It had been JD's idea to have a barbecue out at Chris' place, probably the last before the weather no longer permitted it. Whether he had proposed the get-together because of the latest events, reacting to the tension within the pack and their fierce protective streak toward one another and especially Ezra; or if it was simply coincidence, Chris didn't mind. It was the best idea he had heard all week.
JD had beamed at him with youthful enthusiasm. The youngest of the pack always enjoyed the time out in the middle of nowhere, close to the forest, the lake, and the opportunity to have a pack run.
Buck had been all for it, especially with the prospect of a mountain of juicy steaks and baked potatoes. The others had looked far from opposed to the idea. Pack times were important, away from town life, allowing each pack member to be himself.
Chris had called them together prior to their day off from regulator duties, making if an official meeting where he had detailed Maude's visit, her threats and her current status as a persona non grata when it came to Four Corners. The alpha had again talked to Ezra about his decision to let the team know, that they needed to know, and while Ezra hadn't been happy, he knew it was important. His mother could destroy everything if she found the right person, with enough power, enough money, the right connections, and the other five men had a right to know.
Their reactions had been unanimous. Disbelief, outrage, anger, then complete agreement. Maude, whatever last name she might have in the near future, would not be welcome in this Territory. Ever again.
Somehow it was a weight off his shoulders, enabling Ezra to breathe more easily, while another part of him had been incredibly embarrassed to lay his personal matters so open to the other men.
But they were his pack.
They accepted him, wouldn't use these weaknesses against him, and he could trust them with even such intimate details.
Right now Ezra sat on the porch and watched the antics of Buck and JD. Both men had shifted right after devouring several steaks, as usual. The older wolf was teaching the younger a few close combat tricks. It was a lot of mock fighting, with no serious injuries, just a few bruises, and a lot of dirt ending up in both shifters' fur. Fall leaves flew up left and right as they chased each other everywhere.
The change of season was happening fast now, the leaves dropping, creating a blanket on the forest floor. The weather was unsteady at best, changing from brilliantly sunny and cool to a unicolor gray sky and dusky light all day as it rained.
Chris watched them with mild interest, though he would interfere if matters turned too intense or too wild.
Josiah was in charge of the open fire where steaks were still cooking. Knowing JD he could still eat two more after his romp through the leaves, and Buck never turned down free food. Shifters ate a lot more than non-shifters and they metabolized it quickly. Josiah was sticking to water or lemonade, not touching even one beer. Nathan had brought along a non-alcoholic variation, but Sanchez had refused. Ezra had tried the rather malty concoction and decided it tasted like melted caramel drops mixed with some herbal drink.
Vin had gone off to stretch his legs for a while and had returned with a lazy smile and an easy gait, speaking of some quality shifter time, probably climbing trees, jumping from tree to tree, maybe even a little nature communing. As much as Ezra always teased him with it, he knew the tracker needed this affirmation with his home soil. The land was him and he was the land in so many ways.
Wiping his fingers from the delicious steak juices still clinging to them, Ezra placed the plate on the porch, smiling as JD got the better of Buck and both wolves went down in a tangle of limbs and fur. JD yipped a challenge and raced off, the first to gain his feet, and Buck growled, bolting after him.
Chris was suddenly next to him, all long limbs and slender grace. He raised an eyebrow.
"Fancy a run?"
"You go and have at it," he declined. "I just showered. And had lunch. A good lunch." Ezra stretched out his legs, crossed them at his ankles, and folded his fingers over his stomach, smiling at the other man.
"We're going to the lake. Nathan is fancying a swim."
Ezra refused to be baited. He projected an air of total disinterest, seeing the spark of a challenge accepted in Chris' eyes.
"Weather's still warm enough."
At least for shifters, which were a lot more enduring when it came to dropping temperatures. Nathan and Josiah were quite hardy when it came to cold, even swimming in the middle of winter. Ezra drew a line at that.
"I'll digest my steaks here, thank you."
::Ezra…::
Chris' expression had him duck his head away from the knowing eyes. He knew exactly what Chris wanted to say. They all knew what he was and still Ezra hadn't really shown his true form since that day. Not that he usually ran around as a red fox most of the time, but he would shift now and then.
Lately, not so much anymore.
Only Vin and Chris had seen it, and Josiah because of some hazy memory. JD had looked eager, on the verge of asking, but apparently Buck had told him not to pester Ezra about such a personal topic. Nathan had been his patient, knowing self.
Chris regarded him long and hard, then nodded slowly. No pressure. No force.
The alpha rose and slipped out of his clothes in a smooth move, shifting into his other shape. Ezra followed the pack, one of three still human, but Nathan was the first to follow his instinct and the black bear trotted along, heading for the lake in anticipation of a romp through the cool, clear water. Josiah was next. He briefly looked at Ezra as if gauging for a reaction, but Ezra just smiled easily. The enormous, shaggy brown bear rumbled, then slowly, sedately walked on.
The crossbreed took his time, enjoying the day, the sounds around him, the feel to the air. Part of him twitched to be in his first form, wanted to feel the leaves underneath his paws, his fur ruffling in the wind, wings shivering to be spread and to soar. Another was too tightly coiled to give in.
When he arrived at the lake, everyone was half drenched or, in JD's case, fully. Nathan was paddling in easy strokes, heading for the tiny island in the middle of the lake where he had peace and quiet, and a lot of sun.
Vin watched it lazily from his own sunny spot high up on a large boulder, light brown fur gleaming.
Ezra just stood there, torn, instinct fighting against common sense.
This was his pack.
They knew.
Chris knew and Chris was his mate. There was no rejection waiting, no disgust or fear, no rabid accusations and threats of death.
He was different, but he was pack.
So much had happened in such a short time, culminating in Maude's visit, leading to here and now. This place, where they could all be themselves.
And still he hesitated.
In the past he had spent such team outings at the lake in his human shape, claiming it was uncivilized, that he didn't need it. A few times he had let Chris gently bully him into shifting, always the red fox, and it had always been enjoyable.
Especially when Chris had curled up next to him later on, seeking the closeness that was so obvious between them.
This was the first time out here, together, since the revelation that he was a crossbreed.
Nothing was different, except that being a red fox would be… a lie.
Ezra met Vin's calm eyes, the mountain lion so deeply settled in himself, it was a miracle he wasn't sprouting roots.
With clenched teeth he finally undressed, meticulously folding his clothes, taking his time.
The red fox shape came easily and he waited for a long moment, finally looking up and meeting his alpha's eyes across the stretch of sand and gravel between them.
He didn't need to be red. He didn't have to assume a shape they thought he was. Ezra Standish could be himself.
The crossbreed stepped out into the open and let his natural color bleed over the red, erasing it, the light gray making him almost invisible against the sunny, yellowed grass.
Buck bounded over to him, dripping wet, tongue lolling. "Ezra! Finally decided to join in!"
A vigorous shaking had Ezra try to escape the fat water droplets. "Bah!" he muttered.
JD was the same, dripping wet, intent on getting Ezra wet, too, so the fox bounded away, but he was barely fast enough as a tiny tsunami of water was dumped his way, Josiah's huge paws easily capable of dunking two buckets full on his.
Ezra whisked through the wet obstacle course and finally hopped onto an ancient tree that had been washed ashore a long time ago.
"Savages," he muttered and shook his slightly damp fur.
Chris sauntered over to him, a black hole in the middle of a sunny late autumn day, the yellow eyes filled with mirth and happiness.
"Of course you are enjoying this," Ezra grumbled, flicking an ear.
"Of course." He pushed his dark nose into Ezra's side. "You can be yourself, Ez. Really be yourself."
He felt his breath stutter.
"They know," Chris went on. "You don't have to hide. No one but us is here and I know you must have been your true self many times before on the past. Your wings are strong, the muscles trained." He nudged him a little and Ezra leaned against the wolf for a second.
"You just want to lick them again," he muttered, trying for humor and failing miserably.
"I'd do more than lick them if you weren't so skittish about it."
Ezra stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief, something hot racing through him. He choked a little on the next words.
"W-what?"
Chris grinned, a feral smile that was all sharp teeth, but he said nothing else. Ezra finally collected his thoughts and sighed.
"You really want to shock them," he stated.
"No. I want you to be comfortable in your true form. It is the form you were born as, Ezra. It's you."
For a long moment the crossbreed just sat there, then he took a deep, steadying breath and finally unfurled the wings from his back, creating them out of nothing it seemed. They stretched, feathers rustling, and he shook them easily into shape. The gray feathers gleamed healthily in the sun and the wings looked strong. Yellow eyes watched him, intense in their scrutiny, almost primal in their attention, and Ezra shivered again. It was a pleasant feeling, seeing that appreciation and eagerness in Chris, knowing he wanted Ezra to be as he had been born. No lies, no falseness, no hidden agenda.
The Fenris lightly nipped at the wing closest to him and Ezra felt another tingle. This was playful and almost strangely intense in one. The strong jaws, easily capable of breaking a man's femur, closed over the wing. A demonstration of power to an unschooled observer, of dominance. Something so much more meaningful for the two shifters involved.
Ezra never even twitched away, looked at the Fenris with utter trust. Chris licked over the damp feathers again, then nosed against his mate's neck.
::Don't ever feel the need to hide:: he murmured, the words a mix of command and plea.
Ezra looked into the yellow eyes, then nodded.
He wouldn't.
It was a promise.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
The sun was past the noon point, still high enough in the sky to spread light, but the strength was already waning with winter coming in soon. It was a beautiful, bright day, with hardly a cloud, cool without being cold. Vin watched the lake, the sandy beach that tapered into pebbles until it reached larger rocks that soon turned into boulder. Vin had chosen one of those boulders as his look-out.
Enjoying the sun like the rest of the pack, be it at the beach, the tiny lake island where Josiah had gone to, or the forest, which had been Nathan's designated choice after his swim and sunbath, he let his eyes stray to a patch of sand hat was dusted with a spattering of grass. It was easy to make out the black shape of Chris, stretched out on his side, not a care in the world as it seemed. There was no mistaking him for anyone but the alpha of the pack, even just dozing after taking a refreshing swim and chasing Buck around.
Next to him was the much lighter, smaller shape of Ezra, the fox almost perfectly camouflaged. Chris' head was shaded by a large, gray wing, pushed into the feather appendage.
"Don't they look cute?" Buck teased, joining Vin on his look-out with an easy, graceful jump.
"Don't let either of them hear it."
The timber wolf chuckled, shaking himself a little. Then he sat down, tongue lolling.
"He is a sight," he murmured after a moment.
Vin nodded. Ezra was. Seeing the wings on a fox was strange, but then again… not. It was him. All of him. It had pained him to see how much Ezra had hidden from them, what had had to happen to bring out the whole truth. Nothing about the wings was an aberration, abnormal, evil or twisted. They were amazing and he knew Nathan wanted to look at them, was curious about this mixture of different animal shapes, but Ezra was still skittish in that regard.
"He'll learn," the tracker said softly. "In time. He learned to trust us. He'll learn to show us, too."
Buck nodded. "Sure of that."
It would take a while, would probably need some coaxing, but he was convinced Ezra would feel safe enough to be his true form around them more often. Hell, just seeing him as a fox, even without the wings, was a win.
Grinning to himself as he kept watching their resident Fenris doze under Ezra's wing, Buck kept Vin company for a while longer.
xXxXxX
Chris buried deeper underneath the feathery appendage, a soft sigh of contentment escaping his lips. The sun, while not strong, still warmed his back and his muscles were absolutely relaxed. Having Ezra as his first form self, seeing him, being able to touch his like that, was a heady feeling. He wouldn't voice his thoughts out loud, but he loved his mate like this. He wanted to see the wings, wanted to touch them, feel them.
::Addict:: Ezra murmured lazily and raised his head out of the thick black fur. He had truly fallen asleep like that, not just dozing off like Chris had done.
Larabee grumbled as the wing twitched and Ezra laughed.
::Addict:: he repeated lovingly.
Chris finally lifted his head, making a point of licking over the feathers.
::I'd never get you out of my bed if I could have wings in human shape:: Ezra teased.
There was an unholy light in Chris' eyes. ::I wouldn't leave your bed if I didn't have a duty to fulfill, Ez. Wings or no wings.::
The fox swallowed, green eyes wide, startled by the words. "Uhm," he managed, blinking. "I…"
Chris grinned wolfishly, pleased by his still persisting ability to render the other shifter speechless. So much had changed, but this wouldn't.
"You okay with the others?" Chris asked, switching topics easily.
"It went… easier than expected."
There had been big eyes and exclamations of surprise, and while Nathan had looked close to ecstatic to see the unusual, shifted form, he had held back. Vin had watched everyone closely, just like Chris had done, though he had been standing right next to Ezra, but there had been no tension and no bad vibes. JD had been his exuberant self. Buck had simply given Ezra a huge, tongue-lolling grin.
They were good.
Chris now nosed at the smaller shifter and Ezra licked over the wolf's nose, green eyes holding no shadows.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Flying over to Josiah's little island retreat had been accompanied by JD's awed gaze as the gray fox took to the air. Buck had been sleeping, belly up in the air, the sun drying his fur, missing the whole thing. Nathan was nowhere to be seen and Vin had disappeared not too long ago, too. Chris was watching his pack and Ezra, eyes following the crossbreed as he sought out their seventh.
Ezra landed gracefully, shaking out his wings for good measure, and leaving them out. He folded them against his body and looked at the massive bear who had watched him come in.
"Ezra," Josiah rumbled.
"You're keeping to yourself," the shifter stated calmly.
"I have a lot to think about."
"You've been thinking for a while now."
"Sometimes it takes time to get a handle on the past."
Ezra tilted his head. "I think the past should remain in the past."
"Wise words, brother."
"And while I understand the need of a quiet retreat, especially to evade the antics of our two resident timber wolves, we are pack."
Josiah chuckled. A low, deep rumble that would frighten anyone who didn't know him. He had been among those trying to get Ezra wet, but he had turned to the solitary island not much later.
"You came here for some peace and quiet then?" he asked.
Ezra flicked a dark gray ear. "If you would share your humble abode?"
"Be my guest."
He hopped from the rock he had been perched on and trotted over to the massive, dark brown form. Josiah was larger than the largest bear Ezra had ever seen and he knew he had been lucky to end up with only flesh wounds. Those claws were long enough to slice him in two.
"I could do with a tour of the place."
It was a small island, easily traversed in barely fifteen minutes, but Josiah simply stood and took the lead, gigantic paws sloshing through the water while Ezra decided to stay higher up on the beach.
There was an easy silence between them. No hard feelings. Ezra felt no wariness of the so much bigger shifter, nor any fear. He hadn't had nightmares either.
Josiah looked at him when they had reached the other end of the island. Ezra just gave him an easy, foxy grin.
The bear huffed a soft laugh and splashed water in his direction.
The crossbreed launched himself in the air and flapped his wings at the offender.
The next splash was one of those miniature tsunamis again that hit him right in the face and had him splutter.
"You, dear sir, fight dirty!"
Josiah's rumbling laugher was a delight to hear.
tbc...