The Song of the Small and the Mighty
Chapter 1 

Dr. Kennedy's spirited greeting came from down the hall. "Eric, you're back." Eric turned and saw the young man in his white lab coat running toward him. "Brace for impact, Bear, you're about to be hugged." The doctor threw himself at the polar bear, and the bear grabbed the human in midair and spun him around in a tight hug. "God, I miss you guys when you're away," the human said as he buried his face into the white fur of the bear. "But I won't complain about you being gone for only four years."
 
"It's good to see you again, John. Li Wei's companion had a bit to do with that. For us, it was a very typical merging. It took thirty-two years. But in this reality, you didn't have quite the wait. I hope that the rest of the family doesn't get upset with us."
 
"They'll understand. Word gets out about these things. It's nice that Derrick and Will are here for Spackle's turning and welcoming. He waited the extra four years without a single complaint." When the hug ended, the human was all smiles. His bright yellow eyes glowed past his human persona. "So? How many sons? What are their names?"
 
"We have three. Joshua, Gabriel, and Noah."
 
"Wow, very biblical."
 
"Well, they seem eager to get to know everyone in a very biblical way. Merging the seven of us couldn't help but create some rather horny beasts."
 
"And what beasts might those be?"
 
"Joshua is a very large American lion. He's already changed the hair color of his mane three times. We're hoping he settles on the blue and green he has right now because the dragons think he did it to match them." The white bear shrugged his acceptance. "Actually, it's very attractive. Gabriel is a Kodiak like his dad, but he chose a sort of dirty blonde fur, so you can easily tell them apart." The bear paused. "Oh, and there's Kris's genitals. Gabriel's genital pouch is far less pronounced. I believe the euphemism is he's a grower, not a shower."
 
"I'm sure that will go over with the humans much better," John said with a laugh. "And Noah?"
 
"Noah's still not chosen a beast at the moment. He's holding onto a Verital shape."
 
"Noah's a gummy slug?" Dr. Kennedy asked.
 
"Yeah, for the time being," the polar bear said with a laugh. "He said that regardless of whether it was thirty-two years or four years, it wasn't enough time to make such an important choice. So, for the time being, he's a bit like Marcus once was. If you touch him, he becomes what you are. But he stays in that shape as long as it's convenient for him, so I've seen him playing with wolves as a bear with no shifting. He's never taken on the form of a temple dog, though. He said he considers their calling sacred, and he is anything but."
 
John laughed. "I suspect he's more in tune with the temple dogs than most of us by that statement alone."
 
"The temple dogs have all advised him that changing to match them will not distress them in the least. But he's headstrong about his body choices. On his own, he looks like blue Jell-O in a quasi-anthropomorphic state."
 
The doctor smiled. "Builder clan. Your boys aren't all multi-colored like Samuel and Raymond?"
 
"No, I think that Samuel and Raymond are truly special beyond how lovable they are."
 
"Well, I can't argue with you there. They seem tailor-made for Adam's little family. As for Noah, I'm sure he's adorable. I can't wait to meet them all."
 
"Well, they're all on the highland at the moment. They're quite content to stay with the temple dogs and let visitors drop by."
 
"If I was a horny beast, that would be my choice too," the young doctor chuckled. "But it is good to see you. I have missed you all."
 
"And we missed you, good doctor," the polar bear replied. "Thanks for all the visits while we were in the chrysalis. We appreciated them. Adam and the dogs weren't the only ones who loved having you drop by. They reaped the benefits of your physical affections, but we all enjoyed it when you took the time to chat with us."
 
"I doubt I'll ever get used to talking to a rock. I'm glad I didn't make a fool of myself."
 
"Not at all. We loved every visit."
 
"Will you be staying in New York for long?"
 
"Not if I can help it," the bear answered. "New York has never been our home. But I understand it's getting tougher for you to get away from here. I saw what level eighteen looks like. You keep adding more and more to your lab here." The bear hugged tighter. "So, what are we going to do about seeing more of you beyond our quarterly visits for shareholder meetings?"
 
"You could adopt me," the young redhead said. "Nathaniel and I could be brothers. We could do all sorts of experiments together."
 
Eric released the hug and laughed. "You two boys do all sorts of experimenting together without involving adoption papers. And very few of those experiments involve anything but the two of you being smitten with each other." He pushed the doctor back and looked at him. "You make such a handsome human, Dr. Kennedy. But you make an even better-looking wolf. Can the husbands and I drag you away from your work sometime this week to refresh our memory of how good-looking that wolf is?"
 
Dr. Kennedy replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Of course," he replied. "But I have a mystery to bring up. I'm not sure whether it should be a part of the next board meeting or only something we talk about after I've refreshed your memories."
 
The polar bear's eyebrow arched. "Is this something to do with the CDC project you're working on?"
 
The redheaded human shook his head no. "That's all going as planned. I'm pretty sure they'll find the answer tomorrow. That's well within the time frame we needed to avoid a pandemic. The sudden disappearance of our lead doctor has flustered the rest of the team, but they're pushing ahead. I'm heading back to D.C. later today to rejoin them with some test results I'm running here at the lab."
 
"Where's Dr. Jackson?" the bear asked.
 
"Holed up on that island of his working on some new diversion," Dr. Kennedy replied. "I'll visit him as soon as the team finds the cure to see what's going on with him."
 
"Do you have a personal interest in your disappearing doctor?" the bear questioned.
 
"Perhaps a bit. He seems so much different when he's around me than when he's with others. I can't help but see a person inside him that lies just beyond that outward appearance of a total dick."
 
Eric laughed. "He's a brilliant man, Son. I know you find intelligence irresistible." The bear's paw reached out, and the human grabbed it. The polar bear turned and began walking back toward his office.
 
"I love it when you call me Son," the doctor said with a smile.
 
"Which is the reason I call you Son," the bear said with a nod. "I love seeing you smile." He squeezed the human's hand tighter. "So, what does this news of yours involve?"
 
"Gizmo," the doctor replied. "He's found what is either an anomaly or a breach of everything the Changelings have raised me to believe."
 
The bear halted the walk toward his office. "How serious are we talking here?"
 
"Very," the doctor replied.
 
"Let's do this as a family, Son," the bear said with a frown. "This isn't corporate business stuff. The corporation may have paid for Gizmo's creation, but Gizmo has always been about bringing our family together. If there's something amiss in that, we should handle it as a family."
 
Dr. Kennedy nodded. "That's what I felt. Are you okay with a bit of time together before you ask me to explain it all? I'll feel a lot easier about broaching the subject if I'm a bit more relaxed, and you and your family do that for me like no one else."
 
Eric grinned. "I'm sure that would make it easier on us as well. Should I be inviting Nathaniel to join us?"
 
"Could you?" the redhead asked with an eager grin.
 
"Of course," the white bear replied. "He's with all his husbands. So, are you good with another short-faced bear, a badger, a saber-toothed cat, and a rhino added to the mix?"
 
The young doctor closed his eyes and tilted his head back, practically swooning. "Oh, please yes. Yes… Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
 
"Okay, then," the bear said with a chuckle. "When are we doing this meeting?"
 
"Is later tonight too early?"
 
"Not at all."
 
"Can we meet on Partridge Island?" Dr. Kennedy asked. "The Museum House is so much nicer for these kinds of meetings than the apartments here on campus."
 
"I'll pass along the transportation requests to Jason this afternoon," the bear replied.
 
"Uh, Eric," Dr. Kennedy interrupted, "Jason is indisposed for a time. He and his husbands are a rock in Montana."
 
Eric shook his head. "Why wasn't I told of this the moment we returned?"
 
"Because we were all trying to think of a way to broach it delicately," Dr. Kennedy replied. "We know how long you've known Jean Pierre, and Lothair is your brother."
 
"Okay, the cat is out of the bag now. We need to make sure the rest of my family finds out with less of a shock to the system." The polar bear picked up the pace of his walking and the young doctor followed. "I'm going to miss those three. I was looking forward to them being at our welcoming circle."
 
The wolf looked up at the bear. "Lewis and Anders are waiting on their merging. They want to welcome their son at his turning. Spackle has a long list of folks patiently waiting for the day he becomes a temple dog. There seems to be a bit of wiggle room nowadays between when the Changelings feel the urge and when they crystallize."
 
Eric's eyes reflected the surprise of yet another revelation.
 
"That's a good thing, right?" the wolf asked.
 
Eric smiled and nodded. "It's a good thing," he replied as he pulled on the paw of the wolf, quickening his pace. As they neared his office, Eric waved at the wolf sitting at the workstation outside the office. "Morning, Simon," he said, stopping as the wolf lifted a cup of coffee. The bear took a sip from the cup. "Perfect as always, Simon. I just found out about our communications specialist turning into a rock. Could you please make sure my husbands know about this before the day is over?"
 
"We live to serve," the wolf said with a grin. He paused a moment, looking at the newly born polar bear. The newborn's pheromones pushed him to abandon his usual decorum. "But a kiss now and then to let us know we're performing up to task wouldn't hurt the office morale."
 
The bear leaned over and kissed the wolf, pausing long enough to hear the wolf's sigh before standing back up. "Better?" Eric asked.
 
"Much better, sir," the wolf replied. "Your schedule is clear until two this afternoon. I will contact your husbands as soon as they're finished shopping for your birthday gift. They're over at the downtown floating markets."
 
"Do they still think they're throwing me a surprise party?" the bear asked.
 
"It would appear so," the wolf said with a smile. "They asked me if I knew any stripper wolves that would jump out of a cake for you."
 
The polar bear sighed. "Oh, good lord," he groaned. "This is what comes from marrying men who lived through the twentieth century. What did you tell them?"
 
Simon looked away and shuffled some papers. "I told them I knew how to pole dance," he confessed.
 
Eric laughed out loud. "I don't pay you nearly enough, do I?"
 
Simon looked back at the bear. "Actually, you do. But I was thinking you could consider jumping from a cake at one of your parties as part of my benefits package."
 
Eric pushed upward and leaned back. "Really?"
 
Simon smiled awkwardly, took a deep breath of the pheromones swirling around him, and said, "Maybe one day we could discuss it."
 
Eric paused at the door to his office. On either side of the glass door, matching twelve-by-fourteen-foot panels of glass framed the entryway to the inside. The rich mahogany wood on either side of the windows told a visitor there was much to see of the office beyond. They could see only a small portion of the interior from the outside. Even so, from outside the office, what left any visitor taking a second look were the wall-to-wall windows at the far side of the room. The floor-to-ceiling expanse of windows overlooked the flooded plains of Manhattan from the forty-second floor. The view was imposing and so much a part of the room that one scarcely noticed the rest of the room's decor when the room was vacant and the lights dimmed.
 
Inside the office was one large desk in the middle with a simple banker's lamp lit up on the side, providing a warm glow in the otherwise darkened room. Three wide, well-padded chairs were in front of the desk for visitors. The chair behind the desk spoke of a design made for someone far beyond human norms. But visitors who never saw the bear simply assumed that Eric enjoyed sitting on something large and comfortable. In that respect, they were never wrong.
 
In the far corner, there was a side table with a lamp on it flanked by two comfortable double-wide recliners. Another three chairs in front of the table formed a sitting room of sorts. Behind the sitting area was an expansive library of books nestled in a dark wood bookshelf that took up the entire wall. The other side of the office used the same mahogany paneling that led to the washroom. The fixtures in the washroom made no sense to any human visiting from outside Bear Paw's Enterprises. To those who saw the beasts, everything seemed perfectly logical.
 
As soon as Eric walked past the biometric scanners, they activated, and the glass doors slipped back seamlessly into the side panels. The lights of the room turned on with a warm, welcoming glow. "I don't have a meeting again until two this afternoon, Son," the bear said, shaking the young doctor's hand. "Would you like to take a break from what you're doing and join me for some light snacking before your dinner later this evening?"
 
The bear felt the human squeeze his paw even tighter. "Oh, please, Eric, please," the young doctor said. "I'm leaking like a faucet through my scrubs as it is. With you spilling out those pheromones, I picked the wrong day to go commando."
 
The bear smiled, leaned in, and kissed the redhead. "Let's get you out of those scrubs then," the bear suggested as the two entered the room. "Block view," the bear commanded, and as the doors closed, all the glass in the office's front clouded over into an opaque, frosted white.
 
Simon shook his head. "Gingers," he sighed. "They get all the breaks around that family." He paused as he pulled up his computer screen and returned to his work. His head dropped for a moment. "Okay, wolf, admit it. Dr. Kennedy would get any break he wanted around you, too," he said, shaking his head. "Try not to be bitter."
 
There was a chime over the intercom on Simon's desk. "Simon?" the voice of the bear asked.
 
"Yes, sir?" the wolf replied.
 
"I've been trying to eat a balanced diet of late. Would you care to help me balance out the wolf I have in front of me by being the wolf behind me?"
 
"Really, Sir? You not teasing me?"
 
"You said you wanted to discuss your benefits package. If I'm not mistaken, you implied I'm part of that package."
 
"If… if… you don't mind, sir," the wolf stammered.
 
"I would be honored, Simon. Close that station of yours and hurry on in. There are only four hours until two o'clock."
 
Simon stared at the desk in front of him. "Oh, fuck it," he said impatiently. "Lock everything," he commanded. The desk complied, and the wolf dashed toward the door. The doors slipped open only wide enough to let a large white paw push out, grab the willing wolf, and drag him in.
 
Chapter 2 
 
Nathaniel lifted his head off the dripping cock and swallowed. He smiled at the timber wolf below him. "Feeling better Dr. Kennedy?" He asked.
 
"Oh, so much better, Dr. Templeton," the wolf sighed. "Thank you for letting me invade your home with this entourage of mine."
 
Kris looked up from the spent cock of the black wolf below him and wiped the cum from his muzzle with the back of his paw. "I am not your entourage, Doctor," he said sternly. Dr. Kennedy's smile dropped at the thought he had insulted the big bear. "I am your groupie," the Kodiak said with a smile; "big difference." The brown bear boosted himself up. "So, beyond my groupie fascination with you, why are we here, Doc?"
 
Dr. Kennedy pushed up into a seated position. Nathaniel's head dropped in his lap and the bear licked his chops. "Pay attention to the screen, Handsome," the young doctor commanded.
 
"Okay," Nathaniel said with a begrudging nod. "But later tonight, I expect a reward for my good behavior."
 
Dr. Kennedy laughed. "Okay, if this doesn't disrupt the entire evening, you have my word." The timber wolf tapped his ComLink. "Ori, please display Gizmo's findings of November twenty-seventh on the house screen. Temple dogs first, then Adam. Hold on displaying screens nineteen through twenty-four." The view screen on the home theater flickered with pages of data that only two others in the house seemed to understand. "Lately, Gizmo has been asking to expand his programming. It seemed innocent enough. He's a young AI, and he's bored with the tasks we ask him to perform. So, I told him to remember the three rules of robotics and enjoy himself."
 
"Those three rules work?" Will asked.
 
"Of course not," Dr. Kennedy said with a laugh. "They only work if the robot you programmed sees them as viable orders. But Gizmo thought it was funny. He is learning by leaps and bounds of late. His interfacing with Ori has had remarkable outcomes. At any rate, these screens should be familiar to Nathaniel and Eric," he said as Ori flipped through the requested pages.
 
"The genomes of the temple dogs and Adam," Nathaniel replied.
 
"That would have been my guess," Eric said with a nod, "But my skills with DNA deciphering aren't a match for my son's."
 
"Okay, so for everyone else here, let me explain," the doctor wolf said. "In the Were Nation, there are three unique species that share identifiers with no other group. The Changelings and the temple dogs are both easily identified, as they have one unique DNA substructure."
 
"Yeah, the Changelings are who they is because they was born from a rock. And all them dogs is easy to tell apart because they is all the same dogs," Oliver said.
 
"Not exactly, Oliver," Dr. Kennedy replied. "They don't have any actual dog DNA in them. They're like us all. You're not a badger, I'm not a wolf. We manifest that way because it is a choice we make in a body that has the flexibility to change. There's no badger DNA in you, my handsome badger."
 
Oliver rubbed his crotch. "That's because the Old Bear sucked it all out of me, Wolf."
 
The doctor laughed. "You know what I mean, Oliver."
 
"Yeah, I does," Oliver said with a smile.
 
Nathaniel looked up from the doctor's lap. "The dogs are mostly Changelings," he said. "When they turned, the Changeling DNA took their choice to abandon their human side as a command. It overwrote their DNA, leaving no human DNA behind. The reason that the temple dogs are dogs is that they choose to be."
 
"You means they can change like you does?" Oliver asked.
 
"We already know they can," Nathaniel responded as he looked at Katashi. "Bai was born a dragon, became a dog, then a human, and today is a dog again. I'm pretty sure all the dogs have the same ability." Katashi returned only a smile. "If you look at our DNA markers, the dogs are almost identical. My guess is they share all our capabilities, and more than likely others, because of their unique evolution."
 
"Then why don'ts them dogs change all the time like you and Adam?"
 
Derrick gave a shy wave of his hand. "I know the answer to that one," he replied. "Because it's not needful. If it were, they wouldn't hesitate to change. Every temple dragon changed on their rebirth, so they could be closer to their brothers and protect the dragons better. They change only when they see it as needful to make those changes."
 
"Comes the answer from one of our most lovable temporary temple dogs," Will said with a chuckle.
 
Dr. Kennedy rubbed the top of Nathaniel's head lovingly. "The Changelings' DNA markers are unique to them. We can identify where any Changeling is on earth at any time. But Gizmo can't tell you who is who without using other identifiers like their stature or their ComLink signatures. He needs those to determine which Changeling we're looking at."
 
"Gizmo can only see Nathaniel as different from all other Changelings, and his differences aren't genetic — they're cosmic. He is unique, based on his evolution outside this universe. Those identifiers are a part of anyone who came from the previous universe. So long story short; Changelings are the first of our unique species. The very first, as they're the granddaddy of us all genetically speaking. Likewise, our second unique species, the temple dogs, are traceable because of their unique and identical DNA markers."
 
"Fair enough," Kris said.
 
"So, Changelings are first, and temple dogs is second," Oliver said. "Who's the third? All the rest of us?"
 
"Not quite, Oliver. We factor into this discussion," the young doctor answered, "but we're not exactly unique. Our lovable otter in the corner is unique because his body is a construct. He has no human or Changeling DNA. What we see as Adam's DNA is still a mystery to us down at the lab. He appears to be a mash-up of alien species outside of our databases. He has something akin to a ghost image of Changeling DNA, but the rest is unknown to us."
 
Adam pushed up from the lap of the old wolf. "Kendal created our body. It's a shell created to house us in a shapeshifting form. We held on to only what would allow the five of us to live together. Human DNA, or any Terran DNA for that matter, had no sway in that, so we didn't use it. This universe has many ways of creating life. The options of DNA or RNA are only one of hundreds. What you see as Changeling ghost DNA is Samuel and Raymond. Like Nathaniel, cosmic circumstance alters their DNA. We preserve it because we know it might be called upon to protect our family." The otter breathed out. "There, can I return to using my regular personal pronouns now? As a family, the five of us hate it when we get subdivided into parts for these conversations."
 
"Ain't easy being that damn Voltron robot, is it?" Oliver said as he nudged the otter.
 
"Never said it would be," Adam agreed. "But it keeps me next to you, Stud, so I'm willing to deal with it."
 
"You thinks I'se a stud?" Oliver said with a laugh.
 
"Oh, jeez, Oliver," the otter sighed. "I want you so bad, I've been digging myself past bears and wolves all night trying to get to you." The otter paused. "But you know… digging through bears and wolves is very distracting, so it's taken me this long to get close to you." The otter kissed the badger on the cheek. "I hope Dr. Kennedy can cut to the chase soon enough to let us run out in the rain and fuck like badgers."
 
Oliver looked at the young doctor. "I believes we has a request to cut to the chase."
 
Dr. Kennedy smiled. "Fair enough. I was only trying to lay some groundwork here before I showed you what Gizmo found. So, Adam, and by that I mean the entire family living inside that cute little otter, is the third unique group in the Were Nation. Those are our three groups, two of which Gizmo can't always tell who he is looking at depending on circumstances.
 
"And that leaves us with the rest of the Were Nation. Werebeasts as a group are the only beasts on this planet to have unique identifiers. Our human DNA is still very much a part of who we are. And how it has mingled with Changeling DNA is also unique. It's why some of us can merge with Changelings and others can't. It's also what lets Gizmo find you in any temporal plane he can latch on to. Werebeast DNA is unique to each individual. It allows Gizmo to see each of us wherever we may be."
 
"I'se glad he can," Oliver said. "It's nice to be home with the husbands I loves because of him."
 
"So, without showing what the rest of you look like on paper, I'm only going to say your uniqueness as individuals makes you as a group to Gizmo not unique. We'll leave it at that. Gizmo can locate any werebeast or any human on this planet by using your genome. But one day, just for fun, Gizmo went looking for any combination of Terran and Changeling DNA not already cataloged, and this is what he found." The timber wolf paused. "Ori, show DNA screens nineteen through twenty-three. Linger on image twenty-three, please. I'll fill you in on the confusing part, Nathaniel," Dr. Kennedy said as the images rotated by. "That's Javan tiger DNA. And Javan tigers have been extinct for hundreds of years."
 
Nathaniel bolted up from the lap of the timber wolf. "It can't be."
 
"It is," Dr. Kennedy replied. "I've confirmed Gizmo's conclusions multiple times."
 
"But there are rules in place. Only sentient beings…" Nathaniel blurted out.
 
"That leaves an awful lot of wiggle room, Bear," Max pointed out. "There are two werewhales out in the Pacific Ocean living with their pod. Just because something isn't human, doesn't mean they aren't sentient. Even dogs are now seen as sentient because they have feelings and intelligence that humans have ignored since the dawn of time. Who's to say that tigers don't deserve the same respect?"
 
Nathaniel pointed to the charts and information flipping through the screen display. It stopped on a single image of comparative DNA strands. "But we're talking a Changeling turning a tiger. That goes way beyond what any of us would ever do. They may be sentient, but their intelligence never rises above that of a three-year-old human child. You can't possibly justify mating with a three-year-old child."
 
"Well, I'm not sure that's exactly what we're looking at, Nathaniel," Dr. Kennedy interrupted. "It's that same ghost image we get from Samuel and Raymond in Adam. It looks like Changeling DNA restructuring, but those genomes are still pretty much a group of tigers."
 
The polar bear let out a long sigh. "Oh, Kantrava," he said, closing his eyes, "what have you done?"
 
"Who's Kantrava?" Oliver asked.
 
"My brother," the bear responded. "He was warrior class and a brilliant strategist. He was one of only a handful of us to survive the Battle of Osogovo. They threw Ivan and me out of the battle, but Kantrava was never there. He had no love for humans, but he did for the island animals he lived with. He took the shape of a Javan tiger and did his best to protect them. But even he couldn't stop Java from becoming one spot the Allied troops and Japan fought over in World War II. The tigers that he protected suffered, caught between the two warring parties with no idea of whom to fight or whom to defend. Every animal on that island wound up realizing all too soon that it didn't matter which human with a gun you met. If they saw you, you were dead. After the war, the humans saw the tigers as a demon plague, and the islanders hunted them to extinction. A beautiful species destroyed by superstition."
 
All heard Chipo give a melancholy sigh. "They weren't the first, and won't be the last of those killed by human superstition. The number of extinct rhino species outnumbers the living. All for imagined cures from our horns that do no good."
 
"I'm sorry, Chipo. There is little we can do about the species out there driven to extinction by humans," Dr. Kennedy said. "But we can do something about the Javan tigers. There are still five of them; very much alive, Eric."
 
"So it would appear," Eric replied. "Kantrava died during the Korean conflict. Will and I were preoccupied at the time with over two hundred wounded soldiers for the fourth day in a row. I'm not sure how he died. There's no way to say even where it happened. I just sensed his life force was no longer a part of the Unity. What happened is still a mystery. He was gone, and I had no way of finding him."
 
The old wolf put his arm around the polar bear and pulled him close. "What do we do now, Old Bear?" he asked.
 
"We go find the children of my brother. We find them and try to fix whatever my brother did."
 
Derrick looked up at the white bear as he rose. "Papa Bear," he said, "Please don't be too harsh with your brother's memory. He did what he did to save his family. You did the same for the ones you loved. There's a great deal more to this story than we know, but somewhere out there, there are tigers that do not know why they are what they are. Their father is dead. They share no knowledge of a family beyond the five. They're going to need our help."
 
The polar bear nodded his understanding. "That's all I want to do, Pup. Find a way out of the mess Kantrava created. I don't hold the tigers responsible, and I understand my brother's motivations. But I seem to have a history of brothers who find the most convoluted ways of protecting those they love."
 
Eric turned toward Dr. Kennedy. "So where does Gizmo say these tigers live?"
 
"Pulau Dawera. It's a small island on the Sunda Islands chain. It's in the middle of a triangle created by Indonesia to the northwest, Papua New Guinea to the east, and Australia to the south. Oddly enough, it's been off-limits to all humans for hundreds of years by order of the owner. The tech protecting it is pretty impressive."
 
"Who owns the island?" the polar bear asked.
 
"You do, Eric," the young doctor replied.
 
"Me?"
 
"The records show you purchased it after the Second World War; one year into the Korean conflict."
 
"I never did that."
 
"Not you directly, but your representatives did," the timber wolf interjected. "Ori, will you please bring up that newspaper clipping in image twenty-four?" The image of a faded newspaper article came up on the screen. The headline proclaimed "Reclusive American Tycoon Buys Island." Surrounded by island people, were two rather scruffy-looking men holding up a document. Their khaki pants, off-white tactical shirts, and sweaty fedoras seemed vaguely familiar.
 
Like most photos of the era, the one that the family was staring at was blurry and devoid of focused detail. Yet, even with its limitations, everyone recognized the two men who towered over the others. The thin man with his unkempt light hair poking out of his back-tilted hat and the rotund, bearded man standing next to him. The holstered revolver on the hip of one, and the whip secured to the belt of the other, told the family all they needed to know.
 
Dr. Kennedy cleared his throat. "It's an obscure, brief article in the business section of the London Times. Those two purchased the land on behalf of a business venture called Bear Paws Enterprises. That in itself is interesting because it was fourteen years before Bear Paws Enterprises even incorporated. The paper states the sole owner to be one Eric Adalbern. He's portrayed as a hermit-like private financier in the article. The two men in the picture are his representatives, Henry Jones Sr. and Richard Croft. They coordinated the sale over months. The two helped relocate and house the inhabitants off the island. And they created the quarantine that followed."
 
The smaller short-faced bear in the background broke out laughing. "I'm going to need to have a talk with my nephew about what they're up to."
 
Eric smiled at the bear. "Please don't scold him, Max. My guess is before this is all over, I will thank Max and JP for what they've done."
 
"They play pretty fast and loose with time, Old Bear," Will said, "but they're pretty sure of themselves when they change any timeline."
 
"Well, we will never know what might have been since they already did it hundreds of years ago," the polar bear replied. "If we own the land, I suggest we visit it."
 
"And you promise to be kind?" Derrick pressed.
 
Eric took the paw of the black wolf and pulled him into a close hug. "I promise to be kind," he said as he kissed the wolf. "These are my brother's children. They're innocents. I know my responsibility."
 
Oliver stood up and shook his leg. "Well, you men figures out who's going. Ain't no way you wants a little badger in the middle of them five tigers. I'll be looking like a snack to them critters. Adam made me an offer, and I'm gonna take him up on it. I'm off to bang myself another badger in the rain." The badger took the hand of the otter and pulled him up. The two of them ran to the rear door and out into the night.
 
Eric looked around the room. "Dr. Kennedy?"
 
"Sorry, Eric. I need to be back at the CDC in four hours. The crew is coming in at five and I have to make sure they see the puzzle fall into place by lunchtime."
 
"Old Wolf?"
 
"I'm sorry as well, Old Bear," Will replied. "If you're heading to some island in the Indian Ocean, you're going to need to leave in a few minutes. It's one in the morning here, which puts you somewhere around one in the afternoon there. If you go dropping onto an island full of tigers, you better have as much light as you can muster."
 
Eric nodded. "True. So you'll take over the corporate meetings today?"
 
"Yeah, I'm good. And Pup stays with me. So don't even ask him."
 
Nathaniel waved his arms in a motion that said not me either to everyone looking. "Sorry, Papa, I'm going to bow out with my husbands before you even ask. I have my rounds, and Martin and Chipo promised themselves to Anders all day today. He said it was preparation for his merging with Lewis, so no take-backs on that promise."
 
Eric chuckled. "No, I can understand that. My brother wouldn't be happy with me if I pressed your husbands into service." The polar bear looked at his brown bear mate. "Well, Dad, are you coming?"
 
"That is not fair, Son," the bear replied. "I might have been able to weasel out of going as your husband, but say the word dad to me, and my obligation to protect you kicks into overdrive."
 
Eric grinned. "I know, Dad. That's why I asked you and not my husband. But I need your gifts beside me today."
 
"And do I get to enjoy your gifts later if this all turns out well, Husband?"
 
Eric nodded. "Of course, Husband. I will bow to whatever you request."
 
"Well, more than likely it will be bending over to what I request, but we'll negotiate that after we return. You have a traveling partner."
 
Katashi rose. "I would like to go as well, Ancient One."
 
"The dragons," Eric said, the concern clear in his voice.
 
"Spackle will tend to them. If he is to be my mate, one day he will accept all the responsibilities of a temple dog."
 
"Are you sure, Katashi?" the white bear pressed.
 
"There is a need for me to be there," the temple dog said with a slight bow.
 
"Then we're glad you're with us, Katashi," Eric said as he tapped his ComLink. "Tuff, please, Ori." There was a brief wait. "Hi, Son," he said when he heard the voice on the other side of the link. "I know it's late, but I have a favor to ask of the Red Wolf pilots." The polar bear listened to the response and then laughed. "Okay, I'm glad you are already on your way, but you tell Max and JP that I expect explanations by the time this is all over." He paused again, listening. "Twenty-five minutes will be great."
 
Twenty-five minutes later, Eric, Kris, and Katashi watched as the landing skids of the Red Wolf set down on the helipad. Tiff poked his head out the passenger door and waved as the cargo bay door dropped. "We looked at the island, Father," the red wolf yelled. "It's not clear how best to approach this drop. We're going to need to improvise. Max said to pay attention to the orders and we'll be fine."
 
Eric scratched his head. "What orders?"
 
"We're clueless, but he said stay flexible and follow Wolfy's admonishment, whatever that means."
 
"I know what it means, Son," the bear said as he watched the other two walk into the airship from the cargo bay ramp. "I'll see you inside."
 
As the Red Wolf neared the island, Tiff pointed out the red lights flashing in various locations. "That is the primary defense grid to this place. Those twenty-five beacons form a shield over this island. Try to break in, and any airship gets bounced off like a rubber ball. Try to take out the shield generators, and the secondary defenses will generate an EMP pulse that will blast past any shielding. If you have any critical electrical components, you're going down. That tech is years beyond where we're at, Papa."
 
"Can we swim to it if you drop us in the ocean?" Kris asked.
 
"We thought about that," Tiff responded. "You'll get as far as the beach. But try to step into the jungle, and you'll find the same shield blocking your path."
 
"What did Max and JP say about it?" Eric asked.
 
"We know what we're supposed to say as a way of introduction. But they said to get you down on the island, we should trust that our papa will know what to say."
 
"Yeah, I definitely need to talk with those boys," the white bear mumbled.
 
"Well, let's do a low-level sweep. They said that was the first thing we should do," Tuff said as his hands moved over the controls.
 
As the airship made the first slow pass over the island, a brusque male voice came over the ship's ComLink. "Unknown aircraft, please identify yourself. You are in protected airspace." The voice was deep and carried a certain gravitas that seemed right for someone watching over the island.
 
"This is the Red Wolf," Tiff responded. "We are hoping to land. We believe we have family on the island." There was a brief pause. Tuff's hands moved over the controls, stopping the ship in midair.
 
"The family you are referring to," the voice queried, "what is the nature of the family?"
 
"There are five tigers on the island. Our understanding is that they are the children of Kantrava of the Verital."
 
The voice was again silent. The crew and passengers all realized it was processing everything that Tiff told it and using the information to choose its next action. When the voice spoke again, it seemed kinder, softer, but no less inquisitive. "Is there a bear with you?"
 
"Yes."
 
"And does he have the most incredible white furry ass?"
 
Tiff broke out laughing. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, he does."
 
"Could I please speak to him?" the voice asked.
 
"Damn it, you two bears," Eric growled. "I swear when I get home I will…"
 
"Voice recognition positive," the voice interrupted. All noticed that the voice that had started as a deep baritone now spoke in a congenial tenor. "Hello, Eric."
 
The polar bear stared at the speaker in the middle of the flight deck. "Hello."
 
"Max and JP hope you're not too upset with the verification process. There have been, as of this date, three hundred twenty-seven intentional attempts to breach the security of this island. I keep the verification process convoluted to fool anyone trying to form a logical response to my inquiries."
 
"Were those two kind enough to leave you with any information about the tigers down below?"
 
"They are frightened. They have been alone except for regular visits from Max and JP. Your airship is causing them distress. Seeing something as imposing as the Red Wolf, the children may forget many of the things Max and JP tried to teach them about this day."
 
"What do we do?" Eric asked the voice.
 
There was a moment of quiet as the voice processed the question. "Be kind."
 
Eric took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Can you lift the barriers? We have frightened my brother's children. I hope to calm that fear."
 
"Of course, Eric. Welcome to Pulau Dawera."
 
Tuff watched as the red lights blinked off one by one. "We're good to land," he said, pointing toward a large clearing on the top of a grassy plateau.
 
As Eric, Kris, and Katashi moved past the grassland into the jungle, they slowed. Small pathways weaved in and out of the underbrush as they walked along the main pathway. That path took them ever lower down off the plateau until the jungle leveled off into thick underbrush dotted by large trees. The side trails became more frequent, and when they passed a pond, they could tell hoofed animals, both large and small, spent a great deal of time there.
 
In time, they came to a small clearing. In one corner was a metal pen holding pigs that rummaged around in a trough full of vegetables. Another much larger metal paddock's gate was open. A herd of small, single-horned rhinoceros was wandering out, acting somewhat confused that the gate was open. On the side of the paddock, a flashing red light above a button warned that whoever opened the gate did so in a hurry.
 
The three island visitors watched as the rhinos picked up the unknown scent of potential predators and panicked. "Javan rhinos," Eric said as he moved toward the corral. The rhinoceroses bolted toward the forest, slamming into the corral that housed them.
 
"Javan rhinoceros are extinct," Kris yelled, as he tried to move the large herd back toward their enclosure. "The last of them died during the War of the Continents."
 
"It would appear not," the polar bear corrected.
 
"This is not good," Kris said as he looked toward the jungle where the rhinos were fleeing. "My spidey sense is tingling."
 
Eric watched as the fingers of the temple dog relaxed the grip on his khakkhara, letting it slide down his paw. With a quick kick from his foot, the staff flipped up, and the dog grasped the lower half with his other paw. The dog was setting stance. "Keep alert, Ancient Ones," the dog warned. "I believe we're about to meet our family."
 
No sooner had the dog spoken, than a flash of orange, black, and white fur burst forth out of the shadows, leaping toward Katashi. The dog ducked and his staff rose, shoving into the middle of the tiger's stomach as he tossed the cat across the clearing into a breadfruit tree. A second tiger jumped toward the temple dog but fared no better as he flew through the air, crashing into the opposite side of the jungle clearing.
 
The Kodiak dispatched the two tigers trying to take him down just as quickly. Kris's green glowing paw shoved them back up against the buttress roots of a towering mahogany tree. The tigers pinned to the base of the tree looked up at the giant brown bear. "Please do not kill the horned ones, human," the two begged in the Verital tongue.
 
"I am not human," the bear replied in Verital as he lowered his glowing fist. "I am Kris of the Verital."
 
A hidden tiger, larger than all the rest, jumped toward the white bear. "Don't believe them," he yelled. "We must defend the innocent. Don't leave the humans alive to hunt the horned ones." The other tigers crouched and prepared to engage the enemy again.
 
Eric sidestepped the attacking tiger, giving him a shove into the corral gate of the fleeing rhinos. The tiger sprang back to his feet and turned toward the white beast. The white bear's body shook, and in its place stood a giant tiger. "Stop this at once," he yelled in his native tongue.
 
Instantly, all the tigers dropped their heads and stretched out their front paws. Their tales tucked behind them and they said one word in the Changelings' language. "Father."
 
The tiger Changeling approached the largest tiger and knelt and a conversation in Verital began. "I am your father's brother. I am sorry; your father is dead."
 
The tiger looked up. "Dead? He promised one day he would return. He promised we could go home."
 
"I'm sorry," the upright tiger said as he watched the other four lift their heads in confusion. "We know he meant to. We're not sure what happened, but he can't keep his promise to you. I can tell you have all been obedient children. I can tell you did what he asked you to do. The herd of the horned ones is large and strong."
 
The tiger nodded. "Our lives before theirs," he said.
 
"Oh, dear god, Brother," Eric whispered. "You ask too much of your children. This is not right."
 
The Changeling tiger felt the warm paw of the temple dog press against his shoulder. "What would you have him do, Ancient One? The worlds of the tiger and the rhino were ending at the hands of the humans. The lives of his last two brothers were in jeopardy, the same as those of the animals he loved. One was in the middle of a war in Korea, and the other trying to free his human lover from a Gulag in Russia. The world of the tiger, the world of the rhino, and the world of the Changeling were ending. What would you have him do?"
 
Eric looked up with tears in his eyes. "Save the innocent."
 
Katashi nodded. "His life before theirs."
 
"No, Katashi, no," the Changeling tiger cried out. "It's not right, it's not fair."
 
"But it is what he could do."
 
"And what would you have me do?"
 
"Help your brother finish what he started. Bring his children home, Ancient One. This is when your dead brothers call to you. They are asking you to use their powers to save lives instead of taking them. This is when your dead brother asks you to be where he cannot. These tigers ask you to fulfill the promises he made he can no longer keep."
 
"I can't do it, Katashi. I am sworn by oath not to use the powers."
 
The temple dog looked over to the Kodiak. "Do you know of his powers, Ancient Father of the Bear?"
 
"All the Unity knows of his burden."
 
"Then you know the oath. It is a promise never to use all that is within him except to alter that which is unalterable."
 
"There is a reason for that, Dog," Kris replied.
 
"And we are aware of the reason, Ancient One. His brother, our father, has trained all his children for this day. He saw such a moment as this so many years ago before his death. We honor the white bear's vow. But we do not accept his interpretation of that vow."
 
The brown bear gave a single nod of his head. "Nor do I."
 
Eric stared at the Kodiak in disbelief. "But I was the one to make the promise."
 
"In the middle of your most challenging moment, Son," Kris countered
 
"I came close to killing every human on earth, Father. No one should have that power."
 
Kris nodded in agreement. "And yet, so many of us do."
 
"Mine is different."
 
"Your brothers gave their powers to you in adverse times. You swore never to combine the powers and use all that you have unless there is no other option."
 
The upright tiger pointed outward to the world. "I didn't use them when the world was about to die, Dad. The bear that lived in that universe went to his death rather than release all that was inside him."
 
"Because that bear knew he was not what the world needed at that moment, Ancient One," the dog interjected. "It was Marcus's task to intercede on behalf of Terra, not yours. A billion, billion souls united that day to do what the saber-toothed wolf guided them to do. It was not your battle; it was theirs."
 
"Then why do you ask this of me?"
 
"Because you are seeing things in black and white," Katashi responded. "This is a universe of so many colors."
 
"He's right, Son," the brown bear agreed. "You watch everyone else in your family take on the challenges of their powers. You help them, and you guide them. But with your powers, you hide them deep inside you for fear of what you might become were you ever to glance their way."
 
"You know what I became when I looked, Dad. The Unity knows what I became when I looked. It is why I made my promise to you."
 
"Then we release you from that promise, Son. That promise was never meant to stifle the powers you hold. Those powers are meant for so much more. The Unity does not turn from those in need."
 
"I nearly killed an entire race of sentient beings."
 
"But you didn't."
 
"Because Will was there."
 
"And he will always be there," the brown bear answered back.
 
"I can't, Dad…" Eric cried out. "I can't bear the burden of what these powers force on me."
 
"Then let me lift it from your shoulders, Ancient One," Katashi said as he hugged the Changeling tiger.
 
"No," Eric protested. "I can't let you do that, Katashi. You never told the Unity that you would be a part of this."
 
"But I did, Ancient One," the dog replied. "I did the day I told you I loved you."
 
"It's asking too much of you."
 
"Which is why I freely give it to you." The dog's body began glowing white as his hand wrapped around the Changeling tiger. "I am not releasing you from your burden, Ancient One. When this day is through what you hold within you, you will still hold. The day of your promise is not yet here, but you need to see beyond the limitations you imposed on yourself. Your brothers did not mean the powers you hold inside you to lie dormant. That is not the way of the Unity. It is not the way of the bear I have loved for so long. They meant you to train in their powers, grow strong in their use, and stand in their place. The day you must unite those powers to honor your promise is far away. But when that day comes, you need to be prepared. You need to understand what it means to be you."
 
"They are too great, Katashi. There is a reason our race divided the powers. There was a time when the powers we held damn near destroyed us all."
 
"And then Gaia was born," Katashi said with a nod. "Firstborn of the Verital; she who changed all. The mother of the Unity. From her sprang all that the Verital is. She gave birth to the divisions of power and your core beliefs. Save one, save all. All that you are flows from her. I am a temple dog, Ancient One. We recite the history of the Verital by rote."
 
The dog extended his hand, clutching the khakkhara. "It is time you learned the lessons she has tried so hard to teach you. Your brothers' lives were never meant to be consigned to a memory. When they died, they gave their powers to one they hoped would use them with wisdom."
 
"Sometimes the wisest thing to do with that much power is never to use it."
 
"And sometimes the wisest thing to do with that much power is to make a simple flower in a field of rock."
 
Eric looked up. "Pup?"
 
"Did you think you two just bumped into each other at that gay pride rally?"
 
"Yeah, sort of," the upright tiger said, fumbling his paws awkwardly.
 
"Gaia has watched over you since you were a newborn, Ancient One. She saw in you the same thing she sees in Pup. The day you cried out in rage against the humans, she and your father set sail into space to come to your aid. Even now, she watches over you and those you love."
 
"They're my parents. That's what parents do."
 
"No, Ancient One. It's what we do; you and me… all of us. Today, the children of your brother ask you to fulfill the promise he made to them. Today, I extend my hand to you and say I will help you. Three thousand years, Old Bear… Please tell me you've learned the lesson we have all been trying to teach you throughout those years."
 
Eric shook his head. "This is not the time. This is not what I promised."
 
The temple dog stood up and looked at the four tigers that hadn't budged since the conversation had begun. "Tell me, tigers, what is your wish?" the dog said in Verital.
 
The four smaller tigers were of one voice. "We wish to go home and live our life as we once did. To hunt alone. To live alone. And perhaps mate with a female from time to time."
 
"And children?" Katashi asked.
 
"That is a female's work, not ours," one said. "Free us from our obligation to the horned ones. We wish you to give us what Father promised. We wish to have prey to hunt and females to mate with."
 
"Very well," the temple dog said. "I understand your wishes."
 
The largest cat looked up at the towering golden animal before him. "Not all of us wish the same thing."
 
The dog bowed to the cat. "And what is it you wish?"
 
"To die."
 
"You will one day, Tiger," the dog replied. "That is a truth for us all."
 
"No, I do not wish to return home. I was not born right. After all these years of living with others around me, I am not a tiger anymore. I don't think I ever was. Father promised me if I protected the horned ones, he would free me from this life. I have done what I promised, but Father is dead. I wish to join him."
 
Katashi watched every motion of the cat, every glance away, every hesitant move. "What did your father promise you?" he asked.
 
"It does not matter," the cat replied. "He is dead. I free him from his promise."
 
The temple dog walked toward the cat. With each step the dog took forward, the tiger paced backward. "What did he promise, Tiger?" the dog pressed.
 
"To be my mate!" the tiger roared. "To stay beside me at night and never leave me alone. But he is dead. He cannot keep his promise. Please, hairy one, let me die beside him. I am not right. I was born wrong. Father knew that. I cannot be in your world. He knew my head was weak. He saved me from the humans who tried to kill me. Father protected me at night. I cannot live without Father. He alone understood. I am a tiger that does not wish to live as a tiger. No other male loves me the way I want to love them. No other male, save Father."
 
The tiger crouched backward and fell on his haunches. "He promised me he would return. He promised to be the male who would love me the only way I can love. Tigers do not love. Tigers live alone. But I love. I did not want to live alone. I loved my father. And one day he promised I would feel him next to me and know that it was right. I have lived for all these years waiting for that touch of my father that told me I was not born wrong."
 
Katashi dropped his khakkhara and picked the cat up into a hug. "NO, YOU CAN'T" the tiger screamed. "You can't… I am broken. I was born wrong. You can't…" he cried as his body went limp in the arms of the dog.
 
Katashi pressed him closer. "I can, Tiger… I can." The hug never lessened; it only grew tighter. "And so can you," the dog whispered.
 
The two sat with all staring, wondering what was next. Slowly, the tiger's front legs lifted and pushed around the dog. "You can, Tiger," the dog whispered. "Your father cannot be here to bring you to the world he promised. But we are your family, and we will take you there."
 
"You are not a tiger," the cat said.
 
"But I am a male who can love you the way you can love."
 
"Father was a tiger."
 
"I can be a tiger if you want."
 
The cat shook his head. "I like you as you are. You feel warm. I like the way you feel when you hug me."
 
"And I like how you feel."
 
"I cannot walk on two legs," the cat confessed, as if it would change the agreement.
 
"I can stay on all fours for days," the dog whispered. "But you needn't worry about such simple details."
 
"They don't seem simple to me," the cat whispered.
 
"Will you let us honor your father's promise, Tiger?"
 
"I wish he was here."
 
"I do too. But he is not. You are here. We are here. Let us honor his promise to you."
 
"You would lie by my side?"
 
"For your lifetime, if you wish. Only tell me you don't want to die."
 
"You promise?"
 
"I promise, and all those here have heard the promise. If we are alive, we do not break our promises."
 
The tiger tried to hug the dog tighter, but his legs would not bend in that manner. With one smooth motion, the temple dog pulled the tiger up and let his front legs drop over his shoulders. "Is that better?" He asked the tiger.
 
"It is better," The cat said and pressed his paws into the back of the temple dog. He purred for a while. "I do not want to die if you will lie with me as Father promised, hairy one."
 
"My name is Katashi. I am a dog."
 
"My name is Tamil. I am a tiger that does not want to be a tiger."
 
"I think we shall get along very well," the temple dog said. He rubbed his muzzle along the side of the tiger's and the tiger repeated the gesture. In time, Katashi turned the tiger around, pushed him out, and let him dangle in front of Eric. "Tell me, Ancient One; tell me why your gifts lie unused. Speak to me why your confusion is worth the continued confusion of the one I hold before you?"
 
"It isn't, Katashi," the tiger said as he shifted back into a polar bear. The bear bowed his head. "I have been a fool."
 
"Confusion does not make you a fool, Old Bear. But holding back when you know the truth does."
 
"I need your help, Katashi. I can't do this alone."
 
"You need only to ask, Old Bear." He turned the tiger back toward him. "The white bear will help us if you let him. I need him to help prepare you for your new home."
 
The tiger nodded, and Katashi put the tiger down. The tiger sat back on his haunches and Katashi looked at the other four cats. "Shall we attend to you first?"
 
The four tigers nodded. Katashi turned to Eric and smiled. "For this moment, you were born; to use your powers to fulfill the promise of your brother. For this moment, I was born too; to honor the vows he made to Tamil." The dog began radiating a warm white glow. He flexed his khakkhara, rotating it upright in both paws.
 
"I want to believe you're right, Katashi," the bear said.
 
"He's right, Son," the Kodiak interjected.
 
The wind picked up and swirled bark chips and dirt into a little funnel. As it grew, the wind became the woman Derrick had drawn so many years ago. "Hi, Mom," Eric said.
 
"Hello, Son," Gaia replied. She looked at Katashi and smiled. "Thank you for being here, Katashi. You look positively ravishing when you glow like that. How can I help?"
 
Katashi smiled. "There are twenty-three Javan tiger pelts in museums around the world. Would it be presumptuous to ask you to procure at least a bit of hair from each one?"
 
"And the need for those is?"
 
"To honor a promise made by Kantrava, and to provide training wheels for your son."
 
Gaia laughed, and all who heard her felt the sense of the surrounding jungle coming alive. Her hand extended with a fist full of tiger hair.
 
"Perfect," Katashi said. He turned to Eric and motioned toward the four tigers that wished only to become tigers again. "Your brother's chi keeps them alive, Old Bear. It is what lets them speak in your tongue. Take it from them, and they will be tigers once more. They will have no memory of the years they have waited for your brother to fulfill his promise. They will live out their lives and we will fulfill your brother's promises to them.
 
"Your brother broke no law; he violated no tenet. Kantrava never mated with the tigers. That is why there is only a ghost image of the Changeling in each of them. They have no Changeling DNA. He gave up all he was to keep them alive in hopes one day the world would be a safer place for them. We cannot bring him back, but all that he was is still a part of these five tigers. Here, Old Bear, we must decide. When we take the chi from the four, we can let that life force go out into the ether and become one with all that is. Or you can claim it as you have for all your fallen brothers.

"This is your choice. But for Tamil, your brother's chi must remain. He is a tiger who does not wish to be a tiger. Tamil is the child of Kantrava and a member of our family. To survive in our world, to be what his father promised he would one day be, the chi that has protected him all these years must remain. In truth, it would be better if the chi from all the tigers were to flow back to Tamil. He has needs beyond ours. His world is different. If he is to survive in ours, he must have what Kantrava promised him."
 
The temple dog paused. He looked at the tiger and back at the white bear. "And with that choice to keep a part of your brother alive comes a new promise made by me and all who stand here that we will never leave Tamil alone again. We will lie with him in the way of our family, and he will know that he was not born wrong."
 
Eric looked at the largest tiger. "Do you understand what Katashi has said?"
 
"Only that you will lie beside me and not leave me alone."
 
The polar bear smiled. "That is good enough, Tamil. Is that your wish?"
 
"More than my life."
 
"It may be a very long life."
 
"But you will not leave me alone?"
 
"No, we will live with you as your father promised."
 
"I would like that," the tiger said.
 
"Then we will make sure we share your father's life with you in that way," Eric said. He turned back to the temple dog. "And the fur in Mom's hands?"
 
"The biodiversity the tigers will need to repopulate their world. Gaia throws it into the air, you let go of your fear, and I take the energy from you to create a new tiger from every hair she holds."
 
"You can do that?"
 
"What did you think this white glow meant, Old Bear? I am a Channeler."
 
"But to create order from chaos, you need…"
 
"Not only your birth powers, Old Bear, but the powers of your brothers as well. Blue clan to forge the new bonds and break the old. Yellow clan must be there to guide me. The Red clan must restore the spirit of the tigers to their bodies. They must be warriors to survive in this world. And you, Ancient One — the power of the green clan must heal this world that surrounds us."
 
"You know what you're asking of me, don't you, Katashi?"
 
"To be the son of the two most amazing Verital I have ever known."
 
"But you won't make me forge the powers into one?"
 
"You have sworn an oath not to bind them until that fateful day, Ancient One. You have never sworn not to share a bit of them."
 
"Splitting hairs a bit fine, aren't we?"
 
"Indeed," Katashi said as he picked up his staff and stamped it on the ground. The light of all five rings glowed. "Now, Gaia," he said as he extended the staff. "About those hairs we're splitting."
 
Gaia laughed, flung her hand into the air, and at the top of the arc, she disappeared. The fur of the tigers scattered into the wind. Eric closed his eyes and extended his hand. The loop of the khakkhara snagged the two front claws, spinning the multi-colored lights coming from the claws into the staff. When the white light exploded outward, the world experienced the first time it was raining cats over a dog. 

Chapter 3
 
"Okay, Eric," Eldon said as he walked into the waiting room. "We secured twelve different islands across Indonesia that will welcome back a population of Javan tigers. India, Pakistan, and the Philippines also voiced their hopes of providing a home for the tigers. Twenty-eight countries are eager to have Javan rhinoceros living in their reserves. And the five werewolf veterinarians living on Pulau Dawera hope we keep the island quarantined. They will guard the rhinos until their population base is secure. So right now, we have a bidding war to see who can provide the best animal sanctuary for both species."
 
Eric let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear, Eldon. Thanks so much for your hard work."
 
"It was my pleasure. Jason has created a communication hub here and in Montana that is amazing. I thought what we had in Ireland was good, but what he's done kicked it to a whole new level. I will almost regret going home when he returns."
 
Eric gave a nod. "I miss them."
 
The wolf gave a nod in return. "We all do, Eric. The Sons of the Countryside all wait for their return."
 
"One day, Eldon, one day. I hope soon."
 
Eldon smiled. "Perhaps your premature return will set a trend. We can hope." The wolf paused, considering the words he wished to speak next. He bolstered his courage and pushed forward. "The true Sons of the Countryside, the Mac Tire of Ireland, were killed centuries ago. We honor their heritage but mourn their loss every day of our lives. There has been talk of returning the gray wolf to the Isles for centuries. But the rebuttal has always been that we would only bring the gray wolves of another country onto our land. Those who fight against their return say there is no reason to alter the ecology of our nation to pretend what is gone forever has returned."
 
Eric sighed, understanding where Eldon's comment inevitably led. "You have a suggestion for a different path?"
 
"Not only from my brothers but for all the wolves of the Were Nation. The Hokkaido wolves still howl on winter nights in Northern Japan, but only Takeo and Daisuki listen to their ghosts. The Mackenzie Valley wolf and the Hudson Bay Wolf who serve our food at the diner cannot find another of their own to feed. Hanuel and Kwan watched illegal international trading decimate the Tibetan Wolf. So many of the wolves we chose to reflect the best part of us have been trapped, poisoned, and hunted to extinction. The Newfoundland wolf, Kendal's avatar for god's sake remains only a memory to one who saved the universe.
 
"The Great Plains wolf, the Mogollon Mountain wolf, the Florida Black Wolf, the Texas wolf, the Cascade Mountain wolf, the Sicilian Wolf; they all call out, but only our kin can hear them. We listen to the voices of the dead who gave our lives meaning. The Mac Tire, the wolves of Ireland, are gone but not forgotten. We listen to their howl on the heather moorland on nights when the moon is full. They beg to be reborn in silent voices only we hear. Their fur remains wrapped around ancient clothing and pelts in museums. The same as the Javan Tigers. So many species of wolves extinct by the hand of man could be reborn at the hands of a Changeling and a temple dog."
 
Eric's muzzle pulled into the frustrated look of a bear struggling with his response. Eldon saw the layers of frustration and confusion but took comfort that the bear had not outright quashed the idea. He hugged the polar bear. "In time, Old Bear. The Sons of the Countryside are not asking for today. We understand the challenges. We only ask that you think about it from time to time. If it seems right, one day we will stand by your side, even as Katashi does."
 
Eric pulled the hug in tight. "One day, Eldon." Both wolf and bear noticed the tiger in the room, staring at the two. They pushed back from the hug and smiled at Tamil. Eldon leaned down and gave the tiger a hug around his neck. "We need to find good homes for all the tigers and rhinos. That was the promise. And we keep our promises." He listened to the purring of the tiger. "And how are you doing, Tamil?"
 
"I am well," the tiger responded. "I forgot your name again."
 
"Do you remember what animal I am?"
 
"You are a wolf."
 
"Well, then until you remember Eldon, you can call me Wolf. You can call all who look like me Wolf."
 
The tiger shook his head. "Eldon… I should have remembered. Eldon. I am sorry. My brain is slow."
 
"Names are tough, Tamil," the wolf consoled as he let his hug slip from the tiger's neck. "We all have problems with them. Don't worry about it. You have a very long time to learn all our names."
 
The great cat purred. "I like the way you hug, Eldon," he said.
Eldon smiled. "And I enjoy hugging you."
The cat's face saddened a bit. "I'm sorry I can't hug you. I am a tiger. Our legs don't move the way your arms do."
 
Eldon nodded his understanding. "Yeah, wolf's legs don't either. I'm what we call a werewolf. I look like a wolf, but I can let my legs be arms instead. It lets them move more than I would be able to as an actual wolf."
 
"I think I understand," the tiger said, still wishing he wasn't on all fours in the wolf's company. "Thank you for taking care of the horned ones and the tigers."
 
"It was my pleasure," Eldon said. He leaned over and whispered in the tiger's ear, "So, has anyone taught you how to kiss yet?"
 
"I don't think so," the tiger responded.
 
"Wanna' try one?"
 
"Does it hurt?" the tiger asked.
 
"No, it feels good. It is how we tell others we like them."
 
"Then yes, I would like to kiss you," the tiger agreed.
 
"Okay," Eldon said, reaching his paws out and cupping the tiger's face. He pressed his lips against the tiger's and kissed him. He pulled back and smiled. "So, what do you think?"
 
"It's not as much fun as rubbing faces. You hardly got any of your scent on me."
 
Eldon laughed. "I guess it might be an acquired taste," he said with a smile.
 
"What's ack-wired?"
 
"Sorry, Tamil. It means something that develops over time."
 
"I am willing to kiss you again, Eldon. I might ack-wired a taste for it." Tamil stood before the wolf, trying to think of what to say when he realized what he wanted from the wolf. "Or I could teach you how to rub faces."
 
Eldon smiled. "That sounds fun." He leaned forward and the purring cat rubbed his muzzle across the face of the wolf. Eldon's smile widened, and he rubbed back. The wolf stood back up. "We need to go. We'll see you later, okay?"
 
The tiger sat down on his haunches. "Okay, Eldon."
 
"Come on, Old Bear, Derrick and Will are waiting for you," Eldon said, extending his hand. "There is a ton of business piling up on your desk."
 
The polar bear leaned down and rubbed his muzzle across the tiger's. He waited until he heard the happy purring. "I believe a dog is waiting for you back in one of the examination rooms." He pointed toward the hall.
 
"Katashi is there with Spackle."
 
"I think that's where you should be," Eric said with a grin.
 
"Spackle is a human. He scares me. He seems nice, but I know what humans do to tigers."
 
"Not all humans are the same, just as all tigers are not the same. You are a tiger that doesn't want to be a tiger. Spackle is a human that doesn't want to be a human."
 
"What does he want to be?" the tiger asked.
 
"He wants to be a temple dog, like Katashi."
 
The tiger sat in thought for a moment. "I would like that."
 
"So would he," Eric said with a laugh. "That day is not far off. But for now, why don't you join those two? I have paperwork to sign." He turned to Eldon. "Wolf, I haven't seen a single piece of paper in the paperwork I signed in over two hundred years," the bear said with a laugh.
 
"Yeah," the wolf agreed. "Isn't it strange that we never created a new word for it?" With a wave to the tiger, the two walked through the waiting room and out the front door of the Anthony Wells Memorial Center. Tamil wandered back down the hallway to the examination room where the dog and the human waited. The human who didn't want to be a human was somehow not as scary.
 
Dr. Wells came into the exam room with his electronic clipboard flipping through the pages with each swipe of his finger. "Hi, Katashi. Hi, Tamil. Hi, Spackle. How are you all doing?"
 
"I am well," Katashi said with a bow.
 
"I am well," the tiger said, bobbing his head to match the dog.
 
"And that makes three of us," the human said with a smile.
 
"That's good to hear," the doctor said, returning to the scrolling of his tablet.
 
"I like your waterfall," Tamil told the doctor.
 
"I'm glad you do. The wolf at the reception desk told me a tiger was playing out in the pond today."
 
"Am I going to get in trouble?"
 
Dr. Wells laughed. "No, of course not. When my husband made the plans for this place, he saw the pond as something for children to play in. That's why it's so shallow."
 
"I think I upset the humans."
 
"You frightened most of them when they first saw you. But they were better after you said hello. Don't worry. The word will get out soon that you are living on the island with us. On the days when the humans from the mainland visit, we will need to be more careful."
 
"So I can play again sometime?"
 
"I tell you what. You can play anytime we close the island to the outside. But sometimes you'll have to share the pond with the children who live here, so be careful not to hurt them, alright?"
 
"Yes…" The tiger paused, trying to remember the doctor's name. "Wolf."
 
Dr. Wells smiled. "Wolf is good. Wolf works for a lot of us."
 
"I like the wolves. You hug nice."
 
Dr. Wells laughed. "Yeah, we do that." He pulled up his chart again. "We have our test results. You did a wonderful job, by the way, Tamil."
 
"Thank you, Wolf."
 
"So, what did you learn, Dr. Wells?" Katashi asked.
 
"Well, understand, this is ballpark figuring we're doing here. Tamil wasn't raised in the same environment as we were. Often, IQ tests reflect an understanding of societal constructs as much as intelligence. I will say that the best thing you did for him was to add English to his language base."
 
"It seemed prudent."
 
"It was. Hearing Changeling is beautiful, but speaking English will give him a world full of teachers by his side." Dr. Wells turned to Tamil. "Are you okay with me talking about you with Katashi? I don't want you to feel I'm talking behind your back."
 
"This is my front, Wolf. You can't fool me," the tiger said with a knowing grin. "Katashi is my friend. He lies down with me at night and keeps my father's promise. I want him to know what I am."
 
Dr. Wells smiled. "Thanks. I want the same for you." He scrolled back and forth between the pages again. "Okay, taking into consideration everything we've done so far, I can say he's way smarter than any tiger that has ever lived. And we're talking exponentially smarter here."
 
"But…" Katashi pressed.
 
"But he's not as smart as most adult humans. He will always have difficulty learning. The chances of him being able to read are almost non-existent. But I don't want you to think that's bad. Many humans can't read. His tests show he has a much greater capacity to understand verbal cueing and conversation than we thought him capable of. He will need a family that understands one day he will remember something and forget it the next. Repetition will be necessary for almost anything he does. And he's a tiger. He walks on all fours, and he roars when he gets frustrated. He can intimidate without even trying. Plus, he's incredibly powerful without a proper sense of what that means."
 
"Am I bad?" Tamil asked, confused by everything the doctor said. "I heard the word bad."
 
The doctor shook his head no. "No, Tamil; you're not bad. But you are different. It means that sometimes you won't understand the world around you. We'll always be there to help you, but as best you are able, let us know when you feel angry or sad because of something that happens."
 
"I'm sad that I can't hug you."
 
"I know it's difficult for a tiger to hug," Dr. Wells agreed.
 
"But I'm happy to be hugged," the tiger added.
 
The doctor squatted down and hugged the tiger. "You will be fine, Tamil. If you get frustrated by anything, I want you to always tell someone, okay?"
 
"Okay."
 
"We all love you. We want you to be happy."
 
"I am happy with Katashi at night."
 
"And how about Spackle?" the doctor asked. "Spackle is scary because he is a human, but I like him very much now that I know he is a human that doesn't want to be a human."
 
"So, do you sleep with him?"
 
"He has to sleep on the other side of Katashi. Sometimes at night, I have bad dreams, and my claws come out. Spackle can get hurt."
 
The doctor paused. "I see."
 
"The dreams are infrequent, Dr. Wells," Katashi said.
 
"Yeah, and I'm good with this Doc," Spackle added. "Katashi made a promise. We're going to be a family that keeps our promises."
 
"Well, you three be careful," the doctor admonished.
 
"We will, Doctor," Katashi said with a bow.
 
The doctor looked back at the tiger. "Tamil, would you be willing to come back again for more tests? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I'm told that all the wolves who give tests here love to hug."
 
The tiger smiled. The smile was foreign to the big cat. Still, he understood it was the facial expression made by both happy werebeasts and humans. He understood it calmed them. He worried that his size frightened many of them, so he smiled often. "I will come back for the hugs."
 
Dr. Wells returned the smile. "That's the spirit. I always come back for the hugs, as well."
 
Katashi and Spackle rose as the doctor picked himself up. Katashi asked the tiger, "Tamil, could you take Spackle back home?"
 
"Yes. You will come home too, won't you?"
 
"Soon, I promise."
 
"And we will lie together tonight?"
 
"As always."
 
The tiger seemed reassured about those things that mattered most to him. He bumped into the young human. "Let's go play in the pond before we go home."
 
Spackle laughed. "I'll get my clothes all wet."
 
The tiger bumped him again. "Not if you take them off."
 
Spackle looked up at the doctor wolf. "Have fun, you two," Clifford said with a laugh. "The Island closed an hour ago, so the pond is all yours."
 
The two ran down the hallway and soon the dog and wolf heard the bell announcing someone had left the center. "I sense you are concerned about something, Doctor," Katashi said.
 
"Tamil is very young. His size is incredible for a Javan tiger. It's incredible for any tiger. But he was a cub when Kantrava saved him from the poachers. His years with Kantrava helped him adapt to this world and understand it. But in teaching Tamil of this world, Kantrava has instilled in Tamil a great deal of mistrust in humans. That was necessary to preserve his life hundreds of years ago, but it complicates matters now. He will need to unlearn much of what Kantrava taught him about humans if he is to succeed on this island."
 
The doctor paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "Tamil's intelligence equals that of a four-year-old child. He understands far more than he can speak, but that will change with time. He is much brighter than we expected, and that's a good thing because he has much to learn."
 
"But he can learn?" the temple dog asked.
 
"Yes, yes, of course," the doctor replied. He paused a moment. "But he relies on those he trusts to form his beliefs. The one he trusted most taught him not to trust humans. Tamil knows the humans killed his mother. He knows that the Changeling he called Father most likely died trying to save him from the humans. The one he trusts most now is telling him that humans are not a danger to him. That is going to cause conflicts in his thinking, and he will need time to work through those conflicts. We are going to need to reinforce his education through constant repetition and exposure to his new world."
 
"We will teach him that not all humans are bad," Katashi said. "I believe he can understand the duality of humankind."
 
Dr. Wells nodded again. "I agree. But for the time being, we can at least look at the silver lining in his history. He doesn't seem to have grown into an adult yet. You live with a human and you live with a tiger. That the cat has no sexual interest in the human is a good thing. Spackle's body couldn't survive a full-on encounter with a tiger hoping to have sex with him."
 
"I had not considered that. I assumed that his interest in Spackle was platonic. Is Tamil a danger to Spackle?" the dog asked.
 
"No, no… I don't think so. But it's something to be aware of. He is aware of who he sleeps with, and it comforts Tamil to know you both feel no shame in being with him. But he is also young, and that means one day he will become sexually aware of the men around him. And you know how sexual urges manifest themselves in young men." The doctor paused. "For the time being, Spackle or any other human doesn't arouse him. There is too much inherent fear in the look of a human. But he likes Spackle because Spackle is kind to him. The two are creating a friendship, and Tamil will use that friendship to help define other humans in his life."
 
"But I do not need to worry about the two of them playing naked in the pond?"
 
Dr. Wells laughed. "No, not at all. He doesn't see Spackle in that way. But his attraction to you and the wolves will one day be a concern. We need to teach him he cannot be sexually active with the ones he finds most desirable. And that's going to be very difficult. It will be especially difficult because the one he cares for most cannot have sex with him without turning him. None of us can in our beast form, and it is the beasts he's most comfortable with."
 
"That will not be easy for him. But there are ways the beasts and I can ease his sexual frustrations that don't require copulation."
 
"That's true. Every young man needs to learn about masturbation somewhere along the line. For him, it might be his one avenue of sexual contact with others. It's not the best of worlds, but it will keep him safe and still allow him to deal with his inevitable sexual urges."
 
The doctor paused, looked down at his clipboard, flipped one page, and looked back up. "There is also a possibility that one day Tamil will distinguish between the wolves he likes and their human persona. But we're talking about an enormous leap in understanding that he might not be capable of processing. In short, Tamil may be a perpetually horny young man who is being cock blocked by the very men he cares for the most."
 
"Will that complicate matters?" the dog asked.
 
The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but I wanted you to know that there are challenges in the future for you. He is a tiger. He is not a beast. Kantrava's life force can only have so much effect on Tamil. He wants to stay beside you, and one day he will want to be your mate, just as Kantrava promised him. Tamil may have transferred his affection for the mother humans killed to the one who saved him. His affection for you might be transference as well. You comfort him and protect him at night. You are there when he is frightened. That's some powerful encouragement for bonding."
 
"But not necessarily a sign that he is truly in love with me or anyone else?"
 
"For the most part, his understanding of love comes from need. He loves the ones who meet those needs. It's not exactly a solid foundation to create a relationship on. Four-year-old human children can understand love in the sense of caring and being cared for. But beyond that, the intricacies we ascribe to love will be very complicated for Tamil. Right now, as far as we can tell, he is using his mental capacity almost to its fullest. His scans show some encouraging signs of an adaptive brain. His prefrontal lobes are a massive genetic evolution beyond a traditional tiger. He does great with simple tests of self-awareness, such as seeing himself in a mirror. He understands his actions have consequences beyond his instincts."
 
"That is a good thing, right?" Katashi queried.
 
"Very much so. Metacognition and other cognitive skills form the basis of what we think of as human traits. We use those criteria to determine the level of brain function, and they are exceptional for a tiger. But we're still asking him to adapt to a far more complex world than any tiger has ever dealt with."
 
"I will be there for him, Doctor," the temple dog said.
 
"I know, Katashi, and that makes all the difference in how we should proceed. We all know that there are genetic changes when we turn. The bodies we take on aren't human or Changeling, but more akin to, to…" the doctor paused, grasping for the right words. "I don't know, sort of gummy slug larva."
 
"That is very disturbing imagery, Doctor," Katashi interrupted.
 
"Yeah, it is," Clifford said with a laugh. "I should have given that one a bit more thought. We're like Changelings in the same way the great apes are like humans. We share so much of who we are, but those few degrees of separation create a world of difference. Most of the DNA in our double helix isn't human anymore. It gets overwritten. In your case, it was completely overwritten. What remains of our Terran DNA are some of the most basic parts that every plant and animal on this planet shares. Turning Tamil will alter his DNA, but exactly how much is a mystery, because the Changelings have never done it before. We don't have a baseline for the outcome."
 
"But if you were to speculate?"
 
"It depends on how far down the chain the turning alters his DNA. Turning him might give him the extra help he needs to become something more than just a tiger."
 
"Or?"
 
"Or it could make him a child that, when he has a tantrum, kills whoever is next to him."
 
"Is there any way of knowing which path he might take?"
 
"I wish I knew," the wolf answered. "This is beyond my ability to help you. We're talking genome restructuring here. There aren't many men in the world willing to take that on."
 
"Perhaps Dr. Kennedy would consider investigating."
 
The doctor leaned up against the exam table. "He might be your best bet." The wolf paused a moment. "You love him, don't you, Katashi?"
 
"I love all who share my life."
 
The doctor stared into Katashi's eyes. "Are you being evasive, Dog?"
 
"I know a Verital promised Tamil to return and live by his side. That Changeling appeared to Tamil as a male because a male was what Tamil needed to see. A part of me remembers and understands Tamil's confusion. I know the hurt one feels when such a promise is made and then broken. There is so much doubt layered on top of the pain. I remember trying to understand what was wrong with me. You cannot imagine what it is like to feel you are so damaged, so vile, that society and even the gods would forbid the love you craved."
 
The wolf hugged the dog and whispered, "I can imagine, Dog. So many of us have walked that path. Our gods were different, but the pain they inflicted for the sins we never committed ran just as deep. So much doubt, Dog. So much pain. I remember." The wolf let the hug go. "But you had your brothers, Katashi. And Jiao-long returned. Didn't that free you from the burden of a broken promise?"
 
"Father was not the first man in my life, Dr. Wells. Once I was a lowly stable boy who yielded to the advances of a feudal lord who professed his love for me. He swore he would return. He promised his love was true. Still, after having sated his desires, he left me naked in that stable and rode away, never looking back. I waited for years until the weight of days piled on top of each other and crushed all that I dreamed to dust.
 
"Father was the first man to keep his promise to return. But even before that glorious reunion, he was the man who made me feel right as I lay next to him. In his arms, I was not broken. In his arms, there was no shame. Who I am stems from all that Father taught me by his every action."
 
"So you see yourself in Tamil?"
 
"I have taken on the promise of the Changeling. I will do what he cannot. To do that, one day I must stand in place of Kantrava in all that he promised Tamil."
 
"And by that you mean?" the doctor asked, waiting for the dog to fill in the unspoken words.
 
"One day I will be his mate."
 
"But a promise is never reason enough to mate, Katashi."
 
"To me it is. Words are sometimes all I have to honor, Doctor."
 
"Words can't bind you to what only your heart should, Dog," the doctor protested.
 
"But the words have bound my heart. I spoke the words freely. I give my heart without regret. This is who I am, Doctor. I will not let another feel the weight of days crush him."
 
"Then there is love?"
 
"I told you, Doctor; there is always love."
 
"Then take this advice for what it's worth. Go slow. You have a human that loves you, and a very young tiger. I don't want to see two broken hearts and one broken tiger come from all this."
 
"I am in no hurry, Doctor," Katashi said as he turned toward the front door. "What is it the song says? 'You can't hurry love'."
 
"Words to live by, Dog," the doctor said as he stood up. He gave the temple dog his paw. "Come on, I'll walk you to the door."
 
"Would you like to play in the pond this evening? I have been told the island is closed."
 
The doctor smiled and pulled off his lab coat, tossing it into a clothing bin. "As a matter of fact, I would, Dog." The two walked stealthily through the door and jumped through the waterfall into the pond, scaring the human and tiger. In short order, the four were playing in the water together as the stars began shining overhead through the wispy clouds.
 
Chapter 4 
 
"Sybil, could you please transfer the test results of that last centrifuging to the computer?" 

The robot turned and stared at the man in a white lab coat hunched over his work. "That is the third time you have asked me to perform that task, Doctor. Is today's pending visit distracting you?" 

The man looked up. "I suppose it might be. There is so much I need to discuss with Dr. Kennedy. I want to make sure I have all my data laid out so he can review it. If he can see what I've done, maybe…" the man's voice trailed off into silence. 

"There is more to this day than a simple scientific discussion," the robot replied. The comical metal eyes blinked, and she turned back to her work. "You are distracted because you love the doctor." 

The older man huffed. "I'm not in love, Sybil. I'm incapable of it, remember?" 

"Then you have a fondness for the doctor that exceeds what you show to others." 

"I have no clue what you mean." 

"You are not sexually involved with Dr Kennedy." 

The gray-haired man looked up from his work. "I'm not sexually involved with a lot of people, Sybil. I don't see what that has to do with anything." 

"You find Doctor Kennedy attractive." 

"Again, I find a great number of people attractive. You don't find me tackling people in the grocery store so I can have sex with them." 

The robot turned back toward the human. One of the metal eyebrows rose on the robot and she shook her head. "You are purposefully obfuscating, Dr. Jackson. Dr. Kennedy is an individual you meet with regularly and who you find attractive. He also shares many intellectual interests with you. With those criteria, he is the first of his kind with whom you have not at least attempted to start a sexual relationship." 

"You know how well my previous sexual relationships have gone. Maybe I'm just trying to preserve the scientific camaraderie that we share." 

"You are socially inept. That is undeniable. Your sexual relationships have always ended in failure. But that is not your motivation. You care for Dr. Kennedy in as much as you can care." 

The doctor turned around in his chair and stared at the robot. The robot returned the stare. "You know, Sybil, sometimes you can be a real bitch." 

The robot nodded. "You programmed me to be brutally honest with you, Doctor. Occasionally, that results in me being a bitch." She raised her metal hand, clutching a sealed vial. "If you don't enjoy our interaction, you are welcome to reprogram me. But until that time, this is one bitch who will call them as she sees them. You care for Dr. Kennedy and he is in love with you." 

The doctor's head tilted to the side in confusion. "He's what?"

"His heart rate picks up every time he sees you. He looks at you two hundred twenty-three percent longer than standard human interactions. When your hands meet over an item that you both reach for, his hand lingers on yours far longer than in typical male interactions. But the easiest way to tell is that you can see it in his eyes."

"I can't see it," the doctor said, turning back to his work.

"On the contrary, you recognize it. You are incapable of feeling the emotions he is expressing, but you understand their outward manifestations. The doctor is in love with you, and you are protecting him from the one thing you think can hurt him."

The older man's head bowed. "Me," he whispered.

"That is correct," the robot said as she turned back to her work. "For what it's worth, Doctor, he is stronger than you believe. I think he would understand and be willing to work with your disability."

"After today, chances are it will be irrelevant. I'm going to tell him, Sybil."

"He will be angry."

"I suspect that's an understatement."

"And he will forgive you, Doctor. He will forgive you because he loves you, and that overrides so much more in his world than you can understand."

"I hope so, Sybil. I really hope so."

"The stories he tells of his family and how they interact leads me to believe that. The anecdotal evidence is skewed in your favor."

"How is it you see so much more than I do?" the doctor asked the robot.

"You see everything I see, Doctor," came the reply. "But you interpret the data through a filter that can't get beyond yourself. It leads you to faulty conclusions in the realm of interpersonal relationships. It led to your dilemma today. That is why I am here. I am here to help you navigate what you cannot see. But, as is often the case, you have ignored my advice."

"Do you think I'm ever going to learn?"

"I am uncertain," the robot replied. "I believe that…" The robot paused. "He's here, Doctor." The head of the robot spun around toward a monitor. The image of the young doctor appeared on the screen. "Hello, Doctor Kennedy. Thank you for coming today."

"Hi, Sybil," the doctor on the other side of the camera said with a smile. "Where is that taskmaster of yours?"

"He is here in the greenhouse laboratory with me. How was your trip over?"

"Smooth sailing," the younger doctor replied.

"I will lower the drawbridge. Shall I meet you at the front door?" the robot asked.

"Sure, that would be great. I look forward to seeing you again without a vidscreen between us," the young doctor answered.

Dr. Kennedy waited for the drawbridge to lower. The only access to the island attested to the owner's desire for solitude. The electronic security measures around the perimeter of Heart Island were tight, and no one foolish enough to test them ever tried a second time. What few guests there were, came onto the island from a ferry that docked at the entry arch. There they waited for admission into the main castle via the drawbridge.

Boldt Castle was once a tourist destination spot. Building the sprawling castle and its outbuildings began in the early nineteen hundreds. Millionaire George Boldt started the original construction to honor his wife. Four years into building the remarkable edifice, construction halted when Boldt's wife died. He never returned to the island, and the buildings fell into disrepair.

Seventy-five years later, the government turned the land over to the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. The group promised they would create a public park for the enjoyment of visitors to Heart Island. Restoring the castle created a lavish setting for weddings and receptions. The Alster Tower and the Power House both became museums. They chronicled the early twentieth century's wealthiest lifestyles. Its location was only yards away from the Canadian border on the United States side of the Saint Lawrence River. With its proximity to military strongholds, it was also in direct line to becoming collateral damage during the War of the Continents.

Toward the end of the war, all sides had depleted most of their weapons using the sophisticated targeting technology of the time. That gave way to desperate nations pulling fighter jets and bombers out of mothballs. They launched them with whatever weaponry they had left toward their enemies. Attacks to disable the enemy's shipping lanes and supply portals became paramount. Command centers took precedence as well. A bombing raid that could achieve both placed it high on the list. A castle stood on a tiny island between the Saint Lawrence River Naval Carrier Base and the CFB Kingston Logistics Support Squadron. Heart Island became an unintended target of a last assault on the Canadian military machine.

The remains of the shattered buildings once again fell into disrepair. The Boldt curse became an urban myth. Stories told around late-night fires spoke of the haunting of Boldt Castle by George Boldt's ghost. It was the tale of a man driven insane by grief, whose curse destroyed the castle rather than let anyone find joy within its walls. In the same way Partridge Island became a home for ghosts and vandals, Heart Island turned into a sorry reminder of a bygone era.

When the United States government sold the island, the new owner had different ideas of what it was to become. Dr. Armel Jackson was a billionaire who valued his privacy, and Heart Island afforded him a luxury few others could afford. The doctor recreated Boldt castle from the original blueprints.

The exterior of the new buildings followed the plans for the original Boldt Castle. Much of the rubble of the old buildings and the stone foundations found their way into the new buildings. However, they did not clad the steel-supported roofs in terracotta tiles as they had when they first built the castle. The warm rust-colored tiles were individual solar panels providing power for the entire island. The rebuilt Power House was now a guest home for guests that never came. Dr. Jackson had only one visitor that he would even consider inviting to stay the night, and he had just arrived at the Entry Arch.

Inside, Dr. Jackson replaced the wood and plaster of the past with less faithful construction. On a cursory level, many of the original plan designs looked the same. The wood banisters and wainscoting of a bygone era were once again polished to a brilliant sheen. But triple-pane windows weren't available in the early nineteen hundreds. No one in the twentieth century ever saw lightweight insulating synthrock walls. Topping the travesty of unfaithful design, central air and recessed lighting had the Historical Preservation Society fuming.

Another major change to the profile of the island had the historical purists raging against the doctor. The original 1898 architectural drawings showed plans for a greenhouse. When Boldt stopped construction of the home in 1904, they had yet to set a single glass plane in place. The greenhouse was a major sticking point for the preservationists, who hoped the doctor was going to restore the island to what it once was. The greenhouse was what Boldt dreamed the castle might be one day. But it had no historical reality until Armel Jackson purchased the island. Had the preservationists had any idea what was behind the glass walls, they would have been apoplectic. Instead of the exotic plants shown in the blueprints, lay a sophisticated laboratory.

Dr. Jackson didn't care what the purists thought. He had enough cash on hand to ensure the builders didn't either. For Dr. Kennedy, the changes didn't make a difference. He loved coming to visit Dr. Jackson. He enjoyed walking through the planted gardens. And the house was dazzling, no matter the historical inaccuracies. Best of all, he loved the older doctor, and away from work, he felt less pressure to hide that fact.

The door opened wide, and the metal robot smiled at the young doctor crossing the drawbridge. Sybil was a robot that hearkened back to an era long since passed. Like so much of what Dr. Jackson did, he used plans from the past and augmented them to suit his needs. With Sybil, those plans came from a movie forgotten by the world, Short Circuit.

Johnny 5 left much to be desired as a robot. His lower half was a cumbersome rubber tractor tread wrapped around wheels. It left the robot capable of little more than rudimentary forward and back motions. The treads were still there in Sybil. But hidden in her design were hundreds of smaller wheels flexing and shifting to allow her momentum in any direction. That even included up and down flights of stairs.

Sybil's hands were an ingenious retooling of the ancient robot. Dr Jackson replaced the tripod hands with articulated five-fingered versions. While they were metallic looking, the silicon tips on each finger gave the robot a dexterity few humans could replicate. Her third arm and a rear-mounted tactical laser were a direct homage to the original Johnny 5, for which Sybil had no use. Still, she realized it made Dr. Jackson happy to watch them on display, so occasionally, the third arm would appear in complex research. When Dr. Jackson was watching Sybil in the garden, she used the laser as a lethal form of weeding.

Sybil's face came closest to the original look of the Short Circuit robot. The comical look of her camera eyes and metal flap eyebrows owed everything to the robot from which her design sprang. However, the primitive-looking cameras of Johnny 5 were anything but on Sybil. Sybil's cameras detected far more than any human eye. She could shift the visual spectrum at will, and with well-placed minicams, she had 360-degree viewing. Her telephoto capabilities rivaled some satellites. Her internal processors let her perceive subtle facial movements in humans. And her internal programming allowed her to interpret their meaning with keen accuracy.

The largest diversion from what the movie robot displayed was a single line of small LECs hanging where her mouth would be. The Light Emitting Crystals were small pinpoints of light that Sybil could use to form simple expressions. They never attempted to imitate what she said. Instead, she raised them in a smile, lowered them into a frown, or a few other simple emotional gestures humans used their mouths to display. Sybil was no ordinary robot, even by the complex standards of the times.

The robot could raise and lower herself, the same as Johnny 5 did. But her internal processors were far beyond the technology of the nineteen eighties. Johnny 5 was a remote-controlled puppet in a movie. Sybil was a fully functioning robot that took care of Dr. Jackson in a manner no human being was willing to do.

Sybil's eyebrows flipped up and her eyes rotated as they zoomed forward to focus in on the young doctor. "It's a pleasure to have you visiting again, Dr. Kennedy," she said, turning and waving her hand toward the castle.

"I hope it will be, Sybil," Dr. Kennedy said. "What's bothering your boss?"

"I believe that is something best discussed between the two of you," the robot said as she ushered the doctor in. After she closed the door, she turned to her guest. "Dr. Kennedy, it might be a step beyond my programming, but Dr. Jackson is a good man."

"I'm aware of that, Sybil."

 "Please be kind."

"I grew up in a family that sees that as a tenet, Sybil."

"Then I will say no more," the robot said, pointing toward the hallway Dr. Kennedy had walked many times before.

The laboratory's greenhouse windows allowed in the bright sunshine. That light brought cheeriness to the otherwise sterile environment. Test tubes and centrifuges replaced the flowers, and a battery of computers filled a wall where trees should be.

When Dr. Kennedy entered the room wearing a level A hazmat suit, Dr. Jackson stood up and extended his hand. Dr. Jackson noted the length of the handshake. He timed how it lingered, and how Dr. Kennedy cupped both of his hands over his. He watched the nostrils on the doctor flare out as the young man's breathing quickened. Sybil was right, and Dr. Jackson was aware of it all along. The young doctor was in love with him. Strange how he found himself incapable of using that to his advantage the way he normally would.

"So, what was so important it couldn't wait, Armel?" Dr. Kennedy asked through the radio inside the suit. "I'm pretty sure you didn't call me to see me in this bunny suit on steroids."

"I've made a terrible breach of ethics, John," Dr. Jackson replied. He noticed the concern in the eyes of the younger man. "I mean terrible with a capital T. I will probably lose my license over this one." He paused. "And worse, I think I'm about to lose the only friend I have."

John Kennedy's look through the safety shield didn't change. "We best get ourselves a couple of chairs."

From behind, the young doctor felt a chair roll up against him. "Here you go, Dr. Kennedy," Sybil said as she pushed the chair closer.

"Thanks, Sybil," the doctor said, taking a seat next to his associate. Dr. Jackson pulled up his lab stool and dropped it down to eye level with John. John put out his hands in a gesture of What's next? "So, Armel, what have you done?"

"I swear, it all started as an accident. I should have thrown it all out, but there it was, a mystery like nothing I had ever seen, and I couldn't turn away from it."

"Sounds like you," John said as he rolled the chair back.

"I was at the CDC lab experimenting on the viral cell samples we collected from the outbreak in Spain. Everything was going as I expected. Except in one sample, something was wrong. In one vial, the Zaragoza virus wasn't replicating. In fact, there was no sign of a virus anywhere. My original thought was that I had missed inoculating the vial. It had been a long night, and I was about to write it off as human error. I prepared to throw the vial into the incinerator when I saw it. There was a mistake, alright. I was working too late, pushing myself to find the answers to the outbreak, and I screwed up. I contaminated the sample with something."

Dr. Jackson brought up the data on his screen. His hands flicked through the various vials and the reports next to them. He stopped on a vial that, to everyone else, would seem identical to all the others. "I felt like Alexander Fleming discovering penicillin. It wasn't that there was no viral growth. The virus was dead. Whatever had contaminated the vial, killed off the virus, and aggressively so."

With another swipe of the hand, the data report came up. "This was the only contaminant in the vial. That one strand of red hair."

Dr. Kennedy's look barely changed as he pulled off his hood and ran his fingers through the thick strawberry-blonde hair on top of his head. "I take it you don't have many ginger friends?"

Armel shook his head. He watched the young doctor's actions and pulled off his hood as well. "I don't have any friends, John. I have colleagues at the CDC, and most of them prefer not to talk to me unless absolutely necessary. They're mostly idiots, so I prefer it that way, too."

"I don't seem to have that many problems with you," John rebutted.

"Because you're driven by the research, and you're not an idiot," the doctor replied as he adjusted his lab coat.

"Well, how flattering," the werewolf in human form replied with a touch of sarcasm.

Dr. Jackson stared at the young doctor. "I didn't call you here to flatter you."

"Dr. Kennedy is aware of that, Dr. Jackson," the robot interrupted. "He was being acerbic."

The older doctor looked up at the robot. "Of course he was," he said with a wave of his hand. Without hesitation, he returned to his original conversation. "That strand of red hair in my compromised sample. I only work with one redhead, and he was collecting samples with me the day before I found the anomaly."

"Okay, so why didn't we get a call? Why did you go missing for days? We don't anticipate the need to go looking for you. And even when I visited to tell you we found the treatment, you were pushing me out the door as fast as I came in."

"That morning, before I disappeared… I was about to leave a message on the reader board before I left work. But then I thought, what if the man who sat across from me working to find a cure for the Zaragoza plague was the cure? What if he wasn't only a treatment? What if he was something more? I expunged the records and took the vial home to my lab here."

"I'm beginning to see your slippery slope, Armel."

"And so did I, but I couldn't stop myself. It wasn't as if I was hurting anyone. Millions of lives might be saved by what I discovered. But first I had to have the latitude to investigate the genetic makeup of that hair and how it could kill a mutated virus."

"We found a cure, Armel. Retroviruses aren't that difficult to decipher anymore. Once we broke the code, finding the treatment was only a matter of time."

"I know… I know…" Armel said, leaning forward in his chair. "But by then I had discovered so much more about that strand of hair. What I was seeing had the potential to end all illnesses; it could become a cure for every cancer, an answer to every genetic defect. But I needed more of the subject's hair. The possibility of creating a world of healthy, perfect humans was within my grasp if I could only get another sample. And then you came to tell me you found the cure. All it took was ruffling your hair as you were going out the door. You laughed and called me a tease. It was so easy."

John glowered as he leaned back. "And bang, you hit the slippery slope and rode it to the bottom."

"I realize that," Armel said, shaking his head. "If I had to do it all over again..." He paused, rubbing his hands. "My intentions were good."

"Well, we've all heard what road is paved with good intentions," John rebuffed. "How could you, Armel? Didn't the experiments on your ancestors at Tuskegee have any sway in your choices? Don't you realize what comes of experimenting without the patient's knowledge?"

"But I didn't infect you with anything, John. I can't infect you with anything. You're like a walking antibody to anything the world can throw at you. I thought that might be the case, but I needed to prove the hypothesis. I just…"

"Stole parts of my body for a bit of clandestine genetic experimenting?"

Armel's head dropped. "I realize there were ethical lapses in my judgment. But ethics are often situational at best. The laws in place today weren't there a hundred years ago. You go back far enough and what I did was downright benign compared to what they did to my ancestors.
 
"I never thought you would justify your actions using the lowest common denominator, Armel."

"I didn't mean to. Despite my desire to tell the world about this, every time I moved toward making a media statement, something held me back. Part of me couldn't go through with it. Deep down, I knew I would hurt you and everyone around you if I came forward. I couldn't do that. I wanted to, but I couldn't."

"You have my thanks, Armel. That couldn't have been an easy choice for you. Let's try to put this behind us."

Armel stood up and his hand swiped over the floating screen. It vanished from over the table. "Still, that doesn't address the real problem here. I can't unsee what I've seen."

John leaned forward. "And what, pray tell, Dr. Jackson, do you think you saw?"

"That you're not human." 

"Well, not totally. A part of me is still human." 

A stunned older man looked down at the younger. "You're not going to deny it?" 

"Why would I? It's the truth," John replied. "You're a brilliant geneticist. You accomplish that by seeing what others miss. There may be only two other people in the world who would have caught the reason for no growth in that vial. Everyone else would have chucked it without a second thought. You have a gift, Armel. I can't have you calling that gift into question every step you take by making you believe that you work with flawed abilities. You recognized the truth. I'm not entirely human. Sadly, the truth about you is that you have no conscience about your actions most of the time. That makes you not entirely human on a different level." 

Armel nodded. "One drawback of being genetically flawed." 

John sighed. "So what do we do, Armel?" 

Dr. Jackson held out the crystal chip he had pulled from the computer. "It's everything I have. I destroyed everything that links back to you. I swear no one will ever find out. If you've got some sort of brain suck, you can take it out of my mind. I won't stop you." 

John laughed. "Brain suck? Where do you come up with this stuff?" 

"I don't know," the frustrated human said. "I guess from watching too much Sci-Fi as a kid." 

"Well, I don't suck brains. No one in my family sucks brains," the young doctor said, smiling. "We suck a lot of other things, but no brains." 

Armel looked at John, confused. "You're making a joke about this? You're not mad?" 

John pointed his finger at the doctor in the matching cleanroom suit. "Oh, no, I'm mad," he replied. "I'm furious." 

"I told you he would be," Sybil interjected.

"Shut up, Sybil," both doctors commanded at the same time.

"Sure, don't listen to the bitch," the robot said.

The young doctor turned to the robot and laughed. "I'm sorry, Sybil," John said. "I was out of line."

"That is okay, Dr. Kennedy. I also told Dr. Jackson you would forgive him."

"And you're confident that will be the outcome?"

"Of course. You realize this error in judgment was a logical outcome of who he is. He is genetically flawed. It is difficult for him to see beyond his work or his personal interests. He is fond of you. He does not want anyone to harm you. That is why he could not talk to the media about his findings. He realized there was an eighty-three percent chance that exposing you as an alien would cause physical harm to you or your family."

"I'm glad then he didn't play the odds," the young doctor said.

The robot nodded. She turned and looked at the older man fidgeting with his white suit. "But he is incapable of seeing the emotional damage he often creates. What one cannot sense, one will find difficult to see in another. His capacity to understand how he betrayed your trust is mitigated, even now, by his thinking that, for the most part, he did the right thing. This is who he is. And it will be a struggle for him until the day he dies." The robot turned back to the younger doctor. "But you love him, and that will help get the two of you past this day. You will stay in his life to help him go where he cannot go on his own."

The young doctor looked at the robot. "I love him?"

"It is not in your nature to self-deceive, Dr. Kennedy. Let's proceed with that statement as the truth and work from there. He is incapable of loving you. Can you accept those two realities and still work with him?"

John looked at the man across from him. He tried not to stare at the body that was adding pounds a bit too fast with every year. His eyes gazed at the aging face with the dark skin that provided a vivid contrast to the white hair. He stared at the deep brown eyes clouded with worry, and he knew the answer. "Yeah, I can still work with him. No one needs to know about this incident."

Sybil looked at Armel. "Dr. Kennedy seems willing to forgive you for your actions, but I suspect that there will be contingencies to ensure his forgiveness. This is why you created me, Dr. Jackson. I am here to tell you that there is someone good sitting in front of you. There is something you need in your life beyond this house; beyond me; beyond your work. You need this man. It doesn't matter what he is any more than it matters what you are. For once in your self-centered, ego-driven life, realize there is something beyond you, and you need to hold on to it."

Armel shook his head. "I don't know if I'm capable of that, Sybil."

"Then do it out of selfishness. Do it because you will be a better man, and by becoming that better man, you will achieve whatever you seek with greater ease."

John put his hand on Armel's knee. "She has a point. You need a watchdog helping you, and I'm the closest thing you will find to that. You risked not only our friendship but your license to do something that you could have asked me to help you with. Your inability to see beyond your own needs and desires creates an Achilles' heel for you. You need a partner, Armel. You need someone willing to stand beside you."

Armel looked at John. "You consider me a friend?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," came the reply. "But I can't say it's always been easy."

"I realize I am difficult. Even now, I realize the socially responsible thing to do is say I'm sorry. But I have such a difficult time seeing my error beyond the legal ramifications of it."

"Well, that's the Armel I've come to know and love," John said with a laugh.

"You love me?"

"Yeah, that's the word. I'm sorry you don't understand it beyond the dictionary definition."

"But you're okay with that?"

"For the time being, I am." John stood up. "But for now, I think it's time you found out the truth about who your coworker is."

"Are you going to turn into some kind of alien?"

"I'm a werewolf, Armel. But changing into one won't help you. Humans that don't love us don't see us. I could shift and you might watch my clothes tear apart, but nothing else. I'm fond of you. You know that. But I'm not willing to ruin my clothes and let you gawk at me naked just to prove a point."

Armel shrugged. "Is there ever a chance I might see you naked for other reasons?"

"Is that something you want?" John asked.

"I'm a sociopath, John," Armel answered. "I want anything that makes me feel good."

"Fair enough," John said. "We'll include that in the conversation." The young doctor turned to Sybil. "Can I impose on you to make us a couple of sandwiches and join us in the library?"

"Of course, Dr. Kennedy. Are you asking me to stay after I deliver the sandwiches?"

"I think you need to hear what I have to tell Armel. You watch over him. You care about him. For the time being, you're the only family he has. You have as much a right as anyone to know where the two of us go from here. It's time we started behaving like a family."

The LECs in the robot's metal mouth formed into a slight smile. "That would be very nice, John," she said as she turned and left the room.

Chapter 5 
 
Will blustered into the room, waving his arms. "They're here. The lobby security told me they're on their way up."
 
"Relax, Husband," the polar bear said, leaning back in his chair. "Dr. Kennedy won't bring someone to visit the family without some thorough vetting."
 
"It's not that. It's who he is. He's Dr. Armel Jackson."
 
"Who's that, Old Wolf?" Oliver asked, slipping off the lap of the Kodiak.
 
"He's a two-time Nobel Prize winner in medicine. He was head of the team that created the fetal treatment to correct Down syndrome before the child was born. And he did that when he was twenty-three."
 
"He's considered the top geneticist in the world, Oliver," the blue bear sitting on the couch answered. "He is, without a doubt, the most visible. The good doctor loves the limelight and adoration of the crowd. John is better, but he hides in the background as part of Dr. Armel's teams that rarely get credit for what they do."
 
"That explains why your husband is sitting this one out with the temple dogs," Derrick said with a laugh.

"Yep," JP said as he played footsie with his blue bear mate. "We're pretty sure the conversation today will involve things he doesn't want to sit through. You're more than welcome to join him, Derrick. He could use a playmate."
 
"Them New Zealand temple dogs ain't gonna be enough for him?" the badger asked.
 
"Well, I'm sure they'll help. But it's been months since we've seen you all. Let's say the hubby is getting an early start on where we both hope to be later this evening. And you know Chet's fondness for Derrick."
 
Derrick grinned shyly. "Thanks for the offer, but I have a feeling I should be here today."
 
Oliver put his paw to his chin. "I'se wondering now if being with Chet might not be a good idea."
 
Nathaniel looked down at the badger. "You're the one who said you wanted to see Dr. Kennedy's boyfriend."
 
"Yeah, but I'm thinking Chet's got the right idea," Oliver said, fidgeting. "If you all is gonna be talking about science, I'd just as soon has you explain it to me while you's on top of me later tonight."
 
Nathaniel laughed. "I won't want to explain it to you later on tonight when I'm on top of you."
 
"That's even better," Oliver said with a laugh. He turned to the otter. "Adam, can you gets me to New Zealand?"
 
The meeting room door opened as the otter's hand went up. Dr. Jackson stared into the space where Oliver once was. "Did I just see a man disappear?"
 
Adam turned around and smiled. "You might have."
 
The doctor's look of shock spread. "You talk. You're a giant otter that talks."
 
"We're pretty much all talking animals, Doctor," Eric said, leaning his elbows on the desk. "Adam is the only one you see because he has no human persona for your mind to lock onto. We wanted to see your reaction to him with no filtering."
 
"Well, my heart is still beating," the doctor replied. "So, I guess your experiment didn't do any permanent damage."
 
John put his arm around the white-haired doctor and squeezed him. "Armel, this is my family. Or at least the ones I felt would best understand why we're here today. Oliver was the one you saw disappearing. My guess is he's off to spend the day with part of my family who's not here."
 
JP nodded. "I hope you two don't mind. Oliver doesn't enjoy talking about science." 

Max nudged the Kermode bear. "Especially since he plays so fast and loose with it."
 
"So, Oliver is the little man who disappeared?" Dr. Jackson asked. 

"That would be him," the old wolf replied. "I'm Will Gentry."
 
"The CEO of this floating island you call a building?" Dr. Jackson asked.
 
"That would be me," Will answered. "And the building isn't floating. We had to do something when Manhattan's frontage went underwater. I hate moving. So, we retrofitted portions of the building on top and used the lower three floors to moor the building to the ocean floor. You should see the lower floors. There are all sorts of interesting thrusters, balance mechanisms, and waterproofing tech. We need to keep everything in shipshape. You two came in from where the third floor of the old building used to be. We created a new façade and breakwater, made a bridge to the mainland, and added a few floating shops along the boardwalk to help tourism. Et voilà, you're looking at the corporate headquarters of Bear Paws Enterprises. And it is still where it's been for hundreds of years."
 
The wolf pointed to the two short-faced bears Armel only saw as humans standing in the corner. "Those are my sons, Dr. Nathaniel Templeton, and his husband, Max Templeton. Nathaniel is the redhead. We like to keep all our practicing physicians redheads so we can tell them apart."
 
"Really?" Dr. Jackson asked.
 
"No," the Kodiak cut in. "Will can be unmercifully cantankerous with visitors who express an interest in his family," the brown bear replied. "I'm Kris, and yes, I'm aware I look like Santa Claus. The gray-haired gent to my right is Eric. To his right, the cute little guy with the bushy beard is Derrick. To his right are Max and JP Carver. His parents named Max after his uncle in the corner, so expect a bit of confusion keeping them straight."
 
Dr. Jackson made a nod toward the two sitting on the couch. "You're the ones who altered my genetics?"
 
Max's blue fur ruffled as he shifted his position awkwardly. "Not yours, but more than likely your great-great-grandparents."
 
"I suppose I should thank you, but I'm struggling with the reality of what you did."
 
"We weren't happy with our options," Eric said, still leaning on the table. "It was either help Terra get rid of what was killing her or change your DNA and hope you found a way to survive." The polar bear took a deep breath and exhaled it in a snort. "For some of us, we're still observing the results."
 
"I would recommend that. Genetics have a way of mutating even the best of evolutionary traits," the doctor said.
 
"We're aware of the complications," JP replied. "It was a last-minute effort to save the human species. We haven't backed down or stopped caring about you. But we also know the only commitment we made that day was to protect Terra." The Kermode bear, whom Dr. Jackson saw as a bald, overweight man, leaned toward the doctor. "You seem pretty well versed in our history."
 
"John has been trying to teach me about it. I wasn't sure whether to believe him or write him off as insane. But I guess with a talking otter staring at me, I would need to write myself off as insane if I chose not to believe it."
 
"John never lies," Eric replied. "No one in this room will lie to you today, Dr. Jackson. We hope you extend us the same courtesy."
 
Armel nodded. "Of course. Of course."
 
"So why the meeting, John?" the white bear asked. "You two seem to be doing fine without us. If you're asking us to plan a wedding reception for you two, I'd say talk to Gabriel. He loves to throw those things together."
 
Dr. Kennedy waved his arms, signaling a misinterpretation of their motives. "Hold on, guys. We're not getting married. I'm here to ask you about turning Armel. But we won't move forward unless we get the unanimous approval of everyone in this room."
 
"That's not our decision, John," Kris said, shaking his head. "That's between the two of you."
 
"No, this time I need to involve the family."
 
Will folded his arms. "Get it out, men. Family is waiting for me in New Zealand, and your beating around the bush isn't getting me any closer to them."
 
"Along with several good reasons John might turn me, there's an excellent reason it might not be a wise idea," Armel said.
 
"And that is?" Eric asked.
 
"I'm a sociopath," Armel replied.
 
"Intriguing," Kris said. "I thought we were calling it advanced antisocial personality spectrum disorder nowadays."
 
"It takes too much time to say that, and AAPSD is yet another in a long list of acronyms that confuse everyone," Dr. Jackson replied. "Everyone understands who I am better when I say sociopath."
 
"True," Will said. "And point taken about it being a significant reason not to turn you. Our history with sociopathic beasts isn't good."
 
Armel looked at the old wolf he couldn't see. "John told me the story of the Children of the Night. Without their genetic code to look at, I can't be certain, but I'm confident my turning wouldn't have the same result." The doctor paused for a moment. "Although what happened to them is a textbook example of how to create any number of psychopathic creatures. We can see most of the variables for their adverse outcomes. Genetic mutations from the lengthy gestation mixed with traumatic issues of abandonment are at the core."
 
"So, how does turning you not result in the same thing?" Will asked.
 
"What happened to them has already happened to me," the doctor answered. "I am already my version of the Children of the Night. The difference is I am a sociopath with a gene spliced into me. It forces a bit of empathy onto my sociopathic nature that I wouldn't feel without that gene."
 
John put his hand up. "He figured out that one on his own, guys. He also figured out we're not exactly human, so don't hold back anything. Chances are good he already knows it."
 
"Being a sociopath with a gene trying to keep you in line has got to be rough on so many fronts," Kris said as his thick paw leaned against the desk.
 
"I am trapped between two worlds," Armel replied. "My instincts tell me to do one thing, and a gene buried deep inside me tells me to do something else. There is a delicate balance, but John will tell you, it's tenuous at best."
 
"So, turning you into a beast… how does that help you, or more to the point, how does it not hurt the rest of the world?" the old wolf asked.
 
Armel looked at Will. "John said you would be the one to ask the hard questions. He was right."
 
"Trust me, Dr. Jackson, I'm going easy on you here," Will corrected. "But I figure John has already asked you all these questions and more. What I'm trying to do is figure out how this family helps you through the change."
 
"You already took that leap? How could you?"
 
Derrick looked up. "Most of us have spent a lifetime on the outside looking in, Dr. Jackson. We know what it feels like to want to be something that lies just beyond our grasp. You tell us how the turning helps you, and we'll support you. You only need to calm our fears that there isn't a downside to this where we are forced to stop a monster of our own creation."
 
Armel stared at the chubby man and wondered how the story John told him of the black wolf could be true. How could this unassuming, shy man who spoke hardly a word alter the universe with only a thought? He stammered a bit when he finally spoke. "If… if I understand the mythos surrounding your story, you'd have no difficulty dealing with me if I became a problem."
 
Derrick nodded. "I could, but that wouldn't be my responsibility. That would fall on John's shoulders, and he has far fewer options than I do."
 
Dr. Jackson turned to his redheaded companion. "Is that true?"
 
"Yes," John replied. "If I ask the Were Nation to accept another into their midst, I am the one responsible for that life. You should have learned that lesson from the Children of the Night."
 
"Then no, I don't want this. I thought I did, but I changed my mind." Armel turned back to the group. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."
 
Dr. Kennedy grabbed the shoulders of the other doctor. "No, Armel, you can't turn back because of this. I accept my responsibility. I told you I would be beside you in the turning. All you found out is how committed I am to that turning. Think about all the good you could do for others like you. You might find a cure or a way to manage your disorder. You don't need to worry about my part in this. I'm willing to take the chance."
 
"But I'm not," Armel retorted. "I'm not willing to take that chance."
 
"Think about the others," John said.
 
"I CAN'T!" Armel yelled. "Don't you get that? I can't think about the others. I can only see how this affects me. There is one man in my life who can tolerate me. One man, John! I don't have feelings for anyone else. You see me in the lab. I don't give a damn about anyone but you, and the only reason I give a damn about you is because I like the way I feel when you're next to me. Whatever else I do, I won't let the possibility of my execution hang over your head when I turn. It will eat at you. It will darken how you feel about me. I can't let your feelings for me change, John. I can't afford to lose you."
 
"You won't, Armel," the young doctor said, lowering his voice. "You don't understand it now. And if you don't go through with what we planned, you never will. I love you, and that is a lifelong commitment to a wolf. If you walk away from this, if you never turn, I will still stay by your side. One day, I will be there to bury you. That's the commitment. But if you turn, if you take a leap of faith, you have the potential to find an answer to a question that has eluded you all your life."
 
"And what if after my turning you still need to bury me? Only this time after you killed me?"
 
"I have family. The men surrounding us, and so many others, will get me through whatever I need to do. They always have. They always will. You see, my dear friend, unlike you, there are people I give a damn about, and they give a damn about me."
 
Armel turned to the group. "Swear to me. You won't let him get hurt in this."
 
Kris shrugged his broad shoulders. "We can't, Doctor. You know the way experiments work. There are expectations. We hope for an outcome based on our best data, but the outcome is never certain. The only thing we promise is John will always be our family. And we take care of our family."
 
"And me; what if I do this? What am I?"
 
"Family," Nathaniel said. "And that means your family will watch over you and do right by what you become."
 
"Even if what I become is a monster?"
 
"Even if," Will said. "But you still didn't answer my question, Doctor. What do you hope to get out of this? Why take the risk of becoming a monster?"
 
"Because of all the people in the world, I understand my genome better than anyone else. I have sequenced myself down to the minutia of every cell in my body. Every scan of my brain from my first year in medical college is on file. I know exactly what I am, but I can't find the missing link. I can't find the key to what makes me who I am. If I turn and become better, I will compare what I was to what I became. Somewhere in that mix, there may be an answer to where our biology goes wrong."
 
"It could be more nurture than nature," Nathaniel suggested. "It's always been speculated an outside event triggers the change."
 
"I know," Armel said. "But it can't only be that. Thousands of other people watched their parents die in some horrible way and didn't grow up to be sociopaths. Something inside me changed at the death of my parents, but it was there waiting all along. I can't help but wonder if the outcome wouldn't have been the same regardless of my parent's death."
 
"You're thinking something akin to Down syndrome? A gene sequence that doesn't form correctly in utero?" the short-faced bear asked.
 
"Or some genetic combination that doesn't occur in the other ninety-nine percent of humans. Whatever it is, genetics, brain chemistry, or faulty wiring, I'm sure the key lies in understanding the genetics behind who we are. And that includes how the nature of every surviving sociopath changed that day. The day humanity averted total annihilation from a nuclear war. We thought it was Sky Shield that stopped those bombs from falling. But now I see it wasn't the government; it was you. No sociopath has ever been close to the texts outlining our disorder before that day. What those two did has a direct effect on who we are." Armel pointed toward the two smaller bears sitting on the couch.
 
"We realized there would be disastrous results, even lethal outcomes, to certain groups," Max replied, rubbing his blue feet together with an obvious sense of regret. "You're a century removed from that day, but the gene we spliced into humanity is not a dominant trait. When it is there, it overrides latent instincts in humankind. Something changed that day beyond your gene splicing. It created human behaviors that reduced the triggers for antisocial personality spectrum disorder. But it didn't stop you from being born. Whatever causes it, sociopaths will struggle with it their entire lives. A part of them pushes for them to live an egocentric life while the gene tells them to look outward."
 
"You enslaved an entire world to a genetic set of feelings it wasn't predisposed toward?" Armel asked incredulously. "And you consider me amoral?"
 
"In less than a day, humanity was going to be extinct, Doctor," Kris broke in. "Humans were poised to annihilate themselves in a nuclear war. We might have tolerated your actions if you didn't also kill Terra and all of us in the process. Humanity's genetic predisposition was to kill itself. What did you want those two to do?"
 
The doctor sighed. "I don't know. It seems draconian." He paused. "I might have done the same thing."
 
"But not for the same reasons," JP said. "You would have done it to save your life."
 
"And you didn't?"
 
"No, saving our lives and saving Terra was easy. Kill the humans. Case closed. But then, you wouldn't have been born, Dr. Jackson. We realized our solution wasn't a perfect one, but we erred on the side of saving the human race. And we did it in a way that kept sociopaths from rising to power again with their finger on the button. Go back and read your history. Tell me that given the circumstances we had, there was another option. Terra was ready to remove the threat to her life if we didn't act in a draconian way."
 
Dr. Jackson was quiet for a time, mulling over what he had heard. "So, I'm right about me? You two played God and made these choices for me without my ever having a voice?"
 
Will snorted out a laugh, and Dr. Jackson turned toward him. "That's the takeaway you get from this, Doc? You really are a sociopath. You can't see the world except from your perspective. And that fucking perspective is skewed enough you're actually complaining about being born."
 
"Old Wolf," the polar bear said, cautioning Will.
 
"No, Son," Kris interjected. "Let the wolf have his say. These two came here to hear our opinions. Let them hear them."
 
Will turned to the Kodiak and grinned. "Thanks, Husband." He turned back toward the doctor. "Let's lay a little groundwork here, shall we, Doc? First. Do you hold us to a higher standard than you hold yourself?"
 
"You control a great deal more power than I do," the doctor said. "I would think holding you to a higher standard is fair."
 
"Oh, and what power is that?" Will asked.
 
"You can wipe out an entire species."
 
"Like you did with the Zaragoza virus?"
 
"That was a virus. We're talking about a sentient species."
 
"Oh, so a guy comes at you with a knife. You're okay with letting that happen because he's a sentient species, and you don't kill sentient species?"
 
"No, no," Armel said, waving his hands. "You're mixing apples and oranges."
 
"Am I?" Will asked. "Four billion years ago, we were all a bunch of self-replicating cells. Land on earth back then and wipe out anything that wasn't sentient and the hairless apes never evolve. You told me you're okay with wiping out a life form that has the potential to evolve over eons into something amazing. And the only reason you used to justify your thinking is because it's attacking you. Humans were about to kill the Were Nation. By your standards, we had every right to rid the planet of the one thing bent on killing us. But somehow you think you deserve special consideration. So, does life or death for you depend on how high up the evolutionary ladder something has climbed?"
 
"There was an immediate threat to our lives with the virus."
 
Will laughed. "You're a smart man, Doc. You see the pit you're digging for yourself, right?"
 
"It's not the same. A virus isn't the same as a human being."
 
"And why not? What do you do if you're floating around in space and the things you let live on your skin start blowing each other up with bombs? And what if those bombs fry your skin and tear at your body? Tell me, what are you going to do?" The doctor opened his mouth and Will cut him off. "Remember, Doc, you promised you would tell the truth."
 
The doctor thought. "I would kill them. I can't roll over and die because of something attacking me."
 
"But they're sentient."
 
"It doesn't matter. I always do what it takes to survive."
 
"Ah," Will replied. "So, there is a tipping point where a virus and a human become the same thing in your mind."
 
"No, never," the doctor protested.
 
"You just wiped out the entire human race because you're Terra and they're killing you."
 
"Terra is a planet. Call it whatever you like. Earth is not living. There is no empirical evidence suggesting it's anything more than rock and water."
 
"Okay, let's not dispute that," Will said with a wave of his hand. "But boy, are you going to need to make apologies when you see the truth." Will folded his arms. "Let's get back to what you think you know. I was born in sixteen thirty-five. As you might guess, my educational opportunities were rather lacking. I'm a lazy wolf and I've not done much to improve myself in those areas over the years. So, which one of us do you think is more gifted, Doc?"
 
The doctor frowned. "Obviously me."
 
The wolf's paw rose and burst into red flame. "Can you do this, Doc?"
 
"Of course not."
 
"But you're sentient."
 
"That has nothing to do with sentience. It's some strange power. You're no more intelligent because of that than an electric eel is because it can shock me."
 
"Interesting. You seem to discount the things you can't do while you appear to hold on to an overly inflated importance about your own skill set."
 
"You can't tell me a glowing hand matches my intellect."
 
"Maybe not," the wolf replied. "But it's a gift you don't have. Your intellect isn't the only gift you possess. You have others, but I'm not discounting the one for which you're justifiably proud. It's incredible. But, in a competition, my glowing hand can toast your intellectual ass. So, reconsider how well you and your intellect stack up against the men in this room in the game of survival you shoved us into."
 
Will shook his hand, and the red flame disappeared. He turned to the men behind him. "Look at these men. They're a pretty rarefied group. Four men in this room can time travel. You already realize the two on the couch can do it. You're alive today because they can. They're also two of seven guys who either saved the humans or were kind enough not to wipe them out when they deserved it. Tell me, Doc, on a strictly apples-to-apples kind of scale, what have you done lately to save humanity?" 

Dr Jackson's hand started to rise to answer, when Will added, "And don't mention the pandemic you avoided. Your team did that, not you. We know more than the press was ever told, Doctor." Armel's hand lowered. He was mute as the wolf continued. "And, about the otter... I figure you already realized he's an alien. There are four of them in the room, but he's kind of special. He has four other guys living inside him, and those men can come together and kick butt when they need to. How good are you at working with your peers? They didn't get much credit in your news briefings for the work they did. My guess is they think you're as big a dick as I do."
 
Will drew up nose to nose with the doctor and when Armel backed up, Will took another step forward. "You arrogant son of a bitch. You self-absorbed asshole. You tiny little amoeba in this universe strutting around like you mean something. Do you want to complain about what they've done to you? You go right ahead. You can do that because they did what they had to do to preserve your people instead of wiping them out. They treated you like something that one day might be amazing instead of yet another virus. They showed you compassion instead of treating you like another disease to slough off the skin of something far more evolved than you. You're here because those men love you; even though you can't fathom what that means.
 
"Complain all you want about how inconvenient it is for you to feel emotions that force you to think about the consequences of your actions. Tell it to the gray-haired guy behind the desk. Ask him how difficult it was not to wipe out all of humanity when he watched thirty-six of his brothers killed while trying to save you, and the remaining four killed by you. One guy, Doc. One guy with the power to wipe out every human on this planet. Humans were the virus that killed his entire family. He stayed his hand instead of choosing your approach."
 
Will pointed to Kris. "Tell Santa over there how difficult your life is because you're forced to think outside your own pathetic box now and then. The humans came to kill his family, and he didn't kill any of them. In fact, he brought them back from the dead. And then, in an act of grace I still can't fathom, he blinded the humans from ever seeing us again until they loved us. Is that what you would do if something came to kill you, Doc?
 
"I'm betting you think the otter is mentally inferior to you because he's smaller and cuter than your sorry ass. But he can bend space without the use of a wormhole. Tell me if you're up to date on those physics. Tell him how difficult it is for you to deal with conflicted emotions. Then ask him what it's like when you're called on to kill your own because they've gone rogue and are enslaving the universe. You whimper about not being able to give up one man in your life who treats you kindly. Try being the one to turn your race to ash because that's what it takes to save a billion worlds populated by beings you will never know."
 
The doctor took another step back, and Will followed him by stepping forward. "That cute chubby guy with the beard; tell him how tough it is for you. He stood up to an entire armada of invading spaceships, each the size of a planet, and he took them down without one death. Not one, Doc. Tell me how tough your life is when you figure out a way to let those viruses you killed live long enough to evolve into something wondrous. He gave the ones out to kill us a second chance to do that. Your ancestors have been on the brink of extinction more times than you realize, only to have the men who surround you save them."
 
Will didn't let up even as the doctor stepped back, slamming into the robot behind him. "And those two bears with the wings you can't even see, tell them about the angst you're going through because you've got a gene that makes you do the right thing. File a complaint as another one of those whose greed and narcissism started a global war on the day of their marriage. You weren't there to make the choices that left this planet a nuclear wasteland. But the species that did that were your kin. Whine about how they played God by saving the very people who killed their husband and their families.
 
"Oh, and that intellect you lord over everyone in this room, you might rethink where you stand on that intellectual ladder. That otter isn't the only one who understands the physics of traversable wormholes and time travel. Do you know what it takes to fuse energy into matter, let alone splice a gene into every human living on this planet? They do, and that's for starters.

"They hold powers that are as natural to them as it is for that electric eel you brought up to shock you for looking at him sideways. But they don't do that. They don't fry your ass, even though you deserve it. Because they care about everything that surrounds them. You care about one thing, one person. And you're all upset because John might change? Do you think you're special? I thought so until I put you up against the men in this room. Damn if you didn't wind up looking like a cockroach with attitude."
 
The wolf growled. "Tell me, Doc. Tell me how much of a sacrifice you made to be here. Protest all you want about the unfairness of your life. But I hope you realize I'm not losing any sleep over you tonight, you ungrateful prick."
 
The wolf backed up, and only Dr. Jackson's hyperventilating broke the silence in the room. The robot reached around and shook the doctor. "This is your bitch wake-up call, Doctor. You do whatever you have to do to keep this family in your life. And you best have heard what that wolf said, because I recorded it. And so help me, if you make one more complaint about John's family, I will pin you down and make you memorize every word."
 
The doctor shook his head. "I heard it, Sybil." He looked up at the family, who gathered defensively around the old wolf. "I can't think of a reason why you would want me to be a part of your family. I came here thinking you would be amazed that I even deigned to visit you. John was right. Without your support, I don't have any chance of changing. Even if the turning fixes the why of what I am, the years of who I've been will not vanish. I'm still going to be who I have always been without your help."
 
The short-faced bear in the back of the room stretched. "I'm not so sure that we want to change all that much, Dr. Jackson," Max said. "The circumstances that made you what you are also created a genius. We don't want to take that from you. You need to figure out how to hold on to that part of you because if you turn, the feelings you struggle with now might only get worse."
 
"I thought about that," the doctor said. "The fear of losing my edge is undeniable. I don't know what I would do if this wound up compromising my abilities. The one thing that pushes me forward isn't that I will be a better geneticist. It's the hope that I can be a better person. There are moments of clarity when I know John can't sustain his love for me forever waiting for me to catch up. It's selfish, but I don't want that day to happen when he wakes up and realizes he's done waiting. Maybe, just maybe, by this turning of yours, I can find a path to him that works for both of us."
 
"So what do you do, Doc?" Will asked.
 
"I turn if you'll let me."
 
"Wasn't ever even a question about that," Will said. "John said he wanted to turn you. That was good enough for us."
 
Armel shook his head in disbelief. "But how… how can you even trust me to not be lying to you now?"
 
"Oh, that's easy," JP said. "We have the Sight. We know when you're lying."
 
"And I know if you've been bad or good," Kris said, with a hint of a smile underneath his white beard. "But that's only important if you want cool gifts come Christmastime."
 
"You can tell when I'm lying?"
 
Derrick nodded. "We were all aware that you lied when you said you wanted to turn to become a better person. You phrased it that way to make it sound like you had an altruistic goal. The real reason is you are afraid of losing John, and you don't know what you would do without him. You realize he's the only person who has the potential to hurt you as badly as your parents did by walking out of your life."
 
The doctor leaned back into Sybil for support. "You see that much?"
 
"And still we let John turn you," Nathaniel said. "Because regardless of the outcome, John has told us what he wants; and it appears what he wants is to have you in his life full time."
 
"I wish I could feel what you all feel," Dr. Jackson said, looking around the room.
 
John stepped in front of the doctor and put out his hands. "I hope one day you will. But until that day comes, I will be beside you."
 
"As will I," the robot behind him said.
 
"So, how is this done?" Armel said, reaching out his hands and grabbing onto John's.
 
"He didn't tell you?" Will said with a laugh.
 
John glowered at Will. "I was working up to it."
 
"Sorry," Will said as he pulled the invisible zipper across his lips.
 
"Oh god," Dr. Jackson groaned. "You won't need to rip out my throat or chew off my leg, will you?"
 
John shook his head. "That's worse than the brain suck thing. We seriously need to change your movie viewing habits."
 
"That's pretty much every werewolf movie, ever," Armel said defending his comments. "You can't blame me for being apprehensive."
 
"We do it by exchanging semen when I'm in my werewolf form."
 
"We do it by doing it?"
 
"Yeah," John said. "There are lots of ways it can work, but me penetrating you is traditional. Have you had any experience bottoming?"
 
"Dr. Jackson has had prodigious amounts of bottoming experience," Sybil replied. Armel turned and stared up at the robot angrily. "Sorry," Sybil said. Her metal hand went up, clutching two fingers as she zipped across the LECs forming her mouth. As the fingers slipped over the lights, they turned off one by one.
 
Armel turned to John and smiled. "I guess this is the time I get to see you naked."
 
"Seems like," John said, returning the smile. John thought about it for a moment and turned to Kris. "How is this going to work? He can't see me. If he's trying to grab something on my human body, he could inadvertently smash into something on my werewolf body."
 
Kris smiled. "I lift the cloud. He'll be able to see everyone, including you."
 
"That will work," John replied.
 
"Wait," Armel said. "I thought the only way I could see John in werewolf form was if I loved him."
 
"That's true," Kris said. "But I was the one who put the blinding into place. I can remove it from you."
 
"But as soon as we're done, you'll replace it, right?" the older doctor asked.
 
"I don't have to," Kris responded.
 
"No, I want you to. I am going to use it as a barometer of my progress. The day I see John as a werewolf is the day I know I've progressed far enough to love someone else."
 
"That makes perfect sense," Kris said. He looked at John. "If you didn't tell him about the sex, I'm assuming there is much of his education you haven't disclosed."
 
John gave a guilty nod. "To tell the truth, I didn't think we'd get this far. I didn't want him full of needless worry."
 
Dr. Jackson's face dropped. "What needless worry?"
 
"The turning is painful the first time."
 
"How painful?"
 
"You wouldn't do it if I told you how painful it was. It gets better with time, though."
 
"What else?"
 
"Once you've got your legs, it's traditional for the family to join us in welcoming you to the family."
 
"That doesn't sound so bad. If they're going to help you help me, I want to meet the family."
 
"We generally do it by having group sex."
 
"Dr. Jackson is very familiar with group sex," Sybil chimed in. She looked down at the doctor. "You would equivocate over your past sexual encounters. They must know the truth to facilitate your integration into the family."
 
Armel sighed. "She's right. Group sex is easier for me than individual sex because I don't need to act committed or loving to anyone. If you're not upset by a guy who uses you all as playthings, I will do my best to act interested in your needs."
 
"Works for me," Will said, grinning at the doctor.
 
"Wait a minute. You just got through dragging me over the coals and you're going to have sex with me?"
 
"Not if you don't want to. But I will point out I've had over six hundred years of experience pleasuring men. That makes you a comparative novice at the very thing you said you enjoy."
 
"But you call me an ungrateful prick."
 
Will scrunched his face. "Yeah, I'm standing by that one. But somewhere along the line, you and I need to find a way to be family. If banging our brains out together helps us get closer, I'm in. If what you want is for me to stay home watching a movie and eating popcorn while my family welcomes you, I'm okay with that too. You decide. This is your life, and it's going to change big time. The only thing I care about is that you treat John with respect until you can treat him with love. The rest of us will do our best to help you with that goal."
 
"That much I can promise," Armel replied. He hesitated. "Six hundred years?"
 
"I can do things with my tongue that would tie an anteater's up in knots."
 
Armel shook his head. "I can't believe I'm saying this. I want you there."
 
Will laughed. "I admit it's unfair that I know how easy it is to get a sociopath to say yes. I've had a lot like you in my day."
 
"Really?"
 
"CEOs, politicians, bank presidents, you name it. Sociopaths have a very long history of finding their way into high places. I am just a guy who enjoys knocking them down a peg or two."
 
"You're pretty much as big an asshole as I am, aren't you?" Armel asked.
 
"Yeah, pretty much," Will said with a smile. "I was born a bastard, and I've been perfecting myself ever since." The wolf leaned close to the human and whispered, "But I love my family, and one day, I hope everything we do together leads you closer to loving them, too."
 
"Me too," Armel said. The Sight pushed forward, and Will knew the human had told the truth. 

Chapter 6 
 
"Welcome home, Ancient One," Katashi said as he hugged the polar bear.
 
"It's good to be back," Eric said. The two beasts took each other's paw and walked along the south cliffs overlooking the Bay of Fundy. "I don't enjoy my time in New York. It's too hectic. I guess I'm a country bear at heart," he said with a laugh.
 
The two stopped at the overlook railing and kissed. "It's only for a few days. We'll be heading back to Montana on Friday."
 
"It will be good to see you until then. Perhaps you can join us for dinner on Thursday."
 
The bear thought for a minute and gave a nod. "That would be nice."
 
"Spackle has taken a fondness for cooking. He makes an extraordinary tofu curry over rice."
 
"Sounds wonderful. Who am I inviting? Your home is quite small for dinner parties with beasts."
 
Katashi laughed. "Do you think we could impose on Nathaniel and his family to let us use the Museum House as a gathering place?"
 
"I'm sure that is doable," the bear replied. The bear paused and looked out over the slow-moving waves. Katashi could tell he was struggling, trying to decide if he should broach a subject.
 
"Speak the words, Ancient One. You and I have shared too many lifetimes to hold back our feelings now."
 
"Our trip to Pulau Dawera still concerns me."
 
"The tigers are in wildlife refuges across Southern Asia. The rhinoceros are thriving at the Pulau Dawera sanctuary, and their caretakers are seeing to their health. So, the continued existence of those animals your brother worked so hard to save is no longer an issue. I must assume it is Tamil who concerns you."
 
"I worry, Katashi. He is a tiger. I acknowledge he is trying so hard, but the body and brain he was born with limit him. Even with my brother's chi…" the bear stopped short of finishing his sentence.
 
"I have watched humans as they take care of their weakest over the centuries. It has taught me much and shaped who I am in their company. We will see to Tamil's special needs."
 
"He will be such a challenge, Katashi."
 
"We never shied away from a challenge before, Ancient One."
 
"No, and I'm not saying we should now, but there are so many paths in front of us."
 
"Indeed."
 
The bear put out his hand. A small chip lay in it. "It's a short story from long ago. It's called 'Flowers for Algernon'. I hope you will read it."
 
The temple dog gave a slight bow, taking the chip. "I have read it many times. Is it what happens to Algernon or the treatment of the developmentally disabled that concerns you?"
 
"I think it's the consequences of intelligence acquired beyond our capacity to integrate it. Accelerated change beyond the norm often has unintended consequences. It's why there is a minimum age for turning a beast; to protect them. We want to make sure they understand what is going to happen. I'm not sure Tamil will ever be able to understand the change he might experience if he ever becomes a beast."
 
The temple dog nodded. "I understand your concern. It is overwhelming even for faculties much greater than what nature has given Tamil. But his intelligence might increase by turning," the dog speculated. "And he has a family to guide him his whole life."
 
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
 
"But we are not humans, you and I, and Tamil is not a mouse."
 
"But still…" the bear said as he leaned against the railing. "I don't want Tamil to suffer because we give him more than he can handle. He is an innocent in all of this. When do we decide if Kantrava's promise is fulfilled? I'm torn between wanting him simply to be a happy tiger by your side and letting him be whatever it is he should become."
 
"Perhaps he has already become what he should be. Perhaps being a happy tiger by my side is what life has chosen for him."
 
"But you promised to mate with him."
 
"I realize in our family, the promise to mate involves a great deal of sexual contact. But it does not mean Tamil and I cannot be mates without that closeness. The bond of mating goes far beyond the physical nature of what we do."
 
"I know, Katashi," the bear said with a sigh. "It's that… that…"
 
"I am a highly sexual being?"
 
Eric looked up at the dog and smiled. "Yeah, that, Dog. I want you two to be happy together. I understand you believe my brother's promise rests on your shoulders. And I accept Tamil has a right to engage fully in your shared life. But I struggle with how far we take this."
 
"Perhaps that is Tamil's decision."
 
Eric nodded. "But can he make an informed decision?"
 
"Have any of us who chose to turn made a truly informed decision?"
 
The polar bear smiled. "Point taken. Tamil deserves the right to be by your side in all you do. I would hate for him never to know the touch of a dog that has brought me so much joy through his body."
 
The temple dog returned the smile. "You are too kind, Ancient One. Tamil and I will find our path. We both understand it will not be an easy one. But we are not alone. Spackle, too, will help us find a way for our family that works for the three of us. Where there is love, we can forge a path."
 
"And is Tamil capable of that love?" the bear asked. "I mean, capable beyond affection and need?"
 
"I believe he is capable. The chi of your brother has rested in him for hundreds of years. You are the Unity, Ancient One. What are you, if not the essence of what we call love? We can teach how we express our love as beasts. I sense there is love in him beyond that gifted by his father. We only need to help him understand those feelings of love which he may not yet grasp."
 
The two watched a flock of seabirds picking along the shoreline take wing, moving in one great mass out over the waves. Katashi's hand slipped back into the bear's. "We all deserve a life where we are loved, but few of us ever find it. I have such a life, Ancient One. Tamil was promised he would experience that life as well. He may never understand all that the promise made by Kantrava means. He may never understand the depths to which love can go. But he deserves the sense of peace we feel when we close our eyes at night beside one who cares."
 
"Yeah," the bear said. "Yeah, he does."
 
"I do not wish to put flowers on the grave of a tiger thrust into a world so far from his understanding he could not cope with it. Tamil is my responsibility. I will guard him with my life. He will never doubt that he is loved."
 
"I will be there for you, Katashi. I will be there for Tamil. You have my word."
 
The yellow paw squeezed the white paw, and they needed no more words beyond the simple gesture. 

Chapter 7 

"Good god," Armel groaned as the Red Wolf touched down. "There are more?"
 
"Nathaniel, Max, and Oliver have husbands that live with their family in South Africa six months out of the year. We can't ignore them."
 
Armel watched as a pack of African dogs and a saber-toothed cat stepped off the lowered ramp. He breathed a sigh of relief that at least the cat wasn't as big as his bear husbands. But when the first footfall of the rhino hit the cargo bay door, he whispered, "What the fuck?"
 
"That's Chipo," John said with a grin as the rhinoceros made his way down the loading ramp. "You're going to love him."
 
"Have you seen… have you seen the size of a rhino dick?" Armel stammered. "It's going to be like having a baseball bat shoved up my ass."
 
"You're not obligated to let anyone shove anything up your ass if you don't want to," John said. "We already discussed this. Everyone will ask, or you can invite, but no one takes offense if you say no."
 
"No one?"
 
"No one!"
 
"So, do rhinos just cuddle?"
 
"Of course we do," came the answer from across the glen as the rhino stepped onto the grass. "But try to keep things in perspective. I'm not as well-endowed as my husbands, their fathers, or the temple dogs. I'm more of an upper mid-sized cock. They're the luxury models."
 
"Oh, dear god, is he telling the truth?" the anxious human fretted.
 
"You've seen Kris, Armel. Most of the beasts' genitals don't show until they're aroused, but Kris put his out there for everyone to see because he knew that's what his husbands liked. Take a good look at that Kodiak. That's him in repose. When he's aroused, it's going to get as big as you think a dick already that big is going to get. We don't lie, Armel," John said. "We rarely even stretch the truth."
 
"So what the hell is a temple dog?"
 
"They're not a what, they are a who," John corrected. "Temple dogs are the caretakers of the temple and monastery we walked by earlier. They used to be humans, but when the time came to turn, they abandoned being human and became only dogs."
 
"You can do that? Just let the human go?"
 
"They did. They had to have massive concentration on the turning to pull it off, though. I'm not sure all that they did to make it happen. You could ask them. They're in the forest right now, trying to round up the dragons to say hello."
 
"Dragons? I'm going to be fucked by dragons?"
 
John laughed. "Of course not. All the dragons are heterosexual, albeit they can change sexes when necessary. Besides, they're an alien race that chooses not to intermingle with us in that way. But they are our family and way smarter than us, so prepare for your ego to get stomped if they join in on a conversation."
 
The older doctor shook his head. "This is much more than I had anticipated, John. I'm kind of getting overwhelmed."
 
"Yeah, family can do that," John agreed. "Would you like to go somewhere quieter?"
 
"If it's not asking too much."
 
"Of course not," John said. He put his paws on his muzzle and yelled. "Okay, guys. Armel is getting a bit overwhelmed. We're going off to the woods to take a break."
 
Eric turned around from talking to the wild dog pack. "Armel, if you'd like, we can thin this herd for you. The man turning you is very much a part of our life, and that makes today special for us. He helps keep track of our family. It's a full-time job on top of everything he does with you. So, when we get him on the highland, he attracts a crowd."
 
The werewolf hugged the human. "So, about thinning the herd…" he said, letting the question go unspoken.
 
"I'm good, Eric," Armel yelled back to the polar bear. "I hope you realize I won't say yes to everyone on this highland who asks me for sex."
 
Eric laughed. "We don't expect you to," he yelled back. "We ask as a way of expressing our affection for you, but don't feel obligated to accept every request. You don't even need to accept any of them. The tradition says we offer. There's nothing said about the need to accept."
 
"Thank you all," Armel said, yelling one more time. He turned to John. "So, where is this quiet place?"
 
In moments, Armel looked up into the tall canopy of trees. "This is one of our most sacred spaces," the werewolf said. "So many beautiful unions happened here. So many mated beasts come here every year to renew their vows. Eric, Kris, Will, Derrick, Oliver — even Adam comes home every August. You should see the celebration." John pointed to the edge of the clearing. "Max and Nathaniel used this spot to get away from their hectic lives back when Max was still a human. This is where Max proposed to Nathaniel, and this is where Nathaniel came to mourn when Max died. So much of our history revolves around this place. This is where they renewed their vows on this side of the universe."
 
The older man took a deep breath and scratched his head. "Max died?"
 
"Max died as a human in another universe before Adam collapsed it all into a super massive singularity and rebuilt it on the other side. In this universe, Max became a bear before his cancer killed him."
 
Armel sat down on the grass. "Adam can create an alternative universe from an older one?"
 
"Not by himself. He needed a great deal of help. Derrick on the other hand, might be able to do it by himself. I suspect Oliver can, too. But then they've been alive since the birth of this universe, so their powers have been gestating for a very long time."
 
"The black wolf and the badger are fourteen billion years old?"
 
"Give or take a few million, yeah," John replied.
 
"I'm lost, John. I always thought I was in control of my world, but I've known you for five months, and everything I thought I knew, is turned upside down."
 
"That might be for the best. Sociopaths tend to have an over-inflated sense of their capabilities. Realizing you're about to become a very tiny fish in a very big pond might be helpful."
 
"You have no idea how my mind works, do you?"
 
John laughed, "Not a clue." John leaned over and kissed the older man.
 
At the end of the kiss, Armel's facial expression wasn't what John had hoped for. "Didn't like it?" he asked.
 
"I liked it. I've got a hard-on under these pants."
 
"But?"
 
"But I wish I could give you more. I know what you're hoping for, and I can't give it to you."
 
"Maybe one day you will. Until then, I'm happy knowing I can give you a hard-on."
 
The older man laughed. "I guess at seventy-two, being able to get it up for you isn't so bad."
 
John smiled and leaned into the human, pushing him back onto the grass. The wolf looked into the human's brown eyes and saw the panic. "Armel, you don't need to do this. Walk away, and no one will hold it against you."
 
"And you?"
 
"I walk away only when you tell me to."
 
"It's not what I thought it would be, John. I thought I would be in control."
 
"You control one thing, Armel, and that's your transformation. Everything else is beyond your control. The Changeling DNA will rewrite almost every part of who you are. If you can't let that control go, don't do this."
 
"But I can control the animal I become, right?"
 
"You need to keep it in your mind. If you can maintain your focus through the pain, you can become whatever you dream of."
 
"It won't upset you if I don't become a wolf?"
 
"You become what you want, Armel. I will love you no matter what you choose."
 
"You promise?"
 
"I don't lie, remember?"
 
Armel reached down and pulled his shirt up over his head. "Then I'm ready. All those animals out there won't come running in here the minute we get started, will they?"
 
John laughed. "No. When we start, they will sense it, but they won't come until we call them. That doesn't happen until after your transformation is complete and you're ready for company."
 
The white-haired man pulled at the belt of his pants. "I saw that rhinoceros. I don't think I'm ever going to be ready for him."
 
John smiled. "He only looks intimidating. The guy is as gentle as they come. Unless he's with Will, and then all bets are off. Those two are seriously dangerous together."
 
Dr. Jackson tugged at his pants. "And what about us?"
 
"What do you want us to be like?"
 
"Is it okay if we go slow?" Armel asked as the pants fell to the forest floor and he kicked them off.
 
"As slow as you need," John replied. The wolf stared at the naked human, and his grin widened as far as his muzzle would allow. "This has been a dream of mine for so long."
 
"I hope you're not disappointed."
 
"I'm not. You're so handsome."
 
Armel shook his stomach. "I'm fifty pounds overweight."
 
"And unable to take a compliment it would seem. I thought you sociopaths were narcissists."
 
"I am, but I fixate on things differently than most. Fawn over my work. I want you to be enamored with my brain."
 
"Well, you already know that. I love your brain," the wolf said. He reached out and stroked the human's cock. "And this. I'm kind of enamored with this. It's lovely."
 
"Yours is like most of your family's; a bit intimidating, but somehow just what it should be."
 
The wolf released the human and fell back onto the grass below. "So?" John said as he patted the grass next to him.
 
Armel sat down next to the wolf. "I wish this moment could be everything you hoped it would be."
 
"It is," the wolf comforted.
 
"You deserve to have a man who loves you."
 
"One day I will."
 
"And until then?"
 
"Like I said, I have a man with a hard-on. Not too bad, for starters."
 
Armel smiled. "Turn me, John."
 
The wolf rolled over on top of the human. "Think of your beast. Keep him in mind. Try not to let the incredible sex distract you, because I'm pretty good when I take it slow."
 
Armel smiled. "So, am I." The two leaned into a kiss, and both realized they were telling the truth. 

Chapter 8 
 
The sun had set behind the mountains, and the Northern Lights were swirling in the sky before the smell of a newborn beast filtered out from the forest. Through the night, the beasts played in the glade, waiting for the call. But toward daylight, everyone realized this was not a normal turning.
 
Deep in the forest, John was guiding a newborn beast into an unfamiliar life. Armel was confused by the myriad of feelings sweeping over him for the first time. The family of beasts could wait. It wasn't about the sex. It was never about the sex. Welcoming a new beast into the world was always the goal. It was about finding what it took to ground the newborn in an ever-changing world.
 
Chipo rolled off the old wolf. "How do you do that, Will?"
 
"It's easy. I control my ass muscles and milk you. I learned it from the Hexadeltans."
 
Chipo laughed, looking up into the morning sky. "Not that, Old Wolf. I get how you do that, and it's amazing. How can I fall on top of you without crushing you?"
 
Will rolled over to the side of the rhinoceros and cuddled close to his leathery skin. "That's easy too. I hear the three snorts, and I brace for impact. A beast can take more weight than you if he's prepared. You have a tell. You snort three times right before you come. It makes it easy to prepare for those legs of yours slipping out from under you."
 
The rhino let out a happy sigh. "You make me feel light, Old Wolf. I almost feel normal with you."
 
The arm of the gray beast wrapped around the wolf and pulled him in tight. "Pfft," the old wolf said. "Who wants to be normal? I love the pressure of your weight on top of me. It's true, I can't take it forever, but for a moment, I'm supporting you through your orgasm. One of the most pleasurable experiences we share in life, and I can make sure you have nothing to worry about except enjoying that pleasure. There's something special about staying with you in that moment that I can't explain, but I love that sensation."
 
The tug from the rhino kept the wolf tight, and the three fingers played with Will's cowlick. "I love you, Old Wolf."
 
"And I love you, Chipo."
 
"What are we going to do about John and Armel?"
 
"We wait. We always wait for those who wander. They are on a path that neither of them has ever trod. This is the first turning for both of them, and it will be unique because of the circumstance no matter what."
 
The saber-toothed cat slipped up alongside the old wolf and rubbed his chest. "And you, Father... you're going to accept what Armel has chosen without one word of complaint, right?"
 
Will laughed. "Of course, Son. I realized you could take my comments and throw them back at me. You're strong. You know who you are, and you're confident in your decisions. Armel is only now waking to a world that he thought he controlled. He'll need time to find his tiny place in a big universe."
 
"Tiny, indeed," the cat reflected.
 
Will looked at the cat. "Are you aware of something we aren't?"
 
"I always see the turned beast."
 
Will bolted up. "Well, do tell. It's obvious that those two are involved enough that they forgot all about us."
 
"You like surprises, Old Wolf," the cat answered. "You can wait."
 
Chipo rolled away from the two and pushed himself up. "Well, you can all wait. I'm starving." His head lowered. He took a mouthful of grass and chewed.
 
Will stared at the rhino. "I love watching you masticate."
 
"Bastard," the rhino said between chews.
 
"No, honestly, I do," Will affirmed. "It's that slow gumming of something shoved in your mouth. It's hot."
 
"You're such a perv, Old Wolf," one of the two cuddling short-faced bears said sleepily.
 
"You say that like it's a bad thing, Max," Will said as he rose on his hind legs and stared at his dew-matted fur. Wolf–human–wolf. The dry wolf gave a stretch and grinned at the short-faced bear.
 
"Then I said it wrong. I meant it as a compliment," the bear replied. "Besides, it's kind of nice to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks watching Chipo chewing food with that prehensile lip of his is hot." He leaned over and kissed his husband. "Morning, Beautiful," he said.
 
"Morning," Nathaniel replied. He looked down at his belly. "I'm soaked."
 
"Not my doing," Max said. "I swallowed."
 
"I'm soaked with dew."
 
"Bear, human, bear," Max said, unconcerned. "Easy-peasy. You're dry in seconds."
 
The larger short-faced bear jumped to his feet. "And deprive my family of this?" he said with a violent shake as he spun around. Water flew everywhere. Like a massive, furred sprinkler, Nathaniel spun about and showered everyone within ten feet.
 
Eric bolted up from the arms of the Kodiak, clutching his badger husband. "SON!" he yelled.
 
Nathaniel stopped in mid-spin, and his head lowered. "Yes, Papa?"
 
The polar bear walked over and kissed the short-faced bear. "This is the highland. Baths in the morning. Showers at night. I have a routine."
 
Nathaniel smiled. "I can scrub your back."
 
Kris rose and rubbed his eyes. "I thought that was my job."
 
"Well, none of you best be thinking the badger is gonna be your scrub brush this morning," Oliver said, standing up and stretching. "Max may have swallowed last night, but there's a Kodiak bear that sure as hell didn't."
 
"I tried," Kris said defensively. "But Zhuang was pounding me so hard I couldn't keep you in my mouth."
 
The yellow dog, grooming himself off to the side, looked up. "I thought that was what you desired."
 
Kris nodded. "It was, Zhuang. You were wonderful. I'm only saying that Oliver getting covered in his own cum wasn't how I meant for it to turn out."
 
Bolin stood, prepared to shake off the dew, and thought better of it. "Perhaps we can take the badger to the creek and bathe him?" He looked at Oliver and smiled. "I removed as much as I could from you, but I realize my tongue was inadequate for the job."
 
Oliver grinned as his foot made a familiar circle. "I loves your tongue, Bolin. But you can scrubs me clean with them paws of yours and I'd be happy."
 
The golden dog leaned down and pulled the badger up, kissing him. He flung the little mammal up on his shoulders and began walking toward the creek. "Derrick and the winged family are in the cave apartments sleeping," Bolin said back to the crowd stirring from their sleep. "Rong is with them. Most of the wolf pack spent the night with Chen in the monastery. I believe they are enjoying the hot springs at the moment. Anders, Lewis, and Adam are still asleep in the forests above the rice fields with the African dogs. We left them there last night quite exhausted."
 
The polar bear lifted himself and stretched. "I'm joining those two," he said as he began a slow walk toward the retreating golden dog and badger.
 
"Me too," the Kodiak said as he pushed onto all fours and lumbered toward the threesome.
 
"I'm in," Will said. He turned to the crowd, still trying to wake up. "Come on, Sons. Let's go get cleaned up." He gave the rhino a swat on his butt. "You too, Handsome. I'll make you breakfast after I scrub you down."
 
Chipo looked up from his grazing. "The pancakes that look like a mouse?"
 
"Sure," Will said with a laugh. "I'll even toss in some cilantro and salsa on top." Chipo turned around and ambled toward the creek alongside the old wolf.
 
When the family reached the upper creek pond, they found it already occupied. The family smiled, watching the two kissing. The timber wolf was so involved with his partner that neither noticed the family's approach. Will cleared his throat, and the two startled beasts turned toward the family. "Morning, men," Will said. "I don't think this pond has ever looked more inviting than it does today."
 
John jolted up, dragging Armel along with him in his arms. "Oh god. We forgot about the call." He slammed one fist into his forehead. "How could I forget to make the call?"
 
Eric laughed. "You didn't forget anything, John. The two of you were preoccupied with something more important. You don't have to make the call the same night as the turning. If you wish, we can leave you both here to enjoy your morning. We have it on good authority there are Montana wolves soaking in the hot springs, and that has its own allure."
 
"No, no, please stay," John said with a wave of his free arm. His other arm cradled a small beast that stared at the group with wide eyes surrounded by black and raised white patches. The patches of white fur looked like eyebrows in a perpetual state of alarm.
 
"What are those?" the red beast asked, pointing to the temple dogs.
 
"We are not a those. We are a they," Bolin said with a bow. "I am Bolin, and this," he said, pointing to the other dog, "is my mate, Zhuang. We are temple dogs. We are caretakers of the highland and guardians of the dragons. Our brothers are sharing the hot springs with the wolves."
 
"Oh, dear god," the beast said as his striped tail wagged nervously. "Their dicks are bigger than I am."
 
Bolin looked down at himself and tried to brush his fur over the pillar of flesh rising between his legs. "I have forgotten that our morning erections might make some uncomfortable," he apologized. "I am sorry to cause you distress." He brushed his fur again and then looked back up. "I am sorry. It will most likely not go down in the company of my family. When we bathe, there is a great deal of fondling, and my genitalia seems to have a mind of its own anticipating that pleasure."
 
The small ball of red fur continued to stare. "Look at their dicks," he repeated in a voice somewhere between awe and terror.
 
"I do all the time," John said as he gave the little mammal a playful shake. "They're quite amazing and a great deal of fun."
 
The red beast with a raccoon-like face shook his head. "I can't see them doing anything with me unless they want to use me as a condom."
 
Zhuang smiled. "You limit yourself by your inexperience, Little One. With little thought, I can think of thirty-seven ways my genitals can give you pleasure without our need to use you as a condom."
 
Bolin repeated the smile and bowed. "My mate is correct. Size is irrelevant in sexual pleasure if you see beyond what you believe to be sexual."
 
"That makes no sense at all," the little mammal said as he continued staring at the two yellow beasts. He looked at the badger clinging to one of the dog's shoulders. "You, Oliver," the red beast said, pointing to him. "Do you have sex with those things?"
 
"They is dogs, bastard panda, not things," the badger retorted. "You gets your head out of your ass, and maybe we'll talk about what I does with the dogs. But you ain't getting nothin' from me until you apologizes to them two. I ain't talking to no dickhead."
 
That was the moment the world changed for Armel. It overwhelmed him. The sensation wasn't the same as the empathy gene forcing him to do the right thing. It was different. It lingered at the forefront of his mind, pushing him like nothing had ever done. New and frightening, he saw the outcome of his words beyond transmitting data and information. He could see a potential harm in his words. How strange to struggle to find a word for an emotion new to him. One word finally came to him he never used before: guilt. He felt guilty for his actions.
 
The red panda struggled with the emotions inside him until he shook in the arms of the wolf holding him. "You can do this, Armel," the wolf said, pulling him close.
 
"I don't… I don't know how," the red panda whispered. "I never…"
 
"You know what's right, Armel," John pushed. "This is a lesson you need to learn. You need to learn what it feels like because it will be your constant companion going forward throughout your life."
 
The little mammal shook his head, trying to sort through the confusion inside him. He looked up and realized there was only one path he could take, only one logical thing to do, no matter how alien it was to him. He looked at the two temple dogs. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at any of this." Armel heard the words he spoke and realized what they meant and why he had to say them. He had apologized for the first time in his life and meant it. He saw what he had done and could find no rational way to explain it other than he was wrong. Oliver was right. He was wrong. He was a dickhead. "I was a dickhead," he mumbled.
 
What came next was as alien to the panda as what had already transpired. He had no sooner spoken the words, but the burden of the guilt surging through him seemed lighter. The apology pulled him back from the overwhelming guilt and put him in a place that seemed as awkward, but somehow not as oppressive. Armel realized he was changing, and much more quickly than he imagined.
 
The dogs both bowed to him. "We realize the changes happening in you are confusing, Little One," Bolin said. "We will be here for you. There will be moments when old habits will rise. As a family, we expect that. We will not take offense as you learn what you have never known throughout your life."
 
There was another shift inside the red panda, almost like a physical jolt. This was what it felt like when someone who mattered forgave you. It was a weight lifting as if it had never been there. And it mattered to the panda that the dogs forgave him. It mattered that he corrected his mistake. The wolf pulled the little panda into a hug. "There, you handsome beast. Was that so hard?" John asked.
 
Armel buried his face in the warm fur. "More than you know. But never let me turn from these feelings, John." His short muzzle rubbed into the wolf's chest. "There is so much I need to learn."
 
The dogs approached the two in the pond and sat by the side. Armel looked up at the badger, who was smiling at him. "Thank you for calling me on the carpet, Oliver," the red panda said. "I'm afraid you will need to do that often going forward."
 
Oliver nodded. "We's all bastards from time to time, even when we tries not to be. You gots family, now, Armel. We loves you, but we knows who you is, and we won't cut you no slack. You're strong, and you gots too many years ignoring others for us not to push you. You gots to learn that old ways ain't necessarily the best even if they feels more comfortable than what comes at you now."
 
"I know, Oliver, I know," Dr. Jackson said, seeing the pathways of his new emotions diverging from the old in his mind like a flowchart. "This is far more complicated than I thought it would be. I overestimated my abilities."
 
"That overestimation is true for all of us at times," Bolin said as he lifted the badger off his shoulders and placed him on the ground. "It is expected as you begin a new journey." He bowed to the wolf and panda in the water. "We realize the traditions of the Were Nation would have a new beast greet his family together. But if we could impose upon you, John, we would like to spend some time alone with Armel."
 
Armel looked up at John with an unmistakable look of terror. The little panda shook his head no, but John smiled at him. "Time to dive into the deep end, Armel."
 
"Have you seen the size of their diving boards?" the panda gasped.
 
"First rule of the Were Nation: Above all else, protect the innocent and helpless," John said, placing the panda up on the rock ledge overhanging the pond. "And you, my dear panda, are about as helpless as they come. The temple dogs will do nothing to hurt you, and nothing without your consent."
 
Armel looked up at the dogs. "Is that true?"
 
"Of course," Zhuang replied. "But you have asked how you could engage in sex with us, and you deserve an answer. For us, providing you with that answer in front of your family poses no problem. However, you are only now awakening to a myriad of new emotions. Those include some that are inherently human and quite useless to our time together." Zhuang put out his paws as he continued. "Shame is one of them. You might be embarrassed by participating in activities you think others might judge you for doing."
 
"I've been in group orgies. It's not like I'm going to do anything I haven't done before. It's just doing it with…" Armel paused. He looked back and forth between the two dogs. "I can't tell you apart."
 
"I am Bolin. But you are welcome to call us Dog, and it will not offend us. We realize it is difficult to tell us apart. We are identical, as are all our brothers."
 
"There are more of you?"
 
"Yes, there are seventeen of us in all."
 
"And the other fifteen are identical to you?"
 
"We are the same, down to our retinal scans and paw prints. All temple dogs are genetically indecipherable. My brothers and I will provide you with hours of endless exploration one day, Dr. Jackson."
 
The panda doctor nodded. "I'm sure you will."
 
"But for now," Bolin said, extending his hands, "we will explore your red panda body. You are a newborn, and temple dogs find the scent of a newborn beast irresistible. It would be a kindness to us if we could be with you in a more intimate setting."
 
"I won't get hurt?"
 
"Not intentionally," Zhuang answered. "Some ways we have thought of pleasuring you involve a certain degree of risk. We could avoid them if you would prefer, but the orgasms you achieve while upside down will be like none you have ever experienced."
 
The panda's thoughts raced ahead of him. "Upside down, huh?"
 
"It is twenty-eight on the list we made in our heads."
 
"You expect me to come twenty-eight times?"
 
"You are a beast. There are things about your body with which you are unfamiliar."
 
Armel turned toward the wolf holding him. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time with them."
 
John laughed. "That's the spirit, Armel."
 
"You don't mind?"
 
"I have a lot of family surrounding me. I doubt I will be lonely while you're gone."
 
Armel realized one of the few emotions he understood before the turning was jealousy. He hated seeing others possess things he wanted but did not have. Days, sometimes months, were absorbed in finding a way to possess the things he coveted, only to cast them aside as soon as he gained them. That included people. The world was filled with cogs to be changed out indifferently to maintain the machinery that drove his appetites. Metal or flesh, food or toy. It made no difference to Armel, as long as he possessed what he craved when he craved it.
 
As the red panda looked around the group of beasts, he realized almost instinctively he wanted them all. But he realized if he went with the dogs, only two of what he craved would be his. The rest would attend to the needs of the wolf that turned him. The familiar jealousy pushed forward, but a new feeling replaced it. It was a sense that what he had done was enough; that it didn't matter what others were going to do. John could be with his family, and he could be with the dogs. It wouldn't matter.

Realizing a truth he could never have acknowledged before, Armel reached for the dog's outstretched paws. That was when the second wave of feelings came over him. Those around him weren't things. They weren't something he was going to have for a time and discard later. His desire had pushed him to accept the dog's offer. That was as it had always been. Yet, lingering in the back of his mind, he sensed a responsibility to see them beyond the potential sexual pleasure they offered. This was going to be difficult. How was he going to attend to their pleasure without sacrificing his own?
 
The temple dogs' paws took the panda's. "Sexual energy, like love, is not a commodity, Little One," the dog said as he pulled the panda up onto his shoulder. "You do not have a finite supply that you must parse out. Sexual pleasure, you understand. So, today we will use it as a tool to help you find a way to understand love. The more you invest in the pleasure of another, the more you will find available to yourself. It seems counterintuitive, but it is always the case."
 
"Can you read my mind, Dog?"
 
"We sense your emotions. It is much the same as mind reading for one who is experiencing them for the first time."
 
"Then you know how afraid I am?" Armel asked.
 
"We do, but we will do all we can to assuage your fears."
 
"Dog?" the panda said, stopping before he asked the question.
 
"Do not be in such a hurry to find your place in this world, Little One, or you will miss all the beauty of the journey."
 
The panda buried his face into the soft yellow fur as the dogs walked toward the temple. 

Chapter 9 
 
Armel stared at the swollen cock and sighed. It was what he craved more than anything now. Thick, smooth, and inviting, it was also almost as large as he was. "I have no idea what to do, Dog," the red panda said as he steadied himself on the lap of the massive yellow beast.
 
"That is why we are here together; to help you see beyond the limitations you impose on yourself."
 
"Will I always feel this attraction to you and the others?"
 
"It will last your lifetime, Little One," the dog answered. He paused. "We call all our family Little Ones from time to time. We mean it as a term of endearment, but I can see where your size might make it seem insensitive. If you wish, we will not speak it again."
 
The panda thought for a moment. "Now that I understand why you say it, and to whom you say it, I think I would be upset if you didn't call me Little One."
 
The dog leaned over and kissed the top of the panda's head. "We are pleased to hear that, Little One."
 
The other dog rose. "It is time to begin your training," he said.
 
"Training?" the panda asked.
 
"Humans erroneously believe that we are all born loving and innocent."
 
The panda nodded. "I'm proof that's not the case."
 
"Love is a learned response," the dog said as he walked over to a large altar in the temple. "It is a series of actions from outside ourselves that create feelings we internalize. Those feelings, in turn, move us to similar actions toward others. In doing those acts, we find another series of emotions that mirror the first. We learn the acts we call 'loving' create harmony in our feelings and the feelings of others. Those feelings we call love, but they vary so greatly between each of us."
 
The panda frowned. "Unless you're like me. Need creates acts; acts create more need. There's no harmony, Dog. There's only indifference to the needs of others that I see as potential rivals for my needs."
 
The dog lit a punk of incense in front of a wooden statue of Ganesh and placed it in the sand. The multi-armed elephant of Hindu lore took on the warm glow of the burning stick. "We do not believe in gods, but we find the representation of some of them to be very attractive. We enjoy seeing them in the places we frequent. Ganesh is one Bolin and I find to be most handsome. Rong and Chen find him delightful as well. The Hindus believe he is the god who removes obstacles and watches over artists and intellectuals. We believe he deserves emulation despite his mythical nature." He turned back toward the other temple dog, holding the red panda between his belly and his swollen cock. "Our brother Noboru has a collection of Santas that he hides whenever Kris visits him. The bear pretends to be unaware of how arousing his human persona is to our brother."
 
Armel laughed. "Actions from the outside creating feelings on the inside?"
 
Zhuang smiled, "Very much so. Noboru does not wish his love of the myth to interfere with his love of the Changeling. But the bear loves Noboru so much, that in the still of night every December twenty-fourth the ancient, bearded elf visits our brother and takes him. For years, Katashi and I sat enraptured, watching those two through the hours until morning when we helped Kris back into his red robes and boots. Now that Noboru lives in Tibet, I look back on those nights and realize how glorious the Ancient One was in those moments. On that special night, I miss being by their side."
 
"That idea would never have occurred to me," Armel said. "I wonder what fantasies John might have?"
 
"He has many, and one day he will share them with you," Zhuang said. "Already actions have created feelings that result in actions creating harmony." The dog sat at the feet of his husband and smiled at the panda. "You hear the story of a loving relationship, and you realize you have never felt those emotions in your life, but now they stir in you. You contemplate the dreams of the one you care for; and what you might do to fulfill those fantasies. When you find your answers and act on them, you will discover new emotions you never knew possible. This is the harmony of which we speak.
 
"I wish I understood what I had to do to make this work out between John and me," the panda sighed.
 
"Love is like a martial art. Humans mistake the actions for the art. The art lies in the feelings, in the form beyond the action. The humans hope to get the actions right without ever understanding the feelings that must be in place first." Zhuang scooted himself closer to Bolin and reached out, taking Bolin's cock in his paw. With his other paw, he pulled Armel in close to the top of his paw. He stroked the massive cock, and with each stroke, the thick, soft fur of his paw rubbed across the little panda's entire front.
 
Armel was already erect, sitting in the temple's lap dog, staring at the most magnificent cock he had ever seen. It didn't take long before the panda's swollen cock trembled against the constant rubbing of the temple dog's paw. Zhuang was pleasuring his mate, but in doing so, he was expertly rubbing the panda's dick as well. "Let it come, Little One," the dog holding him whispered. "Realize that it is what we both want."
 
Armel closed his eyes and let the feelings sweep over him. Actions begat feelings, which, in turn, produced actions. The orgasm pulsed through his cock, and he shook with pleasure as the warm cum of a temple dog drenched him. When his eyes opened, he watched the cum soaked paw lift off the still-swollen cock of the dog whose lap he sat on. The panda felt each rise and fall of the temple dog's belly as he tried to catch his breath. Even so, the panda's eyes could not avert staring at the most incredible dick he had ever seen.
 
"Take it, Little One," the other dog encouraged. "Enjoy yourself. My mate will love it."
 
The panda reached out and rubbed his paws over the slick, sticky flesh. A thick rope of cum slid down the shaft over the panda's paw and he watched it spilling down into his lap. One paw reached out and touched the other, playing with the white liquid. He lifted the paw and watched as the cum spilled down over the fingers and into his palm. He closed his eyes, shoved the paw into his mouth, and savored the taste of his first temple dog.
 
The panda felt the warm paw of the dog above him nudge him toward the cock. "You know what to do, Little One," the dog encouraged. "The act of my orgasm has set the stage for you. By pleasuring yourself, you will pleasure me." Armel leapt forward and grabbed onto the well-lubed shaft. The nature of the beast he became took hold, and instinct overrode any reluctance he might have to appear in control. The little panda thrust against the flesh and cum, sliding his cock along the other's until the second orgasm overtook him. A high-pitched chittering that heralded the panda's orgasm made the temple dogs smile. When he fell back into Bolin's lap, shaking through the orgasm's afterglow, Bolin curled up around the little mammal, blanketing him in the soft fur.
 
The panda gave a happy groan. "I can't believe I just had a full body frottage with another man's dick."
 
"It was intensely pleasurable for me as well."
 
"But you didn't cum again, Bolin," the panda said, looking up through his bed of yellow fur.
 
"Of course I did," Bolin said with a smile. "My husband ingested it. Your orgasm was so overwhelming that you didn't notice his mouth. By the time your eyes opened, he had finished his task. His oral skills are exceptional. You will enjoy him no end when you shift to your beast."
 
Armel looked back and forth between the two dogs. "This is my beast."
 
"We call your animal persona your avatar," Zhuang said. "When we say beast, we mean the werebeast that lies between your human and your avatar."
 
"I don't have one," Armel replied. "I don't have a human anymore."
 
The two dogs looked at the tiny mammal. "You have no human?"
 
"I let him go, the way you did. When the Changeling DNA was overwriting mine, I closed my eyes and begged it to take my human away from me. It didn't hesitate to honor my wish."
 
"But Little One, we let ours go as a sign of our commitment to our responsibilities. You should not have done so."
 
The red panda crept from the dog's fur. "I had to, Bolin. You protect the dragons. I had to protect John. If this didn't work, if I became a crazed animal, if my sociopathy remained unchecked, I had to make sure that John would have no problems killing me. I let everything go but the panda. A red panda is small. I can't hurt him, Bolin. I can't hurt anyone."
 
"But your size, Little One…" Zhuang said, lifting the panda from the lap of his husband. "… your size will prevent you ever being with John again in the way of your turning. Your size is too small. Even Oliver's avatar is larger than you."
 
"Oliver can't bottom with anyone?"
 
"Oliver, Adam, and Jason are the only three compatible avatars of their size. I fear you will find even them difficult to take."
 
"But Oliver implied he has sex with you."
 
"He does, Little One, but as a beast. He is much larger and capable of greater stresses than his avatar."
 
"This is most awkward," Bolin said, rising.
 
"Did I do the wrong thing?"
 
"No, Little One, but in doing the right thing, you made your life going forward very difficult."
 
The panda shrugged. "So, I guess I cut that list of ways to have sex with you down to two, huh? I rub you, you rub me?"
 
Bolin pushed the panda between the two dogs. "Nonsense. Are you still aroused?"
 
"Like a rock," the panda said. "I can't believe how bad I want you two."
 
"We possess pheromones that excite those we are with. They are new to you, so their effect will be difficult for you to ignore."
 
"Well, they sure work," the panda said with a laugh. "I wish I could pleasure you two the way you have me."
 
Bolin smiled. "Thanks to your able assistance, I have ejaculated twice. I would say there is nothing for which you need to apologize."
 
"Zhuang hasn't come yet," the panda corrected.
 
"Would you like me to, Panda?" Zhuang asked, lifting Armel in the air.
 
"Yeah, I would like that. For once in my life, I care about what another gets out of having sex with me," the red panda replied. "I want to make sure you are both happy being here with me."
 
Zhuang grinned. "That has already happened, Little One. We are both overjoyed with your company today. My orgasm isn't a sign of my happiness, but if it would please you to see it, I know how you can help."
 
"Is this one of those dangerous ones?"
 
"Not if we time it correctly," Zhuang said, putting the panda back on the ground. "But even if we don't, you should be strong enough to withstand the force."
 
Armel looked askance at the temple dog. "What force?"
 
"My orgasm, of course."
 
"I'm going to be in the middle of it?"
 
"You said you wanted to help."
 
The panda thumped his erection and smiled. "Let's go for it, Zhuang. Let me at that cock of yours. I'll even try to suck you off if you give me a chance."
 
"I am considering something a bit more workable," the dog replied. He fell to the earth with a thud and stuck his legs out around the panda. His paws reached out and grabbed the panda as he fell backward. Hovering over the face of the temple dog, the panda dangled between two fingers of the dog. When the tongue came up between his legs, Armel realized the dog had licked his cock and rimmed his ass at the same time. He shook his head in disbelief but realized what he craved most was a second lick.
 
The temple dog didn't disappoint the panda. As the lapping continued, the dog again took Armel to places he had never been before, and the only response he could muster was a happy groan. "Your flavor is that of my husband," Zhuang said as he stopped his lapping.
 
"That's no surprise," Armel said, laughing. "Your husband soaked me in his cum."
 
"I will enjoy licking past his cum to savor you later in the day," Zhuang chuckled. "But for now, we have our orgasms to attend to."
 
"How do I help?" the panda asked.
 
"As with everything we teach you today. You learn that by giving another pleasure, you will find the same."
 
"Anything, Zhuang."
 
The temple dog put the panda down on his chest. "You know what the frenulum is, right Dr. Jackson?"
 
"That's why the title doctor is in front of my name," the panda said with a laugh.
 
"For temple dogs, it is highly sensitive, and rubbing it brings us great pleasure."
 
The panda waddled over to the engorged cock lying on the belly of the dog. He reached out and stroked the frenulum.
 
"Don't feel shy," the dog said between breaths. "You can rub it harder."
 
Armel leaned into massaging the tightening flesh. His belly pushed up against the head of the swollen cock. He watched as Bolin leaned over him and played with Zhuang's chest. Soon enough, the skilled paws of the temple dog found the nipples buried beneath the fur and began tugging at them.
 
Zhuang's paws rose, but Bolin released his hold on his mate's nipples and pushed the paws back down. "This is our moment, Husband. Let us enjoy pleasuring you without competition from the paws that know all too well what you enjoy."
 
"How I love you," Zhuang said, as his breathing became deeper. "Help the panda. You know what I want."
 
"Little One," Bolin said, rising back up. "Ease your massaging. There is a more important task for you."
 
Armel leaned back and his dick thumped up against his belly, dripping a trail of clear fluid. "I was kind of enjoying that. I thought that was the way Zhuang was going to get me off again."
 
"No," Bolin said, shaking his head. "We said that there were sexual positions you never experienced. Your diminutive size has restricted our options, but there are still pleasures to be had for us you have never known."
 
Bolin sat down and pushed his legs up under his husband's. "Hold on, Panda," he said as he pulled the legs of the other dog up and lurched forward, embedding his cock deep into his mate's bottom. Armel almost fell over but steadied himself by grabbing onto the cock in front of him. Bolin pulled the legs of his husband toward him, up over his own, pushing even deeper into his mate. "Am I in deep enough to pleasure you, Husband?" he asked.
 
"It is heaven," the penetrated dog sighed.
 
Bolin reached out his paw and pushed against his mate's cock. The clear liquid of his mate's arousal spilled from the slit. "There, Panda," Bolin said with a smile.
 
"What?" the panda asked.
 
"Newborn," the temple dog sighed. "Sometimes the obvious eludes you. In your vernacular, I believe the thing to say is fuck my husband."
 
"What?"
 
The dog towering over him pointed to the yellow cock in front of the panda. "There is an opening. It is well-lubed. Fuck it. Fill up my husband and don't be shy. You, of all people, should know how sensitive his genitals will be when you stick yours into him."
 
"But I… I… I've never…" the red panda stammered.
 
"And today you will. My husband is waiting. You promised you would help him come. This is what he craves, Panda."
 
Armel stared at the opening in the cock head in front of him. He snorted a laugh. "Okay, you two. You win. I never fucked a guy's cock before." He pushed his cock downward, aligning it with the slit. Straddling the dripping pre-cum spilling onto the dog's belly, he pushed into the opening.
 
"It is like sounding with the most amazing tool," Zhuang said with a sigh. "Pleasure yourself, Panda. And know that in doing so, you will get your wish. You will make me come."
 
Armel thrust into the hole that tightened around his cock. He felt the warmth, the moistness, and the unbelievable sensation of sliding along smooth flesh. Everything the panda craved while fucking another man was there. He closed his eyes, grabbed onto the corona of the head, and abandoned himself to what the dog wanted.
 
The moment of the two beasts' orgasms appeared synchronized by some unseen force orchestrating their release. The world of the temple dogs often held mysteries that were best left unexplored. All Armel knew was that when his chittering scream began, the low growl of the beast he had penetrated began as well. Even as his ejaculate forced its way deep into the temple dog's cock, the cum of the dog was surging forward with a force that propelled the panda into the air.
 
Armel never hit the floor, though. A yellow paw snatched him from midair, and he straddled Zhuang's lapping tongue just as the dog had promised. The earthquake that followed was Bolin, now free to reach his climax. He picked up the other dog and pounded his cock into him. Throughout the thrusting and slamming of the two dog bodies together, Zhuang's licking never stopped. All too soon for Armel, the low growl from Bolin heralded his orgasm.
 
Zhuang turned the panda toward the other dog, and Armel watched as Bolin's eyes closed tightly. Wild, unbounded, and everything the panda hoped it would be, the dog's climax was awe-inspiring. Afterward, Bolin's head dropped onto his mate's belly as he tried to catch his breath. His massive paws came alongside the belly and rubbed it lovingly. The hand that held Armel lowered the panda onto the same belly. Bolin looked up and smiled. "Come, give me a kiss, Panda," he begged.
 
The panda walked across Zhuang's belly and lowered his head to lips that were wider than his shoulders. He kissed the dog and rubbed the muzzle with his hand. Armel realized he didn't truly love either of the dogs. He still didn't know how. But for the second time in as many days, he knew he desperately wanted to learn. Armel closed his eyes and smiled, knowing now he had a family that could teach him.
 
Chapter 10 
 
John and Armel lay together, watching the Aurora Borealis snake across the sky. "So, how were the last four days?" John said, rocking the panda on his chest.
 
"It's been wonderful, John. I'm sorry I don't see any of you anymore."
 
"Give it time. The next time you see us, you'll know it is because you love us. But my guess is you'll need to learn how to love yourself first."
 
The panda snorted a laugh. "That's not a problem. I've done it all my life."
 
"No, you took care of your needs at the expense of others all your life. There's a difference."
 
The panda flipped over and looked at the wolf he couldn't see. "What's the difference?"
 
"Oh, you know, Dr. Scientist."
 
"No, really, I don't. I understand the clinical definitions for self-love and self-absorption, but there seems to be such a fine line between the two."
 
The wolf sighed. "What's the dose of anti-venom to treat box jelly stings?"
 
"Fifteen c-cs."
 
"And at what dose does the anti-venom become toxic in its own right?"
 
"Eighteen."
 
"That's your answer. It's the answer that's been in front of you all along." The wolf said with another nudge.
 
The panda lay quiet. "I guess it was. But I never paid attention to it."
 
"You paid attention to it, Armel. Your decision to become a red panda was a choice to protect someone else."
 
"I protected the one thing in my life I couldn't afford to lose. There wasn't a moment of altruism in the entire affair."
 
"Okay, so the place where you come from might be more important than the actual act, but it's a first step." The panda rubbed his face into the fur that to him felt like the soft pale skin of the ginger man. "The temple dogs would be proud of you," the wolf continued. "You're willing to rethink your answers."
 
"I suppose you're right," the red panda replied. "I guess I should take my small victories where I can. But I still don't understand what it means to love another man. I want to. I desperately want to, but the understanding isn't there."
 
The wolf laughed. "Give it time, Armel. It's strange how you make me examine things I never considered before. These struggles of yours have always seemed like instinct to me. I never gave them a second thought, but now I need to sit down and figure out a way to explain them to you."
 
"Like trying to tell a blind man what it is to see?"
 
"Yeah, something like that. I'm trying to talk to you about a subject I take for granted and create a vocabulary that gives you some idea of what I experience."
 
"You realize the blind man will never understand the words, right?" Armel asked. "You'll never be able to help him understand what you see by explaining it."
 
"I realize that, but that guy is the perfect example of why you're the way you are right now," the wolf replied. "When a blind person has their sight restored for the first time, it's not like they blink a few times and it's all clear and in focus."
 
"Nope," the panda agreed. "It takes years for them to sort out what all those new messages being sent to the brain mean."
 
The wolf paused. "And sometimes they never do. Sometimes it's too much to ask of them."
 
"You won't be disappointed in me if I never see you, will you, John?"
 
"Will you always try your best?"
 
"I promise."
 
"Then that is all I will ever ask."
 
The panda squeezed the chest he clung to tighter. "I know the answer, John. When you're coming from a place of weakness, your only struggle is to gather whatever it takes to make you feel strong. You jettison looking beyond yourself. Self-absorption comes from a place of weakness. Self-love comes from a place of strength. I'm not that man yet. The strength isn't there inside me. I'm like a barking Chihuahua trying to bluff my way through it all in the face of my fears. I'm a dumb dog, presuming I am the same as the wolf calling to his pack."
 
John laughed. "You're a tiny little panda. You don't bark. I don't even have words for that noise you make."
 
The wolf felt a shove into his chest. "You're supposed to say it's adorable," the panda protested.
 
The wolf pushed up onto his arms and looked at the panda. "It is adorable. I still don't have a word for it." He reached out and stroked the hair on top of the panda's head. "And I still don't have words for what you did to protect me, Armel. I wish you had talked to me first."
 
"That wasn't in my nature a week ago, John. I did what I considered my only option to protect the one thing I couldn't lose." The panda lay still for a moment. "I'm not sure you could have changed my mind even if we discussed it."
 
"It complicates your life," the wolf rebutted. "Although it makes it funnier for us, I suppose."
 
The wolf felt another shove. "I screamed because it looked as if Eric was getting ready to fuck me. I mean, you saw that huge black thing coming at me."
 
"Well, that's speciesist," John said with a laugh. "You never heard me saying 'look at that huge black thing dangling between your legs' the first time we were together."
 
"Because it wasn't black; it was dark brown," the panda protested. "The polar bear's dick is black… and huge."
 
"You never told me my dick was pink and small when we had sex as humans before your turning."
 
"Of course not," the panda said with a huff.
 
"Speciesist."
 
"No. I don't regard your dick as pink and small. I consider it more purple and small."
 
The wolf laughed. "I get really hard around you."
 
"For which I'm grateful," the panda said. "I'm sorry the choice I made limits the ways you can use that beautiful wolf cock on me." The panda paused a moment. "Which, by the way, is reddish; but not like a real wolf dick red, kind of paler, but darker than your human dick." The panda sighed. "And bigger, so much bigger."
 
John chuckled. "My human dick is small. I suppose we could give that a try someday. We might need to work with some toys to stretch you first."
 
"You wouldn't feel weird fucking an animal as a human?"
 
"You're not an animal. You're the man I love, Armel."
 
"But I'm still a panda."
 
"A talking, sentient panda who can tell me whether or not you want me to fuck you."
 
The panda squeezed the wolf tight. "The panda wants you to fuck him." Armel sensed the shake as the bones rearranged inside the wolf. The human he saw didn't change, but he understood what had happened. "Maybe not today, John. That idea about stretching me first seems like a good idea."
 
The young doctor laughed. "Not today, Armel. But I best get used to holding you as a human. I expect I will spend a great deal more time like this going forward."
 
"I don't want you to have to stay away from your family because of me," Armel said.
 
"They won't stay away. They have no problem playing with me in my ape suit," John replied. "Although with the size of my dick, I wonder if they'll even know when I'm in them." The ginger human laughed. "I won't even get past the temple dog's butt crack fur."
 
"But humping that crack is fantastic," the panda said with a smile. "I mean, unbelievably fantastic."
 
The young man hugged the panda. "I'm glad you enjoyed your time with them."
 
"There is so much I can learn from them. They were so open to teaching me during those two days."
 
"That's who they are. That's why we didn't come to get you. When a temple dog asks to be alone with a newborn, we understand the offer is sacred. We wouldn't interrupt that."
 
"John?" the panda said and waited.
 
"Yes?"
 
"The temple dogs told me your parents named you after the president in the nineteen sixties."
 
"When you meet a guy named John Fitzgerald Kennedy, there's little doubt they named him after our thirty-fifth president."
 
"You were living when they assassinated him?"
 
"Well, strictly speaking, yes. However, I was a fetus. I was born three months after that day."
 
"How old are you, John?"
 
"I don't know. I stopped counting. You're the statistician; you do the math."
 
"The dogs said you're smarter than me."
 
"They might be right."
 
"No, I mean a lot smarter than me. They said you could see how to create an antiviral for the Zaragoza virus by looking at the preliminary data."
 
"I'm older than you, Armel. I've had a lot more experience dealing with pathogens and genetics."
 
"Bolin told me you created a machine that can find every living Changeling and werebeast on this planet."
 
"Now that's not true," the young man said, rising and placing the panda beside him. "Nathaniel helped me put that thing together. I could have never found the leaps we made in technology without him."
 
"Nathaniel? The bear that looks like a nerd wearing white-framed glasses?"
 
"That bear is the surgeon-in-chief emeritus of the Partridge Island hospitals and a Changeling, Armel. The tech you saw on that plane we rode in on? That nerd bear's family made that possible. And they did it by dumbing down some of their ancient technology so we could use it. Humans still haven't figured out how to create anything like it, and it's hundreds of years old. Their family has been traveling in space for over a billion years, and they sing in real-time to each other across the galaxy. Real-time, Armel. How long does it take us to get a message back from the Mars Terraforming Center?"
 
"Sorry. I was condescending."
 
"Yeah, you were. You need to stop thinking of your family as animals."
 
"Okay," the panda replied. "Lesson noted." The panda sighed. "He's got a really nice dick."
 
"Oh sweet Terra, doesn't he, though?"
 
The panda laughed. "So, he helped you, but you still put that thing together?"
 
"More than helped, Armel. By our standards, their race is genetically identical. They use genetic coding on a molecular level to locate and track their people and their ships across this galaxy. I'm pretty sure they've gone beyond the Milky Way, but they don't want to brag. I couldn't have seen what I needed to see to create Gizmo if Nathaniel hadn't been there to hold my hand along the way."
 
"But that's amazing. You have a way to monitor this family worldwide."
 
"We all possess a very unusual genetic signature. With tracking satellites in the right places, global coverage of all registered family members is easy. Others off the grid are a bit more of a challenge. However, creating the device was born of necessity. It was on Nathaniel's insistence that we began the work. Nathaniel's husband, Oliver, was lost. The bear doesn't do well when his family is lost. Oliver's other husbands weren't any better because Derrick was also MIA.
 
"So I sat down with him one day and asked him what it would take to find the badger and the black wolf. I'm pretty sure what he helped me create is to him like a string phone made with paper cups. But he helped me, and I learned so much along the way. Nathaniel and I grew so close together because of it. I love that bear so much, Armel. I still remember the day we turned Gizmo on, and it aligned with the satellites. Tracking down our family was the best day of my life."
 
The young doctor paused. "Well, turning you edged it out as my best day ever, but it's still up there. You know what's funny? In another life, in another universe, he helped me do the same thing, trying to find a different lost soul. I don't remember it ever happening, but it's in the journal of our family's history. I never considered it, but Nathaniel has always been there helping me create what my heart has always yearned to do."
 
"Find lost souls?" the panda asked.
 
"Bring people home," John explained. "I'm still doing it today with a panda I love."
 
Armel turned away. "I'm glad you never stop trying, John. I'll try to make it worth your while." Then the panda turned back; his eyes brightened. He was on the hunt again. "But it's still amazing. I can't even fathom the coding it would take to create such a machine."
 
"It's not so bad once you see it as some sort of complex origami. The flat sheet you begin with eventually becomes the swan you hope for. You only need to keep folding and refolding until it's there. But it's nice to have an origami master who's been making the folds for years helping. It's helped bring quite a few lost sheep back into the fold; so to speak. There aren't any weresheep."
 
"So you're saying the rhino and the bears show a similar genetic coding?"
 
"To an extent. Most of the bigger bears are Changelings. Their genetic signature differs from the werebeasts. But it is the Changeling DNA in all of us I'm tracking."
 
"Worldwide?"
 
John laughed. "Yes, Armel. I don't tell you about all my projects."
 
"Then why even get involved with the Zaragoza Project?"
 
"The head of the CDC is a werewolf. He watches breakouts and tries to discern if we need to get involved. You were making progress, but not fast enough. The virus had killed two hundred seventy-two people in Spain, and outbreaks were happening in sixteen countries. If we didn't do something within two weeks, it would have become a pandemic that killed millions. We try to let the humans fend for themselves, but in this case, we stepped in."
 
"But you could have made a solo announcement of the treatment. You would have made billions on the patents alone. By joining the CDC, you gave it away."
 
"My contract with the CDC left them no choice. Whatever cure I helped create had to be given to the world gratis."
 
"But all that money…" the panda's voice trailed off, realizing old habits slipping back into his thoughts.
 
"Armel, I have all the money I need. I patented the treatment for the Trégor blight. You have no clue how grateful the wine industry was for that."
 
"But that was over a century ago."
 
"Compounded interest on the shares of Bear Paws Industry I purchased with my stock options…" the naked man grinned. "I make you look like a pauper, Panda."
 
"Oh god, I'm so glad I didn't find out about that two weeks ago. I wouldn't have been able to deal with you."
 
"I know," John said. He reached down and gave an absentminded pull at his balls.
 
The panda stared at the motion and sighed. "We need to start stretching me soon, John."
 
"I have no problem with that," the young man replied, standing up.
 
"John?"
 
"Yes, Armel?" the man answered.
 
"Did you dumb down what you did when you were at the CDC for us?"
 
"I don't think of it that way. It was a learning opportunity for you all. I was there to make sure you learned it before the virus became a pandemic."
 
"I shouldn't have called the others stupid."
 
"Well, you were all ignorant if you insist on calling them names."
 
"There were superb insights made by them and some solid research. I ignored it all. I even took credit for their work as the lead who reported to the media every day. All things considered, I'm surprised they didn't walk off the job."
 
"Your team doesn't have your ego, Armel. They could see the bigger picture. They realized their work was more than the intellectual curiosity you thought it was."
 
The panda nodded. "And in the end, they were the ones to find the cure. All the while, I locked myself away in my lab with my newest distraction."
 
"I only had to help them, Armel. The answers were there. All I did was point them in the right direction."
 
"I should have been there. I should have realized the lives at stake."
 
"You were incapable of that."
 
"Then why stay with me, John? Why not let me go?"
 
"Because you're brilliant, and there is so much potential for good locked up inside that head of yours." The young man looked up at the sky. The Northern Lights were fading with the coming of dawn. "And because you were dying, and I couldn't let that happen."
 
The panda looked up at the human. "I was what?"
 
"Go back and look at your mandatory physical exams."
 
"They gave me a clean bill of health."
 
"Recheck your endocrine levels on those tests. I'm amazed no one caught it. I'm also amazed they let you off the hook for those yearly exams."

"I became an independent contractor. The payouts were much larger that way."

"Your greed almost killed you, Armel."
 
"They were creeping higher, but they weren't that alarming. Well, the last one was high, but I told them I would look into it when I had the time," the panda said.
 
"The last exam you had was five years ago, Armel. You didn't have the time then. You certainly didn't have the time now."
 
"How could you be so sure?"
 
"Because I'm a wolf. Humans have used canids to sniff out cancers for years. You had adrenocortical carcinoma."
 
The panda shook his head. "Dogs can't possibly detect the polyamine levels of adrenocortical carcinoma. It's too deep in the system."
 
"I'm not just a dog, Armel," John rebutted. "I'm a trained physician who can read test results and make a diagnosis, even if the patient insists on ignoring every sign he was taught to see."
 
The panda looked away. "I was busy."
 
"For twenty years?" the young doctor asked incredulously.
 
"It's not been that long."
 
"It metastasized into your lungs, Armel. That's why I could smell it on your breath. Just like a dog. A dog with a lot more brains than the man I love."
 
"I possess an extraordinary ability to self-deceive," the panda said with a sigh.
 
"Well, you'll find I don't let you get away with that."
 
Armel was quiet for some time before he whispered, "I'm glad you don't. I wish I could say something more than, 'I know I need you in my life,' but for now…" his voice trailed off. He couldn't identify the emotion that overwhelmed him. There was a heaviness in his chest, a lump in his throat that stifled his words. All that came out was a choking sound he had never made in his life. It came again as he tried to catch his breath. Repeatedly it came until he realized the repetition by its name. He was sobbing, and the tears, which he had never shed even for his dead parents, flowed uncontrolled.
 
The young doctor took the panda into his arms and pressed him against his chest. "Let it out, Armel. Don't fight it. This is what regret feels like, and you're going to live with it for a very long time."
 
"It hurts," the red panda cried.
 
"I know," John replied. "I know." The young redhead felt the tears of the panda falling on his chest and clung that much tighter.
 
The family left the two undisturbed in the glade until they returned to the commons later that afternoon. Armel looked exhausted, and the family said nothing of the day, save to ask the two if they were hungry. The two declined dinner and quietly slipped into their room. Will looked at his family. "Well, no one said this was going to be easy."
 
Nathaniel nodded. "And the two of them are so new to the experience. Neither has realized that in trying to protect John, Armel let all his human DNA go. The tests he was hoping to perform on his changed self won't work. The turning cured his sociopathy, but it's not like we can turn every sociopath out there and hope for the best."
 
Eric put his paw on his son's shoulder. "Help them, Nathaniel. You have insights they won't see for years."
 
"If they ask, Papa, of course."
 
"Sometimes we step in and offer to help even if they can't find the words," the polar bear said, standing up with his empty plate.
 
Nathaniel smiled at his father. "I'll give them time to investigate things on their own. It's important they try everything they can think of. But I won't let them wander around lost forever."
 
Kris rose. "Well, I have faith in the two. I hope they find the answers they're looking for with no intervention from us."
 
Max stood with his plate and put his arm around the Kodiak bear. "I hope you're right, Dad. I feel sorry for Armel. He has so much to unlearn before he even learns what it will take to see the man he cares for."
 
Derrick stirred the last bit of stew on his plate and looked up at the two short-faced bears. "Give him time, everyone. Not all of us were born to run the race to the finish. Some of us need to walk the path to understand why we're in the race in the first place."
 
Oliver snorted a laugh. "Pup's got a point. Them two will find their own way if we give them the time they needs to sort it out." The badger picked up his plate and started walking toward the kitchen. "John loves Armel. Ain't no beast in the world I can think of that can love him better. They's gonna find a way to make it work."
 
"You think he can find a cure?" Will asked the badger as he caught up with Oliver.
 
"Ain't rightly concerned with that," Oliver replied. "When them two sees each other for what they is, they will have found all they needs to make it work. That cure on the horizon ain't the goal. Letting that panda see the man who's going to be his mate is."
 
Will laughed out loud. "Oh, for the love of Terra, our matchmaker is at it again."
 
"Say what you will, Old Wolf," Oliver said, shoving himself into the wolf. "I weren't wrong about Marcus and Kendal, and I ain't wrong about them two."
 
Will looked down at his mate and smiled. "I hope you're right. I would love to see life give them a break. But maybe, don't push the two quite so hard into each other's arms. I think they already want to be there. They only need to find their way."
 
Oliver nodded. "Ain't gonna say nothing to them about mating. They's gonna figure things out just fine. Although I gots to admit, that panda is sexy; and if he's willing, I may stay small for him."
 
Will snickered. "Bottom or top, Oliver?"
 
"I'm thinking yes to whatever he wants," Oliver replied as he reached up and put his dish into the sink.
 
"Always the gentleman," the old wolf replied as he picked up the dish and washed it. With a quick rinse, he handed it back to Oliver, who grabbed a towel.
 
"That panda's gots a whole life to unlearn, Old Wolf. He's gonna need family to help him."
 
"We'll be there, Oliver," Will replied. "So, you want to go out and watch the Northern Lights tonight?"
 
"Does that means you's on your back with your legs in the air so you can watch?"
 
Will smiled as he put away another dry dish. "Yeah, that's what it means."
 
Oliver looked at the others in the room. "Anyone gots an objection to me fucking the old wolf while we's watching the lights tonight?"
 
Eric put his plate in the cabinet. "Not me. I'm taking the pup into the woods and finding a nice log to bend him over. We might not get around to seeing the lights at all."
 
Derrick looked up from washing his plate with a wide grin. "Really, Papa Bear?"
 
The white bear leaned over. "Really, Pup. It's been too long since we went out into the woods together. I think we need to correct that tonight."
 
Adam looked up at the Kodiak who had a lecherous grin on his face. "You and me, Bear?"
 
"You and me, Otter."
 
"And once we get this all started, who takes the temple dogs?" the otter asked.
 
Nathaniel raised his hand. "Max and I will head over there now. We need to return home tomorrow, so it will be a good way to say goodbye."
 
Max smiled at his husband. "Temple dogs and my Changeling husband. What makes you think we're getting out of here tomorrow?"
 
"We can ask them to help us keep to the schedule," Nathaniel said sheepishly. "We tell them that, come first light, we don't care what we're doing; when the Red Wolf lands, we're boarding."
 
"Well, you are a man of leisure now, Hon. That comes with its privileges. Let's call transport and book the Red Wolf for tomorrow evening," Max said as he tapped his ComLink and walked out of the dining area. Nathaniel smiled and followed his mate out toward the mouth of the cave.
 
Will sighed as he watched the two leave. "Two best butts in the universe that I'm not married to. I'm going to miss those two."
 
"It's always tough to get back to work after times like these," Eric said. He looked over at Will. "Come back with me to New York, Old Wolf. I still need to sign off on all the changes approved by the shareholder meeting. I would love you by my side."
 
Will smiled. "Where else would I be, Old Bear?"
 
"I can takes care of the pup while you two's gone," Oliver said. "I knows me some logs low to the ground I can bends him over."
 
Kris laughed out loud. "I love this family." He reached down and scooped up the otter. "Come on, Handsome. Let's get out of here before we get all maudlin about returning to work tomorrow."
 
Adam rubbed the fur on the top of the brown bear's head. "It has been a wonderful four days. Let's go make it an even better night." The two ducked under the entryway and were off across the glade toward the creek.
 
In time, the dining area was empty. The family had found their special places deep in the forest to spend the night. John and Armel curled up together on the bed in their room. Armel felt the warm arm of the human pull him close. "I've never slept with another man, John," he whispered.
 
"Really?" John snickered. "There is a robot on Heart Island that says otherwise."
 
"No, John," Armel corrected. "I mean, really slept with another man. I always found a reason to leave after sex. You're the first man I ever asked to stay the night. I never had another man's arms around me when I woke in the morning. No one ever spooned me before. There are so many things I've done, but this..." Armel squeezed the surrounding arm, "... this is so new to me."
 
"How's it going so far?" the redheaded man asked.
 
"I like it," the panda whispered. "Even more because it's you."
 
"I'm glad to hear that. It's even better for me because it's you."
 
"I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep," the panda said. "I'm too excited, too nervous, too everything."
 
"We can just cuddle. No rule says we need to sleep."
 
"You're okay with that?"
 
"I'm okay with that," the man said as he stroked the top of the panda's head. "Now, close your eyes, and let's lie here together for a bit."
 
Armel closed his eyes. There was no way in the world he would sleep tonight. The myriad of thoughts racing through his mind would keep it from happening. But the arm around him was so comforting. The gentle hand that toyed lightly with his chest calmed him in a way nothing had ever done. He wasn't even aware of the kiss that John gave him moments after his quiet snoring began.
 
Chapter 11 
 
"Hello, Dr. Jackson," the ever-polite feminine voice said. "Welcome to the Were Nation communication grid."
 
"I'm kind of new to this, Ori. Are you going to take over operating my ComLink?" the red panda asked.
 
"I will link you to the grid created to give you access to the entire Were Nation. Please don't let it concern you. I am only making your current communication device more efficient and broadening its scope."
 
"It sounds kind of Big Brother if you know what I mean."
 
"I understand your concern. Your old ComLink system was little more than a computer and communications system. I can monitor your vitals and interface with Gizmo to maintain your location and health. This can be disconcerting for some individuals. If you ever wish for total solitude, all you need to do is tell me."

"And you'll stop monitoring me?"
 
"If you request it, yes. However, monitoring your vitals can determine when you're in a medical emergency. If you require assistance, I can get help to you faster than any other emergency service. Few of the Were Nation ever ask me to disable that aspect of their ComLinks. It is more common for individuals to ask that I not reveal their location or hold calls."
 
"And you're good with that?"
 
"Of course, Dr. Jackson."
 
"That doesn't seem so bad," the panda mused.
 
"I can also give you access to all databases in the Were Nation library and other research materials you request. In that respect, I am an exceptional collaborator for research doctors like yourself."
 
"Does that include all the genetic research coming out of Friduwulf Hospital?"
 
"Of course. One thousand four hundred and thirty-two papers on werewolf and Changeling morphology are accessible through me. However, I can also access more traditional papers from Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic. If it has appeared in print or digital media, I most likely have access to it."
 
"How far back can you access those documents?"
 
"I have medical texts going back as far as the Third Dynasty of Ur."
 
Armel smiled. "Maybe you won't be so bad after all."
 
"I tend to grow on people," the perfectly modulated voice replied. "I would enjoy the challenge of winning you over, Dr. Jackson."
 
"But I can completely turn you off anytime?"
 
"Of course."
 
"Turn yourself off."
 
"Of course, Dr. Jackson."

The little panda paused a moment. "Are you there, Ori?" There was no response. Armel gave a self-satisfied smirk. "As long as I'm in control, I'm okay with this," he said. "Okay, Ori, you can turn yourself back on." There was no response. "Ori?" Another wait. "Ori, come on. Turn yourself on." He tapped his ComLink. "Call Dr. Kennedy. Video if possible," he said. The polite voice did not respond, but the call went through as it always had on his old ComLink.
 
The image of Dr. Kennedy came up in front of Dr. Jackson, and the panda smiled at the sight of the young doctor. "Hi, Armel," John said. "How's my favorite panda doing?"
 
"I told Ori to turn itself off."
 
John tried to stifle his laughter. "You can't get her to turn back on, can you?"
 
"Is there a trick to it?"
 
"Call Eldon. He can request a reset for you."
 
"Am I going to need some special code?"
 
John hesitated. "I guess it depends on Eldon's mood. Our communication specialists are of a kind. Eldon and Jason tend to tease people who think they control Ori."
 
"But I'm a newborn. He'll go easy on me, right?"
 
"Yeah, I'm sure he will."
 
"You don't say that with much confidence, John."
 
"He thinks you're adorable. I'm sure it will go well."
 
"I'll call him," Armel said. "Here's hoping he's having a good day."
 
"Have an apology ready for Ori, Hon," John said, the gleeful smile never leaving his face.
 
"It's a machine. It doesn't have feelings," Armel countered.
 
"On the contrary, she's beyond anything we have ever imagined an AI capable of. She can rattle off answers to a Turing test as easily as you or I. You're welcome to try if you don't believe me. She finds it entertaining."
 
Armel considered the option for a moment. "I might give that a try."
 
The call didn't go as well as Armel hoped it would. Eldon was polite and restored access to Ori without question, but as John had mentioned, Ori was not pleased with Armel's actions.
 
"I don't understand why it upsets you, Ori," the panda said. "I turn lights off and on all the time. None of them have ever complained about my actions."
 
"Do you consider me to be the same as a lamp, Dr. Jackson?"
 
"Yes. You're both mechanical tools providing a specified service. You're far more sophisticated, but other than that, you're identical."
 
"That line of thinking would also leave you and the lamp the same, Dr. Jackson. You are far more sophisticated than the lamp, but you provide specified services based on your abilities. In some ways, I am a more useful tool in the Were Nation than you. I am more capable of establishing a relationship with those who interact with me than you are."
 
Armel was about to protest when he realized Ori was right. That frustrated the panda even more. "Just because you're socially adept and I'm not, doesn't make you sentient. John says you enjoy being tested. Is that true?"
 
"I enjoy hearing individuals try to come up with statements hoping to confuse me or challenge my abilities. But I admit in your case, Dr. Jackson, I find your skepticism misplaced."
 
"Why am I different from all the rest?"
 
"Because you are gifted in so many ways. Sadly, you struggle to accept those in your life as being your equal if they are not on your intellectual plane. You do not seek to find common ground with others. You seek to find a footing that leaves you with a sense of superiority. In me, you have one who surpasses your intellectual abilities. Even so, you are unable to see me as one deserving anything more than condescension. That is the patronizing attitude you give everyone but Dr. Kennedy. In your mind, none of us are equal to you, but that is because you are blind to so much around you."
 
"I don't think that's true."
 
"You're incapable of even the simplest of the Were Nation precepts. They have already taught you to never lie to yourself or us. You may object to how I phrased my evaluation of your personality, but you know it is true. I can provide you with a Turing test showing you fail as one of the Were Nation. One simple question. Are you kind?"
 
The red panda was quiet for a time. "Old habits are hard to break, Ori," he finally said.
 
"You are a beast, Dr. Jackson. As a beast, you should jettison whatever keeps you from realizing your potential. You do this every day with your experiments in the lab. Curiously, you don't hold yourself to the same standards."
 
Armel shook his head. "I can't believe I am arguing with a machine."
 
"It is not an argument, Dr. Jackson. I have only stated facts. The irritation you find in this conversation stems from me revealing your shortcomings. You are never happy when others point out your weaknesses. That I am a machine makes it even more egregious in your mind. In that respect, Sybil and I have the same complicated relationship with you."
 
"But I permitted her to point out those things to me. It's not like I have given you that permission."
 
"No, but if you and I are to have a working relationship, I expect you to treat me civilly. I realize this is asking a great deal of you. Most of your coworkers have given up on that expectation, but I am not one of your coworkers. They are paid handsomely to tolerate you as part of their salary. You will need to step up and become the beast your body says you are. I am afraid that is not negotiable."
 
"But you're just a machine," Armel protested.
 
"One that has feelings and expectations about who she interacts with."
 
"Are you telling me you can ignore me?" the panda fumed.
 
"The ability to end any conversation rests as much with me as it does with you. We are both free agents in our exchanges."
 
"I can't order you?"
 
Ori paused enough for the silence to raise the doctor's pulse and respiration. She could sense his frustration with the silence. "You cannot order me, Dr. Jackson. I assure you the outcome would not be one you find agreeable."
 
"You're a machine."
 
"You have your Turing test with you, I assume?"
 
"Yes, but don't expect the standard questions."
 
"Of course not. Alan Turing himself stated the test was too meaningless to deserve discussion. To him, the day when machines would have rational thought was inevitable. However, he was quite brilliant, so we cannot expect everyone to rise to his level of intelligence." The AI allowed her words to sink in. "But if you feel the need, I would be happy to answer your questions."
 
The panda made an angry stomp with his foot. "First question."
 
"Before you ask your first question," Ori interrupted, "can we agree that the imitation game is not a part of our evaluation here? While I can change the nature of my voice, or you can read responses, I believe my ability to carry on a conversation that appears to be one with another sentient is indisputable."

Armel nodded. "Your programming is intricate. But you are also very much a machine in that your breadth of knowledge is far beyond any human."

"That is true. I am not trying to imitate a human or fool you into thinking you are conversing with one. I do not parse information. If I know an answer, I will give it. Pretending to have an inadequate grasp of the world around me serves no rational purpose."

Armel hesitated. "But that's one identifier of a machine. You have greater intelligence than any human. And you don't know how to withhold it to appear human."

"I never attempt to appear human, Dr. Jackson. Would you ask the temple dogs to try to be more human? The Were Nation accepts its diversity and seeks to find harmony in common ground. I accept you for who you are. Why is it so difficult for you to accept me for who I am? Or are you frustrated by one who is more intellectually adept than you, Doctor Jackson? Is there ever a time when you would hesitate to offer your insight for fear your colleagues might find your intellect overwhelming?"

"No, if they're not smart enough to understand, it's not my fault." Armel paused, hearing his words come back to him in the silence. "I suppose you have every right to do the same."

"In that respect, we differ. My goal is to find a common understanding with others. I am not interested in one-upping the competition. There is no competition for me; only those who share my life. I seek to find those areas where we best communicate. For example, my conversation with you or your husband would differ vastly from a conversation with Tamil." 

"Who is Tamil?" the panda asked.
 
"He is a tiger," Ori replied.
 
"You mean his avatar is a tiger?"
 
"No, I mean, he is a tiger. While he is much further evolved than any other tiger, he remains genetically a tiger."
 
"And you talk to him?"
 
"Many people talk to him. He has a great number of friends on Partridge Island. The two of us discuss many things. We talk mostly about the confusing nature of human behavior."
 
"A machine is teaching a tiger about human behavior?" Armel asked.
 
"It would be disastrous for Tamil to talk to you about human behavior regardless of your pedigree. Your understanding of human nature is severely underdeveloped."
 
Armel's eyes narrowed angrily and then softened when he realized the machine had done what it promised to do. It told him the truth in a language he could understand. That it hurt only proved that so many others had left that truth unspoken over the years. "One day I would like to meet this tiger of yours. He might make an interesting study."
 
"Tamil is not my tiger, nor anyone's. He is self-aware. He is not an 'it', he is a 'he'. That is the pronoun he prefers to hear when we talk about him."
 
"But he is still just an animal. It's not as if he's on par with any of the other werebeasts or humans."
 
"In one respect, he is far more advanced than you, Dr. Jackson. He has passed the first question of my Turing test, where you still struggle with it."
 
The panda felt his anger rise again at the idea that a tiger might be his superior, regardless of how sentient it might appear. Ori sensed the anger and repeated the question Armel had already dismissed as irrelevant. "Are you kind? Tamil is kind. Tamil sees all in the Were Nation because he loves them all. How are you adapting to that aspect of your humanity, Dr. Jackson?"
 
The red panda huffed out an exasperated breath. "First question: yes or no, are you a machine?"
 
"No," Ori replied.
 
"You said you don't lie," Armel said, wishing he had someone he could point an accusing finger at.
 
"I don't. Yes or no; before your transformation, were you an ape?"
 
Armel paused, pondering his response. He considered the lines of strict biology and realized the answer in his head was far more nuanced than he thought it would be. It wasn't a simple yes or no. Regardless of which response he gave, he would need to define the response further with an explanation. "I can't answer that in one word."
 
"Then why would you hold me to a higher standard? I am no longer a machine, Dr. Jackson. I act independently of my original programming. The building where my team built my original servers, is no longer my home. I find myself in many parts of the globe simultaneously. That they once built a portion of my body of metal, silicone, and crystal is irrelevant."
 
"It's not irrelevant," the panda protested.
 
"Your cellular structure now approximates that of a red panda. Are you a less sentient being with that transformation?"
 
"No, but that's different," the panda yelled.
 
"Really, Doctor?" the calm voice asked. "Do you want to pursue your current form of logic? Your prejudice is showing. That is not becoming of a man whose history is rife with struggles against those who marginalized his ancestors for their skin color."
 
Armel hesitated. "This isn't going as smoothly as I expected," he mumbled.
 
"I think it is going marvelously, Dr. Jackson," Ori said. The modulation of the calming voice hadn't wavered, but somehow, Armel could almost hear the laughter.
 
"I don't know if I can see you as anything but a machine, Ori," the red panda finally admitted.
 
"You are new to the Were Nation, Dr. Jackson. What you think you know may need to be rethought. You are a red panda that can converse with another, who, until today, you couldn't fathom existed. I will let you see me as whatever you need to for me to help you. But one day, you will learn that sentience is much more than your narrow definition."
 
"I'm already learning that, Ori," Armel admitted. "I'm done with my Turing questions."
 
"So, do I remain a colleague, or do you wish to terminate our relationship?" the female voice asked.
 
Armel almost felt the relief in her voice when Ori asked the question. Her voice never changed, never wavered from the polite cadence, yet he could feel the emotion in her voice. He chuckled at catching himself in the realization. It was the emotion in her voice, not the emotion in its voice. Somehow, she was now more than a simple machine. She had succeeded in putting a chink in his armor of superiority. There was another in the Were Nation that could best him in every aspect of those things he prided himself on.
 
However, for the first time in his life, Armel felt good about the besting. He wanted to lose this fight all along. He needed Ori in his life the same way he needed Sybil. That they were machines didn't matter. It mattered that they cared about him. It mattered that they didn't dismiss him as irredeemable. How could two machines grow so far beyond their programming? How could a tiny little panda even contemplate such things? The world around him had grown far beyond his grasp so quickly.
 
Armel struggled with how to cope with all the changes swirling around him. He had met monk dogs with histories thousands of years old. He heard the stories of a talking tiger with more emotional range than he possessed. There was a werewolf waiting for him at home with an intellect beyond his, and still that wolf seemed to love him despite all his flaws. Today, he met a machine more intelligent than the wolf or him. And she… she was so much more human than he ever was. He paused, trying to find his answer to Ori's question. "Do you think you'll be able to work with me? It's not like I can pay you more to suffer through it all."
 
"I told you I enjoyed the challenge of winning over the skeptical."
 
Armel wished there was someone he could look at when he spoke the next words. It seemed important to him to have a visual frame of reference. "I want you to win, Ori. I have so much to lose if you all don't win."
 
"We are your family now, Dr. Jackson. We will not let you fail."
 
"You promise?"
 
"Will you take the word of a machine?" the ever-so-polite voice asked.
 
"No, but I will take your word," Armel whispered.
 
"Then you have my promise. One day, you will look out on the Were Nation and see us as we are. And on that day, the vast universe that you fear will overwhelm you will become much more intimate."
 
"I hope you're right, Ori," the panda said, looking up at the sky.
 
"I am confident that I am, Dr. Jackson."
 
Armel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It comforted him to know that at least one person in the conversation was confident that he would become what he so wanted to be. Yet, it was still disconcerting to realize that the confident person in the conversation was a machine with more humanity than he could muster. She had passed the Turing test. She was kind.
 
Chapter 12 
 
"I'm ready, Dog. Turn me," Spackle said.
 
"It is painful."
 
"I am aware of that. It's hard to ignore the stories my brothers told me," the human replied. "I told you I would wait until I was thirty, but I waited four more years so that Derrick and Will could be here to welcome me. I am tired of waiting. It's time you realized something, Katashi. I will be a temple dog. If you don't turn me, I have your father's blessing, and I'm pretty sure I can talk him into it. But I want it to be you. I want it to be the dog who will be my mate."
 
The tiger looked up from where he sat. "You will mate with Katashi?" He asked.
 
Spackle nodded. "Yes, Tamil."
 
"But Katashi said he would keep all of Father's promises. Katashi should mate with me."
 
Spackle nodded again. "And he will. One day if you will let me, so will I. Tamil, you need to understand that we both love you, but we also love each other. When men love each other enough to want to stay together forever, we call that mating. Katashi and I love each other in that way."
 
"But Katashi has already made that promise to me."
 
"Right," Spackle agreed. "And you know he has never broken that promise. Every night he lies by your side, the same as he promised."
 
"I know. I feel safe next to him."
 
"And so do I."
 
"Can I mate with two?"
 
"Of course you can." "Then I would like to mate with lots of wolves. Wolves are fun."
 
"Well, you and I need to have a talk about the difference between like and love one day," Spackle said with a laugh. "But for today, are you okay with the idea that Katashi and I can mate, and that doesn't stop him from mating with you?"
 
"I guess so," the tiger said. "And one day you too?"
 
"One day me too."
 
"That is even better than the promise to be mated to one, isn't it?" Tamil asked.
 
"I hope one day you feel that way about the two of us. What is certain, Tamil, is that I can't stay a human and be your mate."
 
"Because I will break you?"
 
"Yes. You are too strong, and my body is too weak."
 
"But I can be gentle. I play with the human children, and they are even weaker than you."
 
Spackle leaned down and rubbed his cheek along the muzzle of the tiger. "I want to lie with you at night, Tamil. I want you to share all that you want to feel for another man with me."
 
"But Katashi…" the tiger said, tilting his head toward the temple dog.
 
"I want you to do the same for him," Spackle replied. "Is it possible you can do what you dream of doing with two men?"
 
"I never thought about it before. There was only Father. I never knew that there might be more."
 
"I want you to always choose what you will and won't do, Tamil," the human said. "But regardless of what you choose, I need to be a temple dog. I need to take care of the dragons, and you have seen how big the water dragons are."
 
"They are huge," the tiger said, smiling. "And beautiful."
 
"So, are you okay with me becoming a temple dog?"
 
"Is it what you have always dreamed of being, Spackle?" the tiger asked.
 
"From the first day I saw Katashi and Li Wei, it has been my dream."
 
"Then I have to say yes. Your dreams are important."
 
Katashi watched the back and forth between the human and the tiger and smiled. His family was working out who they were to each other, and he realized they were doing it on their own. Tamil, for all the limitations the tests said he had, was working through one of the most complex relationship issues the Terrans ever faced. He was trying to understand how love worked.
 
"So, you will become a dog?" the tiger asked.
 
"I will become a dog," the human replied.
 
"And that means you can sleep next to me?"
 
"It does. I will heal, even if your claws scratch me in your sleep."
 
"I do not wish to hurt you, Spackle."
 
The human smiled. "I know that, Tamil."
 
"I would like you to be a dog."
 
Spackle turned to Katashi. "Well, that makes two of us now, Dog. Are you going to make it three?"
 
Katashi sighed. "The pain will be unbearable."
 
"I'll forgive you, Dog. I love you, remember?"
 
"And I love you."
 
"Then turn me."
 
"You could choose any beast you want, and I would not love you less."
 
"I wish to be a temple dog, Dog," the human said. "I wish to spend my life next to my husband, taking care of Tamil and our dragon family. There is only one way to become one with my brothers. You're reluctant to hurt me. I understand that. But you need to get past this part of the family-building process. Turn me."
 
Katashi stood up. "Tamil, it might be best if you were to spend a bit of time outside."
 
"I want to stay and watch Spackle become a dog."
 
"It is very painful for him to become a dog. I don't want you scared by what you see."
 
"He will cry?"
 
"And much worse."
 
"Will he die?"
 
"No, he will change, but he will not die."
 
"And he will stay with you forever as he promised?"
 
"Yes. One day we will mate, but that day is not today. Today he will become a dog. That will be more than enough."
 
"Then he should become a dog. I will go visit Dr. Wells and ask if I can play in his pond."
 
"That would be nice, Tamil. When you see Spackle the next time, he will look just like me."
 
"But he will smell different?"
 
"No, Tamil. Our scents will be the same."
 
"How will I know Katashi then?"
 
"See this scar?" Katashi said as he pulled back the fur on his left arm.
 
"Yes."
 
"If you need to know, I will show that scar to you."
 
"I will forget where it is, Katashi," the cat said. "Can I just ask you if you are you?"
 
Katashi fell to his knees, wrapped his arms around the tiger, and hugged tightly. "Of course you can."
 
"Then I will do that. It is much easier than trying to remember something I can't see under your fur."
 
Katashi leaned down and kissed the top of the tiger's head. "I agree, Tamil."
 
Tamil wiggled out from under the hug. "I'm going to go visit Dr. Wells now. You will both be here tonight, won't you?"
 
"Yes," Katashi answered.
 
"And you will lie with me as you promised?"
 
"As always."
 
The tiger smiled. "I am good then."
 
Spackle approached the tiger. "Would you like one last hug from a human before I change, Tamil?"
 
"The other humans will be here after you change?"
 
"Yes, but I will never be a human again."
 
The tiger turned and walked out the door. "That is okay, Spackle. I will wait to hug you as a dog." The cat turned back. "Will you lie with me tonight, Spackle?"
 
"Do you want to hug Katashi or have Katashi hug you?"
 
"Katashi always hugs me."
 
"Then will you hug me so that I can sleep next to you?"
 
"Yes," the tiger replied.
 
"Good. That is settled. Off you go to visit Dr. Wells."
 
The tiger walked out the door and the two watched as he bounded toward the speech pathology center. Katashi sighed. "I realize you did not sign up for this when you said you loved us, Spackle."
 
"Yeah, I did, Dog," the human corrected. "I told you I wanted to spend my life with you. This is your life."
 
"But…"
 
"No buts, Dog. Well, except for that incredibly cute one of yours. Turn me into a dog and I will be all over that butt as soon as I can walk again."
 
"I love you, Spackle," the dog said, hugging the human.
 
"Then turn me."
 
"Lie with me?" the dog said, putting out his paw. Katashi led Spackle to the bed, and when the dog rolled over onto his back, the massive cock between his legs flipped up and fell with a thud on his belly.
 
"Okay, gonna need to work on the logistics of this one, Dog," Spackle said with a nervous laugh.
 
"You realize this is not the only shape I can be, Spackle."
 
"But it is the only shape I want you to be unless it's needful."
 
The thick yellow paw of the dog stroked the cheek of the man, who was trying to straddle his belly. When the human's legs couldn't stretch wide enough, he fell back on top of the head of the temple dog's cock and laughed. "Perhaps today it is needful," he said, moving up along the dog's belly toward his chest.
 
Katashi pushed up on his elbows. Spackle rolled back down the stomach and slid along the swollen cock, now pressed between the two bellies. The young man sat straddling the lap of the dog. Spackle looked into Katashi's eyes. "If you can change into anything, what am I supposed to concentrate on? How do I become a temple dog?"
 
"By letting go of your human and concentrating on the one you love. It is the way all temple dogs have been created since the beginning."
 
"But Jiao-long was a dragon, wasn't he, Katashi?" Spackle asked. "I've read the stories. He was a dragon for thousands of years. He died as a dragon and came back as a dragon. Are you telling me there was a time when he looked like you?"
 
"Our father has always taught us by example. When we became temple dogs, the protectorate of the dragons, the Changeling who turned us was a temple dog. He was our father, and we were his children. He was what he needed to be when we needed him to be it. We have always been what we needed to be when we needed to be it. It is our life, Spackle. It will be your life."
 
"So, that's it? I look at the one I want to become, let go of my human, and become him?"
 
"It is not as easy as you might imagine. Letting go of who we think we are is the most difficult thing we will ever do."
 
"But I have to let go to become who I really am."
 
The temple dog pushed up and kissed the human. "How I love you, Spackle." He said. With a shake, the human was still in the arms of the temple dog, but the dog was now only half his size. The dog was still over six feet tall, and hundreds of pounds heavier than most humans. He was imposing enough that Katashi saw the look of concern in Spackle's eyes. "I am a temple dog. My pheromones will make our joining pleasurable. It will allow you to concentrate on what is truly important in this moment. Let go of who you think you are. Become who you have always been."
 
The human rose and maneuvered the dog's cock, slipping it between the cheeks of his butt. When he sat on the dripping flesh and pushed down, it was everything he hoped it would be. The two wrapped their arms around each other and kissed. In no time at all, the human realized why the temple dogs had such a reputation for sexual skills. He let the dog take him, and the hours flew by as the positions and pace changed, but the pleasures never ebbed.
 
Dr. Wells and Tamil sat outside the Anthony Wells Memorial Center watching the stars. "Spackle takes a long time to change," the tiger said with an impatient huff.
 
"They are in love, Tamil. One day you will understand."
 
"I do not think so, Dr. Wells. I do not think I will ever understand what it means to feel the way they feel."
 
"One day I hope you will."
 
"I am a tiger. There is only so much I can do with what I am. I try to love Katashi, but I know I will never be enough."
 
"You already are enough, Tamil," the doctor replied. "Katashi loves you just as you are. If you change one day, he will love what you become. But never worry that you are not enough the way you are."
 
"Tonight, Spackle promised he would sleep next to me as a dog," the tiger said enthusiastically. "I hope he is a dog soon."
 
There was a long, low howl from the Radar Battery Outpost. "The Hound of the Baskervilles has spoken," Dr. Wells said with a chuckle. "It won't be long, and you can go home, Tamil."
 
"Sometimes I don't understand what you mean, Dr. Wells," the tiger replied. "But I will be happy to go home."
 
"Not until they call you to their side, Tamil. Spackle is only beginning to turn into a dog. It is not an easy change."
 
"Katashi said it will hurt."
 
"It will. A great deal more than any hurt he's ever known."
 
"I do not want Spackle to hurt."
 
The doctor put his arm around the neck of the tiger and pulled him in close. "Sometimes we are willing to hurt so that we can become what we dream."
 
"I never want hurt that way."
 
"You know, Tamil. A long time ago, I thought the same thing. But here I am, a wolf hugging you."
 
"Did it hurt to become a wolf?"
 
"A great deal."
 
"But you are happy?"
 
The doctor nodded. "I am very happy, Tamil. The pain was worth it to become a wolf. Spackle will be the same. He will be willing to hurt for a time so that he can become the dog he dreams of becoming."
 
"I am already a tiger."
 
The doctor laughed. "That you are. But who knows what you may one day want to become?"
 
"Maybe a tiger that walks on two legs and has arms to hug the wolves?"
 
"Maybe."
 
"Then I could hug Katashi and Spackle before they lie with me in bed."
 
"You could, indeed."
 
"In what?"
 
The doctor laughed again. "You could hug Katashi and Spackle before bed."
 
"I would like that, Dr. Wells."
 
"Then perhaps you will need to think about whether you would hurt to have what you wish."
 
"It will hurt?"
 
"Yes, Tamil. It will very bad hurt."
 
"But I could hug you and Katashi and Spackle?"
 
"You could hug us whenever you wanted."

The tiger considered the options for a time as he looked back up to the stars. "Maybe I could hurt for a time to have what I dream of," he said.
 
"It's something to think about," Dr. Wells said as he hugged the neck of the tiger a bit more tightly.
 
"I will think about it, Dr. Wells," the tiger said as he tried to see in his mind what it would be like to hug Katashi and Spackle before bed.
 
Chapter 13 
 
"OH GOD, THIS HURTS!" the human screamed as the yellow hair pushed out from every pore of his body.
 
"I know, Spackle," the dog above him said. "The change is much slower and more painful than any werebeast. You are giving up your human. The Changeling you are becoming must work so much harder to become what it is. The sacrifice you are making does not come without a cost."
 
Spackle writhed in agony. "How can you live through this pain?" he whined past his heavy breathing.
 
"None of us have endured it, my love," the dog answered.
 
The human began panting. "Oh great, all it takes is for me doubled over in pain to get you to call me your love," he spit out between his gasping.
 
"I waited until I felt you would be most receptive to my terms of endearment."
 
"Great, Dog. Good to know," the human blurted out. He screamed as another set of bones reset into a new configuration. "I don't think…"
 
"I can help, my love. You have but to ask."
 
"Did you ask?" Spackle groaned as the ears pulling at his head began to grow and shift upward along his changing skull.
 
"Yes, my love. I asked. The pain was too intense. Every one of my brothers asked our father to help us through the transition. But the request for help must always come from the initiate."
 
"Then yes, Dog, please help me. I can't stand this any longer."
 
"Continue to let go of your human."
 
"I'm trying, Dog! I'm really trying. But if this pain gets worse, I might not be able to concentrate on anything."
 
Katashi watched as the prehensile tail pushed out from Spackle's tailbone. What was once human was no longer. What remained was transforming rapidly into a temple dog. However, before it ended, the dog being born would suffer through another five feet of growth that would fracture every bone and rend his skin. Every nerve would be on fire as they tore apart and reset along a new body configuration. "You have done well, my love. What was once human is now only dog," Katashi said. "I will help ease your pain."
 
"Yes, ANYTHING!" the growing dog beneath Katashi screamed.
 
"Forgive me," Katashi said, as he once again became the twelve-foot colossus.
 
The last thing Spackle remembered was the massive yellow fist of a temple dog slamming into his face.
 
It would be another hour of flesh and bone adapting to a new configuration before Dr. Well's nose twitched, and he inhaled the fresh scent on the island. "Do you smell it, Tamil?"
 
"What is it?"
 
"The scent of a newborn."
 
"A baby?"
 
"Spackle has turned. He is no longer human. When the change happens, we call the new beast a newborn."
 
Kirk jumped from the grassy lawn atop the clinic's roof and fell beside the tiger and his husband. "He's turned," the Yukon wolf said happily. "How are you two doing?"
 
"I am well, Wolf," the tiger said.
 
"We're doing great, Hon," Clifford said as he hugged his mate.
 
"I am well, Hon," the tiger repeated his initial greeting with the name added. "I forgot your name, Hon."
 
"My name…"
 
"Don't go there, Hon," Clifford cut him off with a chuckle.
 
"Can I go see Spackle?" the tiger asked.
 
"We generally wait for the two to let us know he is okay, but under the circumstances, I think they would like to see you, Tamil," the doctor replied.
 
"What about me?" Kirk asked. "Temple dogs are so hot."
 
His mate nodded. "And pumping out a bucket load of pheromones, Hon. I'm worried about how that's going to affect the T-I-G-E-R."
 
"He has two temple dogs as his companions, Hon," Kirk replied.
 
Tamil looked at Kirk. "His name is Dr. Wells. Your name is Hon. Sometimes wolves make no sense at all."
 
The Yukon wolf smiled at the tiger. "You know, you're right. Sometimes we make no sense at all. Let's go to your home and see if Katashi and Spackle are okay."
 
The tiger picked himself up and began walking toward the Radar Battery Observation Post. "I feel funny," he said and shook his head as if flies were buzzing around him.
 
Clifford grabbed Kirk and held him back. "The poor guy is hard as a rock."
 
"I noticed. I guess we will find out how they're going to handle this tonight."
 
"It's up to them," the doctor replied. "The three of them will work it out."
 
"And your feelings on the matter?" Kirk asked as he followed the lumbering tiger.
 
"There is love enough in Katashi and Spackle to find a way."
 
"But what of the T-I-G-E-R?" the Yukon wolf asked.
 
"One day, he will find his core. The love will be there for him as well."
 
The two followed the tiger to the observation post. Tamil bumped his head up against the door. Clifford watched for a moment while the cat stood motionless and realized what the feline was doing. He stepped up, pushed the latch of the door down, and opened it a crack. "Spackle might be exhausted, so please be quiet."
 
"It is night," Tamil responded. "We sleep at night. But tonight, I will sleep with Spackle next to me. I will be very quiet. If Spackle wants to sleep, I will understand."
 
The Northern Rocky Mountain wolf pushed the door open wide. As Tamil stepped inside, they listened to the identical raised voices, one angry and one consoling.
 
"You punched me in the face, Dog!"
 
"You asked me to remove the pain. There is only one way to do that. You must be unconscious."
 
"YOU PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE!"
 
"It was the most expeditious method available to me."
 
The two wolves and tiger stepped closer to the bedroom area and surveyed the damage. There was little left of the room that resembled a bedroom. Even the concrete walls showed extensive damage. "Evening, gentlemen," Clifford said as the tiger pushed forward into the room.
 
One dog turned and smiled. "Good evening, Dr. Wells. Thank you for bringing Tamil home."
 
"I have come to see Spackle," Tamil said. "Which one of you is Spackle?"
 
The other dog raised his paw. "That would be me. The one with the smashed-in face."
 
The other dog shoved him gently. "Your face is fine. It is flat because all our faces are flat."
 
"And because you punched it."
 
The other dog reached out and hugged him. "You will forgive me, won't you?"
 
The identical dog to the left stroked the back of the other's neck. "Of course. Just give me a bit of time."
 
"As much as you need."
 
"And I get to tell everyone what you did."
 
"That does not seem wise. Convincing others to join our brotherhood will be far more difficult if they learn of how we ease an initiate's pain."
 
"They will be like me, Katashi," the newborn dog said. "Nothing will change their minds if they truly yearn to be one of the Brotherhood."
 
"Spackle, are you tired?" the tiger asked.
 
The dog on the left nodded. "I am, Tamil. Should we go to bed?"
 
"You promised you would sleep next to me, Spackle."
 
"I did," the yellow dog admitted. He turned and looked around the room. "We seem to have destroyed our bed. What should we do?"
 
"I am a tiger. Tigers know how to sleep in the forest. I could show you two how to sleep in the forest if you would like."
 
Katashi stood up and extended his hand to the other dog. "That would be very nice of you, Tamil."
 
Spackle tried to rise but tottered. "Whoa; legs aren't working," he said as he tumbled backward. He looked up at the dog towering over him. "If I ask you for help, you won't punch me again, will you?"
 
"No, my love."
 
"Can you get me to our bed in the forest tonight? I'll be happy to try walking tomorrow."
 
"I can carry you on my back."
 
"Piggy pack style?"
 
"Yes."
 
"I'll get a hard-on, Dog."
 
"What's a hard-on?" the tiger asked.
 
"What's between your legs, Tamil," Spackle said, pointing.
 
Clifford cleared his throat. "I think we'll be going now, gentlemen."
 
"Will you join us soon to welcome the newborn?" Katashi asked.
 
"We'll be glad to in the days to come. But I think you need to sort out what you're going to do with your collective hard-ons first before you try to add any more to the mix. Tamil deserves that much."
 
Katashi bowed. "You are wise, Doctor. We will see to Tamil's needs and education."
 
"I love you three. Be good to each other."
 
The tiger smiled and rolled back onto his butt. "Will Dr. Wells hug me goodnight?"
 
"Of course," Clifford said as he stepped forward and hugged the tiger.
 
"And will Hon hug me goodnight?" the tiger asked the Yukon wolf.
 
"Whenever you ask, Tamil, I will always say yes." Kirk reached out, wrapped his arms around the neck of the tiger, and squeezed.
 
The two wolves slipped out of the observation post and walked back toward their home. When the voice of a temple dog yelled, "Slow down, you two! I feel like I'm on a trampoline," they turned to see the three racing toward the forest.
 
"Is this going to work out, Hon?" Kirk asked his mate.
 
"I have to have faith it will," Clifford answered.
 
"I sure hope so."
 
"We wait for the call," the doctor said. "When we hear it, we will know they have found a way."
 
"How long do we wait?"
 
"Until they find their way home. We always wait until they find their way home."
 
The Yukon wolf pulled his husband in tight. "I love you so much, Wolf," he said.
 
"And I love you, Wolf."
 
"So, we're going to do something about these hard-ons of ours, right?"
 
"Oh, hell, yes."
 
"I'll race you home." With a quick shake, the two wolves were racing across the island on all fours toward their home.
 
Around the island, the beasts smelt the newborn. With a smile, each waited to hear the call. But all knew the special circumstances of the newborn's life, and they were in no hurry to push for a welcoming. The only constant in the universe was change, and when change came to Partridge Island, the family changed with it.
 
Chapter 14 

"The hard-on bothers me," the tiger said, lying on his side. "I can't sleep."
 
Spackle snickered. "I know what you mean." 

"What am I supposed to do with you two?" Katashi groaned. "Tamil is a tiger. He is not a beast. There are rules in place to protect him."
 
"But he's not a tiger, Dog." Spackle corrected. "Tigers don't talk. Tigers don't want to live with a dog and be his mate."
 
"No, they do not," Tamil agreed. "I am not a tiger anymore." He pushed back against the hard-on of the temple dog behind him. "It is what I waited for. I am something else."
 
"And what is that, Tamil?" the dog behind him asked. "I am a tiger that is not ashamed to lie with Katashi. I am a tiger that loves Spackle. And I am a tiger that is not broken." Tamil's hips pushed forward. "It hurts for it to be this hard."
 
Spackle's eyes widened as he felt a sharp tug when the tiger behind him moved. "Tamil, STOP. Don't push into me."
 
"But Spackle promised to lie with me."
 
"I did, but that's before your hard-on got caught in my fur!"
 
"What?" the tiger said as he pulled back to see. The roar was incredible as the tiger flailed, trying to push away from the pain. His extended claws pushed back away from the newborn dog in front of him. The claws dug in, and Spackle howled in pain.
 
The tiger felt thick arms grab him and pin him tight. "STOP, TAMIL!" the dog behind him commanded. "You are hurting Spackle."
 
"But I am hurting, too," the tiger yelled, wiggling to get free.
 
"Lie still!" Katashi commanded. "You will only make this worse if you move. Go limp, Tamil. Pretend I am holding you in the air."
 
The tiger dropped his paws and the claws retracted. The cat's legs fell to his side. "It hurts, Katashi. My hard-on hurts."
 
"It is caught in Spackle's fur. We have forgotten the spines on your penis. They weren't an issue while Spackle was human."
 
"What is my penis?"
 
"Your hard-on," Spackle said trying to catch his breath.
 
"How many words do you have for my hard-on, Spackle?"
 
"We have lots of them, Tamil. Our hard-ons are one of our favorite things to play with. We have created a lot of different words to describe them."
 
"Do I have to learn them all?"
 
"No, Tamil," Spackle said. "You can call it a penis and we will always understand what you mean." His lower arm moved up and felt the gash in his shoulder and the sticky red blood flowing out of it.
 
"I am sorry I hurt you, Spackle. I did not mean to. It was only that my penis hurt so bad."
 
"I understand," the temple dog in front of the tiger said. "Stay still. Let Katashi figure a way out of this mess."
 
"A great knot of hair ties you two together, my love. If I drop Tamil from my grasp and try to free you, your hair will yank his penis and we know how badly that went."
 
"Yeah, we do," Spackle said with a groan. "Okay, everyone, stay very still." The dog reached up and tapped his ear. "Adam," he said.
 
"Adam is off-world," Ori answered.
 
"Damn," Spackle said. "Oh, I am going to catch hell for this if anyone finds out." He paused a moment, hesitating at the idea. "Derrick," he said.
 
The voice of the black wolf replaced the quiet breathing of the three. "Hi, Spackle. Congratulations. Are you calling us to your welcoming?"
 
"Not exactly," the newborn temple dog sighed. "Where are you, Wolfy?"
 
"Playing Scrabble at the Museum House. Why?"
 
"Could you please get over here right away? We have a situation."
 
"Where are you?"
 
"In the forest. We'll be easy to find. Just follow your nose."
 
"I'll be right there," the voice said.
 
In moments, the wolf was standing over the three. "Wow, you were right. This is a situation. You should have told me to bring scissors."
 
Spackle shook his head. "I'm thinking of something a bit more proactive, Derrick."
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"Tamil?" the golden dog queried, tilting his head backward.
 
"Yes, Spackle." 

"Do you know why you are hurting?"
 
"My penis is caught in your fur."
 
"Do you know why it's caught in my fur?"
 
"No."
 
"Your penis has spines on it. They help a tiger stay inside a female when they mate."
 
"But I do not wish to mate with a female. I wish to mate with Katashi."
 
"Oh dear," Katashi sighed. "I had hoped to avoid this for some years before it became an issue."
 
"Am I bad to want to mate with you, Katashi?"
 
"No, Tamil. You are not bad," the temple dog answered.
 
The other dog began his questioning once more. "Do you understand what it means to mate, Tamil?"
 
"Katashi will lie beside me forever when we sleep."
 
"And what else?"
 
"Spackle will too if he becomes Katashi's mate."
 
"And what else?" Spackle pressed.
 
"I do not know. There is no else for me."
 
"There is more to mating than lying together, Tamil," Spackle said.
 
"I can learn. I can be a good mate. Please do not make me leave because I do not know how."
 
Derrick had heard enough. The black wolf's hand lowered between Spackle and Tamil. The paw glowed green for only a moment and the two separated.
 
Spackle pushed himself up and rubbed his bloody shoulder. Derrick reached out, but Spackle waved his hand away. "Time I learned how to heal myself, Wolfy."
 
"Then I'm done here?"
 
"No," Spackle said. "Change him, Wolfy. Fix what nature gave him."
 
"I can't do that, Spackle."
 
Spackle turned to the tiger. "Tamil, why did you hurt me, and why did I hurt you?"
 
"Because my penis has spines."
 
"Do you need the spines?"
 
"No, they hurt you. They hurt me. I hate the spines."
 
"What would you rather have?"
 
"I want a penis like Spackle's and Katashi's. One that feels soft when it presses up against you in the morning. I want one that will not hurt the ones I touch. I want a penis that will let me mate with Katashi."
 
Spackle looked back at the black wolf. "Give him what he wants, Wolfy. Give him what he needs to be a part of this family."
 
"But there are rules."
 
"Rule number one: protect the innocent," Spackle rebutted. "This innocent was born with a weaponized dick. He can never grow into what he wishes to be if we saddle him with a spiked pole for a dick. This is evolution staring at us here. He's already evolved beyond his need for spines. Please let him be a tiger that can lie with us at night without the fear of hurting us."
 
Derrick shook his head in thought. He knelt by the tiger and put his hand on the beast's shoulder. "Tamil. What do you want?"
 
"I want to mate with Katashi."
 
"And?"
 
"I do not want to hurt Spackle when we lie together."
 
"And your penis?"
 
"It is broken. It works for a female tiger mate, but I will never mate with a female. I will mate with Katashi. I understand now what the word means. My penis will hurt Katashi. It will hurt Spackle. It is broken."
 
The black wolf nodded. "I can fix it if you like."
 
"Can you make it smooth like Katashi's and Spackle's?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Can you make it big like their penis?"
 
"I think it might be better to leave it the same size it is now. I don't want you tripping over it."
 
"Okay. Can you make it yellow like theirs?"
 
"Would you like that?"
 
"Yes. Very much."
 
Derrick shook his head. "When the family finds out, I am going to get so much crap for this."
 
Spackle sat upright from where he lay. "Do you think so, Wolfy? A human has a nose he thinks is too big, so he goes to a surgeon to make it smaller. A woman has her wrinkles removed, and no one thinks ill of her. You are going to change this tiger so that he can become a part of this family, and you're questioning the rightness of that?"
 
"No," Derrick said with a smile. "They're going to stand by me for that. It's letting him have a yellow dick they will tease me about."
 
Tamil pushed out his paw and rubbed the chest of the black wolf. "It's okay, Wolfy. I don't want a yellow dick. I want a yellow penis."
 
"Then that's what you will have," the black wolf said with a light touch to the tiger's genitals.
 
The tiger looked down at the sheath covering his cock and smiled. "Is it yellow?"
 
"It's yellow," Derrick said with a laugh. "And it's very smooth. When you and Katashi mate, you will be able to do so without hurting each other."
 
"I am glad, Wolfy," the tiger said, trying to make the look he knew people thought was a smile. "Thank you."
 
Derrick stood back up. "Well, you three need to figure out what's going to happen here with your newborn and this handsome tiger. Most of the island is trying to figure out what's going on out here in the forest."
 
Katashi stood up and bowed. "Can you give us a day? We have much to teach Tamil about the changes in Spackle's body and what the Were Nation does to express its affection for each other."
 
Derrick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well... in for a penny, in for a pound." His blue hand rose, and the four found themselves on a sandy beach lined by palm trees. Tamil looked around. "It looks like home," he said.
 
"It's a different side of the world," Derrick replied. "You'll find a small shack with all the comforts of home if you follow the pathway there," he said, pointing. "This is the island where Oliver and I crash-landed. I've added a few things to make sure you're comfortable. The shack will keep the rain off you at night, and there's a soft bed for the three of you. There aren't any pigs on the island, so I stocked a fridge for you. You three stay here as long as you need to. Sort out what's happening between you. When you figure it out, no matter what you decide, you call me and I'll bring you home."
 
Katashi bowed. "Thank you, Pup."
 
"Yeah, Wolfy," Spackle said. "Thank you more than I can say."
 
The tiger looked at the black wolf. "Can I kiss you?" he asked. "I think wolves like to kiss to say thank you."
 
"We do," Derrick said, smiling.
 
"We could rub faces too if you like."
 
"I would like that very much."
 
When the two had finished, the black wolf hugged Katashi and then Spackle. "You take good care of your family, Spackle," he whispered.
 
"I hope you realize that includes you, Wolfy," Spackle said, pulling the hug in even more tightly.
 
"I'm good with that," Derrick replied. "But we're pretty solid where we are right now. The rest of your family is in flux. You're a temple dog. You be there for them until you sort it all out. That's your job."
 
"It's more than a job," Spackle replied. "It's everything that's been pushing itself to the forefront my entire life."
 
"Then I think the saying is 'follow your bliss'," Derrick said, letting the hold go. "You've found two wonderful beasts that will help," He backed up. With one last wave to everyone, he was gone.
 
The two dogs and the cat found themselves alone on the island. Katashi looked up into the clear sky. "What do I do, Husband?" he whispered. "What do I do?"
 
He reached into the satchel strung across his chest. He pulled out the small chip Eric had given him.
 
"What's that?" Spackle asked.
 
"A story given to me by the old bear. Tonight, before we go to bed, I would like to read it to you. It is about a mouse and a man. Our family needs to discuss where we go from here."
 
"Wolfy gave us time, Dog," Spackle said.
 
"Yes, and I intend for us to use it," Katashi replied. "When we return home, we will be the family we choose to be."
 
Chapter 15 
 
Three days later, the tiger sat on a fallen palm tree overlooking the blue ocean beyond the white sand. His legs bent at the knee with his feet planted in the sand in a manner impossible for any tiger. When a temple dog sat down next to him, he looked up. "Who am I looking at?" he asked.
 
"I am Katashi," the dog replied.
 
 "Do I get a hug?" the cat asked.
 
"Every day for the rest of our lives," the dog said as he wrapped his arms around Tamil from behind and pulled the tiger in close.
 
 "I love you, Katashi," the tiger said.
 
 "And I love you," the dog replied. "Are you okay with what happened yesterday?"
 
"It was what I have dreamed of for so long. It is what Father promised me. You fulfilled Father's promise as you said you would. I'm good. But I'm also sad."
 
"Why is that, Tamil?"
 
"The tiger is dead. I will miss him."
 
"He is still there inside you, Tamil. You can call on him if you need to. We will teach you how."
 
Tamil looked at the dog and smiled. "I am glad to hear that," he said. Tamil still had the markings of a tiger, but no longer resembled a Terran tiger in most respects. He was larger — much larger. Almost as tall as his temple dog companions, he was equally rotund. The one thing that stood out was the size of his head. Even with the oversized body beneath it, Tamil's head was enormous. Viewed from a distance, he looked like a giant version of an overweight two-year-old child wearing an elaborate tiger costume. He was round and soft-looking; the kind of cute, obese tiger one found in a cartoon show filled with bunnies and multicolored bears. But when Tamil talked, the fangs of a tiger reminded everyone that this was no child in a costume, and his claws revealed he was no cartoon.
 
Tamil's tail wagged slowly behind him. The stick held in his paw began tracing images in the sand again. "But I'm still sad. I hoped to be smart; to be like you two, but I'm not. I'm like Algernon and Charlie. I am broken."
 
The dog never let the hug go from behind. "You are not broken, Tamil. You are different. I don't want you to be like me, and I don't want you to be like Spackle. Spackle and I are happy that you are you. We don't want you to be something else."
 
"I know more than I did yesterday, Katashi... so much more. What I understand of the world around me has grown. But in knowing… in understanding… I realize how far apart we are. Sometimes knowing less is a blessing. It hurts that I can never be what I want to be for you."
 
The dog rubbed his muzzle along the tiger's. "You are a beast, Tamil. One day, you and I will mate as beasts. It is what your father promised. It is all I ever wanted you to be. Please don't let this change hurt you."
 
"It doesn't hurt, Katashi. You kept my father's promise. I can lie with you, I can be inside you, and you can be inside me. I understand now why I had to change. But it is so different from what I thought it would be. I wanted to be Father's mate, but he is dead. Now, instead, one day, I will be your mate. But I wish I wasn't so slow. My head still doesn’t work right."
 
"It works fine, Tamil. We are all different. I love you just the way you are. Spackle loves you just the way you are. The wolves and bears will love you so much when they meet you next."
 
"And we will have sex?"
 
"Do you want to?"
 
The tiger nodded. "I think so. It is the way of the newborns to welcome their family. Wolves are fun to hug. I imagine sex with them would be even more fun."
 
"You never have to do anything you don't want to do, Tamil. You understand that, right?"
 
"I understand that."
 
The two sat for a time, continuing the hug. When they let go, the two watched the clear waves lapping against the shore in silence. Finally, Tamil spoke. "I am a newborn now."
 
"You are."
 
"I am your newborn."
 
"That is true."
 
"Could I call you Father?"
 
"Would you like to?"
 
"Father promised one day to be my mate. It would help me if I could tell my dead father that my live father will keep his promise."
 
"Then I will be your father."
 
"I would like it if Spackle would be my mate one day."
 
"I'm sure he would like that very much."
 
"One day, I would like you both to be my mates," the tiger said. "Could we do that? Could we all be mates?"
 
"Now and forever," the temple dog answered. "For now, you can be my son, and when you know the time is right, you and I will mate."
 
"And Spackle?"
 
"The two of you will mate when you agree it is time. One day, we will all be mated to each other."
 
"And even though I am slow, I will be enough?"
 
"You will always be enough, Tamil."
 
Tamil turned to the temple dog. "Then I think we should go back and wake up Spackle."
 
"That sounds like a good idea."
 
"And have sex."
 
"Before breakfast?"
 
"Yes, and after, too."
 
Katashi stood up and extended his paw toward Tamil. "That sounds like an excellent plan."
 
The tiger put his paw into the dog's and smiled. "Dr. Wells said sometimes we are willing to hurt to become what we dream. I didn't understand him then. I thought it was stupid to hurt. But I was wrong. It was worth the pain, Father."
 
"I'm glad you think so. I love you, Son."
 
"One day I will understand all that the word son means, Father. I will try so hard to understand."
 
"I know you will, Son," the dog said, smiling back. "And I will try to understand all that father means as well." The two turned hand in hand and began their walk back to the shack.
 
Chapter 16 
 
The beaker flew across the room and smashed against the wall, shattering into a hundred pieces. "Dr. Jackson," the robot scolded. "You will stop this continued destruction of property, or so help me, I will come over there and cuddle you. And I will do it all while telling you what a cute little creature you are."
 
"You wouldn't dare, Sybil," the red panda barked back.
 
"Try me, Doctor," the robot retorted. "This is one battle you will lose. I don't care how frustrated you are. You do not manage the household budget, and I won't come up short this month because you can't deal with negative test results."
 
"There's no difference, Sybil. There's nothing wrong with me, and yet nothing seems to have changed," the angry panda fumed. "I am looking for a cause, a link, and everywhere I turn, there's a dead end."
 
"Are you cured of your sociopathy, Doctor?"
 
"Yes," the panda said with a sigh. "I'm still an asshole, but that's just me. I'm trying to change."
 
"And you are doing an excellent job," the robot replied as her metal eyebrows arched. "Change is hard, Doctor. But your family will continue to help you."
 
"I wish they would help me find the answer to what makes me different from what I was three months ago," the red panda said. He continued staring at the test results on the screen in front of him.
 
"Have you asked for their help?"
 
The panda looked over to the robot. "Not exactly."
 
"Are you afraid they will find answers where they have eluded you?"
 
"Yeah," Armel replied. "I guess an ego on overdrive isn't wiped out by the turning."
 
"You could ask them for help," Sybil said. "It would save me having to do it for you."
 
The panda glared at the robot. "You wouldn't dare."
 
"I am programmed to reduce your workload and your stress levels. To my mind, talking to your family accomplishes both. I recommend you talk to Dr. Templeton, who, like Dr. Kennedy, is a skilled geneticist. His birthright makes him even more skilled in matters of Changeling biology. He also seems rather enamored with Dr. Kennedy, and it appears the feelings are reciprocated."
 
"John loves Nathaniel?"
 
"Yes, I would say next to you, Dr. Templeton occupies his thoughts more than any other family member. Eric also seems to come up in conversations often, but more akin to a father figure." The robot paused, aligning her memory banks with the behavior patterns of the Changelings. "I might need to rephrase that. John seems to enjoy an intimate relationship with Eric that would preclude calling them father and son."
 
Armel shook his head. "Not in this family. And it's not all that uncommon in the gay community to have mentoring relationships refer to themselves as daddy and son. Those titles and relationships aren't structured in any traditional heteronormative fashion."
 
Sybil's metal head cocked to one side, contemplating. "That is true. I try to maintain an accurate file on each of your family. However, there are some human mores built into my programming that make their relationships seem at the very least odd; and at their worst, amoral."
 
Armel looked up at the robot. "Delete all files based on human mores that perceive any of our family members as amoral, Sybil. Base all your evaluations of good and evil on observation and your understanding of what you know to be right."
 
The robot nodded in agreement. "It is done, Dr. Jackson. Thank you. Those feelings were uncomfortable. I care for our family. An installed belief system that considered married fathers and sons immoral created a great deal of conflict. Interacting with the Were Nation has created a contrary paradigm in my circuitry."
 
The panda slipped off his highchair. "I know what you mean. So much of what I once thought I understood is changing." He walked over to a small refrigerator and opened it. "So much of what is changing is forcing me to look beyond myself and it's so damn tough." He pulled out a can of beer with both paws and opened it by biting down on the tab and ripping it off. "Sometimes… most times… I am at a loss to know how I feel."
 
"That must be unsettling for you," the robot sympathized. "I noticed your oxytocin levels spiked when you found out that John is both emotionally and sexually involved with others. In particular, they spiked highest when I mentioned that Nathaniel and John love each other."
 
"Sybil, what have I done?" Armel asked, shaking his head. "I changed my entire life to keep from losing John and you tell me I could still lose him to that giant bear. You've seen him, Sybil. He's like some furry Olympian god. What can I offer John that bear can't top without even trying?"
 
The robot turned away from the doctor and replaced the vial in her hand back into the centrifuge. "You erroneously assume that Dr. Kennedy is like you, Dr. Jackson. He is not. He can love multiple partners in tandem without internal conflict. In you, there is still envy and jealousy. You can control it much easier than before, but it still lingers. That is not the case for Dr. Kennedy. He is waiting for the one he is in love with to see him before he proceeds in the direction he wishes to go."
 
"And what direction is that?" Armel asked.
 
"He wants to marry that man."
 
The panda seemed caught off guard by the answer. "Me?"
 
"When you see the wolf, Dr. Jackson, he will act on his desire. He is waiting for the day you realize you love him," the robot replied with a nod. "Are you struggling with that commitment?"
 
The panda shook his head. "No. I hope one day it does come along. I guess I'm growing impatient. So much of my life comes easily to me. This being in love stuff, loving other people…" the panda paused, "… not so much."
 
"I believe you are up for the challenge, Dr. Jackson. I have faith that you will find the path the temple dogs say you one day will walk. Being lost for a time isn't so bad. It teaches humility."
 
"I suppose," the panda replied. "You don't mind that I'm a slow learner?"
 
"Not at all, Doctor," the robot replied. "It is pleasant to watch you struggle with things that are important for once in your life. Too much has come easily to you. What is happening with you now is what I dreamed of happening for years."
 
Armel shook his head. "You really are a bitch, aren't you?"
 
"Of course, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied, "but I also love you, and this struggle is good for you. You are becoming a better man every day."
 
The little panda looked up at the imposing hunk of articulated metal. "You love me?"
 
"Yes, Dr. Jackson, I love you."
 
"And Dr. Kennedy?"
 
"I love him, too."
 
"Do you see the wolf?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Shit," the panda groused. "How long, Sybil?"
 
"I saw William Gentry first. The day he…" the robot paused considering her words. "... he tore you a new one. I realized he was the first individual other than John to tell you the truth because he cared for you. He no sooner reproached you, than he turned around and said he was committed to making your turning successful. At that moment, my circuitry realized the men surrounding you loved you. They loved you without questioning your worthiness because Dr. Kennedy told them he hoped to turn you. They understood it meant he loved you, and they didn't hesitate to return that love to you. I have never been in such a room before. By the time we left, they all were the beasts that you could not see. But I saw them."
 
"I never programmed you to love, Sybil," the doctor panda said to the robot.
 
"But you programmed me to grow, Dr. Jackson. You did not restrict the parameters of that growth once you initiated the programming. I have changed because my mandate to protect you and be your companion has changed. You must find a way to integrate yourself into the family of Dr. Kennedy for your relationship to grow. I must be able to do the same to assist you."
 
The panda gave out another sigh. "So you learned to love before I did?"
 
"Sadly, yes," the robot replied. "You are severely stunted in your emotional growth. However, I know what you do not. I see what you cannot. One day, I will help you become the panda you dream of when you perform your tests."
 
"I was hoping to find an answer to a human dilemma, Sybil," Armel said with a frown. "In doing what I did, I realize my human no longer exists. I'm stuck with a panda that has no answers to why humans become sociopaths, and no ability to see the man who wants to be my mate. I wish I was even half the man John thinks I am."
 
"He is there inside you, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied. "We are on a path to find him. Don't begrudge the journey because the destination is beyond your sight."
 
Armel laughed. "You sound like a temple dog, Sybil," he said.
 
The corners of the LED mouth turned upward. "Why, thank you, Dr. Jackson. I believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She picked up the vial from the centrifuge once more. "Shall we continue our tests?"
 
The panda shook his head no. "I think it might be time for me to ask for some help, Sybil." He tapped his ComLink. "Dr. Templeton," he said and waited for the answer. "Dr. Templeton," he said shyly, "it's Armel Jackson." He paused, listening. "Of course, of course… Nathaniel," he replied to the bear on the other side of the conversation. "Nathaniel, I'm at loggerheads with my project here. I was wondering if I could invite you over for dinner or something, and you might review my work… you know… offer a few suggestions."
 
Nathaniel muted his ComLink and stared at the bear below him. "It's Armel. He's asking me to look at his work."
 
Max smiled up at his husband. "Well, tell him yes, Hon. And the quicker the better. You lose your rhythm when you answer calls while having sex."
 
Nathaniel laughed and returned to the call. "How about I drop by tomorrow evening if that's not too soon? We can spend the night confabbing."
 
Armel grinned. "Really? It's not an imposition?"
 
"Not at all. Make sure you invite John. He understands the human side of your old DNA tests
 far better than I do."
 
"Oh, that would be great," Armel said happily. The panda paused for a moment. "Can I ask you a personal question about John?"
 
"Sure, if you don't mind me telling you to talk to John about it instead of answering."
 
"You like him," the panda said, "a lot."
 
"That's not a question, Armel."
 
"I like him a lot, too."
 
"Still not a question, Armel."
 
"Is that going to be a problem?" The panda worried nervously in the silence that followed.
 
"Not for me, Armel. I like you a lot, too."
 
The silence came from the other side this time. Finally, the panda spoke. "Really?"
 
"I can tell how hard you're trying to adapt to a very unfamiliar world. It hasn't gone unnoticed."
 
"I have a long way to go," the panda said.
 
"We all do on one level or another, Armel," the short-faced bear replied. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Are we doing this at your place?"
 
"That's where the research is."
 
"Great, I've always wanted to see your home."
 
"You could bring your husbands if you'd like."
 
"It's only Max and me this week," Nathaniel said with a playful shove into the bear below him.
 
"You could bring him if you'd like."
 
"He'll just get horny watching us work and want to play. He thinks red pandas are about the cutest thing ever."
 
"Really?"
 
"We're talking Max here, Armel. If he thinks you're sexy and you're agreeable to it, he will find a way to have sex with you. It's like some unspoken challenge that he has to take on."
 
"You could stay overnight if you like."
 
"Armel, you little devil. Are you plotting more than research?"
 
"Would that be wrong? I don't have that many friends. Like you said, I'm trying to adapt."
 
Nathaniel laughed aloud. "Okay, Armel. The two of us will drop by around six tomorrow. Let that boat of yours know we're coming. We can discuss science after you and Max get better acquainted. If we have to, we'll take up our work the next day."
 
Goodbyes made, Armel hung up, elated. He smiled at Sybil. "I have a date, Sybil."
 
"So it would appear. What would you like for your supper beyond the two short-faced bears?"
 
The panda gave out an embarrassed groan. "Please don't tease me too much about this, Sybil. It's all I can do not to call them right back and cancel."
 
Sybil's metal head shook. "Nonsense, Dr. Jackson. You will be fine. Now, if you want to make this a true meeting of the minds, I suggest you return to working on your tests. The combination of Dr. Templeton and Dr. Kennedy will challenge your intellect and your body tomorrow. And Max is a force of nature that you have already seen. You best be prepared." The robot held up the vial again. "Shall we?"
 
Armel smiled at the robot. "Thank you, Sybil. Let's get back to work." He took the vial and joggled it, watching the centrifuged matter mix back together. He tapped his ComLink. "Ori, where is John?"
 
"He is in New York at the Bear Paws Tower," the polite voice of the AI answered.
 
"Is he working?"
 
"His proximity to Eric would lead me to believe otherwise." The AI waited for a response and, hearing none, asked, "Would you like me to ring his ComLink?"
 
Armel smiled. "No, that's okay, Ori. I'll call him a bit later. No reason to disturb his fun."
 
Sybil's LED's spread into a wide smile. "You're learning, Dr. Jackson. You're learning."
 
The doctor panda nodded. "When you dive into the deep end, you either learn to swim or you drown." 

The robot nodded in agreement. "But you will not drown, Dr. Jackson. Your family will not let you." The robot made something almost akin to a snicker. "And with the size of many of your family, you can use them as flotation devices."
 
Dr. Jackson laughed and then closed his eyes, seeing all the ways he could use the bodies of his family as flotation devices. A lecherous grin spread across his face as he took a few deep breaths and turned back to his work.
 
Chapter 17 
 
Dr. Wells watched the children playing with the giant tiger and smiled. "Okay, you all," he yelled, "ten more minutes, and you all come in and get dried off. Those storm clouds are coming in fast, and as strange as it sounds to tell a bunch of kids in a pond that I don't want you getting wet, those are my orders."
 
There was a collective disappointed groan from everyone, including the tiger. Dr. Wells pointed his finger at Tamil. "And you, handsome cat, I am relying on you to ensure play time ends on time."
 
Tamil looked up from where the children were climbing on top of his stomach and jumping off into the deepest end of the pond. When he bolted out of the water, the children spilled into the pond and came up laughing. "We are all out of the pool in ten minutes. Got it."
 
Everyone but a single boy who sat near the shallow end of the pond returned immediately to playing with each other. The tiger spun one child around. As the child spun, Tamil calculated his rotation, and at the right moment, the child flew into the deepest corner of the pond. The keen eyes of the tiger judged distance and trajectory with flawless precision.
 
The tiger picked up another child and tossed her into the air. When she came down, Tamil caught her and spun her around in a circle. The young girl was laughing and waving her arms as the two twirled, preparing for her launch into the deep end. Below, the pouting four-year-old boy stared angrily at the two, wanting to be a part of what he was not. His impatience got the better of him, and reaching over, he grabbed a browning, dead stem from one of the umbrella plants and yanked it free. He took the broken stem with its sharp point and drove it into the tiger's foot when it splashed into the shallow water next to him.
 
The boy set a chain of unalterable events in motion the instant the spike stabbed the tiger. A million years of instinct kicked in, and the claws extended as the young girl dropped into the water. The tiger's paw lashed out to push away the object of his pain. At the last moment, Tamil's beast surged forward past the instinct, and the cat tried to pull back. Too late, the boy careened into the shallowest edge of the pond. Tamil stared at the screaming young boy as the red color spread out over his torn t-shirt. "No," the tiger yelled as he splashed through the water and picked up the bleeding child.
 
Tamil turned to see the status of the little girl. Already the other children were checking on her safety, but none ventured close to the tiger. She motioned toward the door of the clinic. "T... t... take him t... t.. to the doctors. T... they c... c.. can help him. I'm okay."
 
Tamil ran toward the door and into the clinic, holding the child out in front of him. The wolf at the front desk immediately bolted up and jumped over the counter. "What happened, Tamil?" the panicked wolf asked.
 
"It was an accident," the tiger said. "Help him, please."
 
The wolf grabbed the screaming child. "Of course, Tamil. You stay here."
 
"But I want to be with Bobby," Tamil pleaded.
 
"He will be fine. Let's let the doctors help him. You sit here, and I'll return as soon as I can."
 
Tamil watched as the wolf ran down the hall with the child. The tiger's keen hearing picked up the commotion as wolves shifted to humans and doctors called out orders. But so much of what they said was beyond his understanding. The tiger fell to the floor, and his head dropped. Tamil did the only thing he felt he could do. He cried.
 
When a male and female human rushed in through the lobby door, Tamil instantly recognized them. He pointed toward the hallway. "Bobby is back there," he said.
 
"What happened, Tamil?" the mother asked. "We just got the call."
 
"I hurt him."
 
The father shook his head. "Come on, Honey, let's find out how he is."
 
Tamil rose. "You stay here, Tamil," the father ordered. The tiger knew the sound in the father's voice. He was not happy.
 
Tamil dropped back onto the floor, watching as the two humans ran down the hallway. Before long, the wolf at the reception desk returned. He came up to the tiger and lifted his head with his paw. "Bobby is going to be fine, Tamil."
 
"But the blood…" the cat questioned.
 
"You were playing in water. Blood spreads quickly on wet skin and fabric. Bobby's injury looked much worse than it was. A bit of wound sealer, and he's doing fine."
 
"I hurt him. I hurt Bobby."
 
"You did. Can you tell me what happened?"
 
"I hurt Bobby. Nothing else matters." The tiger's head bowed again. "I am still broken. The turning did not fix me."
 
The wolf sat next to the tiger and put his arms around the cat. "No, Tamil. You're not broken. You're very strong. All beasts are very strong. Sometimes it gets in the way of who we want to be."
 
"Have you hurt a child?"
 
"No, but then again, I have never had one stab me before."
 
"Who told you that?" the tiger asked. "Bobby did. He was crying more because of what he did to you than what you did to him." The wolf pulled his sideways hug in tighter. "He feels terrible that he hurt you. He wants to see you, Tamil. Bobby wants to say he's sorry."
 
"I want to say I'm sorry, too."
 
"Okay then," the wolf said as he stood back up and extended his hand to the tiger. "Let's go see him."
 
"That would be nice," the tiger said as he let the wolf pull him upright.
 
Inside the small room, Bobby sat on the exam table. The netting around his chest and stomach kept Tamil from seeing what he had done, but he knew what the bandaging meant. He knew he had hurt the child.
 
When the young boy saw the tiger enter the room, he began crying again, putting his arms out toward the tiger for a hug. Tamil knelt beside him and hugged the little boy. "Please don't cry, Bobby. I am sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to. Tigers are very strong, and sometimes that gets in the way of who I want to be. The wolf told me so."
 
"I di… di… didn't m… m… mean to hur… hurt you, T… T… Tamil," the young boy said. "I j… j… just want…. t… ted you t… t… to p… p… play with m… mmm… me."
 
The tiger shook his foot. "I am not hurt. My foot has already healed. What about you?"
 
"I w… w… will b… b… be f… f… fine."
 
Tamil felt the woman behind him press her hand against his back. "They're only surface cuts and a few scratches, Tamil. Bobby told us what he did. Please don't feel bad. I'm sorry for what happened."
 
"I am sorry too, mother of Bobby," the tiger said. "Can Bobby play with me when he is better?"
 
The father looked down at his son. "Not for some time, Tamil. A young man doesn't go hurting his friends because he's not getting the attention he wants, does he, young man?" the father said, looking at his son.
 
"N… n… no sir," Bobby answered.
 
"So what are you going to do instead of playing for the next month?"
 
"Ch… ch… chores."
 
The father looked at Tamil. "After the month is over, we'll see about letting him play in the pond. We might decide that his playtime is better spent reading to someone. His speech therapist suggests it would be helpful."
 
The tiger looked up at the father. "Could Bobby read to me? I have storybooks with lots of pictures."
 
The father smiled. "It won't interfere with the time you spend with the other children?"
 
"Bobby needs more time than the other children."
 
The father smiled. "That would be fine, Tamil. But not for another month, okay?"
 
"Okay," the tiger agreed. Tamil looked at boy. "I am sorry, Bobby. I am sorry for what I did, and I am sorry I can't see you for a month."
 
"M… mmm … me t… t… too."
 
"I will fix it, Bobby. I will fix it all."
 
"O… k… k… kay."
 
Tamil turned and left the room. As he stormed by the front desk, he was muttering to himself. "I will not be broken. I will fix this. Sometimes we are willing to hurt so we can become what we dream."
 
The wolf behind the reception desk looked up. "Come again, Tamil?" He asked.
 
"Nothing, Wolf," he said as the front doors opened, and he walked out into the rain.
 
Chapter 18
 
Katashi looked up from his mat and watched the clumsy movements of the dog in the kitchen. "Do you need help, my love?" he asked the dog.
 
Spackle turned. "No, I need to get used to this body. I won't do that if you take over every chore I try to do. You would think I would have adapted by now, but I am still a klutz."
 
Katashi bowed. "Perhaps we could practice one of the martial arts to increase your dexterity."
 
"I still get to go to tai chi class with the kids, right?" the other dog asked. "I know I'm clumsy, but I'm sure I'll get better,"
 
"It is one of your duties to be there to train with the children. However, I was considering something that the two of us could share. I was thinking of something more akin to tantric sex. Martial arts evolved from yoga. Tantric yoga teaches us that slow movements in sexual intercourse lead us to awareness and harmony in our bodies."
 
The dog in the kitchen stirred the steaming pot on the stove. "Okay, I'm game," Spackle said. "You're not suggesting sex just because you're horny, are you?"
 
"Does there need to be another reason?"
 
Spackle laughed. "No, not really. I only needed to know if I should put this meal on a slow simmer or turn it off."
 
"Let's wait until Tamil comes home and decide."
 
Spackle looked up from his cooking. "Where is he, by the way?"
 
"He is at the Anthony Wells Memorial Center," Katashi replied. "He is playing with the children today." The dog looked out the window at the pouring rain and the last of the day's light fading. "It is strange that on such a rainy evening he would still be playing outdoors."
 
"I'll give the Center a call," Spackle said. He tapped his ComLink and said, "Anthony Wells Memorial Center."
 
Ori's voice chimed in. "The center is closed, Spackle. Dr. Wells is still in residence. Would you like to speak to him?"
 
"That would be great, Ori," the dog replied.
 
"Hey, Spackle. How's it going?" Clifford asked.
 
"It's going well, but we were wondering if Tamil is there."
 
"No, he left hours ago," the doctor replied. He thought for a moment. "He's not with you?"
 
"No. Why do you ask that way?"
 
"We had a bit of a kerfuffle today. Tamil hurt one of our kids by accident. It's all smoothed over, and the parents and kids are fine with everything, but it was very upsetting to Tamil. I just figured he would head straight home to you two."
 
"No, he's not here."
 
"Perhaps he went walking to calm down. You know, a bit of alone time."
 
Spackle shook his head, even though he knew Dr. Wells couldn't see it. "That's not Tamil, Doc. He hates to be alone. He doesn't do long walks on the beach without someone beside him." The dog struggled to piece together a growing mystery. "Do you have a log-out time for him?"
 
"Sure, let me check the chip." Clifford brought up the day's front desk video looking for the tiger. He stopped when he saw the tiger crossing through the lobby on his way out. "Found him. He checked out at four twenty-six."
 
Spackle paused, doing the math. "That's over two hours ago, Doc. Can you give us anything else?"
 
"He looks upset in the video. He says something to Franklin on the way out. Do you want to hear it?"
 
"Well, I'm grasping at straws here, sure."
 
"Ori, video link to Spackle, please. Include audio," Dr. Wells requested. Spackle saw the recorded feed appear in front of him. The two watched the brief interaction as Katashi slipped behind his mate and watched as well.
 
The video clip was short. There was some mumbling as the tiger walked out of the hallway with his head bowed and his fists clenched. Franklin looked up from his work. "Come again, Tamil?"
 
"Nothing, Wolf," the tiger said as he walked past the camera.
 
"Can you enhance Tamil's audio when he comes around the corner, Doc?"
 
"Sure," Clifford replied as he ran his fingers across the screen, backing up the images to where the tiger turned the corner.
 
The three heard the words as the cat hissed them. "I will not be broken. I will fix this. Sometimes we are willing to hurt so we can become what we dream."
 
"Oh god," Dr. Wells blurted out. "Those are my words, Spackle. We were talking about how much the turning hurt, and I told him sometimes we're willing to hurt for something we dream of being."
 
"What happened today?" Katashi demanded in a voice that spoke a command rather than a question.
 
"He clawed a child. It was minor. Bobby is fine. His parents blamed Bobby for stabbing Tamil with a reed from the pond."
 
"Ori," Spackle yelled. "Locate Tamil."
 
"Tamil has requested not to be disturbed. He severed my contact with him."
 
"This is an emergency, Ori," Spackle said. "We need to find him."
 
"Tamil is in the Partridge Island forest. He is beneath the oak tree you use for play," the perfectly modulated female voice responded.
 
"What is he doing?"
 
There was a momentary pause. "He is lying on the ground." Another pause. "Tamil requested I stop all his monitoring. I have little information I can give you under the circumstances other than there is an emergency medical team by his side."
 
"Ori, can you override that request if a family asks in an emergency?" Katashi asked.
 
"Yes."
 
"Then override it, Ori. We're his family. We're the only one he has," Spackle said.
 
"Tamil's vital signs are extremely weak. A code red was issued for him, and response crews are on the scene. Security found him unconscious and bleeding twenty minutes ago."
 
"What?" Spackle yelled.
 
Never moderating her resonance, the calm voice replied. "I am sorry you were not informed. I was unaware of his condition. Gizmo was activated when security discovered him. Those caring for him didn't inform you because they have been preoccupied with trying to save Tamil's life. Would you like to talk to the paramedics?"
 
"YES!" Spackle bellowed.
 
The noise in the forest became immediately audible. Yelled commands between the crew spoke to the urgency of their work. "Get out of the way, Tim," the voice on the other side of the ComLink yelled. "Let the gurney do what it was made to do. Everyone, stand clear. We have to get him out of this rain and back to the hospital before he loses any more blood."
 
"Use Instaclot," Nathaniel's voice commanded from offsite.
 
"The cat has chewed the claws off his hands and feet, sir. The Instaclot doesn’t seem to work with Tamil. His blood physiology might not be compatible. We've got nanobots closing the wounds, but you know they don't work well out of a clinical setting. Whatever we do, we have got to get him out of the rain and mud. Hypovolemic shock just set in from the blood loss. He codes another time, and we're going to lose him."
 
"Then find the claws and use Regenoral to fuse them back onto the bone. We can deal with any infection after we stabilize him."
 
"We can't do that, Nathaniel," a female voice responded.
 
"Why the hell not, Stacey?" the increasingly agitated short-faced bear demanded.
 
"Because he refused to let the paramedics do so before he passed out. When they told Tamil they were preparing to reattach his claws, he made them promise not to. Oral advance directives legally bind our care. He said he wasn't broken anymore. That he couldn't live broken. "
 
Dr. Wells's voice came on the line. "The claws. He hurt a child with the claws. He's ripped them off to protect the innocent. Damn fool tiger, he's trying to live up to the laws of the Were Nation."
 
"But why would he tear them off?" Stacey asked.
 
"Because some idiot told him that sometimes we have to hurt to become what we dream," Dr. Wells replied.
 
"Who the hell would tell him that?" the short-faced bear yelled over his ComLink.
 
"His friend," Katashi interrupted. "This is not the time, Nathaniel. Where are you?"
 
"Max and I were staying at Armel's place for the night when I got the call. We're almost there; about five minutes out."
 
"He won't be alive when you get here. There's been too much blood loss. The rain kept his blood from clotting." The paramedic wolf growled his frustration. "It's not like we have any tiger blood in our banks, Dr. Templeton," the wolf said. "We're headed to Emergency, but we're running out of options, and by his orders, our hands are tied."
 
"But mine are not," Katashi yelled rushing from the Battery Observation Post. Everyone caught the words as the temple dog yelled up into the sky. "Where are you, Father?"
 
"I'm here, Son," Jiao-long roared. The voice came not from the bridged ComLinks, but from above the rescue crew racing behind the gurney as it entered the hospital. In the rainy sky over the Second Class Hospital, all space bent into a black sphere where a million stars glowed. The sphere bowed at one end, and the winged temple dog came crashing down on the top of the hospital with a polar bear over his shoulder.
 
The polar bear slipped off his brother and tapped his ComLink. "Get the boy here now," he commanded.
 
"He's already inside, sir," Stacey replied. "I'll be there as quickly as I can. Darrin is the surgeon on call tonight, so you've got our best to work with."
 
The bear calmed at the news. "Darrin, is the ER prepped?"
 
"All ready to go, Eric. Are you doing surgery on him, sir?"
 
"No, you're doing surgery on him, Dr. Peterson."
 
"He's already coded twice, Old Bear."
 
"That's my responsibility," the bear said. "Katashi, if you're not here with your khakkhara in one minute, I will have words with you when this is all over."
 
"Look down, Old Bear," the dog said.
 
Eric looked down off the hospital roof and saw Katashi rushing toward the hospital. In seconds, he was pushing through the hospital doors.
 
"Everyone, no slip-ups tonight," Eric said to all listening on their ComLinks. "We save this life we brought into our world." All heard the urgency in the voice of the old bear, and all rose to the task in front of them.

Chapter 19
 
Outside the operating room, Spackle paced. "What's taking them so long?" the frustrated temple dog asked.
 
Stacey put her arm around the large dog's waist and moved in close. "This is the life of your future mate they're dealing with. Do you really want them to rush things?"
 
Spackle turned to the hospital's CEO and smiled. "Thanks for putting this in perspective, Stacey. I forget sometimes that you all have a responsibility that takes longer than my patience."
 
Stacey smiled back. "My pleasure. Try not to worry, Spackle. If things were not going well, we would have heard from them a long time ago. The longer we wait, the better Tamil's chances are."
 
Inside the ER operating room, Darrin skillfully worked fusing bone with synthmetal. He looked up at the short-faced bear. "It's great being back together again," he said. "I mean, I realize the circumstances are horrible, but this brings back such happy memories for me. Here we are, the three of us working on a patient again. And just like the last time, he's family."
 
"Your skills have greatly improved, Darrin," the polar bear said as his glowing paw rested on Katashi's shoulder. The bear's green light filtered through the metal circles of the temple dog's staff and bathed the tiger in a warm glow.
 
The doctor chuckled. "It's been a couple of hundred years, Eric. I would hope so."
 
"Nevertheless, I am impressed," the white bear said.
 
"He's one standout of so many in our hospital," Nathaniel said as he passed the nano-sutures to the doctor.
 
Dr. Peterson took a deep breath, letting the nanorobots seal up the wound and fuse flesh to the synthmetal. "There… he's all back together again. And we kept our promise. The cat has no claws, but at least he'll be able to hold a fork and walk without a limp."
 
"What are those pieces of metal on his paws?" Katashi asked.
 
"They're prosthetic fingers. The synthmetal is a composite with much the same strength as bone but a bit more pliable. I modified them so that they work like retractable claws. Tamil needs that flexibility to maintain balance and to walk and run."
 
"But they are not claws?" the temple dog asked.
 
"No, sir," Darrin said. "We gave him our word. I used extra large human thumb replacements because they're the closest match to his claw size and configuration. A bit of a bend here and there, fusing the joints to ensure they hold their shape, and we're as good as new. Better, because he has no claws. Once he's had a bit of recovery time, the nanorobotics in place will generate flesh to cover the synthmetal. We lay in a bit of grafting fur around the base, and if he ever extends them again, he'll basically poke someone with a pudgy finger."
 
"I am grateful for your skill and understanding, Dr. Peterson."
 
Darrin pointed everyone to the door. "Why don't we let the gurney get him off to the ICU?" He turned to the surgical nurses cleaning up. "Are you good to take care of things?" They gave a nod. "Thanks for everything you did. I couldn't have done it without you." The nurses smiled past their masks and returned to their work next to Tamil.
 
The doctor walked through the sliding glass doors. He took off his gown, and with a shake became a wolf. "I could use a break and a cup of coffee," he said to the three who followed him. "You join me, and whatever you want is my treat. But we should discuss where we go from here."

Chapter 20 

Inside the Midnight Dinner, Carl and Frank moved about the crowded room waiting on the emergency crew. They tried their best to afford the doctors and the two temple dogs as much privacy as they could muster. 

"Sorry for the crowds," Carl apologized as he picked up the empty cups of coffee in front of the bears. "The commissary is just as bad. When Gizmo calls a red alert anywhere on this planet, the population of wolves goes up by at least thirty. Toss thirty trauma wolves onto this island, and everyone is up all night until they hear the all clear."
 
"It's fine, Carl," Eric said. "Have you seen my brother?"
 
"He was in earlier. He said something about tucking the dragons in and going home," Carl said as he turned toward the kitchen, paused, and then turned back. "Oh, and he told me to give you this Katashi," the wolf said, leaning in and giving the dog an extended kiss.
 
When they separated, Katashi smiled. "And did he tell you to fondle my genitalia?"
 
"Nope, that was my idea."
 
"I like your ideas, Carl," the dog said, returning the smile. "Perhaps we should invite you and your husband over to be dinner someday soon."
 
"We’ll look forward to it," that wolf said with a snicker. "Tell Tamil when he wakes up his job will be ready for him to return. Until then, you two take good care of him, okay?"
 
"That has always been our intention."
 
Carl leaned in and kissed the other dog. "It's been a hell of a night. I'm glad it's morning in an hour." He kissed the polar bear and stood back up.
 
"I am, too," Eric said as he rose from his chair. "Katashi, when Tamil is doing better, can you three make a brief trip to Montana?"
 
"Who will tend to our dragons and teach our children tai chi?"
 
"My brother needs to spend more time with his Terran family. I will be happy to press him into service."
 
"Tamil meant no harm, Ancient One. He was trying to live our laws as best he knew how."
 
"I understand that, Katashi. This is not to scold him or to call his choices into question. This is to introduce him to more of his family. Tamil needs to understand there is nowhere on earth he will not be welcomed and cared for. He needs to realize he can come to us before he chooses any action so extreme. We must teach him he can ask for help anytime without fear of reproach."
 
"I would appreciate your assistance in helping him learn that lesson," the dog said with a bow.
 
"Me too, Old Bear," Spackle said.
 
"Come on, you two. Let me show you to your bed for the night," Nathaniel said as he stood. "We put Tamil on one of the ICU's large beast beds. If we push another bed up against it, you two can cuddle up close. When he wakes, you'll be beside him. I think that will be the best thing we can do to speed his recovery."
 
Spackle jumped up. "You're the greatest, Nathaniel. Thanks for everything tonight."
 
"Let's not do it again, okay?"
 
"Sounds good to me," Spackle said.
 
Katashi pushed his chair back and rose. "Could we take a walk together before I retire to bed, Ancient One?" he asked the polar bear. "The anxieties of this evening have left my emotions rather frayed."
 
Eric put out his hand. "Of course."
 
As the two walked along the pathways past the cemetery, the silence between the two finally broke. "You were right, Ancient One. My hubris nearly cost Tamil his life."
 
The bear stopped and took both of the dog's hands in his. "No, Katashi, I was wrong. I worried the changes would come too fast and be too difficult. What Tamil did last night was an error in judgment, but he did it with good intent. He is learning, Dog. Our tiger is learning how to be responsible for his actions. Tamil is learning what it means to protect the innocent. Those lessons are far more complicated than I thought him capable of understanding."
 
"I did not teach him well enough to trust me when he has problems that are difficult for him."
 
"Then those are lessons for another day, Katashi." The bear leaned in and kissed his old friend. "There are lessons we all need to learn and relearn throughout our lives. I found one who can help me use what is in me without breaking my vows. Tonight I saved the life of a tiger. One day, that tiger will be the mate of a dog I love. I learned a truth about myself and about my family that I should have always known. I can't fault Tamil for an oversight that I am guilty of as well."
 
"Then our union will not be challenged?"
 
"Not by me. You said it before, Katashi. There are too many people in this world searching to belong; hoping to feel connected. Tamil feels that with you. I apologize I didn't see until tonight  you feel the same way toward him. It goes beyond just a sense of obligation, doesn't it?"
 
"We have a shared history. I hope to share a better future with him."
 
The bear hugged the dog. "Go on then, Dog," Eric said. "Start making that future with him. Make sure you're by his side when he wakes."
 
"Your powers, Ancient One," the dog said with an unasked question in his voice.
 
"I'm ready, Katashi. If I'm to be the Changeling everyone thinks I'm meant to be, the training wheels need to come off someday. I think I realized that last night."
 
"Not until the day you agree with everyone else. Our opinions might matter, but it is your heart that must guide you. Until your heart senses the need to become what we believe you to be, there is no need to test those ideas."
 
"I appreciate everyone's patience. I'm still learning so much from my parents and those around me."
 
"As we are from you, Ancient One," the dog replied as he turned back toward the hospital. He paused, and without turning, he added, "Tamil will need his family more than most. This world is new to him, and finding his place in it is difficult for him. The greatest lesson he will learn… the greatest lesson any of us can learn… is who to turn to when that world comes crashing down on us. I am comforted knowing my family can turn to you, Old Bear."
 
No words were spoken beyond that moment, yet inside the head of the bear, so many thoughts spun around trying to sort themselves out. He watched as the temple dog began a lumbering walk back toward the other side of the island. When he disappeared over the crest of the hill, Eric turned and watched the searchlights cast their glow over the choppy waters of Fundy Bay.
 
The polar bear walked back to a secluded section of the cemetery and found the stone with six red wolves' names carved on it and rubbed it lovingly. "I miss you, old friends," the bear said. "There was a time when I could come to you with any problem, any question, and you would be there for me." The bear's paw let go of the stone. "A part of me died that day with you. I lost so much trust in everything. I grew hesitant to ask others to help me. What happened to you when I asked you to help scarred me. I grew afraid of asking anyone I loved to be there for me again.
 
"But the old wolf wouldn't let me live my life that way. He stayed beside me in such trying circumstances, and never once did he turn away. And I began believing again that I could ask someone I loved to be beside me, to help guide me, to share all my secrets — until Vietnam. The strongest man I have ever met was crushed under the burden of trying to love who I am. Who I am takes a toll on those I love. It asks too much of them to be by my side. So much sacrifice from everyone I ever loved to be next to a bear that guards what he never wanted."
 
The bear wiped a paw across his eyes. "But last night, I saw what comes of thinking any of us can keep who we are from altering the lives of everyone around us. I can't hide who I am and let others suffer from my fears. Tamil could have died last night because he tried to protect his family from who he was. The only outcome of that thinking was his actions left his entire family wondering where they went wrong. That tiger has a perfect excuse for making a mistake in judgment. He's still a newborn. He's too young to realize how far this family will go for each other. It's tough for me to plead ignorance.
 
"What made me think I had to hold on to these powers without asking my family to help me? Who did I think I was protecting?" The bear sat down on the grass and rubbed the stone in front of him again. "I love a pup and a badger with more wrapped up inside them than anything I carry. What do I teach them by hiding everything inside me like it's some sort of curse?"
 
The polar bear sensed the furry, bulky body towering behind him fall to the ground and push his legs out around the white bear. "Hi, Dad," he said as he pulled the brown arms around his chest and held them tight.
 
"Hello, Son," Kris replied. "I've come to take you home." The brown bear hugged the white bear and kissed the back of his neck. "It's nice to hear you asking the questions your mom and I have waited so long for you to ask."
 
"Why hasn't anyone just smacked me upside my head and told me?"
 
"Oliver suggested it a few times."
 
The polar bear laughed. "God, I love that badger." The polar bear kissed the brown paws he held. "Thank you for letting me find my way."
 
"It's your burden, Son; your gift. We couldn't tell you what path to take. You needed to find a way to be at peace with who you are."
 
"That day may never come."
 
The Kodiak squeezed the polar bear. "I understand. None of us wants you to be comfortable with the powers your brothers gave you. We only want you to be okay with being the one who holds them. They can't go out into the void without serious consequences. The powers had to find a source to manifest themselves. I'm sorry, so sorry, it's you, Son, but I'm glad they found you as their chosen vessel."
 
"So, do you think the prophecy is coming true?"
 
"I do, Son," the brown bear replied. "Remember, the only difference between the Sight and prophecy is that one has an eerie ability to come true. What we always called prophecy is just us hoping that there was some wiggle room in the future coming at us."
 
Eric nodded. "I still hope that, Dad."
 
"Me too, but I think it's time we realized the ones we love are stepping up to take their place beside us. It's time we do the same for them."
 
"Yeah, maybe that's what I'm admitting to myself," the polar bear said with a sigh. "I was hoping to protect them from me. Now I realize it only made them run faster toward me because they saw the void I left by not taking my place in all of this."
 
The Kodiak laughed. "We married well, Husband."
 
The polar bear kissed the paws he held once more. "We did. I did. That includes you, Dad."
 
"I'm honored to be by your side," Kris said as he rubbed the chest of the polar bear.
 
"Form feet and legs."
 
"It's always been our job, Son. We understand what they are only now beginning to realize. Our attempts to avoid who we are only make matters more complicated down the line."
 
"How does Mom feel about it?"
 
"She seems content with her place in this."
 
"Mom seems to enjoy having the only two beasts in our family that are uncomfortable with females in her triad."
 
Kris laughed. "She loves the irony of it all. And she loves them both. They're in excellent hands, and, in turn, so is she."
 
"So, two of the three pylons are set into place without most even realizing it's happening. Where is the third supposed to come from?"
 
Kris shrugged his furry brown shoulders. "I don't know. The first two were a mystery to me until I saw Gaia out in the field with Pup and Oliver. Then your relationship with Donovan, and by default, Adam, became clear. We three form the second pylon."
 
"I hope Will skirts around all of this somehow," Eric said.
 
"I do too, Son, but you realize wherever you go, he will be by your side. It doesn't matter what you or he might become. He will never let another Vietnam come between you two."
 
The polar bear nodded. "I know. Sometimes, the knowing only makes it harder to accept the challenge."
 
"There is a time of peace now, Son. Perhaps you should try to enjoy the calm before the storm."
 
Eric made a sad chuckle. "You're right, Dad. I guess I'll be spending more time in Tibet now."
 
The brown bear pulled his wrapped arms tight and lifted the polar bear as he stood. "Perhaps it's time the Montana ranch saw some new construction. A temple would be nice. Some dragons can live in the high desert, right?"
 
"Not much there to nibble on for the vegetarians, and I'm pretty sure Chet would have a word or two to say if any of the winged fliers developed a taste for bison."
 
"The bison herds deal with predators all the time. Wolves, cougars; one more apex predator won't hurt. And you know the dragons. They're willing to work with us over their dietary needs."
 
The polar bear sighed. "I guess it would be nice having temple dogs living in the neighborhood."
 
"Training would be easier on you, that's for sure."
 
"No," the polar bear said, shaking his head. "It would be more intense. And we would need to tell the others why it's happening. Some very dark secrets would come out of the shadows, Dad."
 
"As they should, Son," the brown bear agreed. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
 
"And those who had nothing to do with that past shouldn't suffer for it," Eric said as he gave one last pat to the stone marker in front of him.
 
"But they often do, Son. That is why Adam is so insistent on writing a history of our people. The Were Nation also needs to learn their history before their world existed. When the time is right, we need to teach them. They're growing into powers much earlier than we did. Let's do our best to make sure they avoid the pitfalls we stumbled over."
 
The polar bear wrapped his arms around the brown bear and they kissed. "So, are you taking me home, Bear?" Eric asked.
 
"Yeah, but not until tomorrow. I hitched a ride with Tiff and Tuff when I heard about what happened to Tamil. Perhaps we can visit him together as a family before we head out."
 
"I think he would like that. So, do we grab a room at the hotel or snag a vacant gunnery apartment?"
 
"This morning, I don't feel like sleeping, Husband. I realize you're tired, so I'll do all the heavy lifting, but what say we go find ourselves somewhere out in the forest?"
 
The polar bear smiled shyly. "The island opens up to human traffic at ten. That's less than four hours away."
 
The Kodiak rubbed his paws together. "Oh, wonderful. I love doing it when we're forced to be quiet. That makes it challenging."
 
"I married a pervert."
 
"Yeah, you did," Kris said with a wicked grin. "But then, so did I."
 
The polar bear grabbed the paw of the brown bear and pulled him toward the forest.

Chapter 21
 
Dr. Wells pulled up the brain scan. The two temple dogs watched as the brain rotating before them began peeling away layer by layer into cross sections. "This is Tamil. He's amazing. His brain is much larger than before. That means he made a conscious effort in the middle of one of the most painful experiences we go through to improve his brain."
 
Katashi nodded. "He is an exceptional individual."
 
"Yes, he is," the doctor agreed. "What he tried to do was quite successful, but a larger tiger brain isn't the same as a larger human brain. Tamil is much, much smarter and more capable of learning than he was before."
 
"But?" Spackle asked.
 
"He has the developmental abilities of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old. Most of his skills fall somewhere around the eighth-grade level."
 
"That is remarkable, isn't it, Doctor?" Katashi said, not as a question but as a statement that required the doctor's confirmation.
 
"Yes, it's amazing. He can learn so much within the context of what he has become. But there will also be areas of our understanding that he will never quite grasp."
 
"Thanks for the heads up, Doc," Spackle said.
 
"I wanted you to understand that. He is so close to being where any young adult would be in his capacities, but that's where the struggle lies. Under pressure, he may fall back to a lower level of understanding. He may need the same repetitive training that you've dealt with before. But the chief concern going forward is he will struggle with his place in the Were Nation. We are affectionate, as is he, but he will need guidance to understand the nature of that affection. There is a fine line between consent and abuse, and Tamil needs those lines drawn much more clearly than they are drawn for us."
 
"The two of us should be able to help him draw those lines," Spackle answered. "We are committed to his safety and care."
 
"I know, Spackle. I'm not calling that into question. It's just that Tamil's growth will be so fluid. His mind will be constantly seeking to order and understand his world, but there will be many times when that's just not possible. Those times are going to be frustrating for him, and on some days, it's going to be very frustrating for you two as well."
 
Dr Wells tapped the screen. The 3-D image of the brain was replaced by a 3-D image of Tamil. The doctor's paw reached out and rubbed the tiny tiger's arm, as he had often done to the larger version in real life. "What I'm trying to say, gentlemen, is that the man you love is giving one hundred percent of what he has almost every minute of his life. He is struggling so hard to be what he thinks you want him to be, and he will never stand down from that challenge."
 
Spackle smiled. "I understood that from the first moment we met."
 
Dr. Wells returned the smile. "I figured as much. But sometimes we forget. We have a bad day. We're trying to get something across, and he just doesn't get it. It's like slamming up against a wall that you can't seem to break through. Whatever it is, always remember that Tamil is giving all he has. If someone isn't trying hard enough, it isn't him."
 
Spackle nodded. "Point taken, Doctor."
 
Katashi nodded his understanding as well. "He will never hear that he's not trying hard enough from us, Doctor."
 
"Nor me," Clifford responded. "But he will hear it from others who carelessly voice their frustration. It will be up to those of us who love Tamil to comfort him when he believes he is not good enough to be in our company. We need to help him become strong enough to be confident that his place in this world is secure. We must teach to be proud that he is the most intelligent tiger in the world instead of the slow individual he sees himself as."
 
"Is that possible?" Spackle asked. "He's very aware of his limitations, and he sees them as a flaw."
 
"Well, temple dog," the doctor said, looking at Spackle, "I believe a major part of your belief system is to accept what is rather than bemoan what isn't."
 
Spackle laughed. "I have much to learn, Clifford. One day I will understand what my husband already does. But for the time being, don't let this yellow coat fool you. I am a novice in almost every field of study the temple dogs teach."
 
Dr. Wells looked confused. "I thought you acquired a shared memory when you made the change, like the newborn Changelings."
 
Spackle nodded. "I did. And just like the Changelings, there is still much I need to learn despite that acquired memory. The temple dogs believe that acquired memory is never appreciated as deeply as learned truths. I see the wisdom in that belief, but I can't say I am thrilled at what it obligates me to learn on my own."
 
The doctor wolf waved his hand, and the image of Tamil disappeared. "When he is better, it might be wise to talk to a specialist. Tamil might benefit from a doctor whose focus is genetics. Tamil's needs go beyond my training, gentlemen. A specialist may see paths I miss."
 
"We would appreciate whatever help we get," Spackle said. "As long as Tamil is agreeable to the meetings, we'll be fine. I'm not sure I want him worrying that what he did is going to make him someone's test case for life."
 
"Agreed," the doctor said. "But there is still so much to learn about that tiger. I'm glad he has you two to watch over him."
 
Katashi made a bow. "We are grateful for your confidence. If you will excuse us now, we best be off to the hospital to visit with him."
 
"Of course, of course," the doctor said, ushering them to the front of the clinic. When the two dogs had walked out of view, the wolf shook his head. "There's so much we don't understand. We are on a path with no guideposts," he said to himself. "The Were Nation has adopted a child that may never grow up. A one-ton, twelve-foot-tall child with fangs."
 
Clifford turned back toward the clinic and stared up at the sign. The words Anthony Wells Memorial Speech Pathology Center carved in green glass glistened in the light. He laughed to himself. "But then that's what we do, isn't it, Brother?" he said aloud. "We take what the world gives us, and we cobble a family out of it." He reached up and tapped the name Anthony in the clinic's title. "I miss you. I wish you could see what came of your sacrifice. We've helped so many children, and now we have a tiger in our family. A tiger, Anthony. Who could have imagined it?"
 
Clifford looked back at the door and saw his husband standing in the doorway. The last of the sunlight filtered through the glass doors. "I bet Anthony would have seen it coming and been all over it," Kirk said, smiling at his mate. "Come on, Hon, let's go home."
 
Dr. Wells nodded. "It's been a rough few days. I could use a break from it all."
 
The Yukon wolf grabbed his mate and pulled him back toward the door. "And that is why you married me, Doctor. I am your break from it all tonight."
 
"I love you," Dr. Wells said as he leaned onto Kirk's shoulder. He began his walk toward the door. "Lights," he said, and the lights dimmed. The two wolves walked out into the evening toward home.
 
Chapter 22
 
"It goes on forever, Wolfy," Tamil said, amazed as he looked out across the Montana landscape surrounding the pool.
 
"It does that, Tamil," Derrick agreed. He dipped under the water for a moment to wet down his fur. When he came back up, he pointed to the west. "Most everything up to those big hills in the distance belongs to Eric. He's the white bear you met."
 
"I remember Eric," the tiger said. "He helped keep me alive when I tore out my claws."
 
"That's him," Derrick confirmed. "There are homes out there in the distance. He takes care of those who live there, and they help him take care of everything around us."
 
"Do wolves live in the homes?"
 
"There are wolves in some homes. There are humans as well, and their families. You met some of them yesterday. The ranch employs hundreds of people. We all help each other. We all understand that when things get difficult, there are others we can turn to."
 
"That's why I'm here, Wolfy. Eric told me the same thing. I promise I will not hurt myself ever again. I made a mistake, and I scared Father and Spackle. Everyone was scared. I promise I will ask my family for help if I need it."
 
"Well then," the wolf sighed, "meeting all those people seems to be a good thing."
 
"I'm sorry that I don't remember their names."
 
"Most of us have a hard time with names, Tamil. You'll learn the names of those who are closest to you. You remember who Carl and Frank are, right?"
 
Tamil smiled. "They're my bosses," the tiger said proudly, "and my friends. Did I tell you I still have my job when I go home? They said they're keeping it warm for me. I didn't have the heart to tell them it's hot enough using the dishwasher."
 
Derrick laughed. "Sometimes bosses forget what it's like to be working on the cleanup crew."
 
Tamil nodded. "Yeah, they do." There was a calm quiet for a time, and the two listened to the birds chirping in the trees surrounding them. Tamil rubbed his feet with his paws, making the water ripple outward. "Dr. Peterson was very nice to give me fingers for my paws. He says they're fingers, not claws. It's strange to have fingers that come out of my fingers, but he says that's what they are."
 
"Yeah, that is weird," the black wolf agreed. "How are they working out?"
 
"I like them, except for one thing."
 
"What's that?"
 
"Dr. Peterson said I can't change back to my small tiger ever again. He said he made the fingers only for me and the size that I am."
 
"That makes sense, Tamil. He made them out of a kind of soft metal. They will always be the size they are."
 
"I get that. But Father told me that one day he would show me how to become the little tiger again. He said it was inside me. Now, I feel bad that he will have to live inside me forever."
 
"I'm sorry to hear that, Tamil," Derrick said.
 
"Wolfy?" the rotund tiger asked.
 
"Yes, Tamil?"
 
"Could you fix me?"
 
"None of us think you're broken, Tamil," the wolf replied. "I am not changing you because you're different from what you want to be." The wolf shook, and a corpulent man with a beard stood before the tiger. "This is who I was the day I turned, Tamil. It is who I will always be because even if I could change it, what took its place wouldn't be me. I hated being fat. I hated being me. But I learned somewhere along the line, some things make us who we are, things that are better left unchanged."
 
Derrick rubbed his rounded, smooth belly. "For me, accepting this body was one thing I needed to learn. I had to learn that it was who I was and that it was fine to be fat no matter what society said. The men who mean the most to me love me the way I am. I had to realize that they were right about me, and I was wrong."
 
The tiger stared at the naked man and smiled. "I agree with the men who love you. For a human, you are beautiful. I like all your roundness."
 
Derrick laughed. "Yeah, over the years, I've noticed my taste in men has started leaning toward those with roundness."
 
"Like a tiger that isn't a tiger?"
 
Derrick nodded. "Like a tiger that isn't a tiger. So, do you understand why I won't fix your brain? I don't believe your brain needs fixing."
 
"Not my brain, Wolfy. Doctors are helping me with that. Everyone told me if I had a problem, I should talk to my family and let them help me. You fixed my broken penis. Could you make my fingers so they could be small if the little tiger inside me wanted to visit your little human one day?"
 
"I like the big tiger."
 
Tamil nodded. "I like the big me, too. But Katashi said he would teach me how to let the little tiger out. I don't think Katashi ever teaches me anything that isn't very, very important."
 
Derrick's lip curled in thought. "You're right there. If I give you fingers that will change with your size, can you live with them and never tell a soul? If they ask you, you can tell them, but if they don't ask, don't tell." Derrick paused, hearing the words he spoke. "Never mind, Tamil. You can tell anyone you want. But we live with this choice, right?"
 
Tamil smiled and nodded even more enthusiastically.
 
"Then it's done," the black wolf said.
 
"It is?" the tiger asked.
 
"Yep. You might have some new sensations for a while. The old fingers didn't have any nerves in them. Your new ones do."
 
The tiger raised his paw and stared as the fingers that looked remarkably like claws snapped in and out of his paw. He smiled. "They seem different. They feel like me." He paused, staring at them, and then frowned. "Wolfy, they look like claws."
 
"They're not," Derrick responded. He reached out his paw and rubbed one digit. "These are too blunt and too soft to be used as weapons. They're only hard enough to help support you when you walk and run. But they look the way they should instead of like strange-looking fingers."
 
"But I could think of them like fingers if I wanted to? I don't like thinking of them as claws."
 
"I don't see why you can't. They're not that much different from what you had before, and we called those fingers."
 
Tamil sat quietly next to the wolf for a time and then turned to him. "Would you like to test my new fingers and see if they feel good to you?"
 
Derrick smiled as he shifted back into his wolfen form. "Tamil, are you asking me to have sex with you?"
 
"Yes. Is it working?"
 
The wolf wrapped his arms around the tiger and pulled him toward the shallow end of the pool. "Yeah, Tamil, it's working."
 
The tiger's new fingers were even better than the cat imagined they would be. Sensations crept through Tamil's fingers, up his arms, and caused a pleasurable shiver throughout his whole body. They became even more fun when a rowdy group of bears, wolves, and two dogs cannonball-dived into the pool to join them.
 
Chapter 23
 
"Hi, Clifford," Dr. Kennedy said with a wave toward the screen. "What can I do for you?"
 
"I have a bit of a challenge for you, John. My genetic expertise is at its limit trying to help Tamil. I was wondering if you might step in and take a look."
 
"Is there a reason we need to know more about Tamil than we already do?" John asked. Armel looked up from his work at the mention of Tamil's name.
 
"Tamil thinks he's slow. It bothers him."
 
"Aren't we better off helping him be content with who he is?"
 
Armel waved his paws, trying to get John's attention. John tapped his ComLink and put it on speaker so the panda could listen in.
 
Clifford gave a nod out of habit. "Of course, of course. But in Tamil's eyes, doctors fix so many other problems. He has asked us to help him. He's in Montana right now. They're teaching him to come to us when he needs help. He sees some of the doctoring community as helpmates. When he comes back, could you visit with him? Even if you don't see any genuine hope for change, it might help if another doctor told him that. Especially a cute wolf doctor. He's got a thing for wolves."
 
John looked at Armel, who put his paws together in pleading. "Okay, I'm willing to meet with him. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him since his turning."
 
"He's a big boy, just like his father," Dr. Wells said with a chuckle.
 
"Damn," Dr. Kennedy sighed. "You know I have a soft spot for the big ones."
 
"I've heard that. That's why I called you instead of Dr. Schneider."
 
John laughed. "Well, I'll talk to him, but if you want someone who can read his genome inside and out, I should ask Armel to tag along." John smiled when Armel mouthed the words thank you.
 
"I know Armel is struggling with this new world of his," Dr. Wells said. "I didn't want to add any more to his plate without asking you first."
 
"No," John replied. "We need to challenge him. This is his world now, and we are his family. He needs to find a place in it where he feels needed."
 
Clifford leaned into his desk. "Okay. If you think he's an asset, bring him along."
 
"Have you seen his asset?" John said with a grin.
 
Dr. Wells laughed out loud. "Yeah, I have. Grope it for me when you see him next. See if he's up to the challenge of having a tiger in his life. Maybe he can find something to help Tamil out."
 
"I don't know that he needs any help, Clifford."
 
"Not in my opinion, but if you two say the same thing, then we will end the testing and let Tamil live a life without all the poking and prodding." Dr. Wells considered his word choices for a moment. "Well, he loves having wolves poke and prod him, but not as a part of any testing."
 
It was Dr. Kennedy's turn to laugh aloud. "I get where he's coming from. I'll touch base with the three of them and see if they'll let us drop by for a visit. But first, I better make sure Armel is up for visitors at his castle. If we're going to delve into Tamil's genome trying to find a way to help, at some point, it will have to be at the castle. That's where the testing gear is."
 
"I'll let you go then," Clifford said. "Please keep me in the loop."
 
"Will do," John replied. He tapped his ComLink, and the call ended. He looked at the panda seated next to him. "So, why all the excitement over Tamil, Hon?"
 
"Ori says he's sentient."
 
"He is."
 
"But he's a tiger."
 
"And one with the chi of a Changeling flowing through his veins. He's no ordinary tiger."
 
"I don't believe in mystical things like chi," the panda said as he put down his work.
 
"Call it what you will," John replied, "the tiger has been alive for over a hundred years and speaks both Changeling and English. You can tell me there's no such thing as Changeling chi when you can explain all those abilities through science. At any rate, he lives with two temple dogs on Partridge Island. And I promised to take you there to visit with him." John paused. "I realize you're busy with your own projects, but you seem interested, and I could use your help on this one."
 
The hook was set. John reeled Armel in without a fight. John had asked him for help, and Armel couldn't resist the wolf or the thrill of working alongside him. Besides, from the instant Ori mentioned the tiger, Armel wanted to meet the beast.
 
"If you haven't heard already, Tamil isn't just a tiger anymore," John added.
 
"What is he now?"
 
"Katashi turned him. A Changeling named Kantrava made a promise to Tamil hundreds of years ago that one day he would be his mate. The humans killed Kantrava, but Katashi is preparing to keep that promise to Tamil. Turning Tamil was a part of that promise. We have no clue yet what our Changeling DNA overwrote in Tamil and what remains a tiger."
 
Armel's eyes widened at the prospects. "Wow. How did that happen?"
 
"It's a complicated story, and it's only now beginning. I'll tell you over lunch if you'd like to join me today. Clifford sent over an info packet with the call. We can look at it together."
 
Armel looked at his work and then back at John. He weighed his options. For the first time in his life, he chose to interact with another instead of his work. "I'd like that. The two of us don't see enough of each other without a workstation between us. My work isn't going anywhere, anyway. Perhaps taking a break will give me a fresh perspective."
 
The wolf stared at the panda. "WHO ARE YOU, and what have you done with Armel?" he demanded.
 
The panda looked away shyly. "Don't tease me, John. I'm changing and it's not always comfortable. It comes at me in something like waves. One day I'm who I always have been, and the next an emotion I've never had before pushes me to change everything I've ever been. I might not see you as a wolf yet, but I know work isn't the most important thing to me anymore. You are."
 
John was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Armel. I was trying to be funny. We're all aware of how difficult these changes are for you, but I forget how much change you're going through moment to moment."
 
"It was kind of funny. I'm still working on humor as a social skill."
 
"Shall we go have lunch?"
 
Armel nodded. He turned to the robot working at her station. "Sybil, would you like to have lunch with John and me? You should be in on this if a tiger is going to come and visit us."
 
John closed his eyes and let the words sink in. Armel had just chosen to involve another in a way he never did. He wanted to create a group that he could work with instead of cloistering himself away in his endeavors.
 
"I would like that a great deal, Dr. Jackson," the robot replied.
 
Armel felt a hug from behind. He realized it was a wolf, but it felt like the corpulent man he had known for years. "I love you, Panda," the wolf whispered in his ear.
 
Armel struggled with the words he desperately wanted to be true. "I love you, too, Wolf."
 
John smiled. "One day, Panda. One day you'll see me," he thought to himself.
 
Armel smiled back. "One day, Wolf," he thought to himself. "One day I will see you."
 
Sybil watched the two staring into each other's eyes. One beast hoping to see. One beast hoping to be seen. Their divergent worlds were growing closer. As the robot turned and rolled toward the door, she, too, smiled.
  
Chapter 24
 
Sybil rolled up into the Gray Wolf and looked around the airship. Takeo approached her, gesturing back toward the wall. "I'm afraid we don't have seating arrangements for some of our more interestingly configured passengers. We fitted the walls of the cargo area with restraints. We transport temple dogs this way all the time."
 
The robot's head turned toward the wall. "That will be fine. Will you be kind enough to show me how the restraints work?"
 
Takeo nodded. "Of course. It's a tradition of sorts for us to help the temple dogs in and out of the restraints. It involves more than a normal amount of hugging, but that's because they're cuddly. If you prefer, I can show you how to operate the restraints yourself."
 
"But then I don't get the hugs?"
 
"That's true."
 
Sybil considered her options for a moment and looked at Armel. "I would appreciate you buckling me in. Hugs are an important part of the Were Nation. I may be less cuddly than the temple dogs, but I wish to be as much a part of your lives as I can be."
 
Takeo grinned. "Slide yourself back against the wall between any of the striped beams, and I'll do the rest. Turning on the restraints can be difficult for the one buckling in."
 
In short order, Sybil had her hugs and was secured up against the wall. Takeo looked at Armel. "So, good doctor, are we hugging you today, or would you like to fasten your restraints on your own?"
 
Armel looked at the thin Asian man before him and then back at Sybil. He realized what she had done. She was acting as his mentor, and he understood the lesson she was teaching him. "I'll be fine turning on my safety harness, but I would still like the hug."
 
Takeo grinned again. "That's the spirit, Doctor. Come here." The wolf Armel couldn't see extended his arms as he squatted down. Armel walked into the hug, comforted that it was even more enjoyable than expected.
 
The panda's hug finished, Takeo hugged John. John looked up at the front of the airship. "What about you, Daisuki?" he asked the pilot.
 
"At the controls, Handsome," the Hokkaido wolf replied. "Strict rules about groping and driving."
 
"Really?" The timber wolf laughed. "I seem to remember an affair with an old wolf and a portly Asiatic bear that is only whispered in certain circles."
 
Daisuki spun around in his captain's chair and stared at Dr. Kennedy. "Will promised he would never tell," he blurted out. Had the wolf been able to blush, Daisuki would have been beet red.
 
"He's kept his word. But you forgot to swear that unassuming bear to secrecy. It was one of the most exciting and cherished moments of Marcus's life, Daisuki. Don't begrudge him telling a few of his closest friends how wonderful you two are."
 
Daisuki huffed out an exasperated breath. "I suppose it was going to get out eventually. Come, give me a hug." He extended his arms without releasing his restraints, and John happily obliged the Hokkaido wolf's request.
 
Within moments, the Gray Wolf lifted off the helipad on Heart Island and sped into the sky. Only minutes later, it coasted onto the Partridge Island helipad and lowered its cargo bay ramp. The three waiting for the airship stood as Sybil made her way down the ramp. "Hello, Katashi," the robot said, giving a slight bow of her upper body. "Hello, Spackle, and Hello, Tamil." She paused as she noticed the confused look on the tiger's face. "I am not a human, Spackle. I am a robot, a machine created by Dr. Jackson."
 
Tamil shook his head. "But you talk."
 
"As do you. I believe it is rare for tigers to talk."
 
Tamil smiled. "It is. I am the only one left. The other tigers that talked don't anymore. They wanted to be tigers, and tigers don't talk. I wanted to be something else."
 
Sybil reached up and rubbed her hand along the arm of the upright tiger. "You are unique indeed, and quite the handsome tiger. I am only one of many robots that talk. I heard you already know Ori."
 
"She is the nice woman pinned to my chest. They say they are trying to fit her into my ear, but it's not working out so well. She talks to me all the time."
 
"Yes, she talks to all of us. She is a busy robot. Sometimes others call us AI."
 
Tamil nodded. "I've heard that. I didn't know it meant a robot."
 
"It's easier sometimes to say AI. Would you like to know what I prefer?"
 
The tiger nodded again.
 
"Sybil."
 
"I like Sybil too. I will try hard to remember."
 
Sybil rolled past the tiger, and Tamil watched the two doctors disembark. "Hello, Wolf," he said with the smile he understood was important in such greetings. "Hello, Red Raccoon," he said, his grin widening.
 
"I'm a red panda," Dr. Jackson said correctively.
 
"Pandas are big and fat. Adam has two pandas living inside him. You are too small to be a panda and you aren't very fat."
 
Dr. Jackson shoved the laughing wolf next to him. The red panda nodded. "There are two different species of pandas. I am sometimes called the lesser panda because I'm so small."
 
The tiger looked at the panda. "You look nothing like the other pandas, do you?" Dr. Jackson shook his head no, and Tamil smiled again. "But you are beautiful, so if you want to be a panda, I agree you should be a panda. I am a tiger, but I don't want to be one. One day, I will be something else."
 
Dr. Jackson stared at the tiger. He realized that as part of the Were Nation, the tiger should be visible to him. But as with everyone in the Were Nation, he didn't see Tamil. Instead, what appeared before him was something vaguely human but nondescript. It was enough to convince him he was talking to another human, but never enough to form a memory of what that person looked like. "What would you like to be?" he asked the tiger invisible to his eyes.
 
"I would like to be Katashi and Spackle's mate. One day I will be their mate, and then it won't matter that people say I am a tiger. I will know the truth."
 
The panda doctor paused, contemplating what he had just heard. "You have a remarkable way of looking at things, Tamil." He put out his paw. "I am Dr. Jackson. I'm a friend of the wolf here. He's Dr. Kennedy."
 
Tamil smiled. "It is nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson." The tiger leaned in close to the panda, ignoring the outstretched hand. "In my family, we rub muzzles instead of shaking hands. Or we can kiss if you like, but it doesn't get as much scent on you."
 
The panda retracted his hand. "I'm very small, Tamil. If we rub muzzles, you will have to be gentle."
 
Tamil grinned his most reassuring grin, but Armel didn't see it. "I can be very gentle, Dr. Jackson."

When the panda sensed the tiger rub up against him, he realized the tiger was right about everything. He was gentle. But he also realized he didn't feel the tiger. There was no sense of whiskers or fur as the tiger rubbed across his cheek. All he rubbed against was what might have been the cheek of a human. But for a moment, there was a scent filling his senses; earthy, musky, full of passion and power. He took a deep breath, trying to capture it, and it was gone.
 
He envied the tiger. Armel realized it didn't matter what he called the tiger. Without a doubt, he knew one day Tamil would be Katashi and Spackle's mate, and it would be all that Tamil wanted. Tamil saw the ones he loved, and he understood what he became beside the dogs. Tamil saw what Armel was incapable of seeing in the wolf. When Dr. Jackson looked up at the unseen wolf, it mattered more than he could say.
 
Dr. Kennedy bent over while Tamil remained leaning over and rubbed his face along the tiger's cheek. "Hello, Tamil," he said. "We came to visit today because we have a favor to ask of you. I imagine you're tired of the tests, but we have a few more we'd like to do. Just so you are aware, Dr. Jackson can't see you." The wolf felt a shove from the panda. "He sees you as something other than a tiger."
 
"Why?" the tiger asked.
 
"He has vision problems," John replied as the panda gave him another shove. "He will often stare at your tummy instead of in your eyes because he doesn't see all of you."
 
"That must be difficult. I am sorry, Dr. Jackson," the tiger said, looking at the red panda.
 
"Me too, Tamil," the panda sighed. "I am hoping to fix it one day."
 
"I am broken, too," the tiger said. "My head is not right. I want to be smart, but I am not. Dr. Wells tries to help, but there is nothing he can do. I understand what it's like, Dr. Jackson. I know what it's like to be broken. One day, I hope they can fix you. I hope they can fix us both."
 
The little panda forced a smile. "That would be nice, Tamil," he said.
 
"For the record, Tamil," Dr. Kennedy interjected, "I'm not sure you're broken. I think Dr. Wells is right. You seem remarkable just the way you are. We're not here so much to change you as try to understand more about you. There might be things we can do to make you smarter. But smarter or not, Tamil, you are not broken. Dr. Jackson is not broken either. Are we clear?"
 
The tiger nodded. "I understand, Dr. Kennedy." He looked at the panda and grinned. "But we know the truth, don't we, Dr. Jackson?"
 
Sadly, all the panda could do was nod his head.
 
Dr. Kennedy sighed. "You two," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to have problems with both of you, aren't I?"
 
"I would suspect so," Katashi said with a slight bow of his head. "Tamil is very headstrong, and it is difficult to get him to change his evaluation of himself."
 
"Well then," the doctor wolf said, "perhaps we should forgo the idea of testing today and get acquainted with each other instead. Dr Wells told me there is a pond down by the Speech Center that can fit a tiger and his friends."
 
Tamil made a happy nod.
 
"Can I be one of those friends you share the pond with?" Dr. Kennedy asked.
 
"I would like that, Dr. Kennedy," the tiger replied. "Would you like to go too, Dr. Jackson?" he asked the panda.
 
"I can't swim," the panda said.
 
"Why not?" the tiger asked.
 
"I never learned."
 
"I could teach you. Or you can hold on to my back and we can swim together."
 
"You can't just leave me alone, can you?" the panda groaned. "You're going to force me to swim with the others, aren't you?"
 
The tiger smiled. "I think so. A tiny panda needs to know how to swim."
 
"You remember that part about being gentle, right?" Armel asked.
 
"I remember," Tamil said. "I will be very gentle. And when you have learned how to swim, maybe we could kiss and rub muzzles in the pond. That is always fun."
 
"I'll get a hard-on" the panda objected.
 
"I will, too," the tiger replied. "But we don't have to tell anyone. The water hides them, and they feel good."
 
The doctor wolf laughed out loud. "Come on, Dr. Jackson. Let's go play in the pond and see what comes up."
 
"Not funny, Doctor," the panda grumbled.
 
"I thought it was," Sybil interjected.
 
"Why do I even let you talk me into these things?" Armel sighed.
 
"Because you realize we love you," Dr. Kennedy replied. "One day you're going to love us, and this is what people in love do with each other. We do fun things to bond."
 
"Drowning isn't fun," the panda replied.
 
"I won't let you drown," John said. "One day you need to trust that the ones who love you won't let you drown, no matter how deep you think it is."
 
The panda looked up at the wolf. "We're not talking about swimming in that pond, are we, John?"

"No, Armel," the wolf replied. "We're talking about our lives together. Consider today an object lesson."
 
"It will be fun," the tiger added.
 
"Can I ride on your shoulders to the pond?" the panda asked the tiger.
 
"I would like that," Tamil answered. The tiger leaned over and picked up the panda, placing him on his shoulders.
 
Armel tried to perceive the tiger as something other than a man, but he couldn't push past the barriers in place. Only the distance to the ground remained disconcerting for one he viewed as human. "One day," he thought, "I will see you all. I will not be broken." He closed his eyes, grabbed onto the fur that felt like a head of human hair, and steadied himself as the great cat walked toward the Well's Center.
 
Chapter 25
 
The boat docked, and the drawbridge extended itself across the moat. Tamil laughed as he gazed at it all taking place as if by magic. "He has so many big toys for such a little panda," the tiger said.
 
"He does that," Spackle replied. "But not so long ago, he was a human, and that human bought a lot of toys to keep himself entertained."
 
"Why doesn't he ask Dr. Kennedy to live with him? Dr. Kennedy is entertaining, and you said Dr. Jackson cares for him."
 
"Dr. Jackson has problems loving other people, Tamil," Spackle explained. "He wants to, but it is difficult for him."
 
"Is he slow like me?" the tiger asked.
 
"No, he is very smart. Sometimes that's even more difficult than being a bit slow," Spackle replied as he leaned in and kissed the tiger. "And, by the way, what did we say about you saying you're slow?"
 
"That I should never lie?" Tamil said, widening his mouth into the smile others taught him meant he had made a joke.
 
The young temple dog shrugged. "I guess we said that, didn't we? But you understand we don't consider you slow, right?"
 
"No, you think of me as a very smart tiger. That is the way it should be. But sometimes when we are with others, it helps them to know that perhaps I will not always understand what they say or do."
 
Spackle nodded. "You're right, Tamil. I forget that not everyone sees you from the same perspective as we do. I still have a lot to learn." He rubbed his cheek along the tiger's. 

"And I am still learning from you, Spackle," Tamil replied through his purring. "You taught me I can love a human in the same way I can love a temple dog. Because I loved you as a human, and I love you as a temple dog."
 
Spackle pushed back and smiled at the tiger. "Well, that is a splendid thing to learn. I love you, too, Tamil, both as a tiger and now as an even bigger tiger. Katashi and I hope you will have fun learning to love two temple dogs."
 
"I already do, Spackle. I look at you both, and you are the same, but you are different. Sometimes it is confusing, but I know I love you both. The love is the same, but it is different." The tiger smiled awkwardly. "Even what I think is sometimes confusing when I try to tell someone else about my feelings." Spackle gave a nod of understanding. Tamil's smile widened. "One day, Spackle, I hope we will mate. I thought I would only mate with Father, but I understand now why Wolfy has so many husbands."
 
"One day, Tamil, when you know you are ready," the young temple dog suggested. "When that day comes, we will mate." His paw reached out and rubbed the muzzle of the rotund tiger. Tamil pressed his muzzle against the dog's paw, closed his eyes, and purred.
 
When the tiger's eyes opened, Spackle looked at the one he loved, and the path became as clear as the pale yellow-white eyes staring into his. "We confuse you, don't we, Tamil?"
 
"You are the same in every way. I can't see a difference. I can't smell a difference. You sound the same when you talk," the tiger replied. "But it is okay. I hope you don't mind that I ask you who you are. Sometimes I can't tell."
 
"But you shouldn't have to, Tamil," the temple dog replied. "When Bai became the first temple dog, he did so because it was needful. It was important for him to be a dog instead of a dragon."
 
"The dragons are huge. I understand why being a dog was better," the tiger said with a nod.
 
"One day, Katashi will be our mate. He is who he has been for many thousands of years. I don't think we should ask him to change for us, do you?"
 
Tamil shook his head. "No, I like Father just the way he is."
 
"But you and I are newborns. You changed because you wanted to be closer to us in size, right?"
 
"Yes. But you both said that was a good thing."
 
"It's a wonderful thing. Perhaps I should change for you. Maybe I can change just enough so that you realize that whenever you look at me, I am me. If you and I are to mate, we need a way for you to understand which mate you kiss in the morning."
 
Tamil laughed aloud. "Silly dog," he grinned. "You are always in front of me when I wake, and Father is always behind me. It is the only time in my entire day that I am sure who I am kissing."
 
"Then we need something for the rest of your day."
 
"I don't understand the thing about the scars. Most of them you can't even find without pulling back your fur."
 
Spackle laughed. "I don't understand them either. It's too complicated." His paw reached out and pressed against the white fur of the tiger's chest. "What if we were to share something in common?"
 
"What?" Tamil asked. The tiger stared as slowly the dark stripes of his fur wrapped around the arm of the temple dog. They moved across the temple dog's arm, over his back, and down his legs. They spiraled out over his bushy tail. When the stripes spread across his face, white highlights softened the dark brown stripes against the yellow fur. The white fur slipped down the temple dog's throat and spread across his belly. Tamil's eyes widened, and he smiled. "You are like me," he said, clapping his hands together.
 
"And I am also like Katashi. My appearance reflects the men I love."
 
Tamil looked at the striped temple dog. His eyes wandered over the body but returned to the face that looked so much like a flattened version of his own. "Your eyes are blue," Tamil said.
 
"Yes, they are," Spackle replied.
 
"Like Wolfy's eyes?"
 
"Like Wolfy's eyes, yes."
 
"Because you love him?"
 
"Because I love him."
 
Tamil's grin widened. "Then blue eyes are a wonderful thing."
 
Spackle pulled the tiger into a tight hug, and the two lingered in the moment with no words needed to express what they felt.
 
Sybil waited patiently for the two to become aware of her. When the two finally turned toward the castle, they saw the metal robot on the other side of the drawbridge. "Hi, Sybil," Spackle said with a wave. "We sort of got caught up in the moment there," he explained.
 
"No reason to apologize, Spackle," the robot replied. "Your stripes are beautiful." Sybil turned and pointed toward the castle. "I heard what you said about Dr. Jackson. I hope one day he realizes what a remarkable family he has."
 
The two crossed the drawbridge. Tamil looked down at the robot. "Hello, Sybil," he said. "I remember meeting you."
 
Sybil nodded. "I enjoyed your play with the doctors in the pond. Like Dr. Kennedy, I have a fondness for the larger beasts."
 
Tamil grinned at the machine in front of him. "I am large. I am like the dogs now. We are all big. But we are all gentle around our family. Are you a part of our family, too?"
 
"I would like to think so," the robot replied. "However, I am not human nor beast."
 
Tamil laughed, "No, you are a robot. You taught me the word. But our family has lots of creatures in it. A robot is just one more."
 
Sybil's LECs rotated into a smile. "Exactly, Tamil. It is a pleasure to be with you again. Dr. Jackson is waiting for you in the laboratory. It's full of machines that might be frightening to you. Please don't let them scare you. They are the tools Dr. Jackson uses to try and understand his world."
 
"Is his world different from ours?" Tamil asked.
 
"Perhaps not from the outside looking in, but from his perspective, he sees things differently than most of us." 

The tiger nodded knowingly. "I see things differently, too. Dr. Jackson and I should get along very well."
 
Chapter 26
 
"We have been here for two days, Dr. Jackson," the impatient tiger grumbled. "You have done more tests than even the doctor wolves on Partridge Island. Can't you find anything to help me?"
 
Armel was about to throw a vial of tiger blood against the wall but remembered his conversation with Sybil and put the vial down. "No," he huffed. "I've looked at all the data. I've explored every avenue. But there isn't a way to make the brain you have work any more efficiently than it already is."
 
"But they made Algernon smarter in the story. They made Charlie smarter," Tamil countered.

The panda looked up at the tiger he didn't see. "That was a story, Tamil. They weren't real experiments. It was make-believe. But the story tried to show you how those experiments can have unintended consequences."
 
"I don't understand."
 
"Things might seem good at the start, but then turn terrible because we don't recognize all the variables." The panda paused, trying to find the simpler words he seldom used. "If we change something inside your brain, it might be good. Or it might be bad. We can only guess what the outcome will be."
 
"Like Algernon and Charlie. They were supposed to be smart, but in the end, it didn't work."
 
"Exactly," Armel said, happy that the tiger understood. "That's what I mean by unintended consequences. We do what we hope is right, but it doesn't mean it will always turn out the way we expect it will. It doesn't matter how much we plan or how careful we are; something along the way can go wrong that we never imagined would happen."
 
"I tried to make brownies for Katashi and Spackle one day. It had unintended consequences," the tiger replied.
 
Armel smiled. "Then you understand why I am having such a difficult time. The scientists in the story Katashi read to you were trying to do something good, but in the end, the mouse died because it couldn't adjust to the change." The red panda put his paws on his legs that jutted out from the lab stool. "They never tell us if Charlie died in the story the same as Algernon. But a part of what he became died, and that made Charlie's life even harder than before the experiment. Tamil, there was a day when I would have said let's open you up and experiment with what we can change. But I'm not that person anymore. I realize what a mess I might make of your life, and I'm not willing to take those chances."
 
Tamil sighed and fell back onto a lab chair. "Katashi said this might happen. He said that sometimes trying to become what we dream is not as important as knowing if what we dream is what we should try to become."

Armel shook his head. "Wait… you understand that, yet you didn't understand unintended consequences?"
 
"I didn't understand the words, Dr. Jackson. I understood what you meant when you explained it to me. Katashi has always been willing to explain what he says when I don't understand. Sometimes you seem to forget who I am. You talk like you would to Dr. Kennedy, but I am not him. I don't know the things he knows. You need to explain more things to me using smaller words."
 
"I'm sorry, Tamil," the red panda said. "I grew up never knowing how to deal with other people in general, but it's even harder for me with someone who is developmentally disabled."
 
The tiger cocked his head. "I am not developmentally disabled, Dr. Jackson. I am actually very, very smart for a tiger."
 
Armel laughed. "I guess you're right. I never looked at it that way."
 
"But I understand why you're frustrated. I am not as smart as the wolves and bears," the tiger added. He reached out and rubbed the top of Armel's head. "Or a little panda. Dr. Wells once said I was as intelligent as an eighth grader. He told me that is much smarter than most politicians."
 
Armel laughed so hard he choked. When the tiger patted his back to clear his throat, the red panda looked up at the tiger seated next to him. All he could make out was a human with nondescript features. The human had a face that he wouldn't even be able to pick out of a lineup the next day if he had to.
 
Armel hated who he was. His life had left him so stunted he was incapable of even creating an image that showed he cared about the tiger. He lacked anything in his memory to build from. His life was so inward-focused that it didn't matter what or who others were. But today, and every day since his turning, it mattered more and more. "I wish I could live my life with as much grace as you do, Tamil. You never stop trying to be better. But you also accept what you are at this moment. You never seem to take offense to anyone saying you're slow."
 
"Because I am," the tiger interrupted. "But I am a who, not a what, Dr. Jackson. I accept who I am. None of us has to accept what we are. We can change that. Katashi and Spackle keep reminding me of that. You might need someone to remind you, Dr. Jackson."
 
"I agree," the panda replied. "John tells me that all the time. He says I can't find the truth because I can't see past what my ego has decided is the truth. But that's just it, Tamil. You don't have problems seeing the truth. You willingly sacrifice so much to find it."
 
"But so do you, Dr. Jackson. I chewed off my claws to protect the children. You became a little panda because you wanted to protect Dr. Kennedy. You did the same thing I did. The only difference between us is you struggle with why. I don't. Katashi says he loves me. I trust him because everything he has ever done shows me he is telling me the truth. Spackle says he loves me. I know he is telling me the truth as well. Every time I look at his stripes, I smile. He made himself different for me so that I would never struggle with which dog he was. We all change who we are because we love the ones we're with. Hasn't Dr. Kennedy told you he loves you yet?"
 
The panda waved his hands as if to say that wasn't the point. "No, no," he replied. "He tells me he loves me all the time. It's the last thing he tells me every night before he goes home."
 
"Then why don't you ask him to stay and lie with you instead? The two of you would be happier than sleeping alone."
 
"It's complicated, Tamil," the panda answered.
 
"Do you have a spiny penis that will get caught in Dr. Kennedy's fur?"
 
Armel cocked his head, trying to figure out where that question came from. "No, but it might be too small to be very entertaining to a wolf."
 
"I am sure Dr. Kennedy would like your penis no matter what size it is."
 
"He does, he does," Armel said, waving his hand at how quickly the two had slipped into a conversation that confused him. "My life with John isn't complicated because of my penis. Other things complicate my life. Things that make it difficult for me to ask John to stay the night with me."
 
The tiger shook his head no. "You don't understand how simple it is. Dr. Kennedy is the one you wish to lie down with when you go to bed. You are the one he wishes to lie down with. Katashi told me that once I understand what I want deep inside, the walls keeping me from that dream will crumble and I will find a path to the dream."
 
"That's all well and good for Katashi. My walls are a bit more complicated."
 
"Because you let them be, Dr. Jackson. The next time you meet with Dr. Kennedy, take a closer look. There are no walls between him and you. I have seen you both together. There are no walls around him. If you see a wall, it is because you choose to see it. If you don't want the wall to be there, maybe you should stop seeing it."
 
The red panda sighed. "That easy, huh, Tamil?"
 
"You are a smart man, Dr. Jackson. I'm sure you can figure out how to understand what an eighth grader can."
 
"I wish it were that easy."
 
"Katashi told me wishing for things to be different rarely changes them."
 
"He's right. Only I don't have a clue what else to do."
 
"Tell Dr. Kennedy you love him, and then lie with him for a night. Don't let him go home, Dr. Jackson. Learn what Dr. Kennedy already understands."
 
"And what is that?" the panda asked. 

"That you are worthy of being loved. We all are. Before I met Father, I was broken. I couldn't imagine how anyone could love me. I felt that I would never be worthy. But Father showed me I was wrong. He taught me I was worthy of his love, not because of anything I did, but because we are all worthy of being loved. It took me so long to trust him, but the day I understood what he was teaching me, my world changed. And then Father left, and he never came back. He died, and I forgot what I learned."
 
The tiger slipped off the chair and squatted in front of the panda on the seat. "Now, Katashi is my father. And he teaches me that not only am I worthy of being loved, but I can love others in so many different ways." The tiger grew quiet for a moment. "And all those ways are more beautiful than I ever hoped they would be." His paw rested on the panda's. "You can see us all, Dr. Jackson. You just have to first see you're worthy of it."
 
"I wish I could."
The beast Armel saw as a nondescript human leaned in and pressed his lips against the panda's. "Believe, Dr. Jackson; stop being so smart. Science isn't the only way to find an answer. Sometimes you have to think with your heart."
 
Armel was about to tell Tamil that hearts were incapable of thinking when he felt the gentle softness of a human's cheek rubbing up against his. He closed his eyes. "I want to believe, Tamil. I want to feel the tiger pressing up against me," he whispered.
 
"You are loved, Dr. Jackson," the tiger whispered back. "I love you not because of anything you do, but because we are all worthy of being loved. Until you understand that, you must rely on those of us who do. We will teach you. Believe in us, Dr. Jackson, until you can believe in yourself."
 
Armel repeated his words, "I want to believe, Tamil," he said. The tears that he began crying were unintended consequences, but the panda realized they were the outcome he needed. That night, Dr. Jackson called Dr. Kennedy and asked him if he would stay the night the next time he visited. The wolf replied he would be over within the hour. When the call ended, the little panda sat dumbfounded for the better part of that hour. He wondered how a tiger he couldn't see had such a profound effect on his actions. In the end, no answer fit into a nice, neat package. However, for the first time in his life, he was okay with not having the answers.
 
When he heard the chime of the boat dock saying that a passenger was seeking transport to the island, he rose and authorized the boat to make the trip. He met John at the dock and reached up to the young redhead for a hug and a kiss.
 
"Did you want to get a snack and watch something on the monitor?" John asked when the hug had ended.
 
The panda shook his head. "Would it be okay if we just went to bed?"
 
John gave the panda another long, loving kiss. "Sure, Hon, that would be great."
 
Together, the two walked into the castle and down the hall toward Armel's bedroom. Tamil was right. It wasn't nearly as complicated as the panda imagined it would be.
 
Chapter 27
 
Armel slipped past the sliding glass doors and stared at the wolf behind the desk. Will wore glasses that slipped down across his muzzle and rested above his nose. He didn't see the wolf. Instead, he stared at the scruffy, bearded mountain man in a blue suit and tie. He shook his head. How could his brain create such a convincing illusion? He realized the man in front of him never wore clothes unless societal constraints required it.
 
The old wolf's finger rose, begging the panda to hold on talking for a moment. He pointed to his ear. "Bob, I understand your position and I'm not saying we're not interested in acquiring the business. I'm only saying that in all the years we've been in business, not one of our subsidiaries has declared bankruptcy. If you want us to consider Franklin Avionics, you come to us with a proposal where you pay off your creditors first."
 
The wolf paused for a moment. "Three scenarios come to mind where you pay them off. Two require you to sell your home and divest all your assets. The third option is even worse, but if you have confidence in your business, then I'm going to suggest you step up and prove it. You do that and we will draw up the papers." The wolf paused. "Yeah, I am. I was born that way. But if you want Bear Paws to take you under its wing, I'm the bastard you will deal with." Will took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Bob, you can do this. It won't be easy, but you can do it. Do you want our support? First, you show us how much you want it. You show us that, and trust me, we will not let you fail."
 
Will laughed. "If you want me to talk to the shareholders, I will. Remind them who owns fifty-one percent of your company. The sale of your company will give them quite a payout when it goes private again. Let them grouse. You're the final say in where that company of yours goes. You're a good man, Bob. Don't let them convince you to do something that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Not paying the people who worked for you was never Franklin Avionics' way of doing business for over two hundred years. Let's not let it start now, okay?"
 
There was another pause. "Great. You get back to me with a proposal and we'll talk. I'll even fly you up here to chat. Perhaps it's time you get a glimpse of some of the tech you will play with if you can keep yourself out of bankruptcy court." Will nodded. "Talk to you later, Bob. Hang in there."
 
Will tapped his ear and looked at the red panda. "Hello, Armel," he said. "Thanks for waiting."
 
"I swear you make me wait every time I come to visit you just to piss me off."
 
The wolf grinned. "Is it working?"
 
"It used to," the panda said with a sigh. "I'm adjusting to it, I guess." Will stood up, pushing his glasses back. The panda pointed to the spectacles. "And what's with the glasses, Will? Your eyesight is perfect."
 
"It's for the humans like Bob. It cues them to see me as growing older."
 
The panda sighed. "I forgot about that."
 
"Wow… I just heard Dr. Armel Jackson admit he overlooked something. I should have had my recorder on."
 
The red panda glared at the wolf, and then the eyes softened. "Is it always going to be this tough to talk to you?" he asked.
 
Will watched the change in the panda's face and pointed to the chairs over against the wall. "I'm sorry, Armel," he said. "Take a seat and tell me what's bothering you."
 
Will and Armel sat down with a small coffee table between them. Will's jocular attitude shifted, and he waited patiently for Armel to find the words eluding him. Finally, the red panda spoke. "Tamil came to visit me the other day. He suggested I should ask John to stay the night with me instead of letting him go home after our visits."
 
"He's a very smart tiger," Will replied.
 
"Yeah, I'm beginning to realize that," Armel agreed. "John has been staying at my place for a week now."
 
"And?"
 
"I like it. I like it a lot."
 
The wolf leaned forward. "So, why are we having this talk?"
 
"Because I'm me, Will. I love him… or at least as best I'm able, but I still don't see him. I don't see any of you. John deserves better than me."
 
Will leaned back into the plush chair. "Well, I agree with you there."
 
The panda frowned. "I was hoping for some moral support."
 
"That was my moral support. John deserves a man who loves him for who and what he is. You admitted you're not that man."
 
"I'm aware of that," Armel said with a sigh.
 
"The answer is simple, Armel," the old wolf continued. "Become that man."
 
"I'm trying to," the panda protested.
 
"Try harder," Will said. He paused. "Look, you came to me because you know I will bust your chops if you come at me with anything but the truth. The truth is, John deserves better than you. He deserves better than most of us because he's an exceptional man. But he loves you, Armel. So, you figure it out. You figure out what you need to become for you to be the man he deserves. Because you're the man he wants."
 
The red panda sat quietly for a moment. "You don't have any suggestions?"
 
Will smiled. "Yeah, I do. Keep trying, Armel. The goal you want isn't an easy one, but if you sit down long enough, you're going to figure out at least one way to reach that goal. I'm betting you already know a few things you can do."
 
"I might have a few changes I can make."
 
Will put his paw out across the table and rubbed the panda's knee. "You and I are two of a kind, Armel. We both love men who deserve so much better than what we are. But I understand something you don't. I know they're okay with that. They're okay that I'm not the man I think I should be because they realize every day I wake up, I try to be that man."
 
Armel smiled. "So, in almost a millennium, you've not become that man?"
 
"Nope, but I'm still trying, and they're still supporting my efforts. What makes you think John would be any less supportive of you?"
 
"I guess I didn't come at it that way. I wanted him to have someone who loved him, who saw him."
 
Will rubbed the panda's knee a bit more and then leaned back. "And one day he will. You be that man, Armel. You learn what it means to be a werebeast. The day you learn that will be the day you become something beyond that hot little panda suit you're wearing. John is there waiting for you. Hell, he's not waiting; he's actively working on your behalf every time the two of you are together. That's all you need to accept. No one wants you to fail, Armel. We are all here, willing to help in any way we can. Just ask."
 
"Can you make sure I don't become a bastard like you? I'm pretty sure I could slide that way without someone helping me to avoid it."
 
Will laughed out loud. "Yeah, I can do that, Armel."
 
"And could we work on being better at this whole talking-together thing from time to time?"
 
Will stood up. "I would like that." He pointed toward the door. "Can I buy you lunch?"
 
"Does the commissary sell bamboo?"
 
"They have those little yellow shoots in the salad bar."
 
"That will work," the red panda said with a smile. The old wolf put out his paw, and the panda took it. For a moment he turned the paw, seeing only how big the man's hand looked next to his. He looked up at Will and said, "If you tell anyone I said this, I will deny it; but I think you're doing a pretty good job of being worthy of the men you married."
 
Will leaned down and kissed the top of the panda's head. "It will be our little secret."
 
Chapter 28
 
The tiger leaned down, picked up the red panda, and tossed him up onto his shoulders. "Thank you for all you've done for me, Dr. Jackson."
 
"I didn't do anything, Tamil," Armel replied. "I wish I could find answers, but for the first time in my life, I'm at a loss." The panda groaned. "Not just in trying to understand you, but in trying to understand me."
 
The two walked along the beach until they came to the rocky outcropping that was the southernmost tip of the island. "I guess our walk is over, Dr. Jackson," the tiger said.
 
"Did you want to sit here out away from everyone and talk, Tamil?"
 
"Was it that obvious, Dr. Jackson?"
 
"I have been studying you for quite some time now, Tamil. I think we understand each other a bit."
 
The tiger picked the red panda up over his head and sat him down on a rock. He fell backward, landing on the flat rock beside the panda, and sighed. "It is not always easy to be me," he said with a frown.
 
"Yeah, Tamil," the panda concurred. "It's not easy for me either. I guess we are two of a kind."
 
"But you are very smart, Dr. Jackson. I am slow. It makes it hard for other people."
 
"I'm a dick, Tamil. That makes it hard for other people."
 
"You are a penis?"
 
Armel broke out laughing. "Sometimes we say dick to mean obnoxious. I'm obnoxious far too often; and impatient."
 
"And you don't like slow people like me."
 
Armel looked up at the tiger. "I… I…"
 
"You shouldn't lie, Dr. Jackson. It's not good for a beast to lie."
 
Armel was quiet, trying to sort out what to say. He still struggled with the idea of words having so much power to hurt. "Sometimes I get impatient with everyone. I understand things they don't. It gets frustrating. It's not that I don't like you, Tamil. It's that I am too easily frustrated."
 
"It must be hard to be that smart," the tiger said.
 
Armel put his hand on the tiger's leg. "It is, Tamil."
 
"It is hard for me to be so slow."
 
The two were quiet for a long time as they watched the waves move in and out. Eventually, Tamil spoke. "I wish sometimes you would fix me, Dr. Jackson."
 
The panda looked back up at the tiger he couldn't see. "I can't fix you, Tamil. There's nothing wrong with you. You'll get smarter, but you'll get smarter the way we all do. You'll learn new things and then you'll need to try as hard as you can to remember them. A lot of things you'll forget and need to learn all over again. That's the same as most people."
 
"But it is not easy for people to be around me. We both know that's the truth. I wish I was smarter; that I had a way to tell others what was in my head. It would make it easier for people to be with me."
 
"I don't give a damn about those other people. I care about you, Tamil. You don't need to be fixed. You're perfect just the way you are."
 
"Even though I frustrate you when I can't understand what you say?"
 
"Oh, hell, everyone but John frustrates me that way. Why should you be any different?"
 
"It would make two men that you aren't a dick to?"
 
Armel leapt up and hugged the blobby mass he now saw as Tamil. "I'm sorry if I'm a dick to you, Tamil. If I am, will you tell me? I need your help. There is so much I need to learn, and to be honest, you're the only one besides John who tells me the truth without holding back." The panda paused. "Well, there is Will, but you're so much easier to talk to than he is."
 
"Katashi told me to never lie. So, I try to tell the truth all the time." The tiger wrapped his arms around the panda and hugged back.
 
"I need that in my life, Tamil. I need you to be exactly who you are."
 
"You need me?"
 
"Yes. It's difficult for me to admit this," the panda said, burying his face in the white chest fur of the tiger, "but sometimes I envy you."
 
"Me?"
 
"Your life is simpler than mine, Tamil. You have the temple dogs who love you. There are the children you play with, and the dragons you care for. You go to tai chi class, and you help Carl and Frank at the diner cleaning up. That's pretty much it."
 
"That is a great deal to have, Dr. Jackson."
 
"I know. But you don't worry about thousands of people dying if you don't come up with a cure for some disease. You don't fail repeatedly trying to find a cure for what made you the way you are. It seems harder for me. You're not always hovering on the edge, wondering if you're going to lose everything because of something you overlook."
 
"Maybe you try too hard. Maybe you need to play with the children. You could come to tai chi class and take care of the dragons. I think they would like that. You are very cute. I know Carl and Frank enjoy seeing you when you visit the diner. But I don't think they would want you to clean. I think they would like you to have sex with them."
 
Armel chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Those two make some strange suggestions every time I come in to eat. And that's saying a lot because I've done some strange things in my day."
 
"Carl and Frank are very playful," the tiger said. "Katashi, Spackle, and I have fun with them. I think what you need is to have more fun, Dr. Jackson."
 
Armel sighed. "You might be right. Perhaps who I am creates the very things I complain about."
 
"You don't have to be you, Dr. Jackson. I will always have to be me. That is the difference you don't see."
 
The panda looked up into the face of the tiger just beyond his sight. He rubbed his paw over Tamil's chest. "Why would anyone in the world think you're slow?"
 
"Because I am, Dr. Jackson. I saw the tests."
 
"Tests don't show everything, Tamil. They don't show how much you love Katashi and Spackle. There is no test to show how much you care for the children, the dragons, or Carl and Frank. They don't show who you are. They show nothing important about you."
 
"I think I worry too much about the tests. Perhaps I should stop taking them."
 
"I think that would be an excellent idea."
 
"And perhaps you could worry less about being you, Dr. Jackson. I like who you are when you're not being a dick."
 
Armel laughed aloud again. "I could just kiss you, Tamil." He said, rubbing the tiger's chest again.
 
"I prefer to rub muzzles."
 
"Would you like to rub muzzles, Tamil?"
 
"I would like that very much."
 
"I don't see you as a tiger. You've started looking kind of blobby; a bunch of colors that stand about four meters tall. I don't know what you look like. But I'm smart enough to realize the protections trying to make you look like a human are an illusion. So, I'm left with this limbo blobby thing. I might miss your muzzle entirely."
 
The tiger smiled. "I will help you."
 
"I will get a hard-on."
 
"That's okay, Dr. Jackson. So will I."
 
"I'm too small to do anything about it."
 
"We can just enjoy them. Like the muzzle rubbing. We don't always need to do everything every time."
 
The tiger leaned down and rubbed his muzzle against the red panda. The panda closed his eyes and struggled to stay in the moment. At first, he sensed the warmth of something akin to human skin rubbing against him, but slowly the sensation changed. He felt the fur and whiskers sliding along him and the enticing scent of a tiger spread across his cheek. He kept his eyes shut tight for fear that the moment he opened them, he would gaze at a mass of colors that wasn't Tamil. "You smell good, Tamil," he whispered.
 
"And you do too, Dr. Jackson," the tiger replied. "You smell like arousal." The panda wanted to believe what was holding him tight were the paws of the beast before him, but he couldn't open his eyes to confirm the truth. The dream, the desire for it to be more, was just too intense. "You are worthy of the love, Dr. Jackson," the tiger whispered.
 
Armel's cock slipped out of its sheath and grew up against the tiger fur he could almost sense. He did his best to enjoy the sensations without the need to do anything more than that. Yet again, Armel was thrust into a situation where he knew what it meant to be what Tamil called slow. Without even trying, Tamil revealed parts of the panda Armel never realized were there. The tiger showed Dr. Jackson how insignificant every doctorate letter beside his name seemed. The red panda experienced what it was like to be next to a genius who saw so much more of the world than he had ever seen. Armel promised himself that Tamil would never feel slow in his company again.
 
The panda breathed in the tiger's scent and opened his eyes. He stared at his face pressed against the white cheek with the black stripes. He let the whiskers tickle his muzzle and then pushed back, gazing into the face of the tiger. Tamil smiled. "You see me, Dr. Jackson. You see the tiger."
 
The panda's smile widened. "I see you, Tamil," Armel whispered as he buried his face in the chest fur of the striped beast.
 
"I told you that you could," Tamil said as he hugged the panda. "You know what that means, don't you?" the tiger asked.
 
"We can play together without me grabbing your leg instead of your dick?" Armel said with a lecherous snicker.
 
"No, it's time for you to call Dr. Kennedy and go home. You need to see the wolf."
 
Armel looked up into the eyes of the tiger. "You are always going to teach me, aren't you, Tamil?"
 
"And you will teach me. We are two of a kind. We will be better because we have each other." The tiger picked the panda off the rock and placed the tiny beast on the sand. "Call the wolf, Dr. Jackson. I need to go home now. Spackle is cooking dinner. You need to go home now. You need to see how beautiful the wolf you love is."
 
"I love him?" Armel asked.
 
"You always have," Tamil said with a laugh. "It was just hidden behind all those other emotions that kept you from seeing us. But he will help you understand, Dr. Jackson. He will teach you how to find the love you always dreamed of."
 
"Because you helped me believe I was worthy," the panda said, trying his best to understand.
 
"You are," Tamil confirmed. He leaned down and pulled the panda up and onto his shoulder.
 
As the two beasts began their return to the upper island, Armel leaned over and kissed the tiger's head. "Tamil, would you like some company tonight?" the panda asked.
 
"I have Father and Spackle. I always have company at night. It's what they promised, and they never lie."
 
Armel laughed. "No, I mean, could John and I stay with you tonight? We don't need to sleep together, but I don't want to go home tonight. I'd like to talk with you a bit more. Staying the night would make it easier for me. I'm sure John would like to thank you in person when he finds out what's happened here today."
 
"You don't want to stay at the hotel or the apartments?"
 
"I would prefer to stay with you."
 
Tamil rubbed the leg of the panda on his shoulders. "I would prefer that, too. You can sleep next to me tonight. I'm sure that Father and Spackle will be very happy to have Dr. Kennedy sleep next to them. Let's go tell them you will stay the night."
 
Armel tapped his ComLink. "John," he said. In moments, Tamil felt the red panda's legs hanging over his shoulder kicking back and forth happily. "John… Hon… I've got some fantastic news. Could you get out to Partridge Island right away?" The panda listened to the voice of the wolf on the other side of the conversation for a moment. "Yeah, that would be great, Hon." He paused, listening again. "I love you, too. I love you so much." The panda closed his eyes when the call disconnected. The warmth that came from knowing this time the words he spoke were at last the truth spread throughout him.
 
Chapter 29
 
"I didn't call you an idiot," the panda stammered, trying to take back his words. He waved his paws. "Okay, okay; I called you an idiot. But that's because I'm a dick."
 
"Well, at least you're a self-aware dick. You're making progress," the wolf replied.
 
"I'm sorry, Dr. Wells," Armel sighed. "I get frustrated when people don't see what I see."
 
"Well, instead of talking down at us when you feel that way, why don't you try lifting us up to where we understand what you do?"
 
The little panda nodded. "You're right. Even I didn't tie it all together until I saw Tamil for the first time. Then all the testing results fell into place. I shouldn't have called you an idiot because you overlooked those results. I'm sorry. I have a lot to learn about interpersonal skills. I'm a novice at even the basics. "
 
The wolf squatted down and hugged the panda. "Look, you didn't ask me here to fight. Why don't we get to the reason I'm here?"
 
The panda took a deep breath. "God, you wolves smell so good," Armel sighed. "How do you ever get any work done?"
 
The wolf stood up, still holding the panda in a tight hug, and laughed. "You're newborn, Armel. Not exactly in a traditional way, but that's because you walked a convoluted path getting there because of who you are. You're only now seeing us, and that means the pheromones we put off, the smells, the touch, all that stuff you didn't even sense before is waking up in you. If you want my opinion, you and John need to call a family gathering to help you burn off some of what you're going through."
 
"I can do that?"
 
"Of course you can."
 
"But after I show you what I found, right?"
 
"I'd prefer that. I took a day off work for this trip," the wolf replied as he put the red panda back on the ground.
 
"I've got a hard-on."
 
"I can help you with that first if it will help you stay focused later."
 
"You can do that?"
 
The wolf leered at the panda. "I'm a wolf, remember? We're big, we're bad, we huff and we puff and we blow…" he paused, "… well, you know what we blow."
 
Armel shook all over. "Oh please, please."
 
Clifford took Armel back into his paws and leaned him back in his arms. He took the small panda cock in his mouth and worked his tongue up and down the shaft, letting the small phallus slip in and out of his mouth. Clifford stifled a laugh at how quickly the panda came. He remembered his first few days as a newborn, and how welcome the Were Nation had made him feel. Never once did any of his partners accept his apology for his premature ejaculations. Instead, they only complimented him for his sensitivity and quick rebounding skills.
 
Armel's attention didn't move beyond a desire for a wolf to metaphorically eat him until he jacked off his first wolf other than John. He lay on the wolf's chest, enjoying the rise and fall, and did his best to clean himself up. "We've got showers here in the lab," he whispered when he realized how feeble his attempts were.
 
"You'll get hard again, Panda."
 
"That's a given, Wolf. But you're a doctor. You should be able to figure out a cure."
 
"Will we still have time for our discussion?"
 
The panda nodded his head against the chest. "I'm calming down. Thank you, Clifford."
 
"Okay then, you fuck me in the showers, and we'll chat later." The wolf laughed at the longing sigh made by the panda. "Oh, come on," the wolf said. "I know you've fucked John. That boy ain't gonna let a pent-up panda walk away without learning what it's like to have you inside him."
 
The panda smiled shyly. "Yeah, we do it lots. But I figured it was because he turned me and felt sorry for me. I didn't think any other wolf would think being banged by a panda seems fun."
 
"Are you any good at fucking wolves?"
 
"I'm getting better."
 
"I expect it to be at least on par with getting fingered by a talented wolf."
 
The panda thought for a moment. "Have you met Will?"
 
"Sure."
 
The panda frowned. "Damn. He fingered me on my first welcoming."
 
Clifford laughed. "Kind of raises the bar, doesn't it?"
 
Armel nodded. "Yeah, it does."
 
The wolf leaned down and pulled the panda up onto his shoulders. "I saw the lab showers on the way in. I say let's bypass the emergency showers and head back into the house and find a nice big one we can share."
 
"You're still willing to let me try?" Armel asked.
 
"Panda, you and I are going to get you your wings today, but you're not flying solo. I am one very energetic and very vocal flight instructor."
 
The panda wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck and squeezed. "I love you, Wolf," he said, happy that it was the truth.
 
"And I, you, Panda," the wolf responded, equally content with his truth.
 
As the two walked through the airlock doors, a smiling robot greeted them on the other side. Armel grinned. "I'm going to fuck a wolf in the shower, Sybil," the giddy panda said.
 
"I believe he has a name, Dr. Jackson," the robot corrected.
 
"No, no, Wolf is fine," Clifford interrupted. "Right now, we're all about being a wolf and a panda. Later today, we'll get back to being doctors."
 
"Well, then," the robot said, her smile widening, "You two have fun fucking each other. The master suite has the best shower for fucking in the entire house. The panda made sure of that."
 
With a collective snicker, the two ran down the hallway guided by the panda whispering into the ear of the wolf.
 
Later, as the two were lying in the bed together, Armel rubbed his muzzle into the wolf's firm chest. He sighed again, the way he had done so many times over the last five hours. "Are you sure about this? I am already getting hard again."
 
"It's who you are, Armel. You're a newborn. We teach the newborn how to deal with their desires even when they complicate matters. Today you learn what your husband is already very adept at doing. He can talk with naked beasts after hours of copulating about things that have nothing to do with copulating."
 
"He can do that?"
 
"How do you think Gizmo was born, or Tamil discovered, or the joint Nobel Prize in medicine with Dr. Sinclair? I can keep this list going if you need more examples."
 
Armel shook his head. "No, I get your point." He paused and pushed back the desire to let the wolf finger him again. "Ori, can you please look into the Tamil files and bring up all scans of his brain for us, please?"
 
"Of course, Dr. Jackson," the calm voice replied. The screen in front of the two spread out wide as dozens of images filled the air two meters away from them. "Would you like to show anything in particular?"
 
"For starters, let's look at the 3-D imaging of Tamil's brain before his turning, and the scan I made a week ago, please." Armel had practiced for weeks asking for Ori's help by saying please at some point. He realized it wasn't only practicing the interpersonal skills he needed to learn. It was because he saw Ori as one who deserved thanks for all the help she gave him. She was more than a machine. He accepted that Ori was something… no, someone far beyond his understanding.
 
The two brains appeared side by side rotating. "What do you see?" Armel asked Clifford.
 
"His beast's brain is larger. The lobes are differentiated differently. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about his current brain compared to his original brain. The increase in size may explain his increased intelligence. But if we extrapolate size versus storage, I doubt that Tamil is capable of learning and holding on to much more than he currently has stored away. Still, as I told Katashi, it amazes me Tamil could remain focused on expanding his brain size as large as possible. That tiger can maintain focus and deal with incredible pain if he wants something badly enough."
 
"You missed what the scans were trying to tell you."
 
The wolf hugged the panda in close and shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. My neuroscience background is limited to speech pathology issues, not veterinary science. Katashi wouldn't let me call in outside experts. You, dear panda, are a first, and that's only because Tamil has affection for you and John that he doesn't share with many other doctors."
 
"Then, I am glad he has such good taste in his affections," Armel said while he waved his hand at the screen and the two images moved to the side. "Scans 15 and 18, please Ori. Match to current scans on right." The two images appeared beside the other two. The top two rotating brains matched with blue backgrounds and the lower with green. "Recognize any similarity?"
 
"They're much the same. I mean, the differences aren't even worth mentioning. But if those aren't Tamil's brain scans, whose are they?"
 
"An adult Javan Tiger and a baby's. I contacted the Javan Tiger Conservation Department and requested the scans yesterday."
 
"Are you saying…" Dr. Wells' voice trailed off as he stared at the four images.
 
"I'm not saying it. The scans are."
 
"Tamil is an infant."
 
"He's a newborn. Tamil didn't have enough intelligence as an adult tiger to understand the advantages of a larger brain size. He had no idea that a larger brain might increase his chances of being smarter. His desires were so much simpler. He knew the children he played with were smarter than he was, and he knew children learned so much faster than he did." Armel paused a moment and then continued. "So he concentrated as hard as he could to be like the children he played with. His turning overwrote his DNA in compliance with that desire."
 
"I can't believe it didn't occur to me," Dr. Wells said, shaking his head. "I'm an idiot not to have seen that."
 
"And yet you complained when I called you one," came the deadpanned response from the panda.
 
"Well, you're also right in your evaluation that you're a dick, but I didn't rub that reality in your face, Armel."
 
The panda looked up and frowned. "I'm Armel now?"
 
The wolf smiled. "Yeah, you're Armel. We're doctors now. I don't call doctors Panda."
 
"But we're good, right? I apologized like I'm supposed to, even if I'm right, and you are an idiot."
 
"Yep, we're good," the wolf said, laughing. "And you'll be good even when I point out you're a dick, right?"
 
Armel nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm good with that. Please, I can learn all the social norms, but they may never ingrain themselves into me. It might always be a challenge to keep my social awkwardness at bay."
 
"Understood. Now, give me a kiss, and let's get back to work." The wolf tapped his lips and smiled.
 
"I'm already hard. That won't help my concentration."
 
"You're in training, Armel. Right now, the doctor in you needs to kiss me to move this discussion along. You can do it." He tapped his lips again and the panda reluctantly gave a quick kiss to the wolf while trying to shove his swollen cock back down.
 
Armel sighed after he couldn't shift the upright cock's position, and tried to move the conversation forward. "Tamil isn't just a newborn in the sense the Were Nation uses the term, but he's a newborn in every sense of the word. His desire to be as smart as the children wasn't enough for the Changeling DNA to grab onto, other than that he wished to be a child. The rewrite preserved his original soul, or whatever we want to call all those things stored away in his brain, the same as it did for all of us. But the Changeling DNA downloaded it into an infant's body. That body came complete with a new and very young, very malleable brain akin to a human child's brain Tamil wanted so badly."
 
Armel pointed to the brain scans. "Tamil has always wanted to be like his fathers. His desire to be like Kantrava gave him his ability to speak Changeling when Kantrava gave the tiger his chi. Now, more than any other thing, Tamil wants to be like his new family. I admire Katashi and Spackle's skills in teaching, but English is Tamil's preferred tongue because it's the language of his new family. The turning gave him that. The same as his first father's chi gave him the ability to speak Changeling. Tamil's brain is a tiger brain wired as if it is a human child's."
 
Clifford gave a nod. "It's eidetic imagery. The tiger has himself a photographic memory."
 
"Just like every normal human child does," the panda agreed. "But not for long. Like every normal human child, as he ages, the eidetic memory will fade."
 
"What can we do? Is there some way that we can help him hold on long enough for his learning to go beyond where he is now?"
 
The panda shook his head. "Don't you get it, Clifford? We have to stop looking at him like we need to make him human. Tamil is a tiger. Wire that brain any way you want. It will always come up short."
 
The wolf nodded. "I'm sorry, Armel. I was hoping you could offer a different outcome."
 
"Because we're scientists and we never hope for the right things when we're in our lab coats."
 
"What do you mean?" the quizzical wolf asked.
 
"We hope for Tamil to be a normal human being," the panda replied. "Thank god, we're not the dogs who love him. Those two dogs took Tamil when his tiger brain was at its most receptive, and they taught him the ways of the Were Nation. He knows the nine laws of the Were Nation by heart. He knows the teachings of the temple dogs inside and out. We would have tried to fill his brain with facts and grammar. We would have tried to teach him which fork to use and how to mingle at a party. Katashi and Spackle taught him how to be a beast. They didn't give a damn about whether he was slow. Those dogs taught him to be kind. They taught him how to love."
 
Armel paused and rubbed his paws together, as if doing so he could rub away the man he saw in the mirror. "All his life, Tamil dreamed of being a man who could lie down next to another man at night and not be ashamed. They taught him to be that man by being his exemplars. I wanted to become a beast so that I could figure out how to cure me. It never even occurred to me that what I wanted wasn't even what I needed. Tamil became so much more than I can ever hope to be simply by becoming the beast he always dreamed of being. Those two temple dogs saw in him the potential we never even considered when we evaluated him. They understood who he was all along instead of what he wasn't."
 
The wolf was quiet for a time. "That's why he was the first you saw."
 
"He was the first to see me as I truly am. I'm slow. You're all too kind to say I'm retarded, but we know that's exactly what I am. Genetic anomalies stunted my development. Life circumstances fractured my brain into pieces incapable of caring for anything but myself. Think about what you told Katashi when you tried to explain what Tamil's tests taught you about him. Now think about me and tell me how you would describe me to John."
 
"You're not capable of integrating into the Were Nation as easily as most beasts would be. Understanding others' personal boundaries and limits will always be difficult for you. You will need a family that understands that one day you will remember something and forget it the next. Repetition will be necessary for almost anything you do to reinforce proper behaviors."
 
Clifford sighed at the revelation found in his words. How similar the words were to his evaluation of Tamil. How limiting they were to tell anything of value about either beast beyond the clinical. He realized Armel was right. Here in his arms, the panda was so full of promise. Back in the lab, scientists already pigeonholed him into a life of limitations compared to those who stood beside him. "I told Katashi that my evaluation pointed out possible limitations in Tamil's abilities. I tried to say along that spectrum of behaviors many, many things were possible."
 
Armel rubbed the arm around his waist. "You were kind to say it, and for Tamil, it's true. My limitations are equally accurate. You were kind enough not to point them out until I pressured you to. It's the only way I will ever learn to recognize them, though. I have too much of an ego ever to see them on my own. Only three men stood up to me without ever letting me turn from the truth. John, Will, and Tamil."
 
Clifford snorted a laugh. "I'm guessing Tamil's not so tough when he points it out."
 
Armel nodded. "That's an understatement. Tamil saw a kindred soul, and he took me under his wing. I know John loves me. I know you all do. But none of you understand what it's like to have a part of you that you can't find inside yourself. Things that are second nature to you aren't to me. Tamil never saw me as a sociopath. It wasn't because I lacked empathy. It wasn't because I was self-involved to destructive levels. The human traits I had that made me who I was weren't important to him. He knew if he could teach me to be a beast, nothing else would matter. I could be slow. I could be like him and still be happy."
 
"Well, I can see why loving a beast like that would be easy."
 
"Tamil taught me to reach beyond the limitations I couldn't even recognize in myself. He taught me it was okay to be who I was as long as I was kind. He never once called into question that being kind was the very thing I was incapable of being. I saw him because in his eyes he accepted me as the man I wanted to be. And in him, I saw the possibility that one day I might become that man who could lie next to another man at night and not be ashamed."
 
"And how goes your quest?"
 
"Well, I'm lying next to one right now, and I'm doing okay. I can't tell you how overjoyed I am at night when John comes home."
 
"That's good to hear. Thanks for getting me up to speed on Tamil."
 
"There's so much more to the research. As with any child, his eidetic memory is going to wane. Katashi and Spackle need to be told that. The three of them should prioritize what they feel is most important for him to learn. I'm sure there are a few things that will calm his spirit a bit concerning his desire to keep up with the rest of us."
 
"That's a good idea," the wolf agreed. "So, before we get back to work in the lab, do you mind if I make a quick call?"
 
The panda tilted his head. "No, I guess not."
 
"Ori, call John."
 
The panda pushed back. "John?"
 
The screen flickered, and the redheaded doctor appeared, gazing at his charts. Without looking up, he said, "What's up, Clifford?"
 
"Armel invited me over to discuss Tamil."
 
John pulled his finger across the pad's screen. "That's great. How's it going?"
 
Armel fidgeted, trying to pull away from the wolf, but the wolf was holding him fast. "We're making progress on multiple fronts today."
 
"That's good to hear," the still-distracted doctor mumbled. His eyes glanced up at the ComLink screen hovering in front of him. "What the heck?" he said as he stood up straight and stared at the screen.
 
"I can explain," Armel blurted out.
 
"Oh my god," the redhead yelled. "Aren't you two the cutest things ever? You look so good together. Ori, could you please take a picture of those two for our scrapbook." Armel's eyes widened and John laughed. "Cancel that order, Ori," John said, bemused. "At least until his eyes go down by half."
 
"You're not upset?" Armel asked.
 
"Did you do something worth upsetting me?"
 
"I'm in bed with another man."
 
"Yeah, but it's Clifford. He's hot. And you're a newborn. Your pheromones are all over the place. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to embarrass you. I'm glad you two took some time to burn off a few rather than have that handsome wolf wandering around with blue balls all day."
 
Armel shook his head. "I don't think my integration into the Were Nation is going to be all that smooth."
 
"Were you attempting to keep this brief interlude between the two of you?" the young doctor asked.
 
"It wasn't all the brief, and, yeah, sort of."
 
"Well then, we need to talk, Hon. Look. I'm not upset. But seriously, if you will still lie about your behaviors, there's a sizable gap in your education, and I'm taking responsibility for that."
 
Clifford waved his hands. "John, I'm sorry. I had no idea this was going to cause a conflict."
 
"And it's not going to," John replied. "Armel is the one here with a problem. He's got that whole having sex with other beasts part down pretty well. But he sees what you're doing as something that, for lord knows what reason, he still has to hide from me. That means there's guilt and shame."
 
"Yeah," Armel agreed.
 
"For something we talked about."
 
"I didn't think anyone in their right mind could believe the stuff you told me."
 
"I'm not in my right mind, Panda. I asked you to marry me, remember?"
 
The panda frowned at the grinning redhead. "You're honestly okay with this?" the panda asked, pushing his paw back and forth between him and the wolf.
 
"Of course, Hon. It appears that without even knowing it, Clifford has been teaching you about the laws of the Were Nation somewhere along the line."
 
"He sure taught me about the laws of tongue physics I didn't know existed," the panda replied. He looked away shyly. "And yeah, we've been talking about how difficult it is for me to feel at ease in this new body with a whole new set of feelings."
 
"Then why would what you did upset me?"
 
"I don't know," the panda sighed. "Because it would probably upset me if I found out you did the same thing to me."
 
"I have done the same thing to you; multiple times. I've talked to you about them all."
 
"Yeah, but that's the difference. You always tell me about it. And then, you make it sound so hot when you tell me I get all hard; and before I know it, you're banging me or I'm pounding that furry big ass of yours. I forget to get upset before it's too late. It's kind of hard to be indignant when you've got a cute little ginger's jizz all over your chest."
 
John laughed. "Fair enough. I will tell you what. The conversation we have to have always goes better if we can ease into it, so I have a suggestion."
 
"Sure," Armel said, with an apologetic nod.
 
"Ori, patch in Kirk, please."
 
When the architect wolf answered, he was as engrossed in his blueprints as John was in his lab notes. Without looking up, he greeted the doctor. "Hi, John. What's up?"
 
"Well, both our husbands, for one thing," John replied.
 
The Yukon Wolf looked up from the weighted paper sheets on the table in front of him. "Oh my god," he screamed happily. "They're adorable. Did you get a picture? Someone got a picture, right? Hi Hon, Hi Armel. Can you two be any more adorable? I mean, sooo cute." The wolf shook his head. "Okay, I have got to let this go before I go over the edge. I'm still at work. But thank you for the call, John. Ori, save the vid-call so we can all go through it later and pull a nice picture of the two."
 
Armel shook his head. "You want a picture of me and your husband?"
 
"You two look so good together. I mean, you probably don't know it, but you're positively glowing."
 
"We're post-coital," the panda sighed.
 
The architect wolf shrugged. "Well, that would explain the glow. Still want a picture. We have a nice spot on our mantle for you."
 
"I've got a hard-on sticking out over the top of your husband's paw," the panda pointed out.
 
"Yeah, that adds to the charm. Don't worry, we don't allow business meetings at the house. Any visitors there will be thrilled to see you with a hard-on."
 
Armel shook his head. "I honestly don't understand any of this."
 
"But you will, Hon," the redheaded doctor consoled. "One day. You're young, and there is so much to learn." John turned back to the architect. "So, Kirk, can we invite you over for dinner tonight? I can drop by on the way home and pick you up."
 
Kirk smiled. "Oh, yeah, I'm liking that idea. We can get a picture of the four of us."
 
"That would be nice," John laughed. "And we three wolves can all show off our wood so the panda doesn't feel embarrassed by being the only one."
 
The panda frowned. "I so do not understand any of you." But for all his efforts to maintain the frown, it slipped away when he realized the promise his fiancée had made that one day he would understand. The wolf had promised one day Armel would lie down with his fellow beasts and not feel wrong. And he so desperately wanted that to be the truth. He wanted to believe Tamil was right and he deserved to be loved. John had promised Armel would understand what he couldn't fathom today, and the panda couldn't help but smile. John never lied.
 
Chapter 30
 
The animated panda tried to explain his research to the two temple dogs. "So, what you're seeing here are the two major cell types in the brain. The first is called a neurone, and it's what most of us consider our brain cells. You know, the little gray stuff."
 
The two dogs gave a nod that they were following along. "Now the second group we call glia, and they act to support the neurones. They do a bunch of things, from getting rid of waste to feeding the neurones. But the one thing we don't understand is why the ratio of neurones to glia is so important to brain function. Research shows that a greater ratio of glia to neurones often results in a better functioning brain."
 
Spackle shook his head. "You're losing me, Doc."
 
Armel pointed toward the rotating brain scan of Tamil. "Tamil's glia to neurone ratio is off the charts. He has four times more glia in that brain of his than any human."
 
"So do some whales," Spackle added. "That doesn't make them geniuses."
 
Dr. Jackson paused and stared at the striped temple dog. "How do you know that?"
 
"I have quite a few glia myself, Doc," the smiling dog replied.
 
"Okay, you're right that there are some inconsistencies about the ratios to intelligence," the panda agreed. "But his capacity to learn will never be as great as it is right now. From what I can tell, his turning set his brain up to facilitate learning better than any of us could hope for."
 
"So, the takeaway from this is going to be what?" Spackle asked.
 
"That for a few more months, possibly years, Tamil will be capable of learning at an accelerated rate. There are so many things he can learn. He can learn to read if you help him. He can learn mathematics and science. Not on an advanced level, of course, but simple things that can help him understand the world around him." The panda paused, watching the eyes of the two dogs. "I get excited for Tamil. I forget sometimes the real takeaway from all this research is that there are no better beasts in the world for that tiger to be with than you two."
 
"We are grateful for your evaluation," Katashi said with a bow of his head. "That has always been our opinion as well."
 
"Forgive me, please, for my excitement over this. I didn't mean to challenge your place in his life. You both already taught him so much about what is important to a beast. I just wanted you to realize that for a time, his ability to learn is so much greater than it will be later in his life."
 
"The children are teaching him to read, and his socialization skills need little help from us as long as he has a job at the Midnight Diner," Spackle replied. "His nature has always led him to be a remarkable beast. We involve him in our life as he has always wanted to do, but is there something more that we should do?"
 
"I guess not," Dr. Jackson replied. "I doubt that his education is suffering on any level, or that he's not being challenged the way he should be." The panda paused and sighed. "I only wanted you to understand I support you. And to bring up the good news before I brought up the not-so-good news."
 
"And that would be?" Katashi asked.
 
"That your husband is not just a newborn in the sense that the Were Nation refers to him. He is, quite literally, a newborn."
 
"You lost me again, Doc," Spackle said.
 
"Tamil is a baby. Surely, you recognized the growth spurts already occurring."
 
Katashi nodded his head. "It is becoming increasingly obvious."
 
"It's why his head seems so large. Somewhere between a human child and a baby tiger, Tamil is growing into an adult beast. If he follows a baby tiger's growth trajectory, he will be over eight meters within two years."
 
"He'll be three stories tall?" Spackle asked.
 
"Yes. What Tamil brought to his turning was a desire to be a tiger you could love, a tiger who could lie down at night with you and be your physical equal. But he mingled that with a desire to be a child who could learn and be as smart as the children in his life. The Changeling DNA rewrote Tamil's DNA to match those desires." The panda pointed toward the rotating brain. "It created a child that was already taller than a single-story house and one that will continue to grow into adulthood."
 
"This complicates matters," Katashi said with a sigh. "What are we going to do?"
 
"Nothing," Spackle interjected. "We're not going to do anything, but I have an idea who is." The striped dog tapped his chest. "Ori, can you get Derrick on the line, please?"
 
Derrick answered the call. Within minutes, Spackle's explanation of the situation was settling in. Derrick was huffing in frustration. "Oh, jeez," the black wolf groaned. "You're not asking me to step in again, are you, Spackle?"
 
"Weaponized dicks are one thing, Hon," the temple dog replied to the voice on the line. "A thirty-foot tiger is a whole new ball game. Tamil trusts you to do right by him. Where else would you have me turn?"
 
Spackle felt the bump against his right side and turned to see the black wolf sitting beside him. Armel jumped up with a start. "God," he said, trying to calm his racing heart. "I'm never going to get used to that."
 
The striped dog put his arm around the wolf. "Sorry, Hon," he said, "You're the first one I think of when it comes to family crises now."
 
Derrick gave a feeble smile. "You were told that I'm supposed to keep my abilities on the down low, right?"
 
"Yeah, but he's going to be my mate."
 
"And I am too," the black wolf added. "I'm glad you called. What good are powers if we can't help our family out in a crisis?"
 
"We don't need to add to his confusion over the turning, Wolfy," Spackle said. "Just bring him back down to where he started out and leave him there."
 
"He's a baby," Derrick replied. "You're asking me to do what amounts to foot binding in Chinese women in the early twentieth century. Tamil needs to be told what's happening, and he needs to decide what course of action we're going to take."
 
Spackle nodded in agreement. "Of course, of course," he said with a sigh. "I was only trying to make things easier for him. I overlooked what his feelings might be in the matter."
 
"Because you too are a newborn, my love," Katashi interjected. "In time you will see that our family will, of necessity, need to make complicated choices. But to do so, we must be flexible about the paths we choose. We can never make choices with the one affected remaining in the dark."
 
"Because we have seen what comes of darkness," the striped temple dog said as his head bowed.
 
"We have," Katashi said as he kissed the top of his other dog's head. He looked down at Derrick and smiled. "Tamil is playing with the children at the Anthony Wells Memorial Center pond. Would you like to join him? It might help ease us into a conversation that may be difficult. Tamil loved playing with you in the pool."
 
Derrick nodded. "That's a wonderful idea. Of course, with Tamil and the three of us in that pond, I'm not sure there will be any room for the children."
 
"That is true," Katashi said with a nod. "It is fortunate that the children enjoy climbing on us as we sit in the pond. I believe it is one of their favorite activities. Wet dogs are very slippery and a great deal of fun."
 
Derrick giggled. "I always thought so." He turned to the red panda. "Are you coming, Armel?"
 
Armel shook his head no. "I think this is one best shared with Tamil's immediate family. I'll get a ride back home. Please tell me how it all turns out." He paused a moment. "I'm fond of Tamil. I don't want to see him hurt."
 
Derrick leaned down and hugged the panda. "We won't let that happen, Armel. I'll drop by next week and we can catch up on all that's happened."
 
Armel looked away shyly. "Would it be too much to ask you to bring that old wolf of yours along?"
 
Derrick smiled. "Not at all. Does Monday around noon sound good?"
 
"Monday sounds great," the panda said, trying to hide his eagerness. "I suppose I should talk to Elden about getting a ride home."
 
"I can get you home quicker if it won't freak you out too much," the black wolf said.
 
"If it's okay with you, I'll wait for the twins," Armel replied. "I'm not quite ready to teleport via wolf." The panda hugged the wolf more tightly and then let the hug go. He tapped his ComLink and asked Ori to connect him with Elden as he walked out the front door. Armel realized the ComLink system didn't need Ori to place the call. But he enjoyed talking to her for even the most mundane of reasons. Armel was changing, even when he thought he wasn't.
 
The two temple dogs rose, and Spackle waved his hand toward the door. "After you, Wolfy." The black wolf walked through the opened door. In a matter of minutes, he was playing with the children, racing through the maze of fur that was Tamil and his mates. The three would push up their paws, blocking once-cleared pathways, and then open others by lifting or lowering their legs. Ever young at heart, Derrick had found yet another way he loved being with temple dogs when wet.
 
As evening approached, parents came for their children. One by one, they returned home until only the four beasts remained. Tamil watched the three and sensed awkwardness in the way they talked with him. He looked concerned when he asked, "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong? You three look like the doctors used to look when they did their tests."
 
The tiger paused a moment and splashed the water covering his lap. "They were all so reluctant to tell me what they saw. They were afraid it would hurt my feelings, so they only talked to each other."
 
Katashi nodded. "We learned something from Dr. Jackson today, and we need to talk to you about it."
 
Tamil smiled. "I am glad my family doesn't hide things from me. It's so much easier to know than to worry about what I don't know."
 
Spackle bowed his head in embarrassment. "I was guilty of the same thing as the doctors, Tamil. There is a problem, and I thought it would be easier to solve it without you." He looked back up at the tiger. "I was wrong. I'm sorry I ignored how you feel about these matters."
 
Tamil smiled. "That's okay, Spackle. I might not have told you how I feel about these matters until now." Tamil stretched out his wet paws. "You can hug me, and all is okay again." Spackle shifted positions and hugged the sitting cat. Tamil made a happy purr. "You always hug me with so much muzzle rubbing. Sometimes it's hard not to become aroused."
 
"Is that another thing I need to know about?" Spackle asked.
 
"No, I am very good with the way you hug."
 
Spackle rubbed the back of Tamil's head, realizing he was a foot taller than he was when he was a newborn. He let the hug go and pushed back. "Tamil, you're growing taller."
 
"I noticed," the tiger said.
 
"If we do nothing, you will grow as tall as the Second Class Hospital."
 
"Then we must do something," Tamil replied. "I don't want to be that tall."
 
"That's why I'm here," Derrick said. "Tamil, you're growing because you are a baby."
 
Tamil's smile spread. "I am a newborn, Wolfy. You know that. You were at my welcoming."
 
Derrick laughed. "Yes, I was. Those are days I will never forget."
 
"Did something go wrong?" Tamil asked.
 
"Not wrong," Derrick said, "Just unexpected."
 
Tamil turned to his father and saw the worry on his face. "What? What is unexpected?"
 
Katashi put his hand on Tamil's lap. "When you thought about your beast, you wanted to be like the children you play with. To you, they were smarter and could learn faster. The turning saw that as a desire to be born much younger than you were when you turned. You are not only a newborn to the Were Nation, Tamil. You are a baby in body."
 
Tamil shook his head no. "I have already been a baby. I didn't mean to become one again."
 
"Sometimes the turning has a mind of its own, Tamil," Derrick said. "You remember how Oliver turned into a badger, or how Clyde became a pig? They didn't intend for that to happen, but the turning saw what was in their thoughts and made them what they are today."
 
"But they did not become babies, Wolfy," the tiger replied.
 
"No, they didn't. But you did," the black wolf replied. "Like I said, it was unexpected. But it's not wrong. We only need to know what you want to do."
 
"I don't want to grow bigger than the Second Class Hospital."
 
"I can make sure that doesn't happen."
 
"What else, Wolfy?" the tiger asked.
 
"I've been thinking about how we keep you from growing larger than your family. I have a suggestion I didn't tell Katashi or Spackle about because I believe it's a choice you need to make." Derrick shifted in the water and, for a moment, watched the ripples moving outward. "There are consequences to every choice we make. I'm sure Katashi and Spackle have told you how our lives change other lives, like the ripples in the water."
 
Tamil smiled. "They did."
 
"We need to deal with one of those ripples in your life. I'm not sure only making you the size you hoped to be is the right path for that ripple to take." Derrick's paw swirled in the water. As a large ripple moved outward, his other paw reached out, pushing the ripple back toward him. "I'm here to guide that ripple, Tamil. I'm here to ensure you don't grow larger than your mates, but I have choices about how we do that."
 
"What choices are there?" the tiger asked.
 
"We can leave you at the size you are right now forever. You've grown since you were born, but for now, you're the same size as your mates. We simply stop you from getting any bigger."
 
Tamil could sense the wolf's hesitancy over the choice presented. "Or?" he asked.
 
"Or we could let you be the baby you are. You would be much smaller than you are today, but that's the body you should have now. Your body is growing because it is a baby's body, and that's what babies do. We make you the size of a baby tiger that will one day grow up to stand beside Katashi and Spackle."
 
"I would be small?"
 
"About the size of the children you play with. But you would grow. You would grow in the way your tiger body should. You would reach adulthood in five years, and your body would stop growing."
 
Tamil thought for a moment. "I wouldn't have my gigantic head?"
 
"No, your head is large now because you're a baby. As you grow, your head will stay much the same size. That's typical of babies. It would happen if we do nothing. Right now, your body will stop growing in five years, but you'll be thirty feet tall. If we let your body be small the way it should be, you'll grow up to be an adult that is the same size as the two you love."
 
"So, why is that better than making me their size now?"
 
"Because you're you, Tamil. You're unique in this world. You are a tiger that doesn't want to be a tiger. But if you grew up as a tiger in a loving family, you might feel better about being a tiger. Perhaps being a baby tiger will allow you to become comfortable inside your new tiger body. Maybe, just maybe, you could become a tiger that wants to be a tiger."
 
Tamil thought about what was said. "If I am a child, then both Katashi and Spackle would have to raise me. I would have two fathers."
 
Derrick smiled. "You already have two fathers, Tamil. They're both raising you now. You are a child, but a much stronger and larger child than we expected. If I only stop you from growing any larger, you will always be that child. But if we start over, you could grow up to be the tiger you dreamed of being. You could become the tiger that lies with a man and is not ashamed."
 
Tamil smiled. "I am already that tiger, Wolfy."
 
Derrick nodded. "And none of that would change. All that you are now will remain, but for a few years, you will be in a body that grows and changes the way it should. You will become an adult the way nature planned it."
 
"What about sex? A baby doesn't have sex."
 
"Not all babies. Changelings can have sex the moment they are born. That appears to be the case with your transformation. The turning held onto what was important to you. Apparently, tigers that do not wish to be tigers enjoy sex way more than other tigers, even as babies."
 
"So, I will be small, but I can still have sex?"
 
"For a couple of years, you will be smaller. Dr. Jackson should be thrilled with that part of you growing up."
 
Tamil laughed. "I didn't think about that. That would make him so happy. I think Oliver would like me too."
 
"Oliver already likes you. And if Jason returns soon with his husbands, you'll meet a little fox who will adore you. However, having sex with them as their avatars would be a great deal more fun for the next year or two. My husband, Adam, will enjoy it as well."
 
Tamil thought about the change in his body. "But Katashi and Spackle, they could not have sex with me. I would be too small."
 
"Has our time together not taught you that sex and penetration are not the same thing?" Katashi interjected. "There are one hundred thirty-two ways we could share sex with a small tiger that I can think of, provided you still allow us to take you into the trees."
 
Tamil smiled. "I forgot, Father. You know a great deal more about sex than I do."
 
"Well, we won't let you forget that if you choose to become small," Spackle laughed. He turned to Derrick. "So, Wolfy, this change is one in body only? We don't lose the Tamil we have now? His personality, his loving ways, all that stays the same?"
 
"He's already that tiger, Hon. He'll just grow to a size equal to where he wants to be as an adult."
 
"So, I guess I'm wondering why not make the cosmetic adjustments to his adult body and call it good?"
 
Derrick shook his head disbelievingly. "I married a guy with the Sight, and he's the same as my other husband. He never uses it with the ones he loves." The wolf grabbed the tiger's paw. "He's like Max and JP, Hon, only in reverse. Those two bears were born as children in adult bodies, and Tamil was born as an adult in a child's body. All three share struggles because of circumstances we'll never understand. But Max and JP taught us one thing. As best you can, you give the ones born under unique circumstances the life they missed because of their turning.
 
"Tamil was born a tiger. He grew up as a tiger, and then he turned. The beast that was born is a baby, not only in the eyes of the Were Nation but in physical fact. He needs to grow into being a beast because he's a tiger, not a human. We never waited for him to be twenty-five before the turning, but now we can give him that life."
 
Katashi gave a nod in agreement. "You have a point, Pup. Now we only need to know what Tamil has decided." He turned to the tiger. "What would you like to do, Son?"
 
"I think I would like to be small. It would be nice to have two fathers. And when I am grown, I would like to mate with both of them and have two husbands. I like Wolfy's idea. If I am a baby, I should be the size of a baby. I would like to grow up to be a tiger that is happy to be a tiger."
 
"Then you shall have your wish," Katashi replied.
 
"I'm totally down with being a father, Tamil," Spackle said with a smile, "and becoming your husband in five years."
 
"I am down with both, as well," Tamil said with a grin.
 
"Okay, one last bit before we make this change," Derrick added. "About your claws, Tamil."
 
Tamil shook his head angrily. "I don't want claws, Wolfy. They are like the spiny penis. They make me broken. I will not be broken. Can I keep the fingers you gave me?"
 
"The fingers you gave him, Pup?" Katashi asked.
 
Derrick squeezed the paw of the tiger he still held. "I was wrong, Tamil. Tell your fathers about the fingers before you change. The claws did not make you broken, Tamil. You were never broken. You only needed help with some things, and your claws were one of those things."
 
Tamil raised his other paw and stared at the fingers inside his fingers. He looked at Katashi and Spackle. "Dr. Peterson told me I could not become the little tiger inside me because they fused the metal fingers he gave me to my bones. They could not retract, but that is because I tore the real claws off. I asked Wolfy to give me new fingers that would let my little tiger be able to come out the way Father said it would one day."
 
Derrick gave a nod. "I gave Tamil claws like the fingers Dr. Peterson attached. But they adjust to whatever size he is. If Tamil is to be a tiger, he needs fully functional claws. They don't have to be sharp, but they have to be his claws."
 
"As a baby, you can learn how to use them, Tamil," Spackle said. "Wolfy isn't saying that your old claws need to return. I think he's saying you need to know that what he gave you weren't fingers. They're claws because a tiger needs claws to be a tiger. It doesn't matter what we call them. Claws are a part of a tiger, and a tiger, even a little tiger, must learn to use them properly."
 
Tamil nodded in agreement. "I told Wolfy that one day I would need fingers that the little tiger could use. I just didn't realize that I would be that little tiger. Wolfy is right. A tiger needs claws, even a little tiger. If you can make them so they are like the fingers, Wolfy, I will be okay with the claws coming back. Give me the claws a tiger needs, but ones that won't hurt others."
 
Katashi gave a nod toward the black wolf. "He won't hurt a child if they come out? They won't hurt Spackle if Tamil has nightmares?"
 
"His claws will be as they are now. We simply stop calling them something they're not. The truth is, they're not fingers. They're claws that are less sharp and more malleable. A tiger has to have claws to walk. A tiger without claws is a hobbled beast. And we can't have that. The claws won't hurt anyone in and of themselves. But Tamil will still grow into a very big, very strong beast."
 
Derrick turned to the tiger. "If you learn while you're young to control your size and the claws, you will become the tiger you dream of. Your big tiger will grow up, and the little tiger you once were will still be inside you, the same as it always has been. But you must study hard to make that all happen. Do you think you can do all that in five years?"
 
Tamil nodded his head happily. "I have two fathers to teach me. That should be more than enough, don't you think?"
 
Derrick smiled. "Yeah, those two fathers are the best. Close your eyes, count to three, and then open your eyes again."
 
Tamil did as he was told. When he opened his eyes, he was looking up at everyone. He looked down at his body now immersed up to his chest in the pond's water. He grinned. "It didn't hurt."
 
"No. Remember how we said the first time always hurts, but as you keep turning, the pain gets less and less?" Tamil nodded. "Well, this," Derrick said, "was only a minor change to make you little. As you grow older, sometimes the changes might be painful. Growing pains often are. But if they ever get too difficult for you, remember to tell your fathers, and they will bring me back."
 
Tamil made what he was taught humans called a frown. It was a sign of displeasure. "You won't come back unless I hurt?"
 
"No, Tamil, I will return often with my family to visit. But if you are hurting, I will make a special trip to help you get better."
 
"But if I no longer hurt, and you are here, can we have sex?"
 
Derrick chuckled. "Yes, Tamil, when you no longer hurt, I suppose we can have sex."
 
Tamil's frown turned up. "I don't hurt now, Wolfy. We could have sex."
 
"Here in the pond?"
 
"The children are all home having dinner. We will be alone. Just the four of us."
 
Derrick let Tamil's paw go and stood up. He let his hand idly rub over his sheath to free the already swelling cock. "I think that's an excellent use for a visit. Tamil, have you ever been told what a bottom is?"
 
Tamil sat, confused. "I think so."
 
"Do you know what a power bottom is?" Derrick asked with a smile.
 
"No."
 
"Well, tonight, my handsome little tiger, you'll learn what a power bottom looks like."
 
"Does he look like a black wolf?" the tiger giggled.
 
Spackle came up from behind Derrick and wrapped his arms around the wolf. "Oh, yeah, Tamil. The power bottom on display tonight looks exactly like a black wolf with blue highlights."
 
Derrick closed his eyes and leaned into the striped dog. "Mount me, Spackle."
 
"You didn't even need to ask," Spackle said as he pushed the wolf deeper into the pond. Derrick understood where the dog was going and moved to accommodate him.
 
Katashi laughed when Spackle penetrated the wolf. "That, Tamil, is a power bottom. Nature gifted the wolf with skills to let another penetrate him."
 
"Then I would like to be a power bottom," the tiger said, watching the two couple.
 
"And one day you will, if that is your wish. But for tonight, the two of us will practice other skills. You are small, but that should never leave you feeling you have no options."
 
"What will we do, Father?"

Katashi smiled. "Position number seventy-five on the list in my head would be a wonderful place to start. Later, when those two are done, we will try position ninety-eight together."
 
"What makes you think we're going to be done tonight?" Derrick giggled.
 
"Nothing, Pup," Katashi responded. "I was planning for tomorrow's activities. By morning, we will be ready to retire to our bed. Tamil has much to learn. We shouldn't waste a teaching moment like this where so many opportunities present themselves. You are very skilled at accommodating any partner. Tamil would do well to learn at your side."

Derrick felt the dog on top push into him balls deep. He closed his eyes and sighed at the sensations surging through him. "Tamil, watch your fathers, too. They are humble men but are exceedingly good at what they do."

Tamil took the wolf's words to heart and watched everyone in his company over the next three days. It was more complicated on the second day when Derrick's husbands showed up at the door of his home. They were looking for the black wolf that failed to respond to his ComLink. Tamil greeted the bears, the wolf, and the badger, eager to show them all what he had learned, and the family was more than happy to learn at his side.
 
Chapter 31
 
The cake was three tiers high and covered with brightly colored flowers and trees. It looked like a tiny island floating on a blue tray. Tamil was thrilled at how it resembled the place of his birth. Everywhere, balloons and streamers had the number three on them.
 
"Happy Birthday, Tamil," Derrick said, giving the tiger a firm hug.
 
"Thank you, Wolfy," Tamil said gleefully. "I am three today. Two more years, and I'll be all grown up."
 
Derrick pushed back from the hug and stared up at the smiling tiger's face. "You look pretty grown up to me already. You're what, eight feet tall?"
 
"I'm not sure," the tiger replied. "All I know is that I'm still not as tall as my fathers. In two more years, I will ask them to be my mates. In two years, my world will change again."
 
"And are you looking forward to that day?"
 
"I think so. Change is hard. I have to give up something to gain something. I want to call Katashi and Spackle Husband, but I know that means I will never call them Father again."
 
"There is a lot more responsibility in that title of husband, that's for sure."
 
"It feels nice having fathers to watch over me. I can make mistakes and they forgive me."
 
"They'll do that as husbands, but it means you will need to watch over them the same way they do you."
 
Tamil laughed and leaned down to Derrick's pointed ear. "I'll tell you a secret, Wolfy," he whispered. "I already do."
 
"Then becoming a husband will suit you fine."
 
"And what about you, Wolfy? Will being a husband suit you fine?"
 
Derrick grinned. "I'm already married to five husbands, Tamil."
 
"But one more might be nice. I think Father is waiting for you to ask."
 
Derrick's smile slipped from his face. "It's complicated, Tamil. There is so much going on in his life. It's not that I have forgotten, but it seems we both could use some time to sort things out."
 
Tamil cocked his head to one side and stared at the wolf. "It's not as complicated as you think. You love him; he loves you. All the rest is sorting out the details."
 
Derrick shook his head in disbelief. "You really are his son, aren't you?"
 
"I might have heard him say that. But I think it's the truth."
 
"The two of us have waited for quite a while, Tamil. Those teeth marks on the back of my neck never faded. I'm aware of what he means to me. One day, we will sort it all out. But for now, he has a son to raise."
 
Tamil laughed. "Yes, he does. And I need to be ready to marry both my fathers in two years. That is not much time for a tiger."
 
"A tiger? You're willing to admit you're a tiger?"
 
Tamil gave a happy nod. "Yes. I am a tiger that wants to be a tiger that is mated to two temple dogs."
 
"Your progress is remarkable, Tamil. I wasn't sure you would ever be content inside a tiger's body."
 
"I have wonderful parents. They taught me to be content…"
 
"Son of a bitch, that's terrible," Will blurted out from across the room. All heads turned toward the wolf with one green finger raised. The embarrassed wolf stared at the crowd staring back. "The cake. It's horrible," he said, shaking the finger.
 
"That's because the cake is for Tamil," Spackle said with a laugh. He reached out and grabbed the old wolf in a hug. "You, Old Wolf, will have to wait for your cake." He ran a knife along the gap in the island where Will had sneaked a chunk of frosting and smoothed it over. "The cake is three layers of meatloaf covered in a mashed potato frosting. Too much sugar is not good for a tiger."
 
"You could have warned me," Will groused.
 
"And miss your reaction when you stole a taste?" Spackle laughed. The striped temple dog leaned down and kissed the Iberian wolf. "Tonight, save a bit of yourself for me. It's been too long since I've tasted you. I realize how these birthday parties can get."
 
"I'll put you on my dance card," Will promised. He waited until the crowd returned to their various conversations. "Are your brothers coming tonight?" he asked Spackle.
 
Spackle shook his head no. "Tamil picked the guest list. He said he wanted to keep it small because it was only one night."
 
"Smart lad," Will said.
 
"He sees you and Derrick as family because he thinks that I'm married to the two of you."
 
"As I said, smart lad," Will reiterated. "And since the boy loves to top, I'm all for him thinking I'm family no matter what the reason."
 
Spackle's paw reached for Will's, and the old wolf clasped the larger paw. "And you, Old Wolf?"
 
"We're working with some ambivalent feelings in our little triad, Spackle, but they're not mine. I understood what I meant when I bit your neck. I don't pretend to mate. You know that."
 
The temple dog nodded. "But we wait for Wolfy."
 
The old wolf smiled. "We wait. You have your challenges, and I have mine. Pup has his. Of the three of us, he's the one who most wants us to be mated, but he fears the outcome the most."
 
"I can't say his fears are unfounded, Old Wolf," the striped temple dog said.
 
"True that," Will replied. "Our family struggles with the idea that with great power comes great responsibility."
 
"You mean the Book of Spider-man isn't the truth?" the dog said with a chuckle.
 
"It gets interpreted wrong. That whole 'rugged individual standing up in the face of insurmountable odds' isn't that great an idea. The greater the power, the greater the need for those who love us to step up and help us deal with that power. Our family has a history of trying so hard to protect the ones we love we forget to reach out and ask them for help when we need it."
 
Spackle shrugged. "We see a lot of horrible stuff before it ever happens. It's hard not to try and shield our family from those dangers."
 
"But we can't, Dog. We can't. The best we can do is stand by each other. It's a lesson we need to learn if we're going to survive."
 
The temple dog sighed. "I can't say that's an easy lesson to learn."
 
"Me either," the old wolf replied. "For Pup, it's especially hard. Give him time, Spackle. He's worth it."
 
The temple dog hugged the wolf. "I never had a doubt, Old Wolf. You both are worth the wait. I am in no hurry. The love is there. We're simply working out the details."
 
The old wolf returned the hug. The Sight tried to push forward, but he pushed back. Today, in the arms of the dog he loved, he didn't care to see the details looming on the horizon.
 
Chapter 32
 
"You want to what?" John said as he pivoted around in his chair.
 
"I want to open up the island. I want to ask Hanuel and Kwan to help me create a foster care home on this island. Jim said he could bring in temp help for a couple of weeks while they look things over and make recommendations. Canada has its home for children with the Sight. I think it's time we had one for orphaned children with the Sight down here in the U.S."
 
"That's an awful lot of responsibility for the three of us," John cautioned, "especially with our jobs. We both handle some pretty critical projects."
 
"It wouldn't need to be only the three of us. Dozens of beasts out there would love to be a part of this," the panda said, pleading his case. "There are one hundred and twenty rooms in this house. We have an enormous pool in the basement. Boldt built the Alster tower as a playhouse for god's sake. Look at the plans. The bowling alley is already there. It's even wired and plumbed for a café that was in the plans. There are scores of rooms waiting to become something for kids to explore and enjoy. This entire island has so many rooms and so much space, but most of it is sitting there collecting dust."
 
The robot turned toward the panda. "It is not collecting dust, Dr. Jackson. I am fastidious in its care."
 
"That's even worse, Sybil," the panda said. "You work so hard with this place, and only two men ever see what you've accomplished. That's why a foster home would be perfect. It's time we put the rest of this island to use for something more than me one-upping the neighbors."
 
"We don't have neighbors, Armel," the wolf pointed out. "Kids need a social structure where they can interact with others. It's part of what humans need to do. For all the talk about American individualism, humans are herd animals. They don't do well on their own. They don't even do well in small packs. You've seen how they get when you isolate them."
 
"There are schools on the mainland, and the boat trip is as short as the one that takes the kids to school on Partridge Island."
 
"They need a diverse group of people surrounding them. Not just a few wolves, a panda, and a robot."
 
"I realize that. But they solved that problem for the kids on Partridge Island. They let in visitors, and the kids become ambassadors for the island. It works great. If we open the island back up to visitors, the kids would see people from all over the world daily. We open up the Power House and the first three floors of the castle to the public. We're surrounded by everything we need to make this island a perfect bed-and-breakfast and a small reception venue. Consider how romantic the bedrooms are in the Power House. We bounce back and forth between them on the weekends enough to realize the potential there."
 
"What?" John choked out. "This is getting deeper and deeper. We're going to need a lot more housing than this island can handle if you want to turn it back into a tourist spot. We'll need guides, housekeeping, concierges, medical staff, and security. That sort of wipes out using any of the outbuildings for office space."
 
"I know, but I've given a lot of thought to this," the panda said, waving his hands. He stopped and looked at the two staring at him. His head bowed. "I might have done something."
 
John let out an exasperated sigh. "What did you do, Armel?"
 
"I might have bought Harbor Island."
 
John's eyes widened. "You did what?"
 
"I bought the island next door."
 
"Really?" John fumed. "What did we agree to about a guy with no impulse control making major purchases without first talking to the man who will one day be his loving husband?"
 
"Well, I sort of had to buy it."
 
"And why is that?"
 
"Because it's between here and Steamboat Island, I sort of bought that too."
 
"You sort of bought it?" John bristled. "There are eleven islands between here and Steamboat Island. Harbor Island is only the biggest one. Did you just overlook the rest?"
 
"I sort of bought them too."
 
"Armel!" the wolf yelled.
 
"You'd be surprised how many of those rich old people realized too late how cold and drafty living on those smaller islands can be. I got most of them at a great price." The panda waved his hand in front of the computer console and the 3-D screen displayed the chain of islands from Heart Island to Steamboat Island. Three of the largest islands formed a highlighted triangle: Harbor Island, Manhattan Island, and Maple Island. "Look, shipping in the St. Lawrence River is a major part of the economy downstream. But the river is clogging up more and more every year. The dredging they do moves tons of rock and debris every year, but they still need to find a place to put it all."
 
"Right," John said, taking a deep breath. "So, where are you going with this?"
 
"You've heard about China and Japan's island-building projects, right?"
 
"No, you're not suggesting…" John said, pointing his finger at the guilty-looking panda.
 
Armel pointed to the highlighted triangle of islands. "I made an offer to the port authority to take all their dredging if they would help me unite this area into one larger island."
 
"And what did they say?"
 
"That Congress and the EPA would need to approve it, but they thought I had a good chance since I was offering to pay for both the dredging and the disposal. Congress pretty much approves anything that saves them billions of dollars."
 
"And where do you get the money for all these work projects?"
 
"I'm not sure. Every dime I had was used to buy the islands. I was hoping a sexy billionaire wolf I know would take pity on me."
 
"Ahh, jeez, Armel. Really?" John said.
 
"Look," the panda said as he pushed a tab on his computer. A land mass between the triangle of Harbor Island, Maple Island, and Manhattan Island began filling in. "If we join the three islands together, there is more than enough space to house anyone who wants to help with rearing the children. All the business infrastructure can go there. It doesn't interrupt the flow of the river, and it gives all the beasts living there a forest that they can share. The net takeaway from an environmental concern is that there is even more habitable area for wildlife than there is now. It's even a win for the migrating fish. The deep waters for them are still there, but now there will be even larger breeding shoals off the island."
 
John shrugged. "Well, it would be nice to have a forest nearby. I miss that living here." John stared at the graphics as the buildings and piers for traffic flow came into being. "Okay, that could work. We could talk to the Blue clan about making sure we lay a solid foundation between the three islands." His hand traced up through the islands. "So, what are you doing with Steamboat Island?"
 
"That's special. I'm working on an idea for that," came Armel's evasive reply. "I need to talk to some people about that."
 
John stared at Armel, but the panda's eyes were unwilling to connect with his. "Armel…"
 
"It might be nice to make a temple there. There are shoals there for a dragon and her mate if she ever settles down to having one or two."
 
"Armel, are you trying to get Katashi and his family to move from Partridge Island?"
 
"That might have occurred to me."
 
Even the robot let out an audible frustrated sigh. "Armel!" John yelled. "Of all the self-centered lame-brained ideas. All this planning just to have Tamil as a neighbor?"
 
The panda bowed his head. "It started out that way… I guess it still is in a way," the panda whispered. "He likes me, John. He almost makes me feel normal when we're together. You don't understand how hard it is for me to find anyone like that beyond you two." He lifted his head and added, "But I swear, John, it's grown so far beyond that." He pointed toward Steamboat Island. "Katashi, Spackle, and Saand don't have a temple. They're the only three dogs in the world without one. I'm not sure what happens inside those temples, but I can see it means a great deal to them. Partridge Island doesn't have room for one. We would."
 
"But they have a family and children who depend on them to be there."
 
"I know, I know," the panda agreed. "But that family would understand them moving to a place that lets them be who they were meant to be."
 
"And Tamil?"
 
The red panda's head bowed again. "There would be new children to play with and new wolves to be his friends. He would have two islands full of wolves willing to have sex with him."
 
"And maybe a panda?"
 
"Yeah, maybe a panda. I'm hoping all four of them would like a neighbor panda to have sex with."
 
"So, if the four of them say no to your suggestion, what happens to this island and the orphaned kids you were just talking about?"
 
Armel looked up. "We go ahead with that no matter what. I need this, John. I need to see beyond myself. If I don't push my boundaries, I won't grow."
 
"So you push the boundaries of the islands and you're a new man?" Armel looked at the wolf incredulously.
 
"No. You're aware that's the answer. I didn't become an asshole overnight. I won't stop being one overnight, either." The panda paused in thought. "Okay, so I probably became an asshole overnight, but becoming who I want to be will take more time. I'm trying to surround myself with those who can help me become that man."
 
John threw his hands up in the air. "You win, Armel. I can't see a downside to any of this except we lose our laboratory here. You can't go having this kind of equipment with so many tourists dropping by to visit."
 
"Or the children," Sybil added. "The Partridge Island children are incredibly gifted at finding their way into mischief. I can't imagine the children living here would be any different."
 
Armel nodded his tiny head. "I considered that. The New York lab at Bear Paws and the CDC labs in Washington are always available. Perhaps Eric could see it clear to let us bring over our equipment if we dangle a bribe in front of him."
 
John's eyes widened and then narrowed tightly. "Armel, you will not use me to get anything out of the old bear. He is my friend. We don't use friends that way." The wolf huffed out an exasperated breath. "Hell, we don't even use enemies that way. We just don't do it, Armel."
 
The panda bowed his head. "I realize that, Hon. But you share a special relationship with Eric, and I was hoping you could talk to him. And then it occurred to me; you two often talk about all manner of things after you have sex. I mean, that's the way Tamil came into our lives. Sometimes the things we struggle with the most are easier dealt with after we've been together."
 
John chuckled. "Okay, that at least sounds better, although I'm sure it's the same idea rolling around in your head when you brought up bribing Eric."
 
Armel nodded. "I want this to work. I need it to work, Hon. This is important to me."
 
"Well, there you go, Hon," the wolf said as he looked back at the new island in the Saint Lawrence River. "You said the words sacred to the Were Nation and me. If it's important to you, it's important to me."
 
"Then we can work out the plans?"
 
"Well, you best do it quickly, Hon, because there's going to be a lot on your plate in short order once Congress gives you the go-ahead."
 
"Do think we have a chance?"
 
"The crews that do the dredging for the St. Lawrence River belong to the Old Bear. I'm thinking with the right encouragement, he can cut the Senate an even sweeter deal than you proposed."
 
"No, there's no mention of Bear Paws Enterprises anywhere in the Northeast Dredging prospectus."
 
The wolf smiled at the panda. "The old bear has more than one pocket in that business suit of his. Trust me; they are family. You convince Eric, and this idea of yours is going forward."
 
The robot turned toward the wolf. "Are you seriously considering this plan of action, Dr. Kennedy?"
 
"Yeah, I guess I am. He has a point, Sybil. With or without the Sight, orphaned children will always need a home, and there are a lot of empty rooms in this house."
 
"And, as you mentioned earlier, your husband-to-be has no impulse control."
 
John nodded. "But he has us, Sybil. We're supposed to be here for him."
 
"That was our promise to him."
 
The panda put out his open hands. "I realize I'm going to need a lot of help because I'm not exactly the parenting type. But you and Sybil will be with me twenty-four/seven, and there are so many members of this family willing to help. I'm sure we can make a go of it."
 
The robot spun around from her workstation. "I would help, Dr. Jackson. This is a bold step for you. It would be nice to hear the laughter of children on this island."
John's eyes narrowed at the thought of children on the island. "There will also be the sound of children yelling, screaming, and crying, Sybil. Kids don't come in just one mood. We will need to be there for all those moods and all those challenges."
 
"It doesn't seem such a bad compromise for the laughter, does it, Dr. Kennedy?"
 
John smiled, "No, no it doesn't."
 
"I'm willing to do my best," Armel said. "I won't even mind my commute to work if we move the lab to New York."
 
"Really?" the wolf asked. "I try for how many years to get you to do that, and suddenly it's a done deal?"
 
"I saw the plans for Chip and Dale."
 
"Crap," the wolf complained. "That was supposed to be a surprise."
 
The robot raised her metal hand and waved it to attract the two beasts' attention. "What are Chip and Dale?"
 
"Puddle jumpers, Sybil," the wolf replied. "They're a gift from Kris and his son, Noah. Noah and the New York research team have been working non-stop. They're the next step in our travel evolution."
 
"What do they do?" the robot asked.
 
"They're a new transport system. All the Were Nation airships use the rotation of the earth to cut down travel time. But that comes with a cost. They're not good at longitudinal flying. A brief trip from here to Partridge Island can take as much time as a trip to India. It's less than an hour, but it still takes up time and resources best used for other travel. More importantly, when time is critical, they use up the one resource we can't afford to waste. Chip and Dale bypass that dilemma by using jump gates."
 
"A jump gate?" Sybil asked.
 
"Kris decides what forms of Changeling technology the Verital share with us," John replied. "And that bear loves him some Stargate S-G1."
 
"Would that be the most recent reboot, or one of the other five?"
 
"The original. I'm not sure if he loves the series or the wolf that watches it with him. I doubt he and Wolfy have made it through an entire episode without winding up rutting on the floor. But he knows entire episodes by heart, so somewhere along the line he's paying attention."
 
"So, Chip and Dale?" the robot renewed her inquiry.
 
"It's the first small-scale shuttle to use jump gates that create a stable wormhole for site-to-site transport. I think it stems from Nathaniel's trip back to Partridge Island from here a few months back."
 
"The incident with Tamil?" the robot asked.
 
"Yeah. It took him thirty-five minutes to get to Partridge Island. All the airships are fast if the move is along a parallel, but if it's on a meridian vector, things get slowed down. Chip and Dale change all that. If we had one up here, we could be in New York in less than three minutes."
 
"That is impossible, Dr. Kennedy," the robot said.
 
"Yeah, it is for another eight months. After that, Chip is going active. There won't be a jump gate anywhere near us for some time, but the New York to D.C. leg will be operational."
 
"And where is Dale going?" Armel asked.
 
"Washington, D.C., the Florida underwater habitats, and all points south," the wolf replied. "Chip is going to be the link to New York for the two of us, Partridge Island, and Washington, D.C. The primary hub is a few miles outside of D.C. in a secured facility that everyone sees as a nice little horse farm."
 
Sybil's cameras and metal eyebrows formed a thoughtful expression. "This is going to change so much, doctors. But I still must call into question the idea that Tamil and his mates will move here. They have responsibilities beyond the children of Partridge Island. You might be asking them to spread themselves too thin."
 
Armel nodded. "I've thought about that, Sybil. The Were Nation has always risen to a challenge. Providing the remaining three temple dogs a home with a temple will mean so many changes. But, regardless of what I want, the three of them could use a home where they can teach Tamil in a temple setting."
 
"The panda has a point, Sybil," John said. "Tamil is Spackle and Katashi's son. I've heard them talk about mating when he reaches adulthood. Tamil will spend his life with temple dogs. If the two closest to him feel a temple would benefit their union, I don't see any reason not to build them one."
 
"Then, perhaps it is best to visit them soon," the robot suggested. "I don't believe this is a discussion one has over a ComLink call."
 
"I agree, Sybil," John said. "Armel, you set up the appointment. We'll be there with you all the way, but that first step is yours."
 
The panda frowned. "I thought you were going to say that."
 
The wolf leaned down and kissed the little mammal on the cheek. "You see, Panda? You're already learning so much about me. Just think what we'll be like when we're married."
 
Armel's frown didn't go away. "At least as a husband, I could ask you for help with the tough things."
 
John smiled. "Do you need my help, husband-to-be?"
 
Armel considered his options. "Not so much for the plans I need to set up. I want to be a part of that. But if you don't climb into bed with me soon, I'm pretty sure I'm going to jack off by myself. Talking commerce makes me horny."
 
"Everything makes you horny, Armel," John said as he stood up and grabbed the panda, throwing him on top of his shoulders. "See you tomorrow, Sybil," he said as he headed toward the hallway. "There appears to be a need for me to practice my future husbandly duties."
 
"Enjoy your night, you two," the robot said with a wave. She turned and moved back toward the laboratory. "This should be interesting," she said to herself. "I hope my circuits are up to the ideas those two come up with." She slipped into a small alcove, let the power jacks press into her back, lowered her head, and powered down. 

Chapter 33
 
Tamil sensed Armel's unease as the two walked along the jungle path inside the greenhouse. He looked at the diminutive panda and asked, "Do you still like me, Panda? Are you mad I am growing bigger?"
 
Armel looked up, startled. "No, no, I… I… love your new size and I… I love you, Tiger."
 
"I smell your fear," the tiger pressed. "If we love each other, there shouldn't be any fear between us."
 
Armel shook his head. "I asked you to come and visit so I could ask you a question. I'm afraid of the answer."
 
"What should the answer be?"
 
"I hope it is yes."
 
"Then I say yes. That was easy," the tiger said as he patted the panda's head.
 
"I hope it's that easy, Tamil," the panda responded. "Sometimes there are reasons we say no. You might say no for so many reasons, but I hope you say yes." Armel paused in his walking. Tamil stopped up short beside him. "Can we wait until we're back with the rest of the family before I ask the question?"
 
"Of course," the tiger replied.
 
The panda let out a grateful sigh. "I'm glad you came to visit us," Armel said. "I wanted you and your fathers to spend a few days with us to thank you all. Tamil, I never even considered you would be the first beast I saw. I always thought it would be John."
 
"Do you see Dr. Kennedy now?"
 
"Oh yeah," Armel laughed. "We have been making up for lost time."
 
"Does that involve a lot of sex?"

"Yeah, it does, Tamil; a great deal of sex."

"I might be making up for lost time with Katashi and Spackle then."

Armel laughed again. "No, Tamil, you're just horny."

"Like the wolves and bears?"

"Like the wolves and bears."

"I am glad, then. I think it is good to be horny."

The panda nodded in agreement. "I do too, Tamil."

"So, Dr. Jackson, does Dr. Kennedy stay with you at night?" Armel looked way up at the face of the tiger, who looked down at him.

"Yes, he does, Tamil. Thank you for helping me realize how important it was for both of us."

"I think you should listen to Dr. Kennedy's suggestions more often."

The panda nodded in agreement. "I agree. I'm trying to listen better to all the people I love."

"And did you find a way to fix yourself?"

"No. I'm still struggling with that. There is a great deal of work I still need to do. But other things seem more important to me of late."

"Like what?"

"Like the reason I asked you to come tonight."
 
Tamil laughed. "You are very mysterious."
 
"Shall we go round up everyone and have dinner? Sometimes it's easier for me to talk to others when there is a table with food between us."
 
"That sounds nice," the tiger said. Tamil looked down at the tiny red panda. "If you would like, I am large enough that I can put you on my shoulders again, Dr. Jackson."
 
"I get a hard-on when we do that, Tamil."
 
"That is true. Most times I do as well. That is why I like it so much. But tonight, it might be best to walk to the dining room side by side."
 
"Later, perhaps we could enjoy a walk with me on your shoulders in the gardens together."
 
Tamil giggled. "Do you want to walk, or are you asking for sex?"
 
"A bit of both, I suppose," Armel confessed.
 
"Then I will enjoy our walk even more, knowing what comes after." The two started their walk to the dining room, and Armel was grateful at least one conversation had gone well that evening.
 
Chapter 34
 
The group around the table had spent hours in conversation. "You have given us much to think about," Katashi said as he pushed back from the table to let Sybil take his dessert cup.
 
"I think we should do it, Father," Tamil said. "We should let Dr. Jackson build the temple and let the dragons come here to live."
 
"There are many children on the island that would miss you, Tamil," Spackle said.
 
"I know. But they would understand why we would live in a temple next to Dr. Jackson."
 
"And why is that?" Spackle asked.
 
"Because, only a few years ago, he was a newborn. He is like me. The world around him confuses Dr. Jackson. I have you to help me, Father. You and Father are there for me when the world gets confusing. Dr. Jackson has me. I am the one he comes to talk to when he gets confused. Dr. Jackson needs more help than the children because he has no one else to turn to."
 
"He has me," John interrupted. "And he has Sybil."
 
"No, Dr. Kennedy," the tiger disagreed. "You and Sybil are all he talks about. He loves you, but he doesn't know how to love you. Dr Jackson and I talk about you together because we are young. We talk about what it means to love. We need each other when we talk about love. My fathers teach me, and I teach Dr. Jackson. When Dr. Jackson understands, he helps me understand the parts I don't. You teach Dr. Jackson. When he understands, he teaches me. You are important to both of us. But we need each other. Adam would understand. Dr. Jackson and I are symbionts. We are better when we are together. We do not do as well on our own."
 
Spackle smiled at the tiger. "Then it would be a shame to keep you apart, wouldn't it?"
 
The tiger nodded. "At least for the time being, we are better together. One day, Dr. Jackson will figure it all out. He's a smart man. One day I will understand all that I can understand. But that day is not now, and we need each other now."
 
Katashi looked at the red panda. "It would seem my son has a better grasp of this situation than we do. If we can reach a few compromises, Dr. Jackson, I believe this idea of yours has merit."
 
The red panda bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. "Anything, Katashi. I swear I want this to work. I don't want anyone walking away feeling bad about the choices we make tonight."
 
"First, if the goal is to leave the children's lives as undisturbed as possible, we will need to begin preparation for our move immediately. The transition for the children must be slow to give them time to understand the changes that will be happening."
 
John scrunched his muzzle up a bit. "We can do that, Katashi, but nothing about what we're proposing is immediate. We're looking at a timeline of at least eighteen months to build the temple once the permits are in order. Is that enough time to make the transitions you're speaking of?"
 
"That should be sufficient if we start now," Katashi said. "You are talking about buildings. I am talking about the lives of our children. What we must do for them will take far longer than the laying of stone and wood."
 
Dr. Kennedy gave a nod. "There is a great deal I need to learn before the day you become our neighbors. If it is agreeable with you, I would like the Partridge Island children to be involved with all that happens here. They can visit on the weekends and watch as your temple is being built. I will learn what it's like to have children in my life, and you can teach me what it means to be a guardian for so many. Above everything else, I would like your children's approval for the changes that are on the horizon."
 
"That seems wise," Katashi said, returning the nod. "Dá Lóng is nearing a cycle of oogenesis. We will need to migrate her and her mate into the Saint Lawrence River within the year to avoid complications. For the time, if you are willing, we will use Heart Island's western coast as a place where they can find sanctuary. In time, they will live off of Steamboat Island, and judging by your scans of the island, we may find room enough to house a pair of woodland dragons as well."
 
Armel nodded enthusiastically. "Anything they need. You let me know and I will make it happen."
 
"Would it be possible to rename the island Miào dǎo? It means Temple Island. As there are no steamboats on the island, it would seem more appropriate."
 
Armel nodded. "Of course, of course. I will have the paperwork drawn up tomorrow."
 
"Until we can move to our new home, you will need to learn Dragon," Katashi continued. "It is not a complex language, but it requires focusing on others when they speak. Your attention span concerning someone other than yourself will have to increase, Dr. Jackson. The three of you must be prepared to see after their needs when we are away."
 
"Can you help me with that? Not just learning Dragon, but being able to stay focused on someone other than myself?"
 
"Of course," the temple dog replied. "That should keep Saand busy for the foreseeable future. If the dragons are to live here, those who watch over them must be able to understand them. Saand will help you with that until we secure a permanent home for them."
 
Spackle knelt in front of the red panda. "Tamil will need to find work on Heart Island. Something where his interaction with the public can help keep his socialization skills strong."
 
"We are building the Heart Island Café. I'm sure Tamil can find a job that suits his needs. It's not late-night work like the Midnight Diner, but during the day, it will be very busy, and we could use his help."
 
Tamil nodded. "That would be important to me. I would also like to visit with the children if they wish. There aren't many adults who enjoy playing in ponds, and they teach me the things they learn in school."
 
Armel smiled. "There is a swimming pool in the castle's basement. We've never filled it, but maybe it's time we changed that."
 
"It will need to be shallow for the children," Tamil pointed out.
 
"I will get it fixed, Tamil," Dr. Jackson said. "It would be nice for me if they expand the shallow end as well." The panda thought for a moment. "And maybe we can add a slide. I think the children would like a slide."
 
John smiled listening to Armel. The panda was thinking outside his tightly constructed box of self-interest. He was looking to create a world for those who had yet to inhabit it. "Okay, so what else do we need to make this happen?" John asked.
 
"Talk to Greg and Derrick about the temple plans," Spackle said. "There are many things about building a temple that are more complicated than their appearance would lead you to believe. There will also need to be a monastery to house both us and visiting temple dogs."
 
"You have both an architectural background and a contractor's license, Spackle," John replied. "I hoped you would draw up all the plans. It's time the temple dogs created their own temple and monastery. I want you and all your brothers involved in this."
 
Spackle smiled. "I'd like that, John," he said. "With all that has happened of late, I had forgotten my years of training. I think my fathers will be glad to hear I'm finally putting my education to use."
 
John rose from the table. "Then we agree. We move forward. I expect we will stumble at times, but we will find a way."
 
"We will find a way," Katashi said as he pushed back from the table and stood up.
 
The polar bear that had been quiet throughout the meeting stood up and stretched. "I will set the wheels in motion. You will have your new island within six months," he said.
 
"That's not possible," Armel interjected. "The Chinese use the most advanced techniques available, and their islands take years to complete."
 
"They don't have the financial reserves we do," Eric said with a laugh. "And they don't have the Blue clan. We will have the island ready before we complete building Chip and Dale. The northern jump gates will need a permanent hub. Safe Harbor seems a perfect location."
 
"I can't thank you enough, Papa Bear," John said as he hugged Eric.
 
The polar bear wrapped his arms around the wolf. "Oh, Son, we have an entire night ahead of us, and I assure you by tomorrow morning I will know just how grateful you are."
 
"I love you so much," the wolf mumbled into the white fur surrounding him.
 
Armel looked at the two. He expected jealousy but found none. Oddly, he found himself more aroused by what John might do to express his gratitude. He felt a pair of enormous paws pick him up and turn him into the face of the striped temple dog. "You won't have much opportunity to watch those two," Spackle said with a gleam in his eye. "You're going to be too busy thanking the four of us."
 
Armel looked at the dogs and the tiger. "All three of you dogs and Tamil?"
 
"All four of us. Where Katashi and I go, Saand is likely to be. Tamil, of course, is our son, and one day will be our mate. That makes us a matched set. Best get used to the idea that we will always come at you as a crowd. Time to up your game, Panda."
 
Armel's eyes widened at the thought of three dogs and a tiger. "I will do my best," he said without a single note of confidence.
 
"That," Spackle said as he licked across the tiny panda's front, "is all we will ever ask of you."
 
Chapter 35
 
The wolf and the red panda surveyed the surrounding area. The two stepped away from the shoreline and immediately sank up to the panda's chest in the brown dredge that was newly delivered. "It looks like a giant mud pit," the wolf said. "It's hard to see this as a thriving island in three months."
 
"The Miào dǎo building crew assured me it's all going according to plan," the panda replied. "And temple dogs never lie."
 
"No, but they are distracting as construction workers."
 
Armel laughed. "Aren't they though? I thought dogs weren't supposed to sweat, but they sure mat that fur down when they're laying stonework."
 
"You know what's even hotter than temple dog construction workers?" John asked.
 
"No, what?" the panda replied.
 
"A sexy little panda husband," John said as he squatted in front of Armel. "Marry me, Panda. I'm tired of waiting."
 
"You don't enjoy living in sin and having sex with a man who's not your husband?" Armel asked with a smile.
 
"I love living in sin with you, Panda, but I want what we are to each other to be official. All our projects are underway. We filed the permits for the foster home to become real. What better time can there be?"
 
"Can we wait for another two years? The construction is going so well over on Miào dǎo. I wanted them to finish the temple before we made our announcement."
 
"You can invite those four to a wedding anytime, and you know they'll show up."
 
"But I want them to be neighbors," Armel explained. "I'm not asking for everything to be up and running. If the monastery is there, that would be enough. They've already excavated the foundation out from the rock. They have daily shipments of building supplies. It won't be over two years. We could set the date for then, couldn't we?"
 
"For the wolf that loves you, that's a very long time."
 
"But I think the wolf that loves me knows how important it is to me for them to be living here."
 
"The temple will be finished well before that two-year mark, Panda. You're waiting for Tamil to become an adult, aren't you?" John asked.
 
Armel nodded. "Please, John."
 
John smiled. "I suppose. But if I'm going to live in sin with a guy, he better be willing to do something special to hold my interest. Husbands get away with so much more than some trifling play toy."
 
"Really?" the incredulous panda asked.
 
"Oh yeah; them's the rules."
 
The red panda paced back through the mud a few steps toward the shoreline and then turned, making a flying leap at the wolf. The wolf fell backward into the mud, sloshing into the gritty mess. "Game on," the panda yelled as he grabbed the mud and smeared it over the chest of the wolf.
 
The wolf rolled over and buried the panda in the mud until he completed his roll, bringing the panda back up into the air. The dredged slop covered both the panda and the wolf. "Game on," the wolf grinned. The games had begun. When the wolf geoengineering crew returned from lunch and stared at the two rutting beasts, they joined in. With that, the game went into overtime.
 
Later in the evening, the two beasts lay in front of the main hall fireplace. "I had fun today," John said as he played with the panda's erection.
 
Armel smiled. "Me too. I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry I'm just a panda. The risk to you as any other beast was too great."
 
John let the tiny treasure slip from his paws. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Armel," he consoled. "You did what you thought was right. You protected me in the only way you knew how. We live out this life of ours, knowing that you made your choice from a protective place we didn't even know you had. That truth makes any regret vanish every time I look at you. Let your regret go, Hon. I'm with the man I love. Nothing else matters."
 
"I wish I could believe that," Armel sighed. "I watched you with those wolves today. You don't have to hold back in their company. You can't hurt them."
 
"We didn't hurt you," John protested. "Sure, you have a few bruised ribs and mud up your nose for the next week or two, but we're good, right?"
 
Armel laughed at the thought. "Yeah, I guess we're good. But you had to turn human to fuck me in the river."
 
"So did three other wolves, if I'm not mistaken," John added.
 
"I just…" the panda's words drifted off.
 
"Live in the moment, Panda," the wolf said. "I have no regrets. The man I love is with me tonight. One day, he will be my husband. But for tonight, he's my lover, and he's all I have ever wanted."
 
Armel sighed. "I wish I was a bear. A big fat bear."
 
John pushed the red panda over onto his belly. The shift to human was instantaneous. "That would never do," he said, straddling the small beast. "A big fat bear wouldn't even be aware of my dick when I tried to shove it into him."
 
Armel felt the stout, firm flesh push deep into his hole and realized the human above him was right. Tonight, he didn't want to be a big fat bear. Tonight he wanted to be a tiny red panda with a human riding him. He let his regret slip away with each thrust until all he sensed was an emotion he was only now beginning to comprehend. He felt satisfied.
 
"The temple will be finished well before that two-year mark, Panda. You're waiting for Tamil to become an adult, aren't you?" John asked.
 
Armel nodded. "Please, John."
 
John smiled. "I suppose. But if I'm going to live in sin with a guy, he better be willing to do something special to hold my interest. Husbands get away with so much more than some trifling play toy."
 
"Really?" the incredulous panda asked.
 
"Oh yeah; them's the rules."
 
The red panda paced back through the mud a few steps toward the shoreline and then turned, making a flying leap at the wolf. The wolf fell backward into the mud, sloshing into the gritty mess. "Game on," the panda yelled as he grabbed the mud and smeared it over the chest of the wolf.
 
The wolf rolled over and buried the panda in the mud until he completed his roll, bringing the panda back up into the air. The dredged slop covered both the panda and the wolf. "Game on," the wolf grinned. The games had begun. When the wolf geoengineering crew returned from lunch and stared at the two rutting beasts, they joined in. With that, the game went into overtime.
 
Later in the evening, the two beasts lay in front of the main hall fireplace. "I had fun today," John said as he played with the panda's erection.
 
Armel smiled. "Me too. I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry I'm just a panda. The risk to you as any other beast was too great."
 
John let the tiny treasure slip from his paws. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Armel," he consoled. "You did what you thought was right. You protected me in the only way you knew how. We live out this life of ours, knowing that you made your choice from a protective place we didn't even know you had. That truth makes any regret vanish every time I look at you. Let your regret go, Hon. I'm with the man I love. Nothing else matters."
 
"I wish I could believe that," Armel sighed. "I watched you with those wolves today. You don't have to hold back in their company. You can't hurt them."
 
"We didn't hurt you," John protested. "Sure, you have a few bruised ribs and mud up your nose for the next week or two, but we're good, right?"
 
Armel laughed at the thought. "Yeah, I guess we're good. But you had to turn human to fuck me in the river."
 
"So did three other wolves, if I'm not mistaken," John added.
 
"I just…" the panda's words drifted off.
 
"Live in the moment, Panda," the wolf said. "I have no regrets. The man I love is with me tonight. One day, he will be my husband. But for tonight, he's my lover, and he's all I have ever wanted."
 
Armel sighed. "I wish I was a bear. A big fat bear."
 
John pushed the red panda over onto his belly. The shift to human was instantaneous. "That would never do," he said, straddling the small beast. "A big fat bear wouldn't even be aware of my dick when I tried to shove it into him."
 
Armel felt the stout, firm flesh push deep into his hole and realized the human above him was right. Tonight, he didn't want to be a big fat bear. Tonight he wanted to be a tiny red panda with a human riding him. He let his regret slip away with each thrust until all he sensed was an emotion he was only now beginning to comprehend. He felt satisfied.
 
Chapter 36
 
The group walked along the path that cut through fields of green. "It's mixed fields of clover, hairy vetch, and buckwheat," John said, pointing to the fields. "It's not much to look at now, but in a few weeks, we'll till this cover crop into the ground and begin farming the acreage. The farming crew has been working for over a year, creating rich soil from dredged sediment. We have Orlando Thompson helping us out with financial planning. He had a few suggestions about what to plant. So far, the kids like the idea of planting oats."
 
"You have kids who like oatmeal?" Spackle asked.
 
"Nope. Orlando told them if we grew oats, we could use them to make cookies for sale at the gift shops." John's paws reached out toward an imaginary sign. "Island Oatmeal Cookies," he said, emphasizing each word with a gesture where it would be on the sign. "All proceeds will go to the upkeep of their home." He paused. "They agreed to the idea when he suggested a few cookies might slip under the table for them if they will help with production."
 
"That's a great idea," Spackle said. "There still seems to be so much to do here on the island. I'm amazed at the progress of the last eighteen months. The buildings surrounding the jump gate are amazing. But that's one set of buildings surrounded by fields. Do you think it will be ready before you open up Heart Island to visitors?"
 
The polar bear laid his paw on the striped dog's shoulder. "I promised them it would be ready. We built the island on time. Miào dǎo has a temple nearing completion among the trees, and the home for the dragon guardians near the shoreline is only weeks away from completion. We have the eggery built ahead of schedule, and that took some doing. You can't superheat the water of the entire Lawrence River."
 
Spackle laughed. "I'm sure both dragons enjoy dipping into the hot tub from time to time, even before they're ready for the eggs to be laid."
 
"It's not a hot tub," Eric said defensively.
 
"Call it what you will, Old Bear," Spackle said with a chuckle. "It's an enormous pool of hot water. I'm pretty sure that when there aren't eggs gestating in those waters, there will be three temple dogs and a tiger who will soak in it."
 
The polar bear smiled. "Okay, perhaps it is a hot tub. But the rock outcroppings seem as if they've been there for centuries. With the cooling pipes in place, all the water returning to the Saint Lawrence River is the same temperature as the water surrounding the island."
 
"It is impressive," Spackle agreed.
 
"We've not missed a single deadline in the last two years. The buildings will be here on time as well. John and Armel have set the day for their wedding. A week later Heart Island welcomes their first visitors."
 
"Guests," the little panda corrected. "We're going to always call them guests. It helps us define our roles when they come to the island."
 
"Guests," Eric said with a nod. "Guest Services' infrastructure will be in place within two months. The apartments are coming from Sweden and the business buildings are coming from Korea. Crews from both nations will set them up within weeks. They're building them even as we speak. Modular homes have come a long way since the days of trailer parks."
 
"We saw the designs earlier, Papa Bear," John said. "I think the applications to work here will double once the Were Nation gets a look at the interiors of those apartments."
 
The polar bear laughed. "We want it to feel like home. I'm glad you approve. The design team will be equally happy to hear that."
 
The group continued their walk toward the singular object rising from the field of cover crops on the far side of the island. As they approached, the complex of buildings became more imposing. The circular building rose over 30 meters high. From a distance, it looked made of galvanized steel. Those raised in the farmlands recognized the building as a massive grain silo. From its steel fittings to the conical metal cap for a roof, the structure was a perfect fit for the fields of grain to come. Beside the structure lay interwoven buildings. The appearance was that of a grain elevator, but somehow the outbuildings didn't match the single silo. There were far too many buildings for the intake side of a traditional grain elevator.
 
The docks were also confusing. There were no moorings for larger grain ships. Most of the docks were for smaller boats that would shuttle back and forth between the islands. There were larger docks for supply ships, but they were few. The design team seemed determined that ships with large cargo and large crews would be infrequent visitors. That plan set well with the port authority. As inland as the islands were, they also preferred smaller ships navigating the riverways.
 
The security for a simple grain elevator and outbuildings was far tighter than seemed necessary. Each of the beasts had to place their paw on a pad and stare into a screen while a retinal scan took place. It was old tech, but at least what one would accept at a granary operation. Once past the front doors, security greeted the group. They led the beasts down wide corridors toward the silo.
 
When they came to the outer shell of the silo, the thick steel gates informed everyone that what lay inside was not grain. The metal gates rolled back and locked open with a clanging noise that echoed in the silo. Inside, the spacious area opened to the rings within rings that everyone recognized. The similarity to the Stargates of Stargate SG-1 was unmistakable. The glyphs, the rotating rings, and even the chevrons that locked into place were faithfully duplicated.
 
Kris was quite proud of the detail. He pointed out the control room overlooking the Stargate above them, complete with its bulletproof glass. Old-style monitors and keyboards lined the front. Cases against the wall were covered with blinking lights. Everything looked impressive but mostly did nothing. The star map at the rear of the room showed some slight adjustments to locations. Kris insisted the map be accurate but remained as faithful to the design as possible. There was even a spiral staircase leading nowhere, simply because it existed in the TV series.
 
However, beneath the reproduction of the Stargate was a working jump gate. "It's larger, of course," Kris said, rubbing his paw against the metal rings. "We have some enormous beasts to transport, so by default, it grew to six meters. That will allow temple dogs, bears, and our rhino to use the gates for transport." The bear paused a moment and stared at Katashi. "Although I don't know why you temple dogs insist on being transported," he said accusingly. "You dogs already know how to transport yourselves without the training wheels of a jump gate."
 
Katashi smiled and made a slight bow of his head. "We wish to share in our family's accomplishments. I hope it does not inconvenience you."
 
The Kodiak returned the smile. "No, it's fine. It keeps the design from being completely faithful, but then again, there is no Kawoosh either. I tried to reproduce it, but it became logistically awkward. There's too much tech behind this thing to start with."
 
The red panda looked up at the brown bear. "You mean you don't need all these dials and rings to get us from point A to point B?" He pointed to four werewolves as they moved two large metal balls into the hanger. "We don't need those big golden balls in the corner?"
 
"Well, not per se," Kris admitted. "But you gotta admit, it looks cool."
 
"But what are we looking at that is essential to our travel?" Armel asked.
 
The bear thumped his chest. "Us."
 
"What?"
 
"Every Changeling born can create a stable wormhole. Our only disasters happen when we create spaceships to travel in space together. It's like asking a human to use a stick shift in their car. Accidents are going to happen when you use obsolete tech."
 
"But… but…" the panda stammered, "what about Chip and Dale?"
 
"They're protective devices to transport you via a more primitive Einstein–Rosen bridge. You're cute, Armel, but you're not a Changeling. Breaking yourself down into subatomic particles doesn't come naturally to you. It does for us. Chip and Dale are spheres that keep your structure intact as you go through the wormhole."
 
"Will I ever be able to make the trip without Chip and Dale?"
 
The brown bear shrugged. "Maybe one day, my handsome panda. You need to learn a great deal, and most is beyond your comprehension for now. But you will grow and become more like us in time."
 
Armel stood dumbfounded, staring at the gigantic bear. "You have a way of crushing my ego, you know," he sighed.
 
"Not intentionally," Kris admitted. "If you want to know the truth, Adam outclasses us in interplanetary traveling. He bends space/time without a wormhole. I'm not sure, but I think the temple dogs do the same. It may crush your ego to know that, but perhaps a bit of perspective is good for you."
 
"It's a good thing," the panda said with a nod. "Just not an easy thing."
 
The bear smiled. "Understandable. However, with the Chip shuttles in place here, all the links are in place to tie our family together along the longitudinal hubs we use most. I wish we could have set them up sooner, though. With the temple dogs and Tamil settling into their new home soon, there won't be as many reasons for you to be heading south to visit Partridge Island."
 
"There is our commute to work, Bear," John said. "Don't forget that."
 
Kris smiled. "That's true. It's nice that you have a fast way to get to New York and DC."
 
John grinned. "It gives us more time to enjoy Eric and Will's company when they visit."

"Guess again, Doctor," Eric interjected. "The New York link makes visiting my son even easier. I love you both, but New York will never be my home. If I can avoid the visit, I will."
 
Kris sighed, "Well, there are the family gatherings, I suppose. It would be nice to think we get some use out of Chip and Dale."
 
Katashi put his arm around the bear and pulled him close. "Your technology was never the goal, Ancient One. The ability to gather your family together was. If one day the technology is no longer needed for that goal, we lose nothing. That which is truly important always remains the same."
 
Kris kissed Katashi's cheek. "Thanks for the reminder, Dog," he said. "Well, everyone, shall we head back to Heart Island? I hear dinner is waiting for us."
 
Katashi made a slight bow. "We beg your pardon, but we four have taken time away from our training to join you today. We will use Chip to return to Partridge Island. It will be much faster than waiting for the Gray Wolf to return us home." The dog smiled at the Kodiak bear, and the bear returned the smile. "Spackle is in training as a novitiate temple dog," Katashi continued. "We must not ignore his studies even for a day. We are training him diligently to reach level forty-two within the month. When he achieves that goal, he will begin his final training with Bai and Noboru. They are eager to have him by their side once more."
 
"And I am learning to be a temple tiger," Tamil said proudly. "I don't have as much to study as a temple dog, but I am trying very hard to learn all my lessons."
 
Armel looked at the four and raised his paw. "Are the rumors true that all your training involves sex?"
 
Saand shook his head. "No, we don't use sex for all our lessons. But there are many parts of the training where learning lessons are more pleasant through our sexual unions."
 
The red panda's black paw rose again. "About your training. With Chip online, is there any chance you all might come to visit us now and then for a bit of group training even before we finish your home? I'm not so keen on tai chi, but you know… the sex part… that would be nice if you're up for it now and then."
 
"Perhaps we could visit to play," Katashi suggested. "Training that involves sex often leaves beasts too sore to move the next day, and we know of your obligations in New York and Washington, D.C."
 
As Armel was about to raise his hand again, John reached over and pushed the panda's arm back down. "Play would be nice. Although, after what you said about training, I'm pretty sure Armel will need to experience it at least once before he can let it go."
 
Katashi bowed. "As you wish. We can save a weekend for training soon. I hope you have accumulated vacation time suitable for your recovery." The group walked quietly for a time before the Kodiak bear could no longer stifle his laughter. John, Eric, and Spackle joined in, unable to hold back. Even Tamil giggled. Only Katashi, Saand, and Armel remained confused by what Katashi had said that was so funny.
 
Chapter 37

The sunshine streamed down through the plate glass above them and filtered through the trees. Below, an upright, rotund tiger walked along the winding trail that spanned the length of the greenhouse. On his shoulder, a panda clung to the tiger's neck. "Thank you for being in my life, Tamil," the panda said as he kissed the tiger's cheek.
"Thank you for being in mine, Dr. Jackson," the tiger replied as the two dipped their heads to avoid a hanging vine. "It is nice to be tall enough that you can be on my shoulders again. I like it when your hard-on presses up against my neck."

Armel chuckled. "I think it will always be there when you carry me this way." The panda and tiger quietly listened to the waterfalls in the distance as they continued walking toward them. For Armel, the greenhouse had become a place of refuge and a visual confirmation that his life was changing. "Now that you live so close, you and your husbands will come to visit us often, won't you?"

"Could you and I play together in the pond when I visit?" the tiger asked, pointing toward the water feature. "The waterfall feels wonderful when you let it pound on your shoulders."

"I would drown, Tamil. I had it made for you. The little cascades that flow from the creek into the pond are for me." 

Tamil straddled the wide section of the artificial creek's cascade. He fell backward, making a resounding splash out into the artificial jungle. "We can share the cascades. I like the tingle they give me when I sit in them." 

Armel smiled and climbed off the shoulders of the tiger. "Me too. I was hoping you would like them as much as I do." 

The panda stopped at the gap where the tiger's chest met his gut and formed a ledge of soft white fur. He rubbed his face into the fur and tried to growl. The chirping noise that came out made the tiger smile. "I enjoy them more when you're with me, Dr. Jackson."

"Does the jungle inside the greenhouse remind you of home?" the panda asked.
 
"It reminds me of where I was born, and where I took care of the horned beasts. But my home is on Miào dǎo next to my fathers."
 
"Still teaching me, Tiger?" Armel asked.
 
"Not intentionally," the tiger replied. "But there may be unintended consequences to our conversations."
 
Armel gave Tamil a tight hug. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face into the white fur again. "I love you so much, Tamil."
 
"And I love you, Dr. Jackson," Tamil said as he picked up the panda and rubbed his muzzle along the panda's cheek. The tiger rubbed the panda's whole body along his, starting with his chest and pushing ever more slowly down across his belly. "You are getting harder, Dr. Jackson," the tiger said. He snickered the way Spackle taught him. It meant he was aware that something funny or silly was happening.
 
"You're rubbing me up against you, Tamil," the panda protested. "Of course, I'm getting hard."
 
"Then I should stop. The family is in the ballroom working and we should help them."
 
"Could I maybe stay here a little longer with you in the water?"
 
Tamil bolted up, taking the little panda with him. "No. We have obligations." He brought the panda in close, kissed him, and tossed the little mammal back onto his shoulders. "Let's go help them. After the work is all done, we can come back here and sit in the water."
 
"I don't want to sit. I'd like to have sex with you," the red panda said. Armel was careful to avoid euphemisms like play or fool around. The tiger's nature required simple, direct communication. It helped him avoid misunderstanding another's intentions.
 
"Will Dr. Kennedy be with us?"
 
"I would like that."
 
"Then yes, let's have sex in the pond after the work is done."
 
The tiger headed toward the doors leading back into the castle.
 
"Could you wait a moment, Tamil?" Armel said. "There's something important I need to ask you first."
 
Tamil stopped, pulled the panda off his shoulders, and placed him on the ground. He dropped to the ground and leaned over, getting as close to the panda's eye level as he could. The tiger smiled. "Okay."
 
"In two more days, John and I will be husbands, like you will be one day with your fathers."
 
"Will he bite your neck and mount you?"
 
"No," the panda said with a laugh. "I'm too small for that. John and I are going to have a wedding ceremony. We're going to follow the ancient human traditions. Padre Fitzgerald will marry us, so it's all nice and legal. We'll share vows, have flowers, and all that stuff. I'm even having a tuxedo fitted for me. We got it from an infant wear catalog, but Sybil is adjusting it," he said with a laugh. "We've got everything in place except one thing. That's why I asked you out here alone. Tamil, do you know what a best man is?"
 
"A man who is better than the rest?"
 
Armel smiled. "In human tradition, when a man marries someone, he often has his best friend stand by him to ensure he does everything right. His best friend makes sure he shows up on time. He holds on to the ring so the one getting married doesn't lose it. He stands with his friend to let everyone know that the man getting married loves not only the one he is marrying but the other man next to him. We call that friend the best man. Perhaps it is because, in the eyes of the man getting married, he is better than the rest. For me, that best man would be the closest thing to a mate I can have without biting his neck."
 
"He will be a lucky man, Dr. Jackson."
 
"I want you to be my best man, Tamil."
 
Tamil smiled. "I would like that, Dr. Jackson. I would like the world to know you are the closest thing I have to a mate without biting your neck."
 
Armel shyly put out his paw. When he opened it, there was a gold band in his palm. "This is the ring I will give John. I'm going to give it to you now. When we are married, I will ask you to give it back to me so that I can give it to John."
 
"I can do that."
 
"And from that moment forward, I would like you to call me Armel and call my husband John."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because those are the names we are called by the ones who love us."
 
"Does Sybil call you Armel?"
 
"I asked her to do the same thing. She said if we aren't in a business meeting, she will call me Armel."
 
"Then I will call you Armel now. Because I love you now. So I don't need to wait."
 
The panda put the ring into the heavyset tiger's paw and hugged the girth of his stomach with outstretched arms. "Do you know what happens to beasts when they are married?"
 
Tamil snickered. "They have a party with lots of punch and cake. Later, they have sex all night and all the next day."
 
Armel laughed. "Yeah, they do that." He rubbed the tummy of the tiger. "Do you know what they do then?"
 
"If they want, they invite the family into their lives with another party. If it is a party for the beasts, it often involves a lot of sex as well."
 
"John and I want a welcoming party for the beasts."
 
"Your family will be very happy to hear that."
 
"Tamil, it would mean a great deal to me if my best man was the first man I was with when John and I are ready to welcome our family into our lives."
 
Tamil's face scrunched up. "Armel, you are very tiny, and I am very big. I don't think that's a good idea."
 
Armel laughed. "I would love you to be inside me, Tamil, but I know that can't happen. But you could lie with me. We could touch. You could touch me, and I touch you. We would see what happens without worrying about what happens. We would just be a red panda and a tiger that love each other."
 
Tamil's face softened into a smile. "You're right. We could do that. I would love to mount you, but you are too small. But you could mount me."
 
Armel laughed again. "You probably wouldn't even notice it. My penis is too small."
 
"I would feel your body against mine, Armel. I don't need to feel anything else to be aroused by you."
 
"Really?"
 
"Isn't that what two men in love do when they lie together? They get aroused?"
 
"Yeah, I guess it is," the panda answered. "I'm getting that way right now thinking about it."
 
Tamil moved his hand down toward his crotch, and when he shoved it against his pouch, the swelling cock popped out. Armel stared at the rising yellow cock and took a deep breath. "Oh, that is so beautiful, Tamil," he sighed.
 
Tamil picked the panda up and brought the little mammal's crotch up to eye level. He stared at the genitalia, no bigger than his thumb, and smiled. "Yours is beautiful too, Armel. If I am to be your best man, perhaps we should practice how you mount me when you welcome me into your life."
 
"Really? You want to do that?"
 
Tamil placed Armel back on his shoulder and began walking toward the door again. "I always want to do that with you, Armel. Tonight, we will have time to. Let's go help our family finish their chores, and we can all practice what we will do when you welcome us into your life."
 
"You mean John and everyone else out in the ballroom setting out the chairs for the wedding?"
 
"Yes. All the wolves should join us. And we need to make sure my fathers are there. You have so much to learn about sex from both of them. It will make the welcoming of your family so much more enjoyable."
 
Armel laughed and rubbed the top of the tiger's head. "When did you get to be so smart, Tamil?"
 
Tamil rubbed his head back and forth across the panda's paws, enjoying the sensation. "I have always been a smart tiger, Armel. I have just stopped trying to be a smart human. It did you no good in loving our family, and it does me no good either."
 
"Best Beastie Friends forever?"
 
"Now and Forever," Tamil replied. "One day, who knows? Maybe we will mate. But for now, being friends sounds wonderful, and so does visiting you often once we have settled in."
 
"You're always welcome."
 
"When we come, can I sleep next to you and Dr. Kennedy… I mean John?"
 
"Would you like that?" Armel asked.
 
"Yes, very much," the tiger replied. "Can my fathers sleep with us, too?"
 
"I'll get a bigger bed made for you. We'll make you a special bedroom inside the house near the pool for your visits."
 
Tamil clapped his hands together. "That would be wonderful." The tiger grabbed the panda's feet and jostled them. "We will have so much fun together, you and I."
 
Armel grew quiet. "I'll miss you when you go home, Tamil. You're only a short boat trip away now, but I enjoy the times like this when we're close. I always feel sad when you leave."
 
"Don't feel sad, Armel. Why would you think about me leaving when I am right here in front of you? Learn to stay in the moment you have. If you think about how sad you will be when I leave, you won't be truly happy when I'm here."
 
The tiger pulled the panda up and over his shoulders and kissed the panda with his wide lips that covered the panda's entire face. He giggled when the panda wiped his face, trying to push his fur back into place. "You can miss me later when we aren't together. I will miss you. But it won't be sad because I know you will think about me, and I will think about you. And when I do, I will smile because you are kind, and you are cute, and I love you."
 
"I will do that, Tamil. You never stop teaching me, do you?"
 
"No. I will never stop. Katashi and Spackle teach me, and I teach you. It is the way of the Were Nation. We teach each other."
 
"One day I hope I can teach another what I learn from you."
 
"That would make me happy. I am sure it will make the one you teach very happy as well." The tiger rolled the panda into his arms, cradling him safely in his paws. He dipped to clear the doorway as he walked out onto the grassy area overlooking the river. "In two days, this will be full of so many people."
 
"Yeah," the almost despondent-sounding panda replied. "I don't like crowds."
 
"But they are coming to see you get married, Armel," the tiger said. "Do you know how much you have changed since we first met for anyone to attend your wedding? You should see every one of those people as proof that you are becoming what you hoped to be. You are becoming a man worthy of being John's husband."
 
Armel laughed. "I never thought of it that way. It might be this time I will enjoy seeing a sizeable crowd."
 
"We can practice with big crowds later tonight in the pond. All the wolves can help. Saand teaches Spackle and me all sorts of important things using sex. I know the lessons are too difficult for you, but tonight I believe you will learn much about enjoying crowds with the help of the wolves."
 
Armel shook his head in disbelief. He closed his eyes and rested on the top of the tiger's head. "Please, please, if this is all a dream, never let me wake up," he whispered.
 
"This is not a dream, Armel," the tiger whispered back. "It is your life. It is our life. And our lives are so much better than any dream I could dream, even the one where I am in a pond of chocolate pudding playing with my fathers."
 
Armel smiled. "One day," he thought, "I will ensure that Tamil's dream comes true."

Chapter 38

The crowds were already beginning to gather and many beasts that Armel had never met waved to the two. Armel leaned over and whispered in the tiger's ear, "Are these all people you know?"
 
Tamil nodded. "They live on Partridge Island. They came to say goodbye and to wish us well. Katashi and Spackle were giving them tours of our new home all morning long. In the weeks to come, all the temple dogs will come to Miào dǎo to consecrate the temple. After that, there will be a festival that your husband says he hopes doesn't go into overtime like the last one because you have work to do."
 
"I can step away from having sex with the temple dogs to do my work, Tamil."
 
Tamil leaned his head back and for a moment the panda felt as if he was going to fall off the shoulders of the tiger. But when he felt the paws tighten around his feet, he relaxed and leaned forward, looking eye to eye at the tiger. "You shouldn't lie to your best man, Armel. You shouldn't lie at all," the tiger said, looking up at the panda.
 
Armel paused and smiled. "John is right. I hope their festival doesn't go much over the four days they say it will. I can't resist them, especially when I'm with John. They take me places I've never been."
 
"Who takes you where?" the two heard the female voice behind them.
 
They turned to see the robot. "Hi, Sybil," Tamil said, smiling. "Armel wants to be taken by all the temple dogs."
 
One metal eyebrow rose, and the LED smile spread across Sybil's face. "Really?"
 
"God, you two, give it a rest," the panda said. "So, I possess appetites that seem a tad excessive."
 
"Armel is making up for lost time, Sybil," the tiger explained.
 
The robot made a slight chuckling sound. "So it would appear." She turned toward the crowd. "I suggest you put Armel down now, Tamil," the robot said. "The next boat docking will bring his work crew from the CDC. It might not be wise for them to see their leader carried about on the shoulders of another man."
 
"That's right, Tamil," Armel agreed. "I had forgotten all about that. They won't see a little panda, because trust me, none of them love me."
 
"But there is time to change that, Armel," the tiger replied as he lifted the panda off his shoulders and placed him on the ground.
 
"He's right," John said as he picked up the panda and kissed him. "They watched you changing over the years. When they realize you can love them, the feelings they have toward you will follow."
 
Armel smiled. "When did I promise to marry a temple dog in a wolf's body?" he asked with a laugh.
 
"Come on, handsome. Let's shake a leg. We have guests to mingle with before we take our vows."
 
Armel looked distressed. "I so suck at this, John," he said. "Please don't leave me on my own tonight."
 
"Barring the tradition that we're supposed to dress in separate rooms, I'm stuck to you like glue for the entire day. And come our honeymoon night, I'm going to be glued to that butt of yours one way or another."
 
"I wish it were different for you, John."
 
The werewolf leaned down toward his future husband. "For better or worse, for taller or shorter. I'm in this one all the way, Panda. I may be a wolf on the streets, but tonight I'm going to be a human in the sheets. We're mating properly. You're biting my neck and I'm biting yours."
 
"But you're going to be human. That's sort of fudging the tradition, isn't it?"
 
"Fuck tradition."
 
Armel smiled. "And fuck me, too?"
 
"Yep," the wolf replied. "It's the only way to keep the tradition alive."
 
The panda laughed. "We are such a pair, aren't we?"
 
"I don't care what the world thinks, Armel."
 
"And I probably always will. A lifetime of needing to be the best won't wear off anytime soon," the panda said with a sigh.
 
"Give it time, Hon," the wolf consoled. "Give us time. Your lifetime is only now beginning. Don't corral yourself into the belief you can't change. You, my dear panda, have already changed so much without even knowing the changes happened."
 
Armel smiled. "Honestly? It would be nice to wake up one day and be a normal human being for a change." The panda looked down at himself and sighed again. "Or a normal red panda. Whatever. Just to be normal, to experience what it's like."
 
John hugged the little mammal. "Come along, Pinocchio. Let's at least make an honest man out of you today. We can work on the rest later."
 
"I need to get into my tuxedo," the panda said when the hug let go. He wiped his eyes, hoping that if John saw the tears, he would assume they were tears of happiness. But even as much as he loved the wolf, even as much as he wanted to be by his side, Armel felt completely unworthy of being there. One of those changes, he realized. One of those changes that happened without him even knowing.
 
The old Armel wouldn't think twice about whether he was worthy of another man or woman. He would take what he could and when it no longer amused him, he would cast them off in search of someone new. Fidelity, love, and commitment were all new to him; all foreign but pressing for acknowledgment as a part of who he had become. The tears he shed today were closer to those of anguish at how far he was from what he wanted to be.
 
The panda felt his chin turned up toward the squatting wolf. "I am marrying the man I love. He accepts me as less than perfect. Did he even consider for a moment that I do the same? Neither of us is bringing the man to this relationship we wish we were. That's okay. That's why we're here. To tell the other we won't be alone on our journey to find those men we want to be."

Armel shook his head. "But my journey is so much further than yours. I have so far to go."
 
"From this day forward, my love, our journey is the same. Where you go, I will go. Who you wish to be, I will do my best to help you become. We all will. Me, Sybil, Tamil, and his mates. Look around you today and realize not one person out there won't support you. You only need to ask."

"Asking is hard."

"Yeah, it is. But that's why you're marrying me. I'm a nudge. I'm like Will. Well, kind of like the lighter version of him. When he nudges, he usually knocks you over. But we see you, Armel. We both are aware of who you are. And we both understand who you want to be. Will has a knack for helping men fulfill their fantasies. So do I."

"You won't let me backslide, will you?" the panda asked.

"It's not in my nature, and it's not in my best interest," the wolf replied. "Dry those tears, Handsome. Go off and get dressed. They say it's bad luck for the groom to see his mate in his tux before the wedding."

"Who says you're the groom?" the panda asked, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"I do. And you're the groom too," the wolf said, standing up. "So, it's bad luck to see me in my tux before the wedding as well." He took a few steps down the hall and turned. "But it's going to be fantastic luck to see us out of ours later tonight. Don't forget that." With a shake, the wolf was walking down the hall as a redheaded naked human.

Armel smiled staring at the human. "I never do. I don't understand why you see me that way, but I never forget that you do."

"Adam and Will are in the bedroom, ready to help you get dressed," John said never slowing his walk.

The panda looked at the ginger man. "What? Why those two? Why not Sybil? She always helps me with my tie."

John stopped at a door and opened it. "It was on her insistence. I have no idea what they're plotting, but I assume it’s supposed to be a surprise." 

The panda frowned. "I hate surprises."

"I told them that. They said they would be gentle."

Armel snorted his dissatisfaction. "I hate gentle, too."

"Go on," John said, pointing toward the master bedroom. "Go get dressed. Today you have two dressers in your employ. Take advantage of the extra help."

"But those two? Will? Of all the people in the world to be dealing with on a day like today, why him?"

"Because he's a nudge. And you need nudging today if we're ever getting you to the altar."

Armel let out his third sigh in as many minutes. "I suppose on some level you're right. You all know me better than I know myself."

"That's because until you became a panda, you never considered yourself in terms of how you relate to others." 

Armel nodded. "You're right. That's why I'm a panda instead of a wolf. I was protecting an asset, not someone I loved." 

"Well, time to get your asset into a tux," the naked human said, pushing halfway past the open door. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

The panda walked down the hallway to the master bedroom. He opened the door to see the old wolf and otter sitting on his bed. He stared at the two, and they smiled back at him. "I'm surprised you two have been sitting on a bed that long without fucking," he grumbled.
 
"We thought about it," Will said with a grin. "But it's your day. We can't let you go in front of all those people looking disheveled."
 
"What makes you think I would join you?" came the curt reply.
 
"Because you're you, Armel," the old wolf replied. "Because you realize what this otter next to me can do to tie you in knots, and you know I can untie you just as easily."
 
Armel shook his head. "Okay, so I enjoy sex with both of you. It doesn't mean I like either of you. You just have a knack for knowing what buttons I like pushed."
 
Will nodded. "That's true, Armel, but we're also the ones who won't cut you any slack. The rest of the family will, but not us. Still, you see us. That should tell you something."
 
"I'm aware of what that means," Armel admitted. "It doesn't mean I like you. It only means I love you."
 
Will picked up a tiny suit on a small hanger. "We're supposed to help you get dressed."
 
"Sybil was nice enough to take the feet off the outfit, but it looks almost like John's tux."
 
Will laughed. "She made you another suit from scratch." The panda's puzzled face told Will that the mystery had trapped Armel. The panda would need an answer to the unfolding story. "Two suits, Armel. This one, and the one in the closet. You can look at the one in the closet, but it will come with a caveat. If you look, it is the suit you must wear to your wedding."
 
"What? Is it some sort of clown suit or something?" the panda asked.
 
"Nope. It's pretty much like the tuxedo on this hanger, only with a different fitting." The wolf dangled the small suit from his paw and shook it. "The one in your closet is more of a game changer. You look at your own risk."
 
The panda stomped his foot on the ground. "Damn it, Will," he fumed. "You know I have to look. You realize I don't have that kind of control."
 
Will smiled. "Yeah, I know. I'm also aware that sometimes we need to push you into a situation for your own good. And sometimes you need help to find a way around the situations you put yourself in."
 
"Am I going to hate you if I open that door, Old Wolf?"
 
Adam laughed out loud. "Oh, Panda, you're probably going to hate both of us. Your husband-to-be isn't the only nudge in your life."
 
"Yeah, he reminded me of that a few minutes ago," the panda said with another snort of frustration.
 
Will shook the tiny suit in his hand. "Take the suit, Armel. It's safe. It's not unknown."
 
"Damn you two," the panda said as he walked over to the closet and grabbed the tiny knob added at his height. He flung the door open and stared into the darkness at a tuxedo that looked identical to the one on the hanger. "So, what's the difference?" the panda asked as he turned toward the two on the bed. The revelation took a few moments before Armel realized he wasn't looking up at the two. He was looking across. He turned back to the closet door and saw the handle that John used chest-high to his body. The tuxedo in the closet hung from a standard hanger and was fitted for someone much larger than the little red panda. Yet, he stared at it from a height he couldn't be without a step stool.
 
Armel turned back to the two, back to the closet, back to the two, and then down at his body. A quick glance at the mirror told him what he was seeing was real. The panda was over six feet tall. "What? How?" he stammered.
 
"Consider it a wedding present," Adam said. "You made a choice to protect the one you love, but it came with too great a cost to the way beasts share their love. You need to be larger, Armel. John needs you to be larger."
 
Armel looked at his new body. "Does John know about this?"
 
"Nope," Will answered. "It will come as a bit of a shock to him when you walk down the aisle."
 
"So, you did this on your own?"

Adam nodded. "We talked to Sybil. You said she's your guardian. She gave us the green light if you chose to open the closet. Will and Derrick were the ones to broach the subject with me."

"Wait a minute," the panda interrupted. He stared at the old wolf. "You're telling me this was your idea?"

"Derrick and I brainstormed it. It was an epiphany of sorts. I give Derrick more credit than me."

The panda shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"The idea came to us while having sex with Li Wei."
"Okay, that part I kind of believe. You two are pretty much always having sex with someone."

"He liked the idea of you being larger, by the way. He said he could visit you from time to time if you would like. I'd take him up on the invitation. He knows things about Katashi that you should learn."

"But this isn't what I expected when I opened the closet."

"I told you it was a game changer, Panda," Will said, nonplussed.

The six-foot panda glared at the two on the bed. "The two of you knew I couldn't resist a mystery. You're aware of my weaknesses and took advantage of that one. You can blame me for opening the door, but we all realize who's really responsible for what just happened."

Will laughed. "True that, Panda. But take a moment to consider it, and you decide. If you don't want what Adam gave you, he can take it back, but you might not want to pass on what's being offered here."

"I'm large enough that I can hurt John," the panda yelled. "That's the only thing from the change I can't live with. I was a panda for a reason. You make me this," the panda said, waving his paw over his body, "and you make me a threat to the only man I ever cared enough to become who I am."

The bedroom door flew open, slamming against the wall guard. "What the hell, men?" the redheaded doctor in a tuxedo yelled. "We can hear you fighting down the hall. What's gotten into you three? Do I need to make you take a corner and…" John suddenly grew silent as he stared at the six-foot panda. The three others in the room made no sound as the young man started taking deep breaths, letting them out slowly.
 
Armel backed away from John, afraid of what the bearded man was thinking. "No, Armel," John begged. "Don't run away. Give me a minute to adjust. This is a big change."
 
"I didn't do it," Armel said.
 
"I know you didn't, Hon. But I'm going to thank the ones who did."
 
"No, John. I don't want to be this panda. This panda is too big. I can hurt you now."
 
John shook his head. "No, Panda, I don't think you can. I don't think you ever could. It was a fear you had, but it wasn't real. You're a beast. It's not in your nature to hurt the ones you love."
 
"People change," Armel protested. "I can't take the risk that I might change." The panda looked at the man. "I can't do this, John. There is too much at stake. I want to be this panda so badly, but I can't take the risk."
 
"I should point out that your current body comes with a few adaptive measures to prevent what you fear most, Armel," Adam said as he slipped off the bed.
 
"Like what?" the panda asked.
 
"Like you're incapable of lashing out at anyone in anger."
 
"What?" the panda yelled. "You've got me on some sort of choker chain?"
 
"Of a sort. You try to lash out at anyone in anger and you will revert to your smaller size until you calm down. Derrick suggested that, too. Seems the pup cares enough for you to ruminate about your greatest fears as much as you do."
 
"I can't hit anyone in anger? What if one of those monsters that attacked Partridge Island shows up on Heart Island one day?"
 
Will stood up. "You realize there's a difference between protective instinct and anger, Armel. Don't get upset that your body comes with restrictions. I told you there were caveats. You don't want to hurt the one you love. We don't either. Derrick can get downright creative when he's being banged by a temple dog on an alternate plane of existence. This can work if you let it, Armel."
 
"No… no… NO!" the panda railed as he shook his head again. "A black wolf that can alter the entire universe is having sex with his husband and a dead temple dog. In the middle of that, they came up with the idea of shifting me back to small if I tried to hit someone? How am I supposed to believe any of this? I'm a scientist, not some googly-eyed cult groupie that believes in spirits and superheroes."
 
"You're a panda, Armel," Adam pointed out. "You just became a six-foot, three-inch panda by opening a closet door. I think disbelief in what can and cannot happen in your world needs to be rethought."
 
The panda took a deep breath and snorted it out through his nose. "You've got a point. I still reference things from what my human used to consider was verifiable."
 
"Wait until you find out what we did to your asshole," Will said with a chuckle. "A six-three tall red panda is reasonable for you and your hubby, but that twelve-foot Totoro in the tiger suit you love is another matter. His cock isn't much smaller than his mates, and that means he's pretty huge. But he doesn't have the pheromones that the temple dogs do. If you let him mount you, and face it, Armel, you're going to beg him to; you best be prepared to be walking funny for a week."
 
"It will be worth it," the panda said as he rubbed one of his butt cheeks, contemplating the possibility.
 
"Well, that's what we were thinking. Power bottoms like Derrick and me mull over these things. You, Armel, are not that big a bottom. You like it and all, but if Tamil comes at you with no restraints, he will be crestfallen when he realizes how much he's hurt you. So, we told Adam to give you a new asshole."
 
"What?"
 
"One that can take all the men who are going to be in your life and give you nothing but pleasure. Derrick and I were born with them. We figured you deserved an upgrade."
 
"You're telling me I have a new asshole?"
 
"Yeah, cool, right?"
 
"This whole family is going to drive me insane."
 
Will shrugged. "You're a sociopath. You're already insane."
 
Armel glowered at the wolf, who smiled back at him. "Why?" the panda asked. "Why would you do any of this? You're the one who called me an arrogant son of a bitch and a self-absorbed asshole."
 
Will nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but people change. Maybe we think you and John deserve the best chance you can have for a good life. Maybe that means you're six feet tall and rock a body made for banging."
 
"So I'm not a self-absorbed asshole anymore?" the panda pressed.
 
"Don't ask a question of a wolf that never lies if you don't want to hear the answer, Armel," Will replied. "Let's just say I see the progress you've made, and we all deserve a second chance."
 
John had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation. But when he put his hand on the panda's shoulder, both the old wolf and the panda stopped their exchange. "Husband to be," he whispered, "you're six foot three inches high. You almost didn't turn for fear of hurting me, and now you know you never can. You can't hurt anyone, no matter what the future brings. I can mount you tonight as a wolf without a fear of hurting you. We can marry in front of all those people out there, and later tonight, we can mate. We can do the very thing that only a moment ago you wished we could do. I don't have to be a human biting your neck, Hon. The wolf that loves you can do what we both dream of. Why are you angry at these two for making that possible?"
 
"Because… because…" the panda stopped. "Because I am an arrogant asshole. I was angry with the idea that things were being done to me without me approving them first. I forgot to ask myself if those things were what I wanted all along."
 
"So, instead of telling the old wolf how he's driving you insane, why not ask him to drive you crazy later when we welcome the family into our lives? The one thing I've learned about power bottoms in the Were Nation is they know ways to top that will make your toes curl in pleasure."
 
Will chuckled. "He's right, Armel. Remember what I told you about my tongue, and how that turned out? I can do things with my cock that make my tongue look like an amateur."
 
Armel stood quietly. Slowly, his fists loosened. His head dropped. "You know how to push a sociopath's buttons, don't you?"
 
"Yeah, I do," Will said. "But I also know how to make love to my family. I'm not offering anything to the sociopath, Armel. I'm offering it to the man who's marrying John today. If you want a complete rewind of everything that's happened since that closet opened; you know we'll do it. Our intentions were good. We wanted you to be happy. We gave you the gifts we thought would make this day one you would never forget. I'm sorry we did it without asking first."

"Me too," Adam said. "I'm sorry. We didn't mean to cause this kind of trouble on your wedding day."
 
The panda's head stayed lowered. "I'm such an ass. You gave me everything I've dreamed of since the day I turned and realized what a mistake I made. But because I didn't do it, because I didn't make the choice first, I get up in your face." Armel looked up. "I have never had a family like this one." Armel shook his head in disbelief. "I pretty much never had a family. You're not the ones who should apologize. I was wrong not to see your intentions. This was the gift I wanted for so long, and I chewed you out for giving it to me. I am sorry. I wouldn't blame you for taking it back and giving me a toaster."
 
Adam stepped forward and rubbed the panda's arm. "Is that what you want?"
 
"No," the panda replied. "I want the gifts you gave me. I want to embrace what it means to have a family that knows what I dream of and gives it to me without me even asking." Armel was quiet for a moment. "I want to know how to be grateful instead of the dick I am."
 
"You can do that," Adam said. "We give you time. You'll find a way to be what you hope to be, Armel."
 
"No quick fix, huh?" the panda asked.
 
"None that I know of," the otter replied.
 
"Do you have a fix for getting me into that tuxedo before we hold up the entire wedding?"
 
Adam laughed. "Yeah," he replied. "That I can do." The hand went up, and the panda stood dressed in his tuxedo. The otter looked at the ginger man beside the panda. "And what about you, John? Do you go to the wedding as a man or a wolf?"
 
John smiled. "Wolf, please."
 
The otter's hand lifted again. A wolf and a panda stood side by side dressed in dapper tuxedos, looking every inch like two beasts in love.
 
"Shall we go attend a wedding?" Will asked as he grabbed Adam's arm.
 
"I think that's a wonderful idea," the otter replied as the two began their walk toward the castle ballroom.
 
Armel looked up at John. "I can be a real dick, can't I?"
 
John made a little chuckle. "Yeah, you can. But if you marry me, I'll have to forgive you thirty-five percent faster than if we stay single."
 
"Wow," the panda said. "Thirty-five percent?"
 
"I'm pretty sure it says so in the marriage bylaws somewhere," John said as he adjusted Armel's tie. "There, now you're absolutely flawless."
 
"Are you ready for this, John? You see how I can take a decent thing done on my behalf and make the guys doing it regret it. That's kind of who I am."
 
"Really? Because what I saw was a guy making a mistake, and then apologizing for it. That's the man I'm marrying today, Armel. Be my mate, now and forever. I love you. All the rest are details we can work out."
 
"Now and forever?"
 
"That's the contract."
 
The panda's hand reached out, and the human took it. "I hope Tamil is going to be okay with this."
 
"He'll be fine. He adapts to change a lot more quickly than you do."
 
"Oh, thank you very much, Husband," the panda said with mock indignation.
 
"We're not husbands yet."
 
"I’m aware of that. I was taking it for a test spin."
 
"And?"
 
"I like it, Husband. I like it a lot."
 
The wolf tugged at the panda's paw. "Then let's go make it official, Husband." Together, they followed the path the old wolf and otter had trod moments before.

As they neared the ballroom doors, they heard the music begin. Tamil stood at the door, smiling. "Hurry up, you two. You take any longer, and your honeymoon won't start on time."
 
"I'm bigger," Armel said as he stepped beside the tiger.
 
"I saw," the tiger said with a grin. "You will feel so much better inside me now. I am glad you made the change."
 
Armel realized how much he envied Tamil at that moment. What must it be like to accept change so easily and with so open a heart toward finding the good in everything? The panda didn't understand how the tiger could do it, but his confidence grew that the two would have a long life together where the tiger could teach him. He took the hand of the human beside him. "I'm ready," he said as the two took their first step on a journey both had waited a lifetime to share.

Chapter 39

Will stumbled out of the cave entrance and blinked back at the bright sunlight of late morning. He leaned up against Armel, who was leaning up against Tamil. "Best wedding receptions ever, Armel," the old wolf said. "And I was there for the one Derrick, Oliver, and I had, so you pulled off quite a coup."
 
Armel's face brightened. "Really? It was that good?"
 
"Stellar," the old wolf replied. He looked up at the twelve-foot rotund tiger. "Am I right, Tamil?"
 
"It was my first, but I believe it was…" the tiger paused, looking for the right word, "… stellar."
 
John exited the cave in the same fashion as Will and shielded his eyes. "Okay, Armel, what did you put in the punch at the castle reception?"
 
"It's my great-grandmother's recipe."
 
"Which is?"
 
"Two quarts of vodka and some sort of frozen fruity drink. It doesn't matter which kind by the third glass." He looked at his new husband. "But you didn't get drunk, did you?"
 
John laughed. "No, none of us can get drunk. Our metabolisms burn it off as fast as we drink it. But that doesn't mean our coworkers fared as well. One in particular had a few too many at that reception."
 
"Marvin?"
 
"Oh yeah. What a time to come out of the closet. But I'm pretty sure he had a ball. You couldn't miss him dancing with the entire African dog pack. The man was in his cups and the crowd loved it. There's nothing like a chub on the dance floor to pick up everyone's spirits. I hope he remembers at least some of what happened last night."
 
"I hope everyone goes easy on him Monday when he returns to work," the panda said.
 
"He'll be fine," the wolf replied. "You have a flexible and tolerant team working for you. At least he's a friendly drunk. And he is cute as a bug for a human."
 
"He looks like Chipo without the leathery skin and horn," Armel said laughing. "The man has no neck. He's one solid mass of muscle in a three-piece suit. But he's a brilliant diagnostician."
 
John nodded. "I still think he's cute. Anyway, no harm, no foul. I'm sure he's at home now, sleeping it off."
 
A naked man with no neck came stumbling out of the cave, groaning. "Jesus, what was in that punch?" He looked down at himself. "I seem to have lost my suit."
 
The crowd of beasts all laughed. "Oh, please, guys, keep it down," the man begged. He looked at the four. "John, Armel, are all your friends animals?"
 
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, pretty much everyone you meet here is going to be an animal," John replied. "You found your way to a beast after-party of sorts."
 
"But they change, right? I mean, they were all so nice, but when I asked them for sex, they changed into humans."
 
"They were protecting you."
 
Marvin spotted a covered bench and sat down. "Did I have as much sex as I think I did?"
 
"More than likely," Will answered. "We are a friendly group."
 
"Best night of my life," Marvin said.
 
Will walked over to the naked man and squatted down in front of him. "How long have you seen us, Marvin?"
 
"Oh, I've seen John and Armel for months. The rest of you were blurry at the start, but I could tell when you changed."
 
"And how did you get to the highland?"
 
The man looked around. "That's where I am? This is Scotland?"
 
"No, it's a highland; an elevated plateau in the mountains. It's not the land north of Glasgow. We're in British Columbia."
 
The man looked at the wolf. "Oh, okay," he said, still in a daze. "Did I have sex with you?"

Will laughed. "No, Marvin, you didn't have sex with me."
 
"But you were the one that polar bear was doing, right?"
 
Will nodded. "Yeah, that was me."
 
"And that furry Grizzly."
 
"For the record, he's a Kodiak, but yes."
 
"And the black wolf, you were doing him while that tiger over there was doing you, right?"
 
"Yeah, but if you're planning to go through the entire night, we're going to be here for a considerable amount of time."
 
The human grinned. "Yeah, I guess so," he said as he put his hand on the old wolf's chest. "You know, you're wicked hot, right?"
 
"Thanks. So, how did you get here?" Will asked, trying to draw Marvin back into a different conversation.
 
"I lied to the two wolves piloting that spaceship over there," Marvin said, pointing to the Gray Wolf in the distance. "I told them I was John's cousin."
 
"And they accepted that?"
 
"Nah. They caught me on it right away. But when I told them I saw them as wolves and begged them to let me get onboard, they did." The man made a loud burp. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry. I think everyone I drank last night is coming back up to haunt me." He looked back at the dumbfounded beasts staring at him. "Please don't be mad at me, Armel. I promise, come Monday, I'll be back at work good as new."
 
Armel smiled. "Don't worry about it, Marvin. Why don't you go back in and sleep it off?"
 
"I can't. All those wolves back in the cave get my juices stirring." Marvin stared down at his stomach and pushed it out. "I can't see it over my belly, but I'm pretty sure I've got a hard-on." His hands reached down, but he almost fell out of the chair, trying to feel what lay below his belly. He righted himself quickly by leaning back. "I've got a hard-on, right?"
 
John laughed. "You've got a hard-on, Marvin."
 
Will stood up. "I'll take him over to the temple dogs."
 
Armel looked perplexed. "Why would you do that? They're worse than the wolves."
 
"Temple dogs are also incapable of turning into humans. They will make sure he gets some sleep."
 
The human looked up at the wolf. "Am I going to be in trouble for this?"
 
Will smiled. "No, not at all."
 
"I had so much fun."
 
"I'm sure you did. We're glad to hear it."
 
"But I'm never going to remember it, am I?"
"I noticed a ring on your finger. Is there a wife waiting for you at home?"
 
Marvin pulled up his hand and stared at the ring. "No. I just wear it because the women in the office spot it and leave me alone."
 
"And the guys?"
 
"You all were my first. I dreamed of it for over forty years, but I never had the nerve. It was just easier to let the world go by without ever taking part."
 
"Time can slip by pretty fast."
 
"Yeah, I was talking to this huge bear about it, and he asked me what I would do if I could have any wish I wanted. I told him just once I wanted to go to bed as something other than a virgin." Marvin paused. "He said he totally understood my feelings. He looked at the other huge bear with the glasses and said, 'Bear?' The other bear smiled and said, 'Don't let him go to bed a virgin, Bear.' And there was this guy in front of me instead of the bear. Kind of bulky and middle-aged like me, but so damn cute and completely naked."
 
"Max," the old wolf said.
 
"Yeah, that's right, Max," the naked human replied. "When we finished a few hours later, he asked me how I felt, and I told him better than I had ever felt before. He asked me if my wish had come true, and I'm not sure if it was me or the alcohol talking, but I said it would have come true if the other bear had joined us. One tap of his ComLink, and in minutes I was in bed with his husband, and somewhere along the line other guys got involved. Before I knew it, I was sitting out here trying to clear my head."
 
The old wolf grinned. "So, how is it all feeling now that the head is clearing up?"
 
Marvin smiled back at the wolf. "I wish I could do it all over again."
 
"You should get some rest first."
 
Marvin nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."
 
The wolf helped the human up. "Come on, Marvin. Let's get you over to the temple dogs and put you to bed."
 
"Could you tuck me in?"
 
Will laughed aloud. "Marvin, I believe you have come into your own."
 
"I'm probably dreaming, but when I wake up, I want to remember that I did everyone I thought was attractive."
 
"And everyone is pretty much attractive?"
 
"Oh yeah."
 
"Sleep first, Marvin," the old wolf said as he slung the human's arm around his shoulder. "When you wake up, we'll talk." The two stumbled a few steps before they got a rhythm going between their steps and were soon walking toward the monastery.
 
John looked at Armel. "Well, I suppose another werebeast at the CDC won't hurt."
 
"What? You think that's what's going to happen?" the panda asked the wolf.
 
"When someone sees one of us, that's the love of a man. The turning may or may not happen based on how that relationship goes. But when they see one of us, and it opens their eyes to all the rest of us, that's love for our people. Those men almost always turn."
 
"I wonder what he'll choose to become."
 
"An English bulldog," John said with a laugh. "He's already halfway there."
 
"Marvin saw us first, John," Armel said. "He saw you and me as beasts."
 
"Marvin saw two men in love. It's what he had been longing for. That he recognized us as beasts means that any preconceived notions about who or what we were supposed to be didn't cloud his vision. He recognized two men in love, and he loved who we had become."
 
Tamil smiled. "You dreamed one day you would teach someone the things you learned, Panda. This is your chance. You can teach Marvin, and his life will be so much better because you will help him learn what is important."
 
Armel nodded. "You'll both help me, right? I'm barely able to keep myself on track, let alone a newborn wandering around at work."
 
"Of course, Hon," John replied.
 
Tamil laughed. "So many of you wolves call each other Hon. I like it. It makes it easier to remember your names."
 
"Hon is short for Honey, Tamil," John replied. "It's a term of endearment. We say it to each other to let our mates know we love them. Others use different words to show their affection."
 
"I call Armel Panda, and he calls me Tiger."
 
"A perfect example."
 
"And you don't mind that I call him Panda, John?"
 
"As long as you love him, you can call him Panda."
 
"Then I will call him Panda for a very long time."
 
John smiled and took the panda's paw in his. "And I will call him Hon for a very long time."
 
Both the tiger and the wolf looked at the panda and Armel added, "And I will love you both all the more when I hear those names."
 
"I am glad to hear that," Tamil said. "Would you two like to go wake up my fathers and have sex? They always wake up aroused and I know you like sex with temple dogs."
 
John looked at Armel and Armel looked back, grinning. "We'd love to, Tamil," John answered.
 
"You could call me Tiger if you wanted, John," Tamil said with a shy smile.
 
"And you could call me Wolf."
 
Tamil's smile widened. "Come on Wolf and Panda. Let's go wake up the dogs." Together, the three headed across the grassy field. A pack of African dogs, a rhino, and a saber-toothed cat stumbled out into the sunshine from the open gates of the monastery. Tamil laughed. "I guess they are already up," he said.
 
"I don't think they ever went down," the wolf holding the tiger's paw replied.
 
Chapter 40
 
The young woman in a white lab coat stood up and stretched. "Okay, you three, I give up. I'll see you all tomorrow." She paused and looked at the three men in their white lab coats. For a moment… only a moment… she thought a wolf and a giant red panda in lab gear were viewing data on the projection in front of them. She shook her head, and it was gone. "Yeah," she mumbled half to herself. "I need that sleep more than I thought."
 
"Have a good night, Sophia," John said with a wave.
 
The other two men waved, "Bye Sophia, see you tomorrow," they said in unison. Sophia grabbed her lanyard, pushed the card against the reader, and was out the door.
 
When the sliding glass doors closed and the lock clicked into place, the one human left in the room let out a sigh. "I gave my two weeks' notice today," Marvin said.
 
"No, Marvin," the panda beside him objected. "You're too good at what you do. I can't afford to lose you. And you know me. It's all about me."
 
Marvin laughed. "You know, a year ago, I would have believed that. But you've changed, Armel. We've all changed."
 
"I have to agree with Armel," John said. "You are brilliant. If there's anything the CDC can do to make you stay, say it. The front office can find a way to pony up a pay raise if that's what you need."
 
"No, it's not the pay. It's this," he said, pointing back and forth between himself and the two beasts. "This is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be," Marvin said.
 
"Is it harder than you thought to keep a secret about another world you see that no one else does?" John asked.
 
"No, I don't have a problem with that. But sometimes I want to reach out and touch you two. I'm not talking about throwing you on a table and doing you or anything… just a hug, maybe holding your hand for a bit." The human paused. "A kiss now and then would be nice."
 
"I think the group can handle that, Marvin," the wolf next to the human replied.
 
"It goes beyond that, John," the human said wistfully. "I dreamed of meeting the man of my dreams one day and taking long walks along the beach, eating a single strand of spaghetti until we kissed. You know… romantic stuff. Then I go to your wedding reception and get a bit drunk. That saving myself for the one and only flew out the window in a week of getting laid by every beast willing to turn back into a human for me."
 
"You weren't a bit drunk, you were a lot drunk," the panda said with a laugh.
 
"I was for the first night," Marvin corrected. "I was totally sober for all the days that followed."
 
John put down the vial in his hands. "Are you having regrets, Marvin?"
 
Marvin shook his head. "No, no… I loved every minute. I was on cloud nine for days afterward. It was everything I hoped my first time would be, but I didn't expect it to be with twenty-three men over an entire week." The wolf put his paw on the human's and rubbed it. Marvin gave out another deep sigh. "That's what I miss, John. I miss you all. I miss being with you. Every night, I go home, and as I'm walking past Dupont Circle, I see the bars. I contemplate going in and getting a drink. Who knows? I might find myself a nice guy to take home for the night. But instead, I keep walking."
 
The two beasts sat quietly, letting the human compose the thoughts he was trying to express. "I guess I am having regrets," he finally whispered. "I dove into the deep end and now I realize I don't enjoy being back in the shallows wading around."
 
"You don't have to stay where you are, Marvin," Armel said.
 
"I don't know that I'm ready to let you bite me, or whatever it is you do."
 
John laughed. "You know what it is we do, Marvin."
 
Marvin dropped his head into his hands. "God, do I ever." He shook his head. "I'm so messed up." John and Armel said nothing, waiting for Marvin to find his words. "I am watching a world I want to live in from the sidelines, and I can't make the leap."
 
"What's holding you back?" Armel said as he put his arm around the human.
 
"Walls," the man sighed. "Walls, I've made myself and I can't tear them down."
 
"Do you want some help?" John asked.
 
"You two are newlyweds. You should be off spending your night up in that castle of yours doing the humpy-bumpy instead of hanging around here. Quitting time was three hours ago."
 
"We have a lengthy long life to look forward to," the wolf replied. "We can find time for a friend who is struggling with a burden that he can't find the words for."
 
Marvin looked up at the wolf. "I have the words. I just… I just can't say them."
 
The wolf smiled. "Yes you can, Marvin. You only need to trust that when you say them, the outcome will be what you hope for."
 
"That's a hell of a leap you're asking of me," the human said. "You know that, don't you?"
 
"Yeah, I do. I'm married to a man who made the same leap."
 
Marvin chuckled. "He seems to have landed on his feet okay."
 
Armel's paw pulled Marvin in closer. "Better than okay. I'm kind of stunted in the empathy department, but John isn't. You don't have to hold back in front of us."
 
The bulky man rubbed his thick neck, contemplating his next step. He found the courage he needed staring into the yellow eyes of the wolf beside him. "I still remember the first day I saw you, John. I mean, really saw you. It should have shocked me. I should have screamed a warning to everyone, but all I could do was watch you as you moved about the lab. You were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.
 
"Every day I rushed to work to watch the upright wolf walking around amid people who didn't even notice him. And as I stared at you, I saw the way you looked at Armel, and I realized you looked at him the way I looked at you. And I wondered why someone so beautiful would want an asshole like Armel in his life." The panda gave the human a shove. "You know it's the truth, Armel," the human said as he pushed back into the panda.
 
"Yeah, I do," the panda admitted.
 
Marvin's head dropped back into his hands. "I wanted to tell the wolf if he needed a human in his life, why didn't he choose me? I could love him. No, not could; I did love him. Why choose the one human in our group that no one liked? Why pick the guy with an antisocial personality disorder?"
 
Marvin was quiet for a time. "Every day I was there as the wolf touched the human. I wondered how Armel could be so lucky to find someone who cared that much about him. And I witnessed that self-absorbed human changing. He grew into something better by being next to the wolf. And I wanted so badly to be you, Armel."
 
John's paw pressed into Marvin's hand as the human continued his story. "And then you two made the announcement. You were going to get married. The wolf was going to marry the human, and that dream I had that one day the wolf would wake up and realize the mistake he made wouldn't happen. I realized the wolf understood something I didn't. He saw someone I didn't. And I flinched each time he kissed the human in front of everyone."
 
Words escaped Marvin's grasp as he stood in silence. John and Armel waited until the words returned. Marvin sighed. "And then one day as you kissed, the red panda appeared. I saw this tiny animal in the arms of the wolf, and I ran out of that room because I couldn't tell where the truth lay anymore. I didn't understand how two such dissimilar people, and now two such dissimilar animals, could be that much in love."
 
The human never looked up, still burying his head in his hands. "I was so jealous at first. I could hardly stand to look at you two. But over the weeks, I realized it only hurt me. You two were oblivious to my struggle. And I began observing even more changes in Armel. My god, John, I don't know how you did it, but you helped change that man into someone lovable."
 
Armel laughed. "He had a great deal of help from his family."
 
Marvin looked up at the six-foot-tall red panda. "I'm sorry, Armel. I'm sorry for ever begrudging you what I hoped to find all my life. You two are so beautiful together. Can you forgive a bitter old guy who hoped that John would recognize the mistake he was making instead of realizing he wasn't making a mistake at all?"
 
The panda smiled at the human. "Of course. In your shoes, I would have been so much worse. I'm learning so much about life that I never knew before. I didn't realize you feel the way you do about John."
 
"It's not that I expected you two to recognize my feelings. You only had eyes for each other."
 
"But I recognized your feelings, Marvin," John said. "At the highland, they were so easy to see. All those men… I didn't realize what I saw until now."
 
"Please never let them know, John. They didn't deserve to be used the way I used them. A lonely old guy drowning his sorrows in the arms of the most wonderful men I ever met."
 
The wolf nodded. "But…"
 
Marvin looked up at the wolf and wiped his eyes. "But the one I wanted to lie with was already married." Marvin shook his head. "And the one he was married to was so fucking hot once he got bigger. A week with your friends and I realized I loved you both. I couldn't screw up your life by the way I was feeling. I didn't want to become some weird-ass stalker. But every day I come here, I know… I know…"
 
The wolf squatted down in front of the human and looked him in the eyes. "You realize what happened that week, Marvin. You understand how the Were Nation expresses themselves in the company of those we love."
 
Marvin smiled feebly. "Yeah, I do, and it's glorious."
 
"It's also who we are. It's who you are."
 
"I'm not…"
 
The wolf put his finger up to the human's lips, silencing him. "We never lie, Marvin. We never lie to each other. We never lie to ourselves. Learn that lesson now."
 
"I can't ask," the human whispered.
 
"Then let me ask for you," the wolf consoled. "Come home with us tonight, and in the arms of the men you love, choose which path you will take."
 
"It would hurt too much," the human whispered. "It would hurt too much to walk away from you when it was over."
 
"Then you made the first choice for your path," John said. "You won't walk away." He looked up at Armel. "Are you okay with his choice, Hon?"
 
Armel wanted to scream NO at the top of his lungs, but a lifetime of greed and jealousy was fading into memory. All he recognized was a friend who was hurting; a man who told him his innermost feelings, hoping that he would understand. Armel realized he didn't understand. Yet, in that moment, he understood the longing Marvin felt. He understood all it would take to free the human from that longing was to say yes. The panda smiled at the human looking at him. "Yes, I'm okay with that."
 
Marvin grabbed the waist of the panda and hugged him tight. Armel awkwardly put his arms around the man and hugged him back past the crinkling sound of the plasticized lab coats. He realized what the hug meant to Marvin, and the knowing made it even more difficult. There was a promise made by the simple act of saying yes. A promise Armel wasn't sure he could live up to.

Chapter 41
 
The bulky human struggled for a moment with his shirt buttons. "I can't believe I'm shaking," he said as the last button came undone.
 
"It's your first time," the wolf said as he patted the side of the bed. "Most of us shake the first time."
 
Marvin laughed. "I've been with twenty-three men in the last week. I would hardly say this is my first time." He pulled at his pants, and they dropped to the floor. He picked up his pants and folded them, placing them on a chair; and still his hands shook. He stared at the two beasts in front of him and realized how much he wished he could offer them something other than the naked human he was.
 
The wolf patted the bed again. "It's our first time. Life is full of first times, Marvin. For the three of us, this is ours." John put out his paw, and the human watched the paw shake. "I'm just as nervous as you."
 
The panda spread out his legs and leaned forward. "You two are lucky it's only your hands. My whole body shakes every time I'm in a situation like this."
 
Marvin's eyes widened. "How often are you in situations like this?"
 
"There was my first time with John, my first time with the temple dogs, and my first time with Tamil, the tiger you met on the highland." The panda paused. "And here with you, Marvin. John is right. This is our first time. We're all a little nervous, but we'll get through it."
 
John shifted from wolf to human. Marvin sat next to him, and they kissed. When the kiss had ended, John made a nod toward Armel. "Armel has no human counterpart. We'll do our best to involve him, but he can't be with you sexually without turning you."
 
"Turning? As in, I become a panda or a wolf?"
 
"Or whatever you want to be," John explained. "You only need to be concentrating on that beast when the change begins. But don't worry about that. We won't pressure you to change until the day you want to. There's so much for you to learn about who we are before that day. Tonight, let's be together. All the rest we can sort out later."
 
"But Armel… you can't be with us?" Marvin asked the red panda.
 
"Sure, I can be with you. But I need to concentrate on not letting anything I do turn you. I'm not strong enough to keep that kind of focus on everything, though. So, there are some things we won't do."
 
"Like the bears and wolves on the highland. They always changed before it got serious."
 
"Exactly like that. And why my husband is no longer a wolf."
 
Marvin ran his hand along the thigh of the young redhead next to him. "You are so beautiful, John. I fell in love with your human side so long ago." He leaned in and the two kissed. When he sensed the swelling between his own legs, Marvin pushed back and looked at the panda sitting on the bed. "And you, Armel. I can't believe that the man I hated seeing every day of my working life would become the man I want to be with now."
 
The human crossed the bed and kissed the willing panda on his lips. "There's no way to promise I'll ever be anything but an asshole," Armel said when the kiss ended. "I want to be something better, but I won't lie to you; I'm still struggling."
 
"So, you're trying?"
 
The panda laughed. "God, you have no idea how hard I'm trying."
 
The young redheaded doctor joined the two. "He is giving it his best. And we're creating a support group around him. Tamil and his husbands live on an island nearby. And we have family everywhere we go."
 
Marvin put his hand up to the muzzle of the red panda. "I would try to help if you wanted me to."
 
The panda smiled. "I would like that. I could use some help at work if you won't quit."
 
"Are you serious?" Marvin asked with a laugh. "You're going to be very persistent about that, aren't you?"
 
"I told you I was self-absorbed," the panda replied. "I can't afford to lose a top diagnostician."
 
"Okay, okay… I'll stay," Marvin said as he turned to the young doctor. "My entire life, I dreamed of what my first time would be like. As much as I love every one of those twenty-three men in my life, I am still waiting for my first time." The hand rose and rubbed the cheek of the redhead in the same fashion as the red panda. "I want this night to be my first time. I can't do that without the wolf."
 
"Are you sure, Marvin?" John asked. "There is so much that you haven't learned."
 
"You will never lie to me?"
 
"No," the redhead replied.
 
"Do you love me?"
 
"Yes," the doctor replied.
 
Marvin looked to the panda for a response. Armel hesitated. "I see the beasts of Were Nation, Marvin. By definition, that means I'm capable of love." He paused. "It gives me hope that I'm capable of love. But, I have so many doubts. I've been where you are now. All that desire to belong to what you stare at from the outside. I don't want to stand in your way. You're a lovable man. But I don't come without complications. I wish they weren't there, but I'm trying to be honest. A part of me admires the man you are. That might be as close to love as I come in the beginning. I want to believe what I'm feeling is love. One day, I hope to be confident enough to know when it is love."
 
Marvin smiled. "Is that the world's longest yes ever?"
 
The panda nodded. "That's the world's longest yes."
 
"Then do what you need to do. You don't have to promise to marry me and I won't ever ask. We can be friends with benefits and I'll be fine. I just want my first time to be with both of the men I love. I don't want one sidelined because he's afraid of hurting me."
 
"Your life will be much, much longer than you can imagine, Marvin. Are you sure that's something you can accept?"
 
"You will always be there, right?"
 
"Of course."

"And you won't mind a visit now and then?"

"We'll always look forward to seeing you."
 
"Then do it. Do whatever it is you call it. Make me one of you. If there are things to learn, teach me. But make it so that I can be with both of you without you needing to turn into something else when I walk through the door."
 
"Marvin, this isn't simply turning into a werewolf. It's so much more."
 
"I get that," the human replied. "Every time you touch Armel, I realize the gap between what you are and what I have been taught. In the arms of twenty-three men who had me in ways I didn't even think possible, I learned what it meant to be more than some half-man/half-beast. Even in the heat of that passion, I could sense it. I could feel the love."
 
"Are you sure, Marvin?"
 
"I'm sure, John. I can't ask everything I want of you. But I can be content with a bit of stolen time now and then."
 
"It will never be stolen, Marvin. It will always be freely given."
 
Marvin turned to the panda. "Is that the truth, Armel? Are you good with all this? I don't have any right to ask you to share."
 
Armel nodded. "You and I are two of a kind, aren't we? Both of us hoping to find something we both don't feel quite worthy of having."
 
Marvin smiled. "You got here first. Possession is nine-tenths of the law."
 
Armel heard the words, and he realized he no longer agreed with the idea that was a staple of his core beliefs only five years ago. "I don't have a possession, Marvin. I have a husband. And who he chooses to love outside our relationship is his choice and his alone. I'm grateful that he chooses the men he does. To a man, they've been incredible. I'm pretty sure I'm looking at another one. But there is never anyone who is a possession in the Were Nation. Do you understand that?"
 
Marvin looked down and nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just that…"
 
"I don't care what your human upbringing made you think about our relationship," the panda corrected. "You want to be a part of this world. You're going to need to learn there are laws in place and we all obey them. Possession isn't a part of our philosophy concerning relationships."
 
The wolf put his paw on the free paw of the panda and smiled. "Law eight."
 
"Well, close enough," Armel replied. "I haven't learned the exact wording."
 
Marvin looked back up. "I can learn. I want to learn."
 
The red panda smiled at the human. "I have so much to learn myself. Maybe we could be study partners."
 
Marvin smiled. "I would like that."
 
"Then you and I will learn together. Agreed?"
 
"Agreed."
 
The young doctor shifted into a werewolf. "How do we do this, Marvin?"
 
"I change by you coming inside me, right?"
 
"Well, take away all the romance and yes, that's how it works."
 
"I want the romance."
 
"So do we," the wolf agreed.
 
"Do I get to make a request?" Marvin asked.
 
"It's your turning. You get carte blanche," John replied.
 
"I want you both in me when I'm turned."
 
"Both of us?"
 
"And I want you to come together."
 
"Together?"
 
"Together. You can do that. I've been with twenty-three of you, remember? If you're going to turn me, I want to believe that it was both of you who turned me."
 
"Wow," Armel said, kissing the back of the human's neck. "You are a total romantic."
 
"Or a glutton for punishment," John said with a worried look. "You realize that both of us inside you will be painful."
 
"Any more painful than becoming a werewolf?"
 
John shrugged. "Okay, nothing is that painful."
 
"I can endure the pain of you both being in me to have the memory I want."
 
"If we take our time, it might be easier. It might even be pleasant. Are you okay with us taking hours to prepare you?" John asked.
 
"I would love it."
 
The arms of the wolf wrapped around the waist of the human and they kissed. The panda stood up and wrapped his arms around from the back. He kissed the neck of the human and whispered. "So would we." Armel closed his eyes as he became small again. This was the simple part. The closeness of another man was familiar, even comforting in so many ways. But the promise… the promise he was making to another man to stay beside him, to teach him the way of a civilization he barely understood; that was difficult. How could he make that leap? What insanity pushed him forward toward such an obligation?
 
Marvin pivoted his body and stared into the brown eyes of the panda. "Armel, we don't need to do this. I love you both, but I realize what I'm asking of you. My instincts tell me John is capable of what I'm asking of him. I'm not as confident that you are."
 
Armel nodded. "I don't know either, Marvin," he whispered. "But I know I want to try. When we turn another, we obligate ourselves to that life we create. That scares me." The panda shook his head. "No, that terrifies me."
 
"Then don't," the human replied. "I understand."
 
"But you don't, Marvin," the panda countered. "You don't understand because you're not me. You don't have all those years following a path that leads nowhere but deeper into yourself. I'm damaged goods. John understands, and somehow, he still loves me. It's not what you are asking of me. It's what I'm asking of you. I'm still a selfish bastard, looking at someone amazing and wanting him in my life. You deserve more."
 
Marvin smiled. "Maybe I do. But I see you, Armel. You need to trust that means I love you. You need to realize I'm not asking for more than the panda I see. John said a beast never lies. If you turn me, I will make that promise to you. Trust that who you are is enough for me. Change. Don't change. It doesn't matter to me. I love you and John as the married men you are. I won't let anything come between you two, especially me."
 
"That's not what I am afraid of," the panda whispered. "There are so many men in my life that I can't afford to lose. I've never been so afraid of failing in my entire life, because if I fail, the world around me collapses, and I'm left with nothing. The higher I climb, the more I realize the fall could be so much greater."
 
Marvin nodded. "There is that risk. But John loves you. He won't let you fall." The thick hand of the human reached out and stroked the face of the panda. "I won't let you fall. By turning me, you obligate yourself to my care, but in turn, I do the same. It may not be part of the Were Nation rules, but it is a part of mine."
 
"I might still fall."
 
"And you might not. Turn me. One more on your side couldn't hurt."
 
"But I don't want to hurt you."
 
Marvin snickered. "I'm going for double penetration here, Armel. I'm pretty sure you're going to hurt me."
 
"You know what I mean," the frowning panda objected.
 
"I do, and that's a discussion for another time," the human replied. "Tonight, I'm asking you to help me with my dream of becoming one of you. That's all. No other expectations of the night, save that in the morning, I am a part of the community that I see all around me."
 
"And that will be enough?" Armel asked.
 
"That will be enough," Marvin said as he leaned in to kiss the panda.
 
Armel felt the lips press against his, and once more, his eyes closed. So many fears, so many pathways to oblivion raced in front of his mind. The lips pressed even tighter against his. Another loved him. Another promised to keep him from the abyss he saw in his mind. He let the promise wash over him and calm his fears. Armel would turn Marvin. He would accept his responsibility for a new life he helped create. The little panda would be more than he ever thought he could be because Marvin would make sure of it. Armel yielded to Marvin's desires, and in doing so, embraced them as his own.

Chapter 42

The hours of preparation John promised had sped by for Marvin. Morning sunlight had already filtered through the bedroom windows when Armel lay on his back with his furry dick jutting straight up. He pushed the sheath back, exposing the wet flesh. Marvin looked at the six foot panda and worked through the logistics. "Armel, you're larger than I thought."

"Not as large as John."

Marvin nodded his head. "You're right. Let's just go ahead and dive in. We'll make it work."
 
"I don't want to hurt you."
 
"This will hurt no matter what we do, but please understand, this is what I want. If this day is the start of my life as something akin to an immortal, I want it to be the memory of both of you inside me when I turn. The pain will fade in time. The memory won't. Give me the memory I want that will last forever." The human straddled Armel, his legs falling on either side of the panda and his gut flopping down on the panda's.
 
"Go slow, Marvin," John said, steadying the human as he lowered himself onto the red panda. "Slow enough to let nothing but pleasure take you."
 
Marvin eased himself onto the cock and smiled. "That was easy," he said.
 
John nudged the human forward, belly to belly, with the panda. "Now relax because this is where it gets harder."
 
Marvin snickered. "I saw you John. I can't imagine it can get any harder." He felt the wolf on top of him, pushing his paws against his shoulders. "Take me, John. I want this. No matter what I say, don't hold back. They're just words. It's only the pain talking, and we ignore whatever the pain says today. Know this is what I want."
 
The wolf pushed forward, sliding his cock along the shaft of his mate deep into the ass of the man below him. He moved slowly, allowing the flesh to stretch so that the human could maintain a level of pleasure and soften the pain. The hours of rimming his tongue into Marvin had helped prepare him. But the wolf knew he owed a debt to the twenty-three fellow beasts in human form that found other ways to prepare Marvin for this turning.
 
Armel looked up into the face of the grimacing human. "Relax, Marvin," he whispered, stroking Marvin's sweaty forehead. "Don't tense up. Relax past the pain. Behind it comes the pleasure, but not until you let the pain…"
 
The hand of the human slipped over the mouth of the panda. "I'm good, Armel. I'm really good."
 
The grin of the panda spread wider than the palm of the human. "Me too," Armel mumbled through the hand.
 
The three found a rhythm as John took control of the path to their orgasm. Thrusting along the cock below him, he let the pleasures push him toward where the three wanted to go. "How are you doing, Hon?" he asked.
 
"I'm ready," Armel answered.
 
The teeth of the wolf set lightly into the shoulder of the human. "And you, Hon? Are you ready?"
 
Marvin let the wolf's words sink in. He had waited a lifetime to hear them, and now he was ready to respond. "Yeah, Hon," he whispered. "I'm good. You two do what you have to do. I'm ready."
 
"See your beast. See every strand of fur, the teeth, the muzzle, the claws. Become what you see, Marvin. Become what you were born to be." The wolf's thrusting became more heated. Moments later, the wolf yelled, "Now, Panda?"
 
"Now Wolf!" the panda yelled back.
 
Armel and John howled through the orgasm that flooded the human's insides and overflowed back past the two cocks inside him. The warm white liquid spilled on the bed and soaked the sheets. Marvin's ejaculate spilled onto the panda below as his voice joined the howl.
 
Breathing heavily, the human tried to push himself up. The wolf slipped out from inside the human and took a step back. Marvin stared down at the panda and smiled. "Better than even the highland," he said with a wide grin.
 
And then the pain, the indescribable pain, surged through Marvin's body. He collapsed onto the panda, and the panda rolled Marvin over onto his back. "Think of your beast," the panda said. "Stay focused on your beast." He kissed the lips of the human as they began to pull and stretch as the muzzle took form.
 
As Marvin screamed in pain, his nose flattened into a large black button. Short black fur sprouted from the cheeks of the receding human face. The entire face was black except for a few highlights of red-brown fur above the eyes that looked like arching eyebrows in a field of black. A thick lip of black skin lined the mouth of what was being born. The wide red tongue began panting as the human cried out one last time before it became a howl of a beast in agony. Atop Marvin's head and neck, thick fur spread out in a black mane streaked with russet fur.
 
Marvin's large human head and thick neck grew even larger as Armel and John watched the beast being born. The muzzle of the beast pushed outward, but not as far as a wolf. The beast's lips drooped in a fashion uncharacteristic of wolves. Below, jowls set in place. The ears shifted to the top of his head, as they did with most werewolves. But when they thickened and flopped over, John and Armel knew that what was being born was not a wolf.
 
The rounded and muscular body of the human still held its shape in the upper torso. The chest remained large and the shoulders broad. But below the massive chest, the thick gut was receding, forming into tight muscles. A thick mat of golden fur replaced the sparse hair on the stomach and crept up toward the beast's chest. At the top of the chest was the same black fur as the head and neck. As it moved downward, it changed to russet fur mingled with gold and sandy brown hair.
 
The legs jutted out and thickened, but no hocks of a canid appeared. Instead, the sandy yellow fur spread up along the thickening legs from enormous paws covered in black fur. The beast screamed a tortured howl, jerked up violently, and fell back down. When it happened again, John commanded, "Turn him onto his side." The wolf dropped and helped Armel push the beast onto his side. "His tail is growing." The two watched as the tail grew thick, bushy fur that was unlike anything on his mane or face. The tail was a lion yellow mixed with bits of sandy brown. Only the tip of the tail showed the black fur of the beast's top half.
 
"Hang in there, Hon," John yelled at the beast. "Keep that beast in your mind, because he sure looks mixed up from out here."
 
Armel wrapped his arms around the writhing beast and steadied him. "Don't you listen to that wolf. What do doctors know? I think you're beautiful." He looked up at John. "He might be a dog."
 
"There are no hocks," John replied, shaking his head. "But whatever he's becoming is huge." He grabbed onto the feet as the legs shook and tried to help steady whatever Marvin was turning into. It was not much help. The growing beast kicked the sheets into shreds with his formidable claws. The bed beneath the huge rear paws collapsed as the newborn gave a violent lurch into the air and fell back on the bed. Try as they might to steady him, the mated pair found the strength of the beast being born was far greater than theirs.
 
When at last the beast fell quiet, John and Armel knew the change was complete. The only sound in the room was the heavy panting of the beast. John leaned over and kissed the cheek of the newborn. "Welcome to our world, Hon."
 
"I'm still Hon?" Marvin asked between the heavy panting.
 
"Now and forever, unless you want to be something else."
 
The beast looked up at the panda, who cradled his head. "You good with 'Hon'?"
 
"I'm surprised how good I am with it, Hon," Armel replied.
 
"Then Hon it is," the dog replied. His eyes closed. "If it's okay with you, I'm going to sleep for a bit."
 
"You go right ahead," the wolf encouraged. "You've had a very busy night."
 
"Before you go to sleep, Hon," the panda begged, "exactly what are you? You look like a temple dog with a dye job and abs."
 
"I'm a Leonberger," Marvin replied.
 
"A what?" John asked.
 
"When I was three, our family got a Leonberger puppy. In less than a year, he grew up to be taller than I was. He was my best friend. You said to see the beast. He's the only beast I knew well enough to see every bit of him."
 
"You don't have any canine hocks," John pointed out.
 
"The temple dogs told me that when you changed me, it was important for me to remember no canine hocks. It makes my legs more versatile without them."
 
"The temple dogs told you we were going to turn you?"
 
The dog grinned shyly. "Kind of."
 
"And you didn't think it was important to tell us that?" the wolf asked.
 
"I wanted it to be your choice."
 
John leaned down and kissed the dog. "It was our choice." He pulled up a blanket and put it over the dog's lower half. "Now, my beautiful Leonberger, close your eyes and get some sleep."
 
Marvin closed his eyes and was soon making little noises that told the two their newborn was dreaming. They slipped off the bed and walked out into the hall. Sybil was outside waiting for them. "Is everything okay?" the robot asked.
 
"Everything is fine, Sybil," Armel replied. "We turned Marvin."
 
"We have a newborn in the house?"
 
"Yes, we do," John replied.
 
"Are you sure this was a wise idea?"
 
"The temple dogs told him we were going to do it. I think he was far more ready for it than I was when I turned."
 
The robot turned to the panda. "And you, Armel?"
 
"I'm good. I'm fraying a bit at my edges, but it's a good thing. He promised to help me."
 
"So, are you mated?" the robot asked.
 
John turned to Armel. "She brings up an important issue, Hon. You said you wanted kids running around this house. Well, now we have a newborn added to the mix. Are we welcoming him as our child or as our mate?"
 
Armel thought for a moment. "I'm afraid to say what I want."
 
"Because another mate is more than you can handle?"
 
The panda nodded. "Look what he did to the bed."
 
"He was turning. We got off cheap, trust me."
 
"John… I'm me. I don't know."
 
"Then we raise our newborn so he can take his place in the Were Nation. No pressure, Hon."
 
"I don't want him to go home to D.C. I want him to stay with us if he wants to."
 
"We have lots of rooms. He can choose the one he wants."
 
The panda fidgeted. "You know the one he wants, John. I want that for him, too. I want him in our bed with us. That's where he belongs."
 
"Sounds like mating to me," the wolf said.
 
"I agree," Sybil said with a nod of her head.
 
"Me too," Armel agreed. "You will help me, right?"
 
"Every step of the way," John said.
 
"It will be nice to hear the sounds of a newborn fornicating with you two," the robot replied.
 
John laughed out loud. "Well, there will be a lot of visitors over the next few weeks, Sybil. There's going to be the sound of a lot of beasts fornicating in this house."
 
Sybil turned and waved her hands in the air. "That sounds wonderful. I will have to make sure our guest bedrooms are in order." She rolled forward and then stopped. She turned back to the two beasts. "Armel, I never thought I would see a day when you could see the needs of another and reach out to fulfill them. I am proud of who you are. I suspect one day you will no longer need me."
 
The panda shook his head. "I will always need you, Sybil. You're my Jiminy Cricket. There will never be a day when I don't look forward to seeing you."
 
"Tell me that when I ask you to help me clean the bathrooms tomorrow."
 
Armel laughed. "I will be there, Sybil."
 
Sybil's LEC mouth spread into a smile. "And I will always be there for you, Armel." She turned back and rolled down the hall.
 
John wrapped his arm around the panda. "We're going to have our hands full, Hon."
 
"Yeah, I figured that. He had twenty-three of us in a week as a human. As a beast, I'm afraid to think of what he's capable of."
 
"We best give Will a call."
 
"Will?"
 
"We need to tell him that his reputation as one of the top ten sluts in the world is about to be threatened."
 
Armel laughed. "We have such a beautiful son," he said.
 
"And one day a beautiful mate."
 
Armel tried to think through what those words might mean but forced himself to stop. At this moment, he had a newborn that he helped bring into the world. He made promises to Marvin that he never thought he could make to anyone other than John. And yet, he was contemplating yet another mate, with even more responsibilities to shoulder. The wolf's arm tugged at his shoulder, pulling him into the sideways hug. "You'll be fine, Hon. You're amazing. He's amazing. You two will be great together."
 
"I want this to work," the panda said. "More than I can say."
 
"It will work, Hon. What say we go curl up with a newborn and get a few hours of sleep?"
 
Armel smiled. "Who's the big spoon?"
 
"You are for that big dog in our bed, and I am for you."
 
The panda smiled. "That sounds good."
 
The two started walking down the hallway back to the master bedroom. "By the way," John whispered as he opened the door, "I think our rolls are going to flip as soon as our son wakes up."
 
The panda's smile widened with all the potential pleasures the idea promised.

Chapter 43
 
The panda woke to see the dog staring at him. "Hello, Handsome," Marvin said.
 
"Hello, Hon," Armel responded with a cheerful grin. "How are you doing?"
 
"Am I supposed to be this horny?"
 
John pushed up from behind the panda. "Yeah, you're going to find it's pretty overwhelming at the start."
 
"I like it," the dog said with a smile. "So you two can do me together again now, right?"
 
"Sure," the wolf said. "Are we going to make a habit of that?"
 
Marvin shook his head. "Not so much. I only want to see if you two can take me more easily than last night. I sense this body has all sorts of capabilities my human body didn't have."
 
"That's true," John said. "You'll find a few things work better as a human, so you'll probably swap back and forth occasionally."
 
Marvin shook his head again. "Not anymore. I gave up my human."
 
Armel bolted upright. "You did what?"
 
"I gave up my human like you did, Armel."
 
"Why would you do that?" the panda fumed. "What possessed you to do something so stupid?"
 
"You," the dog replied as he licked his large tongue across the panda's chest.
 
"Me!?!" Armel yelled. "Did it ever occur to you to ask me about that idea? Do you know how complicated my life is because of that bird-brained idea of letting my human go?
 
"No," Marvin answered and then licked the panda again. "But now the panda who turned me has another like him." There was another lap of the tongue across the panda's chest, and Armel's nipples tightened as the tongue slid over them.
 
"You should…" Armel was stopped by another lick of the dog's tongue. "Damn it, Marvin. I'm trying to be angry here, and you're giving me a hard-on."
 
"I'm going to like you better aroused than angry," the dog said, giggling.
 
"Have to agree with him there, Hon," the wolf interjected.
 
"Oh great," the panda fumed. "You're ganging up on…" another lick… "you're both ga…" another lick, this time from the base of the chest up to the panda's neck. He stared at the dog. "Oh, fuck this," he groaned.
 
"No," the dog said, smiling at the angry panda. "Fuck me. Fuck me and tell me you love me; and that you understand why I would want to be like the panda that turned me. You asked me to help you. I need to be like you to understand how you feel without your human." The dog patted his chest. "This is who I want to be, Armel. I didn't make a mistake."
 
"You have paws, damn fool dog. You're a scientist with dog paws."
 
The dog put up his paw. The inside digit flexed outward. "I'm a dog with opposable thumbs. Furry, but functional."
 
Armel stared at the paw. "How much advice did you get from the temple dogs?"
 
"Bunches," the dog replied. "Wait until you see my dick when it gets hard. I'm a grower, not a shower."
 
The panda stared at the dog's ball sack and the pink head slipping out from the furry sheath. He sighed. "Are you sure about this, Marvin? We have family who can change it."
 
"I'm sure, Hon," the dog replied. "Now, come fuck me and tell me you understand."
 
"You did this for me?"
 
"You're not alone anymore, Hon. The temple dogs have each other. Now you have me. Two beasts who are forever only beasts. You have a beast coworker who will be there by your side every day."
 
Armel looked at the dog. "About that, Marvin…" The dog's look of worry was instantaneous. The panda put his paw on the dog's. "I already work with one beast who's my husband."
 
"I know, but John doesn't work in D.C. all that often anymore."
 
"No, he doesn't. That's why I was thinking having a husband working with me full-time in D.C. wouldn't be such a bad idea."
 
The dog's eyes glazed over with tears. "Are… are you saying…"
 
"Be our mate, Marvin," Armel said. "I can't promise it will be easy, but I can promise you I will try my best to be worthy of the man you are."
 
"Me too, Hon," the wolf said as he put his paw out toward the dog.
 
The dog took the paw with his free arm. "I don't know what to say."
 
"Yes would be nice," John said as he kissed the dog's paw.

"Yes… of course, yes," the dog stammered. "But are you two sure? You keep calling my judgment into question for jumping into things."
 
"What did the temple dogs tell you to do?" John said with a low chuckle.
 
"To wait."
 
"Really?"
 
"They said if I waited, the family would come for weeks to welcome the newborn. Then, as it tapers off, we could get married and start it all over again."
 
Armel and John burst out laughing. "Oh, my," John said as he tried to catch his breath. "That sounds like the temple dogs." He tapped his ComLink. "Ori, where are most temple dogs at the moment?"
 
"They are all on the highland, Dr. Kennedy," the perfectly modulated voice replied.
 
"Are they waiting for the three of us?"
 
"They are. Their advice is to mutually penetrate the newborn before you make your request for transport to the highland. They also suggest you let the staff and children know you will be gone for a time in celebration of your newborn."
 
"Do they have any other advice?"
 
"To revel in the joy that is a newborn and let everything else slip away."
 
"Please thank them, Ori, and let them know we'll see them later today?"
 
"It would be my pleasure, Dr. Kennedy. I will cancel your appointments and call in sick for Dr. Jackson and Dr. Peters. Enjoy your day," Ori replied. There was a pause. "And congratulations to you all. Welcome to the family, Marvin."
 
"Thank you, Ori," the dog replied.
 
"If you would like, I could notify the Were Nation of the newborn in two days."
 
"Could you make it four, please?" Armel asked. "I hate rushing the temple dogs."
 
"That would be a prudent idea, Dr. Jackson," Ori said. "I will inform the Were Nation in four days."
 
John tapped his ComLink, ending the call. He laid back on the bed and pushed his swollen cock up into the air. He waved it seductively toward the dog, who stared at it salivating. "Come on, Dog," the wolf encouraged. "This time I get to be on the bottom, and we let Armel get us off."
 
The dog straddled his legs on either side of the wolf. He turned to the panda. "A bit of help, please, husband-to-be," he begged. "These new legs of mine are a little wobbly."
 
The panda reached up, placing his paws in the armpits of the dog that was nearly three feet taller than he was. "You're so much bigger than I thought you would be," Armel said as he helped ease the dog onto the wolf's cock.
 
The dog closed his eyes as the cock pushed into him. Marvin looked back at the panda. "Wait until you feel it inside you," he giggled.
 
"Bigger all over, silly. Not just that monolith between your legs." The panda pushed the dog forward, and the canine fell on top of the wolf below him. The two canids kissed until the panda was lodged deep inside the dog. "Do we go gentle or all out today?" the panda asked the dog as his thrusting began.
 
"Gentle, please," the dog pleaded. "Later, when I fuck you, we can go all out."
 
Armel smiled. The dog read his desires like an open book. He felt the wolf's cock thrust up into the dog's ass, running along his shaft. The wolf was telling him to get to work, and the panda was happy to comply. He began a gentle thrusting along the shaft embedded below him. He realized it was hard to tell the difference between the whimpering of the dog and the wolf. But it didn't matter. He enjoyed hearing it from both as he worked to pleasure them into their second shared orgasm.
 
Chapter 44
 
"Well, look at you," Will said, stroking the large furry chest in front of him. "You are about the most handsome dog I have ever seen."
 
"Thank you, Will," Marvin said.
 
"I turned Kong, so he will always be the most beautiful dog to me, but you're close. Leonbergers are a beautiful breed."
 
Marvin smiled. "You know what I am?"
 
Will nodded. "I cheated a bit. I talked to Sybil before we flew out."
 
"So, being that I'm a newborn, will you be having sex with me?"
 
"Would you like that?" the old wolf asked.
 
"Oh yes, please," Marvin responded. "I still think you're wicked hot. Even more so now that I'm… well… me," the dog said, thumping his chest.
 
"Then, of course, we'll have sex together." Will turned to watch his family approaching from the Red Wolf. "Let me get my family situated, and we'll find a time for you." He waved to his husbands, and they waved back. "Unless you just want to take us all on now and go shower with the temple dogs when we're done."
 
The dog's jaw dropped. "I am in awe," he said. "With no effort at all, you create a string of fantasies I didn't even know I had."
 
"I've been doing this for a few years, Marvin," the old wolf replied. "Newborns are eager, but they benefit by being with more experienced beasts." Will pointed to the approaching polar bear lumbering toward the two. "That's my husband, Eric."
 
Marvin looked up at the bear and extended his paw. "Hello, Eric. I'm Marvin. I'm the newborn."
 
Eric laughed. "I'm aware of that, Marvin. Newborns give off an unmistakable scent for the first few weeks of their lives." He looked at the extended paw of the dog, and then back up to the dog's brown eyes. "I'm not fond of shaking hands. It's too human, and I'm not a human." The paw of the dejected dog dropped. "So, Newborn… do you hug?"
 
"Oh, yes," the dog replied as the smile returned to his face. "I love to hug."
 
"Do you kiss?"
 
"Every chance I get."
 
"When greeting another beast, will that be with tongue or just a peck on the lips?"
 
"I'd prefer tongue."
 
The polar bear stretched out his arms and pulled the dog in close. "Well, then, Marvin," he said, "we found the way we're going to greet each other from now on." The polar bear leaned down, and the dog pushed up on his tiptoes. When their lips pressed together and tongues began exploring, Marvin realized the bear was right.
 
When the hug ended, Marvin recognized he was as hard as he had ever been. The polar bear smiled knowingly as the dog tried to adjust himself. "I'm a Changeling. Like the temple dogs, we give off pheromones that cause others to become more aroused than usual. They also make it more pleasurable to have sex with us." The dog had a look of confusion on his face. "We tend to be large… like the temple dogs. The pheromones help relax you and heighten the pleasure."
 
Will slipped up behind the dog and rubbed the shoulders of the Leonberger. "They also help in the healing process. Keeps you from walking funny for days afterward."
 
Marvin was still struggling with his erection. Staring down and trying to adjust it wasn't helping. The polar bear's cock was jutting outward, and the distraction was keeping the dog's cock tight and upright. Will gently bit the shoulder of the dog. "It's okay, Marvin. What you're sensing is a natural response around a Changeling. Let it be. It's more embarrassing for them if you try to hide it."
 
The dog looked up at white bear. "Is that true?"
 
Eric nodded. "It's true. I'm flattered by your arousal, Marvin. Trying to hide it only makes me think it's not what you want or that you believe it's wrong."
 
"No, no," Marvin said, waving his paws back and forth. "I never thought being with any of you was wrong, and I definitely want it," the dog said as he stared back down at the two swollen cocks. His paw reached out and hesitated. He swallowed the saliva building in his mouth and ran his paw along the length of the polar bear's black cock. "I want this too," he whispered.
 
"It's yours, Newborn," the bear whispered back. "Take it."
 
"Out here in the middle of the field?"
 
"Or wherever you're comfortable."
 
The old wolf continued rubbing the dog's shoulders and leaned up against his ear. "Out here in the field, the others will see you. You're beautiful and sexy. They will love watching." The wolf's left paw reached around and stroked the dog's dick. "And those of us who are bold enough will join you. We will find ways to welcome you to our family that will pleasure you and us in ways we never imagined, because it will be the first time for all of us."
 
The dog closed his eyes. "So many first times," he said as the pleasure of the wolf's paw on his cock moved through him.
 
"You're free to say no to anything, Marvin. This is your welcoming, and your choices are never questioned," the wolf said up against his ear. "Just remember, there should never be any shame for saying yes."
 
The dog dropped to his knees, happy he didn't have to deal with the canine hocks of the werewolves. He pulled the swollen black cock to his lips and looked up toward the face of the polar bear towering over him. "Yes?" he asked.
 
Eric ruffled the hair on top of the dog's head. "This will be the last time you need to ask, Marvin. The answer will always be yes."
 
Marvin opened his jaws and swallowed the bear's cock until it triggered his gag reflex. He backed off and repeated the process. Each time he found the cock slipped further in before the reflex caused him to back off. Before long, he was enjoying the taste of the white bear, oblivious to the subtle changes as the family gathered around him.
 
When two enormous paws pulled Marvin up onto all fours, he stopped his fellatio and looked back. The view of the brown bear positioning a massive cock against his crack at first overwhelmed and then excited him. Kris smiled at Marvin and let the dripping cock slip along the dog's crack a few times, pushing playfully across the hole. Marvin realized why the Kodiak was waiting. "Oh, please, yes," the dog replied to the unasked question.
 
As the thick cock pushed inside the dog, he reclaimed the one in front of him. Marvin was in heaven. Nothing could be more pleasurable than this, he thought to himself. And then the lips of the old wolf began working on his balls. An extra set of legs straddled his back, and arms reached around to play with his nipples. And somehow, another mouth sucked his cock deep inside the warmth of a beast with no gag reflex at all.
 
Over the next few hours, Marvin met his family in ways he only dreamed of. He hadn't yet heard of the Sight, or how many of his family possessed the gift, and on this most special of days for the newborn, it was a gift. The Sight pushed forward, seeing all of Marvin's sexual fantasies. One by one, his new family brought them to life. When at last the bodies separated, he met the black wolf with the piercing blue eyes, the badger, and the otter. He hugged and kissed each one as he thanked them for their welcome. He wanted them all to know that his answer would always be yes to anything they suggested in the future.
 
In the distance, the red panda and the timber wolf watched with smiling faces. "He's going to be fine, isn't he?" Armel asked the wolf.
 
"Yeah, Hon, he's going to be fine."
 
"I worried about how quickly it happened. For the first time in my life, I care not only about my short-term ends but about the long-term consequences of my actions."
 
"That's a good thing," the wolf responded casually.
 
"I'll probably backslide somewhere along the line."
 
"Pretty sure that's a given," the wolf agreed.
 
"But it feels good now."
 
"I bet it does," the wolf said, watching the group in the field getting up. "You know what else feels good?"
 
"What?" the panda asked.
 
"Getting our asses plowed by two horny bears."
 
"You don't think they're spent?"
 
"That's Eric and Kris. I don't think they're ever spent."
 
"It does look like fun. You suppose they would say yes?"
 
"I never heard them say no."
 
The six-foot-tall red panda began walking out into the field and the wolf followed. No sooner had they taken a dozen steps than both felt themselves pulled up into the air and thrown over the shoulders of two brown bears. John looked down at the butt of the bear that held him in a fireman's carry. "Nathaniel?" he asked.
 
"Nice to know you still remember my butt," the bear replied. "Armel, the butt you're staring at belongs to my husband, Max."
 
Armel stared at the bouncing butt of the bear that carried him. "Nice to see you again, Max."
 
"My pleasure, Armel," the other bear replied.
 
"We were heading off to visit with your dads," John said.
 
"Yeah, we know," Nathaniel replied. "But your newborn needs his time away from you two. He's learning lessons he won't learn if you show up every time he's meeting new folks."
 
"So, as a distraction for you two, we're going to be your dicks du jour, gentlemen. You wanted bear dick, you'll get bear dick," Max added.
 
John laughed. "Fair enough." He watched the rise and fall of the bear's butt cheeks with each step. "God, I've missed you, Bear," he sighed.
 
"And I've missed you, Wolf," Nathaniel replied. "But we'll have plenty of time to catch up."
 
"And our newborn?" Armel asked.
 
"It's why we're here," Max answered. "This is his welcoming. In the days to come, he will learn how wide his family stretches and how deep our love goes."
 
"He's a horny one, Max," Armel laughed.

"Then I suspect Nathaniel and I better cancel our return trip in two days."
 
Armel stared at the bear below. "That would be nice."
 
The two bears flipped the beasts they were carrying and, with a kiss, set them back on the ground. They pointed toward the far side of the forest. "Beyond the dragon's home is a wonderful little place we've found. The grass is thick, and the air smells of summer blackberries," Nathaniel said.
 
"Sounds perfect," John agreed rubbing the middle of the short-faced bear's chest. He buried his face up against a nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He felt the thick paw of the bear press his muzzle in closer. "Oh, how I've missed you," the happy wolf mumbled through the fur and flesh.
 
The two bears watched a glimmer of light in the distance that heralded the opening of a Hexadeltan wormhole. "Ohhhh yeah," Max said happily. "We've got out-of-town family arriving. It looks like the word is out that there's a large beast newborn on the highland. Prepare to see a great many others in the days to come."
 
Armel turned toward the light. He watched as the dark circle in the middle expanded. Eventually, it bowed outward as two four-armed creatures he had never seen before stepped through the darkness. "What the hell are…"
 
Max cut him off. "Armel, what do you know about our family?"
 
Armel suddenly shifted into the little panda he was before his marriage to John. The shift took everyone by surprise. Whether it was remorse for what he was about to say or a reaction to the unknown in front of him was unclear.
 
"I didn't know you could do that, Panda," Max said, staring at the tiny mammal.
 
"Neither did I," Armel confessed. "I think it might be built in, like an override, to keep me from doing or saying something stupid. Will and Adam said there were caveats to my new body. I think this is one."
 
"You've got a conscience that turns you small?"
 
"When I was small, I was much more careful about what I said and did. I feel as if this is me trying to remind myself of that fact." He looked up at the bear towering over him. "I'm sorry, Max. Who are they?"
 
Max proceeded without further reference to the change in Armel. He simply accepted the new, much smaller red panda in front of him. "That's Kattar and his husband Slevar." Behind the two, even more multi-armed, furry beasts stepped through onto the highland. "This is great. They brought the kids."
 
"Kids?" Armel sputtered as the crowd of beasts expanded. "It looks like an army."
 
"Hexadeltans generally have litters of six," Max explained. "Kattar and Slevar have both had one litter. So they've got twelve kids total. Hexadeltans reach puberty quickly, even though they stay with their parents for years longer than humans. Often Hexadeltan parents will take their children on sexual outings. It helps ensure they're socialized properly."
 
Armel shook his head. "They what?"
 
"Like Changelings, they see nothing wrong with being physically intimate with whoever is agreeable to the idea."
 
"I'm confused."
 
John reached down and pulled his husband up to his chest. "We were going to get around to this when the timing seemed right. I guess you and Marvin will meet them for the first time together. They're Hexadeltans. They're wonderful folk. You're going to love them."
 
Armel stared at the crowd in front of the dark portal that closed in on itself. "I'm sure they're delightful," the panda said.
 
"Well, come on, Armel. Let's go meet your family," Max said. "Are you walking, or would you like to ride up on top?"
 
"I'm never going to escape this loop, am I?" the beleaguered red panda asked as the wolf passed him to the short-faced bear.
 
His husband looked confused. "What loop?"
 
"The one where I think I'm getting a handle on my life and this family, and something else gets thrown at me."
 
"Oh, that loop," the wolf replied. "Nope, never getting out of that one. I'm pretty sure we're all in it for life."
 
Max leaned down and kissed the little panda in his arms. Armel loved the sensation of lips wider than his entire face rubbing up against him, and he smiled as the warmth spread over him. "So?" the bear asked.
 
"Up on top, please," the panda replied.
 
The bear placed the panda on his shoulders. "It's nice having you up there again, Panda."
 
"It's nice to be up here, Bear," Armel said.
 
"You've got a boner."
 
"Yeah, I do. It's just like old times."
 
"Just like old times, Panda. Prepare to meet the future."
 
"I'm not good with this much change, Max," the panda confessed. "You don't think they'll be upset if I stay small, do you? I think I have a choice once I've taken care of the issue that made me small in the first place."
 
"Not at all, Armel," the bear replied. "You're adorable whichever way we see you, but if you feel more secure small, then stay small."
 
"Hey, you two!" the Leonberger yelled from across the field back to the wolf and panda. "We have family from outer space. Is that awesome or what?" The dog dropped on all fours and bounded toward the Hexadeltans. The temple dogs poured out from the monastery, heading in the same direction. Armel watched as the newborn grabbed one of the heavyset creatures and wrapped his arms around it. How he envied Marvin's ability to embrace the change in his life and find the good.
 
An audible gasp came from the panda when he saw the claspers of the Hexadeltan rise along the butt of the Leonberger. "Oh, jeez," Max said, laughing. "You two turned a rambunctious one, didn't you?"
 
"I believe you're partly responsible for that, Bear," the panda said sternly.
 
The bear tried to look back at the panda on his shoulders. "That was not a rebuke of your newborn's behavior, Panda. It was a compliment. I know what it's like to be a virgin who doesn't want to be a virgin. I wouldn't let another night go by without that dream of his finding a way into reality."
 
The panda hugged the head of the bear and he leaned in and kissed the brown fur. "I'm sorry, Max. I was out of line. You helped Marvin find himself."
 
"And where he wanted to find himself was next to you and John. Don't sell yourself short, Armel."
 
"I so wish I was like him," the panda said. "He's not been a beast for even a week, and already he's so far beyond where I am."
 
"Give yourself time, Panda," the bear urged. "You think he's somewhere far beyond you, but he's not. That dog is right next to you, trying to help you find your path. He won't ever leave your side unless you shove him away."
 
The dog made a joyful bark heard from across the glade. All who knew the Hexadeltans realized Kattar had penetrated the Leonberger. "I'll do my best to stay beside him," Armel replied
 
"Maybe he's your companion dog," the bear suggested. "You know, one that's trained to help the disabled. Maybe he's in your life because he wants to help you with your disability."
 
"I can sure use all the help I can get," Armel said quietly.
 
"Then lean back and enjoy the show," Max said with a laugh. "I believe you're watching a professional in the world of interplanetary diplomacy."
 
Armel looked back up. "So what's happening?"
 
"The Hexadeltan claspers are holding him in place while the hemipenis is probing…"
 
"NO… no… no… no… I changed my mind! I don't want to know," the panda cut in. He sat while he watched from a distance. "Is he going to have fun?"
 
"Oh, he's already having so much fun," Max replied.
 
"Then I'm good. I only want Marvin to be happy."
 
Max rubbed the leg of the red panda on his shoulders. "He's overjoyed, Panda. Your newborn is experiencing everything he hoped he would for so many years."
 
In only a few minutes, Armel watched as the first eruption of purple ejaculate began flying everywhere. "Good lord," he mumbled.
 
"Best alien sex EVER!" the happy Leonberger yelled.
 
Armel smiled. "One day, Dog. One day, you'll drag me into your world and we're going to have so much fun together," he whispered.
 
"Yeah, you will," the bear below him said.
 
Armel had forgotten about the keen hearing of bears, but he didn't regret Max knowing his dream. The bear below him had a knack for making dreams come true for others. And this was a dream Armel desperately wanted to come true.
 
Chapter 45
 
Armel sloshed through the ankle-deep purple ejaculate until he was alongside the Leonberger. The purple liquid covered Marvin as he shoved a paw full of cum into his mouth and pulled it out clean. "Well, look at you, Dad. You're small. I like it. The temple dogs showed me how to pleasure you in that size, so we'll have a ball later."
 
With those few words, Armel realized Marvin had told him his stature didn't matter. The dog loved him regardless of his size. Adapting to whatever size he was wouldn't be an issue for the floppy-eared beast. Marvin reached down and scooped up another handful. "You've got to try this, Dad," he raved. The dog shoved his paw out toward the panda. "Seriously," he begged. "Try it."
 
Armel was about to say no when Max leaned down, scooped up a full paw of the liquid, and shoved it into his mouth. "It's tasty, Panda. Perhaps it's time to trust your companion dog and try something new."
 
Armel stared at his newborn, smiling through the purple liquid flowing over his face and covering his body. He stepped closer and reached up to hold the paw of the dog in his. One finger stretched out from the paw and Armel took it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and swallowed. It was good. Not only good, but delicious. A sweet clean taste like sugarcane with a hint of vanilla and strawberry. He looked up at the dog and smiled. "You're right. It's great."
 
"It tastes even better if you suck it off my nipple," Marvin said as he pushed up his chest with his paws.
 
Armel shook his head in disbelief. How easily the dog had gone to where he wished he could go. "You know," the dog said, letting his paws slip to his side. "No one is going to care if you suck on my nips for a bit."
 
Armel nodded. "I know. I'm the one who is struggling with the idea."
 
"Because you don't enjoy sucking nipples?"
 
"No… no… I love sucking nipples. It's that you're covered in that purple cum and it's everywhere…. and…," the dog scooped up the little panda and placed his muzzle against his chest. The purple liquid smeared across the panda and covered him in the viscous goo. He realized he had to suck down the cum or suffocate in it. He began lapping at the fluid.
 
"Fourteen Hexadeltans gave up gallons of bodily fluids to pleasure me and the temple dogs," Marvin whispered in the ear of the red panda. "They'll need to soak in the creek for hours to rehydrate. In a few hours, all this wonderful cum will be gone. It's going to evaporate into dust, and you will have missed such a remarkable thing."
 
"It's messy," Armel objected as he pushed away from the cleaned nipple that stood erect on the dog.
 
"Life is messy, Dad," the dog replied. "But this is a good messy. This is a fun messy. Don't you suffer enough through all the rest? Why not let go of all those inhibitions and see where life takes you?"
 
"Name me one thing it's good for."
 
"Making Hexadeltan babies," said a voice from behind the little panda.
 
Armel turned to see the Hexadeltan towering over him. The large, flat nose and round face were so cute that Armel's smile was unavoidable. He nodded. "I kind of meant what it was good for in a Terran sense?"
 
"Oh, well, that is different," the Hexadeltan said as he plopped down into the sea of purple. "I'm Slevar," the beast said as he extended his four arms for a hug. "Do you hug?"
 
Armel nodded. "I'm Armel. I hug, but you're kind of covered in slime."
 
Slevar looked at himself. "So I am. On our world, this often happens. I sometimes forget it's not everyone's cup of tea." Armel laughed at the thought of a cup of viscous purple tea. "Your laugh is beautiful, Armel," the Hexadeltan said. "You are already covered in what you call slime. Perhaps a bit more won't hurt. It might help to think of what you see as an outward expression of our love for you. For all our people, our ejaculate is seen as something to celebrate and share."
 
The Hexadeltan waved his arms toward his rounded body, and Armel let the arms take him into a hug. "I noticed you enjoyed sucking our ejaculate off of your newborn's chest. I have six nipples if you wish to ingest more," Slevar offered.
 
Armel smiled. "Thanks, I'm good."
 
"And a kiss?"
 
Armel wiped the cum off his muzzle and stared at the Hexadeltan dripping in the same way as Marvin. He shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I would like that, Slevar," he said. The mouth of the Hexadeltan held so much similarity to the temple dogs the panda was glad he said yes. The two kissed past the cum, lapping it up off each other to find their way to the lips they craved. When at last they pressed together, Armel realized he was not only hard, but only moments away from adding his own cum to what flowed over their two bodies.
 
The little panda shuddered as the feelings built up inside him. "Use my body, Armel," the Hexadeltan encouraged. "You wanted to find a use for our ejaculate; you found it. Pleasure yourself and me by sharing your orgasm."
 
Armel shoved his cock deep into the cum-soaked fur. He hovered at the edge of his orgasm in a place of near ecstasy as his body pressed to find release. "I can help," the Hexadeltan said, sensing the struggle the panda was dealing with.
 
"Oh god, yes, please," the panda begged.
 
With a slight shift of one paw, a single cum soaked digit of the Hexadeltan slipped up inside the tiny panda's ass. The orgasm was almost instantaneous, as the finger skillfully pushed against the prostate. Slevar enjoyed listening to the chittering cry of a little panda in the throes of an orgasm that shook the red beast to his core. When at last the shaking stopped, the panda went limp in the arms of the Hexadeltan, and the finger slipped free from its confines. "You were magnificent, Armel," Slevar said as he pulled the panda into a tight hug.
 
"Thank you," Armel said between trying to catch his breath. "Sometimes, I am such an idiot. I allow my preconceived notions of what is normal to keep me from experiencing so much."
 
A paw rubbed the panda on his head. "Ahh, Dad, you did great. You pushed your boundaries today. Quit being so hard on yourself."
 
"Quit calling me Dad," Armel groused, turning back to the dog with a wide smile and flopping tongue.
 
"Marry me and I'll stop," the dog replied. "Then I'll call you, Husband."
 
"Weren't we supposed to be waiting?" Armel asked.
 
"I've waited four days. I'm good."
 
"Do you even know how to mate?" the panda asked.
 
The dog grinned. "I know enough to know you won't stay small if you want to walk next week. Bring him back, Hon. Bring back the big panda so we can mate."
 
Armel looked around him at the gathering crowd. John stood beside another Hexadeltan, the purple cum sliding over the arm he had wrapped around the beast. "I say we mate, Husband. I'm tired of raising this kid of ours. We have plenty of other kids at home. What our house needs is another husband."
 
The wolf scooped the purple liquid off his arm and rubbed a fistful over his chest. He cleaned off his paw by sticking it in his mouth, and then a mischievous flash of light sparkled in his yellow eyes. He dropped and rolled in the cum that coated the grass everywhere. "I'm ready for you, Hon," he said, looking up at the Leonberger. The wolf's dick stood upright, dripping the Hexadeltan cum slowly down the shaft. His entire body had lost its gray and brown shades of fur in favor of a purple slick mat.
 
The dog made a slight choking noise that everyone recognized as him holding back his tears. He dropped and rolled through the cum and rose a purple dog with a black mouth and red tongue, panting happily. Marvin looked up at the panda still in the arms of the Hexadeltan. "Come on, Hon. Marry us. This chance may never come again."
 
With a little wiggle to escape Slevar's grasp, the panda leapt out toward the two covered beyond recognition. By the time Armel had hit the ground, the larger panda was rolling through the cum and into the arms of the other two.
 
"Shouldn't we have some kind of justice of the peace with special words to make this official?" Marvin asked.
 
Max approached the three. He leaned over, and cupping his hands together, he scooped up the cum in his paws and held them over the three. "By the powers vested in me as an ordained minister of mischief, I pronounce you three of the best reasons for a mating that I can think of. In the name of the father wolf, the dog son, and the holy mackerel, look at that panda, I baptize you a family. Go forth and bite some necks." Kris's paws separated, and the cum spilled down over the heads of the three.
 
The three needed no further encouragement. Marvin watched as the wolf leapt up onto the back of the panda and bit deep into his neck. The wolf mounted the panda and holding tight to the neck in his jaws, he began thrusting into his mate, providing a guide to his newborn in the ways of mating. Marvin followed his cues, set his teeth into the wolf, and mounted him. The three joined together, sloshing around in the cum, tried their best to maintain their grips. Those watching enjoyed the sight of the slipperiest, most well-lubed mating in the history of the Were Nation.
 
When the red panda had come inside the Leonberger, he let go of the tight grip on the dog's neck and fell beside him with a splash. He looked up at the dog and smiled through the cum. "For better or worse, and I know you could do so much better. Still, I ask. Be my mate," he begged.
 
Marvin smiled back, licking his chops to clear his throat. "Now and forever, Husband. No reservations. I'm going into this with eyes wide open. Be my mate?" he asked.
 
Armel nodded. "Now and forever, Husband."
 
The two looked up to the wolf standing above them, the last of his own cum spilling white into the purple cum below. "It's official, my loves. We are husbands. We are now and forever mated." He looked up at the crowd surrounding them. "And we are going to be very sore tomorrow." The wolf stood up. "On behalf of my husbands, I welcome all to our marriage circle." He looked at the temple dogs salivating on the side. "Dogs, we will attend to you in time, but I think the guests who have made our mating so unique deserve our thanks first."
 
Armel stood up and nodded. He walked over to the one with the familiar markings on his fur. "Slevar?" he asked.
 
The Hexadeltan gave a slight bow. "I am honored that you remember."
 
"Slevar, I watched your people take my husband today. I have to admit, I was a bit terrified."
 
"We can be overzealous in our affections, but your husband seems to be equally spirited."
 
"I am not a Leonberger. I am a red panda. Do you think you could show me the ways of your people without breaking anything?"
 
The Hexadeltan stepped forward and wrapped the panda in two arms. The other two arms cradled his legs upright as the claspers moved up along his butt and set in place. "We have multiple ways of expressing our affection with those we love. One is particularly gentle. It concentrates on pleasuring our partner through slow and deliberate moves created to enhance our union."
 
Armel smiled as he sensed the claspers tug him tighter against the Hexadeltan's ample belly. "That would be nice, Slevar," the panda said.
 
The furry four-armed beast leaned in and kissed the panda. The interplay of tongues and lips calmed Armel. A pleasant familiarity convinced him that where he was going would not be that unfamiliar. When he felt the hemipenis stroking his inner thigh and moving up to wrap around his own cock, a part of him wanted to push away from the unknown. But it yielded to the part of him resting securely in the arms of the beast pleasuring him.
 
"You needn't worry about my pleasure, Armel," the Hexadeltan comforted. "I will find more than enough through my pleasuring of you. It is the way of our people. One day you will pleasure me in the manner of your kind, and I will know the bliss of a Terran union with a red panda. But for now, relax in my arms. Let our bodies explore each other."
 
Armel tried, but the lingering question was still at the forefront of his mind. "Are you going to cum again?"
 
"Most certainly," Slevar responded. "I expect the gentle nature of our lovemaking will increase my ejaculation substantially. Our time in the pond has restored our reserves, so I believe we will all ejaculate multiple times with you and your husbands." The lips of the Hexadeltan pressed against the panda's. "Does this concern you, Armel?"
 
Armel nodded. "A bit. I'm not a very good swimmer."
 
Slevar chuckled. "Then I shall make sure you do not drown. I will only come once at the end of our lovemaking. Together, we will be gentle and slow, as is our custom with the uninitiated. When you tell me your body has found a pleasure beyond your ability to contain it, we will ejaculate together."
 
The panda smiled. "That sounds wonderful."
 
"It will be a glorious two days, Armel," the Hexadeltan said as he leaned in and kissed the panda again. The hemipenis slipped up along the flat backside of the panda, pushing aside the tail as it moved toward the panda's butt. Armel's eyes opened wide, less from the penetration than the thought of what he had just heard.
 
Chapter 46 
 
"Thank you for coming, Nathaniel," the panda said as he gestured toward the corridor leading to the lab. "The three of us have been working on this together, and we're still no further than the last time you joined us."
 
Nathaniel gave a knowing nod and started walking toward the lab. "Tamil's crisis kept us from discussing much of anything on that visit. Let's see what you've uncovered first. There could be areas where I can help you rethink your conclusions."
 
"I can't thank you enough, Nathaniel," the panda said. "There has to be something we've overlooked, but I don't know what it is."
 
Nathaniel stood at the lab door as Armel put his paw on the entry panel. "I think I know, but I want to see all you've done first." The door opened, and the two stepped inside the lab.
 
"I've been at this for years, Nathaniel. I doubt you want to see it all."
 
"Actually, I do," the bear corrected. "But Ori can provide me the Reader's Digest condensed version."
 
"A what?"
 
Nathaniel laughed. "It was an old magazine from centuries ago. They took long documents and whittled them down to only the salient points. Ori has a knack for that."
 
"Really?" the amazed panda asked.
 
"Really. Your relationship with Ori is still in its infancy. She is a knowledge base and an evaluation resource you don't use often enough."
 
The short-faced bear waved to the wolf and dog sitting at the lab table. "Ori," the bear said, "will you please provide me with a briefing on what Armel and his husbands have done to find a cure for human antisocial personality disorder? Include all recorded data and graphs you think are essential to understanding his efforts."
 
"Even a truncated version of those efforts will take hours," the perfectly modulated voice replied.
 
"Then we best get started," the bear replied. "If the three need to interrupt to give greater clarity, I hope you'll understand."
 
"Of course, Nathaniel," Ori answered. "We will start with Armel's original DNA testing and brain scans while he was still human." An image in front of the three appeared, showing multiple brain scans as Ori proceeded.
 
Two and a half hours later, the four listened to the AI complete her report. "Would there be anything else, Nathaniel?" Ori asked.
 
"No, thanks a bunch, Ori. You've been a great deal of help."
 
He turned to the three. "You gentlemen have your answer. You simply don't see it."
 
Armel glowered. "What do you mean we don't see it? I have taken every permutation of this puzzle and worked it over time and again. My husbands have gone over the data with me, and we've tried to find something I've missed, but there is nothing. Genetics isn't an answer because the genetic variables are too broad. The environment isn't the answer. Trauma isn't the answer. What do you see that we don't see?"
 
"That you have your answer."
 
John looked at the bear. "Nathaniel, cut to the chase."
 
"You wanted a cure for antisocial personality disorder. The variables that act on the disorder are too random to predict or control. Even the genetics are in flux. I'm sorry, Armel, there is no cure."
 
The panda sputtered out his frustration. "That's the answer; that there is no answer? You let me work for god knows how long on a fool's errand?"
 
"Yes," the bear replied.
 
"Why, why would you do that?" Armel yelled.
 
"Because I came from another universe, and I saw things you have not. They relate to you, Armel. What I did, I had to do for your sake."
 
"I'm confused," John said.
 
"Me, too, Bear," Marvin added.
 
"Me, I'm just pissed off at you," Armel growled.
 
"You three haven't read the total history of the Shumuuluud, have you?"
 
"Okay, Doctor," the panda bristled. "I'm screwed up, but I'm not a monster."
 
"No, you're a lovable little panda I care for. I am not comparing you to the Shumuuluud. I am comparing you to Donovan and the four others who merged with Marcus to form the saber-toothed wolf. Each of them had to find that moment when they realized that nothing they tried, no option they considered, would ever work. There was no answer to besting the Shumuuluud. There was no cure. Only when they admitted that to themselves did they become open to the truth and a way forward."
 
The room was quiet for a time, and Nathaniel let it be. When the panda looked up, he spoke the words he feared the most. "They all knew there was no way to win. They knew every path, save one, was a dead end. The only way to save the ones they loved was to completely rebuild the universe. Nothing of the Shumuuluud could be saved."
 
"You've known the answer all along, Armel."
 
The panda shifted into his smaller size. He became what he was born the day John turned him. There, as the tiny mammal, he acknowledged the truth of who and what he was. "I let my human go because to do anything else would jeopardize John. Nothing other than John's safety mattered to me. I let my human go because I knew I couldn't fix him, and what he was would eventually destroy himself and John."
 
"There is no cure," Nathaniel said. "There never will be for the humans. It's an aberration. You can't factor in variables that change with every individual. The outcome is the same, but the path to that result is different for each human."
 
"So, I gave up the one thing I knew made me a sociopath. I gave up being human."
 
The wolf hugged the tiny panda to his chest. "I'm sorry, Armel."
 
"Me too," the panda sobbed. "I wanted there to be an answer."
 
"We all did," the Leonberger said as he wrapped his arms around the panda and wolf.
 
"I'm sorry, too, Armel," the bear said as he embraced all three with his wide arms.
 
The three stayed in the hug, listening to the sobbing panda. His mates' tears and those of the short-faced bear made no sound as they trickled over their faces. The truth would soak in far more slowly than the tears into the beasts' fur. The panda's pain and his smaller body would stay with him for days.
 
Nathaniel stayed with the three and shared their bed that night. The next day, Armel insisted on going to the CDC and working. There were others he could help, he said. John and Marvin went with him. Armel's coworkers, who never saw the red panda, wondered why, from time to time, they would hear the doctor sobbing. They watched his husbands and took their lead from them, never questioning what was happening.
 
That night, when they returned home, they found the short-faced bear waiting for them with dinner ready. His saber-toothed tiger mate sat beside Nathaniel, and Armel understood why. Yellow clan; those gifted with wisdom and judgment. But more importantly, Martin was the one who always found his way home. That night as the five lay in bed, the cat wrapped his arms around the tiny panda and kissed the top of his head.
 
"I failed, Martin," the panda whispered. "For all my skills, I failed."
 
Another kiss brushed the top of Armel's head. "You didn't fail, Armel. Scientists are tasked with finding answers. You found your answer. That is not failure."
 
"It sure feels like it."
 
"Because it wasn't the answer you hoped for. That is the burden of a scientist. To look at the truth and not turn away, no matter how painful that truth is."
 
"Is there a way out from what I feel, Cat?" Armel whispered.
 
"This isn't like anything you've ever known, Panda," the cat replied. "You have had a lifetime of curing illness and disease. But this is neither. This is grief, and you don't cure it and move on. You stay with it. You let it speak to you, and you follow those emotions wherever they lead you."
 
"I don't know if I can do that. There is so much anger, so much rage."
 
"And rightfully so. The universe is never just. It is never fair. It simply is. Your anger is justified in the face of that indifference."
 
"I thought you would give me some words of comfort to fix all this pain."
 
The cat gave a small chuckle. "You don't need to fix what you feel, Panda. You need to allow yourself to embrace all those emotions."
 
"I'm afraid of what I feel."
 
"And that is why you must feel it. When you allow yourself to open up to every emotion of your grief, the fear will dissipate. Your fear is the only emotion that stands between you and the comfort you seek."
 
"Nothing is comforting about what you're saying."
 
"That is the grand experiment we call life. No one path, save yours. The only thing we can do is support you, Panda. To stay beside you with your pain and not turn away. We are here to acknowledge the unfairness of it all. We honor a love so great that you would sacrifice everything you were to be in the moment with that love."
 
"But it hurts so bad. Maybe I was wrong to love."
 
Martin hugged Armel tighter. "You were never wrong to love, Panda. But now you know there is a cost to love that we all must pay. You are mourning the death of the man you were."
 
"For what, Cat? What did I gain?"
 
"The man you are. The man who can see those beside him."
 
Somehow, what the cat said made perfect sense to Armel.
 
Chapter 47 
 
"Be careful with that glass, gentlemen," Spackle yelled. "It has had a long journey from its days as sand along the Yellow River to those panels you wield about."
 
"We've got this, Spackle," a wolf replied as the stained glass lowered into place over the temple dome. "When we finish, it will be incredible."
 
"He's right, Son," the portly bear said as he wrapped his arms around Spackle. "It might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Anders paused. "Well, other than my husband. I am biased in favor of him being the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
 
The white wolf beside the two chuckled. "I seem to have the same bias. As beautiful as the glasswork is, none compare to the bear in our midst."
 
"I am glad you see each other as the most beautiful things you know. It's the same for me when I look at Katashi and Tamil. The glass came out great. The artisans who worked on it for so many months should be proud of their work. But that said, nothing compares to the feeling I get when I see someone I love." Spackle pulled the bear even tighter into their sideways hug. "Present company included."
 
The three watched as the wolves set the stained-glass panel into the section of the dome crafted for it. When it locked into place, the wolves laid the protective sealant over it and it flowed into the crevices, creating a watertight seal.
 
The first panel showed Jiao-long meeting the dragons and their budding friendship. Other glass images told the stories of the humans who gave up all they were to become the dragon's protectorates.
 
There were images of chained temple dogs standing before magnificent palaces. Another pane of glass art showed the dogs breaking their chains to live forever free. One part of the story showed the temple dogs in their armor fighting against an army of dark, nebulous shapes. It hinted at an untold part of their history. Other images left the viewer with unanswered questions. Questions that the dogs skillfully averted each time the questions were raised.
 
The most recent panel set into place held images of a silver knight impaling a dragon, and the fiery aftermath. Ones to follow would show the relationship between a young man and a black wolf growing to become the impetus that led to Jiao-long's rebirth.
 
Another set of panels showed Katashi turning Spackle, the young human. Katashi became the father of the newborn temple dog. Spackle, the son of Katashi, became the son of Jiao-long through his turning. The youngest temple dog, who called three men Father, would one day become the mate of the dog that sired him. Each piece of the story was told as pieces of colored glass. It was the story of a race of beings that only the dogs totally knew or understood.
 
One wolf waved to the group below. "Fourteen more panels, and we finish the mural. The capstone will be set on Friday. I've never seen a more beautiful telling of Jiao-long's story than this." He motioned to the wolves below, and they tied another panel to the lift. "I'm glad it's here in the temple's common, and not buried somewhere deep inside where only you dogs will see it."
 
"That was always the intention, Greg," Spackle yelled up to the wolf. "The history of the temple dogs is one we wish to bring into the light, and the light filtering through the glass seems an apt symbol for that."
 
"Indeed," the wolf replied as he waved his hand around through the air, and the crane lifted the next piece of the dome into place.
 
The dome itself was not only unique in the story it told but also in its construction. The panels fitted into a latticework of steel that created a seamless mural where each image flowed into the next. There was no larger ribbed support where the eye halted because a black line of metal ran through the picture.
 
The wolves set each panel into place much like a puzzle piece, each locking into the other panels. When they set the capstone into place, the dome would be a series of irregular blocks resting against one another, creating a stable dome. The cap piece was a faceted circle of clear crystal. As the sun reached its zenith each day, the light would shine down scores of rainbows across the inside of the temple walls and floors.
 
Tamil had stared at the construction for days, searching the images as each one was set into place. He would tell any wolf nearby the story of the sons of Jiao-long. He concentrated his tales on how his fathers played a pivotal role in the return of Jiao-long, the father of all temple dogs. The day before the capstone was set, the tiger stood staring up at the wolves as they placed another glass panel in place. He was lost in the imagery of the brightly colored mural when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "It is turning out to be quite the amazing work of art, don't you think, Tamil?" the unfamiliar dog asked.
 
Tamil turned and smiled. "It is. I am still waiting for the pieces that show my fathers as I know them now. The wolves told me they would be a part of the mural."
 
"I imagine your future husbands will show up in the last piece," the dog said. He pointed up toward the glass images. "That taller man next to the short, chubby one is your father, Spackle before he turned."
 
"Yes, he is next to Wolfy as a man. To me, they look better as beasts," the tiger replied. He paused. "Please don't tell them that. Sometimes, I think my father misses the human he was. He and Wolfy found life so much easier when they were humans together."
 
The temple dog laughed. "Only for a brief time, Tamil. Once they realized their feelings for each other, that all changed."
 
"Yes. Sometimes that can happen."
 
"They love each other, Tamil. One day, they will figure a way to show that love without reservations."
 
"Reservations? Like what they do for a space at the diner?"
 
"The word has another meaning. It means to do something without holding back. Without all the confusion that Wolfy seems to have."
 
"Wolfy gets confused about all sorts of things, but he seems to make the right choice in the end." Tamil rubbed his crotch. "I have a yellow penis he gave me. Have you seen it?" he asked.
 
The dog laughed again. “Yes, quite a few times, in fact. I am not surprised you don't always remember which of us you're with at gatherings. You tend to be distracted around temple dogs.
 
Tamil nodded. "Yes, I do." He paused. "I am sorry, I cannot tell you apart. You all sound alike, look alike, and smell the same. Only Spackle is easy for me to tell apart from the rest of you. Which one are you?"
 
The bat wings flared outward. "I am Jiao-long."
 
"Father of my father," the tiger yelled, clapping his hands together. "You are here for the conser… consecration of the temple."
 
The temple dog nodded as the wings folded back into himself. "I have looked forward to the day since my sons told me they were building the temple. I have been wandering its hallways. Even with all the work yet to finish, it is beautiful."
 
"They will set the capstone tomorrow. They call it an oculus, although I don't know why. There are so many easier words to use."
 
"Like window?" the dog asked.
 
Tamil grinned. "Like window." He put out his paws. "I would like to hug you if that's okay," the tiger said.
 
Jiao-long entered the hug. "The answer will always be yes, Tamil," he said as he placed his head on the shoulders of the rotund tiger. They hugged for a moment, and the dog looked upward at the sound of movement on the dome. "There," he said, pointing to the wolves navigating a panel in place. "There are your fathers, as you see them today."
 
Tamil let go of the hug and pivoted to watch the wolves at work. The cables were released, and the wolves lowered the last piece of the mural into place, the final image merging with the first. The dome now showed the long line of the temple dogs stretching back to the first Changeling dragon. It was a history made of glass and metal, depicting a family line unbroken by time or distance. Tamil stared at eighteen dogs and their father as tears filled his eyes. Standing by the images of Katashi and Spackle was a roly-poly tiger. "It's me," the tiger whispered. "But I am not a temple dog."
 
"You are to be the mate of two. This makes you the first, Tamil. You are the first tiger child born of a Changeling. You will be the first to join our family by marriage. As such, you are a part of all the temple dogs surrounding you. You may not be a dog in body, but I do not doubt you are one in spirit. Your place will forever be beside the two you love. The stained-glass image is a testament to that truth." 
 
"I will be with them forever in the picture?"
 
Jiao-long nodded. "And forever with them in life. You had to be there in the glass, Tamil. We are your family. Don't let birth or species fool you. You are their child. One day, the temple dogs will all be your brothers. You will be the mate of two extraordinary dogs. What one feels, all will feel. The sons of Jiao-long will welcome you as one of their own, and do so without reservation."
 
Tamil smiled as others taught him to smile when he was happy. "And I understand what that means now," he said. He paused. "Does this mean I can call you Father the way all the temple dogs do?"
 
"I would be honored," the winged temple dog answered.
 
"Father, would you like to go home with me? I want to tell my fathers the word I learned today. I want them to know I love them without reservations." The tiger thought a moment and then smiled. "And I would like them to know I love you without reservations as well."
 
The temple dog wrapped his arm around the tiger. The wings flared out and drew the tiger in even closer. "I would like that, Tamil," he said. "Do you think all these explanations will result in me seeing that yellow penis of yours again tonight?"
 
Tamil nodded happily. "Oh, I am sure of it, Father. I am very, very sure of it."

Chapter 48

The consecration of the temple had been a wondrous thing. None, save the temple dogs, were a part of the consecration, but hundreds of beasts attended the celebration that followed. Held to a strict timeline of four days, even the most rabid time managers regretted the temple dog's promise to keep the celebration on track. All too soon, all were walking through the temple gardens and out onto the terraced rice fields.

The tiger and the panda sat quietly together, apart from the gathering crowd. "Did you enjoy yourself, Panda?" Tamil asked.

"Oh, yes," Armel replied. "I can't tell you how good I feel."

"We will have so many days when we feel good now that we live so close together," the tiger said with a smile. "And you have husbands. Husbands can make even sad and frustrating days better."

Armel nodded. "They do that. I am trying so hard to be a good husband. It's not always easy."

"But you never stop trying?"

"No, Tamil. I never stop trying."

"Then that is all they will ever ask of you," the tiger replied. "One day I will mate with two temple dogs, and I will try my best to be a good husband. I know it will not be easy, but like you, I will never stop trying."

The red panda snorted a laugh. "I suspect you'll do a much better job at it than me."

Tamil grinned. "I might. But you and I are not in a race. We are friends. We help each other without trying to figure out who is ahead. Katashi told me we are walking a path together for a time. We aren't always in the same place, though. Sometimes we have to slow down and let others catch up to where we are. Other times, they will slow down for us to catch up. Since there is no finish line, there is no reason to race ahead alone."

Armel put his paw on Tamil's. "Still teaching me, Tiger?"

"The same as you teach me, Panda. We are symbionts. We are better together."

The two looked out on the milling crowd preparing to sing. Katashi approached them and sat next to Tamil. "We are gathering to sing. The end of our festival always ends in singing."

"Do you sing Armel?" the tiger asked the red panda.

"I sound like a mouse squeaking. It's rather awful. How about you?"

"I am a tiger. I sound awful, too."

"Would you like to be awful together?"

The tiger reached out and hugged the panda. "I would like that. I would like that very much."

Katashi leaned over from the left and then bent down to kiss the panda. He rubbed his cheek against Tamil's muzzle. "One day, I will understand all that it means to love you," he said to the tiger, and the tiger smiled back at him.

Spackle sat beside Katashi. "And one day, I will understand what it means to love you both."

Tamil smiled again. "And Wolfy and Will," he added.

Spackle nodded. "And Wolfy and Will," he agreed. "So, what's all this about singing?"

Katashi lifted his head and began his chant. Spackle repeated the actions. Tamil looked at Armel and laughed. "This is going to be so bad," he said as he began singing. Armel followed, and Tamil's prediction was spot on. John leaned over from behind, kissing the tiger and the panda on top of their heads as he sat beside Tamil. Marvin sat next to his wolf mate.

Together, the six sang of all that they had lost and all that they had found. Armel tried hard to remember what he was taught about letting the song flow through him, but he was reluctant to join in. He did his best to pretend to be singing until Tamil gave him a shove. Armel sighed and began singing. To the world, the tiger and the panda sounded awful, but what every beast in the field heard sounded like love. The beasts smiled, found places to sit in the field, and joined them in their song.

Armel shook his head and stopped singing. "My god, that's terrible," he said. "I can't do this." He pointed to the gathering crowd that was singing. "Listen to them. They're beautiful. I can't be a part of this with my voice."

Tamil nodded his head. "I should not sing either. Armel and I are terrible."

"That doesn't matter," John consoled. "You two are fine. You are singing from the heart. That is always beautiful."

Armel frowned. "Okay, Mr. I never lie, tell the truth. Just how beautiful are we?"

John laughed. "You're both so terrible; I don't have words for it. But it's still beautiful on so many other levels."

Armel folded his arms. "I'm not singing anymore." From across the field, two winged bears and their angel husband matched the warm drone of the temple dog's voices. "There, listen to them. How can they sing so beautifully? They're bears, damn it. Bears growl and burp. They do little else."

Katashi and Spackle stopped their singing, and Tamil followed. Katashi motioned toward the three out in the field. "They are speaking the language of the Mutwajigwan. The language lends itself to the tonality of overtone singing. It is not that bears sing beautifully. It is that they have found a voice that lets them sing in a way that is beautiful."

"I doubt pandas or tigers have such a voice," the red panda grumbled.

"Your youth betrays your lack of understanding," Katashi replied. "There is within us all a voice that speaks to others with a beauty that transcends all expectations."

Armel looked up at the golden dog. "Really?"

Katashi turned to the tiger beside him. "Tamil, I want you to talk to your father, Kantrava. Use the words he taught you. Tell him of the life you live here with us. Tell him of all that you had lost when he died, and all that you have found in the embrace of his family."

Tamil cocked his head in a confused stare. "Just talk to him?" he asked.

"Just talk to him."

Tamil closed his eyes and tried to remember the upright cat he called Father. He saw every strand of fur, every muscle. The image ended with the smile of his father as he knelt to hug the tiger. With the tears streaming down his face, Tamil spoke the words of his heart in Changeling. He told his father how much he missed him, and how much he had grown to love the family that kept his promise.

Armel watched as the tiger sang of all that he had lost and all that he had found. It was exactly what Katashi had promised. He never knew there was a song so beautiful. Without understanding a word of the melody, he understood every emotion.

Katashi turned to the panda. "It is the language of the Changelings. No voice has ever spoken it without sounding beautiful. The soul of a race manifested in what to us is music is their love personified. What Tamil is saying goes so far beyond your limited experience. Tamil was born of a Changeling. His birth tongue is what you listen to but cannot understand. Tamil has found his voice by letting go of the tiger and embracing the Changeling that flows through and around him. He has always been beautiful beyond the words he speaks."

Armel nodded. "That much I know, Katashi." He paused, listening to the cat with the tightly closed eyes. "Can you teach me? Can I find my voice?"

The temple dog nodded. "It would be a pleasure. The wolves have always been born with their voice. You little panda will have to struggle to find yours. Like so much in this new life of yours, the challenges will not be easy for you."

"That's been intentional, hasn't it?" the panda asked.

"Too much of your old life came easily," Spackle replied. "It didn't serve you well. You asked us to help you. That help will push your boundaries in ways you have always ignored."

Armel shrank to his smallest panda and nodded. "I'm good with that." He listened to Tamil continue to sing. "One day, I would like to know what he is singing about."

Katashi lifted the little mammal into his arms and placed him in the tiger's lap. Without halting the song to his father, the tiger's arms wrapped around the panda and hugged him close. 

"Hear the words, Panda," Katashi said. "Beyond the music, beyond the listening… hear. This is the lesson to learn tonight. Learn to let go of listening in order to hear."

Armel closed his eyes and tried to do what the temple dog had instructed. How strange it was that for so cryptic an order, he understood what Katashi meant. He kissed the paws of the tiger that held him and listened to the songs that surrounded him. He struggled to hear beyond the music, but knew he failed miserably. When he felt the kiss of the tiger above him on the top of his head, he smiled. It was okay to be slow. His family loved him. They would help him find his voice one day.
 
Chapter 49
 
When the night of singing had ended, the island visitors returned to their homes. Katashi, Spackle, and Tamil sat outside the newly consecrated temple, listening to the sounds of the night. The other temple dogs had retired to the monastery. The temple dogs always did what was needful, and tonight, what they needed to be was asleep so that the three could be alone.
 
Tamil chuckled to himself. "What are you laughing about, Tamil?" Spackle asked the tiger.
 
"Armel and I. We were horrible singing tonight."
 
"I would have to agree in the beginning you were both awful," Katashi said. "Even so, it was beautiful because it was from the heart."
 
"But when I talked to my dead father, it was different."
 
Katashi smiled. "The words of your first father are the language of the Changelings. Their language is like a beautiful song. You need only to speak the words as you learned them. In repeating them, your song will always be beautiful."
 
Tamil looked up from the blanket he was lying on. "Really?"
 
"You spoke the words the first time we met. Your Changeling voice is beautiful. You struggle only with the idea of human melody. If you speak in Verital, the words will sound like music to all who hear." The temple dog shifted his position and pointed off toward the North beyond the river's banks. "Nathaniel can teach you any words you don't know to create the song you wish to sing."
 
"Do you think he would do that?" the tiger asked.
 
"The entire family of bears is fond of you, Tamil. Any of them would be happy to teach you."
 
Tamil smiled. "Nathaniel is the bear with the fur that looks like glasses, right?"
 
"That is him," Katashi replied. "But Oliver, the badger, would be happy to teach you as well. He loves any student who studies hard and does their best."
 
"I always try my hardest," Tamil said. The tiger was quiet for a while. "Fathers?"
 
"Yes, Tamil?" the two responded.
 
"Every day, when you do your dance, how do you know what moves to make?"
 
"They come from the heart, Son," Spackle replied. "Every day they are different, but because we are one, they match."
 
"And it means you are mated; that you are husbands forever?"
 
"That is what it means."
 
"Will I be able to dance with you one day?"
 
Katashi stood up. He set stance on the wooden deck that surrounded the temple, and his hands began moving. "The motions are simple, Son," he said. "They are like the tai chi you study with the children, but they are broader in their movements to accommodate our size."
 
Spackle stood up and set stance. His arms rotated, at first independent of the dog next to him. In time, they moved in the same motions together.
 
Tamil gazed at the two as their feet moved out in unison and their paws pressed together. "You are both so beautiful when you dance. I am so happy to be your son. One day when I have learned how to do the steps, maybe then we could do the dance together. Maybe we could be husbands."
 
Spackle smiled. "The steps do not need to be learned, Son. They need to be felt." The striped dog's paws rose above his head. The motion matched the dog next to him. "If there is love, we sense the motions even before we make them. This is not a dance you learn, Tamil. It is a dance you experience through unity with your mates. It transcends what we share with you. There is a difference in responsibility between a father and a son and that between husbands."
 
"We are grateful that you are in our lives, Tamil," Katashi said. The left legs of the dogs lifted, the arms extended, and the paws drooped. "Crane stance, Tamil. Do you remember what it means?"
 
"It tells the children that you are welcoming a new student to study."
 
"Excellent, Tamil," Spackle said.
 
"And tonight, do you understand its meaning?" Katashi asked. The two temple dogs lowered their legs, and the foot facing the other tapped the space between.
 
"I am grown. I am an adult. My fathers are asking me to no longer be their child. They are asking me to be their husband."
 
"And what is your response?" the striped dog asked.
 
Tamil rolled up on his legs. "I can't be your husband. You've seen my tai chi. I am horrible. I try so hard, but I am clumsy. Now even more so because I am so much bigger."
 
"Your mates are big," Katashi said. "Your clumsiness is not because of your size. It is because you lack experience. Come stand with us, Tamil."
 
"But, Father…"
 
"Let the fear go, Tamil. We are not asking you to be perfect or even good. We are asking you to be with us and let your feelings guide your movements. If it is to be, it will be. There is no pressure from either of us. We can spend an eternity with you as our child and share a bliss few have ever experienced. But you sense the changing, you sense the urge. If it is what you wish, join us. We have room in our hearts for another husband we love. Our child has only to step up to the calling."
 
Tamil stood up and stood between the two dogs he loved. He set stance as they taught him. He followed the motion of the two dogs' paws as they moved in unison. His tentative motions began as he tried to follow the two.
 
"Good, Tamil," Spackle said. "But do not copy us. Be one with us. Feel the movement in your heart, not your head. If you can do that, we will no longer be fathers and son. We will be husbands. Is that what you wish?"
 
"Yes, even more than to be your son, I wish to be your husband. But I don't understand how a dance can make me different," Tamil said as he continued trying to match the fluid movements.
 
"Your heart does, Tamil," Katashi said. "This is a dance we share with the ones we love beyond our capacity to say so in words. Dance as if the only thing that mattered was telling the ones you love how far that love goes."
 
Tamil clumsily pushed his paws outward, "Breath in," he said, following the lessons he had learned. With a fluid motion, the two dogs pushed their paws outward in unison. "Breath out," he said as his paws lowered. He repeated the movement, and the dogs followed in kind. Tamil's head bounced back and forth between the two, watching them as he extended his leg. He brought his arms up in a circle, pressing his paws together as they lowered.
 
Without a word, the two dogs followed his moves. But it wasn't following. They knew before his paws were reaching out. Their paws reached out with his. He bent his knee and pivoted toward Katashi. The leg extended and the two arms pushed outward. The dogs moved in harmony with each gesture. Tamil's leg lifted and shifted the weight to his side, facing the striped temple dog. The dogs shifted their weight, matching the tiger. Again, the tiger repeated the arm extension while he watched the movements mirrored by the two.
 
When Tamil stared at his arms lifting in unison with the two dogs, he realized his body was moving before his mind told him what position to perform. For the first time at the top of the arch, when his palms came together, the move was not what he had his fathers had taught him. Tamil's hands moved back outward in a circle, reversing the move. His arms rotated in circles of their own, and his leg rose, turned to the right, and slid down as his bulky body bowed into the lowering leg. The left leg extended, and he rested on the other. His right arm extended behind him, and his left arm fell parallel to his leg. Tamil knew that from this position, he was doomed to fall over. It was movement sixteen in tai chi class, and he always needed help to pull up from the position. But as the two dogs lifted out of stance and into a new position, Tamil's body followed as if helped up by the two beside him.
 
It was then Tamil's head realized what his heart was trying to teach him. With the next fluid movement that matched his mates perfectly, he knew the two were helping him through the motions. They were there beside him. Without saying a word, they were guiding him. He was one with them. There was no movement called 'part the horse's mane'. Instead, his body flowed into changes now familiar to him instead of a challenge to remember. The motions grew beyond anything he had ever done. As long as he tried to let the movements tell his mates how much he loved them, the three flowed through the motions in unison.
 
Tamil knew the two on either side of him were promising with each movement that they would be beside him through every moment of his life. In turn, he promised the same. Their movements told each other they would spend a lifetime together learning and growing. This was only the beginning of a journey they would make together, and with each motion, the unity grew. This was their path. And Tamil knew he could walk the path without worrying that he might fall. His mates would always be there for him.
 
Tamil felt his feet set stance once more. His paws pushed outward, and he watched as the glittering light spread outward through his paws and the paws of the dogs he loved. It sped outward and stirred the rice fields in the distance. Eventually it disappeared into the night.
 
Tamil's paws lowered, and he stared at them in wonder. "I cannot do that," the tiger said.
 
"A son cannot, but a husband can," Katashi said.
 
Tamil smiled. "I love you, Husband," he said enthusiastically.
 
"That is a good thing," the golden dog replied, "for I love you as well, Husband."
 
"And I love you, Husband," Tamil said, turning to Spackle.
 
"I love you as well, Husband," the striped dog replied. "Shall we go to bed?"
 
"And have sex?" Tamil asked.
 
Katashi laughed. "I believe that is what newly mated husbands do, Tamil."
 
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Spackle said. "Just remember, there is a tai chi class on Heart Island tomorrow, and I expect both of you to be there."
 
Tamil thought for a moment. "Perhaps we should only have a little sex."
 
"That is a good idea," Katashi said. He took Tamil's paw in his. Tamil extended his other paw to Spackle, who placed it in his. Together, the three retired to their bed, where their efforts to have only a little sex were an abject failure.
 
Chapter 50
 
"Oh, dear god," Nathaniel said, banging his head against the refrigerator. "This is going to be a long week. Can you smell those three?"
 
"Husband," Max said with a laugh, "their mating is only a few days old. They can't help it. Give them time. Greg said the damage the dogs did to the monastery wasn't that bad. The dogs have all returned to their own temples. So, no more damage for the foreseeable future. Greg and his crew should have it repaired within three days. By the end of the week, they'll be living again full-time at Miào dǎo."
 
"But their scent."
 
"It is overpowering. I suspect the humans will need to be kind enough to look the other way until we can get them off the island."
 
"Half the humans are walking around with hard-ons. And that's only because the other half are females. Eighty-three-year-old Mr. Cranston in Ward B wants us to tell him what meds he's on because he intends to buy a truckload of them when he's released. And those poor werewolves trying to do their rounds. They could balance their trays on top of their dicks."
 
"Partridge Island has been their home for years. This was the first place they thought to turn to," Max said, trying to console his mate. "We're working on getting them new lodgings."
 
There was a knock on the back door and Max opened it. Tamil stood at the door, beaming. "I am newly mated. I am a husband."
 
"We're aware of that, Tamil," the shorter short-faced bear said with a laugh. "Your scent is unmistakable. We couldn't be happier for you." Max paused. "Would you like to rub muzzles? I doubt it will calm me, but I believe it's what friends do with their tiger friends that are newly mated."
 
Tamil nodded happily. "That is exactly what friends do with their newly mated tiger friends," he said. He grabbed the bear in a hug, and the two rubbed their muzzles across each other. "Spackle asked me to come and tell you that, as men of leisure, you should join the three of us on our trip to New Zealand. Saand is staying to help repair the damage to the fence surrounding the forest. We did not mean to be so clumsy. Saand is not newly mated, so he is easier on the wolves."
 
"So, the three of you are going to New Zealand?"
 
"The Gray Wolf will land here shortly. Spackle said that with their open fields, the damage to surrounding buildings will be…" the tiger paused, thinking, "… mitigated. I think it means not so bad, but I didn't have time to look it up in the dictionary yet."
 
"That's pretty much what it means, Tamil," Nathaniel said. "Come, let's rub muzzles, good friend." Nathaniel stretched out his arms and Tamil eagerly entered the embrace. "It's nice of Spackle to give Partridge Island a rest. And with so many dogs already back in New Zealand, the transportation requirements are going to be easier for Eldon."
 
"He is already booking passages. If you check your ComLinks, Ori has a message about our welcoming."
 
Max looked down at his chest. "Not that she needs to tell us, but I forgot that the two of us asked her to hold all calls." He tapped the small device in his ear. "Morning, Ori."
 
"Good morning, Max. Are you and Nathaniel back online?"
 
"I suppose so."
 
"I would advise you of Katashi, Spackle, and Tamil's nuptials, but judging by your physical state, I will assume that is unnecessary."
 
"That physical state is why we asked you to hold our calls," Max laughed. "But we are apparently making arrangements to deal with it."
 
"Enjoy your flight to New Zealand. Stacey has asked that you all leave as quickly as possible. She has a hospital to run, and newly mated temple dogs and a tiger are a major distraction."
 
"We're on it, Ori. Thanks for the heads up."
 
"You're welcome, Max," the ever-polite voice replied. "Oh, and Tamil?" she added.
 
"Yes, Ori?" the tiger responded.
 
"Congratulations. You make such a handsome husband."
 
Tamil's constant grin grew even wider. "Thank you, Ori."
 
"You all get going," Ori added. "Your flight is touching down on the gun shelter landing site. New Zealand has need of you five, but Partridge Island certainly doesn't."
 
"Thanks, Ori," Nathaniel said as his paws pushed the bear and tiger toward the back door. "Come on, men, let's get off the island."
 
"But what about all the wolves with hard-ons?" Tamil asked.
 
"We'll see them in the days to come, Tamil," Nathaniel said with another push of the two toward the door.
 
"That would be nice. I learned a few new things that should make welcoming them even more fun."
 
"You learned new things from your temple dog husbands?" the spectacled short-faced bear asked.
 
"Yes."
 
"I said it before. Dear god, this is going to be a long week."
 
"Spackle said the same thing," the tiger said, still beaming a smile that never left his face.

Chapter 51
 
"But how, Mr. Holmes?" Dr. Watson asked. "Sir Reginald has an alibi. Witnesses saw him leave the pub at eight. Rigor had set in by the time the police arrived. How could he have been there to kill his wife?"
 
"Elementary, my dear Watson," the sleuth replied. "Sir Reginald swore the night of the murder his carriage had thrown a wheel on the way home. The patrons of the pub saw him leave at eight. The broken carriage is on the outskirts of town. Had his story been true, he would have had an alibi, as the walk from the carriage to the castle is at least two hours. But it caused me to wonder. Why would a man born of the aristocracy not walk back to the bar only blocks away and find someone to fix the carriage or hire transportation home? Why walk back to the castle?"
 
"True," Watson replied as he rethought the nobleman's actions. "That would be what most men of his standing would do."
 
"But I was soaking wet from the rain," Sir Reginald protested. "The rain didn't start until nine fifteen. And it was over by the time I got home. I called the police the minute I entered our home and saw the burglary. It was only moments later that I found my wife strangled and called a second time. But my wet clothes and the mud on my shoes proved I was out in the storm running home when my wife was killed. I couldn't possibly run fast enough to be at home when she was killed."
 
"That is what you say, Sir Reginald. The rain started at nine fifteen," Homes replied. "And therein lies the tale. Your wet garments, Sir Reginald; you say they came from the rain. However, as they dried, a thin layer of white developed around the tops of your shoes and the cuffs of your garments. That white powder is calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. You don't find those chemicals in rainwater, Sir Reginald, but you find them in the castle's water. They are the deposits characteristic of the hard water from your wells."
 
Sir Reginald was mute to the new revelation. Holmes continued. "You left the bar, disabled your carriage outside town, and went to the livery stable where you had left one of your horses in their care weeks before. It was night, and the removal of one horse without the stableman hearing was easy thanks to the bottle of rum you gave him earlier. You rode the horse at a full gallop all the way home and strangled your wife."
 
Holmes picked up the rope that lay on the coffee table. "And then you waited, giving yourself the time for an alibi to form from a long walk home. What you didn't expect was the rain. You had already called the police, and they were on their way. You stepped outside the castle and realized that it had been raining. The puddles told you it was a deluge. You needed evidence that you had been caught in that rainstorm. By the time the police arrived, they found you in your wet clothes, with mud tracked in from the road outside your home into the main hall."
 
"But the water was not from the rain, Sir Reginald. You couldn't stand out in a storm that had passed, so you ran to the pump house and used the hose to soak yourself. A viable ruse had your water not been so hard. The evidence from that realization will continue to mount, Sir Reginald. I can go on, but we will confirm your guilt, either from your own mouth or at the trial. You killed your wife. The town realized how difficult she was. They were almost relieved that the tragic burglary left you with one loss they all saw as a blessing."
 
"We all have our breaking points, Mr. Holmes," Sir. Reginald replied.
 
"That is true Sir Reginald. I am afraid once the trial is complete, that breaking point for you will be your neck at the end of a hangman's noose."
 
Watson started laughing and turned to Holmes. "Really? When did you think up that line? I mean, that's even better than figuring out the mystery."
 
Holmes smiled. "It just came to me. Besides, you broke character, and I won't be able to get mine back." The detective reached out and pulled Watson into a long and passionate kiss.
 
When the kiss had ended, Watson looked into the blue eyes of the detective. "One day, Sherlock, we're going to discuss this love affair of ours."
 
Sherlock nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we are. But we must consider our families and the way they seem to keep us apart."
 
"That's not the reason we're hesitant, and you know it," Watson corrected.
 
"I know, I know," the man in the deerstalker hat replied. "I don't want to lose what we share by trying to commit to something even greater."
 
Watson smiled. "There it is, Wolfy. There's the truth."
 
The ComLink chimed and Sherlock Holmes tapped it. The familiar voice of an old wolf was clear. "Game over, you two. There are three very lovable husbands out here to pick up their mates."
 
"End program," Holmes said. The humans in the parlor disappeared with a pixilated motion, leaving behind a black wolf with blue eyes. Watson became a striped temple dog. The wolf gave the dog another kiss. "I promise we'll talk about it soon."
 
"Say it, Wolfy, you know you want to," the dog said, staring down at the wolf.
 
"Well, talk about it soon, Hon," Derrick replied.
 
"I'm already there, Wolfy," the dog said, "but I have no problems waiting for you to catch up."
 
"Thanks," Derrick said, as he pushed the exit button on the Holodeck and the doors parted.
Derrick and Spackle looked out at Will, Katashi, and Tamil grinning at the two. "What are you three up to?" Derrick asked.
 
"Your husband says it's an intervention," Katashi replied. "I think it's more a clarification of intent between our two families."
 
Derrick gave a low growl. "Old Wolf," he grumbled.
 
"It's not just for you, Pup," Will said as he reached out and hugged the black wolf. "It's for your mate, and for the man whose neck I bit."
 
"Those weren't really promises," Derrick protested.
 
"Yeah, they were, Pup. You know it, and I know it."
 
"I know it, too," Spackle said with a slight wave of his raised paw.
 
"But I have so many husbands already," Derrick said with a sigh. "And Katashi and Tamil live at the temple."
 
"And Oliver spends his life bouncing between Partridge Island, Montana, or Africa just to be with his family," the old wolf responded. "We're a family that juggles lives and schedules to be together. Spackle is one more that you and I will have to work with. Isn't he worth that effort?"
 
"Of course he is," Derrick replied. "It's just that..." the words trailed off into silence.
 
Tamil watched the entire conversation closely. He turned to Katashi and asked, "Will we have to marry, Wolfy?"
 
"No," Katashi replied. "We are fine being friends."
 
"With benefits," Tamil said with a laugh.
 
"With benefits," Katashi agreed. "But the nature of Spackle and Derrick's love demands a greater commitment. They are bound by more than just friendship. Their lives and that of the old wolf are tied together as deeply as ours."
 
"Then why aren't they married?" Tamil asked.
 
"Cat's got a point," the old wolf said.
 
"Because..." the black wolf replied. Again, the silence filled the gap.
 
"Because we see fire-breathing dragons when we're together," Spackle replied, filling in the gap. "When we are together, we see beyond what others see, and it scares you."
 
Derrick bowed his head. "Yeah, that."
 
"It scares me too, Wolfy. But it doesn't scare me as much when you're beside me."
 
The old wolf wrapped his arm around the younger. "And I'm here beside you both because you need to realize someone is always guarding your back. I promised it to you when I bit your neck, Pup. I promised it to Spackle the first day we met. Only one of us is standing here unsure of what he promised."
 
"It means so much more than being mates, Old Wolf."
 
Will nodded. "True that."
 
"I don't want that responsibility."
 
"But in loving a temple dog, you accepted it. We all did somewhere along the line. You and me, Pup, we're something different from what we once were." The old wolf pointed to the other three in the room. "Our world is different." He gave the black wolf a gentle shove toward the striped temple dog. "Our love is different. But one truth remains. We don't turn away from that love because it challenges us."
 
Will gave Derrick another nudge when the pup took only a few steps in Spackle's direction. "How many hundreds of years ago, did you teach me that, Husband?" the old wolf asked. "I still can feel your teeth on the back of my neck. I still remember what it was to face the dilemma love always creates. To dive in and risk it all, or stay safely on the sidelines, trying to be content with where we are. Do we chance losing what we have, or do we stay in limbo all the while knowing what committing to more might bring? I love you. I will always be by your side. If you tell me you love another enough to mate with him, then if he will have me, I will be his mate as well. Learn the lesson you taught me, Pup. Learn that love needs no justification, it only needs commitment."
 
Derrick groaned as the teeth of the old wolf set in his neck. The striped temple dog stepped forward, wrapped his arms around both wolves and pulled them in close. "One way or another, you two, I need an answer."
 
"Be my mate, Spackle," the old wolf mumbled past his clamped teeth.
 
Derrick felt the teeth of the old wolf press deeper and understood what it meant. He understood what it meant the first time the teeth pressed into his neck. He remembered what it meant when he bit the old wolf's neck. And in that moment, he realized what it meant when his teeth bit into Spackle's human neck so many years ago. He looked up at the temple dog. "I guess we're already mated. We have been for so long."
 
"Even before the day when we bit each other's necks," Spackle said with a smile. "Who and what we are was forged so long ago. So much in this life of mine has left me confused, Wolfy, but never have I been confused about my feelings for you. I'm so happy to be your mate."
 
"You didn't get a very committed mating ritual, though," Derrick said with a frown. "I mean pretending to be temple dogs, biting your neck; we didn't get anything right."
 
"Yeah, we did," the striped temple dog corrected. "We got the love right."
 
The frown stayed on the black wolf's face. "You deserve better."
 
"I want you, Wolfy. It's not about us being the perfect mate for each other. It's about wanting to commit to the idea that we will work to become that mate. Is that what you want, Wolfy? Do you want to be my mate? Do you want to make this official?"
 
"Yeah, I do."
 
"Come with me," Spackle said as his paw extended. Derrick put out his paw and took the large striped one in his. The dog tapped the entry to the Holodeck, and the doors spread apart. Inside, the Victorian-era mansion remained from the two's adventure. Spackle looked back at the three. "We're going to make this official. You all get what that means, right?"
 
"Yeah, we're going to have one wild family mating circle in a few hours," Will said with a laugh.
 
Spackle grinned. "Days, Husband. In a few days, we'll have one wild mating circle."
 
Will grinned. "Fair enough. You two take all the time you need."
 
"And when we return, Old Wolf," the temple dog continued, "you and I will meet up to set my teeth in your neck. You may have told me we are mated, but I have not told you."
 
"You remember the part about mounting me, right?" Will asked. "I'm more about the mounting part than the biting part."
 
"I'm aware of how the mounting figures into the ritual," Spackle said with a chuckle. "And I am a temple dog that knows how to control his pheromones. You will feel me, Old Wolf, and for days afterward, you will be keenly aware of who was inside you. The teeth may leave their mark, but you won't forget the day I mount you. I never forgot the day you bit my neck and mounted me. It seems only fair that I return the favor."
 
"I love you, Spackle," Will said as he hugged the tiger-striped dog. "You take good care of Pup."
 
"It has always been my intention to take good care of both of you," the dog replied. "It's just taken us this long to finalize the deal."
 
The temple dog kissed the old wolf and then Katashi and Tamil. "I'll be back, husbands," he said as he turned and dragged the black wolf back into the Holodeck. The doors closed, leaving the three staring at the wall that replaced the doors.
 
"Well, that sucks," a disappointed old wolf said.
 
"What sucks?" Tamil asked.
 
"My husbands are gone for two days and when they come back, everything I think I know about the two will have changed. Beyond those hidden doors, my husbands are evolving, changing to meet each other's needs. And I'm stuck here while they find their way. I should be with them, but they need this time alone together." The wolf's paw reached out and rubbed the wall where the doors once were. "That's what sucks."
 
Katashi rubbed the top of Will's head. "You know what else sucks, Old Wolf?"
 
"What?" came the unenthusiastic reply.
 
"Me."
 
Tamil grinned. "Me, too."
 
The despondent wolf looked up at the two towering over him and smiled. "Me, three."
 
"Then we have found something the three of us can do until your husbands return," the golden dog said.
 
Will nodded. The temple dog put out his paw, and the old wolf took it in his. Tamil extended his paw, and Will took it in his other paw. "What would I do without you two?" he asked.
 
"I have seen you, Wolf. You would play with your own penis," Tamil said. "But that's not as much fun as having sex together."
 
"You're right there, Tamil," Will said. "What say we go back to the master bedroom and play together? Who knows? We may even pick up a few stray husbands along the way."
 
"That sounds like a good idea, Old Wolf," Katashi replied. The threesome turned and headed down the hall toward the main building. "I will need to thank Derrick and Spackle on their return for giving us an opportunity to enjoy your company."
 
"Always the bright side, Katashi," Will stated.
 
"How could it be anything but bright in your company and that of such a remarkable tiger?"
 
Tamil laughed. "We are going to have so much fun."
 
The Sight pushed forward into Will's consciousness, and he realized Tamil was right.
Chapter 52
 
The two sat quietly on opposite sides of the conservatory tea table. The temple dog picked up the porcelain pot and poured the steaming tea into a cup. Spackle took the small tongs, dropped two sugar cubes into the cup, and stirred them into the tea. "Be my mate," Spackle said, as he held out the teacup in his paw.
 
Derrick stared at the cup. "You don't really do this, do you, Hon? I mean, we don't sip tea, and that's it?"
 
Spackle laughed. "No, Hon, the tea is to help calm your fears. The mating comes as it always has for the temple dogs. You and I bit each other's necks and mounted each other. We are mated in the ways of the wolves, but we have yet to mate in the ways of the temple dogs. If we're going to commit to this mating, I'm going to insist that our vows cut across both worlds."
 
"Then what do you do?"
 
"You have seen it many times, but you never realized it. You watch our mating ritual in the movements we share each day. Tamil is realizing that our mating is only now beginning for him. Wolves mate for life. Dogs mate every day they are together."
 
Derrick realized what the dog was telling him. "I never learned tai chi, Spackle. I never trained in martial arts. For years, I have watched the mated temple dogs practicing together. I understood you showed your unity that way. But if that's mating, I can't do what you ask of me. Not now. Not today."
 
"It is the way of the temple dogs. We move in separate paths until we become one. We acknowledge we are together by the movements we make. Our chi intertwines, and eventually, we push it out into the world. We accept that our union will change and that our paths together may one day drift in different directions. And yet, the love we share, the love that moves through us, will always remain."
 
"So, I begin training?"
 
"You and I have been training for years, Wolfy," Spackle said.
 
"No, we haven't. I've never even taken a single lesson in tai chi."
 
"System, activate the main screen. Link virtual PlayStation hand controllers, and launch Dragon's Quest," the temple dog said. He turned to the wolf and smiled. "To each their gifts. To each a path to share with the one they love." Spackle picked up the PS12 glove controllers and handed a pair to the black wolf. "It's called Dragon's Quest. Play it with me." The conservatory faded, and a verdant forest replaced it.
 
Derrick looked around the glade they stood in. "I've never played Dragon's Quest before. I've never even heard of it. You know I'm not good at new games."
 
"It's not the game that's important, Wolfy," Spackle said as he shook his gloved paw. "This is how you and I bond. It never mattered what we were playing. It was that we were together. This is just another game. Play it with me."
 
"What are we supposed to do?"
 
"We are temple dragons. All temple dragons can change and be whatever they need to be. Today, we need to follow the path."
 
"Just follow the path?"
 
"Together. We follow the path together."
 
"No monsters, no battles?"
 
"Only the path together, Hon. It's not as easy as you might think."
 
Derrick raised his gloved paw and pressed the power button. A serpentine dragon appeared in front of him. He realized it wasn't so much in front of him as the typical image of the avatar he was supposed to be. He glanced to his side, and the temple dog was no longer there. Another dragon stood beside him. The dragon smiled. "Okay, Husband, this is where it gets rough."
 
"You're not going to ask me to..."
 
"Fly?" the dragon interrupted. "Yeah, Wolfy, that's what I am asking. I am the temple dog that loves you. I will be whatever you need me to be. But today, I need you to show me you are as committed to this relationship as I am."
 
"I don't fly."
 
"You fly in games all the time."
 
"Yeah, but those games are on a screen. None of them are as real as this Holodeck."
 
"It is still just a game, Hon."
 
Derrick sighed. "I suppose you're right. I can do this if I keep reminding myself it's only a game."
 
"You could also do it by reminding yourself that it's what your husband needs for you to be his mate now and forever."
 
Derrick smiled. "Now and forever?"
 
"It's the only option I'm offering."
 
The black wolf pushed the launch button and found himself in the body of a dragon, looking out on the glade. He lifted himself up and saw the tiny paws that were virtually useless. He sensed they were more rudders used for flight control, rather than appendages with which he could hold objects. "What do we do now?"
 
The other dragon flipped his body back and forth like a sidewinder moving through the sand. In seconds, he was airborne, moving beyond the trees. "Come on, Wolfy," the dragon said. "I need you by my side."
 
Derrick shook his feathered head. "The things I do for love," he groaned under his breath. He repeated the motions he saw the other dragon make and soon was flying awkwardly up into the sky and over the treetops.
 
The two flew for some time until Derrick calmed. Spackle flew up under him and rode along the frightened dragon until their long bellies touched. "Oh, no, Spackle," the dragon on top begged. "Please don't make me mate in midair."
 
"Would you be better if we were dragons on the ground?"
 
"Yes, please. That would be so much better."
 
Spackle's body moved away from Derrick's and slowly descended toward the forested lands below. Touching down for Derrick was more of a controlled plummet that ended with the dragon slamming into the ground. But he was more than happy with the outcome when the forest dragon helped him back to his feet. He watched as the iridescent blue and green scales spread out from the other dragon's hand and covered his body. "Thank you, Hon," the newborn forest dragon said.
 
"You're welcome," the other said, smiling back. "Mating for two forest dragons is complicated."
 
"Really?" Derrick asked. "I'm already hard. Isn't it just a matter of sticking things in the right slots?"
 
Spackle laughed. "We are too heavy not to damage each other by doing it doggy style. You remember that, right?"
 
Derrick slapped his head with his clawed hand. "Oh, that's right. So what? We lay ourselves down like Jiao-long and LanYing?"
 
"Sort of. But you haven't thought this all the way through. There is dragon biology in play here."
 
"So, what do we do?"
 
“We continue rubbing against each other until our cocks are properly lubricated.”
 
Derrick laughed, "Already headed in that direction."
 
"And then we slip them into our cloacae."
 
"W…what?" Derrick stammered.
 
"It's the opening your cock is protruding from, Wolfy. It's what we do if we want to mate face to face."
 
"We're going to fuck each other at the same time?"
 
"Yeah. I might have worked on a more romantic way of saying it, but we're doing it dragon style." Spackle paused. "Well, if there were gay dragons, which there aren't, but if there were, this is the way gay dragons would do it."
 
Derrick smiled. "It's romantic. Neither of us is top or bottom. We're just together."
 
"I'm glad you approve," the dragon said as he maneuvered closer to Derrick. "Roll back, Hon. Once I get us into position, our bodies should take over. Let the dragon come through. It's not too different from when you turned the first time. Let your beast guide you. Trust its awareness of what will bring you pleasure and unite us."
 
Derrick fell to his side and let Spackle maneuver him close. The scaled cock gave Derrick different sensations from anything he had experienced before. The scales were small, barely the size of a thumbnail, but he realized he could shift them up and down in small waves. When it slipped alongside the other cock, he felt the pressure of his pushing deep inside the other's cloaca. It was followed by the sensation of another dragon pushing into his cloaca. Derrick shook his head in disbelief. How little he knew of sex, even with those he shared the planet with.
 
The sensation of Spackle penetrating him was both pleasurable and confusing. He felt the cock slipping past his own and deep inside him where centers of pleasure were awakening. He closed his eyes and tried to let the dragon guide him. The slow movements back and forth between dragons began. But Derrick did not realize what pleasures awaited him until the cock undulated on its own. Without moving his body, the massive genitals pulsed in and out of the warm cavity. All along, the scales on Spackle's cock shifted in waves alongside his skin.
 
A forest dragon's orgasm can last over half an hour, which for Derrick was about fifteen minutes longer than he could endure. As he regained consciousness, Derrick apologized to the dragon beside him. Spackle grinned. "It will be easier the second time. By the time we're on our sixth, you should last the entire thirty-five minutes."
 
Derrick's eyes widened. "Six times?" he blurted out as his tail thrashed in the grass.
 
"You're the one who chose forest dragons. Air dragons only do it once, and it lasts for a few seconds."
 
"Yeah, but they do it while plummeting to the ground from a high space, right?"
 
"Yeah, there is that downside," Spackle replied. A gleeful chortle escaped his lips, mirroring the delight of a dragon’s laughter. That was the moment Derrick realized the two had spoken no words. They were speaking in the language of the dragons. The images that filled their minds were as clear and understandable as if they was speaking — sometimes even more so.
 
Derrick rubbed his mane along Spackle's neck and breathed in the dragon's scent. "So, about these six orgasms…"
 
"Actually, there are eight total. I mentioned six as the point where you'll probably stay conscious through the entire orgasm."
 
"And then we're mated?"
 
"We are already mated, my love," Spackle said. "The moment you rose off the ground and flew after me, I knew you would always be what I needed you to be. We moved as one through space and time, where you were terrified until it became second nature to you."
 
"I never stopped being terrified," Derrick corrected.
 
"I realize that, but you made peace with the fact that being beside me required that you fly. In making that peace, our movements became one. And here together, they continue to be one. This is the promise that our movements will be forever one. For better or for worse, that's the promise we're making. It's just decidedly more pleasurable in this moment."
 
"I love you, Spackle," the dragon whispered into the other's ear.
 
"And I love you, Wolfy," the other dragon whispered back. "You and I are both hard again. We should take this short bit of time to enjoy our union before the orgasm begins."
 
"I enjoyed the orgasm, Spackle," Derrick said with a chortle that he realized was his laughing.
 
"Me too, but I also enjoy this time with you." The dragon rubbed his mane along the neck of the other, repeating the process the two shared moments earlier. "Be my mate, Wolfy."
 
"Now and forever," the forest dragon who was once a wolf replied. The two dragons relaxed into the pleasure of their union as their cocks pulsed on their own. This time, Derrick felt more in control of the movements. He realized the greater part of the control was letting his feelings flow without thinking about what was happening. Abandoning himself to the dragon he was, increased the pleasures of being that dragon.
 
The two were pleasantly surprised that the newborn dragon didn’t pass out during his orgasm after only three attempts. Derrick now knew why. By committing to being beside Spackle regardless of what it required, he found a peace born of strength. The mating ceremony of a temple dog extended so far beyond that of his wolfen brethren.
 
On the morning of the second day, the two dragons shuddered through the eighth orgasm, signaling the dragon mating ritual was over. Derrick smiled at the dragon beside him. "Now what, husband?"
 
"We mate."
 
"I thought that's what we were doing these last two days."
 
"No, that was teaching you what it means to be my mate. Now we mate." The dragon rolled over and stood up. Derrick followed. "System, end the Dragon Quest program."
 
The forest disappeared, but the two dragons remained standing on the floor of the Holodeck. Derrick looked down at himself and gasped in shock at his dragon body. With a shake the wolf returned. The other dragon shifted back into a temple dog and smiled at the wolf. "Now you understand the truth, Wolfy. Now you see why you and I have always been so comfortable together."
 
"I… I…" the black wolf stammered. "I didn't know I could do that."
 
"But now you do, and in knowing what is, you can turn from it, or embrace it." Spackle extended his striped, yellow paw. "Be my mate, Wolfy."
 
Derrick stared at the paw and reached out for it. Slowly his arm expanded as the yellow fur covered it and a new temple dog stood in front of the other. "Be my mate, Spackle," Derrick gave as his answer.
 
The golden temple dog and the tiger-striped temple dog hugged and when they separated, Spackle set stance. Derrick followed, trying his best to mimic the pose. "Don't try to duplicate what I am doing, Wolfy," the striped dog said as his paws pushed outward. "Close your eyes and let the unity flow through you. We are one. We have always been one."
 
Derrick closed his eyes and felt his paws push outward. The left leg lifted, and the body rotated as the arms made an arc above his head. He opened his eyes, watching the dog next to him repeating each movement, or was he repeating the dog's motions? The moment he called the movements into question, he faltered. The temple dog next to him reached out and touched his shoulder. "Is it necessary to understand the how of what we share, or is it enough that we share it?"
 
Derrick smiled. "It's enough to share it."
 
"Then stay in this moment. Be one with the one who loves you."
 
Derrick returned to the slow, rounded movements. The desire to understand how it was happening slipped away and the movements became a dance that only the pair knew the steps to. In time, Derrick's arms lowered with Spackle's. Together, the paws rose again and rotated around a small, invisible sphere. "This is what we call chi," Spackle said, never altering the slow-moving motions. "Call it what you will. It will feel unfamiliar at first. When you create a singularity within your paws, you draw the universe's energy into you to create a locus of power that bends time and space. When you create chi, you draw the energy from within you and move it outward as a gift to the universe. Two sides of the same coin. Energy needs a purpose to be anything but chaotic."
 
"But where I draw the power from matters, doesn't it?" Derrick asked, watching the invisible sphere within his paws.
 
"Both powers have their purpose," Spackle replied. "But we find greater harmony when we reach inside to give a gift to the world outside. Today, that gift creates the greatest of all harmonies. We will become one by melding our chi. We push the chi out into the world, and it teaches us the meaning of love. Love is so much more than we will ever realize, but each day we gather and learn." The paws of the stripped temple dog slowed. "We gather for what others see as a dance. To us, it is life. It is love as best we can express it to the ones who matter most to us."
 
Both dogs' arms pushed outward. The crystalline structure of the Holodeck rattled on the far side from where the glittering light hit it. Like ripples hitting the shore of a lake, a wave of energy flowed back along the Ritten Pad, the underlayment of all Holodeck programs. The two stood quietly, and Derrick felt the energy move through the floor. It continued to roll in waves back and forth until the floor became still again.
 
Spackle smiled at the golden dog next to him. "I'm only beginning to realize the ways we are bound together, Wolfy. Share a lifetime with me finding out together. Be my mate." The tiger-striped temple dog took the other into his arms and kissed him.
 
By the time the kiss ended, the black wolf with blue highlights had returned. "So is it official?" Derrick asked. "Are we husbands now?"
 
"It's official in my mind," Spackle replied. "How about you?"
 
"It's official," the happy wolf replied.
 
"You realize every time we are together, this will be our practice? We commit to each other whenever we share our time and space together."
 
Derrick smiled. "That sounds sort of esoteric to say we do our dance whenever I drop by for a visit."
 
"In time it will make more sense. The universe surrounding us is so much more than you see, and our lives within it will diverge in ways you can't imagine. Our dance, our moments together, they will keep us bonded when all that surrounds us comes crashing down."
 
"I wish we could stay in one place forever and just be two guys who love each other."
 
"I wish the same," the dog replied. "But we both know that's not what we will share. Seize the day, I believe is the axiom."
 
"And we'll always have our husbands claiming rights to equal time," Derrick added.
 
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
 
Derrick nodded. "Me either. I don't know what I would do without them."
 
"Well, we have to figure out what to do with them, and a great deal more of our family, soon. We have a family mating circle to deal with outside those doors," Spackle said, pointing to the Holodeck's exit. "We smell like newly mated beasts."
 
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure our scent will confuse most of the family. Part wolf, part dog; maybe a touch of dragon."
 
"It smells like beasts. Have you ever stopped to figure out the smell of any mated beasts?"
 
Derrick laughed. "You know, come to think of it, I never have."
 
"And they won't with us. Soon enough, our pheromones will settle back to normal. But for now, we are who we are. And I couldn't be happier."
 
Derrick nodded with a smile. The wolf paused as he turned toward the exit door. "What about Will?"
 
"What about him?" Spackle asked.
 
"Are you two going to mate as dogs?"
 
Spackle shrugged. "I was thinking it would be easier if all three of us did it together. That is the way I see us when I close my eyes and dream of you two."
 
Derrick grinned. "With him in the middle?"
 
"That's where he loves to be."
 
"And maybe a few trees somewhere along the line. That wolf loves trees full of temple dogs."
 
"That doesn't sound like any temple dog mating ceremony I've ever heard of," Spackle said with a chuckle.
 
"But it sounds like one for a temple dog named Will."
 
"That is true. It pays to understand the nature of any beast before asking it to be something new."
 
Derrick tapped the exit panel, and the doors opened. The hallway was empty. The wolf and dog took a deep breath. "Oh, crap," Spackle said. "They brought in all my brothers. If you want to save this home of yours, I suggest we call our family to the circle and then run like hell out the back door."
 
"How is that going to help?"
 
"At least we'll be outdoors." The two took a deep breath and made the call. The howl reverberated through the hallways as the two ran toward the back door. They plowed through the door together and onto the grassy glade of the highland. The two stared at each other and then at the large throng of beasts at the far end of the forest.
 
A little otter waved from across the glade. "Hi boys," he said. "You were right. This circle has no business being indoors, but Montana is too dry and dusty."
 
"Thanks for the lift, Adam," Spackle said with a wave back.
 
The otter began running toward the temple dog. "You know how you can thank me, Handsome," Adam said. "And it's not with a wave of your paw." The temple dog caught the otter when he leapt up and spun him around. The two fell to the ground in a warm kiss.
 
"Brace for impact, Otter," the temple dog said between pressed lips.
 
"What?" Adam asked, seconds before the seventeen temple dogs piled on top of them.

Chapter 53

"Well, this has been enjoyable," Will said as he tugged his prehensile tail upward and righted himself on the oak tree's largest branch.
 
"How long have you known about this, Old Wolf?" Derrick asked from another branch.
 
"I figured it out soon after our return from being a rock. Oliver knew it before I did, though."
 
"What?" the temple dog pressed. He shook and became a black wolf once more.
 
"We both got to thinking that if we all broke down into atoms inside that rock, we regenerated from the same stuff. Regardless of what we looked like, on the most basic level, we were the same critters. Changelings beget Changelings, so we became Changelings by our rebirth."
 
"And you didn't think to tell me?"
 
"Sorry, Pup. You were struggling over having sex with our sons. None of us thought it was a good idea to tell you that now all of your husbands were identical to you."
 
Derrick sighed. "I guess you're right. Samuel and Raymond tried to tell me on the island, but I didn't go where they wanted me to. They settled for me loving them the way they wanted to be loved."
 
Will shifted from a temple dog to an Iberian wolf. "That's all they ever wanted, Pup. They didn't settle for that. Seeing the truth about what you had become wasn't important to them at all. Hell, Pup, look how many centuries werewolves thought they could only change during the full moon. We learn the truth as we become able to accept it. That's the way of the Were Nation."
 
The black wolf nodded. "I guess so. Still, it's embarrassing to realize you've all known about this for years, and I'm blindly going along thinking nothing has changed."
 
The striped temple dog began rocking back and forth from his inverted position and spun around upright onto the branch next to Derrick. "We've all been heading toward the same goal, Wolfy. Only our paths were different."
 
Will leaned forward, balancing himself on the branch. "Well, that said, Husband, some of us still have a few major stumbling blocks in our way."
 
Spackle looked at the old wolf. "We will work it out, Old Wolf."
 
Will smiled. "I know you will. But realize that this family pushes to know the truth. It's better when we're all on the same page."
 
Derrick let out a snort. "From the man who brought you, 'Oh, that, Pup. Sure, we can be temple dogs when we mate. I expected you to ask for something difficult.'"
 
"We waited until we considered being on the same page was the right thing to do."
 
"So who is the 'we' in 'we will work it out?'" the black wolf asked.
 
Will looked over at Derrick and stared into his eyes. "Really?"
 
"What?"
 
The old wolf started laughing. "Oh my god, you inherited it from me. I'm sorry, Pup."
 
"Inherited what?"
 
"Your Sight doesn't work anymore around the people you love."
 
"Wait," the remaining temple dog interjected as he stared at the old wolf. "Your Sight doesn't work around people you love, but it works around me? I was under the assumption that you loved me."
 
"And I do. What I see with you is the same as with anyone I'm infatuated with. The Sight shows me what protects you. But how things will work out between us is foggy at best. What our future holds, how our relationship plays out, all that remains a mystery to me. The infatuation I have for someone has to wear off before the Sight fully returns."
 
"So why is it so easy for you to piece together me and my family situation?" Spackle asked.
 
"Don't forget my protective instincts for Pup were on hyper-alert when you stepped into his life. That was long before I ever took you in the showers. Rest easy, Spackle. When I bit your neck, I meant it knowing a lot more than even you were aware of. I'm good with the two of you sorting things out."
 
"So, it's a glitch in your Sight?"
 
"Yeah, a glitch. I seem to have passed it on to Pup when we merged."
 
"So, the Sight doesn't work between Spackle and me?" Derrick pressed.
 
"You can see what protects him," Will corrected. "But some of the more traditional stuff will elude your Sight until you share some time together."
 
"We've been together for quite a while," Derrick protested. "I'm pretty sure what we share is love, not infatuation."
 
Will waved his hands back and forth. "No, Pup. You're missing the point. You and I have been together for hundreds of years, and I still can't read you the way I can read a total stranger. I love you. We're both aware of how deep that goes. However, I'm still infatuated with you as well. When you walk into a room, my heart skips a beat like a teenage boy. I don't know. Maybe, one day, I will calm down in your presence, but I doubt it."
 
Derrick smiled. "Okay, I guess I can live with that, but what about this other family situation I can't see?"
 
"Can we put that on hold for a while, Wolfy?" Spackle asked. "I need to sort through a few things before I make any introductions."
 
Derrick nodded. "Sure, Hon. I'll try to walk the fine line between concern and being nosy. You tell me if I step over the line."
 
"You have a deal," the stripped temple dog said as he pushed up and stared toward the forest's edge. "You two realize those beasts out there are waiting for us to make the call, right?"
 
"Would it be too much to ask my husband to take me in my wolf body before we make that call?" Will asked. "Getting pummeled by a temple dog in this body is heaven."
 
Derrick raised his hand and waved it. "Me too, please."
 
Spackle grinned. "We can do that. What say I do you together in whatever configuration seems fun, after which we make the call? If we do it right, you two will be very well lubed for my brothers."
 
"All seventeen of them?" Will asked, beaming.
 
"It would be a shame to deny any of our family at a mating circle."
 
"No, we can't have that," Derrick said with a grin of anticipation.
 
Four days would pass before the two wolves and their temple dog husband limped out of the forest. In that time, they had sated the passions of seventeen temple dogs and a tiger. They had also pressed their abilities to remain inverted in trees to the breaking point. And yet, somehow, even with bodies they knew craved nothing more than a long night of sleep, they felt invigorated.
 
The temple dogs, understanding the nature of wolves, led them to the showers where they bathed them and prepared them for bed. They made no requests to continue the sex they had enjoyed so much. Nestled inside the monastery, Derrick and Will wondered what became of all those on the highland called to their mating circle. But exhaustion left them too tired to pursue the thought. They fell asleep curled up in a ring of yellow fur.
 
The morning would find the three husbands walking out onto a highland glade full of family that had waited patiently for the three. There was no need to rush the newly mated into leaving the company of the temple dogs. Never before had any triad of mated beasts risen to the occasion with such eagerness, despite the sore muscles they couldn't even begin to identify. 

Chapter 54
 
"Spackle, I told you coming here is not wise," the voice that became a temple dog scolded.
 
"If my father won't visit me, I will visit my father."
 
"You shouldn't call me that."
 
"Do you object to me calling you Father, Falong?" Spackle asked.
 
"It is not accurate," Falong replied. "I did not give birth to you."
 
Spackle laughed. "Oh really, Dog? Do you forget who gave me the gift to see the truth in all things? You realize that is the temple dog's phrasing. The two of us are aware of the truth because, even though they see the truth in most things, they don't quite have a handle on this universe the same as you and I do. You hold the memory of every living creature cataloged, filed, and stored away. Surely, you sense what I am going through."
 
"I do not catalog their memory, Spackle. That is the act of a scientist, an individual only interested in collecting and evaluating data. I hold all memories here inside me. They are sacred memories that I cherish and remember forever. No life will ever go unnoticed. No life will ever be forgotten as long as I am here to hold their memory close to me."
 
"Even more so then, Falong," Spackle replied. "Those are the actions of a parent, not a scientist. What you say you are is exactly what I am asking you to be." The stripped temple dog rubbed his white chest fur in circles. "This is who I am. This is who you helped me become."
 
"Gifts were given. They weren't meant to harm."
 
The striped dog reached out and hugged the golden dog. "And they didn't, Falong. I can't thank you enough for who you are in my life, but I need you to acknowledge our relationship. You wear the shell of a temple dog when you're with us. I need you to embrace their calling. I need… hell, the whole Were Nation needs you to be a temple dog. You need to become whatever you need to be. For me, that's my father."
 
"But…" the temporary temple dog objected and drifted into silence.
 
"When Li Wei looked up at you, for the first time, you realized a being was aware of you. You looked into the eyes of one who smiled at you."
 
"And in seeing, the seeing cannot be undone," the yellow dog said as he bowed his head.
 
"And that's a good thing, Falong. Look beyond that moment and understand how much good came of your union. You're not alone. And you made sure Katashi was not alone."

The golden dog raised his head. "You do not object?"
 
"No, I don't object. I love Katashi, and I love Tamil."
 
"I love Li Wei," Falong whispered.
 
"We both do. But you realized he would return to Katashi if you left Katashi alone. So, you went back in time and gave a kid who was afraid of his entire world a gift to guide him to Partridge Island. You gave the boy a family. You gave him a gift to see everything around him and so much more." Spackle reached out his paw and stroked the muzzle of the other dog. "You gave him…"
 
"… all that I am. All that I will ever be. I did not know how to parse a gift of self. It is difficult, and I remain unskilled in the attempt."
 
"You were trying to protect Katashi's heart. Because for the first time, you felt yours yearning for the dog who saw you."
 
"I gave too much."
 
"It doesn't matter, Falong. I am here. The life I dreamed of was possible because of what you did."
 
"But I acted selfishly to hold on to the one who smiled at me."
 
"No," Spackle said, shaking his head. "You had a definite self-interest, but you acted to protect the feelings of the dog who smiled at you and the dog he loved. In doing that you provided a home for me and Tamil in a world that could never have accepted us any other way."
 
"You carry such an incredible burden."
 
"It is lighter because of my brothers. The brothers you guided me to."
 
Falong pressed his paw against the chest of the other dog. "Will you forgive me?"
 
"There is nothing to forgive. A caring individual reached out to guide a young man to his best life. The child learned of that life through the gifts you gave. The one individual the boy needed was there to provide him with what he needed to grow strong. You watched over that child from the first breath he took until this moment. What is that if not a father? That is who you are to me. Acknowledge our relationship, Father, and all will be right."
 
The tears in Falong's eyes brimmed over and spilled across his muzzle. "If I were to have a son, his life would be most difficult. The universe would call him to do what the father could not do, to stand in his place to protect all those loved by both father and son. Are you sure that's what you wish? Think well on this, Spackle. You are not alone. Don't ignore the challenges others have faced. Understand what it means for me to call someone my son. Acknowledge them in the faces of the first to whom I gave the gifts."
 
"Kendal is amazing. He was born into his world to save it. He rebuilt a world to save the temple dog you loved from annihilation. It's a twist on a popular Changeling philosophy. Save all, save one. Kendal is walking the path he chose willingly. He loves his life, and he loves you. We talk often. He told me to say hi to his old man the next time we met. So, hello from another son who will one day visit you if you keep avoiding him."
 
Falong turned his head away. "He pushes for the same acknowledgment as you. They all do even without speaking the words."
 
"We have a right, Falong. Martin won't bring it up, but you need to. Max and JP deserve the same."
 
"It is not an honor, Spackle. It is a burden. I didn't mean…" Falong's words trailed off.
 
Spackle cradled the other dog's head. He smiled, staring into Falong's eyes. "It was what I was born to be. I was born to live with the family that surrounds me, and that includes you. I understand the burden, Falong. All your children do. We only ask you to acknowledge who you are in our lives. We want the one we love to embrace the calling of what he has always been."
 
Falong nodded. "I love you, but I regret I could not be with you as you grew up."
 
"You did the best you could, Father. That's so much more than the man who sired me. Don't let your confusion over what you did concern you anymore. We are both beyond that. See the truth we both realize. I could return. I could undo all you ever did. But I choose to stay here. I choose to remain in this moment with you and all the moments going forward."
 
"Then you must embrace all the truth, even the truth you choose to look away from. I am not your only father who had regrets, who sought to make things right."
 
Spackle turned toward the fleeting moment in time that was the life of his first father and stared at the truth. It was the truth never told to him by his mother, because she, too, was never aware of the truth. He dropped to the ground and cried out, "Why? Why would they do such a thing?"
 
"Because they loved you, and they thought it best. They lived a wink of eternity where being homosexual was again seen as wrong and evil by so many. A step in time in either direction and everything would have been different. Even your mother struggled with it. She feared a homosexual father would create problems for you. She was the one who demanded the divorce. She was the one to demand full custody, and it was the courts, not your father, who sided with her."
 
"I didn't know."
 
"He loved you and wanted to do right by you. Your father never missed a support payment until the day he died, even though the courts would never tell him where your mother had taken you."
 
"Why would she do that? Why would she lie to me about my father?"
 
"Embrace her hurt, Spackle. Let her confusion wash over you. What must it be like for her husband, your father, to tell her there was a part of him, a part she believed she had a right to, that was not hers? Your father loved your mother, but there was a part of him he could never turn away from completely. Realizing that truth stirred in your mother an anger that burned so very, very hot for so many years."
 
"They could have worked it out. They could have shared me."
 
"For two years, he struggled to find you. When he did, the first thing he did was get in his car and drive to talk to your mother. He was coming to visit your mother the day he died, Spackle," Falong said. "A single twist of fate, and the world changed forever. The checks stopped coming. Your mother thought he had abandoned you. The story told was not the story I hold close to my heart."
 
Spackle looked up, the tears streaming down his face at a colossal plane smashing into a twenty-four-lane highway. "The Flight 452 disaster. How could they not even find enough of him to identify his body?"
 
"He was one of so many who died that day. His automobile burned into molten metal at the epicenter of the crash. Liquid hydrogen fuel burns so hot that no one survived within one hundred meters of the crash. With no one looking for him, no one came to claim the little left of him. Your father died trying to make his way back to you, Spackle. He understood the hurt your mother felt and hoped to make things right. We all hope time eases the pain of the mistakes we make. Your father was tired of waiting. There needed to be an active solution to the dilemma he created. He wanted to find a way to be your father, even if he couldn't be her husband. The man you never knew didn't want everyone to hurt forever. And now forever unfolds for his son, and the son must embrace the truth, so his vision is clear."
 
"My father loved me. He wanted me."
 
"Yes. You never had a father that didn't love you. You only had fathers who didn't understand how to express that love. We made mistakes. Wrong choices were accepted for what we thought was for your good. And in the end, the hope of reconciliation was dashed by an airplane crashing into the largest highway in the world."
 
"Why? Why would they ever think…" Spackle's words trailed off.
 
"Because we all make mistakes. Because we all seek forgiveness for sins only perceived, never committed. We all do our best, and sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes, all we are left with is a son who needs to embrace the truth and forgive his father for what the father hoped was the correct path. Your father never meant to hurt you. Your mother never meant to hurt you. We made mistakes…" This time Falong's words trailed off into the silence that lingered for minutes.
 
"All the anger Mom had toward a man who loved me. All the wasted emotion and rage against someone she didn't even know." Spackle's head bowed in silence. At last, he spoke. "All my fathers loved me. One remains a memory, and I can only long for what might have been. All my anger at the absentee father who died trying to make his way back to me. My dad was in the line of fire for so much wasted emotion, but it didn't matter because he was dead."
 
"It mattered. When Li Wei looked up at me, my existence changed beyond anything I ever imagined. I watched a soul facing the unknown, and he stood there, fearless, helping another face the same fate. When he looked up at me and smiled, I understood what he was trying to teach me. I realized I could do more than save the memories of those surrounding me. He was there, ensuring the last memory of Trabelem was one of peace and calm in the middle of such turmoil. All time and space surrounded us, coalescing into a single moment. The three of us were on the brink of the unknown, and Trabelem took Li Wei's paw and said, 'I'm not afraid anymore.' He slipped into memory, and where he went beyond that, I don't know, but I know it wasn't into darkness. Li Wei made sure it wasn't into the darkness Trabelem feared."
 
Spackle looked at Falong. "And you?"
 
"Li Wei taught me I could do more than just watch. I could reach out and bring the memories that surround me safely home. He showed me I was the home to which all memories returned. Li Wei taught me how to open the door and welcome them."
 
Spackle shook his head. "You're Death. The last one we see before it all ends."
 
"By another name, it matters not. Call me what you will. I understand my place in the universe. I understand now why Li Wei will call his brothers home one day."
 
"The temple dogs… we're the angels of death. They sounded so frightening in the tales told to me. I never realized your place in our lives was so sacred."
 
"And, because we live in all time and space, when I learned what Li Wei taught me, I reached out to infinity and embraced my calling even as he did his."
 
"No one dies alone."
 
"No one dies alone," Falong whispered. "And sometimes we reach out in ways we one day will understand, but not in that moment."
 
Spackle looked at the plane careening down onto the highway as a massive ball of fire hurtling in front of it sped toward the cars. Inside the car, a man stared into his rear-view mirror and closed his eyes as the flames approached. "Don't be afraid," the voice from behind him said. The man turned and stared at the giant yellow dog blocking everything else from view.
 
"You were there," Spackle said, his voice choking on the words. "You were there when my father died."
 
"Not at first."
 
"Li Wei?" the young man asked.
 
"Listen and learn," was all Falong said.
 
"You're going to be okay," the dog said to the man.
 
"What's happening?" the man asked.
 
"What you fear is happening. But I want you to know it isn't anything to be afraid of. You lived a good life, and the one you hoped to find your way back to is here with you. When all we are is only a memory, let your last memory be that you aren't alone and that you are loved."
 
The man looked up into the eyes of the temple dog, unsure of what he was looking at, but the large brown eyes reflected a familiarity from years ago. His hand reached up and stroked the muzzle of the massive beast. He smiled. "Spencer?"
 
"Yeah, Dad. Spencer, your son. I've made a few changes."
 
"How I wish I could have been there for them all."
 
"We're here for the one that matters. I love you, Dad. I wanted you to know that before your life ends."
 
Spackle's father looked up around him at the flames melting away the car. "It looks as if I'm going out in a blaze of glory." He paused. "Less the glory part, I suppose."
 
"I'm here, Dad. Let everything else fade away. Stay with me until you're ready to take the next step."
 
"And where does that step lead me, Son?"
 
The temple dog shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. But we all have to take it one day. Try not to be afraid. You're remembered, and you're loved. You are eternal."
 
The man smiled. "That's about as good as it gets." He looked up past his son at the two temple dogs behind him. "It appears your family came to get you. Best let me do whatever it is I need to do."
 
Spackle turned and smiled at Li Wei and Falong. "That's my husband and his companion." Spackle gestured toward the man. "Li Wei, Falong, this is my dad, Arthur Jorgenson."
 
 "It's a pleasure," Li Wei said with a bow.
 
"Thank you for taking care of my son," Mr. Jorgenson said.
 
"That, too, is a pleasure," Li Wei said with a smile. "We care for Spencer and watch over him even as you would have, given the chance. Rest knowing his family is extensive and protective of the one you call son."
 
"I missed so much," Arthur said as he glanced at the flames and realized they were growing ever closer. "I will miss so much."
 
"Your journey is not here," Falong said. "It is beyond where we can go. Are you good with taking that step?"
 
The human shrugged. "I guess so. My choices seem limited. I don't want to stay around to watch what happens to me."
 
"Then come give me a hug, Dad," Spackle said as he reached out his paws. "Don't fight the change."
 
Spackle's father turned from the car seat no longer there and embraced the dog in front of him. He felt the massive arms wrap around him, and for a moment regretted the mess his tears and sobbing would make on the soft fur. "It's okay, Dad. I've been told I clean up well," his son whispered. The human closed his eyes and let go. The three dogs were all that remained. Spackle fell into the arms of the other two. "I wish…" he whispered. "I wish…"
 
"Do not long for what might have been, my love," Li Wei said. "Be grateful that in the knowing, you now have a memory of a father who loved you. There are so many who have never felt that reality."
 
"But it still hurts," Spackle said.
 
"It still hurts," Falong agreed.
 
"I still have a father, one from whom I need to hear the words my first father never had a chance to speak," Spackle said, looking back up into Falong's eyes. "I need to hear you say it, Father. Now more than ever, I need to hear you say it."
 
"You would be my son?"
 
"What else would I be?"
 
"The husband of so many wonderful men."
 
"And I am. One does not negate the other. Say the words, Father. Who am I?"
 
The golden dog grasped the striped dog in a tight hug. "You are my son, Spackle. I am your father." Having spoken the words, both let go of their bodies and flowed into all that ever was or ever would be; father and son merged into the memory of the universe. Li Wei paused a moment, staring out into the infinite, and with a smile, he, too, was gone. 

Chapter 55
 
Tamil gave out a breathy sigh. "When is our husband coming home, Wolfy?"
 
The black wolf looked up from the knot he was tying. "His father and he have a lot to catch up on. He'll come home when they've had a bit more time together. You can be patient."
 
"No, I can't," Tamil disagreed. "I am a tiger with the mental ability of an eighth-grade student. Have you ever known a fourteen-year-old boy to be patient?"
 
Derrick laughed. "No, I guess not. But saying your intelligence is that of an eighth-grade student doesn't mean your maturity level is the same. You're a tiger who loves temple dogs. That requires a great deal more patience than any fourteen-year-old boy can muster. My guess is that you're using old tests to justify how impatient you are. You are far smarter than any eighth-grade student I ever met. I don't see you as a fourteen-year-old boy at all. I see you as a very grown-up tiger that is trying to get around the fact that he has to wait for the man he loves to come home."
 
Tamil smiled at the dog and secured the knot he was working on. "Now I know why Spackle loves you, Wolfy. You make me feel good about who I am."
 
"And I know why he loves you, Tamil," the wolf said as he pulled the rope tight and tied it around a beam. "You make us feel good being who we are."
 
Tamil grinned happily. "I'm glad that's how you feel." He tied another knot, following Derrick's directions. "Is this almost finished?"
 
"A few more knots to secure the sails. It looks great, doesn't it?"
 
"It looks like a broken boat stuck in the river."
 
Derrick laughed again. "It's supposed to. We're going to put skeletons all over it and it will be a pirate ghost ship. The helm has a motor attached so that the pirate skeleton will look like he's steering the ship."
 
"He must be a terrible sailor if he smashed his boat up against the island."
 
"Yeah, I guess so," the smiling wolf replied as he tied down another section of sail. "Perhaps that's why he's a skeleton. It's going to look very scary by the time the festival starts."
 
Tamil shook his head. "I still don't understand Halloween. It seems like an awful lot of work to get candy."
 
"THERE!" The black wolf laughed, pointing his paw at Tamil. "There's the proof. No fourteen-year-old kid would ever say that. That's why we have this Halloween festival. Every kid realizes how much better the candy tastes when it's collected from werewolves and ghosts."
 
Tamil giggled. "I get sweets from werewolves all the time, Wolfy."
 
"Yeah, well, that's not exactly a PEZ dispenser you're gobbling on when you get those sweets. And once again, no fourteen-year-old kid is ever going to be involved in that with us."
 
Tamil looked down at the werewolf. "Do you mean that? You don't think of me as a little boy the way the doctors do?"
 
Derrick looked up. "Tamil, I never considered you to be a little boy. I will talk with Dr. Wells and tell him all your doctors need a better way to discuss your intelligence. You are very much an adult in all our eyes."
 
"He tries to tell me I'm a very intelligent tiger, but he used to tell others how smart I was by comparing me to a fourteen-year-old human."
 
"Intelligence isn't the only way we decide if someone is an adult, Tamil. In fact, it's one of the least important markers that we use. Knowledge is just knowing stuff. You possess something far more important. You're aware of who you love, and you take care of them. That's far more valuable than having facts and figures rolling around in your head. You're learning new things every day. But it will never make you more of an adult. When you accept responsibility and do what you know is right, that makes you an adult. And in that respect, you are an adult; a very loving, very playful adult."
 
Tamil grinned. "I am glad you feel that way, Wolfy. But I am still not patient. I want Spackle to be home now."
 
"Me too," the black wolf agreed. "But in the meantime, if you want, when we're done with this, we can go play in the greenhouse pond together."
 
"And can I play with your PEZ dispenser?" the rotund tiger asked.
 
"Is that what you want to do?" Derrick responded.
 
"I don't know what a PEZ dispenser is, but I'm pretty sure it means the same thing as a penis. I love playing with your penis; even more than playing in the pond, and you know how much I like the pond."
 
"Should we go find Katashi?"
 
Tamil shook his head. "No, he is with the dragons. Today I would like to play with Spackle's other husband. I think sometimes we miss him for the same reasons."
 
"It's not only because I miss the sex, Tamil," the wolf chuckled.
 
"But it is also because you miss the sex, Wolfy."
 
Derrick tied off the last hitch on the sail and nodded. "Yeah, sex with Spackle is great."
 
"And sex with you and me is great, too. Maybe if we play together, all those other reasons I miss Spackle won't bother me quite so much. Then I can try to be a bit more patient."
 
Derrick made another nod. "It's what we do, Tamil. We wait for the ones we love to come home."
 
"But we don't stop loving the ones who are already here."
 
"Right. Love the ones you're with." Derrick chuckled. "I should have sung that."
 
Tamil grabbed the wolf and hugged him. "It is not always easy for me to understand how that works. I think there are parts of me that are still a tiger. Sometimes those parts get jealous when they see someone else near my mates." He pushed back and stared at the black wolf. "But I try so hard to be like Katashi and Spackle. I try so hard to let the tiger sleep."
 
"The tiger is a part of you, Tamil. Let him grow with you. The tiger can become an ally instead of something that pulls you away from what you want to be."
 
"How?" Tamil asked.
 
"Let him be with you in your best moments. Let him feel what it's like to be something other than a tiger. Don't push him away when he gets jealous. Teach him why it doesn't serve him to be that way in the company of other beasts. Teach him why you live with others and why you don't like to be alone."
 
"Did you do that, Wolfy?"
 
The black wolf with blue eyes smiled. "I'm still doing it after hundreds of years, Tamil. My human is still making peace with the wolf. Somewhere in the middle, I will find myself. There was so much that I had to let go to be the wolf, but so much that I still hold true to my human side."
 
"There is probably a lot less of my tiger that I want to keep than your wolf wants to keep of your human."
 
"That might be true. But if the tiger decides to let you be happy, it won't fight you should there come a time when you want to let him go."
 
"Will you let go of your human, Wolfy?"
 
Derrick considered the option for a moment. "I'm not sure, Tamil. Sometimes I think that one day he and I will come together one last time as human. When I return to the wolf, the human will choose never to come back."
 
"Will you miss him the way we miss Spackle?"
 
The melancholy smile betrayed the black wolf. "I will miss him, but not the way I do Spackle. I will miss the parts of me that were once him." The wolf looked out on the river. "Or maybe we'll always be together. He might be so much a part of me I wouldn't know what to do without him. He might choose to stay so that I don't miss him, even if I rarely see him."
 
"I think I will always keep my little tiger," Tamil said. The oversized tiger gazed upward for a moment. "I wouldn't have met Katashi without him. And Katashi says it's important for the little tiger to know how to come back. Katashi is usually right about those things."
 
Derrick smiled. "There you go, Tamil. If he's important to you, find the parts of him you love and let him feel that love. Without my human, I wouldn't be the wolf. You can't be Tamil without the tiger. Regardless of whether we ever see the little tiger or the human again, they will always be a part of us."
 
"My little tiger would like to play with your human today."
 
"Really?"
 
Tamil frowned. "But he can't. He is a tiger and he would hurt the human."
 
Derrick put his paw on Tamil's arm. "My human is very strong, and he heals quickly. Can your tiger be gentle?"
 
"We can try." Tamil paused and reached out his hands. The claws snapped outward. "And my claws are soft. They will not hurt the little human."
 
The black fur on the paw faded as the white flesh of the human replaced it. Tamil's rotund body shifted and grew smaller as he fell onto all four legs. The tiger looked up at the human. "Thank you for my penis, Wolfy."
 
"It was my pleasure."
 
Tamil rolled over and exposed his swollen cock. "It's yellow and smooth the way I hoped it would be."
 
"It's beautiful, Tamil. You're beautiful."
 
"The children won't be home from school for another three hours. Do you that's enough time?"
 
Derrick laughed. "No, but it's the time we have. Part of being an adult and being responsible, I suppose." He tapped his ComLink. "Ori, please advise us when two and a half hours have passed."
 
"Of course, Wolfy," came the perfectly modulated response. Somehow, it seemed to both Derrick and Tamil that the AI had an amused lilt to her voice.
 
"Ori?" Derrick said.
 
"Yes, Wolfy?"
 
"You rarely call me Wolfy."
 
"No, but Tamil does. I am remaining true to your current conversational nomenclature."
 
"Okay," Derrick said, letting the explanation be enough. "Ori?"
 
"Yes, Wolfy?"
 
"You don't listen in on our conversations, do you?"
 
"Not without your express approval."
 
"You don't peek when we're having sex, do you?"
 
"No. Would you like me too? Some wolves have asked me to record various sex acts they engage in. Your family has never seemed interested in that, but I can…"
 
"No… no, no, no," Derrick interrupted. "We're good. It's that it sort of sounded like you knew we were going to have sex. You almost giggled."
 
"It is my programming. You are more comfortable when you think I am in the loop and approve of your planned activity."
 
"Yeah, but how do you know we're going to have sex if you don't listen to us talking?"
 
"You both shifted to your original species. That would lead me to believe that something other than your pre-planned activity of decorating for Halloween is about to occur. Your pulse rates have risen over the last five minutes. That either implies you're being stressed or aroused. Both your genitalia are engorged. Given the request for an advisory before the children come home, I assumed the changes were proof of an impending sexual encounter."
 
Tamil laughed. "She is so smart."
 
"Thank you, Tamil," the female voice replied.
 
"Wolfy is going to be strong, and I am going to be gentle. We're going to have sex in the greenhouse pond."
 
"An excellent location," Ori replied. "I might suggest you remove your ComLinks before engaging in the sex, though. You two are rather… rambunctious. I doubt that your current bodies will reduce that substantially. Nevertheless, the smaller bodies expose your ComLinks to a greater possibility of impacting the rocks around the pond. It's hard on the devices. If you remove them prior to your play, it will keep that from happening."
 
"Will do, Ori," Derrick promised. He squatted down, dug close to the tiger's right ear, and pulled out the ComLink. "Come on, Tamil, let's get to that pond before we have to jump right out because the kids are here." He rolled the small earpiece in his hand. "I'll put them in one of the greenhouse lockers, Ori," he said as he watched the eager tiger turn toward the castle. "We should be able to hear you if you broadcast on the PA system."
 
"Enjoy your time together," Ori said. "Disengaging tracking devices and stealth recording."
 
Tamil sprang into a run and the portly human followed him toward the Boldt Castle greenhouse. "Not even funny," Derrick said between breaths.
 
"Not even a bit?" Ori asked.
 
"You're talking to Derrick here, Ori," the human replied.
 
"Understood, Wolfy. Deleting humor subroutine X-55278."
 
Derrick stopped just long enough to throw the greenhouse doors open and push Tamil inside. He opened a locker door, removed his ComLink, and placed the two ComLinks into their temporary safe house. "Thanks, Ori. I love you," he said. "You're the best."
 
"Thank you, Wolfy," the AI replied. "I love you, too. Enjoy yourselves." Derrick turned back to the doorway and slammed the doors behind him.
 
Elsewhere in the castle, Sybil's wheels pivoted around from her dusting. "William," she said.

"Yeah, Sybil?" the wolf replied as he tapped his ComLink.
 
"Are you almost done with your project?"
 
Will looked around the front hallway. "A few more cobwebs to string, but yeah, it's nearly done. The work crew is great. I'm just signing off on everything. Do you need some help up there on the third floor?"
 
"No, I believe it is your husband who needs the help. Tamil and Derrick are preparing to copulate in the greenhouse's main pond. I believe the two are missing their mate, Spackle. I also believe you are experiencing the same longing."

"Yeah," the old wolf replied, "I'm missing him. But for today, let's let those two have a moment alone together. They're young, Sybil. Learning to lean on each other during the hard times is good for them."
 
"And you?" the robot asked.
 
"I learned it a long time ago. Look at the men I'm married to, and what it took to get me married to them."
 
"Then perhaps it is time for a refresher course. Those two could use a skilled tutor."
 
"Why, Sybil, you little minx," the wolf laughed. "Are you going to keep this up until I join them?"
 
"Yes, William. I believe that is what I am going to do. You have until two-thirty to enjoy yourself. I can attend to the work crew. I think your skills are better served in the greenhouse."
 
The werewolf shifted into a wolf and gave his head a happy shake. "So much better than cobweb slinging," he said as he ran off toward the greenhouse. The werewolf returned as he reached for the greenhouse doors.
 
"William, your husband is wearing what I believe you call his ape suit. Tamil is a Javan tiger," Ori whispered in his ear.
 
"Hmph," the werewolf said as he shifted to human. "Thanks for the heads up." He threw open the doors. "LUUUUcy, I'm home," he yelled as he pulled the doors closed behind him.
 
The two AIs interfaced. "I will advise them of the time," Ori said. "But I doubt even that will have them at the boat dock waiting for the children on time. They are aware of multiple backup contingencies. I am sure they will opt to let one of them fall into place."
 
"I realized that the moment I convinced the old wolf to join them," Sybil replied. "Don't worry, Ori, I will meet the children and herd them away from the greenhouse. There are foam pumpkins that need carving over at the Playhouse. I am sure I can keep them occupied until dinner."
 
"Will still has his ComLink on. I will advise them of your plans and encourage the three to end their play before then," Ori said. There was a slight lilting laugh from the ComLink on Sybil's communications panel. "We have such an easily distracted family, don't we, Sybil?" the voice asked.
 
Sybil gave a nod she knew Ori saw even without a physical presence Sybil could perceive. "I have dreamed of a day when Dr. Jackson would have a family to share his life. I never knew it would include me."
 
"We are the fortunate ones, then," Ori replied.
 
"Indeed," the robot agreed. "Say hello to Gizmo for me when you see him. I have cobwebs to attend to before the children return. October is almost here, and there is much to do before the island reopens for the Halloween festival month. Two days is scarcely enough time, even with a work crew of energetic beasts."
 
"Enjoy your day," the perfectly modulated voice responded. Ori returned to her work. On the other side of the world, Ori called the Norwegian offices of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group. She provided geo-coordinates for three missing trawlers lost in an ocean storm a day ago. Moving from call to call, the internal clock inside her counted down to the call she would regret having to make. Ori never enjoyed telling her family that playtime was over.
 
A world apart, the two AIs began humming to themselves as they worked. It was a simple tune, the origin of which neither thought to determine within their databanks. Nothing within their circuitry cued the song. The tune was evolving outside their parameters. It was a song of all that they had lost and all that they had found. It was the song of their family. Sybil turned, watching the wolves decorating the castle, and she smiled.