The Bear, the Witch, and Accidental Snitches

"There's the birthday girl!" Gemini cheered when she saw the pair coming up the road. She and Ares were sitting around a modest campfire built in the provided pit, eating steaming soup from a pot Ares had hung over the flames on a camp-made tripod. The tents were standing open and ready behind them, beside the spot where Ares had pulled the truck off the road when they arrived. Carefully setting her soup down, Gemini went skipping over to greet them with warm hugs and lavish kisses, starting with Johanna. "How was your day?" the Doberman grinned.

"Best birthday I've ever had," Johanna assured her in a flat tone, returning one kiss to her cheek, "Looking forward to finishing it with everyone. How much fun have you had already?"

"Hey, I wouldn't start the party without you," Gemini giggled as she pretended to be insulted, "We haven't wuffed once since we left this morning."

"Yeah," Ares chuckled, "But it was a short night. I had to keep her distracted after she came in, so she wouldn't try to sneak down and have a peek at you two."

"Ehe...guilty," Gemi giggled.

"You could've watched, as long as you didn't interrupt," Johanna shrugged, "Brother was being very good to me."

"And I'm about worn out from it," Dane smiled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I feel like such a heel, telling you what to do all day..." Johanna kissed his cheek again, to show how much she'd appreciated his efforts. "We fed G.D. before we left, too, so he'll be fine until tomorrow. I'm surprised you didn't bring him when you left."

"Eh, I was worried about him trying to dig into the tents," Ares shrugged, "Especially when he catches whiff of what we're going to be doing later. Assuming we are going to be doing that?" he quirked a brow at Johanna, "Birthday girl's call. I wouldn't blame you for wanting a night to relax without getting plowed in every hole."

Johanna bent down to give him a kiss on his cheek, flashing him a brief view down the neck of her shirt. "I like the plow," she promised, "Especially last night's. It was nice letting brother have his way, and not worrying about making it look good. He came up with the best idea to bury his bone in my garden, too," she praised, tail wagging slowly at the memory, "You should try it on Gemi sometime. She'd probably appreciate skipping the rubber."

"Ooo, you have got to tell me about that!" Gemini laughed, flinging her arms around Dane's neck and giving him a firm kiss on the lips, "I'm so proud of you! I told you she's been dying for you to dom," the Doberman winked.

"Hehe...yeah, you were right," Dane admitted after returning the kiss, then moved around to sit beside Ares at the fire, "So we've already had dinner. You guys should finish yours. What else...I mean...," he cleared his throat, trying to take back the momentary lapse, "Games or stories next? I'll let one of you choose, since you haven't gotten to participate today."

Gemini blinked in surprise as she sat back down with her soup. Not at the question, but at the fact that Johanna immediately curled up beside her, putting one arm behind the female Doberman's neck and the other hand high on her belly, just below her breasts. "Oh, what's this? Did I do something to earn a treat?"

"Not unless you count being born. At least not today," the Dalmatian shrugged, "I've been clinging to brother all day. His arm's probably tired, so I'm giving him a break. You're stuck with me until Ares finishes his soup, then I'm having my dessert before the festivities start."

Gemini blinked at her several times with the spoon already in her mouth, then looked askance of Dane. Her boyfriend chuckled. "I think she's trying not to hurt my feelings by saying she missed you two today. It's okay. I did, too. We might skip the stories tonight."

"Please," Johanna nodded, "I'm easy to scare, and I don't particularly like it. It does make me clingy, though," she admitted, tightening her hold on Gemini, who giggled. "And honestly...I know you love them, sugarcube," she patted Gemini's belly, "And I love playing them with you. But I'd like to skip the games tonight, too. It's been such a wonderful day, and brother's been so openly handsy, that I'm already exhausted from the constant, low-grade arousal. I just want to wuff you both and go to bed, unless brother says otherwise."

An excited tremor ran through Gemini's entire body, and she nearly dropped her bowl of soup. "Oh, wuff, honeypot...how could I ever say 'no' to that?!" the Doberman grinned, practically pouring the rest of her soup down her own throat so she could empty her hands and dedicate them to Johanna while they waited for Ares.

Dane chuckled, and not-so-discreetly laid a hand squarely over the other male's fly, gently rubbing the growing bulge beneath it. "You might want to hurry up," he suggested with a sly look, "So you can give your boyfriend's sister her last big treat for the night."

Ares gulped, his own arousal suddenly spiking in sympathy of what Johanna had endured all day. He took his time finishing his serving, though, to give his sister a chance to enjoy her cuddles, as she and Johanna swapped suggestive touches and open-mouthed kisses. Finally setting his bowl aside, he turned to Dane...who immediately latched onto his lips in a kiss of their own. They held it for as long as it took Dane to unfasten and unzip the larger Doberman's pants, reach into his boxers, and free up his growing bone. "Mmm...okay, sis. He's ready for you. Come get your treat," Dane instructed briefly, then resumed the kiss with Ares for her benefit.

"Yes, brother," Johanna answered softly, immediately abandoning Gemini to crawl over to the pair of males. Sitting up on her knees briefly, she unfastened her own pants and rolled them, along with her panties, most of the way down her thighs. Then she got down on all fours again, huddled over Ares' bone, and swallowed it all the way down to the knot almost without a thought. Sighing like a stress had been relieved, she sucked gently as her head began to bob up and down on the thick cock. Johanna cast one sultry look over her shoulder at Gemini, and reached back with her hand to pull one side of her muffin open, suggesting the female Doberman should busy herself there.

Gemini licked her lips hungrily. "Oo, don't mind if I do," she whispered, sliding onto her own elbows and knees behind the Dalmatian's tush and happily pressing her nose up under Johanna's tail to stretch her tongue as deep into the other girl's love-tunnel as it could reach. Johanna cooed appreciation around her mouthful of her boyfriend, and Dane softly patted her cheek, then laid his hand lightly on the back of her head. Johanna's tail wagged slowly above Gemini's face.

"Mmph...bwawa," Johanna tried to say something with Ares' large bone in her mouth, but Dane (gently) pulled back on her hair to lift her free, which would be more comfortable for her and her boyfriend both. "Brother," she repeated more clearly after licking her lips, "Find a way to touch me, too. I want all three of you. Please."

With a chuckled, Dane leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the lips before pushing her back down onto Ares' bone. "Alright," he promised, "You just keep sucking that while I get in position, then."

Her tail was wagging freely now, if still slowly, and Gemini cooed at the unusual energy as she lapped her tongue over the other girl's pearl. She cooed a little louder, in happy surprise, when Dane moved around and stretched out on top of her, kissing the top of her head. "Hey," the female Doberman giggled, "No fair! You go get your own hole!" she teased, tipping her head back a little uncomfortably for a second to kiss his chin.

"...I am," he promised, leaning forward to gently nose at Johanna's upturned rump, trying to ignore the threat of her tail even when it slapped him in the cheek. It stopped cold when his nose touched the cheek of her rump, and her head stopped bobbing on her boyfriend's dick. Johanna twisted a little, to look back at him in open surprise...which was more than a little comical with Ares still in her mouth.

"Oh wuff, honeybear," Gemini whispered as an erotic shiver ran through her, "Swap with me. I know you don't--"

"No," he told her firmly, tipping his chin down just a second to kiss her muzzle again, "I mean, you're right, and she knows it. That's why I'm going to do it. Just like she does mine." Pressing his nose to her rump again, he slid it further up under Johanna's tail. "I am going to eat this...," he sniffed tentatively once, "...Cinnamon roll tonight. Ehe...thanks for picking something kind of strong," he added, stretching his lips forward first to kiss her rim lightly.

Johanna's apathy broke. A look of intense adoration swept over her face, and a whimper of desire nearly made her clench her teeth. She forced herself to keep her mouth open before it became a threat to Ares, but she let him fall from her mouth for a moment, dipping her nose down to his balls. "Oh, wuff, brother! If you do tha--aaAH!" she gasped as his tongue touched her anus.

"Get back to sucking," Dane ordered her gently, "And be careful not to bite him. There might be other campers, Ares. Keep it down," he added before returning his attention to his sister's tail-hole.

Whimpering with every wet touch now, Johanna pulled her hair back from her face and bowed obediently over her boyfriend's bone again, trembling with desire and satisfaction at the same time. Gemini rolled over beneath them, kissing Dane's throat and chin before applying her tongue to Johanna's pearl again...but the female Dalmation reached down to push her head lightly, coaxing her tongue into Johanna's love-tunnel instead. She wouldn't need the more intense stimulation tonight...

"Augh...wuff," Ares groaned a moment later, carefully kneading Johanna's ears in his hands so as not to hurt her.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded with a happy whimper, her hindquarters trembling even as his began to twitch. Swallowing as much of him as she could manage, Johanna ran her tongue around the front of his knot...and quietly closed around him when he squeezed her ears and tipped his head back with a loud, wheezy sort of sound. She sounded on the verge of crying with each drop he poured into her mouth...but that was because she was already so close to her own climax.

"You ready, sis?" Dane asked softly, abandoning the teasing of her rim for a moment to lick the soft curves of her rump with his tongue flat against them. Johanna whimpered pleadingly, arching her back and apparently attempting to touch the tip of her tail to her own shoulders. Gemini, quietly savoring the honey dripping from her labia, slid her hands smoothly up the back of the other girl's legs and gently spread open her cheeks, exposing her backdoor for her brother's benefit.

Swallowing his natural reservations, Dane leaned in and licked her one last time, then placed the tip of his tongue against the tight hole and pressed insistently through...

Johanna clenched up around both of her lovers' tongues, and clutched Ares' pants-leg in her fists, muffling her cry of pleasure in his belly. The large Doberman chuckled, gently patting her head as the tremors shook her, until she finally relaxed again, curling up on her side with her head on his thigh. "That sounded good," he remarked gently.

"First time," Johanna whispered, nuzzling his thigh, "Second time touching it with his tongue...but first time inside. I never imagined he would. Brother, come here." She didn't so much beckon to him as sit up and then flop in his direction, trapping him in a kiss before he could complain. If she noticed any lingering taste of herself on his tongue when her own swirled with it, she didn't mention it. "Ares, sugarstick, I'm going to need a good, hard wuff after that. Whenever you're ready," she begged, breaking the kiss just long enough to make her request before cutting her brother off from air again. Below them, Gemini giggled, and kissed the female Dalmatian's belly.

A moment later they were set up for their next round: Dane and Johanna both on their knees, leaned together in a soft kiss above Gemini's still-prostrated body. Dane was rocking gently inside her while she cooed encouragements and lightly played with Johanna's breasts. Ares leaned against his girlfriend's back, slowly but firmly plowing into her from behind, in time to Dane's thrusts. "Wuff, when do I get to ride you?" Gemini whispered with a quiet giggle to Johanna, licking her pearl and the tip of her brother's bone at the same time.

"If you...brought the...strap-on...then next," Johanna promised between kisses with Dane after each thrust, "Otherwise...tomorrow...night." The other female giggled, kissing her belly and hooking her heels behind Dane's hips, coaxing him further in. Their second round was longer than the first, and somewhat louder, though Ares managed to still keep his howl to more of a moan when he climaxed. The fire had burned low by the time they finished the next round, and even Gemini was beginning to complain about the bugs...

---

Dane got to his feet, stretching his back, and offered a hand to Johanna, laying underneath him. "So, how are we splitting the tents tonight?" he asked with a grin, "It's your birthday treat, so I think it's only fair for you to decide."

The female Dalmatian rocked her head thoughtfully, curled up chin-to-chin with Gemini and ignoring his hand for the moment. "Maybe, but it's not fair asking me to make a call like that when it's late, and I'm already tired," she argued, though she didn't sound particularly bothered by it, "So why don't you and Ares go get some extra firewood while Gemi and I get ready. We'll each pick one of the tents. When you two get back, you do the same. Whichever girl you crawl in on is the one you get for the night. No complaints."

Ares nodded with a smirk. "Fair enough. Not like either of us would complain anyway."

"Well, whoever gets me might," Johanna rubbed a hand across her eyes, "It's been fun, but I'm tired. If you want anymore tonight, you might have to wuff me in my sleep. I don't mind, so help yourself."

Dane kissed her cheek, then pushed her gently in the direction of the truck and their overnight bags. "Go get changed, then, and comfy in a sleeping bag. We won't be long." She nodded silently, taking Gemini's hand as they went to retrieve their things and the boys headed out into the woods.

"She's done pretty well tonight," Ares chuckled, "I notice she hasn't so much as reached for her phone once since you two arrived."

"Right?" Dane agreed with a laugh as his eyes began adjusting to the dark and he tried to spot some suitable sticks or even small logs, "Of course, we haven't exactly given her a chance to get bored, or nervous. It's sweet of her, but I kind of worry about how much it's stressing her on the inside. Getting home tomorrow will be a relief, no doubt."

"No doubt," Ares agreed, laying a pair of thick branches on one shoulder. He paused as something caught his ear, and looked around at the dark trees. "Hey, Dane...listen for a sec."

The other Dog paused just as he was picking up a handful of smaller sticks and tucking them under his arms. Standing upright again and holding as still as he could, the Dalmatian turned ears and nose both to the woods around them, searching carefully. Nothing immediately stood out to him. The crickets had gone quiet around them, but he could put that down to a result of Ares and himself startling them. Nothing else seemed to be--

He heard it. The faint crunch of fallen branches under a heavy foot, followed slowly by another. The two Dogs searched the darkness in the direction the sound had come from, trying to find the shape of whatever person or animal had made it. A low-key anxiety ran through both of them, though they tried to temper it with the reminder that it was just as likely to be another person or deer as anything more threatening. Neither of them was any kind of woodsman, beyond basic tent-pitching and fire-making, and there were other campsites in this part of the park...just not particularly close.

It was on top of them before they quite realized it. The pale markings on its head, like the upper half of a disembodied skull, confused them when they first picked it out. The body supporting it, darker than the night itself, defied their eyes to focus on it, making the beast difficult to see clearly despite its size. Ares was the first to get the gist of its shape, and his own dark fur nearly lost some of its shadow. "Wuff," he hissed as his jaw went slack and the hulking beast stood up in front of them.

Dane grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back in the direction of the campfire even as he shouted, "Bear!! Wuff, Ares, move it!"

The beast answered the shouts with a roar of its own, dropping its heavy weight back down on the ground and loping after them. "Get in the truck!" the Doberman barked as he began genuinely running under his own power at last, shoving Dane ahead of him, "Girls!! Get in the truck!!"

The run back to camp was frighteningly short...and twice as frightening when they couldn't immediately spot either of the girls. The truck was empty. Both tents were zipped closed. "Wuff!" Ares growled, snatching the thickest stick he could spot out of the campfire, brandishing the burning end at the animal chasing them right into the firelight. Dane snatched up the pot they'd used to make soup, carefully drawing it behind him and trying to gauge exactly how he'd have to swing it to slosh as much of the boiling water on the beast's face as he could manage.

Their fighting spirit buckled the instant it lumbered into the firelight. Their chins went slack and they couldn't even muster up the nerve to run when it slid to a stop directly over the fire, rearing up on its hind legs to tower over them. The creature was double Ares' height if it was an inch. The onyx-black fur defied clear definition, seeming hazy around the edges, like smoke from the fire. The pale white markings on its face were matched along its shoulders and limbs, giving the vague impression of fighting a distended ghost. But its teeth were pretty clear to see, and it showed them every single one it possessed as it opened its mouth in another roar, wide enough to have taken Ares' head in whole.

The zipper on one of the tents hissed. "NO!" Dane barked instantly, "Stay inside!"

A shrill siren burst the night (and very nearly their ears) as Johanna stood up in the open flap, brandishing her phone as high as she could reach, like it was some sort of magic weapon. The screaming alarm forced Ares and Dane to cover their ears, and she tried to aim the bright flashlight into the bear's eyes...realizing a little too late exactly how large it was. And that she had just pissed it off.

Johanna's dead-pan expression broke when it bared its teeth and raised its paw to crush the life from her. Her eyes bulged wide, her mouth fell open, and her ears flattened against the back of her head as she realized, with all the certainty of a sunset at the end of the day, that she was about to die. Dane seemed to be trying to prevent it, moving toward her in slow motion out of the corner of her eye...but even if he reached her, that massive paw would only crush them both together. She wished he could live a little longer, even if it was without her. His face flashed through her head, smiling from a dozen different angles and ages over the years, as some primordial part of her mind tried desperately to distract her from the next couple of seconds...

Something hit the bear from the side. Something large and brown slammed hard into the side of its head. Something--some_one_--kicked it in the head. The monster lurched sideways, carried off its feet and even out of the firelight by the momentum of that impact. Their rescuer, still seemingly perched on its head, tumbled into obscurity right along with it.

"R-Rikko?!" Dane gasped, thinking he'd recognized the body that collided with the beast, "Was that--?!"

Ares wasn't wasting time questioning their good luck. "Run!" he barked, grabbing Gemini's hand when she practically exploded out of the other tent, "Not that way!" He steered her away from the truck, which rocked up on two tires as the beast contended with whoever was fighting it on the other side, and Dane took a similar grip on Johanna's arm to pull her along. All four of them went sprinting blindly into the woods, instincts and adrenaline driving them to simply get away!

The low-hanging branches and bushes were rough on the girls, though. They'd been caught in the middle of changing clothes for the night (if they'd even planned to put any on). Gemini had managed to yank a shirt on before bolting, but Johanna had missed her chance when making her gambit to scare the beast away. The Dalmatian was running through the woods in nothing but her panties, without even a bra.

"This way!" someone called to them as they ran through the trees, "Over here! Hurry!"

Lacking both the time and presence of mind to question who might be out here and trying to get their attention, the four immediately steered toward the voice, following it right out of the trees and into a clearing dominated by a ring of standing stones. Under any other conditions, they might have been impressed at the formation, or curious about whether or not it was natural, but at just that moment the four Dogs hardly noticed the tall rocks at all. What caught Dane's eye first was the suggestion of a house in the center of the clearing, and the promise of shelter it represented.

Within three steps, though, Ares had second thoughts and pulled to a stop. At the head of the line, his pause naturally forced everyone else to do a double-take as well. "Wuff, that's no help," the big Doberman grunted, eying the scorched and brittle wood, "It's about ready to fall in on itself..."

"Now, now, don't be so quick to cast judgments," suggested the light, feminine voice that had first lured them this way, "It may not look like much, but you're safer here than in your own home. At least from the likes of that thing."

Dane dipped a dubious brow, standing protectively in front of his sister. "Who are you?" the Dalmatian asked cautiously, eying the little blue Fennec sitting casually on the roof of the hut, smiling down at them smugly as mist and starlight seemed to dance in her fur.

"Organa," the woman announced nonchalantly, as if they might have known it, "Organa Lightwillow. Although, if you have heard of me, it probably wasn't by that name. If I'm remembered at all outside this ring, it's probably as simply 'the witch'," she grinned, leaning forward curiously, "Am I still remembered?"

Gemini's chin fell slack. "Forgotten gods...the witch? The one the mountain was named for?"

That made the Fennec giggle. "Is it, now? Oh, how flattering," she smiled, "And you are the surprising little soul that broke my influence through sheer willpower. That's no trifling feat, I'll have you know."

The female Doberman blinked, and tilted her head. "I...what?"

"Not you," the Fennec giggled, nodding toward Dane, beside her, "Her." Huddled against her brother's back in just her underwear, the female Dalmatian seemed not to hear. Her eyes were wide and staring far into the distance, despite being pointed squarely at Dane's shoulders, and she seemed to be whispering something under her breath. Gemini stepped over to put arms comfortingly around Johanna's shoulders when she realized the state the other girl was in, shifting her priorities immediately, while both of their brothers stood like a wall between them and the strange Fennec. "Don't worry," Organa cooed reassuringly, "The first brush with death is always a little shocking, but a will as strong as yours won't have any trouble getting over it in a few minutes. Especially inside my ring," she waved a hand at the standing stones, "They are a magnificent bulwark to soul and sanity. That's how I've survived all this time, you know."

"No, we don't," Ares growled, regaining some of his courage as the shock wore off, if not much of his confidence, "Like we don't know what you want with us, or why we should stick around to find out." He gave Dane a nudge, and the pair started backing slowly toward the edge of the clearing again, steering the girls with their backs.

Organa's smile fell into a disappointed frown. "Well, for starters, that beast is still out there," she reminded them, "And my ring is about the only thing on this mountain that will hold it at bay. Although," she added with a sigh, and a brief glance toward the mountain's peak, "It'd be nice if that little mountain-god would remember who he is and do his job already. Those things are becoming a bit of a problem around here."

Dane grit his teeth, catching Johanna and Gemini's arms to prevent them from walking passed the nearest stone just as they were drawing close to it. "...Alright," he agreed reluctantly, "Assuming you are who you say you are, and that this place is safe...what do you want with us?"

"A chat," Organa's smile instantly returned, "I don't get out much, you might say. Can't, really," she gestured to her luminous body, "So I'm just dying for some conversation...no pun intended. Especially with that one," she eyed Johanna again, "Feeling better?"

"...A little," the Dalmatian answered coldly from behind Dane. Her fur was still standing on end, and her breathing wasn't entirely steady yet, but her eyes had come back to the here and now, and she'd stopped chattering. "Why me, particularly?"

The little Fennec floated down from the roof to the ground, alighting on it as if she weighed no more than a feather--and then hovering an inch or so above the grass, as if to prove she didn't weigh even as much as a feather. "I already told you: it's rare to find a will so strong. I would like to cultivate that a little, if you're interested. How would you like to be my apprentice? I can teach you all kinds of magic. Not least how to make that beast regret crossing your path the next time it does," Organa grinned, as if quite certain they would meet the creature again at some point. The knowledge she offered would be invaluable when that moment came.

Tempting as it sounded on its face, Johanna was swiftly coming back to her senses, taking a tighter grip on Dane with her arms around his chest. "You said I broke your influence, but I don't even know what you're talking about. I have no interest in magic. Machines are my thing." The Dalmatian blinked suddenly as something occurred to her. "That...thing that happened when we moved in. Was that it? Your 'influence'?"

The ghost chuckled with a smug grin. "Sharp, as expected. I was right about you."

"Wuff," Dane whispered, chin going slack, "You made us wuff...?"

"I think, in that case, you overestimate me," Johanna sighed, ignoring her brother's shock for the moment, though she patted his chest gratefully, "I only resisted thanks to my brother's quick thinking. Why in the world would you want such a thing, anyway?"

At that little revelation, the Fennec actually cringed. "Oh. Yes, I suppose that would add incentive to resist. Even so, it doesn't seem to have stopped you from going on of your own free will," she shrugged, then swept an arm around at the little clearing containing only the remains of her hut. "It's been four hundred years, give or take, since I last drew breath. This lawn's gotten kind of dull. I feed on life-force, and it has taken quite a bit to maintain my spirit here. It will need significantly more to bind my soul to a body again," she admitted, now carefully pacing closer. Her hands were behind her back, and her posture nonthreatening, but her smile had turned just a bit sinister. "I admit, I'm not making my offer out of sheer charity. It takes a strong will to work strong magic, and feet that can walk beyond this ring could bring back better sources for me to feed on. As it stands, I'll be another forty or fifty years reviving. With your help, I could reduce that to as little as one."

Ares bared his teeth in a snarl, crossing his strong arms over his chest as he stepped between the approaching Fennec and his girlfriend. "That sounds an awful lot like you want 'sacrifices'. And I'm not so sure they'd be the feral kind."

Organa rocked her head as if mulling over the possibilities. "People would be quickest, but I understand you being squeamish. I'd be perfectly satisfied with animals. If that's still too much to ask," she rolled her eyes with a sly look, "Well, to make the most of it, I need you all to enter into a binding spell, but let's just say every little bit helps. There is a surge of life-force, however small, each and every time a couple...'couples'. So I tried to motivate you a bit. You didn't seem to need much help. The second time I sent the urge, you went at it with gusto!" she grinned at Gemini.

The Doberman blushed, and for once not in pride. She wasn't exactly shy about being watched, but she did prefer to know the watchers--or at least that they were watching. Seeming to sense this, Organa giggled and made a reassuring gesture. "Don't worry, I can't actually see or hear anything that far...else I wouldn't have made the mistake of trying to get your boyfriend with his sister. I just feel the release, when it happens."

"No deal," Johanna cut in quietly, hiding her own face behind Dane's shoulder, "I don't care a whit for magic, and even less for sacrifice. I'm certainly not wuffing for anyone's use but my family's. Sorry, but you're on your own. Can we go now, brother?" she asked in a whisper, "It doesn't feel any safer here than at the camp."

"Yeah," Dane nodded quickly, "We'll make our way down to the lodge. Take my shirt," he offered, reaching for the hem.

Before he could even begin pulling it up, Organa turned back to her hut and began sauntering off as if that was simply the end of it. "As you wish, but that means I have to resort to my backup plan," she shrugged.

Dane paused with a grimace. "And...why do you make that sound like we should care?"

Grinning smugly over her shoulder, the Fennec answered, "I get a little bit of life from each of your couplings, but that's not the only reward. I will get significantly more out of that," she suggested, pointing a finger at Gemini.

The Doberman blinked several times. Understanding dawned, and she suddenly rubbed her hands over her own belly, as if checking for something. "Wait...I'm not--"

But Organa was nodding slowly with perfect certainty. "It's still a little too early for you to have noticed, but I can clearly feel the distinct, separate life already beginning to grow in you. Don't worry, I plan to take care of it well before it becomes a bother to you. Right around the end of the second season, probably. You won't even feel--"

She was interrupted by a hand swiping through her vision as it passed through her face. Johanna, all hackles raised and teeth bared in a snarl that tempted Ares to take a step back, tried once more on the back-hand as Organa turned around and floated up to hover at eye-level with her. "I will kill you," the Dalmatian said with a tone as cold as her fury was hot, and all of it clearly showing on her endlessly apathetic face for once, "Permanently, this time."

"You'd need someone of my caliber to teach you how," the Fennec continued with her smug smile, "Naturally, I won't teach you that, but I'll be happy to spare the pup if you'll agree to be my apprentice."

"Fuck you," Johanna snapped, "I'll figure it out. I'm good at that. There is nothing I cannot learn, and I learn fast."

Organa floated a full, slow circle around her, looking her over as if searching for some sort of stamp proving she was capable. "...Alright," the ghost offered at last, "Here's what I'll do, then: you have until her third season," she tilted her head toward Gemini, "It will be fully matured by then, all the richer food for me--and rather more uncomfortable for her. You have just that long to find what you seek. As a kindness, in respect for your determination, I will let my other offer stand: If at any time you decide your pride isn't worth the pup's life, come back here and I'll put you to work. Now," she flashed one last smug smile as her ears twitched toward the forest around her ring, "Your knight has arrived. Good luck with your studies, and remember: the third season. Do be decisive."

She vanished in a blink, just as the sound of running feet could be heard approaching the clearing. A cinnamon-furred Jackrabbit came jogging into view, skirting along the edge of the ring of stones without ever touching them. Despite following the broken perimeter of the ring, he didn't seem to notice the Dogs not more than two feet to his left until Dane reached out to tap his shoulder as he passed: "Rikko!"

Rikko slid to a stop and blinked in surprised, but immediately stepped up to them. "So it was you," Dane sighed in relief. The Jackrabbit glanced around curiously at the clearing, but nodded firmly in answer to Dane, then gave them all an appraising look while making a motion like he was winding something around his arm. "A...bandage?" Dane guessed, "You mean 'are we hurt'? No...no, I think we're all okay," he answered, looking back at Johanna, who was still staring furiously at the empty air in front of her nose, "Physically, anyway." With a deep breath and a sigh, his sister nodded her head quietly, her thoughts distant and her hand habitually patting her leg as if looking for the phone she didn't have in the pocket of the pants she wasn't wearing.

The Jackrabbit gave them all another look, as if to confirm Dane's answer, then unbuttoned the light flannel shirt he was wearing over a tee-shirt and offered it to the near-naked Dalmatian. Johanna gratefully pulled it around her shoulders, then leaned against Ares' side as the larger Doberman put his arm around her. Dane likewise took Gemini's trembling hands in his, and Rikko began leading them back toward their campsite. His ears remained up and alert, and he kept looking off through the trees as if on the watch for something. "That thing," Dane grimaced, almost afraid to ask, "Did you kill it?" Rikko's shoulders drooped a little, and he shook his head, never looking back at the Dalmatian. "Hey, thanks regardless," Dane patted his shoulder encouragingly, "We'd definitely be dead if you hadn't come along." He didn't bother asking what Rikko had actually been doing this far out in the park at this hour. They didn't have time for charades, and he wasn't about to look the proverbial gift-horse in the mouth.

Their campsite was a mess. One of the tents had been flattened, snapping two of the three poles that supported it, and Ares' truck had two sizable new dents in the passenger-side door and on the hood. Gemini and Johanna immediately began searching for the Dalmatian's phone, while Dane and Ares checked to see if the truck was still drivable. Rikko gave them an apologetic look, carefully forcing the bent door open and roughly straightening it out enough that they could be sure of it closing securely. Ares watched it all with an open-mouth stare. "Yeah, he's pretty good with his hands," Dane chuckled, patting the Doberman's back. A quick turn of the key proved that the engine still worked, and the girls climbed in a moment later, Johanna's phone clutched firmly in her hand again. Rikko hopped into the bed, giving the little window in the back of the cabin a soft tap to let them know he was good to go, and they didn't even bother trying to collect the rest of their camping gear before speeding off as fast as Ares could safely manage down the mountain.

The ride back was cramped, and quiet. Gemini passed out with her head on Ares' shoulder almost as soon as they started rolling, exhausted from the series of shocks they'd suffered tonight. Johanna seemed to be suffering the opposite effect, suddenly uncommonly alert for this time of night and scrolling hurriedly through various screens on her phone, with Dane reading bits and pieces somberly over her shoulder. They weren't quite back to the main road which passed in front of the Masked-Fox Lodge when Rikko tapped the window again, gave them a parting wave, and jumped out of the truck without even waiting for Ares to slow down. Where and how he landed, they never saw. "...Okay, seriously, who the wuff is he?" Ares demanded when neither of the awake Dalmatians seemed alarmed by the Rabbit's sudden departure.

"Rikko," Johanna answered absently, "Kita's adopted brother. You've probably heard of him, and just forgot the name. He does a lot of stuff around town."

"Yeah," Dane nodded with a sigh, "We met him that time we got invited to play an RPG with them. I thought he was a pretty solid guy then, but tonight makes that sound like a joke."

"Wuff, you ain't kidding," Ares nodded.

Johanna flopped against Dane's shoulder, closing her eyes and turning her phone down in her lap. "I'm so tired," she sighed, "I'll help you go get the camping stuff tomorrow, then I'm taking Monday off. We all should, and go thank him, at the least."

Her brother nodded, putting his arm around her to keep her from jostling for the rest of the trip back to their house. "Yeah. Sorry this was how your birthday trip turned out."

She shook her head lightly against him. "Not your fault. It was good up to then. Congrats on the pup." Dane's heart nearly stopped in his chest at the reminder. But so much had happened in this one night, he didn't have the energy to think about all of it...so followed his sister's lead in dozing off until they got home, where they all collapsed gratefully into their bed.

---

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise," Kita smiled in greeting as the elevator doors slid quietly open, "Please come in. Lua will be out in a moment. It's still early for her, so I had to wake her up. To what do we owe the pleasure?" she asked, gesturing for the four Dogs to follow her into the living room. They paused just outside the elevator door, though. The somber quiet surrounding them caught Kita's ear, and the Fox turned back toward them with a concerned look. "Is something the matter?"

Johanna stepped forward to speak for them, her phone tucked safely out of sight in her pocket for once. "Actually, is Rikko here? There's something we need to say to him."

The Fox tilted her head, ears perked curiously. "Of course," she nodded, "You just caught him. He's about to go out for his morning charity work, like usual. Rikko, could you come here a moment?" she asked over her shoulder. They could actually see the Rabbit sitting in one of the easy-chairs in the living-room as Kita stepped aside. More significantly, they saw the grimace he made when she called his name, though it was followed quickly by a sheepish smile and welcoming wave as he got up from his seat.

Dane and Gemini glanced at each other, as if to ask what that had been about, but quickly dismissed it from their thoughts as Rikko came over to meet them. Dane stepped forward to put a large, cardboard cube in his hands. "It's just a cake," the Dalmatian chuckled, scratching his head, "We didn't really know what would make a good gift, but it seemed wrong to come empty-handed. Not great thanks for saving our lives, but...well, thank you."

All four of them lowered their heads, bowing in gratitude, with a short chorus of "thank you" all around. Rikko nearly dropped the cake, trying to get his hands out from under the box to make some kind of gesture, while Kita's mouth fell open. "I'm...very sure...you're very welcome," the stunned Fox said quietly, "But I would dearly love for someone to tell me what is going on."

"He saved our lives," Gemini explained quietly, "We were out camping Saturday night and...a bear attacked us. I was sure it was about to kill Johanna, but Rikko tackled it while...we..." She gnashed her teeth in shame at what she had to say next. It hadn't sat well with Gemini how they'd essentially fled for their own lives and left Rikko to deal with the danger, even if they were admittedly out of their league.

Her brother patted her head. "Yeah...I'm ashamed to say it, too. This is kind of an apology as well as thanks. We've never even met, but we totally owe you our lives. Sorry I bailed on you," he admitted with a cringe.

Rikko winced, shaking his head quickly and making a gesture across his throat with the hand he'd gotten free, begging them to stop. Johanna tilted her head curiously, and Kita looked increasingly shocked the more that was said. Her ears twitched as they picked up the sound of Lua closing the bedroom door behind her. "Lua! Please come here. You need to hear this." Rikko bowed his head over the cake with a sigh, and went to set the box down in the kitchen.

"Hear what?" Lua asked around a yawn as she came down the stairs, giving a friendly-if-perplexed wave in greeting to the group.

"Johanna and Dane and...I'm very sorry I haven't met the rest of you," she apologized briefly to Gemini and Ares before continuing, "They say Rikko saved their lives--by fighting a bear."

"...What?!" Lua gasped, suddenly very awake, "When did this happen?"

"Saturday night," Johanna answered, "But now...I think we owe him another apology," she suggested, looking passed Lua to where Rikko was crossing his arms above his head in a last, silent plea, "We came here to thank him, but it looks like we're making trouble for him instead."

"No no no, not trouble, dear," Kita tried to reassure her despite the confused look on the Fox's face, "Just...I mean...Lua, was he not here Saturday night? I go to bed rather earlier than you do..."

Lua looked every bit as perplexed, shaking her head. "He was when I got to bed around two," she sighed, rubbing her face, "Okay...okay, look, that's all something for us to talk about later. You two," she stepped forward and threw and arm around Dane and Johanna's necks in a tight hug, "We're just glad you're safe, whatever happened. I know Rikko feels the same. No thanks necessary, and no apologies, either." Behind her, Rikko nodded firmly to that, holding up both thumbs with a sincere smile.

"Okay," Johanna nodded when the large Bunny let them go, "That's all we came by for, then. It was good to see you guys again."

"Let us know if there's anything we can do for you...like, ever," Dane added with a chuckle. Between Kita and Rikko, though, he honestly couldn't imagine what they might need that anyone in his family could offer.

"I'll be calling you for another game-night, then," Lua promised, immediately filling the gap in Dane's imagination. Turning to the two unfamiliar Dobermans, she hesitantly added, "And your friends should come, too. The more the merrier, right?" she suggested, as if trying to convince herself. Lua had long had trouble with meeting new people.

Johanna took Ares' hand in hers, giving it a soft squeeze. "A little more than friends. My boyfriend," Johanna introduced him, "Ares Fineclaw."

"Nice to meet you," the large Doberman smiled, offering his hand to the Bunny who stood every bit as tall as he did.

"Gemini," his sister waved with a little smile, claiming Dane's arm, "Dane's girlfriend."

"Mmm, a little more than girlfriend," the Dalmatian corrected, pulling her over to stand in front of him with her back against his chest. Gemini blinked at him curiously as he reached into his pocket, then put his arms gently around her belly. "I've been trying to decide when and how to do this for a while now. This definitely wasn't what I had in mind, but -- especially given what we learned the other night -- that introduction just sounds wrong now." Holding out a little box in front of her, he flicked the lid open with his thumb. "Gemini, my fiance...?"

"Your sense of timing is terrible, brother," Johanna remarked off-handedly, even as she plucked her own phone from her pocket to capture the look on Gemini's face, standing there staring at the narrow, silver ring and covering her mouth with both hands to hold in the delighted scream. Her tail was patting a drum-roll on her own butt, and she was bouncing on her heels almost as quick as her heart was pounding.

Lua looked almost as shocked as Gemini, though Rikko was softly clapping behind her with a big smile on his face. Kita seemed to be trying not to laugh at the sudden change of atmosphere. "Oh my," she smiled warmly, "I hope we'll be invited to the wedding."

"YES!!" Gemini shouted at last, though whether she was answering Kita or Dane's question was anyone's guess. The Doberman nearly knocked him down, spinning in place to throw her arms around his neck and send them both lurching into the side of the elevator, where she pinned him with a near-desperate kiss to his lips.

"We're on a snug budget, so there probably won't be much of one," Johanna stated matter-of-factly, snapping a handful more pictures of the couple as she did so, "But if there's room for guests, you'll be at the top of the list."

Kita giggled. "I'm good at stretching budgets, dear. Give Lua a call if you need anything," she inclined her head toward the Bunny, "You have her number already."

Johanna blinked in surprise at the famous Fox. "...Thank you," she said at last, "We will."