I awoke with my arms wrapped around young Daniel, his breath warm against my chest. I have to admit, it felt good to have a cub again. Someone to care for. Someone to guide. Someone to love.
A hint of melancholy swept over me, knowing that someday, this one too, would likely move on.
But there was something about him. Brian sensed it, too. Perhaps....
Daniel stirred, snuggling closer to me. Suddenly, he tensed, his eyes snapping open, fright clear in his expression.
"How'd you sleep, Cub?" I whispered, kissing his forehead.
His face reddened and he dropped his gaze. Then he took a deep breath and looked up at me. The fear was gone, replaced by longing.
"Very well," he said softly. "Papa."
I hugged him tightly and he returned my embrace, hesitantly at first, then with more enthusiasm.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"A little sore," he said with a wry smile. "May not be able to sit for a while."
"How about your leg?"
He shifted about, taking stock of himself.
"Much better," he said in surprise.
"Still might want to take it easy on it for a bit, yet," I cautioned. "In time, you'll be able to recover much faster, but for now, it still may take some time."
"Why does Brian keep asking if you want him to leave?" he asked.
"Well, because of who and what he is, Brian didn't have a 'normal' change," I replied with a chuckle. "He's just curious, but doesn't want to intrude."
"You lost me again," he said, shaking his head.
"Not all of us are strictly gay," I said. "Turns out that when a were mates with a woman, she doesn't become a were. Don't claim to understand that myself. Might have something to do with them bleeding out, once a month."
He gave a bark of laughter.
"But they might have children. They, too, wouldn't be weres, but they might be something more than human."
"Okay," he said, his brow furrowed as he tried to follow my reasoning.
"Grandpapa was one of those who had human children. Brian's family descended from him."
"So that's what you meant," he said.
"Well, chances are, there are a lot of people out there with at least a trace of were blood. But apparently, Brian's family had a lot. Grandpapa said Brian's mother was not only from his line, but also another ancient bear."
"Who?" he asked.
"Dunno," I shrugged. "If Grandpapa knows, he hasn't said."
I could speculate, but....
"But Brian's father also had were blood, but we're fairly sure it wasn't bear."
"Wolf?" he asked.
"Thinking cat," I said, rubbing his stubbled head. "Would explain why he's so curious."
He chuckled along with me.
"An average change takes about four months. Because of his background, Brian's took only two. But it was hard on him. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. He not only got blood from Grandpapa, he only inherited his more...esoteric abilities. Including spirit keeping and sensing emotions, and God knows what else. When he changed, his mind connected with all of us. And not only bears, but we think possibly all weres."
"How many kinds are there?" he asked.
"Not sure if even Brian knows for sure," I chuckled. "I guess it can get a bit overwhelming for him."
My thoughts turned dark.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"A couple of weeks after his change, my...brother, Gene was attacked. Brian felt it when Gene was shot."
"What?!?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"He reacted badly," I understated. "Four full grown bears could barely slow him down. We were finally able to get him back to himself. We had to find Gene. We can't allow 'normals' to find out about us. I think you understand how people treat anyone who is... different."
He winced and nodded.
"We couldn't risk them finding out Gene wasn't human. We went to Gene's place. There were a lot of armed men searching for...someone," I temporized. "Brian was able to get inside. He witnessed them killing Gene. Felt him die."
His face was haunted. I think he understood.
"He...snapped," I said grimly. "He...stopped them all. I think the ones who died were the lucky ones."
"Brian did that?" he said, rocking back. "But he...."
"Well, it wasn't all him...quite. Somehow, he made the spirits of pretty much all the weres who have died manifest. They hunted down most of the men, but Brian claims responsibility for what happened. After...they were done, the bear spirits returned to Grandpapa. But there were many that had no place to return to. So, in return for their help, Brian offered to hold them until a keeper of their own kind should come to be."
"I can see him doing that," I said with a smile.
"But he hates himself for what he had to do," I said softly. "He's a good man at heart, but he's afraid of losing himself. Of what he might do if he loses control again."
"I can understand that," he said introspectively.
"That's part of the reason I don't want to put him out of his own home. He needs the stability of familiar surroundings."
"I think that's why I'm here, too."
I touched his chin and made him look up at me.
"And I'm glad you are," I said as our lips met.
The sound of voices out the window broke us apart.
"Like I said, he's got timing," I laughed. "All bad."
When I first woke up in Jim's arms, I experienced a spurt of fear, then remembered what we had done.
Our talk was confusing and disturbing. I kind of understood what he was saying, about bloodlines. But it was hard to believe what he said about Brian. But then, my memories of Brian were over twenty years old. True, when I knew him, he had begun learning how to defend himself, but he had never been violent.
"Hungry?" he asked when we heard them returning.
"Yes," I replied, much to my own chagrin. "But it hasn't been that long since we ate."
"You're going to be needing to take in more calories. Right now, you're using a lot of energy recovering from your injuries. But you're also going to be building up reserves for when you change. That won't be for another four months or so, but it's never too soon to start."
He got out of bed and offered me his hand.
I stood up, testing my leg. I was pleased that I didn't even feel a twinge of pain.
"Shouldn't we get cleaned up?" I asked, quite aware of how we smelled.
He ran his hand through his fur, bits of dried cum flaking off.
"We can, but don't have to," he laughed. "Showering might keep their hands off of you for a few minutes."
I decided that if he didn't care, I didn't, either.
He gestured for me to proceed him down the hall. We found Paul and Brian in the kitchen, prepping the fish they had caught.
Brian looked up, seeming to sniff the air.
"Guess we took long enough," he said with a grin.
"With as funny as you're walking, surprised you actually had time to fish," Jim snorted.
"Oh yeah," Brian grinned. "We played Little Red Riding Cub and the Big Bad Bear."
"Oh God," Jim groaned, shaking his head.
"You did what?" I asked.
"We like to role play," Paul chuckled.
"Like we used to do?" I asked in confusion.
Brian swallowed his laugh as Paul looked at him archly.
"No," Brian said when he got himself composed. "Not D&D. More...adult oriented."
"Oh," I said, then suddenly comprehended. "Ohhh."
I was kind of embarrassed, but intrigued.
"It can kind of add some...excitement...to a relationship," Brian explained.
"Bored with me already?" Paul growled with a grin.
"Never," Brian replied. "I just think it gives you more room to explore each other."
I glanced at Jim and he winked back.
"I bet I just reached parts of your body you hadn't had explored before," Paul leered.
"You didn't," Jim said suddenly serious.
"We did," Brian said defiantly, jutting out his chin.
"What?" I asked, my head spinning.
"I let the bear," Brian said, jerking his head at Paul, "Have his way with me."
"He could have still hurt you," Jim chided.
"We have our safe word," Brian said calmly. "If it had gotten too bad, I would have used it."
"Somehow, I doubt that," Jim growled, folding his arms and glaring back and forth between Brian and Paul.
"Jim," Paul said placatingly. "You know we all did that with Rick. And Brian has had plenty of experience with it, even before we met."
"Sorry," Jim said, his stance relaxing. "I worry about you is all. Don't want Grandpapa after my ass if something happened to you."
"What's a safe word?" I asked as the tension eased.
Brian raised a brow at Jim.
"A safe word is important," Jim began. "To role playing, especially the S and M aspect." "S and M," I asked, getting an inkling.
"Sado-masochism," Jim said. "Bondage. A safe word is something to agree on before you start. If it gets to...intense, it tells the other person to stop."
"It doesn't help when your partner stops when you tell him to stop," Brian said with a wicked grin. "A safe word tells him...or her...that you really want to stop."
"Brian tends to play the submissive," Paul teased.
"Hey!" he replied. "I think Mike will tell you otherwise."
"Who's Mike?" I asked.
"Mike's your new 'brother'," Jim said.
"What happened?" I asked as I took that in.
"When we first met, he thought he could just have his way with me because he was bigger than me," Brian said tightly.
I glanced at him and could recognize the suppressed rage in his expression.
"He learned that size doesn't matter," Brian said.
"What did you do?" I asked.
"I knocked his ass out," Brian said with a brittle smile. "His cub, Cliff, had been into the whole scene before he changed. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to teach Mike the niceties about it."
"Neither had I," Jim said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid Mike's a bit thick headed sometimes."
"Sometimes?" Brian smirked.
"He has improved a lot lately. Thanks in part to you," Jim said to him.
"I like to think Cliff has more to do with it than me," he said with a shrug.
"You roughed him up?" I asked.
When I had known Brian all those years ago, he had been studying martial arts for a few years then. I assume he had continued in it. Don't think I'd want him angry at me.
"Not really," Brian said, shamefacedly. "I just reacted. Cliff got me calmed down and agreed to follow my lead. Got Mike tied down in my...playroom and showed him how it is supposed to go."
"All I know," Paul said, struggling not to laugh, "I came home and found Mike bound over a bench, Cliff tied into a web with his dick buried up Brian's ass."
"Well, I can pull off the dom," Brian said with a blush. "But I typically go for the psychological rather than the physical. I just worry I might hurt someone."
"I can understand that," Jim said, looking at Brian askance.
Brian's eyes dropped to the floor. Hesitantly, I approached him and gripped his shoulder. He looked at me and I recognized the expression on his face. I knew it all too well.
He nodded with understanding and leaned over and kiss my forehead.
"You know," he said, glaring at Jim. "I won't ever forget what I've done. You don't have to keep reminding me."
"Sorry," Jim said with a sad smile. "Been a papa for a long time. Not used to responsible cubs."
He glanced at me and winked.
"So," Paul said. "How about after lunch, we go downstairs. Then we can show my new nephew how safe words work."