Warning! This is a piece about (male) mating tigers with m-preg. If this bothers you, then uses the back button. Viewer discretion is advised.
Title: Fatherly Instincts
Pairings: Lockdown and Devcon in tiger form
Verse: AU; tiger universe.
Rating: Ma/ NC-17
Warnings: mild tiger threats and m-preg
Summery: Lockdown and Devcon's family grows.
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, I mean, that should be obvious because if I did the episodes would be A LOT different!
Note: I have taken some liberties with tiger behavior and litter sizes.
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The jungle temple quickly adopted it's new massive white tiger occupant. Lockdown was at home in the new surrounding within a few days. There was more water then he knew what to do with and he was practically tripping over game animals.
And his mate.
Devcon could not have been more perfect for him. The stunning orange tiger was bold and strong, and bewitchingly beautiful. He was every inch as good a hunter as Lockdown himself and the two found their bond easily strengthened. With the unexpected addition to the quiet stone temple, new unique hunting strategies where tried with two tigers. The two made an unstoppable team and trapping, cornering and better ambushing ensured that neither tiger ever went hungry one they decided to hunt. Lockdown and Devcon where the undisputed rulers of a kingdom that seemed to stretch form horizon to horizon. Their days where long and peaceful and their nights warm. From one full moon to the next nothing trouble the pairs paradise. Then, Lockdown started to notice little things wrong with his bondmate.
On hunts now, the orange tiger fell behind during a chase and was more winded then usual after they had caught their prey. Lockdown tried to find out what was wrong, but Devcon had grown moodier then usual. On the upside though, Devcon had grown much more affectionate with his mate. The orange tiger would spend the long hot afternoons grooming his mate's white coat until it shown. Lockdown definitely wasn't complaining about that. It was around their second full moon together that Lockdown noticed.
Devcon had been leaning against him, purring as Lockdown loving groomed his ears when the orange tiger had laid down on his side at mate's paws. Lockdown's red eyes stared confused as the tan belly bulged up above the orange cat's side. Even though they'd had a big dinner of deer, that wouldn't explain Devcon's size. The orange tiger raised his head when Lockdown didn't lay down beside him. The white tiger gave his mate a confused look, to which Devcon put his paws around his mate's neck and pulled him down.
Cubs. Devcon purred as he groomed Lockdown's stunned face.
Cubs? Lockdown coo'd back.
Devcon's answer was to snuggle up under Lockdown's chin and purr.
After that night, Lockdown kept a much more careful eye on his mate. The orange tiger's belly swelled quickly over the next few weeks as Devcon's appetite became ravenous. Hunting soon became more difficult for the soon to be mother as the growing cubs got bigger. Devcon got slower and had far less endurance to keep up with Lockdown on hunts. If the white tiger had moved on after mating, the constantly tired Devcon would be hard pressed to feed himself. Lockdown though turned out to be a great provider for their quickly growing family. The white tiger didn't mind picking up the hunting slack, Devcon more then made up for it with grooming and snuggling. Lockdown found that he was incredibly proud of his mate and his accomplishment. Cubs where not easy to conceive and mating pairs could take years to have their first litter. And yet their first mating season Devcon was already carrying Lockdown's litter. A big one too judging by the size of Devcon's ever growing middle.
As the third full moon rose over the jungle, Devcon looked to be roughly the same size as the silver orb. Lockdown gently licked the top of Devcon's head as his mate groaned in his paws. The white tiger tired to sooth his beautiful mate that had been distressed for some nights now. The orange tiger had stopped hunting about a week ago, his swinging belly making it nearly impossible for him to sneak up on a target. Lockdown did his best to comfort his mate as the cubs time neared. After a few hours Devcon finally fell into a seemingly restful sleep and Lockdown laid down and fallowed his mate into unconsciousness.
As the moon rose high over the jungle Devcon was woken from his sleep by a pain racing up his middle. With a lot of struggling he made it to his paws without waking his mate. Devcon glanced lovingly back at Lockdown's glowing white form in the moonlight and purred for a few long moments before another, stronger, pain along his belly made him walk away on silent paws. Quietly, the heavy orange tiger descend the sitars into the warm underground level of his home. Devcon had been preparing for this moment for weeks now and had picked out a perfect warm safe spot. He eased his large belly inside a tiny room with a little difficulty and made his way into a sheltered corner. After quickly inspecting the den he had made Devcon eased himself to the floor. With a sigh he rolled over to his side, the enormous bulge that was his middle shifting as he made himself as comfortable as he could. Then, it was time.
Lockdown woke leisurely, yawning and stretching out his long limbs in the sunlight that was already well on it's way to fading. Without Devcon's constant wake up calls to be fed, the white tiger actually got a solid, and much needed, eighteen hours of sleep. Speaking of his nagging, heavily pregnant mate, where was Devcon? Lockdown sat up and looked around their rooftop thrown, the the orange and tan tiger was nowhere to be seen. Lockdown yawned again and got up. No doubt Devcon had got up early for a drink. Lockdown strolled easily down to the pools, knowing that with Devcon's condition he'd catch up to his mate in no time. There was no Devcon though at the pools. Lockdown lapped at the crystal clear waters and tried to think where else his mate could have wondered so heavy with cubs.
As he searched the white tiger's pace went from a stroll, to a fast walk, to a distressed trot. Lockdown called out for his mate over and over but got no response. Panicked that something had happened to him when Devcon was in no condition to defend himself, Lockdown raced back to where he had last left his mate. He fallowed his sharp nose and Devcon's sent from their resting place down the stairs into the under level of the temple. It was dark and mostly unexplored and Devcon's trail became a little distressed as Lockdown fallowed it into a little human room when he heard a sigh. Carefully the white tiger crept inside and froze when he found his mate.
Devcon was curled up in a dark corner, his front paws pillowing his sleeping face while his black legs where stretched out behind him. His once enormous tan belly was flat and pressed up against it where tiny, furry forms. Lockdown inched forward for a better look and was stopped in his tracks by a threatening snarl, Devcon's eyes where narrowed at him and his teeth beard. His mate's message was clear; one more step and you'll be disemboweled. Lockdown sat a few feet away from his mate and stared at the small little moving balls of fur squirming about Devcon's belly. Three where orange and two where bight white. Lockdown laid down and put his head on his front paws, he had plenty of mating partners over the years, but if he had ever fathered a litter, he didn't know about it. This was his first. Five. Five tiny new cubs. His new cubs. Lockdown watched with amazement as the little ones squirmed and mewled, seemingly waking up from a nap. They wrestled one another blindly for a spot to nurse as their mother purred happily.
The white tiger watched with fascination as his cubs finished nursing and slowly began to explore. Their tiny bodies seemed so frail as two of the little oranges attempted to climb Devcon's belly and Lockdown tensed and let out a strained cry when one slipped and nearly fell. The little fighter held on and clawed it's way back up as Devcon lifted his head and gently licked it's mewling sibling perched a top his side. The other, slightly larger, orange cub was crawling over one of Devcon's paws that was too big a climb. It's two overly large for it's tiny body front paws where hooked over Devcon's leg, but the tiny cubs hind paws and tail where too new for it to control properly. Lockdown' watched with fatherly amusement as the cub couldn't quite get all it's legs to work together the right way. Devcon's pink tongue descended on it and began grooming the little climber. One of the little white cubs was climbing between Devcon's back legs, comically half buried under the much larger limb. The other white cub though, it's tiny little ears where swiveling around back towards Lockdown. The new father waited and watched as the little cub crawled around, away from the comfort and safety of it's mother's side. It's little white face was pointed towards Lockdown as it clawed over and mewled at the much bigger tiger. Lockdown's red eyes flashed up to his mate as the cub crawled up to his nose. Devcon had stopped licking clean the cub in his paws to watch his white son mew at his father. Devcon snarled warningly at his mate that looked ready to spring to his offspring's side at any second. The orange mother made it very clear that even the smallest sign of aggression towards the cub, and Devcon would not hesitate to dispatch his mate, permanently.
Lockdown had no intention of being aggressive at all. He carefully inched closer to his cub and lowered his nose to sniff the little one. The cub mewled loudly without any fear, as if it know instinctively that this was another protector. Lockdown's whiskers came forward and touched the blind, deaf cub as he sniffed it. It sneezed and mewled as Lockdown's sensitive whiskers mapped the little one's breath and fluttering heartbeat, while his nose inhaled and forever memorized it's sent. The father purred happily as his rough pink tongue licked the little one. The cub cried louder in protest to the bath but soon fell quiet as Lockdown groomed away the little bits of dust and dirt from it's baby fluff. With the gentility Lockdown had shown during mating season, the big white tiger picked up his tiny white cub by the lose folds of skin behind it's little neck and carefully carried it back to Devcon. Softly Lockdown set the cub down where it quickly found a nipple and begin to nurse again. Devcon purred pleasantly as his mate gently collected the rest of the cubs and put them back against his belly. The orange cat nuzzled his white mate as their offspring began to suckle again. Lockdown purred and lay down on his side close to his mate, forming a circle with their paws touching to prevent any escapes. Content that Lockdown wouldn't harm his new cubs, Devcon laid his head down on his mate's paws, exhausted. Lockdown gave his tired mate's ears a soft affectionate nibble before turning back to keep a fatherly eye on their nursing cubs.