by Eve Langlais
Reluctantly she called Tyler and agreed to take the job in her home town. She could practically hear him doing backflips on the phone; she was apparently a much hotter commodity around town than she’d thought. Everywhere she went people congratulated her and thanked her for agreeing to take on this task. She was going to not only be leading these girls’ basketball careers, but also shaping them into the young women they would become. It was a daunting task, but as the weeks passed she got more and more into it, until she couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to coach the Lady Geysers. The Geysers, what a name.
Eventually she completely forgot the sadness of not having her father and the pain of losing what she’d thought was her only love as she threw herself headfirst into her career. Training camp was a grueling experience, one that the girls wouldn’t soon forget. They were going to be the fittest team in the league, that was for damn sure.
She spent Thanksgiving with Kaitlyn and Tyler, enjoying a meal with Kaitlyn’s parents. It was tough to be around Kaitlyn’s parents without her father, but she soldiered through.
They made so much food and continually piled it onto their guest’s plate, making sure she ate everything. By the time it was all over she was so stuffed she couldn’t move. Each step was painful, so she waddled to the couch and plopped down, not wanting to move for several hours.
Everyone else moved about the house mingling and talking, leaving her to watch the Dallas Cowboys engage the Miami Dolphins in a defensive struggle on television. Was it good defense or bad offense? Celeste was starting to lean towards the latter, which was putting her to sleep. But her oncoming slumber was ruined by Kaitlyn’s father falling onto the couch next to her.
Bill had always been a kind man, always there to help her father whenever he needed it. The two had become best friends after she had left for school. She was grateful that Bill had helped see to her dad’s loneliness.
“How are you doing, pumpkin?” he asked, stealing her dad’s pet name.
“Pretty good,” she said. “I’m stuffed. Thanks for having me over.”
“You’re always welcome here,” he said. “You’re one of the family.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling sweetly. “That means a lot.”
“I just wish you were happier,” he said, sighing. “I always promised your dad that Katherine and I would look after you if anything ever happened to him. I don’t think we’ve done a very good job of that so far.”
“I’m a grown woman,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t need to be taken care of.”
“Oh, sure,” he said, looking up at her. “You can physically take care of yourself, that’s for damn sure. You got yourself a hell of a job now, too. But how are you doing, really?”
“I’m great.”
“Honey, you’re in that big house by yourself. I just feel awful that you go home there alone every night.”
“It’s really okay.”
“I know,” he said, flipping his hand dismissively. “You’re probably right. Everyone is so independent these days. People marry their careers and raise dogs instead of children. Just know that there’s always someone who loves you, honey. You’re not alone.”
“Thanks, Bill,” she said, leaning over and pulling him close for a hug. “I’ll always be here for you guys.”
“And us for you, honey.”
After they pulled apart Bill got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Celeste alone with her thoughts again. The football game was going to put her to sleep; she had to change the channel.
As she flipped she came upon the local news, doing a report in the park. They were talking to a park ranger who looked like Dudley Do–Right. His chest was puffed out and his hat was pulled low as he tried to look as official as possible.
“I’m here with Ranger Devon Traylor of Pine Bluff National Park. Welcome, Ranger Traylor.”
“Thank you, Kristy.”
“You’re announcing a new program for the holiday season?”
“I am,” he said, smiling with the biggest shit–eating grin she had ever seen. “From now until the New Year we are going to be paying out double what we normally pay for each elk carcass that hunters bring to us. Now, you have to be licensed and you can only take the antlers with you as a trophy.”
“And why would you be doing this, Ranger Traylor?”
“Well, Kristy, we’re overrun with elk. They’ve been killing out a lot of the plant species in the park and they’re damaging the ecosystem. We’ve tried to reintroduce wolves into the park, but they just aren’t killing at the rate we would hope they would.”
“Isn’t that how they solved their deer problem at Yellowstone?”
“It is, but it’s just not happening for us here. Right now it’s their mating season, meaning there’s about to be another population explosion. What we really need is for people to get out in record numbers and hunt this year. We’ll pay good money for the carcasses and the meat will be processed and sent to local shelters and food banks to feed the poor and needy. You’re doing charity work by killing these animals. If nature won’t control them, then by god, we’ll do it.”
“What happens if the numbers aren’t controlled?”
“Well, then, the park ends up in a lot of trouble, Kristy. Their rubbing kills certain types of trees and they’re eating away vast stretches of land. As they get braver they’ll start to encroach on our neighborhoods. I don’t think anyone wants Fido to run into a fully grown bull. It wouldn’t end well for man’s best friend.”
Kristy laughed an incredibly fake laugh and Ranger Traylor puffed up, obviously feeling like the man for eliciting that response from his terrible candor.
All of that became background noise for Celeste as she sat up on the couch, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. She had run into Bray pretty close to her house, so did that mean his herd was close by? The hunters were going to be out in record numbers. Bray was going to be in danger.
She wasn’t sure they could be together, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see Bray die. He had been there her entire life and as much as she tried to deny it, they had made love and it had been very special. He was already missing part of an antler–was that from a hunter? She had to warn him.
It was too late to venture out tonight; she wasn’t even sure where to find him. But tomorrow she would find him and she would warn him. She had to–it was what her heart wanted.
Chapter Nine
“Get up, brother,” Dallas urged, squatting down in front of Bray. “Shift and rut with some of our females. The cold is coming–can you feel it? Soon rutting season will be over and it will just be the two of us. Do you want to go into bachelorhood having missed out on all these females? We have a very nice herd this season.”
Bray turned his eyes away and stared into the distance, trying to ignore Dallas and his constant needling. His heart had been broken since the moment he had witnessed Celeste vanishing down the side of the hill. She was the first thing he thought of when he woke up and the last thing he thought of before falling asleep. Without her his life had no meaning. There was no point in rutting with these females. The mere thought of him participating in mating season was the reason she had left.
It had been a month since he had seen her and he hadn’t done much except lie around and occasionally eat. He had lost some weight and hadn’t shifted back into human form in at least a week. What was the point? He was an elk, not a human. Why had he been shackled with the ability to turn human?
I’m human in body only, he thought. I’m an elk inside a human’s body.
Those words had run through the recesses of his mind repeatedly over the last month, always pounding their way to the forefront to crash into his conscious thought process. The idea didn’t get any less depressing when he thought about it.
His depression was starting to bring the rest of the herd and Dallas down. No other males had challenged for dominion, but if they had, he and Dallas could have lost everything. Would Dall
as want to be with him after his inaction had led to defeat?
The night she had walked away he had been too upset to return to the herd. Instead, he sat on the hill and stared at her house, pining for his lifelong love who had briefly reentered his life before vanishing from it in a flash.
He knew his angst and moping wasn’t an attractive quality, but at this point he was past the point of caring. There simply wasn’t any purpose for him anymore; life wasn’t worth living without her around. Maybe another bull vying for his cows might have saved him, maybe it would have stirred something primal within him, but as of now there was nothing.
Dallas had spent the first couple of days after Bray returned from coupling with the human female throwing accusations his brother’s way. He smelled her on Bray and knew that his brother had been up to no good, stealing away to taste the forbidden fruit. Bray hadn’t denied it, but he hadn’t admitted it either. Instead he had given Dallas one good whack with the back of his hand, sending his brother sprawling and humiliating him in front of the herd.
Dallas had jumped up, ready to retaliate, but he seemed to think better of it when he saw the fire in Bray’s eyes. Dallas had no shot against his brother in a fair fight and he knew it better than anyone else. Eventually he backed down from the physical confrontation, still jawing at Bray every chance he got. But even that had fallen to the wayside when Bray’s condition didn’t improve.
“Brother, I don’t know what has depressed you,” Dallas said, still squatting next to Bray. “But it can’t be that bad. Is it the human? Did something happen with the human?”
Bray buried his nose in the dirt.
“I knew it was the human,” Dallas said, reaching out and rubbing his hand down his brother’s long, powerful neck. “I know it’s depressing right now, but you two could never be. I forgive you for what you’ve done, brother. Just return to the herd with me and take your position as head bull once more. Nobody will think any less of you. These things happen. I know that better than anyone else. Your relationship could never be, but the rest of your life can be and it is passing you by.”
Bray sat up and looked around. He hadn’t thought of it in these terms, but it did make sense. Maybe it had been a pipe dream to think he could live his life with Celeste. He was an elk, not a human, even though he craved the conveniences of human life.
How many of my children do I not know? he wondered. How many have I fostered out there? Does the fruit of my loins resent me for not raising it?
Bray had never known his father, as was the elk way, but that didn’t stop him from wondering about what kind of elk he was. This wasn’t right; they were part human. They couldn’t give in to the wild inside anymore. They had to start blending the two sides.
Dallas stood back as Bray began to shift and turn, compressing himself into his human body for the first time in a week. It felt like he was crawling into a hole, stuffing himself away, but at the same time it felt right.
“No,” Bray said, bowing his head. “I’m sorry, brother, but I am leaving the herd.”
“What?” Dallas asked, chasing after him. “You can’t leave the herd! What about rutting season?”
“Who cares about rutting season?” Bray asked, turning his fury towards his brother. “Does it really make you happy to couple with so many females? To constantly give part of yourself to so many different cows, when in reality you should be giving everything you have to one female? We’re part human, for god’s sake, brother. Humans have the capacity for love–unconditional love! Are we going to throw that away to be animals for the rest of our lives?”
“We are animals,” Dallas said, crossing his arms.
“Are we? Is that all we are?” Bray asked, throwing his arms out to the side. “Why can I do this, then? Why can I turn into a man, if not because I’m supposed to be human? If we were just supposed to be animals, then that’s all we would be. We would be no different than the other mindless elk that populate the park. But we’re more, more than just animals.”
“That human has poisoned your mind,” Dallas said, his jaw clenched and the muscles in his neck bulging. He was about to explode.
“She opened my eyes, brother! She opened them to a world that I’ve always wanted, but never had the guts to try and take. How many children do we each have? How many?”
“I don’t know,” Dallas said.
“Exactly!” Bray said. “We have no idea because we’ve never bothered to stick around after rutting season. I have never known the joy of fatherhood. I have never had my heart swell with pride as I looked into my newborn son’s eyes. That all changes. I’m done with rutting, I’m done with herds, I’m done with defending myself in head–butting contests, I’m done with it all.”
“You can’t,” Dallas said, stepping forward. Suddenly his arms dropped and he stepped back, his face twisting in revulsion. “You!”
Bray spun around, his face growing hot and his eyes growing wide as the single biggest catalyst for his change walked into the clearing. Celeste was standing there, wearing a green turtleneck sweater that did nothing to hide the curve of her bosom and a pair of tight blue jeans. On her head she wore a white knit cap and matching gloves covered her hands. Her beautiful black hair fell out from underneath the cap, framing the beauty of her face as the morning sun radiated off of her tan skin. It was cold outside, but here she was with no coat. Instinctively Bray wanted to leap to her, wrapping his arms around her to protect her from the harsh cold of the late–November air. Instead he backed away apprehensively, afraid of what the herd would do. Quietly he placed himself between her and the jealous females who had all begun to rise and form together in one angry mob.
“What are you doing here?” Bray asked.
“Did you really mean all of that?” Celeste asked, clutching her hands over her heart. “Was it all true?”
“Of course it was,” Bray said, smiling at her.
“Every word?”
“Every word,” he confirmed, nodding his head. He walked forward, hearing the hisses and jeers of the herd as he took her hands into his own. “You’re all I want, Celeste. You’re all I ever wanted. I always thought this was what I was supposed to do. I thought I was supposed to be the animal I could become. You’ve shown me the man I can become and I want to be him. I want to be him for you and nobody else.”
“I would love that,” Celeste said, wrapping her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly. He immediately returned the hug, hearing the air pop in her vertebrae as he squeezed her with all his might.
“Let me get my things,” he said. “Then I’m coming back with you. I’m leaving this all behind.”
“Okay,” she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I just needed to hear it, that’s all.”
“I know, baby,” he whispered. “I forgive you.”
As he turned around he found Dallas standing in front of him, his fists clenched tightly.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Leaving,” Bray said, pushing past him and heading for the bag he kept his human clothes in. “Forever.”
“You can’t do that!” Dallas protested, stomping his foot on the ground. “I need you, brother.”
“No you don’t,” Bray said, turning back. “Brother, you’re stronger than you think. You can continue to live as an animal, or you can move into the city like me and begin a new life.”
“I am not a human,” Dallas declared. “I am elk.”
“I will always be elk, too, brother,” Bray said. “But I will no longer deny the human that I am too.”
Bray looked up as he gathered his things, noticing the females whispering and pointing at Dallas. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what they were discussing. Without Bray’s strength Dallas was useless to them. They were going to leave Dallas and find a stronger mate. Bray loved Dallas as much as he loved Celeste, so he couldn’t do that to his brother. The pigheaded fool wanted to continue to live the way he had before and Bray was going to doom him
by walking away.
“And another thing, brother,” Bray said, standing up straight and flexing the muscles in his chest. “I’m taking all of my cows with me.”
“What?” Dallas and Celeste shouted in unison. An eruption of cheering and whistling came from the herd of cows.
“It’s okay,” Bray whispered, winking at Celeste. “Just follow along.”
Dallas looked confused at first, but as Bray moved towards the herd a light bulb went on in his eyes. “Get away from my cows!”
“Your cows?” Bray asked, spinning and trying to sound menacing. “I don’t recall you winning them from me. I’ve always protected this herd and I’ll be taking them with me. The rut is not over.”
“You are leaving to live with humans,” Dallas said. “I will not allow you to mix my herd with them.”
“Try and stop me,” Bray said.
Without another word Dallas quickly shifted into his elk form. Bray followed suit, towering over his smaller brother. Both men lowered their heads and began to stamp at the ground, preparing to lock antlers.
Chapter Ten
Celeste couldn’t believe what was happening. In the span of a couple of minutes she had stumbled upon her long–lost lover and his herd, listened to him say everything she had ever wanted to hear, and now she was about to witness him duel his brother in some sort of bloody show of male dominance.
She understood what he was doing; the collection of impossibly fit and beautiful naked females who stood in the distance wouldn’t accept his brother as their leader. It was obvious that her man was the stronger and fitter bull, always leading the show. His brother was just along for the ride, but Bray wouldn’t allow him to fall into lonely exile because he was leaving.
It was like a mafia boss leaving the business: he had to make sure everyone knew who was in charge in his absence, otherwise there would be chaos. Bray was doing the right thing, making Celeste even prouder of him.