Chapter 24: Dawn of War.
Smoke yawned softly and stretched his slightly aching muscles, as he did he felt six pairs of arms tighten their grip on him, well five to be exact one of them was busily playing with his hair twirling it between her fingers and playing with it in general, he turned his head and he could hear the soft thumping of Vippy's heart in her chest as he turned his head and rested his face on her soft breasts.
"Morning beautiful did you sleep well?' she asked softly and Smoke smiled.
"Slept like six sexy Surface Stalkers fucked me into bliss," he said making her laugh softly.
"Yes there is something to be said for that human stamina of yours, I can safely say not a single one of our boys would have been able to pull off satisfying half of us let alone all six," she said with a sly smile.
"Well then aren't you glad you picked a human for your pride male?" Smoke said playfully and Vippy leaned down and kissed first his forehead and then his mouth.
"Happier than I can ever put into words our beautiful one, but I need to know, are you happy? You don't have any regrets now the break of a new day dawns do you?" Vippy asked softly and surprisingly nervously for her.
Smoke couldn't move either of his arms as both were being cuddled and by the very soft and warm places his hands seemed to be clamped he really didn't want to move them, or he may very well trigger another orgy, so instead he settled for leaning up and planting a kiss on each of Vippy's breasts making sure to get each of her nipples in the kiss before kissing the tip of her snout as he mouth opened to gasp, "Not a single second of regret my little love, what male could possible have regrets waking up to the six of you knowing that he belongs to you all now?" he said and Vippy smiled.
"I'll give you this beautiful human boy, you know how to charm a Raptorian girl's heart with your words made of honey, not to mention your fur made of silk and your skin of soft velvet-like leather, I have never seen my pride so happy as they were last night in your arms, or lost in their passions with you, I never even dared to dream that such joy and pleasure could exist in this world but seeing what you did so freely for all of us made my heart jump for joy, I will forever remember the first touch of your hands upon my scales, the first kiss of your lips upon mine and the first moment of feeling so connected to you as I took you within me for the first time," Vippy said and Smoke kissed her again.
"That makes two of us," he said softly.
"I think it would be more accurate to say that makes seven of us because trust me not one of us is ever going to forget this night, no matter how many times we hopefully get to repeat it," Sema said lifting her head from Smoke's chest to smile at them both while gently twirling Smoke's chest hair in her fingers.
Smoke leaned in and planted a kiss on Sema's snout and then on her lips as well and as he leaned back he saw other sleepy heads beginning to pop up all over his body all looking equally kissable so he did so making sure each of them got a good morning kiss from their new human pride male.
It took quite a while for them to actually get up out of bed as not one of them wanted to let go of their new human love, but eventually, they all tore themselves from him and Smoke was treated to quite the scene of watching them stretching as they got up before they hoisted him up and ushered him off to the bathroom for a shower with them where they could all wash off the evidence of the previous night's actives, Smoke once again insisted on washing his girls in the shower though he did have to step out while they initiated the sand scrub mode as he rather liked his skin attached to his muscles and not floating around the room in strips.
Though as if washing the six ravishing reptilian girls down wasn't enough he got a second impromptu treat when they began cleaning their teeth, from where he was sat on the edge of the bath he had a perfect view of the sinks and the girls as they leaned over them to begin scrubbing, the sight of three perfect Raptorian rear ends wiggling about and three long luscious tails waving about as they bent over the sinks was too much for Smoke to bear, he had to act.
Vippy was at the centre sink while Sema was to her right and Skeeva was to her left, the other three were sat waiting for their turns and as one all three of them turned to watch him as he stealthily approached the three unsuspecting girls, he held up a finger to his lips to silence them as to not alert his targets and they all blinked at him curiously.
Slowly and stealthily Smoke got down on his knees behind Vippy being careful to breathe through his nose so his breath wash wouldn't alert her until with the speed of a striking cobra he pushed his face under her tail, in-between those orbs of exquisite feminine beauty and ran his tongue right up and into her womanhood.
Vippy was taken so by utter surprise by this sneak attack that she very nearly swallowed her toothbrush letting out the trill of pure surprise and pleasure that a hot squirmy invading human tongue caused inside her, an event that was being repeated to her left and right as both Smoke's hands had struck with the same speed his tongue had and right now he had all three of them bent over their sinks utterly powerless by his surprise attack.
"OHHHH By the Great Treeeeee!" Vippy wailed as Smoke's tongue dove deep into her loins as it would go tasting her very insides, both Sema and Skeeva were wailing their own prayers as human digits invaded them, Vippy tasted in Smoke's humble opinion utterly divine, he couldn't get enough hungrily swirling his tongue around seeking surfaces that hadn't been licked clean of her honey-sweet nectar, it also seemed that the surprise of being ambushed like this had the surprising effect of sending the girls arousal shooting up because it had been the last thing in the world they'd been expecting, so it literally no time at all three of them let out incredibly loud trills as together they released as one all succumbing to their human pride male's assault.
As Smoke released them the three of them sagged onto the sinks panting heavily and Smoke sat back on his haunches and licked his lips clean giving the other three an evil smile, "What can I say I'm weak-willed, if I have three utterly perfect scaly apples aimed at me and three luxurious long tails waving about like that I just can't resist taking a bite" he said playfully in what he hoped was a sultry tone.
The three sat waiting their turn to clean their teeth looked at him, then at their sisters still trying to prop themselves up on shaky rubbery legs, then at him again, "We are so gonna have the cleanest teeth in the whole city" Uma said and the other two nodded.
After helping their utterly confused and giggly sisters away from the sink still clutching their toothbrushes like somehow it had been responsible for their current states the other three took their previous positions with Uma in the middle and the Freeda and Lima to her sides, as one they lifted their tails together and began waving them back and forth to try and draw Smoke in each of them looking hopefully over their shoulders and again he came and so did they very vigorously.
It turned out that the female Raptorian orgasm was incredibly powerful, Smoke surmised this was to make up for the fact that only a couple of them would experience it before their male ran out of stamina to please his pride, but with him being a human and a very healthy Hunter at that this was a problem they didn't have, so now while three very giggly girls all sat leaning against the bath looking like they'd been drugged Smoke simply proceeded to wash his face and chest down and to clean his own teeth with the rather large brush they'd given him feeling rather pleased with himself.
He didn't anticipate their revenge because just as he was finishing up and placing his brush into a glass he was suddenly struck in the back of both knees by what felt like tails being used like whips, his knees instantly buckled not that there was a lot of strength in his sprained one as there was, they weren't hard hits to be fair so they didn't cause him any pain but they did cause him to fall backwards.
"Whoaaa!" he exclaimed in panic as he began to fall towards the tiles, but instantly four sets of strong hands caught him and he was guided to the floor where he instantly felt like was propped against something soft and warm, something that instantly wrapped a pair of arms and legs around his hips and chest adding weight to him so that he couldn't sit back up properly, his arms were pulled out to the sides and held down and his legs were splayed and pinned.
Now finally his brain recovered enough of itself to force him to look up from the sense loss of the momentary free fall, he found Vippy standing over him and he realised the others were all around him tying him down, "So you like surprise attacks and think it's funny to make a mess of us all this early in the morning do you our male? Let's see how you like it shall we?!" she declared in a voice like a war cry.
Before he could say a word he felt her tail coil itself around his manhood and his balls and began stroking and swirling using her feather tip to great effect, Vippy was stood with one foot on his chest applying just enough weight to hold him down though he had noticed she'd raised every single claw as to not risk cutting his skin.
His mind quickly began to go foggy and he began to struggle against the binds of the other girls but he didn't have a hope of breaking free, "Oh no you don't our pretty one, you're not going anywhere till you get what's coming to you, a Surface Stalker always gets her revenge, especially for an unprovoked attack!" Vippy declared.
"B-B-But I ohhh was mmmm provoked, y-y-you can't wave something that tasty at me and uggggh expect me to ohhhhh not want to take a mmmmm bite" Smoke managed to stammer through the incredible sensation of having his foreskin peeled back and his tip tickled by Vippy's feathers.
"Hmmmmm a good point you have there pretty one, I agree you can't show a female something this juicy and succulent and not expect her to have a taste," she said in a low sultry voice, with that she uncoiled her tail from around his manhood and lowered herself to her knees between his splayed legs before with a very predatory look in her eyes swallowing his whole manhood in her mouth.
Smoke's brain turned to utter mush as the sensation of Vippy's tongue coiling around his shaft and rippling up and down while running all around his super sensitive glans was too much, he knew at this rate he wouldn't last long at all and he tried his best to fight it, but the more he fought the harder she squeezed and licked and sucked until with a groan that sounded half like a growl Smoke erupted right in her eager greedy mouth.
Once she licked him clean along with her lips and teeth Vippy slowly kissed her way up his body stopping only to lick both of his nipples and nip his neck before planting her mouth on his, "Now we're even our sneaky pretty one but I must confess I will be looking forwards to seeing what our clever-clever human comes up with for his next attack" she purred in his ear and Smoke smiled at her in a kind of groggy dreamy way.
"Guess I'd better get my thinking cap on huh?" he said and there were a few chuckles around him.
"No just your armour for now, come on we have to go see the High Priestess and her pride before we have to go to command and just to be clear be on your best behaviour while we are there, no sneak attacks while we are there," Vippy said warningly and Smoke grinned at her.
"What about regular ones? Am I allowed those?" he asked and they all chuckled again.
"Don't make me tie your hands in your pockets or together" Vippy replied making Smoke chuckle.
"Talking about tying me up already? Didn't know my pride was such a kinky one" he said making Vippy look startled and her feathers ruffle like crazy, this caught his attention.
"Hey what's wrong? I was just joking I'm not being serious" he said looking at her.
They'd already released his limbs now and he lifted a hand to stoke Vippy's face, "Its umm just that binding or tying down a male for such things is considered incredibly taboo here, infact some would go to go as far as to call us deviants for what we just did in ummm restraining you the way we did, something like that done without the male's express permission could get a pride into a lot of trouble, it could seriously scare or upset their male making him cry or worse, then if someone else found out..." they said as one and Smoke instantly saw the problem and his defences and instinct to defend them went right into overdrive, he began reaching around pulling all of them around to his sides including Sema from behind him.
With three of them in each arm, he drew them into a tight hug, "I know you would never do anything to me that you know I am not comfortable with and I know that you are all watching me closely all the time so that if I at any time began to show discomfort or fear you'd instantly stop, for the record I enjoyed what we just did a great deal and am looking forward to the same or simular again, I have no problem relinquishing my control to you girls because I know that you would never hurt or even harm me, I trust you all compleltly and don't worry, what we do together as a pride in the privacy of our home, is our business and no one else's and trust me when I say I love your dominant sides, just as I love those secret submissive sides you've all been hiding your entire lives, because I noticed when those tails went up and I went down and in for the kill not one of you pulled away, you just let me take control and why do you think that is?" he said very softly.
"Because we love and trust you" they all chimed together.
"And I feel the same way my little sugar tails, I belong to you as much as you belong to me, together as equals in love, passion and pride," he said and all six of them clung to him as their lives depended on it, though he did hear a soft whisper of someone thanking the Great Tree for giving their pride their own Angel to love but he was more thankful because either Lady Paya or the Great Tree had given him six scaly Angels to love.
Eventually the brok their hug and got themselves dressed, Smoke actually did put his armour back on this time and no sooner had his leg been encased in the supportive armour and his joint was reinforced by the servos of the armour's power-assisted movement system than his leg began to feel instantly better, the armour also noticed the damage and applied a dose of painkillers and healing enzymes to speed things up and as it was programmed to, put him back in the fight so to speak.
They had a light breakfast as they didn't want to be late to see the head Priestess's pride so they opted to have some simple cereal and protein bars that apparently took their protein from a type of fish that lived in the underground lakes that the Raptorians farmed, Smoke actually found himself surprised because if they hadn't have told him he'd have never guessed there was fish in it as it didn't taste like it at all, it was really just very sweet tasting like a mixture of honey and a kind of syrup.
Once they were slightly fed it was time to head back out into the city, to their surprise when the pride opened the door they almost immediately tripped over a couple of brightly coloured hamper style baskets that had been left on their doorstep, Vippy lifted one and found it to be full of fruit and what appeared to be little gift style homemade cookies, there was also a card with a picture on it, she began to read.
"Dear human male visitor, thank you for saving myself and my son as well as our friends, if it wasn't for you that mimic would have surely eaten us, you saved our lives and for that, myself and my pride are incredibly grateful, we did not want to disturb your time with your pride last night so we left you these gifts as a token of our thanks for what you did for us, you will be forever in the hearts of all of us, yours joyfully, Kender Brightfeather" Vippy read aloud.
She turned over the card to see a picture of the males that Smoke had saved in the recreation zone yesterday along with their children and their prides all around them, there were a total of thirty-two Raptorians in that one photograph and there were three more baskets just like it line up in a neat little row, though one had a hand-stitched little Raptorian dolly with a name tag on it, "My name is Riza and I belong to the proud pride who saved me and my daddy, it is my job to keep this pride safe on the surface so that their male will never be sad because they didn't come home" Sema read aloud looking like she might tear up, she looked hopefully at Vippy and the others who nodded as one and she tucked the little dolly into her pouch for safekeeping while they moved the gifts inside their home.
"It seems you have made quite the impression on our people already Smoke, but do you see now why we place such great importance on male safety? It is not because we want to repress or coddle or control them, simply look at how many of our kind are in this photograph, the loss of one of those males would devastate seven other lives minimum and that's before we get onto their parent pride and their other family, every pride values the safety and well being of its males above all other things, a pride would happily go without food so that their male could eat and be strong, it is our way" they all said as they surrounded him Uma taking one of his hands and this time Skeeva getting the other while Vippy took the point position ahead of them.
Smoke nodded really starting to understand that now, they rode the elevator to the ground floor and no sooner had they exited than Vippy noticed something and froze up, the whole pride bristled and went on alert and this instantly affected Smoke too, he quickly used the command word to activate his helmet which was used if his hands were busy and he needed to activate it without pressing the switch, it shot up and clicked into place activating his HUD and sensors.
"What is it?" he growled his eyes scanning for threats but seeing only happy looking Raptorian prides going about their day, hell looking at them you'd never know there was a war on.
"Press" Vippy growled indicating a pride of females all with microphones and another all carrying cameras and sound equipment, it didn't take a genius Xeno to work out why they were there.
"Easy girls I got this" Smoke said and they looked at him curiously.
"Every Hunter is trained by Grand Matriarch Tik eleth Mason herself on the importance of diplomacy, there's no point hiding me from them and this is a good chance to not only build bridges but to have me make you and the other like you look good in the eyes of your people, I might not be the grand speaker and stirrer of hearts and minds that our Grand Patriarch is and trust me that guy could probably get ants to fight for him but I know what I need to say," Smoke said.
Vippy looked a little reserved but nodded and they began to lead him out Smoke retracting his helmet again realizing only when the press prides saw them and made a beeline fright for them that he still had the bead braids in his hair and it wasn't going to take a genius to work out what kind of quality time he'd been spending with the pride, oh well he felt no shame about it or them.
"Mister Human! Mister Human! We're from Pride Life Today News, can we trouble you for a quick few words!?" the pride of reporters all dressed in smart-looking pant style suits with their feathers primped to look very business-like said thrusting microphones at him.
"Of course, a proud Hunter of Clan Mason never shies from speaking the truth to the public," he said and they all beamed at that, Vippy and the others kept a tight perimeter around him all scanning for threats in every direction.
"Is it true that you saved a group of males from the mimic attack in the recreation zone yesterday?" they asked and Smoke nodded.
"Honestly I didn't know they were males at the time and simply acted, the cornerstone of the creed of Clan Mason to protect the innocent whoever and where ever they may be, the fact that someone was in danger and I was able to act was enough, but I'm more than sure you're guard prides would have got there in time even if I had not, plus they had a pride of Surface Stalkers with them to aid them so I'm of no doubt that those males would have been safe and sound even without my intervention," Smoke said and he noticed Vippy and the others puff out their chests proudly.
"Mister Human..." they began again before Smoke cut them off.
"Please call me Smoke," he said and that threw them slightly but they picked right up again.
"Right yes Smoke, is it true that you yourself are a Surface Stalker and that you were infact on the surface when this pride of Surface Stalkers here found you and brought you here?" they asked.
"I'm what we call a Hunter Pathfinder, I belong to a collective of different species made up of Humans like me, Yautja a tough large race of incredibly strong and proud warriors and Xenomorphs our incredibly kind and smart healers and fixers of things big and small, we came here after receiving a message passed to us by our new allies the Serpentinus, they informed us of your people's plight and of the invasion of your sovereign homeworld, we at Clan Mason abhor such blatant and vile evil intent as to attempt to subjugate a species like this and will not stand for it, so right now as we speak my people are up there on the surface helping your people to fight the Scalathor and Draconis so that we may aid in driving them from your world so that the proud Raptorian people may remain as free as the Great Tree intended," Smoke said and the looks of happiness in the crowd that had gathered morphed into clapping and cheering.
With such a positive reaction Smoke decided to press his advantage, "And yes it is true that the brave and courageous Surface Stalkers here before me found me alone on the surface, I got separated from my battle group by an unfortunate circumstance but this led me to be able to bear witness to thier and indeed others just like them attacking the Scalathor and Draconis that have dared set foot on your beloved home, I must say brave and courageous warriors one and all, so I decided to follow them so that they might lead me to your people as part of our mission was to link up with your people as soon as possible after arrival so that we may hash out a battle plan that makes use of both your skills, knowlage and the might of your brave Surface Stalkers while also making ue of the power and expertise of the Clan Mason warriors who stand ready to aid their Raptorian sisters in thier struggle, so that together just like a mighty pride of unity we might drive these vile invaders from your soil and return it to its rightful owners never again to be sullied" Smoke said with such pride and passion that he swore he saw some of the crowd tearing up.
Before the reporters could barrage him with any more questions Vippy and the others quickly interjected, "Now if you'll please excuse us we have important business to which we need to attend, thank you" they said and began to steer Smoke out.
"Yes of course and thank you for your time, there you have it gentle males and ladies an exclusive interview with mysterious and heroic male saver himself Smoke the Hunter of Clan Mason exclusive to Pride Life Today News," the reporters said into their cameras as Smoke was hurried away through the bay crowd who wanted to catch a glimpse of the warrior male dressed in gold who walked among them.
Finally, the pride broke free of the scum and they hurried him towards the shrine which was pretty obvious as it was a rather large building utterly covered in the beauty of nature, "Did you really mean what you said back there?" Vippy finally asked as they walked.
"Every word, why?" Smoke asked confused.
Suddenly they all stopped and closed in on him hugging him all at once, "Thank you Smoke, you've probably done more in one go for the plight of Surface Stalkers than we could in ten years, we've always had trouble recruiting prides for our ranks but after hearing and seeing that I have no doubt we'll have prides beating a path to the recruiting office ready to do their part, hearing the words of the beautiful alien male who walked our surface on his own and thinking if he can do it so can I, because how can we let a male fight for us if we are not willing to fight for ourselves, it is a feeling that will stir the hearts of all true Raptorian females, oh and thank you for your kind words about us and for not mentioning what we did to you before we knew what were" they said.
Smoke hugged his girls right back not caring who saw for a single nanosecond, they were his pride now and he would care for them in every way, "Girls that is in the past, a mistake made and learned from, I have forgiven it and therefore for me it is done, no need to ever mention it again or carry a second of guilt from it" he said planting a kiss on the tip of each snout around him.
"So it is as the Great Tree whispered to us then, a male with a heart as golden as his armour would soon walk among us, ready to tame the wildest of hearts with a love as powerful as wild fired but as soft and gentle as silk," a chorus of unfamiliar voices said from behind them and the pride broke and turned only to find themselves facing a pride of seven beautifully dressed Raptorians.
They wore long flowing gowns made of what looked to be white silk with flowers made of a verity of materials in a rainbow of colours all over them, "High Priestesses! Please forgive our boorish behaviour in your presence!" Vippy and the others exclaimed bowing before them.
The Priestesses all laughed in soft high voices, "Oh come now our children, do you honestly believe we would be angry for such a display of pure love before the Great Tree? Nothing makes the Great Tree happier than her beloved children finding love for themselves and planting the seeds of beauty that will sprout and grow into the most wonderful of things, new life for her to nurture and guide" the Priestess pride said moving to surround Smoke to get a better look at him.
Instantly he noticed them all staring rather intently at his badges on his chest, or more specifically the Pathfinder badge which itself was a tree, "So it is as her seeds of knowledge predicted, the warrior male dressed in gold with a heart even more golden with a soul of fire and a tree upon his chest stands before us with a pride of his own ready to stand for the Great Tree and all of her children in the name of Great Eternal Huntress Lady Paya," the pride said.
"You know of our Lady?" Smoke exclaimed in surprise and they giggled again and nodded.
"The Great Tree knows a great many things, her roots stretch far and wide on the worlds where her children roam, even on the worlds blackened by the vileness of the seeds of darkness and chaos, she sees the roots that had taken hold of the hearts of her beloved children there and it brings her such pain and sadness and now they come here to try and spread this blackness and death to our garden paradise," they said their voices going both angry and sad towards the end.
"That's not going to happen! Clan Mason will drive them from this place with their tail between their legs if they still have them at all!" Smoke snarled and they smiled at him brightly and almost knowingly.
"Yes she whispered that the pair that stand for all would come, the male who is the right hand of the Eternal Huntress would set foot upon our soil and purge it of the darkness, that he would lead the soul touched ones to fight against the darkness with might and fury of his truest love at his side and together they would be the ones who's call the universe itself would hear that thier purest of loves would light a fire in every hear that saw it, a light so bright that it would shrink the darkness back and hold it at bay until the time comes when the one who would banish it and destroy it for good would come, they are the right and left hands of the Eternal Huntress, her blessed ones, one of her own children who hunts darkness and evil where ever she finds it and a male touched by the Godess herself a child of a race only now beggining to dip its toes in the great sea of black, both kidnapped and brought together under terrible and vile circumstances, but forged a love so strong it freed them both, one the freer of souls the other the breaker of chains, together the light of the universe" the pride said with such incredible acurecy that Smoke nearly fell to his knees at the recounting of the tale of Jack Mason and Tik eleth, his Grand Patriach and Matriach.
While they were saying this Vippy and the rest of his pride just stared open-mouthed at him, "T-T-That's who Clan Mason are!? The light of the universe!?" they all exclaimed in perfect unity and the priestesses all nodded.
"Yes our children, you are good students of the chronicles of the Great Tree so it is of no surprise that you have heard the tale, but now you see that it is more than that, you only heard the public version, what you just heard is the version known only to the pride of high Priestesses, a secret passed from pride to pride since the time of the Great Sorrow, sacred knowledge kept safe so that one the day it's truth stepped finally into the light we would be ready to greet its harbinger and here he stands at last, hand in hand with a pride of his own already bringing the power of unchained love to our people, now come, we have much to discuss but first we must perform the ceremony," the pride said stepping forward and taking hold of both Vippy's pride and Smoke and guiding them towards the large cone-shaped temple that was utterly covered in plants, infact it looked like a giant hanging garden surrounded by little trees.
"Ceremony?" Smoke asked and the priestesses all nodded.
"Yes the wedding ceremony, there are undoubtedly those in the military who would seek to undo or even subvert what the Great Tree and Huntress themselves have sought to sow and we will not let that happen, too long have we waited for this day to let another Great Sorrow befall us because of short-sightedness, so on this day we will join our peoples in the sight of the Great Tree and the Huntress, we will make a bond that none but they can break, Clan Mason and the Raptorian people will be as one, united, your love for young Vippy and her pride will be the beacon that lights the fire in the hearts of every Raptorian because no Raptorian regardless of rank will ever break the roots that the Great Tree lays ever again," they said and Smoke's jaw fell open, he was getting married?
Vippy and the others seemed just as dumbstruck as Smoke did as they were hurried through the shrine which was basically just a huge indoor garden, there were no pews just grass for people to sit and offer prayer and thanks to the Great Tree for the bounty of her garden, infact even the altar had been grown not made, it was the roots of an absolutely beautiful and grand tree that stood towering in the centre of the shrine with leaves like a shimmering rainbow that seemingly couldn't decide on what colour they wanted to be.
"This is the nexus tree, one of these trees grows on each world blessed by the Great Tree, it spreads her influence and love to nature all around it, it joins us to her and her to us, ok now I'm sure you girls know how this goes as there is not a pride alive that doesn't know this speech and set of vows by heart, so please assume your positions while we make everything ready," they said pushing Vippy and the others into a ring around Smoke.
They all looked utterly flabbergasted and they all looked at him while the priestesses rushed off behind the Nexus tree, "A-A-Are you sure you want to do this Smoke? Raptorian weddings are for life you know, this is it, once we do this and say these vows there is no going back" they asked and Smoke actually felt a little hurt by that.
"My love is forever you know? It wasn't like I planned on just having some fun with you girls and then just jumping the shuttle and leaving you a goodbye note, what kind of male do you take me for?" he said sounding hurt.
They all flinched at this and instantly stepped in to hug and comfort him, "We're sorry Smoke we didn't mean it like that, we of course are surprised by this but we are happy about it, for the moment you accepted our feelings they have grown stronger by the second and we know our hearts belong to you for life, we just wanted to be sure you felt the same, we didn't want you to be pressured into something against your will" they said.
"These priestesses nailed it right on the head when they said how I felt about you, I've never even set eyes on them before and they knew exactly how I feel about your guys, I love you with all of my heart, I have no idea how or why but I do and any child of Paya knows that when the Eternal Huntress whispers to your heart you fucking well listen, so yes I will be your husband and I will be fucking proud to be so, I will hold my head up high and say with all of my might these are mine and I am theirs and no one has the right to judge me for it because I love you, all of you," he said.
"And if they do judge you they'll answer to Clan Mason for it," a very familiar but at the same time strange-sounding voice said from the shadows and Smoke whirled on his heels, infact they all did.
As they turned a glowing figure stepped out from between the roots of the tree, it seemed to be made of grey and blue smoke but was instantly recognizable as Jack Mason, "G-G-Grand Patriarch!" Smoke exclaimed pulling himself up ramrod straight and slamming into a crisp salute.
"At ease kid, no need to be saluting on your wedding day, so this is where you've been hiding eh? Got to say you definitely could have picked a worse place" the apparition that looked like Jack said in an oddly echoed voice.
"I-I-I err sort of umm got captured, but it's fine now, all a misunderstanding, I'm meeting with the Raptorian command prides later to discuss how to locate you guys and fight back, speaking of which how are you down here?" Smoke said.
"A question we too would like answered," Vippy's pride said moving from their defensive ring around Smoke to analyse Jack, one of them swung a hand through him and the leg she would have it dissipated like smoke before reforming.
"It's not exactly polite to run your hand through a spirit young lady," Jack said playfully as he watched the utter shock and horror spread on all their faces.
"Y-Y-Your dead! An alien male has perished on our planet!?" they all exclaimed.
Jack roared with laugher and shook his head, "No not dead, I'm simply doing a Soul Walk, I met up with Seeker Silver Dimondscale and your team and he told me what happened, so I decided once we'd set up a secure place for the night to do a Soul Walk to see if the local spirits would guide me to you, met up with this really charming Great Tree that everyone keeps talking about and she sent me here through what she called the spirit nexus because she said it was really important that not only did I find you but I bore witness to what was about to happen, said it was instrumental to both our people and now I see why, can't exactly remember authoriseing R&R but since it's for the good of diplomacy I'll let it slide though I'd still expect for my wife to have you and your new wive there to be doing push ups for getting married on her time rather than yours if I were you" Jack said flashing them all that smile that had won a thousand Yautja hearts.
Suddenly the high Priestesses all returned carrying an assortment of odd-looking vestments and what looked like flower circlets, they all stopped dead when they saw Jack standing there, "B-B-By the Great Tree herself! I-I-It's the left hand of the Eternal Huntress!" they all exclaimed somehow recognizing Jack.
"You know me?" Jack asked sounding confused.
"The Great Tree whispered to us that you would be here on the day that the light of true love shone upon Raptoria and that when the Chain of Sorrow finally breaks you would stand guard over the one who breaks it, the child of Paya dressed in gold with the golden heart, the bringer of love's light and here you are, sent as a spirit to us through the nexus," they all said and suddenly a huge smile broke our on Jack's face and he strode confidently forwards towards them.
"I see you sisters, I see you for what you truly are, no longer need you to hide in shadow, no longer you need fear the strength you are given, no longer may those chains bind you as once my greatest and truest love broke the chains that bound me and how her love keeps me strong and props me up now I break your chains, come from the dark young ones, come into the light, answer the call the Great Tree makes and awaken, awaken sisters, awaken Dream Warriors and take your place," Jack said before lifting his hands and light flash from the nexus tree like someone had just switched on a freedom day tree inside it.
The light shot from its branches down in millions of tentacles slamming into Jack's back before he stretched out his hands and a new light whiter and brighter than any sun hit each of the high priestesses the chest making their eyes glow and their feathers crackle with an electrical charge, they each rose into the air and hovered briefly before setting back down now with their feathers all bleached whiter than even Smoke's snow-white hair.
"We-We-We see! We see it all! Oh by the Great Tree it's beautiful! It's so beautiful!" they all cried together.
"The chains that bind you are broken, now you are free and awake, hear not whispers of the one that touched your unborn souls, now hear her voice proud and true and let her guide you, welcome sister Dream Warriors, welcome to the beginning of your real lives," Jack Mason said folding his arms over his chest.
So the reason that high priestesses had been able to hear the voice of the Great Tree was because all this time they'd been sleeping Dream Warriors, those touched but never fully awakening to find their powers on their own, Smoke was no expert on the subject but he heard that it was rare and right here Jack had just awoken seven of them, most likely the first that Raptoria had ever had, each of them knelt before him and Jack raised them up quickly, "No you do not bow before me before you take my colours, only Seekers and Clan Mason Members do that, the only one a free Dream Warrior bows to is the one who touched their soul" he said firmly.
"Thank you left hand of Paya, you have no idea what this means to us or for the future of Raptoria," they said and Jack smiled and nodded.
"You are most welcome young ones and I honestly looks forward to finding out, now if you would be so kind, my time in this form is kind of limited and I have a flesh and blood body which is rather missing its soul, so if you please," he said gesturing to Vippy's pride and Smoke.
"Ah yes! The wedding of course! Quickly sisters!" the said and suddenly the whole lot of them were surrounded, to their utter surprise Vippy and her pride were stripped utterly naked and before they could even protest they were being painted and flowers were being hun in their feathers and the circlets were placed on their heads as well as little bells were being hun on their tails.
Now Dream Warriors or not the priestesses couldn't get into Smoke's armour without his say so, so they had politely asked him to remove it which until he glanced at his naked pride all stood there painted with beautiful little symbols on their scales and flowers all over them he hesitated to do, but upon seeing that he took the whole thing off and the priestesses descended on him, the beads were unwoven from his hair except for the two braids that formed bangs, then he had flowers and little ornaments wove into it, his skin was painted with a rainbow of coloured symbols that he was sure were Raptorian words but obviously couldn't be sure, before finally he was placed into the circle of his pride at the centre and his girls all joined hands to form a ring around him.
"This is our most sacred and ancient wedding tradition, formed after the time of the Great Sorrow a time where for our vile and horrific treatment of our sacred and beloved males were were punished by the Great Tree herself, calling all those beautiful souls home to her so that they may be free of pain and suffering and leaving us to be near alone, making us atone for the sins we had committed against our own kind, even now the scar of it marks out race so that we may never forget what we did and we wear it with a mixture of shame and pride, a testament to what we did and what was done to us, now we see her truth and now we understand that males are not put her for our entertainment, or to satisfy our basest instincts, they are here for us to cherish and love, so that love may grow into seeds which will sprout and add to the beauty of the Great Garden, so now one pride takes into it a male, they form the circle of protection, of love, of joy, this pride will now swear before not only the Great Tree herself but the left hand of the Eternal Huntress that they will honer him, love him, protect him, care for him and cherish him every day of his life, then the male will accept or deny them before both either sealing the bond for eternity or denying it fully" the Priestesses said.
They nodded at Vippy's pride to begin, "I swear with all that I am and all that you see before you I will love you, cherish you, care for you and protect you from all harm, you will be our greatest joy and our purest love, this we swear before the Great Tree" Vippy's pride said in perfect unison then everyone looked at Smoke expectantly.
"I accept your claim on me, I promise to love you all, care for you all, cherish you all, I place myself into your hands and ask you to care for me, from now till the day I enter my Eternal Hunt, I am your husband," Smoke said.
"And we are your wives," the pride said and with that, they closed in and all hugged him as one smearing the paint that they were covered in all over themselves by pressing so tightly.
"We now pronounce you a life pride, bring further new life to the Great Garden young ones and let your love light up the darkness and it has lit up your hearts," the priestesses said.
THat's when Jack Mason stepped forwards, "This union is also recognised and blessed by Clan Mason, you are welcome among us young Raptorians, as Grand Patriarch I decree that from this moment forwards you are granted citizenship on our world and should the day come when you wish to spread your wings among the stars you ma call our home yours for now the shied of the Clan protects you where ever you roam, call and we will come for you, for we are Guardians" he said touching each of them in turn, then he turned to Smoke.
"I'm proud of you young Hunter, you have done the Clan proud this day, when you can head back to us on the surface we are at the base of the large mountain that overlooks the valley where the FOB is located, bring as many Raptorians as you can and we'll really get this fucking party started, our Tamers have a really nasty surprise waiting for the Scalathor and Draconis, don't take too long," Jack said and with a last bow to all of them, he vanished like smoke on the breeze.
Smoke looked at his new naked wives as they all still clung to him, "When you meet him in person and the battle is done young one please tell him to come to us, we would very gratefully like to thank him for what he did for us and we have much we'd like to discuss with him" the high priestesses said and Smoke nodded.
"I will I swear," he said before turning to his pride who now released him.
"Well girls, we'd better get dressed and head over to command, we have a war to wage," he said and as quick as a flash they'd covered up their paint smeared bodies and we running across the city, it was time as Jack Mason himself had put it, to get the party started.