FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 1

Derrick closed his eyes tightly and felt the teeth sinking into his shoulder muscle. His shoulders were thick and layered with ample flesh for the man above him to bite into. He felt a rush of pleasure sweep over him as the endorphins surged through him and pushed past the pain. Then again, the thick cock shoved inside him might have had something to do with that. He heard a throaty growl above him followed by the garbled words, "I'm gonna come." Derrick yielded to all the sensations overwhelming him as easily as he had to the man providing them. He liked where he was, slung over a fallen tree. He also liked the man slung over him, now gasping for breath at the intensity of his orgasm.

"Oh, fuck, Pup," he heard Eric sigh happily as the cock began slipping from inside him. "That is the way to celebrate the first day of spring in a new millennium."

Derrick giggled. "Spring isn't for another three days, although it feels like summer out here today."

"Well, it's Saturday, Pup," Eric replied. "I'll be at work on the first day of spring." He shifted his position, pulling back from the heavyset man below.

"No, Papa Bear. Stay inside me," Derrick begged.

Eric laughed. "Pup, I don't have much choice in the matter. It's shrinking on its own."

Derrick made a disappointed sigh. "Okay, but you'll mount me later, won't you?"

Eric laughed again. "Pup, if I can, you know I will. I love being inside you." He grabbed Derrick's shoulders and pulled him up off the log. Taller and more muscular than Derrick, Eric positioned their bodies back to upright. He wrapped his arms around the chubby man and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Pup," he said, completely aware of the broad, silly grin he had on his face. He always had the same look when he was with his pup.

"I love you, too, Papa Bear," Derrick replied. No sooner had he spoken the words than a familiar sad look came over his face.

"But?" Eric pushed for more.

"But I still want someone for my own."

Eric leaned over and bit Derrick's bearded chin. "One day you will." And then, as he always seemed to do in these moments, Eric changed the topic. "And now it's time for us to put back on our clothes and continue our hike. It's burning daylight, and we have places to go, and people to do."

"So, really," Derrick asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet some friends like I told you; and like you agreed to."

"Like the guys from the parties you keep trying to drag me to?"

"No, these guys are different. We've been friends for years, but they're more like you." Eric paused for a moment as if trying to find the right words. "They're shyer; a little geekier." He stopped, rethinking the comment. "But in a good way. Like you. They're wonderful guys, but they don't fit into the whole gay community thing any better than you or me." Eric slipped his shoes back on. "And they're Furry friendly. You won't have to worry about showing that part of yourself."

"You know I don't do crowds very well," Derrick protested as he pulled up his sweatpants.

"I know, Pup," Eric said as he buttoned his shirt. "But if you're ever going to find someone to call your own, you need to meet some men."

Derrick sighed. "I suppose."

Eric reached around from behind and hugged the younger man. "At least it's out in the forest. And they're making us dinner, so we didn't have to tote in any heavy bags."

"Well, that is one nice part about the trip," Derrick said.

The walk through the woods was easier than Derrick anticipated. He was an overweight man and aware that he didn't exercise enough. His short, rotund frame struggled to walk through the forest overgrowth. But following the trail was more pleasant when walking hand in hand. With Eric by his side, the complications of being a heavyset didn't seem as pressing.

Occasionally, when the path narrowed, Eric would push him forward. "I want to stare at your butt," he would joke. Derrick could tell without even looking back that Eric was indeed staring at his butt. He never quite understood why Eric found his rounded frame so attractive. Then again, he also realized Eric never understood why he enjoyed looking at a graying older man.

Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be. It didn't matter what the outside world thought or how it judged. In this moment, walking in front of a man that was ogling his backside, he was as desirable as any man who walked the earth. The real world would shove its way back into his life soon enough. Still, for the moment, Derrick was happy to be the object of someone's lustiest thoughts.

"We're here," Eric said as they entered a clearing in the forest. Derrick looked around the grassy space. There were no tables, no shelters. In fact, there was nothing to show that another human had been in the clearing for years. He heard water flowing and saw glimpses of a stream through the trees on the other side of the grassy field. It was beautiful, and yet somehow he was apprehensive. He expected a more public venue for his first meeting with strangers.

From the far woods, he heard a deep voice bark, "Come on, boys. His highness has arrived."

Eric leaned over and whispered to Derrick, "That's Will. He's a bit over the top, but you'll love him."

The voice boomed again. "I heard that. I'm not a bit over the top. I'm A LOT over the top!"

The body that housed the voice came out of the shadows into the clearing. He was exactly as Derrick thought he would be from the voice. He stood six foot four and tipped the scales at three hundred and seventy pounds. A broad grin pushed past a thick beard. He was massive and overpoweringly comfortable in his being. A mountain man clad in a flannel shirt and jeans, he was every bear-lover's wet dream right down to his Crocs. Derrick shook his head. Crocs?

As if he heard his thoughts, Will answered the question. "Boots... terrible idea. You can't kick them off when you want to get nekkid. And I tend to get nekkid often."

Derrick laughed. "Well, now I know why you and Eric are friends."

"Oh, my dear pup, you don't have the faintest idea why Eric and I are friends," Will replied. "But I suspect before the night is over, you'll find out." Will stretched out his arms as he moved toward Eric with a singularity of purpose. The two locked into an embrace that was so intense it threw Derrick off balance. The kiss that they shared was far longer and more passionate than any he had seen before.

When they finally broke, Derrick realized he was half-hard from watching the two of them. Will looked deep into Eric's eyes. "God, I've missed you."

Eric answered back, "I've missed you, too. Phone calls aren't the same as you here in my arms."

Will laughed. "Well they better not be." He turned toward Derrick and smiled mischievously. "And who do we have here? The man who captured this old bear's heart."

Derrick looked away shyly. "I wouldn't say I exactly captured Eric's heart."

"Who's talking about him?" Will replied. "I'm talking about me." He released his one hug and immediately embraced Derrick. The embrace was unrelentingly tight. Despite Derrick's reluctance to hug anyone, he found his arms slipping around the full waist of the man in front of him. Will bent over and before Derrick could protest, he was kissing a total stranger with the ease of a lover. When their lips finally slipped apart, Will moved his mouth up against Derrick's ear. He rubbed his beard along the curve of the ear and whispered, "Don't sell yourself short, little man. That old bear is crazy in love with you. I haven't seen him this confused by his feelings in years. It's nice to see him that way again."

Will bit the lobe of Derrick's ear. Derrick let out an uncontrollable sigh. "Hmmm... the boy likes to be bit," Will said with a smile. "We're going to have to find out how far that goes."

"Okay, you two. I'm getting a hard-on watching you," Eric interrupted.

"Yeah, we are too," said another voice.

Derrick turned his head to see a crowd of four men gathered beside him. Derrick tried to push away from Will in embarrassment, but Will would have none of it. The hug tightened. "I'll let you go if they're the only ones with hard-ons," Will said. "But if you're sporting as much wood as I am, then you're staying right here." Will's hand reached down below Derrick's belly and into his sweatpants. He felt the erection slip between his fingers and sighed. "Oh my," he said, pulling Derrick even closer. "Promise me I can taste you sometime tonight."

Derrick stammered at so forward a request. "I... I... I don't usually find myself attracted to men as big as you," he blurted out. The minute he said it, he wished he hadn't.

Yet all Will did was laugh. "I'm going to take that as a compliment, but we have to work on your phrasing a bit." He kissed Derrick again. This time, as his hand tightened around Derrick's cock, he sensed each growing twitch.

When Will broke the kiss, Derrick felt a slight sense of loss. Will smiled at him and nipped at his chin the same way Eric did. "Never let your passion suffer because of what you think you don't like, or what you're not familiar with," Will said. "I'm what Eric likes to call tri-sizual. I'm willing to try any size once, and most a few extra times, just to be sure I like them." He rubbed Derrick's crotch again, this time cupping his balls and tugging. "I'm glad your body overrides your brain for attraction." When Will leaned down to kiss Derrick again, Derrick willingly returned the kiss.

Derrick slipped in and out of his awareness of the other men surrounding him. There was an older, stocky man with a full head of gray hair and a beard to match. He had well-muscled furry forearms. Derrick could tell he had spent years working outdoors. He stood next to a younger, lithe redheaded lad who looked like he was still in his teens. And then, there were the twins, mirrored matches to each other. They were tall, muscular, and handsome. Their hair was wavy and dark, and their skin brown. Their impeccable grooming and designer clothes showed they were aware of their beauty and enjoyed it when others noticed.

Despite the attractiveness of the crowd, such intimacy in front of the others made Derrick uncomfortable. It was especially difficult with Eric looking on. When he felt a tug at his shirt, Derrick protested. "Papa Bear, stop." From behind, Eric was lifting it over his head.

"No objections, Pup," Eric interjected before Derrick could say more. "And you Will. Take off your shirt so that Wolfy can see what he's wanted to see since you first walked out of the woods."

Will obediently complied. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. Derrick stared at the massive chest covered with a pelt of salt and pepper fur. The hair extended down across his belly and into his unbuttoned pants. Derrick could tell from the way it rolled over his shoulders that the back hair was equally dense. Eric was right. He had wanted to know how far that fur went the moment he saw it pouring out of Will's flannel shirt. And now, seeing it, he knew yet another reason the man captivated his attention.

Will's nipples protruded from the fur like brown islands. His hand absentmindedly tugged at one as he stared at Derrick. The other hand reached out and followed the thin line of hair that extended past Derrick's sparse chest hair. A single finger moved over his otherwise smooth belly and stopped, playing at the drawstring of the young man's sweatpants. "So, cute," he said. His hand toyed with the place where Derrick's belly ended and the sweatpants began. He flipped the protruding erection poking through the fabric a few times with his finger. He gave a frustrated groan. "Fuck civility and manners. I want you Pup."

In one smooth motion, Will dropped to his knees and his hands yanked Derrick's sweatpants to his ankles. Will's head turned sideways and buried itself into the dark shadow below Derrick's belly. When his mouth found the dripping prick, he gulped it into his mouth. Derrick felt the full beard rubbing against his thighs as Will sucked on him. His hands reached down to support himself on Will's broad, furry shoulders.

From behind, Derrick felt a familiar nudging along the crack of his ass. Eric's well-lubed cock moved along the entire crack and then pushed into him. "A little lower, Papa Bear," he moaned.

Eric obeyed, and the hard flesh pushed its way into Derrick. The feeling of his Papa Bear filling his insides, while yielding to Will's insistent and skillful sucking, was incredible. So much so that he only realized the involvement of the other men, and how they were helping ease his coupling, after he came inside Will's mouth.

The others had helped both Eric and Will out of their pants while the two were servicing Derrick. He looked down at Will on all fours, resting on a blanket spread out by the others. The fur along his back moved in smooth waves that curled around the crack of his butt and spread across the rounded mounds. Will smiled up at him. "Damn, that was fun."

Will sucked the cock back into his mouth, and Derrick laughed. "Too sensitive," he cried out. Will let go and then smiled at the still swollen shaft. "Eric, how do you ever let this pup out of your arms?"

"With great reluctance," Eric replied, still slipping his cock in and out of Derrick.

Will struggled to get up, and the twins came to his aid. Somewhere in the haze of sex, Derrick realized the two had taken off their shirts. Their smooth hairless skin made Derrick wonder if they were Latino or Native American. Whatever their race, their chiseled abs and tight muscles would have made them the envy of any gym rat. "Okay, boys," Will laughed. "I'm not so old I can't get up from a blowjob on my own."

The twins laughed with him. "We're just trying to be helpful," they said in tandem. "And to remind you that the sun is setting in an hour. If we don't have our picnic, it will soon be too dark to even see it."

Will stood up in front of Derrick. For the first time, Derrick saw him upright and naked. At that moment, Derrick realized he was a man whose hard-on rivaled Eric's in every way. It was thick, long, and enticingly furry. Will ran his hand along Derrick's cheek. "So, little man, do you want dinner, or should your Papa Bear and I spend the night fucking your brains out?"

Derrick felt Eric's cock throbbing inside of him. The waves of pleasure were still sweeping over him each time Eric thrust into him. The thought of Will taking over when Eric came would never have occurred to him, but his mind raced into the fantasies the suggestion created.

Derrick ran his hand along the full shaft in front of him. Grabbing onto Will's waist, he lowered himself onto all fours. He sucked as much of Will's shaft into his mouth as he could, but he realized quickly this was a cock best suited for his other hole. The more he tried to shove it into his mouth, the more it grew. "Oh my gosh," he blurted out. "You're even bigger than Eric."

Will rubbed the bald spot on top of Derrick's head. "Oh my gosh, you're right," he laughed. Will looked at Eric. "Who says 'Oh my gosh' anymore?"

Eric pulled Derrick into him, feeling his cock work deep into the chubby man's ass. He closed his eyes, letting the pleasures of his union wash over him. "Derrick does," he answered. "And don't you dare try to change him. I love him the way he is."

Will laughed. "Me too. I'm sorry, Pup," he apologized. "Don't ever be embarrassed by who you are. I'm an asshole sometimes." He slipped his cock out of Derrick's mouth and smiled at him when he looked up. "Speaking of assholes," he grinned, "any chance I can get into yours?"

Derrick giggled like a young boy. "You okay with that, Papa Bear?"

Eric laughed. "It's your ass, Pup. But prepare yourself for a royal pounding."

Derrick smiled and nodded his consent. He was already eager for just that.

Eric slipped out from inside him. Derrick watched the two men gingerly exchange places. He felt Will move behind him. With one smooth push, Will was inside, restoring the pleasures Derrick had momentarily lost. Will's thrusting was more insistent and wilder than Eric's, but it was beyond pleasurable in a new way.

In moments, Derrick lost himself in the aggressive pounding. The evening birds stopped their chirping. The sound of the creek in the distance dimmed. Will's happy groaning and the slapping of his huge ball sack against Derrick's ass became all that Derrick could hear. He knew he was going to be sore tomorrow, but right now, it was heaven.

Eric knelt in front of Derrick and kissed him. "I'm going to leave you two for a bit, Pup."

Derrick suddenly felt very uncomfortable. It was one thing sharing himself with Eric's friends, but another matter entirely being left alone with them.

"You need to trust me, Pup," Eric said as he kissed Derrick again. He looked at Will. "You best treat him right, Will, or I will have your hide." He turned and began walking away.

Derrick felt Will stop his thrusting. Will's hands rubbed his back lovingly. "I could never hurt such a beautiful creature," He yelled as Eric retreated across the field and into the forest.

Derrick felt the gigantic man lean over him. His hands slammed to the ground beside him. Even leaning over him, Derrick felt Will's massive cock still inside him. He felt Will's breath on his neck. "I know Pup. I don't bite the neck. That's for the One." He felt Will's teeth bite into his thick shoulder. Pain... pleasure...

Derrick wondered what else Eric had told Will, but it felt good that both men respected his wishes. "You're a Furry, right, Pup?" Will asked, thrusting back into the warmth of Derrick's ass.

"Yeah," Derrick gasped between the thrusting.

"You don't mind chatting with a guy who's fucking you, do you?" came another question.

Derrick laughed. "I've never done it before." He closed his eyes and felt Will's girth plunge into him. The thrusting was slower than before. Will's stiffness explored parts of Derrick's insides he had never knew he had. "That feels so good. I guess I'm good with this."

"Did your Papa Bear tell you I'm a Furry, too? That we're all Furries?"

"He said you were Furry friendly. He didn't say much more than that."

"That's Eric. Always the one to keep confidences." Will rocked his body in and out of Derrick's for a few quiet moments.

"There was a reason he left, Pup," Will continued. "He loves you more than you know. He loves you more than even he knows. That's why he's entrusted you to us."

Derrick was confused. "Entrusted me to you?"

Will's thrusting became less insistent and gentler. He pushed his way deep into Derrick's ass and then left it there as he grabbed onto Derrick's shoulders and pulled him in. Derrick groaned. "Oh, that feels so good."

"Yeah it does," Will sighed. Leaving himself deep inside, Will continued his questioning. "So what kind of Furry are you?"

Derrick pulled himself out of the pleasured place he was getting lost in. "A wolf, I guess. Sometimes I think it's more of a werewolf."

"Hmmm..." Will replied. "That's my fursona. I'm a werewolf."

"Really?"

"Right down to the expensive suit that I wear on special occasions."

"I've always wanted one," Derrick said, "But I can't afford the thousands of dollars to get a well-made one."

Will stayed still for a moment. "You okay? I'm not hurting you, am I? It still feels good?"

Derrick sighed. "Yeah, it feels great."

There was quiet for a moment. "Pup," Will whispered.

Derrick wondered why he felt so comfortable letting Will call him Eric's term of endearment. But when Will spoke it, it seemed right. "Yeah?"

"Pup, I promise I will never willingly hurt you."

A shudder went down Derrick's spine. Why would he say such a thing?

"You know how I said I wear my outfit on special occasions?" Will asked. "Well, tonight is one of those occasions. In a little while..." Will's voice broke and a gurgling noise of a man choking took over.

Derrick felt the hands on his shoulders shifting. Will's body lurched forward and his hands once again slammed to the ground. Only they weren't hands so much as thick, furred appendages turning into paws. "Fuck, Pup. Too soon," he heard Will say in a throaty growl. "It's not even dark. The moon is rising too soon." He heard growling off in the distance where the others were picnicking. "I want you so bad. But I'm changing." The voice became more labored. "I don't want to pull out, but I promised Eric."

Derrick realized that his ecstasy had turned into full-blown terror. He struggled to get out from under Will even as he sensed the changes taking place. Derrick heard Will's labored breath turn into something different. He was panting. Droplets of moisture fell onto Derrick's naked back from a tongue he knew was no longer human.

Derrick finally freed himself with one massive thrust of his legs. He turned and backed away from the hulking beast in front of him. Fur covered its body and its yellow eyes glowed in the evening light. He could still see the remnants of Will in some features. But the face was elongating and his beard slipped away from the muzzle that now was almost complete. The ears had shifted up and back into a traditional canine position.

As the beast rose, it towered above Derrick with a terrifying grandeur that matched his gravitas as a human. He recognized the creature before him. In his dreams, he had seen it. He had fantasized about them for years. But now, face to face with a creature half wolf and half man, he shuddered at the prospects. He ducked, throwing his arms over his head as he cowered before the beast. He waited for the inevitable rending of his flesh as the creature tore into him.

What he felt instead was the wet, thick tongue of a wolf licking him. He looked up from his crouched position to see the werewolf leaning over him. The words came out stilted. He could tell it took an effort to get them out as the body continued to transform. "Did you think I would hurt you, Pup?"

Derrick looked into the eyes of the beast. In the dwindling light, they glowed like embers in a fire. "All I know is what I've read," he said, backing away from the beast.

Will stood still. He knew Derrick needed the distance. "I promised Eric I wouldn't hurt you. I always keep my promises."

Derrick shook uncontrollably. He wanted to believe, but the pure strength and size of the beast in front of him left him terrified.

"Pup," Will growled. "Forget what you've heard about werewolves. We're not killers. A few psychotic sociopaths have given us all a bad rap, but how would you like it if humanity was judged by Adolph Hitler or Attila the Hun? We are a decent and loving group who live among you. And from time to time, we offer to share what and who we are with our human brothers."

Will's arms reached out as they had earlier in the day. At their end, the paws flayed out, the claws obvious and dark. "Come here, Pup." Will motioned to him with his paws. "Don't be afraid. Come, let this big old beast take you in his arms and hug you."

Derrick was still unsure, but despite the fierce nature of the werewolf's look, he felt himself growing more at ease with each passing moment. "Come on, Pup." The upright wolf once again gestured, inviting Derrick into his arms. Derrick took a step forward and then another. "Good boy," the werewolf encouraged. Derrick's arms reached out. Man and wolf embraced. "God," Will sighed, "so handsome and so brave."

Will pulled the young man in even closer. Derrick could feel the course guard hairs and the soft undercoat rubbing across his flesh. The werewolf spoke again; the words coming easier with each passing moment. "We want you to join the pack, Pup. The choice has to be yours. I want you to say yes more than you know. But it is always your choice."

"Will you have to bite me or something?" Derrick asked in a trembling voice.

Will chuckled... or as close to chuckling as a canine could make. "I'm looking forward to it. But only in the same loving way that Eric does with you. Kissing is tough with our jaws and muzzles. There's a bit of a learning curve to pull it off. But love bites are another matter entirely. Biting has always been the way of the wolf. But you've always known that, haven't you? It's been a part of you longer than you can remember."

Derrick looked up into the face of the werewolf. "But I enjoy kissing too."

"Me too, Pup," Will responded. Derrick noticed that the words now came easily to the wolf. "You'll learn how to kiss as a wolf. It takes a bit of practice, but it's pleasant enough to warrant the effort." He snorted a laugh. "And believe me; sucking cock is much, much trickier with the canine incisors of a wolf. But it's doable. And believe me, that too, is worth the effort."

Will leaned over and rubbed his furred face across Derrick's shoulders. "Eric brought you here because he believes you have the soul of a werewolf. We don't quite fit into the human world. Some of us love our human counterparts, but we are all awkward around them. Our animal speaks when our human half should. And sometimes out of love, we show ourselves to the very ones who turn on us." Will continued to pull Derrick deeper into the hug. "I promised Eric I wouldn't hurt you, but Eric forgot to make you promise you wouldn't hurt me."

Derrick laughed, his face buried in the fur of Will's chest. "How can I hurt you? You're twice my size and a wolf."

"The offer to become a part of the pack comes only with the unanimous consent of the pack," Will said. "We are offering you all that we are. If you decline..."

"You tear me to bits?" Derrick interrupted.

"We return you unharmed to Eric," Will laughed. He ran his paw along Derrick's shoulder. In a serious voice, he added, "But we watch someone we love walk away from what we offered. It's difficult for us. In the hundreds of years I've been alive, not even a handful of humans have ever said yes to my offer."

Will let out a growl that became a groan. His body shifted again. The shoulders pushed in and he collapsed onto all fours as his body began taking on a more wolfen shape. That part of the beast that was Will was disappearing under the fur and sinew of a large gray wolf. "I don't want to pressure you, Pup," he said, his voice slipping further and further into a growl. "But soon it will be time for us to run with the night. We want you to join us."

"How?"

"Is that a yes?" Will asked.

"It's a yes," Derrick said, leaning over to pet the head of the beast in front of him. From the dark of the forest, he saw the glowing eyes. The other wolves stepped into the field.

"The change comes from something a bit more intimate than chomping your leg," Will said. "That's why I pulled out of you when the change began. If I had stayed in you a few more moments, your transformation would have been a done deal without your consent." Will looked up at the human. "The first transition is never an easy one. But once the change begins, we will be here with you until it is complete."

"I'll be okay," Derrick said. "As long as you're here."

Will licked the neck of man in front of him. "I am so proud of you, Pup."

"Will," Derrick asked, "why isn't Eric here? Did he decline this invitation?"

"Not exactly. He has reasons of his own why he is not part of the pack. In you, he sees the soul of a werewolf, but he's aware his spirit is not the same. He has remained a true and loyal friend of the pack. We all love him, and he loves us. That's the reason he wanted us to meet. He believes you were meant to be one of us all along."

"But why didn't he stay? Why didn't he tell me?"

"The rules of engagement, pup." Will rolled over on his back. "Ohhh... scratch my tummy, Pup." he begged.

Derrick reached out and rubbed the furry belly. Will's leg shook with pleasure. "Oh yeah, that's the ticket." He looked over at Derrick with a playful grin. "You can rub lower if you like."

"Okay, Will," Derrick said, pulling his hands away from the beast, "why isn't Eric here?"

"The offer we're extending to you is sacred. No one but the pack and the initiate can be a part of it. Eric has always respected our traditions. As he is not one of us, he cannot be here for this ceremony."

"But if I understand you, this ceremony is mostly just sex."

"Yeah," Will laughed. "Lots and lots of sex. You're going to find out that doggy style has more variations than you ever imagined." Will rolled back onto all fours. "Don't mistake what I'm saying. This is still very sacred to us. Sex has always been a way of bonding beyond the physical act. Your genetics will change, but beyond that, you will have a pack of individuals who care for you. That we use something as wonderful as sex to make these bonds only seems to upset humans."

"I don't think I'm upset by it," Derrick protested. "It's new to me. I've always seen sex as something sort of one on one, monogamous kind of stuff that I share with the One."

"Oh, it is that," Will agreed. "But why would that make you think it couldn't be as useful for some sort of five-on-one, very polyamorous kind of stuff that you share with us?"

"Because they're mutually exclusive."

"Oh? So, you can't feel something for me without it weakening the way you feel for the One you hope to find one day?"

"Well, no," Derrick stammered, already aware of his feelings for Will and for the rest of the pack now gathering around him.

"I'm not criticizing your beliefs, Pup," Will said. "I'm only asking you to check them against the reality of new data. You have five men here who love you, and we all delight in sharing that love--with you and with each other. One day when you find the One, we will do whatever it takes to make the two of you happy."

"Even if it means I want to be monogamous?" Derrick asked.

"I guess so," Will sighed, feeling as if he hadn't explained things quite right. "After all, nobody's perfect."

The surrounding wolves seemed to laugh. Derrick recognized the twins. Their identical copper-colored fur mixed with chestnut and black on their ears and legs made them look the part of twins. Their white muzzles stood out in the moonlight. In that same light, their feet appeared dressed in white socks. They were beautiful, and despite his knowledge of wolves, he had never seen others with such markings. The two of them spoke in unison so perfectly it was as if they shared one voice between them. "There are those of us who have lived hundreds of years, Derrick. We have taken human lovers who never saw this side of us. We let the wolf side of us lie dormant as the pack ran the nights without us."

"But didn't you miss the pack?"

"Of course. But we also loved our human mates so much that we sacrificed a part of who we were to be with them."

Derrick looked confused. "I don't know if you should do that. I don't think you should sacrifice who you are for someone."

Another moved forward. He was a beautiful wolf with deep gray fur highlighted by black around his eyes, ears, and shoulders. Derrick recognized the middle-aged gentleman he met earlier, even through the fur. "You're right, Derrick. You shouldn't, and we don't. What we do is allow our human side to become fully present in the moment. We don't give up who we are. We share the brief span of human time with them so lost in human love that we never feel a sense of loss for not being something else. One moment of living in the now is worth a lifetime of dreaming what might be."

The wolf began shifting. In a smooth transition, the wolf stood and extended his clawed hand. "I am Jean Pierre. I have been the alpha of this pack for over seven centuries." Derrick shook the extended paw and found it interesting that the grip of the wolf seemed so human.

Jean Pierre spoke with a light French accent that spoke of his European roots. It explained his size. Derrick knew that Eurasian wolves, although nearly extinct, were some of the largest of the wolf family. "In my time as an alpha, I have taken three human lovers. I have loved them as intimately as one could ever hope to love, never once missing this part of me. And when at the end of their lives I buried them, the pack was there beside me to help me mourn and to welcome me home." He shifted his position and sat down. "Love is far more encompassing than the human species has ever realized."

Derrick looked confused. "I sort of thought by his attitude Will was the alpha in the group."

The wolves howled with amusement at the idea.

Will shifted again, and Derrick could see he was taking on some of his human characteristics once more. "I'm the most forward because I'm the one that wants you the most." He rose on his legs again and wrapped Derrick in his arms. "But if Jean Pierre wanted you first, I would yield to him."

The Eurasian wolf barked out a laugh. "He says that because he knows full well I love him too much to deny him what his heart wants so badly."

"But you don't even know me," Derrick said, looking up at Will.

"Eric and I have spent hours on the phone talking about you. Ever since the first day we both saw you at that pride festival back in nineteen ninety-eight," Will replied.

"I remember Eric," Derrick said. "That was my first kiss with him. But I don't remember you. I'm sure I would remember seeing you."

"I'm a wolf, Pup," Will said with a smile. "You only see me when I want you to see me."

"Two months ago, we spent the most wonderful day together talking of nothing but you. He showed me your pictures; the ones where he didn't cover up the bite marks." Will immediately thought better of the comment. "Oh, please don't tell him, Pup. I begged him to let me see after he told me about you. I swear, the only reason he showed them to me is that he knew I would love you as much as he does."

"You saw me naked, and you still wanted to get together?" Derrick's disbelief surfaced once again.

"Oh, I can see it's going to take a few hundred years of loving on you to convince you, isn't it, Pup?"

"A few hundred years?"

"It comes with the fur, Handsome. It's a complete package deal."

"I'll never die?" Derrick asked.

"You'll never age, but one day you'll die. Everything dies." Jean Pierre replied.

Another stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the full moon. He had startling red fur with a white chest and black and white edging along the ears. The white tip of his tail wagged like a lamp in the moonlight. "I hate to point out the obvious, but we could be here all night telling Derrick all about his new life. But we do so, and we miss the opportunity to actually start it by initiating him into the pack."

Derrick stared at the smaller creature. "You're a FOX!"

"Yeah, I know," laughed the fox. "I'm Jason. I'm the youngest in the pack. Jean Pierre told me that at the time of my initiation, I had to think about what color my fur should be. I tried to become a pink wolf, but the laws of nature wouldn't let that happen, so I choose the brightest canid I could think of. And here I am... a fox."

"All packs welcome many unique Canidae," Will said. "Me, I'm an Iberian wolf. The twins are red wolves. There's a pack down in Taos, New Mexico that has the most beautiful red Chow. He is sooooo hot." He looked at Derrick. "Just like you, Pup," he added quickly, trying to minimize his obvious randy nature.

Derrick stood up on his tiptoes and when the werewolf lowered his head, Derrick kissed Will's snout. "It's okay, Will. I already know what sort of werewolf you are." He paused a minute. "But Jason is right. Shouldn't I be finding out what sort of werewolf I am?"

Will embraced Derrick. "With the approval of the alpha and the agreement of the pack..." he nipped Derrick's collarbone, "...and the willingness of the initiate." He paused and smiled as Derrick shook his head in agreement. "Then let the initiation begin."

"Jeez, it's about time," said the twins. "We swear if you kept talking, we were going to mount the boy ourselves."

"I wanted it to be special," Will protested.

"You've got a club for a dick and from what we saw this afternoon, Derrick is a power bottom. It's going to be special for him in ways he's never dreamed of."

"There, there," Jean Pierre, the alpha, scolded. "This is Derrick's night and Will is a hopeless romantic. Let them have their moment."

"Sure," said the fox, shaking himself as he rose onto his hind legs. "As long as I can get one of them to suck this." He pulled at the sheath of fur in his groin and a bright fleshy cock popped out. Derrick had expected to see a bright red phallus from his knowledge of foxes and wolves.

Will saw the confused look immediately. "We're not completely canid ever, Pup. We have no knot in our cocks, and we sure as heck don't need a baculum to get it up with you here. Our wangs are 100% human." he thought about it for a moment, and then added, "well... maybe 85%. We can breed all night."

"The transition between species has a human counterpart of bones," said the fox. He approached Derrick with his cock swaying seductively erect, back and forth with each step. "We have tails because humans have tailbones, but we don't have a penis bone because humans don't have one."

"Frankly," said the alpha wolf, still standing upright, "I'm glad we don't." He stroked his cock out of the furred pouch and smiled at Derrick. "I'd hate to break a bone like that tonight." He pumped his swollen dick until it spilled out a stream of pre-cum over his paw. The alpha growled. "Mount him, Will. His pheromones are already driving us so wild we'll be fighting over who takes him soon."

Will looked into Derrick's eyes. "He's right, Pup. It's like you're in heat. I've never known a man so ready."

Derrick would have taken offense at the comment, were it not true. He was ready. He wanted every one of them, but most especially Will.

Will picked Derrick up as if he were a toy and pivoted him around straight into the crotch of the fox. Derrick stared at the erection in front of him, surrounded by red fur. The balls were hanging low, and he could smell the scent of desire. Jason grabbed his prick with one hand and Derrick's head with the other, and then he paused... waiting.

"This is where it might get a little rough, Pup," Will growled, "but I promise you it's as gentle as we can be."

Derrick thought back to his afternoon with Will and Eric. "Fuck civility and manners, Will. Mount me." Without a moment's hesitation, the hairy beast impaled him, and Derrick cried out. The force of his entry was uninhibited, and the pounding that began at his backside was unrelenting.

The fox, now taking his cue from Will, shoved his small, stout prick into Derrick's mouth and began humping. Derrick was grateful that it wasn't the Eurasian wolf or the twins. Their swollen flesh would easily gag him, even on his best day.

Derrick lost track of time as he lost himself in the fur and flesh of the beasts penetrating him. Then he heard Will yell out over his panting, "Pup, think black fur with blue highlights."

"What?" Derrick mumbled past the cock in his mouth.

"DO IT NOW, PUP!" Will snarled. "Think of a wolf with black fur and blue highlights."

Derrick obeyed. He shut his eyes and saw himself as a strong black-haired werewolf with blue highlights throughout the fur. He saw himself as he had always hoped to be. Jason's cock flopped out of the young man's mouth as Will pulled him back, burying the werewolf's cock deeper than anything Derrick had felt before. He felt the pulsing of Will's cum shooting into him at the same time Jason shot fox cum all over his face.

Derrick was delighting at the sensations flooding his body when the first stab of pain overtook him. He looked down at his arms as they twisted and began sprouting a dense mat of black fur. He could feel his shoulders pulling painfully together. His body was growing more furred with each moment. His jaw ached as it stretched and even his ears felt as if they were being yanked from his head as they elongated into their canine counterparts.

"Oh god, Will!" he screamed. "It hurts!"

Will's enormous paw came down and stroked his forehead. "I know, Pup. The first time always does. Stay focused. See the wolf with black fur and blue highlights." The werewolf lay beside him and cradled Derrick in his paws. "I'm here for you, Pup."

The fox knelt down and wiped the sweat from Derrick's face with his tail. The alpha lay beside his backside and pressed close up against him. "We are all with you, Derrick," he said.

One twin straddled his legs and held them in place as they shook violently. He felt the pain ripping through sinew and ligaments as they realigned to the haunches of a wolf. Derrick cried out in pain, and then he felt the teeth. Pushing past his fur and digging into his shoulder, Will's slavering fangs dug deep into his flesh just short of drawing blood. From behind, the alpha did the same to his other shoulder. The sensation of the two tore him away from the feelings of his body writhing in its new configuration. He felt pain... pleasure.

The two werewolves kept their jaws firmly locked onto his flesh until the violent shaking subsided. Derrick's awareness of his new self became clearer as the group released him from their hold. He stumbled up onto his feet and tried to walk. He collapsed against a tree, panting heavily.

"Da-amn, he's beyond gorgeous," one of them said.

"You are, Boy," he heard the alpha say as he leaned into him. "I don't think I've ever seen a rump as nice as yours." Derrick felt the large genitals of the Eurasian wolf rub up against him. Exhausted and soaked with sweat, Derrick wondered if he could take any more. But when Jean Pierre pushed at the hole with his dripping cock, Derrick yielded to what he had always wanted. He was a werewolf, and this was his pack. He tried to tell the alpha to take him, but what came out was little more than an accepting whimper.

Jean Pierre forced his hard-on deep into Derrick's ass. He grunted happily and then began a rhythm that started slowly and built momentum. Soon the two were rocking up against the tree, howling in their ecstasy. Derrick felt the tongues of his pack licking at his hardened flesh from either side. He thought it might be the twins, but he was so lost in the sensations it didn't matter who was taking their pleasure. When the alpha howled and his orgasm pulsed into Derrick, Derrick released a stream of white liquid. It shot across the faces of his fellow wolves and onto the tree in front of him.

As Jean Pierre pulled out of him, Derrick staggered away from the tree. His new stance was awkward, and he stumbled to the ground. It took less than a moment for the twins to jump onto him, one flipping him over and pulling his legs into the air and the other grabbing his paws. He watched as one penetrated him. "Fuck him, Brother," yelled the wolf, holding onto his paws.

"I am," panted the other. "This boy was born to be a wolf." As Derrick felt the cock buried inside him growing ever closer to its release, he reached his head up and feverishly licked the cock of his twin.

"Oh yeah, Wolfy," they both groaned at the same time. Derrick watched the cum spiraling out of the werewolf above him as he felt the other coming inside him. Cum shot over his chest and landed on the line of fur between Derrick and his twin. The rest spilled into Derrick's open mouth, and he lapped it up eagerly.

With that, the twins collapsed beside him. "Wow!" they barked. "Double wow!"

Will walked up to the three, towering over them. "That was something to behold. You boys put on quite the show." His cock was still pumping out the last of his ejaculate, and the way he swaggered told Derrick Will wanted him to see it. "Yeah, Pup." Will said, "This is what you do to me." He swiped his paw over the dripping mess and licked it seductively.

"Go boys," the alpha barked. The twins turned tail and raced off into the forest. With each bound, they became more and more wolfen. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, they were two beautiful wolves dashing into the darkness.

Will knelt down next to Derrick. He rubbed the pup's soft black fur and delighted in how the full moon picked up the blue highlights. "Eric will be so happy. He was very specific about what color fur you were to have."

Derrick tried to respond, but all he could manage were a few awkward barks.

"Think about your human vocal cords, Pup," Will said. "What you think will be."

Derrick struggled to think of his human voice, and he found it. It was clumsy but understandable. "Eric asked me for weeks how I saw myself as a werewolf. This is the fur I always dreamed of." And then Derrick's muzzle took on a look of sadness. "Eric won't ever see me this way, will he?"

"Why not?" Will questioned.

"Because he's not part of the pack."

"Well, he sort of is... kind of like an honorary member. You never have to be anything but who you are when you're with Eric. If that happens to be a wolf at the full moon, he'll be okay with it."

"But the stories you told of never turning in the company of humans."

"Yeah, that's not so much about Eric, Pup."

From the dark of the forest, Derrick watched the twins return with a monolith of white fur between them. The creature was enormous, nearly ten feet tall, and lumbering on short, stout legs. His fur glistened in the moonlight and even from a distance, Derrick recognized the unmistakable gait of an upright polar bear.

The twins escorted the bear to the rest of the pack. Derrick looked at the familiar, broad, silly grin on the bear's face. "Papa Bear?" Derrick asked.

"Yeah, Pup," the bear growled in response.

Will laughed. "I guess you never knew how appropriate your term of endearment was for him, huh, Pup?"

"No, I didn't," Derrick said, shifting himself up onto his wobbling legs.

"Come to Papa," the bear commanded.

Derrick took awkward steps toward the beast, until he collapsed into the bear's arms. Feeling the stiff white fur, he buried his muzzle into it. The bear hugged him tightly. "You make such a beautiful werewolf, Pup," he sighed.

"Thank you, Papa Bear."

"Watch out Papa Bear," Will snickered. "Once you try black, you'll never go back."

The bear bellowed out a laugh. "It's half the fun of loving a werewolf. I get two beautifully different creatures for the price of one."

Derrick looked at the bear. "This is why you couldn't be a werewolf? You were already a werebear?"

"I'm not a werebear, Pup," Eric confided. "I'm a Changeling. We are the race from which all the werebeasts have come. The Weres are the melding of man and Changeling." The great beast picked up the werewolf in his arms and stretched them out to view the novitiate. Dangling from the ground, Derrick felt light. He smiled. It felt good. The polar bear stared at him approvingly. "I hope it didn't hurt too much, Pup."

"It was worth it, Papa Bear. They said the change gets easier with time."

"It does that. The same as a loving bite from a wolf, the change brings pain. But we move beyond the pain to where the pleasure lies. Your turning will be the same." The bear lowered the werewolf to the ground. "We have a lot to talk about, Pup."

"I guess so, Papa Bear."

The alpha wolf barked. Will came over to the two. "That's our cue to leave you two alone." He leaned over and kissed Derrick as best his canine nature would allow. Derrick was new to the act, and Will allowed for the awkwardness of his inexperience. "Welcome to the pack, Pup. I look forward to running with you someday soon."

Derrick looked up at Will. "Thank you, Will. Thank you for everything," he said.

"It was my pleasure, Pup. I am honored." He spun around and, in two great bounds, he was a wolf racing off into the night with his pack.

The old bear and the novitiate werewolf lay on their backs and stared up into the sky. In the distance, they heard the pack howl. "They're saying hello," the bear said. "They're welcoming you into the pack. You'll learn all the different howls soon. They're like songs sung to the world around them and to the ones they love." The full moon gleamed brightly overhead. "You'll be glad to know that the change back is much easier," the bear added. Derrick nodded his agreement.

"Papa Bear?" Derrick asked. "How do we make this work? I mean, I've wanted this all my life, but it complicates everything between us. Even our size complicates things. I thought I was big as a werewolf, but you're huge. I'm pretty sure under all that fur is an enormous cock."

"Yeah," the bear laughed. "Will might have it over me when we're human, but wait until I get aroused tonight." He paused and pulled Derrick in closer. "We make it work the way we've always made it work, Pup." He paused in thought. "We go slow, and we love like crazy."

Derrick watched a shooting star arch across the sky. There was so much to talk about; so much to learn. Then he felt Papa Bear reach over and pull him up onto his white, furry belly. The big black snout, white face, and gleaming fangs filled his eyes as they pressed toward him. He felt the bite on his chin. "I love you, Pup." the bear whispered.

"I love you, too, Papa Bear," the werewolf replied. He laid his body down on top of the white beast. Two massive arms encircled him. He thought about the bear's answer in the silence of the night. "We go slow, and we love like crazy." For the moment, that was more than enough. Like the ancient werewolves before him, he embraced that moment and lived in it.

Chapter 2

Derrick winced as the sunlight streamed through the branches across his face. At first, the surroundings confused him. Last night, he had the strangest, most erotic dream of his life. Now waking, he found himself in a forest identical to the dream. Eric lay behind him, his arm draped over Derrick's belly. Pressed up close against Eric, the flesh was familiar and comforting. Even the morning erection pushing into his lower back felt good, although Derrick realized he wanted it somewhere else.

They were lying under a large maple tree at the edge of a forest clearing. It was just as he remembered it in his dream. The grassy field, the noisy creek on the far side; but then that would make sense. His mind created the dream from the romantic night Eric and he shared on their first trip into the woods. He pushed in closer to Eric for a bit more warmth and pulled the blanket in tighter.

"You cold, Pup?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, Papa Bear," Derrick answered.

"Come on, get close," Eric said. His arm pulled him in tight, and in a smooth, seamless transition, the arm sprouted white, thick fur and lengthened. At the end of the arm, the thin fingers grew into a thick pad of black skin and white fur. Huge claws extended beyond the paws.

Derrick sensed the body behind him growing and stretching, coarse fur rubbing along his backside as it did. The cock, once pressed against his back, now slid along his ass crack as the body shifted in size. Eric's size was expanding in every direction. The sheer weight of the expansion dragged Derrick's body along the blanket as Eric's torso expanded. The weight of the arm grew heavy until the bear lifted it, acknowledging how much weight bore down on the tiny human next to him. Derrick panicked and struggled within the grasp of the beast behind.

"It wasn't a dream, Pup," the bear said, reasserting his grip on the human. "I'm a Changeling. You're a werewolf. You're not in any danger. I still love you." Derrick felt a cold, wet nose press against him as the bear did something akin to a kiss on his neck. "So, come back to bed. Papa Bear is tired."

"You... you're... you're a polar bear."

"No, Pup. I'm a big furry blanket," the bear sighed. "Now come back to bed."

"I'm a werewolf?"

"Yeah. A smoking hot one with an incredible ass." The bear shifted his position. "Now come back to bed."

Derrick pushed into the thick fur behind him. A paw reached down and pulled the blanket up over him.

"When I wake up, you're still going to be a polar bear, aren't you?"

"For as long as you're cold, Pup," the bear growled. "When you're no longer cold, I will return to being a human so we can spend the entire afternoon together fucking."

Derrick lay quietly enfolded in the arms of the massive beast. His thoughts raced in a thousand directions at once. How much of what he experienced was true? He listened to the soft breathing of a polar bear behind him. All of it was true. His first meeting with the pack, the initiation, the transformation, and the incredible sex (as both human and beast) all happened. But more importantly, he spent the night lying with his Papa Bear looking at the stars for the first time as a werewolf. He even remembered the calamity of his first sexual experience with Eric in their altered forms. They were reclining under the stars when he noticed the white bear absentmindedly stroking himself. "Are you horny, Papa Bear?" he asked.

"Pup," he groaned, "I'm always horny in this body."

"You can mount me if you want," Derrick offered.

"Really?" the bear responded, sounding almost giddy. "You can't imagine how many times we've been together when I've wanted to take you this way." Then his face changed, and a frown came across his black lips. His white forehead furrowed. "I'm bigger than I am as a human, Pup," he said. "I mean in every way. You're much stronger as a werewolf than you were as a human, but you're still looking at over eleven hundred pounds of bear here."

Derrick winced at the thought. "How much of those eleven hundred pounds is dick?" he asked, trying to sound upbeat.

"I'm not all that big. Maybe a foot. I'm pretty sure it's not bigger than that. It's thicker than a normal bear dick, but we discussed that. I don't have a baculum, so it sort of fills up with blood like my human cock, only larger.

The bear rocked back and forth. He appeared anxious as he tried to convince Derrick that sex was a good idea. "There are humans who are bigger than me. Bears, even Changeling bears, don't have horse cocks or anything."

Derrick thought about his experiences with Will in his wolfen form. It was an exchange of DNA in the way werewolves enjoyed it most -- sex. Will's cock, as a human, was larger than Eric's. As a werewolf, it was larger still. When it pushed into him, Derrick cried out from the pain and shock of something so large inside him. But he soon grew accustomed to it and, by the time the werewolf was coming, Derrick had lost himself in an overriding sense of pleasure.

The bear sat back on his haunches as Derrick looked at him. His polar bear dick, which normally remained hidden, was jutting out from him, fully aroused. The ball sack hung barely visible in a pouch of white fur. But the black shaft of flesh rising out of the sheath was intimidating. The bear rocked anxiously, waiting for a verdict. "It's black," he said awkwardly.

"I can see that," Derrick said with a chuckle. "That's okay. I forgot that your skin is black and your fur is white."

"According to science, my fur is clear. They're hollow tubes that bounce back the entire light spectrum. So they look white." The polar bear threw his paw up over his face. "Oh god, Pup. I'm blathering," he groaned. "I want you so bad. You're so beautiful. I can't think about anything else except mounting you." His paw reached down to the thick cock protruding from the fur and squeezed it. Derrick stared as it poured out more pre-cum than he had ever seen.

Derrick turned himself around as best he could. His newfound werewolf legs were like walking on stilts. He couldn't remain upright, let alone walk unsupported for any length of time. But he figured he was safe on all fours. He wagged his tail and turned back to watch the anxious bear. "Come on, Papa Bear. Have your way with me. You know we both want it."

The bear smiled and bounded up onto his legs. "Oh god, Pup. Oh god, oh god, oh god," He repeated eagerly as he rushed toward the wolf. His paws grabbed around Derrick's waist. In a move that was more picking the werewolf up and impaling him on his dick than actual penetration, the polar bear mounted his lover.

Derrick yelped a sharp bark of pain. The reaction of his Papa Bear was instant and unmistakably wrong in every way. Eric screamed out, "No! I've hurt you!" He pulled the werewolf off his cock and tossed him away without contemplating his power. Derrick tumbled head over tail into the grass. The big bear backed up in horror. "I'm a monster!" he cried out. Tears streamed down his face as his arms pushed out, trying to block the view with his paws.

The bear turned his face from what he had done. He lurched backward, away from the wolf. His bulky body continued staggering backward. His cock, once massive and hard, shrank back into its hiding place. All the bear spoke were the repeated words, "I'm a monster."

Derrick rose, trying to stop Eric's retreat. "I'm okay, Papa Bear!" he yelled. He tried to get up on his legs, but he fell over, unable to find his equilibrium. His doglegs jutted outward in a fashion that made his center of balance off-kilter.

Derrick watched as the bear retreated, horrified at his very being. His cries had turned animal as he wailed. Derrick realized he had to do something. He had to save this moment or he would lose the bear he loved forever. His first step was uncertain, and then the shift surged through him. In the heat of the moment, the change didn't hurt. His desire to help the bear in front of him overrode all other feelings. In one great leap, he changed into a wolf that sprinted across the field toward the careening polar bear.

The great white beast stumbled backward over a fallen tree and fell onto his back. Derrick took the moment and jumped onto his chest. Arms flailing, the bear wailed, "NO, don't come near me! I'll only hurt you."

All his life, Derrick was a submissive. He found it easy to yield to others' wishes, to go with the flow, and let others dominate him. He enjoyed it. However, at this moment, his dominance surged forward. He snarled at the bear, "Papa Bear, STOP!" Without questioning, the bear submitted to the command. His arms dropped to his side. "You didn't hurt me. I'm okay." The wolf stared into the tear-soaked eyes of the bear below. "You didn't hurt me. You just surprised me."

The bear's chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath between sobs. "I can't stand the thought of hurting you."

"You didn't, Papa Bear."

"I did."

"I'm stronger than you think."

The bear smiled at the wolf. "You swear I didn't hurt you?"

The wolf smiled back. "You might have hurt my feelings. And you definitely crushed my expectations." He lowered his head and rubbed his muzzle across the bear's chest. "I thought I was going to get the ride of my life tonight."

The bear's sobbing slowed. "Oh, Pup. I wanted you so bad. I'm so sorry."

Derrick found himself confident in who he was and what he wanted. What he wanted was to be back, enjoying his submissive nature again. "You need to buck up, Bear," he growled. "Sometimes the two of us will get rough. We're beasts. But I love you, and you love me. We may bruise each other a bit, but I know you'll never hurt me."

"I wish I could believe that," the bear whispered.

"Believe it, Papa Bear," the wolf replied. "I need us to be who we have always been. You need to be confident in the way you handle me. I'm your Pup, and I need you to be my Papa Bear." Derrick shook himself back into his werewolf state with only a thought. "Come dry those tears," he said. "You have a werewolf who needs you inside him."

The great white beast put his arms around the werewolf and righted himself. He picked Derrick up and laid him over the fallen tree. His huge paws fell to either side of the werewolf, shaking the tree, and scattering moss and bark everywhere. He rubbed his crotch against the furry backside of the werewolf. Derrick worked his tail between Eric's legs and wagged it furiously. "Oh, that feels so good," the bear sighed.

Derrick smiled as the polar bear's cock grew against him. "Now, so we have an understanding," he told the bear, "no pulling out once you're in, no matter what noise I make unless it's the words 'pull out,' okay?"

"Okay."

"And that means even after you cum," the werewolf laughed.

"I'll try."

The weight of the enormous body above Derrick pushed forward. A white paw shifted, pushing his tail up along his backside. A cock slippery with pre-cum pushed up against his hole. "Do it, Papa Bear," he commanded.

The bear pushed and the swollen shaft entered Derrick. The only noise to escape the wolf's lips was a sigh of pure contentment.

The sounds of scrub jays flying from the trees roused Derrick from his reverie. He was about to relive the hour when the moon dipped behind the mountains and his transformation back to human began. He remembered how exhausted he was; spent from a night of passion and lust. He remembered the gentle bear rocking him in his arms until he fell asleep. Now, in the distance, five naked men came into the clearing, disturbing the smaller birds that flew up, squawking their discontent.

"God," groaned the bear. "Who does a bear have to fuck to get some sleep around here?"

Almost in unison, Derrick observed the others and himself chime in, "Me!"

Will sprinted across the field towards the two. He came crashing down in front of Derrick and the bear. "How are my two favorite people in the world?" he asked.

"I'm not a people," growled the white-furred beast. "I'm a bear."

"Yeah," Will smiled. "And a grumpy one at that." He looked at Derrick. "You'll find that in this state, Eric's emotions are a lot more pronounced than his human form."

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, I found that out last night. It will take some getting used to."

Will stared at Derrick for a moment. The gleam in his eye shared a hint of the bright yellow eyes of his wolf form. He licked his lips. "Do you know you're hard as a rock?"

Derrick's awareness of his body made him instinctively reach down to cover himself up. Will grabbed the blanket first. "Don't you dare try to cover that beautiful body."

Derrick struggled to understand what was happening to his world. Unbelievably, two guys found his overweight frame desirable. After years spent wondering if anyone would want him, there were two very different men eager to have him.

Will pushed Derrick back into the belly of the polar bear. He forced his face below Derrick's belly and onto the engorged flesh. Derrick knew he should protest. It's what others had trained him to do all his life. They taught him to rebuff the advances of anyone who might express interest; to never think of himself as good enough. There was always a suspicion that something was wrong whenever he felt good. His life, his religion, and his entire upbringing had taught him that.

However, one night as a werewolf taught him something new, and he slipped into the moment. He abandoned himself to Will's gentle sucking and the comfort that all was right in his universe. Everything was good enough... even the pudgy little man getting an early morning blowjob.

The big bear behind him stirred. "Fuck it," he growled. "If you're gonna do that, Will, I may as well join you." The bear slipped away from Derrick's skin. Within seconds, the warmth of another man up against him replaced the bear. "Does anyone have some lube?" Eric called out.

A laughing twin reached into the pants he was carrying. He pulled a small vial from his pocket and tossed it toward the threesome. Eric fumbled with it for a moment, and Derrick sensed a familiar finger rubbing the slick liquid across his hole and plunging in. Soon enough, a hard cock pushed in and replaced the finger.

Derrick looked out toward the others in the pack. He noticed that while the twins sat entranced at his coupling, Jean Pierre and Jason were in the middle of their own reverie. The fox and the Eurasian wolf, now human again, were kissing. Derrick realized the youngest and oldest in the pack were no longer in the same space and time as the rest of them. They were in a place with no shame and no care for what the world thought. There was nothing but acceptance wherever it was they were. He watched and learned. He abandoned his fears and slipped deeper into the moment he shared with Will and Eric.

"Eric, let me take over," he heard Will beg.

Eric moved from his position. "No Papa Bear," Derrick moaned. "You haven't cum yet."

Eric laughed, "Don't worry, Pup. That will happen before the morning is over, but I know where Will is heading. Trust me, this will be worth it."

Will slipped behind Derrick. As Eric gently pulled out, Will plowed back into the hole with his typical eagerness. Derrick sighed at the new sensations melding with the familiar. "Eric, I need your help here," Will said from behind the pup. Confused by the request, Derrick waited for the response.

"He wants me to fuck him, Pup," came the reply.

Derrick's first instinct was his human one. No. Will couldn't have him. Eric was his even if... Will's cock plunged in deeper and his ball sack slapped up against the portly man's rump. Derrick's werewolf now spoke to him. A man filled him, giving him every pleasure he craved. What would it hurt to loan Eric out for a while?

And then the truth flowed over him, as pleasurable as the one inside him. He didn't own Eric. He didn't own anyone in the field. And yet they were willingly beside him. No one tried to remove him from his place at the table of their affections. Everything everyone taught him growing up was false. Eric could be with Will, never affecting the passion he and Eric shared because these were only moments in time.

For a moment, a huge hulk of a man was screwing him, and doing it very well. Eric didn't fear losing his pup to Will. He knew that later in the day, they would be in each other's arms and the two would be one again. Derrick smiled, acknowledging the same future. He agreed to the request. "Fuck him Papa Bear," he replied with a laugh. "If you can get him to stop pounding me long enough."

Will growled. "That won't be necessary, Pup. I'm not a neophyte. I know what to do in the company of two such incredible men. Sit back and enjoy a man who loves his work." Eric slid up behind Will and placed his lubed cock square to the man thrusting into his pup. He let his cock slip deep into the mountain man's ass as he withdrew from Derrick. "OH YEAH," Will yelled. "That's what I need."

Will controlled everything. The man inside him, and the man he was inside, were pawns to his thrusting, and both willingly so. Derrick turned to watch Will and Eric coupling, but Will's girth hid all but a glimmer of what was behind him. "Trust me, Pup," Will boasted, "it looks hotter than you can imagine."

"Yeah, it does," the twins cheered in unison. "Pound him, Eric. Get him ready."

Derrick lost track of how long Will kept up his thrusting. He realized it was more than he could do, but he was grateful for Will's stamina and lust. It was then he noticed the change. The cock inside him grew tighter, and the penetration became more insistent. "Oh fuck, Pup," Will cried out. Short gasps of words came from his lips as he sought to catch his breath. "Gonna... Gonna breed this beautiful pup... gonna..." and then the howl.

The twins cheered, and from behind came Eric's encouragement. "That's it, Will. Come. Give the pup everything you've got!" And then, with a groan, his lover added, "and take everything I've got."

What followed was a sound Derrick heard many times before, but never at the hands of another man. Eric's orgasm was a slur of animal noises and curse words that rarely escaped his lips at any other time. Still aware of Will's pulsing rod inside him, it was as if he experienced both their orgasms.

Derrick was returning to a place where the sensations no longer overwhelmed him. Had he passed out from the intensity, or was the euphoria so mind-altering that he had an out-of-body experience? What he knew was that when he returned from a place of unimaginable pleasure, Eric was kneeling beside him. Eric pushed the chubby man onto his side and wiped his hand across Derrick's cum soaked belly. He licked the white fluid off his fingers. "It's yours, you know," he declared with a laugh. "You lost most of it in the grass. But I got a taste."

Derrick smiled. It was all there. Not one bit of the love had faded from Eric's eyes. Even knowing how passionately he enjoyed Will inside him, the love he had for Eric hadn't diminished. He didn't own Eric. And yet, Eric stayed beside him. He chose to. Of all the billions of people in the world, of all the options at his disposal, he chose a small little chub who had no clue why until this moment. Eric loved him. The man he loved felt the same as he did. And understanding that, he felt as desirable as anyone on the planet.

"I love you, Papa Bear," he said.

Eric smiled at him. "I love you, too, Pup." He lay behind Derrick and propped himself up with one arm while gesturing forward with the other. "Prepare yourself. You're about to watch a master at his most engaging," he giggled.

Derrick looked in front of him. Will was positioning himself over a twin lying in the grass on his back. The twin held his erection straight up, waiting patiently for Will. The burly giant squatted down over the cock and Derrick gazed with envy at how easily Will took it.

Will groaned. "Oh damn, Tiff, that feels good," he added.

"Tiff?" Derrick whispered to Eric.

"Tiff and Tuff," Eric responded. "Don't ask me where the twins got the nicknames. That's a pack secret I promised never to tell. But I suspect in time they will tell you. The pack has very few secrets they keep from each other." He motioned back to the scene. "Watch. This gets better."

Derrick looked back as Will's legs extended out from his squat. He dropped forward onto his forearms. As he leaned ever forward, Will pushed his girth up and off Tiff. "I can take the weight, Handsome," Tiff smiled.

"Not both of us," Will replied with a grin. He looked at Tuff and motioned with his head. "Come on, Boy. Time to take your Daddy."

Derrick gazed in amazement as Tuff slipped over the top of both men and slid his cock into Will. Using the shaft of his brother's already embedded cock as a guide he slipped in even deeper. "He's taking them both?"

"And loving every minute," Eric whispered. In a play-by-play fashion, Eric explained to Derrick what was to come. "Tuff will start humping Will now. Tiff will stay still, but Tuff's rubbing against his cock will be enough to get him off. It's going to be messy, sweaty, gooey fun." Eric rubbed Derrick's butt cheeks. "Will is going to be so sore and so happy tonight."

The boys performed as foretold. Derrick couldn't even look away when Eric's hand began stroking his hard-on. When the twins came, he wondered if everything they did was in unison.

Tuff collapsed over Will, and Derrick looked on as the giant held his stance, protecting Tiff from the weight above. "Thank you, Sons," Will said with a grateful sigh.

"Thank you, Father," they said in perfect cadence.

Tuff lifted himself off Will's back. Derrick couldn't help but admire the cum that dripped from his cock as he pulled out. It was the work of two men, but spilling off one shrinking cock, it looked quite remarkable.

Will stumbled to his feet, his gait exactly as expected for a man penetrated by two other men. But his smile was incredible. Derrick smiled to himself. He couldn't believe how happy he was for Will. He wondered where his jealousy was.

Will looked over at the two lounging on the blanket. "Paaaaapa Bear," he called seductively.

"No, Will," came the reply from behind Derrick.

"Oh, please, oh please, oh please, Papa Bear," Will begged.

"Not with the pup here."

"Oh, come on, Papa Bear. He's gonna find out one day."

Derrick looked at Eric. "What's he want?"

"He wants me to fuck him."

"You just did."

"No, Pup. He wants Papa Bear to fuck him." Eric groaned. "He never actually called me that until he heard you say it, you know."

Derrick giggled. "Sorry, Papa Bear." Derrick thought about it for a moment. He remembered the night before when the great polar bear finally mounted him. It was the highlight of his first transformation. It was also when he realized his Papa Bear had stretched the truth even more than his asshole when he said he didn't get that big. The bear was less than the predicted 12 inches when first inserted. But once in, the aroused phallus grew in length and girth until he climaxed. Derrick was glad his werewolf's body could take so much more than his human form. Had he been human, he wouldn't be walking today.

"It's okay, Papa Bear," Derrick said. "I know how much I enjoy you inside me. I can understand why Will wants you."

Eric squeezed him tightly and kissed him. "Okay, Pup," he said, jumping up as he shifted into a polar bear.

"Well, try not to seem so excited," Derrick laughed.

"Sorry, Pup. It's the bear in me. Without a doubt, Will is the best piece of..." Eric paused for a moment, "No, the second-best piece of ass on this planet."

Will laughed as he walked toward the two. "I would object to that second-place award if it weren't for the pleasure of your company today, Pup."

"You two flatterers," Derrick said with a smile.

The polar bear fell backward onto his back. He grabbed his crotch, pulling from the sheath the black penis that was already growing. Will smiled. "Thank the gods that thing is a pre-cum oozing machine. There's not enough lube in this forest to get that thing in."

Will climbed up on top of the beast's belly and grabbed the cock.

Derrick looked puzzled. "You're not turning into a werewolf?"

Will looked incredulous. "Do you see a full moon anywhere?" he asked. And then, with one solid shove, he rammed himself onto the black shaft. "OH FUCKING JEEZUS-H-CHRIST BEAR!" he yelled out. "Rip me a new one," He cried out.

Derrick watched, spellbound, while the two of them pounded into each other. When the bear came, he roared at a volume Derrick suspected would register on a seismograph. When Will came, he shot a volley of cum that looked targeted straight into the willing mouth of the bear.

Eventually, the panting white beast lifted Will and placed him back on the ground. He looked over at Derrick. Derrick tried to smile, but his face showed something more akin to disbelief.

The bear frowned. "Grossed you out, didn't it?"

"Well, kind of," Derrick admitted. "It's sort of like... well... like..."

"Bestiality?" Will interjected.

"Yeah."

Derrick saw that Will was both upset and concerned at the same time. "Derrick, you need to get past what your Papa Bear looks like when he shifts. He is not now, nor has he ever been a polar bear. Matter of fact, he's not now, nor has he ever been a human."

"What is he?" Derrick asked. "Some kind of alien?"

"Actually, yes," the bear responded, fumbling around in the pouch where his genitals lay. "I'm sure I've got my green card here somewhere."

Will was defensive and harsh. "What did you think he was? When has something evolved on this planet that shapeshifts into an overgrown animal? Get a clue."

"Will," the bear censured. "You don't treat a newborn that way. I warned you this could happen."

"I'm sorry, Eric," Will replied. He reached out and rubbed Derrick's shoulder. "Pup, I'm sorry. I lost my temper. You deserve better."

The great white beast stood up and walked over to Derrick. "In his defense, you need to understand Will has not had his sexual appetites or conduct challenged in over two hundred and thirty-five years."

"I guess I don't understand," Derrick said. "I can see us having sex when we're both animals, or having sex when we're both human, but I guess I just never thought..." He paused, struggling to find the words.

"You are never a wolf," said the bear. "Your body simply shifts to an outward manifestation of your inward reality."

The others of the pack gathered around Derrick.

Jason spoke, "I'm not a fox, Wolfy. Nor am I fully human. I have a gift to become one avatar or another. Neither is actually me."

"I still don't think I understand," Derrick said, no less confused.

"We're talking about our consciousness, Pup," the bear said, sitting himself down beside Derrick. "Your body is a shell that houses who you are. If you were thin and muscular, would you still be you?"

"I guess so," Derrick answered.

"He wouldn't be nearly as cute," Will mumbled.

The bear looked disapprovingly at Will. "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem, Old Wolf. And you know how I deal with problems," he snapped.

Will took his hand and zipped it across his mouth.

"You would be the same person, regardless of the body, Pup," the bear continued. "The body you have now is radically different from the one you had, but it doesn't negate the fact that it is still your essence inside."

"I agree," Derrick yielded.

"Wolves, Bears, and most other animals have spirits that don't wish to be a part of the human condition. We respect that wish. Humans rarely do. Humans all too often use animals for their amusement. Sometimes it's relatively benign, like owning a dog. The dogs find it amusing and they like the free food. But there are other, darker sides to humanity where nature is brutalized."

"That would include bestiality," added the twins.

"Consent is necessary for sex to be sacred," Jean Pierre said. "There is no consent between human and animal." He paused. "Animals cannot make informed consent." The older man's voice calmed. "Instinct drives so many of their actions. We cannot enter their world, because we see beyond what they see; we understand what they do not. They rely on us to be their protectorates, their guardians. Their lives intertwine with ours, but they never merge."

"Which is why I was confused."

The bear put his paw around Derrick and pulled him close. "Which is why I love you. Your instincts for what's right and wrong are good." Eric leaned over and did his best to kiss the human with his bear mouth. "You're bumping up against new conditions. Adapting to them will take some time."

"I am not this bear," he continued. His body shifted. The fur disappeared, and the man pushed through. "I am not this man." He paused. "I am the one who loves you no matter what incarnation you might see me in."

"Your pack is not wolves," Jean Pierre added. "We are not werewolves or humans. We have stepped outside of the human reality that seeks to categorize and explain what is often unexplainable. Those hidden from the world manifest in ways the world cannot imagine, nor can they accept."

"I understand that," Derrick said. "I felt that way even as a human."

"So, do we have an understanding?" Eric asked.

"Yeah," Derrick responded. "What I thought was reality isn't. What I see is an illusion. And I'm in love with an alien."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Eric said, smiling at him.

Will scooted up to Derrick's other side. "And now you know a guy who's an even bigger bottom than you. That has to be good for something."

Derrick put his arm around Will. "It's good for when Eric is a bear and wants to mount someone. Because there's no way he's getting near me unless it's the full moon."

Will put his arm around Derrick, kissed his cheek, and laughed.

There was finally a calming silence. The group listened to the sounds of the forest in the warm afternoon sun. Derrick's thousand thoughts returned, swirling around his head.

"Who wants to go skinny-dipping in the creek?" Will asked.

Five men answered in unison by jumping to their feet and racing toward the water.

Derrick watched them laughing and playing grab ass as they splashed into the stream. His entire world turned upside-down overnight. Their answer to that was to go skinny-dipping. Maybe that was the right response. Thinking too deeply about things wouldn't change them. Maybe his frame of reference needed to change. Perhaps it wasn't as intimidating as he thought. It could be fun learning at the feet of a group of naked men splashing their afternoon away.

"Are you coming, Pup?" his Papa Bear called out.

Derrick lifted himself up and ran toward the water. "Not yet," he shouted, "but give me ten minutes with Will on my cock and I will be." He dove into the icy liquid.

Fifty yards away the forest birds scattered as Will bellowed, "God, I love you, Pup!"

Derrick alone heard the response of the man, whose arms pulled him up from the frigid water into a tight hug. "I love you, too, Pup." Eric said. As Derrick's body shivered from the icy water, the shifting white-furred arms wrapped around him. The bear cradled him, allowing his massive body to warm the water. The beast rocked him back and forth lovingly. Derrick closed his eyes and let the world be without explaining itself. "I know you do, Papa Bear," he said, smiling.

Chapter 3

Derrick placed an apron over his nakedness and turned on the stove burners. Carefully pulling the pepper bacon slices apart, he enjoyed the sizzle as each hit the hot cast-iron skillet. He was humming to himself when he heard the bear. He looked at the grumbling beast walking through the door and laughed.

"Wouldn't that be easier as a human?" he asked.

"Oh crap," the bear responded, rising onto his back legs and rubbing his eyes. "I didn't even notice what I was." Within seconds, Eric stood before the young man, scratching his balls and appearing every inch the man Derrick loved. Eric wrapped his arms from behind around the man in the apron. "Happy Anniversary," Eric said.

Derrick giggled as Eric nibbled his ears and then asked, "What anniversary is that?"

"The day you became a werewolf."

Derrick's eyes widened. "Really? I can't believe it's come around again this soon."

"It's been five years, Pup. It's kind of amazing how it happens every 365 days. It's almost like there is a calendar that tells me when it is."

Derrick shoved Eric. "Don't tease me. I forget about dates and things. You know that."

Eric smiled. "That's true. But today might be important to Will. He's a romantic and very sentimental underneath that gruffness."

Eric leaned in and kissed the back of Derrick's neck. There was a pause and Derrick wondered if he would feel the bite. But the kiss slipped to the shoulders and playfully bit into the thick flesh.

Derrick sighed happily. "If you're going to stand near this bacon, you better wear an apron."

Eric thought for a moment. "Nah. I'm going to get some juice."

"Have you seen that fridge?" Derrick asked. "You can walk into it. It's huge."

"Well, so is its owner," Eric mumbled, reaching for the door and pulling it open. "And they're both full of the most wonderful surprises."

"I can't believe this place," Derrick said, awestruck. "I mean, the bedroom alone was worth the visit."

Derrick spoke of the master bedroom where he and Eric had spent the night. It was a salute to Will's unending sexual appetite, stylishly presented as a man cave with a cathedral ceiling. The bed, which Will called a double king, was ten by twelve feet. It was evident by its size that Will and Eric had spent years on the bed in their altered forms before Derrick met either of them. But a night of unbridled excess together with Eric made that seem inconsequential. Still, curiosity had the better of him.

"How long were you and Will lovers, Papa Bear?" he asked.

"Will and I?" came the puzzled response from inside the fridge.

"There is a permanent dent on your side of the bed in the shape of a bear."

"I weigh eleven hundred pounds, Pup. There's going to be a permanent dent from day one," Eric said, closing the refrigerator door. He sipped at his glass of juice.

"Okay, you don't need to tell me," Derrick said with a mock air of disappointment in his voice.

"I'm not ashamed of anything Will and I did."

Derrick looked over at Eric. "I'm not ashamed of what Will and I did, either."

Eric wrapped his arms around Derrick and pulled him back away from the stove. "I'm sorry, Pup. I shouldn't be so defensive." He kissed the back of Derrick's neck. "Will is a most incredible and sexy werewolf. We've been best friends for over two hundred years. We shared pleasures that few even dared imagine. If you think I have any skills as a lover, you should get down on your knees and thank him for teaching me."

Derrick giggled. "I have been down on my knees thanking him if you recall."

Eric laughed in response and spun Derrick around, kissing him. When they broke, the story continued, albeit with Derrick's hard-on poking out from under his apron. "I don't know if Will and I were ever lovers. Friends with benefits, definitely." He paused a moment. "Does my talking about this disturb you?"

Derrick turned and stirred the bacon. "No, I guess I'm both curious and apprehensive. It's obvious you have feelings for him, so understanding those feelings seems advisable."

"Okay, but if that changes..."

"You'll be the first to know," Derrick replied, smiling. "You've been alive for centuries. I can't expect that you've been waiting your whole life for me to appear." Eric squeezed him from behind. Derrick felt the warm flesh pressing against him and smiled to himself as his body responded to the touch. "So you're not lovers, just friends with benefits?"

"I think that's correct," Eric answered. "Still, compared to the human experience, our love for each other might be more intense and long-lasting than even the most fabled of lovers. We lived together off and on since the late seventeen hundreds. That gives one plenty of time to explore the man in bed next to you."

"But it's that 'off and on' part that separates the lovers from the friends with benefits."

"Yeah, I still get confused by human customs," Eric replied. He looked away wistfully out the window. "I love Will and he loves me. But he's such a free spirit. Sometimes I wonder if he'll ever find a mate. Yet other times I see in his eyes the soul of someone who wants to belong to more than just the pack."

"Maybe he hasn't found the One."

"Or maybe like me," Eric ruminated, "his life reflects how it feels when you realize how many times we outlive the One."

"I'm sorry, Papa Bear. I forgot that part. It's kind of new to me."

"Oh, don't be sorry, Pup," Eric replied. "I'm the one who should apologize. I seem a tad melancholy this morning."

"Anything to do with last night?" Derrick asked.

Eric squeezed him tightly. "No, Pup. You are never a part of my melancholy. You are the joy that burns through it like sunshine."

"I'm glad to be that in your life," Derrick responded. "And Will," he continued, "What is he for you now?"

"Another ray of sunshine, I suppose. I doubt any of us can afford to let these little rays of sunshine slip through our fingers," Eric laughed. "My metaphor seems to be falling apart."

"It's fine. I get what you mean."

"You are aware that Will is smitten with you, aren't you?"

Derrick gave a self-conscious laugh. "Yeah."

"He's a good werewolf," Eric added. "You probably noticed he doesn't like others calling him a man."

"Yeah, I've noticed that."

"It's because he feels so distant from humanity. He's a lone wolf whose heart can't cope with man's cruelty to each other."

"But even you consider yourself human." Derrick protested.

"On the contrary," Eric corrected, "I accept my role in the human community, but I don't see myself as any more human than Will does. At least he has a remnant of human DNA as a part of him. For me, I accept blame for exposing Will to part of the human condition that makes him avoid them. Will's distaste for humans stems from living a life exposed to humanity at its worst. He faced what so many humans too often look away from. I understand his reluctance to rejoin such a species."

"I guess I do too."

"But he's a wonderful creature, no matter what you consider him."

"I agree with you there."

"So, about that smitten part of him?" Eric asked.

"I like him, too."

"Like?"

"It might be more than like," Derrick said. "I don't give it that much thought. I'm seeing another guy right now, and that might be headed somewhere." He laughed, turning to kiss Eric on the lips.

"Oh him," Eric said, kissing back. "I'm sure he won't mind if you found his best friend attractive. He might even enjoy it if you three spent more time together."

Derrick smiled. "I'm okay with that, Papa Bear. I enjoy my time with both of you. One of the best parts of being a werewolf is knowing two such accommodating animals."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Eric said. "Because this old bear is glad I still fit into the picture with all those new wolves nipping at your heels."

"You taught me that there's a part of my heart only you occupy, Papa Bear. You needn't worry about others creeping into that space, no matter how much my heart opens to them."

"Then my life has been worth living," Eric laughed. "Oh, and those wild nights of incredible sex, seeing you here naked this morning, and knowing that you're going to be in my arms later this afternoon... that doesn't hurt, either." He kissed Derrick again. "You sure make me happy to be an old gay bear."

"Are there any straight werebeasts?" Derrick asked.

"Not really," Eric responded. "The 'were' in 'werewolf' comes from Old English. It means man... the gender... not the species. There is a reason for that. The genetic markers that a Changeling's DNA alters are along the Y chromosome. There have been bisexual males initiated into packs. But it led to a horrible disaster in the Middle Ages, from which most lycanthropic legends grew.

"I was living off the coast of the Aleutian Islands on an ice flow. I was oblivious to the terror my species had unleashed." Eric walked to the breakfast nook and stared out the window. "A group of us believed mating with women could be an effective way of transmitting our DNA to future offspring. The genetic markers had no effect on the mother or her female children. Yet there was a possibility to have male children born with the mingled characteristics of both parents.

"Of course, it required that the werebeast be in his animal form when the mating occurred. As you might imagine, few human women accepted the offer. The hope was the male children would be the best of a blending of not only Were and human, but male and female."

Eric drew a few circles in the fog his warm breath made on the window. "They were horribly wrong. We still don't understand entirely what happened to the poor creatures in utero. But the males were born with the powers of a werebeast but without a moral compass." Eric sighed. "Our greatest wish was to bring something wonderful into this new world of ours, and instead we created a nightmare."

"But you couldn't have known," Derrick said sympathetically.

"There were those who predicted it," Eric answered. "They said that we needed a quick transformation. They warned that allowing a child to gestate for nine months while the genetic code mutated was a recipe for disaster." Eric's voice choked. "But others wanted so much to share our lives with both women and men, that they opted to take that risk. But it wasn't our risk to take. It was yours. You were the ones who suffered from our hubris.

"We called them the Children of the Night. They were pathological killers, predators with no conscience or remorse. As with most psychopaths, they were good at hiding who and what they were. They had moved out across Europe before we even realized what happened. The killing spree started at first with stock animals, but the creatures became bored with such easy prey. They began stalking humans. They changed at will to suit their needs, but they always killed as their animal incarnation. Of all the werebeasts afflicted, the wolves were the most rabid and unrelenting."

"The legends," Derrick sighed with new understanding.

"All that we hoped to be on this planet came crashing down as those creatures ravaged a continent and moved out into the world." Eric went quiet for a moment. "We were the cause. We had to be the cure. An elite group of werebeasts and Changelings formed an army to hunt and kill the monsters we had created. The Brotherhood became a part of the legends as well."

"Bram Stoker copied Abraham Van Helsing in Dracula from the stories of our lives. Van Helsing saw his wife go mad. His son died of the horrible affliction. In the end, he becomes a killer as relentless and unforgiving as the creatures he stalked."

"But he was fiction," Derrick interjected.

"Yes, he was," Eric said, "But the fathers who sired the Children of the Night were not. The Brotherhood was a world so terrifying that we took solace when humanity relegated it to fiction. They were the ones tasked with tracking down and stopping their own children."

"They killed their own children?" Derrick asked.

"Yes," Eric responded. "Regardless of their intent, they had created the problem. It was their responsibility to find a resolution."

Derrick was quiet.

"You don't approve?" Eric asked.

"It seems harsh," Derrick replied. "Maybe they could have found a better way."

"To a Changeling, all life is sacred. It doesn't mean all life is good, or even that all life deserves to live unfettered, but it is sacred. Taking a life is difficult for us. It was no less difficult for the Weres. The fathers of the Children of the Night couldn't ask another to take on their burden. It was a part of their penance, and it exacted a very high toll."

"What happened?"

"It took centuries, but in the end, the Children of the Night and their offspring were killed. The stories grew into legends. The legends with each retelling, saw the monsters grow into the creatures you know today. Most of what you were taught is true. Although a silver bullet is nonsense. We are stronger than humans, but we fall to a volley of bullets."

"And what of the fathers who killed their own children?"

"Most died in the carnage. A few survived. They were never the same... we were never the same. Some of the werewolf fathers still bear their scars, but most of our shared pain is deeper than skin."

Derrick walked away from the stove and put his arms around Eric. "It couldn't have been easy. But you did the best you could."

"Others went mad themselves from the pain. We take care of them in monasteries far from the modern world. There they will live out their lives. Most long for death. Death is the great forgiver," Eric replied. "But they stay until it comes to them. That is seen as a part of their penance as well."

Eric turned and hugged his pup. "There are those that moved beyond those nightmarish times. They adopted new lives. They guard their new initiates as their own children. It is why we often refer to you as newborns. These fathers survived generations, clinging to the hope that those they love will find a better life than the one which haunts them to this day. They are the ones I admire the most. The alphas that lived centuries of quiet restitution watching over their pack."

Derrick thought of his pack. "Jean Pierre... the way he treats Jason," he said.

"Jason is a lovely boy born into horrific times. The pack saved him, and Jean Pierre, above the others, loves and cares for him."

Derrick pressed, "Was Jean Pierre one of the Brotherhood?"

As with every question Eric didn't want to answer, the response was cryptic. "Jean Pierre is your alpha. You'll learn much from him in the years to come. His life will unfold to you as it does with any great friend." He hugged Derrick tightly. "You run with a pack whose centuries-old history they can sing from memory to the moon. One day, even if you can't imagine it now, you will tell the stories of our lives to the men you bring into our world." He rubbed Derrick's smooth head and kissed it. "The trick, Pup, is learning those stories when they are ready to be told."

Derrick buried his head in Eric's chest fur. "Okay, Papa Bear. I can wait."

Will stumbled into the kitchen from the hallway and looked at the bacon cooking in the skillet. "Well, maybe he can wait, Papa Bear, but I can't. What's for breakfast?"

Derrick walked over to the stove and pushed Will away. "Breakfast is nearly done. We got sidetracked talking."

"Oh, really?" Will asked. "What about?"

"History," Derrick replied.

"Oh, yuck. I hate history. I've been too much a part of it." Will looked over Derrick's shoulder at the bacon cooking. "Oh, if you're into historical reenactments, later tonight I'm going to plow your butt the same way I did five years ago. Hope you're up for some wolf-on-human humpy bumpy."

Derrick looked at Will and smiled. "Happy Anniversary to you, too." Will reached for a strip of bacon but found his hand swatted away with a spatula. "So, what part of history were you involved in?"

"Didn't Eric ever tell you where we met?"

"Eric hasn't told me much about any of his past," Derrick replied. He flipped the bacon onto paper towels and cracked eggs into the skillet.

"Then I should tell you," Will said.

"Then I should leave," Eric interrupted.

Derrick looked over at him. "Don't do that, Papa Bear."

Eric's hands flew into the air. "I have heard this story far too many times. Ignore the part where he claims to save the Continental Army from deserting their positions. It was by providing them the sexual favors necessary to keep them from returning home to their wives."

"Well, it worked," Will protested.

Derrick laughed aloud. "I want to hear that story."

"Okay, you go ahead," Eric said. He looked over at the two dogs patiently waiting for table scraps. "You two want to go for a walk?" The dogs got up and shook themselves as Eric pushed open the back door. Halfway out, he fell on his hands. By the time the three walked by the kitchen window, the dogs were dancing around a polar bear.

"He's a grumpy bear in the morning," Will apologized.

"It's okay," Derrick said. "I think he has other things on his mind."

"As do I," Will added. He sat at the kitchen table. "So, long story, short. Eric and I met at Valley Forge. Yes, I'm a cock hound... literally. I loved battle sites because guys were lonely and horny. I was a werewolf when we met, but had no pack. My alpha died long before Eric took me under his wing.

"I don't know whether to love him or hate him for what he did, but he showed me another side to the horrors of war. You can overlook a lot going through wars trying to get laid. I didn't consider the surrounding battles or the damage they inflicted. Working alongside Eric made me realize how many of those men never returned home. And for such senseless reasons."

"You must have known," Derrick said, placing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Will.

"You can look away from the truth easily if you choose. Humans do it all the time." Will answered. "Hell, you've had presidents that wouldn't let people see pictures of dead soldiers just to help keep the fight going. Few people complained about that. War is always easier if you don't see the consequences. Trust me; I know that all too well." Will's head dropped and turned away from Derrick. "All too well," he whispered. Will's expression changed, taking on the years of sadness. "Eric never let me turn away. To me, the Revolutionary War was five years of caring for the dying and trying to ease the pain that humans inflicted on each other. Five years of burying the dead alongside Eric made me lose my taste for war."

"In the years to come whenever he returned to the field of war, I was there by his side. He was the doctor, trying to save lives. I was the corpsman preparing their bodies for burial. Eventually, I stood beside him as his nurse assistant. I loved him, but I hated the world he dragged me into." Will paused reflectively. "No, that's not true. He didn't drag me. I went there willingly if only to know he didn't have to face those horrors alone. But I couldn't keep going back into the melee. After Korea, I threw in the towel. I couldn't do it anymore. They never learned. They never stopped hating. I told him I was done with humans, but he still had hope.

"I guess it's in his nature," Derrick agreed.

"Yeah. I need to talk to you about that nature before he returns."

"What?"

"His grumpiness."

"It's not that bad."

Will chewed a piece of the bacon. "It is if you've known him for over two hundred years." He looked up at Derrick. "I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't need to, but you have a place in his heart and it's tearing him apart."

Derrick looked confused. "I'm hurting him?"

"You know the story of his most recent human lover, right?"

"The one who died?"

"Yeah, the Corporal in Vietnam."

"I know bits and pieces of the story. He was a nurse, right? They were together in the middle of a war. Eric seemed to be happy with him."

"He was. He was going to spend the last years of his life with him, but it didn't turn out that way. The Corporal was on perimeter duty in-country. He ran straight into mortar fire where there wasn't supposed to be any." Will paused. "I sometimes wonder if Eric's lot in life is to bury the dead of wars. It's as if some reason compels him to be there when the dying need him most."

"Perhaps it's his penance," Derrick said under his breath.

"What do you mean by penance?" Will asked.

"What do you mean by 'the last years of his life'?" Derrick came back. "Eric's immortal."

"Eric is dying," Will corrected.

"What?" Derrick choked back his surprise. "How? I thought we lived forever if we didn't get killed."

"Not exactly. Weres live a very long time. We say immortal because we haven't seen the limits of that lifespan yet. Changelings have been on this planet since the dinosaurs. The horizons of their mortality are easier to see."

"How long does he have to live?"

"Fifty or sixty years. I'm not sure."

Derrick looked at Will crossly. "I thought you meant he was dying right now."

"For a creature that lives for millennia, fifty or sixty years is right now."

"Well, what can we do?"

"I haven't got a clue. He won't talk to me about it. He says it's something he has to do on his own. I only found out because he let it slip that he was aging."

Derrick grabbed Will's hand. "Tell me everything you know."

"I'm not sure what I know. I'm not even sure it's death the way we think of it." Will tried to gather the words. "His human form is aging. He can no longer easily maintain the shape. Eventually, his human half will die and that will leave only the bear."

"But the bear will live on, right? Eric won't die completely."

"The bear will return to his resting place. That's all I know of it."

In the distance, they could see the bear returning from his walk, the two dogs barking and jumping around his feet.

"He appears to enjoy talking to them," Will said.

"Can he actually talk to them?" Derrick asked.

"Yeah, it's a part of who he is. But not in the way you and I talk. It's more like talking to a kid. The conversations aren't deep. They're about what treats they're going to get, what toys they can play with, what that unfamiliar smell is... that kind of stuff."

"That's what I thought they would be like," Derrick replied with a laugh.

"Okay, so back to the conversation," Will pushed. "Eric has feelings for you. They go deep, and he's afraid of them. He lost one human, and he doesn't have the heart to let it happen again, so close to his own death. I think that's why he's so at ease with you. You're a werewolf now. You'll outlive him."

"Then why won't he settle down with me? Why do we have this incredible love life without it being under the same roof?"

"Because he knows how much it will hurt you when he's gone," Will answered. "He's lived through it multiple times, remember? This last one was especially hard because so many of his hopes and dreams depended on the human."

"I understand that. But we can share those fifty years. I could be there for him."

"He doesn't want to grow old with you. The future terrifies him. All the things humans are afraid of as they grow old are now so real to him."

"But I want to grow old with him," Derrick protested.

"Don't you see? He's made sure you can't do that," Will said. "He's so in love with you, he bet it all on a gamble that you would accept the initiation. You will have the pack to protect and care for you long after he can't. We are his last will and testament. We are his estate. All that he has is us, and he has given us to you." Will paused. "Or more correctly, he has given you to us, and he knows we will be there for you."

"I can't let him go," Derrick contradicted.

"I'm not sure you have a choice," Will sighed. "He's headstrong. The bear is a manifestation of a part of him you know too well. He may be playful, but he is also headstrong."

"What about the other Changelings? Can't we ask them to help?"

"There are no other Changelings, Pup. He's the last of his kind."

"But... But... they're immortal..."

Will heard the desperation in Derrick's voice. "Everything dies, Pup. One day we will die. No one gets out alive."

Will watched the great bear lumbering toward the door. He motioned to his ears. "We need to continue this talk, but polar bears have excellent hearing." The door flew open and the two dogs bounded in, followed by a naked man shaking himself into being.

"And that, dear boy, despite what Eric might say, is how I saved the Continental Army from certain doom," Will said with a flourish.

Eric gave the mountain man an incredulous look. "Really, Will? You expect me to believe that you were talking about the war the entire time I was gone?"

"It would help if you did," Will replied, turning away to avert Eric's eyes. He grabbed a piece of bacon and chewed it.

Eric came up behind him and kissed the back of Will's neck. "Two hundred and forty years we share our lives and you still don't realize I can read you like a book."

"I'm sorry," Will responded. "I was talking to Derrick about something sort of personal."

Eric smiled at Derrick. "Something personal? I like the sound of that. Are you two going to stop fawning over each other from separate rooms?"

Derrick glowered at Eric. "From the man who spends his life in separate quarters from those he loves comes a suggestion on how we should get together?"

"Yikes," Will interjected. "If there's to be a lover's quarrel I'll be leaving now. I have business in town, anyway." Will hurried into the hallway. In moments, the bulky, naked man walked out toward the front door with a set of clothes in his arms.

Derrick and Eric both watched him head out the door. "I'm sorry, Pup," Eric spoke first. "I only meant I'd enjoy seeing you two spend more time together."

"I know what you meant, Papa Bear," Derrick replied. "What I don't understand is why you're so eager to have us be together and you still keep me at arm's length."

"It's complicated," Eric sighed.

"Because you're dying?" Derrick blurted out, tears filling his eyes.

"Oh god," Eric said, rushing to the young man and pulling him in close. "Will told you? Why do I ever think that wolf can keep a confidence?"

"You're dying?" Derrick asked. "I mean, really dying?"

"Yes," Eric answered. "At least I think so. I'm not completely sure what's happening."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to," Eric said. "That was the purpose of this trip. Out here, away from everyone, I thought I could find the time and the words to tell you. I know I'm changing. I honestly don't know what it means."

"How can you not know what's happening?" Derrick demanded, the confusion showing on every line of his face.

"Because I am the last of my kind," Eric answered. "I was one of forty left behind when we finished the repair of our ship. We were the offspring of the original crew. This was our home. It was all we ever knew. We didn't want to leave."

"I'm getting more confused with every word," Derrick cut in.

"I'm sorry, Pup," Eric responded. "I'll start at the beginning. For eons, aliens have affected life here on earth, but never in the way you imagined. We didn't help you build the pyramids. We have no interest in crop circles, but we have been here at pivotal events in the evolution of humankind."

"Sixty-six million years ago, we were exploring this solar system, when our vessel had a shield malfunction. Normally, that's not an issue. We repair the damage and continue on our way. But strange accidents and coincidences often make up our lives. A dark asteroid hit our ship and altered both our courses into a trajectory toward earth. Unable to correct either flight path, we crashed into your tiny planet."

Derrick's face lit up with recognition. "The dinosaurs."

"We spiraled into the middle of the Atlantic ocean. The asteroid made its impact in the shallow oceans off the Yucatan Peninsula," Eric continued. "Our water landing created a super-heated wall of steam. It was followed by a tidal wave that pushed across the continents. The marine dinosaurs died out within days.

"Our vessels are unlike anything you've ever imagined. They are a combination of technology and living organism wrapped in a mineral shell. Our cellular composition is carbon and sulfur-based. Our ship's injuries bled sulfur into your oceans, causing extensive damage. The acid rain that followed continued the mass extinction of terrestrial species across the globe. Combined with the dust raised from the asteroid hitting the shallows, the disaster sealed the fate of every giant creature on earth. It was slower in some areas, but the extinction was inevitable."

"You wiped out the dinosaurs."

"Yes, and paved the way for your rise as the dominant species on earth," Eric added. "But we regretted the damage we had done. Life on planets is rare. We had inadvertently altered the course of this world's evolution. So while the ship repaired itself, we did our best to restore balance to what we had damaged." Eric sighed. "Do you see a reoccurring theme here, Pup? We were a race with the best of intentions. We were off exploring the galaxy, hoping to meet new friends and explore worlds. But our footprint wasn't invisible. It came crashing down on your world in so many horrible ways."

"You couldn't have expected those things," Derrick consoled.

"It's what we told ourselves. But it rings hollow when you have altered a planet forever." Eric paused and then continued the story. "As we began the repairs, our biologists tried to restore as much of a balance as they could. Mostly, they just let things evolve in the dominant method of your planet; survival of the fittest. As a species, we don't see time as relevant. The healing of the ship took millennia."

"Three million years ago, we noticed this small, hairless ape growing into a creature to be reckoned with. Early on, we recognized your potential. We did little to change that. We stepped in from time to time to keep your species from annihilation by stronger animals. We guarded you until your brains gave you the edge to find your niche. It was our hope you would become the caretakers of the planet."

"Well, we kind of botched that one," Derrick sighed.

"Oh, you didn't do so bad. You've had a good run. I suspect you'll be extinct in another thousand years, but what amazing creatures you've been."

Derrick tried to look past the prediction. "So, we were hairless apes, and you were repairing your ship."

"There were new generations of our kind throughout those millennia. Each generation taught our ways to the ones that followed. Much of what we know we transfer to our young during reproduction. We have no sex, as you interpret it. Two of our kind come together and meld into one. That merging creates something akin to a chrysalis on a butterfly. Inside the crystalline shell, our bodies dissolve into our atomic components. Over years, the cells reconfigure into three separate beings. Each shares an understanding of who we are, but much still needs to be taught.."

"Instinct versus Education," Derrick said.

"Exactly," Eric replied. "But our instinct involves more than fight-or-flight responses. It is the backbone of our moral code. All our knowledge, our history, and our sense of community lie within our genetic code. As the three come from the two, a unique individual emerges. Each offspring is fully sentient, fully grown, and fully integrated into their world." Eric paused a while, thinking through his words. "Or at least they are on our planet. The ones you call Changelings were the first of our kind not born on our home planet of Verital. For us, Earth was our home world. Earth presented us with an ever-evolving world that lay outside our ability to adapt to through our reproduction. For that, we needed a hands-on education. And as with your kind, the learning process was often two steps forward and one step back."

Derrick sat quietly, but Eric could sense a need to get to the issue at hand.

"Death, as you know it is a new construct for us," Eric continued. "We have always been born again through our reproductive cycle. You think a part of you survives through your offspring. For us, it is more than a few cells and collective memories that survive. Each life is newborn, but everything that we are, and ever have been, flows through us. This is not a metaphor. It's literal. I am made of the stuff and memories that my parents shared with me."

Eric sat at the table and Derrick sat across from him. Eric's hand reached out and clasped Derrick's. "Growing up, I had the dream of one day finding a mate and joining. When the ship had restored itself, a group of those of us born on earth choose to stay here. We were young. We thought we had all the time in the world to merge. The instincts were strong in us and we understood how to continue our species. We told our loved ones to return one day and we would show them the wonderful world we helped create. Life on this planet crushed that dream. Your species has killed every one of my brothers."

Derrick looked into the eyes of a man who now seemed impossibly old. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could say."

"There is nothing to say, Pup," Eric responded. "You didn't kill them. You are my greatest joy and my greatest frustration, but you were never my enemy."

"I'm a frustration?"

"I love you. My wish to merge with you, as my kind have always done, goes beyond your understanding. There are times when I want so desperately to be a part of you... to have your cells merge with my cells... that I ache when we hug. There is a part of me that defines who I am, and I cannot share it with the man I love." Eric turned away and wiped his arm across his face. "If you wonder why I have never bitten your neck, if you wonder why I hold back..." his voice choked back the tears. "It is because I cannot be who I want so desperately to be when I am with you."

"Who you are is more than enough," Derrick whispered back.

"Pup, I am dying. What little I can offer you is now slipping through my fingers. I can't bite the neck of the man I love. I can't ask him to be my mate on the eve of my death."

"Will said you still had decades."

"I didn't tell him the whole truth, Pup. You know what an emotional werewolf he is. I didn't think he could handle the truth, so I let him fill in the time frames that calmed his spirit. I never corrected his estimations."

"How long do we have, Papa Bear?"

"I don't know," Eric sobbed. "I know it takes everything that I have to maintain this shape. The human part of me is increasingly painful. But I can't let it go. Not without telling you how much I love you. If my human half goes, I don't know if my bear half will even recognize you. I could be a polar bear and nothing more. Without another to merge with, this could be the end of my life."

The two sat for a great while. A thousand questions with no answers raced through both of their heads, and all that remained for an answer was the unspoken love between them.

"If all we have is now, Papa Bear," Derrick finally spoke, "Don't you think we should be on the bed where I can hold more than your hands?"

Eric smiled back at him. "I love you so much, Pup." He made a painful noise that spoke more of his bearish half than his human.

"Papa Bear change," Derrick whispered. "I love you no matter who I see in front of me. Change to the form that doesn't hurt."

"That form is always horny," Eric sighed.

"And the problem with that is?" Derrick questioned.

"We have so much to discuss," Eric responded. "We can't have a horny bear trying to seduce you."

"Papa Bear, you told me more than I can cope with right now. Will isn't the only emotional werewolf in your life. I need you to hold me now. Maybe the touch of a horny bear is exactly what I need to help me through this."

Eric smiled and squeezed Derrick's hand tighter. "Is it any wonder why I love you, Pup?"

Derrick felt the human hand transform into the haired paw of the great white beast. The paw shook for a moment and suddenly the bear spiraled backward as the chair below it broke into pieces. "Fuck," the bear mumbled.

"Papa Bear, are you all right?" Derrick asked, rushing to his side.

"I'm fine," the bear responded, flailing his arms. "Sometimes I forget what half a ton of bear can do to the furniture."

"But you said fuck," Derrick said, laughing. "You never say fuck unless something is seriously wrong or you're about to come."

"Oh, that was a suggestion," the bear answered. "It just coincided with the chair breaking. I was horny before I changed. It's won't get any better in this form."

Derrick laughed and pushed himself up against the massive beast. The bear's paw wrapped around the naked human. "I want to mount you, Pup," he whispered.

Derrick laughed out loud again. "You'd break my butt, Papa Bear. I know Will can take you in your bear form, but I don't know how he does it."

"Change, Pup," the bear pleaded.

"I can't, Papa Bear," Derrick answered. "There's not a full moon for another six days."

"So?" the bear asked. "You can change any time you want. You're mistaking religion for science."

"What?" Derrick asked in a confused tone.

"Let an old bear tell you about your history." The bear paused a moment. "It's for sure the pack will never tell you because most of them don't even know it. After the eradication of Children of the Night, the Weres sought a way to control the way they manifested.

"Many of the Weres felt they should limit the time they spent as animals to help control that part of themselves. They feared their animal nature so much that it became anathema to many of them. One group chose religious holidays as the only time they made their transformations. Another chose the cycles of the moon.

"Eventually, the first group realized choosing the holy days of the humans that killed them felt rather silly. As a group, the Weres chose the full moon cycle to mark their nights of transformation.

"The new Weres were never told the history of why they chose the full moon night; only that it was the night they changed. The old Weres never spoke of it. It became the religion of the Weres. It's a belief that changed their behavior without ever changing their genetic code. Every werebeast can change at will. Only they won't change except on the night of a full moon."

"I've tried to change, Papa Bear," Derrick interrupted. "I mean on other days I've tried..." Suddenly Derrick felt his body hurled into the air by the massive paws of the bear. As he flipped over in midair, he heard the roar and saw the large open jaws of the bear filled with teeth.

The bear's paws caught Derrick, and the jaws snapped shut inches from his face. Derrick pushed away in terror. As he did, he saw his forearms covered in dark black fur. He was a werewolf. As he tried to catch his breath, the fur began receding and his human form returned.

"Now, Pup," the old bear said, smiling, "Make the change for love instead of defense." The furred face pressed against Derrick in the sloppy bear kiss he had grown to love. By the time their lips parted, he was a werewolf once again. The bear gave him a lecherous grin. "So?"

"So?" Derrick asked.

"Fuck?"

"Oh yeah, Papa Bear," the werewolf laughed, "fuck, fuck, fuckity-fuck-fuck." He reached behind to find the bear's shaft fully erect and drooling pre-cum. He rose onto his haunches and lowered himself onto the cock with a joyful bark.

Derrick lost himself in the reverie of being with the bear when the words rang through the household. "WHAT THE HELL?" Will's voice bellowed.

The bear grabbed the werewolf riding his cock and thrust himself in even deeper. "I'm fucking the pup, Will. Want to join us?"

Derrick tried to turn his head to see Will but realized it was impossible in the clutches of the oversexed bear. "Hi Will," he chimed in. "Papa Bear is right. Come join us."

"You're... You're..." Will said, flabbergasted.

"I'm a werewolf," Derrick said happily. "Isn't it great?"

"It's impossible."

"Yeah. I thought that too," Derrick said between thrusts. "It appears we were wrong."

The big bear growled loudly, "Am I the only one who wants to fuck here? What's with all this chatter? Will, shuck the clothes and join us. I don't care if you're a man or a beast. I want the taste of your cock on my lips."

Derrick laughed. "He's majorly horny, Will. We've got our work cut out for us getting him sated."

Will walked up to Derrick and stroked his fur. "But you can't change... Not possible... None of us can change without the full moon..." Will babbled in confusion.

"Jeez, Will," the big bear growled, "I'll have cum twice before you figure out that what you think is the truth is a superstition." The bear stood up. While he steadied himself and Derrick with one arm, the other lashed out against Will.

The force of the blow sent Will flying across the room. By the time he hit the wall on the other side, he fell to the floor a dazed werewolf. "What the fuck?" Will said, realizing the transformation that had just happened. He rubbed the bump on his head. "Bear?" he barked angrily.

"Wolf?" came the reply.

"Did you have to do that?"

"I'm horny. You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem," the bear replied. "So, I made you part of the solution."

"I'd hate to see what you do with the problem," the werewolf said, stumbling over toward the other two. "Where do you want me, Bear?" he groaned.

"Wherever you want to be," came the reply.

"I want to be inside the pup, but you have that covered."

Derrick looked around and smiled. "You could be in me if Papa Bear was in you."

Will howled and bounded toward the two, climbing on top of the bear. He hastily pulled the young werewolf up from his seated position. Falling back on his haunches, he slid onto the polar bear's still-hardened flesh. Both the bear and the werewolf let out a satisfied groan. Derrick straddled across the bear's chest facing Will. He smiled. "You ready for me, wolf?" he asked.

Will grabbed between his legs and pulled his ball sack out from under him. His cock was fully erect, and he dedicated every rocking motion to moving it into position for the pup. He leaned his arms back against the great bear's legs and struggled to keep his balance while the bear rammed himself into his ass.

Only Will's years of rutting with the bear gave him the skills to support the balance necessary for his desired goal. "I'm ready, Pup," he said, thrusting his pelvis forward. His cock jutted out from his fur and Derrick needed no other encouragement. He crawled forward and rose enough to clear the wolf's cock. He placed his hands on the werewolf's shoulders and slid onto the pink flesh. The two werewolves embraced and lovingly bit at each other.

The rest was up to the great white beast below them. His arousal had turned into the massive thrusting of his body into Will. The two intertwined werewolves had every motion their bodies needed to climax. When the polar bear's orgasm shook through him, the two already spent werewolves giggled their appreciation. The three never paused in their hugging to clean away the cum that soaked them.

The bear looked at the werewolves sitting on top of his belly. "I'm sorry, Will," he said. "I shouldn't have thrown you across the room."

"It's okay, Old Bear," the werewolf replied. "I'm not sorry. All things considered, it was a good trade." He shook himself and was once again a human. He dragged his finger across his stomach and licked his cum soaked fingers. "I got fucked by the bear I love. I got to taste this luscious creature before me. And it only took being catapulted into a wall."

"If you hadn't done it, Papa Bear, I would have done something similar," Derrick added.

"Seriously?" Will asked.

"Yeah, Papa Bear wasn't the only one who wanted you," Derrick laughed.

"Well, there you go, Papa Bear," Will smiled. "It was bound to happen, eventually. And I can say I'm glad it did." He looked at Derrick and grinned. "Back to a human, Pup. I want to go beard to beard with you."

Derrick shook himself back into his human form and kissed the man in front of him. Afterward, they lowered themselves off the polar bear and rubbed his shoulders.

"Thanks, Will. Thanks, Pup," Eric whispered. "I needed you two today more than you realize."

"Papa Bear? Derrick asked, leaving the unspoken questions dangling.

"We'll talk, Pup. I promise."

"Okay, Papa Bear."

The giant bear reached out his paws and pulled the men close. "But for now, let me love on my two favorite gents a while longer."

Derrick curled into the bear and felt the warm fur. He stretched his arm across the bear's chest, touching the fingers of the man on the other side. He felt the polar bear's chest rise and fall with each breath until his breathing matched that of the white beast.

He felt the warm hand of the man on the other side of the bear stroke his arm. His whole life, he dreamed of a monogamous relationship with a reliable man. He dreamed of the One. Yet, only moments ago, he was having sex in the kitchen with a bear and a werewolf. Despite everything others taught him to believe, he was happier than he could imagine.

The conversation he dreaded would come soon enough. But at this moment, his love was forever, and the great bear would never die. He embraced the idea that now was all he had to guard against the future. If he captured this moment of transcendence, he could hold onto it forever. The great bear would be a part of him that time could not erase.

Derrick lay motionless; feeling fur and flesh pressed against him. He whispered, "I love you."

In the warmth of the embrace, he heard two voices respond. "I love you too, Pup," they both said in unison. Derrick smiled, closed his eyes, and let the moment flow through him.

Chapter 4

Derrick lay in the cool grass and blinked back at the morning sun. In the chill morning air, he could feel the dew still lingering on his fur. A wolfen paw draped across his chest from behind him and he felt the rise and fall of the furry chest and belly along his backside. He stirred, and the arm pulled him in tightly. "Mine," growled the voice behind him.

Derrick shook himself back into his human form. He felt the werewolf behind him do the same. The air felt colder, but the man clinging to him felt even warmer. "We should catch up with the guys," Derrick laughed.

"Let them find us." said the voice.

Derrick rolled over and looked into Will's brown eyes. He took his hand and traced it across the round nose and to the lips obscured by the full beard. Up so close, he saw every line of Will's face and realized how much he had grown to enjoy his company on their monthly runs. He smiled and Will smiled back. "You came all this way to visit Eric and me. The least we can do is make sure they don't get lost."

"We've been here before, Pup," Will replied. "Trust me; they know their way around these woods. Portland has a small but very active Were community outside of our pack."

"He is right about the Portland pack," another voice called out from the Douglas fir behind them. The French accent immediately identified it as Jean Pierre. Both rolled over to greet the pack walking out of the forest. "I trust you had an enjoyable run," Jean Pierre laughed.

Derrick blushed. "We sort of got sidetracked," he said, stumbling on the words.

"I didn't get sidetracked," Will groused. "I'm exactly where I hoped to be at the start of this day, and I was definitely where I wanted to be last night."

"As well you should be," Jean Pierre said. "We run to express our joy of life, Derrick. There is no shame in the two of you finding such a profound way of expressing that joy together. We all take delight in seeing you two so happy together." His smile broadened. "There is certainly nothing wrong with running in place... so to speak."

Derrick let the words soak in. "It's new to me. I've always thought we fall in love with one person and live our lives with them. Even after all these years with you, knowing that so many men care for me seems strange."

"It's only strange if you do it right, Pup," Will said grabbing him and rolling across the grass. The rolling ended with Will landing on top. He gave Derrick a passionate kiss, and when they finally came up for air, he was smiling. "I love you, Pup," he said.

Derrick smiled back. "I love you, Old Wolf," he smiled.

"As do I, Old Wolf, and young pup," came yet another familiar voice.

"Gawd," Will groaned. "It's like Grand Central Station here." He shifted up on his elbows and looked at the group, now shadowed by the great bear. He looked back at Derrick. "I guess a nice, quiet, morning fuck is out of the question," he sighed.

"Wolf, in your entire life you have never been capable of a nice, quiet fuck," said the bear.

Jean Pierre looked back at the polar bear behind him and frowned. "Centuries of tradition and mythos, bear, and you break the great secret of our transformation because you're horny."

The bear looked embarrassed and bowed his head.

Jean Pierre laughed. "If ever there was a reason to break the silence, I'm glad that was it. I like that from time to time, passions move us rather than intellect."

The bear looked down at the alpha and smiled. "So, is it okay if they play with me as Weres?"

"Bear, I have never denied anyone their pleasures," Jean Pierre replied. "Besides, it would be hypocritical of me after my behavior with Jason and the twins last night."

"Oh, do tell," Will pleaded.

Jason, the youngest of the group, walked over to Will and kissed him on the cheek. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, Old Wolf."

"A young fox should know old wolves are rarely gentlemen," Will quipped.

"I know," Jason laughed. "I am grateful for that fact every day of my life." He looked back at the others and said, "Who's up for breakfast? My treat."

The twins raised their hands, and Jean Pierre smiled. "Let's leave these three to their morning revelry."

Jason hesitated a moment, staring at the great white beast seated on the grass, happily rocking back and forth in anticipation of what was to come. Jason smiled. "Or we could take off our clothes and join them." He watched as the polar bear's grin turned into a wide smile.

Derrick leaned over and rubbed Eric's white fur. "You okay with that, Papa Bear?"

"Uh-huh," the bear growled in agreement.

"How about the rest of you?" Jason asked, turning to the pack. Already the twins had torn off their shirts and were yanking at their pants.

Jean Pierre smiled and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Old Bear, you better hope this spreads no further than our pack or there will be hell to pay." He stripped off his clothes and shook himself into the pack's handsome gray leader. He reached down, grabbed between his legs, and pushed back the fur, exposing his growing cock. "But for now, how about we borrow the pup and show him what we did with the twins last night?"

The bear smiled back. "I don't know what it was, Pup, but I would suggest you take him up on the offer."

"Oh sure," Will grumbled, shaking himself into a werewolf. "Show the pup. Don't show the old wolf."

Jean Pierre laughed out loud. He grabbed Will and pulled him into a deep kiss. When he let go, Will was speechless and erect. "Tonight when we run, dear wolf, you will find out what this older and grayer wolf can do with you. For too long, I have neglected one of our most cherished members." Will smiled shyly. His ears pinned back against his head, and his tail tucked between his legs. He bowed to Jean Pierre, rubbing his muzzle against the Gray One's chest. Jean Pierre returned the smile and nudged him away. "But for now, I believe the twins are going to face fuck the bear and you don't want to miss that."

Will pivoted and leaped toward the polar bear. In his excitement, he nearly ran into the dark werewolf coming toward him. "Sorry, Pup," he said.

"It's okay, horny wolf," Derrick laughed. "Have fun. Don't behave."

"Oh, I won't," Will replied, jumping up into the lap of the polar bear and pushing him back onto the ground.

When Derrick reached Jean Pierre, he bowed, pinning his ears and tucking his tail as he had seen the pack do before the alpha.

Jean Pierre smiled. "No need to stand on ceremony, Pup," he said. "Come, give me a hug." Derrick wrapped his arms around the noble beast and felt the arms wrap around him. When they separated, Jean Pierre extended his hand. "Walk with me." With Jason following behind, the three walked back into the woods.

At a point, the young fox stopped walking, and the two went on their way deeper into the forest. As they neared the small creek that years before was their swimming pool, the old wolf sat down on a rock and pulled Derrick down with him. He stared into Derrick's eyes. "Such beautiful eyes to have so much sadness in them," Jean Pierre said.

"Does it show?" Derrick asked.

"To those of us who have lived through centuries," the French werewolf replied. "You hide it well. I doubt the rest see it, but the old bear and I do. I will not pry, but if you want to talk about it, I am a good listener." He wrapped his arm around the black werewolf and pulled him in. He looked up into the sky. "Wolves have excellent hearing, you know."

Derrick sighed. "I wish I knew what to say. I'm not sure I should speak about what I know, or even if I understand a fraction of what Eric told me."

Jean Pierre rubbed his muzzle against the dark werewolf's neck. "You have had so many things put on your plate so quickly. I don't know how you do it sometimes."

"I love him," the young wolf responded, trying to hold back his tears. "I love him, and I don't know what to do."

"Yes you do, Pup," came the reply. "You're already doing it. You are standing by him. But know this; you are not alone. The pack will be there for you when you need it. We will always be there for you."

"I've never had a family in my life. Now suddenly I have a full house."

"You have a long life ahead of you, so you will have a great deal of time to get used to it." The Eurasian wolf picked up a small stone and tossed it into the creek. "And what of our physicality? How are you adjusting to that?"

Derrick laughed nervously. "I'm flattered by the attention, but it takes some getting used to."

"Will and Eric are a handful all by themselves, that's for sure," Jean Pierre said, smiling. "The rest of us have held back because we didn't want to overwhelm you. But there are days when I watch your tail wagging and think I need to tap that ass again."

Derrick leaned back and looked at the old wolf with a wide grin. "Tap that ass?"

"I believe that's the current vernacular," the wolf responded. "Just because I'm centuries old doesn't mean I don't try to keep up. After all, no one, not even the French, speaks my original tongue today."

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it outside of a rap song."

"It made you smile, Young One. For a moment, the sadness left your eyes." He leaned over and kissed the black wolf with blue highlights. "Learn to live in the moment, Pup. There is so much sorrow in this world that we can't control. But these moments of happiness, of joy, of being amazed by beauty; they are the fortifications against all that the world throws at us. We can't expect them. We have to embrace them when they come our way. They are our salvation if we pause long enough to stay in the moment with them."

"I'll do my best, Jean Pierre," Derrick promised.

"That is all I will ever ask of you, Pup." The wolf stood up on his legs, towering above Derrick. "Well," he paused, "that and a chance to tap that ass one day." His hand reached out and pulled Derrick up and in close. The old werewolf kissed the young one. His hands toyed with the black-furred ball sack until he felt the young werewolf's firm cock pressing against his paw.

Derrick giggled. "Is this one of those moments?"

"It will be when we find Jason."

Derrick grinned with anticipation as they walked back toward the clearing. "Are you and Jason mated?" Derrick asked.

"I suspect one day we will be. We'll give it a few hundred years, and if it looks like it's working out, mating might be a path we choose."

"You're always together. I wondered."

"You're about to find out what he did to the twins last night. It involves a handstand and tail control like you can't imagine. Soon enough, you will know why I'm more than content to stay near him."

They rounded the corner, and the bright red-orange fur of the fox stood out in the dark underbrush. Derrick heard Jean Pierre take a deep breath. "I love that fox, Pup," he whispered. "He is a series of moments to cherish wrapped in fur." Derrick felt the depth of the alpha male's soul for the first time and realized that he came by his title honestly.

Three hours later, the threesome returned to the clearing. Their satisfaction with the way the afternoon had fled shown on their grinning faces. The others were lying in the field, oblivious to their arrival. Seeing the great bear's fur matted with sweat, Derrick realized whatever they had done, it must have rivaled his time with Jean Pierre and Jason.

For all that transpired, Derrick's first thought as he saw the sleeping white beast was to be by his side. Jean Pierre gave him a nudge toward the bear. "Go to him, Pup. Make his day perfect by waking to your smiling face."

Derrick gave his companions a quick hug and kiss, and then raced across the clearing to the side of the bear. He rubbed his muzzle up against the white chest, waiting for the bear's eyes to blink awake. The bear looked up at the smiling face. "Mmmm," the bear sighed. "So beautiful. How have I been so lucky to find you in my life?"

Derrick smiled and hugged the big bear. "Oh, no, Pup," the bear groaned. "I'm all covered in sweat and cum."

"I don't care," replied the werewolf.

"Well, I do," the bear replied. "You wake up the others, Pup. I'm going to head over to the creek and clean up." The bear shook his head with a look of disgust. "You got anything for cum-breath?"

Derrick laughed. "More cum?"

The bear rolled over and began walking on all fours toward the forest from where Derrick had returned. "I'll be back soon, Pup. Maybe we can talk to the others about where I'm going to find more cum."

When the polar bear finished his bath, he started lumbering back to the pack. He saw Jean Pierre standing at the edge of the forest, watching the others searching for their clothes in the field. Jean Pierre motioned to the bear, and the bear walked up to him. Jean Pierre looked at the white beast. "The change is getting harder, isn't it Old Bear?"

"Yes, it is."

"Am I watching you die?"

"I think so, Gray One."

The wolf reached out and stroked the great bear's fur. "There is a tradition even older than the changing at the full moon," Jean Pierre whispered. "The one that says only the pack runs together at night." The bear nodded. Jean Pierre smiled and moved his paw up along the chest and to the cheek of the bear. "Tonight, run with us, Old Bear. Be a part of the pack you helped create. Run with the pack that loves you."

The bear looked confused by the request. Jean Pierre continued. "I know our time with you is limited, Old Bear. They have not known you as long as I have. They don't sense the changes I do." His furred paw rubbed the shoulder of the polar bear. "Run with us. Say goodbye to me by being at my side. Let one night when we don't worry about tomorrow be the memory I hold onto forever. Sing the songs of our past and help me prepare for a future without you."

Eric nodded. "That would be nice. I heard a wise man once say that occasionally it's good to break tradition by acknowledging our passions."

The wolf shook himself back into his human form. "Now, let me distract them while you change. I know it would distress them to watch you transition." Jean Pierre walked toward the group. As he passed to the opposite side, away from the bear, he made a grand flourish with his hands. "I have an announcement to make," he said in a booming voice. The pack shifted their gaze toward him. "Jason was kind enough to offer us breakfast. But as head of the pack, my duty is to attend to your needs. So, while I will let him pay for our meal, I insist I pick the restaurant. As it is already afternoon, I say we head to Le Montage for lunch." The pack unanimously agreed.

Off away from the camaraderie of the pack, the great bear shook. Pain seared across his face. In a moment, he was a man biting his tongue to hold back the scream. Sweat poured over his forehead, which he wiped away. He stumbled to his feet and called out, "And here I was, hoping for McDonald's."

"Well, the bear might get away with such a choice," Jean Pierre laughed. "But the man gets only one vote."

Eric laughed past the pain. "I yield to the leader of the pack."

Later that night, Derrick watched as Eric slipped out of his clothes for bed. He loved watching him undress. He smiled, realizing Eric felt the same way about him.

"I enjoyed today," Eric said, pulling off his pants.

Derrick smiled. "Me too. I'm not sure what I enjoyed more, the sex, the meal, or running with you tonight."

"Oh, the sex, definitely the sex," Eric said, laughing. "We can have brunch and a jog anytime."

"Well, if you went on the monthly runs a bit more often, you'd realize that werewolves are pretty good at having sex anytime." Derrick paused when he saw a melancholy spread across Eric's face. "I'm sorry, Papa Bear. I forget that exclusion isn't a voluntary one for you. It was nice to have you with us tonight. I'm glad Jean Pierre invited you."

Eric stared out past the French doors and at the Portland skyline. "It was an amazing experience. I could barely keep up with you, but you are so handsome running in the night. You sing so beautifully. You're all incredible." The melancholy deepened. "I will miss this. We never visited the Arctic Circle together. I wanted you to ride on my back while I swam out to one of the great ice flows. The Northern Lights are unbelievable up there. I may not keep up with you when you're running, but I can swim circles around the entire pack." The bear bowed his head. "They're melting away, Pup. Before you know it, the ice flows will be gone." He paused. "I'll be gone."

Derrick came to his lover's side and kissed his cheek. "We may have time yet," he said.

"I would like to think so, but I have my doubts," Eric replied. "Would you be okay returning with the pack to Montana tomorrow?"

"Sure," Derrick replied. "Is there a reason?"

"It's one of the communications hubs for the properties I own. The New York offices are too far away. There are people I need to talk to and plans I need to make. It's easier to do all that in Montana."

"Then that's where you should be," Derrick said. The chubby man wrapped his arms around the thinner, older man. "But that's not the reason, is it? It's where your family lives, Papa Bear. I'm beginning to realize that this house isn't somewhere you want to be. You've stayed here all these years because of me."

"I don't regret my choice," Eric said, returning the hug.

"But don't you see?" Derrick said. "I'm home here in your arms. It doesn't matter where those arms are. Put us in Montana, and I will be home. Take me wherever you need to go, and I will never leave home."

Eric pulled the hug even tighter. "I love you so much, Pup," he whispered. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the young man's shoulders. Eric wondered if Derrick realized how far he would have to go to stay in those arms he called home. He took comfort in knowing that tonight, it was only a short walk to their bed.

Chapter 5

"Okay, you two," Will said as he grabbed the briefcase by the door. "You're on your own until I get home. It shouldn't be much past five if things go the way I expect." He kissed Eric, and then Derrick. He smiled and cupped the young man's beard and pulled it toward him into another kiss. "I can't tell you how thrilled I am... how thrilled we are... that you're here, Pup."

"I'm glad to be here," Derrick replied.

"So, anything planned for the day?" Will asked.

"I thought as soon as you walk out the door, we'd strip out of these clothes and fornicate the rest of the day away," Eric said. He thrust his index finger in and out of a hole made with the other hand's fingers.

Will growled. "Sure, Old Bear, tease the wolf."

"We need to practice for when you get home," Eric said with a smile. He paused. "I might make a few calls."

Derrick chuckled at the interplay between the two. "The calls come after we fornicate, Papa Bear. You can't use me to tease the old wolf without committing to following through."

"He has a point, Old Bear. Stop teasing the wolves or they might gang up on you."

"I'm hoping they will later tonight," Eric said as he pulled the t-shirt over his head. "Now go, Old Wolf. You take care of business. I'll take care of Pup."

Will made a second round of kisses and was out the front door. Eric gestured toward the master bedroom. With a playful giggle, Derrick walked past Eric toward the room. Eric had the corpulent man's shirt off before he even reached the doorway to the bedroom.

The evening had come, and Will had still not returned. Eric had completed his calls, and Derrick thought it would be fun to wait for Will's return while in bed. They were about to venture out into the main hall to investigate his late arrival when the two heard the front door open and slam shut. "I hate bringing work home," Will yelled from inside the main hall. He sniffed the air, smelling the scent of sex and sweat coming from the master bedroom. "You two stay put and enjoy a bit of fun on my behalf. I'll be in my office a while longer."

Eric sighed. "He doesn't sound happy. Maybe we should go check up on him."

"That sounds like a good idea," Derrick agreed. He slipped to the side of the bed and pulled up his socks. They were often the only article of clothing he wore around the house. Even then, the two men he cared for teased him he had overdressed. The teasing gave him a sense of belonging and confidence he couldn't describe. He stood up and brushed off his chest and belly. "A visit from two naked guys that love him might help distract him from whatever it is he brought home."

Eric laughed. "Will is a man of singular purpose. But it might be fun to see how much we can distract him." He threw his left leg over the right and rolled out of bed. Instead of landing on his feet, he fell to the floor with a thud. He let out a painful groan.

"Are you okay?" Derrick blurted out as he ran to Eric's side.

"I'm fine," Eric grumbled. "I lost my balance. It's more embarrassing than it is painful."

"What's wrong?" Derrick asked. "And don't tell me it's nothing. That explanation is growing old."

Eric looked at the bearded man in front of him. There were a few strands of gray in the beard, and yet Eric had never seen him as anything but young. Something about Derrick's personality, his very core, seemed perpetually young. It left Eric wanting to protect him from the harsh world in which he was born. But now, Eric realized he couldn't protect Derrick from that world. It was being forced on him, regardless of anything Eric could do. "The truth?"

Derrick nodded. "The truth."

"I feel my human self slipping away, Pup. It's getting harder and harder to maintain this form."

"Then change, Papa Bear," Derrick suggested. "I love you no matter what you are." He leaned against the dresser and slipped off his socks. "I can be a werewolf as easily as a human."

"The change may come at a cost, Pup. I'm not sure if the next change will be voluntary or when it happens, I will still be here with you. I could become a polar bear and nothing more." Eric paused. "It's all new to me, Pup. I can't tell you what's going to happen. So, I'm sitting here struggling to keep this shape so I can tell you what I've been too afraid to speak since I met you."

"You don't need to say the words if they don't come easy for you," Derrick responded.

"They don't. It's not because I don't feel the words, but because all my life I outlive the men I say them to. You are the first man that will outlive me. I can't back up my words with a life proving them to you. I feel..."

Eric's words slurred and blended into a throaty gargle. His body shuddered savagely as he collapsed onto the floor. His body rocked with spasms that flexed his bones and flesh in contortions a human body could not endure. Derrick rushed to his side and reached out.

"No, Pup," Eric screamed.

"Papa Bear change," Derrick pleaded.

"I can't leave you. I have so much I want to say," Eric said, writhing on the floor.

"I already know everything you want to tell me, Papa Bear. Why do you think I've stayed with you all these years? I wasn't waiting for you to tell me anything. I've always known." He grabbed the man from the floor. "Change, Papa Bear. Change."

The convulsive shaking of the man in Derrick's arms continued. Derrick felt the weight first as the body shifted and grew. He let the body fall to the floor when the weight and size became overwhelming. The skin darkened to a deep black and the white fur pushed through the skin. This was no peaceful transition for his lover. What was once a single shake now was a series of crackling bones and sinew reconfiguring a man into a bear. The beast's chest heaved as it gasped for air between the roar of pain filling the room. Derrick, desperate to help, could do nothing but watch.

At length, the bear's gasping for breath quieted. Its chest still rose and fell with effort, but Derrick could see that the pain had eased for now. He walked around to the front of the bear and looked into the eyes, trying to glimpse the man he loved. Only black eyes stared back at him.

"Oh, Papa Bear, I am going to miss you," Derrick whispered. "What am I going to do with a polar bear?"

"Well, this is embarrassing," the bear responded.

"PAPA BEAR!" Derrick yelled, joyfully grabbing the great bear's neck and hugging it.

"Apparently, I am still here, Pup," the bear answered. "Although this is it. I can't change back."

"Oh, Papa Bear, I don't care," Derrick replied. "I can love you this way without a problem."

"Well, that's good," the bear said with a chuckle. "Because I'm still crazy in love with you."

Derrick rolled his body into the bear's arms and let them wrap around him. The bear sighed. "Don't get too comfortable, Pup," the bear whispered.

"Why not, Papa Bear?"

"You see only one part of this transformation. There is something inside me pushing me to... to..." The beast hesitated. "The best I can come up with is to migrate."

"Bears don't migrate," Derrick said.

"I'm not a bear," Eric corrected him. "I'm not anything you've ever seen, but all that I am is being drawn away from here and toward the mountains."

"Which mountains?" Derrick asked.

"About 700 miles to the north of us are the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. That's where I need to go. And I need to go soon, Pup. It's a long walk from here."

"You can't go walking out there," Derrick protested. "If any humans see you, they'll either shoot you or throw you into a zoo." Derrick looked into the polar bear's eyes. "Tiff and Tuff can fly you there in the helicopter. It would only take one, maybe two stops for fueling. You can't go on some ursine walkabout. I won't let you."

Eric laughed. "And what do you think you can do to stop me, Little One?"

Derrick thought for a moment, his face growing more puzzled with each second. "I will seduce you and then slip a roofie into your drink when you aren't looking. By the time you wake up, you will be wherever it is you need to be."

The bear raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Derrick made a frustrated snort. "Okay, I don't have a lot of options, but I won't see you shot by some hunter over your desire to migrate."

The great bear rolled over, letting out a painful groan. Still sore from his transformation, he fumbled as he tried to stand up. Once upright, he reached down and picked up the man before him. "Come with me," the bear said. With Derrick in his arms, Eric made his way out into the main hall and toward the study.

When they were inside the study, the bear kicked the door closed and put the man down in the center of the room. On a far wall, Eric pushed a well-hidden button. A wall, flanked on either side by massive bookshelves, rolled upward into the ceiling. Hidden beneath was a vast map of North America. Derrick recognized a red dot as their current location in northern Montana. Around the dot was a large yellow block that he assumed was the boundary of the property. On top of this block of yellow were other colorful blocks spreading northward. They spread out across Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. They moved up into Canada's Alberta, British Columbia, and smaller portions of Alaska and the Yukon. The bear reached up and waved over the rainbow of blocks before him. "All this we own."

"We?" Derrick asked.

"Shell corporations and personal holding companies hold the deeds. They hide the nature of who homesteaded or purchased thousands of acres of land over the last 400 years."

"But who is the 'we' you're talking about?"

"The Weres, of course," the bear replied. "The ranch and surrounding lands belong to me, but Will manages it. One day, he will inherit it. Other properties I own are in trust for various packs. We have been here for centuries, buying land, mineral, and water rights all across the West. There are similar tracks of land around the world."

Derrick looked at the multitude of yellow blocks running up the west coast of British Columbia. There were even more blocks in the mountains to the east. Each connected to a block of another color, but together, the blocks formed a single mass of uninterrupted land.

"The land belongs to the Were Nation. For centuries, we have worked to create a home where we can be who we are away from humans and the death they bring to our kind." The white bear reached out and touched the map with his paw. "We didn't succeed before they killed my brothers, but we have a refuge for you and yours."

Derrick could hear the sadness in Eric's tone. "You've done a wonderful thing, Papa Bear," he confided.

"I wish I could have done more," the bear came back. "This is my legacy." Eric paused and pointed at the red dot on the map. "And this," he said, slowly drawing a claw northward, "is the path we will follow." It ended in the Coastal Range of British Columbia.

"What's there, Papa Bear?" Derrick asked.

"I'm not sure, Pup," the bear answered. He paused, one claw lingering on the map. "What I know is this is where I have to go." "I would like you beside me." The bear hesitated. "I need you beside me."

"Where else would I be?"

The great bear reached out and pulled the human into him. His enormous body trembled. "I'm afraid, Pup. Our kind knows nothing of death, and now I must face the possibility that is all that lies in front of me."

"Your kind," Derrick hesitated, "you can't get a message to them? They can't come and take you home to heal?"

"I wish there was a way, Pup," the bear responded. "Our kind thinks in eons, not years and days. From their perspective, they barely left this world. Relativity and the speed of light are a bitch if we use conventional space travel to get around this galaxy. When the humans killed the last of my kind on earth, I let out a scream of rage so intense my people heard it across the light years. They held me in their thoughts and kept me from wiping out every human on this planet. They grieved with me, and when I had calmed, they began preparations to bring me home. With the methods of transport they're using, I fear when they arrive, all they will find of me will be a shell of a creature that they cannot even comprehend. They know nothing of how we Earthlings die; I know far too much of it."

"I'm sorry, Papa Bear," Derrick whispered.

"It wasn't you, Pup. It has taken me centuries to learn, but I cannot hold the actions of some against all."

"I'm grateful that your people stayed with you as best they could. No one should have to grieve alone."

"I am glad they were there too," the bear responded. "For the time being, I have to think about the ones who are with me now."

"I will be here for you," Derrick said.

"I have a great favor to ask of you, one you are free to decline."

Derrick looked puzzled. "Ask."

"I know Will has already told you about my condition, but the time frames he has in his mind are all wrong."

"I noticed."

"Pup, he cares for you a great deal. I need you to talk to him. It might help if you were to break the news to him more gently than I can. He needs to know what's happening."

"I'm not sure I would be any better than you in that respect, Papa Bear."

"You need to tell him that things are happening faster than he thought. If he knows he's not alone in this, if he knows you will be there, I think it will be easier for him."

"There is no 'easier' in any of this, Papa Bear," Derrick interjected.

"Can you try?"

"Of course, Papa Bear," Derrick answered. "But you best be there should things go south."

"I will be right behind you, Pup," the bear replied.

The two walked together down the long hallway to Will's office. When Derrick knocked on the door, it gave a cavernous thud. The polar bear took a step back. Derrick could see in his eyes the worry that filled his mind.

"Come," he heard Will's voice boom from inside.

Derrick pushed the door open and peered inside. Will sat in a massive leather chair behind an equally impressive desk. He looked up at Derrick and smiled. "What's up, Handsome?" he asked. "I thought you two would be enjoying some post-coital snoozing by now."

Derrick smiled back. "Couldn't sleep."

Derrick came inside and Will beamed when he realized Derrick was naked. "Look at us," he laughed. "We have matching outfits." Will rubbed his chest. The hair swirled around his fingers in patterns that captivated Derrick. The brown nipples were firm in the cool night air. Will leaned back in his chair, exposing more of his bulky belly. He clasped his hands behind his head and grinned, knowing Derrick would find the view of his furry armpits irresistible.

Derrick stood transfixed by the man in front of him. Even bearing the news he had, Derrick couldn't ignore the pull of Will's overt sensuality. He sighed, realizing Will enjoyed every exhibitionist moment of it.

"Pup, you can only look at me so long before I'm going to want you," Will said with a broad smile.

"You can only look that good for so long before I want you," Derrick countered.

"Oh, how long is that?" Will grinned.

"That happened shortly after I walked into the room," Derrick answered.

"So, did you have a question before I persuade you to mount me?" Will asked, his grin broadening to a toothy smile.

"More of an update," Derrick replied. "I'm going on a trip with Eric. We might be gone for a while."

Will leaned in, placing his hands on the desk. "You rapscallions. Are you two off to show us what else bears can do in the woods?"

Derrick walked over to Will and rubbed his furry chest. "There's more to this trip than a jaunt in the woods."

Will's smile vanished. "What are we talking about here, Pup?"

"We're talking about Papa Bear returning to his resting place."

"NO!" Will cried out. His face flushed, and Derrick could see the anger in his eyes. "No! He told me he had fifty years... I had fifty years." The great bulk of a man bolted up, flipping the mahogany desk across the room as if it was a TV tray. The desk lamp shattered against the wall and papers flew about the room.

"He promised I had fifty years to figure out how to say goodbye," Will raged. "The bastard lied to me. He told me I had fifty years." Will shuddered for a moment and his knees buckled, taking him to the floor. Derrick knelt near him and took the sobbing man into his arms. "Oh god, Pup," he cried. "What will I do without him?"

"I don't know, Will," Derrick answered, holding on even more tightly. "I've been asking myself the same question."

The door creaked, and the two sensed the bear entering the room. The furred arms wrapped around both and pulled them to their feet. "I am so sorry, Will."

Will pulled away from the bear. "No, you bastard. You don't get off that easy." Will lashed out against Eric, beating the bear's chest with his fists.

Derrick instinctively reached out to stop Will from battering the polar bear, but Eric pushed him back. "No, Pup. This is between the two of us. Let him be." Derrick watched as the naked man pounding his fists into the bear became a werewolf. The formidable strength of the man intensified into blows from the werewolf that pushed the bear backward with each hit. He slammed up against a wall where the punches could no longer shift his position. Yet still, they came.

The howls from the werewolf were like none Derrick had ever heard before. Yet he understood them from the depth of his soul. This was the sound of a grieving werewolf raging against what none of his strength could change. This was his heart shattering into pieces. Derrick shook, and the young werewolf howled in his shared pain and frustration.

When Will heard the cry of another werewolf in pain, his beating stopped. He collapsed into the great bear. "You bastard," he sobbed. "You fucking bastard."

"I know I am," the bear whispered. "Would it have been any easier if we had fifty years together?"

"No," the werewolf responded. "I would never have the words; never have the strength to let you go." The bear wrapped his arms around the werewolf and the werewolf returned the hug. "And I think I hate you even more for knowing that," Will cried.

"You don't hate me, Old Wolf," the bear corrected. "You are totally indifferent to those you hate."

"Then I hate it when you're right."

"Now that I understand," the bear responded with a sigh.

"I've made a mess of this, haven't I, Old Bear?" the werewolf asked.

"You've scared Pup, but no, you haven't made a mess of anything," the bear answered. He looked over at the black wolf and smiled. "He didn't hurt me, Pup. But take a lesson from this. Don't lie to this werewolf... don't even hide the truth like I did... even if you think it's for his own good."

"I didn't hurt you?" Will grumbled. "I didn't hurt you? I knew I should have kicked you in the nuts."

The bear hugged him tighter. "I'm so sorry, Will. Can you forgive me?"

"I suppose if I had the 50 years you promised me," the old wolf complained.

"I wish I did. You picked the time frames. I just didn't correct you. I made a mistake and I'm sorry." The bear hugged Will even tighter, and then pulled him near until they were muzzle to muzzle. The bear grinned broadly.

"Oh, no," Will protested. "You can't be serious."

"Make-up sex is always the best kind," the big bear smiled.

"NO! No! You think I'll cave and forgive you?" Will growled.

"That's why you didn't kick me in the balls," the bear grinned. "Because you knew you were going to forgive me eventually, and you didn't want me limping around the house instead of plowing your ass." He pulled Will in close and kissed him. The enormous tongue pushed past Will's sharp teeth and, for a moment, Will thought he could skewer that tongue with one bite. Then he realized he was kissing back.

Will pushed back, struggling to free himself from the inescapable grasp of the bear. "Help me, Pup," Will cried out. In one leap, the dark werewolf was by Will's side, pulling at him. But when his hands slipped around Will's waist and he felt the thickening hard-on, he giggled and began stroking it.

"Oh, Pup," Will groaned. "He's gonna win. He always wins. Because he can dangle that big fat dick of his, and he knows I can't say no."

The bear laughed. "It's more than the dick, Old Wolf. You know I have loved you for over 200 years. We have history. Our passions run deeper than any human."

"I want to be mad," Will protested.

"I want to make love to you." The bear lowered the werewolf enough so that the big bear's cock slipped between his thighs.

"You lied!"

"I let you believe your guess was right. I made a mistake. Forgive me, Old Wolf. I love you." The bear bent down and kissed Will.

Will sighed. The bear's cock slid ever closer to his ass. The werewolf behind him was still stroking his shaft. He surrendered. "I love you too, Old Bear. Come on and take me before Pup makes me cum."

In one smooth motion, the bear took a paw and righted the desk propped against the wall. He bent the werewolf over the desk and plunged himself into the crack beneath his tail. Will growled his approval. "Don't forget, bear," Will grunted between the thrusting, "I'm gonna fuck you when you're done with me."

"Yeah, I know."

"I'm not gonna show you any mercy. It's gonna be an anger-fuck like you've never had before."

"Yeah, I know."

"I've got stamina. I can go a long time pounding that ass of yours."

"Yeah, I know." With each agreement, the bear's hammering grew more intense. Derrick stared from the sidelines, realizing he had never seen the bear so aggressively take Will, even in his most heated moments. And Will never seemed happier.

Will looked over in Derrick's direction. "Come on, Pup," he growled. "I've got two holes and the bear's only filling up one. Bring that cock of yours over here and plow my face."

The momentary shyness Derrick felt at such a command faded as he leaped on top of the desk. He scarcely had his balance before Will grabbed his erection and shoved it into his mouth. "Fuck Me," Will mumbled past his full mouth. Derrick grabbed the werewolf's head and began thrusting his cock into the mouth. The complete absence of the wolf's fangs scraping against him at first mystified him and then aroused him even more.

Will's body slammed back and forth between both animals like a rag doll being fought over in a schoolyard. The bear and the pup were both lost in the moment, and Will abandoned himself in the same place. It's hard to say which one came first -- the bear or the werewolf -- but Will enjoyed every pulse and tasted every drop spilling down his throat.

The white bear pulled Will up from the desk and turned him around. Will's face was covered in his own saliva and the pup's cum. The bear leaned over and licked him with his oversized tongue. "Oh, Jesus, that's disgusting," Will laughed.

The big bear smiled. "Fuck me, now, Old Wolf." The bear leaned up against the wall and spread out his legs, lowering himself down until his large rump was parallel to Will's drooling cock. He slapped one round furry cheek. "Come on, you can't deny you want this."

"Bear, this isn't fair," Will sighed. "I love that ass." Derrick watched from the sidelines happily spent as the two beasts went at it yet again. Will was as good as his word. The bear would remember for days the pounding he received. And when at last the two lay together in a sweaty pile, Derrick was aware of his place within the triad. He slipped between them, and they pulled him in close. They lay there together until the morning sun woke them.

Derrick was the first to stir. His human form seemed small compared to who he was the night before. Will was also human, and his bearded face lay on top of Derrick's chest. The great bear was, of course, unchanged. His days of being human were gone. Yet, his caring was still manifest in every act. His arms wrapped around the two, holding them close.

Derrick once more lived in the moment. He felt the rise and fall of the massive chest of his lover, and the warmth of another man curled up against him. He looked at Will and tried to sort out the feelings he had for him. Life had not turned out the way he had envisioned it. He was very much in love with a bear, and most likely with another werewolf.

He shook his head in disbelief, and both human and bear stirred at the motion. The two instinctively tighten their grip on him. With that sensation, he realized their hold on him was growing in so many ways. Strange how the tighter the ties grew, the freer he felt. He wasn't sure that he could let go of those feelings now that the holds were so strong. It wasn't what he wanted, yet he also knew the future would demand it from him. Still, in this moment the three were together, and with Will's mumbling, "Must... have... food," he smiled and looked forward to the new day.

Chapter 6

Derrick listened to the bellowing argument from across the ranch house. While the words were unintelligible, the nature of the conversation was not. The great bear and the old werewolf were arguing again about the pending trip. There was a massive slamming noise, followed by breaking glass, followed by silence.

"Oh no," Derrick groaned, "Eric probably threw Will out the window."

"More than likely, it was Will throwing something at the bear," Jean Pierre corrected. "That wolf has a temper, but he knows exactly what he can get away with. Throwing things at the bear has always been fair game because the bear is quicker than the things Will hurls at him."

The door to the study flew open and Will rushed out. "Oh god, Oh god," he babbled. "I think I killed him. I didn't know his reflexes were so slow. Oh, god. Help me, Pup; we have to call a doctor. God, what have I done?"

Jean Pierre held Derrick back. "What happened Will?"

"We were arguing, and I threw the aquarium at him. I didn't know he wouldn't dodge it in time. I've never hit him. You know I've never hit him. Oh, we can't call a doctor. He's a polar bear. We have to call a veterinarian. What about Doc Rosen? He takes care of the horses. Do you think he can do polar bears? He has to have..."

"Calm down, Old Wolf!" the alpha male barked. Will's shoulders dropped, and he stopped in mid-sentence.

"Okay, Pup, you stay here," Jean Pierre ordered. "I'll go survey the damage."

"Please, I have to go," Derrick said.

"Okay," the alpha agreed. "You, Will," he said in a tone he rarely used, "you gather up the others. We may need them all to get the bear to the hospital."

Will turned and ran down the hall, first as a man, then a werewolf, then a wolf.

"There," sighed Jean Pierre. "At least he's out of our hair. Come on, Pup."

The two dashed down the hall and pushed open the large carved door to the study. Inside, they saw a polar bear resting on his rump, staring at the fish flopping around him in a puddle of water, gravel, and broken glass. To the side were the mangled remains of what had once been the aquarium's metal frame. The bear reached out and snatched one of the fish and tossed it into his mouth.

"Papa Bear," Derrick cried out.

"What?" The bear grabbed another fish and ate it. "It would be a shame to let them go to waste."

Derrick pointed to the bear's head. Blood streamed down the left side.

"Oh, that," the bear said nonchalantly. "I guess I'm not as fast as I once was." He tossed another fish into the air and gulped it down. "I might need a bandage or something. And someone to clean up all the glass before I try to move."

Jean Pierre glared. "This has got to stop, Old Bear. I have a pup that's worried sick, and an old wolf that is in agony thinking he has killed his oldest friend."

The bear glanced away. "I'm sorry, Jean Pierre. But I need to make this trip with Derrick alone. I won't back down on this point. Besides, I didn't throw the aquarium; I just caught it with my head."

The others ran through the door and stared at the melee's aftermath. The twins spoke in unison. "Brooms, Mops." They turned immediately and vanished down the hallway.

Will, having shredded his clothes in the transformation into a werewolf, stood in the doorway, a naked man who seemed lost and confused. His eyes brightened at the sight of the upright polar bear. "Old Bear," he cried out, running toward him. Then, a few feet away from his embrace, he grabbed his foot and began jumping. "Glass... glass... ow... ow... hurt."

"Serves you right, asshole," the bear growled.

"I didn't mean it, Old Bear. You know I wouldn't hurt you intentionally."

"Well, you sure did a good job by accident, then."

Will backed away, crestfallen. The bear watched for a moment. "Oh, don't pout," he chided. "I know you didn't mean it." He grabbed another fish and tossed it into his mouth. "This sashimi is going to run me about 100 bucks a pop, you know."

"I'm sorry," Will said.

"Yeah, me too." Another fish slipped down his throat. "If you transform into a werewolf, that glass will pop right out, and you'll heal in minutes."

"Thanks," Will replied. He realized it was the bear's way of extending an olive branch. "I am so sorry, Eric."

"Me too, Will." The bear shifted, looking around for more fish. "I won't back down, Will. This is too important to me. But I understand why you are fighting for your right to be there by Pup's side."

"So what do I do?" Will asked.

"You let your pack leader make a final decision," Jean Pierre interrupted. The twins entered the room and began cleaning up the mess. Jason joined them, trying to avoid the awkwardness of standing on the sidelines. Jean Pierre took a step forward. "This, Old Bear, goes for you as well. There will be no arguments.

"For starters, I notice that neither of you has placed a great deal of confidence in the man you are fighting over. Have you even asked him once how he feels?" Will and the bear both hung their heads in embarrassment.

Jean Pierre looked at Derrick. "What do you want, Pup? The old bear wants you by his side. We know you will be there. But he wants to make the journey with you alone. I can't fault him for that. His time with you is precious. But we are your pack, and we have sworn to watch over you. That is our promise until you tell us otherwise."

Jean Pierre walked over to Will, who had transformed into a werewolf and was rubbing his foot. "This one, in particular, has a vested interest in your safety, Pup. The thought of you being alone in the Canadian wilderness is very upsetting to him. Regardless of the old bear's desires, he feels the need to be by your side through such a perilous trip. That too, I understand, and cannot fault him for it. So, what of you, young wolf?" Jean Pierre asked as he grabbed Derrick by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "What do you want?"

Derrick hesitated a moment, thinking his words through. That he had already made his choice was clear. He was only searching for the best words to convey that decision. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to be a part of this pack," he said.

"BUT... this is where the 'but' comes in," countered Will. "There's always a 'but' that follows a comment like that."

Derrick crossed over to the glowering werewolf and wrapped his arms around him. "And it's a incredible butt belonging to someone I care for a great deal."

The werewolf looked up. "Don't try to make me smile when I know the old bear has won again."

"I am not saying I don't want the pack by my side. And the one with the incredible butt in particular," Derrick continued. "But this is a trip I have to make with the man I loved long before I met any of you."

"He's a bear now," Will groused. "You didn't fall in love with the bear until after you met us."

"Honestly, Will," Jean Pierre snapped. "You of all wolves should know better."

"Oh, I do," Will whined, "But the bear always wins."

The polar bear rose from the floor and stepped through a cleared pathway to Will. "No, my dear friend, I don't always win. I will be dead, and you will have a lifetime to watch over Pup. I may win a few days alone with the man I love, but it is at the cost of everything I hold dear, including never seeing you again."

Will looked up at the white bear. "I'm sorry, Old Bear. I haven't weighed your costs against mine. Forgive me?"

"What's to forgive?" the bear answered. "Were I in your paws, I would fight as hard."

"Then we have our decision," Jean Pierre said with a voice of authority. "The bear and the pup will travel to the resting place together. The pack will honor their desire for solitude. There is also the bear's concern that this ranch continues to run smoothly. All this we will attend to as well. We wish you both safe travels and will wait for our brother's return -- albeit impatiently. Are we in agreement?"

All in the room nodded their consent, and Jean Pierre smiled. "There, that problem is out of the way. Now, there is the matter of make-up sex that needs attending to. Do you three need help with that?"

The three smiled sheepishly. "It probably would be a good idea to get a bit of help," Will grinned. Derrick nodded. The bear rolled back onto his butt and began rocking happily.

"Well, that was easy," Jean Pierre laughed. "Let's go see if that bed in the Master's chamber can survive seven occupants." The group walked down the hall together, each shifting into their fur as their clothes dropped to the floor.

Chapter 7

The next morning found all but two souls sleeping soundly in the massive bed. Out by the lake, Derrick sat watching a few Canada geese floating on the water. From a quarter mile away, he heard the great bear walk towards him. It was more than his increased abilities. He wondered what horrible cosmic irony led him to grow closer each day to one who, with each passing moment, grew closer to leaving him forever. "It might not be forever, Pup," the bear said, walking up beside him.

"You hear my thoughts now, Papa Bear?"

"It's not that I can hear them, Pup. It's more that I can sense your mood. I hear emotion the way you hear footsteps coming up behind you." The bear sat on the ground beside the young man. "You knew I was coming to you long before you heard me, right?"

"Yes. That's not an unfamiliar experience for me. You hearing my thoughts is."

"I have been studying your kind for over three hundred thousand years. I'm bound to have an edge on you."

"That's true," Derrick said. "Papa Bear..." Derrick paused. "Why me? With billions of choices, why me?"

The bear looked at the man. "Why you, what? If you're asking why in all the billions of people, I meet you at a gay pride rally that neither of us wanted to attend; I haven't got a clue. The odds are staggering." The bear edged closer and put his arm down around the man next to him. "If you're asking me why you over the billions of other choices out there, then I have to say you don't have enough faith in yourself."

"I'm not the best catch in the world."

"Neither am I, Pup. We might not have to be the best catch for everyone. We may just need to be the best catch for each other. I hope one day you realize how special you are. I hope one day you look into the eyes of someone you love and see the reflection of a noble and good man named Derrick Robnton." The polar bear leaned over, and opening his eyes wide stared into the eyes of the man below. "Do you see him?"

Derrick laughed. "Not yet, but perhaps one day."

"I hope so, Pup. You deserve to have a happy life. Accepting who you are is the first step in that life."

"I'll try. I never felt even close to that before I met you."

The big bear hugged Derrick even more tightly. "That's because I'm better than the average bear at mirroring who you are. I wish I didn't have to say goodbye, Pup. In another hundred years, I bet you will be amazing."

"Papa Bear," Derrick said, trying to hold back the tears, "I can't say goodbye. The one man who can see me through this is telling me he won't be there. I'm not sure I can survive without you."

"But you have to, Pup," the bear said. "You have to, for both our sakes. I need you to tell my story when the moon is full. The world must hear you sing of a love that survives even after the body is gone."

Derrick shuffled uncomfortably. "I wish I was that strong."

"Did you ever read Winnie the Pooh?" the bear asked. Derrick shook his head no. "I remember the words of Christopher Robin. 'You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.'" The bear paused. "I'll always be with you."

Derrick smiled. "Silly old bear, I love you."

"And I love you." The bear pulled him even closer. "What say we sit here for a while and you let me cry?"

"Can I join you?"

"Of course, Pup. Of course."

They remained by the lake for an hour, holding each other; letting everything else go unspoken. The great bear finally whispered, "They're stirring at home. We best return before they think we've already left."

"Why don't we?"

"Really?"

"Last night was such a perfect goodbye. What can we say this morning that won't be anticlimactic?" Derrick stood up. "Besides, didn't you bring the backpack with you? I'm pretty sure that's what you put behind the tree as you came down the hill."

The bear smiled. "You are learning fast, Pup. I didn't have to wait a hundred years. You already amaze me." The two walked up the hill, and grabbing the backpack, they headed north.

Two hours into their walk, Derrick rethought his idea. "Perhaps we should call. I don't want them to worry."

The bear bumped up against the human playfully. "I left them a note. I told them exactly what you told me. That we couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye than we did last night. That they haven't called, leads me to believe they agree."

The bear picked up his pace until Derrick started jogging alongside him. "Wait, bear," he said as he tried to catch his breath miles down the path. The bear stopped and watched as Derrick removed his clothes and shook himself into a werewolf. He placed his clothes into the backpack strapped to the bear's back and then shook himself once more into a wolf. "There," he said with a toothy grin. "Go as fast as you like, Papa Bear." The bear nodded, and they raced together until the sun fell behind the mountains on their first day of travel.

The two sat by the fire, eating the last of the trout the bear had swatted from the river. Derrick poked the glowing embers with a stick. "Papa Bear, do we really know where we're going?"

"I brought a map if it would make you feel more secure to see me using it now and then," the bear replied.

"No, I trust you."

"That's good," the bear said, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's a map of New Jersey."

Derrick laughed. "I guess I needed some reassurance. We aren't exactly walking along a path anymore."

The bear nodded. "I know where we are going, Pup. But I understand your concern. Especially here on the prairie, where there are miles and miles of the same grassland. It will be days before we reach those mountains in the distance, and all the while, they will never appear to be getting closer. But I promise your trust isn't misguided."

"That's good enough for me," Derrick said. By the light of the fire, his black fur glowed with a warm orange hue.

The bear reached out and touched him. "You are so beautiful, Pup."

"Thank you, Papa Bear," the werewolf replied.

"Would you sing for me?"

"What would you like to hear?"

"Something wolfen would be nice," the bear answered. He rolled his bulky body over toward the werewolf and pulled him in close. The werewolf felt the muzzle of the bear against his neck. The mouth opened and the sharp teeth raked through his fur. But there was no bite, only a gentle kiss. The werewolf found his voice and sang. In the distance, a pack of coyotes joined in a song of longing for what would never be.

For three days, the pair walked through the rain. The prairie gave way to sloping hills as they crossed the border into Canada. The bear told Derrick that in the future, they would move more westerly. It was time to prepare more for climbing mountains than walking the plains. On the morning of the fifth day, the sun finally returned. The two beasts gratefully shook out their fur and dried themselves in the warm air.

Their encampment was next to a small waterfall that had a deep, clear basin below it. Years of erosion left large slabs of rock that were perfect for sunning their bodies, and they took advantage of the opportunity.

"You know, Pup," the bear said as he rolled over, letting the sunshine warm another part of his body, "you can always turn back to your human form. It's like having a squeegee for your entire body. The hair slips back into your skin and the water squeegees right off you. When you bring your wolf back, you're dry."

The werewolf rolled over toward the bear. "I don't want to take advantage of things you no longer can."

The bear smiled. "That's kind of you, but I love to see my naked man pup. You're so hairless and smooth compared to your beasts' bodies."

"That's a good thing?"

"Variety is the spice of life, Pup. And I love the way you look through all your incarnations."

"Well, it is easier than drying off in the sun, I suppose," the werewolf smiled. He shook himself back into his human form. "All dry," he laughed.

The great bear patted his chest and tummy. "All dry here too," he grinned. "Come snuggle with me."

Derrick slipped into Eric's arms and kissed him. Rolling over, he let the beast spoon him. He giggled as the bear tried his best to nibble on his ears. The young man lay content, while the bear rocked him. Until he felt the pressure along his backside.

"Papa Bear, are you getting a hard-on?"

"Am I touching you? Of course, I'm getting a hard-on," the bear laughed. He slipped his huge paw down across the human's belly and rubbed the firm erection he found between the thighs. He sighed happily. "It seems I'm not alone."

"You're touching me. Of course, I'm getting a hard-on," Derrick answered back.

The bear continued to rub the expanded cock for a while. "You know," he said, pushing his mouth up to Derrick's ear, "we could take a break from all this walking."

Derrick smiled. "A walkabout hiatus?"

"Not at all," replied the bear. "A walkabout awakens spiritual truths while we retrace our ancestors' paths going back to the beginning of time. Humans all too often try to separate the physical from the spiritual. They believe one is nobler than the other. That has always been their undoing. It's only when you embrace your physical selves that your spiritual identity becomes uniquely yours."

Derrick rubbed up against the bear. "That's an awful philosophical way to say you're horny."

"Yeah," the bear chortled. "It was that or 'wanna fuck'?"

"Yes," Derrick stated.

"Yes?"

"Yes, I want to."

The bear jumped to his feet and pulled the human up with him. He ran toward the pool just below the falls. "The path back to our ancestor's roots," he yelled. "Back to the water!" He leaped off the rocks. Before impact, he flipped, landing on his backside, protecting the human from the weight of his girth, but not from the chill of the water.

Derrick bobbed to the surface, followed by the bear. "It's freezing," he yelled.

"I'm a polar bear," the bear laughed. "This is like bathwater to me."

"Well, I'm a human and my nuts are rubbing my tonsils."

"You could be a wolf," the bear said with his smile widening to a lecherous grin. "Werewolf blood runs hot."

Derrick shook himself into his fur-covered body. "I'm still freezing."

The bear came over to him and pulled him in close. He stretched the werewolf's legs apart and pushed his cock between the cheeks. He smiled, hesitating at the hole. "Wanna fuck?" he asked.

Derrick looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Sure. I might as well have one bone in my body that's warm, even if it's yours."

The bear kissed him and grabbed the werewolf's hips, pushing them around his cock. Derrick yielded to the pressure. He felt the cold melt away as the bear began pushing and pulling him deeper onto the engorged flesh. A rush of pleasure and warmth flowed through him as he surrendered to the bear's body. With the water swirling around him, he realized the bear was right. Werewolf blood ran hot.

On the twenty-third day, the pair entered a canyon with rocky cliffs on either side. The great bear pointed upward. "It's up there. You always said you wanted to try rock climbing. This will be your chance."

"I have opposable thumbs, Papa Bear," Derrick said. "How is a polar bear going to climb those cliffs?"

"The polar bear knows where the path is," smiled the white beast. "Follow me." Together, they made their way up an unseen path that occasionally left them clinging to the rocks and inching their way along. They stopped frequently for the bear to catch his breath. Derrick could see in the faltering gait what had been an effortless walk for the bear was now a challenge of will pushing a body beyond its capacity. He shook himself into a werewolf. There was little he could do to steady such a massive creature. But were it necessary, his strength was greater as a werewolf.

The bear looked back at him and smiled. "You should have taken your clothes off before doing that."

Derrick peeled the last vestiges of his shirt away from his fur. "Yeah, this wasn't my smartest move," he replied. The sweatpants survived but slipped to his ankle hocks with their wide waistband. He yanked them up to his waist and retied the drawstring. "That should hold them from falling off until we can find somewhere I can change out of them," the wolf said with a laugh.

"About thirty yards from here the path widens," the bear said. "We can put them in the backpack there."

"You know that's kind of eerie, right?" Derrick said. "I mean, it's one thing to know where you're going in general. It's entirely different knowing it down to the number of feet."

"I see it in my mind. I don't know how, but it's all there."

The path widened as promised, and with room to spare, the bear turned around to greet the werewolf. "Come to Papa and let him take off those nasty clothes," he smiled. He rolled back onto his butt and extended his paws.

"I can do it, Papa Bear," the werewolf laughed.

"Of course you can, but I want to," came the reply. The werewolf walked over to the bear and stood in front of him. The bear reached out and rubbed the front of the pants with the flat of his paw. "Oh, look at that beautiful dick all trapped inside." He continued to rub it, watching it stir beneath the fabric. With one deft move, a claw reached into the waistband and tore down the side seam. The pants fell away from one side and the wolf's cock sprung out and upward. While the bear's paws reached over and tore apart the last of the sweatpants, his mouth lowered on the hardened flesh before him.

"Papa Bear," the werewolf protested.

The bear backed off for a moment. "It would be rude of me not to accept what you so graciously offered."

"You were rubbing it."

"I don't see where that has anything to do with anything," the bear answered. "Besides, I need a snack to get my strength back up."

"You're going to get all out of breath at this altitude, Papa Bear," Derrick objected.

The bear looked up at the face of the werewolf. "Pup, I'm already out of breath, but at least let me enjoy my time with you." He stroked the cock between his huge paws.

The words of Jean Pierre came back to Derrick. "There is so much sorrow in this world that we can't control. But these moments of happiness, of joy, of being amazed by beauty; they are the fortifications against all that the world throws at us. We can't expect them. We have to embrace them when they come our way. They are our salvation if we pause long enough to stay in the moment with them."

This was one of those moments. This was a moment to find joy while surrounded by impending sorrow. Derrick rubbed the head of the polar bear. "Well, we can't have you going without your snack, now can we? I don't suppose you packed one for me down in that crotch of yours?"

The bear looked up and smiled. "I'm sure something will pop up," he answered. He closed his eyes and rubbed his muzzle along the length of the werewolf's cock lovingly.

At first, Derrick thought the great bear was trying to catch his breath as he heard the short quick gasps. Then he felt the warm tears slipping down the side of his shaft. How strange that one of the few surviving human traits the bear would carry with him would be tears that could express joy or sorrow. He realized today that they conveyed both. He slipped into the moment and let the reality of the bear's love sweep over him.

In the late afternoon sun, the two of them sat with their backs up against the cliff, resting after their time together. Derrick licked his paw. "How many times, in all the years we've been together, have I jacked you off?"

The bear laughed. "Three, well, today makes the fourth." He rubbed his matted belly. "It sure is a sticky mess."

The werewolf drew his paw across the wet white fur and licked it once more. "It's always been kind of yummy," he laughed.

The bear grinned. "We bears are the Lay's potato chips of the animal kingdom. Nobody can eat just one."

"Yeah," Derrick replied. There was a sadness in his response that the bear heard immediately.

"Now, don't you go there, Pup," the bear said. "Stay with me here. Share my happiness."

The werewolf leaned into the great bear. "I'm here, Papa Bear. I'm back from where I was."

"Well then," groaned the bear as he righted himself, "Where you are now is where we should start, to get to where we must be." The bear laughed. "Oh, I like how mystical that sounds. Maybe we should have brought along some ceremonial drums to give it a bit of gravitas."

"Where are we going?" the werewolf asked.

The bear pointed to the narrow pathway off to their right. "That-a-way." The bear rolled onto all fours and lumbered off toward the path.

The werewolf stood up and followed. He watched the handsome bear as his massive rump rocked back and forth with each step. "Stay in this moment," the black wolf whispered to himself as he hurried to catch up with the bear.

About a third of the way up the cliff, a tall waterfall blocked the climb. Derrick stared up to see if he could spot the crest, but trees obscured the view. Wherever it was, climbing to the top seemed out of the question for the bulky bear. The bear continued his heavy-footed trek without hesitation and pushed his body into the torrent. Derrick shook his head. "Bear," he grumbled. Pushing himself up against the rocks, he found his handholds and moved carefully forward into the cascade.

On the other side, he shook himself back into a human and then back into a werewolf, leaving his fur completely dry. The bear was waiting for him, but on the small ledge they were using, he couldn't turn around. For the bear, there was only one direction -- forward. "You okay, Pup?" the white bear asked.

"I'm fine. Somehow, I expected a hidden passage behind there."

"Does this look like an action-adventure flick to you?"

Derrick paused a moment. "Let's see. Polar bear goes on a walkabout with his werewolf pal in search of a mysterious location." He nodded his head. "Yep, looks like one to me."

"I like to think of this as a buddy movie. Only the birds aren't keeping up their part by creating a decent soundtrack."

"Mmmm," Derrick sighed. "Buddy movie. Good cop, bad cop. Show me that big manly nightstick, officer."

"You're a pervert."

"That's why you love me."

"True." The bear motioned with a flip of his head in the direction ahead. "Ever onward, Pup. We're almost there."

In time, the bear reached up to a small ledge and tried to pull himself up. Derrick watched him straining. "You need a push?" he asked as the bear fumbled to pull himself over the lip.

"You gonna play with my ass?"

"No."

"Then no."

"If I play with your ass?"

"Then yes, I need a push. A nice, long hard push," the bear said, looking back and grinning.

The werewolf squatted under the bear. Pushing up with the bear balanced on his shoulders, he heaved the beast up and over the top. "Made it," the bear said. "But you didn't play with my ass."

"I will later," Derrick promised. The werewolf looked up at the ledge above him. "You know, I'm not the only pervert in this relationship."

"True. But I don't think you should say those things about Will when he's not around."

"God, Bear," the werewolf groused, climbing over the ledge. "You can be such a putz sometimes."

The bear looked back toward the frowning young werewolf. "I'm sorry, Pup. I miss him too."

The two walked quietly along the grassy highland they had reached. In the distance, there was a forested area where the trembling aspens gave way to Douglas fir and spruce. From a distance, they could hear the headwaters spilling over stones as they flowed toward the waterfall they had traversed. A few hundred feet away, he could see the cliff rising again in the distance above the trees.

The bear wandered across the highland, reaching the cliff face in short order. He made his way past a small ravine from where the headwaters flowed. Without stopping, he plunged into the water and crossed the creek, continuing his pilgrimage. Derrick followed, wading through the creek and toward the unstoppable bear. Then suddenly the bear disappeared. Derrick searched the cliff face, looking for some sign of the bear. Following the footprints of the bulky beast, he found a gap into which the bear had slipped. Shortly, it ended at the mouth of a cave.

Derrick entered the cave. Once inside, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. It was a dry cave. Centuries ago, the nearby creek must have flowed through the area. Over time, the creek wore away the softer stone, leaving behind the cavern. Small daylight holes between the boulders of the cave roof cast enough light on the floor to navigate the area in the evening glow.

The first chamber of the cave was empty, but Derrick's wolfen eyes caught the faintest of light glowing from a passageway off to the left. He walked around the corner to find the bear standing in front of a large pillar of metal and crystal shards that glowed a vibrant green.

"What is it?" Derrick asked.

The bear reached out and touched the object. The lights dimmed and left the two in the darkness. Whatever it was, it shut down the moment the bear's paw touched it.

"As best as I can describe it, it was a beacon," Eric responded as he turned toward the young werewolf. "It was here to bring us all back together for the merging." The bear looked down and pushed the soil with his paw. "But that day will never come for me."

Derrick didn't speak. The bear looked back up at the werewolf in front of him. "I'm wrong," he corrected. "It has come for me many times in my life. And now, I've merged yet again with a human wanting to offer so much more than I can give."

"You have given me more than you know, Papa Bear," Derrick said, stroking the back of the white bear's neck. "I know there is a part of you I cannot share. I wish I could merge with you and become one with everything you are. But I know I can't. No matter how much I want to; I can't. What I can do is be here when you wake. You will not go through this alone."

"Pup, you would wait here for me?"

"Silly old bear," Derrick smiled. "Where else would I be when you wake up?"

"Silly young wolf," the aging bear whispered, "you can't stay here. There is a world out there for you full of wonders and delights beyond imagining. In here is simply a mass of goo hoping to be reborn." he sighed. "And there is no guarantee of that. This could be where it all ends for me."

The great bear took a step forward and collapsed onto the cavern floor. He growled angrily at his failing limbs. He righted himself and stared into the darkness. "And you five hiding in the dark; since you ignored my last request, you might as well join us." There was a shifting in the shadows. "Did you think I wouldn't hear you following us?"

The glowing eyes came from the darkness. Jean Pierre spoke first. "You weren't our concern, Old Bear. We knew you would hear us. We only had to be stealthy enough that Derrick didn't hear us."

"And that wasn't hard," Will continued. "The Pup has heard nothing but the beating of your heart for days." Will walked over to the fallen giant and knelt before him. "Did you think we wouldn't come, Old Bear? You love the pup, but so do we. We know you needed to be alone to say goodbye, but we are here to bring him home. He will not journey back alone."

"Such good friends," the bear said. He groaned painfully. "I hope you forgive such an error in judgment on my part. I should never have asked you to sacrifice so much because of my narrow focus."

"Sometimes, my love," Will said, stroking the bear's fur, "the problem you see is part of the solution you don't see."

"I will miss you, Old Wolf," the bear sighed. "I will miss you all." The bear tried to rise but collapsed again onto the cavern floor. "It is time, my friends. Take the pup and leave this place."

"I won't leave, Papa Bear," Derrick said.

The bear looked into the eyes of the young werewolf and smiled. "You see, Pup? You're strong enough now that you make your own choices."

"I choose to stay with you."

The bear's coat began glowing a faint green. "For a time, Pup, I would like that. But your pack needs you, and I won't have you waiting forever to see what comes of me."

"The pup will come with us, Old Bear," the Eurasian wolf spoke. "We will return each spring and bring him back to you. One day, I hope you will be here to greet us."

"Forgive me, Pup, for never..." the bear faltered.

Derrick knelt next to the great bear and rubbed his ear. "It's okay, Papa Bear. You will bite my neck in the next life."

"So beautiful," the bear said, looking into Derrick's eyes. "Forgive me." His head bowed.

The bear's fur began lengthening and spun around the body like a cocoon of gossamer, emerald light. Derrick backed away and watched in amazement. In time, the strands of light coalesced into an oblong crystal that encased what lay inside.

"My god, he's beautiful," Will said, transfixed.

Derrick reached out and touched the gleaming rock. "It's taken you two and a half centuries to figure that out?" He knelt again and stroked the emerald crystal like a lover. "I have nothing to forgive you for, Papa Bear, save leaving me." His furred arm wiped the tears across his face. "And for that, I've already forgiven you."

Will knelt beside the stone. "Sleep well, gentle giant," he said. "I've lost the best part of who I am today. I was never as proud as when you called me friend."

The wolves and fox stared at the glowing crystal, watching the light ebb and flow like a heartbeat. Derrick's head bowed as he shifted to a wolf. It took all the strength he had to lift his head back up in a song of mourning and grief so profound his once silent pack joined the chorus.

When the song had ended, Derrick rose onto his haunches and became a man. He turned toward the cave's entrance. "And now we do our part," he said with a strength born of his years with the bear. "We hide this place from the world, and you go out and tell the night what a great champion it has lost."

"You need to come with us, Pup," Will said, turning to the black wolf with blue highlights.

"No, I will stay here. A few decades is hardly a nap for a werewolf, and he needs one who loves him here when he wakes. There will be so much he needs to remember."

"But, Pup, he may not come back."

"I trust his instincts. He said if the chrysalis formed, he believed he would return."

"Pup, please, come." Will pleaded. His wolf's head snapped, and he was a man kneeling on the ground. "I love you."

Derrick smiled. "I know. I love you, too." he let the words soak into his heart. He turned and pulled Will to his feet. "But I will not leave his side."

"Then I'll stay as well. I don't want to live a life without you. The old bear knew this would happen. It's why he pushed so hard for us to be together." Will gestured to the pack. "They know it... you have to know it." His eyes searched Derrick's, hoping for some sign. "I won't ask you to leave his side, but don't ask me to leave yours."

Derrick leaned over and bit the tear-stained man's chin through his thick beard, the way his Papa Bear had done so many times to him. "Perhaps the retelling of our stories while he sleeps will speed his return."

"And I make good company on lonely nights," Will said, rubbing his beard across Derrick's chest.

Derrick nodded his approval. "You do," he smiled. "You make the very best company."

Jean Pierre looked at the two. In the few steps it took to cross the cavern, he had become human. "As their alpha, I have never made a command that I thought my pack couldn't obey. I could no more ask you two to leave this place than to ask it of the old bear. You wouldn't listen." His hand came down and he pushed the hands of the two men together. "You take good care of each other. I hope one day he returns." The man shifted himself into a Eurasian wolf and assumed his role as the alpha of the pack. "It is time for us to go," he said to the others. "We leave the bear in expert care."

Jean Pierre looked back at the two men holding hands. "We will return soon. You two are so much in love you haven't realized you will not last long here without food. I won't have you eating mice or risk you getting impaled trying to take down an elk. You're urban wolves. The pack will see to your needs."

"Thank you," the pair said in unison. From their resting place, the two watched the pack exit the cave. Inside, the warm glow of the green light seemed comforting.

"I wonder what he will come back as?" Will said.

"Legend says he'll come back as his last happy memory. I think he'll return as a polar bear; one that will see us as his outlet for decades of sexual abstinence."

"Oh god, I hope so," Will laughed. "You know about the hedgehog totem thing, right?"

Derrick nodded. Will fumbled around trying to get comfortable. "I sure hope he doesn't come back as a hedgehog. A hedgehog boning me doesn't sound like much fun."

Derrick sighed. "Yeah. That would take some doing."

Will looked at Derrick. "I don't suppose you could learn to be a top, could you?" he asked.

"Not in this lifetime," Derrick answered with a smile.

"We've got a few years, Pup," Will said with a pleading tone in his voice. "Papa Bear would be so proud of you if you learned a new skill." Will threw his hand over his face. "God, I am such a horny, self-serving bastard. I'm trying to use your lover to get laid." He scooted himself away from Derrick in embarrassment.

Derrick laughed. "Come back here, Will," he ordered. Will returned to his side. He leaned over and rubbed Will's shoulder. "I guess it won't hurt to try."

"Really?" Will asked hopefully. He crawled around Derrick's backside and pulled him in close. His thick beard rubbed up against Derrick's smooth neck. "I know, Pup. Only for the One," He said and bit into Derrick's shoulder. Pain... Pleasure.

Derrick sighed happily. He leaned back and looked into Will's eyes. "I may have been wrong. It might be for the Two."

"You think?" Will beamed.

"We should discuss it," he said, pushing further into the soft hair of Will's chest. "But for now, could you please tell me again the story of when you first met Papa Bear?"

Will hugged the pup tightly. "It was at Valley Forge. What a bitter cold, miserable encampment..."

Outside, the pack raced down the cliff, howling their goodbyes.