FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I felt my stomach begin to drop away as the heavy plane

completed its bank and suddenly pitched forward to dive even faster

towards the Earth, while the massive engines spooled down almost

to an idle to ensure we wouldn't power our way right into the ground.I

wished I was facing forward because facing sideways in the jump seat

seemed to increase the nausea-inducing effect of near free fall.We

fell for quite a while before I finally began to feel heavy gravity

reassert itself as the plane began to level off and the engine RPM

increased smoothly again to maintain lift.  We slowed more and

more and the nose pitched up a bit to control our altitude as we

descended the rest of the way.The

contact with the ground was not nearly as bad as Ben had made it sound.

 We didn't hit very hard at all as he expertly brought us in.  The plane suddenly leveled

off and dropped the last few inches and there was somewhat of a jarring

bump as all of the wheels contacted squarly at once to spread the load of impact,

and then we were bouncing along as Ben changed the pitch angle of the

propeller blades to reverse the thrust.  There was a deafening

roar as

he fed full power to the four big engines and the wide blades began to

chop up the air as they bit deeply to blast it forward in order to slow

the plane down rapidly.We

were pulled hard sideways in our seats from the rapid deceleration and

I was amazed at just how short the run was before the big plane's momentum was rapidly bled off and we came to

a complete stop.  The engines went back to idle as Ben changed the

blade pitch again and then they spooled up smoothly again to pull us as we lumbered forward

and turned a bit to taxi to the final parking spot.Jesse

was unbuckling even as we stopped and he stood and shouted, "Benjamin,

square the plane away.  Get her fully refueled and ready.

 We'll need her later on.  Meet us inside the barracks when

yer done.  Greg, unbuckle

the RV and get her fueled up and parked under the netting near the

supply tents.  Jake and

his family will likely want to stay in it where they'd be more

comfortable."There

were acknowledgments coming from the cockpit and then Jesse turned to

me and grinned and said, "Get yer ass up, cuz.  There are a couple of

people who are anxiously waiting to see you I'm guessin'.  Let's

make gettin' you back with them the first order of business." I smiled and unbuckled myself

and stood to follow Jesse as he went around the RV to the back and he turned a lever on the wall of the plane and

punched a fat button that started the big ramp lowering to the ground.We

went down the ramp and I saw several people already unrolling huge sections of camouflage

netting over the plane.  Off to the side I saw what looked like several

older Huey helicopters and some troop carrier style trucks also covered

in heavy netting.  They must be concerned about hiding from any

possible satellite snooping.  They seemed to be incredibly well

organized. I looked around and saw we were in a dense alpine

forest that reminded me a lot of what we'd enjoyed in the Spring

Mountains in Nevada, but it was on a much more massive scale.  A big

range of mountains was just behind us and there was a thick forest

of massive pine trees all around.  The morning air was crisp and brisk and fresh.I saw that we hadn't really landed

on a runway at all.  It was simply a large patch of exposed grass and

tundra.  It looked as though the big plane followed a

different path each time it landed or took off, so it wouldn't wear

down any one area too much to show established tracks.I

could

see big military style tents set up here and there in the trees and a

couple of very large, more permanent looking structures further back.  All of it

was

nestled inside the forested area wherever possible and it was painted a

mix of deep greens and browns.  From a satellite view it would

likely

be very difficult to see unless you knew exactly what you were looking

for and exactly where to find it to begin with.  It would all look

like more patches of pine or spruce coverage.  With tens of

millions of hectares of forested land to search, there was simply no

way the government could ever possibly hope to find this place, given

the werewolves' camouflage measures, even if they already knew it was out here somewhere.

 It was impressive.Jesse led me to

one of the permanent structures and said, "That's our barracks.  You'll

find Elias and Grace in there.  I gotta go check on some things

regarding Cole and getting his location.  I'll meet you in there a bit

later on."He turned to one of two men who were dressed in camo and armed with machine guns

standing guard at the door and said, "Please show Jake to the mess.  His family's waiting to see him."The man saluted and Jesse turned and headed off

towards the other large structure that had radio antennas and satellite

dishes on it.  It must be their communications area.  It likely served

as the command and control center for the compound.The

man Jesse had

asked to escort me opened the door and waved me inside and I entered.

 He moved ahead of me and walked down a long hallway.  There

were

several doors along the hallway that must lead to rooms with bunks in

them.  At the end of the hall was a large open room that looked to

serve as their mess hall.  There were several rows of tables with

benches on either side and there were groups of men scattered about

here and there talking to each other while they drank coffee or ate

food.  It looked as though it was the tail end of breakfast time.As soon as I went in I heard Elias shout, "Jake!  Thank God!"I

turned and saw him grinning from ear to ear as he ran towards me.

 He looked worn down, and more tired than I'd ever seen him

before, but he looked about as happy as I'd ever seen him, too.  My

heart swelled at the sight of him to the point where it felt as if it would burst.I grinned widely as tears welled in my eyes and I opened my arms and he slipped

right into them.  We hugged each other hard and laughed at the

uncontainable joy we felt at being reunited.  We alternated between

hugging and kissing and hugging again as we tried to sate our need to

reassure ourselves that we were really in each other's arms again.I

noticed out of the corner of my eye that there was a large group of men

sort of segregated from most of the others.  They looked at us

disapprovingly and some turned to mutter things to the others and

looked back at us in disgust.  It seemed they weren't comfortable

with two guys kissing, or maybe they just weren't comfortable with the

difference in our ages.I

didn't particularly care.  They would just have to get used to us

if we were going to be part of their community now.  It seemed the

werewolf world carried along with it the same hangups that the human

world did.Elias finally pulled back from me and said, "I was so fucking scared!  I didn't know

what happened to you!  We didn't hear anything for a couple of days

before they finally told us they found you in a hospital and someone

was going there to get you.  We didn't know if you were dead or what

before that.  I was so worried I didn't know what the hell to do with

myself.  I'm so glad you're OK!  I love you so much, Jake!""I love you, too.  It feels so good to finally have you back with me."He grabbed me in a hug one last

time and held tight as if to make sure I wouldn't slip away from him

again.When

he pulled away the second time he looked me over more closely and said,

"Damn!  You were hot looking before, but holy shit!  You're

so tight and muscular!  I love your hair that length, and the full

beard looks amazing on you!  It suits you perfectly!  I like

it way better than shaved.  It's so sexy.  Will you keep it

that way now?"I

smiled and said, "If that's how you like it,

that's how I'll keep it.  It'll be nice to never have to worry

about shaving again and always have a beard that's just the right

length.  I guess I'll never need to bother getting a hair cut ever

again either since it'll always grow back to look exactly like this

every time I change.  I never have to look at my own face so I'm

more inclined to keep it looking the way you like it best, especially

if it means I can be lazy and not have to do anything with it."He grinned and said, "We were sent word

that you were OK and that you were turned.  I'm so glad you're one

of us now!  I cannot freaking wait to see you in wolf form!

 I'm so excited!  I missed you so much!  I can't get

enough of touching you right now!"I laughed as he tickled my

ribs and then he grabbed me in a hug again and started kissing me on

the face and rubbing his lips and nose against my new beard to see how

it felt. He suddenly pulled back again and his eyebrows went up as he looked me in the

eye and said, "You smell awesome.  You smell like you've been rubbing

your face on some dude's feet and privates.  It smells so good."I

felt myself blushing as I smiled at him.  I wasn't quite sure how

best to broach the subject of what had happened with Ben.He took

care of that for me as his face split into a grin and he

asked, "Did you get busy with someone on the plane that brought you in?

 Is that why it smells so strong?  It must have just

happened!"I grinned back at him and nodded.He smiled and looked around and said, "Where is he?  Can I meet him?"I

said, "He's busy with the plane that brought me here.  He's the

pilot.  I know it's gonna seem a bit sudden, but we sort of fell

in love.  He's someone

incredibly special.  You're gonna love him.  He's gonna blow

your mind.

 I know it.  I can't wait for you to meet him."He

grinned and said, "Man, I was worried about you being all alone out

there and you were busy making a new friend without me.""We're

more than friends already, Elias.  He's gonna be with us from now

on.  I really do love him, and he loves me back.""I can't wait to meet him.  He must be pretty special if you fell in love that quick."As

I'd expected, there was not even the slightest hint of jealousy in his

reaction.  This was one of the reasons I'd fallen so deeply in

love with him.  Nothing is more masculine or attractive to

me than self-assurance, and Elias had it in spades.I smiled

and said, "He's more special than you could possibly imagine.  It

won't be long before you see him.  He'll come meet us in here when

he's done with the plane.  I told him all about you.  He's

really anxious to meet you.  I think he's gonna love you.  I think

he's gonna fit right into our family perfectly.  Where's Grace?""She

was up most of the night pacing just like I was.  Neither one of us wanted to go to bed until

you were back safe.  She couldn't hold out.  She finally went off to

the room we've been using to bunk in.  She's probably still sleeping

like a rock.  She was really beat.  I think she was also anxious to see

this Jesse guy she keeps talking about.  I never met him, but it sounds

like she has a bit of a thing for him.  Isn't he here too?  Where is

he?"I said, "He's gone off to get some information about Cole.

 He seems to think they might have a location on him or something.  I

hope that's the case.  They seem so organized here.  I wasn't sure if

we'd have much chance of rescuing Cole, but with these people on our

side I really feel hopeful."He

nodded and said, "They've got a

pretty awesome setup here, and according to some guys I've been talking

to, this is one of their smaller compounds and it's just a sort of

staging area.  They've got way bigger ones scattered around where

the werewolves actually all live together in big groups."I said, "Let's sit and talk for a bit.  I'll tell you all about what happened to me at the hospital."We

sat at a table and I told him all about my ordeal and the fact that I'd

been bitten at Nazas at the end of the eclipse when the sun had come

out, and didn't even know I'd been infected for the three days I'd

been in hospital.  I told him about how Jesse saved my life,

twice, by knocking out the government goon and then getting my casts

and brace

off just in time for my first change."That

Jesse guy sounds so cool," Elias said, "I'm glad he came along.

 Grace has been going on about him non-stop.  I can't wait to

meet him and say thanks for all he's done.  I hope he's as into

Grace as she is into him.  It would be so cool if they would get

together.  She wouldn't have to worry about being lonely any more."I

nodded and said, "He's into her, trust me.  I couldn't be happier

about it.  He's gonna be perfect for her.  He's pretty

amazing.  Hell of a nice guy.  He's the general that commands

their whole army.  He's gonna be the one to get Cole back for us.

 I don't doubt it for a second."He smiled and said, "Then I really want to meet him.  So what happened after Jesse busted you out of the casts?"I

explained to him how I'd changed right there in the hospital room.

 I told him how the wolf had dealt with the government agent that had tried

to kill me, and Elias seemed really happy with that result.He

was thrilled that I was finally a werewolf right along with him and he

peppered me with questions about what it was like for me.  I tried

to

explain how powerful the experience was and how I'd had senses

that were even more heightened than Jesse said his were, and I told him

about the fact he thought I was a kindred, and what that meant.

 He was surprised as I described the level of detail of

information the wolf's sense of smell fed me.  He said he never

got anywhere near that much.  He was

excited to see me change into wolf form later when the sun sets.

 He

couldn't wait to see me.I asked him what had happened at Nazas

while I was away from them just before the eclipse.  I wanted to

know how Cole had been taken."We got separated," he explained, "Cole and Grace and me were walking around the

town square after we had lunch.  Cole must have stopped to look at something but we

didn't

notice at first and we must have walked a long way away from him and

lost him in the crowd without knowing it.  We didn't even notice

for a few minutes.  Grace had started talking to

some people about what was going on.  They told us an eclipse was

coming.  I suddenly realized why it was getting so dark in the

middle

of the day.  I panicked.  I was sure we might change right

there.  I

turned to grab Cole so the three of us could get the hell out of town

before it hit, but he wasn't there.  Me and Grace split up to

start looking for

him.  I finally spotted him talking to a man.  Cole was

looking sort of relieved, like the man was helping him out.  I

called his

name and he looked over to where I was, but the man must have heard me

calling to him, and suddenly he grabbed Cole and dragged him into the

crowd away from me and I lost them.""Shit,"

I said, "That had to be the same goon that tried to kill me in the

hospital.  He was the one you Tasered at the front door at our

house, remember?  Just before he tried to kill me he told me he was the one that grabbed Cole.""No,"

Elias said,

"It wasn't him that took Cole, I saw that other guy later so I know

it.  This guy didn't even look like one of those government guys.

 He was just wearing regular looking clothes.  I saw

his face, but I didn't recognize it.  I don't think he was anyone

I ever saw before.  If I ever meet up with him in

my wolf form I'll tear

the bastard to pieces.  I followed as fast as I could in the

direction he dragged Cole but it was hard to get through all the

people.

 When I finally made it to the end of the crowd at the edge of

town I saw Cole getting

thrown into one of those black SUVs by that government guy you

described from the

hospital, the one who tried to kill you. The one that I Tased before.

 I recognized his face.  That other guy who grabbed Cole

first wasn't around anymore but obviously he was the one that handed

Cole to them.  I don't know why.  I screamed for Cole but the

spook must have heard me.  I saw him pull a tranq gun and shoot it

into the truck were he'd dumped Cole and I saw Cole slump over on the

seat.  The guy slammed the door shut and banged on the SUV's roof

and it took off.  He got into another SUV and followed them.

 They were gone, and they had Cole.  I was so close to him,

Jake!  I almost had him back!  There was nothing I could do!

 Why the hell didn't I watch him closer?  Why did I let him

get split from us?  It's my fault!""No!  Don't beat

yourself up, Elias.  How the hell could you know that was gonna

happen?  I don't blame you at all.  I doubt Grace would,

either. There's no way Cole would.  Stop blaming yourself.

 It's nobody's fault but that fucking government goon, and he got what was

coming to him.""That

other guy needs to get his, too.  The

one that handed Cole to them.  He'd better hope we don't cross

paths with him or I'll do him like you did the guy at the hospital if

I'm in wolf form.  Anyhow, I knew there was nothing I could do for

Cole by myself.  I turned back into the

crowd to try to get back to Grace so we could find you and get back to

the RV and

go after them.  I finally caught up to Grace and told her what

happened.  We heard you shouting for us and we shouted back.

 We tried to make our way over to you through the crowd, but it

was too late.  The

eclipse hit and everything went to shit.""'Went

to shit' is a

serious understatement," I said, and I explained what I'd seen during

the eclipse, and everything that Jesse had told me on the plane about

what was still happening out there from the aftershocks of the first

big werewolf outbreak we'd caused.  How there were still people

infecting other people and how there would likely be more each night

for the next while when some of the new ones changed for the first time

unexpectedly, while possibly surrounded by other people.  There

were even some in other countries now spreading the infection slowly

but surely, far and wide.He went a bit pale as he began to

realize just how badly we'd fucked up.  I told him how Jesse

didn't blame us and we shouldn't really blame ourselves either.

 We just didn't know about the eclipse.  It was all an

accident.While we were talking, I saw Benjamin strolling into the room.I stood and smiled and said, "Come on, Elias.  I want you to meet someone."Elias

had been sitting on the other side of the table with his back to the

door and was facing the wrong way to see Ben walk in.  He lifted

his legs and turned on the bench to face the other way and he stood up.

 I saw him suddenly wobble like he'd lost his

balance when he saw the big, beautiful,

chocolate colored, furry lupine walking towards us.I was tempted

to guffaw and slap at my thigh just as Jesse had done to me earlier

when I saw the color draining from Elias's face and his eyes opening

wide and his jaw nearly dropping to the floor.Ben

walked right up, grinning, and he extended his big, clawed hand

and said, "You've got to be Elias.  I've been looking forward to

meeting you."While Elias tentatively reached out and took Ben's hand, the lupine turned to me and said, "Holy geez, Jake, he's gorgeous!"I

grinned and nodded as I said, "Elias, this is Benjamin.  Ben's the

newest member of our family now.  I love him and he loves me.  He's a

lupine.  He's what happens when two werewolves get frisky and make a

baby.""My God, you're so fucking beautiful!" Elias blurted.Ben smiled at him and said, "Thank you, I'm glad you think so.  The feeling's mutual."I

smiled as I watched Elias's reaction and waited for him to regain his

composure and find his words.  After his one brief outburst, he was

totally speechless.  He was looking Ben over from head to toe.  I could

already see his pants tenting a bit as he thought about the fact that

he might get to lay down with this incredibly sexy tower of muscle and fur

eventually.He looked over at me and said, "You two...this is who you got busy with, Jake?"I

grinned and nodded and said, "I hope it doesn't bother you that I did

it without you knowing.  We were seriously caught up in a moment and we

did what came naturally.""Bother me?  Are you nuts?  I would have kicked your

ass if you told me you had the chance but didn't because you were

worried about me.  He's so amazing!"He looked back at Ben, then

back at me and asked, "Could we...could we go someplace private maybe?

 This place is a bunkhouse.  It's full of beds.  Could we maybe, just

for a bit..."Ben

chuckled and said,  "You don't look like a lupine, but you sure

sound like one.  I like the way you think, Elias  We need to

check each other out and see if we're compatible.  So far I'm

thinking we are.  I just need to see your aura."Elias's eyebrows went up.  "Aura?""Remember

what I was telling you about how I could suddenly read what people were

like from the chemical signals in their scents that hover around them when I was the wolf?

 Turns out lupines have a refined version of that that somehow

taps into the human side's powerful color vision.  They can

actually see a person's qualities in a colored sort of glow around

them.  They can only see it in the dark or a really dim room or

their normal vision overrides it," I explained."That's so cool!" Elias exclaimed.He looked Ben over more carefully and even walked around him, looking down

at his tail and back up at his wolf head.  He checked over every

inch of him and said, "You're the most amazing looking guy I've ever

seen in my life.  I don't think I could have ever even imagined

anyone so incredible!  I'm so excited right now!  I

wish we could go somewhere private.  Jake, could we?  Please?"I smiled and said, "In a little while.  We should sit and talk a bit first."Elias turned back to Ben and said, "You're a member of the family now.  Could I at least get a hug?"Ben grinned and said, "Hell yes."He

opened his muscular arms and scooped Elias into them and they hugged warmly for

a good long while.  When they split apart they quickly kissed and

then smiled at each other."You

seem like a really sweet guy, Elias.  I'm thrilled at the idea of

getting to know you better.  I hope you'll like me as much as I

know I'm gonna like you," Ben said.Elias grinned and kissed Ben

again and slid into another hug and said, "I'm more excited about this

than you are.  If Jake loves you then I know I will too."I

saw his hands begin to wander up and down Ben's furry back, then he

pulled back a bit and put his hand on the lupine's muscular chest as he

gazed over Ben's beautifully furred body.  His hand moved over to

Ben's big bicep muscles and he felt the power in them.  I could

see the tent in Elias's pants growing fast and Ben's shorts were

getting a bit more crowded looking too.  It was fairly obvious

that from a physical perspective the two would most definitely hit it

off.I heard mutterings and looked over to

the group of men who were once again casting disapproving stares in our

direction.  Most of the other men in other groups at other tables

were either minding their own business and talking to each other, or

watching what was going on between Ben and Elias with smiles on their

faces.I said, "Let's sit and talk for a while.  I want to

wait for Jesse.  He said he'd meet us here.  I want to know

where he's at with finding

Cole.  I'm not sure how the hell they're gonna do it.  He's

supposedly

being held at some super secret facility they haven't been able to find

yet, so I'm not sure how he suddenly expects to be able to get to him,

but he seemed confident."Elias

couldn't peel his eyes away from Ben as we went to a table to sit down.

 Benjamin and Elias sat across from each other so Elias could

continue to stare raptly at him, and I sat next to Ben to face Elias.Ben said, "If Jesse's confident, then you know it will happen.  He'll get Cole away from them and back to us.""Why are they holding him?" Elias asked, "What are they planning do with him?"I

didn't want to tell him any details about what the agent had told me in the

hospital room before he tried to kill me, or what Jesse had said later

in the plane about the tests.  I simply said, "They're doing tests to

learn more about werewolves.  I think they want to make some more, too.  Jesse says they're looking for a cure."Elias's eyes went wide.  "A cure?  They want to stop it?"I

nodded, "Not just stop it from happening to anyone else, but to cure

the ones who already have it.  They want to try to control it for

themselves and only let the people they want become werewolves.

 They want to build an unstoppable army."Elias shook his

head and said, "Trust the government to pervert the most amazing thing

in the world.  We need to get Cole back from them."Ben

said, "Don't worry, Elias.  Jesse won't let you down.  I

promise you.  If he really does know where Cole is, then Jesse

will have him back to you by this time tomorrow."Elias smiled at

him and Ben smiled back.  Ben had put his hand on Elias's arm reassuringly from

across the table, and now he was gently rubbing his hand up and

down Elias's forearm.  Elias gazed back at the beautiful lupine

with almost glazed eyes.  I could tell he was smitten already.

 I smiled as I watched the two of them gazing into each other's eyes while Ben stroked Elias's arm.Suddenly I heard Jesse's voice yell, "Howdy, folks!"He

saw Elias facing us and talking to me and Ben so he must have guessed

who he was and he said, "Look at this beautiful reunion!  Ain't it

grand?"I grinned and waved at him and said, "Hey, Jesse.  Come over and meet Elias."We

all got up from the table and Elias smiled at the thought of finally

getting to meet Jesse.  He

turned to look over at him and I suddenly saw his smile fade, then he

frowned angrily.  His face went dark, his jaw got tight, and his

hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as he shouted in sudden fury,

"You!  You fucking son of a bitch!  What the fuck are

you doing

here?  What the fuck is your game?!  I'm gonna kill you you

piece of

shit!"He suddenly bumped past me and ran towards Jesse.  Ben

flew past him and got in front of Elias to block him and asked, "What

the hell is this?  What's wrong, Elias?"I saw Jesse's face start to go beet red and his shoulders slumped as he said, "Oh, shit."I

was confused as hell.  I couldn't figure out how the hell Elias

could

possibly know Jesse.  They'd never met.  Then I remembered

the light

scent of Elias I'd smelled in the hospital hallway when I was delving

into Jesse's scent.  It was too faint to get any details from, but

it was there.  They had come near each other somehow.  What

was

this all about?Elias struggled against Ben, but the muscular

lupine held him back as Elias yelled, "Let me go!  This is the guy that

took Cole!  He's the one that handed him to those government assholes!

 He's the reason Cole's not with us!"My heart started racing.  What was he talking about?  Jesse took Cole?  It didn't make sense.Elias wouldn't lie, though.I felt sudden rage building inside me as I advance towards Jesse.Ben saw the rage on my face and said, "Jake, wait!  It can't be true!  Jesse wouldn't do that!"I

ignored him and walked up to Jesse and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close.

 There was shouting from the other men in the mess hall as they jumped from

their benches and moved to protect their general.Jesse looked towards them and raised a hand to stop them while I still had his shirt in my fist and he

shouted, "Stand down!  All of you!  That's an order!  Stay out of this!"The

men stopped their advance, but several of them looked at me with

unbridled menace in their eyes, making it clear if I tried anything I

would not make it out of the room in once piece.Jesse turned back to me and said more quietly, "Let me explain, Jake.  There was a reason for it."Ben

suddenly let Elias go and turned on Jesse and in surprised anger he

shouted, "You mean it's true!?  What the fuck is going on?  How could

you do that, Jesse?"My

heart started pounding as my rage continued to build.  Jesse

had taken Cole!  It was true!  He admitted it!I

lost it and began to shout in his face, "You fucking piece of shit!

 You'd better explain yourself, and it had better be good or I swear...

 When I'm a wolf again later it will be the end of you.

 I'll tear your fucking guts out!  I'll tear this whole fucking place

apart!  Where the hell is Cole!?  Why did you give him to them?"Jesse

shouted, "Please, Jake, think about it.  You smelled me.  You

know me!  You're a kindred!  You're all black!  The

strongest kindred there ever was!  You know the truth about who I am and what

I'm like!  The wolf showed you!"I

heard gasps and muttering all around the room from the other men at the mention of me

being an all black kindred, and he continued,

"You know I wouldn't do anything I didn't think was right!

 Please,

think about it for a bit before you rip my head off!  I had to do

it!

 I was under Samuel's orders!  That ain't the only reason,

though.  I really felt it was the right thing,

the only thing we could do!  I didn't know Grace then.  I

didn't know

you were all such good folks!  I ain't tryin' to weasel out of

anything.  I take responsibility for what I done.  I wish I'd

done things different now.  I planned on telling you.  I

planned to tell Grace the truth.  I own up to the things I do.

 I just thought it was better if we focused on getting Cole back

first.  I didn't want you wasting any of your anger at me.

 We need it all focused on the job of getting him back.

 Please, let me explain everything!  Can we just sit down and

talk?"I thought

about what he'd said about me being a kindred.  I remembered what I'd

smelled of him as the wolf.  He was right.  The wolf showed me irrefutably that

this man was exceptionally good.  He wouldn't do anything evil

intentionally.  If he took Cole, it was because he felt it was the

right thing to do.  The good thing to do.  I couldn't understand how

that could be.I

remembered the shade of grey I'd seen when I thought

about him back in the hospital.  The fact that Jesse felt conflicted

about

something and was changing his mind about something that was important to him.  Was this it?

 I remembered the sense of his loyalty being strong, but shifting.

 Was it shifting from his duty to Samuel, over to Grace and Cole?  Was

that what I'd sensed?  He said he hadn't known that Cole was

connected to Grace until later and that things would have been

different if he'd known.  He still seemed to think his actions

were justified somehow, though.  He said so.  I needed to

hear it all.  I needed to know why he'd done it.I

began to calm

down a bit as I realized no matter what had happened, whatever he'd done, the wolf would

not have been confused about the signals it got from Jesse.  He

was a

good man.  There had to be some sort of reasonable explanation.

 I

should hear him out.  We needed him and his army desperately now

if we wanted to get Cole back and we should give him a chance.I let go of his shirt and stepped back.He relaxed and

sighed, and he turned to Ben and said, "Round up the men.  Give us the

room.  I need to talk to Jake and Elias in private."Ben nodded and he turned to face the other men and shouted, "Everyone out!  Give the general the room!"He

started to move to the doors along with the other men and I said, "No,

Ben, please stay.  You belong here.  You're with me and Elias now."He turned and smiled gratefully as though he was hoping I'd say just that, and he came back to join us.Jesse got a look of dismay on his face.  I think he might not have

wanted Ben to hear what he was going to say.  He was ashamed of it and

didn't want his friend to know what he'd done.  I didn't care.  He

needed to own up to whatever it was.  It had better be good."Let's sit," Jesse said.We

all took a seat at one of the tables and Jesse cleared his throat and

began, "You remember I told you about the facility we busted up a while

back and the fact that we knew they had another one, Jake?"I nodded."We'll,

like I told you, after we took that first one out, they started being a lot more

careful.  They've kept it so hidden we couldn't find it, no matter how

hard we tried.  Samuel's got people who tap some of the electronic

messages going around, but they're always encoded and stripped of all

traceable information.  We can't tell where they're coming from.  We've

got the power to decipher the messages, but even then they use code

phrases for everything and we've never got any detail on a location.

 We

know how far they've gotten.  We know they're finished with the

virus

delivery system.  We know they were just waiting on a test subject

so they could get back

to work on the cure.  Samuel was getting desperate.  He knew

that every day that passed increased the odds of them finding out about

the lupines.  He knew that if they got hold of one of them they

would have the cure in no time.  Even if they didn't, he knew that

eventually we would slip up, or someone would, and they'd have a

werewolf they could work with again.  He desperately wanted to

find

that facility and destroy it before it was too late and they got what

they needed."Samuel

saw those government goons suddenly becoming more

active over a week ago.  He saw messages go back and forth that indicated

they were on the

trail of a possible subject and to get the facility ready.  He used his resources to follow them

into

Mexico.  He realized they were getting close to whatever werewolf

they were on the trail of.  He decided to take a calculated risk.

 To let them get what

they were after, but to arrange it so we could follow them to wherever

they would take the one they grabbed.  The conditions were right and he felt this was our best possible chance to do it.""You mean he decided to use Cole to try to find the facility?" I asked, "He risked an innocent kid to solve his problem?"Jesse

nodded and said, "We were gonna hit the facility and get the werewolf

back out right away anyhow so it seemed worth it.  We didn't know

he was a kid at the time or I probably wouldn't have gone along if I'd

had time to think it through in advance.  We had no idea who he

was

until we followed them right into Nazas.  I tried to get Samuel to

change

his

mind when we found out from the pictures they were circulating that it

was just a boy, but he was adamant.  They needed to get

the boy and we needed to make sure they did.  We needed to let

them get away with him so we could

finally track them to the facility.  Samuel's the alpha, Jake.

 I had to follow his orders.  To be honest, I still sort of

agreed with them even if I was hesitant.  It was just that

important."I

realized the reason why there'd been a touch of grey in Jesse's

character instead of actual darkness.  He knew it wasn't quite

right, but he felt it was the best thing to do.  The good of the

many was more than enough to offset the fact that he was putting a boy

at risk.  His confidence in the fact that they would get Cole back

gave him the push to proceed.  How could they be so sure they

would be able to track Cole to the facility?"How would you use Cole to track them?" I asked, "Tell me exactly how it went down.""Well,

we knew they were tracking a werewolf.  Several of us were in the

crowd

at Nazas and we saw them circulating pictures of Cole, so we finally knew

who they were looking for exactly.  We spread out to find him.

 To get to him first and then make sure they got him.""To make sure?  So you really handed him to them yourself?" I asked.He

turned red again and nodded and said, "It's just like Elias said.

 He's telling you the truth.  I was the one that handed Cole

to them myself.  I didn't know Elias got a good look at my face.

 I didn't even know about Elias at the time.  I heard someone

shout Cole's name so I knew I had to get moving fast.  Cole was

scared of me at first when I found him and I started talking to him.

 He was trying to find his family.  I told him I'd take him

somewhere safe.  I told him I'd help him.  I feel like shit

for lying to him, but I had to.  I was trying to let him know that

everything would be OK in the end.  To try to make him feel safe.

 When I heard someone yell his name I just grabbed him and pulled

him away into the crowd.  The plan was fairly simple.  We

wanted to plant a tracking device on him.""A

tracking device?  How the hell could you plant anything on him and

expect it to stay with him if you knew the eclipse would change him?

 He'd be naked and anything he was wearing would be gone.

 Where the hell would you hide it?" Elias asked.Jesse said,

"We'd hide it inside him.  The device is a modified version of a

medical diagnostic tool called a capsule endoscope.  They use it

to take pictures and videos of someones gastrointestinal system and

transmit them out to a receiver.  We modified it to send a GPS

ping of its location using ultra-wideband radio.  The capsule is

small enough to swallow.  It would take a day or two to get

through his system since they'd be keeping him sedated the whole time,

and we'd be able to track him right to his final destination.  We

knew we couldn't give it to him right then.  We

knew the eclipse was minutes away and we knew he would change.

 When you change, any foreign object migrates out of your body as

you regrow.  Fillings in your teeth, pins in bones, bullets even,

and the capsule, anything that's inorganic and doesn't belong falls out

during the

change.  We needed to put the tracker into him after the eclipse

changed him, then we would make sure he got into the government's hands

so they would bring him straight to the facility and we could track him

all the way there.  That's why I pulled him away into the crowd

when I heard someone call his name.  I needed to get him back to

my team to wait out the change so we could plant the device on him

after and then make sure he got into the government's hands.""But you got in a fire fight!" I said, "I know

you did.  The wolf smelled it all!  I was sure you'd tried to

rescue Cole from them, not hand him to them!  If you just gave him to them, then why did I smell combat?"He

nodded his head

and said, "We did get in a fight with them.  See, there was a

complication.  When I pulled Cole away to bring him back to my

team, I ran smack into the government men and they recognized him right

away.  It was just bad luck.  I couldn't turn away or whoever

had called Cole's name

would catch up to me, and I couldn't get past the goons with him, so I

made a snap decision to give him to them right then and there.  I

knew we'd never get the perfect conditions to do it ever again.

 We needed the new moon and it had just started.  We needed

them to be grabbing a werewolf they had already been searching for so

they wouldn't be suspicious of anything.  I realized I had to act

or we'd lose our only chance.  It

was a risk, but it seemed the best way to go.  We already had a

contingency plan in place in case they got to the werewolf they were

after before we could, so I decided we would just go ahead with that.

 Anyhow, when they saw me with him they asked if I was

Cole's dad and I said I didn't even know him.  I found him lost in

the crowd and I was trying to help him find his family.  They told

me they'd handle it from there.  I handed him over to

them, but Cole was freaking out.  I think he knew they were bad, I

guess because of the run-ins you had with them before, and he was

pissed at me for giving him to them.  He swore at me and

threatened what would happen to me if his family caught up to me.

 I've never felt more like a complete dick in my life, but I had

to do it.  I melted into the

crowd and went back to join my team."I

thought back to the confusing jumble of pheromone messages I'd gotten

when I was

sniffing the air back in the hospital.  They must have all been

coming off of Cole when Jesse grabbed him.  Suddenly it all

made sense.  He'd been scared of him at first,

then grateful for the help he offered, then

obviously angry and disappointed when Jesse just handed him to the

government men and walked away.  It wasn't an attempted rescue and

failure that made Cole go through those emotions.  It was his

abduction by Jesse!  It wasn't Jesse's failure at a rescue attempt

that made him feel guilty, it was what he'd done intentionally to Cole!"So

you let them have him even though the tracker wasn't in him yet?

 That was a bit risky, don't you think?  How did you plan to get the tracking device on him?  What if they got

away clean with him?  Why couldn't you guys have just used one of your own as bait for the government?"Jesse

said, "It's like I said, the conditions were perfect.  Samuel had

concieved of the plan a while ago.  That's why we already had the

tracking device ready.  It really was his plan to do just like you

said and use one of us as bait for them.  The problem was they'd

be suspicious if everything wasn't just right.  They had to

somehow discover the werewolf on their own and then go after him.

 They had to capture him during a new moon cycle so the capsule

would stay inside long enough for the complete trip.  We weren't

sure how we would arrange all of that, but we had some ideas.

 Before we could even begin to work at it though, we found out

about them tracking Cole into Mexico.  Samuel made the decision to

act.  It was the eclipse that made him realize we had no choice.

 He knew there was a good chance the eclipse might turn into what

it did, a sort of small scale werewolf apocalypse.  He figured if

it did,

they'd have access to so many werewolves they could succeed with their

plans easily.  He knew our shot with Cole would be our only chance

to get them to quickly ship one of us to their facility.  He knew

that even if the werewolf infection started to spread, they wouldn't

know about it until later because they'd be busy rushing Cole to the

site as fast as they could before we could interfere.  We'd

never get another chance, so I had to take the risk.  I knew

they'd want to get him out quick.  I knew where the nearest

airfield they could use was.  I knew where they'd be heading."We

setup an ambush.  We knew they'd dart Cole because the

eclipse would change him, so it would make it

even easier for us to put the tracker in him and even Cole wouldn't

know about it, but we had to stage an attempt to rescue him in order to

get access to him after the change.  They

know we're never far behind them so they would know we might make a

grab for Cole to stop them getting one of us.  We did what they

expected.  In the confusion of the ambush while some of us were

laying down fire to keep the people in the trailing SUV from getting to

the lead one where Cole was, one of my men got to Cole and stuffed the

tracking device down his throat.  He had to kill the men in the

front SUV to do it.  He went in and out fast so the others

wouldn't know he'd even been there and we started to let the others get

the upper hand and drive us off.  Several of my men were shot and

wounded to make it look convincing, but we got them all out of there.

 We knew it would all get

repaired with the next change anyhow.  We let them get the upper

hand so they could take off with Cole again and feel they'd gotten away

from us clean."And there it all was, the

last pieces of the puzzle that the wolf had handed to me, but that I'd

assembled into the incorrect order.  Cole had met Jesse before the

'rescue'.  There really never was a rescue attempt at all.

 Jesse wasn't rescuer, he was abductor.  He obviously in his

heart truly believed he was doing right in the long run.  I

realized I would have to be a bit more careful with the information the

wolf presented to me in future and not just take it at face value.

 Maybe if I sniffed a crazed serial killing lunatic he might have

a white aura simply because he fully believed everything he was doing

was absolutely right and good, because the voices in his head told him

so and he believed them.  It appeared context was everything, and

without knowing the context it was still mostly guess work.I still couldn't believe Jesse would be willing to take that sort of risk with a boy, though."Fuck, Jesse!  Cole could have got killed!""No,

Jake, that was the last thing we wanted and the last thing the

government men wanted.  Everyone was trying to make sure he was

OK.  We knew we'd get him back eventually.  We always plan

strikes

around a change, so even if he somehow got hurt in the process of

trying to get him back later on, the next change would fix it all.

 They

bought the whole thing, luckily.  The goon who tried to kill you

later in the hospital got in the

first truck with Cole still sedated in the back seat from the

tranquilizer, and they all took off again.  We chased them for a

bit to try to make it as convincing as possible and then we fell back

and let them get away.  It would take up to a

day or two for the tracking capsule to move through his system and we

were fairly certain that with the added pressure from the ambush, they

would rush the process of shipping him to the facility.  The

capsule would just come out mixed into Cole's shit later on so they

would never even know it had been there.  By then he'd be at the

new location and we'd finally know where it was.  It was the only

way we could think of to locate that place, and Samuel was absolutely

desperate to do it."  "That's why you needed the new moon?" I asked, "You needed to make sure it would stay in his body long enough?"Jesse

nodded and said, "That's right.  That's why I said the conditions

were perfect.  We needed it to last long enough

for them to transport him there and they'd likely take the usual round

about means of getting him there.  They'd fly him out, drive him

to another airstrip after they arrived at the next one, take another

flight, drive some more, and so on.

 They even routinely use decoys to send us off chasing the wrong

transports entirely.  They do everything they can to stop us from

following them to the final location and we were never successful in

the past when we tried to do that.  Their primary defense for that

site is simply making sure nobody would ever know where it is so they

do everything in their power to make it impossible to follow them to

it.  We knew it was in an extremely remote location in case any of

the dangerous things they were working on got loose.  We even had

a rough idea where it might be based on some vague clues in their coded

messages.  But we were never able to pinpoint its location.

 We

knew that if we could give them what they wanted, and make sure we

could track their new subject, we could finally find the facility."I

shook my head in disgust.  I couldn't believe they would use a kid

that way.  I suddenly wasn't so thrilled we'd found this community

of werewolves.  I wasn't so sure it was a good thing.Jesse

saw my disappointment and he

said, "I'm so sorry, Jake.  I had to do it.  It was the only

way to

find them.  To stop them from succeeding with what they're trying

to do.  Don't you see?  If they ever

succeed with their plans, it's all over.  The whole fucking world

would

be theirs!  We had to do it!  We needed to do it to save the

world from them.  To

save all of us, the werewolves.  To save the lupine race from

stagnation and eventual extinction from lack of genetic diversity.

 I was thinking of Benjamin when I did it, of his people.

 They're our children, Jake!  We have to do whatever it takes

to keep them safe!

 We were

desperate, and this was the only solution we could see."It was

later

when I talked to Grace and realized it was her kid that I did that to,

that's what finally made me realize how fucked up it was.

 It's what brought it all home to me.  I did it to protect

our children, but I ended up putting her child at risk.  He wasn't

just a test

subject we'd helped them get their hands on, he was someone's son.

 He had a mom and she was beside herself with worry.  He was

her scared little boy.  I felt like shit.

 That's when I realized we'd gone too far.  I realized

we should never have done it to a kid.  We should have tried to

find another way.  Samuel had ordered me to come back immediately to get ready for a

strike on the installation, but I ignored his orders.  I had to

try to start making things right.  That's when I swore to Grace

that I would find Elias and you, and then we'd get Cole back to her."Samuel

is getting too

desperate and too hasty.  He's too willing to do whatever it takes

to keep the lupines safe.  He's become fanatical about

protecting his children and I think it's starting to push him over the

edge.  He's doing crazy things.  He's come to the point where

he seems to hate humans now, all humans, and he doesn't care who he

rolls over in his attempt to wreck their plans.  I think that's

part of the reason he wasn't pissed off in the end by the mess at

Nazas.  I think he's starting to get the idea that maybe we should

create as many werewolves as we can, everywhere.  Maybe he thinks

we need a real, full blown werewolf apocalypse.  He knows even for

that to work we have to shut down their research again so they have no

way to stop it.  He's been shutting himself away recently with men

who he sees as more loyal to him than even me.  They're cooking up

plans of their own.  I'm starting to get the impression that he's

not too far from being just like those government people now.  He wants

to build a

werewolf army so big that they could never stop us.  He'll do

anything to protect the lupines even if it means tearing down the rest

of the world to do it.  I just can't see myself following him

anymore.  He's starting to get a little too extreme for me.

 I signed up to be his general because we were doing good.

 We were going to defend ourselves and keep everyone safe.  I

didn't sign on to go to war with the humans.  To go on the offensive

against them.  I don't see them all as the enemy, but Samuel does.  I

think he's starting to

realize I might not be on board so much anymore.  He's getting more

involved in

commanding the army himself now.  He realizes the importance of

this next

mission, too, shutting down the new facility, and he wants to take a

hand in it himself.""So it worked, then?" Elias asked, "The tracker?"Jesse

nodded and said, "That's what I was checking when we landed.  It

worked

perfectly.  We were able to track the signal until it finally

stopped.

 It's here in Alaska, just as we'd assumed.  We setup this

particular compound because even though we weren't able to find the

facility before, there were a lot of clues that pointed to Alaska and

we needed a forward staging area setup and ready for when we would need

it.

 The new lab is further north of here.  Actually, it's really sort of

an old facility it turns out..  Samuel sent a small team to

surveil it already and they've reported back.  It's underground.  It

looks like an old listening post or something from back in the cold war

days.  They wanted it hidden from the Russians.  Looks as though they

just re-purposed it.  It was carved out of the permafrost up there.

 It's so well

hidden, we know for sure now we would never have found it.  We

know where Cole is now, and we're

preparing to take the facility.  Samuel's out for blood.  He

wants to

come along himself.  He says this is more important than anything

else we've ever done.  He says the whole future depends on our

success.  We'll get Cole out, Jake.  I swear it!"I

sighed and said, "I have to trust in you, Jesse.  I need you.

 You're the reason Cole's not with us right now, but you're our

only hope of getting him back.  I don't know if I can ever forgive

you for this."He looked anguished as he said, "Don't say

that, please!  I know you're a good man.  I care what you

think.  I'm not a bad person, Jake!  I'm really not!  I

was gonna tell you everything, I swear it!  I'll tell Grace the

truth as soon as we see her, just to show you I'm honorable and I had

no intention of keeping it from any of you.  I own up to shit I

done.  I just thought it was best to wait until it was over so

everyone could focus hard on the mission first.""No," I said, "I don't

think you should tell Grace yet.  She likes you, Jesse, a lot.

 She needs that right now.  She's hurting enough as it is

worrying about Cole.  She needs a champion, and for now you're it.

 She needs that hope.  She needs to believe you're the man

she thought you were and you'll give anything, even your own life, to

get her son back to her.""I am that man, Jake!  I swear it!  I am the

man she thought I was!  Give me a chance!  There's so much on

the line, Jake!  I had to do what I did!  I did it for Ben!

 For all of his kind!"Ben became angry and said, "Don't use

me as an excuse!  You stole someone's kid and put him in harm's

way!  I never would have thought you could do anything like that,

Jesse."Jesse looked as though he was about to break down as he

said, "Ben, please, you have to understand.  I didn't have time to

think it through.  It was a mistake.  A bad decision.

 I've been wracked with guilt about it.  I've been doing what

I can to make it right and I'm gonna keep on doing it.  We'll get

Cole back.  I swear it!"Elias said, "I doubt I could ever believe anything you ever say from now on."Elias

was angry, and what he said seemed a bit harsh, as did what I'd said, as I thought more about

it.  Jesse was right.  It was a mistake.  A one time

lapse in judgment.  Could we really doubt the man's whole

character because of it? Ben seemed to be reaching the same

conclusion as he turned to Elias and

said, "You're angry, Elias.  You have a right to be.  But

I've known Jesse my whole life.  He's a great man.  I know

you don't know me yet but you need to believe me.  Jesse can be

trusted.  He just made a mistake.  It was a bad one, but it

was a mistake.  He's not a bad person.  He was the best man I

knew until Jake came into my life."Elias shrugged and said, "If you say so.  I have no reason to doubt you."Ben turned to me and said, "Jake, the lie detector sees all.  You know that.  You

said you had the skill as a wolf, the same as I do, so you must know

the truth about Jesse from what you smelled of him back at the hospital.  I've seen his aura more times than I can count

while we've talked in the dark guts of that plane on countless night

flights.  He couldn't hide anything bad from me.  He's never

even tried to hide anything from me.  There's nothing bad in him that he needs to hide.

 He just made a mistake."He turned back to Elias again and said, "Maybe in time you'll learn to

forgive him, but it's not important right now.  Let's not make it about Jesse for now.  Let's

just make it about Cole.  Let's do like Jesse said and focus

everything on getting Cole back to his family."Elias

shrugged and nodded and said, "I'm willing to forget about it for now.

 We're counting on Jesse now, we have no choice, but I still don't

know if I can trust him.  Trust is earned where I come from.

 He'll have to do something to earn it.  Until I see that, my

feelings aren't gonna change."Jesse finally spoke up again and said, "Fair enough.  I

can't blame you for feeling the way you do.  I'm sorry for what I

did, Elias.  Know that.  I've been wracked with guilt about

it since the day it happened."I

sighed and said, "I can attest

to that.  I've seen it.  I told you about the way things are

for my wolf, Elias.  Jesse can't hide from him anymore than he can

hide from Ben's senses.  He really is a good man.  He bucked his

alpha's orders to come and rescue me at the hospital.  I'd be dead if

it wasn't for him.  He probably won't be general much longer because of

that choice.  He made that sacrifice for me.  To start to make things

right.  I'm grateful to him for it.  I choose

to trust him.  A whole lifetime of good thoughts and deeds can't

be wiped out by one mistake in judgment.  It can't change who he

is.  I'm not happy about what he's done, but I have to try to

forgive him for it.  I'm gonna try, just maybe later.  He'll

need to earn back my trust, like you said.  Getting Cole back safe

will be a good start."Ben smiled and nodded his agreement and Elias nodded too.Jesse

seemed to relax more and he sighed heavily as he said, "I'll earn your

trust back.  You'll see.  We're hitting the facility tonight.

 Jake, I know you'll want to come along.  I'd like you to, if

you're willing."Ben said, "Jake's not trained, Jesse.  I don't think he should be taking that sort of risk."Jesse

said, "It won't be a huge risk, and I need him.  From what the

surveillance team has told us, the only real defense that site has is

it's secrecy.  There's absolutely no evidence that it exists other

than a hidden set of doors in a hillside and camouflaged guards hidden

in the trees around it.  They didn't want anyone to ever see it

from any satellite or aerial photography so there are no walls or

fences, no watch towers, no turrets, no external lights, nothing.  There aren't even

any vehicles whatsoever around it so likely any coming and going is by a

helicopter that flies in and then right back out.  There can't be

a lot of men inside there.  That's why they were so careful about

never letting us find it.  There's likely a guard presence inside,

but I'm guessing the vast majority of people in there will be

scientists.  We'll hit them hard and we'll hit them fast.  It

won't be much of a fight.  I think Jake will do fine if he wants

to tag along.  I think his size as a wolf will help bring everyone

at the site to heel.  They won't want to cross him.  I know

after what he described about what his wolf did to the government man

in his hospital room, I sure as hell wouldn't want to cross him.""But you have enough men, Jesse," Ben insisted, "Why do you need Jake?  You've got a whole army!"Jesse

said, "It's like I was saying before.  I get the feeling Samuel is

already losing faith in my loyalty to him.  He didn't like me

questioning his decision to go ahead and take the boy back at Nazas,

even though I eventually agreed to it.  I found out when we got

back here that he was really pissed that I ignored his order to return

and went off to find Elias and to rescue Jake, too.  He didn't

like me using our resources and calling you out there with the herc,

either, Jesse.  He barely said two words to me earlier when I went

to talk to him in the comms building.  Like Jake said, I get the

feeling Samuel will be

looking for a new general to command his army soon.  He's huddled

with other men all the time now and he's not really including me in

those conversations.  It makes me uneasy.  We need to look after our

own interests for this mission tonight I think.  I don't trust Samuel

to keep the right priorities.  His

primary goal is going to be to destroy all of their

research.  Something tells me none of the scientists will survive

our attack, either.  There won't be any survivors this time.  I need

Jake there so I'll know I have at

least one man with me who's primary interest will be getting Cole back

out above all else.  I have a few men that are completely loyal to me

above even

Samuel, but one more man, especially one who's the biggest damn wolf

that ever existed, will help.  I want you there with me if you'll

come, Jake.""I plan on going along.  Thanks, Jesse."Elias said, "Me too.  I'm not gonna sit around on my ass while you go after Cole, Jake.""No!" Ben protested, "You can't take that kind of risk, Elias.  Jake's

huge, but you're pretty small for a werewolf.  I don't want to see

you get hurt.  It's too dangerous."Jesse said, "I'm really

sorry, Elias, but Benjamin's right.  I can't let you come along.

 We're not setup for anyone as small as you.  We have no gear

that would work for you.  It would be too dangerous without proper

protection.  Besides, Grace is gonna need someone to stay with her

during all of this.  She's gonna be out of her mind with worry.

 You need to try to keep her from going crazy.""Jesse's right, Elias," I said, "Grace will need you to be with her.

 I know you want to come and help Cole, but if Jesse says

it's not safe for you then I think it's better if you stay."Elias looked disappointed, but he nodded his agreement.Jesse

said, "All right, then.  We're agreed.  Jake, I gotta go talk

to some folks.  I need to assess how many are still more loyal to

me than to Samuel.  There's a lot of bad eggs around here that

I've never got along with.  They'll be going with Samuel I'm sure.

 I need to gather as many as I can that will stick with us and

focus on getting Cole out.  We'll be heading out an hour or so

before sunset.  We'll want to be on the ground and ready to hit

the facility when the change happens tonight.  We'll be going in

as wolves.  Get some more rest, Jake.  You gotta be pretty

bushed too, Ben, since you flew out to get us and then flew us back

without a break.  Elias looks like he hasn't slept in a long time,

too.  You all get rested up and I'll come back to find

you later on when the time is getting closer."I nodded, and Jesse stood and turned and left the room.Benjamin

shook his head and said, "I can't believe he did that, Jake.  I

never would have thought he could steal someone's kid like that.""He

loves you, Ben.  He was thinking of you and the lupines.  I

could sense from the way he was talking that he was almost as

desperate as he made Samuel out to be.  Everything's at stake as

far as they're concerned.  They had to do it to protect the

werewolves and especially the lupines.  The more I think of it the

more I'm ready to forgive him for it.  He's a good man and we both

know it.  We need to let him know we know it so his confidence is

never shaken.  He made a mistake and we need to let it go."Ben

smiled and said, "You're a good man too, Jake.  I've known Jesse

my whole life so it's easy for me to forgive him, but you've known him

for less than a day.""It's

like you said, the lie detector sees

all.  My wolf told me what a good man he is.  He risked everything he's

built here to come after me and get me out of that hospital.  I owe him

my life.  I'll be a wolf

right next to him later tonight, too.  He can't hide anything from

me.  I'm sure I'll see him as just as good a man as I saw before.

 As good a man as you've seen."Elias said, "I wish I had that skill.  It would sure make some things easier."I

nodded and said, "I sure thought so.  Now I realize it's just a

tool.  The user needs to understand how to use it right, or it

might assign the wrong meaning to things.  I still need some

practice using it I guess."Ben said, "I'm beat.  I haven't

slept in quite a while.  I say we do like Elias suggested and find

someplace private.  I want to get to know both of you some more.

 A lot more.  Let's burn up whatever energy we have left,

then get some rest."Elias grinned and said, "Finally!  Let's go!"I smiled and said, "The RV's setup and waiting for us outside by now.  If we go there we'll have privacy."Elias jumped up excitedly and said, "Well, come on then!  I get to climb mount lupine!  Let's go!"He

turned and ran out the door and down the hall and I smiled as I watched

him go.  I usually thought about how much of Elias I saw in Cole,

but Elias acted and sounded exactly like Cole just then.  Seems

they both have a lot of each other in them.  I guess that's why I

love them both so much.  They're so alike.Ben chuckled and got up and chased Elias out the door and I got up and followed.By

the time I got outside and found the RV and went in, Ben was already in

the process of stripping Elias down.  He was standing at the end

of the bed and Elias was sitting up on it, smiling and watching the

beautiful furry lupine work.  Ben had pulled off Elias's hiking

boots and shucked off his jeans already, leaving him with only

underwear and socks.  Now Ben was inhaling the scent of his feet

deeply through his dirty socks.  Elias had been up and pacing all

through the night and he'd likely only been wearing whatever clothes

they'd given him when they first picked him up, so there was a few days

of unwashed wear in them.  There was likely a fair bit there for

Ben to enjoy.I smiled and watched while I began to undress.

 Ben pulled off Elias's socks and sniffed them again with closed

eyes and a smile before tossing them aside, then he turned to Elias's

feet and began to lick them from heel to toe.  Elias giggled from

the sensation of the tongue tickling the sole of his foot, then he

sighed as Benjamin switched to running his long tongue between Elias's

toes to taste the sweat there.  Elias wasn't quite as heavily into

feet as I was, though he did like them.  He most definitely liked

having others enjoy his feet, though, and Ben was doing a good job of washing them thoroughly with his long canine tongue.I

quickly finished undressing and then I got down on my knees next to Ben

and started to work the laces on his big army boots.  I patted the

lupine's ass and asked him to get his knees up on the bed.  He

stopped what he was doing and looked up at Elias, then he reached to

his waist and lifted his shirt up and over his head and tossed it

aside.  He pushed Elias over on his back and then reached in and

grabbed his underwear by the waistband and yanked them down and off,

exposing Elias's incredibly rigid tool and his nice fat balls.  Ben groaned at the sight and simply said, "Beautiful."He

then pushed Elias further up the bed as he got his own knees onto the

bed as I'd asked him to, and he went to work snuffling and licking and

cleaning Elias's crotch.I pulled Ben's army boots off and then

enjoyed his socked feet again for a bit before I removed the socks and

threw them to the floor.  I then grabbed the back of his shorts

and underwear and began to pull them down.  I reached into the

back and pulled his bushy tail out through the hole and hooked his

shorts and underwear under his big glutes.  I knew he'd be getting

pretty aroused by what he was doing to Elias so I reached around to

feel for his cock.  Sure enough, it was already at full mast and

incredibly hard inside his underwear.  I slipped my hand down the

front and grabbed the big, hot tool and pulled it up past the waistband

so I could then safely yank his shorts and underwear down to his knees.

 He lifted one knee to allow me to work them down, then lifted the

other so I could pull them right off of him.He must have known

what I would want to do next because he spread his knees a bit on the

bed and suddenly his tail went right up in the air, showing me is hot

and ready hole.  I was already so turned on I just wanted to get

on him and fuck him again.  I grabbed his tail and lifted it the

rest of the way up so I could plunge my face in and enjoy the taste of

him for just a bit by way of loosening him up and getting him ready.

 He moaned as I drove my tongue into him to get more of his

incredible taste.  I was surprised by how quickly my level of

arousal rocketed up again.  I'd only just fucked him not much more than an hour ago, but I had to take him again, right now.I

spat at his hole and worked it in with a finger and he moaned some more

at the action.  I then spat at my fingers and worked it onto my

cock head and shaft.  I patted Ben's furry butt and asked him to

move forward a bit so I could get on the bed behind him.  He groaned and he lifted

his head off of Elias's crotch and worked his knees forward.

 Elias gasped and said, "Holy fuck!" when he saw the size of Ben's

impressive cock suddenly bobbing up in front of his face.  He

immediately went to work playing with it with one hand, while he

reached up to caress Ben's huge balls.I got up onto the bed

behind Ben and put my cock up against his tight, hot sphincter and I

began to apply pressure.  Ben immediately pushed back at me and moaned as I

smoothly entered him again.  I was going to cum very quickly so I

wasted no time and began to build a rhythm, moaning and groaning at

the pleasurable feeling of pumping my fat cock in and out of Ben's snug

rectum as his anus squeezed at my shaft.The sensation of my cock

gliding against his sensitive anus combined with Elias licking and

playing with Ben's cock while he fondled his big balls was sending Ben

close to the peak."Fuck!  That feels so good!  I can't hold it.  Elias, I want to shoot on your face, OK?"Elias nodded his enthusiasm at that idea and wiggled up between Ben's legs a bit to put his face in a better position."Play with my nuts while Jake fucks me," Ben said.Elias

grinned and reached out with both hands to really start to rub and

gently squeeze at the beautifully shaped grapefruits enclosed in Ben's

warm, furry sack.  I stepped up the pace a bit and lifted his tail

right up and started grunting as I fucked him harder and he really started to

moan loudly now.Ben grabbed his own cock with his big hand and

began to work it as he looked down at Elias's beautiful face.  The

lights were dim and all the shades were pulled down around the RV so

clearly Ben was getting a good look at Elias's aura now."Fuck, you're perfect!" he exclaimed as he began to moan louder and he started to pant as he worked his cock faster and faster.I

felt Ben's anus suddenly begin to pulse.  It squeezed at my cock

harder and harder as his orgasm rapidly built, and that sent me sailing

over the edge.  I grunted and moaned loudly as I slammed myself up

against him and shot my load deep into his bowels.  Ben groaned

loudly and desperately said, "I'm gonna cum!  Open your mouth!"Elias

opened wide and the sight of him greedily anticipating the treat that

was coming was all it took to push Ben the rest of the way.  He

grunted loudly and tensed right up and suddenly a massive blast of

thick, hot cum shot in a long stream and hit Elias

right on the side of his mouth.  Another grunt, and another blast

sent a volley right into his mouth.  Elias closed his mouth to

enjoy it but Ben was nowhere near done yet.  I continued to slam

myself against him and shoot the last of my load into him while the

tight ring of muscle at his hole kept spasming and trying to strangle

my cock.  Ben groaned and grunted again and another blast hit

Elias's closed mouth.  Again and again long squirts of Ben's thick

seed shot out and he painted Elias's face with it.  Elias was in

heaven.  He took his hands off Ben's balls and reached up

to grab onto the back of Ben's big knot that was now nearly at full

size, and he used it to pull the tip of the lupine's massive dick right

up to his open mouth.  It was too big to fit right inside Elias's

mouth, but he wanted every last bit of the beautiful furry creature's

seed to shoot right onto his tongue.Ben moaned as he continued to stroke his cock, pumping the rest of his huge load right into Elias's mouth.Finally

I had reached the end of my orgasm and I could feel Ben's anus begin to

settle down as he reached the end of his.  I pulled out and moved

around to the side of the bed to get a good look.  Ben was smiling

down at Elias, who's face was absolutely coated with his thick seed,

and he was gently stroking himself to coax every last drop into his

mouth.  His other hand was stroking Elias's soft hair as Ben

smiled at him and watched him enjoying the treat he was feeding him.

 Elias was hanging on tight to Ben's big knot and slurping down

everything he was offered.The look of the massively muscular,

dark brown, furry beast straddling the boy's face and jacking himself

into the his mouth was one of the most erotic things I'd ever seen in

my life.Finally Ben sighed and pulled his cock away from Elias's

face.  He worked his way back on the bed and then leaned in and

began to lick his own cum off Elias's face.  Elias grinned and sat

still while he was being cleaned.  Ben licked up every last

dropped and then he kissed Elias on the mouth and stared right into his

eyes and said, "Your soul is as beautiful as Jakes.  I love you,

Elias."Elias grinned back up at him and kissed him back then

said, "I've never been so turned on in my life.  Could I put my

cock in you?"Ben grinned and nodded and said, "Let me get you ready."He

moved backwards off the bed and leaned in to slurp in Elias's cock.

 He sucked it a bit and drooled all over it, getting it good and

wet, then he worked his way back up on the bed with his feet on either

side of Elias and then he grabbed his tail and pulled it up as he

lowered himself down onto Elias's rigid tool.  I moaned at the

sight of it.  This massive, muscular, furry god was impaling

himself on the boy and moaning as he began to ride Elias's cock up and

down.  I could see Elias's toes curling up, he was so turned on.

 He looked down and watched as the furry lupine grinned at him and

began to bounce faster and faster up and down.  Just as Elias

seemed to be getting close he suddenly stopped, then he grabbed Elias

and held him as he rolled over onto his back, pulling Elias around to

that he was suddenly on top of Ben, facing him, with his cock still

buried in his tight ass.Elias groaned and immediately began to

lift his hips and thrust them forward as he worked towards his orgasm

again.  I quickly moved behind him and moved my face into position

and began to match Elias's thrusting motion while I worked his tasty

hole with my tongue.  Elias began to moan more urgently as he

said, "That feels so good!"I moved my hand up and started playing with his balls while I tongued him, and he groaned and began to buck harder against Ben.In

moments I felt his sphincter begin to pulse against my tongue and his

sack started to tighten up in my hand as his orgasm slammed into him

and he yelled from the pleasurable release as he shot into his new

lover for the first time.  Once again I moved off to the side to

get a better view.  It was wonderful to see.  The huge lupine

was on his back with his muscular legs hooked up on Elias's shoulders.

 Elias's hands were on the backs of Ben's massive thighs and his

head was back as he lost himself in the pleasure of humping at him and

shooting everything he had into him.  Ben's cock had not gone down

yet.  His knot was still big like he was still tied, and his cock

was still leaking and making a puddle of cum on his belly.  I moved in

and began to lick it up until there was none left, then I moved to the

side and lay down on the bed to wait for them to finish.Finally

Elias pulled out and sighed his contentment as Ben lowered his legs to

either side of him and Elias crawled up onto him and wrapped his arms

around Ben's neck and said, "That was amazing.  Thank you."Ben

rubbed his naked back and said, "You two are so beautiful to me.

 It's gonna be so great doing this over and over again."I

smiled and moved in closer to join them and said, "Yes, it will.

 I can't wait until Cole joins us.  He's gonna be crazy about

you, too."Ben smiled and said, "You're both perfect matches for

me.  I bet Cole will be exactly the same.  You guys knew what

you were doing when you fell in love with each other, obviously.

 You didn't even need to see any aura to find the right match.

 It must take a lot of faith to do that."Elias said, "Not really.  I just had a feeling with Jake, right when I first saw him.""Tell me what it was like when you two met," Ben said.And

for the next while we talked softly to each other.  Elias and I

each told our side of how we'd met and fell in love while Ben smiled

and listened.  Ben told us some of his experiences and how hard it

had been being the only gay lupine in existence.For quite a

while we got to know each other better until finally Elias's exhaustion

got the better of him and he drifted off while still lying on top of

the furry lupine.  Ben held him close and smiled as he allowed

himself to drift away to sleep as well.I stayed awake for a

while longer, enjoying the sight of them holding each other and

thinking about how good it was going to be when Cole could finally join

us to make our family complete again.I began to feel drowsy, and with thoughts of Cole in my head and warming my heart, I nodded off for a short nap.