Page 22 of Bearly Yours
We all decided to do a bear ramble after to work off the massive amounts of food we’d all eaten. I changed in the changing room; a spacious, comfy room off the side of the lodge that my alpha had hired someone to build for me. When I was done, I pushed my brown snout through the thick curtain that walled off my changing space and exited. I could turn a door handle in my bear form, but it wasn’t easy.
Bears sort of lumbered when we walked. When we ran it was a whole different story, but when we walked, we had thisexaggerated sway. It was kinda funny when you looked at it in your human form, but as a bear, it was no big deal. Our human selves and bear selves became one in bear form, but I was always more chill with the world as a bear than I was in human form. This wasn’t true for all of my Clan, however.
My Clan gathered around me in their different bear forms, and we all followed Mateo as he set the pace. Mateo was a black bear like me, but we were very different sizes. He was about 400 pounds to my diminutive 175. And, while I was a cinnamon-brown color variation black bear, he was all black, from his nose to his claws.
Alpha took up the rear, like he always did. His massive polar bear form was highly visible and stark white as we made our way through the trees to the river that ran through our Clan property. Snow crunched beneath our heavy paws, and our hot bear breath made clouds of fog as we moved through the forest.
One of my favorite things about our Clan property was that water basically surrounded us on all sides. The ocean was through the trees to the left. To the right, there were several streams, which poured into the main river, which flowed at the back of our property, and there was another river that ran by the property entrance.
And there were treeseverywhere.
It was idyllic and peaceful, and it gave our bear forms plenty of space to stretch out in. There was even a set of waterfalls and a lake for swimming. As a Clan we tended to use those to swim in, bear-style. They were large enough to accommodate even the largest of us—cough, cough, Alpha Riggs—and they provided enough water depth for us to actuallyswim.
Right now, in late January, they were frigidly cold, and that wasifyou could even get to the water. Most of it was frozen over, except the areas with the fastest moving currents.
I was surrounded on all sides by my Clan—they usually kept me in the middle on bear rambles—but instead of feeling hemmed in by the testosterone all around me, I felt safe.
But I knew that feeling was about to disappear quickly.
Emrie? You want to talk about it?The question came from Mateo, who’d dropped back to walk beside me.
I sighed.Alpha? Are you in on this conversation as well?
Yes, but I’ve isolated just us three,he said.
Okay. Well, I guess I should first tell you, Alpha, that King Draven and Consort Mia have asked me to create and design their library space. The project, if I accept, would take about a year’s time for me to complete.
I felt my alpha’s pride in my work and his warm approval even before he said,I’ve already given my permission for the project, if that’s something you were worried about, Emrie. King Draven called. Normally it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but he knew the project would be lengthy, and he just wanted to make sure you weren’t needed elsewhere for Clan buildings and such.
You did say that we needed more housing.
My alpha laughed. It sounded like his bear was choking.We do. But remember, I’m using the firm in Moonhaven for that for right now. You need to finish your degree first.
Dumb degrees. I already knew what I was doing. I loved that I had the ability to get an education—many didn’t—but Ididfeel like it was a little bit superfluous because I already had the skills needed. But I needed the degree for legal purposes, so I persevered.
Will my help be needed at all on those builds?
My alpha rumbled thoughtfully as we crossed a small stream. Taco lunged at a fish, scooping it up and batting it around before he let it go back into the water. I felt the pressure in my head of another conversation happening—probably someone tellingTaco to quit playing with his food—but I couldn’t hear it because my alpha was keeping us isolated from the Clan.
I think they’d be happy to have your help, Emrie, but if you accept the King Draven project, I don’t think it would be wise. I worry you’ll stretch yourself too thin. It’s of course up to you, though.
I thought about it as I lapped up some water at the stream. Akeno’s small sun bear form darted behind and between the other bears. Aside from the cub shifters, he was the smallest of the bear Clan. He was agile and quick, and before Taco could blink, he had stolen Taco’s fish. Taco grumbled and took a swipe at him, but Akeno darted back just in time, turned around, and wiggled his butt at Taco’s face.
I started cracking up. My Clan was more like family, and that included a whole lot of brotherly love and teasing.
I cheered Akeno on as he clutched the fish in his mouth and climbed a tree. Taco could climb, but it would take him so long that Akeno would already be finished with the fish. Taco smacked a paw against the tree Akeno was sitting in the branches of, rumbled at him, and then, huffing and snorting, made his way back to the stream for another fish.
I felt the pressure of their conversation again in my mind, but couldn’t hear it.
I laughed and shook my massive head.Please tell me Akeno’s done with the fish.
He is,Mateo said, laughter in his voice.He’s behind the alpha right now, hiding.
I smiled, then saw myself in a still patch of water. Bear smiles. Not. Pretty.
As we continued on from the stream, Mateo took the spot to my right again, and Alpha Riggs followed behind us, keeping an eye on our area, looking for potential danger to his Clan.
Do you want to talk about why you were sad today?Mateo asked.
