Desert

Ry's voice had a slight echo as it sounded through the cruiser's address system.
       "Is everyone ready?"
      A'lestrel glanced at his bondmate: Lutra was comfortably settled on the security seat, smiling at him, eyes bright with anticipation. He checked her safety harness then sat beside her, fastening his own - not that he thought he needed it but the ship's automatic sensors would alert Ry if anyone wasn't buckled in, and Ry was a stickler for proper procedure where space flight was concerned. Even though the vessel had already been thoroughly checked earlier, Ry and the shr'en'an co-pilot, Br'inaris, had settled themselves to run their own pre-flight checks, like all good pilots never taking others' efficiency for granted.
      As Vinas and his three-strong team clicked their harnesses into place the final internal security light went green, and Ry grinned at Bri'naris. The lizard grinned back, fangs glinting in the light from the central control panel. They both loved this, piloting the Empire's small sleek cruisers - much more fun than the big ships - even if this was only a short one-hour trip…
      "Everyone's set." The shr'en'an's rough voice sounded satisfied. "Prepare for liftoff."
      Hijau wrapped his arms and tail around Zha'haarak: the gentle zn'hre was a little nervous about takeoff and landing, even though he knew that his Saiyan was more than capable of protecting him, protecting them both, should anything go wrong. Ti'aasaan smiled.
      "It will be fine, zk'viss."
      "I know…I just…" Zha'haarak sighed and cuddled closer to his bondmate. He'd feel much better once they were out of Vejiitasei's atmosphere and on their way, he knew. Radittsu, sprawled in one of the cruiser's va'ha'da-sized seats, grinned at Ti'aasaan.
      "Not long now, ne?"

Ti'aasaan's inclusion in the party had come as a surprise to Lutra. But 'haabron's hostlings had still not been born, and the little zn'hre wanted to be with the prince for the birth now that FullMoon was over, 'lestrel explained. Lutra was intrigued.
      "How many babies are there?"
      "Four."
      The tenshi frowned, eyeing her bondmate's flat belly.
      "How… I mean, I wouldn't have thought you could carry that many…"
      The prince grinned and pulled her to him, nuzzling her neck as the cruiser rose skywards.
      "Zn'hre hostlings are small when they're born. And our bodies are very accommodating."
      "'Our' bodies?"
      He nodded.
      "Something zn'hre and Zasshu have in common. Which is quite fortunate, as Zasshu hostlings tend to be a little bigger than pure-bloods."
      She tried to imagine 'lestrel pregnant, as a… a mother. She couldn't quite manage it. Maybe she'd have more luck once she'd met 'haabron… Ry's voice distracted her from her musing.
      "All right people, we're on course: unbuckle if you like…"
      Everyone liked. Radittsu headed straight for the small but well-stocked cold store, then, piled platter beside him, sprawled on a lounger beside an observation port sharing a meal with the little zn'hre. Hijau disappeared into one of the small cabins with Zha'haarak: Radittsu smirked after them. The captain knew the best way to take his bondmate's mind off his fears… He grinned at his sireling.
      "What are you waiting for? You only have an hour."
       'lestrel blinked, then smirked, grabbed his bondmate's hand hurried to another of the cabins...

The naked tenshi held up the tiny scrap of white fabric and glanced at her smirking bondmate lounging on the narrow bunk in their cabin.
       "This is standard wear on R'ren'nkh'ia?"
       "It is." A'lestrel's tail snaked out to wind around her slender thigh. "Why don't you put it on?" he suggested. "Get used to it."
       "Only if you wear yours." Lutra giggled, peeping at him through her heavy golden fringe.
       "Very well." A'lestrel slid off the bunk and reached into their luggage for a similar garment. He eased himself into the skin-tight clothing, not an easy task given his burgeoning erection. The tenshi licked her lips; her hab'lan looked good in most things but this wisp of fine silver leather left nothing to the imagination, defining and enhancing his genitals instead of concealing them. Feet apart, hands on hips, the Zasshu smirked at his blushing and aroused mate.
       "Your turn."
      Lutra grinned and struggled into the snug thong then, with a coy smile, she stood in front of her mate, echoing his posture.
       "How's that?"
      The tip of the Zasshu's tail slid between her thighs to flick slowly back and forth over the small piece of fabric that barely covered her groin. His grin broadened as she shivered, her lust-filled scent teasing his own arousal even higher.
      "There's this as well," the prince pulled out another piece of matching fabric, stepping close to his mate so he could fasten the thin halter of material securely, under her wings behind her back, at the nape of her neck, and over her breasts. "Beautiful." A'lestrel smoothed his palm over the tight material covering his mate's breast, his pupils dilating as he felt her nipple harden under his palm.
      "How – " Lutra swallowed and tried again, "How long have we got 'til we reach R'ren'nkh'ia?"
      *Long enough, zk'aida.* he *whispered*, nuzzling her neck.
      *Good.* Lutra's hand slid over his hips to fondle the base of his tail as she tugged him even closer. *Because honestly, hab'lan, I don't think I could wait.*
      The tenshi was delighted to find the thong came off much more easily than it had gone on, though 'lestrel's determination to be inside her as soon as possible might have had something to do with that...

*Are you two fucking finished yet?* Ry *growled* at A'lestrel. *We're waiting to land.*
      The Zasshu *snarled* at his aijin then ignored him completely as he concentrated on Lutra writhing and panting beneath him. The tenshi's nails dug deeper into his shoulders as he pulled out almost completely then rammed back in again, the friction from his inkei beads over the sensitive muscles at the entrance of her cunt dragging the tenshi into a shuddering climax. With a growl A'lestrel came bare seconds later, holding them both still as he jetted deeply into his bondmate.
      They lay sprawled together on the bunk for several long minutes before either of them had the strength to move.
      "Is it hot in here?" Lutra blinked sleepily.
      The Zasshu nodded, planting careful kisses along her jaw.
      "The ship-board temperature has slowly been increased while we've been travelling – to help acclimatise us to R'ren'nkh'ia's temperature."
      "Good idea," Lutra mumbled, snuggling down with every sign of getting ready to sleep.
      A'lestrel grinned and gently ruffled her feathers.
      "We have to get dressed and strapped in, zk'aida, we'll be landing in a few minutes..."

Ry was in the passenger lounge, helping himself to a last minute drink while he waited, as they exited the cabin. He smirked infuriatingly, eyes widening hugely - and sudden erection very obvious under his own skimpy scrap of black leather. He licked his lips, though whether at 'lestrel or herself, or both, the tenshi couldn't say.
      "Delicious…"
      'lestrel smirked at him.
      "Save it for 'raadiin, aijin. He'll have missed you…"
      "I'd like to think so."
      The prince teased a fingertip over the Saiyan's straining inkei.
      "You know you and Kiraz are the only two he allows to fuck him. Trust me, he'll will have missed you…"
      And indeed he had, Lutra noted bemusedly a few minutes later as she stepped out of the cruiser into a blast of heat - the zn'hre warrior sketched the briefest of greetings to the rest of them then growled and yanked his Saiyan tightly to his muscular body, long sharp nails pressing hard into warm buttocks as 'raadiin rocked his hips roughly against Ry's groin. The Saiyan groaned.
      "I… have to… greet the Ssii'iin first…"
      'raadiin grinned ferally.
      "Oh, papa won't mind. And 'fallon knows not to expect to see me for at least five hours…"
      Grinning back over his shoulder, Ry managed a brief wave as 'raadiin dragged him up and towards the enclave.
      Lutra gazed around her. The cruiser had landed on a small square of mixed impacted rock and sand not far from what looked like a huge broad finger of rust-red rock sticking straight up out of the tawny desert. The royal enclave, she knew from her researches - but seeing an image of it and seeing the real thing were entirely different experiences. It was far, far bigger than she'd imagined, and it shimmered slightly, sunlight bouncing off crystals embedded in the rock itself and - as she found out later - from the sparkling chimes hanging at almost every windowspace and door. It looked… daunting…
      A'lestrel touched her shoulder.
      "Will you be able to fly? There are few winds here, at least close to the ground - though," he added, eyeing her wings thoughtfully, "you should be able to make good use of the thermals. There are a lot of them."
      She smiled at him, eyes bright.
      "Why don't we try it and see?"
      It was going to take a little getting used to, but Lutra thought yes, she could manage thermals very nicely. In one way they were easier than soaring the winds, less erratic, much more predictable and stable. And the warmth rippling upwards across her wings and through her feathers was a delight. She was going to enjoy this.
      They landed at the main entrance, a wide opening in the rock at ground level with heavy metal doors flung back and four imposing guards - two Saiyan and two huge lizards, va'ha'da she realised from her reading, though she hadn't expected them to be so big! - standing at attention to either side. All four saluted the party, grinning widely at Radittsu: the big Saiyan smirked back.
      "Any news?"
      "No change, sir. The Ssii'iin is waiting for you in the small reception chamber…"
      It was cooler inside, the corridors broad and high - to accommodate the va'ha'da, she supposed - all smooth curves without angles. And it was quiet, a muted musical hissing, the chiming of the crystal hangings, and the faint sound of native music playing softly somewhere in the distance. Peaceful. And it smelt… sweet, slightly musky, with an undertone of sunwarmed rock. She took her hab'lan's hand as they followed another of the lizards deeper into the enclave, smiling at his questioning glance. She liked it here…
      Zha'haabron rose to greet them as they entered a spacious, blue-toned room with a small dais at one end and a huge mound of floor cushions against the wall: a small table sported fluted goblets and two large jugs. Radittsu strode forwards and grabbed his bondmate into a fierce embrace.
      *Oh, I have missed you!*
      **And I you, zkai'da. But I trust that did not prevent you from enjoying the season…**
      The big Saiyan chuckled and kissed his zn'hre.
      *Of course not.*
      **Good…** The king stepped back and beckoned A'lestrel and Lutra closer, inspecting his hostling swiftly then smiling.
      "I am glad FullMoon was problem-free, zk'viss."
      The prince grinned and hugged his host.
      "Me too, maazi - for both of us." he pulled back and took his tenshi's hand. "I'd like 'haabron to meet Lutra, if it's convenient…"
      "It is." The low voice sounded from the door behind them, and Lutra turned - to see a tall zn'hre, a taller Saiyan at his back, standing in the entrance. 'lestrel's eyes went wide, and he dived to the door to take one of the zn'hre's arms, hissing something in R'ren'nkh'ia-go as he and the Saiyan supported the prince to a seat. The zn'hre was, the tenshi saw, her eyes wide, very pregnant, moving slowly and carefully, one hand cupped under his hugely distended belly.
      It should have looked strange. It didn't. She moved to stand beside her bondmate, head bowed.
      "Ssii'irin Zha'haabron."
      The zn'hre smiled. He looked exactly like a younger and somewhat less muscular version of his sire, she noted. Beautiful. Serene.
      "'haabron, please. It saves confusion."
      She blushed shyly.
      "Ssii'irin 'haabron…"
      'haabron smirked at his machii.
      **Fascinating, zk'viss. And beautiful. And is she right about the tenshi-jin origins?**
      A'lestrel nodded.
      **It would seem so…**

As a precaution before they'd left for the desert planet, Vinas had run some tests to determine if Lutra, like the Saiyans, would need to protect her skin from the fierce R'ren'nkh'ian sun. The results had been surprising; it appeared the tenshi could spend an hour, maybe more, in the full sunlight before she'd start to burn. Not only that, the bio-tech had discovered some trace genetic similarities between Lutra and the zn'hre.
      "That's probably because we're descended from saurians." The tenshi's statement had made the Feeodoreean blink.
      "Saurians?"
      "Yes, huge lizard things," Lutra explained, "Hundreds of millennia ago, when Maurilla was much colder and drier, the dominant species was these winged and furred saurians. As the planet warmed up and the ice-caps melted, the mega-fauna the saurians preyed on died out so they adapted. They lost the fur and became smaller, lighter and more manoeuvrable. That's what the tenshi-jin are descended from."
      "How do you know all this?" A'lestrel asked.
      "Archaeological evidence," the tenshi grinned, "fossils and things. There's even been some intact specimens found in the glaciers. It's fascinating! Here – " she grabbed the Zasshu's hand and directed his fingers to the two slightly raised ridges of bone that ran lengthways along her skull, beneath her hair. "Those are what's left of the bony crests the saurians had."
       A'lestrel's golden eyes widened; he'd felt the ridges before but hadn't given them a second thought.
      Vinas frowned.
      "Very interesting indeed – but if they were lizards, saurians, how did they combat the cold?"
      "That's something that's puzzled our scientists for centuries, the fur wouldn't have been enough to keep them warm but –" she grinned at her hab'lan, "– if we use ki now to help us fly, it's possible, isn't it, that our ancestors might have used it to stay warm?"
      The bio-tech nodded thoughtfully.
      "Intriguing. And certainly plausible. And hopefully – " he didn't quite smile at the bondmates but the impression was there, "if what Lutra-san says is correct the parallels between the tenshi-jin and zn'hre genetics will be one less impediment to your breeding successfully."
      A'lestrel blinked, then eyed his bondmate. Lutra was staring at Vinas, eyes wide and unblinking - stunned, he thought. He smiled and pulled her gently to him.
      *You don't like the idea, zk'aida? I do. But for later, perhaps…*
      Lutra shook herself and smiled into her hab'lan's eyes.
      *It's not that I don't like the idea,* she stroked his smooth, cool cheek, *it's just not something I've really thought about.* She nuzzled a kiss against his lips. *We're both still very young anyway, but in the future...?* The tenshi folded her wings around them both, enclosing them in a soft and white, private little world, *I think I will be more than ready to have your children...*

'haabron stroked his abdomen as one of the hostlings moved restlessly, and the tall Saiyan moved to kneel beside him, holding his hand and gazing up at 'lestrel and the tenshi.
      Lutra smiled timidly. This must be Kobis-no-Ou, twin brother to Kiraz back on Vejiitasei. Well, twins they might be but two more different Saiyans would be difficult to imagine! Kobis smiled up at her, his voice deep and smooth as yearling down.
      "Welcome to R'ren'nkh'ia, Lutra-sama." His beautiful sombre eyes moved to 'lestrel, the smile deepening slightly. "I'm glad you could be here."
      A'lestrel bent to kiss his forehead, then 'haabron's.
      "Wouldn't miss it for anything…"
      'haabron's golden eyes twinkled - then he winced. Kobis immediately stood and lifted his bondmate carefully into his arms.
      "Time to get you back." He glanced at the assembled family apologetically. "Excuse us, please. 'haabron needs to rest."
      Zha'haabron smiled fondly.
      "Of course, zk'vissini. Take Vinas with you: no doubt he will want to check your progress."
      Kobis grinned.
      "Of course. Please help yourselves to refreshments: the servitors are on their way with food." He inclined his head to the Feeodoreean team. "Follow me."

The following two days were blissful. 'lestrel obviously felt perfectly at home here, relaxed, content - able to wear just the skimpy little leather scraps that could hardly be called clothing. He gave Lutra a tour of the enclave, introducing her to a bewildering variety of inhabitants, native R'ren'nkh'ia-jin and Saiyans both, as well as the handful of aliens who'd made the desert world their home.
      And she met Ish'nandra.
      'haabron and Kobis' zn'hre bondmate was beautiful, a little shorter than his partners, his skin slightly darker than the prince's, his hair a lighter green, his eyes a soft warm gold. He was shy, self-effacing, though obviously quietly immensely proud and a little awed to be the sire of the next brood of princes. Lutra thought he was gorgeous: 'lestrel couldn't resist teasing him gently, grinning at the blush that darkened the zn'hre's cheeks.
      But best of all - 'lestrel took her flying…

Lutra hovered far above the desert, luxuriating in the baking heat of the sun and the slightly lower gravity.
      *Are you all right, zk'aida?* A'lestrel was floating protectively close. *Do you need to get under cover yet?*
      *No, hab'lan,* the tenshi smiled happily, *not yet...*
      And even if she'd needed to she would've been tempted to stay out in the searing heat anyway. It was wonderful!
      Lutra couldn't have said exactly what it was about the desert world she liked, but she felt so free here...

In the middle of their fourth night onworld 'lestrel jerked awake, pulling a befuddled and bewildered Lutra with him.
      "Wha…?"
      His tail wrapped around her waist, squeezing tightly.
      *It's time, zk'aida… they're about to be born…*
      The enclave had a very sophisticated medical centre, and it also had Vinas right now. The comfortable chamber at the entrance to the facility was full of family, all quietly excited: Ti'aasaan and Zha'haabron, and of course Kobis and Ish'nandra, were allowed inside, but Vinas insisted on everyone else waiting outside.
      And an hour later Kobis and Ish'nandra exited the inner chamber, one little lightly wrapped bundle cradled in each arm…

Lutra had gazed into four pairs of big bright golden eyes and found herself melting. The hostlings were simply adorable. She smiled at Kobis - who was regarding the babies as proudly as though he were their father, his tail gently stroking over the soft green fuzz covering their heads - then glanced at Ish'nandra. The zn'hre looked… overawed, almost scared, his arms trembling slightly, and her heart went out to him. It can't be easy for him, she thought: although 'lestrel had assured her he was deeply loved and happily bonded to both princes, it still seemed to her that he was here just to provide an heir to the throne…
Then again, that was hardly an uncommon practise. And at least he seemed happy, generally speaking.
And so was everyone else. The family - heh, the whole enclave! - was still celebrating the birth and showed signs of continuing to do so for days yet. And this wasn't even the official celebration - that would happen when the little princes were formally named, in two days, at which time the news would be transmitted across the Empire.

Lutra lay back in her bondmate's arms, sighing happily.
      *They're so beautiful, hab'lan…*
      He nuzzled her neck, smiling. 'haabron had joined the celebration this evening, just for a little while, sitting at his sire's side on the dais, his bondmates close, the hostlings in their arms. He looked positively radiant, the tenshi thought, his eyes shining, a gentle smile playing on his lips. And he was clearly held in great affection by the enclave's populace.
      All rather different from her homeworld. She twisted her head to kiss 'lestrel's jaw.
      *How long can we stay, hab'lan?*
      *You want to go home?*
      *No, not at all! I want to make the most of my time here.*
      He glanced at Radittsu, standing behind Zha'haabron on the dais.
      *Not long, zk'vissin. Six more days, no more.*
      She sighed.
      *When can we come back?*
      *I don't know…* He stroked her face, surprised. *You'd like to?*
      She nodded.
      *I love this world.*
      He smiled, pleased. He was rather fond of it himself.
      *I will see what I can arrange…*