FSE

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Chapter 22

Three figures stood alone on the highland, waiting. "I'm not exactly thrilled with this idea, gentlemen," the polar bear said.

"Ain't like I'se champing at the bit to get at it none," Oliver groused.

"Look, you two," Derrick sighed. "One last time. I want to be rid of this power, and Marcus says the merger will do that."

"And you all see that merging as something that blows the top off of this mountain," the bear protested.

"Yeah," the glowing wolf agreed. "But while we can't see anything of what happens through that explosion, we all know that we come out of it alive. So, cowboy up, and let's get this done."

Eric looked down at Derrick. "Cowboy up?"

Derrick smiled. "I may be spending a bit too much time with the ranch hands on their days off."

The polar bear smiled. "I guess I need to get home a bit more frequently. I'm sorry work has kept me in New York for so long."

"It's okay, Old Bear," Oliver replied. "Them ranch hands is way happier now that Derrick visits with them. Jean Pierre sez he might just hire the pup as cruise director on the Love Boat. He keeps up morale right good."

The polar bear leaned over and kissed the luminescent wolf. "Save me a cabin on your next cruise, Julie," he said with a snicker.

"This is why getting blown up seems somehow easier than being with you two," Derrick groaned.

Before Oliver or Eric could make a rebuttal, Marcus and Kendal were standing next to the three. The glimmer on the corner of their vision was there as well. Eric took no time getting to the point. "We're here men. Did you figure out a way to merge and lift those powers off my husband's shoulders?"

Marcus nodded. "We're pretty sure this is going to work."

The glowering face of the polar bear told Kendal it was time to intercede on his husband's behalf. "It will work, Eric. But we need our two glowing family members to do exactly what they're told, exactly when they're told to do it." The Newfoundland wolf squatted slightly in front of Derrick. "We're clan, Wolfy. You listen to me, and when I tell you to, you charge yourself up with everything you've got and you grab onto the paw of that badger husband of yours. That will form the link between the Blue clan and the Channeler. He'll transfer out the powers from the two of you into us, but it will be you that keeps this from falling into chaos. That's why we're here today, Wolfy. You and me; we keep this family safe."

The Newfoundland wolf squatted deeper and pivoted toward the badger. "You power up right away, Oliver. Find everything inside you that wasn't what the two of you were before. You take that power and you channel it into us. When that transfer is complete, you take everything Gaia and Eric give you and you use it to create a barrier. You understand?"

"Ain't rocket science," the badger replied.

Kendal smiled. "No, it's way more complex. But you have a gift, Oliver. Use it to protect your family."

"I always does," Oliver said. His head bowed and his feet made a tiny circle in the grass. "Didn't rightly get much time with you after the marriage to say goodbye, Kendal."

Kendal nodded. "I know, Oliver. I'm sorry."

"You ain't coming back, is you?"

"Not exactly. I think the family is going to get its second bear-wolf."

"You'll be right purty. What is I gonna call you?"

"For now, let's say we stick with Marcus. That should make life easier."

"I'se gonna miss you, Kendal. I ain't no good at saying goodbye to the ones I loves."

"Me either," the wolf replied. He pulled the badger into a hug. "Stand by him, Oliver," the Newfoundland wolf whispered. "He's going to need you."

"Ain't never leaving him," Oliver whispered back. "You does the same for the man you love."

Kendal let go of the hug. "I will," he promised.

With one last pivot, the wolf stood up in front of the polar bear. "Why is it that every time I'm with you, I want to say Papa instead of Eric?"

The white bear smiled. "I guess I'm lucky that way, Son." He held out his arms.

Kendal leapt into the hug. "For an orphan, life has blessed me with so many fathers."

"I am honored you think of me as one of them," the bear said, tightening the hug.

"You take good care of Wolfy, Papa. You need the Blue clan in your life. But he is so much more than that. He's a miracle," the wolf whispered. "He loves you more than any of us can understand. One day, he will need that love to find his way home. Save one, save us all."

"He means everything to me," the old bear replied.

Kendal turned back to his two traveling companions. "Well, Bear, do you want to say your goodbyes now, or wait to say hello to them all when we return?"

Marcus waved awkwardly. "I'm really sorry for what's about to happen."

Kendal put his arm around the bear. "Me too. We love you all. But for the love of Terra, when I tell you to do something, will you, for once in your stubborn lives, just do it without asking why?"

"Why woulds we do that?" the badger answered with a smile. He waved at the three. "Go on. Does what you gots to do. Try not to kill us all."

The glimmer on the cusp of their vision grew brighter. "So, this is family?" he asked without a word spoken. "I have so much to learn. Prepare yourself. The three of us have committed to this path. We will not back down once it has started."

The polar bear leaned back. "I'm glad you're as committed to this as we are. Come on. Let's get this over with."

"For us," Marcus said with an awkward grin, "this is the beginning."

The polar bear reached out and pulled the Asian bear in close. "Kiss me goodbye, Marcus. And be ready to kiss the Old Wolf hello when you return."

The black bear leaned up into the kiss. When it ended, he smiled. "Is it awkward for anyone else to be starting this with a hard-on?"

"Not for me," the polar bear replied as he thumped his erection.

"I'm good," the badger replied. "I'se hard just watching you two. Bears kissing is about the hottest thing ever."

"I agree," Derrick said with a laugh. He rubbed his crotch. "I'm kind of good feeling like this before the second big bang I've been involved in this year."

Kendal wrapped his arms around his bear mate and the bright blue glow swept over him. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Husband. You, me, a couple of hard-ons. This is the way I want to remember this day."

Marcus laughed. "I love you all so much."

The glimmer surrounded the Asiatic bear and the Newfoundland wolf. As the light intensified, Oliver yelled over the increasing din. "Hang on tight, Pup. When Marcus calls for it, I'll give back to him what's his." The badger looked up at the polar bear. "And you, Old Bear... when Kendal tells you to give it all you gots, he don't mean 'all in', we clear? You tries to drain yourself over this and I will hurts you."

Eric smiled at his husband. "I understand, Oliver. Just enough to keep us out of the hospital, okay?"

"That would be right nice, Old Bear," the badger replied. "And if'n you keep that boner of yours, I gots dibs on it afterwards. Ain't no bastard wolf to complain about it today."

Derrick waved his paw. "There's one wolf that's going to complain."

The light had been growing, and with it, the whirling noise intensified. "Okay Oliver," the glimmer said. "Time to start the transfer. Don't try to give me the power. Let me take it. When I sense my powers have returned, I'll stop. What remains inside of you should be the powers you once had. You'll need them to protect your family. Don't let any of it loose. Unattached powers are extremely dangerous. Whatever I don't take, you two hold on to."

Kendal spoke up. "When glimmer-boy here gets fully recharged, the merge is going to take place. I'll yell, 'Shields up.' Eric and Gaia, you dump everything you have into Oliver. Oliver, you make a shield around the four of you. You protect yourselves. Are we all clear?"

The collective nod told everyone what they needed to know. Derrick concentrated his power into his glowing paw. "You ready, Pup?" Oliver asked. "Lets me take the power from you just how that glitter critter is going to take it from me. I'se sorry, Pup. I know you don'ts like them powers any more than I does, but I'se got to leave in you what ain't mine."

The glowing wolf shook his blue paw. "You sure you don't want me to hold your balls like Will did?" Derrick asked.

"Kind of risky, Pup," Oliver replied. "Don't wants to fry them."

The glowing wolf held out his paw, and the badger grabbed it. Barely able to look at the increasing brightness of the white light, Oliver yelled, "Take it back, Critter!"

It was only a matter of seconds before the four family members heard Kendal yell, "Shields up!"

The surge of energy from Gaia and Eric forced its way into the body of the glowing badger and his hand thrust outward. The blue-green shield spun around the three above ground and the one below. When the blinding white light slammed against it, Oliver pushed back. As soon as it had begun, it was over. The bear, the wolf, the glimmering light, and the highland were gone.

In place of the highland was a burning rock quarry with a cliff two hundred yards in the distance. The crag was glowing red and yellow as smoke belched from the burning rock. Steam and black smoke billowed up from the ground, and from the crest of the cliff, molten rock spilled over the side like so many fiery waterfalls. Occasional sparks of light would cleave off the cliff face and fall as glowing boulders on the ground below. Pools of magma pushed up through the rocky surface of the highland and bled out into the rocky debris. The only description worthy of what they saw escaped from Derrick's lips. "This is Hell."

Eric looked at the surrounding desolation. "This is so much worse than the first time."

"Tweren't all that bad," Oliver said. "I means it's ugly and all, but it didn't take nuthin' to protect

you three. Not with you all helping out."

"Gaia? Are you okay?" Derrick asked.

"I'm fine," the voice soft as spring rain whispered. "And how are you all?"

"We seem to be intact," Eric replied as he looked down at his feet. The only remaining grass on the highland surrounded them in a ten-foot radius.

"I'se holdin' up a shield still," Oliver said. "The heat out there would toast a frog. You bests find somewhere safer to stay for a time, Gaia. We can take care of this once we gets a look and sees what we gots to deal with."

"That would seem prudent," the voice replied as the wind moved through the three and was gone.

Eric looked at his husbands. "I hate to point this out, but you two are still glowing."

The badger and the wolf looked at each other. "FUCK!" the badger yelled. "They said this was gonna fix us." Oliver stamped his foot down, and the ground lurched as a shock wave pushed outward. The ground rolled like a shaken blanket until it hit the edge of the torn mountain.

"Don't worry, Oliver. I'm sure when they get back home we'll sort this all out," the polar bear said, staring at the two.

Oliver looked down at his glowing body. When a white spark of lightning danced across his fist, he growled. "Damn it, you three," he mumbled. "You'se lucky you'se family, else I'd have your hides."

Derrick continued to stare at his glowing blue body. "At least it's not that awful white," he said. He looked up to stare into the eyes of the white badger. "Oh shoot, I'm sorry, Oliver. I didn't mean it. I was trying to find something good to say about what happened..." he paused. "... or what didn't happen," he said sadly.

Oliver looked up at the sad wolf. "Don't you go worrying, Pup," he said. "Everything is gonna be fine." He turned away from the two and watched as another bolt of light arced across his fist. "Fuck," he mumbled under his breath, hoping no one saw or heard him.

Chapter 23

"We've got incoming," Derrick said, pointing up toward the billowing steam clouds that melded into the rain. The Red Wolf pushed through the clouds and hovered above the surface where the glade once was. The aircraft lowered the cargo ramp close to the three standing in a circle of brown, dead grass. It maintained the precarious float steady while the three made the jump and quickly boarded.

As Eric strapped himself to his chair, he looked at the two red wolf pilots. "Get us out of here, Sons. Gaia has already taken up residency elsewhere. Let's not test the shields of the Red Wolf any longer than we have to."

"I'm not sure how you all survived," Tuff said as his hands flashed over the controls. "The highland is gone. What's below us is akin to what happened to Mt. Hood back in twenty-one fifty-eight. I guess we're lucky that Kris's protections are in place because there's not been a single report of any volcanic eruption. Apparently, the human world doesn't even notice a change in their mountain view. But the mountain suffered a major flank collapse. I guess we should expect a volcano to act this way when we take off its top."

The family looked out through the windows as the Red Wolf pivoted. Moments before the assent into the sky, they stared at the smoldering mountain still glowing red hot. The newly born volcano continued discharging lava up through its core. It spilled out from the cracks and fissures lining the deep crater. In seconds, the steam from the rain falling on the molten rock obscured everything and blended with the clouds as the airship rocketed into the sky.

"Noboru has insisted that we drop Oliver and Derrick off at the temple," Tiff said as he turned his chair toward the bear, wolf, and badger.

"It will be great to visit him, but did he give a reason for insisting?" Derrick asked.

"Something about starting your training."

Derrick let out a long, apprehensive sigh. "I don't like the sound of that," he groaned.

Oliver nudged the black wolf. "Don'ts worry, Pup. Just sez that you wants the training that involves lots of sex. Them temple dogs are right skillful at teaching what we needs to learn while making us come in ways you ain't even thought of yet."

Derrick laughed. "Okay, Badger," he said, "I'll try to keep a happy thought."

"It's on our way," Tiff said with a smile. "We'll drop you off."

"And where am I headed?" the polar bear asked.

"Glad you asked, Papa," Tiff said with a smile. "There's an old wolf and an alpha that have been worried sick about you all day. It's time you go home and soothe some very troubled minds."

Oliver nudged the polar bear on his opposite side. "Asks them if they needs soothing that involves lots of sex. Them two wolves together can gives temple dogs a run for their money."

Eric looked at the badger in the seat next to him. "So, if I understand you, the answer to this whole day is to ask whoever we meet next to engage in sex with us?"

"Sounds about right, Old Bear," Oliver said with a smile. "It's been a bad day all around. I just wants something to go right. Being in the arms of my family, feeling them shoving themselves inside me, is about as good as it ever gets. So tonight, we needs ourselves some of that good rubbing up against us."

The polar bear shrugged his shoulders. "Point taken, Oliver. I think I'll follow your advice. Are the rest of our husbands in Montana?"

"Pacing right alongside our fathers," Tiff said as he turned back toward the controls. "You're going to be a busy man calming everyone down tonight, Papa."

"So it would appear," Eric replied as he leaned back in his chair, watching the sunrise over China. He squeezed the hand of the little badger next to him. "I'm going to miss you two," he whispered.

"We's gonna be home in no time, Old Bear," Oliver said consolingly. "You gots a whole ranch full of men that loves you. Stay with the good, and lets us take care of each other."

"It's getting harder to find that good, Oliver," the bear replied sadly.

"I knows what you means, Old Bear," the badger agreed. "But that's why we has each other. When we can'ts find that good, we's gotta find a way to make it together."

The badger felt his hand squeezed tighter. "I love you, Oliver," Eric said.

"And I loves you, Old Bear. Now and forever."

"Me, too," the black wolf that was no longer black said.

Eric closed his eyes. "Stay with the good," he mumbled to himself, trying hard to believe he could.

Chapter 24

Derrick woke up to the comfort of an arm wrapped around him. A firm, furry belly and stiff erection pressed in close. His arm wrapped around Oliver, and all seemed right until he realized the arm wrapped around him was a golden one. The arm pulled him in tightly. "Do not worry, Little One," Noboru whispered. "The familiar arms that hold you will soon do so again."

"I'm sorry, Noboru," the glowing wolf whispered back. "I love your touch. It's just that I'm used to seeing other arms when I wake up."

"And sensing a different erection pressed up against your beautiful bottom," Noboru said with a gentle shake. "I understand that. I will return you to your husbands as soon as we finish our training."

The badger stirred. "What is you training us to do, Dog?"

"To control your chi."

"Like we does in tai chi class?"

"In many respects, yes," the dog said as he hefted himself upright. "But if I understand your request last night correctly, your training is to involve a great deal more sex than we practice in tai chi."

"That woulds be nice," Oliver said with a snicker. "We don'ts get to play with you near as much as we once did, Dog."

Derrick nodded as he pushed himself up into a seated position on the bed. "That's true, Noboru. I don't want you ever to think I'm not thrilled to sleep with you. I always wake up sleepy-headed. Suddenly, that familiar body behind me turns out not to be so familiar. It's a bit of a shock, but certainly not a disappointment."

Peng rose behind Noboru. "We are fortunate that all our brothers are identical. The feeling of our morning erections never comes as a surprise to us, only a pleasant awakening."

"So why is we learning to control our chi?" the badger asked the two dogs smiling at him.

"To dim the lights, so our sleep can be uninterrupted, Oliver," Noboru said.

"You're going to help us get rid of the light?" Derrick asked happily.

"We cannot get rid of that which is intrinsically you, Pup," Noboru replied. "But we can help teach you how to control it."

"But it ain't like you gots any experience glowing, Dog," Oliver said.

The dog bowed and, with a slight shake, his body began glowing a warm yellow that eventually turned to bright red. Just as quickly as the light appeared, it receded back into his fur.

Oliver shook his head in confusion. "You never done that before," he said.

"It was never needful," Noboru said with a smile. "There is much about us you are unaware of, Oliver."

"Is you ever gonna tell us it all?" the badger pushed.

"Which is more important, Oliver; the sex that will teach you to control how your light manifests or teaching you all that we are?"

Oliver laughed. "You knows I'se never gonna say anything is more important to me than having sex with you dogs. I'se never said no to you."

"And that is why I phrased my question as I did," Noboru said with another slight bow of his head. "I have never seen a great need to know all there is about my family. Beyond how much I love them, there are mysteries I do not care to explore. Everything reveals itself when it is needful. Today, the goal is helping you two harness the energy within you so that it does not disturb you or others."

"How is you going to do that?"

"By a lesson taught to me years ago by my sensei," Noboru said as he reached out and pulled the badger close to him.

"And by the same lesson taught to me years ago by my shifu," Peng said as he brought the glowing wolf into his embrace. "Today, we teach you how to control the body with an ancient art known as edging."

Oliver's eyes widened, and a smile spread across his face. "Like Li Wei taught the old wolf?"

"We have had many years of experience since those days to hone our skills, Little One," Noboru replied. "But yes, the master that taught Li Wei taught us."

Peng pulled up on the black wolf that was no longer black, and gently lowered the wolf onto his swollen gold cock until it was deep inside the wolf. Derrick gave a happy groan, losing himself in the pleasures of penetration by the dog. "Lean back, Little One," Peng commanded, and Derrick willingly complied. Peng leaned over in a manner that made both Derrick and Oliver wonder if the dog even had a backbone as Peng took the wolf's cock in his mouth. The gentle bobbing began, and the young wolf whimpered in ecstasy.

Noboru rolled over, exposing his broad butt to the badger. "Take me, Oliver," he commanded. With a shake, the werebadger eagerly obliged the dog. He sped toward his first orgasm of the day. But at the moment his high-pitched scream heralded his orgasm, the badger felt the sphincter muscles of the dog below clamp down tightly on his cock. The pressure remained until the orgasm slowly retreated to a warm, pleasant sensation deep inside.

Oliver stood locked inside the temple dog. His arms leaned up against the butt as he panted. "Again, Badger," the dog commanded. The dog's tissue around the badger's cock softened and became once again warm and inviting. Oliver thrust himself into the dog, now even more eager for the orgasm that had eluded him.

Oliver knew what he wanted, and he realized what his sensei would let him have. Beside him, Oliver saw the young pup breathing past his first postponed orgasm. He watched as the tight fist of the temple dog clamped around the swollen wolf's cock relax. Derrick knew what he wanted, and he realized what his shifu would let him have. Somewhere in the middle, Oliver and Derrick both realized the lessons for the day had begun.

Two days later, the badger and the wolf forced the light back into themselves with tightly closed eyes and clamped jaws. "Well done, Little Ones," Noboru said with a smile. "We were confident that you had it in you."

Peng pushed himself even deeper into the black wolf. "And now, with your permission, we will take it out of you." The golden paw released its hold on the young wolf, and Noboru opened himself to the badger. As the temple dogs listened to the two's orgasmic howls, they smiled and let their shared orgasm take them to the same place their pupils had gone.

Chapter 25

The Red Wolf slowed as it descended through the clouds. Derrick fidgeted anxiously. Oliver looked up at him and rubbed his arm. "Why's you worrying, Pup? You know she loves you. She ain't gonna do nothing to you that's gonna hurt you."

"I get that, Badger," Derrick replied. "It's what she's going to ask me to do."

"She is adamant about your training," the polar bear on the young wolf's other side interjected. "The temple dogs have taught you two how to control the light of your powers manifesting. Now Gaia is looking to help you control the actual powers. I'm aware you don't like the idea of your powers, Pup, but Gaia says it's time for you to embrace them."

"I already did that once on the Day of Transformation," Derrick protested. "Isn't that good enough?"

Eric laughed and put his arm around the black wolf. "Pup, we all have our gifts. The ones you have now seem to be much greater than those that existed on that day. You and Oliver both realize you're not the same husbands on this side of the universe that you were before. You changed. And Gaia is right. There's more to controlling your powers than being able to turn off the night light."

Kris rubbed the young wolf's leg from across the aisle. "There is more in play here than ever before, Pup. Gaia is determined to help you with what she understands of your powers. One day, if you understand the powers of the Blue clan, you might more easily adapt to the powers that are beyond her scope."

"How is training me supposed to help with powers I don't even know I have?" the young wolf asked the group.

Will answered the young wolf's question. "The same way training Donovan and Marcus together helped them join with the other four when it came time." He turned toward his bear husbands. "Yeah, I realize none of this makes any sense to you, but Derrick knows what I'm talking about. It's old universe stuff." Will turned back to Derrick. "By understanding how to work together as a team, Marcus and Donovan could embrace the far more daunting task of merging the six into one. None of us possess powers that manifest in only one way, but if we understand how to use them on one level, it frees us up to learn how to use them on another."

"I don't have any memory of that universe, Pup," Donovan said, "but I agree with what the old wolf is saying. We train during times of calm so that when we need our skills in moments of confusion, they become a natural extension of who we are."

"The husbands have spoken," Eric said with another gentle squeeze of the black wolf's shoulder.

Derrick dropped his head into his paws. "Papa Bear, I don't want any of this."

"None of us do, Pup. Let Gaia help you make peace with the parts you can. The members of the Blue clan are builders. There is so much good you can do with the powers you were given. You've only seen them in crisis. Let Gaia show you how beautiful they are in moments of peace."

"You really think that's what she's hoping to do?"

Kris leaned forward from his seat again and stroked the wolf's leg. "Remember what the highland was before Marcus and Kendal had their little change? Think back to when you first met Gaia in your universe. She healed the forest we destroyed on our landing. She saved Max's life. Will and the temple dogs tore down the pagoda she was building for her family's return, but she forgave them. Gaia is a protector, a builder. She's like you, Pup. However, she knows the extent of the power she holds and doesn't turn from it. Of all the clans, we revere the builder class for what they do. They bring order from chaos. What a remarkable gift."

Derrick nodded reluctantly. "I guess you're right. There are worse things that you could have given me."

Will turned in his seat from across the aisle. He lifted his paw and it glowed red. "Someone could have saddled you with this, Pup."

Derrick frowned at his wolf husband. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Well, I did," Will replied. "There are indeed worse things you might have, and I should know because they gave one of them to me. Pup, you're Blue clan for a reason. While I'm not one to go all 'cosmic forces in play mode' on you, I agree with Gaia. You need to embrace this part of yourself now while you can learn how to use it during a lull in our lives. You know this family. We're like a magnet for problems. Hone your skills while you can. They'll be called on soon enough."

"I hate the Sight, too," Derrick said with a sigh.

"Me, too, Pup," the old wolf replied. "But it's who we are. We are the first line between our family and everything bad out there," the wolf said with a wave of his paw upward. "We protect our family and we use any tool we possess to do it."

Derrick nodded. "I guess so."

"And our tool, Gentlemen," Tiff said as he dropped the boarding ramp lever, "is the Red Wolf. Which needs to be in Belgium in forty minutes, so if I can get you all out of this rig, I would be grateful."

"Drop the cargo bay ramp, Son, and we'll be out even faster," the polar bear replied as he rose from his chair.

"Done, Papa," Tuff said with a smile back at the others from his captain's chair. His hands moved over the control panel, and the passengers heard the cargo bay doors open. Once the family had exited the airship, they watched it rise into the sky and disappear into the thick layer of clouds.

"So now what does we do?" Oliver asked. "Ain't like there's somewhere for us to go. Marcus blasted the dogs' home all to hell, and our cave ain't nothing no more. Ain't nothing here but rock and dirt. We ain't even got neighbors. The dogs are living in New Zealand with their dragons now."

"I guess we wait for Gaia to tell us what to do," Eric answered. "She seems to have healed the highland enough that we're not burning up on it now. My guess is whatever we're in for starts today. She's not one to postpone things."

"Well, it may start today, but I think we're going to be here for a time," Kris said with a smile. "You all packed for an overnight stay. I packed for what Gaia really intended."

"Okay, Husband," the polar bear said, staring at the Kodiak. "What's in that box you brought?"

Kris picked up the large wooden box and threw it up on his shoulder. "You'll see soon enough." He looked out on the flat plain of rock peppered with larger stones near the cliff face. "Where can we put this old friend?" With a nod, he headed out into what was once the glade.

"Come along, husbands," Kris said, "time for our adventure to begin. Step lively. This ground is still healing. Our volcano is dormant once more. The only remaining mystery is what does the fat bear with the 'oh so cute ass' have in his box?" He turned back and grinned at the husbands on the landing rock. "We're already familiar with what he has in his basket, so let's find out what's on his shoulders."

The others tentatively put their feet out on the blackened soil, wondering if it was still hot. "How does he do that?" Derrick asked.

"How does he do what?" Will replied with another question.

"He keeps us from seeing things. We have the Sight, but he can block it when he wants to."

"I don't block it, Pup," the brown bear said as he walked away from the group. "I just fill my mind with gibberish in front of what I don't want you peeking at."

"If that worked, Bear," Oliver said as he began waddling toward Kris, "I'd never see nothing of the Sight. My head is full of gibberish all the time."

"That's why you remain a mystery to me," Kris said as he reached down and scooped up the badger, placing him on his free shoulder. "I am always amazed at how much I love you."

Oliver laughed and hugged the gigantic bear's neck. "And I loves you, Bear. So what's really in the box?"

"That you will see in a moment."

"You knows only the old wolf likes surprises, right?"

Kris laughed. "Then I will put it here," he said as he leaned over, dropping the box and the badger to the ground.

The wooden crate hit the dry earth with a dull thud. With a swift kick from the bear's foot, the sides of the box fell away. Inside, there appeared to be a mass of fabric bundled up. The Kodiak took the splayed box and threw it yards away. He reached into the fabric, pulled out a cord with a handle attached, yanked the ripcord, and stepped back, pulling the badger with him.

"The R&D U.S. Natural Disaster Team proudly presents..." the bear said, extending his arms outward as the fabric twisted as it grew. The family watched as the fabric unfolded into a large tent. There was a low hum from the tent as it continued to shift into its final configuration. "The base is air-filled," Kris said. "It means the entire twenty by ten feet interior can act as a mattress for its inhabitants. And with a minimal slope configuration, even I can stand up in the middle without bumping my head."

Will stared at the tent as it drove its stakes into the ground. "Impressive. How come I don't remember this coming across my desk at some point?"

Kris gave the tent a shove, and it didn't budge. "Because your memory isn't as good as you think it is, Old Wolf. You signed off on portable temporary housing over thirty years ago. Remember the flooding down in the Amazon? Ten thousand units went out to house the flood victims, and we have used them around the world ever since."

"I remember those, Bear," Will replied. "But they were eight by ten, six-foot high dome units, and the inflated floor could only hold seven hundred pounds."

"I talked to the team and asked them to retool the tent to meet my requested specifications."

Derrick laughed. "To hold you and five husbands safely while you sleep together?"

"Yep." Kris kicked the tent. "And to stand up to a bit of roughhousing. We're not always tired at the end of the day."

Will shrugged. "It's a pretty remarkable piece of work. I will need to tell the U.S. team that I'm impressed."

"Well, they still haven't figured out how to get it to fold back into that two-by-six-foot box once we're done with it, so don't go getting too impressed."

Will laughed. "That's always been the way of tents. I'm grateful for a bed to sleep on tonight."

"Want to go try it out?" Kris said with a leering smile toward the wolf.

"It can really stand up to the five of us doing more than sleeping on it?"

"They said it can."

"Well, Eric and I are ultimately responsible for product quality," Will said, staring at the open door of the tent. "It would be a shame to let this get into full production without testing its limits."

The Kodiak's arm waved toward the open door. "All those who are applying for the quality control position are now welcome."

All the family save Derrick moved toward the door. The family immediately noticed the reluctance and turned toward the wolf standing with his suitcase in hand. "Pup?" Eric asked.

"You all go ahead. If it's okay with you, I'm going to wander around a bit."

"It's all the same rock and dirt everywhere for a thousand yards, Pup," the polar bear replied.

"I realize that, Papa Bear," Derrick replied. "But is it okay if I ask for a bit of alone time?"

The white bear turned around and, with two steps, pulled the wolf in close. "Of course, Pup. We're only a ComLink call away if you need us."

Derrick looked up into the polar bear's dark eyes. "And I know where I can find you for at least the next six hours if you don't break the tent first."

Derrick felt the Iberian wolf's arms encircle him from behind. "There is that," Will said. "Try not to fixate on the unknown, Pup. It's like that tent. What's coming will unfold soon enough."

Derrick gave a sad little chuckle. "You know me too well, Old Wolf. I'm going to go sketch for a bit. It helps calm me."

Will pulled Derrick in tight. "I love you, Pup. We all do. Don't lose sight of that."

"I never do," the black wolf with blue highlights answered. "I just need a bit of time alone."

"Okay, Pup," Will said, letting the young wolf go. "We'll save you a bit of badger in case you get hungry later on."

"Mostly we's gonna save my dick," Oliver said, smiling at the black wolf. "'Cause I knows what parts you like to eat."

"I'll be back soon," Derrick said with a small wave. "You all enjoy yourselves."

"We will, Pup," Kris replied. "You hurry back and join us when you sort it all out."

"I will, Bear. I promise."

"Then I'm good," the Kodiak said as he bobbed his head down and slipped through the door. "OLD WOLF!" he bellowed. "I have a hard-on starting here, and the need for a bottom with skills."

Will looked at Derrick and pointed toward the door. "Pup... you know... want to be supportive and all, but... Bear... bear with a monster-sized dick who wants a bottom."

Derrick laughed out loud. "I love you all. Go have fun. I'll be okay."

When at last Derrick found a rock that he could sit on, he stared out at the desolation and shook his head. "They didn't mean to do it, Gaia, but they can't merge without making a mess of everything. There is so much power in play that they can't contain it all."

A quiet wind blowing dust into a funnel in the distance was the only response. Derrick opened his suitcase and took out his drawing tablet. He started sketching. Quick strokes soon formed the hole in the crag that led to the cave that once was on the highland. The creek, with its little cascade above the pond, took shape.

Bit by bit, the highland of before came alive again on the paper. Derrick drew the figure of a woman looking down over the highland. His colored pencils came out, and the sketch took on depth and form. The blues of the sky melded with the pale blue flesh of the woman, and sunlight radiating off tree leaves cast a reflective glow back onto her skin.

"Is that the way you see me?" the young wolf heard a voice ask. He looked up, and no one was there.

"I've drawn a portrait of everyone else in our family. I don't have any idea what you look like. But it's hard for me to talk to people I can't even see. It sometimes helps me to create an image in my mind."

"I understand that," Derrick heard a voice say next to him. He turned to see a woman with translucent blue skin. "I think if it were me, I would give me hair. Bald women are so nineteen eighties Sci-Fi don't you think?"

Derrick laughed uncomfortably. "I guess so. What kind of hair do you like?" he asked the bald woman.

The flowing hair around the woman was a pale blue-green with hints of yellow when the sun showed through it. It moved in slow motion around the woman as if underwater, never settling into one style or configuration. It was almost like watching a waterfall that never fell but simply stayed in motion. She shook back her head. "Lots of long hair," she said with a laugh, "all the way to my waist."

"I could draw you something to wear," Derrick said, looking away from the woman when he realized he hadn't sketched clothes on his figure.

"Really?" the woman questioned. "I think I'm rather winsome this way. Although, you left off the nipples on my breasts. I suspect that's because they make you uncomfortable."

"Yeah, a lot," Derrick said, squirming.

"You have a very complicated history with women, don't you, Pup?"

"I don't like to talk about it."

"Then let's talk about something else," the woman said. She tossed her head and in her place was a handsome blue-haired man with skin that let the sunlight shine through. "Would this make you more comfortable?"

Derrick shook his head. "Actually, no," he replied shyly. "I don't want you ever to be anything but what you want to be. You're Gaia. You're a woman."

"Truth be told, I'm an asexual gummy slug, just like my family," Gaia said with a smile. She shifted and was once more the translucent woman with flowing hair that covered her breasts. "But we are going to work together. We need to find a way you and I can communicate without it causing you distress."

Derrick stared at the woman and watched a world of color moving through her. It was the waterfall of her hair flowing down around her body like Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge. It was the bamboo of the Sagano forest and the wildflowers of an alpine meadow in the Swiss Alps. The glow from her hair was the golden grass of the Serengeti plains and the myriad colors of all the creatures of the Amazon rainforest. It was every living thing shifting and changing throughout her body, wrapped in pale blue skin. He turned away, embarrassed that he was staring. "You're beautiful. If we can leave you the way you are, I'll get used to you."

"No nipples?"

"If it's not asking too much."

"Well, there is certainly nothing for me to suckle, so it does me no harm," Gaia said, laughing. Her laughter was the sound of wind through Douglas fir in winter, the rain on the parched desert in summer. It was everything sacred to Derrick. It was the sound of life on Terra. The young wolf still could not glance back, embarrassed by the feelings he seemed unable to control. "Here, how is this?" she asked.

Derrick turned and the beautiful blue woman was wearing what appeared at first to be a jumpsuit of spandex and leather. Derrick recognized the outfit from one of his favorite mid-twenty-first-century video games. The outfit was Janna, Queen of Alteria's combat gear. With a trusted warrior reptile by her side, she vanquished foes wearing an outfit created for flexibility and record sales to teenage boys. It had no sleeves, and the metal studded v-neck showed enough of her cleavage to remind Derrick that Gaia was very much a woman. In the tight-fitting outfit, Gaia's feminine shape was unmistakable. It was also unmistakable that the outfit was an extension of Gaia's own body. There were no real seams, no stitching; only the familiar uniform. Yet somehow, it made Derrick feel less awkward when he looked at her. Derrick smiled shyly. "Thanks. I'm really sorry about this. It sometimes takes me a while to get used to new things."

"I could be the spaceship you saw when we first met. But talking metal and crystals must be more unsettling than this," Gaia said, waving her hand across her body.

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, that's true. Forgive me, Gaia. I hold on to my past more tightly than most. Sometimes that's to my own detriment."

"I understand completely, Pup." Gaia paused. "Is it okay to call you Pup?"

"Yeah. I kind of like that."

"Then, Pup, do you know why I called you here?"

"Papa Bear said it was to help you fix the highland."

"Exactly. We need to repair this land so that my family can return to something more comfortable than that bouncing tent over there."

"Your family?"

Gaia pushed back with disbelief clear on her face. "I have family, Pup. And not just my fellow Changelings. I love Zhuang and Bolin. And I love the black wolf in front of me."

Derrick waved his hands, trying to recant his question. "I know that, Gaia. You've always been there for us. I guess I never thought of you as being actively involved in our day-to-day..." Derrick's voice trailed off. "I'm going to get myself in so much trouble if I don't shut up now."

Gaia reached over and grabbed the young wolf into a hug. "You're fine, Pup. I realize that someone invisible might seem more distant than the one we see in front of us."

"I didn't realize you thought of Zhuang and Bolin as family."

"And the dragons. We have so much in common. They really are very fun to be with once you realize their sense of humor is rather warped."

Derrick chuckled. "There is so much I need to learn, Gaia."

"How about we start today? I would prefer if you were with your husbands, instead of stressing over meeting me."

"Me, too."

Gaia stood up. "You are a member of the Blue clan. The builder class has always stood by the other clans to help bring order to the surrounding confusion. Sometimes it is to build where nothing exists. Other times, as it is now, it is to rebuild that which has fallen."

"I've got no clue how to do any of that."

"But you enjoy drawing and painting."

"That's different."

Gaia shook her head. "It may not be for you. Look at the ground at your feet." Derrick looked down. "I want you to see it clearly in your mind." Derrick nodded his understanding. "Now, close your eyes, Pup." Derrick closed his eyes. "Change the rock, Pup."

Derrick shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Hush there, Pup," the blue woman scolded. "You have no inkling of what you can do. All I want you to do is see a flower growing through the rock and debris. Change one thing. Bring life back to the highland."

Derrick concentrated on the image in his mind. Without his pens and pencils, he sketched a small Oregon iris like those that grew along the sides of the roads where he grew up. On the backdrop of the rocks still held in his imagination, the outline formed, followed by the layering of colors. First, he saw the light purple and white of the flower, the deep purple veins in the petals, and the bright yellow stamen. He followed along the stem to the deep green of the leaves; each, in turn, spread out on the canvas of his mind. "I can see it, but that doesn't mean I can make it, Gaia."

"Open your eyes, Pup," Gaia commanded.

When his eyes opened, the black wolf looked down at his feet. There, breaking through the hard rock and gravel, was the iris. "But... but..." Derrick blurted out.

"We are done here for today, Pup," Gaia said, putting her finger to the stuttering wolf's lips. "Go play with your husbands. Create something beautiful in that tent of yours."

"Really?"

"Love is the greatest tool we have to build with, Pup. Go; play." Derrick stood up and shook himself into a wolf to let him cross the rugged terrain more easily. "But, Young Wolf," Gaia said as the wolf turned back toward her, "We start very early tomorrow, so make sure you tire out your husbands quickly. You will need your sleep."

The black wolf nodded and, with a pivot, he was racing off toward the bouncing tent.

Chapter 26

Oliver stared at the woman dressed in her futuristic jumpsuit. "Well, you is mighty pretty, that's for sure," the badger said.

"But still a woman," Gaia said.

"Yeah. But you is what you is. We's all gotta be something."

"But no mad, passionate kisses for me, right?"

Oliver squirmed uncomfortably. "Me and Derrick ain't the best for kissing women. We tries really hard to love our womenfolk, but we ain't very good at being touchy-feely with you all."

"So in hundreds of years, you haven't found a way around that?"

"Sorry, Gaia. You knows I loves you."

Gaia laughed, and Oliver heard the world around him come to life. "I am teasing you, Oliver. I would never want you to change. But you will have to get used to the idea that you get a peck on the cheek every day."

"Only one a day?"

"Maybe two on some days. Three on holidays."

"I can live with that."

"Should our practice begin today?"

"I guess we can try one." Oliver's foot made a small circle in the crushed rock that Gaia watched with amusement.

Gaia leaned over and kissed the cheek of the badger. The small foot repeated the circle, and she smiled. "I think that went splendidly," she said, righting herself.

"Twern't all that bad for me neither," Oliver said, looking away. After a moment, he turned back toward Gaia. "You'se gonna be good to my husband, right?"

"I'm going to be good. But you see it, Oliver. You understand what is on the line here."

"You gots a funny way of knowing what I sees, Gaia."

"The Sight runs strong in your family. Your husbands have it, I have it..." Gaia paused for dramatic effect. "You have that power, too."

"You knows a bit about old movies, it seems," Oliver said with a smile.

"Better than most Changelings; not as good as Will."

"So what does the Sight show you?"

"That your husband needs to understand how the Blue clan uses their powers."

Oliver turned as he heard the footfall of the wolf. "Morning, Pup," he said.

"Morning, Badger," Derrick said as he leaned down and kissed Oliver.

"Good morning, Pup," Gaia said. She tapped her cheek. "Time for your first challenge." Derrick hesitated and then leaned in and kissed Gaia's cheek. When he stepped back, she smiled. "First lesson learned. The Blue clan knows what the Unity needs and provides for those necessities."

"Kissing is a necessity?" Derrick asked.

"I would say yes, but perhaps not," Gaia said as she turned out toward the highland. "But kissing a woman as a greeting challenges you, and you need to be confident that you can rise to any challenge."

"Okay, I'm good if I start with the small ones first. What do we do with the highland?"

"You heal it. You take the chaos of what looks like a lava flow poured over a rock quarry and restore it to the forest and fields of the highland."

Derrick shook his head. "I might create a flower, but change the whole highland? I doubt that's going to go as smoothly as the kiss on your cheek."

"I will help you as you need it. Today, let's just restore the grass."

"How?"

"The same way you created the iris. See the grass in your mind and let the power of that vision flow out into the world around you."

"That's how you does it?" Oliver asked the blue woman.

Gaia turned to the badger and smiled. "No, Oliver. That's how Pup does it. To each, their gifts. Derrick is not unique among the Blue clan. Max also changes the world around him by seeing the changes in his mind."

"Max and I are doing the same thing?" Derrick asked, surprised.

"Essentially, yes," Gaia responded. "But you and he view things with a different eye. Max sees this world with the mind of a physicist. He paints with mathematics, if you will. He sees the world in terms akin to a computer. Like bits of data on a hard drive, he moves this universe around to form the outcome he sees. He's writing code, but you Pup, you do what everyone has always thought Max does. You are painting a new world from the atoms of the old."

"The flower?" Derrick asked again.

"Made from the carbon atoms in the rock and the water and nitrogen in the air. Everything that you needed to create the flower surrounds you. You needed only to create the flower in your mind to make it real."

"So the grass? You're saying all I need to do is create it in my mind?"

Gaia smiled. "It's as simple as that." She took the hand of the black wolf and knelt down, pulling the wolf with her. She pushed the paw against the earth. "Feel the earth beneath your paw. Imagine what once was is now returning."

"But this rock," Derrick argued, "it was there before. The trees and grass, burnt into ash."

"The first law of thermodynamics, as you understand it, is that energy can neither be created nor destroyed in a closed system. What was once here is still here. You merely need to see it change from one form to another." Gaia pushed on the paw more firmly. "Find that place inside you, Pup. See the world as it should be and make it so."

A breeze came up, and Oliver turned around to see where it came from. When he realized it was surrounding him, pushing from every direction, he looked back at the two kneeling on the ground. The grass grew up between the fingers of the wolf's paw and spread over the rocky face of the highland. As the grass flowed up and over the rocks that had fallen from the crag, the stones vanished. The rubble seemed to melt back into the flatness that had once been the highland glade. The grass grew outward, heading toward the cliff face. When the grass passed underneath the tent, the movement roused the husbands still asleep.

"What the hell?" Will said, pushing up from the floor. "Are we having a quake?"

"Not quite, Old Wolf," the polar bear replied, pointing out the window of the tent. In front of them was a field of green grass where small flowers began blooming in patches of pink.

"Pup?" Will asked, flipping back his cowlick as he stared out into the meadow in amazement.

"Pup," Eric replied as he stood and pushed his way past the door. In the distance, he watched the three in the center of all the change that surrounded them. "Oh, Gaia," he said, shaking his head.

The wind that moved around him whispered quietly in his ear. The bear whispered a response. "I know. We realized this might be the outcome. But you see what's happening."

The bear pushed one paw against his head. "I trust you. Push his limits if you feel the need. But promise me you'll back off if you sense there is no limit. There is something far beyond the Unity that drives Pup's powers." The wind moved around the bear and was gone. Eric looked out over the highland, watching as the grass waving in the wind become still.

Eric felt the paw of the Kodiak push against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Son. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves a chance to simply be the happy, loving wolf he is."

The polar bear rubbed the paw of the brown bear lovingly. "I hoped the same for him, Dad, but he won't back down. He doesn't even realize the full extent of what's happening, but he won't back down."

"He's our husband. We worry about him because he's young. But there is a part of him that is now older than either of us. We need to trust that he will rise to the challenge."

"He's my Pup, Dad."

Kris nodded. "I know, Son. And you're his Papa Bear. The two of you cemented your relationship the day you met. Nothing is changing there. You will be there for him when he needs you to be." The brown bear leaned in and kissed the white. "And he will be there for you. Now let's go get our husband, shall we? I think Gaia will let us take him out for breakfast."

Eric smiled. "That would be nice."

"Old Wolf... Donovan," Kris yelled back to the tent. "Let's go get our husbands. Walking on the highland appears to be a pleasure again."

The two wolves stepped out from the tent and stared across the grassy field toward the three. "The woman... that would be Gaia?" Will asked for confirmation.

"It would appear so," Kris said.

"It's a better look for her than the spaceship."

"I'm fond of both," Kris said as he kissed the old wolf. Will kissed Eric and Donovan repeated the morning greetings with the bear husbands.

"Derrick is glowing again, you know," Will said. "I guess we best get used to that look."

The four began their walk toward the three, and Donovan grabbed the polar bear's paw. "The glow, Husband," he whispered. "It has returned, brighter than before."

"I know," Eric responded.

"It should have waned."

"I know."

"We appear to have a very special wolf as our mate, my love," the Armbruster's wolf said with a sigh.

"I've always known that," the polar bear said, squeezing the wolf's paw tightly. "I guess I never knew to what extent until today."

Chapter 27

Oliver's paw stretched out, and he watched as the grass shifted and a small orange flower pushed up from the soil. "Why, Oliver, you little imp," he heard the feminine voice say from behind.

The badger quickly turned. "I didn't mean no harm," he said, thrusting both his paws behind his back.

"And no harm was done," Gaia said, kneeling down. "Do I get my kiss?"

"I thoughts you kissed me."

"That flower, Oliver... that's a game changer. Time to up the ante in our relationship."

"Then I ain't making no more things. I think kissing you is about as far as I wants to go."

Gaia laughed out loud and Oliver heard the voice of all nature surrounding him. He realized how much he enjoyed making Gaia laugh and hearing the rain and wind move through the sound of her voice. Gaia tapped her cheek. "Right here, Badger."

Oliver pushed up on his toes and kissed the cheek. "You won'ts tell no one, will you? I knows how they worry about Pup, and I don't wants them fussing over me."

"How easy was that for you?"

"Weren't nothing at all. I'se like Pup, only I can'ts paint or nothing. But I just gots to see it in my head and if I wills it hard enough, then it's there."

Gaia let her fingers run through her long hair. Her face took on a look of concern. "Oliver, you know Channelers are not supposed to have powers of their own. They're supposed to be mere conduits of other's powers to help focus and blend them."

"I knows," the badger replied. "I don't thinks the pup and I are what we was in the before time no more." His paw reached out toward the far side of the field and tree after tree sprung up from the ground. In moments, the open field on the far side had become a forest. It continued to spread all the way to where the creek had returned. But now, instead of bubbling up from the ground, the creek was born on the highland from the dizzying heights of a horsetail fall that plunged into a deep pool below. When the last of the trees sprouted up and hid the creek from view, he turned to Gaia. "We's got powers no man rightly should hold."

"Then I am glad you aren't a man, but a badger," Gaia said as she put her hand on Oliver's shoulder.

"You knows what I means, Gaia. Pup is shy, and he's kind. He won't never use them powers unless he's pushed. I worry about me. I ain't shy, and I gots me a temper."

"Then you will have to be even more diligent in knowing that."

"Can'ts you Changelings take it away from me? I remember what I said about protecting my family. I knowed I said I would accept whatever I needed to protect them, but this ain't needful, Gaia."

Gaia shook her head, and the flowing hair followed in waves. "We didn't give it to you, Oliver. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do unless you want me to help you learn how to control it."

"I could use me some help."

"Perhaps it is time to bring Zhuang and Bolin back."

"I could use them two's help as well. And I mights talk to Li Wei. He goes a long ways back in helpin' me."

"And your family?"

"I could use their help, too. But Gaia, I ain't ready for them all to know."

"Then, for a time, the two of us can work alone together. When Zhuang, Bolin, and the dragons return, we will discuss what course of action we take."

"I woulds be grateful."

"Oliver," Gaia said as she stood up. "Secrets are not always good, even if when we think they're going to make our life easier."

"I knows, Gaia. One day, when it's right, I will let everyone know. But I sees the changes in the wolf I loves. And I knows who he is. There is a darkness on the horizon. It's far distant, but what I is can't be a part of fixing it."

"And Pup will be?"

"He's gots to be, Gaia. You and all of us has gots to prepare the pup to be what he's gotta be. When that day comes, he's gotta be ready. You sees what he is."

"Your intercessor?"

"Don't like fancy words," Oliver said with a frown.

"But you understand them nonetheless, Oliver," Gaia replied. "I used that word because you like hearing the simple word even less."

"You'se right," Oliver said. "Don'ts want my pup ever having to be one, but one day he's gonna have to be one because it was what he was born to be. And he gots to know that the power is in him, and he can do what's needful."

"And so much more, Oliver," Gaia agreed. "Let him grow into the calling. He needs to find his place among so many powerful husbands. Stand beside him and never let him back down. We all have our callings. Your calling is to be there to push when Pup needs to be pushed. It's simple enough. Your calling is to stay by Pup's side until he grows into the man you and I both see."

"And his is to be..." Oliver's voice trailed off.

"His is to be your savior."

"Don'ts like that word, Gaia," Oliver retorted. "Don'ts like that word at all."

Chapter 28

Derrick looked out at the forest. "It's beautiful, Gaia," he said happily. "I was worried you were going to make me put up a new forest, but this is even better than anything I could have imagined. There are so many types of trees growing here. I can tell you paid particular attention to making oak trees so that can withstand the temple dogs climbing them."

Oliver looked away, dreading the words Gaia would speak. "You know, that's exactly what I thought when I saw it," Gaia responded. "I looked at it and thought it turned out better than anything I ever imagined." She laughed and rubbed the badger's head. "Sometimes nature is like that. We need to step back and let it take its course."

"Well, the highland is certainly looking better than even before Marcus underwent his change," the black wolf said, staring at the forest. He pushed the badger's shoulder. "What do you think, Oliver? Didn't Gaia do a great job?"

"It all looks nice, Pup," Oliver replied, never looking at the forest.

"So, what do we do now, Gaia?" Derrick asked. "Is my training done?"

Gaia laughed. "Not hardly, Pup. Today we take off the training wheels."

Derrick frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Today, you make a home for your family."

"What? You want me to make caves?"

"If that's what you feel is adequate."

"That's what has always been here."

"Zhuang and Bolin are in New Zealand sharing the temple with their Kiwi brothers. While they do their best to live their lives without a temple, the challenges of that life are not always easy for them."

"I don't know much about their temples, Gaia."

"I understand. Perhaps a simple cave will suffice."

Gaia turned and began walking away. Derrick watched the blue-green hair flowing in the wind that wasn't there. He grumbled a bit and then yelled toward the blue woman. "Okay, I will come up with an idea. How much time do I have?"

"Let's say lunchtime."

"Five hours? That's it?"

"There are always the caves, Pup. I can attest to how simple they are to make."

"Okay, lunchtime. Noon, but not a minute before."

"You're gay, Pup. I hear gay men are late to everything. I realize it's a stereotype, but you can enjoy living up to the stereotype today if it helps."

"It might," Derrick yelled as the receding figure of the beautiful woman disappeared.

"You'se fucked," Oliver said. "Ain't no way you can build them dogs a temple when you don'ts got no clue what's inside of one."

"I'll go ask Papa Bear," Derrick replied. "He's been inside one of them before."

"He was trying to save them dogs in the middle of that temple being blowed up, Pup. He mights not remember much."

Moments later, Derrick stared at his husband with disappointed eyes. "I'm sorry, Pup," the polar bear replied to the query. "It was the middle of a war. In the center of the temple is a meditation room. It's very dark. The rest is more open, but there were so many other things that were on my mind besides admiring the temple dogs' carpentry skills."

Derrick sighed. "Gaia wants me to build a temple for Zhuang and Bolin."

"That's a wonderful idea," Eric said. "Look, call Greg. He has the blueprints of both the Tibetan and New Zealand temples. I'm sure they would be more helpful than anything I could offer you."

"That's a great idea, Pup," Will said, looking up from the grill he had lit. "If the highland is to be a sanctuary, there really should be a temple. The Were Nation has built two for the dogs, take advantage of their experience."

"Even with blueprints, I need to create the actual buildings. Gaia is way more confident about my abilities than I am," Derrick protested.

"Then go give it your best effort and let Gaia help you with the rest. She has a direct link to the one who knows what every building on this planet looks like, you know."

Derrick smiled. "Well, she promised she would help take up the slack where I can't. I can't take any credit for the way the highland forests look."

"Well then, get busy," Kris said as he rose and gave a pat on the black wolf's butt. "You've got a sketchbook and an Internet full of ideas. Find something that will make the highland the sanctuary you think it should be."

Derrick nodded. "I'm going to do just that." He reached down and grabbed his satchel full of art supplies and pushed a small-screened tablet inside. "I'll catch you all later," he said as he ran toward the forest.

"You thinks he cans even get close, Old Bear?" Oliver asked, looking up at Eric.

Eric shook his head and gave a quiet laugh. "I don't know, Oliver. To pull this off, he will not only need to see the temple in his mind, but also understand how they're constructed. He doesn't possess that knowledge."

"He mights be able to wish it so," the badger replied. "He mights not got to see it all that clear for the universe to make it right by what he's thinking."

"I don't think it works that way, Oliver."

"Didn't think of no gigantic oak trees. Just wanted them dogs to have a forest that made them happy."

The polar bear looked down at the badger. "Excuse me? Are we talking about the same thing, Oliver?"

"Maybe nots. I gots to go," Oliver said, turning and running off toward the forest.

Eric shook his head. "I believe we're growing further and further out of this loop, gentlemen."

Donovan looked up and smiled. "Welcome to my world. I'm too new to this family to understand half of the things you are doing. Usually, I sit back and let it wash over me with the hope I'll have a clue by the time it's all over."

"Sounds like the best path to take, Donovan," Kris said. "I've been here awhile, and I'm still scratching my head most of the time." The Kodiak went over to the grill. "What's for lunch, Handsome?"

Will leered at the portly bear. "Pigs in a blanket if you're up for it, Bear."

"Which of us is the pig?"

"All four of us? You heard Pup. He doesn't need to have his project ready until lunchtime. I bet if we play it right, we can give him an extra four hours."

"Pigs in a blanket, huh?" the polar bear said, wrapping his arms around the old wolf. "Who's providing the sausage and who's providing the buns?"

"Your sausage between my buns?" the wolf replied with a plea clear in his voice.

"I never could say no to you, Old Wolf," the polar bear said, biting into the wolf's shoulder. "Come on, Husband; let's give the pup his extra four hours."

The wolf leaned over and turned off the grill. "Brunch is served, husbands. And I'm all you can eat."

Kris laughed as he grabbed the wolf and threw him over his shoulder. "Follow me, husbands," he said as he began walking toward the sound of the creek. "I bet our pond is back, and that nice little patch of soft grass next to it. Let's enjoy ourselves some wolf covered in cream sauce." Happy for the newly reborn forest, the polar bear and Armbruster's wolf followed the two toward the forest.

Hours later, on the other side of the forest, Derrick had finally found the pictures he was looking for online. Oliver sat next to Derrick watching the pictures flip by. "They's real purty, Pup," he said at last.

"I hope they'll be good enough." He dragged them to a folder marked Gaia and waited for her appearance. It wasn't long before the wind picked up around him and the blue woman clad in leather, spandex, and metal studs appeared.

"I guess I'se gonna go now, Pup," Oliver said as he stood up.

"Why, Oliver?" Gaia asked. "Are you afraid I'm going to ask you to kiss me?"

"No, I just knows you gots work to do." The badger leaned over and kissed the wolf. "I wanted to be here for Pup so he wouldn't get all flustered by this."

"Then stay, Oliver. Until Pup doesn't need you."

Derrick looked up at the woman standing above him. "That day will never come, Gaia. I will always need Oliver in my life."

"And that is as it should be," Gaia agreed. She turned to Oliver and smiled. "Stay, Badger. The Pup has need of you."

"Does I gots to kiss you?"

"Only if you want to."

Oliver stared at the woman smiling at him. "I guess it won't do me no harm to be sociable," he said as he pushed up on his toes and kissed Gaia's cheek. Gaia laughed, and Oliver received the reward he had hoped for from his kiss. The fur on the back of his neck stood up with the sensation of hearing the first notes of a symphony beyond beautiful. He sat down beside the black wolf and put his hand on the young wolf's leg.

"So, what do you have for me, Pup?" Gaia asked, looking over his shoulder.

Derrick pulled up a larger holographic screen from the tablet and showed her the images. "These are old photos of the temple at Petra. I remember it from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

"It was beautiful," the voice, soft as dew on moss, said.

"Wasn't it?" Derrick agreed. "I'm sorry they destroyed it in Gulf War Five, but it's only one of so many beautiful buildings I found once I started looking." He flipped through a few more pictures. "I thought at first I would duplicate the temple, but when Greg sent me the layouts of the temples in Tibet and New Zealand, I knew that wouldn't work. I need to create something entirely different."

"You're catching on, Pup," Gaia said with a smile.

"Okay, these are kind of creepy," the young wolf said, pointing to the stone buildings jutting from a rock face. "These are the Lycian tombs, but their roofs got me wondering. They sort of look like pagoda roofs, don't you think? Petra doesn't look very Asian, and the dogs all come from there."

"That's true. But Asia is a large continent. There is China, Japan, Thailand, India, and most of Russia. Even the city of Petra was in Asia if we're talking strict geography." Gaia paused. "There are so many architectural styles you could choose to honor."

Derrick laughed. "That's what I began realizing. There are so many options." Derrick flipped to another picture of a stone building looking out on trees growing up from the rock. "These are the ruins of the Lakhena temple. Isn't it beautiful? I mean, look how open it is. I know it's not exactly carved into the side of the cliff. But with all the boulders around here, couldn't I use them to create something like this as an entryway? It would be a place where the dogs could sit with us without us having to actually enter their temple."

"Keeping their sacred places sacred, but providing a place for family. I like the way you think, Pup," Gaia said, smiling.

"And this," the wolf said, flipping through the pictures once more, "This was one of the Gellert thermal baths in Budapest." Derrick paused, "Or at least what they looked like before the bombs destroyed them in the War of the Continents. The bombing forced the thermal springs that fed the baths underground. With all the rubble still there, all that remains of the area are these photos."

"Terra will return the springs one day, Pup. The people of Budapest have so many more important things to work on."

Derrick nodded. "I know. They didn't fare well in the wars that followed, did they? But the memory of what they once were reminded me that there are thermal springs still dotting this countryside. The volcano is sleeping again thanks to you, Gaia, but those vents must be heating an awful lot of hot water out there."

"That's true. I enjoyed knowing the dogs had somewhere to go in the cold of winter." Gaia turned back toward the stone fields and the large cliff face. "Besides, have you seen them when they get out of the water? The way the fur flows around their muscles as the water drains off? It's magnificent."

Derrick's eyes widened. "You can see us all the time?"

"I suppose if I wanted. But why would I want to?"

"But you've seen the dogs naked in the baths," Derrick pressed.

"The dogs are almost always naked, Pup. That's nothing new."

"No, I mean, in the baths. They hardly ever went to the baths without... you know." Derrick's finger slipped through the hole created by two fingers of his other hand and pounded his fist.

"That is true."

"You watched them?"

"No, Pup," Gaia replied, looking askance at the wolf. "If you're implying that I would watch the dogs play surreptitiously, that would be improper."

The black wolf turned away shyly. "I've stumbled in on them a couple of times. It's kind of hot."

Gaia laughed and nature's sounds mingled into music that only the Changeling could sing. "It is that."

"So, you watch them?"

"When they allow it. It's not like I do so without their knowledge. Occasionally, like you, I have stumbled upon them. Oliver has as well, I suspect."

"I admits to it," the badger answered. "T'weren't always an accident by me. Them dogs is fun to watch."

Gaia smiled. "They have always known we are there. They never cease their play because they wish to draw us into it. Have they ever failed in that goal with you, Pup?"

Derrick looked down shyly. "No."

"Or you, Oliver?"

"Ain't never said no to a temple dog," Oliver replied. He looked at Gaia. "But you just watches them?"

Gaia laughed again, and the tingle that spread over the young wolf and badger made pleasurable goose bumps on their flesh. "What makes you think that I have any more willpower than you two? I always joined them because it has always been what they wanted."

"They..." Derrick repeated his hand gesture of circled fingers and probing index finger, "... you?"

Gaia shook and a temple dog stood before the young wolf. "Did you think only your husbands could become dogs?"

"But you'se a lady," Oliver said, confused.

"And I'm a man when it suits me. It always suits me to be a man when I am in hot water with temple dogs."

"But... but you never appeared to any other beasts," Derrick stuttered.

"That you know of, Pup. More happens in this world that surrounds you than you realize." As the temple dog knelt down beside the young wolf, he became the beautiful blue woman again. "I am here in this form because this is what you need me to be. When Kris needed a spaceship, I was that. You feel the Unity, the link that ties you to your family in a far-off solar system, through me. I have always been what others needed me to be because that is all I ever wanted to be."

"It must be nice knowing your place in the universe," Derrick said wistfully.

"You will find yours one day, Pup. I have been alive for billions of years. I am older than all your husbands' years combined. Don't regret the journey because you can't always see where it is taking you."

"Yes, ma'am," Derrick said, looking down.

"Ma'am? You called me ma'am?" Gaia asked indignantly.

"I was raised to be polite. Sometimes it comes out sounding wrong."

Gaia hugged the wolf and laughed. "Oh, I love you, Pup. Of all our family, you are the most innocent."

"Yeah," Derrick said dejectedly. "I've noticed. But the word naive is more apt. Or just plain ignorant."

Gaia shook the wolf. "Nonsense. None of those words fit." She paused contemplating the words once more. "Well, naive might be accurate, but I never saw naivete as a bad thing. You're also inquisitive. Over the years that often changes the nature of naivete."

"But not knowing stuff makes it tougher for me to do what you ask of me, Gaia. Look at my pictures. I started with an idea from a movie I watched. I knew next to nothing about any of these places. It's what the search engine showed me. I can't pronounce half of the temple names I bookmarked."

"So?"

"You could ask Kris or Eric to do this job and they would have had those names at their fingertips. Well, any Changeling, for that matter. You all have encyclopedias for brains."

"I like what you found. You showed initiative, and that means a great deal. Besides, I also like what I see inside your head."

"It's a jumble of buildings. I can't even seem to sketch out what it is in my mind. It's more complicated than my drawing skills are up to."

"Architectural renderings aren't easy. But if you're willing to work with me, I'd like you to try something."

"Sure," Derrick said. "I'm willing to try, but you'll be there to help with the rough spots, right?"

"I am by your side through all of this, Pup. I will not let you fail. That isn't the goal. The goal is to make our brother dogs a new home and a new temple to return to."

"I kind of wanted to add new apartments for visitors, too," Derrick said, pointing toward the face of the cliff where the cave once was. "We need a place to stay that doesn't impose on Zhuang and Bolin."

"Or the dragons," Gaia said, pointing to the forest. "They have their forest in place and they will be happy to share it with you, but as their day ends, they need a place to rest as well."

"Do they sleep in caves?"

"In summer, they sleep in cathedrals of arching trees and mossy floors. In winter, they seek warmth. However, they really need a place where no one ventures without an invitation."

"Like a clearing surrounded by a wall with those huge strangler figs. Their massive roots intertwine along the old temples," Derrick said as he flipped through his pictures. He stopped on one. "Like this, only bigger for the dragons to walk through. It wouldn't even need to be a door or an actual wall; it could be the trees growing together like the pagoda once was. And the trees could form a canopy to cover them."

"It sounds beautiful," Gaia said, smiling. "But don't forget, this isn't a tropical rainforest. Strangler figs won't grow here."

"Hemlock trees do. They overgrow nurse stumps all the time with large roots. I have a picture here somewhere." He pulled up the image and showed Gaia. "They've never grown as big as a strangler fig, but I can picture one that big in my mind."

"Then why not give it a try? If it doesn't work, we call always try another approach. Nothing's set in stone, Pup."

Derrick looked at the photos on the screen. "But I'm not sure if the dragons would be happy there."

"Why not ask them, Pup? Ask them what they want."

"They're over seven thousand miles away, Gaia."

"Close your eyes and ask them," the blue woman encouraged as she reached out her hand. "What you cannot do on your own, I will help you with."

Derrick closed his eyes, and the dragons appeared in his mind. "I'm trying to fix the highland," he said to the smiling dragons. "We need to make you a home. But I'm not sure what you need." The dragons rose, and the images flooded Derrick's mind. "Oh, jeez," he said, slapping his forehead. "I forgot all about children and nests. You'll need easier access to the forest than a simple doorway. What if we used a pylon facade and let the hemlocks overgrow the pylons? It would act as a visual start to your home that no one could mistake."

Derrick turned around and looked at Oliver. "How do I know what a pylon facade is?" Oliver shrugged his total lack of any clue.

The images began flowing back into Derrick's head. The two towers of the pylon facade formed from stone jutting out from the mossy floor of the forest. Large redwood trees formed a canopy over the archway. Images of a cave appeared. Hidden in a rock outcropping overgrown by the roots of the surrounding trees, the entrance was still wide enough for the largest dragon. "Sure, we can make a larger entrance for both of you." He paused, watching the images flashing by. "But a cave would work as an eggery too if we heated it thermally, right? A hot spring if it was a few meters below the surface would do that, wouldn't it?" Derrick laughed, "Of course we could. It's only moving rocks around."

The images continued to flood the young wolf's mind until Derrick clapped his paws together happily. "That's it," he yelled. "It would be perfect. Do you like it that way? The outside pylons and walls will set the area apart from the rest of the forest. The courtyard will be perfect for sleeping outdoors, and the cavern to the side will keep your eggs all warm and dry during their incubation. Plus, you need a nice place to stay inside when winter comes." Derrick's eyes opened. "And trees growing up through it all; massive rooted trees that will stand forever. They will be as much a part of the architecture as any stone or wall."

"So you sees it, Pup? You sees the home of the dragons?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I do. They showed me what they wanted, and we worked on it together." Derrick turned to the blue-skinned woman. "I can do it, Gaia. I can do it if you'll help me."

"You don't need my help, Pup," Gaia responded. She waved her hand out toward the forest behind Derrick. When he turned, he stared at the monoliths rising from the ground. The two thirty-foot high granite pylons that formed the doorway to the dragon's home were not the smooth finish of temple pillars. Rather, they looked as if they had simply been a part of the mountain carved off from a glacier pushing past thousands of years ago. There was nothing of man or his building techniques reflected in the home of the dragons. No human planted the trees that would cover the dragons when it rained. The grassy bed they would lie in was never sod laid by a work crew. And the rocks and trees that surrounded and protected their home appeared to have been on the highland for millennia.

"I told you that if you could imagine it, you could create it, Pup. The dragons showed you what they wanted. You, in turn, gave them their wish."

Derrick stared at the entrance to the dragon's forest. "I didn't know... I thought I was only planning..." He squeezed Gaia's hand tightly. "I didn't know..."

Gaia turned out her free hand toward the cliff. "And now the dogs. What shall we do for them?"

Derrick shook his head. "I guess I should ask."

"It would seem the thing to do, wouldn't it?" Gaia said with a nod.

Zhuang and Bolin stood before the three. Derrick wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to see them face to face so badly, or because Gaia had brought them to the highland. He clutched her blue hand even more tightly. The two dogs cast their eyes about their new surroundings, trying to determine where they were. "Is this the highland, Pup?" Zhuang asked.

"Yeah."

"The glade is so much larger than it was, and the forest appears substantially larger as well," Zhuang said, looking about. His head cocked to one side when he saw the cliff face. "We seem to have lost our home and rice patties."

"Marcus wanted me to tell you he's sorry. We're working on bringing your home back today."

Bolin clapped his hands together, the same as Derrick had done moments ago. "That is wonderful, Pup. Do you wish us to help? We have strong backs and we work very hard."

"Gaia is helping me today, Bolin," Derrick replied. "I'm afraid it could be dangerous for you to stay here. This is going to go much faster than you normally experience when we're building your temples and monasteries."

The two dogs were quiet and then, with a trembling voice, Zhuang asked, "You... you are going to build us a temple?"

"You need a place for your meditation."

Bolin wiped the tears from his eyes with a thick paw. "This is more than we could ever dream."

"I've seen the blueprints Greg used to build the Tibetan and New Zealand temples. I know what the building needs to honor your history and the details of the various meditation chambers. But I'm unsure of all the details you need to make it sacred and ready for consecration." Derrick pointed to the new cliff face hundreds of yards from where it once was. "I want to build it inside that wall of rock. It's sedimentary rock, shale, and a bit of slate, so that's what I have to work with."

A blue hand gently squeezed the wolf's paw. "Let your imagination go beyond the limitations of the world around you. Remember what your sons taught you."

Derrick remembered the little creatures made of sand merging in the hands of his son and reforming again with the aid of the panda. In his mind, he looked out upon the expanse of the entire beach. He realized that the canvas he worked with was equally infinite. "It can be whatever you want, Zhuang, Bolin," Derrick said. "You only tell me what you want. What does this land need to be for you to feel at home again?"

Zhuang was the most composed of the two, so he spoke first. Bolin tried to quell his crying but was entirely unsuccessful. "My husband's tears are those of happiness. Please don't let them distress you. We are emotional creatures, and he more so than most of us." Zhuang rubbed his eyes, trying to dry them. "If we could have our rice patties back..." the dog rubbed his eyes again, "Oh, bother. This isn't working at all well."

Derrick reached out and took the paw of the temple dog in his free hand. "Let me show you what I have been thinking and you tell me where I need to make changes." The paw of the wolf rose to the temple of the dog, and in kind, the temple dog raised his paw to the temple of the wolf. Their heads dropped, Derrick's rested on the chest of Zhuang, and Zhuang's head nestled atop the wolf's. Derrick wasn't sure if it was the language of the dragons as the two spoke together. Images flowed in his head, moving and changing into a new design. At last, the images sorted themselves, and he could imagine every stone of the temple, the monastery, and each grain of grown rice bending over in the patties. He saw it all, and his hand lifted away from the side of the dog's head.

Zhuang and Bolin were no longer on the highland. The tent that once was in the field was gone, and Derrick's husbands found themselves on their bed in Montana. The wolf and bears looked at the badger. "Well, Oliver?" the polar bear said, not sure what question to ask.

"Pup might be changing the highland."

"And where did you run off to?"

"I mights have wanted to tell him nots to be afraid."

"And did you do that?"

"I thinks I did."

The polar bear snorted. "Isn't this an either you did or you didn't kind of thing?"

"Maybe, if I was me like I was before," Oliver replied as he looked away. "I thinks maybe me and Pup was one person there for a bit. Everything the Pup was seeing, I was seeing as well. So, I tried to help him see he was going to be fine. I didn't need to tell him not to worry, 'cause he was me and I weren't afraid."

It was Will's turn to take a deep breath and snort it out through his nose. "Anything else we need to know, Oliver?"

"I gots me a boner something fierce."

Kris laughed. "Well, now that's a bit of serendipity. I have a craving for a badger boner this afternoon."

Oliver looked up and smiled. "Pup's gonna be busy, husbands. I thinks he sent me back with you as a distraction."

The old wolf leaned in and kissed the badger. "Then let's not let all his hard work go to waste." The old wolf toppled on top of the badger, and the Kodiak toppled on top of the two.

Donovan shook his head. "I guess this is a dog pile, and I'm one dog that's piling on." The Armbruster's wolf jumped toward the Kodiak. Before he landed, the Kodiak rolled over and grabbed the wolf out of the air and the two rolled off the bed. Donovan found his lips pressed tightly against the brown bear's, and he yielded quickly to their pleasures.

Only the polar bear remained apart from the foursome. He sighed quietly. "It's okay, Gaia. I knew this day would come. I'll stand aside. Let Pup be Pup." The gentle breeze that swirled around Eric whispered something to the bear and was gone. Eric looked out at the four. Donovan had attempted to make his way back to the bed but was hanging over the edge, pinned to the side by a bear pounding his butt into the side of the mattress. Oliver had mounted Will and was driving both toward their first orgasm of the day.

The polar bear shrugged as he tried to determine where he was going to situate himself and chose the wide furry butt of the Kodiak. "I knew this day would come as well," he said, moving toward the brown bear. "I'm grateful that it comes every day," the white bear said with a laugh. "Stay with the good, Old Bear," he told himself, trying to remain where Derrick wanted him to be. He closed his eyes and pushed his swollen cock into the warm flesh of the brown bear's insides. He let the pleasure sweep over him and soon found his rhythm. "Stay with the good."

Chapter 29

The highland was no longer a static piece of land. Everywhere, changes were happening. Buildings were carving their way into the stone. Outcroppings of rock rose into open-air patios. The once obliterated rice patties appeared as a terraced roof over the top of the monastery. To the right of the monastery, two serpentine stone dragons watched over the stairs to the temple. Their reptilian heads and flared gills instantly identified them as water dragons. Bright blue scales with shining gold dorsal fins covered their bodies. They wrapped around the pillars supporting the front of a rounded courtyard. Additional carved pillars and arches framed the courtyard. Each intertwined with flowering vines growing from large pots decorated in blue and white images of temple dogs at play. In moments, the building of brown and yellow stone softened as the vines moved across the rock.

Moss, which would take years to grow, filled in the gaps between the stone bricks in front of the temple. Small ferns nestled inside the mossy outcroppings and hung down, searching for light. But wherever a foot would fall, not one bit of the damp moss or slippery algae appeared. Derrick used the plant life surrounding and covering the temple like paint on a canvas to color the growing temple. However, there was a method to the painting. Wherever the plants might create a danger, they remained absent.

Long, walled ramps on either side of the dragons provided more reasonable access for humans with mobility issues. Their serpentine nature remained skillfully woven into the look of the front entrance to the temple. In the center of the courtyard, a fountain appeared. Two forest dragons stood on either side of a glowing green crystal. Water bubbled out from the center. Their large hands cupped the water, fanning it onto a group of baby dragons playing in the deluge spilling over them.

Stone benches lifted from the constantly moving rock slabs. Each was a size to fit at least three of the super-sized beasts. The stone benches were not for solitary contemplation, but for welcoming their family and sharing time together.

The openness of the entryway behind the stone dragon pillars showed the influence of the Lakhena temple. On either side of the open-air courtyard were breezeways that provided sheltered paths to the front of the temple's entryway.

There was no door to the front of the temple. Two more serpentine wingless air dragons flanked the entryway. Their flattened muzzles and shaggy manes looked much like the temple dogs. However, the tiny limbs and elongated bodies made what they were unmistakable. There was never a door to the first room leading into the temple. Only red curtains embroidered with gold images hung from the top. Each set of draperies had a dragon claw holdback. They pulled the curtains to either side, leaving the doorway open and inviting.

The first room of the temple was a place that welcomed all inside. This area was sacred, but not in the way of the humans. The first room was where the temple dogs could join their family in a more intimate setting than outside. It allowed their affections for their family to find fuller expression should the need arise. That need often found expression in the temple dogs' playful nature. The curtains, when freed from the holdbacks, allowed them privacy. Those on the outside would see nothing of their actions. Yet, always the invitation to push past the curtain and join them was there. There were no gates or doors to imply the path to a temple dog's heart ever closed.

Pillars formed archways and architectural details from the outside. However, the mountain behind the cliff face clearly supported the building nestled into the rock. As the temple grew upward and pushed backward, a stone slab rose on the northern side of the large circular room. A large block of wood appeared in mid-air above the stone slab. As it spun, invisible hands carved it and shaped it into a statue of intricate design. When the statue of Ganesh, the multi-armed elephant god, appeared from the carved wood, it dropped onto the stone slab. Along the sides and in front of the multi-armed elephant god, metal vases for flowers and incense appeared. Candle holders of translucent crystal placed themselves around the wooden carving. In moments, a warm, flickering glow from deep inside appeared.

Beyond the faint light of the candles, which burned with no heat, the room and all that lay beyond were dark. Only the image in Derrick's mind saw what the temple was to become, and the mountain yielded to the image. What appeared deep within the mountain went unseen, but the work in the shadows never slowed.

Twenty-four large stone dogs grew up around the perimeter of the circular room. Their hands rose to support the domed ceiling above them. "Don't forget, this is the only room in the temple where all are welcome without invitation," Gaia said.

Derrick smiled. "I remember, Gaia. Thanks." His hand reached out. Around the outer walls of the room, large sofas, plush and soft, appeared. Again, the size of the furniture reflected the nature of the visiting family. Few places in the world had furniture created for reclining that so unashamedly acknowledged their construction was more akin to a bed than a chair. When the largest of the sofas appeared on the southern wall, the temple dogs had a place where they could lie with even the largest of their family.

Derrick raised his paws toward the large, domed ceiling he saw in his mind. The stone shaped itself into the configuration that Derrick drew with his fingers. The doorway leading deeper inside the temple was framed by another set of wingless air dragons identical to the front entryway. This time, between the pillars, two massive wooden doors with large circular pulls blocked what lay beyond.

Stone gave way as metal beams and glass replaced large portions of the domed ceiling. The light from outside began filtering through as the metal beams took on a defined shape. On the side nearest the wooden doors, the stone remained and became the arched neck of a winged flying dragon. The reptilian face looking down over the room was gentle and kind. The dragon's arms extended outward in a welcoming gesture. Most striking were the wings that unfolded as thick beams of steel and glass that covered the dome. Light filtered through the light purple glass and created a cascade of light that sparkled across the floor. The stone dragon appeared to wrap its protective wings around all who entered.

Beyond the wooden doors, changes were happening in the darkness. The first hallway grew as wooden doors replaced the shifting rock of the mountain. Once the paper-framed wooden doors were in place, the great Hall of Meditation carved itself out of the mountainside. Derrick saw the images given to him by the temple dogs in his mind. He recreated those images inside the mountain even though he understood little of what carved itself out of the stone.

Elsewhere on the highland, new buildings appeared as quickly as the temple. The pagoda, long since gone from the highland, reappeared in all its intricate design of tree and vine. Its bell tower at the top returned. The monastery continued its evolution into a home for the temple dogs with a large open kitchen. A great room acted as both a dining and living room for the golden beasts.

Above the common area, following the wide, winding staircase to the second floor of the building, were the bedrooms for all twelve of the dog monks. Set out in a large circle, each room had a balcony overlooking the commons below. Inside, each of the rooms was interconnected, leaving easy access for one dog to join another.

At first, twelve rooms formed, one for each temple dog, and then the design shifted. A third floor, rising above the commons, began carving itself into the rock. Zhuang and Bolin had not seen a third floor this way in their mind. Nor was it in the Tibetan or New Zealand temple plans. But the young wolf saw the floor as surely as anything else that flowed through his mind. As his hands moved, creating what he now saw, the plans of the monastery grew and expanded to meet the needs of the additional floor.

The third floor's foundation formed the vaulted ceiling of the commons below. From the second floor, intricately carved columns descended to support the entire monastery. On the third floor were twelve extra rooms, in size and configuration identical to that of the second floor.

Of all the remarkable floors, it was the fourth floor that would one day become a legend. A large open balcony replaced the picture windows on the floors below. From below, the balcony shielded the entryway below from rain. Carved dragons, similar to the temple, acted as pillars supporting the balcony. The pillars lacked the ornate colors of the temple, but the granite stone had its own beauty.

The balcony was the drying area for the dogs on sunny days. For what lay behind the expansive sliding doors was the shower room of the temple dogs. Filled with showerheads of every size and function, they spread around and above the huge open room with only a half wall in the middle. Rough slate tiles lined the walls and floors, giving paws and feet added grip. Around the room lay the drains with sophisticated hair traps born from the black wolf's imagination. The showers for the monastery attested to the fact that no dog ever showered alone.

On either side above the showers, the runoff from the rice patty sluices ended in downspouts of rain chains. Each dropped into cisterns located deep under the monastery. As the spring thaw ended, the captured water provided water for the rice patties and gardens. Each of the runoff downspouts was an elaborately hammered chain of bells stacked one upon another. As the water poured down over them, the bells created a gentle music not far removed from wind chimes, but with a lower tone and distinct, pleasing melody.

The apartments were the one thing that hearkened back to days the young wolf remembered. As the cliff face cracked, the shattered stone led back to a familiar opening. The antechamber with its desk, two seats, and a simple couch seemed untouched by the years before Marcus's transformation. On the desk were a feathered pen and a guest book.

However, the rest of the cave reflected nothing of its past. Beyond the antechamber lay a great cavern that displayed the young wolf's personality. On one side of the main hall, stalactites and stalagmites formed a castle of stone that begged for exploration. Waterfalls from above dropped into shallow pools. Blind cavefish and salamanders moved about the pools that glowed from beneath in a rainbow of colors.

The moment any child saw the cave, they would beg to go adventuring. To calm the parents, lights ran along every path. The maze of roads in and out was dry and soft. Stumbling children would be back up and exploring without a tear shed. The stones were firm and supportive, with easy hand grabs for climbing. Even the glistening stalactites along the path that appeared to be dripping water were dry to the touch.

Deep within the paths, new worlds of light and wonder opened up. A tall cavern of glowworms suspended from the ceiling. There was a chamber where the quietest voice echoed into infinity. Another area had strange fossilized bones to explore. Each turn led to a new adventure. For all its realism, the cave was a playground for visiting children. Finally, the visiting humans would have somewhere their children wanted to go when their beast family was out on a run.

The cave built from childhood wonderment slammed up against the practicality of a man creating a home for his family. The indoor playground was only a small part of the multi-story lofty chamber. What the black wolf left of the mountaintop became the building blocks of a new residence capable of housing an extended family of hundreds.

There was a kitchen area with multiple stations and appliances. Walk-in freezers and refrigerators ensured beasts and humans could bring in food for an extended stay. There were sinks for cleaning, stoves for cooking, ovens for baking, and even kitchen gadgets that, until now, only existed in Derrick's mind. The size and depth of the kitchen areas rivaled even the best restaurants.

A long counter separated the kitchen and dining areas. Tables of all sizes for the diversity of guests dotted the floor of the cavern. The area allowed for large family gatherings indoors. British Columbia's weather was too unpredictable not to factor in a much larger dining area than previously existed in the caves.

Beyond the commons were the apartments. Each apartment was unique and designed with a nod to the needs of both humans and beasts. Some had balconies overlooking the commons, and others were far more secluded and private. All walls had noise-dampening rock between them. Inside the apartments, comfortable bedding came in all sizes. While all had showers, there were rooms where showers were as large as the entire space of the more human-centric rooms. Derrick had thought long about his family and struggled to ensure every beast and human had a place they could call home when away from their homes.

The generation of the energy needs for the entire highland took place on the far side of the apartments. Small, imperceptible paddle wheels lay against the cliff of the horsetail falls. Each paddle spun feverishly, creating electrical power for the apartments and the monastery. The temple, true to those created before it, had no power source. When there was a need, only candles lit the interior.

The young wolf pushed forward. His hands moved in the air as if sketching. Occasionally, he would turn his head as if to look at what was in front of him, but his eyes stayed closed, envisioning the world he hoped to create. Gaia watched as the blue glow around Derrick intensified each time another piece of his vision took hold.

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Eric," she whispered. "I'm truly sorry."

Eric slipped quietly away from his husbands. He stepped out onto the deck overlooking the Montana prairie. "I can't let him go, Gaia."

"You have no choice," the voice said as the breeze moved around him.

"I know," the polar bear replied. "What am I to do?"

"Love him. Do as you always have. Love him without conditions."

"Now and forever," the bear said, wiping his paw across his eyes. His arm dropped, and he felt the small hand grab his paw and hold tight.

"Now and forever, Old Bear," Oliver said, looking up at Eric.

"I wish..." Eric said, and his voice trailed off.

The badger nodded. "I wishes it too. But sometimes we can't stay with the good. Sometimes, the best we is able to do is to stay with each other."

The bear reached down and pulled the badger into a tight hug. The two never let go, even to wipe away their tears.

Chapter 30

When at last the young wolf's hands slowed and he opened his eyes, looking around, Gaia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You've done a wonderful job, Pup," she said.

"I never could have done it without your help, Gaia," the young wolf said happily.

"I said I would do what you could not, and I kept my promise."

"So how much of this is you?" Derrick said, waving his paw outward toward the highland.

"I held your hand."

Derrick looked confused. "What?"

"I held your hand. That's it," Gaia replied casually. "I didn't need to do more, so I didn't."

"But I couldn't have done all this," Derrick replied.

"Yes, you could, Pup," the blue woman replied. "You merely had to have faith in yourself. Often, our greatest weakness is to underestimate what we can do."

"But how will we know if it's even safe? I mean, I know what I wanted to create, but I never learned about building codes or anything like that."

"Did you see strong, sturdy buildings in your mind?"

"Of course."

"Then they are strong and sturdy."

"Are you sure?" Derrick asked.

"Okay," Gaia said as she ruffled the fur on top of the wolf's head. "I may have proofed your work to make sure it was safe, but I don't consider that helping you. That's more like me being a building inspector."

"But I passed?"

Gaia smiled. "You passed, Pup. You created an amazing gift for your family. Everything that you see on the highland will last for centuries if we can keep our family from blowing it up every generation. You should be proud."

"Can I bring them back here to see it?"

Gaia's face took on a look of concern. "Are you up for that?"

Derrick smiled. "Sure. All the exercise of fixing up the highland has me sort of hyper, actually."

Gaia smiled. "Then certainly, bring your family back to visit their new home."

Derrick closed his eyes, and when they opened seconds later, his family surrounded him. His husbands were unraveling themselves from the positions they were in when the wolf pulled them from Montana. Zhuang and Bolin stood beside the dragons. The two dragons looked about the area, confused, trying to adjust to their new location.

The dragons' faces were slightly more elongated than the dog's flat faces, but there was still a strong canine component to their look. Small, green scales covered the dragons' muzzles. They turned yellow around their lips and eyes. As the scales moved closer to the top of the dragons' heads, a bluish tint turned the scales iridescent in the sunlight. They had a longer muzzle than the temple dogs, but it ended in the same flat, flared nose. Behind their muzzles, covering the cheeks, forehead, and throat appeared to be a match for the flowing mane of the temple dogs. Upon closer inspection, the fur was more feather than hair.

The horns of the male were lacking on any dog, but the dragon's elongated, pointed ears mostly hid them. Like their canine protectors, the dragons' ears often revealed their mood. When the ears pushed back tight against the head, it showed the dragons were wary or guarded. It could also show worry that they had done something inappropriate. When the ears relaxed, the dragons were more at ease. But if they pricked up in the company of those they trusted, the ears told all they were happy. At the end of the male's mane, a rolling ridge of dorsal plates rose slightly off his backbone. The bony plates extended the length of the body but grew increasingly smaller past the middle of the back until they were gone by the tip of the tail.

The female had no horns or dorsal plates, but the flowing mane extended down her back further than the male. Eventually, it blended into a ridge of feathers rising along her backbone all the way to the end of the tail.

What appeared at first to be flowing leaves over their bodies were translucent scales. Each scale caught the sunshine and reflected an iridescent blue and green. Their underbellies were more pronounced ventral scales, akin to those found on lizards and snakes. When relaxed, the scales were the same yellow as the scales around their eyes and face. But, if startled, the color would turn deep green to help camouflage the dragon in the forest's darkness. Likewise, the iridescent scales shifted to a flat, mottled green anytime the dragons sensed danger.

But today, the dragons were happily staring out on the highland reborn. Their scales caught the light and scattered it throughout their bodies. Their ears perked up, and they made a chortling sound like happy parakeets.

"This is our new home, Jiao-long, LanYing," Bolin said, pointing out across the glade.

The two dragons expressed their happiness by rubbing their muzzles along either side of the black wolf's body. Derrick did his best to remain upright amid the rubbing. "I believe this is the day we promised Marcus he could return," he said, laughing through the jostling dragons.

Eric looked up into the sky. "It is. I hope they're ready to return so soon."

"How do we get them the message to come home?" Kris asked, looking toward the sky where the white bear was staring.

"I think they might be aware of this already," Will replied. "Marcus seems to sense change in the universe, particularly the changes we make."

Eric looked out and waved his paw. "Look around us. I think Pup made a pretty big impact on whatever scale Marcus is using."

Derrick sensed concern in the voice of his bear mate. "Did I do something wrong, Papa Bear?"

Eric smiled at the glowing wolf. "No, of course not. This is amazing. I can't wait for you to take us on a tour of all the changes."

The young wolf frowned. "Papa Bear, we don't lie to each other. I heard it in your voice. Please tell me the truth. You know I won't stop worrying until you do."

The bear reached out and drew the blue wolf into a tight hug. "I'm not lying, Pup. It is amazing. You completed something in hours that would take a triad of builder Changelings months to accomplish." The wolf felt the hug tighten. "I love you so much, Pup. Book of Spider-man, first issue, fifteenth page, verse seven."

Derrick returned the polar bear's hug. "With great power comes great responsibility."

"Yeah, that," the bear whispered.

"But I have to grow up sometime. I need to become strong like the rest of my family."

The hug tightened even more around the wolf. "Don't you see, Pup? I didn't fall in love with a boy. I fell in love with a man whose innocence made me smile. Through all our years together, you never lost the wonder of that innocent man. You see this world in a way so few of us can see anymore. We all lived lives that crushed the spirit you share with us so easily."

"And you're afraid if I use this power, that will change me?"

"Yeah, Pup. You know me. I hate change."

"Me, too."

"So, that's what you heard in my voice; an old bear that loves you and doesn't want the best part of you ever to change."

Derrick buried his muzzle in the chest of his mate. "Silly ol' bear. I won't change. I have you beside me to make sure I stay true to who I was born to be."

The bear closed his eyes, fighting back the tears. "I'll do my best, Pup. Just forgive me if who you were born to be isn't always the easiest thing for me to accept."

"I was born to be your mate," the wolf said. "Everything else is just working out the details."

"Did you at least give us a big shower to share?"

Derrick smiled and rubbed his muzzle along the furry white chest. "Of course, Papa Bear. I'm great at putting a priority on the most important details."

The young wolf felt another thick paw rub his shoulder. "And what of us, Pup?" the Kodiak asked.

"I was born to be your mate too, Bear. I was born to be the mate of everyone who said yes."

"Well then," the Kodiak said, joining in on the hug, "here's hoping that shower is huge."

Derrick's smile widened. "Wait until you see the fourth floor of the monastery."

The dragons made a happy chirping noise that everyone recognized as laughter. Bolin bowed to the two. "Little Ones, there is a home out there in the forest for you two. Can we impose on you to go out and explore it?"

The dragons nodded. They understood the reluctance of the white bear to accept all that the changes to the highland meant. They also realized why the family needed to find their way to the fourth floor of the monastery. Watching the sway of their tails carefully as they turned, they meandered off toward the forest. The two walked between the stone pylons and vanished into the trees.

Hours later, a lone black bear stood staring up at the raucous laughter coming from the fourth floor of the newly built monastery. He rubbed his hands together nervously. "Perhaps it would be better if we wait for them to finish," he said.

The bear's head tilted. "That might be for the best. They sound so happy."

The bear looked back up. "Nonsense, you two. I knew there was a reason I had to insist on being a part of this merging. That's our family up there. I know for a fact the old wolf has a soft spot for the body we chose."

"And a very hard spot once he gets me in his arms," the bear said with a giggle.

"Come on, men. It's time we started acting like a family."

The bear sighed. "I might not be very good at it."

"We will be fine. The two of us will take the lead. You sit back and enjoy the view," the bear told himself.

"I am going to be in so much trouble if the Order ever finds out about this."

The bear laughed out loud. "Welcome to our world, Marcus."

The bear turned. "I'm not really Marcus."

"Do you prefer glitter-boy?"

"I hate that."

"Well then, Marcus?"

"I'm liking Marcus better by the minute."

The bear's head bounced back and forth, watching the conversation, and then froze in the middle. "I was born with this body, so I'm good. But I admit Kendal is right. I can smell Kris from here. Sitting outside waiting for our family is never a good idea. It's not who we are. It's not who we should ever be."

"You will go slow, right?" the bear asked himself.

"Of course, Marcus."

"Nope," the bear corrected himself. "You wanted this merger, Marcus. It's time we showed you what you bought into. Marcus might go slow, but I have been away from my family too long."

"Please, Kendal," the bear begged.

The bear shook his head. "Oh, all right," he acquiesced. "But if we wind up jacking off by ourselves in a corner, I will have something to say about this arrangement."

The bear nodded. "I will too, Hon," he said as he began walking toward the monastery.

The wind picked up around the two dragons that stood on the edge of the forest, watching the bear. "Come, Little Ones," they heard a familiar voice say. "Show me what a beautiful new home you have to share. My family will be busy welcoming a newborn to the fold." The two dragons grinned and gave a nod as they followed the whirling leaves leading deeper into the forest.

Chapter 31

The family gathered around the fire pit outside the temple dog's new home. The Asian bear looked completely befuddled. "I'm sorry, Oliver. This is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I swear to you I took back everything I ever gave you two."

"Ain't done much to change the look of us," the glowing badger said, frowning at the bear. "Unless we pays attention to it the way them temple dogs taught us, this is what we is. Same damn glowing critters."

"I can see that," the bear agreed.

"We can fix it," the same bear said.

"No, I can't," the identical bear disagreed.

"I'm not talking about the powers that the glow might imply, but we can at least get rid of the glow. That's a simple task for anyone of the builder clan," the conversation continued with only the Asian bear talking.

"It is?" the bear asked himself.

The bear huffed. "Yeah. I helped you put this body together. You don't think that I can put a dimmer switch on those two?"

Will was watching the bear arguing with himself on the other side of the smoldering fire, and finally curiosity got the better of him. "Okay, you three. Take a break from fixing my husbands for a minute and answer a couple of questions for me, please."

The bear looked at the wolf. "Certainly, William."

Will laughed. "Okay, I know Marcus is in there now."

"I'm here too," the bear said. "We're all in here."

"Okay, so exactly where is in here?"

"That would be inside me," the bear replied.

Will slapped his forehead. "Really?"

The bear grinned sheepishly. "I'm Marcus, the one who used to be more or less invisible. Kendal helped me fashion a body to house the three of us."

The bear flipped up his paw and stuck his thumb and pinkie finger out while the others folded in. "Builder Class rules," the bear blurted out. The bear's eyes rolled. "Well, we do," he said.

The bear looked back at Will. "It's not as hard as they make it out to be," the bear, who was obviously now Kendal, said. "The Order is incapable of corporeal forms in our universe. So until now, they've shared a body with a host. The downside to that is the host gives up his autonomy to the symbiote."

Kris leaned forward from the stone seat that circled the fire pit. "I can't see either of you two thinking that was a good idea."

"They didn't," the bear replied. "So, I had to promise that the merger wouldn't proceed if they couldn't maintain control over their personalities and their free will to choose."

Oliver pushed a stick into the fire and stirred it. "So is you your own tiny little bodies inside a great big one like that lame-ass robot on TV?"

"No, I am the body that houses Marcus and Kendal in an incorporeal state. They're like ghosts who possess me, Oliver. They share the body with me, but independently. They see themselves as alive and living in their own world together."

"Like what we did when Max took us on the day of transformation?" Derrick questioned.

"Exactly, Wolfy," the bear said, clapping his paws together. "That's a perfect example. Only the two of us can also become a part of Marcus the bear when we need to."

Will leaned back. "Hence the bear knowing exactly the way I love having him plow my ass."

The bear looked away shyly. "I love plowing your ass, William."

Will stood up, moved around the circle, and sat back down next to the bear. He took the bear's paw and kissed it. "Me too, Marcus. I'm glad you are there."

"I always will be, William."

"So it's kind of like a four-way anytime one of us is with you?" Kris asked.

The bear nodded. "More or less. I'm too inexperienced with sexual contact to be of any help. Kendal and Marcus have to take over. It was the same when Kendal helped me alter this body. It's still essentially Marcus's body. But now there is a highly augmented brain controlling the internal workings. We have three life forces to maintain, but also three very distinct personalities. The Order has never done that before."

"So, how are you three coping with the merging?" the polar bear asked.

"Far better than I expected to. The Order insists on... well... order. Their hosts have no control over their choices or actions. As long as we remain symbiotically linked, those of the Order maintain control."

The white bear leaned back. "I don't want to challenge your perceptions, Marcus, but that's not symbiosis you're defining. It's parasitism."

The bear waved his hands. "No, no... I assure you, we have only the best of intentions. We have saved millions of lives over the years through the use of our hosts' bodies."

"That remains to be seen with us," Eric said, leaning forward toward the fire. He looked past the flames and stared at the bear on the other side. "You two men okay with this? You have an exit strategy in place if need be?"

"We're good, Papa," the bear said.

Eric smiled, recognizing Kendal's effort to calm him. "Okay, I'll try not to worry. Now for the sixty-four dollar question..." The white bear paused. "Damn, does that date me or what?" he asked, shaking his head. "Are the three of you happy together?"

The bear nodded. "We are all learning so much. This is a challenge like nothing I envisioned, but I am so grateful for the two who share my life. It's not what the Order would have me do, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I swear, Eric, I will protect them."

"Well, that's good to hear," the polar bear said as he leaned back once more. "So, the next time we're having sex, Marcus, try to be a bit more involved in it, okay?"

"I will be clumsy. Marcus and Kendal are so much better at it than I am."

"You need to learn, Marcus. You need to understand the body you are sharing. If you need help, ask us to show you. I live with some of the most sexually gifted men I have ever known. They won't object to helping you. But you're living in the body of a werebeast. That physical contact isn't just a luxury. It's a necessity, and you need to learn that."

The bear nodded in agreement. "It was wonderful, Eric. I felt every touch. I hope you will forgive my ineptitude when I try to join Marcus and Kendal."

Bolin rocked forward. "We could help you, Little One. The pleasures of the body you share are a mystery to you, but not to us. We would be happy to share our knowledge with you."

The bear's eyes widened. "OH GOD, SAY YES MARCUS!" the bear yelled.

The bear's shyness immediately returned. "I would be grateful," he whispered.

"Stay with us for a time, Marcus," the temple dog said with a smile. "The family has other obligations to attend to, but your education must not suffer because of their schedules."

Donovan finally stirred from where he had been sitting silently throughout the conversation. "About the eventual goal of this merging. Is that still the same?"

"Even more than before," the bear replied. "The Sight is growing in Marcus. He remembers his past. Kendal seems already gifted in that respect, but he is reluctant to tell me everything he knows."

Donovan smiled. "I have greater respect for you with every passing moment, Kendal. It is clear your union benefits from having a wolf."

The bear nodded. "And it would benefit even more by having two. Your role in this story is clear, Donovan. We need you."

"Then I will stay with you as well," Donovan said. He turned to his husbands. "I still see very little of my previous life, but I know I have promised I would stay by Marcus's side as long as he needs me."

"Then that is where you need to be," Kris said. He turned to the polar bear, who stared dejectedly at the Armbruster's wolf. "The only constant in the universe, Son," he said.

"I know, Dad," the white bear replied. "I hate change."

"But it comes nevertheless," the Kodiak replied. "We find a way to keep our family together. When it grows, we adjust. When it changes, we change. We keep the love alive. We find a way."

The white bear nodded. "We find a way." He stood up and wrapped his furred arms around Donovan's shoulders. "Don't forget us, Husband."

"That will never happen, my love," the seated wolf said as he wrapped his arms around the bear's waist. "This is just one moment in time. The story is just beginning. Don't try so hard to figure out what the end might be."

Eric kissed the top of the wolf's head. "I won't, my love. I am glad that I never could."

Oliver watched the two clinging to each other. "Ain't nuthin' about seeing what's coming that's good, Old Bear. These are good times for this family. Stay in the good."

Eric looked down at the badger. "I love you, Oliver."

"And I loves you, Old Bear." The badger turned back toward the Asian black bear. "Now about that dimmer switch you said you was going to give me and the pup. Be nicer than having to think this damn glow gone."

The bear raised his hand, and it glowed blue for only a moment. Oliver looked down at his furry body with the gray belly sprinkled with white. He smiled at the black wolf with blue highlights beside him. "You looks fine, Pup."

Derrick smiled. "You look rather fetching yourself, Badger," he replied.

Oliver looked at the black bear. "So, we is turned off for good now?"

"Yep. Your powers are there when you call on them, but that glow is a thing of the past. I'm sure you two would have eventually figured out how to turn it off on your own. I only pushed the discovery timeline forward a bit."

"You can'ts just get rid of these powers? You can't undo what you did?" Oliver asked the black bear.

"If I ever figure out what happened, and I have a solution, I promise I will fix it, Oliver."

"Then I guess we is good, Bear." Oliver reached out and grabbed the black wolf's paw as he stood up. "I'm gonna go bang me some wolf butt that ain't glowin' no more, Bear. You wanna come watch? Them temple dogs ain't the only ones who can show you a trick or two."

"You wouldn't mind?" the black bear asked.

"Wouldn't offer if I minded," the badger replied. "Come along. I'se pretty sure Donovan and them dogs are going to be teaching you all sorts of martial arts. But we badgers knows how to make loving an art all to itself."

The bear stood up and lumbered toward the badger and wolf. "Then I'm ready for art class."

Oliver looked away shyly. "I gots to tell the truth. If it weren't for the beasts surrounding you, I wouldn't have no right to brag about my sexing of another man. But I knows how important it is to know who loves you, and I know how important the touch of another beast is. That much I can shows you."

Will rose and rubbed the top of the badger's head. "You're a fine teacher, Oliver. Don't sell yourself short." He looked at the black bear and smiled. "Since I intend to be one of the wolves Oliver will be banging, I extend the same offer to you."

"You're going to let me watch, too?"

"Nope," Will replied. "I'm going to watch that big brown bear over there banging you." Will pointed to Kris, who grinned. "You can look at whatever you want while he's doing that."

The black bear turned toward the brown. "I will be terrible at this."

Kris smiled. "I'll go slow."

"Really?" the bear asked. "Kendal won't. He said so."

"Screw Kendal."

The black bear's smile turned into a lecherous grin, and his eyes turned a wolfen yellow. "Oh, you will, Bear. You will."

Chapter 32

The family lay wrapped up together, sleeping in the entry hall of the temple. Snuggled up beside twelve temple dogs, each was warm and cradled inside a yellow beast's embrace. All over the highland, beasts were sleeping. Family coming to visit the newborn filled the apartments. Even the forests brimmed with happy, sated beasts slumbering with dreams that could not match the joys of the days past.

Outside the temple, sitting on the lip of the dragon fountain, a black bear and an Iberian wolf watched as the last of the stars faded from the sky. The pink glow of morning appeared on the horizon.

"I owe your family so much," the bear said.

"Did you have fun, Marcus?"

"Oh yes, we all had so much fun."

"I'm glad to hear that," the wolf said quietly.

"I am still very much in love with you, William," the bear said.

"And I'm still very much in love with you, Marcus," the wolf replied. "Both of you. That never changed just because you cuddled the three of you up inside that one body." The wolf wrapped his arm around the bear and pulled him into a tight, sideways hug. "You too, Marcus. It's taking a bit of getting used to, but I think Marcus and Kendal were right. You make a fine triad."

Marcus rubbed Will's shoulder. "Remember in another universe I told you I dreamed of the two of us being more than even you could imagine?"

"I remember, Marcus," the old wolf said with a nod.

"This is what I meant. Merge with me, William. Be a part of what the three of us are becoming. We require a warrior to face what lies ahead."

Will smiled. "And you know my answer, Marcus. You've always known what it would be."

"I do. It's the same as the lion's answer. You are the guardians of your family. You stay by their side."

"And as often as I can, I lie down with them as well," Will grinned. "This is my home, Marcus. You, Donovan, and Kendal were all born for something greater. I was born to be beside the pup, the bears, and the badger. I was born to take care of my sons. This is who I am. I spent a lifetime becoming me. I love you, but you realize our paths are growing apart, not together."

"You are mistaken, Old Wolf," Donovan said as he sat down beside Will. "We are not born for something greater. There is nothing greater than the love of a family. What we do, we do for the same reason. Marcus loves you even as I do, so we can't help but wish you were by our side. But not at the cost of you leaving our larger family without you."

Eric sat beside the Armbruster's wolf and pushed in close to him. "And what of you, Donovan?"

Donovan reached out and pulled the white bear into a sideways hug. "The old wolf is right. Each of us knows what we were born to do. This is who I am, Old Bear. The man that loves you; the warrior that can't stand down. Marcus is stronger than he knows, but he is young and he struggles when making decisions. Kendal is there inside him. The boy is strong, and I admire his bravery. But they are both young and inexperienced. I need to be there with them, Husband. They need one who is not afraid to make a choice when that choice has to be made. They need a man that has lived so many more lifetimes than they have lived. Let me be the one you know I was born to be."

"You do realize a warrior can come home from time to time and bed his mate, right?"

Donovan smiled. "That is true. If I give you that promise, will you let me become who I must become?"

The polar bear hugged the wolf tightly. "I always knew this day would come, Donovan. I understood that one day who you are would pull you away from me. It made our time together even more precious to me. I will miss you."

"As will I," said the Kodiak bear as he pulled himself into the hug of the white bear and wolf.

Donovan looked up at the brown bear's face. "I will not be far from you. If you need me, call out. I will hear you." The Armbruster's wolf looked out to his gathering family. Derrick sat beside Will and Marcus. Oliver crawled up into the black wolf's lap. Donovan smiled at them all. "Any of you; if you need me, call out. I will hear you." He pulled back from the hug and stood up. Taking a few steps, he squatted in front of the black wolf and the badger. His paw lovingly rubbed across the young wolf's muzzle. "Even if it's just to ask me to spend the night."

Derrick smiled a melancholy smile. "If that was true, you would be here every night."

Donovan pulled the black wolf in close, squeezing the badger between them. Oliver didn't make a sound, content to be where he was at that moment. "I realize this won't be easy for any of us," Donovan said. "But I need to try and make this work. My entire life I have fought for the Unity. Now I seek to protect my family. I hope you can understand the difference and why I am doing what I am doing."

Derrick smiled. "I understand, Donovan. It doesn't mean I have to like all that comes with you accepting this offer."

Marcus leaned into the black wolf and hugged him. "That is true of all of us involved in what is happening here. But we will try to meet the obligations of our family as we become something different." Marcus turned toward the group. "Changes are coming. They will impact all of us. But I realize now that I can't take a break forever from who I was before and who I must become again. I am grateful that these three will help me with that. For those we leave behind, I promise you this is where our home will be."

The black bear did his head turn that told everyone someone else in the triad was about to speak. "From my feelings alone, if we can be home, we will be home. Make that bed big enough to fit us, because there is a universe of options to choose from when we merge. We might be bigger than all of us combined."

"About that," Samuel said as the two pandas came walking up the stairs to the temple. "You need what my father would have brought to your union."

"I can be a warrior, Son," Donovan said. "I have always been one."

"But you are no longer of the clan," Samuel interjected. "The day you became a Channeler, you lost your clan powers. You are a Channeler who knows of war, but you need a warrior by your side to truly be the champion you hope to be." The panda raised his paw, and it glowed red.

"No, Son," Donovan objected.

"And I come with another missing piece given to me at birth by my other fathers," Samuel said as he raised his other hand and it glowed a brilliant turquoise. "I am a healer by my brown bear dad and builder by my black wolf papa. You need one who understands when it's the right time to fight and when it's time to heal and rebuild."

"Son, you're too young," the Armbruster's wolf countered.

"He is billions of years old," the Kodiak bear said. "As a Changeling, he carries with him the entire history of our people inside every cell of his body. You will be there by his side, Husband. He can be in no safer hands."

Donovan looked at Kris. "Are you sure, Bear?"

"It's not my choice to make," Kris replied. "And Samuel has already made his. We only need to honor that choice." Derrick nodded his agreement.

Will gave the panda a gentle shove toward the Armbruster's wolf. "And this is how I raise my son. I raise him to be the beast that in his heart he wishes to be."

Samuel turned and smiled at the old wolf. "I'm aware that this isn't easy for you, Father. But one day I promise we'll find a way back together, you and I. I will be by your side forever. Even if only in spirit."

Will forced a smile. "Stand beside my husband, Son. Do that, and the rest will follow."

Donovan extended his hands to Samuel. "By my side, Son?"

Samuel reached out. "By your side, Dad. Now and forever."

"And that holds true of me as well, Dad," Raymond said, stepping toward the Armbruster's wolf. "You need one of the Yellow clan to buffer those choices you make. My father, Martin, may not join you. To him, the world we came from never existed. He is right to stay here and protect the world he was born into. But I have no ties to this world, save the family that surrounds me. I will join my brother by your side."

Donovan looked at the panda. "I agree. Martin needs to stay and care for his family in Africa. Still, isn't this too much to ask of your fathers to watch you both pressed into service?"

"We're twins, Dad. Since before we were born, we have only been comfortable when we are by each other's side. Are you asking us to change now?"

"No, Sons," Oliver interjected. "You boys needs to be together. Your family ain't never going to stand between you two."

Nathaniel nodded in agreement. "Never in the history of the Terran Unity has a birth ever resulted in a Changeling having multiple powers. I'm not sure why our sons inherited what they did from us, but if they see themselves next to you, Donovan, then that is where they need to be. You say you were born for this union. Understand this: our sons were born for this day as well."

"Thanks, Dads," Raymond said with a smile. "We always felt that you would understand."

Marcus stood up and put his arm around the two pandas. "And now we have the quintet of powers we always needed. I hope this keeps us from ever needing to reset the universe again."

Kris gave a disgruntled sigh. "That would make it easier on my son. I'm sure Nathaniel would enjoy taking a break from his husbands changing every time he turns around."

"I'm not complaining about everything that's come of this last turnaround, Dad," Nathaniel said as he held the hand of the short-faced bear next to him.

"And I'm not either," Max said with a wide smile. "Although there is the matter of a mating ceremony that two don't remember. Somewhere along the line, we will need to correct that. I'm not saying living in sin with these two isn't fun, but we mated forever in my mind, and I would like both my husbands to feel the same way as well."

"I woulds like that too, Bear," Oliver said as he pushed his body up against the shorter short-faced bear.

Marcus cleared his throat. "Well, there we have it. We are sure to return. We're not missing that mating ceremony for anything."

The group laughed, and Marcus's face turned serious. "One thing before this happens," he took a deep breath. "In the interest of full disclosure..." Marcus lowered his head, trying to form the words.

The black bear looked back up with a different glow in his eyes. "He doesn't want to say it. After the merge, there is every likelihood that the five of us might grow increasingly unified. There may come a day when all of us are willing to merge into one being."

Will's face saddened. "We'll lose the five we love when you become the one?"

"I'm not sure. We're in uncharted territory here. But I want you to realize it's a possibility. I will do all that I can to keep your family safe. But if we all decide to merge fully into one, you need to understand that who we become might feel uncomfortable if you press him to respond as anyone other than who he is. Kendal may not be Kendal anymore. Marcus may not be Marcus."

"I suspect that one day Donovan will be gone," the Armbruster's wolf added.

Samuel and Raymond looked at the group. "I guess it might be wise for us to say goodbye today as well."

"So whats do we call you?" Oliver asked.

Marcus looked confused. "Truth? I honestly don't know. I guess you'll need to ask him."

"We is one totally fucked up family," the little badger said with a laugh.

Nathaniel smiled. "You wouldn't have it any other way, Badger, and you know it."

"I likes fucked up," Oliver said happily. "It shows we cares. Go on, do what's you gots to do, you five. We will loves whoever you becomes."

"Oliver is right," Will said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "But now that you've made your choice, could you say goodbye to your family the way you should?"

Marcus grinned. "Oh, yeah, Old Wolf. I say let's shake this highland so that the dragons are afraid to come out of the woods." The bear leapt toward the wolf, pinning him to the ground. "Legs up in the air, William. Can't have them in the way." The wolf's legs rose smoothly and lodged against the bear's chest. With a shove from the bear above and a joyful bark from the wolf below, all knew Marcus had penetrated the wolf.

Donovan stared at the two, laughing until the polar bear pulled him into a tight hug. "Come to Papa," the bear growled. "I have a craving to double-team a husband."

Kris looked over at the two. "And am I at the front or the back?"

Donovan looked at the Kodiak. "Both, Bear. First in front and then in the rear when I've had my way with the old bear."

"Damn, I love a bottom that knows he's in control," the polar bear said as he pushed the Armbruster's wolf onto all fours and mounted him.

Colton looked at the group. He raised his paw. "There's a bear-wolf here with two openings. Any takers?" The young man's eyes widened as two short-faced bears and two pandas bounded toward him.

Oliver held Derrick's paw and shook into the werebadger. "You ready, Pup? I already tolds that crowd what I was gonna do with you," he said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, Oliver, I'm ready," the black wolf said with a smile. "But don't forget there are twelve dogs inside their temple that are about to sense our husbands going at each other." He pointed toward the closed draperies that suddenly flew open wide. All twelve golden dogs were blinking back the morning sun, their gazes fixed on the rutting crowd. "Those poor dogs won't last a day without some major intervention from the two of us."

Oliver stared at the dogs. "What's we gonna do?"

"Run, Oliver," the wolf said with a laugh. The black wolf grabbed the badger and threw him onto his shoulders. "Follow us, dogs," Derrick yelled. "There are far more beasts to be had out in the forests, and they're all going to wake with morning wood." Together, Oliver and Derrick ran toward the forests, followed by the salivating temple dogs.

Chapter 33

Three days later, the highland was enjoying a moment of quiet. Hearing a lull in the family's activity, the dragons stepped from the forest and watched the resting beasts. The two dragons had scarcely popped their heads out from the forest trail when Bolin and Zhuang crept away from the crowd. The dogs approached the two oversized creatures.

Their curiosity pushed the dragons as they moved closer toward the dozens and dozens of bears and wolves. The dragons used their colossal warm muzzles to push a few of the slumbering beasts awake. Bolin and Zhuang did not stop the dragons' exploration. They even seemed to show a certain delight in watching their brothers roused by the young dragons.

The polar bear smiled at the huge blue and green face staring down at him. He looked toward the sky and determined the time. "Good afternoon, LanYing," Eric said, smiling. "It's nice to see you. Thank you for giving us this time on the highland to share with our brothers. We have been playing for three days now. Most beasts don't have the stamina of dragons or your guardians. We often nap after our time together. We tire each other out but never grow tired of each other."

The dragon's colors were bright and shimmering in the waning morning light. Bolin and Zhuang stood by the dragons. "Yes," Bolin said, looking up at Jiao-long's iridescent face. "The bear is very cute. But no, he is not a toy. Nor is he a creature of the forest, like the birds or the fish. He is like you. He is your brother. Like you, we strive to find our place in the universe beyond our simple biological needs. Like you, we imagine, we dream, and we love. Size is irrelevant to who we are. What we look like does not matter. We are your family."

The temple dog's eyes closed. He nodded as the images of the dragon's speech flowed into his mind. "Apology accepted." He said, "but know that there will be those who don't see you as their equal either."

Zhuang's eyes closed and his hand reached out to Jiao-long. "Yes, the humans," Zhuang replied to the question. "No... no, you're not animals. We understand your reluctance. We know your history. But we have hope that the humans have changed. One day, we will need to stand by them. The world is not big enough for us to hide forever." Zhuang said.

The polar bear pushed himself up from the grass. The two dragons moved together shyly. "Nor should you have to hide, young ones. This was your world long before ours. We know it is a fearful time for you, but we have sworn to help you find your rightful place beside us."

The two dragons looked down at the bear and smiled. "They trust you," Bolin said. "They have watched you all for so many years, they have felt your presence, and they have felt the love. Today they come out of hiding to say hello, but they are still afraid of their place in this world."

The black bear that housed three came up beside the white bear. "Fear is not a bad thing, young ones. It helps keep you safe. But learning what you don't have to fear is as important as knowing what to avoid. You might remember me when you visited your grandfather. I was the wolf you called Kendal. I am now a bear."

The two dragons grinned, and the young male rubbed his muzzle up alongside the black bear in greeting. But the happiness on their faces turned as others in the circle stirred. The dragons recoiled. Eric saw the discomfort immediately. "Did we say something wrong?" he asked.

Zhuang shook his head. "No, no. The disjointed thoughts of so many waking overwhelm the young ones. We all wake up with different things on our minds. They have made the mistake of thinking they should listen to those thoughts." The temple dog's hand rose. "Let them go, Little Ones. Don't hold on to the thoughts. Wait for your family to speak to you. We speak what is important to us."

Bolin shook his head and laughed. "I don't care how entertaining the old wolf's thoughts are. They are his. We honor our family by never invading their thoughts." The temple dog sat quietly for a moment. "That is true. They are being thrown at you, but not by the old wolf's choice. He has so little control over his mind."

"I have pretty excellent control over my body," Will said as he walked up to the dragons and gave Bolin a kiss.

"Yes," Zhuang agreed. "And that is why they are laughing. Seriously, Old Wolf; Noboru will ask us to do that to him whenever he visits. Even with our tongues, such maneuvering requires extensive training."

"I volunteer to tutor," Will said as he leaned in and kissed Zhuang. "We're old dogs. What else do we have to do but teach each other new tricks?"

Zhuang pulled the old wolf in tighter and the kiss explored further. When the dragons chortled, the two separated. Zhuang sighed. "We will take you up on the offer."

"Does it involve trees? I think it should involve trees," Will said with a smile.

"You are the tutor. We will respect your guidance."

Greg and Mike lifted themselves up, watching the conversation. They gave a nod to the two dragons. "What have we here?" Greg asked.

"The dragons have come to visit," Will replied. "I was about to answer a question Jiao-long asked." He rubbed his paw along the mane of the male dragon. His eyes closed, and he laughed. "No, Jiao-long. I will never ask you to mount me, regardless of what my waking thoughts might have led you to believe."

Greg laughed. "Well, that's Will's waking thoughts most days."

The dragon nodded, and Will moved his paw up and rubbed under the dragon's muzzle. "You are family, and I apologize for taking so long to realize how much so. Your grandparents tried to teach me, but I am a slow learner. Humans are naturally fearful when it comes to embracing the unknown. We have a long history of creatures bigger and stronger than us, killing us for food. We buried that logical fear deep inside and never called into question that one day we might kill out of fear the very ones we should protect."

Will nodded as he listened to a conversation with no words. The dragons never spoke. They had no vocal cords. Rather, they had a syrinx similar to birds that allowed them to chirp, sing, and make other noises, but they never spoke to each other. The sounds they made were an expression more of a mood than outright attempts to communicate.

Conversations with them were a series of images and telepathic sounds that left one understanding what they were trying to say. This form of communication left the dragons at a distinct disadvantage in the company of humans. The upright apes took hundreds of thousands of years before they formed even a rudimentary language. And even then, those fragmented languages left them communicating only within their own small tribes. Even today, the billions of people on earth spoke no one language and had no one set of communication skills to bridge the gaps between each other. The dragons were at a loss to tell the humans they were not enemies or food.

"We will be here, the same way as Jiao-long was for your ancestors," Will said to the unheard question. "We are your guardians. Our lives before yours."

Bolin stared at the old wolf. "You speak Dragon?"

"I'm married to Oliver, remember? The guy who learned Changeling so he could sing love songs to his husbands."

"I remember, Old Wolf," Bolin answered.

"He learned dragon for the same reason. He's had quite the crush on both Dá Lóng and the fenghuang. It's odd to find them living apart in this universe, but Oliver's fondness is still there." Will paused a moment, thinking. "Although I'm not sure he's ever kissing the fenghuang on the beak again, and how many centuries ago was that?" Will reached out to the female dragon and ran his paw along her mane. "Oliver taught me how important it is to speak the languages of those we love. I'm still struggling with Changeling, but Dragon is easier for me. They always dumb it down for me once they realize I'm trying hard to learn."

"They do not dumb it down, Old Wolf."

Will laughed. "They make it simpler for me to understand. Is that better?"

"Much better. I am sure the dragons appreciate your effort. They seem happy to find a new ally."

"Wait," Greg interrupted. "Backtrack a bit. Who was Jiao-long if not the dragon in front of us?"

"Jiao-long is the dragon's namesake." The newborn black bear replied, surprising everyone. "He was the third eldest of the Changelings, and the second to take a Terran corporeal shape."

Derrick looked up at the polar bear, whose arm was now wrapped around him. "I thought you were the second, Papa Bear," the glowing wolf questioned.

"I was the fourth, actually. I was the first to take on a humanoid form when I turned Chet."

Chet looked up when he heard his name. "Come, husbands," he said, rising and extending his hands to the winged bears. "It appears a history lesson you need to know is being told."

The black bear looked toward the winged family. "That's right, Chet. This is the story of the winged dragons that once flew by your side, and in time, when this world is ready, the story of those you will fly with again."

Zhuang clapped his paws together happily. "You have learned the history of the dragons and Changelings."

The Asian black bear smiled. "Kendal has, the rest of us are learning as he tells the story. He also appears to understand their language." The bear huffed. "Oh, this is a bother." He looked out toward the group. "Okay, everyone; for the sake of this discussion, I'm Kendal. Like the old wolf and the badger, I have loved the dragons for a very long time. Dá Lóng and I have a very intimate relationship. I know of no one else that would let me crawl into their mouth to help save my people. And few he knows that would be happy to deal with his slobber."

The two dragons chortled. The black bear looked up at them. "I love your grandfather. I hope one day you will find companions of your own."

"Companions?" the polar bear asked. "I haven't heard that word used in tandem with the dragons in so many, many years."

The black bear smiled. "But a companion has been by your side for years, Old Bear."

A flash of recognition came over the white bear's face. "The Day of Transformation," Eric said. "Dá Lóng took you down underwater. You're his companion."

"And the only one at the moment, but that's not to say other dragons won't find their own in time. Originally, it was a survival mechanism. If you could find a human that understood and loved you, you had a greater chance of not being killed by them."

The black bear's head cocked, and he smiled at the dragons. "No, I have my hands full with your grandfather, and soon I will have even less time to spend with him than I do now. Besides, I am a free diver. Dá Lóng and I dive together. The ocean is my world, and I am grateful to share that world with your grandfather. One day you will find those who love the forest and your brothers and sisters will find those who love the air."

Oliver looked at Kendal in his new body. "You dives on the back of the dragon underwater?"

"Sure," the black bear answered. "It binds us closer together. Plus, it's fun." The bear did his quick back-and-forth head-turning, telling everyone that a conversation was going on between the three. "I suppose that might be something that changes in the future. Before we make this merger, I better talk to Dá Lóng. We will need to find him a companion who can be more faithful in visiting him than we will be." The bear nodded in agreement with his own conversation, and the dragons laughed at the confusing bear.

Mike thought about the giant water dragon. "How did you even find out about Dá Lóng? I'm sorry to admit this, but I thought of him as an intelligent animal rather than our equal. Like dolphins or whales."

The male dragon snorted an unhappy breath of air out through his nose. Bolin pushed past the mane and rubbed the dragon's neck. "Oh, so now you see what it feels like to be told you're a cute little animal toy and he offended you? Karma is like that, Little One."

"I am so sorry, Jiao-long," Mike said, waving his hands to take back what he said. "I won't ever make that mistake again."

The black bear reached out and ran his paw along the underside of the female dragon's chin, and she made a happy little chirping. "They are in fact far more intelligent than humans... perhaps even smarter than the Changelings. They remember their history back before even the Changelings came to this planet. I can't remember what I ate last week. If you're going to err on the side of where they fall in their relation to us, err on the side that says we're smart animals. But we're still primitive animals that share our lives with animals even smarter than us. It took me a while to realize that, too. In deference to the dragons, I will admit that was more my fault than Dá Lóng's."

"For me, it started out harmless enough. I would go down searching the tide pools. Dá Lóng would come up and join me with his children. I would talk to the children about the animal and plant life I studied, and they would chortle and laugh. I had no clue I was explaining things to them they knew since birth. Then one day I bumped into Dá Lóng by accident, and the images flooded in. All those months of being together and he was trying to talk to me; only I didn't hear a word."

"Well, that started it. We would get together and free dive. He showed me his world below the waves the same way I had shown him my world above. On his back, I could go so much deeper, even more quickly. I was in heaven, and he was too. He had another grown-up to share his world with. Before long, we were the best of friends."

The black bear looked at the badger. "And you, Oliver, you had a dragon in a previous universe who was hoping one day to become your best friend, but you never had a clue."

Oliver looked at Kendal in his new body. "You mean, Dragon? She liked me?"

The black bear laughed out loud. "Oh my god, Oliver, how could you not know? She tried to train you to be her companion for decades."

"No, she helped me get to tai chi class on time by picking me up and flyin' me there. It ain't like I was climbing up on her or nothing."

"Because you never did. She used to land by you and drop her head every day. She did everything but grab you and throw you on her back."

"With Oliver, that would have been the best approach," Will said with a laugh. The two dragons next to him chortled in agreement.

"I didn'ts know. I thought we was just friends, and we talked and stuff."

The black bear knelt down next to the badger. "Look, Oliver, the fenghuang is an old-school dragon. She has a name, and she's never told another that name waiting for the day her companion asks it of her. Today's younger dragons don't do that anymore. But she has waited for centuries to find someone she trusts enough to share that name. To be honest, I don't know if she even knows of you in this world. But if we were all born into this world with cloudy memories of the old, then one day you need to visit with her."

"I was gonna go one of these days," Oliver said. "But we's been kinda busy, what with you blowing up everything every time you turn around."

The black bear laughed, "Look, Oliver, I know no woman will ever turn your head no matter what she might look like. This is about a different kind of intimacy between individuals. You don't have to do anything romantic. But you need to see her. She knew you were gay. She was okay with that. But she loved you, and she wanted to share her world with you the same way Dá Lóng shares his with me. If there's any memory of that inside her, then the two of you owe it to yourself to explore that friendship. That's a friendship that's been waiting to rekindle for fourteen billion years."

"I guess I never thought nothing about that. I didn'ts know she could like me like a serious friend like."

"She's a different species, Oliver. But she's intelligent, she's kind, and she's way smarter than either you or I will ever be. Quiet, retiring; the dragons hid for over sixty-six million years without the Changelings even knowing they were here. Thousands of years ago they introduced themselves to a Changeling, and it was love at first sight for both. Jiao-long was the first Changeling to change his appearance, not to mimic an animal on this planet. He did so to live beside the most intelligent species on Terra."

The black wolf's blue eyes brightened. "Are you saying they're dinosaurs?"

"No, Derrick, I'm saying something far different from that." The Asian black bear looked at the dragons. "It's up to you if I tell them. The temple dragons and dogs have held your secret. I can too."

The large male shook his head no and the temple dogs bobbed their heads in agreement. When the female nodded for him to proceed, Kendal in his new body began telling the story.

"Dragons have been here for longer than any species of life on earth. Because they are not of this earth. Three and a half billion years ago, Terra was one of the warmest of the planets neighboring the home solar system of the dragons. The dragons were a species that used evolving volcanic worlds to incubate their young.

"They're a bit like salmon which return to the place of their birth to mate. The dragons were born on one world and returned to another as they become adults. Dragons lay their eggs on planets with enough heat to incubate those eggs. They return to their home world after the children are born and raised. That's about the extent of the similarities between these dragons and salmon. Their intelligence, their complex language and their philosophy are major differences. But more than anything, they have a moral compass given to them by the teachings of their parents that stayed on Terra while the eggs incubated. These aren't animals that breed and leave their children to fend for themselves. They parented their children until they were ready to begin their own lives."

"Two sets of parents stayed behind to incubate sixteen eggs left by the dragons. The incubation was radically different from the dragons of today. Their breeding took place once every eight hundred years. The raising of the children took hundreds of years beyond that. Their society was complex and ordered. Having found a nesting place, the dragons would come back century after century with new parents bringing their eggs. But in doing so, they inadvertently brought something else to earth each time they returned."

Nathaniel turned to his Papa. "Panspermia."

Oliver looked at his husband. "What kind of sperm?"

The dragons chortled, and the black bear laughed with them. "Panspermia, Oliver. It means that Terran life, except for the Changelings and the dragons, evolved from the microscopic life that came here on the feet of the dragons."

The dragons shifted position. LanYing rose and shook her furry mane like an iridescent blue and green dog. She turned around and, being careful around the smaller ones beside her, she settled back down beside Jiao-long. Bolin smiled at the black bear. "Continue, please, Little One, it's such a pleasure to hear the story told by one other than us."

Kendal bowed and continued while those who shared his body listened intently along with the rest of the growing crowd. "Terra was evolving right along with the new microbial life on her surface. As her crust cooled, fewer and fewer dragons returned to incubate their eggs. The last dragons looked out from the still erupting Yellowstone Caldera and chose a new path forward for their children. They would not return to their home world. Instead, they would stay and raise them on Terra."

"As with all life on the surface of Terra, the children of the dragons evolved to survive in their new world. Slight changes in their genetic makeup over eons helped them adapt to this world. Once suited for interstellar travel, the species lost their ability to launch their bodies beyond the atmosphere. They lost their ability to create traversable wormholes. Their eggs evolved to need less heat for incubation. They became tethered to this planet, but that is exactly what they hoped to do. They wanted to make Terra their home."

"They evolved into niches where their enormous size caused less competition among themselves. But always they remained family. Tens of thousands of dragons roamed the earth at one time. Some in the ocean waters, others on land, and some in the air. They have seen life evolve on this planet from the first plants up to the rise of earth's apex predator."

The black bear turned to the father Changelings and their sons. "Ancient Ones, they love and fear you. When your ship crashed, you destroyed much of the life they once interacted with and many of them as well. However, they realized over time that what you had done was an accident.

"And that's when the Changelings started factoring into the dragon's lives. For millions of years, they hid from the Changelings. Until one day, they approached Jiao-long to find out if other aliens were living on the planet as bound to this world as they were.

"And as we all know, Changelings are about as irresistible as any blob of glowing color can be. Jiao-long endeared himself to the dragons, and in time, the dragons became his lifelong companions. Jiao-long adopted the look of a wingless flier as his avatar so that he could be with the ones he loved.

"Whether he ever mated with the dragons the way Changelings have done with humans is anyone's guess. The history of the Changelings doesn't tell us, and neither the dragons nor Terra will say. But my guess is that he chose not to. The lengthy gestation of the dragons would have been an even greater worry for Jiao-long. He saw what happened with the human's offspring over their time in utero."

"As for the curious who wonder if he ever turned one, the answer is probably not as well. The longevity for a dragon is centuries. They see death as a part of life, and they do not fear it. Dangling immortality in front of a dragon is a non-starter. And there is the matter of genetics. Werebeasts are all men because of genetic bonding. Dragons have the potential to become either or both sexes depending on environmental need."

"Wait a minute," Oliver said. "Is you saying they can has a baby all by themselves?"

"That's what I'm saying, Oliver," the black bear answered. "Every dragon has functional male and female gonads. You don't see them, but they're there. For dragons, sexual organs don't develop until their second molting, which acts as their puberty. It's then when environmental pressures come into play.

"The preferred approach is to mate because it creates more genetic diversity. But given a severe enough crisis, one of them can gestate babies inside a uterus. That relieves the need for either a mate or a heat source for the eggs' incubation. They're not the only animal on the planet that lays eggs and has a uterus. But they're nothing like a platypus or echidna. It would be a mistake trying to classifying dragons with any scientific method that humans use. It's best to see them as unique unto themselves."

Oliver looked at the two dragons. "I'se glad you don'ts got to do that, Dragons. You's always been such pretty beasts, and it makes us all happy to see you together."

The dragons made a happy little chirping noise as Kendal, in his bear body, continued the story.

"And that's when Jiao-long stepped in to do more than share his life with the dragons. When word of what Anubis had done to a human spread out into the Changeling community, Jiao-long had an idea. He wondered if some humans might choose to turn beast to help protect the dragons. He began a search for humans willing to share the lives of the dragons."

"The first of the weredragons became wingless dragons, as their father had been. They spanned across much of Asia. The temple dogs evolved when it became clear to the weredragons that their size made their movements too clumsy for the outside world. In ancient history, humankind saw dragons as benefactors and good luck for the community. They viewed the dogs as even more intimately involved in the support of the communities in which they lived."

"Somewhere along the line, something far more malevolent replaced those legends." The black bear paused, "And for you, Oliver, that means somehow good dragons became seen by the humans as something really bad."

"Thank you, Kendal," Oliver said with a smile. "At least you knows who's listening to the story."

"My pleasure," Kendal replied from inside his new body. "In Europe, the dragons became seen as in league with the devil. The fire-breathing dragons of Western lore are a myth created to show the triumph of Christianity over paganism. But that triumph in their stories resulted in the real-world death of every forest and winged dragon on the entire continent of Europe."

"Dragons living in India and the Middle East fared no better. Stories of the dragons linked them to venomous snakes. In other legends, the most powerful gods killed the dragons to protect their human worshipers. Dragons in the real world didn't have a chance against the murderous onslaught."

The bear reached out and rubbed his paw along the neck of the dragon next to him. "This was when Jiao-long realized he had to do more than live beside the dragons. He had to protect them from the one thing bent on killing them. He changed his dragon form and became a winged flier. The western dragon was smaller, more nimble, and able to cover ground more quickly in search of the last of the surviving dragons. He brought them to a land so foreboding that human populations were nonexistent. There, with the help of the temple dogs, he built a magnificent temple and a monastery that could house his family safely away from the humans."

"And that is where our two different universes grow apart," Will interjected. "In both worlds, the temple beasts gave up their human avatars to dedicate themselves to protecting the remaining dragons. In our world, the human war machine killed all but two of the dragons. Only four temple dogs survived, and the temple dragons were no more."

Bolin nodded. "We are fortunate that the Old Bear had insight enough to help us escape the terrors of that war. Even now, the surviving dragons and their children are thriving in safe environments around the globe. Our brothers live beside them as their protectors."

"And those environments are expanding," Greg said with a smile. "We are creating new temples and places of sanctuary for the dragons throughout the world. We received a call from Li Wei. The brothers are requesting we build a new habitat for the dragons in South America." Greg turned to the two dragons. "We hope that during this visit we can learn what your family needs to thrive. Your guardians are always happy with you, regardless of their lodging. So, we must learn what you need."

Zhuang smiled. "We are grateful for your help, Greg. Our brothers love their homes in Tibet and New Zealand. That South America might offer another refuge for the dragons is wonderful news. One day we hope the highland will be more than a sanctuary for the dragons and our people. We hope it will be a place where the dragons and beasts can live peacefully with the humans. We have a long way to go, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first steps."

Mike smiled. "And I took a few more steps today with your help. I will return to my classrooms with what I have learned and teach the stories to the children of Partridge Island. The next generation of children who live on our island will know the history of their family is far greater than that of the Were Nation and the humans."

The black bear smiled. "That would make me very happy, Mike."

"So, is that Kendal, or someone else, who's happy?" Mike asked.

"All of us, actually," the bear replied.

"It's still a bit confusing," Mike admitted.

"And it's gonna get even more confusing," Oliver said. "Marcus is gonna smoosh up five men I loves into one. Can't say I'se particularly thrilled with that, but they say it's needful, so I'se gonna shut up about it."

Mike stared at the badger. "Come again?"

Marcus responded. "You all know that Oliver and Derrick were glowing a while back. They were kind enough to hold my abilities in trust for me until I could reclaim them. We've done that. Now there is an even greater mission that we are about to undertake. We all know things can happen that are greater than any of us can take on alone. That's been the history of this family."

"Right," Greg said, slightly confused. "That's why the three of you are together, right?"

"That's right," the bear said with a nod. "But what we need to guard this family is greater even than the three of us. It's why three more have agreed to merge their bodies and their powers with us into one. Regrettably, that takes far more men from Oliver than he cares for." Marcus stepped over to Oliver and squatted down. "But we're okay with this, right, Oliver? This is like any wedding. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I'se okay with it, Marcus. Don't means I gots to like it. I knows we all does things we don't want to do to keep our family safe. You does what you gots to do."

Greg looked around at the group. "If I understand what you're suggesting here, I have an objection. We came here thinking we were celebrating a birth in our family. You never mentioned that we were saying goodbye to a part of our family as well. Make your changes with our blessing, but don't we deserve the same opportunity that you are taking to say our goodbyes to those we will miss?"

"Wolf's gotta point, husbands," Oliver said.

"Indeed," Donovan said. "If we make this change and leave without our family being able to say goodbye, there would be cause for them to be upset with the one that takes our place."

"You're one of the ones going?" Mike asked.

Donovan nodded. "Marcus and Kendal's merging you already know about. Samuel, Raymond, and I are preparing to join them."

Mike looked at the two pandas. "We barely welcomed you to our world and you're leaving it?"

The black and white bears nodded. "We're sorry, Mike. We come from a time when we know how important this merging is for our family. This isn't goodbye. We will be by your side forever. Just not necessarily as two horny pandas who think Yukon wolves are totally hot."

Mike smiled. "There aren't too many reasons you could give for leaving us that would set well with this Yukon wolf. But if you say you're doing it to protect our family, you get a pass from me."

"Me, too," Greg added. "But I still go back to my original statement. This is too big not to involve the Were Nation in what you are planning to do. There are too many of us who see these three as men that we love. We have a right not only to say hello to what comes of this union, but a right to say goodbye."

Marcus saw the nod of agreement in each of those gathered. "What do we do to make that happen?" he asked.

"Well, a lot of us are already here. We rouse those still sleeping and tell them the entire story," Eric answered. "And we let the Were Nation know that with a new birth on the horizon, there will be goodbyes to say as well."

"I'm sorry for this inconvenience," the black bear said, bowing his head. "There is so much I have to learn. I saw only duty. You have a sense of family that is still unfamiliar to me. I forgot how important it is to let you all say goodbye."

"It's okay, Marcus," Will said. "I know this is a problematic change for you all. But Greg is right. We can't gloss over the loss we are going to feel regardless of how happy we might be with your merging."

The bear looked up at the old wolf. "Are you happy for me, William? Are you truly happy?"

Will forced a smile. "Yeah, Marcus, I am. You finally found your place in this world. That's not a simple thing to do. But it's a bittersweet happiness I feel for you. That's the best I can offer."

The black bear reached out and wiped a tear from the old wolf's cheek. "It's the best I can do."

Will nodded his understanding. "Then that will do, Marcus." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What now, Old Bear? How do we get the word out to those who aren't here?"

Eric tapped his ComLink. "Getting the word out to the Were Nation is easy. Saying goodbye won't be."

Chapter 34

The sun rose on the sleeping family huddled together in configurations that resembled a furry Gordian's knot. Nestled up against the forest edge, the dragons and temple dogs slept together. "I will miss them," Donovan said.

"I hope your sense of separation won't last long, Donovan," Marcus said, placing his arm around the wolf. "We'll be together, and that sense of loss you're feeling as Donovan should fade as who we are becomes someone new, someone different."

"But who he becomes is far from this day," Raymond said. "And that means he will miss this family terribly. It is something you will learn about us in time, Marcus."

Marcus sighed. "I can't deny that. I acknowledge your feelings for your family, even if they confuse me. Our union won't change that. It doesn't matter who we become. That beast will miss this family every time he has to leave them." The bear's paw reached out across the glade, glowing blue. "Sleep, family. Time to bring us together."

Donovan, Samuel, and Raymond saw the glimmer of light clinging to the edges of their vision appear. It hovered over the bear. "This is who I am," the glimmer said inside everyone's mind. "I am nothing without you. You have no reason to join me, save that I believe together we can protect your family better than we can by standing on our own."

"That is reason enough," Donovan replied.

"I hope you will be patient with me. There is so much for me to learn. But I desperately want to understand."

"We'll be there beside you," Samuel said. "We understand the sacrifice you are making to honor our requests."

The glimmer melded back into the Asian Bear, and he rotated his paws in front of himself. "So many feelings, so much confusion, but I have never felt so alive." The bear looked up at the three in front of him. "I am grateful for your choice. You have lived different lives, but you are stronger for the living. Me..." the bear sighed, looking down at his paws as he turned them. "Me, I am what I have always been. I guard the universe and try to set things right."

"And what of us, then..." Donovan hesitated, trying to decide what to call the bear in front of him.

The bear smiled. "We will decide who we are when we merge."

"Is this change one that is permanent?"

The black bear looked confused. "You are the first ever to ask. And I am the first ever to merge an entire family into one being."

"You're saying this might not work?" the bear asked himself.

"I'm saying what we did in the other universe was a last-ditch effort to save our worlds. Sometimes necessity forms bonds incapable of being recreated." The bear pointed to the two pandas. "And them... they're not simple clan members. They're complex and capable of wielding multiple clan powers simultaneously. I have no clue how that might affect this merging."

"Well, then you best figure it out," the bear said. "If you want this to happen, we need guarantees that our family will be safe."

"Yes, yes, of course," the bear replied. "But autonomy? We never gave that in any merging."

"You already said there has never been a merging like this one. What's another detail?"

The bear threw his hands up in the air and snorted out his exasperation. "Fine! We merge, but you all stay the same until we decide otherwise." The bear looked at Donovan. "And this change is not permanent until we all agree to it."

"That is acceptable to me," the Armbruster's wolf said with a nod.

"Works for us," the pandas said in tandem.

"If my husband is good with this, then so am I," the bear added and then gave a nod in agreement.

The group of three watched as the bear continued to carry on a conversation back and forth. All were aware that these were the final negotiations. There was a barter back and forth between the glimmer that needed the five, and the bear skilled in ensuring those under his protection found a safe home.

At last, the bear huffed. "Okay, look, I'm not sure... I never did any of this before. What I did in that other universe was far more you than me. You... you beasts willingly go so far beyond where the order would have gone to save your family." The bear turned to the group. "You men don't need me. I have powers you don't, and we did something amazing on the other side of that black hole, but it wasn't my idea. It was Donovan's. And it wasn't me who made this alternative universe. It was Kendal."

"I never talked to you about restarting this universe, Bear," Donovan said.

"No, but in another universe, inside a dream of yours, you told me if everything we did couldn't stop the lights from eating everyone, it was best to find another dream. The dreams you had frustrated you, but you never stopped trying to find a solution to the problem."

"I don't remember the dreams, Bear," the Armbruster's wolf said.

"I realize you don't," the black bear replied. "But you found an answer, nonetheless." He turned to the others. "I need you, men. Your insight, your gifts, and your powers are things I cannot live without. But if you ever want to turn from what I offer here, then I promise I will free you from what we become."

"Even without an idea of what we might become?" the bear asked himself again.

"Yes!"

"And your people?" Kendal asked within his new body.

The bear shook his head. "I was hoping to show them what we became after the change. It's you who said it's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission."

"You're still doing this solo?" Donovan sputtered angrily.

The bear shook his head. "No, I am doing it with you five. I am doing it with the only beings in the universe that can make this happen. You will guide my path even more than I guide yours. And you will do it for a reason I barely understand; to protect those you love."

"It is the only reason Marcus offered us that had any sway in our choices, Bear," Donovan said.

Samuel nodded. "Dad's right there. This won't happen if we can't hold on to our family and protect them."

The bear returned the nod. "I'm aware of that. I am trying to understand. But I need your help. By merging, there will be parts of my life you will learn and parts of yours I will understand. But by remaining autonomous, there will be so much I don't learn. I hope one day I learn the importance of family beyond the simple preservation of life. That, I understand. But you will need to teach me what goes beyond that."

"Of course," Samuel said. "It is what we do for family. We teach each other the things we don't know. There's no shame in admitting that we don't know everything."

"But there is so much I don't understand," the bear sighed. "The last time we did this, we all realized it was a one-time shot to save the universe. We shaped that universe to return us to this point, but where it goes from here is anyone's guess." The black bear rubbed the muzzle of the panda. "I will rely on you to be my guides." The bear's head turned. "And we will be the ones that teach him what it means to be family. We won't sacrifice that knowledge for a power bump up."

Samuel smiled. "Thanks, Marcus. Thanks, Kendal."

The bear returned the smile. "He has so much to learn, but his heart is good. I see how far his powers reach, and they are short of where they need to be to protect our family. He has yet to even understand the word that he is trying to save. We are the family he needs to become what he hopes to be. He needs us. We don't turn from one in need."

Donovan shrugged. "That is true." He put his hand on the shoulder of the bear. "Can you keep them asleep and out of harm's way through the change?" Donovan asked. "As you said, your initial mergers can inflict some serious damage. You tore off the top of this mountain the first two times we merged. I can't imagine bringing us into the mix will be any less cataclysmic."

"Easy-peasy," the Asian black bear replied. Suddenly, the five were staring out at a barren desert that extended beyond sight. The sun had set, and Mars was a faded red star on the horizon. "The Sahara. If we change here, we stir up a lot of sand, but nothing else."

Donovan looked at the bear askance. "Really? Do you have any idea how tough it is to get sand out of wolf fur?"

"I thought about that," the black bear answered. "But who's to say that we become a wolf? Shouldn't we decide that together?"

Samuel looked at the bear. "Time travel, reboots of the universe, alternate timelines. Papa Oliver is right. We are one fucked up family."

The black bear looked at the panda. "You don't have to do this, Samuel; or you either, Raymond. You can stay with your families."

"No, we need to do this," Samuel corrected. Raymond nodded his agreement. "We may be fucked up, but we are family. We protect each other, and we know this is the way we do it. Marcus, we're both going into this change with eyes wide open. We are like our fathers. We don't stand down. Above all else, we protect. This is where we belong."

Raymond's face took on a look of determination. "Samuel and I have both been born with the Sight from our fathers. We see a part of the life that lies ahead for us. This is not a journey you four can take alone. You are our family. That includes you 'Mr. Glitter Like a Gay Disco Guy'. The one born on this day will have challenges to face like none of our family before. We need to give him every gift this family can give to safeguard his journey. This day is too important for any of us to walk away from it."

The Armbruster's wolf pulled Samuel into a hug. "My husbands gave birth to such beautiful children. I wish I had years to get to know you."

"You will, Donovan. We will always be a part of you now," Samuel said. "Raymond and I are doing what we were born to do. We were born to stand by your side." The red glow of one paw reached up and touched the face of the Armbruster's wolf. "I am warrior class. We need only one. Let your warrior stand down. You are a Channeler. Use your gift to ensure the warrior in me never forgets the healer and the builder who stand by his side."

Donovan nodded and leaned in, kissing the panda. The two kissed, and a faint glow slowly covered them with a light that shifted in the colors of the rainbow. With his free paw, Donovan pulled the second panda into his embrace and kissed him as well. The glowing colors soon followed.

"It's begun, Kendal," the bear said. "I have to admit if I'm going to merge, I say we opt to follow their lead." He stepped toward the three, and the arms of the two pandas brought him into their embrace. The bear didn't know which panda he was kissing. Still, as the spiraling colors emanated from his body, he realized he didn't care. The two inside him guided him, and the wolf with the power of the builder clan led them all toward their merging.

As the bodies began blending into one, the bear gave a forlorn sigh. "Oh, bother," he said. "I only now figured out how much fun it is to kiss you, and now you're going to be me. I seriously regret what I have to do sometimes."

The bodies of all hugging melded into the center, almost like clay statues slowly pushed together. Eventually, only a pillar of light stood where the four once were. Glowing tendrils spread out from the light and intertwined. The tendrils wrapped around the shape in the middle until it became one blinding ball of light floating in midair. The explosion that followed left a crater of fused silica twenty meters deep into the sand. Standing in the middle of the glass bowl was the light shaping itself into something corporeal.

As a body coalesced deep inside the light, it became more humanoid. Soon it began flipping through various anthropomorphic versions of other animals. Yet it never quite settled on a pattern. As the light laughed aloud, it disappeared from the desert as if it had never been there. Even the crater was gone from sight. Nothing remained of what happened, save an immense glass bowl buried far below the shifting sand.

Chapter 35

The family awoke as they heard laughter echoing through the highland. As all looked around, none could pinpoint where the voice came from. The bodies of the beasts slowly began unraveling from each other. "Where is he?" Derrick asked, gazing around the glade.

"Who?" Kris said, rubbing his eyes.

"The six who became one," Derrick said, continuing to look about. "That's him laughing."

"Son of a gun, you'se right," Oliver said, his Sight pushing forward into the same place Derrick's had already gone. "Well, you might as well come out and say hello," Oliver yelled.

The flash of light on the glade turned all the heads toward the brilliance. There, in the middle of the field, was a thirty-foot colossal squid flailing its tentacles. "Hi family, I'm home!" the squid yelled.

"OH HELL, NO!" Oliver yelled back. "You gets out of that body and into something I can hug."

The squid started laughing, but Oliver's face told the squid he had made a serious error in judgment. "I love you, Oliver," the squid said as it shook into a six-foot upright beast with a long snout and thick rust-colored scales covering its body.

Oliver stared at the scaled creature. "What is you?" he asked. "You looks like an anteater dressed up as a knight."

"I'm a giant ground pangolin," the creature said. "I sort of flattened my muzzle so I can still kiss you all. There are some things those inside me won't let me sacrifice for the sake of anatomical accuracy." He turned as if grabbing something he was hiding behind him. As he spun back, his hand pushed a small sword into the air. "But you have to admit, I make a cool knight."

"I still can'ts hug you, you scaly critter. You gots a name, Knight?"

The pangolin grinned as the sword disappeared. "I'm Adam. It's sort of an inside joke. Do you get it? First of my kind and all that."

"Okay, Adam," the badger said, folding his arms as he tapped his foot. "You gonna turn into something I can hug, or does you just roll over and lets me fuck the soft spots?"

The pangolin laughed. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I either tease you or William, and we know William will forgive me for almost anything I throw up in front of him." He looked at the group. "My apologies to all. I inherited a rather warped sense of humor from my panda side. The ability to shapeshift is new to me, but not to them. Hence the squid, and now this pangolin. This is my traveling outfit. I'm not too threatening, but I look like I can take care of myself."

There was another shift, and the pangolin became an oversized otter. Standing upright, more than a third of him was a tail lying flat on the ground. "What do you think, Oliver?"

"You's tiny like me," Oliver said, amazed.

"Yeah. About six feet upright if you don't count the tail. That's huge for a giant river otter, though. They're less than six feet, including the tail. I figure if the badger I love can cheat a bit on his height, so can I."

"Me? But you gots lots of others you love here."

"And they'll be fine," the otter said, turning to the group with a smile. "I have choices I can make. If you want a big bear, I can be that. You want a wolf, I'm able. But there is a badger in my life and a little fox. They are the only two of their kind."

Jason squeezed the hands of his mates on either side when he heard mention of the little fox. The otter made an upset snarl. "Have you heard what they get called, our smallest brothers? The lesser mammals. They're lumped together as all those mammals that aren't big cats, elephants, or bears. They're not the things that draw people to the conservation centers like giraffes and the great apes. Are you looking for a big-ticket draw? Well, then it better be big. We fear the wolf, but not the fox. Give a happy little squeal over how cute he is and move on to something more exciting. And badgers? Ask a human what there is to love about a badger and you get a glazed look. Well, no more. There is much to love about the badger and the fox, and heaven help anyone that comes between them and their family."

The otter extended his hand toward the badger. "There were two. Now there are three. We are small, but we are powerful, and we are brave. We love like there is no tomorrow because we have seen our days of no tomorrow." When Oliver took a step forward, the otter took his hands. "I want to be by your side, Oliver; not towering above you."

"You can be anything you wants to be, Adam," the badger said. "I'se gonna love you no matter what you is. We all is gonna love you. You knows that."

"I do. But only you and Jason have to have your husbands pick you up to kiss you."

"I don'ts mind. They's fun to kiss no matter what."

"Well then, let's say I am an otter when I'm in your company because it makes me feel good."

"I'se good with that, Adam. You's kind of hot, all sleek and shiny-like."

The otter looked down at his body. "I still have a bit of a belly. I know my family well enough not to lose it entirely."

The old wolf approached the otter. "So, what would you have been if I were the only one in the picture?"

The otter was suddenly an elephant standing on his hind legs with a prodigious cock swinging back and forth. "I would have gone for a blue whale, but you saw how sea animals freak out the badger," the elephant said.

Will laughed. "I really do have size limitations, Adam," the old wolf said.

"Have you met them yet?"

"No, but I'm much more fond of the idea of spending time with the otter than the elephant. I concede that there are some things I simply don't want to try."

The otter returned. "This is who I am, William. I'm an otter in love with you. Will that be enough?"

Will nodded. "Adam, you will always be more than enough."

The white bear stared at the otter and then back at the badger. "Oliver, you have a man who seems to love you as much as we do, and he has the flexibility to be your size. I say take him up on the offer while he is still here with us."

Oliver looked at Eric. "Oh, I is gonna do just that." The otter felt a sharp tug and spun around into a deep kiss with the badger. By the time he took his first breath, Adam was on the ground and the badger had his legs lifted. Adam looked up at the badger and grinned. "Dibs on the bottom bunk, Oliver."

Oliver grinned back. "Oh, we's decided that a long time ago, Otter. Now we only gots to see what we does for an encore after I'se done you. I'm thinking Jason and us can go swimming together." Oliver turned the two of them around so that they were facing the crowd. "I realize you Changeling husbands of mine can shift, but so help me if any of you ever shifts to something small, I will bite you." He thought for a moment as he saw the bears thinking. "I won'ts bite you. And I'll... I'll..." The badger sighed. "Oh fuck it, bears, please just don't change."

Oliver rolled off the top of the otter and looked over at Jason. "Come on, Fox. We's taking the otter swimming. Seems better we do him together from the start." With a tug on the otter's arm, Oliver was off toward the creek.

Jason looked at his husbands. Lothair smiled back at him. "Go, Fox. He made that body for you. Make sure you take every opportunity to enjoy it." Jason kissed his husbands and was off racing toward the two small mammals.

The father bears smiled and both grabbing a wolf tumbled to the ground. "Dibs on the badger for lunch," Kris said as he kissed the black wolf.

Nathaniel stared at his fathers rolling in the grass, and he smiled. He looked at his bear mate. "They're going to be going at this for some time, Husband."

Max nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is only the start of it. I have an idea. How about we mate?"

"Mate?" Nathaniel asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know," his bear husband answered. "I bite your neck and fuck you like crazy, and then you flip me and do the same. Lots of sex. A bit of blood, a few teeth get knocked out, and a broken bone or two. You know... mating." The bear's finger pushed in and out of the hole he created with his other paw. "Fuck... fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."

Nathaniel shook his head. "When did you start talking like that?"

"Oliver's been my husband for years. That badger wears off on you after a bit." The bulky bear leaned in and kissed the other. "Be my mate, Nathaniel. I get that this world is new to you, but I am the man who has always loved you. Bear or man, I don't care. Tell me you'll be by my side now and forever in a way I won't ever forget."

Nathaniel smiled. "But Oliver is off playing with the fox and otter. Shouldn't he be here?"

"Oh, we'll mate with him one day, too. But I remember a day when you stood by my side wearing your tuxedo. I couldn't think of a moment where I had ever been so happy; until that night when I lay in bed with you. That night, with the rain pounding down on the steel roof and the two of us huddled under the blankets exploring our human bodies. It was heaven."

"It was for me too," Nathaniel said.

Max sighed. "And it was on that night that the first twinge of what I might be missing hit me. There in the dark, I wanted to do more than make love to you. I wanted to bite your neck the way your fathers had done to each other. I wanted you to realize that I would have you by my side, as man or beast, or whatever you wanted to be; and I would never regret a moment."

Max rubbed his paw across his husband's wide chest. "So, while Oliver is off enjoying himself, let me tell you for the first time what I should have said from the first day we were together in both universes. Be my mate, Nathaniel. Let me bite your neck and bind us together forever."

Nathaniel kissed the short-faced bear in front of him. "Be my mate, Max; now and forever."

With a shove, the smaller short-faced bear pushed Nathaniel to the ground and rolled him onto his stomach. Nathaniel stretched out his arms as the bear above bit deep into his neck, and he sighed. The cock, pushing itself deep inside him, was new and yet somehow familiar. He yielded not only to the bear but to the husband he had missed for so many years in a way he never could. He closed his eyes and let the weight of the bear push him deeper into the grass as he felt the blood trickle from his neck. The bear was not holding back. He was mating with his Changeling husband, and he wanted Nathaniel to know he understood all that it meant to love one of the Unity.

When Nathaniel sensed the last of Max's orgasm pulsing into him, he roared and bolted up on his hind legs, throwing the bear off. He turned and looked at the bear with the bloodstained mouth. "I can go easy, Bear," he growled.

"You do, and I will toss you like a rag doll, Bear," the other replied. With a swing of his paw, the larger bear sent the smaller bear tumbling. By the time he had hit the grass, Nathaniel was inside Max and humping the willing bear. The roar of the short-faced bears filled the glade as Nathaniel bit deep into Max's neck. When his head lifted, the blood flung from Nathaniel's muzzle and he roared again. He forced the smaller bear down with his paws pressed against the bear's shoulder blades. Then, true to the way of bears, he began a pounding that the other bear would remember for days. Max smiled, turned his head to the grass, and lost himself in the moment's bliss.

Moments after Nathaniel roared through his orgasm, two temple dogs catapulted over the top of him. Max laughed as he was pulled up from his position. Nathaniel, cock spent and dripping, was on his back, with one dog already buried deep inside. The yellow-haired beast pushed the entire weight of his body against the raised legs of the bear. Moments after penetrating the bear, the dog began the uninhibited thrusting common to all temple dogs.

Max righted himself directly into the crotch of the second dog. He looked up at the golden beast. "So, whose cock am I going to be sucking, Dog? I don't remember your scars the way Will does."

The temple dog pushed back the fur on his chest. "You recognize this scar, don't you, Max?"

"Bolin," Max cried out happily.

"Your first mating with the Changeling and the badger was a memorable one."

Max smiled. "But he doesn't remember it, Bolin. The bear under your husband has only memories from a different world, it seems."

The temple dog's face looked confused. He rolled into a ball and somersaulted beside the short-faced bear mounted by his mate. He lowered his body until he was face to face with the smiling bear. "You don't remember how you got the scar on your arm?"

Nathaniel shook his head as the dog above him continued his pounding. "I... didn't... even... know... I... had... a... scar." Nathaniel said between thrusts.

Bolin kissed the bear's lips. "Then we shall show you how it came to be," the yellow dog said with a grin. He looked up at his mate. "Zhuang, the bear doesn't remember how he acquired his scar."

Zhuang's pounding instantly ceased, and composure returned to his face. He tilted his head. "Really? It was that uneventful for him?"

"No, it appears he only remembers his life from another world where our copulation never happened."

"Really? So this is the first time I have penetrated him?"

"Indeed."

Zhuang looked concerned. He turned to Max. "I apologize for my eagerness. It was inappropriate for me to be so forward. We were not aware that this was your first mating. We erroneously assumed that you and Nathaniel were renewing vows."

Nathaniel tried to push up from the ground. "We are, Zhuang. I was married to my husband in my life before this one."

"And did we enjoy the pleasure of your company afterward as we did in this world?"

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, this is new to me. I've never even met Bolin before now."

Bolin pushed back on the fur of Nathaniel's arm. "And this?"

Nathaniel stared at the scar running across his arm. "I didn't know it was there."

"Heal it, Ancient One," Bolin pleaded.

"No, Bolin," Nathaniel protested. "It is a memory for you and my husband."

"Heal it, Bear," Max said, standing over the prostrate bear.

Bolin pushed back the fur on his chest and Nathaniel watched as the scar running across his chest healed. His hand rubbed the scar on Nathaniel's arm. "Welcome to our world, Nathaniel. Let us make fresh scars to remember forever."

The scar faded from Nathaniel's arm. "Exactly how did we get these scars?" Nathaniel asked as the last of his disappeared.

"Oh, we can show you," Zhuang said, stepping off the bear and extending his hand. As soon as he was upright, Nathaniel felt his body flipped into the air and slammed against the broad shoulder of the temple dog. The dog began running toward the forest with Nathaniel trapped in a fireman's carry. Max laughed out loud as he and Bolin ran after the eager temple dog and his toy.

With two bouncing leaps, Nathaniel was carried into the trees by Zhuang. The smaller branches scraped across the bear's body as the dog flung him onto a thick branch. Jumping to the branch above, Zhuang swung around in a circle, his prehensile tail holding him to the branch. At the last moment, as the arc of the circle grew closest to perpendicular to the bear, the tail released, and the dog flew toward the raised butt of the bear.

When the dog penetrated the bear for the second time, Nathaniel winced at the force of the impact. Still, he yielded willingly to the dog's affectionate pounding. Held from falling by the dog's paws locked around his shoulders, Nathaniel could feel Zhuang's feet clenched to the tree on either side of his belly. He looked down and realized how far the dog's climbing had taken them. He closed his eyes to block the vertigo created by the height and wild gyrations of their bound bodies.

And then there was the warm, wet sensation of a cock trying to push into his mouth. He opened his eyes and stared at the cock pushing out through the brown fur so like his own. Dangling from the arms of Bolin, his husband was hanging from a higher branch; his cock set square in front of Nathaniel.

"Open wide, Husband," Max ordered with a big grin.

"So, this is how I got the scar?" Nathaniel said, taking the cock into his mouth.

"Oh, no," Zhuang said. "That didn't happen until much later."

Nathaniel let the warmth of his husband's cock slowly move in and out of his mouth as Bolin swung the smaller short-faced bear back and forth. He closed his eyes again and felt the pleasures of two massive cocks filling him up. He had no clue how his first scars came to be, but as his orgasm shot out across the branch, spilling onto the forest floor below, he was more than eager to find out.

Chapter 36

Nathaniel stumbled out of the forest, rubbing his leg. The still bleeding gash hurt somewhat, but it didn't matter to him. Max's arm wrapped under his armpit, giving him support as he limped forward. "I'm sure Gaia can fix the tree," Max said confidently. "The fact that she hasn't thrown anything up in our path is a good sign she's already forgiven us. It is our mating, after all."

Nathaniel looked at the bear cradling him. "Which tree, Max? We took out three before we hit the ground."

"We are truly sorry, bears," Zhuang apologized. "We might have gained control if Bolin hadn't been so insistent on you achieving an even dozen orgasms, Max."

"It's that your taste is so enticing," Bolin said. "I believe the reference to my predilection is that I am a cum-hound."

Max smiled. "You are you, Bolin. You needn't label it or apologize for anything. Besides, if we had stayed in the oak tree, I suspect we would have been fine. The maples aren't nearly as strong. Still, we all had fun. And we love each other even more now than when we entered the forest."

"Indeed, Max," Bolin said. "Even so, we are sorry for your back, and we are sorry for your leg, Nathaniel,"

"I had fun, Bolin," Nathaniel replied. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope this will be only the first of many scars I carry as reminders of our time together."

Zhuang shook his head. "No, no, Bear. You must only keep one. We learned from experience that keeping too many of them leads to fur that looks disheveled. We keep only enough scars so that those we love can tell us apart."

Nathaniel smiled. "And we're grateful." He stood up and rubbed back the fur on Bolin's chest, exposing the red gouge across the temple dog's flesh. "So, Bolin has a fresh scar on his chest, and you, Zhuang, have one on the back of your right paw."

"That is correct, Nathaniel."

"And I have one on my leg so that you can tell the short-faced bears apart."

"You realize your husband has no markings on his face and is shorter, correct?" Bolin asked.

"Of course," Nathaniel answered. "But this way you can tell us apart in the dark."

"Our sense of smell is excellent, Bear. You needn't hold on to your scars for our benefit," Zhuang said, trying his best to be solicitous.

"Then I will hold on to only this one," Nathaniel said. "My fur will eventually cover it. But I want to remember this day."

Max looked at his husband. "These days, Bear. We've been in the forest for two days."

Nathaniel stared at the bear. "Really? Two days?"

"I understand your feelings, Nathaniel," Zhuang said. "But we felt compelled to rush our time with you so that you could enjoy the company of your family. You are newly mated. There are traditions to uphold. Soon the word will go out, and our family will be eager to share in your affections."

The four stepped out onto the glade and a cheer rose from the middle of the field where the family had gathered. None were actually standing, except the black wolf and the polar bear as they leaned up against a tree at the edge of the forest. The old bear's legs spread out as he shoved himself in deeper with each thrust and the wolf took each push happily. When they heard the cheer, they turned and uncoupled to greet the returning foursome. "Welcome back, sons," the polar bear yelled.

Bolin stared at the thick, black erection bobbing upright between the polar bear's legs. "Oh, my," he sighed. "Does one of you think I might borrow your genitals for a time? I am afraid the old bear's state of arousal is very difficult to deal with. It really should return to the Pup's insides as quickly as possible."

Zhuang came up and kissed his mate. "I am here, Brother. Let us return to our home. We can attend to each other's needs."

Max watched how lovingly their paws reached down and stroked their erect cocks. For a moment, he hesitated to speak, but then he thought better of it and interrupted their fondling. "Nonsense, you two," he said. "Your brothers are here, your family is here, and we have a family member unable to return for some time after he leaves. This is a time for you two to share your affections with your family, not hide them away."

Zhuang smiled. "You are wise, Bear."

"And I'm horny," Max said. "Here, Bolin," he said, grabbing the thick flesh between his legs. "If you need something to distract you, I'm happy to help."

The temple dog fell to his knees and stared at the swollen cock. "You have the most exquisite genitalia, Max," he sighed. He leaned over and took the cock into his mouth, lapping at the pre-cum like a man savoring a fine wine.

Max closed his eyes and when he felt his husband's lips on his nipple, he pulled the head in tightly with his paw. "Oh, I love my family," he sighed happily.

Nathaniel looked up into the face of the bear. "I'm beginning to think that being with Oliver has done you a world of good," he said with a giggle.

Max opened his eyes. "I didn't learn this from Oliver, Bear. This..." he said, his other paw grabbing the back of Bolin's head as his first thrust pushed into the temple dog's mouth. "... this I learned from you." Bolin made a happy whimper as the short-faced bear began a more heated thrusting. Max looked across the highland and realized how much his life had changed from what he thought it would be. He stood totally at ease in the middle of a field surrounded by men while a dog sucked his cock and a bear tongued his nipple. Looking at his polar bear and black wolf fathers, he yelled, "Papa, get that cock back into your pup before Bolin finishes here, or you will need to fend him off!"

Eric nodded his understanding. Gently pushing the black wolf back up against the tree, he entered him once more. "Easy or rough, Pup?" he asked as he bit into the shoulder of the wolf.

"You need to ask?"

"No, but I like to hear you say it, Pup."

"Rough, Papa Bear. Let's do it rough." The polar bear grabbed the hips of the wolf and plunged in deep. The joyful bark let the bear know he had found the right spot.

Away from the others, down by the creek for the second time in two days, the badger, the fox, and the otter played in the water, oblivious to all others. They were aware that they would return to play with the larger beasts as they had both days. But for the moment, they enjoyed the feeling of being tall enough to stare into the eyes of the ones they played with. Adam broke his kiss with the fox and smiled. "I hope you both realize how much this means to me," he said.

"It means a lot to me, too," Jason said, his wet tail wagging furiously behind him.

"Don't know that I've ever been sucked off underwater before," Oliver said with a smile. "You's got skills, Otter."

"And I don't think there are another two on this highland that could make my dream of being double stuffed a reality," the otter said with a smile. "But it's more than that, you know."

"We knows," the badger said, reaching out and rubbing the otter's chest. "You's always gonna be a beast. You ain't never gonna be a human again. We's gonna need to get used to an otter or that anteater knight. But you're going to be you. Ain't never was no human named Adam insides you."

"At least you won't see the squid again," Adam said, returning the rub on the chest of the badger.

"That was just sick, and you knows it," Oliver said gruffly.

"I realize it now, Oliver," Adam said. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I does," Oliver said. "You's family, and you was making a joke. A stupid, lame-ass joke that will give me nightmares for weeks, but still a joke." The badger leaned in and kissed the otter. "You be happy, Adam. We don'ts need you to be nothin' but who you is. If you is one of the little ones like Jason and me, then we is proud to stand by you."

Jason nodded. "What he said, Otter."

"From time to time, I will need to be other creatures; some of which you have never seen or imagined. But I wanted you to realize this..." Adam said, rubbing his chest, "... this is who I am." Adam frowned and looked down into the water. "Oliver, you understand that I can't take it from you, right?"

"I still gots the Sight, Otter. I knows. Fuckin' universe is gonna leave these powers inside me forever, I guess."

"I would take them from you if I could."

"I knows that, too. And I loves you all the more for the knowing."

Jason looked at the two. "Can I help? Maybe I can share the power with Oliver so it doesn't impact his life so often."

Adam looked at the little fox. "That's why I love you all so much. You're always looking out for each other."

"We will looks out after you, too, Otter," the badger said.

"I know. I always have a home to return to." Adam turned to Jason. "Oliver's powers are unique to him. There is only one other quite like him in the universe." The otter shook his head in obvious disappointment. "I realize that what we did on the other side of this universe is largely responsible for who you are, Oliver, but please believe that was never our intention."

Adam looked back at the fox. "There's nothing that Oliver can share with you but the love we shared these last three days. But trust me, Jason; that is worth more than either of you will ever truly know. I am learning how important those feelings are with every passing moment."

"I wish I could do more," Jason said. "All too often, I'm too small to be of any worth." The fox turned away. "Sorry. I'm whining. Let me take a deep breath and let it go the way Will taught me."

Jason felt the wet arms of the otter wrap around him from behind and hug him. One hand slid up to his temple and rested next to his upright ear. "See the truth," Adam whispered. Jason's eyes shut tightly and a flood of images flashed in front of him. Every loving gesture the young lad made throughout his hundreds of years of living sped by and slowed at last on an old man resting in Li Wei's arms. It was a man from another world that somehow Jason knew intimately well at that moment.

"I'm dying, aren't I," the old man said.

"Yes, Little One," Li Wei said calmly.

"I wish..." the man's voice trailed off.

"You've been amazing, Matthew," the temple dog said. "Look at the family that surrounds you."

Matthew looked around the hospital room at the ones who filled the space. Beasts and humans alike were watching over him, the angles of his past come to say goodbye. He reached out his hand to Clifford and Kirk, and the two took his hand in their paws. Clifford bent down to the hand, pressed his lips against it, and kissed it. "You gay guys don't give up, do you?" Matthew said, struggling to get out the words.

"Nope," Clifford replied. "One of these days, we'll teach you how to kiss."

"So, how about today?" Matthew asked. The two wolves wiped the tears from their faces and leaned down, kissing the human on his lips. When they had done so, Matthew smiled. "I love you both so much," he whispered.

"And we, you," Kirk replied.

Matthew shook his head slightly. "I just wish..." and again his voice trailed off.

"Let the regret go," Li Wei said. "It will not serve you well now."

"I know, but still there is so much I wish I had done differently."

"Perhaps in another life."

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Sensei?"

"No. I believe our lives touch others, and like ripples on a pond, they go out touching others, creating new ripples. Your life has made ripples. In those ripples, your life goes on and becomes another life."

"Like Marcus and me," the old man said.

"Like Marcus and you."

"He didn't turn out half bad, did he?" the human said with a chuckle.

Li Wei laughed. "No, he didn't turn out half bad at all. He has you to thank for that."

"And Jason," the old man breathed as he looked toward the fox standing by the bedside. "You're all so kind; including you, Jason. But when Marcus made that call all those years ago, you really busted his chops for what he did to Will. I laughed at it then, but I realized you were just what Marcus needed. He needed someone to call him out for what he did. And he needed someone who loved him enough to bring him home after kicking him in the ass."

Matthew's hand reached out, and Jason took it. "Somehow you intuitively grasped just what Marcus needed, and he gave it to him. I don't think Marcus would have made it home without you on the other side of the call that day."

"The fox is a gifted young man," Li Wei said.

"He's hundreds of years old, Li Wei."

"That's young to me."

The old man laughed. His vision clouded and all he could see was the yellow face in front of him. His mind slipped into that same place held there by the dog's caress. "I suppose so. That fox meant so much to me." Matthew coughed, trying to clear his throat. "He used to come every week at the start. Just kind of checking up on me. Nothing special to him, I suppose, but it made me feel special. He stayed only long enough to realize I was getting back on my feet, and then he introduced me to Clifford and Kirk. It was as if he made sure I could stand on my own before he let me go. I finally learned what you all talk about when you say family. It's real for you; even to a fox who didn't know me from Adam."

The temple dog rubbed a damp cloth over the old man's forehead. "Family is very real for us, Matthew."

"I wish I could thank them all," he said, trying hard to see even Li Wei's face as it slowly faded away.

"We are all grateful for your life, Matthew."

"I'm tired, Sensei," the old man said.

"Shall I put you to bed?"

"Could you hold me for a bit longer?"

"Of course, Little One."

"It would be so nice to hear you sing," the old man said.

Matthew closed his eyes, and Li Wei began singing. He sang of all that he had lost and all that he had found. The song spoke of the angry little boy that came to the island and left a man whose wife and child loved him. Li Wei sang of the human and fox that saved a lost wolf from himself, and the man that brightened the home of two wolves that loved the human in their life. And when Matthew took his last breath, the temple dog sang of longing. He sang goodbye to an old friend, and how he hoped the human could finally be at peace.

The temple dog wiped his eyes and laid the man on his bed. He gently leaned over, kissed the man, and pulled the sheet up over him. Clifford hugged his husband as he turned to press the call button. The image faded to the day Marcus became the saber-toothed wolf that changed the entire universe to save his family. All from a call to a fox on the other side of a simple ComLink call.

Jason's eyes opened. He turned and hugged the otter. "Never for a moment think that you haven't made a difference," Adam said as he hugged the fox. "You are the turning point in my life, Jason. In another universe, you don't even remember, you opened my eyes to what I had done, and you brought me home. The world you see around you is because you have always been so much more than you will ever realize."

The two continued to hug until they realized the badger was by their side once more. Adam let go of the hug. He smiled at the badger. "Sorry, Oliver. Sort of lost track of you for a moment."

"S'okay," Oliver said, "I loses track of time when I'se in the fox's arms for all sorts of reasons."

Jason's red fur blushed even more. "Thank you. Thank you, both."

"I suppose we should go visit with the rest of the family," Adam said, looking back toward the glade.

"Yeah, they's probably tiring of all them big butts. They might be cravin' something smaller and tighter," Oliver said with a snicker.

The otter grinned. "And who knows, maybe I can convince a few of those cum-soaked beasts to join me for a bath."

Oliver looked at the badger. "How long can you holds your breath?" he asked as he put his hand in the otter's, and started walking back to the family.

The otter leaned in and whispered in the badger's ear, "I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't have to breathe."

Oliver stopped and stared at the otter. "You don'ts breathe?"

"Nope."

"So, I coulds have let you suck on me even longer and you wouldn't have drowned?"

"Yep."

"Well, I'se gonna remember that for the next time. 'Cause you suck dick real good. And now I knows there ain't no reason to hurry it so you don'ts drown."

The otter pushed the badger forward and hugged him from behind as they began walking again. "Sure there is, Oliver. The sooner you come the first time, the sooner I can start working on getting you off the second time."

Jason laughed. "He has a point there, Badger."

"Yeah, he does, Fox," Oliver said as he reached out his free paw and took the fox's paw in his.

The otter wiggled away from his grip on the badger. "I hate to leave you two, but I have some unfinished business to take care of. I need to round up some men before Max tells Bolin he has nothing left to give the poor temple dog."

Jason turned to the otter. "Are we talking about something important here, Adam?"

"Yes, very important. In another universe, I swore to save my family. Part of that promise remains undone."

"We will take care of Bolin and Zhuang," the fox said. "The Black Rhino is on its way from Africa with its passengers. It will be here before we can cross the glade and convince Bolin to let Max go."

Adam stared at the fox. "Jason, you don't have the Sight, do you?"

"No, thank god," Jason said with a laugh. "But who do you think clears every flight of the three airships? Someone else might be giving them final clearance in my absence, but I still hear every take-off, destination, and landing over my ComLink."

The otter laughed. "It would help me out so much if you could distract the temple dogs for a time. If all goes well, we won't be able to hold them back later today."

Oliver smiled. "I will stays with Jason and help, Adam. You tells my husbands I sez yes when the time is right. I'se already there. I don't need no convincing. Nathaniel is the one who has to come to terms with this new world. Close the circle, Otter. Make us whole again."

Adam nodded. "I will do my best." The two bears looked up from their play as the three small beasts approached. Bolin's sucking never slowed and his gaze never shifted away from the cock slipping in and out of his mouth. "Bolin," the otter said, "Could I borrow the bear from you?"

"But... but..." the temple dog said, licking the swollen cock in front of him.

"It's important."

The glazed eyes of the dog snapped back to crystal clarity. He stood up and bowed. "Of course, Adam. I lose track of time sometimes. I have monopolized the bear's affections too greatly."

Adam shook his head. "Not at all, Bolin. And to show my gratitude, I leave you two remarkable men to take his place. I would start with the fox if I were you. The badger has a craving to fuck your mate, and I am pretty sure your desire to fellate someone will only get in his way."

Zhuang looked at the badger. "Is this true, Oliver?"

The little badger's foot pivoted in a circle. "Might be. Otter's got the Sight."

"Do you object to trees being involved in our copulation?" the temple dog asked.

"I likes trees," Oliver said. "I copulates fine in trees with temple dogs."

Zhuang reached out to grab the badger and met the hand of the otter, pushing him back. "The forest behind the creek, Zhuang; are we clear?"

The dog nodded eagerly as his eyes began glazing over. The hand of the otter slipped away from the dog. Zhuang grabbed the badger and ran toward the creek.

Bolin bowed. "I promise to take the fox to the other side of the creek as well," he said.

Jason laughed. "Let's go, Bolin. Did I tell you that the otter sucked me off while underwater?"

The temple dog rocked back and forth. "Did you find that enjoyable?"

"Oh yeah, it was great."

"I am sure you are aware that the temple dogs have practiced breath control for centuries. It would honor me to share your next orgasm while underwater."

Jason thought about the words for a moment. "You mean you want to suck me off while we're both underwater?"

"Is that not how it is done?"

The fox leapt toward the temple dog's arms and the dog caught him easily. "It's how it's done today," Jason said with a laugh. "Come on, Bolin, let's go show the fish how to spawn."

With a quick bow and a turn, the temple dog and fox were racing toward the creek.

Max looked down at his erection and sighed. "I am assuming this is important, Adam," he said with a note of frustration in his voice.

"It is, Max," the otter replied. "Come on, you two, there are guests to meet at the landing pad." Before the three had walked up the rock steps, the Black Rhino's landing gear extended and the ship settled into place. The cargo bay door dropped, revealing the loading ramp. A pack of African dogs sped out through the door, heading toward the crowd out in the glade. The two bears barely had time to wave before they passed by.

There was a clang of metal and a bass voice thundered, "Thanks for the lift, brothers." Again, the metal clanged as the flat foot hit the cargo bay ramp. Another step and the rhino's thick gut appeared as he rubbed it. When he and the lion had reached the stone landing, the ramp pulled up and the cargo door closed. The pilots of the ship waited patiently for those on the landing pad to step off. Once the passengers had debarked, they jumped from the front boarding door and ran off to join their pack.

Chipo looked at the three standing before him. His arms spread wide. "Max, Nathaniel, it's so good to see you. It's been years." The rhino's nose twitched. "Dang, you two smell like newly mated cubs. What have you been up to?" He walked toward the two short-faced bears, and Nathaniel backed away. Instantly, the rhinoceros read the reaction and backed up. He watched as the taller short-faced bear's lip curled in an attempt not to cry as he stared at the lion.

"Chipo, I'd like you to meet Nathaniel," Adam said.

The rhino looked at the otter. "I've known Nathaniel for years. I'm afraid you're the one I've never met."

"Well, that's true," the otter said with a smile. "I realize you want to hug someone. How about me? I'm Adam."

The rhino bent over and picked up the otter. As he hugged the otter, he whispered in the little mammal's ear, "What's going on, Adam?"

"Put me down and I'll explain everything." Chipo did as commanded, and Adam looked at Nathaniel. The bear biting his lip had not stopped the tears. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel. I can't let this go on. There is too much at stake here."

"Please, no," Nathaniel said. "Let them be. I will deal with this my way."

"No, Nathaniel," Adam said. "All too often, you deal with things in your own way by pushing your family away from you. Those who stand by you here stood by you in life and death. Do not make me point out the ingratitude you show by not asking them to help you through this your most difficult time."

Nathaniel's head bowed. "I'm sorry, Adam. This hurts so bad."

Chipo and Martin stood with confused looks on their faces. Adam looked around the group. Eventually, his gaze fell on the lion and the rhino. "Before this universe was even born, Nathaniel was in love with a Megatherium. That beast was massive in both body and spirit, and when he died, he was reborn as a saber-toothed cat. The two shared something beyond amazing. But now Nathaniel is struggling because the saber-tooth cat died yet again, saving his family. He was reborn without a memory of who he was. This is not the bear's doing. It is mine."

"No, Adam," Nathaniel objected. "They're so much in love. Even I can see that."

The otter folded his arms. "And you are not? Bear, if I was taller, I would smack you upside your head because Oliver isn't here to do it." The otter stepped toward the bear and hugged his leg. "You love Max, don't you?"

"You know I do," the bear whispered.

"Did that love diminish at all when you first kissed the badger?"

"No."

"Did the Megatherium's love for you lessen because of your union with the badger?"

"No, of course not."

"And Oliver, when he took the old wolf and his pup as mates, did he love you less?"

"No, although it would be nice to see him more often. The travel he does to keep up with all of us is outrageous."

The otter laughed. "I understand something about having to travel long distances to keep my family ties, Bear. Do you think he regrets his choices for a moment?"

"No, no, he doesn't."

"And when Oliver married your dad? Did that change anything between the love you had for either of them?"

"No."

The otter huffed. "Then why on Terra's green earth do you think the cat is so incapable of extending that same love to you? Why do you think a cat born of sacrifice is less than all the rest of those you love?"

"He's not. It's me who is weak."

"Then it's time to be strong, Bear. It's time you faced up to who you are. You are like Derrick and Oliver, you are like William. You are called to be witnesses to our history, to sing the stories of our love. To tell our family of all that we have lost and all that we have found. But I spared your memories not only to act as witnesses for what happened but to bring those memories back to the ones who gave all and no longer remember."

"But it was so horrible."

"Yes, and so beautiful. You see with eyes that miss so much, Bear. Those eyes have seen the horror of battle, but they missed seeing the grace in sacrifice. You remember the death without remembering all the joy that left you grieving their passing. This has always been your weakness. Nathaniel, you fail to remember the joys of your life when you struggle through your sorrows."

Nathaniel nodded. "And that's why I'm weak."

"You aren't weak, Bear. You're grieving. Be gentle with yourself. The loss you feel is enormous. But it isn't necessary this time. You grieve for losing one who isn't lost. Nathaniel, you have to be brave. You need to move beyond your fear."

Nathaniel looked at the otter below him. "How?"

"By claiming the love that is rightfully yours. By letting the cat love you the way he always has. Be brave in the face of change, Bear."

"And if I can't?"

"Then be brave enough to reach out your paw to your family so we can steady you until you're strong enough to stand on your own."

"They may need to steady me for a very long time."

"And what, dear bear, makes you think any of us have a problem with that?"

Nathaniel felt the paw of the smaller short-faced bear slip into his. "I don't have a problem with taking your paw, Bear," Max said. "I love you now and forever. Don't turn away from whatever it is you know you should do. You should be like your fathers. Be fearless in love. Be like Oliver. Learn to be more than you thought you could be. Be like your sons. Face the change you need to make. A family that is fearless in love surrounds you. We have seen so much. Don't think we will shy away from seeing more if it means we stand by your side. Come home, Bear. Come home to your family."

Nathaniel's bowed head raised up once more to look at the otter. "Help me, Adam. I can't do this alone."

Adam smiled. "There. Was that so hard?"

"More than you know."

Adam laughed. "I love you, Bear." The otter looked up at the surrounding beasts. The same confused faces were on the lion and the rhino as they tried to piece together some meaning in what they heard. "Sometimes the fastest way out is to plow right through."

Adam grabbed Max. "Come on, Handsome. Sit down here," he said, patting the grass below the bear. Max sat down. "You're going to need to spread out your legs," the otter said, smiling at the bear.

"Is that really necessary?" the bear asked.

"It will certainly make it more entertaining for me," the otter replied as his grin widened. Max laughed and spread his legs.

The otter looked up at the two South Africans and used his hands to point to the sides of the sitting short-faced bear. "One of you stand on either side of Max, please. Put one hand on his shoulder." The two did as they were told. "Now, Nathaniel, please sit between your husband's legs facing toward me." Nathaniel sat down and Max pulled him in close. "Max, paws on Nathaniel's temples, please." The smaller short-faced bear complied. "Martin, Chipo, take your free hand and put it on Nathaniel's temple as well." They too complied.

Adam looked at the group. "This is like a family photo... or a hot porn site. I can't figure out which." He looked at the group's halfhearted smiles as they still struggled to figure out what was happening. "Okay, tough crowd," the otter said. "Nathaniel, paws on my temples." When he felt the bear's paws press against his temples, he put his hands on the bear's paws. "See the truth," He whispered.

The rhino and lion behind Nathaniel suddenly dropped to their knees in pain. Max roared in agony as he grabbed his head. Nathaniel jumped up. "What did you do, Adam?" he asked angrily.

"No... no... Bear, I'm okay," Max said as he struggled to his feet. "It was just so much, so quickly."

Chipo nodded in agreement. "So much that I never knew." The rhino looked up at Nathaniel. "Why would you be afraid to tell us this?"

"Because you love him so much."

"That's true," the rhino said. "But so do you."

Martin's long tail wagged back and forth as he caught his breath. "Nathaniel, this is something I needed to know. Adam is right. You and I should have met much sooner than this."

"But I saw everything about you two, Martin. I can see how much you love each other now more than ever."

"Well, of course, I love him," the lion said. "But we're Yellow clan. We have the gift of discerning the truth and finding judgment and wisdom in our actions. Why would you struggle with this alone?"

"Because I'm me," Nathaniel said, bowing his head.

The lion grabbed the short-faced bear. "And I'm me," he said, pulling the downtrodden bear close. "Bear, I have the Sight. I always... always find a way back. This isn't even a hiccup. Look at my mate. Do you have so little faith in the two of us you couldn't tell us the truth?"

The bear fell back to the ground and put his face into his hands. "No, the lack of faith is in me."

Max dropped to his knees beside Nathaniel. "Adam is right, Bear. You need to lean on us. You love Martin, and you have so many reasons to love him. The man is the same. He has the same passions and desires. He has the same caring soul. But more important to me, so do you. Bear, if you loved him before, why would you ever think of turning away from him now? Didn't you learn anything from my death? We don't get second chances." Max paused. "Okay, we get way more of them than any one group has a right to ask for; but you get what I mean. Act, Bear. Don't sit on the sidelines and wonder 'What if?' I died once with those thoughts on my mind. I'm never letting that happen again."

Nathaniel looked up at the rhino. "I love your husband, Chipo. I have from the first day I met him at a funeral parlor so long ago. He was wearing a uniform and I always had a thing for men in uniform."

Chipo laughed. "I loved him the first day I saw him coming up out of a watering hole dragging a crocodile that he said was disturbing the peace. He was naked. I always had a thing for naked men."

Nathaniel smiled. "What am I supposed to do, Chipo?"

"Love him, Bear. Don't deny your history with him. Don't turn away from him because of some misguided idea that I'm going to be upset. There is so much love in that man. I'm not worried that there's not enough for the two of us." Chipo looked at the lion. "And you, Husband. You help him."

"I will," the lion said.

The rhino stood up and kissed the lion with an unmistakable passion. "Do you trust me, Husband?"

The lion laughed. "You even need to ask?"

The rhino looked at the otter. "Turn him, Adam."

"What?" Adam said, his eyes widening.

"Look, I just watched you and my husband tear down one universe and use the parts to build another one. You want to tell me you can't turn my lion into the saber-toothed cat the bear loves?"

The otter nodded. "No, I can do it. But why?"

"Because Nathaniel has lost his husband's beast four times. Once as a Megatherium. Another time when the cat disappeared on the Day of Transformation. A third time, when the cat became one-sixth of a saber-toothed wolf, and now because he's a lion mated to a rhino. At every turn, he has struggled with change, and as hard as it is for him, he has still risen to meet that change. Don't tell me about bravery, Otter. Me, I've never had a day without that man by my side since the day I turned him. If I had to live the life that Nathaniel has led, I would be a basket case by now. So, turn him back to the cat Nathaniel loves."

"You sure about this?" Martin asked.

"I learned to love the man inside the lion. Who you are on the outside won't make a difference to me." The rhino paused and grinned. "Besides, did you see the tongue on that cat? I mean, we're talking some seriously pleasant options on this rhino's hide."

The lion laughed. "Yeah, could you believe that thing? I'm sitting there staring and knowing that's my life flashing by, but da-amn, I would let that cat do me."

"With that tongue, I think you can do yourself," the rhino said with a chuckle.

"Guys, I can't let you do this," Nathaniel said.

"Nonsense," Chipo said with a wave of his hand. "I'm already thinking of this as a husband upgrade." The rhino stood about eight feet in front of the bear and turned away from him. "COMING DOWN!" he yelled and suddenly the rhino was falling backward. When he hit the ground, it shook enough for everyone to feel it. "Dang, that's gonna leave a divot that pisses Gaia off," he said, looking behind him at the pushed-up dirt.

The rhino looked up at Nathaniel and smiled at the confused bear. "Look, Bear, this is the right thing to do. One: the two of us don't even need to change our pet name for him. He's still Cat. Two: One day you're going to ask us to be your mates. Oh... I probably should mention that part. We're a matched set. Have been since the day we met. If you want to put your arms around the cat, you need to realize my arms are going around you, or his arms are going around me. Non-negotiable. Are we clear?"

Nathaniel nodded. "Crystal."

"Anyway, as I was saying, One day you're going to ask us to marry you. And if you need help with that, we have no problem asking you." The rhino looked up at the short-faced bear, "But when you come at us, it will be as a Changeling. We know how you mate. I'm a rhino. I can survive that. My lion can't survive you, Bear. Your saber-toothed cat can. We change him because when we're mated, we won't ever hold back."

Nathaniel nodded. "That makes sense."

Martin looked at Max. "You okay with this, Bear?"

"Why? Are you marrying me too?"

"Seems a shame not to include you and the badger," Martin replied. "You're aware of how much I admired you in the other world. That didn't change in this one. Getting closer to you is a win/win for me. We can ask the badger what he thinks about this later."

The otter waved his hands. "Oliver already told me to tell you he's good with what's happening here."

Martin laughed. "That badger's Sight is in serious overdrive."

Max looked at the two South Africans. "Are you going to live with us, or just be visiting from time to time?"

"I suppose I could ask you the same question, Bear," the rhino replied.

Max laughed. "Okay, we visit for starters. A few hundred years from now, who knows?"

The rhino nodded. "And number three and the last on this list, Nathaniel, we change the lion because we have your father to think of."

"My Father?"

"In both universes, I swore to the old wolf that I would make sure his reputation as one of the top ten sluts in the world never suffered because of my actions. I saw him, Bear. That man loves the tongue of that cat of yours. Would you deny the wolf a tongue that could very well push him into the top five?"

Nathaniel laughed. "No, I guess not." He looked at the two. "I can't believe you're offering this to me."

"But we are," Martin said, sitting down on the other side of the bear. "That's what we do, Bear. We find a way to make it work. I told you this one is easy. You have two beasts who love you in both universes. All we're doing here is letting that love grow in a way that lets our families become what they were always going to be in the first universe."

"Are you so sure of that?" Nathaniel asked.

"Who ran with us on nearly every pack run in your world?"

Nathaniel smiled. "Chipo, right next to you. He always said it was to keep the clan together."

"But I ran with Martin, not Anders," Chipo added. "And who ran next to Martin?"

"Me... with Oliver on my back."

"This is just us bringing the universe back to where it should be, Bear," Martin said.

"Closing a circle," the otter added.

"So a hand, here, Otter?" Martin said.

"You don't need my hand," Adam said with a mischievous smile.

"Really?"

"Who turned you the first time in another universe?"

"Nathaniel, of course."

"Then let him turn you again."

"But we mated the day he turned me."

Adam grinned. "And you'll mate again this time. I don't see a problem with this. Look, I'll help with the details, but when he goes to turn you, you let your lion go, and embrace the saber-toothed cat."

Martin thought about it for a moment. "Do I still hold on to my human?"

"If you want."

There was a tug on the lion's tail. He turned, looking at the badger looking at him. "We's all here, Cat. We can mate this time, too." Oliver looked at Chipo. "Wants to fuck a little mammal in the butt and bite his neck?"

The rhino smiled. "Turn Oliver. Even as a werebadger, you might regret making that offer."

Oliver smiled. "Ain't never gonna regret the offer. May have a sore butt for days, but ain't never regretting asking you to be my mate."

Max stood up. "Well, time to make this official. Martin, Chipo, will you be my mates? I promise to love, honor, rarely obey, and leave both of you even sorer than you leave my badger husband."

Martin looked at the two bears. "We don't hold back? This is mating full-on?"

Nathaniel frowned. "No, not full-on. I have a very upsetting history with beasts that mate full-on, and this time, we're not going there. No one in this family risks hurting others for love. We go at this as lovers should. No one backs down from the love. We let each other know this is forever, but we don't do that by nearly killing each other. I won't be watching over my husband's broken body for months while the damage we inflict on each other heals." Nathaniel turned to the rhino and lion. "You break any bones in Oliver's body and you will have me to answer to. Trust me, healers know all the body parts. You will regret ignoring me on this point."

Oliver looked at his mate. "You remembers, Bear."

"I remember, Oliver. We don't break your back again to prove a point." Nathaniel looked at the others. "Oliver's love is never in question. Be gentle, or be rough, it doesn't matter. Just don't hurt him."

Oliver snorted. "You can hurts me a little. Just none of that full-on stuff Changelings likes so much. You breaks a rib or a leg, and I'll forgive you. Now if you breaks my pecker, Nathaniel's got my permission to kick your asses."

"No breaking the badger's pecker. Got it," Chipo said. "But what of us big boys?"

Nathaniel looked down at the rhino who was looking up at him. "We go at it the way you dreamed it would be. But don't ask me to go full-on, because I never will."

Chipo smiled. "Then neither will we. But, Bear..."

Nathaniel smiled at the rhino. "Yes?"

"Leave me with a few scars, please. I've seen you mate with a Megatherium, and damn, I want that bear inside me."

Nathaniel laughed. "Okay. You'll get the scars you want."

"And the teeth marks on our necks," the lion said, pointing to the back of his head.

"And the teeth marks."

Max chuckled. "I'm kind of good with all this. We don't hurt Oliver, but the rest of us are tough for a reason. Everyone knows where to draw these lines in our mating. Leave the scars, leave the sore muscles and a few fractures along the way, but leave no one badly wounded. Today, of all days, we promise each other to leave nothing but wonderful memories from our actions."

"I'se good with that," Oliver said.

"Me too," Martin replied. Nathaniel and Chipo both nodded their consent.

Chipo turned to the lion and kissed him. "Time for you to go, Lion. My husband will be coming back soon, and while I'm pretty sure while he's not a bear to deal with, two of his husbands will be."

The lion smiled after the kiss. "I love you more at this moment than I ever have, Rhino."

"Now and forever, Cat," the rhino said as he grabbed the lion and threw him toward the bespectacled short-faced bear.

Nathaniel's paws reached out and snagged the lion from the air. By the time he had pushed the cat to the ground, he was already inside the feline. "Last chance for this to be gentle," the bear growled.

"Not a chance, Bear," the lion growled back. "Turn me, and then get out of the way, because I'm not staying on the bottom for long." Nathaniel lunged forward, pushing his cock even deeper inside the lion.

The lion roared, and heads from the other side of the glade looked up. The beasts in the field stopped their play, listening to where the sound came from. As he walked away from the group, the otter laughed to himself. "Fucking Changelings," he said. "Twelve temple dogs on this highland and the Changeling is fucking. They are so going to regret not bringing any aspirin to this mating." He closed his eyes for a moment and the smile spread. "I love you, men. Let the circle close."

Adam walked over to where Jason was trying to deal with two horny temple dogs. "Which of you knows how to fuck an otter?" he asked. Two temple dogs and a fox turned and raised their hands. "Looks like I'm going to regret not bringing any aspirin as well," he said as he rushed toward the outstretched arms of the three.

Chapter 37

The sun crested the mountaintops, finding all the family asleep together. The otter watched the sleeping crowd and smiled. "Well, it took this family another three days, but we finally wore everyone out," he said with a satisfied grin.

"You did that," the voice behind him said.

A startled otter turned to see the black wolf standing behind him. "You scared me, Pup. I thought you were in that mix."

"I was for the better part of a week. Did you hear the temple dogs are considering extending the length of their spring festival because of this?"

"It was glorious, wasn't it?"

"Best welcoming ever," Derrick said with a nod. "Even if we have to say goodbye as soon as the welcome is over. We will miss you, Adam."

"I should go now, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah. Years ago, it's what Papa Bear and I did when we came to the highland. We left the pack while they slept. We realized the night before in their arms was the happiest we would ever be before we had to go. Staying around to say goodbye will just bring back the sadness of leaving."

"It's already there for me," the otter said, looking out on the glade.

"For me too, Adam," the young wolf agreed. "But we are here. We are family. We will get through your leaving and wait for your return." Derrick was quiet for a moment. "Adam, can I ask you a few questions that have been running through my head for a while now? You don't have to answer them if you don't want to."

"Ask away," the otter replied.

"I remember the first universe. You told us you weren't alone. Were they there that day? Did they help make this new universe possible?"

"Yes, there were many, many more involved in what you witnessed that day. But they did so channeled through Donovan. What you watched was the culmination of all our efforts. An outcome so dramatic that the change tore apart all those involved in the birth of an alternative universe."

The otter looked up toward the sky. "I think you realize it by now, Pup, the ones who think they're called to be saviors of their world, always fail. They think they alone have the power to see everything, to know everything, and to lead their people out of the darkness into the light. It's what humans have always hoped for. It fills your mythology; that one perfect person to save everyone."

Adam sighed and gave a shrug. "It's never been that way. It's always been a group effort. No one being can be everything this universe needs to survive. No one being can look down from heaven and pull the strings. The universe is a messy, unforgiving place, and if you don't have someone watching your back, you will fail. I once told William that there were those who gave me the powers I had. I said that there were always those who were stronger, smarter, and bigger than we were. This universe is expanding just like the old one, and once again, so are the creatures that live in it. If we're lucky, we'll bump into the loving ones. I hope one day to be part of a group who guards our little corner of the universe."

"The Shumuuluud... were they once a part of that group?"

The otter's eyes widened. "Pup?" was all he asked.

"You made a witness out of a quiet little wolf who sits back and watches everything, Adam. I sit and figure. I try to make sense of what is around me. Two things troubled me about our narrative. One is that if your powers alone couldn't defeat the Shumuuluud on Earth, they certainly couldn't have rebooted the universe."

"True," the otter replied. "It was a group effort beyond imagining. It was a billion, billion worlds committed to resolving a draconian problem. And we did that with the most draconian solution imaginable. You would have liked what the two-dimensional beings saw when it happened. There are even some inter-dimensional beings that changed with only a simple acknowledgment that it happened."

"So there were lots of families out there pulling together like ours?"

Adam smiled. "Your family is special. We would have never asked humans to take part in dealing with the Shumuuluud. They still have so far to go before they even see their protectors as they truly are. But your family... the Were Nation... you are so important to so many you may never even meet."

"And the Shumuuluud?"

"One of our own bent the Cherel to his will. While it's not always the case, power can corrupt."

"And absolute power..." the black wolf said, letting the thought trail off.

"That was its goal. The Cherel were merely slaves to create that conduit. We had to make it right, Pup. We had to bring the universe back into alignment without the destroyer of worlds that once promised to defend them all. It was one of us that took an entire species and subjugated them for even more power. They were only a benign group of beings floating in space, feeding on the background energy of the universe. It was one of our own that turned them into insatiable monsters, funneling every bit of energy they absorbed into the one."

Adam dropped to his knees. "It was as much a mercy to what became the Shumuuluud as it was a salvation of the rest of the universe to start this all over again. In any universe, we should never have approached the Cherel. They were innocents; barely intelligent enough to see beyond the instinct that drove them for billions of years. It was one of our own who took their frail minds and bent them to its will."

Derrick nodded. "I won't tell that part of the story if you don't want me to."

Adam thought for a moment. "No, Pup, you tell our story with all the truth you know. You don't make us heroes. You make us the janitorial staff cleaning up after our mess."

The young wolf nodded. "You're still heroes to me, Adam. All of you joined to change our universe. We don't see cooperation like that on our planet very often."

"Necessity has to be one of the least noble reasons for cooperation," Adam whispered. "We were created to be guardians of order. We had to kill one of our own to save that order. This tale is too familiar to me now. Donovan's heart beats within me, Pup."

"I'm sorry for what you had to do, Adam. I really am. Is it too much to ask how many times your people have had to reboot this universe?"

Adam looked up from where he knelt and gave a feeble smile. "It was a first for us, Pup. The Order has done some extreme things to right the problems we faced, but they would never have thought of restarting the universe. That idea came from your family.

"Marcus brought together a team of individuals who changed the universe in a way that the Order never could have imagined. Marcus presented his plan to an entire universe of powerful beings. He showed them a no-win scenario and then gave them an answer that no one in their right mind should have even backed. But that's his gift. He sells people on ideas that we all believe are impossible. Then he gathered a team of miracle workers around him and did the impossible.

"Marcus chose Donovan because he was aware that the wolf stayed focused in times of crisis. He relied on the wolf to channel the energies of trillions of souls because he knew Donovan never backed down. He realized the wolf made critical choices when they had to be made. Donovan was the Changeling who promised to always stand beside him, and Marcus knew the Changeling never lied.

"Marcus also knew Martin always found a way home. He could formulate the plan in his head, but he needed someone who could see a way through the reality of what he was trying to bring about. So he pulled the cat to his side to clear that path home; even if that path took us all to the other side of a black hole into an alternative universe.

"Ivan, the healer, was there doing what he has always done. He kept the fraying edges of that team from ripping apart. The universe stayed together on both sides of the black hole because of his skills.

"And then, there was Fernando. The warrior who taunted the Shumuuluud into following us out into space. There he was told the birth of a black hole would absorb everything. He was so good at distracting them that it was too late for them to retreat when they realized what was happening. There were incredible powers that day. Some were fighting against the changes made. Fernando gave his life to make sure none of them got close to interfering with Marcus's plan.

"And last, there was Kendal. Marcus's mate wasn't simply Blue clan. Two of the greatest minds in the universe taught him while he shared their bed. He worked on projects every day that required him to find novel ways of rebuilding things from parts that didn't exist until he saw them in his mind. That wolf brought order to the efforts of everyone. And he did it because his mate needed him to do it. He pushed beyond endurance the same way Ivan and Fernando did.

"They couldn't fail because they understood they would lose the ones they loved if they did. Donovan gave his word, but it went beyond that. All those years by Marcus's side bonded the two of them in ways a simple promise never could. I never understood how much that bond meant until I watched it displayed by the mated pairs that day.

"No one in the Order could have done what your family did. For one reason, we simply don't have that power. But Marcus saw your potential. With the six of us joined, we could channel all that my people were into creating a black hole and use Kendal's power to rebuild the universe on the other side."

Adam was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "There was a reason I hesitated in China. When Marcus convinced my people that we could recreate our universe, he did so without telling them where those skills came from. As far as the Order was aware, they were talking to me. That my host might be autonomous and talking was inconceivable to them. My people were going to let the universe reset itself without the points in time I felt were sacrosanct because of their outcome. I told them I would not proceed with restarting the universe if they did not agree to my demands. And as you realize, our part was pivotal."

Derrick smiled. "I'm thinking that kind of brazenness isn't something your people have ever seen before. You don't seem one to buck the system."

The otter nodded. "It was a first; coming from one who wasn't even supposed to merge with anyone. Convincing them of what I saw was no small feat. Marcus took the lead in that effort, and I'm grateful. His skills as a salesman saved our universe. I had to make sure I brought him back. In the universe, there are setpoints. Some things must always happen for this universe to exist. The Big Bang, the simultaneous supernovas of the Trégor star cluster, and the collisions of the Failing and Mexlor supergalaxies. All things that had they not happened, our universe would not exist.

"The Order did not see the crashing of a Verital cruiser on a tiny planet as one of those setpoints." The otter shook his head in disbelief at what he was about to say. "My people were willing to let you commit to the ultimate sacrifice without a guarantee that you would even be present in the rebuilt universe. Whether an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs and took down a star-cruiser didn't factor into the universe going forward. All they cared about was ensuring the Shumuuluud never existed."

Derrick's lip curled. "Harsh, but then again, pretty practical, and you did say your people were practical."

"It was completely practical from the Order's point of view. If the universe restarted itself without our mistake destroying it, we seemed content to let everything else work itself out."

"But you disagreed."

The otter fumed. "You're damn right I did. I wasn't about to let that happen. When the six of us merged, it was only with the agreement that I would rebuild my little part of this universe. I was putting into place setpoints that would be forever unalterable should we ever find ourselves in this predicament again. The humans dodged a very big cosmic bullet because you are their kin and for no other reason. Your family will always be a part of what is out there. They are now setpoints in the universe. And by being setpoints to which the universe aligns itself, all that leads to your creation is also immutable."

"Thanks for standing by us."

"You stood by me. My people understand duty, we understand obligation. My time with you has taught me a loyalty that transcends being a faithful cog in the universal machine. I hope my people will make that leap one day. You can help them. I can't afford to lose you."

"We don't want to lose you, Adam."

"I promise that will never happen. A setpoint protects this moment in time. I can't promise what comes after, but if anyone ever restarts the universe, you will be here, and I will find you."

"Then I'm good. As long as my family is here and you're a part of it, I have no complaints."

"That's comforting to me. There is so much of what happened in all of this that is new and confusing. But who you are, and what you have done as a family, that... that..." Adam struggled to find the words. "It is all still beyond my capacity to understand. I hope to one day."

"You will one day," Derrick replied. "You have some of our best next to you." The wolf looked off into the distance. "Third question. Why did you make Kris watch the death of his people when you were the one to give Donovan the dreams that told him of the Shumuuluud attack? If you already knew what the Shumuuluud was, why didn't you just tell everyone and let Donovan back you up?"

"Because I wasn't aware of Donovan's dreams until that day. This gets a bit convoluted here, Pup. Remember during the battle when Marcus and Donovan insisted I save your sons?"

Derrick nodded. "Sure, I was there. I didn't understand why they were yelling at you, but I'm glad my family forced you into doing the right thing."

Adam looked away. "I am too. I hope you will all forgive me if I lose sight of what's important from time to time."

"Like explaining why you didn't tell us outright what was coming our way the day the Changelings returned?"

Adam looked back and smiled. "I love you, Pup. You always seem so kind when you drag me back to where I don't want to be." Adam put his hands together and Derrick watched the thumbs roll around each other. "I realized everything depended on the five understanding that Marcus's course of action was the only viable option we had left. But that wouldn't happen, not in the time that remained.

"Donovan was a warrior, and that meant he would fight until the end. He would die before he stood down. I had to convince him to bring us all together, to use the gift he had to join powers from so many sources directed his way. But I realized in our timeline I would never have that chance. We would all die fighting before that moment. And I knew I couldn't save your sons from the fate we were all going to suffer. Somehow I had to have Donovan in the fight knowing exactly what we had to do before we even tried to do it."

"So, you changed the timeline?"

"Not me. Max and JP."

"What? When?"

The otter fidgeted a bit more. "My people don't have a clue how to create alternate timeline configurations. To us time travel is a laughable mind game for quantum physicists. But then it occurred to me that for Max and JP it was a part of their reality. I begged them to help me, and they did. They did it because I said it was important, Pup. Like everyone else in your family, they saw someone in need and they reached out to help."

"So, what did they do?"

"They placed the panda twins and me on the cusp of the black hole created by the saber-toothed wolf only minutes into the future. See what I mean by convoluted? The saber-toothed wolf existed only because of the actions we took there on the edge of the black hole. Max and JP took us to a place that existed only because the Hail Mary pass we were doing at that moment worked to change the universe only moments in the past. The saber-tooth wolf was born in the past by his creation of the black hole in the future.

"There, on the event horizon, where every moment in time teeters on the edge, the winged bears held us. They waited for the past to flow by like a river into the black hole. And then JP did the most amazing thing. He took me and dipped me into it, holding me there in a moment so many years ago. I watched Donovan and your family at play. Until then, I never realized how loving Donovan was. I knew the warrior, but I had never seen the lover he brought to your arms."

Adam's head bowed. "And then I heard JP's voice as I watched that world flow by me. 'Tell him,' he said, and I knew what he meant. I had to show Donovan that no matter what we tried, no matter how much we threw at the Shumuuluud, we would never best them in battle. We had to choose another path. The warrior had to stand down so that the bringer of order from chaos could rise to the occasion. Kendal had to lead the team or we would lose everything. I had to convince Donovan to not do the very thing he felt called to do."

"So, you gave him the dreams."

"Yes. I had to make sure it wasn't something he would overlook or ever forget." Adam looked away from the eyes of the black wolf. "I had to make sure he saved his husband."

"What?"

"In a timeline you don't remember, Kris looked into the abyss and the abyss looked back. The death of his world drove him insane. A Verital can't see all his people die without it driving him over the edge. No one could pull him from the darkness; not even Oliver, and he tried so hard."

"You showed Donovan what was going to happen, so that when Kris was recounting it to us, Donovan recognized what was about to happen to the Unity?"

"And he got everyone to pull Kris back before the bear could witness what can never be seen by one of the Unity." Adam looked up at Derrick. "On the cusp of a black hole lies all time and space. A step in one direction and the universe isn't the same. The world you knew of the Shumuuluud is only one of the worlds JP let me see. I chose the one that saved your family, the one that left you all alive in the end. And in choosing that path, all the other potentialities vanished into the one saved reality."

"I'm glad you took that path."

Adam smiled. "Thank you. But as you understand now, the dreams came from a time long after the nights he dreamt them. The day Kris opened his memory to the death of the Unity, I had no idea that Donovan had ever dreamt of the Shumuuluud. I didn't even know that I was responsible for those dreams."

"You were right," Derrick said. "It is convoluted. But in the end, I think you did very well, Adam."

"I hope I did right by your family," Adam replied. He moved over slightly as Derrick sat beside him. "But it's one reason the five left their memories of the other universe behind them. We knew if it was meant to be, we would find our way back to each other. But this time, it would be without the suffering and pain that everyone had to go through to get to this point. Uncountable souls had to sacrifice their very being to make the universe we stand in. They did so, realizing that who they were might never make it through to the other side." Adam put his hand on the young wolf's paw. "Please, Pup, leave this out of the history. They chose to forget it for good reasons. There are so many others who chose the same path."

"Of course, Adam," Derrick replied. "And what about Will?"

The otter laughed as he stood up. "Really, Pup? You are telling me you get all these insights from sitting back and watching?"

"I have the Sight, remember? Someone made a serious mistake giving that to me," the wolf said with a smile.

"No... no, they didn't, Pup. It was the best thing they could do with their life."

"So, Will?" Derrick pressed.

"I realize now he will never leave his family."

"But his family might join him."

"In ways unimaginable even by me, Pup. I once told him I dreamed of a day when he and I would merge. I used to think it was Marcus's desires flowing up through me and finding a voice, but that's not it. Marcus and Kendal seem quite happy together. They both love William, but it hasn't caused the conflict of emotions that it did in the previous universe. William is remarkable. I am drawn to remarkable men. I am drawn to your entire family, but William was the first in Marcus's life who he loved. Those feelings are embedded in me. One day, we may find there is unity beyond even merging. All I know is I am trying to keep my options open."

"I understand that," the young wolf said with a smile. "Who knows what might happen one day in the future? Maybe the whole family will merge with you."

"I would love you all the more," the otter said as he put out his hand toward the wolf. "But for a time, Pup, live your life here. Be happy. The universe will go on expanding for a time without your need to watch over any of it but Terra and her family."

Derrick took Adam's hand. "I'll do that, Adam. Don't bite off more than you can chew, okay? Maybe you became an otter to remind you that change is best in small increments."

The two began walking toward the landing rock where the Red Wolf reflected the glow of the morning sun off its wings. "I like that reasoning, Pup," Adam said as the two walked away from the sleeping group. "I'm glad you're a quiet one who sits back and watches. When you speak, I always know I should listen carefully."

Derrick laughed. "I don't know about that, but thank you anyway."

"You won't forget me, will you?" the otter questioned. "You need to realize that after I'm gone, things are going to continue to realign. We took the universe of the Shumuuluud and broke it down into subatomic particles to reshape it into this one. The memory of that world will fade. Who I was might fade from memory, as well as those I left behind as markers to find my way back. The more we become a part of this world, the greater the chance it will end the knowledge of what happened in another world."

Derrick fell to his knees and hugged the otter. "It's a kindness to them, Adam. Knowing the story of a saber-toothed wolf that restarted the universe is one thing. It's another thing entirely to feel the terror of having your flesh ripped from your body by hungry Shumuuluud. Oliver and I will be here to keep the stories alive for our family with no need for them to suffer needlessly."

"Please don't let them forget me, Pup. I love you all so much. But this universe will push to right itself. It will push to have the lives of my family go back to a time before I was born. Already the Order has no memory of what happened. There is no talk of the Shumuuluud; no whisper of another universe. Nowhere else but here on Terra do they speak of the events you witnessed. You and Oliver are the only witnesses to all that transpired in the lives of the Changelings and the Were Nation in both worlds. In time, as this universe forgets the old worlds, it will be up to you two to write our history and teach it to those who forget."

Derrick sighed as he hugged the otter. "That's why you took us with you from Terra; to keep our memories intact?"

"There should be witnesses to all great things, Pup," the otter replied. "The end of one universe to give birth to a new one is nothing different from the love and sacrifice of a Megatherium for his mates and the children. We must tell those stories. They all live in you and Oliver."

"And once they are all recorded, Adam?"

"Then you will have finished your work. At least for a time. It's a good idea to take a breather when you can. Your family seems to attract souls in need of help. But if you learn to recognize when a job is done, that will serve you well."

"Then learn when it's time for your job to be done as well, Otter."

"You know I can't, Pup. This is a lifetime job. I was born of men who can't walk away."

"Not the job out there," the black wolf said, pushing his hand out toward space. "The job here, where you try to save who you once were. It doesn't matter, Adam. Don't you get it? That part of the universe we all remember still has the most incredible otter in it. It doesn't matter what you do when you're away from us. We have spent the most remarkable week with you by our side. We will remember that, won't we?"

The little otter nodded his head. "Yes, yes. We'll all remember that." He looked up at the wolf and smiled. "I will remember these days forever."

"Then know what we did here was more than the sex that confuses you so," the young wolf comforted. "You have sealed us in your heart, and we have done the same with you. I will love you, Otter, now and forever."

"And I, you, Pup."

"So we build on that love. You come back knowing this is your home and that we will always welcome you back into our lives and our arms. We may forget your legacy as the universe changes us, but is that memory what you need from us?"

"No, what I need is what I have felt this last week. That is what I fear losing."

"Then trust me when I say that will never fade. Trust who you are deep down inside. Let the five Terrans calm the one who binds you together. The undying love of the old wolf is something they understand. They're very familiar with the badger's protective nature. They know me and my husband bears. We don't turn from those we love."

The otter smiled. "Then I won't either," he said. "You will be my charges."

Derrick shrugged. "I think if you took a poll, we would rather you think of us as your wanton little slut puppies. After all, when we remember you, it will be as the beast who sucked off three bears, five wolves, a saber-toothed cat, and a rhino... while underwater. And you did it all without coming up for air or spilling a drop. You are already a legend." The wolf waved his hand with a throwaway gesture. "Oh, and that whole wipe out the Shumuuluud and reboot the universe thing; we'll remember that legend when we get around to writing it down."

Adam frowned. "I'm serious about protecting you, Pup."

The black wolf rubbed the back of his paw over the otter's muzzle. "Don't be, Adam. This life of ours comes at us too fast and is too complicated to be taken seriously. Look out there in that field. That's your family's gift to you. They have saved this world so many times. They have held each other through tragedies unimagined by most. Yet they lay there in the grass asleep after giving all their energies to fornicating for a week. You can see the best of who we are in every one of their faces. And their greatest gift to you is their ability to pull back away from all that serious stuff and play."

"That's difficult for a warrior."

"You're not always a warrior. Will is a warrior. Who do you think was howling at the moon three nights ago while Tiff and Tuff rode him? Learn from my husband, Adam. No one is more protective of us than Will. And no one plays harder at every opportunity."

"I suppose it's in my best interest and the safety of the universe if I come back regularly to be educated by my family in what is truly important."

The black wolf laughed. "We would love that, Adam. Just remember all the souls inside you. I realize the warrior Channeler inside you is strong, but there's a builder and a healer inside you as well. There's also one born of wisdom. Yeah, he's one of my sons and a bit of a goof, but he understands who he is. Let him bind your souls together as one. Let him mold you into something more than a police dog to the universe. You're an otter for a reason. They play, they love, and then they play some more. They embrace this world with fascination and wonder. Otters love their families. They protect them. But they're never serious. There are no serious otters, Adam. Don't be the first."

"So you're saying I don't have to be serious to protect you?"

"Yeah, I'm saying that."

"And the rest of the universe?"

"Well, I hope you will treat it like family. It deserves that much, doesn't it? I hope you realize there is no universe any more than there is an ocean. You've heard Li Wei tell the story. The ocean is only tiny drops of water gathered together. The universe is only tiny bits of all the star stuff out there. None of us could change the world, Marcus. We only changed one life at a time. Don't save the universe. Save your family. The rest will all fall into place."

"You say family like I know what that means. Who am I supposed to see as my family?"

"All those men lying out on the highland fast asleep. Your family is waking up in Montana. They're on Partridge Island making gyros for the lunch crowd. It's three billion humans wandering through this life with blinders on trying to connect. Most of them need a helping hand to make that happen." The wolf waved outward again. "A zillion worlds full of your newest, best friends and cantankerous old curmudgeons that only you can win over." The wolf leaned over and pulled the otter in close. "And so many orphaned children looking for homes, Adam. Do what you're best at. Help them find homes. There are so many lost souls out there looking."

"Sounds better than fighting."

"You suck at fighting, Adam. We all do. You had to reboot an entire universe because we suck at it so bad."

The otter laughed and hugged the wolf back. "Thank you, Pup," he whispered. The two hugged for a time, and with a squeeze, the otter asked, "Is that your hard-on pushing up against my tail?"

"Yes, Adam," the wolf sighed. "You realize how cute you are, right?"

"I'm like Oliver. I don't want to be cute. I want to be fierce."

Derrick laughed. "Oliver is cute. Our family doesn't do fierce either. We do cute really well."

"I can do cute," the otter said with a nod. His tail flipped downward and rubbed the wolf's swelling cock. "I also do horny really well."

Derrick groaned. "I am so going to hate myself for this choice tomorrow." He kissed the otter and put him back on the ground. "Go, Adam. Before my family wakes up and we have to figure out how to adjust our schedules for another week."

"It's harder this time, Pup. It's harder to say goodbye without a crisis pushing me to go."

"Then don't say goodbye. Go, and come back when you can. We wait for our family to come home. We always wait."

The otter looked up and became the pangolin. Slowly, his body faded until only the grin remained. "Is this the coolest exit or what?" the grin asked.

"That is so very cool. Add some sparkles and you will rock this exit," the wolf responded with a laugh. "I love you, Adam."

"And I love you, Pup. Give my love to the family. All three billion of them."

"I'll do my best," the young wolf promised the grin floating in the air. With a shimmer of sparkles, the grin disappeared into the early morning fog.

"Totally sucks," the wolf said out loud to only himself. "I hate when family leaves." The wolf felt a tug at his waist. He looked down and smiled at Oliver. "Good morning, Badger," he said.

"Mornin', Pup. I watched him go. That otter knows how to make an exit."

"Yeah, I guess we have to get used to it. It's who he is."

"Yeah, but we don'ts have to get used to him going. We can just get used to him coming home."

The wolf smiled. "I love the way you think, Badger."

"And I loves you, Pup." Oliver replied. He rocked back and forth uneasily. "You does know you gots a boner, right?"

"Yeah. Adam is extremely cute."

"Them things can cause all manner of problems if you don'ts take care of them."

"Really?"

"I read it on the Internet."

"Really?"

The badger smiled broadly. "But you could fuck me. It could save you all sorts of problems down the line with all that pent-up juice."

"Before or after we wake up the family?"

The badger looked out on the highland. "You know, I'se thinking you do me right, they'll all wake up when I'm screaming." The badger shifted, and his taller counterpart smiled at the wolf.

"We are going to get into so much trouble for this," the wolf said as he pushed his husband to the ground and lifted his legs.

"Yeah, we is. But it's gonna be worth it."

Derrick smiled. "Yeah, it will be." The wolf lunged forward, shoving himself into the werebadger. A moment later, the young wolf felt the thick flesh of the Kodiak's cock push into him. "Morning, husbands," the brown bear growled as the wolf yielded to the bear.

"Morning, Bear," the two chimed together. Derrick's thrusting synced with Kris's almost immediately. The threesome coupled for a few happy moments before Derrick's eyes widened in a sudden flash of insight. He looked down at Oliver. "Kris is fucking me, Oliver," he said, the panic clear in his voice.

"Yeah, so?" the badger asked.

"Yeah, so?" the bear repeated from behind.

"Pheromones, Oliver. He never controls his pheromones."

"Oh shit," Oliver said, his eyes widening.

"OH SHIT!" the bear yelled as he grabbed both animals below him and rose. Before he could take a step, the pack of temple dogs leapt toward the three as one unified mass of uncontrolled golden fur and slobber.

Chapter 38

Out on the glade, the family bolted from their sleep with wet dog prints across their bodies. They also felt as if a herd of sneaker-wearing bison had trampled them. One look across the glade and they knew the reason. The rhino got up and dusted himself off. He looked at his newly mated husbands and grinned. "Temple dogs are the best. Race you to them," he said. Falling onto all fours, the gray beast was speeding toward the temple dogs. Following him were his husbands exhibiting the same complete abandon with which the dogs had jumped the bear and his husbands.

The birds in the trees flew out, squawking their discontent as the two woodland dragons pushed through the underbrush. They were finally too curious not to venture out onto the glade to see what the days of noise and activity were all about. They watched for only a moment, their nostrils flaring, when one massive beast tried to mount the other. The two oversized bodies lurched forward across the glade with each push from the dragon on top as he tried to gain access to the dragon below.

With every step, they grew closer to the free-for-all that was the temple dogs and their willing accomplices. With the dragons only feet from trampling the dogs, Zhuang and Bolin rose, barking at the two massive creatures. The two woodland dragons pulled up short and hurriedly turned back toward the forest. Their tails followed, swinging through the mass of beasts below. The dogs, thrown into the air, somersaulted skillfully to the ground. The flailing brown bear was not as graceful. Landing on top of the Rhino, he barely missed Chipo's short horn.

The dragons whimpered like scolded dogs, and Bolin instantly was beside them, petting them. "No, no," he said calmly. "You're fine. You're both fine. We welcome you to our play. But in your efforts to come together, you came very near to hurting us. We needed to warn you."

The two dragons lifted from their crouched position. Shaking their manes, their front legs reached for each other. Their scales bristled, making a noise like aspen trees in the autumn wind. Both dragons were over twenty feet high, standing on their rear legs. As they tried to duplicate the actions of the bears and wolves in the field, the two dragons' tails wagged back and forth over the glade. The beasts in the surrounding field darted to avoid the tails, but not everyone was successful. For the second time that morning, Chipo found himself airborne as he toppled over LanYing's tail.

Jiao-long planted his hind feet firmly onto the grassy field. With his front feet outstretched, the dragon fell forward into his mate, driving both to the ground in a thunderous crash. "My goodness. You two know nothing about mating, do you?" Bolin asked as he raced to the female's side. "Are you okay, LanYing?" he asked the dragon. He smiled. "No, everyone is fine. No one is mad. You only startled us." He looked up toward Jiao-long. "No, of course not. Your desire to join us in our play is natural. We didn't realize you were old enough to even think about such things."

Noboru sped to the side of Bolin and the young dragons when he heard the crash. "Are they okay?"

Bolin nodded. "They are fine. It's their first time, and they're awkward at it. They were trying to duplicate our motions."

Noboru's eyebrows rose. "Oh, dear; with those bodies, we're lucky they didn't break anything."

Noboru reached out and petted the neck of the male dragon as his head lowered beside the female. He laughed. "No, Little One, you are fine. We play differently than you. You are not meant to move those bodies of yours in such a fashion. You must remember slow, gentle movements." The eyes of the temple dog widened. "Yes, I suppose we can show you, but you have to remember we are males. We do not breed. Both your anatomy and your bonding differ from ours."

Bolin nodded his head. "Yes, the wolves look more like you, but finding a willing tutor might be difficult."

The rhino stumbled toward the temple dogs and their charges. "They are beautiful," he said as he drew near. "Can I touch them?"

Bolin looked at the two dragons. Both nodded. "Yes, but in the future, you can ask them directly." Bolin replied. "They make those decisions on their own. They are not our pets, they are our family."

Chipo's prehensile lip curled under. "I didn't mean it to sound that way," he said, apologizing to the two dragons. "Rhinoceroses are big, and sometimes intimidating to those we wish to touch. I have made it a habit always to ask. I'm sorry I didn't ask you directly."

"They are Intuitives," Bolin said as he wrapped his arm lovingly around the rhino. "Dragons can sense what you feel. They understand your words. Never feel reluctant to talk to them. In time, they will talk to you, but for now, their language might elude you. In such instances, they will need to have direct contact with you to carry on a conversation."

Chipo's thick hand reached out and stroked the feathers of the male's mane. His hand followed a line of bright red scales that moved down across the neck and over the shoulders. The lines thickened on the back and once again tapered to a thin line on the tail. There were seven red lines flanked by white running the length of the dragon's body. "You're so colorful," he said, amazed at the blues and green blending through the feathers and scales.

"They weren't so a week ago," Zhuang said as he joined Chipo in petting the dragon. "These are their breeding colors. Apparently, their arousal stems from what has been happening on the highland."

"Oh no," Chipo said. "Should we be stopping what we started?"

Zhuang shook his head. "On the contrary. They have come out to play with us. Sex for the younger dragons is much the same as it is for us. They would see our cessation of activities as a sign we disapprove of them joining us."

Bolin rubbed the thick hide of the rhinoceros. "In time, we will teach the young ones when and where they can play with such colossal bodies. But for now, their arousal will turn into frustration for both if the male does not knot the female."

"Blue balls," Chipo replied with an understanding nod.

"Yes, they are, but I doubt they will change color by anything he might do in the hours to come."

Chipo laughed and whispered into the temple dog's ear. The dog's eyes widened, and he nodded knowingly. "I see. Li Wei is so much better versed in English than I am."

Martin rubbed up against his mate. "Well, Rhino, it sounds like we have an obligation to our family of dragons today, as well as our family of beasts. We are ultimately all endangered species. A sustained breeding program seems in order."

"Cat, you are horny all the time. I doubt the dragons have anything to do with your thinking."

"I'm considering how important it is to stay out of the way of those tails," the saber-toothed cat said with a laugh. "I would say it factors into my thinking a great deal."

"Zhuang, exactly what are we supposed to be doing here?" Kris asked. The bear turned to the dragons and bowed. "With all due respect, I feel kind of awkward around such youngsters."

"Their colors tell you they are no longer children, Ancient One," the temple dog answered. "But they are neophytes. Like those we turn, they reach out to learn from those they trust. With a minimum of guidance, their biology will teach them how to couple. But we will be the ones to teach them if that act is something they should celebrate or something their shame must hide."

"Then you don't object to our activities?" Kris asked the dragons. "This is your highland as much as Zhuang and Bolin's. We are guests here," Kris said.

The two dragons shook their heads. Zhuang interpreted the images that Chipo and Kris both saw, but only partially understood. "No, your activities fascinate them and arouse them as well. Your pheromones, Ancient One, are pushing the young ones' cycles forward. It is why they have joined us today instead of years in the future."

"You're saying I caused them to go into estrus?" the brown bear said, scratching his head.

"You and the other Ancient Ones," the dog replied. "I suspect we will find their molted skins out there in the forest somewhere later today." Zhuang rubbed the brightly colored scales of the dragon. "It was not you alone. Adam was, as you say, off the charts; although I suspect the dragons and we were the only ones to notice him. Others often overlook ones of diminutive size."

Oliver walked up to Zhuang. "We knows he was off the charts, Dog. He was in our arms for a week. You think we didn't feel who he was? He's gots three Changelings all bundled up in him. Ain't no way we's missing them pheromones. We just don't go talking about it."

Zhuang's head bowed. "I am constantly betraying my inexperience, Oliver. Please forgive me."

"Ain't nothing to forgive, Dog," Oliver replied. "You senses what others put out. But you don't have no idea what you does to others, do you?"

Katashi looked at the badger and frowned. "We do something to you?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Derrick said as he approached the growing gathering. "You know what the Changelings do to you; you have your own pheromones that turn the heads of werebeasts just the same. And for all the disciplines you practice over your mind and body, you are like my husband when it comes to reigning in your scents. You show no control at all."

Li Wei picked up his walk toward the group when he heard the words of the black wolf. "I have long thought that leaving our human bodies behind so long ago has sacrificed a part of our link to the Were Nation. I believe it makes us less sensitive to the consequences of our interactions far beyond the scarring so many of you choose to carry."

"You gots that right, Li Wei," Oliver said as the temple dog scooped him up and hugged him. "You dogs don't notice the scent of another of your kind next to you. When you taste the sweat of another dog on your tongue, you don't feel nothin' special. You dogs is all the same. The reason you don't sense what you does to others is because you gots no different scents of your own. You's all exactly the same beast."

Derrick nodded. "You're like most men. We don't notice what we smell like very often. Others, sure, but not ourselves. It's why we have to be told to go brush our teeth or hop in the shower from time to time. You dogs put out scents that drive us crazy, but they don't seem to have the same effect on you. You have a mating season where you're more active than average, but in these situations, you're putting out stuff that drives us crazy non-stop."

"That explains your body in my company, Oliver," Li Wei said, as he pulled Oliver up and kissed him.

"Yeah, it does. We goes at each other until we's spent 'cause your body is putting out juice we can'ts even see, but it drives us beasts crazy even so."

"I'm sorry, Oliver," the temple dog said. "I had always thought it was something special shared between the two of us."

Oliver leaned in and kissed the dog's lips. "It always has been special between the two of us, Li Wei. I woulds never have walked away from you until I was spent no matter what. But you gots to know that you carry your own way of making them dragon babies want to make babies of their own."

The two dragons suddenly made a chortling sound as their heads bobbed up and down. Bolin looked at the two. "You're laughing at us?" He turned to the group. "Apparently they feel that for all this talk about what pheromones do to us, they are the only ones..." The dog paused. He snorted out a deep breath. "And I'm quoting Jiao-long here, 'they are the only ones trying to fuck.'"

The temple dog looked at Oliver and scowled. Oliver threw his hands up in the air as he jumped down from Li Wei's arms. "Don'ts look at me. We was fucking before them dragons came out of the woods and practically squashed us."

"No, Oliver. Where did the dragons learn that language?" Bolin pressed.

"I don't knows. I mights have said it around them. Besides, it ain't like they's saying fuck. They don't talks."

"But you know that's not true," Bolin said. "You heard him. He distinctly thought fuck. We don't use the word, Oliver."

"Well, that's because you's you. For critters that loves to fuck as much as you do, you really ought to say it more often."

Noboru nodded. "You have a point, Badger. I noticed you earlier this morning before we were so inconveniently distracted. You were the only one of the three husbands who was not actually fucking someone else. Do you think I might offer myself to change that circumstance?"

Oliver smiled. "Is you asking me to fuck you, Noboru?"

"I am trying. The word doesn't come easily to me."

"Yeah, Dog," Oliver said, smiling. "I'll fuck you."

"Then shall we leave the dragons to their fucking and start ours?" Noboru asked. The temple dog reached out his paws and Oliver ran to him. With a jump, he was in the arms of the dog and then on his shoulders. As Noboru turned to walk away, his paw reached out and grabbed the hand of the rhino. "Should the badger tire, I will need you as a backup."

Kris smiled as he watched the temple dog pull the rhino behind him and tagged along after the three. His paw reached out and grabbed the paw of the saber-toothed cat as he caught up to the temple dog and his consorts. He turned and yelled back toward the group. "Come on, Pup. We started something I want to finish." In an instant, the black wolf shifted to all fours and ran after the small group.

"And you was inside me, as I recall," Oliver said as the black wolf caught up with the growing crowd.

Kris looked back to where the temple dogs gathered around the dragons. "Temple dogs," he yelled. "I request that if you want to join us once we begin fucking, you do so in an orderly fashion. I don't want those dragons learning any unacceptable behaviors from your actions." Noboru reached out and squeezed the bear's free hand playfully. Kris laughed as he leaned in to kiss the golden dog.

From a distance, at the edge of the forest, Will and Eric watched the morning unfold. Will shook his head. "Oliver is right. We are one fucked up family."

"I like our family," Eric disagreed.

"I didn't say I don't like them. I'm crazy about them. But we are totally fucked up."

"And why is that?"

"I have three husbands about to fuck their brains out with a temple dog in front of two gigantic dragons. Those dragons are mating because they think we're cute when we do it, and they want to join in on the party."

"I see what you mean," the white bear said, nodding his head thoughtfully. "I think it would be cuter if there was a polar bear fucking the Kodiak." The bear lumbered off upright toward the throng who lay in the grass kissing.

Will stared at the rise and fall of the polar bear's butt with each step he took. The bear stopped as one thick paw reached around and suggestively rubbed the cheek of his butt. "Old Bear, that is so unfair," the wolf groaned.

The bear never looked back. "Tap it or lose it, Old Wolf. I need a top today." He fell down onto all fours and plodded off, his butt still driving the old wolf crazy as it rocked back and forth with each step.

Will shook his head. He pulled at his sheath and his dick slipped out, growing ever firmer as he watched each step of the bear. "The things I do for this family," he sighed.

As he stood up, Jean Pierre and Jason stepped out from a forest path. "We seem to have lost Lothair somewhere along the way," Jason said with a wave.

Jean Pierre looked across the glade and grabbed Will's paw, holding him fast. "Old Wolf?"

Will's look of disappointment was evident. "Noboru wants Oliver to fuck him. Oliver wants the pup to fuck him. Kris is eager to plow the pup's butt. Now, the old bear just told me to fuck his ass while he's fucking Kris on the penalty of losing that gorgeous ass sleeping next to me tonight. I figure I'm about to be the end point of a five-beast daisy chain." Will looked at the alpha. "Me, Jean Pierre. ME! What's this world coming to when two of my top husbands are about to be fucked by their bottom husbands?"

"And the dragons trying to copulate with each other at the end of the field?"

"Apparently members of our family who think we're so cute when we fuck they wanted to join us."

"It's been an interesting morning, it would seem," Jean Pierre said with a laugh.

"It's not funny, Gray One," Will protested. "I've got a line of five men with incredible cocks forming a line of fucking beasts, and not one of them is going to be inside me."

Jean Pierre stepped close and kissed the old wolf. "Perhaps you will allow me to make the line of five, six."

Will's eyes brightened, and his smile returned. "Really?"

"An alpha takes care of his pack."

"But you hate daisy chains."

"But I love the old wolf."

Will threw his arms around Jean Pierre and hugged him. "I know it's stupid, but I am who I am."

Jean Pierre made a quiet chuckle. "And I love who you are, Old Wolf. Just know that from time to time in this great conga line of life, you will find yourself at the rear of the line instead of being the rear in the front."

Will hugged tighter. "I love you, Jean Pierre, but that has to be one of the dumbest things I ever heard."

"Yeah, I realized that the moment I said it," the French wolf said as he pushed Will back. "I have no clue why everyone expects an alpha to spout wisdom at the drop of a hat." He grabbed the paw of the old wolf. "Come on; let's find our place in that line." He looked down at Jason. "And you, my love... have you found a place in that line?"

Jason nodded. "Noboru seems to enjoy the company of small beasts. I think filling his mouth will make him happy."

Jean Pierre grinned. "You are indeed a considerate fox."

"No, Husband," Jason replied. "I'm a horny one, and Noboru has had thousands of years to hone his skills."

Jean Pierre laughed. "Well, come my horny love; let's go see if we can turn this growing chain into the circle of life."

Will had shifted to all fours and was bouncing in the grass like a happy wolf pup on his first spring day. "Oh, now that one I like," he said, his tongue flopping about as he performed his eager dance of anticipation.

Jean Pierre laughed. "It's terrible, Old Wolf. Even I know that. But you love it because you know it means I am about to unite you with one of your favorite things."

"Your dick," Will said, still bouncing.

Jean Pierre nodded. "Yes... my dick. Come on, Old Wolf." Jean Pierre looked out onto the field and saw the twin twins. His paw lifted and circled into the air. The quadriad jumped up and ran toward them. "We are forming this chain into a circle," The French wolf said. "Find yourself a spot." Jean Pierre lowered his head, drawing in a breath. When his head raised, a howl echoed across the highland.

From the field and the forest, wolves came running. The pack was assembling, including the grolar bear that was a part of the pack on the technicality that he was once a wolf. "We are forming a circle," the heavy voice of the alpha boomed. "Find a place where you fit in."

Jean Pierre scanned the glade looking for his Changeling husband. He saw the wolf racing toward him, followed by a pack of African wild dogs. "Well, at least we know now he was in expert hands last night," he said with a laugh.

It wasn't long before a great circle of flesh and fur formed in the glade. The bodies moved in a unified rhythm born of years of togetherness. The dragons lifted their head and chirped their happiness at the welcome into their new family.

The great male dragon rolled carefully on his side, mimicking the movements of the two wolves that acted as visual aids to the young dragons. Guided by the temple dogs, the wolves showed the two dragons the way of mating for the massive beasts. It was an education that their parents would have done, were they not two continents away.

The two young dragons eventually found themselves on their sides, facing each other. Their lower rear leg extended as the upper wrapped around their mate. Together, they pulled each other close. Once the male fully embedded his knot and was deep inside the female, they relaxed. The weight of their bodies and instincts born of generations before them helped the young ones find their own rhythm. Now they understood why their movements needed to be so much different from the libidinous copulating of the beasts out in the field. The dragons pushed together in movements that were slow and measured. When the head of Jiao-long slowly moved through the mane of LanYing, she gasped at the sensations she felt for the first time. The breath of her exhalation sent one of the temple dogs tumbling out into the grass.

Greg and Mike lifted themselves from the grass and watched the loving couple towering over them. Greg looked at Bolin. "I think we're good here, right?"

"They have learned all they need to learn from us. Nature will now guide them," Bolin said with a nod. "Should we join the circle?"

Greg laughed. "There's no way we're breaking into that circle this far into them going at it," the wolf replied. He looked at Bolin and Zhuang, whose faces dropped at the news. Greg smiled and wrapped his arm around the nearest temple dog. "Someone told me that the favorite way of copulating for a temple dog is while hanging from a tree."

Bolin's face widened into a grin. "We love to coupula... we love to fuck in the trees," he said happily

"Wanna fuck a little mammal in the butt?" Greg said, looking up with a lecherous grin at the dog that towered over him. "That line always seems to work for Oliver," the wolf said, reaching out to the dog. There was a sudden motion that eluded Greg entirely as he found himself carried into the treetops slung over the shoulder of the temple dog. Mike was not far behind on the shoulder of Zhuang. Thrown over the same wide branch, the two salivating dogs quickly penetrated the two wolves.

There was a pivot, and a three-hundred-sixty-degree spin around the limb, and then something totally unfamiliar to the wolves. When their senses found balance again, Greg and Mike dangled in mid-air, hanging upside down with the temple dogs. Bolin smiled at Greg. "Do not worry. Our tails are very strong," he said as he began pushing and pulling the embedded wolf onto the giant yellow shaft of flesh between his legs. Greg looked at his grimacing mate suspended upside down far above the forest floor as he worked to accommodate the girth of the eager temple dog. When he saw his mate's face relax, he, too, yielded to the dog holding onto him.

"You know, Bolin, this is kinda nice," Greg said as he worked to guide the dog's cock into the places that brought him the most pleasure.

"It is pleasurable indeed, Wolf. We are honored that you have joined us."

"I'm still amazed at how strong those tails of yours are," Greg said, looking up at the tail wrapped around the tree branch.

"Oh, yes, very strong indeed. Much stronger apparently than the branch from which we hang."

The words scarcely had time to sink in before Greg heard the cracking of the limb. "Oh, we are so going to have scars," the wolf groaned as the branch shattered and the four spiraled down through the branches below.

Two hours later, the forest wildlife had settled from the four's disturbance. The temple dogs clung to their wolves on a lower branch of the maple tree. With the wolves' ejaculate spilling down their bellies and onto their chests, the temple dogs rocked their partners gently. "Upside-down cuddling," Mike said with a laugh. "I admit, I could get used to this, Husband."

"Me too," Greg said as he pushed into the wet fur of the temple dog and lapped at the cum.

The temple dogs swayed back and forth, and the wolves realized how much their activities had tired them. The temple dogs pulled the wolves close and let the two bury their faces in the fur of their chest. "Sleep, little ones," Zhuang whispered. "It is time for rest again." The wolves closed their eyes and let the rocking lull them to sleep.

Life on the highland was once again calm as dragons and beasts dozed happily after their time together. Squirrels ran through the trees, avoiding the larger beasts dangling from the limbs as the birds returned to their singing. The damaged tree slowly healed itself; the site of the broken branches pushing thicker, stronger, new branches outward. It was another afternoon on the highland. Another afternoon filled with the love of a family learning how far that family extended.

Chapter 39

"Lean back, Gentlemen," Daisuki said as he turned his chair toward the temple dogs lined on either side of the airship. "We're on approach."

"Are you sure the restraints will be adequate to hold both us and our armor in place?" Noboru asked.

"I'm sure, Noboru," the Hokkaido wolf replied. "You might not see them anymore, but they're even stronger than the webbing we once used on you."

"It is sometimes difficult to believe that which one cannot see is stronger than which is tangible," the dog countered.

Daisuki smiled. "Uttered by the dog who taught me how to meditate on the strength of love. Clearly, you already understand the strength of things that we cannot see."

Noboru smiled back, made a small bow, and leaned back against the wall. He felt the invisible bonds wrap securely around him. "I have never doubted the strength of your love, Daisuki. It is your tech that I am willing to call into question."

Daisuki nodded. "Understood, Sensei. You need to trust me with this one." When the temple dog returned the nod, the wolf spun his chair around to face the front of the aircraft.

"By the way," Takeo interjected, never letting his eyes move from the controls, "Why the armor? I thought you wore them only in times of conflict."

"That is true," Noboru replied. "We are choosing to find an additional reason for their existence. We wish to use them in times of peace. Even more so in times of play. We understand their dark past. We acknowledge we may one day be required to put them on again for that purpose. But today, we wish to wear them when the only contest we enter will be to decide who can brandish a pool noodle better than all the rest."

"Well, they are beautiful. I'm glad you made an exception to their use. The children will be thrilled."

"That was our intent. We wish the children to view us as their protectors. Even if they see our armor in the most trying of times, we want them to feel confident that they needn't fear us."

"A wise choice, Sensei," Takeo said as he pushed forward on the landing gear. "Upright, Gentle Warriors. We're on approach." The Black Rhino dipped into the clouds as the landing gears dropped into place.

Below on the ground, the marshaling crew moved into place with their batons poised. The landing lights over the Battery landing pad lit up and the pad itself grew to accommodate the Black Rhino's girth. Elsewhere on the island, things were not running as smoothly.

"Really, Stacey? Is now the only time we can do this?" an exasperated Nathaniel blurted out.

"Doctor, with all due respect, you canceled three meetings and avoided scheduling lord knows many others. The temple dogs are landing and your family is coming in here in another hour. We have an island full of people ready to party. This room is on lockdown until we clear this up. I'm as eager to meet your new husbands as you were a week ago. But you spent a few days with them, and now, I'm going to insist you spend a bit of time with us. If you want to see your family, we get this meeting over and done with so we can all enjoy today."

Nathaniel sighed and sat back down in the industrial-sized chair at the conference table. He looked at Tyler, who shrugged. "She has a point, Nathaniel. You did everything you could to evade this conversation for months."

"Maybe I don't want to retire," the bear responded.

"We're not asking you to retire, Doctor," Stacey replied. "I'm asking you to step aside in one aspect of your involvement for the good of this hospital."

"You're asking me to retire."

Stacey snorted out a deep breath of frustration. "Why did you build this hospital?"

"To take care of the werebeasts who needed us and had nowhere else to turn."

"Right. And how many humans were there with you every step of the way?"

Nathaniel looked up in thought. "Do you want them alphabetically, or chronologically, starting with Dr. Sarah Carver?"

Stacey looked at the bear straight-faced. "Kind of a rhetorical question there, Doctor."

"You've always been beside us, Stacey. You know that."

"And when the mandate of this hospital changed to allow anyone in need to come here, regardless of species?"

"You were there. You still are," Nathaniel replied.

"And where will you be when we need you?"

Nathaniel looked across the boardroom table at the three humans sitting across from him. "I don't think I understand."

Stacey tapped the ComLink on her chest. "Ori, could you please display chart number one?" A chart with many names appeared. Nathaniel recognized every one of them going back hundreds of years. "Ori, explain this list."

The excruciatingly polite voice complied. "This is a list of those seeking to change their jobs within the Partridge Island Hospital staff. Qualified individuals applied to be executive directors, medical VPs, deans, chiefs of surgery, medical directors, and other administrative positions. Hiring managers informed them that others filled those positions."

"And what happened to these exceptionally qualified individuals?"

"They terminated their relationship with the hospital. They sought employment elsewhere where they could advance toward the jobs they wished to hold."

"Is there a reason for this inability to rise in the ranks of this hospital to the jobs they were seeking?" Stacey asked.

"The current personnel occupying those jobs do not retire, nor do they die. The humans sometimes refer to it as trying to break through the furred ceiling."

Stacey paused. "Ori, given the current nature of this hospital, what hope is there for a human to occupy a place in the top-level hospital management hierarchy?"

"There is no possibility of advancement into the top-level hierarchy," Ori replied.

Stacey leaned back in her chair. "I am the assistant to the executive director of this hospital. Despite having been here for nearly eight years, my chances of ever ascending to the position of CEO are currently less than zero. Why? Because the lovable bear in that job has never once considered stepping down from that position."

Max looked up from his pad. "I'm filling out my resignation now. You've got a month to find my replacement. If you want a letter of recommendation, I'll be happy to write you one."

Stacey shook her head. "What?"

"I'm retiring."

"Me too," Nathaniel said. "I'd recommend Dr. Manuel Ortiz, Dr. Amelia Mackey, Dr. Skylar Zimmerman, or Dr. Amoli Ahai as my replacement. Dr. Darrin Peterson is actually the most qualified, but he's a..." Nathaniel leaned in toward the humans and whispered, "... a werewolf. You know... one of those."

Stacey looked dumbstruck at the two bears. Finally, she spoke. "Wha... what?" was all she stammered.

"He's a wolf that doesn't die."

The woman shook her head. "No, no... I know that. What I mean is, it's that easy?"

Max looked at Stacey. "You make a valid point. Humans are finite. There are only so many years in your careers before your opportunities are gone. We loved being around you so much that we forgot your need to grow in the time allotted you supersedes our love of your company."

"No fights about this?"

The short-faced bear without the spectacles shook his head. "None."

"I have charts and life expectancy models," Stacey said brandishing a portfolio filled with papers. "There is a good fifteen minutes of some of the best stuff I've ever written to convince you all, and I barely got into it."

Tyler laughed. "Well, we could sit here and listen to it, or we could go out to the party. I, for one, realize how fast Clifford's deviled eggs go, so I'm going to vote we get out of here and go outside." He looked at the dumbfounded humans across the table. "Oh, and by the way, you'll need to find a replacement for me as well."

A man two down from Stacey shook his hands in objection. "No Tyler, we had you here so you could be on top of the changes that were going to come to you as the hospital administrator. Frankly, no one wants your job. You do the work of three people. Three people with very complicated jobs."

"Then hire three people, Mason," the werewolf responded politely. "I am retiring. I have a lovely boy and his husbands living in Montana who I don't get to see nearly enough, and a mate who wants to travel more. You want the positions with all the fancy offices? You take the hospital administrator's job and divvy up the responsibilities. In one month, Michael and I are off to visit our son." Tyler paused. "And after that, I think we'll ask Luca and Éric if they would like a visit. It's been years since we visited France."

Mason stared at the beasts across the table. "What have we done?" he said, shaking his head.

Max stood up and shook his bulky body. "You've done what you should have done hundreds of years ago. We are all too complacent here. Things go so smoothly that sometimes we forget that's not the nature of your world. You're all grown up. We were remiss in letting you grow and face new challenges. Worse yet, we forced you to go elsewhere to find those challenges. That changes today."

"But you're not leaving, right?" Stacey said. "You aren't walking away from Partridge Island, are you?"

Nathaniel rose and shook his head. "This is our home. We aren't leaving our home. We're retiring. It will be nice to be a man of leisure." He paused. "Although I am now married to four husbands, so I don't really have any leisure time per se."

Stacey nodded. "There is a title; surgeon-in-chief emeritus. There has never been one on the island. We hoped you would fill that position. We're not foolish enough to let those skilled hands walk away forever if you're willing to be there from time to time. You would scrub in with the most complicated and challenging cases. We still get the overflow of those from hundreds of hospitals around the world."

Nathaniel smiled. "Of course; I would be honored. I was beginning to think I didn't have enough letters behind my name."

Tyler stood up, his tail wagging a friendly back and forth. "There, that's done. There are seventy-six positions that you will need to find new personnel for by the end of this month. We can offer you a bit of wiggle room, but when you come back to work on Monday, Stacey, you best prepare yourself for a few very hectic weeks."

Stacey stood up, and one by one, the other three humans joined her. "Thank you. Thank you all. You don't realize how much it means to us to know that we can share in every aspect of this hospital."

"As I said," Max replied, "it's long overdue." The bear pointed toward the door. "So, how about you declare this lockdown over and go out and join your families?"

Stacey and the others nodded. The glass doors rolled back, and they started stepping through. But as soon as they noticed the beasts not moving, they turned back. "We're good with this, right?" Stacey asked. "We don't want this to hurt how we feel about each other."

"Expect a few growing pains on both sides, Stacey," Max replied. "But don't worry. We're good."

The humans turned and walked down the hall toward the front of the hospital. When the sharp ears of the beasts heard the closing of the front door, Nathaniel grabbed his husband, buried his face in the soft fur of his chest, and began crying. "They fired me, Max."

Max put his thick arms around his husband's back. "They did nothing of the sort. They asked you to step aside so that they could grow. It's what we hoped for all along. Humans want to accept the responsibilities that are rightfully theirs. They are ephemerals, Bear. They have so few years to accomplish their dreams. Don't stand in their way for the sake of a job title. Our family has responsibilities enough without worrying about the ones on this island."

"But it feels like they fired me," the bear in Max's arms whispered.

"I know. It hurts for me too. But we will all soldier on and do what's right."

"You're the only soldier in our group."

Max laughed and squeezed Nathaniel even tighter. "I'm Air Corps, Bear. Never call me a soldier."

Nathaniel tightened his hug. "I best wash up so no one sees the tears. There's a party going on out there for us."

Max looked up at Tyler. "Hey, Handsome; could you please give our apologies to the group? We'll be out a bit later, but I think the hubby and I need a bit of alone time."

"Would you like me to find your husbands when they arrive and tell them to join you?"

Max smiled. "That would be nice."

Tyler wrapped his arms around the bear, clinging to the other. "This will all work out, Nathaniel. Stepping aside is never easy for us; even if it is to watch the humans grow stronger. But they aren't our responsibility. Terra is. We can help, but one day their race will need to find its own way. This is them taking some bold steps in that direction."

"I know," Nathaniel mumbled from the safety of his husband's chest. "It still feels like I got fired."

Tyler laughed and kissed the top of the bear's head. "Yeah. Lucky me. I got to quit." The wolf rubbed the fur on the back of the bear's neck. "But it still hurts, Bear. It still hurts like hell."

"Yeah, it does," Max agreed, rubbing his husband's shoulders.

"Yeah, it does," Nathaniel whispered

Chapter 40

As the day's activities drew to a close, the temple dogs took off their armor and sat down to read stories to the youngest children. The older youth found diversions in games of skill set up to challenge them. The parents and adults of the island mingled around the food, trying to pretend that they hadn't eaten as much as they had. One last piece of pie, one straggler hot dog that remained; plate by plate, the buffet of treats disappeared. It became easier to find a seat and talk the small talk of all the family gatherings.

Away from the crowd, Stacey and Nathaniel hugged each other tightly. They apologized for feelings that neither wanted to have, but both realized they couldn't avoid from the morning's conversation. Oliver watched the two from a distance. "You'se gonna be fine, Bear," the badger said quietly. "We's gonna see to that. Things is gonna change. They is always gonna change. But you ain't never losing what's important."

"And what would that be?" the polar bear asked as he approached the badger.

Oliver laughed as his foot made a small circle in the grass. "You knows, Old Bear."

The bear flopped down beside the badger. "I know what I think is important, Oliver. I enjoy hearing what's important to you."

The bear smiled at the badger, and the badger grinned back. "Butt sex, Old Bear. Lots and lots of butt sex."

Eric laughed aloud. He reached down and grabbed the little mammal into a tight hug. "God, I love you, Oliver."

"And I loves you. That's what's really important. That's what we gots to make sure Nathaniel never forgets."

"He won't, Oliver. My son doesn't care much for change. He is a Changeling after all. We've scarcely altered a single thing about our existence for over four billion years. Life on Terra comes at us so much faster than anything we ever experienced."

"You'se all done great, Old Bear," the badger replied. "You has taught us all so much."

"And you have taught us," the bear said as he released the hug and put the badger back on the ground. From across the field, the green and red wing lights of the Black Rhino turned on. The Red Wolf resting on the helipad followed suit. The blue engines flared momentarily as the pilots ran through their preflight checks. Eric sighed. "Time for us to go home, Oliver."

"Stays the night, Old Bear. You gots a son that could use you cuddled up beside him tonight."

"That bed of yours going to take us all?"

"Ain't never had a problem before. And I'se suspecting we's just gonna hold on to each other tonight. Nights of change are quiet ones. But it helps knowing the ones you loves is beside you."

"So the really important stuff has to wait?"

Oliver smiled. "If you wants some butt sex, Old Bear, you and I can runs down to the gunnery apartments for a bit. Ain't no changes in my life pressing down on me."

"But I could be pressing down on you."

Oliver's smile widened into a wicked grin. "Take me anytime you want, Old Bear. That's a pressure I can deals with."

The polar bear looked up into the sky. He paused and his smile turned down. "Adam didn't come home. I hope his visit with the Order went well."

Oliver looked up into the sky. "We might gots ourselves two we loves who is hurting tonight."

"What do we do about it, Oliver? I have a sense that butt sex can't be the answer for every family problem."

Oliver snickered. "It is for most, but I gets what you mean. Try not to worry, Old Bear. We gots ourselves some beasts that is working through some things that is tough knowing. But they's got family to get them through. Adam carries his with him. Nathaniel's got us."

"So, perhaps a rain check on the butt sex in preference to taking care of my son?"

"I'se good with that," Oliver replied. "We'll find a time one of these days, Old Bear. I promises. But tonight we takes care of our own."

Across the galaxy, a small otter sat beside a river of glowing blue liquid. He dangled his feet into the water and watched the phosphorescent creatures dash away, leaving the river water dark and clear. He looked up into the sky and pointed to a star. "Sol," he said. "Your family's star. It's so tiny compared to what's out there." He pointed out beyond the faint light of Sol to a far brighter spot in the sky. "The Ladel binary. From here, it looks like one star. The eighth planet from the largest star is my home." The otter grew quiet. "Or at least it was. The choices I've made have not set well with the high council. I doubt this is banishment, but I should keep my distance for now."

The otter was silent for a time, and then he shook his head. "No, no, I'm not regretting this." He paused and then admitted, "Maybe a bit. I regret taking you from your families. You all were so magnificent by their side. I have never experienced the way I felt when you touched the badger, Samuel. And you, Raymond, when you touched the Fox. How could I possibly imagine? How could I have known? I didn't truly believe in the Sight until that moment when you put our hands to his temple and you shared a world neither of us could remember.

"Kendal, you were so gracious with the dragons. They will always be happy to see us because you are a part of me. And you Marcus. I dreamed of one day navigating complex relationships and forming alliances. But you did it so easily with Nathaniel and Martin. You understood the need to step back and let the love they had for each other in a different universe take root in this one.

"Each of you is so much more than I ever dreamed I could be. Thank you for being there. Thank you for making it so easy for your family to embrace me as one of them. I realize now it's because they saw in me the ones they have always known."

The otter fell quiet again. This time, those who shared his body let the quiet stay until he spoke again. "I don't understand the Order. I no longer agree with taking away the autonomy of the hosts whose bodies we share. I owe so much of what is good in me to you five. I never want you to feel compelled to fully merge with me, ever."

The otter swished his feet in the water and watched the encroaching blue glow scatter once more. "I'm sorry... I was wrong," he whispered. "I thought they would welcome us to their world. How naive am I to think it would amaze them to learn what we have done? I never meant to take you away from those you love, only to be rejected by the very Order I hoped to become a part of."

The otter spoke again after carefully listening. "Thank you for understanding. I trust you all. I trust in the Sight. But you have to understand for me it's magic. I deal with science, and a world of magic and unexplainable powers surrounds all of you. You heard them laughing at me when I tried to tell them what happened."

The otter listened to the voices that were his constant companions. "You're right. Magic is just science I don't understand yet. But there is so much for me to learn, I scarcely know where to start."

The otter gave a little laugh. "Really? That's where I should start?"

There was a pause as Adam listened to the voices inside him. "It's just singing, isn't it?"

"No. Is that even possible? How can it possibly be a link back to your family from wherever you are?"

"I wouldn't have a clue where to begin." The otter paused again. "All that we have lost and all that we have found? No, I don't understand. But you are as much a part of me as I am. You can guide me. You can teach me."

The otter bowed his head and tried to bolster his courage. It wasn't as easy to be a champion as he dreamed it would be; especially here on a tiny planet alone. He closed his eyes. "You are not alone, Adam," he said to himself. "You are never alone." He opened his eyes and looked up to the sky at the tiny light that was Sol. "Sing, little otter," he whispered. "Sing."

The otter opened his mouth and listened to the tentative notes of a song he didn't understand. He sang of an old wolf that loved a young man, that became the black wolf he dreamed of being his whole life. He sang of a polar bear that loved them both, and his Kodiak father that loved them all. Adam didn't understand the depth of meaning in the song, and yet, he still sang the words in the darkness, never knowing why.

And then, from light years away, came the voices. They were as clear in his head as his own voice. The white bear, his father/husband, the old wolf, and the black wolf with blue eyes sang as they stepped out into the night. A badger, two short-faced bears, a rhino, and a saber-toothed cat raised their voices by their side. Out on the plains of Montana, the little fox and his mates sang beside the two winged bears and the angel. Around them were ranch hands gathered together, answering the call from one of their own. One by one, the voices responded to his song and joined the chorus.

The feelings that swept over the otter were new to him. He grappled with why the voices singing would cause him to cry, but as he sang in the darkness, he found the truth behind the song. As long as he could sing, as long as the melody flowed, it linked him to that indescribable sense of being one with everyone the others called family.

The darkness was out there. Beyond the darkness of the sky loomed something that swallowed all life. He saw it as the Sight pushed forward for the first time into his consciousness. It tore apart entire planets and engulfed stars. Despite the encroachment of this overwhelming darkness, he heard the song when all else had become nothingness. The darkness could not consume him, the Newfoundland wolf told him. The darkness could not take him because he was loved.

Adam trusted those that had merged with him. He believed them when they said he would stare into the abyss and not flinch. The otter believed because Donovan had not flinched. He believed one day what he would become would be nothing like what he imagined he would be. The otter believed because Marcus had done so.

Adam believed it all because they told him he was more than simply an otter sitting by a river. He was the badger who ran toward the explosion to save the one he loved. Beyond the black wolf that created a home from the rubble of a shattered world, the life of thousands coursed through his veins. He was the Kodiak who blinded the humans rather than kill them all. The white bear and the old wolf, whose skilled hands pulled soldiers from the brink of death; all were a part of him. He was two young bears with wings who returned to their past to save their world and the man they loved. Far beyond the rules of the Order, he was a French werewolf who defied the law and turned a young boy to save his life. He was a thousand stories shared in a song, teaching him who he was and his place in the universe.

The otter lifted his head and sang boldly into the darkness. For a moment, a moment he struggled to stay in, he understood what it meant to be one with something beyond his imagining. He knew what it meant to be family.