{Due to the increasing use of the jaguar language and Thomas's burgeoning proficiency in it, important translations will be listed in brackets}
From the sun high in the sky and the atmosphere, Thomas knew it was summer, that particular time of the year when everything just seemed so much better, from the birds cheerfully chirping to the warmth of daylight on his skin. He was standing in a clear, green field, bordered by brightened woods and dotted by thick-trunked trees, all of which rustled ever so slightly in the gentle breeze. The area looked awfully familiar, but no matter how hard the private thought, he couldn't remember ever being there before. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember why he was even there, and he was just starting to debate exploring the area when something barreled into him from behind.
The thing knocked him forward into the grass, wrapping a set of lithe, muscular arms around his torso that felt like they were covered in silky fur. Before he could react, it also hooked its legs around his own before rolling him onto his side, making it nigh impossible to escape. It let him struggle for a few seconds before sinking its teeth into his neck, but to his rational mind's surprise, the feeling of having fangs puncturing his skin and biting into his jugular was somehow pleasant. Warm, crimson blood quickly spilled out and soaked into his shirt as the thing ripped a sizable chunk out of his neck, but to Thomas, it seemed akin to a tender embrace. He felt nothing but contentment as the creature held him down and took another bite out of him, his mind utterly devoid of the fear or agony one would typically expect, and the only thing that even slightly concerned him was that his body was beginning to lose feeling.
Once it was content with the amount of damage to his veins, the thing flipped him onto his back, taking a second to examine him with dull green eyes. The spotted, feral face of a jaguar looked down at him, seeming just like a wild animal as it bent down and tucked into his throat. It still felt warm and intimate rather than painful, like an act of love rather than pure hunger, even though a tiny piece of his mind was screaming in fear. He tried to move one hand up to stroke the jaguar's fur, but his limbs wouldn't obey, preventing him from raising so much as a finger; the paralysis didn't phase him, however, as he was just where he wanted to be.
After chewing its way down to his spine, the creature pulled back with blood soaking its muzzle. "Thomas?" it said in a strangely familiar feminine voice, "{Come on...} wake up!"
Suddenly, the young private snapped out of his dream, finding himself naked in a woven bed with a jaguar still looking down at him. He instantly recognized it, or rather her, as Kiana, and a brief memory of the day's events ran through his head. Right then, she looked alarmingly worried about something, although her expression softened a tad when he seemed to come to. "Stay still, okay?" she hurriedly whispered, "Let me handle this."
Before he could ask what she was going to handle or why he needed to be still, she rushed off and grabbed what looked like a bowl of brownish powder, then began liberally flinging it around the hut like a priest with holy water. He sat up just in time for her to start applying the substance to his naked skin, and he began to ask what was going on just as she handed him the bowl and pushed him back down. "Shh. Just stay here," she continued while hurriedly piling his clothes and gun onto the bed, "With any luck, I'll have him gone in a few minutes."
Thomas was again stopped from questioning her when she threw a massive blanket of stitched hide over him, and right before it settled over the bed, he heard a masculine voice that had the same accent as Kiana. "{Oh, sweetie,}" whoever it was called out, "{Are you ready for me? I've got a gift I think you'll love...}"
The voice sounded like a gentleman caller of some sort, with enough arousal dripping from it to seem like one of the males Kiana had been talking about. His theory was confirmed as she let out a frustrated sigh, followed by her moving some things around her home. Thomas had just found his rifle by touch when he realized that the bowl of powder was emitting some kind of herbal stench, although he wasn't sure what exactly the purpose of it was; he thought about tasting it, but was distracted yet again by the sound of someone climbing up to the hut's entrance. "{I know you've been dying for a mate,}" came the lusty male voice, "{That's why I've got a treat just for you.}"
"{I'm not in the mood, Alejo,}" Kiana replied, "{Go bother someone else.}" Her words were sharp with an irritation even Thomas could hear, and yet the suitor continued to climb.
"{Oh, come now, you're just titchy because you're in estrus. I know you're in heat, Kiana, I could smell it a mile away.}" At first, Thomas thought about coming to her rescue like a folk hero, but he quickly realized that she probably wouldn't need his help; she'd dealt with these suitors before, odds were she could do it again... or at least he hoped she could. His hand found its way to the grip of his rifle just in case, although the private couldn't remember if he'd slid in a new round. Had he?
From the sound of it, the male suitor had just entered the hut, and in Thomas's head, he pictured a sly-looking jaguar sauntering up to Kiana. "{I'm still not interested,}" the latter growled, "{Get out of here.}"
"{Don't pretend we haven't done this dance before, honey,}" the randy suitor replied, "{Two months ago you asked me to ride you hard.}" Thomas could hear his padded footsteps approaching his hiding place, and he began to wonder just how inconspicuous of a lump he was making. "{Thanks for cleaning up the place, by the way... or is there someone else you're preparing for?}" As the blanket covering him was suddenly ripped off, Thomas found himself face to face with a grinning jaguar, one who seemed a tad younger and a lot more boyish than Kiana. As it looked him over, the jaguar went from cocky to startled, followed by an ignition of combative fury as it drew a primitive flint knife. "{Kiana, stay behind me!}" it shouted, hopping backward and trying to protect Kiana with one arm while flourishing his weapon with his other.
Without really thinking, Thomas sat up, grabbed his gun, and hastily drew a bead on the intruder, but hesitated to pull the trigger. The two males stood in a standoff for a split second before Kiana darted in front of the other jaguar, shoving him back before thrusting her palm out toward Thomas. "Enough!" she shouted, "Both of you calm down!" She then turned back to the intruder, her eyes blazing with cold fury as she stared him down. "{Alejo, put that damn knife down, he's not here to hurt us.}"
"{But he... he...}" The cogs in his mind slowly turned as he looked over Thomas's clothes and naked body, and as he began to realize the context of the situation, his snarl melted into an expression of confused disgust. "{You... and him... a human?}"
"Mmhmm." The lithe jaguar sauntered over to her human lover, pushing his rifle's barrel into the air as she sat down beside him. "{And he was much better than you, you oaf.} Thomas, this is Alejo, he's one of the suitors I was talking about."
"{But... but...}" Alejo's eyes darted over to Thomas's exposed red coat, widening a tad as his fighting spirit rekindled. "{He's a Roja!}" he cried, "{His people have been slaughtering the Furias!}"