ironysoul | Alphonse/Edmund: The one where they're furries

One hundred years in feline form, and now walking on two legs feels stilted. There was a knot between his shoulders that Al knew he could stretch out if he switched to fur. He could hunker down on his haunches and reach his front paws out far, sinking into a bow that would make every nodule of his spine pop. But while King Peter hadn't expressly banned fur, Al (and for that matter, the rest of the pride) still felt like it was something frowned upon now. Lesser, than their human form. At the very least that they should be grateful for it being restored.

He flexed paws (hands) and reminded himself again that his claws wouldn't unsheathe from the tips of his fingers. A hundred years in fur, and after almost a decade being able to change, he still felt wrong in this one.

At least, in the years since the age of winter, the pride had been restored to Cair Paravel. They'd served as stewards for generations, until Jadis had banished them. Not, Al was forced to admit, that he'd have been a particularly deft housekeeper with four paws. Maybe he could have dusted with his tail. The thought made him giggle.

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From:

just_edmund

The melee dragged on, the Telmarines slowly pushed back from the Narnians' more defenseable position closer to the trees. The tide seemed to be turning in their favour, and Edmund was hopeful even after his horse had been brought down and he was forced to slash his way on foot.

He never even saw it coming, the succubus that set upon him from behind and latched onto his neck. All he felt was a sharp pain there and a sudden, powerful tug in his blood, before his vision blurred and swirled and he staggered back. His back hit the ground, breath all knocked from him. His instincts screamed at him - get up, get up! - but his body refused to cooperate.

Warmth swelled within him, almost blossoming from the wound at his neck, and he felt someone hovering over him, pressing down, and the rush of footsteps nearby. Panic began to rise with the strange feeling of unnatural heat. Not just temperature. Heat. He cried out, hoping there was someone nearby to hear him.

-

Even from a furlong away, Peter could see that Edmund was in trouble. Dark creatures were emerging from the forest, drawn by the scent of blood and whatever that treacherous prince had done. His voice carried in a yell in Al's direction. "Get him out of there!" He pointed at the heap that was his brother, trusting his fellow pack member to take care of him, and whirled in a wicked swing at the huge Telmarine in his path. His hand alone would slay the prince.

From:

ironysoul

Al, also, saw his king go down. (No, not his king. Peter was his king. He had no claim whatsoever on Edmund; that had been made clear.)

He was already moving toward Edmund before Peter shouted, fighting his way past the Telmarines to reach him. Telmarines! He'd tried to warn Edmund, back on the ships, and look how that had turned out -- only no, right now, the only thing he could do was focus on reaching Edmund. He had to make his way toEdmund and get him off the battle field. Edmund was down.

He fought his way through with the same determination as Peter, giving little thought to who was in his path. There was no other option besides reaching Edmund. He slayed the beast on top of Edmund easily; it didn't hear him approach, and threw the body to the side. One of his arms wrapped around Edmund's slender hips, hauling him up, and he began to fight off their attackers one handed as he hauled Edmund from the fray, back toward encampment.

From:

just_edmund

A rushing sound filled his ears, as if he was drowning in Cauldron Pool, the great waterfall pounding down on top of him. But he didn't feel wet or cool at all - just the opposite - he was burning up, with the flicker of fire pooling from his center and all throughout his limbs, no water to soothe the terrible heat. Maybe he was dying. He had never died before. Was this what it felt like?

If so, maybe he was in the afterlife, the arms of a strong heavenly being wrapping around him to carry him away to Aslan's Country. Edmund sighed, still unable to open his eyes, and sank into the gripping embrace. Whatever the creature who'd bit him had been, its poison seemed to paralyze him for the moment, rendering the normally powerful Panther King a dead weight in his rescuer's arms.

-

Peter's heart was stricken with dread at the sight of his brother limp and lifeless in Al's arms. Aslan, no!

In a blind rage, he slashed away at their enemies, cutting a wide swathe toward the horde that was gathering around the two Narnians. But on foot he was too far away to do anything but sprint and dodge and swing at anybody in his path as the Telmarine prince rode in a driving gallop straight at Al and Edmund. In the space of a breath, Rythern was swooping down and reaching for the body of the raven-haired King to pluck him out of Al's grasp.

From:

ironysoul

Edmund felt anything but dead to Al. Heavy, yes, and limp, but burning in his grip. There was no mistaking Edmund's rigid form for a corpse when he seared his heat into Al through the platemail the lion wore, fanning him with flame. Need and anger, both.

The distraction was powerful, but at the same time, all of Al's senses felt heightened. His nose flared, and he smelled -- sensed -- the Telmarine prince before he made his attack. He turned in time, and roared a battle cry as he brought himself between Edmund and the assailant. He couldn't manage both Edmund and a sword, but he didn't need to -- one heavy, clawed paw swiped out to score the Telmarine, knocking him from his mount. Then, he began to carry Edmund from the battlefield. Away from the assault.

From:

just_edmund

Somewhere faintly in the depths of his stupor, he felt the roar of the alpha who carried him, and it settled deep in the marrow of him. He could not pull himself out of the paralysis of the bite, but it was all right. He was safe in Al's arms. He could, and did, trust him with his life.

In a blind sprint, Peter watched the exchange with his heart in his throat - but Al pulled through, and dehorsed the traitorous prince even as he carried Edmund to safety. Good. Aslan be with them, and then the heat of battle took over and he was cutting Rythern down, exacting the price he'd earned for his betrayal.

-

It was much later, nearing the Narnian encampment of tents, that Edmund roused at last, blinking, and then gasping as the full awareness of his senses struck him. The feeling was unmistakable. He was in heat, full-blown, ruthless heat. He'd felt flickers of it before in himself, around the alphas he was most compatible with. He'd seen and smelled it on the omegas of the court. And it terrified him now. He clutched blindly at Al.

"What - oh, Al..."

He burrowed his face in Al's neck, inhaling deeply. His body quivered in flaring response to the delicious scent of him. Oh gods, he was trembling all over, his limbs molten, his own scent soaring in answer to Al's. Where Al sang of golden sunlight, Edmund smelled of moonlit runs through Owl Wood, of damp leaves and night-blooming jasmine and smoky midnight embers. He pressed against Al's flank, heedless of all else but him.

From:

ironysoul

Al didn't remember the rest of the fight. He didn't remember cleaving through the hoards of attacking Telmarines to track carry Edmund to safety. It was as though he were remembering memories forged by his lion-self. Fleeting images interspersed with strong emotion. Anger. Terror. A need to protect. And the everpresent undercurrent of want.

The problem was, he'd realized what was happening to Edmund long before his king ever regained consciousness. The scent of an omega in heat was unmistakable, and when it was an omega he'd already begun to bond to, it was terrible. He couldn't deny the fierce need it kindled in his belly. His own body responded to Edmund's in a way he that went beyond the constraints his mind had built around their relationship. Edmund needed him, and Al was built, by biology and evolution, to fill his need like a perfectly cut puzzle piece.

He still had enough of himself to know why this couldn't happen. But he couldn't leave, either. Not even once he knew Edmund was safe, tucked into bed and far from the clutches of the beast that had bitten him. His own instinct wouldn't let him. There was an omega in need and that called to the Alpha in him, overriding everything else. Woven in was the fierce, protective anger. The idea of not only leaving Edmund in this state, but leaving him for another Alpha to find... Even considering it made Al want to tear heads off, all semblance of rationality fleeing from him.

He wasn't in rut. He still had enough understanding to recognize why he couldn't just crawl into bed with Edmund and give him what he needed. But he was stuck in limbo, unable to leave. He'd just have to see Edmund through his heat. The presence of an Alpha, even one who refused to knot him, would at least help soothe things. They'd stumble through the next few days (and please, gods, don't let it last longer than that!) and then regain the icy distance between them.

From:

just_edmund

Edmund fell into an uneasy sleep. He never slept well before a battle anyway, and between his wound and the energy it had triggered in setting his body into heat, he was thoroughly exhausted. Proof of this was evident in how little a protest he made when Al deposited him gently onto a bedroll in the royal pavilion and did not immediately join him. If only he'd had the alertness to insist on his presence...

When he awoke, it was nighttime - he hardly knew whether it was the night of the battle, the night after, or the next - and his wound was dressed, his body clean and warm. One of the omega servants must have bathed and clothed him, for he was sure the scent of an alpha would have roused him earlier. He was hungry, but more pressingly, he was hungry. He craved the most primal and intimate of satiations, and nothing else would take away that need but the rut of an alpha.

He scrabbled in the dark through cushions and thick rugs, scenting as much as feeling his way to the entrance, and stumbled out into the night. The rest of the camp was not there. It had been moved - he could smell the distant smoke of campfires, miles away - and only a couple of tents for guards and servants and -

With a jolt, Edmund realized he'd been quarantined from the rest of the Narnians. The shame of an omega King was one thing; the risk he posed to an army full of alphas fresh off the battlefield was something real and potent. He swallowed hard, rubbing his jaw. His next breath in brought the scent of...

"Al." Without thought or plan or reasoning, he found his heels turning and his feet carrying him straight to the rolling pheromones of the one person who could save him from himself. He pressed toward him, hands reaching for him. "Thank Aslan. Al, I need - "

From:

ironysoul

Al hesitated, startled, as Edmund sought him out by scent alone. His king smelled of dark forests and desire, an unmistakable musk that called for Al to bury his teeth in Edmund's neck. He'd already made himself swear to restrain himself. Edmund couldn't know what he was asking for, and any action they took now would only hurt them both when Edmund's mind cleared.

"I know," he said, voice unsteady. He held out a hand to catch Edmund, hold himnat bay. "There's-- they brought devices for you to use. They'll relieve the -- the symptoms."

It wasn't like Al had never dealt with a heat before. But Jadis had kept them in fur for a hundred years. Heat was easier to handle, easier to step away from, in another body. He didn't know what to do, especially not when it was Edmund, and his body, and his mind, keened.

From:

just_edmund

Edmund drew up short, body and mind warring with conflicting messages to bridge the gap and to heed Al's wishes. It was to no purpose. Seeing him, smelling him there, it made his head swim. He staggered faintly, shaking his head. The implications of Al's words began to sink in.

He was not going to be mated. Not by Al. Not by anyone.

"Devices?" Edmund all but snarled. Panic and blind lust made him dizzy; disbelief and frustration only piled anger on top of the confusion. "Bullshit. That's not what I need, and you know it. Gods, Al..."

He clutched onto Al's arm to stay on his feet, and the bare contact of his skin against Al's skin had the furious warmth of his face to a bonfire at the peak of its blaze. Edmund hissed in a breath. "Tell me you don't feel it. You can't smell it. I will go mad if you don't help me. Please. Don't make me do this alone." His voice lost its ire and dropped to something small and pleading, as the thought of being forced to endure his heat by himself, trapped in the tent with a few inadequate bits of glass and sponge and smooth-handled wood, as if those could take the place of the warm-breathed Lion, crashed down on him in frightening detail.

He couldn't bear it.

Edited Date: 2017-02-09 01:05 am (UTC)

From:

ironysoul

Al knew what he was asking. Edmund's need grated on him, crying out to him, and this wasn't any easier for Al than it was going to be for Edmund. But he refused, he refused, to be one of those Alphas who excused their actions with biology. And even if it weren't for the many, many barriers separating him and Edmund... Edmund hadn't wanted him around, even. Not in weeks.

"You don't really want this, Edmund," Al reminds him quietly. "You're not in any shape to give consent right now, but before, you didn't want -- and if I mated you, and we bonded, that would be catastrophic. I'm sorry. I can't -- I'll stay with you, and I'll help however I can, but you know we can't--"

In another world he'd give Edmund everything he needed. His body was pushing him to now. He took another step back, making space between him and Edmund, before his desires could overwhelm him.

From:

just_edmund

It was precisely because of those barriers, the ones that Al considered so vitally important, that Edmund had avoided him lately. It was too painful to want him and be denied. That pain was now a physical, tangible reality to Edmund. The struggle he had felt before seemed as light as dandelions compared with the all-consuming desire to claim and be claimed by - his alpha.

No. Not his. Because Al, for whatever incomprehensible reason that made no sense whatsoever to Edmund's nose or heart, didn't want him.

Edmund's eyes were hollow and dark as he gazed helplessly at Al, the distance increasing rather than decreasing between them. His body throbbed, a tight aching pulse that wouldn't stop radiating throughout his groin and into his limbs. He hated that he would say the same thing as Al if their situations were reversed, that he wouldn't want Al to be with him under compulsion or by necessity.

If I mated you, and we bonded...

"If you only knew what I really want," he whispered in a rasp of a voice. "You wouldn't doubt me now if you could see what's in my heart."

But there was nothing he could do; he needed so much more than what Al was willing to give him. Edmund crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against a tree for support. His legs were shaking, and he had no Al to hold onto. "Help," he repeated flatly. "What does that even mean? You'll stay with me, but you won't be with me. I don't...understand."

The more his body burned, the more energy he seemed to release into the air, all pent up from lack of outlet and the presence of an alpha, with his will and mind the only things keeping him from leaping towards Al. Edmund grunted, as a fine sheen began to cover his skin, and within he could feel his body growing slick and fever-hot. He shivered. "I'm not - supposed to be this way."

From:

ironysoul

"No," Al agreed cautiously, biting his lip as he raked his gaze over Edmund. He wanted to pretend it was just for the sake of examination, just a precaution, but in truth, he wanted to look at Edmund. To take in the beautiful mess of him, flushed and desperate with need. "Whatever that thing did to you, it caused this. It would be easier if your body -- if you came to it naturally." And that was never to be.

It wasn't fair the way Edmund kept insisting Al was just keeping them apart to be contrary. He wanted Edmund every bit as much. It was so hard to be apart from the king. Every moment they're separated, it felt like, Al was thinking about him, wondering and worrying. His thoughts were never his own.

But it wasn't just him. Edmund was asking him to throw over centuries of tradition, of natural order. He had a responsibility to his pride, what about that? Did it mean nothing to Edmund?

"Having an Alpha nearby should help. It won't last for long, and then you'll be back to normal." Very cautiously, Al reached out to touch his hand. Even after everything that had passed between them, he would never want Edmund to experience his first heat like this.

"You can -- do what you need, to sate yourself, and I'll stay with you. That should help it pass. It's the best option."

From:

just_edmund

Edmund flushed miserably at the close scrutiny. He felt patently uncomfortable in his own skin right now, and he was sure Al was finding every possible reason to put distance between them. "I'll remember that next time I'm about to get bitten by a succubus." He rubbed at his upper arms. He was going a little stir-crazy with the unnatural influx of hormones driving him to - to an act that was going to go highly unfulfilled tonight.

Swallowing, he tipped his head back against the bark of the tree. He would have been fine. They could have gone on as they had this past month, with careful politeness and propriety, until they both found mates and the uncomfortable pull between them was finally broken. That's what Al thought had to happen, and Edmund had respected his wishes.

He tried to do so now. He wondered if Al understood just how hard-fought his control was, standing in front of him, burning up. The touch of his hand was like a static shock. Edmund's eyes snapped open, and he stared at Al.

"It's as easy as that, eh? You - " He forced himself to breathe in and slowly out. "You are kind. You didn't have to do this." Would it help? He didn't want to be alone...but he didn't want to have Al frustratingly out of reach, a constant reminder of what he could not have.

Finally, Edmund gave a nod. "We'll give it a try. I'll return to my tent. You - may do as you wish, Alphonse." His dark lashes shuttered the hopeless longing in his eyes. The very last thing he wanted to do was go back to his cold empty bedroll and try to get through this terrible heat on his own, but that's exactly what he was going to do.

He turned, breaking the connection, and forced himself to walk like a Prince, shoulders back, head held high. He didn't look back to see if Al followed.

In the pavilion, he lit an oil lamp and found some water and food. Despite his hunger, there was nothing satiating about eating right now, but his body needed all the help it could get. Cross-legged on the cushions, he tried not to think about how slick he felt. He had a new appreciation for how omegas functioned, experiencing any of this on a regular basis. He kept himself from wondering if this was a temporary state for him, or if there were more...permanent consequences to the bite. One night at a time.

From:

ironysoul

Al sighed, watching Edmund trudge away from him. It's not like he asked for this! He wasn't the one who got bitten by a succubus! He'd been so, so careful of the distance between them, trying to be respectful. Trying to thread a line that wouldn't result in either of them battering themselves against a wall of what they couldn't have. And trying not to offend the king who could have him, his whole pride, condemned to death.

But Edmund hadn't made it easy. He didn't try to understand this world he'd been thrust into, and he didn't accept for a moment that maybe Al was acting this way for a reason.

And he couldn't be alone. King or no, there were people out there who wouldn't care about rank. Wouldn't care that he was a panther or even a person, they'd just smell an unprotected omega in heat and take.

Normally, omegas who didn't want to mate had family to stay with them. Al had done it for other members of the pride. Just sat with them, resisting the hormones, lending protection and comfort. He'd thought he could do it for Edmund. But even though Edmund was storming away from him, Furious and disinterested, Al felt a pull.

With a sigh, he changed, then followed after the man. Nothing would happen in this form, at least, even if a more sensitive nose made ignoring Edmund's plight that much more difficult. He tried to put it from mind, padding after his king (not his, he had no right to --) and pushing a heavy, square head under Edmund's hand, against his hip.

From:

just_edmund

Edmund felt as if his entire body was at war. He very much hoped it wouldn't be like this every time, that it would get easier as his body adjusted to its new form. He'd never really studied what being an omega meant; he'd always mated with other betas and with the occasional alpha, fearing both an unintentional bond and the rejection of an omega for someone who was an actual alpha, not just a King pretending to be one.

All the extra hormones left him on edge, tight as a rope pulled taut. He wished he knew more about what was going on inside him. And then, a velvety snout beneath his hand seemed to take a tiny bit of the edge off. He inhaled shakily, and on the next exhale let his body relax down towards the earth and towards the soft-furred creature beside him.

Al was wise. This was easier. Having an alpha next to him, touching him did soothe some of the worst of the feeling Edmund could only describe as incompleteness. Yet with Al in his Lion form and Edmund unchanged, there wasn't such a hard pulse of lust to distract the King; he knew the only danger was if he were to change as well. As it was, his desires were at a manageable level, and getting more so as he let himself accept the comfort of the proximity instead of fixating on having more. "I think I begin to understand, what you meant by 'help'."

He ate methodically, and let his fingers rub over Al's broad forehead, stroking and scratching behind his ears. "Is a heat better or worse in human form?" He smoothed the golden fur back, forcing his breathing into a regular pattern. "I don't think I'd be able to use the - " Edmund blushed and grimaced at the same time. " - devices as a Panther. Or do they have something for that too?"

From:

ironysoul

Al hesitated before responding. In this form, Edmund's scent was sharper. He could identify the taint of poison laced through it, the siren's bite, slowly melding with Edmund's natural order to create something else. Edmund didn't smell like an omega anymore, and that helped. He smelled like a tainted beta, something new and perverse, but exciting. And underneath it all he still smelled like Edmund, pride and dark humor and an edge of deeply buried insecurity. It was a smell Al automatically found himself scenting out whenever he passed through somewhere Edmund might have been, and to have it wrapped up in heat and need like this was --

"It's -- easier, a little, in fur. But you won't be able to use -- and you won't be able to change back. Or it will be harder to control, anyway. If you'd rather, I'll change back."

As he spoke, he wrapped himself around Edmund and lay down. It maximized the skin on skin contact between them, and gave Edmund a handy backrest to lean into as he ate. Not to mention he was soaking up Al's scent, aided every time all roughed his cheek against Edmund's side and belly. If any other Alpha even thought about coming near, Al wanted them to smell his claim.

Edited Date: 2017-08-24 01:30 am (UTC)

From:

just_edmund

Edmund shook his head. "It's all right. I like you like this. I have ever since the first time I saw you change." He sank his fingers into Al's mane, felt the heat of the Lion's body soaking through his clothing. "Besides, I think I'd rather - " He felt his face flood with heat, but he knew he wanted to be honest with Al. "Be full, this time."

Even without his keener Panther's senses, he could smell Al's scent rich and heady all around him. His body ached, painfully hard, uncomfortably slick in new places. He wanted to be full of Al. Oh, did he want that. But being cradled by him while satisfying some of this need...that would have to do, for now.

Reaching with one foot, Edmund snagged the strap of an unfamiliar satchel to pull it close. He could already guess at its contents. "This would be highly embarrassing if it got around, you know. That the great Panther King is reduced to fucking himself with toys."

He didn't think Al would say a word. But the rest of them would, and probably already were. "Does...everyone know?" He'd been bitten in plain view of the battle. How many knew what kind of creature it was that had taken him down? Would he even be able to hide it, if it lingered in him for any longer than these days with Al?

From:

ironysoul

Al is only just starting to realize how hard this will be, staying here while Edmund -- does that. Staying neutral. The only consolation is that now that he's more in his right mind, Edmund seems as unenthused by the process as Al himself is. He quickly hushes the part of himself that points out how eager Edmund was for the real thing, how much he wants it --

Instead, Al is going to sit here and watch and do nothing. It's already hard enough to stay away from Edmund without knowing his scent as he cums, what it sounds like. Al's not sure he'll ever be able to face Edmund again, after this.

"No one saw," he assures Edmund. "They believe you're recovering from your wounds. You are recovering from your wounds."

From:

just_edmund

"That's something, at least." Edmund opened the satchel up to see what he had to work with, since he was reconciled to not having the alpha he really wanted to mate with. There was a bottle of oil - he didn't think that would be very necessary, considering how soaked he felt there, but perhaps it would be nice other places - and a hollow sponge tube, and several phalluses of different shapes and sizes. Edmund knew exactly which one he wanted at a glance. He pulled out the smooth glass sculpture, its shaft a little curved and nice and thick, with a widened handle and, most importantly, a large bulbous knot right above it.

His heart was beginning to pound. This was really going to happen. Had to happen, he was so ravenous. His face felt like it was burning up, whether from fever or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. He knew it would be much better after, he just had to get to the after.

Nervous as a maiden on her wedding night, Edmund unfastened his trousers and slithered out of them, discarding the smallclothes beneath with one go. Instantly, the tent swirled with the scent of his slick, a fragrant musk, dark and woody. He was blushing at its obviousness, at the clear need that strained at his swollen cock and the glistening fluid that trickled to his inner thighs. He cupped his palm over himself, the tips of his fingers curled at the base of his balls, and gave the softest of sounds at the slight relief of it.

"H-how long does the bite's effects last?" he stammered. "After this heat...will I have more?"

From:

ironysoul

Oh, gods. Al thought he was ready for this, but watching Edmund shed his clothes and handle the toys so -- efficiently -- he wasn't doing a good job at keeping his desire in check, not even in this form. Edmund's questions seemed far away and confusing, no matter how he tried to bring his focus in for a coherent answer.

"I -- I don't know. Succubi are rare. They're banned from Aslan's kingdom. There are some researchers who might know more, but they'd want to know why--" and this had to be kept secret.

Al realized that he was throwing out waves of confusing pheromones, want and need and fear and incredible sadness. He hated seeing this happen to Edmund, and he hated not being able to help. There was no hiding in his fur, and changing back wasn't an option. He'd never control himself. He's not sure as it is.

"I should -- I -- I'll guard the door. I'm sorry." It was pretty much pure cowardice and he knew it. But he also knew he wouldn't be able to hold out even one mating with Edmund. The only way this could get worse was if they ended up bonded. There would be no coming back from that. So Al fled, curling his bulk against the door of the tent and sucking in breath after breath of slightly fresher air. Anything that didn't smell like Edmund, or smelled less like him. By the time Edmund was finished, maybe the tent would reek less of the Al's heartbreak.

From:

just_edmund

Perhaps such knowledge could be bought, at the right price. "If it could be managed discreetly...somehow..."

Edmund's mind didn't seem to be working properly either right now. His nose, less sensitive in this body but much more so than a normal human's, was picking up all sorts of things he had no idea how to interpret. If Al wanted him...but there were those strange notes of things that did not seem like desire at all, that were explained the next moment when Al suddenly bolted from under him, leaving him bereft of his Alpha.

"No," Edmund gasped involuntarily, for the sensation of loss and emptiness was agonizing, and he was thrown back to those feelings of turmoil and abandonment. "Al...I'll turn my back to you, you don't have to watch...but please, it hurts."

Drawing up to his hands and knees, he slid towards Al with beseeching eyes, desperate, pupils blown wide. In that moment, he was not a King but simply a man in great need. His pride forgotten, he begged. "Let me curl at your back, I swear that's all, it's enough, I just need to touch you or I'm going to go mad." He didn't know what he was going to do if Al said no, but insanity wasn't out of the question.

From:

ironysoul

Managed discreetly? The only way, the only thing Al could possibly think of -- if it continued any longer -- Edmund would need an Alpha. A mate, someone dedicated to him, available at any notice to help him when the heat struck. Someone devoted and willing to keep his silence. Someone suitable for bearing his children.

And it couldn't be Al. No matter how much he'd grown to care about Edmund, he'd never be able to have children with him or carry on the line. He wasn't a panther. And he had obligations to his pride. But the thought of someone else mating Edmund made him run hot, then cold with rage.

He'd never been like this. For years, he'd prided himself on rising above such animal instincts. But now he couldn't hold himself at bay. Heaven the faintest wift of Edmund's desperation as he froze dug under his skin again, drove him crazy with want, and the scent of his own desire sparked, followed by a wave of bleak longing.

"I can't keep you safe, Edmund." He couldn't leave either, not with Edmund begging him to stay. His instincts warred, and he was frozen in a half crouch, shamed and shaking. "I'm not safe. I don't trust myself not to hurt you." Hurt that Edmund would undoubtedly welcome now. And would be redoubled, when the reality of their situation cleared.

"I'll stay if you want. Here." At the door, across the tent from Edmund, but still within reach.

From:

just_edmund

Confusion and distress mingled in the beckoning sweetness of Edmund's heat-scent, a combination that many an Alpha would be hard-pressed to resist. To relieve his suffering, to take care of and protect the vulnerable body while satisfying its needs and marking as their own...yes, it was a powerful allure, and Edmund was dimly aware that it wasn't quite fair to Al to make him endure such temptation. Especially when, a hand-span away, he saw Al shaking and crouching as if terrified.

Kneeling before him, Edmund touched the golden mane from behind, the warmth and energy of the soft fur seeping almost instantly through his fingertips. He sighed in relief, some of the panic eased. "You're the only one I trust to keep me safe like this," he murmured. His hand rhythmically stroked Al. "You'd never hurt me. I trust you."

He knew the two of them had different definitions of what it would mean to be hurt. He knew Al didn't want - was choosing not to - mate with him tonight. He even respected that. But he needed Al to trust his instincts more.

"I want you to stay." Edmund hesitated before adding, almost shyly, "Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"

From:

ironysoul

It both helped and hurt, hearing Edmund say he trusted him. Al was acutely aware of the desire, dizzying and sick, that brewed inside him. He knew Edmund shouldn't have that faith. At the same time, hearing it made this easier. A little.

"No, just -- just do what you need. I'll stay." Edmund's touch intensified his own want, but it relieved Edmund's panic, and that, in turn, cleared Al's head enough for him to think. He'd done this before. He could do it now. For Edmund. He had to.

From:

just_edmund

Edmund didn't understand the different pheromones rolling off of Al right now, but then Al always had been a little confusing to him. Edmund was just happy to have him close at hand, staying with him for - for getting through his heat.

And getting through was exactly how he approached it. There was nothing very erotic about the glass phallus when he had a warm Alpha lying right behind him, but he was making the best of it and letting his imagination run wild as he lay back, propped up against cushions piled right next to Al's back, and warmed himself up with his fingers. Even near the half-open door of the tent, with a breeze wafting through, the scent of his slick curled through the air, sweet and almost wistful, like it needed to be combined with an Alpha's stronger aroma to be truly complete.

Edmund's breathing grew heavier as he imagined Al's fingers instead of his own, opening him up for their mating. "H-how did you manage during the Long Winter?" he asked, to fill the silence and give himself the pleasure of listening to Al's voice in answer. "When you were always in your Beast form. Did you take any mates then?"