Disclaimers:
Summary:
Warnings:
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by
"So what's the big deal about this root?" Dar asked.
"I just need it, okay?" Tao was looking very stressed as the ferrets once again returned without success.
"Hey," Dar said, and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder to soothe him. Tao flinched at his touch and moved away from him. All right, enough was enough. "What's the matter with you?" he demanded.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Tao muttered.
"Is there something wrong with me then? You've been acting like I have the plague for a month!"
Tao shook his head, "No, no it's not that at all," he said softly.
"So why are you uncomfortable with me these days?"
"I'm not!" Tao insisted.
"Tao..." Dar said in a warning tone.
"Look, I have to keep searching. I need the medicine from that root." He turned and walked away. Dar followed him.
"Are you going to die without it?"
"No. Well, from embarrassment, maybe. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"And what is so embarrassing that you can't tell your best friend?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!!"
Dar grabbed him by the waist and spun him around, into his arms. "Okay, I'm going to hug you like this until you tell me what's going on. So, what's on your mind?"
The dark haired man just looked terrified and tried to struggle out of Dar's grip, but to no avail. The beastmaster was determined to find out what was bothering his friend and held on tight. "C'mon, Tao, talk to me." Tao shook his head and buried his face in Dar's shoulder.
Dar suddenly felt Tao's hardness against his leg, and quickly put two and two together. He buried his fingers in short dark hair and pulled his friend's head back. "You do know I love you," he said, looking deeply into those chocolate brown eyes, thinking that it would ease his friend's fears. Tao looked startled, but then he looked away. Dar kissed him on the forehead, causing his Eiron friend to tremble.
"D-Dar. Just let it be. Please. Let me go."
Dar didn't let go. Instead he bent his head down and captured Tao's lips with his own. The smaller man gasped, his lips parting slightly, allowing Dar to deepen the kiss. Tao practically melted into the strong arms of his friend, eagerly returning the affection.
Suddenly he stiffened and pushed Dar away. Golden eyes looked at him, puzzled. Tao shook his head. "I'm just not ready for this yet, I'm sorry." Then he made a hasty escape, and this time Dar let him go.
Ruh growled softly next to him. "No, I don't know what's going on," Dar answered him.
***********************************
The next day was worse. Tao woke up in a terrible mood, snapping at Dar before heading off to the bushes.
When he returned, he sullenly stoked the ashes of their campfire.
"You doing okay?" Dar asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," his friend grumbled in reply.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure I'm okay!! Who's the healer here, you or me?" Tao spat.
"Okay, okay, calm down," Dar reached out to put his hands on Tao's shoulders.
"AND DON'T TOUCH ME!!" Tao burst out, knocking his friend's arms away.
Things went pretty much downhill from there.
A while later, Tao walked alongside Dar in irritable silence, absently chewing the leaves of some medicinal plant. After a time, Dar couldn't stand it anymore. "What are those leaves for, Tao?"
"They relax the muscles," the Eiron muttered.
There was a moment of silence. "And what muscles do you have that need relaxing?" Dar pressed, realizing Tao wasn't going to offer more of an explanation than that on his own.
"The ones in my stomach."
Ookay. "Why is your stomach all tense?"
At this point Tao grabbed Dar by the vest and yelled, "Because I've got a condition that causes it to, and it makes me extremely grouchy and miserable for several days. If I had found that root in time, I wouldn't be going through this right now, but I didn't, and I am, so just leave me alone until it passes, GOT IT?!" Then he pushed himself away and kept walking.
Dar looked after him in confusion. What was so embarrassing about a chronic stomach problem? "Hey, you know we can just sit and rest if you need to..."
Tao shook his head without even looking behind him. "Walking helps a little," he said tersely.
Finally Dar gave up, and let Tao suffer in silence, giving him a good deal of space.
//Your mate's in heat.// Ruh communicated to him.
*He's what?!* Speaking softly so Tao wouldn't hear, Dar said, "That's impossible. Tao's a man. Men don't go into heat."
Ruh snorted. //I know what I smelled.// And that was the end of it, as far as he was concerned.
Dar dismissed the idea, figuring that Ruh had somehow misinterpreted Tao's condition, because even if it was possible, it was obvious sex was the last thing on Tao's mind.
***********************
Whatever the ailment the Eiron had was, it did indeed last for several very long days, but thankfully it left him as quickly as it came.
"Hey Dar,"
"Yes Tao?" Dar asked, noting that his friend seemed to be back to normal at last.
"I just wanted to apologize, for you know, being pissy all week."
"It's okay, I know you weren't feeling well."
"Thanks. Still, I'd like to be able to make my medicine so neither of us has to go through that again."
"Do you want to find a village, see if they have a healer that can help you?"
"Sure, that's actually a good idea." Tao said, smiling for the first time in days. Dar smiled back, and together they headed for the nearest village.
*********************
A couple of days later they arrived at what appeared to be a peaceful settlement. As they approached the village, which consisted of only about two dozen huts, an elder walked up to greet them. "Greetings, strangers," he said, "What brings you to our humble abode?"
"I'm Dar, and this is my friend, Tao. He wants to speak to your healer, if you have one."
"Dar...the Beastmaster?" The old man asked. Dar nodded. "Ah, we have heard much about you. Welcome, I am Kyreth. Please, come this way."
All the villagers were busy hanging garlands from the huts and setting tables outside. Some of them gave the strangers curious glances, but there was no hostility present.
"Getting ready for a celebration?" Dar asked.
"Yes, our spring festival is starting tonight. You are more than welcome to join us."
"I'd be happy to. How about you, Tao?"
"Sounds great. We're very thankful for the invite, Kyreth."
"Oh, it's nothing. I know you boys have been out in the wilderness for a while now. I imagine you would appreciate a real meal and sleeping under a roof for a change." He pointed to a stout middle aged woman hanging flowers in her doorway. "That's our resident miracle worker over there. I'll introduce you to her," he said to Tao.
"Talya! You have a young visitor," he called out. The woman turned. "Oh?"
Tao stepped forward and extended his hand. "My name's Tao, nice to meet you."
"Likewise. You wear an Eiron ring. Are you a healer as well?" she asked with a kindly smile.
"Yes, ma'am. I wanted to ask you about a plant that I've been having trouble finding in this area."
"He's a friend of Dar here, the Beastmaster," Kyreth interjected.
"Really? Well, it's an honor. Come inside, Tao, and we'll see if I can be of any help."
Tao followed her into the hut, and Dar turned to the elder. "Can I help with any of the preparations for tonight?"
"I'm sure if you ask around, someone will put you to work. But first, let me tell everyone who you are. You can see that my people are curious about you and your friend." He walked out to the center square and cleared his throat. Immediately the villagers stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him. "We have two guests tonight! This is the Beastmaster we have heard so much about, and his Eiron friend is talking to Talya right now. Please, make them both feel welcome," he said in a loud, clear voice. There was some cheering from the small crowd that had gathered. Dar almost blushed at the attention. "There's no reason to make such a fuss," he protested.
"Nonsense," Kyreth replied, "We've heard many stories of how you have helped people in need. My people may have never suffered troubles that required your assistance, but it is good to know that someone like you is out there."
Thankfully, the village didn't put him up on a pedestal as he had feared, but were very friendly and talkative. Some of the stories had been exaggerated, as was to be expected, and he did set them straight. And as the elder had told him, they did put him to work carrying out baskets of food.
As he was working, he noticed a large stone slab on the ground with some writing on it. "What does it say on that stone?" He asked an adolescent girl who was standing nearby.
She giggled a little. "It's a prophecy, though it's kind of funny. It says a man and his lover will spend a night here, and within the year the man will give birth to a child that will be a shining light to continue the fight against darkness in the world."
"The man will give birth? Is that the right translation?" Dar asked incredulously.
The girl giggled again. "I told you it was funny. It's been here longer than we've been recording history, and our records go back centuries. And every generation our scholars check it again to see if there's some mistake, but they never find any."
"Well, it would take quite a bit of magic to accomplish that, if the prophecy were to come true."
"That's true," the girl agreed, "and nobody here practices magic at all. Never have."
"I take it your people have been living here a very long time then."
"Mmm-hmm. That thing could be over a thousand years old for all we know. If you look around in the woods, you'll find more ruins. There must have been a great empire here, once."
"It's the nature of empires to rise and fall, then be forgotten."
"Hey Dar!" He turned and then smiled as he saw Tao approaching him. "Excuse me," he said to the girl, who nodded and returned to what she had been doing before.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"No, she didn't recognize the plant from the description, but at least I got some other medicine to try that is supposed to treat the symptoms better than what I have now."
"Where did you get the plant from before?"
"It grows in the region around Xinca, but I've got a horrible suspicion that it doesn't around here." Seeing the look in Dar's eyes, he continued, "but it's not worth going back there to get it. Especially if this stuff works half as well as Talya says it will."
"If you say so," Dar said. "Here, let me show you the hut that they're having us stay in tonight..."
*****************
The celebration started at sunset. Several large bonfires were lit, and the young men and women of the village danced around them in time to the beat of a myriad of drums and other local instruments. Both Dar and Tao were grabbed as dance partners by a couple of the local females. Soon, they were whirling around the fire with everyone else, Dar moving with feline grace, while Tao struggled to keep up with his partner, who patiently showed him the moves.
After what seemed an eternity to Tao, the music stopped, and it was announced that the feast was ready. Dar, who looked like he had enjoyed himself immensely, walked up to him and draped an arm over his shoulders in a one armed embrace.
"Looks like you had a lot more fun than I did," Tao said.
"What, you don't like dancing?"
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the most coordinated person in the world."
Dar had to laugh at that. "Don't worry, Tao, you have many other fine qualities that more than make up for that."
"Whatever," Tao replied, mock-punching at him.
Shortly thereafter, they sat down together with their plates of food. The local women had by this figured out that neither of them were looking for company, so they were pretty much left alone. There was no meat on Dar's plate, of course. He looked down at Tao's plate, which was anything but vegetarian, then into his friend's eyes.
"Oh, no you don't," Tao said, "You are not guilting me into not enjoying this. I am going to eat this animal whether you want me to or not." And for emphasis he immediately stuck a piece of roast meat in his mouth and made all kinds of yummy noises. Dar tried staring at him a little longer, but the Eiron pointedly ignored him, and he gave up, turning his attention to his own plate.
Dar took a large gulp of the local brew from the gourd that had been handed to him. "This is really good, you should try some, Tao," he said, handing the gourd over. Tao took it from him and drank a good sized amount. "You weren't kidding," he said and returned it.
One of the villagers saw them and came over to say hello. "Oh no, you're not supposed to gulp it like that!" He laughed as he saw Dar taking another large swallow of the draught. "It takes a while for you to feel the effects, so sip it slowly. How much have you had?"
Tao answered him, "Between the two of us, most of the gourd."
The villager laughed even harder. "Then you two had better get off to your hut now- otherwise you may not make it, or have to crawl there on your hands and knees. That brew is powerful stuff. I'm terribly sorry no one told you."
"They must have thought we were familiar with the drink." Dar said. "Thanks for telling us, though."
The man nodded. "I'll walk you there just to make sure that you do make it," he said with a grin.
Dar was already starting to feel it as he stood up and everything started swimming. He grabbed onto Tao for support. "Whoa, easy there, Dar," Tao said.
The tall blond leaned heavily on him all the way to the hut, the villager watching them closely to make sure they didn't fall over. About halfway there Dar burst out into laughter, and it was all Tao could do not to join him. The muzziness was starting to cloud his thoughts as well.
"Look on the bright side," the villager said as they reached the door of the hut, "at least you both will be certain of a sound sleep tonight."
Tao laughed and thanked him, then dragged Dar inside with him, and closed the door. He deposited Dar on one of the mats, then started to make his way to the other side to his mat. "Why don't you sleep here next to me," Dar his voice low and rumbling like a lion's. Tao, who was already leaning against the wall for support, slid down with his back to the hard surface until his butt hit the floor. "I'm not sure that's a good idea..." he slurred, though his side of the hut was seeming to be too far away to bother with at this point.
Dar crawled up to him on all fours, his golden eyes gleaming in the darkness, lending him the appearance of a feral feline. Tao did nothing to stop him as he leaned over and found the Eiron's lips, devouring his mouth with the hunger of a wild animal. Dar slid his hands under Tao's tunic, running his hands over the skin of his lover's chest, noting with pleasure how well toned his scholarly friend had become. He broke the kiss and breathed, "I want you to be my mate."
"I know," Tao gasped in response.
"Now. Tonight." Dar insisted.
Dar could feel, rather than see, Tao's head nodding in the darkness. Distantly, Tao remembered that he shouldn't be doing this, but at the moment, he didn't care if Dar found out or not.
Dar lifted the tunic up over his head and tossed it aside. Pulling Tao into his lap, he once again invaded the dark haired man's mouth with his tongue, taking his breath away. Then he pushed the smaller man further up the wall, pinning him there, and set to work on his nipples, sucking hard. Tao gasped and clutched at Dar's broad shoulders. Oh, but that felt good! After he was finished tasting Tao's chest and abdomen, Dar let his lover slide back down into his lap.
Lifting Tao's legs to his shoulders, (yes, Tao is that flexible as far as I'm concerned. ~-^) Dar drunkenly fumbled with his lover's boots, but did manage to remove them and toss them away. He then undid Tao's pants and pulled them off as well. Tao waited quietly as he did this, breathing heavily from excitement and anticipation. Finally Dar removed his own loincloth and let Tao's legs slip down to his hips again. Gathering his lover into his arms, he got up into a kneeling position and pinned Tao to the wall again. The Eiron's sex pressed hard against him and Dar could feel wetness between his lover's legs, telling him that Tao was ready to be taken as his mate.
"Dar!" Tao hissed out from the sharp pain as Dar swiftly entered him. But soon that pain was replaced by a blinding pleasure. Not to mention it felt so good, so right, for Dar to be thrusting inside him, his hot, heavy body pushing him against the wall. He came quickly, his seed splattering out all over Dar's belly. The Beastmaster followed soon after. For a time they stayed in the same position, panting heavily as sweat dripped off their bodies, Tao with his limbs wrapped around Dar's torso in a death grip.
Then Dar started to move again.
Eventually they made it down to the sleeping mat, Tao lying under his lover as Dar pounded into him tirelessly for over an hour. Tao started to come again, but this time it was different. It seemed to start deep inside him, then spread outward through his entire body. And oh, by the...it was lasting forever.
"Ah! Dar! Ungh, ahh!! AAAAHHH!!" Tao dug his short nails into Dar's back, drawing blood. He had never, ever felt anything like *that* before in his life. Dar emitted a contented growl and pulled out of him, leaning down to give him a slow, thorough kiss, wiping the sweat from his brow. Their bodies sated, they quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.
************************
Tao awoke in the morning with a blinding headache- and feeling not so fresh.
He sat up, and regretted it almost immediately. Not just from the throbbing in his skull, but he was distinctly sore in his nether regions. Looking down he saw the dried blood between his legs. Oh crap. He looked over at Dar nervously. The Beastmaster was still passed out.
Luckily there was a jar of water and a cloth handy in the hut, and he gingerly cleaned himself off. That done, he retrieved his scattered clothing. He had just put his trousers back on when Dar stirred. Tao wet the cloth again and dropped it on his friend's chest. "Here. You might want to clean yourself up," he said.
Dar frowned. "Looks like I slept with a virgin last night," he muttered upon seeing himself.
"Yeah, me. What, you don't remember?"
Dar yawned. "Well, I remember you were a really great lay, but that's about it. I'm glad it was you, though."
Tao sighed in relief. "Ass. You didn't even take your boots off."
Dar looked down and saw it was true, and chuckled. "So, we're mates now, then," he said as he wiped off the remnants of their lovemaking from the night before.
"Yeah, I guess so." Tao said, his face turning solemn.
"You guess so?" Dar looked at him, concerned.
Tao sat back down next to him, wincing as he did so. "Um, Dar, don't get me wrong, I do love you, but I really wasn't ready to take things to the physical level yet."
His mate nodded and pulled him into his arms. Tao didn't protest and returned the embrace. Then Dar gave him a quick peck on the lips and let him go.
"Let's finish getting dressed and say farewell to our hosts. We can work this out some more later," Dar said.
That sounded good to Tao. "That sounds like a plan."
But then, he wondered how long he could hold out before telling Dar the truth...
******************
About two months later...
Tao, once again had gotten himself caught by the enemy. And so, after some rough handling, they had taken him deep into a cave. In a chamber dimly lit by a small hole in the ceiling, they pushed him up against a natural column, tying his arms behind him and left him under guard.
He didn't know how long he had been there before he heard a low growling sound echo through the cavern. His guards stood up at once, raising their weapons. They still weren't ready when Ruh pounced on them and drove them away.
"Ruh! It's great to see you!" Tao exclaimed with a tired smile, "Quick, untie me!"
Ruh looked at him for a moment, then turned away with a swish of his tail and left, leaving Tao very confused.
"H-hey! Come back here, can't you see I'm stuck?!"
A short time later Dar came in and crouched down in front of him. Tao looked at him in irritation. "Are you going to untie me or what?"
Dar just smiled. "Oh, I don't know, I think I like you this way."
"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Will you untie me now?"
"What's the rush?" Dar said, moving between Tao's legs and giving him a gentle kiss.
"In case you haven't noticed, I've been injured, you ass," Tao retorted as Dar pulled away.
Dar grabbed the remnants of Tao's shirt and ripped them off. "It's not that bad," He said upon inspection. He pulled a salve from the Eiron's pack and gradually worked it into his mate's chest, starting at the collarbone, making small circles to thoroughly rub it in as his fingers traveled downward. Then he slid his hands around to his mate's back, and continued the treatment there, pressing their bodies close together. Dar covered Tao's neck and shoulder with hot, open-mouthed kisses as his hands worked magic on his mate's injured flesh.
Tao finally relaxed and released a small whimper of pleasure. Dar lifted his head in order to smother the Eiron's lips with his own in a long, heated kiss. Tao arched his slender frame, trying to maximize the physical contact between him and his golden haired partner, and wrapped his legs tightly around his hips, tightly pressing their needs together, frustrated at the cloth barrier between the two.
"What are you doing?" Tao gasped out as he felt Dar's fingers roaming his body, questing...
"Looking for ticklish spots. I know you have to have at least one somewhere," Dar replied with a grin, "And this way you can't stop me." He owed Tao at least one brutal tickling session.
Tao snorted. "Good luck."
Not having any luck with his lover's torso, Dar reached back and pulled off both of Tao's boots and tried his feet. Still no response. "This isn't fair," Dar complained. Tao couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, that leaves one place I haven't tried," and with that he started to unfasten Tao's pants.
"Dar, wait, don't."
"What is it?"
"It's um, it's just that-," Tao started.
"Spit it out Tao. There's been something on the tip of your tongue since we visited that village a couple of months ago. Tell me already." Dar was getting exasperated. Whatever it was, it was keeping him from having his mate completely.
"I-I can't," Tao replied.
"This is crazy, Tao. Whatever it is, it's apparently in your pants, so I'm going to find out whether you tell me or not." That said, he yanked them down off the Eiron's hips.
"You wouldn't!!!" Tao exclaimed, panicked.
"Come on, Tao. I love you, and there's nothing you could be hiding that can change that. Relax."
"I know that, but my feelings are harder to convince. Dar, don't!" Tao yelled, startled, as Dar pulled his pants all the way off and moved between his legs.
Tao looked normal. A good sized erection stood proudly amid a mass of dark curls. Dar blinked suddenly. There was wetness on Tao's inner thighs. Gently he touched it, and let his fingers follow it to its source. Tao watched in horrified silence, taking in deep breaths as Dar came closer to discovering something he told no one, that before now only his mother had known.
Long, callused fingers encountered something that they should never have found on a man. Dar looked at Tao questioningly. His mate looked away, cheeks burning with shame. Curiosity getting the better of him, Dar let one finger slip inside, earning a gasp.
"Did I hurt you?" Dar asked.
Tao shook his head. "It feels weird. Please don't touch me there," he said quietly, almost whispering.
Dar immediately withdrew his finger. He moved in close again and gently stroked Tao's dark hair with his other hand. "Hey, it's all right." He whispered into his mate's ear. The younger man didn't respond.
He slipped the hand already covered in wetness over Tao's shaft and moved up and down in swift strokes. He was rewarded with a gasp and a low moan from his mate. His embarrassment forgotten, Tao lifted his head and sought Dar's lips in a hungry kiss, his tongue seeking its other in the heat of their mouths.
Dar used his free hand to remove his breechcloth, then leaned fully chest to chest with his beloved, replacing the hand on Tao's cock with his own erection rubbing against it. Tao protested at first, but he was soon bucking against Dar's hardness with wanton abandon, pulling insistently at his bonds. The Beastmaster rose on his knees, pushing Tao up further against the stone pillar.
"T-this feels familiar," Tao managed to gasp out.
Dar chuckled and nuzzled Tao's hair. "How about this?" he asked as he grabbed the smaller man by the hips, lifting them and slipping himself deeply into Tao's molten wetness. The Eiron made a strange keening moan and closed his eyes.
"Nnngh!!! Oh, that's *good*...but it feels so strange," Tao groaned.
Without breaking the rhythm, Dar reached under his mate and once again covered his fingers in Tao's wetness, before carefully probing his other orifice. The Eiron was lost in the sensation of his lover pounding into him and his inner muscles were relaxed as Dar slowly stretched him. However, Tao still made a slight sound of discomfort as a second finger entered him.
"Are you okay?" Dar asked, voice husky from passion.
"Unh, yes, by the- shit! YES!!" Dar had found a spot inside of him that increased his pleasure a thousandfold. "Do that again!"
Dar inserted a third finger, and moved all three inside in time to his thrusts, making sure all the while to keep hitting that place that made Tao scream and writhe under him in ecstasy. The combined stimulation of his sex rubbing between their bodies, and Dar inside his two most intimate parts was more than Tao could handle, and he climaxed quickly with a strangled scream, the pleasure spreading through his entire body, causing spots to float across his eyes. The clenching of his mate's muscles against him sent Dar over the edge as well, and he came with a very animal-like grunt, biting down hard on Tao's shoulder and neck, marking him.
Tao fell limply against Dar as the Beastmaster pulled the knife out of his boot and released him from the cords that bound him. The taller man folded him lovingly into his arms.
"Hey Dar," Tao said, after he recovered a bit.
"Yes?"
"I love you..."
"I love you, too, Tao," he replied.
"But I have to tell you something-"
"I think I figured it out already." Dar said, smiling.
"No, not just that," Tao said, blushing slightly, "I might be pregnant."
Dar's eyes widened slightly.
"When we did it back at that village, it was right after my cycle started again, so I was very fertile at the time. And then it never came last month..."
"I thought it was just that the medicine the healer gave you was working."
Tao shook his head. "That would have treated the symptoms, not stop the flow from coming altogether, like my other herbs did. If in the next few days my cycle doesn't come again, it'll be pretty certain that I'm with child."
That explained why Ruh thought Tao had been in heat. A man born with a womb...
"I didn't tell you before, because I didn't take it seriously, but there was an old prophecy at that same village. It said that a man and his lover would stay a night, and within the year the man would give birth to a child of promise. I guess it's going to come true then. Well, the giving birth part anyway."
"Sorry Dar, but the idea of being pregnant and giving birth is not appealing to me."
Dar laughed and laid them both down on the floor of the cave, with him on top. "That's too bad, since it sounds like it's already too late."
Tao playfully swatted at him. Dar caught his arm and in the dim light saw marks from the cord on his wrist.
"I'm sorry Tao, I didn't realize you were tied so tight."
"I would've been fine if I hadn't been pulling on the ropes so hard." They both laughed at that.
For a moment they were silent, looking into each others eyes. "Mmm, Tao," Dar said, breaking the silence, kissing Tao until they were both breathless. Then Dar made his way downward, kissing the front of his mate's throat with searing lips and tongue. Tao groaned in appreciation and buried his fingers in Dar's long, unruly hair. His breath caught in his throat as Dar caught one rosy nipple between his teeth and tugged lightly. He felt Dar grow hard again against his thigh.
"Take me as a man this time, Dar," Tao murmured.
"All right," Dar said with a smile, "I think I can handle that." He slid himself over so that he was leaning on Tao's side, and let his hand wander south. Still sucking gently on his mate's nipples, he covered his fingers in the Eiron's love juices before moving further down to where Tao wanted him the most.
Tao had a sharp intake of breath as he was invaded, but not from pain. "Dar, please," he begged, wanting more.
He seemed to be ready. "Roll over," Dar instructed.
He complied and his larger mate molded himself on top of him. Carefully Dar let the head of his member slip inside Tao's tight passage. The Eiron groaned and pushed himself up back against his lover, trying to get more of him inside. Dar gasped and moaned himself as he buried himself deeply into the depths of Tao's body. It was so hot, and tight, and he willed himself not to lose it right then and there. He reached under his mate's body, and took hold of Tao's throbbing cock, then pumped it in time as he started a rhythm inside the hot velvet sheath surrounding him. Tao was even more vocal this time, howling in pleasure as Dar hit that magic spot inside him over and over again. All too soon the pressure built up inside him again, and he came with a shout, clenching tightly around Dar's hard rod inside him, bringing him to completion as well.
Panting and dripping with sweat, they slowly disengaged and lay next to each other.
"You know, I never did finish looking for a ticklish spot." Dar said.
"You're not going to find one," Tao said. "I haven't had any since- ahahaha!!- STOP IT!"
"Why should I?" Dar had found a particularly sensitive spot on his mate's inner thigh, and he was going to take full advantage of it.
Tao was a writhing mass of giggles by the time Dar finally took mercy on him. "Okay, now we're even," he announced.
******************
So much for putting the quest on hold.
Tao was close to his time and Dar and Arina hadn't returned. The attack on the village had led to other things, and the other two had found themselves caught up in all kinds of trouble. The Eiron knew they were alright, Sharak came by with messages every few days, but he was getting antsy, on top of his already volatile emotions.
The village women did their best to take care of him. Most of them thought it was the funniest thing for a man to be pregnant, and they fussed over him constantly, which did nothing to better his mood. At least the weather was cooling off, but now the baby(babies?) seemed to do nothing but kick his bladder all day. He had given up going outside early on, feeling too bloated and unbalanced to walk any kind of distance. So he kept a large jar in the room to use as a chamber pot. Tao was sick and tired of being pregnant. *Women can keep this experience to themselves* he had thought on more than one occasion.
The next time Sharak showed up, Tao sent a frantic message begging Dar to come home. He didn't want to go through childbirth without his mate.
Sure enough the next week, Tao awoke to an acutely sharp pain in his abdomen. At the sound of the pained gasp, the woman who was sitting up with him turned and asked him what was wrong. She was one of the elder woman, a very kindly soul, and an excellent midwife.
"It was a sort of jabbing pain...in my stomach..."
The woman clucked her tongue. "Hm, sounds like a contraction."
"I'm going into labor? I can't!! Not now, not until Dar gets back!!" He was starting to get upset.
"Settle down, sweetie, it might be a false alarm. That does happen quite often. Just let me know if it happens again."
Tao settled back down into his bed, but sleep was far from him now. After an hour, he started to doze off again, only to be awakened again by the same pain. The old woman got up, and awoke one of the other women to boil some water, just in case.
"This can't happen yet," Tao gasped out when she returned.
"If the baby wants to come now, neither you nor I have any say in the matter. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"But it's not fine...ow!" Another contraction.
The woman made some shushing noises to soothe him. "There now," she said, "just try to relax. I'm going to see how dilated you are..."
Tao clutched the blanket close to himself as she reached for it. "Uh.."
"Come now, I've been doing this for years, you don't have anything I've never seen before." She paused for a second. "Well, never with both parts on the same person, but you know what I mean."
Tao turned bright red, but let her peek under the covering anyway, and concentrated on watching the ceiling while she checked. "You've still got a ways to go, but considering how quickly your contractions are speeding up, your water should be breaking anytime soon."
The pregnant man groaned in misery, then cried out as he contracted again. "Nnngh. The pain is getting worse."
"I'm afraid it's going to get worse before this is over."
"Noooo. Please don't say that."
"I'm not going to lie to you, dear."
**************************************************
Hours later dawn had broken, but Tao's water still hadn't, though the contractions were coming every couple of minutes and the pain had him in tears.
The midwife shook her head. "Tao, if your water doesn't break soon, we're going to have to break it for you."
The young man started to cry harder. "I can't..I don't want to have the baby without Dar!"
"He'll get here as soon as he possibly can. You know that. But you're going to be in pain until you give birth, and you won't give birth until your water breaks." She tried to be soothing, though she knew it would do little good.
Tao's only answer was a sob.
***
Half an hour later Tao was begging her to break his water for him, which she did.
Pretty soon, she had him pushing for all he was worth. Tao screamed in agony with every thrust. He was dominantly male, and therefore had a male tolerance for pain. So he quite suddenly passed out mid- push.
He awoke to the nummy aroma of ammonia. "Please tell me it's over." he groaned.
"Not even close, love," a familiar voice answered.
Tao came fully awake to see his lover's face, and the pain came back full force. "Dar, you," he started weakly, "You son of a bitch!" he grabbed the closest object and flung it at his mate. "How could you leave me, you ass?! I hate you, this is all your fault!! Never, ever touch me again!"
Dar stepped back in shock. The midwife just smiled. "This is normal. Don't worry, he doesn't mean it."
Tao was screaming in pain again. "I need my pouch!" he sobbed out.
"Honey, you don't want to be drugging yourself right now." The midwife cautioned.
"I can't take this!"
Dar ventured back to his mate's side and took Tao's hand, which clenched his in a deathgrip. The Beastmaster grimaced. Tao's face and body was dripping with sweat, and his face contorted in pain.
"Yes you can, Tao. Just hold on a little longer," he said. Tao shook his head vigorously.
"It won't be much longer," the old woman said, "the baby's coming very quickly now."
"Did you hear that, Tao? Just push a little more."
"Here comes the head, Tao, push. Tao, I need you to push now!"
"He's passed out again," Dar said. "Hand me the smelling salts."
"Hurry!" she said as she did so.
"Come on Tao, wake up, wake up." He waved them frantically under Tao's nose. Tao awoke and pushed the salts away. "Tao, you need to push."
Tao started screaming again almost as soon as regained consciousness. Luckily it only took a couple more pushes to get the baby out.
Dar laughed and kissed his mate. "You did it!"
"Uh-oh. Tao, you're not finished yet," the midwife said. "Looks like you've got another one in there."
After another hour of torture for Tao, complete with a few more blackouts, the midwife pulled the other twin out.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Dar asked, cradling his exhausted mate in one arm, and his newborn son in the other.
The midwife was silent. Finally, she said, "I'm sorry. This one didn't make it." She lifted the baby, and both he and Tao could see the bluish tinge of it's skin. Dar's face fell, and Tao leaned against his chest, sobbing.
*******************
Arina came into the hut later, once the aftermath of the birth was all cleaned up. Dar sat on the edge of the bed holding the surviving twin, while Tao slept like the dead. "I heard the news. I'm sorry to hear about the other baby."
Dar smiled sadly. "At least the one survived."
"May I hold him?"
The tall, golden haired man nodded, and she took the little bundle from his arms. "So this is the child of prophecy. I bet he'll be just like his father when he grows up."
"Which one?"
Arina laughed. "Both, I suppose. He does have your hair, and your eyes, though his skin is a little darker." Then her mood grew dark. "We still have a lot of work to do."
Dar nodded. "I know. My son will be well cared for here in the village. I'm hoping I can convince Tao to stay with him, but he won't want to be left behind."
Arina nodded in agreement. "You get some rest too, I know I'm tired from the trip." She handed his son back to him.
"By the way, did you two ever settle on a name?"
"We'll figure something out."
The warrior woman chuckled as she walked out the door.
Dar smiled and watched her leave. Then he lay down next to his mate and set their son between them. Only time would tell what lay in store for them...
****************** Tao was well into his fourth month by the time he finally figured out where their next destination was. In the meantime, Arina was becoming more and more convinced that the scholar was having some kind of nervous breakdown. Dar, for his part, did his best to withstand his mate's unpredictable moods and fits, and dodge the flying objects that often came with them. While at least both the morning sickness and cravings had subsided eventually, his hormones seemed to only worsen.
Some of Zad's knights were unlucky enough to come across the trio and try to keep them from their goal. They discovered just exactly how bad of an idea it was to attack them, as all three were already irritable and itching for a fight.
The warriors and Eiron scholar made a circle with their backs to each other and struck out in all directions, viciously knocking the knights down. Dar's staff easily made its transformation into the sword, and he swung it with now practised ease. Tao was having trouble, though. At first he was all right, and he could fight normally even with the dull ache in his back. But the dull ache became a sharp throbbing pain and his ankles were starting to hurt, too. He wasn't able to dodge the knight quickly enough and was knocked to the ground, stunned.
Dar saw Tao go down and his vision went red with rage. Pure protective instinct took over, and he cut through the knights in his way to reach his mate as quickly as possible. The remaining knights fled, trying to get away from this violent madman who was supposed to be the Beastmaster who never killed his enemies. But Dar had killed several of them, and Tao was looking up at him, horrified. Even Arina was surprised, jaded as she was to killing.
"By my ancestors, Dar, I've seen a she-bear protect her young with less ferocity!" She exclaimed.
Dar wasn't listening to her. He kneeled next to Tao and started checking for injuries. "You didn't get hit in the stomach, did you?"
"No, I didn't! I'm fine, stop fussing over me," Tao snapped, pushing Dar's hands away, he pulled himself to his feet. "And what was that?!!" He points, indicating the dead knights.
Dar looked at them, and almost immediately came out of protective mode. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then looked his mate straight in the eye. "That was a loss of control. I'm sorry, Tao. I can't bear even the thought of losing you, especially not now."
Arina had had enough. "Okay, I know there's something going on here. I've kept my mouth shut long enough. Tao, what's wrong with you?"
Dar and Tao exchanged a look. Dar didn't mind if Arina knew Tao was pregnant; he wouldn't mind if the whole world knew. Tao, on the other hand...
The Eiron scholar looked down at the ground, then mumbled something.
"What? I couldn't hear you," Arina asked.
"I'm pregnant," Tao said, softly, his eyes still downcast, face turning red.
"You're WHAT?!! How is that possible?! Magic?"
"Not exactly. Can we not go into the details?" Tao asked, a pleading note in his voice.
"How far along are you?"
"Um, about 4 moons now, I guess."
"And you're still not showing?"
"Well, I am, but my tunic's pretty loose, so it's not obvious...hey!" Without warning the warrior woman had lifted up Tao's shirt to see.
Arina smiled at him. "This explains everything. If you were female, I would've guessed right away you were with child." She let his shirt fall back in place.
"We should get going," Dar interrupted. He really didn't want to stay near the bodies. Not to mention that there may have been more coming.
The other two agreed, and they continued on their way. Dar followed a few steps behind as Tao and Arina were comparing notes on the various effects of pregnancy, and completely ignoring him. Not that he minded at the moment. He remembered the expression on Tao's face at his earlier actions, and was glad for the distraction from him. He still felt sick- he had never lost it like that before. Nevertheless, he was glad that Tao was safe. But a nagging voice in the back of his mind asked him if he would do it again, would he kill again to keep his mate and his child safe? He didn't have an answer.
*****
It was his sixth month, and Tao was absolutely miserable. Dar had put the quest on hold to care for the Eiron as his mate was no longer able to travel due to his badly swollen ankles. Right now, Tao was sitting almost completely nude, covered in nothing but a light blanket over his nether regions, leaning back against his taller lover on their bed. His still slender and muscular form was incongruous with his now giant belly. It had long since grown so large that there was no more hiding his condition from the other villagers. He had wanted to crawl into a hole and die, even though everyone wanted nothing more than to do anything they could to help him through the ordeal. The women had made him a masculine robe to wear, because he could no longer get into his pants, even unfastened. He hated it, not only because he felt silly in it, but because he was so terribly hot all the time now.
The late summer heat wasn't helping things, either. Tao spent most of his days sitting in the hut while Dar did everything possible to make his mate comfortable, keeping his ankles wrapped in soothing herbs, bringing him cool water and running a wet cloth over his overheated skin.
Dar had also become a more somber individual, following the initial killing of the knights while protecting Tao, and later slaughtering a few more when he though Arina was dead. He still hadn't come to terms with the fact he was indeed capable of taking other people's lives. He did know that he would not hesitate to kill again to protect his loved ones, and it troubled him. "Ow!" Tao yelped suddenly, breaking him out of his dark thoughts.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, the baby's just kicking me again." Tao grumbled. Dar laughed.
"You know, I'm really getting tired of this," he continued, "one of these days a little foot is going to punch right through!" A pause. "Owowowow!! Cut it out, child!!"
"What, is the baby kicking again?" Arina asked, walking in.
"Gah! Knock first, will you, woman?!" Tao exclaimed, while adjusting the blanket to make sure he was covered.
Arina ignored his complaint and handed him a basket. "Here, I know you like guanabanas." Then she placed a hand on Tao's stomach to feel for the kicking. The Eiron glared at her, but said nothing. Dar just looked amused. The baby chose that moment to shift position, and several lumps appeared and rippled across Tao's abdomen. Arina couldn't help but giggle.
"That was disturbing," Tao commented, looking at his belly as if it was some alien growth separate from his body.
"How do you feel about having twins, Tao?" Arina asked.
The pregnant man looked at her warily. "Why do you ask?"
"The shape of the movement, it just looked like there were two forms instead of one. You're certaintly big enough for it to be possible."
Tao grimaced. "Which means twice the pain when I give birth. Not that twins are a bad thing, but I don't want to go through that."
"I think it would be worth the extra effort," Dar said, smiling.
"Easy for you to say! You're not the one who has to go through labor." Tao spat back.
Arina decided to cut things short before they got ugly. "So have you two decided on any names yet?"
The two men shook their heads. "Maybe we would, if my moody mate would stop changing his mind," Dar said teasingly, ruffling Tao's hair.
"Hey, cut that out. It's just that..." he was interrupted by Sharak landing on the windowsill.
"What is it?" Dar asked. An image appeared in his mind of a villagers being attacked by knights. He turns to the other two. "There's a village east of here under attack." He looks down at his mate in his arms. "Will you be alright here by yourself while we're gone?"
Tao looks stricken, but nods. Dar kisses him deeply, then gets up and walks out the door.
"Take care," Arina says before following the beastmaster.
The Eiron sighed and flopped down on the bed in frustration. He was sick and tired of being pregnant, and it needed to end already. He hated being left behind, even more than the unpleasant effects of childbearing. Whatever it was that Dar and Arina were headed toward, he hoped they could resolve it quickly and come back. If either of them were to get hurt...he tried not to think about that.
He resolved to try to take a nap, uncomfortable as he was. He did actually start to doze, only to be awakened by another jab to the ribs. *Is this ever going to end?* he asked himself, as he pulled a piece of fruit from the basket the warrior woman brough and started to cut it.
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