The Song of the Temple Dogs
Chapter 1

"Hello, Inukshuk," Eric said as he approached.

The beast shuddered as he turned around, and for a moment, a look of terror spread over his face. "Damn, it, Old Bear! I swear I'm going to buy you a belled collar one of these days so I can hear you coming."

The polar bear grinned. "I thought you liked me."

Inukshuk pointed his flipper at the bear. "I love you, Eric. But what on Terra's green earth makes you think a bearded seal is going to turn around, see a polar bear, and not have their instinct take over for a moment?"

"Do I get a hug?" the bear inquired.

"Of course," the seal replied as he shifted upright into a human. He extended his arms and wrapped them around the bear.

"So you're the reason Adam asked me to meet him here today?"

"I guess so. We already said our goodbyes last week, so I'm not sure why you need to be here for a simple turning."

"This is not a simple turning, Inukshuk. That said, it is something Adam can help you two do on your own. I'm wondering why I'm here, too."

"Well, you can ask him yourself. He's supposed to be here any moment," the seal replied.

"Where's Quinn?" Eric asked, looking up toward the breakwater. 

"Down the beach; past the first cliff. He's saying hello to Dá Lóng. Dá Lóng said she will guide us over the Arctic Circle to the west coast to join the pod when we've made the turning."

"Are you sure about this, Inukshuk?"

"I'm sure, Old Bear. Remember all those thousands of years ago when you reached out to bring a human into your life?"

"Chet isn't human. He never was."

"Even more to my point, Old Bear," the seal replied. "There are so many intelligent, brave creatures on this earth that aren't human. This is the next step in our evolution. The Were Nation is safe. We're not hunted. We can breathe for the first time in so many, many centuries. This was inevitable. We want to reach out to the ones we share this world with."

"And that's a good thing, Inukshuk. I'm not concerned about that at all. What I'm talking about is giving up your human."

"The humpback whales are skittish about this idea to start with. First, there's their history with humans. Then they have the werewhales' sudden disappearance centuries ago. By giving up our human we show our commitment to this idea. If we are whales and only whales, we have nowhere to go but beside them."

The bear breathed out a heavy sigh. "I suppose. But regardless of your beast, you two will always have a family that extends beyond the ocean. That closeness suffers if you're not able to access the land. You need to return to spend time with your larger family."

The approaching wereseal walking upright looked somehow out of place. His limbs were something between legs and flippers. They looked to be awkward in either world where he lived. He nodded his head in agreement with the bear. "He has a point, Husband. We selkies have always kept our human side so that we could return to the Were Nation." His flippers extended, and he hugged the bear. His right flipper reached down, trying to grope the bear that chuckled at his attempt. The grey seal flopped his flipper back and forth, staring at it. "You know these things can interfere with one inexperienced with seal sex," he said.

Eric smiled. "I'm hardly inexperienced."

"Well, then I need more practice," the grey seal said in his awkward attempt to play with the bear. He shifted into his human form and hugged the bear again. He gave the bear's genital pouch the gentle grope he had hoped to as a wereseal.

The old bear laughed. "It's going to be more than missing the sex with you two. There are things you're going to learn, things we need to understand. Those would be so much easier learning from you if you were in a form that walks the earth."

Inukshuk nodded. "You're right. But you, Old Bear, can swim out to meet us and we can talk." The bearded seal grinned. "You can even become a whale for a time. Who knows? You might enjoy it."

"I'm sure I would, but again, the bigger picture here…" the bear paused as he looked up into the sky. A flaming orb sped toward them. Seconds before it hit the ground, the spinning fireball rolled out into a pangolin. The copper-colored animal dusted himself off. 

"Hello, Husband," the polar bear said as he approached the scaly beast. "You look particularly ravishing today."

"I am particularly interested in being ravished today," the pangolin said with a smile. "It's been a hell of a week out there. Why is it that as soon as some neighboring planets create interplanetary travel, they think going to war is the best thing to do with that technology?"

The bear leaned over. By the time he had pulled his husband up into a hug; the otter was hugging him back. "I'm sorry, Adam. But I'm glad they have you to help them." The hug done, Eric lowered Adam back to earth.

Adam looked up at the two pinnipeds standing in their human form. "Hello Inukshuk, Hello Quinn."

"Hello Adam," came the dual reply.

"Couldn't help but hear the conversation on the way in. My husband has a legitimate concern on many fronts. I'll help you with whatever choice you make. But are you sure the whales won't accept an alternative to you going full-on whale?"

"Like, what, Adam?" Quinn asked.

"Let's ask them." In less time than it took to realize what was happening, the four were floating out in the frigid ocean. The two humans instantly turned into their avatars to keep their buoyancy and warmth. Eric began dog-paddling around the other three.

"Husband?" the polar bear chided, upset with his new location.

"If you want to know what their pod thinks, ask them," Adam said. 

The eye of a whale came up through the dark water and peered at the floating four. The age of the magnificent beast showed in the barnacled, scarred skin. "We have a discussion going on here," Adam said to the whale. "Our brother seals wishing to become whales have family on land. We would miss them if they never returned to visit. And you will teach them so much. It will take us longer to learn those lessons if we wait for me to visit and act as interpreter."

The pops, clicks, and whistles of the whales rose from the water almost immediately.

"I agree. The Changelings can visit, but you know it's not the same. Like me, they have extensive obligations that take them away from the ocean." Adam said. 

There was more conversation among the whales. Adam nodded his head in agreement. "Without question, this is a frightening time for you, but you've known the bear here for centuries. He was there by your side in many of your migrations for the pleasure of your company alone. These are the children of the Ancient Ones floating beside you, wanting to become your kin."

The whales responded, and Adam again nodded as his otter body floated upright in the waves. "We too have a very troubled history with the humans. It is not our request that they remain human. We're asking that they hold on to a body that can return to land. Your pod is most welcoming. But you know how you travel north every year to gather as a greater family? Understand, we too will always feel that pull. Our family always needs to come home. That need is deep within us, just as it is in you."

The conversation switched to the whales as they talked among themselves. A young female swam up and offered a compromise. Adam looked at the two seals. "It seems a reasonable way to go. They don't have to deal with humans. You get to come home and visit. We learn of their ways, they learn of us and our history." Adam grinned. "And when you return home, you will be very, very popular. It sounds like a win/win to me."

The grey seal and the bearded seal looked toward the polar bear treading water. "What do you think, Old Bear?" Inukshuk asked.

"I think it's a beautiful compromise," the bear responded. He turned to the young whale. "Thank you, young lady." Turning back to the larger pod, he raised his voice. "You must all agree with this. We will not sacrifice our desire to be part of your life if this suggestion in any way upsets you."

The youngsters in the group disappeared, leaving only a wake where they once were. Just as quickly, the five breached the waves and come slamming down into the cold water. What rose were not their wide faces, but their flukes waving happily in the air. The adults did what was equal to laughing. The largest of the whales swam alongside the bear and rubbed up close. Eric closed his eyes and stroked his paws along the side of the whale. He felt both the rubbery skin and the barnacles attached. "All these years we have waited to return, Old One," the bear whispered. "But as with the first who swam with you, this is a choice our children had to make themselves."

The bear and the whale quietly talked to each other about a history the old whale only knew in song. The song was one where humans became whales. It was a song of generations of his family living beside the children of the Changelings. They were their protectors, their family; gone in an instant to save a world on land they never knew. The old whale's entire race was left behind. Their nation depended on the mercy of the human whale hunters. In that world, there was no mercy. The bear and the whale began singing together. The pod of whales joined in the song. Their voices were not far removed from the ethereal voice of the bear singing in his native tongue. They sang of all that they had lost… and there was so much loss. And then they sang of all that they had found, and the joy of the day. 

Inukshuk and Quinn joined in the song, their voices raised in the language of the Inuit and the Celts. Adam, who was too busy rubbing the tears from his eyes to sing, waved his hand. The bear and the otter were back on the beach at Partridge Island. He looked up at the bear and smiled. "Thank you for being there. You were the only one I could think of who they would listen to."

"I understand. It's still a bit of a shock getting tossed into that cold water, even with all this fat wrapped around me."

Adam smiled. "Any chance I can get you to wrap that fat around me?" 

"Any chance we can find somewhere you won't get sand shoved up your ass?"

The otter giggled as he waved his hand. Only Dá Lóng remained on the beach, wondering where everyone had gone. Winding her way back to the ocean, she chortled. Her family had got the two newborn whales to their new home without the arduous trip over the pole. She fell back into the water, listening to the sounds of the surrounding ocean. Diving deep, she heard the voices of the two new whales swimming with their pod in the oceans a continent away. With a gentle smile, she moved back to the surface, to where her babies waited for her return. 

Chapter 2

When the family finally relaxed enough to wonder how they all came to be in the same room, Will asked, "Where are we, Adam?"

"France."

"Where in France?"

"Our bedroom," came a familiar voice, but not one Will expected.

"Éric?"

"Yep. Sorry, I didn't get around to you," the cave bear replied. "You have a big family."

Will laughed out loud. "Good Lord, do I ever. I'm sorry too, Éric." The old wolf looked at the pile of beasts happily wrapped up in each other's arms. "Is Luca in this mix?"

"No, he's off in Paris selling this year's vintage. I love my husband to pieces, but those meetings are about the most boring thing I've ever done. And that's coming from an artist. Watching paint dry is a part of our job description." The family laughed, and the cave bear added, "It's also the last week of school before the winter recess. I would miss that."

"And a visit from us as well," Kris said with a chuckle as he rolled over the top of the smaller bear and kissed him.

"I told Adam he was welcome here anytime. I forget that he often takes things quite literally."

"I hope you don't mind the visit," Adam said to the cave bear.

"Not at all. I was actually getting lonely. It's always fun to have company drop in. Although this is the first time they've dropped in on top of me from the sky. Do you six always go at each other the minute you wind up together?"

Derrick laughed. "If we all show up in the same place unexpectedly, it's a sure bet that Adam is home. Our greetings get frisky fast. We never know how much time we have with Adam, so we don't waste it. Plus, Adam always seems to drop us someplace secluded and romantic." The black wolf looked around the room with stucco walls and a beamed ceiling of aged wood. "This room certainly qualifies. It's beautiful. And it has a bed that fits us all."

It was the cave bear's turn to laugh. "Our bed is this big for a reason. Luca knows how many godfathers I have, and we're both happy to see you whenever you can make it over. We decided early on, whenever you visit, you're not staying in the guest house." He looked at Adam. "So what brought you here, Adam?"

"I had to come back to Terra. Inukshuk and Quinn became whales today," Adam responded. "I was trying to think of somewhere romantic to apologize to my husband for inconveniencing him. Your home was the first thing to pop into my head."

"It was my fault," Eric added, rubbing his white, furry chest. "We were at the beach for the turning. I asked him to take us somewhere that the beach sand wouldn't interfere with what I intended to do to him once they turned."

"Well, I'm glad you thought of here, Adam," the cave bear said as he pushed himself upright. He stared at Will's cock. "You're still hard, Old Wolf."

"So are you, Bear," Will responded with a grin.

"Yeah. Maybe we should stay here in bed together a while longer. You know... because you sort of overlooked me and I sort of overlooked you."

"That sounds nice," the old wolf replied. "And I come with some pleasurable attachments I call husbands. Just in case you missed a few of them along the way."

Éric grabbed the wolf and kissed him. "I wasn't thinking of asking any of you to leave. I'm aware of your appetites."

The Kodiak bear stretched. "And what of yours, Son?"

Éric smiled coyly. "They're pretty strong too. Don't forget who raised me, godfathers."

The Kodiak leaned in toward the cave bear. "Take the old wolf, Éric; or I will." Éric realized his godfather had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Later in the evening, the family gathered around the dinner table. Adam explained to everyone what had happened to Inukshuk and Quinn. "They will be happy in their new life. In many respects, I feel an affinity toward them. They have merged their lives with a species that is so far removed from who they are. But one day they will realize they are who they hoped to be all along."

"Sort'a like an otter that we knows," Oliver said, smiling.

"Very much so," Adam said.

"I'm happy for them, but I will miss those two," Derrick said with a frown. "It's not like I can go a mile out into the ocean and say hi. I'm not Papa Bear where I can paddle around all day and not get tired."

"That's true," Adam said as he pushed his empty plate back. "So, Inukshuk and Quinn's whale family made a compromise. The two can visit the rest of their family without becoming human. The whales are still not ready to trust humans. The idea that Inukshuk and Quinn might turn into one upset thems. It's hard to trust someone if they can change into the monster you fear most. It's a Jekyll and Hyde horror story for the whales."

Will sighed. "Yeah, it's something that disturbs me most of the time. It seems after the Night of Blinding, the Were Nation has grown less likely to revert to our human forms."

Adam nodded. "Centuries ago, your survival depended upon looking like humans. With the Night of Blinding, Kris removed the threat of humans seeing you. You're free to be what you want. As the centuries pass, you choose what you are most comfortable being. There are still beasts out there that prefer their human avatars."

Éric put down his fork. "It's strange. I thought I would move back and forth between both worlds. But with a family and town that all see me as a bear now, no one asks me to choose my human side except at funerals. The town and my family prefer to see Luca and me as beasts. It's not the same if the big, happy bear isn't there to entertain the kids at the family gatherings. And for whatever reason, Luca has more gravitas with the local wine consortium as a wolf than he ever did as a human."

Kris shrugged. "It's a strange world."

"Nah, it's just humans being humans," Oliver said, taking a mouthful of food. "Humans like things they sees as cute and cuddly, and they likes things that is bold and strong. Beasts is a bit of both." Oliver toyed with his food for a moment. "But when humans is hurting, they needs their own kind. Your human shows them you remember what it's like to be human and the hurt they feel when they has to bury their own."

"I guess I never thought of it that way, but it makes perfect sense," Éric replied.

"What? You thinks I'se just another pretty face? I gots a brain. I ponders on things like Pup does."

The cave bear reached out and put his paw on the badger's. "I know, Oliver. Sometimes, though, your pretty face is too distracting for me to remember that."

"You don't gots to remember it when we's in bed tonight, Bear."

"Really? You're going to stay the night?"

"If it's not imposing," Adam said. "I'm on call at the moment. I might wink out any time. So, I asked the twins if they could pick up the family tomorrow morning."

"Tiff and Tuff?"

"Yeah, they're in Algiers tonight. It's the last day of the Pan-African Cultural Festival. Chipo and Martin invited their husbands over for the weekend. Nathaniel and Max are still there with both sets of twins."

The polar bear looked disapprovingly at the badger. "Oliver?"

Oliver looked away sheepishly. "I mights have let Adam take me 'cause I thinks jazz is boring."

Adam had the same guilty look. "They said it was okay. Honest. As long as I get him back home safe and sound."

The white bear stood up and stretched. "I think we need to get him back to Kruger National Park tomorrow so he can spend some time with the husbands he just ditched at an arts festival. Especially considering the hours we spent here with an artist in our midst."

"I'se okay with that," Oliver said, smiling. "I could do me some endangered animal breeding. They gots a rhino there I'se fond of when he ain't listening to jazz at some damn festival."

The white bear shook his head. "Sometimes, Oliver."

"I'se sorry, Old Bear. I promise I will makes it up to my husbands."

"Well, that's good to hear," the bear said as he reached down and grabbed the badger. "Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen; I'm going to have me some badger dick for dessert."

The cave bear's eyes widened. "That sounds so much better than the lemon-berry savarin I have in the fridge."

"I'm sure he brought enough for everyone," Kris said as he rose from the table.

"Hold on a minute," the black wolf protested.

"No, Pup," Oliver said, waving his objection. "I gots plenty for everyone."

Derrick shook his head. "Adam was going to tell us how Inukshuk and Quinn found a way to visit us before we got all sidetracked. I swear this family finds a way to wind up having sex, no matter what the conversation."

Will looked askance at the black wolf. "You say that as if it were a bad thing."

Derrick smiled. "No, it's a wonderful thing. It's the best thing ever. But, Adam, you need to tell me. How do we get whales out on the land without Greenpeace trying to shove them back in the water?"

"Oh, that's simple," Adam said. "They become anthropomorphized polar bears like our husband. Now, about that sharing of Oliver's dick," he said, looking up at the white bear clutching his prize.

"What?" came the collective question from the group.

Adam turned to the entire group. "Seriously, husbands, and way too cute cave bear, priorities. Oliver has said he has more than enough dick for the lot of us. I want to prove that theorem."

"Nope," Will countered. "Not until you explain what you said. Are you saying there are two more polar bears out there?"

"No, there are two whales out there that, when they choose to come home to dry land, will shift to upright polar bears to do so. From time to time, our husband will no longer be the only polar bear in our family. The whales trust the Ancient One that swims with them. They will trust the polar bear children of the Ancient One as well."

Will shook his head. "Well, hot damn. Inukshuk and Quinn as polar bears. I might have to visit Juneau during whale migrating season more often." He turned to the group. "Okay, I'm satisfied. I'm thinking badger dick sounds more fun than endless explanations."

"Me too," Derrick agreed. "Badger dick… badger dick…" he began chanting.

"Badger dick… badger dick… badger dick…" the whole family chimed in. The polar bear, clutching the badger, walked back toward the bedroom with which he was intimately familiar.

Chapter 3

The two bears walked quietly through the vineyard in the morning light. For a time, they were both content to hold hands and let the only conversations of the day be between the early morning birds. At last, the brown bear took a deep breath and said, "You're unhappy, Papa. I can feel it."

The polar bear gave a feeble smile to the brown bear. "I'm happy, Son. I just have responsibilities I've been able to ignore for years that are finally catching up with me. Don't let my frustration with those lead you to believe I'm not happy here with you."

"What responsibilities, Papa?"

"For eons, the Unity made it a practice not to interfere with other worlds. We existed independently of what goes on out there," the white bear said, waving out toward the sky. "Our inclination was to remain separate from the violence that permeated so many worlds. We had seen enough of that in our own history. The ship that left our world so many millennia ago was an effort to correct what some saw as an oversight on our part. In being content to be with our own, we had unintentionally snubbed the rest of the galaxy. We wanted to say hello to other worlds and extend the hand of friendship."

"And you've done that."

The bear sighed. "Not without consequences."

The cave bear nodded. "I read the stories, Papa. You did the best you knew how with the circumstances that you had."

Eric gave another half-smile. "You have always been such a kind soul. You are why I struggle with what others see as a failure to accept my responsibility."

"You weren't responsible for any of what happened," Éric protested. "That Verital ship crashed before you were even born. You didn't sire any of the Children of the Night. And you had nothing to do with the humans that started a nuclear war. How could any of the Unity hold you responsible for what's happened on this planet?"

The polar bear hugged the cave bear. "Because, Son, they didn't task me to protect the humans. The Unity tasked my brothers and me to protect Terra. We chose to stay behind. We made promises."

The quiet lingered as the white bear's hug tightened. Éric realized now what his godfather meant. "You let the one thing capable of destroying Terra live. You protected the one creature that would kill both you and her."

"Because I love you. I don't love the humans. But I love you. I love your family. I love Will, and Derrick, and Oliver. As a species, humankind is little more than a virus bent on killing Terra. Max and JP gave me a reprieve, but what they did isn't holding. With each generation, more humans are losing the empathy gene. Human genetics overwhelms it. Human nature is creeping back into the mix and pushing back against the changes that they made. Even knowing the right thing to do, humans deceive themselves into doing what's wrong in the name of righteousness."

Éric's paw tightened around the polar bear's thick paw. "What are you going to do? It's not like you can change that any more than you could stop the Children of the Night on your own."

The white bear stopped and turned to the cave bear. "I can stop it. The same way my husband stopped the Children of the Night. But I don't know if I can live with the consequences of keeping Terra safe."

The young cave bear stared into the eyes of the older polar bear. Even without the gift of the Sight, he saw the future in the white bear's sad eyes. He remembered the stories in the histories. The Changelings promised to be the fallback position if the winged bears failed. He could almost hear the badger yelling the words he read on the pages of their history. "You Terran Changelings are the fail-safe. We don'ts make this work, you ends us all. You saves Terra."

"There might be another way," the brown bear whispered. "There are so many good people out there."

"It only took a handful of bad people to destroy this earth. Good people so rarely rise up when faced with evil. No matter how we try, it seems our protecting the humans results in failing to protect Terra."

"I have faith in you, Papa. You'll find another way."

The polar bear sighed. "I wish I had your faith, Son."

Éric squeezed Eric's paw again. "Then trust in my faith, Papa. Let it go for now. We're nowhere near that day when you will need to choose. Let's use the time we have to find a different choice."

"But if it's the only choice?"

Éric rubbed the arm of the polar bear. "Then we protect Terra. We do what you promised. We don't walk away from our promises, no matter how hard they are to live up to."

The polar bear grabbed the cave bear into a tight hug, draping his head over the shoulder of the smaller bear. "I love you, Son," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Papa," the cave bear whispered back. 

From the veranda overlooking the vineyard, a badger stood watching the two bears hug. "That's it, Boy," he said with a smile. "You keeps my husband in his good place as long as you can. Gonna be a day when nothing we does will change what's gotta be. That bear we loves gots the weight of this world on his shoulders. One day he's gonna need to decide how he's gonna save her. And we are gonna have to be there by his side helping him live with that."

Chapter 4

The black wolf came running toward the young human, his arms outstretched. "SPACKLE!" he yelled. "Happy Birthday."

The young man gleefully braced himself for the hug that lifted him off his feet and spun him around. "Hey, Wolfy," he replied as the rotating hug slowed and the warm kiss began. Spackle liked that Derrick's kisses always lingered longer than social norms found acceptable. He also loved that when he pushed his tongue forward, the wolf's mouth always opened to accommodate it. In return, he had learned how to French kiss with the taste of a wolf lingering on his tongue afterward. 

After three years in Tibet, he still found wolves and bears ready to make him feel right with himself and his dreams. Derrick was one of those wolves. Yet, the black wolf was so much more to him than that simple acknowledgment meant. Three years away hadn't lessened the feelings he had for the wolf in his arms.

"So, welcome to the ranch," the black wolf said when the hug ended. "I'm sorry that it took so long to get you here."

"Well, being a cloistered novitiate has its drawbacks. It's more me than anything you guys did," Spackle replied. "I thought when I graduated things were going to slow down a bit. Boy, was I wrong." The human looked around the front yard of the ranch house. "Where is everyone?"

"We have the place to ourselves for a bit. Eric and Will got called away to New York last night. But they promised they will be here before the party starts. Jean Pierre, Lothair, and Jason are in Geneva visiting their son. Your birthday bumped up against their anniversary, so we won't be seeing them this weekend." The two heard the hum of the engines behind them and turned to watch the Red Wolf launch into the sky. "There go the twin twins. They're going to collect some of the family, but most of them will arrive with Faraji and Talib. You're going to meet a very large contingent of your family tonight."

"Including all my brothers?"

"Yep, all twelve of them. With this large a gathering, things can get frisky as the evening wears on. Chet, Max, and JP are out seeing to the last fitting of a new Yurt that will fit two temple dogs and a human."

Spackle grinned. "Are you sure that's such a wise idea?" 

Derrick laughed. "We want you to feel comfortable. It can be intimidating dealing with a room full of frisky temple dogs in the company of so many Changelings. So, we're giving you somewhere that the three of you can be alone. It's beautiful out on the plains at night. You'll love it. Besides, we've written it off as an expense already. We always write things off when it involves temple dogs." The wolf paused in thought. "But they take it gently when you're with them, right?"

"Right. But I'm twenty-five today. I'm not sure how well the three of us will cope with this birthday. I know I promised myself I would wait until I was thirty, but there are days…" Spackle's voice trailed off.

"I know, Spackle. It's never easy waiting for what you want when what you want is around you every day. You have two dogs that love you very much, and they haven't seen you in three years. Being a beast instead of a human would make things so much easier for you."

"But holding to my timeline is so important to me. Wolfy, I know what I want to be. This isn't just becoming a beast. I want to be a temple dog. And when I turn, I want Li Wei and Katashi to know that I am sure of what I want."

Derrick nodded. "I understand. You're on the right path."

"Sometimes it can be lonely, though," Spackle whispered. "It's not blue balls I get, so much as just blue."

Derrick cocked his head. "Do you, Noboru, and Peng address your physical needs?"

The young man laughed. "Oh, Noboru and Peng play grab ass with me all the time. But you know it's different. They always respect the limits of our relationship. It's loving, but it's not the same as what I yearn for."

"Well, you're returning to Partridge Island, right? Can Anders and Lewis help?"

"I love them. But there are nights when their closeness only reminds me more of what I am missing out on in life."

"You know you can have sex with either of them, right? They can change for you."

"I know. We've discussed it. One night when we were together, they told me we could be… well, you know… more intimate if I wanted. I wanted that so bad, Wolfy. Then I looked at the two of them, and I realized I have never even seen Lewis as human. They have always been a bear and a wolf. When the day comes that we have sex, I want to be a beast. I don't want them to have to change for me."

"Anders is a Changeling, Spackle. He doesn't have to change for you."

"Really?"

"You want to know the truth?" Derrick replied. "I don't think any of us have to. Papa Bear once told me it was all about intention. What keeps us from turning a human is not some change that restores our human DNA. It's what our intention is. If we stay focused, we protect humans from the change. We never even exchange DNA." Derrick chuckled a bit. "We exchange lots of bodily fluids, but no Changeling DNA. It's like a full-body condom. We hold back a part of who we are so that we can share another part of ourselves with you. It's that intention that's key. We know we must never change the one who doesn't wish to be changed. That's what keeps us from turning a human who wants to remain human."

"Then why do werebeasts turn back to humans before having sex with those of us who don't want to change?"

Derrick shrugged his shoulders. "Tradition I suppose. It helps us keep that intention at the forefront of our minds. If I'm human, and I'm with another human, it reminds me of our relationship. Protect the innocent, Spackle. We don't turn you until you're ready to be turned. But that doesn't mean dry humping is the only activity on your plate," the black wolf added. "You know that. If you know you love someone… I mean really love someone, then tell him. Let the two of you work out how you're going to be together. Sex can be a part of that. Don't hold back because you don't want them to have to change for you. We all change for the ones we love. That's a lesson you need to learn."

"But if I ask, they would have to hold back a part of themselves; they'd have to hold back the beast they really are."

"We all make sacrifices to be with the ones we love, Spackle. Holding back a part of who we are seems like a small price to pay to be with someone we love. Eric has lived with human mates many times." Derrick paused. "I don't think he ever regretted the changes he had to make to be with them. Li Wei and Katashi must have told you to not miss all the surrounding possibilities rather than fixating on what isn't possible."

"Yeah, bunches of times. I hope one day I will learn it."

"Then you're good? If what you need from those you love is to take it to the next level, ask them. Don't assume you know what their answer is."

"I know Anders and Lewis would say yes in a heartbeat. But, when they take me, I want it to be as the bear and wolf I've always known them to be. I can wait for that, Wolfy. I can wait for them to be with me because that's the dream I have."

"I understand. I would feel the same way," Derrick agreed. "They're both worth waiting for, the same as Li Wei and Katashi. When you're a temple dog, you can be with them the way you want to be, and they won't have to hold back."

"I'm going to have one busy welcoming," Spackle said with a sigh.

"Yeah, you will," Derrick laughed. "Don't forget Will made a promise to you as well."

Spackle looked at the black wolf. "You know about that?"

"Sure. Our family doesn't have secrets about who we're going to be with," Derrick replied. "You know I'll be in line right behind him. Temple dogs make incredible tops." The wolf paused a moment. "And great bottoms. You've lived for three years with Noboru. That dog loves to bottom. He makes me feel so in control when I top him I'd swear I'm butch."

Spackle shook his head. "There is still so much human in me. The moment I think it's all fading away, it pulls me back."

"None of us got to where we are overnight, Spackle," the wolf consoled. "I am the worst at struggling with what others taught me as proper versus what is right. But somewhere along the line, I learned that love isn't about possessing someone. It isn't about the one and only. And it sure as hell isn't about abstinence as a virtue."

Spackle smiled. "I think those would be excellent lessons to learn." The young man's hands slipped behind him. "Wolfy?"

"Spackle?"

"Will once told me to get out and make friends. He said that if one day I found a friend who I wanted to be sexually active with, everyone would understand."

Derrick nodded. "He was right."

"Even if that friend is you?"

"Beyond where we've been?"

Spackle nodded.

"Are you sure, Spackle?" the black wolf asked.

"You and I have so much fun doing everything else. I know how good I feel when we hug. Kissing you is one of my favorite things. I can't imagine having sex with you would be anything but incredible." 

"Well, we have fun, and we're more intimate than most. But having sex together is that next level I mentioned. I want to make sure it's the choice you're making and not reacting to the frustration you can't be with the ones you want."

"It's more than that, Wolfy. I trust you. You've supported every choice I've ever made from the beginning."

"You make great choices, Spackle. It's not that hard."

"I don't want to be a virgin when I go to bed with Anders and Lewis."

"You won't be, trust me. Li Wei and Katashi will have had you in so many ways that by the time Anders and Lewis see you, you'll be very experienced."

"I don't want to be a virgin for them either," Spackle said. "I know they won't mind, but I want to know what it's like." The young man put out his hand. "Look at me, Wolfy. I'm shaking, thinking that you might say yes. When they turn me, I don't want to be this boy. I want to be a man who is confident and proud of the choice he's making."

The wolf shifted. In his place stood a naked, overweight man with a thick beard complimenting his round face. "You remember me, right? I'm that chubby guy with body issues."

Spackle smiled. "You're beautiful, Wolfy. You will always be beautiful to me. Trust me about this one. I said it before. You need to trust that I'm right when I say you're beautiful."

Derrick put out his hand. "We have an enormous bed inside that's way more comfortable than standing out here in the sun."

Spackle took the hand and squeezed it. "I'm sure we'll find a way to make it work."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, Wolfy. I want my first time to be with someone I love — someone who will be gentle and let me go at my own pace. There are lessons I need to learn to be the mate of two temple dogs. I trust you can teach me those lessons." 

Derrick squeezed Spackle's hand in return. He turned it staring at the stark contrast between his white skin and Spackle's dark ebony. He took a step forward, and the two leaned into the kiss both needed to ease their shyness toward passion. The two turned toward the ranch house and took their first tentative steps.

Inside the master bedroom, Derrick let Spackle strip in front of him. "There is nothing romantic or sexy about trying to get a guy out of his clothes. I don't care what you may have watched on any monitor," Derrick said. "But there is something very, very sexy about watching a guy stripping in front of you. Something about that slow reveal pushes all the right buttons." 

Spackle laughed as he sat on the side of the bed. "I'm taking my socks off. That's not exactly sexy."

"It is to a guy with a sock fetish," Derrick replied. "We have a few of those in the community, you know."

Spackle looked up. "No, actually I didn't." 

With his socks off, Spackle stood up in front of the corpulent man and put his arms out as if standing for inspection. Derrick smiled, taking in what the young man showed him. "You are such a handsome human, Spackle. I remember the first time we met. I hardly recognize you. You've changed so much."

"I lost a hundred and sixty pounds, Wolfy."

"And probably packed on about thirty in muscle," Derrick added as he patted the space on the bed next to him. "You look beautiful."

"Truth?"

"Truth. You've worked so hard to be where you're at today. Try to take a moment to enjoy the fact that I am going to have so much fun with that body of yours."

"I haven't got a clue how to do most of the things we're supposed to know instinctively," Spackle said shyly. 

"Other than being a bottom, I had to learn it all," Derrick said as he sat next to the naked human. "Don't worry about any of this. There won't be any wrong or right. You do what you feel good doing. Try whatever it is you fantasize about. We go slow and love like crazy."

Spackle's smile widened. "It will be love?"

"It will always be love. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have said yes." 

"I'm still shaking, Wolfy. I can't stop shaking."

Derrick took his hand and pushed Spackle back onto the bed. He leaned over, took the young man's swollen cock into his mouth, and began sucking. A minute hadn't passed before Spackle cried out between heavy breaths. The orgasm that overtook him was so intense that a shake that once was a shiver jolted through his whole body. After a time, the jerking of his body subsided. The orgasm slowly melded with the feelings of Derrick's lips on his cock. He was aware of each drop of cum that spilled from him into the bearded man's mouth. Finally, Derrick let go of his prize and slipped up alongside the lad. "You've stopped shaking," he said playfully.

"Yeah, I have," Spackle said. "Teach me how to do that, Wolfy."

"Why don't you try it on your own first? I can be very vocal if you want me to be, but try to find what feels good to you first. My guess is that your instincts will be fine. Spackle kissed the man in front of him. As their tongues explored each other, his hand reached down and cupped Derrick's balls. Derrick sighed a long and happy groan. "I was right," he whispered between kisses. "You've got great instincts."

Somewhere after his fourth orgasm, Derrick convinced Spackle he had trained enough in the art of fellatio. What Derrick wanted Spackle to do was climb onto his back and mount him. The young man's inexperience showed as he tried to wield the lube bottle while balancing on the man below. His lube-covered hand slapped against Derrick's back and slid along his shoulder blades. Spackle began an apology, but Derrick's hand went up with the index finger pointing upward. "Love means never having to say you're sorry," he said with a snicker. "That's from a movie, so you know it's got to be the truth."

"I've made a mess of your back," Spackle stammered.

"It washes off, Spackle," Derrick replied. "Just make sure you have plenty of that lube on your cock and I won't care how much we have to deal with elsewhere."

"You really want me to do this?" Spackle asked, as his cock slid between the ass cheeks of the man below him.

"I really want you to do this," Derrick responded. "Slip it in and do whatever feels good to you once it's in."

Spackle took his cock in hand and pushed it between the tight crack of Derrick's butt. He lunged forward when he felt the pucker of the rotund man's ass. The entire girth and length of the young man shoved in far quicker than Derrick expected. But his years of experience never let Spackle know of his awkward entry. "That's it, Spackle," he sighed. "You're in."

"It feels wonderful," Spackle groaned. He pushed his lower torso up and over the rounded mounds of Derrick's butt.

"Yeah it does," Derrick agreed. "Now rock it in and out at whatever pace you want. Vary it a bit. Slow down when you feel you're going to come. Speed up if you feel you're going to lose your hard-on."

Spackle did his best to comply, but only moments later, he shuddered through his third orgasm. Derrick wouldn't let him apologize. Spackle remembered Li Wei's teaching and accepted that his orgasm was a way of telling Derrick how much he enjoyed being with him.

"Stay there inside me," Derrick encouraged. "Enjoy your orgasms. Let them take you exactly where they should take you. You're young. Stay inside me until you are calm enough that it doesn't tickle when you move again."

"It doesn't tickle now," Spackle said. He pushed his hands firmly between the shoulder blades of the man below him. He began his thrusting again. This time, he lasted for a few moments longer before his body yielded to an orgasm that left him lying on Derrick's back, panting.

When Spackle finally rolled off Derrick's back, Derrick rolled over and climbed up on top of the young man. Spackle looked down at the place where their two bodies intersected. He gawked at the gooey mess between the two. He knew what he saw wasn't his doing alone. "You came?"

"Oh yeah," Derrick said with a throaty growl. "I came. And now you're going to watch me come again."

Spackle's smile spread. "Oh yes, please."

Derrick straddled the hips of the man below him. He reached back, found Spackle's still erect cock, and pushed it back into his ass. He rocked forward and then back. Spackle took a deep breath in. "Oh god, you do that and you're going to make me come again."

Derrick gave Spackle a mischievous smile. "Well then, I'll have to come that much sooner." 

Derrick was as good as his word. When he lifted his belly to expose the cock sliding up against Spackle's belly, the first volley of cum shot over the young man's head. It splattered against the large mirror that acted as a headboard to the bed. The second shot fell shorter, splashing across Spackle's face. What followed hit his chest, and finally spilled onto his stomach. At that point, Derrick let his heavy gut slap back down against Spackle's fireplug build.

"You came," Spackle said, as he drew a finger across the cum on his face. He shoved it into his mouth and savored the taste.

"So did you," Derrick said as he lifted himself off the dripping cock. He fell to the side of the young man and took a deep breath. "How are you doing, Spackle?"

There was quiet while the young man searched for words. "I'm doing great, Wolfy. I never thought it would be this good."

"Does it feel like sex?"

Spackle shook his head. "No. It feels like love. I've had enough experience with my right hand to know the difference."

Derrick leaned over and took a dark nipple into his mouth. "Good then. We agree."

"I want to do it all over again," Spackle said with a giggle.

"Would you settle for a shower?"

Spackle pushed the head sucking his nipple closer. "Will you…" he paused, letting the head go. 

Derrick looked up at the human. "Will I what?"

"You know," Spackle said shyly.

"I'll mount you, Spackle."

"Oh, I like that word. I couldn't think of anything but fuck," Spackle said with a laugh.

"I'm a shy wolf. I like to hear the word mount. Now when you're with Oliver, you're going to have to say fuck or he will just laugh at you."

"Oliver will fuck me?"

"You flash those brown eyes and that yellow fur at him and he will do anything you ask."

"So when I'm a temple dog?"

"When you're a temple dog. Probably not before. Oliver doesn't like being human."

"I can wait for him to be what he wants to be before he mounts me."

"He's worth the wait," Derrick said. He pushed up on his elbows and kissed Spackle. "Time for showers."

When Spackle walked into the bathroom and saw the shower, he made an audible gasp. "You can fit an army into this thing."

"We have," Derrick said with a laugh. "Don't forget, Oliver has eight husbands. When we all get together, we create a lot of reasons for showers."

While Spackle luxuriated in the warm water cascading over his back, Derrick pushed his legs further apart. They began slipping out from under the human when they hit blocks that stopped him from falling into a full-out split. He looked down at where his feet were locked in place. "Are those there on purpose?" he asked.

"Oliver can't reach us at our full height. We had the blocks put in to make it easier for us to spread out our legs far enough so that our rumps and his cock match up."

"So, this isn't the only set of these?" Spackle said, rubbing his foot against the block.

"Nope. There are twelve of them around each of the individual shower heads. There are others for Adam under the main falls. But this is the one that I knew would put you down low enough for me to mount you while we were both standing up."

Spackle tried to look back. The warm water flowed over his head. Through the blur, he saw Derrick and smiled. "You're my first, Derrick."

"We'll go slow and love like crazy."

Spackle giggled. "Yeah, let's love like crazy." The young man felt the bulk of the man behind him press close. The gut shoved up along his back, and he felt the cock slipping between his crack. He closed his eyes as it pressed closer to his hole. He felt Derrick's hand reach down and rub the cock along the entire crack, bathing it in pre-cum. 

"In…" Spackle begged. "Put it in." Derrick moved forward. Spackle felt his tightness widen. Somewhere past the initial pain, Spackle felt the warmth spreading. The two found the spot between pain and pleasure and waited until all Spackle felt was pleasure. As the hours passed, Spackle learned how skilled a bottom could be in introducing another to his world.

Chapter 5

The two naked men were playfully kissing and talking as they rubbed the towels across each other. They spent more than enough time drying off. But the pleasure of rubbing the soft terry cloth against each other was irresistible. "Want to go back in and cuddle for a bit more?" Derrick asked. "We still have a few minutes before anyone should show up." 

"Thanks, but we're all nice and clean. I'm not sure I want to slide back into all that goo," Spackle said. He turned away shyly. "Sorry about the sheets." 

"Oh, don't worry about them. We have lots of automated things around this house. They pay very close attention to how messy we can get things. Come on, let's go look." 

While the two were showering, metal tentacles with rubber suction cups slipped out from under the bed. At first, it seemed like a horror movie coming to life. And then, the tentacles slipped up under the cum-covered sheets and pulled them off the bed. The arms swept away the bedding and replaced it with clean sheets, blankets, and bedcovers. The automaton had fluffed the sheets and folded them back before the two returned to the room. As soon as Spackle saw the change, he dove back into the bed, dragging Derrick along with him. "Promise me we'll do this all again," Spackle begged.

"Of course we will. Your training isn't over yet," Derrick said as he kissed the young man's chest.

"I would have to agree with him there," the two heard the voice from across the room. From the darkness of the corner, two yellow eyes gleamed.

"Husband?" Derrick asked.

"Hello, Pup," Will replied. "What brought this about?" he asked as he stepped from the shadows.

"Oh, please, please, don't be mad at him, Will. I asked him to."

"To what?"

"To teach me how to have sex so that I wouldn't be a clumsy oaf when Li Wei and Katashi turn me."

The Iberian wolf gave a low growl. "And how go your lessons, Spackle?"

"Best birthday ever?" the young man replied somewhere between a question and a statement. He stared at the wolf, unable to determine whether Will was going to kiss him or kill him.

The glow in the wolf's eyes softened. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. You chose an excellent teacher," he said as a smile spread across his muzzle. 

"I wanted it to be someone I loved, Will. I hope you don't mind."

"Why should I? I love him too."

Spackle shook his head. "I think I've had this conversation before with Wolfy." He looked back and forth between the wolf and the naked man next to him. Both were smiling, and Spackle was sure they were smiling at his confusion.

The polar bear walked by the open bedroom door and stopped mid-stride. He stared at the two naked men in bed and chuckled. "Well, Spackle, unwrapping presents a bit early, I see."

"Yes sir," Spackle said. "I hope you're not upset."

"Not at all."

Will turned to the white bear. "Seems Spackle loves Pup."

"Well, we have that in common," the bear said as he took a step into the room. "And what about you, Pup?"

"I love him too, Papa Bear."

"Good to hear. Although, I wouldn't expect to find you two naked in our bed unless that was the case." He looked over toward the clock on a night table. "You have four hours before guests start arriving. You're both naked and you look happy together. I suggest you make the best of your time. I'll drop back in three and a half hours to make sure you have time to get cleaned up for your guests."

Spackle made a timid wave to the bear. "Thank you, Eric."

"My pleasure, men." He turned back toward the door, but with his backhand, he swatted the butt of the old wolf. "And you, Old Wolf, it would seem to me you're out of uniform."

"Old Bear?" Will questioned. 

The polar bear turned back toward the human and his naked companion. "Spackle, if I'm not mistaken, Pup has been helping you prepare to be the mate of two very attractive and sexually active temple dogs."

"Yes, sir."

"Well then, Old Wolf," the bear said as he walked out of the room. "It seems he's short one practice partner."

Will turned to Spackle. "He's right, you know. Two partners are a more distinct challenge to a novitiate than one."

Spackle turned to Derrick. "Well, he's right about that," Derrick said with a smile.

Spackle turned back to Will. "But you said you wouldn't have sex with me until I was a temple dog."

"That's true," Will said casually. "And I won't." With a shake, a large naked man stood where the old wolf once was. "But I will."

"Really?" Spackle said, as his eyes widened at the sight of what dangled between the man's legs.

"You say yes, and I'm with you two for the next four hours." Will waved over his hairy human body. "I think of this guy as someone other than me most of the time," Will explained. "I'm like Oliver. We aren't fond of our human side. Unless it's important, I'm not fond of wearing my ape suit.

"And I'm important?" the young man asked.

"You are to me," Will replied. "Eric is right. If you're hoping to be less awkward around your future mates, it would be a good idea to play with two men. I told you I would always have your back. It seems this evening having your back will include having you both front and back."

"This is a one-time offer?" Spackle asked sadly.

"Wolves mate for life, Kid. If you say yes, I will assume you mean that you and I are choosing to be friends for life. You decide. If what you're feeling for me is infatuation or curiosity, let me go. I will still be there for you. And I promise that at your welcoming party, I will test those newly minted temple dog bones of yours to the max."

Spackle put out his arms toward the mountain man before him. "I say yes, Will. I will always say yes."

The man standing before the two reached down, grabbed his ball sack and stretched it. As he did so, Spackle gazed at the cock. It started swelling, and the young man realized it hadn't even begun to reach full size. Will jumped onto the bed and crawled toward the two. His eyes sparkled yellow for a moment. The wolf was on the hunt, and he found his willing prey in the shape of two happy, naked men. 

Will gave his first kiss to Derrick, as he always did. When the two separated, Spackle found out what it was like to kiss two very different men. His hand reached down below the hairy man in front of him. He sighed as he felt the girth and length of a cock easily twice the size of the chubby man next to him. He wasn't prepared to have Will mount him today, but he also knew that one day, his friend for life would find a way.

Three hours later, Chet, Max, and JP pushed the front doors open and walked into the main hall of the ranch house. Eric was reclining on a couch, reading an old-style tablet. "Where is everyone?" JP asked.

The polar bear didn't even look up. "Derrick and Will are in playing with Spackle. They have their ape suits on."

Chet laughed. "Really, Papa? What is it with you all?"

Max gave a playful punch to the arm of his angel husband. "Hold on there. Wolfy turned me. I won't have you disparaging my father."

"I'm not. I'm wondering how my papa can see his two husbands and that young man together without offering to join them. For that matter, I'm not sure why the three of us are out here talking to Papa instead of running off to the master bedroom."

Eric looked up from the couch. "Because the three of them need this time alone together. Spackle is a novitiate; he's unsure of himself and the calling he feels drawn to. He trusts Will and Derrick. They are his guides. One day we will have our hands full with a newborn temple dog, but for the time being, we wait." The polar bear paused. "Except for those who Spackle chose to have by his side," he added with a smile.

Chet nodded. "So, he's not choosing to turn tonight?"

"I don't think so," the bear replied. "He made a promise to the men he loves that he's waiting until he's thirty before his turning. That young man is very determined. He will make it to that day."

"Well, he has our support, Papa Bear," JP said. Max nodded. "The yurt is up and good to go. The plumbing all works, and we stocked the fridge. We even made sure the lights have a dimmer switch. That place is going to be very popular with the wolves at the run later this month." The Kermode bear looked over at the tables lined with trays and chafing dishes. "Oooh… snacks," he said happily. He grabbed a tiny fork, speared a meatball from a crock-pot, and tossed it into his mouth. "Is everything else squared away for tonight?"

"The buffet was flawless until a meatball went missing," the bear said with a smile. "We have a few presents, a cake with candles; there's not much else. It's a birthday party, after all; not a grand affair," the bear answered. "It's a chance for Spackle to meet all his brothers for the first time as one group. I'm hoping that the rest takes care of itself." Eric pushed up on the couch and lifted his heavy body up. "You told the ranch hand beasts they're invited, right?" 

Chet nodded. "I did. Most of them are politely going to decline. This is a busy time of year for us."

"Well then, there should be plenty of leftovers for them to enjoy later." The bear walked over to one of the buffet tables and straightened it to align with the others. "Did you tell them the temple dogs were visiting?"

"I think that's why they're staying away. The last time the Brotherhood visited, most of us couldn't ride a horse the next day. Our herds don't see sore asses as a reason to take time off."

The old bear laughed. "Okay. Dad and Oliver are going to be coming in with the twin twins. The Black Rhino will bring in the Tibetan and New Zealand temple dogs. Faraji and Talib might stop by and pick up their pack. Chipo and Martin are there too, so we should have a respectable showing. It's time Spackle realizes his family extends far beyond the borders of Partridge Island."

Max walked over to a candy dish on a table and tossed a few chocolates into his mouth.
 "Why not invite your son and Uncle Max?"

"I guess I thought they would feel strange coming here to see someone they see every day."

Max rolled his lips together. "Maybe. But it might help if Spackle were to see some familiar faces in that sea of unknown faces. Especially since a lot of that sea of faces will look exactly like Li Wei and Katashi."

"I'll make the call," Eric said as he rose. "Anyone else I'm overlooking?"

"His dads?" JP queried.

"Already coming with Dad and Oliver."

"Greg and Mike?"

"On the list."

"Clifford and Kirk? Kirk was his mentor in architectural design."

Eric slapped his head. "How could I have forgotten them? I sure hope they'll overlook my overlooking them."

"It's a ten-minute trip, Papa Bear," JP assured Eric. "If they're not committed to something else, they only have to jump on board the Red Wolf. I'm sure they'd love an invite."

"Especially if you mention the temple dogs," Max said with a laugh. "They don't have to worry about riding horses tomorrow."

Eric made the call. Those that could make travel arrangements did so. And then all waited for the time to pass. When Eric stepped into the master bedroom to announce the time, he heard the showers running. He turned back toward the door, realizing that the three were aware of their limited time together. "Husband, I need a big bear to scrub my back," he heard Will yell from the bathroom. 

The polar bear entered the room and crossed the wide hallway to the shower. He looked inside and smiled at the happy threesome. "I don't want to get my ape suit wet," the polar bear said with a laugh. 

"I don't want that either," Will said. "I need a scrub brush on my backside only my husbear can provide."

Eric shook his head. "God, I haven't heard that word in two hundred years." He stepped into the showers and rubbed up against the back of the six-foot-four-inch man covered in a wet mat of body hair. The bear leaned down and kissed along the hairy shoulders. "I love you so much, Old Wolf. I can never say no to you."

"Scrub me, Old Bear," Will sighed as he pushed back against his husband's growing cock. "It doesn't have to be for long. Just enough to get me through the night. I'm going to try to be a gentleman among all those dogs. I can't do it without feeling you inside me first." 

The polar bear picked up the man and skillfully lowered him onto his cock. "I miss my husband," the bear whispered in the mountain man's ear. With a shake, the gray wolf was back, writhing in pleasure as the bear's hips thrust into him.

Spackle watched the two beasts find their rhythm while Derrick soaped up his back. "They're both so beautiful," he whispered. 

"Yes, they are," the chubby man behind him agreed. 

Spackle turned back toward his naked partner and rubbed his soapy chest. "I feel guilty watching them. They seem so lost in each other."

Derrick kissed his companion. His lathered hands moved over the tight nipples on Spackle's chest. "And you?" Derrick asked. "You're not getting lost?"

Spackle kissed the man in front of him. His hand lowered to the still-swollen cock and rubbed the slippery layer of soap back and forth. "No. My whole life I've felt lost, Wolfy," he whispered. "I know where I am, and it's exactly where I want to be." When Derrick's hands slipped down to his cock, the young man closed his eyes. In moments, he yielded to the orgasm the fondling brought him. 

Spackle had lost count of how many times the orgasms had surged through him. But he followed the words of the temple dogs he loved and felt no shame or regret. As his hand became covered in the cum of the man in front of him, he accepted the gifts of pleasure with gratitude. 

All too soon, the young wolf was helping Spackle back into his clothes. "You don't have to get dressed if you don't want to," Derrick said as he buttoned the shirt. "I can't imagine Noboru letting you train in your clothes." 

"No, he didn't. I don't have any problem being naked with my brothers. But an entire room full of beasts is a bit more to deal with than my brothers," Spackle said, smiling. "Maybe one day, Wolfy. I want to be that man, but it's still too big a leap for me to get naked in front of total strangers."

"Do you want me to switch back to my ape suit? We can go naked together."

The young man laughed. "Wolfy, you're incorrigible."

"Yeah, I am. But I love seeing you naked. I can't imagine any of our family feeling differently."

"One day, I promise. Give me time."

Derrick leaned down and wolf lips met human. "In your own time, Spackle."

The four in the master bedroom heard the booming voice of a rhino in the main hall. "What kind of buffet is this?" he bellowed. "Veggies? Crock-pots full of god knows what? Sure, it's overflowing, but where are the wolves? Where are the bears? I came here to eat something more substantial than carrot sticks."

Derrick laughed. "That's Chipo. He's a rhinoceros. You're going to love him."

Spackle shook his head. "Into the deep end tonight, huh?"

Derrick smiled and gave Spackle one last kiss on the cheek. "We will never let you drown. This is your family. We will lift you above where your fear threatens to take you."

"Promise?"

Derrick nodded. "I promise. They all know you're not turning tonight. They will tease you, but they won't try to get you to do anything that would jeopardize your wishes. You couldn't be safer anywhere than where you are tonight." The wolf gestured toward the open bedroom door. "Let's go meet our family."

Spackle adjusted his shirt collar. For a moment, he felt overdressed. When Chipo burst into the room and stared at him, he felt even more so. "Look," Chipo said with a cheerful wave. "It's the birthday boy." His arms reached out. "Come… Will says you give great hug."

Spackle rushed into the arms of the leathery beast and hugged him. The head of the rhino lowered and Spackle felt the prehensile lip of the rhino toy with his ear. "I bet you're wishing you didn't have to wear all those nasty clothes now, don't you?" Chipo whispered.

All Spackle could do was nod as he kept clinging to the great beast.

Chapter 6

The wagon hit a bump in the road and the three in the back bounced up and back down. "Sorry about that, gentleman," Chet said as he reined the horses away from the ruts. "These roads don't get graded very often."

"Please don't concern yourself, Chet," the temple dog implored. "Temple dogs have amply padded rumps."
"You do indeed, Katashi," Chet agreed. "And as soon as I get you three to your lodgings, I intend to fly back home and take advantage of at least a few of them."
Katashi laughed out loud. "I love hearing you laugh," Chet said. "It's like feeling rain on your face on a hot summer day."
Katashi tilted his head slightly. "I make you wet?"
"All the time, dear Dog, but that was a simile attempting to say how good it feels to hear you laugh."
Katashi ruminated on the response. "Then I am glad I can bring you happiness."
Spackle watched the back and forth between the winged man and the temple dog with great interest. Li Wei bent down to the young man's ear. "The two of them understand each other completely, but their play with words expresses a love they have for each other that extends beyond the words."
Spackle nodded. "It feels like family."
"That is because it is, Little One," Li Wei replied. "We bond with each other on many levels. Sex seems to interest those watching from the outside the most, but the gentle play of words between two who love each other brings its own union."
"I still have so much to learn," the young man said as he pushed his head up against the side of the temple dog. Li Wei wrapped his arm around the young man and lowered his head to kiss Spackle's close-cropped hair. "Sleep, Little One. You have had a very busy day learning just how large your family is. Tonight you sleep alone. You need your rest."
Spackle looked up sleepily. "What will you and Katashi do?"
Li Wei smiled. "I think we will offer Chet the rumps he says he wishes to find tonight."
Spackle smiled. "You find his rump somewhere along the line, okay? JP told me he loves that just as much."
"We will abide by your wishes, Little One," Li Wei replied. "Now sleep. We will put you to bed and be beside you when you wake."
The young man bowed his head. "I love you Li Wei. I love you both so much."
Li Wei watched the young man's head bob even deeper as he fell asleep. "We love you too, Little One. And one day you will learn just how far that love will take you." The wagon pulled up to the Yurt and Chet pulled the horses in close to the hitching rail. Li Wei rose up with the young man in his arms. 
Katashi pushed open the wide double doors to the yurt and Li Wei walked inside. He laid Spackle on the side of the fourteen-foot long, twelve-foot wide bed. Chet gently removed the clothes from the sleeping man and pulled a blanket over him. "Good night, you prince of Partridge Island, you king of New Brunswick," Chet said as he kissed the sleeping man on the cheek. When he had done so, Li Wei and Chet exited the yurt, closing the door behind them.
Li Wei smiled at the angel. "The king of New Brunswick has told us we should royally bang your butt tonight."
Chet looked up and smiled. "Where did you learn such language, Li Wei?"
"Oliver spends at least four months out of the year on Partridge Island. His anachronisms are always entertaining. Sometimes they are fun to repeat simply to see you smile."
"But you will abide by the king's decree?"
"If you are willing."
"And your rumps, good sir?"
"As always, our rumps are at your disposal," Li Wei replied. 
Chet pointed off toward a volcanic crater rising from the plains. "A short ride from here there is a beautiful crystal clear lake inside an ancient caldera. The trees that surround it should help buffer the noise we make. Spackle will sleep without us disturbing him."
Katashi looked off in the distance at the low-rising hill that was once a volcano. "The trees, are they sturdy?"
"Enough for us and a single night, I imagine… if we stick to the lower branches."
"Then you would join us?"
Chet studied the yearning look of the two. "I have a suggestion for you both. You enjoy hanging from the trees, correct?"
"Indeed. Inversion heightens our sexual pleasure."
"Could I interest you in hanging airborne from the paws of my husbands while I take you?"
Li Wei's eyes brightened. "Both of us?"
"One at a time, but yes, both of you. Or you could take any of us while you hang upside down."
"Higher than any tree?"
"Much higher."
"Is there a danger to this union?"
"A small one, perhaps. If we do it over the lake, it would be minimal."
"But our brothers?" Katashi said, asking a question that Chet understood. 
"We only have a few hours. Can you share with your brothers while they remain at the ranch? You saw them. By now, I'm sure they have found partners eager to enjoy their talents. Let's not take them away from that."
"Often when one of us experiences something new, the images and feelings can overwhelm all of us. I believe being inverted so high in the arms of your beautiful husbands might adversely affect the play between our brothers and our family."
Chet smiled. "I trust them enough to find a way to pleasure your brothers and themselves, regardless of what transpires between us. You need to trust them as well."
Katashi bobbed his head in a quick bow. "You are wise beyond your years."
Chet laughed. "There are few who can say they're older than you, Dog, but I am one."
"I stand by my statement, Tenshi. Bring your husbands to your side. We will share our union with our brothers. It will only increase the pleasure they are already experiencing at the hands of your other guests."
"Boys," Chet said as he closed his eyes. "I need you both down by the lake." He paused a moment, thinking of what his mates might be doing. "If you're preoccupied with anyone else, bring them along. We'll make it work." 
Two winged bears appeared outside the yurt, each holding a temple dog in one paw. The temple dogs were confused for only a moment. Max and JP's paws extended and grabbed Li Wei and Katashi. The space around the dogs and bears darkened, appeared to bend inward, and the six were gone. "Love you, Boys," Chet said aloud. His wings spread out. With a single leap, he was airborne, flying toward the lake.
At the ranch, no one was sure what was happening when the temple dogs' tails began rising in the air. Their rear legs lifting off the floor followed. While the other beasts worked to accommodate their continual changes, the dogs became increasingly lost in a reverie that all realized stemmed independently from their play. 
When the eyes of the dogs rolled back in their head and their cocks simultaneously erupted in a shower of cum, the crowd of confused beasts laughed. Will was the first to realize what was happening. He turned, looking for the two winged bears, and when he realized they were gone, he growled. "Those bastards. They're taking them up in the air. Sure, take the temple dogs, but leave the old wolf behind."
The polar bear leaned down and kissed the angry wolf. "Maybe they will learn how to control their flight with someone a bit more manageable than you, Old Wolf."
The wolf pouted. "I wasn't so bad. No one died. I hardly broke any bones."
"I love you, Old Wolf, but you are a handful. Look at the dogs. Would you deny them this pleasure?"
Will looked around the room as the dogs rose even higher. Their cum slowly dribbled down over their bellies and flowed toward their chests. The African dogs had taken to lapping at it as it flowed low enough for their shorter stature to reach, but Chipo seemed to enjoy it the most. His extra size gave him access to belly after belly covered in the sticky white cum. "I love frosting," he said as he pulled another temple dog close to him and lapped at the ejaculate. 
By then, the temple dogs' bodies floated in mid-air with no visible means of support. Somehow, despite their size and weight, the suspended dogs levitated with only the claws of their front paws touching the floor. Each dog's cock twitched wildly, and their tails grew almost as tight and upright as their genitals did facing downward toward the floor. 
The old wolf sighed, watching the dogs in their upside-down dance. "You lucky stiffs," he mumbled. He looked up at the others, watching the spinning dogs. "Okay, everyone. Time to help out. The dogs are in synch with someone out there enjoying a bit of upside-down airtime with Chet and the boys."
"What do we do?" one of the African dogs asked. "I can't even reach his cock."
"Clear the buffet tables," Will commanded. "Get the dogs between them."
"They weigh tons, Old Wolf," the African dog protested.
Will reached out and shoved one of the temple dogs. The dog went spinning across the room. "They're airborne, Kabelo. Just walk them over between the tables. Once you get them there, climb up on the table and you decide what to do to maximize their pleasure. Trust me, it will be worth your while when they return to us. Temple dogs have amazing ways of expressing gratitude."
"What do you want us to do, Old Wolf?" Chipo asked.
"Do what you love doing with them. It's a bit more awkward because they're upside down and there aren't any branches for you to use."
Kabelo climbed up on the table. His arms barely reached the cock of the temple dog in front of him. "This won't work, Old Wolf."
"Really, Kabelo? Where's your sense of imagination and adventure?" The wolf grabbed the African dog and turned him upside-down, shoving the dog's ass up against the temple dog's cock. "Now grab hold and walk that ever-so-cute ass back onto that cock. You've seen fruit bats mate before. Go all fruit bat on that dog's dick."
Kabelo laughed. "What the hell? Why not?" He slowly began backing up along the dog until Will guided the cock inside him. 
"How's that, Dog?" the old wolf asked. 
"Actually, nice," Kabelo replied as he began to push and pull himself against the body of the temple dog. His eyes widened as he continued to ride the yellow cock. "Oh, this is really nice. His pre-cum is kicking in."
Each of the temple dogs' cocks continued to twitch, and each dripped a long, thick line of pre-cum onto the floor. "Come on, men," the old wolf encouraged. "Everything we do to one dog will be shared with every other dog. Think of what we can do with all of us working on them."
Four of the African dogs, following the lead of their alpha, pushed a temple dog up against the table, and climbed backward onto the dripping cock until it embedded deep inside them. Another two climbed up the dogs' bodies until they reached the gap between their legs. They clung to the tail for support and bent over to rim the golden beasts. When their paws reached down and stroked along the temple dogs' ample ball sacks, the dogs gave a happy whimper. Like a wave, the whimper flowed over the entire brotherhood of dogs. Every one of them felt the tongues of the African dogs. Every one enjoyed the paws on their balls. 
Chipo got up on the table and rotated a dog until his cock lined up with him. He rubbed his thick three fingers over the shaft. "I hope you enjoy this, Saand. I've wanted to do you this way forever. Just not upside down." The rhino leaned forward and let his prehensile lip roll over the erect flesh. His tongue slipped over the other side and the rhino jacked the dog off with his mouth. Saand made a slight moan that rippled through his brothers. The temple dogs' responses were all Chipo needed to realize all the dogs appreciated his efforts.
Eric had been watching each of the dogs as they spun. "Come here, Noboru," he said as he grabbed one of the levitating dogs. "You and I were doing something together before the boys interrupted us. It's time we get back to it." The bear kicked the dog's paws out from the floor and the dog began spinning head over tail. When the dog was perpendicular to the floor, the bear stopped him. "Spread your legs, Noboru. Meet me halfway here."
The temple dog's legs separated, but the tail remained erect and immobile parallel to the floor. Eric smiled. "Oh, you are having fun, aren't you, Dog?" He slipped alongside the dog and maneuvered between his tail. He shoved the legs into position so that he could finally push his cock deep into the dog's ass. "I told you, Noboru. Tonight, your ass is mine." The bear thrust forward and the same whimpering acknowledgment escaped Noboru's lips that Saand had made. "That's it, my friend. Take your pleasures from both worlds. I'm certainly happy to take mine."
One by one, the group coupled with the dogs. Will even topped Genji by climbing on top of the dog and using Genji's stiff tail as if he was a pole dancer dipping his cock into the well-lubed hole below the pole. In time, each temple dog rewarded their partners with the same happy whimper that flowed out to their brothers. Knowing that the temple dogs would soon experience an orgasm built from the efforts of all working on the dogs increased the revelers' pleasure even more. The temple dogs' bodies were with them; even though somehow, they were also somewhere else in a world of shared pleasures the other beasts could only imagine.
Those out on the lake shared their happy couplings with the Brotherhood. In return, the dogs in the great hall shared every heightened sensation with those held aloft by the two bears. All had a mate attending to their pleasures, save one. In the yurt's darkness, the young human floated upside down with only the tips of his fingers touching the bed. Alone, he floated, his cock painfully erect. The cum of his first ejaculation had already dried on his dark skin, leaving a shiny patch of dried flaky powder where each drop once had been. But without another beside him, the human had no frame of reference, no clear idea of what he was sleeping through.
The door to the yurt opened and a dark figure entered and climbed up onto the bed where Spackle was floating. A black paw with blue highlights pulled the levitating body toward him. Derrick stroked Spackle's hard-on lovingly. "I told you, Spackle; we've got your back. Your brothers have linked their minds together. Somehow you've joined that link. It's kind of amazing, really. You shouldn't be able to do that until you're a temple dog." The floating human didn't respond, but Derrick knew he heard. 
"So, what should we do?" the black wolf asked as he shook and the chubby man with the thick beard returned. The arms of the inverted young man reached up, grabbed Derrick's round butt cheeks, and pulled the chubby man toward him. Derrick made a little chuckle when he felt Spackle's lips press against his cock and lap at the swelling flesh. 
Derrick realized that floating in the way he was, Spackle was the perfect partner for sixty-nine. The thick cock of the human was staring him in the face, and Spackle had already found his rhythm. "Let's find out just how many ways the two of us can do it while you're floating upside down, shall we?" Derrick said with a giggle. He pulled the erect cock toward him and ran his tongue along the shaft. Derrick heard the happy whimper of a temple dog escape the young man's lips and he smiled. It wasn't more than a few minutes before all the temple dogs rewarded their partners with their second inverted orgasm of many that night.
When the night yielded to morning, the bodies of the temple dogs began lowering slowly back to the ground. Spackle dropped back onto the bed and Derrick sat next to him, playing gently with the young man's chest. With a shake, the black wolf returned. Spackle's eyes opened, and he smiled at the wolf. The wolf returned the smile. "Thank you, Wolfy," he whispered. 
"It was my pleasure," Derrick said. "Really. A great deal of pleasure."
Spackle made a little laugh. "I don't know how you do this. That totally wiped me out. I know I slept through all of it, but I'm practically falling asleep just laying here. I want to stay with you, Wolfy, but…"
"Then go to sleep, Spackle. There's no shame in that. We're beasts. We hold up better to this kind of non-stop activity than humans. In some ways, you're still human. You run with the beasts, and we're glad to have you by our side, but we will always be able to run farther than you. What you forget is that it isn't the run we enjoy. It's who's beside us when we run. We have no problem slowing down so that you can keep up with us."
"Promise?"
"By your side for as long as you want, Handsome," Derrick said, letting his paw stroke the young man's forehead.
"Now and forever?" Spackle asked.
"Sure," Derrick replied. "That sounds about right. Now and forever." He turned the human on his side and propped a pillow under his head. "Now sleep, Spackle. We'll all be here when you wake." He folded the blanket over the sleeping human and stood up. As he reached for the door, it opened with two temple dogs on the other side. Li Wei smiled at the black wolf. He gestured toward the bed. "Stay with us, Pup. This is a day to be shared with those we love."
"I should probably go home," Derrick whispered.
"You are already home, Little One. You are here with those who love you," the golden dog replied. "Spackle would fare so much better when he wakes if you were here."
"It's not an imposition?" the wolf asked.
"You have never been an imposition," Li Wei replied.
"Come lie with Spackle. His days of feeling his human body next to another are dwindling. Let's make those days happy ones."
Derrick slipped behind Spackle and wrapped his arm around the human. With a shake, the wolf was gone, and the chubby man that Spackle had fallen in love with had returned. Derrick leaned over to kiss the sleeping young man. When his lips touched Spackle's cheek, a ball of fire flared in front of Derrick, and he jumped back.
"Is there something wrong, Pup?" Li Wei asked at seeing the jolt. 
Derrick shook his head. "No… no… I just thought I saw something weird. I'm tired I guess."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Derrick replied. "I'll be even better with you next to me." The two temple dogs took their place behind the two humans; and for a few hours before the sunshine streamed through the windows waking them, they were at peace.
Chapter 7

Will handed a stack of plates to Chipo and the rhino began taking them to the kitchen. He turned back and stared at the wolf. "You won't be mad at Chet and the boys forever, will you?"

"Turn off that yellow clan sorcery of yours," the wolf barked. "I'm not mad at them. I had as much fun as anyone last night. What you're sensing is me being all butt-hurt over the fact that they haven't actually taken me back up, even though they promised to."

"They promised to do that in another universe, Old Wolf," the rhino corrected.

"Yeah, but a promise is a promise."

JP looked up from where he was busing the buffet tables. "You're right, Old Wolf," he interjected. "Max and I remember the promise. It doesn't really matter if our husband doesn't."

Will sighed. "He didn't make that promise in this world, JP. It's okay. I won't hold him to a promise he never made."

The old wolf watched as a pair of muscular arms wrap around his waist from behind. The large wings followed, wrapping him in a cocoon of feathers. Chet kissed Will's back. "Hold me to it, Old Wolf," he whispered. "I don't remember the promise, but I also don't remember the insanity of the last time we were in the air together. Let's make some fresh memories that I will regret forever."

Will crouched, giving Chet greater access to his neck. The kissing became small nibbles, and then the teeth set in the old wolf's neck. "Careful there, Chet," the wolf said. "Any deeper and we're going to be married."

"Some days," Chet replied, "that doesn't sound so bad."

Will turned around in the hug and stared at the birdman. "What would Derrick have to say about that?"

"I doubt much of anything once I bite his neck, too."

Will gave Chet a gentle shove. "This family of ours is convoluted enough. You're aware of what I feel for you, and I'm aware of what you feel for me."

"Then an occasional bite on the neck won't confuse anyone, will it, Old Wolf?" the angel pressed.

"No. No, it won't."

The two kissed; and JP watched as Chet's wings folded tighter around the two, obstructing the view. Max rubbed the Kermode bear's shoulder. "Family. Gotta love them."

"Yeah, I do," JP concurred. He paused. "It wouldn't be so bad if we married Will and Derrick, would it?"

Max laughed. "No, it wouldn't. But I'm not ready to marry my father. And this family can't handle three guys obligated by marriage to aid and abet an old wolf who wants to be airborne way more than he should."

JP thought about the ramifications of the marriages for a bit. "I suppose you're right. But after nights like last night, I get all mushy and want to marry everyone."

"Do you want I think?" Max asked.

"Always," the Kermode bear replied.

"I think we are already married to everyone," the blue bear said. "What we're becoming is our own version of the Unity. We say family because that's the closest Terran term we have for it. But it extends so far beyond that. We share our lives, our bodies, and everything we are with each other. In another universe, Will and Derrick have even merged with their husbands. What we have goes beyond even the definition of family."

JP nodded his head. "I guess you're right. We may not be flowing through each other like the Unity, but we're closer than any human coupling I know. Maybe marriage is simply our way of defining who we go to bed with at night more than who we love enough to marry."

"That works for me. Although, we need to consider who we slept beside last night. By your definition, we're married to Chipo, Kabelo, and their entire pack. We don't make the distinctions humans do with who we love and how we interpret that love. What confuses them about our relationships makes complete sense to us."

"We're not the same species anymore, are we, Hon?"

"No. And the divergence is growing greater with each generation."

The blonde bear's wings pushed out and fluttered. "It didn't work."

Max nodded. "Deep down, we knew it wouldn't. But we wanted it to work so badly that we ignored the historical evidence."

JP sighed. "If the gene was dominant, by the time your mom was born, the entire world would have had the gene. All those generations from Isabella to her would have seen to that. But I had hoped it would have stayed longer than a few generations."

"We tried," the blue bear said. One wing pushed out and wrapped around the other bear. "It's now our responsibility to help our family step up to their challenges."

"That's why I cherish moments like these," JP said. "This is the calm before the storm, that momentary respite before all hell breaks loose." He watched the brown wings of his hawk-man husband still wrapped around the old wolf. He could tell by their jostling that the two were playing with each other the way they always did when they made up from fighting over nothing. The hugging and kissing, the pushing back and forth, all to find a place where they both knew they wanted to be. His mate was bonding even more deeply with the old wolf, and what they shared went so far beyond the Terran word "married."

"We stay together, Hon. We forge the bonds that will save our family."

"At what cost, Hon?"

"Look at those two," Max said, pointing to the wings covering their mate and the old wolf. "What would you pay to keep them together?"

"I already came back in time, helped create an alternative universe, and a few things that we probably shouldn't mention with the hearing abilities of this group."

"That is your answer. We save our family. The cost is irrelevant."

"Sometimes I think it should matter," JP said.

"It does, Hon. It does. But in the end, saving this family will always take precedence. This universe can't afford to lose them again."

The Kermode bear sighed. "Me neither."

"So, what say we go roust those two and take them off to the master bedroom?"

"Eric is there with Oliver and Kris."

"Yeah, I know. Tag teaming is the best."

JP giggled. "Okay, we're on," he said. His wings flared out and he flew toward his red-tailed hawk mate. Picking Chet up his wings, the blonde bear flew up toward the cathedral ceiling. At the top, he dove toward the hallway and disappeared. Will had scarcely a moment to figure out what was happening when a blue bear whisked him into the air and followed his mate down the hall.

Chipo laughed to himself. "Family. Gotta love them."

Chapter 8

Spackle stared in stunned silence. He had already come twice without touching himself. "I'm not sure I should have watched you three," he confessed.

The black wolf below the temple dog frowned. "Too much, too soon?"

"Not so much," the human moaned. "I wanted to be in there between you three so badly I'm fighting every urge inside me from asking you to turn me now."

Li Wei put his arm around Spackle. "The day you chose for your turning was an arbitrary one. What Pup told us about last night shows you are ready to turn."

"But I'm not, Li Wei. I'm not ready to turn if I can't even keep a single promise I made to you and myself."

Spackle felt the kiss on his head. "I love you, Spackle. You found the answer to your dilemma. One day you will be a most incredible temple dog."

"Can Wolfy help me out a bit right now? I am seriously aroused, and I doubt it's going to change if Katashi stays there on top of him. This is the first time I ever watched the two of you having sex. I couldn't look that day in the monastery showers. It's also the first time I watched Wolfy enjoying sex as a wolf. It's… it's…"

"A bit much?" Derrick asked.

"Beautiful," Spackle corrected. "How can I simply watch the three of you and sense every emotion, every touch? I know I said I wanted to see it, but I wasn't ready for the level of intimacy between you three."

"The intimacy will be there for you as well, Little One," Li Wei said. "A temple dog never suppresses his love for one, fearing there will not be enough love for all others. We understand the nature of the infinite. We share our love knowing there is no end to how much one can love if we only remain open to its expression."

"I thought I understood the concept," the young man said. "Only now I have seen what you two share with each other and what you share with others. Wolfy might be right. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed."

"Does this distress you, Little One?" Katashi asked as he pulled his cock from the wolf below.

Spackle sat staring at the slowly shrinking yellow cock. It glistened in the light, and the steady dripping of cum onto Derrick's furred butt was mesmerizing. "I'm not sure what it does, but I probably wasn't ready to see it. I made a mess of things by wanting too much too soon."

Derrick's black fur shifted, and the overweight human reached out to Spackle. "You'll be fine. Give yourself a bit of time to regroup, and you'll find your place in all this," he said. The moment his fingers touched the young man, a cloudy vision of something pushing through the smoke was all Derrick could see. The creature was enormous, but blurred by the swirling clouds. He stared as the jaw opened and the ball of red flame came hurtling toward him. Derrick fell backward into Katashi. The others noticed the terror in his eyes as each labored breath brought him closer to hyperventilating.

Katashi wrapped his arms around the man who, only a moment ago, was a wolf. "Are you okay, Pup?" he asked.

"I… I don't know," Derrick replied.

Spackle found he no longer cared about his uncomfortable state of arousal. He turned toward the other human. "What's wrong, Wolfy?"

"I saw a… a dragon, I guess." There was another shift, and the wolf was back. He pushed out his paw. "Wait until I catch my breath, Spackle. I'll take care of you as soon as I catch my breath."

"I don't care about that anymore, Wolfy," Spackle said. "I care about you." His hand reached out and touched the shoulder of the wolf.

Again, the gaping maw of a creature hidden in smoke opened and a ball of fire sped toward the wolf. Derrick recoiled back further into the arms of the temple dog holding him.

Spackle fell back in the other direction. "It's me. It happens when we touch."

"Why would that be, Little One?" Li Wei asked.

"Because he sees what I see," the human confessed.

"And what is it you see?"

"A dragon, a gigantic dragon breathing fire. He's been appearing for days. But I tell the Sight I'm not ready for it and it goes away."

Li Wei looked up to Katashi. "Husband, they are pushing the timeline forward."

Derrick finally caught his breath. "What are you talking about, Li Wei?"

"Your affinity for each other, Pup, is causing you both to see things that should remain unseen."

"So, we tell the Sight to go fuck itself like Oliver does. We make it go away, right?" the wolf asked.

"I am not sure that is the wisest course of action," Li Wei answered. He tapped the ComLink on his chest. "Noboru, I need you."

The double doors of the yurt flew open. "What is it, Master?" the temple dog in the doorway asked.

"Gather Derrick's family together. Tell the Ancient Ones that the time may be upon us."

"But it is too soon," Noboru objected.

"Pup and Spackle have formed a bond. The temple dog and the wolf are one. The circle is being closed."

"But I'm not a temple dog," Spackle protested.

"You are, and have always been, a temple dog, Little One," Katashi corrected the human. "The changing of your body is all that remains. Your body is ephemeral. What is eternal is in play here. The two of you are one. The temple dog and the wolf. Brothers from different worlds united as one. One to bring the truth of all that has been lost back to light. The other to bring all that has been lost back into this world."

Spackle shook his head. "I don't understand. I don't understand any of this."

"I have to agree with him there," Derrick added.

"We have been remiss in our duties," Li Wei replied. "We believed we had hundreds of years before this day would appear. We failed to grasp what your friendship has grown into. There was a bond forming much deeper than we realized. We thought it would be a mated pair who would bring this day to light. I realize now the mating was happening from the moment you two first met."

"We're not mated," Derrick said.

Li Wei looked at the wolf. "In truth, you say that?"

"We bit each other's necks. But we were only playing. We did lots of things yesterday. We didn't mean it that way."

Spackle bowed his head. "I might have meant it that way, Wolfy."

Derrick looked at the human and grew quiet. He struggled for the words needed to bring the truth to light. "I might have meant it too, Spackle." The wolf turned to Li Wei. "But he hasn't turned yet. He's not a beast. I meant it to mean we were more than friends. I wanted him to know we were more than two humans having sex."

"Spackle is a beast in all but body, Pup. Two beasts were biting each other's necks with intention yesterday," Li Wei corrected. "The bodies you chose to make the act possible are irrelevant. Don't let this distress you two. This does not mean you are mated for life. Your lives will intertwine in time and the path you choose may lead you to such a mating, but what you did shows you are bound to each other. And in that binding, your callings pressed forward."

"What callings?" Derrick asked.

"As I said previously, Pup," Li Wei replied, "one to bring the truth of all that has been lost back to light. The other to bring all that has been lost back into this world."

"Perhaps this awakening is only a moment in time, Master," Noboru said. "Perhaps it will fade."

"There is only one way to find out," Li Wei said. "Call the brethren together. We leave for Tibet as soon as possible."

"What about me?" Spackle asked.

Li Wei hugged the young man. "Stay with Pup. Don't leave his side."

"I'll be fine, Li Wei," Derrick said. "It's the way the Sight works in me. Sometimes it gets out of hand."

"It is more than the Sight, Pup."

"Then what?"

"That is beyond your understanding. Trust us. You need to be together."

"It's going to be tough if every time we touch, I see a fire-breathing dragon attacking me."

"The pup has a valid point," Katashi concurred. "They have already established the boundaries of their relationship to include physical closeness. It will be awkward for them to abstain now if we ask them to stay together."

Li Wei gave a heavy sigh. He reached around his neck and pulled a necklace of round, polished stones from hiding. He handed it to Spackle. "This should help, Little One. It is a mala; a string of prayer beads worn by the Khenpo of our temples. It has calming powers to help keep the visions you experience in check. Wear it at all times. If the visions return, meditate on the mala. Count the beads and let the visions go." Spackle put the strand of beads around his neck.

"If the visions return for you, Pup, let them go. Do not follow them or allow them to linger. You possess that strength within. Use it."

"Yes, Sir."

Li Wei rose. "You two will stay here. It is romantic and secluded; allowing you both to accomplish my next task. I will need the two of you to engage in sex at least ten times a day until we can sort this out."

Derrick snorted a disappointed breath. "I was dreaming of doing that today, and now it's our homework assignment?"

Spackle sighed as well. "Yeah. Takes all the fun out of something when you're told it's one of our chores."

Li Wei stared straight-faced at the two. "Kiss each other."

"What?" both asked.

"Kiss each other."

A quick peck followed.

"Not in that way. Kiss each other like the mated pair you are."

The two pressed their lips together and suddenly felt two huge paws pressing them even more tightly together. "I expect to hear tongues, and my hearing is very good," Li Wei commanded.

The two giggled as they slipped their tongues into each other's mouths. The giggling continued when Spackle wrapped his arms around Derrick and Derrick repeated the process. "I'b godda boner," Spackle mumbled past the forced kiss.

"Me tube," Derrick struggled to get out the words.

The two felt the thick paws release the grip on their heads, but they no longer wished to separate from what they were doing. "Katashi, stay here while we make arrangements to leave. Please give our future husband his first blowjob from the mate who will be with him for life."

"The buildup to his climax might take hours if done properly, Husband," Katashi warned.

"He is twenty-five and inexperienced in the ways of making love. He will not last three minutes before his first climax." The huge golden dog leaned over and kissed the heads of the two humans at play. "I love you both. Stay together. There is darkness surrounding you that you must not see on your own. You will protect each other without even knowing how, but only if you stay together."

The two separated from their kiss and looked up. "I will protect Wolfy if I stay with him?"

Li Wei nodded and leaned down, kissing Spackle on the lips. "He is your charge, but more importantly, he is one you love. Stay with him and he will be safe."

"Are you serious about the sex?" Derrick asked.

"Is it too much of a challenge for you two?"

Derrick snickered. "I hope not. You never asked me to do anything I want to do more."

"Then consider the order rescinded and do what comes naturally for the two of you. Simply make sure you do it at least ten times a day."

"Do I get a kiss?" Derrick asked.

"Of course, Pup," Li Wei said, as he leaned down and kissed the chubby man. "Take good care of our future husband."

Derrick hesitated a moment, not sure if the word our in Li Wei's plea included him. "I will. You dogs take good care of each other."

"That has always been our intention," the yellow dog said as he turned and left the yurt with Noboru close behind.

Outside the yurt, the two dogs watched the doors close as they began walking toward the ranch house miles in the distance. "Master?"

Li Wei chuckled. "One day, Noboru, you need to stop calling me that."

"Yes, Master," Noboru conceded. "But today is not that day."

"What is your question?"

"Your mala; it has no properties to calm a spirit."

"But Spackle does not know that."

"You lied to him?"

"No, I told him the mala had calming powers. He believes my words to be the truth, and in believing that, the beads will indeed calm his spirit. He needed something to focus on beyond the visions. I gave him that focus. I did not lie. The mala will give him peace of mind. Sometimes the truth we tell others will never happen if we don't first speak the words into truth."

Noboru paused, thinking about what he had heard. He looked back up at the receding temple dog and raced to catch up. "Are we walking back?"

"We have more important things to do today," Li Wei replied. His paw extended and Noboru grabbed it. What remained of the two were only the paw prints of their feet where they ended abruptly in the Montana sand.

Inside the yurt, Spackle and Derrick looked up at Katashi. The temple dog smiled at the two. "Please continue your kissing. Your arousal is most enjoyable to watch. If you relax a bit more, your first orgasm of the ten will only be moments away."

Derrick looked at Katashi. "The number isn't all that important, is it, Katashi? The reason Li Wei gave us such a high number is so we would stay occupied instead of thinking about the dragon."

Katashi nodded. "That is true, Pup. But by honoring his request, you will calm the visions and increase the bond you share."

Spackle frowned. "I didn't know what we did was going to mate us, Katashi. I want you and Li Wei to be my mates. Asking Wolfy to be my mate only complicates matters."

"But you two love each other."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Spackle groaned. "But we were playing. We were pretending to be temple dogs. He was showing me how to mate."

"Temple dogs do not bite each other's necks."

Derrick looked confused. "You don't"

"Not during our mating ceremony."

"But you have sex, right?"

"No."

"What?" the chubby human sputtered. "But you guys love sex. You have it all the time. You bite each other's necks all the time."

Katashi nodded. "Which is why we do not use that which is common to us to reflect a union which is so rare between us."

"So the rumor about tea ceremonies is true?"

Katashi laughed. "To a degree. We spend days together in each other's arms, allowing our bodies to respond to all the desires that fill our daily lives. But we simply watch those passions ebb and flow without ever addressing them as is our nature. We stay with each other and acknowledge through our abstinence there is so much more to our union than that which we can feel."

Derrick's brow furrowed. "I thought you practiced abstinence to heighten sexual pleasure when you return to it."

Katashi nodded. "We do, but a single practice can often yield multiple benefits. On the third day of our abstinence, we return to our martial arts practice. We choose different disciplines and begin our movements side by side. The brotherhood refrains from any practice, leaving only the two to perform their routines. If the two are to be mated, as they practice their separate disciplines, a unity will form within the moves."

"The dance you and Li Wei do every day," Spackle said as he realized what he witnessed the day the two temple dogs stood outside practicing.

"The dance," Katashi confirmed. "It is unique to each mated pair. We were teaching you ours, Little One. It is the dance that we will one day perform as you teach us the new movements to draw you into our lives."

"And then we're mated forever?" Spackle asked.

Katashi shook his head no. "Nothing is forever, Little One. There may be a time when we let our bond slip from our fingers to free the ones we love to become what they need to be. But the love does not die. It simply changes. Change is the only constant in the universe. There is a fear that comes with bonding on any level that one day it might end. Mating brings that fear to the forefront. Our dance begins with harmony created from the movements of separate practices. Slowly, they form into one. And in our unity, we acknowledge that our togetherness has come from different paths. We end by taking our chi and pushing it out into the world."

"The wind in the trees," Spackle interrupted.

Katashi nodded. "The path our chi follows flows together for a time. As it dissipates, the chi flows wherever it will. We cannot determine where it goes or how long it remains mingled. But in that moment, we acknowledge it changes. It is always becoming something different. We accept that in time, even the chi finds its way back to the universe from which it came. We do not fear the change. We embrace it."

"You were teaching me that," Spackle said as his head bowed.

"We are always teaching each other, Little One. Our every act is an instruction on life. A temple dog must ensure those lessons always lead toward a greater understanding of the truth."

The two humans were quiet for a time, contemplating the paths they were on. Each wondered exactly how to find the greater truth in the maw of a fire-breathing dragon. Katashi moved close to them and picked up Spackle. "Time will give you the answers you both seek, but our time together is limited. I have an obligation to give you your first experience with oral sex from a temple dog."

Spackle giggled. "Boy, did we switch gears fast."

"No, Little One, we didn't. We are still discussing the truth. Only humans take their most beautiful shared act and relegate it to a place where it stands apart from all else, as something sacred or vile. Sex is a part of us we should embrace and celebrate. It should bond us to those we love and deepen our relationships. With every touch and whenever our bodies come together, we are becoming the Unity born of Terra. To not see this miracle every time we have sex is to misunderstand the very reason why we have sex."

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Spackle said. "Old habits and thoughts die hard. I still have so much to learn."

"You are learning, Little One. It shows your change is leading you toward the greater truth. There is no reason to apologize for the path your learning takes." The temple dog placed his paw on the young human's cock and smiled. "Well, perhaps you might apologize for how quickly you are going to ejaculate this morning. But how to delay that is a lesson you will one day learn."

"But not today, Sensei?" Spackle said as he felt the swelling between his legs.

"No, Little One, not today."

Chapter 9

"Okay gentlemen, up and at 'em," Will yelled as he burst through the double doors of the yurt and rousted the two sleeping humans. "Time for breakfast."

Derrick rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Time for you two to be awake. The sun is shining and you need to share ten orgasms before you nod off again later tonight."

Spackle groaned. "Will, I haven't been able to have ten orgasms since the second day. I'm down to three or four max. We've started counting our orgasms together just to get to ten every day."

Will looked askance at the two men below him. "Really? You're fudging the data? That can't be good."

Derrick shook his head. "We haven't had a single vision of the dragon, Old Wolf. I'm pretty sure that's the reason Li Wei told us to have sex in the first place. It's the easiest way to distract a twenty-five-year-old human."

"And his cute-as-a-bug mate."

Derrick frowned at the wolf. "We're not mated, Old Wolf."

"I disagree," Will said as he put down the breakfast tray. "Mating doesn't always mean 'mating'," the wolf said, making air quotes with his paws. "I think the three of us are mated in many ways. Don't get caught up in the word. Understand the meaning. We're becoming the Terran version of the Unity. Stop trying to push back against a word that says you two are bound together when everything you do is drawing you closer. That's not right. Don't let a word keep you from being who you know you are to each other."

Derrick shrugged. "I guess you're right, Old Wolf. Maybe we are mated in some ways."

"Yeah," the old wolf agreed. "Just not in all ways. Don't quibble over the few things you haven't done to make you full-on mated with the march down the aisle, the cake, and all the trimmings." Will paused. "Although the cake sounds fun."

Derrick shoved the old wolf playfully. "Do you want to help us get our ten orgasms today, Old Wolf?"

Will looked at Spackle. "Would you like that?"

Spackle looked up shyly. "I would love that."

"Well then, eat up, and let's see what we can come up with."

Spackle looked down between his legs. "It's already up. It has been up since you walked in the door."

"Oh, lovely," Will said as he sat beside the young man and shifted into human. "I know what I'm having for breakfast." He shoved the young man backward onto the bed and took the cock into his mouth with one easy move.

Later in the day, as the three bathed together in the tight confines of the yurt's shower, Derrick struggled to get up off his knees. He wiped his hand across his mouth and gave Spackle a kiss. "Well, that makes five, and it's still morning. Maybe we can make all ten today."

Spackle laughed. "I've never come so much in my life."

"You're becoming a beast, Spackle," Will said as he lathered the crack between the human's butt cheeks. "You're a unique one. Those changes are happening outside the turning. Your stamina is increasing way beyond what a human could muster, and although you two seem to hate the dragon, he's there for a reason. And that reason is in part because you, dear Spackle, are more beast than human."

Spackle beamed. "Really? You think so?"

"Trust me. I know a beast when I pound his ass, and you're a beast."

Spackle looked confused. "But you've never pounded my ass."

Spackle felt a well-soaped finger slip into his hole. "Not yet, I haven't," the man towering over him said. "I'm pretty sure I can get you to come two more times before we get out of this shower if you're willing."

"Will it hurt?" Spackle asked.

"Yeah, for a bit," Will answered. "But you've been with Derrick, and we'll take it slow."

"And love like crazy?"

The second finger slipped into Spackle and the pleasure he felt caused him to pant, much like an aroused temple dog. It didn't go unnoticed by the two wolves. "Yeah, Spackle. We love like crazy," Will replied.

Spackle felt the heavy beard of the mountain man behind him brush up against his neck. A gentle kiss followed. The lips lingered on the young man's neck. When he felt the cock head push past his hole, Spackle realized Will was wrong. All he felt was pleasure. "Please, Will, I need to know," the young man whispered. When he felt the mouth open and set teeth into his neck, he yielded to all that it meant.

Chapter 10

The knock on the door seemed almost too formal. "Come in husbands," Will said.

"Everybody decent?" the Kodiak asked.

"Yep," Spackle answered back.

"I told you we should have come sooner," the bear grumbled as he opened the door and stepped inside. He dipped low so that the badger on his shoulders wouldn't bump his head. The blast of cool air was a refreshing change from the summer heat outside. Kris looked around as he picked Oliver off his shoulders and set him on the ground. "Wow, nice. The boys outdid themselves."

Will nodded. They've got a solar-powered thermal regulator outside the size of a watermelon and the thing is cooling this entire yurt. Remember when bulky heat pumps were a thing?"

Oliver laughed. "Old Wolf, I remember when ice in front of fans was a thing." He walked up to the wolf and kissed him. As soon as Oliver's kiss ended, a Kodiak kissing the old wolf replaced the badger. The badger went over to where Derrick was and kissed him. Spackle smiled as the four moved through what he realized was a well-practiced routine of morning greetings. He saw the lesson he was being taught before anything else took place. He safeguarded the image in his memory. One day, he would be a temple dog, and he was determined to bring such a tradition with him into his relationship with Li Wei and Katashi.

The Kodiak slipped beside the young man. "You're nekkid."

"Yep, so are you."

"I thought you said you were decent."

"Give me a few more days with your husbands and I might be better than decent. With what I'm learning, I might even be above average."

Kris laughed aloud and pulled the young man into a hug. "You are going to fit into this family so well, Spackle."

Without even saying it, Spackle heard the word that Kris had left unspoken. He rubbed his face into the warm fur of the bear. "You don't have to call me Spackle if you don't want to, Kris."

"You sure, Son?" the bear asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I like it when certain beasts call me Son. Spackle is a name that tells people who I am. Son is the name that tells me who I am to you."

"You realize we're rather flexible about the words we use to describe our relationships, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware. It's making more sense every day," the human replied.

"So, when I'm banging your big, hot, temple dog butt at your welcoming, the fact I sometimes call you 'Son' won't freak you out, right?"

"Right. And it won't upset you when I flip you and return the favor?"

"Not in the least," the Kodiak replied.

"They say time is relative," the Iberian wolf said as he stood up. "But for Spackle, it's going to move very slowly until he's a relative we all can enjoy freely."

"It's only five years," Spackle protested.

"Son," the Kodiak said as he rose back up with the human in his arms, "those are going to be five very long years for an old bear who wants to meet you."

"You gave me a fantastic birthday kiss at the party," Spackle laughed. "You're holding me in front of you right now. I'd say we've met."

The bear shook his head. Face to face with the dangling human, he gave Spackle a brief kiss. "I want to meet the temple dog inside you when he's out here where I can say hello."

Spackle sighed. "Yeah, I guess that is going to be a long time. There is something about having to hold back from everyone that makes time move slower."

"I'm willing to wait, Son."

Spackle smiled. "Thanks. I'll try to make it worth your while."

The bear put the young man down on the ground. "You make it worth my while with every moment we spend together," the bear said as he fell back toward the bed, landing on his back next to the black wolf. "Pup, the temple dogs want you to visit them in Tibet."

"About the visions?" Derrick asked.

"About the visions."

"Is Spackle coming?"

Kris turned to Spackle. "You're going back to Partridge Island, Son. Your dads are waiting for you."

"But the visions," Spackle pressed for an answer.

"The visions you two boys share has set a series of events into motion. You, Son, are the temple dog that brought back the vision for the wolf to see. Now the wolf must take the vision, learn what it means, and act on that knowledge."

"I know what it means now," Spackle said. "I can help him."

Kris sighed. "Li Wei said you would want to. But if you know what the vision means, then you know why you're going back home."

Spencer frowned. "I don't want them to do this alone. They're my brothers."

"They won't be alone. We will be there. They have their family for support."

"Promise you'll keep Wolfy safe."

Kris nodded. "And we keep you safe by putting you back in your dads' care."

Derrick watched the conversation bouncing back and forth and wondered what everyone else seemed to know that he didn't. He tried to see into where the Sight so often forced him. But all he saw was the cloud of billowing smoke and a slowly approaching dragon he turned away from quickly. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There were answers to all his questions, but those answers weren't there in Montana. They were in Tibet.

Chapter 11

Derrick felt the thick, yellow flesh embedded deep inside him and groaned happily. He thought he might finally stay in the moment, to feel nothing but pleasure and hear nothing but the heavy breathing of the dog below him. But the temple dog sensed the wolf slipping away. "Stay with me, Little One," the temple dog encouraged.

"I'm trying, Noboru," Derrick lamented as the first flash of fire pulsed across his mind. "It's not working."

"Should we push forward?" the temple dog asked. "Your impending orgasm might drive out the vision."

Derrick sighed. "No… no it won't," he said, discouraged. "I'm so sorry, Noboru. The longer we're together, the more the images push forward. I see the flames again. It's not just Spackle anymore. It's all of you."

The temple dog lifted the wolf off his swollen cock and hugged him to his chest tightly. "We are sorry for this, Little One. It is time we try something different."

"I so miss you inside me," Derrick whimpered. "I miss you all."

"And we miss you, Little One. The joy of life is only joy when shared with those we love. The deprivation of your physical presence is most disquieting to us. But after an entire week, my idea has not provided a desirable outcome. If anything, it is worse."

Derrick slipped off from the reclining dog and stood up. "What am I going to do? I know it's not the truth. Dragons don't breathe fire. They're not evil."

Noboru nodded. "They are not evil, that is true. But your people's history has seen them as such for centuries. Myth and reality often play a game to determine what we will see as the truth. Humans have a willingness to embrace a fanciful lie over a difficult truth." The temple dog brushed his long fur over the top of his shrinking cock and smiled. "There… it is out of the way for the moment."

Derrick frowned. "I liked it better where it was a few minutes ago."

Noboru grinned at the wolf. "As did I, Little One. Do not be despondent. There are answers to be had. There are always answers. It all depends on what you wish; the fanciful lie, or the difficult truth?"

"I want the truth, Noboru," Derrick said resolutely.

The temple dog's arms reached out. "Then come… one last hug before your world changes forever."

Derrick entered the hug and felt the warm arms of the temple dog pull him in tight. "I won't lose you, will I, Noboru?"

"No, Little One. You will be the one to finally find us."

Hand in hand, the two walked out of Noboru's bedroom and into the garden. "With the creation of an alternate universe, Adam tasked you and Oliver to write the history of the world before. There are parts of that world and this one that are the same; but they remain unwritten, and they remain unspoken since the day of their happening. Our brotherhood has kept those secrets locked away in our hearts. Now it would seem that those secrets are pressing for us to reveal them." The temple dog knelt in front of the black wolf. "And they are pressing to be written by the historian they know is gifted with the Sight."

"Oliver has the Sight."

"Oliver is better at telling the Sight to go fuck itself when he doesn't want it interfering with his life." The temple dog looked at the confused wolf. "At least that is what the badger has told me."

"Is that why I see the dragon?"

"In part, Little One," Noboru replied. "Your relationship with Spackle is the other. Beyond the Sight lies the truth of all things. Spackle has the gift to perceive that, but he is young, and he cannot control it. What we have held back for centuries, he has brought to the forefront. And the champion he chose to reveal it to is you."

"I'm not a champion," Derrick said. "I'm just me."

"And that is all any champion has ever been. Spackle has a wakefulness beyond any human I have ever known. While I do not completely understand it, I believe in Li Wei's words. Spackle is already one of us."

"I believe it too," Derrick agreed.

"Have you ever sat in a meditation circle with our brotherhood in your previous life?"

"Not unless it involves trees. I've done that with you."

Noboru laughed. "No, Little One; that is sex. While it is part of what we consider a sacred transaction between our family and us, it is rarely meditative."

Noboru sat on a bench in the garden and patted the empty spot next to him. Derrick sat down, worrying about what was to come. The arm that wrapped around his shoulder and pulled him in tight calmed all his fears. "There are worlds surrounding us we do not see; planes of existence beyond our comprehension."

Derrick nodded. "Sometimes they appear for a moment, like something that flashes by when you're on a train. I know it was there, I saw it, but I can't explain to anyone what it was."

"I know, Little One. We see them, too." Noboru still clung to Derrick. The dog stroked the back of the wolf's neck, and Derrick sighed, leaning into the gentle caresses. "Of all our family, you are the one most close to our heart." The temple dog paused. "I may not have said that correctly. You are the one most like us. You feel and interpret the world differently than others. Will and Oliver are wild, impetuous men and we love where they drag us. Eric is calm, but he holds a key that he has never understood and that we could never reveal. And so, despite our affection for him, we wait for a day when we can be totally forthcoming and our love for him never parsed."

"You hold back from Papa Bear?"

"He knows of our restraint, and why, Pup," the temple dog answered. "We wait together for the day that I now believe you will bring to our family."

"How will I do that?"

"By writing our story, by telling the world who we are."

"We don't know who you are?"

"No, Pup. You are privy to only a part of who we are. In all the world, there has never been anything quite like us."

"I've known that for centuries, Noboru."

Noboru laughed. "I realize our outward appearance makes you think we are unique, but I talk of that which is beyond the body."

Derrick shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"With understanding comes great sorrow and challenges that will task you in ways you cannot imagine. Are you sure that is the path you wish to join us on?"

"Does this let you love Papa Bear without reservation?"

"It lets him become who he once was; what he has forgotten. In letting go of who he is, he becomes who we have always loved."

Derrick shook his head again. "You knew you were going to lose me on that one, Noboru."

"I did, Pup. But beyond the words you don't understand is a feeling. Try to understand that."

Derrick closed his eyes and the dragon reappeared. With a roar, it belched fire and Derrick's eyes quickly reopened. He felt the temple dog's paw on his neck again calming him. "You are aware of only a glimmer of the truth, Little One. What direction do we choose?"

"Toward the truth, Noboru."

The temple dog rose. From a courtyard away, the young wolf heard the pagoda bell ringing. He didn't stop to wonder how the dogs were being called together when only the two of them were talking. Somehow, he understood there was so much more beyond the ringing of the bell that he didn't understand.

Noboru led Derrick to the Great Hall of Meditation at the center of the temple. The two stood outside the doors. "None of our family has ever entered this consecrated hall save my brothers and the Old Bear. He did so, trying to save our brother when the bomb hit our temple. Bai died in his arms."

"I'm sorry for you all."

"Bai has left behind more than a simple memory. His spirit is still with us, even as the spirit of the one who fathered us all is here."

"I have never heard of Bai before. I knew that one dog and one dragon died during the war in this universe. Longwei was the dragon, but no one has ever mentioned the dog's name."

"Because his name is sacred to us, Pup. You mourn the loss of one of our brothers, we mourn the loss of so much more. We do not speak the name of Bai as one who is dead, but as one whose life has made ours possible." Noboru pushed open the doors into a darkened room lit only by candles and punks of incense glowing in the darkness. "Come, Little One. Time to learn the truth."

Derrick and Noboru stepped inside the meditation hall and allowed their eyes to adjust to the darkness. As they walked forward, the doors closed and the black wolf noticed there was a circle of dogs around a mandala of intricate design. The basic design was a yin-yang symbol created by two dragon heads. The first appeared made of flame, and the second looked like water. Each dragon wrapped around the other, forming the familiar symbol. The two dragons' eyes represented the dot within the interlocking spirals of universal duality.

Upon closer inspection, each of the dragons was a carefully crafted series of designs. Each series of images told a story. A few of them Derrick recognized. A great green bear was rising in front of humans jumping from a helicopter. There was a polar bear with children riding on his back. One set of images he recognized all too well. Two winged bears holding on to a badger as light radiated out around them. Beside them, two wolves glowed blue and red, their beams of light linked to the Badger. Other images, such as the temple dogs wearing their elaborate armor on the backs of dragons, were a mystery to the wolf. There were so many stories intricately woven into the scales of the dragons that Derrick could not view them all.

Derrick stared at the dragon heads for a moment and then turned away when they began to shift and turn in the candlelight. Noboru put his arm around the young wolf. "Don't turn away, Little One. Sit with us. Mediate on the mandala and when the dragon comes, let him burn away the illusion this world creates to hide the truth."

Noboru led the wolf to two pads and sat on one. He patted the one next to him. Derrick tried to sit down, struggling to find a way to sit properly with his wolf legs. Eventually, he shook himself into his human form and sat beside the temple dog.

"You can hold my hand if you wish to ground yourself," Noboru said, "but be aware that I will tether you to what you watch until the end. There will be no way to turn away from what is before you."

"That's for the best, isn't it?" Derrick asked.

"Yes, but as with all things we do, there is a choice. I want those choices to be ones you make."

"Stay with me, Noboru. Help me see what it is I'm supposed to see."

The dog bowed. "Then let us begin. Eyes open. Gaze upon the two dragons. Mediate on their meaning."

Derrick looked around the room, thinking how fortunate the dogs were to have legs without the canine hocks on all werewolves. He made the count of the identical beasts. When he hit twelve, he realized that all the temple dogs were present. He was about to ask Noboru how they could step away from their care of the dragons when the paw of the yellow dog grabbed his hand. Noboru whispered, "Meditate on the dragons."

The chubby, balding human stared at the image and again, it began shifting. The dragons were moving. They rose from the floor as their necks stretched out. As they grew out of the floor, their colors changed, becoming a truer representation of what they were. One dragon was a Chinese water dragon with a snakelike body and small limbs that Dá Lóng and his water babies were born with. The other dragon was a Western dragon with large, leathery bat wings. The scales of the Western dragon lost their fiery color and became a deep purple. Derrick instantly recognized the beast and looked away. Noboru's warm paw holding his hand gently squeezed, and Derrick looked back at the dragon. The purple beast's mouth opened, and the flames came toward him. The human flinched and then walked into the flames.

From the vantage of the hilltop, Derrick could see all that lay in the small valley below. The black wolf raised his paws and looked at them. He realized he was no longer in the temple, and no longer human. Four temple dogs clad in armor were carefully moving two Western winged dragons. Less than five feet, Derrick realized the dragons were babies, not yet even fledged from their nest. Their bloodied bodies were clear indicators that something had gone terribly wrong. When the young wolf strained to find out what had happened, he saw the arrows sticking out from their sides.

"Our brothers will be here any moment," one of the temple dogs yelled to the others. "Stay alert. The humans will show no mercy. Protect our charges with your lives." The dog's armor was bright gold and shone in the sunlight. The others wore armor of bronze and iron, and as they moved, the shifting of metal on metal gave off a low melodic sound like wind chimes in a breeze. Every dog moved in one accord. They knew their tasks and were quick to fulfill them.

From the crest of the northern hill, the massive beast that Derrick had seen in his dream flew up over the ridge. His large bat wings flapped forward, steadying his descent. With a wingspan easily thirty feet across, the grass shifted and swirled about the dragon as he landed next to the temple dogs. "Bai, they are coming," the dragon said to the dog in the golden armor. "The knight and his army are not far behind. If the temple dragons don't get here soon, we will lose everything."

"What do we do, Father?" Bai asked.

"You guard the babies. Their parents are dead."

Derrick suddenly realized who the purple dragon was. "It's Jiao-long. He's not a wingless air dragon anymore. Did he change to help put the baby dragons at ease?" When he turned to hear Noboru's answer, he realized he was alone on the hill. He remembered Noboru's words. The dog would tether him until the story was over, but for now, it appeared he was alone.

The army of men crested the hill, led by a knight covered in silvery armor riding a horse. Even from the distance, Derrick could make out the crest on the large shield he carried. It was a dragon with a sword pierced through its heart. All that stood between the temple dogs and the baby dragons was the great purple beast.

"Hold, Knight," Jiao-long yelled.

The knight pulled up his horse, shocked that the beast could talk. "I am George of Palermo, the descendant of St. George of Cappadocia, emissary of his holiness, the pope. I am sworn to drive out the Muslims and all the enemies of Christ our Lord from this land and reclaim Jerusalem for Our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, I will send you and your demons back to the hell that spawned you."

"We are not demons, George of Palermo. We are not your enemy. The creatures before you want nothing more than to return to their homes and live in peace."

"Then they should have little complaint when I kill them and return them to Hell."

"Surely, Knight, we can find some accord here. The ones you have attacked are but babies. They have done no ill to anyone. The knights before you are sworn to protect life, not take it. Let them take the babies home. You will never cross paths with them again. We live in a place so far removed from humankind that you will be safe from us, no matter what you believe us to be."

"And what assurance do I have of this should I let you pass?"

"You have my word," the dragon answered. "I am Jiao-long of the Verital. For longer than your kind has lived, we have watched over this world and protected its children. That includes the innocent creatures you hunt. Do not force this issue, Knight. Let your Lord and Savior's message of peace fill your heart. Turn away from what you do today."

"Our Lord and Savior cast out demons."

"But he never killed them."

"Satan can use the holy words to his own devices, Dragon. You are the deceiver. Satan in the flesh."

"Then take me and let the innocents go."

"Are you trying to strike a bargain with me, Dragon?"

"If you seek blood, if you will not turn back without a life, then take mine, and leave those behind me to return to their sanctuary."

"You will not fight?"

"I will not fight," the dragon responded. "If you leave the innocents, I will lay down my life."

"No!" both the temple dogs and Derrick cried out at the same time.

"No, Father. Do not do this," the golden armored dog cried out.

The dragon turned back toward the temple dogs and their charges. "Your safety is all that matters to me, Bai."

"You cannot trust the humans," Bai said.

"Be still, Son," the dragon commanded. He turned toward the knight and his army. "If I offer you my life, do you swear on your god that the innocents will go free?"

The knight raised his lance. "You have my oath on all that is holy."

The dragon rose upward, exposing his massive chest. His clawed hand pointed to the place where his heart beat deep inside. "Thrust your lance here, knight. I will die at your hand. You will have the blood you seek, and they will go free." The dragon pointed back toward his children. "Swear it by all you believe in."

"Put down your arms," the knight said as he motioned for the soldiers to stand fast on the hillside. "I swear dragon. They will go free."

"Then do it," the dragon said.

The knight kicked his horse and began a full gallop toward the dragon. At the last moment, the lance fell downward and pierced the flesh of the dragon, driving deep into the chest. Jiao-long stumbled backward, clutching the weapon in his hands. He rolled forward, pulling the lance from his chest, and fell to the ground.

When the knight saw what had happened, he turned to his army he yelled. "Archers, kill them all."

The dogs looked up at the hill and watched the archers reaching back into their quivers. Instantly, the dogs' arms reached behind them. The plate that each wore on his back pulled away, becoming a shield they thrust outward to protect the dragon babies. Jiao-long's eyes flashed open. "You swore on your god, Knight."

"I need not tell the truth to the father of all lies," the knight responded.

"Stop this madness, George of Palermo," Jiao-long yelled. "These are your men. You must protect them. Turn away from this course. Do not force my hand."

The knight pulled his sword. "I would rather we all die than let one of you live. Burn in Hell, spawn of Satan," he yelled as he once more kicked the horse and sped toward the bleeding wound in the dragon's chest.

The dragon rose and picked the human off the horse like a toy. "End this, soldiers," Jiao-long begged. "No good will come of this day. Turn, run from this place, and give thanks to your god for mercy."

"Kill them all," the knight screamed, dangling from the hand of the dragon. "Send them to Hell."

The archers put their arrows in their nocks and raised their bows. The dragon shook his head in disbelief. "By your command, Human," the dragon said as he flung the knight toward the army. Before the knight had even hit the ground, the maw of the great dragon opened and the blazing red fire burst from his mouth. The knight was no more. The hillside where once an army of men stood preparing for battle was in flames and not a soldier remained. All the humans that brandished a weapon were no more. They swirled up inside the fire as ash that clouded the sky.

"You wanted Hell, humans? I have brought you your wish," the dragon roared.

Derrick turned from the incineration of the humans. "I've seen enough, Noboru," he cried out. "Please make it end."

From down in the valley, a lone dog, clad in bronze, looked up at the black wolf as he turned from watching. He took his khakkhara and slammed it on the ground. The shock wave knocked Derrick forward and when he turned back to see what had happened, he saw the dog holding the staff. "Bear witness, Pup," the dog yelled. "Do not turn away."

Derrick stood and watched as the flames on the hill reached the forest. The trees burst into flame, creating thick clouds of white smoke. Bai, the obvious leader of the dogs, left the other three with the dragons and ran to his father. It was at that moment that Derrick realized he heard every word spoken in the valley, even the quiet whispering between the dragon and the temple dog.

"Bai, I need you to change. I need you to become human," the dragon said between heaving breaths.

"But father, I have sworn…"

"Break your oath. Save our charges. Save my children."

"Father, no," the temple dog begged. "There has to be another way."

"They will not stop. They will hunt you down and kill you all," the dragon said. His head collapsed on the ground. "Do this for all of us. Don't let my death be the end of all we have dreamed of becoming."

"Father, please. We can find a way to heal you."

"No, Bai. I am dying. Nothing you do can change that. The demon called George aimed true. The wound I have will kill me in hours. You know I am right. There is no other way. Change for the sake of the dragon's future. For the sake of all your brothers; break your vow."

The temple dog shook, and in his place, a human stood amid the golden armor scattered about on the ground. The dragon smiled. "I love you, Bai. And now I ask of you the most difficult thing I have ever asked of any son. Return to the humans."

"How will a naked human returning from this valley be of any help?"

Jiao-long groaned. "That is true," he said as his arm reached out and the clawed hand made a circular motion. The red glow Derrick stared at in the dragon's hand was a familiar one. He had seen it multiple times in the hands of the Old Wolf. Jiao-long was Red clan. Now the reason for the red fiery breath of the dragon was clear. "This should help," Jiao-long said.

The once temple dog, now human, watched as the golden armor disappeared from the ground, and a familiar silver armor wrapped around him. When the shield with the dragon emblem appeared and fell before him, the temple dog knew his transformation was complete. The newly clad knight shook his head. "I have never lied, Father. Please do not make me break every vow I hold sacred."

"I have already asked too much of you, Bai," the purple dragon said. "The townspeople will watch the fires raging. For a time, they will be fearful as humans always are; but as the fires die down, they will come to see what has happened. When they come, they must find a valiant knight and a dead dragon, and nothing else."

"What do I tell them?"

"You tell them that the battle was horrific, that you alone remain to tell the tale. That much will be true. By the time they appear, you will be the only survivor in this valley to tell the story. You tell them that all the demons are burnt in the fires of Hell. That is the truth as well. You tell them that the demons that would kill them are no more. Bai, there are no demons save those created by the humans. You will not lie if you tell them exactly what I have told you. And then you show them my body as proof that the last of the dragons are dead."

"They will believe you are the last?"

"Yes, because what they have believed in has always been superstition, not reality. You will become a part of that mythology as the great vanquisher of dragons. When you tell them I am the last, they will believe you. They want to believe you. They want someone to calm their fears.

"You will live among the humans for seven years as their saint and protector of the demons that haunt them. Their demons will never die, Son, because they are within them. They will not fear the dragons; for whenever their doubt begins again, you will be there to assure them that the great dragon they saw was the last of his kind. That is the truth, Son. I am the last of my kind. I am the only one of my kind. The last Changeling dragon on Earth. You will never have to lie if you repeat the truth exactly as I say.

"But be careful, Son. They will create fresh horrors even more unimaginable in their minds, and they will act on those horrors, killing their own. They will lash out against all other creatures of this earth to calm those fears. But nothing will abate the terror they see. Their curse is to be the monsters they seek to kill."

Jiao-long groaned in pain. His breathing grew shallow. "Seven is a sacred number to the humans who follow the god of Abraham. It will give added gravitas to the mythology they create for you. If you can, blend your mythos with that of the first St. George. Let the humans believe that one blessed of God has been their deliverer."

Bai nodded his understanding. The dragon heaved upward as he tried to catch his breath. Blood spilled from his chest, and he fell back to earth. He looked at his son and wept for what he asked of his child. "No matter what becomes of the humans, your exile among them will end on the day of your seventh anniversary of living with them. On that day, you will return to your brothers and your home."

"What do I tell them when I leave?"

"You tell them the truth. You tell them these exact words: 'I have heard the voice of my Heavenly Father. He has told me that on this day I am to return to the home he has built for me. My brothers in arms await me on the other side.' You offer no other explanations, no other reasons for your leaving. And after you have told them, you leave as I have taught you. Leave with no one seeing you, so that the legend of you being an angel of God, capable of appearing to men, will spread."

"But Father…"

"Who is your father?"

"You are, Father."

"And upon whose back did you ride into the heavens to find the dragons and bring them home?"

"Yours, Father."

"And who is it that has told you to return to the home that I built for you so many years ago?"

"You did," the knight said with a bow, "Heavenly Father."

"There is only one last thing to ask of you, and don't let this burden you, Son." The dragon reached over and grabbed the lance that lay by his side. "I am dying, and when the humans return to this valley to view my body, they will ask you again who killed the demon spawn of Hell."

"You did, Father. You killed them all to save us."

The dragon snorted something close to a laugh. "That is true, Son. But for the humans, you point to me and tell them that the last of the great dragons Jiao-long died at your hands. You tell them there are no more dragons of his kind in the world… you say those words exactly, Bai. Those words are the truth. You use your words to protect the dragons."

"But, Father, to be the truth…" The words trailed off and Bai stood silent.

The dragon extended his arm with the lance clutched in it. "One blow to the third-eye chakra. It is the softest point in my skull. I will feel no pain, Son." The dragon turned his head to the side, giving the knight clear access to the area in the middle of his forehead. "And you will save me from the hours of suffering I will have to endure if you do nothing."

"I can't, Father."

"You must, Bai. All these years, I have taught you about obligation and duty. Now, you must see beyond the act you dread, to the kindness you offer me."

The knight took the lance and raised it above his head. "Forgive me, Father," he begged.

"There is nothing to forgive, Son. You are saving my children and their charges. Be at peace with how you do that."

The knight drove the lance into the skull of the great dragon and Jiao-long's eyes closed. Through Derrick's tears, he watched as four temple dragons appear out of the sky only moments later. They landed beside the remaining three temple dogs and the wounded dragons. "Noboru," Bai yelled to the dog carrying the khakkhara, "take Saand and load the dragons on our brothers' backs. Secure them for their flight home."

"Yes, Master Bai," the temple dog said with a bow. The transfer was quick and two temple dragons bearing their charges were gone back into the air and beyond sight in moments.

The three dogs raced to their brother and hugged him. "We will await your return, Bai," the one unidentified dog said.

"I would that our father had let me return with you, Li Wei, but your safety is more important. Go now before the townspeople come."

"Can we stay and be with you and Father for a moment longer?" Noboru asked.

"No. Your safety is my only concern. You must all be gone before the people of the city come to see what the calamity was about. The forest still burns, but it will calm soon. The people of the city will follow."

Bai turned to Li Wei as he removed his helmet. He reached under his armor of steel and pulled out a necklace of round stones. "You are their Khenpo now. Watch over our brothers. Protect our charges above all else."

Bai's hand extended to the temple dog with the staff. "Noboru, you are a brave novitiate. I am sorry that you were here with us on such a sad day."

"Where else would I be but by your side, Master Bai?" Noboru asked. Bai grabbed the dog and hugged him tightly. The kiss they shared lingered until Bai pushed back and wiped the tears from his face.

Bai looked at the third dog. "Saand, they named you bull for a good reason. You have a strong back and you can be bullheaded when accepting instruction. Please go easy on Li Wei. He will need your help."

Saand bowed. "I will be by his side in all things, Bai. You have my word."

"Then I am pleased Li Wei's transition will be so pleasant. Take good care of yourself, Saand." The two hugged and when they ended their kiss, Bai put on the silver helmet of the knight. The three dogs raced back to the two remaining temple dragons. Securing themselves on the back of the wingless fliers, the three dogs gave a pat to the back of the air dragons. With a flick of their tails, the dragons lurched into the air, becoming a serpentine ribbon of colors that vanished in seconds.

Bai turned to the lifeless dragon. "You have asked so much of me, Father," he said as he sat beside the dragon and stroked the shining scales. He chanted quietly for hours until he heard the townspeople making their way up over the top of the hill.

The knight stood. Brandishing his lance, he yelled, "The great dragon you fear is dead. And with his death, the world will never see his kind again." The townspeople cheered, and soon they gathered around the knight, asking questions and begging to touch the hero that had saved them. It was all Bai could do to remain true to his promises.

Noboru's paw squeezed Derrick's tightly and Derrick found himself back in the darkened room, staring at the mandala of the two dragons. "This is the truth behind the myth. This is our story that you must now tell."

"I am sorry for you all, Noboru. Your people have suffered so much at the hands of the humans."

"There is a darkness that we must acknowledge, even in the purest souls. Father killed hundreds of humans with no regret that day."

"But Jiao-long had no choice."

"We all have choices, Little One. We cannot abandon the truth that what Father did, he did by choice. The consequences of those acts still reverberate to this day. We all must face hard decisions at times. Father's path may have been inevitable, but it was still his choice to traverse it."

"I wish it were different. It is all too hard to take. I wish Adam had never told me to write this history."

"You seek a happy ending to this history, but one cannot be written without seeing the sorrow first."

"Is there a happy ending to this story, Noboru?"

"Beyond your comprehension, Little One."

"How? How can you even look at a human without hating everything they are?"

"Yin-Yang," Noboru said as the young wolf stared at the mandala that was shifting once more. "In even our darkest times, there is a spark of light." From the two dragons blurring together came the face of a dark wolf with glowing blue eyes. "A beautiful black wolf was born of human blood."

"Me?" Derrick asked, his confusion evident on his face. "How can I change any of what's happened?"

"Ancient One," Noboru said, looking back into the hall's darkness, "your husband has asked a question. I believe it is you who should answer."

From the darkest corner, the great white bear stepped into the light and walked toward the black wolf. As he strode forward, the temple dogs moved to the side to let him pass. When at last he stood before the young wolf, the polar bear knelt in front of Derrick and hugged him. "Papa Bear, were you here the whole time?" the wolf asked.

"I have been here for days with the brothers. We have been meditating on our course of action. We have waited for you. You, Pup, are the key to an ending of the story you have witnessed; an ending that has waited centuries to draw to its close."

Derrick's confusion remained. When he felt the warm arm of the temple dog wrap around him, he leaned into the comforting warmth. "One story ends by another's beginning," Noboru said.

Chapter 12

"Where are we going?" Derrick asked as the Black Rhino lifted into the air.

"Dragon Hill in Uffington, Berkshire," Faraji said as he turned around from the controls. "The manifest says that this is a stealth landing. Are you gentlemen going to give us even a clue why we're going there?"

Derrick shrugged his confusion. "To try and end a story happily ever after?"

Talib laughed as he said, "Gears up. Your whole family talks in riddles, you know."

Derrick smiled. "Yeah, I guess it's catching. We all seem to get it, eventually."

"Well, keep us in the loop if you can," Talib said.

"We will do that, Little Ones," Noboru said as the auto restraints pulled him back against the side of the airship. Noboru looked down at the bindings that were invisible and smiled. "After all these years, you've finally made these more comfortable."

"Yeah," Faraji replied. "The key was stepping back from the tech given to us by the Unity and redesigning it from our perspective. They have our gratitude for helping us create these ships, but you don't want a gummy slug designing your seating arrangements." Faraji looked back at the polar bear. "No offense meant by that description. I believe it is the one your husband used to describe you in the histories."

"No offense taken," the polar bear replied. "It is an apt if slightly laughable description." The polar bear turned to his wolf husband. "You see, Pup? This is why we need you to write our history. Our family needs to know how to describe us in these conversations."

Derrick shook his head in disbelief. "I hope there's some greater purpose to it all than that," he sighed.

Faraji looked back from his copilot's chair and smiled at the black wolf. "Oh, there is, Wolfy. I read the story of the Shumuuluud and my part in it. I never thought I would be brave enough to stand by the family that stood by me so many times, but now I know in another life I have. It frames everything I do in this life. What you write can't be easy for you. But please realize it means so much to those of us who read it."

Noboru nodded. "Adam chose two of our best scribes for the task."

Derrick laughed. "He chose a badger who never learned to write until he was one hundred and sixty and a kid who barely got his GED."

Eric shrugged his indifference. "By Terran reckoning, I was over one million eight thousand years old before I learned to read, and I never even went to grade school."

Derrick looked up at the polar bear seated next to him. "That is different, and you know it."

Eric smiled. "Not to me. You and Oliver are uniquely suited for the jobs Adam gave you. Oliver sees things from a perspective unique to him, and you, Pup, are the one who softens the edges and finds meaning in what we have done."

"I agree with your husband," Li Wei said. "The choice made by Adam was a profoundly important one, and he chose wisely."

"DAMN IT, ADAM," Talib yelled as all looked forward to the cockpit window. A ball of flame hurtled by them. The airship banked tightly, but the gyroscopes within the ship kept everyone upright and stable.

"Sorry, men," came the voice of the pangolin over the ComLink. "I was texting and driving."

"What?" Talib asked.

"Texting… it's the thing humans used to do on phones that got them in accidents all the time. That's funny, right?" Adam asked.

"Perhaps two hundred years ago," Derrick said with a laugh. "You need to keep up with the times, Adam."

"That isn't easy for a guy who moves around in it. Ask Max and JP," replied the ball of flame that sped in front of the Black Rhino.

"Well, land your oh-so-cute ass down on the ground, Pangolin," Talib said. "I'm lowering the landing skids, and I don't want to deal with you as a distraction."

"I'm sorry, Talib," the voice on the ComLink replied. "I didn't see you until the last moment. Your cloak is on, remember? I didn't mean to be a distraction."

"The ball of fire you make in reentry is one thing, but now the otter…" Talib said with a chuckle, "… the otter, he's a distraction."

Adam laughed. "I'll see you on the ground," and in a flash, the speeding ball of fire surged forward beyond their sight.

"Gears down. Lean back into your seats, men. You may not see them, but the auto restraints still have a mind of their own when it comes to landing safety." The two pilots coasted the massive airship through the clouds and landed it atop a hill with a large white patch of chalk rock in the center. "Let's get you gentlemen off in a hurry, shall we?" Talib said, standing up from his chair. "It looks like there is a group of tourists about to climb the hill to see where St. George killed the dragon."

Derrick looked out through the cockpit window. "This isn't where it happened," he said.

"No, it's not," Eric replied. "But this is where I buried the lance the temple dogs gave me. With the death of Bai, we had to find a place to put it where no one would look. I liked the irony of hiding it in the very place the St. George fable says he killed the dragon. Somehow that lance factors into the return of my brother."

"You hid it, Papa Bear?"

"When Jiao-long died, the dogs had no father. Their order was well established, but there were fundamental changes to the entire group that needed addressing. It fell on my shoulders to accept that responsibility."

"I don't understand," Derrick said as Li Wei and Noboru walked down the cargo bay ramp.

"When the war destroyed the Tibetan temple, the temple dogs and dragons were not my only concern. The lance of St. George was one of three relics the temple dogs would not leave without. One has never left the side of Noboru. It's the khakkhara that he held the day Jiao-long died. The second has always remained around Li Wei's neck. It is the mala of the Khenpo. The last was the lance of St. George. The dogs tasked me to hide it so that none would find it. Today we reclaim the lance."

"I still don't understand," the black wolf replied.

"There is much in play here, Pup," the polar bear replied. "Sometimes sitting down and discussing what's happening takes longer than letting it happen."

"We must hurry," Noboru said with a bow. "Do you know where it is?"

"Embedded in the chalk stone. I hid it in the one place they considered too sacred to dig." Eric turned to Derrick. "Pup, use your powers to pull the lance from the stone. You need to see the lance in your mind and then place it in your hands. If you do this right, no one will ever know we disturbed the stone."

"But you put it there, Papa Bear. Why can't you take it out?"

"You and I hold different powers, Pup. I took the lance and drove it into the stone. That was sheer brute force, nothing more. You can build and change the world around you. You can retrieve the lance from the stone without disturbing it. That job rests with the wolf. The dog brings back the truth of all that was lost. The wolf brings back all that has been lost. We all play our part in this day, Pup. Part of yours is to retrieve the lance."

"Think of Excalibur," Adam said, smiling. "You're Arthur Pendragon. It's your job to pull the sword from the stone. Only it's a spear, I guess."

"A lance, actually," the polar bear corrected.

"Okay," the black wolf said, taking a deep breath. "Pull the lance from the stone. I will do my best."

"That is all we ever ask," Noboru said. His arm wrapped around the young wolf. "See past the stone into the heart of the spear. There is a reason nothing grows on this hill beyond the chalk soil and rock. The spear is here."

Derrick closed his eyes and saw past the stone to the wooden staff with a blade on the end. "I see it," he said.

"Put it in your hands, Little One," Noboru encouraged.

The black wolf extended his paws out and turned them upward. The lance appeared in his hand. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Cool."

"No time for taking bows, Pup," the polar bear said. "Let's get everyone back on board the Black Rhino. Those tourists have already started climbing the stairs."

Ushered quickly into the Black Rhino, the cargo bay doors lifted and the airship made a quick horizontal assent. As the tourists crested the hill, they felt a sudden gust of wind push against them. They looked around for a moment and then began talking of ghosts and legends, never realizing how close to the truth they were.

"Well, that was closer than I would like," Talib said as he worked the controls. "Where to now, Gentlemen?"

"To the sight of our father's death," Noboru replied. "Our brothers are waiting for us."

Derrick's confusion spread across his face. "What is this about, Noboru?"

"We always draw Yin and Yang as a circle, Pup," the temple dog responded. "All that is out of balance is about to come full circle. Today will restore harmony. What was lost will be found. What is gone will return."

Derrick shook his head. "I'm sorry, Noboru. That confuses me even more. Can't you tell me what's going to happen in plain English?"

"Not without you turning away, Pup. And we need you… my brothers and I need you not to turn away from what lies ahead."

"But if you asked, you know I would do anything for you, Noboru."

"There are some things we cannot ask of anyone," the temple dog responded. "But if you were to offer when the path becomes clear, we would not say no."

"Will anything become clear, Noboru? Or is it all as confusing as this conversation?"

Noboru smiled and reached out to hug the wolf. "Keep that hug short, Noboru," Faraji yelled back to the two hugging beasts. "We need to have you up against the cargo hold to allow the restraints to find you and lock you in. We're on approach now."

Noboru leaned into the hug and whispered into the ear of the black wolf. The dog turned and pushed his back against the cargo bay as the invisible restraints pulled him close to the side of the airship. Derrick returned to his seat, and the ship performed the same maneuvers on him, pulling
 him snugly into his seat. Derrick turned to Eric. "Papa Bear, I'm scared. Do you know what's happening?"

"I know what they ask of me, Pup," the polar bear replied. "But not what they ask of everyone else. Still, what they ask of me is almost greater than I am willing to do. I seriously hope they know what they're doing."

"What are they asking of you?" Derrick asked as he felt the ship touch down on the ground and the restraints release. "Why all this mystery?"

"Because they know we trust them and they are hoping as this unfolds, they will not need to ask of us something they know we will not do."

Derrick stood up. "Papa Bear, you're not much more help than Noboru."

Kris looked at the young wolf. "Pup, trust the dogs. There is ancient history in play here. There are ancient powers in play. The dogs told us they know what they're doing. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt."

"I'll try," Derrick said, shaking his head. "But I have to admit, I'm not comfortable with the mystery part of this."

The white bear leaned down and hugged his young mate. "Nor am I, Pup. But what I know leaves me even more worried. Try to see your ignorance as a blessing. I think the whole truth is too difficult for any of us to see."

Derrick shook his head again and sighed. He reached out and began giving hugs to all the gathered temple dogs. Kris and Eric followed, hugging each of the golden-haired beasts. When the greetings had ended, Derrick watched the dogs form a line. The three temple dragons moved to position themselves behind the growing line. "What's going on?" he asked.

Noboru smiled at the black wolf. "The circle is closing. What we ask of you all is more than we have a right to. But the old bear has promised he would be beside us on this day. Kris has sworn to stand by his son. Only you, Pup, need to decide what part you will play on this day."

"But you haven't told me what my part is," Derrick objected.

"Watch, and all will become clear," the temple dog replied.

Derrick looked back and forth between the polar bear and the straight line of twelve dogs and three dragons. The dragons raised their heads and pushed up on their short legs. Derrick watched the shift of the dragons as they moved into their final position. Noboru walked up to Li Wei and bowed. He extended his paw, clutching the ancient khakkhara. Li Wei took the staff, and Noboru moved behind him. Li Wei lifted the khakkhara above his head and then, with one great thrust, he drove it into the ground. The five rings of the staff swayed for a moment and then aligned with the temple guardians.

From the first dog, Li Wei, to the last of the dragons, there was one continuous line of every beast. Each was exposing their chest in the same manner Jiao-long had done on the battlefield the day he died. "Papa Bear, NO!" Derrick yelled.

"Stand aside, Pup," the white bear commanded. "This has been their dream for longer than you have lived."

"It is our wish," Li Wei told the young wolf. "Do not deny us what we have waited for all these years. You see the path now, Pup. We cannot do this without you."

"I can't… you can't ask me to join that line."

"Nor would we ever, Pup," Li Wei said. "Bai would not have been in the line. It was his task to bring order from chaos. You and Bai, Pup. You are builders. Stand by our side." Li Wei reached deep into the fur of his chest and pulled the necklace of round beads from hiding. He put them around Derrick's neck. "You will know what to do when the moment is right. Trust who you are. Trust yourself. Bring Bai home."

"But, Li Wei," Derrick protested. Before the young wolf could speak another word, Li Wei's arm pushed forward and his paw thumped the middle of his chest. The white bear rose and drew back the lance. He hurled it forward, and the lance flew through the upright khakkhara. As it sped through each of the five rings, the lights of all the clans exploded outward. They merged into a brilliant white light surrounding the spiraling pike.

The glowing spear pierced Li Wei's heart, and then Katashi's. It sped through Noboru, Bolin, Zhuang, Saand, Genji, and Peng. Never stopping, never slowing, it plunged through all the temple dogs and all the temple dragons. The lance went through the entire family of temple guardians. As it exited out of the last body, the brown paw of the Kodiak reached out and yanked the glowing, bloody pike out of the air.

The dogs and dragons fell to the ground the blood pouring from their bodies. Their gasping for air was only momentary before their eyes closed and their breathing stopped. Derrick stared at the lifeless bodies. "No… No… this can't be happening."

"It is, Pup," Kris said as he approached the crying wolf with the bloody lance. "This is as it should be. A part of Jiao-long lived in each of them. They were the vessels that held his life force, the same way Terra held the life force of all the Changelings that died at the Battle of Osogovo."

"But why? Why did they have to die?"

The brown bear held out the dripping lance to the wolf. "See beyond your world, Pup. This is what the dogs asked of us. Let the gift you possess bring order from the chaos you see. Take the lance."

Derrick reached out and took the lance. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Let Bai teach you."

"Bai is dead."

"Bai is only sleeping. Wake him, Pup. Call him to your side. You hold the power gifted to him by the Verital. Let him guide you to your task, the same as they guided my son to do what he has done."

Derrick closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the mayhem that surrounded him. "What do I do?" he begged someone to answer. "What am I supposed to do?"

Derrick felt the warm arm of the temple dog wrap around him and pull him close. He looked up and saw the smiling face. "Noboru?" he asked.

"No, Little One, I am Bai, firstborn of Jiao-long."

"But the first sons were wingless fliers. They were dragons."

"Yes, we were. Then I was not when it was needful that I be the first of the temple dogs. And I became a man once more because that was needful. You, Little One — you are a member of the Blue clan because that is needful."

Derrick looked around the open field. It was empty. Only Bai and he were there. Bai answered the unspoken question. "This is a dream, Little One," the dog said pointing out to the surrounding field. "I am not here. You are not here. I am incorporeal. Longwei, my brother, is here beside me. He has done his part by standing in the line of my brothers. He gave up his spirit and now rests within the lance you hold. The two of us were as the Changelings once were. When we died, Terra took our spirits and held us tethered to this world. But we could not return as Changelings did. There is not enough of me to return to do my task, but if you will allow me to share your body, you can let me do what I was born to do. Let me bring him back. Do what is needful."

Derrick nodded. "What do I do?" he asked the dog beside him.

"You bring order out of chaos. You follow the path that even now is becoming clear to you."

Derrick shook his head as he saw the vision. "You want me to do that?"

"Trust my father, Little One."

"I want to, but I don't want to die."

"Death is such a misunderstood concept."

"If I don't do this?"

"You have no obligation to us, Little One," the dog replied. "You must do this of your own choosing, or all will be for naught."

"Jiao-long is going to seriously piss off my husbands."

"That, Little One, is an understatement."

Derrick smiled at Bai. "Will I ever meet you?"

"See the path, Little One. We are inseparable."

Derrick's eyes opened, and he stared at the still-dripping lance. Raising it above his head, he closed his eyes once more. The lance began glowing a deep red. The color flowed out and over the wolf, merging with the blue glow of the builder clan. When the two had become one purple glow, Derrick's paws rotated the spear between them. Kris and Eric watched as the lance spun in the temple dog's style of controlling their khakkharas. It spun around above his head, and then by his sides; alternating back and forth.

The two bears realized their husband was wielding the lance in a manner he never learned. But no one was prepared for what happened next. The lance spun up out of Derrick's paws and into the air. As it fell, the young wolf grabbed the lance by the spear end in his outstretched paws. In one smooth motion, he plunged the blade into his heart, pushing the lance through him and out the other side. There it fell to the ground, no longer glowing and clear of every drop of blood that covered it only moments ago.

The young wolf looked up with a pained expression, but as he stared at the two bears, he smiled. He collapsed to his knees. Where once there was a black wolf, a temple dog knelt, trying to breathe through the pain. Both bears moved toward the temple dog, but his hand reached out and they felt the unseen force pushing them back. "You have done your part, Ancient Ones. Now let me do mine," the dog said.

The dog rose and stared at the line of dead beasts and shook his head. "What were we thinking?" he said, more to himself than anyone else. He looked up back up.

Bai tried to calm the concern evident in the two bears. "Ancient Ones, it is almost done. Thank you for standing by our side and doing for us what my missing brother and I could not do."

"I am not willing for this to proceed at the cost of my husband, Bai," the white bear growled. "You and your brothers made a willing choice that I honored. But the wolf did not."

The newly born temple dog bowed. "We would not ask so great a sacrifice of the one you love. Please trust us. We will make this right before this day ends." He looked at Adam and bowed again. "Are you the Channeler we know as Donovan?"

Adam returned the bow. "Donovan is no more. I am Adam. I stand in his place."

The temple dog pointed to the
 dead beasts. "Then I ask of you what I would have asked of Donovan."

"You have my full cooperation, but the Old Bear's words stand. Let no harm come to the young wolf."

"My life before his," the dog said as his paws extended, glowing bright blue. He turned to the white bear. "For this moment, we waited for so very long. I will give all. I do not ask the same of you."

"I will give all. He is my brother."

Adam frowned at the bear. "Do so at your own risk and against the objections of your husbands and children, Old Bear."
"There is no other way," Eric said resolutely.

"Really, Husband," the otter retorted. "Really? Do you forget who shares your bed?"

The polar bear smiled at the otter. "Maybe. He doesn't share it often enough with me to remember."

"Oh, great," the otter fumed. "Make the little otter feel bad because he works the long haul and can't always come home on the weekends."

The newly reincarnated temple dog watched the interplay between the two. "You two are mated?"

Kris laughed out loud. "You can't tell by the way they're acting right now? All of us here who aren't dog or dragon are mated, Bai."

Bai smiled. "To be reborn into a world where such a wonder can come about," he said with a sigh. "I am truly blessed to see this day." He reached down and hefted the khakkhara into his left paw.

"Well, let's get this started," Adam said as he lifted a paw and it glowed green, then red, then yellow, and lastly blue.

"But you said you were a Channeler," Bai said, confused.

The otter's other paw raised and glowed white. "I multi-task," he said with a grin. "Do not let the Old Bear give up his powers. He is not fond of them, but he has a responsibility to his family."

The temple dog bowed. "I understand. We begin and do not stop until it all begins again," the dog said as his glowing blue right paw sent out a beam of light that slammed into the otter's upraised hand. The polar bear followed, and the otter caught the beams of light in his hands and spun them around into a glowing turquoise sphere.

"This is the moment for which my brothers and I have held our father's chi in our hearts," Bai said, as his eyes closed. The khakkhara stretched out away from the dog and perpendicular to the line of dead dogs and dragons. "None of us was strong enough alone to keep him safe, but together, each of us held a part. Each of us is a key to the return of Jiao-long."

"You tell me when, Bai," Adam said as the orb grew brighter.

The temple dog bowed. "It is time."

The otter turned toward Bai, and the orb hurtled toward him. It slammed into his chest. With a simple pivot of foot, the dog turned toward his dead brothers. The khakkhara never shifted in its position. His arms extended, and the right paw grabbed onto the staff with the glowing rings. In the center of the rings, a white light gathered. With a twist of the dog's wrist, the light from the khakkhara flung out into the middle of the line of dead beasts. The blinding light caused everyone but Bai to turn away. As it faded, their gazes returned. There, instead of the bodies of the temple dogs and dragons, a glowing gelatinous form began taking shape. The red color of the elongated form shifted to purple as scale and wing appeared. The long neck and head of the dragon were soon unmistakable. "It's your brother, Jiao-long," the Kodiak bear said.

"So, it would seem," the polar bear responded with a tension in his voice that was unmistakable.

As the great beast lifted, the wings fanned out, and the creature leaned back into a stretch. He looked down at the four beasts below him. "I am back, family," the dragon said.

Bai bowed. "Welcome home, Father. I leave you now. The young wolf, Derrick, has let me borrow his body for your return, but now I must return it to him."

The dragon nodded. "I understand, Son."

Bai closed his eyes and the golden body began to thin and darken, taking on the shape of a wolf. Almost immediately, it shifted back to being a temple dog. "This is most unexpected," the temple dog said. "He is fighting me. He will not let me go."

The Kodiak bear frowned. "Why not, Bai?"

"He says too many dogs died today. He will not let the last of our kind fade away into oblivion." The temple dog jerked as if trying to shake off something from his back. "He will not budge. The young wolf says he will not let me leave." He spun around, reaching out. "Little One, I promised your husbands." Bai shook his head no. "I am honored you think my life is worth so great a cost, but I cannot let you pay it."

Eric looked up at Jiao-long. "I agree with the dog, Brother. I am surprised you let your children pay such a price for your return."

The dragon looked askance at the white bear. "Brother, what do you make me out to be? A monster?"

"A father who would let his children die to restore his own life seems a monster to me," the polar bear responded.

The dragon reared its head back and laughed. "How many hundreds of thousands of years have you known me, Lee, and you think I would let even one of my children sacrifice his life for me?"

"I'm Eric now," the polar bear said, glowering. "And I don't see any temple dogs here, save Bai."

The dragon shrugged. "Okay, Eric, I can see why you're upset. But this is not what it appears to be. Each of my sons held a unique part of me. When the lance went through their hearts, those parts flowed into the lance. When your husband drove the lance into himself, he fused those parts back into one and into the chi of Bai."

"So the lance?"

"The blood of Jiao-long held all that we needed to restore our father's body," Bai said. "We held the chi of our father in our bodies, waiting for this day to come. It had only one purpose. Once the lance fulfilled that purpose, it became as you see it now. It is now no more than an ancient weapon."

The polar bear's countenance didn't change. "Jiao-long, we have devices that can source your DNA to create a new body without having to drive a spear through the hearts of all your children. If they held your soul, you could have asked my husband, Adam, to help sort that out. You didn't need some mystical transfer to a lance that resulted in those poor dead boys. Hell, JP or Max could have done that. You didn't have to kill them."

The dragon shook his head. "I didn't know there were any other options than the one my sons and I agreed upon. I didn't kill them, Brother." He tapped his heart with his clawed hand. "They're here inside me, the same as I was inside them. I will find a willing mate and merge, and over the hundreds of years it takes, my mate and I will create new bodies for my sons." He looked into the eyes of his brother bear and extended his hands. "I would never sacrifice my sons."

"I'm relieved to hear that, Brother," Eric said. "I'm sorry I misjudged you." He reached up toward the hands, and the dragon and the bear embraced. When the hug ended, the bear let go of a much smaller forest dragon. He smiled and ruffled the mane of the beast. "Life on Terra has changed so much since you've been gone. Other options will return your family to you sooner. Would you be willing to let your family help bring back your boys?"

"Gladly."

Eric looked at Adam. "I know you're busy doing the long haul, but I could use a husband by my side who knows a thing or two about generating bodies."

The otter looked at the bear. "Oh, hell, JP or Max can do that."

The bear smiled at the otter sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Damn it, Old Bear," the otter fumed. "If you weren't so cute, you'd never get away with this." Adam raised his hand and, with a twist of the wrist, seventeen temple dogs and a black wolf stood in the field trying to collect their wits.

"What the heck," Kris said. "Where are the dragons, Adam?"

"Not my circus, not my monkeys. I just did what they asked. I won't stand in the way of what they want. They certainly did enough for their old man to warrant that."

"Not my circus, not my monkeys? Their 'old man'?" the brown bear asked.

"I'm studying twenty-first-century idioms. 'Not my circus, not my monkeys' comes from a Polish phrase meaning 'not my problem'. I like it. It makes people laugh. 'Old man' is another word for father. I like it, too. It's like combining Ancient One and Father all into one."

"It's derogatory, Adam," the polar bear said.

"It is?"

The laugh of the dragon bellowed through the valley. "I like it," the green and blue dragon chortled. He shook his head and his mane flowed out, swirling around his head. He picked up the otter and smiled. "Do you kiss, Otter?"

"I do. I am married to all in this field that aren't your sons. So, I kiss frequently."

"And would you allow a dragon to kiss you in gratitude for what you have done for his sons today?"

"Gladly," the otter said, repeating the words of the dragon moments ago.

The dragon leaned in and kissed the otter. When they separated, the dragon rubbed his feathered paw along the growing erection of the little mammal. "I see why my brother would enjoy kissing you frequently." He turned to the four new temple dogs. "So, Sons, are you happy with your new bodies?"

Shyly, the four new dogs nodded yes. The dragon smiled. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to be temple dogs?"

"We had no vocal cords."

The dragon groaned. "I thought you had taken vows of silence. You could have used telepathy the way the dragons do. They would have taught you."

"They did teach us," the temple dog that appeared to be the voice for the four replied. "But by the time we had learned, you seemed content to believe we were monks who had taken vows of celibacy and silence. We did not have the heart to change your perceptions."

Noboru looked at the four. "We believed you were more devout than us."

"No, we are the same as you. We understood the dilemma our bodies would put you in and choose not to inconvenience you by trying to deal with us. Your times of play
 were joyous occasions for us to watch, but of course, our genitalia prevented us from joining you."

"They were prodigious," Li Wei said, smiling.

"I think I would have tried if you had asked, Chen," Saand said, smiling. "It is sometimes good to challenge one's limitations."

Chen smiled. "I am glad we can ask now, Saand."

Noboru sighed. "We all smell of newly born beasts. There are seventeen of us now and this will complicate matters no end. If we include Spackle, there are eighteen dogs in need of release in the arms of the beasts they love."

Adam laughed. "Stay here for a moment, temple dogs. I will take care of you as soon as we sort out what to do with your father."

Jiao-long looked down at the otter. "We have already decided that. My sons and I planned with the dragons for millennia what I would do if I ever returned."

Eric's face once more showed a frown, but this time it was from sadness. "You are going to leave us, aren't you?"

The forest dragon hugged the bear again, the soft feathers rubbing up against the bear. "I have missed you so much, Brother. I promise that one day I will return to spend my life with you here. But the dragons are so few."

The polar bear nodded his understanding. "Genetic diversity. They need to return home."

"They cannot, Brother. They lost their ability to do so eons ago. Think how long it took us to develop the skills needed to traverse space. I can return to their home planet and guide a few of their kin back here; a visit from their family to strengthen them all." He looked at the brown bear. The Changeling dragon made a sound like four chords from a tune with a question mark at the end.

The Kodiak nodded. "I am called Kris now."

"And you have mated with my brother?"

"Yes. We have even merged and have a son."

"Wonderful," the dragon said. "I always worried that Donovan and Lee…" the dragon paused, "… that Donovan and Eric were a bit too stuffy to be mated as ordained."

Adam's foot tapped as he folded his arms. "The one you call Donovan is me, Jiao-long. And the stuffy bear is my husband. We too have a son from our merging."

"Oh dear," the dragon said. "I am sorry for my comments. It's only that both of you seemed so stoic compared to the rest of us."

"I have a family who's helping me loosen up a bit," the white bear replied with a smile.

"And that is all I meant, Brother. You look happy. You smile every time you look at the black wolf. Now I know why. My words were wrong, but I hoped one day to see you as you are." He looked down at the otter, "And you… you are not of this earth, are you?"

"Yes, and no. I am, in part, a symbiotic organism from another dimension. My original host was Terran. He lives inside me with his husband. They are a wolf and a bear. Two Changeling pandas also live in me. Donovan and I have merged and in doing so, the Changeling you once called Donovan and the symbiont I once was are no more. We are, for lack of a better definition, me."

"Was this merging one that left him happy?"

"Yes, very happy."

"Then I am glad for him. So much weight was on his shoulders being the firstborn. I suspect that has changed little for the family that you seem to house inside such a cute animal. But at least now you share that weight."

"We do. It is difficult to explain, but it works for us."

"Then I am glad for all of you." He looked at the temple dogs. "Come, Sons, give your father a hug. It is time that I do my task."

"Brother…" Eric said sadly, the word trailing off.

"I will return. This is my home. I am one of the Unity. We always return home."

The temple dogs gathered around the forest dragon, and one by one, they hugged their father. When at last all his sons had said their goodbyes, the dragon smiled at the throng of yellow dogs. "It is time for me to return to the homeworld of the dragons. The dragons you live with are not the dragons of old. The diversity of their numbers came from hundreds of millions of years of adapting to this world. But now there are so few. Their family needs to visit to help strengthen the offspring of those here."

"We understand, Father. We will miss you until you return," Noboru said with his characteristic bow.

"And I will miss you," the dragon said. He turned and looked at the otter. "You said you would attend to my children's needs."

"There is a place we call the highland. There are fields of grass, a grand monastery with beds for your sons, water, food… and trees protected by one of your own. She is waiting for them and will watch over them until you return."

The forest dragon smiled. "It sounds beautiful."

"It is, Brother," Eric said. "We will well tend to them and love them as we have loved all your sons."

The dragon looked as if it wanted to ask a question, but the look was hesitant.

The polar bear smiled. "Ask, Jiao-long. The answer will be yes."

"You do not forbid it with your mating?"

"No. Why would we do something so foolish?"

"All that time around the humans. I worried…"

"Don't worry."

The dragon looked at the otter. "So, with so many Changelings a part of you, can you transform your body into any creature?"

"I can."

"Would you ever consider changing into a dragon?"

"I already have."

The dragon hesitated. "For sex?"

"No, to enjoy a conversation with Dá Lóng. The wolf named Kendal who lives inside me was Dá Lóng's chosen companion. Because of our obligations and work, the two do not get to be together as often as they once did. The two miss each other and we have tried to bridge that longing. When we return home, we found becoming a water dragon allows the two to talk with each other while they swim together. The rest of us go elsewhere inside our body and allow them their time together."

The dragon smiled. "You live a very interesting life, Adam."

Adam nodded. "I do. And one that I never dreamt possible. My people are trying to adjust, but I believe most of the time I just confuse them."

"The nights on the homeworld of the dragons are one hundred and six hours long. They can be lonely without a companion," the dragon said with a sigh.

"Are you asking me to join you on your journey?" Adam asked.

"I have little experience beside a man with so many husbands. Still, it appears you can manipulate your world far beyond Eric's abilities. It would be a kindness that I would be grateful for."

Adam looked at his bear husbands. The polar bear waved his hand, telling him to go. "I can't think of a better welcoming committee for my brother than you, Husband."

The Kodiak nodded his consent. "But remember that when you return, you best plan for an extended visit."

Adam smiled. "I already have. I miss you, husbands."

The otter felt himself lifted, and when the black paws turned him around, Derrick kissed his mate. "Hurry back, Adam."

A look of concern came over the otter. "Pup, you should not be able to merge with anyone, let alone an incorporeal."

"Yeah, freaky, huh?" the black wolf agreed.

"What you did was no small feat."

"Well, Oliver and I held onto your powers for fourteen billion years. Maybe some of it wore off on us."

The otter thought for a moment. "I suppose a residual trace of those powers might be lingering."

The wolf smiled. "Or it could be like the Changelings and us with all that DNA swapping we do. Perhaps I'm becoming more like you every time I swallow."

"That's true. We are in uncharted territory here. My behaviors with you and our husbands are unique to me. None of my people ever established relationships the way I did. So, it could be every time we have sex, something is happening." He leaned in and kissed the wolf. "But I certainly have no intention of stopping, even if that's the reason."

"And I certainly have no intention of stopping either," Derrick replied.

"When we get home, can we spend some time together? I would like to find out what you're capable of."

The young wolf giggled. "I prefer finding out what the two of us are capable of, but if it's important to you, I'll make the time."

"It's important, Husband," the otter said.

"Then we'll find the time," Derrick said. "Now, shouldn't you two get ready to go?"

"And while we hate to impose, there was something about the highland?" Noboru said with a bow.

"Would you prefer to go there via the Black Rhino, or just be there?"

"Our state of arousal might make the trip difficult for Faraji and Talib. Seventeen temple dogs rocking on board their aircraft will surely upset their stabilizers."

Adam nodded. "That's true. See you dogs soon," he said, waving at them. By the second wave of his hand, they were gone.

"Quite the bit of magic there," the forest dragon said as he watched his sons disappear.

"It's not magic. It's just science," Adam said casually.

"Science is magic, Adam," the dragon said with a smile. "Don't let the mystery and pleasures of magic slip away from you by not appreciating how magical your gifts are."

Adam thought for a moment about the words and looked up at Jiao-long. "Good advice. I will try to follow it. So, what magic do we do to find our way to the dragon homeworld?"

"First, we need to change into our flight gear," the dragon replied. Jiao-long closed his eyes. "Hold on, it's been a few years since I did this," he said, concentrating. The forest dragon began shifting slowly. "It's like a fenghuang, only the neck is slightly shorter, the wings and tail are longer, and the head and beak are more bird-like."

The crowd watched as the shifting of the dragon slowly evolved into a different dragon. As it changed, it seemed almost clay-like, lacking definition in the details. "Okay, that's pretty much the body," the dragon said aloud to himself as he thought through the change. "Now comes the tricky part." The wings spanned out and, with one flap, the dragon burst into red and orange flames.

"You're a phoenix," an amazed black wolf exclaimed. Despite the dragon being only feet away,
 the group felt no heat from the burning beast.

"The first dragons to visit this planet looked much like this."

"But there's no heat," Adam said, voicing everyone's curiosity.

"It's not fire," the dragon replied. "It's a protective display. If you lay your eggs on other worlds that are on fire, it pays to look like fire. Even a planet of nothing but molten magma can have creatures you don't want to encounter. Being able to hide in plain sight has a decidedly positive evolutionary advantage."

Derrick reached out and touched the flaming dragon. He watched as his hand moved through the wing. "It's an optical illusion," he said as the shadow cast by his hand broke the image of the flames.

"The scales and feathers of the dragon are not too unlike my brother's fur. He doesn't have white fur, but transparent hollow hair follicles. When light bounces around inside the follicles, it gives the illusion that the fur is white. My scales and feathers are similarly transparent. When light hits them, they absorb the cooler spectrum of light and reflect the warmer. The result is a reflection of reds, oranges and yellows. Vibrating the scales causes the fire-like flicker. It's an amazing piece of adaptation. I've learned this much of what the dragons do, but how they fool the creatures who see only heat instead of light is beyond my talents."

"Incredible," the polar bear said. He looked at Adam. "Are you going to be able to pull that off?"

"Maybe not at first. But I will work on him until I figure it out."

The bear smiled. "The proper grammar is 'work with him', Adam."

"No, I said what I meant," the otter said with a laugh.

Kris laughed out loud. "Otter, I am going to miss you. You two take good care of each other."

The polar bear picked up Adam, whispered something in his ear, and kissed him goodbye. He motioned to the phoenix. "How are you going to get to the dragon homeworld?"

The blazing dragon pushed up his wings. Above him, a dark sphere appeared. Inside the sphere were galaxies and space, bending toward the middle, where the dark sky was lit up by a planet in a solar system far from Terra. "Oh my stars," Adam said, laughing. "It's a traversable wormhole. I haven't seen one of those in forever." He looked at the dragon. "Oh, I'm going to get such crap for that comment when I'm alone with my family."

"Kind of obsolete? The dragons taught us how to do it."

"It would be amazing to anyone else. Just kind of horse and buggy to me. We're space benders. Still, the end result is not all that different from what we do."

"Should I let you drive?" the dragon asked.

Adam shook his head no. "I love traveling through wormholes. And I'm sure they'll be even more pleasant with you by my side." The otter closed his eyes and shook into a flaming dragon. "There. All dressed to meet the neighbors."

Jiao-long flipped his head up toward the sphere. "After you, Adam."

Adam flapped his wings and was inside the wormhole before his family could say goodbye. Jiao-long laughed. "I think he's forgotten how they work. He's already on the dragon homeworld. If you'll excuse me, I'll try to catch up with him before he winds up trying to explain himself to a bunch of dragon guards."

"It's good to see you, Brother," Eric said. "Safe travels." With two flaps of the phoenix's wings, Jiao-long was airborne and into the sphere, which folded in on itself in a matter of seconds.

"Will is going to be upset that he wasn't allowed on this trip," Derrick said, staring into the place where the wormhole once was.

Kris nodded. "And there's Oliver. This is going to be a tough one."

"They're going to be fine," the polar bear said.

"What makes you think that?" Derrick asked.

"Because I asked Adam to send them both to the highland."

"With seventeen newly born temple dogs?" Kris asked, chuckling.

"And Spackle," the white bear replied. "They will learn of all that happened in a way that the three of us could never pull off. And there will be smiles on their faces when they see us next."

Derrick grinned and hugged Eric. "You're the best Papa Bear."

"Well, if I had thought it through, I would have asked Adam to send us there, too."

The black wolf pointed to the shining airship in the distance. "I bet Faraji and Talib would be happy to take us. We can even make a few stops to pick up family along the way."

"You're okay, Pup? What happened hasn't worn you out?" Kris asked.

"I'm ragged around the edges, Husband, but I'm sure I can hold up my end of a visit with the dogs."

"It will be your end they're holding up, Pup. We can wait a day if you would like."

Derrick smiled. "Do I get to sleep with you two?"

"Of course," Eric replied. "Our other husbands are busy elsewhere, but we are here and we've got you all to ourselves. I say let's go have dinner and head off to bed."

"I might fall asleep, Papa Bear."

"I will still be with you, Pup. I'm happy with whatever happens."

"Me too," Kris said. "It's been a day not soon forgotten, but tiring, to say the least."

The three walked over to the waiting Black Rhino and boarded the airship. Faraji and Talib waved hello from the cockpit. "You three the only ones left behind?" Talib asked.

"The dogs are on the highland," Eric responded. "Adam is with my brother visiting the dragon homeworld."

"So, where are we headed, gentlemen?" Faraji asked the three.

"Home to Montana, please, Faraji," the polar bear said as the restraints slipped over his shoulder. "It's been a long day."

"We'll get you there in no time at all," Faraji said, as his hands moved over the controls. "We're airborne in ten seconds."

It wasn't even five minutes before the white bear felt the sleeping black wolf's head drop against his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arm around his mate. He watched the blue glow spread over the wolf and then slowly fade. Kris watched from across the aisle. "We have quite the unique husband, don't we, Old Bear?"

"I think more than we ever dreamed."

"Will he be okay?" Kris asked

"He has us watching over him. He will be fine."

"So, big spoon or little spoon tonight, Husband?"

The polar bear chuckled lightly. "What say we three figure it out after we're in bed?"

The brown bear leaned over the aisle and kissed the polar bear. "Sounds like a plan."

"Lean back, gentlemen," Talib said. "Montana is on the horizon."

Chapter 13

Derrick and Adam lay in the grass, looking up into the sky through the forest canopy. "I like the way you feel next to me," Adam said as he watched the clouds floating above the Douglas fir branches.

"I like the way you feel inside me," Derrick said with a small snicker.

Adam rolled over and pushed up against the black wolf. "I like that too. Thanks for saying yes to our slipping away from the crowd for a little date here."

"I have a weakness for sex in the woods, Adam. You know that. Heck, the whole Were Nation knows that thanks to how many welcomings I've been to."

"I'm not talking only about the sex, Pup."

"So, we're going to talk about what happened on the field last week?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't mind, but to be honest, I'm not sure what happened. Bai asked me to bring him home. It seemed to me that the only way to make that happen was to merge with him so that he had a body long enough to accomplish what he had to do. At first, I thought he could be inside me, but then I realized he needed a body he understood… one that he was familiar with."

"So you took a backseat to another being using your body, and you changed it to accommodate him?"

"I guess. You know me. I'm not exactly one to say no to family."

Adam pushed closer to Derrick and let his hand rub over the wolf's chest. "It's the way you said yes that amazes me, Pup."

"It seemed like the way to go at the time."

"And how did you make that change?"

"I remembered that time when Kris changed into all those different animals. I thought about trying to become a temple dog the way he became a squid. My sons had no problem changing their panda bodies, so I figured I probably had it in me somewhere."

"No scientific knowledge of how genetics fuse? No restructuring of atomic bonds?" Adam asked, confused.

"Nope. I don't understand any of that stuff, but I realized my husbands and my children could do it. So, I tried to imagine myself doing it. As soon as I could imagine it… it happened."

"Just like that?"

"Well, Max and JP do freaky weird stuff all the time. How am I any different?"

"That's what I'm trying to understand," Adam replied. "Max creates a mathematical theorem in his head and brings it into the real world. But he understands the physics of what it takes to make that idea come about. JP is the same. You see a picture in your head and…"

"POOF?" Derrick answered the unasked question.

"Was that the way you restored the highland?"

"Kind of the same. After all my research, finding pictures, and talking to the dragons and dogs, I understood what I needed to create. All the details about building safety and structural integrity sort of took care of themselves. Gaia said it was because I imagined everything I did as being safe for everyone."

The otter rolled on top of the wolf and looked down into Derrick's blue eyes. "Okay, the conversation is over. Let's play some more. I say you're on top this time."

The black wolf frowned. "Ahh… couldn't you be on top again? You just returned from an extended trip with Jiao-long, and I'm pretty sure you did a lot of bottoming on that trip."

Adam's smile spread across his face as he thought back. He snapped back into the present and grinned at the wolf. "That's true, and I enjoy being inside you a great deal. So, legs or butt up in the air?"

"Butt," Derrick replied happily. "You did legs in the air first. We must have variety to keep the relationship fresh." He paused for a moment. "I guess I'm going to need to study with you the way Marcus did all those years ago with the temple dogs."

Adam frowned. "No, Pup. I don't want you to train. If anything, I want you to stop using your powers."

Derrick looked confused. "But why? Did I do something wrong?"

The otter leaned in and kissed the wolf. "No, you did something very right. You did something remarkable." The otter pushed back up, sitting on the wolf's belly. "Remember all those years ago when I took you and Oliver and set you apart to be the recorders of our history?"

"Sure," Derrick replied. "We still do our journal entries every day. And we still see everything that goes on in the Were Nation."

"Really? Everything?"

"Yeah, but we're used to it. Over time, Oliver and I developed an internal filter that pulls up the stuff we need to write in the book. We try not to invade anyone's privacy and whatever it is that happens inside us seems to understand that. It's like when you hear one conversation in a crowded room of people talking. The important stuff seems to come to the forefront nowadays."

Adam's head tilted as he looked at the wolf. "Curious."

"Pain in the butt," Derrick corrected. "You know me. I don't do well in social situations, and now my brain filters through thousands of social interactions daily."

"Am I asking too much of you, Pup?"

"No… I guess not. Like I said, I'm getting better at filtering out the day-to-day routines and finding the stories that go in the book. Things like the black rhino going off the endangered species list. That interplay between Kabelo, his family, and the Carvers working with all the people of South Africa is in the book. It's an amazing turnaround."

"And Oliver is doing okay?"

"He gripes about it more than I do, but we're fine."

Adam made a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." He looked at the wolf with concern. "There was a reason I set you aside on the day we fought the Shumuuluud. Pup, you're unique in our family. Of us all, you are the only one who has never had to kill to protect his family or innocents."

"I killed quite a few men on the Night of Blinding. I remember what I did."

"True," Adam said with a nod. "But Kris brought them all back to life."

"I don't think I get off from killing someone on a technicality."

"In this case, you do, Pup. The men you attacked weren't dead after it was all over."

"I think intent is more important than outcome."

"I mostly agree, but we both understand what came of William's turning. No men he killed before he turned qualified him as a beast that died the day I did what I had to do at Osogovo. He never killed as a beast because of his promise, even though he killed hundreds as a human. There seems to be a sort of cosmic balance in these things. Your family skirts by some very important turning points based on technicalities."

"Okay, so technically I've never killed anyone that stuck," Derrick replied. "It's not like I might not need to one day. We at least know I'm capable."

"We do," Adam agreed. "But, Pup, if I can, I want to make sure you never need to. There's a kindness in you that is unique. William is right; taking a life changes us. It might seem selfish, but in our family, you ground us. We look at you and we see what we hope to be. I don't want that to change because you become more like me. Sometimes what I am called to do is…" The otter grew quiet for a time. "… is horrible," he finally whispered. "I have seen the awful Oliver speaks of and sometimes it is me."

"I love you, Adam. There's nothing wrong with you. Sometimes you need to do things to protect others. Sometimes those actions are beyond your control, but you have always chosen a path to preserve life, not destroy it."

"Something about the intent over the outcome, you're saying?" the otter asked.

The wolf nodded. "You're a good man, Adam, and I love you. I love all my husbands. I try to be more like you all the time. If I have a power that you understand how to control, why wouldn't I want to learn how to control it the same way? I let Will and Oliver teach me about the Sight."

"Because taking a life changes you, Pup. If your powers ever become known to my people or the universe out there…" the otter struggled to find the words, "… there will be consequences. Power attracts interest on both sides of the spectrum. Beyond good and evil, there are areas of gray that I would rather you not have to deal with so early in your life."

"I'm hundreds of years old," the wolf protested. "It's not like I'm a kid anymore."

"Over half your husbands are millions of years old, Pup," the otter explained. "We have seen things you will one day learn about. But for now, could you please accept that I love you and want what's best for you? And what's best is not to use your powers."

Derrick nodded. "I can do that."

"And could you accept that I love you and want what's best for you… and roll over and let me have at your butt?"

Derrick smiled. "Yeah, I can do that too," he said, rolling over onto the ground with his tail wagging in the air.

Chapter 14

The otter and the polar bear walked quietly along the trail out toward the butte. Eric was quiet, not forcing the conversation that Adam said he needed to have with him. Eventually, as they stood on the top of a knoll overlooking the bison herds, Adam found words for his thoughts. "Derrick asked me to train him," he said.

"And what was your answer?" the polar bear asked.

"I told him I didn't want him to use his powers. I said there are all sorts of ramifications for the use of such a power, and few of them are good."

The bear smiled at the otter. "That seems a suitable response."

"I am not sure I have done right by my family, Old Bear. Kendal was wise enough when we created this universe to return us as the individuals who made me who I am. I threw Will, Nathaniel, and the twins out to a fixed spot in the timeline fourteen billion years into the future of this universe. Max and JP chose their path out, and I still don't understand how they did that or how they found their way here."

"They are amazing boys."

"They are more than amazing, Old Bear. Max and JP are tremendously powerful, and they realize from their history the dangers of showing their power unless absolutely necessary. They rarely change the world around them, and when they do, it's almost always surreptitiously."

The bear gave a nod. "Gaia says Derrick needs training. She fears the powers latent in him might be channeled in directions none of us wish to see if he doesn't learn to use them while he has his family to guide him." The bear paused and looked at the bison herd moving in the distance. "I can't say that I don't agree with her."

"To a degree, I’m in accord with her as well," Adam said with a sigh. "But I worry about Pup. I worry about Oliver."

The bear looked at the otter, and his eyebrow arched. "Otter, what did you do that you're not telling us?"

"It's not that you don't know what I've done. It's more like you don't understand what it means."

"Then tell me what I don't understand."

"Just between the two of us?"

The bear sighed. "For the time being, Otter. If I believe the family needs to know what I hear, I will not hesitate to tell them."

Adam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Fair enough." He dropped onto his butt and stuck his legs out. He patted the dry Montana soil next to him. "Take a seat, Old Bear. This might take a while."

The polar bear sat down beside the otter and wrapped his arm around the small mammal's shoulder. "Don't be afraid of telling your family the truth, Adam. Our family has never done well when we try to hide the truth from the rest."

The otter nodded in agreement. "It's why we're talking today. I need help understanding who to share the truth with. I trust you to guide me. You ground a family that is speeding off in so many directions. A badger finds his way home from guilt few can recover from because you are there to offer him sanctuary. You give a young man the companionship he always dreamed of having by letting your best friend turn him and become his mate. And then you find a way to marry them both. Oliver and Derrick have so much to be grateful for with you in their lives."

"And I am grateful they're in mine."

Adam bowed his head and closed his eyes, struggling with how to phrase what he wanted to say. Finally, his head rose. "When we recreated the universe, Kendal was the one to guide the rebirth. But it was me who set Derrick and Oliver apart from everything surrounding them. Perhaps it was a slip of ego to feel there needed to be witnesses to what was happening."

The polar bear shook his head. "I don't think so, Adam."

"I wanted someone left behind to tell our story. To help us realize the mistakes we had made. I wanted my family to understand what we sacrificed to save this world; how much we all sacrificed. I hoped it would help everyone realize what comes of power when it's channeled toward dominating those around you instead of helping them."

"In my opinion, you made a wise choice," Eric agreed. "And Oliver and Derrick make fine historians for the family."

Adam smiled. "They do. But there was an unintended side effect of their watching the recreation of the universe."

The bear let out a long sigh. "And this is where the other shoe drops."

"Yeah, but it's a big shoe. No, it's an enormous, galactically huge shoe."

A frustrated snort of breath from the bear followed the otter's words. "Out with it, Husband."

"Only two individuals in this entire universe have been evolving with the combined powers of the Unity and the Order growing inside them for the last fourteen billion years."

"Good god, Otter."

"Well, yeah, that's kind of what I'm saying, Old Bear. Our husbands are good gods, or at least historically the humans would view them that way."

"How far does this go?"

"There's a reason Derrick has only to see something in his mind to make it happen. He channels his powers the way he channels his life. Derrick is an artist at heart. He's like Max. The two of them create the world around them by seeing it happen. One is a wolf with a sketchbook; the other is a flying bear mathematician. But they're both artists who create the world around them from the skills they possess. And they can do it just by willing it so."

"Max seems to do fine with his powers."

"He doesn't possess the powers Derrick and Oliver do. Derrick merged with an incorporeal, Old Bear. Bai wasn't a spirit. He was chi, hardly even a memory. And Derrick pulled him back from those threads of memory completely whole. I can't do that. As far as I know, no one can. But he did. He has powers I have never seen manifest in anyone. Powers that have been growing inside him for fourteen billion years."

The bear leaned back. "Are you sure about this, Otter? Isn't it possible they simply have your powers layered on top of theirs?"

"That's what they acquired fourteen billion years ago to keep them alive as they watched the rebirth of the universe, Old Bear." The otter fidgeted uncomfortably. "They've grown since then. Oliver realizes the extent of his powers, but you notice he doesn't use them. He's seen the awful, and he understands the misuse of power. He is in no hurry to ever use what he senses is inside him."

"But our pup?"

"He is young, and he hopes it can help his family. He wants to understand it and be ready to use it. But his eagerness to use the powers might prove stronger than his understanding of what the greater good might be in situations new to him. Gaia isn't trying to hone Pup's skills; she's trying to teach him benevolence and altruism. Even she realizes there is a point where his powers dwarf hers. Consider that for a moment, Old Bear. Gaia, the Mother of the Unity, looks at Derrick and understands her powers are minuscule compared to Derrick's. She seeks to fill the gap between their powers with wisdom. Gaia realizes now she doesn't need to teach him how to use his powers. She has to teach him how to avoid letting those powers rule him."

The white bear nodded in agreement as Adam continued. "Gaia is beginning to understand the extent of Pup's powers and, like you, she's concerned that others might notice. I am not reluctant to let Gaia teach Pup. She is so gentle and loving. He couldn't ask for a better tutor. But beyond the changing of a world, there are powers in Derrick Gaia doesn't understand. Powers she can't even see. Powers inside him gestating for the last fourteen billion years."

"So we ignore those powers?" the bear asked. "We just pretend they don't exist and hope that he knows what to do with them the day they are called upon?"

"Yes. I realize it seems counterintuitive, but that's exactly what we do," the otter responded. "We let our pup be Pup. He will realize soon enough the extent of his powers, but it can't be by us training him. We need to let him see his powers as an extension of his creative nature. We can't train him like a boxer learning to fight. Those powers need to unfold like all the talents he has. Let them be a part of the artist who will change this universe for the better. We don't need another god, Old Bear, we need Pup taking care of his family and loving everyone and everything around him."

"Agreed. So, are you sure not addressing his powers is the best way to go about that?"

"Oliver has always had the Sight stronger than any of us. His Sight has been growing even stronger for a very, very long time. He is reluctant to use those powers, even to make life easier for us. That speaks volumes about what we should do when it comes to dealing with what those two have become."

The bear nodded again in agreement. He pulled the otter into the sideways hug they shared even more tightly. "So we love our pup and hope he never has to use his powers beyond what Gaia is teaching him."

"He will use all of them one day, Old Bear."

"I know," Eric replied. "My hopes rarely come true for my family. All I want is for us to be left alone; to share a quiet life together. I realize what will come of this hope for the men I love."

"Our family will never share in the dream you have, Old Bear. I'm sorry about that. But I am not sorry about what your family is becoming. I used to believe my people were the apex of understanding and enlightenment; the culmination of logic and reason. I thought they were the best choice to house the power they held. I'm realizing now I was mistaken. The powers Oliver and Derrick share are in the hands of two men who truly deserve them."

"No one deserves to have those powers; especially two such gentle souls as our husbands."

Adam nodded. "That's true. I wish there was no such thing as the power they hold inside them. But you know what I mean. If there must be that power; let it rest inside those two."

"And again, my hopes for a peaceful family life are crushed under the weight of responsibility we seem to attract."

"We have our moments of peace," the otter said, trying
 to console his mate. "And all those moments of pleasure."

The polar bear laughed. "We do that. Let this reality soak in a bit, Husband. Soon enough, I will remember how much I love my life; even with all its complications."

"About one of those complications," Adam said. "Oliver knows how to hide what he doesn't want to be seen. Derrick, on the other hand, is a happy, energetic, open book who doesn't know how to hide who or what he is for any reason. I am doing my best to keep Derrick hidden from my people, but it isn't easy."

"Are your people a threat to our husbands?" the bear questioned.

"I can't say for certain," Adam answered. "Powerful people can attract the interest of people eager to control that power. I'm sure my people would think they were trying to use him for the greater good. But I'm not willing to put Pup or Oliver into the position of having to choose between their family and a calling from my people."

"I'm glad to hear that, Husband," the bear said with a sigh of relief.

"Marcus and Kendall are adamant about it, as are Samuel and Raymond."

"And you Adam? What are your feelings on the matter?"

"They are my husbands, my family. I don't put my family in harm's way. My people wouldn't begin to comprehend the need to protect what they see as an asset to throw at a danger." Adam was quiet for a time and the bear relaxed into the quiet to ease Adam's struggle to find the words he needed. "I need to protect Pup, Old Bear. But I might not always be there to do that. I might not be there to ground him when those powers are forced into manifesting. I need to have someone in my family who can be the fallback position if I'm not there."

The bear took a deep breath and looked out on the plain. "We will all take care of Pup, Adam. He is special to us all. There will always be someone to step into the gap if one of us can't be there for him. I would hope you would be there for him if I'm ever gone from the picture."

Adam nodded. "Of course. But I'm not talking about our day-to-day lives."

"Something a bit more cataclysmic?" the bear asked.

"Something a lot more cataclysmic," the otter replied. "Derrick has powers, but if he uses them, he will call attention to himself. I can't let that happen as long as I'm alive."

The look of concern on the polar bear's face was clear. "He stood with us on the Day of Transformation, Adam. He knows how to use the powers he has. I trust him to make wise choices."

"As do I. But from my perspective, the Day of Transformation was a part of our day-to-day lives. Some things go beyond that day. Things that are happening after Derrick spent fourteen billion years gestating into a new creation. There will come a time when what we witness will pale into insignificance on a cosmic scale to the Day of Transformation." The otter looked down. "Horrible choices will need to be made. Worlds that wink out of existence with a single thought." The otter choked back the pain he felt. "Old Bear, I have seen too much. I can't let Derrick stare into the awful even if it's to save us."

The bear pulled the otter around in front of him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry for your pain, Adam. I understand all too well what you mean. What do you want of me?"

The otter hugged back. "If I die… if it comes to that… I need you to ground the pup. I need you to remind him of who he is."

"And what is that, Adam?"

"A member of our family. Don't let him try to be anything more than that. Keep him in the space where all that matters is his family." The otter leaned into the bear and closed his eyes. "We get lost, sometimes, Old Bear. I have a lifetime of getting lost, and it wasn't until I met another lost soul in Marcus that I learned there's always a way back home. It's through our family. You have no idea how precious you men are."

The bear snorted a laugh. "Oh, I think I have an idea, Adam. You have the advantage of age over me but don't forget which of us has more experience surrounded by this family. I've had a few thousand more years than you to learn how important those men who share our lives are to us."

Adam cuddled in closer to the bear. "I'm sorry. That was naive of me to say I understood what I'm only now learning to understand."

"Apology accepted," the bear said with a gentle shove. "I'm glad you're a part of my family, Adam. I think I know what you're trying to say. Derrick is like a beacon. He's one member of our family we all look to when we're lost. He's like Martin. They both always seem to find a way home."

"Only Derrick has grown so far beyond the powers that Martin possesses."

"So it would seem."

"And a beacon can guide others with ill intent toward it as easily as those it seeks to save. That's why I don't want him to stray far from his family. It's why I hope Gaia will understand that as soon as she has taught him the lessons she hopes to pass on, his training should end. Teach him love and compassion. Teach him the ways of the Unity. But I'm asking her to do so as best she is able without challenging the limits of his power. His family needs to protect him from others who might seek to exploit him. And for Gaia, that means ensuring the pup's true powers don't manifest."

"We will need to talk to her, Otter. Without the knowledge of what you've told me today, she will not yield easily to what she sees as her responsibility."

"I know. That is why I told you first. I was hoping you would be by my side when I told her."

"Of course, Husband."

The otter's head fell into the polar bear's chest and nuzzled it with his forehead. "One day, if he has to use his powers, he needs to have his family beside him. The same way that you feel he is a beacon to you, he looks to us to be his candle in the window."

"I guess we all rely on everyone else to be that light. We always come home because we see so many lights in that window."

Adam nodded. "Remind him if he gets lost to find his way home. Home will protect him from the awful. Returning to his family will save everything he holds dear."

The bear pulled the otter closer to him. "Adam, you sound rather fatalistic about all this. Is there something we should talk about beyond our mutual love of Pup?"

"Raymond and Samuel share the Sight. Marcus and Kendal have it, too. My merging with Donovan has left me with it as well; albeit underdeveloped the same way it was in Donovan once he gave the gift to Oliver. Caretakers of the universe should never see what the Sight tries to make us see."

"And what do you see?"

"Something is coming. It's dark. Darker than anything we've ever known."

"And your people? What do they see?"

"Nothing. They don't even believe me when I tell them it's coming. The Order is too arrogant to believe a creature we merged with has capabilities beyond ours. They see our merging as merely a way to gain a corporeal form. Our arrogance will be our downfall."

"Is this something imminent?"

"I don't know. You understand what it's like to be an eternal. Time doesn't hold the same meaning as it does to an ephemeral. It might be thousands of years in the future. It could be tomorrow. But I worry. I never had anything to lose in my life before I came to this world. Now, I realize I have so much to lose every time I look into the eyes of my husbands."

"And even more so with Derrick because of what he is becoming?"

"Yes."

"I promise I will be there for him if I can," Eric comforted.

Adam rubbed his head along the bear's side. "I'm so scared, Old Bear. The fear of losing you is so strong. I can't let it happen. I can't lose any of you. But Derrick is like an electromagnet. If he turns on his power, he will attract others to him; others who will see him as a threat."

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Would you? I don't want him to think I'm being arbitrary about my request."

"He wouldn't think that, Adam. You forget you're one of those lights in the window he looks for when he feels lost."

"But I'm not worthy of that trust, Eric. I want to be, but I'm not."

The bear stroked the top of the otter's head. "You will be, Adam. There will come a day when you realize the man you think you are now isn't the man that you've become. This family changes us. It pushes us to become the men we think our family deserves. One day you'll realize you are that man… that you've been that man all along. You just needed the help of your family to find that man inside yourself."

"Can I rely on you to help me find that man?" the otter asked, looking up at the bear.

"By your side forever, Adam," the bear replied. "I could use a man like you to help me find the man I am looking for as well." He pulled the little mammal tight into the hug. Adam buried his face in the warmth of the polar bear's chest. The two remained in the hug until long after the sun had set and the stars began twinkling in the sky.

Chapter 15

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Will said, shaking the black wolf.

The dazed young wolf looked up at the older. "What? What time is it?"

"It's six in the morning."

"What?" the black wolf mumbled. "Why the hell would you wake me up at six in the morning?"

"Because we're going to Partridge Island today, remember? Family picnic. You made ham roll-ups for sixty, remember?"

The dazed wolf rose from his blankets. "I only rolled up what you put together. I didn't make anything. You even cut them all into pieces."

"Well, I'm telling everyone you made them. Pretty soon, you'll have to learn how to make them on your own, because they'll keep asking you for them at every picnic."

"Can't you just make peace with the fact that I'm never going to learn how to cook, Old Wolf?"

"Nope, Pup. Ain't gonna happen. I will get you to learn a useful skill one of these days."

"I sew."

"We don't wear clothes."

"I draw and paint."

"Sorry, Pup. I said useful skill. There are so many starving artists out there they could have telethons for them. Learn to cook and you'll have the wolves standing in line to get to you."

"I suck dick really well, and I know how to bottom with the best of them. I already have the wolves standing in line to get to me; including one old wolf in line last night who is being really obnoxious today."

Will laughed. "Okay, point taken. Your skills in that area are damn near legendary, so I admit defeat. But honestly, Pup, one of these centuries you should learn to cook."

"I enjoy having my husbands cook for me. It makes me feel special."

"You are special. But what if we're all off doing something else?"

"That's why God made frozen dinners."

Will's head tilted. "God made those?"

"Of course. What do you think he ate on the seventh day when he did all that resting?"

"He ate frozen burritos?"

"Pretty sure that's somewhere in Genesis."

The Kodiak bear poked his head into the bedroom. "Pretty sure someone is going to make us late for the party if he doesn't get his oh-so-sweet ass out of bed."

Derrick sighed and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Okay, okay… I'm up."

On the other side of the continent, Partridge Island was a flurry of activity. When the Family of Man heard the news of a Changeling dragon and his two sons long thought dead returning, they insisted on a grand celebration. The Temple dogs had hardly stepped from the Black Rhino before they found the children of the island surrounding them. Each little child was clamoring to know if they had brought their armor. Shaking their heads no, the children frowned, assuming the jousting tournaments were not to be. But Li Wei leaned over and patted the head of one of the youngest. "Did you think we would forget you, Little One?" the golden dog asked.

"Without the armor, my parents won't let me joust. They insist you must belt me in," the young girl replied.

"And I agree with your parents," Li Wei responded. "Without our saddles, we would be reluctant to let you joust as well. But there are ways to get our armor to the island without wearing it. Did you forget who your tai chi teacher was this last week?"

"Mr. Schneider?"

A perplexed look came over Li Wei's face. "Mr. Schneider taught tai chi class?"

"Yeah, but your dad told us not to tell."

"Where was my father?"

"On the highland with you. You're all newborns. He had to be there with you, silly. He's a newborn too."

Li Wei laughed. "I suppose that is true. But I asked him to look after you."

Another young child raised his hand. "He did, Li Wei. Mr. Schneider is a great teacher. We understood why your father had to be away. Please don't be mad at him. He kept his promise to you."

Li Wei stood smiling. "He did indeed." The golden dog looked up into the air and smiled. "Come home, Father. There is no one here upset with what you did, save a few of your children who didn't know that we could have enjoyed the pleasure of your company on the highland. Stop your hiding. You know us. A hug, a kiss, and a simple I'm sorry, and all is forgiven."

The sphere of dark space formed yards away from the crowd. When the armor of the temple dogs shoved through the darkness, the children cheered. Each temple dog's armor seemed to float in midair until its owner took it in his paws and put it on. As Li Wei reached for his armor, he stared into the wormhole. "Come on, Father. It was our mistake to ask you to tend to the children's classes without thinking things through. You had every right to enjoy your own welcoming with the family once you returned from the dragon homeworld."

The wormhole shimmered, and an upright, smaller forest dragon wrapped in temple dog armor stepped out through the sphere. The sphere began to fold into itself, and then it was gone. Jiao-long made a guilty grin toward his sons. "You forgive me?" he asked hesitantly.

"There is nothing to forgive, Father," Katashi said, as he adjusted his breastplate. "We asked you to attend to the children's education. You did that."

"So, you won't kick my butt for playing hooky?"

"Oh, no, Father," Noboru said as he tried to balance the armor in his paws. "We will kick your butt multiple times today. You are wearing armor. That means you are prepared to joust. But your education is lacking in how to go about that."

"This is Saand's armor," the blue and green dragon protested. He adjusted the ill-fitting armor with his front foot. "It was easier to put it on than try to hold it together through the wormhole like the rest of the suits."

"The armor is not worn on festival days except by the combatants of the jousting tournament, Father," Saand said with a grin. "To ask you to relinquish your claimed right would dishonor us all. Although it might be easier for you if you were a temple dog."

Jiao-long frowned at his canine children as the change shifted through him, filling in the gaps between his now yellow-furred body and the armor. "Do I get to at least watch this jousting before I am asked to take part?" The temple dogs looked back and forth between each other, chuckling. In one accord, they nodded yes. "Then, let's find a place to begin," the father temple dog said with a wave of his hand. He leaned toward the tiny humas staring at him. "Come, children. I found a way to keep a promise to teach you tai chi without me being there. I assure you I can show you how to win a jousting tournament without having ever been in one."

The children gathered around the newly formed temple dog and led him toward the area their parents were preparing for the day's games. Li Wei made one last adjustment to his gauntlets. "Shall we go see to the challenge, brothers? The one who bests our father the greatest number of times today lies with him first tonight."

Saand stared at Li Wei. "But… but… he has my armor. That can't be fair. I can't possibly win."

Saand felt thick arms wrap around his waist from behind. The prehensile lip of the rhinoceros played with his neck. "That's okay, Saand," Chipo said with a squeeze. "You won't be there for the games. You are a champion in your own right. I have need of a champion today. And my family needs a champion tonight when the Family of Man has gone to bed."

"Does that include both bears and the cat?"

"Yes," the rhino replied. "Oliver might have other obligations, what with Adam being home."

"And today?" Saand asked.

"Surely this party can do without one temple dog. I say we find ourselves an apartment down by the gunnery and you can show me some jousting moves we can both enjoy."

Saand looked at his brothers. The eagerness in his eyes betrayed his feelings, and none of his brothers had the heart to make him stay. "Go, Brother," Li Wei said with a smile. "Chipo is right. We have more than enough temple dogs on the field of battle. One representing us on the field of play seems proper."

Noboru looked at Li Wei and Katashi. "With Saand's copulation distracting us, Father will, of course, eventually win the tournament."

"Undoubtedly," Li Wei said with a nod. "But not before we keep our promise to kick his butt multiple times. It will be fun for our family to see him so involved."

Bai extended his paw to Noboru. "Come, Brother. Let's put on our armor and give the humans a tournament they won't soon forget."

Noboru reached out and grabbed Bai's paw. "If I have your promise that regardless of the outcome of today's games, I may lie with you first."

"Are you asking me to throw the match?"

"Not at all. If you win, I will gladly share you with Father."

Bai gave a gentle bow. "I would enjoy your company tonight. We are in agreement. Tonight I will lie with you before anyone else. But I still hope to win this tournament." the temple dog let his paw slip from Noboru's and wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulder. "That said, I wish you luck, Noboru."

Noboru put his arm around his brother's waist and pulled him in tight as they walked toward the jousting field. "I have already been lucky enough today. The outcome of the match is now secondary to my genuine desire."

Bai pulled up short and kissed Noboru. The kiss lingered and explored far more than the two had ever intended. But when it ended, both were happy with where it had taken them. Noboru gave a shy smile. "I have waited for such a kiss since that day, Bai."

"I'm sorry, Noboru," Bai replied. "That day changed so much about who we were, where our lives were taking us."

"I never saw you as human, Bai. I always saw you as the dog I loved."

Bai felt the tears in his eyes well up, and he struggled to maintain his composure. "We should have had this talk centuries ago."

"But we were temple dogs. We were circumspect and the idea of taking a mate was unthinkable for a monk."

"I am glad we have learned so much since then," Bai replied. He touched the nose of the other temple dog with his paw. "We are both abbots of two very busy temples."

Noboru nodded. "I know. I will not fully express my feelings for you without complications."

"Together?"

"I like the idea that, for a time, our paths might cross."

Bai thought for a moment. "I know you assumed because I was once Khenpo over all our brothers that I would assume that title upon my return. I enjoy my life at the New Zealand temple, but I can't say I feel at home there."

"We tried to find a place where you could use your gifts."

Bai nodded. "And I appreciate that. However, Genji abdicating his position so that I might return to my past calling has always weighed heavily on me. Genji should be the abbot of the New Zealand temple. There is no need for me to return to what I once was because I have been reborn."

"Then what do we do, Bai?"

"It would be nice to return to the Tibetan temple."

"You could be abbot of the Tibetan temple."

"You are their abbot, Noboru. I have no wish to take that title from you any more than I did from Genji."

Noboru rubbed the metal breastplate of the dog in front of him. "We could share the title."

"And our lives; would we share them too?"

"It would be nice to have someone sleep next to me at night who is my mate."

Bai put both paws on the other dog's shoulders. "Perhaps today, the Children of Man can do without two more dogs."

Katashi patted the shoulder blades of Bai as he, Li Wei, and Spackle walked by. "We will attend to the children, brothers. You attend to each other. This is not a day when the two of you should wear armor."

Noboru looked at Li Wei. "This is not an inconvenience?"

Li Wei shook his head. "Not at all. However, please try to limit the damage your renewed affections inflict on your surroundings. Greg has expressed an interest in our activities no longer requiring replacements of entire apartments."

"We will do our best," Bai said with a bow.

Li Wei smiled and bowed back. "That is all we ever ask."

Chapter 16 

Spackle was working on the circuit breaker wiring inside the McGowan home when Yarnell grabbed him from behind in a hug. "Hey there, Spackle," the wolf in the blue security vest said happily. "How is my favorite human doing?"

Spackle turned around and kissed the wolf as he returned the hug. "I'm doing great. How about you?"

"Better than great. I just gave my two weeks' notice."

"Finally making the big leap?"

"I asked. He said yes. I am about the happiest man on earth right now."

Spackle tried to make his lips form into a smile, but somehow it turned into a frown. "I'm going to miss you so bad."

"Paris is an hour's flight away, Spackle. And Patrick loves having you visit."

The young human nodded. "I'm happy for both of you, Yarnell. Don't let my being down about your moving away bother you. I'll get over that as soon as I have a bit of time to realize how much I want you to be happy."

"Come to the reception, Spackle… please."

"Which one? The one for the humans and beasts, or the beast one?"

Yarnell squatted down in front of the human. "You tell me, Spackle. Which one are you?"

"My dads say I'm more beast than human. Li Wei and Katashi seem to agree with that. But I will admit, I'm still skittish around beasts when they let their fur down."

"And their cocks up?"

Spackle laughed. "Yeah, that. It's kind of dumb, right? I'm grateful you guys never pressure me to join you, but when you all get together, it's different. Watching you guys going at it is tough. It makes it more difficult for me to hold true to my promise not to turn until I'm thirty. When I see you together, I want so much to be a part of a family that I'm still not quite a member of."

Yarnell pushed his paw up against the cheek of the human. "Don't go there, Spackle. You're thinking that somehow because you're still in a human body you're not a part of our family. Why do you think there are two gatherings for every important event in our lives? It's so our family can find the place where they are most comfortable. We provide a place to share who we are on the level we're ready to share ourselves. It's not about sex. It's about love."

Spackle chuckled. "I realize that, but all that love sure looks like a lot of sex when the Were Nation gets together."

Yarnell laughed. "It does that. But you understand the difference, right?"

"More and more every day."

"Then you decide which receptions you want to be at. Please come to the first. There are so many people I want you to meet."

"Big crowd?"

"Huge. Paris is the epicenter of the European Were Nation, and Patrick is a Changeling."

Spackle sighed. "You really are going to drag me out of my comfort zone, aren't you?"

"It's like a muscle, Spackle. You need to stretch your comfort zone if it's going to grow stronger."

"Derrick is shy."

"Derrick is also incredibly friendly with the entire Were Nation, despite his shyness. We need to draw him into our world a bit because of his shyness, but he never turns from it. Besides, did you ever meet a temple dog that was afraid of any gathering?"

Spackle gave a sigh of resignation. "Okay, I'll go to both. But can you remind the Nation that I'm off limits in the turning department?"

"Do you think I need to tell them that? Do you think we don't understand how to play with the human that spends half his nights sleeping next to temple dogs?"

The young man smiled shyly. "No, I guess you don't need a reminder."

"Are you going to run with us naked?" Yarnell asked.

"Would it upset you if I didn't?"

"Dang, Spackle, are you going to spend this whole conversation asking dumb questions you know the answer to?"

"Probably. I'm trying to calm my fears about spraining those comfort zone muscles I don't use very often."

"You're safe with us, Spackle. Clothed, naked, we don't care what you are when you run with us. We only care that you run. We see the dog. That human body of yours is a vestige of what you once were. Beasts run together. It's what we do as a family."

"I'll run. I probably won't be able to keep up, but I'll run."

Yarnell smiled happily. "We will run slower, and when you stop to catch your breath, we will stop beside you."

"Every time a run slows down and stops, half of you wind up playing with the other half."

"That's the way of our pack."

Spackle looked down. "You sure I won't be an imposition on your reception?"

"Be there, Spackle. I love you. I've had all these years to watch you grow, and I think of you as more than a friend. We have ways of expressing that affection without ever turning you."

"I've enjoyed the options I've explored so far," Spackle replied.

“Exactly what options did you explore?"

"Derrick and I… he made love to me in his ape suit."

"And?"

"Will did the same."

Yarnell's eyes widened. "And how did that go?"

Spackle closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I will never think of Montana as somewhere dry ever again."

Yarnell laughed. "Have you told your dads about that?"

"I told them. They offered to change for me, but I told them I wanted to wait until I was a beast for them. Anders and Lewis are my dads. They have never lain down at night with me as humans. I don't want that to ever change."

"So, you are learning how to be with them without them turning you, right?"

Spackle gave a shy grin. "Yeah, that's not a problem."

"Good to hear," Yarnell said, standing back up. "So how about you give me a kiss goodbye before I head off this evening to Paris?"

Spackle put down his tools. "How about I say goodbye to one of my best friends like the beast I'm supposed to be? I'm not opposed to my friends putting on their ape suits for me."

Yarnell smiled. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. My beast is pushing me to become a part of the Were Nation, and part of that push is to act like a beast in the company of those I love." Spackle pointed up the staircase in the hall. "There's a big bed upstairs, and no one moves into this house until I finish the rewiring. I can take the bedding home and clean it if we make a mess."

The wolf shifted into a bulky, bearded human and hugged his fellow Homo sapiens. "Oh, we're going to make a mess, Spackle."

"I figured that would be the case," Spackle said with a snicker.

"And you're okay with that, right? Check that heart of yours again and make sure you're ready for this."

"I'm great with this," Spackle replied as he pushed away from the hug, grabbed his T-shirt, and pulled it over his head. "Come on, let's go upstairs and get my clothes off. I'm feeling kind of pent up in them."

Yarnell laughed. "You know, I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic with this vest hanging on me," he said as he slipped it off. The two leaned into a lingering kiss. When it ended, Yarnell pushed Spackle's sweats to the floor and helped him out of them. "I love you, Spackle Jorgenson."

"And I love you, Yarnell Barnett. Thank you for not eating me when we first met."

Yarnell grinned as he rubbed his dark-skinned chest. "You won't be so lucky this afternoon." He grabbed the hand of the human and dragged his willing prey upstairs toward the bedroom.

Chapter 17

The Black Rhino dipped below the clouds, and the landing skids dropped into place. "On approach, men," the African dog pilot said. "First stop in our tour, Montana. After a brief layover, we'll be heading to the highland. The highland dragons are looking forward to the return of their temple dogs. Sit back and enjoy the view, because when we land, you're going to find out Montana is hotter than hell today."

"It's summer, Tiff. It's always hot," the white bear replied. "I love my family, but there are days when I miss the North Pole." Eric sighed. "I miss the North Pole actually having ice.”

"If you want, we can fly over the caldera, open the cargo bay door, and let you jump into the lake."

Will laughed. "That almost sounds fun," he said as he looked back at the four temple dogs. "Why don't you join us for a dip, dogs? I love watching you get wet. What we…" the Black Rhino suddenly jolted like an antique airplane hitting turbulence. "What the hell?" the old wolf blurted out.

"Something has hit us," Talib said. The rear screen cameras came online. "We've got incoming." The family watched as large chunks of flaming metal sped by them and hit the ground. "There," the wolf said, pointing to a ball of flame. "That's what's dragging in the space debris. Whatever that is, it took out twenty-eight satellites on its way in, and they're following right behind. Be glad it's dragging most of the debris along. The one that hit us pulled loose, but whatever that is behind us is keeping most of the satellites from starting a cascade effect." He moved his hands over the controls to dodge another piece of the rouge debris. "That said, we have something headed right for us, dragging an army full of satellites behind it."

The Black Rhino took another jolt as the flaming ball sped by the airship and another satellite hit the shields. "They didn't make this craft for wartime," Talib said as he turned the airship toward the wildly veering ball of fire. "The deflectors will keep us intact, but they won't keep us from getting jostled. Hang on. We're going after whatever that is."

"It looks a little like Adam," Will said as he watched the careening red fireball before them.

"But way bigger," Kris said.

"We'll find out soon enough," Talib said. "It's going to impact right along with those satellites against the side of the plateau."

The family watched the ball of fire slam into the side of the Montana cliff, taking out a sizable chunk of the flattened hill. The satellites followed, taking out even more of the plateau. What fell to earth among the smoldering metal debris was an animal slightly larger than a grizzly bear. As the Black Rhino hovered over it and the cameras zoomed in close, it became apparent that it wasn't Terran. The four arms flailed, trying to right itself on two stout, short legs. "Going down," Talib said. "Looks like whatever landed might be hurt."

By the time the skids on the Black Rhino had touched down, the creature had finally righted itself and was running toward the airship. The four hands were waving wildly, and it appeared to be screaming something, but no one inside the ship could hear its words. Faraji's hands moved to the controls and all could hear the desperate furry beast pleading. "I have to find him. Please, I have to find him."

"Find who?" Faraji asked over the external speakers.

"Derrick, the black wolf with blue eyes. Adam threw me here. He said he is the only one who would know what to do."

The look of confusion on the young wolf's face was clear. "Adam sent you to me?"

The four-armed creature looked up into the window of the huge airship and tried to make out the image of anyone inside. All he saw was the reflection of the Montana sky on the windows. He opted to talk to the voice as if the airship was the wolf he hoping to retrieve. "Yes. I am Kattar of the Order. We don't have time to waste. The cloud has pushed through the tear in space/time. We tried to stop it, but the creature was too large, too strong even for us. It has destroyed our planet. It will destroy yours if we do not intercept it and stop it. Please, may I come aboard? I need to find the black wolf."

"Come aboard," Faraji said as he pressed the boarding ramp's gears. Dropping the boarding ramp was unnecessary. The creature materialized behind the family in the cargo hold. He stood directly in front of the temple dogs who were still strapped to the cargo bay wall in their invisible restraints. All turned toward the beast.

"And Adam?" the polar bear pressed. "Why isn't he here? What happened to Adam?"

"He stayed behind. He said it was what was needful. The last thing I remember was the planet exploding as if it were a glass dropped on a floor. Perhaps some of us survived the destruction of the planet. Our symbionts are most certainly all dead. No creature in this dimensional plane could have withstood what happened. I doubt even those of the Order survived."

The polar bear's low growl and darkening eyes told the beast in front of him the danger of telling the bear such news. "I… I am here at Adam's request," the beast stammered nervously. "Please, nothing was more important to him than you. I have to get the black wolf to Peldaria before they cross the border into your solar system."

"And what is Peldaria?" The old wolf asked with the same growl as the polar bear.

"A minor planet near the rift in the universe. It is the central point between where our planet once was and the trajectory of the creature heading toward Terra. If we can intercept the creature there, we might stop it before it reaches your planet."

"And why is it coming here?"

"Because of him," Kattar said, pointing to the black wolf that stood in the corner in silence.

"Why me?" Derrick blurted out. "Why would this thing come after me?"

"Because it sees you as a threat to it in this universe."

Oliver's low growl matched his mates. "It don't see the Verital as a threat? Them folk is powerful."

"As a combatant, yes, but not a threat. It is so much stronger than anything we have ever seen. Adam said that the wolf had shown his hand, and that was enough."

"Damn it, Adam," the old bear mumbled. "What have you done?"

"There is no time for this conversation, White One," the beast reemphasized. "I must take the wolf to Peldaria."

"Not without us," the polar bear said.

"Who is us?"

"Me, the badger, and the temple dogs surrounding you."

"If that is your wish," the creature said as his hand rose. All those Eric had named were gone, and the creature with them. The remaining occupants stared at each other, wondering what had just happened.

Talib looked down at his screens. "They needn't have left," he said, pointing to the mass on his screen. "Judging from my screens, whatever that creature is, it's already here."

The family looked at the screen. "How far away is that thing?" Will asked.

"At the speed it's moving, I suspect it will be over Terra in less than two hours," Talib replied.

"Get us home," Will commanded. "I've got calls to make."

Chapter 18

"This is insane, Will," the president said.

"Trust me, in about three minutes, your deep space recon will view a massive ship approaching. It's not friendly. It destroys planets, and it's heading for this one."

"Assuming you're telling the truth, what are we supposed to do about it?"

Will closed his eyes, and the Sight pushed forward. "They will hail the planet and ask for its leader. These creatures are coming to subjugate worlds. They will destroy anything that doesn't yield to them. The world council needs to tell them I am that leader."

"That's impossible."

"Fail-safe five eight gamma ten; sequester initialize," the old wolf said calmly.

"How… how…" the president stammered.

"I'm the one that created the fail-safe, Mr. President. I gave you the authorization code. You know what to do now, don't you?" A barrage of voices filled the background with chatter. Aids were telling the president that a large object was approaching Earth. "You've got another ten minutes, Mr. President. Unless your choice is to bow down to a new master, I suggested you activate the fail-safe."

"We never thought we'd have to use it."

"I realize that," the old wolf replied. "That's why I made it. Because you’re too young a species to realize what’s out there. Please, Mateo, you can't fight this, but maybe we can."

The president stood up and pushed his way through the crowd. He ran down the hall with everyone following. When he reached Sky Shield, he pressed his hand against the reader and the doors opened. He rushed past the seats where the nations of the world had once gathered in another universe. At the far wall, he pushed the upper left portion of a framed painting. The panel with a table of multiple buttons dropped into place. "Do it," the wolf commanded.

The president pushed the buttons in their proper order and the voice calmly announced, "Fail-safe initiated. Confirmation received from alternate location. Rerouting communications, transferring protocols." There was a moment of silence. "Good morning President Gentry. Shall we begin?" The words of the polite woman were the last the president heard before the panel of lights and buttons all went dark.

"Good luck, Will," the president said as he let his head drop against the wall. The panel folded back up. "I guess if this doesn't work, we'll never know the difference. We'll all be dead, anyway."

"Mr. President?" an aide from behind him asked.

The president turned. "We lock down. No one tells anyone outside these walls anything. The panic that any announcement will cause is not worth it. We leave this to higher powers than us."

"To God?" the aide asked

"No, to someone who will do something more than only listen to our thoughts and prayers," the president replied.

In Montana, a small forest dragon stood by President Gentry as he answered the call of the approaching entity. "Prepare to surrender your planet. Resistance is futile," the voice said.

Will laughed. "Oh, you picked the wrong opening line. Something from Star Wars would have been so much better."

Jiao-long looked puzzled. Will pushed forward in the conversation without explaining himself. "I'm all for ominous voices making threats, but if this is going to work out, I need to talk to your superior."

"I am…"

"The Great and Powerful Wizard of OZ," Will interrupted. "I know. I know. But get this clear, my vice president and I need a face-to-face meeting with the one in charge if you want my surrender… and I'm going to need to meet with you now. Otherwise, blow this little gold mine we're sitting on to bits. But when your boss learns what you did, they're going to be pissed."

What appeared through the cloud in minutes was exactly what the old wolf expected. A small shuttle appeared in the blue sky and drifted down toward the Montana clay. "Looks like we're taking a trip," Will said as the side door dropped to form a ramp.

"Seems as if," the dragon replied.

"I'm going to need a dog," Will said matter-of-factly. The dragon shifted and the temple dog and wolf headed toward the open door.

On Peldaria, things were not going well. The cloud hovered above the planet covering the sky.

"What is that?" Eric asked the four-armed creature standing next to him.

"I am not sure what it is," the creature responded. "It calls itself Delar. Adam and the council were in complete disagreement about what it was. But Adam could not defy the council when the time came to defend our planet. They said it was an energy cloud that absorbed the energy of entire planets. The council called on the Order to take all the energy they had and throw it at the cloud. They said it would overload the creature, that it wouldn't be able to take so rapid a surge through its system." The beast looked down and his arms went limp. "They were wrong."

"What did Adam say?"

"I don't know. We had thrown everything we had at them as one concentrated energy surge and it had done nothing. He tried to tell the council that we were mistaken in our attack, but as soon as he voiced that idea, they ordered his arrest. That's when he told me to find his husband, Derrick, a black wolf with blue eyes." Kattar paused again. "He said only he would know what to do, and then he threw me to Terra. That's all I remember. Whatever Adam saw, whatever he knew; Delar silenced Adam forever when he destroyed our planet. But Adam said Derrick would understand what to do."

"He said Derrick; only Derrick?" the white bear asked.

"Only Derrick. I know of you, Eric, but all Adam said was to remind you of your conversation with him. He said this is that moment in time. Does any of this make sense?"

"Yes," the white bear replied at the same moment the black wolf said, "No."

Eric turned to Derrick and put his paws on the wolf's shoulders. "Adam had a premonition that this day would come. He reminded me of what I've always known. Pup, Adam realized we would face a time when the one to save this family was you. I understand now why it has to be you. You need to stop this."

"I can't. Adam is dead. There's no way I can do this without his help."

"Yes, Pup… yes, you can. There are reasons this rests on your shoulders. Trust that you are the one."

"I can't stop that thing. You heard what happened to Adam's people," Derrick cried. "I don't have his powers. I can't channel energy. Even if I could, the cloud would absorb it. Adam's people were wrong. We can't overload it. There's nothing I can do."

"Fuck this shit," Oliver yelled. He spun around toward the oncoming dark cloud and his hands glowed white.

"NO!" his family yelled in one accord.

"Oliver, you can't kill it," Eric exclaimed. "Whatever it is, it will absorb whatever you throw at it."

"Ain't gonna try to kill it," Oliver growled. "We ain't looking at a cloud monster. This is a bully, pure and simple. And like most bullies, this one is a con man. What we's looking at ain't no Delar, whatever the hell that is." The badger turned to the black wolf. "Use your Sight, Pup. See beyond your fear. See beyond the cloud."

Derrick shook his head. "I can't, Oliver, I can't see anything. There's too much coming at me at once."

"Then I will do it for you," Oliver said defiantly. The paws of the badger rotated in the familiar circle movements of a Channeler. Between the gap, a white light appeared. "Pup, the old bear is right. Adam told that wombat to seek you out. It's you who gots what it takes to stop it. I know you'se afraid, but you gots to see past your fear. If you can'ts do that right now, I can at least help you know what it is you gots to stop."

Oliver's hands pushed out. "First thing we does is blow away the smoke screen he's using." The hands of the badger pushed out with the whirling white light spinning outward. It wasn't a beam of energy that sped from the hands. It was a whirling hurricane of light expanding ever wider as it headed toward the cloud. When it hit the outer edge, the approaching dark cloud spun off into space around the swirling light. "We spreads out the power, ain't no way to stop the wind if all you is is a cloud."

To everyone's amazement, that badger was right. The cloud began vaporizing, and behind the shifting darkness, the lights suddenly appeared. They were the windows of a ship of incredible dimensions. Still hidden within the remnants of the cloud, its size was larger than the planet the family stood on. Even from a distance, the ship filled the sky. "That's what we's fighting, Pup," the badger said. "Ain't no one critter. It's a whole bunch of critters inside a spaceship."

Oliver looked at the young wolf. "Adam knowed that. Now you knows it, Pup. See what Adam's people couldn't. Open up your eyes, Pup. Use your Sight to stop that thing."

"I can't," Derrick said shaking his head. "It's all too much. I can't see anything clearly."

Kattar looked up at the approaching ship. "It's… it's covered in dampeners," the creature stammered. He looked at the confused black wolf and struggled to find words to explain what he saw and the Changelings understood. "Dampeners are like lightning rods. They take the energy thrown at them and deflect it away from the ship. That spacecraft isn't using shields, they're shunting the power first to their own power grid and then the excess out into space. They relied on the fact that we would attack them with a direct energy force.

"Instead of trying to shield our attack, they diverted it. It worked because we were convinced that the cloud was a mass of energy, like a battery that we could destroy by overloading it. We were an army using all our weaponry to attack a scarecrow, while the real enemy was using our actions to lay a path to our destruction. Delar destroyed my people with conventional weaponry because we had used up everything we had to defend ourselves against it." Kattar looked down. "Exactly as Adam said…" his voice trailed off as he shook his head in disbelief. "How could we be so wrong?"

Chapter 19

Will felt the painful jolt of a prod against his flesh and he smiled. He stared at the humanoid creatures that were his jailers. Hovering two feet above the ground, the manacles around his wrists kept him from falling to the dark metal floor. To his left, the temple dog stood strapped to the side of the bulkhead with restraints. "Tell us where you have placed the self-destruct device," one of the beings demanded.

"Well, that's kind of the reason I'm not telling you, don't you think?" Will said as he spit out the blood pooling in his mouth. "If you know where it is, you'll be off trying to figure out how to keep it from blowing up the planet. It's nice that you realize how valuable Terra is. Don't go messing it up by killing me."

"We will break you, President Gentry," the humanoid said.

"I know," the old wolf replied. "That is why I brought my vice president along."

Jiao-long looked over at the wolf. "And why is that, Old Wolf?"

"Pup needs time. He's confused. This is his first time in battle where he needs to take the lead. He sees not just the ship in front of him, he sees us, he sees Terra. He sees even more ships like this one out there. Everything is coming at him at once, and he's confused. He's trying to fight a war on too many fronts. He's overwhelmed and afraid. It's up to us to save Terra until he can figure a way past his fear."

The aliens watched the conversation, not quite clear what the two spoke of. But they grew increasingly frustrated by the two ignoring their captors. "Silence, you two!" one being yelled. The jolts of energy from the prods slammed through both beasts.

"So, what do you suggest?" Jiao-long asked without hesitating.

"What would happen if a dog were to open a non-traversable wormhole in the middle of a ship this size?"

The winged dog laughed. "It would leave nothing of the ship but a bit of background radiation. I'm sure that Terra's magnetic field can shunt most of it away. My brothers are down there with Gaia. They'd know what to do to buffer it."

"So?"

"Really? You are going to have to make an apology to my sons if there's an afterlife, Old Wolf."

"SILENCE!" The jolt that followed was even more intense.

"Going to need my hands, Old Wolf," the dog said without missing a beat. "I could do it, but it would be so much more romantic if you freed me."

The manacles around the wolf glowed red, and by the time they melted and the wolf dropped to the ground, he paws were glowing bright red. The guards raised their batons, but in an instant, they were no more. Only ash remained where the humanoids once stood.

Will leaned up and kissed the dog, taking the yellow paws in his. The paws of the wolf melted through the temple dog's restraints. "I'm sorry to bring you into this, Handsome," the old wolf apologized. "I can take this thing out, but the debris hitting the earth would decimate so many countries. Even all the clans can't shield a planet-sized ship from falling on top of our world."

"I know, Old Wolf," the dog agreed. "I'll open a wormhole and be done with it."

"I'm sorry, Dog."

"We do what is needful, Old Wolf," Jiao-long replied as the temple dog's paws rotated.

On Peldaria, Oliver stared up at the ship. "You thinks you're invincible, does you? Then you should finds this downright entertaining," the badger said as his hands once again rose. "'Cause I'm Adam's mate and I knows what he knowed." A bolt of green light sped out from his hands. At the last second before impact, the domed green shield formed. The protective field slammed against the ship instead of trying to penetrate it. The enormous ship lurched backward as the badger grinned. All watched as pieces of the ship's dampeners broke away and hurtled toward the gravitational field of the planet. The sky lit up in a fiery display of metal burning into ash minutes later as the broken dampeners entered the atmosphere. "They can take the energy all day long, but they can't takes a punch," the badger laughed.

The polar bear's eyes widened. He realized their energy focused into a beam would act like a laser being shown through a glass. It would have no impact on the glass itself. However, that same energy, when turned into a corporeal shield, could punch into the ship like a rock thrown into that same glass. "Dogs, you see the crack in their armor," the bear yelled. "Follow the badger's lead."

The dogs raised their khakkharas and pulled them back to their sides. When their staffs shoved outward, the green light sped toward the ship. Again, the green shield formed. Again, the ship lurched backward as parts of the ship broke away and burned into nothingness as they entered the atmosphere of the planet. The white bear followed and again the ship took damage it had never anticipated. When the Kodiak lifted his arms, the next punch inflicted damage to the ship's primary hull.

"You cannot win," the booming voice came from the dissipating cloud. "You have figured out our subterfuge, but we are still more than capable of killing you all." The next bolt of green light never reached the ship; a shield that was now in place deflected it. From the ground, the family could see the glow of weapons coming online. From behind the dark ship, two more ships appeared through the rift.

Oliver's continual smile widened. "Same as every other bully. Thinks he can pound us into the ground cause he's bigger."

Kris looked at the badger. "I think that's because he can, Oliver. Those are molecular disrupters coming online. They disassemble the molecules of everything in their path."

"Yeah, but before they fire, I'm betting their shields have to go down like in the movies." The badger turned to the dogs. "I ain't fast enough for this, dogs, but you is. You's been training for this all your lives. In a fight, you sees the weakness, and you turns it on your opponent. You use their power against them."

Zhuang frowned at the badger. "It might not work. Sometimes a superior force is simply a superior force."

"We ain't gots to do it forever," the badger said. "We just gots to do it long enough for Pup to figure a way out."

Chapter 20

Inside the alien ship that hovered above Terra, an alarm sounded and the two Terrans looked to the door. The wolf's paws pushed out, and the door melted into the rest of the ship. "Dang, Jiao-long. I wish you had taken a few more opportunities to bang my butt."

The dog leaned down and gave the wolf a quick kiss. "In another life, Old Wolf," he replied, his paws never stopping their rotation.

Will closed his eyes. "See the path, Pup. You know it's there. I can't see it because I'm not you. I'm just an angry old soldier, willing to kill anyone who comes at the ones I love. Oliver is the same, Pup. Please… see the path. Don't make Oliver or Eric do what they see. Do what Adam knew you could do. See your path, Pup. I have faith in you. We all have faith in you to do what is needful."

The clanging of metal on metal rang through the room. Outside the melted door, the aliens were preparing to break through. The two made one last kiss. "Now and forever, Jiao-long," the old wolf said.

"Now and forever, Will," the temple dog replied. The hands reached out, and the wormhole opened.

There was no explosion, no brilliant light, simply the nonexistence of the ship that was larger than Terra. Kris's paws reached up. He joined all the Terran Changelings as they shielded Terra from the radiation that was all that remained of the ship above them. "Pup," the Kodiak bear whispered, "Will is dead. Jiao-long is dead. Don't let any more of your family die for this."

On Peldaria, Derrick shook his head again. "I can't see a way out."

Oliver reached out and grabbed the paw of the young wolf. "You gots to see what the old wolf knowed you could see. Don't let what he and the dog done be for nothin'. He was telling you something, Pup. He weren't afraid of what he seen. The old wolf seen what's inside you. He knowed you are too afraid to look at it. Adam sent that wombat here to get the black wolf and his family. He didn't send him for me and my family or the old bear and his. You is what Adam knowed is needful. Pup, you gots to use your Sight. You gots to see what we can't. You gots to be what no one can be but you."

At the moment between the shields lowering and the weapons firing, the temple dogs slammed their khakkharas together. A beam of red light slammed into the gun turret. There was less of an explosion from the turret as there was a bright light. The imploding weapon began breaking apart the molecules of the ship that had tried to use the weapon.

Oliver looked at the temple dogs. They hunched over trying to catch their breath. "Is you okay, Dogs?" the badger asked.

"Two more ships are approaching, Oliver," Zhuang replied. "We might disable this ship, but the ones to follow will drain all that we have."

"Zhuang was right, Badger," Bolin said. "Sometimes a superior force is simply unstoppable."

The ship shifted, rotating like a great orb in the sky, but this time the light of five turrets lit up the darkened metal of the spaceship. In quick order, the lights appeared in the same configuration on the other two ships. Zhuang groaned unhappily. "We will not stop them all," he said as he sent stance.

Bolin turned toward Kattar. "Take our family from this place. We will hold them off as best we can.

"No, there is nowhere to take your family that they will not find them. You have opposed Delar, and the penalty for that is death. They will track you down and make an example out of you, the same as they have done with my people." He pointed up toward the sky, toward a star. "That is Sol. Soon, more ships will be there. On your homeworld, this same battle will rage with the Changelings and temple dogs by their side. They too will lose. They will destroy your entire solar system as a warning to those who oppose them. Two hundred years from now, the conquerors of this universe will look up into that sky and Sol will not be there. This is only three of so many ships led by Delar. The universe will bow to him or they will die."

The shields of the rotating orbs dropped to fire their weapons. But before the temple dogs could move, Kattar raised his four arms, and light surrounded the dogs. Fourteen gun turrets were no longer, but the one that fired hit the protective barrier Kattar had raised. He fell backward, his arms smoldering as blood spilled from his mouth. "I have failed you, Adam," he said as he slumped to the ground. "I cannot protect your family."

The great warships pivoted, reeling from the damage of the five turrets on each that no longer existed. The ships were preoccupied ships for the moment with damage control. But all knew it wouldn't be long before the fleet restored systems and brought their weapons back online. Delar, if nothing else, was singularly focused on his task; and that task was to kill all that stood on the planet below.

The polar bear reached out, grabbed the black wolf, and shook him. "So many have died, Pup. So many on both sides. This isn't what should be. Do, it, Pup. I can see it in your eyes. You know what to do."

"I can't. No one has that power," the wolf whimpered.

"You can do so much more than any of us, Pup. You can do so much more than you believe. Gaia has been training you for this day; the day you create order from chaos." Eric looked down into the eyes of the young wolf. The white paws of the bear glowed a bright red. Derrick stared down at the paws, not sure of what he saw. The bear once again shook the wolf. Eric stared back into the young wolf's eyes. "Pup, it doesn't have to end this way, but you are the one to decide. Adam believed in you. We believe in you. The lesson has never changed. Your whole life has taught you this. Save one, save all. Don't save the universe. Save your family. The rest will follow."

Kattar's face lifted, and he pushed himself up. "Your mate is right, Derrick. We made the mistake of thinking brute force alone would stop Delar. As your people would say, we made a bet and went all in. That gamble was a misguided choice. We can never stop him by throwing at him what he craves the most."

Kattar's labored breath broke his speech for a moment. "You have something we have never understood, something only now I'm realizing I wish I did. It is something Adam has tried to teach me. It was something Kattar has been trying to teach me, but because I was one of the Order, I knew better. I never listened. I understand now what they were trying to teach me; what Adam was trying to tell us. Derrick, you have a power that none of us but Adam ever had; and in this moment, it has been our fatal shortcoming."

"What? What power could I possibly have that your people didn't have?"

"You have a purpose beyond yourself. We were the keepers of order in this universe, but we watch it from a place of dispassionate interest. Logic dictates actions; outcomes never deviate from the plan. We don't have something beyond what we do. You do. You have this thing you call a family. Adam knew it would save us if we only learned what it was. But it was so foreign to us. It's still so distant. We die never knowing the gift it is to be you."

The young wolf knelt beside the alien. "Maybe the two of us can merge. Maybe I would be strong enough then."

Kattar shook his head. "No, Derrick. I am already dead. Outcomes never deviate from the plan. My people are all dead. It is only a matter of time and all I have left is that time. You have gifts. You can see this universe in unimaginable ways. Your greatest weakness is not your lack of power. It's your lack of belief in yourself. See a solution, Derrick. Adam said if you can see it, you can make it happen. Find a way. Not our way; find your way."

Kattar's still smoking hand reached up toward the black wolf. "I wish this were different, Derrick. There is so much I regret not knowing before my time has ended." The alien gave a small smile. "Do you think before I die, you might teach me how to kiss?"

Derrick's eyes widened. "There's a guy out there about to enslave our universe and you want to learn how to kiss?"

Kattar nodded. "Seems like a good use of my last few moments of life. Kattar is reemerging. I have ignored so much that he tried to teach me. This is how he wishes to die. This is how I wish to die."

Derrick shook his head in disbelief and pressed his lips against Kattar's. When they separated, the alien smiled. "That, I could learn to like." He coughed, trying to clear the blood from his throat. "That moment I told you of, Derrick… that outcome… it is here. I'm so sorry to leave your family on your own. In another universe, I might have called you family and known what it meant to be a part of something so..." The creature's eyes closed. There was no breathing, but then there never was. Somehow, Derrick knew Kattar's unavoidable outcome had taken place.

Derrick looked at his mate. "What do I do, Papa Bear?"

The polar bear's glowing red arms dropped to his side. Slowly, the white fur returned. "Save our family. Don't try what Adam and his people tried. Do what your heart tells you to do. The artist inside you can see a different world, Pup. Have faith that you have what it takes to make it happen."

The badger rubbed the wolf's shoulder. "You can do this, Pup. Sees the path that brings us all home. Don't leave none of us behind."

Derrick gave Kattar a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Adam told me to save my family," the black wolf said, standing up. "I think he'd want me to include you." He bolstered his courage and looked up into the sky. Pup stared past the orbs charging their weapon systems, past the armada pushing through the rift. He gazed past the galaxy, past the billion, billion galaxies, and beyond. He saw beyond the universe to a billion, billion universes that had been born and were yet to be born. "In another time and place," the glowing blue wolf said as a dark blue sphere began spinning in his hand. Dimensions, seen and unseen, began bending. The singularity opened and all that ever was, flowed toward it. On the cusp of a growing event horizon, Derrick saw the path. His hands threw the spinning orb toward the rift.

The polar bear smiled. "That's my pup. Take us home."

Chapter 21

"Happy New Millennium, Pup," the gray-haired man said as he pulled Derrick close. Derrick felt his naked flesh yield to the pull, and he giggled. He felt the softness of another naked human pressing up along his backside. He sighed happily when he realized Eric was still hard. Eric gave the young man a gentle shake. "I know… Strictly speaking, it's not the new millennium," the older man said, "but who's going to wait for two thousand-one to say it?"

Derrick heard the words, but it took a moment to process them. "What year is it?"

Eric laughed. "Well, as of about five minutes ago, it's officially two thousand. You can tell everyone we know that you and I have fucked non-stop through two years." The tall man bent down and kissed the chubby one below. "If you want, next year you and I will repeat this so that you can tell everyone we fucked through two millennia. I'm a stickler for accuracy, so we can't do that tonight."

Derrick shook his head. "Boy, did I overshoot," he mumbled to himself. He looked back at the man holding him. "Papa Bear?"

"Yes, Pup?"

"I have something important to tell you."

"Can it wait until tomorrow when I've had a few hours of sleep and am actually awake? If it's important, I'd like to give you my full attention."

"Sure."

There was quiet as the two lay in the dark. "You're happy being here with me, aren't you, Pup?" Eric asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"Yeah, Papa Bear. I'm very happy."

"Okay, then I can wait until morning."

Derrick began wiggling free of the man holding him. "Where are you going, Pup?" Eric asked.

"Outside. I need a bit of fresh air to think."

"It's freezing out there, Pup. You hate the cold."

"I'll put on a jacket."

Eric pushed up off the bed. "Do I have something to worry about here, Pup? Perhaps we should talk about that important thing now. I have a feeling there's something I'm missing here."

Derrick thought for a moment. "Can you come out with me?"

"Sure."

"And keep an open mind?"

"I'll try."

Derrick and Eric dressed quietly together. The young, chubby man trying to figure out his next step; the older, gray-haired man struggling to decipher the mystery. When they stepped out into the frigid January night, Derrick looked up into the sky, searching. "What are you trying to find up there, Pup?" Eric asked.

Derrick continued to look until he saw the ball of fire out in the distance, hurtling toward them. "That," he said, pointing to the glowing orb.

"What the hell?" Eric said.

"It's an old friend," Derrick replied.

Eric looked at Derrick. "There is something important we need to talk about, isn't there?"

"Yeah," Derrick said with a shy nod, "kind of cosmically important. That ball of fire coming at us. Don't worry about that."

Eric watched the flaming orb and shook his head. "I'll try not to. It's moving too slowly to be a meteor, and it's changed its trajectory twice in its approach, so I'm assuming we're about to have company."

Derrick nodded in agreement. The ball of fire was only yards away from the ground when the pangolin rolled out onto the lawn. He shook himself off and brushed his arms. Looking at the two humans, he smiled, becoming an otter. "Hello, Husband," he said extending his arms toward Derrick.

Derrick took the otter into his arms and hugged him. Eric shook his head as he watched the human kiss the mammal. "There is something wrong with this picture, Pup," he said, confused. "Since when did you start kissing overgrown otters?"

The otter looked up at the taller, older man and smiled. "He has been kissing a bunch of animals for centuries," he replied as Derrick put him back on the ground. The otter extended his arms toward Eric. "Hello, Husband."

"Husband?"

"Really, Old Bear?" the otter asked, smiling. "You're going to pass up kissing this hot little number just because you can't remember anything?"

Eric shrugged and leaned into a hug and a kiss. In the middle of the kiss, Eric shifted and the polar bear stood kissing the dangling otter in the cold air. Derrick smiled and shifted into his wolfen form. Eric put the otter down and rubbed his head. "It's good to see you again, Adam," the bear said as he pulled the last of a tattered sleeve from his arm.

"It's good to be seen again," Adam replied. He looked up at the black wolf. "You did a great job, Pup."

"I tried to fix the crack in the universe before Delar ever slipped through it."

"You did that. For now, there is no crack in the universe for Delar to exploit."

"Why didn't you fix the crack, Adam?" the black wolf asked.

"Two very important reasons stopped us from ever trying that, Pup. The first was because our council was insistent that the cloud we saw was a creature made of pure energy. They ordered us to expend all that we were into a beam of energy to overload the cloud." The otter's head lowered. "And, in the Order, the council voice is all. The Order is all. We do not deviate from the will of the Order."

"But you weren't fooled… you realized the council was wrong," Derrick protested. "You threw Kattar outside their reach to get us. You understood what they were going to do wouldn't work. Why didn't you do what you knew needed to be done?"

"Because I couldn't possibly do what needed to be done, but I knew one who could," the otter replied. "And I had faith that my family would help the one who had that capability find his calling. I couldn't leave. The Order would have seen that as a defiance of the council. They would have retaliated against me before I could even gather you together. I had to stay, but they didn't even notice Kattar's leaving. Kattar is a novitiate like me. He's not even a blip on the radar. He had no previous contact with my family. He posed no threat. Even if they had seen him leave, it didn't matter. As far as the Order was aware, I threw him onto an obscure planet in another solar system. His powers weren't essential to turning back Delar. Kattar's goal to draw you to Peldaria was unknown."

"I still don't understand why you didn't push them back into the rift and close it up," Derrick pushed. "It was just a crack in the universe."

"That's the second reason I sent Kattar to you. And specifically to you, Pup. Because we can't fix a crack in the universe. It's impossible. Cracks in the universe are all around us. Rifts in time/space, temporal anomalies… all that… it's a part of what surrounds us. My people and I could never think of closing them off as a solution to what was happening. It would be like thinking a handful of sand thrown at the ocean could stop the tide from rolling in."

"But it worked."

"Because you believed it would, Pup. Because you saw it happen. And what you see happening…" the otter paused. "… somehow it happens. You understand what deus ex machina is, don't you, Pup?"

"Something impossible comes to save the day just when you need it most. I sometimes think our family has an ongoing supply of them."

"I think they do, too," Adam said with a smile. "But there's a reason for that. We all have gifts. Every one of us. Humans have so many of them, but all too often they've squandered them. They were given the solutions to solve all their world's problems. But time and time again, they turned from those solutions to wage war, to create barriers, to turn their back on the gifts. Lust for power, greed for capital, apathy toward their neighbor… that is the legacy of the humans. The history of your world is written in the blood and indifference of your people."

"We've had some pretty good ones," Derrick countered. "We're not all bad."

"No, you're not," Adam agreed. "But when someone takes their gifts and lifts those around them, others see them as so remarkable they make those gifted people a deity or a saint. Humanity marvels when a human is humane."

"Humans have a history of preferring conquest over conciliation," the polar bear said with a frown.

"Exactly," Adam replied. "And then there's the Terran Changelings. So far from their world, they still hold to the belief that we are one, that there is unity in all things."

"Four billion years of genetic imprinting has that effect on a guy," Eric said with a laugh.

"But it gave you a gift that you gave to the ones you love. It gave you the ability to see beyond yourselves. And when you taught that to the humans you turned, they in turn taught others. And when the new gifts came, you embraced them because they would strengthen you as protectors of those you loved."

Adam looked at the black wolf. "It wasn't a deus ex machina that happened on that planet, Pup. It was a natural extension of a wolf that loved his family. He dug down deep to find what he had inside to save them. Your gift to see the world and shape it to that vision is a part of you because you didn't turn from it when it presented itself. To a man, this family has always accepted the gifts that protect your family without a thought of what personal gain might come from that power. You don't realize how rare that is."

"I sometimes wish it was a lot rarer. I'm not fond of most of my gifts."

"And that is exactly my point, Pup. Your family never seeks what this universe gives you," Adam said. "I've known you before we ever met, Pup. You and Marcus are two of a kind."

"We're both furries?" Derrick replied with a smile.

Adam smiled back. "Well, that is true, but I'm talking about how you become those you love. Poor Marcus had that problem with his appearance changing to match everyone he touched, but for both of you, it's always been deeper. You took on the power of the Blue clan, accepted the Sight, and so much more. Pup, you didn't simply hold on to my powers for fourteen billion years; you absorbed them into who you are and made them greater. And never once did you think about what you could do with those powers until it came to nurturing and protecting your family."

"Oliver is right," the black wolf said. "Family is hard to come by. I will stand in front of anything that comes at them. That's all I did this time, Adam. I protected my family. I shoved the bad guy back into the hole he came out of, and I fixed the crack so he couldn't come back again."

"You fixed not only the crack; you've created some kind of protective barrier throughout our universe."

Derrick nodded. "I know you can't do that with something infinite, but I sort of imagined our universe like one marble in a sack full of marbles. Delar lives in some other marble bouncing around inside that bag. I made our marble unbreakable."

Adam shook his head in disbelief. "You see what we can't, Pup, and in doing that, you do what we can't."

"I don't know how that's even possible."

"You're like an electric eel, Pup," the otter replied. "There's no way it should be able to do what it does. Sure, there's a scientific answer to how it creates electricity and controls it; but it doesn't know that. It doesn't understand the how or why of what it is. It simply controls electricity in ways no human can with all their understanding. There is a reason you can do what you can. But you don't have to understand how it works, only that it does. I suspect millennia will go by without any of us ever knowing how you do what you do."

"So, why here?" Derrick asked. "Why did I put myself back here?"

"Oh, that's easy," Adam said. "New Year's Eve, twenty thousand. This is your first night spent in Eric's house as a couple. You moved in today. You said yes to living together. Later this morning, Eric was going to ask you to meet his friends come springtime. This is the day he calls Will for the first time to talk about you. By the end of the day, Eric is going to promise you a walk in the forest, complete with your favorite forest activity." Adam sighed. "And all that wonderful stuff that changed your world forever will flow from this moment. This is the start of it all, Pup. You returned to the beginning because it is the one place in time you will never forget. Of all the candles in windows that you see, this one glows brightest."

The polar bear looked around the yard and out into the lights of Portland. "I'm not sure I'm ready to relive all this again, Adam. It wasn't always a pleasant ride, and I know too much about what's to come to not step in and mess with things." The polar bear waved out toward the city and the world beyond. "I'm pretty sure that's going to fuck-up that whole space/time continuum that you mentioned."

Adam nodded. "I agree." He wrapped his arm around the waist of the black wolf. "So we fix this. Right, Pup?"

"I don't have a clue how to fix time," the wolf replied.

"Time? Really? Time is easy," the otter said as he raised a glowing blue arm. "Comedy is hard."

The cold winter wind blew through the Douglas fir surrounding the empty lawn. Inside, the two men slept soundly together. One was a Changeling trying to figure out a way to tell his human bedmate about the truth of his world. The other was a young, overweight man who struggled to find his place in the universe, never knowing how far that struggle would take him one day.

Tomorrow, the two would find their clothes torn apart on the lawn. How they came to be there, or what happened, would remain a mystery for hundreds of years. For the Changeling, staring at the rent garments would light the spark of an idea that would protect the human he loved. If it worked, it would also provide him with a loving pack to watch over him. But for now, in the darkness, the two slept peacefully together.

Hundreds of years in the future, Adam set his traveling companions down in Montana. Will looked up from his desk and smiled at the three. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," he said as he pushed back from the desk and stood up. "It's about time you three came home."

Derrick smiled. "Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah, it is."

Chapter 22

Adam was laughing so hard he was choking. Eric dropped his glass of orange juice and shook his head. "You did what, Pup?"

"I made him a bunny rabbit. I promised Adam I would never kill, but I couldn't stand the idea of Delar taking over universe after universe just because we were protected. So, I made him a bunny; the only bunny in his entire world. He's considered a throwback to some evolutionary tangent that should have been gone eons ago."

"His people think he's a dinosaur?" Will asked, chuckling.

"Kind of," Derrick replied. "They have him on display in a zoo. He's well-fed and taken care of. Of course, he's screaming at them all the time, telling them he's their leader. But it's tough because no one on his planet speaks rabbit."

Oliver giggled. "Serves the asshole right. But ain't some other Delar gonna come along and rile up all them people?"

"Not for some time, I suspect," Derrick answered. "Delar and his army never returned to their homeworld. The rift closed. Everyone is assuming that Delar's idea of manifest destiny failed. Worse yet, whatever he went up against destroyed their entire fleet of warships. Right now, there's a guy called Galthop or Galtroth… Gal something or other who's in power instead of Delar. He's a xenophobe."

"Fancy words, Pup," the badger grumbled.

"He hates foreigners… or, in this case, aliens from other planets. He's convinced the entire planet that the only way to keep their planet safe is to create defenses to protect them from alien invaders. Their entire military space program has shifted to some sort of Star Wars technology pointed out toward space to keep aliens away."

Adam finally calmed himself enough to speak. "You did great, Pup. But exactly what did you do with the warships?"

"What's left of the entire armada is out in another galaxy on a planet of nearly solid water. Right now, only their life support systems are working on the bits and pieces that form an island of broken ships. Their weapons and propulsion engines are gone, so they know someone in this universe didn't take kindly to their invasion. If they're careful, they can cannibalize what's left of their ships to find land. From there, they can create cities and lives above the waterline, but only if they work together."

"Their lives depend on them learning lessons they may be incapable of learning, Pup," Adam said with a bit of concern.

"They had no problem using teamwork to attack us. It's in their hands now whether they can use that same teamwork to build a world that they can survive on."

The polar bear leaned forward over his meal. "It seems to me the punishment fits the crime, Adam. Derrick promised not to kill. He didn't promise to make everyone's life rosy."

Adam nodded. "I agree. But their lives won't be easy." The otter looked at the young wolf. "Would it be okay if I dropped by some day in the future and checked up on them?"

Derrick smiled at the otter. "Sure, I have no complaints." The black wolf hesitated. "What about our universe?" Derrick asked. "Is it all okay? I tried to make everything the same as when we left. I tried to do what Papa Bear told me; I tried to come home."

"It's fine, Pup. Anytime you retool portions of the universe, there are going to be minor oversights, but this universe is much the same as the one where I died. You didn't recreate a universe so much as fix the one you're familiar with. You pushed the universe back in time, only enough to catch Delar and his fleet as they were entering the rift. You boucned back further, but the universe didn’t. I said time is easy. It was your default option without you even realizing that's what you were doing. You simply turned back the clock to a time when Delar and his cohorts weren't a problem."

The otter took a bite of his breakfast and chewed. "And then you did the impossible by closing the rift and throwing his entire fleet into another galaxy." Adam played with the food on his table quietly. "I'm grateful that my people are still alive, Pup. Although, there is one slight difference there."

"Am I going to be in trouble for that?"

"Not from me. Kattar remembers everything, and he's now head of the council."

"He's okay with that?"

"He seems alright with it. He understands why you put him there. We have a lot of work to do to open the eyes of our people, Pup. Still, at least we have hope that one day they will see what the two of us see. He said he will come to visit his family as soon as he can."

"So, he thinks of us as family?"

"If you'll have him."

The collective nods from around the group made Adam smile. "He is a most wonderful beast." Adam fidgeted a bit. "And, if you're okay with it, Pup, he said he would like you to teach him how to give a blow job the next time he visits. I might have told him they're the best thing ever."

Derrick laughed. "Okay, I can do that."

"We can all do that, Pup," the badger said with a giggle. "I guess he's gonna fit right in with the rest of the family."

Adam nodded. "He wants to. And he's got four hands and two rather dexterous feet, so he can play with us all at the same time." Adam considered Hexadeltan anatomy for a moment. "The Hexadeltans are a race of highly tactile creatures. On their home planet, they view sex almost the same as a handshake on Terra. Kattar gave up all that when he merged. Our people don't view the cultures of other worlds as important to their calling as protectors. We don't procreate in these forms. As such, my people think of sex as an activity that accomplishes nothing. Realizing what a mistake that belief is has opened up a whole new world of understanding to me.

"Kattar now realizes that he too has suffered by not allowing himself to live the way Hexadeltans have lived for millions of years. He wishes to learn, and he enjoyed learning from Derrick. He is hoping to explore this side of himself with those he trusts; his family." Adam paused for a moment. "He doesn't exactly have a penis, though."

"What's he got?" Oliver asked.

"The closest thing I can think of is the claspers on a shark and a hemipenis."

"He's got three peckers?" Oliver asked, laughing.

"They're not exactly peckers, Oliver. The two claspers are reproductive organs that lie flat along his body until he's sexually aroused. They become somewhat aggressive in pinning his partner up close against his body. When both partners are fully aroused, the inverted hemipenis pushes out and penetrates the partner. Once inside, the hemipenis swells like a canine knot to anchor it inside. Outside, the claspers keep the partner immobile until ejaculation."

"Those claspers sound more like a fleshy restraint," the polar bear interrupted.

"And if all they did was hold the other Hexadeltan in place, I would agree. But they ejaculate at the same time as the hemipenis."

Oliver shook his head. "Them clasper things is outside both of them wombat critters and they's coming?"

"Hexadeltans are hermaphroditic. What position they assume in mating determines how the hemipenis acts. If the Hexadeltan chooses the role of the male, the hemipenis engorges with blood like a penis. When one chooses to be a female, it remains inverted, acting as a vagina. Internally, the genital shifts. It accesses either the semen receptacles or the vestibule for the eggs waiting for fertilization.

"All beasts have pouches along their sides where they store semen for delayed implantation. In that way, a couple can mate even if the receptive partner has no wish to have offspring immediately. They do not let the eggs transfer to what we would call their uterus. It creates a very cordial environment for mating not unlike your own where the worry of unwanted pregnancy does not exist. Sex is highly pleasurable for the Hexadeltans. So a biological answer to when one gets pregnant is the perfect answer for beasts that mate frequently with each other."

"Sounds messy," Kris said with a smile.

"Extremely," Adam agreed. "You don't want Kattar topping you anywhere near the carpeting. But on the plus side, at least his claspers hold you in place by swelling instead of spurs like sharks have."

"Well, that's good to hear," Oliver said. "I likes Kattar well enough, but I ain't lettin' no one with a prickly pecker near me."

"I suspect Kattar will find docking with werebeasts somewhat complicated at first, and vice versa." Adam thought about the logistics. "But where there's a will…"

Will snorted a laugh. "Okay, so what's going to happen to your people if a second person starts having sex? Aren't you kind of unique in that respect?"

"For the time being," Adam responded. "As natural an act as you might think sex is, it is not a common thing for any of our people. We reproduce by something similar to mitosis. Our species is something between a fluid and a vapor in our natural state. For the sake of understanding, we have always said we are incorporeal. Mostly because most other species see us as only a glimmer of light in their peripheral vision. No species with less than forty-eight senses see us as even remotely tangible. We adopt characteristics from the species we merge with. But in these species' bodies, we have always been asexual, because we effectively sterilize whatever host body we share."

"Why is that?" Derrick asked.

"Different reproductive approaches sharing the same body. We sort of cancel each other out."

"But you does fine with us," Oliver said confused.

"I'm shooting blanks, Oliver," Adam replied.

"Sex is fun for all sorts of reasons other than making babies," Oliver countered.

"My people don't think that way. They see sex as either procreative or a waste of energy resources." Adam looked down at his body and rubbed his furry tummy. "The bodies we share with our hosts are functional, but we don't acknowledge the need to procreate. Most of us don't even live on the homeworld of our hosts. I am only one of a few hundred that do. That number is out of hundreds of thousands of our kind sharing a host body. I am the first of my kind where my adoptive family encourages me to engage in sexual activity."

"Seems to me your people would be a lot happier if they got sexed now and then," Oliver mused. "You seems way happier than any of your kin."

Adam nodded and smiled. "I know, Oliver. But baby steps, okay? That Kattar even has an interest in using his genitalia with another is quite a monumental step for him and all my people. It acknowledges that there might be things in life that the Order ignored as unimportant that might mean a great deal to our hosts. There might be something beyond obligations and responsibilities."

Will looked at Adam and tilted his head. "I see using your genitalia as very much a part of our obligations and responsibilities."

Adam gave the wolf a shy smile as he looked away. "And I'm glad you do. I do too."

"So, what do we do here, husbands?" Kris said, rising. "We have a family picnic to go to in a few more hours. Do we work on our obligations and responsibilities to Adam's genitalia, or do I make you all breakfast?"

Oliver looked up in thought. "We's gonna be eating soon, anyway. I sez we do Adam."

"Me too," Derrick chimed in.

Adam looked at the five leering beasts. "Oh no, you don’t!" He yelled. "I can take two, maybe three, of you working me over, but not all five."

"We'll be gentle," the polar bear said, standing.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Adam asked, laughing.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure about twenty minutes from now you're going to be getting very into this," Will said as he grabbed the otter and kissed him. He dangled the otter out in midair. "Don't worry about the picnic. Everyone thinks otters walk funny, anyway."

Adam smiled. "Take me, Old Wolf. Make me your mate all over again."

"Now and forever, Otter," the old wolf replied as he pushed the otter onto his already swollen cock. The other four smiled and worked toward a configuration where they could all pleasure the otter together.

Chapter 23

All on the island turned to watch as the massive airship began its landing maneuvers. The wings shifted, slowing the ship until it hovered over the gunnery-landing site. From beneath the concrete top of the old gunnery, metal supports lifted, giving the landing site a far greater footprint. Once the metal surrounds were set into place, the Black Rhino dropped onto the pad, and the cargo bay door opened.

The temple dogs were the first to come out. The children always waited in anticipation to see them. But today they were missing their armor and ceremonial dress. The New Zealand temple dogs were the unclothed dogs they saw most days on the island. When the Tibetan temple dogs exited without their armor, the faces of the children fell in disappointment. Without their body armor to secure them to the dogs, there would be no jousting today. As the last of the Tibetan monks disembarked, Noboru pulled two leather saddles from behind his bulky body and the children cheered.

Max walked out onto the grass with his husbands and he raised two more saddles into the air. "The short-faced bears challenge the Temple dogs in a test of skill. Today we will find out which of us is the best steed for a jouster," he yelled. "Which of our families' youth will stand by us in this noble calling?" The children screamed their happiness and ran to greet the massive dogs and bears.

Chipo laughed as the children swarmed his husbands, dragging them away. He turned to his other husband and his father. "Sometimes having a horn on my snout has its drawbacks. I'd almost enjoy going up against my husbands to see who is best with a jouster on his back."

Martin smiled and rubbed the thick hide of the rhino's back. "We already know who is best with a beast on his back, and in that, there is no contest."

"He's right there," Will said as he approached the African family. "And try as he might, Chipo will always have to settle for a very close second to one very old wolf." He embraced the rhino, and they kissed.

"I yield to the old wolf," Chipo said with a chuckle. "I owe him a debt that I cannot repay for all his tutelage."

Will rubbed the big gray beast's chest. "I can think of a way to repay me tonight on our run."

Chipo laughed out loud. "And in getting what you desire, I will fall again into your debt. I learn things about my body I never knew every time we are together."

"Well, that's nice," Will said. "So do I." He looked at Chipo's African dog father. "And what of you, Dog?"

"I will be there running beside you, Old Wolf." He extended his arms for a hug. "It is good to see you, old friend."

Martin watched the two hug, and when they had let go, he pulled the old wolf into a new embrace. He kissed the wolf and pushed back gently. "Chipo and I have felt something amiss. Is there something writing itself into the history books that we know nothing about?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, there is. Pup has been a busy wolf."

"And is this going to affect Nathaniel? Is Oliver missing, or does he have a new husband we don't know of?" Chipo asked.

Will shook his head. "Nope, everyone is safe and sound. All is right with the universe. But I think Oliver and Derrick are going to need some time alone to sort things out."

"Is that what we're feeling? There can't possibly be a rift between those two, can there?" the cat questioned.

"More like a misunderstanding. They'll work it out, but we need to give them space."

"Well, we're clueless about what you're talking about, so we won't interfere." The saber-toothed cat said as his short tail wagged anxiously.

Adam approached the group. "Won't interfere with what, Martin?"

Will pointed toward the black wolf and badger walking toward the gunnery apartments. "There's something between them they need to sort out. We need to make sure the family keeps their distance from the gunnery apartments today. I'm not sure how this is going to play out, but regardless, those two need to be alone for a time."

Adam nodded in agreement. "They will work it out. I am not worried about this."

Will sighed. "Well, then your Sight is better than mine."

"I can't see the outcome with the Sight, William. I trust my family. They will find their way back to each other as soon as they realize they've never been apart."

Will smiled at the otter. "You've done it, Adam. You've become as enigmatic as the rest of the family."

Adam smiled. "Then my work here is done." The otter raised his hands toward the wolf. "How about a ride back to the picnic on your shoulders?"

The wolf reached down and threw the otter up and over his shoulders. "It would be my pleasure," he replied. Will turned to Chipo and Martin. "Come on, men. I'll show you how to make the world's best veggie-burger."

"I didn't know you were vegetarian, Old Wolf," Chipo said, puzzled.

"I'm not," Will responded. "But you are, so I've been fiddling with making you something you can eat along with the rest of us. I've hit on a recipe that should work. Everybody says it tastes just like…"

"Oh, please, not just like chicken," the rhino begged.

"Nope… Like licking wolf dick. I'm pretty sure it tastes like licking wolf dick. We can do a blindfolded taste test if you want."

"Sounds fun," the rhino said as he began walking.

"We can toss you in a St. Andrew's cross and add some handcuffs to spice it up," the wolf suggested.

"Are we going to a picnic or over to Carl and Randy's place?"

"What's your preference?"

The rhino grabbed the hand of his cat mate and tugged him back toward the coastline. "Come on, Husband. If I can't go jousting with our husbands, I'll at least cross swords with the old wolf and otter."

"You up for this, Adam?" the old wolf asked.

"What do you think is poking your head, Old Wolf?" the otter replied

"Just checking, Husband," Will replied. "We're probably going to need a ladder, six bungee cords, and a handful of those funky little drink umbrellas to pull this off."

"Pull what off, Old Wolf?" Martin asked.

"You'll have to wait, Cat. It's a surprise."

"Oh, good," Chipo chimed in. "I love surprises."

"So do I," the wolf agreed. "So do I."

Together, the four headed off toward Carl and Randy's home.

Chapter 24

For the better part of an hour, Derrick and Oliver had been sitting on the bed without a word between them. Finally, the badger looked up at the black wolf and said, "I loves you, Pup."

Derrick sighed, looking out into the room. "Then why, Oliver? Why didn't you help me?" He choked back a sob. "I saw it on the way here today. For a split second, the infinite ways that moment might have played out were in front of me, and in so many of them you were there beside me, defeating Delar."

"That were me," Oliver confessed. "I'se been feeling so guilty for not talking to you about what happened that day. You seen what my brain was agonizin' over."

Derrick shook his head in disbelief. "Then why didn't you help me? Why did you put the responsibility for that choice onto my shoulders? Why did you make me do that on my own?"

"Because I loves you, Pup."

The black wolf stared angrily at the badger. "That makes no sense at all, Oliver."

"Pup, you and I…" Oliver searched for his words carefully, "… we's different since we come back from that place in outer space. Holding onto Adam's power changed us."

"I'm aware of that," Derrick replied, the anger still in his voice. "I just fixed the universe, if you'll recall. No thanks to you."

"You don'ts understand how hard it was for me, Pup," Oliver said. "But I hads to do what I did. I hads to do it for you."

Derrick glowered at the badger. "You're making less and less sense the more you talk, Badger," he chided.

Oliver nodded. "I'se sorry, Pup. You knows I ain't good with words." Derrick remained quiet until Oliver spoke again. "I sees things, Pup. You knows how you said you seen all them possibilities? They came into your head 'cause of how close we is. You seen what I seen 'cause I let my guard down for only a moment. But that's what's in front of me all the time. I seen all them choices that day, and I chose the one that saved my family and made you strong."

Derrick somehow heard beyond the words, and his anger softened. "I still don't understand, Oliver," he said.

"That day could have ended the moment that cloud thing came at us, Pup. Remember how I told you I knowed a con man when I seen one? I told you I knowed a bully when he's coming at me. I seen Delar from the moment he was in sight."

"Then why?"

"If'n I had my way, Delar wouldn't be no bunny today. 'Cause I was all set to rip out his three hearts and toss them in front of his crew while he floated dead in midair. I was going to destroy every one of them ships 'cepting his. I was going to tell them to take their dead leader back to where they come from. And if they ever so much as looked at that crack in the universe again, I would take out their world without another thought. And I seen it clear as day, Pup. I could see it, and you knows what seeing something means for the likes of you and me."

"I'm glad you didn't do it, Oliver," the young wolf whispered.

"I'se glad too, Pup," the badger agreed. "When I heard the old bear say I couldn'ts kill Delar, I knowed he meant that Delar weren't able to be killed by blasting at him. But I heards something different, Pup. I heard my husband tell me not to kill. I heard the old bear tell me what the old wolf told Jason when he first met him and what he told Marcus. Don't kill… don't never kill, 'cause it changes a man." The badger's head fell into his hands. "I is so sick to death of killing, Pup. I is so torn up by what I has done in my life."

Derrick sat quietly. Whatever anger had filled him only moments before was gone. All he felt was compassion for a wounded soul offering his confession. Oliver kept his face buried in his hands. "I has killed too many times, Pup. I is on the cliff staring down into the awful and it looks so much like me.

"We walks into a battle, and the first thing I thinks is how do I kill them all? Is I any better than Delar? Maybe he wants power, and I wants to save my family. Maybe that makes a difference, but in the end how many innocent people dies because of the two of us?"

"I don't think the soldiers with Delar were all that innocent, Oliver," Derrick said, trying to console the badger.

"When we is at war, when we has to listen to what a leader tells us what to do, we can do horrible things we regrets forever, Pup. I sat and watched them red wolves die 'cause them hunters that paid me was giving the orders. I didn't do right by them wolves, because I followed what the humans taught me; what I was told was right. And when I learnt all that I ever believed was a lie, it couldn't bring back them wolves. It only throwed me into a pit of my own making.

"Them soldiers was like me, Pup. They's got some bad ones, I'm sure, but most of them was just followin' orders trying not to get killt in the process. They's gonna look back one day and wonder how the hell they did what they dids, but they wouldn't never see that day if I killt them all. I heard the bear, and I couldn't kill."

"Then why didn't you help me?" Derrick asked. "You realize how confused I was."

"I did help you. Pup, I showed you what Delar really was. I took away his illusion so you could face your fears without no lie between you and the fear. Adam died, knowing that in the doing, the war would drop at your feet. He knowed what he had to do was step back and let you grow into what you was meant to be. He died rather than fix what he seen. The old wolf showed you what would come of your family without you stepping in. He was the same as Adam. The old wolf knowed his pup had to step up, and he'd die rather than let you turn away because he understood. He understood who he loved, and he knowed what you had to do. Your Papa Bear stepped back. We all stepped back, and let the one that had to stand up do his part."

Oliver fell quiet for a moment. "I seen it, Pup. There was only one path that my family took where no one died. I seen one path that let me love on Adam and the old wolf again. I seen one path where the old bear weren't gonna use the power that's in him. You seen it, Pup. You seen what's inside him and how he suffers when it's forced out of him. Adam, Will, Jiao-long… ain't no path of mine where they was alive in the end. Only you, Pup. Only you could see that path, and it was swirling there in your hands. I had to make sure you done what Adam seen you do. I had to make sure you done what the Old Bear knowed you could do."

"You could have stood by me. We could have done it together."

"You needed to know you coulds stand alone, Pup. You needed to know you was strong enough on your own to save your family." Oliver averted Derrick's eyes. "Pup, I knows you is shy, that you stays on the sidelines letting others guide you. But you needs to understand that is a choice you makes. It ain't who you are. Delar were the challenge you had to take on, and there weren't none of us that could step in and tell you what to do. If we had done that, nothing would have come of that day."

Oliver looked up at the wolf with tears in his eyes. "One day we is gonna need to fight side by side, but it weren't that day. That day, you needed to learn you earned the right to stand with us. You needed to stop doubting and become what you is. Pup, you is strong. You is so, so strong. But mostly you is kind. I did what was needful. And it tore at me something fierce. But I did it for you, Pup. Because I loves you, and you needs to learn who you is, and what you is. You has to understand that you can do it all on your own and you can save your family without killing no one."

"But you could have been…"

"No, Pup," the badger interrupted. "Looks at them possibilities. Look at every one where I is by your side. Watch how many people dies before it all ends. You, Pup… you sees beyond where I can. And I had to make sure you did what you seen, not what was in my head."

"You're saying you stood back so I would do the right thing?"

"Yeah."

"But how could you know?"

"'Cause, I trusts my family to do right by their gifts. I just gots to step back long enough for them to do it instead of busting in and mucking it all up."

"You did it for me?"

"Pup, I is strong. I can do so much more than any one person should be able to do. And you is even stronger, 'cause you can see so much clearer than me. I once told you that the universe chose us to help keep our husbands in line, but them days are gone, Pup. We is the two that needs keeping in line. I can'ts do that. I ain't the one that loves the way you do. Pup, you is the one that chooses to save a life instead of ending it. That's you, Pup, not me. You'se the one that keeps me in line. You'se the one I looks to.

"You gots to be stronger than you wants to be, because we needs you to be strong. And you gots to be gentler than ever because we needs someone who sees the world the way you does, and we needs him to help us be kind. That were your day. That were your day to learn that you are strong and that you are kind. And that were my day. That were my day to realize I could be by your side. I coulds help you, but I didn't have to lead you. You coulds do what needs doing on your own.

"I had to hold back. I had to hold back to let me become the badger I wants to be. A badger that ain't in front making the choices. I'm small, and now I knows that's what I is meant to be. I needs someone like you in my life, Pup. There's gots to be someone who can keep me in line; who teaches me to be kind. We all needs you, Pup. But we gots to have you strong and confident. We needs the wolf that was born that day. We won'ts make it through this life without you being that wolf. I loves you, Pup. More than my life. I loves you so much I'd rather you hate me for not doing than do wrong by you."

The young wolf reached out and grabbed the badger into a tight hug. When their lips met, the words ended, and the healing began.

Inside Carl and Randy's dungeon, Martin smiled as he released his husband's feet from the St. Andrew's Cross. "They're back together, Old Wolf," he said.

"You sure?" Will asked.

The cat stood up, pushed down on his erection, and let it slap against his furry belly. "This is Oliver's doing. He's taking Pup. I'm sure they're back together. They still have a lot to talk over, but they're finding that place beside each other where they want to be."

"That slapping noise," the still blindfolded rhino said, "was that a cat dick or a wolf dick?"

"Want to try a taste test to decide if you can tell the difference?" the cat purred. "I can put those cuffs back on your feet."

Chipo nodded. "Yeah, screw being a vegetarian for the next few hours. Feed me the meat."

Randy chuckled. "Well, Rhino, let's figure out how good you are at judging meat. Telling the difference between a cat and a wolf dick is easy, but we have three wolf dicks here. Think you can tell the difference?"

"Bring it, Wolf," Chipo said with a laugh.

Will grinned. "God, I love this family," he said as he refastened a cuff around the wrist of the rhino.

Chapter 25

"Akk… too tight, Kattar," Derrick gulped as the claspers tightened around him.

"I am sorry, Pup," Kattar replied with a look of confusion. "I am letting my body do what I have never allowed it to do, and I lack control of any kind."

The Hexadeltan felt two thick paws yank him into the air. The shock was enough to distract the beast, and the claspers released the wolf, dropping him to the ground. Kattar looked down at the white paws holding him aloft. "Everyone, go," the polar bear ordered. Without question, the husbands raced back toward the cliff face.

At the entrance to the temple, they met Bolin and Zhuang. "We were watching from the sidelines," Bolin said. "The Hexadeltan is greatly aroused."

"Oh god," Will groaned. "Don't tell me; his pheromones are off the chart and you're in distress."

Zhuang shook his head. "No, the Hexadeltan has no sex hormones to attract a mate. It seems their claspers are more than adequate for holding another with no need of hormonal attractants."

"So, they're running around raping each other?"

Adam frowned at the wolf. "It's not rape, William. It's completely consensual. There are no sex hormones in Hexadeltans because, in their world, sex is a part of their daily lives. They don't need sex hormones any more than you need to have hormones to encourage you to breathe. Their sexual desire is genetically encoded into their very being. On their homeworld, they use foreplay in much the same way humans shake hands. Touching, hugging, all that humans consider too intimate for strangers is their norm.

"A casual encounter rarely results in actual sex, but as with the Were Nation, it happens. When they have sex, the Hexadeltans engage in extended foreplay. It helps establish which of the beasts wishes to be passive and accept the advances of the other. The foreplay can take hours, sometimes lasting into days. These negotiations are a part of what prepares the Hexadeltans for mating. Kattar has never learned the intricacies of Hexadeltan foreplay, and he is equally unfamiliar with Terran mating. What nature has left him is a biological response to his arousal that is completely new to him."

Will shook his head. "I'm sorry. Poor guy must be in all sorts of virgin angst right now."

"That's putting it mildly," Adam said with a nod.

"Then he's with the right beast," Derrick said with a smile as he watched the polar bear walking toward the forest, holding Kattar aloft. "Papa Bear was as gentle and understanding a man as I've ever been with. The first time I was with him, he made sure I was comfortable with everything we did. It was the best experience of my life."

Will looked at the black wolf, confused. "Really? He was an animal with me. We barely got past the first kiss before he mounted me and gave me a pounding I'll never forget."

Derrick smiled back at the wolf. "I rest my case. Kattar is with a man who will help make his first time a memorable one for him."

"True that," the old wolf replied as he watched the two disappear into the forest.

Inside the forest, the bear stopped in a clearing. He lowered the four-armed giant to the ground. "This is where my son and Max used to come to get away from the family and be intimate."

Kattar looked around. "It is beautiful."

The polar bear extended his hand toward the grassy floor of the forest. "This should be adequate for our needs."

Kattar shook his head. "I may have made an error in judgment. Perhaps my people are right. Sex is something best avoided."

"Nonsense, Kattar. You are a Hexadeltan. If I understand that, your body has evolved to give you a great deal of pleasure when mating. Why would you deny yourself that pleasure?"

"Because I almost asphyxiated your mate?"

Eric laughed. "You're new to this. That is why you are here with me. My body is stronger than Derrick's. One day you will gain control of that body of yours, but for now, we need to let you learn how it works." The bear dropped to the floor and patted the area in front of him. "Lay with me Kattar. Let me show you what Terran beasts do and teach me what pleasures a Hexadeltan."

Kattar sat down, thrusting out his short legs. His four arms folded awkwardly. "I don't know what pleasures a Hexadeltan," he said, fumbling with a body too easily aroused.

"Then come kiss me. We know you enjoy kissing," the bear said, extending his hand toward Kattar.

Kattar took the hand in one of his and entered the hug. His muzzle pressed up against the bear's. "You're different from Derrick. Your lips are thicker, firmer," Kattar said as he backed away.

"It's one joy of having so many beasts as friends. One day you will delight in the differences."

Kattar smiled. "I believe I already do," he said as he leaned back in for another kiss. This kiss lasted longer, and when the polar bear's paw reached back behind the Hexadeltan's head and pulled him in closer, Kattar let one hand do the same. The other wrapped around under the bear's shoulders. Slowly, tentatively, his other two hands moved to the bear's butt.

The bear's free hand was more adventurous. As soon as Kattar's hands were rubbing his butt, the bear reached down and rubbed along the claspers. He encouraged the hemipenis to engorge and come out from its retracted position. The Hexadeltan beast's eyes opened in wide surprise. "Oh, Dalph, no," he cried out. Immediately the swollen claspers pushed around the bear. They pulled the bear's body to the Hexadeltan and pinned their torsos tightly together.

The bear's hand pinned up against the claspers slipped into the crack between. His eyes widened as the hemipenis moved into his paw. It was prehensile. Not simply engorging with blood, as it lengthened, it moved about slowly. It probed to find the opening that another Hexadeltan would offer. The bear smiled and wrapped his paw around the growing flesh and stroked it within the tight confines of the two bodies pressed together.

"Oh, Dalph, no bear," Kattar yelled. "I can't contro…" the Hexadeltan shook.

The four-armed beast's eyes closed. The white bear recognized an all too familiar expression somewhere beyond pleasure. "Let it come, Kattar. Don't fight it; embrace it. Feel every moment of what is coming without guilt, without embarrassment. I want what is going to happen as much as you."

The beast couldn't even respond beyond his heavy panting. The bear let the hemipenis thrust into his paw as the claspers of the Hexadeltan pulled the two even tighter against each other. And then, with a whimper, the floodgates of the Hexadeltan opened. Between their tightly pressed bodies, the bear felt the cum surge into his palm and beyond. Over the bear's sides, the purple fluid shot upward, coating his fur and spilling out onto the forest floor. With each new volley of semen, the Hexadeltan shook as his four arms flailed and his body quaked in the throes of orgasm.

The orgasm lasted minutes. By the time the lower two hands of the Hexadeltan had planted themselves back on the forest floor, he had covered the bear in a creamy soup of purple liquid. The Hexadeltan sat panting. "Oh, my Dalph... oh, Dalph... oh my Dalph," he mumbled again and again.

The bear sensed the claspers relaxing, and he pulled the arm free from between the two. He stared at the liquid dripping off his paw. "So, about this stuff," Eric queried, "are there any warnings I need to know about it? You know, like does the sperm dig into the flesh, or is the semen acidic to give greater access to the eggs?" He paused, looking at the purple goo. "Or it's a permanent color that stains a white bear's coat?"

Between heavy breaths, Kattar gave his answer. "No, it's harmless. Like your semen, it will turn clear as it dries." The Hexadeltan looked down at the bear. "I am so sorry, Eric. I didn't expect this."

"It's exactly what I expected," the bear said as he shoved his paw into his mouth and licked it clean. He tilted his head and licked his chops. "Not bad. Kind of sweet. Fruity; almost like strawberry." He smiled at the Hexadeltan. "We're going to have fun with you, Kattar."

"You're not mad at me for ejaculating all over you?"

"Is it what you would have done with another Hexadeltan?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps the Hexadeltan you're sharing your body with does," the bear speculated.

Kattar sat still for a moment, thinking. "I have never thought to ask. How could I be so remiss?" His eyes closed and he smiled. "Of course," he whispered. "There is so much you can teach me, so much I need to learn." The four-armed creature's eyes opened and he looked at the bear with eyes full of wonder. "I am only now learning how to let my symbiont regain some control over this body. This is all new to me, but he insists it's very familiar to him."

"Then I suggest you pull back a bit, Kattar. Let…" Eric paused. "What is his name?"

"Kattar. We are both Kattar."

"Let Kattar guide you the same way Marcus and Kendal guided Adam in the beginning."

"It's very messy. Even more so than what we are in the middle of now."

"We clean up well," Eric replied. The bear thought for a moment. "I would suggest you always pull out of us before you come," he said with a gentle rub along the claspers. "What comes out of you would be a bit much coming inside of us."

Kattar nodded happily. "I can do that. Does this mean you will let us do it again someday?"

"No," the bear replied. "It means I'm going to let you do it again today. And again. And again, until you get control."

"You would do that for me?"

"Of course," the bear replied as he pushed up and rolled the Hexadeltan over onto his back. He leaned down and kissed the beast. "But for now, let's take advantage of your body's relaxed state to explore your other side."

Kattar smiled. "Will you take me? We both want that so much."

The bear smiled back. "That's all I needed to hear," he said as he shoved his body up against the beast.

"We best hurry, Eric," Kattar said. "My refractory period is brief. Once you're inside me, my urge to mate with you as my gensel will grow. In your nomenclature, I believe that would make me the bottom to your top. Those desires will keep the hemipenis from engorging and make me receptive to your advances."

"Guide me into you," the bear replied.

Kattar took his two lower hands and rubbed along the thick shaft between the bear's legs. "It feels even better than I thought it would, Eric," he said as he pulled the cock gently. The bear moved forward with Kattar's encouragement. The two hands of the beast guided the cock up against the opening. "Push," the beast commanded, and the bear complied.

Deep inside the beast, the bear realized the prehensile nature of the hemipenis worked in reverse as easily as it did extended. The flesh surrounding his cock was warm and undulating. Kattar's upper set of hands guided the bear into a kiss. "I know you Terrans like to thrust and shove yourselves into each other, but for today, will you be with me in the manner of Hexadeltans?"

"You have only to ask any of us, and the answer will always be yes."

The claspers moved again. The bear smiled, realizing that in another world, the two Hexadeltans would both use their claspers to draw each other close. Their immobile state still allowed two sets of arms to be free. Pressed together tight, the two still had so many ways to express themselves. Eric felt the hands stroke along his shoulders. "Use your hands to play with my nipples," Eric mumbled through the kiss.

"What are nipples?" Kattar asked.

"They're the raised flesh that you will find on my chest. There is no fur on them."

Kattar's upper set of hands slipped down and played with the bear's nipples. The lower pair pulled his butt in tighter, as once more, the claspers locked the two into place. "I believe you call it milking," Kattar said as the bear's cock was manipulated by the beast's inverted genitals.

The bear closed his eyes and let the pleasure sweep over him. "That's what we call it," he said with a sigh.

When Eric finally came, it was with the Hexadeltan's insides jacking him better than any paw ever could. He growled happily as his cum spilled into the beast below. The claspers kept him from collapsing when his own arms clinging to the Hexadeltan gave out. In time, they slipped back, lowering the polar bear onto the beast below.

"You've impregnated me, Eric," Kattar said with a worried look on his face. "I hope you intend to do right by your actions. The babies will need a father."

Eric's face looked beyond shocked. "Really?" he exclaimed.

Kattar shook his head. "No, but it was fun to see your face." He raised his head and kissed the bear. "Will you forgive me for a bad joke?"

The bear kissed the beast back. "I suppose. I'm sure it will sound hysterical when you repeat the story to my husbands."

"I would enjoy trying to make a baby with you again," Kattar added. "Regardless of the outcome, I know now why Adam loves to have you inside him. My people have missed so much by removing themselves from the lives of those we merge with."

"Well, interspecies sex has its complications, Kattar. Your people took the most analytical approach to avoiding those complications."

"I like the complications of being with you, Eric," the beast replied.

"So, about that refractory period of yours?" the polar bear said with a grin.

"It is all I can do to keep my claspers under control," the Hexadeltan groaned. "Once mating has occurred, the Hexadeltans often switch positions. It ensures a greater likelihood of reproduction and heightens the pleasure of both. My urge to be the top again is very strong."

"But you're keeping it under control?"

"For the time being; I can't promise for how long. There is a learning curve to all this, and it is rather steep."

"Then let's try something. Lay me down on the ground." The beast complied and soon he was on top of the bear. "Now, I want you to use your claspers not to pin my sides. Leave them parallel to your body and let them slip up under my butt between my legs when I spread my legs wide."

"How? I can't shove them…"

"Pick me up, Kattar. Cradle my body next to yours. Then let your claspers slide up along my backside and pin me to you. When you do, your body will find an entry to its searching much easier than the last time."

Kattar picked the bear up into his arms and rubbed his face into the matted purple fur of the bear's chest. "You're so sticky," he laughed.

"Yeah, and we're going to get a lot stickier," the bear chuckled.

Kattar closed his eyes and let his claspers drop and then shift back upward as he pulled the bear's pelvis up against his belly. The claspers locked the bear into place. The bear leaned over from his supported position. "Time to dock, Kattar," he whispered.

"Are you sure of this?" Kattar asked.

"I'm sure."

Kattar closed his eyes as the claspers continued to swell. The pleasure the two Kattars enjoyed rubbing up against the bear's fur was overwhelming. Yet nothing compared to the sensation his hemipenis gave them as its gentle probing between the bear's legs finally found the hole and pushed in. The bear's eyes shut tight as he adjusted to the girth of the Hexadeltan's knot beginning to form.

Supported by the four arms, the bear laid his head on the shoulders of the beast that held him tight. He let the pleasures of a prehensile cock inside him work its magic. "My prostate is located inside me, close to where your knot is pressing, Kattar," the bear whispered. "It's one of those places on a bear or human body that brings pleasure when it's rubbed."

Kattar took his cue as the knot embedded in the bear undulated with waves rotating along the flesh of the bear. "That's it, Kattar," Eric said as he closed his eyes.

"Do I suck you now?" the beast asked.

"You won't need to," the bear replied. "Pleasure yourself, Kattar. Your body has taken my needs into consideration more than enough for me."

The bear pushed against the beast's shoulders and the claspers yielded, letting the bear's body move away from the tight hold. "That's it, Kattar. You control the claspers. They don't control you. Ease off on them a bit. Let me lean back so you can watch my body responding to yours."

Kattar closed his eyes in concentration for only a moment. The bear felt the claspers ease and lower. The thick, black cock of the polar bear slipped into view. Kattar stared at the bobbing flesh that rose and fell with each probing push his own cock made inside the bear. When the hemipenis was fully erect, the beast's rhythmic pulsing of the knot moved out into the rest of the organ. Soon enough, Kattar began a thrusting penetration he knew the bear craved. Everything happened while the two remained outwardly immobile within the claspers' hug.

With little movement of their outward bodies, the two beasts were rushing toward their orgasms inside. When the bear's cum shot up over his belly and onto his chest, the Hexadeltan made a cheerful laugh and ground his face into the wet fluid lapping at it. Kattar was eager to taste his first Terran ejaculate. He had no time to give a review of his thoughts before he pulled his hemipenis out of the bear with a resounding pop. The long writhing genital moved up between the two pressed bodies. It showered purple liquid all over the two as it pushed itself next to the black cock of the polar bear. Up along the backside of the bear, the claspers soaked the bear's back and the forest floor below.

Four hours later, the two were kissing in an afterglow that matched the warmth of the sunshine filtering through the forest canopy. Kattar had given his first blowjob and was thrilled at swallowing his first orgasm. The polar bear had also successfully sucked off a cock that had a mind of its own when it came to being pleasured. The bear, however, was incapable of swallowing even a fraction of what flowed from the beast once the orgasm began. Both beasts were equally impressed by their companion's abilities to adapt to the needs of their partner. Thoroughly drenched in cum that was slowly drying, the two were as happy as beasts could be.

Kattar looked up at the bear leaning over him. "I will remember this day forever."

"I'm glad, Kattar," the bear responded.

"The Order is already up in arms about this. I have caused quite a commotion."

"Want to really shake things up?"

Kattar laughed. "I suppose we can't make matters worse. But I have so enjoyed this day, I don't care what the outcome is. I will stand by the choices I have made today."

"Even the one to swallow?" the bear snickered.

"Especially that one," the beast said with a laugh.

"Okay then," the bear said as he stood up. He leaned over, took the beast up in his arms, and threw him over his shoulder.

"What?" the confused beast yelled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm about to make the Order catatonic," the bear said with a laugh as he walked out of the woods toward the glade. When he came out into the sunshine, he saw his family waiting outside the temple. He raised his free hand. "I have need of eight men to bathe our guest. We are a mess."

"Will this involve sex, Ancient One?" Zhuang asked.

The bear shook the beast on his shoulder. "Will this involve sex, Kattar?"

From behind, Kattar stared at the butt of the walking bear. "Oh yes, please. Let's have it involve lots of sex."

"There will be sex, Dog!" the bear roared out. "Everyone to the pond. Find a place and a partner. Today we show a Hexadeltan how Terrans have group sex."

"And what of Hexadeltans and our learning of their ways?" Adam yelled.

The bouncing beast on the shoulder of the bear laughed. "I will be happy to show you all. But it is messy."

"A good thing we have a place to bathe then," the black wolf said as he shifted into wolf and ran toward the creek.

Adam watched the wolf racing away. "A wonderful thing," he said as he felt the Kodiak bear sweep him up and place him on his shoulders. Together, the family made their way to the creek and a night that Kattar and the Order would never forget.

Chapter 26

Dawn rose over the highland as Kattar watched the Terrans sleeping. "They are so beautiful in repose," he whispered to Adam.

Adam smiled. "They are my joy in the mornings."

"You are indeed fortunate," the Hexadeltan said. "When I return to Kattar's homeworld, I wish to ask the Hexadeltans how they would feel about me living with them. I would prefer that instead of staying in some stuffy amphitheater apartments. The desire to sit talking with thousands of planetary representatives in another solar system no longer seems as strong."

"Remember that the Terran beasts are unique in their sexuality, Kattar. They are, to this day, the only beings we know who have invited us into their lives in such a manner."

"Perhaps that is because you were the first of our people to ask them to share that part of themselves with you."

Adam's look showed the surprise he had at learning Kattar knew of his first sexual experience. "Do not look so shocked, Adam," Kattar said. "I know you. In that other universe, the day Marcus allowed you to merge with him was the same day you suggested to Donovan that oral sex was a pain killer you wanted to try."

Adam nodded. "It is hard to be around these people without wanting to know what drives them to behave as they do."

"And you believe it's the sex?"

"Damn aliens, you gonna sit around and talk all day, or is you gonna let us sleep?" Oliver grumbled.

Kattar looked at the badger apologetically. "I'm sorry, Oliver. We didn't mean to wake you."

"I guess it's okay," Oliver said, crawling over the two wolves still intertwined in the arms of both bears. "Best you understands why we acts the way we does than having you try to figure it out on your own. We has sex 'cause we loves each other. We don'ts loves each other 'cause we has sex."

"I think I understand the difference," Kattar claimed. "But, I'm not sure how your copulation with me has anything to do with that."

"You talks like them temple dogs," Oliver complained. "We fucks, okay? We don'ts copulate."

Kattar nodded his understanding. "It might take me a bit to get used to your vocabulary."

Will rolled over the top of Derrick. "It's okay to use whatever words you like, Kattar. Oliver doesn't like to think sex is polite, but he's always a gentleman when he's having sex with me."

"Say that later when I sticks my cock in you sideways, bastard wolf," Oliver muttered.

"You see?" the old wolf said, looking at the Hexadeltan. "He says the sweetest things to me." Will leaned over and kissed the badger good morning. "The answer to your question, Kattar, is that humans and beasts have very different ideas about sex, even to this day. Humans are much more like the Order, and we are more akin to the Hexadeltans in our views. The Order seems to think sex complicates things. They view it as something that it interferes with working relationships."

Derrick rolled over and went muzzle to flesh with the morning hard-on of the old wolf. His tongue lapped at the stiff flesh and Will gave a happy groan. "For us, sex is often the start of friendships," the black wolf said between licks. "As far as I know, it's never led to the end of one."

Kris stretched as he stared at the otter and Hexadeltan. He pushed up on his arms and kissed the otter. "Good morning, Husband. I take it this is our wake-up call? All this chatter about sex is too arousing to stay asleep."

"It is your morning pheromones that are too arousing, Ancient One," Bolin said, rubbing the back of the Kodiak.

Kris felt the dog's erection pressing up against him. "Oh, just shove it in me, Bolin. We can talk while you ease your frustrations. Scratch that itch you're giving me."

Bolin laughed. "I can maintain myself until later in the day. Our visitors have questions. We have answers. Surely this is the way to spend our morning." Bolin looked at the badger rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and smiled. "I will let you fuck me later, Oliver."

Oliver looked away, embarrassed. "I'se sorry, Bolin. Ain't nothin' but words. I would loves to copulate with both of you if you will has me."

Zhuang rose over his mate. "Does this involve trees?"

"Seems like it should," the badger replied.

"Then we have a date for later today," Zhuang answered. "For now, we will answer the Hexadeltan's questions."

Bolin stood up and shook himself, as most dogs do when they rise from sleeping. "Sex complicates our lives only if we choose to let it. Like most activities, its complexity lies in the mind. Humanity has given sex so many mystical powers, and placed so many taboos on it, that they found a way to procreate successfully comes as a surprise. They often relegate what should be the most loving act two can share to the extremes of too sacred or too profane."

Derrick shook his head in agreement. "I'll plead guilty to that one. I always thought that I was going to find The One, and I would only have sex with him for the rest of my life. In the beginning, I never imagined there were so many different ways sex can strengthen and heal the relationships we share."

"Or hurt and destroy them," the polar bear said as he stretched out. "Kattar, the Order may be wise to avoid sex until they understand it better. You benefit by having a symbiont that is willing to educate you in the ways of his people. But you and the Order will experience some very new and often complicated emotions from any sexual activity."

"Did I do something wrong in our copula… our fucking?" Kattar asked Eric.

The bear playfully shook the four-armed beast. "Not at all, but your time with Adam has given you access to an understanding of sex that your people still don't possess. But as you said, even with your experience, there is a steep learning curve. My guess is that in time, you will sense a pang of jealousy that Adam is our mate."

Kattar nodded. "I understand and accept that I already experienced those feelings."

"Because you don't yet understand the infinite nature of love if we allow it full expression."

"That is true, Eric, but the idea of love is too new to me to understand much of anything about it. Kattar understands it, but my education is only now beginning."

Adam walked over and kissed the flat-faced creature with the large, leathery nose. "We will explore it together, Kattar. And our family will teach us what goes far beyond the simple physical acts we shared yesterday."

"And today," Zhuang added. "The acts we will share today."

Adam looked up at the large golden beast and smiled. "And the acts we share today."

The polar bear lifted his arm from around Kattar and pushed up to a seated position. "I look forward to those acts if they don't dehydrate our guest entirely. I never saw so many gallons of liquid spill from a beast without serious repercussions."

"We are primarily bags of water," Kattar divulged. "The largest part of our metabolism is dedicated to the creation of semen in receptacles that give our body its bulk. Yesterday's time in the creek allowed my pores to absorb enough water to replenish most of my semen reserves. However, you all probably noticed I am still about forty pounds lighter than I was yesterday. I'm hoping the excitement I experience around you is more controlled today."

Will tilted his head in thought. "If your semen is mostly water, which weighs about eight and a third pounds per gallon, and we factor in a bit of extra weight for particulates used to feed the sperm and the sperm itself, which in our species is denser than water, I wager your cum is about nine pounds per gallon."

"That is close to accurate," Kattar agreed.

"That means you came over four gallons of cum yesterday that you've not replenished. But you said that you recouped most of what you lost yesterday. How much cum were we swimming in last night?"

"I lost most of it with Eric before you joined us," Kattar protested.

Eric rubbed the top of Kattar's furry head. "And I'm not complaining."

Will laughed. "Neither am I, Kattar. I was wondering if I should go on an all liquid diet for the next twenty-four hours."

Kattar smiled shyly and replied, "I would like that, William." He looked back at the white bear. "So, if I enjoy my time with you, why would you think that the Order is better served by not engaging in sex?"

The bear shrugged. "Because what works for us won't necessarily work for you. Humans have taught us that lesson over thousands of years. Because you enjoy something, doesn't mean that everyone will agree with it, let alone accept it with open arms."

"So, are you saying that my people might never accept our physical relationship with you?"

"I hope they accept it," the bear replied. "I just don't anticipate they will adopt it. Even within Terran species, the varied rolls sex plays beyond reproduction are complex. In higher species, it often complicates relationships. Few Earth primates deal with sexual relations well, even among their own species. The Order has hundreds of thousands of species that might express their sexuality in hundreds of thousands of ways. If they choose to add those feelings and emotions to the mix, it won't make your life as a council head any easier." The bear paused, letting everyone think of the implications. He smiled and rubbed the Hexadeltan's chest. "That ours seems agreeable to all concerned is serendipitous. As long as they don't stand in your way of making your own choices, I have no problem with their not adopting our ways."

Adam nodded in agreement. "I felt the same way for years. I have sung to my people the stories of my family, hoping one day they would sing them back to me, but it has never happened. If you choose to continue your sexual relationships with this family, Kattar, your life may not be an easy one."

"Not everyone who heard your songs was unmoved, Adam," the Hexadeltan replied. "There are more like me who long to return your song, but we have yet to find a voice." Kattar shifted himself upright. "Tell me this path is worth more than the physical pleasure it brings, and I will trust you."

"For me, Brother, it is."

Derrick reached out and held the otter's hand. "It is for me, too."

"And me," the Kodiak bear said as he stood behind Derrick and put his paws on the black wolf's shoulders.

"For me too, Kattar," Will said, positioning himself beside the brown bear.

"I'se in," Oliver said, grabbing the free hand of the otter. "You gots family if you wants it, Kattar."

"We agree as well," the two temple dogs said in unison, with a bow from behind the two smaller mammals.

Kattar looked at the white bear. "And you, do you stand with your family in this matter?"

"I do," the bear replied. His paw reached out, took one of the Hexadeltan's hands, and gripped it. "And by today's end, I hope it comforts you to know that family includes you."

Kattar smiled. "I already am comforted, Eric. I only hope that I do not bring too great an upset to my family by my actions."

Adam sighed. "We will have to wait and see, Kattar. Would you like to start the day down by the creek and shake up your people once more?"

Kattar nodded. "I would like that if my family is agreeable to the idea."

The husbands all nodded in agreement and the temple dogs bowed at their waist. Kattar dropped onto all six and began running toward the creek. Oliver stared at the Hexadeltan and smiled. "You know, for a giant wombat, he's got a nice ass."

"Really, Oliver. That's objectification," Adam said incredulously.

Oliver looked at the otter. "I guess I is sorry. Don'ts know what objectification is, but you sure made it sound nasty."

"It means seeing someone as purely an object for your pleasure."

"Actually, I was thinking of pleasuring him, but I guess it's not good to go thinking those thoughts without his permission."

Adam smiled. "I am teasing you, Oliver. Kattar is thrilled by all this attention."

There was the sound of a large splash in the distance, followed by Kattar's voice. "Are you coming? This cold water is very invigorating," he yelled.

"We're coming," Adam yelled back. He turned to Oliver. "And for the record, Badger, my brother does not have a nice ass… he has an incredible ass."

Oliver laughed and reached up toward Kris. "Bear, gives me a lift to that incredible ass. We gots family business to takes care of."

The bear hefted the otter onto his shoulder and dropped to all fours, running toward the creek. Following close behind was a polar bear balancing an otter on his shoulders. The two wolves and two dogs all had wide smiles on their faces in anticipation of the day to come.

Chapter 27

Kattar looked over Will's shoulder. He watched as the old wolf moved blocks around the screen. "So this is what you do when you're not having sex?" the Hexadeltan asked.

Will smiled as his hands moved across the screen. "Sometimes we get called into work when we're visiting the highland. The dogs insisted we set up a satellite workstation here in the monastery." The old wolf moved a few more blocks. "This is one thing I do. Eric and I are responsible for a great deal of what happens in Bear Paws Enterprises. There are over twenty-three million people employed through Bear Paws. The choices we make directly affect those lives, and more all the time."

"By moving blocks of color?"

"This is housekeeping. The IT people at Bear Paws understand that I'm visually oriented. The blocks represent funding. I make decisions where I think those funds should go to keep our company profitable. Once I move the blocks into the spaces where in my mind they best serve that goal, I submit it to the board." Will moved another group of blocks. "My board is like your council. To a large extent, they have the final say in approving what I propose."

"Do they ever override your choices?"

"Occasionally. We have a good working relationship. They see things that sometimes I don't. I'm looking top down on the businesses. Keeping a view from the bottom up is their job. That and keeping me appraised on how my view might adversely affect their view."

"And this works?"

"Our GNP…" Will paused, realizing his use of jargon, "… we generate an annual income that is greater than most countries. Keeping that running smoothly is no small feat."

"And you do this and still have time for sex?"

"And spending time with my family not having sex, visiting the businesses on rotation, attending family gatherings; I do a lot of things."

"And the me time I read so much about in the human periodicals?"

"Spending time with my family is my me time. I'm a wolf. We're pack animals. I don't need to be alone very often to stay happy." There were a few more shifts of boxes and Will pushed back from the screen. "There… that's done for the day. Just a few calls to make, and Brian is sending me a new itinerary…"

"Brian?"

"A personal assistant. He's my scheduler."

"Then what does Derrick do?"

"He's also a personal assistant. He keeps me on task with Brian's scheduling."

"Will I ever see Brian?"

"Sure. He and his husbands show up most family gatherings. They come in from Geneva."

"Husbands? He is polyamorous as you are?"

"He is in a triad. Outside of Changelings, we are beasts that don't reproduce. But our family grows nonetheless. Brian and Eldon are werewolves. They met Stephen, a human, at a European shareholder's meeting in Paris. They hit it off and now Stephen is their mate."

"Is he still human?"

"No, he turned. They're a wonderful group of guys."

"And do they engage in sex with other…" Kattar struggled for the words, "… packs like you do?"

Will laughed. "Not so much. They are cordial to their extended family, but they're closed in their sexual relationship."

"And does this displease you?"

Will stood up. "Computer off." He turned and hugged the Hexadeltan. "Not at all. Many in the Were Nation choose to live lives that reflect a different approach to establishing family bonds. They are intensely affectionate with their family as we all are, but it simply does not extend into sex unless they see a need."

"A need for sex? Is there such a thing?"

"There was for Stephen. Stephen's initial friendship with Brian and Eldon was platonic. But the two sensed a need in Stephen to connect with others that extended beyond that. Stephen's shyness kept him from ever voicing the need. But as the three interacted, he never backed away from Brian and Eldon's suggestions to explore a more physical relationship."

"How old was Stephen when they met?"

"He was twenty-eight, I think… or maybe that's the age when he turned," Will said, dropping his head to think back. "They've been together eighty-plus years. It's hard to remember all the dates and ages."

"And in eighty years, they have not expanded their pack?"

"Nope," Will replied. "They seem content with their little pack."

"Curious."

Will looked at the four-armed beast. "What's curious about it?"

"I thought all of you had sex with everyone," Kattar replied.

"That seems to be a common misconception. Adam told you about his Welcoming, right?"

"Yes. It sounded intriguing but equally intimidating."

"That's because when you hear of a gathering of beasts from a few to thousands, you imagine we're all having sex. To a person, everyone who hears about a welcoming, but has never been to one, makes that assumption."

"You aren't?"

Will laughed. "A great number of us might be, but not everyone. Brian and his husbands were at our most recent Welcoming for Adam. They wanted to welcome Adam to the family. But they never took part in sex with others. There was plenty for them to enjoy, even with their closed triad. You gather over two thousand members of your family, and there is a lot of catching up going on."

"And others are the same?" Kattar asked.

"Yes, most beasts who showed up saw no need to go beyond the general festivities of the event. There are some exceptionally talented beasts around the world. We had concerts, huge picnics, and contests pitting packs against other packs in friendly rivalry. There was even a night in the commons by candlelight for couples renewing their vows. Welcomings are often a time when couples realize how long it's been since they renewed their vows, and they take advantage of the time together to change that." Will gave a chuckle. "There is something about a werewolf waiter in a bow tie that makes an evening special. We are, as a group, highly romantic."

Will walked over to the sink and poured himself a glass of water. "Those who had sex with us tended to be our more immediate family. And hundreds of beasts who engaged in sex never had it with us. They were reconnecting with their long-distance family members by taking advantage of a gathering they knew they could hitch a ride to. It was great to see them all. That's why we gather. It's the uninitiated who assume we gather for the sex."

"So everyone who attended made their own choice of how they would interact with you on every level of that interaction?" Kattar asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Of course. Is that what confuses you?" Will asked.

"The Order stresses conformity. Individualism such as your species displays is unheard of."

"The Unity is much the same way."

"No, their bonding as one was initially genetic," Kattar corrected, "but now it is decidedly a choice. When their children chose a different path, they worried about the outcome, but they did not stop them. The Order is even now discussing whether to allow Adam to continue what he has done; especially considering my choice to follow his example. There is talk of removing me from the council altogether and recalling both of us."

"Recalling you?"

"Forcing us to abandon our hosts and return to the homeworld."

"For having sex?"

"It goes beyond sex, William. You know that."

"Okay, so you love us. We love you. We're doing fine with Adam. Where is the downside to what we're doing here?"

"We are upsetting the Order. The Order is all."

Will looked at Kattar. "They don't know, do they?"

"They have no memory of the events. Derrick didn't want them to relive their deaths by having memories of that time."

"So, they're threatening the head of their council and our husband with a recall? A recall for consorting with the very creatures that saved their lives?"

"That is a good appraisal of the situation," Kattar said with a nod.

Will expressed his displeasure with a low growl. "Your people are dicks," he snorted. "No offense to you or Adam meant," he quickly added.

"No offense taken," Kattar said with a smile. "From the outside, our behavior would seem inflexible. The Order does not allow for deviation. We are a hive mentality. Everyone knows their place. Deviation leads to chaos. Chaos leads to…"

"Their asses being handed to them on a platter by some alien from another universe?" the wolf interjected. "Oh, and those collective asses being saved by a black wolf who has nothing to do with the Order," Will added angrily.

"I agree. But they do not see that. They see you all as a species hardly worthy of merging, let alone their attention in maintaining the universe."

"WHAT?" Will yelled. "Where were they when Adam took our people into him the first time and stopped your fucking Shumuuluud? That was a chaos of your making, Kattar. Our sacrifice fixed that. It was Adam who brought us into this."

Kris looked up from his reading. "Old Wolf, calm down. I don't want you having a stroke over this."

All four hands of Kattar waved in unison, trying to wave away the wolf's anger. "Please no strokes, William. I understand your displeasure. This is not a simple issue. They see Adam's actions with your species as an anomaly… not a normal extension of who you are. Most don't even believe Adam's story of the Shumuuluud. Those that believe, think it was Adam's control over your people that led to the positive outcome. It appeared to us that Adam orchestrated the entire affair. We didn't realize how he involved the individuals inside him."

Will glared at the Hexadeltan. "I changed my mind about your people. They're not dicks. They're arrogant, self-absorbed dicks."

"Old Wolf," the brown bear reprimanded.

Kattar shrugged helplessly. "I agree?" he said with a question, pleading for an end to the wolf's anger.

"Well, that's comforting to hear, I guess," Will said. "Now if we can just get your people to…"

"We've got incoming," Derrick blurted out as he ran into the monastery.

Eric looked up from his seat on the couch. "The Red Wolf?"

"No, Adam, and he's coming in hot… I mean, really hot."

The slamming of a body against the side of the monastery walls was audible even from inside.

"Oh, Jeez," Will groaned. "Now what?" The old wolf shook his head. "I'll go grab the first aid kit. Old Bear, go look to your patient outside."

The polar bear hadn't even lifted off the couch when the otter raced into the room, trying to pat out the fire on his arm. "Ouch, hot… hot…" he said. He looked at the group. "We've got a problem."

"A husband who can't fly?" Will asked coming from the bathroom with the first aid kit.

"Bigger. I admit I'm distracted, but I have cause. The council has called Kattar and me home."

"I heard nothing of it," Kattar said.

"That's because you're the same as I was during my first days with this family," Adam said, exasperated. "You're so caught up in the newness of them, you're filtering out every other incoming message."

Kattar closed his eyes, concentrating. "Oh, Dalph," he whined.

"Okay, short point of order," Kris interrupted. "Who or what is Dalph?"

"One of the five major gods of the Hexadeltans," Kattar responded. "He is the god of mischief and pleasure. They tend to… I tend to call out his name when sexually excited or in crisis." He looked at the staring, bewildered beasts. "This is not an orgasm."

Derrick looked at the bruised and smoking otter. "Adam, what's going on? Why is this a big deal? You go home all the time."

"No, Pup. This is my home," the otter corrected. "The council is calling Kattar and me back on a point of order. They're preparing to recall us."

Will's eyes narrowed as they had only minutes before. "They're going to kick you out of your body?"

"If that is their decision, yes," Adam replied.

"And what about our family inside you?"

"I am unique in sharing so many hosts. I can't tell you what might happen. Only Donovan and I are truly merged. He would, of course, remain in the otter when I am removed, but what becomes of my other family is unknown. I might be hiding exactly who I am and how many individuals share this body from the council. That, and the powers of the beasts inside me…"

Oliver and two temple dogs walked in from outside. "That is fucked up, Adam," the badger said.

"I realize that, but it was to avoid the very conflict I'm in now. And now, I've drawn Kattar into this mess. If this is a recall, we can't go against the will of the council."

Eric stood up from the couch. "Why not?"

"Because no one goes against the Order. The Order is all."

"No, Otter," the polar bear said. "Your family is all. The Order is a job. I admire your desire to persevere in that job, and I appreciate the good work you do, but, at the end of the day, it is only a job."

"They are my people. You don't understand."

"I understand," the white bear retorted. "Look inside you, Adam. You are my husband. You're the father of our child. It doesn't matter if I call you Adam or Donovan. You understand what is right. You know what matters."

Adam looked down at his feet. "I do, Husband. I know. But you ask too much of me to face this alone."

The bear snorted a short laugh. "Really? After all these years together, you thought I would ask you to face this alone?"

"You cannot enter the council chambers without an invitation. I cannot bring you."

Eric turned to Derrick. "Well, Pup? Is this going to be a problem?"

"Nope," Derrick gave his defiant reply. "I have no problem staying by Adam's side. And since I'm going anyway, I might as well take the whole family."

Adam looked up. "Pup, you can't."

"I can."

"It will only make matters worse for Kattar and me."

"We'll see," Derrick replied. "But you already spoke your fear. We will not leave you to face this alone."

Kris rose. "Pup is right. It's about time we met the in-laws."

Adam shook his head. "This can't end well."

Adam felt a thick paw on his shoulder. "We wish to go with you, Adam, if you will have us. Family does not leave one to fight alone."

Adam looked up at the temple dog. "Is this going to be a fight?"

Bolin nodded. "You see what is on the horizon. Turn from the truth and the truth will still be there. One day, you will need to deal with it. Today, your family extends their hands to help. Take them, Otter. Don't turn away from us or the truth today."

Adam reached out, took the hand of the temple dog, and squeezed it. He looked at Kattar. "This is what family is. This is what they offer you."

Kattar looked at the surrounding beasts. One hand at a time, his arms extended toward the husbands. "I know now why he stays," Kattar said. "And I know now why you go. I stand by my brother, and if you will have me, I stand by my family."

"And we are honored to stand by you," Kris said as he held one hand.

Will took another hand. "Welcome to the family, Kattar. I've said it with Adam. I'll say it to you. Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

Kattar nodded. "I don't doubt it."

Adam raised his hand, and the monastery was empty.

Chapter 28

The amphitheater had a cold, clinical feel to it. It was metal beams rising upward almost beyond seeing. At the top, the ceiling formed a dome clad in a skin of metal sheets. The drab colors and utilitarian design clearly meant to pack as many individuals into the building as possible. 

In that respect, the interior of the building was impressive. Hundreds of thousands of seats and lounges lined the walls of the building. From the floor far below them to the ceiling hundreds of yards above the family's heads, each layer was a balcony extending out into the main stadium. Each mode of seating transmitted a picture of the main floor that floated in the middle of the amphitheater. Those below could see all that was happening from the visuals in front of them. Whoever designed the building had only functionality, not comfort, in mind. "Love what you've done with the place," Will said in a whisper. "Very early Tim Burton, Goth chic."

"Old Wolf, you are either part of the solution…" the white bear threatened.

Will drew his pressed fingers across his lips. "Sorry, Old Bear. I promise today I will not speak. Adam and Kattar deserve at least that much from me in the way of help."

The polar bear leaned over and kissed Will. "I love you, Old Wolf. Thank you."

Kattar nodded in agreement. "Thank you, William. I know that is not an easy promise for you to make."

"The council is called to order," a voice boomed throughout the amphitheater. A creature of folding skin and tentacles moved out from behind the dais and onto the floating floor where the family stood. The first words from the creature's mouth were indecipherable. But Adam raised his hands and his family all listened to a translation in their native tongue. The gist of why they were there was immediately clear.

"This is exactly why we brought you back. We tell you to come alone, and you bring these Earthlings with you in direct defiance of our order."

Adam stood firm. "They are my family. They have a right to be here."

"Only if we say they have that right," the creature replied with a slathering sound to its voice.

Will fidgeted but held his tongue. "They are here now," Adam said. "Let's not waste our time discussing a moot point. Why are we here?"

"And what makes you think you can call a council meeting?" Kattar added. "I am head of the council. That is a choice made by me, not you, Tephos."

"We can call a meeting with the vote of two-thirds of the congregation. You have the right to see those who voted to call this meeting."

Kattar shook his head. "Show me those who voted against this breach of trust. Those are the ones I wish to honor."

A group of thousands of faces sped by the family in images that appeared in the air without a screen or projector. Kattar bowed his head in disappointment. "Three thousand twenty-five out of how many hundreds of thousands of votes?"

"The entire congregation voted. The council was unanimous in its approval of the vote."

"Not unanimous," Kattar said, looking at the creatures of all sizes and shapes that rested on the raised platform that surrounded them. "I did not vote. For the record, I am opposed to this meeting and the vote you took without my authorization." He slowly looked into the eyes of each member of the council before his next words. "And on what did you vote?"

"To recall you both. Your actions wantonly violate our laws. You consort with the creatures we are to defend. You jeopardize the Order."

From the amphitheater came the voice of hundreds of thousands in unison. "The Order is all."

The polar bear looked at the old wolf. "I may have been premature asking you not to speak out," he said as he shook his head.

"I'm biting my tongue, Old Bear, but it's not easy," Will replied.

"The Order is not all," Adam shouted. There was an audible gasp among the throng of creatures in the room. "The Order has much to learn about the universe and our place in it."

"You overstep your calling, Adam," Tephos chided.

"No, he does not," Kattar interjected. "He speaks the truth. Since when has the Order shunned the truth?"

There was a voice of agreement raised in the room, but the family realized, compared to the size of the throng, those who were supportive were few.

"I think your misguided idea of what the truth is might cloud your judgment, Kattar," the multi-tentacled beast said.

"Be careful of what you say, Tephos," Adam said, glaring. "This is what got us into a mess in the first place. Our arrogance to believe that we know all, instead of realizing there is much to learn from those we share bodies with."

The voices of agitated creatures rose with a challenge to their infallibility. Another rose from the dais surrounding the family. Unlike Tephos, with a look that inspired an instinctive unease, the one standing before them now was humanoid and beautiful. The glistening, pale green skin revealed the chlorophyll flowing through the creature. The face was soft and delicate. Long white robes surrounded the being. They were sheer and delicate, flowing in cascading sheets. "We are the protectors of these creatures, Adam," the other said, pointing toward the Terrans. "You act as if they are our equals instead of what they are."

"They are more than our equals, Beslx," the otter rebutted. "They are what we should aspire to be."

Tephos pointed to Oliver. "That? That is what you think we should sacrifice our billions of years of evolution to become?"

Oliver grabbed the otter. "Don't you sees it, Adam? Look at them critters out there. The more power they gets, the more sure they becomes they is using it right every time. Them rainbows that ate everyone, they ain't no fluke, Adam. They is these people just a few more years down the line. They is already telling you what you can and can'ts do, but worse yet, they is looking at the ones they protect as something lesser than they is. This ain't right, Husband. Don't side with what is creeping slowly toward the awful, all the while thinking they is something righteous."

The tentacled creature rose, the layers of skin shifting and folding in on themselves. "This is not the time or the place for your underlings to voice their opinions. We have made our decision."

Adam pivoted around and stared at the tentacled leader. "What did you say?"

"You heard us," Beslx responded. "This has gone on long enough."

"Control your pet, Adam, before we need to do it for you," Tephos ordered. There was a slow murmur of agreement that flowed out from the council and then into the amphitheater.

The otter stared at the council and then up at the hundreds of thousands of beings he could see inside the side walls. There was a low growl that escaped from his lips. "Oliver was right," he said, grabbing the badger's paw. "Fuck this shit." Adam thrust their paws into the air and a yellow light filled the room.

The screams of pain were almost immediately replaced by sobbing from those creatures that could cry and a wailing moan from others. Beings in agony filled the amphitheater; that much was unmistakable. The polar bear looked at his two diminutive mates. "What have you done, Husbands?" He asked.

"What was needful," Oliver said without remorse.

"I don't doubt that, Oliver," the bear said. "We just need to know what was needful."

"I showed them what their noses in the air got them when it came to Delar. Everything… I showed them everything. I showed them Adam telling them what was coming, and them ignoring him because the Sight weren't no power of theirs. All them beasts out there now knows what happened when they was so sure their brains were better than anything out there. I showed them the cloud that drained every ounce of life from their bodies, ripped them apart, and then blowed them up into atoms."

The badger pointed out toward the amphitheater. "I showed them how Adam died knowing they was all on the wrong path because he was more loyal to them than they was ever loyal to him. All the while, the critter who killt them was laughing at how easy it was to sucker them in to killing themselves. They now knows what happened when the otter threw Kattar out into space and onto Terra. I showed them the pup. Now they understands what Adam's pets can do. Assholes deserved every bit of it."

"Agreed," Eric said. "And you, Adam?"

"You won't let me lie and say I showed them the same thing, will you?" the otter asked.

"Not hardly. Cards on the table, Adam. Kattar needs to know."

"As do we," a large group of various beings said as they worked to find their way down to the middle stage where the family stood. "Apparently, you spared us the ordeal of watching our death."

Oliver looked at the various creatures and nodded. "You sided with Kattar and Adam. You already knowed what was needful. No use hurting you for spite."

A large, woolly beast bowed. "Thank you… Did I hear your name is Oliver?"

"That's right," the badger replied.

"Thank you, Oliver," the beast said as it turned toward Adam and once again bowed. "I am sorry we are so few, Adam."

"After today, Chelap, I suspect your ranks will grow. I showed our people the most likely timeline for our future if we do not change our course. In less than one hundred years, a civil war over who controls the power we possess destroys our planet. In the wake of that destruction is the death of every habitable planet in this solar system. Our people become an endangered species. Only the few hundred who live off-world with their families survive. And many of them will be forced from their hosts when the news of what has happened reaches them." Adam shook his head in disbelief. "The hubris of our people to think we have all the answers."

Chelap sighed and pushed back the hair falling over his brow with a long, clawed paw. "Our arrogance will be our downfall."

"It doesn't have to be," a voice said from beside the temple dogs. The black wolf stepped forward. "People of the Order, I have something to say." All heads turned toward the beast whose voice resonated in their heads. "I am Derrick of Terra. We came here today to stand by our mate, Adam, and by our friend, Kattar. We came without an agenda other than to ask you to leave our husband and his brother free to choose their own path.

"We still wish nothing more than that. You have so much to give to our universe. There is so much good you can do. But you have forgotten why you do what you do. The universe doesn't crave order. Look around you. The universe is chaos personified.

"We weren't created to beat the universe into submission. We were born to help each other cope with what it does. That's our reason for existing, but we so often overlook it. We weren't meant to be rulers. We are meant to be servants to the greater good. Sometimes along the line, we forget that. But we can remember. We can relearn what it was to be the universe's caretakers instead of its overlords. If we reach out to each other, we can become better than we are alone. We do not rise by climbing over the heads of those beneath us. We rise by lifting those around us onto our shoulders."

The face of the wolf turned from his gentle smile and his blue eyes darkened. "But know this, people of the Order. Do not attempt to recall our husband. He is family. He is Terran. We protect our own. You do not have to stand by us, and we will still wish you well. But never attempt to force us to your will, because we will rise united, stronger, and braver than you can comprehend. We will defend Terra. We will defend our family, and we do not back down in fear."

The black wolf shook his head slowly. "Please, be our friends. Don't let this day pull us apart. Let it bring us together. There is so much to do, so much more that we can do." The young wolf looked down at his feet. "I guess that's all I have to say. Thank you for listening."

There was a still quiet over the entire amphitheater. And then Kattar picked up the staff that had fallen from the tentacle of Tephos. He pounded it on the stage. And then again. The Three thousand and twenty-five stomped their feet, clapped their hands, or used whatever option they had to make a noise in response to the young wolf's plea. One by one, thousands upon thousands more joined in until the noise was deafening.

Adam looked at his family. "I think we're done here. Who wants ice cream?" All the family's hands rose. When Adam's hand rose as well, the family was gone.

Chapter 29

The sun was rising as Adam stepped out onto the beach. He looked up at the last of the fading stars. "I know, Marcus, I know. It's not easy for me either. They deserve to be told, but I'm not ready to tell them just yet. We need to learn from the history of our family. This is our problem, and we need to be the solution. I'm not asking any of you to lie. I'm asking you to hold off telling them everything. For the time being, helping Kattar settle into a universe where a family surrounds him is a diversionary preoccupation. That distraction keeps them from noticing the questions they have yet to ask themselves."

Adam was quiet for a time. The seabirds continued their songs with renewed vigor as the sun crested the fog over the bay. "I realize he will, Kendal. Derrick always looks back and wonders why pieces don't fit. He always tries to find the links." The otter sighed and paused. "Kattar won't distract Derrick for long. Please, they are my people, Samuel. Please let me try. I promise I will do what I must do if it comes to that, but I hope to turn the tide." A wave rolled onto the beach and splashed up against the feet of the otter. "I know… I know… the tides are never easily turned."

The sand nearby the otter began compressing into footprints, and slowly the four-armed furry creature appeared. Kattar reached down and pulled the otter into a tight hug. The two kissed in the manner their family had taught them. "That was even better than the ice cream," Kattar giggled when the kiss finally ended. "If I understand love as my host defines it, I would say I love you, Adam," Kattar said, smiling. "All I know is that for the first time in my life, I see a life beyond the Order. I have a life that can let me be both of who I am. I won't let Kattar stay in the shadows anymore. The two of us need to share our life."

Adam smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. How did the council meeting go?"

"All I can say is that I'm glad to be back on this island," Kattar said with a sigh. "I'm thinking we need to talk to the family about this, Adam. There is a part of our history you shouldn't hide from your family... from our family."

There was a look of concern on his face. Adam frowned. "Did you figure it out, Brother?"

"Not until just now. You aren't controlling your thoughts, Adam. You need to stay more focused. The Order will hear you if you're not careful."

The otter shook his head in frustration. "I'm trying. But knowing the truth is taking a toll on my concentration."

"And it will take a toll on mine now that I see it as well," Kattar agreed. "I suspect, given a bit of time, you and I will both be struggling to keep this information secret. Adam, we can't let this go unattended. The Order saw their deaths, but one day the entirety of the council's actions will resurface and it will throw this problem back into our laps."

"I just need time to sort out those involved."

"We may not have that time, Adam. Your husband's kindness in wiping the memory of our deaths may lead to a conflict even greater than that which he saved us from."

"What could be greater than the death of our people?"

"The death of our people and the death of your husbands at our hands."

"I won't let that happen," the otter said, stomping his foot into the sand.

"Then you best prepare a course of action soon. I am aware of your issues with charting a course quickly. I know you try to sort out all the options. But, Adam, you also know what problems your hesitation can cause. This time, you cannot let others decide your course of action. You cannot let the Order…" Kattar paused, "… we cannot let the Order stand between us and our family."

Adam nodded. "I know." The otter paused and looked out at the ocean. "I will return to the Order and do a bit of reconnoitering. Before we move, we need to find out who the involved parties were. I think we can convince those not directly involved to side with us."

"I don't envy you your task," Kattar said as he reached out and pulled the otter back into a four-armed hug.

"Can you stay and watch over my family?" the otter asked.

"They are my family now," Kattar answered. "The beliefs of the Hexadeltans closely align with those of the Were Nation. They understand what it means to be a family. Kattar and I both hold our merging together now. When the time comes, be confident that we will both take our place beside you."

"There is no good outcome in this, Kattar."

"I know."

"We save our family."

"I know."

Adam sighed. "I'll go wake my husbands and tell them I'll be off-world for a few days."

The Hexadeltan lowered the otter back onto the sand. "I will watch over Nathaniel and Max as well, Adam. I will watch over the entire island."

Adam lowered his head. "I thought that seeing their deaths would change them. I thought seeing where we were headed as a people would make them choose differently."

"It did, Adam. For tens of thousands, it made a difference. They are no longer on the fence. Many of them returned to the home planets of their symbionts. They are working with their people to make this universe better one world at a time."

"But there are so many more that fell right back into their old ways. Seeing his own death only seems to drive Tephos even faster toward the idea of subjugating the universe for its own good."

"He is not alone. He is persuasive and cunning. Those are not good traits together. Beslx and the rest of the council are moving together with one mind, and the direction they are heading is going to put us all in jeopardy."

The two ended their conversation when they noticed the black wolf and badger walking along the beach toward them. Derrick waved and yelled from a distance, "Our husbands woke up to ice cream and are happy to let the four of us have a moment together."

"You both see it, don't you?" Adam said sadly as the two grew closer.

"Not all of it," Derrick replied. "I'm piecing things together, but I'm pretty sure the two of you have the answers to my questions." Derrick knelt in front of the otter. "What I do feel is your worry and your pain for something we should share with you. Adam, you're our husband. Isn't it time you tell us what should never have been hidden?"

"Ain't no good being married to the best men I ever knowed, if you ain't gonna lean on them when you should," Oliver added. "Time you two stop trying to do alone what you gots to do."

Kattar put one of his four hands on Adam's shoulder. "They sense enough to know the truth. They're right. We're making a mistake trying to do this alone."

Adam's head lifted from where it hung since the conversation had begun. "I'm sorry, Husbands. They are my people. I was hoping they would change. At every turn, I thought one more revelation would help them see the error of gods that look down on those they are meant to live among."

"You ain't gods," Oliver said with a frown. "You's powerful, but you's just critters like the rest of us."

"That's all gods ever are, Oliver," Adam replied. "Gods are the ones that choose to separate themselves from those that surround them because of the powers they hold. Benevolent or merciless, all one needs to be a god is power. All one needs to be a merciless god is the thought that you're above those you say are in your care."

"Then your people ain't very good gods no more," Oliver said.

"You did so much good in the past," Derrick added. "What's happened? Why this sudden change?"

"It wasn't sudden, Pup," Kattar responded. "Our purpose became clouded the more we removed ourselves from sharing the lives of those we sought to protect. Our tinkering with the universe outside of our eighteen-dimensional reality became the thing that intrigued us. The outcomes of those living in other realities were far less important than our own perception of balance in the universe."

Adam waved his hand. Derrick and Oliver's eyes widened at the view in front of them. "You'se seen this for centuries, Adam, and you ain't done nothing?" Oliver said, disbelievingly.

"I did do something, Oliver," Adam protested. "Please understand until I met you, I was the same as most of my people are now. I was visiting Earth because of the corporeal Changelings I hoped to inhabit. What I have learned here on this planet has changed everything for me. Everything. I tried to pass on what I learned. I have sung to my people. The hope was to teach them the history of my family and show them what I found. I tried to remind them what our people once were and should be again."

"And many of us listened," Kattar said. "But power can become the goal instead of the tool so easily. We have lost our link to the people we should serve. Maintaining order in the universe through power has become the goal, regardless of the outcome for the ones we promised to protect so many eons ago." Kattar was quiet for a moment as his words soaked into his own heart. "The Order is all," he whispered. "Great Dalph, how could we have gone so far astray?"

There was a moment of quiet where the sounds of the ocean waves were all the four heard. Adam looked up into the sky suddenly and shook his head. "How could I have been so wrong about my people?" he said, the panic clear in his voice.

Kattar looked at the otter. "What's wrong, Adam?"

"Tephos has called a council meeting. He sought to block it from us, but he forgot about the Sight," Adam said, agitated. He put his hand to his forehead. "There's a reason they didn't tell us."

Adam glowered. "Kattar, get back there. Use whatever remains of your authority and stall. Don't start that meeting until we're there."

"You're bringing someone else?"

"Our family. It's time I leaned on my husbands. It's time we brought our family into this. Stall… and you best be ready for some fireworks."

"Literal or figurative?"

"If we don't get there soon, both," Adam replied.

Kattar faded, and only his footprints in the sand remained.

"Do you see it, Oliver?" Adam asked the badger.

"I seen it, Adam. You shoulds have come to us sooner. This ain't gonna end well. That civil war you said was coming is on your doorstep and you ain't got no army fighting for your side."

"Come with me, please," Adam begged. "We need to stop this."

Derrick shook his head. "We'll come, but I don't think we can stop what's in motion, Adam."

"Please."

"You'se got us by your side, Otter," the badger said as he shifted to werebadger. "Now ands forever."

Adam's hand rose. The spy-hopping Dá Lóng and her children peered into the empty space in the sand when the voices on the beach went mute. The mother told her children not to worry. Their family was watching over them. But as she turned back toward the darkness of the ocean water, even she could not hide her concern.

On the planet of the Order, the otter appeared with a black wolf and a badger by his side. Kattar rushed to give the three a quick hug. "What's happening?"

Adam looked up at the congregation of creatures. "If you stand by Kattar, if you believe that we as a people strayed from our promised path, leave us now. Return to your symbionts' homeworlds and pray this day ends well. Don't put the ones who have offered you their bodies in harm's way. GO!"

The empty chairs that remained were few, but Adam took solace in their vacancy. He turned toward Tephos. "Put an end to this, Tephos. Tell our people the truth before it destroys them all."

"And what makes you think you understand the truth?" the multi-tentacled creature asked.

"The Sight. I am aware of all that happened the day we died, Tephos."

Tephos heaved his body up. "Fortune telling and prognostications are best left for amusement, Adam. There is no evidence that the vision of our deaths is even the truth. It could be little more than mass hypnosis. Even if it was the truth and we died at the hands of subterfuge only you saw, I see nothing but your own keen insight at play. As for what your pets have done, that too appears to be simple magic tricks to amuse the lesser minds of our people. Those around you see past that charade."

Adam turned toward the tentacled creature. "Have you lied for so long that you can no longer even hear the truth?" Adam turned to the congregation. "Delar did not attack us alone. There are members of this gathering who helped him. We were responsible for the crack in the universe that let him through."

"That can't be," cried out one creature.

"It is. The goal was to use Delar and his armies to become the police of this universe. His corporeal armada and our powers were the perfect combination to subjugate this universe."

"You say subjugate, Adam," Tephos interrupted. "There are those of us who view it as bringing order to a universe riddled with chaos."

"And is that why you convinced our entire race to sacrifice itself attacking warships built with your guidance? Was that why you, as the council head, gave orders of engagement that you realized would lead to our deaths? You knew a frontal attack of Delar's army would be futile. You knew it would drain our powers, and you relied on it. Our deaths were the goal all along."

"Sacrifices sometimes need to be made for the greater good."

"YOU DIED, TEPHOS! You died just like all the rest of us."

"An error in judgment. I should not have trusted Delar to hold to his word and leave behind those of us with vision. His ambition was too great." The writhing tentacles of Tephos pointed toward the black wolf. "But it would appear that you corrected my oversight. I won't make the same mistake again."

Adam looked back out at the group. "This is what comes of thinking we have the right to subjugate an entire universe to our will. For those of you who understand now what monsters we have become, turn from this day and leave. Don't stand beside those who now show themselves to be the very thing we once fought against."

Adam stared out at the crowd as only a few more seats became empty. "That is it?" Adam yelled. "All of you will enslave worlds untold for the sake of your ordered universe? You're willing to hide in the shadows for the sake of holding onto your power?"

"I have nothing to hide, Adam," Tephos replied. "But aren't there more pressing engagements elsewhere than a meeting here?"

Adam's eyes narrowed, and the Sight pushed forward past his anger and toward the beast.

"NO!" Adam screamed. He turned to his two husbands. "They're attacking Terra." He raised his hand in the air, but nothing happened. The four remained on the floating platform. "There are others here blocking our exit," Adam said in a panic.

"We can't let you leave without saying goodbye," Tephos sneered. He lifted one tentacle, clinging to a switch. "An old school approach borrowed from Delar. You see, Adam, we've learned from watching our deaths. When in doubt, blow up your enemy." With a flick of the end of the slimy appendage, the phase bombs detonated.

Chapter 30

Will's ears were the first to hear the heavy thud. All the family felt the shake as it moved through the museum house. "Company, men," he yelled as he bounded out through the back door. He looked out on the grassy farmyard in front of the forest and saw the three massive beasts. Each beast appeared to be from a different world. It was equally obvious none of them was from Terra. "We have a situation," Will said, recognizing immediately an enemy in their midst.

Nathaniel followed quickly behind the old wolf and once outside, he turned from the creatures and looked back at the hospital. "Damn," he growled, "This is a hell of a time for Martin and Chipo to be visiting the family in Africa."

Max grabbed his short-faced bear husband and hugged him quickly. "At least it's early. We don't have any humans on the island." Max saw the wolves running toward the calamity. He put his hands to his mouth and yelled. "Wolves, create a perimeter around the hospitals."

"The children," Nathaniel yelled to his husband as the smaller short-faced bear ran toward the hospital.

"Kwan and Hanuel know their part in this, Husband," Max yelled back.

"The Padre and Phillip are already gathering the kids and getting them to the shelters," Will said as he stared at the three on the far side of the field. "If we can contain the mess to this side of the island, we'll be fine."

Kris pushed his way through the door. "Go take care of your patients, Son," he commanded.

With a quick kiss on the cheek of his father, Nathaniel was racing toward the hospital. "Exactly what is happening, Old Wolf?" the Kodiak asked as he turned back toward the three invaders.

"We're being attacked," Will responded. "More exactly, you're being attacked. Friduwulf Hospital and Montana are under siege as well. These creatures are here to assassinate the Changelings."

From the west side of the island, three temple dogs were racing toward the beasts, their khakkhara in their paws. Above the island, thick, dark clouds swirled into a rotating circle.

Eric had caught up with Will just as the wolf hurtled over one of the farmyard fences. He grabbed the wolf from behind. Will's paws raised, and they flared red. "No, Will," the polar bear yelled. His paws slipped further down, pinning the wolf's arms against his side. "There's only one group we know that appears out of nowhere. These are creatures from Adam's world."

"Yeah, so?" Will growled.

"They're hosts. They may not be in control of their actions. If the Order is using them as puppets, we can't kill them. There has to be another path."

Kris bounded toward the first beast, a twenty-foot tall, white-furred creature that was moving toward the hospitals. As the Kodiak neared the behemoth, the beast swung around in a pivot that swept Kris off his feet as a thick tail hit him broadside. Kris realized too late that his proximity to the beast had weakened his position. The temple dogs jumped into the fight, stabbing the massive tail with their staffs. The beast roared and grabbed for its tail in pain.

Kris looked up at the creature, trying to find a point of weakness in the beast. White fur covered most of the body, except on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. Large plates that rose along the ridge of the back resembled those of a stegosaurus. It's what gave the tail an especially hefty punch when it hit the brown bear, and he had no desire to meet it again.

Despite its formidable size, the furry creature had a face resembling a teddy bear. It was almost comical from a Terran perspective. But the sense that the creature was cute quickly changed when the mouth opened and row upon row of sharp fangs flashed brightly in the sunshine. "You heard the Old Bear," Kris yelled as the temple dogs approached. "These might be innocents. Let's try to shut them down without shutting them off."

The three dogs watched as the white beast grabbed for them. "We will try to find another path, Ancient One," Li Wei said as his khakkhara blocked a swipe from the beast towering above him. "But it may not be possible if we are to protect our charges on this island."

Another beast moved toward the wolf and polar bear. Reptilian, the thirty-foot scaly creature moved on four legs that were longer and more limber than a lizard's, but equally stout. There were imposing claws at the end of each foot, but the jaws of the beast were its obvious weapon of choice. Sharp, knifelike fangs dripped wet in the sunshine. The smell of the beast's breath was unmistakable to a wolf that had spent time in Southern swamps surrounded by cottonmouths. "It's venomous, Old Bear," the wolf warned as he tried to get free from Eric's grip.

"Don't kill, Old Wolf," the white bear plead.

"Fine," Will responded. "But don't let them kill us in the process."

The bear set the wolf free and his paws raised, glowing bright green. "Come on, Old Wolf, we do this together. Dial it back." The wolf lifted his arms up, and together, the bolt of red and green light sped across the glade and hit the creature, knocking it to the ground, unconscious. The wolf and bear took a moment to assess the situation before them and turned, preparing to go for the last beast.

They had scarcely moved forward when the third beast lurched toward the temple dogs on the back of the first beast. The largest of the three, the last beast stood upright, grounded by four legs. There was a kind of fur covering the body which might as easily be feathers or something even unnamed in Terran vocabulary.

Whatever it was, the horned beast was actually a beautiful reddish color. It caught the rays of sunshine and reflected them back like iridescent glitter. Except for the four legs, the body of the beast was remarkably like a large ape. The front arms were long and acted like counterweights to the heavy lower half of the body. By swinging them, the creature's forward momentum increased.

When it was nearly on top of the temple dogs, one hand of the horned beast reached for Saand and pulled him up into the air. The remaining two dogs' keen hearing picked up the crushing of bones even over the battle as the creature's hand grip tightened around the hapless temple dog. Katashi pivoted and ducked as the second hand reached for him. Without a moment's hesitation, Li Wei jumped up into the air as the hand with Saand in it sped toward the beast's mouth. Li Wei landed on the hand so close to the mouth he could feel the breath of the beast exhale. He thrust his khakkhara into the thick flesh between the beast's fingers and thumb.

The beast roared and Saand dropped to the ground like crumpled paper. The other hand of the beast pushed up against Li Wei and thick claws sprang out through the dog's body. Katashi looked up to see his husband pulled into the air like a doll. The second hand's extending claws raked across the front of Katashi's body. He stared at the blood covering his golden fur in disbelief and fell off the tail of the white beast and onto the ground.

Will roared and his flaming hands grew too bright to look at. But before he could lift them, lightning surged up from the ground, through the massive beast, and up into the clouds. The bolt downward was equally intense and when the creature fell to the ground, the red fur was burning and black. When those that had seen the bolts of lightning could regain their sight, they saw the beast lying on the ground. Li Wei lay bleeding from the four claws protruding from his body.

"Ancient One," Katashi begged, a question unspoken as he rose. The Kodiak turned from the beast with the armored tail and saw Li Wei's bloody body. "This ends now before Gaia takes them all out," he growled. The green light sent the twenty-foot-tall white beast hurtling toward the forest, where it smashed through the trees. The beast was trying to lift itself out of the forest debris when the white light rolled over the island like a wave. No one standing in the field was upright after it hit them.

The old bear looked up into the sky, and tears filled his eyes. "Oh god, Donovan," he whispered. "Oh god, I am so sorry."

Kris looked at the white beast in the forest. It was unconscious. Whatever had happened, the three beasts were immobile. Eric ran to Saand and knelt down, picking the dog up and wrapping him in a warm, green glow. Kris ran to Li Wei and knelt at the body of the temple dog. The green glow spread out and over the dog, as the bear's head bowed. The blood flowing from the four large openings covering the chest and belly of the temple dog stopped, and the wounds began closing around the claws.

Li Wei's eyes opened, and he smiled at the brown bear holding him. "Do not waste your energy, Ancient One. I'm afraid the only thing keeping the blood inside me now are the claws of the beast."

The smoldering beast stirred. "I meant no harm. It was not my choice," it whispered as its head dropped close to the yellow dog.

"Are you free?" Li Wei asked.

"Yes," the beast replied. "I have not felt freedom in so long. I am so sorry that I have killed one of those that gave it to me."

"And I am sorry that your freedom came at the cost of your life," Li Wei said through his panting.

"I'm afraid," the beast said. Its head drew close enough that its breath blew the temple dog's fur around with each word spoken. "I'm afraid to die."

"Would it help if I were to go with you?" Li Wei asked.

"But what if there is only darkness?"

"Then a dog is a pleasant companion. We have excellent vision in the darkness."

"You would be so kind to the one that killed you?"

"The one that killed me is dead," Li Wei said, looking into the orange eyes of the beast. "You were his weapon, but you were not responsible for my death."

"Enough of this talk about death, Li Wei," the brown bear interrupted. "You both hang in there. We can find another way."

The glowing green polar bear knelt beside Li Wei and Kris with Saand in his arms. "There is not enough power in the two of you to heal both me and my faithful companion. Save Saand."

"We can save you too, Li Wei," Eric said, pleading. "Nathaniel will be here soon."

"But I have promised…" the temple dog looked up at the enormous head beside him and smiled. "How have I been so remiss in my responsibilities? I am Li Wei, son of Jiao-long of the Verital."

The giant horned ape returned the smile. "I am Trabelem of the Shestexar."

Li Wei looked up at the two bears hovering over him. "I have promised Trabelem that I would join him on his journey. It is not good for a temple dog to break his word. His size and wounds preclude him from taking advantage of your gifts."

"No, please," the horned ape said, trying to right itself. The move shifted its claws, and Li Wei howled in pain. The ape went immobile, steadying the claws inside the temple dog.

"I would prefer you not do that again," Li Wei said with a pained look toward Trabelem.

Trabelem frowned. "Please, let them heal you."

"Are you no longer afraid of what is coming?" the dog asked.

"No, I am still afraid."

"Then I am still your companion, now and until the fear is no longer there."

"You offer too much," the ape said as his eyes closed.

"It is the way of my people. We are explorers. This is the last great mystery. I wish to share it with a companion." Li Wei paused, catching his breath. "Be that companion with me, Trabelem."

"Now and until the fear is gone?" the still-smoking beast asked.

"You are certainly welcome to negotiate a different time frame, if you wish."

The eyes of the horned ape flickered open, and the smile returned to its lips. "No, no. I accept your offer. I am grateful, but I am sorry as well."

"As am I," Li Wei said with one last smile. The two bears watched as Li Wei's paw reached out and touched the temple of the giant ape. "Rest, Little One. Our journey is just beginning. You will need your strength." The ape closed his eyes, and Li Wei's gaze returned to the ones in front of him. "I am sorry to leave you without a proper goodbye," he told Katashi.

"It is all right, Husband," Katashi said with a wave of his hand. "Long goodbyes only seem to make the pain that much worse."

"Take care of Saand. Do not let him believe he has failed in his calling. Remind him the choice was mine."

"I will remind him, but I do not think it will calm his spirit."

"You will find a way. I am grateful for our time together, Katashi," the temple dog replied with a low moan. "I have learned so much with you by my side."

"I too am grateful, Li Wei. Do not linger here at the cost of leaving your companion alone. Bind yourself to him while the ancient one's strength still holds you in this place."

"Always thinking of our charges," Li Wei said with a smile. "Look after Spackle. This change of plan will cause him great pain."

"We will make it through this time together," Katashi replied.

Li Wei turned his gaze to the Kodiak. "Time to hold back, Ancient One. Transfer your power to Saand. Save his life. Trabelem is dying. No healing you possess can save us both. I need to be where I have promised to be."

"Please, Li Wei," Kris begged.

The brown bear felt the squeeze of the yellow paw on his shoulder. "We are grateful you have given our brother time to prepare for his journey," Katashi interjected. "But lingering any longer will cause him to break his vow. My husband has made his choice. It is now up to us to honor his wishes, Ancient One."

The green glow faded from the hands of the brown bear, and Li Wei's paw dropped onto the paw of the horned ape. His eyes closed, and the head fell. The claws of the ape retracted, but little blood flowed from the temple dog. His heart no longer beat.

The white bear raised his head. "Jiao-long," he yelled up into the air. "Your child is dead. Where are you? Can you not feel the loss?"

The air above them began moving into a swirling pattern of light that formed a sphere of darkness with galaxies moving through it. From deep inside, the winged dragon catapulted out onto the island. He reached down and stared at the lifeless body cradled in the paw of a massive horned ape. His eyes closed tightly. "Who did this?"

"The Order; Adam's people," Will growled.

"Where?"

"I don't know where, but they took Derrick, Oliver, and Adam," Will answered.

"Then they have me to deal with," the dragon said.

"Brother," the white bear interrupted. "Your son is dead. Reach out and find him. Pull him back from where he's gone."

The dragon shook his head angrily. "Where he is… if he is… I cannot find him, Old Bear. There is no life force for me to grab onto." The wings of the dragon spread out and the dark orb formed above him.

"No Jiao-long," Eric cried out. "If Li Wei is truly dead, that means all your children are grieving. Do not go seeking revenge before ensuring you comfort your children first."

"That isn't necessary," the dragon said as he reached out and touched the lifeless dog on the ground. "I hold them all next to my heart. They know that."

"Then turn away from what you are about to do," the bear urged. "No good will come of you going there."

"He was my son," the dragon retorted. "I will not allow another attack on my children for any reason."

"I understand, Brother," Eric said. "But this is…"

"No, you do not understand, Brother!" the dragon yelled. "You, the Changeling that would wipe out an entire world for the death of his brothers. You witnessed so many deaths; deaths so violent that even Terra could not grab onto a soul before they were lost forever. This is the world around you, Brother. You understood once, but you have forgotten the pain." The stars of a thousand galaxies appeared in the dark orb over the head of the dragon and, with two flaps of his wings, he was gone into the darkness.

As the wormhole closed, the Kodiak put his arms around the polar bear. "He is hurting, Son. He didn't mean what he said."

The polar bear pushed against the brown bear. "Then why do I believe every word he said?"

Chapter 31

Across the universe, the wormhole reappeared, and the dragon flew out into what remained of the amphitheater. Below, clinging to the remnant of the middle level, was a tiny group of four trying to steady themselves as the floor shifted with each move. Derrick's outstretched arm was glowing blue. From the blue light surrounding them, parts of the amphitheater were slowly melding with the shaky support they stood on. Adam, Oliver, and Kattar were surveying the damage all around them. The twisted beams of the structure no longer held up the roof of the building. Two suns shone down into the depths of what remained of the failing structure.

Few bodies remained in the amphitheater, but those remaining bodies lay slumped over, burning in their seats. The smoke gave off a sickening smell. Only the charred bodies of the largest creatures remained. The smaller, incinerated by the blast, left only ash floating in the air and settling onto the wreckage below. Many of the dead lay at the bottom of the building under the collapsed and twisted wreckage of the aftermath of the explosion. Where the dais of the council had once been, only the melted remnant of the metal beams that once held it up remained. Shadows on the wall were all that remained of the dead council members.

"It would appear you have already taken care of my reason for being here," the dragon said as he landed on the far side of the four. He counterbalanced his weight against the others on the weakened platform.

"What happened?" Kattar asked, staring at the crumbling amphitheater.

"Adam done what was needful," Oliver said sadly. "He done what the fathers of the Children of the Night done. He seen the awful, and he knowed he couldn't ask no one but him to end it."

Derrick looked at the badger in disbelief. "But there were thousands and thousands of innocent creatures here. They believed they were protecting their worlds when they merged with the Order."

"And they are safe," Adam said. "They are all home. Those that you see around us made a choice to stay with their symbiont and join the effort to subjugate the universe to their will. I transported any we enslaved to their homes the moment I severed their links from the Order. Their people will find them unconscious, but unaffected by what has happened here today." Adam was silent for a moment and he fell to his knees. "Unaffected, save they are no longer a part of the Order. The Order is dead."

"Our people?" Kattar asked.

"Except for those who chose to leave, all are dead," Adam said as the tears flowed. "I tried… I tried to find another way, but I learned from my family's history. I learned what comes from allowing the Children of the Night to live. A temple dog I love beyond words is already dead. The one enslaved to fight him is dead because the Order forced Gaia's hand. I couldn't let another innocent die to save my people. I turned the explosions meant for us outward toward the ones that planted them."

Derrick stood staring at the damaged amphitheater, and the Sight pushed forward into the darkness. "That wouldn't have killed your people," he said quietly. "Dazed them, maybe. But without the corporeal bodies to house them, most of the blast would have gone right through them."

"I did what was necessary, Pup," Adam said through his tears. "Please, please let this be. I had to do what I promised Donovan he would never have to do again when he merged with me. We hurt in a way you cannot imagine for what happened here today."

The Sight reached further into the darkness; into a horror that Derrick tried to push from his mind. The black wolf dropped to the side of the otter and held him tight. "I'm sorry, Adam, I can be so blind. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in how a thing was done I forget to see the necessity of why it was done. I'm so sorry." He clung to the otter, and the two grew quiet except for the painful sobbing.

Kattar looked at the two and turned to Oliver. "My people?"

"Your people is on the home planets of them critters they live inside," Oliver said as he shifted back to a badger. "The ones that tried to kill you is dead."

"They were my people, too," Kattar said mournfully.

"I learnt years ago that my people ain't what I was born into, Kattar. I learnt it the hard way, same as you today. Your people is standing here beside you. Them that died weren't your kin. They was the awful; some inside of critters who didn't want nothin' to do with this day. Them critters is home safe. Your brother is sitting there in the arms of a wolf hurtin' a pain like you never knowed. Go to him and tell him you understand. Tell him you understand he only done what was needful. Tell him you forgive him for what he don't need no forgiveness for, 'cause he done what was right."

"Did he, Oliver? Did he do what was right?"

Oliver reached up his hands. "Let me touch your head, Kattar." Kattar bent down and the badger's hands rested on the temples of the Hexadeltan. The tiny paws glowed yellow, and the four-armed creature fell to the ground. He began taking deep gulps of air as his body tried to find an expression for what he saw and felt. "You's his brother now, Kattar. Them rainbow critters was the Order. Delar was the fault of the Order. Adam couldn't go asking the universe to start all over every time your Order fucked up. And you seen. You seen what was coming was so much worse. There was so much more death than you can imagine on that horizon, but now you'se seen it. You gots a right to know, but the knowing ain't never gonna make this easier for you two."

Kattar looked down into the eyes of the badger. "No… no it won't. But thank you for letting me see. That is a horrible power resting on your shoulders, Oliver. I'm sorry you see what you see."

"Me too, Kattar," the badger said. "But we takes on what will save our family. One day that will make sense to you, and when it does, all the power you gots inside you will rest easier on your shoulders than it does now."

"Adam is much, much stronger than any of us believed, Oliver. None of us can do what he did alone."

"I knows, but he ain't alone. He's got so many powerful men jumbled up inside him, but when Adam calls them, they is one. And when they is one, they is fierce, and nothing better stand between him and his family that means to do us harm."

Kattar fell back onto the platform and pushed out his legs around the badger. "I understand what you mean by the needful, now, Oliver. It's what we must do, even though it breaks our heart to do it."

"That's as good an explanation as I'se ever heard of it."

"And Adam… my brother?"

"You said you wanted to be our family. This is the hard times that makes us what we is. Take the good when you can, Wombat, but know family never turns away from these days. We sticks together."

"Wombat? Is that meant to be a term of endearment, Oliver?"

"Yeah, Wombat, that's what it is. I'se saying I loves you. I wants you to be my family just as much as you says you wants to be ours." The badger turned away shyly and his foot made a circle on the scorched platform. "That is if'n you'll have me."

Kattar thought for a moment. "If I understand correctly, a wombat is a small creature of rather limited mental capacity. I'm not sure that I like the reference."

Oliver looked up at the one before him. "I didn't think too much on that, Kattar. I'se sorry. They is cute and cuddly, and they ain't frightful like some critters. You sees them, and all you wants to do is pet them and hug them. But you is right that they ain't the smartest critters in the world. I would like it if I could call you something special, but if calling you Wombat makes you upset, you can choose something you like and I will call you that."

"Cute and cuddly, huh?" the four-armed creature asked.

"Yeah, likes really cute and cuddly."

The Hexadeltan smiled and nodded his approval. "I think I like Wombat as a term of endearment now that I understand its meaning to you. It's certainly better than sugar pie or snookums, which make no sense at all." Kattar reached down, scooped up the badger in four arms, and hugged him. "I believe the right thing to say in this moment is 'now and forever'." The two kissed, and Kattar lowered Oliver back to the ground. "And now I have a brother who needs me."

"You's learnin' right quick, Wombat."

Kattar smiled. "Thank you, Badger," he said as he rose and walked toward the otter and black wolf still clinging to each other. He fell backward, extending his legs around the two, and scooted up against the backside of the sobbing otter. "There, there, Brother," he whispered. "What you did, you did to save your family and the universe you promised to protect. I realize it weighs heavily on you, but know you did right."

The otter stirred. "It doesn't make it any easier, Kattar," he whispered.

"No, I realize it doesn't. But in time, your family will get you through this. Don't you think it's time for you to go home? There are those who can help you deal with this. You needn’t be here."

"There is still work we've yet to do on Terra," the otter said quietly. "Our dead, the survivors; we must attend to them all."

The Hexadeltan rubbed one of his paws across the top of the otter's head. "You go home. I will attend to that which needs our attention here. I was the high council leader, after all. It is times like these that we must rise to our callings. Tend to the dead and wounded on Partridge Island. They need their family."

The otter nodded in agreement, and with the help of the black wolf, he rose. He wiped the tears from his face and looked at the silent giant dragon. "One of your sons has died today, Dragon. How are you doing?"

"I don't have words for it, Otter. I'm still not even sure I understand what Li Wei has done. All I know is I don't know how to bring him back because I can't sense his chi."

Adam sighed. "Come home with us, Dragon. We have grieving to do. Fourth Night is still so very far away. We should never mourn our dead alone."

The dragon nodded. "Can I impose on you to give me a lift back to Terra?"

"Promise me this, Dragon. In return for my services, you will do me one small favor."

"And that favor is…"

"You apologize to your brother for your words."

"How… how do you know?"

Adam tapped his temple. "The Sight. You may choose not to use your gift, but I use mine when it concerns my family."

The dragon let out a long breath. "I'm not sure I have anything to apologize for."

"That's because you're an ass, Dragon," the otter said without a note of humor in the words. "You are warrior class, and because of that, I allow for a certain amount of impulsiveness. But your brother was born into the healer class. It is his responsibility to deal with the damage you so often place before him. Every other clan of the Unity exists to hold the warrior class in check. My husband is there to temper your actions. He is obligated to try to make you see options other than war and violence. You seem to have forgotten that over the years."

The dragon bowed his head. "I might have overlooked that."

"You threw his calling in his face and told him he was useless to his family because he had forgotten his pain. Eric has never forgotten his pain, Jio-long. He has used to it to strengthen him, to make him bolder and better at being what he has always dreamed of being. He is a healer, Dragon. You belittled that which is sacred to him, and you owe him an apology. In your anger, you ignored his pleas. That, too, deserves an apology. You apologize for being an ass instead of a brother."

The dragon's head didn't lift. "You have a deal. I will make an apology for my words. I should never have spoken them."

"You were hurting, Dragon," the otter replied. "That I understand. Now, let's return to your brother so you can heal together. The death of your son has wounded him as greatly as it has you."

Jiao-long's head lifted, and his neck stretched outward. "So, about that ride home?"

Adam smiled. "Of course. What else is family for?" With a wave of his hand, the family was gone.

Chapter 32

Katashi threw his arms around the dragon and held him tightly. The arms of the dragon wrapped around his son, and the two needed no words beyond the hug to comfort each other. Eventually, the hug softened, and the dragon and his son separated. "I need to make an apology, Father," Katashi whispered.

"As do I, Son," Jiao-long said with a nod. "You take care of yours, and I will attend to mine."
"Then you will excuse me, Father," the temple dog said with a bow. He dropped to all fours and walked toward the fallen white-furred creature at the edge of the forest. As he neared, the creature trembled in front of him. The temple dog rose and said, "I am Katashi, son of Jiao-long of the Verital."
The beast's white fur ruffled in the wind as it tried to back away. "I… I… am Speleck, daughter of Chiglartek and Beylamain. Please… I meant you no harm."
"We are aware of that, daughter of Chiglartek and Beylamain. I wish to apologize for sticking my khakkhara into your tail. Please let me help you up."
"I am afraid that's not possible. I can't move my legs."
"That's 'cause you gots a lame ass backbone as feeble as ours, beast," Oliver said as he approached. "I'se Oliver and you don't wants to know who my momma and daddy were." He smiled. "I broke my back a while ago. Ain't no easy thing fixing that. You okay with staying here on this island until we can make you better and send you home?"
"You hold no ill will toward me?" Speleck asked.
"None," Katashi replied. "We understand the nature of your relationship with the Order. What you did was not of your choosing."
"I didn't think anyone would understand."
"We do," Oliver said. "Can't say all your friends were of a like mind."
"None in the Order were my friends," the beast said trying to shift the plates on her back. "The Order sent fifteen of us to this planet because we had one thing in common. When we found out what the Order was planning, we tried to free ourselves from the merge. The council considered us expendable. We were also fifteen of the most battle-ready creatures in the Order. The council expected that a close-quarter skirmish would easily dispatch you. None of them believed you were as powerful as Adam said you were."
"Well, they made a big mistake there," Oliver said.
"That's true," the beast agreed. "You were on us so quickly that the Order didn't have time to get through their initial shock of being bested by such small creatures. Before they could use their powers, you had already immobilized the bodies they held captive. We fought back against them as best we could. We hoped to give you time." The beast tried to rise again but fell back into the same position. "Where is the Order? I can't feel them inside me anymore."
"They is dead," the badger replied.
"I can't say I am sorry," Speleck replied. "They told us we would be protectors of the universe, not rulers of it. Somewhere along the line, that changed. So many of us were trapped for thousands of years beyond our lifespan; prisoners of the ones we merged with."
"For that, I am truly sorry," Adam said as he approached the gigantic beast. "I am Adam, one of the last of the Order. Those that enslaved you are dead. Those that remain hold true to our promise of protection rather than subjugation."
Speleck frowned. "Forgive me if I don't find any comfort in that promise."
Adam heard the voice of Marcus inside him temper the words he searched for. Adam remembered a werewolf who changed with every touch and the price for broken promises. "I understand, and I will not ask you to believe in my words. You gave too much, and we lied too often." The otter reached out his hand. "But can you trust me enough to let me do one thing as a way of apology?"
"What is that?"
"Heal you and send you home."
"My home doesn't exist anymore. I should have died so many thousands of years ago. What was once my family is long dead."
Adam shook his head in disagreement. "Only six years after you left your homeworld, a massive solar flare engulfed your planet. The world you remember is gone. All that remains is a lifeless piece of rock floating in space."
The great beast choked back a sob. "Then why… why would you tell me you want to send me home?"
"Because I have family. And our family always finds a way home."
"You can't…"
"No, I can't," Adam agreed. "But they can. My family can." He pointed up toward the sky. The two winged bears dropped onto the island with their angel husband and walked toward the colossal beast.
"Speleck," JP said with a smile. "It's so nice to see you again."
"JP, Max, you know these creatures?" the white beast asked, looking toward the surrounding crowd.
"They're our family, Speleck," Max answered. He pointed to the winged man by their side. "This is our husband, Chet. He works from home." Chet made a small nod toward the white beast, and Speleck returned the nod.
"But I haven't seen you for thousands of years," Speleck said.
"Yeah, but for us, it seems like only moments ago," JP said. "We've come to take you home, Speleck, but you must make one sacrifice."
"Anything," the white beast said. "But Adam said my world is dead."
"It is. We can't return you to your home planet," JP said, "but we can return you to the home you have left."
Speleck shook her head. "I'm so confused."
"Time is fluid, Speleck. Moments before the solar flare destroyed your world, we took all your people and brought them to a new world. They are safe on a world where you can all live out your lives and watch your children grow. It's not the world you remember, but it can be the home you return to."
"But my family is dead? That's the sacrifice I must make to be with my people again?"
"No, Speleck," Max replied. "We brought your people to a new world and into a future timeline. To them, they moved from harm's way only two rotations of your sun ago. Your mother and father are fine. Your brother is still a pain in the butt, and your sister is obsessed about having her plates styled. They're all there. There is so much work to do to make your new planet a home."
"Then my sacrifice?"
"You must return home and never tell them of the history they missed. The world we brought them to is the only world they've known since the flare. Those thousands of years you lived through don't exist for them."
Speleck nodded her head in understanding. "Then they don't exist for me. Please send me home."
Adam approached the beast. His glowing green hand reached out and Speleck felt her back legs again. "Forgive me Speleck. I am sorry for not seeing sooner. Forgive me for this day ever happening."
Speleck rose, and her plates shook. "Little creature, you suffered enough at your own hand. We have all suffered enough. Give me time. One day come visit me with Max and JP, we will sip on Tragalian nectar and grieve together for all that we have lost." The beast stretched. "And then we will sing of all that we have found." She smiled at the otter. "I learned that from your family. It has held me from insanity all these thousands of years. If they love you, I will find a way to do the same. They have never made an error in judgment in all the years I've known them." She looked at the two winged bears. "Although I guess if time is fluid, I might not realize how long you've known me."
JP nodded. "It's complicated."
"Then I don't want to know," Speleck exclaimed. She turned to the otter and reached down. Adam felt himself lifted off the ground and brought into a hug. "I am sorry for this day, Adam. I am sorry for what you had to do. Send me home and I will forgive all." Adam hit the ground with a thud. The beast was gone.
Adam turned to see the giant lizard-like creature staring at him. "I wish I could offer you the same. Their planet died, and her people died in that moment. The solar flare erased them from the timeline. They never influenced anything that ever happened in all the years that followed. But your people have thrived."
The scaled creature rubbed his neck with his tail, unsure why he was still alive, and frowned. "I would be happy to find my people haven't evolved one lick since I've been gone."
"Then you will be very happy indeed," Adam said. "Your people hate change, and their world remains exactly as you remember it."
"Then know I am glad for this episode in my life to end," the reptile said. "I bear no ill will toward any who survived this day." He turned to the old bear and old wolf. "You two pack quite a punch. But apparently, if your kind moves entire populations of people through the universe, you pulled your punches. Thanks for going easy on me."
"You're welcome," Eric replied, his fur still glowing green as he held Saand in his lap.
The giant lizard looked toward the others in the group. When he saw the one upright temple dog, he nodded in his direction. "I am sorry for being a part of the death of one you loved so greatly, Golden One."
"As am I," Katashi said with a nod. "Go in peace. Don't let your memory be of his death. Let it be of the love he showed you. You all walk away from this place because he stayed his hand."
The lizard nodded. "Go in peace, Golden One. I will tell the stories of his bravery and his sacrifice to my children and their children. He will be a part of our history that we will not forget." The lizard turned toward Adam. "And what of you, little creature?" the lizard asked. "What of you? What becomes of the Order now?"
"I will watch over you if you will let me."
"Penance for sins you didn't commit?"
"Concern for those who have always been my concern."
"Then so be it."
Adam nodded. "Forgive me."
The beast smiled. "You are only now learning of what makes a family, little creature. When you saw what it was, you did right by what you learned. You protected it, no matter the sacrifice. I am glad that you realized your family extended to me as well. There is nothing to forgive. Come visit me one day. Teach me of this notion of yours. All that we have lost; all that we have found. I think I could use a tutor in such things."
Adam smiled. "I would be honored." His hand went up, and the beast was gone. He looked up at Eric and Jiao-long. "There are others across Terra who were once of the Order and now are free. I need to attend to their care." With a nod, the otter was gone.
Eric stood staring into the space that had once been a giant lizard and a small otter. When he felt the scaled hand push against his shoulder, his paw rose and stroked it. "I am sorry, Brother," Jiao-long whispered. "I was wrong. The error was mine when I said you didn't remember the pain. You have always been the strongest of us. You who hold more power than any of us and yet we task you never to use it in anger." The bear felt a tender kiss on his head from the dragon. "I could never be as strong as you, Brother. The Unity chose wisely. I failed to be the brother I should have been."
The bear sat quietly as the second clawed hand rested on his other shoulder. "I have been away from my brothers so long that I forgot why you were by my side," the dragon said. "Please forgive my words, Brother. You were right. I was wrong."
Eric continued to rub the scaly hand on his shoulder. "I missed you Jiao-long; I missed you so much."
"I'm home now, Eric," the dragon whispered. "Our family brought me home."
"Then I guess I have yet another thing to thank them for."
"And me as well," the dragon replied.
The polar bear turned and the purple dragon lowered his head until the two kissed. There was a slight shake, and all watched the bear kissing a newly formed temple dog. When they separated, Jiao-long smiled at the bear. "I think this body will be gentler on both of us. But if you will allow me one favor…"
"Anything, Brother."
"Can we avoid the trees?"
The Kodiak bear's paws glowed green. "Go, Son," he said as he reached down to pick up Saand. "We'll see to his care now."
Eric grabbed the paw of the temple dog and let the dog pull him up. The two began walking toward the gunnery apartments. "I think we can avoid the trees."
Kris looked at his remaining family. "Come, Dog, let us get your brother to the hospital. This is a time of sadness for us all."
Katashi reached down and freed his mate from the hand of the beast. He hefted the body up into his arms. "I miss him already, Ancient One, but I try to remember that he has done what he always wanted to do one day. He wanted to know what lies beyond, and he did it while attending to the needs of one who was afraid to go alone."
"You are braver than I am," the brown bear whispered. "All I can see is how much I will miss him."
"Then look back," Katashi said as he kissed Li Wei's forehead. "Be grateful for all you have shared with him by your side."
Kris kissed the neck of the temple dog. "I will try Katashi."
The two began walking toward the hospital. From across the field, a young human raced toward the two carrying the limp temple dogs. "What's happened?" he yelled as he saw the lifeless body in Katashi's arms.
Katashi knelt back down to allow the human full access to Li Wei. Spackle grabbed the lifeless body and cried out, "No, Li Wei, you promised! You promised we would mate if only I waited. This isn't fair. This isn't right."
Katashi freed one paw and put it on the shoulder of the human. "It isn't fair, Little One, but it is what we must live with." The young man crumpled to the ground, and the howl he made was one every beast in the field recognized and knew all too well.
In time, the entire island knew of the death of Li Wei. Katashi and Spackle spent hours with the people of the island offering their condolences. As evening approached, the islanders realized it was a kindness to let the temple dog return to his home to rest. The crowd dissipated until at last only three remained in the field.
The rain began falling, and Katashi looked up into the sky, letting the rain wash his tears away. The temple dog turned to Spackle. "It is our tradition to hold watch over our brother together until the fourth night. My brothers…" Katashi stopped and choked on the words, "… our brothers will not be here until tomorrow. I do not think the one we loved would want us to be alone tonight."
Spackle nodded his head in agreement. The dog rose with the body in his arms. "Come, Little One. Let us prepare our love for First Night." The young man stood up and reached out to hold the dangling hand of the dead temple dog. Together, the three headed back to the home of the couple, who were no more.
When the carillon bells tolled eleven o'clock, those near the home of the temple dogs heard the flapping of wings. Zhen-Zhen, the fenghuang dragon, and her mate, Daquong, stood watch on the metal bar of the Radar Battery Observation Post. Inside, Katashi began crying, grateful that at last he and Spackle were alone. First Night had begun; the night of memories. The night when grief was so close, that every time the family tried to roll over and sleep, they bumped up against it.
Chapter 33

Second Night in the ritual of the Changelings was no easier than the first. Second Night; the night of reconciliation, was a time to sort through what had happened. The grieving searched to find an understanding of the death that had occurred. It was always a difficult time because the ones left behind rarely found a way through Second Night that led to finding the answers they sought. It only left them with more questions. All understood that would be the case. No one thought the idea of making peace with the myriad of feelings swirling around in everyone's heads happened in a single night.

Second Night was the beginning of the survivors sorting through their time together with the deceased. It was a time of trying to cling to the memories that, in the years to come, would bring happiness. The difficulty lay in acknowledging the change in the relationship when one heart stopped beating and another didn't. It was the most arduous night of the Fourth Night tradition.

Derrick sat alone on a bench overlooking the bay. He wiped the tears from his face and his hand reached out, glowing blue. He shook his head, and the light faded from his paw. "I realize it's difficult, Little One," said a familiar voice from behind him, "but you did right by your love for a friend."

Derrick turned to see the temple dog towering over him. "He was more than a friend, Bai," Derrick replied.

The temple dog sat beside the park bench. Even seated on the ground, the dog was still slightly taller than the seated werewolf. "And how do you know I am Bai?" the dog asked.

"You're the only one without scars from being with Will and me," Derrick replied with a feeble grin.

The temple dog extended his hands and looked at them. "Interesting," he said. "I seem to be without scars."

Derrick's smile widened. "The scars are the only way we can tell you apart, Bai."

"That is true," the dog said, scooting closer to the bench. "Can I get a hug?" Derrick leapt off the bench into the arms of the dog and held on tightly. "I am sorry for how much sorrow all this has caused you, Little One," the dog whispered.

"It's everything I can do to honor his wishes and not bring him back," Derrick replied, burying his face in the soft, yellow fur. "I can see him, Bai. I can see him in my mind. All I would need to do is turn back the clock just a bit. Let there be a different outcome."

"I'm grateful that you honor our wishes, Pup. You have always been there for us, and we ask so much of you, but this is a test of our friendship that pales beside the others."

"I miss him, Bai."

"I see that truth in your every motion, Little One," the dog replied. "That is why I'm here. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye. I was dead before you returned. I am so sorry."

Derrick looked up into the face of the temple dog. "Li Wei?"

"As best as I can be, all things considered," the dog replied.

"But… but you can't," the black wolf stammered.

"No, I can't," the dog agreed. "But you can. I am here at your request. I will always be here when you need me."

Derrick pushed back from the hug and looked around. Everything seemed in place, but just beyond his sight, he realized the world clouded ever so slightly. "I'm dreaming, aren't I, Li Wei?"

"Yes, Little One. I hope that doesn't lessen our time together for you. Bai and you spend some very happy times in dreams."

"He still comes to me at night when he's horny," Derrick said with a laugh. "He's over there awake in Tibet and he senses I'm asleep. So, he comes to visit me. I wake up a gooey mess every time that I can't explain to the husbands."

"Perhaps you should tell them," Li Wei said. "So they don't worry that they are not draining a sufficient amount of semen from you to stay healthy."

"But Bai is real. He only comes into my dreams because he can. You're not the same, Li Wei. I know you're dead."

"That is true. But is the desire you hold for me to be here any less real to you than with Bai?"

"No."

"Then let us enjoy our time together. Let me say goodbye to you the way I would have wished."

"Am I going to wake up covered in my own cum?" the wolf asked.

Li Wei rolled onto his back, laughing. When he righted himself, he smiled at the young wolf. "One day that would be fun, but for now, let's talk about your powers."

"I promise, Li Wei, I won't try to bring you back."

"That is all I ask."

"I can't feel you, Li Wei," the wolf said sadly. "I mean out there; out in the real world."

"I'm not there anymore. What I did transcended the limitations of our experience."

"Are you alive out there?"

"I'm a part of your soul now, Little One. I'm a memory. This is you reaching out to me in the only way you can. And this is me, reaching out to you in the only way I can. If you ponder too deeply on this moment, you may lose it. For once, Pup, stop trying to understand the truth of something, and accept what you feel to be true."

"That's not like me, Li Wei," the wolf replied. "It's a struggle even now."

Li Wei pushed the young wolf back and stared at him. "If I am only a dream created from your mind to soften this horrible time for you, would it matter? Would I feel any less real to you if you decide that is the case? Would my fur against yours be any less warm because you decide it's not real?"

Derrick nodded his head. "I think it would."

"And what would happen if you made the choice to see me as a figment of your imagination?"

"I would probably wake up."

"And the two of us would be all the sadder for it, Pup."

The black wolf nodded again. "I want you to stay, Li Wei. I don't care what you are."

"In this moment, I am real, Little One. In this moment, we find our time to say goodbye."

"I don't want to do that," the wolf said, looking down at his outstretched feet. "I don't think I can say goodbye."

"There are places I need to be, Pup. What would you have me do?"

Derrick looked up into the smiling face of the temple dog. "Stay here with me forever?"

The temple dog laughed. "And incur the wrath of your husbands? I have no intention of doing that. Pup, we both have lives beyond this moment. We need to return to them. But I want you to understand the choice was mine. I lived on this planet for ten thousand years, and I have seen so much darkness and hatred. I stared into the awful of which Oliver speaks. But I also saw beauty… beauty that eclipses any words used to describe it. And one of the most beautiful things I ever beheld sits here beside me. Do you know why I don't believe in Karma, Pup?"

The wolf shook his head, and the dog responded, "Because of you. There is nothing in my life that I have done to deserve you. You are proof that my life is so much more than I am worthy of, and so I try so hard to be better than I am able because you are beside me."

Derrick rubbed his thighs nervously. "I feel the same way. I try to be better than I am able for my family."

"I hope you always will, Pup." The temple dog leaned back, resting on his elbows. One hand reached out and patted his lap. "Come sit here, Pup. I need to feel you pressed against me."

"It will only get us both aroused," Derrick protested.

"Then I will apologize in advance for making you a sticky mess when you wake. If I am dead, Pup, if what I was is now only a memory, let my last memory of you be the taste of your lips on mine and the joy of me deep inside you."

The dog pushed back the fur of his groin to show the swelling within his sheath. "Before I become only a part of all that surrounds us, let me be the one who surrounds you with his arms. Tonight, let us make love so that all the tomorrows will be gentler on you than these last days have been. Let tonight be my gift to you, and in allowing me to give that gift, let me be better than I am able. Let me realize yet again that you are so much more than I deserve."

Derrick rose off the grass and straddled the wide hips of the temple dog. He leaned forward and rested his head on the chest of the dog and closed his eyes as the furred arms wrapped around him and pulled him in tight. He could sense the swelling cock of the dog moving along his backside and realized his erection was already pressing into the belly of the dog. With a gentle tug, the paws of the temple dog lifted the wolf and pushed him onto the swollen cock.

Derrick closed his eyes as the all too genuine pleasures of being mounted by a temple dog swept over him. When the rhythmic thrusting began, Derrick leaned into the moment and embraced it. "This is going to be so embarrassing when I wake up," he giggled.

"And now?" Li Wei asked.

"Now, it's heaven, Li Wei," the wolf replied. "Thank you for coming back to say goodbye."

"It is what you believed I would always do, Pup," the dog said as the ramming of flesh on flesh became more frenzied.

Derrick's mind thought for a moment about the words the temple dog spoke. He wondered if this was only his brain creating the reality he hoped would be. Maybe this was the act of a mass of gray cells in crisis mode. Thick paws shaking his body pulled him back. "Stay focused, Little One," the dog ordered. "I did not go to all this trouble to let you waste it on speculations. It doesn't matter what I am. It matters only that in this moment we are together."

Derrick felt the thick cock push even deeper as the dog pushed down on his shoulders. He smiled at the yellow-furred beast and nodded. "Take me, Li Wei. I'm here and I won't leave you until we're both spent."

When the temple dog's cock began twitching inside the young wolf with its impending orgasm, Derrick thought only for a moment of ending the dream. It would be easier if his body in the real world didn't respond by leaving him covered in cum. Then he remembered his promise and leaned back so that Li Wei's cock pushed against his prostate and forced the wolf to abandon himself to the orgasm. It was the same overwhelming pleasure he always had when the temple dog pushed him over the edge. His eyes shut tight and the climax swept over him.

What Derrick didn't expect was the sensation of warm lips on his cock as the intensity of the orgasm abated. He looked down at the bobbing head of the temple dog kneeling in front of him as he sat on the bench overlooking the bay. The smiling face of the dog looked up at him as he licked his chops clean. Not a drop of the young wolf's cum had spilled. Derrick stared at the dog, bewildered.

"I was walking along the paths, and saw you, Little One. Your genitalia was in a most aroused state. I could tell your impending orgasm would cover your fur in a way that would be most awkward for you to explain. So, I used my mouth as a receptacle for your ejaculation. I hope this meets with your approval."

Derrick giggled and rubbed the top of the temple dog's head. The scar next to his left ear told the black wolf everything. "Thank you, Rong. It meets with my approval very well."

The dog took one last lick over his muzzle. "I miss him, too, Little One. The abbots of our order all can enter the dreams of those who let them. I do not know if Li Wei lives beyond this life, but I believe he lives in each of us. It takes a remarkable man to call on that memory to say goodbye to the one he loves."

"Is that what I did?" Derrick asked.

"There were two remarkable men in your dream, Pup. I choose not to linger on which one made that dream possible."

"But you saw it? You saw Li Wei?"

"To a degree. My brothers and I have always seen what the others see. It gives me hope that your vision of Li Wei pleasuring you is a sign that he is still with us in one form or another. His death has been very difficult on us."

"Me too," Derrick said with a frown.

"But your copulation was a joyous moment for us all," Rong said as he rose. His massive cock swayed upright. "We are all aroused, but it will calm with time. Until we lay Li Wei to rest, my brothers and I will be celibate."

Derrick smiled. "Rong, you just got finished sucking me off."

"No, Little One. Your dream of Li Wei pushed your body to where your ejaculation would have caused you distress in this world. I was, for lack of a better term, the cleanup crew to ensure your copulation was a memorable one rather than an embarrassment."

"It still felt good."

"I am glad," the temple dog said with a bow. "I admit to feeling a great deal of pleasure as well. Our occasional celibacy sometimes confuses our family. We understand that."

Derrick grinned. "Mostly because you never stay celibate while you're doing it."

"The needs of our family come above all else, Pup. We frequently find a need to interrupt our celibacy to attend to the needs of our family."

Derrick nodded. "And we're grateful. There's never a time when we don't enjoy your company."

From the top of the knoll, three beasts and a human clothed only in a robe came running toward Derrick and Rong. Oliver was pulling Adam along and yelling something, but the sound of the wind and waves concealed the words. As they got closer, the temple dog following the two was trying to push the fur over his erection with little success. The occasional parting of the human's robe as he ran showed that something had similarly aroused him.

As the four got closer, Oliver's words became clearer. "I seen him, Pup. I seen Li Wei."

Derrick stood up and caught the badger in a hug as soon as he was close enough. "That's wonderful. I saw him too."

Oliver's eyes widened. "You did? You seen him?"

"Yeah, we sort of played together."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. "Li Wei fucked you?"

"Yeah."

Oliver voiced a low growl. "Bastard dog. We's gonna have a talk if I ever sees him again."

Derrick laughed as he put the badger back onto the pathway. "But you saw him, Oliver. That's what's important."

Oliver nodded. "We talked the way we used to, Pup. He's still worried about me. He says I needs to close my circle, but I ain't got a clue what he means."

The dog behind Oliver and Adam spoke. "You will understand his words in time, Oliver. Let them rest in your heart for now."

Oliver looked up at the dog. "I will, Katashi. I wish he had visited you."

Katashi nodded. "That would have been wonderful, but we glimpsed him in your company. That alone is a blessing I never expected." The dog brushed his fur back down over the receding dick and smiled at the black wolf. "I am glad that the two of you could be together. I always loved watching my husband copulate with my family."

Derrick looked away shyly. "I always liked you watching, Katashi; mostly because you rarely stayed just watching."

"I find it difficult not to join in, Pup. My family draws me into a world that I always dreamed of living in."

Derrick looked up at the dog as if hearing another speak the words he was too shy ever to speak. "It's the same way with me, Katashi. I used to dream of being in a family like this one so many hundreds of years ago. I never thought there was a way that dream could come true."

"And yet it has," Katashi said as he leaned over and kissed the top of the black wolf's head.

Derrick looked at Spackle, noticing the protrusion of his robe. "You're going to be such a great temple dog," he said with a smile.

"I guess I already am in some ways," Spackle said with a shy smile. "I'm glad you could say goodbye."

"I'm sorry, Spackle. I really am," the black wolf whispered.

"Me too, Wolfy," the young man replied. "But not about what you and Li Wei chose to do. I love you both." He reached out and gave the wolf a tight hug.

Oliver watched while the two hugged. "Holds on a minute," the badger said, thinking. "If Li Wei was fucking the pup, how is it he was talking to me?"

Adam waved his hand. "Don't go there, Oliver. Years ago, when I was an Armbruster's wolf, I saw something that made me wonder if the temple dogs are playing things very close to the vest. After our training, Katashi was talking to Marcus as I headed off to the hot springs. When I got into the hot springs, Katashi was there with me. He never crossed by me, he never went around, and yet, he was there."

Oliver looked up at Katashi. "Is that true, Dog? Is what the otter saying true?"

"Of course. The otter never lies."

"But you. Is what he says about you true?"

"It's hardly accurate as none of us wear vests, but I believe beyond that, his words have a certain truth to them."

"You ain't gonna tell me if you can be in two places at once, is you?" the badger fumed.

"I believe I will hold that close to my vest," the dog said with a smile.

"Bastard dog," the badger said as he stomped his foot on the ground. It had no sooner hit the ground than it turned in a small circle. Oliver looked at his foot and frowned. "Guess we all has secrets we keep. Can't go faulting you for choosing to do the same."

"When there is a need, Little One, we will never hold the truth from you," Rong said as he picked up the badger, and hugged him. "Until then, the safety of our family demands that we not be forthcoming in all things."

Oliver stared at the dog hugging him. "If you wasn't such a good fuck, Dog, I swear I would bonk your nose right now."

"Then I am glad I am such a good fuck," the dog said without letting the hug go.

Nathaniel, Max, Martin, and Chipo came walking over the hill. "I told you they would be here," Martin said as they drew close.

Oliver looked up at the saber-tooth cat. "Li Wei visited you too?"

"Yep," Max said as he picked up the badger and hugged him. "Seems we have a very busy ghost on the island tonight."

"You don't think he's alive?" Derrick asked the short-faced bear.

"I don't know what to think, Pup," Max replied. "All I know is it was good to see him again."

Derrick watched everyone talking and began thinking. The Sight pushed forward. This time, he pushed back. Li Wei was right. If he thought too deeply, he would lose the magic of their moment together forever. That wasn't something he was willing to lose for the sake of knowing the truth.

From a distance in the dark, a lone temple dog watched the animated conversations of his family. "Forgive me, Li Wei," he whispered. "The burden of your death was crushing them. I realize you don't approve of subterfuge, but I couldn't let this continue. I had to give them something to hope for, some small spark of life."

The dog stared at the group and wiped the tears from his face. "I have never known a family beyond you and your brothers," the dog whispered. "I am only now realizing how much I missed by being dead; how much you will miss. And I realize the day will come when they will find peace in your memory, but that day is not today. I needed to ensure they survive long enough to reach that place."

"I would have done the same, Father," Jiao-long heard as a yellow arm reached around him.

Jiao-long looked at the temple dog next to him. "Li Wei?" he asked.

"At least I have the scars to prove it," Li Wei said, extending his arm and shaking his leg to show off the scars he carried.

"How… how…"

"Can I ask you to take your own advice and not think too deeply about this?" Li Wei asked.

Jiao-long nodded happily. "I miss you so much, Son," he whispered as he grabbed the dog in a tight hug.

"And I miss you all. But you planted the seed, Father. When I come to them in their dreams, they will welcome me. I will live on inside their memory and be there in their dreams."

Jiao-long looked at the dog. "I'm dreaming now, aren't I, Li Wei?"

"Of course," the dog said, pushing back from the hug. "We both realize I am deceased, but your family wasn't the only one being crushed by the burden of my death. My father needs me as well. I will always be there for him. Let this moment be. Don't call it into question and lose the moment. Accept this time with me as the gift I hope it to be."

Jiao-long nodded. "I can do that, Son. I will miss you when I wake."

"I am never far from your heart, Father. There are worlds in play here of which we know nothing and realms beyond our understanding. Please trust me when I say all will be clear in time, but for now, I need you to trust me. If I am out there, if it is my time to return, you must believe I will do that."

"But it's equally possible that you might become involved in another life and not take notice of the signs?"

"I am easily distracted, Father."

Jiao-long smiled. "Will you visit us from time to time?"

The temple dog nodded. "I will try to remember." He extended his arms and lifted his leg. "I guess I will need to let my scars go. You already set the stage for me not having them."

Jiao-long turned away, embarrassed. "I couldn't remember where they were. Our family has had a longer time to learn their locations."

"I am grateful for your actions and your words this evening. You were everything I could dream of being for my family. I could not ask for a better surrogate." The scars on Li Wei faded as the fur grew back over them. "I have no problem with this look." His hand reached out and grabbed his father's. "The look suits you as well, Father. Perhaps it is time to let the world of dragons learn who their protector really is."

"But I fly to their world."

"So, maybe a nice pair of yellow wings? They look very fetching on the young bears. I am sure they would be equally nice on you."

Jiao-long thought for a moment, and yellow wings like those of a bat sprang from between his shoulder blades. Li Wei smiled. "You are beautiful, Father. From the first moment I met you on the banks of the Huang-He, I was in love. Never had a man taken me to the places you did, nor allowed me to become what I always dreamed of being. How I wish I was still alive in your world. I would so enjoy having you inside me once more. We never had the time for that in all that has happened since your return."

"Derrick said Bai and he have sex frequently in his dreams."

"That is true," Li Wei said, reflecting on the actions of his brother. "Perhaps I could visit you one day, and you would remind me why I was so smitten with you in the first place. We temple dogs love hanging from high places, and those wings bring to mind many possibilities."

"I would like that," Jiao-long said, flapping the wings.

"But for now, your family needs you," Li Wei said. "My brothers understand why you did what you did, and they will protect anyone from discovering your actions. They understand now that what you offered our family was not a lie. I am here in your dreams as you were in all of theirs. You are learning what it means to be one of the Brotherhood, to be a son of Jiao-long. What one of us do to guard our family, all of us do. We don't care who steps up to become what we all would willingly do. We are overjoyed in your first steps to reclaim the birthright you gave us."

Li Wei ruffled the top of his father's furred head. "Give me a kiss goodbye and be confident that I will watch over my family as long as there is a memory of me to be had."

The two hugged, and their lips met. Moments later, Jiao-long woke with a start. He reached back and rubbed the wings on his shoulders. For a time, Jiao-long tried to determine if his son was there in his dream, as Bai was with Derrick. He struggled with the idea that it was simply his desire to create what he needed most. With a smile, he shook his head. "I don't need to know, Li Wei. I don't need to know."

Chapter 34

Third Night, the night of gathering, was the night that family gathered around those who had suffered the most from the death of the loved one. It was more than a night of condolences. There were never comments about how one understood or how time would heal the pain. It was a night when all who came together acknowledged that no platitudes ever healed a broken heart.

No beast in the Were Nation ever said, "If you need anything, call me." There were no thoughts and prayers. There were only acts of kindness that proved to the grieving that people who cared surrounded them. A warm casserole brought by the saber-toothed cat and his husbands to the temple dog and the young man by his side. Kyle, the werewolf gardener, helped Katashi and Spackle plant a new rhododendron in the front yard of the Battery Observation Post. Shovel in hand, they created a living memorial in memory of Li Wei. Dr. Kong, the Chow, sat with the yellow dog and the human for hours, his arms wrapped around both. Never a word passed between the three. He was another soul tethering Katashi and Spackle to their world, and that was enough. Each act was a balm on the grieving husband's wounds and a salve on the soul of a young human dealing with a world of crushed dreams.

During Third Night, as the day ended, and the stars disappeared behind the clouds, Katashi and Spackle sat with their brothers. The family of humans and beasts filled the field, becoming a larger circle surrounding the circle of dogs. The chanting of the dogs formed the bass line of a melody, and the Changeling bears provided the melody. It was a song no one but the dogs and Changelings understood, but all knew the emotions by heart. Soon, the wolves followed, and one by one, as the spirit moved them, human and beast alike began singing. Tonight, they sang of all that they had lost and all that they had found. The joys, the happiness, and the thrill of knowing Li Wei somehow found voice in both parts of the song. It was a song that gave voice to all that the crying temple dog husband wished to speak but could not. It acknowledged the pain of a young man dealing with so much loss that he couldn't sort through it all.

When the song had ended, the crowd filed past Katashi and Spackle, offering their support. The two did their best to attend to each, but memory dragged their attention away so frequently, their family knew to keep their goodbyes short. When at last the family had all departed, the temple dogs gathered around their brothers. Almost silent wings flapped overhead. The dogs looked up, watched the new temple dog drop from the sky, and plant his feet on the ground. Jiao-long's wings folded up and disappeared into his back.

"Good Evening, Father," Katashi said with a bow. "I am glad you could be here this evening."

"I apologize for my tardiness, Son," the winged dog said with a bow. Jiao-long turned to the young human. He made another bow. "Son," he repeated.

Spackle made a small bob of his head. "Father." The two spoke no other words between them, but the young man needed to hear no other words.

"I was visiting the dragon homeworld," Jiao-long told the group. "They offer their sympathy. A contingent of them will be here for Fourth Night. They will meet us in Tibet. They fear their presence here on the island would distract attention away from the ceremonies. They will bring water from the Stolten springs. It is said to calm the spirit and bring pleasant dreams. "

"I have already had the most pleasant of dreams, Father," Katashi said with a smile. "I have seen my father talking to Li Wei."

Jiao-long smiled back. "Then I am happy for you. I never believed I would ever see him again. I hope he is well wherever he is. Someday, I hope to see him in my dreams again. He made me a promise that I look forward to fulfilling."

Katashi's head tilted to the side. "And what is that, Father?"

"To be with him as we were the day he turned."

Katashi's eyes clouded with tears. "I remember the day you turned me, Father, and all the days that followed. I hope Li Wei returns to your dreams soon."

Jiao-long reached out and grabbed both of Katashi's paws. "I will not wait for my son to return, Katashi. Not while all my other sons wait for me. I have been so preoccupied with taking care of the dragons; I have neglected taking care of my sons."

Bai shook his head. "We understand the nature of your responsibilities, Father. We are happy to wait."

The winged dog shook his head in return. "My responsibilities should have been to my sons first. I have forgotten that."

"We have gladly waited for you, Father," Noboru said. "We will always wait for you."

The winged dog wiped the tears building in his eyes. "I've come home, Sons. You don't have to wait anymore."

Katashi reached out and hugged his father. "Then you will need a place to stay. The bed in my home is lonely without my mate. Stay the night with me and help me prepare to say goodbye to the one I can never say goodbye to." Katashi turned to Spackle. "Can you share our bed with another tonight, Little One?"

Spackle looked at the two temple dogs standing in front of him. "Let me go home to my dads tonight, Katashi. Your father and you need to be closer than having me in the room would allow."

Katashi shook his head. "I would not displace you, Little One. It is not…"

Spackle put up his hand silencing the temple dog. "This is my choice, Katashi. My dads are grieving, too. I need to be with them the same way you need to be with your father. I understand my place beside you. But tonight, our place is to be beside our fathers."

Katashi hugged the human and whispered, "How I love you, Spackle." With a kiss, the dog let the human slip through his paws and watched as he ran off into the dark toward the Light Keeper's Home.

When the young man knocked on the door and it opened, he fell into the arms of the wolf and bear standing in the doorway. The two lead him into the home and few words passed between the beasts and the son they realized had no words for what had happened.

Third night was nearing its end. Spackle had enjoyed the company of his surrogate fathers in bed on many nights before. Yet tonight, the young man realized there was a comfort they offered that extended into times of sadness. He felt the arm of the bear wrap around his waist and pull him in close. Spackle draped his arm over the wolf and the wolf's paw wrapped around his hand. How strange it felt that the two who stirred so much passion in nights past, tonight, brought only calm. It was a lesson learned at too great a price, but Spackle learned it nonetheless. When beasts didn't know where to turn, they turned to each other. In that bond, they endured the unendurable.

The night brought so many new and unexpected emotions to everyone. Katashi and his father sat quietly upright in the bed together. Katashi looked down at his body, rolling his outstretched arms, and staring at the gashes along his chest and belly. Finally, he spoke in a voice just above a whisper. "The scars from the battle are still here," he said, looking at his father. "I don't want them to be there. I want them to heal, but they remain."

The winged temple dog took Katashi into his arms and hugged him. "We cannot let the scars go at will, Son. They heal when our hearts will let them go."

"They cover the scars the old wolf and Pup have given me. Those were my happy scars. So much pain covers their memory."

Jiao-long leaned back and shook the dog gently. "And in time, Katashi, the scars those two have given you will be all that you can see. But for now, the scars of battle are there to remind you that letting go of one as beautiful as your husband isn't as easy as the Buddhists make it out to be."

"The Buddhists have many thoughts we have found bear rethinking over the years. There are things in this life that are worth holding onto. Sometimes what binds us to this existence makes us stronger."

"I am glad to hear that, Son," Jiao-long said. "There are ceremonies and remembrances that need doing before Fourth Night. Help me and your brothers to get through this trying time." The winged dog paused. "And let us help you say goodbye to your husband." Jiao-long pulled his son into an even tighter hug. "We will find a way through this together, Son," he said confidently. He looked up at his other sons surrounding them. "All of us will find our way through this together."

Katashi's brothers helped him and their father recline into the bed and pulled blankets over the two. Each dog gave the two a kiss and then went out into the house to find a place to lie down. The dogs curled up into tight bundles of fur pushed against each other and closed their eyes. That night the temple dogs dreamed, and in their dream, the family reunited with their brother and son, Li Wei. None in the Brotherhood ever questioned how.

Chapter 35

Fourth Night, the night of binding, was not the end of grieving. It was simply a day to let the physical body of the loved one go and bind the heart to what remained. First Night was to help the family understand that all that remained were memories. Fourth Night acknowledged that truth by letting go of the physical body in the candle ceremony. Around the great mound of logs that held the body of the deceased on top, the family made their eulogies. At the end of the family's goodbyes, those attending the funeral lit the pyre by placing their candles on the wooden pile.

Yet, as the family heard the carillon bells ringing to announce the beginning of Fourth Night, it surprised them to find no logs in the field. Only the Brotherhood surrounded two dogs and a frail-looking human in the middle. Katashi gripped the body of Li Wei in his arms and rocked quietly. Spackle was by his side, wearing Li Wei's ceremonial robes. They dwarfed the human, but all understood the meaning of a young man trying to let go of the one he loved while clinging to what little he had left. There was no shroud, no way to tell that the gentle giant wasn't sleeping in the arms of his husband. Every tradition of Fourth Night was missing, and not one who stood by watching challenged the rightness of the night.

When the crowd had gathered, the white bear stepped forward. "We are here to honor our fallen brother. Who speaks on his behalf?"

A temple dog rose from the circle, and his wings spread out. There was a murmur through the group as the dog stepped forward. "I am Jiao-long of the Verital, guardian of the dragon world, and father of Li Wei. I speak on behalf of my son."

The polar bear bowed. "We are honored by your presence as we were honored by the life of your son."

The temple dog's soft fingers bent along the wings. "Ah, jeez, Lee… I mean Eric…" the dog quickly corrected, "do we really have to do all this stuff?"

The polar bear tried to smile. "I have no objection to bypassing the traditions, Brother. I only want you to realize how much we loved your son. This has always been our way. The formality of the words helps me get through it without breaking down and crying."

"But I know how much you loved him, Brother," the dog responded. "I watched as you honored him by staying your hand against his attackers the way he would have wanted you to. I saw you be a better father to my son than I was. Li Wei's life brought him a joy I am only now beginning to comprehend because of the people who surround us now. I wasn't there for him. You, your husbands, and everyone here tonight were his life. You were his reason for living, and in the end, the lessons you taught him were the reason he could bravely do what all of us fear."

Eric rubbed the tears from his eyes. "Crap," he said. "I won't get through this without a rehearsed script."

"Then cry already, Brother," the temple dog said as his wings flapped forward. He looked toward the crowd. "This is Fourth Night. The night we say goodbye to the body of the one we love. But he didn't die four days ago. Tonight is not the night we acknowledge his death. Tonight is the night we say he is not dead; he lives in each of us. We may have to give up his body to the elements that created it, but we hold his spirit in our hearts. I have known my son for such a short time compared to many of you, but I understand why your hearts are breaking. I know why, but I ask a favor of you. Let Li Wei do one last great deed. Let him heal your broken hearts tonight. Come forward and tell your stories. Let us hear of the way he touched your lives. Let the life he lived not end tonight, but be the first night of so many nights when we speak of him in loving tones, in laughter, and in joy."

"We lives in the moment that has the good, Dog," Oliver said, stepping forward. "We lives in the moment where Li Wei is alive. I lives in the moment when a dog took pity on a badger and taught him how to control the voices in his head." A brief snicker went through the crowd, but when the badger turned back toward them, it stopped instantly.

Oliver smiled at the group. "You can sez anything you want about the way he taught me, and I'se gonna be fine. I knows most don't think sex can heal a broken man, but that's because you ain't never been where I was, or had Li Wei touch you the way he touched me. I lies down at night with eight husbands, and I can loves every one of them because them voices in my head quiets down when I tells them to. Li Wei taught me that. Li Wei made it so I can looks you people in the eye and smile at you when you walks by instead of hanging my head in shame.

"It were Li Wei who taught JP and me how to control the powers we gots. He was there in the worst time of our lives when it was all coming undone, and he told us to use what he taught us." The badger set his feet apart and bent his knees. "Circle stance," he said as his body moved in a circular pattern and his arms formed a circle with his palms facing inward.

"Gather the chi in the core of your being," the badger said; and within the circle of his arms radiating out from his chest, a white glow formed. "Control the chi, control the mind," Oliver said as his hands rotated outward in a circular motion. It was a familiar pattern to everyone who had ever seen a Channeler manifesting his powers. "One part moves, all parts move," the badger repeated the words of Li Wei. The light grew more intense as it formed into a tight ball in the rotating hands of the badger.

The badger's eyes closed. "See beyond the chi, see the energy of the universe; see all and be at peace with your place in the vastness." One hand lifted, and the light shot up into the sky. What followed was an explosion of color and fireworks like the crowd had never seen. Without a sound, the lights spiraled through the air and showered down around the people. The sparks scattered everywhere, but none were hot. They were simply points of light dancing across the shoulders of beasts and humans alike, falling to the earth, and disappearing.

Eventually, a single, white glowing ball of light dropped from the sky and enveloped Katashi, Spackle, and Li Wei. "Live in the moment that has the good. Stay with the good," Oliver said as his eyes opened. "Li Wei is the good I ain't never gonna forget. I miss him something fierce, but I stays with the good. I stays with the memory of him that makes me smile every time I thinks of him."

Oliver walked over and kissed Li Wei and then leaned up and kissed Katashi. "I loves you, Dog," he said. "I knows you is all the same, so I loves you all the same. But I ain't never gonna stop hoping that one day your mate comes home. But until that day, you and me, we both lives in the moment with the good, okay?"

Katashi bowed slightly. "In the moment that has the good, Badger." He leaned down and kissed the badger once more. "Li Wei would be so proud of you, Oliver. Your training is complete."

Oliver smiled proudly. He looked at the young man sitting next to the two temple dogs. "You is something special, Spackle. I'm sorry the dog who you was gonna mate is dead. But there is a dog still left here loving you. Don'ts you forget what you has because of all you'se lost."

Spackle reached out his hands and took the badger into a hug. "I'll try not to forget where my place is, Oliver."

Oliver pushed back from the hug and smiled at the human. "Then we is good because our place will be to be by your side forever. You become a temple dog. You become what you was born to be. And you know we will stand beside you."

Spackle made a small bow. "I know."

Oliver turned, but when he felt the huge paws of a bear pick him up, he laughed out loud. Kris towered over the two dogs and the tiny human sitting in the field. The bear placed the badger on his shoulders. The Kodiak leaned over, kissing the dead temple dog, his mate, and then the young man. "Li Wei made it possible for this badger to quiet the voices in his head and control the visions. But, more importantly for those of us who call him Husband, the dog made it possible for the badger to see beyond his fear. He taught Oliver to turn from his self-hatred and find the love he so richly deserved. He has taught us all how to be better mates with every action he has taken."

The brown bear's arm reached out and took Katashi's paw in his. "Your mate deserves more thanks and gratitude than any Fourth Night can offer him, Katashi. We stand by your brothers in our sense of loss, and we realize we will never comprehend the depth of your feeling for such a magnificent beast. But like my husband, I stay with the good. I celebrate a life well lived and an exemplar to us all."

Katashi smiled. "I think he would have enjoyed hearing that," the dog said. "But it would have also pleased him to know that you enjoyed his sexual prowess."

Kris smiled. "Really? You don't think that would be inappropriate at a time like this?"

"He loved your genitalia, Bear. It would be a shame not to acknowledge how much you loved his."

"That is true, Katashi," the Kodiak said, turning toward the crowd. "All too often we overlook that part of ourselves others see as embarrassing when voiced in public. I shouldn't be ashamed to speak of all that made Li Wei so amazing. There is not an inch of him my tongue has not explored, and I can say without a doubt that I never grew tired of my explorations. Beyond that, I cannot comment without my fur turning redder than Jason's out of embarrassment." The crowd laughed and when the laughter subsided, the bear looked back at the two dogs and the human beside them. "I will miss my friend. I will miss his passion for laughter, for play, for sex, and for every physical pleasure this world offers. But, mostly, I will miss the passion he shared for his family. Go in peace Li Wei. May all your journeys be pleasant ones." The bear bowed, holding onto the badger wrapped around his neck, and retreated into the crowd.

Will stepped forward from the group. "I promise not to follow my husband's efforts to complement the talents and abilities Li Wei had for sex. But I will say that he's in the top ten of the most sexually adept men I have ever been with, and I have five husbands who make that list by default." There was a collective giggle from the crowd and the old wolf continued. "But whether we were playing together in bed, or planting rice in the fields, that man taught me so much about myself. He colors my world with the life we've shared over a millennium."

The old wolf squatted down before the three. His hand reached out and touched the jowls of the dead beast. "Do you realize how special you have to be to captivate my attention for a thousand years, Dog? You were amazing. You know I struggle with a belief in an afterlife, but you sorely press me to try. I promise you I will take good care of your husband and the boy he's going to marry one day. Hell, I'll take good care of all your brothers if they'll let me. But you… you dog… I will miss you. I am grateful for all our time together, and I hope you'll forgive me for being greedy enough to say it wasn't near enough."

Will looked up into the eyes of Katashi and wiped a tear from the temple dog's eye. "I will be there, Katashi." He looked at the young man and put his paw on Spackle's heart. "I will be there for both of you."

"I know you will, Old Wolf," the dog said with a bow.

"Me, too, Will," the young man replied. "I have no doubts."

Before another beast could step forward, an older woman walked out into the field toward the dogs. The circle separated as she walked toward the three in the center. She walked with a cane, but she did so with a grace that bespoke of one who never let the changes of age get the better of her without a fight. She leaned over in front of the three and stroked Li Wei's muzzle.

Had the crowd not been mostly beasts with keen hearing, much of what she said would have gone unheard. But as the story evolved, the crowd saw the ripples flowing out from Li Wei's life in the manner he so often taught about the lives of others. "I met Li Wei when I was six years old," the woman said. "My great grandpa Bucky brought me to the island. He would tell me the stories of his training in tai chi beside a giant yellow dog. He took his nursing residency in a hospital full of wolves and a doctor bear. You have no idea how disappointed I was when I saw you, Li Wei. I saw this Chinese man, and you laughed so loud when I told you that you weren't a dog.

"You told me that if I ever came to love you, I would see you as you really were. Great Grandpa Bucky insisted I train with the other children in tai chi class and you were so kind and understanding. I watched you and Oliver and I never saw two men who were so much in love. You two moved with such grace and beauty, and I wanted so much to be like the two of you. I was eight when I saw you, Li Wei; a huge yellow dog and a badger drawing circles in the air. That was the day I realized you were right. All I had to do was love you.

"You taught me so much about myself in that class. Years later, you were by my side, helping me study for my premed entrance exams. You helped me cram for my finals. You helped me research my doctorate thesis on experimental tissue regenerative therapies. The world never saw the chapters on werewolf healing abilities. But the rest of my research has saved the lives of so many burn victims. Nathaniel gave me such a hug the day I graduated. He was so proud of me. And then you hugged me, and I realized somewhere along the line, I had become a part of this vast family of loving animals. So many animals who never once treated me as anything but the human being I wanted to be.

"I have treated three hundred sixty-eight werebeasts in my life before I retired three years ago. I have saved the lives of twenty-three of them. And all because Grampy Bucky told me the truth I couldn't see. You helped me see it. I have had the most amazing life, Li Wei. And I owe so much of it to you.

"You were teaching my grandson, Evan. He's so sad. He doesn't know what to say. I told him his brothers would make sure the tai chi classes continued. But he understands what it means that you won't be teaching class anymore, and he struggles to find words to describe what he feels. He's too young to know what devastated means, but we both understand the emotion."

The woman looked up at Katashi. "I'm Natalie. I was there for your wedding reception."

Katashi bowed slightly. "I remember. Your husband and you did the jitterbug at the dance. I have never been so entranced with a couple gyrating before."

Natalie laughed. "You're too kind. Your husband means the world to me. I am so sorry you lost so important a man in your life."

"I have not lost him," Katashi replied, straight-faced. "He is dead here in my arms."

Natalie shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry. I don't have the words to express how sad I am that he died."

"Nor do I. We are two of a kind," the temple dog replied.

The older woman smiled. "Yes, we are." She looked at the dog for a time, watching his eyes. "My grandson Evan will need a teacher. Tai chi means a great deal to a six-year-old boy who stumbles over his own feet. Do you know tai chi?"

"I am proficient in seventy-two forms of martial arts; seventy-eight, if you count those only beasts can perform. If you include the martial arts practiced only by temple dogs, I am skilled in eighty-three."

Natalie chuckled. "Well, then you're capable enough, I suppose. Can I rely on you to be there for my grandson the way Li Wei was for me?"

"I will return from Tibet as soon as we have observed our ceremonies and sacred practices. Tai chi classes will begin at eight-thirty every weekday morning."

The woman leaned into her cane. "You look and sound so much like your husband."

"We are identical, save our scars."

"You will explain that to Even so that he doesn't get confused, right?"

"Of course."

The old woman leaned up and kissed Katashi. "I wish I had words…"

"I have so few myself," Katashi said, bowing again.

"In time," Natalie said, trying to smile.

"In time," Katashi said with a nod.

The evening proceeded in much the same way. Words of gratitude interspersed between laughter and stories of grown men and women who once rode on the back of the great yellow beast. Tales of lives changed, love shared, and the longing not to say goodbye. When the hours had flown by and the candles grew close to burning out, Eric moved back to the front. "What would you have us do, Katashi?" he asked.

"It is time," Katashi replied. "I hope that the children of man will understand why his body must return to Tibet."

"We all do," a doctor dressed in his white coat assured the dog.

Eric pointed toward a group of tables set apart from the crowd. They followed him with their candles and repeated what they saw him do. Each pulled up on a paper square that rested on the tables. They turned into small, rectangular boxes of red and yellow with Chinese characters on them. At the bottom of the box, a fire-cake rested between two narrow bands of wire. Eric took his candle and put it up against the cake, and the little square grew into a bright flame. Eric held it out and waited.

"The lanterns will pull toward the sky as the hot air fills them," the polar bear said to the crowd. "It reminds us it is a mistake to hold on to something that should fly. Grasping too tightly keeps that which we hold on to from ever becoming what it should be. And so tonight, we let go of our brother, our friend, our lover, our mentor." Eric stopped, trying to hold back the choking sob. "Regardless of what Li Wei was to us, we sense the tug of one who needs to be somewhere else, and we let him go so that he can rise to that calling. We let go, even though every fiber of who we are yearns to cling to him."

Eric's arm stretched out, and the lantern danced at the tip of his fingertips. He lifted the paw and the glowing box slowly rose into the sky. "Goodbye, old friend," the bear said. "I let you go, but I hold on to the memories. They are mine. I will never let them go." The crowd followed each with their own words of goodbye whispered to the dog they loved. The sky soon filled with hundreds of red and yellow lights floating in the sky, moving out over the Bay of Fundy.

In the clearing of grass, Katashi rolled the limp body in his arms off onto the ground and knelt beside it. He gently combed the hair on Li Wei's forehead with his paw. "A lifetime was never enough time, my love," the temple dog said as he kissed the lips of the dog below. "But then, it is all we had. Now we have only our dreams. It is not enough. But I will live in the moment with the good. I have a family to keep me grounded there."

Eric rubbed the shoulders of the yellow dog and then turned back toward his husbands. The temple dogs made their way to the front as they passed the white bear returning to his family.

The temple dogs formed a tight, protective ring around the three. Katashi rose, took Spackle's hand, and they began chanting. All watched as the winged dog Changeling crumpled to the ground, reaching out one last time to touch his fallen son. Jiao-long lifted his head and the sphere of darkness appeared above. There were no lights of galaxies far away, no stars, only a faint glow of lanterns from a temple half a world away glowing in the sphere's darkness. The winged dog picked up his son, and all of Li Wei's brothers joined their hands, bowed their heads, and disappeared into the sphere. The receding sphere left in its wake a sense of reality that none could shake. Li Wei was gone.

On the far side of the island, near one of the artillery searchlights, a small stone rose inside the cemetery. It was a marker for those that would never visit Tibet but mourned the loss of their beloved dog, nonetheless. Gaia had seen to their needs. There would always be a place on Partridge Island to remember Li Wei. The marker's gold lettering and intricately carved designs on the dark green stone spoke of its Asian influences. But the image of a temple dog carrying a young child on his shoulders was what all would remember. Even those who could not read the two Chinese characters below the picture would understand what they said: Li Wei. 

As the crowd gave last hugs to each other and prepared to go to their lodgings for the night, the rain began. Oliver looked up into the sky and felt the rain on his face. "It was nice of you to hold it off, Gaia," he said.

"I didn't do it," came the voice inside the badger's head. "Look to the young wolf if you want to see who is controlling the weather tonight."

Oliver turned toward Derrick. "Pup?"

"I may have kept it from raining."

"You knows you ain't supposed to be using your powers."

"I know."

The badger smiled. "But you done good. So I ain't gonna bitch. What them others don't
 know ain't gonna hurt them."

The rest of the husbands began returning from their goodbyes to the others in the crowd. Will reached out and hugged the black wolf. "I love what you did with the weather tonight, Pup."

"You knew?" the confused young wolf asked.

"The Sight, remember? Don't hide what you're doing, Pup. If you're going to fudge the rules, be brave enough to admit it."

"Okay, Old Wolf," Derrick agreed. He kissed Will and turned to the polar bear. "I kept it from raining tonight, Papa Bear. I'm sorry if that upsets you."

The bear reached out and gave the black wolf a tight hug. "It doesn't, Pup. I kind of figured it was you. Gaia isn't one to change the weather if it helps intensify the mood. She would have let it rain."

"I didn't want anyone to cut short what they had to say because they were getting soaked."

"It was very thoughtful of you," the brown bear said, coming up from behind the black wolf. He joined the polar bear in hugging Derrick, and the young wolf reveled for a moment in the pleasures of being in the middle of a bear sandwich. "Let's head off to bed. It's been a long day."

Martin shook off the rain from his fur. "You men head over to the museum house. I'm going to spend the night with Saand. This will be his first night without one of his brothers watching over him. I notice they touch him the entire time whenever they visit. I have a sense that is part of what keeps him here with us. So, I'm going to substitute for his brothers until they return."

"How is he doing?" Kris asked.

"He's alive. Nathaniel spends hours every day with him, but he's still in a coma."

"We could help," Eric said.

"No, Papa," the saber-toothed cat replied. "You two have given enough. Saand will heal, but not at the cost of you two losing your powers."

"We won't lose our powers," Kris objected.

Martin's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "What happened the last time you brought someone back from the dead, Dad?"

"I didn't have two sons to help me."

"Look, you two," the cat ordered. "I don't know exactly what happens when you bring someone back from the dead, but I know you have my husband worried sick about what you did."

"He wasn't dead," Eric replied. "Not really."

"Trabelem crushed him," Martin disagreed. "Not one bone unbroken, not one organ working. That's pretty much dead in the medical books."

"Not in ours," Eric said. "Trust me, I didn't risk losing my powers to keep him here with us."

"Okay, Papa. You tell me that, and I believe you," the cat said. "You might want to mention that to your son. He still thinks of you as a healer with limitations to your powers." The saber-toothed cat turned and began walking toward the hospital. "You enjoy your night with my husbands. I'll see you in the morning."

The father bear looked at his son. "Do you think he sees?"

Eric sighed. "Martin always sees so much more than he ever admits."

"At least he has a mind not to push for an answer in the middle of all this. But, Son, one day you and Nathaniel need to talk. We shouldn't keep our son in the dark."

"I'll take care of it, Dad. I promise."

"So, am I going to bed with my son tonight or my husband?"

Eric hugged the bear in front of him. "Is it too much if I'm a little of both? I'm not dealing well with Li Wei being gone."

"Of course, my love," the Kodiak replied. "Let's leave the family to fend for itself tonight. I'm sure we can find an open apartment down by the gunnery."

"That would be nice," the polar bear said as he turned toward the far side of the island. "So who cuddles better, my husband or my father?"

"Your husband is better at cuddling. Your father is good at those consoling, long side-hugs while we look over the bay."

"We could take the long way around and sit by the bay for a bit if you don't mind the rain."

"Of course, Son," the brown bear said as he wrapped his arm around the white bear's shoulder and pulled him into a sideways hug.

Fourth Night was ending. The beasts of the island found sleeping alone tonight did not suit them. Even single werewolves accepted invitations to sleep with others. But out on the far side of the island, a badger sat in the pouring rain rubbing the stone in front of him. His fingers traced over the lines of the six names carved on the stone. "I seen Li Wei in a dream, the other night," he said to the stone. "I seen him and I guess he's gonna be okay. Maybe that's just what I wants to believe. Maybe we all wants to believe it so bad our heads just makes it up."

Oliver pushed his head against the stone. "I wish I knowed if you was okay. I wish I could talk with you the way I talked with Li Wei. It wouldn't even matter if it weren't real. Just to see you. Just to say I was sorry. I ache for the wanting." Oliver closed his eyes and cried. In time, leaning up against the stone, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 36

Oliver felt the warmth of a blanket surrounding him. His eyes opened, and he looked up at the wolf folding the blanket around him. "Time to come to bed, Oliver," Will said as he picked the badger up into his arms.

"I wanted them to say they forgives me, Old Wolf. I wanted a dream like I had with Li Wei."

"I wish you could have it too," Will said as he began the walk back to the museum. He paused and turned. He looked up at the rain pouring from the sky and ran toward the little chapel. Once inside, he lowered the badger to the ground and shook himself. "You know the drill, Oliver," the wolf said with the command implied.

Oliver shifted to human and then back to badger. "You gots one soaking wet blanket now, Old Wolf."

"I'm okay with that," the wolf said as he shifted from wolf to human to wolf. The puddle of water at his feet was all that remained of the rain squeegeed off his fur by the transition. "There's a little bed in the office behind the chancel. We can sleep there tonight."

"How does you know about the bed?"

"I'm best friends with the Padre, remember?" Will said with a grin. "He and I used to come here sometimes after dark, and well, after a while, having a bed here seemed like a practical thing to do."

Oliver looked askance at the wolf. "You two is gonna burn in hell, you knows that?"

"I don't believe in hell, and besides, I've done a lot of worshiping on my knees with the Padre here. I'm sure I'll be forgiven."

"Just digging the pit deeper, Old Wolf."

"But you would come to get me, Oliver," the wolf rebutted.

"I would, Old Wolf. I would go through hell to gets you and have no regrets."

Will looked into the eyes of the badger. "Oliver, I know this might never end for you. The cuts are too deep to heal without some sort of intervention. But I want you to know, the red wolves, they loved the old bear; they loved Tiff and Tuff. If they really are somewhere they can see you, then hundreds of years ago, they would have forgiven you. If they see us, then they've seen how you treat our husband and our boys. You're a good man, Oliver. The red wolves are like all the rest of us. They forgive. They want the ones they love to be happy. Don't deny them the right to forgive you because you can't hear or see them."

"I guess I never seen it that way."

"Oliver, if your lives were reversed, and you saw a poor, tortured soul begging for forgiveness, what would you do? If you realized he wasn't strong enough to do what his heart told him for only a moment, what would you say to him? Would you forgive him if he hesitated for a few seconds, wrestling with a world suddenly thrust upon him he didn't understand? I don't even care if he became a great man. If he begged your forgiveness and lived out a quiet little life, hurting no one…" Will looked deep into the badger's eyes. "… would you forgive him?"

The badger averted his eyes from the penetrating stare of the wolf. "I woulds. I woulds want him to have a second chance."

"Then why won't you give those poor wolves credit for being at least as kind as you and let them forgive you?"

"Because I'se a badger, and I can'ts see no one forgiving me for nothin'."

"Well, you bastard," Will retorted. "How arrogant does a person have to be to think he's better than everyone else?"

"I ain't better, Old Wolf. I'se worse. Way worse."

"The hell you are, Oliver," Will fumed. "You're my touchstone. You're the soul that grounds me and keeps me in line. Do you know how good you have to be to take on that job without even knowing you're doing it?"

"Guess it'd be tough keeping you in line if you didn't wants it."

"You're right there. It takes a misguided man to think that he's somehow so above everyone else in this universe that he doesn't deserve the same treatment as the rest of us. I don't care if it's good or bad. You need to rethink who you are, Badger. You need to kick your own ass because we've all tried it and it ain't working here."

Oliver looked up at the old wolf. "You called me Badger."

"Damn right, I did. That's how pissed off I am at you right now," the wolf answered.

"You never calls me Badger."

"And I never will again if you just get past how special you think you are and decide to become one of us. One of those who can be forgiven for their mistakes."

"You called me Badger."

"You're missing the point, Oliver," Will yelled. "I love you. I need you to find a way past what happened centuries ago."

"You called me Badger."

Will grabbed the badger into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Oliver. It was only a moment. I lost my temper. Please don't hold it against me. Say we're both okay. Tell me you forgive me for losing my temper."

Oliver hugged back. "Of course I does, Old Wolf."

Will grabbed the shoulders of the badger and shoved him out to arm's length. "THERE!" he yelled. "See how easy it is? See how easy it is to forgive someone for making a mistake in the heat of the moment?"

"You didn't kill me, Old Wolf," Oliver protested.

"And you didn't kill the red wolves, Oliver." Will pointed toward the graveyard outside. "Humans killed them; bloodthirsty humans. You hesitated. You were confused. But you never killed any of them. You never meant them any harm. Why can't you get that past that thick skull of yours?"

"Cause I'se a badger. You just said so."

"Oh fuck me," Will groaned.

"That would probably go a long ways to helping it get past my thick skull," Oliver said with a smile.

The old wolf stared at the badger. "Are you saying you might actually let them forgive you, even if you never see them again?"

"I'se saying you's helped me see things in a different light. I ain't never thought about how I might be hurting them wolves, never letting them be who they was all along."

Will grabbed the badger into another tight hug. "I love you, Oliver. Please let them rest. Let them be as strong as you. Let them forgive you."

"I promise I'se gonna try," Oliver mumbled. "I'se gonna try my hardest."

"That's all I'll ever ask of you, Oliver."

"I gots something else I would try to give my hardest to you if'n you're up for it."

"Make-up sex, Oliver?"

"They sez it's the best kind."

"In a church? You're gonna burn in hell, you know."

"Well, I'll have you and the padre to keep me company. I should be okay."

The two kissed and soon intertwined in an exploration to determine who would do what to whom. The playful interchange lasted well into the earliest hours of the morning when finally, Oliver closed his eyes wrapped in the old wolf's arms. Will's arm slipped up alongside the badger's temple and rubbed it. "Let them forgive you, Oliver," he whispered as he kissed the top of the badger's head.

In his dream, Oliver ran with the red wolves as they playfully nipped at his heels. They chased him toward a light glowing in the distance. Oliver worried if this was the story he always heard about dead people going toward the light. But the wolves never let up, pushing him ever closer in their race toward the light. As they got closer, Oliver realized it was a simple oil lamp outside an old shack. When the great bear and the young twins stepped out from the doorway, Oliver abruptly came to a halt.

"It's about time you all came home," the polar bear said with a smile. "Come on, you lot. Get cleaned up. Dinner is ready."

Oliver stood immobile, staring at the bear smiling at him. The badger stared at the two young boys, Tiff and Tuff, as they, too, smiled. The surrounding wolves shifted into their werewolf form. One smiling wolf grabbed him and gave him a long, loving kiss. When the kiss had ended, the wolf smiled at him and turned Oliver around, pointing him toward the three in the doorway. "Time to go, Oliver," the wolf said. "Time for you to go home and take care of our family. We have other things to do." With a hearty shove, the red wolf pushed the badger into the arms of the polar bear, and Oliver woke with a shake.

"You, okay, Hon?" Will asked.

"Yeah, Old Wolf," Oliver whispered as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. "I'se gonna be okay. I thinks the circle is finally closing."

Chapter 37

The days slipped into weeks, and the weeks into months. The family of beasts and the family of man struggled with the absence of Li Wei in their life. The dreams ceased, and the longing grew even more intense for their missing. Still, the family stayed in the good. For three months, the family of the bears, the wolves, and the badger shared the home of Katashi, sleeping each night by his side. They too felt a longing for their old friend. They also missed their newest husband. Adam had not returned to Terra since Li Wei's Fourth Night.

Spackle returned home to Lewis and Anders. The young man was changing, and his family recognized the need for him to be in a home that met his changing needs. One of those who watched over the changes most was the young black wolf who had bitten the neck of the human long before the tragic events. All knew of the nights the two spent naked sleeping with their arms around each other, and no one raised a question of its appropriateness.

There were nights when Katashi went missing. There was no need to start a search. Everyone knew where he was. He would hang from the oak tree in the center of the forest and cry. Occasionally, a wail would pierce the fog, and all who heard knew the heartbreak had become too great to hold in. However, the next morning, the dog would be in front of his young students. He would set stance and work through the positions and his grief in gentle swirling circles.

Beside him at every lesson, another dog moved in harmony. The children would watch intently, their arms and legs repeating carefully each gesture of the dogs. On the days they did particularly well, the other dog would unfurl his wings and take the children for short flights around the island. Jiao-long had found a home where his heart could heal beside his son.

Yet, at the end of every day, the wings would spread and the great yellow dog would catapult over the southern cliff face and disappear into the night. The consensus was that Jiao-long spent his nights with his other sons, sharing the grief and loneliness of a father with his surviving sons. On the other side of the world, Jiao-long followed the sun, spending his days with his sons working in the temple gardens and sharing their stories. In the night on Partridge Island, Jiao-long entrusted his son's care to his brother bear and his husbands. His other children all needed him.

Spackle finally turned toward the overweight human one early morning and kissed Derrick. The months of longing he had endured found expression in the two renewing their long-missing physical relationship. Derrick knew Spackle longed to hold another. In this moment, Derrick was a surrogate for one who wasn't there. Still, he held the young man through the loneliness and grief until the human cried the flood of tears he had tried so hard to control. The young man had returned to his family, and with that return, the need to be held and to be intimate with the ones he loved returned as well.

For three days, Lewis and Anders slept in the second Lighthouse Keeper's Home. They allowed the two humans to work on finding Spackle's way back to the beast that lay dormant inside him. It ended when Spackle lay next to Derrick, gently wiping the sweat from the chubby man's forehead. "I'm sorry, Wolfy," he whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't there through all of this."

Derrick returned the gesture of wiping the young man's forehead clear. "It's okay, Spackle. I understand."

Spackle shook his head. "I don't, Wolfy. It's like a part of me is torn out, and I was trying to use you to fill up that emptiness."

"That's what I understand, Spackle," the overweight man explained. "I know you're trying to find a missing feeling. You thought it was physical because we beasts tie so much of what we feel to our physicality. But you won't find what you're missing here with me."

"I will find it with Katashi," Spackle said, filling in the gap.

"I was only here to help you figure that out," Derrick said, smiling.

"The sex was nice, though," the human said, returning the smile.

"Yeah, it was. And one day we'll be back together and it will be great. But for now, you need to be with the dog you love."

"I can't be with him like this, Wolfy. There was a time when I had balance. I could come home and be physical with Lewis and Anders, and I could go visit Li Wei and Katashi and find myself in so many other ways. But I couldn't be with any of them the way I can be with you. And I wanted so badly to be that way with them."

"And now you can't?"

"Now I can't. Li Wei is dead, and that dream I had… that promise died with him."

The chubby human shook, and the black wolf returned. "It didn't die, Spackle. It changed, the same as me. I'm still the same guy you were with only a few moments ago, but now I'm different. You can be angry at that, you can wish it were different, or you can make peace with what's in front of you and find a way to make it work."

"But you can change back, Wolfy."

"No, Spackle, I can't. I'm not changing back. This is who I am. I'm a werewolf. You're a temple dog. You're only a few years from turning. I look at you, and I realize you're already practically there. You're a temple dog wrapped up inside a human body, and I was here trying to remind you of who you are."

"A cuddle machine in overdrive?"

Derrick laughed. "Yeah, that… and so much more. You need to be with your own. You need to heal alongside your brothers. Come back to me one day, Spackle. Let's bite each other's necks again, but let's do it as who we really are. You're a son of Jiao-long of the Verital, and the protector of the dragons. You are the temple dog born to be the mate of Li Wei and Katashi."

"But Li Wei is dead."

"And Katashi is not. Come on, temple dog. This is what you'll be teaching us in a few years. We stay with the good. Remember all that Li Wei has given you, and then you go out there and make a life with Katashi. You don't die with Li Wei. You live with Katashi."

"Our emotions are strange things," the young wolf said. "When someone we love dies, those emotions can sometimes shut down. We're left with a system that feels nothing because the hurt is all we can feel, and feeling nothing seems so much better than that hurt. Over time, we'll find that the feelings return, and we can either let them return or push them down so we don't have to feel the pain."

"So, horniness is my first feeling to come back?"

"It's not that uncommon, Spackle. Why do you think we have all those stories about rebound sex?"

"I used you, Wolfy."

"No, you didn't, Spackle. I was here to make sure you didn't use anybody else. I love you. And one day, we'll be back on an even footing. But I was here while those feelings of yours were waking up again. I stepped in to ensure you were with someone who would understand that a part of you was still out there with the one you love."

"I miss him so bad, Wolfy."

"And you always will. No one can replace that part of your heart he occupies. You can't fill that spot with me or anyone else. That's Li Wei's and his alone. But there's so much more to your heart than that place where he lives. Don't ignore all the rest of your heart while that one part heals."

"Are you still willing to sleep with me on the tough nights?"

"Sure."

"What about sex?"

"Are you still holding out for your dads to take you when you're a newborn?"

Spackle nodded. "Yeah, that's okay, right?"

Derrick returned the nod. "It's okay. I will be there to cover those needs. But it's time I got back to being a werewolf. It's who I am, Spackle. I think by staying a human, I've kept you from being who you are."

"What's that?"

"You're a temple dog and one that has chosen a mate. I don't know why you two are apart, but it has to end. You've got to go back to him. He needs you, and you need him. He's going to be your mate. Nothing has changed that, but one of you has to step up and reaffirm that's who you want to be."

"And that one is me?"

"Yeah, Spackle. That one is you."

"Will you come with me?"

"It's something you have to do on your own."

Spackle sighed. "Yeah, I thought you would say that. You're right. I hope he understands."

"He's a temple dog, Spackle. At his core is a big old ball of understanding. You're going to have it one day."

"Well, don't hold your breath waiting for it, Wolfy. Because I'm sure not feeling it now."

The wolf grabbed the human back into another hug. "You will, Spackle. One day, I promise you that you will."

The human pushed back and stared at the wolf. "Oh… PlayStation Twelve… we're not giving that up, are we?"

"Oh hell, no," the wolf laughed. "Our relationship isn't changing that much. And as I said, I'll be there when you need the touch of someone familiar. After all, we're mated. I suppose I have conjugal obligations." The wolf grinned at the human.

Spackle laughed and reached out, grabbing the black wolf. "I love you, Wolfy," he said. "Thank you for staying with me."

"My pleasure," the wolf replied. "Go see Katashi tomorrow. We need to get our family back together."

"I will; promise," Spackle replied.

Chapter 38

In the early morning light, Spackle stared over the cliff at Katashi down on the beach. He watched as the slow, gentle movements of the beast flowed in harmony with one who was no longer there. He watched the solitary dog face toward the ocean, letting the grief flow over him like the waves that splashed up against his feet. The loneliness flooded the young man's entire being. His resolve faded, and he turned to leave, bumping straight into a badger.

Oliver glowered at the young man. "Where are you going, Human?" he asked.

Spackle took two steps back. "I can't, Oliver."

"Then you is always gonna be just a human," the badger growled. "That dog out there deserves so much more. He deserves what you promised him you was gonna be."

"Li Wei was his mate. Look at me, Oliver. How can I stand beside him where Li Wei once was? I'm me. I'm not Li Wei."

Oliver's face softened. "He ain't asking you to be Li Wei. That dog is asking you to be the temple dog you promised you would be. He's asking you to be his mate one day when you is ready. You ain't ready to stand beside him in Li Wei's place. But you'se never gonna be ready. Ain't never any of us that will. That place is Li Wei's forever. That dog ain't asking you to replace Li Wei. He's asking you to step up and be the dog you promised to be."

"It hurts so bad, Oliver," Spackle sobbed. "I feel so lost."

"I knows, Human," the badger replied. "Ain't none of this that's easy. But you gots a dog that loves you. Them dogs have taught me all my life to see beyond what I don'ts got, to see what I has. You gots to learn that lesson. Ain't no harder lesson to learn, but you gots to learn it. Because one thing you gots is that dog out there practicing by himself when he should have his future mate by his side."

"I'm not worthy to stand by him, Oliver. When Li Wei was there, I felt I had a chance. They were mated. They were whole. I thought, given time, I would find a way to be a part of them. But now there's this enormous hole and I can't fill it. I can't even begin to fill it."

Oliver shifted to his larger form, reached out, and hugged the young man. "You ain't supposed to fill that hole, Human. You is supposed to hold on to that dog and keep him from falling into it. Together, you can face it and keep the other from falling in. It don't matter that neither of you is strong enough. You'se gonna be strong enough together."

"I'm not strong, Oliver. I'm not that man."

Oliver pulled the human closer. "No, you ain't. But inside you is a dog who is. You gots to let him out, Human. You gots to become that dog."

The young man clung tightly to the badger. "I don't know if I can. I don't want to hurt Katashi by not being the dog he deserves."

Oliver sighed. "You gots the gift to see the truth, but you is looking away from it because it hurts so bad. But you gots to look at it. You gots to see it for what it is. Nothing is more frightening than the monster in the shadows we don't face. None of us is what the ones we love deserve. We is all frail, and we is all weak. We ain't never what we hope to be. But we gives everything we is to those we love and if they loves us back, then we is enough. We is perfect just the way we is. We is all so fucked up, but we is perfect that way, because that is who we are, and the ones who love us accept us that way. Ain't nothing quite so perfect as knowing the ones who love you don't need you to change."

"You promise me that's the truth?"

"See that truth for yourself, Spackle. Turn back to the truth. Turn back to what lies beyond the cliff waiting for you."

"You called me Spackle, not Human."

"'Cause I'se gonna call the dog Spackle. And one day, that dog is gonna fuck my ass, and it's gonna be gratitude fucking for keeping him on his path. And that's the best kind of fucking there is." The badger pushed back and grinned at the young man. "Go, Spackle. Be with him. Katashi needs you. He don't need that idea of perfect swirling around in that noggin of yours. He needs you."

Spackle turned back toward the bay and leaned against the railing. Beyond the cliff, he watched as the dog turned toward him. The leg lifted, the arms stretched out. The paws dropped. Crane stance. The temple dog was welcoming a new pupil. Spackle realized what the lessons would be. He would learn how to grieve the loss of the one he loved. He would learn how to cling to that which was still there. The dog he was becoming would learn the lessons that were inevitable in life.

He walked toward the ramp and hesitated at the top. He heard the voice of the dog over the roar of the ocean. "Come, Little One," Katashi yelled. "I have need of a partner today. One should not practice such difficult lessons alone."

The young man ran down the ramp and out onto the sand. He flung himself into the open arms of the temple dog and clung to the wet fur. When the hug had ended, Katashi placed the young man beside him. The dog's foot lifted and then lowered, tapping the space next to him. Spackle stepped into the space.

Katashi's knees bent, the paws pushed outward, rising to shoulder level and then lowering slowly back again. The right paw reached out as the right leg pivoted. Spackle watched the opening moves of every tai chi session. Katashi was opening his heart and mind to all that surrounded the two. The young man closed his eyes and raised his hands, then lowered them. The human tried to feel the movements. He tried to open his heart, but the sense of loss kept all other feelings pushed aside. He dropped onto the sand. "I'm sorry, Katashi. I'm not strong enough for this."

The thud that Katashi made as he fell down next to Spackle shook the human. "You are stronger than you know, Little One," Katashi comforted.

"No… no, I'm not," Spackle disagreed. Spackle pushed the sand in front of him with his hands. "I know you ask me to stand by you, but that space is where Li Wei once stood. He's gone, Katashi, and I can't replace him. I can't fill the space beside you the way he did."

Katashi was quiet for a moment, waiting to see if the young man had finished. "I never wanted you to fill the space beside me that Li Wei did," he finally said. "I only wanted you to return to that place you shared between us. Li Wei is gone. You are not. I miss my mate, Little One, but I miss the one who promised one day to be my mate even more. Your absence beside me has no reason other than you choose not to be there."

Spackle took a deep breath. "I don't want to disappoint you."

"Then be only what you promised to be. I expect nothing more."

Spackle let the silence between the two linger. "I love you so much, Katashi."

"And I love you, Spackle," the dog replied.

The young man heard his name. The dog hadn't called him Little One. Oliver's words came rushing back to him. He struggled to turn toward the truth; to become the dog he promised to be. "I'm sorry, Katashi. I'm so confused. There are so many feelings I don't understand. I'm sad and angry, and afraid." The quiet returned for a moment as Spackle struggled with the words. "Mostly I'm afraid."

"It is the nature of grief. I too feel emotions I find difficult. My balance seems so uneven nowadays. There are moments when only screaming at the top of my lungs seems to give any relief."

Spackle looked up at the dog. "I didn't know. I thought temple dogs were in control of their emotions."

"We are not always meant to control our emotions. But we can share them. In leaning on each other, we find balance we cannot find alone."

"So, it's okay that I can't control mine?" Spackle asked. "It's okay if I can't hold everything in check?"

"How would you answer those questions if I asked them of you?"

Spackle paused. "I would say it's okay."

"Then it's okay."

The silence between the two returned. At last, Spackle put his hand on the dog's leg. "I'm ready to try again."

The two stood side by side. Katashi waited as Spackle set stance, bending his knees and aligning his spine. "Are you ready, my love?" Katashi asked.

Spackle nodded. "I'm ready."

"Then feel the oneness of who we are," the dog said. "Let our hearts bind together, let our every action become one." There was a pause, and the two looked out upon the open vastness of the bay. They felt the emptiness, and as one voice, they screamed. They screamed all their anger, fear, and grief into the vastness of what lay beyond their reach. The screaming lasted until they grew hoarse, and their voices became a plaintive howl of resignation to what was, and what could not be.

From atop the cliff, Oliver watched as the two crumbled to the ground and clung to each other. "You two is gonna be fine," he whispered. He turned and walked away.

Chapter 39

In the waning days of the third month since the death of Li Wei, Jiao-long spread his wings as the last of the sun slipped behind the horizon. A thick paw grabbed one wing and held it fast. He turned to see the polar bear and smiled. "I have my sons to attend to, Brother," he said, pulling his wing from the bear's grip.

"I'm aware of that. A moment of your time before you visit them," the bear replied. "We persuaded Katashi and Spackle to join their brothers for a brief sabbatical on the highland. They are stepping back into our world slowly, and they sense it is time to share their affections again with their family."

The yellow dog stretched his wings and nodded. "It has been too long. No dog has ever gone over two weeks without sex, let alone three months."

"Katashi has not abstained entirely. His relationship with Spackle has grown. The young man has renewed his vow to not turn until he is thirty. But there is a bond between the two that is cementing itself through their physical activity."

"But that can't be the same as what he can share with others."

"No, it's not. Spackle, even more than Katashi, is pressing for this reunion." The bear paused a moment. "Katashi scarcely remembers what it was like to play with his family without Li Wei beside him. He feels awkward without his mate sharing in our time together. Spackle knows Katashi needs to address that awkwardness. We hope that being with his brothers will help."

"It is certainly worth a try. We all hope for a day when he returns to the Brotherhood."

"He never left it Jiao-long. We watch him in his sleep. He is there beside you all, but he still has to find his footing again without a mate. What he has with Spackle is special, but until the boy turns, Katashi needs more than he can provide."

"And Spackle is okay with others providing that?"

"As I said, he's the one pushing Katashi in that direction. He understands more about our nature than any human I've ever known, and he is more at ease with it than most."

"It will be frustrating for the young man."

"He intends to be by Katashi's side the entire time. We respect his limitations, but we're not backing down from making him a part of Katashi's return to his family. Spackle insists that this is his return as well."

"It's difficult to let a relationship as deep as Li Wei's and Katashi's slip into memory and begin again." The winged dog put his paw on the shoulder of the bear. "You would understand that all too well, Brother."

"All too well," Eric replied with a shake of his head. "Family has always been there to help me find my way back. It's time we helped Katashi go where his heart wants to go, but his loss keeps him from treading."

"And how can I help?" the winged dog asked.

"Stay on the island. Teach the children their lessons. Make sure they have a temple dog to visit when they need one."

"Me?" the dog stammered. "I'm not a teacher. I'm like the children. We follow Katashi."

"You know the moves by heart. The children love you."

"But surely there are others better suited…"

The bear interrupted the sentence, putting his paw on the mouth of the dog. "There is no other better suited than you, Brother." The polar bear pivoted and began walking away. "And stop calling me Shirley," the bear snickered.

"That was a stupid movie," the dog grumbled.

The bear turned back toward his brother. "And in all our centuries together, I never saw you laugh so hard."

"I just woke up from being dead. Everything made me laugh."

"It was good to hear your laughter, Jiao-long. Let the children hear it while we are away."

The temple dog waved his hand to dismiss the bear. "Go," he said. "I will tell my sons of your plan. I will return and stay on the island as long as I am needed."

Eric smiled at his brother. "Safe travels," he said with a similar wave of his hand. The dog turned, spread his wings, and dove from the cliff face. Eric watched the wormhole open briefly, and the night returned. He turned and walked toward the Radar Battery Observation Post.

Inside Katashi's home, the polar bear announced his brother's promise to attend to the children in Katashi's absence, and the dog gave a sigh of relief. "So we all agree?" Eric asked the dog once more.

Katashi nodded. "It will be good to see my brothers."

"And?" the old wolf encouraged.

"And to share my affections again with my family," the dog answered.

"And what about you, Spackle?"

"I'm ready," the human replied.

"Only if it feels right," Derrick said as he hugged the young man.

Spackle hugged back. "It always felt right, Wolfy," he replied. "It took me this long to remember that."

The black wolf never let the hug go. "We wait, Spackle. We always wait for our family to come home."

"Well, let's say we cuddle up together and get some sleep," the brown bear said with a yawn. He reached out and pulled the badger in close to him. "Dibs on Oliver," he said with a laugh.

"I ain't no teddy bear for you to hold at night," Oliver protested.

"I'm aware of that," Kris replied as he nibbled on the back of the badger's neck. "I don't want to fuck my teddy bear."

Oliver giggled as the bear munched a matted path across his neck. "Okay, as long as we's good on who I is. Dibs on Kris," he said.

The others climbed onto the bed and found their way into comfortable positions. "Lights," Katashi said, and the lights turned off.

The family lay together, stroking their paws across each other for a time. "Family," Katashi whispered.

"Yes," came the family's reply.

"My brothers are remarkably gifted in sexual congress."

"They is good at what they does," Oliver agreed.

"And it has been some time since I have been intimate with anyone on such a level."

"You have a point there," the polar bear said as he pushed himself up.

"It might be best if I were to practice a bit before our travels, so as not to disappoint my brothers with my awkwardness."

Kris giggled, and his paws reached out and pulled the yellow dog toward him. He kissed the lips of the dog. "It's like riding a bicycle, Katashi."

"I have never ridden a bicycle," Katashi said, slightly confused.

"You don't forget how to have sex."

"But I forget what pleases you."

The dog felt the lips of the polar bear on his ears and the slight scraping of the fangs over the softest parts. His eyes closed tightly and the thumping of his leg pounded against the old wolf's chest. "But we haven't forgotten what pleases you, Dog," the white bear whispered in Katashi's ear.

"Take me, Ancient One," the dog begged. "It has been too long."

"You only had to ask," Eric said, pushing his thick cock past the yellow fur of the dog's crack and up against the hole.

Katashi pushed back onto the swollen cock and let the sense of being one with another take control. It was a bittersweet moment there amid the pleasures he had missed for so long. He realized that when his paws reached out, Li Wei would not be there to grasp them. Then the hands of the young man grabbed his paws. So much smaller and softer than his husband's. They tightened around his paws and squeezed. "The one who loves you is here," Spackle whispered. "Stay in the good, Dog,"

"In the good," the dog sighed. He closed his eyes and realized he had returned to where his husband always wanted him to be.

In the morning, Katashi stood before the Red Wolf gleaming in the morning sun. Lost in thought, hearing the voice behind him startled him. It was so like his own that he almost mistook it for one of his brothers. "She's a beautiful ship."

Katashi turned to see the young man looking up at the Red Wolf. "Morning, Dog," Spackle said. "I was hoping we could have a talk before we go to the highland."

"Of course," the temple dog replied as he took the human into a hug, picking him up off the ground.

Spackle pushed back from the hug to look into the dog's eyes, but the dog did not let him go. The human still dangled above the ground. "Katashi, let me make one thing clear because everyone made it very clear to me last night. I am not a human. I am a temple dog, and I am the temple dog who is to be your mate. I need you to treat me as that… a temple dog who is to be your mate."

Katashi nodded. "I will remember your words and place them in my heart. I love you Spackle. This has been a hard time for both of us."

"And we're probably going to have hard days ahead," Spackle added. "But whatever comes, we stay together. We continue to heal together."

"I agree," the temple dog replied. He paused for a moment. "This could complicate matters. If I return to sharing my affections with our family, I might put you at risk. Human bodies do not hold up well against the unbridled physicality of a temple dog."

"That's true. I'm pretty sure I have bruised ribs this morning from what happened last night. And I don't want Kris rolling over the top of me again until I'm a dog."

"But you are not thirty years old yet. I cannot copulate with you without turning you. Yet turning you is the most practical way to deal with this situation."

"We'll be fine, Dog. We can both wait. Now more than ever, I want to be true to my word. We get the drill. Share your affections with me, but don't share any of your semen."

The temple dog smiled. "I can think of thirty-nine versions of physical intimacy that would result in an intense orgasm for you while involving none of my semen."

"How many if we add our brothers to the mix?"

"Forty-eight."

"Then there are plenty of options we can share. Let's say we go roust everyone and make that trip to the highland."

Katashi nodded happily. "I would love that, Spackle."

Spackle buried his face in the fur of the temple dog and rubbed it aggressively when he found the nipple. The temple dog pulled him close and Spackle sucked the tip of the nipple into his mouth. He giggled slightly at having a man in his life with nipples larger than most cock heads he had seen. Yet, he also enjoyed the comfort of a body so familiar to him. This was home. In the arms of the temple dog he loved, he was home. It didn't matter what else life would throw at him. In this moment, Spackle knew where he belonged, and he pushed into the moment, hoping it would last forever.

"Forever is a very long time, Little One," Katashi said as if reading the human's thoughts. "But we will do our best to make it last, won't we?"

"Yeah, Big One," Spackle replied. "We will."

Chapter 40

The temple dogs were sleeping in their monastery, nestled against the young human. Under the canopy of trees that was their home, the dragon family slept. The family of bears and wolves had finally tired out the badger. All were moving into position for a night's sleep when the wolves' ears perked up.

"Do you hear that?" Derrick asked the group.

"Sounds like singing," Will said. He paused. "Like Adam singing. Husbands, I believe Adam has finally come home."

"And he's singing to let us know?" Kris asked, rolling over onto his belly and looking out toward the front of the apartment deep inside the cave. "He usually comes running in here and jumps on us."

Derrick smiled. "Well, he's not singing alone, you know."

"I'm hearing at least three voices," Will said as he pushed himself up and jumped off the bed. "I say we go check out our carolers. Who knows? Maybe they're hoping for treats."

Outside, the five scanned the highland and saw the three shadows in the night sitting on the edge of the forest. "Adam, Kattar, and Kattar's twin, it would appear," Kris said. He grinned at the two wolves. "We may not be all that keen on hearing things, but bears have excellent night vision."

"Show off," Will said as he nudged the bear. "Let's go say hello to the family."

The bears, badger, and wolves ran toward the threesome. When the group reached the far side of the glade, the family sat beside the three and listened to them sing. With a friendly nod of greeting, they welcomed the family to their circle, but the singing never stopped. Once seated, Adam leaned toward his husbands, smiled, and whispered. "We're singing to our family. We are hoping they acknowledge us."

"Woulds it help if we sung too?" Oliver asked.

"The more voices, the better, I say," Kattar said, grinning. The singing Hexadeltan next to him nodded his head while maintaining the melody.

"Don'ts understand a word you'se saying," the badger said with a frown.

Adam smiled at Oliver, and his foot pivoted in a small circle. When his hand repeated the same gesture, the words became intelligible. Similar to listening to the dragons, it wasn't a literal word-for-word translation. Rather, images and thoughts melded together. From those images came an understanding of the song that bypassed the need for an interpretation of the words sung by the three.

The three sang of their sorrow seeing the death of so many to defend a universe from the beings entrusted to protect it. They sang of all that they had lost, and in the melody, they shared how great a loss that was. The three sang of a young black wolf saving them from the folly of their ambition. They sang of a love that transcended all their understanding as a temple dog lay beside a dying beast and guided it to the unknown beyond. The three sang of finding a family to call their own and their hope that one day their brothers and sisters would understand what that meant. The three sang of all that they had found.

As the beasts of the Were Nation listened to the words, they realized they had sung this song for centuries. It was a song new to the otter and his Hexadeltan companions, but a song whose cadence was the beat of the Were Nation's heart. Together, they raised their heads and sang. From the apartments across the glade, visiting werebeasts walked sleepily out the front entrance. Their smiles spread as they listened to the music, and soon they ran toward the beasts at the forest's edge to join in the song. Across Terra, the Were Nation listened to the song and the voice of the great white bear calling them to join in.

In the jungles of Brazil, the maned wolf pack woke from their sleep and stepped out from their hut, staring up into the trees that blocked the sky above them. They listened to a song they knew by heart and added their voices. On the plains of Montana, the pack woke and moved out into the still night and sang. A werepig and his werewolf and werecat mates woke from their early morning slumber and walked out onto the porch. They smiled at the realization the family was calling them to a gathering and added their voices to the song.

From inside the monastery, the temple dogs stirred. They shifted their tight circle around the naked human as he, too, woke. "This is what the Were Nation does, Spackle," Katashi whispered in the human's ear. "One day, when you turn, you will sing alongside us."

"I can't sing now?" the young man asked.

The temple dog shook the human playfully. "Of course you can."

The other temple dogs forming a blanket around the human smiled. "Let's go outside to sing," Saand said. "It's always better when we sing outside."

Spackle stared straight-faced at the Dog. "I'm naked."

"So am I," Saand replied.

"You're a dog. You're supposed to be naked."

"So are you. I see no reason to quibble about the body you're in. You're supposed to be naked in the company of dogs who love you. You were the one to set the ground rules for our interactions. I am treating you as the dog I believe you to be."

Spackle smiled. "I guess you got a point there. I best get used to the idea that my nudity is going to be a staple more than an exception one of these days."

"No time like the present," Noboru said with a laugh. "Come on, Brother; let's go give you a lesson on how to chant."

They had scarcely stepped outside when Nathaniel, Max, Martin, and Chipo walked by. "Morning, men," Martin said with a wave. "A very early morning indeed."

"Love the outfit, Spackle," Chipo said, as he waved.

Spencer looked down at his body and noticed the hard-on jutting between his legs. "Oh, crap," he sighed. "This is going to be so embarrassing."

"Nonsense," Katashi disagreed. "It's morning. You're supposed to have an erection."

"Yeah, but I'm a human surrounded by beasts."

"Would it make you feel more comfortable if we all had erections?" Genji asked with a laugh. "I am sure that would be easy to arrange."

Katashi raised a paw. "Gentleman," he said with an authoritarian air, "I believe Spackle has enough pressures on him to stay true to his decisions. Do your best not to add complications to them."

Spackle smiled. "Thanks, Katashi. But it's okay. I know you're only teasing me. I trust you all to help me. The day I turn, I look forward to taking every one of you into my arms and making up for all the nights I wanted to be than your cuddle buddy."

"Still, it's easier if we all control ourselves around you," Noboru said with a nod toward Katashi.

"A valid point," Genji replied to his brother. He put his arm around the human. "Let's go join the song, shall we?" The group of large dogs circled around the human and made their way out onto the grassy field where they added their voices to the song. Katashi guided the young man in the ways of the Were Nation as they began their chant. He learned the reason the Nation sang of all they had lost and all they had found. He learned how to sing his own song, and as he began singing, the voices of thousands of beasts singing from their place on the tiny blue planet filled his ears.

Throughout the boroughs in New York in their early morning, to the bustling arrondissements of Paris in the afternoon, the beasts listened to the song. From the heat of a summer day in Queensland to the freezing world of the Arctic Ocean, the beasts' ears opened. From every point of the globe, the beasts heard their song and responded to let their family know they were not alone.

Across the galaxy, the Unity tapped into their sons' voices and sang. The song flowed uninterrupted for nearly an hour when all heard an unfamiliar voice. Shy, timorous, and almost inaudible, the voice struggled in response to the melody that floated beyond the galaxy. It was the voice of one of Adam and Kattar's people wrapped inside an alien host. It was a voice reaching out to an idea that it didn't understand. Struggling, it tried to say hello to its family without even knowing what the word meant. It was the voice singing to the hope it felt as it listened to the song of the others.

One by one, the voices joined in. Overjoyed, Adam and Kattar rocked back and forth with an excitement they couldn't contain. The song continued to flow until Adam and Kattar could count all the voices of their people singing with them.

When the morning sun crested the tops of the Douglas fir, Adam and Kattar both sang the words of closing to all who had joined in. They thanked everyone for spending time with them. The family of bears, wolves, badger, and dogs bowed their heads and their song ended. The Unity was the last to end their song. They said goodbye to their sons, to their adopted children of the Were Nation, and to the fresh voices who they had yet to meet. Across the universe, four thousand, three hundred, and sixty-eight souls ended their song. They tried to hold on to feelings as elusive to them as the melody that held them captivated for hours. Their voices trailed off into the ether of the morning fog that blanketed the highland.

When the song ended, a jubilant otter ran around hugging all his husbands. He moved next to hug the dogs, and last, the two Hexadeltans sitting in the chilly morning air. "I can't believe it," he gushed. "All of them; all of them responded."

"Hope is a very strong draw for group participation," Eric said as he rose and stretched. "It was a joy to hear them singing, Adam."

Kattar nodded eagerly. "Wasn't it though? I know our songs aren't as beautiful as the Unity, but we sing from our heart, and there are so many voices from so many worlds."

Kris laughed. "We don't actually sing, Kattar. That's the sound of us talking back and forth to each other. It sounds like a melody to almost everyone else, but to the Verital, it's us yakking on the universal party line."

"It is beautiful beyond words," the up-until-now quiet second Hexadeltan said.

"We are glad it pleases you," the polar bear said. "I am Eric." The white bear pointed to the brown bear. "This is my father and husband, Kris." Eric made another gesture toward the Iberian wolf, "And my husband, Will." Another wave extended toward the black wolf. "My husband, Derrick." With one last motion toward the badger, he said, "And this is my husband, Oliver." The bear made a small pivot with his foot leaving a circle in the grass and smiled at the badger, who returned the gesture.

"This is my mate, Slevar," Kattar said proudly. "I am following in the footsteps of Adam and choosing to become one with the people I protect. I never realized how complex and wonderful the Hexadeltan concept of family is. Our species was so intent on forwarding our own goals of order that we never stopped to consider how many of our hosts could teach us such things. How many hundreds of the Order tonight heard a song from their lips that our hosts have sung as a people for thousands of years?"

Slevar bowed in a fashion similar to the temple dogs. "I am pleased to meet you, Terrans. My mate has told me so much about you."

Will laughed. "I don't know whether to think that's a good thing or not."

"It is a wonderful thing. I hope one day our children and yours will share their lives together."

"Children?" Kris asked. "I thought Kattar was sterile."

Kattar nodded in agreement with the statement, and then his smile spread wide. "It occurred to me that if my people could force me to abandon my Hexadeltan host, I could do it voluntarily. Separated from me, Kattar became fertile again."

Derrick looked at Slevar. "So you're going to have babies?"

Slevar shook his head and pointed to Kattar. "He is."

Will laughed, "Kattar, you son of a gun. You have a bun in the oven?"

"I have six buns," Kattar said proudly.

"So I is confused," Oliver said. "Who is we talking to? Kattar the Hexadeltan or Kattar the glitterin' critter with a name we can't pronounce?"

"Both," Kattar replied. "After Kattar and I separated so that he could become pregnant, we talked about how we might merge again. Like Adam in the beginning, we chose to leave Kattar autonomous. We share the same body in the manner Adam does with Marcus, Kendal, and the twins. It is a challenge, but we are both happier this way. We are separate, but we are together. We are Kattar."

"So, you're effectively living in a triad," Will said, smiling. "I'm sure Brian and his husbands will be happy to see you took a cue from them as well."

"I have indeed," Kattar said, reaching out to hold the hand of his mate. "Kattar will live out his life with Slevar. They will grow old together, and when the day comes, I will release our union so that he may join his ancestors, as is their way."

"You'se gonna die?" the badger asked.

Kattar shook his head no. "I will go on. In time, another may share their life with me. But I am Hexadeltan now. I will always stay beside my people until I, too, join those who came before."

Slevar smiled at the badger. "Kattar will always have a home with my people. It doesn't matter to us what name he goes by, or whose body he shares. He is a part of the family. We always take care of our family. We are all grateful for your guidance in teaching him those lessons."

Kattar nodded in agreement. He turned toward Katashi. "Our people now know of Li Wei's sacrifice for those we enslaved. We cannot find words to tell you how sorry we are."

"He was a noble dog. I am grateful to have shared my life with him," Katashi replied.

"I have much to learn, Katashi," the four-armed creature said. "Our people have so much to learn. We could use a teacher; someone willing to share his life with us for a time. I know you share in other obligations to your world, but Jiao-long said you might consider traveling beside us for a time." Kattar bowed his head and whispered, "Would you ever consider taking on new students?"

"I am not opposed to the idea. But I accepted obligations on Terra. My classes with my children are sacrosanct. They already lost one teacher to circumstance. They cannot lose another. Also, the young man beside me would need to accompany me. He is in training to become a temple dog and my mate. Humans do not do well with interplanetary travel. Their bodies are frail. They require large amounts of special clothing that makes their movements cumbersome."

Kattar frowned. "The classes would require extensive travel by necessity. But that does not mean we cannot travel to you. If the homo sapiens are not opposed to aliens standing by their side, perhaps we can broker an arrangement."

Oliver snorted out a laugh. "Humans can't even stand each other if they looks different. Them human kids at tai chi class will do just fine, but if'n any other humans sees you, it's gonna muck up really quick-like."

"Look around you, Kattar," Katashi said. "There are many dogs here. Let us spend time together and find emissaries worthy of the challenge you offer. My father sought to keep me occupied after the death of my husband. He worried I would lose my way and wander from my path. He forgets that so many loving beasts are dedicated to keeping me on that path. For a time we may wander, but we always return."

Katashi pulled Spackle in close to his side. "Perhaps one day, when we are mated, we can venture out to visit the family that appears to be growing around the universe."

The Hexadeltan nodded in consent. "Of course. Until that day, the two of us will visit you if you are agreeable. There is much to learn from all of you. In return, the Hexadeltan race can bring so much of value to you. Those of us who survived the death of the Order need your gifts. So many remarkable races offer so much more than we ever allowed them to share. There is so much we can learn from both you and our hosts."

"Then we will rely on you to let us know when we can be of help," Katashi said with a bow.

"That is a yes?" Kattar said with a hopeful grin.

"My husband taught us to embrace the unknown," Katashi replied. "Your request comes at a time that makes me believe that few paths in our lives are by chance." The yellow dog turned to his brothers. "Are we in agreement?" the nod of all temple dogs followed. Katashi turned back toward the four-armed beast. "We would be honored to help in any way we can."

Kattar clapped his hands together. "This is better than I could have hoped for." He turned toward Slevar. "Can I rely on you to help me with this, Husband?"

Slevar's wide mouth formed a grin. "Of course, Husband. I will be there by your side always." The four-armed creature pointed toward Kattar's side pouches. "Gestation for our people is eighteen months. There will be an interim where my husband must avoid intense physical activity for the safety of our unborn babies. He is deeply concerned that you will need to curtail your sexual contact with him out of necessity. I am willing to step in and provide the contact you will miss by his abstinence."

Kris laughed out loud. "Oh my god, we have temple dogs wrapped up in new bodies."

Slevar looked first at the yellow dogs and then back at the brown bear questioningly. "Is that a bad thing?"

Kris embraced the Hexadeltan. "No, Slevar. That is a marvelous thing. We welcome you to our family."

"I am told I will need to learn to give a blow job on a penis that is not prehensile for our unions to be satisfactory," Slevar said as his four arms hugged back.

"We have all the time in the world… two worlds," Kris said as he pulled the beast tighter.

When the hug ended, Slevar smiled. "Kattar was right. You are creatures who are a great deal of fun to hold. I will wait for our copulation with anticipation." He turned to Oliver and smiled. "And you, I will look forward to fucking." Oliver grinned. Slevar hesitated. "Did I say that right?"

"You said it great, Slevar," Oliver said, raising his arms for a hug. The beast bent over and the four arms pulled the badger up into a hug. Oliver stared into the face of the Hexadeltan. "Well, kiss me, Slevar. We ain't gonna never fuck if you don'ts learn the basics."

The two beasts' lips met, and the others watched, smiling as the two kissed. When the claspers flipped out and rose along the badger's backside, Kattar laughed. "We best back away. My husband is nothing like me. He ejaculates profusely."

"And you don't?" Derrick asked as he stepped back.

"Not at all," Kattar responded, taking the hand of the black wolf and retreating.

"I'se gonna drown," Oliver yelled out laughing.

Slevar looked at the little mammal in his grasp. "I am so sorry, Oliver. My arousal is more than I anticipated. I find your diminutive size to be terribly exotic. But I also realize my size will most likely cause you physical pain. That is not my intent."

"Ain't no problem, Slevar," Oliver said. With a shake, the larger werebadger appeared. "I'se still tiny, but at least you won't tear me a new one. We gots a creek to clean up in. Have at me, Wombat. I'se good with where we's going." When Oliver's eyes widened and he let out a bark, the family knew where the two had gone.

Will nodded. "Oliver has a point. This is one wolf who's not backing away." He went over and wrapped his arms around the Hexadeltan from behind. "Tell me what you want, Slevar, let's make it happen."

"I have already penetrated your mate. The best I can offer you is a kiss and a hand or three to attend to your arousal. I don't believe my anus is quite up to handling penetration yet."

"Works for me," Will said with a smile. As he guided Slevar's hand to his swelling genitals, Will turned to Kattar. "Can you stay a few days?"

"I am on leave for two months," Kattar responded. "For those two months, if it is agreeable with his Terran pupils and Katashi, Slevar and I will spend our time training alongside them."

The family turned toward Katashi, and the golden dog nodded with a smile. "You may share our bed if you wish. It would be nice to let my family return to their obligations without a sense that they have left us alone."

Kattar returned the smile. "We would very much enjoy that. Perhaps you can help us plan the future of what remains of the Order. There has been discussion of visiting all our host planets in packs. We're taking a page from your playbook. We are creating packs that build, packs that provide education, packs that help restore planets."

"Starting with your chosen planet, I hope," Derrick interjected. "Adam and I can help."

"But you hate to fly," Kattar protested.

"It's not exactly flying if I don't see anything zipping by as I go between locations. Stepping into a wormhole is like walking through a door, so I'm good. Besides, you need to fix up your planet first. If you want people believing that you can help, you better have a place that looks like you know what you're doing."

Kattar paused in thought. "Agreed. We would be grateful for all the help we can get. Baby steps back to being guardians. We might need to be gardeners first."

Adam looked up at his husbands. "Please join us at the beginning of that journey. Our people are truly apologetic. We seek redemption from those we injured the most."

Eric flopped down next to Adam, stretched his arms out, and wrapped them around the otter. "We will be there, Husband." He leaned in, kissed the otter, and looked up at the Hexadeltan. "So, how far into your pregnancy can you enjoy sex without jeopardizing your children?"

"I will begin a period of abstinence in eight months."

"So for now?"

"I would be happy to copulate with you while my husband fucks Oliver."

"I think that would be wonderful," the white bear said as he pulled an arm of the Hexadeltan toward him. Kattar smiled and bent over for a kiss.

Kris stood up, slipped alongside the two, and found his place in the increasingly playful interactions. Derrick laughed when he felt Bolin's hard-on press up against his butt. "Take me, Bolin," he said happily; and Bolin obliged the young wolf.

Resting on all fours, the mounted black wolf's grin widened as another massive yellow body walked in front of him. "We were told you enjoy being spit-roasted, Pup," Zhuang said eagerly.

"Well, then show me how we do that temple doggy style," Derrick replied, reaching up with one paw to guide the yellow cock into his mouth.

Adam looked back and forth, trying to decide where to move. "Anyone need an opening filled?" he asked with a chuckle.

Max dropped onto all fours. His rear legs slowly slid toward a full split, lowering the rounded butt until it was the right height for an aroused otter. "I'm yours, Adam. Mount the bear." Adam needed no other encouragement and was deep inside the bear with only a few steps and one jump. Seeing an open bear's mouth, Genji dropped his pendulous dick in front of the bear, and the bear swallowed it without hesitation.

Chipo grinned at the proceedings. He grabbed Martin and Nathaniel. "Come on, Cat," he said, "Let's go double stuff ourselves a husband. They say the third time's the charm." A grin spread across Nathaniel's face, and he gave a happy nod.

Spackle was watching everything happening around him, and his arousal was obvious. But he no longer felt out of place for his erection, only for his human body. Katashi was preparing to suggest an approach to solving the dilemma when Will pulled away from Slevar's fondling. The old wolf gave himself a shake. The six-foot-four human appeared and tugged at his nut sack. He put out his hands to the young man. "Come on, Spackle. You and I are going to show these beasts what animals act like. I promised to have your back, but today I'm heading south to ensure I do just that."

Spackle grinned and stepped into the embrace of a fellow human. Katashi, seeing his future mate well attended to, joined his brothers. The group revelry soon turned into configurations that defied explanation.

From the forest, the dragon children peered out onto the glade, watching their family. Their parents came up beside them, gently nudging them back into the forest. This was a sacred time for their family; one where they bonded their lives anew. There would be days when the young dragons would be a part of all they saw, but today was not that day. Today, the dragon family would leave the family of beasts to play alone in the field.

Out in the grass, the first showering of purple liquid covered the badger and all within six arms' length of him. Will snorted cum out of his nose as he laughed, trying not to choke on the ongoing orgasm splashing around him. He raised his head high and bellowed, "GOD, I LOVE THIS FAMILY!" And in that moment, all who heard the wolf smiled and agreed.

Chapter 41

Spackle walked along the beach, holding the hand of the temple dog. There was no conversation between the two. When they reached the edge of the beach where it met the south-side rock cliff, Spackle sighed. "I will be thirty in another year," he said.

"I'm aware of the importance of the date," the dog replied.

"Do I have your blessing?"

"Of course," the dog replied as his wings folded out and around the human.

"I talked to Li Wei about this."

"Before his death?"

"No. A bit more recently."

Jiao-long pushed away slightly and looked at the young human. "He visits you?"

"I visited him."

"That is not possible, Little One," the winged dog said.

"Yeah, they both told me the same thing. But since I was there, I figured what the heck. A while back, Oliver told me I had turned from the truth. He was right. I didn't want to see the truth if it meant Li Wei had died." There was a pause while Spackle struggled for words that eluded him. "The day I ran out onto the beach to be with Katashi, I told myself never again. I turned toward the truth and embraced it. That's when I began seeing these last few months in a very different light."

The winged temple dog looked concerned. "Such as?"

"Li Wei didn't actually make his first visitations. His loving father, who realized we were all struggling with more than we could bear, stepped in to help."

"All my sons realized that. If you were truly a temple dog, I expected you to figure it out in time."

"I imagine Derrick will figure it out eventually. Wolfy is scary strange in the way he pieces things together. Will and Oliver may not be far behind. But don't worry. They'll forgive you because they understand your heart was in the right place. Besides, if I realized Li Wei visited you and your sons, they will too."

"I wish I could know if he was truly alive."

"I guess it depends on your definition of alive," Spackle said. "He's definitely dead by our standards. But very much alive by another's."

Jiao-long sighed. "You did it, Son. You are truly a temple dog. What you say makes no sense, but I'm sure it's the truth."

Spackle laughed. "I figured if you could talk to Li Wei, so could I. It just took me a while to track him down. All it took was letting go of what I thought I knew and embracing the truth I should have seen."

The winged temple dog laughed. "Dear god, that actually makes sense to me. You are becoming such a fine temple dog. So, what did Li Wei say when you found him?"

"I asked if he was okay with me mating with Katashi even if he and I can't mate."

"And his answer?"

"They both said it was a fine idea."

"Both?"

"Li Wei has a companion. He tries to look like a temple dog when I visit, but he's not really one."

"What is he?"

"I don't exactly have words for what he is. He's not really even a he or a she either. More like a sentient energy."

"Are you sure about this?" Jiao-long asked.

"Yeah, he's kind of the glue that holds a part of this universe together," the young man replied. "And I think a lot of other universes, as well. He goes by the name of Falong."

The winged temple dog laughed aloud. "Falong? Falong was the name of Li Wei's childhood pet."

"He took a name that for Li Wei had strong positive memories."

"And Li Wei didn't tell him he chose the name of a rat?"

"Li Wei loves him, Jiao-long. Falong's lack of contextual understanding didn't negate the fact his name has meaning for Li Wei. Li Wei would never hurt the one who chose a name so dear to him by telling him the nature of the relationship between a boy and a rat."

"Those were troubled times," Jiao-long said with a nod. "Most humans would have gladly eaten the rat instead of giving it their last morsel of bread."

"Li Wei was never most humans."

"I'm aware of that, Spackle. My sons have never been most humans."

"About that, Jiao-long. If I'm to be a temple dog, there is the matter of my turning."

"Let Katashi turn you," the winged dog said without hesitation.

"But you turned all your sons."

"And you wish to be my son?"

"It would help if I could call all the dogs my brothers, and I think my love for you is pretty self-evident."

Jiao-long smiled. "Well, as handsome a human as you are, and as much as the offer appeals to me on so many levels, I will insist Katashi turn you."

"But why?"

"Because he loves you. Because he is to be your mate. There is an intimacy in turning another. I know you, Spackle. If you wish, I will love you as a son without hesitation. The Brotherhood will welcome you without question. But the dog that loves you as his soul mate should be the dog that turns you."

"But there will be genetic differences. I won't be the same temple dog as all the rest if the one who turns me isn't the one who turned them."

"On the contrary," Jiao-long corrected, "you will be more like them if Katashi turns you." The temple dog noticed Spackle's look of confusion. "For thousands of years, my sons have been growing in a direction I have not gone. Without me by their side, they reached out to the universe and became something so much greater than I could ever imagine. The greatest joy a father can have is to realize his children will be better, stronger, and nobler than he is. In that respect, Spackle, my joy is overflowing."

"So, the temple dogs aren't Changelings anymore?"

"They are temple dogs. Unique unto themselves. I may hold their appearance, but who and what they are is beyond my understanding. Trust me, Spackle. Katashi needs to turn you. You can't afford to wait hundreds of years learning to become what they are now. By then, what they will have become will dwarf all the Changelings, save one. If you wish to be by my son's side, let him turn you. Become one with someone who I would one day love to be."

"May I still call you Father the way the other temple dogs do?"

"I would be honored," the temple dog replied, looking at the human before him. "Do you understand what you're getting yourself into, Spackle? I mean, really understand?"

"I see the truth of everything, Father. As with all your sons, I sought out this life without ever knowing why, but always knowing I must. There is something in me beyond the Sight that my brothers share. I’m only now learning to use it, but it appears to be unique to me and Kendal... and possibly Martin, but he never speaks of it. Martin holds back so much from us, but I know he has his reasons. Regardless of anything else, I am convinced my place is beside your sons."

"It is not an easy life, Son," Jiao-long said. "Kendal had hoped to be a temple dog one day. He wound up merging inside an otter rather than becoming one of the Brotherhood."

The young man laughed. "He was heading in that direction. You realize that. Then he met Steve. He went where his heart led him. What you overlook is he did what no temple dog had ever done before him. He took a mate. To do that, given the constraints of the times, he became a werewolf. He did what every temple dog would have told him to do. I believe his path led him to Marcus for a reason. You're the one who taught the temple dogs to become whatever it is they need to be to fulfill their duty. For Kendal, I think that was a wolf."

Jiao-long smiled. "That's true. Even so, the life of a temple dog is far different from what it appears on the outside. My sons have a way of making what they do look easy and graceful, but there are so many things that go unseen."

"I know, Father. They told me stories that will never find their way into the history of the Were Nation. There are powers in play that no one but the temple dogs understand. I will accept that to be with Katashi. I accept that with great power comes great responsibility."

Jiao-long smiled. "The Book of Spider-man. The old wolf is teaching me what I need to know to converse with you youngsters."

"With that great responsibility, there is also great joy to be had, Father."

"That is true. Beyond measuring. Hold to the joy. Push through all else."

The human hugged the temple dog. "Thank you for being the father of us all."

"I turned a few gifted humans so they might live long enough to become what they were destined to be. I never realized how far beyond my imagining that path would lead." The winged dog hugged back. "I am so proud to have another son step onto the path."
 
"I could do nothing else, Father. From the moment I saw Li Wei and Katashi, I knew. I knew I had to become a son of Jiao-long of the Verital."
 
The temple dog gently pushed back the human and looked at him. "You see the truth I cannot, but the truth you share with all your brothers. If you ever need anything, call my name."
 
"Will you be there for the welcoming circle?"
 
Jiao-long laughed. "A newborn temple dog? I wouldn't miss it for this world or so many thousands of other worlds I have seen."
 
"That's good," Spackle said as he reached up and rubbed the temple dog's chest, "because I would really like to know just how flexible those wings are."
 
Jiao-long grinned. "I have always had the horniest sons. I haven't a clue where they get that."
 
"Like father, like sons," Spackle replied.
 
"I suppose," the temple dog agreed. "As I said earlier, my joy is overflowing. From time to time, it just seems to spill out in the most pleasurable ways. It can get quite messy with all that joy flying everywhere."
 
Spackle chuckled. "I am glad you don't believe in a gap between the sacred and the profane."
 
The dog put out his hand, and the human took it. "The division of the two was a creation of man. We subscribed to it until we realized how little it served us to believe in the dichotomy. My sons were trying to live a life that humans could understand as holy by sacrificing the things humans deemed unholy. In so doing, we sacrificed what is most holy to us." The dog tugged at the hand of the human, and they began walking back toward the ramps along the cliff face.
 
"Never again, Father."
 
"Never again, Son." The dog looked out on the Bay of Fundy, watching the waves lap the shore. "Would you like to go skinny dipping with a dog, Son?"
 
Spackle laughed. "That water is freezing, Father."
 
"But the blood of a temple dog runs hot, and I will hold you tight."
 
Spackle shook his head in disbelief at what he was about to do. He unbuttoned his shirt and flung it onto the sand. He kicked off his shoes as he pulled off his pants in one smooth yank. Before long, the two were racing out into the water, laughing and pawing at each other. The dog took the human in his arms, and their lips met in a kiss that kept the human warmed from the surrounding waters.
 
From atop the cliff face, Katashi stood watching over the two. He smiled and whispered, "How I love you both." He turned away from the cliff and gave the two he loved the privacy they needed to bind their hearts together.

Chapter 42

The chill morning winds blew through the canyons, but the black wolf's fur was more than a match to keep him warm. He followed the creek flowing down the middle of the red rock cliffs to the back where it spilled over from the top of the plateau. The horsetail falls created a small pool at the base where the white spray rose, creating a small pocket of cool misty air. There, in the canyon's shadow, the high desert gave way to small ferns, moss, and sedges. This was Derrick's quiet space in Montana. Miles from the ranch, the canyon was off the radar of anyone, mostly because, as far as he knew, it didn't exist.

"Good morning, Pup," the warm baritone voice said from behind the wolf.

Derrick turned and smiled at the large yellow dog. "Morning, Li Wei," he said as his face turned almost immediately to a frown.

The temple dog saw the countenance change immediately. "I hoped to brighten your day, Little One," Li Wei said as he sat down next to the wolf and dangled his feet into the water of the pool. "Such a sad face makes me wonder if I did the opposite."

"I'm sorry, Li Wei," the young wolf replied. "It's just that everyone else seems to have gotten beyond this point but me. They all miss you, but I'm the only one who still dreams of you."

"You aren't aware of all the things I do when we aren't together, Pup. Don't judge yourself by your perceptions," Li Wei replied. The dog's arm wrapped around and pulled him close. "I told you I would always be here when you need me. You still need me. There is no shame in needing a friend by your side."

"I can't let go, Li Wei. I try to make peace with your death, but so many times I wind up here, needing you to wrap your arms around me."

"I am happy that you do, Pup. I, too, miss you and all my family. We all move through grief in our own way. Don't let anyone tell you that your way is wrong. In time, you may find a place for me in your heart where I might never visit with you again. But there is nothing wrong in my mind if that day never comes."

"Then you don't mind being here with me?" The black wolf asked.

"Not at all."

"Even if deep down inside I'm not even sure you're real?"

"Even if deep down inside you think I'm not real. But realize this, Little One. What you think is the truth is all too often clouded by your experience. I am here to teach you that truth."

"I don't understand, Li Wei," the wolf admitted.

"In time you will. But for now, let us enjoy our time together without thinking too deeply about the mystery of how and why."

"Will has never dreamed of you, but I sometimes think his longing for you outweighs all ours."

"Will and I had a very special relationship," the dog explained. "But for him, the reality of his world takes precedence over his longing. He talks to Alexander and me in his quiet moments, but he believes we're dead, so he doesn't expect an answer. He doesn't believe in an afterlife, and yet he hopes we're out there listening to him beyond where his arms can't reach."

Derrick sat quietly for a few minutes. "Are you, Li Wei? Are you someplace better?"

Li Wei grabbed the wolf and pulled him up into his lap, giving him a firm hug. "I have tasted you on my tongue and felt my body move inside yours. In your arms, I have known pleasures that defy description. We have lain together for days with your husbands. All that still lives on in memory long past my life in your world. I lived with a mate beside me who taught me so much more than you will ever comprehend. If you ever wonder what I learned from dying, I learned what I always knew to be the truth from the first day I became a son of Jiao-long." The dog paused, knowing that the wolf didn't understand his answer to the question. He pressed closer to the wolf's ear and whispered, "Pup, there is no place better than where you are. If you learn nothing else from our visits together, learn that one lesson."

"I just want you to be happy," the wolf replied. "I don't know if you're even you anymore, but whatever comes of us, I hope we're happy."

"Don't wait to find out, Pup. Be happy now."

"I'd be happier if I wasn't only sitting on your lap," Derrick said with a snicker through a wicked smile.

"Sex, Pup? You called me here for sex?" the dog said with a frown.

"I'm sorry," the wolf said, looking down.

Li Wei laughed. "Pup, what better reason could I have to return than to have sex with you? Only a moment ago I told you there is no better place than me inside you. Did you forget my words so quickly?"

"I didn't," Derrick protested. "But I feel as if I should somehow be more spiritual in your presence. You know… like an angel or something."

"And what do you do with the angel that lives with you at the ranch?" the yellow dog asked.

"Chet is different. He's not really an angel."

"And I assure you, I am not either," the dog added.

"It's okay, then?" the black wolf asked. "Is it okay that sometimes I call you just because I miss your touch? You won't be upset that there's nothing more pressing than a longing to have you next to me?"

"What an honor that you miss me for so grand a reason," the dog said with a smile. Li Wei leaned forward and kissed Derrick. "Let us spend our time together, together, Little One," he said when the kiss ended. "Our bodies should be together, even if we are so far apart."

"I wish this was real, Li Wei," Derrick said with a sigh as his paw reached out and rubbed the temple dog's chest. "I wish you were home in bed with all of us."

"As do I, Pup," the dog replied. "But for now, let what we have here be enough." The dog lifted the young wolf up and the wolf felt the dog's cock slap up against the crack of his butt. The wolf sighed longingly and let the dog guide his flesh past the crack and bury itself deep inside.

Derrick groaned his bliss and tried to take in every sense that was giving him the pleasures he missed almost as much as the dog giving them to him. He pushed himself into the moment and let the dog take him. "It's more than enough, Li Wei," he sighed. He didn't close his eyes, as he did in the real world. He didn't want to miss a moment of his opportunity to see the dog he loved.

The two beasts were cleaning each other in the pool when the last of the setting sun's light left the top of the canyon walls. "It is time for you to return, Little One," Li Wei said as he scrubbed the back of the wolf. "We can meet again soon if you wish, but your family will grow concerned if you sleep in too late."

Derrick nodded and turned around to face the temple dog. "It's not the same when we have only a day together, is it?"

"No, Pup," Li Wei agreed with a shake of his head. "But it is what we have. Don't lose sight of all we have because of what we don't have."

The black wolf pushed up on his toes and kissed the temple dog. "I won't. I promise." He grabbed the dog in a tight hug. "I don't want to let go," he whispered.

"Then I will do it for us both, Little One," the dog replied. "Be at peace, Pup."

Derrick's arms hugged the air and then collapsed against his chest. He looked up at the darkening sky. "Goodbye, Li Wei," he whispered as he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

When his eyes opened, Derrick found himself looking into the yellow eyes of his mate. "Morning, Pup," Will said with a grin. "You've been playing with Li Wei again, haven't you?"

Derrick's paw slipped down beneath the sheets and slid along his sticky belly and the cum-soaked fabric. The paws rubbed along the wolf next to him and rubbed against even more of the wet goo spilling over the old wolf's belly. "Oh, jeez, this is embarrassing," he said, fumbling to get up.

Will pushed him back down. "No, you don't, Pup. You earned this orgasm. And by the way you were rocking, I'm pretty sure the reason Eric and Kris are in the shower is for way more than just a quick rinse off."

"Oh, great," the young wolf moaned. "That makes me feel even better. Everyone in the family knows I'm having sex with Li Wei in my dreams."

Will smiled at the upset wolf in his arms. "We aren't complaining, Pup. Some of us even envy you. I miss him so much, but I think this cum between us is as close as I'll ever get. He lives on in your heart in a way he doesn't in mine. Don't begrudge me rubbing up against you for a moment to feel and smell the magic you two find together."

Derrick relaxed. "It's okay? You're not making fun of me?"

"Of course not, Pup," the old wolf replied. "Hold on to him for as long as you can. None of us would ever tease you for that." Will chuckled. "Okay, I'll tease you for it, but you realize I never want you to let that affect your time with that lovable dog."

"He says he misses you. He told me you talk to him and Alexander. I hope it helps to know he listens."

Will rubbed the muzzle of the young wolf lovingly. "It does, Pup. I miss them both so much. The best I can do is talk to them. I wish I had the faith you do to let them back into my life. I'm sorry I can't be a part of what you two share. But I'm me, and you're you, and damn if there isn't a big ol' wall between us when it comes to seeing what's beyond this life."

"I don't know that I believe in any part of my dreams. I just know they make me feel better for a time."

"That's what I'm sure Li Wei was hoping for, Pup. I'm sure he's told you more than once to stay in the moment. He's by your side. Never question what a miracle that is, regardless of where it comes from."

"It could mean I'm insane," Derrick suggested.

"Oh, hell," the old wolf said with a laugh, "this whole family is insane. At least you're the kind of insane that gets you laid by one of the hottest temple dogs out there."

Derrick smiled happily. "Then you're good with this? You don't mind the messy sheets or the nocturnal humping?"

"I'll tell you a secret, Pup," the old wolf replied. "When you start your gyrations, we press up against you and enjoy the ride."

"Well, that's embarrassing."

"You should see it when you're doing it to Kris. Oh… my… god…" the wolf replied. "Eric and I have to clamp his mouth closed when he comes, so we won't wake you up."

Derrick's look of embarrassment intensified. "He comes?"

"Oh, yeah," Will said, nodding. "Buckets. Whoever is nearest to you always gets off. You didn't think all that cum between us was only yours, did you?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Nope. That's you and me, Pup. I don't even see him, but I still owe Li Wei a debt of gratitude every time he visits you."

Derrick shook his head. "This might take some getting used to," he said sheepishly.

"Li Wei would be happy to know the pleasure he brings us all, Pup. Ask him the next time you're together. I have no doubt what he'll say." Will paused when his ComLink chimed. "Morning, Chet," he said with a smile. "How are you and the boys?"

"We doing great. We're airborne about five kilometers from the ranch."

Will stared at the mirror-lined wall on the far side of the room. "Windows," he gave the command, and the mirrors faded, revealing the large picture windows that overlooked the backyard of the ranch house. "It would appear to be a beautiful day," Will said. "Enjoy your flight."

"Actually, we're doing reconnaissance for an old wolf today. We may have found what you've been looking for."

Will bolted up from the bed. "Really? I figured it had to be out there. How easy is it to access?"

"I'd suggest going in on horseback unless you make the run on all fours. Trucks are off-limits to the area. Hoofed animals and on foot only. There are conservation rules in place, Old Wolf."

"Yeah, I helped make them," Will replied with a laugh. "I'll ask Pup what he wants to do, but my guess is we're heading out later today."

"Do you want some company?" the angel asked.

"Eventually, Handsome," Will replied. "But for now, let's find out if we actually found El Dorado, okay?"

"That makes sense," JP piped into the conversation. "You sure you don't want to fly in?"

"Not unless I want to go without Derrick. Nothing has changed. Getting him to hop aboard the Red Wolf was a big enough hurdle to jump, but he won't go up in the air if he can see the ground below."

"I can shove something in his face if it would help," Max said with a laugh.

"Okay everyone," Derrick huffed. "You know that I'm here listening to this entire conversation, right?"

The collective sigh on the line told the young wolf if they weren't aware of him listening before, the three winged beasts were now. "Sorry," Chet said. "We love you. I doubt we'll ever stop asking you to join us one day."

"That's fine," Derrick replied. "I'll be happy to join you anytime you plant your feet firmly on the ground."

"And yours are in the air, Jefe?" Chet said with a snicker.

"That's as high as I go with you three."

There was a knock on the master bedroom door, and the two wolves said "Come in," together.

The door pushed open, and the angel stood with his two winged bear mates beside him. "You said something about anytime we plant our feet on the ground," Chet said with a grin.

Derrick smiled back. "And mine in the air." He patted the bed next to him. As the wings folded back into the three standing in the doorway, Will realized his day trip might not start until well into the evening.

Chapter 43

The young man and the old dog sat quietly overlooking the Bay of Fundy. "I still miss him, Katashi," the human said.

"I do as well, Spackle," the dog replied.

"Does this change our promise?"

The temple dog reached out and pulled the human in close. "I am sorry that Li Wei is not here to be a part of our mating, but nothing has changed between you and me. Let nothing that has happened in our life lead you to that conclusion."

Spackle moved into the hug and wrapped his arms around Katashi's broad chest. "I want to give you the space you need to heal."

The temple dog closed his eyes and rested his chin lightly on top of the human's head. "I learned a temple dog's grieving does not benefit from space. It benefits from closeness to those left behind. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to realize that Spackle."

"It's okay. I missed seeing that truth myself," Spackle mumbled into the furry chest. "I'm good with this. As long as I'm one of those you stay close to, I'm good."

"Now and forever, Little One," Katashi replied. The silence between the two hugging lingered until Katashi spoke again. "I might need to stop calling you 'Little One'. If you are to be my mate, a term of affection more suitable seems in order. One day you will not be a little one. You will be a very big dog."

"That's still a year away, Katashi," Spackle replied. "I'm good with you calling me a little one for the time being."

"Then we have a year to find a new term of endearment, Little One," the dog said as he kissed the top of the human's head.

Spackle looked up into the face of the temple dog. "When Li Wei visits you, do you talk about me?"

"Almost exclusively."

"I should probably talk to him. I owe him a visit. It's just that I've been so concerned about you. You know how things get."

Katashi gave a little laugh. "Until now, it is Li Wei who visits us. I don't think the door opens both ways."

Spackle smiled. "Maybe that's because no one has tried."

The dog hugged the human even tighter. "You see things that none of us see, Spackle. Go wherever your heart leads you."

Spackle leaned into the hug. "It will always lead back to you, Katashi."

"Then I am good with you wandering," the dog replied. The silence returned, and the two enjoyed the moment of quiet before the first children, eager for tai chi class, came running up to the two. Katashi rose. "Are you all gathered out on the field?"

"Yep," a young girl replied. "We're all ready, Sensei."

"Then let us make our way to class, shall we?" the dog said, extending his paw toward her and the young boy beside her.

Spackle put out his hands toward the other two children standing next to him. "Funny how there are always just enough class representatives to fill our hands when you come calling."

"Yeah," the young boy said, clinging tightly to Spackle's hand. "We take turns."

"Then we taught you well," Katashi said as he walked to the other side of the island with his students in hand.

Later that evening, Spackle sat overlooking the Bay of Fundy again with a temple dog by his side. The dog leaned in as before and hugged the young human. "You know I love you, right?"

"Sure," Spackle replied.

"I don't think you should do that again," the temple dog said.

"Did it upset things?"

The dog shook his head. "You should not be able to move between worlds that easily. Even I require a middle ground where we meet separately from our individual realities."

"I'm sorry, Li Wei," Spackle apologized. "It's so easy to see the path. I've always seen things that others don't. When I was a kid, everyone thought I had a wild imagination. But then, I came to the island, and I saw all the wolves. When you told me that what I was seeing was real, I just… just accepted that maybe everything else I saw was real, too."

"But the world you slip into so easily may not be one that you can always come back from with such ease. You have promises to keep with my husband. You cannot do that if you're trapped on the other side."

"The path back is always clear, Li Wei," Spackle said. "I always see the path back to Katashi." For a time, the two were quietly listening to the waves. Finally, in a whisper, Spackle added, "And I see him."

"You do?"

"Well, he's not exactly a him, I guess. But I don't enjoy calling someone an 'it' because they have no gender. And he seems so happy with you. Everyone I've ever known who sees you that way has been a he, so I call him that. If he objects, I could use something else."

"I think 'he' would be fine," the temple dog replied.

"He loves you, you know."

"I am aware of that. He doesn't have the words for it yet, but I understand his affection for me."

"So, you're going to stay there?"

"It is where I'm needed," Li Wei answered.

"And our mating?"

"We promised each other that we would mate. I will not break such an important vow to you because of a change in circumstance."

"I'm not sure that I want to hold you to that promise, Li Wei," Spackle replied. "I realize that sometimes even what we thought would never change changes."

"And your desire to mate with me?"

"The desire will never change, but the need to mate so that we do right by our feelings toward each other might not be as important as I once thought."

"Distance can do that. The love lingers, but sometimes the bonds we choose to honor that love can change."

Spackle nodded. "He needs you so much, Li Wei. I realize now why you stayed. Being my mate might one day force you to make a choice that is untenable for both of us and unbearable for him."

Li Wei rubbed his jaw along the top of the young man's head. Spackle giggled as the fur moved back and forth and slid over his brow. "You have become such an amazing temple dog, Spackle. In time, you will eclipse everything that we ever hoped to be. Even now you see where our paths lead."

"I will miss you, Li Wei."

A thick paw pushed against Spackle's chest. "Do not miss me quite so soon, Little One. I am still here with you. Stay with me in this moment."

Spackle paused. "Li Wei, you're not corporeal anymore, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then what we experience in this world isn't really affecting my waking world."

"I believe Pup would disagree."

"Wolfy?"

"He wakes up every morning after our visits covered in ejaculate."

"But it's his cum, right? I mean, even if you cum in this world, you don't actually leave anything behind in our world, right?"

"Correct."

"Then we could have sex and you wouldn't turn me?"

"That is true."

"And you and Katashi could take me together here and nothing in our world would change."

"That is also true."

"So we could…" Spackle stopped. "Oh, damn, I want you two so bad," he sighed. "But not at the cost of breaking my promise."

"Then this interlude you were contemplating?" Li Wei asked.

"Never mind. It's more important for me to stay true to what I promised myself."

"I am so proud of you, Little One," the temple dog said.

"But, when I turn… when Katashi and I mate… when all that's done in a year, can we come to you and be with you? Not to mate; we don't have to mate. Just to be together, to know that this…" Spackle said waving his hand out toward to world around him, "… all of this, is what is meant to be. That I wasn't wrong to love two temple dogs, even if one has more important things to do than be my mate."

Li Wei picked up the human and turned him toward a tight hug. "There has been nothing more important than loving you, Spackle," Li Wei whispered. "Grow in your own time, my love. I will not say no to our mating if you understand that in doing so, our goodbye will be so much more difficult."

"The greater the love, the greater the grief when separation happens."

"There are constants in the universe. That is one. Accepting the joy of a union is to accept the sadness when it ends."

"And it always ends."

"Nothing is eternal."

"Then even if only for a brief time, Li Wei, I would love to be your mate."

"I would love for that to happen," the temple dog replied. "But life has ways of changing our plans. Don't place too high a priority on our mating the day you turn, Little One. There may be things of greater consequence that need your care. Know that no matter where our paths may lead us, no matter what responsibilities we must accept, I will always love you."

Spackle gave a nod. "But one day…"

"Of course, my love; one day."

"So, am I sleeping next to Katashi now?"

"I believe if you concentrate hard enough, you will feel his erection pressing against your buttocks."

Spackle laughed. "I love that feeling, Li Wei. I love him so much."

"And I love you both. It is time for you to return to him, Little One."

"But I'll see you again?"

The temple dog nodded. "Of course. But please try to stay here in the area both our worlds can share. No more jaunts to the other side."

Spackle thought for a moment. "I don't know if I can promise that, Li Wei. But I will promise I won't make any trips without a need."

The temple dog hugged the human. "Always do what is needful, my love. It is the guiding light for our kind. I will never question your actions if you tell me that was your reason."

"Then waking up because Katashi because he is about to do the same?"

"That is needful. He so loves waking up with you."

The human gave a tight squeeze and released the dog from his hug. "I will see you later, Li Wei," he said as he stepped back. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The warm, heavy arm of the temple dog rested across his chest. He picked it up and kissed it. "Good morning, Dog," he whispered.

"Good morning, Human," the dog replied with a little laugh.

"Find a different name for me than that, Katashi," the human suggested. "I don't intend to be a human for long."

"I already have a name for you set in my heart, my love," the dog replied.

Spackle let the words sink in. My love. The words spoken by Li Wei, and now by Katashi; words that filled the gap for all he wanted to say to both dogs. "I like that name, my love," he said, pushing back against the dog. "I like that name a lot."

Chapter 44	 

Derrick and Will dismounted from their horses and walked toward the opening in the box canyon. "It's beautiful, Pup," the old wolf said. "Even in this light, there is so much color and life."

"I didn't think it was real, Old Wolf," Derrick said, gazing at his dream brought into the real world. "I thought it was something my mind made up."

Will chuckled. "It might be, Pup. Don't forget what can happen when your mind thinks on something long enough."

The young wolf scratched his head. "Yeah, I hadn't thought about that. If my brain plopped it down here, then there's a pond toward the cliff at the back. We might as well go check your theory." He stepped into the small creek meandering through the canyon and followed the upstream flow.

"It could as easily be Li Wei using an actual point in our world to make his crossover," the old wolf postulated.

Derrick turned and smiled. "Then you believe he's real? You don't think I'm only imagining all this?"

"I always believed it was real, Pup," Will replied. "I'm not sure what's happening, but I sense that what you and Li Wei share is very real." The wolf stepped over a few larger rocks covered in moss. "This canyon convinces me all the more."

"I'm glad my husband found a man who can convince him that dreams are as much a reality as anything else he experiences," a voice behind them said.

Will turned to see the Iberian wolf standing with the light of the setting sun shining on him. "Mushy?" he asked with a faltering voice.

"Of course, Pup," the wolf replied. "Who else would come all this way to see such a curmudgeonly wolf?"

"But… but you can't be," Will stammered as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're dead."

"I am very much aware of that, Pup," the wolf replied. "Do we need to spend even a moment dealing with the obvious, or do we admit we both miss each other enough to take advantage of this moment?" The wolf extended his arms toward Will, and the old wolf ran into them.

Li Wei wrapped his arm around the young wolf. "I never realized until this moment how deep your love for the old wolf is," he whispered. "Shall we let the two of them enjoy this reunion?"

"I probably can't make it last past morning light, Li Wei."

"It is all the old wolf will need to last him a lifetime, Pup. He only needs to say goodbye. Life denied him that moment. Tonight he will find it. Trust me; the old wolf needs no encouragement to believe this moment is as real as it needs to be."

"And me, Li Wei?"

"All things in their time, Little One."

"But this is our time, isn't it?"

"Not yet, but one day we will need to say goodbye."

"Is it wrong of me to say I hope that day never comes?"

"It needn't be goodbye if that upsets you, Pup," the yellow dog replied. "Years ago, Bai told you that death is such a misunderstood concept for humans. I am learning now that even for the Brotherhood, death goes beyond what we envisioned. There are layers upon layers of existence we discover only by experiencing them."

"But it feels like one day I should say goodbye," Derrick said as he shook his head. "At first, I thought it was because I needed to move beyond holding on to you so tightly. But now it seems as if there is a job I am taking you away from, a place you're supposed to be that you need to leave every time you come to spend time with me."

Li Wei smiled. "You now see beyond yourself, Pup. And you let me become what I must become, even if it pulls me away from you. You are growing into such a magnificent young man. But my promise still stands. Until you no longer need me, I will be here."

"But you have other obligations," the black wolf said, as much a question as a statement.

"I do."

"I can try to be less needy."

"You do what your heart tells you is right. I will never question your need for me to be beside you from time to time. I believe there is a reason that you held on to me so tightly, Pup. It extends beyond simply you and me. I see it now as I watch two wolves tentatively finding their way with each other after so many hundreds of years of longing. This world, this bridge we share; we both have obligations to those we love that we can only accomplish here in this place."

Derrick nodded. "I'll try to make it for something more important than just sex."

Li Wei rubbed his chin. "There are few things more important than having sex with those you love, Pup. We must set aside some time for sex, regardless of our other reasons for meeting. Sex has always been a key for beasts to hold on to the love and memories that we share. It seems a terrible waste of the effort to be here together if not to enjoy sex at some point."

"We have now," Derrick said with a smile. "I can stay here in this moment much longer if you're inside me."

"Then that is where I will be," the temple dog replied. "Between us two, we should be able to hold off the morning light for quite some time."

"I would love to meet Alexander."

"And I am sure he would like to meet you as well. He was very protective of his mate. It will calm his spirit to see that the wolf he loves has found a loving mate to stand by him in his absence."

"So, until all of us are ready to say goodbye, we hold off the sun?"

"I read that the god of Abraham held the sun in place for an extra day so that Joshua could kill his enemies. Surely a night where the moon stands still to let lovers say goodbye will bring back balance to the universe."

"And us?"

"What are we, if not lovers preparing to say goodbye, Pup?" Li Wei replied. "The timing of that goodbye in the arc of eternity is not even the blink of an eye. Perhaps in this moment, we can say the first of so many goodbyes we will share before the day we let go forever."

The arm of the temple dog pulled the wolf even closer, and the two kissed. Li Wei put his thick paws under the arms of the wolf and lifted him into the air. Pulling him closer, the golden dog lowered the black wolf onto his swollen cock. Derrick pushed out his legs around the girth of the temple dog's belly and clamped his legs tight, pushing down as he did so. The yellow cock slipped inside the black wolf with ease. Supported by the arms of the dog and his legs, Derrick pushed up into another kiss as the two fell backward onto a small patch of grass.

From the other side of the creek came a howl that Derrick recognized as that of his mate in the middle of an intense orgasm. Never breaking the kiss, the young wolf let the temple dog take him to that same place.

Hours later, Will sighed as he let Alexander slip out of him and fall next to his side. "As good as you remember it, Pup?" the wolf beside him asked.

"Better," the old wolf replied. The two were quiet for some time when Will spoke again. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, Mushy."

"There was nothing you could have done, Pup," Alexander replied. "If it calms your soul any, it wasn't painful. I just realized I wasn't where I was a moment ago. It took me some time to realize that my body had not fared as well. What happened after that is difficult to explain. I'm not exactly what you would call real anymore by so many of your standards."

"You feel real to me," Will said as he rolled over and buried his face in the chest of the Iberian wolf beside him.

"I am real for you, Pup," Alexander said, moving his arm around the shoulder of his mate. "Everything that I ever was, everything I thought and dreamed, is still held fast in a sacred place."

Will looked up at Alexander's face. "So, there is a heaven?"

"Not the way they taught you. There is no heaven, no hell, only memory. It's eternal and unchanging. But it's nothing like anyone dreamed it to be in our world. Li Wei is only now beginning to understand after all these years apart from you."

"Is he dead, Mushy?"

"I don't think so. By your definition, I am, but he is something different."

"Like the Changelings tethered to Terra for all those years?"

"Beyond that. Immortals have a different set of rules."

"Then the temple dogs are Changelings?"

"From the moment they gave up their human to become something else."

"Just not the gummy slug variety?" Will pressed the question.

Alexander laughed and squeezed the old wolf in close. "Just not the gummy slug variety. Eternals come in many species and looks. And within those variations, some immortals continue to evolve. The temple dogs have evolved far beyond what they were at birth."

"But none of them are truly eternal, are they?" Will asked.

"No. To my understanding, only one has been from the first moment. Only one will be there when it is no more."

"God?"

Alexander laughed again. "Not hardly. You'll be happy to learn your atheism is well-founded. The gods of the humans have never lived, not even as aliens come to earth."

"But the one…" Will pressed, letting the unspoken words ask his question.

"The wellspring of memory. The place from which all reality flows outward, and where all memory returns. No miracles, no deciding who wins what war, no granting of well-deserved blessings. Nothing godlike at all, save knowing all that ever was or will be. And trust me, that doesn't make you a god."

"What does it make you?" Will asked.

Alexander bumped Will's nose with his paw. "It doesn't make me anything in this moment other than what I have always been to you. I am your lover, your mate, the one who even now hopes not to waste this moment on idle talk when there are so many more important things to do with my mouth." The wolf lifted himself upright, dropping Will's head into his lap. He looked down at the old wolf and smiled. "This is our moment, Pup. Our chance to say goodbye. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps now and then, a well-deserved blessing is given. But, if we struggle too long with the logistics of that blessing, we may lose it forever. Like a memory you can't quite recall, but in this case, a memory you won't have because we didn't create it."

Will rolled out from lying in the other wolf's lap and hugged the wolf tightly. "Is it you, Alexander? I have to know."

"All that I was rests in the body you're holding. The memory never dies. The love I had for you… The love I have for you even now… it never dies. Please, Pup, stay with me. The black wolf struggles even now to keep the two of you here. Don't let his sacrifice go unappreciated. Don't let my last memory of you be of a man who doubted that his mate would one day find a way to say goodbye."

Will clung to Alexander even more tightly. "Mushy, I can't say goodbye. I've never been able to say goodbye."

"Then tell me you forgive me for leaving you. My death shattered so many of your dreams. It crushed so much of who you were. You spent so much of your life trying to help Oliver get past the one moment when he wasn't what he dreamed of being. Help me get past mine. Help me get past leaving you alone in a world without a guide."

Will choked back a sob. "I tried so hard to understand. All those centuries never knowing, Mushy. And then to find out what happened that day was at the hands of the man who was to be my husband's mate."

"I would have done the same as Donovan without a moment's hesitation."

"I know you would, but I learned too late what happened to you. It left me afraid to love again. I couldn't take the chance."

"And so those who loved you intervened. You have so many beautiful husbands, Pup."

Will smiled. "I'd like to introduce you to one of them if it doesn't push our time together out of whack."

Alexander grinned. "He's getting his ass pummeled by a temple dog at the moment." He pointed toward the darkness on the other side of the creek. "I believe this is the third time if I'm not mistaken. His appetite for sex nearly equals yours, Pup."

"It's probably greater," Will said with a sense of pride in his husband. "Not as uninhibited as yours, but he would give you a run for your money."

"Oh, really?" the Iberian wolf said as he stood up. "This is one wolf I must meet before this night is over."

"I call him Pup," Will said shyly.

"I am glad you found one who you can call that."

"I share him with quite a few others," Will said almost apologetically.

"And had we had a few more years, we would have shared ourselves with others as well. We had so little time together, Pup." Alexander's arms stretched out, inviting another hug. "I have missed you so much." Will moved into the hug, and when their lips met, the longing slowly slipped away for both wolves.

Hours later, the temple dog looked up from his copulation and smiled at the two approaching wolves. His pace thrusting into the wolf below him never slowed, even when Alexander squatted in front of Derrick. Derrick looked up, his head bobbing with each thrust of the temple dog behind him. Alexander rubbed the muzzle of the young wolf. "Hello, Derrick. I am Alexander Wambeke; the first husband of William Gentry."

Derrick smiled. "Hi, I'm William's second husband. I'd shake hands, but I'm currently using my arms to keep my face from slamming into the dirt. Li Wei is in the moment in a really good way."

Alexander laughed. "So it would seem. Are you opposed to the idea of spending some time with me when Li Wei wishes to take a break? I would like to get to know my mate's second husband better before we part ways."

"Sure, we can talk."

The Iberian wolf grinned. "I was thinking of getting to know you more biblically if that's agreeable. You're a bottom that loves another bottom. There are things I need to teach you before this night is over about the man you love."

It was Derrick's turn to laugh. "You good with this, Old Wolf?" he asked, looking up at Will.

"Watching my husbands fuck? Have you ever seen me not enjoy that?" Will responded.

Li Wei pulled Derrick back and embedded his cock to the hilt as his body shook through his orgasm. The bulky body of the golden dog shuddered with each volley of cum that filled the insides of the young wolf. The two upright wolves watched appreciatively as the motions slowed. "Had I known it would look like that, I would have insisted on visiting earlier."

Will laughed. "Well, it would seem that Li Wei is ready to take a break, so you two have fun. I'll be happy to enjoy the view."

Li Wei let his cock slip from the young wolf and squeezed it, forcing the last of his cum to spill out on the grass below. "Then it is unfortunate that I will interrupt your happiness, Old Wolf," the temple dog said. "You will not see them with my cock in your mouth."

"Really?" the old wolf snickered.

"There are lessons Pup needs to learn this night at the hands of your husband to increase the satisfaction he brings you."

"Sure, I'm good with that."

"There are lessons you must learn to bring that same sense of satisfaction to my husband when you return. Katashi has Spackle to share his bed at night. The young human keeps my absence from overwhelming my mate. But Spackle has promised not to copulate with my husband until his thirtieth birthday. I will rely on you and your husbands to attend to my husband's needs when they arise."

Will squatted down in front of the temple dog's cock and took it in his mouth. "An excellent start," the dog said after a moment. "But now, let me teach you how to use the tongue and teeth together in positions that you have yet to master." Will could only mumble his eagerness to learn as the tightening cock inside his mouth began leaking the pre-cum he craved.

The sex shared between the four had waned into a gentle group cuddle that seemed somehow as satisfying as the sex had been. How many hours had transpired no one knew or cared to consider. Their spent bodies rested in the coolness of the pond below the waterfall. Alexander held Will in his arms, and Li Wei held Derrick. The four postponed the words that needed speaking until the light of the sun, still an hour from rising, pushed the darkness aside in a pink haze.

"Pup," Alexander whispered, "I may never come again. This is something that was never done before."

"I know, Mushy," Will replied. "Thank you for coming. I will be fine now. I can wait for our reunion to be the old-fashioned way."

"That could be many thousands of years away," Alexander said.

"You'll be okay with that, right?" Will asked.

Alexander squeezed the old wolf tightly. "Never be too curious to find what lies on the other side, Pup. There's nothing as wonderful as where you are now. It's a mistake to think otherwise." There was a quiet that neither cared to fill for a time when finally Will's mate spoke. "I will miss you, Pup."

"I will miss you too, Mushy."

"Be happy, Pup," the Iberian wolf said as he leaned in to kiss the other Iberian wolf. "Please do me a favor."

"Anything."

"Don't visit the memorial on the day I died. There is too much sorrow for that day to hold. Come visit it on my birthday. I don't want you to remember the day I left you. Remember the day I was born instead. Because from that day forward, my life was leading me to you."

"I think I will find that easier to deal with," Will whispered.

"We get caught up in the loss. It's hard to break away from a day that haunts us. But I know you can do it, Pup. I'd like to think you can remember me and smile now."

"I'll try," Will said. "One other thing."

"What, my love?" Alexander said, giving the wolf another kiss.

"Be my mate, Mushy," the old wolf replied when the kiss ended.

Alexander took his mate's head and gently pressed it into his chest. Will felt the teeth sink into his neck and heard the words he needed to hear to let go. "Now and forever, Pup. Nothing has changed. Nothing ever will. We share our memories, and they will live on forever."

"Goodbye, Mushy," the old wolf said through the tears.

"Goodbye, Pup," his mate said, letting the grip of his jaws go. "I'll see you around."

Li Wei shifted his position. "Time to go, Pup. Did you want me to take care of this goodbye?"

Derrick turned around and hugged the temple dog. "Not this time, Li Wei. Kiss me goodbye and let us watch you walk out from here. I need to know you both have somewhere else to be and that you're going there."

"You two come back here often," Li Wei said, almost as a command. "This is now your special place to share."

Will looked over at the temple dog. "The rest of the family will find their way here as well, Dog."

"That was my wish," Li Wei said as he rose out of the water. The dog extended his hand to Alexander, who took the paw and stood up. Li Wei bowed, and Alexander gave a wave to his mate. "There are places we need to be and obligations that now seem so difficult to return to. But return to them we must."

Will nodded. "Go, gentlemen. Know that it will be equally difficult for us to return to ours without you. But we understand what is happening this time. We are all making a conscious choice to be where we go, even if it's without the ones we love."

"Li Wei will never be far away, Pup," Alexander said, staring at the old wolf and his mate. He understood that the two knew the one name was spoken to both.

"Understood, Mushy," the old wolf replied. "Go. Pup is right. I need to see you heading off to work. This time I know there will be a reunion down the line."

"You two take good care of each other," Derrick said with a wave goodbye.

Alexander looked at Li Wei. "You heard him, Dog," he said, smiling.

"That has always been my intention, Pup," Li Wei said with a bow. The two clasped paws and turned toward the mouth of the box canyon. The sun crested and the bright light blurred the two figures walking away into the light. Derrick and Will knew that morning had come and their visit had ended.

Outside the dream, Li Wei stood over the two wolves asleep in the pond. The water flowing over them would clean up much of what remained of the night from their fur. He regretted that his incorporeal body would not let him lick up the last of the cum spilled on their chests. "I will miss them," he whispered.

Beside Li Wei, something that seemed to be transparent flowing rock became billowing yellow clouds. The clouds became the temple dog next to Li Wei. "I will miss them, too," the temple dog said. "I see now why you so eagerly visit them when they call."

"Thank you for your patience, Falong. This transition has not been easy for me."

"I understand. You don't need to stay, Li Wei. I realize now that you made your choice without adequate knowledge of the outcome. You are free to return to your home."

The temple dog turned to his mirror image. "And what becomes of you?"

"I will be as I always have been. Before this universe, before a thousand, thousand universes like this one, I have always been as I am. I will be as I am long after this one ceases to exist and a thousand, thousand universes beyond."

Li Wei's paw slipped down and took the paw of the other temple dog. "But you know now of the memories you hold."

"I know. I cannot undo the doing. We both made choices without adequate knowledge of the outcome."

"You would be lonely."

"A new feeling for me, but I think I can grow used to it."

"But if I stay."

"I will learn to love. Alexander's memories are still so much a part of me."

"And if I was to ask you what you want?" Li Wei asked the other temple dog.

"Stay."

"Now and forever," Li Wei replied.

"Forever is a very, very long time."

"I ask only one thing of you."

"If it is in my power."

"When my brothers die, let them come here to live with us. Don't take their memory and store it away."

"You would do that for me? You would all stay here?"

"We all wonder what comes after life."

"This is not the afterlife, Li Wei. This is life on a different plane. It is the memory of every life ever lived stored all around you. Even the paw you hold is not me. In time, maybe we will be like Donovan and the symbiont that live together. Maybe you will see me as I truly am."

"And you, me," Li Wei said, squeezing the paw. "I know what you are. My brothers know. We would be one with you if you would let us."

"But in their own time?" Falong pressed.

"In their own time," Li Wei agreed. "They have their obligations to their world even as we have to ours."

The temple dog next to Li Wei smiled. "This is our world?"

"I would like to think so."

"I would like to think so, too."

"Then shall we leave our Little Ones to enjoy the last moments of their sleep?"

The newly formed temple dog waved his hand through the air. "Of course, it's all such a beautiful memory."

Where Li Wei and Falong went was nowhere and everywhere. The newly born temple dog would teach his companion about the world in which he lived and what he was. Li Wei watched the new world unfolding, memory upon memory as intangible as air but as necessary to the life of the one he had promised himself to.

In another universe, in another memory, Katashi woke to find the young man sleeping next to him. He smiled. "See to your new companion, my love. We both have our own obligations and now I see we will both have our own joys."

The temple dog leaned over and kissed the human. Spackle's eyes opened. "Hello, Handsome. What's on the agenda today?" he asked the dog.

"I believe I will let you teach tai chi class today," Katashi said.

"There will be a rebellion, Dog," Spackle said with a laugh. "Those kids come to class because a big yellow dog teaches them."

"And one day you will be a big yellow dog. It is time we started training you to accept the responsibilities that will rest on those very large shoulders."

"Okay," the human said sleepily. "Do I get a kiss?"

Katashi laughed. "Of course."

"Do I get to shower with you?"

"After class. We cannot be late, and that is a given if we shower together."

Spackle jumped up and threw his feet over the side of the bed. "Okay, then. I'm good to go."

"You are naked, Spackle."

"So are you."

"I possess fur and a genital pouch. It is harder to tell."

Spackle stretched out and grabbed the pants of his tai chi uniform. He slipped them on and reached for his top. "Okay, Dog, you win this round. But I intend to be naked with you as soon as class is over. I may have my responsibilities, but you have yours as well. I am to be your mate. As best you can, you need to help me act like it."

Katashi rose and hugged the human. He gave him a long kiss and then pushed him back, smiling. "That has always been my intention."

Chapter 45

The bright sunshine spilling down the box canyon finally crossed over the eyes of the two wolves in the pond, waking them. Will looked down at his chest and saw the cum spilled over it. He jostled the black wolf next to him and waited for the wolf's eyes to open. "Thank you, Pup," Will said as his cum soaked paw rubbed along the young wolf's shoulder. "Thank you for everything."

"I was…"

The old wolf's paw pressed up against the mouth of the younger. "No, Pup. Don't try thinking this through. No speculations about the truth of what happened last night."

"I won't, Old Wolf," Derrick promised. "I was only going to say that for hundreds of years, I wondered where you learned to do that thing with your tongue. Last night, I found out when Alexander did it to me."

Will smiled. "I had an excellent mentor."

"The best ever," Derrick agreed. "I know now why you miss him. Every touch, every word from Alexander, was so filled with love. I hardly said hello, and already I regret having to say goodbye." Derrick paused. "Would it be okay if I joined you and Papa Bear at his memorial in August?"

Will smiled. "I would like that, Pup. I would like that a lot. But it won't be in August. It will be September 24th, the day Alexander was born. I'm turning my back on that cursed day to remember a much better day."

"That sounds like a good idea," the black wolf said. "I would enjoy remembering the day he was born as well. He helped the man I love become the wolf he is."

The sun crept over the top of the canyon's crest and the light created a rainbow at the top of the waterfall's plunge. The two wolves stared at it for a time. Will's arm reached out and pulled Derrick close. "Let's say we add a bit more cum to this mess, clean up, and go home?"
Derrick nodded. "Am I bottom or top?"

"You're bottoming, Pup. I owe you, and a gentleman always repays his debts."

Derrick's lecherous grin spread over his face. "Oh, if you're repaying a debt, I expect you to be anything but gentlemanly." The old wolf dove into the water and claimed his first prize of the morning as the young wolf's cock slipped into his mouth.

Hours later, after the two had finally cleaned up, the two werewolves walked to the front of the box canyon and stared at the horses. The two horses stared back and shook their heads no. "Okay," Derrick said as he shook into his human form. "But you better not bitch about our weight, or you're not getting treats when we get home."

The horse moved up alongside the corpulent man and rubbed the rawhide hackamore against his arm. The other horse waited until Will had shifted to repeat the gesture. Derrick stared at the horse for a moment, and Will laughed. He grabbed the overweight human, hefting him up onto the horse's back. Turning to his horse, the six-foot-four human easily made the jump onto its back. The two turned the horses back toward the ranch and the horses made their way toward the rise of the plateau.

Kris looked up and smiled as the two naked men walked into the kitchen. "Well, our wayward husbands have finally found their way home. We were about to send Chet out to reconnoiter your status."

"It's good to be home, Husband," Will said. "How long have we been gone?"

"Really?" the brown bear asked with a laugh. "You've been gone two days."

The two shifted, and the wolves turned to each other and smiled. Kris held out a plate full of sandwiches. "Join us for lunch, you two?"

Derrick nodded happily. "That would be great. I'm starving." He ran up to the bear and hugged him. Kris worked to balance the plate of sandwiches over his head as his free arm hugged the wolf back.

"You two boys smell like mating," Kris said as he sniffed the air. "What have you been up to?"

Will grinned sheepishly. "We kind of renewed our vows. I guess we got caught up in the moment out there in all that beauty."

"So, when do we go out to that canyon and renew our vows with you two?" Kris asked as he pushed the young wolf back and kissed him. "It seems a shame to let all that newly mated scent go to waste when we can add to it."

"How soon can we get Adam back on planet and Oliver off Partridge Island?" Will asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I will make it happen," the bulky bear said as he turned and walked out toward the main hall. "HUSBAND!" he yelled. "The wolves are back and smell of mating."

"I know!" the polar bear yelled back with a laugh. "The whole ranch knows."

"So, we figured if it's okay with our other husbands, we'd head back to that pocket canyon and renew all our vows."

The polar bear bolted from his chair and ran into the kitchen, grabbing the young wolf and spinning him around. "That's a wonderful idea."

The call went out to Partridge Island, and Oliver was heading to the ranch within the hour on the Red Wolf. The five realized their joint request for Adam might be ignored if he was preoccupied with his work. But they proceeded with their plan as if he would return.

As the Red Wolf set its skids on the landing pad, Chet, Max, and JP were busy prepping the horses for their trip. The Percheron was the most cantankerous, having little desire to let a four-hundred-pound Santa up on his back. "It's up to you, Feivel," JP said, dangling the hackamore in front of the horse. "You can go to the canyon with Kris on your back or stay here. Yeah, he's heavy, but it's a pretty short ride. And you get at least two days off while he mates with his husbands." The Kermode bear shook the hackamore. "Or you can stay home and help us with bringing in the hay. It's up to you."

The horse stared at the bridle and thrust his head into the opening. "Good choice," JP said with a laugh. "Besides, you know you love the guy. Come Christmas, who always gives you the best presents?"

The horse walked away slowly toward the gathering group and pushed himself up against Kris. Kris patted the horse's neck. "Thanks, Feivel," the Kodiak said as he shifted into his human persona. "I'm glad you're coming along." The horse nodded his agreement, and the Santa look-alike mounted the horse with an easy jump and throw of his leg.

Eric helped Oliver onto his horse, and the short, burly man smiled at the polar bear. "I'se gonna mate you so hard, Old Bear," the badger said.

"Really?" Eric said as he shifted to human. "And what am I going to do to you?"

Oliver grinned shyly. "You'se gonna mate me even harder, Old Bear. I wants to feel your teeth on my neck and you inside me so bad."

Eric pushed up on his tiptoes and kissed Oliver, who bent over to make the kiss possible. "We have all the time in the world, Oliver," Eric said as he took the hackamore of his horse and flipped the reins over the top of the horse's head. The tall, thinner build of the human made his mount easier. With a thank you to the three winged beasts, the five were off toward the edge of the plateau and the box canyon.

Once there, the five set up a short-stay camp. Blankets for lounging on the dry clay soil where the grass hadn't grown, food for the next few days, and treats for the horses as they set them out to graze. One by one, the family shifted back to their beasts and sat down to a light dinner.

The sun had set, and the stars began taking their places in the night sky when the ball of fire sped toward the canyon. The flaming pangolin hit the ground with a roll. By the third somersault, he righted himself as an otter. The otter started brushing off the dusty Montana clay from his fur when he spotted the pool of water below the waterfall. "Oh, good," he said happily. "Exactly what I need to get this dust off my fur."

Adam walked by the stunned crowd without looking at them and headed straight for the water. He dove in, and moments later came up spitting out a stream of water from his lips like a fountain. He looked at the staring beasts. "Well, come on in, husbands. Two of you smell like mating, and you all smell like horse. If you want my lips on your body parts, I insist we spend some time cleaning them up." The husbands stood still, watching the otter scrubbing his armpits. He looked up. "Well? I'm home; I'm horny, and I've got a tongue that needs to rim an ass something fierce. First one in the water gets to be the one to see what it feels like with cold water and a hot tongue on your hole."

The five husbands ran toward the otter. For a moment, but only a moment, the otter regretted making the promise when all five dove into the water together.

Chapter 46

Eric sat staring at the bison herd sleeping on the plain. Occasionally, the bulky creatures would shift their weight, bumping into others lying on the ground. The snorting and shoving matches it caused would move through the herd like a wave, and as soon as it started, it was over and the bison returned to their rest. "It's nice of you to visit, Li Wei," the polar bear said.

"I find it more difficult to bring you all into the same space than I thought it would be," the golden dog replied.

"So, why me first? And why here, and not the Box Canyon where I'm sleeping?"

"Because this is one of your favorite places to be. Tonight, the new moon lets the stars be particularly bright. It's as if one can see eternity. That is why we are here together. You see on the horizon what the others do not."

"I think they see it. They just hope they're wrong. Max and JP have stopped time-traveling toward the future. It's as if they glimpsed it and that was enough."

"They viewed one version of the future; the version that you fear the most. The future is a set of potentialities. There is no absolute future. It doesn't exist. The young ones have yet to realize that. But I have learned there are many versions of the future, and none are written until the moment they become the past." The temple dog reached out and pulled the polar bear in close to him. "The plans your Verital family put in place are not the only option, Old Bear. You have family here on Terra. It is time you learned what you have spent so many years teaching others. You need to learn how to ask for help when you need it."

Eric pushed his head playfully into the great dog's shoulder, rubbing his muzzle across the yellow-furred chest. "I ask for help all the time."

"But not when it comes to the powers you hold."

"I can't give them away, Li Wei. They entrusted them to me."

"While I love you dearly, Ancient One, they gave them to you because you were the last Terran Changeling alive. That hardly makes the act of transferring the powers to you the same as entrusting them to you. It was more like tossing them at you and hoping they stuck."

Eric chuckled. "I suppose you're right, but I still feel the obligation. The Unity holds me responsible for their care."

The temple dog rubbed his chin over the top of the bear's head. "I understand that. But Gaia understood the risk of holding onto so much power, and she changed a world to protect her people from that power."

"Oliver and Pup are so much stronger than me."

"And why is it that in a universe of powerful creatures, the two she chose to mentor were Oliver and Pup? She has little love for teaching, Ancient One. Only the love she feels for those two drew her to the challenge."

Eric nodded. "I suppose so."

"She loves you even more."

The bear looked into the eyes of the dog. "I will ask her, Li Wei."

"She will be there for you, Old Bear. She has always been there for you."

"I realize Li Wei. But you know how hard it is to talk to your parents sometimes."

"You married your father. You don't seem to find it difficult to talk to him."

"But Mom is Mom, you know."

"She is a lovely woman."

"She's Gaia, Mother of All. It makes it tougher to talk to the starting point of our entire history as the Unity."

"She is your mother."

The white bear took a deep breath. "Yeah, she is. It seemed so much easier when I was young. Before I realized how much more she was than just Mom."

"To her, she has never been more than just Mom. Why do you think she so willingly sacrificed her return to the Verital Unity to stay with you? Do you have any idea how greatly those two altered their lives to be by your side? You are their son. In all the Unity, you are unique to them; not because of your power, but because you are their son. Gaia has never turned from the one calling she considered sacrosanct. Isn't it time you let her be the only thing she has ever wanted to be for you?"

The bear was silent and the temple dog let the silence be enough. Eventually, he pulled the bear even closer to his chest. "Wake, Ancient One. Tonight I will attend to your husbands. Go; attend to that part of your family that you have overlooked for too long."

Eric woke with a shake to find himself on the plateau overlooking the bison herd miles from where he once slept with his husbands. He looked up into the stars and gazed at the expanse of the Milky Way shining in the night. "I miss you, Mom."

The wind picked up and blew around him, stirring up the dry Montana soil. "I have never gone away, Son," the voice said.

The bear could feel all of nature surround him in the quiet voice he heard. The fields of grain, the rippling water at the edge of a lake, the sound of birds in the early morning. It was all there within the sound of a voice that brought him joy every time he heard it. "I know," the bear replied. "I guess I did. Somewhere along the line, I let you become Gaia instead of Mom. I'm sorry."

The blue woman of Derrick's vision appeared alongside the bear. "We are a complicated family," the woman replied. "There is a new Unity being born. One day, the histories will show you as the father of it all. It will be a burden to live up to such a title. Trust me, I know. It does me no good to be an icon. All I ever wanted to do was protect my people, to keep them safe. What I did, I did for our survival, not for a place in the history books, much less as some myth spoken in whispers. The Verital chose to call me the mother of all, not me. I have only been the mother of one son, and he sits here beside me."

The polar bear sighed. "That's all I ever wanted, Mom. To keep my people safe. To protect my husbands and my family."

"We are two of a kind, aren't we?"

Eric chuckled. "You and Dad raised me. We're the Unity. Of course, we're two of a kind."

"Then why is it so hard for you to accept me as your mother? I would understand that if we were on Verital, but the life of a Terran Changeling is so different from the life of those on Verital. Your father and I realized that watching you grow up on Terra. We saw the world that surrounded us, and we learned what it meant to be a parent beyond the homogeneous whole that is the Unity. Why is it so difficult to let me have the title I wanted instead of the one foisted upon me?"

The bear looked down at the blue woman looking up at him. "Because I'm a fool who puts too much importance on how others see you."

"I didn't raise a fool, Son."

The bear reached out and pulled the blue woman with the flowing hair into a tight hug. "I'm going to need so much help, Mom. I don't know what to do with what they have given me."

"Nor do I," the blue woman whispered in his ear. "But together with those that surround us, I am confident there are answers to be found." The words flowed through the bear like a summer breeze off the coast of Vancouver Island. The bear could almost taste the salt on his tongue. Gaia, Mother of All, slipped away in the hug until all that remained was Mom. Clinging tightly to the tiny woman, the bear realized that was all he ever wanted.

Chapter 47

The Kodiak bear jumped from the water and raced toward the polar bear as he approached the family bathing in the pond. The polar bear braced himself for the sloppy, wet hug, and found it somehow more pleasant than he imagined. When the lips of the wet bear pressed up against his, he recalled an ancient Steve Miller Band song called Jungle Love. "Everything's better when wet." He abandoned himself to the wetness and returned the kiss. When the kiss had ended, the Kodiak pushed the polar bear back to arms' length. "How was your night, Son?" he asked.

"It was nice, Dad. It was really nice."

"We missed you."

Eric smiled. "I'm glad. I'd hate to think Li Wei being here could override every contribution I might make to our play."

"He told us where you were. Are things okay with you and your mom?"

"Yeah, I think they're better than they've been for a very long time."

"Did you discuss her need to merge?"

"She is quite content taking care of the responsibilities she has. She said adding another child to the mix would only complicate matters."

"And she can do that? She isn't driven the way we are to merge?"

Eric rubbed the chest of the bear in front of him. "Apparently not. But then, she is who she is. There are layers to her she has never revealed to anyone, including that handsome mate of hers that marooned her here on this planet."

Kris smiled. "We were companions for a time, as is the way of the Unity. I am mated to the bear in front of me and those four behind us. I love Gaia as I love all the Unity, but I am in love with the bear. Never forget what you mean to me."

Eric returned the smile. "It's nice to hear it now and then. Mom said our family was complicated. Our interpersonal relationships as the Unity don't help ease the confusion."

The Kodiak's paw reached down below and fondled the genital pouch of the white bear. "Come on, Husband. Let's go help ease your confusion. You have five very horny husbands who missed your company last night. It's time you took your place beside us."

A frown crossed the bear's face. "One day, that place beside me won't be so pleasant. You get that, right?"

The voice of Santa laughing rang through the canyon. "Of course I do." The brown bear kissed the white. "But today is not that day. Today we remind each other of why we stay together. Today, you let go of that burden and be with us."

Eric felt another set of wet paws rub his back. He turned and smiled at the old wolf. "Come on, Old Bear," Will said. "Today, your only burden is to feed five starving husbands."

"I didn't bring any food," the white bear said with a grin.

"Did you know semen is chock full of sugars and protein?"

"Really?" the white bear asked as his eyebrow arched.

"Oliver said he saw it on the Internet, so it has to be true."

"Five of you, huh?"

"Yeah, we're ravenous," Will answered.

"I guess my work is cut out for me today," Eric mused.

"Oh yeah, you're going to have a very heavy workload. In fact, five heavy loads at least."

"Then I guess we should get started," the polar bear said as he slipped through the paws of the other two and dropped to all fours. He ran toward the eager husbands still in the pond and dove in between them. When he rose from the water, he had a husband in either paw as he kissed back and forth between the badger and the black wolf.

Adam watched with a smile on his face. "This is what I was telling you about," he whispered. "Watch and learn. Go beyond the acts. See the feelings at the core." Throughout the universe, the survivors of the Order watched and began to remember a day when those feelings were a part of who they were. Familiar, and yet not. Exciting and frightening at the same time, they leaned toward the lessons they knew they had to learn. Today, they were grateful it was such a pleasant lesson.

Chapter 48

"Welcome home, men," Chet said as he took the reins of the Percheron. "I hope your time was enjoyable."

"It was," Kris replied as he slipped off the oversized horse. He hit the ground, and immediately, the white-haired elf became a bear. He leaned over and kissed the neck of the horse. "Thank you, my friend. I know I am not an easy creature to transport, but I always appreciate it. Head off to the barn. I have it on the best of authority that Santa has a treat waiting for you." The horse made a small whinny, and as soon as the hackamore was off his face, he walked toward the apples and carrots he knew were waiting for him in the barn.

JP and Max helped the others off their horses and freed the steeds from their hackamores. The horses wandered back to the barn on their own toward the treats they knew awaited them. The blonde bear's wings flipped outward. "You all smell of mating. I hope you realize you're giving the entire ranch two paid days off."

Eric looked at the Kermode bear askance. "I am?"

"Yeah, you are," JP said with a laugh. "We sent all the human ranch hands home and gave notice to the beasts that there is a welcoming circle that starts tonight."

"Seems fair, Old Bear," Will said. "We stir up the pot; we should deal with what comes of it."

Jean Pierre, Jason, and Lothair rounded the corner of the ranch house. "And what comes of it will be a great deal of cum, Old Wolf," the little fox yelled. He waved to the group. "Oliver, can you make sure I'm on your dance card in the next two days?"

Oliver's foot pivoted in the sand. "You is first, Jason. You'se only gots to ask."

"Well, then," the fox said with a wide grin, "I'm taking Oliver out to the pool and we're going to stress the filters scrubbing him down."

Adam pointed toward the badger and fox. "I'm going with those two," he said as he ran after Oliver.

When the two reached the fox, his mate put up his hand. "We expect the three of you to show up as full participants in the welcoming circle," Jean Pierre said.

"But, we only gots two days," Oliver protested.

"Don't make me go all Alpha on you, Badger," the gray wolf replied.

Oliver stared at the wolf towering over him, doing his best to look defiant. The foot spun around, and he knew his attempt was shattered. "We'll be there. Gives us little ones a few hours together, and we'll meet up with you."

Jean Pierre knelt in front of the badger. "If you weren't so cute, maybe we'd be more understanding. But you three are adorable. It's a curse you will have to live with."

Oliver smiled. "I thinks you'se adorable too, Jean Pierre. I guess we all gots to live with our lot in life."

"I will see you around, Badger," Jean Pierre said as his paw reached out and rubbed Oliver's crotch. The badger's cock sprang from its sheath, and Jean Pierre smiled. "There. I gave you the perfect outfit to enjoy my husband's company. You three go off and have fun." The wolf stood back up and walked toward Oliver's four remaining husbands. His head pivoted downward. When it raised into the air, the howl echoed across the plateau. Thirty-five ranch hands heard the call and shifted to wolves racing back toward the ranch house. The workday was over. The night belonged to the beasts.

Chapter 49

The sun had risen twice and fallen again since the call went out for the welcoming circle. Jean Pierre and Eric lay together, away from the crowd, in a patch of yellow grass. Their matted fur smelled of sweat and cum, and both were only too happy to let it be. "You are amazing, Gray One," the polar bear said between a few last deep breaths.

"A rather gifted polar bear taught me much of what I know," the wolf said.

"And a rather fetching French wolf, as I recall," Eric added.

"Who is currently teaching your old wolf a few new tricks," Jean Pierre laughed. The two listened to each other's breathing for a time. When it relaxed back into normal breaths, Jean Pierre broached the subject he realized Eric could not. "Old Bear, we have been too close for there to be this much distance between us. Tell me what concerns you. Don't force me to guess."

Eric turned to the wolf. His paw reached out and rubbed Jean Pierre's muzzle. "The world is changing. The humans are sliding back into their old ways. There are promises I made, but now I find they are more than I can cope with alone."

Jean Pierre shook his head. "Bear, in the last five hundred years, when have you ever been alone? Why is the most insightful man I know always so determined to overlook what is right in front of him with his own life?"

"I've been hearing that a lot of late," the white bear confessed.

"Then perhaps you should listen. Those of us who love you don't enjoy it when you're not paying attention."

"I am not who I pretend to be," Eric said, looking up at the stars.

"What do you pretend to be?" the wolf asked.

"One of the healing clan."

"That is your birthright, Old Bear," Jean Pierre countered. "You will always be one of the healing clan. That you adopted other powers doesn't negate your calling."

Eric's head turned toward the wolf in surprise. "You're aware of what I am?"

"Didn't I just say that we are close? Do you think I don't see your struggles? Do you forget who you came to when you found yourself in love with yet another human on the eve of what you thought was to be your death?"

"I thought I hid my condition better than that."

"You hide it well enough, but there are those of us who see it. We say nothing because we wait for you to bridge the gap you seem to want between us."

"I don't want you hurt."

"I have been hurt before, Old Bear. I hold battle scars so deep that time never heals them. But nothing hurts quite the same as when the one I love won't turn to me when he has nowhere to turn."

The bear looked back up into the sky. "I'm sorry Jean Pierre. You deserve a better friend than me."

"I don't want a better friend than you. I finally trained you just the way I like you."

Eric gave a halfhearted laugh. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Your body is telling you what to do. We have walked this road before, old friend."

"Yes, but hundreds of years before I should walk it again."

Jean Pierre pushed himself up onto his elbows. "There is a war on the horizon, Old Bear. Not a war of weapons and armies. The war is over who will be Terra's protector. Who will rise to defend her?"

"That is my task."

"I don't dispute that," the wolf agreed. "What I do question is if that task is yours alone. Did you consider why you might feel the need to merge so strongly?"

"It's instinct, Jean Pierre. There's not that much to it."

"Instinct is a powerful teacher, Old Bear. Maybe you're not listening closely enough to hear what it is trying to teach you."

"I seem to be good at not hearing of late."

The gray wolf pulled the white bear close and rolled over on top of him. He stared down into the bear's eyes. "We are the Unity being reborn in bodies of flesh and fur. You have never bitten my neck, but you know those ties lay deep within us. What is a merging if not the most intimate way a Terran Changeling has to tell another that they are one? Your desire to merge may be twofold. First, to remind you of who you are, and that you are not alone. You are made of all that surrounds you, and all that surrounds you is yours to call upon when needed. We are you, Old Bear. You need to see that. Perhaps merging will remind you of that fact."

"And second?" Eric asked.

"You need to rest before you face the challenges before you."

"I don't know how soon those challenges will rise, Gray One," the bear sighed.

"I think there is enough time for you to merge with your family. Spend that time with those men without obligation to the rest of the world. Go create some beautiful sons and return to us rested and ready for what this world will throw down at your feet."

Eric made another sigh in agreement. "I would like that. I'm not sure anyone will be eager to join me, though."

"Your family will surprise you, Old Bear," Jean Pierre answered. He paused and added, "They won't surprise me because I actually listen to them, but they'll surprise you."

The bear gave the wolf a playful shove and rolled him over. From on top, the bear leaned down and kissed the wolf. "I love you, Jean Pierre," Eric said when, at last, the kiss had ended. "Thank you for being so patient with me."

"Patient?" the wolf laughed. "Pfft. I am already losing patience in the bear that has let the cum on my fur dry without replacing it with something more spreadable."

"Really?"

"What is it about my friends that they never listen to me? Take me again, Old Bear. And then let's go talk to your family about who will merge with you."

Chapter 50

The Black Rhino was slowly rotating as the gunnery landing site's extensions turned. The ground crew wing men were waving their batons as the ship aligned itself to its pending upward trajectory. Derrick watched it carefully. "Papa Bear, why do we even have a ground crew out there?" he asked.

"Because we have people from the mainland here today who still see everything as if it were current technology. The ground crew marshalling the aircraft comforts them that there is a human element involved in the airships."

"But it's been what, at least eighty years since there's been a marshalling crew at any major airport?"

"We're a small landing site. We're supposed to look low tech. Besides, I like them. Especially when they do their booty dance for the pilots just before the ships take off."

Derrick laughed. "Well, I guess there is that. They really are kind of cute in their little vests twirling those batons."

"They make a sad day a little less so," the bear said as the marshalling crew jumped off the side of the launching pad. The ships blue engines flared and it rose slowly into an upright position. In seconds it was gone, leaving only a vapor trail in the sky.

"Well, there go the temple dogs back to their homes," Will said sadly. 

Katashi looked at the empty landing pad as it slowly folded into itself and returned to the top of the gunnery. "I will miss you brothers," he said; his voice trailing to a whisper as Spackle put his arm around the temple dog's waist.

"We'll be back together soon," Spackle comforted.

The Red Wolf's boarding ramp and cargo bay lifted up off the helipad site below the lighthouse. With the doors secured, the airship rotated itself into a vertical position and the family watched it lift off into the cloudy sky. "And so ends the day," Eric said with a sad sigh. "The longer I am with them, the harder it is to let them go."

Will nodded his head. "We all feel that way Old Bear. We grow closer with each year and circumstance pushes us further apart. All I can say is I'm glad the Unity shared some of your old technologies with us to create those airships. At least with them we're no longer days apart."

Oliver stared at the gunnery landing pad. "It's gonna be years that were apart, ain't it Old Bear?"

"I'm sorry, Oliver," Eric replied. "I wish there was another way, but biology always wins out when it comes to our merging. I know that my mergers are far more frequent than any other Changeling, but there are things in play that I don't totally understand. I feel the pull. All I know is that there are consequences to me trying to ignore that pull."

"I knows," Oliver agreed sadly. "But I is gonna miss my family."

"You feel the pull too, Oliver?" the white bear asked.

"I feels it. You is so much a part of me, Old Bear. I don'ts know what to do."

"You stay here on Partridge Island until the merging is done. Your body will synch with Nathaniel's if we're not here."

"I don'ts know if I can do this, Old Bear. I thoughts I could let you go and make your babies. I thoughts I could wait for you, but I don'ts think I can. I don'ts want to be a rock half my life between you and your son, but there's something drawing me back so hard. I can't explain it, but I gots to be there on the highland with you."

"No, Oliver," the old wolf said squatting down in front of the badger. "This is our merging. We can't ask it of you. Nathaniel is your first husband. You should merge with him."

"He's gots himself three other beasts to merge when that day comes, Old Wolf. That ain't gonna be easy for him. Ain't none of them gone through the dark time. I gots two Changeling husbands here. We's all been through the dark time together. I'll be one less burden on Nathaniel's shoulders and just another blob of goo with all of you waiting to be reborn."

Will looked up at the spectacled short-faced bear hoping to see some sort of confirmation on which way the family should go. Nathaniel smiled. "Take him. I don't know why, but the pull is there to be with you. It wouldn't be there if it wasn't where he needs to be."

Oliver looked up at the two short-faced bears. "You won'ts be mad at me, will you, Husbands?"

"Oh, hell yes, I will be, Badger," the larger short-faced bear said with a frown. "I intend to kick you every day you're inside that rock."

Oliver ran to Nathaniel and wrapped his arms around a leg and hugged it tightly. "I loves you so much Bear," he said. "I loves you so much."

Max reached down and pulled Oliver up onto his shoulders. "Okay, Badger, let's get you to the highland before you nod off and become a rock here. I don't want to go tripping all over you every time I have to go pee in the middle of the night."

Oliver grabbed the head of the short-faced bear without the spectacles and hugged him. "I loves you, too, Max. Thank you for being a bear I can loves instead of a human I misses. I loves you more than I can say."

Max ducked his head as he walked out the museum house door. "Well you wouldn't know it to feel it. Where's the hard-on poking the back of my neck?" Oliver scooted forward. The short-faced bear sighed. "Ahh, there it is, Badger. Now that feels like love."

"I'se gonna miss you both so much."

"And we, you, Badger. But we're family here, and we take care of our family. There's a reason you're going with them. We'll find out soon enough why." 

Max's words were prophetic. As the Red Wolf touched down on the highland, the family stepped out into the sunshine. A rhino and a saber-toothed cat stood watch for their arrival. 

Oliver rushed to the two and hugged both. "You weren't going to leave without a goodbye fuck, now were you, Badger?" the thick grey-skinned beast asked.

"Didn't rightly know if I was gonna see you before I become a rock, Rhino. I'se so glad you two is here."

"Where else would we be, Husband?" Martin asked. He pointed toward the monastery. "They have a room set up for all of you. You will spend your dark time on the third floor where the dogs can watch over you. You best all get there before you start getting hard in all the wrong ways. Besides, you have someone waiting for you."

Will hugged the saber-toothed cat. "Thanks, Son. I'm glad you could make it."

"Good to see you, Father," the cat replied. "Thanks for the call."

Oliver looked up at the rhino. "I guess we is gonna have to wait on that fuckin'."

Chipo laughed. "What makes you think that? Come on, Badger, give me a kiss." The rhino leaned over and picked up the little mammal and brought him up to his lips. A few moments later Chipo mumbled through his lips pressed up against Oliver, "I love you, Badger. You sleep well. We'll be here when you wake. Now change, Badger. I need a big boy beast with me today." 

Oliver shook. Chipo pushed the werebadger back and slowly shoved him onto the upright cock jutting from beneath his gray belly. With a shake of each leg he began walking. With each thunderous step, the badger bounced up and then down on the thickening shaft. "There we go, Badger. I figure if I walk heavy enough, I should get you off twice before we get up those monastery stairs." Oliver said nothing, but made a happy little gurgling noise that told everyone Chipo was right.

"The rest of you will have to take a rain check, I'm afraid," the white bear said to the family assembling. He put out his paw and everyone saw the green glow. "It's beginning."

Nathaniel hugged his father. "Hurry back, Papa. I hate waiting to redeem rain checks."

The father kissed the son. "Let's get us settled in, shall we?"

At the top of the third flight of stairs, the rotunda that led to all the bedrooms had one solitary beast waiting. Will smiled at the otter. "I'm glad you could make it, Adam. We were afraid we weren't going to get to say goodbye." 

"Sorry I'm late, husbands," the otter said. "But I had to be here." The otter plunged his fist deep into his chest. "Everyone turn around. I don't want you going into the dark time blind." 

The family all turned away and looked back when the bright light had faded. Two glowing pandas stood beside the otter. "Hi, dads," the two said with a wave. "Seems it's time for our merging."

Will smiled at the two. "And there, Old Bear, you have your reason for the pull. It's not you that needs to merge. It's our sons. You're just here to help them through their first time."

Oliver jumped off the cock of the rhino and ran toward the two pandas. By the time he reached them, he had returned to his diminutive status. He hugged and kissed the two repeatedly and the two giggled at the attention. "Dad, you're a mess," Samuel said.

"Yeah," Raymond agreed. "You're covered in cum and you're like… well, leaving a slime trail of rhino cum all the way back to Chipo.

"Does you boys thinks I care?"

The twins tightened their hug around their father. "Naw, Dad," Raymond said as Samuel kissed the badger. "We just thought you might want to know why we're so hard."

"Well shoves it in me, Raymond," the glowing green badger commanded. "If I gots to go through the dark time, I'se doing it with my boy doing to me what he does best." Raymond and Oliver fell to the floor and pushing the badger to his side, the panda penetrated him and lovingly wrapped his arms around him. 

Raymond looked up and smiled. He gave a few quick thrusts into Oliver. "Yep, we're ready."

Will stared at the remaining glowing panda. "Come on, Dad," the panda said stroking his cock. "You know you've wanted to go through the dark time this way."

The old wolf began to glow a faint red as he approached the panda and kissed him. "Yeah, I have. I'm glad you're here, Son."

"I sort of have to be," the panda said with a laugh. "This is our merging." He flipped the wolf skillfully onto his back. "Legs in the air, Dad. We can't have you doing this face down. You might drown in all that goo when our regeneration starts if we're not careful."

Will laughed and raised his legs. The panda slipped into the wolf easily and extended his paws to the rest of the glowing beasts. "Come on, Dads. We're already hard. Let's make it rock hard shall we?"

Eric shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, this is going to set such a bad precedent," he said and he picked up the black wolf impaling him onto his hardened dick in one quick shove. 

"Oh yeah," Derrick said as his eyes rolled back in his head. "Liking this precedent a lot." The two fell onto the floor next to Samuel and Will. Watching the couplings, the green Kodiak smiled. He leaned over and picked up the panda and the Iberian wolf and nudged them closer to the wolf and polar bear. "You okay being inside your son for twenty or thirty years, Pup?"

Derrick looked at Samuel who nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah," the black wolf who was now glowing a bright blue said. "I'm really good with that."

Samuel laughed when he felt the Kodiak maneuver the cock inside him. "Best dads ever," he yelled.

Kris leaned in and kissed Will. "I hate to make you a top for this long, Old Wolf, but really, Raymond needs a partner in this."

"I can do that," Will replied. He tried to move but his crystalline legs wouldn't let him. "Best get me in him before it's too late."

"I love you, Old Wolf," the Kodiak said and he backed the badger and panda up. With just a little wiggle from the butt of the panda, the old wolf penetrated him. 

Raymond smiled as he felt the cock slipping inside. "Brother's right," he whispered. "Best dads ever."

Kris stood up and smiled at the daisy chain. He turned to the dogs and family watching what was happening. "Don't try this at home. We're trained professionals," he said as he lumbered over to the polar bear and fell behind him. "All our father's and all our sons are becoming one, Husband," he said as he wrapped his arms around the polar bear. The Kodiak pushed up close behind the polar bear, and whispered, "The boys have given a reason for the merging that all accept as the truth; in part because it is their time. But that time is here because they were born to be beside you, just as all of us are. This is our gift to you, Son. This is our promise. Beside you, now and forever."

"I'm ready, Dad," the polar bear said as the tendrils of green light began to spin out from his fur and joined with the Kodiak behind him.

"I love you, Son," the bear said to the other as he pushed his cock deep inside the bear in front of him. One arm of the Kodiak slipped under the head of the polar bear and the other lay on top of the old bear and young pup. "I love you all, husbands. Sleep well, children," Kris said and closed his eyes. The glowing multicolored fur of all seven beasts began to spin out in intertwining lace. Soon, all that remained of the seven was a glowing green crystal. The brown bear father and polar bear son had brought all into the dark time under their protection. "I wonder what will come of this?" Katashi said to those around him. 

"I suspect some very, very horny kids," Spackle said with a little laugh. "That's my Wolfy and Will in there with their husbands and their kids. Nothing but good can come of this."

Martin nodded his head. "I agree. And so the wait begins anew."

"I wish Wolfy and Will were here to see me turn," Spackle said. "Sometimes I feel sorry for them all. They miss so many milestones in our lives when this happens.

Adam touched the stone lovingly. "It's not fair is it, husbands? We wait, you wait, and all around us, the world goes by as if nothing is happening in this room. You are a miracle being born, and our lives can't even slow down to appreciate it."

Falong looked down on the memories being created and wondered. "It has been their way for billions of years, my love," Li Wei said. "Don't go thinking about changing things now."

"But Eric said there were precedents being made," Falong responded.

"He said bad precedents. When word gets out of what has happened, likely all Changelings will copulate through their dark time."

"But look at the memories, my love. Have you ever seen any so beautiful?"

"There have been many as beautiful, but I can't think of any that surpass these," the temple dog without a body replied.

There was a silence in the universe flowing around the memories tying them together. "I am glad you're here, Li Wei," the unspoken thoughts expressed.

"Where else would I be but beside the one I love?"

"You love so many, Li Wei."

"And in time I will be with them as well. But for now, I am with you, this is our moment together."

"Together watching over your family."

"It is pleasant."

"Will and Derrick will miss Spackle's turning. There were promises the mated couple made to each other."

"Sometimes life is that way. We learn to adapt to change."

"Or sometimes we set bad precedents."

"Falong, what are you thinking?"

"Time is so fluid. It's really hardly anything at all. Derrick understands that now. Adam, Max, JP… so many in your family understand that."

"Falong…"

"Maybe for just a moment we let the Changelings in the chrysalis flow in a different stream of time."

"That would be a bad precedent, Falong."

"But they've already set so many bad precedents. Mine would be only one more."

"And why would we do this?"

"So that Derrick and William can welcome their mate on the day of his turning," Falong answered

"I am beginning to think that my family is fast becoming your family."

"I care for them. They create such beautiful memories for so many."

"And for one in particular I see."

"Is it so wrong to want to say thank you?"

"Have you ever done so before we met?" Li Wei asked.

"Perhaps once… maybe more. I really don't remember if it was before or after I met you. Time being time, I never give such things much thought. I have always been, I will always be. Only now seems clear. And right now, I wish to set a bad precedent."

Li Wei laughed. "Perhaps setting a bad precedent would be a good thing."

Falong lingered on the memory of the Kodiak slipping his cock into the polar bear and the feeling of their union. The father and son who were husbands, the layer upon layer of intimacy between the two, the Unity born into flesh and fur; he let it all flow around him and placed it in a sacred place protected for all time. He flowed through the memory of the otter as he watched the green tendrils of his husbands wrap around each other like glowing silk. He remembered every emotion as Adam watched the chrysalis form. When the otter reached out to touch the bloody chest where there was once a gaping hole, Falong felt the longing for two so close they were a part of him. "Sleep for a time, Little Ones," Falong whispered to the glowing crystal. "But not for too long. I am already missing you."

The being that had no form or shape reached out without limbs or hands and pushed the crystal ever so slightly into a different time stream. For the family that waited, nothing changed. Their vigil over the rock was as unremarkable as it always had been. To those moving through the dark time, all was as it had always been. The slow gestation of the children, the reforming of the mates to be reborn from the jumbled atoms; nothing changed. All was as it had always been, save one slight detail. For those within the chrysalis, time moved so much faster than it did for those who waited.

Chapter 51

Chipo flopped down in front of the glowing green rock and tapped it. "What's going on in there, Husband?" he asked. "You're different."

Katashi stared at the chrysalis, trying to see what the rhino saw. "It seems the same as they have always been, Chipo. What makes you think it is any different?"

"Because for a guy that has crappy eyesight, I seem to see an awful lot that others miss," Chipo said, turning back to the group. He saw Spackle watching the crystal as it pulsed the warm green light. "Well, Dog, how are you dealing with this?" A confused human pointed to himself questioningly. "You smell like a temple dog. I gotta assume that you're pretty close to being one."

Spackle laughed. "I sleep with Katashi every night. I didn't have time to shower with him today."

Chipo shook his head. "I didn't say you smell of dog, Spackle. I said you smell like a dog." The rhino leaned toward the human and his large nostrils flared. "Yeah," the rhinoceros said, "I can't see worth a damn, but my nose is always spot-on. That isn't a dog rubbing off on you. That's your scent."

The rhino patted the floor next to him with his three fingers. "Come have a seat, Spackle," he said with a smile. Spackle looked up to Katashi, and the dog gave a nod. Spackle sat next to the chrysalis, and the rhino guided his hand to the rock. "Don't be afraid to touch it, Spackle. Your mates are in there. This is the way you hold on to your connection with them."

Spackle let out an exasperated sigh. "Why does everyone call them that? Wolfy is not my mate. We were playing."

"And Will?" the rhino asked. "Will never plays in such matters."

"I'm not sure about Will," the young man replied. "I'm confused about both of them."

"You know, Spackle, for a guy who's about to become a temple dog, you have a real hard time seeing the truth."

Spackle shook his head. "I see the truth."

"Then why do you try so hard to deny it?"

Spackle rubbed the green stone. "Because Derrick and I were only playing. We were two humans in the middle of having sex and laughing about what it's like to mate. I climbed up on top of him, you know… the way we had done before. It was just me mounting my friend. But then I stared at his neck with that sweaty, matted hair of his, and I'm not sure why, but I bit his neck. I bit his neck, and it all changed. It changed for both of us. Why did he flip me afterward and bite my neck? You know Derrick. He doesn't top, but he did, and when he bit into my neck, I realized it was exactly what I wanted him to do." The human looked up at the rhino. "I didn't know… we didn't know…"

Spackle stood quiet for a moment and bowed his head. "And then Will. When he mounted me in the shower. I told him I needed to know, and he took me and bit into my neck. Will was human, but the answer he gave me was so clear. I hoped for confirmation that what Derrick and I had done was real. I needed to understand what Will meant when he said he would always have my back. Those teeth in my neck were his answer. But I'm not sure I was ready for that answer."

"Do you regret his answer?" Chipo asked.

The young man rubbed the back of his neck feeling the bite marks that had long since faded. "I still can sense them in the stone, Chipo. I told Katashi and Li Wei that one day I would be a temple dog and that one day I wanted to mate with them. And now, every time I rub this stone, I feel as if I made so many other promises to two I can't even touch."

Chipo leaned over and kissed Spackle's cheek. "Every time you touch the rock, you touch them. When you speak to them, they hear. Who better to share your confusion with than those who cause so much of it? They are your mates, after all."

"Temple dogs have never mated outside of the Brotherhood."

"You're young, Spackle. You don't remember a time when temple dogs didn't even mate. Li Wei and Katashi were the first. What makes you think they would be attracted to another dog that couldn't make that leap?"

Spackle's hand rested on a space toward the middle of the crystal. "He's right here. He's falling apart into atoms, but he's right here. This is where Derrick is. Will is over there," the young man said, pointing toward the right.

Chipo smiled and tapped the stone to the left of Spackle's hand. "Oliver is right here. I can feel his heart beating, but it's melding with all the rest. Soon, we won't be able to sense them as anything but one big beating heart. A decade down the line, they'll begin separating again. But we won't be able to tell who's who until they return. The new lives being born will dominate everything when we touch the stone."

The rhino's three fingers and small thumb moved over the green crystal. "One day, I will be inside one of these. Nathaniel will guide me through the dark time, and like you, when you turn, Spackle, I will let go of my human forever."

Spackle looked up at the rhino, confused. "Why would you do that, Chipo?"

Chipo shook, and a young, emaciated black man appeared. Spackle stared at the tall lad. The skin and muscle clung to his bones; the ribs were painfully visible. It was clear that food was scarce before his turning. His eyes followed the gaunt body downward, and at the crotch, he turned away suddenly.

"Yeah, it's kind of impressive, isn't it?"

Spackle laughed. "Your rhino cock is impressive, but I get embarrassed when I accidentally look at another guy's junk."

Chipo smiled. "Well, then look at it intentionally, and we should be fine. I've been looking at yours."

Spackle grinned and looked down. Chipo was right. It was impressive. Relaxed, it had to be at least eight inches, and he had no idea how much larger it would grow when aroused.

Chipo rubbed the stone again. "In two thousand two, my village was starving. President Mwanawasa declared that all genetically modified foods were poison. The government banned them. They went through towns and destroyed entire granaries of donated corn and wheat. They feared what lay inside was tainted with genetically modified grain. The Zambian Government declined shipments of aid from the United States because so much of the corn they sent contained at least some genetically modified kernels. There's a sick irony in letting your people die of hunger because you fear the food will kill them.

"My father and mother had grown weak, giving my two younger brothers their food rations. My parents were two of the first to die when cholera hit our village. My brothers soon followed. With no reason to live, I ran from the village one night and never looked back. Two days into the desert without water, I realized I was dying. Twenty-six years old, and I had never even kissed a girl… or a boy, for that matter. I knew which one I wanted to kiss, but that was as sure a way to wind up dead as running out into the desert.

"I would have died if I had not met Kabelo. If you think I look skinny now, you should have seen me when he found me. He took me in, gave me food, taught me the ways of the Were Nation, and introduced me to his pack. He taught me how to protect the black rhino from poachers, and I learned to love my pack and the animals they protected. On a full moon four months later, he turned me. I am a rhino, Spackle. I use my size and girth to protect, and I have sensual skills that come with having a prehensile lip and Will as my mentor. I am used to the rhino. I am comfortable being him. The man I was before feels awkward and small now. I want to let him go. I want him to rest in peace with his dead family. This man is not me anymore."

Chipo turned to the human. "Spackle, before we let go of our humans, lay with me. I want to say goodbye to this body, but I want to let it know I am grateful for all the years it sustained me. Just once, I want to feel in this body what it's like to lie with a handsome black man who doesn't wish me dead for the feelings I have for him."

Spackle began turning back toward Katashi to seek guidance, but the hand of the tall, thin man pulled his head back. "Don't ask for an answer to this, Spackle. You're going to be a temple dog one day. You need to make your own choices. Yes or no, I won't hold it against you. But I need to know if it's yes, you were the one who made the choice."

Spackle bowed his head. "If I say yes, will the rhino still care for me when I'm a dog?"

"I love you, Spackle. It won't matter to me what you are or who I am. I will always care for you."

"Then yes. Yes, I will lay with you." He looked up into the eyes of the man in front of him. "Where do you want to go?"

"The field outside. The grass reminds me of my homeland in spring when the rains were heavy."

Spackle realized what Chipo was asking for, and it terrified him. To grant Chipo his request was to make love in the middle of the common field. Others would surely see them. The view of the entire field was visible from the temple dogs' fourth-floor balcony. Any beasts staying at the apartments could take two steps out of the cave and see everything.

Spackle struggled for an answer, and it surprised him when the answer came. He was a temple dog. His responsibility was to be an example to all the Were Nation of what was best in them. He stood up and put out his hand. "I'm glad it's not raining today," he said. Chipo let the human pull him up, and they kissed. When Spackle felt the growing flesh slip along his leg, his hand reached down to hold it. He told himself there could be no fear in loving another; no shame for caring. And today, there was no guilt for expressing those truths in the way Chipo needed to share them.

Spackle turned to the crowd blocking the door and pulled Chipo along. As he neared Katashi, he stopped and stood on tiptoe for a kiss. "I'll be home later, Hon," he said.

"I will await your return. Bring Chipo if you two are of a mind to do so."

Chipo leaned up to kiss the temple dog. "I will be a rhino, Katashi."

"And I will be a dog. How fortunate for both of us that we find the
 other so attractive."

Chipo smiled and let the other human pull him through the crowd and down the steps. Outside, Spackle surveyed the field. He pointed to an area ten meters away. "I think that would be a delightful spot," he told the thin human holding his hand. He leaned in and whispered. "It will give all the temple dogs a magnificent view of us from the shower's balcony. By the time we get ready to clean up, we will have at least a dozen very happy dogs willing to scrub us down."

Chipo leaned in and kissed the other human. "I am so going to get another slutty merit badge for this, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are Chipo," Spackle replied. "And I'm about to get my first." Together, the two tumbled to the ground. From the fourth floor, the temple dogs watched with pride at their youngest brother and the man in his care.

Chapter 52

Chipo and Spackle were back in front of the stone two days later to talk to their respective mates. They felt it best to tell them together of what they had done on the highland fields and the growing closeness they felt for each other. Both told the crystal their version of the last two days, often talking over each other as memories flooded the conversation. They gave far more details about their shower with the temple dogs than the time they shared in the field. There were no regrets for the two about such a public display. But in the end, all that transpired seemed somehow more cherished and private than they thought it would be.

Spackle's hand rested on the stone when he said, "The more I think about them, the more these last two days seem so special, Wolfy. I'm redefining who I am and what I'm becoming. But one thing seems so clear. Whatever we are, Wolfy, Will... we're are more than buddies. I'm not sure anyone understands what we are to each other, Wolfy, including the two of us. But our family supports whatever it is we decide. They push us to choose on the side of letting those bite marks stay in our necks because they realize that if we're true to ourselves, that's what we both want. And you Will; there was never a doubt what you meant. I'm just trying to deal with stepping up to be the man whose neck you bit."

The young man tried to feel the two distinct wolves inside and realized that the rhino was right. They were slowly melding into one beating heart. He continued, "Chipo pushed me in directions I don't even think he realizes. If he does, I hope he realizes how grateful I am. I can be a dog, Wolfy. I am confident now I can be a temple dog. And I can be a temple dog that loves a beautiful black wolf and an old wolf that makes my heart skip a beat every time he touches me. I don't know if we'll ever bite each other's necks again, but I understand now what those bites mean to me. I want to be by your side forever, Wolfy. If not in body, then in spirit. I want us to be what the best of lovers always are. I want us to be best friends. Come back, Wolfy. Come back and let's see if life has us biting each other's necks again one day."

Chipo rubbed his fingers on the stone. "What he said, Wolfy. I get that you've never been one to jump into things. You think things through so deeply at times. But you bit each other's necks in the middle of your play with little more thought than it felt right. You bit each other's necks. Maybe the two of you aren't meant to think things through too deeply. Perhaps your bond is from the heart and not the head. I think that's why Will did what he did. To lead you both to the truth you two so skillfully skirt around. There are worse things than letting your heart be open to loving another." The rhino paused and rubbed where he sensed his husband was. "And few things better, huh, Badger?"

Chipo's head dropped forward and hit the stone with a resounding thud. Immediately, Spackle rose and tried to revive the fallen rhinoceros. When he tried to pull the head away from the stone, it wouldn’t budge. "DOGS!" he yelled, "a little help in here. We have a man down."

Four temple dogs rushed in, but even their combined efforts could not remove the rhino from the stone. A call went out for Adam to come help, and the temple dogs waited patiently for his arrival. When the pangolin walked in, he gave Chipo a little tug. "That's interesting. Kind of like Thor's hammer, but way cuter."

"That's it?" Spackle questioned. "You come from god knows where, and your evaluation is that he doesn't move?"

The pangolin shrugged. "Yep. That's pretty much my evaluation of the situation." He turned toward the dogs in the doorway, and by the time the turn was complete, an otter stood in front of the dogs. "So, which of you wants to use me as a scrub brush in the showers?" The paws raised were unanimous.

The otter began walking toward the dogs when the human blurted out, "Wait a bloody minute. You're not doing anything? I thought you were some sort of all-powerful being."

"No, that's Superman," the otter said as he spun around. "See? No cape and I can eat kryptonite for breakfast without even indigestion."

Spackle shook his head. "This isn't funny, Adam."

Adam laughed. "No, it's hysterical. Look at Chipo's horn. It's half crystal. Oliver has got his husband in a headlock and he's not letting him go until Chipo understands what he wants to tell him. You're watching Badger being Badger. My husband is a bit of a nudge, you know."

"Then he's safe?"

"Yeah, he's safe. Oliver is crazy in love with Chipo. He would never hurt him. I'm surprised that you dogs didn't figure that out."

"We have had little experience in the badger trying to interact with us once he has become stone," one dog confessed.

"I guess that's true, Genji," Adam replied. "Look, you head on back home to New Zealand and take care of your dragons. Those are my husbands inside the rock. I can look after them for a time."

"But you mentioned being a scrub brush. My return to the temple so soon would negate my raised hand."

The otter laughed. "That's true. Shall we retire to the showers? When Oliver is sure his husband understands what he needs to, he'll set Chipo free."

Genji and the three other dogs bowed. Adam dropped to all fours and raced through the temple dogs' spread legs like a slalom course. On the other side, he righted himself. "Come on Spackle. Your brothers need you."

"I'll wait here with Chipo," came the reply on the other side of the temple dogs.

"No, you won't," the otter insisted. "Waiting for him does Chipo no good, but letting him wake to the scent of showering dogs will cheer him no end. Learn now when to let go of what you can't change, and when changing your course of action is exactly what you need to do."

Spackle pushed through the dogs and glared at the otter. "I don't think you're taking this seriously."

"No, I'm not," the otter agreed. "It's not in my nature to be serious without just cause. Now that you understand he is safe and with his husband, I want you to consider what you should do with that knowledge. When he returns, he will be horny because he's with his husband now. What does the dog you're becoming tell you to do?"

"You're saying going upstairs to have sex is what I should do?"

The six-foot otter approached the human and wrapped his arms around the human's waist. "Yes, Spackle. That is what you should do. My husband… and your mate… told me a long time ago there was a reason I was born an otter. We play, we love, and then we play some more. We love and protect our families. But we're never serious. There are no serious otters. Because in our world we can't afford to be serious. That's Derrick talking, Spackle. The wolf you love. Trust him. He knows so much more than either you or I."

"I've got a rhino I love glued to a rock in here. What am I supposed to do?"

"Go give him a kiss, tell him that when he wakes, he can find you in the showers. And tell him you'd like to find out what that prehensile lip of his can do to a young man's butt."

Spackle fell down on the ground. "Damn it, Adam. I get so confused by all of you."

"No, you don't," Adam replied. "You get confused when you let your human hang onto emotions and feelings that won't serve the dog in you. If you love Chipo, don't hover over him. He's a big boy. That rhino is smart, he's funny, and he doesn't need a babysitter. He needs a dog that loves him and will wait for him."

"In the showers?"

"No, I need you in the showers. Those dogs are enormous and I'm pretty small. But you are delightfully proportional to me."

"I'm not turning until I'm thirty, Adam."

"Yeah, you mentioned that years ago. I haven't forgotten. But I'm not a Changeling or a werebeast."

"What?"

"I'm a symbiont whose body is highly functional, but not one made of human or Changeling DNA. I'm not a werebeast. Kendal created this body using a genetic code unique to me so that I could house my family inside. I can't change anyone, because my body's genome isn't written with Changeling DNA. In short, I'm entirely benign sexually."

"So you and I can…"

"Yeah, we can… anyway you want, and a couple of dozen ways I know you haven't even thought of yet." The otter put out his hand. "And we can do it all while you learn how to pleasure your brothers. That's what Chipo wants, Spackle. He doesn't want you waiting for him pining. Don't ignore who he is. Chipo wants you out there, living your life and having fun. He wants you to take care of others, and become the dog you dream of being."

Spackle's head turned back and forth while he thought about what Adam had said. First, he glanced toward the rock, then the otter, and once again back to the rock with the rhino glued to it. "Give me a second," he said, as he ran over to give the rhino a kiss. Only Chipo heard the words whispered in his ear. Returning to the group, he smiled at the otter. "It's been almost two days since anyone's topped me. It would be fun," he said with a grin.

"That's the true temple dog spirit, Spackle," Adam said. He shook his hand and Spackle took it. Together they walked off to the showers and Spackle's eager brother dogs.

Moments later, Chipo stirred. He pulled his horn from the stone and shook his head. "Wow, that was unusual," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He sniffed the air and smiled. "Oh yeah," he said as his prehensile lip curled. "Temple dogs in the shower. Life is good." He raced up the steps to the fourth floor and, seeing Adam and Spackle together, he slipped up behind the young man and wrapped his arms around him.

Spackle felt the leathery skin, saw the three fingers, and turned. "Chipo, I'm so glad to see you. Are you okay?" Spackle asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. I had a little talk with my husband and when we finished, he kicked me back here."

"Well, that was a pretty brief conversation," the young man said.

"Really? I guess Oliver is right. They're in a time stream that's different from ours."

"W… what?" the human stammered.

"They're not exactly themselves anymore, but their individual consciousness remains. Did you know Oliver can swear even without a body? You should hear that little blob of goo go at it when he's frustrated. It took Oliver and me days before we could figure out how to communicate with each other."

"Days?" Adam asked. "You've been gone less than an hour."

"Yeah, that's what Oliver wanted me to know. They're gestating at an incredibly rapid rate when viewed from our time."

"Dual time streams on the same temporal plane aren't possible for three-dimensional creatures," Adam protested. "At least not without one of you stationary and the other going near light speed."

"They appear to have friends in very high places."

Spackle looked up toward the ceiling. "FALONG!" he yelled.

Chipo and the temple dogs stared into the empty space that once was Spackle. The water cascaded down from the shower head above, unobstructed by the human. "Well, that's even more unusual than talking to my blobby husband with my head glued to a rock," Chipo said, shaking his head.

Katashi nodded in agreement. "Spackle can be impulsive."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I suspect he will return momentarily."

There was a flash of light from outside the showers and a naked, soaking-wet Spackle walked back in. "Okay, this throws a monkey wrench into everything."

"What's wrong, my love?" Katashi asked.

"Falong has put our family into a time stream that moves almost ten times faster than ours. They will spend their thirty-some-odd years inside the chrysalis as they always have, but in this time stream, only about four years will pass."

Katashi clapped his hands together. "That is wonderful. It will lighten the burden of waiting for their return." The other dogs nodded with wide grins.

"But now I have Wolfy and Will returning in only four years. They could be here for my welcoming if I wait another four years."

"That is asking much of a young man eager to be a temple dog," Katashi said, "especially one that has already found a mate."

"I know," Spackle said with a sigh. "That's what I'm talking about." Spackle looked up into Katashi's eyes and stared into them, hoping for a sign of what he should do. All he saw was all he ever saw; complete acceptance of whatever he chose to do. "Everyone is right about Wolfy and me. And Will was right about us both. There's more to us than two guys playing make-believe. I'm not sure what we are to each other, but I know it's more than friends. And Will… Will and I already know what he committed to."

"I am glad you see that now," Katashi said. "The more you turn toward the truth, the more the truth will reveal itself to you." The temple dog rubbed the human's wet skin. "We should finish our shower. There is soap all over you."

"Can we wait, Katashi?" Spackle blurted out.

"It would not be advisable. The soap will dry your skin."

The human gave the dog a playful bump. "You know what I mean."

"Of course, we can wait. They are your mates. That is what we have always done for those we love; we wait for them to come home." Katashi picked up the human and, lifting him into the air, he placed him under the center shower head and let the warm water cascade over him. "Of course, we will have moments when we will regret this decision. Most will occur early in the morning after we have gone to sleep in each other's arms. Today we will have regrets when I return you to Adam's arms to share with him what I cannot."

"I'm sorry," Spackle said, looking down.

Katashi put Spackle back onto the shower floor. His paw slipped under the chin of the human and lifted his face. "I am not, my love. You show your true nature by waiting, and I am honored that your affections extend to me. We will wait together for the old wolf and pup's return. No action comes without consequences. But some actions we take are worth any consequence that comes our way. Waiting for those you love to return to be with you on your turning is one of those acts."

"Thank you," the young man said as he hugged the neck of the temple dog. "I'll try to make the wait worth it to you."

"You have promised to be my mate," the temple dog replied. "There is little you could ask of me that has not already been paid in full knowing that."

"So we wait?"

"We wait."

The young man felt the paws of the otter push up against his back and begin rubbing. "We wait, Spackle," Adam said. "Don't look too far into that future, though. Life is best when you let it unfold without knowing the end."

Spackle turned around and kissed the otter. "Will taught me how to tell the Sight to go fuck itself. I use that lesson every day of my life. Still, the Sight and I are on much better terms than when we started out. Seeing all the truth isn't necessarily as good as knowing what truth to see."

"And with Pup?" the otter asked.

"Wolfy and I will find our way. I'm content to know that we love each other."

"And Will?"

Spackle laughed. "The three of us will find our place together."

Adam smiled. "Then I'm good. What say we get back to this shower?" Adam took the young man in his arms and kissed him. The otter's paws slipped between the young man's legs and stroked the already rigid cock. He grinned and dropped to his knees, taking the cock into his mouth. Spackle groaned happily as his brothers gathered around him to aid his body in finding pleasures he was only beginning to learn.

Inside the commons of the cave, the wolves took a deep breath. "They're at it again," one sighed.

"That boy puts off pheromones that equal the dogs," another said.

"Well, it's not like the shower room is exactly private," a third chimed in. "I'm pretty sure they would enjoy the company."

The first one laughed. "There are twenty-three of us on retreat here, Stan. It would get a bit crowded."

Stan smiled. "Crowded is good. Crowded with temple dogs is great."

The other wolves gathered around the table nodded in agreement. In one smooth motion, moving almost as one entity, the werewolves shifted. Twenty-three wolves raced out of the cave into the summer sun. The dash to the monastery was brief, but the welcoming of the wolves would last well into the night.

For now, though, the summer day was a pleasant diversion for all on the highland. The bright blue and green shifting colors moved through the forest and onto the field. The adult dragons lifted their heads, sniffed the air, and smiled. Their tails pushed their children closer to them as they curled up together. They lowered their heads and closed their eyes, basking in the sunshine's warmth. Together, the family of dragons joined the family of beasts and continued the wait for their family to come home.