Love, Life and Everything in Between: Chapter 3- Stars, Stripes, and Fireworks

Story by TJ Dyrewolfe on SoFurry

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#2 of Love, Life and Everything in Between(Revised)

New friendsdhips made, new bonds grow, and finally a feeling of being centered.


Chapter 3: Stars, Stripes, and Fireworks. An Unexpected Love and a Night to Remember.

The night was long while listening to the little Shepherd tell the story of his dad's brutality towards him and his mother. It took Tyler and Alex almost an hour to get Terry's nose to stop bleeding and almost two, to stop him from crying. Alex sat next to his wolf, while Tyler let Terry lay in his lap. The exhaustion finally started to settle in on the little dog as Tyler gently stroked his head fur. Terry was now at ease and felt safe again as he finally lost consciousness. The wolf leaned over to see if Terry had passed out, feeling his body suddenly become dead weight. "He's out cold Alex. I'll let him sleep here for a bit. He probably needs it."

"That's okay, you know, seeing this tells me I made a good decision." The wolf looked a bit confused at the comment but when the Pit put an arm on his shoulder, he knew what it meant.

"So Ty, do you think he'll be fine? You know........ him and his dad?"

"To be honest I really don't. I'd never even thought that Mike was capable of something like this before tonight. But I really don't want to think about it anymore today. I just want to look at those big pretty eyes of yours and get lost in them. Terry's asleep and I don't think he's gonna be waking up any time soon."

"Ty, you agreed to wait right?"

"Yes, but I didn't say I wanted to do anything to you. I just like staring at your eyes. They're really pretty."

"That's really sweet, you can do that all you want later. For right now, why don't we watch a movie for a while or something? We gotta get to bed so we can get up for class tomorrow." Alex leaned over to grab the remote for the T.V. and turned it on. Tyler, still holding the little Shepherd in his lap, leaned on Alex' shoulder as the dog started flipping through channels. Alex smiled as he felt the wolf's head on his shoulder. He moved his arm to wrap it around the wolf and laid Ty's head on his chest as he found some comedy re-runs on T.V.

"You can leave this on if you want, it's a good show."

"Not a problem" Alex replied. The three boys lay piled on the couch as the show ran. Eventually, Ty and Alex had passed out right along with Terry.

(Early Next Morning)

"Hey kiddo" came from a soft, deep voice. Alex could feel two large, sturdy paws lightly shaking his shoulders.

"Dad?" the pup said as he rubbed his eyes trying to focus them.

"Making new friends already huh? That's good."

"I....I'm sorry dad I....."

"No, hey, it's alright bud. I just wanted to wake you up so you're not late. You looked so happy last night. I didn't want to disturb you."

Alex looked around him. The other two were still lying on top of him. "Hey Tyler....Ty get up." Alex shook the wolf trying to get him up. "Ty we're gonna be late."

Alex's father shook his head with a small smile, "You don't have to wake them. They can stay here."

Alex pointed his finger toward Terry. "The little guy over there, that's fine dad but this one's gotta come with me."

"Oh, are you two classmates then?"

"Yeah" Alex then mumbled a bit.... "Among other things ......... but, yeah we are. So, I gotta get him up too." Alex's father gave him a little smile as he helped him off the couch.

"Good to see you're making friends already. I was a little worried that you wouldn't, but this is really good. So, when's your first date?"

"Dad!!!"

"I'm only kidding son, don't get so mad. I just assumed from the way you were holding him last night that well, you know, you two were an item."

Alex nervously scratched at his head fur and then gave a good stretch. "Well, I ran into him Sunday afternoon, and then yesterday we actually had a chance to talk and get to know each other. We seemed to click right away so, I hope that we just might be."

"And what about the other little guy?"

"That's his best friend." Alex reached down to wake up the sleeping wolf again. He shook him until Ty finally rolled over.

"Hey wolfie, we gotta get going."

"yawnnnnn, what time is it?"

"It's almost six."

Tyler tried to pry himself from under Terry as the two dogs watched him. "Good morning" came from the older dog. "What's your name son?"

"T-Tyler, Tyler Dennison sir."

The older dog started to laugh, "This one's a bit jittery, isn't he?"

"Ty, this is my dad, Greg Meade."

"Nice to meet you sir, you did a great job on this house. A- An old friend of mine used to live......here."

While addressing Tyler, the big dog pointed to the still sleeping Shepherd. "Who's this little guy on the couch then?"

The young Pit started getting annoyed. "Dad, do you really have to ask questions I already answered for you?" But his father just looked at him and shrugged. The wolf on the other hand, not wanting to be rude answered the Alpha's question.

"That's my friend Terry, it's kind of a long story why we were here all night, and I'm incredibly sorry for intruding but......"

Greg had cut the young lupine off, "Calm down son, nobody's intruding anywhere, just relax. I only wanted to get you guys up for school. Why are you so nervous?"

Ty shook his head and rubbed his right arm. "I guess cause I haven't been properly introduced to you. You just found me sleeping on your couch. I wasn't expecting to meet Alex's parents this way."

"Look here kiddo. Any friend of my son is welcome in our house, including the little guy over there. You can let him be, and I'll make sure he gets where he needs to go today, don't worry about it okay? Now you boys get going before you're late."

Alex ran upstairs to put some new clothes on while Ty checked his pockets to make sure he didn't forget anything. As quickly as Alex ran up the stairs, he ran back down them. "Hey Ty, here!" came from Alex as he threw a shirt to the wolf.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that."

"I've gotta take care of you now don't I. You slept over at my house."

Tyler smiled and changed his shirt, then walked over to Terry and checked on him one more time. The older dog watched the wolf as he did so. He walked closer to the wolf and put a paw on his shoulder. "He'll be fine now go on ahead" Greg reassured the pup as he tried to get the youths on their way to school. As the two boys walked out of the door, Alex' father walked over to the couch with a blanket and covered the little Shepherd, then walked back into the kitchen to read his morning paper

The boys were still extremely tired as they made their way to the train station. Tyler couldn't stop yawning and Alex couldn't keep his eyes open. "I'm really sorry to put you in an awkward position like that Tyler. I swear I didn't know he was going to be coming home last night."

"It's okay, I'm not upset or anything, I just wasn't expecting to wake up like that. What does your dad do anyway?"

"He's a cop. He was actually supposed to be out of town until next Saturday. They must have finished their case early."

Ty scratched his head and then wiped the little bit of drool from his muzzle. "Is he gone a lot? Or does he come home every night?"

"I suppose it varies. I guess it all depends what kind of case he's working on, like, he's been working on a kidnapping case that brought him all the way down to Bermuda Illinois. That's where they found the victim, lying in a ditch, ripped up pretty bad."

"Was the person alive?!"

"Just barely, she was a Chicago native and lived in the precinct that my dad works in, plus there was a missing person's report filed at that station as well so when the cops down there found her......."

"Your dad got put on the case, right?"

"Exactly"

"Hey, are you sure that Terry will be okay there? I just don't want him to freak out when he wakes up."

"That's not what you'll have to worry about, just hope he doesn't start interrogating him." Tyler started to look freaked out, and Alex started to laugh.

"I'm only kidding around Ty, loosen up a bit. My dad is really good with kids, young and older, he'll be fine. He works in the Juvenile Department. He knows how to make them feel safe and comfortable. Terry is in good hands."

"So, that poor victim?......."

"Yeah.......... was a kid....... anyway, we need to get going."

"Y-yeah, okay, lets head out"

The two made their walk to the usual intersection, finding their way down the stairs to the train station and once again on their way to school.

(Later That Morning)

Terry gripped the comforter that he had been covered with as he awoke. He tried to open his tired eyes but, could only focus out of one due to the swelling. He started to look around the room and then realized where he was. As he sat up on the couch, he started to hear faint noises coming from the kitchen. He tried to speak but his throat was sore from all of crying last night. He gave a small cough to clear his throat and then tried calling out to his friend. "Ty.......Tyler....... Alex........ Are you here?" he uttered with a very scratchy throat. There was no response. He sat up and put his pads to the floor to get off the couch. As he got up, his head started to throb, and he felt the pain in his swollen eye. He held his head as he padded his way to the kitchen only to find a large, unfamiliar Pit Bull sitting at the table.

"I uh, I......... Is Alex here?"

"You must be Terry, right? The older dog asked with a kind smile on his muzzle.

"Y-Yes, -a-a- are you his dad sir?"

The older dog once again started to giggle to himself. "My name is Greg, yes, I'm Lex's dad. Why don't you have a seat, you look hungry."

The little dog rubbed his head as he sat down at the kitchen table. "I-I don't want to be a bother."

"You're a kid. No kid is ever a bother. Are you okay, you look a little roughed up."

"Yeah ....... I'm okay, my head just........"

Greg got up and walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs and a pack of bacon. "It's okay son, I told your friend Tyler that I'd keep an eye on you while they were at school. So where do you live?"

Terry attempted to clear his throat again to answer the dog's question. "I live right down the street on Noble."

"So kiddo, what does the other guy look like?" Greg saw the pup's face and knew he'd been in a fight but, Terry was lost at the question.

"I.....I'm sorry?"

"The other kid who gave you the black eye, what does he look like?"

Terry wasn't a habitual liar, especially toward adult. He didn't really want to say anything but, he didn't want to be rude either. He wanted to say what happened but wasn't sure if he could. At the same time, he needed more closure, but he also didn't want to relive the night before. "Sir? Is it...okay? ....... I-I'm not sure about.........."

The Pit smiled at Terry and put a paw on his shoulder, "It's alright son. You can tell me what happened."

Reluctantly, Terry shrugged and took a deep breath, only to exhale and freeze up once again. Reliving the thoughts of last night's encounter with his father started to make him shake uncontrollably once more, and the Pit Bull could clearly see something was seriously wrong. "Terry, what's wrong? Who did this to you, to make you feel this bad? Look at you son, you're almost a seizure case you're shaking so bad."

The little Shepherd once more took a deep breath and released. "I.......it wasn't a kid.........Me and my dad got into a fight last night."

"So you came here?"

"Well not exactly sir, I........"

"Don't call me sir kiddo, I'm a friend now, you do remember my name, I just told you."

"I-I'm sorry..........."

"It's okay.......... You're safe here so relax......... go ahead."

"Well, Ty and I ......... we, we were kinda together for a little while and well, when his mom found out about us, she said that we had to be honest to everyone."

"So you're telling me that you two were boyfriends?"

"Y-Yes......."

"Okay son, go on, I'm all ears."

"Well, I came home and told my parents that I needed to talk to them about "me" and everything seemed to be fine that night. Then yesterday, I hung out with Ty and Alex all day and we went to the movies. When we came home from the movies, they dropped me off and when I walked into my house. My dad was upstairs making a whole lot of noise. My mom was sitting on the couch crying and I got really scared. The next thing I knew, he grabbed me and tried to throw me out of the house. The last thing I remember was he hit my mom and I bit him in the neck to keep him off of her. Then I woke up on the floor with blood in my mouth. That's when my mom and I left the house. We went over by Ty's house, but he wasn't there, so I came over here since I knew he was still with Alex."

Greg rubbed his chin as he listened to the little Shepherd's story. He wasn't amused at the fact of a parent laying their hand on a child like this. "Terry...........Has your dad ever hit you before like this?"

"No.......I thought that maybe, I don't know, maybe it was too much for him to handle. I'm his only kid and, with me being the way I am, maybe he got scared that there wouldn't be any grandchildren or anyone to carry on his bloodline. I really do love my dad, and I know he loves me but, I think that maybe he's having a really hard time coping with it. I hope that if I gave him enough time then......."

"Terry I'm gonna stop you right there son. I want you to listen to me, okay? I think you're right. I think your dad does love you very much. But what I want you to understand is that, with you being the way you are, being attracted to boys, it could take a very long time for your dad to come around. Unfortunately, there's a chance he may never come around. All you can do is keep hoping that he loves you enough to except you for who you are and be there for you when you really need him. That's what's important."

The little Shepherd had tears welling in his eyes. The fact that a total stranger had more love and understanding in his heart for him, more than his own father, really did hurt him. But he was thankful that he found in an adult, someone he could really talk to. The large Pit Bull walked over to him and gave him a hug. The little Shepherd couldn't hold in his tears any longer, he started to cry.

"I don't know what I did wrong" the little dog blubbered.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You are you, and don't ever change for anyone." The Pit leaned down so he and the pup were face to face.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. I'll make some breakfast. I have some errands to take care of, and I want to meet your mom. Maybe after that if it's okay with her, I'd like you to meet someone."

The little dog wiped the tears off his face and followed the Pit to the bathroom.

"Go ahead and get cleaned up, I'll be right back." Greg left the bathroom. Terry could hear him walk up the stairs. He turned on the water and let it get warm. He looked at himself in the mirror, his eye was swollen, there was dried blood on his nose, and there was still some blood on the fur around his lips. He dipped his paws into the water and splashed it over his face. The soothing warm water felt good on his bruised eye. As he put his paws back down into the water, the liquid turned pink as it went down the drain. Terry heard footsteps come down the stairs once again and then he saw Greg in the mirror.

"Here kiddo, these are Alex's clothes but, I'm pretty sure you'll fit in them." The little dog smiled and took the clothes from the Pit.

"You can take a shower if you want. Either way I'm gonna get started on breakfast here." Terry nodded at the gesture as if to say thanks, and Greg closed the door behind him as he left.

About twenty minutes had gone by as the Shepherd opened the door to the bathroom. When he walked into the kitchen, he started to smell the bacon cooking. As he got to the table, he saw quite a spread. Eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, and milk sat atop of the clean white linen that was covering the solid oak table. "There you go kiddo, you look better already. Eat up cause we gotta get out of here. I have to run those errands for my wife and since we'll be out, I figured we'd pick up the other two"

Terry had a curious look on his face, "The other two?"

"Yeah, your friends, Alex and Tyler."

Terry ate the food that was placed in front of him, and after they finished their breakfast, they made their way out.

As they were walking down the steps, Greg looked at the pup. "Before we go anywhere, we should probably find your mom, so she's not worried about you. I don't want to get arrested for kidnapping you." The pup giggled.

They headed in the direction of Tyler's house since that's where his mother still probably was from the night before. As they made their way closer to the house, Zeta was walking down the street and spotted Terry.

"Terry! Terry! Did Tyler get to school this morning?"

The Pit Bull intervened. "Good morning ma'am. Are you the boy's mother?"

"No, he's my son's friend."

"Oh, your Tyler's mom."

"Yes, was he with you?"

"Yeah, he and Alex made it to school this morning from my house. We were just on our way to pick them up."

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"My name is Greg, I'm Alex's father. Your son and this little guy stayed over at my house last night."

"No, no that's fine. I just wanted to make sure, with everything going on, that he still made it to school."

"Well, kids will be kids. I'm sure he probably meant to call you last night, but it seemed he was pretty busy taking care of this little guy."

Zeta looked at the Shepherd pup, "That reminds me. Terry you should check in with your mom. You know what, never mind, she's still sleeping on my couch, I'll tell her when she gets up." Terry gave Zeta a quick hug and walked back over to the Pit Bull. The two dogs started to walk away when Greg turned back around.

"Ma'am, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Zeta"

"Well Zeta, since you're here, I was going to pick up the boys at school and head out towards my other son's house in the burbs for the weekend. The fourth is coming up. It'll be Alex's fifteenth birthday. I figured I'd let the boys get to know each other better and I think they'd have a pretty good time out there."

The female wolf had a look in her eyes as if her head was spinning. It almost seemed as if this guy knew more about their kids and what was going on than she did.

"Zeta, I know you don't know me from atom, and this is probably quite awkward for you so let me properly introduce myself. My name is Greg Meade. I live six houses down from you. I'm a cop in the Juvenile department 15th precinct, and I work with kids for a living. So, rest assured you won't have to worry about their safety. Here's my card, and if you decide you don't want them to go, just call my cell and I'll bring them home. I really wish we had more time to get acquainted before our kids are spending the night at each other's houses but, maybe we can after I get back with these guys."

Zeta took the card from the Pit's hand. "I guess it's okay, I mean, my kid can't stay little forever. Just do me one favor please uh, Greg was it? Can you bring him back here before you leave so these boys can at least grab some clothes for the weekend?"

The canine nodded at the wolf, "Absolutely, I had no intention of taking them anywhere without your knowledge in the first place. I know you met my son yesterday, but I felt it proper for you to meet me as well before I would take your boys anywhere. I'll be back here in about an hour. Maybe we can talk more then?" With the reassuring words the dog left her, the wolf smiled and nodded, and after the short conversation between the three canids, Terry and Greg walked to the car.

"Um, Greg?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"You never said you were a cop. After our talk, you're not going to arrest my dad, are you?"

"Well that all depends. Do you want me to? He did commit a crime."

"No..........I really don't............I think he just made a mistake. I don't think he should be punished for it."

"It's your dad, nobody can tell you what to do. You do what you feel is right. But I am an officer, and he did certainly break the law....... I would like to talk with your mom as well about this when we get back from picking up the boys"

"...............Don't arrest him please!?? Just leave him be............ I.......... know he didn't mean it."

The big dog put an arm around the pup and gave him a confident shake. "You got it kiddo, at least for now, we'll let this go, but an officer is never off duty, even when we are off duty, and I need to make sure that your safety isn't compromised."

They reached Greg's SUV and piled in, making their way off to run the dog's errands and afterwards, to pick up Tyler and Alex.

(School: Early Afternoon)

The dismissal bell rang, everybody jumped out of their seats to get out of class. Beyond being bored to death today, the air conditioning units weren't working, so it made for a hot, uncomfortable, and very long class. Since this was Fourth of July week, the school was going to close early for the holiday, leaving the students with a five-day weekend.

Ty and Alex packed up their stuff and made their way out into the hallway. As they walked down the hall, the wolf turned to his new boyfriend, in the mood for some light conversation. "Hey Alex, what are you gonna do with your time off?"

"Spend it with you silly

"You mean that you aren't going anywhere or doing anything?"

"Nope, wasn't planning on it. Besides, now that I have you, I've got something to do, and somewhere to be. Why, were you going somewhere?"

"No, if anything, we might be going to Brookfield to visit the uncle for the afternoon but that's probably about it. Then it's back to the noisy old block to listen to fireworks all night, till about four in the morning."

"It's that bad around here huh?"

"Yep, pretty much."

The pups padded their way out into the school lobby, dodging oncoming students as they made their way towards the door.

Outside was another sunny heat-filled day wasted away by their class. There was only two days down and about fifteen more to go. The street was full of life at this time of day, kids on skateboards, others on rollerblades and then, there was the occasional bicycle.

The two furs started walking to the corner when they heard a horn and a familiar voice yelling. From across the street, Alex could see his dad's car and Terry halfway out of the window. "What the hell is he doing here?" came from the dog.

"I thought you and your dad got along great."

"No, no, no, we do ......... I meant why did he come here to pick us up?"

The two furs walked across the street to get in the car. Terry shuffled to get in the back seat, Ty got in back with him, and Alex sat shotgun. "Hey........ uh, dad? What's up? How come you picked us up?"

"Do I really need a reason to pick you up from school?"

"I didn't mean it like that, it's just surprising."

"Well, I was just spending some time getting to know your little friend back there and thought that since we're out and about, that we'd pick you two up. It's better to be in an air-conditioned car then burning up waiting for a train, right?"

Alex nodded and closed the window back up. They took off from the school and made their way back to the neighborhood. "How would you boys like to go out to the burbs this weekend? I want Terry to meet someone, and I figured you two would have your own time to do whatever you'd like to do."

"Dad, do you mean out by Shaun?"

"Maybe"

The younger Pit started to grow a sinister little grin, and his dad could see it. "You better behave yourself mister, we've got guests."

"Are they really gonna be able to come? How do you know their parents are gonna be cool with it?"

"I know because I talked to Tyler's mother about it already."

The wolf looked a little worried and intervened. "Should we be scared right now? Because we are."

Responding to the comment, Greg offered a sincere response. "No, you don't have to worry. He just likes going out there because his brother always has lots of stuff for him to do."

Hearing the explanation given to them, the two furs in the back seat looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders as the group continued to make their way back to the neighborhood.

Soon after they turned on to their street, Greg pulled up to an empty parking spot in front of his house and proceeded to park the car. As he finished parking, Alex jumped out of the car. "Dad I'm gonna go pack my stuff so we can get outta here."

"That's fine son, I'm going to take these boys over to Tyler's house. His mom wants to talk with them before we leave."

"Okay dad, I'll run over there when I'm done packing." The Pit bull made his way up into the house while the other three walked down the block. The two pups with Greg seemed excited but nervous at the same time. It was like, they just met him and now they're going on a trip with him. It was kind of cool but weird at the same time.

"Don't tell me you boys are getting cold feet now. I promise you; you guys are going to have a great time. I'm actually glad that your mothers wanted me to bring you back here because I wanted to invite them as well."

The three canids made their way across the street and walked down into Tyler's yard, and up to the screen door, with Tyler popping his head into the kitchen. "Mom, I'm back."

"Hey there pup, are you and your new friend doing okay? How's Terry feeling?"

The little Shepherd scratched his head and looked down at his feet with a shy expression. "I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks. Is mom still here?"

"Yeah, she's sitting on the couch."

Terry ran to his mom and gave her a big hug. She only returned the gesture with a much tighter embrace. "Oh, I missed you sweetie, are you okay?"

With a small number of tears in the pup's eyes, he rubbed up against his mom's shoulder nodding at her question. She gave him a small lick on his head and then got off the couch. Still holding on to her son, she walked into the kitchen with the rest of the group.

As Jean approached the gentleman standing in the kitchen, the Pit Bull extend a paw to greet her. "Well hello, you must be Terry's mother."

"Yes sir, this little guy's mine" returned the female Shepherd.

"My name is Jean and you are?" the female asked with a smile on her muzzle.

"My name is Greg, I'm Alex's dad."

"Oh, he must be the little white Pittie that stopped by yesterday with Tyler."

"Yeah, that would be him. Are you doing okay ma'am? From last night I mean?"

Jean gave a small nod to the dog that was reassuring but unfeeling at the same time, leaving Greg to let go of her paw and continue stating his motive for the visit.

"Well anyways, it's nice to meet you both. Since I have both of you ladies here, I'd like to ask you a question. I would like to know if you two wouldn't mind getting out of here for the weekend as well. My wife will be meeting me up by my son's house in Gurnee. I know you two have been through just as much as the pups here and I figured maybe you could use a getaway as well. I spoke to Zeta earlier briefly about the boys. It'd be a good chance to get to know everyone, especially since our kids already do. It'll be a lot of fun, what do you say?"

The ladies looked at each other. Zeta hasn't been anywhere fun in quite some time; she had been working long hours at her job and hadn't taken a vacation for the better part of three years. Jean just had one hell of a night herself and only wanted to get the fight with her husband off her mind. They both looked back at the Pit Bull and shook their heads. "Sure" came from Zeta and an additional "why not?" came from Jean. "I mean this is kind of sudden, but in light of everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours, getting away for a few days might be a good thing for all of us."

The female Shepherd made her way to the door turning around to address the group. "Let me go back to my house really quick and pack some stuff up for me and my son and I'll be right back. Terry you're going to stay here." The pup nodded at his mother, letting her know he understood.

As Jean walked out of the house, Zeta could hear the sound of foot pads running down the gangway. Suddenly the sound stopped, and the screen door flew open. "Hi Ty, dad, uh ...... Heh heh....... Ms. Dennison, it's nice to see you again." The young Pit nervously padded over to the she-wolf and extended a paw to greet her. She grabbed the youth's paw and shook it.

"Well Greg, at least now I know where he gets his good looks from." Alex looked at Tyler while his face fur turned bright pink. Zeta giggled as she saw the pup blush. The older Pit chuckled a bit as well as he saw his son crack with embarrassment.

"This runt's okay, but the older one's a real head turner." Zeta laughed at the comment as she watched the younger Pit fume from the joke.

"I just have to compliment good taste. If he's gonna have a boyfriend at least he's good quality." Greg nodded and put a paw on his son's shoulder, leaving the pup to silently growl.

After the jokes were finished being made at his expense, Alex gestured to the wolves. "Shouldn't you two get some stuff packed up if you're gonna come with us?" The Lupines nodded and went into their rooms to get some things for the weekend.

(Back at Jean's House)

Jean walked in the door and nervously looked around. She turned to close the door behind her. As she turned back around, she shyly called out her husband's name but there was no answer. Jean made her way upstairs to get her and suitcase put together, noting that Terry's suitcases were still laying in the middle of the living room floor where they were left the night before.

As she opened her bedroom door, her husband lay unconscious on the bed. Jean walked over to the closet and pulled out a suitcase, laying it on the bed next to Michael. She moved to her dresser and started sifting through clothes that she thought she would need for the weekend. As the Shepherd started loading her clothes in her suitcase, her husband shuffled on the bed. She brushed off his movements and kept packing her case. She moved back to the dresser one last time when she heard a low voice come from behind her. "Please.........please don't leave me." Her husband had woken up to the noise she was making.

Michael stared at her with torment in his eyes as he confessed his wrong doings. "I admit that, I did a very horrible thing last night and ........ I feel horrible about what I did to both of you."

He moved to wrap his arm around his wife, but she moved away from him. "The person you should be apologizing to isn't me Michael, you know who it is."

"Jean......... You're wrong. I do need your forgiveness too. I hurt you just as much as Terry, if not more. I may have hit him, but I forced you to watch everything. I know what I have to do with my son. I love him, oh so very much but, he's not going to want to talk to me. I broke his trust......... He probably hates me right now, doesn't he?"

"No Michael, he doesn't hate you, he loves you very much. That's why you hurt him so badly last night when you did what you did."

"I truly am sorry Jean. I just need some time to work this out in my head. How couldn't I have seen this........ I mean I never thought......Him and Tyler..........I promise...........I promise I'll make this right, to both of you. I just need a little time to figure out the words, what to say."

Jean, though understanding toward her husband, raised her hackles as she responded to her husband's reasoning. "How about, "I love you", there's a good start. He's at a time in his life that he needs his father's support, more than ever. You can't turn your back on your only son...."

Jean stopped to take a deep breath then exhaled. "Yes, he likes males, but this isn't a crime. It's a sexual preference. This is who he, your son is, and if this is his true nature, we shouldn't make him ashamed of this, he shouldn't be ashamed of himself."

Michael stood in front of his wife ashamed, with his ears pressed back and his muzzle pointing toward the floor. "I Know Jean, just......... give me some time to work this out on my own. I promise I'll make it right. Just please don't leave me. I really need you right now, I need you both, I really do.........honest to Gods."

"I am leaving......... but only for a couple of days. This should hopefully give you the time you need to figure out how you're going to handle OUR son."

"W-where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Suburbs with Zeta and some new friends. Terry is going to come with me because Tyler is going too. He wants to be with Tyler and his new friend right now. You know, I don't think you know how bad he feels right now."

"Well could I at least talk to the pup before you leave? No, maybe not, maybe it's still too soon for me........ And for him. Jean, at least hug him and give him a kiss for me......... please?"

The female nodded her head and finished throwing the remaining articles of clothing held in her paws, into the suitcase. She zipped the case up and pulled it off the bed. Michael grabbed the luggage out of her paw and carried it down the stairs for her.

She made her way down the stairs and walked over to the suitcases on the floor and started opening them up to see what was inside. She pulled out a few shirts and a pair of pants from one of the cases. She opened the next case, and there was all his socks and underwear, she stuffed the shirts and pair of pants into the bag. She opened the third suitcase and found all his shorts and swim gear, pulling out a few pairs of shorts and a set of trunks.

After switching stuff around between the cases, she put the others aside neatly, and grabbed the one she made up for Terry, padding to the door where her husband was waiting. Opening the door, she reached for her suitcase. As Michael handed the luggage back to her, he slowly dove in for a kiss. She stood motionless in her husband's kiss, but only momentarily. Jean pulled away from her husband as she took the suitcase from him. Laying a paw on his shoulder, Jean turned around slowly and walked out of the house.

As she made her way down the street, she saw the SUV full of furs waiting for her. Michael looked out of the door and searched for his son within the vehicle as his wife put her bags in the trunk. Michael spotted his son, looking back at him. All the Shepherd could do was wave at his son and blow a small kiss to him to hopefully let the pup know that he still loved him.

The early rush hour traffic was annoying as they sat on the highway. The congestion was so bad, it seemed like they would move for ten seconds, and be stopped for ten minutes. The drive was going to be long, and Greg knew this. There was eight miles of the stop and go traffic before the interstate split, with around twenty exits in between. Had they not left before two o'clock, the traffic would have been a lot worse.

Getting to the split was a chore but the traffic seemed to open quite a bit, speeding up the ride. Greg was able to increase his speed from five miles per hour to forty-five. If they would be able to keep moving at this pace, they could be to Gurnee in just a little under an hour.

The Suburban streets were filled with flowerpot dividing walls to separate the roadway. Assorted trees adorned every sidewalk down the streets. Each house that they passed by had unbelievably large yards, some even had private lakes behind them. There were many turn-offs and side streets to cut down before they even got close to Shaun's house. It made for a longer trip, but the scenery helped to pass the time.

As they turned down a cul-de-sac, Alex could see his brother's house. His tail started to wag as he got excited. Ty and Terry knew they must be getting close just from the Pittie's actions. Two houses down on the right from the end of the cul-de-sac, this was the driveway they pulled into.

The house was huge, but it wasn't quite as large as the other houses on the road. The exterior of the house was natural brick. The front of the house had two bay windows. One on each side of the door, with a large designer door adorned with frosted glass panels standing in the center. The house looked to have two floors from the outside, judging from the three smaller sets of windows above the bays. There was a three-car garage that stemmed from the side of the house and wrapped around to the rear. As the mothers looked at this house, dreaming was a necessity for they knew this was something they could never afford.

The group got out of the car and went to the trunk to pull out their luggage. As they approached the house, a tall, thin but well-built Pit Bull stood just outside the door looking on at his visitors. Alex saw his brother watching them as they made their way toward the house. He threw his bag into the grass and ran toward him. As he got closer, the young Pit jumped at the other dog as if to pounce on him. Alex's brother was too slow to react though, by the time he realized he needed to move, he was already on the floor with his brother on top of him.

"Glad to see you too bro, you're puttin' on some poundage."

Shaun grabbed his little brother and playfully put him in a head lock. The smaller dog squirmed and wiggled to break loose, but his brother was clearly stronger.

"Dude, no fair!" came from Alex as he continued to try and break free from his brother.

"Hey now, I haven't seen you in almost four months and this is the greeting I get from you? You knocked me clear on my ass, and now it's not fair? Geez dad, you're getting' soft on the runt.

"Alright, alright, settle down boys. Shaun, I brought some guests with me, I hope you don't mind. They're some new friends of ours that welcomed us to the neighborhood."

Shaun loosened the grip on his brother and changed his head lock into a hug. "It is good to see you little bro."

Alex got off his brother and Shaun got off the floor. He straightened out his shirt and then padded up to the newcomers to greet them.

Greg extended his paw toward the women. "Shaun, this is Jean and Zeta" then pointed to the pups, "and these two are Tyler and Terry. Zeta is Ty's mom. This little guy belongs to Jean."

Shaun extended his paw to greet everyone. After the formalities, he escorted everyone into the living room.

"Please everybody, make yourselves at home. Hey Lex, you should probably get your bag off the lawn before the sprinklers turn on."

Alex ran back outside to grab his bags while everyone found a place to sit in the living room. Tyler left a spot on the couch open for Alex. The pup came back into the house with his duffle bag and threw it on the floor next to the rest of the luggage. He padded his way into the living room, flopping down on the couch right next to Ty, putting his arm around him.

Alex's brother got up from his chair after everyone was seated. "Can I get you guys anything to drink?"

As the others spoke, the dog took orders or requests and made his way to the kitchen. Shortly after, the Pit's father walked into the kitchen behind him.

"Is this really okay son? I wanted to call you, but I kind of wanted this to be a surprise too.

"It's fine dad, really, did you want me to meet Lex's new boy toy?"

"That's not why I brought them here. Ty and Alex are classmates and friends. Terry and Ty are best friends, and while I kind of know the boys, I wanted to get to know their parents. Besides, look at you, an attractive young male, living in a super-sized home and no one to share it with. You can't get mad at me for filling it up a bit."

"Okay, but he's still his boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah, I...... suppose he is."

"Okay so, I'm still meeting the boyfriend."

"Yeah, what's your point kid?"

"It's really kind of cute, puppy love, y'know?"

"Anyway son, the little guy Terry, I wanted you to meet him. I think that there's some stuff going on with him, that you may be able to help him deal with. He and his dad had a really bad slugfest when he recently discussed his sexuality with him."

"Yeah, but Pops, you and I were cool from the start when I came out. How's this going to compare to me?"

The older Pit rubbed his chin and looked down toward the counter. "Andrew."

When those words hit his ears, Shaun's eyes widened. Andrew was an old flame of Shaun's. He hadn't opened up to his parents until his senior year of college. When he did finally out himself, his very own father took his life in a fit of rage.

"Dad! You don't really think that this kid has to worry about something like that do you?"

"I don't know. It didn't seem like that today when I saw his parents together before we left, but we all know that time can change anyone."

The two dogs finished up gathering drinks in the kitchen and padded their way back into the living room. As they entered, they saw a room full of conversations. The women were talking about their goings-on, while the boys had their conversations. Greg sat down next to Jean and Zeta. "It's nice that everyone started up their own little chats. I thought I'd come back to an awkward silence."

Alex's brother sat back down in his chair after he gave the boys their drinks. He sat there looking at Terry. He saw that the pup was still banged up pretty bad. Seeing this brought flashbacks of Andrew back through his mind. He'd forgotten about that, the aftermath. "How could someone do something so horrible, just because of who they cared for?"

After a moment, his senses came back to him, wanting to acknowledge Terry. "So, Terry, how old are you?" Shaun asked, causing the little to Shepherd jump at the question.

"I-I'm sixteen, I'll be 17 next month."

"I didn't mean to offend you, you just look a lot younger than you are, and you're in the same grade as Tyler and Alex?" Jean stepped in, "He was a sickly pup when he was little, we had to get him strong and able. Unfortunately, that meant starting school later than others."

Tyler ruffled the little Shepherd's head fur. "Yeah, he's a runt, but he's got a bite on him." Shaun just smiled at the comment.

The group got had many discussions while getting to know each other. Questions were asked, stories were told, but all the kids, including Shaun got the worst of it. It always seemed that no matter where you went or who you met, every parent on the planet had to tell the embarrassing childhood stories to the other adults.

After a while, Shaun took the three boys out to the back of the house and let the parents carry on their own conversation.

"You guys should follow me. I've got some pretty cool stuff sitting in my garage. Besides, do you really wanna hear anymore naked pup stories about fudgin' huggies?"

Shaun opened the garage door. As the door slowly opened, a silhouette of off-road vehicles could be seen from the shadows. When the door was finally fully open, the three could see a collection of four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Alex was ecstatic. "Bro! I knew you were gonna let me ride! This is awesome!"

The other two boys were equally dumbfounded, but nervous, as this would be the first time they rode these kinds of machines. "So, what do you boys think? Pretty cool huh?" Shaun questioned the group.

Ty pepped up. "Yeah, pretty cool's an understatement. Are you really gonna let us ride these?"

"For sure little buddy, why do you think I was asking the little guy his age? These toys are five-hundreds, not a force to be reckoned with.

"Well, where are we gonna ride them? Ty asked. Shaun turned around and pointed his finger toward the lake behind his house.

"The whole areas got a shared trail for four-wheeling, biking, nature walks. Pretty much, whatever you want."

Shaun showed the boys how to start up the bikes and helped them back out of the garage. He gave them brief instructions on all the bikes' functions and let them tool around a bit until they got used to them. Meanwhile, Alex had already ridden these machines quite a bit, so he went off down toward the lake.

About twenty minutes had passed before Shaun asked Ty and Terry if they were comfortable enough with the equipment to hit the trails. He didn't get a straight answer, but a couple of reassuring nods sealed the deal for him to hop on his bike and lead them off down to the lake.

(Later in the evening)

Five hours had passed since the boys took off on the bikes. It was getting late and dark. Jean and the others were out back on the patio having a few drinks when they saw four sets of headlights coming up from the lake. "That must be our boys" Jean commented.

"Yeah, that's probably right," said Greg. "This is why Alex always loves to come out here. His brother spoils him and then sends him back home to me and the wife."

Zeta turned to look at Greg, laughing as she did. "He can't be that bad."

"No, I'm just bullshitting. He's a great kid, smart, funny, very charismatic. No wonder your son really likes him."

"Yeah, uh........I'm still getting used to the whole male/male thing. But, I guess, every parent wants the best for their children."

Jean turned around and looked at Zeta with a worried face. "I just hope that Terry finds his happiness in all of this."

The wolf looked at her friend with concerned eyes. "Jean, you do know that it was Terry's decision to break them up right?" This comment made the Shepherd confused.

"Well, what do you mean?" Jean asked the wolf. Greg's curiosity was now peaked as well. He only knew from Terry's brief explanation this morning that Ty and Terry saw each other at one point. But he didn't know what broke them up.

Zeta explained as the other two listened. "Terry thought that it would be better not to continue their relationship because he felt that he'd rather have him as a friend then not at all. He was worried that once you and I found out about him and Tyler, we'd split them up. Obviously, we never did. But then he thought. What if he and Tyler were together? What if he did something to unintentionally hurt Tyler? He'd never forgive himself and couldn't bear to hurt him. That's why he felt their pairing wasn't a good idea."

The German Shepherd slowly nodded her head as if to say "now I get it" but went right back into thought.

The parents watched their children drive into to garage. The roaring of the two-cycle engines ceased after a short period of time. Shortly after, they saw three tail-wagging teens walk out of the garage and toward the patio.

The boys walked up the patio stairs to find their parents out there having a few cocktails. They weren't in the same attire they were wearing before they left. All their parents had changed into bathing suits at some earlier point in the day. Seeing the water dripping from the lounge chairs, the boys figured they must have gone for a swim in the lake.

By the time the three boys looked to find a place to sit, they heard the garage door closing, and could see Shaun walk up to the house. Greg had slid up in his chair to see his son walk up the stairs. "Boy, you were out a while. Why so long?"

The Pit shrugged his shoulders. "They're boys dad, let 'em have a little fun."

The older Pit Bull sat up in his chair a little further. "I'm not mad or anything, I'm just surprised you were out there that long. Must make you feel like a kid again huh?"

The younger Pit felt like getting playfully cocky. "Sorry, not quite that old there, grandpa."

He padded over to his father to reach down and give him a hug. "Just messin' with ya dad."

"I know it. But are you gonna be this good lookin' when you reach my age? That's the real noodle baker." Everybody started giggling at this play fight, and then the silence once again followed.

The boys looked like they were getting hungry and tired. The women looked as they were ready to retire for the evening a while ago. Greg still wanted his son to speak with Terry tonight. He felt they should get the serious matters out of the way so everyone could enjoy the rest of the holiday.

Shaun walked away from his father and into the kitchen to pick up the phone. He didn't know if any of the others had eaten, so he was going to order some pizzas. He knew the boys were hungry, he knew he was hungry too. As he ordered the pizzas, he saw the pups walk into the house. Alex started giving the other two the grand tour.

The Kitchen was rather large. It was almost as if there were no outer walls, just endless glass looking out onto the lake. Next to the windows, sat a large solid-oak table with eight chairs wrapped around it. The walls were painted a very light beige color, with an off-white palm tree pattern brushed in on the topcoat. There was a large island-type counter set square in the middle of the kitchen. Atop this counter was solid granite, polished to an ultra-high shine. There was a black, flat-surface stove with digital clock and temperature panels, standing in the center of the counter, with a small wash sink sitting next to it. There was a designer hanging rack above the island, with very expensive-looking cookware. On the wrap-around counters, there was more granite. On the back wall closest to the deck, was a dual tub sink complete with a produce washing tub next to it, very nicely recessed into the counter. On the adjacent wall was a two-tier, in-wall oven surrounded by plenty of cabinet space. On the entry way wall to the kitchen, there was a very large, black refrigerator with two side-by-side doors, complete with water and ice maker.

Alex brought them upstairs from the kitchen, they had already been in the living room, which was simplistic for the type of house this was. The furniture was simple, hued in a deep forest green, standing on top of deep grey carpeting. The walls for the most part, matched the carpeting except the paint was slightly lighter.

The rest of the house so far looked to be an off-white color as they made their way to the hallway upstairs. There were six doorways. As they turned left, the first room on the left was a large guest bedroom with a very comfortable looking queen-sized bed. This room was also painted off-white but had hardwood oak floors.

The next room they went into was to the right, directly across the hall, this was Shaun's master suite. In the center of the right wall, a king-sized bed with a pillow-top mattress stood. On top of the mattress, was a very silky, set of black satin sheets. The bed was filled with over-sized pillows. The drapes over the windows were black as well, matching the bed set. The carpet was a cream color matching the walls. On the left wall, there was a large walk-in closet. This is where all of Shaun's apparel sat. Other than the bed and two oak nightstands, there wasn't any other furniture in the room except for a very thick futon mattress on the floor under the window.

They made their way out of Shaun's room and further to the end of the hall. There was one final door on this side they had yet to open. When Alex opened the door, in front of them was the master bathroom. In the room was a huge bathtub with a whirlpool, and a separate shower in the corner. A designer toilet and dual tub sink sat next to each other, next to the window. The floors were a ceramic tile, mostly deep greens, blues, and reds, with other earth tones mixed in. The counter of the sink, and a few inches surrounding the mirror had a slightly similar mosaic design to the floor, only, done with one-inch tiles. On the far wall was a very narrow door with towels and wash cloths inside. The bathroom was very open and very bright, much larger than the other two boys had ever seen in before.

Alex and the rest left the bathroom and had moved across to the other side of the house. The first door on the right, to the right of the stairs was another guest bedroom. This room seemed to mirror the very first room they entered.

At the end of the hall was one more bedroom. As they entered the room, they could see that the room wasn't the normal square bedroom. The further they walked in; they could see that it wrapped around to the back of the house. In the center of the room was another king-sized bed with a pillow-top mattress. The bed was once again, covered in satin sheets, although on this bed they were white. The carpet in this room was cream colored as well, just like Shaun's room. The drapes on the windows in this room, just like the master suite, matched the bed set. As they turned the corner to the left, there lay sitting in the middle of the floor, was a forty jet Jacuzzi, wrapped in the same tile set-up as the master bathroom. The tile spread out three feet from the Jacuzzi in every direction, starting from the sides of the tub, down the steps and onto the floor, being separated from the carpet by smoke-colored steel baffling. To the left of the Jacuzzi on the inner wall, was another door. Inside the door was another full bathroom. This one was quite smaller than the other, yet still had a decent size to it. The tile work once again, matched that of the master bathroom. On the left wall of this bathroom was another door which the boys walked out, leading back out to the main hallway.

They made their way back downstairs and into the kitchen. Alex watched his brother as he mixed himself a drink, waiting for him to finish so they could talk. "Hey, uh...... bro? Where are we gonna sleep tonight?"

The older canine turned around with a smile on his muzzle, "I wouldn't worry about that right now, you guys like pepperoni right?"

Ty and Terry shook their heads in agreement. Shaun gave them a thumb's up and signaled them to follow him as he walked back out to the deck.

The night went on. Everybody had a few slices of pizza, a few drinks, and a couple of laughs. It was reaching around midnight when the girls decided it was time for them to turn in. Instead of taking them upstairs, Shaun walked them through the kitchen to a set of stairs to the basement. "I'll bring you ladies down here, I have a couple of single beds down here, and they're pretty nice too. I hope you ladies find them comfortable." The Pit showed them to their rooms and then said his good-byes for the evening.

Shaun made his way back upstairs and then addressed his little brother and Tyler. "What about you two? You ready to hit the hay yet?"

Alex smirked, "Not exactly but where are you puttin' us up anyway?"

Shaun grabbed his brother and pulled him around the corner with Ty. "tell you what, since it's your birthday, wink-wink. I'll give you and Ty the Jacuzzi. Just don't be too loud. The walls are insulated but the doors aren't."

Tyler looked just as excited as Alex did. "What makes you think something's gonna happen anyway?" came from the wolf with an evil gin on his face.

Shaun reached over and patted the wolf on the head. "Because little buddy. I was your age once, just a handful of years ago."

Shaun walked back out to the deck to talk with his father and the little Shepherd, while Alex and Ty made their way upstairs. "Pops, the room on the left is yours."

The Shepherd looked at the Pit in a slightly bewildered manner. "W-what about me?"

The Pit offered a smile to the little dog and then went and sat down next to him. "I didn't forget about you little buddy. Just don't worry about that right now."

Shaun's father got up off the chair he was perched on and walked into the house, waving good night as he did so. The older dog followed suit and turned in for the night.

The cool night breeze felt great as the two remaining canines sat on the deck. Terry leaned back in the bench and looked up at the stars. Shaun sat next to the little dog, letting him absorb the peace and quiet for a bit. It's been quite some time since the little Shepherd had seen stars in the sky. The city night skies were always flooded with light pollution from the city streets below. The little dog sat there, rubbing his elbows as he always did when he was nervous. As the Pit Bull watched him, he giggled to himself.

"You know Terry, you don't have to be worried out here. My dad brought you out here to relax and have a good time."

The little dog perked an ear up, but still carried the same worried expression on his face as before.

"It doesn't bother you that I know, does it pup? My dad told me about you. He kinda wants me to talk to you about it." The little dog cocked his head to the side and shrugged.

"You know it's cool to talk to me, right? ........ Terry?"

The little Shepherd grew numb to his situation. His mind had already started to permanently block the painful thoughts. Leaving him sit in total silence.

Shaun grabbed the pup's paw, "If you don't want to talk right now, I understand, but maybe if you did want to talk, I might be able to............ I don't know little buddy......... maybe I can help you understand yourself better. Maybe make you feel a little more at ease about dealing with your dad."

The Shepherd looked up toward Shaun with a little smile. "I still love my dad........ He's a really great guy. I think he just needs some adjustment time. I did see him and my mother kissing today before we left. Maybe that means that he already worked it out."

Shaun smiled back at him. "Maybe"

Terry sat in his hopeful moment looking back up at the starry night sky. Shaun felt a little better himself now knowing that this kid wasn't as troubled as his father thought. He knew that deep down in his heart, that this pup was at peace with what happened. There's a difference between an abused child and an accidental outburst, and to Shaun, this was to him without a doubt, the latter. Terry didn't have that look in his eyes as Andrew did those years ago, that look that was begging, and crying out for help in utter fear. Andrew had those eyes, even before he knew for certain his own father was a threat. The Pit Bull knew his new little friend would be okay.

"Well Terry?" The dog asked as the little pooch kept zoning. With a small wave in front of his eyes, the Shepherd snapped out of the daydream and felt ready to share his thoughts with Shaun.

"You know, it's really kind of funny how things work out. Less than a month ago, Ty and I were a couple, and I was happy. I was the happiest I've ever been, mostly cause I was able to finally open up to him and say how I really felt. Now we're apart and he's with your brother, and I'm even happier. Maybe it's because he's my best friend and I'm happy for him. Or maybe it's because, I see what I have to look forward to in the future. Since we're not together anymore though, that worry is gone."

The Pit Bull looked puzzled, he didn't quite understand the pup. "Worry?"

Terry tightened the grip a bit on Shaun's paw. "Yeah, you know........ The guilt of hurting someone you really care about by making a one-time mistake. I don't have that worry anymore."

Shaun once again, smiled at the Shepherd, seeing his mood rise. "It's good to know that you're doing okay. You're not telling me these things just to make me feel better, are you?"

"Nope, Ty and I will always stay BFFs, and I'll find someone to call my own that I can really give my heart to."

"Well bud, since I think you're done here, why don't we get you to bed."

"Am I going to stay with Tyler and Alex?"

"Um........ I don't think that's a good idea. I still have an empty bedroom for you. But if you don't want to be alone, you can crash in my room, I got a futon."

"You........ Really don't mind me staying in your room?"

"Nah, it's cool, you don't snore do you?"

Terry giggled at the question as he shook his head to deny the allegation. Shaun picked himself up off the bench and put a paw on Terry's back to escort him into the house. He closed the door and looked up behind them. As they made their way through the house, Shaun shut lights off.

They made their way upstairs to the bedroom and shut the door. The futon already had bedding on it so there was no need to make the bed. Shaun un-tucked the blankets so Terry could lie down. Terry took off his shirt and folded it, laying it next to the bed. Shaun got out of his daywear as well. As he padded over to the light switch to shut it off, he heard the Shepherd's voice.

"Um......... I hope this won't be too weird to ask but........ I have a question for you."

"Well.... What is it pooch?"

"Would you..............could y..... could you maybe......... lay down by me?"

"I don't know what to say to that kiddo........... I'm twenty-three, if anyone walks in my room and sees us in bed together, it won't exactly look good. Know what I mean?"

"Please Shaun? I usually just lay by Ty but......"

Shaun could see in the little Shepherd's eyes that even though he seemed alright, he was still fighting with his sense of security right now. ".................Alright...... If it helps you get some rest .......... I'll lay by you"

Terry moved over toward the middle of the mattress so the Pit Bull could lay down with him. Shaun slid into the bed beside Terry and lied down on his back with his arms behind his head. As Terry felt the warm presence beside him, he shimmied closer to the dog. Before the Pit Bull knew it, he had a small head nuzzled into his ribs. A few moments later, he could hear the little dog breathing deeply, heavy in sleep. Shaun pulled the sheet up further on Terry to tuck him in and then rolled over on his side, wrapping an arm around the little dog. He gave him a quick brush through his head fur, and shortly after, passed out himself.

(Next morning)

The earliest fur to get up was Greg and that was after ten o'clock in the morning. He sluggishly padded his way over to his son's room and opened the door. He walked up to the two sleeping pups on the floor and reached down, grabbing his son by the muzzle.

"Hey bud, get your lazy butt outta bed."

The half-asleep canine started to get up from the futon before he realized the Shepherd was still laying on him. He pulled the sheet off himself to see Terry still curled up on his shoulder. Shaun's father had a look of curiosity on his face as he saw the little dog lying there.

"Nothing happened dad. He just didn't want to be alone." Shaun nervously defended himself as his father rubbed his chin in amusement.

"Did you think I was worried about that son?"

"Well you are a cop. I know what this could look like to you." Shaun's father knelt down next to the futon, shaking the little Shepherd to get him up as well.

"Dad, just leave him be. He was up late last night."

"If he sleeps all day, I can't take him to the water park."

"When did you plan that? Besides, I kind of had other plans for him today."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Don't worry about it dad"

"Don't tell me this pup grew on you that quick."

"Hard to say, he's a good kid though. After our little talk last night, I gotta say, he's way more mature than I was at his age by far."

Shaun's father shook his head with a sarcastic look on his face. "You were afraid to talk to me, even after I told you not to be."

"Are you kidding me?!! I thought you were going to kill me when you found out."

"So, that had nothing to do with you fooling around with guys behind our backs, and some of them being twice your age? I was a teen once too, don't you forget it. I know what it was like to be a walking hormone."

"Ah, once again the mantis tries to mentor the grasshopper."

"Very funny smart-ass. Come on and get up and bring the pup with you."

Shaun's father got up from the floor and made his way to the door. "So, which room did you put the other two in?"

"The Jacuzzi roooooooom! Ow- Ow- Owoooooooooooooo! Woof, woof!!"

Greg shook his head with a slight smile on his face and looked at his mischievous son one last time before he left the room. "You are such a bad influence."

"What are you talking about dad, you got two great sons!"

Shaun's father returned the comment with an even greater smile and a "yeah I do" before he finally left the room.

Shaun lied back down next to Terry, just watching him as he slept. Every now and again, an ever so quiet "murr" would come from the pup. Shaun couldn't even remember the last time that someone felt this comfortable around him like this pup did. Terry had only known Shaun for a day, yet by the end of it, he found similar bond with him, as he did with his best friend. The kind of feeling that told him, when he was around this person, he would always be okay.

Shaun on the other hand, had had a lot of lovers in the past and a lot of serious relations as well, but none of the others ever felt like this near him. Maybe it was because they were older and already secure about who they were. But Terry was still a pup and needed understanding, comfort, and unbiased guidance, and it seemed that he had found it, outside of Tyler, with Shaun.

The Shepherd, still asleep, rolled over on his back, once again finding his warm pocket in the Pit Bull's arm pit. "Cute kid" Shaun thought to himself as he watched Terry. He lied in bed for about a half an hour giving Terry more time to sleep before he felt he should wake him. When the time came, Shaun lightly scratched on Terry's muzzle, just behind his nose. Terry gave off a couple of weak moans before he slowly opened his still swollen and puffy eyes.

"Huh? ......... What time is it?" the pup asked as he was trying to clear his throat.

"It's after ten thirty you little bruiser. You should get up pup."

Terry unfurled himself from the Pit Bull's arms and raised himself up from the bed. He looked out the window to see the bright morning light. The sun was shining, and it looked to be mildly windy from the look of the trees. The pup thought to himself "Maybe it would be a little bit cooler today". Terry twisted around and got on all fours before he sat back down on his knees. Shaun looked at him with a smile.

"So, buddy, did you sleep well?"

Terry smiled with squinted eyes, and started to scratch his head. After a long, deep yawn, he looked back at Shaun.

"Yeah thanks, I slept great. But, I didn't keep you up last night, did I?"

Shaun reached over and ruffled the little dog's head fur. "No little buddy, you didn't. Matter of fact, I had a pretty good sleep myself."

Shaun got up from the bed and walked over to his closet with Terry watching him as he did so. The Pit Bull had nothing more covering him than dark blue bikini underwear, which, just barely made it of his sheathe. Terry continued to watch the dog as he got dressed, thinking to himself, "Now I see why Ty likes Alex".

Shaun returned from his closet fully dressed with a few extra articles of clothes. Walking up to Terry, the Pit Bull handed him the clothes. The little dog unfolded the clothes to see what they looked like. The shirt was a deep grey color with a black tribal eagle design on it. Attached to the shirt tag was a bead-chain collar. There was also a pair of black shorts that went with the shirt, making it a set. Shaun knelt down next to the Shepherd. "Do you like em?"

"Yeah! They're...... really cool. Wait, are you giving these to......? Me?"

"Sure, they're a little too small for me so, I want you to have them."

Shaun wasn't aware of Terry's behavior, nor was he warned about getting him over-excited. The pup jumped up from the bed and knocked Shaun to the floor when he tried to hug him. "Shaun this is so awesome!!!......... Thank you so much!"

Picking himself up off the floor, the Pit once again, roughed up the Shepherd's head fur. "No problem little buddy. Now why don't you go get changed, so we can go downstairs and get shit from everyone all morning." The pup just laughed as he went into the closet to change.

Terry and Shaun came downstairs about a good hour after his father had woken him up. By this time, everyone else had gotten up and was sitting at the kitchen table eating. The ladies made breakfast and the boys had no problem cleaning their plates. Shaun's dad looked at the two late arriving furs, shaking his head. "Well now, what happened an hour ago?"

"I wanted to let him sleep a bit more."

"Are you going to go to the water park with us?"

"That all depends on Terry dad. If he doesn't want to go, then I'll stay here with him."

Terry looked at everyone and then looked back up at Shaun. "I'm not really a big fan of swimming, but if you want to, I'll go."

Terry's mom looked at him and motioned him to come over to her. "What's wrong sweetie, you don't seem to be your happy little self today? You don't have to go if you don't want to. You were just invited that's all."

"It's just that well......... I was hoping to be able to talk with Shaun some more."

She hugged her son and then walked into the other room with him, to speak privately. Shaun walked over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. Meanwhile, Alex was snickering toward Ty. Greg could hear his son's whispering and got annoyed. "Lex quit it" came from the older canine.

"Come on dad, I'm just messing around."

Tyler saw the look on Shaun's face though and saw the unpleasant look in his eye. "Alex, maybe this isn't funny to him, you should stop joking around."

Greg had motioned his son to sit next to him. "Well son, looks like he's really taken a liking to you."

"He's a really sweet kid, I truly hope he and his dad are able to work things out"

Shaun's head bent towards the table and a long sigh came from his lungs. He threw his head back, wrapping his arms behind his head. He looked toward the living room to see the two canines walking back into the kitchen. As Jean walked past him, she kept staring at him, but he couldn't make out her thoughts. She sat back down in her chair and took a sip of her coffee. Putting the cup back down on the table she looked at him once more. "Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to be an ear for him."

Shaun didn't know how to react to this. "I'm a little lost here. I thought you were ready to kill me from the way you were looking at me."

"I'm not mad at you at all. He seems to really feel like you understand him. I think he made himself another good friend. You're someone just slightly older than him but has been there and done that. I think he can get a lot of advice from you."

The Pit was even more confused now. "Wait a min....... how'd you kn.........."

"Sweetie, what do you think parents talk about when the children aren't in the room?"

Shaun mumbled, "I don't know, but I figured since your kids were grown up, it wouldn't be them anymore."

Jean took another sip of her coffee and gave Shaun a reassuring smile. "Look Shaun, the point being is, you helped him confirm his feelings about his father, and you helped him see the other side of things. You know what the best part is? Somehow you did it just by being near him. You're a special guy, and I hope that someday, you find someone that makes you as happy as you made him."

Shaun took a sip out of his coffee cup thinking to himself as he did so. ((I wonder if.........maybe I already have))


(Later That Afternoon)

Everyone had gone to the water park that day except for Terry and Shaun. They had done as the little Shepherd wished and stayed at the house. Throughout the day, Terry had found many questions to ask Shaun, about the dog and himself. The more time Terry spent around the Pit, the closer he felt to him. He never knew someone so young, who had done so much in their life before.

Shaun has had several opportunities to visit Europe. He had stayed in Greece for two months, majoring Fine Arts in college. He went to Ireland and Scotland. He had been on several cruises and went on a college spring break trip to snowboard in Switzerland. In high school, Shaun's grades were so exemplary, that he was able to graduate early. He used his elective credits for advanced level classes. But in the end, he graduated from college with a degree in business management. Night clubs were the "in" thing right now and he had found prime locations to put them. He had a well-drawn business plan, and the credit to get him the necessary funds. This was why he was able to easily afford everything the Shepherd has seen this weekend.

Terry kept the questions rolling, and as fast as he belted them out, Shaun was right there, quick to answer. The little pup felt he could ask him anything, until he asked the Pit Bull about his first real love. With that question, Shaun froze up, only to shake off the cold and simply reply back to the pup with "another time".

Shaun had taken Terry down to the lake on the nature trails they had been riding the night before. Riding the quads were fun, but there were places they could only get to by foot. They made their way about a half of a mile on the trail before Shaun pulled him off the beaten path. They started making their way deeper into the forest preserve. Reaching the summit of the hill they were walking up, the canines came to a drop-off with a little stone staircase that went down to the ravine below. Shaun escorted the little dog down the steps and further into the ravine.

After walking several hundreds of feet, the trees started to thicken just before a clearing, hiding a small waterfall. They walked up toward the waterfall, which was only about nine feet in height, to sit down atop a large boulder sitting next to the waterbed. Terry sat next to Shaun, cradling his knees between his arms and smiling at the larger canine. Shaun returned the smile and then looked back at the fall. He sat there silently in a semi-relaxed position with one foot paw on the rock, one leg stretched out across it, and both paws holding him up. Terry saw something was worrying him but didn't know how to ask the question. Shaun saw his inquisitive face as he forced his eye to the right. Bringing his head back down, he turned to the pup with a large sigh.

"Terry, you know that question you asked earlier?"

"Um...... yeah"

"Andrew........ My first love, his name was Andrew." Terry didn't say a word. He only perked up an ear to hear this dog's story.

"Andrew was a really sweet guy, really shy. He was a leopard, the first feline I'd ever dated. It was my freshman year of college, and Andy's senior year. I met him in the beginning of the year, and we had been together all semester. Looking back at it now, it was probably just a crush or puppy love but back then, I really felt I loved him. From the minute I laid eyes on him I knew he was for me. He was majoring in music and could play the guitar like no one else. Anyway, we'd been going out all year and things got really serious between us, I mean, we fooled around quite a bit throughout the year, but it changed the more we were together."

Shaun went on with his story as Terry listened.

"He wanted to bring me home with him over spring break to meet his parents. At that time, I didn't know that his parents weren't aware of him. We got to his house, and I met his folks but there wasn't any mention of the true nature of things. He was hiding this for some reason. We stayed the weekend there and left early the next Monday. A month later he had found an apartment for us to live in, so we could get out of the dorms and live off campus grounds. Since I was meant to live in the dorms, I really didn't have anything to pack up but, he had an apartment before so, all his belongings were at his parents' house. I was at home. He told me he didn't need me to help him with moving, so we'd see each other later. It wasn't till about nine-thirty at night that I started getting worried........."

Shaun continued with his story. Terry's eyes got wide as quarters as he felt the suspense kick in.

"I took a bus over to Andy's parents' house to see what the hold-up was, but when I got there, there were squad cars and ambulances in front of the house. I didn't know what was going on so, I walked up to the house only to see him, Andy, on a stretcher bleeding all over the place. His head was wrapped up, there was blood pouring so heavily out of the bandages. I was in complete shock."

Shaun was tearing up the more he spoke about this calamitous event, Terry just sat lost for words, wanting to cry himself.

"Now when I got to the stretcher the paramedics asked me who I was. I told them that we were really close friends. They let me see him. In the other ambulance was his mother, beaten just as badly as he was. From the top of the stairs were witnesses who heard what happened, and his father, cuffed and stuck in a chair. He was screaming toward his wife as the E.M.T.'s loaded her into the back. Then he saw me. He got up out of the chair and started screaming at me, "You did this to me, you did this to him!!! If I knew you were a fag before, I'd a taken you out instead of my son! You did this!!!" He just kept screaming that over and over. My heart just shattered. The medic asked me if I wanted to ride along to the hospital........... He ......... never made it there. He died of severe brain trauma....... Two minutes from the hospital.......... just, so much blood....... There was nothing they could do to save him."

Terry unlocked his paws and put one on Shaun's shoulder. "That's........... So......... Horrible."

He looked back down at the little dog. "This is why my dad is so worried about you Terry. He's worried that this might happen to you."

The Shepherd slid his arm down Shaun's back and wrapped his other arm around the front of the dog, giving him a big hug. He felt so bad for Shaun, having to witness this grotesque act of violence, and suffering the loss of someone he really loved. The little dog held onto Shaun, hoping to try and give him some much-needed comfort.

"I promise you, you won't have to worry about that with me and my dad."

With that said. Shaun leaned on his left paw, only to put his arm around Terry and lightly rub his back. He didn't think this teen would be able to take all this in and understand so fully.

"I hope so little buddy. I really do."

Shaun got up from the boulder and jumped down, extending his arm to help the Shepherd off. As Terry's pads hit the ground they started to walk back toward the stairs. Terry stared into the clear water of the ravine as they made their way back. The water was so clean, he could see the rocks shine from underneath, and there was no direct sunlight here. They reached the stairs, but before they started climbing them, Shaun grabbed Terry's paw. "Hey...... Pup, I want to ask you a question."

After a long pause from the Pit Bull, the words finally popped out of his maw. "What do you think? I mean how do you feel, about all of this?"

Terry looked confused, "Pup, I mean......... How do you feel about yourself..........? About what I told you? .......... About everything up till now? ............ About me?"

The little dog was stuck for words. How he felt inside right now was like small explosions going off. He was truly happy, happy that he was able to spend the day with Shaun, happy to have another friend he was able to grow so closely to, just like Tyler.

"I'm really happy right now. Happy and grateful"

The Pit Bull smiled at the little Shepherd, "I'm glad that you're happy, really. I.......... really like you little buddy and would like to spend more time with you. I can see why you and Tyler get along so well. You........ Really love life, and everything in it, don't you? "

"Yeah. I guess I do.......... I really like you too Shaun."

"That's great, I'm glad I can be your friend."

"(giggles) Shaun......... I mean......... I really......... like you."

Shaun's eyes turned to glass, and just for a moment he thought he felt his heart stop. He took in the words that the pup just told him and thought about this morning. He remembered his thoughts after Jean spoke with him...... (I wonder if......... maybe I already have.)

He leaned over and put his arms around Terry. As the little dog rested his head on the dog's chest, he lifted his muzzle up and gave the Pit a small lick on the neck.

Shaun's eyes widened for just a second and then calmed back down. With a deep breath he returned the comment from Terry. "Yeah......... Me too." He gave the little Shepherd a small, warm hug, and then escorted him back up the stairs to make their way back to the house.

(Later That Night)

Evening came quickly. Everyone had such a great time at the water park that they had lost track of time. Even though he was enjoying himself with his new friends, Greg. was a little disappointed. He was expecting his wife to be at the house by the time they got back but she hadn't made it in yet. He looked for the answering machine to see if maybe she called but, there weren't any messages left. He picked up the phone and called her cell. "Ring....... Ring........ Ring........." A female voice came from the other end of the line. "Honey, is that you?"

The Pit Bull conversed with his wife as everyone else went to sit out on the deck again. Alex and Tyler went to go sit on the bench near the stairs of the deck. As they sat down, they could see Shaun and Terry sitting on the lawn. Shaun was sitting on the grass with his knees raised and foot paws in the grass. Terry was sitting between his legs. The little Shepherd sat there with his paws in his lap, while the Pit had his arms wrapped around him.

Ty could see how happy his best friend was sitting with him, while Alex on the other hand, thought it was weird to see his brother like that with someone so much younger than him. Alex rose up out of his seat to call to his brother, but Ty grabbed his tail. "Sit back down would ya?"

Alex looked back at him, "He's robbing the cradle!!"

"Would you take Terry's feelings into consideration here? Ever since we got to your brother's house, you and I have been together. He's felt lonely. You need to understand that he and I have always been together, and he's always had me there to lean on. Now, I'm still there, but not like I used be so, now he's looking to your brother to fill that void."

"Ty, he hasn't been able to lean on you for two days. Come on man, it's not like he's drowning in the ocean or something."

Tyler got a little pissed off, his hackles raised slightly. "You don't know him like I do."

Alex didn't think his boyfriend would react quite like this. Ty was right though. He didn't know the Shepherd like the wolf did. Seeing Ty act this way made him feel small compared to Terry.

"I....... I'm sorry Ty. I know that you think this is a good thing for him but, maybe he should look for someone closer to his age, that's all I mean."

The wolf raised his ears back up a bit seeing the hurt in his boyfriend's eyes. "Alex I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get pissed at you but, they're just sitting there together in good company. If there is something there, remember what I said on the subway, what my grandma told me?"

The dog sat back down next to the wolf with his nose still pointing towards the floor and his ears pressed back against his head. "You can't help who you love, right? Besides, he will be at the age of consent really soon, and it would be his choice."

The wolf put an arm around him and gave him a lick on the cheek. "That's right........ Put us in their position right now. I think that they're just friends myself but, throw real love in the mix. If you were your brother and I was Terry, and there were real feelings between us. What would you do? What would you say to me?"

Alex cocked his head toward the wolf. He sat there for a few moments thinking this over really, taking it in. Afterward he put a paw on Ty's cheek, "I guess............ if it was real love then......... I guess I would try to somehow make it work."

Ty gave the dog a small kiss on his nose. "If your brother really is half the dog you say he is, then you shouldn't have to worry about this, any of it at all." Alex rested his head back on Tyler's shoulder as he watched his brother and his new friend stare out at the lake.

Alex's father had gotten off the phone with his wife. He misunderstood her about when she'd be coming back. He thought she would be back tonight when, she said she would be back tomorrow night. She definitely wanted to be sure that she was going to be back for her son's birthday. He would be one more day without his wife, but at least he was still in good company.

Greg had made his way out to the deck with a cold beer in his paw, to join the rest of the crew. "So, where's the other two?" asked the dog. The boys pointed down onto the grass. Greg made his way toward his son and Terry. As he got behind the younger Pit, he put a paw on his shoulder, surprising his son.

"Moon lighting?"

"Nah, just watching the sunset"

"I see"

"So, how was your day boys?"

"We had that talk today"

"So I guess you're not doing so well right now."

Shaun turned around to look at his dad, patting Terry on the back as if he was telling him to give him some space. Terry got up and walked back to the house to speak with his mom. Meanwhile, Shaun's father sat down next to him. "I'm sorry son. I really didn't want to bring that up yesterday. It's just that, well, you saw the pup's face when he walked in the door. I always assume the worst, it's my job."

"Yeah dad, I know that. But after spending all this time with him, even though he seems so young at times, he's......... He really does understand things that kids his age don't normally understand. I only have one concern about him though."

"Oh, what would that be?"

"He likes me"

"Well why is that a bad thing?"

The young Pit put his paw on his forehead and brushed his head fur back. "No dad, I mean, he likes me."

The young male put his head in his paws. There was a spark, a connection between him and the pup that he definitely felt, especially the way Terry would hug him throughout the day during their conversations. It wasn't a generic hug, it was an embrace. This feeling was becoming mutual, and he just didn't know if it was okay to pursue it or, if he wanted to. He'd never been in a situation like this and never thought he would be. All day this pup's pretty much been in his arms, but he didn't know if it was the feeling of being needed, or if it was really Terry.

The older Pit sensed the inner turmoil of his son. He didn't really know what to tell him. Beast kin mature differently than humans, at least that's how he always felt, yet at the same time, was this one of those situations that had to be dealt with like humans would?

After the few minutes of searching his thoughts, he patted his son on the back. "Look son, I really can't tell you what to do here. Truth be told, I see cases like this all the time, but every last one of them turns out different, it's such a huge variable between the beast and human law when it comes to this matter. As a Beast kin, he's of age, he is sixteen, and by human law he's not of age of consent with an adult. But he is quite mature for his age. If he's old enough to know right from wrong and he commits a crime. Depending on the degree, he can be prosecuted as an adult. I'm gonna look at this the same way."

His son looked confused now. He didn't quite know what he was telling him, what advise he was being given.

"Dad please, English. I really need your help here!"

"You and him need to make your feelings clear to each other and come to a mutual understanding, about all of this. I can't tell you whether to stay reserved, or jump in the deep end of the pool, but if you do decide to pursue him, promise......... promise me that you'd never do anything to hurt him. I know you are living by yourself because of the immense pain you endured, and I'm truly sorry for bring that all back to the surface. I just want you to be sure, that you know this is real, and not a thought or a gesture...... That you know in your heart this is real. I don't what to see my son in pain again either. I've taught you well and I trust you. I know you'll make the right decision."

Greg left his son, and motioned Terry that it was okay to go back down by him. Jean looked at the dog as he came back up to the deck. The dog sat back down in his seat and took a swig of his beer as the female kept staring at him. "So, Greg, does he know how Terry really feels about him?"

The Pit lowered his beer and gave her an exhausted look. She took a drink from her wine glass and looked back out at her son and the male he was attached to. "I told him that I just want him to be happy. It just seems like he's so young and this is all happing just so fast for me. Did I say the right thing to him? Or should I have been the mean mom and told him absolutely not?"

Shaun looked over to Jean and quietly spoke his words of wisdom. "Good cop bad cop only works in a holding cell, and it only works if the perp really can't read you. If they know your bluffing, you're not gonna get anything out of them. But, if they know you're the real deal, you get way better results."

Jean looked at him with a disappointed look, and Shaun could tell she didn't understand. "Jean, how old were you when you had him?"

"Seventeen"

"Did your parents know or approve of your mate?"

"No, not at all"

"Why not?"

"Because he was twenty-eight. I didn't care what they thought though, as long as I could be with him. I was dating someone who was almost twice my age when I got pregnant."

"Is this your husband now?"

"Yes, his father"

"And what do your parents think of him now?"

"They think he's a wonderful husband, and a father. It took them a while to give him chance, and to see what kind of male he really was. They just couldn't get past the age difference."

"So would it be accurate to say that, if they would have just accepted your love for each other in the first place, things probably would have turned out a little different?"

Jean nodded her head, "I guess, it might have gone a little different. The only thing I know for sure that never would've changed, is my baby boy. He still would have been the result of our love, and it wouldn't have mattered if I were sixteen or sixty."

Shaun tipped up his beer bottle toward Jean and gave her a little nod. "Do you see my point now? Better to try to be supportive of his decision now, while in a stable environment, then be the bad cop and let him defy you. It's always worse for them when that happens."

Jean perked her ears up toward Shaun and rubbed her chin. "Just out of curiosity, how old is your son?"

"He just turned twenty-three in May."

Both of the canines drank their drinks some more as they once again watched the little Shepherd slowly slide over into Shaun's lap. Jean was extremely nervous as to how this would pan out. The only thing she could really do was hope that this male was as outstanding a male as his father. Greg looked at this situation in a similar light, but with his son, he faintly hoped that, if this was a true affection, maybe this boy would help him mend a heart that was crushed by Andrew's death.

Once the drama seemed to dissipate, Ty decided to walk down by Shaun and Terry. He came up beside the two and flopped down next to them. He sat there with his legs crossed and his paws in his lap as he turned to smile at his friends. Shaun sat there with his muzzle lightly pressed on top of Terry's head, parting his ears. As the little dog saw his best friend looking at them, he gave a big smile while winking one eye. Shortly after, Ty felt a paw on his left shoulder and then saw Alex as he flopped down next to him. Alex signaled to Shaun as if he was trying to get his attention. The older dog turned his head to see what his brother wanted.

"I'm sorry Shaun. About this morning, I didn't mean to piss you off or anything. I was just playin' around with ya." The older Pit nodded his head, letting his brother know that they were okay.

"So how've you guys been?" came from the wolf as he was trying to break the awkward silence. He didn't realize that the Pit Bull was still struggling with the thoughts in his head. The dog didn't answer the wolf with words. Taking a paw off Terry, he placed it on Ty's knee and gave him a quick shake before he patted the little Shepherd's hind quarters telling him to get up.

"I think I'm going to go lay down. I'll see you pups in the morning."

Shaun got up and padded toward the house with Terry following shortly after. As he walked up toward Jean and his father he stopped only for a moment and looked at them with a light smile before he continued back into the house. Terry came running up the stairs right past them. Jean reached out toward her son's paw bringing him to a dead stop. She held an uncertain look in her eyes about her son's decision, not that he was a male, but that he was older than him. Terry leaned over to give his mother a hug. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go.

"I guess my baby's growing up" she said as she loosened up from the pup. "He'd better be good to you baby boy." With those last words, she let her son turn in for the night.

Terry slowly walked up the stairs to Shaun's room. The door was closed but left unlocked. As he entered the room, he called out the dog's name. He heard movement coming from the closet as he padded past it, stopping and moving back to look. He saw Shaun pulling down a black case the size of a shoe box, from the top rack of the closet. He made his way out of the closet past the little dog, who still had no idea what was going on. "Are you mad at me about something?"

"No little buddy" returned the Pit.

"What are you doing?"

"That all depends on how you feel pup."

Shaun placed the box on the floor close to the futon mattress, then got back up and put the lock on his door. He made his way back to the futon and started to undress. Terry took off his shirt, just like he did the night before. He lied down in the bed waiting for Shaun to fall down beside him again. "What's in the box?" the Shepherd asked as he watched the Pit bull undress.

Shaun undressed slowly. With the lights shut off, the moon light crept through the window, faintly washing his white fur with its glow. Much like Alex, his fur pattern was very similar though he had even less brown in his coat. The only dark spots on his fur were on his ears, and a small brown spot on his left thigh. The rest of his coat was white. His body was much more defined with about forty to fifty more pounds of muscle mass than his younger brother.

Terry watched the Pit Bull continue to undress in front of him, thinking about how it felt to be embraced by his body. The Pit was back down to his navy-blue bikinis when he walked back up to Terry, but he didn't lie down. Terry got back up on his knees as he saw Shaun's large paw extend to the pup. Terry grabbed his paw and stood up in front of him, laying his head on the bigger dog's chest. Terry could hear Shaun's heartbeat as it thumped in his chest. The beat seemed to get faster as the Shepherd wrapped his arms around the dog.

Terry sighed, then breathed in Shaun's scent deeply. "I really think these feelings....... they're just so strong, I've been in your arms all day, and every minute of today, I've been so scared of being let go. I don't know what this is, this drive I feel deep in my chest, not just comfort.... No, I've felt that many times before. I've never felt this before though, not even when I'm around Ty, nowhere like this, not anywhere as strong as this. Is this stupid? Is this just a crush, is this more? What am I feeling? Is this what being in love feels like? If this is it, then.........? I think I love you, Shaun." as he squeezed the dog harder.

"You must think I'm stupid or crazy, or just a horny teen, am I crazy? I've only been around you for a day and a half and I'm in love with you. I just....... can't explain it with words I gue............"

Shaun pressed a finger over Terry's muzzle, Terry stopped talking "I don't think you're just a horny teen, or stupid, or crazy. I don't think it's just comfort, I think it's you. the more time I've been spending with you, I've been feeling it too, it feels real, it feels warm, it feels......just like it did when I was with Andrew. What I'm sayin' pup...... is I think.......... I think I'm falling in love with you too pup" he replied as he hugged the little dog back.

Shaun slowly let go of the little dog and let him pull away from his chest, so he could look him in the eye, steeling Terry's resolve from the big dog's confession. The Shepherd started to smell an overpowering scent in the air and felt Shaun's pelvis slowly start to expand on his stomach. He looked up at Shaun, who only smiled as if to say, "It's okay".

"Do you want to........ Do this........... With me?" The Pit Bull asked.

"Is it really okay?....... Maybe I............. will be able to show you these feelings that I can't put into words" Terry replied, but the dog didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed Terry's muzzle from underneath and lifted it toward his face, pressing his muzzle into the little dog's.

"We won't do......... anything you don't want to, okay?"

Terry looked back down toward his waste where the expanding sheathe was pushing him away. He snuck a couple claws behind the elastic band and slowly pulled them down from Shaun's frame. Once he got the underwear down to his ankles, Shaun kicked them off. Terry then brought his paws back up to Shaun's waste slowly rubbing around his soft white sheathe. As he touched it, he could feel the mass being concealed. He slowly pushed down on the dog's sheathe, to expose the tip of the canine's semi-hard erection. As the slit opened, Terry could see a wide smooth black tip shine at him from the moon light.

He bent forward slowly, taking in this male's scent and a few slow, long licks at the large shaft in front of him. Terry pushed down further to expose more of the sensitive black flesh, covering more of it with his tongue as he did so. Once he finally pushed the Pit's sheathe down to the soft yet forming knot, he had uncovered quite a few inches. The shaft was over nine inches long and the knot hadn't been uncovered yet. Terry turned his licking into a slow graceful sucking. He started deep, with lots of tongue, and pulled off the dog's member with strong suction. He repeated this motion until he felt Shaun's member expand to its full intensity inside his maw. When he finally felt the dog's penis get as hard as it could get, he stopped sucking, and pushed the dog's sheathe even further down to finally expose the knot.

Shaun's length was extremely impressive but slightly scary to the little dog. Ty was large but this was quite larger than the wolf. The Pit Bull sat with almost a full eleven inches from the tip to the base of his gland, with a generous two and a quarter inch diameter shaft width, and three and a half inches in the width of the knot. Shaun grabbed the Shepherd's muzzle again and brought him face-to-face once more. "Are you sure you want to do this? .......... I am....... I will wait for you."

The Shepherd hugged him once more tightly. Shaun once again threw his arms around his pup, leaning over to kiss his forehead. The little Shepherd took a deep breath through his nose to once again take in the Pit's scent. "With you......... I want you to ........ take me."

Shaun gently grabbed Terry and laid him back down on the futon mattress, on his back. Leaning over the little dog, he moved forward connecting their muzzles in a long, deep kiss. Shaun's paw slowly rubbed down Terry's chest reaching his waistline. Slipping his claws behind the waistband, he single-handedly unsnapped the button and unzipped his shorts. The Pit's paw made it further into the Shepherd's shorts, going inside his boxers and gently cupping the little dog's nicely developed pouch.

Slowly rubbing the little dog's furry, tender orbs, Terry gave out a few quiet moans while in the middle of their kiss. Hearing this, Shaun knew that his new love agreed with his actions. The pit continued rubbing from the little dog's sack, up to his now expanding sheathe. As he massaged Terry's sheathe, he used only two pads, slowly rubbing in a circular motion, from the base, all the way to the slit. Still interlocked on this deep kiss, these actions caused Terry to pull back and gasp.

While seeing the reaction he got from the Shepherd, Shaun smiled once more, getting on his knees and straddling over Terry. "I knew you'd like that pup. I could do it a little better if I got these off of you though."

Shaun grabbed the waistband of Terry's bottoms, pulling them completely off, fully exposing the little dog to his Alpha. Throwing the shorts across the room, the Pit leaned back down near the little dog's sac, pushing it upwards with his nose. Shaun stuck out his tongue and started to lap at the little dog's crevasse, just between his tail ring, and his pouch. Another loud gasp could be heard from his love as he increased the intensity of his licks, longer, harder and faster. With the little dog becoming even more aroused, Shaun could now smell his mate's scent, causing him to want to go even further. He moved the position of his tongue to the sheathe, giving it the same long, hard, strumming licks, finally causing the Shepherd's male hood to peek out. Smelling this, the Pit moved further up the sheathe focusing on Terry's tip. He licked at the soft red shaft as it became even more swollen.

A few moments had passed by before Terry was fully erect and Shaun had fully unsheathed the Shepherd's shaft, pawing him off. The little dog squirmed on his back with each stroke from the Pit Bull. Finally, Shaun stopped and held his lover's member in his paw. "You're doin' pretty good here puppy", He was quite impressed of the little dog's size.

"Thanks, I guess"

Shaun moved back down onto the Shepherd's shaft, completely engulfing it in his muzzle. Terry moaned from the hot moist cavity surrounding his member. As Shaun sucked, Terry started to hump in rhythm to the Pit Bull's movements. As Terry started to hump faster, Shaun sucked harder, prompting the Shepherd's knot to form. Shaun felt the bulb starting to slap against his lips. He pulled off the shaft and started to lap around the knot. A few minutes of this licking caused the knot to start throbbing. Shaun knew it wouldn't be long before the pup was ready to blow. The Pit Bull re-inserted the canine shaft back into his mouth, forcing Terry's moderate number of inches, down into his throat. With Terry completely consumed, he closed his lips down around the base of the little dog's swollen gland and continued trying to milk him.

It only took a few humps from the Shepherd's waist before he latched on to Shaun's head, forcing his cock and his knot to make their way further down Shaun's throat. Being far more experienced than the pup, Shaun relaxed his throat muscles to easier accept the shaft. What seemed like forever to Terry were really only a few moments, before the dog could no longer hold himself anymore. Shaun felt the Knot engulfed in his maw, become rock hard, he knew the Shepherd's climax was imminent. Terry moaned loudly, pressing down even harder on Shaun's head pushing even deeper down the Pit's throat. As the knot pulsated, Shaun quickly pulled off and took one final breath. Terry's hips stopped thrusting as he released in the Pit Bull's throat. Shaun could feel the pressure of the Shepherd's release as the warm liquid ran down his esophagus and into his Stomach. He kept tight suction in his lover's shaft as he pulled back, pressing the gland against his teeth. The sharp feeling against the base of his knot caused Terry to launch another blast of semen into Shaun's throat. The Pit Bull closed his mouth further down to apply even more pressure to Terry's tender bulb, causing him to give out short, muffled barks.

Terry had finally been milked dry, his shaft and knot were still pulsing, but fluid was no longer jetting out of him. Shaun tightened up the suction one last time, pulling off the Shepherd slowly. As he brought his lips from the base, he kept them tightly pressed against the tender flesh, as to keep any of Terry's seed from falling out. Pulling off of him completely, Shaun swallowed the Shepherd's load so he could take a much-needed breath. Then went back down on the pup. He lightly licked at Terry's satchel, until the pup's remaining residue had been cleaned.

Terry leaned up and came face-to-face with Shaun, licking at his mouth, cleaning up the spots he had missed. "That was quite a load little buddy." Came from the Pit Bull.

Terry once again smiled at the Pit and snuck a quick kiss from him before the larger dog fell down to embrace him once more.

Shaun pulled out of the kiss and looked at the little dog. As he did so, Shaun could see the moon light in his eyes shining from the window. "You're beautiful pup" the Pit exclaimed as he put a paw up to the Shepherd's face.

With just a whisper, Terry replied back, "You are too"

The Pit Bull kept staring down at Terry like he wanted to say something, and then backed off onto his side.

"What's wrong Shaun?" came from the Shepherd as he watched the dog lie down.

"I........do want to breed you........ badly but, are you sure you're ready? ....... I just don't want to hurt you."

Terry put his paw on Shaun's cheek lightly brushing it, letting him know everything was okay.

"You're not going to hurt me doggie.......... I trust you"

With those words, Terry rolled over on is belly and raised his tail, exposing his tight, pink flesh. Shaun situated himself over Terry, with his muzzle right at the Shepherd's tail ring. His wet nose pressed lightly against his hole making Terry gasp. Shaun opened his maw and slid his tongue over the little dog's tender opening, causing quiet yips and moans. After several laps, at the little dog's entrance, Shaun pressed his tongue inside of Terry, letting his wide tongue penetrate and stretch out the little dog's opening, with the little dog gripping the pillow his head was resting on, and pushing into the big dog's muzzle.

Shaun reached over to his box and opened it to pull out a bottle of lubricant. He squeezed out some of the contents on to Terry's opening, and slowly rubbed it on. Every so often he would push a finger or two against the little dog's hole to try and open him up. Several minutes had passed with Shaun massaging Terry's opening before he tried slipping fingers inside of him. He started with one. Terry arched his back as he felt the fingers probing him, then he felt the next finger enter his cavity. Shaun slowly worked on the little pooch to spread him out as much as he could. With his little pup's opening being so tight, he knew it wasn't going to be easy to mount him.

Shaun had gotten three fingers inside of Terry after almost twenty minutes. Pulling his digits out he could see the pup's muscles had finally relaxed. "Are you ready?" he asked the Shepherd, but Terry only gave him a reassuring nod for the go ahead.

The Pit grabbed his massive shaft and put the tip up against the inviting entrance. Terry could feel the warm member on his soft, sensitive flesh. Shaun pushed slowly inward, the tight muscles wrapping around him. He pushed himself into the little dog only an inch and stopped, observing Terry's movement. The little dog didn't seem to be uncomfortable, or in any pain so he continued. Two, three, four inches had been pushed in before Terry gave a little jerk. "Are you okay pup?"

"Yeah...... you just seemed to feel a lot wider all of a sudden." Shaun held his position to give the Shepherd's body time to adjust, letting the Shepherd gradually push himself back when he could go deeper. Terry didn't have a problem with the length. It was the width that he was trying to take, that was going to take some time to get used to. Shaun pulled out of him until only his tip was left inside. Starting from the beginning, he slowly thrust into Terry a little bit at a time until he was comfortable with his size. With the humping slowly came another inch and another inch, and soon after, Shaun was deep inside Terry. The little dog still squirmed a bit from the pressure he felt as he got stretched out, but with each time Shaun pulled out and re-inserted, it got easier to accept him.

Shaun kept thrusting inside the Shepherd, giving him slow, deep pushes. After a while he adjusted his position ever so slightly. Terry could now feel a sensation he hadn't felt before. Suddenly, he started to feel like he could cum again. The little dog arched his back for the Pit as he continued to glide across his prostate, making him murr in the process.

Shaun had been his full length deep in the pup for close to an hour now, slowly breeding him, concentrating on the feeling of this moist soft tissue his shaft had been cradled in. Thinking about this young but mature male that was giving himself to him. He thought about how much he meant to Terry, and how much Terry meant to him. Thoughts in his head about just the two of them. Like they'd been earlier in the day, and thoughts of what tomorrow would be like. This wasn't just a quick fuck to him; nor did he want it to be, this was something special. He hadn't bred another male like this.......... Ever. There wasn't one single time that he could remember, even with Andrew, that he felt this way while they were in the act. To Shaun, this was pure ecstasy.

Shaun started to tear up a bit as he continued his slow thrusting, into his love. As he continued, he pushed himself deep inside of the little dog, until his knot was kissing Terry's opening. The Shepherd exhaled deeply, as there was more pressure on his gland, and arched his back even more. Shaun pushed himself backward to kneel straight from behind the pup, wrapping his arms around Terry's chest and pulling him into his lap. Terry could now feel the Pit's knot with even greater presence as his body weight shifted on top of it.

Ever since Shaun had repositioned himself the first time, Terry had been leaking fluids from both his cock, and his widened tail ring. Shaun was doing a decent job of leaking fluids himself. The fur on his sac was completely drenched and matted down from his pre-cum leaking out of the little dog, but now since Terry was on his lap, even more so. The warm fluid slid over his ever-craving knot as he shunned the urge to push. He lifted Terry up slightly, just to re-lube around his knot and then proceeded with the deep thrusts once again.

Terry could now feel his opening stretch even further as Shaun's knot asked for entrance. As much as he tried, it was had to relax his muscles when the wide bulb of flesh pushed against him. The deeper Shaun thrust into Terry, the stiffer the pup got, and the closer that Shaun got to climax the more he wanted to force himself in.

Shaun continued his slow pace but every other thrust, motioned him to push a little deeper to try and stretch Terry out. Every time he felt this sensation of pressure at his opening Terry felt pain but couldn't help but push against it. Shaun held him so tightly, licking his neck and inside his ear, but all of a sudden, stopped everything and pulled out. "What's wrong doggie?" Terry asked.

"I want to lay you back down....... I want to look into your eyes when it happens."

Shaun put the Shepherd down on his back and raised the pup's legs to find his place inside the little dog once again, and just like before, he continued the slow, deep thrusting. Shaun's cock was well-lubricated by now and so was Terry's hole. He moved his waist closer to Terry, to push deeper inside. The Pit leaned over the little Shepherd bringing his face closer to Terry's muzzle. Terry smiled and let out little "yips" every time Shaun pushed his knot further into him. Shaun finally felt it coming and knew now that this little dog could and will, accept his girth. Terry raised his legs up just a bit more so Shaun had more room to thrust, his strokes did get more powerful, but they never seemed to speed up. With his last thrust he felt Terry's opening widen up enough to slide his knot halfway inside of him, with only a few more thrusts to go.

Terry pulled the Pit Bull's face toward him for a kiss, and then held him there, nose-to-nose. Shaun looked into his eyes, those big pretty grey eyes, as his gland finally forced its way through the tight muscle, "POP" locking him and the Shepherd together. Knotted inside the little dog Shaun continued thrusting, so close to climax, he could feel Terry was too, as his knot was now being squeezed by the little dog's warm insides that surrounded his member. Terry gasped as he felt himself release once again, "Shaun, I'm cumming" he whispered. "I'm getting close pup" Terry's eyes were unchanging, the love and feelings he saw in them never wavered.

With a few more hard thrusts from Shaun, finally he grunts, Terry can feel the big dog throb inside of him. He can feel his insides getting warmer, he can feel the pressure of Shaun's seed filling him, marking him, claiming him as his own. Tonight, this big strong dog showed him without a doubt how much he meant to him, how much the meant to each other.

Being tied together with the big dog, all those feelings in the little dog's eyes had deepened. He licked his Pit Bull on the nose, and then pulled him down on top of him. Terry kissed Shaun by his ear and held his big male tight. Shaun kissed him back with tears coming from his eyes. "I really do love you pup. I'm glad you wanted me......I've felt so lonely since......"

Terry only squeezed him tighter hearing those words. As they laid there waiting for Shaun to un-swell, Terry gently stoked his love's head fur urging him to fall asleep. Slowly, Shaun gave into sleep as he slowly lost consciousness laying in his little pup's arms. As Terry heard the dog start to breathe deeply, he kissed him on the nose one last time. "I love you too" came from his mouth, shortly after, he joined his Pit Bull in a sound sleep.

(Fourth of July)

Everyone took their time getting out of bed in the morning. Greg and the women were up very late the night before, along with Tyler and Alex. They had spent the evening talking about the unexpected pairing between Terry and Shaun. Although it was a bit unusual, everyone wanted to happy for them, but still worried that it might not work out. They all felt that maybe priorities could become quite different in a very short frame of time. Either way everyone hoped for the best.

Shaun and Terry, on the other hand, were both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when they came downstairs. After a long hot shower, and a load of laundry from last night's engagement, the new couple started making breakfast for the rest of the house. One by one, everybody piled in the kitchen, making light conversation as they waited to eat. Once breakfast was ready, everyone cleared their plates and started to decide what the day's events should be.

Shaun had gotten suckered into another ride down by the lake with the boys, while his father talked the ladies into a walk down on the nature trail. The older canine wanted to do something earlier in the day because later in the afternoon, there were going to be a few more family members coming for a small get together in celebration for the birthday boy.

Greg had made it back to the house with the ladies from their short expedition first. Since the others weren't back yet, he felt it might be a good idea to run to the grocery store and pick up some items for the barbeque later. He and the girls hopped in the SUV and took off, returning shortly after with bags full of burgers, brats, and hot dogs. Greg had fired up the grille and started on the meats, while the girls were in the house, putting together several different types of salads and other appetizers. Everyone was hard at work trying to finish the spread before the boys got back. Greg was padding into the kitchen with a plate full of food, and Zeta had just finished here parmesan pasta salad as they heard the bell ring, just in time for the first set of visitors.

A few hours had passed by before the boys had made their way back to the house. As they pulled up to the garage, they could see their parents, and a large group of people sitting out on the deck. Shaun could see from the garage, that his neighbors had stopped by and decided to converse with his dad while he was out. Time went by and soon, three o'clock came. There was a ring from the doorbell, leaving Shaun to answer the door. As he opened the door, Shaun saw a pair of arms reach to wrap around his neck. "Oh, sweetie how have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you!" His mother hugged him as he brought her inside.

"Now where's my birthday boy? I think he's going to like this" she explained as she pulled a small, wrapped gift from her purse. They made their way out onto the deck to find everyone out there gathering for the party.

Shaun stood in the middle of the deck trying to get everyone's attention so he could introduce his mother to the people she didn't already know. "Everyone, I want you to meet my mom, Joyce."

Zeta and Jean extended their paws to the female Pit, as did Ty and Terry. The rest of the neighborhood group followed with the greetings shortly after.

The formalities went on and the conversations started up once more. Joyce had become acquainted with everyone and over time loosened up a bit to unwind and have a good time herself.

Everyone seemed to have a great time during the later parts of the afternoon. Alex got to see his aunt and uncle, who brought him a few great gifts, mostly video games and clothes. Shaun was holding out on his little brother with his present, which was a new CD from his favorite band "Nowhere to Bleed". His grandparents stopped by as well with a couple cards loaded with cash. Alex, for as energetic as he was today, became speechless once it came to his mother's gift. Her present to her son was a pure silver, personalized choker, with a small dog tag which she left blank, so he could have it engraved later. "Oh...... Thanks mom...... this is so awesome!" came from her pup.

Joyce smiled back and replied to her grateful son. "I thought you would like it. You can have whatever you want written on it later. It's special for you." The young Pit put his new choker on, and then went to hug his mother, afterwards putting all the rest of his gifts away.

The afternoon went on and soon it had gotten dark, leaving some people to want to go home, and some people to stay so they could watch the fireworks. The boys went down by the lake to be alone with each other as the adults sat closer to the house. As Joyce witnessed her oldest son and the Shepherd pup together, she looked at her husband only to get a quick generic response. "Later honey, later" he said as he shook his head with a careful nod.

The boys didn't seem to care if others saw them together the way they were. They were in love, and that's all that mattered to them. Terry sat in his Pit Bull's lap, while the other two sat the same way. Sitting there next to his brother, Alex looked up and over to him. "Now I get it bro, that's why you were in such a good mood today."

Shaun didn't utter a sound, but rather sat back, perched on his paws, giving his little brother a smile. Tyler was grinning as he looked over to the Pit and saw his new friend with his best friend. "I hope you two really do make each other happy."

Shaun once again, said nothing, but smiled at the wolf with a facial expression as if to say "thanks for understanding". It's been all day since he had been able to hold his little dog, and now having his chance, he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

Alex on the other hand was becoming restless as he sat with his wolf. He had made Tyler promise him that they would wait until tonight to be together, on his special day. He wanted to be with the wolf all week but shunned the thoughts because he knew his wolf was worth the wait. The last couple of nights didn't help the young pit in any way either. He had been nuzzled next to the wolf in the same bed, being held by him all night. It was a special feeling that he felt when Tyler put his arms around him. He knew that they really hadn't known each other for so long but, the feeling he had when they were together, made no mistake. He was in love with this wolf.

The rest of the night flew by as they watched the firework display over the lake. Seeing so many people all around the lake was almost like watching them downtown in the city. It almost seemed like there wasn't a free spot of grass once the show had started. The first few fireworks hit the sky with no true awe, but as the display progressed, the real show had finally begun. Green explosions, white explosions, and shooting stars lit up the night sky so clearly it seemed as if it were morning daylight all over again. The four furs looked around them as the rockets hit the sky. Little kids from the neighboring houses were glued to the ground with their eyes wide open as each burst spread across the hemisphere. Not long after, the grand finale started. There was no holding back with the fireworks now. As the finale hit the sky, pictures were able to be seen as the sparks spread out, cherries, palm trees, flags, were just some of the shapes that formed in between the scattered bursts of colored flames.

After the final bombardment of the clear night sky, all that could be seen were scattered clouds of smoke slowly clearing away, only to be brought back by another show later that night. Soon after, people could be seen making their ways back into their houses turning in for the night. Alex and Tyler's long good night came as well before they turned in for the evening. After a hug and a kiss from their parents, they made their way upstairs to their room, locking the door behind them.

Ty sat on the bed, with Alex standing in front of him. Without much persuasion, the Pit removed the wolf's shirt. "I want you to relax for me okay wolfie?"

Tyler did as the dog said, sliding back up in the bed against the pillows. Alex then moved on top of the bed and planted himself on top of the wolf. As the Pit sat on the wolf, Ty slowly removed Alex's shirt so he could once again see the well-built frame of his dog. The two canids locked muzzles as Tyler finished throwing the shirt to the floor. Alex rubbed against Tyler's crotch as they kissed, purposely trying to agitate the wolf. Tyler groaned at these actions, leaving the Pit no other choice then to further act on them. He climbed off the lupine, far enough down so he could pull off the wolf's shorts. Then, in a playful manner, he started undressing himself.

Ty sat naked on the bed now enjoying the show that Alex had been anxious to give him, but with each passing moment he grew more eager to have his dog in his arms once more. Alex finished sliding his pants off the one remaining ankle they were wrapped around. Once the wolf saw this, he pushed himself up, playfully pinning the dog to the bed. With Ty on top of Alex, he breathed heavily as he sniffed the Pit Bull, from his neck down to his paper-white sheathe. Once he caught the scent of his dog, he playfully lapped at the imprisoned member leaving Alex to drop his head off the end of the bed, knowing that this was going to be the start of an intense ride.

Tyler stopped momentarily, until he saw the Pit bring his head back up. "You didn't honestly think that I was going to be rough, did you?"

"Well, how do you know I wouldn't like it that way?"

"Because I know you"

"Well, how about just a little?"

The wolf grabbed Alex by his hips and pulled him further onto the bed, then slowly leaned in for another kiss. As they lay there intertwined, Ty rubbed the Pit's belly, causing him to moan. He slowly brought his paw down to Alex's sheathe, softly yanking at it, causing the tip of his cock to peek out every so often. It wasn't long before the wolf had coerced the shaft out if it's hiding place and caused Alex to moan once more.

Ty moved down to the swelling black shaft, softly sealing his lips around it, pushing down with heavy pressure and pulling off with almost none. He lifted a brow to watch Alex as he made silent gasps to himself, shortly after, moving on to another idea. As he started to go back down on the dog, Ty very gently bit down on the tip of the Pit's cock then let up, repeating the motion until he was halfway down the shaft. Tyler could feel the meat in his mouth throb now as these actions had forced the white canine to become full erect.

Tyler slid the dog out of his mouth now so he could finally see his love's size for what it really was. Alex's length stood at almost ten inches from the tip to the knot base, the Pit's girth was about two inches wide, with the knot being roughly a little less than three inches in width, topped off with a furry white sac, slightly larger than a baseball. The Pit was a moderate size himself already, but it wouldn't be long before he was comparable to his older brother.

Tyler once again started suckling at the dog meat in front of him with his only goal being to give this boy a birthday he'd never forget. The wolf lapped at the cock in no particular sense of order, sporadically speeding up and slowing down, until he finally got under the Pit's knot, making very small bites at the silky-soft black flesh of his sheathe slit.

Alex streamed pre-cum heavily from all the different ways his dog hood has been touched. Every different place was a totally new feeling leaving the dog throb in a painful way. Tyler stopped the muzzle play and got back on top of the dog. "I'm gonna give you first ride" came from the wolf as he raised his tail and grabbed the dog's cock. All the times that he and Terry had slept together he had never been on the receiving end but decided that he would be tonight.

Tyler brought the canine's cock to his virgin opening, rubbing it around his ring and spreading the dog's natural lube. Pre-cum steadily flowed from the black shaft as it impatiently waited for penetration. Slowly, the wolf lowered himself down onto the shaft, feeling a slight pressure as the dog spread apart his virgin cavity. Inch by inch he continued to lower himself onto Alex until he felt the dog's throbbing cock deep inside his gut. The wolf started slowly thrusting the cock in and out of his hole, giving him time to get used to his lover. As time went on, he grew more comfortable and aggressive, thrusting the dog into him at a faster pace.

Alex panted as the wolf rode him like a horse in a rodeo, holding him deep inside. The Pit leaned up with the wolf still burying his shaft inside of him, until Ty finally slowed back down. "What's wrong pup?"

"Nothing wolfie, I just want to change positions." The dog slipped out of his lupine love only to put the wolf on his knees. Kneeling behind him, Alex grabbed the wolf's tail and raised it up to once again expose the lupine's now willing hole. The dog grabbed his member and pressed it up against the soft pink entrance to once again penetrate the wolf. As the dog thrust into him, Tyler panted, squeezing his muscles down on the black shaft, trying to make it a challenge for his mate. Alex groaned at the pressure on his cock. The harder Ty squeezed, the deeper he wanted to push into the wolf.

Tyler released streams of pre-cum as the dog slammed across his gland, forcing him to push further onto the Pit. The dog strummed harder and deeper as he felt the wolf push against him. As the humping got more intense, Alex placed his paws on the wolf's pelvis to better hold him in place as he thrust but feeling his climax coming quickly he stopped and pulled out. "Ty let's change it up again" came from the dog as he put the wolf down in his back.

Tyler laid against the pillows once more as the Pit spread his legs and put them on his shoulders. Alex pulled the wolf further down into the pillows trying to get him at the perfect angle for his position. Alex positioned himself over the wolf to hold his legs up with his arms, and to give him ample room for a hard, deep humping. With his tail ring exposed to him once more, the Pit grabbed his shaft and firmly held it as he penetrated the wolf. Tyler grits his teeth, feeling a direct shot to his prostate upon penetration, then the slow glide across it, causing his legs to feel weak. Alex used more of his length as his pre seeped out of wolf, causing the opening to become slick as ice.

The deeper Alex pushed, the tighter the wolf got until finally, Ty felt a sharp pop, and an intense pressure inside his newly deflowered sphincter. Alex kept thrusting as Ty tried to adjust to the bulb inside of him. The sharp pain had dulled after the swollen gland had passed through his tender opening, keeping a constant pressure on his sex drive. Tyler shot a load all over his muzzle with the initial knotting, and with every continued push from the Pit Bull, more seminal fluids managed to jettison themselves out of the wolf like a high-powered rifle.

Alex slowed down to a complete halt after the last couple of thrusts, as he sprays his release inside the wolf, until he let go of the wolf's legs and fell on top of him. "Holy shit, I've never done that before" came from the Pit as he cleaned the cum from the wolf's face.

"So wolfie, how long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

"Ten maybe fifteen minutes, could be longer. It all depends on how much you drained the tank."

"I hope I'm stuck like this with you for a while big boy, this was the perfect birthday gift."

"Lex...... I'm really glad you got what you wanted...... for your special day."

"So was I worth the wait?"

"Absolutely"

The Pit gave Tyler a loving look as they laid there in each other's arms, with the wolf returning the exact same expression. "Tyler, I don't want this night to end."

"Lex don't worry, it's nowhere even close to over. At least not before you feel what I just did."

Twenty minutes had passed before the wolf was able to break free from his lover. As Alex pulled out of the wolf, a river of his canine seed found itself out of the gaping hole and onto the wolf's tail.

"I'm sorry Ty. I really made a mess, didn't I?"

"y-yeah......you did heheh, don't be sorry, I'm not. Let's take round two, to the hot tub."

The wolf got up from the bed, grabbing Alex by his tail, pulling him with. Ty picked up his stud and carried him to the Jacuzzi, submersing him into the hot, bubbling water and then following suit.

As Tyler slid into the Jacuzzi, he wrapped his arms around Alex turning him around, and straddling him over the side of the tub, finally resting the dog's knees on top of the seats under the water. Ty wasted no time on cock play as the dog was still un-swelling and slightly sore from his throbbing. Instead, the wolf used this as an opportunity to merely clean the dog's male hood for the time being. Alex closed his eyes, as the soft paws gently rubbed his male hood clean from his fluids, then reached over his shoulder to grab the wolf's maw and nuzzle into his neck. Tyler gently buried his nose into his lover's neck, giving him small affinitive licks.

Soon Alex was cleaned off and was soft enough to have his tender shaft tucked back into its soft, furry hiding place. Tyler gave him one last kiss on the neck before he pulled the dog's lower half fully under water. The wolf made his way down to his knees, only to take a deep breath and fully submerge himself in the tub. Alex felt his tail get pulled up and the wolf's tongue press against him. Tyler licked at his dog's tightly puckered hole for as long as he could with each deep breath he took. Eventually, Alex relaxed himself, giving the wolf the much-wanted go-ahead for the oral penetration he'd been trying for.

Tyler pressed against the soft opening with his tongue once more before it rolled up and passed through. Alex moaned as he felt the wolf's long tongue, slip between his tightly held muscles, causing him to moan. The dog arched his back in sheer delight with each passing prod from the lupine's tongue. Each time the wolf pushed in, he gained further depth.

Alex was in total bliss as the hot water and the gentle tongue washed over his lower half. If this was anything like his lover felt, he wanted more. Tyler came back up out of the water for air, but not wanting to keep the Pit's craving hole unattended, slid a finger inside the dog. Alex gave out soft whines as he felt a new type of intruder enter his sanctuary. The finger wasn't as soft or forgiving as the tongue was, but it still felt good enough when the wolf worked it in the right ways.

Tyler's erection had grown to full mass under the hot water as his mind psyched him up from the foreplay. Ready to mount his dog, he grabbed Alex by the tail to position himself. Alex felt the almost two-inch girth press steadily against his opening. As Tyler pushed, he went in slowly but with firm weight. As the first half-inch squeezed its way through the Pit Bulls rectal muscles, Alex winced in discomfort. "Am I hurting you pup?" came from the wolf as he saw his mate tense up.

"It hurts "It hurts a little"

"I thought you did this before"

"I have, just not on this end of it."

"Okay.........I'm sorry....... We'll try it a different way."

Tyler pulled the dog's rump out of the water and squeezed his cock to release some pre. As the spurts of pre-cum flowed from the tip, he used them to rub on Alex's butt hole. Now, better lubricated, the wolf tried doing this again, outside of the water. Once again as Tyler entered the dog, Alex felt an uncomfortable pressure in his hind end. The pain had dulled moderately with no friction in the equation, giving Alex the confidence to let the wolf travel deeper. Tyler slowly slid farther into the dog, one centimeter at a time, letting the orifice expand. Before the dog knew it, his wolf was eight inches deep in him, and though his virgin hole had been stuffed by the rather thick wolf, he felt like it was okay to move to the next step.

Tyler pulled completely out of the dog and then slowly re-inserted, by the tenth thrust in, Alex had become fully relaxed. All the pain started into pleasure, and the pressure turned into and intense erogenous feeling. Alex pulled the wolf back under the water with him as he sat back down on his knees. He'd been properly lubricated and stretched, now there was nothing holding him back from letting his lover breed him deep and rough, just like he wanted him to.

Tyler's knees hit the floor of the tub, leaving the tip of his cock inside the dog, but giving plenty of room for going in deep inside the dog. As Alex hung off the seat, he was shoved forward from the first thrust, causing water to splash out of the tub. Then came the next upward thrust, then the next. Alex's jaw hit the floor with each impaling thrust the wolf gave him. This feeling that he had in his loins was unlike anything he felt before. The wolf was right when he told him that he couldn't go to sleep without experiencing this. Each continuing thrust into the dog belted a good slap to Alex's gland, giving him a much-deserved release from the breeding he was being given.

As Tyler milked the Pit Bull, he kept himself close to dog, grabbing him from behind to push himself even deeper inside his love. The harder he pushed, the more agitated he became, ultimately sinking his teeth down into the scruff of Alex's neck. The Pit jumped when he felt the teeth clamp down on him, but it wasn't enough pressure to be painful, only to keep a firm grasp on him. Tyler now firmly embraced the dog as he pushed deeper inwards, introducing Alex's tail hole to the front half of his swollen knot. Alex whimpered slightly as he felt the front of this ball, force itself into him.

Although painful, the Pit wanted this, to share this act with the one he loved. He knew there were going to be some painful moments, but the trick was getting past them. He needed a short break from all the intensity they were both feeling, but at the same time, he didn't want it to stop.

"Ty, baby boy....... C-could we slow it just a little? ....... I'm not quite ready for that yet."

As good as it felt to be so deep inside his dog. This was for Alex and him, not just himself. Doing as the dog wished, Tyler slowed his thrusts and stopped pushing his knot, but kept his teeth firmly on the dog's scruff. Tyler remained deep inside letting the dog loosen up to his width. Alex let out soft moans of agreement as he did so.

Over time, feeling the wolf's cock inside of him grew on the dog and he became like moldable clay in the wolf's arms, giving him the okay to get a little rough once again. His hole had been well worn in, and he had become completely submissive to the wolf's intentions. Tyler introduced the dog's anal cavity to his knot once more as he pushed into him with a steel intent to bury it inside of him. Alex cringed with the first few thrusts, but knowing it would be worth it, did his best to relax himself for Ty. It only took a few more strokes for the wolf before the final push, causing Alex's anus to be stretched out with a sharp yet inviting pain. As the wolf's knot slipped past the dog's tight elastic barrier, the Pit bull exploded onto the wall of the hot tub in several short bursts, while the wolf inside of him, released his seed into the dog with ample force. Tyler released dozens of times and continued to do so as his knot throbbed against the pressure of the Pit Bull's soft tight inner walls, leaving Alex a warm feeling inside of him.

When it was all over, Ty swayed backwards toward a seat, pulling the dog with him and sitting him on his lap.

"So wolfie, how long am I gonna be stuck to you?"

"It all depends how much I drained the tank."

"Well?"

"You'll just have to see."

Tyler held Alex in his arms as his wolf hood continued its release into the dog. Almost a half-an-hour passed by before the wolf un-swelled. Alex felt the pressure lessen as the time went by but was comfortable sitting just the way he was. Tyler leaned over to speak in the dog's ear. "So, pups, did you like your birthday present?"

Alex turned to kiss his wolf, "I loved it, both parts. But do you think it'll hurt like that every time?"

"I don't think so, the first time seems the worst."

Alex brushed Ty's cheek, then gave him another kiss. As they sat in the hot tub stuck together, the late-night fire work display was starting up. There they sat, wrapped in each other's arms as the bright colors poured through the windows from the sky. It was the perfect way to end the perfect night.