ic

to majid

2011-08-03T03:33:16Z

As much as Noah had been avoiding Majid, he could still sense that the older lion was still hanging around. A part of him found it comforting, like maybe Majid was looking after him still. But after their last encounter, and how it had ended, Noah couldn't help but feel rejected. And the longer Majid stayed in Cold Water, the closer he got to realizing that Haben was still very much alive and well. Luckily Haben wasn't around Cold Water at the moment, though. Noah was thankful that his friend was off on some adventure somewhere, protected by wolves who cared about him. At first Noah hadn't understood Haben's tolerance of the other creatures, but he'd slowly come to understand the more he hung around and the more time he spent on pack land. Still, despite how he'd grown more comfortable there, he didn't stay at Wolf Haven unless Haben was there, so he'd decided to rent a little apartment in town.

He'd grabbed some food from the diner down the street and he was heading home. He was tired and he just wanted to take a hot bath, eat his dinner, and turn in for the night. He missed Haben terribly and wished his friend would come back soon, though he knew it was best that the other lion stay away for now.

To: Noah, Haben

2011-07-30T02:52:44Z

Majid was having a difficult time moving on from Coldwater. He sensed strongly that Haben was close, but Noah wasn't giving anything away. He felt certain that the young prince was not with the wolves in the area. He could not imagine a different species (especially wolves) being so welcoming to lions. His expertise was in Pride law, not Pack functions. A werewolf in Africa would be swiftly dealt with and he would do the dealing.

He might also have a difficult time moving on because of the connection he felt with Noah. It was hard for him to be away from his own kind and he'd spent so much of his life protecting Noah and Haben that it was difficult to leave him. Out by the pool, lying in the sun, he felt a keen amount of guilt for lazing, but he was a cat, after all, and the hotel pool was empty. He'd had to take advantage of that patch of warmth before it went away.

to moon

2011-07-20T04:04:14Z

Logan was steering clear of Joshua, as much as he could, anyway. No matter how much he'd grown to care for Moon, when it came to Joshua there was always a lingering connection that he just couldn't shake and it made him feel guilty. So in the end, it was just best to avoid him as much as possible. He kind of got the idea that Josh felt the same way, too. Out of all the wolves in the pack, Josh's was the one he could feel a connection to on a level that he knew was just different. He hated it. But now, a bigger connection was building with Moon.

The boy was doing well enough with his shifts and he was learning to control his wolf that he didn't have to be locked up anymore. He still had to stick close to the main house, though. There was just no way around that. Logan would go to Seattle on Thursdays and he'd be back every Sunday morning. It was getting harder and harder to leave Moon behind, that was for sure, but he had his job at the tattoo shop.

It was Sunday morning and he'd just pulled up. He could feel that Joshua was on a run and he frowned as he glanced towards the woods. Andrew was around somewhere, too. With a sigh, he turned and headed up the porch steps to slip inside and he went straight for the kitchen where Moon usually was by this time, helping Wendell.

to joshua

2011-02-26T06:58:12Z

Two and a half months was much too long to go without seeing Joshua. They kept in touch, yes - but it wasn't the same as being next to him or being with him. Never in a million years would Andrew have guessed he'd form such a bond and connection with the wolf when he bid on him and took him home as a treasured pet. To think of his mindset back then made Andrew sick. It made him feel ashamed. But he wasn't the same person anymore, and that's what mattered, he supposed.

Once the twins were settled, and his father spoke with Hunter, Andrew went out to find Joshua. He slipped into the room that belonged to Josh, but when his boyfriend wasn't there, he went across the hall to the little one's room. Sure enough, that's where he was, tucked in the tiny bed with the two of them and a book on his chest. They'd all fallen asleep. Andrew smiled a little before he went over and reached out to brush some of Josh's hair out of his face. It'd gotten longer, even in just two months.

To Casey

2011-02-25T06:44:45Z

Things had settled down at the haven and none too soon. Sigmund was not built to live on pack land and after a few security arrangements, he'd insisted on heading back to his house. Coming out of the bathroom with all of his toiletries packed in a little bag, he slipped into the bedroom he'd been sharing with Casey.

"All packed?" he asked, eager to get back to his own place. It would be so much easier driving in to work when it was only 5 minutes away instead of 20. Not to mention, it was his territory, his land. He respected Hunter, but it was hard not to be the master of his domain.

He sat on the bed and looked over at Casey, examining him, considering the question that had been running around his head for the last few days.

cwf @ 2011-01-28T20:57:00

2011-01-29T05:08:29Z

Audrey's room, for obvious reasons, didn't have any windows. Sometimes (even more than others) it felt like a prison. During the day, she would often lie awake, unable to sleep, staring at those walls, trying to remember what the sun had felt like. Really, she had no other vampires to which to compare herself so she had no idea if that was normal or not.

She'd been a vampire for three years. She remembered vividly the day that the man had finally taken her into the lab. She'd been excited, hoping that he was finally going to do to her what he'd done to her sister. Then they would be the same and everything would go back to making sense. She wouldn't feel so alone. But it hadn't worked out like that. The man's plan had been entirely different and forced Audrey to become something that felt painfully the opposite of what he'd done to her twin.

Languishing in her room, she could feel the sun set and she knew that it was safe to get up and wander about the house. She looked at the calendar on her wall. No appointments with the master of the house, the man responsible for all of this. For awhile, in her early childhood, she remembered thinking of him as her father, but she'd grown out of that.

cwf @ 2010-08-25T01:30:00

2010-08-25T07:36:54Z

Locating Greer had been easy since Niko had an open and active connection to him. He was keeping Greer dormant until he knew who he was, and from there he'd decide on if he'd let him wake up or not. He could sense other supernatural beings around the sorcerer, which only made him even more suspicious of the man.

Once they got to Cold Water, Niko found a quaint little bed and breakfast and rented a room for them. He pinpointed Greer from there, and though he insisted Bae and Miles stay behind, he had a feeling at least one of them had followed him - if not both.

He was standing outside of the mansion, peering up at it with a frown. He knew exactly what was inside. Vampires, and a lot of them. That worried him even more about why this sorcerer was looking for Bae. Was he selling lycanthropes to vampires? Or sex? Or both? There was only one way to find out, but he wasn't sure how he was going to go about getting into the house.

That's when Morris happened along, and Niko sensed him as soon as the man step foot out of his car. Turning, he stared over at Morris for a moment. It was obvious Cold Water was a hot bed for the supernatural. Still, Nikolai could tell Morris wasn't a powerful necromancer. Not yet, anyway.

open to sigmund and darby (backdated to right after sigmund and graham's fight/shift]

2010-08-22T05:54:39Z

Casey had so many questions about Graham, but most he was afraid to ask. All right, all of them he was afraid to ask. It was intimidating to know that Sigmund had someone in the pack who'd meant so much to him. And Graham was gorgeous. Older. He was one of Sigmund's own kind. So yeah, it was difficult not to feel a little bit insecure about the older man.

Sitting on the porch, Casey was waiting for Sigmund to come back from a run. Graham was gone as well, and knowing that they were nude while shifting? That made Casey a little bit antsy. He'd woken up alone in bed, and when he came down and neither Sigmund or Graham were around he assumed they were somewhere together. Probably on a run. What that meant, Casey was sure it wasn't bad or sexual. It just... was what it was.

He had no idea that Darby was in the house, in a room upstairs, waking up to the same sort of scenario. Actually, Casey had no idea who Darby even was.

With a sigh, he dipped his head down to try and concentrate on the book he was reading, but it really wasn't working. He was so high strung at the moment that everyone in the house could probably feel it.

open to pirate arrrrrrrr [he's probably glaring rn]

2010-08-22T03:06:28Z

Vance hated when Pirate had to work late into the night. He was a little more than spoiled by the other wolf's warmth when he'd crawl into bed at night, and having to go to bed without his mate was disappointing. It wasn't even about sex - it wasn't as if they had sex every single night, it was just about the comfort of having Pirate there.

School had started back up, and Vance was now into his sophomore year. He was about to be sixteen now and it was strange to think that he'd known Pirate for nearly an entire year now. He'd been through a hell of a lot for a boy his age, wolf or not, and sometimes he still had nightmares about being kidnapped and especially about Kenneth. He never let on about them, though, because he felt a little silly. It'd been over six months ago, hadn't it? Sometimes he couldn't remember. Usually when he wokeup from a dream, he just snuggled against Pirate and went back to sleep.

Tonight, though, Pirate wasn't there to snuggle up to and even if he was Vance was in the middle of a dream instead of waking up from it. His entire body was stiff, posture not at all natural for one who was sleeping, and every now and then he'd mutter or whimper about something in his sleep.

open to greer

2010-08-13T07:39:33Z

Mason knew that there was a pack nearby. He'd heard of the Cold Water pack. Loren came to visit every now and then, but Mason hadn't ever met anyone else from there. If he realized that Varick, Shannon, and Kingston were there he'd have gone right away. But he hadn't a clue, so he was fine staying at the mansion. He didn't mind being fed from. He'd been through a lot worse when he was younger.

Despite how much time had gone by, though, he could never forget about Bae. The other panther had protected him, taught him how to survive, and kept him safe. It was difficult not to wonder how or where he was. When Mason heard that Mikhal's human boyfriend was a sorcerer, he thought maybe the man could help. That was why he was sitting on the stairs, waiting for Greer to come up them after dinner.

bernie, shiloh, lewis, morris

2010-08-09T05:33:54Z

Continued from here.

Shiloh knew Morris had been working that night, they'd been texting on and off during the entire evening. Still, it hadn't even occurred to him that Morris would be the one to see him like this whle Bernie drove he and Lewis to the hospital. His eyes had drifted closed along the right, and pain his ribs were causing him made breathing a chore. Every small fraction of an inch burned, and he tried to adjust the way he was sitting, hoping that would help, but all it did was make things worse and he started coughing up a little bit of blood.

When he realized the car had stopped, and someone was talking to him, he opened his eyes and was surprised to see Morris' face. He blinked a few times, obviously a little bit confused, but it didn't take much for his brain to make sense of the situation.

"Morris," he said softly, "Where's Lewis? Is he okay?" he asked, his voice strained.

open to miles and bae

2010-08-04T07:47:58Z

Nikolai was probably one of the strongest sorcerers in the states. He took a bit of pride in that fact, and he always would. He didn't flaunt his power, he was more quiet about it, but it radiated off of him with ease. When he'd met Miles, he sensed a power within the boy that told him he could be great, and he immediately took him under his wing. And then they'd developed into a bit more than just teacher and student. When Miles asked Nikolai to get Bae out of the sex ring he was in, normally Niko would have said no. But Miles had hit a soft spot within him, so he'd done as asked and now the boy was traveling around with them. Niko never stayed in one place for long. He was wealthy, came from a long line of sorcerers who had a lot of money over the years that he'd inherited. He was an antique dealer, and he went all over to auctions.

At the moment they were in Boston. Nikolai had been out all day at an auction, and when he came home he was ready to just relax. He had on a three piece navy suit, and he was all ready undoing the buttons of his suit jacket to shrug it off as he stepped in the door and set his briefcase down. He could smell food cooking, and he knew Miles must have been busy in the kitchen. After shrugging his jacket off, he hung it up by the door and headed down the large hallway of the house they were currently staying in to slip into the kitchen.

"What are you cooking?" he asked, his British accent lilting through the air.

open to lewis and badvamp

2010-08-04T05:22:00Z

Shiloh had seen Morris a handful of times since their stroll and kiss, but he was definitely growing closer and more smitten with the necromancer. They were taking things slow, and things could still get a bit awkward between them from time to time, but in the good kind of way. Tonight, Lewis had taken Shiloh into Seattle for Shiloh's very first concert. It had been amazing. It was just an Indie band, sort of mellow but fun, and in a tiny little venue. It was more of a show than a concert, but to Shiloh it was everything wonderful. He'd had a great time.

It was late when they started to head back, after one, and when they got to Cold Water, Lewis pulled off into a gas station to fill up. He headed inside for snacks so that he and Shiloh could eat them while they told Bernie all about the show, and Shiloh had been texting with Morris about it all night long. He was sitting in the car, still texting, music playing softly while he waited for Lewis to come back out.

open to greer

2010-07-12T04:45:52Z

If Mikhal hadn't a need to sleep, he would have been anxious all day long. After running into Greer in Cold Water and spending the night with him, well almost - since Greer had to leave - the sorcerer was all he could think about. Greer was leaving the Church for him. Mikhal wasn't sure what that meant, but it meant something, that was for damn sure. The sorcerer had been nothing but a game at first and now Mikhal was utterly lost and in too deep. He wanted Greer more than he wanted anything in the entire world, and now he got to have him. Or did he? A part of him was still worried Greer would change his mind, and when night fell and Mikhal rose that fear was stuck in the pit of his stomach.

He showered and got dressed, wearing a pair of black slacks and a thin white v-neck shirt, then he just... Waited. He had no idea when Greer would show. Greer said he'd be back that night, and if he wasn't... Mikhal was certain he'd leave Cold Water and never come back.

open to darby

2010-07-08T22:10:18Z

Graham had always suffered from wanderlust. He liked traveling, going where he wanted, when he wanted. It made things easier moving around, not growing attached, especially after how things had ended with Sigmund. Even still thinking about the other wolf still stung, but Graham never really let it show. He kept a lot to himself, and always seemed guarded. He just wasn't the type to let many people in, and if you were human? Well, forget about it, it just wasn't going to ever happen.

When he'd me Darby, it had been purely by chance. Three hunters had captured the other wolf and were going to kill him. Graham wasn't about to let that happen, though. Making sure his kind was safe was what he did, it was his crusade. His own personal way of giving back, so to speak, especially since he wasn't with his own pack. He'd killed the three hunters, disposed of their bodies carefully in a place where no one would find them and took Darby under his wing. He hadn't intended to keep the other with him for so long, he'd planned to find a pack close by and leave him behind. That hadn't happened, though. Graham had gotten attached, but he'd be damned if he ever admitted something like that. After sleeping with Darby, there was no way he was going to just drop him off with a random pack. Graham reasoned that Darby should go to his pack, where he would know for absolute certain he was safe. Still, a year had passed, and Graham kept Darby with him. Of course, by now, there was no way he could just leave the other wolf anywhere. Darby had started to see the softer, more private sides of Graham, but Graham liked to pretend that he didn't.

They were in a hotel outside of Washington. Graham had been tracking a particular set of hunters for a while now, but they were good. Now that they were getting closer to Seattle, he was growing nervous. He tried not to let it show. He'd been out, getting something to eat for himself and Preston when he slipped into the room. It was rainy out, and his hair was a little damp.

open to lewis

2010-06-30T08:44:04Z

Ever since Shiloh's little... impromtu date walk with Morris, he couldn't get the necromancer out of his head. He was anxious and on cloud nine, and it was obvious to everyone in the house. After dinner, he headed up to see if Lewis was in his room, and he knocked lightly on the door before he poked his head inside.

"Lewis?" he called out, smiling when he spotted the boy sprawled out on his bed. He headed over to climb up onto it with him, and he gently poked Lewis in the ribs. "What're you doing? It's too early to be asleep," he teased.

After a moment, he laid down next to the other boy and stretched out. He wanted to ask Lewis about a million questions, but he was feeling a little shy about it. When it came to sex, Shiloh was very unexperienced. He'd only slept with a person once, and that was Elgyn, and that wasn't exactly a good first time.

open to varick

2010-06-18T08:29:03Z

Losing Cameron was hard, and most days it was still very hard, but being with Varick definitely helped Shannon to cope. Being safe at the haven was also helping, and the wolves there were simply amazing. He'd gotten to meet Aubrey, another fox, and Cady as well. It was nice to be so accepted. Sure, there were some wolves that were grumpy - like Pirate and Felix - but they weren't ever outwardly rude to Shannon. And it'd been nice to make clothes for Aryk, Vance, and Basil.

Varick was planning on opening a law firm in the area, so he'd been especially busy. Though everyone was insisting they weren't staying for the long haul, Shannon was starting to wonder if maybe they were. It seemed like everyone was settling well enough. Varick said that once Kingston was ready, they'd venture out on their own but what did that mean for Varick's law firm if he was opening one up? Shannon supposed Varick could take it anywhere he wanted.

The Portland pack had taken up residence in an empty house on the property. It was just a few of them, so the house was more than enough room. Shannon was busy sitting indian style on the bed and hand sewing a seam that had torn in one of Varick's nicer suit jackets. He had the headphones of his iPhone on and was humming quietly to Incubus while he worked. Varick had been gone all day, and the suit jacket Shannon was working on had been the one he'd wanted to wear but couldn't because of the busted seam.

To Noah

2010-06-18T06:59:02Z

Majid was good at his job. Near the end of Haben's father's reign, he had acted as an enforcer. For a long time, he'd managed to keep the peace within the immediate Pride, but in the end, it had been too much for the few lions who remained loyal to the idea of a Pride structure. When the lions of Africa had dispersed to their own devices, forming groups closer to small tribes rather than one grand pride, Majid had fallen to taking mercenary work for humans and lions alike. When Haben had disappeared and was presumed dead, Haben's father went downhill, losing his spark for leadership. It was painful to watch the King fall so far and Majid stopped seeing him, abandoned him really.

Now he was in Coldwater Flats, having tracked Haben's best friend Noah to that location. It was a commission, a job and nothing personal. Majid had been around while Haben and Noah were growing up, young himself then, but old enough to do the job that Haben's father required of him. Strangely enough, he'd been tribute to the King--a gift from another Pride. Majid didn't mind much, having been objectified like that. He'd wanted to get out of Iran and that had been his opportunity.

He'd been staying in a cheap motel in town, biding his time and observing Noah. The boy had been visiting a local wolf pack frequently, though Majid did not know for what purpose. What would a lion have to do with a pack of wolves? He didn't dare step on their territory and so he waited until Noah was in town to finally approach him. He had an ice cream cone in his hand, of all things, and he simply stepped out in front of Noah as he was walking. "You've gotten bigger," he noted mildly.

to noah

2010-06-07T16:41:02Z

[I'm rearranging the timeline a little. Haben and Noah's reunion maybe just happened a week or so after he got back from the month long trip. Does that work? Lol]

Haben, Robin, Sullivan, and Austin had been back at the Haven for a couple of weeks. The appearance of Noah had been surprising, but welcomed. Haben had managed to avoid Africa entirely on their travels, even though Robin had wanted to see where Haben had come from. He wasn't ready to own up to who he was, but Noah's presence was making him start to face the reason's he'd run away in the first place.

He was sitting by the water, feet dangling over the edge of the makeshift dock that jutted out into the small lake on the territory. Looking over his journal, he slowly paged through it, making notes here and there about the sketches he'd done of the memories he'd had.

hunter and julian

2010-06-01T05:25:23Z

While Jeremiah had been easily accepted his shifts, Julian had been pushing them back. It was difficult and exhausting, and it was causing the little boy to be cranky and want to sleep more. Of course his sleep wasn't as restful as it could be, and Jason's presence wasn't helping things because Julie could tell that Joshua didn't care for the man and Julie was strongly linked to Joshua. When Julie wokeup from a nightmare, he sat up in his bed with his two ponies and looked for Miah. Usually he'd wake Miah up and go sneak into Joshua's room or Hunter and Wendell's, but Miah must have fallen asleep with one of them because he wasn't there. Instead of getting up, Julie just started to cry softly alone in his dimly lit room.

The crying woke Hunter immediately, and he got up and went down the hall to see what was wrong with Julian. Jeremiah had fallen asleep in bed with him and Wendell and the little boy was wrapped up in Wendell's arms, sound asleep. Hunter went into the boys's bedroom and closed the door behind him before going to sit down on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong, Julie?"

When Hunter came into the room, Julian moved to crawl up onto his lap. His arms looped around Hunter's neck and pressed his face against the bigger wolf's shoulder. "Bad dream," he said in between sniffles. "Where's Miah?"

"Miah's sleeping with Wendell." Hunter wrapped his arms around Julian and he rubbed his hand gently up and down his back. "What were you dreaming about?" He hated that the boy's had nightmares but there wasn't really anything he could do to stop it. So instead he just did his best to make them feel better after they were over.

Julie's little pajamas were a bit damp with sweat and he curled up on Hunter's lap as he held onto him. "My Mom," he told Hunter in between sniffles. "She came to take us back, and she was mean. She hurt Joshua."

"Well she's not here and she's not going to get you." He rubbed his hands up and down his back and he kissed his forehead. "You're all wet, puppy, do you want to cool down and put something clean on?"

"Kay," Julie said, his tone a little whiney. "My arms and legs are sore." He was holding back his shifts which only made things worse, but he didn't quite understand that.

"It's because you aren't shifting. Do you want to go downstairs and we can shift together? We can run for a little bit and then you will feel better afterwards." he stood up, holding onto Julian as he started for the door. "Let's go for a run."

"No, I don't wanna, it hurts," Julian said as he tried to squirm out of Hunter's arms. "That man tried to make me I could tell and I didn't want to. I just wanna go to bed with you."

"Julian." Hunter's voice was stern. "You have to do it sometimes. You are going to hurt yourself if you don't do it." He was going to make Julian shift if he wouldn't do it on his own. "If you keep pushing it back it'll come on it's own and it'll hurt."

"But it hurts," Julian protested, still trying to get down out of Hunter's arms but Hunter was a lot stronger than the little boy was. "Why do I have to? What if a bigger wolf eats me because I am small."

"A bigger wolf isn't going to eat you, Julian, I am going to be right there with you." He carried him downstairs and outside, and all the way out to the woods before he put him down on his feet.

Julian kept on wiggling, trying to slip out of Hunter's arms. When he was put down on his feet, he looked up at Hunter with a frown. "I'm scared," he said softly. "How come it doesn't hurt for you? Does it hurt for you? It doesn't seem like it."

"It does hurt for me, I am just used to it." He crouched down in front of Julian and tugged his shirt off and then he stood up. "Go ahead and take off your pants. I'll shift first and then you shift, okay? And then I'll be there to protect you."

The air was cool, but it felt a little good. At Hunter's words, Julie shook his head no. "Don't wanna, I want Daddy." Miah called Wen and Hunter by name still, but Julian had taken to calling Wen Daddy and Hunter Papa.

"No Julian." Hunter crouched down. "it's time to be a big boy and to shift with me, okay? all the wolves have to do it. Joshua and Miah do it too."

"Joshua didn't have to until he was bigger," Julian protested as he looked at Hunter with a frown. "How come I have to now? Why can't I just wait til I'm bigger."

"Because you already shifted now and so you have to keep on shifting. Once you do it once you have to keep on doing it. You don't get a choice. You'll get really sick if you don't do it."

Julian twisted his fingers together nervously as he furrowed his brow. He looked terribly worried, and he chewed on his lower lip a little bit. "Sick how?"

"Your arms and legs hurt because you haven't shifted, but soon your whole body is going to start to hurt and it is going to be really bad, Julian."

Hunter looked so serious, and it made Julian want to cry. He rubbed at one of his eyes with a tiny fist as he nodded his head, finally. "Okay," he said, his voice raising an octive. "What if I can't do it?"

"You can do it. You just have to be brave and you have to just do it, all right?" He pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I'll help you, okay?"

"Okay," Julie said softly as he reached out to hold onto Hunter. He pulled back a moment later and knelt down to fold his pajama shirt, then he took his pants and underpants off and folded them, too. When Wendell had seen some of himself in Julian, he really had, because Julie definitely had some strong Wendell traits.

Hunter tried not to smile. Instead he just brushed his fingers through his hair. "Okay think really hard about shifting all right?" he kissed his forehead and then leaned back so Julian could try.

Julian really didn't want to, but he knew better than to keep arguing with Hunter. He'd argued as much as he could and finally conceded because he trusted Hunter and just needed to be assured that he'd be all right. He stayed crouching and furrowed his brow as thought hard about shifting. It didn't take long to start, his wolf was aching to get out and the shift came hard and fast. Julie tried to fight it at first, crying out in pain and discomfort, but he gave in eventually and soon enough a little white pup was at Hunter's feet.

Hunter took off his pajama bottoms and he shifted quickly so that he was in his wolf form. Once he was settled he leaned down and licked along Julian's face to clean him up a little bit. He tried to run with the little boys every time they shifted just so they felt safe.

Julian's tail swished back and forth as Hunter cleaned him up. He managed to bite down playfully on one of Hunter's ears before he jumped away and stuck his rump up in the air, his little white tail wagging in excitment. Now that he was shifted, he hadn't a care in the world it seemed.

Hunter stepped forward and in one bite had a hold of Julian by the back of the neck so that he was carrying him. Then he trotted off into the woods with the wolf pup in tow.

Julian's eyes went wide, and he went limp as Hunter grabbed him by the scruff. That hadn't happened to him before, and he looked awkward, legs held out stiffly.

Hunter would have paid money to see what Julian looked like in that moment, but for now he just trotted out to the woods and to the stream before he put Julian back down on his rump, letting him sit so they could get a drink of water.

When he was settled down, Julian relaxed and tipped his head back to let out a pitiful attempt at a howl. He yawned in the middle of it and shook his head before he leaned forward and lapped at the cool water.

Hunter leaned his head back and let forth a loud and powerful howl just to show Julian how it was done. Then he leaned his head back down and took a few big laps of water. When he was finished he nudged the little boy over and then trotted away a few yards to see if he'd follow.

When Hunter howled, Julie stopped drinking to stare over at him with his head cocked to the side and once Hunter started to drink again, Julie tried to howl again. It was better, but still pretty weak, and adorable. When the pup was nudged, he watched Hunter for a second and then trotted after him. Or tried to. He was still a little clumsy.

Hunter had every intention of wearing Julian out and then curling up with him to sleep outside for a while. He figured that way they would just sleep through their shifts back into human form and they'd be all right come morning.

After running and playing with Hunter, and the two had found their way back closer to their clothes Julie flopped down and let out a big yawn as he shook his head. The two fell asleep curled up together and when Julie woke up it was still dark, but early morning. He yawned and poked Hunter in the side. "Cold."

Hunter woke up when Julian poked him and he turned over and stretched his arms out over his head before turning over to get up. "Come on, let's get up so we can go and get breakfast."

Julian got up and followed Hunter over to their clothes and after he tugged them on he held his arms up to Hunter. "I wanna crawl in bed with you, I'm still sleepy."

"All right, then we can go and get in bed." Hunter tugged on his pants and then picked Julian up so that he could carry him back to the house. "In my bed?"

"Yes," Julian said with a nod as he let his head rest against Hunter's shoulder. "Your bed. Are you and Daddy married?"

"Yes, we are." For the most part, anyway. He wasn't that worried about the fact that they weren't really married in the court. He picked up Julian and carried him through the yard and back to the house.

"When I get bigger I wanna marry someone like you," Julie said softly. "Why do you love him so much? Did you pick him or did he pick you?"

"We picked each other." He carried the boy inside and went back upstairs and into the bedroom. Hel aid Julian down next to Jeremiah and he crawled in with him and laid down.

"Oh," Julie said as he got laid down in the bed. He stretched his legs out and wiggled his toes as he peered up at Hunter. He wrapped an arm around Miah and yawned a little bit before he curled up against Miah, the two of them snugly in between Hunter and Wendell.

To Julian

2010-05-31T06:27:02Z

Jason had been able to spend a little time with Jeremiah. He'd forced a shift in him and taken him outside. He'd even tried to show him a thing or two about hunting, but the puppy had taken no interest in it whatsoever. With Izzy's fox form back, he'd gone out with him too and Jason found himself just a touch jealous of how the two had bonded. But he'd felt a strong connection to the little one as well, one that he hadn't expected to feel.

He'd been introduced to Julian. Joshua had begrudgingly allowed it, though nothing much had transpired between them under Josh's watchful eye. But with Izzy still recovering from the attack, they were staying at Wolf Haven instead of the room they'd rented in Coldwater. Jason tried to keep to himself, but god if he could stand that tiny little room any longer. He was reading downstairs in one of the cozier study-like alcoves downstairs.

Corbin and Colby

2010-05-28T01:19:01Z

The fights were getting unbearable. Paul was unbearable, but he was still at their house and Corbin had calmed down quite a bit since he'd attacked the poor kid. At the moment, Paul was asleep in the bedroom, on a makeshift bed on the floor. He was like a dog, Corbin liked to think. He wasn't going to let the mongrel into the bed. His mother was out of town with her boyfriend and after Paul had been so upset about getting hit, Corbin offered to let him stay. Stupid, but he thought maybe if Paul was still around, Colby would be less likely to take off with their father for just a little while longer.

He'd just come back from the occult shop about an hour ago. He had a book in his lap and he was sitting on the couch reading it intently. He didn't know where Colby was, but he could sense deep in his bones that his brother hadn't gone anywhere too far away. He dreaded the moment he felt so empty that it was clear Colby had left him for good. The book on his lap was about demons, summoning them and--most importantly--banishing them.

cwf @ 2010-05-25T21:35:00

2010-05-26T04:32:50Z

Jason had gone out to meet with a few business partners in Seattle. So long as he was in town, he wasn't oppossed to getting some money made. That left Izzy alone in the hotel room because these sorts of men really didn't take too well to companions coming along on strictly serious meetings. Joshua, unfortunately, didn't know this as he headed into town on foot that evening. He knew what hotel his grandfather was staying at and instead of bothering to announce his presence at the front desk, he simply waited for no one to be looking and slipped upstairs, following the painfully familiar scent right to the door of Izzy and Jason's room. He knocked and waited for an answer.

Izzy was hungry. He'd been on his own most of the day and he'd been asleep when Jason left that morning. The night before they hadn't fooled around because they'd both been too tired to bother and the whole day before they had spent looking for apartments and houses in the area to set up one permanent residence so that they could be there when they wanted to be. When he heard the knock he assumed it was some sort of turn down service and so he pulled himself out of bed and padded to the door, shirtless and barefoot, wearing just his boxer briefs. "I don't need any towels. thanks..." he started to say but then he saw Joshua and just sort of froze. "Oh. Hello." he hadn't talked to any of the wolves yet, he'd just stayed silent every time he was in their presence.

Joshua recognized the man's--well--whatever the fuck Izzy was. He pushed past him, laying a warm hand to his chest to move him out of the way so he could come inside. A kid like Joshua didn't need to be invited in anywhere; he just knew he belonged wherever he wanted. His eyes scanned the room, but he knew immediately that his grandfather wasn't there. He pursed his lips. "When is he going to be back?"

Well, that was about as friendly as Jason was sometimes, so he wasn't really that surprised. Closing the door, he turned back to face Joshua and he just smiled. "I don't know. He was gone when I woke up and I am guessing he'll probably be back in a few hours." He scratched at the side of his neck and regarded Joshua from behind the thick black frames of his glasses. "You're Joshua right?"

"Oh, fabulous. You remembered one out of three imporant names. Yeah, I'm Joshua." He wrapped his arms around his waist and leveled his scrutinizing gaze back on the kitsune. "What the hell are you, anyway? You smell strange. Like iron and flowers and tea." Joshua's energy was oppressively strong, radiating out from his body, filling the room effortlessly.

The power was toying with Izzy and he closed his eyes for a second before opening them again, letting them focus on Joshua because they had gone out of focus as the power rushed over him. "I'm a kitsune." He knew that Joshua probably wouldn't have any idea what that meant but he didn't really care. And he also realized that Joshua probably thought he was stupid, but he didn't really care about that either. Instead he just tried to keep a hold of himself because he didn't think that Jason would appreciate it if he slept with his grandson.

Looking him up and down, sizing him up, he didn't miss a thing. The boy felt older, more worldly than other people his age. He didn't like that sense from the other. He didn't want him thinking that he was better than Joshua. "A fox?" He'd seen fairy tales about kitsunes, but he didn't remember anything but the fox part. Taking a step or two closer, he wanted a better look at the kid. "Tell me why you guys are really here. My grandfather doesn't want kids--he could have come earlier when his daughter was shoving Jeremiah in ice baths for crying when he skinned his knee."

Hearing about the violence didn't phase him at all. Izzy had endured greater hardships with masters previous to the one that Jason had purchased him from, and so he wasn't surprised at the news about the child. "Because he'd like to make a better life for you. He tried not to interfere with your mother and because of that he lost track of you. Had he known, he would have put a stop to it." Honestly, he didn't think that was the truth, but he was going to just act like he believed the things Jason said as he repeated them back to Joshua.

Joshua thought that was a lie and it pissed him off. "Do you seriously believe that shit?" he scoffed and turned to go farther into the hotel suite. He spotted the closet and went to peer in it, looking through the fine clothes Jason had bought a few days ago. "So does he pay you to travel with him?"

"No." Izzy wasn't going to lie to Joshua if he asked why he was with Jason. He would tell him that Jason had purchased him, and that he was his companion. Or maybe he'd try to put it a little nicer just so that Joshua didn't get all bent out of shape about it.

"So you're with him by choice? I notice half the shit in that closet is yours and the price tag for stuff like that isn't cheap." He thought of Andrew and how rich he was. Maybe Izzy actually cared about Jason. "Doesn't hurt that he buys you nice stuff, does it? Why are you here?"

"Because Jason owns the amulet that contains my soul." As if it were that simple. That was why he was there. Maybe he didn't want Joshua to think that he was some sort of gold digger. "And yes, it's very nice, isn't it? Those clothes. The underwear I have on right now are dollars a pair. And my glasses? They were six hundred dollars. Aren't they lovely? Aren't my things very nice?"

"My current boyfriend bought me at an auction. I fell in love with him." Joshua ignored the man's ironic tone and went to go sit on the end of the bed. "So my grandfather came to rescue me and my brothers after we were auctioned off and he's walking around with a slave. Great. Double standards. I guess I should be used to those by now."

"To be fair, I am merely a spirit." He hadn't been free in so long that he didn't remember how to be free anymore. "I am a thing, bought and sold, nothing more." Izzy folded his arms over his chest. "It is good that you are in love, good that Hunter found your brothers. But your grandfather wants to care for you now and he's your family."

"He's not my fucking family," Joshua stood up and stalked toward Izzy, shoving him backward for saying something as ignorant as that. He'd learned that family wasn't about blood, not in his case. It was about who you chose to love and to protect. His brothers didn't mean so much to him just because they shared his DNA. They meant the world to him because he'd been there when they were born and he'd chosen to protect them.

The shove startled him. All of Izzy's careful control was gone as he stumbled back slightly. His ears becamse visible, the red tips peeking out beneath the shaggy black mop of hair on his head. His tail swished quickly back and forth and he looked a little startled. especially because his hunger came out, spilling into the air between them.

Joshua had not been expecting the ears and tail. He stared, mouth opening in a little O that took all of the anger out of his face. It made him look his years. But the energy rapidly shifted in the room and Joshua sucked in a gasp, stumbling backward to try and get away from the wash of sensation and scent. But as soon as his wolf felt him yielding it, it flared with fury and Joshua's upper lip pulled back to reveal teeth and a growl.

This was what Jason had warned him about and for an instant he was frozen in place. Jason would never forgive him if he hurt his grandson with his magic and he knew he couldn't retaliate, but he knew he shouldnt' run or it would incite him further. So for a moment he just stood there, eyeing the bathroom door because it was closest and he needed to put something between them.

He wanted to be closer to the other creature, more than he'd ever wanted anything in the world. He wanted to grab him and pin him down and devour him, or fuck him, or both. He didn't know. Joshua felt overwhelmingly confused and a whine bubbled up through the growl, a whimper that betrayed his youth. Letting his instincts take over, he scrambled to his feet and lunged at the kitsune. When their bodies collided, Joshua landed on top.

When Joshua lunged at him he tried to dive out of the way but the wolf was faster than he was. Izzy was slow from not being fed and he was driven to the ground hard, and he landed flat on his back. His heart was racing and fear poured off of him in waves as he tried to push the other boy back. "Joshua, don't."

Words weren't fully in Joshua's grasp. He'd been emotional walking into this encounter, and now he was much too far gone from Izzy's power. He'd never felt so out of control and his hands gripped against the fox's arms, tight enough to crush bruises into his skin. He was going to shift and he wasn't going to let go of Izzy to do it. A yowl ripped from his throat, bones starting to snap under his skin.

Izzy's eyes widened when he realized what was happening and he fought harder to get out from beneath Joshua, but he was no match for him. He didn't have the same strength that Joshua did and pulling himself free from the wolf's grasp was impossible. "Stop! Stop!" he cried out, but it was far too late for that, the shift had already started.

Joshua wanted nothing more than to stop. His human side wanted to run away and hide, but that only riled the alpha nature of his wolf and it was coming out to set the situation right. Joshua hadn't fully integrated the two sides of himself, he was just too young. The cry turned into a howl as his hands broke into paws, claws bursting from his nailbeds. Soon enough, those claws were digging ruthlessly into Izzy's shoulder, tearing flesh.

Izzy's begging him to stop turned into a wordless scream as the claws pierced his skin and dug through his flesh and down to his bones. The scream turned into whimpered and he tucked his head down, trying to protect his throat so that Joshua didn't rip it out.

As soon as he had the muzzle to go for the juglar, Joshua did so. With maw open wide, he started to struggle to get at the soft, vulnerable flesh. Jason's meeting had gone well and as he climbed the stairs to the room, he basked in the satisfaction of a done deal. But as he got closer to the door, he heard the commotion and smelled the metallic stench of mortal fear waft down the hall. Rushing into the room, he saw the white wolf and recognized the scent as Joshua's. His own shift was fast, smooth, and he launched his weight against the much smaller wolf's, knocking him to the side. Joshua yelped, but scrambled to his feet and attacked Jason instead.

For as much as he tried to fight it, it was useless. The wolf's head bashed against his, knocked it back so his throat was exposed and the fangs sliced against the skin just before Jason knocked Joshua off of him. Izzy turned over slowly, his body on autopilot as his hand came up to the front of his throat to stop whatever blood had started to flow.

Jason couldn't kill the boy, but he put him down quickly, clamping his teeth around his neck to cut off his air supply. The more Joshua struggled, the more air he needed and the faster his body gave out. When the long limbs of the smaller wolf went limp, Jason turned to Izzy, loping toward him to push his cold nose against the man's skin. He sniffed and whined and pressed his muzzle to his neck to lick away the blood. There wasn't a ton, but enough to be alarming and dangerous.

Izzy curled up and he tried to push Jason away from him because he thought that he was going to hurt him, but when he realized it was Jason and not Joshua he let his hand fall away and he let Jason lick him instead. He just closed his eyes, feeling like he was going to pass out but the blackness wasn't coming, no matter how badly he wanted it to.

Jason, fully aware in his wolf state, didn't know a great deal of medical info about kitsune. He was terrified and it infuriated him that he was reacting so strongly to Izzy being injured. Surely it was just because he didn't want to lose his property. He shifted back into human form, disregarding his nudity and lifting Izzy upright. "What do I do?" He whispered against him, knowing a doctor would be the last thing that could help him.

Izzy didn't know what to do. His body was shaking as Jason picked him up and he just tipped his head down against his shoulder. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before and he was starting to burn up, which happened when a werewolf bit a human. Technically he wasn't, but his body was, so it was reacting badly, though he didn't know how to make it stop.

Jason felt helpless and it enraged him. But he kept it at bay because he knew he needed to take care of Izzy. So he treated it like a regular bite. Scooping him up, he raced to the bathtub and set him into it. He ran tepid water, not too cold but cool enough to lower his temperature. "Izzy, it's going to be fine." His voice was confident even if he didn't feel it. The water turned pink with blood and he held a rag over the bite to staunch the bleeding.

Izzy was shaking, his whole body and he curled his fingers around the edge of the tub as he laid back in the water. "Jason." he whined his name and his eyes squeezed shut. Everything hurt and he was so warm that he was starting to get delusional.

Jason kissed him hard on the mouth. Would it be healing? He didn't know, but he needed it right now, afraid he was going to lose him and this would be the last opportunity to kiss him. The cool water swelled up around Izzy's body, helping with the swelling and bruising as well as the temperature.

Izzy could hardly think to kiss him back. His body was fighting the infection with a fever and he started to shake harder, practically going into a full blown seizure. His head jerked back against the edge of the tub, cracking against the ceramic.

He caught the boy's head, trying to cushion it. This was a normal reaction to a werewolf bite and it made Jason think he really was going to lose Izzy. The amulet around his neck seemed to know the distress and it felt hot against his skin. Cradling him through the seizure, he murmured small pleas to whatever entity might be listening to save Izzy and bring him through this.

Izzy stopped seizing after a little while, his body just settled back into the water. He was cold but his fever was still high so he shivered and closed his eyes, just wishing this was all over. At this rate the fever was going to fry his brain.

Moment after moment passed and finally, Joshua came too. He didn't know where he was at first and called out for Andrew. But then flickers of memory came back to him and he followed the smell of blood to the bathroom. Jason opened the door after a few moments of pounding. Joshua tried to see Izzy but Jason firmly blocked the way. "You should go," he said. But Joshua shook his head. "Hunter will know what to do." Or at the very least who to call. Jason didn't like hearing that, but maybe it was his best option right now. Jason was cut off from his normal resources.

Getting Izzy down to the car without drawing attention was difficult but manageable. He drove them to Wolf Haven and barged in again to the main house. "Hunter?" He called. Joshua called for him as well.

Izzy had stopped having a seizure but he was still shaking the whole way back to the haven. He was completely delirious and just kept crying out for Jason and after a while for his mother. When even that was too much thought he just kept whimpering, and whining. When Hunter heard them calling his name he came downstairs, not entirely surprised to see what he was seeing. He felt them coming. "Take him upstairs, put him back in the tub, I'll be up in a moment."

"A fae or a witch. I don't know any in town. We need one," he said and his voice almost wavered at a plea. Clearly he cared about this boy, the feelings he had for him were written in the scent of fear lingering on his body. He took him upstairs, and ran water into the tub.

Hunter went to his office and got into his safe where he kept the werewolf strength sedatives. He took out the syringe and filled it before starting upstairs. The sedative would slow everything down for Izzy and it would give his body time to adjust to what was happening to it. Though he thought he might still call one of his friends in town to ask becuaes he didn't really know about kitsunes.

Jason was scooping cool water over Izzy's forehead while Joshua looked on. The boy looked worried, arms wrapped around his waist. As soon as Hunter returned, he muttered that he was sorry. He didn't like not being in control of himself and he didn't want to hurt anyone--not even Jason's companion. Jason saw the needle and frowned. He was more familiar with magical remedies than he was with pharmaceuticals. He was more comfortable with old world remedies. "Is someone coming?"

"I've put out calls to both Merrin and Howell, they will be here if they decide to come and if not, well... I don't know what to tell you, Jason, except we need to treat this just like a regular wolf bite." He slid the needle into his arm and sedated Izzy. The boy's body sank down slowly and his eyes closed.

Jason's jaw clenched as he watched the needle go. He stopped himself from protesting, just keeping a hand on the boy. "I need to know more about them. I need to research..." he shook his head and his voice trailed off. Jason didn't often sound regretful. "I don't think he could handle a shift. He can't be a shifter--he's already a shifter. His body can't sustain both."

Hunter was careful in disposing of the needle and then he came back and crouched down beside the tub so that he could look in at Izzy. The bite wouldn't have been fatal if Joshua had been a real wolf, but he was becoming infected and Hunter wasn't sure exactly how that would work with what he was though. "Maybe Merrin will have some insight. It is more likely that she'll come than Howell, though he is far older and would know far more."

Jason fell silent, not finding a great deal of comfort in Hunter's words. Joshua stayed, looking on with worry. He didn't like seeing his grandfather like this because it made him seem human. Josh didn't want to have sympathy for him. An hour later and Howell had arrived. The large black dragon landed with a thud, right in the middle of the driveway. One smooth transition and he was walking inside as a human. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to examine a kitsune.

Callahan was with him. Always with him. Bound to him and hidden by the dragon's power. Once he'd turned into a human again, Cal settled onto his shoulder and got a handful of dark hair to hold onto while he walked and headed up towards the bathroom. He flew ahead, excited to see the kitsune and he darted into the bathroom. "Hi hunter!" he cried out as he zoomed into the room and then started flitting around Joshua and Jason's heads.

"What the fuck?" Joshua blurted when he'd heard the great beat of wings and the loud langing. His surprise only increased when he was bombarded by a tiny creature. Jason was used to strange things and he'd met a dragon before--albeit a Chinese one. "Of course Hunter would have a dragon in his corner." He said with the faintest hint of respect. Howell frowned. "He's young. I only see one tail. He'll get more, you realize."

Reaching out, Hunter plucked Callahan gently out of the air and he put him down on Joshua's shoulder. "Be still, little one." Callahan irritated him when he wasn't kept in check and usually Howell could manage it, but every time he came to the haven after being gone for an extended period of time he was antsy and hyper. "What can you tell us about Kitsune, Howell? My knowledge is very limited outside of the texts I've read. He was bitten by one of my wolves and we aren't sure what is going to happen now." "Zenko, or yako?" Howell mused to himself. He wasn't ignoring Hunter's request for knowledge, but he was getting to it on his own time. Jason knew he had to have patience with this sort of creature, but it had never been his strong suit. Howell's black eyes turned on Jason, who was shirtless (though he'd had the foresight to put on some pants). The amulet stood out against his chest. "This kitsune is different than others. Limited." He reached his fingers out to touch the necklace and it repelled him, forced his hand away.

[It cracks me up that Kat Dennings and Zac Efron could be identical twins.]

Callahan stood up and he wrung his hands together. His wings beat slowly, like his heartbeat, and the one closest to Joshua kept brushing into his ear every time they opened again. "Why did it do that? What's it doing, Howell? Why's he only got one tail? How many tails will he get?" Callahan was used to being ignored by the dragon but it didn't stop him from asking.

It was all Joshua could do to keep himself from batting the little gnat clean off his shoulder. "Must you sit there?" He turned his head and frowned right at Callahan. "You're tickling everything and it's weird and what the fuck are you anyway?" Howell heard the words and quirked the slightest of smiles before answering just one of the fae's questions. "Nine. He'll get nine someday."

"This is where Hunter put me and usually when he makes me stop flying and puts me somewhere it is where he wants me to stay until I'm not in the same room as him anymore." Callahan smiled and he turned to face Joshua so he was face to face with him. "I'm a demi fae. He's gonna have nine tails, did you hear that? crazy." he turned back to look at Izzy again. Hunter tried not to smile because he was kind of amused that the little fae was bothering Joshua instead of him for once. "What will happen with the wolf bite?"

"For humans, it is an infection. For vampires, it is nothing because they are dead. For fae, it is something else entirely." Howell kept his eye on the amulet and that made Jason feel very uncomfortable but he didn't show it. "Kitsune are the eastern cousins of the European fae. The fever will pass. The only reason he reacted this way was because of that." His long finger crooked toward the necklace. It was an abomination to him, to trap something so inherently free.

Hunter looked at the amulet and then at Jason again before glancing over at Howell. He didn't entirely understand the amulet but there were things about fae that he didn't comprehend and that most mortal creatures couldn't. Callahan's wings beat so fast with excitement that his feet lifted off of Joshua's shoulder but he stopped them when he realized and he ended up back on the edge of his shoulder. "Well what will happen now because there is that?"

Joshua let out an exasperated sigh, not feeling so guilty anymore because his emotional capacity was very limited to one emotion at a time. Right now, it was annoyance. Howell reached forward and touched the lingering wound caused by Joshua's teeth in Izzy's flesh. "Fennel seed might me nice. Do you cook with fennel? Get me some, if you would."

Hunter didn't take orders from the dragon so he looked at the little winged fae. "Go." he said and Callahan was up and zipping through the air and down the hall to the kitchen to find fennel seeds. Jeremiah came running down the hall a minute later and into the bathroom. "Joshua, there's a real big bug out there did you see?"

"It's a demi-fae," Joshua said, sounding ever so knowledgeable. He wanted his little brother to think he'd just known that. Omniscient in the way that only big brothers could be. Howell turned on the little boy, tilting his head at him. "Lots of family in here. Lots of blood." He wheeled his head back to Jason. "Come back to get your little ones, slavetrader?" He wrinkled his nose and stood up. "Put the fennel seed in the bathwater. The kitsune will be fine. Probably grow another tail with his new found strength. Get back a little of what was stolen from him as well. You won't be able to keep him in his human form anymore."

Callahan came buzzing back into the room with the fennell and he gave it to Hunter, who gave it to Jason. Cal buzzed around the room again and he flew dangeriously close to Jeremiah, who tried to catch him with both hands, but he always managed to evade the little bit. He flew in close and kissed the tip of his nose and then did a few circles around Joshua's head before going back to Howell's shoulder. "Can we take the kitsune with us? I want to see all of his tails."

Joshua let out a little growl at all the flitting, finding it less than endearing. But the creature was gone again before he could really get his licks in. Howell shook his head. "No. Not unless we take the old wolf with us, and we will not." Jason was being humbled by the second, and he had the great desire to lay into his grandson, who had started all of this mess. He put the fennel seeds into the bathwater, letting them settle to the bottom. "Let him rest," Howell advised Hunter. "And can we stay for a little bit? I do believe Cal will explode if we leave so soon after arriving."

"You may. I think Jack would be quite upset if I allowed Callahan to explode. You are welcome to spend time in my study, if you'd like." He knew that it was one of the few places in the house that Howell felt comfortable and where he could get some peace and quiet. "Wendell will be helping with dinner in a little while if you'd like to stay, you are both very welcome." Cal let out an excited squeak and took off to go find Jack, as if mention of the wolf had been permission. Jeremiah walked over to Howell and looked all the way up at him from where he was on the floor. He reached up and took his hand and smiled. "Come to my room and I will show you the bear that Hunter got me."

Howell's whole body radiated a foreign sort of energy and he knew that he stuck out like a sore thumb in this house. In some ways, even more than Callahan who was so physically different from the rest. To have the child offer him hospitality was surprising to Howell and he stared down at his hand, connected to Jeremiah's. "Bears are very dangerous." He said, in utter seriousness as he followed the little boy. Jason was relieved when the dragon was gone and he turned his attention back to Izzy, thinking about what the man had said.

"Not this one." Jeremiah reassured him as he walked him down the hall to the room he shared with Julian. He pulled him inside and raced over to the bed to get the little brown teddy bear from off of his bed. It was very old and had seen better days, but it had been his and then Austin's.

Izzy was still pretty out of it but he was slowly starting to come around. When he opened his eyes and looked up at him he just smiled a little but it was brief. "Cold, Jason." he murmured.

Jason ran some warmer water after checking Izzy's temperature with his hand. "We'll go back to the hotel soon," he said quietly. He didn't want to stay in this house. He didn't know how he felt about what had happened with Joshua. Joshua had left to follow Howell and Jeremiah, protective of the little boy, even if Hunter seemed to trust the dragon with his little brother. He watched the two of them from the doorway. Howell stared at the little thing. "Peculiar. My kind used to inhabit little bears like this, made the child love them and then lured them away to a very lovely place." Not dragons, of course, but fairies.

Izzy nodded and he closed his eyes as he leaned his head against Jason's hand. He was feeling really cold and he just wanted to be curled up with him, under the blankets so they could settle down together. Jeremiah smiled and he watched as Howell looked at it and he shook the bear at him so he would take it. "How come? where did they take them? Was it very nice?"

Howell plucked the bear from Jeremiah's offering hand. He examined it closely and drew his fingers through the soft fur. Yes, very enticing for small children, he supposed. "It depended on the fairy. Brownies took the children underground to marvelous cities and revelries. Sidhe stole them away to grand castles. Woodland elves took them to groves full of flowers and sunlight." Then there were the unseelie courts, but Howell wasn't about to scare the child with those.

"Was it just for fun? And then they came home?" Because Jeremiah didn't like the idea of being stolen away. It had happened to him enough in his life and he just wanted to be safe at home with the rest of the wolves. "Do you have children? Did you take some? Were you a bear?"

Howell frowned a little. "No, they didn't go home. They became fae themselves and lived there forever." Little changelings. Howell sniffed a little with indignation when Jeremiah suggested that he engaged in such child theft. "I don't have children, unless you count Callahan." Who sometimes acted like a little child. "And I never did that. Dragons don't steal children. We set fire to villages and guard treasure."

Jeremiah's face knit up a little bit and he looked like he was going to cry until Howell mentioned treasure and then he calmed down a little bit. "Do you have a lot of treasure? Hunter said we're not supposed to play with fire." He and Julian had come home one day with a lighter they had pilfered from Everett and they had both gotten a lecture and put in time out..

Having no idea how to stop a crying child, Howell was relieved when the treasure thing seemed to quell the impending tears. "I don't suspect children would be good with fire. And yes, I have a great deal of treasure." Joshua went to take the bear back from Howell and returned it to Jeremiah. "That's enough questions, Miah."

Miah took the bear and he looked up at Joshua. He would have been upset at being told he couldn't do something he wanted, but he was still practically attached to Joshua at the hip because of what had happened and so he just went quiet at his big brother's direction.

Howell nodded, unsure if he was relieved at the intervention or disappointed by it. He left the room to go visit Hunter's study. When the dragon was gone, Joshua sat down on the bed and sighed. He'd almost killed something--or--well he didn't know what he'd almost done, but it had been bad.

cwf @ 2010-05-25T21:29:00

2010-05-26T04:27:18Z

That feeling was just about Wendell's favorite in the whole world. He made a happy noise in the back of his throat. "Hello," he said blithly. For awhile there, it was difficult to get close to Hunter without feeling sick about Joseph, but his mate had blotted that bad feeling out. His mind was on raising the boys now and what Lawson had talked to him about. On the future instead of the past.

"Hi baby." Hunter pressed his face down against the front of Wendell's throat and he kissed the hollow of it before he laid his head down onto his mate's chest. "I put the little boys down. Jeremiah finally changed back so I gave him a bath and some food. He was pretty tuckered out."

He loved watching Hunter with the boys. Even Joshua was taking to him and Wendell could see how much the boy looked up to the alpha. Wendell wasn't quite so worried about Jason, confident that they would never choose him over them. "He's getting better at shifting back. He'll have control before too long, do you think? Josh will hate that."

"I think he will too but he's getting a lot better at it. I am a little sad about that, just because he's so cute when he's shifted." The tiny little pup had barely any coordination and it was nearly endless laughs every time he was running through the house. "Running with him is fun."

"Reminds me of seeing Austin when he was tiny." Wendell was an incredibly late bloomer. He'd resisted his shifts for a long time, feeling more comfortable as a human. He still did to some extent, though Hunter had helped him tap into his wolf side. "What do you think about more?"

It took Hunter a second to realize what Wendell was getting at but then he smiled. "I don't know, I think it would be kind of nice to have a few more little ones running around here. Things have calmed down a lot lately. I think it would be good if we added to the pack."

Wendell nodded. He'd been thinking that too. There would never be a perfect time, but Wendell never went for perfection, just happiness. He wriggled under Hunter. "It'd be easier if you could just go out and sow your wild oats like Shane," he laughed a little.

Hunter growled a little, but it was playful as he kissed the side of Wendell's neck and lifted his head to look down at his mate. "You would be jealous and upset if I went out and started sowing my wild oats, so let's not even talk about that." that and Hunter had no interest of being around anyone but Wendell. "We could always just try to find a surrogate?"

The growl, even playful, took Wendell's breath away. It did things to him beyond his psychological understanding. Lifting his head up, he kissed Hunter's chin. "Yes, I know. I'd go crazy." He brushed his fingers down Hunter's back. "I considered Tes, but I don't know about purebloods. There's handfuls and then there's asking for trouble."

"Are you saying that Austin and I were asking for trouble?" he growled again and nipped at Wendell's lips. "We could ask Tes or Winnie, just to see what they say. I mean, maybe if we are really nice one of them will agree to it. And by one of them I mean maybe Winnie will agree to it."

"Tes would." Wendell countered. "She loves you very much, you know." But he shook his head. "Yes, Austin was trouble. I didn't know you as a puppy but I'm sure you were as well." He grinned, not challenging him directly, but playing at testing him. Any challenge from Wen was never serious, except the time he'd watched Hunter kill a mutt. But that was years ago. "Lawson offered to do it." He finally said, seriously.

"Really?" Hunter hadn't even known that Wendell was talking to anyone about the possibility of having a baby. Shifting his weight slightly, he tucked his arms beneath Wendell's shoulders and he leaned down to kiss the front of his throat again. "have you been thinking about this for a while?"

Hunter's mouth always made it difficult for Wendell to think. "For a little while, yes. They make me so happy, and Parker has been so fantastic. I want more. I think I was built to have a litter. We were built to raise many at once." It taught them so much about pack life.

"Well then maybe we should ask Lawson and Winnie or Tes and then we can have a whole litter. I want some pure blood babies." he kissed him again and nudged his knee between Wendell's thighs "You know, maybe we should practice a little bit."

"You want three pregnant women about at the same time? I think Tes might eat the others." He was scared of a pregnant Tes. But Hunter's knee took all thought from Wen's normally overactive mind. "Oh--" he said weakly and his legs fell easily open. "I think you've had plenty of practice. Your aim is impeccable." He laughed and felt a flush run up his cheeks.

The way that Wendell seemed to lose track of their conversation as his knee wedged between his thighs made Hunter smile. It probably wasn't fair that he often took advantage of Wen's weaknesses, but he did love the way his mind just sort of went blank when he touched him in the right way. "I think it would be all right, don't you?" He didn't specify what, he wanted to see if Wendell could remember what they were talking about while his knee brushed up higher and rubbed into his cock gently.

Wendell was usually so sharp. His mind always had a grasp of things, except in situations like this. "Huh?" he said dumbly, mouth going just a bit slack as his eyes fluttered shut. "Hunter," he exhaled, partway between a chastisement for distracting him and a plea to continue.

Hunter had to tuck his head down and press his face to the front of Wendell's throat just to hide the fact that he was smiling like he was. This always amused him. Drawing his knee back, he lowered his hips just to grind his body against Wendell's.

It never failed to surprise Wendell with just how good it felt and he let out a little yelp of pleasure. His long fingers curled inward to scratch lightly against Hunter's back. Everything about him yielded to a Hunter with barely any prompting. "Oh...oh were we talkinv? We...Hunter."

Hunter didn't really give him much of a chance to ask him what they were really doing. Instead he let his hands slide down Wendell's sides and he hooked his fingers into the top of his pajama pants so he could push them down. "What were you saying?" he asked as he rubbed his hips into Wendell's again, this time with only the fabric of his own pajamas between them.

And at last his brain short circuited entirely as his hips bucked up to meet Hunter's and increase the pressure. "Need you," he groaned, finding Hunter's mouth to kiss him. He couldn't stand the idea of waiting. His body was completely in the driver's seat at this point.

Once Wendell's pajamas were gone, he made quick work of getting his own off. His hands slid under Wen's rump and he pulled him up so that their hips were crushed together. "I love you." He whispered against his skin and he kissed down along Wendell's shoulders.

"So much," he murmured, completing Hunter's sentiment with his own. He licked his lips hungrily, trying to get Hunter riled up. The man was best at being rough and gentle all at the same time. No one stopped Wendell's heart like Hunter could.

Hunter wrapped Wendell's legs around his hips and he reached over to the nightstand to grab the lube that he kept there. He let himself get rough with Wendell sometimes and they skipped the lube and just used spit, but since Joseph he had been careful with him and he had been sure to use the lubricant.

Wendell felt like he was ready to get roughed up again. But part of him feared that it would set him back. Still, he wanted it and he looked up with purpose, reaching out his hand to run his fingers up Hunter's chest and then to his throat. Bending up, he pressed his mouth to Hunter's throat and growled, barely brushing his teeth against Hunter's jugular.

That was the last thing that Hunter had been expecting and when Wendell's teeth grazed against his throat he growled loudly, threateningly. He dropped the lubricant onto the bed and got a handful of Wendell's hair to jerk his head back.

All sensation centered back to Wendell's cock. His hips jerked a little at the growl and it was freeing to think he could die happy getting torn limb from limb by Hunter if that's what the man wanted to do to him. He whimpered at the hair tug and then played at being tough with a steeled gaze. He wanted to force Hunter to really put him in his place. He was feeling so brave.

Even if Hunter had been trying to atke it easy on him, Wendell was forcing it in another direction. His wolf pushed up underneath the surface and he had no choice but to give into it and to quickly squash the threat. He pressed his face into Wendell's throat and he bit down, a little harder than he meant to. It would bruise, and leave a dark mark where his teeth had been. The one hand stayed in his hair, keeping his head yanked back and he lowered the other between their bodies so he could stroke himself a few times.

That put him down quickly and he let out a gurgling cry as he clung to Hunter. It didn't quash his arousal though and he murmured a few pleas. The swell of Hunter's wolf brought Wendell's bursting to the surface and it was a blissful sort of release. "More," he groaned. Wendell could take a beating like no other. Sometimes he wondered if it was his only true purpose in life, to be submissive, to be strong enough to take what Hunter could give.

Hunter usually would have prepped Wendell, but instead he lined himself up and pushed forward. It was rougher than he wanted it to be but Wendell hadn't really given him much of a choice. He pulled his hand from between them and he slid his hand up to Wendell's throat where he had bitten him so that he could hold him down.

He kept telling himself that this was Hunter, this was his mate. His scent engulfed him, the energy of his dominant wolf radiating out of him. It was easy to keep Hunter in his mind and he whimpered as he dug his fingers into his lover's shoulders. Even with this treatment, he wasn't remembering Joseph; it was all Hunter right now. He tightened his legs around the other man's waist and tried to remember how to breathe.

Hunter kept his hips sliding forward until he was pressed all the way into Wendell. When their bodies were flushed her took a moment to bite him again, his teeth tugging Wendell's bottom lip out as he squeezed his throat a little tighter.

Complete trust. Wendell felt safe, even though Hunter was very threatening. It exhilerated him, but he didn't feel as if he was in danger. He couldn't speak, but if he could he would have told Hunter that he loved him. The pain was starting to dissolve into a burning ache that melted into pleasure and soon enough, his strangled cries were moans as his cock rubbed between their stomachs.

Hunter's hips moved roughly, jerking forward into Wendell's body with quick, shallow thrusts. He loved how his mate submitted to him, loved how quick Wendell was to give up all of his power in their relationship. He moaned into the kiss as he crushed his mouth against Wen's and started thrusting harder.

Wen was falling apart utterly, but Hunter was there to hold him together. All he could do was brace himself, and let go completely. It was perfect; he didn't have to think. Finally, he came tightening even more around Hunter and kissing him hard to muffle his own cries.

When Wendell came that was Hunter's complete undoing. He loved the way that his mate's body tensed up around him, as if every muscle was feeling the jolt of electricity caused by the orgasm. He kept thrusting his hips even as he reached his own climax and he rode himself through it. His hips gave a few slow jerks as he settled down then, and he made no move to pull out of Wendell when they were both finished.

His entire body curled around Hunter, wanting to hold onto him with every part. He pictured growing old with him, having grandchildren, being with him forever. Completely out of breath, Wendell rested back against the pillow, arms still tangled around the man. "Oh god," he muttered.

As Hunter got his wits back he wanted to ask Wendell if he was all right, but he knew better to. Knew better than to put him in that place on purpose, so he just waited to see how Wendell reacted over the next few minutes. Instead of asking, he nuzzled his face carefully against his throat and he stayed on top of him, letting the weight of his body rest against Wen without crushing him.

Feeling completely protected, Wendell nuzzled tightly to Hunter's chest. "You're amazing," he offered, his voice relaxed. He felt so much better, so satisfied. While he adored when Hunter was gentle and they made love, Wendell also liked to be put in his place, he liked to be fucked and claimed and he was thankful he could do that again, that Joseph hadn't taken that away from him forever.

Hunter finally rolled onto his side, pulling Wendell with him so that he could wrap himself around the smaller wolf. "I love you, Wendell." he whispered to him. There was no doubt about that. "I love it when your brian shorts circuits when I touch you."

"It's so frustrating," he grinned, clearly not very distressed by that. "You're like kryptonite. Though, I'm nothing like Superman. I'm more like Clark Kent. You're Superman." He was rambling and he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like a nervous teenager again.

"You stopped talking mid sentence. That is my favorite. Because I always try to get you to finish your thought and you never have a clue as to where you left off." he rubbed his hands slowly up and down Wendell's back, touching him everywhere that he could.

"I'm sorry I bit your throat," he said meekly. He knew he didn't have to apologize because Hunter had quickly proven his dominance, but the human side of him wanted to say he was sorry and get forgiveness for overstepping his bounds. "I just wanted to tell you it was okay to try rough again. I love it when you make me feel weak."

Hunter growled a little at that but he captured Wendell's mouth in rough kiss before Wen could get too timid about it. When he pulled back he nipped him again and just smield. "It's all right. Just don't do it again. That damn near made me wild."

"Wild in a bad way? Because it felt so good." His voice was soft, appeasing. Feeling Hunter almost lose it on top of him, nearly tear into him, made him feel so vulnerable and safe too.

"You really like playing with fire, don't you?" He laughed softly and he nuzzled his face against his throat. It was a good thing Hunter had as much control of himself as he did. If anything happened to Wendell because of him he never would have forgiven himself.

Perhaps Wendell's complete trust in Hunter could have ended up a bad thing. If his tempting and testing ever turned bad, he knew it would destroy the alpha. But Wendell just didn't see the man losing control ever, especially not with him. "I like feeling how powerful you are. It takes my breath away."

Hunter smiled and he kissed him, a quick peck, and then he turned them again so that he could pull Wendell on top of him. "Everything you do takes my breath away." he slid his hands down over Wendell's ass and then back up again to rest on the small of his back. "were you serious about wanting a litter?"

Oh right! That's what they'd been talking about. The mention of it made Wendell glow even more and he nodded as he sat up, straddling Hunter. He stared down at him. "Yes, I do. I want babies all over the place." They were rapidly approaching a zoo of children. But only two of them were really Hunter and Wendell's. "I think Julian and Jeremiah would be excellent big brothers, don't you?"

"I do. Do you think that we should talk to them about it before we settle on anything? Like maybe talk to Winnie, Tes and Lawson and then talk to the little boys once we know how many and who is on board?"

Wendell laid back down on Hunter's chest, curling up against him. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. We could always space them out as well. Did you know the liklihood of multiples with in vitro fertilization is much higher?"

"Really? I think I did read that somewhere." He kissed the top of Wendell's head and he brushed his had through Wen's hair. "How many babies would you like to have all together?"

He couldn't quite believe they were having this conversation. "I think three or four at a time would be suitable. But we could start out with one. There's nothing wrong with starting out slow." Though he was sure that he would want another as soon as the first was born.

"I feel like we should be resonsible and tell all the people staying at the main house so that they can be prepared for me being grumpy all the time." just becuase when Huntjer didn't get all the sleep he needed he could be a crab.

That made Wendell burst into laughter. "And if it's Tes we'll hide all of the knives." He continued to laugh at the thought of it until it died out and he exhaled a happy sigh. "Lawson thought there must be some way to combine our DNA somehow, like a ritual or a spell or something. I was worried to tamper with it. I'm not sure my DNA would be so fantastic anyway."

"I think we should just have a bundle of kids, all sorts of different combinations of my dna and yours." He kissed the side of his head and scratched his fingers down Wendell's back.

"And you won't favor your own strapping children?" He teased. Hunter was always fair and there was no real thrust to that joke in the least. He trusted the man to love them all equally. "What if they are girls?" With science, he supposed they could only implant the boys, but Wendell didn't want to interfere with the joy of surprise so much. He wanted it to happen as natural as possible.

"The babies will be wolves no matter what if Tes or Winnie have them, but if Lawson has a baby girl then we'll have a human daughter too. Do you think she'd feel left out? I don't want anyone to feel like they aren't as good as anyone else, you know?"

"I think I'd like a little human girl. We could name her Marigold." After Wendell's mother who he still dreamed would come back to him, but he was old enough to know that was unlikely. Shane's little girl was lovely and Wendell liked being around her. But he wondered if she felt left out. "Are you sure they would be werewolves? Our wolves are carried through the Y chromosome, the X wouldn't affect it. Though I suppose Arabella's blood affected yours."

"Yes, I mean, Winnie or Tes' blood would be a contributing factor in whether or not we had female werewolf babies." He wasn't sure though. "I mean, let's just see what happens. I like that name, it would be good. I'd like to name a baby after my father."

"We're really going to do this," Wendell said, confirming it mostly for himself. He couldn't hide the happiness in his voice. He just hoped everyone was as excited about it as he was.

"Yes, we are really going to do this." Hunter loved seeing the smile on Wendell's face and he reached up to brush his hair back behind his ear. "We are going to have beautiful children, I think."

"I don't think it's possible to think your own child isn't beautiful," he chuckled a little and slid to the side of Hunter's body, curling against him. "Do you have a preference for who we ask first? I think Lawson was so sweet to offer. And I think Emmerson would be pleased."

"Then let's ask Lawson first." he said with a smile. "And then we can ask the other girls. I think we'll have a little trouble getting Winnie and Tes on board. I know Tes will do it but she'll be grumpy first. But I think that Winnie might really say no."

"Do you think Winnie would prevent Tes from doing it or vice versa?" The women had formed a bond and he had to consider what something like that would do to their relationship.

"I don't think that they would try to convince each other not to do it. I think that they would respect one another's decisions on the matter. I think Tes would do it just because she knows what it would mean to us, but I am not sure about Winnie. Sometimes I dont' think she likes me very much."

"I'm sure she does. She's probably still just trying to accept what's happened to her." He couldn't imagine being brought into this life as a human. Wendell had had enough trouble accepting it even though he'd been born into it. He was always different from the others in his pack.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Hunter wasn't entirely sure though. He was about to tell Wendell that he wanted to ask Winnie last when he heard a little knock at the door. "Wendell?" The tiny voice came through the door and it sounded a little upset. Hunter was quick to get up and get their boxers off of the floor so Wen could put his back on.

Tugging his own back on, he got the pajama bottoms up too before he opened the door up. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" Whenever that voice sounded like that, Wendell's body clenched up. He could be set to worrying so easily.

Jeremiah was standing there, his hands wringing in the front of his spiderman pajamas. He was frowning as he looked up at Wendell. "I wet the bed." he said softly, and he sounded pretty upset about it.

That made Wendell sigh with relief. A nice, normal problem. "All right," he said, voice showing no judgment whatsoever. "We'll go and clean it up real quick, okay?" He stood up and plucked Jeremiah up into his arms, heading back toward the little boy's bedroom.

Jeremiah had been having a bad dream and he had woken up wet, which always made him feel bad. He had already pulled the sheets off of the bed and they were in a pile on the floor at the foot of the bed. Julian was still passed out, so he tried to be quiet as he leaned his head on Wendell's shoulder.

When he saw the sheets in a pile, Wendell thought it was probably the sweetest thing he'd ever seen. "You're so helpful to take them off. What happened? Did you have juice before you went to bed? Sometimes it's hard to hold it when you drink just before." But Wendell usually let them take a sippy cup to bed just because he knew the boys needed the calories.

"Hunter gave me some milk." He had asked for it and at first Hunter had said no but then Jeremiah had started pouting and Hunter had folded like a house of cards. He had been doing pretty good with the bed wetting problem but tonight had just been one of those nights.

Wendell kissed him on the top of the head and then set him down on the floor. He got out another pair of pajamas and then took Jeremiah's hand to lead him to the bathroom to get him cleaned up. There were some wet wipes in there and before Jeremiah changed into the fresh pajamas, he cleaned Miah off. "It was nice of you to help with the sheets."

Once he had on clean pajamas he gave Wendell a hug and just held onto him for a moment. "I'm sorry that I wet the bed." he hadn't meant to, and he knew he shouldn't have asked Hunter for milk but he'd wanted it. "Can I sleep in your room with you?"

It occurred to Wendell that if they had a ton of kids, he might not be having sex with Hunter for awhile. That was a sad thought. He nodded. "Of course you can," he gathered him up and headed back to Hunter and his room. He plopped Jeremiah in the bed next to Hunter. "I'm gonna go toss the sheets in the wash and I'll be right back, all right?"

"All right. Do you want me to throw the sheets in the wash? It's probably my fault... I gave him milk before he went to sleep." Hunter scooped Jeremiah up and kissed the side of his head before he laid him down up against the pillows.

Wendell was tempted, because the bed looked so nice. But how could he possibly disturb that little scene? "No, I've got it." He left and went to do the work. It was quick and when he returned, he crawled into bed. He'd been thinking about what Jeremiah would think about a baby.

Jeremiah was curled up, thumb in his mouth as he laid up against their pillows. Hunter had laid back and was reading one of the little storybooks that he kept in their room. When Wendell came back he smiled at him and patted the spot on the other side of Jeremiah. "we're reading Weekend with Wendell."

Settling down next to them, Wendell closed his eyes to listen to Hunter read about the mice. When it was over, he'd actually drifted to sleep before the other two and perhaps he would be embarrassed about that later, but for now he was down for the count.

To Lawson

2010-05-18T04:13:11Z

Wendell was painting the porch. The afternoon had been perfect for it and he'd set up little cones at the front door and a sign asking for people to go through the back door. No one really ever used the front door anyway, so the rerouted foot traffic hadn't been a lot.

Currently, he was finishing the tiny details of the railing, using a small brush to dab the fresh white paint into the crevices. He had smudges of white paint on his face and every time he wiped his brow, he got more paint on himself. But the job was nearly done and he'd enjoyed doing it.