Chapter Text
Chapter 14-
The whole walk (or was it slither?) back to her new home, Bai stayed quite deep in thought. That Kagome woman had definitely said the word husband.
Was… she not as alone as she had thought?
Had other humans somehow found themselves here too? Or was it just a coincidence and that was a common word here? Parker tried to offer her food but now was not the time, she needed to think! How in the world would she ask without revealing herself as a human or if Kagome was not a human? And if Kagome was a human… how could she be sleeping with so many men? That was so wrong!
Bai shook her head. She needed to focus on a plan and figure out the moral stuff later.
“Curtis? Parker?” Bai called out hoping one of them was near
Curtis hissed a small “Yes?” that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up while Parker made her feel better with an enthusiastic shout of “On my way!” The ruby colored snake frowned but ignored the leopard. “What is wrong snow?”
“Um. Have you guys ever heard the word husband before?”
Curtis’s frown turned into an indulgent half smile as if she was being funny but shook his head no. Parker made a humming noise like he was really thinking about it. “That’s what that female called Shuu right?”
Bai nodded eagerly “Yeah! Is that common for girls to call their… um males that?”
“Nope.”
Bai’s face lit up. If the word wasn’t common then maybe she really wasn’t the only human trapped here! Maybe… Maybe they could even work together to find a way to go home!
“I need to meet with that girl again- I think we might have been from the same tribe”
Parker and Curtis shared a look. That didn’t make any sense. How would Bai not know if they were from the same tribe? No tribe was so large other than the city of beasts that Bai wouldn’t know all of her clansmen.
Bai started to panic a little bit watching them. Were they going to say no? What if they wouldn’t help her? How would she find Kagome by herself? How would-
“If you want we could go to the banquet tonight? She will probably be there with Shuu.”
“Really? We can just go?”
“Yep.” Parker said confidently, feeling proud of himself “My mother extended the invitation to us since I am her favorite cub. Shuu is a prince of the wolf clan and his parent’s favorite son so he will most likely be there and bring Kagome.”
“Oh Parker that’s perfect! Thank you!”
Curtis gave an annoyed hiss glaring at the other male knowing there was nothing helpful he could do at the moment. His best chance would be to find the odd female before Parker so that Bai understood he was the best spouse and she didn’t need the stupid feline.
“Bai? You should know though… Rosa will probably be there too.”
“Don’t worry about it. Its not worth it to get worked up over a girl like her. We can go eat and see.. um my clansmen.”
“Lets go now then~” Parker said trying to get Bai away from Curtis “If we go now we can get the best spot” The leopard cut a nasty glare towards the serpent “Don’t follow us.”
Curtis scoffed “I go where Bai goes.”
The two beast men glared at each other, hate oozing from each of them as they stared each other down. Bai watched anxiously. Seriously! Why did they always have to fight? Parker tried to grab her hand and pull her but Bai stood as firmly as she could “He’s my Partner.”
Parker let out a frustrated sound before looking at Curtis again “If you don’t want to get kicked out put your damn tail away!”
Bai perked up at that “Go put some clothes on, okay?” she said as sweetly as she could. “I’ll get ready too!”
With Curtis leaving to find clothes Bai rooted around her things trying to find her mirror and comb. If she was going to run around and meet other girls she wanted to make a good impression. And honestly the idea of Curtis putting his tail away and wearing clothes would be so nice! He would be much less scary with out the super long snake tail dragging behind him everywhere. Pulling her comb through her hair was harder than it had even been. She had been forced to use mud of all things to wash her hair with and she was running out of deodorant.
Maybe she could ask Kagome? Her hair had looked clean and healthy… Maybe she had figured something out or had shampoo she could share? Or some dry shampoo? That would be amazing
Curtis came into the room and…
Oh my.
*_*_*_*_*
Before Winston had ever made it back to the city there had been an agreement between Kagome and the boys that Winston would need to be told things delicately. Lest there be another literal massacre. So knowing that Muir had a mind for planning, Kagome encouraged him to come up with strategy with her and Shuu vetoing anything that didn’t sit well with her or felt like a lie.
Unknown to Kagome, Muir absolutely thrived at being asking to help manage Winston behind his back but that was best not mentioned out loud. The plan was simple, overwhelm him with the information with a focus on everyone else but Shuu and hopefully the tiger would focus on fixing and not on fighting. Then give Winston the good news about becoming a new dad.
Easy peasy.
So when the small family left the crowds of the plaza and Muir finally joined them on the walk home, it was time to deploy the plan.
“You made good time.” Muir remarked casually “No troubles on this run?”
Winston looked a bit confused at Muir speaking to him civilly but he supposed that was due to Kagome’s influence. “None, the tribes were grateful to trade and there were no attacks this time.”
“That’s great!” Kagome chimed in “Poor Muir had to rescue a girl while you were gone and fight a feral. But look! He’s a tetra marked beast man too now.”
Winston jerked slightly, his eyes searching Muir’s face as the hawk puffed himself up a bit. The unspoken rivalry between the two males intensified over Kagomes head while Shuu kept pace from behind. For Shuu, his role in the plan would come later. Kagome wanted to do this for him and he was both grateful and yet not. He did not need to be protected like a pup.
“How good for you.” Winston said as blandly as possible “Your service to the Leopard King has not ended then?”
Muir smirked “It has now that Kagome and I have mated. I was only asked to help with the rescue for one last time as time was of the essence. Today's work was traded for more fruit and seeds for Kagome’s garden.”
Kagome wanted to (gently) smack Muirs arm. They never talked about rubbing Winston's face in the fact they had mated while he was away. Her poor tiger looked like he was going to grind away his molars!
“I see. Has anything else happened while I was away?”
“Oh, I mean a few things have. Let’s get home and we can tell you all about it over lunch. Shuu’s mom sent over some fish that I am sure you would like.”
Poor Muir and Shuu had a hell of a time figuring out what foods and smells didn’t set off her morning sickness and the fish that was gifted to them absolutely did. Her nose was stronger than anyone’s right now and until Muir had smoked the damn thing, she spent a good half hour dry heaving into a clay pot feeling miserable. A picnic outside was what they came up with, then she could sit far enough away from the food and nibble on her fruit.
She would kill for something like bread or a saltine though.
A friendly shout caught the family’s attention as Ross had seen them, his arms full of different foods- most likely for Jane.
“Hi Auntie, feeling all better now?”
“Much.” Kagome said brightly trying to will Ross to not say anything.
Ross paused and tilted his head for a moment before getting it and seamlessly joining their little group as they walked in the same direction home asking Shuu about the traders and how the plaza was. Muir glanced back at Ross and the young tiger seemed to zero in on the hawk’s new mark finally noticing it despite being at Kagome’s house at least twice since she had been back.
“Well, that should make you happy uncle. With two tetra marked beast men as spouses there’s no way anyone is stealing Auntie from the city again.”
Kagome barely had a second to lock eyes with Muir before Winston let out a very confused “What?”
“Kagome was kidnapped by Jasper when she was picking plants with Rosa.” Shuu says helpfully but at very much the wrong time. There were supposed to be having this conversation at home- not the middle of the street!
Winston's feet have stopped moving as he looks around at all of them trying to understand what he is being told. “When did this happen?”
“A day or two after I left on the Leopard kings orders.” Muir says calmly, as if that’s helpful information to the explosion of chaos that is about to be unleashed.
“Oh… shit. You didn’t know yet?” Ross chimes in and Kagome feels like she’s lost control of the situation as the dark look on Winstons face looks worse and worse. Sliding her hand into Winstons she tugs gaining his attention and very calmly and firmly states that she would like to talk about this at home. Winston gives her a look that’s hard to read and whatever he’s searching for he must find because he nods and lifts her up into his arms and starts walking quickly home.
Kagome wants to protest and tell him that she does not need to be carried but memories of dealing with demons makes her hold her tongue. Maybe Winston, like a demon male needs to hold her for his own sake to calm his own instincts. Peaking over his shoulder she can see Muir holding Ross and Shuu back making her incredibly grateful because at this point the plan is fucked. Maybe alone she can control things a little better? The kidnapping fiasco isn’t the only news she needs to share with him.
Winston has made good time getting them home and is clearly taking in the changes that have been made when he settles them into the space that she had been trying to make like a living room. “What happened?” He asks at last.
“I don’t remember the beginning very well but Jasper attacked me and took me underground and then tried to have a feral kill me.”
He looks stunned, as if the idea that one of his former companions doing something like this is completely unbelievable. Maybe for him it is? Maybe beast men don’t act this way normally but for Kagome its not that surprising? People make choices that are hard to understand all the time back home.
“…Why?”
“He saw me that night in the forest with the scorpions, he saw my powers and was convinced I wasn’t part of the Ape clan. Later he was watching us and saw my phone and thought I was something dangerous. He told me if a feral killed me then the ancients wouldn’t be mad at him? He thought I might be a bad omen or something so that’s why he brought me to a feral instead of killing me himself.” She paused for a moment letting Winston absorb what she had said before speaking again. “The Ape king said that it happens sometimes when males are rejected too much, that they can become unwell even after taking a mate.”
There was a part of Kagome that was not sure if that was correct. She didn’t want to really trust anything the king had said but it would make sense. Humans could vicious and jaded towards other humans so it wasn’t really that hard to believe. She was still worried about Holly anyways and needed to see the other girl soon. If only to know she was alright and explain what happened with Jasper. As much as she safely could anyways.
With Winston still not talking she filled the silence. “Turns out Jasper was behind the colossal attack on our group that morning, he lured them to us. And well… once he brought me to the surface he tried to sell me to the first feral he found. It attacked him and wounded him badly before Jasper could kill it. That’s when I used my marks to end him, and then Shuu found me and brought me home.”
“Why did you not use the power of my mating mark to end him sooner?”
“I was underground and completely lost, he threatened me that if he thought I would use it or my powers he would kill me then and there. I needed to at least get above ground and then used the opportunity to strike.”
Warm hands cupped her face “I am so proud of you Kagome- thank you for making it back safely.”
His voice was grateful but his eyes were so sad and it just broke something in her to see him like this. With Winston still gently holding her face she gave him a shy smile; she did have a little bit of news that might- hopefully- make him feel better.
“I do have some good news if you want to hear it?”
“Good news would be very welcome at this point.”
“Great! So um… well you are going to be a dad Winston.”
He looked at her a little confused and Kagome laughed a little nervously. Pulling his hand from her cheek and placing it below her navel she watched as his eyes widened in understanding.
“Cubs?” he asked a little unsure
“Yep. Harvey confirmed that this little one is yours.”
Watching Winston realize what that meant was a moment that Kagome prayed she would always remember. His eyes started to fill with tears and he surprised her with a watery sounding but very happy laugh before pulling her to him. His face buried into her hair whispering love and thanks into her raven-colored locks so sweetly that it made her start to tear up as well. Her life prior to him had lost those happy moments after mama died but now, they were happening to her again.
The front door creaked as it slowly opened and Winston holds on to her a little tighter, not wanting the moment between them to break. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Shuu’s head peak in before shutting the door again. They stay like that, in the tiny bubble of comfort for a while. Long enough that Winstons body heat starts the lull her off and she can’t help the yawn that escapes her mouth.
“Do you need sleep?”
Kagome hums at the question. “Mmm. A nap would be nice? This little one is making me more tired than a 10-hour shift at the hospital.”
While he doesn’t understand the reference Winston gets the gist of it as he’s helping her up and guiding her to the bedroom, nose wrinkling as the smell of hawk now permeates throughout the bedroom. Its not the only change to his mates little home. In his absence the bed that he had once loved has turned into some kind of nest packed with blankets, pelts and pillows. And his little mate looks so incredibly pleased as she burrows into the mess that Winston knows he won’t say anything about it. In fact, every fiber of his being would like to join her but he has to speak with Shuu and the sky rat.
“Rest, I will wake you before the banquet tonight.”
A soft noise of agreement comes from the burrow of blankets and Winston watches and listens as Kagome falls asleep quicker than she ever had before. Already his cub is draining his vivacious mate’s energy. He lingers a moment longer before leaving the bedroom and heading to the front door. Hopefully his nephew is gone at the very least so he can figure out how to work with these fuckers.
His eyes locked on Kagome’s other mates; his rage was gone for the moment but that didn’t mean they were off the hook. He paused for a moment, replaying as much of the conversation he could remember in his head. If what he understood was correct then the one that actually let him down was Shuu. Muir hadn’t even been in the city at the time.
Fucker.
“Tell me what happened.”
Shuu visibly wilted for a half second before straightening himself up and standing his ground firmly. “Kagome went to play with her friends and Rosa joined her. Bart, I and the other mated males watched over them. At some point Rosa told her about a spot where the Ape clan gathers plants and Kagome wanted to go with Rosa the next day.”
The wolf shook his head, pausing to try to say the next part well before Winston signaled him to stop for a moment. He needed to take this apart carefully. Jasper had mated that friend of Kagome’s, if he had been listening in then it made sense he would use any opportunity he found to attack her. But something turned in his gut, like it wasn’t that simple.
“How did Rosa end up playing with the other females? She usually cannot stand them.”
“Oh… she came over to apologize and Kagome invited her along.”
“Apologize? That didn’t strike you as odd Shuu?”
He growled lowly at Winston “I get you are mad but maybe if you let me finish, I could give you the answers you’re looking for. No one hates me more than myself over what happened, I don’t need you-”
Winston's louder growl cut Shuu off before Muir pushed his way in between the two. “If you two idiots want the little hunter to catch you fighting in the front yard, do it later. The pup has your information cat, let him finish.”
Both Shuu and Winston glared at the hawk but couldn’t disagree. Kagome catching them fighting would make her mad or worse, she might cry.
“As I was trying to tell you-” And Winston did not miss the small jab for what it was “-We went to the clearing and everything seemed fine. Kagome was very happy, and then hungry and asked that I get her some food. I was not that far away and Rosa had mates everywhere. Kagome should have been safe. But somehow none of those mates were around when they were attacked by Jasper. When I made it back rain had started to come down and the scent trail was ruined by all the other males running around.”
“That sounds suspicious to you right?” Muir asked from the side of the house he leaned against. “ That one moment all the males disappear and the next they are running around so much that the scent trail in ruined?”
“You think Rosa was in on it?” Winston rasps in disbelief
“I do.” Shuu confirmed looking apologetic “Everyone in this city knows… about how Rosa thinks of you. My brother swears Rosa would never do something like this but, well… I think that she is the type of female that would lie to her mate.”
Muir lets out a small chuckle “She’s exactly the type of female to lie, just look at the conflict she has caused with the leopard clan all because she wanted to have the kings son as a mate.”
Shuu tilts his head, confused at what Muir is referencing but Winston just looks at him like he’s finally seeing the truth for the first time. “You saw it?” he asks just to be sure.
“The whole thing. She is a crafty vicious thing, and willing to do just about anything to get what she wants. If Shuu and I had any kind of proof about what we think she did to Kagome then I would have taken it to the kings and had her banished.”
“What do you want to do about this Winston?”
That was the question wasn’t it? What was he going to do? He had no evidence since Kagome could not remember. And if the warning he set last time was not enough, then what could he actually do this time that would make Rosa understand?
“I will speak to my brother later about Rosa.” Winston says to them after a few minutes “We will try to help Kagome regain her memories, and I will speak with the other kings about our suspicions and keep Rosa away. After that we must focus on making Kagome comfortable and preparing for the little one.”
“That’s it?” Muir asked angrily “What happened to the beast that slaughtered those males for hunting after Kagome like prey?”
Winston hissed “Do not presume to think that I am letting this go! But if any of us act against a female with out caution then we will be banished or our lives forfeit. Do you want to cause our mate further distress? Everything I do is to protect her.”
Muir held his tongue. Winston wasn’t wrong, but there could be ways to get around those repercussions. Or better yet, convince Kagome to leave the city altogether. Before or after the chick was born and in the mean time stick to her side as much as possible.
“I assume that she told you about her people?”
“She did. And Shuu and I have decided its best not to speak of it. We will… adapt as needed if something happens.”
Winston nodded “That is for the best then. I have to see the Ape king for a delivery but I will be back before the feast. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
The dismissal was clear and Muir bristled watching as Winston transformed and took off down the road heading back into the city. Next to him Shuu let of a sigh of relief “That went better than expected?”
“You are so lucky Kagome had good news to tell him.”
*_*_*_*(At the Banquet)*_*_*_*
“There you are!” Emily practically roared when she spotted Kagome and her family. “I saved you all a spot, apparently that other female that got stolen is in the city! Can you believe it?”
Kagome hugged the lioness in greeting, waving to Emily’s numerous spouses before responding to the question. “I can actually, her name is Bai. I’m sure she will probably come to the banquet- the leopard kings son is trying to court her.”
Emily gasped excitedly “Oh Kagome, you have gossip! Tell me everything you know!”
“I mean I have a little? Bai is younger than us, she seems polite and pretty. Muir would probably know more since he was on the rescue team.”
Muir startled at the mention of his name while Shuu snickered. The avian paused for a moment wondering what to say “The female is dragging out the courting with the king’s son. It is not kind.”
Feline eyes looked at him unimpressed, “That literally tells me like nothing.”
“… She lives in his home by the main river and repeatedly tells others that she only wants one mate. She wants to eat rice daily, that is all I know.”
v
“Well, that’s a bit better. Gosh you’d think if she wanted to eat so much rice she would want more mates!”
There was a muttering of agreement from all the males around them that made Kagome wonder if Bai had any idea how her actions were being perceived by others.
“Like Muir and I said, Bai is young. She’s probably still learning and doesn’t know better yet.”
“Ha! Except that that feral is a tetra marked beast, so clearly she knows something.”
The pointed look Kagome gave Emily had the other girl rolling her eyes but relenting “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll stop being rude. Maybe somehow, she is too young to know better. But I am not going near that feral to talk to her and find out.”
“I think all of our spouses would be happy if we didn’t try to seek her out or-”
A throat cleared behind the two girls interrupting the conversation. Another dark-haired wolf stood a respectful few feet away, aware of the eyes that watched his every move. “I am sorry to interrupt, but the wolf queen would like for you to join their fires closer to hers. She has prepared salted pork and fruits for you.”
Emily gripped her arm excitedly “Oh Kagome you have to go, there’s much nice food closer to the kings.” The blonde gently pushed her towards Shuu “If there’s any leftovers you know where to find us!”
With Emilys surprising but nice encouragement, Kagome and her growing family settled closer to the queen’s fires. A large leaf with berries and oranges sat waiting for them, along with what she guessed to be the pork already cooking above the fire. So far (and she very much did not want to jinx it) everything was going better than expected. Rather than being right next to the royal families fires they were set a bit away with enough distance to enjoy some privacy. Winston and Muir seemed both pleased with this while Shuu just seemed happy to be closer to his kin.
“Your blonde friend seems very friendly?” Shuu said gently as they all settled around the fire.
“Oh she’s something else, but also kind of great. I actually almost wasn’t sure I wanted to be friends with her when we first met.”
“Because of her need to know everything?” Muir asked dryly as he chose his spot on the other side of her.
“Nope. Because she was being mean to Winston and you know I wasn’t going to just put up with that.” Kagome leaned into Winstons shoulder playfully as he sat beside her. Two tetra marked beasts acting like bookends to keep her safe while Shuu took over cooking for her.
The miko watched as children of all sizes ran from fire to fire playing while a group of parents watched over them. There was dancing of some kind further away from them, the silhouettes of the dancers hard to see against such a bright fire. Winston handed a few berries over to her to eat while Muir scanned the crowds. Raised voices caught everyone’s attentions as the Tiger kings’ groups started getting loud. Whatever was said must have been bad because Kagome could see a group of them separating and what looked like Rosa leaving on the back of one of her mates.
“What do you think that was about?” she asked watching as the tigress disappeared into the woods
“My brother likely is trying to set rules for my niece now that I am back in the city. She clearly did not take it well.”
Muir gave a dark laugh “She has already picked a fight with that Bai and almost started war with the leopard clan again.”
“Spying again?” Winston asked a little snidely
“I worked for the leopard clan for years, its not spying if people tell you things because they actually like you.”
“… You know Muir that’s probably the kind of gossip that Emily would have liked to know.”
The eye roll Kagome got in reply was enough to make her reach out and tickle his side making him squawk in shock before pushing her hands away. Muir gave her such a seriously offended look that she laughed
“Is my pretty bird ticklish?” She teased
His blush made her want to tease him more but Shuu all but shoved a leaf of cooked meat into her lap. With Shuu starting to show his little tells of jealousy, she stopped harassing Muir for the moment. There would be opportunities again later. The pork was surprisingly good, but the real treat of the night was the sour grapes Yan sent over to her. Seriously, her mother-in-law was a God send in this crazy world. She would have to find some way to repay her.
As the sky continued to darken and the Ape king gave his speeches, Kagome found herself pleasantly relaxed and wondering at her good luck. Things could have turned out so much worse when she landed here, but somehow things just kept getting better day by day. Winston and Muir both tensed at the same time pulling her out of her thoughts and wondering if she had just somehow jinxed herself.
*_*_*_*(With Bai)*_*_*_*_*
Walking to the banquet had been a longer trip than Bai had been expecting. Partially because of the distance but mostly because neither Parker or Curtis could find the maturity needed to stop bickering. The whole walk was filled with stupid little remarks to the other and it was driving her nuts. As they entered the castle grounds that were hosting the feast Bai looked around curiously.
“Are some of the females not coming?” She asked Parker worriedly.
What if Kagome wasn’t here?
“Many of them are in their estrous cycles, they don’t have underwear like you so its uncomfortable for them to go outside.” Parker then frowned smelling the air “Though it smells like some of them are here anyways.”
Bai blanched a little at that. Could all these beast men smell her period?! How gross!
Across the grounds fires were already going but Parker tugged her hand towards a crowd that was growing around a older man with long grey hair.
“That’s the Ape King.” Parker whispered to her
“The rainy season is upon us, it will be foggy when night falls. Start the bonfire now!” Commanded the king. A cheer went up in the crowd as a large fire was started and beast men started to dance around it. Bai watched for a moment before turning away. Some of those moves were just… a little too embarrassing to watch!
“Lets go find a spot to sit.” Bai insisted to Parker and Curtis “Maybe you could even try to find Kagome?”
Parker puffed his chest. He could find that weird female for Bai, his nose was way better than the stupid snakes. “I’ll find her for you Bai! You can count on me!”
The leopard practically bounced as he led Bai around the different fires and Bai couldn’t help but noticed for much friendly people seemed since Curtis put his tail away. Maybe she would ask him to do so again later? It was so much easier to not be afraid of him with the tail magically tucked away. After briefly stopping to pet a puppy only to be yelled at for picking it up by its mother Parker finally found who he was looking for.
“Why did you stop?”
Parker looked back at Bai a little nervously before glancing at Curtis.
“It is never a good idea to just walk up to tetra marked beasts.” Curtis warned.
But Bai couldn’t help it. She was excited and nervous and Kagome was right there. Letting her eagerness lead her feet, Bai pushed past Parker and walked right up to the edge of the fire finally able to see better next to the warm light. Kagome was sitting between that scary pale tiger and – oh!
Muir!
“Hello!” she chirped completely missing the energy that settled over everyone else.
Kagome laid a hand on Winstons arm to calm him as Curtis came closer put Muir pulled her up to stand slightly behind him. Glancing around the miko wondered if he thought a fight might break out and it would be better to not be sitting.
“Hi?”
“Do you mind if we join you? Its getting so crowded!”