.~*Chapter Thirty-Four*~.

"So let me get this straight. You're only thirty-nine? You joined the band when you were only ten?!" Tennessee was appalled. "That is the most irresponsible thing I've ever heard of!"

Zeb rolled his eyes. "Weren't you crying a minute ago?" He sat cross-legged, randomly petting Beary's head, who had a dopey grin on his face, visibly relaxed, causing the older bear to relax as well.

"Shut up."

"Tennessee," Trixie warned, amused. "If he hadn't, you wouldn't have met me, now would you?"

"No… I suppose that's true." He glanced at the taller bear. "Thanks for being irresponsible." He put an arm around his wife's waist and grinned.

"If it wasn't for him fooling around on his fiddle at the worksite, none of us might have gotten noticed by Henry," Ted mused. "Remember how he used to entertain us at lunch with his fiddle? He was too young to work with us on the actual building and using the tools at that point, but he could do some groundwork. He mainly made lunches with Brittany and Ma, when Ma wasn't working on her latest architectural plans," he laughed.

Fred grinned. "That's right."

"Who is Brittany?" Jade asked, confused.

Ted and Fred glanced at her. "Sister."

"You… have a sister?"

"Yep," they both responded, grinning.

"How is this the first time I've heard about this?"

"Well, not much reason to mention Brit, other than the fact that she designed my concert jacket," Ted grinned. "Anything to get some flowers on me. Don't get me wrong, I love that jacket, and the other ones she designed."

"So your sister is a fashionista, then?"

"Mhm. She has her own business. Nothing big, yet, but she's going national, I think, next year. Right, Fred?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Wow… Thanks for telling me about your family, Ted," Jade grumbled, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Yeah, way to go, Ted," Beary laughed.

"Oh, don't you start, kid," the black bear warned, grinning ear to ear.

"So what's in the rest of the boxes?" Jewel asked, opening one.

Henry started laughing when he found a bunch of stuffed animals and Country Bears merchandise. "I'd forgotten this stuff was up there! Helen, did you send it down for a laugh?"

"Indeed I did!" She reached in and pulled out a fluffy Ted figure. "Aw, look! It's Ted!"

Ted felt his face warm when Jade fell over laughing as hard as she could.

Helen tossed it to him, and then tossed the other plush to the others.

Méngméng immediately grabbed Zeb's and snuggled it. "So cute! It even has your stripes!"

Zeb leaned over and studied it, grinning. "It is rather cute, I suppose."

Beary pulled away from his oldest "brother" and joined Jewel, looking at the rest of the merchandise in the large box. "Wow! Some posters I don't have yet!" He reached in and flipped through the papers, grinning ear to ear. Beside him, Jewel was just as excited as they continued to get into the box.

Helen laughed and opened another box, this time pulling out some scrapbooks.

"Ah, there they are!" Ted exclaimed. "Jade, those are the scrapbooks I was telling you about!"

Beary blinked, picking one out. This looked very familiar. Hadn't he seen some at Esmeralda's? "I… I've seen these before," he murmured.

Henry blinked. "You have? Where? These have been packed away for years! We have just about everyone's in here, it looks like." He pulled out quite a few more. "Other than Ted's, I guess."

"Don't look at me; mine, uh, disappeared nearly a decade ago."

The teen's ears flattened at that news. So it was true. He had seen them at Esmeralda's. She was Ted's girlfriend. Maybe she had taken them, or he had given them to her before their split. Probably the first.

Jade knew immediately where he had seen them, but kept her mouth shut. She knew Beary didn't want the others knowing what had happened between him and that whore. She nudged Ted, wondering if he would get the message and try to change the subject.

He didn't. "I think that maybe Esmeralda stole them. Not sure why. I could never figure that part out."

Beary's ears went back, and Jewel frowned while Jade pinched the bridge of her snout. Jewel put an arm around her mate's shoulders, giving him a comforting lick.

"What's wrong, Beary?" Zeb asked, noticing the scent of fear emanating from the cub. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" he squeaked, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Huh. Well, you're lucky you've never met her. She was a beast. Doing and saying anything to get on someone's good side or their bed. She hated Mama Taylor," Zeb explained, drifting off when the cub got up and left, slamming the door to the cabin, going through his father's office, and slamming that door, too.

Jewel, Tennessee, Jade, Helen, and Ted all shot Zeb the dirtiest look they could muster.

The striped auburn bear blinked. "What did I say?"

Trixie looked confused at her husband's anger. "Tennessee?"

Henry was just as confused as Trixie as he looked at his wife, and Fred stared at them all.

"Who is Esmeralda?" Méngméng asked, watching as Jewel, too, got up and left. "Why does such a name put so many on edge?"

"Because of who she is," Jade growled.

"Why did Beary leave? He doesn't even know her!" Zeb complained, not understanding the harsh gazes.

"Actually," Helen murmured, "he does."

Henry turned to her, ears flattening. "What do you mean? How could he? She left before he was born!"

Allison, Norbert, Dex, and Roxi were all very, very confused. They repeated Méngméng's question, and shrank back from the tension in the room.

Dex frowned. "Does this have something to do with why he was in New York City?"

Tennessee nodded. "It has everything to do with why he was in New York City."

.~*~.

"What's wrong with me, Jewel? Why can't I just let these things go?" Beary asked softly as they walked side-by-side towards the refurbished treehouse nearly half a mile away. "Why must they haunt me? Why do… Why do I yearn for them? I have you back, I shouldn't be wanting them!"

She moved closer, taking his paw and putting it around her waist. "It's because of what they did to you, Beary. Maybe if I was more experienced, I could make you feel the same. It's not love, it's a physical reaction, that's all. A physical want. I know that, which is why I don't blame you. I may be young, but I am no fool. It's just a want."

"I shouldn't want it! I shouldn't want to be abused! What is wrong with me?!"

Jewel stepped in front of him, clamped her paws firmly on the sides of his head, and forced him to look at her. "Nothing is wrong with you! Do you hear me?! Nothing! It will pass with time! If you feel those urges, come to me! I will make them disappear!"

"I can't do that to you!"

"I want you to, Beary! I am here for you, as you are for me. Don't push me away from your battles. Let me fight with you, and I promise we will win! I love you, with all my heart, body, and soul. Never forget that." She pulled her paw back and revealed the Celtic-like marking on her pad. "See this? We are meant to be together. I won't leave you alone to face these demons."

He lifted his own paw and studied the same marking for a few moments before placing it against hers, closing his eyes, feeling the paws throbbing in the pattern of a heartbeat.

He started to purr, and a grin crossed his face when he felt what she was thinking. "I get to be on bottom if I beat you to the treehouse!" he laughed, taking off.

Jewel gave a playful growl, got down on all fours, and took off, easily passing him. "Slowpoke! Run like a bear!" she called back, laughing loudly when he finally joined her.

.~*~.

"I wonder where they went," Henry frowned, looking around outside. All the bears were out searching for the cubs, as nearly three hours had passed and no one had heard a word from them. Roadie had opted to stay and watch his granddaughter Tempest, Kristina, Zak, and Erik, with Zak and Erik playing on the tree branch while Tempest lay in a bouncy chair, and Kristina drank from her bottle in a playpen swaddled in blankets.

Allison and Norbert glanced around, and then looked at Helen. "Can't you, I don't know, shift into that other form of yours?"

Helen shook her head. "Right now, I'm too weak. If I keep shifting, I'm liable to kill myself," she responded softly. "I'm still recovering from taking him to the hospital. Teleporting someone who is not a Tueri, but has that much energy is very draining. And on top of that, I've shifted since then. I just suddenly feel so drained."

Henry turned to her. "Maybe you should sit this one out, then."

"I'm going to find my son, Henry, even if it kills me."

Allison stepped in front of her. "Let us find him. You rest with Roadie and the children. I'm sure he could use the help."

Helen frowned, but nodded. "All right... All right. Just find our boy."

"I will." The redhead watched as the brown she-bear left, and began walking once more. "I doubt they would leave the property. They're here somewhere."

Trixie frowned. "Last time they disappeared here, they went to the treehouse. Perhaps that's where they went this time?"

"If not, it's a good place to start," Henry nodded. He picked up his walkie-talkie. "Hey, guys, Trixie suggested we check the treehouse. Who is closest?"

"You guys have a treehouse?" Dex replied.

"Why wouldn't we have a treehouse?" Jade responded.

"Beary never showed me a treehouse!"

"When has he had time, Dexter?" Allison asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Henry shook his head and repeated his question.

"Méngméng and I are closest. Heading that way now," Zeb responded. "Oh… So that's what those noises are…"

"Noises?" Norbert asked.

"What are they doing, Zeb?" Tennessee asked.

"Uh, putting Ted and Jade to shame. Wow. I didn't even know one could do that! Can you do that, Méngméng?"

"We'll have to find out now, won't we?" the she-panda responded with a giggle. "Stop watching them, you pervert."

"I'm not a pervert, Méngméng! And I stopped looking as soon as I realized what they were doing!"

"Oh, I know. I just like teasing you."

"Well, don't, you vixen."

Henry sighed. "Zeb, Méngméng, are they in the treehouse, or are you two just putting on a show because you're both dirty?" He glanced over at Allison, whose face was bright red.

"Oh, no, they're in there, and they are putting Ted and Jade to shame. They're even worse than you and Helen used to be, Hen," the auburn bear responded.

Henry sighed. "Someone secure Tennessee so he doesn't rip them apart."

"Henry, the boy and I have already had a discussion about this. Why do you think we had Jewel get birth control?" Tennessee answered with a sigh. "Yes, I'm pissed, but what can I do? They know what they're doing, and they know the consequences. However, Jewel is now grounded for a month."

Trixie started laughing and snorting. "That's my husband."

Tennessee grumped in response. "If things had been different, and they not been forced into what they were forced into, I wouldn't be nearly so lenient. As things are, I can't really blame them…"

"Wow, Tennessee isn't just a big baby. He actually has some sense," Jade commented. "Wait, have they been doing that for three hours?! What the hell?!"

"I doubt it. But if they have been, then damn do they have stamina," Dex replied.

"Dexter!"

"What? Sorry, Mom. But seriously, I doubt they've been doing that for that long."

"Yeah. They were probably talking, and it just escalated," Roxi piped up. "Your brother has been trying to avoid sleeping with her, remember? He's scared of hurting her."

Henry frowned and glanced at Allison and Norbert. "Hurting her?"

There was a pause on the younger couple's end before Dex started speaking. "Yeah. He told me once that he when he was, uh, trained, he was trained to be rough. To go again and again in order to get his, uh, target pregnant. He said he stopped feeling after the first couple of weeks, so now he's worried about not being able to control himself. He's scared."

"Jesus," Jade breathed after a few moments. "Poor kid… And then that bitch takes advantage of him… No wonder he's being so odd. He's probably terrified of admitting he's having urges."

"Just leave them be and come back here. Might as well not embarrass them," Henry ordered, glancing at the Barringtons. "Is that all right with you? Then we can talk."

Allison sighed. "He's not a little cub anymore… even if I want him to be, he's old enough to make his own decisions and to live with the consequences. That's why he's moving out here, to learn."

The older bear gave her a small smile. "And we will take care of him. Properly, this time. Especially because of, well, you know."

"I still do not believe that he is what you say, but... Just take care of my boy this time, Henry. If you lose him again, I will kill you myself," Allison grinned.

Henry gave her a wayward smile and nod of agreement.

"Besides… I think after the information we've learned, it's obvious he needed a release. No, I'm not happy with the release he chose, but…" She straightened. "He's made his decision, and come what may, he will learn to stand by his choices, whatever they may be. He's not a little boy anymore. He's aged before his time…"

"Shit. Henry, I think something's happened! Jewel's crying in pain, and Beary took off!"

Henry let out a swear and directed the Barringtons over to a golf cart. "Let's go."

.~*~.

Running, running. It was all he could do after what he'd done. He'd hurt her! He'd actually hurt her and drew blood. He had pulled on his shorts before leaving, but seeing the pain in her eyes made him forget about anything else. He just had to get away. Far, far away. He'd even left behind S'mores, forcing him to stay.

His fur was shifting a variety of colors, most of them were what one would attribute to fear and terror. The grass changed colors, as did the trees, but he took no notice.

Tears falling from his cheeks turned into crystal gems and landed on the ground. He had forgotten his feather pendant, but that was the least of his worries. What were they going to do to him? Would they let him stay? Would they send away? What was going to happen? Maybe if he ran away, they wouldn't do anything. Would they even come looking for him?

Coming to a large gate, he paused and backed off. Beyond this gate and massive fence was the wolf sanctuary. The gate was locked, of course, but… but what if he picked the lock?

No. What if he let the wolves out? But… but why did he feel so drawn to them? He knew that wolves were considered sacred in the Ursinya culture and religion. Was it because of what he now was?

He paused. Hadn't Ignis said that he was related to Aeris, the god of wind and storms? Maybe… Maybe he could jump over? "I… I don't know what I should do… I can't stay here… I've hurt her, but… Oh, what am I doing?" He turned and sat down, leaning against the gate, pulling his legs up close. "I shouldn't run away. What does that solve? Where would I go? I can't even control this!" He looked at his color-shifting fur and for the first time noticed the path he had carved in color. He picked up a rock and threw it, frustrated.

Feeling a pulsing in his pocket, he pulled out the crystal paintbrush that had shrunk in size. But now holding it, it grew to its regular size and gave a warm pulse, causing a small smile to cross his face. If he could only paint out what he was feeling, then maybe… just maybe… he'd have a new way to get rid of his stress.

"Beary?"

"Beary!"

Beary glanced up and tried to shrink back. He could hear Ted and Zeb's voices calling for him. They didn't sound angry, but… Frantically, he put the paintbrush in his pocket, letting it shrink again, and looked for the nearest tree and started climbing, reaching a medium-height branch just as the duo arrived at the gate.

"Damn it, where did he go?" Ted asked. "Why are we following these colors anyway?"

"Because, Ted, when he ran from the treehouse, colors sprouted up from where he ran. It was weird. Freaky, even. Kinda cool, but I don't get it. Why'd they do that? Besides, it's the only lead we have," Zeb responded, looking around. "It… It stops here at the gate."

"You don't think he went through, do you?" Ted questioned, upset and worried.

"No. The lock is secure." He gave it a rattle for good measure and let out a yelp when the bolt broke and the gate fell down as well as some of the fencing. "What the hell?!" He looked at the hinges and lock. "What's all this shiny stuff? Crap. This entire thing is broken! Ted, radio Henry…" Zeb backed up, eyes wide.

Beary frowned. What was wrong? He shifted the branches and looked down, noticing the crystal-covered gate that had weakened the hinges and structure. Had that been his fault?

A low growl made his blood run cold as he looked past the gate and saw a black wolf stalking towards the gate. Beyond the large wolf were several more of various colors.

Ted's eyes widened. "Zeb… up a tree… now!"

The younger bear wasted no time in scurrying up the nearest tree, opposite Beary, and watched as Ted barely managed it, the branch he sat on starting to creak.

"Ted, call the others!" Zeb called as the wolf pack began moving out of the shadows and leaving the broken fence.

"I… I can't. I dropped my radio."

"And I left mine with Méngméng and Jade! Crap! What are we going to do?! They have no idea what's coming!"

Beary closed the branches and clenched his eyes shut. This was all his fault! Why had the wolves come so close to the fencing?! They had never done so before, as far as he was aware. Had he somehow called them with his sorrow? He had broken the fence with his freaky abilities!

Jewel… Erik… His family was in danger, and it was all his fault!

"Location check. Where is everyone?" his father's voice crackled over the radio, peeking his interest.

"Méngméng, Trixie, and I are at the treehouse, Henry," Jade responded to Ted and Zeb's relief.

"I've got Allison and Norbert with me. Dex, where are you and Roxi?" Henry asked.

"We're walking around and trying to find Beary."

"Roadie, are you still at the Hall?"

"Nah. The cubs and kids were getting rowdy, so I've put them all in that big stroller y'all own and we're roaming the fields."

Beary's heart sank. The fields weren't far from here, and were too far away from the Hall and any of the buildings for him to get the young ones to safety!

"Whoa, what the hell? Why do the wolves sound so close by?" Jade radioed in seconds after a wolf let out a loud howl. "Sounds like they're on the hunt. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were out of the forest and running the fields. Wow. OH, SHIT! HENRY! TRIXIE AND I JUST SAW A COUPLE OF THE WOLVES RUNNING THROUGH THE GRASS! THEY'RE OUT! Shh… One of them is up here on the tree house porch… We're going silent and getting up in the loft. Hopefully it doesn't collapse."

"I just saw some heading towards the fields!" Tennessee put in, his voice sounding strained. "What the hell is going on?! How'd they get out?! Roadie, you get out of there!"

The teen wasted no time. He climbed down as fast as he could and took off on all fours. Zak, Tempest, Kristina, and Erik were in danger!

Zeb let out a startled cry at seeing him. "BEARY! GET BACK IN A TREE, YOU IDIOT!" He climbed down, trying to catch him. "Oof!" he cried out when Ted landed on him. "Gerroff!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ted scrambled off of him and looked for the radio before groaning, seeing the broken instrument under the auburn bear. "We need to go after him. He's going to get himself killed!"

"We need to get to the tree house first, Ted. They have a radio. We can warn the others." Zeb took off, also on all fours, something he hadn't done since his cubhood.

Ted scowled, looked at the fence, and at the path Zeb had taken. "Damn it all." He ran on all fours as well, feeling undignified, but going very fast. He knew doing this was going to throw out his back.

.~*~.

"Henry, why are we going back to the Hall?! Our children are out there!" Norbert demanded, hanging on to the bars of the golf cart.

"Because we have tranquilizer guns there. We're closer to them than anyone. If we're going to subdue the wolves, we need those guns," Henry explained, driving as fast as he could. "We also haven't heard back from Zeb or Ted, and that worries me greatly." He screeched to a halt outside the Hall and got out, rushing as fast as he could into his office and unlocking the gun cabinet, taking out two guns and two cases of tranquilizer darts. "Helen?! Helen, where are you?!"

"Henry…? What's wrong?" Helen asked, wandering into the office, looking very weak. "What's happened?"

"What… happened to you?" He frowned. She didn't look good at all. "Can you manage a transformation? The wolves have gotten out, and we don't know how or why. Roadie's out in the fields with our little ones, and we haven't heard from Dex or Roxi, nor Ted or Zeb. Then again, we haven't heard from Fred, either."

"I… I will try," she murmured, closing her eyes and focusing. A strange, bright light filled the room and she began to scream as blood poured from her back as wings sprouted from her flesh and fur. She hit her knees to the ground, her claws digging into the wood with deep gouges.

Henry was horrified as he backed up, watching this terrifying transformation. What was happening?!

"Don't… don't just stand there! Go!" Helen cried, shaking in pain. "L-Leave a talkie… I'll… fly above… Go!"

He backed up and nodded, taking off and not looking back.

"What the hell is going on? Was that Helen? Why was she screaming?" Allison demanded when he got in the golf cart.

"It's… She tried transforming. Something's gone wrong… If she can, she's going to give us an eye in the sky." He passed the guns and cases to them, and started driving. "We're heading to the fields. Hopefully we're… not too late."

.~*~.

Roadie, Dex, and Roxi had climbed up on top of Big Al's red tractor, each holding a child with Roadie holding onto the two cubs. Dex had Kristina, and Roxi had Tempest. They looked down at the wolves that circled them, growling and snarling.

Roadie glanced around, trying to find someone that could save them. "Damn it. No one's around. Henry probably went back to get the guns. I'd tried to get out of here, but by the time you guys reached us, things were already out of control, and we would have been caught."

"It's fine, Dad. We came to the fields to help you, and now we're all trapped. At least we're together. I'm sure they can't get us up here," Roxi responded, eyes wide as she looked at the massive black wolf stalking towards them. "Okay… that one might be able to."

Dex took one look at the wolf and groaned. "I think Beary told me once that that was the alpha. Filtiarn, I think his name was. Lord of the wolves. Rarely seen, though, but when he is, he'll give you something to remember him by."

"And that white one next to him?" Roxi asked.

"Aiona," Roadie responded. "His mate. She's the only white wolf in that pack. Fierce as can be, but also very loving to the younger wolves, from what we've seen. She's had a few litters, and most of those pups were sent to other sanctuaries or to the wild, so she's not very happy with us."

"So you're saying we're going to die?" Dex tightened his hold on his little sister.

"I hope to hell not."

Roxi, holding the radio, called out for help, saying that they were trapped on the big red tractor. "How big is this pack, Dad?"

"Should only be ten wolves, but no pups have been chipped yet, so I don't know for sure."

"Lovely."

Dex shook his head and looked down at his very small sister, bundled up like a sub sandwich. "Don't worry, Krissy. I'll make sure to get you back to Mom and Dad. I promise." He kissed her forehead and covered her face again. "Roxi, how's Tempest?"

"Taking this like a trooper. I swear, she has some Jade in her somehow," the nineteen-year-old laughed weakly, looking down at her non-crying daughter that stared at the wolves.

Erik, too, was staring at the furry creatures, wanting to get down and play. He started to squirm and bite and claw at Roadie's arm, squealing unhappily when the human wouldn't let him go.

Zak began to copy his older nephew, fussing.

"Oh, no you don't!" Roadie growled, trying to hold them tighter, though his arms were aching from the claws and bites. "I'm not going to be the one to explain to your parents how you got eaten!"

"Aw, come on, Erik! This is dangerous enough! Stop it!" Dex fretted, looking at the cubs. "You're gonna make Roadie lose his balance!"

The wolves started jumping at the tractor, making play-bites. One managed to almost climb on the wheel, and the humans could see that the alphas were carefully thinking.

"If they can get on the wheels, there's only time before they get up here," Dex whispered. "Maybe if we give them someone to hunt…"

"Dex, don't you dare!" Roxi hissed.

"It's a better idea than all of us being killed! We don't know when anyone else is going to show up here! It's our only option!" he explained, passing his sister over to his wife. "I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I won't let my family die if there's something I can do about it. I'm a pretty fast runner, after all." He walked over to where the steering wheel was and stepped over it onto the seat, knowing the wolves were watching him. "Get their attention."

Roxi's blue eyes filled with tears, and silently letting them fall, she nodded and started making sound, drawing the wolves towards her while Dex jumped down and took off away from the tractor.

He wasn't more than five paces before several wolves gave chase. He ran as far as he could over the hard ground and broken stalks of corn. He could hear their pounding footsteps right behind him, and knew they were toying with him.

He stumbled slightly, almost completely losing his balance, but righted himself… but it was too late as a wolf sank its teeth into his leg.

Reviews are welcome! Thanks for reading!