A.N okay so if you're a bit iffy about the whole rutt thing stay with us it gets explained in more detail over the course of the next few chapters. We are not referring to D/s, we are both science majors so we are referring to the biological processes that happen in all 'animals' including humans. It makes their lives difficult but in the end sex is ultimately a choice, just as it is for women. Biologically speaking we go into heat for 1 week (3 or 4 days actually) a month. Also keep in mind Conrart's view of things is a little skewed.
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Chapter 41: Reputed?
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Yozak sighed as he walked through the palace gardens it was weird being in pre-rutt without their being other Rutting males for him to compete and wrestle with. He could feel the aggression building deep inside his being. Since he was here, so isolated from his own kind he had no way to work out that frustration, and the pells in the sallie could only take so much abuse. Other than the pells he had no way to test his strengths, no way to make himself look more attractive for the females. For that matter there were no 'in season' females. Granted human women where always 'in season', but still none of them struck his fancy.
His mind kept drawing up pictures of Conrart curled up against his chest; snuggling against him at night, or just asking to be held. He made a noise like a soft throaty purr at the thought of how adorably vulnerable Conrart looked like that. Yozak groaned; that noise was an indicator of just how close to his 'true Rutt' he actually was.
He wasn't limited to just females or submissive males in his selection of a mate. If he found another dominant male who he fancied as a mate, he was within rights to attempt it. It started with a deep gravelly purr as an invitation offered from one Rutting male to another. If the other male reciprocated… well... what happened next depended on the men in question. Dominant males who mated each other invariably fought for the right to top. The more submissive male easily ceding to the other only after the roles had been firmly established over the course of several days. The one who became the submissive was usually in a bit of pain until he submitted freely. It was never rape, but the fighting to establish who topped beforehand sometimes left bruising.
What happened after the two came out of season depended on the rank of the two males in question. In his case they could either chose to be married or they could go their separate ways.
He'd verbally propositioned Conrart once a few decades back, when he was in Rutt during the war; it had been a few nights before the last engagement with the enemy. He hadn't expected to survive the war so it had seemed like an acceptable risk to take. Conrart had ignored the proposition, curling up against his chest in his cot. He'd gotten up and left a few minutes later, 'to plan for the next engagement'. He'd been terrified that he'd ruined their friendship, but when he'd apologized the next morning Conrart had simply offered him the small fake smile he'd seen so many times and told him 'not to mention it' and assured him that they would always be friends even if 'the thought of dying made things awkward'. He'd then proceeded to act as if it had never happened.
For Yozak it was harder to escape the knowledge that Conrart didn't see him as a worthy mate. He'd tried desperately to make the man see it, fighting bravely until the end. He remembered thinking that despite not having bathed in a week Conrart smelled divine. Just as he remembered looking down at his best friend curled up against his chest and thinking that they fit together perfectly. He remembered wanting to love his friend.
Physically
As far as he was concerned the most horrifying moment of the entre war was seeing that sword enter his best friend's body. Seeing Conrart fall, one more casualty of a cruel war, had been more then he could bear. For him the world had basically slowed down to a pace that made a snail look fast. He'd watched friends falling as he fought his way to Conrart's side. He'd been determined to protect him until his last breath; to bring his fallen friend home. He honestly didn't know what came over him, he'd seen many, many of his friends fall, during the time he spent on the front lines. But the second he'd realized Conrart was still breathing – his world had filmed over in red. He'd been vicious, until the last of the enemy had retreated, then he'd gently gathered the body of his fallen friend into his arms and set about carrying the semi conscious man off the battlefield. He'd told the commanding officer of the first squad they'd come across that they were the only survivors he knew of, and of how Conrart had fought bravely until the loss of blood had taken him down.
In the end Conrart had been given the Title "The Lion of Luttenburg", and he the title, "Shin Makoku's fox" which suited him just fine. All he had done was, carry his best friend home – Conrart had done all the real work.
It amused him to know that now he and Conrart were the only two of their species on this world. It really was hilarious. He'd come here with his best friend. A man he'd wanted as his mate since before his first Rutt. A man who also had no idea he existed, when it came to a possible relationship or even casual sex.
Although his odd and aggravating need to proposition him with a soft throaty purr as if Conrart was a submissive might have something to do with it.
This season he hoped to actually win his friend's hand. Maybe now that they were away from political and social restrictions, Conrart would accept him if he propositioned the man properly. He honestly didn't know why he kept purring at Conrart. He's seen the other man in Rutt. From what he could tell, despite being somewhat petite Conrart was fairly dominant.
He supposed Conrart's hand, was asking for a little much. Most Rutting males weren't interested in marriage until after the second or even third season they'd spent together. However he wanted Conrart not just as an 'in season' tryst. He wanted all the strings that came attached to a relationship; marriage, anniversaries, and hopefully adopting a few children. He doubted either of them had the extremely rare ability to get pregnant. Only about 2% of all males could.
He squatted down to investigate a small herb growing in the shadow of one of the garden's massive hedges. The little plant looked very similar to the herb he was looking for but it was the wrong color and the shape of the leaf was off slightly. He groaned and rose to his feet, continuing his search. The herb he was looking for was extremely hardy and quite prolific, so he couldn't imagine why he was having such a hard time locating it.
He wasn't sure if he could handle the next six months without that herb. If he'd still been going through the "False Seasons" that where a hallmark of the first 30 years of fertility, then it wouldn't be a problem, since Mazoku were not driven to mate until their fourth season. They were still aggressive as all hell but they had more control over that aggression since the urge to spill their seed was only about as powerful as a human teenaged boy. The teas took the edge off of that urge, and allowed him to actually think before he acted, but he didn't know how effective the tea would be without the herb he was currently looking for.
It wasn't uncommon in his world and was always grown in the Healer's Greenhouses. He'd looked everywhere for it, but still couldn't find it. Hell he'd even go to an apothecary in town and still nothing. He shuddered at the thought of the coming months. It was the last ingredient he needed to make the tea he was supposed to drink while he was in Rutt. While it wasn't absolutely necessary to make the tea work it was still a very important herb. He wasn't sure how but it kept him from throwing up the tea and helped stop him from becoming completely erratic, and somehow let him control his impulses. Particularly the ones that drove him to find any willing body, sheath himself, and keep spilling his seed until his mate was heavy with his child or he was out of seed.
Or in his case any petite, brunet.
This was bad his Rutt started in earnest in two days. He'd gone through Rutt once before without the aid of the medication he was supposed to take. That however had been an entirely different situation. Firstly, war allowed him an outlet for his aggression, and the unintentional stimuli of Conrart's physically smaller form curled up against him in his cot at night shaking with a heady combination of fear and cold had provided him with an outlet for his protective instincts. Secondly, he'd been too young for the driving need to mate to have become a factor.
He was profoundly grateful for that, particularly when considering the fact that Conrart was his type, and went through one of his 'cuddly phases' almost every time he was in Rutt.
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Conrart smiled as he sipped his tea, in the week that had passed since he and Ambermoon had made their peace, they'd reworked their intended twice weekly massages and had settled for just having a cup of warm tea and talking. Today just like the last two times he'd spent an hour with the other man, the conversation inevitably turned to Yozak.
They'd started out discussing Conrart's childhood, and the many years he'd spent in his pony's saddle fallowing his father across the land. From there they'd inevitably come upon the topic of Yozak. Before Conrart – quite – knew what he was doing he was waxing elaborate on the day he and Yozak had first met. Describing in great detail the little 'ragamuffin' he'd met beside the boy's mother's grave.
Even as a small child Yozak had been brave. He'd had a spunk that hadn't allowed the boy to stay down for long.
Conrart envied his friend that.
In some ways it was funny, he'd spent the first few years of their friendship protecting Yozak and keeping him safe in his new life, and now –
Now he was driven to seek the shelter and safety of his friend's arms every decade. On a purely instinctive level he knew he was safe in Yozak's arms.
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Yozak snarled as he … listened to the two monarchs standing in front of him. He was in no mood to be lectured!
Okay so he'd broken the bastard's nose.
Who cared?
The pompous ass had it coming.
What made him think that commenting on Conrart's, beautiful, shapely, well toned ass- was even remotely okay?
He was the only one allowed to admire Conrart's perfectly fuckable ass!
"It's a fine day when it takes three Heralds to pull one of their own off of one of the palace guards!" Selenay said sharply. "Now exactly what do you have to say for yourself?"
"He's mine!" Yozak snapped before turning on his heel and exiting the room without a backwards glance.
He was most of the way back to his rooms when he ran into I'Ryn. Form his angle the young woman bore a dangerous resemblance to Conrart, and the young Herald was surrounded by flirting young men. He had a spilt second to realize just how bad this was going to be before his world filmed over in red and he did what he'd been biologically programmed to do.
Protect and guard his smaller, more submissive mate.
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I'Ryn cursed as she slammed her door shut and rounded on the still growling man she'd managed to coax into her rooms with an unnerving ease. It was the first time she'd gotten a good look at Yozak since he'd started acting funny.
She didn't like what she saw.
His beautiful Companion blue eyes where several shades darker than they should have been and his pupils where mere slits.
His breath was coming in short gasps, like a rutting animal.
She was deeply worried about the man; however she was also furious at him. Yozak had been acting strange for the past few weeks, picking fights with any man in the palace compound who was physically about his size or larger. He'd been seen following anyone with long brown hair around – usually for about an hour making an odd sound before he finally lost interest.
"What the hell is wrong with you Yozak?" she demanded sharply, "Your lucky the mind healers haven't locked you in one of the wards by now with the way you're acting."
"And what's with the growling?" She demanded after a second.
Yozak cocked his head slightly to the side and made a different noise deep in his throat, it was almost like a purr – if the cat in question was gigantic. Now that she thought about it, her family had shared their winter camp with a caravan of traveling performers who'd had three enormous tawny cats with them the two males had been crowned with an impressive mane of golden brown or black hair that the female had lacked. She remembered sitting at a fire with one of her friends and his cat listening to the creature purr late one night. The noise Yozak was currently making reminded her distinctly of that.
"What the hell is up with you? First you're growling now you're purring; have you lost your mind?" she demanded throwing her hands up in exasperation, "Lord Dark and Lady Bright, stop that already."
Yozak jerked as if he'd been slapped and made yet another odd noise, like a strangled yelp and shook his head forcefully twice before he looked up and met her gaze. His eyes were noticeably clearer, the pupils slightly more dilated despite the still extremely prominent slit.
"I'Ryn," he said after a second as if he'd only just recognized her.
"No it's the ruddy Queen!" she snapped in annoyance.
He looked at her for a second with an alarmed and vaguely surprised expression on his face. "When did you get here?" he asked after a second, before adding "for that matter where is here?"
"Are you okay?" she asked into the uncomfortable silence that followed. "We're in my rooms; it was actually fairly easy to get you to come with me after you finished assaulting the men I was talking with in the hallway."
Yozak snarled at the mention of the other men.
Truly annoyed with his erratic and more then slightly animalistic behavior she reacted to the noise the same way she did with one of her twin's many dogs, she reached out and bopped him on the nose. For his part Yozak recoiled, shook his head and blinked at her for a second in profound shock.
"Sorry," he said after a second, "I'm not myself."
"I can see that." She replied mildly. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing." He replied just a tad too quickly.
"Like hell there's nothing wrong with you!" she snapped. "You keep getting into fights; you're making strange noises, following every brunette around, and acting like I need protecting! Do you have any idea how distinctly odd it is to hear you growl like a damned dog?"
"I am not growling like a dog." Yozak snapped angrily. "I was purring there is a rather large difference."
I'Ryn raised an eyebrow, "Why are you purring?"
"That's none of your concern." Yozak yelped.
"Well you had better explain anyway!" I'Ryn snapped, placing her hands on her hips, "or I'm calling my brothers and letting them figure out what the hell is wrong with you! I'm sure they'd be happy to help. My Blakeley tells me that Tykir's Randale told her that the Mind-Healers are close to locking you in a room until they've figured out what the hell is wrong with you. So you had better start talking!"
: Chosen, I never said that and neither did Ran. : Blakeley said sternly into her mind.
: He doesn't know that, and maybe the fear of being locked in a padded room where even the furniture is nailed down will make him get some help. : She replied.
She could feel Blakeley snort, : or it will alarm him enough to do more harm than good. Tell him the truth Chosen.:
: Oh hush you. I know what I'm doing.:
"Good!" Yozak snapped, "Let them lock me up! At least then I can't hurt anyone else. Human's are so bloody fragile!"
"Yozak, tell me what's going on; how can I help you if you won't tell me what the hell is wrong?" I'Ryn yelled. "Is this a demon thing or something?"
"Yes it's a 'demon thing', of course it's a demon thing, how many human's do you know who go through Rutt!"
I'Ryn blinked, "Rutt" she asked after a second.
"Yes Rutt!" Yozak snapped striking her door with one fist; "Like a damned deer."
I'Ryn blinked. Rutt really? Honestly Rutt? So the man was acting like a psychopath because he was in heat? She looked down noticing for the first time that despite their argument Yozak was… well… hard. She'd actually never seen the man with tented pants despite trying to get him aroused for the better part of a year. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked after a second.
Yozak sighed and rubbed his brows, "No there's nothing you can do for me; but thank you for offering."
"You sure?" she asked softly.
"Short of letting me pound you into a mattress; there really isn't anything you can do for me." He said simply.
I'Ryn smiled, stepped forward and took Yozak's wrist in one hand, using the other to start undoing the ties of her pants. "Shall we take this into my bedroom then?" she asked pulling Yozak with her as she backed toward her rooms.
To her utter shock, Yozak dug in his heels and refused to move after taking a single step in her direction. He licked his lips, and she noticed the significant increase in the size of the tent in his pants. She knew he was interested, she also knew he was large. The thought made her a bit wet.
She gave his hand another tug and he stepped forward again before shaking his head and digging in his heals.
"No I'Ryn." He said not quite firmly. "I'm not going to risk getting you pregnant."
I'Ryn laughed, "I'm on the herbs, just like every other female Herald. You can't get me pregnant, and if you do that's what Childsbane is for."
To her surprise Yozak growled at the mention of the herb 'Childsbane'. "I'm more fertile when I'm in Rutt," he all but snarled, "the herbs won't work. As for Childsbane, you'd never have the chance now that I know."
She blinked at that and looked him in the eyes. "I'll double my dose tonight then. Let me help you. More fertile or not I'm on the herbs, one time won't hurt." She backed up a couple of steps slowly working the ties of her pants further open, so that the now open fabric rested on the curve of her hips.
Yozak took a step and then another, making a noise deep in his throat. "Three years, I'Ryn" he said haltingly. "Do you really want to be pregnant for three years? Because if I take you, you will give me a child; unless I take you like I would another man."
I'Ryn squirmed; neither of those two options seemed pleasant. She didn't know why Yozak was so adamant that she would end up with child if they coupled. Shit though 3 years. She felt sorry for Mazoku women.
She took the few steps required to put her technically into his arms, and grabbed his shoulders before carefully steering him into a chair. The slightest bit of downward pressure got him to sit. The tone of his growling/purring had changed considerably. "Let me help you with that another way then." She all but purred as she undid the ties holding his pants closed.
"No, I'Ryn. That's a very bad idea." Yozak replied haltingly as she spread his thighs and went to her knees between them.
"It'll be fine," she replied, as she pulled the fabric open, reached in and took hold of his throbbing erection.
Yozak made a noise she couldn't –quite – hear, and gasped as she pulled his gloriously large penis out of its white cloth prison. The sight of it made her wetter. Though it also made her glad she didn't like it from behind. "Well aren't you a stallion," she said quietly, gently stroking the already leaking shaft. The sight of the fat milky white droplets already dribbling down the head, and across the foreskin made her want it even more, and she leaned in to lap them from the tip. It was sweet, a pleasant change from the salty flavor she was used to.
Yozak gasped, moaned and grabbed the arms of the chair. "I'Ryn, stop." He gasped, "You don't understand how much danger you're in."
"Danger?" she asked carefully liberating his balls from his pants and rolling them between her fingers. Marveling at the size of them, she couldn't help wondering if that was their normal size or if they were swollen from his rutt.
He arched his back and made another odd noise, moaning at her every touch. "Stop, If you don't, I don't think I can stop myself from taking you."
"You don't hear me complaining." She replied as she engulfed his head, and started to suck.
Now that she knew how close he was to taking her, she wanted to feel his hot quivering member thrusting deep into her body. She worked his shaft and balls for a few minutes doing her best to take all of him into her mouth, though she knew that would be impossible. After a few minutes, Yozak moaned and the noises he was making changed to ones that indicated he was close to coming. She bobbed her head a bit more vigorously, determined to milk every last drop out of him. Her efforts where rewarded when he tangled his hand in her hair and after another gasp pulled her head a bit closer to his groan. Making a funny, almost seductively soft purring noise deep in his throat – oddly she knew she wasn't hearing all of it.
The hard polished wood of her center table dug into her back, as a sharp tug aligned her naked hips with the edge. The cold winter air caressed her bare nipples making them stand on end as much as the soft purring of her partner made her hair stand on end. Large hands dug into her flesh as her thighs where roughly parted, and something slid into her body more forcefully than she was comfortable with, at the same time as Yozak sank his teeth into her collar right above the bone.
She didn't even have time to cry out, at either the painful bite or the rather painfully inserted finger, before Yozak hissed and drew back shaking his head and snorting in apparent disgust. He seemed utterly confused, then he blinked and his eyes focused on her face before widening in pure terror. "Shinou, I'Ryn what have I done?" He gasped before bolting out of the room.
Thankfully he'd had the sense to put himself back in his pants.
Her door slammed behind him hard enough to shake the walls. I'Ryn swore as she sat back up, she really needed to learn to listen. This was her fault not Yozak's, however she knew it was going to be hell getting him to believe that. He'd warned her not to do it, but she'd done it anyway. He'd warned her that he was dangerous, but she hadn't listened. Hell he'd even said no, she just hadn't listened. She'd wanted to give him release so badly that she hadn't stopped to think about how badly he would react if they did end up having sex. Great now he probably thought he was going to rape her or something when she would have been and was a perfectly willing partner.
She climbed to her feet after pulling up her slightly worse for wear pants. She would have liked to follow him immediately, but her shirt was in ribbons. Yozak must have torn it open. I'Ryn sighed she'd have to put on a new shirt and tunic before she could follow the man, since he'd even managed to shred her breastband.
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Yozak fled down the halls of the castle, he didn't know what to do or where to go. I'Ryn was going to hate him for this and Jissa, Shinou Jissa was going to repute him for sure! He'd never been like this before. Sure his Rutt made him aggressive and almost violently overprotective of Conrart, but he'd never thought it was in him to rape someone.
He should be locked up for what he'd just done!
He didn't know what scared him more, the fact that he'd nearly raped his friend or the fact that he'd only stopped because he'd realized she wasn't Conrart when he'd bitten her. It was true he'd never tasted Conrart's blood, but the other man's scent had been permanently burned into his brain, the first time he'd gone into Rutt.
It was odd he wasn't supposed to recognize anyone other than his mate by scent, and yet he recognized Conrart's scent.
Shinou, Conrart would be the first one to lock him up and throw away the key if he knew what he'd just done. Conrart was nearly as dominant as he was, and he was always in control during his Rutt. Sure Conrart picked fights, and was generally, an aggressive, pompous pain in the ass when he was in Rutt, but so was every other male. However Conrart was one of a very few males who backed down after knocking down an opponent, most males didn't stop until their opponent was a comatose mass at their feet or until the fight was forcibly broken up.
Although he supposed that could just mean Conrart was less dominant then he was.
Anyway the point was there was no way in hell Conrart would condone or forgive his monstrous behavior.
He should just turn himself into the guards as a rapist and be done with it.
Although first he'd have to find a guard he wouldn't attempt to kill, or worse mate with.
Oh Shinou what if he actually raped someone? He should just let Jissa turn him into a gelatinous mass before the healers locked him away in the small hidden ward were they kept the mentally ill and dangerous patients.
Shinou knew he deserved it, just as he deserved to be reputed for what he'd just done to another Herald.
: CHOSEN,: Jissa's voice in his head was hard enough to shape diamonds, and he cringed in fear at what was to come. : Come to the stables now Chosen.:
More than half blinded by tears, he turned and headed for the stables
To be reputed.