When the weather front finally broke, both were in their shifter forms, though Ezra had hidden away the wings. Chris gave him an almost mournful look, the wolf sniffing briefly along the gray back. Ezra looked amused.

"Do you have a wing fetish, Mr. Larabee?"

It got him a dark chuckle. "When it comes to you…"

That voice. That expression. The eyes…

Oh lord, the man would be the death of him.

Both were outside, looking at the landscape that had been turned almost upside down by the power of nature. Ezra had been on enough patrols in the past two years to recognize the general area where he had crashed. Flute Canyon, a few dozen miles north of the Carlsson Ranch. Far enough away to be in absolute no-man's land, yet close enough to some sort of civilization that someone might have stumbled over him in the next few days. Well, Carlsson Ranch was the last outpost of civilization in Ezra's opinion. Sven Carlsson was a passionate cattle rancher, living so far into the Territory that he mostly had to ride to a broadcasting tower to get a decent radio signal. There was nothing past his land but wilderness where the Men of the Land roamed. Aside from Vin, no one actually went that deeply into the Territory on a regular basis.

It would take weeks for the forest to recover, but it was nothing nature couldn't handle. Nothing had remained of the winding, twisting path Chris had taken to the shelter. Everything had been either washed away or was blocked by fallen trees.

The sky was a mass of clouds, white and gray, some darker than others, that kept blocking the sun. Now and then it broke through, the landscape awash in gold. The wind freshened up at intervals, whenever the clouds hid the sun, and it didn't look promising.

Chris took the lead and Ezra followed, still feeling a little tender, but the stabbing pains were gone. He was not as agile as before, but more than a match for a wolf. He was strong enough to navigate the non-existent path with as much agility as anyone, paws never slipping. He was also too stubborn not to follow.

Larabee kept looking at him again and again.

::What?:: Ezra asked, hopping over broken trees.

::Nothing::

::Spill it, Larabee!:: he snapped in a for him rather uncommon emotional outbreak. Yes, he was still too far off-balance to draw up his usual armor of five dollar words and distraction.

Chris stopped, a calculating expression in his eyes. ::You said you didn't present yourself as a wolf because you thought I would see through it.::

Ezra tilted his head as he caught on to what his pack leader was asking of him in not so many words. It was an unspoken request, yes, but it was also a little push. He glanced around, listening to something that wasn't there: anyone else, a witness. Aside from assorted wildlife.

::We're alone, Ez::

He sighed, then initiated a shift from fox to wolf. An auburn wolf, about Buck's size, slender, with darker markings around his neck and back. The change came easily, barely pulling at his muscles, though he still felt the soreness. Anything larger than a wolf might be tricky. He would most definitely rip something if he attempted a horse, for example.

::I can adjust the color:: Ezra added hesitantly as he caught the yellow eyes, looking at him with single-minded attention.

When Chris didn't say anything, didn't even flick an ear, he did change the color to dark gray, leaving the markings. That got him a reaction, a soft growl of annoyance.

::Don't, Ezra. Your first choice is your natural choice::

::Uhm…:: he managed, then switched back to auburn.

Chris walked around him, clearly scenting him.

::Chris?:: he asked hesitantly.

There was a soft huff, then the huge black wolf stopped next to him. ::You feel like a true wolf::

::You say that now, but I doubt it would hold up inside your pack:: Ezra sat on his haunches.

::Not so good a con man after all?::

It got him an affronted look. ::I'll have you know, my dear sir, that I can pull off just about any shape perfectly."

"Just about any?" Chris teased, yellow eyes alight with amusement.

Ezra's expression grew from affronted to annoyed to testy. "I've not had much use for waterbound forms while in Four Corners. Or even before that. Any other shape you want to see?"

Chris nudged him gently. ::This isn't a test. I just wanted to see you as a wolf. I still prefer the fox. Your first form. With the wings. I like it a lot. It's natural::

Ezra shivered inside under the intense scrutiny. He was a good con. He could have been a wolf for a while, without slipping, but Ezra P. Standish was also a good people reader. His assessment of Chris Larabee in the first moment they had met had been on point. He wouldn't have been able to keep up the charade of being a wolf for too long. And if the pack had found out about his ruse, they would have found out about his true nature. Sure, he could have told them he was a triple changer, but even that would have been extremely risky.

He would have been under constant watch.

Larabee wouldn't have trusted him ever again.

Trust.

He relied so heavily on it now.

The Fenris nipped at one ear, bringing him out of his downward spiraling thoughts. ::Ezra:: he murmured.

The crossbreed shook himself.

::If you had seen through the deception:: he finally said, voice quiet, ::it would have… destroyed everything::

Chris regarded him, eyes solemn. There was as silent acknowledgement of the words, of the truth. Ezra couldn't give up what he had found. He finally tilted his head, silently prompting him.

The other man shifted once more; a red, wingless fox. He had no idea when the others would find them, because they would, and he wasn't ready to their reaction.

He had to do this at his own pace, even if Vin already knew.

Right now that pace was close to glacial.

Ezra met the knowing eyes of his alpha, a stubborn line forming around his eyes, daring the other man to say something.

Chris silently accepted his decision and they continued along the former path.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A rain shower surprised them an hour into their trek toward the top of the canyon. Chris had found a rather good path and they were making fast progress. It wasn't the thunderous, relentless rain of the past days, but Chris sought out shelter under an overhang of rock nonetheless. Ezra shook himself, but there wasn't a single complaint leaving his lips.

They watched for ten minutes as the shower came down, the noise of rushing water, the humming drum against rock and leaves, soothing, almost meditative.

Chris let his eyes slide partially shut, senses alert for anything that might be a threat for them. Not much could threaten a Fenris, but he had an injured pack mate and Ezra, despite his claims that he was fine, wasn't; really.

The shower was over after no more than fifteen minutes and Chris took the lead again, making sure Ezra followed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Vin met them halfway between the ERSS and where Ezra had run into the piss-pour drunk Josiah. Ezra felt like that had happened weeks ago, not just three days.

Vin stopped, tail easily balancing the lean frame on the log he had jumped on, and he rumbled a wordless question.

"We're good," Chris replied.

Vin looked at the fox. "Hey, Ez."

"Mr. Tanner," was the wary reply.

The tracker gave him a calm look. "It's Vin. Always was and always will be. Nothing has changed, Ezra. Knowing Chris, he pushed that into your head."

"Erm, yes, repeatedly."

"Doesn't seem to stick," Chris commented, pushing him along.

"You're not the first crossbreed I've met," Vin said as he easily fell in step with the two. "You know I spent time with the indigenous people of the Territory, the Men of the Land. That's where I met crossbreeds. No different."

Ezra didn't look at him, trotting next to Chris, who didn't comment. He just listened, eyes on the forest.

"For the Men of the Land, shifting is a gift. Being a multiple shifter is seen as special, as worthy. The land profits from their presence, the tribe or pack is honored to have them, that they chose to be with them."

Ezra refused to comment. No one had ever felt honored to know him and he doubted he would have been welcome anywhere if people had known who he truly was.

"You're still pack, Ez. Always will be."

Ezra had to swallow back a whine of relief, of need, at the words. It was an automatic reaction, shocking him a little bit. The pack connection had ruined him, he knew, had made him incapable of going on alone ever again. He was of the Larabee pack and always would be. Maude would have a conniption over this, declare him flawed and weak. Only a very tiny part of him even cared any more. Another was deeply entangled with these men and absolutely loyal to his alpha.

"Problems?" Chris asked, sounding business-like.

"Nothing we couldn't handle. Will take a while to clean up the mess the category five left in the outer Territory, but the town's mostly still in one piece."

"Good."

"Some mild injuries, no deaths as far as we heard."

Chris rumbled softly.

"Also had a flock of scientists coming in just before all hell broke loose."

The black ears flattened briefly. Larabee wasn't fond of such scientific excursions, but there was nothing any Territory could do about it. Usually they went away after a few weeks.

"Just about stopped them from going out in the storm," Vin continued, sounding amused. "They were dead set on getting data right in the thick of it. One got a concussion when he was tossed into the side of a building. The others are just bruised. They're still lurking around, trying to put together an excursion to collect whatever it is they are collecting. Something about measuring the change of the energy lines." He shook his head. "Idiots."

Ezra smirked. Scientists weren't known for giving up easily and some were rather stubborn when it came to explaining the Territories. Well, their problem, not the pack's. The regulators only had to go out when some of those idiots got themselves into trouble.

"The others are waiting for us," Vin added.

"Josiah?" the Fenris asked darkly.

"Nathan sobered him up. Took a while." Vin lithely jumped onto a huge, fallen tree, followed by Chris.

Ezra simply slipped underneath it.

"He say why?" Larabee snarled.

"Ran into some personal trouble, 's all he mentioned. As far as Nate understood, he got a letter and it was something to do with his father and sister." The blue cat eyes found Ezra's hooded green ones. "Wrong place, wrong time, Ez."

"I know it was nothing personal," he replied softly. "I have a great respect for Mr. Sanchez and I know he was troubled that day."

Like so many of them had issues and troubles, but so far getting drunk hadn't resulted in an attack on either of the group. Josiah had completely flipped, which meant he had looked deeply into more than one bottle. Or had mixed his liquors.

It had been Ezra's mistake that had gotten him injured. He should have left the other alone, not gone on some ill-perceived, pack-related intervention.

::Chris?:: Ezra asked carefully.

He got no reply, but the expression in the wolf's face wasn't promising. Well, it was. It promised punishment.

::I'm not pressing charges::

Chris stopped abruptly, a snarl of anger and disbelief ripping from his throat. His lips pulled back, revealing long, white teeth.

"What?!" he snapped.

"I'm not pressing charges," Ezra repeated calmly out loud.

Vin flicked an ear, looking almost amused. He sat down, watching.

"He attacked you, Ezra! He almost killed you!"

"I didn't die. Josiah wasn't in possession of all of his faculties. He apparently went through something personal and knowing him, he will punish himself the worst."

"He attacked one of the pack!" Larabee snapped, eyes glowing with an unholy fire. Fury flashed through him, hot and unrestrained, like a living thing with a mind of its own. "I am the pack leader! Alpha! No one attacks one of mine without consequences!"

Ezra looked at the wolf, holding the furious gaze. His own was unyielding. "I won't press charges, no matter what you say or do. It is within your right to draw the consequences of his actions concerning the pack, but you won't kick him out, nor will he be banned from any pack activities."

"You don't make the rules, Standish!"

"No, I don't," the fox agreed serenely. "I'm asking you to not act rashly. You are the team leader. This is your Territory. Josiah was in pain and he lashed out. It was my fault as much as it was his. I was a fool. I didn't judge the situation correctly."

The bared teeth were frightening, as was the low rumble coming continuously from deep within that maw.

"Chris."

"He nearly killed you, Ezra," was the harsh whisper.

"He didn't. I am still here."

"He took his personal issues, drowned them in alcohol, then attacked you!"

Ezra glanced at Vin, who had listened silently. "Mr. Tanner?"

The mountain lion tilted his head. "It's Chris' decision. He is the pack leader."

Chris huffed, shooting Ezra a pointed look. It wasn't as if that impressed the crossbreed. Never had before, didn't do so now.

"It is also my decision to accuse Mr. Sanchez of a wrong-doing. I won't. As I said, he will be his worst punisher." He flicked an ear. "No doubt he was already told what he did, am I correct?"

Vin smirked. "Right you are."

Chris huffed again, glaring.

"Josiah's been holing up in that little old church since Nathan got him stone-cold sober. He remembers some and I filled in the rest. He took apart that wall he rebuilt, which had Nathan patch up his hand."

Ezra gave Chris a pointed look, but the black wolf only continued glaring. ::The final decision is the pack leader's. You are the alpha:: Standish said, sounding unhurried, almost peaceful, as he acknowledged Chris' position. ::But Josiah is part of the Seven. We all failed before. Me more than he has, Chris. I betrayed your trust in the beginning and you gave me a chance, even though I nearly got all of you killed::

::You are my…:: Chris swallowed back another wave of fury and pain, which was clear for Ezra to feel and hear.

::Yes, I am. Now. Back then I wasn't. As such I ask for a voice. I ask to be his defender, not his accuser::

"Ezra," Chris growled out loud.

"It was his first misstep."

The wolf lowered his head, nudging the fox softly. "You drive a hard bargain."

Ezra smiled cheekily, then stepped back. Vin's rumbling laughter sounding almost like bad purring.

tbc...