Two of a Kind - 13. Chapter 13: Meeting with The Snake

Cavel wasn’t too surprised when The Snake called the next day. Even Bashta could hear the pounding music in the background. He briefly spoke to Cavel who appeared to reluctantly agree to something. Then Cavel held the phone out; apparently he wanted to speak to Bashta.

“Yes?” Bashta held the phone gingerly to his ear. He still wasn’t used to the modern contraption.

“I need more history on your clan and this sickness; it would be helpful if we could meet and talk in person. I would also like to see the actual object in question.” The snake had a deep voice, a little sibilant on the word see made a shiver go up Bashta’s back.

Cavel heard that. “He can’t come here and handle that doll. It could still have the contagion on it. The houses have already been sanitized and the bodies burned.”

Bashta took a breath to repeat what Cavel said but The Snake cut him off. “I heard him. Damn it,” he cursed. “I can get by without seeing the scenes, I guess. Alright, I’m definitely going to have to meet with you in person. I’ll need your scent and whatever you can tell me about where you are from and your clan.”

“My scent?” Bashta’s eyes were huge. “Why?”

“I never know who I’m going to be coming up against. According to Velaku you’ve been in the jungle most of your life. Even being here for a few weeks I’ll be able to smell scents from your rainforest. Please let me speak to your mate.”

Cavel was frowning as he listened to the Snake talk. “We’ll meet you in Fresno.” There was a pause and Cavel’s expression darkened. “Of course I would trust you around my clan, I trust Velaku’s judgment; but we just had every kitling sick; almost dying. The men and women of my clan are understandably nervous right now, I’d hate for there to be an incident if it could be prevented of course but I meant what I said. I won’t risk this plague hurting my clan again. I won’t expose them to anything that’s holds even a minute risk.” A few minutes later Cavel hung up the phone.

“Looks like we’re headed to Fresno.”

    ***

Cavel called Saulle and let him know where they were going. He wasn’t happy about it but agreed that meeting The Snake in Fresno was better than bringing him to the Jaguar clan’s lands. The car ride there was actually relaxing, Cavel pointing out the scenery for Bashta. They went through a lot of small towns and some stretches of desolate wild areas. Bashta had the window down, enjoying the warm air moving through the car and playing with the breeze with his fingers out the window. It made Cavel smile to see his mate so relaxed.

That didn’t last through the meeting with The Snake. They met in a park, avoiding the screaming human children clustered on the red and yellow play structure by starting along the walking path that led into a small wooded area. The tall, lean man led the way, leaving Cavel and Bashta to follow.

“I appreciate you doing this for my clan.” Cavel glanced at the snake Carthera, trying not to meet his strange eyes.

“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Velaku,” he smirked, “and the paycheck.”

Bashta was walking beside Cavel who made sure to stay between the pair, protecting his mate from this Carthera with a reputation so volatile and dangerous other Snake Clan members wouldn’t go near him. Bashta was shaking his head.

“Whatever. As long as you find out who is doing this and we can stop them. My family does not deserve to have their final rest disturbed and that doll almost killed Cavel’s entire clan.” Bashta pushed back the tears, not wanting to appear weak in front of the first Snake Carthera he had ever met.

The Snake stopped and stared at Bashta. Bashta stood his ground and held his stare; The Snake’s slit pupils expanding then contracting. His tongue flicked out and he caught the anger scent just pouring from Bashta’s skin. “I can do that.”

Spending the next hour in a secluded area of the park The Snake pumped Bashta and Cavel for everything they knew about the jungle around Bashta’s home, the family that came asking to join Cavel’s clan, and the doll Bashta had recognized. Cavel handed over a memory stick with a copy of all the pictures Bashta had taken.

Stopping at the jeep, Bashta held out his hand. “Thank you. Even if you aren’t doing this for me, you will be helping my clan. If ever I can help you or yours, please call on me.”

The Snake looked at the outstretched hand and then over at Cavel.

“He speaks for both of us,” said Cavel simply. “Paycheck or not, we will owe you. I was nervous about that before I met you but as Velaku said; your reputation is not deserved. I trust you to do this right.”

“Not wholly deserved maybe,” The Snake said. He still hesitated but finally grasped Bashta’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’ll call you when I know something or I will let Velaku know any progress.”

“Thank you.”

    ***

There wasn't a lot that Bashta didn't try to do over the next few weeks while they waited anxiously for news. It was better than sitting around the house for the phone to ring. The clan had absorbed him and made him one of their own after his tireless dedication to the sick kitlings. As the families received the antiserum shot and started to get better they left the Community Center in groups. Grateful for all he had done, they all offered to teach the alpha's mate everything they could about the wonders of the modern world.

Cavel spent a lot of time with him, but when he was busy the different clan members would take Bashta with them to their jobs so that he could get a good idea of what he might like to do now that he was living in their world. He spent time mowing lawns in the parks with Serel. He tried waiting on customers in the town cafe, worked maintaining the trails in the clan hunting lands, and was a real asset while working on a house being built for the Mastersons.

He had scaled up the ladder behind Mackent and walked easily along the narrow boards already making up the basic shell of the house skeleton. His fearless nature and natural agility prompted the crew to keep him on the roof nailing up supports most of the day. He enjoyed working with his hands and the hours passed quickly. He was having fun but was glad to stop at noon when he smelled food… and his mate. Cavel had come with the women who brought lunch for the work crew.

"Hey babe." Cavel shaded his eyes and called up to Bashta who was squatting on a beam, his bare toes gripping either side. Bashta looked down and saw him and grinned around a mouthful of nails.

"Hey!" he said after he carefully spit the nails out into his hand and put them in a small bag hanging off his belt. He slipped the hammer he was using in a loop on the other side of his belt and then in one smooth move swung down and hung from the rafter with his arms. Cavel watched the muscles in his stomach flex where Bashta's shirt stretched up. He was so fixated on the lean muscles rippling that he was startled when his lithe mate dropped to the plywood floor with a light thud.

Bashta laughed and then leaned against Cavel, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in for a kiss. "I didn't think I'd see you today."

"Well I need to take a break sometimes too. Owning a gym isn't exactly lazy man's work. I opened at 5:00 AM and taught a kickboxing class this morning and then had to deal with calls to suppliers and pay bills before I could make my escape."

"What's kickboxing?" Bashta asked as he followed Cavel over to the makeshift table set up from a strip of plywood balanced on two sawhorses. They both grabbed some roast beef sandwiches and cold pasta salad.

"It's a way of fighting, like martial arts." Cavel did his best to explain on the way to sit under a tree in the corner of the property.

"But you teach it to people for a class? Fighting is fun?" Bashta frowned; he didn't really understand, struggling with the concept of violence as anything other than a necessary skill for survival.

. "I don't think I'd like fighting or hurting someone for fun."

"Well, I teach it more for protection. I don't exactly agree with sport fighting either but Carthera have a lot of power, we're often stronger than humans. Without knowing what we are doing we could seriously hurt them in hand to hand confrontations. In the past humans claimed that we were vicious, using our strength as an excuse to say that we were dangerous animals that shouldn't be allowed to mingle with real people back when it first became illegal to hunt our kind down. They would use their laws instead." Cavel leaned his back against the tree. The bite of sandwich in his mouth was a small lump that he had a hard time swallowing. It sat uneasily in his stomach as he tried not to show how much he hated the struggle their kind had to live through just to be acknowledged as equal to humanity. He didn’t want to scare Bashta.

"There were times before when mobs of humans would attack a lone Carthera. Then if they were stopped from killing them right then and there, the poor male or female would be tried in court, in front of a judge and their peers," he rolled his eyes, "which in reality, were just a bunch of hateful humans. Most of the time the Carthera would end up dead anyway."

Bashta’s mouth was wide open in shock. He stared at Cavel in horror."That's awful! It's not like that now, right? Humans and Carthera so... separate? I've seen humans who live here in town. Some of them helped when the kitlings were sick. That doesn't happen around here does it?" He had put his plate down and now his hands were twisting in his lap in his stress.

"Mostly, no. But places where it's not as common for our two kinds to mingle, like your jungle or in cut off rural areas it's still not completely changed. There will always be some people out there who just don't think we belong living side by side, some Carthera believe that too." Cavel leaned over and kissed his mate to try and comfort him. “Eat your lunch Bashta, you need the food. “

"I am almost glad that we can't have kitlings, even though we need an heir. This world you live in is so scary sometimes and I'm an adult. The idea of being responsible to protect an innocent life from the dangers is more than I can imagine." Bashta picked up his half-eaten sandwich, tearing off pieces and putting them on the plate but not eating them. Cavel didn’t say anything for a minute and then sighed.

"I knew you heard the clan talking about that." Cavel put his plate down too and tugged on Bashta until he got the younger man sitting between his legs. "Have you been worrying about us not being able to have kitlings?"

Bashta bit his lip and rested his head against Cavel's shoulder. "A little. I understand more about why Saulle was so hostile in the beginning. If we don't have any kitlings then the clan is in danger because we have no one to take over after us.” His voice was pained at the thought but he had to get this out. He had been having bad dreams lately about one them being hurt or sick. They were very vivid and he woke up from each one with uncontrollable tears streaming down his face as he clutched his mate.

His mate… Cavel shouldn’t have to give up his clan because he couldn’t make an heir with him or face this same fear. “If one of us dies the other will go feral and the clan will suffer almost as much. What if you had died from this damn disease? The clan would have fallen apart at the worst possible time. People could still die if that were to happen."

Cavel rubbed Bashta's arms, "We'll figure something out. I'm sure things will work out in the end. Right now we have enough to focus on." He leaned his head down and nibbled on the side of Bashta's neck. "Besides, I'm not ready to give up my alone time with you yet."

Bashta's breathing sped up and he moaned quietly. "Oh, distracting me like that isn't fair."

"Oh, I don't recall ever agreeing to play fair." He trailed his lips up to Bashta's wide soft ears and began using the rough tip of his tongue to tease the edges, chuckling when Bashta squeaked. "Besides, I think you like it when I tease you."

"I do..." Bashta ran the very tips of his claws up Cavel's legs and down the sensitive insides of his thighs. It was Cavel's turn to moan and his muscles flexed and quivered. "I think you like it too."

"Do you need to stay all day?" Cavel asked him urgently.

"I promised Mackent I'd help. Ooooh..." Bashta arched a little when Cavel nibbled right on the base of his sensitive ear.

"Hey Mackent!" Cavel yelled.

A head popped up from the group of men lying with their mates under a tree close by. "Yeah boss?"

"You don't need Bashta this afternoon do you? We have some... things to discuss." Cavel's hands made their way under Bashta's shirt and were playing with his stomach as the muscles tightened and jumped.

Mackent laughed, "Sure thing. He can finish up those joists for the second floor tomorrow." He grinned at Cavel, "He's all yours. Have fun with your, ahhh, discussion."

Bashta blushed furiously. His claws dug in to Cavel's thighs just a little. In return Cavel reached up and pinched one nipple. Bashta jerked and hissed then moaned when Cavel gently rubbed it to take the sting away in a wave of pleasure.

"Alright you two, get out of here before you get us all horny!" Mackent's mate, Belindi scolded them.

"We're going, we're going," Cavel laughed. Bashta stood up and offered his hand to Cavel. They headed back to the vehicles hand in hand. Belindi sat next to where Mackent was laying down and watched them go, smiling softly.

"What's with that look?" Mackent asked. She looked down at him and rested her hand on his chest.

"Just remembering how exciting being newly mated is, that's all."

He sat up and kissed her. "We could do more than that tonight," he promised.

    ***

"I think working in the library is my favorite," Bashta said. He had wandered into the building one day while exploring the town on his own where he promptly found Raselie. Bashta admired her a lot; they worked together to help the sick kitlings side by side during the worst of the wait for the anti-serum. When she found out Bashta was interested in the books she started teaching him to read and was amazed at how fast he learned, devouring each lesson and learning more than she would have thought possible in just a week.

For now he was only helping her with small chores and in the children's area but the kitlings all loved doing crafts with Bashta. He showed them how to weave grasses into mats and small baskets and the older children got lessons in carving. Some of the older younglings sat with him as they all worked on their reading skills. The best part of all to him was reading the baby books to the infants during their story time. Their chubby cheeks and bright eyes and happy giggles encouraged him to pick very happy books just to hear them again.

"I think that's what I want to do." Bashta turned his head from where it rested on his folded arms under his chin. His legs moved restlessly and pushed the sheet down.

Cavel was idly tracing designs on the bare skin of Bashta's back. They were lying in the bed, the glass doors wide open to let in a breeze to dry the sweat on their skin. He trailed his fingers down to the small of Bashta's back and chuckled a little when Bashta shivered.

"That tickles," Bashta complained as he turned over. Cavel rested his head on his hand and looked down at Bashta.

"You're so hot." He leaned down and kissed Bashta then rubbed their cheeks together. Bashta ran his fingers over the line of spots along Cavel's neck. Cavel yawned.

"You're not so bad yourself," he joked, "for an old guy."

"An old guy? An old guy!" Cavel looked outraged. Bashta started laughing when Cavel started poking him in the stomach. "Who are you calling old?" He slid a muscular thigh over Bashta's legs when he tried to squirm away.

"First you complained about dinner being too late when you get home and now you're yawning and the sun hasn't even gone down yet!" Bashta wrestled for control and Cavel let him push him over and slide on top of him. Bashta slid his hands down Cavel's arms and pinned his wrists to the bed.

"If I remember right dinner was late because you wanted to take a shower with me and I'm tired because you woke me up early this morning."

"I didn't hear you complaining when you woke up and lifted the covers up to watch." Bashta looked down at Cavel and grinned.

"Hell no! I'm not now either." He gasped a little when Bashta wiggled. "Oh that's just mean."

"Hmm, are you sure you're up for it?" Bashta asked as he sat up, letting go of Cavel's wrists.

Cavel's hands instantly came up to Bashta's thighs and he lifted his hips, grinding a little. "Oh, I'm sure."

"Not too tired?" Bashta leaned down and kissed Cavel, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and back out in one quick swipe. Cavel's hands tightened on his thighs.

"Hmmm... I'm never too tired when I'm touching you."

Cavel rolled them over and was leaning down to kiss Bashta when the phone rang. "Damn it!" he cursed. "How about we just ignore that?" He leaned down and started licking and sucking on Bashta's chest.

"Shouldn't," Bashta gasped out.

The phone stopped ringing.

"There, see?" Cavel said against his chest, "Now we can..."

This time Cavel's cell phone started ringing.

"Arrrgh." Cavel glared at it and then reluctantly climbed off the bed and strode over to his cell phone on the dresser. He picked up the phone and hit the talk button without looking at the caller id.

"Hello," he snapped.

"Cavel?"

Cavel instantly straightened up as his eyes opened wide. "Velaku. Sorry. I, ah, I didn't expect to you to call this time of day."

Velaku chuckled a little, "Your mate keeping you busy?"

Cavel blushed and Bashta laughed quietly from the bed. Cavel glared at him. "A little."

"Your clan?"

"Much better. Everyone has been treated with the anti-serum. Dr. Waddel has several copies of his notes about the sickness and the antiserum in case something like this happens again."

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear things are going better and your kitlings are all better. That's something I need to talk to you about."

"Do you have news for us?" Bashta pushed up on the bed to lean against the headboard and pulled his knees up to his chest. Cavel moved over to sit on the side of the bed and put a hand on one of his knees.

"I do. Davis came through and he found out who has been desecrating your mate's village. They were smugglers, looking for artifacts and treasure. It looks like this isn't the only place they've been hunting either."

Bashta closed his eyes, his head coming down to rest on Cavel's hand.

Cavel snarled and his voice was distorted, "Have they been caught?"

"No. They pulled out of the area and when he tracked them back here to the States he was forced to let them go when he found them to take care of something more important."

Bashta was staring at the wall with tears running down his cheeks silently. Cavel rubbed his knee as he tried to control his temper in vain.

"What in the hell could possibly be more important than this?" he snapped. "My clan came close to dying. Others might not be so fortunate. That god damned Snake..."

Velaku interrupted him with a cool voice. "He found a captive female with an infant kitling. Black jaguar."

Cavel was speechless. Bashta was staring at him and the phone with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.

"Are they okay?" he asked quickly. Velaku heard him through the speaker.

"The kitling is. The female was feral. She died attacking the man who was holding them captive when Davis managed to set them free."

"Who was she?" Bashta whispered. When Velaku didn't hear him Cavel repeated the question.

"From what she told Davis, the mate of your mate's older brother."

Bashta frowned. He shook his head when Cavel looked at him. "I don't know," he mouthed.

"Are you sure?"

"I can't be certain. Davis did find security tapes with footage of the other men involved in the smuggling. There are some images of a black jaguar. I can email them to you."

"We'll call you back."

Cavel went to get his laptop from downstairs while Bashta pulled on a pair of shorts. He waited anxiously while the computer booted up. Cavel pulled on a pair of sweats and then brought up the internet and his email. The email was already waiting and he took a deep breath and then clicked on it.

There were two attachments.

"You ready for this?" Cavel asked Bashta. Bashta nodded but laced their hands together. "Okay."

He clicked on the files and opened them. The first one was a profile image and the black spots and jet black hair of an adult, mated black jaguar was easily recognizable. The man was tall but whipcord thin. It was the full facial shot that caught their attention.

"He looks just like me!" Bashta whispered in shock.

Cavel looked between him and the computer screen, comparing the man in the picture and the face of his mate who stared at it with a surprised look. Bashta reached out with one trembling finger and traced the curves and lines of the features that were so familiar looking. He saw them every day in the mirror.

"I think the female was right. This man has to be related to you, Bashta." Cavel wrapped an arm around Bashta. "Do you know who he is?"

Bashta shook his head. "I never knew my parents had any kitlings before my litter."

"Could they have and not said anything? Could he have gone missing?"

Bashta had tears in his eyes and his lips trembled. "I just don't know. But... a brother. I had a brother alive and I never knew."

He turned to Cavel in distress, "How could I have not known? Why didn't my mother tell me? I was so alone..." He began to sob, collapsing against the warm skin of Cavel's bare chest. Deep ragged breaths shook his slim frame as he shed tears for the family he lost that he never knew he had. Time passed while Cavel gently held him and let him release the pain that tore at him until his shaking and the loud sobs began to quiet. He focused on sending as much love and reassurance through their mate bond as possible.

Bashta finally turned his head at Cavel's gentle urging. He pushed the hair off his mate's face and kissed his forehead. "You'll never be alone again," Cavel reminded him.

"There is just so much I don't understand. It's so hard."

"I know babe but life isn't easy. You know that. You're a survivor. You lived when a lot of others would have given up and died. You stayed true to your family and your duty. You were brave enough to mate me and come here to save my clan; to start a new life with me in a world not your own.

"I can never say how grateful I am to you for all of that, how lucky I am to have such a brave mate. All I can do is promise that I will never leave you. I love you Bashta." Cavel opened completely to their bond and the pure shining devotion he sent made fresh tears come to Bashta's eyes.

"I'm the lucky one. To have met you and been captured by your men." Bashta sat up in Cavel's arms and wrapped his arms around Cavel's neck. "I knew you were special the moment I caught your scent in the jungle; you smelled like home and comfort and safety. It made me so angry that you smelled that good and made me want what I thought I couldn't have."

"All those things you wanted, a home, a family, love… they’re yours. They have been since you dropped to the ground and glared at me like I was your worst enemy. I knew we were mates but I didn't know that I could love you so much." Cavel couldn't help it; he leaned into Bashta and kissed him.

Their lips moved together, Cavel capturing Bashta's bottom lip and sucking on it gently, teasing him. Bashta moaned and his mouth parted. Cavel quickly slipped his tongue in the small gap to taste his mate, a warm sensual swipe with his tongue along the raspy top of Bashta's mouth and back over and over. Cavel continued to ravage Bashta's mouth until he had to pull back to gasp in a breath of air.

They held each other, leaning their foreheads together and staring into each other's eyes.

"I never thought I would act like such a lovesick fool," Cavel whispered, "but you are more important to me than anyone else in the world."

Bashta pressed their lips together in a slow tender caress, no tongues involved but the sensual kiss made Cavel shudder in his arms.

"I like that you're a lovesick fool."