Author's note: previous disclaimers and notes apply.
Warning: light smut ahead
Mating
Jim had led Blair into the jungle calmly explaining that this was the final step in Blair's Shaman training, the Spirit Walk.
"So I drink the tea Incacha mixed, lay down, fall asleep and, in theory, meet my Spirit Guide and fully awaken my Shaman abilities?" Blair asked, trying to confirm and recall everything he'd learned in the last year. Jim nodded and began to set up their camp.
A year ago they had both been working in Cascade, Jim as a detective with the police department and Blair as a teaching fellow at Rainier while he worked on his doctoral dissertation. They both vaguely recalled meeting two years prior to their abduction and use as hostages to coerce the Chopec into "leasing" their mineral rights to a greedy corporation.
Their first meeting had been maybe 24 hours in length before they were separated by higher-ups who didn't comprehend what was happening. Jim had just returned from his disastrous last mission and Blair had just received his masters degree at age 19 and someone had somehow managed to connect Jim's "symptoms" to Blair's thesis. The young anthropologist shook his head, trying to clear it for his upcoming trial.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Blair sat down on the woven mat that would serve as his bed while he went on his Walk. Silently he admired his companion as Jim set about brewing the tea that would send Blair to the Spirit Plane. The traditional Chopec garb suited them both, Jim in Warrior's clothes and Blair in Shaman attire. Their modern garments were folded away in Jim's hut for safety, Incacha and the tribal elders insisting that Enqueri and his Guide, Yachachiq, be presented to the outside world as full members of the tribe.
Jim tapping him on the shoulder brought Blair back to the present. Smiling, the Sentinel handed his Guide the tea. He watched as the younger drank, set the earthenware cup aside, and settled down. Now all they had to do was wait.
Blair woke in a blue tinted jungle. He shook himself out and began trotting toward where he sensed his Mate waiting for him. Absently he noted he was a Wolf not a man but figured this was his Spirit Guide, his Spirit Form. The path he was following opened up into a small clearing, the trees forming a canopy overhead. On the other side of the space was a large black Panther. The majestic feline rumbled a greeting and began to approach its lupine counterpart. Slowly the two predators met in the middle and began to scent each other. Purring the Panther maneuvered himself to stand over the Wolf, lowering his head to chuff into the other's ear. "Mate, allow Claim?" The voice was deeper and rougher than Jim's but still belonged to the Sentinel, his Sentinel. "Mate, Claim me," he replied, his own voice deeper and rougher than normal.
Satisfied with the Wolf's reply, the Panther simply slid into place, fully burying himself in his Mate. The world momentarily turned white as their souls merged, memories and feelings and psychic shields combining to join the two together for all time. As their vision returned, the Spirit Guides separated from their humans, leaving two couples in the clearing.
As the Panther happily set to Claiming his Mate, Jim paused only long enough to weave his fingers with Blair's before he set a steady pace. As sensations built, the Sentinel spoke, "My Mate, my Guide, my Blair, my Love, my Shaman." The Guide responded, "My Mate, my Sentinel, my Jim, my Love, my Blessed Protector." Simultaneous orgasm crashed over them as their vision went blinding white before fading to black.
Slowly Blair came back to reality, noting first and foremost that there was now a telepathic link between Jim and himself. Second that he was laying on his side with Jim directly behind him, the two of them still intimately linked. "Wow," he breathed as a chuckle rumbled at his back. "Wow is right, Chief. You pulled me into your vision, it takes a powerful Shaman to do that. And now we're Fully Bonded, a True Pair. You know what that means, don't you?" Jim asked softly. "Yeah, for all intents and purposes, we're married. And if one of us dies the other will follow, we're Soulbound and not even Death itself can separate us." Blair shivered slightly, burrowing back into his Sentinel's chest. "Do you think Incacha knew? Or at least suspected I'd be that powerful? Starting to feel overwhelmed here, man." By now the Guide was shaking uncontrollably. "Breathe, my Guide, calm, even breaths. I'm barely hanging on myself and we can't afford to both spiral. Yes I think Incacha knew you had the potential to be that powerful and I know that we will be fine. Now let's get up, get dressed, break camp and head home." Carefully they separated and set about packing everything up for their return to the village.