Archive of Our Own

The low-bellowing of a war horn going off behind him alerted the rest of the camp to their arrival.

And Rain watched as the seemingly quiet camp came to life at the sound of the horn.

He watched as the Tarkatan guards came out to greet them- eager to bring in the fresh meat awaiting them.

Rain had spent the past two days out in the Outworld wastelands with the tribe's hunting party; he had been tagging along with them more and more in the passing months. With war brewing all around the horizon, it was paramount to keep the tribe well-fed and keep a reserve of rations on hand for any and all upcoming moves. And keeping a Tarkatan army fed was a greater obstacle than predicted- despite how obvious it might've seemed.

At the very least, the Outworld creatures ate their weight in food in one sitting and was then able to live off the meal for a few days at a time- fasting off of the gained weight and reserved fats. It meant they only needed to hunt every few days, which was somewhat easy to manage given their unpredictable traveling schedule as of late.

The more experienced hunters could still hunt while the tribe was on the move.

And no matter the distance crossed, or the days spent without visuals, the hunters were still able to track the tribe down regardless. Food was important to the tribe and no amount of travel was going to stop the hunters from bringing home a feast.

Working inside of the former Shao Kahn's army, Rain had always considered the Tarkatans to be a simple-minded species whose only role in life was to fight to the death with anyone and anything around them. A trait that the former Emperor had always put to good use; it was the one good thing Shao Kahn had to say about his teeth-and-blade army.

But now working with Mileena, working inside of the Tarkatan army itself, Rain's view on them had shifted.

Tarkatans were smart.

More street-wise than book, but they had no use for book-knowledge when they could navigate mountainsides and cliffs without breaking formation.

They were resourceful and attentive; they were able to pick up on a scent with the slightest change of the wind, which greatly assisted them when hunting- whether for food or for battle.

Tarkatans were the perfect killing machines with a knack for tribal worship and close-living.

An odd combination for creatures that looked the way they did.

Hunting with them was an experience.

Rain watched as the camp guards stepped out to join their returning group- and he caught the way they seemed to hesitate once they noticed the bodies the hunting party carried with them.

Bodies painted in blue and yellow, now streaked in red as well.

It didn't matter.

Everything was considered food for the tribe in the end, and the guards just grabbed the extra bodies to carry back.

As the hunting party came upon the camping grounds, more of the tribe came out to greet them; no doubt they had been drawn out by the commotion and the scent of fresh blood in the air. There was a sense of evident shock as the scattered tribe members looked at the Osh-Tekk bodies that were being brought in. And Rain knew that there were bound to be questions about how the party had come upon the bodies.

But once the shock wore off, Rain could feel the eyes of the tribe on him next.

And he tried not to pay attention to the obvious feeling of being watched by a couple dozen active cannibals.

He tried not to focus on the blood, sticky and crystallized over his open wounds.

Or the movement of his ribs as they bent and shifted out of place, almost visible underneath his bruising skin.

He would've been wounded prey to them.

But if the thought or label of such had crossed the tribe's mind for even a second, it was quickly dashed away as the growing activity was now enough to draw Baraka from his tent, drawing the Tarkatan General out into the open campgrounds.

The look on the man's face showed that he had stepped out to greet the returning hunting party, to survey the two day's worth of hunt.

Only to be greeted by a different sight instead.

A few of the hunters spoke in clicks, in the Tarkatan language that Rain had still yet to learn. He could understand some of the sounds, some of the noises; he knew enough to work with the hunting party but that was it- and most of their communication was done with hand signals and a repeating clicking sound from their throat. Not to mention, Rain had hunted well in his younger years; he knew what to do out in the open fields.

Regardless of what was being said, however, Baraka seemed to be having none of it as he pushed past the hunters and approached him instead.

"What is the meaning of this?"

And there was something about having the Tarkatan General stare him down with the question that had Rain's heart vaguely beating in his throat now. He felt the curl of his right hand pull tighter, lightly squeezing the object he had hidden in his grasp before he loosened his grip- lest he spoil the surprise.

"The Osh-Tekk were watching us while we hunted," Rain answered, knowing that Baraka was looking for him to speak. "I don't know when they found us, so it's possible they had been tracking us the entire time we were out, or had simply gotten lucky with finding us today. They ambushed us as we were returning to camp. Two units from different directions, which imply there might've been two tracking parties who had come together once our location was spotted."

"When?" Baraka pressed.

"About three hours ago, based on the sun's location now."

Rain watched as the man's nostrils flared at the answer.

With how flat the Tarkatan's nose was, he was surprised any part of it could be moved to begin with.

They had gotten lucky that their positioning had only been spotted on the return trip- and not while they were sleeping in shifts out in the wastelands. Everything was easy prey out there, included Outworld's most bloodthirsty species.

"It explains the bodies," Baraka spoke, clearly noting the painted carcasses now being tossed into the cook's tent, "- but it does not explain you."

"Kotal was with them," Rain replied. "It's very rare that he would be out with his own scouting parties- but I'm under the impression that the Osh-Tekk have been in this area for longer than we may have assumed. They've moving fast; we should do the same."

"You haven't answered me."

Picky.

But Rain supposed he had no choice in arguing it.

He was bleeding from three different parts of his body.

And it wasn't like he could pretend that he couldn't feel where the once-warm blood had dried in a spilled mess down his chest and abdomen.

"He was in his little cat form," Rain answered. "He broke clean through his ranks and our own just to hit me directly. Given however long the Osh-Tekk had been tracking us, I'm pretty sure Kotal had been targeting me the entire time. We managed to fight off the ambush and the Osh-Tekk retreated soon after; we haven't caught sight or scent of them since."

"Why would they retreat?" Baraka pressed once more, clearly understanding that his hunting party should've been a loss.

"Probably because some of your boys started eating Osh-Tekk legs before they were dead," he noted.

As much of an experience as it had been traveling and fighting with Tarkatans, their tendency of eating their prey while it was still somewhat alive had yet to grow on him. If anything, Rain wished he could scrub his head of every memory of such case happening right in front of him.

At the very least, that kind of behavior wasn't common in the camps; the cook preferred to butcher and cook the food instead of eating it raw- although that wasn't to say the Tarkatan also didn't just leave a slop bucket of spare body parts out for the tribe to chew on.

"That has not stopped the Osh-Tekk before."

That was precisely what he was talking about.

They were always eating on the battlefield, regardless of who or where they were.

"No, it hasn't," Rain agreed. "Perhaps they ran because their Kahn found himself to be missing something."

Once more, he saw those nostrils flare and caught the subtle twitch of Baraka's jaw.

The Tarkatan hated when he wasn't straight with him.

"What did Kotal lose?"

Rain didn't answer and instead he held his closed hand out for the General to take.

And of course, Baraka didn't hesitate as the Tarkatan held a respecting hand out underneath his own- to which Rain dropped the bloodied prize he had been holding onto into the man's open palm.

"His eye."

Rain watched as a few of the Tarkatans around them drew in closer, curious by what had been said- and then seeing the bloodied proof of it in Baraka's hand. One of the hunters made a chuffing sound from his throat before the man started chanting, which only gave way to the others doing so as well, which eventually gave way to the rest of the crowd.

Baraka's eyes never left his own as the man carefully closed his fingers around the plucked eye, keeping it from getting knocked by the animalistic cheering going on around them.

And again, Rain could feel the throbbing in his throat as he found himself under those watchful eyes.

"If you'll excuse me," Rain spoke, as he stepped around the Tarkatan General and pushed his way through the crowd.

Baraka would be busy dealing with his hunting team, with getting the bodies and the other carcasses ready to be prepped and slaughtered by the cook; although the man might have a hell of a time trying to get the tribe under control again.

The Tarkatan General would have to relay the message to Mileena as well, and they would need to discuss what to do about the Osh-Tekk and how to proceed from here.

A conversation Rain would usually want in on.

But with all the activity going on, he needed to take this time to tend to his injuries without interruption.

Crossing the campgrounds, Rain made it to and into his tent without getting stopped- something he was only mildly surprised by. Tarkatans were social creatures and he usually couldn't make it across the camp without getting stopped three or four times.

Once inside, and in the comfort of his own settling, he carefully loosened the clips at the back of his helmet and slowly peeled it off; he carefully set it on the mess of a nearby table and reminded himself to clean it later.

Rain brushed a hand over his face, feeling where the sweat from the adrenaline before had dried against his skin now.

Fingers unhooked the purple cape from his neck-piece before he slowly pulled it off of his shoulders- fighting back a wince as the fabric had to be peeled out of the raw, open flesh underneath it. Fresh blood trickled out from where dried blood had once formed between the cape and his skin, sticking the two together; the blood didn't feel as warm as it had before.

Rain touched lightly at the open puncture wounds.

He could still feel the pressure of the teeth that had torn into his right shoulder and latched on to him.

He could still feel the individual teeth as they sank through skin and muscle, threatening to crush bone underneath their hold.

His skin was peeled and curled up around the wounds, too many for him to count right now.

There was already a near-black bruise bleeding out around each puncture mark as well.

Rain could still feel the weight of the Osh-Tekk leader from when the man had slammed into him- tackling him into the ground before he had a chance to dissipate out of range and physical form. Kotal's panther form had been far more agile than previously witnessed. It had been heavier too, and with a higher running force compounded with it, Rain could still hear the sound of several of his ribs breaking from the initial tackle alone.

A back foot had sliced his right thigh open when they hit the ground, just before the Osh-Tekk leader tightened the biting hold on his shoulder.

One of the man's front legs had cut Rain across the ribs while Kotal was trying to reposition himself from the staggered landing.

And each time, his skin shredded apart under the thick claws- shredding away far too easily.

Those teeth had latched on the first chance they got and they had managed to keep him pinned underneath the weight of the panther.

But Rain had been caught by Tigores before; he had trained with them to some extent, knowing how more rural armies liked to use the massive beasts as war machines.

Shao Kahn had used them for decoration, for an intimidation factor inside of his council; he always had one chained up next to his throne, ready and perfectly willing to unleash it upon anyone who said the wrong thing to him.

Mileena liked to keep Tigores as pets, treating each one like an oversized house cat.

Either way, Rain knew how to handle them.

So handling the transformed Kahn was no different.

Rain had been quick to grab the false Kahn's head as soon as they had hit the ground, gripping handfuls of the dark-blue fur before he blindly followed the features of the feline head.

Kotal had used the hold on his shoulder to slam him into the ground over and over again, either trying to dislocate his shoulder itself, or simply trying to dislodge his grasp overall.

But it had come too late.

Rain could still feel his fingers running over Kotal's left eye- and he could still feel the way he had plunged them into the socket without hesitation.

And pop!

Out it came with a tug.

Summoning a water orb, Rain slowly flushed out the puncture wounds first, cleaning them of the dirt and the saliva that were still trapped under the skin. He ran his fingers over the minced flesh, washing off the dried blood that still stuck to him, as well as the fraying pieces of his own cape. There was some resistance while he was flushing the wound closest to his neck and Rain prodded at the open flesh before he was forced to dig into the chewed meat- only to pull out a broken tooth.

Perfect.

Rain rolled the tooth around in his fingers before he tossed it onto the table.

An eye and a tooth, not a bad trade-off.

He worked off his belt and the purple loincloth underneath it, letting them also pile up on the table. He went ahead and removed his gauntlets as well, seeing how he was going to need to strip completely just to clean each wound anyways.

He flushed water over the open gashes of his broken ribs, feeling the sharp tingling sensation in his fingertips from the pain that was produced. His chest was an open mix of blood bleeding out of the skin and bleeding underneath it as well. And when Rain put his fingers against his ribs and pushed, he could feel them shift and bulge underneath the touch.

Two or three had been snapped for sure; the others were either cracked or fractured.

Either way, it wouldn't be an easy wound to heal from- especially if they needed to put themselves back on the road.

"Rain-"

He didn't have to look up to see who it was- especially given how Tanya stormed into his tent without further warning. He wasn't surprised that she had come out to see him so quickly; she must've ran over as soon as she heard what had happened, or at least found out what half the tribe was going crazy over.

It wasn't often that the woman looked worried.

If anything, Tanya usually just suppressed her emotions and moved on; she was good at compartmentalizing things.

So for her sake, he chose to ignore the exposing look.

"What's done is done," Rain spoke, watching as the water that swirled around in his palm turned from clear to red as it flushed around his ribs. "Kotal will remember our encounter every time he looks in the mirror now."

"You could've gotten killed," she remarked, throwing the tent flaps closed behind her as she pushed her way over to him.

And just like that, any sense of concern was overtaken by frustration, by fear masquerading as mild anger.

"And yet, I'm still here," he replied- knowing well that the response would piss her off.

And his passive-aggressive response was met accordingly so as Tanya pushed his hand away from his ribs, causing the water in hand to splash carelessly to the floor between them; a momentary lapse in control.

He felt her hand push his head to one side, moving it out of her way as she gently touched at the open wounds at his right shoulder. Rain tried not to wince under the woman's persistent touching, under her continuous prodding, but each touch was more firm than the last; it felt more like she was digging into the wounds rather than just touching them.

"I'm fine," Rain assured, holding still underneath her examination regardless.

He knew Tanya meant well; he knew she was only surveying the damages done, checking for anything he might've missed- and considering how well-versed she was with tending and healing, it was only inevitable that he'd overlook something.

She could've been less aggressive about it though.

Payback perhaps, considering she had been trying to stop him from going out with the hunting parties.

"I've already cleaned out the wounds," Rain continued, wincing now as her fingers dropped to his ribs. "They just need to heal at this point- and not get infected while doing so."

"It's going to take a few days before they do," Tanya reminded.

His Edenian bloodline granted him accelerated healing.

And his bloodline of an Edenian God accelerated that too.

"As it usually does," he replied.

His healing factor worked best if he was able to stay stationary and rest; three days was all he needed last time to heal from a broken shoulder and cracked chest-plate. But given their current situation, and the possibility of needing to go on the move again, being able to just sit around and heal didn't seem plausible. And he didn't like to just sit in the war wagons and do nothing, not when he could walk around with the rest of the convoy- or move from wagon to wagon.

"I could-"

"Save your magic for serious matters," Rain interrupted. "I know your supplies are low."

Tanya was talented in a multitude of skills.

Pyromancy being her main one.

Apothecary was somewhere on the list as well- and given the vast supplies that the Outworld wild-lands offered, there were plenty of resources that the woman experimented with.

But their current location didn't give much in terms of working foliage.

Not for healing anyways.

"My supplies aren't low enough to ignore this," Tanya spoke, biting lightly with the words.

Maybe such was the case, but her magic was needed for other things.

And he could deal with flesh wounds on his own.

Rain started to speak but stopped at the sound of his tent being opened once more- and this time he watched as Baraka stepped in, which also wasn't surprising. The Tarkatan must've finished speaking with Mileena and had decided to come back to speak with him again, to get the full story. Not that there was really much else to add to what he had already answered the man with before.

And again, there was this sense of almost nervous anticipation that washed over him, if only for a few seconds.

Gently pushing Tanya's hands from him, Rain moved to brush a few of the loose strands from her face and tuck them back into place- hoping to get himself back on the woman's good side.

"Give us a minute, will you?" he requested.

Rain could see the annoyed look on Tanya's face in response.

She had just gotten here and now he was pushing her out without even telling her about what had happened.

"It's fine, we can speak later," Rain assured, as he continued to run his fingers through her hair- up until she brushed his hand aside. She was mad for sure now. He reached over and picked up the tooth he had plucked out of his shoulder before, to which he then placed it in Tanya's hand. "Here, a gift for the Empress."

Tanya seemed less than thrilled to have it, but he watched as she moved it around between her fingers- and watched as her eyes moved from the tooth to the wounds on his shoulders and then back again.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," Tanya offered, her words somewhat stiff as she stepped back from him- reluctantly at that. "I'll check on you later."

Rain knew that Tanya didn't want to leave him in a tent with a Tarkatan, let alone with the most viscous of the tribe- especially with his raw injuries. Despite having lived with the tribe for four years now, Tanya had very little trust of them still. Then again, Tanya very rarely trusted anyone, let alone someone of an opposing species; she barely had enough trust for him, and if it wasn't for his Edenian blood, Rain was certain that there would be no trust between them at all.

But he figured that Baraka had finished speaking with Mileena on the matter and would now want to speak with him again- perhaps concerning the gift Rain had brought back for him specifically.

Rain brushed his hand against Tanya's back as she moved to leave, and he watched as she stepped around Baraka on her way out- only to shoot one last look over her shoulder before she departed out of the tent.

And Rain waited until he was certain that Tanya was gone, perhaps to deliver the gift to the Empress, before he turned his attention back to the Tarkatan.

"You better not have come to eat that eyeball in front of me," Rain started.

"I'm keeping it for now," Baraka replied, "- I'm saving it for a special occasion."

A statement made in assurance- or at least attempted assurance.

"I do not like that," Rain remarked, mostly to himself, as he pulled a chair out from the table and sat down; his right leg was throbbing now, threatening to buckle out from underneath his own weight unless he did so.

He had walked the distance between the initial attack sight and the camp on his own- and Rain was beginning to feel the repercussions of it. A few of the hunters had offered to carry him, but he had been quick to shut the offer down. Not just because he didn't need someone to carry him, but having a Tarkatan do so only made it look like he was part of the catch.

"So what are your plans? Are we staying or leaving?" Rain questioned, leaning down now to remove the armor plating from his legs.

As much as he preferred to be in uniform around the Tarkatan General, the situation dictated otherwise, and he removed his boots as well- feeling the hollow throbbing in his legs now. It was either from overexertion or blood loss, or a nice mix between the two.

"We have a good advantage here," the Tarkatan spoke. "If Kotal is lurking, it means he thinks he has something up his sleeve, but that he cannot strike us here. He is trying to lure us out."

"Perhaps," he agreed, as he moved his fingers to touch at the open wounds that cut down against his thigh.

There were three gashes from mid-thigh down to just above his knee, with the middle one cutting the deepest. As Rain touched the wound, careful with the motions, he could feel the open slice of skin and muscle. It was a surprisingly clean cut; he could probably push his finger between the two slices of meat and touch bone if he wanted to.

He was lucky though; it didn't hit his artery.

Forming another water orb, Rain pushed his hips forward in the chair to better straighten his leg out, before he carefully began to flush the wound out. He felt his leg jerk at first and felt the greater sensitivity to the wound. The pain sparked quick and hot underneath the flushing and he felt his control over the water slip for a brief moment in response.

It would've been better to clean the wound without his pants still covering them, but he would wait until the General left before stripping naked.

Out of courtesy, although he had suspicions that he wouldn't make it that far.

"We may have the advantage here, but we should still consider how this will affect the hunting parties," Rain continued. "If Kotal is desperate enough to hit us while we're out then it will affect us down the road. He will be out for the time being, not for long, but long enough if we decide to move now."

"Do not doubt us."

Rain offered a hand raised in assurance.

"Rest assured, Baraka, I'm not," he spoke, as he slowly manipulated the water out of his wound now; the water was darker now, more so than it had been for his shoulder and ribs. He let the orb spill between his fingers before dissipating it into the ground at his feet. "If it is by your command, then we will stay."

He often liked to butt heads with the Tarkatan; it felt like it gave them both something to do when activity was low.

But now wasn't the time.

More so because of his injuries, but also because there was fresh food in the camp now, and the tribe was in good spirits.

Even if the arguments were made in jest, it would be in poor taste to spoil the mood.

Rain watched from the corner of his eye as Baraka walked over to him. And he felt the touch of rough fingers against the bite wound on his shoulder; it was an oddly gentle touch- or at least, as gentle as the Tarkatan could be, which wasn't by much.

And the forced gentleness didn't last as Baraka moved to grab him by the arm instead before the Tarkatan pulled him to his feet.

Rain winced at the movement but went with it to avoid conflict.

He felt the way Baraka's fingers moved to his hair now, grabbing a handful of it before the Tarkatan pulled him in close.

And Rain heard the way Baraka sniffed him first before he felt the long inhale against his skin, before he felt the subtle press of teeth against his jugular. He soon felt the hot exchange of air on his neck, a sharp exhale almost huffed out from between interlocking teeth.

The Tarkatans weren't known for their sense of personal space.

"You smell like Osh-Tekk," Baraka remarked.

"I had their leader transform into a giant cat to attack me, so you'll have to forgive how I smell," Rain retorted, ignoring the sudden throbbing of the pulse in his throat now. He was pretty certain Baraka could feel it with how close his teeth were against his skin. "It's not like you smell any better."

Tarkatans were sensitive to smells, and it wasn't unlike them to be drawn in by curious scents.

Rain had no doubts that the hunters he had gone out with were getting the same treatment about carrying the Osh-Tekk's odor on them.

Baraka gave a huffed chuckle, a grinding sort of sound in his throat, before the Tarkatan pulled him in.

He felt the fingers caught in his hair move to grab the back of his head; he felt Baraka's other hand move to curl against his back, keeping him tucked in against the man's broad form- lest he wanted to risk injuring his ribs. And Rain would be hard-pressed to deny the sudden heat that rushed through his body at the gesture, at the tight grip Baraka suddenly had on him.

And it would be equally difficult to try and deny just how hard he had gotten with the simple gesture.

Rain blamed it on the lingering fatigue, the persistent pain that still throbbed throughout his body; he blamed it on the way his heart was pounding in his throat for sure now, and in how he could hear the blood pumping in his ears.

He blamed it on his mind once more registering just how large Baraka was compared to him- and just how easily the man could overpower him at any given moment. And with enough sudden force to catch his water-shifting abilities off-guard.

It felt like another rush of adrenaline surged through his body.

And it didn't go unnoticed.

Rain felt the hand against his back drop to the front of his pants now, and he felt the heaviness behind Baraka's hand as the Tarkatan rubbed against him; and there was no doubt just how easy it was for the man to feel his stiff cock through the thin clothing now.

He stammered out a hard exhale at the touch and moved his left hand to Baraka's shoulder, gripping the Tarkatan tight as Rain felt the steady motions of his hand palming him over and over again.

It was enough to break his attention, to pull it away from the throbbing of his shoulder, his ribs, and his leg.

His focus was now on Baraka, on how the Tarkatan tugged his pants open at the front and gripped at his cock- squeezing it a little rougher than needed. But it was enough to re-enforce just how badly he had been turned on by the subtle power play between them.

This wasn't the first time Rain had been injured.

And this wasn't the first time Baraka had come to check on him, to discuss plans with the army if needed, especially if his injuries came from battle, only for the Tarkatan to end up doing things to him that he couldn't fight against.

Not that Rain ever wanted to.

Each time the Tarkatan took him as he was, injured within reason, it sent his mind reeling.

There was always an internal debate on just how much he enjoyed it, but even Rain had to admit to himself that there was no reason to not enjoy it. Pain and pleasure were two things he enjoyed together- and Baraka did well to serve him with both. There was no denying the anticipation from before, from just approaching the camp and knowing what was to come, knowing that the Tarkatan General would eventually make his way here.

When Rain's arm was broken during the last Osh-Tekk raid, when the bone had to be pushed back under the skin and stitched closed, it didn't stop Baraka from coming to him a few hours later. The injury then, small in comparison to now, didn't stop the Tarkatan from holding him down and fucking him long and slow throughout the night. And when some of the stitches had snapped under the activity, bleeding out underneath his bandages, the scent of blood only enraged the Tarkatan- making him rougher and more forceful on top of him.

And as a low-lying masochist, it was everything he could've asked for.

Rain still got chills under his skin when he recalled the memories; he still got hard even just thinking about it.

He felt Baraka release him from his hold, fingers letting go of his cock before the Tarkatan used both hands to yank his pants off of his waist. Rain flinched as the forcing tug instantly broke the seal of dried blood between the clothing and his skin. If the Tarkatan even noticed the motion, it didn't seem to phase him- not that it usually did.

Baraka hooked a heavy arm around his lower back before the larger man hoisted him off of his feet.

Even after witnessing the Tarkatan General in battle countless times before, Rain was still impressed with just how easily Baraka could lift him. Rain was far from being a small man himself, but it was like he didn't have any weight in the Tarkatan's hold as Baraka easily lifted him in just one arm.

Baraka lifted him up just enough to set him on the table, where Rain stayed just long enough for the Tarkatan to finish stripping his blood-soaked pants off.

Rain could see the deep-bruising across his thigh now, where just about everything under the skin had been broken; and he had no doubts that by tonight his full thigh would be almost black from the trauma.

He felt Baraka's hands around his waist before the Tarkatan pulled him forward, partly balancing him on the edge of the table and almost allowing his feet to touch the ground. The Tarkatan hooked an arm underneath his injured leg, catching Rain under the knee- and in one swift motion, Baraka pulled the leg out from underneath him and pulled in against his hip.

A sharp pain flared up with the motion and Rain hissed as he felt how his spliced skin and muscle was tugged with the jerked pull, feeling like they were both being peeling from the bone.

But the pain pulled tight across his stomach and he felt his cock twitch in response.

"Predictable," Baraka remarked, the word huffed under his breath.

"And yet, you speak," Rain breathed, as he slowly slipped his left arm around the back of the Tarkatan's neck.

Rain tried to keep his right arm low; he tried to keep his hand curled against the table's edge to keep from irritating his shoulder more than he already had. But temptations were greater as he moved his hand to rub at Baraka's cock, now bulging against his pants before he worked it free- and there was no denying it when it was.

Rain felt the weight of the Tarkatan's cock in his palm; he felt the way it easily filled his hand and hung over still. And as he worked long, slow strokes over it, he could feel the tremble in his own fingertips as he traced the shape and length of it.

He felt Baraka push against him, pushing his cock against his hand and pushing it between his legs.

"Easy," Rain started, releasing the Tarkatan only when he stopped pushing against him, "- let's not get ahead of ourselves."

He liked pain, sure- but there was a system he followed.

And he liked for things to go in that order first before allowing for all Hell to break loose.

Reaching around behind him, Rain fumbled for the scattered jars that crowded the other half of the table- wincing as the motion pulled at his battered shoulder. He grabbed the first jar he got his fingers around and pulled it to him, working the lid off without even look at the contents. He kept an assortment of oils around to keep his skin hydrated under the Outworld sun, to keep himself from having to exert his own energy and power to do so- which was a waste.

Tossing the lid aside, Rain dipped his fingers into the jar and gathered up what he could of the thick oil. And to give the Tarkatan credit, Baraka did wait for him- although Rain felt the man's impatience stir up again as he slathered the oil onto his cock. He used his fingers to smear the oil over the full length, feel how the Tarkatan's cock twitched with every stroke, before he applied an extra dollop to the tip.

Rain could feel his hand shaking by the time he finished- and he couldn't tell if it was from anticipation or from the lingering pain of his leg.

He wrapped his fingers around Baraka's cock once more, holding it from the middle before he guided it between his thighs.

Rain barely felt the tip of the Tarkatan's cock against his entrance before Baraka gave a hard thrust; and the man used the arm braced against his back to yank Rain's hips down as he did- entering him in one rough go.

Rain felt the hard gasp turn into a knot in his throat as he felt the thickness of the Tarkatan inside of him now. He moved his hand back to grip onto the table's edge once more before he buried his head into Baraka's neck; he could feel the way his body throbbed around the man's cock now, feeling just how deeply planted it was inside of him.

If Baraka hadn't spent the morning of his departure fucking him with enough force to last the two days of his absence, the sudden breach would've been more painful.

Instead, it was the right amount of force, the right amount of pressure and weight inside of him.

"Baraka-" Rain hissed, feeling the Tarkatan moving against him now.

And he was quick to settle in as Baraka began to move, thrusting into him in full now and utilizing every inch of his cock to do so.

The sharp thrusts coming in from underneath him were hefty enough to cause his loose ribs to move underneath his skin, jostling them with each motion, with each bounce. And Rain couldn't ignore the sharp pain that pulled across his chest every time Baraka plunged into him, rocking him up and down against the table behind him.

Rain dug his fingers into Baraka's leather skin, half holding onto the man now as he felt the Tarkatan's claws dig into his own leg.

It never took Baraka long to settle in control and take things over, to immediately set his own rhythm and pace. And given just how hard the man was fucking him now, shoving every inch of his cock into him again and again, Rain imagined his two day absence had been well-noticed by the Tarkatan General- but the aggression was now fueled by the unpredicted scent of fresh blood and Osh-Tekk on his skin.

The warmth of Baraka's tongue against his neck, licking at the open wounds left behind by the false Kahn made him wince; and Rain wondered if that had been the Tarkatan's intentions all along, or at least part of them. Not to say that he could've stopped Baraka from grabbing him by the head and chewing at his neck. The Tarkatan's tongue was rough and felt like sandpaper against his already raw skin, making it feel like the man was peeling off the already peeling layers of skin.

Rain groaned at the contact, feeling each flickering stroke of Baraka's tongue and feeling the new trickling of warm blood running down his back.

He felt the arm underneath his leg pull it up higher, providing better access and a slightly skewed angle to the Tarkatan. And Rain felt how Baraka took advantage of the shift, using the more opened position to thrust faster, yanking his hips down in hard successions.

"Easy," Rain hissed, feeling now how his broken ribs were bouncing with each thrust, causing the pain in his chest to feel tighter.

It only seemed to encourage the Tarkatan though, as Rain knew it would, and he felt Baraka push him back against the table- pinning him against it and using it to hold him in place. Rain knew Baraka would take the word as a challenge, and as badly as the pressure in his chest was beginning to grow, he didn't want to stop. Baraka knew how to handle him; the Tarkatan knew just how much pain he could take- and Rain knew the man wouldn't let him go until they had reached that threshold.

Rain could hear himself panting with each thrust.

He could feel the thickness of the Baraka's cock working him out, filling him to the brim and bringing each thrust to the brink of pain more than a few times. But Rain knew after one or more sessions he would be fine with the Tarkatan's size; and knowing how Baraka had treated him last time, the remaining sessions would come later that night when the rest of the camp was asleep.

Fingers dug into the table as Rain felt the next thrust land against his prostate and felt his whole body jerk in response; he bit into Baraka's neck to keep from outwardly screaming, barely muffling himself to keep the rest of the tribe from hearing him. It felt like a wave of heat surged through his body in response, and it only got worse as Baraka began to lead each thrust into the same place.

The numbing sensation to that began tingle in the tips of his fingers and work up his legs was enough to take his attention off of his ribs.

Baraka moved the arm braced against his back and reached down to grab his other leg before the Tarkatan jerked it up as well, now holding him completely against his hips. And Rain found himself lulled by the roughness, by the hard bouncing between each thrust of contact between them.

Rain still kept his right arm braced against the table, fingers still curled tight around the edge, but he could feel the heavy shaking of his arm- and he imagined that's how the rest of his body would feel if it wasn't in Baraka's tight grasp.

He kept himself held in tight against Baraka's chest, dropping his arm from the man's neck to instead grip his fingers against the Tarkatan's shoulder- ensuring to slide his fingers between the bones spikes that littered the area. Rain could feel every roll of muscle against him; he could feel every pull and flex of Baraka's body as the man worked against him.

With leather skin and bone protruding out through varies parts of the Tarkatan's body, Rain knew to expect more cuts on his body when this was over with- to leave with more injuries than he had started with.

He felt Baraka bottom out inside of him; Rain felt the man yank his hips down onto the base of his cock, and grunted with the sudden holding motion before he heard the low, rumbling groan from the Tarkatan's throat. And Rain heard himself groan as well, squirming in the Baraka's hold as he felt the Tarkatan finish inside of him, as he felt the sudden sense of warmth pooling between his thighs with the motion.

Rain squeezed Baraka with his legs to keep the man nestled in place throughout the finish, feeling the rough, grinding motion of the Tarkatan's hips against his own- milking out every drop inside of him.

Over the sound of blood pumping in his ears, Rain could hear himself panting; he could feel the tight strain across his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Every part of him felt like an odd mix of being numb and being sensitive- and already he could feel the oncoming rush of going lightheaded coming for him. Although it felt like he was walking the thin line between being lightheaded and outright passing out.

Baraka moved to set him back onto the table, grunting himself in the aftermath, before the Tarkatan slowly pulled his cock free. And Rain felt the odd ache where the man had once been, as well as felt the warm liquid now dripping out of him.

Sharp teeth brushed against his face and Rain barely felt the strength needed to pat the Tarkatan on the chest.

"I'm fine," Rain assured, feeling the throbbing of his ribs in his back now; a hollow, pounding ache that made it difficult for him to sit up straight now- not without the support from the man in front of him.

Baraka released his non-injured leg before the Tarkatan pushed a hand between his still splayed thighs- and Rain hissed as he felt the fingers that prodded at him, seemingly surveying a job well done before two of them pushed into him. He felt a tremor run up his spine at the breach; he felt how his whole body squirmed in response before those fingers started to move.

Shorter, more controlled thrusts as they began to prod at his prostate once more.

A stammered gasp broke across his lips at the returning heat before Rain found himself getting swept back up in the motions and sensations. He felt the knot in his stomach pull tight and realized then that, despite the impressive show Baraka had put him through, despite the resulting walk on the brink of passing out, he hadn't finished when the Tarkatan had.

His head had been caught up on the pain of his ribs, on the fresh blood spilling out of his shoulder, chest, and thigh; on the hefty thrusts that irritated the three agonies with one consistent movement.

Rain didn't feel Baraka release his injured leg against the table, but he did feel the heavy hand that cupped the back of his neck; he felt the fingers that curled into his thick hair, holding his head up and forcing him to meet the Tarkatan's eyes. They should've been yellow with pupils slit like a cat's, but instead they were yellow with a wide circle of black in the middle.

Dilated, like they usually were in the heat of battle.

When they smelt blood or smelt when a fresh carcass went up on the smoking hooks.

It was taking longer than normal for him to finish, perhaps for numerous reasons, but Baraka was persistent; the Tarkatan wouldn't so much as let him move until he came. And Rain eventually felt the rush of heat run over him; he felt the sensations that triggered the reflexes in his body as he came across Baraka's abdomen.

And there was that debilitating ringing in his head again as the rush of pain and pleasure barreled over his senses.

Gasping now, hard and staggered, each one tugging another rib from its protective membrane, Rain felt himself half-collapse against Baraka now; his hand fumbling for the Tarkatan's shoulder again. He tucked his head back into the curve of Baraka's neck and stayed there until he could get himself back under control. Now it felt like every muscle in his body refused to move, making his limbs useless as they partly burned with a lingering pins and needles feeling.

But he felt the subtle brushing of Baraka's hand against his back; he felt the slow moving strokes that followed the curve of his spine- oddly careful to avoid touching his visibly displaced ribs now.

Rain pushed himself back and away from the larger man- less because he wanted to and more because of the sudden spark of noise coming from outside. Nothing more than the usual chatter, but it reminded him that their window of opportunity was slowly closing now, and that whatever else they wanted to do would have to wait until later.

"Go," Rain started, patting the Tarkatan on the jowls now. "The tribe's looking for you- and I need to finish cleaning up."

"You do."

He clicked his tongue at the snarky response before he forced a water orb to form in his hand and used it to wash the cum off of the Tarkatan's stomach- although Rain did consider just letting the man walk out with it still on him.

Rain waved Baraka off when he was done, only to feel the Tarkatan cup a hand against his jaw and pull their faces in close together.

Of course, the man said nothing.

Baraka only let out this odd chirp-like sound from his throat before releasing him and walking out of the tent.

And Rain mused it was as close to kissing as Tarkatans could get.