Chp. 4) My Brother's Secret
Author's notes: Well it's been a long time since my last post for this series but I think the time I took on these next few chapters was really worth it. I wanted to take this in a bit of a new direction rather than just the predictable pattern so I gave a few tweaks to the characters' personalities and I came up with this. It's not a story for everybody but hell, nothing I write is. Don't like the tags then don't waste your time reading. As always I welcome any comments and feed-back. Hope you enjoy.
~ Willace <>
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My Brother's Secret
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Jumping the fence, Leon instinctively rolled as his paws hit the grass. Stopping only for a moment, he grabbed the bag and then darted off into the woods. "Shit shit shit, they're still coming!" he cursed running blindly, swearing amongst the maze of trees. Something snagged his pants and he went face first towards the mossy forest floor. The sounds of paw steps neared and he struggled to regain composure, pulling himself up on his elbows. Too late, his pursuer was upon him and the chase had ended.
"Fuck off!" He screamed scrambling to his knees in an attempt to break into another mad rush. A punch aimed at his face missed and the wolf took a swing of his own. It connected sloppily to his chest and sent his attacker stumbling backward. "Fag, I'll kill you for that!" the tiger called out, slamming against a pine tree. Leon didn't stick around to find out how that would turn out. Instead he grabbed the book-bag and dashed further away, jumping over a patch of brush. It nicked his ankle open but did nothing to slow him. Adreline fueled, Leon's heart race and he burst through the other side of the tree line, leading him to the side of a dirt road. Panting, he bent over clutch his chest with one paw, his bag with the other. Once some of his breath caught up he began running again.
Who would have thought it would be so easy to out-run a football player Leon smirked to himself as he reached the town's border. Safely back in civilization he slowed to a mild jog and slid the backpack on. It wasn't the normal path back home, hell most of the time he would have just driven. But today of all days his car was in the shop and that ass-hole at school was itching for a rematch. Not today, Leon thought turning the corner at the supermarket, not on Rues's birthday. True, in an open area the tiger probably didn't stand a chance in a fair fight but that bastard probably would have grabbed something to use as a weapon. Damn pussy, Leon thought smugly and slowed even further to a confident stroll.
He dug his cell-phone out of his pocket and pressed the preset dialing. It rang twice and then went to the automated voicemail message. In response to this Leon hung up and dialed again. "Dammit, Rues. just 'cause it's your birthday doesn't mean you spend the entire day in bed." The phone connected after the first ring and A sleepy dragon greeted him from the the other side of the line.
"Hey bro, what's up?" Rues asked through a mumbled voice. "You know damn well what's up Rues. Turning sixteen doesn't enable you to be a smart-ass. Through some clothes on 'cuz' I know you started to sleep naked. I'll be outside."
Rues yawned and whined "Fine, but I want to wear what I want to wear. No judge today, Okay?" This ought to be interesting Leon thought approaching his street. "Fine, whatever. Just for the love of the stars don't put on anything with hot pink, I'm begging you. I don't care what day it is, if you think I'm taking you to the mall again when you're wearing some crazy, half-baked..." Rues stopped his brother's rant of with a merry giggle. "Hey, guess what," he teased his older sibling.
"Yes, Rues, What is it?" He asked nearing the house. "I see you" ~Click~ the phone cut off and Rues stuck his smiling head out the second floor window. "Moron," Leon whispered returning the smile and gave a wave. Hurriedly the little dragon rushed out of his room and through the house. As he burst through the door Leon grimaced in shock at the sight. There he was, for the entire neighborhood to see, dressed in just a mini-skirt. No shirt, no stockings underneath, not even any underwear of any kind.
His immediate reaction was to laugh, seeing his brother's junk bouncing around as the little dragon ran but this was much more serious, this was happening in public infront of their house. "Get the fuck back inside Rues!" Leon roared so loudly his body quaked. It was too much, simply way too much. Yes the mall was there haven where they could go to feel free to express how they felt for one another but this scorched the wolf's pride. There was no way he would be seen with Rues like that, not a chance.
Dismal tears began to flow down into white fur and a soft whimper arose. "But... But why?" he begged to know. Rues never really grasped the concept of 'here's the line, don't cross it' in there relationship. Leon blamed himself for that though, their entire relationship was built because they chose to cross the line.
"Because for one you look like a god-damn whore Rues. I don't care that it's a skirt, I really don't. The fact that it's the only thing you have on is what pisses me off." Growled an older brother leading his sibling back inside the concealment of the house. Slamming the the door, Leon's rage was almost a visible black cloud threatening to devour the entire room. "Sit down, Rues." He said pointing to the living-room couch, struggling with a mixture of frustration and bewilderment.
The dragon's stomach churned and he thought to burst out into sobs. "I'll go change, Leon, I promise, please don't change your mind." pleaded the colourless pup as the water in his eyes became so thick it blurred his sight. "Sit down RUES! For fuck sake!... just sit down, I think we need to talk."
Threads in his mind snapped and the dam burst. No force on earth could stop his sorrowful weeping, the countless streams of tears pouring from his crystal eyes to the floor. As he collapsed he felt his brother's paw rest gently upon his slumped shoulders. "Rues, Tell me, why did you pick a skirt?" He wiped some of the dragon's tears away and waited for an answer. "I like to... to wear them, I thought ya... you ... like to see me wear them too. They feel... right to me..."
There was the sincerity of compassion in his voice but also a faint haunting sound of something else, perhaps confession. Strong paws snuck under his brother's elbows and Leon guided Rues back up. Too ashamed to look him in the eyes, the wolf swallowed an invisible knife, now struggling with where this conversation was leading. "What do you mean when you said they feel right?" Violently he shook his head, his curled horns bashing side to side in the air, not allowing the wolf to make eye contact. For as much as he fought, Rues remained silent to in the inquiry. Fear was running rampant through his young mind though what caused it seemed to be unanswerable mystery."Rues, look at me, Dammit hold your head still and look at me!" In one last attempt to calm his brother's breakdown Leon wrapped his arms around the young dragon pulling him in tightly. His unearthly convulsing slowed. Every tiny bit of his willpower being drained away while Rues trembled, tail and horns a dangerous blur but finally he succumb and went limp; his arms to his side and face across Leon's shoulder. In the stillness of the moment he cried in harsh whisper what plagued him so terribly. "I want to be a girl Leon..."
It was as if the world froze and all time came to a stand still as those words were spoken. In stillness of moment the worst seemed to happen. Familiar voices of their family emanated from just beyond the door outside. "Upstairs, NOW!" Demanded his brother with a tone like a burning coal and lead the crying sibling to the seclusion of Rues's room. Once the door clicked to a lock the wolf turned to see his 'brother' curled in a ball at headboard of his bed. "Rues... I still love you. I want you to know that. Now please, explain what you meant. I want to understand, to comfort you." His words sounded a little fake but were enough for the dragon pup to lift his head up.
"I want to be a girl, I don't wanna' be a boy anymore; I never really have. I don't like... my body. It doesn't feel like my 'home' to me." Never since had a hug felt so comforting as when Leon wrapped his arms so tightly around Rues and began to cry slightly. They spent the next five minutes undisturbed, kneeling on the puffy sheets with tears streaming down their faces. Occasionally whispers of soothing nature came from Leon's now trembling lips. "It's going to be alright, Rues, I promise, somehow it's going to be alright." His fingers dug tightly into the white fur, his hot breath upon shaking pair of shoulders.
When there tears had finally slowed he wiped the remainder form their eyes and place his paw tenderly at the rim of Rues's skirt. "This doesn't change how I feel for you Rues not one bit so get that idea as far out of your head as possible." explained a sentimental brother. "And I'm glad you shared this with me."
"Where do we go from here?" quite an adult question for such a young teenager, it reached deeply into the wolf's heart and wrenched it violently. The truth, Leon hadn't the slightest idea so instead he searched for a convincing lie. "We can still be who we are with you being who you know you really are." Bitter taste in his false promise, Leon's mind was a flood of darkening thoughts and selfish depression. Yet in amongst that dark void, a small glinting light, true concern for his sibling. From there he drew hope and the right words. "What would you like to do today my little sister?"
It had a nice ring to it and Rues took the title in pride. "I'd like to go the mall still, perhaps we could look at dresses instead?" Committed to appeasing his new found sister's troubled heart Leon nodded his head and stroked Rues's long tail. "Put on some underwear and a shirt and I'll call it a deal. We'll have to sneak past mom and dad though first. That's not going to be easy though dude." He rumpled his skirt, pressing the creases out and back in. An empathetic paw brushed his brow and trailed across his face then finally fell back to the pleated skirt. "So a girl now huh?"
Looking back, Rues did always have a certain air about 'her,' even back in their early childhood. The way he swished at the hips while walking, the persistent emotional rollercoaster, and even the tone of voice. That of course was simply chalked up to being a pre-pubescent pup but now was starting to show in a different light. "Yeah, a girl, a girl who's gonna' go get dressed now."
Standing up the white little pup walk really did seem a bit alien for a boy and Leon watched from the bedside. While Rues tore apart the dresser looking for a shirt the timber wolf sat in solitary stillness of the moment. His brother had just now became his sister and this was starting to put a whole new spin on their bizarre relationship. Until recently Leon had denied his strictly homosexual feelings the little dragon seemed full heartedly committed to outing his brother. And now the one who made his desires a public matter was a girl. Well more or less. At this point it was all very confusing to him. "Just pick something, jeez you really do waste time playing dress-up."
"Alright, alright, I'm hurrying." retorted an irate dragon, 'her' fur still a mess from the fit earlier. "Damn, frickin' hell Rues, I swear if you ask me if something makes you look fat I'll pop you one in the lips." Motion stopped and a heavy white tail lifted from the floor. "Is that a kind of sexual pass or something?"
Good hell, Leon thought and snickered. "Yeah sure, Rues that's exactly what I meant, I want to pop a load on your lips. Anyhow,since we're on the subject does this change you wanting to ride my tailhole?" An interesting question, that type of thing, not something a good little girl would do; or even could do. It also brought to light the fact that no amount of words would change the fact that, at least anatomically, Rues was a boy. "Umm, I'm sorry Rues I didn't mean to say... Look never mind, let's just get ready to go shopping."
The crying fit began all over again. Just massive amounts of uncontrollable weeping coupled with the occasional deep sniffles. "Hey hey, whoa calm down." he exclaimed and rushed to his sibling's side. Rues's fit subsided quicker this time but left an ugly question behind. Sex was going to be very different now. Maybe even a complete lack of it. Could they really go back to just siblings after the countless days spent in each other's romantic embrace?
"It's okay Leon, I can deal with this like I always have." Like you always have? Leon thought in sheer surprise. That would mean his sibling had always had these feelings, this desire to escape his body to that of a girl's. "It figures though doesn't it?" Rues smirked with watery eyes. "What's that?" Leon asked befuddled by the change in emotion. "I would have two inches on you and not want it." The pair burst into comforting laughter and Rues dried his eyes once more. "I Love you Rues, you know that. Come on, I buy the pinkest damn thing they have in the stock."
Rues was won by his brother's frivolous promise and decided on a frilly pair of underwear. "Uh-huh, that, uh, cover's barely anything and leaves nothing to the imagination; Rues. One of your favorites?" Shooting his brother a dirty look Rues continued to clothe himself, adjusting his skirt and pulling a simple black tank-top over his head and down his chest. "Great, ready to go yet? Or do you have to play with your fur some more?" For a brother who was trying to be understanding, Leon sure could be less of a jerk Rues thought and nodded. "So how are we getting past Mom and dad?"
Giving it a moment of plan, Leon formulated a plan in his head. Acting it out with finger motions he explained his plot. "Alright, I'll go downstairs and distract them distract them in the basement for... for some lame excuse about the laundry. You'll have like five seconds to get outside and into the car. Still have the spare keys?" Giving a silent yes, the little white pup prepared himself, taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling. "Leon," he said bracing to run. "Yeah?" came a short reply from the wolf. "I don't want to hide this, we have too many secrets somebody's gonna' find out sooner or later. Why can't we decided when that happens?"
"Yeah, Rues, a real gem of an idea. 'Hey Mom, dad, love you both and don't get mad but I want a vagina now oh and guess what, Leon, yeah well he's been plowing me up the ass. What's for supper?' Just not going to be that easy lil' dude. Hell think of what that would do to either of our lives." Despite the cold, hurtful tone of the insult, the wolf had valid point. It's not like anyone could blame him for worrying, he had a hard time just keeping the friends he already had now.
A knock on the door and they came to a standstill. "Yea... Yeah, Who is it?" The older sibling answered, half afraid that at any given moment it would open and their parents would stroll in, seeing the bizarre spectacle. From the other side of the wooden barrier came their father's voice "Your cousins Kodie and Miles are here to spend the week. Come on down and say hello."
Shit! Only about the worst time for this, Leon thought glancing at his new 'sister' with a troubled look in his eyes. He mouthed something to Rues and the little dragon replied with a false sense of excitement. "Great, umm, changing, be right there." Steps left back down the long hallway and the siblings both gave a deep breath of relief.
The miniskirt hit the floor and rues stormed over to his cabinet again. "Guess that the mall will have to wait," Leon said to the disappointed little pup. Sliding into a pair of jean shorts Rues frowned pathetically and agreed. "Hey I have an idea, throw your lil' slip of cloth you call a skirt into a back bag and we'll bugger off after a quick hello to the fam."
His crystal clear eyes light back up and he began to hop excitedly on one paw, his goofy looking tall bouncing like a rubber-band. Like giving a pup candy, Leon thought watching the comical dancing. Rues stopped and giddily dressed in more 'socialy appropriate' clothing and they pair headed out to visit their family for a facade of a greeting; hiding the change in a nearby duffle bag. Things were slowly becoming normal again. Well maybe not normal, but at least it could all be manageable once more.