Author's Note:
I'm back. I have been suffering from a health issue which impacted my ability to concentrate – hence no writing, but the good news is that I'm on the right medication now and my muse has returned. Having said that I am still recovering so I cannot promise I will update as regularly as I did when posting Tread Softly or Run The Gauntlet.
Dolphins Can Swim as my title may break the Trade Descriptions Act – No dolphins are contained within. It is a quote from David Bowie's 'Heroes'. I was listening to that beautiful song and 'Changes' when this plot bunny struck. (Also the initials D.C.S stand for my three main characters.)
Usual disclaimer: Supernatural is not mine, I'm just playing in the sandbox. While I am always tremendously flattered to be recc'd anywhere, please do not post my actual stories on any other site (e.g. Goodreads) without my permission.
P.S. There is a ridiculous amount of world building in Chapter One, but hopefully it will be worth it *nervous grin as I dip my toe back into fan fiction*
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CHAPTER ONE
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It pained Castiel that there was absolutely nothing he could do.
His hands were tied, reflected in the way his fingers gripped each other tight at the small of his back.
He blew a slow exhalation against the glass of a double mirror. It settled in an oval of condensation.
As the first tear tracked down little Timmy's face and the normally stoic brave orphan used a curled fist to dislodge his glasses and scrub at his offending eye, Castiel reached his limit. Pushing back the sleeve of his ubiquitous dark suit, a quick glance at his watch told him that only five minutes remained of Timmy's scheduled visit to the university. Wishing he possessed strength to break steel, Castiel made a good effort at ripping door handles from their fixings as he marched from his secreted observation post to the bean bag and toy strewn Were-Child Development Study room.
"Mr. Novak!" Doctor Lubatti protested, rising tall in indignation, florescent light bouncing from his bald plate darkening further his rim of black hair and dark beard.
"Enough." A single ground out word was all Castiel could let escape his lips for fear of ruining his professional reputation and his status at the university. Being banned would mean he could no longer offer Timmy his limited protection from the worst of these torturous sessions.
"I think you will find that I decide when we have enough data from Subject Conroy." The doctor barely spared a glance for the sniffling boy who remained seated on a blue plastic chair at a low grey table, his beloved action figure now clutched in his hand. With a sneer he continued, "This university has invested in these discarded werewolf pups, as you know Advocate Novak, both by sponsoring their education and place in our world, and in time, hours, years sunk into this study which will leave a legacy for future generations."
The doctor glared at Were Advocate Novak, who returned his own steely stare.
It was on the tip of Castiel's tongue to verbalize his conviction that the university had used its clout and legal eagles to twist already anti-lupine biased laws, in order to virtually buy their study participants. However he was clever enough not to reveal his hand, silently vowing to put every breach of dignity and subversion of rights into his reports. He fervently hoped those reports and his mission would contribute to the day when society would champion much better protection and perhaps even equality for lupine-kind.
"I wasn't dis-discarded," Timmy protested quietly, breaking the tension, "My Mom loved me."
With a sickly sweet smile and demeaning tone, Doctor Lubatti turned to the young pup, "Of course you were not discarded. And you fell on your feet, my boy, and a good life amongst humanity awaits you."
"Mr. Castiel, I wanna go home." Timmy reached his free hand up to be held.
Castiel was glad to take the small warm hand in his, and granted the sensitive pup his own genuine toothy smile. "Come on then, Timmy, I'm sure Sonny will be happy to see you safely home."
With a bare nod to acknowledge Doctor Lubatti's grudging permission to depart, Castiel happily listened to Timmy recite how he was excused from chores at Sonny's Home for Boys on his appointment days and how Ruth was making biscuits and gravy to have with their evening meal which was Timmy's favorite. A small part of Castiel's brain wanted to enquire just what Lubatti had asked that had upset his charge so much, but he figured that once again the doctor had attempted to dig into Timmy's home life before his mother's accident. Keeping one ear open to Timmy's brightening chatter, he fumed at the unnecessary pain inflicted by the study. In his experience young were-pups, at least those outside closed mysterious packs, grew up in a family life just the same as their human contemporaries, save for minor cultural differences. In the years since his graduation, and while studying all the way to his hard-fought advocacy qualification, Castiel had seen good and bad parents, disciplinarians and mother earth type parents, abusive parents and those coming to Protective Services for aid, and if he divided the percentages he was certain that they would weigh equally for human families or the lupine-kind minority.
When Castiel dropped Timmy at the door of the Boys' Home, Sonny was there waiting and allowed the were-pup to wrap his arms around his waist and bury his nose in the older man's tee to absorb his comforting scent. With raised eyebrows and a pursed lips head tilt, the question was asked and answered that it had been an emotional outing. Sonny asked Castiel if he would come in for coffee but once the advocate received assurance that there was nothing pressing to discuss, he made his excuses to head on to his next appointment of the day.
Dropping to his knees to say his farewells, he was surprised when Timmy transferred his attentions to fling his arms around his neck, nuzzling under his blue tie, and almost bowling him over.
"I like you, Mr. Castiel." Timmy said simply.
"And I you." Castiel replied gravely, all the while giving the were-pup a gentle squeeze. "See you next week, Timmy."
"Wish you could come when I don't havta go there." Timmy muttered.
Sonny must have heard because he piped up. "You know we have open house afternoons for trusted friends and family?"
"Well, I will take that under consideration." Castiel smiled, releasing the boy and straightening his suit as he stood. He refused to give promises and then fail to deliver, but he hoped his schedule over the coming weeks might permit a trip to the farm separate to Timmy's dreaded obligatory visits to the university.
That Sonny had included Castiel in his circle of trust, mere months after the advocate had appeared on his doorstep with a traumatized pup, buoyed something inside him. There had been no approved were-foster family available to take Timmy following his mother's death from her car accident injuries. Miss Conroy had been a lone wolf and there were no family members to take the young boy. When his superior, Naomi, had allocated the child to Sonny's Boys Home, Castiel had doubted that the place, full of human children, could be a good fit for such a vulnerable kid. He was happy that he had been proved wrong, right off the bat when Sonny had revealed that in the past he had occasionally hosted were-pups and had given Timmy his own tiny room to cover in his own scent. Later it became obvious that being at Sonny's was the best thing about the child's new life.
Although he hadn't dawdled at Sonny's, Castiel still only had time to grab a coffee and Danish on the go. He could feel his chest loosen as he parked his Lincoln Continental under the shadow of the Student Building on a much more familiar campus; that of the local community college where he had taken his bachelor's in social work, before a crazy intensive year in Chicago to achieve his dream post-graduate diploma specializing in lupine-kind advocacy.
With a quick shuffle of his index cards, Castiel deposited them deep in his coat pocket. He wouldn't need to rely on the old-fashioned memory aid that his colleague Bartholomew never failed to rib him about. That the cards were simply on his person increased his confidence. He strode with head held high to the offices of his alma mater. A mix of new and well-known faces greeted him before his hand was pumped by lecturer Fred Jones. He was thanked for coming and guided into a room half-filled with freshmen, who had deigned to come to the final semester careers day arranged to help them chose the direction they would like to pursue for future years.
There was a certain musty smell in the windowless room of wooden desks, paper and poor AC with an added piquant background note of dry-erase marker. To Castiel it evoked nostalgia for a time free from his parents' influence, striking out in the world, and under a deluge of study and exams, knowing he was forging his own path. At the back of his mind, with his present perspective on the world, he also acknowledged that it would be a very determined lupine student could bear such a stifling scent. Another barrier that would pass under a human's nose but indirectly discriminate against any lupine wishing to fulfill academic dreams.
Copying so many of his tutors over the years, Castiel smirked as he took a blue whiteboard marker and wrote his name large for those interested enough to come to his talk, rather than ducking out to study for rapidly approaching end of year exams.
"Thank you," he began in a gravelly tone, before clearing his throat and recalling his college presentation training to lock eyes in turn with a plum haired curvy girl in a yellow v-neck tee, a guy in triple denim, and a pretty blonde with killer red nails. "Thank you for coming to my talk. As I'm sure you know from Mr. Jones's comprehensive pamphlet on the day…"
There were a few titters recognizing Mr. Jones's love for obsessive detail in handouts and exam answers.
"… I am the County Were Liaison Officer, the advocate for lupine-kind, a role that is rewarding and challenging, and I consider a privilege to hold. Ten years ago, I sat where you are now. From my bachelor's, I specialized in advocacy, did internships, held a junior role in the department, until two years ago I undertook the responsibility that I had striven to gain. I will not hide from you the obstacles and compromises of being a defender of lupine-kind, operating in a system that discriminates and counts a whole species as less than ourselves."
He gained and held his audience, pens flying across some pages while other kept rapt attention on him. Simple anecdotal tales of job applicants being refused on their species or designation and having no-one to appeal to, or of schools being permitted to claim oversubscription to deny a lone wolf family's pups an education and then the city refusing permits when a group of lupine parents attempted to set up their own school, made all that had been learned in text books and from academics come alive for the students. Castiel knew they'd see it all first hand when time came for them to experience work placements and enter the job market as graduates but he wanted to impress on them the difference they could make by doing their best for lupine clients whenever and however they came across them.
As he spoke all his passion and conviction was imparted to the young minds in front of him. He refrained from mentioning any personal information, steering clear of his empty apartment, distant family, and that his circle of friends consisted of his persistent neighbor, one inherited compatriot of a bitter ex-boyfriend, his exuberant OTT BFF, and a former client with whom he had built a friendship of mutual respect.
His talk stuck rigidly to giving a slice of his professional life. Careful not to reveal details that would identify his charges, he spoke of the variety of his role; helping parole officers with rehabilitating lupine convicts, interceding with educational, welfare or housing authorities, being called to the ER after a hate crime, and assisting those who may have come from a pack background to navigate human world red tape. With a smile, he told how his role gave him access to assist pups, normally so protected due to fear of human intolerance by their parents.
"Don't they hide their omega pups away?" The plum haired girl interjected. She leant forward, earnest faced. Castiel couldn't pick up on if she was eager due to curiosity, righteous indignation or disgusted bigotry.
Castiel took a moment, meeting the girl's eye and considering how to formulate an answer that might benefit all.
"I'm not here to give you an anthropology lecture," he began, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth before adding, "on how of the three pre-historic hominids; Neanderthals died out, Homo Sapiens Sapiens thrived and Lupines clung on. I cannot talk of the politic movements to bring packs out of their secret world or of ones that promote their continued isolation. Nor can I give a science exposition on Lupine secondary gender designations, but I can perhaps fill in some blanks if you would care to listen?"
There were noises of interest and a couple of 'pleases' from the small hall. Encouraged Castiel turned to the board, drawing a circle and halving it into male and female.
"Here we share a commonality with our Lupine cousins."
Then he drew another circle dividing it into three unequal sized slices, one slightly over half, one a large minority and one slice approximating less than four percent.
"Adult lupines present as Betas," he tapped the largest portion, "Or Alphas the second largest designation, or, much less commonly Omegas. The genetics are complicated and only beginning to be understood due to participation of non-pack lupines with medical science in recent years. However as children, as pups, only their male or female gender can be determined. Pups are pups, the word means more than 'child' or 'kid' does to a human. A pup will not become an adult in society or biology, until they take on all that is associated with their secondary gender. And that can only happen when it is known. So there are no Omega pups, only pups."
"But they must know," A voice objected from the back row, "those big Alpha werewolf knots don't just appear overnight!"
Amid their sniggering Castiel caught an audible whisper that Tiffany had read too much fantasy knot-fetish porn.
"Werewolf is a derogatory word." Plum-haired girl called out.
"Yes, it is." Castiel agreed. "Weres is acceptable slang but Lupine-kind is more correct. Lupines have a longer natural life span than humans, and as such they present, that is go through their version of human puberty, in their late teens, somewhere between 16 to 20 years of age. Prepubescent weres have both sets of potential or proto-genitals. When presentation happens, over the course of the following months their switched on hormones develop what the body needs for their new designation while unnecessary organs shrink becoming vestigial."
"Like the human appendix?" Someone heckled helpfully.
"Not exactly," Castiel responded kindly, "but that is a good analogy. Unlike human girls, a beta female or omega lupine will not conceive in the early days following presentation, nor will a beta male or an alpha be fully fertile for some months. It is believed that this occurs due to natural selection. Imagine in ancient times if a sixteen year old omega tried to bear pups. Both they and their offspring had less chance of survival. Similarly it is believed that if a teen alpha came to maturity too rapidly he might challenge the pack alpha with little chance of survival. Having a teen alpha take time to come to strength also lessened their threat to the pack status quo, meaning packs were less likely to automatically exile their new young generation of alphas."
Castiel coughed. He realized he had begun expounding on his passion for understanding pack culture, life, and history, rather than giving the students an account of his role as Advocate. Getting back on track, he invited questions on his career, happily answering a variety of queries about programs he was involved with, access to proper medical care for weres, emergency response for lupines in danger, and how he was helping a few of his urbanized clients to apply for a government initiative which gave low interest business loans to minorities.
As he strode to his car, Castiel reflected that perhaps he had ignited a flame of interest in were-advocacy for someone in that room. If he had not, then at least maybe some of those young faces would be a touch more considerate and equal in the treatment of lupines who crossed their paths. Pulling his phone from his pocket to take it off silent mode he saw three missed calls, two from his boss and one from the cop station. He truly hoped that mentioning hate crimes against weres hadn't conjured one in his district. Before he could pick a number to call, Naomi rang once more. Gulping hard, he tipped the screen with his fingerpad to answer.
"Castiel, I need you to report to the local sheriff ASAP, we have a situation."
Following her lead in eschewing a greeting, he dug out his car keys and replied. "On my way. Can you give me a heads up?"
"Officer Henricksen called. They've picked up a teen runaway. I need you to intercede on his behalf, and if he is not being charged with any offence, to negotiate his transfer to our offices."
Castiel nodded although she could not see. He honestly could not conceive of any of the teenagers in his circle of client families who might be so desperate as to run away, but he was not naïve. It was possible that one of the boys he considered in a stable situation was in fact being bullied at school or not as happy in his home as he had appeared to be. He trusted the deputy's judgment. Officer Henricksen was harsh but fair, treating all comers with the same rule of law. If Victor said he had a teen lupine runaway that needed an advocate then Castiel trusted that to be the truth.
"Castiel." Naomi's stern voice drew him away from his speculation. "This pup…"
"Yes?"
Naomi paused. He could almost picture his icy boss pursing her lips. "Castiel, he's from Winchester's Pack."
"I'll be there in ten." Castiel promised, pressing his foot to the gas, his mind almost whiting out in anticipation of meeting and hopefully assisting an elusive pack lupine.