.
“A roommate, I do have,” he replied. Lynx came running out of the house with some kind of spear. She hurled it at me. I caught it and snapped it in half.
“Surprise,” I teased.
“What are you?” she yelled in frustration.
“I don’t know what she is, but you better leave her alone before her and Y’kiki fuck up your pretty face. Give it up,” Quanir said to Lynx.
“Who is Y’kiki?” Lynx asked.
“I’m ready to eat. Y’all can rip each other’s throats out. Good luck, bruh,” Quanir said and pumped his fist up at Eze.
“Sy’noba will be hanging around. She’s kin to my village back home. You two have to get along. If you want to be a part of my life, you have to accept Sy’noba,” Eze said to Lynx and she crossed her arms.
“Fine, make sure she stays out of my way!” Lynx said.
“Make sure you stay outta of mine, pussycat,” I replied. She gave me the middle finger before storming into the house.
“Go tend to your lap cat. I’m going home,” I said to Eze. His feelings wer
e hurt, but I had enough on my plate. Dealing with a jealous feline wasn’t one of them.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said before I ran off.
***********
When I arrived at the pride’s mansion, darkness filled my heart. The bubbly and excited feeling I had vanished. The front door opened and it was Toyi.
“Where have you been? We have been looking for you. What do you have on?” she asked as she sniffed me.
“Get away from me,” I said and she backed away. Koja came out of the house wearing only jeans. His eyes glowed as he rushed towards me. He grabbed me by the collar of my dress and yanked me to him.
