Primitive Instinct: The Journey Home

--One Week Later--

“You look beautiful, Fern,” Ivy smiled as she helped me.

Roar had gone with the hunting party out of the valley while I stayed behind with Ivy, who wasn’t coping well with Osh’ri’ca going with the party as well. Her hormones were a mess, and her husband was trying so hard to calm her, but it just wasn’t working. So, I stayed and sent Diesel with Roar to watch his back.

They came back with a babat, a weird looking horse thing with saber teeth, and Roar carried a thing called rawlak. Stark white fur that was almost as thick and soft as Roar’s with light gray stripes and spots on its back like I would see on young fawns back in Texas. Diesel had proved the accuracy of his Mapok name by warning the party and Roar had been the one to shoot it right through the eye as it tried to attack one of the other hunters.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” I admitted as Ivy helped me wiggle into the soft hide pants that went only to my knees.

“Nervous?” she smiled.

“Excited,” I corrected her. “I have nothing to be nervous about with Roar’kaol’tok. I’ve just waited for this to happen for long enough and I can hardly wait for it to happen already.”

“Good,” she laughed. “Because it’s happening.”

“Finally,” I smiled and picked up the sleeveless vest that would hug my body and push my boobs up.

Not practical in the cold, but it was how Mapok joining went. The sleeves, at least, I could understand. We were to be painted during the ceremony and since Mapok arms were furred, or feathered, to the elbow... Understood. The feet, I was having a harder time accepting. I had no fur to show off, so what was the point? Not a damn clue, but it was a part of the ritual. God knows we’ve done a fair amount of... inappropriate, this past week, so I could get over a little weirdness if it meant I’d have my hunter at the end of it.

“How was your ceremony?” I asked.

“Not like this,” she laughed. “Osh’ri’ca and I weren’t on the best of terms when we met, and it stayed that way for a while. He was an ass, as you know. I had managed to pick up a little bit of the language and understood that while I was safe as a healer, I wasn’t as safe as I thought. I needed someone with standing in the clan to protect me. Osh’ri’ca and I had come to a kind of friendship by then. It was political, at first. But his gifting made me fall in love with him.”

“How long have you been married?”

“Four or five months,” she said, helping me pull the ties of the vest tighter. “Turns out, the thing about boys picking on girls they like is true. He was just not good at showing that he liked me, and it made him turn into an ass instead.”

“But it was a big deal, right? He’s the chief.”

“Not when I married him. He became chief the day after when he killed the last chief. Sad, but he did try to have me poisoned. Too bad for him, I happen to know what boja berries look and smell like. Osh’ri’ca made sure I knew, since they grow around our sun camp,” she said and produced a bone comb that almost had me crying. “I figured you would want to use this.”

“God, yes,” I said, and she laughed and made me sit on the floor so she could comb the tangles from my hair. After a while I couldn’t help it. “Ivy? Are you scared? About having babies.”

“Some,” she admitted after a second. “There are a number of things that could go wrong, but the worst part is knowing that I might pass on more of my genetics than their father. It’s a harsh life, Fern. We are proof that we can make it, but there’s a lot of struggling involved in that.”

“But?” I prompted her.

“You are also proof that we can manage that struggle, with the right knowledge,” she said. “I wasn’t raised to know the things you do. I can’t teach them how to make a shelter or snowshoes or set a trap.”

“You can teach them how to make medicine, bandage wounds, and set a broken bone,” I told her. “And I’ll see you pretty much every day for half the year, so it’s not like I’m not going to teach these kits of yours the things I know.”

“I know you will,” she laughed and braided parts of my hair so it was out of my face. “There. I’ll let Osh’ri’ca know that you’re ready, then come get you when it’s time.”

“Try to hurry them along, please?” I asked and she giggled as she left the healers tent where I’d been getting ready. “Diesel?”

He lifted his head and perked his ears at me.

“I’m getting married,” I smiled, and he licked his nose before getting up and coming to put his head under my hand for a pet. “He’s pretty great, isn’t he? You’re still my bestest good boy, though. Always.”

I gave him some pets before scratching in his ruff. Ivy came back laughing and grabbed my hand to lead me out of the tent.

“He’s been pacing like a crazy person pretty much the entire time,” she explained. “I think he’s ready.”

I wasn’t sure how the Balla clans did things, but the Vysen produced drums, the Quasim had beads on strings and attached to hollowed wooden dowels that they shook. The noise made from the two distinctly different instruments was in a rhythm not unlike a heartbeat as it started when Ivy brought me to the huge bonfire that would turn into the site for our living space until we left for the sun camps.

Roar was in front of the fire beside Osh’ri’ca, pacing, just like Ivy said he was. When the noise stopped, Roar snapped his attention to me and the world just... Stopped. It no longer existed at all, and I couldn't bring myself to worry about it.

“What are you standing here for?” Ivy whispered to me and gave me small shove on my shoulder. “Go claim your hunter.”

My arms were numb, and I was pretty sure I was going to get frostbite on my toes a little bit, but it didn’t matter. I only wanted the hunter that was staring at me like I truly was a gift given to him as I walked to his side and took his paw in my hand.

I heard nothing Osh’ri’ca said before he asked for Roar to hold out his paw. There was knowing chuckles from those gathered when he held up his paw with my hand still held in it firmly. Ivy was grinning as she brought over a dyed mixture that was like paint and a brush made of mammoth hair. The same pattern that was in Roar’s fur was extended up his left arm to his shoulder while it was laid over my whole right arm and up my neck.

“Fern’rath’fik, make your mark to claim this male as yours,” Osh’ri’ca said, and I dipped my right palm into the paint and placed it over Roar’s heart. “Roar’kaol’tok, make your mark to claim this female as yours.”

Roar’s paw covered most of my chest and I almost rolled my eyes when he smirked at me. I bet he was going to make a comment about me being small as soon as the last part was done.

“Diesel’vor’maan, as the female’s family from before she came to be among the Mapok people, do you approve of this mating?” Osh’ri’ca asked and Diesel barked before shoving his head at my legs, making me stumble into Roar’s arms.

“I’m going to want to know what the comment was,” I told Roar and his ear flicked when he winked at me as he put me back on my feet properly. It was only then that I realized we were standing on a hide that was covering the snow. I looked at the amazing male in front of me and told him in English, “You’re being sweet.”

Osh’ri’ca chuckled and Ivy giggled before Roar took my hands and held them in his paws, palm to palm in front of us as Osh’ri’ca wrapped cording around and between them, talking and being completely unheard by me once again. How could I pay attention to anything else when I was literally facing the best male in at least two universes?

The drums and the rattlers went crazy, and Roar twisted and rotated our hands until the bindings slipped off then grabbed me around the waist and the back of my head to kiss me with enough heat to warm my toes again.

“Save it for the mating tent,” Osh’ri’ca chuckled softly, making Roar pull away and smile widely.

“Sooner than later,” he answered, and I laughed.

Roar pushed me back towards the healer's tent where I was made to drink some tea and warm up near the fire while he gently traced the paint up my arm.

“It might look odd to the Mapok, but it suits you,” he finally said before touching his paw print on my chest. “As does this.”

“What now?” I asked and he took my empty cup and helped me stand, kissing me deeply.

“Shoes and fur for you. Eating and celebrating at the fire for a bit, then I find a way to disappear unnoticed so we can go to the tent that was prepared for us,” he said. “The first mating can be... disrupting, to others. Diesel has chosen to stay with Osh’ri’ca and Ivy.”

“Noted,” I giggled as he grinned and kissed the end of my nose.

Once I had shoes and my fur on, Roar took my hand and led the way back to the fire where there were already several pairs of wrestlers rolling around in the snow, freshly cooked meat and warmed vegetables was being eaten, and cups of steaming tea was being filled. There was laughter and shouting and a lot of activity around us and Roar kept me under his arm, so I didn’t get stepped on or run over on our way to sit down at the side of the fire.

“There’s a lot of celebrating already,” Ivy smiled at the ordered chaos around us when we sat down and Osh’ri’ca and another chief drew Roar into a conversation. “The snow cycle is kind of bleak, isn’t it?”

“The lack of sun makes it feel depressing,” I nodded.

“I’m glad you two have done this for the clans,” she nodded. “It lightens the mood.”

“Well, it’s not entirely selfless,” I laughed, and she snorted.

“You are going to be the talk of the clans, Fern,” she shook her head.

We stayed at the fire for a while before Roar was able to get us away. As soon as we were away from the light, he put me on his back and dropped to his paws and bolted for the tent that was set up away from the camp.

The tent was small, but it only had a fire pit inside. There was no bed and it felt like there was something soft under the hide of the floor. I was kind of confused until Roar literally had me half undressed and laying on the floor within three steps of the entrance.

“The paint,” he groaned, and I tilted my head as he started kissing my neck and grinding his hips against me. “Ivy said it doesn’t work for you and her, but... It’s made from a plant that makes our blood boil with the need to mate.”

Well, that made sense now.

“It’s why the first mating is disruptive. I should have explained sooner,” he groaned again, his pupils narrowing to tiny little pricks before blowing out wide enough to where they were almost the only part of his eyes I could see. “Fern, please, whatever happens in here, don’t be afraid of me.”

“That’s impossible,” I said, pulling the ties on his vest until they came loose.

“I’ll sound more like a creature than a man,” he said. “Mapok know of this, but... Osh’ri’ca told me that it might frighten you, like it did Ivy. I’ll never hurt you, though.”

“I know,” I slid his vest off and put my hand over the mark I’d left on his chest. “I trust you, Roar. I love you and there’s nothing that will change that.”

“Kits, Fern,” he growled when I reached between us to pull at his pants.

“Ivy made me tea that will keep me from growing a kit tonight,” I told him, and he growled darkly.

“Never take it again. But I’m glad you did tonight,” he said as I pulled the belt on his pants loose. “I might be half mad with the paint but tell me if you want me to stop at any point tonight. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” I told him and slipped my hand into his pants.

Over the past week, we’ve had a lot of touching happen, so I wasn’t unfamiliar with what my hand found inside his pants. I knew the feeling of the smooth skin, the weight as I held him, the hardness I knew to expect. From all of that, I suspected the actual size of what my hunter had between his legs was substantial. What I wasn’t expecting was the sound that came from him when I touched him this time.

He truly did sound more like an animal than usual and watched his pupils try to constrict, like he was fighting to control them, when I know he could.

“It’s okay, Roar,” I said, slowly moving my hand on him. “I know I’m safe with you. Let go.”

I actually saw his pointy canines when he growled this time. The ties that were left on our clothes were broken and the material was discarded like rags before he sat on his knees, holding me up with a paw between my shoulders and another at the small of my back. I sat high on his thighs, and he growled loudly as he started kissing my neck. A sharp nip made me gasp and my back arch, which I took as a good thing because of the growling while his mouth closed around one of my nipples.

I think he was fascinated by them, honestly. He always had to play with them first, driving me insane as he turned each little bud into a hard point. Once he was satisfied with those, he laid me back on the floor and pushed my legs open and rumbled deeply as he took me in.

His expressions were like foreplay and now that I could actually see, I found it hard to look away from his eyes, but my curiosity got the better of me and I looked down, slowly. I knew he was fit. That wasn’t new. The hard planes of his chest still required appreciation, no matter how many times I’d seen him without a shirt before now. The slightly defined bulges of his abs and every inch in between was drool-inducing and now I didn’t have to fight myself to not show how much I really enjoyed looking at his body.

And then...

There was that.

His dick was beautiful. A lot bigger than I thought I could handle, but still art. He was thick, long, and hard enough to look painful, even to my eyes.

“Fern,” he growled deeply, and my eyes went back to his as he forced them to dilate. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Roar,” I said, and his nose wrinkled as he growled, his eyes truly blowing wider than I’ve ever seen them before. My skin erupted with goosebumps and a shiver went through me.

That tremor in my body triggered everything in Roar. My legs went wider around his hips as he leaned over me and that stunning, amazing dick was pressed against me. The pressure was immense due to the girth, but a little more force as he pushed forward and he slid right in, I was that turned on by my husband.

Not once in the entire time that I’d been with him had I ever felt like he was any less of a man than any other male I’d met before coming here. He had paws and fangs and claws and fur and fox-shaped ears, but that didn’t mean he was an animal. The sound that he made as he entered me, however, was truly the sound of an animal. I understood why it would have frightened Ivy, especially if she didn’t know about the aphrodisiac properties the paint had, but I was very different than Ivy. I loved that sound from him.

I could only hold on to him and experience the greatest pleasure I’ve ever felt in my life. He thrust into me several times before my body was able to take all of him and I moaned loudly as his hips met mine. There was urgency in the movements, and I knew that Roar was deep in the grips of the drugged paint. Tender and affectionate sex was not going to happen until it was out of his system and honestly, I was perfectly happy with that. All of the build-up that we’ve done since he told me he wanted to claim me as his mate had made us both desperate for this. True release.

No, this wasn’t passion. Yet.

This was going to be me getting fucked senseless by my husband. It was an intoxicating thought and I moaned louder than before as he thrust into me harder. Each time he withdrew, he came back with more force, more depth, more need. I cried out as I dug my nails into his shoulders, an orgasm exploding through me and then all around me. It only spurred Roar on more.

I was flipped over onto my hand and knees and my leg was lifted as he fucked me into another orgasm or three before I felt him growing larger and harder inside of me.

“Yes!” I cried out and he snarled his own pleasure as he pushed my front down to the floor with a paw between my shoulders and rammed into me. “Yes! Harder, Roar!”

He delivered immediately as he fucked me so hard, my eyes rolled, and a continuous moan came from my mouth. Still, he grew. There was pressure again that made me nearly sob with ecstasy. I felt like something else was pushed inside of me as he slammed into me and then thrust twice, hard enough to make me see stars, before he threw his head back and howled, releasing himself inside of me. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over me with every twitch of his cock as it delivered his cum.

It felt like it lasted for an eternity before he stopped coming and growled softly, lowering to his elbows over me, pressing his front to my back.

“I... hmm... mate... Fern,” he mumbled listlessly. “Fern. Did... binding... Fern. Fern?”

“I’m not much better with words than you are right now,” I replied.

“Fern! Damnit! Fern, are you hurt?” he said and I blinked at his swearing. “Answer me!”

“No, I’m not hurt. The opposite, actually,” I sighed happily.

“I... I bound with you,” he said.

“You’re going to have to explain some more. I’m not sure my brain is working after that,” I said.

“Osh’ri’ca is Wippa. He wouldn’t have... Fern, I bound you,” he said and pressed his hips forward slightly, making me feel the bulge that was inside of me and was not going to be coming out without hurting like a bitch.

I knew some animals knotted during mating. It was to ensure reproduction and since Balla Mapok were made to live in a harsh climate, I guess it kind of made sense that they would have developed a way to ensure the continuation of their kind, like shorter gestations, quicker growth, and a mating knot.

“Oh,” I blinked and looked over my shoulder at him. “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” he shook his head and kissed me sweetly. “Balla bind when mating sometimes. It is very good that you thought to have the tea because when this happens, it almost always grows a kit.”

“Okay,” I said simply and crossed my arms to use them as a pillow. “How long until we can move again?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never mated before and I never asked how long the binding lasts. There are some things you don’t want to hear from the one that raised you,” he said and I giggled.

“At least you and Hool’gra’nat are both males. It was very awkward having that conversation with my uncle. I think we were both scarred afterwards,” I told him.

“I should have told you about this before,” he sighed and put his arms around mine, giving me a much better pillow to rest on. “I just have a hard time remembering that you don’t know these things.”

“Why were you scared?” I asked him.

“I was afraid that it might have hurt you. It can tear a female if it’s pulled out too far or removed,” he said. “I wasn’t... aware of a lot of things, just now.”

“I guessed as much,” I giggled and he growled playfully before nipping at my shoulder.

“Did... Did I frighten you any?”

“Not even a little bit,” I smiled and closed my eyes. “The opposite. I loved everything that just happened and the best part is that we can do this whenever we want to. As soon as we can move, if you think you can handle me again.”

“Oh, Fern,” he growled and thrust slightly. “I’m only just getting started with you.”