Chapter 43

Jesse drove me into town to find an animal for the binding. Our destination was the sole pet store in town. “The most requested order is dogs first, cats second, and reptiles third, right?" Jesse asked.

“Yep, but most reptile requests are for snakes. They're so unpredictable and hard to tame. Even though binding them to a spirit will change that, I'm just not comfortable with it," I replied.

“That leaves us with dogs or cats. I'm not a cat person—how about you?" he asked.

“Me neither. Let's start with a dog. If I can bond with two, we should be fine. The omegas mentioned the bound animal will be a shapeshifter, so it doesn't matter what animal it is. If this works, the men who get the dogs can ask them to change into almost anything," I said, making my decision.

We parked in front of the pet store. “I don't see many animals through the window," Jesse said, shielding his eyes.

“Maybe they're all in the back," I suggested as I entered, Jesse following close behind. A bell chimed as each of us stepped in.

“I'll be right with you." Came a voice of a woman. From the back of the store, a curtain parted and closed again and a short, older lady greeted us. “Welcome to my store. May I help you?"

“We're looking for a dog, maybe two one male and one female. We want to breed them. We're from the Co-op on the other side of the old mine from the new Amusement Park."

“Oh, I'm sorry I don't sell intact animals. Dogs or cats. The pound has enough problems with the animal population in town." She said, but the look she gave me was saying something else.

Jesse jumped in as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry to have bothered you, mam."

“Wow, what's her problem?" Jesse said, as we got back into the Hummer.

“Maybe she doesn't like gay men. Did I act weird or do something wrong?"

“No, her expression changed the moment you mentioned where we're from. Let's try the pound. If they have sheepdogs, we can take them, since they'll work on the farm." Jesse pulled away from the pet store.

“Do you know how to get to the pound? I don't."

“Me neither, but Grey can help."

'Grey, we just left the only pet store in town. Can you tell Jesse and me how to get to the pound?' Jesse asked.

'Head back to Main Street and make a left. Take it to the edge of town, and you should see it,' Grey replied.

'Thanks, Grey,' Jesse said.

“What if they don't have sheepdogs? They're not the only herding dogs. With all the men at the Oasis, I bet someone can train dogs to do what we need," I stated.

“Okay, I hear you, and you're probably right. Most pounds make you wait until they neuter the animal you choose before sending it home. We want intact animals."

“Let's just go there and look. If we find some that aren't fixed, we can talk to the person in charge and explain our reasons for wanting to breed. I think they'll allow us to take an intact dog home as long as it's not a purebred. That might not even be an issue…" I replied.

“What are you thinking about in there?" Jesse asked.

“Ursus and Stone, I need to speak to both of you now, please," I said aloud.

“Yes, Master. What do you want to talk about?" Ursus responded, as they both appeared in the back seat of the Hummer.

“You can heal me and Jesse if we're hurt. Does that apply to anyone, or just the men bonded to you?" I asked.

“Anyone, Master," Ursus answered.

“Is this true for any living thing or just humans? Or is it just men?" I probed.

“Why would you think it's only for men, Master?" Stone asked.

“We were told early on that you spirits can't connect to females," I explained.

“That's only for sending feelings and emotions to our realm," Stone corrected me.

“So, you can heal any damage to any living thing?"

“Yes, Master, if it's still alive, we can repair any damage," Ursus replied.

“Take your human forms, wear casual clothes, and keep your appearances as normal as possible. No bulging muscles, understood?"

“Yes, Master." They answered in unison.

Jesse grinned. “I forgot about that ability!"

After a longer drive than I expected, we arrived at Animal Control. The sign said 'The Shelter'. The place looked run-down. “If they help us out, we should return the favor," I said to the three men now in the car with me.

“Why is this place so far from the rest of town? It looks ready to fall apart," Jesse replied.

Before I could open my door, Stone hopped out, with Ursus close behind. Stone approached the main door and paused for us to catch up, while Ursus took up the rear, ever the protectors. As Stone opened the door, a bell jingled. He looked inside, then held it open for the rest of us before following behind Ursus. Stone got in front of me before I got to the counter. Jesse moved aside, reaching the counter ahead of Stone.

“They must be short-staffed. It's quiet in here," Jesse remarked, walking to a desk that looked older than me. “Hey, there's a button here." He pressed it, and a loud screech echoed around us. I quickly pulled Jesse's hand away.

“I think everyone heard that," I said.

“In deed, Keith. I still hear it, even without Jesse pressing the button," Ursus said.

Stone turned to him. “Oh yes, we say his name in public."

“Always in public, never forget," Ursus replied firmly.

“Understood," Stone said.

I heard doors creaking open and shut far away, then a door closing nearby. A door behind the desk swung open, and a young woman, she must be eighteen at most, emerged, taking deep breaths.

“Sorry it took so long. It's just me and one other here today, and we have so much work. What can I do for you men?" she asked, finally catching her breath.

“We want to look at the animals up for adoption," I said.

“Which animals? Dogs, cats, horses, we also have a few birds?" she inquired.

“Well, dogs first, then the horses and cats," Jesse answered.

“I'm Keith, this is Jesse, the smaller guy is Stone, and he's Ursus. What can we call you?" I asked.

“Oh, yes, sorry! I'm Jennie. We don't get many visitors; mostly me just talking to the animals," she said, looking flustered.

“No worries, Miss Jennie," Ursus said.

“Okay, just follow me, please. Do you have a preference for gender or size?" she asked as we moved from the main building to one of the outbuildings. “Sorry about the smell. We're really short-staffed, and with this many animals, two people can barely keep them fed and watered, much less clean up after them."

“Can I ask why you're so shorthanded?" I asked.

“For several reasons. We're remote, so most volunteers don't stay long. Money is another issue; we can't offer competitive wages. But the biggest problem is the condition of this place—it was never meant to be a shelter," she replied.

“My friends here are used to cleaning animal pens. Can they help while we look at the dogs?" I offered.

She paused, eyeing us. “You're not really dressed for it. Are you serious, or was that a joke?"

“No, Miss Jennie. We both work at the Oasis; it's the name of our co-op," Ursus said.

“Oh, I heard of that place. You're all gay. Well, we could definitely use the help. Even cleaning a few stalls would be great. I'll show you where the shovels and cleaning tools are. You can take care of the empty stalls, and I'll move the animals from the filthy ones later," she said as she started back the way she came, giving instructions to Ursus and Stone. We entered the area where the larger animals were kept. The horses looked unwell, and the bull seemed even worse.

“Why do these animals look so haggard?" I asked.

“They came from a homesteader who tried raising horses and cattle but fell short on both knowledge and funds. His two cows died before we could take these animals. Honestly, we're not much better off ourselves, and the county isn't much help in funding," she explained.

“We can help with grooming. At least it'll make them feel better. Stone can start with the horses while I clean the stalls. Do you have straw for bedding?" Ursus asked.

“In that room over there, but it might only be enough for two stalls. You're sure you can handle this?" Jennie inquired.

“Don't worry; they do this all the time at the co-op," Jesse assured her.

“I'll be back in about an hour. It'll take that long to go through all the dogs we have. Thanks for your help." We left Stone and Ursus to clean up.

'Clean all the stalls and prepare more bedding. Make the animals healthier without making it obvious,' I instructed the Spirits.

'We will do so, Master,' Stone replied.

Entering the kennel building, I was struck by the number of dogs. Most looked as neglected as the horses.

“I noticed you did not look at us as… you know, weird. Knowing that we're gay."

“To each their own. If you leave me alone, and don't force me to change. I'm fine with you being gay, bi, or whatever." Jennie replied.

“Why do you have so many dogs here? This facility can't support them all," Jesse said.

“You're right—it should only have twenty to thirty dogs at most. As I said before, we're a kill shelter, and most of these were to be put down, but our crematory broke, and we can't fix it anytime soon." Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Is it money again?" I asked.

She nodded. “Not that I want them to die—I don't. It's the suffering I can't bear. I'd stop volunteering, but it would feel like I'm abandoning the animals, like I'm running away." She broke down, and I held her until she regained her composure.

“Let me make a few calls. The co-op has supplies to help care for the animals, and I'm sure we have men who want to help clean things up," I said. We did have supplies for the horses and the bull, the rest the spirits would create.

“What's the fee to adopt here?" Jesse asked.

“We rely on donations, since most in town have little money. Animals with medical issues are free, as long as the new owners cover the vet costs after adoption. We usually get between fifty and seventy dollars," she replied, still teary-eyed.

“I need to step outside to the Hummer. I left my phone in it." I left her with Jesse. We didn't have a phone, but I needed a moment away from Jennie to talk to Karl and the men at the Oasis.

Returning to the kennels, I said, “I spoke with the owner of the New Park. He's genuinely caring and has agreed to donate supplies to improve this place. He also has another offer: there's land outside the park gates going to waste. He'll propose a trade to the county for this property. With the co-op's help, we can build you a new shelter there. It's closer to town, which should attract more volunteers. In the meantime, many of the men from the co-op are coming over now to clean up and bring food for the animals. I'm sure some will be returning to keep helping."

As I spoke, Jennie cried again—this time with joy. Jesse held her close, knowing these tears were happy ones.

We finally met the shelter's only paid worker, an older man. He explained that the property belonged to him, not the county. The city and county planned to shift to just a presence here for transporting animals to their shelter, which was over four hours away. I made him the offer I had discussed with Jennie, and he accepted immediately.

“Are you sure the county and city don't need to be involved in this?" I asked.

“Yep. The city would gladly take you up on it if you're serious. They want to help, but money is always tight for them. The county doesn't care about us or the town; they just want our taxes," he replied.

“Okay, I'll have a contract drawn up and get back to you," I said.

Men were arriving by the truckload, tools in hand. “These guys are here to shore up the collapsing structures, and more are coming to clean the animals and their kennels. A few vets will also check on the more critical animals," I told the old man.

“As far as the new facility goes, we'll be using the left-over material that was not needed to build the new hotel. So, you won't get much say in how it looks, but don't worry too much about it. I promise that it will be very functional as a shelter and have everything needed to take care of both livestock and dogs and cats. The contract will allow you to back out if you decide not to accept after it's built."

“Anything has to be better than what we have now. Plus, moving closer to where more townspeople live is a benefit," he said. “You don't need to include that clause."

We left late in the evening; the men needed to make a show of the filth being removed and taken away. Much of the refuse was sent to the spirit realm, or we would have needed several dump trucks to haul it back to the Oasis instead of just one.

The vets determined that two animals were in such bad shape they required medical attention. With no equipment at the shelter and Jennie unwilling to let another animal die, the old man allowed us to take them to the Oasis for treatment.

We were determined not to let any animal die; I had instructed the Spirits to ensure that. A plan had been devised by Ursus and Stone after they noticed me observing a male and female shepherd. Both were old, in poor health, and fixed. When I asked Jennie if they were litter mates, she confirmed they weren't. The old man had placed them together, mainly due to a lack of kennels. This arrangement would let me attempt to bind an unbound to the male.

After the vets finished with the animals, Ursus told me that the two shepherds would be ready for binding when Jesse and I returned. He assured me that bringing back their reproductive organs wouldn't be difficult.

*****

“Are you going to try binding the male tonight?" Jesse asked.

We drove alone; Ursus and Stone had joined the vets in another vehicle, Jennie followed them up to the van. After the doors closed, she was unaware that the dogs and the two spirits were fading away, destined to reappear in our private cave.

“I don't think so. I'm not clear-headed right now—everything that's happened today has me mad at the county and this city. We're pumping a lot of tax money into both; how can they not fund an essential department? I'm not just talking about the facilities' condition; I mean, they only pay for one person to run it and rely on volunteers to fill the huge staffing gap."

“I Looked at all the men working to fix and clean the shelter. Their eyes show they want to be there, helping the animals. Once the new shelter is built next to the Oasis, I know plenty of volunteers will step up," Jesse said confidently.

“You think I won't need to bind the dogs then?" I asked.

“The shelter might satisfy some of the men, but there will always be a few who want a pet of their own," Jesse replied.

“Yeah, I agree. I'll try tomorrow."