ladyinpurple

[ladyinpurple]

Another quick scene in my TraitAU. 

Her Family

 Sally sat in her armchair in the warm, cozy cabin.  Waiting. She'd been here many hours now; waiting. Sally disliked the waiting, but it was necessary; they needed the time.  In the distance she heard the mournful howl of a wolf, quickly answered by the roar of a bear.  "It won't be long now", she remarked to the shadow by the fire.  

 Only a few more minutes passed before she heard the sound of one, two, and finally three sets of talons on the rail of the deck on the back of the cabin.  Sally smiled.  The black leopard laying by the fire raised her head, watching the door with luminous green eyes.  The front door latch moved and as soon as the door opened a crack, in scampered a mischievous otter chittering excitedly.  A white wolf with beautiful turquoise eyes silently followed him into the room and padded over to sit by Sally's chair.  As she reached out a stroked his ruff, the door was pushed fully open by a massive grizzly bear.  Sally's heart skipped a beat as she briefly saw her beloved Grant.  Blinking, the form resolved itself into that of her third grandson.  He came over and greeted Sally before turning and nuzzling the lithe cat.  

 "Geez, Virgil, shift back you're taking up too much space," came Alan's voice from the back of the cabin.

 The bear laughingly growled and morphed into Virgil's muscular form.  Dressed in his uniform undershirt and shorts, he grabbed a fuzzy green robe from a stool near the fireplace and held it up to shield Kayo as she shifted into her human form.  He then slipped into his own green robe and his "bear feet", bear-paw slippers gifted to him as a joke from Gordon.  Similarly dressed in bathrobes and normal slippers, Jeff, Scott, and Alan brought in trays of dishes, mugs of hot chocolate, and a large pot of stew, placing them on the table in a corner of the room.  Gordon, and John quickly changed and put on their robes and greeted their father, brothers, and Kayo.  

 Sally stood up and took her place at the table.  As the rest of the group settled into their familiar places, she smiled.  For the first time in too many years, her family was here together; safe and healthy.  

[ladyinpurple]

The Trait

Okay, before I start, I want to let everyone know this is my first attempt.  I don’t consider myself a particularly creative person, but I love reading all the Thunderbirds stuff and this plot bunny just hopped into my head (inspired by all the wereVirgil stories).  So here it is. I hope you enjoy and will appreciate any feedback.  Oh, yes, it is just a fragment of what I hope will be a longer story and might even become more.  Thanks.

The Trait

It always bred true in the Tracy line. All males had the trait. Grant explained it to her early in their relationship. He showed her his “tattoo”; describing how it appeared. One weekend they went to the hunting cabin in the Colorado wilderness and she witnessed the change. Saw her beloved Grant shift from human to bear. That trip held many fond memories. Getting to know her bear. Agreeing to marry him. So, yes, Grant explained it to her. Yet somehow she wasn't prepared for it to manifest in her son.

 Jeff was five and spent the afternoon running about the yard while Sally hung out the wash and weeded the flower beds. He even helped for a few minutes, managing to get covered in dirt. While cleaning him up before dinner, Sally attacked a particularly dirty spot on the child's right shoulder. When Jeff whined about the rough scrubbing, she looked closely at his arm. It was not dirt.

After dinner, a proper bath, and a story Jeff was tucked into bed. The day had worn the toddler out and he quickly fell asleep. Grant found her a bit later just sitting on the porch her mending forgotten in her lap. Putting his arms around her he asked, “Something bothering you?”

 “Have you seen his shoulder?”

“Yeah. Don't know what to do about it though.”

 At Sally’s confused look, he shrugged and said, “We've never had a bird before.”