The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  The wolf said nothing. He felt a surge of adrenaline shoot through his body. Every nerve in his arm tingled; instinctively he raised his arm to inspect it. He was surprised when it obeyed his commands. He lifted his other arm just to be sure, and was glad he could control himself again.

  Freedom.

  Both Alex and his wolf salivated at the thought of freedom. His muscles burned from sprinting so far into the woods, but all he could do was laugh at how great a feeling this was. He could feel his fears slowly fading away as if they didn’t matter to him anymore. He finally understood his wolfs intentions. Freedom. He’d been so scared of his wolf for so many years that he hadn’t realized his human and wolf side both wanted the same thing. He finally experienced what true freedom was, and all he could do was laugh. Or he would have if he had a mouth to vocalize it. His wolf was silent. Or perhaps it wasn’t that it was silent any longer, but it had finally found its rightful place.

  Alex was so distracted that he hadn’t heard Cynthia close in on him. She stood a few feet away; he could smell the fear in her and needed to prove he was okay.

  He let the wolf rest but lost his footing as he did and fell to the ground. His body no longer felt as heavy as it had in the past. His bones didn’t creak and crack back into place but instead they stretched. His muscles no longer burned as they shifted into his human shape.

  He pulled himself to his feet, his body was lighter. It felt to him as though he hadn’t quite returned as the man he was. Scanning his body, he noticed there wasn’t any visible changes, but internally he felt like a whole new person. Without the internal struggle for dominance, he felt perfectly balanced. He was half wolf, half human. And, while his senses weren’t as high as before, he could still smell Cynthia’s delicate scent.

  “It’s okay,” he said to Cynthia, still waiting in the forest, “I think I get it now.”

  She stepped out of the forest herself and began her own shift. Her beautiful body glistened in the moonlight with a thin coat of sweat. She held her shoulders in defiance of the cold.

  “I came to save you, but I guess you didn’t need me,” she said.

  “I think I needed to rescue myself,” he replied. “But, I’m glad you came.”

  She stepped in close, wrapping him in the warmth of her embrace. His heartbeat was slow and steady, full of confidence. Her hand slid down his chest.

  “You’re… you again,” she said, with a smile that couldn’t hide her joy.

  Alex laughed. He leaned over, and with one hand on her check, he kissed her. She stood on her toes, deepening the kiss. Her body quivered as he held her tighter. A surprised expression widened across her face as her arms felt along his hips only to climb up his body and rest on his shoulders.

  “Yet, you seem so much more… manly,” she added, playfully.

  He reached his hands down and lifted her by her butt. Cynthia gasped from the suddenness of leaving the ground. He felt his confidence exuding from his body.

  She felt perfect in his arms. Alex could hear her heart quickening. It was no longer his wolf that spurred him to action, but all of him. He wanted her as he had never wanted her before.

  His passion rose as he kissed her along her neck. She tossed her head back from the exhilarating feeling. They’d had sex at home but when in the outdoors he’d always held himself back even when she secretly wished he wouldn’t. He wanted to show her how different he was.

  His body acted on its own. He suckled at her soft skin as she moaned loudly at the forest. They were so far from camp there was no way they’d be heard, but even so, neither of them cared. She urged him onward by clamping her legs around his abs.

  His right hand caressed along her back as his left hand held her firmly in place. Her hips gyrated against him and he could feel her body screaming to be taken. The scent of her arousal continued to tease his still heightened senses.

  His cock began to throb as her moisture ran down his hips to meet it, arousing him further. She reached her hand down to feel his shaft and was met with excitement.

  She lined up the tip of his penis with her wetness and stroked herself with it. His own pre cum formed at the tip and merged with her. Every flick of his penis that rubbed against her clit sent tiny shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body.

  He could bear the teasing no longer. He slid her small body lower and lower. The tip slid inside her and Alex could feel her shudder with excitement. He paused for a second to let her enjoy his cock, just as he enjoyed her delicate body.

  Her soft warm opening invited him to probe further and he did as requested. Her body slid further down his strong shaft. She closed her eyes as the sensation took over. Never before had he made her feel this way. Alex continued to kiss along her neck and made his way down her body.

  Her perky nipples were excited and his tongue found its way to greet them. She breathed heavily as he continued to enter her, inching his way further inside. Her hands dug into his back and were met by hard muscle.

  Her pelvis met his and she held herself still, her own breath betraying her for a moment. As she tried to catch it, she bit down hard on his collar bone.

  She wrapped around his cock so tightly that he had to fight to not explode right away. He’d never felt her like this before, everything felt new and exciting. The juices flowed from her opening and ran down his leg.

  Her legs held tightly around his waist as she worked her hips in small circles; each motion a shudder, and each shudder a wave of pleasure. He took her by the hips as her arms folded around his neck.

  With his powerful hands he worked her up and down along his throbbing cock. She moaned her satisfaction to the night sky.

  The grinding sped up with each thrust, her body happy to oblige. She marveled at his endurance as they continued. A familiar tingle played in the center of her being.

  Cynthia reached out for it, wanting to pull it closer. She didn’t have to try hard. It grew and grew until it took over her entire body. She bit her lip and buried her face in Alex’s chest.

  The orgasm took over as she exhaled hard. A single moan escaped her lips, her body wracking with spasms. She’d never felt such a powerful orgasm in her life. All the energy she had drained away and she could no longer hold herself up.

  Alex caught her and held her close. He continued working her body against his cock that still needed to be satisfied. But, it lingered just below the surface and it was easy to stop trying to hold back.

  His penis throbbed as he felt himself release. Sensations he’s never felt before overtook him. Sex with Cynthia had been great, but nothing like this before. Alex felt more satisfaction with Cynthia than he’d felt since their first date. She’d given her all to him and nothing was held back.

  He withdrew himself from her and she yelped as it left. She opened her eyes and smiled at the man that leaned over her exhausted body. Alex joined her on the ground, breathing heavily. He was most definitely satisfied.

  She didn’t say a word, just leaned over and nuzzled against his cheek. She took his hand and lied over his chest. His body was something to behold.

  He rested his hand on hers.

  The simple light of the moon was relaxing and the stars, hypnotizing. She stared at them as her head finally gave in to the exhaustion completely.

  Alex followed her shortly after. But, not before giving a silent thanks to the friend he’d found within himself. All the times he’d been so scared, so frustrated and so confused were finally over. Never had he felt so sure of himself.

  CHAPTER 17

  “And here I was just about to go looking for you,” Crunch said.

  Alex and Cynthia walked hand in hand from the woods. Cynthia hid herself behind Alex to avoid the lascivious stares of the other bikers. Alex didn’t care about them in the slightest.

  “I’ll need a new shirt,” Alex said.

  Cynthia knelt down to find her clothes from last night folded and sitting on the tree stump.

  “I think Scab has some extra stuff. H
e’s about your size,” Crunch said. Scab nodded his approval and went to the saddle bags of his motorcycle to find something. Cynthia was already pulling on her absurdly tight pants. It was hard for Alex to suppress his boner, but he did his best.

  “I see you got it under control,” Crunch said with an awkward cough, “That’s good.”

  Alex rubbed the back of his head with one hand, covered his dick with the other, and laughed uncomfortably.

  “I spent so much time being scared,” Alex said, “I guess I just realized there wasn’t anything to be afraid of.”

  Crunch stood from the tree stump and cracked his back. It seemed like he hadn’t moved from that spot for the entire night.

  Cynthia finished getting dressed and, full of trepidation, she approached her father. He eyed her curiously, and let out a surprised gasp when he was greeted by a hug. He put his arms around his daughter and reciprocated the feeling he never had a chance to experience. But, as she pulled herself away, she slapped him across the cheek.

  “That’s for punching Alex last night,” she said.

  Alex caught the transaction while pulling on his pants.

  “Women,” Crunch laughed.

  You got that right.

  Alex joined the two of them and offered a hand for a handshake but instead, Crunch pulled Alex in close and hugged him like a son.

  “You do anything to her and I’ll show you how Mutt felt last night,” Crunch whispered in Alex’s ear.

  Crunch patted Alex on the shoulder, and ended with a firm grasp before he backed away to join Cynthia.

  Message received.

  “You know,” she said, “you could always join us on our trip back home. We could use some good wolves in our fight.”

  “Fight?” Crunch laughed. “It ain’t our fight. Besides that, I got some business of my own to deal with.”

  “We could always help each other,” Alex offered.

  “You can’t help with this one,” Crunch replied solemnly, “I gotta put an old dog in his place and get my gang back. It’s been too long that I left them off the chain.”

  Alex was confused but he knew there was no amount of talking that would have convinced Crunch to join them.

  “Well, the offer is always on the table,” Alex said.

  “You’re alright, son,” Crunch chuckled. Scab coughed and Crunch stirred as though he remembered something he’d forgotten. “Scab here told me he saw a bunch of wolves travelling in trucks last night. Headed right past the camp site while you two were off in the woods. Maybe they were searchin’ for you.”

  Alex went wide eyed, that must be his father and the Cliff Walker recruits. They survived!

  “We better go, right away,” Alex said to Cynthia. He pulled his keys from his pocked and half jogged to the motorcycle. Cynthia lingered with her father and Alex watched on.

  “You’ll come visit?” she asked.

  “As long as you’ll have me,” he replied.

  She again reached out and the two embraced. Cynthia had to brush a tear off her check as she walked away. Crunch looked like he was losing the battle to keep a straight face.

  “Shutup Scab,” Crunch said smacking at the air.

  Alex already had the motorcycle started as Cynthia saddled up behind him again. Everything was coming together nicely. He kicked the motorcycle to start and eased down the dirt path between the trees. The morning brought with it fresh dew that clung to the air. The fresh smell of the forest was only slightly overpowered by the scent of the thick oil and smoke that poured from the motorcycle.

  In light of everything that had happened over the last couple days, the only thing on Alex’s mind was the woman sitting behind him on the bike. Cynthia was everything he could have imagined and more. He couldn’t be more proud that she stood by him. The gray clouds broke and a streak of blue tore its way through, bringing with it the sun’s beaming rays, bathing the abandoned street with new light.

  Through the sound of the engine noise, Alex heard a strange rustling. He couldn’t identify exactly what it was. As he listened he slowed the bike to a crawl, then a stop. After turning off the engine he could hear it much more clearly.

  “What is it?” Cynthia wondered.

  He hushed her and leaned the bike on its stand. With his keen eyes Alex saw something that made his heart sink: a large band of bears.

  It can’t be.

  They trampled through the forest, with little regard to what was beneath them. Considering the direction in which they moved it would mean they had only one destination, the den.

  “This is bad,” Alex said.

  Cynthia didn’t have the same heightened senses as Alex when not in wolf form, but it was hard to ignore the sound of rustling branches and stamping feet.

  “There’s no way it’s-”

  “Bears,” Alex interrupted, “Lots of them. They’re heading for the den.”

  Cynthia had to cover her mouth as she gasped. If that many were to attack all at once there was no way they could win. They had to get back to warn everyone before things got messy, at least to get the children away from the den.

  They sprinted back through the forest, running as fast as their legs would carry them. As they emerged they were greeted by a familiar sight, an old rusty yellow truck with busted glass and dents to match.

  “Dad!” Alex shouted.

  The passing truck held his father and another shifter in the passenger seat. The truck came to a screeching halt, causing the trucks following behind to stop just short of crashing.

  His dad looked out the passenger window to find the source of the voice, and when he did he leapt from the driver’s seat and hobbled his way over to his son.

  Alex was glad to see him again and he felt a bit more at ease knowing they were back with the pack.

  “You’re alive! We’ve been searching all over for you” Marcus shouted.

  “It takes a lot more than a cliff to kill me,” Alex joked with his father. He no longer held the hesitation he had before. He fully embraced his father and felt closer than he ever had. They released after a moment and his father examined the motorbike.

  “Where did you get this,” he asked.

  “Don’t ask,” Alex replied with a laugh.

  His father lost interest when he saw Cynthia in her biker outfit.

  Stop staring before I knock you out old man.

  “We passed a biker bar the other night. The place looked like it was attacked by a hurricane. I guess an entire biker gang was dang near torn to shreds by a monster,” his father narrowed his gaze and looked again at the motorbike, “Can you explain that?”

  Alex scratched at the top of his head. There was no point trying to keep it from his father. He would have found out soon anyway.

  “They attacked Cynthia,” Alex said with a shrug.

  “Don’t need more explanation than that. Way I hear they were asking for it anyway. Are you two doing alright?” he wondered.

  “Yeah, I think we’re doing okay.”

  “Good, we got a couple more hours’ drive before we get home.”

  Alex almost forgot what he just saw in the woods and remembered to warn his father.

  “We need to drive fast,” he began hurriedly, “there’s an entire forest full of bear shifters headed for the den. We need to get back quick to warn everyone.”

  “Right,” his father said. Alex helped him back to the truck.

  “Let’s move out!” he shouted to the convoy.

  Cynthia found her seat and Alex quickly started the motorcycle again. He was relieved to be back with the group. Seeing those bears made Alex wonder if Samantha was alright. He shook off the thought and twisted the throttle. The bike answered his request by lurching back to the road.

  Please be in time.

  CHAPTER 18

  They arrived to a sleepy morning at the den. The two wolves at the front gate waved through the entire convoy. Alex’s father honked the horn of the truck waking up anyone that wasn’t aware they retur
ned.

  Connor appeared on the porch within seconds with Tess behind him, snacking on breakfast.

  “Get everyone up,” Marcus shouted.

  “What,” Connor asked, “What’s happening?”

  “It’s a raid. They’re coming fast. I don’t know how long we have before the bears attack, but it’s big,” Alex said, “really big.”

  Connor stood tall and began to bark out orders. It looks like this is what they’ve been preparing for the past two months.

  Cynthia ran up to join Tess on the patio.

  “We need to get the kids out before the attack, and that includes you and the baby,” she said. Tess nodded and scurried about the farmhouse. Connor looked Cynthia up and down. She held up a hand to stop him. “Seriously, don’t ask.”

  Cynthia watched as Connor trotted out to meet with Alex.

  “Alex,” he said, “If the bears are as close as you say they are then we’re going to need to buy some time to get as many of these people to safety as we can.”

  “I can help you buy some time,” he replied.

  The rest of the camp was in chaos; people running this way and that, the children were being loaded onto the trucks along with any other people unable to fight.

  Cynthia didn’t see her grandma anywhere outside. She was already thinking the worst. She pushed through the crowd towards her small house at the edge of the den and pressed the door open.

  “You gotta get out of here,” Cynthia said.

  She was lying in bed. Cynthia couldn’t tell if she was asleep but was given an answer quickly.

  “I’m staying here,” she said.

  “Like hell you are,” Cynthia retorted. She walked over to her grandma and tried to pull her from the bed but she didn’t budge.

  “This is my home. I’m not running away from it,” she shouted, “I don’t care what it is, I’m not leaving.”

  Cynthia got her arms around her grandmother’s waist and lifted her from the bed. She wiggled and tried to break free but Cynthia was much younger and capable.

  “This might be your home right now, but I’m not going to let you get yourself killed,” Cynthia said while struggling to keep her grip.