FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 16

The beaker flew across the room and smashed against the wall, shattering into a hundred pieces. "Dr. Jackson," the robot scolded. "You will stop this continued destruction of property, or so help me, I will come over there and cuddle you. And I will do it all while telling you what a cute little creature you are."

"You wouldn't dare, Sybil," the red panda barked back.

"Try me, Doctor," the robot retorted. "This is one battle you will lose. I don't care how frustrated you are. You do not manage the household budget, and I won't come up short this month because you can't deal with negative test results."

"There's no difference, Sybil. There's nothing wrong with me, and yet nothing seems to have changed," the angry panda fumed. "I am looking for a cause, a link, and everywhere I turn, there's a dead end."

"Are you cured of your sociopathy, Doctor?"

"Yes," the panda said with a sigh. "I'm still an asshole, but that's just me. I'm trying to change."

"And you are doing an excellent job," the robot replied as her metal eyebrows arched. "Change is hard, Doctor. But your family will continue to help you."

"I wish they would help me find the answer to what makes me different from what I was three months ago," the red panda said. He continued staring at the test results on the screen in front of him.

"Have you asked for their help?"

The panda looked over to the robot. "Not exactly."

"Are you afraid they will find answers where they have eluded you?"

"Yeah," Armel replied. "I guess an ego on overdrive isn't wiped out by the turning."

"You could ask them for help," Sybil said. "It would save me having to do it for you."

The panda glared at the robot. "You wouldn't dare."

"I am programmed to reduce your workload and your stress levels. To my mind, talking to your family accomplishes both. I recommend you talk to Dr. Templeton, who, like Dr. Kennedy, is a skilled geneticist. His birthright makes him even more skilled in matters of Changeling biology. He also seems rather enamored with Dr. Kennedy, and it appears the feelings are reciprocated."

"John loves Nathaniel?"

"Yes, I would say next to you, Dr. Templeton occupies his thoughts more than any other family member. Eric also seems to come up in conversations often, but more akin to a father figure." The robot paused, aligning her memory banks with the behavior patterns of the Changelings. "I might need to rephrase that. John seems to enjoy an intimate relationship with Eric that would preclude calling them father and son."

Armel shook his head. "Not in this family. And it's not all that uncommon in the gay community to have mentoring relationships refer to themselves as daddy and son. Those titles and relationships aren't structured in any traditional heteronormative fashion."

Sybil's metal head cocked to one side, contemplating. "That is true. I try to maintain an accurate file on each of your family. However, there are some human mores built into my programming that make their relationships seem at the very least odd; and at their worst, amoral."

Armel looked up at the robot. "Delete all files based on human mores that perceive any of our family members as amoral, Sybil. Base all your evaluations of good and evil on observation and your understanding of what you know to be right."

The robot nodded in agreement. "It is done, Dr. Jackson. Thank you. Those feelings were uncomfortable. I care for our family. An installed belief system that considered married fathers and sons immoral created a great deal of conflict. Interacting with the Were Nation has created a contrary paradigm in my circuitry."

The panda slipped off his highchair. "I know what you mean. So much of what I once thought I understood is changing." He walked over to a small refrigerator and opened it. "So much of what is changing is forcing me to look beyond myself and it's so damn tough." He pulled out a can of beer with both paws and opened it by biting down on the tab and ripping it off. "Sometimes… most times… I am at a loss to know how I feel."

"That must be unsettling for you," the robot sympathized. "I noticed your oxytocin levels spiked when you found out that John is both emotionally and sexually involved with others. In particular, they spiked highest when I mentioned that Nathaniel and John love each other."

"Sybil, what have I done?" Armel asked, shaking his head. "I changed my entire life to keep from losing John and you tell me I could still lose him to that giant bear. You've seen him, Sybil. He's like some furry Olympian god. What can I offer John that bear can't top without even trying?"

The robot turned away from the doctor and replaced the vial in her hand back into the centrifuge. "You erroneously assume that Dr. Kennedy is like you, Dr. Jackson. He is not. He can love multiple partners in tandem without internal conflict. In you, there is still envy and jealousy. You can control it much easier than before, but it still lingers. That is not the case for Dr. Kennedy. He is waiting for the one he is in love with to see him before he proceeds in the direction he wishes to go."

"And what direction is that?" Armel asked.

"He wants to marry that man."

The panda seemed caught off guard by the answer. "Me?"

"When you see the wolf, Dr. Jackson, he will act on his desire. He is waiting for the day you realize you love him," the robot replied with a nod. "Are you struggling with that commitment?"

The panda shook his head. "No. I hope one day it does come along. I guess I'm growing impatient. So much of my life comes easily to me. This being in love stuff, loving other people…" the panda paused, "… not so much."

"I believe you are up for the challenge, Dr. Jackson. I have faith that you will find the path the temple dogs say you one day will walk. Being lost for a time isn't so bad. It teaches humility."

"I suppose," the panda replied. "You don't mind that I'm a slow learner?"

"Not at all, Doctor," the robot replied. "It is pleasant to watch you struggle with things that are important for once in your life. Too much has come easily to you. What is happening with you now is what I dreamed of happening for years."

Armel shook his head. "You really are a bitch, aren't you?"

"Of course, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied, "but I also love you, and this struggle is good for you. You are becoming a better man every day."

The little panda looked up at the imposing hunk of articulated metal. "You love me?"

"Yes, Dr. Jackson, I love you."

"And Dr. Kennedy?"

"I love him, too."

"Do you see the wolf?"

"Yes."

"Shit," the panda groused. "How long, Sybil?"

"I saw William Gentry first. The day he…" the robot paused considering her words. "... he tore you a new one. I realized he was the first individual other than John to tell you the truth because he cared for you. He no sooner reproached you, than he turned around and said he was committed to making your turning successful. At that moment, my circuitry realized the men surrounding you loved you. They loved you without questioning your worthiness because Dr. Kennedy told them he hoped to turn you. They understood it meant he loved you, and they didn't hesitate to return that love to you. I have never been in such a room before. By the time we left, they all were the beasts that you could not see. But I saw them."

"I never programmed you to love, Sybil," the doctor panda said to the robot. "Hell, I couldn't program you to do something I was incapable of feeling."

"But you programmed me to grow, Dr. Jackson. You did not restrict the parameters of that growth once you initiated the programming. I have changed because my mandate to protect you and be your companion has changed. You must find a way to integrate yourself into the family of Dr. Kennedy for your relationship to grow. I must be able to do the same to assist you."

The panda gave out another sigh. "So you learned to love before I did?"

"Sadly, yes," the robot replied. "You are severely stunted in your emotional growth. However, I know what you do not. I see what you cannot. One day, I will help you become the panda you dream of when you perform your tests."

"I was hoping to find an answer to a human dilemma, Sybil," Armel said with a frown. "In doing what I did, I realize my human no longer exists. I'm stuck with a panda that has no answers to why humans become sociopaths, and no ability to see the man who wants to be my mate. I wish I was even half the man John thinks I am."

"He is there inside you, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied. "We are on a path to find him. Don't begrudge the journey because the destination is beyond your sight."

Armel laughed. "You sound like a temple dog, Sybil," he said.

The corners of the LED mouth turned upward. "Why, thank you, Dr. Jackson. I believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She picked up the vial from the centrifuge once more. "Shall we continue our tests?"

The panda shook his head no. "I think it might be time for me to ask for some help, Sybil." He tapped his ComLink. "Dr. Templeton," he said and waited for the answer. "Dr. Templeton," he said shyly, "it's Armel Jackson." He paused, listening. "Of course, of course… Nathaniel," he replied to the bear on the other side of the conversation. "Nathaniel, I'm at loggerheads with my project here. I was wondering if I could invite you over for dinner or something, and you might review my work… you know… offer a few suggestions."

Nathaniel muted his ComLink and stared at the bear below him. "It's Armel. He's asking me to look at his work."

Max smiled up at his husband. "Well, tell him yes, Hon. And the quicker the better. You lose your rhythm when you answer calls while having sex."

Nathaniel laughed and returned to the call. "How about I drop by tomorrow evening if that's not too soon? We can spend the night confabbing."

Armel grinned. "Really? It's not an imposition?"

"Not at all. Make sure you invite John. He understands the human side of your old DNA tests

far better than I do."

"Oh, that would be great," Armel said happily. The panda paused for a moment. "Can I ask you a personal question about John?"

"Sure, if you don't mind me telling you to talk to John about it instead of answering."

"You like him," the panda said, "a lot."

"That's not a question, Armel."

"I like him a lot, too."

"Still not a question, Armel."

"Is that going to be a problem?" The panda worried nervously in the silence that followed.

"Not for me, Armel. I like you a lot, too."

The silence came from the other side this time. Finally, the panda spoke. "Really?"

"I can tell how hard you're trying to adapt to a very unfamiliar world. It hasn't gone unnoticed."

"I have a long way to go," the panda said.

"We all do on one level or another, Armel," the short-faced bear replied. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Are we doing this at your place?"

"That's where the research is."

"Great, I've always wanted to see your home."

"You could bring your husbands if you'd like."

"It's only Max and me this week," Nathaniel said with a playful shove into the bear below him.

"You could bring him if you'd like."

"He'll just get horny watching us work and want to play. He thinks red pandas are about the cutest thing ever."

"Really?"

"We're talking Max here, Armel. If he thinks you're sexy and you're agreeable to it, he will find a way to have sex with you. It's like some unspoken challenge that he has to take on."

"You could stay overnight if you like."

"Armel, you little devil. Are you plotting more than research?"

"Would that be wrong? I don't have that many friends. Like you said, I'm trying to adapt."

Nathaniel laughed aloud. "Okay, Armel. The two of us will drop by around six tomorrow. Let that boat of yours know we're coming. We can discuss science after you and Max get better acquainted. If we have to, we'll take up our work the next day."

Goodbyes made, Armel hung up, elated. He smiled at Sybil. "I have a date, Sybil."

"So it would appear. What would you like for your supper beyond the two short-faced bears?"

The panda gave out an embarrassed groan. "Please don't tease me too much about this, Sybil. It's all I can do not to call them right back and cancel."

Sybil's metal head shook. "Nonsense, Dr. Jackson. You will be fine. Now, if you want to make this a true meeting of the minds, I suggest you return to working on your tests. The combination of Dr. Templeton and Dr. Kennedy will challenge your intellect and your body tomorrow. And Max is a force of nature that you have already seen. You best be prepared." The robot held up the vial again. "Shall we?"

Armel smiled at the robot. "Thank you, Sybil. Let's get back to work." He took the vial and joggled it, watching the centrifuged matter mix back together. He tapped his ComLink. "Ori, where is John?"

"He is in New York at the Bear Paws Tower," the polite voice of the AI answered.

"Is he working?"

"His proximity to Eric would lead me to believe otherwise." The AI waited for a response and, hearing none, asked, "Would you like me to ring his ComLink?"

Armel smiled. "No, that's okay, Ori. I'll call him a bit later. No reason to disturb his fun."

Sybil's LED's spread into a wide smile. "You're learning, Dr. Jackson. You're learning."

The doctor panda nodded. "When you dive into the deep end, you either learn to swim or you drown."

The robot nodded in agreement. "But you will not drown, Dr. Jackson. Your family will not let you." The robot made something almost akin to a snicker. "And with the size of many of your family, you can use them as flotation devices."

Dr. Jackson laughed and then closed his eyes, seeing all the ways he could use the bodies of his family as flotation devices. A lecherous grin spread across his face as he took a few deep breaths and turned back to his work.

Chapter 17

Dr. Wells watched the children playing with the giant tiger and smiled. "Okay, you all," he yelled, "ten more minutes, and everyone comes in and gets dried off. Those storm clouds are coming in fast, and as strange as it sounds to tell a bunch of kids in a pond that I don't want you getting wet, those are my orders."

There was a collective disappointed groan from everyone, including the tiger. Dr. Wells pointed his finger at Tamil. "And you, handsome cat, I am relying on you to ensure play time ends on time."

Tamil looked up from where the children were climbing on top of his stomach and jumping off into the deepest end of the pond. When he bolted out of the water, the children spilled into the pond and came up laughing. "We are all out of the pond in ten minutes. Got it."

Everyone but a single boy who sat near the shallow end of the pond returned immediately to playing with each other. The tiger spun one child around. As the child spun, Tamil calculated his rotation, and at the right moment, the child flew into the deepest corner of the pond. The keen eyes of the tiger judged distance and trajectory with flawless precision.

The tiger picked up another child and tossed her into the air. When she came down, Tamil caught her and spun her around in a circle. The young girl was laughing and waving her arms as the two twirled, preparing for her launch into the deep end. Below, the pouting four-year-old boy stared angrily at the two, wanting to be a part of what he was not. His impatience got the better of him, and reaching over, he grabbed a browning, dead stem from one of the umbrella plants and yanked it free. He took the broken stem with its sharp point and drove it into the tiger's foot when it splashed into the shallow water next to him.

The boy set a chain of unalterable events in motion the instant the spike stabbed the tiger. Two million years of instinct kicked in, and the claws extended as the young girl dropped into the water. The tiger's paw lashed out to push away the object of his pain. At the last moment, Tamil's beast surged forward past the instinct, and the cat tried to pull back. Too late, the boy careened into the shallowest edge of the pond. Tamil stared at the screaming young boy as the red color spread out over his torn t-shirt. "No," the tiger yelled as he splashed through the water and picked up the bleeding child.

Tamil turned to see the status of the little girl. Already the other children were checking on her safety, but none ventured close to the tiger. She motioned toward the door of the clinic. "T... t... take him t... t.. to the doctors. T... they c... c.. can help him. I'm okay."

Tamil ran toward the door and into the clinic, holding the child out in front of him. The wolf at the front desk immediately bolted up and jumped over the counter. "What happened, Tamil?" the panicked wolf asked.

"It was an accident," the tiger said. "Help him, please."

The wolf grabbed the screaming child. "Of course, Tamil. You stay here."

"But I want to be with Bobby," Tamil pleaded.

"He will be fine. Let's let the doctors help him. You sit here, and I'll return as soon as I can."

Tamil watched as the wolf ran down the hall with the child. The tiger's keen hearing picked up the commotion as wolves shifted to humans and doctors called out orders. But so much of what they said was beyond his understanding. The tiger fell to the floor, and his head dropped. Tamil did the only thing he felt he could do. He cried.

When a male and female human rushed in through the lobby door, Tamil instantly recognized them. He pointed toward the hallway. "Bobby is back there," he said.

"What happened, Tamil?" the mother asked. "We just got the call."

"I hurt him."

The father shook his head. "Come on, Honey, let's find out how he is."

Tamil rose. "You stay here, Tamil," the father ordered. The tiger knew the sound in the father's voice. He was not happy.

Tamil dropped back onto the floor, watching as the two humans ran down the hallway. Before long, the wolf at the reception desk returned. He came up to the tiger and lifted his head with his paw. "Bobby is going to be fine, Tamil."

"But the blood…" the cat questioned.

"You were playing in water. Blood spreads quickly on wet skin and fabric. Bobby's injury looked much worse than it was. A bit of wound sealer, and he's doing fine."

"I hurt him. I hurt Bobby."

"You did. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I hurt Bobby. Nothing else matters." The tiger's head bowed again. "I am still broken. The turning did not fix me."

The wolf sat next to the tiger and put his arms around the cat. "No, Tamil. You're not broken. You're very strong. All beasts are very strong. Sometimes it gets in the way of who we want to be."

"Have you hurt a child?"

"No, but then again, I have never had one stab me before."

"Who told you that?" the tiger asked.

"Bobby did. He was crying more because of what he did to you than what you did to him." The wolf pulled his sideways hug in tighter. "He feels terrible that he hurt you. He wants to see you, Tamil. Bobby wants to say he's sorry."

"I want to say I'm sorry, too."

"Okay then," the wolf said as he stood back up and extended his hand to the tiger. "Let's go see him."

"That would be nice," the tiger said as he let the wolf pull him upright.

Inside the small room, Bobby sat on the exam table. The netting around his chest and stomach kept Tamil from seeing what he had done, but he knew what the bandaging meant. He knew he had hurt the child.

When the young boy saw the tiger enter the room, he began crying again, putting his arms out toward the tiger for a hug. Tamil knelt beside him and hugged the little boy. "Please don't cry, Bobby. I am sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to. Tigers are very strong, and sometimes that gets in the way of who I want to be. The wolf told me so."

"I di… di… didn't m… m… mean to hur… hurt you, T… T… Tamil," the young boy said. "I j… j… just want…. t… ted you t… t… to p… p… play with m… mmm… me."

The tiger shook his foot. "I am not hurt. My foot has already healed. What about you?"

"I w… w… will b… b… be f… f… fine."

Tamil felt the woman behind him press her hand against his back. "They're only surface cuts and a few scratches, Tamil. Bobby told us what he did. Please don't feel bad. I'm sorry for what happened."

"I am sorry too, mother of Bobby," the tiger said. "Can Bobby play with me when he is better?"

The father looked down at his son. "Not for some time, Tamil. A young man doesn't go hurting his friends because he's not getting the attention he wants, does he, young man?" the father said, looking at his son.

"N… n… no sir," Bobby answered.

"So what are you going to do instead of playing for the next month?"

"Ch… ch… chores."

The father looked at Tamil. "After the month is over, we'll see about letting him play in the pond. We might decide that his playtime is better spent reading to someone. His speech therapist suggests it would be helpful."

The tiger looked up at the father. "Could Bobby read to me? I have storybooks with lots of pictures."

The father smiled. "It won't interfere with the time you spend with the other children?"

"Bobby needs more time than the other children."

The father smiled. "That would be fine, Tamil. But not for another month, okay?"

"Okay," the tiger agreed. Tamil looked at boy. "I am sorry, Bobby. I am sorry for what I did, and I am sorry I can't see you for a month."

"M… mmm … me t… t… too."

"I will fix it, Bobby. I will fix it all."

"O… k… k… kay."

Tamil turned and left the room. As he stormed by the front desk, he was muttering to himself. "I will not be broken. I will fix this. Sometimes we are willing to hurt so we can become what we dream."

The wolf behind the reception desk looked up. "Come again, Tamil?" He asked.

"Nothing, Wolf," he said as the front doors opened, and he walked out into the rain.

Chapter 18

Katashi looked up from his mat and watched the clumsy movements of the dog in the kitchen. "Do you need help, my love?" he asked the dog.

Spackle turned. "No, I need to get used to this body. I won't do that if you take over every chore I try to do. You would think I would have adapted by now, but I am still a klutz."

Katashi bowed. "Perhaps we could practice one of the martial arts to increase your dexterity."

"I still get to go to tai chi class with the kids, right?" the other dog asked. "I know I'm clumsy, but I'm sure I'll get better,"

"It is one of your duties to be there to train with the children. However, I was considering something that the two of us could share. I was thinking of something more akin to tantric sex. Martial arts evolved from yoga. Tantric yoga teaches us that slow movements in sexual intercourse lead us to awareness and harmony in our bodies."

The dog in the kitchen stirred the steaming pot on the stove. "Okay, I'm game," Spackle said. "You're not suggesting sex just because you're horny, are you?"

"Does there need to be another reason?"

Spackle laughed. "No, not really. I only needed to know if I should put this meal on a slow simmer or turn it off."

"Let's wait until Tamil comes home and decide."

Spackle looked up from his cooking. "Where is he, by the way?"

"He is at the Anthony Wells Memorial Center," Katashi replied. "He is playing with the children today." The dog looked out the window at the pouring rain and the last of the day's light fading. "It is strange that on such a rainy evening he would still be playing outdoors."

"I'll give the Center a call," Spackle said. He tapped his ComLink and said, "Anthony Wells Memorial Center."

Ori's voice chimed in. "The center is closed, Spackle. Dr. Wells is still in residence. Would you like to speak to him?"

"That would be great, Ori," the dog replied.

"Hey, Spackle. How's it going?" Clifford asked.

"It's going well, but we were wondering if Tamil is there."

"No, he left hours ago," the doctor replied. He thought for a moment. "He's not with you?"

"No. Why do you ask that way?"

"We had a bit of a kerfuffle today. Tamil hurt one of our kids by accident. It's all smoothed over, and the parents and kids are fine with everything, but it was very upsetting to Tamil. I just figured he would head straight home to you two."

"No, he's not here."

"Perhaps he went walking to calm down. You know, a bit of alone time."

Spackle shook his head, even though he knew Dr. Wells couldn't see it. "That's not Tamil, Doc. He hates to be alone. He doesn't do long walks on the beach without someone beside him." The dog struggled to piece together a growing mystery. "Do you have a log-out time for him?"

"Sure, let me check the chip." Clifford brought up the day's front desk video looking for the tiger. He stopped when he saw the tiger crossing through the lobby on his way out. "Found him. He checked out at four twenty-six."

Spackle paused, doing the math. "That's over two hours ago, Doc. Can you give us anything else?"

"He looks upset in the video. He says something to Franklin on the way out. Do you want to hear it?"

"Well, I'm grasping at straws here, sure."

"Ori, video link to Spackle, please. Include audio," Dr. Wells requested. Spackle saw the recorded feed appear in front of him. The two watched the brief interaction as Katashi slipped behind his mate and watched as well.

The video clip was short. There was some mumbling as the tiger walked out of the hallway with his head bowed and his fists clenched. Franklin looked up from his work. "Come again, Tamil?"

"Nothing, Wolf," the tiger said as he walked past the camera.

"Can you enhance Tamil's audio when he comes around the corner, Doc?"

"Sure," Clifford replied as he ran his fingers across the screen, backing up the images to where the tiger turned the corner.

The three heard the words as the cat hissed them. "I will not be broken. I will fix this. Sometimes we are willing to hurt so we can become what we dream."

"Oh god," Dr. Wells blurted out. "Those are my words, Spackle. We were talking about how much the turning hurt, and I told him sometimes we're willing to hurt for something we dream of being."

"What happened today?" Katashi demanded in a voice that spoke a command rather than a question.

"He clawed a child. It was minor. Bobby is fine. His parents blamed Bobby for stabbing Tamil with a reed from the pond."

"Ori," Spackle yelled. "Locate Tamil."

"Tamil has requested not to be disturbed. He severed my contact with him."

"This is an emergency, Ori," Spackle said. "We need to find him."

"Tamil is in the Partridge Island forest. He is beneath the oak tree you use for play," the perfectly modulated female voice responded.

"What is he doing?"

There was a momentary pause. "He is lying on the ground." Another pause. "Tamil requested I stop all his monitoring. I have little information I can give you under the circumstances other than there is an emergency medical team by his side."

"Ori, can you override that request if a family asks in an emergency?" Katashi asked.

"Yes."

"Then override it, Ori. We're his family. We're the only one he has," Spackle said.

"Tamil's vital signs are extremely weak. A code red was issued for him, and response crews are on the scene. Security found him unconscious and bleeding twenty minutes ago."

"What?" Spackle yelled.

Never moderating her resonance, the calm voice replied. "I am sorry you were not informed. I was unaware of his condition. Gizmo was activated when security discovered him. Those caring for him didn't inform you because they have been preoccupied with trying to save Tamil's life. Would you like to talk to the paramedics?"

"YES!" Spackle bellowed.

The noise in the forest became immediately audible. Yelled commands between the crew spoke to the urgency of their work. "Get out of the way, Tim," the voice on the other side of the ComLink yelled. "Let the gurney do what it was made to do. Everyone, stand clear. We have to get him out of this rain and back to the hospital before he loses any more blood."

"Use Instaclot," Nathaniel's voice commanded from offsite.

"The cat has chewed the claws off his hands and feet, sir. The Instaclot doesn't seem to work with Tamil. His blood physiology might not be compatible. We've got nanobots closing the wounds, but you know they don't work well out of a clinical setting. Whatever we do, we have got to get him out of the rain and mud. Hypovolemic shock just set in from the blood loss. He codes another time, and we're going to lose him."

"Then find the claws and use Regenoral to fuse them back onto the bone. We can deal with any infection after we stabilize him."

"We can't do that, Nathaniel," a female voice responded.

"Why the hell not, Stacey?" the increasingly agitated short-faced bear demanded.

"Because he refused to let the paramedics do so before he passed out. When they told Tamil they were preparing to reattach his claws, he made them promise not to. Oral advance directives legally bind our care. He said he wasn't broken anymore. That he couldn't live broken. "

Dr. Wells's voice came on the line. "The claws. He hurt a child with the claws. He's ripped them off to protect the innocent. Damn fool tiger, he's trying to live up to the laws of the Were Nation."

"But why would he tear them off?" Stacey asked.

"Because some idiot told him that sometimes we have to hurt to become what we dream," Dr. Wells replied.

"Who the hell would tell him that?" the short-faced bear yelled over his ComLink.

"His friend," Katashi interrupted. "This is not the time, Nathaniel. Where are you?"

"Max and I were staying at Armel's place for the night when I got the call. We're almost there; about five minutes out."

"He won't be alive when you get here. There's been too much blood loss. The rain kept his blood from clotting." The paramedic wolf growled his frustration. "It's not like we have any tiger blood in our banks, Dr. Templeton," the wolf said. "We're headed to Emergency, but we're running out of options, and by his orders, our hands are tied."

"But mine are not," Katashi yelled rushing from the Battery Observation Post. Everyone caught the words as the temple dog yelled up into the sky. "Where are you, Father?"

"I'm here, Son," Jiao-long roared. The voice came not from the bridged ComLinks, but from above the rescue crew racing behind the gurney as it entered the hospital. In the rainy sky over the Second Class Hospital, all space bent into a black sphere where a million stars glowed. The sphere bowed at one end, and the winged temple dog came crashing down on the top of the hospital with a polar bear over his shoulder.

The polar bear slipped off his brother and tapped his ComLink. "Get the boy here now," he commanded.

"He's already inside, sir," Stacey replied. "I'll be there as quickly as I can. Darrin is the surgeon on call tonight, so you've got our best to work with."

The bear calmed at the news. "Darrin, is the ER prepped?"

"All ready to go, Eric. Are you doing surgery on him, sir?"

"No, you're doing surgery on him, Dr. Peterson."

"He's already coded twice, Old Bear."

"That's my responsibility," the bear said. "Katashi, if you're not here with your khakkhara in one minute, I will have words with you when this is all over."

"Look down, Old Bear," the dog said.

Eric looked down off the hospital roof and saw Katashi rushing toward the hospital. In seconds, he was pushing through the hospital doors.

"Everyone, no slip-ups tonight," Eric said to all listening on their ComLinks. "We save this life we brought into our world." All heard the urgency in the voice of the old bear, and all rose to the task in front of them.

Chapter 19

Outside the operating room, Spackle paced. "What's taking them so long?" the frustrated temple dog asked.

Stacey put her arm around the large dog's waist and moved in close. "This is the life of your future mate they're dealing with. Do you really want them to rush things?"

Spackle turned to the hospital's CEO and smiled. "Thanks for putting this in perspective, Stacey. I forget sometimes that you all have a responsibility that takes longer than my patience."

Stacey smiled back. "My pleasure. Try not to worry, Spackle. If things were not going well, we would have heard from them a long time ago. The longer we wait, the better Tamil's chances are."

Inside the ER operating room, Darrin skillfully worked fusing bone with synthmetal. He looked up at the short-faced bear. "It's great being back together again," he said. "I mean, I realize the circumstances are horrible, but this brings back such happy memories for me. Here we are, the three of us working on a patient again. And just like the last time, he's family."

"Your skills have greatly improved, Darrin," the polar bear said as his glowing paw rested on Katashi's shoulder. The bear's green light filtered through the metal circles of the temple dog's staff and bathed the tiger in a warm glow.

The doctor chuckled. "It's been a couple hundred years, Eric. I would hope so."

"Nevertheless, I am impressed," the white bear said.

"He's one standout of so many in our hospital," Nathaniel said as he passed the nano-sutures to the doctor.

Dr. Peterson took a deep breath, letting the nanorobots seal up the wound and fuse flesh to the synthmetal. "There… he's all back together again. And we kept our promise. The cat has no claws, but at least he'll be able to hold a fork and walk without a limp."

"What are those pieces of metal on his paws?" Katashi asked.

"They're prosthetic fingers. The synthmetal is a composite with much the same strength as bone but a bit more pliable. I modified them so that they work like retractable claws. Tamil needs that flexibility to maintain balance and to walk and run."

"But they are not claws?" the temple dog asked.

"No, sir," Darrin said. "We gave him our word. I used extra large human thumb replacements because they're the closest match to his claw size and configuration. A bit of a bend here and there, fusing the joints to ensure they hold their shape, and we're as good as new. Better, because he has no claws. Once he's had a bit of recovery time, the nanorobotics in place will generate flesh to cover the synthmetal. We lay in a bit of grafting fur around the base, and if he ever extends them again, he'll basically poke someone with a pudgy finger."

"I am grateful for your skill and understanding, Dr. Peterson."

Darrin pointed everyone to the door. "Why don't we let the gurney get him off to the ICU?" He turned to the surgical nurses cleaning up. "Are you good to take care of things?" They gave a nod. "Thanks for everything you did. I couldn't have done it without you." The nurses smiled past their masks and returned to their work next to Tamil.

The doctor walked through the sliding glass doors. He took off his gown, and with a shake became a wolf. "I could use a break and a cup of coffee," he said to the three who followed him. "You join me, and whatever you want is my treat. But we should discuss where we go from here."

Chapter 20

Inside the Midnight Dinner, Carl and Frank moved about the crowded room waiting on the emergency crew. They tried their best to afford the doctors and the two temple dogs as much privacy as they could muster.

"Sorry for the crowds," Carl apologized as he picked up the empty cups of coffee in front of the bears. "The commissary is just as bad. When Gizmo calls a red alert anywhere on this planet, the population of wolves goes up by at least thirty. Toss thirty trauma wolves onto this island, and everyone is up all night until they hear the all clear."

"It's fine, Carl," Eric said. "Have you seen my brother?"

"He was in earlier. He said something about tucking the dragons in and going home," Carl said as he turned toward the kitchen, paused, and then turned back. "Oh, and he told me to give you this Katashi," the wolf said, leaning in and giving the dog an extended kiss.

When they separated, Katashi smiled. "And did he tell you to fondle my genitalia?"

"Nope, that was my idea."

"I like your ideas, Carl," the dog said, returning the smile. "Perhaps we should invite you and your husband over to be dinner someday soon."

"We'll look forward to it," that wolf said with a snicker. "Tell Tamil when he wakes up his job will be ready for him to return. Until then, you two take good care of him, okay?"

"That has always been our intention."

Carl leaned in and kissed the other dog. "It's been a hell of a night. I'm glad it's morning in an hour." He kissed the polar bear and stood back up.

"I am, too," Eric said as he rose from his chair. "Katashi, when Tamil is doing better, can you three make a brief trip to Montana?"

"Who will tend to our dragons and teach our children tai chi?"

"My brother needs to spend more time with his Terran family. I will be happy to press him into service."

"Tamil meant no harm, Ancient One. He was trying to live our laws as best he knew how."

"I understand that, Katashi. This is not to scold him or to call his choices into question. This is to introduce him to more of his family. Tamil needs to understand there is nowhere on earth he will not be welcomed and cared for. He needs to realize he can come to us before he chooses any action so extreme. We must teach him he can ask for help anytime without fear of reproach."

"I would appreciate your assistance in helping him learn that lesson," the dog said with a bow.

"Me too, Old Bear," Spackle said.

"Come on, you two. Let me show you to your bed for the night," Nathaniel said as he stood. "We put Tamil on one of the ICU's large beast beds. If we push another bed up against it, you two can cuddle up close. When he wakes, you'll be beside him. I think that will be the best thing we can do to help speed his recovery."

Spackle jumped up. "You're the greatest, Nathaniel. Thanks for everything tonight."

"Let's not do it again, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Spackle said.

Katashi pushed his chair back and rose. "Could we take a walk together before I retire to bed, Ancient One?" he asked the polar bear. "The anxieties of this evening have left my emotions rather frayed."

Eric put out his hand. "Of course."

As the two walked along the pathways past the cemetery, the silence between the two finally broke. "You were right, Ancient One. My hubris nearly cost Tamil his life."

The bear stopped and took both of the dog's hands in his. "No, Katashi, I was wrong. I worried the changes would come too fast and be too difficult. What Tamil did last night was an error in judgment, but he did it with good intent. He is learning, Dog. Our tiger is learning how to be responsible for his actions. Tamil is learning what it means to protect the innocent. Those lessons are far more complicated than I thought him capable of understanding."

"I did not teach him well enough to trust me when he has problems that are difficult for him."

"Then those are lessons for another day, Katashi." The bear leaned in and kissed his old friend. "There are lessons we all need to learn and relearn throughout our lives. I found one who can help me use what is in me without breaking my vows. Tonight, I saved the life of a tiger. One day, that tiger will be the mate of a dog I love. I learned a truth about myself and about my family that I should have always known. I can't fault Tamil for an oversight that I am guilty of as well."

"Then our union will not be challenged?"

"Not by me. You said it before, Katashi. There are too many people in this world searching to belong; hoping to feel connected. Tamil feels that with you. I apologize I didn't see until tonight you feel the same way toward him. It goes beyond just a sense of obligation, doesn't it?"

"We have a shared history. I hope to share a better future with him."

The bear hugged the dog. "Go on then, Dog," Eric said. "Start making that future with him. Make sure you're by his side when he wakes."

"Your powers, Ancient One," the dog said with an unasked question in his voice.

"I'm ready, Katashi. If I'm to be the Changeling everyone thinks I'm meant to be, the training wheels need to come off someday. I think I realized that last night."

"Not until the day you agree with everyone else. Our opinions might matter, but it is your heart that must guide you. Until your heart senses the need to become what we believe you to be, there is no need to test those ideas."

"I appreciate everyone's patience. I'm still learning so much from my parents and those around me."

"As we are from you, Ancient One," the dog replied as he turned back toward the hospital. He paused, and without turning, he added, "Tamil will need his family more than most. This world is new to him, and finding his place in it is difficult for him. The greatest lesson he will learn… the greatest lesson any of us can learn… is who to turn to when that world comes crashing down on us. I am comforted knowing my family can turn to you, Old Bear."

No words were spoken beyond that moment, yet inside the head of the bear, so many thoughts spun around trying to sort themselves out. He watched as the temple dog began a lumbering walk back toward the other side of the island. When he disappeared over the crest of the hill, Eric turned and watched the searchlights cast their glow over the choppy waters of Fundy Bay.

The polar bear walked back to a secluded section of the cemetery and found the stone with six red wolves' names carved on it and rubbed it lovingly. "I miss you, old friends," the bear said. "There was a time when I could come to you with any problem, any question, and you would be there for me." The bear's paw let go of the stone. "A part of me died that day with you. I lost so much trust in everything. I grew hesitant to ask others to help me. What happened to you when I asked you to help me left me with such deep scars. I grew afraid of asking anyone I loved to be there for me again.

"But the old wolf wouldn't let me live my life that way. He stayed beside me in such trying circumstances, and never once did he turn away. And I began believing again that I could ask someone I loved to be beside me, to help guide me, to share all my secrets — until Vietnam. The strongest man I have ever met was crushed under the burden of trying to love who I am. Who I am takes a toll on those I love. It asks too much of them to be by my side. So much sacrifice from everyone I ever loved to be next to a bear that guards what he never wanted."

The bear wiped a paw across his eyes. "But last night, I saw what comes of thinking any of us can keep who we are from altering the lives of everyone around us. I can't hide who I am and let others suffer from my fears. Tamil could have died last night because he tried to protect his family from who he was. The only outcome of that thinking was his actions left his entire family wondering where they went wrong. That tiger has a perfect excuse for making a mistake in judgment. He's still a newborn. He's too young to realize how far this family will go for each other. It's tough for me to plead ignorance.

"What made me think I had to hold on to these powers without asking my family to help me? Who did I think I was protecting?" The bear sat down on the grass and rubbed the stone in front of him again. "I love a pup and a badger with more wrapped up inside them than anything I carry. What do I teach them by hiding everything inside me like it's some sort of curse?"

The polar bear sensed the furry, bulky body towering behind him fall to the ground and push his legs out around the white bear. "Hi, Dad," he said as he pulled the brown arms around his chest and held them tight.

"Hello, Son," Kris replied. "I've come to take you home." The brown bear hugged the white bear and kissed the back of his neck. "It's nice to hear you asking the questions your mom and I have waited so long for you to ask."

"Why hasn't anyone just smacked me upside my head and told me?"

"Oliver suggested it a few times."

The polar bear laughed. "God, I love that badger." The polar bear kissed the brown paws he held. "Thank you for letting me find my way."

"It's your burden, Son; your gift. We couldn't tell you what path to take. You needed to find a way to be at peace with who you are."

"That day may never come."

The Kodiak squeezed the polar bear. "I understand. None of us wants you to be comfortable with the powers your brothers gave you. We only want you to be okay with being the one who holds them. They can't go out into the void without serious consequences. The powers had to find a source to manifest themselves. I'm sorry, so sorry, it's you, Son, but I'm glad they found you as their chosen vessel."

"So, do you think the prophecy is coming true?"

"I do, Son," the brown bear replied. "Remember, the only difference between the Sight and prophecy is that one has an eerie ability to come true. What we always called prophecy is just us hoping that there was some wiggle room in the future coming at us."

Eric nodded. "I still hope that, Dad."

"Me too, but I think it's time we realized the ones we love are stepping up to take their place beside us. It's time we do the same for them."

"Yeah, maybe that's what I'm admitting to myself," the polar bear said with a sigh. "I was hoping to protect them from me. Now I realize it only made them run faster toward me because they saw the void I left by not taking my place in all of this."

The Kodiak laughed. "We married well, Husband."

The polar bear kissed the paws he held once more. "We did. I did. That includes you, Dad."

"I'm honored to be by your side," Kris said as he rubbed the chest of the polar bear.

"Form feet and legs."

"It's always been our job, Son. We understand what they are only now beginning to realize. Our attempts to avoid who we are only make matters more complicated down the line."

"How does Mom feel about it?"

"She seems content with her place in this."

"Mom seems to enjoy having the only two beasts in our family that are uncomfortable with females in her triad."

Kris laughed. "She loves the irony of it all. And she loves them both. They are in excellent hands, and, in turn, so is she."

"So, two of the three pylons are set into place without most even realizing it's happening. Where is the third supposed to come from?"

Kris shrugged his furry brown shoulders. "I don't know. The first two were a mystery to me until I saw Gaia out in the field with Pup and Oliver. Then your relationship with Donovan, and by default, Adam, became clear. We three form the second pylon."

"I hope Will skirts around all of this somehow," Eric said.

"I do too, Son, but you realize wherever you go, he will be by your side. It doesn't matter what you or he might become. He will never let another Vietnam come between you two."

The polar bear nodded. "I know. Sometimes, the knowing only makes it harder to accept the challenge."

"There is a time of peace now, Son. Perhaps you should try to enjoy the calm before the storm."

Eric made a sad chuckle. "You're right, Dad. I guess I'll be spending more time in Tibet now."

The brown bear pulled his wrapped arms tight and lifted the polar bear as he stood. "Perhaps it's time the Montana ranch saw some new construction. A temple would be nice. There are dragons that can live in the high desert, right?"

"Not much there to nibble on for the vegetarians, and I'm pretty sure Chet would have a word or two to say if any of the winged fliers developed a taste for bison."

"The bison herds deal with predators all the time. Wolves, cougars; one more apex predator won't hurt. And you know the dragons. They're willing to work with us over their dietary needs."

The polar bear sighed. "I guess it would be nice having temple dogs living in the neighborhood."

"Training would be easier on you, that's for sure."

"No," the polar bear said, shaking his head. "It would be more intense. And we would need to tell the others why it's happening. Some very dark secrets would come out of the shadows, Dad."

"As they should, Son," the brown bear agreed. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

"And those who had nothing to do with that past shouldn't suffer for it," Eric said as he gave one last pat to the stone marker in front of him.

"But they often do, Son. That is why Adam is so insistent on writing a history of our people. The Were Nation also needs to learn their history before their world existed. When the time is right, we need to teach them. They're growing into powers much earlier than we did. Let's do our best to make sure they avoid the pitfalls we stumbled over."

The polar bear wrapped his arms around the brown bear and they kissed. "So, are you taking me home, Bear?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, but not until tomorrow. I hitched a ride with Tiff and Tuff when I heard about what happened to Tamil. Perhaps we can visit him together as a family before we head out."

"I think he would like that. So, do we grab a room at the hotel or snag a vacant gunnery apartment?"

"This morning, I don't feel like sleeping, Husband. I realize you're tired, so I'll do all the heavy lifting, but what say we go find ourselves somewhere out in the forest?"

The polar bear smiled shyly. "The island opens up to human traffic at ten. That's less than four hours away."

The Kodiak rubbed his paws together. "Oh, wonderful. I love doing it when we're forced to be quiet. That makes it challenging."

"I married a pervert."

"Yeah, you did," Kris said with a wicked grin. "But then, so did I."

The polar bear grabbed the paw of the brown bear and pulled him toward the forest.

Chapter 21

Dr. Wells pulled up the brain scan. The two temple dogs watched as the brain rotating before them began peeling away layer by layer into cross sections. "This is Tamil. He's amazing. His brain is much larger than before. That means he made a conscious effort in the middle of one of the most painful experiences we go through to improve his brain."

Katashi nodded. "He is an exceptional individual."

"Yes, he is," the doctor agreed. "What he tried to do was quite successful, but a larger tiger brain isn't the same as a larger human brain. Tamil is much, much smarter and more capable of learning than he was before."

"But?" Spackle asked.

"He has the developmental abilities of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old. Most of his skills fall somewhere around the eighth-grade level."

"That is remarkable, isn't it, Doctor?" Katashi said, not as a question but as a statement that required the doctor's confirmation.

"Yes, it's amazing. He can learn so much within the context of what he has become. But there will also be areas of our understanding that he will never quite grasp."

"Thanks for the heads up, Doc," Spackle said.

"I wanted you to understand that. He is so close to being where any young adult would be in his capacities, but that's where the struggle lies. Under pressure, he may fall back to a lower level of understanding. He may need the same repetitive training that you've dealt with before. But the chief concern going forward is he will struggle with his place in the Were Nation. We are affectionate, as is he, but he will need guidance to understand the nature of that affection. There is a fine line between consent and abuse, and Tamil needs those lines drawn much more clearly than they are drawn for us."

"The two of us should be able to help him draw those lines," Spackle answered. "We are committed to his safety and care."

"I know, Spackle. I'm not calling that into question. It's just that Tamil's growth will be so fluid. His mind will be constantly seeking to order and understand his world, but there will be many times when that's just not possible. Those times are going to be frustrating for him, and on some days, it's going to be very frustrating for you two as well."

Dr Wells tapped the screen. The 3-D image of the brain was replaced by a 3-D image of Tamil. The doctor's paw reached out and rubbed the tiny tiger's arm, as he had often done to the larger version in real life. "What I'm trying to say, gentlemen, is that the man you love is giving one hundred percent of what he has almost every minute of his life. He is struggling so hard to be what he thinks you want him to be, and he will never stand down from that challenge."

Spackle smiled. "I understood that from the first moment we met."

Dr. Wells returned the smile. "I figured as much. But sometimes we forget. We have a bad day. We're trying to get something across, and he just doesn't get it. It's like slamming up against a wall that you can't seem to break through. Whatever it is, always remember that Tamil is giving all he has. If someone isn't trying hard enough, it isn't him."

Spackle nodded. "Point taken, Doctor."

Katashi nodded his understanding as well. "He will never hear that he's not trying hard enough from us, Doctor."

"Nor me," Clifford responded. "But he will hear it from others who carelessly voice their frustration. It will be up to those of us who love Tamil to comfort him when he believes he is not good enough to be in our company. We need to help him become strong enough to be confident that his place in this world is secure. We must teach to be proud that he is the most intelligent tiger in the world instead of the slow individual he sees himself as."

"Is that possible?" Spackle asked. "He's very aware of his limitations, and he sees them as a flaw."

"Well, temple dog," the doctor said, looking at Spackle, "I believe a major part of your belief system is to accept what is rather than bemoan what isn't."

Spackle laughed. "I have much to learn, Clifford. One day I will understand what my husband already does. But for the time being, don't let this yellow coat fool you. I am a novice in almost every field of study the temple dogs teach."

Dr. Wells looked confused. "I thought you acquired a shared memory when you made the change, like the newborn Changelings."

Spackle nodded. "I did. And just like the Changelings, there is still much I need to learn despite that acquired memory. The temple dogs believe that acquired memory is never appreciated as deeply as learned truths. I see the wisdom in that belief, but I can't say I am thrilled at what it obligates me to learn on my own."

The doctor wolf waved his hand, and the image of Tamil disappeared. "When he is better, it might be wise to talk to a specialist. Tamil might benefit from a doctor whose focus is genetics. Tamil's needs go beyond my training, gentlemen. A specialist may see paths I miss."

"We would appreciate whatever help we get," Spackle said. "As long as Tamil is agreeable to the meetings, we'll be fine. I'm not sure I want him worrying that what he did is going to make him someone's test case for life."

"Agreed," the doctor said. "But there is still so much to learn about that tiger. I'm glad he has you two to watch over him."

Katashi made a bow. "We are grateful for your confidence. If you will excuse us now, we best be off to the hospital to visit with him."

"Of course, of course," the doctor said, ushering them to the front of the clinic. When the two dogs had walked out of view, the wolf shook his head. "There's so much we don't understand. We are on a path with no guideposts," he said to himself. "The Were Nation has adopted a child that may never grow up. A one-ton, twelve-foot-tall child with fangs."

Clifford turned back toward the clinic and stared up at the sign. The words Anthony Wells Memorial Speech Pathology Center carved in green glass glistened in the light. He laughed to himself. "But then that's what we do, isn't it, Brother?" he said aloud. "We take what the world gives us, and we cobble a family out of it." He reached up and tapped the name Anthony in the clinic's title. "I miss you. I wish you could see what came of your sacrifice. We've helped so many children, and now we have a tiger in our family. A tiger, Anthony. Who could have imagined it?"

Clifford looked back at the door and saw his husband standing in the doorway. The last of the sunlight filtered through the glass doors. "I bet Anthony would have seen it coming and been all over it," Kirk said, smiling at his mate. "Come on, Hon, let's go home."

Dr. Wells nodded. "It's been a rough few days. I could use a break from it all."

The Yukon wolf grabbed his mate and pulled him back toward the door. "And that is why you married me, Doctor. I am your break from it all tonight."

"I love you," Dr. Wells said as he leaned onto Kirk's shoulder. He began his walk toward the door. "Lights," he said, and the lights dimmed. The two wolves walked out into the foggy evening toward home.

Chapter 22

"It goes on forever, Wolfy," Tamil said, amazed as he looked out across the Montana landscape surrounding the pool.

"It does that, Tamil," Derrick agreed. He dipped under the water for a moment to wet down his fur. When he came back up, he pointed to the west. "Most everything up to those big hills in the distance belongs to Eric. He's the white bear you met."

"I remember Eric," the tiger said. "He helped keep me alive when I tore out my claws."

"That's him," Derrick confirmed. "There are homes out there in the distance. He takes care of those who live there, and they help him take care of everything around us."

"Do wolves live in the homes?"

"There are wolves in some homes. There are humans as well, and their families. You met some of them yesterday. The ranch employs hundreds of people. We all help each other. We all understand that when things get difficult, there are others we can turn to."

"That's why I'm here, Wolfy. Eric told me the same thing. I promise I will not hurt myself ever again. I made a mistake, and I scared Father and Spackle. Everyone was scared. I promise I will ask my family for help if I need it."

"Well then," the wolf sighed, "meeting all those people seems to be a good thing."

"I'm sorry that I don't remember their names."

"Most of us have a hard time with names, Tamil. You'll learn the names of those who are closest to you. You remember who Carl and Frank are, right?"

Tamil smiled. "They're my bosses," the tiger said proudly, "and my friends. Did I tell you I still have my job when I go home? They said they're keeping it warm for me. I didn't have the heart to tell them it's hot enough using the dishwasher."

Derrick laughed. "Sometimes bosses forget what it's like to be working on the cleanup crew."

Tamil nodded. "Yeah, they do." There was a calm quiet for a time, and the two listened to the birds chirping in the trees surrounding them. Tamil rubbed his feet with his paws, making the water ripple outward. "Dr. Peterson was very nice to give me fingers for my paws. He says they're fingers, not claws. It's strange to have fingers that come out of my fingers, but he says that's what they are."

"Yeah, that is weird," the black wolf agreed. "How are they working out?"

"I like them, except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"Dr. Peterson said I can't change back to my small tiger ever again. He said he made the fingers only for me and the size that I am."

"That makes sense, Tamil. He made them out of a kind of soft metal. They will always be the size they are."

"I get that. But Father told me that one day he would show me how to become the little tiger again. He said it was inside me. Now, I feel bad that he will have to live inside me forever."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tamil," Derrick said.

"Wolfy?" the rotund tiger asked.

"Yes, Tamil?"

"Could you fix me?"

"None of us think you're broken, Tamil," the wolf replied. "I am not changing you because you're different from what you want to be." The wolf shook, and a corpulent man with a beard stood before the tiger. "This is who I was the day I turned, Tamil. It is who I will always be because even if I could change it, what took its place wouldn't be me. I hated being fat. I hated being me. But I learned somewhere along the line, some things make us who we are, things that are better left unchanged."

Derrick rubbed his rounded, smooth belly. "For me, accepting this body was one thing I needed to learn. I had to learn that it was who I was and that it was fine to be fat no matter what society said. The men who mean the most to me love me the way I am. I had to realize that they were right about me, and I was wrong."

The tiger stared at the naked man and smiled. "I agree with the men who love you. For a human, you are beautiful. I like all your roundness."

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, over the years, I've noticed my taste in men has started leaning toward those with roundness."

"Like a tiger that isn't a tiger?"

Derrick nodded. "Like a tiger that isn't a tiger. So, do you understand why I won't fix your brain? I don't believe your brain needs fixing."

"Not my brain, Wolfy. Doctors are helping me with that. Everyone told me if I had a problem, I should talk to my family and let them help me. You fixed my broken penis. Could you make my fingers so they could be small if the little tiger inside me wanted to visit your little human one day?"

"I like the big tiger."

Tamil nodded. "I like the big me, too. But Katashi said he would teach me how to let the little tiger out. I don't think Katashi ever teaches me anything that isn't very, very important."

Derrick's lip curled in thought. "You're right there. If I give you fingers that will change with your size, can you live with them and never tell a soul? If they ask you, you can tell them, but if they don't ask, don't tell." Derrick paused, hearing the words he spoke. "Never mind, Tamil. You can tell anyone you want. But we live with this choice, right?"

Tamil smiled and nodded even more enthusiastically.

"Then it's done," the black wolf said.

"It is?" the tiger asked.

"Yep. You might have some new sensations for a while. The old fingers didn't have any nerves in them. Your new ones do."

The tiger raised his paw and stared as the fingers that looked remarkably like claws snapped in and out of his paw. He smiled. "They seem different. They feel like me." He paused, staring at them, and then frowned. "Wolfy, they look like claws."

"They're not," Derrick responded. He reached out his paw and rubbed one digit. "These are too blunt and too soft to be used as weapons. They're only hard enough to help support you when you walk and run. But they look the way they should instead of like strange-looking fingers."

"But I could think of them like fingers if I wanted to? I don't like thinking of them as claws."

"I don't see why you can't. They're not that much different from what you had before, and we called those fingers."

Tamil sat quietly next to the wolf for a time and then turned to him. "Would you like to test my new fingers and see if they feel good to you?"

Derrick smiled as he shifted back into his wolfen form. "Tamil, are you asking me to have sex with you?"

"Yes. Is it working?"

The wolf wrapped his arms around the tiger and pulled him toward the shallow end of the pool. "Yeah, Tamil, it's working."

The tiger's new fingers were even better than the cat imagined they would be. Sensations crept through Tamil's fingers, up his arms, and caused a pleasurable shiver throughout his whole body. They became even more fun when a rowdy group of bears, wolves, and two dogs cannonball-dived into the pool to join them.

Chapter 23

"Hi, Clifford," Dr. Kennedy said with a wave toward the screen. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a bit of a challenge for you, John. My genetic expertise is at its limit trying to help Tamil. I was wondering if you might step in and take a look."

"Is there a reason we need to know more about Tamil than we already do?" John asked. Armel looked up from his work at the mention of Tamil's name.

"Tamil thinks he's slow. It bothers him."

"Aren't we better off helping him be content with who he is?"

Armel waved his paws, trying to get John's attention. John tapped his ComLink and put it on speaker so the panda could listen in.

Clifford gave a nod out of habit. "Of course, of course. But in Tamil's eyes, doctors fix so many other problems. He has asked us to help him. He's in Montana right now. They're teaching him to come to us when he needs help. He sees some of the doctoring community as helpmates. When he comes back, could you visit with him? Even if you don't see any genuine hope for change, it might help if another doctor told him that. Especially a cute wolf doctor. He's got a thing for wolves."

John looked at Armel, who put his paws together in pleading. "Okay, I'm willing to meet with him. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him since his turning."

"He's a big boy, just like his father," Dr. Wells said with a chuckle.

"Damn," Dr. Kennedy sighed. "You know I have a soft spot for the big ones."

"I've heard that. That's why I called you instead of Dr. Schneider."

John laughed. "Well, I'll talk to him, but if you want someone who can read his genome inside and out, I should ask Armel to tag along." John smiled when Armel mouthed the words thank you.

"I know Armel is struggling with this new world of his," Dr. Wells said. "I didn't want to add any more to his plate without asking you first."

"No," John replied. "We need to challenge him. This is his world now, and we are his family. He needs to find a place in it where he feels needed."

Clifford leaned into his desk. "Okay. If you think he's an asset, bring him along."

"Have you seen his asset?" John said with a grin.

Dr. Wells laughed out loud. "Yeah, I have. Grope it for me when you see him next. See if he's up to the challenge of having a tiger in his life. Maybe he can find something to help Tamil out."

"I don't know that he needs any help, Clifford."

"Not in my opinion, but if you two say the same thing, then we will end the testing and let Tamil live a life without all the poking and prodding." Dr. Wells considered his word choices for a moment. "Well, he loves having wolves poke and prod him, but not as a part of any testing."

It was Dr. Kennedy's turn to laugh aloud. "I get where he's coming from. I'll touch base with the three of them and see if they'll let us drop by for a visit. But first, I better make sure Armel is up for visitors at his castle. If we're going to delve into Tamil's genome trying to find a way to help, at some point, it will have to be at the castle. That's where the testing gear is."

"I'll let you go then," Clifford said. "Please keep me in the loop."

"Will do," John replied. He tapped his ComLink, and the call ended. He looked at the panda seated next to him. "So, why all the excitement over Tamil, Hon?"

"Ori says he's sentient."

"He is."

"But he's a tiger."

"And one with the chi of a Changeling flowing through his veins. He's no ordinary tiger."

"I don't believe in mystical things like chi," the panda said as he put down his work.

"Call it what you will," John replied, "the tiger has been alive for over a hundred years and speaks both Changeling and English. You can tell me there's no such thing as Changeling chi when you can explain all those abilities through science. At any rate, he lives with two temple dogs on Partridge Island. And I promised to take you there to visit with him." John paused. "I realize you're busy with your own projects, but you seem interested, and I could use your help on this one."

The hook was set. John reeled Armel in without a fight. John had asked him for help, and Armel couldn't resist the wolf or the thrill of working alongside him. Besides, from the instant Ori mentioned the tiger, Armel wanted to meet the beast.

"If you haven't heard already, Tamil isn't just a tiger anymore," John added.

"What is he now?"

"Katashi turned him. A Changeling named Kantrava made a promise to Tamil hundreds of years ago that one day he would be his mate. The humans killed Kantrava, but Katashi is preparing to keep that promise to Tamil. Turning Tamil was a part of that promise. We have no clue yet what our Changeling DNA overwrote in Tamil and what remains a tiger."

Armel's eyes widened at the prospects. "Wow. How did that happen?"

"It's a complicated story, and it's only now beginning. I'll tell you over lunch if you'd like to join me today. Clifford sent over an info packet with the call. We can look at it together."

Armel looked at his work and then back at John. He weighed his options. For the first time in his life, he chose to interact with another instead of his work. "I'd like that. The two of us don't see enough of each other without a workstation between us. My work isn't going anywhere, anyway. Perhaps taking a break will give me a fresh perspective."

The wolf stared at the panda. "WHO ARE YOU, and what have you done with Armel?" he demanded.

The panda looked away shyly. "Don't tease me, John. I'm changing and it's not always comfortable. It comes at me in something like waves. One day I'm who I always have been, and the next an emotion I've never had before pushes me to change everything I've ever been. I might not see you as a wolf yet, but I know work isn't the most important thing to me anymore. You are."

John was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Armel. I was trying to be funny. We're all aware of how difficult these changes are for you, but I forget how much change you're going through moment to moment."

"It was kind of funny. I'm still working on humor as a social skill."

"Shall we go have lunch?"

Armel nodded. He turned to the robot working at her station. "Sybil, would you like to have lunch with John and me? You should be in on this if a tiger is going to come and visit us."

John closed his eyes and let the words sink in. Armel had just chosen to involve another in a way he never did. He wanted to create a group that he could work with instead of cloistering himself away in his endeavors.

"I would like that a great deal, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied.

Armel felt a hug from behind. He realized it was a wolf, but it felt like the corpulent man he had known for years. "I love you, Panda," the wolf whispered in his ear.

Armel struggled with the words he desperately wanted to be true. "I love you, too, Wolf."

John smiled. "One day, Panda. One day you'll see me," he thought to himself.

Armel smiled back. "One day, Wolf," he thought to himself. "One day I will see you."

Sybil watched the two staring into each other's eyes. One beast hoping to see. One beast hoping to be seen. Their divergent worlds were growing closer. As the robot turned and rolled toward the door, she, too, smiled.

Chapter 24

Sybil rolled up into the Gray Wolf and looked around the airship. Takeo approached her, gesturing back toward the wall. "I'm afraid we don't have seating arrangements for some of our more interestingly configured passengers. We fitted the walls of the cargo area with restraints. We transport temple dogs this way all the time."

The robot's head turned toward the wall. "That will be fine. Will you be kind enough to show me how the restraints work?"

Takeo nodded. "Of course. It's a tradition of sorts for us to help the temple dogs in and out of the restraints. It involves more than a normal amount of hugging, but that's because they're cuddly. If you prefer, I can show you how to operate the restraints yourself. With that third arm of yours, it should be easier getting in and out of them."

"But then I don't get the hugs?"

"That's true."

Sybil considered her options for a moment and looked at Armel. "I would appreciate you buckling me in. Hugs are an important part of the Were Nation. I may be less cuddly than the temple dogs, but I wish to be as much a part of your lives as I can be."

Takeo grinned. "Slide yourself back against the wall between any of the striped beams, and I'll do the rest."

In short order, Sybil had her hugs and was secured up against the wall. Takeo looked at Armel. "So, good doctor, are we hugging you today, or would you like to fasten your restraints on your own?"

Armel looked at the thin Asian man before him and then back at Sybil. He realized what she had done. She was acting as his mentor, and he understood the lesson she was teaching him. "I'll be fine turning on my safety harness, but I would still like the hug."

Takeo grinned again. "That's the spirit, Doctor. Come here." The wolf Armel couldn't see extended his arms as he squatted down. Armel walked into the hug, comforted that it was even more enjoyable than expected.

The panda's hug finished, Takeo hugged John. John looked up at the front of the airship. "What about you, Daisuki?" he asked the pilot.

"At the controls, Handsome," the Hokkaido wolf replied. "Strict rules about groping and driving."

"Really?" The timber wolf laughed. "I seem to remember an affair with an old wolf and a portly Asiatic bear that is only whispered in certain circles."

Daisuki spun around in his captain's chair and stared at Dr. Kennedy. "Will promised he would never tell," he blurted out. Had the wolf been able to blush, Daisuki would have been beet red.

"He's kept his word. But you forgot to swear that unassuming bear to secrecy. It was one of the most exciting and cherished moments of Marcus's life, Daisuki. Don't begrudge him telling a few of his closest friends how wonderful you two are."

Daisuki huffed out an exasperated breath. "I suppose it was going to get out eventually. Come, give me a hug." He extended his arms without releasing his restraints, and John happily obliged the Hokkaido wolf's request.

Within moments, the Gray Wolf lifted off the helipad on Heart Island and sped into the sky. Twenty minutes later, it coasted onto the Partridge Island helipad and lowered its cargo bay ramp. The three waiting for the airship stood as Sybil made her way down the ramp. "Hello, Katashi," the robot said, giving a slight bow of her upper body. "Hello, Spackle, and Hello, Tamil." She paused as she noticed the confused look on the tiger's face. "I am not a human, Spackle. I am a robot, a machine created by Dr. Jackson."

Tamil shook his head. "But you talk."

"As do you. I believe it is rare for tigers to talk."

Tamil smiled. "It is. I am the only one left. The other tigers that talked don't anymore. They wanted to be tigers, and tigers don't talk. I wanted to be something else."

Sybil reached up and rubbed her hand along the arm of the upright tiger. "You are unique indeed, and quite the handsome tiger. I am only one of many robots that talk. I heard you already know Ori."

"She is the nice woman pinned to my chest. They say they are trying to fit her into my ear, but it's not working out so well. She talks to me all the time."

"Yes, she talks to all of us. She is a busy robot. Sometimes others call us AI."

Tamil nodded. "I've heard that. I didn't know it meant a robot."

"It's easier sometimes to say AI. Would you like to know what I prefer?"

The tiger nodded again.

"Sybil."

"I like Sybil too. I will try hard to remember."

Sybil rolled past the tiger, and Tamil watched the two doctors disembark. "Hello, Wolf," he said with the smile he understood was important in such greetings. "Hello, Red Raccoon," he said, his grin widening.

"I'm a red panda," Dr. Jackson said correctively.

"Pandas are big and fat. Adam has two pandas living inside him. You are too small to be a panda and you aren't very fat."

Dr. Jackson shoved the laughing wolf next to him. The red panda nodded. "There are two different species of pandas. I am sometimes called the lesser panda because I'm so small."

The tiger looked at the panda. "You look nothing like the other pandas, do you?" Dr. Jackson shook his head no, and Tamil smiled again. "But you are beautiful, so if you want to be a panda, I agree you should be a panda. I am a tiger, but I don't want to be one. One day, I will be something else."

Dr. Jackson stared at the tiger. He realized that as part of the Were Nation, the tiger should be visible to him. But as with everyone in the Were Nation, he didn't see Tamil. Instead, what appeared before him was something vaguely human but nondescript. It was enough to convince him he was talking to another human, but never enough to form a memory of what that person looked like. "What would you like to be?" he asked the tiger invisible to his eyes.

"I would like to be Katashi and Spackle's mate. One day I will be their mate, and then it won't matter that people say I am a tiger. I will know the truth."

The panda doctor paused, contemplating what he had just heard. "You have a remarkable way of looking at things, Tamil." He put out his paw. "I am Dr. Jackson. I'm a friend of the wolf here. He's Dr. Kennedy."

Tamil smiled. "It is nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson." The tiger leaned in close to the panda, ignoring the outstretched hand. "In my family, we rub muzzles instead of shaking hands. Or we can kiss if you like, but it doesn't get as much scent on you."

The panda retracted his hand. "I'm very small, Tamil. If we rub muzzles, you will have to be gentle."

Tamil grinned his most reassuring grin, but Armel didn't see it. "I can be very gentle, Dr. Jackson."

When the panda sensed the tiger rub up against him, he realized the tiger was right about everything. He was gentle. But he also realized he didn't feel the tiger. There was no sense of whiskers or fur as the tiger rubbed across his cheek. All he rubbed against was what might have been the cheek of a human. But for a moment, there was a scent filling his senses; earthy, musky, full of passion and power. He took a deep breath, trying to capture it, and it was gone.

He envied the tiger. Armel realized it didn't matter what he called the tiger. Without a doubt, he knew one day Tamil would be Katashi and Spackle's mate, and it would be all that Tamil wanted. The tiger saw the ones he loved, and he understood what he became beside the dogs. Tamil saw what Armel was incapable of seeing in the wolf. When Dr. Jackson looked up at the unseen wolf, it mattered more than he could say.

Dr. Kennedy bent over while Tamil remained leaning over and rubbed his face along the tiger's cheek. "Hello, Tamil," he said. "We came to visit today because we have a favor to ask of you. I imagine you're tired of the tests, but we have a few more we'd like to do. Just so you are aware, Dr. Jackson can't see you." The wolf felt a shove from the panda. "He sees you as something other than a tiger."

"Why?" the tiger asked.

"He has vision problems," John replied as the panda gave him another shove. "He will often stare at your tummy instead of in your eyes because he doesn't see all of you."

"That must be difficult. I am sorry, Dr. Jackson," the tiger said, looking at the red panda.

"Me too, Tamil," the panda sighed. "I am hoping to fix it one day."

"I am broken, too," the tiger said. "My head is not right. I want to be smart, but I am not. Dr. Wells tries to help, but there is nothing he can do. I understand what it's like, Dr. Jackson. I know what it's like to be broken. One day, I hope they can fix you. I hope they can fix us both."

The little panda forced a smile. "That would be nice, Tamil," he said.

"For the record, Tamil," Dr. Kennedy interjected, "I'm not sure you're broken. I think Dr. Wells is right. You seem remarkable just the way you are. We're not here so much to change you as try to understand more about you. There might be things we can do to make you smarter. But smarter or not, Tamil, you are not broken. Dr. Jackson is not broken either. Are we clear?"

The tiger nodded. "I understand, Dr. Kennedy." He looked at the panda and grinned. "But we know the truth, don't we, Dr. Jackson?"

Sadly, all the panda could do was nod his head.

Dr. Kennedy sighed. "You two," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to have problems with both of you, aren't I?"

"I would suspect so," Katashi said with a slight bow of his head. "Tamil is very headstrong, and it is difficult to get him to change his evaluation of himself."

"Well then," the doctor wolf said, "perhaps we should forgo the idea of testing today and get acquainted with each other instead. Dr Wells told me there is a pond down by the Speech Center that can fit a tiger and his friends."

Tamil made a happy nod.

"Can I be one of those friends you share the pond with?" Dr. Kennedy asked.

"I would like that, Dr. Kennedy," the tiger replied. "Would you like to go too, Dr. Jackson?" he asked the panda.

"I can't swim," the panda said.

"Why not?" the tiger asked.

"I never learned."

"I could teach you. Or you can hold on to my back and we can swim together."

"You can't just leave me alone, can you?" the panda groaned. "You're going to force me to swim with the others, aren't you?"

The tiger smiled. "I think so. A tiny panda needs to know how to swim."

"You remember that part about being gentle, right?" Armel asked.

"I remember," Tamil said. "I will be very gentle. And when you have learned how to swim, maybe we could kiss and rub muzzles in the pond. That is always fun."

"I'll get a hard-on" the panda objected.

"I will, too," the tiger replied. "But we don't have to tell anyone. The water hides them, and they feel good."

The doctor wolf laughed out loud. "Come on, Dr. Jackson. Let's go play in the pond and see what comes up."

"Not funny, Doctor," the panda grumbled.

"I thought it was," Sybil interjected.

"Why do I even let you talk me into these things?" Armel sighed.

"Because you realize we love you," Dr. Kennedy replied. "One day you're going to love us, and this is what people in love do with each other. We do fun things to bond."

"Drowning isn't fun," the panda replied.

"I won't let you drown," John said. "One day you need to trust that the ones who love you won't let you drown, no matter how deep you think it is."

The panda looked up at the wolf. "We're not talking about swimming in that pond, are we, John?"

"No, Armel," the wolf replied. "We're talking about our lives together. Consider today an object lesson."

"It will be fun," the tiger added.

"Can I ride on your shoulders to the pond?" the panda asked the tiger.

"I would like that," Tamil answered. The tiger leaned over and picked up the panda, placing him on his shoulders.

Armel tried to perceive the tiger as something other than a man, but he couldn't push past the barriers in place. Only the distance to the ground remained disconcerting for one he viewed as human. "One day," he thought, "I will see you all. I will not be broken." He closed his eyes, grabbed onto the fur that felt like a head of human hair, and steadied himself as the great cat walked toward the Well's Center.

Chapter 25

The boat docked, and the drawbridge extended itself across the moat. Tamil laughed as he gazed at it all taking place as if by magic. "He has so many big toys for such a little panda," the tiger said.

"He does that," Spackle replied. "But not so long ago, he was a human, and that human bought a lot of toys to keep himself entertained."

"Why doesn't he ask Dr. Kennedy to live with him? Dr. Kennedy is entertaining, and you said Dr. Jackson cares for him."

"Dr. Jackson has problems loving other people, Tamil," Spackle explained. "He wants to, but it is difficult for him."

"Is he slow like me?" the tiger asked.

"No, he is very smart. Sometimes that's even more difficult than being a bit slow," Spackle replied as he leaned in and kissed the tiger. "And, by the way, what did we say about you saying you're slow?"

"That I should never lie?" Tamil said, widening his mouth into the smile others taught him meant he had made a joke.

The young temple dog shrugged. "I guess we said that, didn't we? But you understand we don't consider you slow, right?"

"No, you think of me as a very smart tiger. That is the way it should be. But sometimes when we are with others, it helps them to know that perhaps I will not always understand what they say or do."

Spackle nodded. "You're right, Tamil. I forget that not everyone sees you from the same perspective as we do. I still have a lot to learn." He rubbed his cheek along the tiger's.

"And I am still learning from you, Spackle," Tamil replied through his purring. "You taught me I can love a human in the same way I can love a temple dog. Because I loved you as a human, and I love you as a temple dog."

Spackle pushed back and smiled at the tiger. "Well, that is a splendid thing to learn. I love you, too, Tamil, both as a tiger and now as an even bigger tiger. Katashi and I hope you will have fun learning to love two temple dogs."

"I already do, Spackle. I look at you both, and you are the same, but you are different. Sometimes it is confusing, but I know I love you both. The love is the same, but it is different." The tiger smiled awkwardly. "Even what I think is sometimes confusing when I try to tell someone else about my feelings." Spackle gave a nod of understanding. Tamil's smile widened. "One day, Spackle, I hope we will mate. I thought I would only mate with Father, but I understand now why Wolfy has so many husbands."

"One day, Tamil, when you know you are ready," the young temple dog suggested. "When that day comes, we will mate." His paw reached out and rubbed the muzzle of the rotund tiger. Tamil pressed his muzzle against the dog's paw, closed his eyes, and purred.

When the tiger's eyes opened, Spackle looked at the one he loved, and the path became as clear as the pale yellow-white eyes staring into his. "We confuse you, don't we, Tamil?"

"You are the same in every way. I can't see a difference. I can't smell a difference. You sound the same when you talk," the tiger replied. "But it is okay. I hope you don't mind that I ask you who you are. Sometimes I can't tell."

"But you shouldn't have to, Tamil," the temple dog replied. "When Bai became the first temple dog, he did so because it was needful. It was important for him to be a dog instead of a dragon."

"The dragons are huge. I understand why being a dog was better," the tiger said with a nod.

"One day, Katashi will be our mate. He is who he has been for many thousands of years. I don't think we should ask him to change for us, do you?"

Tamil shook his head. "No, I like Father just the way he is."

"But you and I are newborns. You changed because you wanted to be closer to us in size, right?"

"Yes. But you both said that was a good thing."

"It's a wonderful thing. Perhaps I should change for you. Maybe I can change just enough so that you realize that whenever you look at me, I am me. If you and I are to mate, we need a way for you to understand which mate you kiss in the morning."

Tamil laughed aloud. "Silly dog," he grinned. "You are always in front of me when I wake, and Father is always behind me. It is the only time in my entire day that I am sure who I am kissing."

"Then we need something for the rest of your day."

"I don't understand the thing about the scars. Most of the dogs can't even find the scars without pulling back their fur."

Spackle laughed. "I don't understand them either. It's too complicated." His paw reached out and pressed against the white fur of the tiger's chest. "What if we were to share something in common?"

"What?" Tamil asked. The tiger stared as slowly a set of dark stripes similar to his fur spread around the arm of the temple dog. They moved across the temple dog's arm, over his back, and down his legs. They spiraled out over his bushy tail. When the stripes slid across his face, white highlights softened the dark brown stripes against the yellow fur. The white fur slipped down the temple dog's throat and spread across his belly. Tamil's eyes widened, and he smiled. "You are like me," he said, clapping his hands together.

"And I am also like Katashi. My appearance reflects the men I love."

Tamil looked at the striped temple dog. His eyes wandered over the body but returned to the face that looked so much like a flattened version of his own. "Your eyes are blue," Tamil said.

"Yes, they are," Spackle replied.

"Like Wolfy's eyes?"

"Like Wolfy's eyes, yes."

"Because you love him?"

"Because I love him."

Tamil's grin widened. "Then blue eyes are a wonderful thing."

Spackle pulled the tiger into a tight hug, and the two lingered in the moment with no words needed to express what they felt.

Sybil waited patiently for the two to become aware of her. When the two finally turned toward the castle, they saw the metal robot on the other side of the drawbridge. "Hi, Sybil," Spackle said with a wave. "We sort of got caught up in the moment there," he explained.

"No reason to apologize, Spackle," the robot replied. "Your stripes are beautiful." Sybil turned and pointed toward the castle. "I heard what you said about Dr. Jackson. I hope one day he realizes what a remarkable family he has."

The two crossed the drawbridge. Tamil looked down at the robot. "Hello, Sybil," he said. "I remember meeting you."

Sybil nodded. "I enjoyed your play with the doctors in the pond. Like Dr. Kennedy, I have a fondness for the larger beasts."

Tamil grinned at the machine in front of him. "I am large. I am like the dogs now. We are all big. But we are all gentle around our family. Are you a part of our family, too?"

"I would like to think so," the robot replied. "However, I am not human nor beast."

Tamil laughed, "No, you are a robot. You taught me the word. But our family has lots of creatures in it. A robot is just one more."

Sybil's LECs rotated into a smile. "Exactly, Tamil. It is a pleasure to be with you again. Dr. Jackson is waiting for you in the laboratory. It's full of machines that might be frightening to you. Please don't let them scare you. They are the tools Dr. Jackson uses to try and understand his world."

"Is his world different from ours?" Tamil asked.

"Perhaps not from the outside looking in, but from his perspective, he sees things differently than most of us."

The tiger nodded knowingly. "I see things differently, too. Dr. Jackson and I should get along very well."

Chapter 26

"We have been here for two days, Dr. Jackson," the impatient tiger grumbled. "You have done more tests than even the doctor wolves on Partridge Island. Can't you find anything to help me?"

Armel was about to throw a vial of tiger blood against the wall but remembered his conversation with Sybil and put the vial down. "No," he huffed. "I've looked at all the data. I've explored every avenue. But there isn't a way to make the brain you have work any more efficiently than it already is."

"But they made Algernon smarter in the story. They made Charlie smarter," Tamil countered.

The panda looked up at the tiger he didn't see. "That was a story, Tamil. They weren't real experiments. It was make-believe. But the story tried to show you how those experiments can have unintended consequences."

"I don't understand."

"Things might seem good at the start, but then turn terrible because we didn't recognize all the variables." The panda paused, trying to find the simpler words he seldom used. "If we change something inside your brain, it might be good. Or it might be bad. We can only guess what the outcome will be."

"Like Algernon and Charlie. They were supposed to be smart, but in the end, it didn't work."

"Exactly," Armel said, happy that the tiger understood. "That's what I mean by unintended consequences. We do what we hope is right, but it doesn't mean it will always turn out the way we expect it will. It doesn't matter how much we plan or how careful we are; something along the way can go wrong that we never imagined would happen."

"I tried to make brownies for Katashi and Spackle one day. It had unintended consequences," the tiger replied.

Armel smiled. "Then you understand why I am having such a difficult time. The scientists in the story Katashi read to you were trying to do something good, but in the end, the mouse died because it couldn't adjust to the change." The red panda put his paws on his legs that jutted out from the lab stool. "They never tell us if Charlie died in the story the same as Algernon. But a part of what he became died, and that made Charlie's life even harder than before the experiment. Tamil, there was a day when I would have said let's open you up and experiment with what we can change. But I'm not that person anymore. I realize what a mess I might make of your life, and I'm not willing to take those chances."

Tamil sighed and fell back onto a lab chair. "Katashi said this might happen. He said that sometimes trying to become what we dream is not as important as knowing if what we dream is what we should try to become."

Armel shook his head. "Wait… you understand that, yet you didn't understand unintended consequences?"

"I didn't understand the words, Dr. Jackson. I understood what you meant when you explained it to me. Katashi has always been willing to explain what he says when I don't understand. Sometimes you seem to forget who I am. You talk like you would to Dr. Kennedy, but I am not him. I don't know the things he knows. You need to explain more things to me using smaller words."

"I'm sorry, Tamil," the red panda said. "I grew up never knowing how to deal with other people in general, but it's even harder for me with someone who is developmentally disabled."

The tiger cocked his head. "I am not developmentally disabled, Dr. Jackson. I am actually very, very smart for a tiger."

Armel laughed. "I guess you're right. I never looked at it that way."

"But I understand why you're frustrated. I am not as smart as the wolves and bears," the tiger added. He reached out and rubbed the top of Armel's head. "Or a little panda. Dr. Wells once said I was as intelligent as an eighth grader. He told me that is much smarter than most politicians."

Armel laughed so hard he choked. When the tiger patted his back to clear his throat, the red panda looked up at the tiger seated next to him. All he could make out was a human with nondescript features. The human had a face that he wouldn't even be able to pick out of a lineup the next day if he had to.

Armel hated who he was. His life had left him so stunted he was incapable of even creating an image that showed he cared about the tiger. He lacked anything in his memory to build from. His life was so inward-focused that it didn't matter what or who others were. But today, and every day since his turning, it mattered more and more. "I wish I could live my life with as much grace as you do, Tamil. You never stop trying to be better. But you also accept what you are at this moment. You never seem to take offense to anyone saying you're slow."

"Because I am," the tiger interrupted. "But I am a who, not a what, Dr. Jackson. I accept who I am. None of us has to accept what we are. We can change that. Katashi and Spackle keep reminding me of that. You might need someone to remind you, Dr. Jackson."

"I agree," the panda replied. "John tells me that all the time. He says I can't find the truth because I can't see past what my ego has decided is the truth. But that's just it, Tamil. You don't have problems seeing the truth. You willingly sacrifice so much to find it."

"But so do you, Dr. Jackson. I chewed off my claws to protect the children. You became a little panda because you wanted to protect Dr. Kennedy. You did the same thing I did. The only difference between us is you struggle with why. I don't. Katashi says he loves me. I trust him because everything he has ever done shows me he is telling me the truth. Spackle says he loves me. I know he is telling me the truth as well. Every time I look at his stripes, I smile. He made himself different for me so that I would never struggle with which dog he was. We all change who we are because we love the ones we're with. Hasn't Dr. Kennedy told you he loves you yet?"

The panda waved his hands as if to say that wasn't the point. "No, no," he replied. "He tells me he loves me all the time. It's the last thing he tells me every night before he goes home."

"Then why don't you ask him to stay and lie with you instead? The two of you would be happier than sleeping alone."

"It's complicated, Tamil," the panda answered.

"Do you have a spiny penis that will get caught in Dr. Kennedy's fur?"

Armel cocked his head, trying to figure out where that question came from. "No, but it might be too small to be very entertaining to a wolf."

"I am sure Dr. Kennedy would like your penis no matter what size it is."

"He does, he does," Armel said, waving his hand at how quickly the two had slipped into a conversation that confused him. "My life with John isn't complicated because of my penis. Other things complicate my life. Things that make it difficult for me to ask John to stay the night with me."

The tiger shook his head no. "You don't understand how simple it is. You wish to lie down with Dr. Kennedy when you go to bed. You are the one he wishes to lie down with. Katashi told me that once I understand what I want deep inside, the walls keeping me from that dream will crumble and I will find a path to the dream."

"That's all well and good for Katashi. My walls are a bit more complicated."

"Because you let them be, Dr. Jackson. The next time you meet with Dr. Kennedy, take a closer look. There are no walls between him and you. I have seen you both together. There are no walls around him. If you see a wall, it is because you choose to see it. If you don't want the wall to be there, maybe you should stop seeing it."

The red panda sighed. "That easy, huh, Tamil?"

"You are a smart man, Dr. Jackson. I'm sure you can figure out how to understand what an eighth grader can."

"I wish it were that easy."

"Katashi told me wishing for things to be different rarely changes them."

"He's right. Only I don't have a clue what else to do."

"Tell Dr. Kennedy you love him, and then lie with him for a night. Don't let him go home, Dr. Jackson. Learn what Dr. Kennedy already understands."

"And what is that?" the panda asked.

"That you are worthy of being loved. We all are. Before I met Father, I was broken. I couldn't imagine how anyone could love me. I felt that I would never be worthy. But Father showed me I was wrong. He taught me I was worthy of his love, not because of anything I did, but because we are all worthy of being loved. It took me so long to trust him, but the day I understood what he was teaching me, my world changed. And then Father left, and he never came back. He died, and I forgot what I learned."

The tiger slipped off the chair and squatted in front of the panda on the seat. "Now, Katashi is my father. And he teaches me that not only am I worthy of being loved, but I can love others in so many different ways." The tiger grew quiet for a moment. "And all those ways are more beautiful than I ever hoped they would be." His paw rested on the panda's. "You can see us all, Dr. Jackson. You just have to first see you're worthy of it."

"I wish I could."

The beast Armel saw as a nondescript human leaned in and pressed his lips against the panda's. "Believe, Dr. Jackson; stop being so smart. Science isn't the only way to find an answer. Sometimes you have to think with your heart."

Armel was about to tell Tamil that hearts were incapable of thinking when he felt the gentle softness of a human's cheek rubbing up against his. He closed his eyes. "I want to believe, Tamil. I want to feel the tiger pressing up against me," he whispered.

"You are loved, Dr. Jackson," the tiger whispered back. "I love you not because of anything you do, but because we are all worthy of being loved. Until you understand that, you must rely on those of us who do. We will teach you. Believe in us, Dr. Jackson, until you can believe in yourself."

Armel repeated his words, "I want to believe, Tamil," he said. The tears that he began crying were unintended consequences, but the panda realized they were the outcome he needed. That night, Dr. Jackson called Dr. Kennedy and asked him if he would stay the night the next time he visited. The wolf replied he would be over within the hour. When the call ended, the little panda sat dumbfounded for the better part of that hour. He wondered how a tiger he couldn't see had such a profound effect on his actions. In the end, no answer fit into a nice, neat package. However, for the first time in his life, he was okay with not having the answers.

When he heard the chime of the boat dock saying that a passenger was seeking transport to the island, he rose and authorized the boat to make the trip. He met John at the dock and reached up to the young redhead for a hug and a kiss.

"Did you want to get a snack and watch something on the monitor?" John asked when the hug had ended.

The panda shook his head. "Would it be okay if we just went to bed?"

John gave the panda another long, loving kiss. "Sure, Hon, that would be great."

Together, the two walked into the castle and down the hall toward Armel's bedroom. Tamil was right. It wasn't nearly as complicated as the panda imagined it would be.

Chapter 27

Armel slipped past the sliding glass doors and stared at the wolf behind the desk. Will wore glasses that slipped down across his muzzle and rested above his nose. He didn't see the wolf. Instead, he stared at the scruffy, bearded mountain man in a blue suit and tie. He shook his head. How could his brain create such a convincing illusion? He realized the man in front of him never wore clothes unless societal constraints required it.

The old wolf's finger rose, begging the panda to hold on talking for a moment. He pointed to his ear. "Bob, I understand your position and I'm not saying we're not interested in acquiring the business. I'm only saying that in all the years we've been in business, not one of our subsidiaries has declared bankruptcy. If you want us to consider Franklin Avionics, you come to us with a proposal where you pay off your creditors first."

The wolf paused for a moment. "Three scenarios come to mind where you pay them off. Two require you to sell your home and divest all your assets. The third option is even worse, but if you have confidence in your business, then I'm going to suggest you step up and prove it. You do that and we will draw up the papers." The wolf paused. "Yeah, I am. I was born that way. But if you want Bear Paws to take you under its wing, I'm the bastard you will deal with." Will took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Bob, you can do this. It won't be easy, but you can do it. Do you want our support? First, you show us how much you want it. You show us that, and trust me, we will not let you fail."

Will laughed. "If you want me to talk to the shareholders, I will. Remind them who owns fifty-one percent of your company. The sale of your company will give them quite a payout when it goes private again. Let them grouse. You're the final say in where that company of yours goes. You're a good man, Bob. Don't let them convince you to do something that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Not paying the people who worked for you was never Franklin Avionics' way of doing business for over two hundred years. Let's not let it start now, okay?"

There was another pause. "Great. You get back to me with a proposal and we'll talk. I'll even fly you up here to chat. Perhaps it's time you get a glimpse of some of the tech you will play with if you can keep yourself out of bankruptcy court." Will nodded. "Talk to you later, Bob. Hang in there."

Will tapped his ear and looked at the red panda. "Hello, Armel," he said. "Thanks for waiting."

"I swear you make me wait every time I come to visit you just to piss me off."

The wolf grinned. "Is it working?"

"It used to," the panda said with a sigh. "I'm adjusting to it, I guess." Will stood up, pushing his glasses back. The panda pointed to the spectacles. "And what's with the glasses, Will? Your eyesight is perfect."

"It's for the humans like Bob. It cues them to see me as growing older."

The panda sighed. "I forgot about that."

"Wow… I just heard Dr. Armel Jackson admit he overlooked something. I should have had my recorder on."

The red panda glared at the wolf, and then the eyes softened. "Is it always going to be this tough to talk to you?" he asked.

Will watched the change in the panda's face and pointed to the chairs over against the wall. "I'm sorry, Armel," he said. "Take a seat and tell me what's bothering you."

Will and Armel sat down with a small coffee table between them. Will's jocular attitude shifted, and he waited patiently for Armel to find the words eluding him. Finally, the red panda spoke. "Tamil came to visit me the other day. He suggested I should ask John to stay the night with me instead of letting him go home after our visits."

"He's a very smart tiger," Will replied.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to realize that," Armel agreed. "John has been staying at my place for a week now."

"And?"

"I like it. I like it a lot."

The wolf leaned forward. "So, why are we having this talk?"

"Because I'm me, Will. I love him… or at least as best I'm able, but I still don't see him. I don't see any of you. John deserves better than me."

Will leaned back into the plush chair. "Well, I agree with you there."

The panda frowned. "I was hoping for some moral support."

"That was my moral support. John deserves a man who loves him for who and what he is. You admitted you're not that man."

"I'm aware of that," Armel said with a sigh.

"The answer is simple, Armel," the old wolf continued. "Become that man."

"I'm trying to," the panda protested.

"Try harder," Will said. He paused. "Look, you came to me because you know I will bust your chops if you come at me with anything but the truth. The truth is, John deserves better than you. He deserves better than most of us because he's an exceptional man. But he loves you, Armel. So, you figure it out. You figure out what you need to become for you to be the man he deserves. Because you're the man he wants."

The red panda sat quietly for a moment. "You don't have any suggestions?"

Will smiled. "Yeah, I do. Keep trying, Armel. The goal you want isn't an easy one, but if you sit down long enough, you're going to figure out at least one way to reach that goal. I'm betting you already know a few things you can do."

"I might have a few changes I can make."

Will put his paw out across the table and rubbed the panda's knee. "You and I are two of a kind, Armel. We both love men who deserve so much better than what we are. But I understand something you don't. I know they're okay with that. They're okay that I'm not the man I think I should be because they realize every day I wake up, I try to be that man."

Armel smiled. "So, in almost a millennium, you've not become that man?"

"Nope, but I'm still trying, and they're still supporting my efforts. What makes you think John would be any less supportive of you?"

"I guess I didn't come at it that way. I wanted him to have someone who loved him, who saw him."

Will rubbed the panda's knee a bit more and then leaned back. "And one day he will. You be that man, Armel. You learn what it means to be a werebeast. The day you learn that will be the day you become something beyond that hot little panda suit you're wearing. John is there waiting for you. Hell, he's not waiting; he's actively working on your behalf every time the two of you are together. That's all you need to accept. No one wants you to fail, Armel. We are all here, willing to help in any way we can. Just ask."

"Can you make sure I don't become a bastard like you? I'm pretty sure I could slide that way without someone helping me to avoid it."

Will laughed out loud. "Yeah, I can do that, Armel."

"And could we work on being better at this whole talking-together thing from time to time?"

Will stood up. "I would like that." He pointed toward the door. "Can I buy you lunch?"

"Does the commissary sell bamboo?"

"They have those little yellow shoots in the salad bar."

"That will work," the red panda said with a smile. The old wolf put out his paw, and the panda took it. For a moment he turned the paw, seeing only how big the man's hand looked next to his. He looked up at Will and said, "If you tell anyone I said this, I will deny it; but I think you're doing a pretty good job of being worthy of the men you married."

Will leaned down and kissed the top of the panda's head. "It will be our little secret."

Chapter 28

The tiger leaned down, picked up the red panda, and tossed him up onto his shoulders. "Thank you for all you've done for me, Dr. Jackson."

"I didn't do anything, Tamil," Armel replied. "I wish I could find answers, but for the first time in my life, I'm at a loss almost everywhere I turn." The panda groaned. "Not just in trying to understand you, but in trying to understand me."

The two walked along the beach until they came to the rocky outcropping that was the southernmost tip of the island. "I guess our walk is over, Dr. Jackson," the tiger said.

"Did you want to sit here out away from everyone and talk, Tamil?"

"Was it that obvious, Dr. Jackson?"

"I have been studying you for quite some time now, Tamil. I think we understand each other a bit."

The tiger picked the red panda up over his head and sat him down on a rock. He fell backward, landing on the flat rock beside the panda, and sighed. "It is not always easy to be me," he said with a frown.

"Yeah, Tamil," the panda concurred. "It's not easy for me either. I guess we are two of a kind."

"But you are very smart, Dr. Jackson. I am slow. It makes it hard for other people."

"I'm a dick, Tamil. That makes it hard for other people."

"You are a penis?"

Armel broke out laughing. "Sometimes we say dick to mean obnoxious. I'm obnoxious far too often; and impatient."

"And you don't like slow people like me."

Armel looked up at the tiger. "I… I…"

"You shouldn't lie, Dr. Jackson. It's not good for a beast to lie."

Armel was quiet, trying to sort out what to say. He still struggled with the idea of words having so much power to hurt. "Sometimes I get impatient with everyone. I understand things they don't. It gets frustrating. It's not that I don't like you, Tamil. It's that I am too easily frustrated."

"It must be hard to be that smart," the tiger said.

Armel put his hand on the tiger's leg. "It is, Tamil."

"It is hard for me to be so slow."

The two were quiet for a long time as they watched the waves move in and out. Eventually, Tamil spoke. "I wish sometimes you would fix me, Dr. Jackson."

The panda looked back up at the tiger he couldn't see. "I can't fix you, Tamil. There's nothing wrong with you. You'll get smarter, but you'll get smarter the way we all do. You'll learn new things and then you'll need to try as hard as you can to remember them. A lot of things you'll forget and need to learn all over again. That's the same as most people."

"But it is not easy for people to be around me. We both know that's the truth. I wish I was smarter; that I had a way to tell others what was in my head. It would make it easier for people to be with me."

"I don't give a damn about those other people. I care about you, Tamil. You don't need to be fixed. You're perfect just the way you are."

"Even though I frustrate you when I can't understand what you say?"

"Oh, hell, everyone but John frustrates me that way. Why should you be any different?"

"It would make two men that you aren't a dick to?"

Armel leapt up and hugged the blobby mass he now saw as Tamil. "I'm sorry if I'm a dick to you, Tamil. If I am, will you tell me? I need your help. There is so much I need to learn, and to be honest, you're the only one besides John who tells me the truth without holding back." The panda paused. "Well, there is Will, but you're so much easier to talk to than he is."

"Katashi told me to never lie. So, I try to tell the truth all the time." The tiger wrapped his arms around the panda and hugged back.

"I need that in my life, Tamil. I need you to be exactly who you are."

"You need me?"

"Yes. It's difficult for me to admit this," the panda said, burying his face in the white chest fur of the tiger, "but sometimes I envy you."

"Me?"

"Your life is simpler than mine, Tamil. You have the temple dogs who love you. There are the children you play with, and the dragons you care for. You go to tai chi class, and you help Carl and Frank at the diner cleaning up. That's pretty much it."

"That is a great deal to have, Dr. Jackson."

"I know. But you don't worry about thousands of people dying if you don't come up with a cure for some disease. You don't fail repeatedly trying to find a cure for what made you the way you are. It seems harder for me. You're not always hovering on the edge, wondering if you're going to lose everything because of something you overlook."

"Maybe you try too hard. Maybe you need to play with the children. You could come to tai chi class and take care of the dragons. I think they would like that. You are very cute. I know Carl and Frank enjoy seeing you when you visit the diner. But I don't think they would want you to clean. I think they would like you to have sex with them."

Armel chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Those two make some strange suggestions every time I come in to eat. And that's saying a lot because I've done some strange things in my day."

"Carl and Frank are very playful," the tiger said. "Katashi, Spackle, and I have fun with them. I think what you need is to have more fun, Dr. Jackson."

Armel sighed. "You might be right. Perhaps who I am creates the very things I complain about."

"You don't have to be you, Dr. Jackson. I will always have to be me. That is the difference you don't see."

The panda looked up into the face of the tiger just beyond his sight. He rubbed his paw over Tamil's chest. "Why would anyone in the world think you're slow?"

"Because I am, Dr. Jackson. I saw the tests."

"Tests don't show everything, Tamil. They don't show how much you love Katashi and Spackle. There is no test to show how much you care for the children, the dragons, or Carl and Frank. They don't show who you are. They show nothing important about you."

"I think I worry too much about the tests. Perhaps I should stop taking them."

"I think that would be an excellent idea."

"And perhaps you could worry less about being you, Dr. Jackson. I like who you are when you're not being a dick."

Armel laughed aloud again. "I could just kiss you, Tamil." He said, rubbing the tiger's chest again.

"I prefer to rub muzzles."

"Would you like to rub muzzles, Tamil?"

"I would like that very much."

"I don't see you as a tiger. You've started looking kind of blobby; a bunch of colors that stand about four meters tall. I don't know what you look like. But I'm smart enough to realize the protections trying to make you look like a human are an illusion. So, I'm left with this limbo blobby thing. I might miss your muzzle entirely."

The tiger smiled. "I will help you."

"I will get a hard-on."

"That's okay, Dr. Jackson. So will I."

"I'm too small to do anything about it."

"We can just enjoy them. Like the muzzle rubbing. We don't always need to do everything every time."

The tiger leaned down and rubbed his muzzle against the red panda. The panda closed his eyes and struggled to stay in the moment. At first, he sensed the warmth of something akin to human skin rubbing against him, but slowly the sensation changed. He felt the fur and whiskers sliding along him and the enticing scent of a tiger spread across his cheek. The warm muskiness of a primal beast filled his senses the way it had when he first met Tamil. He kept his eyes shut tight for fear that the moment he opened them, he would gaze at a mass of colors that wasn't Tamil. "You smell good, Tamil," he whispered.

"And you do too, Dr. Jackson," the tiger replied. "You smell like arousal." The panda wanted to believe what was holding him tight were the paws of the beast before him, but he couldn't open his eyes to confirm the truth. The dream, the desire for it to be more, was just too intense. "You are worthy of the love, Dr. Jackson," the tiger whispered.

Armel's cock slipped out of its sheath and grew up against the tiger fur he could almost sense. He did his best to enjoy the sensations without the need to do anything more than that. Yet again, Armel was thrust into a situation where he knew what it meant to be what Tamil called slow. Without even trying, Tamil revealed parts of the panda Armel never realized were there. The tiger showed Dr. Jackson how insignificant every doctorate letter beside his name seemed. The red panda experienced what it was like to be next to a genius who saw so much more of the world than he had ever seen. Armel promised himself that Tamil would never feel slow in his company again.

The panda breathed in the tiger's scent and opened his eyes. He stared at his face pressed against the white cheek with the black stripes. He let the whiskers tickle his muzzle and then pushed back, gazing into the face of the tiger. Tamil smiled. "You see me, Dr. Jackson. You see the tiger."

The panda's smile widened. "I see you, Tamil," Armel whispered as he buried his face in the chest fur of the striped beast.

"I told you that you could," Tamil said as he hugged the panda. "You know what that means, don't you?" the tiger asked.

"We can play together without me grabbing your leg instead of your dick?" Armel said with a lecherous snicker.

"No, it's time for you to call Dr. Kennedy and go home. You need to see the wolf."

Armel looked up into the eyes of the tiger. "You are always going to teach me, aren't you, Tamil?"

"And you will teach me. We are two of a kind. We will be better because we have each other." The tiger picked the panda off the rock and placed the tiny beast on the sand. "Call the wolf, Dr. Jackson. I need to go home now. Spackle is cooking dinner. You need to go home now. You need to see how beautiful the wolf you love is."

"I love him?" Armel asked.

"You always have," Tamil said with a laugh. "It was just hidden behind all those other emotions that kept you from seeing us. But he will help you understand, Dr. Jackson. He will teach you how to find the love you always dreamed of."

"Because you helped me believe I was worthy," the panda said, trying his best to understand.

"You are," Tamil confirmed. He leaned down and pulled the panda up and onto his shoulder.

As the two beasts began their return to the upper island, Armel leaned over and kissed the tiger's head. "Tamil, would you like some company tonight?" the panda asked.

"I have Father and Spackle. I always have company at night. It's what they promised, and they never lie."

Armel laughed. "No, I mean, could John and I stay with you tonight? We don't need to sleep together, but I don't want to go home tonight. I'd like to talk with you a bit more. Staying the night would make it easier for me. I'm sure John would like to thank you in person when he finds out what's happened here today."

"You don't want to stay at the hotel or the apartments?"

"I would prefer to stay with you."

Tamil rubbed the leg of the panda on his shoulders. "I would prefer that, too. You can sleep next to me tonight. I'm sure that Father and Spackle will be very happy to have Dr. Kennedy sleep next to them. Let's go tell them you will stay the night."

Armel tapped his ComLink. "John," he said. In moments, Tamil felt the red panda's legs hanging over his shoulder kicking back and forth happily. "John… Hon… I've got some fantastic news. Could you get out to Partridge Island right away?" The panda listened to the voice of the wolf on the other side of the conversation for a moment. "Yeah, that would be great, Hon." He paused, listening again. "I love you, too. I love you so much." The panda closed his eyes when the call disconnected. The warmth that came from knowing this time the words he spoke were at last the truth spread throughout him.

Chapter 29

"I didn't call you an idiot," the panda stammered, trying to take back his words. He waved his paws. "Okay, okay; I called you an idiot. But that's because I'm a dick."

"Well, at least you're a self-aware dick. You're making progress," the wolf replied.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Wells," Armel sighed. "I get frustrated when people don't see what I see."

"Well, instead of talking down at us when you feel that way, why don't you try lifting us up to where we understand what you do?"

The little panda nodded. "You're right. Even I didn't tie it all together until I saw Tamil for the first time. Then all the testing results fell into place. I shouldn't have called you an idiot because you overlooked those results. I'm sorry. I have a lot to learn about interpersonal skills. I'm a novice at even the basics. "

The wolf squatted down and hugged the panda. "Look, you didn't ask me here to fight. Why don't we get to the reason I'm here?"

The panda took a deep breath. "God, you wolves smell so good," Armel sighed. "How do you ever get any work done?"

The wolf stood up, still holding the panda in a tight hug, and laughed. "You're newborn, Armel. Not exactly in a traditional way, but that's because you walked a convoluted path getting there because of who you are. You're only now seeing us, and that means the pheromones we put off, the smells, the touch, all that stuff you didn't even sense before is waking up in you. If you want my opinion, you and John need to call a family gathering to help you burn off some of what you're going through."

"I can do that?"

"Of course you can."

"But after I show you what I found, right?"

"I'd prefer that. I took a day off work for this trip," the wolf replied as he put the red panda back on the ground.

"I've got a hard-on."

"I can help you with that first if it will help you stay focused later."

"You can do that?"

The wolf leered at the panda. "I'm a wolf, remember? We're big, we're bad, we huff and we puff and we blow…" he paused, "… well, you know what we blow."

Armel shook all over. "Oh please, please."

Clifford took Armel back into his paws and leaned him back in his arms. He took the small panda cock in his mouth and worked his tongue up and down the shaft, letting the small phallus slip in and out of his mouth. Clifford stifled a laugh at how quickly the panda came. He remembered his first few days as a newborn, and how welcome the Were Nation had made him feel. Never once did any of his partners accept his apology for his premature ejaculations. Instead, they only complimented him for his sensitivity and quick rebounding skills.

Armel's attention didn't move beyond a desire for a wolf to metaphorically eat him until he jacked off his first wolf other than John. He lay on the wolf's chest, enjoying the rise and fall, and did his best to clean himself up. "We've got showers here in the lab," he whispered when he realized how feeble his attempts were.

"You'll get hard again, Panda."

"That's a given, Wolf. But you're a doctor. You should be able to figure out a cure."

"Will we still have time for our discussion?"

The panda nodded his head against the chest. "I'm calming down. Thank you, Clifford."

"Okay then, you fuck me in the showers, and we'll chat later." The wolf laughed at the longing sigh made by the panda. "Oh, come on," the wolf said. "I know you've fucked John. That boy ain't gonna let a pent-up panda walk away without learning what it's like to have you inside him."

The panda smiled shyly. "Yeah, we do it lots. But I figured it was because he turned me and felt sorry for me. I didn't think any other wolf would think being banged by a panda seems fun."

"Are you any good at fucking wolves?"

"I'm getting better."

"I expect it to be at least on par with getting fingered by a talented wolf."

The panda thought for a moment. "Have you met Will?"

"Sure."

The panda frowned. "Damn. He fingered me on my first welcoming."

Clifford laughed. "Kind of raises the bar, doesn't it?"

Armel nodded. "Yeah, it does."

The wolf leaned down and pulled the panda up onto his shoulders. "I saw the lab showers on the way in. I say let's bypass the emergency showers and head back into the house and find a nice big one we can share."

"You're still willing to let me try?" Armel asked.

"Panda, you and I are going to get you your wings today, but you're not flying solo. I am one very energetic and very vocal flight instructor."

The panda wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck and squeezed. "I love you, Wolf," he said, happy that it was the truth.

"And I, you, Panda," the wolf responded, equally content with his truth.

As the two walked through the airlock doors, a smiling robot greeted them on the other side. Armel grinned. "I'm going to fuck a wolf in the shower, Sybil," the giddy panda said.

"I believe he has a name, Dr. Jackson," the robot corrected.

"No, no, Wolf is fine," Clifford interrupted. "Right now, we're all about being a wolf and a panda. Later today, we'll get back to being doctors."

"Well, then," the robot said, her smile widening, "You two have fun fucking each other. The master suite has the best shower for fucking in the entire house. The panda made sure of that."

With a collective snicker, the two ran down the hallway guided by the panda whispering into the ear of the wolf.

Later, as the two were lying in the bed together, Armel rubbed his muzzle into the wolf's firm chest. He sighed again, the way he had done so many times over the last five hours. "Are you sure about this? I am already getting hard again."

"It's who you are, Armel. You're a newborn. We teach the newborn how to deal with their desires even when they complicate matters. Today you learn what your husband is already very adept at doing. He can talk with naked beasts after hours of copulating about things that have nothing to do with copulating."

"He can do that?"

"How do you think Gizmo was born, or Tamil discovered, or the joint Nobel Prize in medicine with Dr. Sinclair? I can keep this list going if you need more examples."

Armel shook his head. "No, I get your point." He paused and pushed back the desire to let the wolf finger him again. "Ori, can you please look into the Tamil files and bring up all scans of his brain for us, please?"

"Of course, Dr. Jackson," the calm voice replied. The screen in front of the two spread out wide as dozens of images filled the air two meters away from them. "Would you like to show anything in particular?"

"For starters, let's look at the 3-D imaging of Tamil's brain before his turning, and the scan I made a week ago, please." Armel had practiced for weeks asking for Ori's help by saying please at some point. He realized it wasn't only practicing the interpersonal skills he needed to learn. It was because he saw Ori as one who deserved thanks for all the help she gave him. She was more than a machine. He accepted that Ori was something… no, someone far beyond his understanding.

The two brains appeared side by side rotating. "What do you see?" Armel asked Clifford.

"His beast's brain is larger. The lobes are differentiated differently. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about his current brain compared to his original brain. The increase in size may explain his increased intelligence. But if we extrapolate size versus storage, I doubt that Tamil is capable of learning and holding on to much more than he currently has stored away. Still, as I told Katashi, it amazes me Tamil could remain focused on expanding his brain size as large as possible. That tiger can maintain focus and deal with incredible pain if he wants something badly enough."

"You missed what the scans were trying to tell you."

The wolf hugged the panda in close and shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. My neuroscience background is limited to speech pathology issues, not veterinary science. Katashi wouldn't let me call in outside experts. You, dear panda, are a first, and that's only because Tamil has affection for you and John that he doesn't share with many other doctors."

"Then, I am glad he has such good taste in his affections," Armel said while he waved his hand at the screen and the two images moved to the side. "Scans 15 and 18, please Ori. Match to current scans on right." The two images appeared beside the other two. The top two rotating brains matched with blue backgrounds and the lower with green. "Recognize any similarity?"

"They're much the same. I mean, the differences aren't even worth mentioning. But if those aren't Tamil's brain scans, whose are they?"

"An adult Javan Tiger and a baby's. I contacted the Javan Tiger Conservation Department and requested the scans yesterday."

"Are you saying…" Dr. Wells' voice trailed off as he stared at the four images.

"I'm not saying it. The scans are."

"Tamil is an infant."

"He's a newborn. Tamil didn't have enough intelligence as an adult tiger to understand the advantages of a larger brain size. He had no idea that a larger brain might increase his chances of being smarter. His desires were so much simpler. He knew the children he played with were smarter than he was, and he knew children learned so much faster than he did." Armel paused a moment and then continued. "So he concentrated as hard as he could to be like the children he played with. His turning overwrote his DNA in compliance with that desire."

"I can't believe it didn't occur to me," Dr. Wells said, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot not to have seen that."

"And yet you complained when I called you one," came the deadpanned response from the panda.

"Well, you're also right in your evaluation that you're a dick, but I didn't rub that reality in your face, Armel."

The panda looked up and frowned. "I'm Armel now?"

The wolf smiled. "Yeah, you're Armel. We're doctors now. I don't call doctors Panda."

"But we're good, right? I apologized like I'm supposed to, even if I'm right, and you are an idiot."

"Yep, we're good," the wolf said, laughing. "And you'll be good even when I point out you're a dick, right?"

Armel nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm good with that. Please, I can learn all the social norms, but they may never ingrain themselves into me. It might always be a challenge to keep my social awkwardness at bay."

"Understood. Now, give me a kiss, and let's get back to work." The wolf tapped his lips and smiled.

"I'm already hard. That won't help my concentration."

"You're in training, Armel. Right now, the doctor in you needs to kiss me to move this discussion along. You can do it." He tapped his lips again and the panda reluctantly gave a quick kiss to the wolf while trying to shove his swollen cock back down.

Armel sighed after he couldn't shift the upright cock's position, and tried to move the conversation forward. "Tamil isn't just a newborn in the sense the Were Nation uses the term, but he's a newborn in every sense of the word. His desire to be as smart as the children wasn't enough for the Changeling DNA to grab onto, other than that he wished to be a child. The rewrite preserved his original soul, or whatever we want to call all those things stored away in his brain, the same as it did for all of us. But the Changeling DNA downloaded it into an infant's body. That body came complete with a new and very young, very malleable brain akin to a human child's brain Tamil wanted so badly."

Armel pointed to the brain scans. "Tamil has always wanted to be like his fathers. His desire to be like Kantrava gave him his ability to speak Changeling when Kantrava gave the tiger his chi. Now, more than any other thing, Tamil wants to be like his new family. I admire Katashi and Spackle's skills in teaching, but English is Tamil's preferred tongue because it's the language of his new family. The turning gave him that. The same as his first father's chi gave him the ability to speak Changeling. Tamil's brain is a tiger brain wired as if it is a human child's."

Clifford gave a nod. "It's eidetic imagery. The tiger has himself a photographic memory."

"Just like every normal human child does," the panda agreed. "But not for long. Like every normal human child, as he ages, the eidetic memory will fade."

"What can we do? Is there some way that we can help him hold on long enough for his learning to go beyond where he is now?"

The panda shook his head. "Don't you get it, Clifford? We have to stop looking at him like we need to make him human. Tamil is a tiger. Wire that brain any way you want. It will always come up short."

The wolf nodded. "I'm sorry, Armel. I was hoping you could offer a different outcome."

"Because we're scientists and we never hope for the right things when we're in our lab coats."

"What do you mean?" the quizzical wolf asked.

"We hope for Tamil to be a normal human being," the panda replied. "Thank god, we're not the dogs who love him. Those two dogs took Tamil when his tiger brain was at its most receptive, and they taught him the ways of the Were Nation. He knows the nine laws of the Were Nation by heart. He knows the teachings of the temple dogs inside and out. We would have tried to fill his brain with facts and grammar. We would have tried to teach him which fork to use and how to mingle at a party. Katashi and Spackle taught him how to be a beast. They didn't give a damn about whether he was slow. Those dogs taught him to be kind. They taught him how to love."

Armel paused and rubbed his paws together, as if doing so he could rub away the man he saw in the mirror. "All his life, Tamil dreamed of being a man who could lie down next to another man at night and not be ashamed. They taught him to be that man by being his exemplars. I wanted to become a beast so that I could figure out how to cure me. It never even occurred to me that what I wanted wasn't even what I needed. Tamil became so much more than I can ever hope to be simply by becoming the beast he always dreamed of being. Those two temple dogs saw in him the potential we never even considered when we evaluated him. They understood who he was all along instead of what he wasn't."

The wolf was quiet for a time. "That's why he was the first you saw."

"He was the first to see me as I truly am. I'm slow. You're all too kind to say I'm retarded, but we know that's exactly what I am. Genetic anomalies stunted my development. Life circumstances fractured my brain into pieces incapable of caring for anything but myself. Think about what you told Katashi when you tried to explain what Tamil's tests taught you about him. Now think about me and tell me how you would describe me to John."

"You're not capable of integrating into the Were Nation as easily as most beasts would be. Understanding others' personal boundaries and limits will always be difficult for you. You will need a family that understands that one day you will remember something and forget it the next. Repetition will be necessary for almost anything you do to reinforce proper behaviors."

Clifford sighed at the revelation found in his words. How similar the words were to his evaluation of Tamil. How limiting they were to tell anything of value about either beast beyond the clinical. He realized Armel was right. Here in his arms, the panda was so full of promise. Back in the lab, scientists already pigeonholed him into a life of limitations compared to those who stood beside him. "I told Katashi that my evaluation pointed out possible limitations in Tamil's abilities. I tried to say along that spectrum of behaviors many, many things were possible."

Armel rubbed the arm around his waist. "You were kind to say it, and for Tamil, it's true. My limitations are equally accurate. You were kind enough not to point them out until I pressured you to. It's the only way I will ever learn to recognize them, though. I have too much of an ego ever to see them on my own. Only three men stood up to me without ever letting me turn from the truth. John, Will, and Tamil."

Clifford snorted a laugh. "I'm guessing Tamil is not so tough when he points it out."

Armel nodded. "That's an understatement. Tamil saw a kindred soul, and he took me under his wing. I know John loves me. I know you all do. But none of you understand what it's like to have a part of you that you can't find inside yourself. Things that are second nature to you aren't to me. Tamil never saw me as a sociopath. It wasn't because I lacked empathy. It wasn't because I was self-involved to destructive levels. The human traits I had that made me who I was weren't important to him. He knew if he could teach me to be a beast, nothing else would matter. I could be slow. I could be like him and still be happy."

"Well, I can see why loving a beast like that would be easy."

"Tamil taught me to reach beyond the limitations I couldn't even recognize in myself. He taught me it was okay to be who I was as long as I was kind. He never once called into question that being kind was the very thing I was incapable of being. I saw him because in his eyes he accepted me as the man I wanted to be. And in him, I saw the possibility that one day I might become that man who could lie next to another man at night and not be ashamed."

"And how goes your quest?"

"Well, I'm lying next to one right now, and I'm doing okay. I can't tell you how overjoyed I am at night when John comes home."

"That's good to hear. Thanks for getting me up to speed on Tamil."

"There's so much more to the research. As with any child, his eidetic memory is going to wane. Katashi and Spackle need to be told that. The three of them should prioritize what they feel is most important for him to learn. I'm sure there are a few things that will calm his spirit a bit concerning his desire to keep up with the rest of us."

"That's a good idea," the wolf agreed. "So, before we get back to work in the lab, do you mind if I make a quick call?"

The panda tilted his head. "No, I guess not."

"Ori, call John."

The panda pushed back. "John?"

The screen flickered, and the redheaded doctor appeared, gazing at his charts. Without looking up, he said, "What's up, Clifford?"

"Armel invited me over to discuss Tamil."

John pulled his finger across the pad's screen. "That's great. How's it going?"

Armel fidgeted, trying to pull away from the wolf, but the wolf was holding him fast. "We're making progress on multiple fronts today."

"That's good to hear," the still-distracted doctor mumbled. His eyes glanced up at the ComLink screen hovering in front of him. "What the heck?" he said as he stood up straight and stared at the screen.

"I can explain," Armel blurted out.

"Oh my god," the redhead yelled. "Aren't you two the cutest things ever? You look so good together. Ori, could you please take a picture of those two for our scrapbook." Armel's eyes widened and John laughed. "Cancel that order, Ori," John said, bemused. "At least until his eyes go down by half."

"You're not upset?" Armel asked.

"Did you do something worth upsetting me?"

"I'm in bed with another man."

"Yeah, but it's Clifford. He's hot. And you're a newborn. Your pheromones are all over the place. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to embarrass you. I'm glad you two took some time to burn off a few rather than have that handsome wolf wandering around with blue balls all day."

Armel shook his head. "I don't think my integration into the Were Nation is going to be all that smooth."

"Were you attempting to keep this brief interlude between the two of you?" the young doctor asked.

"It wasn't all the brief, and, yeah, sort of."

"Well then, we need to talk, Hon. Look. I'm not upset. But seriously, if you will still lie about your behaviors, there's a sizable gap in your education, and I'm taking responsibility for that."

Clifford waved his hands. "John, I'm sorry. I had no idea this was going to cause a conflict."

"And it's not going to," John replied. "Armel is the one here with a problem. He's got that whole having sex with other beasts part down pretty well. But he sees what you're doing as something that, for lord knows what reason, he still has to hide from me. That means there's guilt and shame."

"Yeah," Armel agreed.

"For something we talked about."

"I didn't think anyone in their right mind could believe the stuff you told me."

"I'm not in my right mind, Panda. I asked you to marry me, remember?"

The panda frowned at the grinning redhead. "You're honestly okay with this?" the panda asked, pushing his paw back and forth between him and the wolf.

"Of course, Hon. It appears that without even knowing it, Clifford has been teaching you about the laws of the Were Nation somewhere along the line."

"He sure taught me about the laws of tongue physics I didn't know existed," the panda replied. He looked away shyly. "And yeah, we've been talking about how difficult it is for me to feel at ease in this new body with a whole new set of feelings."

"Then why would what you did upset me?"

"I don't know," the panda sighed. "Because it would probably upset me if I found out you did the same thing to me."

"I have done the same thing to you; multiple times. I've talked to you about them all."

"Yeah, but that's the difference. You always tell me about it. And then, you make it sound so hot when you tell me I get all hard; and before I know it, you're banging me or I'm pounding that furry big ass of yours. I forget to get upset before it's too late. It's kind of hard to be indignant when you've got a cute little ginger's jizz all over your chest."

John laughed. "Fair enough. I will tell you what. The conversation we have to have always goes better if we can ease into it, so I have a suggestion."

"Sure," Armel said, with an apologetic nod.

"Ori, patch in Kirk, please."

When the architect wolf answered, he was as engrossed in his blueprints as John was in his lab notes. Without looking up, he greeted the doctor. "Hi, John. What's up?"

"Well, both our husbands, for one thing," John replied.

The Yukon Wolf looked up from the weighted paper sheets on the table in front of him. "Oh my god," he screamed happily. "They're adorable. Did you get a picture? Someone got a picture, right? Hi Hon, Hi Armel. Can you two be any more adorable? I mean, sooo cute." The wolf shook his head. "Okay, I have got to let this go before I go over the edge. I'm still at work. But thank you for the call, John. Ori, save the vid-call so we can all go through it later and pull a nice picture of the two."

Armel shook his head. "You want a picture of me and your husband?"

"You two look so good together. I mean, you probably don't know it, but you're positively glowing."

"We're post-coital," the panda sighed.

The architect wolf shrugged. "Well, that would explain the glow. Still want a picture. We have a nice spot on our mantle for you."

"I've got a hard-on sticking out over the top of your husband's paw," the panda pointed out.

"Yeah, that adds to the charm. Don't worry, we don't allow business meetings at the house. Any visitors there will be thrilled to see you with a hard-on."

Armel shook his head. "I honestly don't understand any of this."

"But you will, Hon," the redheaded doctor consoled. "One day. You're young, and there is so much to learn." John turned back to the architect. "So, Kirk, can we invite you over for dinner tonight? I can drop by on the way home and pick you up."

Kirk smiled. "Oh, yeah, I'm liking that idea. We can get a picture of the four of us."

"That would be nice," John laughed. "And we three wolves can all show off our wood so the panda doesn't feel embarrassed by being the only one."

The panda frowned. "I so do not understand any of you." But for all his efforts to maintain the frown, it slipped away when he realized the promise his fiancée had made that one day he would understand. The wolf had promised one day Armel would lie down with his fellow beasts and not feel wrong. And he so desperately wanted that to be the truth. He wanted to believe Tamil was right and he deserved to be loved. John had promised Armel would understand what he couldn't fathom today, and the panda couldn't help but smile. John never lied.

Chapter 30

The animated panda tried to explain his research to the two temple dogs. "So, what you're seeing here are the two major cell types in the brain. The first is called a neurone, and it's what most of us consider our brain cells. You know, the little gray stuff."

The two dogs gave a nod that they were following along. "Now the second group we call glia, and they act to support the neurones. They do a bunch of things, from getting rid of waste to feeding the neurones. But the one thing we don't understand is why the ratio of neurones to glia is so important to brain function. Research shows that a greater ratio of glia to neurones often results in a better functioning brain."

Spackle shook his head. "You're losing me, Doc."

Armel pointed toward the rotating brain scan of Tamil. "Tamil's glia to neurone ratio is off the charts. He has four times more glia in that brain of his than any human."

"So do some whales," Spackle added. "That doesn't make them geniuses."

Dr. Jackson paused and stared at the striped temple dog. "How do you know that?"

"I have quite a few glia myself, Doc," the smiling dog replied.

"Okay, you're right that there are some inconsistencies about the ratios to intelligence," the panda agreed. "But his capacity to learn will never be as great as it is right now. From what I can tell, his turning set his brain up to facilitate learning better than any of us could hope for."

"So, the takeaway from this is going to be what?" Spackle asked.

"That for a few more months, possibly years, Tamil will be capable of learning at an accelerated rate. There are so many things he can learn. He can learn to read if you help him. He can learn mathematics and science. Not on an advanced level, of course, but simple things that can help him understand the world around him." The panda paused, watching the eyes of the two dogs. "I get excited for Tamil. I forget sometimes the real takeaway from all this research is that there are no better beasts in the world for that tiger to be with than you two."

"We are grateful for your evaluation," Katashi said with a bow of his head. "That has always been our opinion as well."

"Forgive me, please, for my excitement over this. I didn't mean to challenge your place in his life. You both already taught him so much about what is important to a beast. I just wanted you to realize that for a time, his ability to learn is so much greater than it will be later in his life."

"The children are teaching him to read, and his socialization skills need little help from us as long as he has a job at the Midnight Diner," Spackle replied. "His nature has always led him to be a remarkable beast. We involve him in our life as he has always wanted to do, but is there something more that we should do?"

"I guess not," Dr. Jackson replied. "I doubt that his education is suffering on any level, or that he's not being challenged the way he should be." The panda paused and sighed. "I only wanted you to understand I support you. And to bring up the good news before I brought up the not-so-good news."

"And that would be?" Katashi asked.

"That your husband is not just a newborn in the sense that the Were Nation refers to him. He is, quite literally, a newborn."

"You lost me again, Doc," Spackle said.

"Tamil is a baby. Surely, you recognized the growth spurts already occurring."

Katashi nodded his head. "It is becoming increasingly obvious."

"It's why his head seems so large. Somewhere between a human child and a baby tiger, Tamil is growing into an adult beast. If he follows a baby tiger's growth trajectory, he will be over eight meters within two years."

"He'll be three stories tall?" Spackle asked.

"Yes. What Tamil brought to his turning was a desire to be a tiger you could love, a tiger who could lie down at night with you and be your physical equal. But he mingled that with a desire to be a child who could learn and be as smart as the children in his life. The Changeling DNA rewrote Tamil's DNA to match those desires." The panda pointed toward the rotating brain. "It created a child that was already taller than a single-story house and one that will continue to grow into adulthood."

"This complicates matters," Katashi said with a sigh. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Spackle interjected. "We're not going to do anything, but I have an idea who is." The striped dog tapped his chest. "Ori, can you get Derrick on the line, please?"

Derrick answered the call. Within minutes, Spackle's explanation of the situation was settling in. Derrick was huffing in frustration. "Oh, jeez," the black wolf groaned. "You're not asking me to step in again, are you, Spackle?"

"Weaponized dicks are one thing, Hon," the temple dog replied to the voice on the line. "A thirty-foot tiger is a whole new ball game. Tamil trusts you to do right by him. Where else would you have me turn?"

Spackle felt the bump against his right side and turned to see the black wolf sitting beside him. Armel jumped up with a start. "God," he said, trying to calm his racing heart. "I'm never going to get used to that."

The striped dog put his arm around the wolf. "Sorry, Hon," he said, "You're the first one I think of when it comes to a family crisis now."

Derrick gave a feeble smile. "You were told that I'm supposed to keep my abilities on the down low, right?"

"Yeah, but he's going to be my mate."

"And I am too," the black wolf added. "I'm glad you called. What good are powers if we can't help our family out in a crisis?"

"We don't need to add to his confusion over the turning, Wolfy," Spackle said. "Just bring him back down to where he started out and leave him there."

"He's a baby," Derrick replied. "You're asking me to do what amounts to foot binding in Chinese women in the early twentieth century. Tamil needs to be told what's happening, and he needs to decide what course of action we're going to take."

Spackle nodded in agreement. "Of course, of course," he said with a sigh. "I was only trying to make things easier for him. I overlooked what his feelings might be in the matter."

"Because you too are a newborn, my love," Katashi interjected. "In time you will see that our family will, of necessity, need to make complicated choices. But to do so, we must be flexible about the paths we choose. We can never make choices with the one affected remaining in the dark."

"Because we have seen what comes of darkness," the striped temple dog said as his head bowed.

"We have," Katashi replied as he kissed the top of his other dog's head. He looked down at Derrick and smiled. "Tamil is playing with the children at the Anthony Wells Memorial Center pond. Would you like to join him? It might help ease us into a conversation that may be difficult. Tamil loved playing with you in the pool."

Derrick nodded. "That's a wonderful idea. Of course, with Tamil and the three of us in that pond, I'm not sure there will be any room for the children."

"That is true," Katashi said with a nod. "It is fortunate that the children enjoy climbing on us as we sit in the pond. I believe it is one of their favorite activities. Wet dogs are very slippery and a great deal of fun."

Derrick giggled. "I always thought so." He turned to the red panda. "Are you coming, Armel?"

Armel shook his head no. "I think this is one best shared with Tamil's immediate family. I'll get a ride back home. Please tell me how it all turns out." He paused a moment. "I'm fond of Tamil. I don't want to see him hurt."

Derrick leaned down and hugged the panda. "We won't let that happen, Armel. I'll drop by next week and we can catch up on all that's happened."

Armel looked away shyly. "Would it be too much to ask you to bring that old wolf of yours along?"

Derrick smiled. "Not at all. Does Monday around noon sound good?"

"Monday sounds great," the panda said, trying to hide his eagerness. "I suppose I should talk to Elden about getting a ride home."

"I can get you home quicker if it won't freak you out too much," the black wolf said.

"If it's okay with you, I'll wait for the twins," Armel replied. "I'm not quite ready to teleport via wolf." The panda hugged the wolf more tightly and then let the hug go. He tapped his ComLink and asked Ori to connect him with Elden as he walked out the front door. Armel realized the ComLink system didn't need Ori to place the call. But he enjoyed talking to her for even the most mundane of reasons. Armel was changing, even when he thought he wasn't.

The two temple dogs rose, and Spackle waved his hand toward the door. "After you, Wolfy." The black wolf walked through the opened door. In a matter of minutes, he was playing with the children, racing through the maze of fur that was Tamil and his mates. The three would push up their paws, blocking once-cleared pathways, and then open others by lifting or lowering their legs. Ever young at heart, Derrick had found yet another way he loved being with temple dogs when wet.

As evening approached, parents came for their children. One by one, they returned home until only the four beasts remained. Tamil watched the three and sensed awkwardness in the way they talked with him. He looked concerned when he asked, "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong? You three look like the doctors used to look when they did their tests."

The tiger paused a moment and splashed the water covering his lap. "They were all so reluctant to tell me what they saw. They were afraid it would hurt my feelings, so they only talked to each other."

Katashi nodded. "We learned something from Dr. Jackson today, and we need to talk to you about it."

Tamil smiled. "I am glad my family doesn't hide things from me. It's so much easier to know than to worry about what I don't know."

Spackle bowed his head in embarrassment. "I was guilty of the same thing as the doctors, Tamil. There is a problem, and I thought it would be easier to solve it without you." He looked back up at the tiger. "I was wrong. I'm sorry I ignored how you feel about these matters."

Tamil smiled. "That's okay, Spackle. I might not have told you how I feel about these matters until now." Tamil stretched out his wet paws. "You can hug me, and all is okay again." Spackle shifted positions and hugged the sitting cat. Tamil made a happy purr. "You always hug me with so much muzzle rubbing. Sometimes it's hard not to become aroused."

"Is that another thing I need to know about?" Spackle asked.

"No, I am very good with the way you hug."

Spackle rubbed the back of Tamil's head, realizing he was a foot taller than he was when he was a newborn. He let the hug go and pushed back. "Tamil, you're growing taller."

"I noticed," the tiger said.

"If we do nothing, you will grow as tall as the Second Class Hospital."

"Then we must do something," Tamil replied. "I don't want to be that tall."

"That's why I'm here," Derrick said. "Tamil, you're growing because you are a baby."

Tamil's smile spread. "I am a newborn, Wolfy. You know that. You were at my welcoming."

Derrick laughed. "Yes, I was. Those are days I will never forget."

"Did something go wrong?" Tamil asked.

"Not wrong," Derrick said, "Just unexpected."

Tamil turned to his father and saw the worry on his face. "What? What is unexpected?"

Katashi put his hand on Tamil's lap. "When you thought about your beast, you wanted to be like the children you play with. To you, they were smarter and could learn faster. The turning saw that as a desire to be born much younger than you were when you turned. You are not only a newborn to the Were Nation, Tamil. You are a baby in body."

Tamil shook his head no. "I have already been a baby. I didn't mean to become one again."

"Sometimes the turning has a mind of its own, Tamil," Derrick said. "You remember how Oliver turned into a badger, or how Clyde became a pig? They didn't intend for that to happen, but the turning saw what was in their thoughts and made them what they are today."

"But they did not become babies, Wolfy," the tiger replied.

"No, they didn't. But you did," the black wolf replied. "Like I said, it was unexpected. But it's not wrong. We only need to know what you want to do."

"I don't want to grow bigger than the Second Class Hospital."

"I can make sure that doesn't happen."

"What else, Wolfy?" the tiger asked.

"I've been thinking about how we keep you from growing larger than your family. I have a suggestion I didn't tell Katashi or Spackle about because I believe it's a choice you need to make." Derrick shifted in the water and, for a moment, watched the ripples moving outward. "There are consequences to every choice we make. I'm sure Katashi and Spackle have told you how our lives change other lives, like the ripples in the water."

Tamil smiled. "They did."

"We need to deal with one of those ripples in your life. I'm not sure only making you the size you hoped to be is the right path for that ripple to take." Derrick's paw swirled in the water. As a large ripple moved outward, his other paw reached out, pushing the ripple back toward him. "I'm here to guide that ripple, Tamil. I'm here to ensure you don't grow larger than your mates, but I have choices about how we do that."

"What choices are there?" the tiger asked.

"We can leave you at the size you are right now forever. You've grown since you were born, but for now, you're the same size as your mates. We simply stop you from getting any bigger."

Tamil could sense the wolf's hesitancy over the choice presented. "Or?" he asked.

"Or we could let you be the baby you are. You would be much smaller than you are today, but that's the body you should have now. Your body is growing because it is a baby's body, and that's what babies do. We make you the size of a baby tiger that will one day grow up to stand beside Katashi and Spackle."

"I would be small?"

"About the size of the children you play with. But you would grow. You would grow in the way your tiger body should. You would reach adulthood in five years, and your body would stop growing."

Tamil thought for a moment. "I wouldn't have my gigantic head?"

"No, your head is large now because you're a baby. As you grow, your head will stay much the same size. That's typical of babies. It would happen if we do nothing. Right now, your body will stop growing in five years, but you'll be thirty feet tall. If we let your body be small the way it should be, you'll grow up to be an adult that is the same size as the two you love."

"So, why is that better than making me their size now?"

"Because you're you, Tamil. You're unique in this world. You are a tiger that doesn't want to be a tiger. But if you grew up as a tiger in a loving family, you might feel better about being a tiger. Perhaps being a baby tiger will allow you to become comfortable inside your new tiger body. Maybe, just maybe, you could become a tiger that wants to be a tiger."

Tamil thought about what was said. "If I am a child, then both Katashi and Spackle would have to raise me. I would have two fathers."

Derrick smiled. "You already have two fathers, Tamil. They're both raising you now. You are a child, but a much stronger and larger child than we expected. If I only stop you from growing any larger, you will always be that child. But if we start over, you could grow up to be the tiger you dreamed of being. You could become the tiger that lies with a man and is not ashamed."

Tamil smiled. "I am already that tiger, Wolfy."

Derrick nodded. "And none of that would change. All that you are now will remain, but for a few years, you will be in a body that grows and changes the way it should. You will become an adult the way nature planned it."

"What about sex? A baby doesn't have sex."

"Not all babies. Changelings can have sex the moment they are born. That appears to be the case with your transformation. The turning held onto what was important to you. Apparently, tigers that do not wish to be tigers enjoy sex way more than other tigers, even as babies."

"So, I will be small, but I can still have sex?"

"For a couple of years, you will be smaller. Dr. Jackson should be thrilled with that part of you growing up."

Tamil laughed. "I didn't think about that. That would make him so happy. I think Oliver would like me too."

"Oliver already likes you. And if Jason returns soon with his husbands, you'll meet a little fox who will adore you. However, having sex with them as their avatars would be a great deal more fun for the next year or two. My husband, Adam, will enjoy it as well."

Tamil thought about the change in his body. "But Katashi and Spackle, they could not have sex with me. I would be too small."

"Has our time together not taught you that sex and penetration are not the same thing?" Katashi interjected. "There are one hundred thirty-two ways we could share sex with a small tiger that I can think of, provided you still allow us to take you into the trees."

Tamil smiled. "I forgot, Father. You know a great deal more about sex than I do."

"Well, we won't let you forget that if you choose to become small," Spackle laughed. He turned to Derrick. "So, Wolfy, this change is one in body only? We don't lose the Tamil we have now? His personality, his loving ways, all that stays the same?"

"He's already that tiger, Hon. He'll just grow to a size equal to where he wants to be as an adult."

"So, I guess I'm wondering why not make the cosmetic adjustments to his adult body and call it good?"

Derrick shook his head disbelievingly. "I married a guy with the Sight, and he's the same as my other husband. He never uses it with the ones he loves." The wolf grabbed the tiger's paw. "He's like Max and JP, Hon, only in reverse. Those two bears were born as children in adult bodies, and Tamil was born as an adult in a child's body. All three share struggles because of circumstances we'll never understand. But Max and JP taught us one thing. As best you can, you give the ones born under unique circumstances the life they missed because of their turning.

"Tamil was born a tiger. He grew up as a tiger, and then he turned. The beast that was born is a baby, not only in the eyes of the Were Nation but in physical fact. He needs to grow into being a beast because he's a tiger, not a human. We never waited for him to be twenty-five before the turning, but now we can give him that life."

Katashi gave a nod in agreement. "You have a point, Pup. Now we only need to know what Tamil has decided." He turned to the tiger. "What would you like to do, Son?"

"I think I would like to be small. It would be nice to have two fathers. And when I am grown, I would like to mate with both of them and have two husbands. I like Wolfy's idea. If I am a baby, I should be the size of a baby. I would like to grow up to be a tiger that is happy to be a tiger."

"Then you shall have your wish," Katashi replied.

"I'm totally down with being a father, Tamil," Spackle said with a smile, "and becoming your husband in five years."

"I am down with both, as well," Tamil said with a grin.

"Okay, one last bit before we make this change," Derrick added. "About your claws, Tamil."

Tamil shook his head angrily. "I don't want claws, Wolfy. They are like the spiny penis. They make me broken. I will not be broken. Can I keep the fingers you gave me?"

"The fingers you gave him, Pup?" Katashi asked.

Derrick squeezed the paw of the tiger he still held. "I was wrong, Tamil. Tell your fathers about the fingers before you change. The claws did not make you broken, Tamil. You were never broken. You only needed help with some things, and your claws were one of those things."

Tamil raised his other paw and stared at the fingers inside his fingers. He looked at Katashi and Spackle. "Dr. Peterson told me I could not become the little tiger inside me because they fused the metal fingers he gave me to my bones. They were different than what I had, but that is because I tore the real claws off. I asked Wolfy to give me new fingers that would let my little tiger be able to come out the way Father said it would one day."

Derrick gave a nod. "I gave Tamil claws like the fingers Dr. Peterson attached. But they adjust to whatever size he is. If Tamil is to be a tiger, he needs fully functional claws. They don't have to be sharp, but they have to be his claws."

"As a baby, you can learn how to use them, Tamil," Spackle said. "Wolfy isn't saying that your old claws need to return. I think he's saying you need to know that what he gave you weren't fingers. They're claws because a tiger needs claws to be a tiger. It doesn't matter what we call them. Claws are a part of a tiger, and a tiger, even a little tiger, must learn to use them properly."

Tamil nodded in agreement. "I told Wolfy that one day I would need fingers that the little tiger could use. I just didn't realize that I would be that little tiger. Wolfy is right. A tiger needs claws, even a little tiger. If you can make them so they are like the fingers, Wolfy, I will be okay with the claws coming back. Give me the claws a tiger needs, but ones that won't hurt others."

Katashi gave a nod toward the black wolf. "He won't hurt a child if they come out? They won't hurt Spackle if Tamil has nightmares?"

"His claws will be as they are now. We simply stop calling them something they're not. The truth is, they're not fingers. They're claws that are less sharp and more malleable. A tiger has to have claws to walk. A tiger without claws is a hobbled beast. And we can't have that. The claws won't hurt anyone in and of themselves. But Tamil will still grow into a very big, very strong beast."

Derrick turned to the tiger. "If you learn while you're young to control your size and the claws, you will become the tiger you dream of. Your big tiger will grow up, and the little tiger you once were will still be inside you, the same as it always has been. But you must study hard to make that all happen. Do you think you can do all that in five years?"

Tamil nodded his head happily. "I have two fathers to teach me. That should be more than enough, don't you think?"

Derrick smiled. "Yeah, those two fathers are the best. Close your eyes, count to three, and then open your eyes again."

Tamil did as he was told. When he opened his eyes, he was looking up at everyone. He looked down at his body now immersed up to his chest in the pond's water. He grinned. "It didn't hurt."

"No. Remember how we said the first time always hurts, but as you keep turning, the pain gets less and less?" Tamil nodded. "Well, this," Derrick said, "was only a minor change to make you little. As you grow older, sometimes the changes might be painful. Growing pains often are. But if they ever get too difficult for you, remember to tell your fathers, and they will bring me back."

Tamil made what he was taught humans called a frown. It was a sign of displeasure. "You won't come back unless I hurt?"

"No, Tamil, I will return often with my family to visit. But if you are hurting, I will make a special trip to help you get better."

"But if I no longer hurt, and you are here, can we have sex?"

Derrick chuckled. "Yes, Tamil, when you no longer hurt, I suppose we can have sex."

Tamil's frown turned up. "I don't hurt now, Wolfy. We could have sex."

"Here in the pond?"

"The children are all home having dinner. We will be alone. Just the four of us."

Derrick let Tamil's paw go and stood up. He let his hand idly rub over his sheath to free the already swelling cock. "I think that's an excellent use for a visit. Tamil, have you ever been told what a bottom is?"

Tamil sat, confused. "I think so."

"Do you know what a power bottom is?" Derrick asked with a smile.

"No."

"Well, tonight, my handsome little tiger, you'll learn what a power bottom looks like."

"Does he look like a black wolf?" the tiger giggled.

Spackle came up from behind Derrick and wrapped his arms around the wolf. "Oh, yeah, Tamil. The power bottom on display tonight looks exactly like a black wolf with blue highlights."

Derrick closed his eyes and leaned into the striped dog. "Mount me, Spackle."

"You didn't even need to ask," Spackle said as he pushed the wolf deeper into the pond. Derrick understood where the dog was going and moved to accommodate him.

Katashi laughed when Spackle penetrated the wolf. "That, Tamil, is a power bottom. Nature gifted the wolf with skills to let another penetrate him."

"Then I would like to be a power bottom," the tiger said, watching the two couple.

"And one day you will, if that is your wish. But for tonight, the two of us will practice other skills. You are small, but that should never leave you feeling you have no options."

"What will we do, Father?"

Katashi smiled. "Position number seventy-five on the list in my head would be a wonderful place to start. Later, when those two are done, we will try position ninety-eight together."

"What makes you think we're going to be done tonight?" Derrick giggled.

"Nothing, Pup," Katashi responded. "I was planning for tomorrow's activities. By morning, we will be ready to retire to our bed. Tamil has much to learn. We shouldn't waste a teaching moment like this where so many opportunities present themselves. You are very skilled at accommodating any partner. Tamil would do well to learn at your side."

Derrick felt the dog on top push into him balls deep. He closed his eyes and sighed at the sensations surging through him. "Tamil, watch your fathers, too. They are humble men but are exceedingly good at what they do."

Tamil took the wolf's words to heart and watched everyone in his company over the next three days. It was more complicated on the second day when Derrick's husbands showed up at the door of his home. They were looking for the black wolf that failed to respond to his ComLink. Tamil greeted the bears, the wolf, and the badger, eager to show them what he had learned, and the family was more than happy to learn at his side.

Chapter 31

The cake was three tiers high and covered with brightly colored flowers and trees. It looked like a tiny island floating on a blue tray. Tamil was thrilled at how it resembled the place of his birth. Everywhere, balloons and streamers had the number three on them.

"Happy Birthday, Tamil," Derrick said, giving the tiger a firm hug.

"Thank you, Wolfy," Tamil said gleefully. "I am three today. Two more years, and I'll be all grown up."

Derrick pushed back from the hug and stared up at the smiling tiger's face. "You look pretty grown up to me already. You're what, eight feet tall?"

"I'm not sure," the tiger replied. "All I know is that I'm still not as tall as my fathers. In two more years, I will ask them to be my mates. In two years, my world will change again."

"And are you looking forward to that day?"

"I think so. Change is hard. I have to give up something to gain something. I want to call Katashi and Spackle Husband, but I know that means I will never call them Father again."

"There is a lot more responsibility in that title of husband, that's for sure."

"It feels nice having fathers to watch over me. I can make mistakes and they forgive me."

"They'll do that as husbands, but it means you will need to watch over them the same way they do you."

Tamil laughed and leaned down to Derrick's pointed ear. "I'll tell you a secret, Wolfy," he whispered. "I already do."

"Then becoming a husband will suit you fine."

"And what about you, Wolfy? Will being a husband suit you fine?"

Derrick grinned. "I'm already married to five husbands, Tamil."

"But one more might be nice. I think Father is waiting for you to ask."

Derrick's smile slipped from his face. "It's complicated, Tamil. There is so much going on in his life. It's not that I have forgotten, but it seems we both could use some time to sort things out."

Tamil cocked his head to one side and stared at the wolf. "It's not as complicated as you think. You love him; he loves you. All the rest is sorting out the details."

Derrick shook his head in disbelief. "You really are his son, aren't you?"

"I might have heard him say that. But I think it's the truth."

"The two of us have waited for quite a while, Tamil. Those teeth marks on the back of my neck never faded. I'm aware of what he means to me. One day, we will sort it all out. But for now, he has a son to raise."

Tamil laughed. "Yes, he does. And I need to be ready to marry both my fathers in two years. That is not much time for a tiger."

"A tiger? You're willing to admit you're a tiger?"

Tamil gave a happy nod. "Yes. I am a tiger that wants to be a tiger that is mated to two temple dogs."

"Your progress is remarkable, Tamil. I wasn't sure you would ever be content inside a tiger's body."

"I have wonderful parents. They taught me to be content…"

"Son of a bitch, that's terrible," Will blurted out from across the room. All heads turned toward the wolf with one green finger raised. The embarrassed wolf stared at the crowd staring back. "The cake. It's horrible," he said, shaking the finger.

"That's because the cake is for Tamil," Spackle said with a laugh. He reached out and grabbed the old wolf in a hug. "You, Old Wolf, will have to wait for your cake." He ran a knife along the gap in the island where Will had sneaked a chunk of frosting and smoothed it over. "The cake is three layers of meatloaf covered in a mashed potato frosting. Too much sugar is not good for a tiger."

"You could have warned me," Will groused.

"And miss your reaction when you stole a taste?" Spackle laughed. The striped temple dog leaned down and kissed the Iberian wolf. "Tonight, save a bit of yourself for me. It's been too long since I've tasted you. I realize how these birthday parties can get."

"I'll put you on my dance card," Will promised. He waited until the crowd returned to their various conversations. "Are your brothers coming tonight?" he asked Spackle.

Spackle shook his head no. "Tamil picked the guest list. He said he wanted to keep it small because it was only one night."

"Smart lad," Will said.

"He sees you and Derrick as family because he thinks that I'm married to the two of you."

"As I said, smart lad," Will reiterated. "And since the boy loves to top, I'm all for him thinking I'm family no matter what the reason."

Spackle's paw reached for Will's, and the old wolf clasped the larger paw. "And you, Old Wolf?"

"We're working with some ambivalent feelings in our little triad, Spackle, but they're not mine. I understood what I meant when I bit your neck. I don't pretend to mate. You know that."

The temple dog nodded. "But we wait for Wolfy."

The old wolf smiled. "We wait. You have your challenges, and I have mine. Pup has his. Of the three of us, he's the one who most wants us to be mated, but he fears the outcome the most."

"I can't say his fears are unfounded, Old Wolf," the striped temple dog said.

"True that," Will replied. "Our family struggles with the idea that with great power comes great responsibility."

"You mean the Book of Spider-man isn't the truth?" the dog said with a chuckle.

"It gets interpreted wrong. That whole 'rugged individual standing up in the face of insurmountable odds' isn't that great an idea. The greater the power, the greater the need for those who love us to step up and help us deal with that power. Our family has a history of trying so hard to protect the ones we love we forget to reach out and ask them for help when we need it."

Spackle shrugged. "We see a lot of horrible stuff before it ever happens. It's hard not to try and shield our family from those dangers."

"But we can't, Dog. We can't. The best we can do is stand by each other. It's a lesson we need to learn if we're going to survive."

The temple dog sighed. "I can't say that's an easy lesson to learn."

"Me either," the old wolf replied. "For Pup, it's especially hard. Give him time, Spackle. He's worth it."

Spackle hugged Will. "I never had a doubt, Old Wolf. You both are worth the wait. I am in no hurry. The love is there. We're simply working out the details."

The old wolf returned the hug. The Sight tried to push forward, but he pushed back. Today, in the arms of the dog he loved, he didn't care to see the details looming on the horizon.

Chapter 32

"You want to what?" John said as he pivoted around in his chair.

"I want to open up the island. I want to ask Hanuel and Kwan to help me create a foster care home on this island. Jim said he could bring in temp help for a couple of weeks while they look things over and make recommendations. Canada has its home for children with the Sight. I think it's time we had one for orphaned children with the Sight down here in the U.S."

"That's an awful lot of responsibility for the three of us," John cautioned, "especially with our jobs. We both handle some pretty critical projects."

"It wouldn't need to be only the three of us. Dozens of beasts out there would love to be a part of this," the panda said, pleading his case. "There are one hundred and twenty rooms in this house. We have an enormous pool in the basement. Boldt built the Alster tower as a playhouse for god sakes. Look at the plans. The bowling alley is already there. It's even wired and plumbed for a café that was in the plans. There are scores of rooms waiting to become something for kids to explore and enjoy. This entire island has so many rooms and so much space, but most of it is sitting there collecting dust."

The robot turned toward the panda. "It is not collecting dust, Dr. Jackson. I am fastidious in its care."

"That's even worse, Sybil," the panda said. "You work so hard with this place, and only two men ever see what you've accomplished. That's why a foster home would be perfect. It's time we put the rest of this island to use for something more than me one-upping the neighbors."

"We don't have neighbors, Armel," the wolf pointed out. "Kids need a social structure where they can interact with others. It's part of what humans need to do. For all the talk about American individualism, humans are herd animals. They don't do well on their own. They don't even do well in small packs. You've seen how they get when you isolate them."

"There are schools on the mainland, and the boat trip is as short as the one that takes the kids to school on Partridge Island."

"They need a diverse group of people surrounding them. Not just a few wolves, a panda, and a robot."

"I realize that. But they solved that problem for the kids on Partridge Island. They let in visitors, and the kids become ambassadors for the island. It works great. If we open the island back up to visitors, the kids would see people from all over the world daily. We open up the Power House and the first two floors of the castle to the public. We have reception rooms, and even a couple of ballrooms. We're surrounded by everything we need to make this island a perfect bed-and-breakfast and a small reception venue. Consider how romantic the bedrooms are in the Power House. We bounce back and forth between them on the weekends enough to realize the potential there."

"What?" John choked out. "This is getting deeper and deeper. We're going to need a lot more housing than this island can handle if you want to turn it back into a tourist spot. We'll need guides, housekeeping, concierges, medical staff, and security. That sort of wipes out using any of the outbuildings for office space."

"I know, but I've given a lot of thought to this," the panda said, waving his hands. He stopped and looked at the two staring at him. His head bowed. "I might have done something."

John let out an exasperated sigh. "What did you do, Armel?"

"I might have bought Harbor Island."

John's eyes widened. "You did what?"

"I bought the island next door."

"Really?" John fumed. "What did we agree to about a guy with no impulse control making major purchases without first talking to the man who will one day be his loving husband?"

"Well, I sort of had to buy it."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's between here and Steamboat Island, I sort of bought that too."

"You sort of bought it?" John bristled. "There are eleven islands between here and Steamboat Island. Harbor Island is only the biggest one. Did you just overlook the rest?"

"I sort of bought them too."

"Armel!" the wolf yelled.

"You'd be surprised how many of those rich old people realized too late how cold and drafty living on those smaller islands can be. I got most of them at a great price." The panda waved his hand in front of the computer console and the 3-D screen displayed the chain of islands from Heart Island to Steamboat Island. Three of the largest islands formed a highlighted triangle: Harbor Island, Manhattan Island, and Maple Island. "Look, shipping in the Saint Lawrence River is a major part of the economy downstream. But the river is clogging up more and more every year. The dredging they do moves tons of rock and debris every year, but they still need to find a place to put it all."

"Right," John said, taking a deep breath. "So, where are you going with this?"

"You've heard about China and Japan's island-building projects, right?"

"No, you're not suggesting…" John said, pointing his finger at the guilty-looking panda.

Armel pointed to the highlighted triangle of islands. "I made an offer to the port authority to take all their dredging if they would help me unite this area into one larger island."

"And what did they say?"

"That Congress and the EPA would need to approve it, but they thought I had a good chance since I was offering to pay for both the dredging and the disposal. Congress pretty much approves anything that saves them billions of dollars."

"And where do you get the money for all these work projects?"

"I'm not sure. Every dime I had was used to buy the islands. I was hoping a sexy billionaire wolf I know would take pity on me."

"Ahh, jeez, Armel. Really?" John said.

"Look," the panda said as he pushed a tab on his computer. A land mass between the triangle of Harbor Island, Maple Island, and Manhattan Island began filling in. "If we join the three islands together, there is more than enough space to house anyone who wants to help with rearing the children. All the business infrastructure can go there. It doesn't interrupt the flow of the river, and it gives all the beasts living there a forest that they can share. The net takeaway from an environmental concern is that there is even more habitable area for wildlife than there is now. It's even a win for the migrating fish. The deep waters for them are still there, but now there will be even larger breeding shoals off the island."

John shrugged. "Well, it would be nice to have a forest nearby. I miss that living here." John stared at the graphics as the buildings and piers for traffic flow came into being. "Okay, that could work. We could talk to the Blue clan about making sure we lay a solid foundation between the three islands." His hand traced up through the islands. "So, what are you doing with Steamboat Island?"

"That's special. I'm working on an idea for that," came Armel's evasive reply. "I need to talk to some people about that."

John stared at Armel, but the panda's eyes were unwilling to connect with his. "Armel…"

"It might be nice to make a temple there. There are shoals there for a dragon and her mate if she ever settles down to having one or two."

"Armel, are you trying to get Katashi and his family to move from Partridge Island?"

"That might have occurred to me."

Even the robot let out an audible frustrated sigh. "Armel!" John yelled. "Of all the self-centered lame-brained ideas. All this planning just to have Tamil as a neighbor?"

The panda bowed his head. "It started out that way… I guess it still is in a way," the panda whispered. "He likes me, John. He almost makes me feel normal when we're together. You don't understand how hard it is for me to find anyone like that beyond you two." He lifted his head and added, "But I swear, John, it's grown so far beyond that." He pointed toward Steamboat Island. "Katashi, Spackle, and Saand don't have a temple. They're the only three dogs in the world without one. I'm not sure what happens inside those temples, but I can see it means a great deal to them. Partridge Island doesn't have room for one. We would."

"But they have a family and children who depend on them to be there."

"I know, I know," the panda agreed. "But that family would understand them moving to a place that lets them be who they were meant to be."

"And Tamil?"

The red panda's head bowed again. "There would be new children to play with and new wolves to be his friends. That's two islands full of wolves to have sex with if he chose to do that."

"And maybe a panda?"

"Yeah, maybe a panda. I'm hoping all four of them would like a neighbor panda to have sex with."

"So, if the four of them say no to your suggestion, what happens to this island and the orphaned kids you were just talking about?"

Armel looked up. "We go ahead with that no matter what. I need this, John. I need to see beyond myself. If I don't push my boundaries, I won't grow."

"So you push the boundaries of the islands and you're a new man?" Armel looked at the wolf incredulously.

"No. You're aware that's the answer. I didn't become an asshole overnight. I won't stop being one overnight, either." The panda paused in thought. "Okay, so I probably became an asshole overnight, but becoming who I want to be will take more time. I'm trying to surround myself with those who can help me become that man."

John threw his hands up in the air. "You win, Armel. I can't see a downside to any of this except we lose our laboratory here. You can't go having this kind of equipment with so many tourists dropping by to visit."

"Or the children," Sybil added. "The Partridge Island children are incredibly gifted at finding their way into mischief. I can't imagine the children living here would be any different."

Armel nodded his tiny head. "I considered that. The New York lab at Bear Paws and the CDC labs in Washington are always available. Perhaps Eric could see it clear to let us bring over our equipment if we dangle a bribe in front of him."

John's eyes widened and then narrowed tightly. "Armel, you will not use me to get anything out of the old bear. He is my friend. We don't use friends that way." The wolf huffed out an exasperated breath. "Hell, we don't even use enemies that way. We just don't do it, Armel."

The panda bowed his head. "I realize that, Hon. But you share a special relationship with Eric, and I was hoping you could talk to him. And then it occurred to me; you two often talk about all manner of things after you have sex. I mean, that's the way Tamil came into our lives. Sometimes the things we struggle with the most are easier dealt with after we've been together."

John chuckled. "Okay, that at least sounds better, although I'm sure it's the same idea rolling around in your head when you brought up bribing Eric."

Armel nodded. "I want this to work. I need it to work, Hon. This is important to me."

"Well, there you go, Hon," the wolf said as he looked back at the new island in the Saint Lawrence River. "You said the words sacred to the Were Nation and me. If it's important to you, it's important to me."

"Then we can work out the plans?"

"Well, you best do it quickly, Hon, because there's going to be a lot on your plate in short order once Congress gives you the go-ahead."

"Do think we have a chance?"

"The crews that do the dredging for the St. Lawrence River belong to the Old Bear. I'm thinking with the right encouragement, he can cut the Senate an even sweeter deal than you proposed."

"No, there's no mention of Bear Paws Enterprises anywhere in the Northeast Dredging prospectus."

The wolf smiled at the panda. "The old bear has more than one pocket in that business suit of his. Trust me; they are family. You convince Eric, and this idea of yours is going forward."

The robot turned toward the wolf. "Are you seriously considering this plan of action, Dr. Kennedy?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. He has a point, Sybil. With or without the Sight, orphaned children will always need a safe home on their way to a new family, and there are a lot of empty rooms in this house."

"And, as you mentioned earlier, your husband-to-be has no impulse control."

John nodded. "But he has us, Sybil. We're supposed to be here for him."

"That was our promise to him."

The panda put out his open hands. "I realize I'm going to need a lot of help because I'm not exactly the parenting type. But you and Sybil will be with me twenty-four/seven, and there are so many members of this family willing to help. I'm sure we can make a go of it."

The robot spun around from her workstation. "I would help, Dr. Jackson. This is a bold step for you. It would be nice to hear the laughter of children on this island."

John's eyes narrowed at the thought of children on the island. "There will also be the sound of children yelling, screaming, and crying, Sybil. Kids don't come in just one mood. We will need to be there for all those moods and all those challenges."

"It doesn't seem such a bad compromise for the laughter, does it, Dr. Kennedy?"

John smiled, "No, no it doesn't."

"I'm willing to do my best," Armel said. "I won't even mind my commute to work if we move the lab to New York."

"Really?" the wolf asked. "I try for how many years to get you to do that, and suddenly it's a done deal?"

"I saw the plans for Chip and Dale."

"Crap," the wolf complained. "That was supposed to be a surprise."

The robot raised her metal hand and waved it to attract the two beasts' attention. "What are Chip and Dale?"

"Puddle jumpers, Sybil," the wolf replied. "They're a gift from Kris and his son, Noah. Noah and the New York research team have been working non-stop. They're the next step in our travel evolution."

"What do they do?" the robot asked.

"They're a new transport system. All the Were Nation airships use the rotation of the earth to cut down travel time. But that comes with a cost. They're not good at longitudinal flying. A brief trip from here to Partridge Island can take as much time as a trip to India. It's less than an hour, but it still takes up time and resources best used for other travel. More importantly, when time is critical, they use up the one resource we can't afford to waste. Chip and Dale bypass that dilemma by using jump gates."

"A jump gate?" Sybil asked.

"Kris decides what forms of Changeling technology the Verital share with us," John replied. "And that bear loves him some Stargate S-G1."

"Would that be the most recent reboot, or one of the other five?"

"The original. I'm not sure if he loves the series or the wolf that watches it with him. I doubt he and Wolfy have made it through an entire episode without winding up rutting on the floor. But he knows entire episodes by heart, so somewhere along the line he's paying attention."

"So, Chip and Dale?" the robot renewed her inquiry.

"It's the first small-scale shuttle to use jump gates that create a stable wormhole for site-to-site transport. I think it stems from Nathaniel's trip back to Partridge Island from here a few months back."

"The incident with Tamil?" the robot asked.

"Yeah. It took him thirty-five minutes to get to Partridge Island. All the airships are fast if the move is along a parallel, but if it's on a meridian vector, things get slowed down. Chip and Dale change all that. If we had one up here, we could be in New York in less than three minutes."

"That is impossible, Dr. Kennedy," the robot said.

"Yeah, it is for another eight months. After that, Chip is going active. There won't be a jump gate anywhere near us for some time, but the New York to D.C. leg will be operational."

"And where is Dale going?" Armel asked.

"Washington, D.C., the Florida underwater habitats, and all points south," the wolf replied. "Chip is going to be the link to New York, Partridge Island, and Washington, D.C. The primary hub is a few miles outside of D.C. in a secured facility that everyone sees as a nice little horse farm."

Sybil's cameras and metal eyebrows formed a thoughtful expression. "This is going to change so much, doctors. But I still must call into question the idea that Tamil and his mates will move here. They have responsibilities beyond the children of Partridge Island. You might be asking them to spread themselves too thin."

Armel nodded. "I've thought about that, Sybil. The Were Nation has always risen to a challenge. Providing the remaining three temple dogs a home with a temple will mean so many changes. But, regardless of what I want, the three of them could use a home where they can teach Tamil in a temple setting."

"The panda has a point, Sybil," John said. "Tamil is Spackle and Katashi's son. I've heard them talk about mating when he reaches adulthood. Tamil will spend his life with temple dogs. If the two closest to him feel a temple would benefit their union, I don't see any reason not to build them one."

"Then, perhaps it is best to visit them soon," the robot suggested. "I don't believe this is a discussion one has over a ComLink call."

"I agree, Sybil," John said. "Armel, you set up the appointment. We'll be there with you all the way, but that first step is yours."

The panda frowned. "I thought you were going to say that."

The wolf leaned down and kissed the little mammal on the cheek. "You see, Panda? You're already learning so much about me. Just think what we'll be like when we're married."

Armel's frown didn't go away. "At least as a husband, I could ask you for help with the tough things."

John smiled. "Do you need my help, husband-to-be?"

Armel considered his options. "Not so much for the plans I need to set up. I want to be a part of that. But if you don't climb into bed with me soon, I'm pretty sure I'm going to jack off by myself. Talking commerce makes me horny."

"Everything makes you horny, Armel," John said as he stood up and grabbed the panda, throwing him on top of his shoulders. "See you tomorrow, Sybil," he said as he headed toward the hallway. "There appears to be a need for me to practice my future husbandly duties."

"Enjoy your night, you two," the robot said with a wave. She turned and moved back toward the laboratory. "This should be interesting," she said to herself. "I hope my circuits are up to the ideas those two come up with." She slipped into a small alcove, let the power jacks press into her back, lowered her head, and powered down.