“I did it papa! I did it!” Jack cried in excitement.
“Wow, you sure did. Great job, son. Remember, the more relaxed you are, the easier and faster the transformation. Don’t rush it, your bear will come out when he’s ready.”
“Maybe because it’s still cold, he thinks he’s still in hibernation?” Zahara suggested.
“That’s true. I do feel a bit sleepy now,” Jack said and yawned, his mouth opening wide enough to see down his throat. He was a tall boy and would eventually be a big man, Xander thought he’d grow well over six feet. Jack was only fourteen and he ate like he had been starved his whole life. Xander didn’t remember if he ever ate that much but he thought perhaps this spring they would plant more vegetables and maybe go on a few more hunts to bring in game. He couldn’t believe that Ethan was getting his garden ready. They still had lots of snow on the ground. He shivered and looked at Zahara. She looked so beautiful, even with her pink nose. He grinned and walked up on the porch and came up behind her and drew her to him.
“Wanna go on a date tonight?” he whispered and squeezed her suggestively. She giggled softly.
“Ewwww,” Shay said and both looked over at her.
“I can hear!” she said.
“Me too and I agree, ewwww,” Jack said.
“What? What’s the matter?” Neylan asked, looking at her parents and then her siblings.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Shay said and got up and carried Neylan into the house. Jack passed them and leaned over and kissed Zahara on the cheek.
“I’ll make dinner, mom,” he said and closed the door so Xander and Zahara were alone. It was a rare time to have just the two of them. She turned in his arms and looked up at him and smiled.
“I was thinking about making a bed out in the trailer. You know, for date night? That way, we don’t have to walk all the way back to the hunter’s cabin. That’s a pain in the ass in the winter,” Zahara said softly. She had to whisper; all the children had excellent hearing. Both were very curious as to how Neylan would grow up. She was full-blooded werewolf. More often than not, only one parent was the wolf. So far, she seemed a normal five-year-old. They could smell the wolf of course, but they wondered when she hit puberty, how she would react and turn.
“That’s why I love you, you’re always thinking ahead,” Xander said and laughed. Their life was quiet here in the woods. They had met and befriended several of their neighbors. The closest one was over a mile away and the next one was two miles away. Their families had been decimated but they had managed over the last ten years to survive and even thrive. Like themselves, they’d taken in orphans and so there were other children that got together every week or so to socialize. They had noticed that Shay was paying particular attention to one of the Hammerstein’s boys. Jack was starting to notice girls but he was more worried about turning into his bear. Typical self-absorbed teen.
“I just want a night where I can let the wilder side of me out. I feel so repressed,” Zahara said and laughed.
“Tell you what, we’ll sneak out tonight while the kids are watching a movie,” Xander suggested.
“Oh, hell yeah. I’m starting to get cabin fever and I just want out for a while,” she said.
“We’ll have Shay keep an eye on things and we’ll go out and terrorize the countryside,” he said and squeezed her hard.
“I think I could live with that.” She pulled him over to the rocking chair and he sat down in it and gathered her into his lap. His arms went around her and he could feel the heat of her and the warmth felt good. He looked forward to warmer weather and less clothing.
“I heard you talking to Ethan last night. He sounds happy. So does Rose,” Zahara said softly.
“I think he is. I think he misses Reggie a lot. I know the feeling. Sometimes it’s nice to have another guy around to talk with.”
“Jack will be that kind of man soon, maybe another year or two and he’ll stop being a child. Shay is almost a woman and it breaks my heart,” Zahara said.
“Yeah, he’s a good kid. I can’t believe how fast time has passed and how happy I’ve been. It seems the happier I am, the faster the time goes.”
“I know, pretty soon Neylan will be getting mouthy and cranky. Then she’ll turn. Are we getting old?” she asked, turning in his lap and looked at him. He lifted his hand and smoothed back the dark curls so like his daughter’s.
“No, we’re getting better and better. I feel stronger today than I did ten years ago. Maybe in another five or ten years we’ll have grandchildren and then, maybe we can feel old,” he said and laughed when she poked him.
“Don’t even talk about grandkids. Shay’s been giving that boy a look or two. We’d better have a talk with her soon. Maybe you might want to start fixing up that old hunting cabin in the back of the property,” she said.
“Yeah, I was thinking about that. It’s a good thing I picked up all those supplies back when. I think soon, Jack and I will be building onto that cabin for our daughter’s future family.”
“That sounds nice, our daughter’s future family. More, little werepuppies,” Zahara said and sighed happily
