cutegayorc

[cutegayorc]

Adopted by a Werewolf Chapter 4

I'm really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. It turns out writing scenes involving a character having a panic attackc and then lead to you yourself having a panic attack. Fun! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I've already finished chapter 5, I've just got to finish editing. Also I've been picking up some editing tips from random parts of the internet so if my editing changes from chapter to chapter, that's not random. Apologies for those who like consitency. I'm a bit of a messy bitch that way.

Editor Credits Perky: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/perk0/ Lan the Orc: https://lantheorc.sofurry.com/ ------

Druid’s Falls was far smaller than Bright Rock. Bright Rock felt like three small cities pushed together. The slums, old town and new town. But Druid’s Falls was a small village with one winding road. The small cabins were built up against the nearby woods and a logging camp stood at the end of the road where the majority of the village worked. Parts of the woods had been cleared leaving only stumps. Other parts, there were holes where stumps used to be. Lastly there were areas where the holes left by the stumps had been filled and new baby trees had been planted. Rodrig and Jeremiah passed by all of this. The people waved as they passed. Jeremiah always waved back with a big smile. Rodrig tried to do the same, but it felt awkward. He worried people were judging him for riding on the cart. Even if he did have a legitimate reason to be doing so. Once they had passed the last cabin, they made a left turn from the main road into the forest. Rodrig wondered why they didn’t stop at the inn he saw before. Especially since the place they did eventually stop was far out of the way. 

Four buildings sat by each other. Two cottages, one large and one small, sat by each other and behind them was a barn which currently housed a small horse. Lastly was a circular stone building with a large wood stove next to it, large pipes connecting into the side of the building. 

They stopped in front of the large cottage but before Jeremiah could approach and knock, a tiny olive skinned woman popped out the door and onto the porch. Her face was wrinkled in that way where you know she was the type to always smile and oh when she smiled at seeing their arrival. All of those creases on her face falling into place as she irradiated an energy like the sun. 

“Big wolf!” She called. Her accent was heavy, Over-pronouncing the o in wolf.

“Granny!” Jeremiah called back and opened his arms. She jumped from the porch and landed in his arms giving him tiny kisses all over his face. He laughed and they swung around in a circle. 

“You are back so quick.” She said as Jeremiah set her down. She barely reached past his waist. 

“There were some complications,” Jeremiah began to explain. “Quick extraction was necessary. Have you heard from the Watcher of Bright Rock?”

“I have heard nothing,” She said. “That man is an asshole. He wouldn’t talk to me unless it was for business.” 

Jeremiah's normal happy confident mask fell for just a moment as he showed genuine worry for something. What, Rodric couldn’t know. He was still processing everything that had been revealed. But Jeremiah quickly slipped the mask back on and was back to being a confident and fearless statue. 

As Rodric finally hobbled over, the small woman took notice.

“Is this the boy you were sent to retrieve? What happened? Why is he limping?” 

“Yes and I’ll explain everything in a minute.” Jeremiah said, leading the woman over to where Rodrig was standing. 

“Rodrig,” Jeremiah said, “This is Lama Gajudo. She’s what we call a Watcher.” 

“What does she watch?” Jeremiah asked, looking around for anything of interest. 

“My job is not to watch the forest. It won’t be here much longer with all the logging.” Lama said. She sneered at the mention of the logging. 

“She watches for possible Sensitives or Adepts.” Jeremiah said. “She’s also a healer. I was hoping she could give you an examination to make sure your leg is okay.” 

Rodrig nodded but didn’t say anything. He just felt agitated for some reason he couldn’t quite grasp. Especially now that all eyes were on him. 

“Until I know the damage, I don’t want you walking on that leg.” Lama said. “Woolfy, you carry him to my exam room.” 

“I don’t need somebody to carry me.” Rodrig grumbled to himself. 

“It’s okay.” Jeremiah said. “It’s no bother. I can handle your weight no problem.” 

Rodrig wasn’t worried about Jeremiah being able to support his weight. He just didn’t like the idea of being carried. When Jeremiah walked over to him, Rodrig tensed up. He was about to try and beat the man away with the makeshift walking stick. Before he could make his move however, Jeremiah scooped him up into his arms. Rodrig dropped the walking stick by mistake. His weapon now gone, Rodrig was forced to be carried like a bride over the veil. He felt his entire face heat up as a deep blush covered his face. He covered himself so that no one could see him turn red. A deep rumble came from Jeremiah’s chest that vibrated against Rodrig. There was a sense of satisfaction in that rumbling growl. Rodrig’s face burned brighter. So did the unexplainable exasperation that was forming in his chest. It spread to his arms and made them tingle. 

Jeremiah carried Rodrig up the steps to the porch and through the door into the cabin. The room was astonishingly tidy. Everything seemed to have its place. There was a small living area with a table with four coasters ready to place a glass on in case company wanted to have a drink of coffee while they sat and chat. In the back was a kitchen kept pristine and a dining table with 4 chairs. Towards their right were two doors. They took the one closer to them and were in another overly well kept room. In one corner was a small desk with and a bookshelf covered in books. In the middle of the room was a flat table with cushioning on it. An examination table like they had at the academy. Nearby was a stool which Lama sat in. Jeremiah carefully lowered Rodrig onto the end of the exam table before stepping back and standing in the corner. 

“Can you put your leg on the table for me dear?” Lama asked. “I need it level to examine it.” 

Rodrig did as he was told, letting her move his ankle back and forth, gauging his reaction as she did. 

“How did you hurt it?” Lama asked. 

“Someone stomped on it.” Rodrig said after a moment's pause. He didn’t want to relive how he got the injury so he kept it brief. 

“Been doing much walking on it?” 

“No, ma’am.” 

“So polite.” She smiled. “I remember the first time I met another young man, he was far less polite.” She gave an over the top stink eye towards Jeremiah. The type where you could tell it was in jest.

“You wound me.” Jeremiah said back. He clutched his chest and made a dramatic grunting sound.

“Hush you!” she said back holding back a laugh. 

Rodrig watched, feeling awkward. Any time he had tried to have a friendly conversation like that, it usually ended with him being ridiculed for trying to join in. So he kept his mouth shut. It was safer that way.

Lama turned back towards Rodrig. Her smile was still there. She kept it on even when she noticed Rodrig wasn’t smiling back. 

“It’s nothing bad. Just a sprain. Stay off it for a bit and keep it elevated. Now let's take a look at what’s under that bandage on your face. Lay down so I can get a better look.” Rodrig did as he was instructed, scooching himself further up the examination table so he could lay flat. The ends of his feet still dangled off the edge but beyond that it was pretty comfy. She removed the bandage. Her smile went away. 

“How did you get this?” She asked. 

Rodrig tried to answer but found that no sound was coming out. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times. Was he going to have to go over everything? Right as it was about to be too much, right when his eyes started to burn with the feeling of tears starting to form, Jeremiah came to his rescue. 

“It was a knife wound.” Jeremiah said. “He also has one on his back. Although that one is from a rapier. It’s not as deep but goes over a wider area. I can go over the how later if need be.” 

Lama didn’t say anything right away, processing the information. She kept her face blank. A strange thought crossed Rodrig’s mind through the depression and the anguish. He thought that she would have made a great poker player. The funny little thought brought a little bit of levity. His own little private joke. It helped to calm him down a little bit. 

“These stitches, were they you Big Wolf?” Lama asked. 

“Yes.” Jeremiah said.

“You have improved since I last tutored you. It seems to be healing well. But I would like to get some salve on it, to speed the process along.” 

She hopped off her stool and went to a nearby cabinet. She pulled out a small handheld jar and came back. 

“This is my own personal healing salve,” Lama said as she popped the top off the jar. Rodrig could smell an earthy scent fill the air. It reminded him of the smell of vines that he once had to pull out of his mothers garden. “A little bit along the cut and then we replace the bandage.” 

She placed her finger in the jar and it came out covered in what looked like mud. As she spread it across the wound, the smell of vegetation grew. It was cold. Once she was  done applying the goop, she applied a new bandage. 

“Okay, now let’s see the one on the back.”  Lama said. “Shirt off and on your belly.” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Rodrig said. “It feels fine.” 

“It’s not.” Jeremiah said. “I didn’t want to alarm you but it smells infected.” 

Rodrig grew pale. Lama cleared her throat.

“Shirt off or I make the wolf rip it off.” Lama threatened. 

Rodrig did as he was told, stripping his shirt off and turned himself over. He re-used his shirt as a pillow for his head while he waited for the old woman to do her work. She had to stand on her stool to see the whole thing. She tisked a few times before prescribing more plant goop. Again she slathered the goop against his skin. This time it stung as she applied it. But then a cooling feeling started to cover his back. She then applied a bandage, replacing the wraps that had covered the cut from before. 

“You’re going to need to keep applying the salve until it heals. I’ll make sure to send some with you.” Lama said before stepping down. Rodrig pushed himself up and put his shirt back on. “Now, why don’t you come and have a pot of tea with me.” 

----

Jeremiah sipped at his tea. It was strong. Lama always made it that way. He watched as Rodrig took a sip and then immediately scrunched up his face. The young man was quick to return his face to a neutral look. Jeremiah had noticed that Rodrig liked to put on a neutral face like a mask. It didn’t do much to hide from Jeremiah since he could hear his heartbeat and smell the changes in his body chemistry. Plus there were the tiny twitches and quirks of body language. But in front of normal humans, it would have been perfect. The next time Rodrig took a sip, the mask stayed on. But there was a twitch along his brow indicating he didn’t like the taste. 

“Thank you for the tea.” Rodrig said. 

“It’s my pleasure.” Lama said to Rodrig before turning to Jeremiah. “I’m assuming you will be staying tonight?”

“Yes Granny.” Jeremiah said. “If it’s not too much trouble, I was hoping we could use your bath too.” 

“I was going to insist.” Lama said. “We need to get the dirt and sweat off your young ward’s wounds. Do you remember how to turn it on?” 

“Yes. I’ll help Rodrig with-” Jeremiah began to say. 

“Don’t pick me up!” Rodrig interrupted, tensing up. 

“Okay.” Jeremiah said. He was trying not to laugh at the sudden outburst. Jeremiah made a mental note that embarrassment made Rodrig drop his mask. Probably not the best way to get him to drop his guard so he would have to keep looking for other ways to get him to open up.  “But we can’t have you walking on that foot. Let me at least be your crutch. Deal?” 

Rodrig didn’t answer right away. But he finally nodded. 

“I’ll have some food waiting in the guest cabin for when you are done bathing.” Lama said. “I’ll also need you to reapply more of the salve once you’re done. I’ll leave the jar with the food. Try not to mix up the food and the salve. Don’t get my wrong, the salve is technically edible. But it probably won’t taste too good. Even if you spread it on bread.” 

Jeremiah had no doubt that she had tried the salve on bread once just to see. She was eccentric like that. He chuckled and headed over to Rodrig, offering his hand to help the young lad up. Rodrig eyed the hand then looked up and met Rodrig’s gaze. Rodrig quickly looked away, a small amount of red tinging his cheeks. Jeremiah didn’t comment, instead hanging him his makeshift walking stick. 

They slowly made their way out the door. They made their way over to the small circular building made of brick. There was a small stove to the side. 

“You can head inside and start getting undressed.” Jeremiah said. “I’ll load the stove with wood.” 

“How does it work?” Rodrig asked. 

“The pipes here are connected to an underground stream.” Jeremiah began to explain. “When you turn this lever, the water flows up and goes into this reservoir. The stove heats up the water and then you turn a nob in there to let the water out of the reservoir.” 

“Won’t it take a while for the water in the reservoir to heat up?”

“Not as long as you would think. Now go on, there should be some towels in there already.”

Rodrig did as he was told. When he opened it, he stopped. 

“It’s really dark in there.” Rodrig said. 

“There should be candles inside. There is a match box on a shelf right by the door.” 

Rodrig stepped inside. Jeremiah heard the sound of a match lighting and then a sudden gasp. Rodrig must have seen the huge stone tub. It had surprised Jeremiah the first time he saw it too. Jeremiah got to work filling the reservoir with water before starting the work on filling the stove with wood. He then lit the flames with flint and steel, sparking a small flame which quickly consumed the wood and became an inferno. Jeremiah closed the stove before heading towards the entrance to the stone cylinder.

Inside and slightly sunken into the floor was a large stone tub shaped like a bowl with a drain at the bottom. Rodrig stood there still dressed. He had just got done lighting the candles tucked away in the sconces on the walls. He waved the match in his hands to put it out before tossing it in a nearby rubbish bin. 

“Why does she have something like this out in the middle of the forest?” Rodrig said motioning towards the tub. “I would expect something like this in some rich man’s mansion.” 

“Well I wouldn’t call her rich but Granny is pretty wealthy.” Jeremiah said. “She’s a famous healer. That salve she gave you is the same stuff used by some royals.” Rodrig had pulled his shirt off half way before he stopped. He looked mortified. 

“You let her use that on me?” Rodrig said. “B-b-but I’m just me!” 

“So?” Jeremiah said, enjoying Rodrig’s reaction a bit too much. “Believe it or not, the bodies of kings and queens are exactly the same as yours.” 

“But if they use it, it must be expensive.” Rodrig said in a whisper. “I can’t even afford to pay you back for everything you’ve done so far. How am I supposed to pay her for world famous healing goop?” 

“It’s fine.” Jeremiah said as he stripped off his shirt. “It’s part of her job to help heal those with supernatural abilities we rescue. It’s all paid for by our organization.” 

“Nothing is free.” Rodrig said. “Somebody is going to want the money for that junk and when I can’t pay, it’s going to be taken out of my hide. I’ve seen what is done to people who can’t pay back their debt. I’m not using that stuff again. No way.” 

Rodrig’s heart rate had become like a war drum. Loud and fast. It almost hurt Jeremiah’s sensitive ears. He tried to think of ways to distract him. Then an evil thought entered his head. 

Jeremiah dropped his pants. 

---

Rodrig was about to give another really good reason why using healing salve was a terrible idea. Images of men who owed money to those more powerful being beaten in the street in front of their own children came to mine. Then for the briefest of moments, his eyes caught sight of Jeremiah’s rather large cock and balls. He immediately turned around, his entire body humming as blood suddenly rushed to his face. There was definitely no denying his worst fears. He was attracted to a man who could turn into a beast. It also meant that bathing together was out of the question. 

“Maybe I should go.” Rodrig said. But he didn’t move, because Jeremiah was standing in the way of the only door out. There wouldn’t be enough room for him to pass by him towards the door. Not without pressing up against the big, hairy, muscly, handsome...Rodrig thought to himself that he was completely and utterly fucked. 

“Nonsense.” Jeremiah said. Rodrig heard the sound of the tap being turned and the sound of water running. The room suddenly jumped in temperature as the warm water began to fill the room with steam. “If we take turns, there won’t be enough hot water. Besides, the tub is more than big enough for both of us. Now get undressed.” 

Rodrig stood still. 

“You’ve got thirty seconds before I come over there and rip those clothes off myself” Jeremiah said. 

“Then turn around, you big perv!” Rodrig said making eye contact and making sure to keep his eye line above the waist. 

“Okay. But if i don’t hear the sound of you hitting the water in the next minute, I'm coming for you.” Jeremiah turned around. Rodrig tried really hard not to take a peak at Jeremiah’s ass. He failed. It was big and had a thin layer of fuzz on it. Rodrig’s mouth went dry.

“Time’s half up.” Jeremiah said, snapping Rodrig out of his daze. Rodrig quickly stripped his shirt off before tossing it to the floor. He dropped his pants next before kneeling down. Getting in the tub with one ankle was an interesting maneuver but he figured it out. 

“HOT, HOT, HOT!” Rodrig screamed as he realized the mistake of just plopping himself down into the water. 

“There, was that so bad?” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig heard the sound of Jeremiah also lowering himself into the water. Meanwhile, Rodrig was busy taking deep steady breaths, his eyes clenched shut as he waited for his body to get used to the water. Eventually the searing pain subsided and the water just felt warm and comforting. He sighed in relief. 

“Hand out. I’m passing you a bar of soap.” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig did as he was told, keeping his eyes averted so as not to see his tub-mate. The bar of soap was placed in his hand with a washcloth. Rodrig got right to work scrubbing his arms. 

“I don’t want you to worry about the cost of all this.” Jeremiah said.

“But I-” Rodrig began to say back.

“Let me finish saying this first.” Jeremiah interrupted. There was a sharp authority to his voice that made Rodrig shut his mouth. A feeling of needing to obey swept over him. It was familiar. Like that first night when they met at the bar. A part of him wanted to tell Jeremiah to shut up. To leave him alone. But he held it back and pushed those emotions in a little box in the back of his head like he always did. Nothing but pain ever came from confronting people.

“I’m part of a rather large group of supernatural beings.” Jeremiah said. “We don’t have an official name or anything like that. Originally it was formed out of a need for survival. Different leaders of packs and covens would mee to share information and resources. Help each other to stay safe and prosper in a world where we were hunted. But then, one of our own saved a prince. It was an accident really. The witch didn’t know the person he was saving was royalty. He just saw that someone was in trouble. That random act of kindness spurred a partnership that still exists today.

“The Prince vouched for the supernatural community to his mother, the then Queen. Said that the majority of supernatural beings were just like them, people trying to survive. The Queen, wise beyond her years, saw an opportunity for a partnership. She would offer certain supernatural groups that weren’t a threat protection and land. In exchange they would offer services to the people and the crown.

“My coming to retrieve you is one of those services. Now this next part I don’t say to scare you but to make you understand the why. People like you, Sensitives, if left alone are more often than not taken in by dark elements. Sensitives, because of the nature of their soul, are malleable. They can become hosts to many dark things. Often against their will. Then they become a danger to everyone around them. 

“So yes, there is a cost to all of this. The travel. The food. The medicine. But it’s a price that the crown gladly pays to keep the peace.”

Rodrig thought over all this information. The soap and cloth were forgotten as he sat there processing all this new information. He looked up and saw Jeremiah on the opposite end of the tub. He was sitting watching him. His hair wet and plastered against his body. He smiled at Rodrig, giving him a chance to process the information. A dark thought crossed his mind and it came out before he could stop himself. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just kill me?” 

Jeremiah’s smile dropped. The look of sorrow and pity made Rodrig need to turn away.

“I don’t believe you would say something so vile because you have a cruel heart.” Jeremiah said. “I believe you said it because you’re hurting so much that death feels like it would be a release. But hear me now. I would never entertain something so cruel as to murder someone for something they have no control over. So no Rodrig. I won’t kill you. I will not come for you expecting payment for services rendered. What I do, I don’t do so expecting payment. I do these things because I believe in our cause.” 

“But what sort of life will I be able to lead if I’m a danger?” Rodrig said. He felt bitter. Some of the anger he had bottled up pushed through. 

Jeremiah sighed. A moment passed before he spoke again. 

“I used to be a Sensitive too.” Jeremiah said. 

“You what?” Rodrig said. All the thoughts in his head came crashing to a halt as he focused completely on the man opposite him. 

“The hole in your spirit that I mentioned the other day, it can also be inhabited by benevolent beings.” Jeremiah said. “When we save a Sensitive, we don’t just keep them in a dungeon away from society. You’re given a choice. Some choose to remain as they are. For those, we have places where they can stay that are warded against evil beings. Some though, like myself, choose to open their soul up for residency to a spirit to form a symbiotic relationship.”

Rodrig sat there stunned. He slowly sank into the water until it covered everything but the top of his head, breathing through his nose as the water covered his mouth. Jeremiah began to lather up his body while Rodrig processed things. This reminded Rodrig he too needed to start scrubbing himself and grabbed the soap from the edge of the tub and got to work himself. 

“You said you were a Sensitive. Are you not anymore?” 

Jeremiah’s smile returned.

“Senstives in the supernatural community are kind of like caterpillars. They are just the start of what could be. Just like how a butterfly is no longer a caterpillar after it cocoons itself, once a Sensitive takes on a spirit and creates a permanent bond, they turn into something else. For example, when I chose to accept the gift of the werewolf, my soul became one with a wolf spirit.” 

“Oh.” Rodrig said. He was suddenly very curious about all the different types of being out there. Then he realized he had washed all he could that wasn’t submerged in the water. “I need to wash my...lower half. Could you look away for a second.” 

Jeremiah rolled his eyes, but he did as was asked. Rodrig stood up and started washing his legs.

“How were you turned?” Rodrig asked while lathering up his legs. 

“I was bitten while under the full moon.” Jeremiah said. 

“Did it hurt?” Rodrig asked. He briefly wondered if these questions were becoming too personal. 

“A little,” Jeremiah said. “I still remember it to this day. I was scared but excited at the same time. The bite hurt like hell, but right after it happened, my body grew limp and suddenly I wasn’t there anymore. I was somewhere else. Not physically. The witches call it spirit walking, when your senses temporarily leave your body. My soul was taken to a forest and I was surrounded by wolves. The man who bit me was also there. We walked through the forest with the wolves and one at a time I was introduced to the spirits until I found one that my soul resonated with. It was like meeting someone for the first time and knowing this, this, this. This right here is my best friend. My literal soulmate. And then we merged.”

The way Jeremiah talked about the event filled Rodrig with awe. He sounded so happy. Rodrig couldn’t think of a single memory that filled him with that much joy. 

“I still have the scar. If you would like to see.” Jeremiah said. 

“Really?” Rodrig asked. He then scolded himself for sounding so excited. 

“Sure, it’s here on my right shoulder.” Jeremiah said. He came a little closer before turning around, moving his long black hair to his left shoulder so that Rodrig could easily see the bite mark. It was scarred over, multiple little dots on his skin where the teeth would have pierced his flesh. 

For a moment, Rodrig imagined Jeremiah placing his mouth along Rodrig’s neck. He then froze and slowly backed away. He scolded himself for letting such a perverted thought enter his mind. He sank back into the water as nonchalantly as he could. “Thank you for showing me.” Rodrig mumbled.

“No problem.” Jeremiah said. He stood up without warning, giving Rodrig a sudden very close and personal view of Jeremiah’s ass. 

“Welp, I'm getting all pruny. I think I'm done washing up.” Jeremiah said. He stepped out of the tub. Rodrig told himself he should look away but couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to touch that butt. Those arms. That chest. Jeremiah began to towel off, not worrying about the fact his nudity was on full display. Finally Jeremiah wrapped the towel around his waist and started walking towards him before offering his hand. 

“Here, let me help you out. Don’t worry, I won’t look.” Jeremiah said. 

-----

Jeremiah lied. He did in fact look. In his defense though, the human half of him felt really bad about it. The wolf half did not give a shit and was a lecherous asshole. Or at least that’s what Jeremiah told himself after watching Rodrig get dressed out of the corner of his eye. Rodrig was a bit skinny for his height. Something that Jeremiah had noticed before. Jeremiah wondered if maybe before joining the guard academy, he was malnourished. Rodrig also appeared to have a few scars on his ass and back. They were old scars, having faded a bit. Given that Rodrig was just barely an adult, he would have had to have received them during childhood. A lot of his mannerisms started to make sense. They were defense mechanisms learned from a hard childhood. 

Beyond that though, he seemed overall healthy. Minimal body hair though. Well except for the bush around his balls. They hung low and swung around while Rodrig pulled his underwear back on. Jeremiah couldn’t help but notice the small hard on he had to. A dark part of his mind got enjoyment from knowing that it was his body that had aroused Rodrig. The other part of his mind chastised him for thinking such things at such a time. 

When Rodrig turned around to grab his shirt, Jeremiah quickly looked away and played the part of the innocent wolfman who was not secretly a Peeping Tom. 

“Why do I feel so exhausted?” Rodrig said more to himself than to Jeremiah. “I’ve been sitting in a cart all day. Why do I just want to pass out.” 

“You’ve had a long couple of days.” Jeremiah said. “Your body is still recovering from the physical and emotional stress.” 

Rodrig sighed but didn’t say anything more. The two left the bath to find a pair of crutches waiting for Rodrig. 

“Guess you won’t need me to carry you around anymore.” Jeremiah said in a joking manner.

“That must be a relief for you. Don’t have to lug me around anymore.” Rodrig said completely serious. 

It was in fact not a relief. Jeremiah’s wolf practically purred any time their bodies touched. Just like it had done with his three sons before he bit them. The wolf sensed Rodrig’s compatibility. It wanted to make the man pack. But that wasn’t how this worked. So he held back. 

“You aren’t as heavy as you think you are.” Jeremiah said before giving a well practiced fake laugh. Rodrig grunted.

Jeremiah kicked himself a little for trying too hard. Rodrig was clearly at the end of his emotional rope. His movements were slow. His shoulders were slumped and he had a look of someone who was about ready to pass out. 

“Come on, the guest cabin is this way.” Jeremiah said, leading Rodrig to the smaller of the two cabins.

The guest cabin didn’t have a porch like the bigger one so there was no need to worry about navigating stairs to make it through the front door. The room had two rather large beds against the opposite wall, freshly made and ready for an occupant. In between the space left between the two beds was a small table with two chairs. On said table were two bowls of steaming hot soup, a large loaf of bread, butter and a jar of what Jeremiah assumed was the healing salve Lama said she would leave for them. 

A grumbling sound came from both Rodrig and Jeremiah’s stomach at the same time.

“I think our bodies are telling us they are sick of travel rations.” Jeremiah said. “Come on. Let’s eat.” 

---

Rodrig belched. Everything was delicious. Except the healing salve. They did not eat the healing salve. After dinner, Jeremiah grabbed the salve and popped the top off the jar. 

“Shirt off. Back to me.” Jeremiah said. 

Rodrig grunted but did as he was told. Jeremiah applied the goop to the cut on his back before retying the wrap holding a fresh cloth over the cut. 

“Anything else?” Rodrig said, sounding a little more grumpy then he meant to.

“Just your face. Do you want me to do it for you?” 

“No, I can do it myself.” Rodrig grabbed the jar and peeled the bandage off his face before applying some of the salve on his cheek. Jeremiah handed him a new bandage which Rodrig applied to his face a little less gracefully than normal. 

“Let’s get you to bed.” Jeremiah said, looking like he was trying not to laugh. Rodrig gave him a death stare but didn’t argue. Instead he went over to the bed and got under the sheets. He didn’t even notice falling asleep. 

Not until he woke up and the room was suddenly darker. The only light came from a candle on the nearby table. He was under the sheets. He didn’t remember getting under the sheets. Jeremiah must have tucked him in. The realization made Rodrig feel like trash. He shouldn’t have needed someone to take care of him like that. He should have taken care of himself. This feeling of helplessness was driving him crazy. He told himself he needed to apologize for Jeremiah having to take care of him like a kid.  He looked around the room for Jeremiah, but he wasn’t there. There was a note next to the candle though. Rodrig stretched out his back and legs before grabbing the crutches and hobbling his way over to the table. 

“Went on a midnight run. If you hear howling, don’t worry. That’s just me.” The note read. 

Rodrig sat down next to the note. He wondered if Jeremiah was talking about a regular run or if Jeremiah had shifted. Then he saw Jeremiah’s pants and shirt by the door and realized it was probably a wolf run. Unless  Jeremiah liked to run around the forest naked. That brought images from earlier in the day popping up in his head. Rodrig had to pinch himself to get his mind off of a naked Jeremiah running through the woods naked. 

“No. Not happening.” Rodrig told himself. “Not one bit. Get that out of your head right now.” 

A scratching sound came at the door. Rodrig jumped as the sudden noise startled him. He knocked the table with his leg and the candle began to fall. Rodrig grabbed it at the last minute, putting it back in place. He yelped in pain as a second later his brain registered that he now had burning hot candle wax smeared on his hand. He waved it back and forth to try and get the wax off. 

The scratching came again. Rodrig stood up, holding his crutch above his head ready to strike as he looked towards the door. Then he heard a low canine whine. The first thought that came to Rodrig’s head was that Jeremiah was outside the door. He became worried. Should he open the door? Would Jeremiah be the monster that chased him through the woods? Or would he be full wolf? Was he about to see Jeremiah transform? The idea was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. 

He was distracted by the sound of loud popping and guttural growls that slowly morphed into groans. As the groans slowly morphed from beastly to human, Rodrig began to realize that voice didn’t belong to Jeremiah. There was a werewolf on the other side of the door. One he didn’t know and in a few seconds, it would have the ability to open the door. 

He quickly hobbled over to the door, his crutch forgotten. He slammed into the door and quickly pushed the deadbolt in place. He then slid down to the floor, suddenly finding it hard to stay standing. He sat with his back to the door, covering his mouth and nose to try and calm his breathing.

The popping and grunting stopped and a second later, a fist pounded on the other end of the door. 

“Jeremiah.” an unknown voice said. The accent sounded like it came from one of the countries from the west. “Open the door. It’s Alfonse.” 

The doorknob turned and whoever was on the other end tried to push the door open. The door jiggled with more force than he thought. Then there was silence. And then a low growl. 

“I can hear your heart beating on the other side of this door.” The voice said. A low snarl followed. “Tell me where Jeremiah is or I will rip this door off its hinges.”

Rodrig turned around and started pushing himself away from the door. His arms had goosebumps and his chest felt like it had a weight in it. His forehead was wet with sweat.

“What do you want?” Rodrig finally was able to call out. 

“I want to know where my father is!” The man’s voice roared through the door. “I can smell his scent! He was here! What did you do with him!” 

The door started to shake as the hinges groaned. Rodrig found himself hiding under the table, holding onto one of the legs for dear life. The hinges slowly were ripped from their hinges. The sound of splintering and cracking wood roared through the cabin. The door fell inward and crashed to the ground, shaking the floor. Standing in the doorway was a naked man, but his body wasn’t normal. Large patches of light brown fur covered his arms, chest and legs. His hands were tipped with large black claws. His mouth hung open as it panted for air. His teeth were long and sharp. His eyes glowed a deep crimson red. Rodrig briefly met the man beast’s eyes. The mystery man took one step forward. Rodrig was frozen, his entire body tensed up. There were no coherent thoughts going on in his mind at that time. Just the emotion of pure terror. 

“Alfonse?” Jeremiah's voice said. 

The wolf man stopped in his tracks and turned around. Standing behind the stranger was Jeremiah, also nude. He was looking at Alfonse. Then Rodrig. Then Alfonse again.

“Jeremiah?” the stranger said. The fur and claws began to shrink away as the man returned to a normal human. He ran out of the cabin and jumped into Jeremiah’s arms. 

“What are you doing here?” Jeremiah asked. 

The stranger said something Rodrig couldn’t hear, his face buried in Jeremiah’s shoulder. Rodrig’s body was moving on its own at that point. He crawled to a door he hadn’t opened yet. He fumbled with the doorknob before flinging it open. It was an empty closet. He threw himself in and closed the door before curling into a ball in the dark closet and trembling as he started sobbing.

---

“What are you doing here?” Jeremiah asked his first son. 

“We got the report that Bright Rock had attacked their watcher.” Alfonse mumbled into his shoulder. “They have declared all supernaturals to be enemies to be killed on sight. Nobody knew if you were safe or not. I ran after you as soon as I heard the news.” His youngest son’s voice was moving quickly and was filled with breathy sobs. He hugged the man, patting him on the head. 

Alfonse was about as tall as Jeremiah. He wasn’t quite as muscle bound as he was but still quite large compared to most men. His bright red hair was cut short, otherwise it began to curl into a mop. He had a small amount of stubble on his chin. It prickled against Jeremiah’s neck as Alfonse rubbed his head against him.

The sound of a slam pulled both of them out of the moment. Alfonse let go of Jeremiah and they both looked around. Rodrig was no longer under the table. Jeremiah took a step into the cabin, looking around. He could hear the soft sounds of sobbing and a heartbeat that was beating like a drum at the summer festival. It was coming from the closet.

“Damn it.” Jeremiah said. 

“What is going on?” Lama called out. She was peering out the window from her cabin and was wearing a matching nightgown and nightcap. “Why are you naked? What is Angry Wolf doing here? AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE DOOR?”

“It was...I just–” Alfonse stammered back. 

While Lama proceeded to scream at Alfonse, Jeremiah began to approach the closet door. Rodrig’s breathing was uneven, he was hyperventilating.  

“Rodrig?” Jeremiah called through the door. “It’s okay. It was just a misunderstanding. I promise. You’re safe.” 

Jeremiah grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open as he slowly started to open the door. It suddenly was pulled close. 

“Get away from me!” Rodrig screamed through the door. 

“Okay. Okay. It’s okay.” Jeremiah said, pushing a bit of the Wild into his voice. Trying to push calming energy into the words. 

“Stop it! Stop using your fucking magic on me!” Rodrig screamed. The Wild being repelled back at him. It was laced with pure panic.

“Rodrig, I-” 

“Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! JUST GO!” Rodrig’s voice tore from the closet. There was a pounding sound on the door, like Rodrig was slamming his fist against it. 

“I’ll be outside if you need me.” Jeremiah said as softly as he could while still being loud enough that Rodrig would hear before backing away and heading outside. 

“Granny, I’ll fix it. I swear.” Alfonse said. He now wore a pair of pants. Alfonse must have brought his wolf pack, a special backpack that could fit on the back of a wolf and carry some clothes and money. It was usually only used when a wolf had to head somewhere quick. Alfonse must have run straight here from their territory. Jeremiah grabbed his own pants and slipped them on before stepping outside. 

“You’re damn right you will fix my door. You’re going to be doing a lot more than that to make up for the fact that you scared me half to death.” Lama was waving a fluffy pink slipper in her hand. If Alfonse was closer, Jeremiah had no doubt that she would be beating the young man with it. 

“Alfonse.” Jeremiah said. “What did you do?” 

Alfonse looked over to his father. He took a step back after seeing the death glare Jeremiah was pointing his way. Alfonse scrunched himself up trying to make himself look smaller.  “After we got the report, we were all afraid you were in danger.” Alfonse began to explain. “I told the others I would follow after you. To make sure you were safe. I stopped by the watcher 's posts along the way to see if I could scent you. When I got here, I caught your scent and figured you were in the guest cabin. So I started knocking. And then there was this unknown scent. I started calling you but got no answer. I panicked and thought that they had hurt you.”

“Why?” Jeremiah said. He was angry. Angry that his son would do something so stupid. Especially when he was more level headed then this. Then it dawned on him. The Watcher was only attacked 2 days ago. The pack territory was still 5 days walk from here. There was only one way that he could have gotten here so quickly.

“Alfonse. No. Please tell me you didn’t use an enhancement potion.” Jeremiah said. 

Alfonse did not answer. 

“Granny, do you have an oral tranquilizer? ” Jeremiah asked. “My son has been traveling nonstop on performance enhancing drugs and probably hasn’t slept for at least a day.”

“Father, I-” Alfonse began to say.

“Not now Alfonse.” Jeremiah said. “You have no idea what damage you’ve done. On top of that, you’re hyped up on a cocktail meant to keep soldiers on the front lines of battle ready to kill for days on end. Now you almost attacked the Sensitive I’ve been charged with protecting. On top of that, you just re-traumatized him after he was bound, gagged and stabbed less than half a week ago.” 

Alfonse did not have a response to that. Lama told the young werewolf to come inside. Jeremiah headed back to the guest cabin. Rodrig had not left the closet. The hyperventilating had eased into a sobbing fit. When Jeremiah’s foot made the wooden floor creak, Rodrig gasped and started to make a sort of whimpering sound. 

“Hi.” Jeremiah said. “I won’t try to open the closet again. But it can’t be comfortable in there. Can I get you a blanket and pillow? I’ll leave it by the door so you can grab it when you’re ready.” 

No answer. 

“Tap once for no, twice for yes.” 

No answer. Then two knocks on the door. 

Jeremiah pulled a pillow and the comforter from the bed. He folded the comforter up and placed it by the door and set the pillow on top. 

“I’m stepping away from the door.” Jeremiah said, making sure to make plenty of noise so that Rodrig could hear him step away. A couple of minutes passed but eventually the closet door opened just a creek. A hand slipped out and grabbed the blanket and pillow before pulling them in and closing the door. Jeremiah sat on the opposite side of the room, watching the door.

“Where is the boy?” Lama asked as she stepped in the cabin. She was still wearing her nightgown but had her leather boots on.

Jeremiah pointed towards the closet.

“He panicked.” Jeremiah said. “And now he won’t leave the closet.” 

“I don’t blame him.” Lama said. “Someone just ripped off a door to attack him.” “I’m so sorry Granny. I’ll pay for all the repairs.” “The door is not what I’m worried about right now.” She said, “I need to make sure he’s not injured.” 

Jeremiah got up and both he and Lama approached the door. 

“Rodrig.” Jeremiah said. “We need to make sure you aren't injured. May we open the door?” 

No answer. Then the sound of shuffling and some grunting. And then the door opened. Rodrig had the comforter wrapped around his upper body. His eyes and nose poked through a small hole at the top of the wrap he had made of himself. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and his body was shaking. Lama offered her hand. Rodrig reached out and took it but his eyes never left Jeremiah’s. Rodrig was terrified. Whatever trust they had built, Alfonse had destroyed in a matter of seconds. 

[cutegayorc]

Where are the other animals? I want to see. 

From "Who's Who at the Zoo," written by George Mazzei and illustrated by Gerard Donelan for The Advocate in 1979. Possibly the first recorded usage of the term bear to refer to a gay subculture.

[cutegayorc]

Adopted by a Werewolf Chapter 3

So I'm praying to god this chapter is readable. I played around with switching perspectives between our two mains. Also this one is mostly just lore development and hitting at characters being attracted to each other. Chapter 4 will hopefully be a bit more meaty when it comes to plot development. Editor Credits Perky: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/perk0/ Lan the Orc: https://lantheorc.sofurry.com/  

------------------------------------

Rodrig was startled awake by the sound of a ringing alarm. He grumbled and pulled the blanket over his head. The alarm stopped as he heard a loud yawn next to him.

“Time to get up. We gotta get moving. I’ve got a lot to catch you up on while we travel.” Jeremiah said. Rodrig didn’t recognize the voice at first. Then yesterday’s events rushed back to him and he immediately sat up. A sharp pain in his back told him not to do that again.

“Careful,” Jeremiah said as he came to his side. “Your injuries need to heal and sudden movements might reopen the wounds.”

Rodrig took stock of his body. He could feel the wrap on his ankle and chest as well as the bandage on his cheek. He winced as he pressed his hand against it.

“Try not to mess with that,” Jeremiah warned. “You’ll undo the stitches I put in it last night.”

Rodrig finally paid attention to Jeremiah and his big chest covered in black fuzz.

His heart skipped a beat and his little soldier jumped with excitement. Rodrig quickly looked away.

“I gotta go to the bathroom.” Rodrig said, trying to distract himself. He began to push himself up but the pain in his back and ankle made things awkward. He got himself onto his hands and knees and then with his good foot, pushed himself up. He started to step forward, limping as each step on his bad leg brought about a stab of pain.

“Let me help you.” Jeremiah said. “It’s cold out so you’re going to need a shirt. I don’t recommend you wear this one again though.” He held up Rodrig’s shirt from yesterday. It was ripped in the back and covered in blood. Rodrig couldn’t afford to buy a new one. He had spares but now that he had no source of income, every shirt would have to count.

“Maybe I can wash the blood off somehow.” Rodrig said more to himself than to Jeremiah.

“Do you not have another shirt?” Jeremiah asked. “I have a week's worth of shirts and a week's worth of underwear but that’s about it.”

“That will do until we get to our destination.”

“Which is?” Rodrig looked at Jeremiah. Full bladder be damned, he wanted answers.

“Here, I’ll explain after we’ve had a chance to relieve ourselves. I’ve got to take a trip to the little boys' bush too. Use this to help you walk.” Jeremiah said as he handed Rodrig a branch that was about half as tall as him. It wasn’t fancy, but it would make a decent temporary walking cane while his leg healed. Jeremiah left the tent first, putting his shirt back on and stretched, his back which popped a couple of times. Rodrig grabbed his bag and fished out one of his shirts, shoving the ruined one in to try and mend at a later time.

When he stepped outside the tent, the cold morning air brought a shiver along Rodrig’s spine. The sun was just barely filtering through the trees but a dense fog obscured most of the landscape. Rodrig started to hobble his way towards some nearby trees. Jeremiah was right behind him.

“Do you know what a Sensitive is?” Jeremiah asked.

“I know what the word means.” Rodrig said.

“In terms of magic though?” .

“I don’t know anything about stuff like that.”

Rodrig stepped around behind a tree. Jeremiah stepped around another so that he was no longer in eyesight. He pulled out his dick and started releasing his bladder. He had to stifle a moan as he finally got a chance to relieve his overly full bladder.

“Sensitive isn’t slang for being a fa...” Rodrig was about to say the slur but remembered the warning he received last night about using that word. “About being into...”

“No, it’s not slang for being gay.” Jeremiah said. “There are two types of magical people. Adepts and Sensitives.”

“Okay. What does that have to do with me though? I’m not magic.”

“Are you sure about that? Have you ever felt a tingle along your spine like something was watching you even though nobody was there?”

Rodrig zipped up his pants and grabbed his stick.

“Everyone has had an experience like that.” Rodrig said, waiting for Jeremiah to step out from behind his tree.

“Want me to prove it to you?” Jeremiah said as he finally stepped from behind his tree.

Rodrig almost said no. He really didn’t want anything to do with magic. He just wanted a place to sleep and food to fill his belly. Anything more than that was asking for trouble. But there was a small part in the back of his head that just made him itch to know more. He wanted to trust this stranger, even though experience and common sense told him not to.

“Fine.” Rodrig said. “But no funny business.”

Jeremiah smiled and bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. He held up his right hand in the air, palm forward and placed his left hand on his heart.

“I solemnly swear that there will be no funny business coming from me.” Jeremiah said. “Now turn around.”

“What are you going to do?” Rodrig said, taking a step back. Images of his older sister sticking a worm down his trousers as a kid came to mind.

“I was going to use a bit of magic.” Jeremiah said, like it was a simple thing that happened every day.

“Are you a wizard?” Rodrig asked.

“Nope. Not that type of magic. Just turn around.” Jeremiah said before grabbing Rodrig by the shoulders and spinning him around. “Now stay there. Don’t turn around.”  

Rodrig stood steady and still, ready for something to happen. At first there was nothing. He took a deep breath to try and relax himself. And then he felt a shiver run up his spine. Every hair on his body stood up on end as a strange pressure moved across his skin. It wasn’t painful, but it was intense.

“Stop stop stop!” Rodrig screamed. The sensation went away immediately. Rodrig held onto the cane with an iron grip. Jeremiah was right next to him a moment later.

“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re okay.” He tried to sooth Jeremiah. His hand was on his shoulder. Like that night at the bar. Rubbing and squeezing in a way that both soothed and enraged Rodrig all at the same time.

“What did you do?” Rodrig asked. He was breathing heavily as he tried to regain control.

“Nothing dangerous. I have a spiritual gift and your body reacted to it.” Jeremiah said. “Although I wasn’t expecting your body to react that way. You’re more sensitive than I thought.”

“But why?” Rodrig said between clenched teeth. “Why am I like this?”

“The simplest explanation is that you have an opening in your soul. Not like a missing piece but a spot where something more can fit. It comes with certain benefits like a heightened sense for things others can’t see or hear. But it also makes you vulnerable. Have you ever heard of demonic possession?”

“Yeah. At church when I was a kid. People who made deals with devils and demons or partook in sin. Evil gets in them and then takes over.”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes before he next spoke.

“Demons can’t possess normal people because there’s no spot in the soul for them to fit. But that extra spot in a Sensitive’s soul makes for a mighty fine vacation spot. Also comes with the added benefit of a usable meat puppet to wreak havoc on the mortal plain. Demon doesn’t care if its a sinner or saint, the spot will work either way.”

Rodrig was getting really tired of feeling terrified for his life. He clenched the walking stick as he tried to regain control of his trembling body. He wasn’t sure if the shaking was due to the weird  tingling in his spine a moment ago or the fact that he felt like he was about to panic. It was getting harder to hold back from a flow blown meltdown with each new bit of bad news.

“But that’s why I’m here. To find you and protect you.” Jeremiah said. He began to usher Rodrig back to camp. “And then we will help you find a place to either stay safe or a way to seal the spot so you’re no longer in danger.”

“Is that why you sat next to me at the bar?” Rodrig asked.

Jeremiah looked surprised. Like that was not the question he was expecting. Then he looked away before clearing his throat.

“Yeah.” He eventually answered. “I was going to meet with you over a couple of nights and slowly break this information to you. Then convince you to come with me so we could keep you protected.”

“But then last night happened.”

Jeremiah sat Rodrig back on the folding stool.

“Yeah. That required me to move the time tables up a bit.” Rodrig said. His eyebrows lowered as he bit his lip. “We’ll talk more when we are on the road. Right now, I need to focus on getting us packed up. I don’t want us to be here in case the city guard has been sent to make sure we’re cleared out.”

Rodrig nodded but otherwise didn’t respond. Yesterday, his biggest fear was being outed as gay. Now it was becoming a meat puppet for a demon.

“By the way,” Jeremiah said. “I forgot to introduce you to Beatrice. Say hi, Beatrice.”

The donkey gave a loud hee-haw in greeting.

——

Jeremiah walked in front, guiding Beatrice down the well worn dirt road. She was pulling the cart that held the camping gear, bags filled with clothes, equipment and travel rations. Oh and also Rodrig who had gone silent after the packing was done. Jeremiah had done his best to lay out blankets so he would be comfortable. When asked if he was comfortable, Rodrig nodded but remained quite.

The road to the next town, one of four on the way back home, led through the woods. Most animals already wanted nothing to do with humans, so they were fairly safe to travelers. There was no animal dumb enough to take on a werewolf though. Even bears knew to stay away from an unknown shifter. It wasn’t the animals that worried Jeremiah though. It was the guards, soldiers or knights that might be sent to make sure that the duo was already on the road. Or criminals. Jeremiah was sure he could handle a group of cocky rogues on his own. Especially now that he has mastered the fused shift. But having to protect Rodrig at the same time wasn’t ideal. Best to avoid a fight all together.

After they had been walking for an hour, Jeremiah began to worry about his new charge. Rodrig had not said a word. When he looked over his shoulder, Rodrig was staring off into the woods. He didn’t appear to be staring at any one specific thing. It was the blank stare of one who was completely enthralled In their own thoughts.

“How are you doing?” Jeremiah called back. “Should we stop and let you stretch your legs?”

“I’m okay.” Rodrig said. Jeremiah began to pull over anyway. “Why are we pulling over?”

“Because I’m starting to learn that when you say, ‘I’m fine,’ you actually mean something else.”

Rodrig opened his mouth to argue but Jeremiah patted the back of Rodrig’s hand which had the amusing effect of making the younger man blush. He helped Rodrig to his feet and provided the former cadet his makeshift walking stick. They didn’t go far, just enough to stretch his legs and back.

“I’m surprised you’ve been so quiet.” Jeremiah said.

“I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything.” Rodrig said. “I feel like if I hear anything more, my head will explode.”

“Well this is stuff that you were supposed to learn over a period of weeks.”

Rodrig stopped and stood there for a moment. Jeremiah watched him and wondered what was going through that overstressed brain. But Jeremiah knew better than to push. Then a moment later he opened his eyes and met Jeremiah’s.

“May I ask you a rude question?” Rodrig asked.

“I’m an open book.” Jeremiah responded.

“What are you exactly?”

Jeremiah knew this question was coming. He thought about playing dumb. But he needed Rodrig  to trust him. The quickest way for that to happen was to tell the truth. But he also didn’t want to scare Rodrig by going full wolf right in front of him.

“Before I answer, I want to tell you something else.” Jeremiah said. “I have a confession to make. That beast that was chasing you through the woods yesterday wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

Rodrig’s face grew pale.

“How did you know about that?” He asked.

Jeremiah leaned against a tree to try and look the least amount of threatening possible.

“I was watching you from the forest the day after we met. I was in the woods looking over the practice fields. The academy has really fallen apart by the way. How any of you were expected to become proper guards and soldiers under any of those tutors is beyond me.”

Rodrig stood there stiff, not taking the bait at the change of subject. His body was still and his hand clenched the walking stick. His eyes were wide open and locked in on Jeremiah.

Jeremiah knew that he had to break this news very carefully. Even without his ability to scent the emotions in the air, Jeremiah could tell Rodrig was scared.

“When you were taking your walk through the woods, I was watching. And then while I was watching, something took notice of you. A specter.”

“Like a ghost?” Rodrig screamed in a squeaky low voice.

“Yeah. It was coming towards you and the fastest way to get you away from said being was to herd you back to the school.”

Rodrig's fear turned to confusion and then realization.

“You herded me like a sheep?”  Rodrig said. The fear had now turned to anger. “Do you have any idea how scared I was?” “I’m really sorry.” Jeremiah said, bowing his head down.

“So what? You used some sort of magic to conjure a beast in my head?”

“No, the beast was real and completely under my control.”

Rodrig was about to say something else but stopped.

“It was real?” He said, his eyes darting around looking for the beast in question. “Is it here?”

“Do you know what a shifter is?” Jeremiah said, trying to regain a bit of control in the conversation.

“No.”

“It’s a person who can turn back and forth between a wolf.”

Rodrig started making a weird gasping noise halfway between a scream and a huff of air. Jeremiah thought maybe he was hyperventilating. He looked at Jeremiah with terror as the realization that the question shouldn’t have been what had chased him that day but who and Rodrig had already connected the dots to realize who that was.

“Are you going to eat me?” He whispered.

“No.” Jeremiah said. “That would be cannibalism. Being a shifter doesn’t stop you from being human.”

Rodrig had now backed up enough that he was near the cart. Beatrice leaned down and started nibbling on his hair. He gave a loud shriek and curled into a ball on the ground, tossing the walking stick as he fell to the ground. Jeremiah picked up the discarded walking stick and brought it over to the cart. He kneeled down so that he was right next to the shaking Rodrig.

“Would it make you feel better if I told you Beatrice was a normal donkey?” Jeremiah asked.

Beatrice gave an annoyed huffing sound.

“Your right Beatrice. That was wrong of me. You’re not a normal donkey. You’re an amazing donkey and we are all lucky to be in your presence.”

Beatrice flashed a smile with all her teeth. Rodrig briefly stared from behind his curled body but hid again when he noticed Jeremiah was looking back at him.

“I’m sorry I scared you so bad.” Jeremiah said. “It was the only thing I could think of at the time. I wasn’t going to hurt you. Nor do I have any plans to hurt you.”

Jeremiah waited patiently. Rodrig’ heart rate began to slow and eventually he uncurled himself. He still looked terrified, but it was under control.

“Do you need anything?” Jeremiah asked.

“I need help getting up. Pass me the stick.”

Jeremiah handed him the stick but also offered his hand, hoping to help him up. Rodrig took the stick but not the hand. Rodrig forced himself up. It was awkward and painful but eventually he was on two legs again.

“Are you going to bite me? Turn me into a werewolf?” Rodrig asked.

“No. That’s not how that works. I’m here to make sure to keep you safe until we can find you a permanent home. Some place where you’ll be safe from things that want to take advantage of your special situation. Somewhere you’ll feel wanted.”

Rodrig looked confused, exhausted and still terrified but at least he wasn’t running away again. Jeremiah felt sorry for the guy. He was still a kid in a lot of ways. Now he was being forced to leave his home, coming out of the closet and learning his supernatural original all at once. And it had been less than a week.

“I promise to you I’ll explain more,” Jeremiah said after it became clear Rodrig wasn’t capable of saying anything more. “But we need to get going. We’re still close enough where they could catch up to us on horseback.”

Rodrig finally nodded and made his way to the back of the cart. He threw the stick in the back and slowly crawled back to the pile of blankets. The two were back on the road after that.

---

Rodrig spent the rest of the morning watching his savior, who he now feared almost as much as his attackers. He inspected Jeremiah for any outward signs that might prove what he claimed to be. He didn’t look like he was hiding a tail. His ears didn’t look like wolf ears. But he was hairy. Far more hairy than any other man he had met. Rodrig then realized he was doing less investigating and more admiring and immediately went back to staring at nature. Jeremiah started chuckling about something as he walked in front with the donkey.

“What’s so funny?” Rodrig said, trying to distract himself.

“One more thing you should know about me, I have a really good sense of smell.” Jeremiah said, turning so his face was in view and tapped his nose. “I can smell certain things, including arousal and you’re sitting downwind.”

Rodrig’s entire face felt like it was on fire.  He pulled up one of the blankets over his head and pretended like he was anywhere but here.

---

It was midday when they stopped for lunch. Rodrig refused to make eye contact or talk with Jeremiah. While there was still an underlayer of fear, there was a large amount of blushing too. Embarrassment Jeremiah could work with.

Rodrig was off relieving himself while Jeremiah took care of setting up some fold up stools for them to sit on while eating lunch. Travel rations again. They would be in the next town by night though, which meant they could stay at an inn and eat real food. In the meantime, Jeremiah needed to get Rodrig to relax a bit. So when Rodrig came back, he planned on doing what he did to get the other Sensitive’s minds off the doom and gloom.

He did a casual backflip.

It was easy when he shifted the muscles in his legs to have a bit more power. He waited until Rodrig walked around the treeline and hopped before spinning once in the air and landing on his feet. Rodrig’s jaw dropped open and stayed hung open.

“Pretty awesome right?” Jeremiah said, wiggling his eyebrows. The casual backflip was usually enough to make even the most scared and confused of Sensitive to break out of their funk. It had only not worked once. But his first son was a special case. Alfonse was not easily impressed.

“Buy...why did you do that?” Rodrig asked.  

“Just to show how awesome I am.” Jeremiah puffed out his chest. Rodrig rolled his eyes but couldn’t keep a small smile off his face.

“Is that something shifters like to do? Show off?” Rodrig leaned against a tree.

“You were impressed.” Jeremiah said with a wink.

“No, I wasn’t.” Rodrig tried to cover his blushing face with the front of his hand.

“Your mouth was literally hanging open. Want to see it again?”

Rodrig was about to say no. But then paused for a moment. He looked to be deep in thought before turning back to Jeremiah and looking him over.

“I want to see...it. Not the backflip. The other thing.” Rodrig said.

It took Jeremiah to realize what he meant. Then it hit him. He wanted to see the beast. The wolf side of him was suddenly very interested in this conversation and sat ready to be called on. Jeremiah’s wolf could be a bit prideful and was ready to show off. Jeremiah knew that was a bad idea.

“Now is not a good time. It’s better to shift in places no one can see. The road is too public.” Jeremiah said. “But I’ll tell you what, I can show you. Come closer.”

Rodrig slowly hobbled forward until he was right in front of Jeremiah.

“You have to tell me what you’re about to do. I don’t want any surprises.” Rodrig warned.

“Of course.” Jeremiah said. “I don’t have to go all the way. I can control the shift to parts of my body. It’s actually how I did the backflip. Shifting the muscles in my legs. I can do that with almost any part of my body. It’s how I broke the chain from the shackles. It’s how I could see in the dark of the woods and it’s how I’m going to turn my fingernails into claws.”

“Cl-claws?” Rodrig said, his voice reaching that high pitched squeaky whisper he often reached when he was nervous.

“Don’t worry. I’m in complete control.”

Jeremiah pushed the wolf’s energy into his right hand. A familiar numbness filled his fingers as they reshaped themselves from the well-kept nails of a man to sharp black points. The hair on the back of his hand also shifted into a dark black fur. Rodrig’s eyes were spread open with what Jeremiah hoped was amazement.

“You can touch it if you want.” Jeremiah said, leaving his hand suspended between them. “Just try not to touch the tips, they’re sharp.”

Rodrig slowly moved his own hand forward. He brushed his hand against the black fur on the back of his hand. The wolf in his head gave a very happy growl. Then Rodrig turned the hand over. The palm was now blackened at the tips of the fingers and palm like a paw. Rodrig ran his fingers along the palm before placing his palm against it. He was comparing how big their hands were but Jeremiah really wanted to lace their fingers together. The wolf in his head urged him to do it but Jeremiah resisted. So it surprised him when Rodrig did it himself. Or at least started to. He was halfway through lacing their fingers together before he stopped and pulled his hand back.

“Does it hurt?” Rodrig asked. He was looking away now. His face was beat red.

“No.” Jeremiah said. His own mouth felt dry. “The part of my body that I’m about to shift always goes numb before it starts. What I just did was called a partial shift.”

“Is a full shift when you become the....the thing?”

“No, a full shift is when I turn completely into a wolf.” Jeremiah said as he started to shift his hand back. He walked away and started ruffling through his bags for the trail rations. “What you saw that day was called a hybrid shift. It’s where I combine the human and the wolf together to make something greater than the other two.”

“Why not stay like that all the time then?”

“Well, because it takes a large amount of concentration and practice.” Jeremiah had returned with the travel rations. He gave some to Rodrig who was now sitting on one of the folding stools. Jeremiah sat in the other and began to eat. “I’ve been a shifter for close to two decades now and I only just learned how to pull off a fusion shift with any sort of practical use in the last year.”

“Holy shit.” Rodrig said with a mouthful of travel rations. Then he remembered his manners and closed his mouth.

“Yeah. Turning wolf is not something that you just pick up and do. It’s like having a brand new muscle plugged into your brain that you’ve never used before.”

“But you can turn into a wolf?”

“Yes.” “But it’s not the full moon. Can’t werewolves only turn when it’s the full moon?” “That’s a lycanthrope. They are different from a shifter. But most people tend to lump us together as the same thing. Were being a shifter is a gift, lycanthropy is a curse. They are to be both pitied and feared.”

Jeremiah’s voice had turned from friendly to hard. Rodrid recognized this for what it was. A warning. Lycanthropes were bad news.

—-

The sun was starting to set. Jeremiah told Rodrig that they would be to the next town within an hour. Rodrig was only half listening. The other half was currently busy with mental self flagellation.

He replayed the moment in his head. The feeling of the fur on his fingers. The buzzing feeling as he touched his hand to Jeremiah’s. It was similar to the one from that morning, when Rodrig was turned around and Jeremiah did…something. But it felt good the second time. Not as intense. It tickled from his hand and up his arm into his neck. He wanted to lace their fingers together. But then came the screaming in his head. The sound of father telling him that he would not have a faggot for a son. So he pulled back.

“Druid’s Fall isn’t quite as big as Bright Rock,” Jeremiah was saying over his shoulder. “But there is a nice little cabin there that we can stay at. A friend of mine owns it.  They even have a little warm bath house we can use to get cleaned up.”

“Warm bath?” Rodrig said. The idea of sitting in a warm tub after everything they had been through sounded divine and served as a great distraction from the guilt.

“Yep. Not to mention a nice fluffy mattress.” Jeremiah said, sounding genuinely excited.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this donkey moving faster.” Rodrig said.

Beatrice looked over his shoulder. Rodrig didn’t know anything about donkeys but he was sure that the look he was getting said, “We’ll move as fast or as slow as I want, little bitch.”

“Never mind.” Rodrig said. Jeremiah laughed and rubbed his hand between Beatrice’s ears.

Rodrig was sitting there contemplating a nice place to sleep. Granted he had only camped out one night, which was nothing. Usually when they went camping for training, it was for a week. When his dad used to take him hunting, the camping trip could be for two weeks. But the bunks in the dorms weren’t incredibly comfy. In fact, neither were the beds back home. He wondered what a soft mattress felt like. Then he wondered where he would be sleeping after this. That brought a whole bunch of dread to the forefront of Rodrig’s mind. He wrung his hands together as worry turned to panic.

“Where are we going?” Rodrig forced himself to ask.

“My place,” Jeremiah said. “My pack owns a bit of land where we can keep you protected for the time being.”

“And after that?”

“It depends on what you choose. We’ll give you a few options and you’ll choose the option that works best for you.”

“I don’t want much.” Rodrig said more to himself than Jeremiah. “A place to sleep and food to eat. That’s about it.”

“That’s not much of a life.” Jeremiah said.

“Asking for anything more is just asking for trouble.”

“Well, I’m hoping that maybe we can show you it’s okay to dream a little bit bigger than just basic survival.”

Rodrig didn’t respond. There was no point. People like him didn’t get to be happy. Down at the bottom there were two choices. Survival and death.

---

Jeremiah walked alongside his Donkey while Rodrig brooded in the back. The Sensitive was a survivor. But having to survive like that from such a young age broke the part of you that’s supposed to dream for more. It didn’t take much for Jeremiah to figure out what exactly broke him. A closeted boy barely reaching adulthood enrolling in the academy with no family. At least, no family that would claim him. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Rodrig had spent some time homeless. But that was something they would worry about on a different day. For now, getting them home was the top priority. Then, they would work on breaking down the survivor and rebuilding the dreamer.

[cutegayorc]

Time for another game oooooof......TOP OR BOTTOM!

[cutegayorc]

Adopted by a Werewolf Chapter 2

So I promise that every other chapter won't just be the same events from a different perspective. It's just the one time thing for random lore exposition. Again, please feel free to comment what you thought. I love getting comments. Makes the dopamine in my head go up. Editors credits below.

Perky: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/perk0/ Lan the Orc: https://lantheorc.sofurry.com/

Link to chapter 1

Jeremiah didn’t like the idea of heading to his long abandoned home town. Bright Rock was not a place filled with happy memories. But he was the only Head who wasn’t busy with other business. Plus leaving a found Sensitive for possession was not an option. So homeward bound he was. The trip was not far, so he traveled light. A pack of his travel clothes, camping gear and cart with his trusty donkey, Beatrice. There was also some emergency gear that he really didn’t think he would need but his family had insisted it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Instead of heading to the main entrance of the city, Jeremiah veered into the forest. Staying in a hotel in the city was too risky since he might be recognized. The less time he spent there the better. So he found a nice clearing in the forest. Deep enough to be hidden but not so deep that making it back to the city on foot would be a chore. After setting up camp, he made his way to the city. The Watcher would be waiting for him and he had arrived sooner than expected. 

The walk to the Watchers’ cabin was familiar. It was the same as when he last saw it. Sure, some of the trees had grown taller but the old decrepit cabin was still there. He hesitated, readying himself for what was going to be an awkward situation. 

He knocked. 

An old man came to the door.

“Holy shit.” The old man said. “I was not expecting to see you here ever again.”

“Nice to see you, Elder. It’s been a while.” Jeremiah said, trying to stay polite. “I was the only Head available. But I promise to be quick.”

“You better be. If your father finds out, he’s going to be pissed.” The Watcher said. He walked further into his shack, motioning for Jeremiah to follow. 

“That man is not my father. Not anymore,” Jeremiah said, crouching down to fit in the door. “Besides, it will harm the treaty if he does anything stupid . But I will try to remain discreet.” 

“Ugh. Stupid werewolves and your weird culture. The man’s your father whether you like it or not. Just because someone turns you into a wolf doesn’t mean the identity of your parents changes.”

The shack was filled with shelves of different herbs, flowers and jars with unknown contents. A table in the corner was piled high with apothecary tools and the floor was nothing more than dirt packed down from being walked on for years. 

“I’m not here to argue. The sooner you give me the Sensitive’s info, the sooner I will leave,” Jeremiah pointed out. He was going to take a seat but realized the only chair there was next to the apothecary table and didn’t look like it would support his weight. So he crouched down and waited.

“He’s a little tall. Not as tall as you but taller than most. Light brown hair. Looks sad and mopey all the time. Just turned eighteen a couple of months ago. God, how I hate the youth.”

“You hate everything.” Jeremiah interjected. 

“I hate the youth a lot more than I hate most others though.”

The Watcher entered a door in the back corner. Jeremiah did not follow, opting to wait by the entrance. The sound of clutter being thrown about crashed through the shack before he finally returned with a pair of glasses and a stack of papers.

“He’s a cadet at the guard academy,” The Watcher said. His spectacles sat at the edge of his nose while looking over his notes. “Seems to be a loner from what I can tell. Likes to frequent the pub on the weekends. Also spends a lot of time out in the forest. Didn’t follow him when he went into the woods. God knows what I would have seen. Do you know what happens when young men wander off to be alone? Masturbation! Filthy! Disgusting!”

“You don’t say. Which pub does he frequent?”

“The shit one by the academy. Mad Eyes is the name.” The Watcher waived his hand dismissively. 

“Do you think he’ll be there tonight?”

“Let’s hope so, it’s the only place he loiters about that allows for interaction without suspicion. Unless you want to catch him in the woods. That’s what you gay guys do, right? Meet up in the woods and jack off?” 

Jeremiah growled a warning at the Watcher. 

“Watch it.” Jeremiah said. “Just because you were my elder does not mean I will stand for lupophobia and homophobia.”

The Watcher did not look impressed.

“I’ve given you what you wanted, werewolf. Unless you are here to buy one of my potions, I’m going to need you to leave. I recommend the fleas-be-gone potion for your kind.” 

Jeremiah snapped his teeth in the Watcher’s direction but took no further action against the old man. He left the shack, not bothering to close the door behind him. The door slammed shut behind him. 

---

It was late evening on the last night of the week. Jeremiah headed towards the old town district where the academy was stationed. The old town was the part of the city occupied by the semi well-off. They were not rich enough to live in the new district but not poor enough to live in the slums. Whereas the new district looked fancy and clean, the old town felt alive and well lived in. The streets during the day were filled with vendors, delivery men and newsies. At night, the city guard walked the streets keeping the less desirable elements sequestered to the slums. At that late in the afternoon, most were at home with family. But a few hit the taverns and pubs for a good drink. Or a bad drink. Sometimes the destination of getting drunk was more important than how you got there.

The Crazy Eyes wasn’t anything fancy. It catered to the city guard, the cadets and the few who lived nearby. Jeremiah stepped inside and took a quick look around. Sitting in the back was a large group of cadets acting rowdy and rude. Everyone sitting around them appeared annoyed but no one seemed interested in standing up and doing something about it. 

Jeremiah stepped to the side for a second and closed his eyes, trying to see if he could feel the pull of a nearby Sensitive. He felt the pull immediately. Whoever they were, they gave off a strong pull and would need to extract them quickly.. It wouldn’t be long before a demon or ghost would find him and possess them if they weren’t careful. Jeremiah scented the air to try and pinpoint the location. Sensitives had a certain scent. It turned him towards the bar. Sitting alone was another cadet nursing an ale. He was the only one sitting at the bar. 

Jeremiah took the seat next to the loan cadet. The young man didn’t seem to notice his presence. Whatever was going on in his head had him too preoccupied to pay attention to anybody. Not even when the barkeep took his drink order for a single glass of white wine. 

“Mother fucking…shit mouthed…” the Young Man whispered to himself. It would have been too quiet for most to have heard. Jeremiah’s werewolf ears heard it all clear as day. The cursing continued on and off for a couple of minutes. Jeremiah soon grew bored with it and decided to intervene. 

“You look like you’ve got a thorn stuck in your paw, Lad. Care to share your woes?” Jeremiah said. The Sensitive looked confused at first. Then he turned his head and saw Jeremiah. His eyes went wide when he saw the huge man that had somehow snuck up on him. Jeremiah was used to people reacting in this way to his extreme height. But to the Sensitive’s credit, they tried to cover their surprise quickly. 

“Sorry, sir.” He said to Jeremiah. “Don’t mind me. Just a long day.” He looked away from Jeremiah back to his drink. 

“I’m surprised you’re not over there with the other young bucks,” Jeremiah asked, trying to draw the other man back into the conversation. He needed to create a rapport with the young man. It would make convincing the Sensitive of what he was and why it was so important to leave much easier. “Most cadets at the academy stay pretty tightly knitted together.”

The young man stiffened up and looked back at the man with suspicion. 

“How did you know I was a cadet?”

Jeremiah made a mental note. This one is not quick to trust others. Will have to be careful not to offend in some way. Will make extraction a bitch if I can’t win his trust.

“You’re still wearing your training uniform. As are they.” Jeremiah said. 

“Oh.” he said back. He looked down at himself like he just realized he had still been wearing his uniform.  “I’m fine. I’m happier alone.”

Jeremiah heard the Sensitive heartbeat quicken for a second. He was lying. He definitely was not happier alone. Jeremiah could play off that if needed. He felt a little gross about having to think about manipulating someone else. But it was for the Sensitive’s own good. 

“Then why have you been mumbling obscenities into your mug?” Jeremiah said, trying to keep the accusatory comment light and playful. It worked, the man gave a half smile out of the corner of his mouth. 

“Heard that, huh?” he said. 

“I did,” Jeremiah said back. “It does the body no good to let such thoughts fester. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

Jeremiah pushed a little bit of the Wild into his last sentence. To make it a command. Something that the man would have trouble resisting. He tried to keep the pressure small so that it wouldn’t be noticeable. 

“It’s nothing. I’m just a little frustrated at my Commander.” the man said. “I got in a fight with another cadet. He’s been saying things about me. I lost my temper and punched him. Got in trouble. Was forced to give an apology I didn’t mean. But when I asked for an apology back, I was told I didn’t deserve it.”

The Sensitive took a sip of his ale before continuing. 

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Must have had one too many tonight.” He began to stand up. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

“You’re not a bother,” Jeremiah said, trying to keep the Sensitive from leaving. “I was the one who asked. Is the shit talker here tonight?”

“Yeah.” The man said, sitting back down. 

“I’m surprised the guard hasn’t been called to deal with them yet,” Jeremiah said. “Trash like that would have been better off staying in their daddy’s balls.”

The man started to cough as he choked on his drink. He seemed to be recovering quickly though. He began to laugh. Something about that laugh made his inner wolf take notice. That was not something Jeremiah was expecting. 

“Don’t say stuff like that when I’m drinking,” the cadet said. “That’s funny though. I’m going to have to remember that one.”

“You’re welcome to it,” Jeremiah said. He smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all. Now to plant a seed. Something to make it easier for him to leave. He took a sip of the wine he had ordered earlier but mostly ignored. He was the type to distrust authority. That would be his plan of attack. “What are you going to do about it?” 

“About what? The rowdy ones back there?”

“No. You’re not responsible for their actions. I meant about your Commander. He’s letting a member of his team talk disparagingly about another member of the unit. Doesn’t bode well for morale. Doesn’t lead to a cohesive unit. Thought about asking to be transferred to another team?” 

The Sensitive didn’t respond right away. He began to look over his shoulder before leaning in closer. Jeremiah leaned in as well. 

“Maybe he’s right. Maybe I need to toughen up.” The Sensetive’s heartbeat stuttered again. Another lie. Another mental note. He either makes a habit of lying about what he believes in to get out of having a difficult conversation or he’s a people pleaser who will throw himself under the bus. Jeremiah wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.

“You don’t believe that. Try again.” Jeremiah said. 

“It’s not a good idea to talk badly about a commanding officer. Besides, it would be the same with any other unit I got transferred to. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this stuff.” 

The Sensitive downed his ale and started to stand up again. Jeremiah held up his hand and grabbed the man’s shoulder to hold him in place. The moment he made contact with him, Jeremiah felt his wolf half jump with joy. Jeremiah’s own heart rate began to spike. He had to concentrate to not let the shift start to happen. Jeremiah had to admit that there was a chance this Sensitive was compatible with the powers of the shifter. He tried not to think that far ahead though. First they needed to establish a connection and convince him to leave. To get him somewhere safe. 

“It’s because I asked. You don’t have to apologize for speaking your truth to me when I was the one who requested the info.” Jeremiah rubbed his shoulder to try and calm the young man down. He was then surprised to find that the Sensitive’s heart rate suddenly jumped from the touch. He took a quick test sniff and scented arousal. The man was attracted to him. Suddenly his inner wolf’s attention made a little more sense. He tried not to let himself get too distracted by this though, even though the little moan his little friend made under his breath drove both Jeremiah’s human and wolf sides crazy. 

“Tell me, why did you join the guard?” Jeremiah asked, trying to get himself back on track. Adding a bit of the Wild in to try and regain control but accidentally using way too much.  

“It was my only option. Family kicked me out and I don’t have the skills to apprentice anywhere.” The man responded quickly. 

Jeremiah cursed to himself, letting himself lose control of his power like that. He shouldn’t be making such rookie mistakes. As he tried to get control of the situation, the smell of arousal increased and Jeremiah looked down to see that his new friend had a rather large bump in his trousers where his crotch was. The Sensitive must have noticed too as he suddenly leaned forward to hide it, trying to pretend he was just leaning on the bar. Jeremiah couldn’t help but to give a low chuckle that came out more as a growl. His wolf was not going to let his human half take charge. It wanted in on the conversation and it was very hungry for attention. Jeremiah needed to cut this short and fast unless the bar wanted to see him suddenly grow a large amount of hair in a very short amount of time. 

“I’m sure you felt that it was your only option. But I’m sure another opportunity will present itself. Maybe try to keep an open mind.” Jeremiah said before giving the man’s shoulder one final squeeze before forcing himself to let go. He pulled out some coins and dropped a pile on the table. It would be more than enough to pay for both his and the Sensitive’s drinks. The rest would be a tip. He didn’t have the concentration to bother counting. 

“This should cover the boy’s drink.” Jeremiah said to the bartender to let him know the wine and ale were on him. “Name’s Jerimiah by the way. What’s yours?” He said to the Sensitive. 

“Rodrig.” he said. 

“It was nice to meet you, Rodrig. Hopefully we will meet again soon.” Jeremiah said and left to leave. He made sure to try not to run out of the establishment but he needed to be gone and quick. He could already feel his nails starting to extend into claws. He ducked his head to leave out the door. The moment he was out of sight of the bar, he ducked into an alley and gave out an exasperated growl. 

There was no question about it. The Sensitive had a high compatibility with shifters. He had to dig his claws into his hands to keep from running back and slinging the young man over his shoulder. If the other Head’s hear about that, he would be in deep shit. They would accuse him of hoarding the new Sensitive without giving him a chance to choose where he belonged. He pulled back on the wolf with promises of soon. Be patient. We can’t claim him without his permission. Wouldn’t be right. It calmed down somewhat. At least enough to pull back his shift so that he looked more human again. He brought the hood of his traveler’s cloak up. He needed to make himself scarce. Leave the city and let his wolf out for a run. He made his way to the city 

limits towards his campsite. Hopefully, Beatrice the donkey had stayed out of trouble. 

---

Beatrice had long since been desensitized to humans suddenly changing to wolves and vice-versa. Plus everything in between. So when Jeremiah stripped naked after setting out some food for her and suddenly turned into a wolf that stood a donkey’s head bigger than her, she did not seem impressed. In fact, she seemed downright bored. She went back to eating her food, turning her back to the predator. Beatrice was sassy like that.

When in wolf form, Jeremiah’s human mind took a back seat. When fully shifted, he was letting the wolf spirit that shared his soul and body take over. He could still give suggestions, like stay away from the city. He could still understand sentences, even though he was no longer capable of saying anything back. It had been a while since the spirit had a chance to drive so it quickly took full advantage of the situation. Running. Smelling. Hunting. He caught a rabbit and quickly feasted. The warm blood and meat tasted good to his more animal body. It also meant Jeremiah could save his travel rations for another night. 

Going wolf also gave him the opportunity to sniff out any rogue elements that might be lurking in the city. Or at least on its outskirts. His hometown had seen better days since he had been run out of town. The slums were flooded with the smell of angry spirits. If Rodrig ever went through there, he would most likely end up possessed by an angry spirit. He returned to his camp before the spirits noticed his presence. The undead were not a big fan of other supernaturals approaching their haunts.

When he made it back to camp, he stretched his wolf body before allowing himself to change back into human. His naked body now stood where the wolf had. The night air felt good against his skin since shifting often led to him feeling overheated. He slipped into his tent and got under the covers. He would need a fresh start tomorrow if he was going to keep tabs on his target. 

—-

The next morning after giving Beatrice a short walk through the woods, Jeremiah headed back towards town. He wore his traveler's cloak with the hood up again and stayed in the back streets and alleys, making his way towards the guard academy. The last time he visited here, it was to inspect the school and make sure it was up to snuff. If he was being honest, he had no idea what he was looking for back then. Now as he approached the practice field, staying in the shadows, he could tell that it was mediocre at best.

Instructors were more likely to scream at their students than actually teach them . There was also definite favoritism. The equipment was in disrepair. Overall, the graduates would be ill prepared to do their job of protecting the city. But that wasn’t why Jeremiah was here. That was no longer his responsibility. Rodrig was and it didn’t take Jeremiah long to spot him. 

Rodrig was standing off to the side. Jeremiah wasn’t sure if he would call what Rodrig was doing “practicing”. The form was stiff and his attention was less on the movements he was making and more on making sure no one was watching him. Based on what Jeremiah was seeing with the other cadets unlucky enough to earn the attention of the instructors, it was pretty easy to figure out why Rodrig would be looking over his shoulder. 

A few moments later, one of the instructors screamed Rodrig’s name. 

The instructor's coat was decorated with multiple patches indicating he was of a higher rank. He was surrounded by students who all did their best to kiss his ass while the rest stayed far away. Rodrig was stiff as he marched over. When the screaming began, Jeremiah wasn’t surprised. What did surprise Jeremiah was the subject of the instructor's interrogation.

The instructor asked Rodrig about the “mysterious man” that had approached him the night before. Jeremiah felt a bit of panic grab at his chest. Had he been recognized that quickly? Or did the Watcher tip someone off? God knew that Bright Rock barely abided by the treaties set by the King in regards to supernatural affairs. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Watcher owed his loyalties more to the local lord than to The Organized Supernaturals. 

Jeremiah took a deep breath. He could worry about that later. For now he needed to pay attention. He tuned himself in to conversation, blocking out the other conversation and distractions. Rodrig was playing dumb about the whole situation. But his heart rate was all over the place. Rodrig feared this man. Even after the red faced instructor finally dismissed him and Rodrig returned back to his small corner of the practice field, his body language and beating heart gave away his state of panic. 

Luckily, the rest of the day’s training went by uneventfully. Jeremiah stretched his back after having sat and watched all day. Jeremiah was also taking a moment to stretch. The young lad put his practice sword away. Jeremiah expected Rodrig to start heading to the barracks with the other students. Instead he started heading towards the forest and right to where Jeremiah happened to be watching.  

Jeremiah quickly jumped into a nearby bush, holding his breath as Rodrig passed right by him. Rodrig on his part was completely unaware. Jeremiah was beginning to get the impression that Rodrig spent a lot of time in his own head. That worked in Jeremiah’s favor though. Would make it easier to follow and spy on him. Or maybe even approach him. Pretend that it was completely by coincidence and continue their conversation from the night before.

Unless the Watcher was right and Rodrig really was going out into the woods to masturbate. If his sons were here, they would probably make a joke about stumbling upon a free show. He shook his head to clear his mind and decided that it would probably be best to keep to recon for now. And the best way to do that would be from his hybrid form.

Jeremiah stripped his clothes off, leaving them in the bush before pulling on the spirited wolf. Hybrid form required him to merge both himself and the wolf spirit living inside of himself into one being. It was something that took years of practice. Jeremiah had only just recently mastered it. Soon he grew black fur across his body like he would a normal shift. Instead of falling to all fours though, he still stood on two. His back grew a tail and his hands had large claws on the tip of each finger. His face elongated into a snout like a wolf and his height grew by another foot. He stood tall. What was once two spirits in one body was now one. Everything about him enhanced far beyond what it was before. Strength, dexterity, hearing, sound, smell all pushed beyond what they were before. He slowly began to stalk his target, remaining as far as possible. Rodrig didn’t have to even be in sight for Jeremiah to follow. The scent trail Rodrig left behind was enough to keep him on track. 

Rodrig eventually settled on a spot by a large tree, sitting down with his back against it. He breathed slowly and his heart rate dropped to a relaxing slow thump. Jeremiah slowly stalked his way to the opposite side of the tree. Each step carefully planned to not make a sound. Jeremiah climbed up in the foliage of the tree so that he was able to see down to the ground. Once he was right above the Sensitive, he watched. As he watched, he listened to Rodrig’s heartbeat. It was relaxing. Jeremiah found himself wanting to do nothing more than curl up and nap as the sound of the heartbeat lulled him to sleep. Now that the human and wolf side of Jeremiah were one, there was no conversation about what they wanted. Jeremiah could feel how similar Rodrig’s spirit was to his and to his three sons. He was compatible and Jeremiah knew as soon as it was appropriate, he would petition for Rodrig to join the pack. But that was a far way off. For now, he could simply relax and listen to the calm breath of the man below. 

Then a chill ran down Jeremiah’s spine. The smell of a specter carried across the breeze. It would be invisible to anyone who didn’t have some sort of spiritual awareness, so Rodrig would be blissfully unaware of the creature lurking nearby. But the specter definitely took notice of Rodrig. 

It appeared as an old man, an ax thrusted through his gut. The specter must have been a murder victim. It was slightly translucent like most undead without a physical body were. Its eyes fell on Rodrig and stumbled towards the oblivious Sensitive.. Jeremiah gave a warning growl to try and get the spector’s attention. One he tried to keep as quiet as possible. The specter took notice and stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately, so did Rodrig.

Jeremiah cursed at the gods for putting him in such an awkward position. The specter began to shamble forward again. Jeremiah gave another warning growl. Rodrig was on his feet looking for the source of the noise. The once pleasant and slow beat of the man’s heart had now picked up to a rapid pulse. Jeremiah could smell the adrenaline coming off him. 

The specter didn’t stop this time. Jeremiah silently apologized to Rodrig who was about to get the biggest scare of his life and let out a loud growl right above Rodrig’s head. Rodrig looked up. For a split second, Jeremiah could see Rodrig’s brain trying to process what it was seeing. 

There was confusion. 

There was understanding. 

There was fear. 

Rodrig ran. The specter gave chase. Jeremiah took off after Rodrig.

Jeremiah chased after Rodrig, moving just fast enough to keep up and heard him away from the spector and back towards the academy. Rodrig was surprisingly fast for a human. Which was good because they soon lost the specter. Jeremiah stopped chasing right before they passed into sight of the academy. Rodrig was just about to make it over the hill before his foot got caught on an overgrown root. The young man fell over the horizon of the hill.

Jeremiah cringed as he heard what sounded like a painful descent down the hill. He didn’t stay to check on him though. The screaming about a wild beast chasing him through the woods was enough of an indication to prove that Rodrig had survived the fall. Jeremiah grabbed his clothes and bolted back to his camp. He prayed the other Heads didn’t hear about this.

—-

Jeremiah approached the hut of the Watcher. His plan was to ask if the old bastard had told anyone of his arrival. Jeremiah was ready for an interrogation. Not a rescue. But a rescue he had. For when he arrived, the shack was half destroyed. 

Jeremiah scented the air. He could smell the traces of a small group, most likely city guard scent to harass the Watcher. But why? Jeremiah slowly approached, making sure no one else was there. Then he heard a weak cry.

“Help. Please.” The Watcher cried from inside the shack. Jeremiah stepped inside, the place was trashed and the roof had caved in the middle. Sitting next to the debris was the Watcher, his leg caught under a support beam. Jeremiah ran over and easily lifted the beam out of the way before picking up the Watcher and carrying him outside. He set the Watcher down  and looked him over. He had a gash on top of his bald head that was leaking blood down his face. It would need stitches. His leg also appeared to be fractured. But he would live.

“What happened?” Jeremiah asked.

“Someone at the bar recognized you. Was keeping a watch on the Sensitive.” The Watcher said. 

“Why would he have known?”

“I told them. Before you arrived.” 

Jeremiah’s fury rose. He wanted to strangle the old man where he stood. He almost did. But then he wouldn’t get the info he needed. Jeremiah needed to remain calm. He took a deep breath.

“Why?” Jeremiah asked. “The treaty states-“

“You think they care about the treaty?” The Watcher interrupted. “Your father only abides by it because of the king’s wishes. But if he had his way, all Sensitives and Adapts would be put to the stake.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you told him?” Jeremiah’s hands were shaking as he held the old man by his shoulders. 

“Because of this,” the Watcher said, waving his hands at his destroyed shack. “This is what happens if I don’t play nice with the thugs he sends.” 

Jeremiah took a moment to center himself. He knew the lord was a spiteful man who thought anything supernatural should be shot on sight. But to do this. To blatantly break the terms of the treaty. The other Heads would want to know. 

“You can’t stay here.” Jeremiah finally said. “Is there somewhere safe I can take you?” 

“Yes, I have a friend in the old town. She can patch me up. Then I’m leaving.”

“You’re abandoning your post?” Jeremiah roared.

“Yes! Yes damn it I am!” The Watcher screamed back. “Because if I stay, they will kill me!”

Jeremiah sat there holding the old man as he began to sob.

“It’s not safe here. For any of us.” The Watcher said between sobs. Pleading with Jeremiah to understand.  “Get the boy. Fuck the process. He’s not safe here. And neither are you.”

They sat there for a moment in silence as Jeremiah processed everything he heard.

“Where’s your friend?” Jeremiah eventually asked. He would consider the Watcher’s advice later. For now, he needed to get the old man to safety.

——

Jeremiah left the Watcher with his friend. Before he could leave, the Watcher said one more thing. 

“They know what he is. And they are mad that you were the one sent to pick him up. They want you out of the city. Get the boy tonight. We can’t wait for him to come with us willingly. Do your duty.”

“Do not speak to me of duty when you are abandoning yours.” Jeremiah spat back before stomping away. He hated that he agreed with the man. Rodrig was in danger. There was no time to wait. If he had to, he would knock him out with a sleeping potion and kidnap him. 

He made his way back to camp first. It was growing dark so he had to shift his eyes to see better. The camp was undisturbed. Beatrice the donkey greeted him with a big smile. He patted her head before rummaging through his things. He was looking for his stealth gear. He had just found the sleeping potion when a voice called out for him from deep in the woods. “Come on out Jerimiah. I know you’re back in town.” A voice called for him. It was far away but his enhanced hearing picked it up along with the scent of Rodrig, the instructor he had seen earlier that day and a third smell. One that he couldn’t place but it felt familiar. 

“Decided to hunt yourself another young buck? Well, guess what? You can have this one on me. He’s a fucking loser with no family. Won’t be missed. All you gotta do to have him is leave town. For good this time.” The voice of the instructor continued. 

Jeremiah dropped everything he was doing and ran, shifting the muscles in his legs so that he moved faster than any human had any right to. As he ran, another voice echoed through the forest. 

“And if you don’t come and claim your prize, I’ll gut him.” A new voice said. It sounded so familiar. But any thought of trying to identify the voice was cut off when Rodrig suddenly let out a muffled scream through the forest. 

“Hear that? The young buck is calling for you.” the unknown voice said. The instructor and the unknown voice continued to talk amongst themselves but it was unintelligible over the rising heartbeat of Rodrig which was in full blown panic. Jeremiah approached the clearing where the trio currently resided and came to a skidding halt. 

Jeremiah saw three figures. The first he saw was Rodrig lying on the ground, hands bound behind him with shackles and a piece of fabric that bound his mouth. He was breathing heavily and smelled of blood, but beyond being scared out of his mind seemed to be okay. Standing above him holding a knife was the instructor. The knife's tip was red with blood. Lastly was a man. A man that Jeremiah hadn’t seen in close to a decade. In fact, the last time Jeremiah saw this man, he was still a boy. Barely ten. His younger brother, Eldin. 

“There you are.” Eldin said. “Was wondering when you would show up, Monster.” 

“Hello again, Little Brother.” Jeremiah said, trying not to let the hurt of seeing his younger brother again cross his face. “It’s been too long.” 

“We are not family, you freak!” Elden said. “I don’t know why you thought it was okay to hunt here but I will not stand for it. Take your prize and leave here.” 

Jeremiah wasn’t sure what Elden was talking about. He wasn’t here hunting humans like a diseased lycanthrope. He was here as part of the treaty. To protect the Kingdom by finding those who were at risk from the supernatural and help them. 

He focused his attention on Rodrig. The instructor had grabbed the cadet by his shackles and pulled him from the ground to a kneeling position. His cheek was bleeding from the fresh cut on his face and there appeared to be another on his back from the looks of the blood stain on his shirt. Jeremiah met his eyes and Rodrig. His eyes looked devoid of hope. This was a man who had been broken and was ready to give up.  

“What did you do to him?” Jeremiah said. “Why would you do this to him?” 

“Because he’s a useless freak,” the instructor said. “ Had to rough him up a bit for wasting my time. Besides, can’t your kind smell the blood of your prey?” He then pushed Rodrig forward and kicked him in the  back, launching him forward. Jeremiah launched forward and grabbed Rodrig before he could hit the ground. The bound man didn’t mov once caught. He just laid against his chest. He was in some form of shock. 

“I’ve got you kid.” Jeremiah whispered down to Rodrig before turning back to the two men still standing on the other side of the clearing. “Care to provide the key to his bonds?” 

“You’re a big strong beast. I’m sure you can tear them off.” the instructor said. He began to laugh and it reminded Jeremiah of one of those over the top villains in the operas his birth father used to take him to see all the time. The instructor picked up his lantern and began to walk away. Jeremiah looked over and met his younger brother's eyes. They were filled with disgust. Eldin followed after the instructor, taking the other lantern with him and leaving both Rodrig and Jeremiah in darkness. 

Jeremiah shifted his eyes again so he could see in the dark. Rodrig would be completely blind in such low light so there was no chance of him noticing the sudden change in his eyes. He helped Rodrig to a sitting position and let the young man lean against him for support as he untied the gag. 

“Are you all right?” Jeremiah asked. Rodrig wasn’t looking at him but staring blankly into the darkness. His face was scrunched up as he took a few deep breaths, small pools of tears building up on the side of his face. But Rodrig held his emotions back and his face went blank.

“I’m fine.” Rodrig said. It sounded rehearsed. Something he always said whenever he was actually anything but fine. 

“We’ll get you to my camp where I can check your injuries.” Jeremiah said. He helped to pick him up before noticing that there was a bag over by where the instructor and Eldin were standing. “Is that pack they dropped yours?”

“I don’t know.” Rodrig said. “I can’t see. Probably. They did have me pack my bag before…” He trailed off and shivered. 

“Stay here.” Jeremiah told Rodrig. he then went over and picked up the bag. It was light. The trip back to the pack land wasn’t long but with such a small bag, they might need to buy some clothes if he ran out. They would be too busy traveling to wash their clothes. But they would figure it out as they went. He went over and stood behind Rodrig. 

“Hold still.” Jeremiah said before he shifted the muscles in his arms. He carefully pulled on the chain, trying not to put any force on Rodrig’s arms as he snapped the flimsy metal. Rodrig brought his arms in front of himself, flexing and stretching them. 

“How did you break them?” Rodrig asked.

“Now is not the best time to explain,” Jeremiah said, wrapping his arm around Rodrig’s. “I have good night vision so I will lead you back to my camp. Can you walk?”

“I got my ankle stomped on.” Rodrig said. 

Jeremiah had to stop himself from interrogating Rodrig on who was responsible. There would be plenty of time for that later. He prayed it wasn’t Eldin. 

“I might be able to carry you,” Jeremiah said before scooping the young man up. He didn’t weigh that much, even without shifting the muscles in his arms. But then Rodrig started squirming in panic. 

“Down! Put me down!” Rodrig cried. 

“Shh you.” Jeremiah said, adding a bit of the Wild into his voice. “Unless you want to walk to my camp on a hurt ankle.” Rodrig stopped squirming. 

“I could make it.” Rodrig pouted. His heartbeat skipped. 

“You’re a terrible liar,” Jeremiah said. He had to give Rodrig points for trying to act tough but he needed to learn when to ask for help. Another thing that could be worked on later. “Now stand still. It’s easier to move if you stay still.” 

Jeremiah held tight and rushed forward, only going at about half speed. Rodrig pressed against him for stability. The closeness made Jeremiah feel hot. His wolf perked up and started dancing around inside his chest. “

Yes, yes, yes!” it said in his head. “Ours. Finally ours.” 

Jeremiah had to push back. No. Not ours. Not yet.

 The spirit wolf backed down, but still remained right at the edge of his mind. 

When they finally reached his camp, he set Rodrig down on a small wooden folding stool. 

“Stay here. I’m going to light a fire.” Jeremiah told Rodrig before grabbing his flint and steel and  striking them together. A few seconds later he had a fire going. He then went to his pack and grabbed some Jerky. He pushed it into Rodrig’s hands. 

“Eat this and wait here. I’ve got some tools that can pick the locks on those shackles.” Jeremiah told him. He then went and started digging through his bag for his tools. Of course, since he wasn’t expecting to have to use them, they were all the way at the bottom of his bag. He would have to thank Alfonse later for forcing him to pack all these extra tools. 

“Just in case, Father.” Alfonse’s voice rang inside his head. 

When Jeremiah finally found his tools, he headed over to crouch next to Rodrig. He noticed that Rodrig had already finished the jerky he had given him.

“You can have another piece after I’m done with these,” Jeremiah said before pulling one of his wrists forward. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know. The Captain suddenly told me to stay in my quarters and when he came to get me, that guy was with him. I thought they were going to kick me out of the academy but then they brought me to the woods. Then that...fancy asshole pulled a sword on me. Told me if I didn’t move, he would gut me. Then they tied me up and gagged me.” 

Rodrig had to stop himself from laughing when he heard Eldin being referred to as a “fancy asshole.” 

“Did they say why?” Jeremiah asked. One of the shackles came undone. He grabbed Rodrig’s other wrist and got to work on the second one. 

“No. They didn’t tell me anything. But I get the feeling it has something to do with you.” 

There it was. The connection Jeremiah hoped Rodrig wouldn’t make. But it would take an absolute idiot not to notice he was associated with this in some way. Especially after calling Eldin his little brother in front of Rodrig. It was stupid. But seeing someone he thought he would never see again had rattled him. 

““Yeah.” Jeremiah said. “I do. But the explanations are going to have to wait until morning. We need to be out of here at first light.” 

“Leave? I can’t leave.” Rodrig said as he tried to pull his hand back. Jeremiah held firm. 

“You can’t stay either.” Jeremiah said. “You’re not safe here. That man, the fancy asshole as you called him, won’t let you live if you stay.” 

Jeremiah hoped that wasn’t true. He hoped his younger brother wasn’t capable of killing and that it was their father’s terrible influence that was causing the once sweet and tender boy to act in such a way. Rodrig wasn’t the only one Jeremiah wanted to take with him. Even though he knew he couldn’t.

As he finally got the second shackle off, Rodrig pulled his hands close, rubbing his wrists. The skin where the shackles had lay seemed irritated. 

“Why? I didn’t do anything to him.” Rodrig asked. 

“It’s not about what you did. It’s about what you are.” 

Jeremiah was getting ready to break the news. That he had a hole in his soul that supernatural elements could next in. That he was different. Before he could say his piece, Rodrig spoke. 

“I didn’t ask to be like this.” Rodrig said. “I didn’t ask to be a faggot.” 

Jeremiah’s heart broke for Rodrig that moment. 

“That’s not what I...oh kid.” Jeremiah said, pulling Rodrig into his arms. He remembered the dark times from his own past. The holding back who he was for appearances. Refusing to accept who he was. It was what made leaving so much easier. “That’s not something you can control. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

“Yes, it is.” Rodrig sobbed. Jeremiah could feel Rodrig’s tears soak his shirt. “The scripture says a man must procreate. That wasting your seed in another man is akin to murder.”

“Kid, sorry to break this to you but the scripture was written by a bunch of assholes with sixteen slave wives apiece.” Jeremiah said, holding the young man tight. Even though Rodrig was having a crisis, just holding the man made something inside of Jeremiah feel right. Like the first time he had held the three men who would eventually become his sons. He didn’t want to give this one over to another group. He wanted to keep this one. Which was bad. “They weren’t exactly the height of moral standings.” That last line was a dig on not just the holier than thou prophets but himself as well. 

“But I...” Rodrig tried to argue. 

“No buts.” Jeremiah said, holding him at arm's length. He had switched into what Lucin, his second son, called his “dad lecture voice.” 

“You being gay isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated less than. And don’t say faggot. If I hear that word come out of your mouth again, especially in reference to yourself, I’ll tan your hide. Understood?” 

Rodrig looked bewildered but eventually gave a little nod. Jeremiah handed him another piece of jerky. 

“Good. Eat this while I prepare you a bedroll.” Jeremiah said before leaving the stunned Rodrig to prepare the spare bedroll he always brought when he was expecting to pick up a Sensitive. Technically he brought 2 extra in case the Sensitive had a spouse or child they couldn’t leave behind. He finished with the bedroll before leaving Rodrig’s bag in the corner of the tent. 

“Bed’s ready. Come on, let’s get you laid down so I can take a look at your wounds.” Jeremiah said before going over and helping Rodrig to stand and lead him over to the tent. Rodrig limped the short distance. He wouldn’t be able to walk on it for a while. Thank god he had the cart. Beatrice would give some attitude for the extra weight though. 

“Before you lay down, I need you to take off your shirt.” Jeremiah said as he helped sit Rodrig on the bedroll. 

“Why?” Rodrig asked, suddenly panicking. 

“You’re bleeding on your back. The wound needs to be cleaned. I also need to look at that cut on your cheek and your ankle.”

Rodrig did as he was told. Jeremiah felt a bit ashamed to say that a part of him enjoyed watching the young man take off his shirt. He had a well toned chest but he seemed a bit skinny for someone his height. Something that was easily remedied. Rodrig laid on his stomach so his back was in place. 

“Good boy. Now wait here while I get my first aid equipment.” Jeremiah said. He left to grab his stash but by the time he came back, Rodrig was fast asleep. 

“That makes sense.” Jeremiah said. He got to work cleaning and disinfecting the wound on Rodrig’s back. It wasn’t deep. No stitches needed. But it would need to be bandaged in some ways. Jeremiah didn’t have one long enough so cloth wraps would have to do. Surprisingly, Rodrig slept through all of it. The face was a bit more deep, that one would need stitches. Again though, Rodrig slept through the process. This one he did have a bandage that would fit. Lastly was the ankle. He rolled it around. The muscles popped but nothing appeared broken. If he stayed off it, Rodrig should be walking within a week. He wrapped it so that it would be hard for him to move it but not so hard to cut off circulation. When Jeremiah was done, he grabbed a blanket and laid it down on top of the man. 

Jeremiah then got himself ready for bed. He fed Beatrice, who nuzzled his face and nipped at his hair. He then ate some travel rations and stripped off his shirt and boots. He decided to keep his pants on tonight. Lastly he pulled out a small alarm clock and set it to go off right before first light. He took one last look over at Rodrig who was lightly snoring. Jeremiah joined him in slumber shortly after. 

[cutegayorc]

It’s that time again folks. Is he a top, bottom or verse? 

[cutegayorc]

How to tell if someone is a selfish lover. 

[cutegayorc]

I might be a nudist. Being able to just hang out with no pants sounds awesome. 

Two buddies chilling after some sex on cam and a demon hunting session.

[cutegayorc]

I want to go to there. 

Scott Howl is a good boy!

[cutegayorc]

Whoops

I may have accidentally scared a tiktok creator I admire by introducing them to the concept of the omegaverse. 

[cutegayorc]

Adopted by a Werewolf Chapter 1

My attempt to get back into writing after reading way too many gay themed supernatural romance novels. Had a few friends who proofread. Will add their info in the description later once I've had a chance to get it all together. Hope you enjoy, leave a comment and all that good stuff.

Rodrig sat in the pub alone, separate from the other cadets as was his preference. He nursed a mug of cheap ale as he listened to the sounds of laughter and merriment from the other patrons. Rodrig told himself it was better to be alone. No one to make back handed comments about his family or his lack of skills on the training grounds. The constant ridicule made him prickly to be around, even to the cadets who mostly left him alone. 

“Stay away from Raging Rodrig,” One particularly idiotic bully decided to say. “Guys got a permanent stick up his ass.” 

That comment had earned a punch to the jaw from Rodrig which in turn earned Rodrig a night in a cell and a docking of his pay. His Commanding Officer also required an official apology from Rodrig. He did as commanded. But when he asked for an apology for the comments that led to the scuffle, he was told to grow up and get over it. 

Rodrig continued to sip his beer, trying to clear his mind but finding himself focusing on his frustrations. He muttered little curses under his breath, so in his own head he didn’t notice when the seat next to his was taken. Nor did he notice that the stranger was watching and listening as he quietly spoke his curses and threats into his cup of ale.  

“You look like you’ve got a thorn stuck in your paw Lad. Care to share your woes?” the man sitting next to Rodrig said.  

It took a moment for Rodrig to realize who was talking to him. He looked over to see the man in question. Rodrig was considered a bit more stout than most, but the man sitting beside him was a mountain by comparison. He barely fit on the small bar stool and had a mass of muscle that put Rodrig’s slightly buff frame to shame. His arms were covered in a thin layer of black hair. His square jaw was covered with a small amount of scruff, like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. And his eyes were a light brown almost approaching red. His long black hair had been braided into a ponytail that reached halfway down his back. 

It was the first time Rodrig had ever seen a man with long hair. He liked it. A lot. Then Rodrig realized he was staring and turned away.

“Sorry sir.” Rodrig said, trying to be polite. “Don’t mind me. Just a long day.” 

“I’m surprised you’re not over there with the other young bucks,” the Stranger said. “Most cadets at the academy stay pretty tightly knitted together.” 

“How did you know I was a cadet?” “You’re still wearing your training uniform. As are they.” 

“Oh.” Rodric said, feeling a bit dumb he didn’t realize that. “I’m fine. I’m happier alone.” 

“Then why have you been mumbling obscenities into your mug?” the stranger said. He didn’t say it in an accusing tone. It almost sounded like teasing. If anyone else had talked to him like that, he would have stood up and asked them if they wanted to take the discussion outside. This man was playing with him. Poking fun at him. For some reason he didn’t mind. Rodrig smiled for the first time that night. He tried to hide it with his hand.

“Heard that huh?” Rodrig said, a little bit of a blush coming on from the embarrassment of being caught brooding. 

“I did,” the Stranger said. “It does the body no good to let such thoughts fester. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

“It’s nothing. I’m just a little frustrated at my Commander.” Rodrig said. He knew he shouldn’t speak ill about his superior officer. Especially to a stranger. If word got out that he was going around town disparaging his superior, it could lead to discipline. But he couldn’t resist. The details just started spilling out of him. “I got in a fight with another cadet. He’s been saying things about me. I lost my temper and punched him. Got in trouble. Was forced to give an apology I didn’t mean. But when I asked for an apology back, I was told I didn’t deserve it.”

Rodrig took a sip of his ale. He couldn’t believe he had just told the stranger that. Rodrig had always been tight lipped about his problems. In fact, keeping secrets seemed to be the only thing he felt good at. He had to admit that getting it off his chest felt good. 

“Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Must have had one too many tonight.” Rodrig said as he started to stand up. “I won’t bother you anymore.” 

“You’re not a bother,” the Stranger said. “I was the one who asked. Is the shit talker here tonight?” 

The other cadet was with his regular group of friends. They were the loudest group there. A collection of young studs who believed that they were the greatest thing on the earth. Rodrig knew the academy got multiple complaints about the click. But as far as he knew, no actions had been taken against the group. Rodrig could hear them making lewd comments about the hostess. They were not being covert about it. Everyone in the bar could hear them. 

“Yeah.” Rodrig said, sitting back down. 

“I’m surprised the guard hasn’t been called to deal with them yet,” The Stranger said. “Trash like that would have been better off staying in their daddy’s balls.” 

Rodrig was in the middle of taking another drink when he heard the crass comment. He nearly spit his ale out at the surprising comment. Instead he ended up inhaling half the mouthful and started coughing. Once he finally had his bearings back, he started laughing. 

“Don’t say stuff like that when I’m drinking,” Rodrig said. “That’s funny though. I’m going to have to remember that one.” 

“You’re welcome to it,” the Stranger said with a small nod. He had just gotten his own drink delivered. A glass of white wine. He swirled the contents in the fancy glass before taking a small sip. “What are you going to do about it?” 

“About what? The rowdy ones back there?”

“No,” the Stranger said. “You’re not responsible for their actions. I meant about your Commander. He’s letting a member of his team talk disparagingly about another member of the unit. Doesn’t bode well for morale. Doesn’t lead to a cohesive unit. Thought about asking to be transferred to another team?” 

Rodrig looked over his shoulder to  see if anyone was listening. Most were ignoring him, but a few of the cadets had noticed he was talking to a stranger. He thought before he answered. He had already risked his neck once tonight. He couldn’t afford to risk it again. 

“Maybe he’s right,” Rodrig said. “Maybe I need to toughen up.” 

The Stranger snorted. 

“You don’t believe that,” He said. “Try again.” 

“It’s not a good idea to talk badly about a commanding officer,” Rodrig said in a hushed whisper. “Besides, it would be the same with any other unit I got transferred to. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this stuff.” Rodrig downed the last of his ale before beginning to stand up. The Stranger’s hand was placed on his shoulder and pushed him back down. 

“It’s because I asked.” The stranger said. “You don’t have to apologize for speaking your truth to me when I was the one who requested the info.” His hand squeezed Rodrig’s shoulder, rubbing his thumb in a circular motion. It felt good and was stirring a heat inside of him. Rodrig had to bite his tongue from making noises. 

“Tell me, why did you join the guard?” The Stranger asked. 

“It was my only option,” Rodrig found himself answering without a second thought. Like he was under a spell. “Family kicked me out and I don’t have the skills to apprentice anywhere.” Rodrig felt a bit of shame rise as he admitted something so personal to a complete stranger. But the hand on his shoulder felt good. He imagined the man’s hands massaging his shoulders. 

That was when Rodrig realized another part of his body was having an unexpected reaction to the touch of the Stranger. His penis started to swell up in his pants. He began to panic, quickly leaning over and placing his arms on the bar to try and block anyone from seeing the growth.The man chuckled to himself. It was low and deep, almost like a growl. It drove Rodrig crazy for reasons he could not explain. 

“I’m sure you felt that it was your only option,” The stranger said. “But I’m sure another opportunity will present itself. Maybe try to keep an open mind.” 

He gave my shoulder one final squeeze before letting go and standing up. He dropped a few coins on the countertop. 

“This should cover the boy’s drink.” The stranger said. “Name’s Jerimiah by the way. What’s yours?” He said to Rodrig. 

“Rodrig.” 

“It was nice to meet you, Rodrig. Hopefully we will meet again soon.” 

Rodrig didn’t answer. But he couldn’t help but stare after the man as he left. He was so tall, he had to duck his head when he exited the door. After his eyes finally left the man, it was like a spell had been broken. Clarity suddenly returned to him and he realized that quite a few people at the bar were looking at him. Rodrig waited for his erection to subside before stepping out of the pub, making sure not to meet anyone’s eyesight in the meantime. 

---

That next day, Rodrig was on the practice field running drills with his fellow cadet’s. The weighted wooden sword was swung back and forth in a familiar pattern. The Commander called out his name and his stomach fell. He fell out of stance and looked in the direction of the voice that called his name. His Commander looked pissed. Granted, this was not a new look when he was dealing with Rodrig. 

Rodrig jogged over to stand before his Commander before saluting and standing at attention. 

“Some of your fellow cadets said you were in contact with a mysterious character last night. Care to elaborate.” 

Rodrig’s heart began to beat in his ears. Panic filled his thoughts. Had someone seen his erection. Did they know about his orientation? He did his best to hide those fears, keeping his stance as still as possible and staring forward. “Can you be more specific, sir?” Rodrig said. 

“At the bar dipshit!” The Commander said. Rodrig felt the eyes of everyone on the training field staring at them. 

“Yes Sir. I was approached by a stranger. What did you want to know, Sir?” 

“What do I want to know?” The commander repeated back. He often did that when he thought someone was asking a stupid question. “What did he want? It’s not normal for an out of towner to come and talk with a nobody like you. It’s mysterious. What did he talk to you about?” 

“Nothing serious Sir,” Rodrig said. “Asked me how my day was. Asked me about why I wanted to be a city guard. I think he was bored or lonely. Must have wanted an excuse to talk to someone. Saw I was sitting alone and struck up a conversation.” 

“Is that it?” The Commander asked. Rodrig thought for a moment before he responded. 

“He paid for my drink, Sir.” I said. 

“He asked you for any favors?” The Commander said. His tone was the one used when he was accusing someone of doing something wrong. 

“No Sir.” Rodrig answered immediately. 

“Give you his name?” 

“I think so, Sir. But I don’t remember it exactly. Maybe Jeremy or Joshua.” 

“You fucking idiot,” the Commander said before hocking a loogy against the nearby grass. “You’re training to become a member of the city guard. Remembering small details is part of your job description, dipshit.” 

“I’m sorry Sir.” Rodrig said, his voice coming out shaky. “I’ll try to do better, Sir.”

The commander gave a deep sigh. 

“Get back to training, cadet. And if you see that man again, I want you to report him to me directly. You understand?” 

“Sir! Yes, sir!” Rodrig screamed back. He gave a hasty salute and ran back to grab his practice sword. 

---

Rodrig went for a walk after training, avoiding going to the showers like the other cadets. He would go take a shower later. Alone. Safer that way. No one there to give him shit that way. It also meant he wouldn’t be tempted to stare at his fellow cadets. Even though they were assholes, some of them were still attractive enough to arouse Rodrig which would not have been ideal in a group shower situation. Besides, being in the woods was one of the few places where the young cadet could go to ease his mind. When he was out in the wilds, he could breathe. Something he needed after having the Commander breathing down his neck the rest of the day. 

After heading far enough into the woods that he knew he wouldn’t be disturbed, Rodrig laid his back against a tree and slowly lowered himself to the ground. His pants would get dirty but he didn’t care. They were already covered with sweat and grass stains. He took a deep breath, smelling the forest. He laid back his head and closed his eyes. He listened to the sound of the birds and felt the wind in his hair and let his mind just go blank. 

A deep growl met his ears and his eyes shot open. He looked around, trying to see where the noise came from. He slowly raised himself back up to a sitting position, pushing himself against the tree as he listened. He couldn’t see anything. He thought that maybe it was just in his imagination. Then he heard it again. It was close. Like whatever it was stood right beside him.  He peeked around the tree, nothing. But he definitely heard it. Another growl, louder this time. He looked up.

Staring down at him from the branches was a huge, furry beast. It had the head of a wolf, long black hair covering its body. But instead of four legs, it had arms and legs like a man. It’s deep red eyes met his. It licked its lips, revealing its sharp fangs. Rodrig’s body moved on its own. He ran like he had never run before. The beast, whatever it was, followed right behind him. He could hear the sound of deep thumps against the ground as it chased him. Its panting was loud. Rodrig could feel its hot breath against his neck. He ducked and jumped over branches and roots, desperate to make it back to the academy. He was so close. It was just down the hill. 

His foot caught on a raised root and he toppled over. His body began to roll down the hill. Each and every tumble and turn ripped into his clothes and skin until he finally reached the bottom. He landed on his stomach, the air was pushed from his lungs. He grunted and tried to move but still hadn’t caught his breath. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” A familiar voice said above him. It was one of his fellow cadets, staring down at him but not offering him any sort of help. He looked down at Rodrig like one looked at an annoying child.

“Beast,” Rodrig said, his heartbeat pounding in his head. “In the forest. Chasing me.” 

“What beast?” the cadet said. “Gods, your a fucking freak Rodrig.” A few other voices nearby began laughing. It was then Rodrig noticed that he had an audience. They all pointed and laughed.

“I’m not crazy!” Rodrig screamed. “It was out there. It had the face of a wolf and it was staring at me from up in the trees!” 

“Look out everybody, the wolf monkey is on the loose.” 

“Not only is he an ass, he’s also got a bunch of screws loose in his head.” 

“Gods, why don’t they just kick him out already.” 

Rodrig slowly pulled himself up. He felt pain all over his body but nothing appeared to be broken. He looked at his mockers, rage filling his insides.

“Fuck all of you!” Rodrig screamed. The beast was forgotten. 

“What in the Gods are all of you nitwits doing?” The voice of the Commander demanded from nearby. He pushed his way through the laughing cadets and saw Rodrig covered in scratches and dirt. “Cadet Brinslow! What did you do now?” 

“Commander. There’s a beast in the forest. It tried to attack me but I was able to get away. We have to form a search party. It could hurt others.” Rodrig was telling, no begging his commander to take action. 

“He said it was a wolf that climbed up a tree. How fucking stupid can you be.” One of the cadets said between fits of laughter.  

The commander grew pale after hearing the description. For a brief moment, Rodrig felt a flutter of hope. Maybe his Commander wasn’t all bad. He had believed him. For once the bastard would take his side. Someone finally took his side. Then the Commander’s rage face was staring him down. Faith and hope left his body as cold realization hit him. The Commander was not on his side. 

“All of you shut it!” The commander screamed.

“And you!” The commander pointed at Rodrig. “What were you doing out there to begin with?” 

“Clearing my head, Sir,” Rodrig said. “It helps to clear my thoughts after training.” 

The commander turned his head and spit on the ground. The cadets standing nearby jumped back to avoid getting hit by the projectile. 

“Go to your quarters and don’t leave until I come and fetch you.” The Commander said. 

“But Sir-”

“ENOUGH!” The Commander screamed. “THIS IS A DIRECT ORDER, CADET!” 

Rodrig stood there looking back at everyone who was staring back at him. The training field was silent. He could feel it. This was the final straw. He was going to be kicked out. He slumped forward, staring at the ground. Unable to look everyone in the face. His raging emotions were now completely snuffed by a sense of numbness. He did as he was told and walked away, not daring to look back and incur more wrath.

The academy was a group of small buildings. A dorm, a school, a mess hall and a practice field in the back. Everyone at the time was gathered around the mess hall so he didn’t see many people on his way to the dorms. It was probably for the best he told himself. He didn’t want people seeing him and his walk of shame.

Rodrig was back in his small dorm room. There was a bed, a sink with running water and a drawer for his clothes. He grabbed a washcloth and filled the sink with water. He stripped off his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. Rodrig had dark tan skin and well defined muscles, which were now covered in thin scratches and bruises. Luckily nothing serious. He had wiry hair, halfway between blond and brown, and a bit of scruff on his chin. Not enough to be considered a beard but still there. He began using the water to clean himself off since he hadn’t had a chance to shower before being sentenced to his quarters. It was a slow process, especially since he kept wincing every time the cloth went over a wound. But he got it done. Next came off his pants. Again he repeated the process. Lastly his underwear came off. Luckily his manhood hadn’t been skewered by a rogue twig. His hair across his body was the same color as his head. He wasn’t as hairy as the man from the pub. Rodrig’s cock gave a little jump at the thought of the Stranger. Then he remembered his current predicament and any horny thoughts he might have had were washed down the drain with the dirty water. He dressed in a fresh pair of underwear, pants and a shirt and waited. And waited. Until he fell asleep. 

---

Rodrig was awoken by the sound of knocking at his door. The late day sun had set and stars filled the sky. 

“Come in.” Rodrig called as he sat up. The Commander came in. He was followed by a thin man with black hair and a scowl that Rodrig had never met. He wore clothes that looked like they cost more than Rodrig would ever make and had an ornate rapier sheathed to his side. 

“Grab your things,” the Commander said as he threw a large backpack at Rodrig. “You have five minutes to pack up.” 

“Sir, please,” Rodrig begged. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. I’ll do better. I’ll...” 

“Shut your damn mouth.” the Commander said in a low voice. “Keep your voice down. If you wake any of the other cadets, I’ll have your damn hide. Do you understand?” 

Rodrig nodded. He moved in a stiff but quick fashion, packing up his civilian clothes and the few knick knacks he still had. A small marble. A utility knife. The few bits of coin he was able to save doing odd jobs on the weekend. A pack of playing cards. The uniforms he left. They wouldn’t belong to him anymore. He zipped up the bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. 

“Don’t say a single word.” the Commander said, his face inches from Rodrig’s “You are to follow me. Understand?” Rodrig nodded. The Commander left. Rodrig followed and the fancy man followed behind Rodrig. They made their way down the corridors of the dormitory and out the back entrance. Rodrig thought they were going to head to the front gate of the academy where they would push him out the door and shut it behind him. Instead they headed towards the training yard. Then past the training yard and towards the woods. Rodrig remembered the event from that afternoon and stopped walking. 

“Sir, the beast.” Rodrig said. Something pressed into his back. The rich looking man was right behind him.

“I’ve got my rapier at your back.” The fancy man said. He had a high class accent. “Keep walking or I’ll impale you on it.” To make his point clear, the man pressed the rapier forward enough to pierce the skin. The prick on his back was enough to get him moving. 

When they reached the woods, there was a pair of lanterns waiting for them. Both were already lit. The Commander took one. The fancy gentleman took the other. They continued to walk with Rodrig in the middle, the blade sitting against his back. Rodrigue thought about running. But even with the full moon, the trees covered the land making it blindingly dark. With the beast still roaming the woods., it would be suicide. He wasn’t sure what his current situation was yet either though. After the academy was out of sight, the Commander stopped and turned around. He was holding a pair of shackles and a piece of fabric. 

“Turn around. Hands behind your back,” the Commander said. Rodrig began to protest but a sudden searing pain from the gentleman slashing his rapier across his back shut Rodrig up. He could tell he was bleeding, the blood from the wound warming his back.Rodrig did as he was told, dropping his backpack. The gentlemen kept the blade poking at his chest, its tip covered in a bit of his blood. The Commander slapped the shackles onto his wrist. They clicked closed. The Commander then pushed Rodrig forward. He fell and landed on his chest, unable to catch himself with his hands, his face slammed into the dirt. The Commander pressed his knee into Rodrig’s back to keep him down and slipped the fabric around his face and into his mouth before tying both ends behind his head. Rodrig tried to speak, to scream, but the cloth held his tongue down. As the Commander forced him to his feet, Rodrig was face to face with the gentlemen again. He had sheathed his rapier. 

“So, you’re the one he came back for?” the gentleman said. He looked Rodrig up and down. “I’m not terribly impressed.” Rodrig tried to tell the pompous ass to shut the fuck up. The gag made it come out as muffled noises and grunts.

The Commander forced him around and began pushing him forward. Rodrig stumbled back and forth as his body was led through the forest. Once he tripped and fell to his knees. The Commander slapped him across the face and forced him up again.

“Come on out Jerimiah. I know you’re back in town.” The Commander called into the woods. “Decided to hunt yourself another young buck? Well guess what? You can have this one on me. He’s a fucking loser with no family. Won’t be missed. All you gotta do to have him is leave town. For good this time.” 

“And if you don’t come and claim your prize,” the gentlemen said. “I’ll gut him.” 

Rodrig began to scream at the threat on his life. He didn’t know what was going on. He tried to beg but all that came out were muffled whimpers from behind the muzzle. 

“Hear that? The young buck is calling for you.” the Gentleman stepped forward, placing a boot against his ankle and pressing down. The pain shot through his lower body, making him scream out in agony.

“Fucking pathetic. No wonder your family didn’t want you.” The Commander started to lecture to no one in particular. “Well guess what, you’re going to be food for the beast.” The Commander pulled out a pocket knife and slowly dragged it across his cheek, leaving a cut that let out small ruby red drops of blood. 

Rodrig began to shake. He had never been so scared in his life. Even running from the beast wasn’t as bad as the torture of being openly betrayed. At least his family didn’t sacrifice him. When he heard the sound of twigs snapping, he assumed it was the beast. He found himself feeling a sense of relief. Rodrig was done. Never had he thought he would be the type of person to wish for death. But after all the rejection and hiding who he was, maybe he just wasn’t made for this world. He just hoped that the beast would rip out his throat first so he didn’t have to suffer. He looked up to see his end but instead saw the man he had met just the night before. 

“There you are.” the Gentleman said. “Was wondering when you would show up, Monster.” 

“Hello again, Little Brother.” the voice of the man from the bar said. “It’s been too long.” 

“We are not family, you freak!” The Gentleman said. “I don’t know why you thought it was okay to hunt here but I will not stand for it. Take your prize and leave here.” 

The Commander pulled Rodrig to a kneeling position. The man from the night before had a furious look on his face when he got a better look at Rodrig. 

“What did you do to him?” Jeremiah said. “Why would you do this to him?” 

“Because he’s a useless freak,” the Commander said. “ Had to rough him up a bit for wasting my time. Besides, can’t your kind smell the blood of your prey?” The Commander forced Rodrig to his feet before smashing the bottom of his foot against the bound man’s back. Rodrig felt himself jettisoned forward. Before he could hit the ground, he landed against something large and warm instead. 

“I’ve got you kid.” Jeremiah whispered down to Rodrig before turning back to the two men still standing on the other side of the clearing. “Care to provide the key to his bonds?” 

“You’re a big strong beast. I’m sure you can tear them off.” The gentleman said before cackling into the night. The sound grated against Rodrig’s frayed nerves. He heard the sound of the Commander and Gentleman walk away, throwing the clearing into darkness when they took their lanterns with them. 

Jeremiah untied the cloth gag, letting Rodrig move his tongue.

“Are you all right?” Jeremiah asked now that they were alone. 

The answer was no. Rodrig was far from alright. He was terrified, confused and standing in a close to pitch black dark forest that just earlier that day he had run through while being chased by a hound-like creature that could climb trees. On top of that, he had been slashed by two different blades and his ankle felt like it was on fire. 

“I’m fine.” Rodrig said out of habit. 

“We’ll get you to my camp where I can check your injuries.” Jeremiah said. He gently helped Rodrig to his feet. “Is that pack they dropped yours?”

“I don’t know.” Rodrig said. “I can’t see. Probably. They did have me pack my bag before…” He didn’t finish the sentence. 

“Stay here.” Jeremiah told him. Rodrig heard him take a few steps away from him, pick something up and walk. “Hold still.” 

Rodrig felt Jeremiah grab the chain that secured the manacles behind his back. Jeremiah started grunting and then the chain snapped. Rodrig’s hands were still bound by the wrist cuffs, but he could now move them freely.

“How did you break them?” Rodrig asked.

“Now is not the best time to explain,” Jeremiah said, wrapping his arm around Rodrig’s. “I have good night vision so I will lead you back to my camp. Can you walk?”

“I got my ankle stomped on.” Rodrig said. 

“I might be able to carry you,” Jeremiah said. Before Rodrig could respond, he felt himself getting scooped up. The noise of surprise he made was not one he hoped to ever make again. He was being held like a bride being carried across the threshold. 

“Down! Put me down!” Rodrig cried.

“Shh you.” Jeremiah barked. “Unless you want to walk to my camp on a hurt ankle.” 

“I could make it.” 

“You’re a terrible liar. Now stand still. It’s easier to move if you stay still.” 

Rodrig couldn’t see anything but he could hear the quick sounds of feet pounding into earth and the feeling of the night air rushing past his face. Jeremiah moved faster than he would have expected. Especially carrying his weight. He gripped against Jeremiah’s shirt and bicep like he would fall if he didn’t. Granted that’s exactly how he felt. Eventually they started to slow down and then came to a stop. Jeremiah slowly set him down, lowering him onto what felt like a small wooden stool. 

“Stay here. I’m going to light a fire.” Jeremiah whispered next to Rodrig. He let Rodrig’s arm go and stepped away. The familiar sound of flint and steel sounded out and a moment later, light emerged from a small fire pit. The light cast around the camp, revealing a rather large tent and knapsack as well as a donkey and small cart. Jeremiah was next to him a moment later, carrying a piece of jerky.

“Eat this and wait here. I’ve got some tools that can pick the locks on those shackles.” Jeremiah told him. 

Rodrig bit into the jerky, his mouth watering after he realized how hungry he was. Once he was done, Jeremiah offered him another. He greedily took it, tearing into the flavorful meat. 

“You can have another piece after I’m done with these,” Jeremiah said, grabbing one of the loose chains connected to Rodrig’s arms, pulling it into his lap.  

“Can you tell me what happened?” Jeremiah asked as he got to work on the locks. 

“I don’t know. The Captain suddenly told me to stay in my quarters and when he came to get me, that guy was with him. I thought they were going to kick me out of the academy but then they brought me to the woods. Then that...fancy asshole pulled a sword on me. Told me if I didn’t move, he would gut me. Then they tied me up and gagged me.” 

“Did they say why?” Jeremiah asked. One of the shackles came undone. He grabbed Rodrig’s other wrist and got to work on the second one. 

“No. They didn’t tell me anything. But I get the feeling it has something to do with you.” Rodrig said, sounding a bit more accusing then he meant to be of the man who had possibly saved his life. 

“Yeah.” Jeremiah said. “I do. But the explanations are going to have to wait until morning. We need to be out of here at first light.” 

“Leave?” Rodrig said, a little panic creeping in. “I can’t leave.” 

“You can’t stay either.” Jeremiah said. “You’re not safe here. That man, the fancy asshole as you called him, won’t let you live if you stay.” 

The second shackle came off. Jeremiah took the two halves of the shackles and dropped them in the cart. 

“Why? I didn’t do anything to him.” Rodrig asked. 

“It’s not about what you did. It’s about what you are.” 

Rodig’s heart sank. He could only think of one thing that could cause such a reaction. One of the other cadet’s must have seen something that outed him. That he was a homosexual. It was the reason his father kicked him out at 16. Why he had to join the academy. He wanted to scream. Instead he felt some tears streak down his cheeks. 

“I didn’t ask to be like this.” Rodrig said. “I didn’t ask to be a faggot.” 

“That’s not what I...oh kid.” Jeremiah was suddenly holding him in a big hug. “That’s not something you can control. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

“Yes it is.” Rodrig sobbed against the man’s chest. “The scripture says a man must procreate. That wasting your seed in another man is akin to murder.” 

“Kid, sorry to break this to you but the scripture was written by a bunch of assholes with 16 slave wives apiece.” Jeremiah said, squeezing him in a way that felt so comforting. “They weren’t exactly the height of moral standings.” 

“But I...” 

“No buts.” Jeremiah said, holding him at arm's length and staring him directly in the eyes. “You being gay isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated less than. And don’t say faggot. If I hear that word come out of your mouth again, especially in reference to yourself, I’ll tan your hide. Understood?” 

Rodrig was speechless. Never had he been both scolded and ameliorated at the same time. The stern gaze staring down at him was not one that could be bargained with though. He nodded, not wanting to say anything more to disappoint the man. 

“Good.” Jeremiah said before handing Rodrig another slice of jerky. “Eat this while I prepare you a bedroll.” Rodrig took the meat muttering a quiet thank you. He ate it quietly. He had never actually told anyone about his sexuality before. Not willingly. His father had found out without him knowing. God knows how the Commander found out. Or the strange gentleman. Rodrig didn’t think he would ever tell anyone. His plan was to keep it a secret. To die a bachelor and let his older brother be the one to carry on the family name. He did not expect to be scolded for hating what he was. 

“Bed’s ready. Come on, let’s get you laid down so I can take a look at your wounds.” Jeremiah wrapped his arm around Rodrig, hooking his hand underneath the other’s arm before pulling him up like it was nothing. He led him to the tent and brought him over to one of two bed rolls that took up the space before lowering him down. 

“Before you lay down, I need you to take off your shirt.” Jeremiah said. 

“Why?” Rodrig asked, feeling suddenly vulnerable after sharing his biggest secret. 

“You’re bleeding on your back. The wound needs to be cleaned. I also need to look at that cut on your cheek and your ankle.”

Rodrig knew from basic first aid that Jeremiah was right. But that didn’t make him feel any better about it. He hooked his fingers under his shirt before pulling it off, putting it down near where his head would be before laying face down. 

“Good boy. Now wait here while I get my first aid equipment.” Jeremiah left the tent. Before he could return though, Rodrig fell asleep.