by M. J. Parker
Oracle and Owen both knew that their bodies and minds would be charged for the next season by their experience with Giselle. She fit the criteria for a lineage survival encounter, and she even gave them extra energy to pass along to their pack mates that were curled up back in their cave. Owen wanted to explain everything to Giselle, but decided it would be better to simply encourage her to visit them again in the forest. It was always best for the pack to spend as much time with their female as they could, but Owen knew that Giselle wasn’t alone, and didn’t want to stir up any suspicion among her friends.
After a few more minutes of gentle kisses and caresses, Giselle told Oracle and Owen that she had to get back to her camp-site. “I want to see you both again, and I want to be a part of your lineage protection, but I have a student with me, and two of my girlfriends…”Giselle trailed off and sat up, brushing the pine needles off her jacket.
“Perhaps we can meet you one more time before you leave the forest,” Owen suggested. Oracle nodded his head and ran his hands through his dirty blond hair. Giselle admired them as she sat. She loved their physique, their mannerisms, and their energy. To her, this was going to be a memorable adventure that she could, unfortunately, never share with even her closest friends. Who would believe her?
Oracle and Owen watched Giselle walk away. She waved to them both slowly as her shadow moved under the moonlight. Oracle and Owen both shifted as Giselle grew smaller in the distance. Owen was a dark gray wolf when he shifted, and his powerful haunches allowed him to leap high upon a boulder to watch Giselle as she made her way back to her camp. Once there, she climbed into her waiting sleeping back and drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, Giselle was the first to rise. She made everyone pancakes and coffee, then cleaned up the debris left from the fire. Richard woke up next, and he got out from his sleeping bag and watched the sun emerge over the horizon line. “Wow. That is really cool,” he said to Giselle, and the two stood in silence until Jasmine popped her head out from her sleeping bag.
“You know I had the strangest dream. Giselle, I had a dream that you were lost in the forest with a bunch of wolves,” she said, rubbing her eyes.
“That’s odd,” said Giselle. Carla climbed out of her sleeping bag next. She sat up and admired the sunrise with everyone else, then made some coffee from her travel pot. Richard asked Giselle what the plan was for the day.
“If we time it right, we can be up to the lake by lunch time,” she said.
“I have never gone swimming in a lake that was this far away. Are there any scary things in it?” Richard asked. Giselle looked at him and then laughed.
“You know, Richard. You are one tough looking kid, but boy, looks are deceiving,” she said. Richard laughed, too. He knew he was sheltered when it came to outdoor life. He also knew that this trip would be remembered for years to come, and he was looking forward to telling his mom all about it.
Giselle, Carla, Jasmine, and Richard finished breakfast and packed up for the last leg of their hike. They checked the maps one last time, then headed out on the switchbacks and hiked for the next three hours, only stopping for sips of water or for photo opportunities. When they finally reached the lake, Richard stood in awe at its beauty. The entire circumference was encircled with trees, and birds sang from various tree-tops.
Once everyone was settled, they all put on swim-suits and tiptoed down to the sandy beach area. They dipped their toes in and jumped back in response to how cold it was. “That’s some real mountain water for you!” Giselle shouted. They acclimated themselves and got in as far as they could, which for Richard was up to his knees. After a few minutes of playful splashing, they all scooted back to their tents to dry off.
From her spot inside the tent, Giselle thought she could make out the shape of two wolves up high on the ridge. She squinted to get a better look, but they disappeared behind the trees. As the air grew cooler and the night started to fall, Carla and Jasmine decided to take care of the fire. Giselle and Richard played cards for a bit, and then Richard decided to go on a hike. About ten minutes into his walk, he spotted the wolves. They were sitting on top of a boulder, and he pulled out his camera to take a picture.
Before long, night was settling in the forest, and the coyotes could be heard howling off in the distance. Giselle wanted to slip away to find Oracle and Owen before it got too dark, so she put on her leggings and a sweater, and told her crew that she wanted to take a walk. Richard wanted to go with her. She couldn’t say no, but how would she be able to spend time with Owen and Oracle if Richard was by her side? She didn’t need to worry because the alphas already had a plan figured out.
They would simply wait for Giselle to return to her camp, and lull her away from her tent when everyone else had fallen asleep. Like clockwork, the sky grew dim and the campers grew weary from their long day spent outside. They all got into their sleeping bags, except for Giselle, who at up in her tent, scanning the outside with her flashlight. She heard rustling in the woods, and knew that it was them. She hurried out as quietly as she could, and met both Owen and Oracle at the grove of trees.
“We know that you’re leaving soon, and we know you can’t stay long,” said Oracle. He was tall and muscular, with piercing blue eyes and big, broad shoulders. Giselle reached for his hand, and he kissed her on the head. Owen appeared from the grove and approached Giselle with a forlorn look in his eyes.
“Giselle, we would like to spend this last bit of time with you,” he said. Giselle embraced Owen and he took a deep breath then gave her a long, powerful hug. He rubbed himself against Giselle and she closed her eyes, inviting the pleasure that rose from his warmth and his manhood. She wanted to know him better, wanted to hold him in her arms and spend the rest of her night with him, but she knew she had to get back to the tent because the others might find her missing, yet again. She wondered if she would have any kind of future with the shifters, now that her energy was imprinted on their psyches.
“We want you to think about joining us, Giselle. We have a much larger group of us beyond Silver Lake,” said Oracle. And we know that other shifters would draw their lineage energy from you with much appreciation and desire,” he continued. Giselle imagined what life would be like with the shifters, what life would be like away from the comforts of home. She wondered if she should try to stay, knowing that this was an opportunity that only special individuals were chosen to be a part of. Then she thought of Richard.
“I can’t stay,” she said. The moon was out again, and Giselle’s hair illuminated in the shadow. “I want to, but I can’t.” She looked down at the forest floor and a tear rolled to the corner of her eye. She had become attached, due to the supernatural powers that the shifters had, and due to their genuine interest in her. She tried to come up with an alternative, but knew she might never see them again. Owen and Oracle both looked at her, their eyes aglow. They were now in the process of shifting again.
“We understand, Giselle,” said Owen. “We can be thankful for the time that we did have,” he said. “And we can look forward to you coming out this way again, whenever you feel the desire to be with us,” he said. Giselle didn’t say anything. She wished she could make the reality different than it was, but she knew that she had to go back to her tent, and she had to go back home. She looked Owen in the eyes and they kissed. Oracle rubbed Giselle’s back as she kissed Owen, and then he pressed himself against her. She moaned softly, amazed at how much she desired them.
Oracle couldn’t bear to see her go without making love to her. He disrobed, and touched Giselle’s arm. “I want to feel your nakedness,” he said.
Giselle said nothing, but slipped out of her clothes. Owen did the same. Under the moonlight, among the coyotes and the mountains, Owen made love to Giselle, pleasuring her in ways that no other man had ever done. She knew that this energy would fill her for many years to come.
Oracle then did the same. He climbed on top of her and entered her magical land of womanhood, where he wis
hed to remain forever. Giselle clung to him like she would never let go. Oracle moved powerfully inside of her. All too soon, Giselle reached the peak of her pleasurable sensations. She moaned softly and then gazed up at the sky. She felt like she had been filled with an indescribable electric energy. Jus then a large barn owl swooped overhead, and she decided that she had to get going.
Giselle had been initiated. This was how the shifters left their mark on the women they chose for their lineage survival, and this was the practice that they had used for m nay years. Giselle wondered why she had been chosen, and not Carla or Jasmine. She wondered if she would ever see them again to have the chance to ask. Then she walked back to her tent, under guidance form the moon. Richard was snoring softly in his sleeping bag. Giselle smiled. Then she got in her tent as the stars twinkled above, and drifted of to sleep.
Awaiting the Bears
Shifter Romance
It was that time of the month for Jeff Graves again.
He was busy driving home from work when he noticed something in the sky as the clouds were starting to pick up and the shades of light in the sky were dimming. He started to notice that bright full moon coming out from the clouds.
He knew that he had to get off somewhere. That is, he needed to get off to a spot where he wouldn't be at risk of hurting anyone or even himself. But then again, he also knew that he had to get to a spot that was relatively contained. It's that time of the month when he was about to become unpredictable with no real chance of him even being able to control his emotions or his urges. He needed to act, and fast.
He got out of his car just in time. Suddenly, his skin started to expand and all his hairs started to grow out at an alarmingly rapid rate. His teeth grew in length and became sharper than they were just minutes ago.
Soon after, he was outside his car, roaming around an open field not too far off from a corn patch. He walked around, aimless and confused, for about twenty minutes. He veered off about three miles from his car before he just stopped moving and fell down.
The next morning, he woke up naked right outside that corn field. The nearby farmer chased him off of the field, threatening to call the police on him unless he got off the premises.
It was something that happened on every full moon. It was hard for Jeff to explain.
It was known that werebears were in Jeff's family tree. It's uncertain as to how they came about. There are stories within the family suggesting that one person within the tree was cursed after shooting a royal king's prized bear hundreds of years ago. There are also stories suggesting that one person had made a pact with some unidentified gods to become the strongest person in the world but only for every full moon. Either way, something happened along the way to the present day which caused his family tree to be filled with werebears.
Needless to say, it tended to skip a generation but Jeff was unlucky enough to be part of that class that has such werebears.
The event caused Jeff to develop a massive and hair-ridden body with powerful muscles and strong carnal urges. His sexual desire became unmatched whenever he started to transform. He had a strong feeling of lust and power in his body and couldn't control himself as well as he wished he could.
Several weeks later, while at work, Jeff talked with his friend Arthur James about the coming weekend.
“So, what can you tell me about this lady you're thinking about?” Jeff inquired.
“Well, she's not just any woman. She's probably the best one out of the field as far as I am concerned.”
Jeff was interested in this. “What makes her so special?”
“You obviously have not heard all that much about Andrea Lewis,” Arthur replied. “It seems like everyone in the office has been talking about her and some of her talents.”
Jeff remembered the name now. Andrea Lewis was one of the newer secretaries. Jeff had seen her picture on the staff board. He frowned, thinking: “Dude, she's just a secretary. Don’t you think that we're out of her league?” He voiced his thoughts to his friend. He and Arthur had been working as computer engineers for the past six years. They figured that with their high-end jobs, they could easily land any woman who was out there and interested in finding a man.
So far, their results had been mixed. Jeff blamed his problem once a month, though outwardly he just said that he never connected with a woman. Arthur on the other hand, had high standards and the minute a woman fell short on one aspect, Arthur usually dropped her.
“Look,” Arthur said. “I know what to find in a woman, and from what I have seen of Andrea, she just seems to be one of the most appealing women I've seen in a while. Just take a look at those thighs and that long brown hair of hers. Don't tell me that's not the type of woman you want to have around you.”
Jeff figured that Arthur just had a little too much lust for Andrea and felt that it was high time for him to talk with Arthur about what was going on. “How's about this – I dare you to talk with her and see if she will head out for drinks with you. I'll even come along with you if she wants me to be there.”
Arthur agreed to the offer. “I’ll see what she’s up to this weekend.”
“Sounds good,” Jeff replied.
For a brief moment, Jeff wistfully thought about getting a date of his own. But that would be a lot of work. Jeff had never told Arthur or anyone else about his condition. It wasn't out of necessity for him to avoid talking about it. It was all out of his own personal shame.
Arthur had a few words with Andrea that afternoon.
“So anyway, Jeff and I were going to be heading over to catch the big game at the pub this Friday night after work. I was wondering if you wanted to head on over with us?” Arthur asked with a smile.
“You know, I've been meaning to take a look at the nightlife around here for a while now,” Andrea said. “I supposed it wouldn't hurt for me to come out that night.”
Andrea did have one quick question. She looked at Arthur with a wry smile. “What made you want to talk with me about this?”
“I just had a feeling,” Arthur replied. “I mean, I hardly ever see you out on the town or doing stuff outside of work. I figured that maybe this weekend would be a good time for you to come on out with me to see what's around the area. Wouldn't you think it would be a good time to just have a bit of fun for a change?”
“I suppose so,” Andrea replied. “I'll catch you and Jeff this Friday night then.”
Arthur walked away, pleased. He felt like he’d played things exceptionally cool with Andrea. Regardless, he had just landed a date with the most beautiful and talented woman in the workplace. He wondered if he’d score it lucky after they left the pub that night. Jeff would understand giving Arthur and Andrea some alone time, wouldn’t he?
As Arthur was off talking to Andrea, Jeff happened to look at a calendar. He paled. The full moon was on Friday. He cursed himself for not thinking of this sort of thing earlier. He would certainly be out of commission that night, lost to his bear-self and the carnal urges that went with that. He spent most months wandering around in the forest behind his house. Other months he would get caught off guard with work and would have to stop along the way. There was enough forest and farmland that usually meant he didn’t hurt anything more than some chickens or some sheep. Usually, he just passed out and slept.
If Jeff was honest with himself though, he preferred it when he stayed in the forest behind his home. There were other bears there that he could interact with and let loose some of his most primal, sexual urges. Those were the nights that Jeff was most awake. No other local male bear had dared approach and challenge Jeff in his bear-state. Jeff considered himself very lucky in that regard.
He was unlucky, however, in the fact that he’d told Arthur he’d come along with on his date with Andrea—assuming he got one, but he probably would—this weekend and he was now running the risk that his time of the month would interfere with that.
Perhaps he would get lucky and Arthur would ask Andrea out on Saturday night, when
Jeff would be in the clear. Or even better, on Sunday night. Though that would be less likely, considering work on Monday morning.
He crossed his fingers and hoped for the best.
Later that day, Arthur told Jeff the good news.
“That's nice,” Jeff said. His heart fell with the news that Arthur had asked Andrea out on Friday. Though deep down in his heart, he knew this was going to happen. It was just his luck. He missed out on a lot of things when the full moon came around.
“Wow, you didn't sound as excited as I thought you would be.” Arthur now looked disappointed.
“Come on!” Jeff said, working up all the excitement he could. “I am excited about this. Just because I don't sound excited doesn't mean that I'm not really excited.”
Jeff didn't have the heart to remind him that Friday night was the night of the next full moon. Arthur had picked up on Jeff not wanting to do anything on nights of the full moon, but Jeff had never offered any more explanation than ‘I’m busy’ and Arthur had never pried more than that.
Still, Jeff couldn't just stop and say no. He didn't want to disappoint his friend or Andrea.
So, how was he going to tell them?
Jeff cursed himself internally for not looking at his calendar and thinking these things through sooner. He was usually very good about planning around the full moon. He had failed at that this month, epically.
That night, Jeff lay in bed, trying to decide what he was going to do about this coming Friday and the fact that he was double-booked. On one side, he had a great night out with Arthur and Andrea. But, on the other side—the more pressing one—he was going to turn into a hairy-man-beast who might very just rip his friend and date to shreds.
