Spirits of the Earth

It was a lazy afternoon.

Raxta lay stretched on her belly on a heavy tree limb, one leg and her tail dangling down, her tail swaying in contentment. Beneath her was a running stream where many prey animals came to drink, and that was part of the reason she was up there--aside from just being lazy and relaxing in general! But she was on hunting duty today, and this was a guaranteed way to get the job done with minimal effort. Eventually, something would pass beneath, and when it did, she would get the drop on it.

Quite literally.

For with the thick leaves concealing her, it was hard to spot her from the ground unless one knew exactly where to look. At the moment, she rested in human form, dressed in a simple fur wrap around her hips and a linen band that bound her breasts--but in a flash she could be a leopard, armed to the teeth with jaws strong enough to snap a spine or pierce a skull.

Now it was just a waiting game as she half dozed, her ears flicking idly to ward off buzzing insects. Hopefully she'd at least get to take home something larger than a monkey today!

Herrick had a few days ahead of his pursuers.

Mordecai, and thsy'd taken exception to Herrick's possesion of one of Connlaoth's minor relics. A royal chalice, to be precise.

All he knew is that if he didn't find a place to hide, they'd catch up to him eventually. But first, a stop for water.

Herrick pulled out a water skin and knelt by the river, ears open as he filled up on the clear water.

There was movement below her, and Raxta's keen eyes locked onto the thing below her. She couldn't see much through the leaves, but she could see that it wasn't a very large animal. Or rather, it was just the right size that she could take it out without shifting. A primate of some sort? Those were easy.

Pulling her knife from her its sheath at her hip, she let herself drop from the branch, twisting expertly--

And landed square on the person's shoulders, sending them both down. She didn't miss a beat, quickly straddling his back and pressing her blade to the side of his neck, her other hand in his hair.

For a moment she just stared at him in surprise. Oh. So. Yes. Primate, definitely primate.

But not prey.

He looked...almost like her kind. Was he her kind? He didn't smell like her kind. And he didn't have the tail and ears and markings of her kind. And even if he was her kind, he was a week early to be wandering in her tribe's territory.

She blinked.

"Who are you?" she asked in her peoples' tongue.

Herrick didn't even have time to cry out, and he could only stare upwards as a frikkin' cat woman put a knife against his neck. His instincts held, however, so he knew better than to panic and do something stupid.

She didn't immediately slash his throat open with that stone knife of hers, so perhaps there was a way to get out of this. Herrick could only see one obstacle in his path:

Figuring out just what the hell she was saying.

"Hey," He said after a few moments.

"I don't mean you any harm, I was just passing through. Didn't mean to step on your turf."

Raxta squinted down at him, pursing her lips. The language he spoke was...familiar. And she realized a few beats later that she actually understood the words, even if she was terribly rusty. The trader's tongue, wasn't it called? Few outsiders passed though this part of the jungle, but sometimes they did trade with those that did, and they had learned just enough to make transactions more bearable.

Words like "don't mean any harm" and "just passing through" were especially common from people faced with a fierce jaguar people. But Raxta hadn't been concerned about that in the first place, because she didn't feel threatened. After all, she was the one currently pinning him. More than anything, she was simply curious.

After another pause, she drew her knife away, sheathed it, and rolled him onto his back. Then she simply sat on his belly and looked at him, intense and cat-like, before she cracked a smile.

"Sorry," she said, and gave his hair an apologetic ruffle--which she used as an excuse to also feel for his ears. She blinked again, feeling only strange primate ears instead of jaguar ears, and leaned in closer to give him another sniff to be sure.

Nope, definitely not her kind.

"You're not jaguar..." she mused. "Are you a monkey? You have no tail..."

Okay, what was happening right now.

Herrick was ready to bolt, but she sat on his belly too quickly, and now he was kept there by her weight. She ruffled his hair, groped at his ears, and then finally, he got some words out of her. He was quite surprised for that first word.

When it became clear to him that she didn't mean any harm either (hopefully), he let himself relax just a tiny bit.

"No, I'm not a jaguar. Human," Herrick replied, and he put himself up on his elbows a bit so he could get a better look at his "assailant."

"You live here?"

Raxta nodded, smiling again, recognizing his words. Human, though? She had never met a human herself, though others of her kind had. But the last human hadn't been through here in years! She knew about them, though; her kind had some interesting artifacts they had traded for long ago, things humans had made, and she knew they had many different kingdoms from all over the place, that they traveled far and wide.

And, getting a much better look at him now, she also saw their people weren't too different in looks--and that this human, at least, was very handsome.

And he was hers.

For she had caught him.

"Yes, I live here. And you do, too. For now," she said, tail swishing, before she leaned in abruptly--and nuzzled her nose to his. "I like you. I'll make you mine."

"Wait, wh-"

She nuzzled him, and Herrick couldn't help but to squirm underneath her, taken off guard by her friendliness. His mind raced, wondering just what this jaguar-woman meant, but also realizing that this could be a blessing in disguise.

The mordecai were hot on his tail, and perhaps sticking with this jaguar woman was the safest bet. She had do have a lair somewhere, right?

"Wait hold on, what do you mean?"

"I mean I choose you," Raxta said, staring at him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. As though she expected him to know their customs, for wasn't it the way things were done everywhere? It was, as far as her very limited understanding of the world went.

"You will be my mate."

Herrick just stared at her, and then he deflated a bit. His eyes darted about, looking to see if there was a way out of this, but when he found none, he looked back up to her.

He supposed she wasn't bad looking. Actually, she was pretty hot, in her own sort of way.

"Uh, okay, I guess,"

As long as I don't get my throat slashed!

He shifted a bit more beneath her.

"So, uh... Mates," Herrick said. Shit, how was he supposed to play along with this?

"Do you have a den somewhere?"

Oh, good! So he had accepted! For a moment Raxta feared that he might not--which would have definitely been a blow to her ego. She was finally old enough to participate this year, and it would have been disheartening to be rejected so soon!

"No, not a den. A village," she said with a nod, and rolled off of him so he could breathe--and get up. "You are early, and not a jaguar, but it shouldn't matter. We are similar enough." And she reached out again to feel at his hair, marveling at its color. Dark, a stark contrast from the lighter spotted hair of her kind.

"You're very pretty," she said with a nod. "I was supposed to bring back food, but I'm sure everyone else will understand. How are you called?"

Of all the things she said, the word "early" caught Herrick's ears the most. He sat up, doing his best to ignore her as she put her fingers into his long, semi-unkempt hair.

"Uh, what exactly am I early for?" Herrick asked.

"Is it like... mating season or something?"

Raxta gave him another blank look. How could he not know these things?

"Yes," she said, cocking her head in confusion. "Is it not the same for humans?"

"Uh, not really," Herrick said.

"It's more like we just mate whenever we feel like it, all year round."

He sat up and crossed his legs.

"I'm called Herrick."

"All year round? That is a lot of cubs," Raxta said with wide eyes. For mating, sex, and romance were all very different things to her people.

"Hm. Well, no matter. If you mate all year, then we are still compatible," she said with a nod and a smile. "I am Raxta, Herrick...?" The Rs rolled off her tongue, cat-like, as she tried out his name. "Interesting name. But a good name. Will you come to my village with me, then?"

And then she paused, some of her confidence wavering, for his body language and tone was so...confusing to her! She frowned, ears going back.

"Do you...want to be my mate?"

"Well, I didn't come here with the intentions of becoming someone's mate," Herrick said plainly. He offered her a smile, however.

"But you seem nice, and you're pretty as well, so... why not?"

The mordecai would never find him there!

Herrick reached out, and after a moment's hesitation, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I mean, I don't really know you that well, but just give me some time and I'll warm up to you."

I hope!

That seemed good enough for Raxta. She flashed him a grin, baring her very sharp canines.

"Then it is done!" she said, chest puffing out with pride and tail swishing, for she had just claimed her first mate--an exciting milestone for her. He wasn't even a jaguar, but so what? Besides, though everything else sounded fun, she wasn't quite ready for a squalling cub. Hopefully they were compatible enough, but not completely compatible, either! Not that everyone got a cub out of the season, anyway.

It was perfect.

"I didn't expect to find a mate today, so we are even," she said, and stood, offering her hand to him. "Now come! I'll take you home!"

Herrick took the hand and stood, and then she'd be able to see that he was much taller than her. He stretched his back, made sure his pack wasn't loosened up by the fall, and looked to her.

Gods, what had he gotten himself into?

He took her hand, and motioned forwards.

"Let's go, then."

With a nod his way, Raxta gripped his hand and lead the way through the dense jungle, traveling deeper and deeper. Above them, monkeys and birds hollered, creating quite the ruckus, and the jungle seemed alive with the sounds of different animals and insects. There were other predators about, bigger ones than Raxta, but she wasn't too concerned. They were usually fairly rare, and she could escape to the trees at a moment's notice.

Before too long, the jungle opened up, revealing a huge clearing where many of the trees had been leveled to make space for what Raxta had described earlier as a village.

It was more like a tiny city.

There were many huts and larger, sturdier buildings all about, and a massive stone temple at the center, and all around there were people.

People like Raxta, with the markings and features of jaguars, all of them women, from the very young to the very old.

Raxta flashed a fanged smile Herrick's way. "We are home."

Herrick kept his eyes peeled as they travelled through the jungle, but when they cleared it and came across Raxta's village, he was dumbfounded to say the least.

An entire civilization of jaguar women, living in the Kishahn. He'd heard the tales, but... to think it actually existed?

His eyes scanned the city, and he felt a bit vulnerable, as he stuck out like a sore thumb around here. Herrick looked back down at his "mate," and offered her a smile as well.

"Well shit, it's a whole city," Herrick said, a bit of wonder in his voice.

"And is it... is it just females here?"

"Yes," Raxta said, tipping her head back to look up at him. Way up. She really wasn't used to people being much taller than her! She was on the taller end of her species, for while jaguars were powerful, they tended to pack all that power in a smaller package. Herrick was tall even for a male of her kind.

Once again, she gave him a confused look. "You seem surprised. Don't your kind live apart, too?" she asked, as she tugged him further along and into the village proper.

And, indeed, he did stick out like a sore thumb, for soon enough their presence drew surprised stares--especially when the others noticed their joined hands.

"Not really," Herrick said, shamelessly gawking about at everything, not at all caring that he himself was an object of extreme curiosity. He didn't quite know how long he was going to be here, but it didn't seem like a terrible place. He had all his camping gear in his bag of holding, so at the very least he would be comfortable.

"Men and women live together, in the same village."

Another confused look. That seemed...strange to Raxta. In the same village! All the time? She gave her head a shake.

"Oh. Well. We live together sometimes. For about a week." And this time of the year was most favorable for the occasion, for it wasn't too hot--and the spring had spiritual significance to them, as a time of creation and new life. Perhaps at one point they had begun this ritual out of biological necessity, going into heat like some creatures, but they had long evolved past that point. Technically, they could have children any time they liked--but at this point, it had been happening so long, no one remembered the origins, and it was simply a tradition.

"As I said, you were early. Our men won't be arriving for a week. But I wouldn't be the first to take an early mate." And she pat his arm, noticing but not acknowledging the looks.

"I will show to my home!" she said, and dragged him along.

"Ah, I get it," Herrick said, and he looked to her.

"Is it normal? To take an early mate? Or even a human?"

Herrick shrugged.

"I seem to be getting an awful lot of stares."

"It's not usual," Raxta said. "But some men and women meet with each other on the side if they have grown close. Humans, though? Oh, no. There hasn't been a human here in a long time, though my people speak fondly of them. Long ago, your kind and mine used to be closer. So the stories go."

She pat his arm. "The stories also speak of jaguar-kin taking human mates," she said. "But you are still unusual. Less like a jaguar, more like a monkey. But still very cute."

And she lightly pinched his cheek as she said it, before leaning in and giving his cheek an apologetic lick.

"This is my home!" she then announced as they approached a small, but tidy, hut. "You can put your things inside."

"Those must've been quite the stories," Herrick said, finding the sensation of being licked not altogether unpleasant, and it did bring out some color to his cheeks.

"You're cute too. I love your ears," Herrick said, and he put a hand on her head, passing his hand over it like he was petting her.

He looked over to her hut, and nodded.

"Alright, I'll go drop my stuff of in there," he said before taking a step inside, looking for a place to shrug off his backpack.

Raxta let out a pleased purring sound (which sounded less like a cat's purr and more like an aggressive, slightly scary rumble) when he pet her, her ears going back in pleasure. It ended too soon, though, and she sighed when he went into her hut to put away his things.

Oh well, if things went well, there would be more of that later!

And then some.

"Set it anywhere you like," she said as she followed in after him, shrugging of her knife belt and the stone blade sheathed within. Her  home was tiny, just a single room with space for storage and a bed of furs and cushions for sleeping. All cooking and bathing was done outside, so it was all the room she needed.

And she didn't have many possessions, anyway. Some jewellery here, some clothing there, but all very minimalistic and neat.

"Are you hungry? Tired?" she asked, stepping up close behind him so she could peer around him at his bag. Very close, her breasts pressing against his back. "What is in there?"

"Yeah, I could do with a short rest. Been travelling all day," Herrick said.

Herrick had just set down his bag when Raxta came up real close to him. He hadn't yet unbuttoned the top, so when she posed her question, he merely shrugged.

"See for yourself," Herrick said, and he opened up the bag, revealing the yawning, black abyss inside of it. He closed it, and he turned to face her. He didn't put any distance between them, though, and when he face her, he loosely put one of his arms around her.

"Curiosity sated?"

He didn't know how delicate these mate relationships were, and he'd be lying if he said this wasn't a pretty good deal. Sharing a bed with a hot jaguar woman and being able to hide from his pursuers? He'd take it over running through the jungle any day.

No, her curiosity was not sated! At all! In fact, staring into the black chasm of his bag only piqued her curiosity all the more, because why was there nothing in it? Where were his things? How was that possible?! But then he turned around, their bodies so close together and his arm around her, and she gave a small huff.

"No," she said. "Now I just have more questions."

But her tail curled along his leg as she spoke, her heart skipping a beat at their closeness, and she boldly rested her hands on his waist, marveling at how much bigger he was. She was used to being the tall one! How strange, to have to look up!

"Where are your things? Why is it just empty? Yet looks so deep?"

"Well, my bag's magical," Herrick said.

"It can hold as much stuff as I want it to, and it keeps it all protected, too!"

He was quiet for a few moments.

"Look, I'll show you."

He broke away from her and knelt down by his bag, opening the flap back up.

"I want to get some of my food. So, I just thnk about my food..."

He put his whole arm into the bag, up to the shoulder, and when it came back up, he was holding a bundle of Connlaothian pastries.

"And there's food!"

Raxta audibly gasped when Herrick came back up with a handful of sweet smelling things the likes of which she had never seen. Her kind had their own desserts and sweet things, but she'd certainly never experienced foreign food.

And to see him pull it out of that nothingess, to see him fit his entire arm down it...gods, and it could hold as much as he wanted? He could pack an entire village in that!

"You just think it, and it appears?" Raxta gaped, and stared up at him. "Can I try?"

"Well, as long as what you're thinking of is in the bag."

Herrick motioned to the bag and put his hand on her back.

"Go ahead. Pull something out. If it's in the bag, it'll be in your hand when you reach in. You don't have to put your whole arm in there, I was just showing off."

Raxta had no idea what kinds of things Herrick might keep in his bag, so she decided to go with what she knew he had. She glanced over at the pastries he held, then thought about those as she reached her hand into the bag, a little unnerved yet intrigued at the feeling of empty space around her.

And then...

"Whoa!" she gasped when, just like that, she felt her hand full of something crusty and soft, and she jerked her arm back out and stared at the sweet-smelling pastry she held.

"It...it worked..."

"That it did."

He stepped up next to her.

"You want some of my food? I was gonna take a quick rest, kick my boots off."

Raxta blinked at him in a pleased sort of surprise (for food was affection in her culture), then looked down at the pastry she held, a quizzical look on her face. She leaned in and gave it a sniff, then a lick, and then took a chomp of it--and her eyes closed with pleasure.

"What IS this?" she asked as she savored the bite, before taking another and sighing in delight. Her people had sweets, certainly, but this was a completely new flavor, buttery and fruity and rich.

It didn't take long for her to finish it off, and she licked her fingers as though sad it was gone.

"Oh, and yes, get comfortable. My home is yours, and my bed is yours," she added, motioning to the furs--and secretly hoping he would remove more than his boots.

"We call those "pastries" where I come from," Herrick said, taking a bite out of his. He sat down on her bed, and did unlace his boots, sighing pleasantly once they came off.

Then he took off his cloak, and then he stood once again so he could get himself out of his leather armor and leggings, leaving him in a plain cloth shirt with buttons and a pair of form-fitting undergarments.

Was it a bit exposing? Yeah. Yeah it was. His clothing didn't leave much to the imagination. Then again, isn't that what his "mate" wanted?

"So, uh... This your first mating season or something?"

...he wore so, so many clothes. And in the jungle! Wasn't he hot? Raxta couldn't imagine it; she would die of the humidity.

But he wore much less now, and she watched him with a hungry sort of curiosity as he stripped, like a gift unwrapping itself. He was strong, his muscles visible now, and she licked the corner of her lips to swipe away a crumb--though part of her was also wondering what he would taste like. In a non-bloodthirsty way.

Her tail swished absently, and her stare was broken by his question. She looked back up at his face, ears perked and head cocked. "How did you know?"

Herrick was used to wearing his thief's armor. It wasn't as warm as she thought it was, but it truly wasn't all that comfortable in the jungle, either. Regardless, it was off of him now, and he was free to stretch out onto the bed, groaning as he got to rest muscles that had been in near-constant use for the past few days.

Herrick heard her question, and then rose up on his elbows.

"I dunno. You seem pretty young," he started.

"Also because it's kind of obvious."

He gave her a grin at that.

Raxta's cheeks puffed out at that. "How so?"

"Well..."

Herrick brushed his hair back.

"Call it intuition."

"Intuition, hm?" Raxta said, and let out a small huff. She didn't think of herself as THAT young--she was an adult now, and an accomplished hunter!--but he made her feel it.

"Is it not your first season?"

"Uh, not exactly, no. I've been around the block a few times," Herrick said.

"Like I said before, Humans don't have "seasons" for mating. We just sort of... do it whenever it strikes our fancy."

Raxta raised her eyebrows at that. "That is...a lot of cubs..."

"Well, we don't have cubs every time," Herrick said.

"Sometimes it just doesn't happen, but most of the time the couple just tries to avoid having one. There are a few herbs out there that can prevent a woman from being burdened with child."

He had a moment of quiet.

"But surely, you didn't pounce on me and drag me to your hut to talk about how humans mate, right?"

He started a bit.

"Well, maybe you are interested in how we mate."

He gave her a wink at that. Gods, he was pretty bad at "just playing along."

Raxta cocked her head. "Of course I am interested," she said, surprised it wasn't obvious, all things considered! "But we will both learn, I imagine, in due time." If he didn't reject her in the end. Which happened sometimes, and wasn't the worst thing, but it would be an embarrassing start to the festivities for sure.

She pursed her lips, a little confusion in her eyes as she mulled over his words. "You use herbs during mating? Strange. I always thought the point of mating was cubs..."

Oh brother. Not only did his joke fly over her head, but she truly had no idea what she was in for!

"Well, humans like to mate for fun, too. Because, well, mating's pretty great," Herrick said.

He gave her another cursory looking over, as if affirming himself of something.

"You know, just because I'm resting, doesn't mean you have to stay so far. I don't bite."

Another long, blank stare as Raxta tried to make sense of what he was saying, slowly processing it--and then, realization.

"Ohhhh. Are you talking about sex?" she bluntly asked as she rose to her feet with a sigh and stretch, and crossed the short distance between them. "Because mating is for cubs. Sex is for pleasure. Though mating is still supposed to be fun," she said with a wry smile as she slipped in next to him, sitting close enough that their sides touched.

She was definitely not shy about contact. "Though I doubt we'll have cubs. I don't really want one now, anyway. Maybe next season," she added, and nuzzled her head against his shoulder.

"You see, I was totally thinking sex, but I didn't know if you had two separate words for it or if you just called them both mating," Herrick said, and he gave her a sheepish smile.

He put his arm around her, and taken by a whim, he kissed one of her ears.

"So how long does the season last for you? A week, was it?"

"A week," Raxta confirmed, ear twitching under his kiss, another one of those deep purrs rumbling out. "And it begins in roughly a week," she added as her sleek tail coiled in Herrick's lap, her cheek still lightly nuzzling his shoulder and neck--an affectionate gesture, but also to coat him in her scent and mark him as off limits.

"Your kind do not differentiate?" she asked, still curious but perplexed by what little she was learning of his culture. "We have lovers and we have mates and we have bondeds. Do you not?"

"Wow, you are early," Herrick said with a bit of a chuckle, unconsciously opening his neck up more nuzzling.

"Humans split up into different categories, too. But we just call it "sex.""

He looked down at her tail, and taken by curiosity, he gave it a stroke.

Raxta's tail curled up into his stroking in obvious enjoyment, for to her it felt as good as having anywhere else caressed--which was amazing. It was only closer to the base that it became erogenous, but that didn't mean it felt any less enjoyable.

Still her toes curled, loving the contact, and she gave his neck an affectionate lick with a tongue that was, indeed, rather rough. "It is okay to be early, if the chance presents itself. Just like when hunting prey, we may have one target in mind, but we will not pass up a better one. A better opportunity," she said, and reached up to pull his head down more so she could reach it, before she licked his cheek and slid her fingers through his hair, checking him over for bugs--and then licking his hair.

Grooming him.

"When we pick mates, it is all about pure attraction. Their strength, their looks, favorable traits we might want in our children. You were an accident; I thought you were prey. But then I saw you and..."

She gave his ear a playful lick. "You know the rest."

"Too good looking to eat, huh?" Herrick teased. For a split second, he almost objected to her grooming him because gods be damned that felt odd. He had his hair played with in the past, but never licked.

The reason he didn't say anything was because, well, she was a cat person. He didn't want to disrespect her or anything.

His hand travelled up her back, and his fingers traced the spots she had on her skin. Carefully, he put the other one on her leg, gently trailing it down to her knee and then back up her thigh, turning to face her more comfortably.

"And we do not eat humans," Raxta added plainly, and made a little sound of enjoyment as his hand caressed her leg, her spine arching as the fingers of his other hand played along her back. She actually got goosebumps from the contact and her eyes slid shut.

"Jaguars and humans have a long history. An ancient one. Many of your kind even worshiped mine, it is said, and our children once played in the jungle together. As I said, a human hasn't been in these parts in a long time...but your kind are always welcomed as guests here."

She stopped grooming his hair, and gave his jaw a little lick, followed by a gentle nibble with teeth that could rip flesh from bone. "It is said our kind paired together, too."

"And I don't blame those past humans for pairing with your kind, either," Herrick said. When she gave his jaw a nibble and a lick, Herrick paused for a bit before he dipped his head down a bit further.

He kissed her, then, only for a moment, and when he broke away, his lips lingered just millimeters away from hers before he decided that yes, he did want this.

"It is also said that history has a tendency to repeat itself."

He went in for another kiss, this one proper and deep.

The kiss surprised Raxta--but only because Herrick had initiated it, when she had been slowly leading up to it. She hadn't known if he would want to kiss yet, but she supposed that answered that, and her heart beat a little faster, her blood growing hotter as that was as sure a sign as any that he had accepted their mateship. It was only a brief one that left her wanting more, wondering if that was it--but he was swift to follow up, and she let out a low purr of delight.

She kissed him back, twisting to face him so she could run her fingers down his chest--her claws unsheathed to trail harmlessly along his shirt, just enough so he could feel their sharp points through the material. She stopped only when her claws got caught in the fabric, and she made a small huff against his lips as she flexed and kneaded her fingers to try to free them.

But stuck or not, she didn't break the kiss and only melted deeper into it, her senses on fire as she took in his taste and scent and ran her tongue along his lips, then past them.

Herrick let out a small chuckle, and he momentarily took his hands off of her to help her get her claws out, still kissing and parting his lips against hers. Once that was done, his hands went to her sides, and he ran them down to her hips, and then back up.

"Not a bad kisser, for your first time," Herrick teased.

One hand went low, because he felt like playing with her tail more.

Raxta's purr turned into a playful growl as she nibbled his lip. "You are my first mate," she told him, and gave his lip a gentle tug before releasing it. "You are not my first kiss."

And she broke the kiss, but only so she could press her lips to his neck, those sharp teeth nipping before she soothed the spot with her scratchy tongue, and then lightly sucked, gentle--but not gentle enough that she didn't leave behind a slowly darkening mark. She grinned against his neck, her tail twitching in his hand as and curling along his wrist in enjoyment, and traced the spot with a claw.

"I could make you spotted like me..."

Herrick grinned, meeting her eyes.

"And just how much of me would you cover?" Herrick rebutted, before he found a spot on her neck that wasn't spotted and proceeded to leave a hickey there as well.

"Do your kind share mates?"

"As much as I can--haa!"

Raxta cut off with a surprised squeal, bucking and squirming a little as her shoulders tried to hitch up around her ears, because that was wonderful--but also ticklish.

Seemed she would be getting a few new spots, as well.

Still fighting against her impulse to squirm, she let out a shaky breath. "Many do, yes," she said. "One might have many mates in a season. A-ah...do yours?"

"Sometimes, yeah. I wouldn't call it rare, but it's not exactly regular. It really depends on the couple," Herrick said.

"I was just curious to see if I was going to be shared or not," Herrick said against her neck before going back up to her lips.

Raxta gave him a curious look. "Would you like to be?" she asked, before she met his kiss with her own and pressed closer into him, lips going to his neck again to leave another mark.

"Many believe more mates means stronger children," she murmured against his skin.

"I... Huh," Herrick said, pausing not only to think, but because the sensation of getting marked again left him breathless.

"Funny you ask. It's always been a fantasy of mine to be with more than a single woman at once," Herrick admitted.

"I'm your mate, though. You get a say in it."

"I would not mind," Raxta said simply, and honestly. Jealousy was rather rare among her people when much was shared, and when it came to mating? It was not about love or romance, though those in romantic relationships--those who had Bonded--might abstain from pairing with others. Raxta wasn't in such a relationship, though, and had no qualms with the idea. For her, it was perfectly normal.

"But I want you first," she said after a pause, raising her head to meet his eyes.

Herrick's eyes gazed into hers, and he smiled.

"I'm yours whenever you want me," he said.

Did he feel a tiny bit shitty by to exploiting her cultural norms in order to fulfill a sexual fantasy? Yes. In the end, though, he felt that this was also something he wanted to milk for all it was worth.

He kissed her again, and this time, he laid back, bringing her down with him.

"I want you now," Raxta admitted breathlessly as she stretched out next to him on the furs, curling against his body and letting her tail caress along his legs. She arched against him, one arm and a leg draped over him, and nibbled greedily at his neck, his ear. Gods, how she wanted him, with a restless sort of yearning that burned between her legs and made her toes curl.

She had been curious about this for as long as it had been since she had come of age, and had looked forward to it, for it wasn't like she had never heard others sharing their passion around the year (for many of her kind took lovers of the same gender, and even Bonded to them)--or even seen it. She had almost experienced it, too, with her best friend, who she cared for dearly and did find painfully attractive--but hadn't been able to go through with it, because she'd known the girl since they were both cubs and had gotten a little performance anxiety. Like she wanted it to be good, like she wanted to have some practice first so it was good. And so she had waited, deciding she wanted to learn from a stranger. That seemed less awkward.

Strange how that worked, yet it felt like there was less pressure involved since she didn't know Herrick.

With a low purr, she slid her leg along his, hand sliding under his shirt to glide along his skin. "But...but we can't mate yet," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"It is a week before the season," Herrick said.

"But I don't see how that's stopping us."

He grinned and gave her a kiss as he distanced himself just a bit so he could get his shirt off, so she could see the powerful physique carved out over many years of scaling walls, leaping across rooftops, and getting into fistfights.

"Unless if there's a rule or something I don't know about."

Oh, he was making this all the more frustrating. Raxta bit her lip as she looked at him, letting out a breathy whine.

Not fair.

"There are rituals and blessings that must first be done," she said, voice still a little breathless. "They are done on the first day. We must receive our goddess's mark, drink the wine, say the oath..."

"Oh, yeah. That stuff sounds pretty important," Herrick said, giving her a sheepish look.

After a few moments of quiet, he kissed her forehead, and, wondering if it would work on her like it did on cats in general, he started scratching her behind the ears. He did it gently, however. He didn't want to get her too wound up.

"So... how strict is this definition of mating? Does it cover the whole thing, or just the, you know..."

Herrick made the motion with his fingers.

More purrs vibrated out of her, and Raxta butted her head against his hand, eyes closed in enjoyment as she moved her head to get his hand right where she wanted it.

Ohhhh yes, yes indeed, she loved ear scratches in any context.

She cracked an eye open at his question, though--and couldn't help but quirk an amused smirk at his crude little finger motion.

Still, silly crude finger motions or not, that was...a good question.

Her smirk slid into a thoughtful frown. "I'm...not certain," she admitted, and nuzzled against his shoulder, fingers trailing along his chest. She furrowed her brow. Sex was anything, really. Anything that gave sexual pleasure. If they went by that definition, then they should go no further. But mating was different, for it was procreative. Would it include all types of sex? Or just the sort that could make cubs?

She had never exactly asked.

"Maybe just the part that makes the cubs?" she said with a frown and a tilt of her head.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Herrick said, and he continued with the scratches, loving the expression on her face when he did so. He had a feeling other areas would be just as sensitive, ande he made a mental note to try and discover them later.

"So then really, I can think of a lot of things we can do to pass the time," Herrick said.

"Like what?" Raxta murmured dreamily, still absorbed in the feeling of his nails scratching along her ears, her purrs still rumbling out. "Because I am open to suggestions."

"You'll see," Herrick said, and he took his hand off of her head so he could hold her again, kissing her while one hand drifted to her hips and the other started to scritch at the base of her tail.

He knew that shit drove cats wild.

And Raxta was no different. Jaguars were just a bigger cat.

She melted into his kiss, body curling flush into his--and then she gasped sharply when his hand traveled down and his nails found the base of her tail, sending a jolt of pure, glorious pleasure shooting down her spine and clear to her toes. Her spine arched and she bucked her hips, rocking into him, and her arms went around him to grab at his shoulders, careful not to let her claws out even as her kiss turned fiercer, harder, and her tail twitched.

"Ohh...that's nice," she breathed, and backed her ass back into his hand and curled her tail, encouraging him.

"I can tell," Herrick murmured, and he scratched a bit harder. Then, he stroked up along her tail, down against the grain of her fur, and resumed scratching.

His other hand went to the waistband of her loincloth, and tugged on it teasingly.

He hardly needed to tease her, for Raxta was eager and curious and delighting in his teasing. And then when she felt him tugging at the edge of her skirt...

Well, she had no qualms about disposing of an obstacle.

She cracked her eyes open when she felt that, then looked down, shrugged, and tugged the laces that held it closed loose. With a twist of her hips and a swift downward shove, she kicked the skirt off, flashed Herrick a sly smile, and then made equally quick work of her breast band.

It soon joined the skirt, tossed off their little bed and into a corner of her room.

Herrick gave her the space to undress (but not too much space!), watching with a mixture of enjoyment and anticipation as Raxta bared it all. In response to her sly little smile, Herrick pitched forwards to give her a kiss before reaching down to his smallclotues.

"My turn."

He pulled them down and off of him nice and slow so Raxta'd be able to experience the same sort of anticipation. When it was off, he flung it to join her clothing, and beckoned her towards him as he laid on his back.

Raxt did indeed stare, her heart thumping with suspense as he unwrapped himself, and when his clothes joined hers--gods. Her eyebrows lifted and eyes widened as they roved over him from head to toe and lingered at his hips. She had...never seen a naked male before. Not up close, at least. After all, her kind onlysaw males once a year, generally.

Her face flushed as she took in his very different anatomy before she looked back up at him, licked her lips, and curled in close to him again, letting her hand trail over his chest and down his belly and delighting in the warm sensation of skin on skin contact.

"So that's what it looks like," she mused, and trailed her hand ever lower, fingers splaying just below his navel. She gave his neck another light nibble.

"Can I touch it?"

Herric's hands caressed her, and when she asked him for permission, he grinned, and gave her a kiss.

"Go ahead," Herrick said, and he touched foreheads with her. He touched her stomach like she touched, although his hand eventually wandered to her ass.

Raxta purred in enjoyment as his own hands wandered, and while she pushed her ass against his hand, her hand dipped down. She trailed her fingers over his cock from base to tip, touch feather light, and then circled around the tip, curiously examining him.

"It's so soft," she mused, not quite sure what she had expected, except that she hadn't expected it to feel smooth and velvety--and that was even better. She sighed, cuddling closer and nuzzling his shoulder, her fingers continuing their gentle, caressing exploration.

"Yeah, give it a few moments," Herrick replied, and as she touched and explored it, it would start to throb and grow in her hands as he slowly got hard. He kissed her, and his hand slipped from her ass down lower, reaching around behind to touch her sex.

Raxta jerked and gasped in surprise when she felt his fingers dip down--and boldly touch her sex, which he would find soaking and heated. She sucked in a breath, letting out a soft moan of encouragement, and flicked her tail out of the way and opened her legs to give him more space to roam, her lips against his mouth and breathing faster.

"That feels good," she purred, and as he grew under her touches, she wrapped er hand around him to stroke him, marveling at how much larger he was now--and groaning softly at the thought. A week seemed so long.

"Does it feel good when I do this?" she asked as she moved her hand slowly along him, even as she rocked her hips back against his hand. "Gods...keep touching me..."

"Yeah, feels great," Herrick murmured. His hands utilized the extra space quite nicely, ring and middle fingers rubbing against her as his thumb played with her clit.

"Gods, I can't believe it's going to be a whole week," Herrick said, and his mouth descended to her neck.

Raxta let out a whimpery whine at his words, her hips rolling back against his hand--and her breath catching when his thumb stroked her clit, her body tensing and hips bucking at the sensation. With a moan, she reached down with her free hand to cover his hand with her own, guiding him and showing him the rhythm and speed she liked while her breathing quickened and shuddered out through her parted lips.

She'd pleasured herself plenty before, but gods, it felt even better when it was someone else touching her, especially as she touched him, and her blood was positively burning with desire and excitement as they explored each other.

"A week," she sighed, arching back so he could kiss her neck, shuddering as pleasure spread out through her core and ached between her legs. Still her hand moved over him, stroking and teasing, not quite sure what she was doing but encouraged by his response. She leaned in and kissed his mouth, tongue running over his lips before she suckled on the bottom one and tugged it with her teeth. "So long..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can help make that time fly," Herrick murmured against her lips before he nibbled her bottom one in return.

Giving her a bit of a lusty look, he dipped down and kissed her breast before he started tonguing her nipple, breaking that up with nibbles and tiny bites.

"Maybe I'll leave a spot here, too..."

"Do it," Raxta breathed, feeling wild with excitement, and more than eager and curious to explore these new feelings with him. She peeked down at him, face flushed with heat, and curled her lips in a smile.

"A jaguar is never without need of spots," she added, hips still jerking against his hand, fist still moving over his cock. Her chest, and breasts, were as spotted as the rest of her, though the spots were solid there, unlike the open rosettes along her back. Her free hand traveled up again, fisting in his hair, and she pulled him down for another demanding kiss. "Give me more..."

And Herrick did so. He performed the whole process, and when he finished sucking, her areola and the surrounding area was darker. Then, he left another one on the side of her breast, and he finished off by giving her nipple a small nibble.

"I might not be able to enter you, but we've got mouths," Herrick said, and he rose up to kiss her on the lips, nice and deep. He angled his fingers, and they entered her.

Raxta squirmed beneath him, letting out little gasps and shivering moans as he marked her, her body arching up into his touch to press her full breasts against him, burning with need. And when she felt his fingers start to press against her...

"Spirits above!" she cried out when that feeling of pressure and pressing gave, and suddenly she felt his fingers sinking up into her, her body stretching and burning around him. She bucked up against him, tail lashing and curling, unused to the sensation of having something inside her, and her eyes flew open so she could look down between her spread legs. For a second, she thought maybe he just couldn't wait despite what he had said--but then she saw it was just his fingers and her head fell back again.

"O-our mouths?" she managed to get out, flushed and panting as she writhed, jerkjng her hips against his hand. And she looked down again and licked her lips as she eyed his cock. "Bring it here, then..."

"Right away," Herrick said, and he gave her a deep, tongue-filled kiss before scooching up on the bed so that he was on his back with his hips by Raxta's head. His member, up and at attention, awaited her ministrations.

Herrick switched positions, and Raxta rolled over onto her hands and knees. She didn't straddle him, but rather knelt right beside him, and turned to curiously examine his cock up close, now hard--and much larger than before. For a moment she just stared at it, before she took it in hand to steady it, leaned in, and gave it a slow lick up the shaft.

"Like this?" she breathed, and peeked over her shoulder at him, tail swaying. "I just lick it?"

Herrick clapped a hand onto her ass as she licked him, squeezing her buttock before he resumed fingering her, keeping her fire stoked as she worked on him.

"Don't just lick it. Suck it, get as much of it in your mouth as you can. Basically, try to recreate what happens during mating, but with your tongue and lips," Herrick explained.

"Don't worry, I'll return the favor once you're done."

It was very, very difficult to concentrate on what she was doing when Herrick had his fingers moving inside her. She let out a gasping moan, swaying back against him, still adjusting to the feeling but curious about it nonetheless--and very aware that it was starting to feel good, her sex clenched around him.

But when he spoke, she nodded, and instead of just licking him) which must have felt interesting, with her scratchy tongue) she opened her mouth wide and slid him inside, carefu of her large, vicious teeth.

She sucked on the tip and then took him deeper, sucking lightly and rolling her tongue around him. Imitate mating? So imitate the thrusting? Raxta lifted, bobbing her head on him, and lifted all the way off of him before swallowing him back down. Her actions were a little awkward, the sensation of his cock interesting inside her mouth as she learned the little ridges and veins as she tasted him.

"There you go," Herrick said in between breaths. Her tongue was amazing. It bordered on being too rough, but as it was, it was just right.

With one hand with fingers inside of her, Herrick placed the other one right on her ass. He grabbed her and shuffled her a bit closer to him.

"Lean your ass on my chest. I'm gonna taste you."

Raxta's heart raced at his words, a thrill going through her, and though it took and effort to move with Herrick turning her legs to jelly, she managed to straddle his chest with her thighs spread above his face. She lifted her tail high, grinding down on his fingers and gasping around his cock, and grasped his cock in a hand to hold it and stroke it even as her mouth worked around him.

"Gods, you're so big," she moaned as she lifted off his cock and licked the tip. Granted, she had never seen anoter up close and didn't really know what was average or exceptional, but to her he looked massive. She suckled the tip again, whimpering in pleasure, and came up for air only briefly, once again peering curiously behind her. She gave her hips a wiggle, eyes shutting in pleasure as she trembled.

"Is that what your penis will feel like inside me?" she asked, breathless and wanting more.

"Yeah, but so much better," Herrick said, and he gave her a broad lick. She had a flavor so unique, it almost took him aback. So natural, so primal.

He dove in to lick her some more, thumb pressing down on her clit as he pushed his tongue into her. His other hand stroked her tail by the base.

Raxta's hips jerked when he licked her, his tongue so smooth and different from her kind, and her face flushed even as she pressed her hips down against his face with a low moan around him. Her heart raced, her legs shaking, and she began to grind against his mouth in unabashed pleasure as his tongue sank into her and his thumb stroked her.

"Oh...Herrick..." she gasped out, before she sank him into her mouth again, teeth grazing dangerously against him even as she tightened up when he stroked the base of her tail. She cried out, rocking more insistently, her free hand tangling in the furs of her bed--and shredding parts of it with her claws.

"I wish I could have you now," she said, and gave him a long, slow lick. "But this feels so good already...I love how you taste... "

Herrick stopped working her so he could speak, cheeks flushed with pleasure.

"We can do it. Just once. And then we'll wait for the week to come," Herrick said.

Another broad lick, and he gave a tiny buck upwards as his hips squirmed.

"If we call it having sex, and not mating, we're good, right? I mean, you didn't say it was forbidden or anything."

"No," Raxta managed to whimper, still working herself against him, taking him deep in her mouth and pausing only when she lifted off of him. "Males and females mate. He puts himself inside her and gives her his seed to make cubs. I have never mated before, so I must wait, wait for the ritual..."

She was breathless, and her squirming was only increasing, that pleasure gradually building until her voice came out strained.

"Even males and females who are Bonded must wait...at least a few weeks, to ensure...to ensure their bodies are clean and ready..."

Herrick winced at that. He didn't mean to offend her or anything, but he was horny, and waiting a week to have sex with someone sounded like a really long time now.

Essentially, this was going to be the longest foreplay session in history.

He hissed a bit as he snaked closer and closer to the edge. Her tongue...

He didn't want to be beaten, though, and he intensified his efforts between her legs, bringing his tongue in to writhe and press inside of her.

Raxta was too turned on to be offended, letting out muffled cries around his cock and grinding her hips down as he thrust his tongue up into her. And then, abruptly, the pleasure became too intense and she had to release him so she didn't accidentally bite him, pumping him with her hand instead and gasping out as her thighs tightened around his ead and her toes and tail curled.

"H-Herrick!" she moaned out, her other hand gripping his thigh tightly, the tips of her sheathed claws prickling his skin. "Herrick, oh spirits, your tongue!"

And she was right there, clinging to the edge, when the thin door to her hut pushed open and another young jaguar stepped in. "Raxta, is it true you--oh."

And she froze, staring wide-eyed, right as Raxta let out a squeak that was half surprise, half pleasure, as she seized up in pleasure and trembled uncontrollably, her arousal dripping down her thighs.

Herrick's thigh seized a bit with the prickling, but his ears were still alert. When that door opened, Herrick did the only thing he could thing of, and that was to just sit there.

Semi-frozen, he slowly pulled his face into a light grin. He knew there was no point in hiding this.

"Uh..."

He glanced about.

"...Hi."

Rather than be mortified, Raxta only rolled off of Herrick, wiped her lips, and gave the other girl a mild glare.

"What happened to knocking, Xoco?" she asked tightly, though her face was still flushed with passion, her body still tingling with pleasure, and the heady scent of sex was thick in the air.

Xoco was staring at Herrick, her face red for different reasons. "I, uh, heard you got a human and, um..." She backed from the door. "I wanted to see? Sorry!" And she hurried back out the door.

Herrick opted to not say anything for the duration of that short exchange, instead glancing between the two jaguaresses (jaguarazons? Jaguarians? He had no clue.)

When Xoco took her leave, Herrick just sort of looked at Raxta, and he stifled a small laugh. He rolled onto his side, and gave her butt a spot.

"Friend of yours?"

"A good friend, yes," Raxta said with an irritated flick of her tail. "Xoco. We have known each other since we were cubs."

Then she looked at Herrick, meeting his amused expression with her dry one, and snorted. "You are popular already."

"Looks like it," Herrick remarked, and he rolled onto his back.

It seemed they were done, for now. He was still hard and throbbing from her previous attentions.

"What's with the grumpy look all of a sudden?"

Was she grumpy? Raxta blinked, then smoothed out her expression with a shake of her head.

"Oh, no. Just a little peeved to be interrupted so," she said with a crooked smile that bore one long fang. Her eyes traveled back along Herrick's body, soaking it in, and ended at his still engorged cock. She tilted her head curiously and reached out to lightly stroke it with that same curious look in her eyes, as though it still fascinated her.

"How long does it stay like this?" she asked, and peered up at him. She knew what her release looked and felt like, but she couldn't tell if he'd had his. "It was much smaller earlier. Is it...stuck?"

"Well, it stays like that until I come," Herrick stated, putting his hands behind his head and relaxing as she continued to explore him. his hand returned to her ass, rubbing it it for a few moments before his fingers swiped along her folds, touching her wetness.

"My seed comes out when I reach my climax, though, so be prepared for that."

"Oh," Raxta breathed, still studying him curiously, before she steadied him in her hand and brought her warm mouth down over him with a soft, growling moan. If he had not yet come, well, it was hardly fair not to return what he had given her. She had no qualms about that as her tongue explored the shape and taste of him with the same enthusiasm as though she were sampling a fine  delicacy for the first time.

She bobbed on him, bringing him almost all the way out before sinking him back in, trying to emulate mating from the best of her understanding--from what she had glimpsed during past ceremonies. And when his fingers once again touched her,  she moaned around him, hips swaying in time to his motions.

She withdrew briefly with a long, slow swipe of her tongue, gasping and looking up to meet his eyes. "This will be Xoco's first season, too," she said, and nursed at the tip of his cock. "Would you want her?" And then she took him in deep, testing her own limits, withdrawing only when she felt she might choke.

"Yeah, I'd be willing to accomodate for her," Herrick said.

Yeah, he was a real bastard. He sighed, closing his eyes as Raxta worked, slipping his fingers into her and letting out a few more soft noises.

"So... I'm curious about this ritual. can you tell me more about that?"

Again Raxta paused to lift her head, looking at him from under her lashes. Her breathing was heavier, her hips squirming as his fingers worked into her, and she whimpered and bit her lip as she squeezed around him tightly and longed for more, so much more. She wanted to feel him on her, feel his cock sliding between her legs rather than her lips...

"W-why don't you come for me," she whispered, and gave him a long lick from base to tip, body trembling with each movement of his fingers, hips rocking back and tail curling lightly around his wrist, "and then I will tell you all you wish..."

For it was difficult to talk with her mouth full!

With that said, she slid him into her mouth again, teeth delicately grazing along his shaft,  and sucked on the head for a moment, tongue swirling around the glans as she watched his reactions. Then she began to bob again, hand pumping what she couldn't reach, moaning around him.

Herrick winced and his fingers dove into her. After about a minute more, he just couldn't hold it in anymore. One of his hands went to the back of her head, and he released his seed.

"Raxta!"

His orgasm was powerful, very much matching his size. It wasn't long before her mouth was just full of it.

Raxta had heard people refer to seed before. But she never really understood what, exactly, it was.

Not until Herrick came in her mouth, filling her with a hot, sticky liquid, and she made a surprised, choked sound at the flavor and texture and jerked back, his seed spilling from her lips.

When she reared back, she caught another thick string of white across her face and another across her chest as his load kept coming. When it was over, his cock was now deflated, semen dripping from the tip.

Herrick himself was just sprawled out.

"So good..."

And Raxta just stared at him in bafflement, face and chest wet, and slowly began to wipe at her face with her hands. "I...what..."

"You got a magical tongue. you know that, right?"

Herrick chuckled, and lifted his head to look at her.

"Yikes."

Raxta looked down at herself, still puzzled, and slowly dragged a finger through the sticky mess on her chest. It was quickly cooling and now just felt...weird. Especially where it was starting to dry on her face. Eugh...

"My tongue is normal as far as I know..." she said, and wiped at her face some more, blinking at Herrick. "What...what IS this?"

"That's my seed," Herrick says.

"I put it women, and it makes babies. Or cubs, as you call 'em. Most girls I've been with know how to swallow it," He explained.

"Do you want me to pass you some water? Maybe a rag?"

"THIS is seed?" Raxta said, wrinkling her nose. "It doesn't look like a seed."

And yet it also made infinitely more sense than a literal seed being planted inside a person. She just hadn't expected so much. Or such a mess.

Looking back up at Herrick, she nodded. "Both?" she said. "It tastes funny."

"Tastes funny 'cause it isn't supposed to end up in your mouth," Herrick said with a grin, leaning over to reach into his back and pass Raxta a flask of clear water and a small towel.

Raxta immediately dumped water onto the rag to soak it before she began to furiously scrub herself clean. She hadn't wanted to offend him by making a fuss, but ohmygods that felt so gross! She wet the rag a couple more times and went over herself again for good measure, and only when she was satisfied did she drink the rest.

"Eugh...maybe next time, not on my face," she said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Sorry," Herrick said with a sheepish smile.

"I'll give you more of a warning next time.

He let himself lie back on the bed, sighing.

"I could go with a short nap," Herrick said, and he opened up his arms.

"C'mere."

With a small smile at his invitation, Raxta crawled in close and curled up with him with a soft, rumbling purr. She adored physical contact, and something about cuddling after what they had done just felt right. Besides, she was feeling pretty sleepy now, too, in a content and satd sort of way.

"I should probably introduce you," she said on a yawn, resting her head against his chest. "I meant to, but...well..."

She gestured sleepily to their naked, entwined bodies.

"What's to introduce? Everybody in your village probably knows everything save for my name by now," Herrick said, and he gave the top of her head a little nuzzle.

He took the fur sheets and threw them over him and Raxta.

"Sweet dreams."

"Mm, no doubt they do," Raxta said with an amused quirk to her lips and a soft snort. Xoco certainly would have told all.

It was a good think Raxta didn't easily embarrass or she may have been more concerned about that. But her people weren't a prudish people to begin with. Why be embarrassed and awkward over what was only natural and enjoyable?

With a yawn, she cuddled in closer, arm draped oer Herrick and legs tangled up with his, absently stroking along his chest in wonder. A human, and a male, but he still wasn't so different from what she was used to.

Still, it was going to be a long week.

"Blessed dreams," she murmured, as her idly stroking soon stilled, and her breathing evened out.

Herrick's eyes were open just a little bit longer than Raxta's. He fell asleep with one arm around her back, holding her to him, and his other arm just flopped out there. He closed his eyes, letting the sound of Raxta's gentle purring lull him to sleep.

It was going to be one interesting pair of weeks.

It was early morning when Raxta roused again, waking with a yawn and a stretch--before she froze, because Herrick was still there, and she didn't want to disturb him. Carefully, she started to untangle their limbs, moving slowly so as not to jar him.

She didn't really get too untangled from him before his eyes opened slowly. He saw her, and a flash of light surprise came over him for a brief moment before he remembered where he was. He smiled at her.

"Hey there," Herrick said, and he leaned forwards to kiss her.

"Have a good nap?"

Raxta froze when Herrick woke, but she smiled at his kiss and nuzzled noses with him after. "I did," she said, and bit back another yawn.

"Though I daresay it was longer than a 'nap', judging by the light outside."

Herrick lifted his head a bit to look at the light, and he set his head back down.

"So, what's the plan for today, Raxta? Gonna introduce me?"

"Of course. You're a guest here. It would be rude not to introduce you," Raxta said, before she gave his cheek a playful lick.

"I meant to steal away and bring us food before you woke," she added. "I still can. But if you'd like to join the hunt, you're welcome to."

"I mean, I've still got food in my bag, but I think I could do with stretching my legs a bit," Herrick said.

A lopsided smile met her when she licked his cheek.

"Been a while since I wore my forest getup anyways."

"Forest getup?" Raxta repeated with a curious tilt of her head.

"Yep!"

Herrick made some abstract patterns on Raxta's back. wth his fingers.

"It's like what I was wearing when you found me, but I painted it to blend into the forest. It's lighter, too."

Herrick's eyes wandered, and he chuckled.

"You've still got that spot on your tit."

Raxta looked down at her breast, and let out a soft, snorting laugh as she lightly touched it. "It won't go away for days, dark as it is!" she said, then looked up and brushed fingers against Herrick's neck.

"You still have yours, too," she said with a fanged smile. "Only one. Your skin is still too blank. I'll have to give you many, many more."

Herrick chuckled with her, and he cupped her breast, looking down at the spot.

"I don't have any objections," Herrick said, and he gave her bottom some playful rubs, more pets than anything else.

He closed his eyes, and sighed.

"I don't want to move..."

Raxta purred when he cupped her breast and caressed her bottom, her tail swishing with contentment and eyes drifting shut. She shuffled a little closer, finally cracking her eyes open to peer up at him. "No?"

"I'm too comfy," Herrick added, and he gave her a lopsided smile.

"A few more minutes."

"Just a few always turns into much longer," Raxta said, chiding, but she flopped down next to him just the same. She stretched out, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth.

"I mean it, just a few minutes," Herrick said, and he gave her tail a stroke.

"Besides, I have a feeling you don't mind."

"I'm a little hungry," Raxta said as she curled up against him and nuzzled his chest, spine arching when he stroked her tail. She let out a little sigh, a pleasant chill coursing down her back that made her toes curl. "But I have no other objections..."

Herrick's smile only widened, and he set his head back down. He closed his eyes, leaving another kiss on Raxta's forehead.

"Gods, I never thought I'd be in a situation like this," Herrick murmured.

"Not that I'm complaining."

"Like what?" Raxta asked curiously, pressing her forehead to his. "This? I thought you said you have mated before."

And then she paused, realization dawning. "Oh. Is it your first time with a female?"

"What? no that's not what I meant," Herrick said.

"Been with plenty of females."

He looked up to the ceiling of her hut.

"I meant, like... out here in the jungle. Meeting jaguar women, becoming mates, witnessing a tribal fertility ritual. All of that stuff."

"Ohhh," Raxta said, understanding now. She wouldn't have held it against him if she was his first, of course; same sex pairings were more common among both their tribes than the opposite, and so she saw nothing strange about it. But his explanation made more sense.

She kissed him, giving his lips a gentle nibble. "It will be an experience for us both, then," she said with a smile, caressing his arm. "I believe earlier you had questions for me?"

"Yeah," he murmured against her lips. He reciprocated the kiss, one hand holding her by the back of her neck while the other passed along her hip.

"I was just curious about this whole ritual you do."

"Oh, yes, of course it would be important for you to know," Raxta said, curling into is caresses.

"The day of the ritual, we gather as one and hunt. Then, we spend the day feasting on our kill, and drinking, and dancing--and perhaps choosing who we want first. The ritual itself begins at moonrise. We all gather on the village green and receive the mark of moon and sun--it symbolizes the unity of male and female energies," Raxta said, drawing absent symbols on Herrick's chest.

"We drink from the sacred cup. It is said the drink makes us receptive. And then, well...we hunt again."

Her smile turned playful. "We hunt each other. By that time, most know who they want to take, so it is merely a formality. Those who have not yet paired, who are perhaps more shy, or who like the randomness, gather in the center to be captured. And once one is captured, well..."

She nipped Herrick's nose. "We mate. Those who wish only to be with their chosen go to the huts. Those who would like to be taken by others stay out on the green. And so it is for the week. We feast, we mate, we hunt."

"Wow..." Herrick said.

That... that actually sounded like a lot of fun! Herrick wasn't a prude by any stretch of the imagination. He'd done... interesting things to get his scores before.

"Sounds like a great time."

He nuzzled their noses together, holding her to him nice and tight.

"So, am I going to be hunting you, or are you hunting me?"

Raxta's grin turned impish. "Do you believe you could catch me?"

"Where I'm from, I'm considered a hunter," Herrick said, returning her grin.

"My enemies call me a leopard."

"A leopard," Raxta repeated, the amusement clear in her voice as she looked him over head to foot. She had heard of those before, though they didn't live near. Apparently, travelers were always mistaking their kind for them!

She made a soft scoffing sound. "But ARE you a leopard? Because I AM a jaguar."

It was clear she thought him no contest.

"You'll see," Herrick said, and he gave her butt a spank.

"It's been a couple of minutes now. Let's go hunt."

Raxta jumped at the spank, face flushing and body delighting, but then let out a groan at his next words. Right when she'd been getting comfy again...

"Oh I see, we move on your terms," she said as she rose, giving his arm a smack with her tail, before she stood and stretched, fingers and toes flexing and claws out. They receded back into their pockets when her stretch was done, and she bent to snatch up her sparse clothes, wiggling into her fur skirt and tying on her chest wrap.

"What are you craving today? I could do with monkey."

"I was thinking bigger," Herrick said, and he smiled at Raxta.

"I was thinking water buffalo. You got those down here?"

Raxta blinked at him. "We do, but they're huge," she said, surprised. "And mean. Are you sure you're up for that?"

Self-proclaimed hunter or not, he was still just a human in her eyes. Handsome, and intriguing, but also soft without claws and fangs.

"Definitely. I've gone up against much worse," Herrick said, grinning confidently.

"I might not have claws or teeth, but I've got very good tools. I'll share some with you."

"Consider it a gift from your mate."

"Very well. If you think those will be enough..." she said, not sure what sorts of tools could benefit him there.

Finished dressing, she paused by the door to wait for him. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, give me a moment," Herrick said, who was halfway through putting on his armor. It was a much lighter but still full-body affair, but he still kept his signature armored cloak, for it would come in handy in the jungle. His whole get up was rainforest-colored with paints and dyes, and the cloak itself was rough to blend into the environment more. He was taking some javelins and a large bow, and a barrel extension for his revolver out of his bag.

"Be out in a minute."

Raxta watched Herrick gather up his things, and his weapons, one eyebrow raised. Then those were his claws and teeth, hm? They seemed unwieldy to her, though--but her people only used the weapons on their own bodies, so anything extra would seem awkward to them.

The clothes she was more impressed with, for they looked about as useful as her own spots. How clever, for humans to compensate through creativity. With a smile his way, she nodded and stepped outside.

"I will be waiting," she said.

It didn't take him long to come out. He had javelins and a collection of rather impressive arrows in a quiver. The cloak was drawn up over his head, and he had a matching colored cloth drawn up over his nose and mouth.

He had a large, dark longbow in his right, and a sheathed dagger in his left.

"Here, this dagger's for you," he said.

Raxta blinked down at the dagger he held out to her, then looked back up at him blankly. "What would I do with that?"

"Well, I noticed you had a stone dagger. So I figured I'd give you a good one as a gift," Herrick said.

"My dagger isn't good?" And Raxta said with a frown, brow furrowed, and she wasn't sure whether to be insulted or intrigued. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, though, and took his offered dagger in hand--and sucked in a breath when she touched the blade.

Smooth, so smooth, and hard as rock while being made of something different. It shone in the light when she tilted it, glimmering like silver. It was...pretty. Too pretty.

She snapped a look back up at Herrick. "It's beautiful," she said, "but...but won't it break?" She tilted it again, staring at it. "It's made of silver, yes? Silver is soft..."

"Nope. Enchanted steel," Herrick said.

"One the sharpest metals out there."

He passed a finger along the flat of the blade.

"You can put ash on it too, so it doesn't shine."

"Oh, I like the shine," Raxta said, and with a frown at her stone dagger, she tossed it back inside her hut before sheathing the new one.

"Sorry I was skeptical," she said, a sheepish look in her eyes as she looked to Herrick. "I had just never seen anything like it before so..."

A little dip of her head in thanks, and then she stepped forward again and pressed her lips to his. "Thank you."

Herrick smiled a bit as she kissed him. It was a rather temperate day, good climate for hunting. A light southward breeze and plenty of clouds to keep it cool and dim, perfect forhunting. It might even rain later.

"There any time to meet the tribe?"

"If you would like to now?" Raxta said, head cocked as she looked at him. She found she was doing an awful lot of staring at him--but she couldn't help it! He was so similar to her kind, yet so vastly different, with his blank skin and dark hair--and hair that grew on his face, too, that tickled when they kissed.

"They're up and awake now, and there's plenty of time." She tilted her head to the other side. "Are you nervous?"

"Not at all. Your people sound pretty great," Herrick said. He pulled down the face cloth and his hood.

He took her hand and started to walk.

"Besides, I'm pretty interested in meeting them."

"Very well. This way!" she said, gripping his hand, and lead him down the little stairs from her hut and into the heart of the village.

It was a simple place, and their market was really just a place where villagers could trade with one another, for they had no currency. The place was alive and bustling with the sounds of activity: women hanging clothing or beating fur rugs and blankets, girl children scampering about playing games, or being hollered at to complete their chores, the sound of breaking pottery somewhere in the distance. People stopped and stared as they neared, one woman nearly tipping the clay water jug right off her head in her distraction.

That woman was Xoco, whose dark, spotted skin flushed a bright red when she saw them, as though remembering just what she had walked in on. She was a pretty girl, if smaller and thinner than Raxta, with a boyish build and long hair tied back in a single thick braid. She quickly re-balanced the jug, though a little water had sloshed over the side and wet her hair.

Raxta reached up to help her steady it. "I'm sorry," she said, "about earlier. I didn't mean to snap."

"O-oh, no, that's okay," Xoco said, making a point of looking everywhere but at Herrick. "I should have knocked. I just...I saw you come back with, er, him and..."

"I know," Raxta said. "He's the first human I've seen, too. His name is Herrick, by the way." And with a crooked smile his way, she pointed to her friend. "And Herrick, this is my friend, Xoco."

Herric smiled at Xoco, raising a hand in there. He remembered her from last night, and remembered Raxta's question. She was a bit boyish, yes, but that aesthetic appealed to him. He loved fit girls that could keep up with him.

"Pleasure to meet you properly, Xoco," Herrick said.

"Raxta tells me it will be your first season this year as well?"

.

Xoco shot a look at Raxta, who only nodded, then looked back at Herrick with wide eyes.

"Ah...yes? I mean, yes. Yes, it will be," she said, adjusting the jar so it wouldn't slip again. Her tail danced as she spoke, her ears twitching, obviously nervous gestures. While Raxta tended to be blunt, straightforward, and fearless, Xoco was...well..flustered. Not only had she never met a human before--let alone an attractive one--but she didn't have the slightest idea how to even interact with a male.

Granted, Raxta didn't, either, but she did a better job at hiding it. And she wasn't afraid to experiment.

She swallowed. "We're the same age. Raxta and I, I mean. So...yes. I mean, um, hi! Nice to meet you too!"

Herrick knew Xoco's type. Funny, he didn't really expect any of these jungle huntresses to be shy or awkward. It was cute.

"Maybe I'll see you this coming week" he teased, and he looked to Raxta.

"Me and Raxta are going on a hunt."

Raxta slid a sly, sidelong look Herrick's way, then back at Xoco, who's eyes went wide at Herrick's words. Of course she was excited about the days ahead, but also more than a little nervous while Raxta was excited--but calm. She knew Herrick was interested in her, just as she was...perhaps an ice breaker would be ideal, to see if Xoco would be interested, too.

She smiled. "You're welcome to join us, friend," she said. "The more the merrier when it comes to buffalo. Unless you're busy?"

Xoco looked between them again, and adjusted the jar. "Er, no, not busy, just..." She bit her lip. "Okay. Lemme just put this away, then I'll meet you, ah..."

"At the east end of the village," Raxta said, and looked to Herrick. "Sound good?"

Herrick nodded. He thought the idea of having her join them was splendid. With water buffalos, they would need as many hands as they could get.

"See you there," he said, and he glanced Raxta's way. Once Xoco was gone, he grinned, a small chuckle escaping him.

"Anybody else I should meet?"

"Ixchel and Eleuia will want to meet you, no doubt, if they don't already know everything from gossip," Raxta said, before remembering he would have no idea who they were. She looked at him.

"Eleuia is our leader, and Ixchel is our high priestess," she said. "Of course you'll be of interest, being the first human here in ages. And of course my other friends will be curious about you, as well. Come along! I'll show you "

Raxta introduced him to several more jaguars along the way, all of them polite, and most of them obviously curious. A few mothers kept their younger daughters close, however, or shooed their older ones away when those daughters made eyes at Herrick. They weren't yet old enough to participate this season, and they didn't want either their daughters or Herrick getting any ideas! She introduced him to a couple other friends along the way: the lovely Sacnite, who was closer to Herrick in age with two little daughters, and Nenetl, who was a couple years older than Raxta and hadn't conceived yet.

But a few others, while polite, were less open, and they watched Herrick with a muted sort of wariness. Raxta picked up on their body language, though: the stiffly twitching tails, the laid back ears.

How odd...

But Raxta was young, too young to understand why they might be cautious, and she squeezed Herrick's hand and hurried along.

At least until an older, muscular woman pushed through the throng of people and eyed them both sternly. "Ixchel wants to see you," she said gruffly. "At once."

Herrick nodded at that information.

"Good to know."

For the subsequent tour of the village, Herrick was nothing but smiles and politeness. He wanted to make a good impression, partly for whatever human ended up here after him, partly because it was a village full of jaguar people and to piss them off would be pretty bad for his life expectancy, and mostly because he knew Raxta was taking a chance on him.

Or at least that's what he thought.

He made an effort to remember the faces of everyone he'd been introduced to, and to have at least a small conversation with each one. Raxta would be his primary quarry, definitely, but if any of these other girls cornered him, he wanted to at least know who it was that caught him.

The cautious jaguars weren't lost on him. He pinned it on the fact that he was an outsider, that he'd come out of the blue and was now in some sort of loose relationship with one of their own.

He wouldn't trust himself, either.

When the older woman came and told Raxta that the priestess wanted to talk to her, Herrick opted to keep quiet and just nod, looking to Raxta.

"We shouldn't keep her waiting."

"No, you shouldn't," the older jaguar said gruffly before Raxta could answer.

With a nod Herrick's way, Raxta tugged him long gently as she followed after the warrior, though she knew the way to Ixchel by heart. Just to the north of the village, half swallowed by jungle, was an ancient temple. It had existed for as far back as her people had been keeping written records--and whether they had built it, or had taken it over, was a fact lost to time.

It held up well, for her people kept it in good repair, with towering pillars and carvings that made up many stylized animals. Plants crawled among the walls, which were lit up by flickering sconces.

"Ixchel is kind," Raxta told Herrick as they walked. "You needn't worry about her. Just be polite and respectful, is all. You've had no problems there."

The older jaguar, Yaotl, lead them into a large, well lit chamber inside the temple, and at the far end was a stone dais and an impressive throne. There was a large slab of a table in the center of the room, and it was stained with rusty red patches--old blood. Sitting upon the throne was an older jaguar with silvered hair and bright green eyes, a feathered headdress adorning her. Around her, several younger priestesses sat at her feet, watching just as intently.

"Mother Ixchel," Raxta greeted, bowing low, and pressed a hand to Herrick's lower back to coax him into doing the same.

Herrick didn't quite need the coaxing. He lowered more or less in time with Raxta, catching the movement of her bow in his peripheral vision.

This temple was impressive, to say the least, and just by eyeballing it, he could tell this place was incredibly old.

He remained quiet, waiting for someone to speak.

"Raxta," Ixchel greeted in return, her eyes moving then to Herrick. She frowned, making the lines of her face deepen.

"So it's true you found a human.  I had thought maybe it was just another one of Xoco's flights of fancy, but..." She gave a wave that encompassed him. "There he is in the flesh. Is it also true you have mated with him?"

"No, Mother," Raxta said quickly. "I intend to, though."

Ixchel cocked her head, still frowning. "Our kind and his kind haven't paired in ages. And any children will be half-breeds. They will be half wild, half tame, belonging neither here nor with his kind--"

"That's not what the tales say," Raxta said, and winced when she realized she'd interrupted. But Ixchel just arched a brow and waited, and Raxta cleared her throat and continued, "They say such children are even stronger. That they bring fresh blood to our line. That humans took part in the rites in the past, that our lives and people were intertwined. They say it was common in the old days--that even some among us might have such mixed blood in our veins, even now."

Ixchel was quiet for a moment, considering. "It's been a long time," she conceded. "Details are conflicted. Be that as it may, you realize there is a reason humans haven't been here in so long?"

Raxta frowned, ears going back, and Ixchel looked at Herrick. "Who else came with you, but has not yet shown themselves?"

That was a detail that shocked him. If what they were saying was true, then there was a very real possibility that he was going to have a kid with this girl. A bastard, from his viewpoint, since he wasn't planning on sticking around for longer than a month. He didn't quite like the idea of leaving a child behind, yet... He was the sole remainder of his people. The cross between jaguar and native Adelan dragon hunters had the potential to be quite powerful, and he didn't want his people's legacy to end with him.

By the time he was more or less done mulling these things over, Ixchel was speaking to him, and he looked up at her.

"I..."

The truth would hurt his good impression, but he knew that lying about this was going to bite him in the ass later on. He also had the unique challenge of putting this in terms they would understand.

"I was in the jungle because I was fleeing from a large tribe of humans."

He gave them a moment to process.

"Their leaders imprison and abuse their own people just for being born with magical gifts. The tribe is at war with itself. To help those being targeted by their own leader, I stole something of great value to him, with intentions to give it to the victims and aid them."

He let his eyes fall back to the ground.

"I am sure that I escaped them."

Ixchel's eyes narrowed. Not with anger, but simply as though she were weighing and measuring his every word. Her tail swished, and she rose to her feet, clothed in a brightly dyed sarong and many intricate beaded necklaces that covered her breasts.  For a woman who had to be in her 60s, she had still had a build that spoke to the strong woman she had once been--and still was.

She still looked quite capable of killing a man.

"You're sure," she said, not a question but a statement. She crossed the distance between them and stood only to Herrick's shoulder, but she gripped his chin and pulled him down to be eye to eye.

"The last humans that came here were also sure. Oh, they ate our food and drank our wine and mated our women. And they drugged our wine and food, and kidnapped many." Her lips curled, baring her teeth. "We only managed to rescue five of those girls. Out of thirteen. The others? They were murdered for their skins."

Herrick was all humility, but when she pulled his chin up to meet her eyes, she'd find his own to be hard points, very much like hers.

"Then those men deserve whatever shallow grave they ended up in. If they killed and skinned your women, then I hope their people did the same to them."

It was a statement that rang with truth. That was beyond heinous, and it showed with the disgust he said his words with.

"If my pursuers track me here, then I will leave with them. I don't want any harm to come to your tribe."

Ixchel searched Herrick's eyes, her own gaze fixed and unwavering, looking for any signs of dishonesty, any tic that would give him away. When she saw none, she released his chin with a thoughtful hum.

"We don't want trouble," she said. "Least of all for your enemies to make enemies of us. You sound confident you could handle them. I'm not sure whether that is justified or merely foolishness. However..."

She looked to Raxta, who was watching with wide eyes. She hadn't heard that story before, about those women...

"Raxta seems to like you, and you have honest eyes. And she is correct that our people were once close, before they betrayed us. Perhaps it is true that this can be a new beginning."

And without warning, she reached and plucked several hairs from Herrick's head, and Raxta yelped as she did the same to her. Working quick with nimble fingers, she tied the delicate strands together to make two separate threads that combined both their hair. Then she motioned both to approach the stone slab.

"Come," she said, looking to them both. "If Raxta has chosen you as her mate--" And she looked to Raxta, who nodded her affirmation. "--then by custom you are our guest, and welcome to our rites. But Raxta is also young and naive, so forgive me for taking precautions regardless. Hold out your hands."

And she motioned to the stained slab.

"Gah, fuck!" Herrick cursed under his breath when he had hair pulled. Yeah, it wasn't the best company to curse in, but it was his hair!

He watched her tie that hair together like she'd spent her whole life doing so, and when she motioned to the slab with the rather prominent red stains, he had a feeling towards what was going to happen.

He glanced over to Raxta, and then to the slab, holding his hand out.

As soon as both Herrick and Raxta had their hands out over the slab, Ixchel's claws came out, and in two quick swipes she slashed a small cut across both their palms. Blood pooled in the creases of Raxta's palm, and Ixchel reached and clasped Herrick and Raxta's bloody hands together.

She laid the two strands of hair on the slab, and let their combined blood drip onto it.

"Give me your finger, " she said, and took up the hair.

Raxta held out her index finger and Ixchel tied the hair strand around it, her hairband Herrick's combined into one Then she looked to Herrick, holding out the second, matching strand.

Herrick extended his finger, shooting a momentery glance to his and Raxta's joined hands, then to Raxta herself. He gave her a confident smile, before he looked back to Ixchel.

Ixchel tied the strand around Herrick's finger, too, and then stepped back to regard them both.

"You're bound to each other now," she said, and looked to Herrick. "Until Raxta removes her thread, you will not be able to remove yours." Short of cutting off his own finger, that was. "At all times, Raxta will now know where you are through this."

She looked to Raxta. "Raxta, he is your mate, your human, and your responsibility. We will take a chance on him this once, and adhere to the old hospitality laws. But if ill comes of this, you will both be held accountable."

She paused, letting that sink in. "Understood?"

"Yes, Mother Ixchel," Raxta said, and kissed her hand.

"Understood, Great Mother," Herrick said. He looked up at her, and smirked, wanting to alleviate some of the tension in the room.

"Thanks for taking a chance on me. You won't regret it."

He looked down to the strand of hair tied around his index finger. Whatever kind of magic it was, he couldn't even feel it. He supposed that was a good thing, as the sensation of constantly having something on his finger would probably start bugging him after a couple hours.

"We shall see," Ixchel said, and then paused. "What was your name again?"

"Herrick," Raxta supplied, and Ixchel nodded.

"Herrick, then. I will be seeing more of you later. While you are here, my home is your home. I expect you'll treat it as your home in all respects, as well."

Which was basically another way of saying: don't piss where you sleep.

"That is all," she said with a wave, and with another little bow, Raxta tugged Herrick along to lead him out of the temple.

Herrick let Raxta tug him on out of the temple, and once they were out of it and (presumably) out of Ixchel's hearing, he spoke.

"Raxta, are we going to have a kid?" Herrick said, looking at her as they walked.

"I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, but... I dunno. You told me we weren't compatible," he said.

"I'm just a bit surprised is all."

"They are just legends, Herrick," Raxta said as they walked, but kept her voice low. "We are different species. Apes cannot breed with jaguars. And you are..." She looked at him, up and down. "Humans are like apes, right? Anyway, the legends say it is so, but who is to know? During our season, we might mate with more than just our primary mate. Most do. Seed from many males makes stronger cubs. So, no one ever knows their father...not really."

She wrinkled her nose. "We can smell our relations, and will not mate them. But whether they are brother or father or uncle...who knows? What I am saying is who knows if humans and jaguars made cubs when those women had the seed of other jaguars in her, too? Or maybe it is all that seed that makes the cub, so a cub has many fathers. Either way..."

They came out of the temple and into the sunlight, and she turned to Herrick. "I don't want cubs yet. Not yet. And you say humans have ways of making sure they don't have any, even when they mate?"

"We do," Herrick said.

"I know that if you chew wild carrot seeds before and after the deed it'll prevent a pregnancy," he explained. After a few moments of quiet, he put his hand around Raxta's waist.

"Guess we're officially mates now," he added, shooting Raxta a grin, which slowly faded as they walk.

"Maybe you can't make a cub solely with a human, but if the human seed mixes in with the jaguar seed, maybe that's where these supposedly superior cubs come from."

"Maybe so," Raxta mused, and leaned into his half embrce to press a kiss to his jaw, purring softly. "Either way, I am not sure what these...carrots? I am not sure what these carrots are. I have not heard of them?"

She frowned a little. "Are there other ways?"

"I'll show you where to find them when we go hunting with Xoco," Herrick said, eyes closed as he recieved Raxta's kiss. He lowered his head slightly so their lips met.

"And there are other ways. There's a brew that will do the same."

Herrick was quiet for a few moments.

"So, you gonna look for other males? Or are you sticking with just me?"

"No, I won't look for others," Raxta said, and gave a wry smirk. "They're not here yet, anyway. If there is a way to prevent cubs..."

She reached down and gave his ass a sudden squeeze, her smile playful. "I might let others have me, if you would like that. You are my mate. You have a say."

"Well, if you're letting me have others, then it's only fair you could do the same," Herrick said, and he returned Raxta's butt squeeze by giving her a spank and squeeze of his own.

"I'm interested to see how next week will plan out. I know I've gotta have you every day and night, though."

"Every day and night, hmm?" Raxta said with a small smile, tail curling at that squeeze. "As my mate, definitely. You will have me most."

"Yep."

He grinned, passing his hand along the length of her tail.

"And it'll all start when I catch you on the first night."

Raxta's tail curled around Herrick's wrist as his hand ran the length of it, and she rose onto her toes, tingles and chills going down her spine clear to her toes.

"You really think you can catch me?" she asked, little goosebumps rising on her skin at the thought.

"I'm pretty damn sure, yeah," Herrick said, and he leaned in to kiss her.

"I think part of you wants me to."

Raxta leaned into the kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth as she deepened it, her fangs tugging lightly at his lip. They were out of the temple now, out and in public, but she hardly cared about that, or such things as modesty. She pressed against him, chest to chest, and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I would be very, very impressed..."

Herrick reciptocated, one hand still on her ass and the other around her as they just started making out in broad daylight, where the whole tribe could see them.

He hardly minded either.

Someone behind them cleared their throat loudly, and Raxta pressed her lips to Herrick's throat, tongue grazing his skin, before she lifted her head. "Xoco is waiting..." she murmured, reluctant to stop, her heart racing.

"We shouldn't keep her waiting," Herrick murmured back, and he parted from her, although he still held her hand.

"We'll have more time to ourselves out in the jungle."

"Time to ourselves? Well...Xoco will be there," Raxta said, squeezing his hand.

Herrick smiled at that, and started to walk.

"We'll just invite her to join us, then."

Raxta laughed at that, following along beside him, tail swaying behind her. "Her head may explode!" she said, but grinned. "But I know my Xoco. I can tell she likes you."

"Can't think of a better way to break the ice," Herrick joked.

He glanced back at the temple, and then back to Raxta.

"Does Ixchel participate in the whole mating season thing?"

"Ixchel? Oh, yes, but only with her Bonded--the high priest," Raxta said as they neared the jungle, before cracking an impish grin.

"Were you worried you might mate with her?"

"I'm just saying that those beads don't leave much to the imagination."

He grinned like a bastard at that, but he shook his head.

"Just curious, is all. So is her Bonded the priest of the male tribe?"

Raxta let out a laugh at that. "There will be even less to imagine the night the rites begin! But yes, he is her Bonded," she said, and it was then that she spotted (literally!) Xoco, sitting at the edge of the jungle beneath a flowering tree. She looked up when they approached and let out a sigh.

"You two took your time!" she said.

"The Great Mother wanted a few words with us before we set out," Herrick said, and now that they were coming up on the jungle, he took his bow off of his back.

"So, where do we find buffalo around here?"

"By the water," Raxta said, and Xoco nodded. "You can usually find them near the river. They don't like to stray far from water."

Xoco looked like she wanted to say something, clearly brimming with curiosity about this visit to the Great Mother, but as the subject had already passed, she let it drop. But she did keep shooting looks at Herrick whenever she felt he wasn't looking, her cheeks flushing. Like any of the jaguars entering their first season, this was the closest she had ever been to a man. In her life.

"Ah, yes, there's usually a herd close by," Xoco said, looking at his bow now. "But, um, it might be dangerous for you...or...oh, can you Shift?"

"Shift?"

Herrick's face lost its usual joy and instead turned to confusion. Was she talking about shapeshifting?

"No. but trust me, I'll be just fine."

Was that the catch? That they could turn into Jaguars? It would've definitely explained why Raxta was so bent on being called one.

"Oh..." Xoco said, but she nibbled her bottom lip, a concerned look on her face.

Raxta just clapped her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "He said he'll be fine, that he has...tools. Besides," she added, face deadpan, "if a runt like you can hunt with the best of them, I am sure he will do okay, too."

Xoco stuck her tongue out at Raxta, and Raxta grinned. But it was true. Even Raxta, who was tall for their kind at five foot eight, towered over Xoco, who was just an inch or two over five feet.

Herrick laughed at Raxta's joke, but he gave Xoco a look that said he was just pulling her leg. If Raxta towered over Xoco, then Herrick didn't want to think how she must have felt next to him.

He pulled his hood and mask up, and gave his bowstring a test pull.

"Shall we?"

"Let's!" Raxta said, and lead the way into the jungle, Xoco in tow.

"It's a nice, warm afternoon. There should be plenty of them enjoying the water."

And as she walked, she gave Xoco a nudge and leaned in close to her ear. "He likes you, too," she whispered--and Xoco's eyes went wide as she snapped a look at Herrick, never the subtle type.

Herrick pretended not to notice or hear as they strolled through the jungle, arrow placed against the string of his bow as he walked.

"Hopefully, we'll find a nice big one by its lonesome."

"Hmm...I'll scout ahead. It will be better that way, less noise," Raxta said, and she came to a stop and quickly stripped out of her clothes without warning. She tossed both the skirt and the chest band to Herrick, smiling smugly as Xoco stared at her in red-faced horror.

Since that meant Raxta was abandoning her.

"Keep on my scent, Xoco, but keep your distance. I'll be back," she said.

And it was in that moment that Herrick's suspicions were realized.

For in a flash, Raxta was no longer a woman, but a full grown jaguar, large and powerfully stocky, and she wasted no time in scaling the nearest tree and vanishing among the mottled leaves.

Oh yeah, there it was. Herrick had just barely caught her clothing before he was staring at her transformation, watching as she scaled a tree. She didn't vanish to him, as he'd kept his eyes on her rather keenly, but he did lose sight once she got far enough away.

Herrick looked to Xoco before putting Raxta's clothes into his bag and continuing onwards.

"So, looks like it's just us," Herrick stated.

"So how do you ladies hunt? Do you attack in your jaguar forms?"

"Huh? Oh, ah, yes!" Xoco said, practically jumping out of her skin when Herrick spoke to her. She fidgeted as they walked, scratching behind an ear.

"We couldn't take a water buffalo in our weaker forms, you know, but as jaguars we're stronger and, um, faster and stuff. Stronger jaws," she said with a nod, still watching Herrick out of the corner of her eye as though afraid to look at him dead on.

"A-ah, not that I'm calling your form weak!" she quickly added, hands waving.

"Oh?"

Yeah, he was going to torture this poor girl.

"And, say... how would you describe my form?"

Oh maaaan...!

Xoco stared at him, eyes wide and mouth dropping open as she realized how badly that backfired. Her tail lashed behind her like a trapped snake.

"It...it...is not weak?"

Herrick smirked through the fabric of his mask and he met her eyes.

"Well, you've already said that," Herrick said, and he pulled his facemask down so she could see his face better.

Of course, that only made it worse. Because Xoco had seen before that he was handsome--and she had seen what he looked like under those clothes. Seen everything.

Well, everything that Raxta's body hadn't been covering...

And her blood heated as that memory came creeping back in, and she looked away quickly, embarrassed. Not because she was particularly prudish, but because this was entirely new territory--and she was going to plunge head first into said new territory in just a few days.

"You...you have a nice form," she said quietly, clearing her throat. "Strong and, um...yes."

Herrick smiled at Xoco's compliment.

"Your form ain't half bad either," he said.

"You're small, but you look strong as well. And you're pretty cute, too," he said.

"Y-yeah?" Xoco said, and mustered up a shy smile.

"You look strong, too. Er. I already said that, didn't I? I mean, uh, you're handsome as well. I think that's the word? The word for a male who is, um, attractive."

Herrick chuckled, and he dipped in to give her a peck on the cheek.

"You know, me and Raxta would love it if you joined us next week."

If Xoco had been warm, she was burning after that kiss (chaste as it was)--and his words only made her more flustered. She gave a start, looking up at him, positively gaping.

Raxta wanted her, too?

She didn't think she had, after their one failed and blundering attempt...

And as for this human, well...

"O-oh, really?" she managed, blinking several times and she licked her lips. "That's, ah, well, I mean no one else has asked yet--obviously! So, er..." Another nervous scratch behind her ears. "Yes?"

Herrick remained close to her as she spoke, walking in time with her strides. He knew that if Raxta was watching, this would definitely amuse her.

"I look forward to it," Herrick said.

He spared a look around at the jungle, having heard something stirring in the bushes several paces away. When a tropical bird fluttered up out of it, he relaxed.

"So, what to the ladies in the village say about me? I'm afraid I haven't heard any of the rumors yet."

Well. That was a bit of a wrought, awkward subject.

Xoco looked up at him, head cocked. "Er. Different things..." she said, not quite sure how delicately she should put this. "Mostly a lot of curiosity, but...some are kind of nervous of you." She paused, tugging at her ear. Maybe nervous was the wrong word. She was nervous! But her nervousness was a different, excited sort.

"Kinda...scared of you. No offense!"

"Well, hopefully, I can show them why they shouldn't be afraid of me," Herrick said.

He glanced to Xoco, and smiled.

"I'm gonna be here for a while, so it'd be less awkward for everybody if I made friends."

"You...have two, now?" Xoco offered. "Raxta, of course. And me. Um. I'm sorry. I'm not, you know, scared of you or anything, it's just..."

She motioned to him. "You're a human, a-and it's mating season, so it's all very...new."

"Well, I'm not so different from a jaguar," Herrick said, and he put a hand on Xoco's shoulder.

"Besides, I don't mind showing you the ropes."

"The ropes?" Xoco cocked her head to the other side. "Er...why, ah, would you need to show me rope?"

"It's an expression," Herrick said.

"Means that I'll teach you how things go."

"Oh." Xoco blinked. "That's a very...different...way of stating that," she said, still not sure what rope had to do with anything.

"It is," Herrick admitted.

He nimbly stepped over a fallen tree. He looked to her, almost studying her as she walked next to him.

"You move good. I like it."

Xoco looked over at Herrick, blinking in surprise, and then barked an equally surprised laugh--and nearly faceplanted when she stumbled over a root in her distraction. So much for moving good!

She caught herself on Herrick's shoulder, flushed, and quickly let go. "I move good. That's a new one!"

Herrick's arm went around Xoco's waist when she leaned on him, and he held her loosely for a few moments before he figuree she had stabilized herself. He let her go, giving her a slightly amused smile.

"You alright?"

"What, me? Oh, yes! I'm fine!" Xoco said quickly, face red with embarrassment. To nearly eat dirt right after she'd been complimented on her grace! It would be her luck.

And worse yet, she found she had enjoyed that brief moment where he'd held her. That close to him, she could smell his scent, feel his strength through his clothes, and gauge just how giant he was next to her.

She brushed her fingers through her hair, tail swishing. "Just a tree root. That's all..."

"Xoco! Herrick!"

Xoco jumped at the sound of Raxta's voice, a hissed whisper from above, and looked up into the trees where she was perched in human form. "I found them. There's a herd drinking at the river, and a wounded one among them. We can take that one. But there are mothers with young, too. They'll be very dangerous right now, so we must be careful."

Herrick's eyes flitted up to Raxta's position, immediately locating her by the sound of her voice. He didn't jump, as he'd been expecting her to chime in.

He nodded at her explanation.

"I can get the herd running. When the wounded one starts to fall behind, you two can get it," Herrick said.

He went low, movement fluid and seamless, and he pulled the mask over his face. He hoped the terrain around the river would be conducive to his plan. He wanted to impress them, after all! More to show Raxta that he posed a legitimate "threat" to her when the time would come, and less to just show his prowess in general.

Prowess turned on jaguar chicks, right?

"Shall we?"

In answer, Raxta merely shifted, a strangely seamless transition, and watched him from the trees with her sharp, predatory gaze. Though there was clear curiosity in her eyes, as well, as to what his plan was.

That was as good of a yes as any!

"We'll be near," Xoco said, and paused a moment, shooting a look at Herrick, before she quickly undressed, baring a body that looked more graceful than powerful with slim limbs and small breasts. She handed her clothes to Herrick as Raxta had, and wasted no time in shifting to her jaguar form, and even in that form she was on the small side. But she had no trouble scaling the nearest tree and leaping across the branches to where Raxta was, and together they vanished among the leaves as they headed for the river to wait.

Herrick subtly stole a glance at Xoco when she gave him his clothes, but he made no mention of her nudity and simply put her clothes into his pack.

"One more thing," he said, looking up to Raxta before she disappeared.

"My tool's going to make a very loud noise to spook the herd. Just be ready for it."

He kept moving, knowing that Raxta and Xoco were nearby, but probably not visible. It wasn't long before the herd came into view. There was a small clearing around this section of the river, although the ground itself had reasonably tall grass. He posted up at the edge of the treeline, and observed.

It was a small herd, yes. A good number of them were young and females, but one did stick out like a sore thumb. A large male, probably wounded in a previous predator attack, ambled about behind the herd, most likely keeping an eye out for predators while the herd drank. He moved with a slight lurch. It seemed the injury hadn't prevented him from keeping a walking pace with the herd, but in another stressful situation?

Herrick took an arrow out of his quiver. It was tipped with a ball, which had a small opening for an internal fuse where it met the shaft. Herrick used a flint against the arrowhead to light the fuse, and he nocked the arrow. He angled his bow upwards, and waited.

He waited, and waited, and waited, until finally, he let go of the arrow. It flew up into the air between the wounded male and the rest of the herd and exploded rather harmlessly with a loud bang and a flash of dazzling light.

While it didn't spook the herd as much as he thought it would, they immediately started to hustle across the river. The male, disoriented by the light, sort of agressively limped about before it started to follow. At his rate, however, the herd was going to leave him in the dust.

Raxta and Xoco waited above in the trees, following Herrick silently and watching him, curious as to his plan. A tool that would make a loud noise?

Guess they would find out!

Raxta crouched on the branch she perched on, tail twitching and eyes watching that male with feline focus. She cast a look toward Herrick as he played with one of his strange items, and then caught Xoco's eye and lifted her shoulders in the equivalent of a shrug. She wasn't sure how a strange stick with feathers on it would make any sort of sound--

And then came the bang, and the flash of light, and Raxta just about fell out of the tree as her heart tried to burst from her chest. Xoco jumped and let out a yowl, scrambling backwards against the trunk of the tree with wide, panicked eyes as her claws dug into the bark, and it took several seconds before even Raxta came back to her senses enough to realize that was the sound Herrick was talking about and no, they weren't in any danger!

She looked at Xoco, who was still wide-eyed and panting, and stepped over to her to butt heads with her.

"That was the signal. Come!"

Below them, the herd was in motion, and the limping male was falling behind. And as he entered the water, it was quickly apparent that it was going to be an issue. The river was no obstacle for a healthy buffalo, but for him, it was slow going as his hooves sank into the mud and the current pushed against him.

It was perfect.

And it was when he was chest deep in the water that Raxta leaped from the trees and landed on its back, claws sinking in as she clamped her jaws down on the back of its neck. Her jaws were strong enough that she could sever an animal's spine with a well-timed bite--but the buffalo bellowed and swung its head just in time, so her teeth caught more skin than muscle. The male panicked, thrashing in the water and trying to shake her as she hung on, but water and blood made his back slippery and she skidded part way off of him and into the water, still hanging onto his neck with her teeth--and knowing better than to let go, because if she did, he'd gore her with his horns or try to drown her.

Xoco sprang close behind her and landed on his back, but he was already thrashing and knocked the smaller jaguar into the water. And then he rounded on her as she swam to avoid his swinging head, while Raxta clawed at him to try to pull herself back atop him.

As soon as Xoco (Or Raxta, Herrick couldn't tell from where he was standing) hit the water, he was clearing the foliage, javelin held up in an arm. He covered the distance quickly, and threw his javeling with great dexterity. It struck the buffalo right in the neck, slashing a massive gash in its neck. Another throw from Herrick had a javelin embed itself into the buffalo's flank.

The buffalo floundered in the water, bleeding profusely from its now many wounds--and it was ultimately the slash to its neck that was the game changer, as it hit the carotid. Soon the water turned red and the buffalo's struggling grew weaker as moving only pumped its blood out faster, and Raxta managed to lock her jaws around its throat as Xoco climbed atop it and clamped down on the back of its neck.

It wasn't much longer before its struggling stopped completely.

Both jaguars held on a while longer. Xoco let go first and jumped back down into the water, and Raxta held on a bit longer, until the faint, fluttering pulse in its throat died completely. Then she swam around it, clamped her jaws around a leg, and started to drag it out of the water as Xoco joined her, grabbing its tail and pulling, as well.

It was larger than their usual game--they mostly favored deer--but it would feed them all for quite some time.

Finally, panting as they got the beast onto land, Raxta shifted, and Xoco followed close behind. Both of them looked a fright, covered in the buffalo's blood, and Raxta licked daintily at her claws as she looked around for Herrick.

Perhaps she had underestimated him, she thought as she eyed the javelin thrusting from the buffalo's flank, and the gaping wound in its neck.

Herrick came up to them, bow strung onto his back. He gave an excited laugh.

"Wasn't so hard," he said, and he spared a glance towards Raxta and Xoco.

"Er, you two might want to go for a dip in the river," Herrick said.

"Hm?" Raxta looked at Xoco, and Xoco looked at her, and then she let out a breathless chuckle. "Yes, I suppose so. There was a lot of blood this time."

Hey, she usually killed by neck snap or strangulation than stabbing, and that tended to be far cleaner!

"You hunt well," she told him, and clapped him on the shoulder, smearing a little blood on his clothes without thinking about it.

The river's current had already flushed the buffalo blood away, so Raxta was quick to slip back into the water. She waded in up to her neck and dunked beneath it, scrubbing her hair and ears and tail, and came back up with a sigh. Xoco joined her as well and rinsed herself clean, and from the looks of it, neither were in too big of a hurry to leave the water.

Raxta ran her fingers through her short hair and treaded water in the middle, and Xoco took her sweet time bathing. Water was a total weakness, and it always felt glorious after a hunt--especially today, when it was nice and cool compared to the jungle's humidity, but not too cool. But she knew they had a kill to tend to before other predators were attracted to it, and that one was far too big and heavy to drag up into a tree like she preferred.

"The water's wonderful today," Raxta sighed, sinking under it and then coming back up, spitting water at Xoco like a fountain.

Xoco dodged to the side and laughed. "You literally always say that. What day isn't it nice?"

"When it's occupied by anaconda." Raxta looked over to Herrick and smiled. "You should wash too, while we're here."

Herrick returned Raxta's smile.

"I won't turn down a dip in some nice water," He said, and he got himself undressed rather quickly, the lighter forest gear requiring much less buckles than his usual getup. In almost no time at all, he was wading into the water with them, coming up between them and giving his arms a languid stretch. He glanced to Raxta, grinned, and then took a few steps towards her and gave her a kiss.

"Now that my blood's flowing, I can't help but get a bit restless," Herrick said, tone suggestive.

"Is that so?" Raxta murmured, watching Herrick as he approached--and watching Xoco's reaction out of the corner of her eye, noting her fierce blush and the way she stared at him.

Shamelessly, Raxta turned against Herrick and pressed her lips against his, letting out a low purr, and loosely looped her arms around his neck. "And how would you spend your energy?"

Herrick smiled, running a hand down her side and to her hip.

"I dunno, I've got a lot of energy," he said, and he looked to Xoco.

"Maybe you could help too?"

Xoco startled at his words, and shot a wide-eyed look his way. Oh, she had some idea of what he had in mind, from what she had glimpsed of he and Raxta, and what she had seen during past mating seasons. It left very little to the imagination--or maybe it did, because her own imagination was going wild.

"Uh...help?" she asked, and Raxta smiled and pressed a kiss to Herrick's neck.

"Yes. Help," she said, arching against him to press her hips into his cock. "Perhaps get some practice?"

The high water left Raxta's little motion hidden to Xoco, so Xoco saw was Herrick let out a small breath and lean towards Raxta a bit more. The hand around Raxta gripped her ass before it slid downwards, and he started to touch her lightly.

"Mmhmm," Herrick said.

"Getting some practice is going to make next week go so much smoother."

Raxta gasped as Herrick began to touch her, and she shifted her stance to spread her legs wider, her tail lifting up and out of the way. Shuddering, she let out a breathy little moan even as she reached beneath the water to close her hand around Herrick's cock, slowly sliding along him.

"Besides...it's fun," Raxta murmured, nipping at Herrick's ear, then teasing her tongue along the edge. "A week is a long time to wait."

Xoco may not have been able to see beneath the water, but watching their reactions was enough to make her blood run hotter. Well. That was true. In a week, she would be doing that much and more--and the anticipation had been gnawing at her more and more the closer it got. And Raxta seemed to really like Herrick, and she did find him attractive...

And her blush only deepened as she shamelessly watched the pleasure spread over Raxta's face, the way her body responded and nipples hardened, and remembered their fumbling, awkward attempt a year ago.

She sucked in a breath.

What was there to lose?

And if he wanted to mate her in a week...

She swallowed. "What...what should I...?"

It wasn't long before Herrick's fingers were slipping inside of Raxta. His fingers curled upwards so he could get at that extra sensitive spot. His only concern was time, however, the buffalo had gone down at the water's edge, and most of the blood that could attract predators was washing downstream. At the very least, Herrick knew they had almost an hour.

Herrick lifted his other hand and beckoned towards himself.

"Well, you need to come a bit closer first," Herrick said, and he gave her a harmless smile.

Raxta let out a sharp, shuddering gasp, her body clenching around Herrick's fingers as her free hand flew to grip his shoulder tight. Oh, that was still such a new, unusual feeling, her body stretched around him, but the way he moved his fingers made her belly tighten, hips squirm, and body burn. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head tilted back, a whimpering moan escaping her as she moved shamelessly against him even as her own hand kept sliding over him.

"Oh," she gasped, clinging to him. "Herrick!"

Xoco stared at the two, still clueless as to what was going on beneath the water, but her face burned even hotter at the sight of them. She gulped, heat pooling between her legs, and after a moment's pause--she felt frozen in place, curious and yet nervous, too--she waded closer.

Raxta slid a look her way, face flushed and eyes hooded, and bit back a whimper. She reached for Xoco's hand and pulled her even closer. "Don't be nervous," she murmured. "It feels wonderful..."

Once Xoco was in Herrick's reach, his arm went around her middle and pulled her in even closer. He gave Raxta one more kiss before smiling knowingly and turning his gaze to Xoco. He met Xoco's eyes, and he kissed her, taking it nice and slow.

"It's not hard. Just do what feels right," Herrick said, and his hand moved down to her ass.

Herrick pulled Xoco closer, and she found herself pressed against him and Raxta, her bare breasts brushing his skin in a way that made her breath catch. And then he was kissing her, and she let out a whimper that was half surprise, half need, and at first stiffened--and then, slowly, relaxed.

Smiling softly, Raxta trailed a hand down Xoco's back, soothing her, and leaned in to kiss her neck.

"Just enjoy," she said. "See? Not so scary. Look..."

And as Herrick's hand traveled lower, sending shivers down Xoco's spine, Raxta released Herrick's cock and took Xoco's hand instead. She guided it to Herrick's length, biting back an amused smile when she saw Xoco's eyes go large and face burn redder, and wrapped her hand around it. Then she covered Xoco's hand with her own to show her how to move.

"That's his penis," she purred, watching Xoco's surprised expression. "The part he'll mate us with. Feels nice, yes?"

"O-oh...gods...it's big..." Xoco breathed, half wonder, half trepidation. After all, she was tiny.

"You're naughty," Herrick whispered into Raxta's ear, giving her a kiss there as he fondled Xoco's ass, hand drifting to the base of her tail. He moved back in to kiss Xoco.

To return the favor, his hand slipped downwards, fingers passing over her clit.

"And this is where I'm going to put it."

Xoco's breath hitched against Herrick's lips, her body jerking when his fingers brushed her clit. She let out a small squeak, her heart pounding fast and breath coming faster, and if not for the water, she would have been soaked.

"Oh..." she breathed, imagination going wild as she wondered just how he would manage fitting it inside her, but the imagery that conjured only made her burn hotter as she squirmed restlessly, hardly knowing what to do with herself. Especially not when Raxta released her hand, figuring she had the rhythm down, and waded behind her.

Kissing the back of her neck, she slid her hands over Xoco's breasts and swirled her fingers over her nipples, pinching lightly until Xoco let out a soft cry and arched against Herrick's hand, craving more. "It is something to look forward to, no?" Raxta murmured, and nibbled her ear. "We can't mate yet. But we can do other things. Yes, Herrick?"

Xoco panted for breath, hand still working over Herrick even as her legs finally parted, wanting to feel more. "What things?"

Herrick angled himself so that Xoco was nice and snug between him and Raxta. It seemed the both of them were going to give her a crash course. Keeping one hand down below, his fingers intensified against Xoco, while his other arm went past her to give Raxta some attention as well.

Herrick continued to kiss her, nudging his hips forward so that the tip of his cock rubbed along her folds and her clit.

Breathlessly, Xoco kissed Herrick, her kisses a little sloppy and unpracticed--but she was a quick study and adapted under his guidance. She moaned against his mouth, hips jerking as pleasure spiked through her with each caress of his fingers, and soon she was melting under his touches and relaxing more and more.

She slid her tongue against his lips experimentally, curious as to what a male tasted like, still nervous but growing more bold--especially since this was a mere practice round, hadn't they called it? But then she felt his hips move, felt his cock slip free of her hand--and then it was gliding between her folds and rubbing against her clit.

Xoco let out a sharp gasp, her eyes going wide and flying to his face, and her hands grabbed onto his shoulders hard.

"W-wait, we can't...!" she gasped out, but Raxta just laughed softly and leaned down to kiss her shoulder, her hands sliding down Xoco's belly to caress Herrick's cock where it slid against Xoco.

"It's okay. He knows," she breathed, and nipped her neck. "He won't mate you yet."

Herrick's mouth drifted from Xoco's mouth to her neck, and he started to move. His length went across Xoco's folds and he caressed her sides and hips. His fingers mapped her muscles and the softer flesh of her more intimate regions.

Oh, they were just ganging up on the poor girl!

"Yet," Herrick repeated with a chuckle.

Ganging up on her, indeed. Yet once Xoco was assured of their limits, she seemed to relax a little, her fingers gripping Herrick's shoulders less tightly. Still, when he began to move and his hard cock slid along her folds, back and forth, she let out a soft squeak and gripped him harder, her face going red as she marveled at his size--and the wonderful, wicked spikes of pleasure such a simple act sent through her. She let out a shaky whimper and, working on instinct, began to move her hips the barest amount, seeking more, squirming and letting out little gasps every time he rubbed her clit--or rubbed over her entrance.

"O-oh...!" she moaned, shivering under his kisses--and letting out a little yelp when Raxta gripped her breasts again, thumbs rolling over her pert nipples. "Just a few more days," Raxta purred, fingers pinching until Xoco let out a little cry and bucked her hips against Herrick more urgently. "He is going to take me. Would you like him to take you, too? Both of us, together?"

Xoco nodded wordlessly, biting her lip hard to hold in her cries as she ground back against Herrick, her actions becoming more urgent, more desperate.

"Y-yes..."

At Xoco's words, Herrick grinned a bit wider and locked his lips with her. His hands wandered off of Xoco's ass and up her sides. Just as he did with Raxta, he gave her a new spot on her neck.

"You girls will have me all to yourselves for the first night," Herrick said, and his hips moved against her a bit harder. Finally, he extended his arms past Xoco to give Raxta some love, reaching around her and touching her heat from behind.

"H-Herrick!" Raxta gasped as his fingers found her sex, and she lifted her tail and widened her stance to give him room, to encourage his exploration. Her own hips moved, bumping back against his hand, and her breaths came out in hot pants against Xoco's neck as the girl writhed between them.

Xoco let out a whimpering moan as Herrick sucked her skin, squirming all the more and gasping for air--and her whimpers began to sound less wordless, and more like begging, though the words were half in their native tongue and half in Common. She rocked against Herrick, flinching away in surprise when his cock pressed against her entrance, and pressed her face into his shoulder as she held onto him tightly.

"O-oh...oh gods...something's happening...!" she cried as that heat built and coiled between her thighs, and Raxta smiled and nibbled her ear.

"Don't fight it," she purred, and rocked back against Herrick. With a low moan, she leaned forward, pushing Xoco against Herrick more, and stretched to kiss him hard. "Nnh, Herrick...put them inside me again..."

"W-what?" Xoco breathed, and Raxta slipped her hand between Xoco's legs from behind in response, fingers teasing against her entrance.

"Like this," she murmured, and Xoco let out a cry as she slowly worked them inside.

Herrick's fingers entered, curling inwards for a few moments before straightening. He pumped Raxta with his middle and ring fingers, devoting his other hand to Xoco. While Raxta fingered Xoco, Herrick slid the tip of his penis against Xoco's clit, and then started grinding his length against it

He nibbled Raxta's lip before he kissed Xoco again, dancing his tounge with hers.

"Let that feeling build," Herrick said.

Xoxo was small and tight, but with a little work and teasing, Raxta managed to work three fingers into her, one at a time, murmuring into her ear for her to relax and enjoy--and Xoco was certainly doing the latter as Raxta started to move, working through that initial discomfort. With Raxta pumping into her, and Herrick's cock grinding against her, she was soon crying out wordlessly and squirming between them, her whimpers muffled by Herrick's lips as she captured them again, hungrily, desperately, wanting and needing more but not quite sure what to do with herself as she was helpless in the throes of passion.

"A-ah...more...!" she cried, hips bucking, fingers digging into Herrick's shoulders, before she bit lightly at his neck and pressed against him. One hand snaked shakily down to caress his cock and guide him exactly where she wanted him, and a jolt of pleasure went through her that had her tensing. "O-oh, oh no, it's too much, it's too--!"

And then she cried out, sharp and sudden as her body tensed and shuddered, her nails coming out and pricking into Herrick's shoulders, and Raxta purred her delight and kissed her neck and shoulders as she continued to thrust, even as she felt her own release slowly building. She moaned, bucking back against Herrick's hand, and held Xoco as she trembled.

"Xoxo? Have you never...?"

Xoco shook her head wildly, still in the full throes of her first orgasm.

Herrick smirked.

"Don't let her wind down, then," he said, giving Raxta a mischevous glance. He angled his cock so he could get his entire length grinding down on her clit, and he sped up, wanting to keep Xoco there. The first climax should be the best, after all!

Herrick's lips left Xoco's and he gave her a spot on her neck. At the same time, his one free hand teased Xoco's nipple.

All of them were getting plenty of new spots today, for Xoco's love bite had left an impressive one on Herrick's neck, too. She let out a cry as he sped up, as his lips met her own neck and his hand found her breast, and then Raxta was helping, thrusting harder into her even as the girl still clenched around her and angling her fingers to hit that spot Raxta knew she liked, whenever she explored herself.

Overwhelmed, and still not wound down from her release, Xoco let out a hoarse scream as, abruptly, she tensed up again and started to shudder anew, one orgasm seguing straight into another, and if it weren't for Raxta supporting her with one arm, she would have sank beneath the water as her legs gave out.

Herrick moved his mouth past Xoco to give Raxta a kiss, not wanting his primary "mate" to feel too left out. When Raxta's legs gave out, Herrick helped Raxta support Xoco as she seemed to almost slump, and he gave Raxta a smile.

Raxta "mmmed" into the kiss and bucked back against his hand, craving more, even as Xoco finally started to wind down from her release. Xoco whimpered, flushed and breathless, and Raxta finally slipped her fingers free and leaned past her to nip at Herrick's lips.

"It's tricky in the water," she purred. "Should we relocate?"

"I was just about to say the same," Herrick said, nipping Raxta's lip in return as he pulled away. He kept Xoco in his arms, though, easily carrying the smaller jaguaress back up to shore.

Herrick was silently thankful for the relocation. There was only so much that rubbing against someone could do, and it would take more intensive action for Herrick to reach his climax.

Xoco was limp and sated in Herrick's arms, and Raxta eagerly followed after them, motioning over to a bed of soft grass that, after a quick inspection, was blessedly free of ants. She settled down in the grass and waited for them to join her, grinning up at them.

"Better. It is hard to do some things in the water."

"I can agree to that," Herrick said, and he laid down, setting Xoco down so that he was between both women. He laid back on the grass, sighing pleasantly as he just got to appreciate the cool feeling of a fresh bath.

He looked to Xoco, trying to gauge just how out of it she was,

Xoco sat up as soon as she was set down, still breathless--but fortunately for them all, she had a warrior's stamina, and she wasn't out of this yet. And with Herrick bare and out of the water, she now had a very good view of him--and his erection. Her cheeks heated visibly, darkening with a blush as her eyes dropped down to it, and Raxta smiled over at her and shuffled toward Herrick on her knees.

"Do you want us to lick you?" she asked him, right before she leaned down and kissed him, lips brushing sensually against his before she deepened it, her tongue slipping into his mouth for a taste. Pulling back just an inch, she peered over at Xoco.

"Would you like to learn?"

Xoco's ears perked curiously. "Learn?"

Raxta nodded and nuzzled Herrick's neck, purring, her tail swishing. "Yes. Learn how to make him feel good, too. He showed me how earlier."

Awwww yeeaaaah.

It took everything in Herrick's power to keep himself from grinning like a bastard. He put a hand on Raxta's ass, squeezing it rather eagerly as she kissed him. When Herrick finally broke away from her, he nodded.

"I do," he said, because hey, she was offering! And it'd be rather rude to turn her down.

[What a gentleman. xD]

Raxta smiled when given the go-ahead--not that she imagined he'd disagree!--and motioned Xoco closer as she slid down Herrick's body and settled just to the side of him. Curious, Xoco moved to his other side and watched as Raxta took his cock in hand and leaned close to it.

"It's easy," Raxta said, nuzzling gently against it. "You just lick it, like this." And she gave him a long swipe with her tongue, from base to tip, dancing her tongue in a slow, teasing circle around the head. "But not just licks. You also take it in your mouth, as much as you can, and suck--gently! It is like mating, but with mouths. See?"

Xoco's eyes widened as Raxta gave Herrick a few more swipes with her tongue--and then slipped him past her lips and sank down, until much of him had vanished into her mouth. She purred, suckling gently, her tongue caressing him as she bobbed on him, and stroked him with her hand.

Then she lifted up, leaving him shiny and wet, and licked her lips. "You try."

Xoco's blush was darker, and her breathing was deeper with arousal, and she let out a shaky breath and chewed her lip. Raxta gave Herrick another long lick and a gentle suck at the tip as she waited, before Xoco finally wrapped a hand around him and leaned in, lapping at the tip tentatively before slipping the head past her lips briefly before pulling back. She looked back at Raxta. "Like that?"

"Mhmm...keep going," Raxta breathed, and leaned in take a deep suck of him, before she offered him to Xoco again. Xoco ran her tongue over him again, and Raxta helped get the other side, until Xoco finally took him in her mouth again and bobbed a little, taking in just a little more.

"Do it until he comes...you will know when that is."

Some words could be said about how Raxta deliberately left out what was going to happen when Herrick came, but she was the teacher here, and Herrick had absolutely no problems with her curriculum at the moment.

As both girls started to attend him, he let his head fall back. He sighed when Xoco put him in his mouth. He could easily tell the difference between the two of them. When both of them ran those rough tongues of theirs against him, his toes curled against his will and he let out a breath.

Yeah, this was pretty much heaven.

Raxta leaned back to watch Xoco work, and as Xoco started to lose some of her tentativeness and become a little bolder, she leaned in to capture her mouth before she could take Herrick again, her tongue dancing against hers. Xoco let out a surprised gasp, but when Raxta trailed a hand down to run a finger over her clit, it soon turned into a purr.

"You're doing well," Raxta said as she pulled away, sliding her fingers along Xoco until the girl was gasping. "Keep doing it."

And then she looked back at Herrick with a devious glint in her eyes, before she threw a leg over him and backed up, until she was straddling his face. "You weren't finished with me yet, no? I want one, too..."

She met Xoco's eyes as Xoco watched them, lips parted, as Raxta was about to show her yet another new thing. And while she stared, Raxta leaned forward more and gave Herrick's cock another suck, before she tipped it back to Raxta.

"You're not finished yet," she teased, and gently pushed Xoco's head down to encourage her. With a shudder of pleasure, Xoco took Herrick into her mouth again, teeth lightly grazing him, but her eyes were on she and Raxta even as she bobbed on him, taking him in just a little deeper each time.

Well, it seemed that with Raxta, one could never truly be idle. Not that Herrick had a problem with that! Also, Xoco seemed to be intently curious, so why not show the girl something new?

Herrick brought his head up a bit and lolled over all of Raxta, at first doing nothing past crushing his tounge to her folds and wriggling it, but then he raised his arms, looped them over her thighs, and pulled her down a bit on him. His tongue penetrated her, and Herrick throbbed all the more for it.

"Ohhh...yes..." Raxta moaned as Herrick's tongue worked its magic, her hips rocking lightly. That felt wonderful, and his tongue was so different--not at all rough, but soft and perfect. Lifting her tail high up and out of the way, she leaned forward onto her elbows so she could help Xoco, lapping at the places Xoco couldn't reach even as she sighed with pleasure.

As it turned out, she liked keeping her mouth busy--and Herrick seemed to like it when they were both working him. She couldn't blame him, since she was quite enjoying all this attention herself.

"Nngh...that feels so good..." she purred, shivering, and watched as Xoco grew more confident in her ministrations. Xoco had taken him in her hand and was stroking him even as she sucked on him, rough tongue lapping all along him before she took him in deep and bobbed on him, and when she surfaced for air, Raxta leaned in and took him in her mouth, tongue swirling all along him. She smiled deviously as Xoco took back over, hips squirming. This was rather fun, sharing him like this.

One of Herrick's arms looped farther around Raxta's thigh (he was so much bigger than her, that he could get away with that!) and he started to tease her clit beneath two fingers, squeezing even as the other fingers on that hand brushed her folds as he continued to lick her. His hands were dextrous, just like anybody would expect from a true master thief.

His other hand just squeezed her thigh, just piling the sensations on her even further.

Raxta was soon rocking lightly atop Herrick, little moans and whimpers escaping her as heat spread through her body and chills raced down her, clear to her toes. She was close, painfully close, and so she pulled back to let Xoco work Herrick's cock as she focused on reaching her own release, her head thrown back and spine arched. It was too much, that combination of his tongue and his fingers, two very different sensations blending in such an unbearably perfect way, and it only made her want all of him that much more.

"H-Herrick, yes...just like that, just like--oh goddess!" she whimpered, hips working against him, and that was the last thing she was capable of speaking before she let out a moaning cry as her body was rocked with powerful shudders that stole her breath away. She collapsed forward, grabbing onto his thighs to keep upright, her tail lifted ramrod straight and entire body trembling, head to toe.

And all the while Xoco watched them, Herrick's cock deep in her mouth as she bobbed on him and stroked, rough tongue sliding along him. Panting for breath, Raxta met her eyes and gave a shaky, lopsided smile before she leaned in and lapped at Herrick's cock when Xoco lifted up.

"Careful," she whispered, breathless and panting. "He does not come like us. When he does, he will fill your mouth with his milk. It is easier to drink it when he does."

Now that Raxta had her climax, Herrick let himself have a moment to breath. Oh, Raxta was still very much on him, so he actually pushed her a bit so that she was sitting on his collarbone and chest, rather than on his face. He gave her buttock a playful bite, hands wandering along what he could reach.

Raxta's words to Xoco only aroused him further, and he spoke up.

"I'm close," he said, breathing starting to pick up as his climax approached.

Raxta jolted and gasped at the playful bite and gave him a teasing look from over her shoulder. Wiggling her ass at him and letting her tail caress against his neck, she turned back to watch Xoco as she pleasured him.

Her warning hadn't discouraged her at all, it seemed, for Xoco had paused only to get her breath before going right back to it, clearly just as curious as she had been. With a low purr, Raxta leaned in to help, running her rough tongue along the base of his cock as Xoco suckled the head, dragging her tongue up along it as Xoco licked him, and suckling the tip herself when Xoco took another quick breath before offering it back to Xoco.

"You're doing good," she purred as Xoco took him in deep again, running her fingers through Xoco's hair as she once again began to bob--a sight Raxta definitely appreciated.

Herrick's hands went to Raxta's ass, and he just continued to knead her and apply playful bites, even giving her a couple new spots while she was still there.

And Gods, with the two of them working on him like that, he couldn't last any longer. His hands tightened down on Raxta so that he was pretty much squeezing her ass and he let out a moan against her buttock.

"Coming!"

With a small jerk of his hips, his seed started to spill into Xoco's mouth.

Xoco let out a small, muffled sound of surprise, but thankfully with Raxta's warning, she wasn't caught unprepared. Of course, nothing could have really prepared her for the volume, warmth, and texture of it,  but Xoco kept her mouth around him and swallowed hard, for Raxta had said it was easier this way, and she could see how.

Raxta's eyebrows raised, impressed, when Xoco finally leaned back and licked her lips, not a drop spilled--quiiite unlike her first experience where, you know, it went pretty much all over her. Face flushed, Xoco looked up at them as Raxta moved off of Herrick to stretch out beside him, her breathing a little uneven.

"Was...was that okay?" Xoco asked, biting her lip.

"It was amazing," Herrick said, meeting Xoco's eyes as Raxta got off of him. Raxta laid against Herrick's side, and he put an arm around her. He motioned for Xoco to join them, and gave Raxta a kiss on the top of her head.

"You did great, Xoco."

With a contented sigh, Xoco flopped down on Herrick's other side and curled up against him sleepily, while Raxta purred at Herrick's little kiss. "That was fun," Raxta murmured, tail twitching lazily, while Xoco murmured a faint agreement and cuddled closer to Herrick.

"And you did even better than I did," Raxta added with a look at Xoco, before she pressed a kiss to Herrick's lops.

At Raxta's last couple of words, Herrick chuckled.

"You should've seen her when she found out. It got all over her face," Herrick whispered, and he looked to Raxta again. Nestled between these two women, he couldn't have been comfier.

They still needed to get this buffalo back to the village, but they still had time. He couldn't helpbut wonder if Raxta had any more friends...

Raxta let out a soft groan at the memory, while Xoco giggled in disbelief. "Oh, that sounds...messy," Xoco murmured, while Raxta passed her a sour look.

"It was." But the look soon passed as she cuddled into Herrick with a sigh, pressing idle kisses and nuzzles to his neck.

"Mmf...I don't want to move."

"Me neither," Herrick said.

"But our kill's been lying there for a bit. And besides, the sooner we get back to the village, the sooner we can lie on something more comfortable."

"It will go bad, if something doesn't steal it first," Raxta agreed with a frown, and with a soft sigh, she forced herself to sit up. "Very well. We should finish what we started. Xoco?"

Xoco gave a sleepy sound of complaint, but sat up despite it with a yawn. "If we have to," she said with a stretch, before she rose to her feet, followed by Raxta, who offered a hand to Herrick to help him up.

Herrick took Raxta's hand and accepted her help. As soon as he was on his feet, he pulled her into a kiss, shooting her a grin before he walked past her and to his clothing.

He started to get dressed, and he took Raxta's and Xoco's clothing out of his bag as well.

"Your clothes, ladies. Wearing it's optional, though," he added, and shot the both of them a sly look.

"Our clothes? Oh, we will not need those yet. The buffalo will be difficult to carry as we are now," Raxta said, and stole another kiss from Herrick before she turned to Xoco and gave her a nod. In a flash, Raxta was soon no longer Raxta the human, but Raxta the jaguar, and Xoco followed close behind, shifting quickly and dropping down onto all four paws.

With a look at Herrick, Raxta padded to the buffalo and took its neck in her strong jaws, while Xoco trotted to its other side and clamped down onto one of its hind legs. That done, Raxta began to lead, a little awkwardly due to its weight, dragging the beast along as Xoco took up the rear.

Herrick smiled after the kiss, and he was quick to help the both of them out, grabbing it by the horns and helping Raxta pull so that the lead wasn't so awkward. All the while, he stole glances at her in her jaguar form, both appreciating her other form for the powerful animal it was and wondering if he'd have to "hunt" her while she was in that form.

Luckily, it wasn't a long trip back to their small city, and the smell of blood and fresh meat attracted more than a few interested looks as they paraded in with their kill. Again, however, some of those looks were cautious as they fell on Herrick, though many were also curious and friendly.

Raxta lead the way, leading them to the center of the village, where several large fire pits were set up, along with a massive slab of rock, carved with symbols and decorations and grooved so the blood ran off it in channels and pooled into large jars. Already there were several butchered animal remains collected in a pile nearby, their meat roasting and dripping over the fires.

Several women attended the fires, their hands bloody from their work, and they looked up as Raxta, Herrick, and Xoco approached with their kill.

"Oh, good!" one of them said as Raxta and Xoco shifted back. She was a middle-aged woman attended by two younger women, who flitted semi-alarmed looks at Herrick. "We needed that. We've already got a sizeable amount, but it's going to take a lot of meat to feed those men!"

And then she looked at Herrick, eyebrows rising as though noticing him for the first time. "Ah, and you must be our early guest."

Herrick nodded, giving the middle-aged jaguaress a friendly smile.

"I'm Herrick, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, giving a small bow of his head. He found the village's cooking setup to be rather intriguing, so he gave the butchery table and the large fire pit curious glances.

At the sight of the cooking meat, he sighed, remembering that he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast and that he was starved.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, as well," the middle-aged woman said with a flick of her tail. "I'm Nelli, and these two are Yaretzi and Zyanya. Don't mind their chittering." Behind her, the other two girls had taken to whispering among themselves--though Raxta's keen ears could pick up snippets of conversation.

Both of them were near Raxta's age and equally antsy, and both of them were trying to figure out what to make of the male human.

Nelli, the older one, snapped her fingers to get their attention. "Enough of that, girls. Help me get this kill up onto the table," she said, and Yaretzi and Zyanya snapped to attention, while Xoco and Raxta moved in to help them heave the animal up onto the slab. Once it was laid out, Nelli took out a blade to get to butchering it, first cutting its throat to drain the blood. It collected in the grooves on the table and flowed out, dripping into the bowls while Yaretzi quickly changed out a filled bowl for an empty one.

"You lot hungry?" Nelli went on as she worked. "That meat hanging over there's good as done. I'm sure you're all beat after your hunt."

Herrick didn't quite know what to make of the two young girls assisting with the meat preparation. Raxta was his mate, but was Xoco his mate now as well?

Before he could get too deep into it, the older woman offered them meat, and Herrick's eyes went wide.

"Thank you so much," he said, and then turned to the finished slabs of meat.

"I'm starved."

As Nelli cut the three of them a portion of meat to split, she lowered her voice, whispering conspiratorially, "Don't let anyone know I gave this to you. It's supposed to be for the festivities, but since you brought back such a big kill, it can't hurt," she said with a wink, and wrapped the meat in several large, broad leafs. She handed it to Raxta.

"If you can bring us another few kills like that, we'll be as good as set. Now, off with you, unless you want to help!"

"Thank you," Raxta said with a smile, before looking to Xoco and Herrick, and motioning them to follow as she lead the way home.

Herrick nodded gratefully, and gave Nelli a wink that could either be interpreted as conspiratorial or flirty.

Perhaps both.

He walked by Raxta's side, and he gave Xoco a look as well.

"I think after a good hunt like that, we could all go for a nice long nap after we eat," he said.

"Agreed," Raxta said, and bit back a yawn. If there was one thing her kind was good at, it was sleeping. In fact, like any other cat, large or small...they actually spent a great portion of their day lazing about in some way or another.

A jaguar would definitely never say no to a cat nap.

And then, with a sly smile, she leaned in and nipped at Herrick's ear. "And perhaps more 'practice' later?" she said, and shifted a look at Xoco, who flushed.

"Practice would certainly be a hell of a way to wake up," Herrick said, grinning at Raxta and then to Xoco.

"A hell if a way?" Xoco said, he cocked. "Is that good or bad?"

Herrick chuckled.

"No, hell of a way," he repeated, and he put an arm around her shoulders.

"It's a saying. Like when I say it'd be a hell of a way to wake up, I mean that it's definitely an interesting and unique way to wake up."

He smiled at her.

"Make sense?"

"Oh. That makes sense, yes," Xoco said after a pause, tail flicking behind her lazily.

"Then it's a good thing?"

"Yes," he said, and just then, they came up to Raxta's tent. He opened the flap, and beckoned inside with the wrapped-up hunk of meat.

"After you, ladies."

Into Raxta's home they went, Raxta quick to flop onto the animal skins that served as her bed. She curled up onto her side, propped up on an elbow with her tail draped across her thighs. She was still naked, as was Xoco, but frankly she saw no reason to dress.

After all, she was hoping they would be having more naked fun once they'd rested.

Xoco sat down beside her, cross legged with her tail stretched out behind her and her ears perked as she watched Herrick follow after them.

"Come!" Raxta said, patting the space beside she and Xoco. "Just set it down on the floor."

Herrick had absolutely no hesitation in the way he slipped himself out of everything save for his smallclothes and took up the space right between them.

He set the meat down in between them all, unwrapping it from the leaves. He sighed a bit at the smell, mouth instantly watering.

Raxta quirked an eyebrow at Herrick when he stripped from everything but the smaller clothes hiding his genitals--and was, admittedly, a little disappointed. He was, after all, the first male she had encountered while of mating age, and though she'd gotten to play with him some, that didn't mean she wasn't still intensely curious about his body and how it worked, how it looked. Perhaps that was a human thing? He seemed to embrace his clothing far more than her people did.

She had plenty of questions, but the smell of food was getting distracting. Saving them for later, she took out the knife Herrick had given her and sheared off a chunk of meat, handing it to Herrick, and then did the same for herself and Xoco.

"Thank you for the help with the hunt," Raxta told Herrick as she took a bite of meat. "That will have made a good impression on the others."

Herrick smiled at the praise, and he sized up the piece of meat he was holding. Finding the part with the most fat, he took a bite out of that first, and the deliciousness of the meat caught him off guard.

"It's nothing, figured I might as well pull my weight while I'm here," he said, taking another bite.

He noticed the look in her eye when she noticed that he was still wearing his smallclothes, and he gave her a bit of a smirk, knowing what she was thinking about.

Herrick caught her looking at him, and Raxta quickly cleared her throat and took a bite of meat.

"You can get more comfortable, you know," she said between chewing. "It is hot here. It is silly to wear so much."

Herrick shot Raxta a raised eyebrow at her expression that he was wearing "so much," but all the same, he gave her a grin as he leaned back so he could slip off the last of his clothing, and then he let himself rest back a bit, taking another bite out of the meat.

"You know, if you want to see me fully unclothed, you can just say so. You don't need an excuse," he said, propping himself back up so he could lean in to kiss her.

"Then you should stay unclothed," Raxta said with a nod against his mouth, before licking his lips teasingly. "When we are in private. There is no need to be clothed."

Beside her, she noticed that Xoco was also watching curiously, her cheeks red as she took him in fully--her wide eyes lingering between his legs.

"Yes, remaining clothed in private would be rather... hindering, wouldn't it?" Herrick teased, and he gave Raxta's lower lip a tiny bite before he pulled away, eyes flicking over to Xoco.

"Very," Raxta said, and licked some meat juice off her fingers before flicking a glance between he and Xoco.

"Especially because I was hoping you might be able to show Xoco and I more...things." She punctuated that with another look between his legs, then smiled over at Xoco. "You'd like that, yes?"

"Y-yes..." Xoco said, swallowing, her ears burning.

Herrick smirked at the smaller jaguaress and took a final bite of his meat before he set it back down in the leaf wrapping and pushed it out of the way. He leaned back against some of Raxta's cushions, beckoning towards himself.

"Then I'm all yours, ladies," he said, and he looked to Xoco, patting his chest as if to invite her onto it.

Xoco shot Raxta a look as though for permission--after all, Herrick was hers--and when Raxta nodded, she slunk forward and curled herself against Herrick's chest. Her heart beat fast, hard enough he might be able to feel it, but she was also purring lightly as she took in his scent and warmth.

"You can play with him, Xoco," Raxta said with a grin, finding them quite the pretty sight. "I don't mind. Herrick, what will you show us this time?"

Herrick's eyes flicked to Raxta, and he knew, and it was visible in his eyes that he knew she liked watching. Returning his gaze to Xoco, he pulled her closer, hand drifting to her ass as he kissed her.

"All in good time," He said, and he held out a hand to Raxta.

"Are you just going to watch?"

"No," Raxta said with a shake of her head and a wink. "In good time, Herrick. But I have had you all to myself. Xoco deserves some time with just you, too."

Oh yes, she completely enjoyed watching. Of course, she also wasn't sure how much she would be able to take before she caved and pounced. For now, though, she simply kissed Herrick's offered hand and settled back, tail flicking with interest.

Body hot, both from Herrick's touches and the realization that they had an audience, Xoco gave a little whimper and arched against Herrick, hiding her face against him with another needy, experimental kiss. "Don't just watch," she whined, even as she nibbled at Herrick's ear. "That's embarrassing..."

"It ain't embarrassin'," Herrick said, and knowing Raxta's game, he just focused on giving her as good of a show as possible. He gave Xoco's ass a squeeze, locking his lips with her as his hands wandered her body.

"Could you lie on your back for me?" Herrick murmured before he teased at Xoco's womanhood with his fingers.

Xoco let out a muffled squeak against Herrick's mouth as his hands squeezed her ass, and her hands roamed his back, fingers playing harmlessly over the muscle. Her claws were sheathed, and she knew better than to let them out--even though she felt taut as a drawstring, his touch and his kisses making her want to squirm.

She was so distracted with all the sensations he was inciting that she almost missed his request. "What--ohhh!"

And then his fingers were on her, teasing along her wet sex, and she let out a sharp moan and bucked her hips up against him, a soft cry leaving her. Oh gods! What had he asked? Oh, right. Her back. Yes. It was a struggle to focus, with his fingers stroking her, but she broke the kiss with a gasp and pulled back just enough so that she could lay back, her head propped up against some of Raxta's cushions, her hands resting on her chest, and her knees pressed together.

"Spread your legs, Xoco," Raxta said, and Xoco snapped a look at her and flushed vivid, her spots standing out all the more. "He can't touch you if you are closed up." And it obstructed her view!

With a wide-eyed look Herrick's way, Xoco slowly opened her legs, her breath coming out in little pants of excitement. This was embarrassing still, no matter what they said--and yet, it was also thrilling.

And, she knew, it was only a preview. After all, when the time came, most of them would be together out on the green, mating, sharing...

This was only the three of them!

Herrick remained where he was until Xoco spread her legs, and for a moment, his expression matched Raxta's as he just looked her over before he approached. He planted his hands on the ground next to her hips, and leaned in to kiss her throat, then her collar. His lips traveled down her body, stopping to play with her nipple for a few moments before he was laying a kiss on her navel, and then finally, her womanhood.

Although a kiss was hardly the last thing he had planned for her down there, and he lowered himself, starting to lick her up rather avidly even as one of his hands toyed with her clit.

Xoco's breath came out in tiny, hitched pants as Herrick hovered over her--and then began to kiss her. She tipped her head back as his lips met her throat, and gasped and wiggled restlessly when his mouth found her breast, pert and aroused. Her hands found his hair, gripping onto it reflexively, her body trembling beneath his--and then he went lower, and lower, anticipation tightening in her gut, and--

"H-Herrick!" she squeaked, her eyes going wide when he kissed her, then licked her, down there. Her hands tightened in his hair, tugging lightly even as her hips squirmed, little panted gasps and whimpers leaving her as his tongue teased over her, his fingers stroking. And the fire within her only grew hotter as her gasps turned to whimpers and purrs, her eyes fluttering shut in pleasure and tail curling, even as her toes curled.

Soon enough, she didn't care that they still had an audience.

Though Raxta wasn't fully content with just watching, as the sight of them together soon made her restless and wanting. Rising up, she slipped behind Herrick as he was busy pleasuring Xoco, and slid her hands up along his sides and back teasingly before she reached around to stroke his cock. "I want a turn next," she purred, and kissed his lower back.

Oh, this was too much. He absolutely loved how she was falling apart beneath him. Everything from the way she panted and purred to the way she fidgeted and bent under his hands. He lifted his head from Xoco's sex, slipping his fingers into her to keep her going while he talked.

"Of course," he said, and he rose a bit so that he was up on his knees more while sill keeping his head in place.

"You know, there's space for you beneath me," he teased, and resumed giving Xoco attention.

Raxta tilted her head at Herrick's words and leaned back a little to study the two figures before her for a moment, before she figured out what he meant. Did he mean...? Hm...

After a brief moment's thought, Raxta rolled over onto her back and wriggled her way between Herrick's legs. It took some maneuvering until she found a comfortable position, and even that was a bit awkward on her neck. But she finally held onto his thighs with both hands and lifted until she could dart her rough tongue out and lap at his cock, still intrigued by the taste and sensation of him.

"Is this what you meant?" she purred, before she slipped him into her mouth and suckled, careful of her sharp teeth.

Xoco was beside herself, her hips bucking into his fingers, one hand slapped over her mouth to hold in her whimpers and cries as she feared that she might scream. Her other fist was still curled in Herrick's hair, her tail twitching and tickling against his shoulders as it draped over him. It was too much, and she felt that familiar tightness building, squeezing around Herrick's fingers and making her tremble--

And then when his tongue lapped at her again, his fingers still buried within her, she came undone.

She let out a muffled scream into her hand as she shuddered powerfully, her knees squeezing Herrick and back arching sharply.

Xoco came, and Herrick straightened up enough to give her some time to breathe, trying his best not to disturb Raxta beneath him. He reached down and cupped the back of Raxta's head, easing her burden while allowing her to take him deeper. He looked down at her, lust in his eyes, before looking to Xoco and beckoning her towards him.

"I'm not done with you yet, Xoco. C'mere."

Xoco raised up onto her elbows and gave Herrick a dazed look, her face flushed, clearly wondering what else he could have in mind. Still panting to catch her breath, and still trembling and tingly in the afterglow, she shuffled close to him--and blushed brighter at the sight of Raxta there, diligently working at his cock.

She cleared her throat, eyes wide but ears perked. "Y-yes?"

He shot her a look, and he drew his hips away from Raxta's mouth.

"Replace me above Raxta here. I think it's time I gave her some attention," He said, and he drew a line of kisses down Raxta's body before straightening up and rubbing her womanhood with his pulsing cock, still slick from her ministrations.

"And face me too, Raxta. I want to kiss you."

Replace him--oh.

Xoco's face burned ever hotter when she realized what, precisely, he intended as he shifted himself down Raxta's body, and she shot a flustered look down at Raxta. But Raxta, ever calm and blunt, only motioned her over with a lick of her lips.

At least, she looked calm on the outside, but her heart was racing with passion and excitement and nerves all at once. Not only was she having a fresh new adventure with a human male, but the ice had finally been broken with Xoco after so many awkward years. It still felt unreal, but she let all the pent up feelings flow as Xoco turned to face Herrick while she climbed over Raxta--who grabbed her thighs and pulled her down more insistently, making her squeak.

But that squeak quickly turned to a gasp. Raxta was inexperienced, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what to do; she knew what she liked, and what she liked from Herrick, and so she used two fingers to spread Xoco while she darted out her tongue to taste her, purring her pleasure at her sweetness, at first teasing and testing before she began to lap at her clit. Her own hips jerked, little moans escaping her as she felt Herrick's cock rubbing against her, while above her Xoco whimpered and trembled and grabbed onto Herrick's shoulders for support.

"Oh spirits...!"

"Spirits indeed," Herrick said with a grin, shifting a bit so he could move as easily as possible. At first, he reached down to pull Raxta just a bit closer and spread her out more, moving his hips in a way that had his hard length prodding at her teasingly just to glide upwards and across her clit again and again. He gave Raxta's hips a lusty squeeze before his hands moved upwards, clasping around Xoco's thighs as he leaned in to give the smaller Jaguaress a fiery kiss.

A couple of weeks was seeming like a shorter wait now that they'd found their stride like this.

Raxta's whimpers were muffled against Xoco's sex as she bucked her hips against Herrick, shivering at each touch. Spirits, but she had to remind herself that there was still a little less than a week to go before the festivities, and that it wouldn't do to break tradition—as much as she wanted to cry out for him to mate her properly, her curiosity and lust getting the better of her. It would only get worse, too, as the time drew nearer and hormones and anticipation made her wilder. She squirmed, lapping greedily at Xoco's clit, her textured tongue creating different sensations from Herrick's softer one and making the girl above her tremble deliciously.

She couldn't think of a better scenario in which to be mated: her tongue pleasuring Xoco while a male pleasured her with his cock. Spirits, if only. It would be so easy, with nothing separating them like this, and each time she felt him tease at her entrance, she wanted to buck up into him and beg him to take her. But she kept her tongue busy on Xoco so she didn't speak, letting out only moans instead, even as she shivered with pleasure and let her mind fantasize.

She just had to be patient, as much as she didn't want to be. But spirits, she had waited all her life for this!

Xoco was certainly loosening up, as well, as she leaned into that kiss and ran her tongue against Herrick's mouth, her little fangs nipping at his lip. She moaned against him, her breath hitching and hips squirming every time Raxta's tongue hit her just right, and soon she was clinging to his shoulders for purchase as she shivered with pleasure. She peeked down between them between kisses, and her eyes widened at the sight of his cock as it stroked against Raxta, her breath hitching.

It seemed Raxta wasn't alone in her need.

It was enough to drive her wild, and soon it did, her senses overloaded by the man and woman pleasuring her, the sight and smell of sex thick in the air. She rolled her hips as Raxta's tongue worked her, still so sensitive from her last release—and then, taking even her off guard, she let out another cry and clung hard to Herrick as a fresh wave of pleasure rolled over her, making it hard to breathe as her body quivered.

Herrick closed his eyes as Xoco's lips made contact with his. She was just so small compared to him that he felt like he was kissing a doll. Between the feel of Xoco's rough tongue against his lips, the sounds of Raxta squirming beneath him, and the lewd smell of it all, Herrick let his mind wander as Xoco kissed him.

Gods above, never in a million years he'd have thought his latest gig in Connlaoth would end like this. A hairy escape to the tune of alarm bells with an armful of jewelry bound for the Duchy, a mad dash to the southern end of the continent to escape from surprisingly persistent mordecai pursuers.

Oh and also the jaguar women.

The little nip of Xoco's fangs at his lip brought him back, and soon enough, she was shuddering and leaning against him. His hands went to her hips, keeping her in place for Raxta as he kissed Xoco beneath the ear, and then laid a column of kisses down her throat.

He kept moving against Raxta as well, stroking his length across her entrance and clit at a quicker pace.

"Gods, Raxta. Just keep moving like that..."

It was a sensory overload, almost overwhelming, and soon Raxta was coming undone. Thrumming with excitement, with Xoco crying out above her and Herrick working her more vigorously, Raxta was soon joining her friend in bliss. She lapped at Xoco's sex, drinking in her sweetness, doing her best to keep her trembling--but soon it was too much and she seized up with a sharp, muffled cry, clung hard to Xoco's thighs, and bucked hard against Herrick as the tension broke and the heat and pleasure rushed through her.

Her pause gave Xoco a small break as she leaned into Herrick, panting and whimpering and breathless, her skin still tingling where his lips had pressed. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide with wonder as she stared at the human. Indeed, her world had broadened considerably.

"I...I had no idea..." she murmured, shivering. "Where did you learn all this?"

Herrick grinned, and he gave Xoco a small kiss before replying.

"I've-ah, I'm self-taught, mostly," he said, altough in a teasing tone of voice.

"And experience. Plenty... gods, Raxta!"

His words broke off as he placed a hand over his member, so that he rubbed between his own palm and Raxta's wetness for a few moments more before he released himself onto her belly and chest. His breathing came heavier, and he let his head rest on Xoco's shoulder.

"Plenty of experience," he murmured against her flesh.

Raxta lay still beneath them for a few moments, panting heavily, shivering with residual pleasure. The wetness on her belly and chest had been warm at first, but as it began to cool, it also became uncomfortable, and once she could breathe and function again, Raxta wriggled her way out from under the two of them and sat up, flushed and breathless still.

Xoco didn't yet seem capable of moving, propped up against Herrick, a limp doll in his arms.

"Experience," Xoco repeated, almost dazed as she let her chin rest against Herrick's head. "You must be very popular each season." And then she paused. "Wait. You...do not mate like we do. Do you?"

Herrick chuckled, and gave Raxta a grin and a pat on her leg as she sat up next to them. He took a few moments to breathe and parted from Xoco, finding himself rather spent. He sat back, leaning on his hands. If Raxta looked around, she'e probably find the water and rag that she'd used before.

"Humans do it whenever they feel like it, honestly. I travel a lot, and..."

He motioned vaguely to the air, and smiled.

"...well, sometimes I run into beautiful ladies and we get along very well," he said, and he drew a hand down Xoco's side. It was a little off-putting just how small she was to him but he smiled down at her nonetheless as he set her down and then promptly laid down between the two women. He starsd up at the cieling.

"You girls tire me out. I love it..."

"We're the best of those ladies you've met," Raxta said with a fanged smile as she wiped herself down with the rag before folding it and offering the clean side to Xoco. While Xoco cleaned up, Raxta stretched out beside Herrick and rolled over, flopping an arm across his chest.

"You must not tire so easily, though. Otherwise you won't last when it's time!" she teased, biting his shoulder playfully.

Herrick put an arm around Raxta, hand idly squeezing her ass as she spoke. He combed his hair back with the other and laid it on Xoco's thigh as she wiped herself down.

"Hah, there's a difference between tired and spent," he started, and his eyes drifted down to Raxta. He shivered pleasantly when she bit him, and his cock gave a small twitch at that.

"Because as long as you can keep getting me hard, I'll keep "attending" you," he said, voice taking on a teasing tone near the end.

"And believe me, when the time comes, I'm going to screw your brains out."

A moment of silence, and he glanced back to Xoco.

"You too."

Raxta cocked her head, tail flicking lazily. “Screw? What do you mean?” she said, brow furrowing as she caressed Herrick, idly trailing a hand down his chest to stop just below his navel.

Herrick chuckled. Her caresses felt wonderful, and before he spoke he leaned in to kiss her, pulling away with a gentle tug on her lips.

"It means I'm going to mate you until you're silly," Herrick said, using terms she'd be more likely to understand.

[Pffft. Thanks phone autocorrect, Herrick is now apparently Hedrick. |:]

"Why would that make me silly?" Raxta asked, deadpan, before she went in for another kiss, her rough tongue sliding against his lips. "I'm not silly."

Xoco snorted and flopped over to look at the two, propping up on an elbow. "Lies. You just said a silly thing!"

Raxta broke the kiss with Herrick long enough to stick her tongue out at her friend. She looked back at Herrick and gave him a fanged smile. "Anyway. We shall see about that," she said, and stretched, a challenge in her words. "We jaguar-kin have a great deal of stamina."

[Hedrick's not a bad name, per se... also, did you want to RP one or more "days" and then skip to the event or did you have something in mind? Maybe more jaguar women for Herrick to meet as he slowly starts to realize how literally boned he is come festival time??? 8D]

"Hm, I'd bet," Herrick said. For now, he'd given up on trying to explain the innuendo to Raxta, instead deciding that he wanted to just rest between these two jaguaresses. When Xoco flopped down, Herrick made it a point to raise his arm in order to make his other side accessible. His other hand stroked Raxta from breast to thigh when she stretched, Herrick grinning as he did so.

He wasn't tired, but he wouldn't mind a short rest after a hunt and a meat breakfast.

"So, if you ladies are done with me for now, I think I'll close my eyes for a little bit."

[Oh, I have ideas. >8D But sure! Few more day then a skip works for me!]

The days passed by in relative peace and laziness. There was a rhythm to life in the village, and everyone took their turn at the mundane tasks that needed to be completed to keep life functional. Different hunters hunted on different days, to ensure their hunters were well rested and in peak shape. Babysitting duties rotated, to ensure mothers and caretakers got a break from such a demanding, and stressful, job. And while clothes were mended, meals were prepared, the sick and injured and old were treated, and tools were crafted, preparations for the upcoming festivities were also in full swing.

Raxta, for her part, dragged Herrick around with her and thrust him into the daily grind, showing him the proper ways to do whatever task needed to be done. The best way to get the others used to him was by exposure, by proving that he could cooperate as one of them, and that he wasn't some scary, dangerous creature. Many of the other jaguars were wary of him initially; their priestess had accepted him, but the wounds of the past didn't heal that quickly, and many of them were descendants of the very jaguars that had survived the horrors--and some who had not. It wasn't necessarily about distrusting Herrick, but about distrusting humans. Other jaguars were largely indifferent. A few were openly curious--mostly those around Raxta's generation. Prejudice was more deeply ingrained in the older folks who chided the younger ones for thinking with their crotches more than they thought with their brains.

Whatever their stance, over the next days, some opinions softened. Not all, but a number. Neyeli, a friend of Raxta's several years her senior, was cold to Herrick at first; her direct ancestors had been betrayed by those visitors generations ago. But with time, she came around--even claimed he could have his turn with her if he liked, as a gesture of good will between them. Palla was another; she had born her first child a few years before and was finally ready to rejoin the festivities. Ever adventurous and curious, she too claimed she wouldn't mind trying out a human, to see if it was any different from mating her own kind. Besides, it was the taboo of it all that thrilled her.

None of that bothered Raxta. Jealousy was uncommon among her people and besides, it was kind of entertaining showing Herrick off like a novelty. It had, for the moment, made her relatively popular.

Still others had begun to eye Herrick as the festival drew closer, and the atmosphere shifted with it, a sort of tension building in the air as the anticipation grew. He was the first male on the scene, after all--and that made him more and more appealing as hormones began to spike.

And it would only grow.

Raxta woke that morning from where she was curled up next to Herrick to the sounds of excited voices beyond her hut. With a yawn, she sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and rotated her ears to listen. She perked in surprise at what she heard, and quickly shook Herrick.

"Herrick! They're here!" she whispered, fangs bared in a grin. "Our other tribe! They've arrived!"

[Gotcha, was just curious.]

Herrick was sure that at some point in his life he had a dream just like this. Surrounded by women in the middle of nowhere, all of them clamoring for a man and he the only one within reach. But surprisingly enough, that wasn't even what made it for him.

He'd never quite lived like this. He'd slummed it, sure, but to just live simply? No guards, no greedy merchants, no massive stone walls or crowded streets. He'd grown somewhat familiar with the tribe's daily goings-on in the days he spent helping them around. He was popular for his strong, remarkably tall build and he found himself helping older women lug things around just as much as he found himself helping with a mundane tasks.

As the days passed, he grew to not worry about the circumstances that landed him there in the first place. He was going to be laying low for a bit anyways, right? Instead, he found himself thinking about his steadily growing line of interested females.

It had been damn good at first. He felt like a king when he'd draw glances and stare, and seeing Xoco about the village was also always fun. When Nyeli made her offers to them, he'd accepted with Raxta's eager blessing and found himself wondering how far he could take it.

A few days after that, things felt way different. It was still a pretty big ego boost, but sometimes he felt like a piece of meat surrounded by lions. Then Pyalla came forwards, and even a few more after that as Raxta kept taking him around. The days just before the season started were the absolute strangest. The sheer sexual tension that seemed to hang in the air was... intense. He thought about female cats in heat, and how aggressive they could get, and that image never left his head. It didn't help that he'd once caught one staring at him in jaguar form.

And it started to show in everyone, even Raxta.

When she shook him awake, he scrunched his face up and rose to a sitting position. He rubbed his face as he talked.

"That's good for them," he murmured, and then rubbed the fresh couple of spots she'd left on his shoulder last night.

He'd shaved and trimmed his hair yesterday in order to get some relief from the heat, and he gave his beard a stroke before straightening up a bit more and shaking himself awake. He yawned, taking his hand off her hip where it had been resting to give her side a stroke.

"What happens when they get here?"

Always a morning person, Raxta was wide awake and beaming with excitement. And why wouldn't she be excited? It wasn't just the festival alone that she was anticipating, but also the togetherness. It was only once a year that the two tribes mingled together as one, and that mingling meant mating, sure, but it also meant catching up with family, with old friends. Not everyone that arrived was there to revel. There were elderly among them, and children, and some who had no interest in that and simply wanted to visit.

Her tail swished at Herrick's question, an idle motion. "Well, they'll probably want to rest and refresh a bit, for starters," she said, reaching out to brush her fingers through Herrick's hair--grooming him. She licked her palm and then smoothed it over his head to straighten out some flyaway hairs. "After that, we always have a huge get together and feast and celebrate! Catch up with everyone, see what has happened since the last time we met. You'll get to meet my brother and old friends!"

She smiled. "The festival starts in a couple more days. They'll need time to rest before that. It's a long journey between tribes."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Herrick mused, mostly to himself. Then again, she'd never really mentioned her family at all. No mother, no father...

He closed his eyes as she groomed him, now more or less used to how it felt. His hand around her waist wandered as she did so, and he smiled.

"If it wasn't tense before, now..."

he chuckled.

"Let's get to it, then."

"His name is Quri. We're from the same litter," Raxta said as she rose to her feet and held her hand out to help Herrick up.

"Are you nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?" he echoed. He took her hand and got up, giving her a fond look before he went in search if his clothing. Raxta'd pestered him about his clothing enough over the past few days that he'd started wearing a short-sleeved cloth vest and baggy shorts. Again, she suggested it to cope with the heat, and it did help.

But he'd known why she really asked.

As he got dressed, he spoke. His tone was neutral, almost unsure.

"So, let me ask you something. When a male has lots of females waiting for him... what happens? Usually?"

He winced.

"What's normal, I mean?" he asked. The intensity was getting to him a little, and he sought comfort in trying to know the future.

As Herrick dressed, Raxta followed suit, slipping on her animal hide skirt and wrapping her breasts. At his question, she cocked her head curiously, one eyebrow lifted in question.

"What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head to the other side. "The same thing that happens among your kind, I imagine. Right?"

"In a way, you're right," Herrick said, conceding that to her. Then, he put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit.

"But let's just say that it's uncommon. Can you tell me how your kind handle it?" He continued. He had nothing else to put on so with a final stretch he stepped out into the sunlight.

Then, he grinned.

"Do they wait turns or come at 'em at the same time?" He teased.

Raxta grinned right back at him as she followed him into the light, flashing a bit of canine in the process. "Are you worried?" she asked. "That maybe it will be too much for you?"

She nudged him in the side, roughly but playfully, and for a moment considered whether she should be honest with him or pull his leg a bit. Hmm. Honesty and bluntness was her default, but something about the human and his complete cluelessness to her culture made her want to tease him.

She didn't deliberate long.

"Things can get...a bit brutal," she said at last, expression turning sober. "This only happens once a year, and people get impatient. Fights break out. Blood runs. Claws and teeth are useful for hunting, yes, but also for establishing dominance. None of my kind are without their scars. You will have to be strong, Herrick." She gave him a serious look, eyes hard and humorless. "I hope you are prepared for what you have gotten yourself into."

"For you, I'd wrestle any cat that came your way," Herrick said, answering her sober attitude with levity, as was his usual response. "And as long as I get to have you, the rest don't matter as much for me. Xoco's really nice to have around too, though," he said, adding the last sentence at the last minute.

He was comfortable saying it. Raxta was a nice girl, resourceful and fun and affectionate. Maybe in another life or in different circumstances he'd consider staying here longer. Already, he could see there was a commotion in the village as jaguaresses made their way towards the arriving males.

"And I don't know if I'll have to catch any of the others, or... i just don't know anything about your ways. I guess I'll have to find out, yeah?"

Smelling his unease, Raxta's sober expression cracked with a crooked smile. Maybe she would have mercy upon him. After all, he was right, he was ignorant of their ways and getting thrown into the deep end.

Reaching out, she gave his hair a playful ruffle. "This is my first time, too. What I know I only know from friends and...erm...watching." Her cheeks colored a little at the admission. While the ceremony had many participants, it was still private in a way, a sacred gathering; it was rude for the uninvolved to gawk and spy. What happened in the meadow remained there, shared only between those who gathered. But Raxta, like many other youths, had been curious in the past, although a brief peek was not much to go on.

"You have a, ah, primary partner. And that is your focus. You will catch only me, and have me first. But after, we may invite others, and others may ask to join, and you do not have to feel bad about saying no. It is believed that the seed and energy from other jaguars will only strengthen the child, you know? That ensures it will be a healthy baby, and that the mother will have fewer struggles." She cocked her head. "As for the rest, having turns or at the same time..."

She gave Herrick a curious look. "What is your preference?"

She ruffled his hair and Herrick gave her a wry grin and a nudge to her elbow, but ultimately the levity was welcome. as for her question however, he was strangely blank. He paused in his walk, evidently taken by thought.

"I... I dunno, I never thought I'd have to make this choice, honestly," he said, letting some of his incredulity with the situation bleed out.

"I don't... let's try both? I like the folks we've already met, and you seemed pretty eager to offer me up," he said with a wounded look, as if Raxta had personally delivered him into the claws of predators.

"But I wouldn't want a stranger," he concluded, and gave her an honest shrug of his shoulders.

"And honestly..." Then, perhaps a little more caringly than he expressly wanted, he reached out to put a hand on her arm, and then went low to take her hand.

"I wouldn't mind if I had just you, though. You're beautiful and impressive. And if Humans and Jaguars could make kids, I... I think I'd make one with you," he said.

Because even though he'd known her for only a week or so, his time living here had given him an actual respect for her. Affection was easy and mutual between them, but recently Herrick had come to care for the energetic Jaguaress that had taken him in.

A rare blush colored Raxta's cheeks, making the spots on them stick out all the more. He wouldn't mind if it was just her? He wouldn't mind if they had cubs were that possible? W-what?

When she had first chosen him, it had been for a lark more than anything. He was handsome and curious and unusual and she was drawn to novelty--she had never seen a human before, only heard of them in tales. And the old stories did mention humans and Jaguar-kin mating, and she always did like being different. The first Jaguar to take a human partner in centuries! Why not? And if she would not have cubs from the union, even better! She was not quite ready to be a mother, even if it was expected she would bear children from this.

And yet...somehow him saying he would like to have cubs with her was...endearing? Flattering? Her heart beat a little faster, the heat traveling to the tips of her ears. He wouldn't have minded having only her?

"Really?" she said, and then laughed and elbowed him playfully, as though to quickly move past the awkward conversation. Emotions were awkward! Especially these kind! And was he going to leave? She had not heard anything about him staying, and had desperately been trying not to get attached.

She couldn't. He would leave to be with his kind, right?

"Maybe cubs in a season or two," she said with a fanged grin. "But this time, it will just be us and whoever you would like. You are the human. This is different for you. I want you to be comfortable."

"Well, it's whoever you like, too," Herrick answered, although he smiled to see that he managed to get a red blush out of her. Mercifully, he moved the conversation along.

"I know you, Raxta. You're a sneaky gal who likes to gang up on pretty ladies~" he said, much lower as he nudged her back, as if she was his co-conspirator. But with that final tease, he distanced himself, although he took her by the hand and led her along.

"And I have a feeling you want to watch me fuck Xoco," he added with a sideways glance to her.