The Talk

The Coopers were a very well-established and affluent family in the Central Oregon. They were born and bred to hunt down anyone or anything in their sights, which naturally they made excellent and proficient keepers of the peace. After graduating from his schoolhouse in the small mountain community of Belknap Springs, Bernard Cooper was hard-pressed into finding a job. Now pushing past seven feet in height and three hundred pounds, Bernard had grown into one of the most impressive specimens in the family.

While sitting at the dining room table, Bernard's father, was reading a fresh off the press copy of the Oregonian. Bernard entered the cabin after splitting wood out in the yard, which he thrown down the stack of firewood into the rack beside the fireplace. His mother glanced over at him from across the table annoyed that he was not joining them. It was all an attempt to avoid conversation with his father, and she was fed up with it.

"Come here! Your breakfast is getting cold!" She spoke firmly with her indiscernible Eastern European accent. She was a tall blonde Slavic woman with icy blue eyes and full lips. She was a member of the Volkov bloodline, a family ruthless warriors and mercenaries, whose claim to fame were the decimation of the Dnieper and Volga covens as well as successfully overwhelming Mongols and Turks. Cross one, and you were liable to disappear and torn up beyond recognition. It is ill-advised that you incur the ire of this woman.

Bernard glanced over at his father then back towards his mother weighing his options. His mother finally lost her patience and stood up slapping a linen napkin at the table. "This is getting ridiculous! We have enough wood to heat the entire town for entire winter! I know why you're doing this! Stop being a weak pathetic whelp and eat your damn breakfast I made you! When you live in this den, you will eat with the pack!" She spoke firmly.

"Don't worry Ognyana. I can sit here all day...today's Saturday" His father said cool and collected almost mockingly towards his son's plight. He flicked the newspaper and turned to the next page.

Ognyana shifted her frustration onto her dear husband who had his nose buried deep into the comic section of the newspaper. "Fang...I don't see you helping! All you have done is antagonize him! I've told him he's not going to be a logger! He has too much potential for that! He needs good job for mate and pups! You're his father! You help him or no more soulož for you!"

Fang lowered his newspaper slightly peering over at his wife glaring at him with her icy blue stare. "A mate? Pups?" He questioned her. She was not bluffing with her arms crossed over her chest along with an aggressive twitch of her nose. He lowered the paper completely and growled lowly. "I'm working on it!"

The children at the table looked at each other confused. "What does soulož mean?" asked the six-year-old, Claude.

"I think that means sausage in mom's language" the ten-year-old, Russel answered.

"Oh no! But daddy loves sausage!" Claude added.

Ognyana turned red and grumbled, "Don't worry about it!" She did not want to dare translate what she said in her native language, but she saw that she got her husband's attention. She glanced back at Bernard watching him slowly enter the dining room. Before he could sit down at the table, she rushed over to stop him. She studied him, which Bernard stared at her awkwardly. "You got taller again"

Bernard made a face. "Maybe you got shorter" he muttered.

"You ducked to get in here...you never did that before" She pointed out before she ripped the Band-Aid off his forehead to reveal a horizontal linear scab the same height as the beam that separated the living room to the dining room. She snickered with satisfaction showing that he could not hide anything from her. She looked towards her children with pride as she expected them to turn out just like her first born.

Bernard finally sat down amongst the pack of poor mannered children ripping and wolfing down a breakfast fit to feed an entire army. The children all stopped briefly to stare at Bernard's forehead in astonishment. Bernard attempted to ignore them by cramming two sausage links into his mouth. Unfortunately for him, he had very good hearing.

"What happened to Bernie? Did our den beat him up?" Russell asked.

Bernard's eyes darted over to the boy with a mischievous grin. "What do you mean? You weren't there" He grumbled.

"Yea? Well, I heard it! You even said a bad word!" Russell retorted.

Ognyana giggled to herself as she glanced over towards her little ones. "He did? What did he say?"

"I heard him say Mother and then the F word" Russell tattled.

"Oh dear...Such a potty mouth" She remarked before she wagged her finger at Bernard. "You know better than to spout such filth in front of the pups! It is not elegant, and it is not intelligent! How are you going to find a mate behaving like a brute?"

Bernard chocked on a slice of toast dipped in egg yolk. He beat on his chest and coughed uncontrollably despite to get the toast crumbs out of his lungs. Everyone at the table stared at him excluding Fang. Once Bernard managed to purge out his lungs, his siblings took turns pointing and laughing at him. He stared at his mother and said to her, "Uh, it's hard to find a female of our kind that ain't a cousin of mine"

Ognyana rolled her eyes at this. "So? Go out there and find yourself a human woman for a mate and turn them? Didn't stop our ancestors from doing it before"

"Mother, what if it kills her? Wouldn't I be better off with my kind?" Bernard asked.

Fang lowered the newspaper and stared Bernard down. "If you cannot care for your mate...then you shouldn't be having pups. Tch, it's a miracle that he hasn't knocked anyone up yet"

Bernard scowled at this and shook his head. "What do you mean? What woman wants a monster like me for a mate?" he argued.

Ognyana grinned from ear to ear. "A woman who wouldn't want you has bad tastes. You only have to keep that wolf in the kennel before you go out into town. You show her when she's ready" she explained before her eyes narrowed. "I thought I told you to ignore that Hollywood poppycock"

Bernard shook his head. "I just can't ignore it. It's anti-lycanthrope propaganda. Everyone will think we have a pact with the devil"

Fang cleared his throat after taking a swig of water. "Find a human, not a sheep! If you can't tell the difference, then stick to your own kind! Better yet...don't be looking for a mate at all! You have no den, no job, and no chance!" He lectured.

Ognyana nodded. "Your father's right. You shouldn't be worried about finding a mate"

Bernard's eye twitched feeling as if he were being gaslit. "Mom, you were the one bringing up finding a mate"

"No, I was telling your father to help you get a job. No job means no money. No money means no den. No den means no mate. No mate means no pups. Simple!" Ognyana corrected him. She munched on a piece of bacon. "You on the other hand tried to argue my courtship advice by making an inbred joke" Ognyana brought up.

"Mama? What does inbred mean?" Claude asked.

Fang slammed the newspaper down. "Hey, I found something! How about this?!" he shouted as he folded up the newspaper. He handed it over to Bernard with his finger tapping at the classified ad.

"Hood River County Sheriff wants you! Deputy Position open. Starting annual salary $4,000. Training included!

Requirements are as follows:

•High School Diploma

•At Least 18 years old

•No Felony Convictions

•No Dishonorable Discharge..."

Bernard stared at the paper, and he looked up at his father as if this were a joke. "Hood River County? That's like 230 miles away, isn't it?"

"About a hundred by foot. It's not as far away as you think" Fang explained.

"It's far dad...with mountains in between here and there. I'd rather take the train" Bernard interjected.

"Tch, you pups these days! Back in I was a pup, I had run everywhere with my parents through these mountains through the rain, through the snow, through fog, through smoke and fire, both ways, and we liked it! We didn't have these fancy airplanes, trains, and automobiles or that damned electricity! They're nothing but noise and pollution! Do you know how privileged you are to be out here away from all that? Away from those mills and those blinding lights? You'll cherish that hundred-mile jog! I can guarantee that those sheep will rape what little wilderness we have left" Fang ranted.

Bernard stared at Fang before Ognyana interrupted. "Fang...maybe it would be best if he not draw unnecessary attention to himself. He should blend in with the townsfolk and not spook them. Hard to explain how a human can run faster than a Studebaker"

Fang sighed in defeat. "I suppose..." He sank into his chair getting lost in thought. "First, I got to figure out where you can stay" He reached up to rub his thumb over his temple. "I'm going to need to get into contact with the Alpha. Get his permission. Don't want him thinking you're there to usurp his authority" he muttered before slid his seat back. "I guess that means I have to head over to the store"

"If you're going to the store, take my list. Might as well do my shopping while you're out" Ognyana called out to him.

"Alright" Fang muttered as he swiped the list off the edge of the kitchen counter near the empty bread box. He glanced over at Bernard and growled. "Hurry it up! We haven't got all day"

Bernard scarfed down what was left before he jumped out of his seat, which Fang stopped in his tracks noticing Bernard now being an inch taller than him. He looked back at Ognyana dumbfounded, and she took delight in his confusion. "What's wrong Fang?" She called out. Fang scowled at her as her smirk grew even wider. "I'm glad that you've stopped slouching. It's bad for your back"

Fang's eye twitched, and the children all looked up at him amused. They did not dare say anything seeing that this was banter only between their mother and father. Bernard stopped short of the front door looking back at towards his father. "Dad? Aren't we going?" he muttered.

Fang snapped his head back over and pointed his finger to the door. "Get in the truck!" he ordered aggressively with his deep authoritative voice. There was a flash of yellow coming from his eyes along with a low growl.

Bernard stared at him confused with his overreaction as he backed out the door. He walked along the front deck that overlooked a large natural occurring hot spring surrounded by mossy old-growth forest. Connected to the main cabin as a bunkhouse cabin where he would stay. His other siblings were inside making beds and sweeping out fur out onto the deck where a pregnant grey squirrel scurried over to scavenge the clumps of downy fur for her nest.

"Agh, how much fur can one wolf have?" Marie, The blonde teenage girl, griped.

"To be fair, there are more than one wolf living here" Agatha, her blonde twin sister, commented.

"You know who's fur this is! Why can't he clean up his own mess?" Marie grumbled.

"It's our turn to clean the bunkhouse. It was his turn to chop the wood" Agatha answered back lowly.

"This was premeditated! He knew it was our turn...that's why he did this" Marie raised her voice in irritation.

Agatha giggled to herself. "You're being silly! He cannot shed on command" She walked out onto the deck. Steam raised high into the cold morning mountain air between them, and she waved out to him. "Hey Bernie...did dad have the talk with you?" she teased.

Bernard glared over at them. "Why weren't you at breakfast?"

"There's not enough room with you and dad at the table, You blockhead!" Agatha answered back.

"Can't wait for mom and dad to kick your no good furry lazy bum ass out!" Marie added.

"I ain't no bum! I always catch something for our pack during hunts...I contribute!" Bernard jabbed back.

"Tch, you're scaring off all the big ones!" Marie answered back.

"You're not supposed to keep hunting in the same place! Stop blaming me for your mistakes" Bernard responded back.

As he walked away, Marie's eyes glowed yellow, and she gripped the broom tightly. "I'll show him what a mistake is" The boards knocked and creaked underneath Bernard's heavy footsteps as he walked away.

Agatha looked back at Marie and shook her head. "You know with him gone, hunting is going to get a lot harder" she reminded her. She leaned onto the railing and looked at the steam rolling over the hot spring. "I'm not looking forward to winter. When he's gone...we're going to be out stuck in the rain and snow longer"

Marie watched the squirrel making off with the bounty of nesting material. She never realized how much their kind contributed to the ecosystem outside of keeping the ungulate population under control. Around the property there were plant and flower species who were thriving with the absence of predation from deer and elk. The Squirrel disappeared beneath a huckleberry bush, and with that she forgot why she was feeling angry.

Bernard had already made his way out onto an extension that fed into a bridge that crossed over a steaming brook. The stream trickled through the rounded basalt and andesite cobble courtesy of a nearby a'a lava flow. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the McKenzie River that roared through the forest, which something about it was very soothing and relaxing to his ears. As he reached the other side of the embankment, he walked across the reddish scoria gravel. Each footstep sounded like a combination of snow and glass.

He opened his eyes and looked at the old 1940's red Chevy pickup truck ahead. As he got near, he inspected the truck bed for puddles before he leaped into the back. He could hear his father approaching along with another set lighter of footsteps. It was Russell, with his unkempt brown hair and baggy hand-me-down clothes. He hopped into the truck bed with Bernard before Fang slammed his door shut. Neither of the boys were alarmed and could tell it was not an intentional slam, since it was a consequence of his immense strength. An intentional slam would have resulted in glass shattering.

The truck started up, and they were soon off towards US 28 bound for the hamlet of McKenzie Bridge. The driveway paralleled the brook down a ravine, where it was covered in potholes, rumbles, and cuts from water run-off due to being in a rainforest. They bounced around in the back of the truck, but neither of them was too bothered by it. Along the way, Russell stared at Bernard for what seemed like a couple miles. Bernard leaned up against the cab once the driveway flattened out and the ravine turned into a valley. He watched the scenery and breathed in the fresh mountain air although the scent of detritus reminded him that they were near the tributary, which by extension, the highway that ran parallel to the river.

Russell noticed that the wound on Bernard's forehead had completely healed, which it inspired him to bring up a sensitive topic for him albeit it took him this long amount of time to muster up the courage to ask him. He was not entirely sure how to word his inquiries either. The enigmatic nature about the knowledge his own kind were not written down and details have been blurred, fragmented, or lost altogether.

"Um...Bernie?" He called out nervously.

Bernard was lost in thought, before Russell tapped his foot against his leg to get his attention. Bernard broke his concentration and glanced over towards his brother slightly irked. Russell gulped and averted his gaze, which Bernard saw Russell's submission and suspended his aggression. "What do you want?" He asked calmly although it was rather abrupt.

"I-I just wanted to know...what it feels like?" Russell asked timidly.

Bernard's eyes narrowed anticipating a snide remark about his accident. "What does what feel like!?" He asked with more force. He puffed his chest out and crossed his arms over them trying to look even bigger than he was.

Russell flinched and clawed underneath his nail losing his confidence to be direct. "What does it feel like...when it first happens?"

Bernard cocked his head to the side and shook his head muttering, "The hell are you talking about?"

"I-I want to know what it's like...you know...the fully woolly thing?" Russell finally asked.

Bernard dropped his arm and lean back into the side of the truck. He raised an eyebrow perplexed with the topic. "Hasn't mom and dad told you how puberty works?"

Russell got frustrated with him. "That's not what I'm asking about! I want to know what it's like to transform, Bernie! I already know about the growing fur, getting a deep voice, and everything growing bigger. I just want to know if it's...going to hurt" he blurted out before he stopped and pulled his knees up to his chest. Bernard stared at Russell and cocked his head to the side in confusion. Russell could not look at Bernard in the eyes not wanting to show weakness.

"You don't hide medicine in Peanut butter. All Mom and Dad do is keep telling me to not worry about it and pat me on the head...they said that before...when Dad fixed my broken arm"

Bernard cringed at the memory; however, it was not with how loud Russell screamed when his arm was reset, but it was with how he got roughed up by his father and shouted at by his parents when they found out that he was responsible for Russell's broken arm in the first place. It was the time Bernard realized he was not a pup anymore. "Uh, yeah, well...of course it's going to hurt. It's not like you are putting on and off a costume"

A soft whimper came from Russell, which Bernard frowned realizing the fear going through his brother's head. Russell has buried his face into his knees and sobbed. Bernard took in a deep breath trying to find another way to word things to alleviate the anxiety. "You know...when it first happens to you, you might not realize that it has already happened"

Russell looked up with a couple of tears streaming from his face sniveling. "What? What do you mean?" He thought of this as a contradiction at first, but then he thought his brother was reneging on telling the truth.

Bernard scratched at the back of his head. "Well, I never noticed I started changing until mom pointed it out. She caught me on a midnight snack and got excited about my eyes. Tch, Dad only cared about the bitemark in the steak. I don't remember much...What I didn't know was that the mind is what starts to change most" he said pointing at his head.

"My mind? What do you mean? What happens to it?"

"It's...hard to explain. It's like...uh...it's like, um...it's like we get really angry, hungry, or excited and our instincts betray us and take over when our minds are distracted with all of the feelings and emotion. Sometimes those instincts cause us to transform without us realizing it...well I mean, if we get ourselves worked up enough. Heh, Trust me, you don't feel pain as much when you get so pissed you can't hear nothing but your heart beating in your ears" Bernard explained.

"Oh, I...I didn't know. Um, but what happens if I transform in school?" Russell asked.

"Uh, well, uh, if you feel yourself getting mad or anything like that, try to calm yourself. That will keep it from happening to begin with. You can hide little slip ups easy. Stay calm and you won't have to worry about completely wolfing out. You see what I'm saying?" Bernard spoke.

"How can I do it on purpose?"

"With practice. With practice. Right?" Bernard answered. He waited for Russell to nod before he thought about whether or not it was a good idea to teach Russell how to trigger a transformation. "Well, I know you're kind of young for this, but...maybe it's for the best that you know how to defend yourself"

Russell stared at him unsure about this premise. "Is it hard?"

"No...it shouldn't be if you're ready. I mean, if I'm gone then the pack is weaker right?" Bernard explained.

"Well, yeah! You're like the strongest wolf I know" Russell spoke up.

Bernard stared at him skeptically. "Are you pouring extra gravy on my plate? How many wolves do you know?" he asked.

"Well, you're bigger than dad, and he was the biggest I know" Russell said.

"Tch, I haven't you heard of Fenrir? He's like the biggest wolf to have ever existed. I'm just a flea compared to him"

"I've heard of him. I don't think it's possible for a wolf to be as big as a mountain. Sure, I guess he would be really big, but...wouldn't there be more super gigantic wolves like him? You know...because he's supposed to be our ancestor?" Russell pondered.

Bernard shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe over the years of breeding with thralls and other supernatural beings has made all that potential become more diluted?"

"Oh, so does that mean that there will never be any wolf as big as you?" Russell joked.

"Don't know...you've got Fenrir and Volknov blood in you too. You might grow even bigger than me" Bernard stated simply.

"You think so? Are you sure you want to teach me all of your tricks?" Russell teased.

Bernard raised an eyebrow at this and scoffed. "I said might. I didn't say will. Besides, these aren't my tricks, they are pretty basic stuff" he explained.

"Oh, so all of you know these tricks" Russell muttered now feeling disillusioned.

"Well, I guess I could teach you how to go all the way" Bernard said trying to cheer him up.

Russell cocked his head cutely. "Really? Do you mean? Do you mean you can tell me how to go full wolf!?" he shouted. Fang adjusted his side mirror focusing on Russell, which he then squinted his eyes sensing this to be a bad idea. Neither one of them caught on that their father was now paying attention.

Bernard continued and nodded to his brother's inquiry. "Yea, but first you have to learn what triggers a transformation. It's hard to teach to pup who hasn't experienced one, so, uh, I'll try my best to explain how it all works to you"

"Okay"

"Um, well...First off, you cannot just hope and pray that you'll shift, you have to have a need to trigger it. If you can get your instincts to perceive a threat for example, you can go full therian form real quick" Bernard explained.

"Therian? But I want to go full wolf!" Russell protested.

Bernard stared at him as if he were a lunatic. "But, that's like the most painful of transformations though!"

"Uh...erm...I guess Therian would be fine...you know what? Maybe you can just teach me how to uh...grow fangs or grow my muscles?" Russell relented.

"Scaredy Cat" Bernard replied.

Russell made a face. "Hey! That's not nice"

Bernard rolled his eyes. "Did that make you feel mad? Or angry?"

"Well yea" Russell muttered.

Bernard did not notice any changes in Russell as was expected. "Heh, well, I'm not convinced. You look more annoyed than mad" Bernard explained before he sighed. "If you really want to get yourself worked up enough to transform, you have to think of something that would really get you angry...something that would really upset you"

Russell stared at him blankly. "Like what. You and our cousins beating me at everything?"

"Try something more...egregious. Something more dark" Bernard suggested.

"Egregious and Dark? You mean...you mean something that scares me?" Russell asked.

"Well, you can't hide in the den with your tail between your legs for the rest of your life. You cannot be afraid of things anymore, or you'll just waste away in that hole. You got to come out of the den and show your fangs. You got to be ready to fight back...give them hell" Bernard spoke passionately.

"I'm not as strong as any of you" Russell argued.

"You're ten years old! I'm almost nineteen! Why don't you compare yourself to those anywhere your age! Jez, you don't act like a wolf at all. Come on! That mindset is going to stunt your growth. Maybe you're not ready yet" he muttered.

Russell glanced back at him curiously. "Then what do you think about?"

Bernard's mood shifted from receptive to closed off. He looked off at the side of the road pushing the thought away. "I'd rather not...talk about it"

"Come on! If it worked for you, it could work for me!" Russell pushed. Bernard's nose and lip started twitching into a snarl trying to repress the thought. Russell did not take notice of Bernard's teeth growing canines or his eyes changing from brown to yellow. "Hey! Why won't you tell me!?"

Bernard snapped his head towards him and growled viciously at him. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" He shouted in a fearsome beastly voice.

Fang slammed on the breaks causing Bernard to bonk the back of his head into the cab of the truck while Russell flew forward into Bernard's chest. "Knock it off!" Fang roared at them.

Fang pulled the truck over to the side of the road and crawled out while lowly muttering expletive under his breath. He walked around to the back of the truck, which he then grabbed Russell underneath the back of his shirt collar like a pup being grabbed by the scruff of their neck. He proceeded to separate him from Bernard and sat him up against the tailgate firmly. "Enough! If either one of you even so much as sprout peach fuzz or get a bad attitude, I'm turning this goddamned truck around! Understood!?"

Russell was absolutely terrified with the change in his father's voice and those same yellow eyes staring into his soul. Russell nodded quickly before Fang started back towards the front. He locked eyes with Bernard, which he stopped to scold him further. "You opened yourself up to that" Fang commented.

Bernard audaciously snorted and looked away before Fang jabbed his finger just above Bernard's temple shouting with irritation, "Think!" Bernard looked back up at Fang who stared him down intensely. "Get yourself under control! You are no thrall!" he shouted. He glanced over at Russell, and he motioned to the cab. "Get in the truck!"

Russell nodded and quickly jumped out of the truck bed before scampering into the passenger seat. Fang returned to the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. He sighed and tapped his claw against the gear stick. Russell looked up to him nervously and then to the floor. Fang shook his head before he playfully grabbed Russell's head and shoved it. "Stop being stupid. If you were ready, you would have transformed on the last full moon. Tch, only thing you did was eat an extra piece of chicken, and you still slept the whole night. I know when you are ready pup"

He laughed and put the truck into gear pulling back out onto the road. "Pft, you are going to end up getting hurt trying to force it out. Heh, you know, if you can't poop, don't keep pushing, cause then everything comes out"

Russell cocked his head cutely. "What do you mean...everything comes out?"

"Heh heh, I mean you poop out your organs"

"Eww, that sounds like it hurts" Russell said.

"Yes...yes it does. So does constipation, very uncomfortable...Which, this is why your mother wants you to eat more greens" Fang remarked. Russell stared at his father in confusion. Bernard guffawed in the back of the truck.

"Dad...you are the one who don't eat their greens" Russell teased.

"That's aside the point! The point is..." Fang said before he trailed off trying to remember his wording.

"That the full moon is like greens?" Russell questioned with confusion.

"Yes" Fang said with confidence, but he jerked his head and abruptly corrected himself, "I mean no! The moon is the moon, and greens is greens. The point I'm trying to make is"

"If you don't have to poop, don't poop. We got it!" Bernard added, which Fang looked in the mirror and growl at him in annoyance.

Russell scratched at the back of his head before he nodded. "Okay, I think I get it. Um, so don't try to transform...let the moon do it for me?"

"Yes, let it all happen naturally. Besides, it always happens with the stomach and appetite first"

"It will happen with my stomach? And then my appetite?" Russell muttered.

"Well, yes...what do you think I've been trying to tell you, pup? Transformations need fuel. It's like an automobile. If you don't have a big enough tank for a bigger engine, you won't go very far, right?" Fang explained.

"I think so. But uh, Dad? I thought you hated automobiles?"

Fang stared ahead onto the road and remained quiet choosing his words closely. "Times are changing. Our ancestors survived this long by adapting to whatever goes on with humans. I don't like them--automobiles, but I don't have a choice. I would rather automobiles than horses"

Bernard laughed in the back. "Do you ever eat any of them?"

Fang grinned. "Not any of ours, but I've thought about it a couple of times"

They made it across the river rapids and into the quaint little settlement on the riverbank. The General Store was on the left side of the highway and on the right side was a Restaurant and Inn. The smell of steak and barbeque drifted across the road. All of their stomachs growled, which Fang glanced over towards Russell and smirked. "Well speak of the devil" he muttered.

"Mmmm?" Russell muttered obliviously.