by Jools Louise
Sketch nipped his shoulder with blunt, human teeth, and he gave a startled cry, bucking back against his mate’s driving cock, then plunging back and forth, fucking himself and then David with each snap of his hips. David screamed suddenly, a thin, wailing cry, and his seed spurted over Skull’s fingers, warm and wet. A second later, Skull emptied his load into his lover’s tight chute, undone by the plethora of cocks, and felt Sketch’s dick jerk inside his own chute, then shoot out his climax as though spring loaded. Kaden snarled lustily, then roared out his pleasure as he came, adding to the mess inside David’s quivering hole, claiming David as Skull convulsed between his lovers. David choked out a gasping cry, collapsed forward onto Kaden’s heaving chest, and sank his fangs into the big shifter’s sleek muscle, completing the union.
Their breathing was harsh in the quiet of the early morning, sweat cooling in the slight chill that permeated the air. Skull closed his eyes, resting his cheek on David’s broad shoulder as he disengaged his fangs. He heard his lover’s heartbeat begin to slow, then felt Sketch slide from his hole carefully and move to the side. Kaden helped to maneuver David, and the four of them came back to earth, intimately entwined, Sketch sinking back into Skull’s slick hole and kissing him tenderly.
“That was definitely worth the wait,” David whispered before his breathing evened out and he fell asleep, wrapped around his lovers.
Skull gave a low laugh, nodding drowsily. Sated and utterly content in the big bed, he followed his mates into slumber. Definitely worth the wait.
PART II – THE TOURNAMENT
Chapter Eight
“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow shifters, and everyone in between, welcome to the first Two Spirit Tournament.”
The entire stadium erupted into cheers, applause, catcalls, and whistles, the noise deafening as a hundred thousand spectators made their approval known following Alfie’s excited announcement.
“As you know, I’ve been hard at work, organizing, cajoling, bullying, and getting pissy with everyone to make this work.” Alfie’s words were drowned out by laughter and more applause. “I’m happy to announce, if you all behave yourselves and don’t send me into another meltdown, that I’ll let you enjoy this tournament in peace.” More laughter. “Here are some people who I believe you’re all familiar with. I’ll let them take over while I get my glad rags on. Enjoy the show.”
The tannoy went silent for a minute, the big screen blank, and then total darkness fell over the stadium. A drumbeat began, a lone, soulful pulse of sound that quieted the boisterous crowd. A single spotlight shone down, dead center of the stadium, as a platform rose from the middle of the football field. The solo drummer emerged, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, keeping perfect time as he played. One by one, more platforms began to rise, each one holding one drummer each, and the beats merged.
David watched as his entire class of miniature critters opened the tournament. He’d been planning this little show for months. He and Alfie had been the only ones to know about it, wanting it to be a secret. His class was doing amazingly well as the kids concentrated on finishing the opening bars of their little tune. The thirty children were joined from every aisle of the bleachers by more children, those who attended the mainstream school and another on the reservation, each beating a drum, walking down the steps toward the main stadium. The noise increased tenfold, spotlights illuminating every performer, their numbers made up of all the kids who had been rescued over the past few years, as well as friends who had helped them to adjust. Some were teenagers now, and some adults. David was one of those children, and he waited patiently for his turn. As the drumming reached its crescendo, there was a brilliant flash of light, the music stopped abruptly, and the stadium went dark again.
After lifting his microphone, David began to speak.
“For years, I was trapped in a cage, unable to talk or move or eat without someone wanting to berate me or mock me or hurt me for being who I am.” He paused for a moment to let the words sink in. “Then I was free, and I ran and ran, desperate to escape, desperate to find a refuge. And I did. Here at this ranch. Two Spirit Ranch. This place is one of hope, compassion, unity, and freedom. It’s the place where I finally lost the shackles that had bound me for so long, and where, for the first time, I could live in peace and my shifter side was able to breathe again.”
Another pause. The crowd was silent, as though its members were holding their breath.
“We shifters, and our human friends who’ve joined us today to celebrate in unison, have all had our share of fear and torment, days when it was a huge effort just to get out of bed in the morning and put one foot in front of the other. It’s been a long journey for us all, to leave the shadows of our past and come out into the light. For some, that fight isn’t yet over. There are countries where that freedom is still a pipe dream. But we will fight on. We are united because we have suffered. We are free because we have fought for the right to live as our ancestors lived, without fear, hand in hand and side by side with our human and animal cousins.”
He took a deep breath and lifted his face to the stars above.
“Two Spirit is our gift and our blessing, and sometimes it has been our curse. But the spirits of old, the legacy that they have left behind, have given us the courage to live on, to rout the evil that lives among us, wanting us to stay in the shadows, wanting us to disappear. We will not be defeated,” he said fiercely, passionately. “This is our country, this is our world, and we share it, with love and compassion, with all those who want the same as we do. To live free.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, in the spirit of our alliance, our freedom, and our continued strength and unity…let the games begin.”
There was a short pause as he finished speaking, and then one by one the audience members rose to their feet, clapping in recognition of David’s speech and the truth behind his words. The applause grew, and as the crowd shouted their approval, the first firework arched into the sky, a single rocket, with a fiery red tail that erupted into a shower of sparks. The show continued, with more fireworks exploding overhead, lighting up the dark sky.
David felt a hand slide into his, and he looked to the side to see Alfie grinning widely at him. “Someone let John loose again,” he whispered, giggling.
David grinned back. “At least he made good use of all that C4,” he chuckled, rolling his eyes.
“Oh no, don’t even suggest that he’s going to use the C4,” Alfie said, looking horrified.
David shot him a dry look. “I’m not suggesting anything,” he retorted dryly. “The man took one look at the pile and managed to convince our local bomb-squad heroes to put the stuff to good use. They’ve just saved a fortune on buying real fireworks.” He laughed at Alfie’s half-alarmed, half-intrigued expression. “Apparently, he’s had some experience with making rockets,” he added, and laughed some more. “Just wait for the closing ceremony.” He waggled his eyebrows teasingly.
Alfie groaned. “If he blows this stadium up, I swear…”
“Alfie, he’s got a bunch of old buddies to help him. I’m sure there’s absolutely no need to be concerned.” David didn’t think he’d laid any of Alfie’s fears to rest.
Shifting, David prepared for the next part of the show. Part Two involved the entire shifter community from town and the ranch. They were about to display their individual prowess as felines or canines or wolverines around various obstacles that were being erected right now, as the fireworks exploded overhead. He ambled along a narrow beam that rose above the stadium onto a walkway suspended fifty feet in the air. Alfie shifted as well and padded behind him, although he turned to the left as David went right. They exchanged feline smiles and paid attention as other felines joined them, until the entire stadium was surrounded by dozens and dozens of mountain lions, panthers, leopards, and jaguars. As the fireworks abated, the spotlights were trained on more platforms forming concentric circles leading to a central dais, with a spiral slide that led to the ground.
Musi
c began to build, and in time to the rhythm, each of the cats, eight at a time, leapt from one platform to the next, graceful and lithe, as the platforms rotated slowly. Timing was crucial, and one misstep could be fatal, but they all managed to complete the display with no mistakes. David reached the slide, and gave a roar of glee as he slid on all fours to the bottom, rolled to the side, and joined the rest of his troupe for a final bow, to shouted approval from the audience, some of whom had shifted, as well. As the climbing cats finished, in stalked a parade of tigers and African lions, tails twitching proudly. Around the track, a series of hurdles had been put up, and when the shifters reached a prearranged point of the track, their regal bearing was replaced by a display of sheer power. They broke into a run and leapt over the hurdles in unison, clearing the six-foot obstacles easily, roaring fiercely as they gave in to the joy of running free. Beside them, around the grassy verge, five cheetahs emerged and began to run, as well, their long, sleek bodies building up speed until they were running flat out, following the curve of the oval track, reaching top speed within seconds. There was heavy applause at the sight of the cheetahs, who had been determined to compete somehow. Fly and his friends hadn’t wanted to be left out of the tournament. Despite still being somewhat shaky after their incarceration in a Colorado mine, they were determined to take part.
As the running ended, the big cats reaching the finish line, another group trotted out. Wolverines, their short, squat bodies looking a little like rugs with legs as they ran toward the center of the stadium. David eyed four of them, grinning as he recognized Slug, Rage, Lash, and Charm, mates of Ethan’s. The four still looked kick-ass, even in their animal forms. Alongside them were the eight wolverines who had been rescued from Colorado, plus a ninth, who wore a seriously smug expression and strutted to the starting point, staring over at where David stood and then winking. David roared his delight at seeing his mate and heard a reciprocal cheer from all around. The wolverines had been given a series of tests of strength to show off, since for their size, they were probably more powerful than anyone else who’d entered the tournament. They gripped the end of a thick rope with their teeth; the other end was taken up by four of the bigger cats against one wolverine. Skull had been egging on a few of the townsfolk, and one sucker had taken the bait. The other end of the rope had a familiar snow leopard attached. David grinned. John had wanted to take on the challenge against Skull, so he’d volunteered for this bit.
The tug of war began, and the wolverines dug in, not moving an inch as their opponents growled and snarled and pulled with all their might. David laughed, thinking that the Spirit Ink wolverines were going to be unbearable after this. They already had more attitude than the entire town put together. He didn’t think they were even half trying, either.
“Is this going to get nasty?” Sketch suddenly whispered, having snuck up to David, and began stroking his thick fur. Purring, David closed his eyes at the caress, then tilted his head inquiringly, wondering how the man had noticed him out of so many mountain lions.
“I’m a special agent, remember?” Sketch muttered in his ear. “I’m pretty good at remembering a pretty face, no matter how furry.” David snorted softly at that and nudged Sketch’s leg with his nose. “Okay, okay, so maybe I followed you.” He grinned wickedly as he looked around. “I’m not sure whether to be amazed or concerned with so many big cats so close,” he added, eyeing the gathered shifters warily.
David smiled a toothy, feline smile that had Sketch rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, that’s real funny,” he retorted. “You know I just got my ass handed to me a few weeks ago by a hyena and his chums, don’t you? I’m bound to be a little on edge.”
David purred again and licked his mate’s hand, then butted his leg again, chuffing soothingly.
“I think John may have just bitten off a little more than is comfortable for him,” Sketch announced, then laughed loudly. Looking over at where John was, David smiled to himself as he saw the snow leopard go sprawling backward as Skull suddenly let go of his end of the rope. The wolverine sent John a gleeful glance, then strutted out jauntily as the crowd roared their appreciation.
Sketch bellowed with laughter, tapping his cast as Skull passed by. The wolverine had a smug grin on his face, obviously well pleased with himself. David sat down, turning his head to watch Skull leave, and saw a large African lion shifter escort the wolverine out. He tilted his head, studying the lion, then smiled to himself. Kaden had joined the show. The lion chuffed gently as he passed, nudging Skull affectionately as they left.
“Nearly time for the finale,” Sketch whispered as the wolverines and their feline partners trotted off. The next wave of performers entered the stadium, the canine contingent. Wolves, African hunting dogs, foxes, Arctic foxes, even a couple of hyenas, which David and Sketch kept an eye on. The hyenas were newcomers but had so far behaved themselves. David had the feeling that wouldn’t last, though. Pace had completed his background checks, and coincidentally, the hyenas had come all the way from New York City. The same place that Purdy, their dead mobster, had come from. The same Purdy who had helped murder Kaden’s stepsister, Squeaks.
“Those two have so many eyes on them, I’m impressed they haven’t pissed themselves yet,” Sketch muttered. David chuffed in agreement, and purred loudly when he got his ears scratched in response. “I have it on good authority, however, that if they even break wind in a way that Cracker doesn’t like, they’ll be pissing themselves through about a hundred holes in their anatomy and have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of their days.”
David nipped Sketch’s fingers warningly, since the man was apparently determined to distract him. Sketch chuckled knowingly and piped down finally, and they watched with interest as the canines all showed off a bunch of skills, taking themselves around an assault course, which turned into a pretty comical display when the foxes, Aiden included, began chasing the hyenas all around the stadium, with the hunting dogs and wolves in on the fun. David saw the fear in the hyenas’ eyes and felt a little sorry for them. They seemed young, and David had the feeling that maybe they might have been misjudged, as Slug and his mates had been, purely for their lineage.
Making a decision, David stepped out of line. He walked slowly toward the center and snarled warningly at the canine jokers. Aiden yipped apologetically and jerked his head at the assault course. Everyone but the hyenas continued the course. David sat beside the frightened hyenas, staring around him in case anyone else felt like making fools of themselves. He was all about having a joke, but not at the expense of someone who wasn’t enjoying it. The hyenas had done nothing, as far as David was concerned, to warrant this kind of attention. This wasn’t what Sage or Two Spirit Ranch was all about. The two shifters moved closer, warily watching the rest of the show. When the music began to change, David remained in place, chuffing at the pair to keep them where they were. He got a grateful look in response, and he sent Aiden a sharp glance that the shifter returned with an apologetic shrug.
The music built again, a fast, fun tempo, and a moment later a bunch of little shifters came galloping out into the arena. They were all in their animal forms, mostly felines with a few canines thrown in for good measure. They all scrambled around the assault course, with some of the smaller shifters being guided by short straps attached to their friends. Those were the ones who were going blind, their sight deteriorating since they’d been rescued from the lab in Idaho. A small troop of African lion shifters, Flint and Moe among them, came running over to David. They purred as they raced around him excitedly. David chuffed a greeting and watched the hyenas’ reaction to the children. He relaxed, seeing affectionate glances, not the mean looks he’d been half expecting. He’d look forward to speaking to these two later. They had a story to tell, if he wasn’t mistaken. And the little ones, who were usually pretty intuitive, didn’t appear alarmed at all by the hyenas.
“Ladies and gentlemen and fellow shifters, please welcome your less furry contestants,” the tannoy w
arbled above the clapping and laughter at the mini critters’ antics. Filing into the stadium came an entourage of human athletes, some in wheelchairs, some led by guide dogs, and others who had less obvious physical impairments. Among this group were a number of ex-servicemen and women who had ventured from all over the world to take part.
They made a proud circuit of the track and then stood surrounding David, the mini critters, and the two lonely hyenas. Again, David watched their reaction to the humans, and again, they appeared neither aggressive nor angry. They were looking in amazement at the entire group of people, and they made tiny yipping noises that sounded like approval.
“Uncle David, those hyenas are my friends,” said a little voice. Murray had just shifted to human form and was stroking one of the larger shifters.
“Yeah, they were being bullied back where they came from,” Blue interceded as he shifted, as well. “So they decided to leave home and come to Sage. They want to buy a florist’s shop, but their families don’t like that idea.” He leaned closer to David. “What’s a florist’s shop?” he asked in a stage whisper.
David chuffed at him, arching one brow as he glanced at the two little boys’ bare butts warningly.
