Adoption

(Staind-Believe)

Stalking in tight circles, I ran around my tiny cramped cage, frantic and panting. Everything in me wanted out. Wanted the freedom I’d had for the past year, but no matter how many times I attacked the thick chain link door, I couldn’t break out. My jaws ached but the bleeding had stopped, making me think about possibly giving it another try. Except, when I began to open my mouth to get a good bite on the metal I heard my pup cry and instantly forgot what I was doing to run over to him. I slunk my body against the floor, curling around him protectively while at the same time offering him food. I’d had a total of four pups but being on my own on the streets had taken a serious toll on my body, especially because being pregnant had me stuck in my animal form. Three were stillborn when it was finally time to have them, three weeks earlier than I expected. The last one…

I nuzzled my nose lovingly against my last pup, licking his ear softly as he latched onto my only teet that was still able to give him any kind of nourishment. My family was adamant about their lineage, I was a purebred Australian Shepherd shifter, or well, cross shifter. The word tasted like vomit on my tongue but there was no denying it.

Their disgusting bloodline was tainted somewhere.

It made my newly-discovered cynical side smirk everytime I repeated that information in my head. Sometimes it was all that kept me going. Their disgusting pride was cracked by their bastard cross-shifter son. Dad had even accused mom of cheating on him but I knew that was impossible. While she was just as stern as dad was about kicking me out, she was also very stern about our genetics and had me tested as soon as I was born. There was no denying their mistake of a son.

“Hey there, girl.”

My head snapped up, teeth baring in defense over my baby. The man was the same officer that had picked me up after someone reported me living in the back alley behind a restaurant. The owner had actually been feeding me scraps, which is probably the only reason my pup was still alive. My aggression and defensiveness came from my instincts and the countless number of kids who had tormented me before I found that safe haven.

The man crouched down and I pinned my ears back, warning him to stay exactly where he was or risk getting bitten. I knew there was a barrier between us but I’d managed to get him through it last time since my jaw was pretty small. I thought he would watch me quietly for a few minutes like he did after he brought me in yesterday but someone suddenly walked up behind him and grabbed the paper clipped to my cage. He read it over while I kept my teeth bared, not wanting to let him think that he would get any special treatment if he came into my pathetically small territory.

After a long moment of reading he looked over at me, meeting my eyes and spurring a growl from my throat. He immediately changed his focus to the guard who was now straightening next to him.

“It’s unfortunate but I don’t think we can save the mother. The aggression is likely because of her puppy, but we can’t risk her attacking someone again.”

The man lowered his gaze as the officer glanced at his bandaged hand.

“Are you okay?” The new man asked. “Yeah, I’m fine. She just clipped me. I don’t blame her for it, just protecting her kid. It’s unfortunate that it happened so quickly and that she’s now stuck in quarantine though.”

The officer shook his hand and smiled sadly over at me.

“It is. It’s not even her fault. It’s whoever dumped her to live on the streets. I wish we could check for a chip to see who did it but she’s just too aggressive and stressing her out further would be bad for her puppy.”

The officer nodded and since neither seemed interested in coming inside at the moment I curled a little further around my puppy, trying to hide him in my matted fur. I was a bit annoyed that they were calling me a female but considering that my coat was clumped and dirty as all hell, I doubt they could see my male parts to realize exactly what I was…and there was no way in hell I would let them get close enough to check, either, because that meant they’d be close to my pup. I knew I should change and show them what I really am but after being a dog for so long, my body was too content to remain one. That, and I had to feed my puppy nearly constantly, so there was no energy left to put into getting my human self back.

The second man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then wrote a small note on the paper before clipping it back to my cage. The officer’s face fell and I stared at both of them in confusion.

“At least her puppy will be able to have what she never did.” The officer said before turning and walking away. The other man followed a moment later after giving me one last glance. 

-Richard-

“Ready to go, angel?” I asked as I opened the back door and helped her out of her car seat. She was super bouncy as she hopped to the ground and took my free hand while I used the other to shut the door and lock the car.

“Yes daddy!”

Giving her a loving smile I squeezed her little hand and then we carefully walked across the parking lot and into the building. The front room was packed with people of all sorts waiting to adopt or surrender cats or dogs. I’d honestly wanted to get a cat to make things easier on myself with the training but my daughter was set on a dog. When I saw a ticket dispenser I walked over and took one, then lead my daughter over to a chair where I sat and pulled her up onto my lap. I gave her my locked phone so she could push the buttons like she enjoyed doing when bored. That kept her busy for about fifteen minutes, when our number was finally called and we were walked back to the dog section after letting the staff member know we were interested in adopting one. 

The person, a young blond named Melissa, was adamant about several dogs that might be good for someone with a young child but each one was a little bigger or more hyper than I felt comfortable with. I glanced down at my daughter each time just to check her reaction, but she seemed to not be interested in any of the ones that were pointed out either. I was about to just thank the worker and ask to be lead back to the main room but when I looked down at my daughter to pick her up, she wasn’t there.

“J-Jessy?!”

I darted around the rows of cages in desperate need to find her when I saw her in a roped-off restricted area. There were warning signs all over the place telling me that it was a quarantine area for aggressive dogs, which only jerked my protectiveness up several notches. Ignoring the worker who was looking in the other direction, I ran for my daughter, jumping over the rope before making my way down the long row of cages. She thankfully had listened to me about putting her hands near the cages but when I stopped next to her, wincing at the amount of deafening barks I’d stirred up by running, I was surprised to see her sitting in front of a cage with a sad frown on her face. Her expression had me looking over to see what animal was in the cage and my heart just melted right then and there.

I placed a hand on Jessy’s shoulder and knelt down to speak so she could hear. “Do you like the little puppy? It’s really cute.”

“Excuse me, but you guys can’t be back here. This area is dangerous and off-limits.” The worker who’d been guiding us around said as she quickly walked over. Her eyes went to see what we were looking at and immediately frowned. 

“It’s a shame the mom is so aggressive.” 

She grabbed the paper from the cage as I stood up, interested in reading the notes on them. My chest hurt a little when I read that she was to be euthanized at the end of the day but she was visibly snarling at us for just standing near her cage so there was no way I could take a chance on her with my daughter. The puppy, however…

“Is the puppy up for adoption?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted a young puppy but it was the first dog my daughter seemed to connect with so it would be worth the extra effort if it made her happy. The worker pursed her lips and eyed the paperwork for another minute before motioning for me to follow her. I quickly scooped up my daughter, much to her upset protests, and followed after the woman back to the main room. Once there she leaned over the counter and showed the man behind the desk the paperwork and spoke to him for a minute before he looked over at us, then sighed and nodded.

A moment later he was stepping out from behind the desk and motioning for us to follow him after he took the dog’s paperwork from the woman. We went back into a different room and he grabbed a metal pole with a noose on the end. We went through another door and he called for two other workers to come with him, handing one his pole and telling one of them to get an extra. 

“We weren’t going to adopt it out so soon but since the mother isn’t going to be adoptable we might as well get the puppy some place better than here. Puppies often get sick at shelters just because of the atmosphere and stress.”

He pushed open a door and we were suddenly back out in the quarantine area, just at the far end, closer to where the cage was with the pup and mother. I kept my daughter in my arms as the man told us to stay back against the wall. I did as told, watching as him and two other workers went to get the mother and puppy out of the cage. The mother was heard immediately, snarling and barking as they began to get her noosed. Of course I couldn’t see since they were behind a row of cages near us, but I could tell they had her worked up.

About five minutes later two of the men came around the corner with the mother between them, both catch pole nooses taught around her neck to keep her from getting at either of them. They were visibly struggling with her but finally managed to get her into the room we’d just stepped out of. Instead of taking us through there again, when the last man, the one who had been behind the front desk, came around with the little puppy in one hand and papers in the other he motioned us towards the adoptable dogs. We go back to the main room though. He brought us into a side room, making me realize that it was the one after the main one but before the one the mother was in now.

The man walked over to a metal table and set the puppy down and began fishing out syringes and vials. He quickly got each one filled of different colored liquid and gave the puppy several shots. Once that was done he tossed the needles in one container while the rest of the syringe went in another, then he wrote on the piece of paper he’d gotten from the cage.

“I just gave him all the shots he needs at the moment. He’ll need to be seen by a vet as soon as possible because he does have worms, but not the ones that are hard to treat, so it shouldn’t take you long to rid him of them. Just make sure when your daughter plays with him that she washes her hands afterwards until the infection clears up.

Ew. Good to know but still, ew.

He was just opening his mouth to say something else as he handed the little puppy down to my daughter, who was eagerly reaching up for it when we heard the mother dog going crazy in the other room. The man finished handing my daughter the dog, trying to ignore what was obviously about to happen. My daughter, however, was turned towards the door, hugging the little puppy to her chest as she seemed to focus.

“Jessica?”

She didn’t look up at me for a few seconds, but when she did and spoke, I frowned and fidgeted.

“Daddy. He wants his baby back.”

He?

Kneeling down, I licked my lips and set a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

“That’s a mommy in there, hun. And unfortunately, her baby is safer with us.”

My daughter seemed upset but turned her attention back to the door for another moment before looking back at me.

“But he said is not fair. Is his puppy.”

I knew she was just pretending like she normally did with her dolls at home, but this really wasn’t the place, and that definitely wasn’t the dog to play with. There really wasn’t a nice way to put what I had to say though, and I honestly wished he hadn’t taken us to the room right next to the mother’s to do the shots and what not. It was probably the designated one, but it still sucked.

“I’m sorry, Jessy. It’s not fair but there’s nothing I can do. She’s too dangerous.”

She turned back towards the door as the dog’s frantic barks began to quiet. They had probably had to sedate her to finish what had to be done but it still hurt me to think about it. The man who was helping us finished writing on the paper and handed it over to me along with a dog tag that he explained needed to go on the puppy’s collar to say that it had had it’s rabies shot, and that we’d need to purchase a licence at the front desk when we paid for the dog. I nodded and took the paper and tag, then patted my daughter’s shoulder.

Again, she took a minute to look at me.

“Daddy. He said he is cress…”

She seemed confused, making my brow furrow as I tried to nudge her towards the door to the main room, but she was determined to finish her sentence. She even grabbed the leg of the table near her and set the puppy down, trying to focus on something. After a few mumbles to herself her eyes lit up and she took a step closer to me suddenly.

“Daddy he is crost shifder!”

My mind froze with the weight of her words but the man still standing at the table bolted, slamming the door open as he shouted for the workers to stop what they were doing immediately. There were several conversations going in the room at once, all three of the men having questions about different things, but after a minute they were carrying the dog out and locking it in a secure metal crate. Thankfully, I had been right about having sedated it instead of put it to sleep, because it came around rather quickly. It was still groggy and confused, not to mention aggressive, but it was alive.

Or should I say…he’s alive.

Forcing myself to my feet, I scooped-up my daughter in one arm and the puppy in the other. Two of the workers had run off, no doubt to spread the news around, leaving us with the same man who’d filled out the puppy’s paperwork and done its shots.

Shaking my head, I carefully sat down about a foot away from the cage and let the puppy down. It ran over to its caged mother and began crying right away. The mother, or father? I wasn’t sure how that really worked, but either way, they were near the locked door in a heartbeat, pawing at their baby and trying to lick it as much as possible while not falling over from the drug it’d been given.

Feeling movement in my lap, I looked down at my daughter as she looked up at me with a small smile.

“He says thank you.”

I smiled at her and ruffled her pretty blond hair before looking at the dog and his puppy.

“You’re welcome, but you should really be thanking my daughter.”

Jessy giggled and stuck her tongue out at me.

“He say thank you for me, not daddy.”

That had me chuckling. Of course. I hadn’t done anything really, it had all been my amazing daughter. I was just about to agree with her, that she deserved all the credit, when the door to the main room opened and a tall woman in a vet’s coat walked in and right up to the crated dog. None of us needed to guess what would happen as the dog lunged for her, but obviously couldn’t get close enough to do any damage.

“Why didn’y you change? Do you know how much trouble you were in?” She said to him, but all he did was keep his teeth bared and continue growling. The woman shook her head, confusion laced into her annoyed expression before she looked down at my daughter and I.

“These circumstances are quite odd but I must thank your daughter for helping us. I didn’t think a bond could be formed between two shapeshifters unless they were close, but it isn’t unheard of. It probably just saved his life, but…”

She stared back at him, kneeling down to eye the puppy, too.

“He’s definitely been on his own for a very long time if this is how he reacts once things have calmed down.”

She looked over at my daughter again and smiled softly.

“Can you ask him his name, hun?”

My daughter grinned and nodded before turning to the dog. She seemed to focus for a minute before looking back at her.

“He says he named Sam No Lass Name.”

She giggled, thinking it was a funny name, but I found it sad that he didn’t have a family to give him their last name. He probably had one once… Or maybe he didn’t want the one he had.

“Thank you.”

There was quiet for another few moments before she looked from my daughter to me.

“You were interested in adopting the puppy?” She asked, making me blanch.

“N-Not anymore. I would never take his baby from him.”

The dog had growled in between her question and my answer, but immediately quieted down after I spoke. The woman smiled and nodded, standing before dusting her coat off a bit.

“Would you be interested in taking them both? I know it’s a lot to ask, but your daughter is the only one he’s able to talk to and he can’t shift for some reason either. I can have my group set up a kennel outside that’s secure and safe until he manages to calm down. We could also provide medical care and food if needed.”

I was silent for a long time, not really sure what to say. I had come today to get a dog that was easy to handle and nice enough for my daughter. I didn’t want to take home an insanely aggressive cross-shifter, even if it came with an adorable puppy my daughter loved.

“It’s okay if you can’t. In that case we’ll have to keep him here with his puppy until he’s manageable or a rescue opens up who can help rehabilitate him.”

That was definitely a better idea but as I looked down at my daughter to tell her that’s what was going to happen, I saw her scoot out of my lap and over to the cage. The cross-shifter, Sam, raised his hackles at her approach, making me reach forward to pull her back, but then she stopped on her own and instead picked up the little puppy. That had Sam baring his teeth, unhappy about someone touching his child, but when she lifted the little puppy close to the bars Sam immediately calmed, closing his mouth and relaxing his body a slight amount.

This isn’t going to work. I barely have time in my day for my job and daughter, and now I’m considering adding a crazy mother dog and his puppy? That will turn into a real baby anytime now, on top of that.

Rubbing a hand over my aching forehead, I took one more look at the two dogs and my smiling daughter and hung my head.

“I guess I just adopted two new family members.”

Everything Takes Time

-Sam-

I didn’t want to go with him. I could smell a predator in his scent, though I couldn’t put my paw on what exactly he was. Either way, I wasn’t going to let him near my pup. Not a chance in hell. In fact, as soon as they got another one of those darn wire leashes around my neck I snapped my puppy up with a warning growl for anyone who thought to try and take him back. No one bothered with him though, and they also gave us a wide berth, letting me walk on my own as long as I didn’t pull on the noose-like leash.

“We’ll load him up now and get the paperwork sent to you. Normally we have to get everything done here, but he’s not a dog, so we have to make some calls to see how the situation is going to be handled. I’m fairly certain that, considering his temperament, he won’t be able to go into an orphanage or normal foster home if he’s under eighteen, so for now we’ll see how he does with you and your daughter.”

I glanced up at the man as he walked a few feet ahead next to the woman talking. His daughter was walking beside me, making me a little apprehensive, but she didn’t try to touch my pup so I didn’t bother with her. The two in front of us continued talking until we were out in the parking lot. 

Ah. Fresh air.

It felt amazing to get out of that stuffy building that smelled of feces and desperation. A few raindrops began to fall as an animal control officer got the back of the truck they used to transport animals open, then opened up one of the bigger cages. I hopped in right away, knowing that I would be shoved in if I didn’t, and that was a risk to my pup I wasn’t going to take. There was a big difference between being stubborn and stupid.

They had put a towel down in the cage so I was at least grateful for the kindness and quickly got myself and my pup situated on it. The door was closed by the officer after I was comfortable and then he carefully shut the back doors so that they didn’t slam. Again, appreciated. Pretty soon we were on the road. It wasn’t quite to any kind of freedom, but even being transferred to another cage outside would be better than the shelter, so I wasn’t worried.

-Richard-

“I’m very proud of you, Jess.” I said as I got us headed towards home. The shelter workers had gotten Sam and his puppy loaded up in one of their special vans and also had a constructable-kennel put in the storage part of it.

“Thanks, daddy. And thank you for doggy!”

Grinning, I held back a quiet laugh and just decided to nod. “You’re welcome.” She wouldn’t understand if I told her that he was a shapeshifter right away, so it was best to just wait for him to change and show her himself. I wasn’t sure when that would happen since he seemed to have trouble with it, but hopefully it will happen soon. I really wanted to get some information from him but going through my daughter wouldn’t work very well. 

“Daddy, can I name the puppy? Pleaseee?”

Uh oh. What was I supposed to say to that? It wasn’t technically my puppy to let her name. It was Sam’s. Ah, that’s it. Turning my blinker on to take a right turn, I spared a glance in the rear-view mirror at her. “You’ll have to ask Sam about that. Remember, it’s his baby and a name is very important to a parent.”

My words had me remembering when we had named Jess. My wife and I. That was definitely a memory I cherished and I wouldn’t take that from Sam. Even if the guy was being an ass. He had a right to be upset, though I didn’t know any of his story yet. I had hope that we would eventually be able to get him back to himself.

Smiling to myself, I pulled my car into the driveway of my home and hopped out as my daughter did so in the back. The shelter staff were already in the backyard working, since their vehicle was here and the fence was open. We headed back there and I was surprised to see the kennel already partially set up. It wasn’t huge, but it was big enough. I walked over to help hold certain pieces and do whatever was needed. That got the thing built much faster, and right as we finished two others came in from the gate entrance carrying a small doghouse. 

They must have driven separately because of the space.

When they set that up inside the kennel I felt a bit bad for Sam. It definitely wasn’t a home. It looks more like a prison cell. It was basically twice the size of the cage he’d had at the shelter…but at least it would hopefully be more comfortable. My daughter was heading over to the gate, following the workers. Figuring they were going to get Sam and his puppy, I jogged after them.

By the time I stopped a few feet from the truck they already had him out. Sam didn’t fight the catch pole, which was likely because of his puppy between his teeth.

Good mom.

I walked with him, at a safe distance, of course. “What would you like for dinner? We have hamburger, chicken, and fish at the moment.” He was also going to get some vegetables, but I figured he was much more interested in getting some good protein. My daughter spoke up after a moment, smiling up at me. “He want all. His puppy need try food.”

“Ah, that makes sense. He should ween so that you can get your strength back. Okay, I’ll make you a bunch of stuff and some extra blended for your boy.”

The workers spread a big blanket in the doghouse before putting him inside the kennel and removing the catch poll noose and locking the door. with a simple clip. It was a precaution in case he shifted. That way he’d be able to get himself out, I bet.

“Alright. We’re all finished. Please keep up us to date on his progress and if you need anything, just call.” The woman said who had decided on this whole situation. I nodded as she took out a check book and wrote out an amount, then handed it to me.

“That should cover whatever he eats for the month and some supplements that they both likely need. If there’s anything, again, just let us know.” She paused for a moment so I opened my mouth to speak, but was interrupted. “And thank you, so much for doing this. I know we kind of backed you into a corner, but it’s really appreciated since his puppy is so young and it’s dangerous for him at the shelter.” 

Nodding, I gave her a small smile and offered my hand in a shake. “No problem. I’m sure he’ll come around, and who knows, he might just want to stay.”

There was a barked scoff from the cage that made both of us chuckle. “Or maybe not. Either way, I’m glad to do it. Thank you for the kennel and dog house for him and I’ll keep you updated.” 

She thanked me one more time before turning and heading back to the front with her workers. I looked over at Sam, then remembered my girl’s question and walked over, then squatted down.

“So…uh. My daughter wanted to name your boy, but I know that would be rude. So I wanted to ask if you had a name in mind for him so he can get used to hearing it?”

I could tell that he was thinking and when my daughter skipped over to squat next to me it was obvious that they were talking through their odd link. When she finally turned to me with a huge smile I knew Sam had to have decided.

“He want call him Coda.”

The name was cute. Looking over at the pup, who was cautiously exploring a few feet from its mother, definitely seemed like a Coda with his half-floppy ears perked slightly in curiosity.

“Sounds great. Coda it is.”

Jess jumped up and cheered, making me glance back at Sam. He rolled his eyes but then just turned and stalked over Coda’s shoulder, alert to any dangers that might befall his baby…even though the kennel was completely secure. Even the top was sealed in case a bird of prey tried to get in for the pup. Since he was obviously not interested in talking any longer, I pushed myself back up. 

“I’m going to go inside and get dinner started. I’ll bring it out for you when yours is ready. Jess? Can you grab a bowl from inside then come back out from the pool area and fill it with the hose, then set it inside for him?” 

My daughter nodded excessively and rushed to the front of the house, making me chuckle and run to catch up so I could unlock the door. I got dinner in the oven as fast as possible, adding minimal spices as to not upset the puppy’s stomach. Once that was cooking, I dug through our closet of spare linens and found another two big blankets. Since Jess was still outside, likely watching the dogs, I stepped out the door she left open and brought the blankets over. He was in his dog house, curled up around Coda. It is getting a little chilly out. 

“Can I bring the blankets in?” I asked him, watching his body language before my daughter answered. “Yes.” As soon as she spoke Sam got up and carried his boy to the far end of the small kennel and I carefully got myself inside with the blankets in my arms, then latched the kennel shut again before going to spread them inside the dog house. I noticed the water bowl near the door and grabbed that too, setting it inside in the corner so that they didn’t need to go out of their shelter to get a drink. 

“There we go.” 

I got myself out quickly, knowing that he didn’t like me just yet. As soon as I had it latched again he was in the dog house, getting Coda comfortable before he settled down himself. 

“Dinner will be ready in a bit.” I said before heading back inside. Jess stayed outside, which was fine as long as she didn’t bother Sam. I had a feeling he’d let me know somehow if she was, so I just concentrated on preparing our meals. For my daughter I just made a simple plate of chicken and a few green beans, since she was pretty picky. After setting it on the table I called her inside, then took a big plate and small bowl out to Sam.

I had to carefully balance the food to get inside and then secure the door again, but once done I carefully made my way closer. He wasn’t growling, so I took it as an ‘okay’ to keep going. Eventually I got close enough to set it down right at the entrance to his dog house.

“There is blended chicken on one side of the bowl and hamburger on the other. Both are mixed with a little bit of green beans and should only be luke warm since I put it in the freezer for a minute.”

He nodded and I smiled. Honestly, I wanted to give his head a pat or at least tickle his puppy’s belly, but I knew that was out of bounds for now. So, I just turned and headed out, leaving them to their meal. It was pretty satisfying to look back after having closed the sliding glass doors to see Sam nudging his puppy’s attention to the little bowl. Coda was obviously confused and kept trying to turn and nurse on his mother, but Sam was persistent but gentle.

We’ll get you back. Whatever happened, it can be overcome.

The thoughts were true. My daughter and I were proof of that. It takes a long time for the wounds to heal from any kind of traumatic experience…but it’s possible. You just wear those scars as a reminder to never go down that road again.

My heart suddenly hurt with need but I bit my tongue hard enough to taste blood. I would not think about that. She was ireplacable, and to do that to Jess was absolutely out of the question.

I can raise her on my own. I will raise her.

Looking over at the table, I noticed her watching me, frowning.

Dammit. She’d caught me again.

I put on a fake smile and quickly grabbed my dinner from the counter and brought it over to the table before sitting down. It was already cold, but I didn’t feel like eating it anyways.

“Daddy? Can we watch Spirit?”

It had been her favorite movie to watch together…and now the title held a greater meaning for both of us. It was our go to whenever we were feeling down.

“Sure. I’ll get the ice cream, you get the DVD in the player and turn on the TV?”

She nodded and darted off as I got up and cleared the table, putting away the food neither of us had eaten. When I returned with the ice cream a few minutes later Jess was staring out the window at the now-dark backyard. I knew she wanted Sam and Coda to join us but he wasn’t ready yet.

“I’m sure he’ll be in here for the next showing. We need to love on him really well though for him to feel safe here, okay?” She smiled and nodded before crawling into my lap as I got the movie started with the controller. I really did hope that he’d be able to eventually be in here with us, even if he never changes back to his human form. He deserves a loving home just as much as anyone else. 

The idea of actually keeping both of them permanently made me give my daughter a gentle hug. 

I could hug him with these arms. Tell him everything will be okay from now on.

If I did.

Would he stay?

It Could Be a Home

-Richard-

Waking up to darkness was a bit surprising…until I realized we’d been watching Spirit and I had obviously fallen asleep. My lap was empty, but that was expected. Jess always left me on the sofa if I fell asleep, since I hardly got much these days. Stretching out, I yawned quietly and got myself up, intent on going upstairs to actually get in bed. Well, that had been the plan until I heard a worried, drawn-out howl come from outside.

Sam?

I knew we had coyotes in the area but with my fence, there was no chance they would be so close. Walking over to the front door, I grabbed one of my winter coats hanging there and tugged it on, then headed out the back door. Immediately I got a smack in the face from the cold, whisking away any former thoughts of sleep. It had to be close to twenty degrees outside.

“Sam?” I shouted, unable to see him clearly through the gusting snow since the only light I had to use was from the television we’d left on after the movie had ended. By the time I got to the kennel he was in the entryway to the doghouse, his fur whipping about as the wind battered him. My eyes met his for a brief moment as I silently asked if I was allowed inside. When he took a step back I figured that was as good a yes as any, so I quickly undid the gate clasp and slid inside.

The snow had risen about half a foot and the storm showed no signs of letting up overnight. Perhaps that’s what he was calling me about? It is almost up to the entrance to the dog house.

It took me a moment to get closer, but when I did Sam actually hopped out of the doghouse and nodded towards it. I noticed he didn’t have his baby between his teeth, so I quickly hunched over and peered inside.

“Of course. Best. Timing. Ever.”

Sighing, I sat back on my heels in the snow and looked over at a very wary Sam. I didn’t blame him. I know I smelled like a predator, and hell, if this was the wild he’d be my dinner any day, but that’s not how we were.

“I’m going to take him inside and get him warmed up, okay? You can come, but you need to keep quiet because my daughter is sleeping.”

His eyes darted from my home to the doghouse several times before he shifted his weight in the snow and gave a worried bark. Taking that as an okay , I carefully got the little baby boy tucked inside my coat and inside the house. Sam was literally glued to my heels as I stepped inside and got the door closed. I knew he wanted me to sit his kid down now that he was safe in a warmer place but I wasn’t going to wake up to urine and feces on the floor.

“i’m going to get him into a diaper and some warm clothes, then you can do what you’d like.”

Sam seemed to scoff at that and jumped to try and grab Coda, but I was easily able to keep the kid just out of reach as I walked to my room and began digging through my closet one-handed.

“If you grab him too hard you’ll make him bleed. He doesn’t have a scruff or fur in human form.”

Sam paused at that, though when I glanced sideways at him he still seemed frazzled. Going back to what I was doing, I grabbed a diaper and small onesie outfit from my daughter’s old things and sat down on the floor.

“These are all left over from my daughter, so they might be a bit big on him but it’s good enough for now.”

As I got the diaper on Coda I didn’t bother telling Sam that they had been saved for my wife’s second baby…that never ended up being born. Shaking that thought from my mind, I carefully added the soft, dark green pajama over Coda’s diaper. It was definitely big but it wasn’t going to fall off. “There we go. Much better.”

With a small smile I sat Coda up so that his mother could lick his face. The boy was definitely a cute one, which made me think about how his mother looks. Coda had messy black hair with splashes of brown here and there. His eyes were a light brown and his mouth seemed to be in an automatic pout.

“I gotta say, you made a cute kid.”

Sam ignored my comment, which was expected. So, I just shrugged and pushed myself back to my feet and got down a few heavy blankets from the closet. After about five minutes I had a big, super soft dog bed made up for them on the floor.

“Sam?”

He looked up, eyes widening slightly as he noticed the bed. I carefully reached over and took Coda, watching Sam’s facial expression. He bared his teeth but as I set Coda down on the blankets his body relaxed again and he crawled in to wrap himself around the boy. When he was finally settled in I got myself back up and grabbed the last blanket, a lighter one, down from the closet.

“Do you want this one over you guys?”

Sam tilted his head in thought, then tapped his baby with a paw.

“Around him then?” I ask, getting a nod right away in response.

“Gotcha.” I said as I wrapped the blanket snugly around the baby. Without honestly realizing I was doing it, I leaned forward once he was nice and tucked-in, and was about to press a kiss to his forehead. Sam was there in an instant, of course, his teeth snapping right in front of my nose. I stumbled backwards, landing on my butt as my arms kept me from falling over completely.

Dammit. That was stupid.

“Sorry… Old habit.” I mutter before getting myself up and walking around the bed to get in on my side after shedding my heavy coat. Normally I told  her good night before bed, but with Sam in the room, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to speak the words… although. He deserved a good rest as well. 

“Good night.” 

I surprisingly got a response a few minutes later as I was drifting off. It was a growl, of course, but it still made the corners of my lips tilt up the slightest amount. 

-Sam-

Waking up without a bundle of warmth pressed against my side was not good. Definitely not good. I jumped to my feet, eyes wide as they scanned the disturbed blankets around me.

Coda!

My ears picked up sounds from the other room so I darted in there. My nose smelled several  several different foods but mixed in with their scents was Coda’s. The moment I stepped into the kitchen I felt my whole body sag to the floor with relief. A quiet whimper also sounded accidentally, making Richard turn around from where he stood near the stove and smile down at me.

“Breakfast will be ready in a minute. And sorry I took Coda, he was crying and needed changed, then wouldn’t settle down so I brought him in here.”

I grunted in response as I watched my boy playing with a wooden spoon, hitting a pan to make noise. He dropped the spoon several times but he still seemed to be having fun with the simple toys.

“Here you go, Sam.”

A plate of food suddenly appeared in front of my nose, making me jump slightly. Richard chuckled and I rolled my eyes, settling down again so that I could see what he’d made.

Eggs, bacon, sausage, a pancake, and two pieces of toast.

Damn, I hadn’t had anything like this in forever. My stomach rumbled in agreement, eager for the nutrition that came along with the calorie-dense breakfast. I began to eat slowly, watching as Richard blended something in a blender, then added it to a little bowl and sat down next to Coda. My instincts wanted me over there, baring my teeth in warning, but Richard wasn’t showing any kind of aggression. In fact, he had a little pink spoon that had likely been another thing he had saved from raising his daughter, and was digging it into the little bowl of food.

“Coda? Hungry?”

My son glanced up at him, eyeing the spoon with interest. I doubted he would eat though, since last night it took me a good hour just to get him to take a few bites before giving up and letting him nurse. Richard let him grab the spoon, which had Coda squealing in delight as he smacked it against the pot and got food on the floor.

That’s not nice, Coda. I tell him, but of course he doesn’t understand. He does know what yes and no are, and a few other things, but he’s definitely no where near sentences. He gets a stern look when he turns to glance at me, but then Richard takes his attention back with a new spoon of food and a smile. At first Coda wasn’t very interested, especially since I’d just chastised him for wasting the food, but then Richard laid down on the floor and actually ate the small spoonful of food. Judging from the look on his face, it didn’t taste all that great, but then again, it was a bunch of stuff blended together so I wasn’t surprised.

“Mmmm,” he cooed to Coda, who was now much more attentive. When Richard went to take another bite Coda pouted, reaching for the spoon. “Hm? Want some? Are you old enough to eat big boy food?”

Coda had no idea what he was talking about but he still gurgled in response and took the spoon when it was offered. This time it thankfully went towards his mouth, but a good portion of the mush missed its target and dribbled down his chin and onto his clothing. I thought Richard might get upset and got up, ready to defend my baby, but when the man just began chuckling as he got more food on the now-empty spoon, I found myself sitting down.

I knew he must have had acquired patience from raising his daughter but I was truly surprised by how well he handled my unruly puppy. Granted, he was in his human form right now, but that just made him even more messy. By the time the bowl was empty and half of it was in Coda’s belly, Richard’s daughter was awake and sauntering into the kitchen rubbing at one eye sleepily.

“Morning sweetheart. Here’s breakfast. Go sit at the table,” Richard said as he got up and grabbed a plate, then leaned over and handed it to her with a glass of chocolate milk. She gave a quiet “Thank you daddy,” in response before disappearing back around the corner to eat. Speaking of eating… I glanced down at my own cold food, having completely forgotten about it as I watched Coda. Since he was back to banging at the pot with the wooden spoon, I quickly inhaled my breakfast. Even cold, it tasted like heaven.

“Watch out, Sam.”

Hearing Richard so close rose a few of my hackles as I looked up at him, licking my lips in the process. I was on guard for obvious reasons, but when he just swapped out my now-clean plate with a new full one, I couldn’t really think. I looked down at it, then back up at him, repeating the action several times.

“It was mine but you need it much more. I’ve got other things I can eat, so fill yourself up.”

He gave my head a quick pat, likely having forgotten that I didn’t want to be touched… but I felt myself leaning into his palm, even as it retreated and he got up to go fix himself something else to eat. I felt bad, but I wasn’t dumb enough to decline the food. He was right, I did need it. So I ate as I watched him nibble at a protein bar and sip some orange juice. 

After he finished his meager meal he filled up a small bowl of water for me, which I drank in one go. He then helped Coda drink a little from a sippie cup.

“I’m going to leave a small bowl of water down, just in case he happens to fall in it.”

I would be watching him like a hawk, but it was still appreciated that there wouldn’t be any risk in leaving water out. He told me that he was going to head to the store with his daughter and get some things for us. I just nodded and went over to lay down near my son. I still remembered how to use a toilet so he won’t have to worry about me going on the floor… though it will probably be interesting to try and aim as a dog.

When they were both finally gone I relaxed and ended up playing with Coda. He kept handing me the spoon and tugging on my ears, his seemingly-new toys. He finally tired himself out about an hour later and ended up cuddling against me on the floor. He slept for another hour or so, then woke up to get closer and wrap his little arms partially around my neck. His fingers grasped my fur and his face snuggled against my own. The hug was short lived, but it had been badly needed.

I love you, Coda.

He giggled into my thoughts like he normally did when I told him that, then settled in against me for another nap. I had no intention of falling asleep, but I was out in minutes, actually comfortable somewhere I never thought I would feel safe in again.

Trust is Not Given

Richard-

After being out all day, I was a little surprised to see the house the way I left it. Hobbling to the kitchen with my arms full, I soon found out why nothing had been messed with. Sam lay on the kitchen floor, sprawled out on his belly, snoring up a storm. It was pretty cute, until I realized Coda wasn’t with him.

Oh crap. Mega crap.

Setting the bags down as quietly as possible, I ran outside and helped Jess finish unloading the car while telling her to keep quiet when she got inside. She listened without further explanation and we headed back into the house once I locked up the car. Instead of putting any of the stuff we got away, I motioned for her to follow me and look for Coda. There was no way the kid could have gotten out so he must have just wandered off.

Has to be in the house.

Just as I was thinking that and turning into the hallway I heard a fumbling thump come from my bedroom. I remember leaving the door cracked open. Turning, I strode towards the door, pausing when a tiny nose poked out from the darkness within and sniffed.

“There you are, you mischievous little pup.” 

His head popped into view, curiosity warring with hesitation in his eyes. I gave him a small smile and squatted down, offering my hand for a quick sniff.

“Your momma’s gonna be upset if you’re not there when he wakes up. I bet you’re hungry though, right? Is that why you went off on your own? To find some yummy stuff?” 

He seemed to be deliberating that, though I knew he had no idea what I was saying. After a few moments he gave me a determined squeaky bark.

“Oh, I see. So this puppy is brave enough to stand up to a big scary bear?”

His left ear ticked, then he padded a few steps closer, bum wiggling since his tail was covered by the diaper. It looked funny, and judging from the smell, he was definitely going to be needing a bath soon.

I thank god everyday that I’m a bear and we have tiny tails.

I would have probably gone crazy if I had to have given my daughter a bath everytime she pooped in her diaper as a bear cub. I wonder if they have diapers for dogs. Probably.

Coda took another few steps closer and bopped my knee with a paw before darting back into my room. Instead of following after him, I pushed myself up and went to the kitchen. I really wanted to pet Sam and get him up, but my instincts were telling me that was a bad idea and would likely end up with me being bitten. Shame. I’m sure he would love a good pet, at least once he’s able to relax a little more. Until then though…

“Sammy? Hey.”

His whiskers twitched, along with one back leg, but besides those two movements, nothing.

“Sam. Wake up, buddy. I’ve gotta wash your little poopy puppy.”

That had his ears slowly lifting, followed by his head. His eyes were still closed, but I could tell that he was trying to wake up.

“If you’d like, you can go back to sleep. I just wanted to ask permission to give your boy a bath. He made a mess of himself with that diaper on after changing back to his dog form.”

That information took a minute to process as he got to his feet and gave a good shake. A few pieces of fur swished into the air, but I ignored them since I would be sweeping later anyways. Figuring he’d want to know where his boy went, I lead him to my room. Coda came barreling out to jump at his mom… and the scent in his diaper quickly followed. Sam’s face scrunched up in distaste, likely having caught the terrible smell as well.

“I’ll wash him and you can watch, okay?”

Sam looked up at me, licking his lips nervously. I gave him a reassuring smile as my daughter came over to pat the puppy’s head. “I finished put away things daddy.”

“Thank you, Jess.” I said, then waited as silence overtook the hall. I had a feeling they were talking amongst each other, and my assumption was proven right when she scooped the puppy up and began toting it towards the bathroom.

“Daddy! Sam say wash Coda.” She called as she nudged open the door and walked over to deposit the puppy in the tub. I glanced down at Sam, but he was already following after her, so I just did the same. As I got the water started I had my daughter run to the kitchen and fetch a garbage bag and spare diaper so that by the time I had Coda’s dirty diaper off, I had somewhere to put it that could be mostly sealed. It was a good idea. The puppy had some serious skill when it came to stinking up a diaper. 

“Tie it and toss it in the trash for me please, Jess.”

She nodded, her nose wrinkled in as she ran out of the room. The pup still had a good amount of feces caked into its fur so I didn’t wait to begin washing it with the connector piece I had for the showerhead. It was a pull-down hose with a gentle sprayer on the end. Perfect for washing squirming children in their animal forms. Coda was definitely no exception. He evidently disliked the idea of a bath and struggled to get free every chance he got. After nearly fifteen minutes I’d managed to get about half of him clean, but Sam seemed to run out of patience because soon he was in the tub, holding his pup by the scruff.

I thought he would want to take him out of the room and just clean him himself, but when he jerked his head slightly, I realized he was just holding the troublesome puppy so that I could finish washing it without wasting more time.

“Thanks, I’ll make it quick.” I said as I did just that. Since he couldn’t go anywhere, it only took another five minutes to scrub Coda clean, then rinse him off. When I was all done Jess was there to hug him in a big soft towel, finally letting me take a rest. I folded my arms over the edge of the tub and lay my forehead atop them. I thought washing my daughter when she was a cub was hard, but Coda was seriously way worse.

I still need to be sure Jess got everything put away and then start dinner since we were out for so long.

The idea of more work would normally make me frustrated, but for some reason I didn’t mind taking care of my new family members. I was just getting up to turn off the water when I felt a fuzzy muzzle nudge the hand I was using to hold the showerhead piece.

“Hm?”

Looking up slightly, I watched with wide eyes as Sam glanced around nervously, then nudged my hand.

“You…want a bath, Sam?”

He did look like he hadn’t had one in months since his fur was incredibly matted and coated in mud and dirt. I guess it made sense that he’d want to get clean, but trusting me to touch him was a pretty big step. When he yipped quietly I figured that he was saying yes, and very carefully began running the water over his coat. Dirty had evidently been an understatement though. It was absolutely filthy! Dirt poured down the drain in streams and I knew right away that it would be clogging.

Oh well. I have stuff to fix it under the sink anyways.

Once I got his coat thoroughly soaked I realized that this was going to take more than just a shampooing or conditioning. “Hang on a second,” I said as I got up and grabbed a brush I often used on Jess when she was being difficult and needed a bath. She’d always stay in her bear form and try to make a fuss. I didn’t blame her though, we both had our bad days.

Not wanting to dwell on the past, I shook the memories from my head and knelt back down. After working a good half bottle of shampoo into his fur I washed it, then used the same amount of conditioner. It helped, a little.

He was extremely tolerant as I worked my way through piece after piece of his fur. When about ten minutes had past I grabbed a small pair of scissors and began cutting what was impossible to brush through. It would leave him with a slightly odd hair cut, especially if he turned into his human form anytime soon, but oh well. He would be far more comfortable at least. That became very clear as I worked my way around his thin body. 

Beneath all the fluffy fur I could easily feel his ribs and hip bones, making my stomach churn in discomfort. Of course I knew he would be skinny after likely living on the streets, but his previously matted fur had hidden it really well. “You’re eating double again tonight,” I mumbled as I worked out the last mat on his right side. He just grunted in response, making me doubt that he had a problem with my declaration. He turned once I was finally done with that side and gave me the rest to work on. It took a lot of effort to keep myself going steadily but each time I got out a particularly large mat Sam would sigh in relief and twice he even tilted his head back and licked my hand. It wasn’t a huge gesture for most, but I knew it took a lot for Sam to do it, and I appreciated it.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the bath. Your fur is really nice once it’s clean. I’m glad I’m not having to cut much of it.” I said as I continued working. The last few pieces came out after I added some extra conditioner and then I rinsed him really well to be sure no soap was left behind.

“There. I think you’re finally good, and quite honestly, gorgeous.”

I meant it. He really was a beautiful dog. How anyone could have abandoned him was beyond my comprehension. Not wanting to dwell on that negative point, I got down a big towel I left on top of the toilet and opened it for him. He hopped out of the tub and nuzzled into it, resting his chin on my shoulder as I did my best to dry his soft fur. It was going well and I nearly had all of him down to a manageable damp, when two sets of thumping paws brought our attention to the door. My daughter ran past in the living room, quickly followed by Coda, tail wagging. I thought them playing together was great…Sam, not so much. 

He was out of the bathroom in a blur, snarling loudly with worry and upset. I didn’t want to stress him further but he was stressing me plenty as he darted after my daughter, teeth bared and hackles raised! Without much of a choice, I got myself up and ran into the other room, cutting in front of Sam as he leaped from the sofa, catching him in mid-air with a giant black paw. I easily pinned him to the floor, roaring loud enough to send vibrations through the house.

He froze. Which was to be expected and wanted.

What wasn’t expected, though curiosity did indeed want it to happen, was him suddenly shifting beneath my sharp claws as my bear loomed over his now-naked, shivering body.

The Joys (Messes) of Children

(Sorry, unedited. Gotta crash early.) 

Wow.

He was shockingly gorgeous for a boy. Correcting myself immediately, I gave my head a slight shake and reminded myself that he had to be at least in his late teens or possibly early twenties judging from the scent my bear was picking up. I felt myself leaning closer to get a better smell, nostrils flaring as they took in another strong scent that mingled with his musky male one.

So good…

I couldn’t really place the scent, but if I had to choose, it would be something close to a rich bouquet of flowers. Just like how my wife had smell— The thought stopped me cold. I backed off, watching without really seeing as Sam stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall even as he continued to push up against it.

Our eyes met. His were stressed. Wide. Bloodshot. I thought he might begin to hyperventilate but when his puppy ran around me and bounded into his lap, he immediately snatched it in an awkward hug, without using his hands, then began cleaning the top of its head meticulously. It would have been adorable, if I didn’t already know that he was severely stressing out and over-grooming his kid was bound to happen if he didn’t calm down soon. So, I carefully crouched down, looking away as I began to back my overly-fuzzy bum towards the sofa. It had been so long since I’d been in my bear form that I wasn’t used to maneuvering in my cramped living room and managed to bump into the coffee table and nearly topple over a stand-up lamp, but I finally managed to get to where I wanted and plop down with a frustrated huff.

Tension still ran high but as both of us acknowledged safe boundaries our kids began to get restless again. Coda, specifically, bounded out of his dad’s arms to Sam’s displeasure, and ran over to try and tackle my daughter. Jess was still in her animal form just like him, but she was far too big and had too much fuzzy padding to even flinch from the hit. Well, she was a good sport either way though, and flopped over onto her back so that Coda could tug at her paws and ears. I kept Sam in my peripheral vision each time Jess had to give Coda a quiet grumble to correct a too-hard nip or scratch, but as the two played, Sam managed to slowly relax.

When his shoulders finally sagged in relief I wanted to wrap him in my arms just like I did with Jess so many times before and tell him it was all okay and that there was nothing to worry about. But of course, I couldn’t do that. Not now, and definitely not with Sam. He was hard-wired to not trust people, and I didn’t blame him one bit for that. I was curious though, about what had happened to him and how he ended up on the streets in the first place.

 Unfortunately, being a bear wasn’t going to allow me to get any of the answers I wanted, let alone do anything besides saunter about trying not to step on the playing pups. I really wanted to get dinner started and set up the playpen I’d gotten for Coda, but my claws would likely shred the material before I even got it out of the box.

Bear problems.

It was why I hardly ever changed, among other reasons. Grumbling, I shook out my overly-thick coat and got up, slowly, ever-so-slowly, making my way into the kitchen. I saw Sam tense up, but when I didn’t make eye contact with the kids, he calmed down. Once in the kitchen I had to figure out exactly how I was going to function. I could probably change back after a few more minutes but I needed to do something. My bear was a bit stir crazy after being tucked away for so long.

I tried to focus on getting the fridge open to hopefully take stuff out to at least get ready to make, but when I heard claws on the back sliding glass door to the pool area I knew Jess’s bear wanted to do exactly what mine did. Go play in the snow.

No. Responsibility. You have three mouths to feed now. No running around like a yearling.

After adding a few scratches the fridge I managed to get it open, but procuring anything inside without running it through with my claws was a whole other story. I knocked a jar of honey onto the floor, I know, cliche’, but thankfully it didn’t break. A packet of lunch meat dropped next, follow by a bottle of ketchup.

Sigh.

I was about to just swipe the bottle across the floor, not caring about what the possible staining results were, when Sam’s dog form suddenly appeared in front of me and snatched up the bag of lunch meat before darting away again.

Eh?

Looking over at him, I noticed Coda and Jess in front of him and rolled my eyes. She knew better than to beg, but obviously Sam could care less as he tore open the package and began offering his pup food like a caring momma. He didn’t pay attention to Jess’s pleading eyes at first, but after a few minutes he began to hesitantly give her little pieces. They were much smaller than Coda’s but the puppy still tried to snatch the food, even resorting to biting at my daughter’s face a few times. I was about to step in, not wanting a fight, but surprisingly, Sam snapped his teeth at his own boy in warning.

Oh. He’s using this as a lesson.

It was a good idea and I totally hadn’t even thought about it. He might not like the fact that my daughter is a bear easily twice the size of his own puppy, but she was being really well behaved besides her begging and hadn’t tried to return Coda’s aggression. It was the perfect time to teach the puppy that he didn’t always have to have all the food. Not that I blamed him. He probably starved along with his mother on the streets, especially considering how skinny Sam looked during his short stint in human form.

I waddled over to them and plopped down a few feet away, knowing that I shouldn’t get too close being in my bear form. Sam kept an eye on me but for the most part, didn’t bother growling. When the bag was nearly gone not twenty minutes later, he’d eaten about half of the meat with the other half going to the kids. I thought he’d eat the last scrap of turkey left, but to my surprise he grasped it between his teeth and hesitantly dropped it in front of me.

It wasn’t much. Nothing really to my bear, but I took it off the floor anyways and ate it, even though I didn’t like teaching Jess that it was okay to eat things off the floor. While I chewed the meager piece of meat Sam trotted back into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with a punctured bottle of honey, one that had obviously been taken from the open fridge. 

Yes, I liked it. I didn’t have a problem… just twelve bottles of it in my fridge because there was a sale.

Before I realized what he was even doing I saw Jess grab for the jar, squeezing it just enough to spill the gooey stuff down her face and dear god.

Don’t get it in your fur!

The stuff was a literal bitch to get out, and it was soaking in like shampoo as she fought Sam for the bottle. And of course, Coda joined in happily, wagging his tail as he latched onto the remainder of the bottle and got honey all over his muzzle and paws as they swatted at it.

I prayed that Sam would just drop the bottle and let them have it so that they didn’t continue to get covered in the stuff, but I never had any luck with what I wanted. He instead padded over to the sofa and hopped up, then began squeezing the stuff all over the furniture!

By sheer terror alone, I shifted back to my human form and jumped up, snatching the bottle from him before he could really process what had happened. It made him growl, likely from my sudden appearance over actually taking the food, but either way. 

“You’re going to ruin the couch with this stuff. If you want it then just ask for it and eat it off of a plate or at least on the tile in the kitchen.” I shook the bottle at him, then walked over and tossed it in the trash before getting a huge handful of papertowels and wetting them. When I went back to scrub the floor I can’t say that I was surprised to see Sam on his belly, lapping at the sticky wooden floor with a guilty look that totally reminded me of when Jess was a little cub just figuring things out… and figuring out how to get in trouble. And get out of it using a cute expression.

I wasn’t sure if that was what Sam was really intending to do or if he just wanted to eat the honey before I wiped it up, but either way, his face was definitely tugging at my chest.

“I’m mad at you.” I clarified, being sure to let him know that I was mad that he’d wasted half of that honey by puncturing the bottle and nearly ruined my sofa.

His ears perked up, then drooped as he sat up and guiltily looked away. When he did nothing further I ended up sighing, figuring that we weren’t going to be having any kind of conversation since my daughter didn’t look like she was interested in translating right now… and was kind of a bear. Not that we couldn’t communicate telepathically in this type of situation, but she never really wanted to. It was understandable, since most young kids had trouble controlling some of their instincts when in their animal forms. The idea that her bear didn’t want to talk to me right now was perfectly plausible.

“Alright. I’m going to finish cleaning this up, but there are now two little brats that need baths, and since a certain dog caused the problem, how about you get the honey off of them while I make dinner?”

I normally wouldn’t groom Jess the animal way, but the honey had just mainly gotten on their faces and shoulders, so it wasn’t a big deal to just lick it off. Heck, they were already doing it to each other anyways. Rather humorously, in fact. 

Sam glanced over at the two kids, then pouted. But, he did walk over, plopping down in front of both before bopping Coda on the head and beginning to clean him off. Each time Jess tried to run away he’d swat her back to him with a paw, making sure that she waited her turn. It was funny to watch but I had dinner to make, and clothes to put on.

Shaking my head, I gave a quiet chuckle and ran to my room, changing into a pair of basketball shorts and a loose T-shirt before heading back to the kitchen. Since I was now in my human form I got what I’d knocked out of the fridge put back, then began getting some chicken and vegetables ready to put in the oven. Once the veggies were done cooking I’d take some and blend them with a few pieces of chicken for Coda, then the rest would be ours to eat normally.

As I worked I heard scratching at the back door again.

No going outside right now. I told Jess through our thoughts. I could feel her upset, and the spoiling dad in my caved immediately.  After dinner I’ll turn on the outside light and we can play a little. 

Excitement shot through our bond before I heard Coda squeak and Sam grunt. My daughter had likely tackled him to play, making me shake my head and smile. I didn’t hear Sam again except for random scrambling paws, so I figured he was just playing over-protective referee. I even peeked into the room a few times to see that exact occurrence going on. It was cute. He hovered over Coda but also made sure that his son didn’t get too aggressive with my daughter.

He caught me looking one time, but when I smiled his ears perked up and I could have sworn I saw the stub of his tail twitch.

Just your tired mind playing tricks on you.

The memory of his human form flashed into my mind, making me duck back into the kitchen as my heart pattered against my chest for unknown reasons. I forced my mind to return to cooking, knowing that I couldn’t afford to dwell on weird feelings that didn’t make sense.

Mouths to feed.

Plans

(Partially unedited. Thanks for your patience.)

Simple was the focus of dinner tonight. It was a bit early to be eating, but by the time everything was done I’m sure tummys will be hungry and then, hopefully, sleepy. Speaking of one tummy, the sound of my daughter’s paws on the kitchen tile had me turning around, smiling as I scooped her up to sit on the counter.

“Wanna help daddy with dinner?”

She gave a playful cry and immediately took the wooden spoon I offered to her between her teeth to begin chewing on. She usually destroyed one or two each month, but it was worth it to see how much fun she has destroying the poor utensils. While she got busy I got the pot of water ready, glad that my stove worked great and it began to simmer in a minute. While I waited for it to boil I sent a text to my baby sitter, letting her know not to come this week and that I’d contact her when I know what I’m going to be doing. She replied right away with a confirmation that made me smile. It was a simple okay , but that’s what was nice about her. She didn’t beat around the bush. It was always yes, no, or okay.

She had been Jessica’s babysitter for most of her life but with Sam here, I don’t really trust him enough to tell her to come over yet. That leaves me in a sticky situation though, besides the random bits of honey on them. My eyes cut sideways to Jess as I thought.

I can either take her to work with me tomorrow and she’ll be bored out of her mind all day, or…

“Hey Sam! Can you come here for a moment?”

While I waited for him to appear I got busy putting the pasta in the pot and adding a few simple spices like garlic, pepper, and salt. When the pasta was cooking away I turned around just in time to see Sam tromp in with Coda swaying from between his teeth. The pup’s face was definitely set in a pout, obviously upset about his mother suddenly halting what he had been doing.

“I know you won’t want me to have a babysitter here tomorrow while I go into work, but that leaves me in a trying situation. I know my daughter won’t want to come to work with me so what might you suggest?”

It was too cold outside for me to even think about putting Sam and Coda back outside in the kennel, but I also wasn’t sure if I could trust Sam enough with Jess to risk leaving her here. I highly doubted that he’d protect her if she got a little too rough with Coda by mistake while playing. I’ve already seen him freak out once because of that…

Papa! Sam saids he wach me.

That wasn’t a surprise, but still. I had a serious feeling of uncertainty even asking Sam the favor.

He saids is okay. Not hurd me papa.

That wasn’t as reassuring as it should be, but it did give me a possibility besides having to make Jess wait in my office for most of the day. Shaking my head slowly, I turned back to the pasta and stirred it so that the noodles didn’t stick together, then turned back to Sam and nearly flipped the boiling pot of water on myself when I jumped.

“Sam! Geez! Don’t surprise me like that.”

He was sitting on the cold tile floor in his human form once more, eyes wide as he fidgeted nervously. I didn’t want to rush him to get up or anything like that, but sitting there completely naked will probably end up with him getting a cold soon. So, I very slowly and carefully knelt down and reached a hand out. I knew it wasn’t what real dogs really cared about, but I’ve seen it far too often to kick the habit of offering my hand to a dog. I also averted my eyes, not really worried even if he did bite me. His human teeth were much less threatening over his dog’s teeth.

I didn’t really expect him to do anything besides try to scoot away or bite, so when I felt his nose gently nuzzle against my fingers several long seconds later I felt a quiet gasp escape from my lips. He withdrew, possibly startled by my reaction, but after waiting another few moments his touch returned. I felt wonder. It was odd, because he was just a boy, shapeshifter or not, and he shouldn’t have such an affect on me.

“Hey,” I whispered as I slowly shifted my weight and turned at the same time, moving my hand until it was gently resting against his cheek. His skin was cool but not cold, though it did make me want to wrap him up in several layers of clothing until he was toasty and warm. Knowing that he might freak out from sudden movements though, I waited until he figured out how to speak… Which was honestly adorable because he kept pursing his lips, then licking them and looking around nervously.

“Ha… Hallo?”

He seemed a bit annoyed that his word wasn’t perfect but I smiled and nodded slightly, hoping to make him feel better about it. It’s not like I expected him to be able to speak perfectly after not saying anything out loud for so long.

“Hello, Sam. Can I go get you some clothing?”

His head bobbed after a moment and I mirrored it before scooting around him, only standing up when I was close to the entrance to the kitchen. I wasn’t really sure what I intended to get him but when I opened my closet and saw the sweatshirt and basketball shorts she used to love to steal from me I found myself snagging them from the hanger I had them on and brought them back into the kitchen.

A quiet cry came from my daughter as I walked inside. Of course she would recognize the clothing, but I was glad she didn’t question it and just watched as I gingerly knelt down close to Sam and offered him the clothing. Both the sweatshirt and shorts were black but the sweatshirt had dark red writing on the back saying: Grizzly Bear. It was funny in context, since I was a black bear, but she absolutely loved it, even after buying it as a gift for me. Each time she could she would wear it, and I never argued because I honestly thought it looked better on her than me. And now, as I watched Sam pull the shorts on, I couldn’t deny that once again, someone looked better in my clothing than I.

He got a bit stuck with the sweatshirt though, making me chuckle as I leaned over and helped him straighten the clothing out over his thin frame. I wasn’t really aware of what I was doing or I probably wouldn’t have, but I was close enough to him to see his beautiful dark eyes. They were slightly dilated, which should have registered in my brain that he was stressed with me being so close, but I couldn’t really get it through my head enough to lean more than a few inches away.

“Better?” I asked, smiling before looking down as Coda scrambled into my lap, his diapered bum swishing in the air before he tumbled against my legs.

“Hey there, Coda. You behaving for momma?”

The pup yipped as I picked it up and hugged him gently, getting a nuzzle and a lick to my face in response. “Oh thank you. I knew I needed my face cleaned a bit more.”

His little tail wiggled but surprisingly, Sam didn’t bother to take him away from me. I was going to baby talk him again when I heard the sound of a certain cub scrambling off the counter and down the cabinets. My daughter was definitely a black bear in every meaning of the word… Especially climbing. She was in my lap with Coda in moments, snuggling together after I set the pup down. I knew Jess would have swatted at him if I didn’t, so it was better for both that I just set Coda down. With him out of my hands though, it freed me up to return my attention to Sam.

He was still in his human form, which was good. He also didn’t look too tense, so he was likely not going to mess with my daughter. That was likely because the two were just snuggling and not playing at all, but I’d take a little relaxing time right now.

“I have to go to work really early tomorrow,” I reminded him, wanting to get back onto that topic. Since he was still in his human form I wasn’t sure if he was actually going to answer me verbally or send his words to my daughter, but when he began to purse his lips I smiled and waited patiently.

“I… Can wash…”

He seemed to be struggling with the next word but I had a feeling I knew what he wanted to say so I quietly added in. “Tomorrow?”

His eyes widened slightly before he relaxed a small amount and nodded.

“Can I trust you not to hurt my daughter? She sometimes gets a little rough when she plays but she understands that it’s not okay to hurt her playmate.”

He nodded again and I sighed. It wasn’t quite in relief, but it was close enough to allow my stressed shoulders to relax a little.

“Alright. Just in case though, let me give this to you.”

I got up after setting the kids aside and fetched my cell phone, then walked back over to Sam and sat down, offering him the device. “I’m sure you know how to use that still.”

“Yes I do.” He replied, eying the device with little interest.

“My work number is the first one on the list so if anything happens tomorrow, you just have to turn the screen on, then hit the star button, then one. It will automatically connect you to my office phone.”

“Okay, Rigard.”

I couldn’t help it, I gave a quiet laugh at his odd pronunciation. It made him jump, but thankfully he just growled for a second, then grunted.

“Sorry, sorry. I know you just need a little practice, then you’ll be able to speak just like you used to.”

He was just opening his mouth to say something else when his pup began to cry. I knew Jess couldn’t have been the cause of it since she was just sitting next to him, so when I smelled a very strong smell coming from Coda, I knew exactly what was causing his discomfort.

Getting up, I picked Coda up and began walking towards the bathroom. Like I expected, Sam ran after me in his dog form, the clothing I’d helped him into still managing to stay on. Once we got into the room he shifted back to his human form and carefully got himself up onto the closed toilet seat.

“Want to learn how to change his diaper?” I asked as I got busy doing just that. Sam leaned closer, his hands on the edge of the counter, interest in his eyes. Taking that as a yes, I got to work undoing Coda’s diaper, wincing when the full force of his depositing skills smacked me in the face. Blowing out an amazed whistle, I quickly got the diaper taped up and in the small garbage can, then began cleaning him up with wipes we’d bought while out earlier.

As I worked Jess sauntered in, eventually climbing my leg and perching near my belly to watch. Her nose was wrinkled until I got Coda nice and clean. The last thing done was cutting a hole in the back of the diaper and maneuvering it onto Coda’s squirming backside.

When he was finally all done I let him go, watching as he ran to the edge of the counter and bumped his nose with his mother’s, who leaned forward with a happy grin on his face.

“Coda.”

His pup yipped and bopped Sam’s nose a few times with his right paw, tail wagging like crazy as I heard his name from his mother’s mouth for the first time.

Sam got him down from the counter and back to the floor before getting himself to his feet. He couldn’t balance for anything, but I let him do as he pleased, not even reacting when he reached out for my arm to catch his balance. It sent another jolt of something through my system like earlier, but I kept myself in control as we carefully began our trek back to the kitchen. I must say, I couldn’t help but get a slight bit happier each time his hands clenched stronger on my arm. Feeling needed by him felt surprisingly amazing and I began to wonder what else I could do to make him feel even more at home with us.

Babysitting

(Unedited, gotta go)

Sam-

The next morning was hectic… For me at least. Richard seemed to already have a rhythm down and moved through it seamlessly, even when he had to changed my pup an extra time. I wished I could help with breakfast or dishes or something, but I was having a hard enough time just managing to walk in a straight line. When I finally got myself into the kitchen and sat down against the cabinets there was a plate being moved in front of my face. It surprised me enough to let a quiet growl escape, but I ignored it and took the plate so that Richard didn’t misunderstand.

He smiled, making me relax further as I blew on the food to cool it, then handed off little pinches of egg and bacon to my boy. He was back in his human form in a clean diaper and shorts. I still had on what he’d given me yesterday. It was comfortable, which was odd after being a dog for so long. I didn’t think I’d like the feel of clothing on me again.

We were about halfway through the plate of food when I noticed Richard walking over and looked up just in time to see his hand come down and pat my head. My canine instincts took over, but not in the way I expected them to. Instead of biting or growling, I nudged my head into his hand, seeking the attention it gave. When I actually realized what I was doing I bristled and growled, making the hand retract as Richard figured out I might bite.

Instead of laughing like I thought he might, he actually gave my boy a gentle pat and then stood back up.

“I’ve got to head out. Remember, if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to call me.” He said before walking out of the kitchen. I wanted to say something back but didn’t trust my vocabulary… and had no idea what I wanted to say in the first place. So, I kept my mouth shut as I listened to his footsteps near the door, then stop as little ones ran over. There was a quiet conversation I couldn’t hear, then a pat on the back before the door closed and locked.

I could hear her coming after Richard left, but when his daughter walked around the corner and chanced a smile at me, I couldn’t stop myself from baring my teeth and growling. She froze immediately, and I felt like crap for scaring her seconds after her father left her here, trusting her to me.

Stupid move.

My eyes followed her movements as she sat down awkwardly a few feet away by the door.

“I’m sorry, Sam.” She whispered, hugging her knees against her chest.

Dammit.

Why had I said that I could take care of his cub? I could barely take care of my own pup in my human form, and now I was responsible for a bear cub that I couldn’t even tolerate near my boy?

It was frustrating. Not being able to walk well was frustrating. Being so useless.

Shaking my head harshly, I set the remainder of the food aside, letting Coda nibble at it as I turned and used the cabinets to help myself get up onto my knees. That part was pretty easy, but when I looked up, my determination began to crumble. It had taken so long to walk to the darn kitchen this morning after I used the bathroom. I knew males normally stood, but I couldn’t keep my balance enough and it was honestly humiliating to have to sit.

You can do this. Just stand up.

Even though it was such a simple thing I used to be able to do all the time, it took me a good five minutes to get to my feet. The counter had to help me stay up once I was there, making me get even more annoyed.

“Sam?”

Looking down, I noticed Jessica holding out a small walking cane to me. I noticed it looked almost brand new as I reached out and grabbed it. The color was a swirl of dark green and reds. It really was quite beautiful for such a basic item, but I was thankful to have it, my ego be damned. I got myself stabilized with the cane surprisingly well with the cane, then grinned down at Jess.

“Tank you.”

Her smile grew as she nodded and gently picked up my now-puppy son who had been pawing at her legs. It made me fidget, but I swallowed down my fear of her hurting him and tried to look at the situation in a positive manner. She wasn’t hurting him and he obviously wasn’t upset. In fact, he was licking at her face like it was covered in peanut butter, and she was giggling like a little girl who had just gotten a puppy for Christmas.

“Would you like brekvast, Jezzica?”

I noticed that her father hadn’t made her any, which was understandable since he was rushing so much. He likely forgot. When she nodded and told me just that, that he often forgot to make her something, I frowned and carefully made my way to the refrigerator. Cooking would be the nice thing to do, but that would also likely end with me being burned pretty badly and looking even more like a helpless dog.

Instead of grabbing the eggs or bacon, I got out the milk and easily found a box of cereal in a cupboard next to the fridge. “Is this okay?” I asked Jessica as I shook the box slightly and looked down at her.

“Yes Sam!” She chimed up at me, making me smile as I nodded and got a small bowl down and made her the simple breakfast. When I turned to hand her the bowl she had already set Coda down and was took it, careful not to spill the milk. She waddled to the tiny dinner table in the other room and set the bowl on top, then climbed into the chair to begin eating. That’s where I found her a moment later after I got the milk put away and made my way into the room to sit down.

I’ve never really had this kind of responsibility so I wasn’t sure what was expected of me. That’s how I ended up staring at her until she was completely done with her meal. That left us at an awkward staring match that my inner dog couldn’t manage to break. He was cocky and didn’t exactly like when others challenged him. Too bad for him, I had to force my eyes away after nearly five minutes. She was a child and was likely far less in charge of her shift than I was of mine and didn’t understand what she had actually been doing was aggressive behavior.

Sighing, I got up and carefully lifted Coda into my free arm, resting him partially on my hip. I planned to just settle in on the sofa and relax until Richard got home from work, but feeling eyes on me, I turned and noticed Jessica looking at me in little fleeting glances.

“What?” I asked, trying not to sound rude even though I didn’t have much patience. It wasn’t her fault though, so I did my best not to make my attitude visible.

“Um… Wanna play pwincess?”

Princess? Really? Do I look like someone who would play princess?  

That’s what I thought, but then I found myself in her room, sitting on the floor staring awkwardly at the bright pink table and three chairs surrounding it. There was an old brown bear stuffed animal missing an eye, a bright purple unicorn that could use a good wash, and then Jessica plopped down into the chair across from me. She set a tray down on the table with water I don’t remember her having gotten within the time it took me to get to her room.

Must have been from last time’s tea party.

Drinking old water didn’t bother me in the least. I did live on the streets for a good while. What did bother me was that she was now offering me a shiny pink and silver tiara that had no business being on my head. I took it though, but instead of putting it on myself, I carefully settled it onto my pup’s head. It fit, disturbingly the well, and he didn’t seem to mind the thing in the least. In fact, he was tilting his head back and forth curiously and wagging his tail.

And a new princess is born.

Jessica didn’t seem to notice my distaste because her attention was way too focused on Coda’s enthusiasm to his new crown. He soon turned his attention to the little cups Jess was setting out on the table and made her day when he took a quick drink from the one placed in front of us. He pawed at the table for the next few minutes as I was hinted to take a drink of the tea and forced myself to play along. It was annoyingly boring at first, but as my son got more into the stuffed animals… As in grabbing them and running around while Jessica tried to catch him, I realized it was actually quite entertaining.

Time passed and we moved into the living room as the playing tea party turned into a tug of war with a jump rope Coda had stolen from Jessica’s room. I moderated, breaking them up if they got a bit too rough. They only ever got bad once or twice, and it never resulted in an actual injury, just a surprised yelp or growl.

By the time Richard was home we were all on the sofa, his daughter in her bear form and myself and my son in our canine forms. They were both cuddled up against my belly, snug and out cold. I hadn’t fed either, not really trusting myself, even though the cane was definitely helpful. Besides, neither of them seemed interested in food and then passed out after running around for hours.

Richard walked over to me after setting his things down and hanging up his coat.

“Hey Sam. Looks like everything is in order. Knew I could trust you.”

You can’t trust me.

Instead of saying that, I whined and let my stubby tail wag slightly. It made him smile, which just made it wag faster. Darn it.

Instead of leaving me be to go make dinner or relax, he instead sat down gently set his hand atop my head. I didn’t grumble this time. Not even when he began to scratch behind my ears and actually pet me like one would a dog. The kids moved a little, giving me an opportunity that my dog-self took without asking me first. I crawled into Richard’s lap and practically embarrassed myself by rolling over and asking for a belly rub.

I wanted to kill myself right there… Until he began scratching my belly.

Screw dinner. Heaven. I’m going to heaven right nooooow.

I thought he would just scratch me for a minute, then get up so that we could take care of the kids. It smelled like Coda could use a diaper change and food was technically needed, but when he stopped scratching my belly a few minutes later, it wasn’t to get up. Nope. Instead, he gently tugged me into his arms for a strong hug I was shocked to received. It felt weird at first and I felt a need to bite well up in the pit of my belly. But then it felt… Right.

Under Control

(Thank you for your patience. Been super busy and still am x.x)

Richard-

Was it even possible to be cuter than you’re own child?

I kept asking myself that as I hugged Sam, feeling his little stubby tail nudge against my leg as it gave away his emotions. I knew he didn’t like being touched, likely because he didn’t trust people. For good reason. However; a smile slipped onto my face as I leaned over and nuzzled my nose into the soft fur atop his head.

“I got you something.”

He froze, curious soft brown eyes looking up at me with interest. His tail still wagged, but its pace had slowed as he focused on my face.

“Well, for you and the kids. Here.” I set him aside gently on the sofa, then stood up and grabbed three small bones from my back pocket. Sitting on them had reminded me of them in a painful manner but I couldn’t not give Sam attention when he finally decided to ask for some. Thus, I waited.

“Here,” I said, handing him the bigger of the three. His little pup was suddenly in my lap, gnawing on one of the other two with fervor.

“I suppose you claimed that one, hm? Mr. Stinkybutt.”

Instead of being embarrassed by the very pungent pile of poop in his diaper, Coda just kept going at the bone, completely oblivious to everything else. Ah, to be young again.

Setting him down on the floor so that he didn’t accidentally fall off the sofa, I offered my daughter the last bone and got up.

“Alright, I’ll go start dinner, then get Coda changed and cleaned up.”

I saw Sam nod slightly, but that’s the only reaction I got as all three of them went to town on their treats, Sam on the sofa while the kids laid on the floor. Figuring they’d be busy for awhile, I headed into the kitchen and began getting out some ingredients. I really wanted to make something nice for them. Especially Sam, but I could barely stand with the waves of exhaustion washing over me at random times, so I hoped they’d all be okay with something simple again.

Having gotten everything out, I began cutting up the bell peppers as chicken simmered in a small pan with a bit of coconut oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. “Need help?” Before I even heard his question, I could smell that odd scent from before waft to my nose, overpowering the smell of the food with ease. I had to bite my lip hard to get the disturbing thoughts that swam through my mind out, adding a good shake of my head to be sure they were at bay.

“Sure. Can you finish cutting these while I make sure the chicken doesn’t overcook?”

Asking him to watch the cooking was also a possibility but I knew he probably wasn’t very skilled with it yet, so chopping stuff up was probably for the best. I thought it would also let me relax a little… Boy was I wrong. The second he cut his finger I had his hand in mine, grasping his wrist gently but tightly as my tongue danced along his miniscule wound. His faint intake of breath told me that I had caught him by surprise, and hell, I don’t know why, but I couldn’t pull away. My bear was nudging at the surface of my consciousness, rumbling to get out and do what?

Dammit.

Shoving Sam back, I stormed out of the room and down the hall. The bathroom door slammed behind me before I found myself standing under cold water in the shower, still fully clothed.

“The hell was that?” I whispered quietly into the water, letting it wash away my words as they left my mouth. Something had made me begin to think things about him that I shouldn’t. Again. It had happened before but this time it was much stronger. I didn’t want to think about it, but as soon as the realization came to mind, I couldn’t manage to push it aside. For some disturbing reason I wanted him in front of me, naked.

“Against the wall,” I whispered hoarsely, feeling my body begin to react.

My head snapped back and forth in a harsh shake, trying to rid my mind of the terrible thoughts. It didn’t work well, especially because I heard the door to the bathroom creek open.

“Get out.”

My voice was rough, tired. Both words were hard to push out as I my hands shook and clenched at my sides. Instead of heeding my warning, Sam moved closer, his feet sounding on the tile until he came to a stop way too close to the shower for comfort. When I heard his clothing begin to drop to the floor my heart dropped too.

Don’t. Please don’t.

My prayers weren’t answered as I heard him step into the shower behind me. It was hard. So hard not to turn around and begin ravishing his body. My bear wanted to. God dammit, I wanted to! But something was wrong with this situation. This sudden attraction that shouldn’t be there. At least not yet. We barely know each other and he’s still learning how to be a normal person again for god’s sake!

“Rich…ard.”

Hearing my name moaned from his lips was a turn on, but surprisingly not as strong of one as I’d thought it would be. In fact, something in his voice told me that he was actually struggling. That’s what made me turn around and actually look at him. Not his body, even though my instincts told me to look at what was being offered. But no, I paid attention to his face. Picked up the fear in his eyes. The stress in his features. The lust. Everywhere. He was very visibly hard, but that wasn’t what had my attention when it came to his body.

“It’s okay, Sam. I think I’m beginning to understand a little,” I whispered as I very slowly, very carefully, reached out to him. He was shaking terribly, arms against his chest defensively.

I gave him a very gentle smile and waited. Watched. It took him at least a full minute to move. It was just a gentle grasp of my offered right hand, but I could tell that the small touch actually relaxed him a little. Since he was trying to focus on our touching, I chanced another question. One that’s been nagging at my mind since I ran out of the kitchen.

“Sammy?”

His head snapped up, eyes wide as his hands gripped mine tightly.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I think I get it, but can you answer my question? I want to help you any way I can, but I swear, I will do nothing you don’t want me to.”

He took several moments to calm himself enough to nod. I flashed him another small smile and nodded, then spoke quietly. “Are you in heat, Sam?”

If he had been under the water enough to get wet I might think that it was just droplets from the showerhead running down his cheeks. But he wasn’t. And it hurt me so much more than I thought it could.

“Come here, hun. I’ll hold you for as long as you need. I know you need relief, but I can’t give it to you physically. I just can’t.” I sighed, taking in a deep breath afterwards to try and calm myself as he slowly inched his way into my embrace. It was easy to feel his need as we got close and it pressed against my pants.

“Go ahead, Sam.”

He tensed and began to shake but I quickly rubbed his back and pressed a soft kiss to his hair.

“It’s okay. I’m completely dressed and I’ll stay this way. Don’t worry about anything getting stained. I can just wash it.”

His worried eyes rose to meet mine but I didn’t give him time to ask worried questions. I just leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead, then hugged him tight as I felt him begin to hesitantly rub against my thigh.

“There you go. Just let it out. Deep breaths.”

I knew it took more than just having orgasms to release someone from their heat. Usually it took a partner and actually intercourse, but I just couldn’t give him that and I had a feeling he wasn’t able to handle such a thing right now anyways. So I stood there in the shower, under the cold water utterly exhausted, yet determined.

He came four times over what had to be at least an hour. By the time I got us cleaned up and dried off, he was barely able to sit upright on the toilet seat.

“Come here, you. Time for bed.”

If he was anymore awake he’d probably growl at me for treating him like a child, but as soon as I spoke his arms were up, silently asking me to carry him to bed. I did just that, not even realizing that I was tucking him into the spot that had been vacant for so long. When he was comfortable I tugged on a pair of shorts and put the extra food away, relieved that he’d remembered to turn off the heat for the chicken and at least put a plate of cut and crushed vegetables down for the kids. I then went and tended to Coda, changing his diaper and carefully brushing his teeth as my daughter did the same.

I wasn’t really sure where to put Coda because I didn’t want him to wake his mother after Sam had worn him out so badly in the shower. That’s why I decided to drag the small crib I’d bought into the bedroom and tucked Coda in with a small blanket. I thought he might raise a fuss not being next to his mother, but the kid proved me wrong as he passed out, paws in the air and mouth open wide.

Since he was already out cold, I took a little bit of time and read Jess a few pages from her bedtime book, then tucked her in with a hug and kiss. When I returned to my room I was ready to crash, only pausing for a moment to turn off the light, climb into bed, and unknowingly tug Sam into my arms beneath the blankets.

My Bear is… Special

(Not edited cause sleep yes x.x but another update, so yay! Yay? nods)

Sam-

Waking up in a comfortable bed was surprising. I expected to be on the floor, or possibly even outside. Yet, as I opened my eyes slowly, I noticed that I was indeed in a large bed. A decent sized space spread out before my view, telling me that I was on the left side and the right side was unoccupied.

Hmm, where is Richard? Did he put me in bed before leaving for work?

It was possible. I didn’t think he’d risk touching me when I was tired or asleep, but when I tried to get more comfortable and stretch a little, I immediately froze in place. A strong, warm hand rested on my side, it’s fingers draped over onto my belly. The hand was huge. Easily twice the size of my own, or at least close. That fact, along with the scent lingering everywhere around me, made it very easy to determine who was behind me. Their chest pressed against my back. Their breath tickling my ear each time he exhaled a faint snore.

I needed to tell him to move, but I couldn’t manage to get in a decent-enough breath to speak. Please. My plea didn’t make its way past my lips. Instead, I tried to keep myself from shaking. Realization was hard to swallow.

I went into heat. Last night I lost myself and now I’m waking up in his bed.

I was very obviously naked, and judging from the feel of his legs tangled amongst mine and his bare chest pressing against my back each time he exhaled, he was too.

I can’t. I can’t be.

“Shhhh, it’s okay.”

Hearing Richard’s deep, sleep-laden voice behind me didn’t calm me one bit. My body began to shake harder as I tried to curl in on myself but at the same time, get out from under the blanket that was flooded with his scent.

Don’t. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me!

His hand slowly withdrew and I scurried away, dragging the blanket as it got caught on my foot. When I got the edge of the bed and turned, I knew before I even met his eyes that he’d been watching me. His expression was calm and sleepy, but beneath his dazed look he was really seeing me. My face burned from embarrassment and I tried to shift my weight back and forth, waiting to feel the tell-tale ache in my backside that meant I would be forced back into my canine form for another several months, kicked out, and forced to raise another group of puppies. Puppies that would likely die on the street like all of my others had. All except for Coda.

“We didn’t.”

I flinched, trying to cover my body with my hands. It was a meager attempt and just added more embarrassment… Until I realized what he had actually just said.

“We… We didn’t?”

He slowly pulled back the blanket and revealed that he was wearing a pair of loose shorts. Loose, but not off. Relief was so prominent and sudden that I flopped over onto a stack of soft pillows, not caring how weird I was acting.

We didn’t do it. I’m not pregnant.

When I caught my breath a minute later, I looked back up at Richard, managing a small smile even though I was about to ask something I really didn’t want to.

“So… If we didn’t does it , then how?”

He wasn’t in heat anymore, per say. It would be back later though, he knew. It didn’t just go away, especially if he wasn’t bred. The relief was definitely needed, however, because now he could actually think straight, without a haze of heat blurring his thoughts.

“We didn’t.”

“Then what?” I asked again, needing to know how much of a fool I had made of myself. When Richard smiled I felt my stomach drop, then flip.

“I smelled it coming, though I wasn’t sure what it was so suddenly. I ran into the shower to cool off, but you followed.”

I groaned, wiping my hands down my face slowly in agony.

“You were in a daze of sorts, which helped me figure out what was going on. Since we were already in the shower I let you, uh, basically use my leg.”

My whole face had to be completely red, and I could feel the heat travel down to my neck and out to my ears. This can’t get any worse!

“When you were too tired to keep going I got us cleaned up and you in bed, then took care of the kids before climbing in.”

My hands moved from my face and moved to cover what my legs weren’t of my lower half. “I’m so sorry. I shoulda haved taken care of Coda.”

Instead of telling me that I was right and he was upset, Richard just smiled again and sat up, stretching his arms over his head as his back popped a few times.

“Nah, it’s okay. You watched them all day.” He put his arms down to lean on his hands and looked over at me. “Thank you, by the way. That was a great help… And I feel like an ass for forgetting to feed my own daughter breakfast.”

Pushing myself up, I licked my lips nervously and scooted a tiny bit closer. Just enough to reach over and settle my fingertips atop his. “It’s okay. I feeded her. She was not mad.”

It was obvious by the looks that passed over his face that he wanted to argue, but he bit them back and just nodded. “Again, thanks.” When he began to scoot out of bed I sat back, watching as he moved around the room getting clothing into his arms.

“I’m going to go shower, then get dressed for work.” His eyes darted to clock for a second before returning to me. “I won’t have time to cook breakfast but you can do cereal and I’ll blend up some meat real quick for Coda.”

His plan was simple enough, and I should be glad that he was going to leave again. I should be. But I found myself scrambling out of bed, reassured when my backside remained perfectly normal and painless. I grabbed his hand, taking him by surprise. A questioning look found its way onto his face, making me fumble through my messy words to explain. The first few sentences came out as rambling babble, but then I finally managed to get something out that sounded somewhat logical.

“Please, I won do come.”

His eyes widened further, then returned to normal, a thought readable in his eyes. “Well, I suppose that’s fine. It won’t be very interesting though. I just work in an office most of the time doing paperwork and things of that sort.”

I didn’t care. I knew I was going to go into heat again sometime today and felt it would be safer if we were with him in case I lost myself again. When I didn’t respond he just shrugged and nodded.

“Get the kids ready then. I’ll leave the bathroom unlocked so if Coda needs changed, go ahead and do it while I shower.”

I nodded, letting a small grin find its way onto my face as I turned and scooped my son up from his crib. His diaper was definitely full, but that just gave me a chance to show that I could do something simple like change a diaper. Determined, I got Coda into the bathroom as Richard go into the shower. While he washed and I worked he told me I could just borrow more clothing from the closet. So, when I finally had Coda clean and in a new diaper, I set him down and got myself dressed in a pair of comfortable worn jeans and a light grey sweater. It was comfortable and actually fit really well.

When Richard got out of the shower and walked into his room, I was heading out to start breakfast. He said he was short on time, so as he got dressed and got his daughter ready, I got down several bowls and filled each with cereal and milk. We ate quickly, Richard using the grinder to make food for Coda as he did so. By the time that food was ready we had to go, so we packed it in a container and just brought it along so that I could feed him later.

“Alright, once we get into my office there shouldn’t be many people coming and going. I brought several diapers and a few cups and a bowl for water so we should be good.” Richard said as he parked the car in his private spot beneath the building and got out. Being underground in the cement lot felt confining and made me fidget, but Richard slipped the bag over his shoulder and took my free hand, tugging me towards the elevator as I carried Coda and his daughter walked beside us.

The elevator was thankfully empty but soon began to fill as we moved higher and higher in the building. I sidestepped a man in a trenchcoat, only to be shoved into by a large woman trying to force her way into the crowded space. Being smooshed wasn’t a huge deal to me, but it was for my son. I was just on the verge of snarling and biting to get some space when Richard’s hand gently pressed against my hip and guided me behind him and into the corner. His large form easily kept any eyes off of me, as well as anything else. The relief swam through me, ending in a sigh as I rested my forehead against his broad back.

When the elevator dinged for the final time and Richard moved a few minutes later, I was surprised to see no one besides the four of us in the confined space. He stepped out, completely ignoring my previous panic attack. I followed silently, glancing around as we passed several closed doors that I could only assume were either meeting rooms or offices. At the end of the hall on the right side, we stopped. Richard fished a key from his pocket and soon the door clicked open, then was pushed inward.

Lights flicked on automatically with our movement as we walked inside. The room was huge, yet well decorated with different smatterings of paintings hanging on the walls. They all looked like paint spattered about the canvas, but no doubt they had cost a decent amount considering the rest of the office looked expensive. At the far side by the large floor to ceiling windows was a black desk shaped in a half-moon. Richard took a seat behind it right away and got his computer opened and turned on.

I thought he was done with us and just wanted me to entertain the kids, but a moment later he pushed himself away from his desk and walked around to take Coda, setting him down on the carpeted blue floor before looking up at me from his squatting position.

“I turned off the security cameras for the office for today so if you need to change, go ahead.” He coughed, clearing his throat as he looked down at my son, pretending to play with him. I saw a faint hint of red touch his cheeks before he continued speaking. “O-Or if… You need to do other things.”

My face burned and Richard’s got more red. We both looked away for several awkward moments before he retreated back to his desk and I sat down to start trying to occupy the kids. It worked surprisingly well, especially after I fed Coda his breakfast. That gave the little squirt a good dose of energy and he wore me out over the hours Richard was working. Jessica joined in sometimes, while taking a break once in awhile to play games on her father’s phone.

When lunch rolled around it was already getting close to one in the afternoon and I was tired. Well, tired and… Other things. I thought I was hiding it well, and perhaps I was, but when Richard pushed away from his desk and stood with a slight stretch, then walked around it, I had a feeling things were about to get awkward. When he knelt down next to his daughter I licked my lips, then clamped down on the lower one and nibbled nervously.

“Jess, can you take Coda and walk down to Ms. Ima’s office? I’m sure she’d love to have lunch with you two.”

I didn’t want Coda going anywhere I couldn’t see him. My eyes met Richard’s to say just that, but what I saw in them kept my mouth shut tight until the kids had left the room, Jess leading a happy, tail-wagging Coda. When the door clicked shut I whirled on Richard, opening my mouth only to take a deep breath of his scent. His aroused scent. It scared me and elated me all at the same time. Which was so wrong.

“I won’t do anything Sam, I promise. But, you’re driving me crazy with that scent of yours.”

He opened his arms, and while I meant to step back, I ended up stepping into them instead. Before even realizing what I was doing I was humping his leg like a damn dog in heat. Which I technically was. I buried my face in his shirt, feeling utterly disgusted with myself as my hips moved against him. Richard didn’t show any kind of distaste however, even though he definitely should be. Instead, he began rubbing my back slowly, whispering sweet nothings into my hair as I worked myself up.

It took me less than a minute to work myself up to a climax, then another eight for a second one, then a third. By the time I was on my fourth I could nearly feel Richard’s own arousal in the air around us. Of course I brushed against it every few thrusts, too, and I’m sure my face face was brighter than a tomato because of it, but it wasn’t until the fifth climax at least thirty minutes later that he finally began to really react.

His eyes were dark, nearly completely dilated and black. His breathing came in panting gasps, and his hands shook where they held my waist, tightly.

“R-Rich… ard?” I gasped, trying to focus through the blur in my mind.

When he didn’t respond but with a low growl, I took an uneven step back. His head jerked up suddenly, our eyes meeting. His narrowed. Then widened. Then it happened so suddenly. So quickly, that I could only stumble backwards as he came forward like a, well, charging bear. Richard yanked his jacket off, then quickly followed it by his shirt, tearing several buttons off in the process. When he began working at his pants I scrambled for the door. I couldn’t get pregnant again!

I managed to get to the door as his pants and boxers went flying. Turning just in time to see the clothing hit the floor, then his entire form waver and shift.

“Wh… What?”

A giant, fuzzy, solemn-looking black bear sat on its backside, back legs out in front of it while leaning forward on its front ones. It seemed frustrated as it made little, well, bear sounds, and pawed at its white-socked feet. Those were the only things he couldn’t get off in time, and the poor socks were being stretched to the point of breaking, not even considering the claws that were beginning to slice at them.

“Richard…?” I asked, utterly confused at what had just happened.

The bears head slowly rose, left ear flicking several times before it returned its attention to its socks and pawed at them. He had obviously not planned on shifting, judging from the way he was acting all confused. It wasn’t a good time, and definitely not a good place to do it, either. That fact only intensified when a solid knock sounded three times on the door, then the handle turned.

Shit!

Overheating

(Slight content warning)

Sam-

Running over to the door, I flicked the lock, then turned. Panic raced through my veins as I heard the knock again, and Richard’s darn bear kept pawing at his socks!

Without really thinking, I snatched a sock off the bears foot with a quiet growl. His beady little eyes rose to meet mine in an instant, surprise all over his fuzzy face. Then he leaned forward, obviously trying to get up. His body rocked, but he couldn’t manage to get up. He tried again, but got the same result. Each time he moved his jaws reached for the sock.

You can’t be serious.

He was though. Shaking my head, I waived the sock in his face, then moved it to his left. His eyes followed, then he fell onto his left side and slowly got onto all fours. Someone needs to work out a little.

I slowly walked backwards, keeping the sock just close enough to keep his attention. When I finally got him behind his huge desk I tossed the sock on the floor, letting him have at it as I ran back around the desk to grab his clothing. By now the knocking was getting persistent so I yelled while scooping his clothes up into my arms. “One mimute!”

Throwing the stuff behind the desk, I took one final look around, then yanked the door open with as big a smile as I could manage. Judging from the woman’s face who was now staring at me, I probably looked awkward.

Well, this whole situation is awkward as hell!

“Excuse me, but I need to return these two so I can go to a meeting. Mr. Brandon sent them over for lunch.”

I immediately took Coda into my arms, then motioned Jessica to come inside. My hopes were that the woman would just leave now, but she instead looked around the room, brows narrowing in confusion.

“Where is Mr. Brandon? He usually only sends his daughter over when he’s extremely busy.”

Brandon? Oh! Crap!

“U-Uh, he’s busy. In the… Bathroom!”

Her eyes moved to a closed door, the light obviously off beneath it, then back to me.

“With the lights off?”

Why can’t you just go!

Growling in my mind, I thought about what I wanted to say, then carefully steeled myself to speak correctly. “He hads a headache.”

That was right? Right? That sounded right?

She gave me another look, then seemed to be thinking about what to do next. When I just stood there smiling, she looked away and sighed, then nodded. “Alright, let him know that Jessica ate, but she did give the puppy some of her food.”

I nodded, waiting until the lady was gone before shutting the door and locking it. “Oh my god.” My body slid to the floor as I leaned against the door, trying to keep myself from shaking. While I tried to keep myself together Jessica made her way around the back of her father’s desk and then ran out from behind it with a half-eaten sock raised high above her head. I looked at her questioningly, then choked out a laugh when Richard’s fuzzy bear hobbled out from behind the desk, trying to catch the sock.

“Daddy, you know you can’t have socks!” Jessica yelled as she cornered around the desk again, trying to stay out of reach. Noticing the other sock abandoned on the floor a few feet away, I quickly snagged it up and waived it in the air when Richard’s bear came back around. The animal stopped immediately, eyes going wide as a line of drool slipped from his panting jaws.

“You wants it, boy? You wants the sock?” I cooed, waiving the item in front of me. To answer my question, Richard’s bear grumbled an excited roar and began to barrel towards me like an angry bundle of yarn with stubs for legs. It was a funny mental image but I didn’t want this ball of yarn to catch me!

We raced around the room for at least ten minutes with him shambling after me for the currently unharmed sock. It wasn’t until Jessica grabbed it from my hand and threw them both out the door before shutting it again, that Richard finally slowed to a stop, looking around in confusion.

“Papa, change back. You’re ad work in going to gets in trouble!”

Realization seemed to dawn on him at her words and he slowly began to change back to his human self. When he was finished I sagged to the floor in relief, watching as he got up and began pulling his clothing back on.

“I’m sorry, Sam.”

I nodded, not really sure what else to say. We had just spent nearly half an hour dealing with a sock-loving bear. When Richard was fully dressed he walked over, giving his daughter a hug and kiss on the forehead before asking her to go play with Coda. She did as told, leaving her father to sit next to me, both of us leaning against the door.

When he didn’t continue speaking for a few minutes I chanced a glance at him, regretting it immediately when I saw his worried eyes glued to me. Shrinking back, my eyes found the carpet and I pretended that it was the most interesting thing in the world until Richard finally spoke. “Are you okay?”

My eyes rose to see him still looking at me, but I couldn’t meet his eyes as I shrugged. “I guess. I-I can handling it.” It wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been earlier. Getting off several times had definitely helped. Richard smiled slightly at my response, then reached over and rustled my hair.

“Alright. If it gets bad again just let me know. And, um… If my bear comes out again, be sure to get rid of any socks in the area.”

My mouth dropped open and his face burned red as he reached back and rubbed his neck. “It has a bit of an addiction to eating socks. If it manages to get one I have a lot of trouble controlling it until it’s eaten the whole thing.”

Oh. Now I get why his daughter threw them out the door.

It was pretty funny and actually made me smile. “Okay,” I replied. Richard mirrored my smile, then got himself up and headed back to his desk. “I’ve got a lot of work to get done but if I go nonstop I should be done in about two hours. Do you mind just watching the kids?”

Of course I didn’t. Getting myself up, I walked over and sat down where Coda and Jessica were now playing. Richard’s tie had seemingly not made it back around his neck because Jessica was now using it to play tug-o-war with Coda, my little pup having quite the time tugging on the piece of clothing.

Since Richard didn’t seem to mind I let them play, tugging on the item every once in awhile to get my pup to keep playing. The tie was thankfully more durable than I thought, because it wasn’t even torn by the time Richard told us it was time to go home. I was all for that, but when I stood up to head for the door as the kids walked out, Richard’s hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me back against his chest. I froze up immediately, gasping in a strangled breath as he whispered against my ear.

“You’ve got a very obvious stain on your pants. Perhaps you should shift and allow me to carry out your clothing?”

I didn’t really need to glance down and check. I knew he was right. I could feel the awkward stickiness in my pants and felt my face burn. The idea of undressing in front of Richard made my heart hammer against my ribs, but if I told him to turn around he might take it the wrong way. We were both guys, so it shouldn’t bother me. It shouldn’t. Forcing myself to push aside my uncertainty, I stepped out of his arms and quickly yanked off my shirt, sighing when the air conditioning caressed my heated skin with a faint chill. It felt good and brought a small smile to my face which remained as I unfastened my jeans and began to slide them down.

A low, deep grumble had me pausing the second my pants bunched around my ankles. Whipping my head up, I saw Richard looking away, grinding his teeth together in obvious concetration. It didn’t take me more than a moment to realize what was wrong. He was turned on. A lot. The smell of arousal infiltrated my nose, making my own body hum with simmering interest. I knew that I had to get myself under control quickly and shift though, or risk having another batch of puppies that I wasn’t able to care for.

That got me trying to step out of my jeans, frustration making me growl as they got caught on my feet. When I finally got the darn clothing off and kicked it aside I was shoved back against the door and had Richard’s mouth forcing my lips apart with his eager tongue. I couldn’t fight it, even though I knew I should bite down or at least try to shove him away. The most I could manage was to keep my hands at my sides, which was hard enough as it was when he was kissing me senseless, his hands tightly grasping either side of my face to hold me still.

I was just thinking that if there was a bed anywhere near us I might be done for, but then I found myself moving backwards, being lead by Richard until the back of my knees hit something soft and I fell slightly to the side on the sofa I’d forgotten about. Before I even settled on the furniture Richard was back on my mouth while his hands found their way down my chest and grasped like clamps on my waist. Being in heat had my body extremely sensitive and I couldn’t stop myself from writhing beneath his attentions.

“Papa?”

The questioning voice came from just outside the door and thank god that it had Richard snapping out of his lust and rolling off of me and the sofa. The second he was squatting on his feet, trying to recuperate, I shifted into my canine form and rolled over onto my belly. Panting heavily, I watched dazedly as Jessica came back into the office carrying Coda in her arms, my pups legs swaying in the odd hold.

Richard managed to recover first and straightened up before turning to the kids with a smile. “Coming sweetheart.” By the time he got to the door I was hopping off the sofa and stumbling towards them. I was glad to be a dog at that moment because if I wasn’t, I swear I’d be redder than a cherry.

Thankfully we didn’t get stopped for any reason while leaving, allowing us to get back home without issue. Because I was still on edge and a bit jittery from what we almost did, I made sure that I kept my distance from him and remained a canine.

It wasn’t until after dinner was eaten and the kids were in bed that I finally allowed myself to return to my human form, feeling the need for a shower. When I stepped into the bathroom I checked the shower stall, relieved that it was clear and quickly got the water going. I scooted the chair in it to the back, feeling that I was okay on my feet for now. By the time I was beneath the hot water I was getting flustered again and, since I was in the shower anyways, I began to relieve the built-up tension.

I wasn’t sure how long I was at it but the fire barely cooled after what had to have been at least thirty minutes of trying. Now it was just beginning to hurt from so much friction and frustration boiled in my overheated nerves. Grumbling to myself, I pressed my forehead against the cold tile wall and nearly came abruptly when a strong hand grasped my length and pumped once. A heavy gust of air wafted over my skin with Richard’s strong exhale as he took in my scent several times while nuzzling against my neck.

Everything in me warned against staying. Screamed at me to get out of the shower and shift. His right hand wrapped around my chest and his body pressed me up against the cold tiles, forcing a shiver to slip down my spine. I groaned quietly, and he moaned loudly. I pushed my backside backwards and was met immediately with his hips thrusting forward. I knew he understood the risks of mating and wouldn’t do it all the way. He had to care for his daughter, and for the time being, myself and my pup. That’s why I let myself go, allowing him to rut against me as the heat in my body flared.

It felt so good. To have someone want me. Need me. Use me. He slipped inside and I screamed out in surprise, the sound muffled by his strong hand clamping over my mouth. He used me then. Over and over. Deep inside I was terrified of what the outcome would be, but as our bodies meshed together in heated bliss, I couldn’t focus on anything besides the need inside of me being taken care of by a man I barely knew, yet somehow trusted with my life.

The Day After

Sam-

The tantalizing smell of breakfast woke my hungry stomach, its rumbling, along with the scent, pulling me out of a deep sleep. I felt surprisingly good as I slowly turned my head on the soft pillow to glance at the clock on the nightstand.

Huh? It’s already almost noon?

I hadn’t slept in in so long that I wasn’t really sure what to do. After a minute of thought, my head cleared a little and I noticed the plate of food sitting just behind the clock with a note folded next to it, along with a small box. My hunger urged me to grab for the food, which was probably cold considering I didn’t see any steam coming off of it, so it had to have been there for awhile, however, what caught and held my attention was the note and box.

Reaching for the note, I licked my lips and hesitantly opened it. I was having trouble recalling all of what happened yesterday, but as the words on the dull white paper filled in the blanks, I felt my stomach drop.

I apologize for telling you in this way, but I can’t afford to miss work and I couldn’t wake you this morning. I suppose I’m just a coward, but I can’t face what I did yet. I have the kids and will be home early and if you need to wait until then, I will gladly do whatever you need me to during the test and I will take full responsibility for whatever the result may be.

  Richard

I didn’t need to try and remember anything now. Images were swimming through my mind from last night… And they were hot. My face warmed but I couldn’t push down the panic in my gut as I turned to stare at the pregnancy test. It would only take a minute. All I had to do was go bathroom, which I really had to do. Yet I found myself staying in bed for another twenty minutes before finally forcing my limbs to move.

Even as I made myself take that short, terrible walk to the bathroom, I was praying that last night had somehow not happened. Now that I could actually think clearly I knew that I’d gone into heat really badly. The ache in my backside making it also rather obvious that we had been very busy last night. It had been so long since my heat had happened that I was taken off guard. I also thought it wouldn’t be so bad, but it had been unbelievably painful and hot. So hot. My cheeks heated with a blush that ran halfway down my chest as I finally stopped in front of the toilet, looking down at the box in my hand.

“We-we’ll make it work i-if it’s positive.”

My voice shook with emotion and I blinked back tears. The thought of having more puppies was overwhelming but if Richard was true to his word, it might not be overbearing… With that tiny moment of slight relief, I got the test out of the box and relieved myself, then set the test on the counter before jumping in the shower.

I took my time washing myself while sitting on the seat he’d placed in the shower before, then rewashing my body until it was red from all the rubbing. When the water finally ran cold I stepped out, unable to keep my worry inside any longer. My feet took me to stand in front of the sink counter and my eyes landed on the test.

Then relief flooded my system.

“Negarive.”

The next several hours were spent cleaning, and tripping. Mostly cleaning, thankfully, but sometimes my feet still thought they were paws and trip me up. By the time the front door opened I’d gotten dressed in a pair of Richard’s loose black shorts and cleaned most of the kitchen and living room area. I wasn’t really sure when I should tell Richard about the test, but the moment I saw him stagger into the kitchen looking like a zombie, I knew I couldn’t let him stress about it any longer.

“Negarive.” I said quietly, feeling my cheeks warm.

Richard’s head snapped up, eyes widening slightly as he replied. “What?”

I tried to smile but was too embarrassed to really make it work. “Negarive. The test.”

The look of utter relief on his face made my smile become a bit more natural. I didn’t blame him for losing control last night… I knew I definitely had. He’d also helped me, even though, judging from the dark rings under his eyes and the look of exhaustion in them, he hadn’t meant to do it. My heart even gave a tiny stutter when he stepped forward and wrapped me in his arms, heaving a heavy sigh as his forehead dropped to my shoulder.

“Thank god. I’m so sorry that I lost control. It will never happen again, I swear it. I-I didn’t adopt you to do that, e-ever. God, I’m such a—-ouch!”

I couldn’t help it. I sucked with emotions in general so when he started panicking with his arms still around me I had to bite his ear. Hard. He let me go and stepped back, one hand going to his slightly-bleeding ear as he stared at me in shock.

“You just…”

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I bited your ear.” I stated plainly, a bit surprised though, when he suddenly started laughing instead of saying something back.

“Wh-what?” I asked, getting a little annoyed that he was laughing now. Heck, I was about to bite him again when I felt a fuzzy paw tap at my leg. The second I saw my son my anger melted away and I knelt down to pull him into a strong hug.

“Hey der, Coda. Were you a good boy today?”

My pup yipped in response, making me smile and lick his nose.

“So um.”

Looking up, I raised a brow at Richard, silently asking him to continue.

“Well, I left early from work for two reasons. Of course the uh, first one was to check on you, but the other. Well, I made an appointment for you at the local shapeshifter vet.”

My mouth opened slightly, then shut, then opened again. “The… vet?”

I remembered faint memories of former vet visits when I was a tiny puppy but not much besides the fact that I hated them. Before he could even speak again I was getting to my feet and heading for the living room.

“Sam, come on. They’re bound to have more information on why you go into heat and maybe they can help so what happened last night doesn’t happen again.”

I still wasn’t interested… That is, until he mentioned something else.

“Well, at least Coda has to go. He has worms and the shelter said he needs one more dose of dewormer to be safe.”

He didn’t need to add, surely you want your boy to be healthy , but I knew it was hanging in the air between us. I sighed, staring at Coda as he snuggled in my arms, tail wagging enthusiastically. Relenting, I turned towards where Richard stood at the entrance to the kitchen and narrowed my eyes.

“He can gets dwarmers, but nothing to me.”

Richard grinned, making me think that he had something up his sleeve. “Alright. Let’s get ready to go. I already fed him and Jess and you can grab something when we get home.”

I nodded, following him out the door without caring that I wasn’t wearing a shirt. The vet was surprisingly close, too, so the car ride was only a few minutes before we pulled into the parking lot. My nerves were on edge when Richard helped his daughter and I slid out with Coda. When we stepped inside the waiting room was empty, which was probably why we were called back almost immediately and put into a tiny room that made me extremely uncomfortable.

The vet helped, a little. He was wearing a bright pink doctor’s jacket that I thought was normally supposed to be white. He also had on huge, dorky glasses and a giant smile that bordered on creepy.

“Hello there, my name is Dr. Williams and you must be Richard,” he said, reaching to shake Richard’s hand and smile at Jess before turning his attention to myself and Coda. “What a cute little puppy!”

He leaned over, giving Coda a gentle pat on the head before looking up at me. “What’s this little guy’s name?”

I wasn’t happy about him being so close to Coda, but I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Richard and his daughter. “Coda.”

“What a cute name. Alright, we’ve just got to give him a wormer, right?” He asked, glancing up at Richard and getting a nod in response. “Great. I’ve already got it drawn up, so let’s get that done.”

I gently set Coda down on the cold metal table when told to by the doctor, then held his mouth open after being promised that the wormer wasn’t anything dangerous. He did mention that it might make him throw up, but he was a baby, so that was already part of the deal. Once the medicine was given I grabbed him back up and turned, intent on leaving… But of course, Richard was blocking the door and when I turned back around, the doctor was standing in front of the other one. Anger welled up in my belly when I whirled back to snarl at Richard, Coda in my arms.

“Now listen, Sam. I know you don’t like the vet, but I think this is what needs to be done. I came here so that he can help you, not hurt you.”

“I don’t want to be helped!” I shouted, knowing that my canine form was beginning to push through in self defense. Richard saw it and gently took Coda from me right as I began to sprout fur around my face. The shift was seamless and soon I was a frustrated Australian Shepherd. To make matters worse, if that were possible, Richard snatched me up, holding my squirming body easily in his insanely strong arms.

Bastard!

I tried my best to bite him, but after a few tense minutes I realized that I wasn’t going to get anywhere and was just being a terrible influence on the children.

“Will you just let him give you a quick exam? No shots or anything, just a check up. He can help you, but you have to have an exam first before he can do anything.”

I wanted to tell him that I could help myself, but I knew I wasn’t going to get out of the damn room without doing what he wanted. It sucked, and I was pissed, but I eventually calmed down so that Richard could set me on my feet again. The doctor wasted no time in getting down on my level but he was actually really careful each time he pulled on one of my limbs to check its reflex and backed off each time I gave a warning growl that he was going too far.

He was smart when taking my temperature and used my mouth instead of somewhere else, then finally stood up after a quick look at my teeth. While he wrote he asked me to get on a scale in the corner, which I sat down on when directed. Once the weight flashed across the screen he wrote it down and smiled.

“All done! Your reflexes are good and I didn’t see or feel anything to worry about. You do need to gain another fifteen or so pounds, but everything else looks great.”

I nodded, allowing my body to return to my human form. Thankfully the shorts I’d been wearing were still on, so I didn’t need to get dressed or be naked in front of him.

“Okay, so, Richard tells me you’re a cross shifter and has also mentioned that Coda is your pup?”

Pursing my lips, I replied with a quiet “Yes.”

He smiled. “Alright, he also let me know that you happened to go into heat recently and that has caused some… Tension. I think I can help you with that in two ways.”

Curiosity warred with embarrassment as he reached behind himself and grabbed two items. One, I wasn’t surprised to see. A small bottle with, what seemed to be only one tiny pill. The other, however, made me glare. A collar? Really?

“Now now, before you get upset, let me explain.”

I bit my tongue, waiting for his explanation. Which better be good.

“The pill is in case you go into heat again and happen to sleep with someone. It will immediately terminate any pregnancy but it must be taken within a day, though within the next few hours is recommended. And this,” he said, holding up the collar. “Is to prevent someone coming after you because your pheromones attract them.”

“Wait secon, is that why… Last nigh?”

The doctor nodded, offering me the collar, which I hesitantly took to eye closely. It didn’t look like anything special. In fact, it looked gaudy, and even had a little bell like one of those stupid cat collars.

“The bell actually has a very rare, and unfortunately expensive herb in it that somehow manages to block the majority of heat pheromones. We aren’t sure why, but it works a lot better in cross shifters, though it is sometimes used for normal females as well.”

I wanted to ask him so many questions but I knew it would be useless. I couldn’t afford something expensive. Hell, I had no money at all to my name. So, reluctantly, I offered him the collar back. He frowned, reaching for it, but then Richard suddenly grabbed it, taking the bottle from the doctor at the same time.

“Thanks Doc, we’ll take both. Are we all set?”

Even as he spoke I tried to question him. We didn’t have to have the collar… I could just take the pill if things got bad, but when I opened my mouth to tell him he completely ignored any word I managed to spit out and fastened the small collar around my neck.

“Yes, but I need to tell you, Sam.” The doctor said as he turned to me and I fidgeted under his gaze. “From what Richard explained, you had a severe heat yesterday, which is normal considering it’s your first after having Coda. However, it could also mean that you just have those sorts of heats. It’s normal, but I have to recommend that you pick up some condoms from the store as soon as possible, just because you did have trouble controlling yourself at certain points.”

I couldn’t reply and I bet my face was more red than a cherry.

“Okay, I’ve already got some somewhere at home so until we can get to the store, we’ll have those just in case.” Richard replied before ushering me outside towards the office. There was a young woman sitting in the waiting room but we paid her no mind as Richard took care of the bill, then got us in the car to head home. I was silent the whole way, fingering my new collar. I had heard the veterinary clerk say that the cost of the visit had been nearly four hundred dollars. Which was probably why I couldn’t get my tongue to work.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

My eyes lifted to meet Richard’s in the rear-view mirror when we stopped at a light. I couldn’t think of anything to say, but I had a feeling I didn’t have to.

Gone

The week wore on much smoother after the vet visit. Sam’s heat had definitely diminished after their time in the shower, but I could still notice little changes in his behavior and a few extra long showers. He knew I was there for him if he really needed it but he stayed away more than usual. I knew why though, so I didn’t mind. At least I told myself that as I stepped out into the crisp evening air and into deep snow. My heavy paws dug into the cold slush, sending a chill straight up to my overheating mind. Snap out of it, stupid bear. He’s the one in heat, not you.

Jessica bounded past me as I thought with Coda hot on her heals. His diaper was already getting wet considering that the snow was up to his shoulders, but eh, he had fur and we could just change it later. I waited until Sam sauntered past me before reaching up and sliding the door shut. It was likely close to twenty degrees out but none of us seemed to mind as I ran over to where Sam was playing with the kids near the kennel I still had set up. Jess was plowing through the snow trying to climb on Sam while his own pup was stumbling through the large hills of frozen water, not heavy enough yet to sink into it for better footing.

I made my way over happily, my bear content and warm in the chilly weather with its dense layer of fur, and a tad of fat. While Jess seemed focused on Sam, I waddled over to Coda and cleared a small patch of snow so that he was able to stand and romp around as well. He wasted no time once he was able to stand normally and quickly pounced on my paws and legs, growling playfully as his tail swished against the frozen ground.

Even as we played, I couldn’t help but find my eyes wandering to Sam. Over and over and over again. My bear wasn’t helping much because each time I looked, it lifted its lip, trying to scent the pheromones being blocked by the collar. I knew they were there and somehow, my bear did too, but he couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t sense them. Also, he didn’t understand why Sam wasn’t keening for his attention. He was a capable male all-be-it a bit chubby, and mating when something was in heat was what his instincts told him to do.

It’s okay, I’m confused as well, just not about the same thing you are Sir. Fuzzy Butt.

What I was confused about, was why I couldn’t stop staring at him. He was a young man, as was I. And hell, right now he was a dog! We had shared something that shouldn’t have happened and now I couldn’t get him out of my head. Blinking, I felt something nuzzle at my nose and looked down at Sam. He turned in a circle and I had to seriously fight hard to keep my bear from trying to jump his bones.

For the love of god, he’s just playing!

Grinding my teeth together, I began chasing him, glad that he was easily fast enough to avoid my slightly chubby bear. By the time he finally stopped over by the glass door, I was panting heavily and my bears libido had thankfully died with the exhaustive exercise. When we got inside I shifted, grabbing Coda and taking him to the bathroom to change his diaper. By the time I had him back in the living room Sam was dressed in a pair of loose pajama pants. The lack of shirt jerked something inside me but I shoved it to the back of my mind and smiled as I turned and went to my room to get dressed.

I didn’t want to chance skin on skin contact at the moment, so I put on a light sweater, even though the heater was going strong, along with a pair of black sweatpants. Returning to the kitchen a minute later, I saw Sam handing Jess a small carrot he’d taken from the fridge. He then gave one to his son to chew at, leaving the kids to snack as I walked in to start an early dinner. Tomorrow was Monday so work was unfortunately needed but everyone had begun to get used to coming with me on most days. Whenever they didn’t though, Sam managed to take care of them, each time getting better and better at it. He was already adept at changing diapers and his speech had gotten better, along with his motor skills.

“How are you feeling, Sam?” I asked as I got down a big pot and filled it with water to begin boiling on the stove.

Evidently reading my mind, he got down two boxes of pasta and set them by the stove before replying. “Pretty good. I think it will be ensing soon.”

That was a relief. I took the pasta once the water was boiling and added it, then turned, leaning against the counter to look at him. His skin was pale from being outside in the cold for so long but it looked like it was beginning to regain some color. Since his legs were covered by the pants he’d tugged on, my eyes lifted back up, landing on his faintly blushing face. He knew what he was doing immediately and looked away at the floor but I couldn’t help the sharp pull at my chest his blush brought up.

“U-um, well, I haven’t noticed any worms in Coda’s diapers so I think that last dewormer got rid of whatever might have been left.”

Oh god. Why the hell did I just say something like that while standing in the kitchen cooking dinner?!

He thought Sam might make a face at him… which he technically was, but it soon broke down into a cheerful laugh as his shoulders shook and his face flushed with humor.

Gorgeous.

The doorbell chimed, snapping me out of my thoughts with a surprised gasp.

“I-I got it!” I stammered as I ran out of the kitchen, leaving Sam to tend the pasta. By the time I got the door open my face had a fake smile plastered upon it.

“Hello, how may I help you two?” I asked the couple standing on my doorstep that looked way too dressed up to live in my neighborhood. Are those real diamonds? On all six of those huge bracelets? Dear god, they must be loaded. But then, why were they here?

“Hello, we are the Giligan’s and we came with a court order for our grandson.”

A what for what?

I reached forward automatically when the paper was offered, eyes skimming over the words but not really reading anything but Sam’s name. Realizing that this could seriously be bad, I forced myself to refocus and reread the document, frowning. It was definitely real and as I finished reading, it was apparent that Coda was in danger of being taken away from his own mother because of what Sam’s damn parents had done to him to begin with. I was about to tell them to get off of my property, but then I noticed the police car sitting on the street in front of my yard.

Bastards planned ahead.

“This document says that he is not fit to take care of his child, with the statement about him ending up in animal control for support.”

They both nodded, their expressions turning dark for a split second before brightening up back to their fake persona’s.

“Nothing in here mentions that I signed a legal document adopting both him and his son,” I stated with a small smile.

“The adoption has been voided as Samuel is not a pet animal but a shapeshifter.”

Shit.

“He is eighteen, at least, so he should have a say in this.”

Mrs. Giligan rolled her eyes and sighed. “The document states that he is eighteen, but he is unfit to afford his son’s basic needs and thus is not able to care for him, while we are.”

I didn’t want to let them have Coda, but I couldn’t do anything without speaking with a lawyer to understand what is going on and how I can claim Coda as an adopted son and not pet. If I could possibly get his pet adoption application switched over to something like a normal adoption application, perhaps I could officially adopt him without too many other issues. Until then, I bit back all the words I wanted to call the two people standing in front of me with smug grins and turned.

I was expecting to see Coda or Sam looking at me from the living room, but what I saw broke my heart in two. Jessica was staring out the sliding back door as it sat wide open and I’d bet all of my money that Sam and Coda were gone.

In Wolf’s Clothing

(You guys got super cereal during the last chapter XD I’ve had to put Sam’s parents in hiding for the moment)

Sam-

Digging through the garbage wasn’t too bad. I managed to find enough scraps of meat to feed Coda, after trying them myself to see if they were safe to eat, of course. That left me hungry though, for several days. It was something I was used to at least, and since Coda was decently full more often than not, I was happy. We were currently looking for another meal in the back alley by an apartment complex in a decent area of town. It wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t cheap, either.

When my son gave an excited yip I turned my head, figuring I’d see him present me with another piece of food that was likely inedible, but when I saw him halfway down the alley behind me taking a piece of beef jerky from someone, I immediately went on high alert. My lips pulled back and a snarl left them, making the human’s head snap up so that our eyes met. He wisely took a step away from Coda, but my darn trusting pup just followed him, begging for more food.

“I-I’m sorry, momma.” The person, who I could now tell was a young man, likely in his late teens or early twenties, said. His hands were raised in a defensive gesture, the package of jerky in the left one, the right one bare.

“I just wanted to help, you guys look hungry.”

My eyes narrowed as I stepped closer, hackles raised in warning. He was smart and seemed to understand the gestures I was giving him because he remained completely still until I took Coda between my teeth and backed up back towards the knocked-over trash bins we’d been digging through.

“You guys are going to go back to that stuff? That’s not cool, or healthy. Um, hang on a minute and I’ll get you guys some real food, okay?”

Before I could answer he was running over to a fire escape and easily climbing the stairs up to a window I hadn’t realized was open. I thought about taking Coda and running, but it would seem that the young man didn’t know who I was or seem to really care. Sitting down, I waited about two minutes before the man appeared back out of the window. He was carrying a plastic grocery bag from one of the local stores, and it seemed decently weighted. I met him at the bottom of the stairs, Coda now at my feet, whining for the food.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got in here,” the young man said as he set the bag down. Coda wasn’t very good at waiting though, and quickly dove into the bag to pull out a big slice of turkey cold cut a moment later. “Here girl,” the man said, laughing lightly as he reached into the bag and offered me several slices of turkey. I took it greedily, being just careful enough not to nip his fingers.

The meat disappeared in minutes, leaving Coda sleepy with a full belly, but my own less than satisfied. It was nice to have something in it, but I was still really hungry.

“You don’t look too full, momma.”

He paused for a moment, obviously in thought as he ran his fingers through his mussy dark hair. It looked almost grey, but also black in the darkness.

“By any chance are you a shapeshifter?”

I growled at his question, unintentionally answering it and putting a smile on his face.

“I see. Well, I don’t really care why you and your pup are on the streets but I do care that you guys don’t freeze tonight… and I’m sure you’d like more than a few pieces of sliced turkey. If you’re comfortable with the idea, you guys can stay at my place for the night.”

His generosity made me nervous. He could easily lie and take us in, but I had run a good ways across the city to try and avoid any chance of being caught by my parents. Like I would ever call them that again without hatred. Pushing that thought from my mind for now, I decided to give this man a shot, if only for the chance to have my boy in warmth for the night. My body wavered, then shifted until I was sitting on the dirty alley floor, butt naked and completely embarrassed.

“Hey man, wow.” The guy coughed out his words, obviously surprised.

I thought he might think I was a freak or maybe call the cops, having recognized me, but instead he grinned widely and offered me a fist to bump with my own.

“A cross-shifter. Awesome, man. I know quite a few so you’re safe with me. Not interested in making babies and I see that you already have a pheromone collar, so I won’t be jumping yer bones.”

I awkwardly reached over and bumped my knuckles with his. It seemed like that was a magic switch, because he suddenly jumped up, moving several steps up the fire escape.

“Come on up.”

He ran another few steps, then turned once on a landing as I scooped up Coda and began to slowly follow. “Oh yeah, my name is Wolf, and yeah, I’m a wolf shapeshifter.”

I snickered a little, making his grin widen. “Yup, I’m awesome. What’s you and your son’s names?”

“His name is Coda and I’m Sam,” I said as I met him on the first landing and we began to ascend to the next, then the next. When we finally got to his window I hesitantly slipped in, my nose flaring as I scented the apartment. It was dark but didn’t smell of drugs or alcohol, much. There was definitely alcohol floating around in the air but as we got to the living room, I realized it was just because of one half-empty bottle sitting on the small dining room table near an empty plate with pasta sauce on it.

“Just settle down anywhere, and uh, here,” the guy said, tossing me a pair of sweatpants he’d grabbed from his room as we walked through it to the living room. I pulled them on and got Coda settled on the carpeted floor near the sofa while Wolf disappeared into the kitchen. While he was busy I looked around the room, noting the minimal decorations but cleanliness.

He must have just bought it, or not really care to decorate.

About ten minutes later Wolf was back, setting a big plate of spaghetti in front of me that had a large portion of meat piled on top of it. When I looked up to thank him he offered me a fork and smiled. “Eat up. I made too much anyways, so you’ll be doing me a favor since I’m not a huge fan of leftovers.”

I had no problem doing that! I delved into the big plate of food as my son slept beside me on his back, paws in the air. It was actually delicious, though simple. I wasn’t picky in the least, considering I’d been diving through garbage cans for dinner, that much should be obvious.

“So, I’m guessing your that aussie shifter they have all over the news?”

My body tensed immediately, hands frozen with the fork dug into the remaining spaghetti.

“Don’t worry, man. As far as I’m concerned, you’re just another guy. Besides, I know several cross-shifters and one especially, who seems to have been in a similar, if slightly worse, situation. Somehow I don’t trust the people after your kid. If they wanted him so badly, why not take you back, too?”

I nodded slowly, watching him like a hawk as he leaned against the doorway to the kitchen.

“So anyways, don’t worry. Not interested in turning you in. You can stay here for a few days, or just tonight. Whatever you want to do is fine with me as long as you don’t trash the place. And,” he smirked, disappearing down the hall for a moment before returning and holding up something. “I’m often babysitting my friends’ little pup so I have plenty of diapers.”

My shoulders relaxed on a huge sigh and I quickly stood up, scooping Coda into my arms before approaching Wolf. He offered me the bag of diapers and gave a slight wave. “Gonna finish my beer, then likely crash on the sofa. Sleep wherever you want and feel free to use the shower, too.”

I nodded, a bit blindsided by his hospitality. Not wanting to dwell on it, less I start to stress, I quickly got my sleepy puppy cleaned up and changed into a fresh diaper, then set him down on the soft mat on the floor by the shower. Since he was out cold I took my chance and showered, loving the heat as it soothed my tired body. When I was done I dried off and slipped the borrowed pants back on and picked Coda up. He was complete deadweight in my arms, his tongue lolling to the side as he drooled a little, still in his puppy form.

When I made my way slowly back into the living room I discovered that Wolf was good to his word. He was out cold just like Coda, on his back on the sofa, snoring loudly. The image brought a smile to my lips before I turned back to settle in his bedroom. The bed was unmade and it didn’t seem like he actually had used it anytime recently. Normally I’d sleep on the floor since it wasn’t my place, but I wanted Coda to get the best sleep he could so that he didn’t get sick if we had to leave again early the next morning. It was likely to happen, so I carefully climbed into the bed and hugged my boy tight as I followed him off to sleep within minutes.

“Dude, I told you not to use my butt as a paintbrush again! We graduated almost three years ago, you should have grown out of that stupid joke, even if you were trying to teach him what painting was.”

Groaning, I stretched out on the bed and tried to snuggle back in when something fuzzy nuzzled my face, then licked it like crazy. I woke up groggily, grumbling at Coda… until I realized it wasn’t Coda.

A black puppy that seemed to be around three or four years old bounded off the bed, only to run over to a pair of feet and hop around in circles, doing little flips.

“Calm down, Flip. Wolf said not to come in here because of the guest,” someone whispered as I saw their hands scoop up the big pup. The sound of their feet growing further away had my heart calming, but I definitely wasn’t going to be going back to sleep.

Time to get up and see who’s here now…

Miss You

I wasn’t quite keen on talking at the moment and I didn’t trust my human self to defend Coda, so, when I finally stepped out of the room with my son’s puppy form in tow, I was in my own canine form. Being much more forward than I ever will, Coda bounded down the short hall and right after the other puppy that had woken me up and nearly stepped on Coda while we were in bed. The two stopped abruptly when they got close, sniffing each other nose to nose, then butt to butt. All eyes, that is mine, Wolf’s, and two other people’s, were on them.

Coda slowly began to wag his tail while the other one, I believe who was called Flip, gave a quiet yipping growl. When my son glanced back at me, a hopeful look in his eyes, I tilted my head slightly and nodded. That was all he needed. Coda pounced on Flip, sending the pup falling head over tail backwards. I thought it might make the pup or his caretakers mad, but when Flip just shook off the hit and began running around trying to tackle Coda, I knew they would be okay. 

That just left me… and three people I didn’t know or want to trust. They looked harmless enough, and as I sniffed the air, I could tell that only one was a predator, and that was Wolf.

“Hey there, Wolf told us he had a visitor. My name’s Grayson, I’m a mouse cross-shifter by the way, and this is my fiance, Erin.” He gestured towards the taller man standing beside him. “He’s an elephant.”

That’s… interesting.

“And that’s our son, Flip.”

Okay. Now I’m seriously confused.

“We adopted him after finding him on the road three years ago.”

I nodded, not really sure what they wanted me to say as a dog.

“This guy’s name is Sam. He’s a cross-shifter like you, Gray. His son is Coda.”

I wasn’t very happy about Wolf giving away what I was, but if the smaller man was a cross-shifter also, then I suppose he wouldn’t try to do something to me. His fiance also seemed not to care about the information and instead knelt down to catch Coda as he ran by, only to flop him down on his back for a good belly scratch. The sight had my heart suddenly clenching as the images of the moment where Richard had rubbed my belly while we were sitting on the couch flashed through my mind. While the memory was only there briefly before I refocused on the pups, I could still somehow feel the ghosts of his fingers running through my fur, rubbing playfully over my belly.

“Hey Sam.”

Blinking, I hopped back, baring my teeth for a second before realizing that Grayson wasn’t squatting in front of me to attack, but because he was worried. I couldn’t stop myself from panting but I did lower my hackles and made sure to look at my paws for a moment to silently apologize.

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to surprise you, you just looked… I don’t know. Sad?”

His fiance walked over, kneeling next to him with a smile. “I’ve seen you on the news, but don’t worry. We won’t let your parents take your baby.”

His smile grew and he looked at Grayson, then back at me. “In fact, we actually know someone who might be more than happy to lend you a spare room and safety.”

I quirked my brow, confused but also interested. If I could find a safe place for myself and, more importantly, my baby, then I would listen to any offer. Even from a stranger.

“Looks like we’ve got your attention. Well, we know a guy that runs the local lion pride here, and while he is a carnivore, he’s really an awesome guy. Also, he’s got a huge house that always has spare rooms open.”

He waited a moment, probably wanting to see a reaction of some sort from me. I sat down, lifting my ears just enough to seem like a decent response, because he continued afterwards. “If you’d like, I can call him to come over and meet you and your son. He has his own kids but they’re all in school so they won’t be around during the day and know better than to bother guests.”

The prospect of having a lion near Coda wasn’t very settling, but if a mouse, elephant, and wolf could trust him, surely he wasn’t that bad. So, I gave a hesitant nod.

“Cool, I’ll go give him a call. Till then, we brought over some breakfast and since Wolf already ate, you and your son can eat as much as you want.”

My nose twitched, sniffing the air. Surprisingly, I hadn’t smelled the food until just now.

Man, I must be stressed to not notice food after starving for nearly a year.

I gave a quiet woof in response, then strode past the two to find the container sitting on the glass coffee table by the sofa. It was easy for me to get it to the floor, then open with a few swipes of my paw, allowing me access to the delicious eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. I doubted the two, or at least Erin, would touch bacon, so I figured it had been added for Wolf.

Well, I gladly snapped up the bacon, then some of the eggs and potatoes before turning my attention to Coda. I barked a few times, making him suddenly stop playing and bound over. As soon as he saw the food and sniffed, I stepped aside and let him dig in. He had a bit of trouble with the crispy potatoes but had no trouble with the mushy eggs. While it wasn’t intentional, I did end up guarding the food from Flip rather aggressively when he came over to investigate. Thankfully Grayson understood and quickly scooped up their boy.

When Coda finished eating his fill I finished the remaining food, then settled in as he decided to curl against me for a nap. He was soon joined by Flip after Grayson set the pup down, but I didn’t mind. I was completely awake and paying attention to the three as they conversed about random things, leaving me out of the talk, likely because I wasn’t exactly going to talk back.

It wasn’t until about an hour later, when a knock wrapped at the door, did the conversation stop and the air get a bit tense as Wolf got up to answer it. The person that walked through it was every bit a lion that I’ve ever seen. His hair was a dark gold mixed with a fine layer of black and just a hint of silver. It wrapped around his face, meshing with his mussy head of hair just like an actual mane. Besides the hair, the rest of him definitely stacked up just as strongly. The man was a wall of muscle and intimidation was literally written with invisible ink across his chest. 

My reaction was immediate when he walked closer, his eyes only flickering to Coda for a split second. But it was enough. I moved overtop my boy, ignoring Flip as he ran over to be scooped up by the huge man for a hug.

Well you’re not getting near my son, lion!

I bared my teeth, hackles raising in defense. Instead of laughing or growling back like I expected, the large man just smiled and set Flip down, then sat beside the pup on the floor.

Huh?

It caught me off guard and after only a few minutes, I settled down.

“I’d really like to talk with you, Sam. My friend Erin asked me for a favor, which I have no issue fulfilling, but I do need to be mindful of my own family and frequent guests.”

What he was saying was completely understandable and while I was still a little tense, as long as he stayed where he was, I figured I could manage. So, I carefully shifted, tucking Coda into my arms as soon as I had changed completely. When I looked up from my son, I noticed the man staring calmly, likely waiting. It was awkward, but I guessed I had to start off our weird conversation. “H-Hello…”

His smile turned up in wattage, his hands randomly playing with Flip, though mostly just allowing the pup to nibble at his fingers. “Hello, Sam. It’s nice to meet you.”

I nodded, not really sure what else to do.

“I’ve seen you on the news, but I know from experience that reporters can change their story based on money. So, tell me the truth.”

Lying wasn’t an option. I knew right away that he would realize if I even tried, but that was okay. I had nothing to lie about, so I sat up straight and held my shoulders back. Before I started speaking I briefly realized the others had disappeared, likely into one of the bedrooms down the hall.

“My name is Sam and this is my son, Coda. I was not aware of what I was in high school and my phermomones got me raped. When my parents found out I was pregnants, they kicked me out. They are very high societing people and in their perfect life, cross-shifters are disgusting, worthless things.”

I pursed my lips, licking them as I pulled myself back together, having realized I was getting stressed and messing up some of my words.

“I lived on the streets until I had my pups… but Coda was the only one who survived thanks to a restaurant owner who fed me for a little while. We were later caught by animal control and I was about to be put to sleep for aggression when.” My words froze on my tongue and tears stung my eyes. Leaning over, I got busy grooming Coda, licking at his fur even as he squirmed in my arms.

“You got adopted, didn’t you?”

My eyes widened and I looked up at the man. His smile had softened and he was scratching behind Flip’s ears gently.

“On the news. They noted that someone had adopted you named Richard to help you reacclimate to normal life.”

His words had me fingering my collar, the feel of it bringing back memories.

“He bought you that, didn’t he?”

I nodded solemnly.

“You miss him?”

Another nod, followed by several unwanted tears.

“Well, I don’t see you as a threat and you definitely weren’t lying. I can assume quite a few reasons as to why your parents suddenly want your son, but we can discuss that at a later date and time. However, while I do believe you and think you would be fine to stay in my home until you are able to care for both yourself and your son, are you actually ready to do that?”

Licking my lips, I felt my nerves begin to numb my fingertips and toes.

“How about this, Sam. What if Richard brought you there and could visit whenever I was home?”

I couldn’t help it, I yipped quietly, my head jerking up with excitement. The gesture and sound got the man rumbling out a deep laugh, but I didn’t care. I missed Richard, and I even missed his daughter. Part of it was probably the dog inside of me, but whatever.

“How about this. I’ll go meet him tonight, as this town’s shifter population is mostly lions, I tend to have eyes and ears just about everywhere. Thus, I can figure out where he lives pretty quickly. I’ll speak with him and see about him coming to get you, then bring you over. Of course, it will likely be later at night so that any of the paparazzi idiots stalking him hoping that you’d come back wouldn’t follow.”

I nodded fervently and he chuckled, then pushed himself to his feet.

“Well then, I’ll give Wolf a call tomorrow and we’ll see how things go.”

He started turning when I didn’t answer, likely planning to leave, but right as he got to the door I stumbled to my feet, Coda still in my arms, and tried to project my voice to him without shouting loudly. “Thank you!”

He stopped abruptly and turned to smile back at me. “You are very welcome, Sam. I hope things will work out well for you and your son.”

With that he ducked out, shutting the door behind him.

We Are

(Sorry I forgot to reply to comments! Cause I feel bad, has another chapter early, though kinda unedited… but I make up for that part with a cute doggy picture?)

Richard-

Work was horrible and amazing all at the same time. The amazing part was because I got a ton of it done and my boss had given me a desperately-needed raise. The horrible part was that I couldn’t keep a certain dog off my mind. I’d had to work nearly three times as fast since he’d left because I kept losing track of what I was doing and writing the wrong thing, or worse, writing it multiple times. So, when it was finally time to leave for the day I couldn’t have run out of there fast enough.

Knowing that I had to go pick up Sam, I had made arrangements for our normal babysitter to watch after Jess until late. That gave me time to drive a few different routes, just in case I was being followed, which I was pretty sure I was until the last route, then head over to Wolf’s apartment. Jordan, a lion shifter I had met once or twice in passing, had contacted me yesterday and told me about where Sam was and where he needed help going. He didn’t elaborate further, and I didn’t ask. As soon as he gave me the address and I told him a time I could come, we both agreed and hung up.

Now, pulling into the small parking lot in front of the building, I felt my palms awkwardly begin to sweat. “Come on, Richard. Just pick him up, give him some encouragement, then let him go.”

The idea just made me rub my hands vigorously against my tan pants, then down my face.

“Let’s go.” I told myself as I forced the door open and stepped out, then made my way up the stairs without a second thought. The knock was a little harder to manage. After two minutes I finally rose my hand and wrapped my knuckles on it twice, then waited. Little barks echoed from inside before the door was finally opened by a young man.

“Hey, you must be Richard?”

I nodded, quickly stepping inside so that he could close the door. Before I could even turn around I felt paws on my back, frantically tapping. When I did whirl around it was to see Sam starting another jump.

“Hey you!” I cheered, unable to help myself as I met his jump with my arms and scooped him up. My face got an immediate and thorough washing, making me laugh as I tried to dodge but failed miserably.

“You’re such a crazy boy!”

Sam barked repeatedly, making me wince at the loud sound. When he stopped for a moment I looked at the guy who had let us in, noticing that he was the only one here, and quickly spoke. “Can we go to another room real quick?”

He didn’t hesitate to nod and point down the hall to a partially-open door. I nodded my thanks, then toted Sam to the room, shutting the door on Coda so that we could have a minute. When I noticed that the room was the bedroom I happily made my way to the bed and sat down, letting Sam dart around atop the comforter until he was finally worn out enough to shift. Before I could even get a word out he was in my lap, nuzzling against my face and licking intermittently. I though it would be odd, especially because he was in human form, naked, and in my lap.

It wasn’t. Or it was and my bear’s instincts was just having a huge say in what I was doing because my hands refused to stop. They moved first to the traditional hugging position, but then, all on its own accord, my left one began to skim down his warm back.

Our lips met. I couldn’t remember who had started the kiss, but my dominant side wouldn’t let Sam take control of it. I ravaged his mouth, growling hungrily as my left hand squeezed, somehow having found its way to the left cheek of his backside. He groaned, spurring me on to start shifting us so that I could get him on his back on the bed.

“Hey bro! You gotta head out soon, Jordan’s waiting!”

Shit!

My body immediately changed, my incredibly embarrassed, bumbling bear taking over as I promptly lost my balance and flopped backwards with a loud thunk! on the floor.

Ouch.

I made myself sit up, scowling because I just ruined my work shirt. The buttons had all shot off when I’d shifted, and my pants? Yeah, those were a lost cause.

Oh no.

My eyes narrowed in on the one thing my bear could never resist. It grabbed the one remaining sock that hadn’t gotten shredded and promptly removed it, then tried to jam himself under the bed. It didn’t work. At least, not completely. Our back legs were definitely exposed and the bed had risen at least a half foot because part of it was now being held up by my fluffy butt!

The embarrassment is real.

“Uh oh,” Sam said as he slid from the bed to kneel beside it and look under at me.

My bear growled, obviously wanting to protect his catch even if he was stuck. Sam rolled his eyes and got up, walking out of the room from what I could hear before returning with Wolf.

“Really man? Why are you under my bed and in your animal form?”

As he spoke Wolf got busy yanking on my bear’s foot even while I growled in warning. He got me a few inches before sighing in frustration. When I saw his head poke beneath the blanket, followed by Sam’s, I gave a huff and tried to finish off the sock.

“That’s not going to come out pleasantly…” Wolf murmured as I watched Sam reach for it.

Don’t do that, stupid! You know I’ll eat you in a second if—Oh dear god that sounds terrible!

He retracted his hand, but then his form wavered and he shifted before crawling under the bed with me. My bear was suddenly torn. He still wanted to eat the sock and had already gotten enough to likely make me be stuck on the toilet for quite awhile trying to get it out, but seeing Sam’s dog form right in front of him also stirred something knew in the fuzzy bastard. My huge paw reached out, the dead sock still in my mouth as I reached awkwardly for Sam.

Want.

The thought was partially mine but more my bear’s. He tried to reach out and grab Sam with both his paws now, but still couldn’t quite get there.

What are you doing, you weird bear?

It huffed, then gave a quiet rumbling cry of irritation in response. Frustration was building but dissipated the moment I felt the bed lift off of my overly-fluffed backside. I thought it would just sit up after that, or maybe reach for Sam and nudge at him like it sometimes did when I changed near Jess, but no. Not my bear. It always had to do things the hard way… at least for me. Most of the time it was the lazy way for it.

He barreled straight into Sam’s poor dog, spun in the process, and flopped against the wall. The poor pup was in his arms, bear-hugged, quite literally, to the point of being completely helpless against my fluffy, and slightly pudgy, belly. After a few moments of struggling Sam stopped trying to escape and glared up at me. That’s when my bear did the most shocking thing I’d ever seen. He leaned over. Let his nose wiggle with a sniff. Then peeled his lips back slightly to reveal the mutilated sock.

Jesus. The day my bear would share his sock…

Sam looked less than pleased by the gesture, but realization dawned on his face quickly and he awkwardly took the disgusting sock between his teeth. The sheer amount of excitement that ran through my bear caught it, and myself, off guard enough to actually force me back into control in my human form. I had no idea how or why, but I was grateful to have myself back… even though Sam was now sitting in my naked lap, my arms tight around him with a chewed-up sock between his teeth.

At least it’s not a non-chewed one? Because that would be very disturbing.

The image of Sam gagged with a sock lying on my bed was act––NO! No. No no no. Gently removing him from my lap, I jumped up and gave my head a few good shakes to clear it.

“Uh, can I borrow a pair of shorts, Wolf?” I asked awkwardly.

He thankfully didn’t hesitate to toss me a pair, which I slipped on before turning to Sam. He was thrown a pair right as I looked at him and quickly spat out the sock, then pulled them on before walking past me out the door, followed by Wolf. I took another moment before following, finally calm enough to get on with the show. My bear peaked its head into my mind, curious about what type of show I was talking about.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Hell, there is not it!

Fuming, I stalked past Sam and Wolf and headed out the door. I heard it close a moment later behind me after a quiet chuckle from Wolf. Ignoring the guy, I slid into my car and sighed, waiting until Sam slid into the other side with Koda in his arms before starting the car and backing out.

“Let’s get you home.”

I said the words, but judging from the heavy atmosphere suddenly taking over the small space, I knew neither of us could fathom those words meaning anywhere but with each other… but we also couldn’t ever let those words slip past our lips.

In The Doghouse

(Thanks for your patience on this story. Have some cute… and Snowman got jealous that I kept posting Balue, so, Snowman.)

Richard-

The entire drive to Jordan’s home was silent, on the outside. But on the inside, I was having a serious argument with my bear. He wanted Sam to come home with us and spend a long night in our bed with more than a few bottles of honey, though most of it wouldn’t end up in my mouth right away.

Darn it. Get a grip. You have a daughter and he’s young enough to almost be your son!

When we stopped at a red light I gave my head a good shake, drawing Sam’s attention. Thankfully he didn’t question me and we continued the last three blocks in almost-comfortable silence. By the time we pulled up it was pitch black, the only light illuminating the area was a streetlamp and the home pushed back from the road a bit.

Wow. Talk about money.

Of course, I had a feeling it was something like a pack house that wolves often had so I couldn’t really assume that he himself was rich.

Stop talking to yourself and get out of the car.

Licking my lips, I slid from my seat after an SUV went by, then walked around to Sam’s side and helped him out, even though he didn’t need it. I then realized that the driveway was clear of cars, likely because of the huge garage beyond it, but of course I had parked on the curb.

Stupid.

I was going to chastise myself again but when I felt gentle fingers press against my palm my attention turned to Sam, then his hand awkwardly holding mine with a few fingertips, his pup in his other arm.

Of course he’s nervous. Why are you worrying about your stupid thoughts when he’s literally moving into a house full of lions with his baby?

I didn’t know. Hell, I’d never been this nervous. Not even on my blasted wedding day. I felt like I was giving away my own child to be eaten by a pride of lions. My feet stopped abruptly, making Sam do the same when I squeezed his hand in my own. When he turned and looked up at me with questioning eyes I didn’t have an answer for him. Thankfully, the front door opened a moment later, cutting off my spinning thoughts. Sam turned and we both looked up to see Jordan calmly stepping out onto the doorstep.

“Hey there, Sam. It’s nice to see you again.”

My bear wanted to roar and chase Jordan right back into his den, err, house; but I knew I couldn’t do that. He was offering Sam a chance to keep Coda, something that I couldn’t.

You have your adorable daughter waiting for you at home. Your job is to provide for her and love her.

“Hey Jordan, thank you again for doing this,” I said, noticing that Sam hadn’t replied yet. I squeezed his hand again, hoping to urge him to walk over to Jordan, but when two medium-sized lions suddenly bolted out of the door and ran up to him, I knew this was about to get much harder.

Sam growled immediately, baring his teeth as the cats bounded over. They weren’t adults, likely only teens, if that, but that didn’t mean Sam didn’t see them as a threat to his baby, as he rightfully should. To keep him from getting into a fight, which appeared likely to happen as the lions romped around, I quickly scooped him up, his son still in his arms.

A deep, rumbling growl brought everyone’s attention back to Jordan, who was now standing in the grass a few feet away. The lions, especially, took notice. They stopped abruptly, then tucked their tails and bolted back into the large mansion-like house. Jordan was shaking his head, fingertips pressed against his temples in agitation.

“I apologize. My sons are at their rambunctious age but they mean no harm.”

I’m not convinced. And from the look on Sam’s face, he wasn’t either. Jordan seemed to understand that and took a moment to think before speaking again.

“While this isn’t an offer I would normally extend, perhaps you would be more comfortable in the dog house in the backyard? We had intended to get a dog and got the house for it so that if it wished to be outside, it could do so. But the boys, as you can see, would have likely scared it to much.”

I didn’t like the idea of him sleeping outside when the week’s forecast was seven days of straight snow. While I was against it, Sam actually seemed to relax a tiny bit in my arms.

“Sammy?”

He looked up at me, eyes wide but also a little tired. When he nodded my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. My bear grumbled repeatedly into my head that his pup wasn’t going to be sleeping outside in the frigid weather tonight, but when Sam climbed down from my arms and hesitantly began to follow Jordan around to a side gate, I couldn’t do anything but run after them to catch up. When we got to the massive expanse of the backyard I stopped, watching as Sam trudged through several inches of snow, trying to step where Jordan did to make it a little easier to move. By the time they got to the dog house I had my phone out and was calling the babysitter I had watching Jess.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Richard. Something came up like I thought it might. Are you still okay to watch Jess for the night?”

“Yes sir. I brought everything over just in case you needed me to stay till morning.”

I heaved a quiet sigh of relief at that.

“Awesome. Is Jess already in bed?”

“Yes sir. She ate dinner and then went to bed after a short story.”

“Great. Thank you for staying and I’ll be home tomorrow morning.”

The babysitter acknowledged that before we said our goodbyes and hung up. By that time I noticed Jordan walking back toward the dog house, two plates in his hands. He set them both at the entrance to the dog house, then turned and walked over to me.

“I’m going to assume that you wish to stay with him tonight?”

My face heated slightly as I slowly nodded.

“Alright. The house will be locked at night but if you need anything, just knock on one of the back doors. I brought food for both you and Sam and his boy. There’s already water in the doghouse, as my sons sometimes end up in there for a night.”

Smart man.

“Thank you, for everything. Maybe we can do another introduction with your sons tomorrow with better results.”

He nodded and smiled, the grin nearly swallowed by his huge beard.

“I think that would be a good idea. Until then. Have a good night, Richard.”

“You too,” I added as we headed our separate ways. Me toward the doghouse and Jordan toward his home. When I got there I wasn’t surprised to see Sam already in his dog form, his little stub tail wagging when I carefully maneuvered into the tiny house. Once I was comfortable I grabbed the two plates, which happened to be delicious smelling lasagna.

“Here you go boys, eat up.” I said as I set the plate down in front of them. Coda pounced in the pasta right away, covering himself in sauce as Sam took big chomping bites. Neither plate had a fork, so I figured Jordan thought we’d both be in our animal forms tonight.

Can’t really argue with his logic. My bear will be much warmer for myself, Sam, and Coda than my human self.

With a shrug, I quickly stripped out of my clothing and shifted.

Well. Now I know why they don’t call these bearhouses.

My big, fuzzy butt was barely moveable in the close quarters. I nearly stepped on our food twice and smacked my head more than a few times before I was finally laying down comfortably, blocking the exit.

I’m not fat. Just fluffy. I told myself as I began to dig into the pasta like a starved, well, bear. The chill from the weather kicking up didn’t even phase my thick coat as it blocked it out of the doghouse.

Soon we were licking our plates clean and Coda was out cold, his belly plump with food. I watched as Sam kicked the plates into the corner of the doghouse, then grabbed his boy by his scruff and carefully laid him down near my big left paw. I thought he might lay down next to him, and myself, but he shocked me by suddenly scrambling under my suddenly-way-too-tubby belly until he was snug beneath my left arm, his head resting right beside mine when I let it settle next to his.

I thought having his body mostly beneath my own would make my bear’s instincts go crazy, but somehow he understood that now wasn’t the time to try and claim his Sam. He did, however, lift his head and gently grab Coda, then place him against Sam’s head. As much as I liked cuddling with him, both my bear and I agreed that keeping Coda as warm as possible was more important. With that thought my bear settled its head back down, snuggling against Coda until the pup was comfortable again.

When I was sure both of my boys were asleep, I stayed up for an extra few minutes, then followed after them with a content grumble.

The Real World

Richard-

Waking up to the feeling of something licking my face was a bit odd, but when I noticed that it was Coda, I didn’t mind at all. I thought he was just trying to be cute to Papa Bear, but when I yawned and took in a deep breath, my nose scrunched up and my bear snorted out a disgruntled breath.

Oh dear god, that’s rank!

Grumbling to myself, I shifted, letting my bear run from the stench, leaving me to deal with it. Unfortunately, my nose was pretty sensitive still, even when I wasn’t in my bear form.

At least I can move better now.

Sitting up, I gently grabbed Coda and slid from the doghouse, careful not to wake his sleeping mother. To my relief, when I looked outside of the doghouse and put my feet in the snow, I noticed a large duffel bag sitting in a cleared spot. After setting Coda aside on the small ledge, I unzipped the bag and sighed with relief.

“Thank you, Jordan.”

Pulling out a diaper, wipes, powder, and a plastic bag I figured he gave me to use for trash, I got busy cleaning up Coda’s yucky fuzzy backside. “You owe me for this, squirt.” I told him, getting a tail wag as I tried to scrub away a specifically-tough piece of poo.

“Right. Pay me back for it now by stopping that tail wagging.”

It sped up, making me huff and roll my eyes… then grin. “You are such a butt. Five percent fluff, ten percent puppy, one-hundred and five percent butt. Those are your proportions.”

“Mm, you forgot about the extra twenty percent of adorableness.” Sam said as he scooted onto the wooden ledge next to me and yawned. With one simple look down at his naked chest my bear was raging to get out again.

Too bad. You ran away from the diaper so I get the naked Sam. I told it, getting a frustrated roar in response, likely because my bear had no thumbs to even change a diaper with. Oh well.

“Here, Jordan left a bag with clothing. Best to get changed so that you don’t catch a cold.” I said as I handed him a pair of black sweatpants and a grey sweater. While he tugged those on I got myself back into my own clothing, then began following Coda as he romped through the deep snow.

“Hey, Richard.”

Hearing Jordan’s voice, I looked up to see him standing on the back deck wearing a suit and tie, obviously getting ready to go somewhere. Probably to work.

“Hey Jordan,” I replied as I walked over to him.

“Hello, I need to head to work soon but my wife will be staying home today because of Sam and his son being here. I’ll be dropping the boys off at school on my way to work, but I’d like for them to meet Coda again since they’ve calmed down… and are still half asleep right now.” he said, ending in a gruff laugh.

“Sounds good,” I replied as I looked back to see Sam walking toward us. He had found a pair of old tennis shoes in the bag as well, which I was grateful to see. He struggled a little in the snow with his balance, but I knew he wouldn’t get hurt so I returned my attention to Jordan. The man had gone back inside, and now I could see him through the glass with his two sons, in their humans forms, following on his heels.

My bear was instantly on guard, making me look over my shoulder at Coda. Sam now held him in his arms about eight feet away, his eyes locked onto the sliding glass door as Jordan slid it open. To everyone’s relief, the two boys seemed much more manageable this time as they stepped out with their dad. They immediately locked onto Sam and his puppy, but while we could see their lions behind their eyes, they both remained standing beside their father.

“This is going much better than yesterday. Sam, can you come here please?” Jordan asked, getting a hesitant nod from Sam after he looked over at me.

“Boys, this young man and his son are going to be staying with us for awhile. You are to behave and treat them with respect, alright?”

The boys shrugged but walked over anyways, offering Sam two hands to shake. He did so, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy being so close to two lions.

“Sorry about last night. We were already playing inside and then we smelled you guys outside. Our lions couldn’t help themselves.”

“And?” Jordan added, verbally nudging the other boy to finish his brother’s sentence.

“It won’t happen again.”

Their father nodded, then had them go back inside to the front door so that they could leave soon. “I’m going to go take them to school, then head to work. My wife has been eager to meet your little boy, so please don’t hesitate to chat with her. I’m sure she made extra breakfast for you as well.”

When Jordan mentioned the food Sam licked his lips, making me grin. I wished I could stay with him, but the longer I was near him, the easier it was going to be for the police to find him.

It’s not worth it. As much as you want to be there for him, your job as caregiver is over.

It hurt to think about, but my daughter came first, and I couldn’t take care of her from jail.

Time for Papa Bear to go home to his own cub. I told myself.

“Hey Richard?”

Raising my head, I looked up at Sam and forced a smile. “Yeah?”

Before I could react his arm was around my chest, his face nuzzling against my shirt. I returned the hug greedily but carefully, not wanting to hurt Coda.

“You’ll come back sometime, right?”

No.

“Of course. I’ll come visit as soon as this all dies down.”

It hurt to lie, terribly, but my responsibility was to my daughter. Sam was okay and he had Jordan to help him now.

“Jordan is a very nice man, so please listen to him, okay Sam?”

When he nodded and released me I took a step back.

He’ll be okay. This is the best place for him now.

“I’ve got to head home, then to work, Jordan has my number if you need me, okay?”

Sam pursed his lips and looked away, nodding at the floor.

I’m sorry, baby.

“See you, Sam,” I forced out before turning and walking away.

It tore me apart to leave, because I knew somehow that he’d stolen more than my sympathy. He had my heart, but not as a child I adopted, but as a young man who could have possibly completed my broken family.

Instinct

(I have a new book… that I’ve been addicted to writing lol. You guys should check it out. Called Homeless.)

Sam-

Stepping inside carefully, I looked around at the large living room. To the direct left was a giant spiral staircase that lead up to the second floor. In front of me was the living room, beyond that, the dining room. To the right of that was an open kitchen with just a counter separating the rooms. It made them all look more open, and of course, they were huge by themselves.

The rooms were nice, but what drew me fully inside was the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. For once, my boy was following me and not running about, so I quickly made my way to the kitchen and sat down by the door. A woman who couldn’t have been older than forty bustled around cooking all sorts of random things. I could already smell bacon, and perhaps sausage and pancakes?

“Oh my goodness!”

The sudden squeal had my hackles rising, but as the woman rushed over to scoop up my boy, I could tell that she wasn’t going to hurt him. At least that’s what I had to tell myself in order to not guard my boy. She was a lion, after all.

“What a cute little puppy! Awww, you’re all covered in pasta sauce. I’m glad you enjoyed dinner, little cutie. Now let’s just get your face cleaned up, hm?”

Watching closely, I followed the woman over to the sink, where she set Coda down and began filling the other side with warm water. I sat down, not daring to take my eyes from my son as the woman lifted him over to the warm water. The pup squirmed at first, but when Jordan’s wife began scrubbing the matting pasta sauce from his fur he quickly calmed down.

“Yes, I know baths are evil, but you’re doing so well. Yes you are.”

Coda straightened a little sitting in the water, looking almost smug at the woman’s praise.

You are such a dork puppy.

I grunted, garnering the attention of my son and the woman. My boy starting panted and I had no doubt that his tail was swishing around in the water. The woman offered me a warm smile and a gentle pat on the head.  

“You have an adorable son, Sam. I hope you don’t mind if I spoil him?”

Coda’s ears perked up

and I rolled my eyes. That’s just what I needed, a spoiled puppy. Glancing back up at my son, I saw the curious excitement in his eyes and sighed. He deserves some spoiling. Heck, he probably doesn’t even understand what that word really entails.

I remained seated quietly until the woman drained the water and after a quick drying with a clean dish towel, Coda was back on the tile floor with me, wiggling excitedly.

“We’re not quite done yet, little guy. You still need a diaper.”

Knowing that Coda was going to bolt at the sound of the uncomfortable apparatus, I quickly grabbed his scruff and held him until the woman could get a hole cut into a diaper and maneuver his squirming backside into it. Coda seemed to pout, frustrated that he’d lost The Great Diaper Battle, but he soon turned his attention to the stove after I let him go and lifted onto his hind legs to sniff at the food situated on the burners.

“Oh yes, there’s plenty of breakfast. Let me make you boys plates.” The woman said as she hurried about loading up a ton of bacon, sausage, pancakes, and eggs. Sam waited patiently as she set down one plate, which his son attacked. His own was stacked a bit higher when it was finally set down. He slowly ate, keeping an eye on the woman and his son, still not completely trusting her. He likely never would, but the food did give her a point.

“If you’d like, there’s a few extra rooms upstairs. Our second eldest is likely not going to be around much, either, so the only lions you’re likely to encounter are myself and my husband, along with Jared and Jamie, our soon-to-be sixteen year old twins in high school.”

Oh great. More teenage boys.

I’d had more than enough of those for my entire life… yet, if I wanted to get any kind of good job to raise my son the right way, I was likely going to have to go back. I’m only eighteen, but I really wasn’t ready to try just yet. Not even with the pheromone collar on.

Finishing up my food, I walked over to my son’s and ate what he left, then turned and began heading upstairs. I knew he’d follow me since the woman had been the one to put the diaper on him. He remembered who put the last evil plastic bag on his butt, and that was the person who he didn’t like most times for a matter of ten or so minutes. When we got to the stairs I ran up, then turned to see my son slowly waddling over each step. He carefully pulled himself up, bum wiggling with the effort. Knowing that it would keep him busy for a short time, I stalked down the hall and quickly found the two teen lion’s rooms.

They looked like most teenage boy’s rooms. Dirty and… I sniffed. Smells just like cat. Bleh.

Rolling my eyes, I sauntered down the hall, noting the bathroom that had its door open wide, then three other rooms. One was obviously the master judging from what was inside, but the other two were mostly empty. One looked like it could be occupied by someone, but they weren’t around enough to mess it up.

Must be the son she mentioned.

Not wanting to intrude, even though he wasn’t there often, I padded to the other room and wagged my stubby tail a little when I saw just a normal bed, dresser, and nightstand in the room. By the time I walked inside my son was by my side and eagerly sniffing around the room. I was actually surprised that I hadn’t lost him to one of the lion’s rooms, but I’m sure he’ll find a way into them soon enough. Likely when the boy’s were back home and the most trouble could come of it.

God. Best to get some sleep before that happens. Going to need all the energy I can get.

With that, I grabbed Coda by the scruff and hopped up onto the bed, then curled up with him snuggled in against me.

Someone’s staring at me.

Not someone. But two someone’s. Inwardly groaning, I forced my eyes open and let out a low, warning growl. The two brothers only grinned, showing off their lion’s teeth, though neither had shifted yet.

They’re trying to scare me.

It wasn’t going to happen. Even if I was scared, there was no way I would run from the cats with my son right next to me. In fact… I grabbed him by the scruff and backed off the bed, then nudged my son under it just as the two lions pounced on top of it. They were now both in their feline forms, and as I skirted around the bed trying to get against the wall, I noticed that the only reason they let me move before was because they needed to remove their clothing or risk tearing it. Now both of them were staring me down, brown-tipped tails swishing back and forth on the bed as they licked their lips.

Shit.

I ran. Coda was smart enough to understand that he needed to stay put, and if I could have fit under the bed, I would be right next to him, but I wasn’t. The brothers followed me right out the door and down the hall, then stairs. My only hope was to get to the kitchen, which was right around the corner and across the room, but when I came to a stop in its entrance, I realized that my hopes were dashed. Their mother wasn’t there… and neither was Jordan. Before I could turn to face the two males I was slammed against the wall by one, and pinned by the other.

Seeing them so close gave me a very nice view of their large canines and mostly-full manes. I couldn’t tell which one was which, but quite honestly, I couldn’t care less. I just wanted out from under the one pinning me and even further away from the one sniffing at my face! Frustrated, I snapped at the one close to my face, managing to get his nose and make him jump back. That gave me the chance to go for the one pinning me down with his paws, nearly landing another bite as he jumped away. I then leaped to my paws and bolted into the kitchen, then up onto the counter by the entrance where several envelops and pencils sat. I knew it wasn’t very courteous to be up on someone else’s counters, but neither was trying to attack your guest!

Both lions suddenly shifted, leaving two nearly-identical boys in their wake. The twins had dark blond hair and similar features, until it got to their hair. One had it spiked up fashionably while the others’ was down in a sloppy but hot look.

Not hot to me, boy. Stay the hell away.

I glared at them both, pinning my ears back as I bared my teeth.

“I’ve always wanted a dog.” One said with a smirk as he reached over and pet my head. I wanted to bite him. I really, really did, but they weren’t attacking me anymore so I had to bear with it.

“Shift for us.” The other purred, making my hackles stand on end. I wasn’t a fan of shifting. Not in front of them, and not in front of anyone else. Except for Richard. Ignoring that thought, I glanced toward the stairs accidentally. I realized my mistake as soon as one of the twins began walking toward them.

I shifted immediately, knowing that he would go up and get Coda if I didn’t listen. Damn lions.

“Oh? Not bad,” the one with the sloppy hair said as the spike-haired one returned to stand beside his brother. I tried to keep up my growl of warning, even though I was now in my human form and lacked claws or useful teeth, but neither seemed to hear it as they leaned in at the same time, then glanced at each other mischievously.

“He has the same collar that Spots does.”

Spots?

“Oh wow. Then that kid is his… and he can make more.”

I felt my entire body startle as they reached for my collar. My hands jerked up automatically, grabbing both of their hands as I felt color drain from my face. I knew I was still drifting out of my earlier heat and there was no way I was going to risk the collar coming up off near two teenage boys! I still had Coda to take care of and I definitely wasn’t ready, or wanting, another mouth to feed right now!

“Don’t…” I whispered shakily. I knew their instincts would tell them otherwise, but thankfully they both lowered their hands, only to jerk me off the counter. My body was suddenly in the spiky-haired guy’s arms as they headed back upstairs.

“I want to meet your puppy,” the other said, grinning at me as I tried to get out of his twin’s arms, but to no avail. When we got into the guest room and I was set down I noticed Coda peaking out from beneath the bed. When they saw him I immediately shifted to run in front of them.

“Move, Sam. You know we can kill both of you if we want too. All we want to do is see your pup, so step aside.” The messy-haired boy growled, making me tense and worried. I didn’t want to move. I needed to protect my son from them… but I could do nothing if they decided to shift again. So, with extreme hesitation, I stepped aside. My eyes were wide, locked onto Coda as the spiky-haired guy shifted and leaned over to sniff at my son.

If the other guy wasn’t standing right next to me I would have leaped on his brother, but I had to fight myself to stand still as the lion tugged Coda out by his scruff and commenced giving him a bath with his tongue. I wasn’t fooled by the gentleness, mainly because he wasn’t being gentle. Every couple of licks he was baring his teeth and nipping at his ears or neck, as well as growling.

My body began to shake as the brother beside me shifted and strode forward, panting. Coda had been looking worried for the last several seconds and the moment the other brother closed in I heard him yelp. Coda! Mamma mode kicked in as I lunged between the two lions. My teeth dug into the one who had his teeth already on my boy, while I felt the others’ canines slip into my shoulder.

Dammit. I wish I’d remembered those stupid nature documentaries mother had watched all the time before I let them so close to Coda! I hated that I had forgotten until it was already possibly too late.

One of the pieces from the documentary about lions swam through my mind about male lions and how they usually killed unrelated offspring. It was in order to mate sooner with the female, but cold day in hell I was going to be doing anything besides attacking these two bastards until they let go of my baby!

Changes

The door opening downstairs somehow managed to catch the lions’ attention for just enough time to allow me to land a strong bite to the one holding my son. When I saw Coda scramble back beneath the bed I knew that he would be okay and could redirect my attention to the lions. I needed to make sure that they didn’t shift and lift the bed up. When the lions looked over their shoulders I lunged at the one further away, getting his focus back on me before I darted from the room with a loud bark. Luckily the lions followed judging from the heavy footfalls of their pads on the hall floor behind me.

“Boys!”

The roared word made me flinch, but I knew I had to run towards it or risk further injury. The two lions behind me slowed at the top of the stairs while I jetted down them in a blur. My paws tripped me several times but I didn’t stop running until I was behind Jordan and his wife, who were holding four large boxes of pizza.

While his wife stayed behind with him, Jordan lunged up the stairs. It was clear on the two young lion’s faces that they wanted to run but knew better. They took the attack that came, each getting a bite to one leg or the other, as well as several scratches to their faces and sides. It was harsh, but I had to remind myself that they were lions. Jordan was disciplining the cats as much as he was disciplining his kids. When he stopped, panting heavily in his lion form, his sons were on their backs, paws bent in the air in submission.

When he was satisfied he shifted back to his human form, clothing previously torn and thus leaving him naked. It didn’t make him look any less intimidating. In fact, he actually looked more dangerous… and now he was stalking down the hall towards Coda! My instincts kicked in again, sending back up the stairs and into the room my son was hiding in right before Jordan stepped inside. His nose flared a few times, likely catching the scent of blood. I responded by bearing my teeth for a brief moment before ducking under the bed and checking on my son.

I licked his coat from head to toe, finding three puncture wounds near the back of his neck. It was hard to tell how deep they were considering it was dark under the bed and my son had dark fur, but it was a relief that he was trying to swat at me and grumble about my constant licking.

“My boys  tending their wounds with their mother. Can you please let me see Coda so that I can see what I need to get to help him?”

My response was a growl, but when he just sat down on the carpet and waited, I knew I had to let him check. Coda was my baby and his sons had hurt him. He himself, however, had not. He’d been out getting us dinner and judging from the look of disbelief and frustration on his face, he had trusted his sons with something he was shocked to find out that he couldn’t.

“I apologize for them, Sam. I’m honestly shocked and I need to figure out how to deal with them now in this situation.”

He set a hand, palm up, on the carpet in front of me and wiggled his fingers a tiny bit. “Please let me see your baby.”

The coppery taste in my mouth eventually had me gently lifting my protesting boy by his damaged scruff and tugging him out. I kept my eyes darting from Jordan to the door, then back and forth and back and forth. Thankfully Jordan was gentle and very calculated as he examined Coda. He checked the wounds, noting that there was only one deep enough that it required stitches. The rest were ones that could be managed with simple antibiotics and a good washing.

“Alright. I’m going to go grab our first aid stuff. Be right back, Sam.” He said before getting up and walking out of the room. I kept my eyes on the door until he returned less than four minutes later in a pair of black shorts with the first aid kit. He also had a few washcloths, likely to deal with any blood, and a pair of electric clippers. It hurt to think about, but it also needed to be done. So, with a deep breath I forced myself to shift and gently took my boy in my arms, hugging him so that he couldn’t jerk away as Jordan plugged the clippers in and began shaving Coda’s fur. When he got to the injuries I sighed. They didn’t look too bad.

“I’m going to get the deep one stitched-up, so you need to hold him, okay? I’ll be as fast as I can but I want to make sure it’s done well, too.”

I nodded, hugging Coda a little tighter as Jordan got busy with a small needle and thread. Each cry my boy made had my heart crying right along with him. At some point my eyes had also given up tears but I kept my arms locked, knowing that the stitches were necessary. Hang on, sweetie. It’s almost over. I thought to Coda, though I knew he was far too scared from the pain and other lions to hear me. So, instead I leaned over on the side Jordan wasn’t working on and just repeatedly told Coda how much I loved him and how well he was doing. By the time Jordan had antiseptic applied with several large bandages, Coda was just about out cold from the stress.

“Sam?”

Sniffing, I looked up. My eyes felt sore and I knew I probably looked bad from crying so much, but I didn’t care. I would always cry when my baby was hurt. And I’ll do my best to make sure he never gets hurt again.

“Sam, I need to stitch your arm.”

Blinking, I looked at my right arm and didn’t see anything. I then checked my left one and frowned. There were two deep puncture wounds dripping onto the carpet. I don’t even remember getting bitten. I was just so focused on saving Coda… 

“Will you be okay? I can have my wife come take—”

“No!” I snarled out immediately. The harshness wasn’t intended, but there was no way Coda was leaving my arms.

“Okay, okay. He’ll stay right there. Um, just try not to pay attention and I’ll go as fast as I can.” He said instead. I licked my lips nervously and nodded, ducking my face into the soft fur on my boy’s head. The needle stung as it passed through my skin over and over again after the wounds were washed, but if my puppy could handle it, I definitely could.

He worked for nearly a half hour stitching up the bite wounds after cleaning them like he had with Coda’s. It hurt, especially the cleaning part, but when it was all done and I had bandages that matched my sons, I heaved a tired sigh and finally got to my feet.

“Good job. Your bites look like they’ll heal without any problems as long as they stay clean. Would you like me to bring you up some dinner?”

Eating was the last thing I had on my mind right now, and since Coda was asleep I just shook my head and climbed awkwardly into the bed.

“Alright. Get some rest then. I’ll go have a talk with my boys just in case my wife didn’t ground them enough.”

I gave a weak chuckle and slid beneath the blanket with Coda. The light was still on, but my eyes were already sliding closed so it could just stay that way. I didn’t doubt that Jordan would be back up to check on us so he could turn it off when he leaves at that time.

Mm, sleep.

It was harder said than done, especially considering that my arm was throbbing and Coda was fitful in my arms, likely from his own injuries. Eventually I forced my eyes to close, if only to rest them.

“Sam?”

I snuggled further under the blanket, not wanting to wake up yet. It wasn’t until I felt a large, warm hand settle on the side of my face, a thumb gently rubbing near the edge of my lips, did that my eyes sleepily blinked open. I expected to see Jordan or his wife, but when Richard’s form solidified from my blurry vision I couldn’t believe my eyes.

He was freshly-shaven and wearing a suit and tie. His hair had been combed back but the wind outside must have mussed it up a bit because several parts were beginning to stick up. A quiet bay near the edge of the bed drew my attention to his daughter’s bear, who was up on her hind legs, front paws on the bed as she tried to get a look at Coda and I. After giving her a small smile I returned my attention to Richard and carefully forced myself to sit up. He seemed to know what I wanted because not a moment later I was tugged into his lap, Coda still in my arms.

“I’m so sorry, Sam. Neither Jordan or I thought that his boys would react so strongly. I talked to them downstairs for a little while and they really are good kids, but they’re also lions. I should have known better than to leave you here.”

He squeezed me tighter and I let my dog slip in a whine as I leaned up to lick Richard’s cheek. When he chuckled and licked my cheek in return, I lost myself a bit and just started cleaning his face. It was just such a relief to see him instead of a lion that I couldn’t help myself. Coda, now awake, scrambled out of my arms before I tackled Richard to the pillows and continued to wash his face with my tongue as my backside began to wiggle erratically. When I finally calmed down we were both panting. I had my tongue out, just barely holding back my canine from taking over, while Richard just grinned and hugged me tight.

“I’m happy to see you, too, Sam.”

I nuzzled against his chest as he got back to a sitting position, watching as his daughter climbed up onto the bed and waddled over the blanket to plop down next to Coda. My boy was hurting quite a bit considering how little he wanted to move even with his former playmate in front of him. Thankfully Jess seemed to understand and only lay next to him, though I could tell that she was eager to romp around.

Turning my attention back to Richard, I felt my face warm when I saw him already staring down at me. I also remembered that I was completely naked, but I wasn’t worried about it like I was with the lions. Richard wouldn’t take advantage of me.

“Can I come home? Please?”

I knew I couldn’t. That I could lose Coda if I did, but the question just couldn’t be held at bay. Richard opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to speak but not seeming to have the words to do so. Or at least not the words that were safe to say.

“I think I have an idea so that maybe… you can.” He eventually said with a cautious tone. My heart jumped into my throat as I stared at him eagerly.

“I think if we can get you back into high school, to finish getting your diploma, maybe the local government will work with you in terms of money to take care of Coda. I will gladly offer you my home, but I just don’t have the money to keep your parents at bay with their legal intentions or keep all of us clothed and fed right now.”

School.

I could still go back as I was only eighteen and they do allow you to graduate at nineteen if you were held back. But… My whole body slumped against Richard’s as I sighed, suddenly exhausted.

“I know you don’t want to risk a… another pregnancy, but I think the collar will help. Jordan also said that his boys can help watch out for you. They know that they let their instincts rule them and will likely be punished for a long while. They also want to make it up to you somehow. I think this might be the perfect way.”

My mind was whirling with the idea of being anywhere near those lions again. And another couple hundred other students? My stomach turned like a laundry machine on the spin cycle. When Richard reached over and tilted my head up with a few fingers beneath my chin, I locked eyes with him and knew that whatever he wanted me to do, I’d do it to the best of my ability. Even if I didn’t like it. 

“Give it one try, please? I’ll watch Coda for you at my work place. I’ll tend to his injuries and when he’s feeling better he can play with Jess.”

Looking away nervously, I grabbed at his dress shirt beneath his open suit and mumbled into the fabric. “Wh-what if I go i-in to heat again…?”

Richard’s cheeks reddened as he leaned over, nuzzling at the side of my face with his nose until I turned my head to receive the kiss he quickly pressed against my lips. It was only a brief peck, but it was enough to settle my worries for the time being.

“As long as you are comfortable in my arms, I’ll take care of you whenever you need me.”

Perfect

High school.

Terror hadn’t allowed me to sleep a wink last night as I lay on the sofa. I had been offered the bed beside Richard, but after speaking with the principle, my parents’ lawyers, and authorities a few days ago, and having them pose the question asking about whether we were sleeping together… yeah. I was going to be a high school student again, and not even though I’m as legal as any other adult, I doubted they’d see that.

Feeling Coda nibble at my fingers, I forced myself to sit up and yawned, exhausted. Scooping him up, I waddled, still half asleep, into the bathroom and went through the actions of changing his diaper and cleaning him up. When he was nice and clean I set him down on his paws, watching as he bounded down the hall to slip into Richard’s room.

Heheh. Here comes the alarm clock, Richard.

After we left Jordan’s several days ago he had paid for a doctor to take excellent care of Coda’s injuries and they’ve healed surprisingly well. All were closed and the stitches for the big one were removed yesterday night. They were still bandaged, just in case, but they all looked good. A loud groan echoed from Richard’s room a moment later, followed by an excited yip as my boy likely began teething on his fingers.

I stepped up to the door and peered inside, snickering when I saw that Coda had a hold of Richard’s ear and was tugging playfully. When I heard another groan I crept into the room and climbed into the bed, removing my son, only to be scooped up into comfortable, warm arms and pulled beneath the blanket.

This definitely isn’t going to help me get to school on time. I thought to myself as I snuggled in, loving the sensation of heat surrounding me. It felt like a soft cloud of warmth and musk and I didn’t want to move.

“Mm, was’ time is it?” Richard asked, slurring his words with sleep as he nuzzled against my neck. It was hard to concentrate with the gesture but I managed to shimmy in his arms enough so that my head poked out of the top of the blanket by the pillows.

“It’s six o’clock. I need to be at school by seven.”

Another groan echoed from Richard, this one sounding more like his bear than the other two.

“Um, I can walk…”

“No.” He rumbled right away as his arms tightened around me.

Ever since we had met with all those people a few days ago Richard hadn’t let me go anywhere without him. Not even outside in the backyard. It was a bit bothersome but I knew he did it out of… concern. Yeah, concern.

Suddenly I was being sat up as Richard moved into the position. Coda slid from my arms and darted from the bed, his diapered butt disappearing over the edge. I wanted to follow and see where he was going, but then I saw Jess’s bear darting past the door and knew they were just going to get some morning energy out.

Feeling a nose nuzzle against my neck a moment later, I tilted my head to the side, allowing Richard to do as he wished for a few moments. Both of our animals had strong senses of smell so I wasn’t surprised when he began sniffing from my ear down to my collar bone, then back again. When he tilted his head back a few moments later I turned in his arms and reciprocated, inhaling his musky bear scent as I rubbed my nose along his throat and the scruff growing on his chin.

A hungry roar and bark from the living room had both of us grinning in the dark of his room a minute later.

“Guess it’s time to feed the beasts.” He mumbled as his arms slowly fell away from my body and we began sliding out of bed. When we got to the hall he pressed a hand to my lower back and nudged me toward the bathroom.

“Go shower, I’ll get breakfast ready, then we’ll switch and you can watch them before we head out.”

I nodded and slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door partway open in case he needed to relieve himself and to let the steam out. When I stepped under the hot water a minute later I groaned, feeling my sore body relax under the spray. I had no doubt that I’d be fighting to stay awake in class, especially towards the end of the day, but there was nothing I could do about it until tonight, when I could try to get some sleep.

Stepping out, I dried off quickly, brushed my teeth, and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. After a quick glance in the mirror I ran my hands through my hair, then grinned when Richard walked in and mussed it up with a chuckle. That’s about when I realized I just had the towel over my shoulder and not around my waist. Richard, thankfully, seemed to ignore it and just stepped into the shower I left running for him.

“Bacon, eggs, and pancakes are made. The kids are sharing one pancake and some of the bacon and eggs. The rest I just tossed on one plate so eat as much as you like from it and I’ll get the rest.”

“Okay, thanks.” I said as I headed toward his bedroom, where I kept the clothing social services had helped me get for school. Richard hadn’t had enough money to afford to go shopping until this coming Friday, so I was given donated things. I was fine with it, happy, in fact, but my parents’ lawyer had, of course, tried to use it as a point that Richard couldn’t care for both me and my son well enough.

Well they couldn’t care for me enough then if they had to completely throw me out, now could they?

Shaking my head at the thought, I walked out into the living room after pulling on a pair of worn jeans, a faded blue shirt, and a black sweatshirt. I noted the kids playing tug-o-war with the remains of their pancake and grinned. I wasn’t worried about it. Coda probably wouldn’t eat it anyways, as he was likely going to stick to the meat. Right now he was just enjoying the odd tasting toy.

With a smile I walked into the kitchen and found the plate of food stacked with mine and Richard’s breakfast. Considering I hadn’t slept much and my nerves were still on edge, I only took a few bites before setting the fork down and going to slip on my shoes by the door.

Richard finished up his shower and I heard him get dressed as I sat down at the table and watched the kids tumble. When he came out I smiled and he returned it, then went into the kitchen. I knew he wasn’t happy when he brought the plate over to the table and sat down next to me. He ate a couple mouthfuls of eggs and a pancake before pressing a piece of bacon against my lips. I didn’t want it but I opened my mouth and took the food anyways. He did that for another few minutes, making me eat four more pieces of bacon before he was finished and I was decently fed. 

“Alright. Let’s get this show on the road.” He said with a strained voice as he got up and grabbed my new backpack from the floor and handed it to me. It only had a few notebooks, some pencils, pens, and a calculator in it, but hopefully that was all I would need.

I gathered up Coda in my free arm as Richard got Jess shifted back to her human form and dressed, he then grabbed his briefcase and we headed out.

School was exactly how I remembered it being. Even better? I was now the new kid. Classes had only started a few months ago but that didn’t help. All eyes were on me as I awkwardly walked up the stairs and into the cold building. I could smell Jared and Jammie, the two lions, right when I stepped inside, but thankfully they weren’t anywhere in sight.

Taking my chance, I ducked away from the prying eyes and into the office. Getting my schedule was as easy as giving my name and faking a smile, but actually getting out of the office wasn’t. The secretary behind the desk thought I would need help finding my classes, which was likely, but she also thought I needed a student’s help, which I sure as hell didn’t want. Before I could get that through her head she was on the intercom, calling for, of course, Jared and Jammie Leo to come to the office.

Why me!

The two lion shifters sauntered in as if they knew they were going to be called at any moment.

Bastards probably volunteered. Their parents probably made them, but I don’t see them sulking about it.

Forcing back a growl, I nodded to them both and waited for them to speak to the woman before following them out with my schedule crumpling in my hand.

“We wanted to apologize for what we did before.” Jammie said as he ran his hands through his mussy hair.

“Yeah, dad apologized but we never got to. Our lions took control and it was uncalled for and inappropriate.” Jared finished.

As much as I knew I should, I couldn’t accept their apologies. They had hurt me and my baby and no verbal apology was going to take away the pain Coda had suffered from his wounds. They seemed to understand that because instead of pressing the matter Jammie reached out, silently asking for my schedule. I gave it to him, watching as he read through it.

“Okay, you have a few classes with us. We’ll pick you up from whichever ones we don’t have together for today so that you know where everything is.”

Before I could tell him that I didn’t need that much help, he shoved my schedule into his jean pocket and started walking again. I followed grudgingly, keeping my eyes down and my feet walking steadily.

“So uh…?”

Evidently Jammie couldn’t even remember my name… or bother to look it up on the paper he took from me.

When I didn’t answer he filled in the blank, “Paws, this place is a pretty cool school but there is a hierarchy. Lions are the main shifters with canines being second and so on.”

Of course. More lions.

“Both my brother and I are the head of the younger kids in the pride where my father handles the adults. So if there is anything you need or anyone bothers you, you need to come to one of us. The teachers have given us this permission, to a point.”

Great. So if you guys try to hump me I’ll be sure to come to you guys to stop you guys from humping me. Sounds perfect.

“Here’s our first class.” Jared said as he stepped aside and Jammie held the door open for me. I withheld a groan and stepped inside my first period art class, forcing myself to take deep breaths.

Let my new version of hell begin.

Quiet

Pushing aside my worry, I managed to make it through my first four classes without incident. I knew the other kids had noticed my collar, but after a few unpleasant smiles from me, they thought it was best to just ignore the fact that I was a possible cross-shifter. Come lunch I was starving, but I doubted my stomach would be able to handle much. Deciding to just grab something small even though I had free lunches, I got an apple and tried to dodge the crazy lion brothers. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no luck in that venture.

Before I could even take a bite of my lunch I was being dragged over to a table that reeked of predators. Most of them were obviously lions judging from their facial hair, but a few, I noticed, had mowhawks like hyenas and cackled just like them.

Perfect.

“Hey guys, this is Paws. He’s a dog cross-shifter.” Jared said as he wrapped his arm around my neck and tugged me against his side. “He’s under our protection, so no jumping him in the locker room, got it guys?”

The group grinned, but I wasn’t convinced that they were all smiling and not baring their teeth. I had  very bad memories of locker rooms and other males. Throughout lunch I felt eyes on me, lingering repeatedly around my neck over my actual face. Needless to say, after one bite of my apple, I decided against eating anymore. After lunch ended I went to my other two classes, surprised to see neither of the twins in either of them. Several of their scruffy friends were there, but thankfully they seemed to have taken the twin’s warning with a grain of salt and didn’t bother me.

“Finally!” I nearly shouted as I ran down the stairs outside of the front doors. My arms were weighed down with books and I had a ton of homework and reading I needed to catch up on during the week, but I made it through my first day!

“Sam!”

Hearing Richard’s voice, I quickly located him in the crowded parking lot and climbed into his car. Coda was immediately set in my lap once I had my books and bag on the floor.

“Hey you! Were you a good boy?”

My son barked, wagging his tail excitedly before cleaning my face with his tongue. Richard got us headed home while I cooed to my boy, answering questions from Jess in the backseat about school every once in awhile. When they got inside after Richard parked Jess tossed her clothing and shifted. Immediately Coda howled to get down, making me set him on the floor before he stumbled after Jess’s bear.

“So, how was your first day? I hope you didn’t have any problems with those lion twins again, I can smell them on you.”

For some reason I couldn’t keep myself from blushing at that information. I felt bad, though why, I didn’t know. “It was okay. Thankfully nothing bad happened and the twins were surprisingly reserved.”

“I’m glad,” Richard replied with a tired smile. I saw his bear peering through his dark eyes and quickly stepped into him. His arms wrapped around me automatically, squeezing tightly as his bear let out a few grumbles through his human mouth. Leaning back in his arms, I looked up at him, raising a brow. “What was that—fmph!” The kiss was shocking and sudden. I didn’t even consider trying to pull away though, especially considering that Richard was growling and clawing at my back. When I only kissed back slightly, he pulled away and stepped back. “I’m sorry. I, my bear.” Richard’s cheeks reddened slightly as he ran a hand through his messy hair. “You should probably go change out of those clothes.”

He mumbled his words before walking away, making me stare after him with my mouth dropped open. He’s jealous of the lions just having their scent on my clothing?

I was curious, but I also didn’t want to set off his bear’s instincts, so I quickly made my way to Richard’s room and stripped, then tugged on a pair of pants, followed by one of Richard’s shirts. It was too big, but knowing that he was a bit frustrated, I figured wearing something with his scent on it would be better than grabbing another of my own shirts. When I was content I padded into the kitchen, finding Richard stirring a boiling pot of macaroni.

“I hope you don’t mind a simple dinner,” Richard said as he looked at me when I stopped beside him. I shook my head, yawning even though it couldn’t be any later than four. “That’s fine. How was Coda today? I hope he didn’t cause too much trouble.”

Richard chuckled slightly at my words, making me worry. “He was perfectly well behaved, but he didn’t eat anything. I don’t know if it was because you weren’t there or he just wasn’t hungry from stress.”

Frowning, I looked over my shoulder at Coda and walked to the fridge. Finding a slice of turkey cold cuts, I tore off a small piece and squatted down, offering it to my pup. When he sat down and puffed out his cheeks, I rolled my eyes.

Now I know why you won’t eat, you little brat.

Shaking my head, I stood and stripped off my shirt, then pants and boxers. I felt eyes on me immediately and was glad that as I shifted into my canine form, that the blush flaring to life on my face was covered by fur.

“Why did you shift, Sam?”

Looking up, I gave a quiet woof as my son answered, quickly darting beneath me and tugging at a nipple to get milk. It wasn’t nearly as full as it had been since he hadn’t nursed in awhile, but after a moment I could feel him beginning to get what he wanted.

“O-oh.” Richard said, his cheeks tinting a slight pink as he turned back to the pasta and worked on getting it drained. He added the cheese sauce, then stirred until it was completely mixed in. He then divided it up into three bowls. I followed him over to the sofa, dragging my pup since he refused to let go.

“Hang on a moment.” Richard said as he set down a bowl for his daughter so she could start eating, then put our two on the coffee table by the sofa. I waited, sitting down at Coda repositioned himself in front of me, leaning his two front paws against my chest to get better leverage.

We’re going to stop this nursing really soon, you little brat. Your teeth are getting too sharp.

Richard tugged several thick blankets next to the sofa, then set my bowl in a small pocket he made by pressing down for several moments. I wagged my tail slightly, then climbed onto the soft bed, dragging my son on his back since he still refused to remove his teeth from me. Shrugging off my frustration at the slight pain, I hurriedly dug into my macaroni, licking the bowl clean after only a few minutes. As I ate Richard turned the television on, putting on a cartoon for Jess. I felt Coda tilt his head to watch, too, but the little bugger still wouldn’t release my nipple as he tried to get every last drop from it.

“I’m glad he’s eating again, even if it is taking a step back. I was honestly surprised that he started weening so quickly.”

I grunted in response, resting my head on my paws. We were silent for awhile and when my son finally detached himself, I heaved a sigh of relief. He fell asleep in second, flopping down onto the bed with a loud burp that made me proud. When I heard a patting sound from above, I took it as a sign to join Richard on the couch. He immediately began to run his fingers through my coat as I laid down, resting my head on his leg. The movie soon lost what little attention I had managed to give it and I turned my head, closing my eyes as I shifted a bit more to rest my paws on his legs, as well.

“You’re a great mamma, Sammy.”

My mind was blurry after only a few minutes once I’d closed my eyes, making me take an extra moment to process what Richard had said. I wasn’t a fan of being called Sammy, but coming from him, it didn’t seem too bad. While his hands continued to pet me, I somehow managed to slink my way further and further into his lap.

When my eyes opened again I noticed Richard trying to silently back away. Judging from the feeling beneath me, I was now on the bed he’d made out of the blankets. I knew I should just stay there and sleep next to my son, but with each step Richard took away from me, I felt an odd sensation in my belly wanting me to follow. Right when he got to the entrance to the hallway I bolted from the bed. He knelt down just in time to catch me as I jumped into his arms. My body melted back into my human form as Richard tightened his hold around me. My arms wrapped around his neck and returned the strength he was putting into the hug.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I want you in bed with me, snug against my chest in my arms, but I was warned again earlier today by phone that if we shared a bed that the lawyers would possibly reconsider things, because you are now a high school student.”

I sighed, getting a reassuring squeeze from him.

“It’s worth it, though, for your baby.” He reminded me.

Nodding, I leaned back enough to see his face. He looked exactly like how I felt. His eyes were wide and solemn in the dim light only coming from his room. His hair was a complete mess from running his fingers through it and while he was trying to smile, it wasn’t working. Instead of drawing out the moment, I quickly leaned forward and licked his nose, then darted out of his arms as he let them fall. I could feel his eyes following me as I ran back to the blankets and laid down with my son, returning to my canine form. I knew he wanted to join me or drag me to his bed, but thankfully he was able to hold himself back. After a minute of silence I heard him stand, then whisper as he turned and left. “Good night, Sammy. Sweet dreams.”

Temperature Issues

Sam-

My first round of exams hadn’t been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. My teachers had given me an extra week and a half to catch up and I was actually eager to show Richard the grades I’d managed. They weren’t perfect, and one needed some work, but after having not been in school for over a year? I think I did pretty darn well!

“Hey Richard?” I called as I slipped inside the house. To my surprise, it wasn’t Richard who greeted me, but the lawyers and… My parents.

Unable to hold back my glare, I forced myself to not stomp past them and instead walked calmly into the living room to set my bag down.

“He went out to pick up some dinner.” My mother said, her nose lifted so high that she appeared to almost be looking for something on the ceiling.

Ah. He took the kids. That’s why she’s mad and I’m not feeling a bit lightheaded.

Unfortunately, my heat had begun to kick in a few days ago. Even worse, I had a feeling that every other shifter in the room could tell, too. They would, no doubt, try to use it against me somehow. But, until Richard came home I made sure to keep myself out of sight, deciding to take a shower. With the door locked and a change of clothes set on the counter, I slowly stripped off my clothing and stepped under the water. It took a good deal of effort to keep my hand above my waist after washing myself.

That’s the last thing I need. For them to smell me having jerked off in the shower.

Biting back a groan, I washed my hair, then sighed with relief when I heard the group in the other room begin talking louder.

Sammy, are you der?

Hearing Jess’s voice in my head, I grinned and turned off the shower. Yes. I will be right out. I replied before drying off and getting my clothing on. I had decided on a pair of flannel pajamas and a loose white T-shirt. It was cold outside but I had no intention of going out tonight, so the outfit should work fine. When I was ready, I unlocked the door and was immediately met with Richard’s smile. My hormones shot through the roof at just the sight of him. Add the smell and the feeling of his hand as it settled atop my head for a moment, and I was literally beginning to get light-headed.

“Sam? Is something wrong?” Richard whispered, leaning in to be sure that none of the people sitting at the dining room table could hear. I didn’t want to tell him. Wanted to manage it myself later, after the kids went to bed with my hand and a very cold shower, but he would be able to tell soon anyways, if he wasn’t already guessing. So, with a stressed sigh I turned my head and whispered in his ear. “Heat, but I have it under control.”

Richard’s eyes went wide and he darted a glance over his shoulder. He was obviously worried about them finding out, too. Turning his attention back to me, he forced a smile and nodded. “Alright. Let’s not tell them. They don’t need to know.”

I nodded back, then leaned down to scoop up my son as he padded over. Hmph, probably ran away from my mother and father. Smart boy. Grinning, I pressed a kiss to his fuzzy head and slowly began to follow Richard toward the dining room. There was no way to put off whatever was going on, and even with the smell of pizza in the air and Coda having nursed from me the past several nights, I wasn’t hungry so that wouldn’t be an excuse to stall. 

“We wanted to go over visitation rights.” One of the lawyers said.

“There are none.” I said as I sat down at the table across from them, my son in my lap.

The lawyer cleared his throat, then pushed a few pages of paper toward me. “That is what we’d like to fix.”

Clutching Coda to my chest, I bared my teeth in warning.

“They deserve no part of his life.”

Everyone at the table gasped, except for Richard, of course. He knew I wasn’t going to let them near my son if I could help it. They were lucky that I was even letting them see him right now.

“Being the child’s grandparents, they have rights.”

Smirking, I nodded. “If the parents, or parent, cannot care for the child. However, the child is obviously quite well cared-for and being said parent, I do not want them anywhere near him. Ever.”

The second lawyer, who had remained silent until now finally spoke up. “Surely you wouldn’t be so heartless as to force him to grow up not knowing his grandparents?”

Oh, this one is gonna be good.

“Surely he would be better off. After all, they had thrown his mother out as soon as they found out that their son was going to have mutts.”

The lawyers glared, obviously having been told something else.

“We are not here to discuss past issues between you and your parents. We are strictly here for you to sign the visitation agreement.”

Furious, I forced myself not to snarl as I replied. “I guess if you don’t want to talk about the past, then their son technically doesn’t exist because I was disowned. Richard adopted us and I would rather sign Coda’s life over to him than let either of my worthless parents near my son for even a second.”

When no one replied I stood up and gestured to the door.

“Since that issue is now taken care of, I’d like you to leave. I have classes to study for that I’m doing quite well in. Then I’ll be getting a job and heading to college with my son, and all of this,” I gestured to them and their lawyers. “Will be gone forever.”

The lawyers, likely used to that kind of treatment, hurried to pick up their papers and stand. My parents, however, were definitely not used to being told what they could and couldn’t do. They glared at me, but I held firm, hugging my son in my arms. They wisely kept whatever they were thinking between them to themselves and followed their lawyers out the door. The second it closed I walked over and locked it, then set my son down with a shaky sigh.

“You okay? I think you did really well for being surprised by them.”

I nodded at Richard, lifting my hands to press against his chest and lean in when he walked over. My forehead settled just beneath his neck and I took in a deep breath. “Besides the fact that I feel like I want to hump your leg for five hours, I’m doing great.”

He chuckled, giving me a quick hug before slipping his hand into mine and tugging me into the kitchen. Two boxes of hot pizza were sitting on the counter. The smell made my stomach rumble but when I looked down at my pup, he only seemed interested in one thing.

“Let me guess. He didn’t eat again?”

Richard sighed and shook his head. “No. I tried to get him to eat lunch, too, but he flat-out refused.”

“I guess he’s still going through… whatever he’s going through. I’ll feed him. Can you make me a plate of pizza, please?”

Richard was already doing just that, so I awkwardly tugged at my clothing so that I could shift. The awkward portion came when I realized that I was fully aroused. Evidently my body thought that I was removing my clothes in front of Richard to finally get my heat taken care of.

If only.

The second my front paws hit the floor my son was locked on, making me wince.

I thought animals stopped going into heat when they were nursing!

Granted, I hadn’t been nursing for awhile. Shooting a glare between my front legs at Coda, I grunted my discomfort and laid down on the blankets Richard had left out on the floor for me in front of the sofa. My plate of pizza soon appeared and I hurried to scarf all four slices down.

“Do you want anymore, Sam? There’s another pizza…” Richard asked when I had finished. I really did, but if I ate too much more I’d have excess energy… and that meant a lot of time in the shower before I wore myself out. With that in mind, I shook my head, then flopped it down on the blankets as Coda continued to bite at my sore nipple. Since Richard had turned the news on, I tried my best to focus on it instead of the pain and overwhelming instincts buzzing around my body and head.

“Here. I want all of this in your belly.” Richard said as he set down a second plate piled high with at least four more slices a minute later. I didn’t want it, but I did want it.

“I’m not going anywhere until you eat. I can hear your stomach growling and with you being in heat, I know you’re going to need your energy tonight.”—“I-in the shower.” He added quickly.

Yeah. In the shower. With my hand…

The next few days are going to be exhausting.

My attention returned to the pizza and I hesitantly shifting my weight enough to turn the upper half of my body and begin eating. Maybe with Coda nursing again my body will figure out that the heat and subsequent breeding is not needed.

It was wishful thinking, but hell, I freaking wished. Resigned, I finished off my sixth piece of pizza and at the same time, felt my son finally remove his teeth from me. Ow… and I feel like it’s way too hot in here.

“Um, Sam?”

Fighting through the haze building in my mind, I looked up to see Richard’s worried face as he leaned over. “Shift for me, please?”

I did as told right away. Something in the back of my mind hoped that he would carry me to his bed and we’d be busy for the rest of the night. The other part, the more reasonable, logical part, damn it, knew that that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, the moment I was back in my human form Richard scooped me up and brought me into the bathroom. I could feel his partial arousal pressing against my body before I was set back on my feet, but I kept my hands to myself. 

“Will you be okay by yourself? I’ll watch the kids for the rest of the night.”

I shrugged, really not sure. I had been trying to get rid of the heat for days, but each time I woke up the feeling was there and grew throughout the day to climax at right about this time.

“I’ll manage.” I replied eventually. I could tell that he wanted to say something in response, but ended up biting his tongue and walking out.

The next hour was one of the most frustrating of my life. After what had to be at least fifty minutes, I was still ramrod straight with my hand and length red from too much attention. Laying on my back in the shower, I glared up at the ceiling, honestly getting close to wishing I didn’t have a collar on. Another kid couldn’t be that bad. And it would give me relief. That was most important.

“Sammy?”

Hearing Richard’s voice, I tried to force my continuing urges down. Yeah, not happening. Instead, I rolled over onto my belly under the cold spray of water and groaned out. “I’m going to hump your leg raw if you don’t go away…”

It wasn’t meant as something mean or even funny. It was just the truth. My instincts were going insane, begging me to breed with something besides my hand.

I feel like one of those dogs that needs a pillow or big stuffed animal to curve their libido.

“Um… I called the vet.”

That got my attention slightly off of my needs. Or it was just that I was humping the floor of the shower. Probably that.

I turned my head, looking up to see the shadow of Richard moving closer. He pulled the curtain back slowly and took a seat. After a brief glance down at me to fuel my embarrassment, he looked over toward the sink.

“They said that because cross-shifters are so rare, there isn’t much information on their heat cycles yet. So, he gave me some information on normal female heats. The light versions and the heavy versions.”

There was a slight pause before he continued.

“He told me that considering the symptoms you’ve been showing the past few days…”

Damn, he knew.

“He suggests that you breed for offspring with another canine.”

I couldn’t help but growl at that. I didn’t want to breed for more kids! Or with another darn dog!

“I-I know you don’t want more kids. God knows we can barely handle the ones we’ve already got, but he called your old vet after realizing you were the kid that kept showing up on TV when I gave him your full name. The vet released your information since your mother had disowned you there, too.”

Love you too, ma.

“It seems that your mother actually got herself fixed almost directly after having you for a similar issue.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I asked. “What similar issue?”

“Well, he couldn’t release specifics, but because the issue is in your history, genetically, he did tell me about your mother and that you will likely have frequent heats that grow in intensity unless you breed for children.”

Balling my hands into fists, I banged one on the floor of the bathtub, then pushed myself up to sit.

“I can’t get pregnant right now. If I do I’ll be considered unfit to take care of the baby I already have. Maybe that’s why my parents didn’t comment on my obvious heat. They know it’s going to eat at me…”

I looked up Richard, trying not to let tears slip from my eyes.

“They never told me any of that history. They want me to lose control again and get pregnant. To prove I’m not good enough for Coda…” 

I had more to say, but Richard evidently didn’t want to hear it. He pulled me up into his lap, my wet body soaking his clothes as he squeezed me tight in a hug.

“Don’t ever say that. You’re always going to be what’s best for Coda. He loves his mother and I’ll do everything I can to keep you two together. Besides, you’re my family now. If anyone tries to take you or Coda away from me, they’re going to have a fetishist sock-bear after them. And yes, I will steal their socks right off their feet and eat them. That’ll teach em’.”

The Vet

(Quick chapter :3)

Sam-

It was only a few days later when I’d made my decision. I had too much riding on my school work and the worse my heats got, the less I was able to concentrate. It was starting to affect me even when I was sitting in classes, so I knew there was no other option. Squeezing Richard’s hand in mine, I hesitantly stepped inside of the vet’s office. My stomach was twisted into knots as I signed in, then went to the chairs to wait to be called.

I think you’re making the best decision, hun. It should make everything much easier on you. The kids will also be fine, my babysitter is the best I’ve had.

Hearing his voice in my head calmed me a little bit. We had finally established enough of a connection for us to speak through our minds, just like I had done when I’d first met his daughter.

You’ll stay during the surgery, right?

I knew he would, but I needed reassurance… for the third time. When Richard nodded I gave a quiet sigh and squeezed his hand again. The receptionist walked through a back door and called my name. My heart dropped into my stomach in an instant, then began beating like crazy as it swam around in the acid.

“Come on, Sammy.” Richard said quietly, tugging me out of my seat and after the woman as she led us down a short hallway. We stepped into a small room and were told to wait for the vet, who would be with us shortly. And surprisingly, he was their quite fast. In his hands were charts, likely my medical history, and a few forms I knew I’d need to sign for the procedure.

“As this isn’t exactly something I’ve ever done, I need you to sign the forms that we talked about over the phone.”

I nodded at him and walked over, taking the pen he offered before flipping through the clipboard of papers he set down on the examination table. After signing five pages I set the pen down.

“Alright, will you please get into your canine form for me? I need to do a physical exam and since the surgery will take place in your canine form, I’d like to do the exam that way.”

I gave him another nod, then carefully began tugging off my clothing and handing each piece to Richard to fold and set aside. As soon as I was completely naked I shifted, feeling embarrassed until my fur sprouted and I dropped to all fours. The doctor then began to check just about everything. My teeth, mouth, legs, reflexes, heart rate, eyes, weight, and temperature with a thermometer in my mouth. No chance he was sticking that somewhere else.

With my luck I’d get aroused from just that, too.

Pulling my ears back in distaste, I sat down and waited for the man to finish writing down everything. “Well, everything looks good.” He said to me, then looked over to Richard, who stood.

“I don’t usually allow someone back into surgery but considering the circumstances, as long as you stay out of the way, you can come.” 

Richard nodded and we soon found ourselves in the surgery suite. Nerves had my body tightening with worry, but I swallowed back any outward signs as the vet knelt down and lifted me up onto the table.

“Lie down please, Sam. I’m going to give you a quick shot, then you’ll just fall asleep, okay?” The vet said as he turned and picked up a syringe that already had medicine inside. I did as told, carefully laying down on the table, then shifting onto my side. The shot was just a pinch, and with Richard holding my paw, it barely hurt.

I was out a lot faster than I thought I would be. My eyes could still see as the doctor slid a mask over my face, but I felt my whole body go numb and couldn’t move. Moments later darkness took over, pulling me into a deep sleep.

When I woke up I felt a mixture of cold and shaky. My mouth was dry and I could feel sensation slowly beginning to come back to my paws, where someone was slowly rubbing my right paw.

Hey sweetheart, I’m right here. I never left.

Feeling a faint pressure against my shoulder, I looked in that direction while still keeping my head down. I just didn’t have the energy to lift it. The doctor was capping another needle as he looked down at me with a small smile.

“Just a shot for pain. You did really well, Sam. Your reproductive organs were quite similar to those of a female’s, but of course, you have your normal male ones, too. I removed what your body had clearly used as ovaries and made sure that everything was clean and looked good before sewing you back up. Richard was here the whole time, too.”

I felt too groggy to form a coherent thought to Richard but I knew that he could tell I was trying when he responded. It’s okay. Just rest, Sammy. He did really well. You’ll be good as new in a few days.

I gave a quiet cry at his words, wanting to shift back but knowing that I couldn’t. Not until I was healed enough for the sutures to come out. That was the main reason we’d decided to do the procedure on a Friday. I’d left school early and went back to Richard’s, then we came straight to the vet.

“You’ve been out a little longer than my normal patients, but I did have to give you a guess-dose judging on just your canine weight. Once you are able to stand and make it clear that you’re feeling okay, I can let Richard take you home.”

Richard nodded for me, then the waiting game began after I was slowly lifted down onto a bunch of soft blankets laid out on the floor. Very slowly I got feeling back in my body. The pain shot was likely taking effect, making me feel drowsy while at the same time a bit sick. Knowing that if I threw up I’d likely have to stay longer, I forced myself to keep it down.

We’re going to have to get Coda back on meat. Richard reminded me. He was right. Without my female-like organs, I probably wouldn’t be lactating for much longer. It was a relief, but also a worry.

I still have a few extra bottles, don’t worry. If we have to we’ll feed him formula until he’s ready to try meat again.

I grunted, making his lips stretch into a tired smile.

“Ready to start trying to get up, Sammy?”

He’s grown attached to that nickname. I thought to myself as I did as he asked. It was easier said than done, however, especially because my legs were either coming in and out of being numb, or they radiated pain. It took me several attempts to finally stand, with Richard helping hold me beneath my belly.

“There you go. Just gotta make sure that you’re up, then we can go home to our babies.”

Remembering my Coda sitting at home with a babysitter, I forced myself to stay steady. Thankfully the vet returned from seeing one of his later scheduled patients a minute later. He looked exhausted, but when his eyes landed on me, a tired smile stretched his lips.

“Great to see you up, Sam.” He said as he walked over and knelt next to me. His right hand roamed over my body quickly, watching for any abnormal reaction. The last thing he checked were my stitches, only looking though, not touching.

“Well, I would normally keep my patients for at least four or five hours after the surgery, but I have a feeling that Richard will make sure that you’re comfortable and doing well. If there are any problems, please give me a call.” He told Richard, who said he would and shook the man’s hand.

“I’ll send you the first payment for the surgery as soon as I get my check this coming Friday.” Richard said with a slight frown. The vet just nodded, waving as he headed out of the surgery suite door. “That’s fine. Take care of him. Minimal moving for the next few days, and if he starts licking at it, come back and get a Cone of Shame .”

Rolling my eyes, I felt myself being lifted into Richard’s arms as him and the vet chuckled. “Will do.”

I won’t need that stupid plastic cone. I thought to myself. Not realizing just how wrong I was…

Sammy

Sam-

I had that damned cone on my head the next morning. Richard had gone to pick one up before going to work since I nearly chewed open my sutures during the evening. Now I was home alone, the kids having gone with Richard so that I didn’t have to get up much. He was due back home in the next half hour or so with dinner, making me restless. Eventually I forced myself to my feet and limped outside to relieve myself since I couldn’t even contemplate lifting my leg high enough to use the toilet.

Thank god he left the back door open a few feet.

As I was settling back down I heard the front door’s lock click, then open. Jess and Coda were the first to come inside, darting around the living room several times before Coda settled down next to me with a furiously wagging tail. I gladly got busy cleaning his fur with my tongue as he squirmed around on my front legs.

Hello, Sam.

Hearing Richard’s tired voice in my mind, I turned my attention back to the door as he walked inside and closed it. When I finally got a look at his face I gave a quiet bark, making him grin.

“I’m okay, just exhausted. Your parents decided to stop by my work, by the way.”

Wonderful. Did your bear get their socks?

“Almost, actually. He remembered me saying that and was really hard to hold back. That’s part of my exhaustion, honestly.” He grumbled, shaking his head as he walked into the kitchen and began making dinner from what I could hear.

What did they want this time?

“They wanted to know why you didn’t go to school today.”

Why am I not surprised they have access to my school records?

“Because you’re smart. God, those people are disturbing. Anyways, I told them the truth. You should have seen their faces! They didn’t expect you to do what you did. They thought you’d make yourself suffer or even have another kid so that they could steal Coda away from you.”

I grunted and licked the top of my pup’s head. He had settled down and was now snoring quietly, curled up between my front legs.

“Well, since that’s obviously not going to happen now, at least the way they had planned, they might get more serious. Maybe even finally take us to court.”

Whatever. He’s my baby and I’m his mother. Now that I won’t have such bad heats and can’t get pregnant, there’s no way they can take him.

“Yeah, but we need to be careful anyways. By the way, how are you doing?”

A little better. I still hurt but after that big breakfast this morning I feel much better than I did after the surgery. The meds have helped, too.

“Good, and your heat?”

If I were in my human form I would have blushed as I flopped my head down next to Coda’s.

I still feel it, but it’s no where near as bad. I can ignore most of it pretty easily now.

“That’s great. You were really worrying me with it. I’m glad that you can now have relief and rest.”

I agreed, letting my eyes slip closed as I listened to him set a pot on the stove and start chopping up something. Probably meat. Every few moments I felt myself slip off to sleep, only to wake up again when I heard him or Jess moving about.

“Hey Sammy, dinner time.”

Blinking my eyes open, I grunted and forced my head to lift so that he could slide my dinner plate closer. It was stacked high with chicken along with a small pile of blended meat on the side of the plate. Coda awoke when I did, realizing that it was dinner time. Instead of going for the meat like I hoped he might, he tried to get beneath me to a nipple.

Not a chance, fuzzbutt. Momma’s got some serious drugs in him right now and there’s no way you’re getting any from my milk.

To prove my point, I gave him a quiet growl. He froze in place, eyes wide as he stared up at me, tummy rumbling.

Eat the meat if you are hungry, Coda. I told him before beginning to munch away at my portion. He complained for several minutes but when I finished my food and started licking at his tiny portion, he suddenly was much more hungry for the meat than previously.

That’s what I thought.

He did get us back when he ate it though, because when he’d finished his face was covered in pieces of meat mush.

“I’ll take it. As long as he eats I don’t mind washing off his face. Just glad that he isn’t trying to get you to feed him.” Richard said as he walked over.

He tried his best but I’m a stubborn bitch sometimes.

Richard openly laughed as he scooped up Coda and smiled down at me.

“Well, since you’re technically a male and a female, shouldn’t you have a mix of bitch and bastard?”

No, because any mixture of those two that you come up with will likely sound terrible.“

Richard smirked as he walked into the kitchen and washed off Coda.

Oh yeah, I went bathroom in the backyard to the right of the big cage.

“Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll get it tomorrow.”

I grunted to him and let my head rest back on my paws. The next thing I knew I felt myself being lifted, along with the blanket still underneath me. “I’ve got you, Sammy. You’re gonna sleep in bed tonight.”

I would have argued but after last night on the floor, even with the blanket beneath me, I still hurt enough to keep me from sleeping much. When he settled me in his bed I carefully stretched my sore limbs and yawned.

“Get some rest, hun. The kids are already in bed for the night.”

Thank you. Good night, Richard.

He reached over and gave my head a pet. “Night, Sammy.”

Three days later I returned to school. Sure I was still sore and didn’t move a whole lot, but there wasn’t a whole lot of moving in school, anyways. I just stayed still during classes in a desk and sat out at gym after giving the coach a note that made him blush. Guess he normally didn’t get excuse notes about his students being spayed. Chuckling to myself, I gingerly sat down on one of the benches, hoping to just relax until class ended.

“Hey Paws!”

Go away.

Glaring, I watched as Jamie and Jared walked over, both already dressed-out for class. They stopped about a foot away from me and sniffed, their brows furrowing as they turned to look at each other, then back to me.

“Why do you smell different?”

Hm, to tell the truth or not. Yeah, tell the truth. Hopefully it will get them to think of someone else when they feel like trying to breed again.

“Got myself fixed so I can’t carry kids anymore.”

Their jaws dropped, faces paling at what I had said. I thought they would just walk away awkwardly, but when Jared looked down and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh, I knew he had something to say.

“You didn’t do that because of us, did you?”

Turning my attention briefly to Jamie, I realized that he looked just as upset.

“No. I had my own reasons for doing it.”

Both of them seemed to relax slightly, then offer partial smiles before Jared spoke again.

“Well, like we’d said before. We’re here to protect you if you ever need us. We won’t lose control again, especially now that your scent is a lot less strong.”

I eyed them warily for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Okay.”

When they walked away I was left to my own thoughts for the rest of the period. School was over without any other incidents and I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw Richard’s car pull up near the curb at the front of the building. I wanted to run and get in but forced myself to walk. When I finally dropped into the seat beside him and shut the door, I was ready for a nap. The pain meds I had been given worked wonders, but also made me extremely tired.

“You look like you could use a nap,” Richard said, a chuckle in his voice as he seemed to read my mind. I just grunted after clicking on my seatbelt and checking the two kids asleep in the backseat. To my surprise, Coda was actually in his human form, buckled into a car seat just like Jess.

“How are you doing besides tired? Any problems with the lions or other kids?”

I shook my head against the headrest and grinned. “No, actually. They were a little worried that I had gotten surgery because of them but I told them that it was my own choice. I think that I can finally trust them now. Or at least trust their claws if I need them to help me with someone else.”

Richard laughed. “I suppose. How is your heat doing?”

“Well, it flares up every couple of hours but I checked online in the library and people who have gotten fixed during a heat cycle said that that was normal as the hormones drain from your body.”

I opened my eyes on a yawn to see Richard nod. When he didn’t say anything we both remained silent. I didn’t want to worry him about the fact that my heat was the worst it had been in several days. It would pass, then hopefully in a few more days I’d be completely free of them. It was something I definitely looked forward to as I hopped out of the car once Richard parked in his driveway. Since he was on Coda’s side I helped Jess out, then headed up to the door. Richard caught up to us and opened it as soon as we got there, letting everyone into the warm house.

“Weather’s getting colder, damn.” He grumbled. I could sense that his bear had something to do with his dislike for the cold. Mainly because it would be hibernating.

“Hmm, does your bear go away during the cold months?”

Richard set his coat on the back of a chair as we headed for the kitchen and he started getting food out of the fridge. “Not really. He does get a bit more content if I eat a ton, but we can’t really afford that and I’m not going to the gym anytime soon. So, he’s out of luck.”

I chuckled at him for a moment before walking back to the kitchen entrance. “I’m going to go take a quick shower.”

“Alright, I left some extra clothes in there just like yesterday if you want to stay in your human form.”

I thanked him, then nearly ran to the bathroom. After I slammed the door shut I stripped my clothing off and hurried into the shower. I had hoped that the initial cold water would have tamped my heat, but of course, it didn’t.

“Sammy?”

My eyes jerked open and I pushed myself up off the floor of the shower, frowning at the cool water raining down on my back. The door clicked open and Richard stepped inside as I watched him from the edge of the curtain. His eyes caught mine and he hurried to turn the shower off, then grab a towel and pull me out and into his arms.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad, Sam?”

Having him so close made me want to lick him like he was a cold popsickle and I’d been in a desert for three days. Eh, why not? His warm skin tensed beneath my tongue but I just ignored it as I lapped hungrily along his neck and stubbled jaw. I could feel the vibration of his voice as he continued to speak to me, but everything just went in one ear and out the other until I felt my body being lifted again.

“Sam?”

My head lolled to the side a few times as I tried to get my mind to function. When I finally managed to look into Richard’s eyes he reached forward with his right hand and ran his thumb along my lower lip.

I’m in his bed…

That’s why it was so comfortable.

“Sam, look at me again, please.”

Not having realized that I’d lost myself again, I quickly forced my eyes back to Richard’s.

“You’re eighteen… high school student or not. And you’re hurting from your heat.”

I nodded, but I felt my head tilt a little to the side with the gesture as a strong wave of warmth rushed my mind.

“Do I have consent to have sex with you, Sam? I’ll be gentle because of your stitches, but it hurts me seeing you so bad again, and I…”

He looked away abruptly and pursed his lips as his brow creased. I probably should have thought more into it, but he’d said the magic word, and I desperately wanted that magic little word.

“Yes.”

Don’t Think

(Went to the zoo today, so in the spirit of Richard. points up)

Richard-

The bed rocked as I fought myself to be careful and not hurt Sam, yet at the same time keep my bear in check. It was raging more than my hormones, which was saying a whole damn lot. I had no intention of letting it out to finish what I was just starting, either. It weighed too much, first of all, and would likely force Sam to involve socks, somehow.

You have a serious mental problem you sack of abundant fluff! I growled to my bear as it paced my mind, its roars mixing with the blood pumping loudly in my ears as I thrust in and out of my mate .

My bear froze abruptly, drawing my brows together in confusion for a second, only to realize what I’d thought. Mate. No. He’s not Sarah. My sweet Sarah. The ache in my chest slowed my hips, making Sam slowly open his dilated eyes and stare up at me, panting and no doubt curious as to why I had begun to slow. Beneath the obvious emotions in his eyes, however, I saw what still remained of the pain from his heat. The need for relief.

That’s what I am. Relief.

“Richard?” Sam whispered gruffly, the sound pulling at my weary heartstrings harshly. A strong protectiveness settled over me that my troublesome bear only intensified. 

Relief. I repeated to myself as I began to move again, getting an approving groan from Sam as he wrapped his arms up and around my neck. I leaned closer, letting my chest press against his, adding more friction to our sloppy love-making.

I blame you, bear. Back off.

Even with the reprimand my bear completely ignored me and continued to try and get free until Sam and I climaxed together several minutes later. My concentration slipped while I released, barely giving me enough time to pull out before my body began to sprout tufts of pitch black fur. When I dropped to my bare butt, it was fluffy and had a little stubby tail wiggling with eagerness. With a slight rocking motion my bear righted itself, then began to stumble over the mussed up sheets towards Sam, who was still panting up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath.

No you don’t you fuzzy bastard! You’ll break him! I shouted into my bear’s mind, making it pause next to Sam and give a quiet grumbling whine. After a moment his butt dropped back to the blankets, sinking the bed in a bit with his weight. A strong sense of upset flooded my senses, making me feel a little bad for my poor bear. I just couldn’t trust him with Sam. Not even with his canine form.

Too dangerous.

However… Hey? Why not get him a sock? He’s tired and while he did mate with me, I am you, and I know you felt it. So, he clearly needs his after-sex-sock, right? Find him a good one.

I felt so special for even thinking those words to my bear. Mainly because my wife was the one that always had gotten the after-sex sock from my bear. It was also a terrible idea in general, but it always made my bear happy and when her face lit up after receiving it from him…

Don’t. Don’t think.

I forced my attention back to what my bear was doing. Digging through the sock drawer, of course. Don’t pick the ones I actually have a pair o— Of course you did. My bear turned back toward Sam and waddled over, then plopped down again before leaning over to offer the black and grey sock. Excitement surged through him, replacing his sexual frustration. I was about to send a message to Sam, asking him if he would accept the sock to appease my bear, but then my heart jumped into my throat. His face lit up, and though he was still working on calming his breathing, he pushed himself up and grabbed the clean sock between his teeth, then hugged my bear tightly.

“Thank you so much. You are a very sweet bear, sharing your sock with me!” Sam cooed happily after he tugged the sock from his mouth with his left hand, allowing him to speak.

When he settled back down on the blankets, I realized too late that I had forgotten to tell him one of my bear’s other little issues. Before I could, my bear darted for the sock he’d just given and promptly flew off the bed, since it had been in Sam’s left hand and that specific hand had been risen and close to the edge. A loud thud sounded as my special bear dropped to the floor, the sock in his mouth. He landed somewhat gracefully, surprisingly, but then he lowered the front of his body so that he could begin to chew, butt in the air, stub wiggling awkwardly as he enthusiastically destroyed another sock that I needed for work.

Your bear is adorable, Richard.

If I wasn’t fluffy, overweight, and covered in black fur right now he would have easily been able to see the blush that burned my cheeks at his comment. Only one other person had ever said that, and— Stop thinking about her! I shouted to myself. Only when I felt a slight unease in mind did I realize that Sam had likely heard my frustrated words, even though I hadn’t meant to project them.

It’s okay, Richard. I understand. I promise I’m not trying to take her place. He thought back to me after a moment. Unfortunately, I could hear the slight twinge of pain in them, because it was far harder to hide your real feelings when communicating through thoughts. When he suddenly appeared in my bear’s vision, a quiet growl warned him not to touch the sock. Sam just gave him a tired smile and pet his head.

“I promise I won’t touch it, but can I have Richard back for a little bit? The sock will be right there for you later.”

My bear didn’t seem very happy that he wouldn’t get to finish his sock yet, which it always did after I got to have sex, but after a frustrated huff and a hug from Sam, he relented and let me take control back. The moment I was human again, Sam was in my arms, hugging me tightly.

“Thank you so much, Richard.”

Blinking, I awkwardly wrapped him in a hug. “U-um, you’re welcome?”

He nuzzled my neck, making my chest tighten slightly.

“I feel so much better.”

Oh, of course.

“I’m glad, Sammy.” I whispered, suddenly remembering that the kids were in bed. Surprised my bear falling off the bed didn’t wake them up.

Sam looked like he was about to say something else when his stomach gave a loud rumble, forcing a sudden blush onto his cheeks. Chuckling, I got up, easily lifting him to his feet before sliding a hand down to take his and tug him towards the bedroom door. “Snack before bed?”

We walked into the kitchen, where he stopped near the entrance and I headed for the refrigerator to get stuff to make sandwiches.

“So there’s another round after this?”

The question caught me off-guard, making me jump and slam my head against the ceiling of the fridge. When I shoved the door shut with some cold cuts in my arms and sent him a glare, he just snickered and licked his slightly swollen bottom lip.

“What? I’m a horny teenager who’s mind evidently still wants babies. Even if the Easy-Bake Oven is now permanently off.”

Well, I guess he had a point. And really? Oven? Shaking my head, which was now growing a nice bump where I’d hit it, I walked over to the counter and set the stuff in my arms down. Since I only had two pieces of bread left I decided to just make one sandwich and cut it in half, as I was pretty hungry as well and grocery shopping was definitely in order. Sam devoured his in seconds, his eyes never leaving me. It was a bit awkward standing naked in the kitchen eating a sandwich, while being stared at by another naked guy… eating a sandwich.

He looks like he wants to eat me.

“If you’re offering…”

I smacked my face with a palm after swallowing the last of my sandwich before I could choke on it.

“You over-project your thoughts a lot when your mind is uh, preoccupied.”

Without any food to get in our way, Sam was quick to close the distance between us, pressing his chest and abdomen against mine as he hugged me to him. When his head tilted up slightly, our eyes meeting, I expected to get a kiss out of his devilishly smiling lips.

“Can I lick you?”

What?

“Please? Dog habit, please?” He begged. I half expected him to shift and actually beg with his dog considering the fact that he was literally drooling at the thought of his tongue on me. It was a bit surprising, but eventually I gave him a hesitant shrug.

“I guess? A-as long as we’re in the bedroom and the door is shut…”

The next thing I knew I was being dragged back into our bedroom, the door was promptly shut, and I was shoved onto the bed with him climbing on top like the predator that I was. When his tongue began to lap at my chest I felt my breath hitch, then hiss out as he quickly traveled lower. Even with his speed, he made sure not to miss a single darn spot. By the time he returned tug at my nipples, growling quietly, my bear was back to begging me to let it out. It wasn’t going to happen, but I was incredibly aroused, again, and from what I could feel of Sam as he moved along my body, so was he. Since he was so focused on my left nipple, I just decided to do what I wanted as he did what he liked. Thus, I grabbed him between his legs and gave a small tug.

Before I could consider what my actions may cause, Sam was pouncing on me. Our mouths crashed together, teeth accidentally clicking hard before we opened our mouths to each others’ eager tongues. His hands also trailed down between my legs to torment my already-aching length. We fought for dominance for several minutes before I won out and flipped him onto his back and began pushing myself inside, fighting against my hazy mind to force myself to be gentle. Sam wasn’t exactly helping my control, however, as his claws drew blood on my back and his legs wrapped around me like a vice.

We were both already so worked up that it only took a minute before we were releasing for the second time tonight. When I looked down at him afterward, he finally seemed content, the hunger draining from his eyes to be replaced with exhaustion.

“If I scoot us up toward the head of the bed and get us under the covers to get some rest, are my bones going to be jumped again?”

Instead of giving me a logical answer he just stretched like a content cat, then yawned out a tired, “Mmm.”

“I’ll take my chances that that means ‘no’.” I said with a grin as I tugged him up toward the pillows, then helped him get beneath the blankets with me. We both could use a shower, but as I wrapped my arms around his waist and tugged him close, I figured I could just wash the sheets tomorrow… And we could shower together.

Love you, Richard.

Snapping my eyes open, I looked around the dark room, then down at Sam. He was curled up in my arms, his face pressed against my chest as he breathed evenly in and out, his breath misting warmth across my skin.

Must be hearing things.

Grinning to myself, I snuggled in a little closer and closed my eyes again. I wasn’t really sure what time it was, nor did I care to open my eyes again to check, but just in case…

Good night. Sleep well, Sammy.

Of Course

Sam-

Waking up to a belly rub was quite nice. I felt Richard’s fingers move along my stomach, sifting through my soft fur. When my eyes finally inched their way open I saw Richard grinning down at me from my right side.

“Hey there, sleepyhead. Change in the middle of the night for some morning belly rubs?”

I usually don’t accidentally shift when I sleep unless I have a stressful dream. I thought back to him awkwardly as I rolled over and sat up. When I tried to shift and felt an abrupt block in my mind, holding back my human side, I fidgeted.

Richard, I can’t shift back.

His relaxed face quickly turned to one of worry as he sat himself up and reached over, gently taking my face in his hands and tilting it up so that he could look at me closer.

“Are you sure? Maybe it has something to do with that surgery? Maybe you needed to stay in your canine form longer for it to heal properly?”

I paused, having not thought of that possibility. It made sense, but still, I was really nervous.

“How about this. I’ll call the vet and just make sure that it’s nothing? Just your dog needing some more time to heal.”

After a moment of thought, I nodded and wagged my stumpy tail.

That sounds good. He should know after dealing with normal shapeshifters.

Richard smiled and pet my head before grabbing his phone from the nightstand and dialing the veterinarian. Thankfully the practice opened early, so the receptionist picked up, then quickly transferred him to the vet when the man had a minute to talk. I tried to listen in on the conversation but the doctor was talking a bit too quietly. When Richard finally hung up, his face was a bit paler.

What? What did he say? I asked, worried.

Richard swallowed and licked his lips before turning to look at me. His eyes hinted at what was wrong before he even spoke, but I didn’t want to hear it.

“He said that because he had never operated on a cross-shifter, he just removed what he was familiar with in a female canine’s anatomy to prevent pregnancy. He said… To get a pregnancy test if you had had sex recently, because there were parts he was unfamiliar with and couldn’t remove safely.”

I couldn’t reply. I had just gotten fixed. Made a life, and body, altering decision, and yet I could still possibly be pregnant? With just a gentle pat to my head, Richard stood up and got himself dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

“I’m going to go get a test. Waiting won’t help the situation, though I can’t see how that could be the reason for your inability to shift. Will you let Jess know that I’ll be back soon if she wakes up?”

Yes, of course. I replied, trying to keep my nervousness from my thoughts. Thankfully he seemed to not realize it and smiled, then headed outside after tugging on his shoes and a coat by the door.

For the next twenty minutes I tried to tidy up the bed using my teeth to tug the blankets and adjust the pillows, then paced the hallway until I heard the front door open quietly, then shut. Richard stepped around the corner a moment later, gesturing for me to follow him to the backyard. It was chilly, but as he opened the test and set it in the snow, I realized that it made sense. I didn’t want to accidentally pee all over the bathroom trying to hit where I needed to. This way I could just pee, then adjust myself if I needed to aim better.

It was evidently true that practice made perfect, however, since I easily hit the spot I needed to on my first try. With that done, I took a few steps away and finished relieving myself before following Richard back inside. He hurried to wash off the plastic part of the test, then scrub his hands before setting it down on a papertowel in the sink.

“Well, let’s go get the kids up and in the bath? It’s a little early, but that just gives us some extra time to relax before I have to go to work.”

He paused for a moment, then looked down at me.

“And probably bring my shapeshifter friend.”

I couldn’t argue. If I was stuck as a dog, I wanted to be with Coda. I couldn’t go to school and expect to do much note-taking or paying attention when everyone would likely be staring at me.

Great. All I need now is a visit from my parents so that they can see the pregnancy test.

Fuming, I followed after Richard as he went to the get the kids up. Once he was sure they were getting out of bed, and Coda was lifted out of his crib, he walked to the bathroom and got the bathwater started. I helped him corral the kids to the bathroom, then sat by the tub as he scrubbed each, then dried them both. Thankfully Coda had stayed human overnight, so he didn’t take nearly as long to towel dry.

Another ten minutes passed as Richard got Coda dressed and made sure Jess wasn’t putting something on that was completely mismatched or inappropriate for the cold weather. When we finally got back around to the kitchen I was fidgeting, but Richard refused to look at the test until the two kids were eating breakfast. The look on his face when he read it, though, told me enough.

It’s over. They’re going to get Coda and I’m going to have to drop out… again.

I sounded sad and frustrated in my thoughts, but I was frantic and extremely mad at myself on the inside. I couldn’t have been a bit stronger and let the heat pass in time. No, I had to get my brains F’d out by Richard.

“Hey. Hey. Sammy, look at me.” Richard said in a hushed tone as he knelt down in front of me. I didn’t want to look at him. I was mad at him, though I had no right to be. I’d been the one to initiate last night.

“Let’s take this one step at a time, okay? We need to think this through, then panic once we have a plan.”

His slight jab at humor made my anger lower a little, allowing me to focus somewhat on his next words.

“First things first. I might be struggling with money, but I can take out a loan and have no issue paying it back over time. So don’t think money is an issue when I ask you this, okay?”

I slowly nodded, already knowing what the first question was going to be.

“Do you want to keep the baby if it’s safe for you to have?”

There was barely any hesitation as I nodded my head. I thought he might be upset, considering he really was strapped for money, and hell, time. Yet when he sighed and hugged me to his chest, I couldn’t help but feel that I had done the right thing. I had already lost all but one from my previous litter, I couldn’t just terminate this one.

“We will need to see how far they progress soon. The vet said that if you were pregnant, he’d do a free ultrasound for you. I think we should wait perhaps two weeks, then check? I know some shapeshifters have gestation periods in terms of humans, then another time they’ll have them as their animal form. So I think we should check that.”

Again, I nodded, my muzzle rubbing against his shirt.

“Okay. Next question. Would you like to take online high school classes? I can go talk to the principle and see if he would allow me to assist you, since we can communicate through our thoughts. It’s a long shot when considering tests, but I think we could figure something out.”

Math would be the hardest, not being able to work our problems, but I was willing to try. Anything to keep Coda… and my new baby. Or babies. I reminded myself nervously. Sensing my unease, Richard patted my back and stood.

“It’s okay, Sammy. I need to go get dressed for work, be right back. Then we’ll head out.”

My stomach grumbled as he stepped out, but I was glad that he’d forgotten to make me something. I could have easily reminded him, but heck, my stomach was a nervous mess right now. There was no way I’d be able to eat anything without throwing it up. With a grunt, I sauntered over to Coda, who had finished his meal, and cleaned his face of the meat blend Richard had made for him. We played for a few short minutes before Richard returned, scooping up Coda.

“Let’s get going, guys.” He said, making his way to the door.

Before opening it, he got Coda into a little coat and handed Jess hers to put on. Once everyone was bundled up we headed out. I was already feeling a little better considering Richard was trying to take everything in stride. Sure I could feel the tension in him, but if he could keep his cool until we figured everything out, then I could to. With that decided, I hurried to hop into his car, then settle in for the short ride to his work.

I forgot about one thing. Richard’s voice said in my mind several minutes later. I looked at the back of his head, my ears slightly raised. What?

We have to tell your parents.

I was suddenly very glad that I’d skipped breakfast. He was right, of course, but I didn’t want to even consider telling them. They’d find out when I didn’t shift, but still!

I know you don’t want too, but it’s obvious. Richard supplied, making me grunt.

It will be okay, I promise. I’ll be here no matter what, and we’ll raise our Boggies, or dears, together.

My expression deadpanned and he was soon laughing hysterically as he pulled into the parking lot of his work.

I know, I know. Both of those combinations sound terrible, but come on. There isn’t much else we’d be able to call them.

I rolled my eyes and hurried to climb out of the car when he opened the door.

What about blogs? I thought, immediately regretting it as soon as I did though.

Richard looked at me with raised brows and I sauntered ahead of him a few steps. I refuse to get a Facebook or whatever people use to blog. We’ll discuss what to call them later. Right now you need some serious play time with the kids. They’ll love that. Richard added as we headed up to his office. I wasn’t looking forward to spending every single day cooped up there, but if I focused on the negatives, they’d eat me up. Instead, I was going to enjoy getting to spend time with my son and Richard’s daughter. Who knows, maybe it will all work out in our favor in the end.

Yeah. When boggies fly…

Confirmation

(Quick chapter :3)

Sam-

The days leading up to the ultrasound wore me out in both body and mind. I was studying school after the principle had agreed to allow Richard to help me during the time I pregnant, but I was also reading as much about custody issues and mothers’ rights as I could. And boy was there a lot of information!

“Hey, take a break Sammy. Dinner’s ready and I know you’re hungry.” Richard said as he walked over to where I was laying on the floor, my paw on the mouse he had connected to the laptop. It had taken me a good day to figure out how to move it just right with my paw to allow myself to browse articles, but it had been well worth the frustration.

Thank you. I said while looking up at him with a slight wag of my stubby tail. He smiled and set my food down. Coda ran over at the same time, nibbling at the portion on the side of the plate that was obviously made for him. After finishing the last paragraph of the article I had been on, I turned my attention to the hamburger and pasta on the plate and began eating heartily.

Ever since the pregnancy began my appetite had skyrocketed. I was easily eating twice what I had before, which was surprising considering I hadn’t even eaten that much when feeding my first litter. Not that there was much to eat. I reminded myself bitterly.

“Your appointment is tomorrow, so we’ll get up early for that before heading in to work.” Richard said as he sat down next to me, leaning against the sofa as he began to eat. He was so sweet, always eating on the floor with me and the kids since I couldn’t really eat at the table without making a mess.

“Do you think it’s an animal pregnancy this time? Or human? I have to say, I’d be glad if it was animal so the gestation is a lot shorter.” Richard said with a light laugh. He tried to play it off, but I knew that he was exhausted from all of the extra hours he’d had to put in during the last several weeks just to keep me and Coda fed, let alone Jess and himself.

I think it is. I replied to him calmly, then glanced outside.

Hey Richard? Why don’t you sell the chain link fence and dog house out there? I’m sure someone would pay decently for such a nice set up.

Richard blinked, looking outside with a raised brow.

“Oh. I guess so. I’ll give the shelter a call tomorrow and ask them if I could sell it, since it was donated to them. I wouldn’t want to get rid of it if they could use it.”

I nodded, then added. And I do think it’s an animal pregnancy. It seems to be progressing much faster than my other one.

Richard smiled at that, an obvious look of relief on his tired face. Looking back at my food, I quickly finished off the meal, then got up and scooted myself in right up against him, then sat down. His left arm came around my back right away and tugged me a little closer.

“Hey there, handsome pup.” He said, nudging the side of my head with his nose. I grumbled quietly, but he knew that I didn’t mind. I turned my head and licked his stubbled cheek, making his grin widen. He patted my head, then finished off his own plate of food before setting it aside and patting his lap.

Taking the hint, I hurried to settle in it, loving the petting that I received after I got comfortable. We stayed just like that for at least an hour as the kids played in their animal forms, bounding about the room with endless energy.

I wish I had that much energy. Richard thought to me as his fingers gently scratched behind my ears.

If you had that much energy, we’d be expecting a lot more boggies. I replied sleepily, but with a slight grin on my dog’s muzzle. He chuckled and carefully lifted me in his arms as he stood.

“Alright kids, bed time.” He said as he carried me to our room and set me down on the bed, then went to tuck in Coda and Jess. When he returned I was already curled up on my pillow. Richard slowly changed out of his work clothes and into a pair of loose pajama bottoms before climbing into bed. Normally we’d just fall asleep as we were, but when he opened his arms with a tired yawn, I scampered off my pillow and snuggled into them.

“Good night, Sammy.”

Night, Richard.

The following day was hectic, to say the least. The vet’s office was quite busy, making us wait a good hour after our appointment had been scheduled. I didn’t mind much, but I knew that Richard did need to get to work as soon as possible. It wasn’t the vet’s fault that a dog had been brought in that was hit by a car and in critical condition abruptly and needed his full attention for a time.

When my name was finally called I followed the vet tech into the back room and sat down as Richard carried the kids in, then set them down on the floor. We waited another ten minutes before the veterinarian stepped in, clearly exhausted, though he still forced a smile.

“Sorry about all of that. Very hectic day today.” He said as he glanced over the clipboard in his hand, then set it down before doing a quick physical exam on me.

“Everything looks good. Let’s go get that ultrasound done and see what’s going on, shall we?” He said, gesturing for me to follow him.

We walked out of the room, the door closing behind us as I followed him into another room and lay down on my side on the table. My exposed side was shaved and a cold lubricant applied.

“Alright, let’s see whose home.” The vet said, chuckling to himself as he turned the lights down a little and began running the scanner over my belly. I turned a little when he needed, doing my best to keep my eyes on the screen, even though I couldn’t tell what it was showing.

When he finally turned the machine off and the lights back to full, I sat up, ears perked.

“Let’s go talk with Richard about it. That way I won’t have to explain it twice.”

Before I could respond, which would have likely just been a ‘woof’, he turned and held the door open for me. Grunting, I hurried out the door and followed back into our exam room. He waited for me to sit beside Richard before speaking.

“Well, there’s definitely something developing. It’s too early to tell numbers, sex, and what not, but judging from your combination and the fact that we can already see the baby beginning to form, I’m going bet you’ll only have one. Possibly two at the most.”

Hearing the small number was at least a relief.

“Also, when you come in to have it, and I highly stress that you do, I can make sure to remove what I had clearly missed during the other surgery.”

I nodded and figured that was it, but then the vet glanced at Coda, who was in his puppy form, and then back to me.

“Has he been seen recently? If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to do an exam on him, too. And if he needs any shots, I can do those, free of charge, of course.”

Richard looked down at me, likely as surprised as I was.

Sure, why not. I told him, and he nodded, relaying the message to the vet. He had gotten most of his shots at animal control, so the doctor only had to give him a booster for a few, then a dewormer, as he did have a few little whipworms on the fecal test that was done. Coda didn’t seem very happy towards the end of it, though he had been enjoying the attention at the beginning. Perhaps it was collecting the poop sample…

Either way, when we had finally left the vet, Richard was quite late for work, but since he had called in while I was getting my ultrasound, he wasn’t going to be docked pay. Especially because he had already told his boss the appointment could run late. We all piled back into the car, me carrying Coda by his scruff since he was getting nippy with everyone else.

Someone’s butthurt. Literally.

Snickering to myself, I sat down in the back and waited as Richard buckled the kids into their seats, then got us heading toward his work. We made plans to order lunch and stop to get it on the way, deciding to just eat it in his office.

“We’re going to have to start thinking of names if it’s going to be here in six short weeks.” Richard said, a grin on his face as he drove.

I was already beginning to get tired, though I was also hungry and would need to eat before I fell asleep. I don’t really mind what it’s named. If you like, you can name it. I probably wouldn’t mind Jess naming it either, but I preferred Richard be the one to do it.

“Okay. I’ll think about it this week and see what I can come up with.”

I nodded, curling up between the kids and closing my eyes.

“Go ahead and get some sleep. We still have to pick up our lunch order and then get to my work. I’ll wake you up when we’re there.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. My mind shut down so quickly that if he had said something else, I would have missed it.

Stand

(I don’t have internet right now but my phone has a hotspot function. It eats my data, so I wrote this offline and am just gonna toss it up here then turn off my internet again. Sorry I won’t be able to get to comments till another day most likely.)

Richard-

To our surprise, several days went by before we were contacted again by Sam’s parents. Well, not literally his parents, but their lawyers. They were all bloodsucking leeches though, so either way. Unwanted. They intended to set up a meeting with us sometime soon, and considering we needed to keep the pregnancy quiet for as long as possible, I decided to schedule one for the next day since Sam wasn’t show much yet. He also wasn’t getting very sick after his general morning bout of throwing up, so I figured that around one o’clock would work. As long as he didn’t eat.

Unfortunately, when I had made that little plan, I hadn’t actually been looking forward to the meeting. Yet, now we were sitting behind my desk, Sam in the seat I’d pulled up beside me as his parent’s two lawyers began unloading papers onto the desk.

“We have some papers for Sam to read over and sign about the care Coda is currently receiving.” The man said, of whose name I’ve already forgotten. Oops. Not.

Grabbing the papers, I skimmed over several. They were mostly common sense, though there were a few parts written in smaller lettering, of course, that seemed to be worded as if they could be used as a loophole. Setting the papers down, I pushed them back across the desk.

“There are several sentences in there that I disapprove of. Rewrite it, removing all of the small print, and we’ll consider signing it.” I said, my eyes narrowing in obvious distrust and annoyance. I had work to do and even though I had scheduled this meeting during my lunch hour, food and work were far more important than these idiots.

Unfortunately, they want Coda and if I ignore them, there’s a good chance that they’ll get him. I thought to myself.

Hearing a grumble from Sam a moment later, I glanced sideways at him, raising a brow.

Something on your mind? I asked, hoping that he didn’t need to throw up or go bathroom.

I was reading up on custody issues on the computer . He thinks to me, making me nod.

I remember. You were reading about it for several days.

He nodded, ignoring the odd looks we were getting from the lawyers, who had evidently been talking to us.

I’m eighteen. You’re in your thirties.

I nodded, feeling a little aged at his random statement. At least I looked like I was twenty five! Or at least twenty eight. Maybe. I’m just built a little extra fluffy! I’m a bear, rawr!

Pay attention. It’s hard for me to focus on the connection right now. Sam growled into my mind, making me stop my self-rant.

Sorry. I thought, pursing my lips.

Well, I’m eighteen. And as long as there is no visible issues with Coda and a checkup, which we just happened to get, is performed and shows no issues, which it didn’t… I think we actually have complete legal jurisdiction over Coda. Child Services might need to come by, but I think that my parents might know that it is that easy. They are probably just trying to scare us into thinking we may have to give him up with these lawyers and their pressuring.

My eyes widened at his words. They made sense. He was of legal age to make his own decisions and Coda had just gotten vetted. He got everything we hadn’t thought about till right then, and also had passed all of his exams. Sure he had a few worms, but the vet said that dogs pick them up easily and gave us medicine for them.

Smirking like Yogi Bear who was about to pounce onto a picnic basket, I returned my attention to the lawyers, who were waving at us and knocking on the desk, likely trying to get our attention. They both flinched at the same time when they saw my maniacal look. Not wanting to let them regain their composure, I crossed my arms atop my desk and leaned forward.

“Well, I believe I have some news for you two that you may, or may not, have had access to during your college days. This little thing called the interwebs told me that as long as Sam is eighteen and his son is properly cared for, and he can prove it, then your clients have absolutely no claim to his child whatsoever.”

The male lawyer kept his gaze steady, but the female one fidgeted, looking down at the papers I’d previously pushed back in front of them.

“So, I suggest we give Child Services a call and just to be fair, you and your clients may be there when they go through my home, likely tomorrow, then when they go over Coda’s vet records. That way all of this will be dealt with accordingly.”

Both of them suddenly had quite pale faces, making my smirk grow as I leaned back in my nice office chair and folded my hands in my lap as my legs crossed.

“Well then, it’s been nice speaking with you, but I really do have work I must be doing.” I nodded to the door behind them and heard Sam give a quiet bark of agreement. They thankfully left without another word, leaving me to heave a huge sigh as Sam climbed into my lap. I greedily hugged him to my chest, nuzzling into his soft fur as I came down from my adrenaline high.

“I really hope we have everything in order for this. Thank god that vet asked about Coda, I honestly completely forgot. I also have his paper records that he gave us with the receipt, though we weren’t charged.”

I felt like an idiot for not remembering the exam for Coda, which was so important, but all of the stress I’d been under has really been messing up my memory. I’m pretty sure I haven’t even fed Sam breakfast a few times this week, yet he hasn’t complained once.

It’s okay, Richard. You’re working hard for both of us, and helping me with school and Coda.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and grunted, getting a lick to my chin in response that got me grinning.

“Okay, I won’t pout.” I mumbled before yawning. “Just please remind me if I forget to feed you or one of the kids again.”

Speaking of feeding, you need to eat, too. You’ve been cutting back too much. I can feel your bear’s hunger through our bond.

“Err, uh, he’s always hungry. The fuzz-nugget should just hibernate in my head already.” I reply, though it’s obviously not that convincing considering how my voice sounds.

I don’t care. You’re going to eat tonight until you’re fat.

I looked at him as if he were crazy, but he just leaned forward and slobbered all over my nose before hopping off my lap and trotting over to the door. I need to pee again. Let’s go quick while the kids are still asleep. He thought, making me get up quickly. We made it back to my office just as Coda flopped off of the sofa, waking himself as he gave out a surprised squeak.

“One squeaky toy, check.” I said with a smirk as Sam hurried over to reassure Coda that everything was okay.

Jess sat up a moment later, stretching her arms over her head before looking up at me as I approached. “Daddy, can we have some lunch soon?”

It was already likely close to two, so I smiled and nodded. Pulling out my phone, I dialed the pizza delivery place down the street and got us two large pizzas and a small container of cooked, but unseasoned chicken on the side for Coda. Once that was done and on its way, I hung up and made my way back behind my desk to get some serious work done. Sam settled in on the small dog bed I’d purchased at the thrift store yesterday as Jess began to play with Coda in his canine form.

When the pizza got here I barely pulled myself away from my work enough to pay, tip, and take the two boxes. I got the chicken out for Coda, then opened both boxes on the side of my desk. Every few minutes I would hand Sam a piece, letting Jess get whatever she wished.

Richard.

Automatically, I grabbed another piece of pizza without looking and lowered it. When Sam didn’t take it, however, I glanced down at him.

You need to eat. No more work until your stomach stops growling.

I didn’t think that my stomach was growling, but when I opened my mouth to tell him that, it gave out quite a loud and distracting rumble.

“Okay,” I said as I lifted the slice to my lips. It disappeared in a matter of seconds, followed by another thirteen before I leaned back in my chair with a content sigh.

That’s my bear. Sam thought to me, a chuckle to the words that made me roll my eyes. When I felt his nose nuzzle against my hand I slowly began running my fingers through his fur, just enjoying the momentary food coma before I needed to get back to work.

“You want me to call Child Services and get everything set up tonight?” I asked after shutting my laptop down for the day. I had gotten quite a bit done, thankfully. He hopped up as I scooted back, tossing the pizza boxes in the garbage before walking out of my office. The kids trailed behind us, Jess still in her human form and Coda romping along as a puppy.

Yes. Sam answered after a moment. Clearly he didn’t want to drag this crap on any longer than I did. I nodded as we stepped into the elevator and I pressed the button for it to descend.

Just let me do the talking . He thought, making me suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter. He sneezed a few times, likely laughing in his own doggy way, but boy had he caught me off guard with that. Or I was just too tired to calm down. Either way, I had needed the laugh pretty badly.

“Will do, Sammy.” I said when I finally managed to catch my breath. The elevator stopped on the first floor and let us out into a mostly-empty lobby, because nothing beat working late!

After everyone was loaded into my car, we headed home. I don’t remember much of the drive besides giving Child Services and the leach lawyers a call to be at my house early tomorrow, but my sleepy mind quickly focused again when I stepped out of the car and noticed that my door was wide open. I could smell people, but they were definitely no longer inside. There were two sets of tracks in the snow that led to, then from my house.

How much do you want to bet that it’s trashed? I’m going to say… five thousand. Sam asked, sarcasm making its way into his words as we all walked inside.

“Should have bet a hundred thousand. Then our money problems would be gone and you’d be right,” I growled, though I wasn’t mad at Sam, of course. Just his asshole parents that, for some reason, just had to have Coda.

“Well. It’s only seven. I guess I’ll toss some pasta onto the stove and we can start cleaning? Maybe we can make it look habitable by morning?”

I wish I was being sarcastic, but the beautiful home that my wife had picked out was now completely trashed.

That sounds like a good idea… but I also have something to add to it.

I looked down at him as I hung up my coat and took Jess’s to put up, too.

Call Jordan. I bet his twins would ‘love’ to help.

My eyes closed for a moment as I tried not to burst into laughter.

“Oh yes. I’m sure they would, Sammy.”

I hurried to get some food cooking on the stove while I dialed Jordan’s number. Luckily, his twins were actually not busy and after a growl that honestly scared me, even coming through the phone, they agreed to come help as long as we needed. Once I hung up I got out some cleaning supplies and got busy while Sam ran around picking up everything and anything he could, and throwing away or returning it to its rightful place.

This was going to be a long night, but we could get through it. Then tomorrow, everything will be fixed. Well, except for Sam. He still needs to get fixed after he has our new bundle of fluff.

Scramble

(Short chapter, sorry. Got 40 minutes at my parents’ to steal their internet, so this is what I could get in that time. Gotta go back home now. Unedited) 

Sam-

Running around for nearly two hours already, we somehow managed to get the living room decently clean. Jordan’s twins had definitely not been happy about helping, but once they got into it, they actually did a pretty good job. Of course, I we kept Coda and Jess locked up in the bedroom, having cleaned in just enough for Coda to be put into his crib and Jess to wait on her bed. 

After the living room we headed to the kitchen. It had been left for last, besides the bathroom.  I hurried around, snatching anything on the floor that I could with my mouth and setting it in a pile off to the side. One of the twins, of whose name I could care less about right now, sorted and put away or washed the items I was piling. 

Richard looked the most exhausted out of everyone, having not even changed from his work clothes as he literally slid his arm over the countertops and sloshed smeared food and miscellaneous other things into the garbage can he was dragging around. Twin number two was also helping him, grabbing things that could be salvaged and washing them off, then returning them to their rightful places. 

Once I had nothing else to pile, I roamed around the small area we used as a dining room and checked for anything else on the floor that we’d missed. When I found nothing, I hopped up onto a chair and put a paw on the wash towel Richard had previously soaked with a cleaning solution. We’d left it when we realized how much stuff needed picked up, first, but now that I couldn’t help anywhere else, I hurried to begin pushing the cloth along the wood. 

Thankfully we’d gotten home in time so that none of the food could really stain, but I had to put both paws to work as I scrubbed certain spots of ketchup or barbecue sauce. 

“Hey Sammy, we’ve got the kitchen clean!” Richard called, making me stop near the end of the table. 

I’d spaced out a bit, it would appear, since the table was now pretty clean. With a content woof I hopped off the chair and sauntered around the corner and right into Richard’s arms. He scooped me up easily, hugging me to his dirty, food-smeared chest. 

“We did it, boy!” He nearly sang, clearly beginning to feel his lack of sleep. 

I wagged my stubby tail either way, licking his face as I heard the front door open, then close a moment later. After a brief glance around, I realized that the twins had just left and heaved a tired sigh.

Let’s get the kid’s room finished, then cuddle? 

I normally wouldn’t ask something so girly, but my hormones and sleepiness say screw it. Richard grinned and carried me over to the room, setting me down outside the door before opening it. We swarmed the room on one final boost of adrenaline, the thought of bed making both of us move faster than our bodies wanted us to. When it was all done I downed a full bowl of water and went outside to relieve myself as Richard changed Coda and got them both in bed. 

As I climbed into our bed, I heard a few beeps by the front door and realized that Richard was setting the alarm system. He’d never used it before, having lived in the house for years and not seeing any kind of problem, but I could understand why he set it now. I’d much rather be woken up an alarm then to another mess or Coda possibly missing. 

I wouldn’t put that past my parents. 

Huffing, I settled into the bed and closed my eyes, waiting until I felt it depress beside me before hurriedly scooting back against Richard. His deep chuckle vibrated through my back and made my belly warm as his arm wrapped around me and tugged me closer. 

“I’m so tired, Sammy.” He mumbled against my fur as his hand began to rub my belly. 

We did it, though. And once I finally have our pup, I’m going to deep clean the house. I told him, honestly looking forward to getting it back to its former beauty for him. The poor guy worked hard enough to support us and his daughter to have had to come home to his home looking so terrible. 

Another arm wrapped around me, tugging me even closer. 

“I can’t wait. I know it’ll put more strain on everything, but can you imagine it? I bet it’s going to look like a little black cotton ball. It’ll probably have a stubby tail, and tiny floppy ears hidden beneath thick fur.” 

His voice got quieter and quieter as he continued speaking. 

“I’ll teach it all about… socks. And, and… we need to put a scarf on it…” 

Go to bed, Richard. You’re mumbling cute things, but you need to sleep for tomorrow. I told him, settling in a bit more when I felt him relax further. 

“Mmkay… but I wanna name it Kessa. Like Coda… an’ Jess.” 

I grunted my approval, yawning. When he didn’t say anything else and I felt his breathing begin to steady as it brushed the back of my neck on each exhale. When I was sure that he was completely asleep, I let myself drift off. We had a very busy day tomorrow, if it wasn’t already tomorrow, but I knew we could face it, and overcome it. All we needed were our two kids, Richard’s sock-fetich bear, and my determined fluffy butt.

Final

Richard-

Waking up to the shrill alarm clock made me growl and reach over Sam, who was cuddled into my arms, and drop my fist down a bit too hard onto the off button. The clock made an odd buzzing sound for a moment before silencing.

Probably just broke another.

Forcing my eyes open, I ignored the flickering light of the clock. Probably just knocked whatever does the light in it loose. Instead, I looked down at Sam, asleep in my arms even after that annoying alarm had gone off. He was making little grunting sounds every time he exhaled.

Doggy snores. Cute.

I had no doubt that it was likely because of us being up late to clean after everything else we’ve had to deal with since his parents stepped back into the picture. But today, that will all change. Grinning to myself, I leaned forward and kissed his wet nose. It twitched, making his whiskers move slightly.

“Sammy…” I cooed near his floppy ear. It twitched, along with his whiskers.

“I’m going to eat the last bite of ice cream you’ve been saving.”

There was silence for a long minute before a groggy voice grumbled in my mind. I will end you. Considering he didn’t even budge with the thought, I smirked and pushed myself up just enough to rub his belly. He rolled over almost instantly, accepting the attention while at the same time, stretching.

“We need to get up, fluff-butt. The vampires, I mean lawyers and your parents, are going to be here in about an hour.” I said as I scratched him just beneath his chin.

When I stopped scratching his paws jerked up, grasping my arm playfully. I gave him another quick belly rub, but then made myself climb out of bed. After stretching out my own tired body, I turned and glanced down at Sam. He had gotten out of bed, but still looked about ready to pass out again.

“I need a serious shower. Can you go check on the kids and get them up?” I asked.

He yawned, then grumbled as he sauntered out of the room and toward their slightly ajar door.

“Thanks.” I said, even though he hadn’t technically answered.

I headed for the bathroom, getting the shower ready and hopping in once I stripped out of my clothing. The water was cool, not quite heated up yet, but I didn’t mind. It actually felt pretty good on my overly-warm skin. By the time I finished scrubbing myself and stepped out, the water had gotten to be nearly scalding.

After relieving myself, a brief glance in the mirror as I washed my hands, and a quick tooth brushing, I hurried back to our bedroom and dressed. When I came out into the kitchen Jess was just putting the small container of meat I’d cooked for Coda away. She wasn’t tall enough to use the microwave to warm it, but considering that the pup was digging in and nearly done, I figured that he would be fine with the cold food for this morning.

“Hey girl,” I said as I knelt, arms open. Jess ran right into them and I scooped her up as I straightened.

“Thank you for feeding your little brother. I appreciate it.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “You’re welcome, Daddy.”

Grinning, I walked over to the counter and set her down on it, then turned to the fridge and took out milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips.

“Pancakes!” Jess yelled excitedly, kicking her bare feet against the lower cabinets.

“Yup. Big day today, so we’ll need our energy.” I said as I began mixing the batter, then cooking. Jess got the first one, then I put three on a plate and set them down on the floor for Sam after adding some syrup.

When I finished cooking eight more and glanced down, I couldn’t help but chuckle at Sam’s completely licked-clean plate.

“Here ya go, Sammy.” I said as I knelt down, setting another three pancakes on his plate before patting his head. “Eating for a growing bear is hard, even if it’s only one half bear.”

I swear it feels like I haven’t eaten anything. He thought to me as he engulfed the second pancake on the plate and went for the third.

I wanted to tell him that my wife had been the same way, but I just couldn’t get the words out. Instead, I smiled and stood back up to start working on the half pancake Jess left, having gotten full, and my five. I wanted to give them all to Sam since he was still hungry, but if he ate too much he’d likely thrown up. Or he might just throw up anyways, but still, didn’t want to chance it.

“If you hold those six down, I’ll make a big dinner. Just don’t want to risk making you throw up when you finally got food down.” I said between bites of my own pancakes.

He nodded, then turned and followed Coda as he padded out of the room, his diapered bum wafting quite an unsavory scent into my nose. Forcing myself to finish my breakfast, I then hurried after them and picked Coda up right before he hopped up onto the sofa.

“No smelly butts on the couch, big guy,” I told him as I brought him to the bathroom and quickly changed and cleaned him up. By the time I was setting him back down on his paws, the doorbell chimed.

Go away. The porridge is too damn hot and this bear ain’t happy about it.

Shaking my head, I heaved a sigh and picked Coda back up before walking into the room he shared with Jess. She was changing, so I quickly set Coda down and closed the door most of the way.

“Watch him for me sweetheart. I need to talk to the devils at the door for a little bit, okay?”

After tugging her bright pink shirt over her head, Jess nodded, then ran over to pet Coda’s head.

“Okay Daddy.”

Shutting the bedroom door the rest of the way, I hurried to get the front door. Sam was sitting by the dining room table, clearly not interested in hiding. We had discussed letting them know about our boggie, but I had really hoped that it wouldn’t have to be at the same time we fight this out for Coda.

Feeling my bear perk up at the word fight , I shook my head, hand resting on the door handle as I unlocked it.

No fighting, you. We’ve got enough problems right now. No need to add your sock-addicted fuzzy backside to the pile.

Before he could grumble in my mind, I yanked the door open. I didn’t bother faking a smile at the demons standing on my doorstep, and instead just turned and stalked over to sit down at the table. The woman lawyer walked in first, followed by the male, then Sam’s parents. Before I went to bed last night I made sure to print out all the information Sam had found so that we would be ready in case I forgot something, though we had reviewed it quite a bit over the weeks.

Except you forgot to take it off the printer.

Rolling my eyes to myself, I got up and hurried over to the wireless printer and snatched the papers, then returned and dropped into my chair.

“Good morning, Richard.” Sam’s mother said as she reached across the table, offering her hand.

I was half tempted to take it. And half tempted to eat it. Either option wasn’t exactly favorable, as I figure they would both cause indigestion, so I just nodded. When the woman sniffed the air daintily and retracted her hand, I felt my eyes narrow.

“My, it smells very clean in here. Almost like you just scrubbed the whole house with bleach and floor cleaner.”

Bitch. Literally and figuratively.

“We had some friends come over and they’re a bit picky about cleanliness, so we just decided to have this awesome cleaning party. Totally didn’t think it would be fun, but I have to say that those lions sure know how to mop.”

Sarcasm dripped from my words as I smiled, toothy and aggressive. She took the hint, though everyone sitting at the table looked at each other awkwardly. Sam took that opportunity to hop up on the chair beside me and plant his butt. All eyes focused on him, but I hurried to return my attention to the other four adults.

“Well, let’s start, shall we? Where are the fixed papers without the tiny writing?”

The male lawyer handed over a stack of papers. It was clearly larger than the last.

They probably snuck the different small parts into others so that I’d miss them. Well too bad for them. This bear has a dog on his side to help. I thought to myself before glancing sideways at Sam and grinning. Let’s tear this apart, shall we?

He grunted and leaned over, one paw on the table as we both began reading. As soon as we started to find parts that didn’t belong I grabbed a pen from the counter and began circling them. By the time we finished reading the entire stack, which I don’t think the lawyers actually expected us to do, I sat back and pushed the papers back over to them.

“Everything seems to be logical except for the circled parts. There is no ‘automatic grandparental rights’ or ‘mandatory visit permits.’ Believe me, we’ve looked.” I said while patting the stack of papers I’d brought over from the printer.

The lawyers were scurrying to go through all of the things we’d circled as Sam’s parents glared at their son.

“Surely you can stand to shift for us, Samuel.” His father said, clearly not happy with his son sitting in on the discussion while being a dog. To Sam’s credit, he was doing a pretty good job not growling or baring his teeth considering some of the things we’ve read in the documents before circling them.

What do you want me to say, Sam?

It was his choice in the end, but I had a feeling I knew exactly what he wanted his parents to know.

Tell them.

Licking my drying lips, I turned my attention back to the four others and finally smiled sincerely.

“He can’t shift. He’s pregnant with my new cub.”

I almost thought his mother would pass out considering how pale she turned all of a sudden. If only. Perhaps that would have gotten them out of my house faster. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t have resolved any of this.

“Enough of this. Why do you want rights to visit our son?” I growled.

My bear roared in my mind, very happy and excited to call the pup his. He saw no difference between the pup and his cub to begin with. Coda was his and Sam’s. It made me happy to think about. My bear might have its issues, but he still cared a great deal for our offspring, even if one wasn’t fathered by me.

“We came because we want to know our grandson.” The father said. The lawyers beside him nodded, looking down at a paper that likely held their statement of intent.

“Well, let me ask you this, then.” I said, leaning forward so that one of my arms folded over the worn wood of the table. “Why do you only want to know your grandson, and not your real son?”

The woman’s pale face seemed to return to normal within seconds of me asking that question and she hurried to straighten her spine. “We wish to save our grandson from his whorish ways.”

My blood ran cold while my temper rose. If I wouldn’t likely be thrown in jail for killing her, I probably would have let my bear out to do just that. As it were, I forced his rage back and took several deep breaths before replying as calmly as I could manage.

“I believe your son was raped, as he has said, by several boys in his senior year of high school. I took him to the vet and learned about cross-shifters and why that had likely happened.”

The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes as her husband leaned forward over the table.

“Boys do not get raped. Especially no son of ours.” The man said, glaring angrily at me. “If he was, then he was clearly asking for it.” The woman finished.

I could feel my bear beginning to push through, but even seeing the black tufts of fur slipping through my skin didn’t stop them from saying their last damning words.

“You probably raped him too, unless he just chose to spread his legs for the attention he’d get. Our reputation is already strained with his inability to keep his legs closed. Our only hopes of saving it are to take in his mutt .” The woman said, seemingly not caring that the lawyers heard her real intentions… or not caring. They didn’t seem to really care, too. Judging from the expressions on their faces.

Either way. I saw red and didn’t come back to myself until the table was in pieces and the group of four were standing outside in my front yard. They looked terrified and the female lawyer had shifted. A peahen. Of course.

Snorting, I let my bear sit down on its haunches and looked sideways to see Sam take the same position. He was panting, eyes wide and clearly stressed. That made me fidget, wanting him to calm down. The vet had said no stress!

Forcing myself to gather my wits, I shoved my bear back and returned to my human form. It took a good deal of effort and energy, considering the beast wanted nothing more than to tear the four idiots apart. I ran my shaky hands through my short hair and heaved an exhausted sigh before lifting my eyes to the group and dropping my hands.

“Enough. Your reputation has nothing to do with Coda or Sam. And it never will. If that’s all that matters to you, then just pay everyone you feel like impressing, because I won’t ever stop fighting to keep my son and love. You people are so blinded by greed, I truly feel sorry for you, but not as much as I do for Sammy. He doesn’t deserve the hatred your words cut him with and I won’t tolerate it any longer. If I see any of you again, I’ll get restraining-through-kill orders.”

The lawyers wisely backed toward the car they’d likely driven together in. Sam’s parents, however, took steps forward. I didn’t get the chance to growl at them before Sam’s snarl ripped through the air and his hackles rose to pin-points.

“Now son, stop all of this immediately. You are welcome to return home with us as long as you bring your son and have an abortion for the one you currently have festering in your belly.”

Home.

The word came to me in a thought. It sounded sad and painful and as I watched Sam’s aggressive demeanor vanish, I actually felt a small knot of worry in my gut.

Home is where I’m wanted. Where my son is. Where my new bog will be.

He turned his head and looked up, meeting my eyes.

Where my bear and his sweet cub are.

I couldn’t help myself. I knelt down and scooped him into my arms, hugging him tightly as I repeated his exact words to his parents. His father’s brow furrowed in anger, but when I turned and walked up to the door, then glanced over my shoulder, they both just looked tired.

“If you want to make up for what you did to Sam and not just to save your shitty reputation, you should adopt someone who needs to find a place they can call home… and mean it.”

Not bothering to give them a chance to reply, I stalked into my home and shut the door.

(Next is epi. Thanks for following Sam’s story! Don’t worry, there will be a boggie!)

Epilogue

(Pic of Kessa. Technically a chow chow puppy lol)

Sam-

“Kessa! Get your bum back here!” Richard grumbled as he ran after our new boggie. It bounded down the hall, peeing the entire way until it stopped in the kitchen next to its empty food bowl. I followed after them, getting there just in time to see Richard fasten the diaper onto the black cotton ball.

Grinning, I walked up to Richard and gave him a peck on the cheek, then took Kessa and snuggled him against my chest. Since I’d gotten fixed a few days after having him, we’ve been bottle feeding him goats milk and recently started mixing it with small bits of ground meat in a bowl. Unlike Coda, he had easily taken to the new food and sometimes didn’t bother finishing the milk in the bowl after he’d eaten all of the meat.

“Well, he’s done peeing.” I said after Richard returned from the diaper garbage bin. He looked exhausted, but as his eyes fell to our new baby, they immediately lit up with pride. I handed him over, the boggie eager to go to his father’s strong arms.

“We make a pretty adorable cotton ball.” I said before scooping up Coda. He had finally been spending more time in his human form and even said his first word last week. It was sock . Richard’s bear had been so excited that it forced its way out and took out every single sock from Richard’s dresser and made a pile for its boy to have its pick. Thankfully Coda didn’t eat it, though he does sleep with it each night next to his pillow.

Not really sure how I feel about him having a sock instead of a stuffed animal, but if he likes it and doesn’t eat it…

Mentally shrugging, I looked outside at the backyard. We’d sold the kennel and chain link awhile ago and after winter passed, the grass had started coming back in. I’d also graduated the high school program I took online, with a lot of help from Richard. He didn’t do the work, but paws only went so far when you had to actually type your answers.

“You’re spacing out again, Sammy.” Richard said, drawing my attention back to the present as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my nose. Kessa licked it, too, adding his own kiss to his dad’s before panting happily.

“I swear he’s just a cotton ball that someone dyed black and added a tongue.” I said, rustling the fluffy, soft fur on his head. He didn’t really make any sounds yet except for a grumble when he was really hungry or startled, but I could see him trying to figure out how to bark when Coda did. It was only a matter of time before he started.

Walking over to the fridge, I set Coda down on the floor, then opened the door and took out a large cake. It was shaped like a sock and read Happy Birthday to the Best Sock Bear. When I turned back around with it so that I could set it down on the counter, I saw Richard’s chubby black bear sitting with its legs out to the side and paws in front. It was staring at the cake and drooling, large droplets plopping down onto Kessa’s head as he mirrored his father’s awkward sitting position to a T and panted.

“Yup. I got you a giant sock for your birthday, you big lug.” I told Richard as his bear rolled onto its side over the torn shorts he’d been wearing, then got up and waddled over. Kessa followed, easily climbing his father’s fuzzy arm with his large paws and claws. He ended up leaning over Richard’s head as I removed the lid from the cake and they both leaned forward to sniff.

“Let me just cut some pieces for myself and the ki—”

Jess appeared in the outfit she’d gone to change into for the small birthday party we’d planned right as Richard swiped the whole cake off of the counter. Somehow it landed without being flipped or splattered anywhere. Richard’s bear wasn’t very interested in keeping the festivities clean, however, as he reached down and scraped a huge pawful of cake out, then hurriedly began munching away.

Seeing that the cake would soon vanish, Jess hurried over and grabbed a fork from the drawer by the sink and began to dig in. Coda was soon there, too, not bothering for a fork as he grabbed a handful of cake and promptly shoved it into his mouth with an excited giggle as he sat in nothing but a diaper.

Seeing an opportunity for a very entertaining family photo, I grabbed Richard’s smart phone and got the camera set up. I was just lifting it to snap the photo when a large paw tapped the phone and Richard grunted. “Huh?” I asked, confused as to what he wanted. When he tapped the phone again I turned it, and he poked a small picture at the bottom left of the screen with a caked-claw. Leaning closer, I realized what it was and grinned.

Grabbing some tape, I carefully secured the phone at the perfect angle on the counter after using a few boxes to fasten it too, then set the timer. I figured that it would take us a minute to get into position so that’s what I put before turning and walking over to them. Richard’s bear had just shoved a large piece of cake into its mouth when I reached him. He tilted his head at the camera and grunted, then reached out with a huge paw and wrapped his fuzzy arm around my waist, easily pulling me back onto my backside against him. Kessa grumbled from the abrupt movement and it drew Coda and Jess’s attention.

“Come here Coda, Jess. Family photo time.” I said, opening my arms to my boy, even though he was covered, somehow in only a few short moments, head to toe in cake. He jumped into my arms at the same time Jess scooted in against my side. Finishing the pose, Richard leaned over after finishing licking his free paw clean and roared at the camera as he wrapped us all up in his arms… and cake.

There was lots of cake when that camera flashed, but looking back on that day as I stared at the photo enlarged and framed on the living room wall, I knew that I couldn’t have gotten a better representation of our family than that simple photograph.

End-

(Thanks for reading another random story from yours kind-of truly! I think those cocky lions might need to find someone soon…Until then. waves)

(I’ll also be putting my Ko-fi link at the bottom of the final chapters of my books from here on. It’s totally optional, of course :) See you guys on the next story!)

Tips always appreciated :) https://ko-fi.com/theorykierei