I would need to get some clothes from my garden. Thinking of my garden made me think of Mira and her den. I need to ask what they had done with her. As I walked to the door I was confused as to how to open it. To my shock it opened on it's own. Maybe it was like the automatic doors we had.
Dimatri wasn't far. He stood with his back to the wall across the hall a bit to the right of the door. 'All done?' he asked. Dimatri was different from Kylian. I wondered what Amiri, his litter bother looked like up close. Dimatri still reminded me of a lion but his color was more solid. Where Kylian's had been a gradient, Dimatri's mane went swiftly from black with grey rosettes dotting it. His body was covered in dark grey fur with light grey rosettes. His face was bare however. His tail was thicker than Kylian's and sported an out of place white tail tip. His eyes were a deep sea blue that threatened to shallow me.
Knowing that they all shared a mother I had to assume she was the one who passed on her white fur traits. As both Kylian and Dimatri had them. Hard to know for certain until I met the other three and was able to get a good look at them.
'All done,' I replied. 'Do you know where Mira is? She is my Griffin.'
'Mira?'
'Yes, she is the animal that was with me when Kylian and Amiri brought me here.'
'I will ask,' he said. A nagging feeling started in my head again. I had felt it for a time in the cleansing room, as he had called it.
With nothing else to occupy my time while he asked where Mira was, I reflected on everything that had happened. Mainly how I felt being around them. With his attention elsewhere I could allow myself to look over Dimatri in full appreciation for his form. If I openly looked a human man over like this they would accuse me being a whore. If not be outright offended that I was eyeing him prime slice of meat.
This was a man who had nothing to hide. Once we had gotten on the ship, Amiri and Kylian had spent no time at all striping off their armor. Seeing Dimatri had shocked me more. They wore pleated skirts. Skirts like the Romans used to wear. Skirts that meant they were wearing something underneath or I would have gotten a peak at what was under there. Dimatri was leaner than Kylian. Less broad chested. Bet he could still hold me against a wall though.
'Any of us could hold you against a wall Princess. Although I do not understand why you would want us to,' Dimatri was staring at me. He had heard me. I wasn't used to being around strong telepaths and it showed. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I had not noticed him watching me. How long had he seen me watching him?
'The whole time,' he said. Well shit.
'My apologies! I did not mean to offend,' I said. I felt the blush creeping up my cheeks. I wasn't sorry not even a little bit. In fact I was wondering if I could get him to let me lick water from his chest fur.
'I am not offended.'
'You would be if you were human,' I told him.
'Why?'
'Because I was staring. Staring is considered rude among those who do not know eachother well.' I looked away towards a wall. The fact I was curious about the feel of his fur didn't help matters. Would his chest feel like the velvet warped steel it promised? Did each of them feel the same? Would I prefer to pet one over the other? What in the hell was I thinking? Was I so desperate? Maybe I was.
'You are curious. I have looked you over a few times,' he stated.
'You have?' I shook myself, 'That is not the point it has more to do with what I am curious about. The way I was staring is what makes it wrong.'
'You are not familiar with our customs and we are not familiar with yours. If you want to look at us, what ever the reason may be, none of us will mind.'
'It is very odd to me how much of yourselves you show. Do females of your race cover themselves?'
'They wear similar cloth. Many will tie a strip across their chest as well but the rest they leave as it is.'
So basically a short skirt and a bra. 'I will try to dress similar then. As soon as I am able to. As humans say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. What of Mira?' I asked hopefully.
'She seems to have made herself comfortable with our Clan of Navang. Apparently they have accepted her without any problems. Kylian was not awear she was yours but had assumed she was another creature the Jak had taken from Earth.'
'As long as she's okay. So what is next on the to do list or have we covered everything?'
'I still need to take you to the sleeping quarters so you can pick a room to sleep in,' he said.
'Sounds great! Please lead the way,' I said. As he walked his tail was swaying and lightly curling. I followed behind him with lazer focus on it. Want to touch. I want to touch it. Without thinking I did just that. My hand reached out. The curling tip warped around my wrist as my fingers stroked the fur. He turned to me and I looked up at him. I had just become every child who had been caught stealing a cookie. Even so he did not pull his tail from my grasp and I did not stop myself from stroking his satin like fur again. If he was gonna get mad at me I was gonna take as much of this sensation to the grave with me as I could.
'Do humans normally touch eachother like this?'
'Humans do not have tails. I'm sure if we did that this would not be allowed,' I said, still petting.
'Yet you continue to do it,' he stepped closer to me. His tail curling up my bare arm.
'I have a thing about textures on my skin. It's one of the reason I remain unmated. I can also claim young age and curiosity in this case. There are many tailed creatures on Earth that female humans can not resist petting.' Only instead of petting him I imagined his tail petting me. The stories my friends had told me when they had thrown social norms to the wayside filling my head. They had all picked their mates after sampling what they had to offer. In all the ways they could offer.
'And?' he was even closer now. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Around us the other three were making themselves known. Watching but not interrupting at all. Instead I noticed their own tails swaying. They shared females. If they shared me... 'What do you think of how I feel?'
'Amazing,' I found my other hand reaching for his chest. Oh sweet mercy. 'Like satin. You feel of lazy rivers and sleepy mornings.' He was close enough that I leaned in and breathed deep. The smell of fresh rain and ozone hit me first. Followed by a musk that could only be called male.
'You are very gentle about satisfying your curiosity,' he said. Did he know what his voice was doing to me. With my eyes closed I could imagine us in a jungle, swimming in some slow moving creek, while lightening threatened to jolt us in our little oasis.
'We have an audience,' I said.
'They are curious, if you will act on the arousal we can smell from you,' he said, glancing at his brothers.
I jolted back as if struck. They could smell me. Smell my desire and want. Of course they could. How could I have been so stupid. Nearly every animal could smell that and these were not human men. I pulled my hand the coil of his tail, part of me crying out at the loss. 'I am sorry. I would not force you to deal with my curiosity or... desires.'
'You are forcing us to do nothing,' I heard one of the others say. If Dimatri voice fell like rain this one was thunder echoing off a mountain side. I looked between them. My lust clouding my brain made it hard to pin point which one had spoken. One peeled himself from the wall coming closer. 'We may not want to mate you but that has more to do with how different you are from us. I am shocked you wound find us desirable so quickly.'
'Amiri,' Dimatri hissed at the male. So this was Amiri up close and in the light. Honestly Dimatri was small compared to his litter mate. Amiri was thick chested and board enough I almost thought he was a bear this close up. The way he moved was hundred percent lethal cat. Like Dimatri he was coated in rosettes. Amiri was lighter in color than his bother and likely an inch or two taller. His mane was solid black while the rest of his fur was a light smoke grey. His rosettes were white as was his tail tip. His mane was also thicker, fuller. From what I could see it went past his neckline and across his collar bones.
'You are more like a snow leopard than a lion,' I found myself saying. I had spoken the words as well as thought them.
'There is a difference?' Kylian asked coming closer as well. I found myself backing up. My prey instincts kicking in now that my desire was cooling.
'Leopards are smaller in size than lions. They have rosettes though like Dimatri and Amiri do. The fur pattern I mean. With Amiri being so light colored he would fit right in on some snow topped mountain. Dimatri didn't make me think of it since he is so much darker and I've never seen a grey leopard. Black is extremely rare but yellow is typically the color of them,' I said looking at Kylian before turning back to Amiri. 'I think it's due to the fact I always preferred the company of animals to humans. Most human males disgust me. Only a handful never bothered me and three of those were my brothers.'
'Either way you are not forcing us to do anything. It is odd to us that a female would be so gentle in touching us. We are still adjusting to it. I have an easier time with it since I have the most diplomatic training but it is still odd. You are interested in us on some level but have made no move to test us,' Dimatri said to me.
'How am I to test you? You are not human males who grew up practicing the dances. Nor do you seem particularly interested in showing off the same way they would. Which I'm very glad for. Some of the ways they show off is just plain stupid. If you show interest in females the same way big cats on Earth do, I will have to pass. Especially you,' I said, pointing at Amiri.
'Why me specifically?' Amiri asked. If I knew them better I might think he looked offended.
'Because snow leopard mating usually results in females and males both getting thrown into rocks, rolled down cliffsides, and getting a nasty bite to the back of the neck! All of which my body is not designed to handle without the right hormones.'