Chapter 1: History & Biology
Summary:
1. Be mindful of the fact that your human mate belongs to a different species!
Surprisingly enough, it was his other brother, Hades, who was still unmated (officially) that gave Senri the most valid piece of advice even before it became as important as it later came to be.
When the youngest of the brothers found out that his eldest sibling, Ares, would not be coming back for a while to their clan's lair, because he chose a human for a mate, he a tad... freaked out!
Delicately speaking, to be frank.
When he 'demanded' a permission to leave for a visit to his brother's new lair in a goal of taking stock of the human that took his brother from him - and their people - and judge for himself if he was worthy of their loss, it was Hades who sat him down in his 'nook' of their home and attempted to reason with his younger, hot-headed sibling.
Involuntarily forced to take over Ares's responsibilities as the leader of their clan during their eldest brother 'leave,' his white-haired brother didn't hid his displeasure with the fact, but none of the clanmates could find a fault with his standing - especially considering their family history.
As it was, even among their kind, the three of them were unique. Despite growing up in the Seeker's Clan their father, Nyx, hailed from, they were in fact extremely uncommon hybrids, with their mother, Cassiopeia, hailing instead from the Keeper's Clan.
That is an extremely important tidbit to keep in mind for later.
Going back, when Hades realized that there was no changing his mind (not shocked by it, since he knew Senri far too well), he set instead to warn him what to expect if he did truly wish to leave the safety of their lair.
"First and foremost, when dealing with humans," he said that day with his very customary scowl...
"Did you consider that he is scowling so much because he's forced to put up with your and Ares's bullshit on a daily basis, Sen?"
"...there might be something to that, I admit."
"Just guessing... from experience, and all."
"Love you, too, babe."
"...you're lucky you are cute."
"...you have to understand, Sen, that they suffer from a very common misconception whenever it comes to our kind. To put it plainly, they tend to see us as 'humans with extra limb," he said with a wry smirk and quite a bit of mean type of amusement in his golden eyes. "Much less know any difference between the Seekers and Keepers, little brother."
For Senri, who grew up quite... hyperaware of his and his brothers status as hybrids of both, the notion was downright hard to imagine, much less understand!
He, however, better knew the reason behind Hades's amusement with the idea, since calling Miqo'te 'human' with or without extra limbs was as far as possible from the truth of their history and biology.
Because - what he grew up knowing and humans apparently struggled with when it came to shapeshifters - the truth was that they never were human to begin with. They could take a humanoid shape, obviously, but it was a secondary shape to their true form...
"That can't be right, though...? Since, you know, my family prove that Miqo'te and humans can interbreed, yes? Hence, at some point we had to be the same species...?"
"Allagans could, yes, but that was why they were chosen to lead the rest. And why they met their end, too... But getting there, love."
"...okay."
If - ironically - Miqo'te came to be what are today thanks to humans - and their endless greed...
"Doesn't that sound a tad racist, Sen?"
"Pah, there you go again with your human habits, babe. If anything: speciest, if that's even a word. Technically, I can't be racist even among my people, Raha, since you know: I'm both a Seeker and a Keeper. And this is exactly why our Elders keep us well away from human culture, too. We have enough of infighting among us without having to content with discussion about a ridiculous things like our fur color or sexuality or whatever else humans are currently in a tizzy about."
"...point taken."
If their existence started so long ago none could tell when, their earlierest history could be tracked back to ancient Egypt.
Before there were Seekers and Keepers, Miqo'te were one pride - of chosen children and guards to goddess humans much later came to worship as Bastet. Cat-like beasts in a massive form, set themselves apart from other animals by their goddess-granted gift of magic and - what humans found so 'scary,' more than one row of fangs...
"...this one time I freaked out waking up to your true form and you are never letting that go, hm?"
"Nope, still funny."
...and the fur softer than a finest silk. That was what earned them spike of human greed, and refusing to let her children know the terror of being hunt down and skinned alive like some of her brethren favorites, Bastet gave them the ability of the Shift. It wasn't perfect, however, since even in their humanoid form, Miqo'te could not discard their most characteristic traits: tail and cat-like ears. It did gave them, though, the ability to reason on level with Tail-less, if their species unanimously elected to hide away from humans instead, seeing them as volatile and untrustworthy.
With time, adapting and evolving in the safety of their lairs in the depths of the mountains and eldest forests, one pride split into two distinctive clans. Seekers of the Sun, with verticallly slanted pupils and magic of creation, and Keepers of the Moon, with fangs and magic of destruction. But different than in case of humans, they lived in peace and comraderie - united under the rule of the blessed by their deity third Clan, Allagan, marked by their gorgeous crimson eyes and by design the only one able to Soul-Bond.
Favored among the Bastet children, the goddess took it upon herself to choose the best possible match for her Allagan Clan, marking only those of the greatest skill, strength or intelligence - making it the most craved honor and blessing among the other two Clans.
...until it become known that Allagans were able to Soul-Bond no only to them, but to humans as well.
Most took it as it was meant to: their deity wish to unite their people with ever growing population of the Tail-less, and assuring their survival. Those celebrated the first true hybrids of the interspecies Matings. The human-Miqo'te kits famously carried the traits of all three Clans, proving their goddess favor.
There were, however, also those who saw it as abomination, and while none other suspected such betrayal, those - fed by twisted ideas about Allagan tyranny and misdeeds - did the unspeakable: raided the lair of the royal bloodline and slain every male, female and kit. In the misguided wish to 'free' them of the Allag rule, that group of extremist doomed them to their goddess scorn, for Bastet took that deed as the grave insult it was.
Their punishment: the end of immortality, constant strife and never again known the bliss and honor of the true Soul-Bond...
"...and you're SURE it's not just a myth, Sen? All that talk about gods and all..."
"That's what my brothers taught me, babe, and I - especially after falling to you - tend to believe the old stories more than others. But, yeah, it's been more than a thousand years since anyone's heard from Bastet so... well, either it's a myth, as you say, or she's really, really good at holding a grudge... Not that I don't get it if she does, though. It was really shitty thing what happened with your Clan, if it's true."
"Well... Can't argue that..."
"I guess it's possible we will see, hm? Both Hades and Ares believe that your family reappearance means that the goddess is giving us a chance at redemption. Perhaps when you and your brother are done changing... who knows? Maybe she'll grant you an audience."
"...scary thought, that."
Without the sage guidance of their shared rulers and offended silence of their deity, Seekers and Keepers turned on each other and so began the conflict between their kin that lasts to this day.
In the hope of once more uniting their people, their father, Nyx, the descendant of the purest and most powerful bloodline of the Seekers of the Sun offered a truce to his counterpart from a rival Clan of the Keepers and to the astonishment and hope of both, appeared to become Soul-Bonded to the sister of their leader: the gorgeous Cassiopeia, famously as beautiful as she was temperamental.
The fruit of their union: Senri and his two elder brothers, the first known hybrids since the time of Allagan rule, were regarded as the most prized treasure of the both Clans and the hope of regaining their goddess favor.
...until another betrayal that robbed them of their parents care and guidance.
For the longest time, the story was as such: Keepers seeing the end of their independence in the day Ares, the eldest brother, would reach maturity, ambushed and slew the couple during travel, unaware that their kits were left behind at the Seekers lair. According to Ares's recall, who still remembered that day, all three of them were supposed to accompany their parents, but stayed behind because nearly last moment, Senri - a toddler at the time - threw a terrible tantrum and wishing to give their parents a break, the eldest offered to take care of him and Hades during what was supposed to be a short, relaxing trip.
Their uncle, Hepaistos, was who found and brought back their bodies after their parents failed to return, and swore to see the Keeper assailants leaving the scene of the crime. Their Clan, in mourning for such loss, easily agreed that he was the best possible candidate to take over the role of their leader until the eldest son of the departed is of age - and barr the Keeper family on their mother's side from any and all access to the hybrid siblings, too fearful to believe their assurances of innocence.
Only Ares knew and remembered the argument that took place at the moment of their parents leave, where their uncle insistently tried to convince their father that despite Senri's fit, they should still take their kits along. But despite that knowledge - or, perhaps, because of it - he refrained from speaking up, too concerned for his younger siblings: far too vulnerable once Hepaistos took over and started to instill his rules. Bidding his time until he was bound to reach maturity and reach the full extent of his power, Ares took the sole burden of raising grief-stricken Hades - three years younger than him - and Senri, merely a kit.
He didn't remember much of those few years when their uncle led their Clan, not only far too young, but as well - as he understood much later - Ares carefully kept them as far away from Hepaistos's reach as he could without leaving the lair. Still, according to the Hades's recall from that time, even the other members of their Clan finally grew suspicious of the weird number of the near-fatal 'accidents' that tended to trail after the brothers whenever forced to leave the safety of their 'nook.'
With their uncles and aunts on their mother's side stubbornly petitioning for the access to the their sister's sons, Hepaistos made sure to ferment the distrust toward the Keepers, while doing all in his power to discredit Ares as the candidate for the future leader. And their brother, uncaring, let him, far more busy tending to his siblings safety and well-being to bother with his constant whining and accusations.
Not that it changed much, as once Ares reached adulthood of their kind and came into his power, thanks to his inborn gift reaching its full potential, he had their uncle in presance of their whole Clan admit to every single crime: from paying off mercenaries for the siblings' parents murder to the every attempt on the brothers lives. Sentenced to the fate for a Miqo'te worse than death: branded a traitor, kin-killer and banished, to never more know peace in any of their lairs, Hepaistos became a name to match the horror of the Allag's slayers and the male, by Ares's compulsion was stripped by the ability to Shift, leaving their uncle stuck in the flawed, humanoid form - unable to hide his brand and by it, his shame.
Ares took over the control of their Clan, restored their truce with that of their mother's and swiftly proven himself capable beyond doubt: uniting Seekers and Keepers in the light of a new/old threat: humans.
Consumed by their conflicts, the shapeshifters Clans hugely preferred to stay well away from the volatile species that seemed far too taken with fighting each other over the most ridiculous things to even notice that they weren't as alone as their believed. Incapable of magic as the Tail-less were, they hardly seemed as much of a challenge to their kind, and without the Allagans to serve as intended bridge between them, Miqo'te unanimously elected to ignore them.
That is, until faced with the threat of the nuclear warfare.
Growing aware that unless they step in, humans were bound to destroy not only themselves but were becoming a threat to their world, putting them back into their place became far more important than their own issues.
It wasn't pretty at first - as expected - but after some initial resistance, humans when faced with the complete destruction of their nuclear weapons and set to face the far superior magic, had no choice but to accept the offer of coexistence. Left alone, as Miqo'te hugely preferred to stay out of their world and keep to their communities, eventually the news of conflicts between them became scarce. They still happened, whenever someone was stupid enough to get too close to any of their lairs without a proper invitation, but those, too, eventually grew far from being a reason to keep Seekers and Keepers united for long...
"...wait, wait, wait. Sen, that was before I was born and now you're saying that Ares was there...? What the fuck...? How old is he, actually?"
"Much older than he looks, love. We age much slower than humans do."
"...the fuck? I thought I was older than you."
"Depends on how are you looking at that, mate. Mentally, sure, among ours I'm considered a young adult at most, but in human years, I'm about a tad over hundred years old, I think."
"...you think?! You're fucking old, Sen! Why you never mentioned that before? Fuck, I felt like shit for dating someone so much younger after we met..."
"...you never asked?"
"That's a shitty excuse, and you know it, asshole."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the mouth on you, Raha... Are you done freaking out and can focus on the story, please?"
"...okay. But we'll go back to that later and I'm going to punish you, Sen."
"Can't wait, babe."
...if, it appeared that that achievement by itself was enough for their goddess to once more look toward her wayward children with a more favorable eye.
How otherwise explain that it was Ares that with his seemingly innocent pick in a mate, inadvertently led to the rediscovery of the last of the lost Allagan Clan?
Even as in-mixed with humans as Damon and Raha appeared, their inheritance was an obvious evidence that Bastet gave them a true shot at redemption in her merciful eyes and at hope to one day lead to the true unity between their kin and their human neighbors...
"...not to be a mood-killer, Sen, but I think you're missing something quite vital in here, hm?"
"That being...?"
"That both me and Damon are male, and apparently Soul-Bonded to you and Ares, and both of you are male, too, so...?"
"What about that?"
"Here you're so hopefully going on about restoring the Allagan Clan, love... But so far, I remember you saying something about tearing to pieces anyone else who would think to touch me. Hence, how do you think we're supposed to re-populate the Allag without any females in the picture...?"
"Eh... You're thinking like a human again, Raha. It's cute, but something you should work on, eventually."
"...excuse me? It's a valid question!"
"Okay, let me ask you this, remember from your stay at our lair that you were, quote: 'surprised,' that there was pretty much the same number of the same-sex matings as the... 'heterosexual,' as humans call them?"
"Mhmm?"
"Okay, then let me riddle you this, my gorgeous mate: why do you think it is that we call ourselves the shapeSHIFTERS, and not shapeFAKERS?"
"...?"
"Because we literally Shift our shape, babe, not fake it. With our kind it's all about consent, Raha. If we'll wish for an offspring, someday, it's at most the question of the mutual agreement of which of the us agrees to Shift to the fitting sex long enough to make or carry the young. In our case, if you would wish for an offspring before your first shift, I don't mind turning female for that, babe."
"...seriously?! So, the other night... it wasn't just c-cosmetic?"
"Silly mate, how would that even work? Aww, no need to blush, babe, I've more than enjoyed you fu..."
"Shut up! God, you're completely shameless..."
"Shame is a human idea, babe, and I find it hilarious that first they invented it, then use it to bash each other with it over the things that should not be a cause of embarrassment. What two fully adult people, whatever human or Miqo'te or mix of both, do in their nest should not be anyone's else business, that's all. And whatever you wish to mate with me as male or female doesn't make a difference for me, since I do enjoy both, babe. And, as this whole... chapter is meant to drive home, for you among any other future humans in mating, is what I already said: we were never human in the first place, babe, and so we're not garnered by their... limitations. Both mental and physical."
"...so, let me get this straight... The other night, when we... I could have... eh, im-impregnated you?"
"My guess...? Possible, if I don't think that you yet have enough of your inheritance restored for that, babe. Barely your eyes fully changed and the other day, Ares and Hades with Damon discussed that theoretically and arrived at the conclusion that..."
"They did what...?!"
"You would be included, love, if you stop being so... bashful about those things, you know."
"I don't WANT to discuss my sex life with my older brother!"
"I know, but I still find it... odd, babe. How would I know how to best please you without my brothers advice?"
"...?!"
"They're older and more experienced than me, Raha, so it's obvious that when I reached the mating age, they would serve proper development in that area of my life, as well, yes? And when we started mating, considering we both still believed that you're human, turning to Ares for advice and pointers was the most logical thing to do, babe, since I would rather die than somehow harm you in my ignorance, my cute mate. And good thing that I do, since it led both us and them to discover that we're Soul-Bonded and not simply mated."
"...so what was the conclusion, then?"
"Ah, that likely it would take your first Shift to make you two fully... capable in that area, babe, since it's part to the true Allag's magic to be able to breed across the species. Since apparently mating with us is slowly restoring that magic for you, among the other things, they think that our offspring would be fully Allagan: capable to cross that interspecies bridge."
"That's why your brothers believe it's will of your goddess, then?"
"Obviously! And it's a nice idea, I think, too... That, in a way, our parents' legacy and wish for peace regained our kin enough of Bastet's favor that she chose to let my brother find Damon, and by it, I did find you and your 'little' secret, hm? Otherwise, I doubt Damon would even think to mention that that pretty crimson shade of your gorgeous eyes tends to pop up in your bloodline, babe, and without it they wouldn't think to look for a proper ritual... so on and so forth. So, you can call it fate, while we chose to believe that, perhaps one day if we prove worthy of you, who knows? Maybe we can even earn our immortality back, too. Then we won't have to worry about hiding you and your family reappearance from the other Clans and restore the Allagan bloodline to its rightful position as our spiritual leaders and our deity's spokesman. Even if it's a myth and a dream... I don't believe that its too far fetched to strive to achieve. And so do our brothers."
"You're right, Sen, it's a nice idea... I just hope that, in the end, I do Shift and won't disappoint you."
"You could not disappoint me even if you try, Raha, because I fell for you convinced that you are human, babe, and the way it turned out... well, for me, it's just a bonus."
"Aww... I love you, too, my silly cat. But... are we done with this chapter, then?"
"Almost."
...but that didn't mean that there wasn't certain cross-species hurdles to overcome when courting and later dating/being mated to a man who spent most of his ealier life not only convinced that he was 'only' human and with the idea that same-sex mating is somewhat lesser - and by extension embarrassing - than the 'heterosexual' one.
And even if now Senri felt quite better versed in reading the human habits and customs his soulmate grew up to, and was utterly sure of his devotion to his cute redhead, the goal of the next chapters of this guide, Dear Reader, is to make you able to avoid making the same mistakes and causing similar misunderstandings as those that plagued the beginning of his own relationship.